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New zoning will be applied to swimming, diving and boating areas at Koh Larn
Recent fatality prompts action
Narisa Nitikarn
New proposals to make the waters around Koh Larn safer for tourists should
be adopted soon, the creation of new zoning, marking and safety regulations
having been given impetus by the death of a woman diver in the first week of
this year, when she was struck by a speedboat.
Mayor Niran Watthanasartsathorn, along with officials from the Harbor
Department and members of the council, on February 1 took a boat from Bali Hai
Pier to survey the territorial water divisions in Jomtien, and at Samae Beach,
Nuan Beach, Hillock and Koh Sak. Each location has been given a new layout
plan, the plans now waiting for final approval and implementation.
Councilor Sanit Boonmarchai, who is chairman of the security and peace for
Pattaya City committee, said that they already had floats dividing the swimming
area about 100-120 meters away from the coastline. However, the floats need to
be moved to include the coral diving areas. The floats should be made of
concrete with a floating upper portion indicating each area for greater safety,
he said.
Koh Larn’s Samae Beach has a float to dock boats 150 meters away from the
coastline to prevent the boats coming nearer to the shore. Tian Beach has three
swimming areas, but they are all small. These will be changed to two larger
areas.
Mayor Niran told Pattaya Mail that the security and peace of Pattaya City
committee and the Harbor Department had undertaken surveys of all the beaches
on Koh Larn. Today, he said, was only to inspect the locations to place the
floats, and to see how best to separate the swimming areas and the areas for
mooring the boats.
Officials must study the international symbols for color regarding swimming and
diving areas, said the mayor, and the proposal is that city hall will designate
swimming areas with yellow markers and the coral diving areas with orange
markers. The Harbor Department will inform all enterprises of the coding.
Mayor Niran also took this opportunity to describe plans for development of Koh
Larn this year. A windmill is to be erected to generate electricity, and there
will be solar panels that will also help meet the island’s power needs.
City looks at treating wastewater to help ease possible water shortages
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
City administrators are investigating the possibility of re-treating
wastewater as one way to help ease any possible water shortages in the
future. The goal, they say, is to produce an additional 30,000 cubic
meters of water per day.
Water used for the project would come from the existing wastewater
treatment plant, which would be re-treated using a sophisticated treatment
process that would turn it into good quality, clean tap water.
Pattaya City Engineering Director Sittiparp Muangkhum met with the Term
Engineering Co., Ltd. last week at city hall to listen to their proposal
to manage Pattaya’s wastewater treatment system plant.
Tulyatep Uawithya, assistant managing director, who came to the meeting
with a team of company directors, said that Term Engineering would invest
in the construction of the water treatment plant, but that this would not
include water feeds and distribution.
He said that his company would be able to use direct sand filter processes
to treat wastewater that has already gone through the treatment process,
to eradicate microbes and other tiny matter. An ozone feed would also be
used, as this is highly efficient in destroying disease-causing germs.
Tulyatep went on to say that a lab would be constructed to check water
quality.
The responsibilities of the company would be limited to the construction
of the water treatment plant system, he said, and it would be the
responsibility of the city to purchase water from the treatment plant for
distribution and sale.
The plant would take one year to construct, and Tulyatep proposed that
contract would initially be for 15 years, extendable for two more five
year periods.
Term Engineering Co., Ltd. will provide more details and management plans
at the next meeting.
Boat operators attend meeting
on new sea safety laws
Narisa Nitikarn
New laws and regulations on sea-based tourism were discussed at a
meeting chaired by Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh and attended by a large
number of boat owners and operators, along with local government department
heads and police officers.
Deputy Mayor Ronakit said the meeting was held to rush through new
legislation following the death of a female diver who was struck by a
speedboat off Koh Larn. “We are not talking about who was wrong, but are
looking for ways to make sure that it never happens again,” said Ronakit.
 Deputy
Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh presides over a about regulations and laws on
sea-based tourism.
