HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

How safe will Pattaya be during the World Cup?

Clearing domestic pets at Bangkok International Airport

Restrictions in Pattaya

Played hard at Pattaya Tens

Water testing

INS solution won’t solve the problems

Could not help but laugh out loud

Dealing with the real villains

How safe will Pattaya be during the World Cup?

Dear Sir,

How safe is Pattaya going to be during the soccer world cup? I have read with concern the recent news stories in local and overseas newspapers regarding the congregation of hooligans in Pattaya. Hooligans, I may add, with a record for violence and thus are not allowed to enter Japan, one of the countries hosting the World Cup.

Will tourists need to hide away in their hotel rooms for the entire duration of the World Cup? Do locals and expats need to lock themselves into their houses and apartments to avoid being hurt by these pathetic fanatic groups?

Why is it that with every major soccer tournament, youths and middle-aged people turn so violent, especially - but not entirely - those from Great Britain?

Don’t get me wrong - patriotism and fanaticism is not all bad. Patriotism for someone’s favorite soccer club can be great support for that team. This can be seen in the record books, when the host country (partly through having the biggest crowd in the stadium) wins the FIFA world championship. France is the last best example.

However, when things go wrong for the team, the deep disappointment has to be taken to the streets, resulting in major injuries and even death - mostly for innocent bystanders and policemen.

These hooligans should be condemned as terrorists - jeopardizing the safety of other people in public.

The latest news articles have already mentioned a bar brawl in an English bar in Central Pattaya, when some English hooligans attacked reporters and a camera crew. One can just hope that Pattaya police have taken immediate action and have arrested these culprits, making their appearance of hooliganism in fun city as short as possible, and hopefully almost unnoticed.

I have read many complaints about the Songkran water festival over the last two months. The danger we might face over the next few weeks is far greater, in my opinion. It is a danger of life and injury, not just getting wet on Pattaya’s streets.

One of your last week’s articles (Issue X No. 21), a G&PS committee cited foreigners as the cause of many of Pattaya’s problems - and in many cases rightly so. These committees have vowed to get rid of such foreigners and I hope they do.

Pattaya has come a long way to improve itself, announcing to the world its new concept as a family resort, dropping the image of “Sin City”. A safe city it is too - and hopefully will be for a long time, and no hooligans should jeopardize the city’s great promotion efforts. So with this said, it is time for the G&PS committee to start acting. Soi Yamato might be the place to start.

I would like to end this letter with a bit of irony. The English bar is located in a soi named after a Japanese Restaurant (Yamato), which happens to be the name of ancient rulers of Japan. It seems they are closer to Japan as they might know.

Regards,

Arnie Schwartz

Clearing domestic pets at Bangkok International Airport

Dear Editor,

Regarding recent letters from readers who have had problems with clearing their dogs (and probably other pets) at Bangkok’s International Airport, I feel my advice about the ease of bringing a dog into Thailand was at best, only partially appropriate. I have since made more inquiries and have found that readers who have complained about the problems they incurred are quite correct.

New regulations and procedures have made this once rather ordinary experience a nightmare for those who visit or plan to move to Thailand with their domestic pets. This unnecessary hassle heaped on owners of healthy, documented dogs now creates a real problem for dog owners who do not want to give their dogs away before they come here. Sadly, if they are transferred here by their companies, retire here, or will be in-country for an extended time; owners will either have to thread their way through this mess of bureaucratic ‘red-tape’ or leave their pets at home.

Any further information by readers who have had similar unpleasant experiences with clearing their pets in Bangkok would be much appreciated. In retrospect, it now appears unadvisable for owners to travel with their dogs to Thailand until clearing procedures become more humane.

C. Schloemer

Restrictions in Pattaya

Dear Pattaya Mail,

I love the Pattaya Mail, but I am very disturbed by all the restrictions that I have been reading about. I have been coming to Pattaya for the last 5 years and have really enjoyed your country, but it’s the people I feel sorry for. Do they want change? I have enjoyed the freedom that Pattaya had to offer but I think I will cancel my trip next year.

What a stupid idea about the deck chairs on the beaches having to stay in a straight line, we don’t even do that in England nor do our clubs close early.

I think that the tourists love Pattaya the way it was, it’s what they go there for. I think that if the government doesn’t act soon the tourists will go elsewhere.

Loz Stevens

Played hard at Pattaya Tens

Dear Pattaya Mail,

I was the organiser for Bognor Regis Rugby Club and would like to pass our thanks to the organisers for a splendid tournament. We have only just recovered!

