HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Re: Stephen Miller case and Pattaya Police

Pattaya water throwing a disgrace to all Thais

Looking for a long lost friend

In for a long battle

Wrong man charged

Re: Stephen Miller case and Pattaya Police

Editor;
In this country that we foreigners all love deep-down, it is far too easy to be critical.
The callous and pointless ride-by shooting of law-abiding foreigner, Mr Stephen Miller in Pattaya recently clearly made some people anxious as to their own safety and whether the perpetrators might ever be caught.
In the past, many cases appear to have been either “too difficult” to solve or the police force has been under-equipped, under-manned, under-trained and under-motivated. But a lot of this has changed since the arrival of new superintendent of police. This is certainly evident in the rapid solving of the murder.
The Pattaya Police, under the direction of Pol. Lt. Gen. Jongrak Juthanon (Region 2 Police Commander) and the excellent personal involvement of Colonel Somnuk Changate (Superintendent of Pattaya Police Station) solved this complex case in a matter of days.
With this type of efficiency displayed by the Pattaya Police, it is clear that Pattaya is becoming a safer place, and we should applaud the level of efficiency, dedication and hard-work that the Pattaya Police exercise in the course of their often busy profession.
As a law-abiding foreigner enjoying the pleasures of Thailand in general and Pattaya in particular, let me be the first to congratulate Colonel Changate and his dedicated team on their success and for a job well-done, and we should all be hopeful this will be a great deterrent to anyone planning future crimes.
Michael Reston

Pattaya water throwing a disgrace to all Thais

Dear Editor:
Growing up in New Orleans, I have experienced the pagan holiday of Mardi Gras much of my life. While Mardi Gras is a wide open drunken celebration, the police keep a tight rein on assault and general anti-social behavior.
Year after year, the Pattaya Police have shown their inability to control the streets of Pattaya during Songkran, or any other time of the year for that manner. This year I again had a cretin attempt to open my car door to throw water and talc powder in. This is clearly over the top. My wife failed to go vote today as she didn’t want to be a victim of assault by ice water; she’s 7 months pregnant. When are the Pattaya Police going to enforce Thai Law and in general bring order to the streets of Pattaya? When the police just stand by and watch illegal conduct, I question if they even know what civilized behavior is!
What is Songkran teaching Thai children, assault is OK as long as everyone else is doing it too? I watched three kids on a motor scooter assault a police officer yesterday and speed away down the wrong side of the road, almost hitting me as he gave chase. They were obviously too young to drive and had no plates on their motor scooter. The Thailand of just 15 years ago was above this. What happened?
I, like many of my friends who live here, rarely venture to the other side of Sukhumvit Road into Pattaya City anymore. We call Pattaya City “The Dark Side of Sukhumvit”. Maybe us foreigners should write our embassies or contact “On the Record” and ask them to put out a travel advisory for Pattaya until the police straighten their act out. How many people have come to Pattaya and ended up dead under questionable circumstances? It only took one such incident to crush Aruba’s Tourist Industry.
Maybe it’s high time Bangkok just declare martial law in Pattaya and send the military in to clean house. Anything would be better than the assaults, corruption, and general lawlessness here in Pattaya. It’s out of hand - help!
Wanting a safe Pattaya Beach again,
Pattaya “Beach” Bum

Looking for a long lost friend

Dear Editor,
I am trying to contact an old university friend and have found reference to her on your web site. Her name is Elizabeth Milintacupt-Taylor and I believe she is a member of the Pattaya Professional Woman’s Forum.
We were at Southampton University together studying Animal Behaviour Psychology and I would really love to contact her again after all these years.
My father will be moving to Thailand in a few months so it may be possible for me to visit.
My name is Sue Baker – and Liz if you are reading this – I still wear the silver earrings you brought over with you on one of your trips.
My kind regards
Sue Baker

In for a long battle

Dear Editor,
Reading your editorial “A festival of abnormality”, I suddenly felt like I could see “lights in the end of the tunnel”.
You are the first Thai person to say something sensible against that horrible event they call Songkran.
I believed that Songkran was a kind of a one-day event very much like Loy Krathong, which for me is very beautiful, but I have stayed here long enough to know better.
You mention all the accidents on the roads. As a farang among many I have believed that all the accidents I have seen during my 5-year stay here, are a result of Thai drivers “not caring about what they do when driving cars or motorbikes”.
But I have come to realize that this is not the real reason. No people can be that careless, in fact I believe that they actually do not know better.
So I am sorry to say that the accidents are here to stay, some magnified during the most popular events.
But all this aside, your editorial pointed out what many people think and thank you for your effort.
But I have to disappoint you. After finishing reading your editorial, I turned to the next page in the newspaper and saw that the Songkran created Bt25 billion in tourist spending this year.
Then the light went off in the tunnel and I can see only one future. The Songkran will never be shorter, maybe the government will make it longer and start in Chiang Mai the first day and end up in Phuket 14 days later. Then the hooligan tourist can travel around in Thailand 14 days soaking wet.
It is actually very simple. As long as the cost for covering the dead and injured in the traffic during Songkran is lower than the tourist income nothing will change.
But thank you again, I am sorry to say that you are in for a long uphill battle.
Best regards,
Klaus Schackt

Wrong man charged

Sir;
I was not surprised to read that a British national was charged with assault following a water throwing incident on April 16th (Pattaya Mail 28th April). It seems clear from your report that the British man assaulted a Norwegian as a result of the unwarranted and unprovoked water assault on himself and the child he was carrying. The British man obviously acted to defend himself and the child. It should be noted that the incident occurred on a day that was neither one of the 3 official Songkran days nor the day allocated to the Pattaya water festival. The Norwegian and his Thai lady friend were therefore themselves guilty of assault without due reason.
It is of course common knowledge amongst Pattaya residents that the stupidity of daily water throwing over all and sundry occurs not just during the recognised days, but for a period of 9-11 days each year at this time. This however is no excuse for law breaking and those unable to suppress their stupidity should be punished accordingly.
The police should withdraw the charge against the British national and instead charge the Norwegian and Thai lady friend with unprovoked assault. They should be duly fined, and in accordance with Thai law, the Norwegian should be deported from the Kingdom.
Failing that, the British national should consider taking civil action against his attackers in court.
Isan Nick
Buriram

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