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PM Thaksin tells governors they are key to implementing national strategy
Suchada Tupchai
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said he applauds regional
governors’ efforts, and told them that they are the key to implementing
national policies.
PM Thaksin made these remarks whilst presiding over the
final day of the national CEO governor’s retreat on November 26 at the Royal
Cliff Beach Resort in Pattaya.
 Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra talks to the Kingdom’s governors who met for the
CEO governors’ retreat at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.
Throughout the final day, the prime minister listened to
suggestions and problems brought up by the assembled governors, and said he
admired their efforts over the past year in improving government services.
“No one should understand the province better than the
governor,” PM Thaksin said. “Under the new system there are bound to be
mistakes in the beginning - this is normal - but I am proud of the governors as
they have tried to provide better services for the populace ... and have
implemented government policies.
“I would like to see a culture change in the workplace,”
the PM continued, “as well as improved problem solving, but more importantly
you must be responsible and constantly measure your success, which I believe is
eminent.”
The CEO governor’s retreat, held November 22-26 at the
Royal Cliff, was aimed at boosting inter-provincial cooperation. Much of the
focus was put on developing strategies to better manage various sectors,
including the economy, agriculture and tourism. Deputy prime ministers
responsible for each sector presided over topic specific discussions, and
governors governing areas most affected by certain areas of national government
policies provided input into these areas of discussion. The following is a
sampling of their input.
Nakhon Sawan Governor Peeparpol Traisarwit, representing
agricultural section 5, said that with proper management, by the year 2009 the
farming sector should be producing 1 trillion baht income for the country, and
a minimum income of 120,000 baht per family would be a reasonable target. He
said he has a plan on how to reach these goals, which includes increasing
productivity and quality to meet world market standards.
Sakaew Governor Somchai Chumrat, speaking about the boarder
economy, said it is essential to create more convenient cross-boarder travel,
transport and tourism. This would include expanding transport facilities
whether via land, sea or air. He also said it is necessary to further develop
human resources to compete with other countries. Finally, he reiterated a
common refrain: achieving better cooperation among the relevant departments and
the need for the government to be more efficient in processing documentation.
Suwat Tantipat, former Chonburi governor who is now Chiang
Mai governor, proposed that the focus of increasing tourism should be put on
quality tourists from the Asia Pacific region. He said a reasonable goal should
be an annual income of 700 billion baht from 20 million tourists. Governor
Suwat finished by saying there is a need to develop foreign language skills to
enable local tourism staff to be able to communicate with foreign tourists.
Vichai Srikwan, Lopburi governor, focused on social issues,
such as drugs, the poor and corruption. He note that 1.2 million people have
registered for government assistance: 8.5 percent requiring financial
consulting to remove debt, 2.5 percent have problems with finding land from
which to earn their living, and a further 15 percent have no fixed abode. The
aim, he said, is to reduce expenditure and raise income in the long term
through the implementation of government policies.
Finally, Tassporn Sirismaphanm, secretary to the government development
committee concluded that provincial governors should remain in place for at
least 2-3 years to allow changes to take affect. This has been taken under
consideration for the year 2005.
Fire razes garbage warehouse on Sukhumvit Road
Firefighters prevent toxic smoke from engulfing nearby hospital
Boonlua Chatree
Over 500,000 baht in damages was caused by a fire that broke
out at the Jungsunha Pattaya garbage warehouse near Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital on
Sukhumvit Road on November 28. Fourteen fire trucks converged on the building to
bring the blaze under control as windy conditions blew black smoke and toxins in
the direction of the hospital.
Firefighters
work to bring the blaze under control.
The Pattaya City Fire Department, accompanied by Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn, Sanit Boonmarchai, city council member and police officers
responded to the fire alarm.
As the warehouse burned, black smoke billowed and a foul
smell wafted toward the nearby hospital. Fourteen fire engines and their teams
battled for over an hour to bring the blaze under control. Fortunately the
patients’ wards are air-conditioned, and were not affected.
Initial checks by officers led them to believe faulty wiring had started the
fire in the plastic contained in the refuse. The exact cause will be determined
by the fire department’s investigation division.
City borrows over 150 million baht to build new structure at city hall
4-story service building and 7-floor parking lot
Ariyawat
Nuamsawat
City officials signed a loan agreement on December 1 to
borrow over 150 million baht for a new structure behind city hall.
The new structure will consist of a 4-story service
building and a 7-floor parking lot that will be able to hold over 300
vehicles.
Pattaya City Hall has had a parking problem for a number
of years, and as the city continues to grow, it has been becoming
increasingly difficult for the public to find suitable parking space when
visiting the government building for official business.
The city council recently passed a resolution, called
Doom 4, to go ahead and seek funding for a public service building and
parking lot. Doom 4 called for the city to obtain a loan from a local
financial institute. The resolution was passed on to Chonburi governor,
Pisit Ketphasook, who then sought and received authorization from the
Ministry of Interior to take out a loan from the Banglamung Branch of the
Savings and Loan Bank for the amount of 155,860,000 baht.
At 2 p.m. on December 1 at Pattaya City Hall, Pattaya
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn signed the loan contract. Puthaporn Joowong,
director of the Savings and Loan Bank in Sector 11, also signed the
contract. Department chiefs and Pattaya’s city council members were
witnesses to this signing.
For this loan, Pattaya City used its savings account as
collateral. The city will pay off the loan over ten years at an interest
rate of 1.5%, which makes the payments 17 million baht per year.
Construction should start in 2005.
City announces over 20 million baht allotted to upgrade Naklua Markets
Suchada Tupchai
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn revealed the city plans a 23
million baht upgrade of the New Naklua markets. The announcement came at a
December 1 meeting at city hall.
The mayor announced that the renovations are necessary
because of the poor conditions of the increasingly busy market. The work would
be carried out for the benefit and safety of vendors and consumers.
Extra car parking and specific zones would be created. The
new renovations are aimed at providing ease of shopping and enabling better
maintenance.
“The refurbished markets will fall into line with Public
Health Ministry standards and the entire project will take approximately 1
year to complete,” said the mayor, who added that vendors will be given a
temporary place in front of Banglamung Hospital while construction is in
progress.
“The city has called a meeting with market vendors and
informed them of the plans, so they understand what we are doing. The
department of health, hygiene and environment has allotted staff to inspect
the markets regularly to ensure food safety, good quality and fair pricing for
residents and tourists alike. The health ministry is further improving the
standards for markets and the details have become clearer as to what is
required,” added Mayor Niran.
New Walking Street Committee elected
Mayor Niran elected chairman
Suchada Tupchai
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn was last week unanimously
voted in as new chairman of the Walking Street Committee. Former chairman,
Suntorn Kangsirikul, stepped down from the lead position, but remained on
the committee as vice-chairman.
The elections were held during the committee’s annual
general meeting held at city hall.
 Mayor
Niran Wattanasartsathorn was voted in as new chairman of the Walking Street
Committee.
“I may be the chairman, but those who matter most are
the ones who work the most - the vice chairman and the committee members
that have been elected. This year’s change is to enable better, more
efficient decision making and cooperation to further develop the area,”
said the mayor.
Following the elections, business operators and committee
members discussed operating times for businesses. Many of the business
owners claim that the reduced operating hours have negatively affected their
businesses.
Mayor Niran listened to their plight and responded by saying that he is
constantly following up on the matter, which is now with the Interior
Ministry. The ministry is still considering the zoning factor and will
announce its decision in the future, but in the meantime, he urged everyone
to follow the law until such time a final outcome is announced.
EDITORIAL: Words of wisdom from the Nation’s Father
Suchada
Tupchai
On December 4, HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great spoke to
the Thai people in his annual birthday address from the Dusit throne room at
the Chitralada Palace. Senior Thai government officials, led by Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra were in attendance, and the event was telecast live around
the country.
His Majesty expressed concern about Thai youths being
addicted to cigarettes and visiting discotheques - and the ill affects this has
on the youth in terms of health and hearing ability - which leads to lowering
their quality of life.
“Currently, if children are not studying, what can the
nation’s future hold? The children do not listen or they do but do not
understand. Instead they go to pubs and discos and listen to music. The (loud)
music damages their hearing; those who frequent discos have hearing problems.
The solution is for the government not to allow them to frequent these places
and prevent them (the children) from smoking. Smoking will damage blood
vessels, eyes, ears, the brain and the heart.”
The beloved monarch further chided the government to take
action and enforce the laws that protect the youth from dangerous influences,
which received further attention as of December 1. The law, brought into effect
in 2003, prevents shops from selling alcohol and cigarettes to minors, i.e.,
those under 18. Punishment includes 3 months imprisonment or 30,000 baht fine
or both. Under the 1992 legislation the punishment was much less: 1 month jail
or 2,000 baht fine or both.
The Ministry of Public Health has set up a special post
office box (PO Box 224, Nonthaburi) and a call center (02-590-3342) to allow
people to anonymously pass on information concerning people breaking the law to
relevant officials.
