Int'l tourists flock to join Full Moon Party, witness Naga fireballs in Thailand

SURAT THANI, THAILAND, October 8 (TNA) - A large number of Thai and foreign tourists are visiting popular resort islands in the Thai South to join a Full Moon Party and also to areas along the Mekong River in the Thai Northeast to observe annual Naga fireballs during this period. Groups of international tourists were seen boarding ferries to popular resort islands in the Thai South on Wednesday to attend a Full Moon Party, after apparently regaining their confidence on safety following the recent arrest of two Myanmar nationals accused of murdering two British tourists last month. Ferry boats offering services to Koh Samui and Koh Pha-ngan off the southern Surat Thani Province were packed with tourists wishing to join the Full Moon Party, prompting many ferry boat operators to have added two more daily services for passengers. A manager of Raja Ferry Pier Co., Ltd., told reporters that the number of international tourists dropped sharply soon after the murder of the two British tourists on Koh Tao, an island also in Surat Thani, on September 15, but the number of tourists has picked up after the accused murderers were arrested earlier this week. In order to ensure safety for the travellers, local officials have, however, been posted at every pier. In the Thai Northeast, anxious tourists were, meanwhile, gathering in Nong Khai Province bordering Laos, marking the end of the yearly three-month Buddhist Lent to observe the "Bang Fai Phraya Naga", a peculiar annual phenomenon occuring only in the Mekong River, where redish glowing balls appear and rise up from the depth of the river through the water and then on up high into the night sky. Nong Khai officials have opened a public relations (PR) centre where pamphlets informing people of best spots to view the so-called Naga fireballs are handed out. Some 1,000 police officers have also been deployed along the road from Nong Khai's Muang to Ratana Wapi Districts to provide safety for tourists eagerly awaiting to witness the annual mysterious event. (TNA)