BANGKOK — Thailand’s military junta has lifted the entrance fees for all registered historical sites and museums as part of its ongoing effort to “return happiness to the Thai people.”

The junta’s order to give Thais a free pass to historical sites and museums is in place “until further notice” and applies only to Thai citizens, not foreigners.

Since seizing power in a coup d’état on 22 May, the military junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has embarked on an aggressive public relations crusade to win the support of Thai people. The campaign, dubbed “Returning Happiness to the Thai People,” has largely consisted of free events and services, including concerts, food, haircuts, movies, and now  historical sites.

After NCPO suspended all entrance fees last week, Phimai Historical Park in Nakhon Ratchasima Province saw an influx of tourists, said park director Dusit Tummakorn.

“The officials at the park see this increase as a positive because each historical site has a story to tell, not unlike watching a historical movie,” Mr. Dusit said, referring to another feature of the army’s happiness campaign — free viewings of the historical film The Legend of King Naresuan 5.

“This opportunity also provides relaxation time in families as well as further promotes Thai tourism,” Mr. Duist said. Foreign tourists still have to pay the normal 100 baht entrance fee, he added. 

The army’s PR campaign has been launched in tandem with a harsh crackdown on critics of the regime and a serious infringement on a number of human rights. Over the past three weeks, the army has censored the media, detained scores of politicians and activists without cause, and outlawed public demonstrations and other forms of peaceful political expression. 

PHANG NGA — Local fishing and hotel businesses in Phang Nga province are struggling to cope with damages caused by five metre waves that have been slamming the shores all weekend.

Bang Nian beach in Takuapa district, home to many luxury resort hotels and shops catered to foreign tourists, has been hit particularly hard by the storms. A number of beachside properties have been damaged by the waves and many homes have lost their rooftops to the strong winds. 

"These are the biggest waves we have seen in 10 years," said Se Komkla, manager of the Shambhala Khaolak Resort.

The waves have damaged more than 100 buildings and 20 rai of agricultural land throughout the province, said the director of Phang Nga's Disaster Relief and Prevention Office.

Officials have also found cracks in the 3.5 million baht concrete seawall that was built to protect Bang Nian beach after a similar bout of waves hit the shore last year. Resort manager Mr. Se said the seawall has been largely ineffective as the ocean floor has sunk several metres since construction of the barrier began. 

"When I stood near the seawall, I felt like there was an earthquake whenever a wave struck against it," Mr. Se told our correspondent. "Sometimes the splashes of water reached as high as a palm tree, which is around 10 metres tall."

A number of seaside hotels have resorted to putting up crude barricades made of sandbags to protect their properties against the waves. Chamras Lichia, a local administrator of Kuek Kak subdistrict, said officials estimate the waves have cost at least 5 million baht in damages so far. He warned that the situation may worsen in coming days while there is a  full moon. 

The National Meteorological Department has issued warnings of fierce weather along the southern coast of Thailand, especially on the Andaman Sea, and tourists have been advised to refrain from swimming or making speed boat trips to nearby islands.

Fishermen have also suffered from the storms. Krish Sitthibutr, a 44-year-old fisherman in Takuatung, said the waves have damaged his fish cages, allowing many fish to escape. 

"I was supposed to meet with a merchant to sell my fish tomorrow," Mr. Krish said. He estimated that he lost more than 100,000 baht in fish.

The strong waves have reminded many residents of the 2004 tsunami that devastated much of southern Thailand. A rumour about a new tsunami has been spreading among communities in Phang Nga after strange cloud formations were sighted off the coast over the weekend.

However, director of Phang Nga's Disaster Relief and Prevention Office Somkiat Intarakam stressed that the waves are caused by a combination of heavy rain and a particularly high sea level, not by any seismic activity like the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

For comments, or corrections to this article please contact: [email protected]

You can also find Khaosod English on Twitter and Facebook
http://twitter.com/KhaosodEnglish
http://www.facebook.com/KhaosodEnglish

PHNOM PENH (DPA) — Rights workers on Cambodia's border with Thailand described the situation there as chaotic Sunday after tens of thousands of Cambodian migrants were said to have fled Thailand in the past week.

The International Organization for Migration on Saturday put the figure of Cambodian migrants who had fled in recent days at 70,000.

Cambodian migrants starting returning in higher numbers last week after the Thai military junta – which came to power in a coup on May 22 – said it would arrest and deport undocumented foreign workers.

"People are still coming," said Moeun Tola, a worker for The Community Legal Education Center, a local NGO that aids migrants.

"There are some tents but it's so dirty. There's no sleeping place and when people [have crossed] the border they don't know how to get home. It's so messy."

Chief government spokesman Phay Siphan said that Labour Ministry officials were monitoring the situation at the border, and that the authorities had sent trucks to help transport people from the area.

"We hope the Thai government treats Cambodians with humanity and according to the law," he said, adding that he had not heard of any shootings of Cambodians by Thai soldiers as reported by local media in Phnom Penh this week.

There are an estimated 400,000 Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand.