Festive Air In Hat Yai For New Year

Festive air in Hat Yai for New Year

By THE NATION ON SUNDAY

HAT YAI: -- Hat Yai city in Songkhla province, which has a large community of Thai-Chinese descendants, is beautifully decorated with red lanterns this weekend, an auspicious colour for the Chinese New Year.

The atmosphere was cheerful and buzzing as Thai-Chinese residents wearing red clothes yesterday worshipped their gods for good luck and prosperity. They also occasionally lit firecrackers.

Accompanied by Thai police vehicles, a 30-car caravan of Malaysian police officers and their families yesterday afternoon reached Hat Yai, as previously scheduled.

The caravan, the first large party of Malaysian police to visit the area, will visit tourist attractions in Songkhla today and tomorrow.

The Lim Family's Chamber Association in tambon Pathong municipality set up a 2.5-metres-wide and 3-metres-tall traditional Chinese lantern at the entrance of their headquarters, where New Year celebrations were held. Among the activities was the handing out of money gifts to children and the auctioning of beautiful lanterns at the God of Fortune shrine.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand's Hat Yai office director, Prapas Inthanapasat, said this weekend had brought many tourists and nearly all hotels - totalling some 10,000 rooms - were booked until February 20 by visitors, especially those from Malaysia and Singapore.

However, the festive atmosphere was less lively in some areas of the restive southern-border provinces.

Police and the Army beefed up security across Narathiwat province's 13 districts.

Two hundred checkpoints were set up to look for any ill-intentioned persons carrying weapons or bombs to create chaos during this festive time.

For the Chinese New Year celebration, tambon Tanyongmas municipality in Rangae district of Narathiwat arranged 17 Thai boxing matches at Ban Rangae School, which attracted much attention from local residents.

-- The Nation 2010-02-14

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