Pattaya Mail Letters


HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:
: Clean up the bad side of the resort; A good Bangkok taxi driver; Looking for the right kind of wood
: More policing needed on Walking Street

Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail will also be on our website .
It is noticed that the letters herein in no way reflect the opinions of the editor or writers for Pattaya Mail, but are unsolicited letters from our readers, expressing their own opinions. No anonymous letters or those without genuine addresses are printed, and, whilst we do not object to the use of a nom de plume, preference will be given to those signed.

Clean up the bad side of the resort

Dear sirs;

I was blessed to be able to visit Thailand several times in the last 4 years. I still love the country as well as the people.

I have just returned to my home country after a stay of 8 months in Pattaya. I was very disappointed on how Pattaya has changed in the last years and not for the best. Despite of all good intentions from the city "responsibles", I discovered that the "pearl" is loosing much of his original attractions: beautiful beaches, variety of nice and good restaurants, nice people and a safe place to pass holiday.

I am not talking about the pollution (one should better penalize the taxis, busses and trucks instead of giving tickets for not using a helmet when driving a motorbike), neither the nearly inaccessible beach road. I’m talking about the people that are attracted to Pattaya and their motifs. The quality of the visitors is apparently going down. The criminality is raising as well as the use of drugs, mostly provided by foreigners. Instead of attracting "normal" tourists, now there seems to be only users and dealers messing the place up. It is yet so far that the most travel agencies I know no longer promote Pattaya as travel destination but prefer to promote Phuket as an example.

It is not only time to clean up but more important to wake up if you do not want to end up with only "criminals" and drug users.

I don’t have the solution either but as many drugs are brought in by foreigners it might be a good idee to check at the airport upon arrival, a systematic check would surely help. A dog could be useful in detecting drugs. This will surely discourage the carriers of these killers.

Unless of course you want the profile of Amsterdam or Rio de Janeiro.

Presumably some of the city "responsibles" do have children, have they? Consider that your child could be the next victim of this degeneration.

I am convinced that with me most of the tourists would be pleased to see some change in this "keep away decent people" mentality.

Wake up it’s not too late yet.
A concerned visitor

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A good Bangkok taxi driver

Dear Sir,

I have a good report (for a change) about the much complained about Bangkok taxi drivers. On my last trip to Thailand (October 15/98) I took a "TAXI METER" car from outside arrivals at Don Muang for the 1200 baht trip to Pattaya. On my arrival some two and a half hours later I paid my fare, gave a 100 baht tip and went inside my hotel, all being well, I thought. One hour later the taxi driver knocked on my room door and told me I had left my jacket on the back seat of his taxi. In my jacket pocket was a wallet containing £70 and 2 visa cards. I had not realized I had left them and the driver had only noticed my jacket on the back seat when he had stopped for petrol on his way back to Bangkok. You can imagine how grateful and relieved I was. Even the hotel owner, Mr Narong Poopong at hotel Summer Place, expressed his surprise that I had come across such a good taxi driver. My faith in human nature has been restored by the honesty of this man.

Yours Faithfully
Philip Collins (Manchester U.K.)

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Looking for the right kind of wood

Dear Sir,

I have been a regular reader of the Pattaya Mail for many years but I notice that you do not run a "Can You Help Me" column.

Well, maybe you or one of your readers can help me.

I build model ships as a hobby but here in Pattaya I have been unable to find the soft woods I require (not balsa wood) such as white pine, lemon, spruce, clear white fir or yellow pine. I have tried many furniture making shops but with no luck.

Is there a sawmill in Pattaya where I may find the wood I require?

I am also trying to find linseed oil putty, the type glaziers use, but after trying many glazier shops I have had no luck.

I will be most grateful if you or one of your readers can help me.
Regards,
Scotty Walker
Editor: Over to you, readers... Can you help him out?

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More policing needed on Walking Street

Editor;

With the near completion of the works to the "Walking Street", or the Strip as it is popularly known, and then its opening to traffic, would His Majesty’s constabulary be so kind and police this area in a proper manner, i.e., take out the complete and utter morons who use it as a motorcycle race track. On far too many occasions I have witnessed near misses and worse. Remember the pratt who embedded himself and his motorbike in the Fuji shop window?

Perhaps through the good offices of the Pattaya Mail this concern be brought to the attention of the powers that be. Maybe the policemen currently found asleep in their cubbyhole near the pier could occasionally be woken up if only to stretch their legs. They may even earn a little more "tea money" if they could be persuaded to venture outside.

Paul Davies

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