Border Governors make history - meet for the first time

Improving relations

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Major-General Sanan Khajornprasad and Cambodia’s counterpart Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H.E. Sar Kheng presided over the first meeting of governors from the Thai-Cambodian border provinces. The meeting took place from 4-5 November at the Pattaya Dusit Resort Hotel with a number of senior level police and military leaders from the two countries attending.

The meeting intended to increase understandings between the neighboring governors and to increase cooperation in maintaining security and order along the border reducing crime, drug trafficking, vehicle theft, pilfering of Buddhist artifacts, illegal crossings and foreign mafia activities. Also discussed were plans to lessen restrictions at some points along the border in order to stimulate trade between the two countries. Other actions included in the 1997 Border Treaty designed to improve relations and the economies of both countries were also discussed.

Major-General Sanan commented that both countries are making sincere efforts to improve relations and become closer in order to correct the problems causing tensions along the border. The next meeting will be held in Cambodia sometime in the year 2000.

Shrimp to take over Beach Road

Thailand’s amazing shrimp are set to take over Beach Road when the “Amazing Thai Shrimp Fest 99” kicks off next Thursday, November 18th at 4:00 p.m.

The festival is being held to honor His Majesty the King on the occasion of His 72nd birthday and achievement of His 6th Cycle.

The “Amazing Thai Shrimp Fest ’99", which runs until November 20th, will feature shrimp and seafood displays, exhibits demonstrating shrimp cultivation and preparation methods, interesting data about shrimp cultivation, and plenty of shrimp and seafood to eat.

Many of Pattaya and Thailand’s best-known restaurants will be setting up booths and “mini-restaurants” to serve an amazing variation of shrimp and seafood dishes.

The opening ceremony will be held on Beach Road between Soi 4 & 5 at 5:00 p.m. on November 18. A member from the Prime Minister’s office, if not the Prime Minister himself, will preside over the ceremony.

The Shrimp Festival will also feature an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest bowl of Tom Yom Kung (Shrimp Soup) ever made. The bowl of soup will be three meters wide and will hold up 4,900 liters of the spicy shrimp soup with 640 kilograms of shrimp.

Five parades will assemble, led by bands from the Royal Thai Navy and followed the Young People’s Ocean Environmental Preservation, singers, dancers and the Young Working Women 2000. There will also be a volleyball tournament and Traditional Thai Entertainment.

Note: Beach Road will be closed to traffic from 4:00 - 9:00 p.m. on the opening day of the festival.

Pattaya’s administration and private sector, with support from the Ministries of Industry, Commerce, the TAT, and all the Pattaya Service Utilities have combined their efforts to organize the festival.

Police round up murder suspects

Suspects “didn’t mean to do it”

Two men identified as Satthaphorn Phothong, age 25, and Prajuab Klangon, age 24, were arrested in front of the New Star Hotel in Soi Bua Khao and charged with the murder of 21 year old Sakphoong Chadbuayai.

The two men confessed to the murder describing to police what was intended to be a simple robbery. They were walking in the area of the docks in South Pattaya when they saw and began to talk to the victim. Sakphoong confided in them that he was in a depressed state of mind due to losing his girlfriend. Sakphoong had a hand-held phone and was wearing a 14 k gold necklace at the time, and the two men decided they needed the items more than Sakphoong.

Prajuab and Satthaphorn threatened Sakphoong, demanding his two valuables. But Sakphoong resisted fiercely until Prajuab withdrew a knife and stabbed him in his lower stomach.

The two murderers said they didn’t expect him to fight back and never intended to murder him.

They quickly left the area and hid with a friend at the New Star Hotel until their arrest.

Parking lot robbers arrested

Held woman’s car ransom

Chonburi Police arrested three suspects on November 4th for allegedly holding up Mrs. Saengjan Suttisuwan, age 29, in the Lotus Department Store parking lot in Pattaya. Arrested were the gang leader Sompong Homjan, age 35 from Ubon, a 57 year old man from Rayong named Chalong Saetang and a 15 year old boy from Kalasin named Niyom Thapthim.

Mrs. Saengjan said she was leaving Lotus Department Store going to her car in the parking lot when the three men forced her at gunpoint into her car. They drove to Sattahip demanding she come up with 50,000 baht. They sent her out with instructions to bring the money to the Railroad Station in Sattahip. They would then return her car, which they would hold onto until she returned with the money.

