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Official Chonburi Songkran Activities 2007
The full on event is April 19 in Pattaya, and no doubt
scenes like this will be repeated quite often again this year.
Plenty of activities are lined up in Pattaya during the
Songkran festival, in addition to the “wan lai” or water throwing, and the
general mayhem that is both a local custom and a tourist attraction.
Pattaya’s Kong Khao (rice harvest) celebrations are held
in Naklua beginning April 18. Religious ceremonies will include Tak Bat,
bathing of the Buddha image and pouring scented waters on the elders. On
April 20 the Kong Khao festival will take place in Naklua near the Larn Poh
market.
There will be games, including a tug-o-war on the beach,
eating contests and numerous other events open to residents and tourists.
April 13-19
Koh Si Chang Songkran Tradition will be held in front of
Koh Si Chang District office and Wat Juthathisthamsapharam Worawiharn, Si
Chang district.
Activities: merit-making in the morning, pouring water on
monks, pouring water on the hands of revered elders and asking for their
blessing, water splashing, Koh Si Chang traditional folk games such as Muay
Tab Jak (blind boxing), Pai Rue Ka Ta (pan boat competition) and many
activities till evening when the Kong Khao tradition (feeding the spirits)
will be observed and a Pong Lang music show will be performed.
April 16-17
The Kor Pra Sai tradition (Bang Sean Songkran Festival)
will be held on Bang Sean Beach
Activities: merit-making in the morning, pouring water on
monks, pouring water on the hands of revered elders and asking for their
blessing, water splashing, sand art competition, folk tradition, concert and
seafood booths.
April 18-19
Wan Lai Pattaya-Naklua: Naklua Songkran Festival (April
18) and Pattaya Songkran Festival (April 19) throughout Naklua and Pattaya.
Activities: merit-making in the morning, pouring water on
monks, pouring water on the hands of revered elders and asking for their
blessing, Songkran parade starts from Wat Chaimonkol at midday, water
splashing.
April 19-21
Songkran Sri Maha Racha and Kong Khao Tradition (Sriracha
Songkran Festival), held in Sriracha municipality’s health park.
Activities: merit-making in the morning, pouring water on
monks, pouring water on the hands of revered elders and asking for their
blessing, water splashing, Songkran parade and festival, cultural shows such
as Thai music, Thai dance, Khon including traditional folk activities such
as Muay Tab Jak (blind boxing), oiled pole climbing competition, Takraw Lod
Haung (rattan ball competition), Kong Khao tradition and concert in evening.
April 20
Kong Khao Naklua (Naklua Songkran Festival), held at Larn
Pho Public Park
Activities: Kong Khao Tradition in the evening and fun activities all
day, such as bow and arrow competition, Takraw Lod Haung (rattan ball
competition), and Muay Talay (sea boxing).
Chonburi governor’s strategy aims at low accident toll over Songkran
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Chonburi Province has set a strategy aimed at minimizing
the number of road accidents during the Songkran festival.
Komsan Ekachai, deputy governor of Chonburi said that
each year during the Songkran festival government and private sector offices
are closed over a number of days and this is the time when the public travel
by road to their home towns to spend time with their family members. They
also travel to other provinces to celebrate the festivities. Consequently,
during the period there is more traffic and more road accidents than usual.
During last year’s Songkran, held from April 7 to 16,
there were 106 accidents in Chonburi with nine fatalities and 108 people
injured. Most of the accidents were caused by speeding, cutting across the
path of oncoming vehicles, drunk driving, and driving without crash helmets.
Komsan said that to keep the number of road accidents
down during this year’s Songkran celebrations, new measures would be
implemented.
New procedures have been assigned by the provincial
governor in cooperation with the relevant agencies, namely the police,
transportation authorities, district public health officials, local
administration authorities, the military, private foundations and
volunteers. The operatives will carry out their duties under five
strategies, namely enforcing the law, traffic engineering, public relations,
emergency medical services, and evaluation and communications.
This year, said Komsan, during the Songkran period from
April 11 to 17, Chonburi aims to keep the number of accidents to less than
115, although officials are estimating the figure could be as high as 135.
The number of deaths should be no higher than 10, according to the strategy,
although 11 are estimated. The number of injuries should be kept at below
130, with an outside anticipated figure of 153.
