HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Pattaya Mail joins the people of Thailand to humbly wish Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawalee a very Happy Birthday Thursday July 13

Flotilla of 200 fishing boats moor off Sattahip in protest of rising fuel costs

Food vendor regulations tightened for new city hall building

Tempers flare at city council meeting as Sanit goes on the warpath

South Gate to Walking Street will be ready in time for celebrations

Wannabe transvestite bag-snatcher ‘snatched’ by intended victim

Jealous Englishman stabs Thai girl to death

Police briefs

New Pattaya Tourist Police headquarters in full operation

Former Thai ambassador donates funds to conserve Golden Coral

Massage training improves herbal and medicinal skills

City hall readies for 2007-2009 development strategy

Practical training held for large-scale road accidents

Pattaya joins the nation in celebrating Buddhist Lent

More than 50 floats make up colorful Lent candle parade

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Pattaya Mail joins the people of Thailand to humbly wish Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawalee a very Happy Birthday Thursday July 13

(Photo courtesy of the Bureau of the Royal Household)

 

Flotilla of 200 fishing boats moor off Sattahip in protest of rising fuel costs

Fishermen fear inevitable collapse of the fishing industry and their livelihoods

The flotilla of fishing boats moored off Sattahip protesting the high cost of fuel.

Boonlua Chatree
Over two hundred fishing vessels complete with crew anchored off Samaesarn Beach in Sattahip on July 1 to protest against rising fuel costs and to call upon the government for a fuel subsidy.
Many boat owners are facing financial ruin because of the rising costs and this, coupled with low market prices and dwindling numbers of fish in the Gulf of Thailand, is taking its toll on the local fishing industry.
“I’ve been a fisherman all my life and so were my parents,” said Prakit, a boat owner joining the flotilla, who declined to give his family name. He said that the market prices for fish were too low compared to the price of fuel.
“Some of the fish sell for 15-20 baht per kilo and fuel is almost 30 baht per liter. We are in serious debt because of this.”
Prakit added that many of the boat owners were facing financial problems because of the dwindling fish population in the gulf as well as increasing costs.
“As a boat owner I also have to take care of my crew,” he said.
Many smaller vessels have a crew of eight to 10, with the larger boats as many as 20. Because of the region being fished out, many have to travel further out into the gulf for a decent day’s catch.
“We have no other alternative but to ask for help,” said Prakit.
The protest lasted most of the day with fishing vessels lying at anchor just offshore as they tried save their profession and families from ruin.

The fishers’ wharf in Sattahip may hit a depression if things don’t improve.

Food vendor regulations tightened for new city hall building

Food shops in city hall. Inset: Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn.

Piyavadee Suvannahong
With Pattaya’s new city hall building nearing completion, administrators have taken the opportunity to implement tighter regulations for food vendors in the building.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn chaired discussions on June 27. Food vendors previously enjoyed some freedom by selling to employees and members of the public in a small outside area behind the current city hall building but will now move indoors to a mini food court in the new premises. This left many operators confused as to what the city wants and the discussions aimed to answer queries and clarify new operating regulations.
One vendor told reporters that income has decreased dramatically after moving to the new area. “Many people still don’t know we have moved, especially those people contacting city hall. On top of this we have had food and equipment go missing.”
The vendor said that a number of people asked to take their plates outside to eat and had failed to return them. Officials have been asked to tighten regulations as some people were still operating outside the building, paying rent to city hall.
“They still have the advantage of being seen by the public. We want city hall to assist in creating an even field,” the vendor said.
Mayor Niran stressed that all vendors were requested to move into the new building’s food court area and mobile food carts were prohibited from selling inside the grounds unless they were given specific permission.
Racha Juengsanguansith, financial controller for city property and food supervisor said, “All food sellers will move into the new building after paying 2,500 baht per month in rent. They will also pay for their own electricity and water usage. Since we have increased the space available and numbers of operators has increased we can reduce the rent to 2,000 baht per month with a one-year contract.”
With food vendors facing difficulties the mayor offered to assist by suggesting that during the initial period the city subsidizes water and electricity for each of the vendors as the relevant meters had yet to be installed
“I would also recommend we reduce the rent to 500 baht per month in the interim to help the vendors after moving inside the new building since their income has dropped. Should there be further problems then we correct them when the time comes,” Niran said.
The mayor added that requests for continued operation in the previous positions outside would be considered but is not a favourable option for administrators.
City hall’s new office and car park buildings are located directly behind the current premises.

Tempers flare at city council meeting as Sanit goes on the warpath

Fingers pointed at lack of performance

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The monthly council meeting in July was a stormy one with heavy debates over the current state of Pattaya and accusations over the performance of the administration.
City councilor Sanit Boonmachai opened the meeting and immediately set the tone by pointing out numerous deficiencies in traffic control.

City councilor Sanit Boonmachai criticises lack of action by city employees.