We came to play rugby hard and play hard and we certainly did. We promise to come back and work on our stamina in order to take the trophy we missed out on this year. Well done to Bangkok British Club!

Thank you again for a memorable tour!

Steve Worthington

BRFC
Hampshire, England

Water testing

Editor;

Going back one or two issues I read an article about a man who had some problems with buying muscle building compounds. In his letter he mentioned he had the product tested. I am at present having problems with my water supply, the tank is very old and I think the water is contaminated with bacteria. Would the man who wrote the article or any body else for that matter, please let me know if there are any laboratories in Pattaya or let me know what is the telephone number/email/address of the lab the man used in Bangkok? As I would like to have the water tested for bacteria.

Thanks Noi

INS solution won’t solve the problems

To the editor;

It is very interesting that now the solution to the INS problems is to limit travel for tourists to 30 days in the USA. That should sure help to solve the problem of overstays of visas by terrorists. That will hurt the airlines, hotels, and in many cases the entire economy of the USA as many older retired persons have homes and condos in such places as Florida. The real estate business will be great and cheap, though.

On the other hand many American people have homes in other countries for getaways and now will be limited to 30 days in those countries. It is sure other countries will retaliate by following the USA lead. Maybe the easy solution is Americans stay in America and no visas to anyone to come to America. That way I am sure there will be no leaks of terrorists getting into the USA. This is about as silly as the solution the INS have for the problem of limiting visas to 30 days.

Do they think as open as the borders are between the USA and Canada and Mexico that they are unable to find an easy way in with no record of them even entering the USA?

It is really amazing to expats such as myself how the INS cannot look at other countries to see how these problems are handled. Maybe if the USA took the time to investigate before acting in a loose and poor manor they would not have so much trouble with all our enemies. Until we learn to understand that our system is not the only system we will have major problems in the world. If Thailand decides to give only 30 day visas and no other type of visas to American citizens, it would be of great concern to the many retired Americans who spend their winters in Thailand.

Ralph E. Revill

(American expat)

Could not help but laugh out loud

Editor:

I could not help but laugh out loud at the G&PS committees’ latest racist pronouncements. I guess they have discovered that the foreign owned/run bars are making more money than the locally run ones and need to nip this in the bud. After all we are all aware that those entertainment places owned by Thais are not in any way establishments that are “classed as inappropriate under Thai law. These include internet cafes, beer bars, restaurants, and karaoke bars”. So the question is: will the newly formed committees also investigate the myriad of karaoke bars on Thepprasit Road, or the many establishments run by Thais that flaunt the “seemingly” arbitrary application of Thai law? I think not; there is way too much money at stake there.

The biggest hoot was reserved for last: bad foreign drivers! Come on Pattaya Mail, if you want to appear in the least way impartial (as any good newspaper should be) then maybe you should address the issue of foreigners (who have at least passed a driving test, rather than just handed over the money) being, in general, much more qualified to drive than 99.99% of Thais.

While I laud the action against child prostitution, I can only wonder at the attitude of these “committees” that seem to feel that they can change the image of Pattaya overnight and suddenly bask in the glow of bus-loads of extremely rich foreigners suddenly turning up to do: what?

Like it or not, Pattaya has a reputation overseas that will not change in the slightest with these latest laughable attempts at ensuring that only Thais benefit from this.

Regards,

Waylander

Dealing with the real villains

Sir,

Now that Pattaya’s finest appear to be dealing with the ‘real villains’ - I refer of course to the beach vendors who bring a genuine, albeit, ‘dodgy’ service to visitors, and the local authorities again state their intention to stop child prostitution by prosecuting the purveyors of this abominable trade, maybe they should get together and show the results of their work.

Whilst holding their hand up in shock horror at the child prostitution trade it is allowed to continue as long as those in authority are suitably compensated. Recent raids and arrests have proved that the only people that are punished are the children. Your issue of June 6th 2001, reported with a graphic picture, that a Briton named Philip Thompson had been arrested in his hotel room sexually abusing a young boy. A substantial amount of evidence was found by police to indicate that this was a serial abuser. So now how about updating your readers on the ‘fate’ of this abuser. Is he languishing in one of Pattaya’s jails? I am not a betting person but I wager that Mr Thompson is safely away from Pattaya, thanks to some nifty payments to ‘those who matter’ free to abuse more children.

Until people see that the authorities are prepared to act and not only issue platitudes then the child prostitution trade in Pattaya will continue, and the outside world will continue to view the authorities in Thailand with disgust.

Ken Ungaer (Sweden)

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