HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Internet nightmare

District chief should bear full responsibility

Changes needed in Pattaya

Hundreds of cities

Re: Telepathic Drivers

There are no Americans

More on telepathic drivers

One-way traffic means nothing to motorcycles

Tanker can’t carry steel

Internet nightmare

Editor;

Where would we be without the hundreds of internet cafes in Pattaya? They are quick, efficient and inexpensive, the ideal way of keeping in touch with our families and friends. However, over the last 3 months I have had dreadful experiences in 3 different internet cafes.

In one to my horror the cafe had programmed all its 12 computers so that everyone who switched on could access my hotmail number without a password. People were reading, sending and storing things on my email. It was weeks before I discovered this and was completely shocked to discover that someone had been sending pornographic pictures of children to business and family addresses on my list. I was devastated it caused great anguish and some friends refuse my emails and explanations. Eventually I had to get someone to go to the shop to dismantle the system that was programmed.

Even worse, in another shop I sent some job applications overseas. 2 pages were sent; however, after clicking send a message came on the screen saying 13 pages were sent to the 3 addresses. Bewildered, I opened the extra pages and to my absolute disgust and horror hard pornographic photos had been sent. The owner of the cafe was baffled. How could someone program it like this at another shop? I sat down and opened the computer and was myself able after clicking outlook express to access many other people’s mail address books and personal photos.

I know several others who have had this experience and today heard another story of some holidaymakers that had shocking photos of children sent to everyone on their address list. It is very sad that these sick people are left free to walk the streets. How sad and frustrated they must be to do this. Even sadder still was the attitude in the cafes: they shrugged mai pen rai and didn’t seem bothered.

I sincerely hope you print this letter to warn users of the cafes that this is happening. I feel very sorry for everyone who has been a victim of this and would like to warn everyone that after signing out they should try going back to ensure that the next user cannot access their email. Also check by clicking on outlook express, as sometimes they program that to access everyone’s mail.

Yours sincerely,

Khun John

District chief should bear full responsibility

Editor;

Regarding the district chief’s concern that drugs and crimes are on the increase, surely he must realize that he and his fellow politicians must bear full responsibilities for this. By raising the age requirements in entertainment venues you have put thousands of 17, 18 and 19 year olds on the street with no other option but to turn to drug selling and theft and mugging to survive.

What do you think uneducated girls and boys will do? Even on the beach vendors are harassed and arrested and are forced to find other ways to try and feed and educate their children. Unfortunately the only thing left is to turn to crime.

Hunger and desperation will always breed crime. Recently a young couple was forced to give up their twin daughters because they could not care for them... how sad. This should have been a wake up call that your new social order was not working. In the attempt to westernise your values you have forsaken your Buddhist beliefs and teachings.

The sad thing about all this is you won’t say, “Hey this is not working - the people are hurting.” You are driving away tourists and businessmen, the very lifeblood of your country. Governments tumble when they no longer care for their people. You should once again return to your beliefs and Buddhist teachings as this is what makes Thailand.

Thailand, the land of smiles (tho there are not many smiles on the people right now).

Signed,

SH

Changes needed in Pattaya

Hi Pattaya Mail,

I enjoy reading your newspaper. Pattaya Mail is another way for me to keep up with what’s going on back home.

I just wish that Pattaya as a tourist town would concentrate more on improving the city by getting rid of those “bad entertainment shows” and be more family friendly. I do not want my teenagers go to Pattaya because of the stuff that Pattaya is known for. It is too bad! Pattaya is such a beautiful city to allow such things to happen there.

My advice to the city officials: please keep Pattaya “clean” and safe for families.

Thank you!

Judi

Hundreds of cities

Dear Editor;

I thoroughly enjoy reading Khai Khem’s editorials in the Pattaya Mail - they are thought provoking yet easy to digest, and sincere in their intent.

However, there are many instances where a little more research and less hyperbole would do more justice to the topic in hand. Most recently, in the commentary titled “Party On”, the author makes reference to Thailand as safer, “in comparison with hundreds of countries around the world”. In lieu of the fact that there are not even two hundred countries in the world, (almost though!), where are all these other countries I don’t know about? (Smiles)

Keep up the good work!

