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Kingdom of Thailand celebrates Wan Chatramongkhol (Coronation Day) May 5
Photo courtesy of the Bureau
of the Royal Household
Saturday, May 5 marks the 57th anniversary of the
Coronation of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great. The day is
celebrated as a national holiday, but since it is a Saturday, all government
offices and commercial banks will observe the day (close) on Monday, May 7.
Whist being crowned King of Thailand, the 9th in the Chakri Dynasty (Rama
IX), His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great took a sacred oath to
rule with Righteousness, for the Benefit and Happiness of the Siamese
People, which He has done magnificently, garnering tremendous respect from
His people. HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, the longest reigning
monarch in the world. Long Live the King!
Each year on the 5th of May, the Kingdom of Thailand commemorates the day
when, in 1950, the Coronation Ceremony was held for His Majesty King
Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, the 9th in the Chakri Dynasty (Rama IX).
His Majesty the King, after studying in Europe, returned to Thailand and was
crowned King during an elaborate and highly intricate ceremony that out
lavished all previous coronations in Thailand.
A week prior to His being crowned King, on April 28, 1950, H.M. King
Bhumibol and Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitayakara were married. Following the
Coronation the King returned to Switzerland to continue studying.
The Coronation Ceremony reinforces the stature of the Kings of Thailand. The
first such elaborate ceremony was performed when Pho Khun Phamuang succeeded
Pho Khun Bangklangthao as the ruling King of Muang Sukhothai. Phaya Lithai,
a former leader in Sukhothai, left a historical record in stone describing
the coronation ceremony in Sukhothai at Wat Srikhum.
In the beginning of the Ratanakosin era, the first King in the Chakri
Dynasty (HM King Buddhayodfa the Great) took the title of Rama I and moved
the capital of Siam from Thonburi to the opposite bank of the Chao Phraya
River, and constructed Krung Ratanakosin (Bangkok). In the process of
building the Royal Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
the first King in the House of Chakri refined the coronation ceremony,
establishing important protocol that has lasted to this day. All Kings to
follow not undergoing the coronation ceremony would be unable to assume the
term “Phrabat” in front of the King’s title of “Somdej Phrachaoyuhua”, and
more significantly, the symbol of the nine-tiered umbrella would also not be
permissible or officially recognized.
The elaborate coronation ceremony of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the
Great included all the ancient rituals required for assuming the full title
and the nine-tiered umbrella. HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej then bestowed the
honor posthumously on His brother HM King Ananda Mahidol. HM King Bhumibol
Adulyadej’s benevolent act raised HM King Ananda Mahidol’s regal status from
seven to a nine-tiered umbrella.
During the reign of HM King Mongkut (Rama IV), Buddhist monks and Brahmin
priests were incorporated into the coronation ceremony to conduct rituals to
sanctify the auspicious occasion. Previously the ceremony was arranged and
conducted by the Royal Palace staff and members of the Royal Household.
The annual coronation ceremony is currently a three -day affair, starting
with a ritual “tham bun” ceremony on May 3 to honor the King’s ancestors.
Later on the first day, another ceremony is performed, whereby flags of
honor are issued to distinguish various military units.
The following day, Buddhist ceremonies continue with chanting rituals,
prayers and Brahman priests announcing the auspicious occasion forthcoming
the next day (May 5).
On the 5th of May, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great (Rama IX)
conducts a merit making ceremony, presenting offerings to Buddhist monks,
and leads a “Wienthien” ceremony, walking three times around sacred grounds
at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
In the evening the King conducts another sacred ceremony: changing the
yellow cloth on the Emerald Buddha, the guardian symbol protecting the Thai
people, which was transferred from Thonburi to Wat Phra Kaew by Rama I.
Many rooms in the Royal Palace are opened for public viewing on Coronation
Day. Auspicious ceremonies are performed and displays depicting Royal
achievements are exhibited to reconfirm the King’s stature.
Soi of sorrows
Residents complain about irresponsible municipality
Theerarak Suthatiwongse
Residents of Soi Khao Noi are complaining about bad roads, potholes, and
blocked storm drains that cause flooding, and have asked the city
authorities to do something to improve the quality of life in the soi.
