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Loaded tour bus sinks
into hole on Beach Road
Soused driver said he couldn’t read the warning signs
Suchada Tupchai
A tour bus driver with a busload of tourists drove straight
into a hole that Pattaya City is digging for underground cables. In his
defense, the driver, also ‘loaded’, said the warning signs were unclear.
Police received a report on September 25 that a tour bus
crammed with tourists was stuck in a trench on Pattaya Beach Road in front of
Soi 4. Officers arrived on the scene to find a bus from the Royal Enterprise
Co. Ltd. firmly wedged into one of the holes slated for underground utilities
that presently dot the beachfront road. The busload of disgruntled but unharmed
tourists managed to disembark from their hapless chariot and some flagged down
other forms of more reliable transport.
The driver of the huge bus had just entered Beach Road from
Soi 4 when he drove straight into the trench. The bus’s back left tire and
rim was pinned by concrete. Efforts to dislodge the massive vehicle held up
traffic for a time. Cars used side sois to avoid the accident and motorcycles
deftly drove onto the footpaths to get around the bus.
When interviewed by police, the driver, Pramot Wongwarangkul
from Nakhon Sawan, said he didn’t see the hole until it was too late.
Officers, however, suspected that the bus driver was intoxicated and brought
him to the police station for further questioning.
Promote admitted that he did see some signals and iron bars,
but not the hole. He stressed that the road was narrowed from digging and
highly congested and blamed the city for not erecting clear signs of danger in
the area. He also studiously refrained from acknowledging he was drunk at the
time.
Officers called in city trucks and equipment to disengage
the tour bus from its predicament and allowed it to proceed to its destination.
No one was hurt during the incident.
Sophon Cable TV announces government policy for TV time lessees
Undesirable programs will be canceled and banned
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Chanyuth Hengtrakul, MD of Sophon Cable TV recently
reiterated the government’s current policies regarding appropriate
programming on cable TV.
 Chanyuth
Hengtrakul MD of Sophon Cable TV addresses TV time lessees, producers, and
advertising agencies in their responsibilities toward appropriate cable
television programming.
Chanyuth made his address to TV time lessees at the Grand
Sole Hotel Pattaya on September 25. Those who attended the meeting are
program producers and company agencies who present their programs on
television using the services of the Sophon Cable TV Company in Pattaya.
They are required to present their programs and conduct business under the
law in accordance to the central government’s guidelines.
Chanyuth said, “Sophon Cable TV Company in Pattaya is
conducting business according to the law. The company received its license
from the Department of Public Relations in 1993. Sophon Cable TV continues
to produce entertainment within the limitations of current legislation. The
programming prohibits any violent TV programs from either Thailand or
abroad, and the cable service does not broadcast pornography or immoral
subject which is against regulations.
“The company has many production groups who produce
most of the acceptable programming for society such as local information
programs in Thai and English, comedies and feature programs. If undesirable
programs are aired they will be canceled and banned. Flaunting the law would
affect production, and the public would lose their opportunity to watch
useful programs. Therefore the company is cooperating with the concerned
departments, and they are allowing advertisements, but only for production
purposes and local service,” Chanyuth said.
Chanyuth added, “It is important for all producers to remain
enthusiastic by developing programs which entertain and inform the public
but still fall within the framework of Thai law. This includes not
infringing on other copyrights and not broadcasting inappropriate
programs.”
Pattaya bids farewell
to police superintendent
Boonlua Chatree
After almost two years to the day, Pattaya said farewell
to Pol. Col. Kamolchai Tienrungroj, Pattaya police superintendent. Members
of the local media and honored guests paid tribute to the local police chief
in a farewell party last Friday, October 1.
Members
of the local media and honored guests paid tribute to Pol. Col. Kamolchai
Tienrungroj (center), bidding him a fond farewell.
Pol. Col. Kamolchai expressed his thanks to the media and
the business community for their support over the last two years, saying
that he had come to know Pattaya very well and was impressed by the
eagerness of the community to help support him and his precinct.
“The last two years have been very exhausting and the
support and encouragement from the community has been a source of
inspiration and energy,” said Pol. Col. Kamolchai.
During the evening’s farewell party the Pattaya media
presented flowers and gifts of good luck to the outgoing superintendent on
his next posting, as superintendent in Rayong City, from where he was
transferred two years prior.
Pol. Col. Kamolchai also presented members of the local
media with plaques of appreciation for their efforts and support of Pattaya
police.
The duty rotation follows the national police bureau’s policy of
changing high ranking officers every two years. Pol. Gen. Jongrak Jutanont,
region 2 commissioner laid the orders for the provincial police shuffle.
