HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Where’s the water?

Two-tiered medical care pricing

Appalled to learn of the ludicrous allegations

Clarify your California smoking facts

Mini bus fare needs clarification

Stunned by Dr. Iain Corness’s letter

Police presence on the beach could be put to better use

Surprised to read Dr. Iain's comments on Bush, Blair and Saddam

Water wastage

Where’s the water?

Editor;

Having seen the endless flow of water magically disappear from Soi Siam Country Club, which was amazingly swiftly dealt with, water again seems to be the hot issue in the wonderful City of Pattaya, or at least the lack of it.

Anyone passing Mabprachan Lake could be excused for thinking it’s a puddle, as the waterline has been plummeting at an alarming rate. Residents within the Soi Thepprasit area have been without water for several weeks, relying on water trucks delivering water from unknown and untested sources. With talk of expanding tourism, casinos and a booming construction industry, the Pattaya water shortages can only get worse in the coming years.

It’s time we believe that City Hall seriously tackled this problem before the consequences are too late.

Concerned Resident

Two-tiered medical care pricing

Mailbag;

I would have thought that the medical profession was above this two-tiered pricing system. I went to the local clinic to inquire about an antibiotic shot for my Thai lady friend who was not feeling well. The doctor initially quoted me at 1500 baht for the single injection until I made it clear the shot was not for me, but a Thai and then the price dropped to 400 baht.

Buying medication at the ‘family’ pharmacy got the same results. 4 antibiotic tablets, falang price 160 baht, 4 antibiotic tablets, Thai price 40 baht. The Tourism Authority of Thailand really needs to set some standard for business practices here because this is in fact not ‘business’ but more stealing. Taking advantage of sick people got to be the most pathetic thing I’ve seen yet.

Disheartened falang

Appalled to learn of the ludicrous allegations

Dear Editor;

To say I was appalled to learn of the ludicrous allegations being made concerning Fr. Ray Brennan of the Pattaya Orphanage is putting it mildly. To cast such aspersions on such a great man can only do a serious injustice to dedicated professional journalists the world over.

Having known Fr. Ray, personally, for some three to four years and being a proud sponsor of the orphanage and the work being done by Fr. Ray and his dedicated staff, I can only say what others are saying and that is “Carry on Fr. Ray with your great works and take pride in what you are doing for the underprivileged children of this city and be assured that your good name continues to live in the hearts and minds of your supporters.”

I despise the manner in which this Man of the Millennium has been treated and can only hold in contempt those who have attempted to cast doubt on this great person’s reputation and work to sell a few extra newspapers!

God Bless You Father and your fervent workers and supporters.

R. M. Girvan

Diana Estate, Pattaya 20260

Clarify your California smoking facts

Dear Editor,

People should be able to express their opinions when they write a Letter to the Editor. However, I believe the newspaper should take some care in publishing something without comment when what is expressed as fact is blatantly false, and the newspaper can easily verify that. “Concerned Pattaya Resident” stated that smoking had declined in California from 29 percent to 2 percent following a ban on smoking in all public places. The current rate of smoking in California is between 17 percent and 23 percent, depending on the age group and gender studied.

The biggest impact on the decline in smoking comes from the much higher taxes placed on tobacco products (cigarettes now cost around $5 a pack), not from limitations on where one can smoke.

Thank you,

(Signed) A California resident and pipe smoker

Mini bus fare needs clarification

Dear Editor,

I wonder if one of the city officials known to read your fine newspaper could clarify what the correct fare for mini bus in Pattaya is. The baht busses display a sign detailing what the fare isn’t; i.e., ‘not over 10 baht’.

One has to say it would have been much more helpful if the sign could have detailed what the fare is. For example, I recently took the mini bus from the corner of South Pattaya Road and the Second Road, almost outside the Mike Department Store to Soi 8. On exiting the mini bus I paid the fare I have been paying for some year now of 5 baht. This is clearly ‘not over 10 baht’ which the sign ascribes as the correct fare for one-way journeys in Pattaya.

The driver jumped from his cab and advanced on me and to my alarm I saw he was armed with a metal bar. ’10 baht’ he screamed at me and raised the bar as if to strike me. I immediately gave him the extra 5 baht and he returned to his vehicle leaving me shaken but uninjured.

If the fare is now 10 baht then the signs should indicate that. As a native English speaker I can tell you that the sign is unclear and will be interpreted as meaning that for a journey in Pattaya any fare less than 10 baht is acceptable.

For the safety of residents and tourists in Pattaya I urge you to clarify this matter.

Mark Bottomley

Stunned by Dr. Iain Corness’s letter

Dear Sir,

I was stunned by Dr. Iain Corness’s letter “Why I don’t trust...”. How can an apparently educated man discuss Saddam Hussein without mentioning how he violated UN resolutions, the invasion of Kuwait, the long war with Iran, the daily television pictures of Saddam with western hostage families prior to Gulf War 1, etc., is amazing.

If Dr. Corness wants to do more than run his mouth off, I would be happy to contribute to a one-way ticket to Iraq for him so he can become a “peace hostage”.

And finally, if this is about oil, so what! The whole world, including Dr. Corness, depends on exported Middle East oil, directly or indirectly, so the free flow of oil is just as good a reason for disarming Saddam Hussein as the other dozen or so reasons which Dr. Corness seems to have conveniently forgotten. If his kind of thinking had prevailed 60 years ago, he would probably be speaking German and saluting a Swastika today!

Al Ferron,

Pattaya

Police presence on the beach could be put to better use

Dear Editor

We are regular users of the excellent Jomtien Beach and have been frequenting the beach for many years. We read with interest the letter from Ganymede in your 31 January Pattaya Mail and support his view that the beach vendors provide a convenient service selling, among other items, fruit, food, cakes, sunhats, sunglasses and beach wraps, etc.

We have noticed the increased police presence on the beach, seemingly harassing these vendors, preventing them from providing a service to the beach users and making an honest living with which to provide for themselves and their families. These vendors are always polite and non-intrusive and are of great benefit to the beach users who wish no more than to relax and enjoy the sun, sea and sand at Jomtien and to purchase whatever they need. Many of the best and safest parts of the beach frontage are a long walk from vehicle parking facilities and retailers and would be less popular if the vendors were not present. We suggest a nominal licensing fee would be a better solution to allow the vendors to legally provide this very welcome service.

If the policing of beaches remained their efforts could be concentrated not only on animal abuse, but on ensuring the Thai beach dress codes are maintained. We have also observed that the well designated safe swimming zones are being ignored by people windsurfing, para-boarding, jet-skiing and catamaran sailing. These people are not carefully crossing the designated safe swimming zones to gain access to the open sea from the beach, but are carrying out their sports within the safe swimming zones, creating hazardous situations for swimmers.

The police presence would be greatly appreciated if they took steps to stop these dangerous practices and punish the abusers to the fullest extent of the law.

We hope you are able to print our letter and that the authorities accept our suggestions as being constructive to promote a safe and well serviced beach resort which may help generate increased tourism for the benefit of Thailand and sun/beach worshippers.

Yours truly

Jomtien Beach Lovers

Surprised to read Dr. Iain's comments on Bush, Blair and Saddam

Editor;

As an American citizen residing in Thailand, I was surprised to read Dr. Iain's comments regarding Bush, Blair, and Saddam in last week's issue of the Pattaya Mail. And I was even more surprised to find that I must agree with the good doctor on every point.

Saddam is certainly an evil despot but, at worst, is only a minor threat to his immediate neighbors and no threat whatsoever to the U.S. or Britain. As Dr. Iain noted, this war will be about the control of oil and its profits (but also about Bush's need to distract American voters' attention from the shambles he has made of a once-prosperous and reasonably respected country). In reality, Bush and his water-boy Blair are the only real dangers to peace today.

A "regime change" in Washington would achieve far more in the cause of peace and democracy than anything that might take place in Baghdad. But Bush is a determined man, and there can be little doubt that we will soon be treated to Pentagon-produced action videos showing our brave American pilots incinerating innocent civilians from the air-conditioned comfort of their jet planes at 30,000 feet.

It is amazing to me that a charlatan like Bush apparently continues to receive support from a majority of Americans. But then again, perhaps the people producing those polls are the same folks who counted the votes in Florida.

Robert Froisness

Jomtien

Water wastage

Dear Sirs,

Regarding your news item about the shortage of water in Pattaya, I would like to point out that after seeing the water flowing down Soi 13 for the past two months, I am not surprised that there is a water shortage if this wastage of thousands of gallons of water has been allowed to go on for so long.

Yours,

NC

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