Chonburi senate election enjoys 74% turn out

2 arrested in Bang Lamung for buying votes

Voters in Thailand elected 200 senators to office, or one senator for every 307,330 people out of the total population of 61,466,178.

The newly elected senators will have new powers, including passing new laws and regulations, and removing high level officials and politicians from office who are not performing to expectations. The constitutional changes are intended to reshape Thai politics, and many have high hopes the new constitution will bring about much needed government reform. For the first time, senators with no previous affiliation with government office or any political parties were elected by popular vote.

Chonburi’s population of 1,053,433 rates three senators; 20 candidates campaigned for those three seats. 542,198 people in Chonburi out of the 730,249 eligible voters went to the polls. At least 26,726 eligible voters were either unable or chose not to vote. 32,607 ballots were marked improperly and not counted.

Although not yet official, Chonburi Province’s tree new senators are Bang Lamung District resident Sombat Phechtrakul (unofficially received 89,660 votes, Chonburi Muang District resident Pol. Lt. Gen. Preecha Padibatsarakij unofficially received 80,930 votes, and Sri Racha District resident Rear Adm. Wiroj Amtakulchai unofficially received 73,971 votes. A mini biography of these three new lawmakers appears on page 3.

Chonburi was one of the provinces receiving special attention by election officials, along with Buriram, Samut Prakarn and Pathumthani, all suspected of possible voting irregularities. In Banglamung two were arrested for driving voters to and from the polls and paying for their votes.

The Chonburi Election Committee is still manning the telephones, taking reports of election tampering, and will continue to do so until the election is officially declared over. They can be reached at phone: (038) 261 450-1.

Quick police action nets teen drug pushers

Gang leader remanded to custody

Police last week arrested a gang leader that was utilizing 13 year old kids to peddle amphetamines in the streets.

Pattaya police mobilized a group of officers on 26 February after receiving information indicating teenage children were selling drugs in the various entertainment areas of Soi Bua Khao.

Officers were divided up and designated to different locations in the area. Soon thereafter, a 13 year old boy was picked up after police ran a random search of children running loose around the Soi. Four amphetamine pills, type orange, were in the teens possession and he was taken into the station for questioning.

The police learned that the drugs came from a man named Manop who operated from the area of the “Luk Lo Karaoke” located near a group of beer bars in the middle of Soi Bua Khao.

Police went to the location and immediately spotted three people who made nervous gestures as the police entered the area. The officers detained the three and conduct an “on the spot” search of one of the older men. This search produced 57 yaba pills in his possession. He was later identified as Manop Phecharapan, age 42. Two other young children aged 13 and 15, were also found with Manop and each had yaba pills in their possession.

Manop told police he was using the kids to sell the drugs believing they would not draw any attention from police. At the end of the day he would collect the money the sellers had received and paid them about 250 baht.

Manop is being charged with possession and distribution of an illegal drug carrying class 1 punishment. Other charges may be included for his involving the minors before he gets to trial.

Nearly dieing for a drink

Asks for a shot - but not that kind!

Twenty-three year old Somsak Samreungjit really, truly wanted something to drink the night before elections. Problem was, it was against the law to serve alcohol on that night. This didn’t seem to deter Somsak, though, and he set out to purchase a bottle of booze, despite the law.

Shortly thereafter, Bang Lamung police were called to investigate the shooting of a 23 year old man. The call came from the Sawang Boribun Rescue unit who informed police the wounded man was taken to the Bang Lamung Hospital.

Doughty officers, trying to get to the bottom of the matter, first contacted Somsak’s mother, Yao Samreungjit. Yao told police her son Somsak had left their home in Ban Pong Saket to go to a nearby store to purchase a bottle of liqueur. Ten minutes later she heard the gunshot, then her son came staggering home seriously wounded in the chest.

Police then questioned Somsak, who was being treated for his wounds. Somsak claimed he wanted to buy the liqueur from the store owner, Yai Nguen, but she refused to sell him the alcohol. An argument ensued, and Somsak said she surprised him when she pulled out a gun and fired a shot. He said he took off running, at first not realizing he was hit.