Saengjan was not able to come up with the amount they demanded and decided to inform police.

Police were easily able to arrest all three men, who were still waiting at the drop point to receive the ransom. Police have all men in custody and have charged them with armed robbery.

Chonburi police officials issued a warning about a recent increase in the parking lot robberies, identifying department stores with large parking lots in Chonburi, Sriracha, Rayong and Pattaya as areas targeted by criminals. They suggest patrons take special precautions when leaving the stores.

Construction firm victim of stolen vehicle scam

Unwittingly bought stolen cars

New Zealander Robert MacGinness and Miss Anong Akamasao told Pattaya Mail that last year they were unaware the vehicles they bought from a women claiming to represent a finance collection company were actually stolen.

MacGinness and Anong own the I.S.S. Construction Company Ltd. in Nong Prue. In February 1998, they were introduced to a woman named Miss Arisa, or Nanthawan Bamrungklang, by Mr. Udorn Chadchatree who told them she was a former employee of a Banglamung bank and currently working for a finance collection company in Korat.

Miss Arisa later contacted them offering a deal on a repossessed car the company allowed her to bring to Pattaya for sale in March 1998. MacGinness and Anong bought a Mercedes Benz E 220 with Bangkok plates from Arisa for 550,000 baht. They registered the car in Miss Anong’s name and had no reason to doubt anything amiss at the time.

In April, Arisa brought another Mercedes Benz Sport SL 280 with Bangkok plates to show them. She said that if they were interested, they could have the repossessed car for 830,000 baht. MacGinness and Anong both agreed the car was selling at a better than reasonable price, thought the car was beautiful and bought the car so they could have separate cars to drive. The 830,000 baht was transferred.

In June the same year Arisa appeared again, this time offering a Toyota Land Cruiser, also with Bangkok plates, for 850,000 baht. This vehicle was also purchased and the paperwork was legally transacted at the transportation office in July. A little more than half of the full amount was transferred over for the Toyota.

Then in August two police officers appeared and identified all three vehicles as stolen property with fake plates. They seized two of the cars on the 24th of August. The evidence police showed to MacGinness indicated the paperwork received from Arisa was fake. The vehicle serial numbers of the cars did not match the paperwork.

MacGinness and Anong said they were duped by Arisa and didn’t have any idea where she could be located, but registered their complaint with the courts in Chonburi in August 1999.

MacGinness said the owner of the Benz 220 was claimed by the original owner and the Land Cruiser is still in their possession and being used. But the Benz SL 280 was seized and is still in the hands of the police, which he does not fully understand. However, he is not inclined to interfere because the vehicles are allegedly stolen property. But at the same time he is without the cars and his money.

On 20 October 1999, Immigration authorities with a search warrant visited the I.S.S. Construction Company, also MacGinness and Anong’s home residence. Outside of finding an unspecified number of foreigners employed illegally at the construction company, nothing else was found to be against the law.

MacGinness said he has always abided by the law and earns an honest living. And although he is not a Thai, he loves the country and has decided to raise his family here. He feels something should be done to arrest what appears to be a gang of people involved in this scam, with young Miss Arisa as a member. The whole group should be stopped before they con someone else.

Newborn found in trash

Discovered by trash collectors

Garbage collectors in Pattaya reported to police they found the body of a newborn baby in a black plastic bag while they were working in the area of Soi Bua Khao near South Pattaya Road on 3 November.

Police went to the area, located next to the four story Bua Khao Massage building. A crowd of people stood by, cursing whoever did the terrible crime.

Police investigated the bag, finding the small white body with the umbilical cord still attached. The infant’s neck was broken.

The garbage collector identified the cleaning lady from the massage parlor as the person who brought the bag out to discard.

When questioned by police, the lady said she was unaware what was in the bag, which she said she found outside at the front door.

Police searched all 20 rooms at the massage parlor but didn’t find any indications that the incident occurred inside.

Best Maid in the East to be crowned

Hotel Maid Service Community in the Eastern Region to hold a Hotel Maid Competition

The skills of hotel room maid’s in Pattaya will be tested during the Hotel Maid Service Community in the Eastern Region’s 4th competition on 19 November 1999, from 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. at the Pattaya Central Festival Business Center. The competition provides a platform for the room maid employees to take pride in their work and at the same time show off their skills. The competition includes preparing beds, serving trays and an international recycling beauty contest using left over materials.

