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Kingdom of Thailand celebrates Coronation Day May 5
Photo
courtesy of the Royal Household Bureau.
May 5 marks the 55th anniversary of the Coronation of His
Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great.
The day is celebrated as a national holiday, and all
government offices and commercial banks were closed.
Each year on May 5, the Kingdom of Thailand commemorates the
day when, in 1950, King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, the 9th in the Chakri
Dynasty (Rama IX), was crowned.
His Majesty the King was pronounced successor to the throne
in June 1946. After four years of studying in Europe, he returned to Thailand
and was crowned during an elaborate and highly intricate ceremony that outdid
all previous coronations in Thailand.
On April 28, 1950, a week before his coronation, H.M. King
Bhumibol and Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitayakara were married. Following the
coronation the King returned to Switzerland to continue studying.
The Coronation Ceremony reinforces the stature of the Kings
of Thailand.
The first such elaborate ceremony was performed when Pho
Khun Phamuang succeeded Pho Khun Bangklangthao as the ruling King of Muang
Sukhothai. Phaya Lithai, a former leader in Sukhothai, left a historical record
in stone describing the coronation ceremony in Sukhothai at Wat Srikhum.
In the beginning of the Ratanakosin era, the first King in
the Chakri Dynasty (King Buddha Yot Fa Chulalokmaharach) took the title of Rama
I and moved the capital of Siam from Thonburi to the opposite bank of the Chao
Phraya River, and constructed Krung Ratanakosin (Bangkok). In the process of
building the Royal Palace and Wat Prakaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), the
first King in the House of Chakri refined the coronation ceremony, establishing
important protocol that has lasted to this day.
All Kings to follow not undergoing the coronation ceremony
would be unable to assume the term “Phrabat” in front of the King’s title
of “Somdej Phrachaoyuhua”, and more significantly, the symbol of the
nine-tiered umbrella would also not be permissible or officially recognized.
The elaborate coronation ceremony of His Majesty King
Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great included all the ancient rituals required for
assuming the full title and the nine-tiered umbrella. King Bhumibol Adulyadej
then bestowed the honor posthumously on His brother King Ananda Mahidol. King
Bhumibol Adulyadej’s benevolent act raised King Ananda Mahidol’s regal
status from seven to a nine-tiered umbrella.
During the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV), Buddhist monks
and Brahmin priests were incorporated into the coronation ceremony to conduct
rituals to sanctify the auspicious occasion. Previously the ceremony was
arranged and conducted by the Royal Palace staff and members of the Royal
Household.
The annual commemoration of the coronation ceremony is
currently a three-day affair, starting with a ritual “tham bun” ceremony on
May 3 to honor the King’s ancestors. Later on the first day, another ceremony
is performed, whereby flags of honor are issued to distinguish various military
units.
The following day, Buddhist ceremonies continue with
chanting rituals, prayers and Brahman priests announce the auspicious occasion
of the next day (May 5).
On May 5, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great
(Rama IX) conducts a merit-making ceremony, presenting offerings to Buddhist
monks, and leads a “Wienthien” ceremony, walking three times around the
sacred grounds at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
In the evening the King conducts another sacred ceremony:
changing the yellow cloth on the Emerald Buddha, the guardian symbol protecting
the Thai people, which was transferred from Thonburi to Wat Phra Kaew by Rama
I.
Many rooms in the Royal Palace are opened for public viewing
on Coronation Day. Auspicious ceremonies are performed and displays depicting
royal achievements are exhibited to reconfirm the King’s stature.
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great is now the world’s longest
reigning monarch, 58 years, as the people of Thailand celebrate their beloved
father of the nation and his dedication to the development and well- being of
his subjects throughout his benevolent reign.
Conserve water urges mayor,
as reserves run dangerously low
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Pattaya is facing a water crisis, and the city administration
is urging residents and businesses to use great caution until a stable long-term
solution can be worked out.
Over the past week or so Pattaya has experienced a lack of
water in many areas as the taps have run dry, and further shortages could have a
devastating impact on the town’s tourism industry. The Regional Water
Authority has revealed that water levels in the city’s major reservoirs are
extremely low.
