Police avert German Mafia war

Confiscate a cache of weapons in Jomtien

A squadron of Pattaya police, armed with a search warrant, searched the Condo Villa Germania in Jomtien on October 23 after learning that two German Mafia organizations were preparing for a war. Officers had received tips that weapons sales were transpiring at the condominium.

Jocmen Hartel (left) and Detlef Gloutsbach (right) are now behind bars after being caught with a cache of weapons allegedly for use in a local German.

Entering one suspect’s room, officers found Mr. Detlef Gloutsbach, 40, a German national, with weapons in his possession.

Officers confiscated a .357 with 50 rounds of ammunition, and 25 rounds of ammunition for a rapid fire weapon. Police also found pistol with a 6 inch barrel registered in the name of Police Sergeant Suwan Sukhsuwan, 42, of Chonburi.

Officers arrested Gloutsbach, charging him with possession of illegal weapons.

Officers then went to the 11th floor of the condominium and found Mr. Jocmen Qert Hartel (sic), 54, of Berlin. Officers found in his possession 1 7.65 CZ Super Magazine and 8 rounds of ammunition. Knives were also found. Hartel was also charged with possession of illegal weapons.

Police Colonel Phirom Pariyakon of the Foreign Crimes Division said the raid was made after police received information that there was to be a ‘Mafia war’ because of a disagreement over who was to be the Head of the Board of Directors of the Condominium. The Colonel said that the two Germans were also involved in other illegal businesses in Pattaya and Chiang Mai.

Both were remanded to custody and await full charging and trial.

Singer turns thief

Trilling wasn’t thrilling for a singer at the Ban Hou restaurant, so he turned to a life of crime to make extra money. Mr. Tawee Nongnuch, 22, was caught as he was vaulting a fence at an apartment building on Soi Bua Khao.

Mr. Prajuab Pajthamasuwan, the occupant of the apartment, told police that his flat had been invaded by an unidentified intruder. Prajuab was not home at the time.

Mr. Sopha Natiphat, 24, a neighbor, called police.

Prajuab said his room had been ransacked but nothing was missing.

Tawee was charged with theft in the night and now resides in Crow Bar hotel.

Complaints pile up as construction work grips Pattaya

Work will stop during “high season”

The laying of pipes for the wastewater treatment plant has taken longer than expected and is causing the public and tourists considerable inconvenience and aggravation.

The people complain the work is slow and the planning slipshod.

A young protester at City Hall holds a sign that states in effect that four motorcyclists have lost their lives crashing into unmarked construction canyons.

The Samprasit Company has now dug up all of Pattaya’s arterial roads. Traffic is moving slowly and motorists and pedestrians suffer when the work fills the air with dust. To counteract the dust, the company floods the roads with water, creating a dangerously slippery mud. When the water evaporates, the dust once more fills people’s eyes and nostrils.

The construction has caused Pattaya’s main roads to effectively have only one lane, which traffic traveling in both directions must share. This is worst between 16:00 hrs. and 23:00 hrs. when work is done on the roads. The influx of tourists on weekends exacerbates the problems, which the company and traffic police do not seem to be able to or willing to solve.

This has Pattaya residents and businesspeople very worried that the mess will affect the success of the Amazing Central Region Festival to be held from November 6-10, 1998. The festival, to be held at the Pattaya Center or ‘Big C’, is on Second Road.

Satarn Petrakul, Top Executive of the Samprasit Company, explains the company’s plans to expedite the completion of the road works.

The festival is a national event and the Prime Minister will be coming to Pattaya for the opening ceremonies.

Residents are very worried that the work will not be finished in time and the inconvenience will deter many people from attending the 5 day festival.

Reporters from the Pattaya Mail talked with City Manager Songsak Yomjinda, who stated that the city has notified the company of the coming festival and that Pattaya’s roads must be in pristine condition by that time.

Huge equipment is needed to move huge concrete pipes that should serve the city for years to come.

The city also notified the traffic police that the many automobiles must be directed so that traffic may flow in the smoothest possible manner. He believes there will be no problem.

Mr. Pachara Masskulphan, Supervising Engineer for the Samprasit Company, told Pattaya Mail reporters that the work on Pattaya Second Road would be done before the November 6-10 festival.

He continued, saying the curve on First Road near the Amari Orchid would be done first.

The work in South Pattaya and the ‘Walking Street’ would be completed by mid-November.

Reporters learned that the rest of the work, mainly in the smaller Sois, would have to stop for approximately 6 months during the high tourist season.

Pattaya City Mayor Pairat Suthithamrongsawat addresses the crowd to sympathise with their plight and asks for their patience.

The people of Pattaya knew that the construction would cause inconvenience for a period of time. This led the company to do as much work as possible, thus congesting the roads and causing the inconvenience. The rainy season also increased problems with traffic due to mud. This was an act of nature which cold not be prevented.

The company does realize the need for quick completion of the work but they remind the city that quality is a consideration which cannot be ignored. They apologize for the inconvenience.

All this has now made Mr. Tawit Chaisawangwong one of Pattaya’s most beloved citizens because he said nasty things about the Samprasit Company. Even though a consulting company had been hired at the cost of more than a million baht, according to Tawit the project is still a fiasco.

The final decision is that Pattaya City must let the people know about every facet of the project from beginning to end, and must clean up the environment.

Several other members of the City Council have criticized the company for not being systematic in the project, which cost over 1,800 million baht.

The City Council has determined that the Samprasit Company has not upheld its terms of the construction contract and has ordered the pipe-laying suspended. The construction company must have the road surfaces back in pristine condition by November 1, 1998. They must stop all construction work until February 1999. Before work begins, the company must present a detailed plan to the City Council.

Everyone is in a tizzy as two gigantic events are to be held soon. The first is a seminar of administrators of electricity generating companies or ‘CEPSI’. This will be held from November 2-6, 1998 and representatives from 40 countries are attending.

The ‘Amazing Thailand Central Region’ festival is from November 6-10, 1998. Over 27 provinces will take part in this stupendous cultural event.

After the City Council meeting, Pattaya Mayor Pairat Suthithamrongsawat, City Manager Songsak Yomjinda and Mr. Suchai Ruayrin went to meet with the demonstrators in front of Pattaya City Hall. There were loud ‘Booos’ and shouts of derision and disapproval.

The mayor said he sympathized with the people and had told the company to stop construction of the wastewater plant on November 1st.

Hearing this, all the merchants gathered in front of City Hall were satisfied but suspicious.

Requirement to report to Immigration every 90 days not to be enforced

The British Chamber of Commerce has forwarded to Pattaya Mail the following letter received from the Board of Trade of Thailand:

"Following complaints from Foreign Communities concerning the above mentioned subject, I have investigated the matter with all parties concerned. I am pleased to confirm the following -

1. Police Major General Kongkiert Apaivongs confirmed to me this morning that effective immediately the section 37(5) of the Immigration Act will not be enforced. No penalty will be imposed on any foreigners who are unable to comply.

2. Foreigners are advised not to use services of any brokers on this issue. Several cases of distortion or misinformation were reported.

3. The Immigration Bureau is now taking necessary steps to have this Section removed from the current legislation.

4. However, all foreigners must observe the requirement under the current law to report to the Immigration Bureau within 24 hours in case of change of address in Thailand."

Students treated to day at aquarium

Rotary District 3340 and the Marine Sciences Institute of the East held a camp for students in the region.

One of Rotary’s main goals is to develop the youth of communities around the world so they may take their place as knowledgeable and responsible leaders in all fields.

The Institute of Marine Science of Burapha University is an organization devoted to research, education and preservation of the marine ecological system. The Institute studies various types of marine life, breeds endangered species for release into the ocean and provides and exchanges information with other similar marine institutes around the world. The Institute is also very active in marine archeology and the history which the ocean environment teaches us.

Rotary district 3340 and the Marine Sciences Institute joined hands in sponsoring a camp for students from all areas of Thailand.

>From October 19-23, students studied the various sub-environments and ecosystems in the ocean. They learned of the importance of coral, an invertebrate animal whose simplicity belies its overwhelming importance in the preservation of the marine environment.

Aside from their studies, students also visited the Sattahip Naval Base, the aircraft carrier Chakri Nareubeth and other places in Chonburi.

After completing science camp studies, students were awarded certificates of achievement.

Sattahip Naval Base opens to tourism

The guarding of the wealth of the country is the duty of all the branches of the Marine Armed Forces. The Armed Forces must act as a sentinel to protect the country. The battleship fleet, the Marines, the Air Corps, and the Coast Guard form the center for all marine operations at the Sattahip Naval Base - the largest base in Thailand.

Sattahip Naval Base was built due to orders from His Majesty King Mongkut, or Rama IV, in BE 2457 when he was visiting the Gulf of Siam in the east on the boat Maha Chakri. His Majesty rested in Sattahip Bay and observed naval exercises. His Majesty saw that the area was perfect for building a naval base. His Majesty commanded two of his Royal Advisors to oversee the building of the base.

The duties of the Naval Base are three: 1. To protect the nation and coast. 2. To maintain the safety of the military in the various areas. 3. Lastly, to maintain the discipline of the military and their esprit de corps.

Duties aside from these three are to train volunteers, protect the nation’s seas and to protect fisherfolk.

The naval base has kept up with the times and has opened as a center which the public may learn and tour.

The main building has a hotel with 230 rooms and has more than 5 kilometers of white sand beaches. There are 3-bed bungalows and double rooms. The money from these goes into the navy’s benefit funds.

Places to visit are the Luang Chumporn Gardens, the Museum, and Poo Chao Hill where one can see Thien Cape. There is also the Luang Chumporn Shrine, built for the revered founder of the Thai Navy.

There is a center where one may play sports, such as the Sattahip Naval Base Field, a golf course, a rifle range, a sports development center and sniffer dog training program.

The Navy has been and always is an enthusiastic member of community development.

The Commander of the Base is Admiral Boworn Mingmuang, who has developed good relations between the navy and the people.

Diamond merchant’s house riddled with gunfire

Luckily, no one home at the time

Two men on a motorcycle riddled a diamond merchant’s house with bullets on October 25 in Jomtien Village Yacht Club.

After neighbors called Sattahip police, officers found that the owner of the house, Mr. Anurat Varanuwong, was not home.

From shell casings, officers learned that the gunman had used a Smith and Wesson 9 mm and had fired 13 shots.

Checking the house, officers found one bullet in the front door and one in the sun-shade above the garage. The rest were in the front wall of the house.

The village security guard told police that he and his partner heard many shots being fired. Later, two men appeared on a motorcycle and put guns to the security guards’ heads, telling them to open the iron-lace security door to let them out. The security guards did this, as the two men threatened to kill them if they didn’t.

Security guards told police that both men appeared to be between 25 and 30 years of age.

The owner of the house, Mr. Anurat, is the Director of the village. He also has a diamond exporting business. During the shooting, he was in Bangkok.

Police conjecture that the shooting spree was apparently due to frustration, as the gunman were attempting a ‘hit’ on Mr. Anurat. Finding that he was not home, they leaded the house with bullets to relieve themselves of pent up frustration.

Police believe that one of the men trying to kill Mr. Anurat may have been Mr. Meuk, an employee recently discharged by Mr. Anurat. Police feel that the gunmen are probably ‘hiding out’ and officers believe they will apprehend them soon.

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Created by Andy Gombaz, assisted by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek.