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Lucky rescue for six divers swept out to sea by strong currents
Patcharapol Panrak
An ice plant owner and his family who went diving and were swept out to
sea by heavy currents were rescued after 11 hours when a Royal Navy patrol
boat and airplane spotted their heads bobbing amongst the waves.
The family was hauled to safety around 4 a.m. on August 16.
 Wet,
cold, and perhaps suffering hypothermia, one of the victims is carried to
safety.
Vice Admiral Jamnong Kittiprirachon, commander of Fleet 1 directed the
search and rescue operation that sent two patrol boats and an aircraft out
looking for the six people who had gone missing off the eastern coast of Koh
Rong Khone at 4.30 p.m. on 15 August 15.
Later a trawler made contact, saying that it had spotted the six floating in
the sea about five nautical miles off the western coast of Koh Juang, and
one of the patrol boats was dispatched to pick them up.
The six were Narong Hiranrattanaporn, 56, the owner of an ice making plant
in Bangkok; Surakit Hiranrattanaporn, 30; Kongkitti Kanchanavadee, 30; Miss
Namfon Suksantisawat, 29; Miss Pornpen Promtong, 29; and Mrs Watcharee
Santipat, 51. All were weak, tired and thirsty.
Ambulances and medical teams from Somdej Pranangchao Sirikit Hospital at
Sattahip Navy base were waiting at the drop-off point to transfer them to
the hospital, and all six were later released after being treated for cramps
and dehydration.
Narong said that he took his family on a trip and rented a boat to go diving
near a sunken ship named Julathip. In all three trips were taken. The third
trip was a dive off Rongkhone at 4.30 p.m., when they planned to come up at
5.15 p.m. However, the group was carried off by the strong currents. They
floated about in the sea until 03.48 when they saw a trawler and swam
towards it.
Vice Admiral Jamnong warned locals and tourists to be careful, particularly
during this period when Sattahip cove is experiencing heavy seas.
Pattaya schedule drawn up for Miss Thailand competition
Officials prepare for the Miss Thailand 2006
contest to be held in Pattaya.
Narisa Nitikarn
Get ready to see Thailand’s most beautiful women, as the Miss
Thailand 2006 competition will be held in Pattaya August 29 to September
3.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn presided over a meeting on August 10 at
city hall to finalize activities and details.
The meeting discussed travel plans and locations for taking photos,
along with a press conference. The finals are scheduled for September 3,
between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. at Alangkarn Theatre.
A representative for SCV/ITV said that the Miss Thailand contest has
never taken place anywhere else other than in Bangkok. Pattaya, he said,
was ideal because of its tourist attractions and its attractive seaside
locations.
The contestants will take part in a ceremony at the King Taksin monument
in front of city hall upon arrival in Pattaya. They will then continue
to the Prince Chumpornkhet Udomsak monument. There will be group photos
at these two locations.
Following this, the contestants will check into Pattaya Park Hotel where
they will have free time for themselves until 5 p.m.
On August 30, a special abilities contest will be held, and on August 31
a VTR recording will be made of tourism activities at Samae Beach on Koh
Larn. September 1 will see a VTR recording made at Nong Nooch Tropical
Garden, Underwater World, the Redemptorist Church, Ban Sukawadee,
Million Years Stone Park, and Mini Siam. There will also be a press
function on September 1 at Alangkarn Theatre.
The finals will be on September 3 at the Alangkarn Theatre with a
broadcast by ITV, and at 10 p.m. the new Miss Thailand and two
runners-up will be announced.
Pattaya gets ready for two major tourism conferences
Narisa Nitikarn
Preparations are being made for two of the regional tourism industry’s
biggest events, the IT & CMA and CTW conference, due to be held October 10
to 12, and the Skål International World Congress, scheduled for October 15
to 20.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay chaired a meeting on August 10 at city hall to
prepare the public relations activities that will be held during the events,
which will be staged at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.
Tourism and public relations officers attended the meeting, and a budget was
allocated to support the public relations efforts by the city.
Verawat said that city hall has prepared 1,200 welcome packs that include
Pattaya destination guides and city maps.
Billboards will welcome delegates to both events, and city hall has provided
a budget to the Tourism Authority of Thailand Region 3 to arrange the
billboards and manage the public relations activities.
Koh Larn road construction still behind schedule
Deputy mayor inspects lack of progress
Narisa Nitikarn
Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn inspected Koh Larn on August 7 to check
progress on the road building project there, which had drawn complaints from
locals because it was behind schedule.
 Deputy
Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn asked that the project be completed forthwith.
Koh Larn district chief Sutham Phechgate presented a progress report to
Wutisak at the meeting, which was also attended by municipal police
officers, and public works and public health officials.
Sutham said there was a problem with the still-uncompleted construction of
the steel reinforced concrete road and the laying of drainage pipes at the
front of Wat Maisamraan, plus the maintenance of Sarn Chao Phodam Road.
On inspection of the sites Wutisak noted that the projects had exceeded the
time allotted in the contracts. City hall had received complaints from
locals about the unfinished work and inconvenience caused. When Wutisak met
with the officials responsible for the road, the supervisor from August
Inter Group said that the reason for the delays was a lack of water, but
said he would rush the work to completion once there was enough water and
sufficient materials.
Closer controls on jet-ski operators before high season
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
City hall officials and officers of the Marine Office called a meeting
of jet-ski operators on August 16 at the Pattaya Sea Security and Coastal
Building to try and resolve the safety issues before the coming high season.
 (L
to R) Head of the Marine Office Wittaya Chaiyanukulkitti, Deputy Mayor
Ronakit Ekasingh, and city councilor Sanit Boonmachai, who is also chairman
of the order and peace committee, call on jet-ski owners to run their
businesses in a more responsible manner.
Accidents, and a general lack of adherence to safety regulations and
standards, have long been a cause of concern and have created a negative
image amongst many tourists to Pattaya.
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh, head of the Marine Office Wittaya
Chaiyanukulkitti, and city councilor Sanit Boonmachai, who is also chairman
of the order and peace committee, called on jet-ski owners and operators to
run their businesses in a more orderly and responsible manner.
Wittaya said there are many jet-skis on Pattaya and Jomtien beaches, and
therefore it is necessary to draw up more rules governing their use, and to
ensure the rules are followed.
“All jet-skis will be registered and be subject to a standards control by an
engineer. The operator must pass a training course and obtain a certificate
from the Marine Office, 6th Pattaya branch. And each craft must have a
signal light and horn for safety after sunset, or during days with bad
visibility,” said Wittaya.
Sanit said that the problem requires both Pattaya City and operators to
cooperate. His personal opinion is that jet-skis should be allowed only
during the day, because the safety of tourists is essential. Sanit said that
he would propose closing the port at 7 p.m., and this will be discussed
during a meeting of Pattaya City Council.
Controls will be enforced to see that operators do not take advantage of
tourists by overcharging, and in the event of an unlicensed operator being
found he will be ejected from the beach.
Competition held to find name for coastal road
Vimolrat Singnikorn
A competition to name a road running along the coast at Rayong, Chantaburi
and Trad is being held by the Countryside Highway Department, who say the
name should be easy to remember and appropriate for a stretch of highway
designed to support tourist locations.
An application form can be collected from the Countryside Highway Office, or
downloaded from www.dor.go.th. Closing date is August 31, and the
competition committee will take the postmark date as evidence.
The winning prize is 30,000 baht, and two runners up will each receive
10,000 baht. The winning name will be announced on September 30.
For more information contact the Planning Bureau, General Administration
Department, Countryside Highway Office, Tel 0 2299 4587 or go to
www.dor.go.th
Beer bar owners organize cycle ride to Bangkok
Beer Bar Entrepreneurs are cycling to
Bangkok to show they are “being united as a present for our beloved His
Majesty the King”.
Narisa Nitikarn
Pattaya’s beer bar operators, who organized the signing of get-well
books to His Majesty the King during His Majesty’s recent spinal
surgery, are continuing their message of devotion and loyalty by staging
a bicycle ride to the Bureau of the Royal Household in Bangkok, where
they will present the collection of signatures.
On August 9 at Pattaya City Hall, council chairman Tavich Chaiswangwong
presided over a meeting with Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh, chairman of
the Pattaya Beer Bar Entrepreneur Club Chatree Sittisak, and beer bar
owners and operators to oversee the project.
His Majesty was admitted to Sirirat Hospital on July 20 for an operation
to treat lumber spinal stenosis.
The Beer Bar Entrepreneurs Club held a parade and invited owners and
operators from the North, Central and South Pattaya entertainment areas
to sign get-well messages to His Majesty in special books. They gathered
over 10,000 signatures. From this, the club had the idea to continue the
project by riding bicycles to the Bureau of the Royal Household in
Bangkok, and along the way people will sign their names as an expression
of their unity for His Majesty.
The journey was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on August 22 from Pattaya
City Hall.
Police arrest transvestite pickpocket gang
Police tracked down and
arrested 3/4 of a transvestite pick-pocket gang.
Boonlua Chatree
A gang of transvestites who picked a tourist’s pocket were arrested when
police tracked them back to an apartment in South Pattaya.
Police received a report at 12:30 a.m. on August 11 from Abboud Ali Saleh,
32, holder of a United Arab Emirates passport, to say that a group of men
dressed as women had stolen 9,300 baht from him while he was walking along
the beach in Central Pattaya.
At the scene Saleh told officers that a group of four transvestites had
surrounded him and propositioned him for sex at 300 baht per person, but he
refused. They hugged him before leaving, and fled on a Honda Wave
motorcycle. Saleh then found that his 9,300 baht was missing.
Police went in pursuit and found the motorcycle in front of the NP Apartment
in Soi Rung Land Village, in South Pattaya. They discovered that the
suspects occupied a room on the fourth floor. Entering the room, the
officers found three transvestites, later identified as Suthiphan Silajiew,
21, from Chiang Mai, Piyaporn Khun-Ard, 24, from Khon Kaen, and Siwanit
Sangsurin, 36, also from Khon Kaen. The officers found 4,300 baht on them.
The three stated that the other 5,000 baht was with a friend named Bung,
surname unknown, who had left.
They were charged with theft. Police are meanwhile investigating the
whereabouts of Mr Bung.
Man with a grievance fire-bombs chicken farm and is beaten by villagers
Patcharapol Panrak
A man facing charges of attempted murder and who was out on bail
attempted to set fire to a chicken farm with a homemade petrol bomb and was
severely beaten by angry villagers.
 One
of the villagers points to the destruction the home made petrol bomb caused.
Sattahip police station received a call at 12:45 a.m. on August 12 from Ms
Yupa Intararaksa, a 41-year-old resident of Moo 5 in Sattahip, saying that a
man had thrown a lit bottle filled with fuel into a chicken house, causing a
fire that had spread to a mushroom shed. Villagers had caught the culprit
and extinguished the blaze, which had caused an estimated 30,000 baht of
damage.
Police went to the scene where they found 22-year-old Kosol Siripat black
and blue from the beating he had received from villagers.
Yupa, the owner of the chicken house, said that Kosol was a friend of her
son. He had been held in custody on charges of attempted murder and illegal
possession of a gun, but was out on bail pending the trial. Kosol was
unhappy because his friend spoke ill of him, and caused him to lose his
reputation. He had been drinking heavily, and in that state had made a
petrol bomb that he lit and threw at the chicken house.
Kosol didn’t say a word or give any statement to the police, through a
combination of drunkenness and the injuries caused by the vigilante
villagers.
Construction workers find grenade on Central Pattaya site
Boonlua Chatree
Workers fled when a hand grenade was found at a construction camp on
Sukhumvit Road at 7 a.m. on August 15.
The grenade was lying just 20 meters from the Bunthaworn Company
construction camp next to Soi Mamiew House in Central Pattaya. Police and a
bomb squad officer from the Naval Ordinance Department in Sattahip arrived
at the scene where the grenade was identified as an MK2 anti-personnel
device, weighing about 1 kg and capable of dispersing lethal fragments in a
radius of 5 meters. The grenade had a damaged firing mechanism and was
inoperable.
 A
bomb squad officer from Sattahip prepares to dispose of the grenade.
Construction worker Charan Kachonburi, 44, said that he and five colleagues
were making a shelter on the site, where a car showroom is being built. They
had been there for only three days, and after waking up in the morning and
drinking coffee he saw something on the wet ground, which had apparently
become visible because of heavy rain the night before. The object looked
similar to a bomb.
Charan first used an umbrella to pick it up and thought it was a toy. His
friend picked it up by hand and found that it was heavy. They took it away
from the shelter and informed police officers. They were afraid that it
might explode, but the bomb disposal officer found later that it was damaged
and not a danger.
Police assumed that the grenade was most likely discarded there a long time
ago, as the site has been neglected for at least 10 years.
Two weeks ago a missile was also found in Central Pattaya, and this was not
the first time that ordinance has been discovered in Pattaya. Most of the
bombs discovered are assumed to have been taken from the Sattahip Naval
Base, said the bomb squad officer.
Bag snatchers caught by local citizens
Boonlua Chatree
Two Korean tourists who were attacked and robbed by four youths on Beach
Road at 1 a.m. on August 12 had their property returned when local people
caught the thieves.
Police were called to the scene in front of Soi 6 where Yo Junyu, 28, and Ms
Jin Wee, 25, told officers that four men had stolen their handbag containing
documents and money. The thieves had run away into an abandoned building at
The Market, and had been pursued by local citizens.
The citizens caught two of the attackers, both of whom were only 17 years
old. A third man, Adul Chanthummee, 28, was arrested with the stolen
property in the parking lot of The Market. The fourth man was able to
escape.
The thieves stated that they were unemployed and had no permanent address,
and that they lived in the abandoned building. Before the event they were
sitting and drinking on the beach near the scene. A Korean couple passed by
and they went to snatch their bag. However, local citizens were able to
catch them before police arrived to take over the case.
22 elephants parade in honor of HM the Queen’s birthday
Pretty Thai dancers perform a
Thai blessing dance in honor of HM the Queen.
Patcharapol Panrak
A parade of 22 elephants celebrated the birthday of Her Majesty the
Queen on August 12 at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, presenting flowers to an
image of Her Majesty in a ceremony applauded by crowds of Thai and foreign
tourists.
The elephants present flowers to HM the Queen’s portrait.
Nong Nooch director Kampol Tansatcha decided to revive the ancient Thai
tradition of an elephant parade to pay homage or celebrate a victory, and to
use it as a symbol of love and loyalty to Her Majesty on her birthday.
August 12 also being Mothers Day, the parade featured baby elephants
presenting garlands of flowers to their own mothers, drawing great applause
from the audience.
General manager of Nong Nooch Mrs Kwanwan Khantisuk presided over an
honorary ceremony for all staff, and there was a performance of classical
Thai dance to enhance the atmosphere of tradition and veneration.
The young elephants express love by presenting a
lei of flowers to their mothers.
Navy celebrates Mothers Day by bringing families to view golden coral
Patcharapol Panrak
The Naval Civil Affairs Department in cooperation with the Tourism Authority
of Thailand on Mothers Day brought 200 mothers to view the recently
discovered golden coral and to attend a ceremony releasing sea turtles back
into the wild.
Mothers and their families released 100 sea turtles into the wild on Mothers Day.
Rear Admiral Roengrit Boonsongprasert, commander-in-chief of the Naval Civil
Affairs Department and Mrs Juthaporn Roengrona-Asa, deputy head of inland
marketing for the TAT, jointly organized the August 12 event.
Families of tourists came from Bangkok to pay their respects to Admiral
Prince Chumpornkhetudomsak at Prince Chumporn Park. They then viewed the
golden coral at the Royal Thai Marine Corps’ Prince Jetsada Camp at
Plutaluang. Commander-in-chief of the Marine Corps Rear Admiral Sakchai
Ubondetpracharak welcomed them and led them in a boat trip to see the coral.
From the Royal Thai Marine Corps, the group continued to the Sea Turtle
Conservation Center at the Air and Coastal Defense Command. They released
100 sea turtles into the wild, and visited the Royal Navy flagship HTMS
Chakree Naruebet at Touey Ngam Bay, where they lit candles in homage to Her
Majesty the Queen.