Residents
thank city officials for their assistance for trucking in water. The mayor urged
everyone to use this vital resource sparingly.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and a special task force began
distributing water to communities in the Chalermprakiat Soi 14 and Arunotai
communities that have been without supplies for two days, and to other areas
facing the same problem.
The mayor informed residents that there was a need to
conserve water and a concerted effort by everyone was necessary to ride through
the dry spell.
“We are currently facing water shortages. The Mabprachan
dam is very low. We are looking for ways to solve the problem by purchasing
water from other areas, but in the meantime I would like everyone to be
conscious of their water usage,” said Niran.
Local MP Chanyuth Hengtrakul called for medium and long-term
solutions for the drought. He said that an immediate solution would be to reduce
the flow of water to industrial estates and divert it into the piped water
system for local residents.
He also noted the need to create artificial rain in the
vicinity of all five local reservoirs, while promising to put pressure on the
government to invest in long-term measures to solve the region’s water
problems.
Mayor Niran said that residents needing urgent water supplies can call 01 945
3434 for assistance.
Traffic plan sought as Chonburi rated third highest for road deaths
Ariyawat
Nuamsawat
Academics from Burapha University in Bangsaen have met
with the mayor and senior police to try and find a solution to the large
number of road accidents in Chonburi, rated third highest in the nation for
road deaths.
Mayor
Niran Wattanasartsathorn (standing) listens to the preliminary research data
at the meeting.
A grant has been provided by the World Health
Organization. An initial survey was conducted between February and March
this year that reveals a lack of road discipline among motorists as the main
cause of accidents.
Professor Dr Gularb Rattanasaggatham, road accident
prevention research director at Burapha, announced the new research project
on traffic conditions in cooperation with Pattaya police.
“According to the data collected on the Sukhumvit Road
in Chonburi, three areas have shown to be the main areas where accidents
occur. So much so that it is of grave concern to those officials
responsible,” said Professor Rattanasaggatham.
“The four main hot spots are the Kratinglai
Intersection, which is number one on the list, Central Pattaya and South
Pattaya Road entrances, and the U-turn at Nong Krabok. We are focusing on
these areas in our study and will collect data from officials and residents
in order to reach a solution.”
The professor went on to say that once the data has been collected and
studied, a plan will be proposed. The WHO funded the study in order to
reduce death tolls on the nation’s roads.
Residents flee chemical leak at ice factory
Officials it shut down
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Residents and workers in the vicinity of the Pattaya Ice
Cube factory in Naklua fled the area on April 25 when fumes and white vapour
emanated from the building and a strong chemical smell filled the air,
causing vomiting and other discomforts.
Officials
shut down the Pattaya Ice Cube factory in Naklua because of a leak in an
ammonia pipe.
The Pattaya City Prevention and Relief Work Department
received a report at 2 p.m. from inhabitants of the area, and department
chief Somchai Thamphithakphong led a team to investigate, accompanied by a
fire engine.
When Somchai, along with Pattaya councillors Faruk
Wongborisut and Sanit Bunmachai conducted an examination, they found a
severe leak in an ammonia pipe. A pollution control expert from the Pattaya
Public Health and Environment Department, Chatchawan Chimthin, was asked to
contain the leak, and he directed the brigade officers to hose water into
the leakage area to dilute the chemical fumes.
Ms Nam-Oi Sroi-Tho, owner of the Tui Karnchang leather
cushion shop located next to the factory, told Pattaya Mail that she was
working in the shop with her employees when they smelled a strong chemical
odour that made their eyes sore and watery, and caused vomiting and stuffy
respiration. She said they saw a cloud of white vapour over the ice factory.
The employees fled the shop, not knowing what might happen next.
Chatchawan said that he exercised the right of control
and environmental protection to suspend production and close the factory for
15 days, because there was still a highly concentrated volume of the leaking
chemical. He believed the leak happened because of a lack of control
equipment.
Pattaya City will now cooperate with the Banglamung public health
department to examine the other ice factories in Pattaya City and Banglamung
District.
Investigation begins on IT corruption allegations
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Police Major General Weera A-Nantakul, president of a senate
special commission of investigation, on April 27 headed a team to city hall to
discuss with Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and other administration officials
allegations of corruption arising over four major IT projects in Pattaya City.
Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn (left) and Sitthipab Muangkum, acting on behalf of the
deputy mayor of Pattaya City (right), answer enquiries by Police Major General
Weera A-Nantakul (2nd left), president of the senate special commission of
investigation.
The projects are the tourism information system that
operates through an electronic box or touch-screen, the traffic light
installation or ICT, the automatic sprinkler installation, and Pattaya City
sound and picture communication, or CCTV. The four projects together cost over
88 million baht.
Complaints have been received to the effect that the project
was awarded unfairly, that the large size of the budget did not reflect the
quantity of work, that the handover of the projects did not correspond to
requirements, that qualifications were lacking, and that official cheating was
done to help the contractor.
Police Major General Weera said that they had received many
complaints because Chonburi province is a critical area concerning politics.
There were probably many dishonest projects in past years because Pattaya City
has a lot of budget support.
Amongst the claims are that complaints received about the
four projects were blocked by the Office of the Auditor-General in Sector 2.
City hall will submit all contracts to the senate
commissioners’ office for this matter before further submitting them to the
Office of the Auditor-General. If it is found that any cheating occurred, the
Committee of Prevention and Subjugation will continue the case.
Mayor Niran noted that much of the complaining had come from losing bidders
for the IT projects.
Motorcycle taxi riders enlisted to help fight crime
Boonlua
Chatree
Police have enlisted the help of Pattaya’s motorcycle
taxi riders in an effort to control the city’s rising crime rate.
A brief training seminar has been held for 200
representatives of the taxi queues in Pattaya. Pol Col Somnuk Changate,
Pattaya police superintendent, called for the queues to act as the eyes and
ears of police to inform them of criminal activities such as ride-by theft,
drugs, or weapons offences. He said that each person would be issued with a
card with a phone number to inform officers.
Dozens of
motorcycle taxi operators listen to Pol Col Somnuk Changate’s call for them
to act as the eyes and ears of police.
“Those motorcycle taxi riders who provide information to police on
criminals are eligible for a reward and certificate of honour once the
criminals are caught. There is no need to wait for the case to be tried,”
said Pol Col Somnuk.
German motorcyclist injured in collision with electricity pole
A German national, Mikhael Marvass,
riding his motorcycle whilst allegedly under the influence of alcohol,
collided with an electricity pole at the entrance to Soi Nern Plabwan 18 on
April 27 and suffered severe facial and head injuries.
Police investigators established that Marvass, aged
about 40, was drunk and riding his red Honda motorcycle at speed. He had
attempted to overtake a car in front of him, swaying from the left to the
right side of the road. At the same time a car was approaching from the
opposite direction. Swerving to avoid a collision he lost control and ran
into the electricity pole and rocks at the side of the road, suffering a
fractured skull and concussion.
Sawang Boriboon Foundation officers provided first aid
before transferring him to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.
Gunman pleads guilty
in DJ shooting
Boonlua Chatree
Senior police officers led by Police Colonel Somnuk Chantket,
superintendent at Pattaya police station, on April 25 escorted 21-year old Panya
(also known as Ball) Suriyadet to the station to file a guilty plea over the
shooting of radio DJ Jaturong Kongchub.
The gunmen
reenact the crime.
Jaturong, 25, works on radio frequency 89.95 Pattaya City and
is the son of Nukul Kongchub, also a radio DJ, better known as Piak Pattaya.
Panya pleaded guilty to shooting Jaturong with a .38mm
calibre gun at the Blue Chili Pub on Pattaya Third Road on April 23. He said he
had gone to the pub with about 10 friends and had a dispute there with Jaturong.
He was unruly and tried picking a fight with several tables until his friends
had had enough, so he went outside to wait in the parking area until Jaturong
came out to his car. Panya then shot him but said he only wanted to put him in
his place, and didn’t have any intention to kill him. The bullet hit Jaturong
to the right side of his abdomen and lodged there, causing severe injuries.
Panya said he thought to take his own life but was afraid
that the bullet he would use on himself might strike anyone else who came
outside. So instead he made a decision to take a motorcycle taxi to evade the
police and go back to his residence in Soi Khaotalo. Police investigated and two
days later escorted him in to file a guilty plea.
A journalist present as police were bringing Panya to the station reported
that a relative of Jaturong strode up in front of the officers and struck Panya
in the face, blacking his eye. The police arrested the attacker and charged him
with assault before taking Panya to Pattaya police station.
