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Aidan Jones

At Risa’s Massage, Fai cancelled her holiday to be at work this week; suitmaker Tito has laid on a made-in-24-hours special for US Navy visitors and hawker Pui is aiming to sell 15 watches in the five days the USS Abraham Lincoln will be in Pattaya.
On Wednesday, the Thai resort city began to welcome over 5,000 sailors and Marines, finally on shore leave after being at sea for a record 286 days.
It is a timely visit for the US crew – and an economic tonic for a city facing a sharp drop in tourism, partly caused by the war being fought by those aboard the aircraft carrier.
Outside the Hard Rock Hotel, which is hosting some of the US servicemembers, Pui Kanda was among the cluster of taxi drivers, hawkers and other hopefuls waiting for them to hit the city.

“It’s been very quiet in Pattaya. We have had few visitors this low season so I’m hoping to make some money from these American sailors,” she said, showing her wooden display box of timepieces.
“I’m hoping to sell all 15 of my watches. I like to sell to the Americans; they don’t really bargain and they have lots of money.”
Next to her, a Thai taxi driver, who gave his name as Sam, showed a laminated card with an array of entertainment possibilities – bars and massage parlours, cabaret shows, shooting ranges and tiger petting zoos.
“I will take them anywhere they want to go,” he said with a grin. “We are here to make sure they have a good time.”


On Wednesday morning, the hulking Nimitz-class carrier was guided by tugboats to shore at Laem Chabang deep sea port around an hour outside Pattaya. It is joined in Chonburi province – home to Pattaya – by support vessels and a large crew for rest and recuperation before they set sail on Sunday.
Well-deserved rest
The carrier has been at the centre of a row over the treatment of uniformed personnel fighting President Donald Trump’s war on Iran. Its record nine and a half months at sea has given rise to allegations of poor living conditions, mental health strains and supply shortages.
“Our arrival in Laem Chabang provides a well-deserved opportunity for our sailors and Marines to rest and recharge,” Rear Admiral Robert Loughran, commander of Carrier Strike Group 3, said in a statement.
“What this strike group has accomplished is truly historic. I could not be prouder of the exceptional professionalism and expertise demonstrated by every member of this team during our operations.”
But in the well choreographed world of shore visits, few sailors wanted to talk about their experiences – certainly not within earshot of their superiors. Instead it was eyes forward on their first evening out for months.

“I’m going to go slow and steady,” said one young sailor in a crumpled blue US navy shirt, who did not give a name, as he took out a wad of cash from an ATM. “But then again this is my first time in Pattaya, so who knows?”
Extra police have been deployed by Thai authorities to make sure the visit passes uneventfully. Meanwhile, the sailors have been advised by their commanding officers to avoid seedier parts of the city as well as steer clear of cannabis, openly on sale.
Keeping them out of trouble is the US Navy’s Shore Liaison Group. “We’re like shepherds,” one member told This Week in Asia. “Just here to keep everything smooth.”
Thailand is America’s oldest treaty ally in Asia – a link stretching back to the 1833 Treaty of Amity and Commerce.
Pattaya owes its transformation from a fishing village into a nightlife hub to the presence of US troops during the Vietnam war.
The U-Tapao airbase an hour outside the city was used in sorties over Vietnam. At the end of the war, businesses, bars and the associated sex work moved to Pattaya as some US personnel stayed on – or returned on regular trips.

The visit was a “clear demonstration of our enduring commitment to our allies and partners in Thailand, and we are all very excited to make Thailand the first port visit on our historic deployment”, said Captain Dan Keeler, the carrier’s commanding officer.
“We’re very very happy to be here … it’s a well deserved break for all of the crew and we really look forward to our time here to get a little rest and relaxation.”
Pattaya is just as eager for the low-season boost – after a year in which hotel occupancy rates slumped to around 25 per cent
Tito, who goes by one name, has been selling suits on Pattaya’s beachfront for over 30 years. He has drafted in more staff for the expected rush for fitted suits selling from 7,000 to 10,000 baht (US$210 to US$300).
“We know how to work fast for these visits – we have a very short time to cut and fit the suits,” he said. “But the US Navy is good business for us every time they come here.”
As the first arrivals entered the Hard Rock Hotel – throwing bemused smiles or cheekily posing for the media – the buzz began to build around the beach.
Waving to customers along a hyper-competitive row of massage shops, Fai, who had deferred her holiday because “everyone says we will make big money”, was getting anxious.
“When are they coming?” asked the 28-year-old, who gave only one name.


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Hello, sailor: Thailand’s Pattaya rolls out welcome mat for USS Abraham Lincoln crew

American service members of the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group arrive at a hotel in Pattaya on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Members of the US military arrive at Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet gives souvenirs to American service members from the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group at hotel in Pattaya on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Crew members stand on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln as it heads towards Laem Chabang port, near the city of Pattaya, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

USS Abraham Lincoln’s commanding officer Dan Keeler gives a souvenir to Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches at Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Members of the US military arrive at Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters 

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People walk along a street lined with bars and entertainment venues at Jomtien Beach, in Pattaya City, Thailand, in June. Photo: Reuters

The USS Abraham Lincoln sails past Singapore as seen from Batam, Indonesia, on Sunday. Photo: AP

People relax at Pattaya Beach in Thailand in June. Pattaya has been “very quiet with fewer visitors this year”. Photo: Reuters

A US sailor conducts maintenance on an MH-60S Sea Hawk in the hangar bay of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on August 9. Photo: US Navy/Handout via Reuters

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Over 5,000 sailors and Marines have arrived in the Thai resort city for their first shore leave in 286 days


Over 5,000 sailors and Marines have arrived in the Thai resort city for their first shore leave in 286 days.


Hello, sailor: Thailand’s Pattaya rolls out welcome mat for USS Abraham Lincoln crew

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Over 5,000 sailors and Marines have arrived in the Thai resort city for their first shore leave in 286 days

Over 5,000 sailors and Marines have arrived in the Thai resort city for their first shore leave in 286 days