LETTERS
HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Repeated complaints never solved

Latin script is not global standard

Beach becoming dangerous place for quiet stroll

It’s paradise here, but...

Beach lovers enjoy sand, not concrete

Strange goings-on on Second Road

Anonymous generosity - the purest form of charity

Repeated complaints never solved

Sir;
Certain themes come up in the “Letters to the editor” page again and again. Some of them for many years now, as there are: Prices for things and services according to the colour of the skin. The public transport in Pattaya (or rather the lack of it). The general high level of noise in Pattaya, day and night time. The emission of smoke and stink without anybody being able to stop the culprit(s). The increase of “grab and drive” actions by young motorcycle hoodlums. The never-ending chaos at the beachfront / the so-called footpaths.

Remarkably - not one of these problems, mostly concerning everyone in Pattaya, has to my knowledge ‘city hall’ been able to solve. They will probably stay with us forever and ever.

Is there possibly a reason why this is so? It can not be a lack of money. Most of above does not need money to be solved. Is it simply a “mai pen rai” attitude? I wonder!
Yours,
J. Thomas W. Eihle
Hanover, Germany


Latin script is not global standard

Dear Sir:
While I do recognize the benevolent character of the letter “Language skills and globalization” by Someone who cares (Pattaya Mail Vol XII No. 49) with regards that Thailand should adopt the “English alphabet” so her people can cope better on a “global language” scale, the contribution did contain errors and inaccuracies that I would like to point out.

Firstly, there is no “English alphabet”. What the writer refers to is, in fact, the “Latin alphabet”. Yes, even the English language is written in the Latin alphabet thanks to some nice Roman fellow called Julius Caesar and his cohorts.

Then it is untrue that Thailand “is one of the few countries in the region not to use the English alphabet in writing down its own language.” How about Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and, to a farther extent, China, Korea and Japan? Even India largely uses scripts other than the English … er … Latin alphabet, namely Hindi, Tamil, Singhalese, Urdu, etc. The Vietnamese language, while essentially using Latin script, has devised a large number of extra symbols to reflect its overall complexity and to indicate correct pronunciation. This is exactly the problem that would hit Thailand as well if she should adopt the Latin alphabet. The language comprises many unusual tones that are difficult to transcribe in Latin letters. Apart from that, Thai is a one-syllabic, tone-based language. An adoption of the Latin script would probably lead to the development of a similar writing system like that in Vietnam.

The writer also forgets that even Europeans read “their” Latin alphabets differently. While the Thai expression for “before we go” might be spelled by an English person as “kawn tee rao ja pai”, a German speaker might be totally content with “gohn ti rau dscha pai”. The only solution would be for the Thai government to establish fixed rules how the native written language is to be Romanized. Whether this would help Someone who cares to pronounce Thai street names correctly must remain in doubt at this point. He’d have to immerse himself in these potentially elaborate rules first.

It is also mere speculation whether the adoption of Latin script would assist Thai students in learning foreign languages (in this case the writer probably meant English) more comfortably. I have always opined that it is the quality of foreign language classes and their tutors that may ensure success. As long as a majority of Thailand’s English teachers are barely able to express themselves in English, how can we expect that this situation can be remedied by the introduction of Latin script alone? Instead, bilingualism would be the way to go, but I think the writer has pointed this out correctly.

The writer has obviously also overlooked that the Latin alphabet is by no means of any standard throughout the world. We have the Greek alphabet, most of the Slavic countries write in Cyrillic, the Arabs read their newspapers in their own script, and so on.

And to bring this letter to a slightly sarcastic end: Let’s be honest that there are more than a few English speakers who don’t even know how to write their own language, with misspellings and grammatical errors so ubiquitous that it makes their literary outpourings indeed the “butt of jokes”.
Thomas Schmid
Bangkok


Beach becoming dangerous place for quiet stroll

Sir
I was very interested to read R. Bodkin’s comments regarding Beach Road (Pattaya Mail 3/12/04), sadly they are true and mirror my experience.

Notwithstanding the continual digging up, the beach front is becoming a dangerous place to attempt a quiet stroll. We were staying in the Montien Hotel, and looked forward to enjoying a stroll along the beachfront. As soon as we crossed to the beach, we were descended upon by gangs of people trying to sell boat trips and jet-ski rides. A polite “no thank you” was met with “why not, why you come to beach” and continued waving and pointing. We decided against our stroll and returned to the safety of the hotel pool, much to the dismay of the deckchair girls who must see this happen every day.

