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Arson suspected as fire guts Plutaluang Golf Club
Damage assessed at 100mn baht
Patcharapol Panrak
A fire at the Plutaluang Golf Course clubhouse destroyed 85
golf carts along with equipment and offices last Friday morning. Navy guards
reported the fire shortly after midnight. The smell of fuel was reported to be
rife at the conflagration.
Only metal
rims remain of the golf course’s 85 golf carts.
Senior naval officers and 15 fire units from Sattahip
municipality and naval divisions rushed to the site of the blaze, which
engulfed the basement level of the building. Fire fighters took two hours to
extinguish the flames while navy officers, fire fighters and police sifted
through the ashes looking for clues to the cause.
Pol Lt Col Pongsak Kadeetham, Plutaluang criminal
investigation inspector, was part of the team as the damage was counted.
Eighty-five golf carts which had been left to charge overnight were destroyed,
and with each cart valued at around 300,000 baht the damage to those alone was
25 million baht. Also destroyed were 510 12-volt batteries used in the
vehicles, totaling 663,000 baht.
The 80 million baht clubhouse sustained damage with a number
of offices gutted by the fire. Engineers are being called in to examine the
structure to ascertain how extensively it has been damaged.
Initial theories suspect the fire started in the basement
level where the golf carts were kept. The carts were owned by the Club Car
Company, which had the concession to operate on the course. The company
president, Adornthep Gorowara, visited the site after learning of the blaze to
see his company’s property destroyed.
At 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon, RTN Vice Admiral Weeraphan
Ngokngarm, Plutaluang Golf Club director and Sattahip Naval Commander, met with
Pol Lt Gen Jongrak Juthanont, region 2 police commander, Pol Maj Gen Anand
Charinchasri, Chonburi police superintendent, and other senior officers at
scene.
Initial evidence revealed that the fiberglass charging
center was badly scorched, which could not have ignited by itself. Officers
questioned the two navy guards on duty the previous evening who told them that
they saw smoke coming from the basement level in the south side of the
building. They rushed to the location to see if anyone was there but the blaze
spread too quickly.
Pol Lt Gen Jongrak Juthanont told reporters, “This fire
does not appear to have been the result of an electrical fault. The building is
quite new and has safety breakers throughout. The evidence we found so far is a
fuel tin, which we have given to forensic officers for examination. I believe
this to be the work of an arsonist. Perhaps due to business conflict, which we
must investigate.
“In the overall picture, Adornthep Gorowara, Club Car
president is a well respected and liked person who has never had conflicts with
anyone during his contract with the Plutaluang Golf Course.”
RTN Vice Admiral Weeraphan Ngokngarm added afterwards, “It is strange that
an incident like this should happen at this golf course. However, we must allow
the police to thoroughly investigate the case. The navy will carry out their
own investigation to find out the real reasons behind the fire.”
A growing population requires more health care services, says mayor
Narisa
Nitikarn
The Public Health Service Centre on Soi Buakao had its
official opening on July 12, with a ceremony presided over by Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn and attended by Deputy Mayor Wuttisak Rermkijakarn,
Chonburi MP Chanyuth Hengtrakul, and city councilors and administrators.
(front
row, center three, from left) Chanyuth Hengtrakul, Member of Parliament
for Chonburi Zone 6, Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, and Deputy Mayor
Wuttisak Rermkijakarn open the new center.
Wuttisak, whose responsibilities include public health
and the environment, said that the centre has a budget for the current
fiscal year of 24 million baht. It has been open since April 7 this year,
offering free services such as haircuts, Thai massage, dental checkups and
tooth extractions.
Niran in his opening speech said that Pattaya has been growing in every
way, and that consequently the need for health care has also been growing.
It is important, he said, to expand the opportunity of health service to
everybody.
City fine-tunes 5-year development plan
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Pattaya administrators and department heads have
discussed changes to the overall 5-year (2005-2009) development plan for the
city, designed with the aim of developing tourism, natural resource
preservation and environmental conservation.
 The
mayor presides over the meeting discussing city development strategy.
Suttisak Charoenrunagsap, head of the policy and research
department, said that each department and part of the city plays a specific
role in the master plan in developing facilities and utilities to enhance
the city’s image. The city has budgeted 9.613 billion baht over the master
plan period to improve the economy and the quality of life for residents,
address the drug problem and upgrade the education system.