Sanit cited three major U-turns as a cause for many accidents as well as the lack of systematic problem solving by administrators. The U-turns are those opposite the Toyota showroom near Jittapawan College, at the Redemptorist Center, and at the Soi Nernplubwan intersection.
Sanit stated that these three areas were troubled by frequent accidents and cited that there were many more traffic control problems that needed to be addressed in the interests of public safety.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn responded by saying that Sukhumvit was to undergo a facelift in the near future and that these problems would be solved after further study.
“We need to wait until we look at the pros and cons for the project before we decide what needs to happen,” said Niran.
Sanit then opened up another subject with a tirade concerning building regulations and procedures and the lack of action by city employees.
“We have seen in the past how municipal employees have performed their duties, specifically those in charge of building regulations and planning. They have still failed to perform their tasks accordingly,” claimed Sanit.
“I ask Sitthiparp Muangkhum, former head of city engineering and municipal clerk to inform us of the systems in place and which have been due for the past year. To date there is no sign of this as well as effectiveness of the city’s town planning and engineering department.
“They are all content to push around the public but have not bothered to do anything concerning the larger property investors.”
The mayor responded by informing Sanit of the current problems and told him that these would be solved as soon as possible.
Sanit continued with his line of fire as the mayor answered the questions and accepted that his administration was at fault on some issues, “Not everyone is 100 percent perfect”, said the mayor.
Further discussions took place concerning South Pattaya’s Bali Hai Pier and the increasing chaos currently plaguing the pier and the lack of order from boat operators. The mayor asked Sanit to speak with him outside the meeting. Both men were quick to leave.
Before leaving Sanit concluded that he had worked with the mayor over the years and that there was nothing personal in the arguments. “If there was, there would be charges filed.”
The council chairman closed the stressful meeting calling for solidarity and cooperation for the betterment of the city and the public.

South Gate to Walking Street will be ready in time for celebrations

Additional volunteers requested to ensure safety and security

Soonthorn Kangsirikul (center), Vice President Walking Street Committee.

Piyavadee Suvannahong
The new southern entrance gate to Walking Street for the Bali Hai area will be completed ready to coincide with the Queen’s Birthday celebrations on August 12.
Soonthorn Kangsirikul, Walking Street committee vice president said the celebrations will feature exhibits such as fashion, magic, cheerleader and international shows as well as a beer drinking contests not to mention the traditional extravagant fireworks display.
Efforts are being made to encourage visitors to explore the sois off Walking Street and the no-drive zone will be extended from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. from August 11 to 13.
A preparation meeting was held on June 20 to address issues concerning city officers monitoring the area and to assign further roles of responsibility to city employees.
Municipal chief officer Wirat Riapriang said there are three main areas for officials to monitor. “Naklua and Jomtien present few problems, but as Pattaya is more popular we are facing major problems due to the sheer number of visitors and tourists,” he said.
“Those officers, specifically in Walking Street are overworked and we have had many of them take days off for sick leave. They are tired and with the increase in activities it can be expected to escalate.”
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, Walking Street Committee president offered to help resolve the problems as quickly as possible in order to redistribute responsibilities and increase the number of staff.
“We now have more municipal officers to look after the area and safety is a very important factor, for which we cannot place the entire burden on the police. For the benefit of all concerned more volunteers will be sought to watch over the area,”he said.

Wannabe transvestite bag-snatcher ‘snatched’ by intended victim

Boonlua Chatree
A transvestite who attempted to snatch the bag of a foreign resident in front of the Bangkok Bank South Pattaya branch opposite the VC Hotel in the early hours of June 19 was seized and held by his victim until police arrived.

Nyegaard points to the snatched bag-snatcher.
Receiving a radio alert, officers rushed to the scene where they found a Norwegian national named Jarle Nyegaard, 36, with a transvestite later identified as Atit Kunapan, 24 of Chiang Mai.
Nyegaard said that while he was waiting for a song taew (baht bus) to take him back to his hotel three transvestites came up to him and offered him their services, and as he wasn’t interested in paying for sex from a woman or a transvestite he declined.
But the three started hugging and kissing him and one of them made a grab for his bag containing two Visa cards and 9,480 baht in cash. He grabbed the transvestite who was pulling at his bag and the other two fled.
Atit was charged with robbery.

Jealous Englishman stabs Thai girl to death

Boonlua Chatree
An Englishman stabbed a Thai woman to death in the early hours of July 8, and then attempted to take his own life by slashing his wrists.
Police received a report from a woman named Miss Busadee Maneechan, 21, to say that a foreign national had stabbed and seriously injured her sister in the Honey Inn Hotel. Officers at the scene found the woman, Miss Chawee Pimmasri, 26, lying in her own blood after suffering knife wounds to the left side of her chest and her right arm. She was rushed to Pattaya Memorial Hospital.

