Thai South: Body blow for Betong

[webfact]

SOUTH CRISIS
Body blow for Betong
The Nation


Masseuses at a traditional massage parlour wait for customers in Yala

Car bomb expected to ravage local tourism industry; town fears Bt100 million loss

BANGKOK: -- STATE AGENCIES and the public have begun a process to restore confidence in Betong, the town in the far South hit by a huge car bomb last Friday that killed two and wounded 42 others. But the drama is expected to put a Bt100 million-plus dent in the town's economy.

Insurgent attacks have been common in the predominantly Muslim deep South since 2004 but Betong in Yala, which borders Malaysia, had enjoyed relative peace.

Yala Governor Dejrat Simsiri said the bomb blast seriously harmed the local economy, which mostly depended on tourism - as it had created panic among Malaysian and Thai tourists and other prospective visitors. The greatest impact, he said, could be the hit to Betong's domestic tourism.

"If Thais want to help return happiness to Betong people, they should keep travelling to visit the district," Dejrat told reporters.

Local residents did not panic after the attack as they had lived in peace a long time and understand the situation quite well, he said.

Provincial authorities have allocated more than Bt30 million in compensation for victims of the blast, he said.

Udom Laksana, president of the Betong Tourism Association, said the incident would put a Bt100 million-plus hole in the district's economy.

He said the attack took place during the tourism season in the district ahead of the Fruit Festival and the celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri at the end of the holy month of Ramadan early this week.

The more than 2,000 accommodation venues in Betong were usually fully booked now but there had been many cancellations following the attack.

Udom said the association was consulting with relevant agencies, including the military, in a bid to lure tourists back to Betong.

Tourism and entertainment businesses in the area confirmed that their operations had taken a hit.

Ngamta Thongsom, owner of the Foot Funny massage shop, said her business was damaged by the bomb blast and some of her staff injured.

She said the shop would be repaired but the staff were still in shock and did not want to work there anymore, while people did not want to go there anymore.

She called on relevant authorities in the province and in Bangkok to launch a special tourism promotion to give people an incentive to visit Betong.

"Perhaps we have to offer a special discount of at least 50 per cent for accommodations and other services in the district, she said.

"I believe all parties in the [tourism] business would be willing to cooperate in the campaign. We have to do all we can to restore economic life to Betong."

Yala Chamber of Commerce chairman Noppong Thiraworn said the chamber had plans and projects to restore confidence in the district and give the economy a lift.

He did not elaborate, only saying the business community in the district would help create an atmosphere that would allow locals and visitors to feel relaxed.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the bombing appears to have made little progress. Police detained two suspects and their interrogation offered hints and leads that could lead to the bombers and/or the masterminds behind the attack, according to Betong police chief Wasan Phuangnoi, who declined to give more details.

Source; http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Body-blow-for-Betong-30239602.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-28

[Seastallion]

100 million "dent" in the economy?

That translates to a loss of 5000 tourists each spending 20,000.

What time frame is he talking about? I think the calibre of the tourists going to the district for a weekend of nooky are not the 20,000-in-a-weekend type of customers, and not in those numbers either.

[noitom]

What is the rough count of Thai sex workers in Betong? Most of their tourist revenue is from sex trade for sure. Are they counting the sex trade money?

[DinoSabanovic]

100 million "dent" in the economy?

That translates to a loss of 5000 tourists each spending 20,000.

What time frame is he talking about? I think the calibre of the tourists going to the district for a weekend of nooky are not the 20,000-in-a-weekend type of customers, and not in those numbers either.

Maybe they missing couple of zeros?

[chotthee]

What is the rough count of Thai sex workers in Betong? Most of their tourist revenue is from sex trade for sure. Are they counting the sex trade money?

Betong may or may not have sex trade during Pretty Yingluck time as PM.

But under Gen Prayuth, anything illegal has been stop.

Including sex trade, as Thailand is a Buddhist countries.

What ever trade the Islamic people offer I will not comment, but Thais will not deviate from Buddhist teaching on sex trade.

BTW, the first thing you notice in Betong is a large statue of Buddha. No statue of prophet Mohammad can be seen anywhere in town AT ALL.

[DoctorG]

What is the rough count of Thai sex workers in Betong? Most of their tourist revenue is from sex trade for sure. Are they counting the sex trade money?

Betong may or may not have sex trade during Pretty Yingluck time as PM.

But under Gen Prayuth, anything illegal has been stop.

Including sex trade, as Thailand is a Buddhist countries.

