Patcharapol Panrak
A pickup truck crashed into an 18-wheel truck shortly after midnight on April 3, killing the pickup’s female driver.
The accident happened at Km 10 on Route 331, near Sattahip Navy Base. Police and rescue workers from Rojanathamsataan Foundation Sattahip arrived at the scene where they found a bronze four-door Toyota pickup in the middle of the road with its roof missing. The driver, 35-year-old Mrs Phawan Bunyuu was dead inside the vehicle. Two hundred meters away officers found a Volvo truck and trailer, both with Chonburi license plates. The trailer was carrying 12 x 6 meter steel frames that were protruding by two meters from the vehicle.
The truck driver, 39-year-old Adisorn Namsiri, told officers that he was carrying the steel frames from TO Logistics Company Limited of Rayong to Sattahip Port. Before arriving at the entrance to the international airport the pickup sped towards him and went under the steel frames, ripping off the roof and killing the driver.

Samutprakarn drug dealers seized after drunkenly shooting up police car

Boonlua Chatree
A Honda Civic jumped a red light at the Pattaya Klang intersection with Third Road, and the driver rolled down his window and shot a pistol twice into the sky in front of a patrolling police car before heading off at speed in the direction of South Pattaya.

Police confiscated marijuana and ya ba from a drunken, drug dealing couple.

Police gave chase and stopped the car at a South Pattaya traffic light. The two occupants, identified as Atthachai Thobgbunruang, 35, a resident of Samutprakarn, and Ms Sasinee Lertsripipat, 40, were both in a state of intoxication. Inside the car were 13.3 grams of marijuana and one marijuana cigarette. Atthachai, who had been driving, was carrying 94 ya ba pills stuffed in a drinking straw and covered with black tape. Police did not, however, find any firearms and assumed that the gun allegedly used earlier had been thrown out of the car.
Questioned at Pattaya police station, Sasinee said she was a cafe singer in Bangplee, Samutprakarn. She knew Atthachai from her place of work. He was a drug dealer and introduced her to marijuana and ya ba. She didn’t know that he had ya ba with him when he asked her to come to Pattaya. Atthachai stated that he bought the ya ba from a dealer in Samutprakarn for his personnel use, but the police didn’t believe him.
Checking Atthachai’s record, police found that he was a well-known dealer and appeared on a blacklist under the name “At”. Police have been pursuing him for a long time. Investigators surmise that the couple delivered ya ba from Samutprakarn to a dealer in Pattaya, and got drunk on the way. They most likely shouted and shot the gun to show off, but the police had managed to catch them.
The couple have been charged with illegal possession of a class 1 drug, ya ba, intended for distribution, and with illegal possession of a class 5 drug, marijuana.

Drug dealer flees as police open fire on his car

Boonlua Chatree
Undercover police attempting to ensnare a drug dealer who was operating in front of a 7-Eleven store in South Pattaya were thwarted when the man fled, even though an officer shot out one of the tires on the escape car.

After a wild chase, police lost the driver but managed to apprehend the passengers of a drug dealer’s car.

The incident happened at 2:30 a.m. on April 7. Police were waiting for the dealer who they knew would be carrying ya ba in the tire of his green Honda Civic. The dealer appeared in his car with two men and one woman, but when he went to park the vehicle he realized he was being trapped, and fled. Police shot at the car and burst the front left tire, but the vehicle continued and escaped along Soi 18 at Najomtien Beach Road.
The dealer abandoned the car outside an empty house, and leaving a man and a woman behind, he fled. Police arrested the two. When the car was searched, 22 ya ba pills were found.
Officers took the two passengers to Pattaya police station. They were identified as Wanlob Komkham, 36, and Miss Saowaluk Sawangkarn, 20. They stated that the ya ba belonged to a man they named as Ding, whose surname they didn’t know, who was driving the car. Police are now seeking Ding.

Budget for the poor and incapacitated increased to 700,000 baht this year

Chatchanan Boonnak
Deputy Mayor Wattana Jantanawaranon chaired a budgetary meeting on April 4 to draw up plans for supporting the disadvantaged elderly, the incapacitated, and HIV patients, with all 27 communities within Pattaya City represented.

Deputy Mayor Wattana Jantanawaranon (right) donates school uniforms to the 27 community leaders within Pattaya City, to hand over to poor students in the community.