Pattaya to receive a new
air-conditioned mini bus service
Mayor says project slated for the New Year
Suchada Tupchai
In a recent interview, Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn
spoke of a new project on the drawing board which would introduce a new
air-conditioned mini bus for the city’s residents.
 Mayor
Niran Wattanasartsathorn explains the preparations for a new minibus service
for Pattaya City which could start on New Year’s Day.
The mayor said, “Pattaya City made requests for central
transportation and received 3 lines of transportation monopolies. There were
announcements to the investment companies to invest in the minibus transport
lines, and what came out of it was the Pattaya Beach Bus Co. Ltd. (PBB).
Currently Pattaya has 3 traffic lines; the first line goes from Krathinglai
Station – Sukhumvit – Jomtien – Thappraya Road –Chaiyamongkhol
Temple crossroad – Pattaya Second Road – Dolphin roundabout – Pattaya
– Naklua Road – Banglamung District Office – ending the cycle at
Krathinglai Station.”
“The second line goes from Krathinglai Station –
Sukhumvit Road – Thepprasit Road – Thappraya Road – Chaiyamongkhol
Temple crossroad and continues this cycle. The third line goes from
Krathinglai Station – Soi Phothisarn - Pattaya Naklua Road – Pattaya
Beach Road, turns at Walking Street to Sukhumvit Road and continues this
cycle. All three lines already have a monopoly on tourist travel. They use
24 buses; 18 buses with roofs and 6 others without roofs for tourists who
love to see nature and partake in it. In the beginning the new line will
have 2 buses for service available for handicapped people as well,” said
Mayor Niran.
“Bus stops will have visible signs, unlit during the
day and illuminated at night. We plan to introduce this as a New Year gift
for the Pattaya City public. The service is expected to start around the end
of December or at the beginning of January. The timetable planed is 6 a.m.
– 1 a.m., but the company is still studying the fare. They have suggested
issuing a one-day ticket, 15 day pass, 1 month pass, student pass, and
officials’ pass. The company will discuss fixing the fare with Pattaya
City when they have enough data,” the mayor said.
Further explaining the system, the mayor said the
minibuses will have three colors; yellow, red and green, corresponding with
each line. The company already has some idea of different attractive styles
for Pattaya City. The Pattaya City Roads Department will be responsible for
traffic flow before the minibuses start their service, such as providing
shoulders on the roadside for bus stops to prevent traffic jams.
When reporters asked about the baht bus cooperative,
Mayor Niran said that they had discussed the minibus service many times. In
previous meetings they talked about traffic solutions. The president of the
cooperative and its committee members acknowledged the lines will not
interfere with their present routes and agreed that the minibus fare is
higher as is the quality of service.
Niran said, “The increasing number of cars with limited
space on roads will bring some problems. But the minibus has a fixed service
time and won’t stop too long. The baht buses can continue to pass in the
opposite direction, the same as before because the public still needs that
kind of service. Right now we are studying one-way and two-way lines, but
the results still need to be evaluated. For this service Pattaya City
didn’t make any investments, we only applied the said monopoly, while a
private company will take over that monopoly including all of its
investments. If the company can manage to make a profit, they can continue
running this service. Pattaya City must agree with the company on any
income. Advertising will be a factor and the company and the city is
consulting on this matter.”
The mayor reiterated that he hopes this minibus line could be in service
by December 5 because it would be a good day to begin. However, if the
company cannot meet this date they will try to implement the service in
January which would be a great New Year gift for Pattaya’s public.
Man steals phone from bar girl
Claims he was dissatisfied with services rendered
Police received a call on September 26 that a man had
robbed a bar girl of her mobile phone on Soi Skaw Beach off Pattaya Second
Road. When officers arrived they were told that Ubon Thanakorn, 38, had
chased the thief down the soi to catch him and retrieve her phone.  Irias
said he nicked the phone because he wasn’t satisfied with services rendered.
In hot pursuit, officers caught up with Ubon and motorcycle
taxi rider Prasong Ritthaisong, 38, who had managed to stop the thief. The thief
still had the phone in his possession.
Down at the Soi 9 police station, police questioned the
27-year-old man, identified only as Irias, who confessed he had stolen the
phone. He said the reason was that he was not satisfied with the sexual services
he had paid Ubon 300 baht for the night before, and had nicked the mobile phone
while she was in the bathroom. When officers asked Irias for his identification
he could not produce it.
Irias then confessed he was an illegal immigrant from Burma who had been
living on the streets of Pattaya and peddling food for the past 3 years. He was
charged with theft and put in a holding cell where he awaits deportation by
immigration police.
Banglamung and Pattaya police
break up ‘ya ba’ drug ring
Crackdown nets 10,610 speed pills worth
over 3 million baht in street value
Boonlua Chatree
Local police have joined forces to wipe out
methamphetamine dealers in Pattaya City and the Banglamung district. A
lengthy investigation revealed that the illegal drug called ‘ya ba’ has
returned to the area through a ring of drug dealers bringing the goods in
from Myanmar through Tak Province.
