BMA collects fewer krathong floats this year

Of them, 754,587 (91.4 per cent) were made of natural materials and 71,027 (or 8.6 per cent) of styrofoam, BMA deputy spokesperson Benjasai Kiyapat told the press yesterday. This year saw a 1.2 per cent increase in floats made from natural materials, she added.

The lower number of krathongs this year was partially due to the city’s campaign for families to use only one krathong, she said, adding that the collected floats would be sent to the On Nut, Sai Mai and Nong Khaem garbage disposal facilities. “Bread krathongs will be fed to fish, natural-material krathongs will be turned into fertiliser and styrofoam ones will be sent for recycling,” she said.

Of Bangkok’s 29 public parks used for Loy Krathong celebrations, the Benchakiti Park adjacent the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre drew the most people followed by Lumphini Park. 

Klong Toei district lured the most people.

Despite reports of tourists releasing khom loy floating lanterns before the allowed time of 9pm on Wednesday in Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai Airport director Group Captain Wisoot Chantana said no flights were affected because all flights after 6pm had been cancelled between Tuesday and yesterday as a precaution.

 Wisoot said as of 7am yesterday 25 floating lanterns had been cleared from the airport compound, compared to the 142 last year. “This is a good sign that the public and tourists are cooperating, while officials are also becoming stricter,” he added.

Nakhon Chiang Mai Municipality Deputy Mayor Natchudech Wiriya-diloktham said about 2,000 floating lanterns were seized from unauthorised sellers at the Nawarat Bridge and Tha Pae gate areas and each person was fined Bt2,000.

In related news, two men aged 17 and 20 were killed after some 300 khai kong firecrackers exploded while they were riding a motorcycle along Buddhamonthon Sai 2 Road in Bangkok’s Thawee Watthana district on Wednesday night.

Thammasala Police Station investigator Lt-Colonel Prasert Phrom-chan said the men’s friends told police the victims’ had bought the firecrackers in Nonthaburi’s Bang Yai district for a Loy Krathong and had placed them in the compartment under the motorbike’s seat.

The friends suspect the firecrackers exploded after the compartment became too hot, the officer said.

The incident also prompted police to yesterday apprehend the firecracker seller for questioning over charges of unauthorised selling of fireworks.