NEWS
HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Disabled representatives petition mayor for better facilities

Honest taxi driver returns a wad of money to his passenger

New U-turns will help ease traffic congestion

Sattahip police bust teenage gang of motorcycle thieves

Former village headman shot dead over business dispute

Tourist breaks legs in fall from Walking Street bar

Drunken football supporters beat up man and police car

Carnival date is moved to Feb 24-26

Market sours as sugar supplies dwindle and prices rise

Mayor Niran and deputies tape TV show on Pattaya’s progress

Best Brahmans on display at Jomtien show

3,000 teachers gather to celebrate their own National Day

Police briefs

Arresting street kids seen as bad for Pattaya’s image

Disabled representatives petition mayor for better facilities

Suchada Tupchai
Pattaya Mayor Niran Watthanasartsathorn received a visit on January 17 from representatives of the handicapped who say that the city does not have enough facilities for them and for the elderly.
The complaint was handed in by Suporntham Mongkolsawat, director of the Redemptorist Vocational School for the Disabled, his assistant Udomchoke Churat, and John Pierre Limborg, a wheelchair tennis player from Europe who loves Pattaya.
The letter detailed measures that would provide facilities for the handicapped and the elderly at Pattaya and Jomtien beaches. Technicians from the Pattaya Public Works Department attended the session to study the proposals.
Udomchoke said that Pattaya had undergone development to beautify it and add facilities, especially around Pattaya Beach, because it is a tourist city. But the installation of public telephone boxes, trees and construction has made it difficult for the handicapped and the elderly to negotiate the areas.
The letter details measures to provide facilities to the handicapped and the elderly provided under the Thai constitution. In line with Pattaya tourism promotion policies the handicapped are proposing facilities such as designated car parking spaces, toilets and washrooms, sloped walkways to facilitate bathing in the sea, public telephones and ATM machines, and emergency centers. Even though some action has been taken it isn’t enough, they say. It would be very good if one-stop facilities were set up for the handicapped, both locals and tourists. If Pattaya could accomplish this it would be a great example to others.
Mayor Niran said that Pattaya had received a budget for beautifying the beaches to attract tourists. He said that the problem of the inconvenience to the handicapped and the elderly is something that Pattaya City Council places great emphasis upon and there should be people available who are capable of designing facilities for the handicapped.
Technicians from Pattaya Public Works Department will undertake a survey to see what can be done to improve things for the handicapped to provide the greatest benefit to all concerned.


Honest taxi driver returns a wad of money to his passenger

Boonlua Chatree
A taxi driver who found 2,350 pounds sterling (164,500 baht) in his cab after driving a passenger to Pattaya drove back to the resort the following day and presented the money to the astonished and grateful tourist.
Jaikla Phaenthong, 34, had delivered the tourist, British national Mathew Wilson, 31, to the Sanya Hotel on January 17. Wilson had just arrived in Thailand for a two-month holiday. Receiving what he thought were funds that had been lost forever, Wilson praised the honesty of the driver, and the kindness and honesty of the Thai people. Jaikla was presented with a 20,000 baht reward for his good deed.
After returning the money Jaikla said that he was married to Pisamai, 34. When he was cleaning the taxi he found a black bag stuffed between the seat and the passenger door. On opening the bag he found the large wad of cash and other documents including a passport and an air ticket, and returned it immediately.
Wilson said that he had been to Thailand twice before and will come more often. He said he will take the story of the kind taxi driver back to England.