Persons interested in entering the contest can contact Khun Wantana Somphong at the Pattaya Sunbeam Hotel (038) 427120-9, fax (038) 424191 or Khun Chachawan Saenubon at the Pattaya Pacific Prince Hotel (038) 420301-2, fax (038) 424497. Entry fee is 300 baht per person.

WTO representative from Banglamung visits Pattaya

Md. Shamsul Alum, sanitary inspector from the Thana Health Complex in Bogra, Bangladesh, visited Pattaya on November 4th and was presented with the key to the city by Deputy City Manager Wirawat Khakhai.

The health inspector’s visit was funded by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to get acquainted with and informed of activities involving the 1.8 billion baht water treatment facility project, waste disposal procedures and food handling methods in Pattaya. The representatives were also briefed on the problems and obstacles involved in the concerned areas and their questions were answered.

Md. Shamsul Alum said the visit to Pattaya was to get a first hand look at an international tourist city to learn what is required to keep up with rapid growth while attempting to maintain environmental and sanitary standards in the way of food, waste water and waste disposal.

He said the information he learned will be taken back to Bangladesh in order to implement changes and further develop the lagging environmental conditions in accordance with the WTO’s new role in international trade starting in January 2000. The WTO special emphasis on various standards will have a disastrous affect on the economy if the prescribed standards are not in place.

1999 Chi Kung Week Comes to Dusit Resort

O.K. Hands up who knows what T’ai Chi and T’ai Chi Kung is? It does seems to be surprising in this Asian country not many farangs are familiar with either. T’ai Chi is a centuries old, gentle, flowing dance-like exercise derived from martial arts. Non-stressful, it is more concerned with the flow of energy (Chi) through the body. Slow and rhythmic, graceful and even mysterious, T’ai Chi is said to clear the mind, nourish the body and relax the spirit; increase not depletes energy and contribute to health and longevity.

Patrick Stahl teaching Chi Kung.

Chi Kung, sometimes spelled Chi Gong or Qi Gung, is T’ai Chi’s therapeutic ancestor. It means “cultivation of life energy chi”. Chi Kung is much older than T’ai Chi or other martial arts; it is even gentler and more powerful healing. It is what T’ai Chi masters practice to keep themselves physically healthy, emotionally centered and spiritually focused. It is actually a form of mindfulness meditation. Although not now religiously affiliated it had its origins in Taoism.

The Worldwide (T’ai) Chi Kung Association is holding an International Chi Kung week. This was designed to raise the awareness of Eastern healing and meditation techniques.

You can participate at the Dusit Resort Sports Club from 16-20th November. Register for one day or five. 12.30 to 2.30. Tuesday to Saturday. 400 baht a day or 1500 Baht for five days.

Patrick Stahl, a former monk here in Thailand will be presenting the programme. The afternoons will start with an introductory discussion of Chi Kung by Patrick followed by a break for fruit drinks, then an hour and a half of guided Chi Kung practice by Patrick. The last day to register is Monday November 15th at the Dusit Fitness Center. The 20th will be Chi Kung Day, gifts of vouchers for Free Classes at the Dusit Fitness Center will be offered.

Freemasons of Lodge Pattaya Westwinds make donation to Drug Rehabilitation Center

A delegation from Lodge Pattaya Westwinds last week visited the Ban Poonsri Ouphattam Drug Rehabilitation Center in Soi Potisan to make a much needed donation to help the center operate.

Police Colonel Jirat Pichitpai welcomed the delegation and explained the aims of the center, which are not only keeping young people away from drugs, but also providing them with education and well-being, both physical and psychological. He pointed out that they need a lot of help to be able to become worthy members of society.

The audience was quite interested in his speech, asking many questions about the treatment that the young receive. Pol. Lt. Colonel Jirat also showed samples of the different kinds of drugs the boys took before they came for shelter at the center. He also demonstrated how the kids took some of those drugs.

The Right Worshipful Master Xanchai Visitkul translated Lt. Col. Jirat’s speech into English and then presented him with a cheque for over 75,000 Baht. Xanchai also promised that in the future the Lodge will keep a watchful eye over the needs of the Drug Center to provide them with help whenever necessary.

At their installation night last year, the Freemason’s became aware of the financial problems Pol. Col. Jirat has to face, through one of their members who are residents in Pattaya and decided to help.

Copyright 1999 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
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Updated by Boonsiri Suansuk