HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

The Ying and Yang of Pattaya

Is this condominium breaking local laws?

New villages, the con

Our lives are in the hands of the city officials

ATM scam update

The Ying and Yang of Pattaya

Dear Sir or Ma’am,
This is one of many stories of this great Kingdom of Thailand. One of many, but one I hope you print to give proper recognition to the trio of women I met on Saturday, 29 April 2006. And also to give recognition to the fact that the bad elements are still out there. I have heard various stories of the motorcycle thieves before, but only partially believed them.
In the early part of the afternoon, I decided to go into Pattaya to conduct some business (I live in Jomtien). I walked to the main road, and then hopped on the first baht-bus I saw. En-route to Pattaya, the baht-bus stopped and picked up three young adult females of Thai heritage. These three females were well dressed, but were engaged in a loud and boisterous conversation in the Thai language. I immediately disliked these three women because of their loud, boisterous conversation and ignored them on the ride into Pattaya.
Upon arrival at my first stop, I pressed the button on the baht-bus and it eventually stopped so I could get off. I paid the asked fee, and began walking to the postal center. After I few steps, I reached for my wallet and discovered it was missing! This can not be happening! I never forget my wallet, I thought. And there was no way someone stole it from me, as I did not sit next to anyone on the baht-bus. I was lost, dazed and confused. I looked back at the baht-bus I rode on, and quickly dismissed the idea of chasing it down to look for my wallet. No, I decided, I must have left it at home.
I then began my way back along Second Road to where two-way traffic begins so I could take a baht-bus back to Jomtien and search for my wallet at home. I thought of the consequences of a lost wallet in a foreign country. No passport, no drivers’ license, no credit cards or ATM cards or debit cards. Nothing. This was a scary proposition.
Although partially disabled due to injuries from a suicide truck-bomb (compliments of Al-Qaeda), I was not using my cane that day and the worries about my wallets location caused me to walk faster than normal, but still not too fast as pains in my legs always slow me down. It was then I heard someone running up from behind me. What now, I thought as I turned around.
What I saw was one of the loud, boisterous young adult females come running up to me, with my wallet in her hand! I was instantly amazed, shocked, relieved and confused all at the same time. When she finally caught up to me, she slowed to a stop and was bent over and breathing hard from her run. When she caught her breath some, she handed me the wallet and explained that I left it on the baht-bus (it had apparently fallen out of my back pocket whilst I was sitting in the baht-bus). I immediately opened it up and looked for my money and credit cards and all essentials. It was all there! I immediately thanked her and pulled out a one thousand baht note and tried handing it to the young woman. She refused to take it.
When her two friends caught up with her, they, too refused payment for their good deed. I offered to buy them lunch or dinner. They refused. I thanked them again, we said our good-byes, and I departed to conduct my business in Pattaya.
We have all heard the adage, you cannot judge a book by its cover. So very true. I judged these women as loud and boisterous and quickly dismissed them, and it turned out they all had hearts of gold, and their good manners would have made their parents proud. At one point in our conversation, I asked for their names. The first to arrive was “Ning”, the second was “Joy” and the third was “Pet”. If any of you three happen to read this, I again offer my humble thanks.
I quickly finished my business in Pattaya and began the trip to Jomtien in a baht-bus. Just after the intersection of Thepprasit Road in Jomtien (just past the Food-Mart), I noticed a motorcycle with two young Thai men as the riders. They stood out from the traffic jam we were in that day because the back passenger did not have a helmet on, and he had his head turned left, staring at a farang on a motorcycle. The motorcycle with the two Thai young men held a quick discussion, then moved dangerously close to the farang on the motorcycle. I thought this was odd conduct, so I continued to watch them. The Thai passenger on the one motorcycle then reached out and grabbed the farang by the collar. Then I noticed the farangs gold chain in the young Thai man’s hand, and realized this was a robbery in progress. I watched the farang grab the Thai persons hand and they began fighting over possession of the gold chain. I was about thirty to fifty feet away. The gold chain appeared very thick so it did not break when the Thai person first grabbed it, giving the farang time to grab the wrist of the Thai person to grapple over possession of the chain.
Since motorcycles ride on the side of the road while baht-buses are stuck in traffic, they quickly moved out of my view in the area of View Talay 2. It did not appear that the two Thai thieves were successful, but I couldn’t be sure due to the increased distance they were from me.
At about 1:30pm this day, I met the three young women with hearts of gold returning my wallet. At about 2:30pm on that very same day, I noticed two Thai men trying to steal gold. The Ying and Yang of Pattaya, and all were seen in just one hour.
These events made me question my luck or karma. The very next day, I attended Catholic Church mass for the first time in about seven years. I was very thankful that I met the women with hearts of gold, instead of the man with a handful of someone else’s gold.
Respectfully Submitted,
Gary L. C.