The Social Welfare Department has a budget of 700,000 baht for this year, an increase over the 500,000 baht for 2005. This was to add to the support budget for new applicants. The department sent officers to verify the applications, in accordance with Ministry of Interior regulations.
Officials have drawn up a list of 69 elderly people, 24 incapacitated people, and six HIV patients, a total of 99 people. The elderly will have a support budget of 300 baht per month, with 500 baht monthly for incapacitated people and HIV patients. All of these people will receive support payments for the rest of their lives.
Wattana also donated school uniforms to the 27 community leaders for handing over to underprivileged students.

Community prepares to feed its wandering spirits during Kong Khao festival

Old tradition will keep the spirit world happy

Vimolrat Singnikorn
An old Chonburi tradition is being kept alive in Pattaya with the staging of a spirit-appeasing ceremony at Lan Pho Public Field and Nong Yai Temple on April 20.
Nobody seems to know the origins of the Kong Khao ceremony but it was traditionally held near Songkran. People believed that the coming year would pass smoothly if the spirits were protecting them, and they therefore gathered offerings of food. They also prepared other food to appease evil spirits and to leave the villagers in peace.
Kong Khao has always been held at a dedicated shrine. The ceremonies took place over a two-day period, beginning with morning prayers to the spirits. In the evening food was brought in and placed on banana leaves or paper, and musicians played their traditional instruments.
In the past mediums in many provinces cheated the public by pretending to communicate with the spirits and an earlier government attempted to eradicate the practice. Chonburi, however, does not want to see this old tradition die out and has decided to keep it going, scheduling the ceremonies for April 19-20.
There will be a Buddha Image parade on April 18, during which the public will bathe a Buddha Image for their prosperity. The parade will go from Lan Pho Naklua to Talad Mai (Sawang Fa Road) to the Sawang Boriboon Foundation, and end back at Lan Pho, Naklua.
Seven communities will participate, including Soi Post Office, Naklua, Nongtabak, Nongket, Roi Lang, Wat Chonglom, and Lan Pho.
Kong Khao Naklua-Nongyai will be held at Lan Pho Public Field and Nong Yai Temple on April 20, starting at 7 p.m. Many activities are planned, including a pole-climbing contest and sling-shot shooting. There will be food booths and a performance by well-known country singer Tai Orathai.

Bay Watch: Power lines in this town are strange, they have coconuts on them

Narisa Nitikarn
Complaints that power lines were hanging loose at many locations around Pattaya, especially at the intersection of Central Pattaya Road and Third Road, where some lines were said to be almost touching the ground, we sent a team out to see just how bad, and how dangerous, was the situation.

Power lines in this town are strange, they have coconuts on them!

When the team arrived at one area the power lines were swinging and causing panic amongst passers-by, especially motorcyclists, because of the danger of electric shock. Residents said that the lines had been hanging like this for a long time, but no agency had done anything about them.
The team went on to inspect the cables at Soi Sukhumvit Pattaya 21, and found them in disarray from the beginning of the soi to the end. At one place they were hanging on three coconut trees.
Pattaya Mail then contacted the electricity authority’s Banglamung office. Staff there said they would send someone to survey the problem. Two weeks later the situation was unchanged. The power lines were still hanging on the trees.
When the team initially contacted the authority, the staff tried to downplay the situation, refusing to make a statement and telling the reporters to contact another office. The office stated later that they hadn’t received any complaints.
Looking around the city again on April 5 the team found many power lines were still down. Clearly, there are some officials who might benefit from a short, sharp shock.

Chatchawal re-elected as president of Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter

Chatchawal Supachayanont (center), president of the Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter, Miss Bundarik Kusolvit (right) and Miss Alisa Phantusak (left) vice presidents.