Are these boat people licensed, and why doesn’t the council move them to the underused Bali Hai pier? This has better facilities and the coach-loads of tourists who want to use the speedboats could do so safely, leaving the beach for families to relax without continual pestering from the boat owners to take expensive rides.

We shall certainly return to Pattaya, but will not consider the beach as part of our holiday unless something is done to ensure that it will be a peaceful visit.
Yours Faithfully
David Young
London UK


It’s paradise here, but...

Editor;
As I sat and mused, sad and lonely (for 30 seconds) on Dongtan Beach, a voice came to me from out of the gloom saying, “Cheer up things could be worse”, so I cheered up, and sure enough things got worse.

Another voice came to me from out of the gloom, this time via newly installed loudspeakers, accompanied by very strange and annoying music and, intermittently, a female babbling on endlessly about goodness knows what! Think she was speaking in Thai, but not even the Thais could decipher the muffled utterings!

Reminded me of a long ago Brit TV Soap called “The Prisoner” but that was TV and one could switch it orft, this is reality, and the speakers are too high to sabotage, so far!

Please, who’s idea was it to inflict this form of torture on us poor Dongtan beach lovers? After all we are here to enjoy ourselves and spend, spend, spend. Why try to drive us away with yet another thorn in the flesh?

I have managed to get the telephone number of the Dongtan Police Box from whence the annoyance emanates, perhaps if enough protest phone calls are received the din might cease.

Please feel free to phone 038 231 062 the moment the din starts, usually around 3.15pm.

Hope springs eternal! Please phone.

I read the governor of Phuket overruled the powers that be with regard to the ridiculous closing hour, his prerogative apparently, AND has promised to phase out the dreaded jet-skis. Why can’t the governor of Pattaya, if we have one, do the same?

Perhaps he lacks the courage of his counterpart in Phuket and ain’t about to risk losing his cushy job by actually doing anything positive, along with his partners in city hall.

Love wonderful, amazing Thailand, and don’t really want to appear another winger, because I fled Zimbabwe. Now there is a place to really, really feel sad in. Here is paradise, regardless of stupid closing hours, the loudspeakers on Dongtan Beach and the noisy, dangerous, bloody jet-skis!
RW
View Talay Condo


Beach lovers enjoy sand, not concrete

Dear Editor
The owner & residents of our condo were shocked this week to find out that there are plans and construction are underway to build a concrete walk right along Wong Amat Beach, starting from Dusit Resort.

This is nothing short of criminal. So the authorities have no idea when selling Pattaya as a “Beach Resort” what people want and expect.

They want clean sea, so they can swim in it. They want clean beaches with reasonable toilet facilities. They want to be able to use the beach in safety and peace, not constantly disturbed by traders.

Wong Amat Beach used to be one of the best unspoiled beaches, but the only time it was cleaned was by occasional volunteers.

People want to enjoy sand on a beach, walk, sit and play on the sand, not on concrete. The authorities should spend their money on clean sea and beaches.

Wong Amat beach lovers


Strange goings-on on Second Road

Editor;
Did anyone else notice the recent curious activity on Second Road just north of South Pattaya Road?

First, a large hole was dug in the road. Then a reinforced concrete structure appeared, protruding above road level. Next, the structure was extended to a couple of metres above ground level. Shortly after, the whole thing was bulldozed, and the hole filled in.

Maybe the whole thing was a mistake. Did they get the wrong location, or was someone reading the plans upside-down?

Can anyone enlighten me?
Ted Maddock

Pattaya


Anonymous generosity - the purest form of charity

Editor;
It would seem that Jesus eavesdrops. I was recently discussing my ideas to raise money to install 3 air conditioners in the “My Home” project at Phu Luang (Rayong) so that the girls in the self-help program there can get some relief from the heat, and be even more productive, but just as important, to protect the materials from mould and deterioration from heat. My plan was to raffle some of the girls’ own beautiful quilts to get the funds for this purpose. A few days after this discussion, a crate containing a brand new Mitsubishi air-conditioner was delivered to my doorstep with at a note attached - “... from Jesus”. Wow!

We at “Our Home” would like to thank “Jesus”, whoever you are, for your much appreciated contribution to our project.
With utmost gratitude,
Tiew
“Our Home”
PS - For anyone not familiar with our story, and would like to know more, please contact us at 133 M.4 Tumbon Makhamkoo, Ging Amphur Nikhompatana, Rayong 21180.


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