Latest online 'drama': Southern beach sculptures cost nearly 5MB - shades of "Lamppostgate"

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath reported that there was a drama playing out online after a post by whistleblower site "Patibatgarn Maa Fao Ban" (Guard dog action) published pictures of scupltures on a beach in southern Thailand.

 

There's a giant squid, prawn on shells, seahorses, a crab and a marlin.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

They cost 4,868,500 baht and were supposed to resist rusting from exposure to sea water as they were zinc alloy covered in brass.

 

But two of them had to be moved temporarily after suffering damage.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

The artwork is at the popular Panare Beach in Pattani.

 

The local mayor said that he was not worried by the furor.

 

The office of the National Anti Corruption Commission investigated twice a couple of years ago.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

All this happened before he took office, said Hassan Doloh.

 

This story has shades of "lamppostgate" about it.

 

This is the scandal in many places in Thailand where local officials allegedly  creamed money off the top after fancy lampposts adorned with expensive figures were installed on streets.

 

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[soi3eddie]

Just how many visitors ever go there to see these sculptures and beaches? Locals and Malaysians? Certainly very few western tourists with all the travel warnings against going to that area. I travelled through Panare in 2000, before the troubles really started. I was on a solo bicycle tour and remember that area being pretty much deserted.

 

The sculptures do look quite good so perhaps they might be better enjoyed on Pattaya beach for selfies aplenty.

 

[MarcelV]

I have been to Panare Beach a few times, but have never seen more than a few people around there and I found the beach less than appealing anyway.

Some people profited off of this for sure.

[Stocky]

4 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

Certainly very few western tourists with all the travel warnings against going to that area.

What's so important about having 'western tourists'? Plenty of Malaysians, Indonesians and Singaporeans come to visit the south.

[soi3eddie]

44 minutes ago, Stocky said:

What's so important about having 'western tourists'? Plenty of Malaysians, Indonesians and Singaporeans come to visit the south.

The story is posted/linked here on a English language forum predominantly read by us foreigners. As @MarcelV posted above, and, in my own experience, few people seem to visit there. Maybe the local officials were hoping to attract tourism away from Songkhla. Or maybe it had a good element of incentive to those who commissioned it.

 

[MarcelV]

1 hour ago, Stocky said:

What's so important about having 'western tourists'? Plenty of Malaysians, Indonesians and Singaporeans come to visit the south.

They don't visit Panare District though. Only locals go there.

[Burma Bill]

IMO they would be of better use outisde "eat as much as you can buffets" for the so called Chinese invasion!

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

But two of them had to be moved temporarily after suffering damage.

To someones front lawn?

[Stocky]

1 hour ago, soi3eddie said:

The story is posted/linked here on a English language forum predominantly read by us foreigners. 

Be that as it may, it doesn't answer the question why tourists need  to be westerners to count?

 

.

[NE1]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

This story has shades of "lamppostgate" about it.

Christ  has putting "gate" at the end of shenanigans come to Thailand.

This terminology has to be the most irritating I have come across.

It started with Watergate , not because there was a problem with water , the hotel / office complex was called WATERGATE .

Are reporters just that lazy , that they cannot think of an original headline ?

 

[RichardColeman]

As a fan, I think if they put some 20ft high Godzilla and King King sculptures there  they would get tourists and money a plenty

[rwill]

Just wait for the first big storm to wash them out to sea.