BANGKOK, Nov 7 – As peace has once again returned to Thailand, more members of the public came out on Thursday night to celebrate the annual Loy Krathong festival nationwide.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said today that its workers began collecting krathongs from canals and the Chao Phraya River in the capital at about 8pm last night and finished their tasks at 6am this morning.
A total of 982,064 krathongs were collected of which 885,995 krathongs made from banana leaves or natural materials while the rest were made from polystyrene foam.
The BMA said the amount of krathongs collected this year in Bangkok was 116,649 more than last year’s collection.
Thais celebrate Loy Krathong by floating small vessels decorated with flowers, incense sticks and candles in rivers or canals to ask for forgiveness and blessing from the River Goddess.
In the northern city of Chiang Mai, municipal workers are busying cleaning and collecting krathongs throughout the city while they believe the amount of krathongs and garbage would be about 50 tonnes more than the same event last year.
Many dead fish are seen in the canal at the Tha Pae City Gate due to the lack of oxygen while many birds died, probably due to shock from the sound of fireworks and firecrackers during last night’s celebrations.
In nearby Lampang province airport security officials collected remains of hot-air lanterns which fell near the runway. Airport officials said about 20 lanterns were collected, many less than the 100 or so which fell onto the airport last year.
Many bar and restaurant owners at Rin Beach on Ko Pha-ngan in the Gulf of Thailand near Surat Thani were disappointed with their sales on Loy Krathong festival which falls on full moon because few partygoers were there.
The entrepreneurs believed the lack of partygoers was due to the September 15 murders of two British tourists on Ko Tao, not far from Pha-ngan, and the martial law imposed by the National Council for Peace and Order.