Bang Lamung police brought in Yai Nguen for questioning and whether she actually shot Somsak or not is still unclear. Other accusations have surfaced indicating the store owner’s son was the neighborhood amphetamine dealer.

If Yai actually did shoot him, perhaps she was taking the no alcohol sale on the evening before senate elections a little too seriously.

Local divers to join hands in water clean-up

The annual Pattaya Bay Environmental Preservation Project will take place on March 11 beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Rear-Admiral Wirayut Utamot and MP Santsak Ngamphiches announces plans for this year’s Pattaya Bay Environmental Preservation Project.

About 200 divers are expected to take part in cleaning the water between North and South Pattaya, including the coral reefs around Larn Island.

The annual project is a combined effort by the Pattaya City administration, the Royal Thai Navy, the Tourism Authority of Thailand Region 3 (Pattaya) and Pattaya’s local dive shops.

Five ships from the Royal Thai Navy Region 1 Fleet will be on hand to disperse divers throughout the bay, who will collect refuse from the ocean floor.

The Chairman of the Standing Committee on Tourism of the House of Representatives Santsak Ngamphiches and Rear-Admiral Wirayut Utamot, the Chief of Staff of Naval Region 1 announced this year’s plans at the Grand Sole Hotel on March 3rd.

An opening ceremony will be held on Beach Road between Soi 4 and 5, with a group of honored guests led by the Commander of the Royal Thai Naval Fleet Admiral Narong Yutthawong, Chonburi Governor Sujarit Pachimnan, Pattaya’s Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat and Santsak Ngamphiches taking part.

Pattaya experiences mass exodus

Voters go home for senate election

A continuous wave of conscientious voters flooded Pattaya’s bus stations, as Pattaya voters headed for their home provinces to vote in the Kingdom’s first senate elections. The exodus from Pattaya on the 2nd and 3rd of March was too much for the bus and tour companies to handle, and many a traveler had to wait several hours to catch a ride home. Some passengers even resorted to catching rides on the tops of vehicles, while others were left behind.

Many voters trying to return home waited for hours to board overcrowded buses, while some resorted to hitching rides atop vehicles.

Some waiting passengers admitted they didn’t understand the senate elections, only that they were required by law to vote. Many complained that they make only enough money to live day to day and had to borrow money to make the trip back home. Other travelers philosophically said that they decided to go now because they were about to return for the Songkran Festival anyway.

The sight of the throngs of people waiting for transportation to get out of the city was dismal indeed, made worse by the sounds of all the moaning and groaning about the inconvenience. One forlorn traveler quipped, “What a democrazy”.

City unhappy about trash

Pattaya’s new government is once again voicing concern over the method of trash collection throughout the city.

Deputy Mayor Wutisak Reumkijakarn, tasked with the responsibilities of the Environmental Sanitation Department, chaired a meeting with department director Adirek Chuwanwech and a representative from the Chatrathai Trash Company on 2 March at Pattaya City Hall.

The mayor’s office is once again taking the Chatrathai Trash Company to task.

After reviewing the results of a recent survey, it was quickly made clear to the company representative that the city was not satisfied with Chatrathai’s performance in collecting trash in the city. The deputy mayor also specified areas requiring attention.

Witisak pointed out that many of the trash receptacles along the beach were no longer serviceable and needed to be replaced. He also said that personnel collecting trash should be instructed to properly reposition the trash containers after collection.

Deputy Mayor Witisak reiterated that particular attention needs to be paid to appropriate periods to collect trash on weekends and during holidays, especially in the areas along Pattaya beaches where large numbers of tourists frequent.

He pointed to the trash piled up at Bali High Point, saying the Department of Sanitation learned the piled refuse is from the two Oriental Princess Boats who claim pick up was coordinated with the Chatrathai Trash Company. The company rep is to report back with information as to why the trash has not been collected.

