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Time to move the motorbikes
Mailbag;
Once again, the Beach Road is lined with rental motorbikes, blocking all the
parking spaces. Those wanting to go shopping along the beach are forced to
rely on public transportation or change their destination to one of the
local malls.
The mayor has spoken of correcting this problem, yet it
seems to get worse as the months go by. Come on Pattaya City Council, do
your job and instruct the police to enforce the parking laws.
Gary Hacker
Pattaya
Giving credit when it is due
Dear Editor,
This is the first time I have ever written to you but I believe in giving
credit when it is due, so here goes. First, I always enjoy the column
“Personal Directions” by Christina Dodd. I also enjoy your human
interest stories, like the one on the “Village of Love”; it was very
touching to know there are people that still care for one another and are
willing to share their goods with others.
Also, I have had very good service at the Memorial
Hospital.
Thank you.
June
Ashamed to be British
Dear Editor,
I feel I must try and vent my disgust and anger on an incident that I have
witnessed this evening. As a British subject and having served 28 years in a
Home Office related profession, I was appalled to see several English male
adults sat in an English run establishment on Soi Yamoto gloating over a
sign they were advertising on a chalkboard they had erected outside the bar.
It was obviously advertising a sporting event due to take place between
England and Japan. Japan had been replaced with the derogatory word (Nips)
and underneath was clearly written “Jap Scum we will never forget”.
If this was intended to be amusing or indeed clever I
would suggest the author should travel a little further than the bar stools
and bar and he would soon realize the importance of Japan’s economy here
in South East Asia. If in fact he was referring to the 2nd World War I would
strongly suspect arithmetic was not his strongest subject. If it was he
would realize that the war ended some 58 years ago and unlike other nations,
Japan hasn’t been in conflict since.
It is not surprising that problems and violence are in
the news on a daily basis when you see as I have these racist comments and
inciting words. This is Thailand; we are guests here. Why should Thai people
put up with this kind of puerile racist behaviour?
P.T. Coghlan M.B.I.
Concerned about Thailand’s beaches
Editor;
Is this the future of Jomtien Beach and perhaps the entire coastline of
Thailand?
 The
police that sit under this massive advertising sign on the corner of Jomtien
Beach Road and Thappraya Road say it’s entirely legal and anyone can erect
them regardless of the height limitations and setback requirements that were
established to protect the views of the Thai coastline.
I hope someone can put a stop to this soon before the
Thai beaches become one big advertisement!
Concerned about Thailand’s image,
Johnny Aloha
Dirty beaches won’t bring tourists back
Hello,
Pattaya beaches need a daily cleaning, or perhaps a weekly cleaning by a
team of professionals. A yearly cleaning by a team of a few girl volunteers
doesn’t keep the beaches clean and dirty beaches don’t bring back the
tourists a second or third time.
As important as the beaches are to your economy, I would
have thought you all would have moved them to high up on the list of things
to keep clean to attract more tourists dollars. You should get out to see
what other beaches look like; then you would be ashamed of the beach at
Pattaya. The English language internet guidebooks comment on how dirty the
beach at Pattaya is. I found the reports to be accurate.
The beaches of Thailand are a national treasure. You all
are spoiling your national treasure. How does it feel? When next I come to
Pattaya I hope to find a tropical paradise, not a tropical dumping ground.
Simeon Smith
Move over UBC
Dear Editor,
For the price we all have to pay for UBC television, I’m finally coming to
the point, after many years of subscribing to this service, where I’m
convinced I’d be better off writing a cheque to a local charity and
joining its volunteers as a more productive, informative, entertaining and
useful way to spend my time.
I’m an ‘old’ customer who is so fed up with
disappointment I can barely watch the tube anymore. After a while I just
leave the TV on for the dogs to watch. It keeps them company while I work at
the computer.
UBC has stagnated into a mind-numbing white noise
equivalent to the old Musac in American elevators. It’s repetitive to the
point I am able to mouth the talking heads and actors’ dialogue as they
speak because I’ve seen it all before.
The international news is so predictable I can leave it
for a week and tune in without missing a beat. Even the channels in the Thai
language programming are so primitive that I only watch them for a good
laugh.
Cable operators around the nation are hardly better. Most
of them are a scrambled mess of ‘something for everyone’; a poorly laid
out buffet of rubbish that is totally indigestible by viewers of any nation.
UBC’s monopoly and government regulations have left them hamstrung and
unable to provide their customers with better choices.
UBC is nothing but an adult babysitter for shut-ins and
should move over and let the viewing public vote with their pocketbooks.
Give us something for our money, please, or let others have a chance.
C.S.
I Love Thailand
I love the Country of Thailand with
Her majestic mountains and idle plains
The winds that kiss the ocean and
The sometimes torrential rains
Her famous fertile valleys and
The legendary River Kwai too
And I am happy in my heart
When all her skies are blue
I love her friendly people but
Not the stray dogs that are so vicious
I also enjoy a midnight snack at a street vendor
And more times than not, very delicious
And when the Thailand stars appear
Wherever friendly people roam
My dreams have all come true because
I know that I am home
B. Phillip Webb Jr.
Peter Cummings is quite charming
Mr. Editor,
What a nice article by Peter Cummings on “Koh Samui Regatta”. I always
enjoy his articles on Yachting. I met him once, he is quite charming.
Your magazine is tops.
Louise Smarts
Casting call for budding actors
Fancy yourself as an actor? The opportunity is now at
hand as a Bangkok based film company, which has produced films such as Fan
Chan (My Girl), Satree Lek (Iron Ladies) and Mekhong Full Moon Party, is
casting foreigners who can speak Thai for their upcoming movie. The movie is
due to be filmed on Koh Phang Nga beginning this August, and will be
centered around a tin mining operation.
Casting dates have yet to be fixed, but according to the
film company, they will take place in Pattaya. Roles up for grabs are for
the mine boss, who ideally should be a white male with a big build, aged
45-60, and able to speak some Thai.
The second role is that of a new miner who should be
around 40 and have quite a robust mid section, no Thai is needed for this
role. Finally, another role is for the mine foreman who ideally is aged
around 40, robust mid section and balding. This role requires budding stars
to be fluent in both Thai and English and of Asian descent. The first and
second parts are major roles and will entail quite of lot of work.
So, if you’re up for the part, send a resume and a
recent mug shot of yourself via email: Jarupas @hubhohin or contact Khun Jib
on 01 802 6702, 02 662 5383 ext.213 or Khun Po on 01 170 4369 during their
office hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Who knows, you might be a movie star in
the making!
How many school kids can fit in a baht bus?
Graham
Smith from Tambon Pong sent us this photo of a “school bus” in Pong
district, along with a rhetorical question, “How many more can you fit
in?” Thanks Graham.
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