Police
last week broke up a major ya ba ring and confiscated a large amount of
drugs and cash.
On September 26 Pol. Lt. Gen. Jongrak Juthanont, regional
police commander, issued an order in accordance with the National Police
Office’s policy to suppress illegal drug trafficking in Thailand. The
policy calls for all police to strictly enforce the laws and arrest all drug
dealers. Police from the Banglamung Police station and the Pattaya Police
station have come out in force to comply with the order.
During a recent sweep of the area, police arrested
Ackharaphan, aka Suwannanon, in possession of 10 methamphetamine pills, and
Suwan Malue, 33, and Dom Yea, 39, a Cambodian accomplice, with a total of
200 speed pills which were hidden in their rectums.
Further investigation led to more arrests, including
19-year-old Phol Chanphet with 2,000 speed pills in his possession, and
Wareeyuth Thongphanchang, 25, in possession of 2,400 pills. Both are from
Rayong Province.
Police then arrested Manop Samakketkit, 48, and Ranjuan
Yachampa, 33, with 2,000 pills in their possession. The couple, from Tak
Province, confessed they were waiting to deliver the drugs to customers in
the Khaomaikaew area in Banglamung.
Under interrogation, the culprits told officers they had
bought the drugs in Myanmar for distribution in the Pattaya City area and
had smuggled them into Thailand via the Tak Province border. They said each
order was placed for 2,000 pills at the cost of 200,000 baht, which was
transferred through a bank, and would have made about 45,000 baht per day
had they not been caught.
The recent blitz on dealers netted 10,610 pills, which has a street value
of over 3 million baht. All offenders were charged with possession of
illegal class 1 drugs with intent to sell. Assets seized during arrests
included 33,000 baht in cash, two pickup trucks, and two motorcycles, one
without a registration plate.
Police briefs
Boonlua Chatree
Loser rips
gold chain from woman’s neck to cover
gambling losses
An unemployed man from Prae province who lost a football
bet decided to recoup his losses through theft.
Jarunee Sopa, 48, a South Pattaya bar owner, told police
that as she was walking home from the Pattaya Memorial Hospital on
September 26, a man ripped her 3 baht-weight gold chain and locket from her
throat and fled in the direction of the Little Duck Hotel in Central
Pattaya.
Police scoured the area and found 26-year-old A-nurak
Manochai still in possession of the stolen chain, but he had already cut it
into 3 pieces.
Officers detained the man, and under questioning A-nurak
explained that he was out of work and was very worried about owing money
after losing a football bet. He said he had planned to sell the gold to
cover his gambling losses. Unmoved by his tale of woe, officers booked the
man for theft.
Man pleads life of misery
after stealing woman’s mobile phone
After being arrested for possession of stolen property,
a man identified as Aleeson Jormo, 36, from Narathiwat province broke down
in tears and told of his life of problems and poverty.
On September 27 police received report from Aree
Saosaisri, 36, that a man had stolen her mobile phone and fled down Pattaya
Third Road. Fast acting officers nabbed the man as he was trying to get
away. Aree identified him as the thief.
Police detained the man and brought him to Soi 9 police
station for an interview. Aleeson admitted to stealing the telephone in
hopes of selling it to help support his 75-year-old mother. He began to cry
and revealed to officers how hard his life had been through the years. He
said he became a thief because he had a brain tumor since the age of 5, had
no education and couldn’t get a job, even as a menial construction
worker, because he was unable to do heavy work.
Aleeson said he had been stealing to obtain money for
his elderly mother’s living expenses, and begged forgiveness from his
latest victim, Aree. Nonetheless, officers booked him on charges of theft.
Two men and one boy arrested
for motorbike theft
Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya police recently arrested 2 men and a 13-year-old
boy with four stolen motorbikes in their possession. A report filed on
September 29 by Pranom Sang-Nim alerted authorities that her motorcycle had
been stolen from in front of her rented room in Soi S.S, behind the Carrefour
Department Store, and that the thieves might still be in the area.
Police sent to the scene found that the thieves had flown
the coop just 5 minutes before they arrived, heading in the direction of North
Pattaya. Officers radioed in and police set up a checkpoint to catch the
suspects. Not long after, police stopped Sompoj Suksawang, 22, for
questioning. Unable to answer to their satisfaction, officers detained the
young man under suspicion of theft.
At the Soi 9 police station, Sompoj admitted to his crime
and named two accomplices from the Huay Yai sub-district, which is under
jurisdiction of the Banglamung police. Sompoj gave up his partners in crime,
saying that he had orders from people he referred to as financial backers, to
steal a motorcycle for a client from Cambodia. He added that the price on the
black market was about 5-7,000 baht. He offered to lead police to the house in
Hay Yai.
