The 1.5-kilometre main street of Chinatown was jam-packed from morning on, particularly in the old area full of shop houses selling traditional fresh and dried goods such as soy-bean cheese, dried fish maw and boiled poultry. Visut Sirisukchaiwut, whose Heng Heng shop sells boiled chickens, said that this year's birds were flying off the shelves compared to last year because people weren't as scared about avian flu.

On the other hand, Prasit sae Heng, owner of a dried-food outlet near Visut's, said his business had dropped a lot from last year because people were worried about the country's shaky economy and politics, which made them shop only for essentials.

After inspecting Yaowarat, Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin gave his assurances that this year's Lunar New Year festival would be safe from bird flu due to very strict regulations on poultry imported from other provinces as well as on slaughterhouses, which had to use standard procedures.

The capital has 57 slaughterhouses, and the Livestock Development Department has certified 44 of them.

The rest have been ordered to cease all operations until they have a hygienic environment and proper practices, Apirak said.