The Tourist Police Bureau is exploring the number of Loy Krathong events around Thailand and asking organisers to limit the number of participants to avoid overcapacity, while it aims to co-develop software to detect density in communities and tourism areas.
In the wake of the Halloween stampede at Itaewon in South Korea, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the ministry ordered the bureau and related authorities under its supervision to tighten safety and security measures to prevent accidents.
"Before any festive event, we need to provide safety information to tourists, such as emergency exits or crowd management in closed venues," said Mr Phiphat.
He said the Tourist Police chief ordered all units to explore the number of tourism sites scheduled to hold Loy Krathong events on Nov 8 and instruct organisers to check the venue capacities and strictly limit the level of participation.
Mr Phiphat said the Tourist Police would typically increase the number of patrol officers during the festive season, but the recent tragedy at Itaewon prompted the authorities to learn from the events that took place there.
In related news, the Tourist Police plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chiang Mai University to develop software that can help prevent congestion, he said.
The new technology can help detect human faces and count the number of visitors, combining data with security cameras in communities.
If the number of people exceeds expectations, it will immediately alert users, said Mr Phiphat.
The MoU is expected to be finalised before the New Year's countdown festivals, he said.
Public concerns over mass gatherings will not affect the ministry's policy to call for extending operating hours for night entertainment venues until 4am, said Mr Phiphat.
"We asked for longer operational hours for certain areas, which must have their own management and limited capacity. Most of them are not open spaces where thousands of people can gather at the same time," he said.
"However, safety measures must be strictly adhered to at all locations."
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the Itaewon tragedy should not affect Thailand's tourism, as indicated by the success of Halloween events hosted by the private sector earlier this week.
