Religious blessing to bring good luck in work place

Suchada Tupchai

Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, four deputy mayors, city council members, heads and staff of all units at city hall attended a Buddhist monk ceremony and alms giving at Phraya conference room, Pattaya City Hall last week.

Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn organized a Buddhist monk ceremony and alms giving at Phraya conference room, Pattaya City Hall.

The mayor said since he and his teams were elected to the positions, they haven’t held any celebration to mark the beginning of this great communal service mission yet.

Mayor Niran said the Buddhist monk and alms giving ceremony are believed to bring about good fortune and a cheerful environment to city hall. He said, “Thais believe that we should hold a religious ceremony when we move to a new home, new office, or new working place for the goodness of all parties.”

Mayor Niran said it was also a good chance for him and his deputies to join his city staff to observe the beginning of a good relationship together. Mayor Niran said this would also create a friendly working atmosphere for him and his staff. The city also provided lunch for the staff after the monk ceremony.

City hosts mass cleanup in honor of HM the Queen’s 72nd birthday

Pattaya to sparkle for special occasion

Suchada Tupchai

Wuttisak Rermkijakarn, Pattaya deputy mayor, led a preparation meeting at city hall on July 8 for a mass city cleanup, held on July 14, to honor HM Queen Sirikit’s 6th cycle birthday celebrations.

During the meeting the deputy mayor revealed that Pattaya residents, members of the government and private sectors had been invited to participate to honor Her Majesty as well as improve the city’s environment.

Road crews collecting rubbish and officials cleaning drains of debris and general cleanup crews at a number of points around city were called in for the meeting, and the city promised to increase the number of garbage trucks to cope with the extra load.

The event took place in two parts with a ceremony paying respects to HM the Queen at 8.30 a.m. followed by the cleanup activities from 10 a.m.

Foundation stone to be laid this month for Pattaya’s indoor sports stadium

Opening planned to be in time to host Asian Indoor Games in November 2005

Ariyawat Nuamsawat

The foundation stone for Pattaya’s 472.5 million baht athletics stadium will be officially laid on July 23 by Sontaya Khunplome, tourism and sports minister.

Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn (right) listens to representatives of the construction company who will build the new stadium.

The stadium, designed by SPC Consulting and Engineering Co. will take 450 days to build. Contactors Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd. will do the construction.

In a preparation meeting at city hall last week, Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn reviewed the ceremony details and appointed relevant departments to oversee the day’s proceedings.

The stadium, which is being funded by the Thai Athletics Association, will be used for the inaugural Asian Indoor Games scheduled to be held November 12 to 18, 2005, after which it be held every two years. Other events will include a variety of sporting activities involving track and field, swimming, Muay Thai boxing and extreme sport competitions.

Pattaya’s city administrators will be responsible for the opening ceremonies and athletes’ accommodation for the major sporting event once construction is complete.

German tourist detained after failing to pay bar bill

Finnish national detained for domestic violence

Allegedly smacked wife over lost mobile phone

Boonlua Chatree

Foreign crime suppression police, armed with an arrest warrant, last week moved in to detain Ilpo Heino, 46, from Finland at his house in Soi Bongkot.

Finn Ilpo Heino was arrested for domestic violence after allegedly whacking his wife over a missing mobile phone.

The court issued a warrant for the man’s arrest after an official complaint was made by the man’s defacto wife. Heino allegedly hit the woman after an argument broke out in a restaurant kitchen owned by the Finn, over a missing mobile phone.

Injured, the woman was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. She made an official complaint to police and following a brief investigation the warrant was issued for grievous bodily harm.

Heino was taken to Soi 9 police station for further questioning where charges were laid against him.

Police briefs

Boonlua Chatree

Police raid the Jade, charge service girls 500 baht

Special crime suppression units stormed the Jade Berlin House, in Jomtien Nivate Village, at around 8.30 p.m. on July 9. The sting operation was enabled when foreign police volunteers set up the sting by using marked banknotes to pay a bar fine.

Once the transaction was made the undercover volunteer sent a signal to police outside to move in.

Officers moved and visited the bar’s rooms where there were a number of people involved in sexual acts. They were ordered to get dressed while the remaining officers rounded up 33 other bar staff and the mamasan.

