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Chinese New Year celebration starts nationwide with security tightened in South

Security was tightened in the southern tourist town of Hat Yai as Thais of Chineseresidents today celebrated the Chinese New Year with travels to several Chinese shrines in and out of this town to worship their ancestors.

The town also is hosting the “Hatyai Chinese New Year 2015″ fair to attract Chinese tourists from Malaysia and Singapore to visit during February 18-22.

Local administration and tourism business operators expected a large numbers of visitors during the period.

Soldiers, police and civilian volunteers stepped up patrols of the town and road checkpoints were also set up to check vehicles entering the town from other adjacent southern provinces where insurgency remained active.

Meanwhile in Yala province on the Malaysian border, residents of Chinese descent were also celebrating the New Year worshipping ancestors at Chinese shrines but under tight security by troops.

Thais of Chinese descents went shopping for consumer products yesterday for worship amid tightened security provided by police, military and even volunteer guards.

This year’s Chinese New Year Festival is also boosting trade at Thai border areas, as people of Chinese descent in neighbouring countries, including Cambodia, Myanmar and even Vietnam, are crossing the border to buy food, fruit and other products for worship as well.

In Chanthaburi province in Thailand’s eastern region bordering Cambodia, the Thai-Khmer border trade and tourism association reported that trade was particularly active in Soi Dao and Pong Nam Ron districts, boosting the prices of products by about 30 per cent.

In Bangkok, Chinese shrines were crowded with Chinese celebrants, particularly Wat Leng Neiyi or the Dragon temple in China Town.

Another branch of the temple or Leng Neiyi 2 temple in Nonthaburi was also crowded with the Chinese worshippers.

After today’s worshipping, Chinese people will go out dining, travelling, shopping and visiting tourist spots tomorrow and traffic jams at various places will be expected.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/chinese-new-year-celebration-starts-nationwide-security-tightened-south

-- Thai PBS 2015-02-18