A US aircraft carrier at the centre of controversy over conditions on board arrived in Thailand on Wednesday for its first port call in nine months.
The 5,000 sailors and Marines on board the USS Abraham Lincoln, arriving from the war in the Middle East, are headed for the Thai resort of Pattaya, a rest-and-recreation stop for US troops since the Vietnam War.
Tugs guided the huge nuclear-powered carrier, dozens of warplanes lined up on its flight deck, towards the port of Laem Chabang on Wednesday morning, reporters saw.
"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 the US Carrier Strike Group 3, said in a statement.
The Lincoln's commanding officer, Captain Dan Keeler, added that its first port visit of the "historic deployment," after 286 days at sea, would allow "our crew to enjoy this beautiful and historic country."
