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LETTERS

  HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: 
 
Chantaburi treasure hunt

In favor of two tier pricing

Deplorable road conditions at Wongamart Beach

TAT Songkran warning needed

Where were the volleyball boys?

Just a note

Which is right?

Annual Songkran complaints

Chantaburi treasure hunt

Dear Editor;

I have been following with interest (and some amusement) the progress of efforts to find and recover large quantities of valuables allegedly stolen by units of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War. It appears that decisions are already being made as to which (Thai) government departments are going to be burdened with the task of disposal. I have not seen any reference to the true owners of this property. In view of the nature of the booty and the relatively short time that has elapsed since the thefts their identity should fairly readily be ascertainable. It would seem most likely that the thefts took place in (either/and/or) Singapore, Malaysia, Burma. As all these territories were at the time part of the British Empire headed by HM King George VI; Emperor of India etc., His natural successor HM Queen Elizabeth II would seem to be the rightful recipient.

Yours sincerely,

Eddie

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In favor of two tier pricing

Editor,

I am a new reader of the Pattaya Mail and I’m very amused to find that the issue of two tier pricing upsets so many different people. On reading your letters to the editor page, I decided to just add a different perspective to this. As a foreign visitor to Thailand, with a family, may I inform you that not once have we been upset by being charged more than locals, believing it only fair. As we are foreigners our taxes that we pay at home do not contribute to your economy; they are used to pay for our parks, etc.

The Thai locals contribute in their taxes no doubt to their own national parks and therefore should have a reduction in price when going there. In our town we are issued a pass to get into our parks free, although a certain amount that we pay in our local rates to our local shire goes towards these passes. Then all tourists without these passes are charged to enter.

You will find that in certain places in our country during peak tourist season prices on a lot of items, including food, petrol and entertainment, are increased and everyone pays these, not just the tourist but locals as well.

So the idea of allowing locals to enter or receive discounts on different items is a terrific idea I believe should be adopted everywhere.

Thank you for allowing us foreigners to visit your beautiful country.

Regards,

Trish Wilson, Australia

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Deplorable road conditions at Wongamart Beach

To the Editor;

You might like to investigate the appalling conditions in Naklua Soi 14 & 16. They are laying new sewage pipes and the mess left behind is unbelievable going back to Naklua Soi 12.

With the rains they will cut off the area and luxury condos on Wongamart Beach and at present the access is through a person’s garden and various tracks of mud and sand.

In Soi14 we have a sewage flood a foot deep and a hundred yards long to drive through that has been there since January just up the road from Central Hotel and Residences. Great pictures all round this area of incompetence and bad planning. The smell is terrible too on hot days.

Brian

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TAT Songkran warning needed

Dear Sirs:

I believe that the Pattaya local government and TAT should consider advertising to tourists that Songkran extends until the late hours of April 19th.

After spending four days in Chiang Mai enjoying Songkran, I left for Pattaya to enjoy the sun and beach. Coming into town, we could see on the bus that people were enjoying an extended Songkran. But we were upset to find that farangs were soaking baht bus riders past midnight and into the evening hours the next day. When we come to the beach (after Songkran has ended everywhere else in Thailand), tourists expect to be able to relax, go out and enjoy themselves.

It was very surprising to us and I saw Thai and foreigners alike get quite upset at getting soaked on their way to dinner/clubs and shows. No doubt it would be impossible to stop farangs from “celebrating” Songkran after the rest of Thailand has finished, but at least put a friendly warning on the TAT site and others that there is an extended late-night water fight, so those who don’t want another 2 days of being soaked can go elsewhere.

Sincerely,

Chris Kanazawa

California, USA

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Where were the volleyball boys?