New U-turns will help ease traffic congestion

Traffic lights to be fully automatic soon

Narisa Nitikarn
Workers have been digging up the road 100 meters from the North Pattaya Road-Sukhumvit intersection and 160 meters from North Pattaya Road-Dolphin Roundabout to add two new U-turns and so help alleviate the traffic congestion.
Chavalit Jariyayanyong, from the Traffic Engineering and Transport Dept. at city hall, said the work is being carried out to ease traffic congestion on North Pattaya Road. He said the project would take 90 days and involves the installation of two U-turn points about 100 meters from the North Pattaya Road intersections.
Two U-turn points at North Pattaya Road near the Pattaya Third Road intersection were only 50 meters from the traffic lights, the distance being too short to allow drivers to avoid heavy traffic. The new U-turns will extend the distance to 100 meters, which will facilitate those wishing to turn and ease traffic congestion in the process. Once the work is completed the traffic lights will be put back to normal use instead of just flashing yellow.
Chavalit also talked about the traffic light system that is receiving a lot of complaints at the moment, saying that all traffic lights will be controlled by a computer sending data to a CCR (Command and Control Room) and will be fully automatic. In some instances the traffic lights will be controlled manually by police officers in cases of emergency.
The public and tourists are not yet aware of the information, he said. He also wanted to inform motorists that those wishing to turn right should move into the lane with the white markings, as assessment of the new system is to be carried out. If any car wishing to turn right is not parked within the white markings but parked in the middle of the road at the red lights, then the lights will not change to allow turning right. In future all drivers wishing to turn right at all traffic lights will have to be within the white markings.


Sattahip police bust teenage gang of motorcycle thieves

Patcharapol Panrak
A chance encounter with a 14-year-old motorcyclist led Sattahip police to a gang of teenagers who were stealing motorbikes and selling them to local residents.
On January 13 Pol Lt Col Taweesak Polkoet, deputy superintendent of Plutaluang police station, inspected and confiscated a red Honda Tana motorcycle from Yong (an alias), age 14. It was later discovered that the motorcycle had been stolen from the Plutaluang area but police were unable to contact the rightful owner.

Sattahip police recover 20 motorcycles from a teenage motorcycle theft gang.

Subsequently the station superintendent, Pol Maj Damrong Uansungnoen, questioned Yong who admitted that he had collaborated with three others, aged between 13 and 16 and given the aliases of Phech, Jo and Tay, in stealing motorcycles from around Pattaya, Banglamung, Sattahip and Ban Chang Maptaput in Rayong and selling them to a man named as Yod, who acted as an agent. They were paid 1,500 baht for Honda Waves and 3,000 baht for Yamaha Mios. Yod then sold them to locals who used them for attaching to trailers to carry fish and seafood from Pramong port.
Police went to investigate and seize the motorcycles, but the locals were quick to move and parked the motorcycles in a local temple and around the sois. In all, 21 motorcycles were recovered and are now waiting for the rightful owners to come and produce documentation and reclaim their bikes. The boys were already on probation and had been released on bail before going on a thieving spree.


Former village headman shot dead over business dispute

Boonlua Chatree
Police are working on the theory that a former village headman who was shot and killed in Nongplalai on January 13 was murdered over a business dispute.
Officers had been called to the scene in front of a dry goods shop where they found Suwit Rakrouy, age 50, critically injured. He was lying on his back on a table and had been shot by a .9mm caliber weapon to his right temple. The bullet had exited through the left side of his neck. Police transferred him to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, where he subsequently died.
Suwit’s wife Amphan Rakrouy, 45, said the two of them had been having a drink with friends in front of the shop. Two men arrived on a motorcycle. One of them was wearing a black jacket, was about 25 years old and 170cm tall. He walked into the shop. Nobody paid attention to him because everyone thought that he was a normal customer. He came up to Suwit and shot him, then fired once more to scare onlookers before fleeing on the motorcycle into the night.
Suwit was a former village headman at Moo 8, Nongplalai. He resigned to run a construction work site. Not too long ago he had an argument with other contractors about a grindstone, but it was cleared up. Suwit also ran a business buying plots of land and removing the topsoil to sell. He bought a 10-wheeled truck for about 6 million baht to deliver the soil. He was a rich man in the district, and most of the villagers loved him because he was very helpful. He resigned from his position because he was bored with local politics. Police assumed that his death was from a business dispute.


Tourist breaks legs in fall from Walking Street bar

Boonlua Chatree
A foreign national broke both his legs when he fell from the second floor of a Walking Street bar.
Pattaya police received a call at 4 a.m. on January 16 that a man had fallen from Simon’s Bar. Officers and Sawang Boriboon rescue workers found the man, who was aged about 25, lying on the ground behind Simon’s Bar at the beachfront.
The officers had to lift the man onto a stretcher, as both his legs were broken. He was transferred to Pattaya International Hospital. At press time, the man had yet been unable to give a statement and police did not know who he is or where he is from. Witnesses said that he was drinking in the bar before falling.

