City hall prepares for full National Children’s Day program

Marines to put on special display

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
With National Children’s Day scheduled for January 14, Deputy Mayor Wattana Jantanawaranon called a meeting at city hall with all relevant department heads and community leaders to discuss final planning for the activities, which are expected to attract more children than last year.

Deputy Mayor Wattana Jantanawaranon was a meeting presenter.

Wattana said this will be the second year Pattaya City has organized a schedule of events, following from the success of last year. In addition to events by shop owners, private organizations and local communities, the Royal Navy, Air Fighter and Coast Guard Command will have an exhibit on sea turtles, a display of air fighter technology, and a Dogs of War show from the Marines, the latter a rare display seldom seen in public.
Pattaya City will prepare food and drinks to support the attending children. Traffic will be closed off from the city hall side of the traffic lights in North Pattaya Third Road to the Phettrakul crossroad.
The program will run from 7 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn will be opening presenter.

Bay Watch: Calamity Lane was once so charming

Suchada Tupchai
The little soi beside the Bangkok Bank hasn’t changed much over the years. Initially a pedestrian thoroughfare it has in more recent times become a shortcut for cars and motorbikes, losing much of its charm in the process.
Inevitably, the traffic has become heavier, and recently a heavily laden truck managed to cave in part of the road around a drainage pipe, taking rescue workers many hours to sort out the mess, as there was so little room in the soi to maneuver.
The latest calamity happened when a crane jib fell on an apartment building in the soi. No one was hurt but the building was damaged. What next, we wonder, for this formerly charming little lane?

(Above) A big crane toppled over onto an occupied apartment building that houses lots of people. (Below ) That’s a fine mess you’ve got us into now, Ollie!

Kuwait man gets unwanted surprise and his phone stolen in the process

Boonlua Chatree
A Kuwaiti man finding a little more than he bargained for when he inadvertently took a transvestite back to his hotel room also had his mobile phone stolen in what must have been a traumatic night for him.

Hamad Ahardrak (right) lost his cell phone after finding out his “date”, Sakorn Pimta (left), was not actually born a woman.

Police received a report at 5.30 a.m. on January 3 from Hamad Ahardrak, 35, a national of Kuwait, that a transvestite had stolen his Imac Pocket PC smart phone from his room in at a high class hotel. Hotel security guards had already detained the thief.
On arrival at the scene officers found the transvestite, identified as Sakorn Pimta, 23, of Udon Thani, with the phone still on his person.
Sakorn said that he was looking for a client along the beach when Hamad came towards him asking to pay for his services. Sakorn did not advise him of his true gender, and the two of them returned to Hamad’s hotel room.
Eventually the secret came out. Hamad screamed “a guy!” and threw Sakorn out of the room. Hamad didn’t pay him a single baht, Sakorn said, not even his taxi fare, so he picked up a mobile phone that he saw lying around. Police charged him with theft.

Scotsman injures Japanese man in New Year firecracker incident

Boonlua Chatree
A Scotsman celebrating Hogmany boisterously by setting off fireworks outside the Honey Inn Hotel injured a Japanese man.
Police were called to the scene on December 31 where they found two Thai men selling fireworks without a license and arrested them. The two were identified as Buntham Wangkul and Bunthip Wangkul. In their possession were three boxes each containing 3,000 firecrackers and two boxes of assorted fireworks.
The injured man was named as Yoshida Takatoshi, 35, a Japanese national who had suffered minor burns to the upper body and neck. He told officers that the person who set off the fireworks was Robert Penman, 35, from Scotland.
Penman was taken to Pattaya police station where he admitted buying the fireworks from street sellers for 500 baht to celebrate New Year. He set off the fireworks without any intention to hurt anyone when the accident occurred. He told officers that he was willing to pay damages to Takatoshi, who accepted 2,000 baht. Police fined Penman 500 baht for carelessness and let him go.

Couple with two-month old baby caught selling drugs on beach

Boonlua Chatree
A young couple with a two-month-old baby were caught selling drugs to tourists on Pattaya Beach.
Receiving a report from a tourist that the couple were peddling marijuana on South Pattaya Beach Road, police set up an undercover operation with copied banknotes and a plainclothes officer to act as a customer.
The couple was found sitting on the beach with their baby. The undercover officer approached and the couple offered to sell the marijuana at 500 baht per packet. They were arrested when they handed over the drugs.
Police learned that the couple had come to Pattaya from Nakhon Sawan. Upon searching them police found dried marijuana in three small plastic packs and a white powder inside five drinking straws that had been heat-sealed.
They told police investigators that they were unemployed, and when they applied for work they only received the lowest salary level. That was their reason to distribute marijuana to the tourists. After receiving some money from sales they bought Paracetamol to crush into a powder that they placed in the drinking straws and sold as cocaine to the tourists. From these tricks they could earn money to take care of their two-month-old infant. They said they were making good money until the police caught them.

Drunken man smashes up hotel with a hammer

Boonlua Chatree
Four police officers were needed to restrain and handcuff a drunken British man who took a hammer to the counter of the Honey Inn Hotel on New Year’s Eve.
Police received an emergency call from an employee of the hotel at 6:30 a.m. on December 31, saying that a foreign man had smashed the hotel counter with a hammer for no apparent reason. He had also destroyed hotel fans and was presently attacking passers-by with the hammer.

