Ex-PM lobbies current PM to upgrade U-tapao Airport

Local Chart Thai MPs have enlisted the help of former Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa to call on current Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai to approve a plan to upgrade U-tapao Airport to international standards.

Currently, Pattaya is the only one of the four "major" tourist destinations in Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket being the other three) that does not have its own fully operational international airport.

Although the project proposal is sound, as well as being well-overdue, insiders are skeptical that it will get approved as the Prime Minister’s Democratic party is pushing for a 600 million baht project to build a new airport in Chantaburi.

The "group of seven" Chart Thai members from Chonburi, led by Communications Minister Sonthaya Khumpluem and House Committee Chairman Sansak Ngarmpichet, have put together an U-tapao Airport improvement project that would cost only 200 million baht, a third of the cost of the Chantaburi project.

Charnchai Issarasenarak, a Democrat from Nakorn Nayok, proposed a much larger scale development project for U-tapao. However, Chart Thai members see this as just a ploy to shelve the U-tapao project, as an unnecessarily expensive scheme would have less chance of being passed.

Chart Thai members stated that U-tapao just needs minor improvements, such as an expanded terminal, some new signal systems and some other minor improvements.

The navy-run U-tapao Airport has raised an estimated four billion dollars in tourism and trade-related businesses during the first quarter of this year.

In related news: ministers connected to the Prime Ministers office held a meeting at the command center of the Navy Administration of Sattahip on April 15th.

Mr. Jurin Laksanavisit, Minister of the Prime Minister Office, presided in his position as a director on the board of Tourism Authority of Thailand. The meeting was to discuss the importance of U-tapao Airport in both the commerce and tourist fields.

Charter flights for the first four months of this year amounted to 180 flights with a total 39,333 tourists, mostly from Eastern Europe.

In the not so distant future, it is hoped that this airport will be able to receive an increasing number tourists.

Several points were discussed at the meeting, including:

Allowing requests for permission for planes to land to be accepted both by telegram and fax, with processing limited to 3 days. This is currently the duty of the Department of Commerce (AOC).

Keep the fees at U-tapao at the same rate with various domestic airports, but cheaper than Don Muang Airport (Bangkok) by about 20%.

Thai Airways will be the server for refueling and other ground services.

Improvement of signs telling the way to the U-Tapao airport. Currently there is a working group of the highway department managing the signs.

Improving the method of customs search on entering the country.

Improving the method of transportation to and from aircraft on the runway, as well as improving transportation services to and from the airport from major population centers in the area such as Pattaya, Rayong and Sattahip.

Improving tourist conveniences at the basic level, such as money exchange, food and drink, telephone services, rest areas and duty free.

Request Immigration give convenience to Russians, Japanese and Chinese, who make up as much as 95% of tourists coming through U-tapao Airport. This may include printing TM forms in several different languages, as well as in Thai and English.

Art and culture to be fratured at Pattaya Mail Photo Contest presentation evening

Indian Embassy to launch cultural exhibition

After many months the 2nd Pattaya Mail Photo contest is drawing to a close. We have received scores of photographs from many photo enthusiasts and we must say the quality and style of photographs sent in this year far surpasses any that we have seen before. It is going to be rather difficult for our judges to pick the winners when judgement day comes.

Pictures will go on display at the Royal Garden Plaza on Saturday the 27th of June and will remain on display until the 6th of July. Our judges, who are from a variety of professions relating to the arts, will be doing the final judging on the 3rd of July and the prize presentations will be held on Saturday the 4th of July beginning around 5:30 p.m.

Members of the public are welcome to be judges yourselves, as special prizes will be awarded for the people’s choice category. Just come by to the Royal Garden Plaza and judge the photographs yourselves. Forms will be available to write in your choice.

As part of the award presentation evening’s festivities, Pattaya Mail and the Embassy of India are jointly organising a Photo Exhibition. The theme of photographs presented for display by the India Embassy will be India, 50 Years of Independence. There will be photographs with captions in English and Thai covering diverse aspects of India - its land and people, its history and civil-isation, freedom and democracy, its achievements in science and technology, trade and industry. This will be the debut of this exhibition, which will tour the country to mark the closing of the 50th Anniversary celebrations.