Police and Sawang Boriboon rescue workers take the man to hospital.


Drunken football supporters beat up man and police car

Boonlua Chatree
An argument over a football match resulted in one drunken supporter being charged with grievous bodily harm and two others with damage to property.
At 4:10 a.m. on January 16, Pol Maj Chachai Srisuwan, duty inspector at Pattaya police station, received a report of a fight at Andy’s Place Bar in Soi Honey Inn. On arrival at the scene officers apprehended a man identified as Christopher Rogers, an 18-year-old British national. He had struck and injured David John Tarrant, 63, who had suffered a cut eyebrow, and who was sent to Pattaya Memorial Hospital for treatment that required seven stitches. Rogers was locked up and charged with grievous bodily harm.

Drunk and disorderly British football fans were arrested for beating up on an older man and for destroying property.

Later two drunken foreign nationals came to visit Rogers and when they found their friend had been locked up they proceeded to beat upon a black Nissan saloon car belonging to Pol Maj Chachai, putting a dent in the door. They then turned their attention to a red Nissan parked at the front of the police station and belonging to a member of the public, smashing the vehicle’s windscreen. They were charged with drunken behavior resulting in damage to other people’s property.
Tarrant told officers he was drinking in the bar when people started betting on the outcome of the football match between Chelsea and Sunderland in which Chelsea won 2-1, a result that pleased him. The young lads said that they were going to kill him so he told them to do so and one of them walked over and punched him in the eye.


Carnival date is moved to Feb 24-26

City hall fears original date too near Chinese New Year festivities

Narisa Nitikarn
Pattaya Carnival has been postponed to February 24-26, following fears that the event would not generate enough visitors if held during its planned dates of February 3-5.
The decision was taken at a city hall meeting on January 11, chaired by Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay. It was felt that the carnival’s original date was too close to the Chinese New Year celebrations, for which Pattaya has a major events schedule. Doubts were raised that visitors from outside Pattaya would be attracted to another major festival so soon after.

Suthichai Banluedet (left), project manager of K Creator Co Ltd., and Sacaphorna Satacacharporn (right), projects coordinator at K Creator Co Ltd., submit their new Pattaya Carnival plan.

A representative from K Creator Co Ltd, the company that has the concession to organize Pattaya Carnival 2006 with a 10 million baht budget, said that if the event were to be postponed then there would be more time to organize effective advertising.
Verawat said that with the Chinese New Year festivities being so close to the original date, much of the advertising budget would be wasted, and that postponing the event to a more appropriate time would be worthwhile.
People at the meeting agreed to reschedule the carnival to February 24-26, with the event to be broadcast by Channel 5 on February 26 at 10:30 p.m. Questions arose at the meeting about whether there might be problems with the performers’ schedules, and disagreements about advertising too much in Bangkok. This was because in the past Pattaya didn’t have many tourists from Bangkok coming for the big festivals, and it was felt that advertising in neighboring areas such as Rong Po, Laem Chabang, Sriracha and Sattahip would be more effective.
The K Creator Co representative explained that by postponing this event there would be more time to advertise it on TV, radio, and the print media. Regarding the performers, some have already replied that a change of date would be no problem.


Market sours as sugar supplies dwindle and prices rise

Narisa Nitikarn
Sugar is in short supply for Thailand, resulting in the public and vendors not having enough for daily supplies. Pattaya Mail visited Wat Chaimongkol Market on the afternoon of January 12 to see how this is affecting the vendors.
One dry goods vendor said she is now buying sugar from middlemen in Chonburi City and Rayong province because it is in short supply in Pattaya. The price has increased more than usual. Normally it increases 50 satang each time; however, right now the price is higher by 2 baht and this is affecting all kinds of sugar, including palm sugar and coconut palm sugar.

A dessert vendor in front of Wat Chaimongkol Market, South Pattaya spoke about the need for sugar to prepare her desserts.