 Residents
of Soi Khao Noi want city officials to fix the road problems, as pedestrians
there run the risk of being splashed with contaminated water by cars and
motorcycles.
Some sections of the road, also known as Soi Wat Boonyasamphan, from the
railroad crossing for a distance of about one kilometer are very sandy, with
clouds of dust floating around the area. Storm drains in two locations had
wastewater overflowing into the road, and pedestrians ran the risk of being
splashed with contaminated water by cars and motorcycles. Opposite the
convenience store located halfway down the soi there were many potholes.
Narong Huaysamut, a 56-year-old florist who owns a shop in the soi said that
this area is under the responsibility of the Nongprue Municipality. Because
of the amount of sand, the air is dusty and the drains become easily
clogged, leading to overflows of wastewater. Narong said the overflows are a
serious problem and his business is being affected, as customers standing
outside his shop are liable to be soaked by passing motorists.
Mrs Patcharamol Boonglam, a 39-year-old som tum vendor with a business
located opposite the 7-Eleven store said that the storm drains in front of
her shop always have wastewater overflowing from them. Sometimes the water
is so deep that cars passing through it force the water into the
inhabitants’ houses. The potholes are a constant danger, and cause
accidents.
Patcharamol said that Nongprue Municipality has a responsibility to
permanently resolve these problems, instead of sending officials on
occasions to provide temporary remedies.
Crime reenactments to be shown on cable TV
Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya Police Station has made arrangements with 12 radio and television
stations in the Eastern region to broadcast reenactments of crimes to raise
awareness amongst the public of the way in which criminals operate.
 Pol
Col Sutin Suppuang (left) and Surat Mekawarakul (right) introduce the Crime
Story mascot.
Pol Col Sutin Suppuang, superintendent at Pattaya Police Station said the
program would be called Crime Story, and that it would educate residents and
visitors alike and consequently improve the safety of life and property.
Real-life cases that occur in and around Pattaya will be broadcast via cable
television in the Eastern region for one hour every Sunday after the mid-day
news. Sponsors will be invited to support the program, with part of the
proceeds going towards charity and other deserving causes.
Crime Story will be broadcast in Thai and English and will appear on cable
TV in Chonburi, Bangsaen, Sriracha, Laem Chabang, Banglamung, Jomtien, Ban
Amper, Bang Sarae, Sattahip, Samaesarn and Ban Chang, and on MSS Cable TV.
The program will later appear in Rayong, Chantaburi and Trad provinces. The
Crime Story logo is a doll wearing a police uniform.
Plans mooted for underground carpark
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Plans are being considered to build an underground carpark with a capacity
for 600 cars and 1,600 motorcycles in front of Pattaya School No 8.
 The
sports field at Pattaya School No. 8 could undergo a transformation into a
parking lot capable of supporting 600 cars and 1,600 motorcycles.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn along with Pattaya City permanent secretary
Sittiprap Muangkoom and various department heads held a meeting on April 12
with consultants to study the possibility of building the parking lot under
the school sports field next to Chaimongkol Temple.
The consultants are being hired at a fee of 3.1 million baht. They are
proposing a three-level carpark, with a library and cafeteria to be built
above ground. Construction of such a facility is estimated at 200-250
million baht.
No specific location has yet been specified, and the role of the consultants
is to draw up a feasibility study that would then be available for
discussion.
Garbage disposal plant would
turn rubbish into revenue
Sales Sap (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
are proposing a garbage disposal plant that turns waste into biogas, power
and fertilizer.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
City hall is considering spending more than 1 billion baht on a garbage
disposal plant that turns waste into biogas, power and fertilizer.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn chaired a meeting on April 24 that discussed
with representatives of Sales Sap (Thailand) Co Ltd a productive way of
destroying garbage, rather than burying it.
Sales Sap director Boonchok Boonkasemsuktawat said that the company uses new
technology to grind up garbage and produce biogas, which could be used to
produce 5 megawatts of power per day, and also be converted to fertilizer
that would sell at about 3,000 baht per ton.