The Naval Civil Affairs Department and the Tourism
Authority of Thailand brought 200 mothers to view the golden coral on
Mothers Day.
Navy opens new building devoted to life cycle of the sea turtle
Patcharapol Panrak
Admiral Sathiraphan Kaeyanon, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy,
presided over a new building devoted to sea turtles and located at the Sea
Turtle Conservation Center in the Navy Base at Sattahip.
 Visitors
view the sea turtles at the center.
The newly constructed building comes under the second phase of the Royal
Navy Sea Turtle Conservation Center Development Project, supervised by the
commander-in-chief of Air and Coastal Defense Command, Maj. Gen. Chaiwat
Iamsamut, who was also present at the ceremony.
The first phase was the turtle-shaped academic building, opened in 2000 and
now attracting 200,000 visitors per year with its enormous educational
resources on the sea turtle.
Under phase two, the life cycle and environment of the turtle is illustrated
in a series of glass cases that are intended to become a tourist attraction
in addition to the educational value of the project.
The Sea Turtle Conservation Center had its beginnings in 1950, when Admiral
Prachet Siridet, who was then commander-in-chief, assigned his deputy
Admiral Winyan Santiwisat as president of the committee for sea
environmental and coastal development protection. As part of this project,
sea turtle eggs were brought from Koh Kram to be cultivated at a nursery
until the hatched turtles were between three and six months old, after which
they were released back into the wild.
Following on from this, the Royal Navy embarked on a series of sea turtle
conservation activities to educate the general public and alert people to
the fact that without conservation the turtles could become extinct.
Subsequently, sea turtle conservation has become a long-term responsibility
of the Air and Coastal Defense Command, which has maintained an active
program.
Admiral Sathiraphan Kaeyanon,
commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy, cuts the ribbon to open Sea
Turtle Conservation Center in the Navy Base at Sattahip.
74-meter green tea cake raises funds for children at Royal photo show
The exhibition gathered a
photographic record of Their Majesties the King and Queen from shots taken
by Royal photographers, National News Bureau photographers and the mass
media.
Mrs. Samerkhae Ketphasook,
Chonburi Red Cross president, presides over the opening ceremony.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The Amari Orchid Resort baked a green tea cake 74 meters long for the
opening of a photographic exhibition in honor of Her Majesty the Queen’s
74th birthday on August 12. It is believed to be the longest green tea cake
ever made.
The exhibition, staged to raise funds for underprivileged children as part
of the celebrations surrounding the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the
King, was displayed at Central Festival Center. Chonburi Red Cross president
Mrs Samerkhae Ketphasook presided over the opening.
The exhibition gathered a photographic record of Their Majesties the King
and Queen from shots taken by Royal photographers, National News Bureau
photographers and the mass media. Nom Pongkanchananukul, chief Royal
photographer, gathered the 100 photographs for the exhibition, which was
held in cooperation with Alcazar Co Ltd, Pattaya City, TAT Central Office
Region 3, and Central Festival Center.
The 74-meter long green tea cake from the Amari Orchid Resort was sold for
50 baht per piece, or 600 baht per meter, which could be cut into 12 pieces.
All income from the cake sales was given to the One Baht Coin for Life
project at the Foundation for Children. This foundation is divided into two
parts: scholarships and school equipment, and support for building schools
for children in the provinces.
Samerkhae Ketphasook, Chonburi
Red Cross president, along with Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh and other
important people ceremoniously cut the first pieces of the record breaking
cake.
The photo exhibition draws great
interest from the crowd.
Workshop discusses cooperation on stolen passports
Narisa Nitikarn
Lost and stolen passports that are used by criminals for cross-border crime
was one of the prime subjects discussed at a workshop that brought together
representatives of 19 APEC countries at the Long Beach Hotel on August 8.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Suwat Thumrongsrisakul (left), commissioner of the Thai Immigration
Bureau, and Miles Henderson (right), acting director of International Border
Initiatives jointly preside over the workshop.
The workshop, presided over by Pol Lt Gen Suwat Thumrongsrisakul,
commissioner of the Thai Immigration Bureau, discussed the fight against
international crime in all its forms through the Regional Movement Alert
List, RMAL.