Current statistics reveal that over 500,000 youths under the
age of 18 are addicted to cigarettes, and that over 1 million under 24 are,
too. There are estimates that there might be as many as 11 million people
affected by hearing loss due to visiting pubs and discotheques (ed notes that
this should include karaoke bars, birthday parties, gold sales, open markets,
and just about any public function that includes a PA system).
So, what should we, the people, do about this? To start
with, we should create better awareness among the population about these
dangers, get everyone involved and to take responsibility for their actions for
the benefit of society, and take part in enforcing the regulations. It
shouldn’t be left only to the relevant government departments to shoulder the
entire responsibility for correcting these problems facing our nation’s
youth.
Reduction and abstinence will benefit your health and that
of others - something that is worthwhile doing. Heed His Majesty’s words, as
He is the Father of our country. Especially the younger generation, for it is
into the hands of this new generation that the country’s future grows.
Finnish tourist, unlucky in love, attempts suicide
Boonlua Chatree
Police were called to the Mountain Beach Resort at 6 a.m.
on December 3 after hotel staff reported a foreign guest had threatened to
commit suicide.
Police rushed to the hotel to find a 33-year-old Finnish
tourist in a drunken state, trashing his hotel room and cutting himself with
broken glass. Officers detained the hysterical Finn, who had numerous
self-inflicted wounds.
As officers took him to the station, the man began
screaming as to why he could not find love, whether in Finland or in
Thailand.
He was treated for his injuries and charged with drunk
and disorderly behavior. Police then called Finnish embassy officials to
deport the distraught man back to his home country.
Westerner who made fatal leap from plane was Italian leukemia sufferer, police say
Boonlua
Chatree and
The Associated Press
A Westerner who died when he jumped out of a plane over the
Gulf of Thailand was an Italian pilot who apparently committed suicide to avoid
suffering the final stages of leukemia, police said Tuesday.
The body of Andrea Petersek, 45, was found at around 2.30
p.m. Monday about 8 nautical miles southeast of Pattaya. Two days earlier he
mysteriously kicked out the door of a rented two-seater Zenair 701 plane,
belonging to Fun Flying Air, and plunged to his death.
The pilot of the plane, Utai Kewraksawong, told police that
Petersek had contacted the company a week earlier, asking to rent to the plane
to fly himself. Apparently the company refused, saying that they had pilots to
fly the plane. Petersek later called the company and rented the plane with the
pilot.
According to Kewraksawong, when reaching the waters over
Pattaya Petersek kicked open the hatch and jumped, carrying a bag. Utai said he
suspected Petersek was a pilot because of the way he jumped out of the plane.
The action caused the pilot to momentarily lose control of
the plane, but he managed to land safely even with the door missing.
Petersek’s Thai wife, Pranom Pinsiri, 24, told police he
said he wanted to commit suicide because a doctor in Italy told him there was
almost no chance he would recover from leukemia, said police Lt. Col. Sathien
Laokim-ung.
Petersek previously worked for the Italian airline Alitalia,
and was reportedly sacked because of his illness, Sathien said.
Authorities have not found the man’s passport, which his
wife said he took with him when he disappeared on Dec. 4. Thai immigration
officials are checking their records to try to confirm Petersek’s identity.
71-year-old Belgian man passes away inside his Sabaijai Village home
Boonlua Chatree
Concerned neighbors called police to investigate the
disappearance of a foreign resident, a Belgian man. The neighbors told
police that his house had been locked for two days.
Police and Sawang Boriboon personnel arrived at the house
in Sabaijai Village in Soi Arunotai, which was locked from the inside.
Officers forced their way on and discovered the body of Roger Wellens, 71,
in the bathroom. There were no signs of a struggle or foul play, and police
suspect that the man, who had lived in the house for some years, had died of
natural causes.
Roger Wellens’ body was transferred to the police
forensic institute for a post mortem examination. Police informed the
Belgian Embassy of the man’s death.
Uzbekistan women brought in for questioning
Police suspect play-for-pay holiday
Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya immigration police rounded up 14 Uzbekistan women on
December 1 for suspicion of prostitution. However, since all their papers were
in order, and none were caught in the act, police could only record their
details and let them go.
 Pattaya
Immigration Office was filled with Uzbekistan women on December 1.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Ithipol Idthisarnronnachai, Pattaya
immigration superintendent, said that the reason the women were brought in for
questioning was because he had received reports that the women were
propositioning foreign tourists for sexual services on Walking Street in South
Pattaya.
He said he had also received reports that “several
Uzbekistan women were behaving strangely.”
Lieutenant Colonel Ithipol took his troops out to look into the situation at
about 9 p.m. on December 1. Finding the women, police brought all 14 into the
Pattaya Immigration Office to check their passports. All 14 women possessed
valid passports and had entered the Kingdom legally, so police could only take
photos to create a file and warn them not to try and get away with any
hanky-panky for pay, then let them go free.
Immigration police
nab marijuana
dealer and customer
Boonlua Chatree
The Pattaya Immigration Police arrested a marijuana
dealer and one of his customers during a sale. While patrolling the South
Pattaya entertainment area on Soi 7, district officers noticed a Thai man
passing a suspicious looking cigarette to a foreigner. Stopping them on a
routine check, the guarded butt turned out to contain marijuana.
Officers searched suspect Amnat Bamrungkit and found 3
homemade cigarettes in his possession that contained the class 5 illegal
drug marijuana. The police kept the cigarettes as evidence. The foreign
customer was identified as a Norwegian man, Jan Erik Groulefe, 47, but the
police didn’t find any illegal narcotics in his possession.
Police escorted the foreigner back to his hotel on Soi 8 and searched his
room. They found 1 bag of dry marijuana on the desk beside the bed. The
police charged both men with illegal drug possession and transferred them to
the Soi 9 police station for processing.
Police briefs
Boonlua Chatree
Police foil motorcycle
theft
At 4 a.m. on November 29, Pol. Maj. Sutham Chaoseethong
and police were patrolling villages and residential areas in Pattaya City
near the Soi Sanamuay and Soi Arunothai crossroads. Police noticed two Thai
men in the process of stealing two parked motorcycles parked at the Suksan
Apartment Complex.
As officers approached, the thieves abandoned their plan
to steal the bikes and fled. Officers chased them down, capturing one, but
the other got away.
The 15-year-old captured thief admitted to this crime and
stated that he and his friend planned to steal the motorcycles by cutting
the frame between the handlebars and the body, and then sell the parts to a
fence for cash. He was charged with attempted theft. Police are searching
for his accomplice.
Tourist police find
counterfeit goods in fake laundry
Acting on information that a laundry on Soi Bua Khao was
actually a front for distributing fake merchandise, Pol. Lt. Col. Wuttichat
Luansukhan, Pattaya tourist police inspector and a team of officers went to
the location on November 29 to investigate the allegations.
Armed with a search warrant, police entered the building
laundry, which had clothes hanging outside to conceal a sliding door. Once
inside, officers found counterfeit brand name goods, such as Blueberry,
Lacoste, Adidas, Nike, foreign brand watches, eyeglasses and handbags, all
of which breach the copyright laws. In all police seized more than 1,243
items.
The shop assistant pleaded with police that if they
confiscated all of his merchandise, he would go bankrupt. Taking pity on the
man, officers separated the legal items from the counterfeit and returned
the legal goods. However, their sympathy did not extend to Malee Faruki, 31,
who stated she was the shop’s owner, and admitted she had collected the
goods to sell one by one to customers in Pattaya. The police charged her
with illegal possession of copyrighted materials and distribution.
Loan sharks
arrested for
slapping woman
At 1 a.m. on November 30, Pol. Maj. Sutham Chaoseethong
and police officers received notice that a Thai woman was being assaulted in
front of the Dee Den Apartment complex on Soi Kor Pai. At the scene, police
arrested 2 Thai men who had a woman, identified only as ‘Kob’, 20, lying
injured and crying beside them. She told police that she wasn’t involved.
She wanted to calm the two men down who were assaulting her friend, but they
proceeded to slap her instead until the public stepped in.
During questioning, investigating officers identified the
men as Sommai Kaewprasert, 49, and Pichet Chotirat, 40, who made a statement
to police that they had made a loan agreement for 20% interest with this
lady’s friend, Nareerat Taweesak, 26. They admitted to intimidating the
borrower into making her payment when she refused to pay back the capital
and had not paid interest on the loan. When her friend intervened, they
slapped her twice to stop her interference.
Police fined the men 200 baht each and the assault
charges were dropped. However, Miss ‘Kob’ demanded a payment from her
attackers of 2,500 baht for her injuries, which the men agreed to pay.
Shortly thereafter, police served a warrant on Nareerat
Taweesak. Pichet Chotirat had asked for this arrest warrant to be issued for
the theft of 800,000 baht, because Nareerat had not paid any interest on the
amount as promised. Nareerat was arrested and charged.
Soused Brit tourist refuses to pay bar bill
Claimed he was overcharged
Boonlua Chatree
Shortly after 1 a.m. on December 2, police were called to
the Wonderful Beer Bar when a British man was apparently vociferously
denying that it was the least bit wonderful. Evidently he refused to pay his
810 baht bar tab, and when bar staff failed to extract the money from him,
they called for backup.
Officers arrived on the scene to find the man, who
refused to give his name, in the throws of creating a fuss inside the bar.
He claimed that he had only ordered two rounds of drinks, that the 810 baht
bar tab was too much and he refused to pay.
Unimpressed, police escorted him and the bar staff to the
Soi 9 police station to try and sort out the misunderstanding.
Officers told him that if he did not pay he would be
charged with a criminal offence. Not exactly overjoyed about either of the
prospects, he nonetheless agreed to pay 780 baht. The bar staff accepted the
offer, saying that they did not want to create trouble for the man.
With both parties having settled their dispute, the
Englishman was released on his own accord.
City Scope: Mayor talks about developing Pattaya
Suchada Tupchai
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn outlined several
achievements, problems and future plans when he met with the Pattaya Mail
for his (monthly) City Scope talk.
During the talk, he told of how he is working to make
Pattaya’s city government more efficient, he provided insight into
Pattaya’s 2005 budget, discussed areas of responsibility his government
plans to work on during the next year, how he hopes to increase tourism to
the area, and finally about some of the problems the city’s residents are
experiencing and how he plans to address them.
 Mayor
Niran talks about the works in progress and his future plans.
Mayor Niran began the talk by outlining the achievements
he and his team have already made. “The first issue I addressed involved
making city hall and its various departments more efficient. This included a
plan to develop the city and upgrade financial planning, work schedules and
the efficiency of government employees.
“We are now making more effective use of human
resources, have improved each department and defined duties and
responsibilities as Pattaya grows. We have set out procedures and resolved
staffing issues. We have increased the size of various departments in
preparation for future growth, and handed down levels of authority to
different department heads.”
Mayor Niran then said that the government has allotted
1.4 billion baht for the 2005 budget. “A number of projects are under
consideration which must be passed through the council and will be announced
in 2005. The budget has been set and a yearly plan has been laid down for
capital investment and maintenance. We will announce further details in
2005,” the mayor said.
The mayor went on to say that plans for 2005 include
projects for 4 main areas.
“We are developing Naklua market (area 1) to turn it
into a center for seafood and culture … This year the vegetarian festival
was the biggest ever, with Thai and foreign visitors contributing to its
success.”
The second area the city will focus on is finding
suitable places to hold large events. The mayor said that since construction
along Beach Road is still underway, a number of activities have been moved
to the Bali Hai pier area.
Jomtien Beach, the third area the administration is
focusing on, is used for relaxation and water sports. Jet skiing is becoming
very popular and there is a real possibility that 10 world championship
events could be held here. A budget to host future competitions is currently
being considered.
The fourth area of concern involves entertainment. “As
for the problems faced by entertainment establishments, now hamstrung by
restrictive operating hours, this issue has been brought up with the
Ministry of Interior which is currently reviewing the zoning policy,”
Mayor Niran said.
He went on to say that a strong public relations campaign
is underway with both the city and the Tourism Authority of Thailand each
supplying 5 million baht to launch the program. Another 5 million baht has
already been allocated to a Thai-based PR company to further promote Pattaya
to the rest of Thailand.
“These are the projects and plans that I, the city
management and councilors have been working on in earnest to further develop
the city. Some of the projects have created problems for residents and
tourists but I would like to say that we have looked into the problems,
specifically those associated with construction, and I have spoken to the
contractors in question. I have also called meetings to find a way to
improve convenience during the period, focus on safety issues and ease
traffic. We have agreed that contractors will take responsibility. As for
Soi Khao Noi residents who have experienced many problems, I have surveyed
the area and ordered the contractors to rectify them. If they fail to do so
they will face stiff penalties,” added Niran.
“However, the area most problematic is the Beach Road project due to
its sheer size. The road must be dug up and pipes laid, with electric cables
being separate from water pipes. It’s not a pretty picture at the moment
but I ask everyone to be patient since under the contract it is due to be
completed in January. I will meet with contractors to ensure that safety and
convenience are maintained for residents and visitors alike. I can assure
everyone that next year’s budget and investment will be for the benefit of
the entire city for a better future,” concluded the mayor.
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