Apart from these basic ideals, Pattaya’s plans also include tighter
management concepts for the city through the use of technology under the IT
program. Other aspects include the creation of a new public Kratinglai beach
area, where visitors can enjoy more of the region’s seaside ambience.
GE demonstrates mobile water unit that works off waste or seawater
Ariyawat Nuamsawat,
Vimonrat Singnikorn
A mobile water production unit that can produce a supply
of 45 cubic metres per hour and that has a set-up time of only one hour has
been demonstrated to Eastern Seaboard industrialists by GE Infrastructure,
Water & Process Technologies Co Ltd.
 GE
Infrastructure’s president, Pornlert Lattanan, introduces the technology
to industrialists.
The unit, which is priced at over 20 million baht,
coverts wastewater or seawater, and has been designed for use in areas where
a continual supply is necessary but where natural sources are often lacking
or unreliable.
Addressing the presentation seminar, which was held at Dusit Resort, GE
Infrastructure’s president, Pornlert Lattanan described how the unit could
be configured for individual industries and needs. The unit, which is from
the USA, can also be used in the hotel industry.
Mayor supports conversion of wastewater as potable source
City changes thinking on long term water production
Narisa Nitikarn
Senior management from Technoaqua Systems International
Company (TSI) met with city administrators to propose changes to their
original plans in creating a viable water supply for the city, following
suggestions from Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn regarding the use of
wastewater as the main source.
There is
plenty of wastewater available for use, which is also preferred by the city.
TSI had originally proposed to convert seawater into a
potable source, but the mayor had discarded the initial proposal. “We are
not that short of water that we need to use seawater for the project,”
said Niran. “What would be more efficient is to use the large amount of
wastewater as the main source.”
The mayor said that the city is looking at three main
avenues of creating potable water. The first is to open the project to
tender, as is normal with joint projects between government and private
enterprise. As an alternative, TSI would make the total investment for the
project. A third option is that TSI resubmits the proposal of using seawater
as the source of producing a potable product in which they produce at least
40,000 cubic metres per day.
The mayor went on to add that the process differs from
Eastwater, which currently supplies water to the local authorities with
varying quality.
“TSI is confident in providing pure water much better
than the water authorities. I suggest that you (TSI) reconsider your
proposal, as the city is entertaining offers from other companies who have
presented a number of products to the administration,” said Niran.
TSI management called for some time to reconsider their proposal and
further evaluate the investment required before meeting with the mayor and
administrators in the near future.
Grand parade planned for August 12 Queen Sirikit Park opening
Narisa
Nitikarn
More than 700 Thai musicians will assemble for the opening
of Queen Sirikit Park on Pratamnak Hill, to be conducted on August 12, Her
Royal Highness’s birthday, which is also Mother’s Day here.
The
location for candles and Thai musical celebrations.
Preparations began on July 11 with a city hall meeting
called by Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and attended by four deputy mayors,
heads of government departments, community representatives, and
representatives of participating organizations.
Mayor Niran said that on Mother’s Day, the assembly and
musicians will gather at the field in front of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.
A parade will make its way to Queen Sirikit Park, where a plaque will be
ceremoniously unveiled. A candlelit procession is also planned, and Thai
traditional dress will be a feature of the festivities.
During the parade and opening ceremony, the road will be closed off to
traffic. City hall is arranging the supply of food and drink for spectators.
Power saving begins here, city officials told
Narisa Nitikarn
Department heads in city hall have been told by Deputy
Mayor Wattana Chantanawaranont that power saving must begin at home before
encouraging others to do so.
The comments were made in a general meeting at city hall
chaired by the mayor and the deputy mayor as they discussed surveys on
public utilities and finding further methods in reducing power usage.
“The government’s power saving policies call for
cooperation in reducing the amount of fuel and electricity. This includes
city officers in various departments,” said Wattana.
The deputy mayor mentioned specifically those who work
after hours, “Those who work on weekends are known to turn on all the
lights and air conditioning units. This doesn’t help a bit and as such we
shouldn’t call for cooperation if we ourselves don’t set an example.”
Sittiphap Muangkhum, city clerk added, “If we really
want to proceed with saving power, the best place to start is to turn off
any unnecessary lights as well as opening windows and turning off air cons,
weather permitting. Only then can we be successful in setting a good
example.”