RMAL works on the basis that if all countries cooperate, then arrests could
be made faster and crime figures reduced.
At the 13th meeting of APEC leaders in South Korea November 18-19 last year
the members placed emphasis on the increasing number of lost or stolen
passports and discussed warning systems among member countries. Some
countries, such as Australia, began testing the RMAL system and achieved
encouraging results, so the RMAL workshop was organized in Pattaya to
discuss the efficiency of the network.
Pol Lt Gen Suwat, talking about the workshop, said that the 19 member
nations had been invited to attend to discuss the problem of the 3,000,000
lost passports worldwide, of which 4,000 have been lost in Thailand.
Criminals alter the passports, which are then used in carrying out crimes
such as people trafficking. If countries reported the use of lost or stolen
passports over the RMAL system then quick checks could be carried out on
suspect passports.
Furthermore, if all member countries cooperated, efficiency would be
improved and workloads lessened. A lack of cooperation only benefits the
criminals in hiding from the authorities and delays arrests, said Suwat.
Photographic exhibition of HM the King will be staged at Mike Shopping Mall
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Mike Shopping Mall will be the venue for a photographic exhibition in honor
of His Majesty the King, to be held in December.
 Nom
Pongkanchananukul (left), chief royal photographer, and Deputy Mayor Ronakit
Ekasingh announce the “5th Photographic exhibition in honor of His Majesty
the King”.
On August 11 at the Mike Shopping Mall conference room on the 8th floor,
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh and chief royal photographer Nom
Pongkanchananukorn held a meeting to discuss the exhibition, which will be
staged at the mall’s Multi Use Field.
The display will mark the 60th anniversary of His Majesty’s accession to the
throne, and his 80th birthday.
The Puzzle Club, Banglamung District Cultural Association, Pattaya City
Hall, Alcazar Co Ltd and the Tourism Authority of Thailand Central Office
Region 3 are working in cooperation to organize the exhibition, which will
display photographs of Their Majesties the King and Queen and the Royal
Family.
Nom Pongkanchananukorn and chairman of the Banglamung District Cultural
Association Surat Mekawarakul collected the photos from the Royal
Photographic Office, the National News Bureau, and the mass media.
Sremsak Sapanon, former secretary general of the Royal Photographic Society
of Thailand, which is under the Royal Sponsorship of His Majesty the King,
said the assembly of photographs would have text in both Thai and English.
The exhibition will take place over nine days in December at the Mike
Shopping Mall Multi Use Field.
1.5 bn baht luxury condominium tower to be built at Ocean Marina
Narisa Nitikarn
August 5 at 15.29 hrs saw the laying of a foundation stone at Ocean
Marina Yacht Club for a 1.5 billion baht luxury condominium tower that is
being built there.
 The
Brahman stone laying ceremony led by Mrs Nusara (Assakul) Banyatpiyaphod,
president of Ocean Property Company Limited.
Ocean Portofino Condominium will be 36 stories in height and cover 2.5 rai
of beachfront land. The project is aimed at mid- to high-end buyers, both
local and foreign, and 40 percent has already been sold.
The Brahman ceremony was led by Mrs Nusara Banyatpiyaphod, president of
Ocean Property Co Ltd.
Designed in a style that evokes the Italian Riviera and with a 180-degree
panoramic view of Ocean Marina and the Gulf of Thailand, Ocean Portofino
will have a harbor for boat owners. The project will be completed in the
middle of 2008.
Siberian Tiger cubs born
at Khao Kheow Open Zoo
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Three cubs were born to Siberian Tiger parents at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in
Sriracha on August 7, the third birth at the zoo for this rare breed during
the course of a year.
 Zoo
director, Suriya Sangpong and Veterinarian Daraka Thongthainan, proudly
announce the event.
Zoo director Suriya Sangpong said the female tiger is named Kiera and the
male, Dmitri. The other births had taken place in April, and in August last
year. The newest cubs are a male and two females. The zoo is holding a
naming competition.
The Siberian Tiger is the world’s largest tiger, and there are few in
captivity. The only ones in Thailand are at Khao Kheow Open Zoo.