Karaoke waitresses jump into ocean to evade gambling bust
Patcharapol Panrak
Sattahip police acting on a tip-off sent a car and
motorcycle patrol unit to Chaopraya Karaoke on Sattahip’s Beach Road,
where they found waitresses in the midst of a gambling session.
The girls were teenagers, and scared at the sight of the
police they attempted to flee by jumping into the ocean. Some sustained
injuries from barnacles sticking to the building pillars.
The officers pursued them and the waitresses were
arrested along with an Isan high-low set of three big dice and a bingo
plate.
The gamblers consisted of 12 women and one man, named as
Miss Nooprian Anantaphum, Miss Namphung Ruangchai, Miss Wiphaporn On-Tachan,
Miss Kaesorn Nooree, Miss Bang-On Klinbut, Miss Thipawan Chaipom, Miss Kob
Muanlahr, Miss Rotsukhon Bunlap, Miss Kanda Thongchai, Miss Nongkran
Sanitthao, Miss Wanna Nookaew, a Cambodian national named Miss Mompae, and
Mr Suwet Srirarum.
Everyone denied being the banker in the game or the owner
of the house. The police charged them with illegal gambling. The officers
also conducted a urine test on all the waitresses, but couldn’t find any
illegal drug substances.
Mafia beer-bar hoodlum shoots 2 motorcycle taxi drivers
Offence takes place within 100m of police station
Boonlua Chatree
Two motorcycle taxi drivers were gravely injured when a
gangster shot them with a .38 calibre weapon at the beer bars on Soi 7, at
1:20 a.m. on April 26.
Police rushed to the scene, which is only 100 metres away
from the police station, where they found two men lying in pools of blood.
Suthorn Saosiri, 26, had been shot under the region of his left ribs.
A-thorn Khulee, 27, had been shot in the left wrist, the bullet having
passed through his left shoulder and out of his back. The injured men were
taken to Pattaya Memorial Hospital.
At the scene police found one .38 calibre cartridge and
kept it as evidence. A bar employee who witnesses the attack told police she
recognised the gangster as Pitak Silakhan, 47, who had been residing at
Village No 13 in Nongprue sub-district. She said he has been watching over
all of the beer bars on Soi 7.
She went on to say that before the event Pitak was drunk.
He arrived at Soi 7 with a four-door pickup, and stopped his vehicle to have
an argument with the motorcycle taxi group in the soi. He then took out a
gun from his waistband and shot twice into the group.
Over 100 bargirls, Thais and foreign tourists fled for
cover. After the shooting Pitak waved the gun from side to side before
getting into the Toyota and driving away in the Sukhumvit Road direction.
A-thorn told police that Pitak was the beer bar mafioso
who watched over everything, and said that he was an unintended victim.
Pitak intended to shoot Suthorn because he wouldn’t pay him the motorcycle
taxi queue dues. Pitak had also been using threatening behaviour in Soi 7,
scraping his car against the food vendors when he came to inspect the bars
there. Nobody had the courage to file a report with the police because Pitak
is said to have influence with them. On occasions Pitak had fired his gun
into the air, but the police never arrested him. This time he shot people.
Police obtained an arrest warrant from the Pattaya
Provincial Court and are now seeking Pitak Silakhan.
Australian arrested
for using fake credit card
Also using false documents
Boonlua Chatree
Grant Bryan, an Australian using fake credit cards, was
detained at in Carrefour department store in Central Pattaya.
 Grant
Bryan, 44, an Australian citizen was arrested for using fake credit cards.
Police had received a report from Sornpetch Kenchiewchan
of Home Products Centre Public Co Ltd that Bryan was using four credit cards
to buy computer accessories. It was discovered that all the credit cards
were fake.
The apprehended man was found to be in possession of four
fake MasterCards and five locking system sets priced at 6,950 baht per set,
a total of 34,750 baht. Police kept this as evidence before continuing to
search the foreigner.
His documents identified him as Terry William, age 44, a
British citizen, but these were just copies and police suspected this was
not the man’s real name. They took him to Pattaya police station for
further questioning.
Advised that he was being charged with using fake electronic cards and
fake documents, the accused gave a statement to the police that he was Grant
Bryan, 44 years old, an Australian citizen. Bryan was jailed while police
continue the case.
