Phasakorn Channgam
Photos by Martin Bilsborrow
The United States won Pattaya’s International
Fireworks Competition, capping two days of pyrotechnics that thrilled
thousands of tourists and locals.
Defense Minister Gen. Yuthasak Sasiprapha joined
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome and PTT Co. CEO Pirin Chuchothaworn in kicking
off the Dec. 16-17 Pattaya Beach extravaganza that culminated the series
of five fireworks contests over the past two years held to honor Their
Majesties the King and Queen.
This time Thai fireworks specialists went up against
teams from Australia, China, Denmark, Italy, Japan, United Arab Emirates
and United States.
The festival drew tens of thousands to Pattaya, with
police this year trying something new to ease traffic that crippled last
year’s contest: Beach Road was closed early each day and the three major
thoroughfares into the city were turned into one-way streets.
Opinions varied on how well the plan worked,
depending on how long someone was stuck in gridlock. Generally, however,
the most-common description the traffic was “nightmarish.”
Saturday’s finale floored those watching with a
spread of seven 24-inch shells, marking the end of HM the King’s seventh
cycle birthday Dec. 5. The shooting colors could be seen along the
entire three-kilometer expanse of Pattaya Beach and well inland. In all,
more than 10,000 shells were fired, creating a show seldom seen
anywhere.
Judges and audience members agreed, however, that
this year the American team triumphed over the flair of the Italians and
the creativity of the Chinese inventors of fireworks. The United Arab
Emirates placed second.
