Dear Pattaya Mail,

I really thought enough had been said on the above subject, but I feel I really must reply to John P’s letter of last week.

1) The lady concerned did in fact report the rape to the hotel’s manager, whose reply was stop crying, get out of my hotel and don’t come back. When she did return with the police, the manager said that a search warrant was required to enter the room. After a heated conversation he agreed to phone the hotel room and ask the Americans to come down to the lobby; however, he proceeded to phone the wrong room and added further confusion to the event. Why did he do all this? Maybe because at the time the hotel was 95% full of paying navy servicemen!

2) Regarding the attacker being stupid, maybe he was, apart from the obvious things he didn’t do to avoid being captured, like removing his name from the hotel room, filming the attack and letting the tape be found was also stupid, maybe he thought he was above the law anyway. Who would believe a working girl’s word against his? Reference to John P’s letter shows us how true this is.

Whereas Mr. John P. is entitled to his views, I suggest he refrains from sharing them with all of us. He does not know the full details of the case, only a few of us do. The lady’s motive for bringing this case to justice was never about money. When we left the Kitty Hawk the American lawyer expressed his sorrow over the attack. The lady’s reply: “Your sorrow will not mean anything to me until you have brought these people to justice.” The reply given to her: “You have my word that everything within my power will be used to track these people down.”

When the case comes to court in Japan, I will advise your readers of the outcome. Keep up the good work Pattaya Mail.

Editor;

I’ve now been a loyal Singha beer sipper for 36 years and 4 months, and for almost the first time, I’m disappointed. Take a look at the label on your next small bottle of Singha; it’s changed from 355 cc to 330 cc, with no reduction in price!

I don’t know for how many years Singha in the small bottles has been 355 cc, in the old sort of long neck bottle, then in the bottle with the sloped shoulder. It was always something to hold up against the others; you get “more bang for your baht” with Singha, until now. Look in your fridge for one of the old bottles, like just a couple of weeks ago. It’s probably the 355 cc size. Then stack it up against the 330 cc, same shape, not really noticeable until you compare the size, or read the label.

So, I ask Boon Rawd Brewery, if you are going to reduce the amount of suds in the bottles by some 7%, how about reducing the price by 7%, too? A case of Singha in the “old” 355 cc bottles was about baht 555 at the local wholesale shop, it’s still baht 555 in the “new” 330 cc bottles.

Come on now, Boon Rawd, do something good for the consumer, reduce the price by 7%.

Dear Editor;

My sympathy on this issue lies with Stephen Despopulos and not John P.

I have seen the behaviour of many US sailors in many ports and in general a small minority let the side down. Just because they can afford a beer does not mean they can walk around as if they own the place and treat all girls with contempt because the work in a ‘bar’. As a member of the Royal Navy for over 25 years I have seen the way some US service men treat girls in ports around the world. I witnessed similar events quite recently in Pattaya. Many US service men spending only a short time in the service have little experience of other cultures. They seem to get little guidance on cross cultural etiquette from their service. Some take advantage of circumstances.

I can say that if this incident had happened aboard an RN ship when I was serving, the accused would have been safer in a Thai prison than back on board.

I can imagine what has happened just as well as John P. But my experience of Thai people in general and some US service men in particular, leads me to believe that Stephen D has a much more realistic interpretation of the events.

My own opinion,

Peter Ash
York, UK

Sir,

The letter from Mr. Martin Knapp (2/6) is amazing. After a free medical consultation costing about 3,000 baht, he whinges over 350 baht for his medication. Then he deprives his government of 85 baht by disposing of his prescription. If his wallet is ‘strained’ by such a huge sum, how does he afford to fly from one kingdom to the other at a cost of more than 20,000 baht?

Puzzled!