Emergency budgets are being allocated to control diving, swimming and
mooring. Sutham Petchgeat, head of the Koh Larn community said this would be
necessary to ensure that remedies can be implemented immediately.
Pattaya City is able to promulgate the new laws itself, as it is a special
city. The Harbor Department can also play a role in stipulating boat routes
and mooring spots. Consultations are being held between members of Pattaya
City Council and the Harbor Department on boat registration.
After promulgation of the new laws, if the boat operators are still not
controlled then problems will still occur, said Ronakit. The boat operators
have had a free hand for too long.
Sanit Boonmarchai, member of Pattaya City Council in his capacity of
president of the Pattaya Tourist Boat Club, said that all boats that leave
port have to be in complete working order and with safety equipment, and the
crew also needs knowledge of first aid. He said that the problem at the
moment is the dive operators who allow anyone to hire the equipment without
any attention as to whether they are qualified.
He went on to say that another problem is that the equipment that is hired
out is not always in perfect working order. Divers should have their own
buoys to show boat pilots that they are in the area which would help to
improve the safety of the divers. Pilots should also have radios so that
they will know where all boats are at any given stage.
Pinnat Charoenphol, assistant director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand
Central Office Region 3, added that the laws should be clear, precise and
controlled. The TAT will fully publicize aspects of safety.
Police were in agreement with each other that a safety center should be set
up to cater to tourists at Koh Larn, and sea rescue teams should be
instituted on Koh Larn. Official announcements will be made later.
Minibus driver dies in collision with 18-wheel truck
Second accident of its kind in just over a week
Boonlua Chatree
A minibus driver was killed when his vehicle swerved across the
Rayong-Chonburi highway and hit an 18-wheel truck loaded with iron.
It was the second deadly accident involving a sleeping minibus driver and an
18-wheeler in just over a week. On January 23, three Germans were killed
when the driver of a minibus they had hired to take them to the airport fell
asleep and crashed into a parked 18-wheel cargo truck.
The latest accident happened at 2:30 a.m. on February 1. Police and Sawang
Boriboon rescue workers went to the scene where they found the 18-wheeler
overturned and its load strewn across the highway. The driver, Ampol
Bung-Uthum, 45, and Mos Bung-Uthum, age three, were locked in the truck.
Both had broken legs. The officers immediately transferred them to Queen
Sirikit Hospital for treatment.
On the opposite side of the road in the Rayong-Chonburi direction was a
bronze-gray minibus that had been cut in two pieces by the collision. In
front of the car was the body of Tang Chunchat, 37, a resident of
Suphanburi. Officers transferred the body to Banglamung Hospital for
autopsy.
Police investigations have established that the 18-wheel truck belonging to
DRP Steel Co Ltd was fully loaded with iron and heading from Rayong to
Bangkok. The minibus had crossed the road at high speed. The truck driver
tried to prevent the accident but it was too late. The minibus collided with
the truck and broke into two pieces while the truck swerved into another
lane and overturned. Police surmise the minibus driver had fallen asleep at
the wheel.
Frenchman in hit and run with pregnant woman
Narisa Nitikarn
A Frenchman whose vehicle struck a pregnant woman and who attempted to
flee the scene was caught by police.
The accident happened in the morning of January 22 near the end of Soi
Day/Night, near the entrance to Soi Yensabai where a lot of motorcycles are
usually parked. The woman was crossing the road when she was hit by a black
Land Rover driven by Kaadi Abdel Malik, 28, who was staying at PRS Hotel in
South Pattaya 17.
Police said the driver was mildly intoxicated. There were three passengers
in the vehicle, one being a Thai lady. Four motorcycles were also damaged in
the accident. Police stopped the vehicle in nearby Soi Polaris.
The injured lady was identified as Mrs Treenait Kaewpuuwat, 44, who was four
months pregnant. She lives at View Talay Jomtien Condominium with her
husband Richard King.
Kadis paid 27,000 baht in damages for the four damaged motorcycles. So far
he has not paid any compensation to the injured lady but has promised to pay
all medical costs.
