HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Road conditions

Ripped off at the gas pumps

Pattaya water situation worsens with corruption

Thanks for TV and paper

Dirty Pattaya water

Thought you couldn’t do it

Where is the public transport?

Thank you trespasser

Pattaya Mail TV is the best

Road conditions

Dear Ed,
I recently wrote regarding the road conditions leading to the Dao Caf้, which your reporter highlighted in the “Dining Out” article. Lo and behold on the opposite access / egress to the housing estate, it has been decided to install drainage channels on both sides of a sloping road. Is there too much money in the city coffers, that they have to waste such a vast amount of funds on a worthless project? If someone had a look in and around the houses, they would soon see that funds are urgently required in these areas where the road surface has virtually disappeared.

Regards,
Mitch Wilson

Ripped off at the gas pumps

Editor;

I was in the Pattaya Tai (South) Road Shell station Aug 6 or 7. This station is next to the CAT Telecom Offices. I observed that the employees are not resetting the pumps after filling motorcycles. This type of sale is often under 100 baht. They then proceed to fill autos with the previous sale amount still showing on the pump. The auto driver pays the full total, but does not receive the full amount of petrol that he paid for and the attendant pockets the difference that was previously collected from the motorcycle sale.

While I watched this happening, what appeared to be a senior employee collecting the money looked at me and rudely said, “What you looking, you have problem?”

I would guess that this is very profitable for this money collecting employee. I would suggest an undercover observation to see this practice happening.

Shell did not respond to the above e-mail.
A Man

Pattaya water situation worsens with corruption

Hi,

I am a farang living in a village off Soi Nernplubwan and for the past 4 weeks we have not had a drop of water. Well I do understand the critical shortage here in Pattaya. However, when areas around us and especially in Jomtien, where I have a few friends living, water is supplied around the clock without any restrictions. Why the bias?

To add insult to injury on the 18th August our neighbourhood received water bills which incidentally were due on the 15th August (ridiculous way of allowing us to pay) which means we couldn’t pay them at 7/11 or likewise outlets and had to drive to the Pattaya waterworks and pay it in person.

As I indicated earlier we have not had a single drop for 4 weeks and it costs us 200 baht to fill the tank each time, which means about every 2 days. Today I took my neighbour (Thai lady) to the waterworks to find out what these bills were for and was told that it was a service fee. But the ridiculous fact is that her bill alone, with all my other Thai neighbours, was for 85 baht while mine amounted to 246.10 baht, and the reason being because my bill was listed in the company name and therefore had to pay 3 times the (normal) amount. This is not such a great problem for me; however, I shall be checking with my solicitor first thing Monday morning.

But the news that probably would be of interest to you is the fact that while we were waiting at the Pattaya Waterworks there were no less than 6 or 7 tankers filling up from the waterworks itself, to sell later. So in fact while they cut off the water to households they were actually selling the water off to these merchants who then sold them for exorbitant prices. Now I wonder who is ripping who off here and I can see that the poor farang is being completely robbed. First of all there is no water being supplied, then he has to pay 3 times the amount of the service fee and secondly has to buy the water that he is entitled to in the first place. I did suggest that if they even gave us 2 hours of water each day that would suffice to get the washing done and have showers and flush the toilets. As for PR (public relations) the lady told my neighbour that if she didn’t want to pay the 85 baht she could return the meter and not worry about a damn thing!

My concern is if the Thai government wants to encourage farangs to come and live in this country they should at least provide a minimum service that we are more than happy to pay for, but at the same time not rip us off.

I hope this information is of some use to you and that you could use it to inform the community about the situation.

Regards,
Jeff

Thanks for TV and paper

Dear Editor;

Many thanks for continuing to send me the Pattaya Mail which I enjoy each week. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate you and your colleagues on the agreement reached to broadcast APTN News features and Entertainment Shows on your TV programme. I wish you lots of success.

It is nice also to be able to open the paper in the morning and see photographs of many people we have come to know in Pattaya such as Khun Panga, President Andrew and Secretary Ingo and of course your good self.