With cooperation from Banglamung officers, police arrested
Phitak Boonsaengsong, 24, and an unidentified 13-year-old boy in possession of
4 stolen motorcycles at their Huay Yai residence. All were charged with theft
and possession of stolen property.
Three thugs arrested for robbing 7-Eleven on Central Road
Boonlua Chatree
On September 27 Pattaya police received a report of an armed
robbery in progress at 11:30 p.m. at the 7-Eleven store on Pattaya Central Road.
A team of over 20 police surrounded the premises as 3 men tried to escape with
music CDs stolen from the convenience store. A crowd of around 100 onlookers
gathered as cops collared the culprits and hauled them off to the police
station.
Police
arrested three thugs for robbing the 7-Eleven store on Center Road.
The three robbers were armed with knives as they entered the
store and wielded them at frightened employees, then grabbed the goods off the
shelves. One of them stabbed the store owner before attempting to escape.
Police charged Thongchai Soda, 30, Prasit Suraprasert, 19,
and 16 year old ‘Yuth’ (real name withheld) with robbery and causing
grievous bodily harm. Under questioning, the trio became belligerent, saying
they didn’t consider their act a real robbery. But they did admit to the
stabbing. All were detained and charged accordingly.
Police interviewed 7-Eleven employees, Suriporn Bunchuoy, 24, and Sumet Mali,
21, who said they were very frightened when the men came in with knives. They
said they never expected a robbery because their store is located in town and in
the middle of a busy tourist district.
EDITORIAL: Equality
Suchada Tupchai
Last Monday the Redemptorist Disabled Employment Center
celebrated their fifth anniversary in helping the disabled find work in the
community. To mark the occasion, the center presented certificates of
appreciation to private and government enterprise for their continuing
support of the project.
Throughout the course of the day’s activities,
achievements on a local, national and international level were highlighted,
as well as the quest for social equality in the workplace.
As the economy and industrial sectors develop and
employment increases, the dim reality for the nation’s physically
challenged has changed little.
According to Social Development and Human Services
Ministry figures, 8.1 percent of the population is in someway disabled
(approx. 5 million), with just 2 percent able to seek gainful employment.
The remaining numbers are supported by their family and society in general.
There are, however, many who have been refused employment
out of fear that they may not be able to effectively carry out the job or
fear that they may be a burden to the company or department.
On the other side, there are companies with greater
vision, more than willing to accommodate the physically challenged, because
their minds are sharper and their heart is set on becoming self supportive
and ready to fight the day to day challenges that are relatively easy
compared to what many have endured through their life. They more often
perform better than those who are not physically challenged.
The goals of Thailand’s disabled community are no
different from any ‘normal’ able-bodied person; a point which has been
proved at this year’s Paralympics. Thai athletes secured 3 gold, 6 silver
and 6 bronze medals in Athens. Upon their return they will receive a
hero’s welcome and eventually move back into society and lead normal
lives, confident in their ability to overcome any challenge with dignity.
They know they will in no way become a burden on their families or society,
and their main aim is to seek equality in the community and in the
workplace.
If you look around Pattaya, you will observe a large
number of physically disabled, because the city is a center for change and
education for them.
The city, however, is not as quick to adapt in providing
ease of movement or to provide the specific facilities they require. Over
the years, from the previous administration up to the current one, many
projects have failed to eventuate, as the bureaucrats offer empty promises
of providing adequate facilities such as sidewalks free of obstruction or
wheelchair ramps, right up to the latest suggestion of providing a disabled
friendly public mini-bus service in the city. Another project aimed at
providing ease of movement within Pattaya.
The disabled community sees this as somewhat of a token
deal because, out of 24 buses, only two will be accessible to those in
wheelchairs. Too little, too late? As they question as to what quality of
service will be provided, administrators must take heed.
What seems to be a myriad of minor issues for the able
bodied community is of paramount importance to those to whom it matters
most, as Pattaya and Thailand’s disabled community push for the local and
central government to wake up and listen in their call for birth right to
equality to live a full life complete with the day to day ease that most
able bodied people take for granted.
Many of the physically challenged often repeat their
requests, as well as the fact that the majority of politicians function as
able-bodied people. Thailand’s disabled community have a great deal to
offer the country in terms of skills and knowledge; more so than the vast
majority of skilled workers.
It’s time for administrators to take affirmative action
and listen to this vital part of the community, to treat them as equal human
beings who have a right to live a full life. Sadly, the requests often fall
on deaf ears with some power brokers too wrapped up in their own interests
to act on what is right. This begs the question: Who is really disabled?
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