What ever trade the Islamic people offer I will not comment, but Thais will not deviate from Buddhist teaching on sex trade.

BTW, the first thing you notice in Betong is a large statue of Buddha. No statue of prophet Mohammad can be seen anywhere in town AT ALL.

I have read your post a few times, but I still cannot work out if you are serious or "just having a laugh".

[soalbundy]

What is the rough count of Thai sex workers in Betong? Most of their tourist revenue is from sex trade for sure. Are they counting the sex trade money?

Betong may or may not have sex trade during Pretty Yingluck time as PM.

But under Gen Prayuth, anything illegal has been stop.

Including sex trade, as Thailand is a Buddhist countries.

What ever trade the Islamic people offer I will not comment, but Thais will not deviate from Buddhist teaching on sex trade.

BTW, the first thing you notice in Betong is a large statue of Buddha. No statue of prophet Mohammad can be seen anywhere in town AT ALL.

No one can stop the sex trade in Thailand and if you could the tourist industry would collapse. The pristine beaches are history,the temples? seen one you have seen them all, the towns? nothing to see here,they either look as if they have half been destroyed or half being rebuilt, nothing comparable with the clean and beautiful ancient towns and cities of Europe, what remains are the laughing fun girls in the bars.

[simple1]

What is the rough count of Thai sex workers in Betong? Most of their tourist revenue is from sex trade for sure. Are they counting the sex trade money?

Betong may or may not have sex trade during Pretty Yingluck time as PM.

But under Gen Prayuth, anything illegal has been stop.

Including sex trade, as Thailand is a Buddhist countries.

What ever trade the Islamic people offer I will not comment, but Thais will not deviate from Buddhist teaching on sex trade.

BTW, the first thing you notice in Betong is a large statue of Buddha. No statue of prophet Mohammad can be seen anywhere in town AT ALL.

Thought I should point out that Islam does not permit images of the prophet Muhammad

[Eric Loh]

Get Thawil to head to Bentong immediately. Since he resumed his position as head NSC and caused a PM to be dismissed, he has not been heard or seen to be making any efforts and policies. At least the previous NSC Head Paradorn initiated the dialogue with some of the key insurgent groups. Thawil has to work harder and visit the south more.

[ezzra]

From what I now and heard, tourism in the south consist mainly on sex tourist from neighboring countries, having said that, if the junta will be able to put an end to the senseless killing and destructions that has claimed thousand of lives so far, that kudos and applauds to them....

[Lancelot]

Yeah, tourism revenues are negligible for the Thai economy...

If that's true, then why do the Thais go to such great lengths to preserve the lucrative tourist trade?

[Yann55]

What is the rough count of Thai sex workers in Betong? Most of their tourist revenue is from sex trade for sure. Are they counting the sex trade money?

Betong may or may not have sex trade during Pretty Yingluck time as PM.

But under Gen Prayuth, anything illegal has been stop.

Including sex trade, as Thailand is a Buddhist countries.

What ever trade the Islamic people offer I will not comment, but Thais will not deviate from Buddhist teaching on sex trade.

BTW, the first thing you notice in Betong is a large statue of Buddha. No statue of prophet Mohammad can be seen anywhere in town AT ALL.

Quote : BTW, the first thing you notice in Betong is a large statue of Buddha. No statue of prophet Mohammad can be seen anywhere in town AT ALL.

Surely you are joking, right ? No one expects you to be an expert on Islam, but (if you are not joking, that is) your ignorance here is utterly unbelievable.

Representing the Prophet Muhammad is an absolute taboo in Muslim tradition, and incidentally the idea is not specifically Muslim, it also exists in the Jewish tradition and in the Buddhist tradition as well. The Buddha himself specifically asked not to be represented, knowing full well that it would lead to a form of idolatry, which is exactly what happened. Protestantism made a similar point in its temples and originally got rid of all human representations. In the catholic world, the ubiquitous and very graphic representation of Jesus on the cross was (and still is), as I understand it, solely aimed at helping the public remember how much Christ suffered for humanity's sins, but it also degenerated into a very basic form of idolatry, which Jesus himself had so energetically tried to fight.

[Bluespunk]

What is the rough count of Thai sex workers in Betong? Most of their tourist revenue is from sex trade for sure. Are they counting the sex trade money?

Betong may or may not have sex trade during Pretty Yingluck time as PM.

But under Gen Prayuth, anything illegal has been stop.

Including sex trade, as Thailand is a Buddhist countries.

What ever trade the Islamic people offer I will not comment, but Thais will not deviate from Buddhist teaching on sex trade.

BTW, the first thing you notice in Betong is a large statue of Buddha. No statue of prophet Mohammad can be seen anywhere in town AT ALL.

I have read your post a few times, but I still cannot work out if you are serious or "just having a laugh".

Neither.

[rickirs]

Betong just needs a couple of "Happiness" concerts to cheer the people and give them confidence that everything is REALLY okay. Maybe the government could open a couple of Reconcliation Centers to help educate all peoples in the South that there is freedom of cultural and political diversity in Thailand.

[razer]

On topic - Need to look no farther than Malaysia for the training, materials and know-how.

[robertthebruce]

What is the rough count of Thai sex workers in Betong? Most of their tourist revenue is from sex trade for sure. Are they counting the sex trade money?

Betong may or may not have sex trade during Pretty Yingluck time as PM.

But under Gen Prayuth, anything illegal has been stop.

Including sex trade, as Thailand is a Buddhist countries.

What ever trade the Islamic people offer I will not comment, but Thais will not deviate from Buddhist teaching on sex trade.

BTW, the first thing you notice in Betong is a large statue of Buddha. No statue of prophet Mohammad can be seen anywhere in town AT ALL.

No one can stop the sex trade in Thailand and if you could the tourist industry would collapse. The pristine beaches are history,the temples? seen one you have seen them all, the towns? nothing to see here,they either look as if they have half been destroyed or half being rebuilt, nothing comparable with the clean and beautiful ancient towns and cities of Europe, what remains are the laughing fun girls in the bars.

You DO have a point... With you 100 percent...

[empireboy]

It's a sad fact that every religion only ever divides people it NEVER unites them unless you adhere to it. Of course, technically, Buddhism is NOT a religion it's a philosophy but Islam certainly IS a religion and IS divisive. For any good it may offer, it's still not worth it!

Edited July 28, 2014 by empireboy

[keestha]

In 1992 I spent 4 days in Betong, longer than I had planned. The people were very nice, and I spent time with a Chinese family that I befriended. The town has an attractive setting, hills all around. The nightlife, though of course geared for Asian single men, had a friendly atmosphere, and I had a good time. Still remember a ladyboy dragging a bookishly looking Malaysian chap on the stage, the audience roaring with laughter.

Sad the recent event happened in this place that used to have a good atmosphere.

[Carl64]

Another Thai tragedy turned into a financial poor me story!

And please come back and spend your money . We have measures in place to stop this happening again. Just don't know what they are yet??????

[connda]

Heck, I refuse to go any further south then Hat Yai, and I won't even go there. Had a job opportunity there and turned it down. It's unfortunate that certain religious extremists have no respect for human life and are willing to kill anyone that doesn't convert to their dogma. Very sad. Very misguided.

Edited July 28, 2014 by connda

[phuketrichard]

i went thru Betong from Penang last month;

didn't see any white tourists and cant tell the dif between Malaysian an thai moslems

but the town appeared empty of shoppers

PS; the drive between Betong up to Yala is beautiful

[luckytrev]

Betong just needs a couple of "Happiness" concerts to cheer the people and give them confidence that everything is REALLY okay. Maybe the government could open a couple of Reconcliation Centers to help educate all peoples in the South that there is freedom of cultural and political diversity in Thailand.

I'm with you, a happiness concert in Betong could be a real blast

[connda]

Betong just needs a couple of "Happiness" concerts to cheer the people and give them confidence that everything is REALLY okay. Maybe the government could open a couple of Reconcliation Centers to help educate all peoples in the South that there is freedom of cultural and political diversity in Thailand.

I'm with you, a happiness concert in Betong could be a real blast

Hopefully not the IED kind that tends to happen down there all too often.

[bobthomas]

What is the rough count of Thai sex workers in Betong? Most of their tourist revenue is from sex trade for sure. Are they counting the sex trade money?

Betong may or may not have sex trade during Pretty Yingluck time as PM.

But under Gen Prayuth, anything illegal has been stop.

Including sex trade, as Thailand is a Buddhist countries.

What ever trade the Islamic people offer I will not comment, but Thais will not deviate from Buddhist teaching on sex trade.

BTW, the first thing you notice in Betong is a large statue of Buddha. No statue of prophet Mohammad can be seen anywhere in town AT ALL.

Quote : BTW, the first thing you notice in Betong is a large statue of Buddha. No statue of prophet Mohammad can be seen anywhere in town AT ALL.

Surely you are joking, right ? No one expects you to be an expert on Islam, but (if you are not joking, that is) your ignorance here is utterly unbelievable.