The Sales Sap system would include the transportation and storage of the
garbage, and the conversion and disposal plant would cost around 1.4 billion
baht. As the system is an enclosed one, particles and odors would be
controlled. The factory would require an area of around 25 to 30 rai of
land.
Such a system would reduce the need for an area to bury garbage, such as
that at Kaomaikaew sub-district, which has caused much controversy over the
years and which is able to support 500 tons of garbage per day. At present
Pattaya City produces approximately 250 to 300 tons of garbage per day.
If city hall gives the go-ahead to Sales Sap, the company would have a
25-year concession and would derive income from selling power, fertilizer
and recycled materials. Anticipated profits from this are about 200 million
baht per year, part of which could go to the city.
Niran said that Pattaya is encountering severe problems with the volume of
garbage being generated by the city, and that such a project would be of
interest. Sales Sap has been asked to produce a detailed proposal, which
would then be presented to Pattaya City Council.
Cobra Gold 07 begins this week
Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, and the United
States announced their participation in the Cobra Gold exercise to be held
in Thailand from May 8-18, 2007.
Cobra Gold is a regularly scheduled joint and combined multi-national
exercise hosted annually by the Kingdom of Thailand. Cobra Gold 2007 is the
latest in a continuing series of exercises designed to promote regional
peace and security. This exercise marks the 26th anniversary of this
regionally significant training event.
Training will consist of a computer-simulated staff exercise, field training
exercises, and humanitarian/civic action projects.
The exercise will combine Thai, U.S., and Singaporean armed forces in a
combined task force headquarters computer simulated staff exercise. Thailand
and the United States will conduct field training exercises. Thailand, the
United States, Singapore, Japan, and Indonesia will participate in a
computer simulation exercise designed around a United Nations multi-national
peace keeping scenario. Thailand, the United States, Singapore and Japan
will participate in humanitarian/civic action projects, designed to improve
quality of life and local infrastructure for the host Thai people. There
will be four engineering construction projects and seven
medical/dental/veterinary clinics in villages throughout the exercise areas.
In addition to the five main participating countries, the Royal Thai
Government has invited several other nations to participate in various roles
during the exercise. The following countries have so far confirmed
attendance: Philippines, Australia, France, China, Germany, and South Korea.
13-year-old girl killed by runaway trailer
Left unattended and unsecured,
this trailer rolled down a hill and killed a young girl. (Photo by Theerarak
Suthatiwongse)
Boonlua Chatree
A 13-year-old girl was crushed to death when the trailer of a rice delivery
truck rolled downhill at Soi Chaiyapreuk 2 and crashed into the food stands
at the open market.
The tragic incident happened at 8 a.m. on April 26. Banglamung police and
rescue workers from Sawang Boriboon Foundation rushed to the scene where
they found the body of Miss Ketwadee Martcharat, a primary class 1 student
at Pattaya School No 7 lying face down on the ground. Her distraught mother,
Mrs Nokkaew Sienglam, 35, was kneeling beside her.
The truck driver, 26-year-old Rungnapa Sirisamran of Kanchanaburi Province,
said he was using the Takaowsuksawat company vehicle to transport rice from
Nakhon Ratchasima Province to the Kwankamolkaow store 500 meters away from
the scene. He and his fellow worker delivered the rice that was loaded in
the trailer. When they finished they disconnected the trailer and parked it
on the opposite side of the road, but didn’t use anything to block the
wheels. They took the truck to go and eat. When they returned, the trailer
had gone.
Rungnapa got onto a motorcycle and found it had rolled 500 meters down the
hill, crossed the railroad tracks, and smashed into the market, killing the
young girl.
Pairoj Yuplao, a 60-year-old vendor of Chinese doughnuts, was an eyewitness.
He said the market was open only on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. On this
day the market was closed and the only business being done was by the food
and dessert stands on the side of the road. A man rode up on a motorcycle
and warned everyone that a trailer was running down the hill towards them.