Final Act in Child Prostitution Drama

Geneva - One last act remains in the long battle for an international ban on child prostitution. Earlier this month, a United Nations working group finished drafting a document aimed at cracking down on the sale of children and on child pornography and prostitution worldwide.

Once approved, the final text will become an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Just hours before the end of their deliberations, the working group’s chairman, Cuban diplomat Ivแn Mora Godoy, considered approval of the draft a sure thing. But at the end of the meeting, Mora said the Protocol had been adopted ‘ad referendum’ of the next meeting to be held by the working group, in late March.

The adoption of the Protocol depends on the resolution of a long-running dispute over a clause that France wants included, and which the United States refuses to sign.

The French delegation insists that only countries which have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child should be allowed to sign the Protocol. The United States and Somalia are the only UN member nations that have not formally committed to the treaty.

The representatives of France set forth the same demand last month when another UN working group was discussing a different optional Protocol to the same Convention.

The Protocol prohibiting the use of child soldiers was finally approved after France withdrew - at the 11th hour - its exigency, which also pitted it against the United States.

But the French did not back down this time and gave committee members instead a taste of sour grapes. International procedures stipulate that now the draft document must be approved by the UN’s Human Rights Commission and General Assembly.

The outstanding feature of the Protocol is that it mandates the establishment of punishments for offences involving the sale of children or child prostitution or pornography, said Mora.

Child prostitution is said to be one of the worst contemporary forms of slavery. Children involved suffer extreme physical, psychological and emotional abuse. They risk drug addiction, early pregnancy, social alienation and deadly sexually transmitted infections.

The use of children for prostitution has been increasing not only in Asia but also in Africa, Europe and the Americas.

Microsoft Office 2000 launched in Pattaya

Introduced at Government CIO Conference 2000

The Minister of Science and Environmental Technology, Doctor Ahthit Urairat presided over the opening of the Government CIO Conference and the introduction of Microsoft Office 2000 at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort Hotel on 26 February 2000.

The conference was presented by the National Science and Technology Development Administration (NSTDA), the National Electronic and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), along with the Microsoft Company Ltd. of Thailand.

Two hundred fifty Chief Information Officers (CIO’s) from 139 government agencies attended teh conference.

This is the second conference of its type after the establishment of CIO’s in 1998. CIO’s main task is to manage actions concerning Information Technology (IT) within the government. Year 2000’s objective is to improve efficiency by training government officials in high level Ministry positions, whereby increasing their understanding of computer technology.

The conference also included an IT Exhibition presented by Microsoft.

Discussions regarding the prevention of drug abuse

The Deputy Superintendent of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau and the Founder of Ban Phoonsri Uppathum Drug Treatment Center in Soi Phothisarn, Pol. Lt. Col. Jirat Phichitphai addressed a group of visitors, presenting an informative “up-to-date” briefing on the complexities of the drug problem being experienced locally.

Pol. Lt. Col. Jirat Phichitphai is getting his message out, in this case to members of the Office of the Supreme Prosecutor.

The meeting took place on 23 February with Seri Hirankarnnai, the President of the Supreme Prosecutor Development Office leading the group.

The rampant drug problem taking over the country’s youth has created much concern, prompting more attention. Pol. Lt. Col. Jirat emphasized to those present that schools should start taking an active role in educating young people on the dangers of drugs at an early age, and further, get involved in reducing the problem of drug addiction and trafficking amongst students. He stated that the situation will only worsen if ignored.

All factions in society should come together to solve the problem, building a sense of unity, before this epidemic can begin to be reduced at all, he said. The problem has spread to the more prominent schools of the Kingdom, which indicates that it is not just a social behavioral pattern that is usually prominent only in the more poverty stricken areas.

The visitors toured the facility and were told that most of the younger people coming to the treatment center sincerely wanted to get off drugs, and after approximately two months, were able to do so.

Col. Jirat went on to say that one of the major problems that still exists is that after some of the reformed addicts left the institute, and because of certain circumstances, many were drawn back into the same patterns and circles that they were associated with before rehabilitation.