Through the course of the meeting Mayor Niran spoke on
the need to survey the city’s public areas and utilities and search for
ways to reduce power usage, stating that Pattaya’s vast public areas must
also be part of the project as well as those persons encroaching on public
land. Concerning the latter, “We must check all areas and bring about
legal proceedings on those encroaching on public property,” said Niran.
Other issues raised included the purchase of 72 level 5
power saving air conditioners for the city’s schools.
Burn baby burn
It was a go-go inferno
Narisa Nitikarn
The hottest bar on Walking Street was the Supergirl Go-Go
Club on Soi Diamond on Monday afternoon, when panicked vendors and residents
called the fire brigade after a blaze broke out in the bar.
Supergirl
on Soi Diamond was at its hottest midday Monday when fire gutted the bar.
Police and five fire units raced to the flaming venue,
which was empty and locked shut at the time. Firefighters broke the lock on
the front door to gain access to the fire. Once inside they had the blaze
under control in 30 minutes, and sprayed water on nearby businesses to prevent
any potential spread of the conflagration.
Pradit Rianmalakul, owner of “Super Girl: The Most
Swinging A-Go-Go Club In Town” told police that he rented the premises from
the Soi Diamond Hotel and that the venue had yet to open for the day. The
blaze gutted the inside of the bar.
Investigations revealed that the fire started in the front
of the bar, spreading inside.
“At this point we don’t know the cause of the fire but are continuing
with our investigation. However, there three main suspected causes: an
electrical short circuit, arson, or arson for insurance purposes,” Pol Maj
Chaiporn Thongnarpian, on-duty criminal investigation inspector told
reporters.
Finnish amputee causes mayhem
Police were called in to sort out street chaos after a
Finnish tourist who was reported as being both legless and drunk had parked
his wheelchair in the middle of the road near Soi 9, creating a traffic jam
and public disturbance for almost 30 minutes.
One
should never drink and drive, apparently even if what is being driven is a
wheelchair.
Onlookers told a Pattaya Mail reporter that the
intoxicated Finn, who was aged about 50, was wheeling himself along the road,
frantically shouting at everyone he saw, banging his fists on cars, grabbing
helmets from motorcycles and throwing them around, and even spitting at people.
Police attempted to calm the inebriated amputee, but he fought his way out of
the officers’ grasp. Staff from his hotel then appeared. The man seemed to
tire and was escorted back to his room in Pattaya Klang. Car owners and
motorcyclists have forgiven him, and sympathetic police are not pressing any
charges.
Swiss chef killed in Beach Road collision
Boonlua Chatree
Yves Christophe Bernard, 37, a chef at the Silva and
Sopit Restaurant, was pronounced dead on arrival at Pattaya Memorial
Hospital shortly after 3 a.m. on Friday July 22 after his motorcycle
collided with a baht bus on Beach Road.
Police called to the accident scene near Soi 12 found the
injured man still breathing, and he was rushed to hospital for emergency
treatment.
Officers questioned the baht bus driver, Montree
Kullasawat, 49, after confiscating his driver’s license at the police
station. Montree claimed that he had stopped to pick up passengers when the
collision occurred. He said the motorcycle crashed into the back of his
vehicle at high speed.
Bernard sustained a broken neck and compound fractures to
his legs. Police filed a report of his death with the Swiss Embassy.
Snooker bar owner shot dead
at City Sports Centre construction camp
Boonlua Chatree
A snooker bar owner has been shot dead in what police
believe was a dispute over business territory at the Pattaya City Sports
Centre construction workers’ camp.
Banglamung police were called out during the evening of
July 13 when a shooting was reported at a house on Soi Chaiyapruk 2, in Huay
Yai.
Arriving at the scene, officers found the premises to be
a temporary corrugated iron house with three snooker tables, and located
within the workmen’s camp at the Pattaya Sports Centre construction site.
Saksit Sae Bae, 49, originally from Omyai in Nakhon
Phatom province, and who lived at the camp, was lying dead on a bed. He had
been shot six times by a 0.38mm calibre weapon, the bullets striking his
head, his right chest, his thigh, his shin, and the lower end of his
breastbone.
Police kept three shell casings found at the scene.
