HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Sustainable tourism

Baht bus fees

Lucifer Disco raids

The power of one

Minimise your exposure to ATM scams

Privileged to live in Thailand

Quote from my mum

Elephants and dogs

Sustainable tourism

Editor;

Being a tourism hub does have its responsibilities! As more and more tourists supposedly flood into Thailand we must be reminded that these people are here on holiday and expect to be treated accordingly.

Safety is of course of paramount importance but, so is entertainment and relaxation. Requiring our tourists to retire at 1 a.m. is difficult, randomly closing the country’s nightspots and affecting the operation of others is a definite no-no. Customers have a nasty habit of voting with their feet. Yes, they do require an adequate and clean water supply - no, they do not expect to be hassled during their evening out (however hi tech our instruments of detection may be).

One should not be planning to control our tourists but should be finding ways to help in their enjoyment. Realising once and for all that our greatest asset so far as tourism is concerned is our once renowned and vibrant entertainment sector, on which so much else depends.

Even the elephants are being arrested on the streets of Bangkok and Pattaya, another lost tourism attraction and opportunity!

I really think that one should ask the tourists why they come. And please let us not accept their tongue in cheek response of “studying Thai Buddhism and Culture,” which I know is often cited, and which is often believed by those in high authority.

Please, don’t let tiny Singapore produce higher tourism figures (and revenue) than the whole of Thailand.

K. Sirikanya
Wongsriratanakul

Baht bus fees

Editor;

Some days ago I ascended the Pattaya public transport pickup nr 676 at the southern end of Soi Buakao. As I do now and then I studied the interior and found that these pickups still carry a sign with something like the following text: “The fee of public transport in Pattaya is not more than 10 baht” etc. which only reminds me that the only legal fee inside Pattaya is 5 baht whether you are yellow, white, black, green or purple or where you come from.

It is only obvious that this sign is put up there in a way to avoid mention that 5 baht is the legal fee in order to facilitate that the drivers can cheat foreigners and charge 10 baht for even small trips which is very expensive compared to public transports in general. Besides, it seems to me that this practise is simply illegal.

Further another sign with information about the driver, license, etc., and usually information and telephone number to a Passenger Protection Center but the drivers tend to tear that part away or cover it and that means that foreign passengers are in even greater danger than before - the danger is the driver who cheat the (usually) foreign passenger - are rude, threatening and even violent!

According to my experiences the passengers ought to be armed actually! Can anyone with some knowledge or responsibility comment on these matters?
NA the Observer

Lucifer Disco raids

Editor;

Regarding the latest raid, it seems that the roaring success of the Lucifer Disco and downstairs music pub must be putting someone’s back up.

The many times I have been there with my girlfriend, I have found the service courteous, ambience good and trouble-free; and why it finds itself a focus for the Pattaya cops (70 of them?!) to descend on the place and start testing everybody for drugs is pretty obvious.

I have never seen anybody selling or taking illegal substances in the Lucifer, which is more than can be said for most other similar places in Fun City.

Leave the place alone, please.
Andy

The power of one

Editor;

Has anyone ever stopped to think of the great contribution that the entertainment staff afford to the nation - it reminds me of a fable from my school days - “for want of a nail the kingdom was lost”. I expect many of your readers will be au-fait with the saga.

Against all official denial a very large number of tourists do in fact visit the kingdom to savour its once renowned vibrant nightlife which of course is dependant on the entertainment staff (“yes” - Thailand had finally attained a hub status!).

So, without the places of entertainment there would be far fewer visitors and so the number of hotels would decline - in the meanwhile they would price war to destruction. Next would follow the service industries, manufacturing, cleaning and repairing of all the items that support the travel industry - the sale and repair of all manner of items would be seriously affected from televisions to air conditioners, water pumps to laundry machines, food producers and suppliers to culinary manufacturers - signage, publications (newspapers!), car sales, boat sales, taxis and transport, fishermen, town halls, police stations and the very government itself.

In fact, very few would not feel the cold wind of economic depression, oh I forgot gold and jewellery shops too! Wages will suffer and foreign holidays abroad, let alone schooling, would be but a pipe dream unless one owned a very prosperous satellite company, but I fear this also would be affected as few could afford the phone subscriptions let alone the phones themselves.

Just a thought, but I plead that one should be taken far more seriously than is at present.

Tonight I shall raise my glass to all those nameless individuals that against all the odds bring happiness and prosperity to this land of smiles.

