Over 6,000 US Navy troops rest in Pattaya.
They were given free time during a military training exercise with allies in the Indo-Pacific area, with Thailand serving
Over 6,000 US Navy troops rest in Pattaya.
More than 6,000 US Navy soldiers spent Saturday in Pattaya, the tourist city in the eastern province of Chonburi.
They were given free time during a military training exercise with allies in the Indo-Pacific area, with Thailand serving as a halfway point. The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), USS Russell (DDG 59), USS Daniel K Inouye (DDG118), USS Halsey (DDG 97), and USS Howard (DDG 83) have all been docked at Chonburi's Laem Chabang Port since Wednesday.
The American forces will remain in Chonburi until Sunday. The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is making its first journey to Thailand, according to a news source.
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.
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