Vendors at New Naklua Market are not meeting hygiene standards says health inspector
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Public health inspectors have said that New Naklua Market
does not satisfy hygiene standards because the merchants lack the knowledge
to take care of the market.
The area holds water in the walkways, one of the reasons
that the new Naklua market does not satisfy hygiene standards.
Pattaya City built the new market last year at a cost of
22 million baht, officially opening the building on November 9. The market
currently has more than 20 fresh food stands.
Boobpa Songsakulchai, a Pattaya City technical health
officer, says that of the 17 basic regulations governing the standards for a
fresh food market, New Naklua Market is only able to pass 11 of them.
The merchants are failing to store goods in the correct
manner, there is garbage being left on the floor, and at some stands there
is stagnant water. All of this encourages the gathering of rodents.
One of the most important factors is that goods have to
be stored at a height of at least 60 centimeters, and merchants are not
adhering to this requirement.
Boobpa said that city hall needs to urgently ensure
merchants follow the regulations, and those vendors who don’t meet the
required standards should not be allowed to trade there.
Bencharong Jangkrajang, a 52-year-old pork vendor at New
Naklua Market, said the reputation of the place amongst customers is not
good. “Currently, sales are at a low point, and that is not the same as
before. It is because the market doesn’t look clean and people will not buy
goods.”
CCTV cameras to be mounted outside all 73 branches of 7-Eleven
Police say cameras will cover all key areas of community
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
CCTV cameras are to be installed in front of all 73
branches of 7-Eleven stores in Pattaya, following discussions between
Pattaya City Hall and CP Seven Eleven Public Co Ltd.
A meeting was held on March 28, with CP Seven Eleven
assistant vice president for government relations Narongsak Poomsrisaard and
the company’s advisor Pol Maj Gen Montri Hasbamrer in consultation with
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh and Pol Lt Col Sirichai Kruprasertwattana,
deputy superintendent of crime suppression at Pattaya Police Station.
Pattaya City has requested the support of 7-Eleven in
installing CCTV cameras in front of all 73 branches around Pattaya City as a
way of helping to reduce crime.
Pol Lt Col Sirichai said that the high crime rate in the
city and the nature of the street crimes make it difficult to collect
evidence to make arrests. Cooperation from the private sector is needed to
help reduce crime. Motorcycle theft is a very common occurrence, with about
300 motorbikes stolen each month, and there is an average of seven to 10
snatch-and-run crimes committed against visitors each day.
As there are 73 7-Eleven stores in the city, and as they
cover every area of the community, usually in a prime location, city hall
and the police are asking for permission to install CCTV cameras at every
outlet.
Narongsak said that the company is pleased to be of help
to society, and that community support is one of the company’s main
policies. CCTV cameras are already installed inside the stores, and the
company is ready to help with exterior cameras. Discussions would now be
held to find a suitable place at every branch in which to install the
cameras.
Police bust marijuana-by-mail operation
Chonburi Governor Pracha Taerat (left) holds up a photo
of alleged drug dealer Paul Bernard McAteer who is now wanted by police. His
alleged accomplice, Sanonoi Polcharoen is seated center.
Boonlua Chatree
Banglamung police have arrested a Thai woman and are
currently searching for a British man in connection with a drugs-by-mail
operation.
The seriousness of the case was underlined by the ranking
of the officials who gathered in the meeting room on the second floor of
Banglamung Police Station for the April 2 briefing.
Amongst those present were Chonburi Governor Pracha
Taerat, Pol Maj Gen Anan Jaroenchasri, superintendent of Chonburi police,
Pol Col Noppadon Sornsumrarn, superintendent of Banglamung Police Station,
Pol Lt Col Somchai Yossombat, deputy superintendent of investigation, and
Pol Maj Nit Withinantakit, investigation inspector.
Miss Sanonoi Polcharoen, 22, of Buriram Province, has
been charged with sending narcotics overseas from Thailand. She was arrested
in possession of 425 white ecstasy pills, four packs of dried marijuana
weighing 4 kilograms, seven cans of dried marijuana weighing 1,750 grams,
325 empty cans, and two sets of weighing scales.
