New drug center opening on Larn Island

Police Lieutenant Colonel Jirat Phichitphai, Head of the Narcotics Section of the Crime Suppression Division, announced the opening of a new drug center, the Center on Samae Beach on Larn Island, will take place on April 2nd.
Colonel Jirat said he had received much co-operation from the government sector in Chonburi Province. The Colonel strongly emphasized that people admitting themselves to the center would face no criminal action and their anonymity would be strictly preserved.

Photo: Police Lieutenant Colonel Jirat Phichitphai announced a new drug center will open on Larn Island on April 2nd.

This program is for young drug addicts still attending school. After a two month treatment period, the young people will go back to school. The center will help find schools for young people who wish to continue their studies.
Colonel Phichit continued, saying the target age was addicts between 10-20 years old. The police officer said he felt very sad that the number of addicts in this age group was increasing at an alarming rate.
The Colonel said he hoped the promise of anonymity would encourage more young people to seek help.
Parents, Government officials and others will learn about the center’s programs on the official opening day.
The Colonel encourages all interested to attend the opening ceremony as the center will be a ‘closed to the public’ after operations begin.
The Pattaya Mail applauds Colonel Jirat and his dedication to helping young people in the community.

Mr. Vitaya Banditkrisada, Hungary’s Honourary Counsel to Pattaya, announced that Hungary will open a Consular office at 42/15 Moo Baan Sabai Jai Alai off Sukhumvit Road in Banglamung District.
The Consulate is scheduled to open on April 23rd.
Hungary appointed Mr. Vitaya to assist the many Hungarians that visit Pattaya. Vitaya met with Pattaya Mayor Pairat Suthithamrongsawat, and the mayor will preside at the Consulate’s opening ceremony.

The Eastern Seaboard’s touted project, the Global Transpark at U-tapao Airport, is running into financial difficulties due to government cutbacks during the currency crisis.
The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) needs 1.2 billion baht from the government to start building new infrastructure in the next fiscal year, including aircraft parking areas, roads and air traffic control facilities.
An NESDB spokesman said that despite a government announcement in January giving the go-ahead to the project, the budget request is being blocked by Prime Minister’s Office Minister Savit Bhotiwihok. The Office Minister claims that the government cannot afford it because of the economic crisis in Thailand.
Savit advised the NESDB to seek private funding for the project.
The Global Transpark project needs new infrastructure to turn U-tapao Airport into a commercial airport, complete with industrial estates and “just in time” manufacturing facilities adjacent to the airport.
Similar transparks are underway in North Carolina USA and are planned for Germany, Brazil and the Philippines, which will create a global network of fast manufacturing and delivery routes.

Forty-eight year old Peter Lavast from Goteborg, Sweden was found dead last week in his rented hotel room in Soi Pattayaland 3.
At press time the cause of death was unknown. However, police suspect foul play.
The body was discovered by the hotel maid on Saturday, March 21, after Lavast had not answered his door for two days.
The manager of the hotel reported the death to Pol. Lt. Col. Suthep Aamphan on Saturday 21 March, ca. 14.00. Officers sent to the scene found the man laying dead on the sofa. The body was undressed except for underwear and there were wounds on both the knees and elbows of the victim.
The deceased’s room had been ransacked and there was blood all over the bathroom, and some on the bed. In the room, police also found 2 cans of different beers and one bottle of wine.
The hotel is located in a well-known gay area full of Boys Go Go bars and cafes.
The maid who discovered the body told Pattaya Mail that Peter was a permanent guest of the hotel. She said that, “He comes to Pattaya every year.” (This year Peter arrived on the 4th of March.)
“Peter was a very quiet man,” the maid continued. “He used to drink a lot and come back to the hotel with boys he would pick up from South Pattaya. It has been two days since I last saw Peter, and I tried to knock on the door, but got no answer. So I went to another maid to get the reserve key and opened the room. I was shocked to see Peter laying dead. I went down to the manager asked him to call the police.”
The Chief of Pattaya Police, Pol. Col. Phinit Satcharoen said that the body has to be sent to the Police Hospital for autopsy. “If the man was murdered, we will investigate. But for now we can’t jump to any conclusions about what happened.”