Vendors and people waiting for food fled but Ketwadee, who was sitting and
waiting for a doughnut from Pairoj, was unable to get away and the trailer
ran over her.
Driver Rungnapa has been charged with involuntary vehicular manslaughter.
Burglars poison poodle before escaping with haul
Theerarak Suthatiwongse
Thieves poisoned a British family’s poodle before stealing several hundred
thousand baht worth of property.
 Police
believe this is where the thieves gained access to the property.
Pattaya Police Station received a report in the morning of April 21 that
burglars had broken into a house on Pratamnak Road Soi 6.
Stephen John Hopkins, a 35-year-old British national was waiting for the
officers. He took them into the back yard where they saw the dead body of
his one-year-old poodle. On the ground near its head was a bone. There were
several footprints from sandals and tennis shoes at the wall behind the
house. The back door showed signs of being forced open. Stolen property
included a 1-baht gold necklace, a gold bracelet, two Nokia mobile phones,
one Acer laptop, and one Sony camera.
Hopkins stated that he had rented this house from a foreigner for 50,000
baht per month, and that he had lived there for several years. At
approximately 2 a.m. he had gone out with his wife and friends, and then
came back at 8 a.m. the next morning. He discovered that his dog was dead,
and that property was missing. He believed the thieves poisoned his dog
before stealing the property.
After preliminary investigations, police concluded there was more than one
thief. They have collected fingerprints as evidence.
Police bust ice gang
Jureeporn Chinhuadong, Orathai
Daengcharoen and Supachai Sowatee were arrested in possession of a large
amount of crystal methamphetamine.
Boonlua Chatree
Police from Chonburi Province working in cooperation with Pattaya police
have arrested a gang dealing in the narcotic ice.
Investigations by Chonburi police had revealed that narcotics dealers were
using a room on the ninth floor of Building D at the Nirun Grand Condominium
on Soi Arunothai. They contacted Pol Col Sutin Suppuang, superintendent at
Pattaya Police Station, and a team of officers was sent to the premises.
The officers found three people inside the room, and they also discovered a
quantity of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) divided into five portions and
hidden in a velvet shoe. Total weight of the drug was 195 grams. A knife had
been used to cut the shoe lengthwise and create a hiding place.
A total of 26,100 baht in cash was also found, along with one gold necklace,
one gold ring, one bracelet, and narcotics paraphernalia.
Police named the three people as Mrs Jureeporn Chinhuadong, 31, Ms Orathai
Daengcharoen, 35, and Supachai Sowatee, a 27-year-old transvestite.
The three admitted acting as a gang to deal in ice in the Pattaya area,
selling to locals and foreigners. The drugs were purchased in Laos. Orathai
was the leader of the gang, and she would give the ice to Jureeporn and
Supachai, who would then sell it to small customers.
Police said that the gang’s movements had been watched for some time, and
the arrest timed to catch them red-handed. The ice found in the room had a
street value of about 1 million baht.
Man shot for beeping his horn
Theerarak Suthatiwongse
Police were called out to a shooting incident in front of the 7-Eleven in
Soi Khao Noi just after midnight on April 23.
At the scene they found a pool of blood and a 38 mm handgun lying on the
ground. The gun had been fired. The injured man had been taken to Bangkok
Pattaya Hospital, where he was identified as Naret Thong-oon, 38, of
Samuthprakarn. He had been shot once in the stomach and was in serious
condition.
At the scene locals and volunteer police officers had apprehended one of the
involved parties who was identified as Samart Liangtanom, 27, of Nakhorn
Rachasima. He told officers that the gunman was a man nicknamed Tam, but
didn’t know his first or last name. After the shooting Tam had fled the
scene. Samart said the reason Tam shot Naret was to teach him a lesson for
beeping his horn at him.
Naret was able to tell officers that he was on his motorcycle and heading
for Com Tower in South Pattaya, where he was going to collect his girlfriend
from work. He saw two men on a motorcycle swerving across the road. He
beeped his horn and one of the men pulled out a gun and shot him. The
passenger was apprehended but the driver threw down the gun and sped off.
