HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

An outstanding achievement

Yes, there are honest people in Pattaya

Why not have Mardi Gras?

Immigration – A riposte

Light up your nightlife

How long will the disregard continue?

Problems continue on Soi Khao Noi

Do not display gold

An outstanding achievement

Dear Mailbag,
Although there was sadly no bike ride at this year’s excellent Jesters care for kids day, there was an event taking place on bicycles that was nothing short of astonishing, not only as a feat of physical endurance but by what it actually achieved.

I am writing about the ride made by Robert Johansson and Eric Sorenson. These guys are hardly spring chickens but they must be fit as butcher’s dogs. Within a 12 hour time they cycled from Trat to Pattaya; 267 kilometres with no rain and in the blistering sun.

They had no support backup and carried all the spares and kit on their backs, and encountered 5 blowouts between them. These blowouts were not from the Kevlar tyres letting them down but simply from inner tubes exploding! Guys, as a cyclist myself, take a big high-five from me: magnificent!

It doesn’t end there though; through prior sponsorship they actually raised in excess of a staggering 500,000 baht for “Care for Kids”, which must be some sort of record for two guys alone?
Respect guys!
Richy

Yes, there are honest people in Pattaya

Editor;
Being a regular reader of your excellent newspaper, I read with interest the letter from “Nick” recently regarding his experience at Tip’s Restaurant on Beach Road. During a recent visit to Pattaya I left my reading glasses at Tip’s by mistake, only to realise this some hours later. Sure enough, when I returned to the restaurant my glasses had been kept by the staff for me and were returned to me safely. This is only a small thing, but I think it highlights what the vast majority of visitors experience when they visit Pattaya - A city with a lot of very friendly and honest local traders and the visitors have very happy memories when they return home. Yes, there are honest people in Pattaya!
Regards,
John Edwards
Australia

Why not have Mardi Gras?

Editor;
You may get to read this and it may have already been suggested … why not have Mardi Gras instead of a carnival? And if you want Europeans to attend more then make it a Mardi Gras and I think then the mayor will have a tourist attraction.

Also, close Beach Road for 1 weekend and make all the floats come down there, sell the idea to all the hotels and bars in the area to have a float and a theme, have music, live bands, steel drums, dancing in the streets, and you will have a winner I think? With the right planning this could work!
Thanks,
Andy Hussey
(An interested reader from the UK)

Immigration – A riposte

Sir,
It was not my intention to start a debate on this matter, merely to provide some advice based on my own experience on how best to go about obtaining success at Immigration, and I intend this to be my last words on the subject.

However, I cannot let “Dave from Bangkok’s vitriolic attack on myself go without at least some riposte. Also perhaps I should have expected something like this as from reading the Letters column in the Pattaya Mail, it appears that for almost every letter written on just about any subject there is always some ‘professional’ critic who appears to have little else to do but misinterpret and nitpick.

Firstly, Dave, I did not say that the people who had written previously had gone there inappropriately attired, I have no idea how they were dressed. But on my visits to Immigration (and being a law abiding person this is at least once every 90 days) I have seen many people there dressed let’s just say in a manner I would not consider conducive to receiving a favourable welcome. I have also on occasions heard people raising their voices to Immigration staff – a policy that anyone with any experience of living in Thailand will confirm as a good way of getting nowhere fast.

Secondly, your comment about my appearing to condone the use of ‘tea money’ – where on earth did you deduce this from in my earlier letter? My only reference to money was to state that no such ‘tea money’ was either sought or offered. Where’s the ‘condone’ in that please?

As for asking the head of immigration to speak to the Expats Club, well I currently have no official position in either of these clubs, but if he were invited to speak I am confident he would say that his policy and the policy of his staff is to enforce the law and ensure that those following the rules obtain that to which they are entitled. I did just this and successfully obtained my visa – end of story.

By the way, Dave, when ordering your tuxedo, could you also get one for me as I don’t actually own one.

Yours,
Peter Wheeler

Light up your nightlife

Sir,
Since motorbikes have been required to use their headlights during the day, I do find them more noticeable when I am driving.

However, I think getting them to use their lights at night might have been a better first step.
Gwyn Parfitt

How long will the disregard continue?

Dear Sir,

I guess the Pattaya powers that be are feeling pretty confident of their tenure. Even so, I wonder how long the long suffering residents and users of Jomtien can tolerate their elected officials’ arrogant disregard for their constituents well-being. Soi Wat Boon has been in this condition for weeks, not a worker in sight and no doubt it’s only the rain that is too blame. After all, how could one blame such responsible politicians and contractors?
Appinya Papon

Problems continue on Soi Khao Noi

Dear Editor,
Can anybody please tell the residents of Soi Khao Noi when the road works are due to be completed?

Work started in mid August and signboards advised that the work was due to complete on 31 August. We are now into October and it appears that all of the work has ground to a halt. Local Thais are telling us that the “money has run out” and no more work will be done until next year.

The road is currently like a badly ploughed field. Anyone brave enough to try using the soi from the Sukhumvit Road end can proceed at approximately 2 miles per hour, and has to stop regularly to allow oncoming traffic to pass.

Have you heard anything from Pattaya City Hall about plans to finish the work? Perhaps you could advise me of an email and mailing address for the mayor so that he can be invited to experience the hell that residents and visitors alike are having to suffer.
Yours faithfully,
Peter
Resident of Soi Khao Noi and shop owner who is suffering from the state of the Soi

Do not display gold

Dear Editor,
I have been a Pattaya resident for quite awhile, and am dismayed at the serious increase in crime and in particular the ride-by stealing of gold or other items while on motorcycles.

Over the past year, I have been attacked three times and the most recent was serious. It happened at 4:00 p.m. on Thappraya Road. Two Thai teenagers pulled beside me and grabbed my gold chain and pulled me off the motorcycle, in traffic, causing cars to swerve around me and it could have been fatal for me.

Last night, my wife, while driving on the same road with a Thai passenger, had the same thing happen. She was more fortunate as she did not get pulled off or lose control of her motorcycle.

Obviously, the lesson here is do not display gold. I have personally talked to numerous people and they all have had, or know somebody who has had this type of problem recently. This type of crime is not unique in Pattaya, but the recent rise is of major significance. I have had discussions with the Pattaya police and the tourist police and they both indicate the increase is troublesome and difficult to control. Perhaps the reporting on a regular basis and a careful eye will in someway contribute to a solution.
Fred Huff

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