TAT Region 3 Head recelives more criticism
On January 12th, Ms. Phanga Vathanakul, President of the Sub-Committee for
Public Relations and Marketing of Pattaya, presided over a meeting to appoint heads of the
four divisions of the committee.
Sutham Phantusak was appointed president of the marketing division.
Sethapan Buddhani, Head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Region 3, was appointed as
president of the public relations division. Sitiphap Muangkhum, Director of the Pattaya
Pubic Works Authority, was appointed president of the environmental division. Police Major
Phongsan Watacharathorn was appointed president of the newly formed safety division.
Following the appointments, the floor was opened to committee members. Of
most importance to the members was that Mr. Sethapan Buddhani, as president of the public
relations division, act in a more efficient manner. They implored him to make sure that
invitations to public events and festivals be sent on time. Members of the committee often
did not receive notice of an event until after it was over.
The committee was disturbed that the invitations to a Pattaya Festival on
December 3-4 of 1998 had already received criticism. The invitations did not reach the
honored guests until very late.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand, Region 3, of which Sethapan is the
head, did not send invitations to the concerned parties, even though they were to be
instrumental in organizing the festival.
The Sub-Committee also criticized Sethapan concerning the ‘Gems and
Jewelry Fair ‘99’. He apparently did not inform the media of the fair at all.
This came to a head with the bomb threat at the Royal Garden’s Plaza.
Mr. Suphadit Maneeratcharatsri, President of the Pattaya Business and
Tourism Authority, said of the ‘Gems Fair ‘99’, "I only rented out the
space for the fair. We, the administrators of the Royal Garden Plaza, do not really like
this type of function, as it competes with the jewelry stores in the shopping center. The
bomb threat was not a good thing for the shopping center."
Mr. Pratheep Malhotra, Managing Director of the Pattaya Mail, also
felt that it was not fair that the media was not informed of the ‘Gems Fair’.
The Pattaya Mail did not receive any information on the fair or an invitation to
cover the event.
He continued, saying the Head of Tourism Authority of Thailand, Region 3,
should remedy this problem. Mr. Pratheep said it was the job of the Tourism Authority of
Thailand to ensure that all information got to the media to be reported to the public.
He then suggested that Mr. Chanyuth Hengtrakul, President of the Pattaya
Media Association, join the Sub-Committee’s Public
Relations Division. He felt Mr. Chanyuth could help
co-ordinate the feeding of
information to the media.
Comment by Apirat Muangsirikul (Add)
The plight of the 101 businesses in South Pattaya has been page one news
for over a year now. They refuse to move, despite the orders of the central government.
They have formed a committee, have meetings and have made plans to resist the
government’s orders with letters of protest. The group of businesspeople operating in
the area plan to descend upon Bangkok, en masse, and convince Parliament to overturn its
order.
It is true that the business people have invested much money in the area
and will have nowhere to go if their buildings are torn down. The business people do have
good reason and have not been sitting on their thumbs like the officials in Bangkok.
The Walking Street in South Pattaya.
The ‘Walking Street’ is Pattaya’s ‘signature’. It
has had a role in improving tourism in Pattaya. One may see tourists strolling leisurely
on the street from 7 p.m., when it is closed to traffic. The street boasts everything
Pattaya has to offer, from restaurants to shops and bars.
Where will people go when this valuable source of income for the city is
destroyed? People now know the walking street and a new venue will have to be built,
promoted and ‘broken in’ before it becomes known to visitors. This will take
much time and much money.
The government should think twice before going through with the project.
The Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment ordered the demolition. If this
should cause great harm to Pattaya’s economy, will they take responsibility?
So far, not one official from this ministry has shown their face to the
people. By the time the whole matter is done, those who ordered the demolition will be
retired and claim it is not their responsibility.
The landfill, which will disenfranchise people who have lived in the area
for hundreds of years, is of benefit to someone. As of yet, we don’t know to whom.
