Pattaya Mail — News

The time is now to revamp Baht-Bus system

In 1978, when Pattaya became a city, Royal Decrees No. 68 and 71 ordered that a public transportation service be set up immediately. Nineteen years have passed and this has not been done.

The ‘Song Thaew Co-operative Company’, a private organisation not contracted by the government, has monopolised public transportation in Pattaya.

The company and its drivers have become infamous for overcharging, physical assaults on tourists and Thais, and are mentioned regularly in the foreign media as a reason not to visit Pattaya. They are well known for cheating tourists, charging from 4 to 500 times the standard fare.

The Pattaya Mail recently surveyed a cross-section of Thai nationals and found that they, too, find the drivers surly, unethical and threatening.

Obviously, the public is not satisfied. But some people must be, and they must be influential, as the rapacious drivers remain a part of the Pattaya scene and continue to ruin its image.

The latest reported incident happened on 12 November, around 10:30 p.m., when Mr. Bjorn Bunlom, a Scandinavian foreign columnist for a travel magazine in Europe, and his Norwegian friend (a tourist) were assaulted by baht-bus driver Anu Kladkaew.

Out for a night in Pattaya, the two visitors wanted to go from the corner of South Pattaya Road and Pattaya Second Road to Pattaya Soi 8, approx. 2 km.

"As we saw a baht-bus sitting, we simply jumped in and told the driver that we wanted to get off at Soi 8," Bjorn told Pattaya Mail.

"The driver said 60 baht. Without saying a word, we jumped off the bus for we thought it was unnecessary to argue, as there are plenty of bus drivers who would charge 5 baht for a Thai and probably 10 baht for a farang. We walked a bit, and the baht-bus came after us. The driver screamed 50 baht. We laughed and shook our heads and continued walking.

"Suddenly, someone from behind grabbed my arms," Bjorn continued. "As I turned back, the driver punched me in the face. I fell down on the ground. The man then kicked me in the ribs and face. That was the last thing I remember, for I was knocked out. When I woke up again, I found myself in the ICU (at Pattaya Memorial Hospital)," Bjorn concluded.

Police arrested the driver, Anu Kladkaew, 23, of Ang Thong Province, and he confessed to assaulting the Norwegian. But Anu was very surly to reporters, acting the ‘big shot’. The owner of the bus also took Anu’s side, saying it was a bus driver’s right to be ‘dissatisfied’ with passenger’s behavior. The owner of the bus refused to believe that a large foreigner in his late 50’s could be felled by a 23-year-old Thai bus driver.

This is a fine welcome for Amazing Thailand year. A baht-bus driver with a character disorder stomping a Norwegian tourist who knew too much and refused to pay the inflated fare. Another example of how the good work done by so many people can be undone by anti-social behavior on the part of Pattaya’s infamous baht-bus drivers. These bus drivers, out to make a quick baht, care nothing for their city or country and are a major cause of the media trashing Pattaya.

The City Council has conducted workshops, consciousness raising sessions and other activities to teach the drivers common sense and courtesy. But the bus drivers still don’t get the idea that their Neanderthal behavior is one of the main reasons Pattaya and they themselves are losing money.

After this long period of time, why doesn’t the city council see that this hasn’t worked and obey the Royal Decrees promulgated 20 years ago?

Recently, another meeting was held to discuss this issue. Present at the meeting were Chatpong Chatphooti, Banglamung District Chief, Mr. Sutham Phantusak, Mr. Surachai Ruayrin, members of the Pattaya city council, city officials and Police Captain Thongporn Thongpao, Assistant Police Inspector for the Traffic Division.

The three met to discuss the issue of a private bus company for Pattaya. This is not new, as the issue has been discussed many times. It has never become reality.

Routes, operation costs and fares were discussed as is usual at these meetings. The interesting part is that it was suggested that the mayor be president of the new company. No more than 7 members of the city council would comprise the board of directors.

Shares would be sold to the public and no more than five people from public organizations would be allowed to sit on the board of directors.

An expert in public transportation would be hired to draw up a master plan for the company’s operation. This sounds very nice in theory, but as with all great projects in Pattaya, we will believe it when it happens.

Live Grenade causes scare in North Pattaya

A motorcycle driver phoned police with the explosive news that he had seen a bomb in front of the headquarters of a large company in Pattaya.

Pratheep Silpachai, 40, a former soldier, told officers that he had seen similar incendiary devices when in the army.

Pratheep told officers the charge was sitting in front of the Chivaphat Company in North Pattaya.

Rushing gingerly to the scene, officers found a live M26 grenade at the site.

Police quickly called in ballistics experts to disarm the grenade, while another group of officers brought in old tires and made a barricade around the area in case of any accidents. All roads were closed in the area.

Making sure that the grenade did not have some sort of "trick" detonation device, experts took approximately 4 hours to disarm it.

Police promise extra protection and extra visa extensions for tourists during Amazing Thailand

Police Generals Thasanai Prachanurak, Phirom Bunrordphanich and Chayan Maklamthong came to Pattaya and called a meeting of police chiefs from the Municipal, Highway Patrol, Immigration and Tourist Police divisions. Over thirty officers attended.

The Generals came to hand down policy and inform police officers of their responsibility to Pattaya.

The main issue brought up in this meeting was the protection of both Thai and foreign tourists during the Amazing Thailand years.

Plans were made on the implementation of policy. Special plans were made regarding the issues of child prostitution and use of illegal drugs in Pattaya. Police made the bold prediction that they will totally eradicate these problems before Amazing Thailand year begins.

Child prostitution in Thailand and Pattaya has damaged the country’s image and must be stopped so the country may regain its former credibility.

Other encouraging news that came out of the meeting concerned Tourist Visas, which were formerly limited to 30 days. The Immigration department now has the authority to extend visas 30 days at a time for a stay of up to 180 days.

The Immigration department feels this will encourage tourists to stay longer in the country, as they will not have to do the usual ‘visa dances’ and leave the country every 90 days.

Hand over the dough, and hold the cheese

The assistant manager of the Pattaya branch of the gigantic Pizza Hut Corporation frantically phoned the police when he discovered that the front door, manager’s office and safe of the store in the Royal Garden Plaza had been prised open. 500,000 baht in cash had been stolen.

At the scene, police questioned Mr. Danai Wonglert, 27, the store’s manager, who had been sleeping in the store. Danai told officers that the reason there was so much money in the safe was because the banks were closed for the holidays. There was no opportunity to deposit it in the bank.

Danai said that his predecessor, a Mr. Joke, 35, a native of scenic Phuket, had been discharged 8 months before due to ‘misconduct.’ Joke then set up a motorcycle queue with his friends. After the robbery, all of the motorcycle taxis disappeared.

Police sternly summoned the 58 employees of the store into their presence for interrogation.

After probing inquisitions, police surmise that there were no less than four miscreants involved in the robbery. One of the culprits had probably worked at the store, as he or she knew that the safe was in the manager’s office. They also knew there would be a large amount of money in the safe due to the holiday.

Arresting officers expect to catch the offenders in a very short time.

Chippy Bar brawl

Follow this if you can, it’s all true (truth is often stranger than fiction).

Police Captain Somsak Saksom of the Ban Huay Taek police received a complaint of a fight between workers in a beer bar.

Rushing to the scene, the Chippie Bar, police found themselves in the centre of a bottle throwing, high kicking melee.

People had congregated in front of the bar, seemingly enjoying the fight, which looked like a scene from a martial arts movie.

After quelling the pandemonium, officers took two men, one woman and two Katoeys to the police station.

Officers learned that the woman, Chanchai Maneeyai, 23, and the two Katoeys, known as ‘Tuk’ and ‘Tik’ were employees at the bar. The men, Ekaphong Phongek, 27, a ballet instructor and Jutha Meeklin, 22, a butcher were the boyfriends of Chanchai and ‘Tuk’ the transvestite.

After sorting this out amid much shouting, officers found that the argument started when Chanchai had made fun of ‘Tuk’s’ height. ‘Tik’, a friend of ‘Tuk’s’ who had joined the fight, told officers that Chanchai had made the remark, as she secretly coveted ‘Tuk’s’ boyfriend.

"Chanchai is known for her bad mouth," recounted ‘Tik’.

‘Tik’ told officers that Chanchai always became annoyed when ‘Tuk’ would talk about the excellent way Jutha delivered meat.

Officers listened with glazed eyes as ‘Tik’ told all, saying that it was common knowledge that the only kicks Ekaphong delivered were in his ballet classes.

After Chanchai made the remark about ‘Tuk’, she became angry, saying that her boyfriend, the butcher, had taught her something about being butch. She then pulled off Chanchai’s false eyelashes. A bit unbalanced, Chanchai attempted to counter this with a judo chop to ‘Tuk’s prominent Adam’s apple.

Ekaphong and Jutha, who were visiting the bar, jumped in and tried to stop the impending bloodletting. It was at that time that ‘Tik’ entered the fray, saying it was about time the two had it out. This resulted in the large tussle, which resembled a fight from a Bugs Bunny cartoon. It was at that point that officers arrived.

