HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

To Mott the Dog

Missing employee at city hall?

Speedboats and jet skis a menace at Jomtien

Swiss taxi to strike back

Sex workers at the Royal Garden Shopping Plaza

What happened?

Valentine Message

To Mott the Dog

Oi Mutt,
Bit late to vent what is left of my spleen in the Pattaya Mail but here goes:
I am sitting here in my trendy but sterile Singapore pad having just read the stream of bile you spat late last year at a recording that has given me hours and hours of pleasure since I first discovered it over 30 years ago. (Yes – Close to the Edge, Pattaya Mail Vol. XIII No. 49 Dec. 9, 2005).
Weird I admit this continued appreciation for a group on most sheepeoples hate list. I mostly groove to all things punky but this music hits my soul, regularly seasons my witch and Yes rearranges my liver of an evening. I do indeed get up, I get down.
Cannot comment on your puppy love for all things Peter Banks, lao tai koon my pooch!
I too love that prepubescent 1st album, like a lot of the flawed second (Astral traveler) and really like some of the recently released Beyond and Before Banks era stuff but think (your putting down) The Yes album (stupid title agree) and the nearly perfect Fragile a bit of a Khatru.
Roundabout ... Heart of The Sunrise ... prog by numbers! Heresy I say get to the pound you mangy mutt. Have you tried to howl along to ELP recently? Yours is indeed no Disgrace.
The drum and bass interplay on Heart of The Sunrise before the celestial singing starts is one of my favourite bits of music ever (see the strip club murder scene at the end of Buffalo 66 which also features Sweet Dreams and listen again).
It is, I maintain, the ultimate 70s prog rock album (Yes, including its excesses).
Just because it was extremely popular at the time does not mean it’s meaningless. The whole package, birds tweeting, the RD sleeve, Eddie Offord as the 6th member and the track lengths are all part of the vibe man.
Jon the Divine’s lyrics I see as another instrument. It is stream on conscience stuff that should not be separated from the music. Take a holistic view to the corner of your mind.
Bill Bruford a jazzer at heart surely left because he did not want to be a rock star, had done all he could do in that field. His replacement Alan White propelled Yes to arena super show world domination for the next 6 years till the punk wars.
The other 3 at the top of their game and blending perfectly together. I disagree... it’s not a hotchpotch, it’s linked and themed to perfection. Chris Squire is the second best rock bass player in the world, agree Entwhistle is the boss bass man.
Yes, have I to agree, gone on too long and I do wish they would knock it on the head; however, in the confines of the early 70s prog rock heyday it is the most representative album of the genre. Along with my other favourite Yes waxing Going for the One it remains firmly in my desert island trunk of albums.
In my view Genesis and Peter Gabriel in particular can lay a lone and unassailable claim to the title of best progressive rock act ever because he has done just that ... progressed. No one else, and I include Mr Toyah Wilcox, have done so while remaining in the public eye.
Hope things are still grooving in Pattaya see you all soon!
Douglas Laird
Suksabai

Missing employee at city hall?

Editor;
We are concerned over the disappearance of one of the city hall employees. Although his name remains unknown, his disappearance has been confirmed by the lack of any work done recently by his department. I refer, of course, to the person responsible for the upkeep of the various beachside paths built over the past two years.
For instance, the nice little footpath built beside the Dusit Hotel that enables you walk from Beach Road around the headland to the neighbouring beaches. The footpath itself is starting to crumble, but at least a third of the railing posts that stop you falling in the water have rusted away. I suspect that second rate steel and cheap paint allowed the sea water to do its corrosive best literally within months of completion. Add in the shoddy cement work and I suspect that the path has a life measured in perhaps one more high season.
Further along towards North Pattaya, the winter tides have deposited tons of sand onto the paved paths, making walking hard and dirty. No attempt has been made to put the sand back onto the beach. One area of footpath, built over the beach near to Wong Amat has completely collapsed leaving a very dangerous hole. There has been little attempt to either repair or place warning barriers around the danger. A few hundred yards further along, there is the remains of a small concrete building, designed to be some sort of beach watch point, that has entirely collapsed and now looks like an old remain from the Berlin Wall. It is only about 18 months old.
Further south, the new and costly path leading from Bali Hai Pier round to the lighthouse is starting to lose the cement from between its paving stones. This was built at huge expense as a prestige project for the city.
A beach resort lives or dies by the margin it has between land and sea. At present, after imaginative projects are built it seems that whoever is responsible for the upkeep of them subsequently is failing in his job, or is underfunded, or is indeed missing. Hopefully the latter, and the official will soon be back at his office desk.
Keen Pattaya Walker