Editorial: Something smells rotten…
Suchada Tupchai
The “stuff” hit the fan in Pattaya last week when
corruption allegations were investigated by Pol Maj Gen Weera Anantakul,
senate commissioner for the corruption investigation committee. Complaints
originated from contractors who lost the tender that Pattaya’s 88 million
baht IT project was too highly priced for the amount of equipment and work
carried out. Pol Maj Gen Weera met with Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and
local officials concerning the project and allegations.
The investigation led by the senate commissioner surveyed
four main projects: the tourist information “service boxes” using touch
screen technology, general traffic light management systems, automated
sprinkler systems, and the city’s proposed CCTV system. Engineers,
municipal officers and other responsible departments have been put under the
microscope over the allegations which focus on the amount of work not
matching the allocated budget and inflated costs of materials.
As with many projects, the touch screen tourist
information services project is still under process, almost two years after
its inception. This particular project comes under the city’s overall IT
development plans proposed this year to make Pattaya into a completely
automated city aimed at improving efficiency for the tourism industry.
However, many of these so-called projects have not only
been poorly executed but have shown little benefit for tourism development,
leaving residents and tourists wondering what’s going on. Service points
that are already in place are not being used and little interest has been
shown from the general public. Attention instead is now being diverted to
the Region 2 Finance Planning Department that is directly responsible for
paying the bills.
The detailed investigation is going through the processes
with Mayor Niran announcing confidently that everything is above board and
transparent, adding that the projects are in the best interests and benefit
the city and its residents.
However, the senate investigation committee must examine
all details, even the gaps in the Pattaya administration and allegations of
threats made in handing over work contracts during that period. The head of
the city PR department and the lack of definitive project guidelines will
also come under scrutiny. The results of whether the 88 million baht was
spent correctly will be forwarded to the senate committee.
The main focus of the senate committee’s investigation
is an important issue, especially concerning the Region 2 Finance Planning
Department, where the issue is not clear and has been left unaccounted for
until it has grown into a huge problem with all projects in the area. The
results, whichever way they fall, can only build better confidence among
residents as the government attempts to monitor itself and deal with
corruption and unacceptable behaviour in its “own” way.
The prime minister has previously announced that the
competition between clean and dirty money is a tough one, and that all
efforts to eradicate the latter from the country must be taken in earnest.
Allegations and complaints against government offices and
officials are not limited to this region, but are an issue that all Thai
people are awakening to. The close scrutiny of how effective local
governments and civil servants work has to be monitored by the people at
every level. We as Pattaya residents must take responsibility and ensure
that our elected officials are doing the right thing from the outset. We can
only complain if we don’t.
Broken water meter gushes for almost a month as Water Authority takes little interest in making repairs
Suchada Tupchai
Residents in a village in Soi Yensabai contacted
reporters concerning a broken water meter that has been left in disrepair
for almost a month. The meter, located outside one of the houses in the
cul-de-sac, has been gushing water since the beginning of April.
 For
almost a month this broken meter has been gushing water, and nothing is
being done despite residents’ continuously asking the water authority to
come fix it.
The house owner, Tor Arne Pedersen, told reporters that
he has informed the Pattaya Water Authority on numerous occasions by
telephone and in person. Still a repair crew has yet to show their face in
the small village.
Residents have tried to repair the broken meter to reduce
the water flow but to little avail.
The constant flow of water is causing distress in the
village and disgust for the lack of responsibility and action from
authorities.
“I am very unhappy about the situation,” said one
resident. “We have very little water to use on a day to day basis and to
see such a waste on a daily basis is terrible. We’ve all reported it to
the water authority but as yet nothing has been done. We’ve even tried to
fix the problem ourselves.”
Another resident quipped, “The country is in the middle
of a severe drought, some people don’t have any water. Messages are all
over the press about how we need to conserve water, be very careful with how
we use it, and here water is just being poured down the drain. Wasted. I’d
think that the mayor and city officials would be quite angry with the water
authorities about this situation.”
Water officials told reporters they were aware of the
problem and promised to take care of it, but to date no one from the
authority has shown the slightest interest.
Under the law it is illegal for residents to tamper with public utilities
such as electrical or water meters.
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