The investigation team at Banglamung Police Station had
been led to Sanonoi after the arrest of Miss Amornrat Sakaew, 31, who had
been in possession of 30 ecstasy pills. Amornrat confessed she had bought
them from Sanonoi.
Police sent in an undercover officer to buy 25 ecstasy
pills from her, and set up an appointment in front of a house in the
Chokchai Garden Home Village. At the appointed time Sanonoi arrived with the
ecstasy, and the investigation team that had surrounded the area identified
themselves.
More ecstasy, along with the marijuana and the cans were
discovered when the police searched Sanonoi’s home.
Sanonoi said she was working with a man identified as
Paul Bernard McAteer, a 43-year-old British national, who she said was her
husband. The man fled when Sanonoi was arrested.
Police said the ecstasy and marijuana had been bought
from a distributor at the Cambodian border. The ecstasy was sold to foreign
tourists and local youngsters in Pattaya City, and the marijuana was
allegedly sent by FedEx to customers in Europe and America. The couple
bought the cans, put the marijuana in them, and then sealed them to send to
customers. Each was for an order of 5 or 10 kilograms. The payments were
transferred to a bank account.
McAteer allegedly would contact the foreign customers by
himself, and the couple bought a house and land in Pattaya City as a way of
laundering part of the proceeds.
Pol Col Noppadon said that the investigation team had
monitored the behavior of the accused couple for a long time, but they
lacked witnesses and evidence to arrest them. The breakthrough came with the
arrest of Amornrat. The police are now working with the British Embassy to
track down McAteer.
American charged over obscene website
Boonlua Chatree
An American has been arrested on charges
of producing materials for a pornographic website from an address in
Pattaya, and bringing disrepute upon the Kingdom of Thailand.
Police investigations traced the origins of the website
material to a room on the fourth floor of the Argyle Apartment Complex on
Pratamnak Road. Armed with an arrest warrant issued by Pattaya Provincial
Court, police raided the premises on April 5.
Inside the apartment, which was luxuriously decorated,
the officers found two men. They were identified as John Gilbert Bowen, a
60-year-old American citizen and Paul Saengsuwan, 25, who is of joint Thai and American
descent.
The room had been arranged as a large photographic
studio, and contained installed video cameras, a stills camera in every
corner of the room, and a bed. At the head of the bed were two Buddha
images, and there were other Buddha figures in every corner of the room.
Wherever photos were taken, Buddha ornaments could be seen.
Also in the room was lighting and audio equipment, and
two computers with photo editing equipment. There were costumes, phalluses,
whips, and other sexual toys, and there were also Thai traditional costumes
and the tail feathers of a kinaree. Police also found videotapes and CDs,
and when they searched the computers they found pictures of perverse sexual
acts between men, men who dressed like women, and naked women in many poses.
The Buddha figures were clearly visible in the backgrounds of the pictures.
A computer specialist searched the internet and confirmed
there were many websites that had advertisements significantly damaging the
image of Thailand.
The three men were taken to Pattaya Police Station for
questioning. Saengsuwan said he was not involved in the production of
obscene materials but that he could provide information. Police therefore
questioned him as a witness. Bowen admitted that they produced
the pictures and that the materials were sent to a website. However, they
stated that people who visited the website did so of their own accord. There
were no less than 1,000 people a day visiting the site, and they did so at
their own risk according to the regulations in their own countries. The
accused men said they were not responsible for who viewed the content.
The police told the two accused that Thailand has
culture, moral principles, and good traditions. Thailand is not a country
that produces vulgar media that damages the image of the country.
Selling pornography is a crime in Thailand. The suspects
face a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a fine of 6,000 baht.
The two men were charged with producing and selling
obscene materials, and arrangements were made to have them deported.
Locksmith may hold key to hotel room robbery
Boonlua Chatree
Locksmiths are under suspicion by the police after a
French family had their hotel room ransacked and their money and passports
stolen.
Pattaya Police Station received a report just after
midnight on April 4 that Room 346 of a hotel on Second Road Soi 5 had been
burgled. Officers and forensic specialists went to investigate.