Cheers!

Pajavaman

Khai Khem responds: Dear Pajavaman, You’ve got a quick eye! My gaffe that week was probably not as funny as the one I made in another issue when I wrote that it takes one year to cure syphilis. The “Doc” caught me on that one, and rightly so. What I meant to write was that Pattaya is safer than hundreds of cities around the world. I got it wrong and you got it right. It was wishful thinking on my part. While daydreaming at the keyboard I was wishing that planet Earth had hundreds of safe cities. I love it when readers have a sense of humor. Thanks for the smiles.

Re: Telepathic Drivers

Sir,

With regard to “Telepathic Drivers” penned by “JL”. I must agree wholeheartedly with this comment, at least the traffic does flow reasonably well in Pattaya, albeit a little chaotic in places. There are many examples of busy intersections but one, for example is the one at the Soi Boukhow / Pattaya Klang intersection. Traffic here is very busy but the Thai style of negotiating the intersection is without fault. Vehicles coming into and out of the junction know it is likely that another vehicle will be in their way and drive accordingly i.e. take care and expect the unexpected.

Here in England of course, traffic lights would be set up at such a busy junction and then there would be long delays before being able to proceed. If at any time traffic lights were to be set up at this particular junction, during busy periods (most of the time actually) Soi Boukhow would be completely grid locked.

The skills of the Thais on motorcycles is legendary (learnt at a very early age, up country somewhere). OK, sometimes to us Western “trained” drivers their manoeuvres are a little surprising, on the whole the system works well.

Robert Creasey

There are no Americans

Editor:

Several months ago my wife and I spent several weeks traveling through Thailand. We have been fortunate to have traveled throughout the world, but we where not prepared for your country. The beauty and diversity of the land, along with its culture and history was amazing. And the Thai people that we met convinced us that here was a place that we might call home. I will not presume to tell you any more about Thailand, I have a lot to learn, and am in the process of doing my homework.

But there is one thing I would like to comment on, and that is “Americans”, a subject I have some knowledge on. As I traveled about your country, I felt that your knowledge of us was mainly from the military presence. Military personnel on leave are not what Americans are about. There are no Americans! There are Thai people, English, French, German, Spanish, Indian, etc., people. But not American, its just a title. Americans are Thai, English, French, German, etc., that have left the country to start a new life in the United States. We know that we are not perfect. This experiment with Democracy is only 226 years old. We make mistakes. We’re trying, and we kind of feel that in the end we will get it right. Patience, be my friend even with all my obvious faults, I will be true.

Ron Fleitman

New York City, USA

More on telepathic drivers

Dear Editor,

I must protest against JL’s comments about the local drivers here. I mean, passed down from father to son? More like the money is given for the son to go and buy the license.

The truth is the majority of these people really do not know how to drive at all and certainly do not look whilst behind the wheel or handle bars. They are either a) too busy looking in the shops, bars or gazing in the air, b) yapping away on their mobile phones or c) completely brain dead from all the yaba they have been taking!

Crackdown on foreigners here? They should really start on their own and start by teaching them correct road knowledge and another good idea as I have just come back from a smoke screening by a pick up truck is to get all of the vehicles tested for pollution and emissions that they are clearly doing to “our” not “their” world.

Clean this town up and start by looking at themselves!

Yours,

Mick

One-way traffic means nothing to motorcycles

Sirs,

On my recent visit to Pattaya I was nearly hit several times by a motorbike going the wrong way on Second Road. It is nearly impossible for a pedestrian to cross this road, but when the chance does come you can be hit by a motorbike going the wrong way. At night some motorbikes don’t even turn on headlights. I have heard many stories of this happening to others, and it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured by this. It seems that motorbikes are exempt from all traffic laws.

Sincerely,

Don Eggleston

Tanker can’t carry steel

Dear Sirs,

In your last issue there was a report regarding a tanker running into fish nurseries. According to the article the tanker was loaded with steel. As a tanker is a vessel designed for the transport of liquid cargo only, this is impossible. I presume the vessel was a bulk carrier or a general cargo ship, loaded with steel.

Regards,

Ruud Koornwinder, Naval Architect

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