Officers questioned 10 people who had been playing at the
snooker tables. Samrit Chanhom, 46, and Wanchai Prabkluay, 36, told police
that a tall dark-skinned man aged about 25-30 years and wearing jeans had
come looking for Saksit at the camp. The man went to Saksit’s lodging
beside the snooker tables, called him, opened the door, went in and shot six
times before fleeing on a motorcycle. No one could remember the colour or
make of the motorbike.
Police are treating the shooting as a case of business
rivalry at the Sports Centre workers’ camp.
Police briefs
Boonlua Chatree
Gang of 7 armed with bombs
and weapons seized on way to do battle
Seven men from a gang that set out in a pickup truck with
weapons and bombs to attack a rival gang were seized by Banglamung police,
although their village headman, who was leading the assault, managed to
escape.
The incident happened on July 14, when police received a
tip-off that the headman and about 10 others were in a bronze colored Toyota
pickup, heavily armed, and on their way to the Laem Chabang Housing
Community.
The gang attempted to flee at the sight of the officers,
but seven were arrested. They have been identified as Wanchai Jiamkul, 37,
Panya Parod, Sathaporn Trakulpaisan, 17, Pongsiri Pornpong, 23, Panu
Sang-Ngern, 26, and Wirot Munghasin, 24. The headman, under whose inspired
leadership the attack was being led, jumped from the truck and fled.
Searching the vehicle, police found four Molotov
cocktails, one TNT bomb, one 0.22mm caliber gun with seven rounds of
ammunition, five 2-foot long rapiers, one long sword, and one pocketknife.
Police charged all seven men with conspiring to assault,
and with possessing and carrying weapons.
Tukcom dealer nabbed for
illegal distribution of 1900 CDs
Police, tipped off that a shop in Tukcom department store
in South Pattaya was distributing unlicensed CDs and games, raided the 4th
floor premises and arrested Apirak Sriprasert, 35.
Apirak, who had 1,900 CDs, said he was distributing them
for the price of 80-120 baht. He had been doing this for a long time, he
said, and was supported and protected by his employer. Back at Soi 9, police
charged him with distributing unlicensed materials.
Son burgles own house
Police receiving a call from Mrs Janitta Curnen, 38,
reporting that three burglars were in her house, rushed to the scene and
seized one of the men who claimed he had been led there by the owner’s
son.
Suradet Kaewsing, 26, was arrested at the South Pattaya
premises as his two accomplices escaped. He told officers that one of them
was Surachet Sukprasert, Janitta’s 18-year old son, and that they had
banded together to steal from people’s houses. Surachet, he said, had
promised pickings of 10,000 baht and one cell phone if they raided his
mother’s home.
Police are now searching for the less than filial
Surachet.
Two injured in
Sukhumvit-Thepprasit accident
Shortly after midnight on Friday morning, July 22,
Dongtan police were called out to an accident at the intersection of
Sukhumvit and Thepprasit roads where two people on a motorcycle were
seriously injured.
Officers arrived at the scene to find a new Honda
motorcycle with red plates lying on the road. The rider of the bike,
Khunthong Prasertchart, was nearby with a broken leg and head injuries. The
unconscious pillion passenger, a woman in her early 20s, was lying nearby
with serious head injuries. The pair was taken to the emergency room at
Banglamung Hospital for treatment.
The driver of the car that struck the motorcycle was
sitting in his vehicle, waiting for police to arrive. The force of the
collision damaged the front of the car. Yodrak Prasert, 40, told police that
he was heading back to Bangkok after having stayed at the Ambassador Hotel.
He said that he was approaching the intersection in which the lights had
been switched over to flashing red. Yodrak said that as there was no traffic
he proceeded and at the last instant a motorcycle shot out in front of him
before he could avoid or brake in time.
Police confiscated the driver’s license and impounded
both the car and motorcycle until the two injured persons could be
questioned and legal proceedings facilitated.
Preserving the sea turtle
a priority in military zones
Chatchanan Chaisree
The Royal Navy’s Sea Turtle Conservation Centre was set
up at beach areas where turtles enter Thai waters to lay their eggs, the
intention being to protect the sea creatures and their laying grounds from
any harm due to activities in the military zones.
It’s been
about five months for these little sea turtles, and the time to be set free
into the wild draws closer.