All 33 service girls were piled into waiting police vehicles and hauled off to Soi 9 for questioning. The girls were each fined 500 baht before being released.

The mamasan was charged with operating a business involved in procuring women to sell sexual services as well as operating an entertainment business without the relevant approvals. She was locked up in Soi 9 awaiting further judicial proceedings.

‘Ice’ dealer arrested in police sting
operation

Criminal investigation and drug enforcement officers received a tip off that a man in Soi Nernplubwan was selling the crystalline form of methamphetamine, aka ‘ice’. Officers obtained the man’s number and set up the sting operation just after midnight on July 5.

Officers lay in wait and as the deal was struck, they moved in to arrest Sukornkree Thongchareonsirikul, 35, with 30 packets of the drug on his person. Police also confiscated a mobile phone and 6,420 baht in cash.

Sukornkree was dealing the drug out of a house in Soi Maypilia 4, off Nernplubwan. He was transferred to the Banglamung police station to face charges with possession and distributing a class one illegal substance.

Body of newborn found in shallow grave

The body of a newborn was discovered in shallow watery grave at the Charknok reservoir in the Huay Yai district. Amnuay Polkong, 40, made the grisly find.

Amnuay told police he was preparing for a day of fishing when his dog let out an unusual whimper and began digging in the spot where he eventually found the body.

Police inspected the body of the baby girl, which still had the umbilical chord attached, to discover that child’s neck was broken, and there were a number of bruises on her body. Initial examinations revealed that child had been dead for no less than 24 hours.

A survey of the area turned up numerous footprints and motorcycle tracks and police suspect that the newborn’s mother killed her newborn after giving birth at home and was unable to care for her unwanted child. They suspect that the woman was either too young or worked at a local bar.

The newborn’s body was sent to the forensic institute for a post mortem while police continue with their investigation.

Man arrested for firing gun in public during jealous rage

Alcohol-fueled jealousy led to the arrest of 24-year-old truck driver Visanupong Gaempratoop after he fired two rounds from a borrowed .38 caliber revolver into the air in Soi Khaotalo.

Police were called to the Saosakol Karaoke Bar at 2.30 a.m. on July 8 following a report of the incident. A team of officers arrived at the bar to find Visanupong still at the bar waving his weapon around. Police calmly detained him without further incident and escorted him to the Banglamung police station for questioning.

Visanupong told police that he had arrived to pick up his girlfriend at the bar to find her flirting with rivals with whom he had a previous history of problems. The five other men had apparently beaten him and Visanupong flew into a rage when he saw his love interest with them.

Visanupong added that he borrowed the gun from a friend to get even and scare away the group of men. He arrived back at the bar and fired two shots into the air in a fit of rage.

Police inspected the gun, which was unregistered, and found that two of the six rounds were spent. They charged Visanupong with illegal possession of an unregistered weapon, carrying a loaded weapon inside the city/residential area without reason and firing the weapon without real cause in a public place.

Visanupong Gaempratoop was placed in a jail cell to calm his temper and await judicial proceedings.

Body of unidentified teen discovered on North Pattaya Beach

Tourists and beachgoers made a gruesome discovery at 1 a.m. on July 9: the battered body of young man. Police arrived at the beach, at the end of Soi Naklua 22, amid a large number of onlookers.

The young man, believed to be between 18-20 years of age, had several cuts and bruises over his face and initial examinations led police to believe he had been dead for around 7 hours. A search of the dead youth’s pockets turned up half a packet of cigarettes but no identification documents.

Investigating officers Pol. Lt. Col. Sukitti Saiykiat said, “At this point we do not know who the dead man is or where he is from. However, we suspect that he is a local resident and most likely was killed by other teens. We have two theories at this stage, first that he was dumped here or that met his killers on the beach and they were unable to work out their differences. There definitely more than one person involved in this case.”

