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Oil slick covering an area of 3 km threatens Naklua coast
The Royal Navy cleans up oil
floating off the shore at Wong Prachan Beach.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
An oil slick floating about 500 meters offshore at Wong Amat threatened
to devastate beaches in the area on November 17.
Pattaya Radio Center received a report that a large slick of crude had been
seen off the coast, although the reports were unable to identify the causes
of the slick.
Pattaya rescue services including representatives of the Pattaya Cargo
Shipping Office, the Royal Navy Sattahip Base and the Harbor Department met
under Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and speedboats were sent out to collect
samples and measure the slick, which covered an area of more than three
kilometers.
Niran said the cleanup would probably take two days, but that if more oil
reached the beaches an extensive cleanup would also be needed there. It has
since been learned that most of the oil slick has been cleaned up from the
sea and area beaches.
Wanchai Phromprawat, head of Shipping Office 6 at Chonburi said that the
cause of the oil slick was still unknown because the office hadn’t been
informed of any untoward events, but it definitely happened in Laem Chabang
Bay.
Tide and currents had moved some of the oil to Wong Prachan Beach at Wong
Amat. Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh said that the city, Harbor Department
and the navy are carefully working together to monitor the situation and
restore the beauty of the beach.
85 CCTVs installed and more to come as city cracks down on crime
A hundred eyes - CCTV eyes -
keeping watch over the area.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh told a meeting of the Pattaya Business and
Tourism Association on November 8 that the city had already installed 85
CCTVs with more planned for the future to remedy the crime problem in
Pattaya, especially around Pattaya and Jomtien beaches.
Association president Thanet Suphornsahatrangsee chaired the PBTA meeting,
held at the Green Park Resort.
Main item on the agenda was Pattaya’s increasing crime rate and the fear
that it could affect tourism in the future. Representatives of Pattaya and
Banglamung police stations and the tourist police attended the meeting.
Ronakit said that all agencies responsible are actively working on resolving
the issue and 85 CCTVs have already been installed along Pattaya and Jomtien
beaches and at other important spots. More will be installed along Walking
Street, Pratamnak and Wong Amat.
Cameras are also being installed along the major roads, especially
Sukhumvit, to help combat the traffic problem.
Ronakit pointed out that the 1337 Call Center is now operational and serving
visitors and residents on a 24-hour basis.
Pol Col Nopadol Sornsamran, commander Banglamung police, said that the new
measures will help the police greatly and that he would like to see the
system developed even further.
The CCTV system is still in its start-up stages and needs further
improvement to make it more efficient.
Banglamung has top three traffic accident risk spots
Narisa Nitikarn
Geographic Information Systems technology has been used to identify the
major risk factors on Pattaya’s highways in an effort to reduce accidents,
with Banglamung claiming the dubious distinction of having the top three in
10 accident black spots monitored.
 Deputy
Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh (left) chaired the meeting with Ass. Prof. Dr.
Koolarb Rudtanasudjatum (right) from the Faculty of Public Health Burapha
University.
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh chaired a focus group meeting at Pattaya
District Office on November 15 along with Ass Prof Dr Koolarb
Rudtanasudjatum from the Faculty of Public Health at Burapha University and
police officers, rescue workers, medical teams, traffic transport engineers
and city councilors.
The team has been using the findings of GIS technology to identify the main
risk factors on the highways and to analyze the patterns of traffic flow and
accidents.
The project is supported by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and the
World Health Organization, who have together provided a budget to Burapha
University. In a series of projects, the university is now working on
analyzing traffic in Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat, with Chonburi
being the pilot project.
The university requested road accident statistics from Narane Emergency
Medical Services and local rescue organizations in order to analyze the 10
major risk locations. Banglamung has three of the risk areas, under the
bridge at Pong elevation road being the most dangerous spot with a factor of
0.594, Bridge 1 Nongprue at 0.476 and South Pattaya Road at 0.352.
All three spots mostly involve motorcycles. Pong elevation road emerged as
the worst mainly because motorcyclists drive in pairs in the middle of the
road.