Speedboats and jet skis a menace at Jomtien

Dear Editor:
Someone is absolutely going to get killed by either a speedboat or jet ski, and soon. If Jomtien Beach operators are left to continue this way, reckless and seemingly unregulated, I fear a holidaymaker, down from Bangkok or from abroad, will return home toe-tagged and labeled a victim. As the current situation is a life-threatening matter, I strongly urge city officials to act.
On another note, I want to thank city officials for putting in a walkway on the same said beach, as well as with adding the nightlights - and installing cameras there too was also a very good idea.
Chris,
USA

Swiss taxi to strike back

Sir,
I own 2 taxis in Zurich, Switzerland. One of them I drive myself. It is my intention after I return to work to charge every (apparent) Thai, and we have many Thai ladies who use our taxi service, double of what the counter says.
In case of problems with the police, I’ll talk my way out of it.
I am serious about this, as I have, in the 4 weeks I have holidayed here, been hoodwinked many times. And being a ‘farang’ does not mean I am rich. I am not! I work more hours then many Thais ever would to make a living.
My disgust also goes to city hall which condones this robbery.
Anton Stuerzli,
Zurich

Sex workers at the Royal Garden Shopping Plaza

Sir,
I arrange tourist visits to Pattaya and have been pleased to see over the past few years that most of the sex workers have been removed from the Royal Garden Shopping Plaza.
However, I have now been in Pattaya for the past three weeks with my family and as my three children enjoy playing on the games machines on the third floor level I have personally experienced the reason for many of the recent complaints from my clients regarding the underage sex workers that are reappearing there.
On almost every occasion I have taken my children to the games area during this time I have been approached at all times of the day by one particular 17 year old boy. He readily admits he is an underage sex worker without ID and waits to pick up farang clients at the games machines and the balcony area that leads to Ripley’s, he also appears to be an ‘agent’ for other workers. I have seen him approach and be approached and go off with farang customers, which apart from his age making it illegal also gives the Royal Plaza a bad name and gives parents of children playing in the area cause for concern for their safety.
As so many children enjoy this area and as parents wish to feel that their children are in a safe area we have up until now promoted this Plaza as one of the shopping highlights in Pattaya for both its range of shops and its safe environment.
I did raise the question with security staff in the Plaza but they did not seem interested in the problem and in fact one was seen being handed money by the boy. We have now received so many adverse comments during the past few weeks about this situation from some of my tourist clients that we are temporarily stopping the child care service that we offer to clients whereby our female staff take clients’ children to the games area whilst parents shop and are informing parents of the current situation. We have also learned that men looking for young boys are being directed to the Plaza which indicates a return to the bad old days of that Plaza a few years ago and of course a danger to children who are there quite innocently.
It hoped that by bringing this to your attention, the Royal Garden Plaza management and the police will be able to take action to remove this boy and his fellow workers from the Plaza making it once again a place that both adults and children can feel comfortable spending time in. Maybe the Pattaya Mail is able to solicit a response on the situation from the Plaza’s management where I have been unsuccessful in doing so.
In hope
Paul Adams
Adams Thai Travel Experiences
Royal Garden Plaza responds: First of all, we greatly appreciate your information. As your concern, we do not ignore this issue, but we have also been monitoring this problem seriously. In addition, we would take your concern as our first priority to make you feel safe.
If any annoyance to our customers, we would record the pictures of any suspect sex workers and remove them from Plaza immediately. Not only to prevent this unexpected occurrence, but also to make our customers feel safe as well as comfortable spending time in the Plaza. We distribute pictures of suspected sex workers to our security guards to monitor those people before getting into Plaza areas.
Once again, we fully thank you for your information and your concern. We do hope that our actions would relieve your concerns and allow you to feel more comfortable and enjoy spending time in the Plaza.
Regards,
Suvit Vathna
Plaza Manager
Royal Garden Plaza Pattaya

What happened?

Editor;
(Pattaya is) Looking more like Laos every night - but less beautiful. Thailand’s central and eastern tourist centres - hubs are certainly taking on a deserted look!
I normally holiday at least once per year and have seen a quite amazing regression in these cities. I certainly wonder how long the obvious lack of spending can last without affecting the economic structure – I already notice a significant increase in petty (and not so petty) crime.
Should international resorts close so early? Are there really enough other attractions to keep foreign (and local) tourists busy and to keep them returning?
I am afraid the answers to these questions must be a very firm “No”.
Mrs. S. King
Sherbourne, Dorset

Valentine Message

To Number One (Bee). Our 5th Valentine together - may we have many more as life with you just gets better and better. Love you.
Number 2 (Nigel) X

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