At the scene they found 41-year-old French citizen Daniel
Pappas and his wife. Their suitcases had been ransacked and their belongings
were scattered all over the room. The missing property included 4,500 euros
and five passports. Officers took fingerprints from the room to check with
records.
Pappas told officers that he and his wife and three
children had come to Pattaya for a holiday. The children stayed in the room
next door while he and his wife stayed in Room 346. On this evening he had
taken the family out for a meal and on their return they found that thieves
had taken their passports and the cash.
The door had not been forced, and when the police
questioned hotel staff they were told that three days previously the hotel
had hired locksmiths to replace the door locks on Room 346 and three other
rooms. Police are now investigating the locksmiths and questioning staff
members.
Tourism Authority of Thailand stages good hosting seminar
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn presents the opening speech
at a seminar conducted at city hall on the subject of being a good host.
Narisa Nitikarn
The Tourism Authority of Thailand in cooperation with
Pattaya City Hall on March 29 conducted a seminar on the subject of being a
good host, with an audience of 300 people associated with the tourism
industry.
Held at Pattaya City Hall, the seminar was hosted by
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, who also presented the opening speech.
Kulpramote Wannalert, director of the TAT’s tourism
training network division, spoke on the objectives of the seminar, saying
that Thai people have the natural advantages of being helpful and courteous,
and having a bright smile. By using these qualities with tourists, a
favorable image is created and visitors feel genuinely welcome.
Niran said that tourists always appreciate practical
help. For example, he said, when a tourist is seen having problems reading a
map, then an offer to help would be well received. It all goes towards
building an image of Pattaya as being a world-class destination.
Another speaker at the seminar, Jirarat Mee-Ngam, said
that as hosts, the people of Pattaya could create opportunities in which to
be pleasant and helpful. Simply by smiling and being polite, and offering
prompt service when dealing directly with tourists is a very good starting
point, said Jirarat.
Former fashion model speaks of life after brain hemorrhage
Former model Linda Khatancharoen (2nd right) spoke with the audience and doctors from the Neuroscience Center and Rehabilitation Center at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya about the difficulties of facing life after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage, and Duentem Salitul (3rd right), a close friend that has taken care of her ever since, also spoke of the problems to be faced.
Narisa Nitikarn
A former fashion model was guest speaker at a seminar on
cerebral hemorrhage organized by Bangkok Hospital Pattaya on March 31.
Hospital director Dr Pirus Pradithavanij gave the opening
speech, and amongst the guests were Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, the
mayor’s chief advisor Itthipol Khunplome, former member of parliament for
Chonburi Chanyuth Hengtrakul, and Thanet Supornsahasrungsri, former
president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association.
During the seminar, a discussion was held between
specialist doctors at the hospital’s Neuroscience Center and Rehabilitation
Center.
Former model Linda Khatancharoen spoke about the
difficulties of facing life after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage, and
Duentem Salitul, a close friend that has taken care of her ever since also
spoke of the problems to be faced.
Strokes can happen to people of either gender and of any
age, but those particularly at risk are people suffering from serious
stress, those who smoke or have high blood pressure, and those who have had
heart disease.
The seminar was told that with the right exercise and
nutrition the risks of a stroke could be minimized. In the event of someone
suffering a stroke, the symptoms include numbness in the arms and legs
followed by loss of consciousness, because some brain signals are not being
transmitted. Urgent hospital treatment within three hours is necessary, said
Dr Pirus.
Linda suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in the middle of
February 2004, after she fell and hit her head on the bathroom floor. She
had a blood clot 5 centimeters in diameter on her brain stem. Doctors were
able to operate and remove the blood clot, which saved her life. She had to
stay in the hospital for five months, but she received good moral support
from her friends in the entertainment business and from relatives. Duentem,
a well-known actress, is a close friend who has taken good care of her
subsequently.
Police ban water throwing on Sukhumvit during Songkran holiday
Set up roadblocks to test for drunk drivers
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Pattaya police are warning Songkran revelers to stay away
from Sukhumvit Road during April 18 and 19, saying that water throwing will
not be allowed there, in an attempt to reduce traffic congestion and road
accidents.
Police have set up roadblocks throughout the city and
will be checking for drunk drivers.