The vendor added that some buyers want to buy all that she has but she won’t sell to them, saying that everyone needs sugar. She doesn’t understand why the government has allowed supplies to dwindle so low, because this is a commodity needed for daily life.
Food vendors spoke of the difficulty in getting sugar supplies, and at least one has had to close his business. Some of them made food to distribute each day with only a small sugar quantity because they didn’t have any other possibility to make anything else. A dessert vendor said there was still enough to make a quantity of desserts each day but that the amount of sugar in each one had been reduced.
A Kasikorn Thai Research Center spokesperson has said that the domestic shortage is because the government has fixed a quota on production for the sugar factories.
The spokesperson said the government therefore has to solve both the short- and long-term problems. For the short-term problem they must solve the cane sugar price increases. Secondly they must find out how to increase the quantity of production for the long term.
Thailand is the second largest exporter of sugar behind Brazil, but Thai production is decreasing and Australia will soon take over as the second largest exporter. Thailand also has less exported products made from refined sugar and cane sugar, which is a lost opportunity for the Thai sugar industry.
Sugar production has declined for three consecutive years. Many believe the government must hurry to find a way for sugar cane farmers to cover their investments. They must also motivate agriculturists to increase their production volume suffice for market demand, both domestically and for export.


Mayor Niran and deputies tape TV show on Pattaya’s progress

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
City officials taped a television show on January 18 to reveal their ideas about what the city needs in order to improve services to the community in the upcoming year.
Mayor Niran Watthanasartsathorn, along with deputy mayors Wattana Jantaworanont, Wutisak Rermkitkarn, Verawat Khakhay and Ronakit Ekasingh all participated in the television taping in order to provide an update on news and views of interest to the community. This edition saw a discussion on the administrative results and projects undertaken last year and the plans for this year.
All agreed that there is still lots to be done.

Mayor Niran Watthanasartsathorn and deputy mayors Wattana Jantaworanont, Wutisak Rermkitkarn, Verawat Khakhay and Ronakit Ekasingh taped a television presentation about Pattaya administration’s work.

Education is in line for big improvements, with higher-level training for teachers, more school buildings and provision of modern teaching / learning equipment. Classes will also be taught in two languages in line with Pattaya being a tourist city.
Regarding basic infrastructure work during the past year, Sukhumvit Road was improved and “Hi Met” electricity pylons were erected, but the work has still to be completed. Work underway or completed includes the public park on Pratamnak Hill, work on Koh Larn, the installation of traffic lights and better sea rescue facilities.
During the year to come, unfinished projects from 2005 will be continued and new ones will also be started under a 50 million baht budget. There is a 15 million baht budget for Pattaya tourism promotion activities. Improvements will be carried out to the layout of Sukhumvit Road, and a new local road will be finished parallel with the railway line. Jomtien Second Road also will be built.


Best Brahmans on display at Jomtien show

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
A cattle show organized by Pattaya City Council in cooperation with the Brahman Breeder Association brought some impressive breeding innovations and technology to Jomtien January 13 and 15, in addition to prime beef on the hoof.

Santsak Ngamphiches, advisor to the minister of the interior presided over the opening ceremony

Santsak Ngamphiches, advisor to the minister of the interior, opened the Eastern Region Brahman Show, which displayed Brahman breeds from different farms, and eastern farmers, who participated in the event in large numbers.

The show of true breeds.

On display were the best of the Indubrazil breed from around the country and the first red Indubrazil clone in the world. The Pattaya Breed from SK Pattaya Range, cloning American Brahmans from SK, also attracted great interest.
Biotechnology developments were on display with Chulalongkorn University showing how the technology can be used to expand herds. True male and female Brahman breeds were also shown. The judges were from the America Brahman Breeder Association, ABBA.
Santsak said that the show was organized to help Brahman breeders or Brahman enterprise owners increase their income under government policy to lessen poverty in the agricultural sector and improve animal husbandry through modern technology.


3,000 teachers gather to celebrate their own National Day

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Over 3,000 teachers under Chonburi Education Office Region 3 gathered at Ban Sukhawadee on January 16 to celebrate National Teachers Day, an important annual event in which educators and the general public show their gratitude to teachers past and present.