The ministers vote again and again for the landfill but will not tell the
people why they did.
Comment by Kittisak Khamthong
The wastewater treatment plant has some very good ‘by products’.
One of these is gutters which have been constructed on each side of the roads to catch
water so it does not flood the streets. This is a good thing even though the public does
not yet see the advantages, as the rains have not yet come.
Although these drainage grates were a good idea,
there should be some way to lock them down so that they won’t get stolen.
The problem with this system is the gratings that cover the gutters are
not affixed and many people steal them. They make excellent grills and have other
household uses. Some people may be selling them as scrap metal. Another reason could be
that they are weak and being broken under the weight of vehicles and then thrown away by
trash collectors. At this time, the gratings are covering the gutters at irregular
intervals, leaving dangerous holes which may cause pedestrians to trip or motorcycles to
fall over.
The main people who will encounter problems with the holes are the
‘common’ people who have no power or ‘voice’ to demand justice for any
injuries that they may sustain. But if a ‘real’ person (i.e. someone with money
or power), should be injured due to this, the problem will probably be solved very
quickly.
Another problem arising from the wastewater treatment plant construction
is the caving in of Pattaya Third Road. This is due to the digging of deep holes to lay
pipes. Compromising the integrity of the road, after the holes were refilled, the surface
became very uneven. This is especially egregious in front of the ‘Feuang Fa
Caf�’ on Soi Bongkot. This has caused many motorcycles to overturn due to loss of
balance at medium speeds. The motorcyclists, members of the ‘common throng’ have
no power to demand compensation. City officials are doing nothing to solve this problem.
Beach Road is full of cracks again and the city does not repair them. This
led to accidents in the past and city officials should attend to this problem as quickly
as possible.
But we cannot get away from the oft-heard words, ‘They just fixed it
and it’s in need of repair again.’
These repairs cost taxpayers considerable money.
Many high ranking people look upon these problems as minor ones, as it
does not affect them. But the ‘common’ people are the ones who suffer. These
things cost the common taxpayer money and were built with the sweat of the laboring class.
Maybe this is why the English speaking nations taught the old saying
‘A little means a lot,’ to the Thai people.
Pattaya is an international tourist destination which all of us would like
to see in pristine condition.
Tourists come and ask reporters why Pattaya doesn’t spend a little
bit more on the ‘basics’, instead of organizing fancy festivals.
One British tourist told me, "Walking down the street without having
to be afraid of falling in a pothole would be worth ten festivals to me. I could look at
the view and not have to concentrate on each step I took."
The Thai residents of Pattaya feel the same way and wish the parties
responsible for repairs would do their jobs.
They would then know whom to bless when they go to the temple.
With no fanfare of trumpets, a small project to help
underprivileged schoolchildren has now been up and running in Pattaya for the last four
weeks. Called affectionately "Computers for Thai Kids Charity Project", it is
the result of some hard work and future planning from Glen (Jeep) Holthaus and Lek.
With the understanding that computer literacy would improve overall
literacy, it was decided to run an "open house" computer school for the poorest
of Thai children, presenting an opportunity for them to learn computing skills.
Children enjoy the new concept of learning
computers.
Jeep had the ability to cobble together some computers from donated parts,
and his partner Lek had the ability to act as a teacher for any children who might like to
attend their informal "school" held on the lower floor of their shop-house on
Third Road.
All that was missing was the method of getting the message through to the
areas where these poor children were living. A message to the local school was not enough,
as these children have by now fallen out of the standard schooling system. This is where a
12 year old girl from a totally impoverished background became a pivotal point in this
charity project. "Jitda" pushed her garbage collection cart past the open door
of "Jeep’s Joint", as he affectionately calls his small business, and a
connection was formed with the poor and needy through this child.
This little scrap of a girl, being raised by her grandfather, an
"unofficial" garbage collector, understood immediately that this was an
opportunity that might never come again. She rounded up the other dozen or so children in
a similar situation to herself and they pushed their carts to Jeep’s Joint, parked
them outside, and came in and began their computer careers.
It is amazing to see the enthusiasm shown by these children in the
learning process. With a glass of red cordial beside each old and battered computer the
children work, sometimes two to a keyboard, watching with fascination as the alphabet
appears on the screen at the touch of a key. Another quick mouthful of cordial and another
line of type until, under Lek’s kindly tuition, a letter has been written to be
printed out and taken proudly home. This is real grass-roots teaching of practical
portable skills.
Jeep and Lek have already seen that two of their "students" are
deserving of sponsorship towards higher education and are hopeful of arranging this
through some of Pattaya’s charitable organizations. For the others, contact will be
made with the Fountain of Life school to attempt to get these children back into a
programmed educational system.
In the meantime, every weekend do not be surprised if you see the odd cart
or two outside Jeep’s Joint. Inside are some very eager children grasping at an
opportunity with their little fingers as they learn their alphabet, use their grammar,
concoct sentences and finally type a letter home.
As the news has spread of this practical scheme there are now offers from
other people to come and help Lek. Even little Angela Bartley, herself only a 13 year old
ex-pat student, will be coming down to assist. Other University students from Bangkok have
indicated their willingness to help this concept. It is the pragmatic nature of this
charity project that makes it so worthwhile.
Jeep and Lek have scored a winner with this one. If you want to help in
some way with sponsorship, computers or tuition you can contact Jeep on 038-424-998 or
email at [email protected]. The looks of attentive interest shown by these kids is
reward enough in itself. There could be even greater rewards for the children themselves
in the years to come.
Imagine 50,000 salesmen out there in Pattaya pushing your
product. Imagine even more of them in Bangkok and Phuket. These guys are so hard working
that they start at 8 in the morning and are still selling after midnight! There will
hardly be one tourist to Pattaya that will not be exposed to the salesman’s spiel at
some stage during their stay. And finally imagine that the sales brochure is so good that
people will pay money just to take the advert home!
Bottle Advertisement Cooler.
Sounds incredible? Too good to be true? Well, it is not. The whole concept
is the brain-child of Peter Geister, Managing Director of Tip Top Cleaning Services, who
has produced (and registered and patented) the novel Bottle Advertisement Cooler. 50,000
of these coolers are supplied to pubs, bars, hotels, restaurants and even beach vendors.
Each cooler proclaims the message that you want to get across to your customers, be it
selling your services or retailing manufactured goods.
Every time the tourist puts his hand out for his drink he is exposed to
your advertisement. One advertiser had to expand his business to cover the increase in
trade he experienced!
After the initial run some six months ago, the concept has been so
successful that Peter has decided to bring out a new cooler every six months, and the good
news is that there will be a new printing ready for delivery in March. In that month,
Peter will replace all the previous print run with the new ones and this will be a regular
occurrence every six months.
So what does it cost to get into the hands and eyes and minds of the
potential customers? Like all advertisements, the bigger the better the more expensive!
However, it is possible to get your message out there for as little as 500 Baht a month,
though the larger adverts around 5000 Baht a month are the most popular size. To get on
this next batch you will have to be quick - so give Peter a ring on (038) 422 000 and
reserve your salesman today!
The coolers also have useful information such as the telephone numbers for
lost credit cards, T.A.T. and Tourist Police. 50,000 salesmen prepared to assist the
public as well! What a work-force. Well done, Peter Geister.
by Apirat Muangsirikul (Add)
When I was a child Bangsaen was the beach destination to which everyone
went on the East Coast. After a few years, the city had become so cluttered that I did not
visit again until recently.
When I entered the city, I was stunned by what I saw. I asked myself,
"Is this really Bangsaen? What happened? The city is so clean and bright. Not exactly
the same as it was when I was a child but certainly not the city with which I became so
disappointed."
There were new, smooth roads, gleaming shops and a sparkling city. It was
more reminiscent of the beach towns one sees in movies set in Mediterranean countries than
the cluttered mess of 10 years ago. Especially wonderful were the smooth cobblestone
sidewalks which allowed one to walk without ‘mine field manoeuvres’, for fear of
falling in a hole.
Beautiful again - Bangsaen Beach.
All this made me wonder about the prices. Asking a helpful resident about
the cost of beach chairs, umbrellas, taxis and other conveniences, I was told that prices
are now carefully controlled. This was comforting, as I had been one of those overcharged
by local merchants. It was a real ‘wild west’ atmosphere then and everyone was
out for what they could get. "No so anymore," the resident told me.
Any tourist who feels they have been overcharged may report this to the
authorities and the merchant will be dealt with in a strict and absolute manner. If you
don’t believe me, come and see for yourself.
I knew that, once again, Bangsaen would be my destination of choice.
Especially beautiful is Saensukh (‘Total Contentment’ in the
Thai language) municipality.
Past the beach, on the way to ‘Sam Mukh’ hill, is the largest
sculpture made of a single piece of granite in the world. Nine playful dolphins spiralling
upward, as if to the surface of the water. This piece of art was the result of a year long
competition in which various artists submitted their designs. This beautiful piece of
stone sculpture is as fluid and flexible as the water and the dolphins themselves.
It was a revelation coming back to the city I loved as a child, grew to
dislike, and have now found to be a dream destination.
I think I’m going to celebrate my birthday in Bangsaen.
The Prince Bira Cup,
sailed around Koh Rin, is the annual Royal Varuna Yacht Club tribute to the late Prince
Birabongse Bhanubandh, arguably one of the Kingdom’s best sportsmen who excelled at
water sports and Formula One car racing. A pilot of much daring, an Olympic yachtsman and
a world record-holder of the English car-racing circuit, Bira passed away in London
fourteen years ago. His Royal Consort Princess Lom was at Varuna to present the awards
last week to the winning Moores and the other placings.
Peter Cummins reports from Pattaya
It was ‘those new kids on the block’ - in terms of the Nacra 5.5
racing machine - Nick Moore and his petite daughter Charlotte who led an all-Nacra finale
to the just-sailed 1999 Prince Bira Cup, held in the southern Pattaya-Jomtien waters off
the Royal Varuna Yacht Club last week. The very popular annual event is raced in honour of
the late Prince Birabongse Bhanubandh, one of the Kingdom’s greatest sportsmen.
Forsaking his former solo-sailor Nacra 16 Square for the sleek two-person
5.5, Nick was so far ahead of the big fleet that race officer Reg Chambers did not sound
the winning tocsin, thinking Nick had missed rounding an island or two on the tortuous 48
km course.
Prince Bira sails his last “Firebird”
race off Royal Varuna ca. 1982. Photo Peter Cummins.
But all was back in order when Peter Ole Herning groaned over the
finishing line, having enjoyed his own company on the Nacra 16 Sq. for four and a half
hours, 20 minutes behind the Moore dynamo. The rest of the minor placings were an
almost-embarrassing distance behind Nick, with Mark Kovalevsky third across the line, a
half-hour behind, sailing a Nacra 5.5 and Gary Baguley almost 40 minutes away, fourth.
David Race’s Hobie Cat 16, however, broke the Nacra hold on the top finishing places,
being just 20 seconds behind Baguley.
Then the fun really started, as the handicaps went into force. Moore and
Herning were safe at the top, but Race had sailed fast enough to move into third place on
corrected time, followed by John Marten (HC-16) fourth, Gary Baguley (Nacra 5) fifth,
Simon Prattley, Murray Maunder and Chris Whittle, all sailing Hobie Cat 16s, sixth to
eighth, respectively.