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Chatchawal Supachayanont was re-elected as president of the Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter during the annual general meeting on March 30, held at the Dusit Resort.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay presided over the voting, with 39 witnesses, guests and members in attendance. Outgoing directors led by Miss Bundarik Kusolvit reported on the results of operations over the past two years, stressing national and international road shows, especially those to Hong Kong, Japan and Moscow, which were sponsored by Pattaya City Council and Chonburi Provincial Administration Organization. Domestically the association provided training and skills development to employees of member hotels, including courses teaching English language skills. The association was also successful in organizing a bar tender contest during the past year.
After the reports, the president and a new board of directors were voted in. There were only two nominees for the presidency, namely Somkiat Rattanaopart, administrator of A-One the Royal Cruise Hotel and Chatchawal Supachayanont, general manager of Dusit Resort. The meeting decided on a secret ballot and Chatchawal was voted in by a margin of 23 votes to 16 from the total of 39 votes.
Chatchawal said he has been involved with the association for many years and has experience in cooperating with the government sector. He added that he would try to encourage the setting up of a Pattaya Information Center to be ready for the new Suvarnabhumi Airport, which will be opened later this year. Miss Bundarik Kusolvit and Miss Alisa Phantusak will be vice presidents of the association.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Public Buses to stop service April 18 and 19

Pattaya Beach Bus Co. Ltd. announced they will stop public bus services April 18 and 19 during the Songkran festival in Pattaya and Naklua.
Suriyont Klindee, marketing director of Pattaya Beach Bus Co. Ltd., said the buses must stop during this time because so many people will be taking part in the water throwing activities, traffic will come to a near standstill.
After April 19, the public bus service will resume its normal schedule.

Self-care promoted to reduce spread of disease during hot summer months

Mrs. Na-Anya Chantrakat (right), Public Health Officer 8, Bureau of General Communicable Diseases, Department of Disease Control in Pattaya City presented knowledge to the public on Soi Naklua 14 (Soi Noree) Pattaya, which was attended by all families in this poor community.

Narisa Nitikarn
A talk was given to the public on March 28 at Soi Naklua 14 on the dangers of disease during the hot summer months and basic self-care methods of recognizing and curing symptoms.
Arranged in conjunction with the Bureau of General Communicable Diseases, Department of Disease Control, the presentation also included distribution of household medicines, insecticides and rodent poison.
Mrs Na-Anya Chantrakat, a nursing officer from Pattaya’s Public Health and Environment Department, said the city has an all-year-round fight against communicable diseases, but March and April are the peak heat wave months and disease is more prevalent at this time than any other.
Diarrhea is a very common condition, and the majority of people in the community don’t know how to avoid it, said Na-Anya. Public health officers are advising people to eat only newly cooked food, and to wash their hands each time before eating. Anyone suffering from diarrhea needs to drink a saline solution afterwards to replace body fluids and minerals.
Rabies is also of particular concern during the hot season. An infected animal biting or scratching a human can easily pass the disease on. Vaccinations for people and for animals are available and should be carried out, said Na-Anya.

St. Georges celebrates with fellowship on Palm Sunday

St. George’s Congregation, a small group of people who first held services some 6 months ago, celebrated Palm Sunday with worship followed by a fellowship meal.
The Revd. Allan Sherratt, acting priest in charge of the congregation, said that it was very satisfying to see the members of the congregation grow in numbers and also as a group who are self-funding and dedicated to growth in understanding of the Gospel and their part in the outreach to others here in Pattaya.

Revd. Allan Sherratt blesses the congregation.
The original group came together to worship according to the traditional Book of Common Prayer services and now has members from various countries. Members are not only Church of England, and Anglicans from around the world, but also Episcopalians from America.
This Saturday, April 15th, the Easter Service will be held at 6 p.m. and will include the blessing of the new fire and dedication of the new light of Christ in honour of Christ’s resurrection. All are welcome. The services are at the Redemptorist Center Chapel (not St Nikolas’) off Sukhumvit Road almost opposite Index Furniture.

After the services, everyone sat down to a delicious Palm Sunday dinner.

Lottery players visit shrine following 10 wins by bar owner

Players sprinkle talcum on the shrine and pat it to see if lottery numbers would be revealed.

Boonlua Chatree
The famous lottery shrine on Beach Road near Pattaya police station is once more being asked to deliver lucky numbers by lotto hopefuls following reports that a bar owner won 10 draws after making a special offering of song and dance at the shrine.
Lotto players gathered at the shrine at 4 a.m. on March 28, bringing with them candles, joss sticks, flowers and talcum powder as offerings. The shrine, reputed to be more than a century old, is crammed with flowers, toys and items of clothing all brought as inducements to the spirit of the shrine to reveal winning numbers in the lottery draw.
On this evening, the players sprinkled talcum on the shrine and patted it to see if the numbers would be revealed. They found three numbers: 357, 387 and 237. They went away, confident of a win. After all, they said, they often see numbers appear that have already won many times.