The exhibition will be held from the 4th to the 6th of July at the Royal Garden Plaza. H.E. R.K. Rai, the Ambassador of India, will preside at the official opening of the exhibition. Other dignitaries are also expected to attend.

A bonus is in store for all of you. Sapna Visweswar, a young and exceptionally versatile Indian classical dancer will treat the public to a thrilling performance of the Bharatanatyam.

The most celebrated art form of the Southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu, Bharatanatyam is a dynamic and earthy dance style. It is in effect a tradition that demands of the performer - total dedication, detachment from worldly ties and a sublimation of self to the art.

Bharatanatyam dancers are usually women and, like the sculptures they take their positions from, always dance bent-kneed. It is an extremely precise dance style where a huge repertoire of hand movements are used to convey moods and expressions.

Bharatanatyam is vibrant and very demanding of the dancer. The body is visualised as made of triangles, one above and one below the torso. It is based upon a balanced distribution of body weight and firm positions of the lower limbs, allowing the hands to cut into a line, to flow around the body, or to take positions that enhance the basic form. A special feature of this dance form are the Padams or poems on the hero-heroine theme. The tempo of these love songs is slow and each phase of the performance is crystallised into a specific mood of love.

Pattaya Mail invites all contestants, sponsors of our photo contest and members of the public to experience this spectacular evening of Indian art and culture on Saturday the 4th of July, beginning around 5:30 p.m. The activities will be held around the musical fountain in the Royal Garden Plaza.

Initial arrests made in death of bus driver

At 9:00 a.m. on June 12, police apprehended two suspects in last week’s killing of Thongbai Sararos, the driver of a Bangkok to Rayong tour bus.

Boonlert Boonsamer, 17, and Amnart Chalookthong, 17, were remanded to custody for throwing stones on the air-conditioned tour bus en route from Bangkok-Rayong, which resulted in the death of the driver and a terrifying ride for the passengers. A third suspect, Rangsan Sukhsai, 17, is still at large.

The incident happened on June 6th at the bridge to the Rong Poh-Rai SR bridge crossing on Highway 36 in Takien Tia District of Chonburi. The bridge is infamous for being a hangout for groups of teenagers from nearby areas who go there to drink and use drugs.

Police rounded up several of the above mentioned teenagers, and learned that on the day of the incident Boonlert, Amnart and Rangsan were drinking and taking drugs on the bridge. At 22:00 hrs, the three conspired to hit the oncoming bus with rocks.

According to testimony, all three threw stones at the bus, but it was Boonlert who through the largest stone, which caused the accident. After the incident, all three fled on a motorcycle. The boys told police they did it for fun and not profit.

Boonlert was arrested by Banglamung police officials on the charges of having schedule 1 controlled substances in his possession. He has been sent to the Phinij Juvenile Center in Rayong.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Rangsan, and police predict they will catch him soon.

Rassmussen cleared, Orathai jailed

New information has come to light concerning 29 year old Ms. Orathai Nonsiri, the women who cheated Dane Bjorn Rassmussen while in jail.

Rassmussen accused Orathai of defrauding him of 3,600,000 baht earlier this year. Rasmussen was arrested on charges of raping a minor and he gave Orathai access to his bank account, which she cleaned out, leaving Rasmussen to languish in jail.

Rasmussen fought the charges in court and was found innocent. He then filed charges against Orathai and the police department. The case against the police and Orathai is pending. Orathai bailed herself out of jail and again engaged in her tricky behavior. This bodes ill for both Orathai and the accused officers in the Rassmussen case.

The police officers face both criminal charges and a court martial.

Meanwhile, Mr. Suchat Ploylueang also filed a complaint with the Tourist Assistance Centre of the Saen Sukh Police Department against Orathai. Mr. Suchart, representing the Sunset Village Hotel in Jomtien, asked police to arrest Ms. Orathai because in February of this year, Orathai walked out on her hotel bill, including room, food and long distance telephone charges totalling 52,367 baht. Mr. Suchart said she had no agreement with the hotel for any complimentary service and that she was an ‘ordinary’ guest. The hotel contacted her and they made an agreement that she would pay the bill in installments. At the time, she agreed, but no payment had been forthcoming. She also avoided hotel administrators when they tried to contact her.

