BANGKOK — After a two year hiatus, the river lantern festival of Loy Krathong is making a comeback in its blazing glory this evening.

Vendors countrywide are busy sewing banana leafs into krathongs, festivities are planned and even junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha will personally float his krathong at a canal next to Government House later today, according to officials.

Up north in Chiang Mai province, the local variation of Loy Krathong kicked off last night. Called Yi Peng festival, it involved floating krathongs in rivers and releasing lit lantern balloons into the night sky.

A total of 148 flights were either canceled or rescheduled to avoid coming in contact with these lanterns.

In Bangkok, up to 30 parks will be opened to Loy Krathong revellers tonight.

Revelers at Yi Peng festival in Chiang Mai.

Temple-goers sew krathongs at a temple in Prachinburi province

An early Loy Krathong celebration in Khon Kaen province.

A police officer shows illegal firecrackers confiscated in Korat. Police have banned unsanctioned use of fireworks during Loy Krathong.

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Pictures: Chiang Mai News

Tourism operators were putting a brave face on prospects for high season in the northern Thai capital. 

But a brief report by Chiang Mai News painted a stark picture that really had one clear message: Tourism in Chiang Mai has been decimated by the downturn in Chinese arrivals.

Some were hoping that more Western tourists would fill their place especially during the next few months.

A hotel operator in the Prapokklao area said that her business had been terrible the last few months. 

She was now forced to offer rooms by the month at discounts. These traditionally might attract more Westerners on longer stays.

Food vendors all over the city said that since the Chinese stopped coming in greater numbers there are few customers. They rely on passing trade and office workers.

It used to be vibrant but not any more, they said.

Ek Namjit, 30, said that the situation was as bad as Phuket – that is to say terrible.

Low prices for hotel rooms meant that some people would go out of business. He was forced to do two jobs to make ends meet.

The high season may provide some respite with the arrival of farangs but the overriding message was that the tourism business was in a bad situation.

Chiang Mai News quoted operators as saying that negative incidents and the resulting adverse social media comment had affected the Chinese tourism market considerably.

Source: Chiang Mai News

A 28-year-old Dutchman has reportedly completed a 17,900-kilometre cross-continent bicycle ride from the Netherlands to visit his 58-year-old father, who lives in Thailand.

The 10-month and four-day journey, which began in mid-February, ended for William Coniris as he arrived his father Paul Coniris’s home in Suphan Buri’s Mueang district on Monday, after three years of not having seen each other.

Having worked in the field of meteorology in his home country, the man said the journey passing through 28 countries had exposed him to new things and different scenes that would be inspiring for his work when he returned home.

The Dutch cyclist recalled that he had stayed overnight along the way in a tent and spent about five to six hours cycling every day. He said the most frequently occurring issue was a shortage of drinking water and food, as some countries did not have many shops on their roads.

In Thailand, however, there are so many shops and people are friendly, he added with a smile.

Coniris will travel back home on November 27, after what has been his third visit to the Kingdom.

Source: The Nation

Suspect giving his best “snake face” impression?

AYUTTHAYA:

A suspected drug dealer fooled a cop into looking for a nonexistent snake in his cell before locking him up and dashing out for a brief moment of freedom early this morning, police said Tuesday.

And yes, the whole thing was captured on camera.

In what looks like a scene from a prison break thriller – or farcical comedy – Anan Komolwanich managed to not only escape his cell at Ayutthaya’s Sena Police Station, but also elude capture for six hours.

It all started when 23-year-old Anan, who was in a holding cell for alleged drug dealing, shouted at about 9.30pm that there was a snake in his cell. The guard on duty, Sgt. Ratchada Supawong, went to check but found nothing.

Reports said Anan repeated the false alarm thrice more. As Ratchada made a fourth inspection, Anan grabbed the key from him, bolted out of his holding cell and locked the guard inside. He then ran into a wooded area which police began to search.

He was captured toward 3am, hiding about a kilometer from the station. Col. Wasuthep said Anan faces an additional charge of escaping custody.

The officer in charge of the station said the guard would be punished for breaching safety protocols.

“This is a disciplinary violation. It’s very clear. There must be punishment,” Col. Wasuthep Kongklom said in an interview. “However, because it took little time to capture the suspect, there might be some grounds to lessen the penalty. But there will definitely be punishment.”

The police colonel said standard protocols state that a guard should not enter the jail unless he first makes sure the suspect cannot flee.

He also acknowledged that there have been other recent escapes involving human error.

Wasuthep cited an incident in Suphan Buri province six months ago in which a suspect managed to saw the bars off his cell window with a tool his wife slipped to him in a lunch box.

“The problem isn’t our equipment. The problem is humans failing to follow procedures,” the station chief said.

Source: Khaosod English: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2018/11/20/suspect-cries-snake-locks-cop-in-cell-and-runs-video/