Police have confiscated Kadis’s passport because he was due to fly back to
France at the end of January. He will now be forced to remain in Thailand
until the case is closed.
Two die, one injured as car
hits motorcycle-sidecar
Boonlua Chatree
Two people were killed and another seriously injured when a pickup truck
driven by a woman who was allegedly intoxicated struck a motorcycle-sidecar
combination over the Chinese New Year holiday.
The accident happened at 4 a.m. on January 29 on the Thappraya - Najomtien
Road in front of the BBB Club.
Police and rescue workers at the scene found a four-door silver-bronze Toyota
pickup that had been parked by the side of the road. It was extensively
damaged and there was an injured man lying nearby, named as Sompong Salikarn,
age 51. He was transferred to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.
There was also an old blue Suzuki motorcycle and sidecar that was badly
damaged. Tangled up with the wreckage was the body of a man aged about 35,
and not yet identified. Four meters way by the roadside was the body of a
woman, aged about 25, and also unidentified.
Five meters further on was a four-door bronze Toyota pickup truck that had
overturned. Inside the car and struggling to get out was Ms Thongsuk Sarapho,
22. Police believed they detected alcohol on her breath and sent her to
hospital for checking.
A further five meters down the road at the electric advertisement sign for
the BBB Club was a blue Honda Wave motorcycle that had been damaged by the
collision.
Police said that Thongsuk was driving at speed and that she collided with the
motorcycle-sidecar that had no lights and which was collecting garbage on the
side of the road. Three passengers were thrown from the sidecar, two of who
were killed outright and the third injured. The car then hit the parked
silver-bronze Toyota, a tree, and the parked Honda Wave motorcycle before
flipping over in the middle of the road.
Thongsuk has been charged with careless driving causing death and injury to
others.
Youths shoot volunteer police officer off his bike
Boonlua Chatree
A gang of youths on motorcycles who were acting suspiciously opened
fire on a volunteer police officer when he followed them.
The shooting happened at around 3.30 a.m. on January 28. Pattaya police
station received a report that a volunteer officer had been shot at while
riding his motorcycle and that he had suffered a broken leg.
 Volunteer
police officer Phusit Pukapun broke his leg when he dumped his motorcycle
whilst trying to escape a hail of gunfire.
Officers went to the scene, which was at the entrance to Soi 4, Pratamnak
Road. They found Phusit Pukapun, 42, a resident of Nongprue, lying in the
road next to a blue Suzuki motorcycle. His left leg was broken, and
officers took him to Pattaya Memorial Hospital. Searching the area,
officers found three 11 mm gun casings and one bullet.
Phusit told investigators that he was on duty in a dark lane where bag
snatching frequently occurs, and that he was in hiding hoping to catch
someone in the act. He noticed a group of four youths on two motorcycles
driving back and forth in a suspicious manner, so he followed them on his
motorcycle. On seeing him, one of the youths pulled out a gun and shot at
him three times. He tried to spin the bike around to escape and fell off
breaking his leg while the youths drove off.
After questioning police sent out forces to try and find the gang. Police
came upon a suspect and took him in for questioning but so far he has
refused to identify himself. Police are still looking for the gang and
believe that arrests will soon be made.
Help required by special cooperative learning center for children in need
Chatchanan Chaisree
Autism tends to become apparent in children of four to five years old, and
manifests itself in language problems and lack of communication, in an inability
to form relationships with other children, and behavioral problems. The medical
profession has been unable to identify a specific reason for the condition, and
there is no cure.
Suan Mon School is a cooperative learning center for special needs children.
Located at Muang District in Nakhon Ratchasima province, the school was
established in 2005. Parents who cannot find an educational establishment that
is able to treat their autistic children as normal members of the class and give
them the education to which they are entitled under the constitution can entrust
them to the care of Suan Mon.
Suan Mon School urgently requires personnel and supplies of educational
equipment, such as musical instruments and computers. Donations are also needed
and these can be made through the Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya and the Friends
of Pattaya Group.