Traffic inspector Pol Maj Pitakpong Krongchon said that
each year the traffic along Sukhumvit during Wan Lai becomes chaotic, all
the way from Laem Chabang to Jomtien. This year, he said, the traffic police
committee has decided there will not be any allowance for water players in
trucks to drive on the Sukhumvit highway. People can still enjoy their water
splashing in the city areas and sois.
Some roads that are normally two-way will be converted to
a one-way traffic flow during this period, such as the Naklua Road and some
sois in Banglamung.
PVC water pipes would not be allowed for spraying water
this year, as there have been so many cases in past years in which reckless
water players have sprayed water into the faces of motorcycle riders,
causing accidents.
Somchai Wattana of the Chonburi Public Health Department
said that in an effort to reduce the usually high accident toll over the
holiday, there is a strategy within the province of imposing speed limits,
checking for blood alcohol levels, ensuring seatbelts and safety helmets are
worn, and spot-checking for driver licenses.
German Ambassador meets Pattaya entrepreneurs
Peter Nordhues
The German Embassy held a consultation meeting with
German nationals at the Amari Orchid Resort on March 27, with staff
providing answers to the many questions posed.
German Ambassador Dr Christoph Brmmer met with business
people for lunch, taking the opportunity to outline his views on the current
situation in Thailand.
As usual with these meetings, Austrian Honorary Consul
Rudolf Hofer was also present to advise Austrian and Swiss residents.
Subsequent to the consultation, German Ambassador Dr
Christoph Brmmer met with business people for lunch, taking the opportunity
to outline his views on the current situation in Thailand and to talk about
the German aid project program.
Dr Brmmer started by describing the extra workload
created for the embassy by Germany’s current presidency over the European
Union. “Over and above our already wide-ranging tasks, we are now
representing the European Union in Thailand. Unfortunately, we were not
granted additional staff or agents to cope with the situation. Yet, we will
meet all requirements,” he said with a smile.
The ambassador then analyzed Thailand’s political
situation, perceiving it to be difficult. In his opinion, there has not been
a political agenda since last year’s coup. This particularly affects the
local economy. The control measures on capital flows as well as the Foreign
Business Act triggered a fair bit of confusion and uncertainty. The
impression of an antipathy to foreign investors accrued. Into the bargain
comes a revision of the rate of economic growth. Admittedly, endeavors are
underway to restore the confidence of foreign investors.
Slumps in the tourism industry are registered. Vietnam
becomes a more and more serious competitor in this sector as well as in
economic matters. The international community assesses Vietnam’s economic
prospects as outstanding.
The vicious circle of violence in the Deep South is on
the increase, implying more destabilization to come. The Bangkok bombings at
the turn of the year contributed to the incertitude among foreigners and
locals.
Public unrest is on the rise. Another critical issue is
the January 19 acclamation of a new constitution. According to nationwide
polls, 64 percent of the people, including Bangkok residents, have no use
for the ballot. What will happen if opponents start an anti-constitution
campaign that leads to a majority objection? The crisis would bolster up
even more.
Then, there are also other opinions like, for instance,
from Abhisit Vejjajiva. The chairman of the Democratic Party has revealed
his own unease to an assembly of European ambassadors. The fact that
Thailand finds itself in a politically unstable period can’t be glossed
over.
In his conclusion, Dr Brmmer went into details of some
current matters. After some difficulties, the charter for the benevolent
society taking care of German natives in Thailand who find themselves in
emergency situations through no fault of their own finally found acceptance.
Now, it has the status of a non-profit society. A distribution committee has
been appointed.
The German Embassy is closely cooperating with the
Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). Together, they take action against
cases of sexual abuse of children. All suspicious activity should be
reported to the relevant officials. The German Embassy will also help.
Meanwhile, announced Dr Brmmer, the “party of Germans”
will take place in Bangkok on October 20. More details will be delivered at
a later date.
Bargirl possessed by spirit threatens to jump off building
Boonlua Chatree
A bargirl who was said by her colleagues to be usually
perfectly normal ran amok in the early hours of April 3 and threatened to
jump off the building.
La-Or Janwattana went mad when a child doll spirit
allegedly possessed her.
