Malaysians return to Hat Yai
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Malaysian tourists have returned to Hat Yai for Songkran Festival and are checking in at the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel, which was temporarily closed after the March 31 car bombing.
Travellers checking in include those with advance reservations and walk-in customers.
Security personnel from concerned agencies including defence volunteers and female paramilitary rangers are on duty to ensure security in the town centre area, which is playing host to the Hat Yai Midnight Songkran 2012 activities.
Water throwing had not seriously begun on Thursday morning, and the city was still quiet. Local retailers said the ambience was different than in previous years, where the road would have been full with tourists enjoying water fights.
However, they expected the afternoon would bring more people to the Songkran festivities as security precautions are creating confidence among local residents and travellers alike.
The bombing at Hat Yai's Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel killed three persons - including two Malaysians - and wounded more than 350 tourists and shoppers, while two car bombings in Yala's provincial seat claimed 12 lives and wounded about 200 victims.
