World Cup: Best viewed at home

With a nightly curfew still in place, if you want to watch the World Cup in Bangkok, you will likely have to stay home to do it.

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This package from RS may be Bangkok viewers only choice during the World Cup as most matches fall in the nightly curfew period. THITI WANNAMONTHA

Watch World Cup at home, says junta

POST REPORTERS

Just six days before the kick-off, football-mad Thais are left with little choice but to watch the 2014 World Cup tournament at home, or in their friends' homes if they sleep over — or live in tourist hubs.

After the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) lifted the night curfew in Pattaya city, Koh Samui in Surat Thani province and Phuket island on Tuesday, to give tourism a boost, football fanatics were hopeful the junta would also give them a break by easing the curfew during the tournament in Brazil.

The kick-off match starts next Thursday at 5pm in Sao Paolo, between the hosts Brazil and Croatia. It will be 2am on Friday in Thailand.

The earliest matches during the one-month-long tournament start at 1pm in Brazil, or 11pm in Thailand, just one hour before the curfew kicks in from midnight to 4am in Bangkok and the rest of the country.

But NCPO spokesman Winthai Suwaree brought down fans' hopes yesterday. The World Cup is not the only factor for consideration, as the junta also looked at security concerns when deciding the fate of the curfew, he said.

The NCPO had yet to consider easing the curfew during the month-long World Cup.

The current situation appears to be calm, but there is always more than meets the eye, Col Winthai said.

With the curfew, people return home early and can spend more time with their families, Col Winthai said, adding they can also watch the World Cup with their families.

The curfew starting at midnight is an appropriate time, he said.

Let "World Cup English: help you following the coverage in both Thai and English.http://bit.ly/RlaA3Y

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