Keep up the good work.
Kind regards & Skål.
Yours sincerely
Jim Power
Secretary General
Skål International

Dirty Pattaya water

Editor;

I would like to comment on the city water supply story. I live in Pattaya, near Jomtien. Last year, I installed a typical PURE 0.3 micron cartridge filter just for drinking water. I previously changed the filter every five to six months because it was getting dirty, but still worked. I now have to change it every three weeks because it is saturated with a slime-like brown substance and is completely blocked. My water tanks have only city fed water supply and are not filled from trucks. I do not believe the official story from the water department. They are now definitely supplying sub-standard water to residences in Pattaya.
Myke

Thought you couldn’t do it

Dear Pattaya Mail,

And we thought you couldn’t do it! The Pattaya Mail on TV show has become the top TV show in Pattaya. The quality of the picture and sound has improved by leaps and bounds. Your presentations are smooth and intelligent. The addition of APTN international news gives the show an international look. The stories are unique and original. What you show are not even broadcast on other international broadcasting stations. The entertainment segment is second to none.

All in all, a great show. Thank you for making the effort to give us Pattaya audiences a programme that is not only enjoyable but also pleasing to the senses.

I am convinced ... Congratulations and keep up the good work.

A J Grimley
Pattaya Resident

Where is the public transport?

Editor;

Concerning the fishy circumstances of the very-very-long-yearned-for networks of modern, air-conditioned and honest working minibuses that a lot of residents more than ever would like to see materialise - what is happening or not happening? And IF something is happening or not - why is it so? It’s very good if the local media show some interest and solidarity in this case as I have seen small but important signs of the last time. In Phuket and now even in Chiang Mai it looks like there finally will be metered taxis and maybe minibuses available for the public - Thais as well as foreigners, tourists and residents. But Pattaya appears still very backward or corrupt riddled here. Does nobody really need to answer questions or show responsibility for this!? When will people of all races and status living in or spending time in Pattaya have a reliable, honest, safe and modern means of public transport? The baht-bus and its supporters and accomplices ought to have their days reckoned! So - again - what is happening?

“Earnie”

Thank you trespasser

Dear Editor,

I’ve been living in a small bungalow on Wongamat Beach north of Pattaya for nearly ten years now. Last Friday morning at around five a.m. I was asleep in my bed when the sound of my bedroom door opening awoke me so I lifted my head off my pillow to see the shadow of someone coming in my room. I thought it was the house maid Miss Tok bringing in cloths she was ironing that night so I went back to sleep without a second thought.

Some time later I awoke again to hear Miss Tok still in my room and I wondered what was taking her so long. Then, like a bolt of lighting it hit me! Miss Tok had gotten a job with the electric company and for the past month or so wasn’t living with me any longer. So who was in my room? I opened my eyes again to see the shadow of someone still going through my things. I closed my eyes again and didn’t know what to do.

I’ve been living in Thailand for nearly 20 years but at that moment I didn’t know what to do and I thought that if I ever get out of this I’d find out what I should do in a case like mine. So my question to you Dear Editor is what should someone do when they have a stranger in their room? Please answer my letter in your “Mail Bag” column as I’m sure others would also like to know what they should or shouldn’t do.

In closing I’d like to thank the trespasser for not stabbing me to death with a knife from my kitchen or hitting me over the head with the hammer from my toolbox that was in the front room of my house. Or is it “our house” now?

Sincerely,
Gary T. Bruton

Editor replies: You must have done something right, as you are alive and uninjured. Perhaps one of our readers could write in with an outline or suggestion as to what you should have done.

Pattaya Mail TV is the best

Dear Sir,

You never cease to amaze me. You have turned the Pattaya Mail TV show into one of the best programmes I’ve ever watched, even at home in Australia. The content is fantastic, something new and interesting every day.

Just goes to prove that when you put your mind to it, it can be done.

You have my vote as ‘the best’
Sincerely,
Dave Dunsmore

Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail
are also on our website.