For more information, please contact Dennis Stark, Secretary, Rotary Club of
Jomtien-Pattaya, e-mail: [email protected] or Friends of Pattaya e-mail:
[email protected]
Peter and Amorn Malhotra receive
donations from the Friends of Pattaya to help bring relief to the needs of the
school.
Volunteer teachers give a lot
of care to these special children.
Council once again looks into untidy cables problem
Also announces they are ready to act against billboard advertisers
Narisa Nitikarn
Action is being taken on the clutter of electricity cables and
billboards around Soi Photisarn in Naklua and on Pattaya Third Road,
following a council meeting held on February 2.
 Pattaya
City Council is rushing to remedy the problem of untidy cables. (Photo by
Andy Gombaz)
Councilor Banlue Kullavanijaya in his capacity as director of engineering
and public utilities chaired the meeting. Asking about progress on the
untidy electrical and telephone cables, Banlue was told by officials that
all cables had been tidied up in North Pattaya, except at Soi Photisarn as
the cables there are very old and need raising to a higher level.
Banlue added that the mess was actually caused by unused telephone cables
that have not been removed when replaced by new ones. Some of the cables are
expensive and officers are afraid to do anything about them. Pattaya
Telephone Authority and Banglamung Electricity Organization informed the
meeting that if they wanted cables tidying up they should notify them and
the work will be carried out speedily.
Concerning the billboards that are not installed at a standard height,
Banlue ordered the relevant parties to rectify the matter urgently. Officers
informed the meeting that owners of the billboards had to be notified to
make amends and they had to be given 30 days in which to do so. Those that
infringe on footpaths should be dealt with swiftly.
Water main bursts
and floods hotel
Residents angry at slow response from water authority
Patcharapol Panrak
Angry residents were unable to contact the Sattahip water authority when
a water main ruptured at Sukhumvit Road on January 26, and consequently
extensive damage was caused to a hotel and housing before the flooding was
brought under control.
 A
resident points to where the flood started.
The pipe burst at Km 1 Moo 2, in Sattahip sub-district, in front of the 94
Hotel. The water flooded the New Style Karaoke Bar and many rooms of the
hotel, damaging electrical and audio-visual equipment along with carpeting
and furniture.
Residents attempted to call Sattahip water supply department, but nobody
picked up the phone.
Rescue workers from the Secure Rotchanathammasatahrn Sattahip Foundation
went to the scene where they found water pouring out of the pipe and flowing
along Sukhumvit Road, but they were unable to control the torrent.
The Sattahip water pipe has ruptured once before, at Ban Taothan. On that
occasion the joints had given way under the internal pressure, and 20
residences were damaged. As with the latest occurrence, the water authority
had taken a long time to repair the fault, and extensive damage resulted as
a consequence.
Southern youths visit Navy sea turtle sanctuary
Patcharapol Panrak
Royal Navy personnel took youths from Naratiwat on a field trip under
the Ruam Jai Thai Pen Nung project, established to help resolve the unrest
in the South of the country. The 40 boys and girls were taken around naval
installations in Bangkok and around the eastern region of the country.
At the Navy Ocean Life Preservation Center at the Coastal Protection Command
Center the young guests were welcomed by Captain Samroeng Tangchandaeng and
Captain Panchawat Wisutsap. The commanders explained how the sea turtle
sanctuary run by the Royal Navy helps protect the species. The visitors were
also advised how the youth of the country can play an important role in the
protection of endangered species and help to teach others.
The field trip was organized to help give the youths a broader world view,
gain valuable new experiences and realize the importance of living in unity
in the midst of varied religions and cultures for the stability of the Thai
nation. The event was also organized to instill a sense of awareness of the
Navy’s duty in protecting and developing the country and freedom, and to
help when need arises.
Young women from the south
prepare to release a turtle into the sea.
As part of their visit,
southern youths released sea turtles into to the sea.
