Urgent : Angthong National Marine Park off limits for 3 days
The Angthong National Marine Park off the southern province of Surat Thani will close for three days from Thursday as a tropical storm is expected to hit the region, national park chief Piya Noonin said in a statement.
His decision was based on an announcement by a weather department, which said the storm “Pabuk” will bring heavy downpours and high waves in the Gulf of Thailand from Thursday.
Hence, to prevent possible danger to tourists, Piya said entry into the national park area will be banned for three days and has asked for everybody to cooperate. He said the public will be notified if there are any changes to the announcement.
The Angthong marine park, which is comprised of 42 islands, was named a national park in 1980.
Though “Pabuk” is expected to be less powerful than Typhoon Gay, which devastated Chumphon and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces in 1989, it could still cause more damage than the tropical storm that ravaged 12 southern provinces in 1962.
More than 900 people died when “Harriet” cut across Nakhon Si Thammarat through Krabi, Phuket and Phang Nga provinces.