Police are now looking for Tam.
Leaders of three religions gather to make merit for HM the King
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Leaders of three religions in Chonburi Province gathered over the period
April 17 to 22 to make merit for His Majesty the King’s 80th birthday, which
will take place on December 5 this year.
 Chonburi
Governor Pracha Taerat (left) presents the 17 water buffaloes and cows to
selected farmers.
Christians, Moslems and Sikhs gathered in front of the Phra Phuttha Sihing
Buddha in Chonburi on April 21 at 7 a.m. for a ceremony to present food to
81 monks.
Chonburi Governor Pracha Taerat led the ceremony along with leaders of the
armed forces, government departments, and private organizations.
Anusorn Pongsawat of the Roman Catholic Church of Jesus Christ in Chonburi
represented the Christians, Suwat Koobkrabee of the Central Committee of
Islam in Thailand was the Islamic representative, and Amrik Singh Kalra,
head of the Sikh Community in Pattaya was the representative of the Sikh
religion.
As part of the merit making, the lives of 17 water buffaloes and cows were
spared, and the creatures will be sent to selected farmers for breeding. The
governor chose the 17 farmers. The intention is that by December 5th a total
of 81 water buffaloes and cows will have been spared.
This is being carried out in accordance with the Royal Cattle Buffalo Bank
for Farmers, a Royal project initiated by His Majesty to assist poor
farmers. To date Chonburi Province has received donations of a total of 200
cows and water buffaloes, and has presented them to farmers in many
districts.
95 baby turtles hatch out
and head for the ocean
Patcharapol Panrak
The Sea Turtle Conservation Center at the Royal Thai Navy Base in Sattahip
has announced that 95 baby turtles hatched out over the Thai New Year
period.
 95
baby turtles hatch out and head for the ocean.
Captain Kosit Jiamsupakit, director of Air and Coastal Defense Command and
his deputy, Captain Tinakorn Kanchanataemee, along with officers from the
Sea Turtle Conservation Center had gathered early in the morning of April 14
to watch the eggs hatch on the beach in front of the center. They were
delighted when the baby turtles dug themselves out of the sand hole, and
counted 95 of them crawling into the sea.
Captain Tinakorn said that on February 26 a large female Chelonia Mydas
turtle came to lay 119 eggs on the beach, behind the residence of Admiral
Sathiraphan Kaeyanon, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy. Rear
Admiral Chaiwat Sriakkharin, commander of Air and Coastal Defense Command
had ordered the eggs moved to a safer place on the beach, as the area in
which they had been laid is a depression and floods during rain. It was
feared the eggs would decompose.
Observation over the course of the following weeks allowed predictions for
the hatching dates to be made, and on April 13, Thai New Year, the entrance
to the sand hole began to open as the eggs shifted from the activity inside
them. The baby turtles, which are fully developed, emerged from their egg
shells early next morning and enjoyed their first meal of egg white before
heading for the water.
More eggs are on the beach, with two hatching dates expected soon.
Meanwhile, there was a rush on lottery tickets containing the figure of 95
and also 719, the eggs having hatched at 7:19 a.m.
City begins sterilization program for stray dogs
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Pattaya City in cooperation with the Chonburi Province Department of
Livestock Development has begun a program to sterilize stray dogs.
 Stray
dogs wait for sterilization as part of the city’s efforts to reduce their
numbers.
The program is designed to cut down the number of strays, of which there are
an estimated 20,000 in Chonburi Province, and consequently to reduce the
incidence of rabies.
Deputy Mayor Wattana Chantanawaranon officially launched the campaign on
April 26 in front of Pattaya City Hall.
Vichien Bamrungchit, a veterinarian at the Department of Livestock
Development, said that in Chonburi Province and the Pattaya City area there
is now an average of one dog per month that contracts rabies. Two years ago,
a rabies-infected dog could not be found.
The spread of rabies is via stray dogs, and the number of strays is
increasing because so many dog owners lack a sense of responsibility. They
take great care of the puppies, but when the pups grow into adult dogs the
owners lose interest. Dogs should be given birth control injections, or be
sterilized, because their owners simply let them roam free to mate with any
other dogs they meet.
Vichien said that dogs from the age of two months could be treated. If they
are not, and they are left to roam, the breeding cycle can be very fast and
it is not uncommon for a litter of 12 pups to be produced.
The Department of Livestock Development has a mobile unit that will carry
out the sterilizations, with the objective of sterilizing 80 percent of the
stray dogs. There is also a plan to administer birth control injections to
bitches. Once treated, the animals would be released back into the locations
from which they came, as Chonburi does not have any suitable premises to
take care of them except for the Sakaeo Animal Quarantine Station, which can
handle only around 500 dogs.
Naklua stages ancient spirit possession ceremony
Narisa Nitikarn
Thai New Year saw the people of Naklua observing an ancient ceremony that is
in danger of dying out.
 The
Xylophone creates the rhythm.
Mae Sri Ling Lom has its roots in an earlier age, when people believed in
communion with the spirits and in acts of magic. The ceremony invites a
female spirit to enter the body of a teenage girl. The girl must sit on a
rice-mixing bowl while those around her chant for the spirit to enter her
body.
In a similar fashion, spirits also enter young men. When the spirit takes
over, the possessed has a strength 10 times that of a normal person.
Once the spirit takes over, the possessed body will dance while the village
inhabitants encircle it and sing songs. After 30 minutes the spirit must be
asked to leave the body, which does not have the strength to contain it for
too long.
A 70-year-old Naklua resident who attended this year’s Mae Sri Ling Lom said
that he remembers the ceremony from when he was a child. Many people still
hold the idea that Songkran, the Thai New Year, is the time for releasing
spirits. Ceremonies like this used to be performed in the Eastern region
throughout the Songkran period, ending with the Rice Harvest Festival.
In recent years the practice has been dying out, but Mae Sri Ling Lom is
still held in Naklua, albeit by the smaller, older communities. Over the
past two years, Pattaya City has been actively encouraging the revival of
the tradition, lest it be forgotten entirely.
Ling Lom is already showing
its supernatural power.
The ceremony for inviting Mae
Sri to enter a young girl’s body.
‘Niet’ to the Russian cheerleaders at the Supercar Rally
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The sight may have been pleasing to some, but for many others the five young
Russian girls wearing bikinis and dancing in front of a picture of His
Majesty the King as they cheered on the competitors at the Bangkok-Pattaya
Supercar Rally were not acceptable.
 Officers
chased the bikini clad Russian models away from city hall, as their attire
and actions were not deemed appropriate for the location.
There was an uproar amongst local people on April 21, as the cheerleaders
danced and waved checkered flags at the finishing line, and Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn ordered the girls to be moved.
The rally was held by the Supercars Club of Thailand in cooperation with
Central World Shopping Mall, and sponsored by the High Society Dot Com Group
and the High Society Party Magazine Group.
Television pictures, however, showed the five scantily dressed girls
parading in front of a picture of His Majesty the King at the entrance gate
to Pattaya City Hall, and the nearby statue of King Taksin. Each of the
girls was responsible for waving a flag for each rally car that crossed the
finish line, and for posing for pictures with the 40 rally cars parked
outside Henry J Beans at the Amari Orchid.
Mayor Niran dispatched municipal officers to ask the girls to leave the
Pattaya City Hall premises. However, the organizers of the group remained
behind, so police officers from Pattaya Police Station were brought in to
get them to move along. The girls were sent to a hotel.
Niran has complained to the organizers, saying that the people of Pattaya
were greatly displeased and found the display to be totally inappropriate.
Patpong Thanawisuth was the presenter of the competition.
The rally itself was an impressive one, with luxury cars from owners around
the country on display. There were 40 cars, the most expensive being priced
at 40 million baht and the cheapest a mere 10 million baht.
The cars set out from the Central World Square department store in Bangkok,
with the finish line being in front of Pattaya City Hall. The only casualty
was a Ferrari that had an accident on the way, and burst into flames.
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