You took the words right out of my mouth

Editor;
Re: Enjoying their Senior moments (PM - Heart to Heart with Hillary, Friday, 01 February 2013) - Hey Dave, You took the words right out of my mouth. I gather you have been around for some time and have sussed out the young “Blow Ins”. I too have my favorite Bar and am treated with respect. I have no need to order my drink as when I arrive it is bought to my table as I sit down. I do leave a small tip on the tray but if a girl spends some time talking to me I ask her if she would prefer a tip to a ladies drink. They usually opt for a tip. As I am mobility impaired I need to travel by motorcycle and when I pay my bin they have one waiting. I am well over sixty and it’s a long time since I have heard, “Sit down Sexy Man” and that was in the low season. Well Dave, you have said it all and you came over real good.
Sean

Traffic in Dodge City

Editor;
Re Sean’s letter in last week’s edition: I am not sure whether the horses ran amok in all directions knocking down pedestrians in Dodge City USA but change motorcycles for horses and that is what you have in Pattaya. I noticed the report about the police checkpoints on Sukhumvit and whilst this is welcome, their attention should be directed at Beach Road, Second Road, Soi Buakaow and the small connecting sois where tourists walk at constant risks to their lives.
Motorcycles in particular drive at reckless speeds zig zagging in narrow roads. Visit any hospital casualty department and you will see a constant stream of bandaged tourists. To a foreign observer there does not appear to be any realistic control of traffic, no police on foot, no patrol cars. I have still not worked out the purpose of the crossings. They are always green to traffic and red to humans. Press the button to cross and nothing will happen. I have observed these crossings hundreds of times and pressed the button many times and never have I seen the traffic light changed to red. These crossings are a positive danger to people because the driver will say the light was green when he knocked the person down and claim not responsible.
What should be done? Put speed humps in the narrow sois, make the crossings work, have police without uniform to catch speeding and dangerous drivers and issue high fines as a deterrent. Those who cannot or will not pay should have their vehicles seized and sold off to provide funds to increase the number of paid police hours.
I have been coming to Pattaya for 25 years and seen the continuous expansion but when will city hall halt new building of hotels, condominiums and shopping centres? All these factors increase people and hence traffic but the roads in central Pattaya have not changed for at least 30 years. At the present rate Pattaya will completely seize up. Have you ever wondered why you never see elderly people trying to cross second road at night? The answer is that they cannot move quick enough.
Garfield,
London/Penthouse Hotel

Qingdao is very well planned and clean

Editor;
Re: Pattaya, Qingdao ink sister-city agreement (PM Friday, 01 February 2013) - Qingdao is very well planned and clean with wide people-friendly plazas along the seaside and very different from the cheap flashing ago-go lights we see everywhere here in Pattaya. I really hope we will learn and follow from this new relationship and our children do not have to hide from the fact they are from Pattaya when they go overseas or when they go out into the world.
Jeremy

Congratulations Andrew Biggs and Paul Kenny

Editor;
Congratulations to AustCham Thailand members Andrew Biggs and Paul Kenny who have been recognised in the Australia Unlimited ‘Global Talent’ list of 50 Australian achievers living and working abroad. Released to coincide with Australia Day 2013, the list recognises the contribution of the Australian expatriate community: “Australian expats tend to be well educated, well connected and successful. Some of Australia’s most talented, productive and motivated citizens chose to spend time building their careers away from home. Many retain a strong sense of Australianness and plenty of good-will towards their country of birth.”
To view the full Australia Unlimited Global 50 Australia day report please visit: www.australiaunlimited.com/society/australia-unlimited-global-talent. Recognising that the Global 50 list is just the tip of the iceberg of talented and successful Australian expatriates, it is calling for suggestions, including tweets to @australiaunlimited.
Andrew Biggs is a journalist, author and TV personality, Andrew Biggs Academy. Australian journalist Andrew Biggs arrived in Bangkok in 1989 on a two-day stopover and has been here ever since. In the past 24 years he’s become a high profile Thai-speaking farang (foreigner) working as a journalist, radio commentator, TV host, author, publisher and founder of English language school, the Andrew Biggs Academy. In 2005 Biggs was the first foreigner awarded the Phetch Siam Award for excellence in using the Thai language, evidenced by some 16 books he’s written including the 1997 bestseller How to Speak Thai Like a Farang.
Paul Kenny is CEO Minor Food Group. Based in bustling Bangkok, Paul Kenny has led Minor Food Group PCL as CEO for over 12 years, following various management positions he held in MFG since 1993. He is responsible for driving the overall strategic direction and growth of the company to where it is today. Currently the company operates more than 15 brands and a network of more than 1,300 restaurants in 16 countries internationally. He is a member of several boards, including Minor International PCL, listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand.
AustCham Thailand

Sticking up for Thailand

Editor;
Re: Dana’s response to “Just a question of time” (PM Mailbag Friday, 25 January 2013) - Editor, this is not meant as a personal attack but rather me sticking up for a country that has allowed me to live here for over 20 years. I travel on Thai Air Inter in and out of Thailand and would put them streets ahead of American Airlines both in service and safety. So who services all the other airplanes flying about? Since when has Thailand, China, Malaya, Singapore been 3rd world countries? I’m sure they are not lining up to have their services done on America. Thai’s Auto industry is 1st class and exports vehicles and components world wide. Thailand is one of Australia’s highest trading partners. I have had 3 major operations in Thailand, one of them caused by a farang driving a motorbike on the wrong side of the road. Did he stop and help? No. I was transported to hospital by a Thai shop owner. This third world citizen asked nothing for his compassion. I could go on and on about what a great place this is. I feel sorry for the Polish woman killed at the Beach. But I believe it was not a jet ski it was a speed boat and she was swimming outside the designated area.
Aussie Bill

Compensation for damage to cars due to pot holes

Editor;
An extract from this month’s Which? magazine reads: ‘Are the potholes in your area driving you round the bend? Which? research reveals that, last year, local councils in England and Wales paid £22.8m in compensation to road users for damage caused by potholes, with councils in the north west paying out the most at £8m.’
Do you think that the local council in Pattaya would entertain such a claim?
Regards,
Peter Thompson
Ed’s note: Good luck with that. Snowballs and warm places comes to mind. But you never know…

Media gave little importance to the fatal event

Dear Editor;
On Sunday 27 January I came back to the beach in Jomtien where 10 days ago a Polish tourist was killed by the propeller of a banana boat just a few meters away from the beach.
Media gave little importance to the fatal event. Personally I found stunning that according to Pattaya Mail, police stated the tourist was swimming in a no authorized area.
What is that? Who told, advised, warned that only in enclosed zone is allowed bathing? A surprising statement. I never noticed a sign, a flag or an interdiction to take a bath in any side of the sea!
I understand that life in Thailand has no worth. I also understand that death of a tourist or local people by accident due to negligence or lack of rules and regulations, is regarded as an episode of no importance.
But I was really shocked to see this morning that banana boats were acting exactly in the same way as per the deadly incident, discharging the occupants 3/4 meters from the beach at full speed.
Where are the authorities? Newspapers around the world are already talking on what is going on in Thailand. Not good publicity. Damaged image.
Best Regards,
Concerned Farang

You took the words right out of my mouth

Traffic in Dodge City

Qingdao is very well planned and clean

Congratulations Andrew Biggs and Paul Kenny

Sticking up for Thailand

Media gave little importance to the fatal event