It took four officers to bring Mark Holland under control.

On arrival at the scene officers found the man holding the hammer and screaming and shouting in the middle of the road. The officers blocked access to the public and managed to distract the man so they could rush him and restrain him. He struggled and it took four officers to handcuff him. He was then taken off to Pattaya police station for questioning.
The man was identified as Mark Holland, age 33, of Wigan, England. Due to his drunken state he was unable to answer officers’ questions so they locked him up until he recovered.
Hotel employees told police that the man walked in carrying the hammer in his right hand. He then broke the counter and the mirror, scattering the employees in the process. He then proceeded to smash up two of the hotel’s stand-up fans.

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
A preparatory meeting for the Pattaya Women’s Open that is to be staged February 4 to 12 at the Dusit Resort Pattaya was held by Mayor Niran Watthanasartsathorn, with Deputy Mayor Weerawat Khakhai and representatives of relevant organizations present.

Geoffrey Rowe, managing director of Pentangle Promotions Co Ltd, reiterates that everything will be ready.

This is the first year that the event, formerly known as the Volvo Women’s Open, will be held under its new name. The organizers are Pattaya City Council and Pentangle Promotions Co Ltd.
Each year, world-class tennis players from around the world participate in the event, which is recognized by the Association of Tennis Professionals.
The meeting discussed accommodation, training facilities, traffic control and public relations efforts. The tournament will be held at Dusit Resort and the Montien Pattaya will be used for the training facilities.
Weerawat said that Pattaya City Council had provided 6 million baht, which includes the prize money and other expenses. Sponsors and ticket sales will make up the remainder necessary. The total cost of organizing the event is 19 million baht and no problems are foreseen. Police have been assigned to oversee traffic control. As for public relations other than billboards in Pattaya, the council is going to be advertising at local and central levels.

Police briefs

Boonlua Chatree

Motorcyclist killed by stray bullet at Third Road traffic light
An employee of Big C was killed shortly after midnight on January 4 when he was accidentally struck by a bullet fired at a taxi by youths on motorcycles.
The tragedy happened at the traffic lights on North Pattaya Third Road, at the Naklua intersection. Police arriving at the scene found the body surrounded by Thais and foreigners, and they and Sawang Boriboon officers had to hold back the public so they could control the traffic.
The dead man was identified as Udom Torwong, age 24. He worked in the electronics department of Big C North Pattaya branch. His body was lying on its back in the middle of the road. Officers found that he had been shot in his left shoulder with an 11mm weapon.
One meter away from the body was a red Honda Sonic motorcycle and 30 meters away from the bike in front of the Koh Si Chang rice conge restaurant were some 11mm shell casings.
One witness, a motorcycle taxi driver, said he was waiting for a passenger when he saw six teenagers arrive on three motorcycles without license plates. They came from the direction of Soi Thai Udom, which has a lot of karaoke bars. They waited for the red light at the crossroad. Then a green-metered taxi arrived and repeatedly sounded its horn. Everyone turned to look at the taxi. As the taxi drove off in the Pattaya Klang direction, the youths raced in pursuit, took out guns from their waists, and fired two shots at the taxi. However, the shots ricocheted off the taxi and one struck Udom. He fell off his motorcycle and landed on his back.
The six youths fled in the Sukhumvit direction before police arrived.

Armed motorcycle gang pursued and arrested
Police arrested six youths who were part of an armed motorcycle gang that had been acting in a threatening manner towards locals and tourists.
Shortly after midnight on January 4, Pattaya police station received a call that a group of youths wearing pistols on the outside of their shirts and riding motorcycles were circling Thai and foreign tourists and causing alarm. As the police cars approached the group the youths fled on their bikes. Police pursued them along Sukhumvit Road until the riders turned into a soi at Naklua. Leaving their motorcycles they fled on foot and hid in a garage, but police found them, dragged them out and searched them.
Six youths were arrested. Three of them were armed and were identified as Pakphum Maneesang, age 22, who had a .22 caliber weapon at his waist and six .22 caliber bullets; Anuchit Sroithong, 20, who had a .38 caliber weapon with one bullet; and Rithhirong Klinkhachorn, 18, who had a .22 caliber weapon and six bullets. They were charged with possessing and carrying arms and ammunition without a permit.
The police didn’t find any illegal materials on the others, who were identified as Sarawut Chairun, 21, Sanae Kaewmanee, 21, and Chaiwat Pratpruang, 19. Police examined the garage and found a 9mm pistol and six bullets on the ground, but nobody admitted ownership.

Tenant stabs rent collector
A caretaker at a house in Soi Tonyang Kaorai, Third Road was stabbed by his tenant when he went to collect the rent.
Police were called out to the rowhouse late in the evening of January 3 when a man was reported as having been stabbed on the premises. He had already been transferred to Pattaya Memorial Hospital. The man, who was identified as Sorapong Kosinwattana, age 32, had one stab wound in his ribs.
He told police that he is a rowhouse caretaker. He went to see the lessee of one of the premises, Thaworn Pansa-Nga, 30, and asked him to pay the rent. Thaworn declined. An argument erupted and Thaworn allegedly stabbed Sorapong with a knife. Police are now seeking the householder.