Thai moviegoers scramble for free tickets

BANGKOK, June 15 (TNA) - Tens of thousands of moviegoers in Thailand were disappointed Sunday after they were unable to watch free Thai movie entitled ‘King Naresuan Part 5’, sponsored by the movie producer and the theatre owner, shown nationwide. With the help of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) which staged the May 22 bloodless coup, the movie was shown with an aim to arouse the Thais to love their country. It was shown free of charge at 11.00 a.m. on Sunday at 160 theatres throughout the country. Due to high enthusiasm shown by moviegoers and high demand, two theatres in the northern province of Lampang had to show the movie simultaneously. But still many people were left disappointed because of insufficient seats. In the northern capital of Chiang Mai, the situation was worse. Initially, five theatres there were supposed to show the movie but one more was add later to cope with high demand from the public. In Samut Sakhon province, near Bangkok, there was only one theatre with 206 seats. A large number of people were disappointed because they could not get the free ticket. They have requested the NCPO to arrange for extra screenings of the movie. The similar situation also appeared in several other provinces, including in Hat Yai district near the Thai-Malaysian border. (TNA)