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Shirtless in Pattaya
Editor;
Finally high season has arrived in Pattaya and along with the cooler weather
we have the usual influx of fat shirtless men sporting their sweaty torsos.
Indeed both Thais & foreigners can look forward with disdain to seeing more
bare backs daily. Many male tourists think that just because they are
spending their tourist dollars here they can do whatever they want, that
they can do things which are contrary to Thai culture. Some of them even sit
shirtless in a restaurant causing great offense to the other customers.
These men can be seen roaming the streets with their shirts around their
necks or tied around their waists or carrying them in their hands, they are
everywhere except where they should be! Such men must be made to realize
that their behavior is offensive to Thais and helps to give all foreigners a
bad reputation. Thai parents teach their children, “When you are at home, do
what you want, but when you go outside you must put some clothes on.” This
is just a common courtesy. The Tourist Authority of Thailand publishes a
pamphlet which they distribute at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport
that tells tourists to wear a shirt in public when they are away from the
beach. Obviously, the shirtless are either blissfully unaware that the Thai
men don’t go out in public if they are not dressed appropriately, or maybe
they are just arrogant and don’t care about anything.
Is there anything that can be done to solve this problem? Yes, indeed there
is… all businesses can post a sign stating, “No Shirt No Service”. If
Pattaya City Hall finally decided to enforce this rule, this fine resort
city will quickly see almost no sweat dripping, shirtless people in
businesses and soon fewer of them are going to be seen walking in the middle
of town or riding motorbikes.
We are guests in the Kingdom of Thailand and should act and dress with
respect. Let’s try and make this beautiful place even better by putting our
heads together.
Sincerely,
Jack Kaye
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Always roped off
Editor;
Re: Whose street is it anyway? (PM Friday, 29 November 2013) - I walk this
section of road every morning and have wondered the same thing. It’s roped
off even during the day when the “night market” is closed causing even more
parking problems, especially on the busy weekends. And, with the jet ski
competition that recently occurred, it really bottle-necked the traffic.
It’s a real hazard! There is plenty of room to park a motorbike up the soi
that separates the market. That would alleviate the problem completely.
What’s up? Seems so simple...
Capt. P
Sad to hear political turmoil
Editor;
Re: Foreign media closely monitoring political situation in Thailand (PM
Wednesday, 11 December 2013) - It is sad to hear the political turmoil in
Thailand. This is a peaceful nation that depends mostly on tourism.
Unfortunately the political leaders choose the wrong time to start the
problems at the beginning of the tourist season. This will deprive many
people of a reasonable living who depend on tourism related businesses. As
foreigners we can’t say which side is correct but hope they will resolve
this problem fast and let the people go about their daily lives.
Mano
Noisy Thailand
Editor;
I am 90 years old and have been coming to Thailand for the last 20 years. I
love the country, the climate (in your winter) and the people, and of course
the food. But I hate all the very unnecessary noise. The motorbikes with the
baffles knocked out, or the very old ones, they do it deliberately revving
up to show off how powerful the bike is, which it is not at all. As an ex.
motorcyclist the really fast ones are no more noisy than a big car. They
often do this at 3 or 4 or 6 in the morning. Why can not the police
confiscate these bikes as they can do in England?
Then there are the ambulances at 5 in the morning with no other vehicles on
the road blaring the sirens, travelling quite slowly. Fireworks! OK on a
particular night up to a reasonable hour, but hawkers sell them on the
beach, and those there who have had a few with no thought for anyone else
let them off at all hours, any night. Only bangers that make the biggest
bang.
Then worst of all are the small bars, with a hi fi with a loud penetrating
bass which is all you can hear that’s pounding away non stop until well
after 3 in the morning. So easy for a patrol to call and shut them down or
turn the so call music down at midnight. I go to bed between 10 & 11.
Finally cars or other vehicles with hi fi systems so loud you can hear them
coming from a mile away. Also, so many loud speaker vans mostly advertising
in Thai. Could they also not be reduced, limited and controlled? The only
thing we get in the UK is police sirens, we never seem to get those here.
I’m sure this can make some people have second thoughts about coming back to
the Land of Smiles. We old uns have the most money and stay the longest.
George Montague,
UK
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Causes of diabetes
Sir,
There are several causative factors for diabetes and sugar is only one of
them. Very recently a tenuous connection between meat and diabetes has been
established. Many diabetics have come off their medication after replacing
junk food with nutritious whole foods. Denis Burkett, of Burkett’s lymphoma
fame, said that when he first went to Africa he never saw a case of diabetes
in the local populace but the disease began to appear when Africans took to
the white man’s diet of sugary foods; appearing first in cities and later in
the countryside. Their meat consumption had remained unchanged. I believe
that Eskimos have little or no diabetes though they eat a lot of meat but
little or no added sugar.
Much of the dietary sugar is in the form of fructose which does not require
insulin for its metabolism. Moreover, naturally occurring sugar is very
slowly absorbed resulting in a slow insulin response. The problem with added
sugar and sugary drinks in particular is that the sugar is rapidly absorbed
and there is a resultant over-production of insulin. This eventually wears
out the insulin producing cells and starts the diabetic process. At the
early stage it is easily reversed but becomes increasingly difficult as time
goes on.
The best example of the connection between sugar and diabetes that I can
muster up at the moment is the massive decline of diabetes in England and
Wales during the war which went pari passu with the decline in sugar
consumption. Soon after rationing was ended the rate for diabetes began to
rise again.
Michael Nightingale
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Karon beach offers endless possibilities
Editor;
Re: Integrated efforts being made to stamp out mafia in Phuket (PM Saturday,
27 July 2013) - Karon beach offers endless possibilities for water sports.
However, caution must be exercised before venturing into water. Looking out
for warning flags and obeying lifeguard directives are some of the
precautions that may be taken.
Alden
Why do they think
it will work better?
Editor;
Re: Traffic lights coming to Dolphin Roundabout (PM Friday, 06 December
2013) - They had lights there several years ago and traffic was regularly
backed up all the way to the Big C. They finally removed them. Why do they
think it will work better this time?
Pob Thailand
Ireland not giving anything away
Editor;
Re: Thailand added to Irish Visa Waiver Programme (PM Friday, 13 December
2013) - Thais find it almost impossible to get a UK visa for holiday, so
Ireland is not giving anything away.
If you are a independent country from the UK don’t hide behind their visa
laws. Make your own. Be independent.
George Best
“Admires” the PM
Editor;
Re: ‘Yingluck’ says coming to Chiang Mai has boosted her morale (PM Friday,
13 December 2013) - I admire PM Yingluck. For all her inexperience, her
ineptitude, her deliberate neglect (never attended a single meeting the Rice
Pledge Scheme Committee she is chairman of), for her terrible mangled
oratory skills, and for her comical charade orchestrating that outrageous
amnesty bill specifically to get her fugitive brother Thaksin pardoned of
several constitutional crimes … she has remained ... well, prrrrrrrety. I
admire PM Yingluck. Yes I do.
Secret Admirer
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