Southern youths enjoy their
visit to the turtle sanctuary.
Police briefs
Boonlua Chatree
Man arrested for carrying gun and ammo
A man has been arrested on firearms charges after police chased a
pickup truck through Pattaya Klang in the early hours of January 22.
Pattaya police station received a report at 5 a.m. that a blue Nissan pickup
with three passengers was parked at Soi 3 in front of the 93 Pub and that
the men were believed armed.
Officers approached the vehicle with the object of conducting a search, but
the truck pulled away at high speed. Some distance away the pickup stopped
and two men got out and fled. Police caught one of them, identified as
Poonkrit Taechanukroh, age 22. He had a .38 caliber handgun and one round of
ammunition in his possession.
Police continued to follow the pickup until it reached Central Pattaya, when
they stopped the vehicle. The driver was identified as Somchai Payaksan, age
20. There were no illegal objects in the car.
Learning the identity of the third man, who had escaped, police brought him
in. He was identified as Chamnong Wichian, age 27. He handed over a 9mm
pistol, but denied having a gun in his possession when he had been in the
car. Police were unable to file any charges owing to lack of evidence, and
Chamnong was released.
Tourist police arrest seller of lewd VCDs
A man was arrested January 26 on the footpath of Soi Sunee Plaza
for selling pornographic VCDs, following a crackdown on indecent materials
ordered by commander of the Pattaya tourist police Maj Gen Panya Mamen.
Police investigations had revealed lewd VCDs were being distributed in that
area, and officers immediately went to the scene where they arrested
28-year-old Somchai Promsorn. He had 61 pornographic VCDs in his possession.
He was charged with copying and distributing the materials.
Police say they are aware that such materials are being sold to tourists and
the public along Soi Sunee Plaza, the price being 250 baht per VCD, and that
increased vigilance is being exercised to prevent this trade.
Police haul in five ya ba agents during one night of sting
ops
Three separate police sting operations resulted in five arrests
of ya ba dealers on a single night. The arrests took place in the early
hours of January 24, after Pol Maj Nattasit Boonnuam, deputy superintendent
of crime suppression at Pattaya police station, had directed undercover
officers to pose as amphetamine buyers and contact agents around Pattaya.
Officers telephoned one agent and set up a rendezvous at Soi Photisarn in
Naklua. Two people rode up on a red-black Honda motorcycle and parked. The
officers identified themselves and searched the motorcycle, finding 170
speed pills under the seat. They arrested Vicha Satalo, 34, and Mrs Nucharin
Phengbunsilp, 44. The pair admitted that they sold the pills in packs of 50
for 12,000 baht per pack.
The second rendezvous was set up at the Sukhumvit branch of Mityon. Before
agreeing to meet, the agents had already told the officers that the
amphetamines were available in packs of 50 at 12,000 baht per pack. The
agents turned up on time and police officers promptly made the arrest of
Kachakorn Khwan-nat, who had 50 pills on him, and Pratum Phujang, 42, who
was in possession of 10 pills.
In the third case the officers telephoned the agents and arranged a meeting
at the front of the Bird Inn Hotel. The agents offered 100 amphetamine pills
for sale at 180 baht each, or 18,000 baht for the complete package. The
officers arrested Chalermsak Tukaew, 30. Each of those arrested was charged
with dealing in Category 1 drugs.
Youths shoot up laundry in gang dispute
A gang of youths shot at a laundry building and then used a knife
to damage a motorcycle before fleeing.
Police were called out at 2:30 a.m. on January 23 to the Nok Laundry at
Chatkaew Village where they found the windows had been broken by at least
three shots from a .38 caliber weapon. The officers found one shell casing.
They also found a bronze-black Yamaha Mio motorcycle that had been damaged
with a knife.
From their investigations, police know that the youths were from Huay Yai.
They had caused the damage because of a dispute with rivals. A witness took
photographs of the young hoodlums, who had arrived by car and motorcycle.
Police are now following enquiries.
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