New Pier At Chanthaburi

[sbk]

Pier with an eye to Vietnam, Cambodia

By: KARNJANA KARNJANATAWE

Published: 9/04/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Horizons

Chanthaburi is building a pier at Paknam Laem in Laem Sing district capable of handling cruise ships in the hope of attracting tourists from Cambodia, Vietnam and other countries.

According to the province's deputy governor Pongsathorn Satjachonlapan, the pier, complete with immigration and customs facilities, would need an investment of 20 million baht in the first phase and is expected to become operational around March next year.

Already, he said, Chanthaburi is a proven attraction for businessmen from Vietnam and Cambodia and he is hoping that its appeal would spill over to tourists in those countries, as well as tourists from other parts of the world cruising the Gulf of Thailand in luxury ships.

The second phase, a much bigger undertaking, will require an investment of 700 million baht, for which bids will be called in due course.

Laem Sing is around 30 minutes' drive from Chanthaburi town and 266 kilometres east of Bangkok.

Bangkok Post: http://www.bangkokpost.com/travel/travelsc...ietnam-cambodia

[Changian]

Lets hope the Cambodian passengers are given a warmer welcome than they were at Christmas last year when 269 of them who arrived on a cruise ship in Bangkok where refused visas and sent back to Cambodia:

The 7-storey Jupiter Cruise liner (pictured) with 450 passengers had docked at a Bangkok Seaport on 25th December, 2008 at 10:30am with the hopes that the passengers will be able to celebrate Christmas in the land of Thailand. On the cruise ship there were 269 Cambodian passengers but it was the worst nightmare for them that the Thai authority did not allow them to leave the ship and sent them packing back to Cambodia.

On the 4th of December, Jupiter Cruise, as part of its first launch, has left Phu Quoc (Koh Tral) island in Nha Trang province for Kompong Som in Cambodia to go to Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket in Thailand. This is a free cruise and according to Mr. Benson Samay, defence attorney for the cruise, on the cruise ship there were 269 Cambodian passengers, among them there were 27 Cambodian passengers who hold diplomatic and government official passports, 22 Cambodians who hold foreign passports and 215 Cambodians who hold ordinary passports with Thai visas stamped on them.

In a letter to Mr. Chheang Vun, Chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, sent on 6th January, 2009, Mr. Benson Samay said that, according to an English captain of the Jupiter Cruise, the Thai authority did not allow the Cambodian passengers to enter into Thailand by using an excuse that “there might be some Khmer Rouge disguising among the passengers who can create insecurity in their country (Thailand).” The letter added that the Thai authority will only allow the Cambodian passengers to enter Thailand “on the condition that those Cambodian passengers agreed to pay $1500 each person in security bond and the bond money can only be withdrawn after 3 months time.”

Source: http://preahvihear.com/?p=169

[Asianrider]

interesting development. Except for weekly Gem market, Chanthaburi very undeveloped tourist wise, but it is a nice friendly town.