HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Not my experience

Help reduce muggings – take sensible precautions

The Will To Live

Greedy thieves are the leeches of society

Farewell Mr. wise man, Leslie Wright

Suggestions to minimize water shortages

Not my experience

Dear Editor,
Forgive me if I touch on several issues. ‘Gold Ball’ in 12th March issue prompted me by saying, amongst other things: “Pattaya itself? We walked once at night on Beach Road, we were not approached at all, may I say, but the sight of many, many others being propositioned was too much for us. It was like walking a gauntlet we could do without.”

I stayed in the Serene Hotel recently, twice, for a total of not much short of a month, and had a nice inexpensive room with a huge window overlooking Beach Road. I spent many hours just watching the world go by at any time between dawn and the early hours of morning and did not see a single untoward incident except for one little bizarre moment when a policeman came along and took a chair away from a protesting lady.

I have also walked along Beach Road many times in the day time and a few at night, usually in the company of a Thai friend. Never an incident. I did have one worrying moment whilst waiting for a baht bus with an English friend and two Thai young men (we had all just been to play 10-pin). We were sworn at and threatened by two drunken English lads, surrounded by an entire bar of slightly alarmed Thai ladies. Encouraging, that my only experience of threat came from my own young people, unable to handle Singha like men.

Meanwhile, taxis arranged in Bangkok and Pattaya, in advance, always arrived smack on time, the price was never put up, and the justly deserved tips for the excellent drivers were received with gratitude. Every arrangement I have made in Thailand either directly, or through a Thai friend, or via the internet has always been met to perfection. I have never been asked for more than the pre-arranged deal (but have often given slightly more - perhaps the word regarding a ‘good’ Farang gets around).

Being semi-retired, a part-time writer - currently researching a travel book - readers may be interested to learn that I compared statistics for murder, rape, car theft, overall crime, number in prison, etc., and Thailand is, overall, clearly safer than either the UK or the USA (so long as you stay off a motorbike). In all my visits to Thailand (about eight) I have never seen an incident of aggression (except watching Muay Thai - not in Pattaya, of course, where the boys are very careful with each other) though, I have to admit, I have frequented some shady joints, so to speak. But there IS one thing...

It does strike me as curiously strange that recently I have read of so many foreigners being given to accidentally enveloping their faces with plastic bags and thus dying or leaping to their death from luxurious condos when, after all, they are in the Land of Smiles for the peace of it all.
Michael Round

Help reduce muggings – take sensible precautions

Dear Editor,
The reports of the mugging of two Thai nationals and two foreign visitors (Pattaya Mail, 19th March) do not make pleasant reading. It is possibly worth remarking that in three of the four incidents the persons attacked were carrying either large amounts of money or credit cards.

Common sense would suggest that visitors should leave their valuables in a safe deposit box in their hotel and go out, especially late at night, with only what is required for their evening’s entertainment. If personal identification is required it can be carried in the form of photocopies.

Men should avoid carrying wallets in back trouser pockets. Ladies would be well advised not to wear large gold necklaces and bracelets and if a handbag is considered necessary it should be carried on the side furthest away from the road. If the lady is accompanied, the man should walk on the outside. Dimly lit small sois are best avoided whenever possible and journeys of any distance made by taxi.

No doubt similar crimes will continue to occur, but one can but hope that sensible precautions will help to reduce the number.

Yours faithfully,
Robert Patnicroft

The Will To Live

B. Phillip Webb Jr.

The most important human element in surviving a serious illness is not necessarily the skill of the doctor. More often it is our own desire to go on living. Our physician can do just so much. The rest depends on us, and sometimes our only chance for recovery is -

The Will To Live

Whatever skill or medicine
The doctor tries to give
He cannot help the failing heart
That does not want to live

There is no medicine or serum new
When death is at the door
To save the vessel that is wrecked
And bring it back to shore

It is a matter of the mind
And of the heart and soul
And that determination to
Attain a certain goal

A doctor can be famous and
Successful everywhere
But he may not equal too
The symptoms of despair

And there is nothing he can do
And nothing he can give
Unless the patient looks to God
And has the will to live

Greedy thieves are the leeches of society

Editor;
As a result of human greed for a more indulgent life, many people in society are now looking for any way to make money in order to satisfy their desires. This has turned many people into greedy thieves.

I believe that nowadays there are many types of social classes in this market economy society. People who have a good job and good financial circumstances along with careful spending habits will become well respected in their society.

On the contrary those who usually take advantage of other people, like to spend more than what they can earn and never think of any way to earn extra income for their family are considered the leeches of society.

Some people that are not disabled become beggars just in order to support their daily food requirements because of their laziness. This kind of person is classified as poor and normally comes from a poor community.

I also believe, those that are addicted to gambling and drugs are usually always to blame for their poverty.

I was reading the Bangkok Post a few weeks ago and one reader had written in that she felt there were too many thieves in the city. And she continued to say, “Thieves can take vegetables that are growing in a garden and take rice baskets that have been left cooking.” Another reader commented, “My husband was recently the victim of a theft. A man pretending to be a buyer’s assistant, telling my husband that he came to help carry goods for the buyer. In order to impress the buyer with good service, my husband eventually fell into the thieves’ trap and allowed the thieves to fetch the goods that the buyer had paid for already.”

In some cases, thieves go to visit the family, claiming to be relatives of the family. The thieves tell the family they have come to get some rice for their parents. After the family believes that the thieves are their relatives, the family will give them the rice that they asked for.

Another case sees friends betraying each other. Some people try to take advantage of the close relationship with their friends in order to steal their friends’ belongings. One person pretends to borrow his friend’s motorbike for a short while. Having trusted a friend, the motorbike owner would allow the person to take his motorbike.

Unfortunately, the person would take this opportunity to take the motorbike to a key shop in order to produce another key. After a while, he returns the motorbike to his friend.

A few days pass, the motorbike lender would give the newly produced key to another friend and pay him to steal the motorbike.

These problems occur because of human greed. Surely, they are a negative impact on society.
B. Phillip Webb

Farewell Mr. wise man, Leslie Wright

Dear Editor,
I am saddened to learn that Mr. Leslie Wright has passed away. On behalf of the readers of “Family Money” at Pattaya Mail, I wish to offer our sincerest condolences to his family. In praise and recognition to Mr. Wright’s column contribution, may I salute him, our wise adviser, and we will always remember him. God bless your soul.
Chelsia Lim,
Singapore

Suggestions to minimize water shortages

Sir,
I would like to inform Concerned Resident and others who are worried about a forthcoming water shortage that the greatest waste of water is caused by the factory farming industry. Eating a vegetarian diet, even for one or two days a week, would help tremendously to avoid a water shortage. It would also save a great deal of animal suffering, save you money and contribute towards a lowered chance of getting kidney failure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer.

Of course, there are other ways in which water is wasted, and people should be encouraged to recycle water as much as possible. For example water used to wash fruit and veg can be used to water plants; bath or shower water can be used to flush the toilet; water from washing clothes might be use for washing the floor or flushing the toilet, etc.

Another Concerned Resident

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