Sailors spend valuable time with kids

Senior Chief Storekeeper Vince Watkins, a member of the Destroyer Squadron One staff, signs his “autograph” for students at the Klong Bang Pai school during a community service project as part of the Thailand phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT). For three days, Sailors and Coastguardsmen spent time with the children and made numerous repairs to the facilities and school grounds. (U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 2nd Class (SW) Stephen Haynes)

Royal Thai Navy divers become part of Salvor crew during CARAT

By Electrician’s Mate 1st Class Elysian McIntyre
USS Salvor (ARS 52) public affairs

Two groups of professionals who speak completely different languages and live worlds apart from each other, came together for more than a week beginning June 30 on board USS Salvor (ARS 52) to share a common interest and skills in deep sea diving.

During the Thailand phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT), U.S. Navy and Royal Thai Navy divers worked together in port and at sea on a salvage project and wreck dives planned by Salvor’s master diver, Master Chief Machinist’s Mate Jim Nichols.

Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Scott Hubbard, left, of USS Salvor (ARS 52), helps a Royal Thai Navy diver adjust the headset of the 2A hand held sonar prior to diving. (U.S. Navy photo by Electrician’s Mate 1st Class Elysian McIntyre)

CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually throughout Southeast Asia that began in 1995 by combining a number of existing exercises to be conducted sequentially by a single U.S. Navy task group.

Preceding dive operations July 5-7, the Thai divers had the opportunity to experience shipboard life. Preparing for emergency situations, they were briefed on where man-overboard and abandon ship stations were, and how to don an Emergency Escape Breathing Device.

“Just like any workplace, you always need to know the nearest escape route and how to get there safely,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class John Ashley. “Shipboard life is no different. Anything could happen here. I want the Thai divers to feel welcome but I also want them to be safe.”

Thai divers were also given instruction on how to prepare for a two-point moor. This included heaving around on an 8-inch hawser and faking it out on deck. This required every person available and the Thai divers were more than happy to lend a hand.

Diving operations consisted of locating and salvaging a project from the bottom, which lay approximately 90-feet below the surface. They used hand-held sonar devices to locate the project and then attached a lift bag to it. The diver filled the lift bag with air until the project had slight negative buoyancy and then brought it to the surface in a controlled ascent.

For every dive that was made, there was always one U.S. diver and one Thai diver getting in the water and working together to complete a phase of the project. They literally worked hand in hand until the project was safely raised to the surface. The Thai divers were excited about showing the American divers a wreck that was nearby. It was a Thai ship that had been decommissioned and sunk for tourism. They made multiple SCUBA dives during the day and even a few at night.

Communication gaps were bridged by Thai divers that spoke English and served as translators during all the safety briefs, training seminars, and during the diving operations. There were two communication systems set up to prevent any misunderstandings. “During salvage operations, clear and concise communication is crucial for the safety of the divers,” said Hull Technician 2nd Class Andre Bessette. “If the project becomes lively, you don’t want someone down there who cannot tell us if there is a problem. Only they see what is going on down there.”

Salvor divers developed a great sense of trust among their Thai counterparts during the exercise.

One of the Thai divers asked Salvor crewmembers if there was any difference in the Thai divers versus the divers from the other foreign countries that Salvor has visited. The answer across the board was “divers are divers.”

Thailand to halve current birth rate in 10 years

Thailand’s population experts expect the country’s birth rate to be halved within the next ten years. This would help promote Thailand’s prosperity, according to the demographers.

Thailand has already successfully controlled its population growth, according to Thai population expert Dr. Vichai Thianthavorn. The national birth rate has been reduced from 3 percent to less than one percent over the past decade. Thailand’s population is currently 63.7 million.

‘’In the past 5-10 years, the number of babies born per year was reduced by 20 percent from one million to some 800,000. And recent studies by leading university experts on population growth predict that Thailand could further reduce its current birth rate to 0.5 percent in 2015 and to 0.4 percent in 2025,’’ Dr. Vichai said.

He said Thailand needs to control its population growth in order to maintain the balance between the demand and supply of social and medical services. With fewer babies to provide for, the government could offer a better quality education and health care for everyone, he added.

But the country must also be prepared to provide health care for its growing number of senior citizens, as people are living longer, he warned. Thai men live to an average age of 70, and women 75.

Thailand celebrated World Population Day on July 11. The government held a two-day seminar to raise public awareness on issues of population control and development in Thailand. About 300 population experts attended the event July 8-9. (TNA)