Pabuk: ‘War room’ set up to help tourists

The Sports and Tourism Ministry has set up a war room to assist the many tourists whose plans were thrown into confusion in the wake of tropical storm Pabuk.

The Government and authorities took extra precautions, closing airports and marine tourism, in preparedness to minimise potential danger to tourists as Pabuk approached.

Santi Pawai, deputy permanent-secretary of the Tourism and Sports Ministry, says that the ministry has set up an operations centre to help tourists affected by the storm.

The centre, jointly run by state agencies and the private sector, will also keep a close eye on the situation.

The centre, staffed by the Tourist Assistance Centre and Tourist Police personnel, are available round the clock and can be reached via (02) 356 0662, (02) 356 0688, (065) 504 1484 and via fax at (02) 356 0655

Pabuk, the first tropical storm in decades to strike during the peak holiday season, made landfall in southern Thailand at the coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat then moved north-west and veering west as it made its way across the Malay Peninsula, crossed into the Andaman Sea in the Phang Nga province, and is now continuing to weaken as it heads westwards into the Indian Ocean.