Jirayu Confirms Chiang Mai’s Readiness for Songkran Festival Post-Earthquake

Chiang Mai: "Jirayu" invites people to visit Songkran in Chiang Mai after visiting the area, confirming the impact of the earthquake on 3 buildings is over. Recently, tourism is very lively, ready to welcome the Songkran Festival, the new year of the city. According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Jirayu Huangtrakul, advisor to the Prime Minister, revealed that today he went to the area with Mr. Nirat Phongsitthaworn, Governor of Chiang Mai Province, and Mr. Natthadet Mulali, District Chief of Mueang Chiang Mai, to inspect buildings affected by the earthquake. They found that there were only 3 buildings in Chiang Mai Province that were affected in different ways. Building 1 is an old building, 'Duangkamol Condominium,' which has been under construction for more than 30 years. It is an 8-story building with 102 rooms and is located in Chang Klan Subdistrict, Mueang District, Chiang Mai Province. Currently, Chiang Mai Province has announced the closure of all buildings and has used more than 10 steel supports on the 1st floor to prevent the building from collapsing due to the structure below the 1st floor being twisted and cracked. The Civil Engineering Department will coordinate to have the building owner fix and renovate it. As for Buildings 2 and 3, they are 22-story condominiums that have no structural impact. They are just decorative equipment and cracked plaster. Currently, the province has ordered the juristic person to urgently fix them because all residents have temporarily moved out. Mr. Jirayu continued that the impacts on other aspects of Chiang Mai Province were minimal and had returned to normal for more than 5 days. For the atmosphere, especially tourism in Chiang Mai, both Nimmanhaemin Road, Walking Street and restaurants around the moat are still bustling. Both Thai and foreign tourists still travel to visit Chiang Mai city in large numbers. The Chiang Mai governor has accelerated public relations to promote tourism activities, especially during the Songkran Festival that will begin at the end of this week. 'It is confirmed that Chiang Mai Province is ready to welcome tourists during the Chiang Mai Songkran Festival or 'Pi Mai Muang' with beautiful culture and traditions,' said Mr. Jirayu.