After Saen Sukh Municipality won the “Thailand’s Cleanest City” award for 1997, the government decided to nominate the city for the Konrad Adenauer Local Government Award of 1998.
Other countries that have municipalities in the running include Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, the Democratic People’s Republic of China, Japan and Singapore, but the latter two withdrew from the nominations as the two countries felt they were unprepared to receive the examiners.
A board of examiners from the KALGA Foundation, traveling to each location to do a thorough examination, visited Saen Sukh on March 18.
Head examiner Dr. Heinrich A. Hottschulte, President der Deutschen Section Desrates der Gemeinden und Reigionen Europas/RGPE, accompanied by Dr. Dinesh Mehta, Regional Advisor South Asia, took a two day tour of Saen Sukh.
The municipality gave the examiners a briefing on aspects of the municipality’s government, which included a multi-media presentation with site visits.
After this, the examiners interviewed Saen Sukh Mayor Somchai Khunpleum, asking 20 set questions about the administration of the municipality. Questions included the government of Saen Sukh and how much say the ordinary citizen had in the municipality’s decisions.
Mayor Somchai answered all the questions correctly, clearly and concisely. He did not try to ‘gloss over’ any problems the municipality might have. The interview lasted two and one half hours.
Mayor Somchai told reporters that the examiners asked for documentation of all statements. If they were not available, they noted the mayor’s answers in their notebooks.
He also said that the examiners seemed very pleased with the administrative system of Saen Sukh.
Mayor Somchai said that Saen Sukh had advantages over municipalities in the other countries up for the award. Mayor Somchai said this led him to believe that Saen Sukh would receive at least one award. It was possible that it may win the highest award.
The examiners are going next to the Philippines and the Democratic People’s Republic of China.
The committee will announce the winners at the presentation ceremony on April 3, 1998.

A meeting was held last week between the visiting delegation of German police officers of the International Police Association (IPA) and the Thai Police, led by Pol. Col. Pinit Satcharoen, Chief of Pattaya Police, and Pol. Lt. Col. Jongsak Yaemlamool, Chief of the Pattaya Tourist Police.
This meeting was organised by Father Michael Picharn at the Pattaya Orphanage whereby it not only gave an opportunity for policemen of both countries to meet and exchange views, but also for the visitors and their families to meet with the orphans under his care.

Photo: Fr. Michael Phicharn welcomes the International Police Group to an evening at the Pattaya Orphanage.

Pol. Col. Pinit led the discussions by welcoming his colleagues and gave an insight of his knowledge and understanding of the German visitors and residents of Pattaya.
The colonel expressed satisfaction that there are now not many German criminals in Pattaya. He said that in the past many German criminals had used Pattaya as their hideout. Having escaped the law in their country they came here and set up legitimate businesses as a front, but were engaging in activities such as prostitution, drugs and gun running. “We are right behind them, and at the request of Interpol or German authorities we track them down and expel them back to their own country.”
On the matter of Child prostitution, Pol. Col. Pinit said, “It is now a national policy to eradicate this amoral crime, and this is one area where there is no compromise. There have been too many cases where the offenders have been arrested, but after having posted bail, escaped and never came to stand trial. But now the courts are much stricter in granting bail for such crimes and we hope this will help deter child molesters to take their sick activities somewhere else or face the harshest of punishments in Thailand.”
“At present there seems to be lesser German criminal elements than before and therefore I will venture to say that 99% percent of Germans here are good people.”
Asked about which group of people had replaced the former criminal territories here in Pattaya, Pol. Col. Pinit revealed that it was now the Russians who are involved in the prostitution, drugs and guns racket.
“We shall be keeping a close watch on these people. As Pattaya is now on the upward trend in all aspects, including environmental awareness and fast becoming a popular family destination, it is my duty to see that it is free of any crime which would hurt visitors and residents of both Thai and foreign peoples.”