From further investigations, police learned that Orathai had also stayed at the Dusit Resort Hotel. While there, she boasted of having ‘great wealth’ and often lit her cigarettes with 500 baht notes. Saying that she owned a well-known clothing label, she invited large numbers of handsome young policemen to dine with her at the hotel. The fresh faced young officers had not reason to doubt her. They merely thought that her rather ‘unpolished’ behaviour and uncultivated Thai language skills were signs of her natural genius.

After receiving these two reports, Police Lt. Colonel Suphathi Boonkhrong and a squad of officers went to the Dusit Resort to confront Orathai. Administrative staff were overjoyed to see the Colonel. The hotel had the same suspicions about Orathai, but as she was surrounded by young police officers, what were they to do?

The Colonel invited Orathai to the Pattaya police station for a chat. Mr. Suchart of the Sunset Village hotel was avidly awaiting her arrival at the station.

Orathai left the hotel in a tasteful outfit and affected the walk of a young heiress.

The Dusit Resort told police that every time they tried to collect payment for her room and food she would airily wave them away, making telling comments about her ‘police’ friends.

Hotel administrators had one meeting with her, during which they requested she pay her bills. Orathai made promises but was not specific about when she would pay.

Administrators from the hotel felt they, too, should join the trip to the police station. Her bills at the Dusit Resort totalled 50,000 baht.

Police first charged Orathai with non-payment at the Sunset Village hotel, which she denied. Unfortunately for her, there were too many eyewitnesses. She was charged with defrauding both hotels of over 100,000 baht and taken into custody.

Before being put in the ‘lock-up’ Orathai continued with her story of being a wealthy heiress to a clothing empire. Canny police asked that if this was so, why didn’t she pay her bills and the whole problem would be at an end. Orathai accused everyone of being concerned with ‘details’. Off she went to the ‘cooler’. While being escorted down the hall, she told police that she had so much money that is would be impossible to spend it all. Police agreed that she didn’t seem to be ‘spending it at all’. She continued that in a few days, she would be receiving dividends from her company. Orathai told police that until she received her expected 10,000,000 baht she would avail herself of the jail’s hospitality.

Austrian drug dealer apprehended

Karl Reif, a 37 year old native of Graz, Austria, was arrested last week after police received information that he was selling drugs from his rented house in Pattaya.

On the 12th of June, police obtained a search warrant to investigate Rief’s residence. The search turned up an unspecified amount of hash hidden in a jam bottle, plus over 1,000 injection needles.

They also found 3 different bank books belonging to Reif, which showed that approx. 3,000,000 (three million) Baht per month passed through his various accounts on the 24th of every month.

Further investigations also revealed that Rief’s passport showed he had a 2 year overstay.

Reif told police that the hash he had was for personal use and not for trade. About the overstay, he said that he forgot. When questioned about the terms of the 3,000,000 Baht rolling through his bank accounts each month, he refused to answer.

Reif was handed over to the Pattaya Police for further interrogation and was charged for possession of illicit drugs.

Man beaten with phallic symbols

At 2:00 p.m. on June 8th,
Police Colonel Phinij Satyacharoen, the Superintendant of the Pattaya Police, received a call that an assault had occured in the area of the Chao Mae Tabtim Shrine, which is in front of the tourist police pier in South Pattaya.

At the scene, police found an unnamed Thai man lying on his back, unconscious, in front of the shrine. He had wounds from being beaten with a blunt instrument. He lay there in front of approximately 100 tourists who were looking on. Everyone seemed frightened, so police radioed the Sawang Boriboon Foundation and requested they take the man to the hospital.

From questioning at the scene, police saw there were many religious lingams, considered holy symbols in Thailand. The religious symbols had blood on them, so police kept them as evidence.

Police also learned that the attackers who assaulted the anonymous man had fled the scene running by the police station. They had fled in the direction of Chai Mongkol Temple.

Police went to apprehend them but were unsuccessful.

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Created by Andy Gombaz, assisted by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek.