Defending double pricing

Editor;

If you can stand another letter about double pricing:

I haven’t had a chance to respond to the letters I have seen disagreeing with me on my stance regarding dual pricing (which is, in summary: So what?).

First of all, to Michael C.: Yes, I understand that the ticket sellers make assumptions regarding your citizenship because of your physical appearance. However, that’s not the policy, that’s the (mis-)interpretation of the policy by the seller. If they assume you’re not a citizen because of your physical appearance, when in fact you are, then you can (as Michael suggested) show your ID to prove otherwise.

But the important part is that the rule is based on citizenship, not race. Therefore, by definition, the rule can’t be racist.

Let me give an example. In many places in the US (and other countries) senior citizens get a discount. Quite often the ticket seller will grant or not grant a discount based solely on they physical appearance of the customer (do they appear to be a senior citizen?). If they’re incorrect and don’t grant a discount to a qualified person, all the person has to do is show an ID to prove that they are above the specified age and therefore entitled to a discount.

What’s the difference between that and when a Thai ticket seller assumes (on the base of physical appearance) that a particular customer is (or is not) a Thai and therefore eligible for a discount?

Is a bartender discriminating against you if he thinks you’re underage and won’t serve you a drink unless you can prove that you meet the qualifications?

More importantly, if I may reiterate my stance, if an institution charges you a price that is higher than the appropriate value of the service they’re supplying, don’t patronize them. It’s just that simple. If you feel that their prices are too high, don’t buy. If you’re correct, sooner or later they will either have to lower their prices or go out of business.

However, if their prices are "not" too high, then what difference does it make if someone else pays a lower price? In the US, non-citizens pay an enormously higher price for university tuition than citizens. Senior citizens pay a lower price in many places. As do students.

In Thailand, Thais pay a lower price in a few locations (a "very" few).

Please sign me,

"Frequent Farang"

Attention Hillary

Dear Hillary,

Just exactly how long have you been in Thailand? Your reply to "Worried" in last week’s Pattaya Mail was just beyond comprehension. Anyone who has lived here for any length of time at all knows exactly what that driver was telling his employer about "my friend Madame"!

Many Thai people seem to be very confused by pronouns, they simply do not understand ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘me’, ‘yours’, ‘mine’ — what he was actually saying was "YOUR friend Madame". It’s excusable for a newcomer to not understand, but you also Hillary? Good Grief!

S, S & L
Loyal Readers

Hillary replies: All done in fun - however, please refer to my previous week’s column.

Animals deserve better

Dear Editor,

Recently I visited the Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm & Zoo and was disappointed - not with the animals, but the cleanliness, which left a lot to be desired. Cages were dirty and smelly and crocodiles were swimming around in their own excrement. A health hazard for these animals. Drinking water had a film of dirt on the surface. I also noticed at the Crocodile Show the two men participating in it were roughly prodding the crocodiles, which isn’t necessary as I saw a smaller show at the Sriracha Tiger Zoo which was a lot more entertaining without the rough routine.

I must compliment Sriracha Tiger Zoo for the way the animals looked well fed and cared for properly, and especially the clean environment and without the dreadful smell that hits one on entering the Crocodile Farm. They really need to clean this place up. What will tourists think? Especially animal lovers such as myself.

I forgot to mention the small cages holding a leopard and tiger separately - far too small. How do they manage to run, stretch and exercise? Its for the welfare of larger animals to move around and not be cramped into tiny cages.

Yours Sincerely,
J. Clish

A flattening experience

Dear Sir,

Some beer bars have a strange way of attracting customers now that the peak season is over and the tourists have gone home. One would think that the best way of keeping business going would be to woo the long-term residents.

One otherwise forgettable beer bar off Soi Eight has other ideas. Last night, I parked my motorcycle next to the bar in question in one of the few remaining places left vacant for such use. When I returned an hour later, my front tyre was completely flat. I was a little surprised, as it is rare for tubeless tyres to deflate so quickly, especially front ones. Surprise turned to suspicion when, on inspection, the tyre was found to be flawless. I went back to the bar and asked politely in Thai and English if they had seen anyone near my bike. In response, instead of help or a normal human(?) reaction, I got aggressive accusations that I was trying to say they tampered with it. I tried in vain to explain that that was not what I was implying. Thai logic; how could they have done it? Their bike’s tyres were ok! Well, I don’t really care who did it as my tyre is fine now and it may have been an act of God. One thing is for sure, I won’t be drinking in that bar and nor will my many friends who come up from Bangkok for the weekend.

I have been going to Soi 8 several times a week since 1992, and I must say it is a shame that the aggressive and noisy atmosphere that pervades the Strip has now infected, what was before, a friendly relaxing place to have a good time. Where is a good place to go to now, where you can park your bike, talk to friends without having to shout and be served by friendly polite staff? Any suggestions?

Yours sincerely,
Paul Smith

Congratulations!

Dear Pattaya Mail;

Congratulations on being awarded best in the east, you certainly deserve it. I look forward to getting and reading your paper.

I will definitely check out the new restaurant mentioned in this issue.

How about an article on the places offering foot massages? After trekking around Pattaya all day its a nice relief! Wish we had these in my country.

Thank you,
James Monahan

Expensive help

Sir:

Reading your recent interview with Georg "Swiss" Witmer (Pattaya Mail 5 -11 March 1999), I could not help but display a sarcastic chuckle. Even if the initial allegations that Mr. Witmer had received 7.7 million Baht from Mr. Ullrich might prove to be false, his bill of 705,000 Baht for merely two months of "assistance" to the imprisoned German seems a little inflated, to say the least.

As stated by Mr. Witmer, he’d spend the amount on hotel bills, phone calls, and "decent" lunches and dinners. I beg your pardon, but that calculates as an average budget of 11,750 Baht per day! I suppose that Mr. Witmer considers staying at five-star hotels and treating himself at first-class restaurants as pretty "decent", provided - of course - that he would eventually be reimbursed for his "modest" expenses.

The sincerity of "Swiss" Georg might be seriously in doubt over this incident of shameless overindulgence taken out on the back of a rather helpless individual. It also might not exactly support Mr. Witmer’s claim of being a victim, which he originally led us to believe.

Thomas Schmid

Foreign Correspondent, Bangkok

Arrest or prevent?

Dear Sir,

Good Morning - I read that there has been another arrest of a foreigner in relation to molesting children. These men deserve all they get as punishment for their actions. However, I am always concerned for the children involved. After their traumatic experience, are they given any counselling and other assistance? Just as importantly for their sakes I wonder why the police do not do something before the offence takes place. In the case recently reported the police must have been suspicious to have followed the man. It must have been obvious that he was probably up to no good. Why then did not the police prevent him from doing what he did? I realise that that may not have resulted in an arrest and punishment, but it would have prevented these boys going through the trauma they did. The question for police, and I believe for society, is which is more important - to arrest someone or to protect the children. Unfortunately, there is more kudos in arrests than in helping children.

Len Lee
Queensland, Australia

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