Representing the Prophet Muhammad is an absolute taboo in Muslim tradition, and incidentally the idea is not specifically Muslim, it also exists in the Jewish tradition and in the Buddhist tradition as well. The Buddha himself specifically asked not to be represented, knowing full well that it would lead to a form of idolatry, which is exactly what happened. Protestantism made a similar point in its temples and originally got rid of all human representations. In the catholic world, the ubiquitous and very graphic representation of Jesus on the cross was (and still is), as I understand it, solely aimed at helping the public remember how much Christ suffered for humanity's sins, but it also degenerated into a very basic form of idolatry, which Jesus himself had so energetically tried to fight.

Well said!!!

[DK2223]

100 million "dent" in the economy?

That translates to a loss of 5000 tourists each spending 20,000.

What time frame is he talking about? I think the calibre of the tourists going to the district for a weekend of nooky are not the 20,000-in-a-weekend type of customers, and not in those numbers either.

You have no idea on the economy and price that is in betong..I have been there every weekends for a 2 years time frame and trust me the tourists there spent 20,000 per night and some even more( for myself I spend around 20,000 - 40,000 baht every weekend).. Me and my friends can spent 600,000- 1,000,000 baht for a 4 days trip..

So please get your fact right before you judge something..

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 5.3 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[harryfrompattaya]

What is the rough count of Thai sex workers in Betong? Most of their tourist revenue is from sex trade for sure. Are they counting the sex trade money?

Betong may or may not have sex trade during Pretty Yingluck time as PM.

But under Gen Prayuth, anything illegal has been stop.

Including sex trade, as Thailand is a Buddhist countries.

What ever trade the Islamic people offer I will not comment, but Thais will not deviate from Buddhist teaching on sex trade.

BTW, the first thing you notice in Betong is a large statue of Buddha. No statue of prophet Mohammad can be seen anywhere in town AT ALL.

No one can stop the sex trade in Thailand and if you could the tourist industry would collapse. The pristine beaches are history,the temples? seen one you have seen them all, the towns? nothing to see here,they either look as if they have half been destroyed or half being rebuilt, nothing comparable with the clean and beautiful ancient towns and cities of Europe, what remains are the laughing fun girls in the bars.

With God anything is possible God shall stop the sex trade one way or another. I heard something more than HIV is planned to stop the sex trade in EU and America be careful

Praise be the Lord

[flyingdoc]

I agree. A couple of well aimed happiness concerts could do no harm at all, and given the right stars, if they would go, could give a positive boost to the area.

[Bigfarang1948]

Nothing but the best in journalistic sensationalism to restore tourist confidence a car bomb will not go off if the tourist pay only 50% for hotels, reduced business at the Y, plus massage with happy endings for remainder of tourist season. Workers will return as normal as soon s they have spent their last baht for daily expenses but I doubt any farang will come loaded, even to the hub of sin city called Bangkok, with $20,000 in baht

100 million "dent" in the economy?

That translates to a loss of 5000 tourists each spending 20,000.

What time frame is he talking about? I think the calibre of the tourists going to the district for a weekend of nooky are not the 20,000-in-a-weekend type of customers, and not in those numbers either.

[Noi657]

If they really want to mess Thai Thai tourist industry up, travel further north and then go up some more!

[dabhand]

As a break from working in Northern Malaysia, spent many weekends in Betong during the early 90's. Very relaxed atmosphere and absolutely no hassles.

Before the Thai immigration office was constructed at the border, if you cut it too fine before the border closed, you could get through the Malaysian border controls and arrive at the immigration office in town (a 10/15 minute journey) after it had closed. So that, if going back to Malaysia the following day, actually get stamped into and out of Thailand at the same time. No problem!

For the early trips I stayed at the Cathay Hotel then at the Merlin Hotel when it opened in the mid 90's. Lovely setting and spectacular view of the large temple on the outskirts of Betong. The discos were quite tame in comparison to other locations but the showgirls were extremely pleasant....!! It was very much a backwater but had at least one claim to fame - the largest post box in the world!!

Don't know if it still happens, but at 6pm loudspeakers around town would broadcast the national anthem and the traffic would stop for the duration.

It had escaped the worst of the southern problems up to now so I'm sure that this recent incident has come as a shock. Obviously timed to coincide with the Hari Raya holiday to cause maximum impact on the local economy.

Whilst it is likely that the separatists are to blame, it would not be totally unexpected for this to be linked to a business dispute given the nature of businesses in that part of town.

Whoever is to blame it is such a shame for a great little town.