A distraught Gill stands in defiance, knife in hand as he attempts to take his own life.
Witnesses told police that after the attack the assailant had run up to the third floor of the Honey Inn Hotel, carrying the knife with him. Police ran up after him, and found British national Denis Gill, 64, standing and trying to slit his own wrists. Officers told him to stop and put down the knife, but he ignored them. He managed to cut through the main artery and sat down on the floor. The officers spoke to him for more than 30 minutes, then offered him water and managed to overpower him. He was taken to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.
Doctors at Pattaya Memorial Hospital meanwhile contacted officers to inform them that Chawee had died of her injuries. Gill was placed under security at the hospital and will be charged murder.
Police questioned Busadee, the victim’s younger sister. She told officers that Gill and the victim had been living together for six months and had invested 600,000 baht in the Apple Bar, in the soi.
Gill had transferred funds to the victim and had only returned to Thailand two weeks previously. He was staying in room 319 of the hotel. The bar was open and some foreign customers were drinking and teasing Chawee. Gill became jealous and Chawee told him to go back to his hotel room and go to sleep. He went to the room but came back with the knife and stabbed her.

Police briefs

Boonlua Chatree
Former security guard arrested for
drug dealing
A police undercover operation during the evening of July 3 led to the arrest of an amphetamines dealer with 100 tablets on his person.
Police investigations had indicated that a dealer known as Nong was selling the ya ba, and undercover officers arranged an appointment with him at the Jomtien Complex Condo parking lot on the pretext of buying supplies. Nong, identified as Chamnan Rahothan, 42, was then duly arrested.
Chamnan said that he had been employed in Uthai Thani before coming to work as a security guard in Pattaya. He had previously been arrested with 110 ya ba pills intended for distribution, and imprisoned. After being released he couldn’t find work and so went back to dealing in ya ba. Once again he has been charged with possession and intended distribution of a Class 1 narcotic.
Police investigate deaths of two
newborn babies
Police are investigating what are believed to be two unrelated cases of the dead bodies of newborn infants found abandoned on the same day in outdoor areas.
The first case was discovered at 3:00 p.m. on July 5, when Banglamung police station received a report from a member of the public that a dead baby had been found in bushes beside Soi Tungkha, Huay Yai Alley, at Moo 6 in Huay Yai sub-district.
Officers and Sawang Boriboon Foundation officials at the scene found the corpse of a male infant aged approximately two days, naked and placed in a box. The baby had been covered with Pattaya Memorial Hospital towels, and on the left wrist was a bracelet with the name Mrs Anong Prasertsin. Police have assumed this is the name of the mother.
Reports that a white car was seen near the spot shortly before the body was discovered are being investigated, and police are questioning doctors and nurses at Pattaya Memorial Hospital.
The second case was reported to Banglamung police station only an hour after the first, at 4 p.m. when a dead infant was found buried in a tapioca field at Moo 13 in Nongprue. The baby was male, about one day old, and had been covered in a yellow towel and placed inside a black plastic bag.
A construction worker had made the discovery when he went into the field to relieve himself. He told police he saw a woman aged around 20 years, wearing a black robe and carrying a white plastic bag, walking into the field. He thought at first she was throwing garbage away, but then he saw her run back to where a man was waiting on a motorcycle. She got on the back, and they had sped away.
The worker was suspicious so he walked to where the woman had been standing. There was a shallow hole in the ground and the body had been placed there. Investigators found that the body of the infant was abnormally small, and are working on the theory that the child had been aborted and then dumped.
Student shot dead by motorcycle gang
An 18-year-old student was shot dead and another injured when a gang of youths on motorcycles opened fire on them outside a food shop on Sukhumvit Road, in North Pattaya.
Police received a report of the shooting at 2:10 a.m. on June 18, and went to the scene where they found a group of six teenagers on three motorcycles gathered around two men who were lying in the road. Sak Somboon, 18, a Level 3 vocational school student had been shot with a .38 caliber weapon to the right chest and the right shoulder. He was lying near a gray and black Yamaha Mio motorcycle. Thiraphat Unloy, 20, had been shot in the right foot. Police transferred the injured men to Banglamung Hospital, but Sak was dead on arrival.
Officers questioned the teenage students, who said they had traveled on their motorcycles from Chonburi to Pattaya. When they arrived in North Pattaya in front of the porridge shop, they saw seven men and one woman on four motorcycles. They stopped and looked at the group, and suddenly the gang pulled out guns and fired six times, hitting Sak and Thiraphat.
Police are now searching for the armed gang.
Sales office robber found behind the fridge
An attempted robbery of the sales office of a condominium project was foiled by an alert security guard who found the would-be thief hiding behind a refrigerator and froze his escape.
Pattaya police station received a report at 2:20 a.m. on June 27 from an employee of the project, who said that a man had been caught trying to steal from the Beverly Hills condominium sales office belonging to the ISS Construction Co Ltd, and was being detained.
Arriving at the scene on Thappraya Road police found the accused with the property he was stealing, which included a printer, coffee machine, sanitary equipment, an aluminum stand, and some office equipment and tools. The man was identified as Sorasak Amsutthi, 32, of Pitsanulok province. He stated that he entered to steal the property, because he needed money to go back to his hometown. Normally he worked as a marker for a snooker table establishment on Soi Tonyang.
Security guard Mongkol Galek, 33, said that he noticed the sales office door was unlocked so he stepped in and found the office materials moved around. He discovered the robber hiding behind the refrigerator and detained him until the police arrived.

New Pattaya Tourist Police headquarters in full operation