Sailors from a US aircraft carrier at the centre of a political row over conditions onboard will stop in Thailand for rest and recreation, a Thai Navy spokesman said.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrying 5,000 sailors and marines has been at sea since November 2025 and has in recent months been deployed in the Middle East during US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Concerns about deteriorating living conditions and poor mental health onboard – including media reports of two attempted suicides – has prompted questions from US lawmakers.
Paraj Ratanajaipan, spokesman for the Royal Thai Navy, said that US sailors will be arriving in the resort of Pattaya, south of Bangkok, for “rest and recreation”.
He would not deny or confirm local media reports that the aircraft carrier would be arriving between Sept 2 and 6.
Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches told local media the visiting sailors could generate an estimated 5-15 million baht (RM600,000-RM1.8mil) in tourism revenue, based on expected spending per person. — AFP
