More than 6,000 US Navy troops relax in Pattaya
More than 6,000 US Navy personnel spent Saturday in the resort city of Pattaya in eastern province of Chonburi. They were granted free time during a military training exercise with partners in the Indo-Pacific region, with Thailand as a midway stop.
Docking at Chonburi’s Laem Chabang Port since Wednesday were USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), USS Russell (DDG 59), USS Daniel K Inouye (DDG118), USS Halsey (DDG 97), and USS Howard (DDG 83). The American troops will stay in Chonburi until Sunday.
This is the first trip to Thailand for the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, a news source said.
Local entrepreneurs on Saturday were pleasantly surprised as thousands of US sailors flocked to restaurants and entertainment venues on walking streets of Pattaya. Many foreign visitors escaped the heat of nearly 40 degrees Celsius to air-conditioned shopping malls, where they browsed through food, clothes and souvenirs at local shops.
Operators of night venues expected a large number of American sailors to stroll Pattaya streets on Saturday evening looking for a place to drink and relax before they went on with the training exercise on Sunday.
Restaurants and bars in Pattaya put up signs in English welcoming American troops and foreign visitors. Meanwhile, police have been dispatched to facilitate the flow of traffic and pedestrians on the packed Pattaya streets as well as to ensure public safety.