Letter to the Editor:

Last Saturday another event was held to celebrate the Pattaya Gay Festival. This time it was a barbecue at Tui’s Place on Jomtien Beach. It would have been a beautiful evening. The food was good as was the entertainment. The weather was quite lovely. It could have been a perfect evening, but it wasn’t. There was something missing; something was wrong. I asked myself, where were the volleyball boys? This entire phase of the celebration had been built on a volleyball tournament. Where were the boys whose contents had brought so many people to the restaurant and vicinity Saturday afternoon? Where were the boys who had raised B16,000 in application fees, which went to the festival? (Only B16,000 was returned in prizes and only to the winners.) Where were the boys, who in addition went out and sought sponsors among local businesses to buy them uniforms, give them money for food and medication and when they couldn’t find sponsors had to scrounge among themselves for the money? Where were the boys who practiced tirelessly every day for hours so that the tournament and the barbecue would be a success? Where were they? They had been excluded. Either Mr. Tui, the committee or both decided that the boys would be offered no free admission or even a discount. A full B500 admission was demanded by those selling tickets at the door - B500 from young men who at best make not quite B2,000 a month for the most part. This was no way to treat people who put out the kind of effort these men had put and who deserved to be a part of the total celebration.

There was no gratitude shown here. May I suggest to those responsible that a little more compassion and greater charity be shown, especially to eager, enthusiastic but not rich young gays. All gays need help of some kind be they AIDS victims, disadvantaged or even poor. Please remember in the future that it is their festival as well as yours. I’m sorry, but even with the good food I left with a bad taste in my mouth.

Sincerely,

Tony Antonelli

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Just a note

Editor;

Just a note to say how much I enjoy the quality of writing in the “Mail”. I look forward to the update every Friday. Keep up the good work!

L Dennis

Murrieta, California USA

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Which is right?

Editor;

Oh wonderful... here we have, in the same newspaper (Pattaya Mail Vol. 1X no. 15), on facing pages, Thailand’s Interior Minister stating that to avoid harming the good image of Thailand he wants the provincial and local police commanders to enforce the 1966 law that states “no youth under 18 be allowed into an entertainment place” and less than half a page away the Banglamung District Chief meeting with said provincial and local police commanders to ensure that “no youth under the age of 20 be allowed in a bar or entertainment place”. And they still wonder why they are not taken seriously! Gentlemen, this is why we love your country so much... it’s so very entertaining!

So, Interior Minister Purachai Piamsomboon, now that the boys in brown are going to be doing such a sterling job of ensuring that all bars and entertainment venues close at 2 a.m., have no lewd shows, no drug movement and no admittance to youngish people, the penalty being that if such offences continue the police chiefs themselves face being transferred (to inactive posts?), surely there will no longer be any need for the aforementioned establishments to pay thousands of baht in the form of “under the table” payments every month?

Looking forward to seeing these admirable changes.

C. Nick

UK

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Annual Songkran complaints

Dear Sir,

I came to Pattaya with a view of a nice quiet holiday. I, among many, was assaulted by loutish farangs throwing water (from where one will never know) with out care under the guise of Songkran.

It is a shame that I and others who wished to partake in the enjoyment of the day and night visiting the entertainment and restaurants around Pattaya should be accosted by these louts who would have a clue of the meaning of Songkran. They would not be allowed to do it or behave in this manner in their own country.

I had to cut short my holiday because the loutish farangs outside the bar next to the Apex Hotel were throwing water and using pumps to squirt water at any person passing.

It didn’t matter that you may want to remain smartly dressed to go somewhere, they did not care, they just soaked you through.

Some traders and visitors I spoke with felt as I did, that the farangs have ruined many a good holiday and traders were not getting the business because people did not leave their immediate surrounds in case they got soaked.

The farangs excuse was simply, “It’s Songkran, if you don’t want to get wet, stay in your hotel room”. Hardly the right thing to say is it?

I had to return to my country after being diagnosed of having a perforated eardrum thanks to the loutish behavior of these farangs blasting water two inches away from my ears. They also squirted my eyes causing swelling and difficulty to see.

My camera was ruined; fortunately I had a spare in my room. My watch was damaged and I’m waiting to see if it can be repaired. My clothes were soaked twice in the one day.

It might be that the banning of these water pumps and their use by farangs during future Songkran might see some return of common sense and decency to the wonderful event that is Pattaya.

Nigelm

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