First mono-hull, the famous Fireball "Bone Doctor" piloted by
Charlie Zbinden, crossed the line after a gruelling six hours, moving to ninth place on
handicap. It was a most appropriate name for the craft as Charlie and his
equally-geriatric crew staggered up the beach, definitely in need of a bone doctor - any
bone doctor!
Then came the remainder of those who finished, Viroj Nualkair (HC.16), the
first Thai sailor, was 10th, Mark Kovalevsky who had been relegated to 11th from third
across the line, the smiling Bob Gardham (HC-16) 12th and Helmut Schreyer (Dart 20) 13th.
This report on the 1999 Prince Bira Cup would not be complete without
honorable mention of M. Hellemaid’s horrendous seven-hour plus rounding in the
Enterprise dinghy, technically outside the time limit set by Prince Bira for the initial
race in 1970. But Reg Chambers is a kind man: he could not let a team work so hard and not
give them a finishing signal. The Enterprise placed 14th.
Conditions, according to Varuna sailing secretary Marco Miagostovich, were
far from ideal, with a light north-westerly which shifted further south, giving the fleet
a beat to Koh Rin some 10 nautical miles due south of the Royal Varuna start line. The
island itself was enveloped in shroud of mist and invisible until very close.
The slack conditions and difficult sailing would account for the
tremendous time difference between the 1999 sailing of the Bira Cup of four hours, 10
minutes, to Daniel Lagger’s record-breaking one hour, 27 minutes in 1994, on a Hobie
Cat 16.
Princess Lom, the late Prince Bira’s Royal Consort, graced the Royal
Varuna Yacht Club with her presence, to award the trophies.
The Fireball
With Pattaya set to be the venue for the Fireball World Championships next
year, a brief look at the history of the Prince Bira Cup would be in order. It replaced
the "Firebird Trophy" race, designed by Prince Bira and first held in 1970,
solely for the two-man Fireball, the sleek sailing craft he pioneered in Thailand. Prince
Bira also sculpted and cast in bronze the massive 200kg "Firebird Trophy,"
making it so heavy to ensure that the winner did not walk away with it, as happens
occasionally with other Royal Varuna precious permanent trophies.
The names of the best Fireball sailors in the Kingdom - or, rather, in the
region - are engraved on the base, with Prince Bira as the first entry.
The trophy is thus a slice of the history of yacht racing in Thailand and
the "Firebird" is the Fireball "Hall of Fame": Svend Rom, John
Hornett, Hartmut Schneider, the two Jenses - Kellinghusen and Overgaard - Bob Kennett,
Panasarn Hasdin and, more recently, Anirut Posakrisna and Vinai Vongtim are all
immortalized on the trophy.
On the 19th of July, 1990, Thailand’s National Sports Day was
dedicated to Prince Birabongse Bhanubandh - arguably the Kingdom’s greatest sportsman
- on the 76th anniversary of his birth. At the same time, the Yacht Racing Association of
Thailand also instituted the "Prince Bira Memorial Regatta".
The "Firebird Trophy" was sailed every year until 1991 when
Princess Lom agreed to make it an open event, to include catamarans and other classes -
anyone, in fact, who had the courage and the stamina to sail the long, 45-nautical mile
tortuous course around Koh Rin. The actual "Firebird" course was discontinued
after that first "open" event in 1992 and became solely the "Prince Bira
Cup" in memory of the great prince, the trophy reverting to this race.
Prince Bira died in London on December 23, 1985 at the age of 71, leaving
an unsurpassed legacy to the sporting life of the Kingdom. One could say that he excelled
in three of our four ‘elements" - earth, water and air. He was a non-smoker, so
the fourth element "fire" was not in his arena. He was a world champion Formula
One racing car driver, an Olympic yachtsman and, not the least, a daring and skilful pilot
who recorded one of the first single-handed flights from Britain to Bangkok.
The annual "Prince Bira Cup" is a fitting tribute to the memory
of Royal Varuna’s beloved sailor, Prince Birabongse Bhanubandh.