Dr Panya Cotitawan (right), director of Ban Sukhawadee presents a plaque to one of the best teachers of the year.
Dr Panya Cotitawan, director of Ban Sukhawadee, Santsak Ngamphiches, advisor to the interior minister, Chanyuth Hengtrakul, Member of Parliament for Chonburi, and Suthep Chitayawongse, director of Chonburi Education Office Region 3 were amongst those participating.
Suthep said that society expects teachers to be great examples of thoughts and deeds, and that they teach morals and ethics in addition to practical subjects. Their work often involves a great deal of personal sacrifice, and it should never be forgotten that their commitment is for the good of the nation.
Plaques and certificates were presented to education institute directors and best teachers of the year. Best school director award went to Visanu Pasomsap, director of Banglamung School.


Police briefs

Boonlua Chatree
‘Fat man’ jumps from 3rd floor window of police station in escape bid
A man being questioned at Pattaya police station over a ride-by theft almost escaped from custody when he slipped out of his handcuffs and jumped from a third-floor window.
Police had been called out at 4 a.m. on January 14 when it was reported that a snatcher had stolen property belonging to 21-year-old Ms Kanika Wonglormnil at the entrance to Soi 1, North Pattaya Beach Road.
At the scene police found Kanika in tears and slightly injured. She told the officers that a fat Thai man with dark skin had come along on a bronze Honda Wave motorcycle and held her down with his foot while he relieved her of her mobile phone.
Police set off in pursuit of the man and found him traveling at a high speed through Pattaya Klang. He was stopped and identified as Singha Suthipratheep, age 25, from Lopburi. He was found to have three stolen mobile phones in his possession, along with one gold bracelet of 3 baht in weight and some foreign bank notes. Officers escorted him to the suppression department on the third floor of the police station to charge him.
During the investigation, however, Singha slipped out of his handcuffs and jumped out of the window. He landed on a roof and broke it, and then broke a window before managing to run away behind the station. Police followed and soon caught him.
Singha was charged with a list of offences that included stealing another person’s property, using transportation to escape the scene, carrying stolen property, evading arrest, assault, obstruction of justice, and escaping while being detained by officers.


Arresting street kids seen as bad for Pattaya’s image

Second vagrant children’s camp beginst

Narisa Nitikarn
The second Sai Yai Rak Camp to rehabilitate vagrant children got underway on January 9 at the Strategic Air Command base in Sattahip.
Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn, chairing the meeting that saw the project off to a start, said that the duration of this camp would be 90 days, the schedule running until April 9. This is three times the duration of the first camp, which ran for only 30 days. As before, he said, 30 children will undergo training at the camp.

Pol Capt Chirawat Sukontasaph talks about helping children rather than arresting them.

Wutisak said that there had been problems when officials had arrested the street urchins at night around Pattaya, as holding facilities lacked sufficient space for the children. He said this had to be remedied and that the intention was not to burden single agencies with this responsibility.
Phanom Rodiem, an official of Chonburi Social Development 5, said the first camp should be considered a success because during arrests of street kids in Pattaya it was found that not many of the attendees of the first camp were among those that were arrested, most being new faces.
Phanom proposed that children arrested be divided into two groups, those who have the potential to be changed by being sent to special homes and the second group being the stubborn ones who will be sent to the training camp. Parents will need to be spoken to and their permission requested because during the first camp some parents came and took their children home without them receiving full training, he said.

(From right) Commander Sathaporn Wajarat, project instructor at the Sai Yai Rak Youth Camp, Sopin Thappajug judge at the Youth and Family Court Chonburi, Supagon Noja, director of Child Protection and Welfare Center and meeting attendees.

Supagon Noja, director of the Child Protection and Welfare Center added that he was happy to accept children at the holding center if it is required that the children should not attend the camp before sending them to homes in Bangkok, but the holding center would need to be checked first because it is like a home with no lock-up and it is easy for children to escape. Two officials would need to be on duty to prevent the children from escaping before being sent to Bangkok.
Pol Capt Chirawat Sukontasaph talked about arresting the street kids and said that locking them up in modified containers was not good for the image of Pattaya. He would like it to be seen that officers arresting children are considered more in the terms of helping the children instead of locking them up.
Sopin Thappajug, a judge at the Youth and Family Court in Chonburi added that the term “arrest” was not good for Pattaya’s image at all and should be renamed “assistance” to let the public see that the children are actually being helped and allow them to understand the function of the camp too.