PHUKET: The proposed two-day New Year party for 50,000 people at Phuket's Surin beach could be halted at any time if the existing agreement is not kept, says local council Mayor Ma-Ann Samran.
Mayor Ma-Ann repeated that the Permanent Secretary of Cherng Talay had already signed an agreement with the party's organisers for the event to go ahead.
''But if something goes wrong, who is going to be responsible?'' Mayor Ma-Ann asked today. ''I would like to see the Phuket Governor call a meeting.''
It's believed the mayor will retain all the documentation relating to the event and the permissions required.
Mayor Ma-Ann said that he spoke to Governor Maitree Inthusud yesterday at the opening of a new tourist centre in Surin, close to the proposed site for the massive party.
''The governor told me that the Chief of Phuket Marine 5 has approved the floating stage as proposed by the organisers,'' Mayor Ma-Ann said.
The World Class Electronic Music Festival aims to attract 50,000 fans to a beach where families from all over the world traditionally spend a relaxing Christmas-New Year at nearby resorts.
While most of the performers said to be booked for the event are top-line international acts, questions remain about the logistics.
An open letter to the Phuket governor in October from Surin's top five-star resorts says the idea for the event is good, but Surin beach is the wrong venue and New Year is the wrong time.
Most resorts on Phuket are full in what's known as ''peak'' season and vacant seats on all incoming flights are rare. Room rates are also at their peak.
According to reports, the two-star Tune Hotels brand is the event's hotel sponsor. Plans are also said to be underway to accommodate fans in tents.
Observers ask how Phuket's image will be improved by turning back the clock from its present five-star appeal to the 1980s, when backpackers were Phuket's visitors.
During a long day of meetings last month that resolved nothing, one of the resort general managers asked the Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Phuket Office, Chanchai Doungjit, whether the TAT supported the event.
''We do if you guys do,'' was his response.
The event has plenty of in-principle support from tourism-related organisations, but the point made by the general managers still holds: Surin appears to be the wrong place and New year appears to be the wrong time.
Governor Maitree, who is responsible for the safety and security of all residents and tourists, has yet to respond to the resort general managers' open letter, written in late October.
The great unanswerable question is the reaction of the local Muslim residents to having their sleep disturbed over two days and nights on December 30 and December 31.
It appears to also be of concern to Mayor Ma-Ann, who today was not prepared to vouch for locals taking the noise and the disruption lying down.
There has also been no public statement from the organisers about HM The King's pavilion, erected five years ago in celebration of his 80th birthday, which sits in the middle of an area that is bound to be surrounded by exuberant partying music fans.
Surin was selected as the site for the royal pavilion because it was one of the places the King visited when he toured Phuket with HM The Queen for the first time in 1959.
Lack of an ongoing conversation between the resort general managers, the Governor and the organisers remains a concern, with New Year drawing closer.
After last month's stalemate meetings, a spokesperson for the organisers said: ''We definitely want to proceed with them [the resorts]. We don't want to proceed without them.''
Logistics remain a mystery. A quick calculation reveals that 50,000 people would require 1500 large buses to transport them to Surin, and 1500 large buses to transport them out again.
Mini-buses are Phuket's transport of preference. More than 3000 trips would be required going in, and 3000 more coming out.
It's not known at this stage what arrangements have been made for directing traffic.
Mayor Ma-Ann repeated that the Permanent Secretary of Cherng Talay had already signed an agreement with the party's organisers for the event to go ahead.
''But if something goes wrong, who is going to be responsible?'' Mayor Ma-Ann asked today. ''I would like to see the Phuket Governor call a meeting.''
It's believed the mayor will retain all the documentation relating to the event and the permissions required.
Mayor Ma-Ann said that he spoke to Governor Maitree Inthusud yesterday at the opening of a new tourist centre in Surin, close to the proposed site for the massive party.
''The governor told me that the Chief of Phuket Marine 5 has approved the floating stage as proposed by the organisers,'' Mayor Ma-Ann said.
The World Class Electronic Music Festival aims to attract 50,000 fans to a beach where families from all over the world traditionally spend a relaxing Christmas-New Year at nearby resorts.
While most of the performers said to be booked for the event are top-line international acts, questions remain about the logistics.
An open letter to the Phuket governor in October from Surin's top five-star resorts says the idea for the event is good, but Surin beach is the wrong venue and New Year is the wrong time.
Most resorts on Phuket are full in what's known as ''peak'' season and vacant seats on all incoming flights are rare. Room rates are also at their peak.
According to reports, the two-star Tune Hotels brand is the event's hotel sponsor. Plans are also said to be underway to accommodate fans in tents.
Observers ask how Phuket's image will be improved by turning back the clock from its present five-star appeal to the 1980s, when backpackers were Phuket's visitors.
During a long day of meetings last month that resolved nothing, one of the resort general managers asked the Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Phuket Office, Chanchai Doungjit, whether the TAT supported the event.
''We do if you guys do,'' was his response.
The event has plenty of in-principle support from tourism-related organisations, but the point made by the general managers still holds: Surin appears to be the wrong place and New year appears to be the wrong time.
Governor Maitree, who is responsible for the safety and security of all residents and tourists, has yet to respond to the resort general managers' open letter, written in late October.
The great unanswerable question is the reaction of the local Muslim residents to having their sleep disturbed over two days and nights on December 30 and December 31.
It appears to also be of concern to Mayor Ma-Ann, who today was not prepared to vouch for locals taking the noise and the disruption lying down.
There has also been no public statement from the organisers about HM The King's pavilion, erected five years ago in celebration of his 80th birthday, which sits in the middle of an area that is bound to be surrounded by exuberant partying music fans.
Surin was selected as the site for the royal pavilion because it was one of the places the King visited when he toured Phuket with HM The Queen for the first time in 1959.
Lack of an ongoing conversation between the resort general managers, the Governor and the organisers remains a concern, with New Year drawing closer.
After last month's stalemate meetings, a spokesperson for the organisers said: ''We definitely want to proceed with them [the resorts]. We don't want to proceed without them.''
Logistics remain a mystery. A quick calculation reveals that 50,000 people would require 1500 large buses to transport them to Surin, and 1500 large buses to transport them out again.
Mini-buses are Phuket's transport of preference. More than 3000 trips would be required going in, and 3000 more coming out.
It's not known at this stage what arrangements have been made for directing traffic.
One road in and out from the northeast and one from the southeast. Finally the Phuket traffic "system" comes to a halt, the Dolphins on the hill between Kamala and Patong not even there yet to tell people that they're neither close to in nor out. 747's on pontoons coming and going in Surin Bay?
Posted by juswunderin on December 8, 2012 15:25