Arthur Higgs (Mr)
Fortuneswell, Portland, Dorset

Minimise your exposure to ATM scams

Editor;

There was a recent article in an Australian newspaper revealing over $80,000 was lost in ATM machine scams in Sydney. The method used to accomplish this scam according to Fraud Squad Detectives, was to mount small cameras on the ATM machine to capture Pin Numbers and to use another device over the card slot to read the details on the card’s magnetic strips. The bank details from the strips were copied onto blank cards which were then used with the PIN numbers to withdraw money from the victim’s account. The cameras and magnetic strip readers were stuck to the ATMs and looked like original parts.

Since I have worked in the Information Technology field for over thirty years prior to my recent retirement, I might add, the technology that was used has been available for more than two years and will probably explain the recent surge in the Thai banking systems loss of clients’ money through ATM usage. I would also add, the Thai Banks (like all other banks throughout the world) will have the information presented above as part of the strategies of sharing such information with banks worldwide to stay on top of such scams.

The major difference in Australia, and other Western countries, is that by law, the banks are oriented towards looking for such problems and must assume responsibility when it is their fault, whereas Thai banks pursue a strategy that it is the client’s fault and you must prove the bank’s negligence and then try and force them to assume their responsibility.

The banks need to ask themselves, “Why should foreigners move their accounts to such a system when they retire here?”

For those foreigners, like me, who reside in the Land of Smiles in spite of the above, here is a method of minimising your exposure to such ATM scams.

Select a Thai bank that has either telephone or internet banking, (internet banking is more secure). Open two savings accounts at your bank and have one with passbook access only and the other with a plastic card access.

Deposit your major money in the passbook account and immediately prior to withdrawing money from your plastic ATM card, transfer the amount through your internet/telephone banking system. If your card is scanned, then you will not have enough money in your available balance to interest anyone. This process has served me well throughout the years and even if the scammers have my information they present no danger since they normally dispose of the copied card within a day or so.

I hope this provides some visibility into the mysterious ATM losses and helps some of the victims argue their point with their banks.
A long time resident of the LOS

Privileged to live in Thailand

The Editor,

Having lived in this amazing country for the past 11 years I nave always considered myself very privileged, not only for having a beautiful Thai wife and a wonderful adopted family, the privileges reach much further, apart from the many obvious advantages an ex-pat enjoys the sunshine, the low cost of living, superb golf courses affordable to play, an abundance of excellent restaurants, etc.

But the main reason I feel privileged is living among Thai people who are mostly poor, and being accepted without animosity or envy, by people who smile in adversity and are happy with their lot. This comes to my point, the other evening I was appalled to learn from good authority that Thais are not permitted to enter a dart team into the league because they do not spend enough money across the bar, the reason surely being they simply cannot afford it. I find this situation totally unacceptable, an affront to the Thai people in their own country, and the irony being it is almost certain the perpetrators of what some may call a racially motivated rule are married or have an attachment to a Thai partner. Is this practise adopted by other sporting activities? I ask myself.

Personally I feel they should welcome a Thai dart team or any Thai team with open arms and make sure their glasses are full as a thank you for the privilege of being a guest in their amazing country.

Ted Davies
Naklua

Quote from my mum

Editor;

Re: Jumbo sweep rounds up 9 elephants for begging on city streets’’ - Pattaya Mail - 14th Oct ‘05.

Quotes from my 83 year young mother, holidaying in Thailand: “What a daft idea - it’s probably the reason most people go there - they’re be on their knees asking for them back soon!”

“Out of the mouths of babes and ... experience!”

I really can’t disagree with my mother’s comments, only to say that the prostitutes also should be confined to the bars and nightspots, for everyone’s benefit.

Timothy Hall (Mr.)
Salisbury, Wiltshire,
England, UK (via email)

Elephants and dogs

Editor;

With regard to your news items regarding removing elephants from the streets of Pattaya, it is indeed a sad thing, but if it really is the welfare of the elephants at heart, then, so be it.

To my mind, and everyone I talk to, a bigger problem are the packs of dogs roaming the streets all night, fighting and barking. I have seen many complaints over the years, aired in your newspaper.

We have been coming here for many years, about 4 months a year. We have moved from the Pratamnak Hill area because of noise from dogs, tried Jomtien, no better, and same problem Yensabai.

We leave next Saturday, and this will be the first time we have left without booking my next 2 months, February & March next year.

I’ll read Pattaya Mail on the web, and if I see the problem has been resolved I will come back, if not, back to Florida.
Alan Pittam

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