Is this condominium breaking local laws?

Editor;
I would appreciate it if you would print the following in your editorial section; and, if you would, perhaps forward it to the proper local government office for their perusal:
The management of a condominium complex in Jomtien, against the wishes of property owners within the complex, is proceeding with the construction of what they called “a small coffee shop” on what was originally designated to be communal property along the roadside in front of the dwellings near Beach Road.
The “small coffee shop” is now taking on the proportions of a rather large structure that will be at least 3 stories high and it will completely block the view of the ocean and the offshore sea breezes that the original buyers assumed would be theirs forever when they purchased their property so many years ago.
Also to be mentioned is that the new building is being constructed rather closely to Beach Road and that in itself could be in violation of local laws.
Thank you,
The Jomtien Observer

New villages, the con

Editor;
You may have noted that, in many new villages being built, all begins by constructing an attractive swimming pool, a sales office and a magnificent entry with trees and flowers. The collective swimming pool is one of the sales pitches. What no one told you, is that once the village is finished and all the houses sold, the former sales office and the swimming pool will be rented. The owners of a house should then pay 20 baht per person for every visit in their swimming pool!
Useless to say that no one took the pain to inform you before...
I don’t know if it is like that in all the villages, but it is the case in village I live in! The con is total, because you will have paid for the swimming pool without being able to use it for free. I don’t speak here of the maintenance that is deplorable ... The farangs are once again taken to the trap.
Jean-Marie Schaffter
Pattaya

Our lives are in the hands of the city officials

To: [email protected]
Crossing Second Road is always risky and vehicles traveling at high speed have never had any concern for the pedestrians trying to make safe passage across this busy road. Some time ago the city painted zebra crossings (pedestrian crossings) in various locations throughout the city including several along the length of Second Road. I am sure their intension was to make crossing the road a safer activity and help promote a better image to the thousands of tourists who choose Pattaya as their holiday destination.
Unfortunately, just painting lines on the road does not solve this particular traffic problem. In fact without educating the drivers and riders of motor vehicles in the use and purpose of zebra crossings they are actually putting the western tourist a great risk. In most of the civilized world there are laws in place that force the motorist to stop as soon as a person walks on to a zebra crossing. We in the west are educated into thinking that pedestrians on a crossing have priority over motor vehicles so when foreign tourists cross the road on a zebra crossing, they assume they are reasonably safe from collision with a vehicle. Today I tried to cross the road in front of my office on a zebra crossing and was verbally abused by a Thai motorcyclist who was traveling at great speed along Second Road.
Please, please, please take away the wasted white paint that is supposed to be a pedestrian crossing or put up signs to ask drivers to stop for those people trying to cross the road.
Our lives are in the hands of the city officials who only do half of the job they should.
Yours at risk,
Pattaya John

ATM scam update

Dear Editor,
Expats beware, new ATM scammers successful.
I am able to update the report by Mick Shrosbee, in your last issue, on the latest ATM scam, as this also happened to a Dutch friend of mine.
He was drawing cash at an ATM machine and was distracted by another falang talking to him from behind and to his left side. He was aware that another falang was also behind him, and to his right side. Apparently, having put his card in the machine, he then turned to address the talker, and failed to see the other man canceling the transaction.
Unfortunately my friend’s English is not so good and my Dutch is non existent, so how exactly they worked it, I could not make out. But the action was caught on the ATM camera and was studied when the investigators came from Bangkok.
Somehow these two falang men, who spoke French, then copied the card, and in persuading my Dutch friend to re enter his pin a couple more times, got that too.
They also somehow persuaded him to repeat the transactions using another card from his Belgian bank, and they also got those details.
Subsequently they emptied both his accounts. He lost 500,000 baht and thousands of euros.
After the banks investigated the thefts, they have promised to refund his money, but to start with he himself was under suspicion.
This Dutchman is not stupid or careless, or I suspect easily duped. These guys are very professional con artists. My friend says that one was about 5ft 8inches and the other was about six foot tall.
The best advice seems to be, if you are accosted while making an ATM transaction, don’t take your eyes off the machine, ignore them, remove the card and fetch the police immediately, or go to another machine far away.
This criminal action took place on the Jomtien Beach Road, at an ATM machine about 500 yards past Soi 9 going South.
It would be nice to have these two banged up.
Kind regards,
On the Lookout

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