HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Water rationing - What’s the plan-Stan?

Menace on the streets of Pattaya

Re: siding with the Thais

The ever continuing saga of water shortages

Support the Pattaya Beach Bus service

Water rationing - What’s the plan-Stan?

Editor;
The water-cut season is well upon us again (as if it ever stopped in the rainy season); powered, however, by a new intensity. It begs the question: Where else in the world would you find a city like Pattaya that is literally exploding on the world tourist and retirement map, that has adequate supplies of water from god for its annual needs, that must be receiving huge revenue from local taxes and grants from central government, but is still unable to supply any reasonably consistent supply of domestic water and appears to have no obvious and timely plan for the future? If this has been published and it’s all on track, then I missed it and please forgive me.
In the meantime we have roaming cartels of water trucks supplying, sometimes, poisonous water with price fixing thrown in. I have witnessed trucks sucking water from roadside ponds in the heart of Jomtien’s rural area; god knows what’s in that stuff but I wouldn’t want to brush my teeth in it!
Land and property is changing hands at alarming speed with substantial taxes paid every time. Businesses are running legitimately and complying with tax demands, paying for permits, etc ... all adding to the available pot. What happens when further large hotels hit town together with yet more luxury condos and endless housing estates?
I see new sport stadiums, land from sea reclamation on Na Jomtien, etc, but I don’t hear the tinkle of water. Come on city hall, make the right decisions on water and of prime importance, the environment, and show the world what a fabulous future model for living Pattaya has the potential to be.
Richy

Menace on the streets of Pattaya

Editor;
It doesn’t take a genius to see that there is a criminal menace loose on the streets of Pattaya every day; mainly to be viewed on Second and Beach roads.
Of course I refer to those madmen who race each other on 750cc or 1000cc wide-tyred motorbikes. In pairs of two or three (sometimes more!) they speed down the street, dodging cars and weaving between motorbikes, like demons on some run (or rum.)
The other day at 3 p.m., an elderly lady was crossing the street at Central & Second Road (at “Tops”) when two of these demons came out of nowhere at 80 to 100 km/hour, heading straight for her. At the last (split!) second, they separated and went by (one on each side) shifting up another gear and grinning from ear to ear. If that woman had moved six inches, she would have been badly injured, or (worse yet!) killed outright.
If I were city councilman (or woman) I would propose a law that would stop these criminals, and (first offence) confiscate their machines for a month. Do it again and you lose the bike and the privilege of living in Thailand!
This activity is not a joke; in my view it is nothing less than criminal, when a madman gets on a machine.
Carlos Fasteneda

Re: siding with the Thais

Editor;
Yet another bleeding heart. What sort of convoluted logic is this Mr. T. Tighe? “On the matter of dual pricing, whilst it is discriminatory I come down on the side of the Thais, at least in the matter of such things as National Parks and other government administered places. These belong to the people of a particular nation, all of whom should be able to enjoy them without punitive charges.” Sure. Lets also have dual pricing for things like the roads. How about a special farang driver toll booth with a 400% increase? Or maybe just a farang “tax” for using the road system?
We rich farangs should also have to pay double for public busing throughout Thailand, not only Pattaya. How about a farang surcharge for just stepping foot a Jomtien Beach?
To eliminate the confusion and ill will later on, why not just have all foreigners pay a few thousand baht at the airport when they enter the Kingdom to cover the cost of them using any of these “government administered places”?
Scott Benson

The ever continuing saga of water shortages

Dear Sirs,
Thank you for printing my letter in your Pattaya Mail Jan 20th edition asking where is the pipeline from Bang Pakong. However, I am somewhat stunned that I did not get any editorial response and equally stunned that it drew absolutely no reaction in your current edition of the Pattaya Mail.
Meanwhile a headline in the Bangkok Post last week highlighted how the country was already heading into a very early drought situation, effecting many provinces throughout Thailand. Additionally, some residents in Pattaya are already experiencing water shortages and the water trucks with their mysterious supplies of unknown water are back on the streets throughout Pattaya.
The level of water in the Mabprachan reservoir is clearly dropping and without urgent action it no doubt, with the continued construction around it, will end up empty again. So, please is there any chance of an update from your investigative journalists or should we start praying for early rains?
Regards,
Concerned Resident
Editor’s reply: Our investigative reporters have looked into the situation, and what we found out appears on page 1 this week…

Support the Pattaya Beach Bus service

Editor;
Dr. Ernie and I agree on at least two things, the motorcycle taxi drivers and the baht buses are to be avoided at all costs. We diverge on the Pattaya Beach Bus, as my experience has been quite different. In fairness, I have only ridden the Red Line from Jomtien to the Central Festival Center but each time I have ridden the bus I have found it ridiculously superior to the baht buses.
The Red Line bus is air-conditioned 100 percent. The baht bus is only air-conditioned when moving. The Red Line bus smells good. The baht bus smells bad. The Red Line bus follows a set route. I can’t say the same for the baht bus drivers. The Red Bus drives at a safe speed. The baht buses are known to drive as fast as possible unless they see some hapless walker in need of their poor service. The Red Line Bus never honks the horn. Again, the same cannot be said for the baht bus driver who never met a horn he didn’t like. An improvement to the baht buses and to Pattaya in general would be to outfit the steering wheel with an electrode that sends a shock into the baht bus driver every time he honks more than 2 times in any 10 second period. The Red Line has pleasant people on board to collect the fare and help the passengers even though their English isn’t good. The baht bus drivers are known to – well we all know what they are known for don’t we? The Red Line Bus has nice, clean comfortable seats. Enough?
I have personally been assaulted by a baht bus driver and have seen others yelling at passengers as if they were cattle. When a lowlife thug baht bus driver thinks he can yell at his passengers (customers) it always spells trouble. I would rather give my extra baht to a taxi driver but from my experience they are all scared to pick anyone up within the limits of Pattaya. Why can’t I get a taxi unless I’m going to Bangkok or Rayong? Allow the taxis to pick up passengers for short runs in Pattaya. Allow the free market to determine which service is rewarded with their money and which gets little. Level the playing field.
Everyone should support the Pattaya Beach Bus Company by taking their buses and leave the baht buses alone.
Howard Bloom
Jomtien

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