Police were called out to the Tiger Beer Bar on the
Pattaya-Naklua Road. The bar is housed in a four-story commercial building,
with the bar on the ground floor and the upper floors used as lodgings for
the staff members. On the third floor an employee named Mrs La-Or
Janwattana, a 32-year-old native of Nakhorn Sawan Province, was found
smashing a slatted window.
The officers tried to persuade her to stop, but she used
a broom to hit out at them and they had to back off. She was speaking in a
child’s voice saying, “I was taken to be fed and taken care of, but I am not
full and now they leave me.” Then she ran to the balcony of the room and
threatened to jump. The police rushed her and managed to subdue her. La-Or
was then taken to Banglamung Hospital for treatment.
Another staff member at the bar, 24-year-old Miss
Patcharin Mahawong, told police that La-Or wasn’t crazy, didn’t take
narcotics, and didn’t smoke. Sometimes she drank whiskey when she was
sitting with a customer, but that was all. Before the incident La-Or had
been speaking normally, and then suddenly it was as if a spirit had
possessed her. She stood up and her expression changed. She started hitting
the other staff members, and the customers fled. Staff tried to restrain
her, but she threw them off and ran upstairs to the third floor.
La-Or’s friends said that during the evening she had been
in a normal mental state, and was planning on making merit to celebrate her
birthday on April 3. They believe a baby spirit doll that belonged to
La-Or’s friend had possessed her. The friend had been staying in the same
room, and had received the doll from a mystic in Chonburi. She had placed it
on the Buddhist shrine shelf in the room, but then five days ago she had
left the bar and had not taken the doll with her.
It rained today…
Reader Mike Burke sent us this photo with a note stating, “I thought you might like this picture taken on Sukhumvit at around 3 p.m. this afternoon.” The tropical rain in question came down “in buckets” on Monday, April 9. It appears that no matter how hard city hall tries, they just can’t seem to solve the flooding problem every time there’s a heavy downpour.
Question Box
Question: Jomtien Observer asks: It is just a few
weeks since the two young Russian ladies were so brutally murdered on
Jomtien Beach and yet, within the last two weeks, there have been two snatch
thefts in this area that I am personally aware of. One I observed myself
from a beach restaurant, when two men on a motorbike snatched a necklace
from a woman riding pillion on another motorcycle. This was in broad
daylight at about 11 a.m. The other happened to a young lady acquaintance
who was dining at a local restaurant when a thief came up from behind and
grabbed her gold chain. I have no doubt that many other instances have
happened of which I am unaware. My question is: What are the police doing to
cut down on this type of criminal activity? We have seen just a slight
increase in the joint police/military patrols in this area of Jomtien. Would
it not be possible to let some plain-clothes officers also patrol the
streets here day and night perhaps posing as motorcycle taxi drivers or
delivery boys? I would think this would be very effective.
Answer: Pol Col Sutin Suppuang, superintendent of
Pattaya Police Station was the first to reply: “We need residents to be our
eyes and ears. After the shocking incident in which the two young Russian
tourists were murdered on Jomtien Beach, Pattaya police combined with many
other departments in hunting down the gunman and finally brought him to face
justice.
“We fully appreciate that many people wonder if they can
be safe in Pattaya. The police department never rests in its duty to keep
the peace for residents and visitors, but we know that the number of
officers available to patrol a very large city area and protect a very large
number of people can never be enough.
“So it is the great wish of myself and every police
officer in Pattaya that members of the public work with us in increasing the
level of security by keeping their eyes and ears open at all times and
reporting any doubtful actions to the nearest officers.”
Pattaya City Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn also
commented: “The police are fully responsible for keeping the peace and
providing safety for the people. The city supports the police with funding,
and gives them every support. Arrangements were recently made to have a
combined force of Pattaya police and military officers working together in
monitoring the city, and this has proved to be very effective.
“However, manpower is sometimes not enough, especially in
instances of street crime such as snatch-and-run theft. This is why we have
installed more CCTV cameras. They can be a very effective tool, both in
preventing crime and in tracing the perpetrators when a crime is committed.
City officials are regularly checking the condition of the cameras and
trimming tree branches that might block the cameras’ angle in some areas.
“The shooting incident was a very shocking one. It was
one of the worst crimes ever committed here. Now we have to learn from this,
and try to prevent anything like it ever happening again.”
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