No Increase In Train Tickets From Hat Yai To M'sia

KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 (Bernama) -- There has been no increase in train ticket purchases by Malaysian tourists to return home from Hat Yai nor cancellation of tickets from Malaysia to Hat Yai following the blomb explosion in the Thai southern city last Saturday. In the incident, five people were killed, including a Malaysian and another reported missing, and more than 100 others injured including 27 Malaysians, some seriously. Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) corporate communications senior manager, Mohd Fazil Ismail said the bomb incident had not affected the sale of train tickets to southern Thailand although the Malaysian government had advised its citizens not to visit the place for the time being. He said trains to Hat Yai were also operating on schedule. "So far, we have also not received any directive from the Malaysia's Foreign Ministry to cancel our trips to Hat Yai, while the Thai authorities have assured the safety of KTM trains into southern Thailand," he added when contacted by Bernama on Monday. KTMB sells an average of 20 tickets to Hat Yai daily and the number rises to 120 daily during the holiday season. Several bus express companies which offer direct trips to Hat Yai gave the same response and that their bus services to Hat Yai were running as scheduled. A KKKL Sdn Bhd spokesman said purchase of tickets to southern Thailand was as usual, with no increase or cancellations following last Saturday's bomb blast incident in Hat Yai, while there was also no sudden increase in tickets for trips from southern Thailand back to Malaysia. Sri Maju Sdn Bhd also reported no drop in ticket sales to Hat Yai. Meanwhile, the 1Malaysia Putera Club today sent 30 volunteers including paramedics and specialist doctors led by Dr Alwi Abdul Rahman from Selayang Hospital to monitor the condition of the injured Malaysians warded at the Thai hospitals and to make arrangements to bring them back to Malaysia, if possible. The humanitarian mission team led by club chairman Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim left for Hat Yai at noon today with 11 ambulances. Later, in HAT YAI, after visiting four of the injured Malaysians at Songkhla Nagarind Hospital, Abdul Aziz said another Malaysian was warded at Rajyindee Hospital. He said family members met at the hospitals agreed that the injured victims be brought back to Malaysia in the ambulances and transferred to hospitals nearest to their homes. Abdul Azeez said the Malaysian Consulate-General in Songkhla would assist in gathering the belongings of the Malaysian victims such as cars, luggage bags and travel documents and make arrangements for these to be brought back to Malaysia. The Thai government has given a contribution of 10,000 Baht to each Malaysian injured in the incident. The families of the two Malaysians killed in the incident each received 459,000 Baht, out of which 150,000 Baht came from the Office of the Songkhla Governor and the other portion from Thailand's Tourism Ministry. -- BERNAMA