The past few months have seen other celebrated births at the zoo, including
two lion cubs and two black ear marmoset cubs.
School children receive a close up view of the three
sleeping tiger cubs.
Miss Thailand tickets worth 1 mn baht are donated to Father Ray Foundation
Ms. Radchada Chomjinda
(second left), Fr. Ray Foundation executive secretary, receives 1,000
tickets for the Miss Thailand 2006 contest from Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn and Suttikorn Jearpaitoon, managing director of Thai
Alangkarn Theater.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Pattaya City in cooperation with the Alangkarn Theatre has donated 1,000
Miss Thailand competition tickets to the Father Ray Foundation.
The co-announcement was made on August 15 at the Royal Hall on the fourth
floor of Building C at the Redemptorist Center by Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn, Ms Radchada Chomjinda, executive secretary of the
foundation, and Alangkarn managing director Suttikorn Jearpaitoon.
ITV in association with the Vachirawut Collage Alumnus under Royal
sponsorship, supported by the National Council for Women under the
sponsorship of Her Majesty the Queen, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and
Pattaya City are host organizers for the Miss Thailand 2006 Contest.
This year is the first time for the contest to be held outside Bangkok, and
the final selection is scheduled for September 3 at the Alangkarn Theatre.
Suttikorn said that 1,000 Miss Thailand tickets were given to the Father Ray
Foundation because this is an auspicious year honoring His Majesty the
King’s 60th anniversary. The 1,000 tickets are valued at 1,000 baht each and
will be distributed to raise funds for the foundation, which will later be
used to support the disabled and children in need.
Father Ray was an American-Irish Catholic priest. He first came to Thailand
in 1961 to teach as a Redemptorist priest, and established an organization
for orphans, the deaf, the blind, the disabled, homeless children, the
elderly, and other underprivileged people. Many projects such as the Pattaya
Child Welfare Foundation, the Healing Hands School, the Redemptorist School
for the Blind, the Underprivileged Children’s Redemptorist, and the Elderly
Redemptorist were created under Father Ray’s guidance and leadership.
Contest to be held for design of monument to HM the King
Vimolrat Singnikorn
City hall is holding a competition to design a monument honoring His
Majesty the King’s 60th anniversary, which will be built on the beach
opposite Mike Shopping Mall.
The contest is open to architects, graphic designers, and design institutes.
The first prize will be 300,000 baht, second place wins 100,000 baht, and
there will be 3 consolation prizes of 50,000 baht each.
Application forms can be obtained from the Construction Supervision Office
at the Engineering Department. For more information contact tel 03825 3184.
PCEC members listen to heart talk
The main speaker at the Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC)
Sunday August 20 meeting at Henry J. Beans was Dr Manoon Somrantin, the
Heart Cardiologist at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. The BPH regularly addresses
the Club with the latest information on health issues, for both the
treatment and prevention of specific conditions.
 Nurses
run an EKG on an PCEC member during the Sunday meeting.
In addition to providing free blood sugar testing, Dr Manoon and his staff
also brought an EKG machine to the meeting which enables possible heart
defects to be recognised.
A large number of those attending took advantage of this opportunity for a
free test followed by an interpretation of the results by Dr Manoon.
During his talk Dr Manoon explained how the heart functioned, the possible
conditions which could cause cardiac problems, what the symptoms of a heart
attack were and the risk factors which could increase the chance of a heart
attack. These risk factors were identified as being a high level of
cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, chest pain and high
stress levels.
Following his talk a large number of questions were put to him including
some from a number of his previous patients who were in the audience. One
such patient remarked that whilst undergoing treatment, he was convinced of
the reason to live by the gorgeous nurses who attended to him!
Other topics covered at the meeting were a report of the Pattaya Wheelchair
Sports event which was held at the newly opened Pattaya Sports Centre.
Several PCEC members attended to represent the Club.
It was announced that the Miss Thailand competition was to be held for the
first time in Pattaya on September 3rd.
The Sunday meeting concluded with the familiar Open Forum session which on
this morning was particularly lively.
For more information regarding PCEC Sunday meetings and mid week activities,
please see the Community Happenings section of Pattaya Mail or visit the
Club’s website at pattayacityexpatsclub.com.
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