The police attempted to mollify the women, telling them that no one was perfect.

Ekaphong and Jutha seemed to have settled their differences and were amiably chatting in the squad room. Jutha told Ekaphong that he worked with viands every day, but ballet dancers were truly ‘prime cuts.’

Officers decided not to charge anyone, but did give the group a stern lecture on tolerance and the dangers of envy.

Tik’ said she was glad she had brought everything to a head. Chanchai and ‘Tuk’ remorsefully thanked officers and requested Ekaphong and Jutha to take them home.

Ekaphong and Jutha told the ladies to find their own way home. The two men coyly admitted they had come to an ‘understanding’ and wished to discuss it further, alone.

‘Tik’ told Chanchai and ‘Tuk’ to fix their make-up and the three went back to work.

Evicted vendors block road

On November 26, three hundred vendors staged a demonstration in Banglamung. The angry protesters set up road blocks, posted signs and shouted at public officials who were driving them off their land in order to dig trenches for water mains.

The Public Works department of Banglamung told the vendors to move to the local fresh market.

Angry vendors told reporters that they paid a monthly rent for the land, which the city officials gladly collected. The group said they also paid trash collection fees. The vendors complained that there was too much competition at the fresh market and vendors there would not welcome their presence.

The group said they had already been forced to move once. Their former stall ‘rental fee’ was only 30 baht and they sold more produce. At the fresh market, they would have to pay 5,000 baht a month rent and 30 baht trash collection fee.

The vendors blocked the road with their stalls, tables and more than 30 motor vehicles. This caused a major traffic jam almost 5 kilometres in length. Banglamung police had to send out 30 officers to keep the situation from getting out of hand.

On the same day. Police Lt. Col. Songsak Chaiyaraksa and provincial governor Sujarit Pajchimanam came to negotiate an agreement with the irate merchants. The two officials agreed to the protester’s demands and the blockade was removed.

Mr. Phonethong Aran, a speaker for the group, told reporters that they had been plying commerce in the area for over ten years and their only desire was fair treatment from the city.

Phonethong said that the deep trench would hamper any type of commerce and also posed danger to individuals walking at night.

After negotiations with the District Chief of Banglamung, all officials promised they would fill in the trenches, according to the people’s wishes.

It was later revealed that Mr. Vinai Kamjadchadphai, the official who ordered the trenches dug, was the one collecting the rent from the vendors.

Mr. Vinai was circumspectly absent from the scene.

Sutham Phanthusak's view of Tourism

The entire Pattaya City Council realises that the economy is in a grave crisis. This is the reason for the many projects planned to improve tourism in Pattaya. The two main areas which need improving are public utilities and the environment.

Pattaya’s main earner of foreign currency is tourism, but the development of the tourism industry has been continually thwarted due to the insufficient budget allotted the city.

Many people think the devaluation of the baht will help tourism, as visitors’ foreign currency will buy more baht. But this is wrong. It may be so for a very short time.

Most tourists come to Pattaya on ‘package tours.’ This means that their expenses are pre-paid in their home countries. They bring very little cash to spend in the city. Business people who are involved in the tourist industry must therefore think of various ways to make tourists spend more.

To help the Amazing Thailand Year, the City Council has set up sub-committees for general promotion and marketing promotion in Pattaya. The city is being advertised on a world-wide scale and on the Internet. There is also the ‘Passport to Pattaya’ project, which the Pattaya Mail reported on in a recent issue.

Buying the ‘Passport to Pattaya’ will give tourists access to the mind-boggling array of activities the city has to offer. The project is in the planning stage. The financial consulting company hired to plan the project has determined that 100 million baht will be earned per year with this program. It is expected that budget subsidies will be allotted, with the rest coming from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The Tourism Authority of Thailand should be subsidising the whole project, as the projected expenses and earnings are not a large amount of money when compared to the government’s allotment to the Amazing Thailand promotion of 3,000 million baht a year for advertising alone.

Asia is the target market for Amazing Thailand and tourists are expected to come from Hong Kong in the Democratic People’s Republic of China and Taiwan.

The European market is not expected to be large, as Pattaya has a negative image there and convincing Europeans to come will be a difficult task.

In 1997, the number of tourists increased by 4-5%; this number should increase with the improvements in Pattaya’s environment. Pattaya’s advertising and marketing programs are also expanding which should give tourism a boost in the next few years.

Copyright © 1997 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
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