Sea turtles mainly lay their eggs at Koh Kram, Koh Ira
and Koh Chan. Since 1982 the centre has been relocating about 30,000 sea
turtle eggs per year from a total of 300 nesting places.
There are two types of sea turtle in Thai waters: the
Chelonian midas, and the Eretmochelys imbricata.
The centre has prepared a pond with clean seawater, the
pond having enough space for young turtles to swim and increase their
strength. Officers change the water regularly and keep supplies oxygenated
by using a water circulation system. The young turtles are fed with
yellowtail fish or squid. Up to the age of six months, a baby turtle eats
about 14 grams per day.
The young turtles are cared for until they are six months
old, when they are considered mature enough to survive on their own.
Officers leave them on the beach 4-6 metres away from the water, and let
them adapt themselves before crawling into the sea.
Sea turtle life is an interesting field of study, with marine specialists
often tracking them for thousands of miles before the turtle returns to the
beach of its birth some two or three years later.
Mettatham Centre donates
to the children of Ban Jingjai
Narisa Nitikarn
Sikh volunteers from the Mettatham Centre gathered at the
Siri Khururamadas Recuperation Old Age Home on Soi Krua Phanmai to present
donations of clothing and other items to the children of Ban Jingjai
Orphanage.
Children
from Ban Jingjai wait patiently for the Mettatham Centre’s donation bags.
Led by the centre’s president, Sardool Singh Khanijo,
and Amrik Singh Kalra, president of the Sikh community in Pattaya, the
volunteers handed 60 donation sets to the children. More donation sets are
ready for presentation to the children of the Wat Chai Mongkol community.
(From
right) Amrik Singh Kalra, president of the Sikh community in Pattaya, Sadool
Singh Kanijo, president of the Mettatham Centre, and Mahinder Singh Champee,
secretary of the Mettatham Centre.
The Recuperation Old Age Home is still under construction
and will be completed later this year, ready for an official opening on
December 2. The home will be open for everybody, regardless of class or
religion, and will offer food, accommodation, and nursing care.
The Mettatham Centre has been distributing articles and funds to all
parts of Thailand for over 20 years, donations being made regardless of
religious affinity.
All garbage belongs to us, city hall tells convention center in row over refuse bills
Narisa Nitikarn
Long-running allegations over unpaid refuse collection
bills by the Ban Sukhawdee Convention Center reached a head on July 19 when
Taweelarb Sumetomrat, Pattaya finance office director, called a meeting of
Ban Sukhawdee and Eastwaste Management Co Ltd representatives.
 Paiboon
Gertjaeng, Ban Sukhawdee’s head housekeeper presents his case in the
meeting.
Paiboon Gertjaeng, Ban Sukhawdee’s head housekeeper,
presented numerous documents concerning his employer’s case. Several
newspapers have published stories over the alleged lack of payment by the
convention facility from 2003 to 2005.
“The allegations that Ban Sukhawdee has defaulted on 28
months’ payment for waste collection or around 140,000 baht are
distorted,” said Paiboon. “The results of this misinformation has
damaged our (Ban Sukhawdee) reputation as the media failed to collect more
detailed data on the case. Today, I present the evidence and explain our
actions.
“In March 2003 we sent a letter to the company’s
(Eastwaste) previous manager requesting them to collect garbage from Ban
Sukhawdee three times per day - morning, noon and evening - because we do
have a large amount of refuse to discard. However, the company failed to
collect the rubbish and we then sent a letter canceling their service.
“Since then, Ban Sukhawdee has been taking its own
waste to the city dump. I wish to inform the meeting and members of the
media of the full facts and I have the documents here for perusal,” said
Paiboon.
Upon hearing the news, Wannaporn Jaemjumrat, Pattaya
Health and Hygiene Department director said, “If you have the evidence
here, I would to like to take a closer look at the documents. This is
because the company now has a new manager and more importantly Ban Sukhawdee
has no right to dispose of their own waste. The law states that every single
piece of garbage belongs to the city and is the resource of the city and the
city has the right to do with it as it wants.
“If Ban Sukhawdee were to dispose of the waste
themselves or employ a contractor to do the job, it would work out more cost
effective to employ a contractor.”
Ban Sukhawdee representatives said if that was in fact true, they would
seriously consider employing a contractor with the city suggesting that they
begin with weighing the waste on a daily basis to gauge the monthly fees
over the next 30 days.
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