RANONG, 17 January 2014 Ranong Governor Choetsak Champathet on Thursday led an inspection of the province’s new fishing pier in Mueang Ranong district to make sure the development of the province’s new facility for tourists and cargo was in order.
Banlue Sae-tan, mayor of Pak Nam Municipality, said the fishing pier in current use at the immigration point was narrow and had no roof or pontoon. The facility was overcrowded, and was not constructed to comply with current demands for safety or convenience of users. Vessels also had trouble docking at the pier in times of low tide.
Mr. Choetsak said a large number of tourists use the pier each day, at present. Last month, 22,028 Myanmar people entered Thailand through the pier. In the same month, 2,040 vessels and 10,055 foreign tourists utilized the pier.
The new pier in Pak Nam sub-district is slated to be completed within this year under a budget of 3 million baht. Upon completion, the pier is expected to facilitate tourists’ travel from Thailand into Myanmar, which is projected to rise significantly.