Road traffic engineers say they will rectify problems by enlarging the spots
and have been allocated 10 million baht in which to do so.
Total accidents are not the only statistics to be used as a measure but also
the total number of vehicles that use the spots.
Cambodia looks towards Pattaya as role model for tourism
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
A group of delegates from the Cambodian government visited Pattaya on
November 16 with the intention of using the city as a model for tourism
developments in their own country.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and director of the Tourism Authority of
Thailand Region 3 Office Chaiwat Charoensook welcomed the delegation, which
included Lock Hour, a minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, Lock Chay,
chief financial chairman of the Cambodian Senate, Madam Charm Horm
Sophondee, of the committee for economic and foreign affairs, Somdet Jiasim,
acting on behalf of the chairman of the Cambodian senate, and Madam Tep
Srichantha, economic advisor.
Lock Hour said that with stability in Cambodia, the government is now
turning towards developing various economic sectors. Tourism is an important
industry, and Cambodia wishes to see how Pattaya has been developed and if a
similar process can be applied.
At present Angkor Wat is the main, and almost the only tourist attraction in
Cambodia. Korea at present represents the largest single market. The
delegation said, however, that the tourism market is growing at up to 40
percent a year and that the most recent statistics reveal more than two
million visitors to the country as a whole.
New police chief gets tough with snatchers
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Snatchers and motorcycle thieves have been given a clear warning from
Pattaya’s new police chief that their days are numbered.
Pol Col Suthin Sappuang, the new superintendent at Pattaya Police Station,
who took over the position less than one month ago, has ordered police
officers on the beat to be stringently aware of this kind of street crime.
He said he is particularly worried about the dangers to tourists from these
thieves.
 Pol
Col Suthin Sappuang (left), the new superintendent at Pattaya Police
Station, and Pol Lt Col. Sirichai Kruprasertwattana (right), deputy
superintendent of crime suppression at Pattaya Police Station, are cracking
down on bag-snatch criminals.
“Snatchers stealing tourists’ property are a major problem because alongside
the trauma suffered by the victims it also affects Pattaya’s international
image as a tourism destination,” he said.
“We are going about prevention of this kind of crime systematically,
collecting data on crimes, criminals and locations, and we are also fielding
over 500 police officers to combat street crime.”
Suthin said the police have the support of many organizations including
Pattaya City itself, which provides a budget for Pattaya Police Station.
Improved computer resources is going to be an important way of dealing with
crime, and liaison with the immigration and tourist police will help reduce
the infiltration of foreign criminals.
Pol Lt Col. Sirichai Kruprasertwattana, deputy superintendent of crime
suppression at Pattaya Police Station said that in addition to closer
cooperation between the various departments, the help of local residents
would also be important in reporting on and tracking criminals.
Police are also working on training motorcycle taxi drivers, security
guards, gold shop owners and others on reporting criminal activity.
Anyone who wishes to report their suspicions to the police can call 191, 0
384 20802-5 or 0 384 24186.
Pol Lt Col Suthin Sappuang graduated from the Police Academy in class 37 to
start work as a government officer in 1984. Before he received a position in
Pattaya he was a metropolitan police officer and also served with the crime
suppression department. Pattaya Police Station is his first provincial
posting.
Sontaya takes former Chonburi MPs back to Chart Thai fold
Sontaya Khunplome led a group of 13 former
Chonburi MPs in presenting khao laam (sweet sticky rice in bamboo
containers) to Banharn Silapa-archa, an offering so that they might re-join
the Chart Thai party.
The 32-year anniversary celebrations of the founding of
the Chart Thai Party were greatly enlivened on November 19 when Sontaya
Khunplome, former deputy leader of Thai Rak Thai, led a group of 13 former
Chonburi MPs in applying to join Chart Thai.
The former MPs placed their applications in khao laam (sweet sticky rice in
bamboo containers) and presented them to party leader Banharn Silapa-archa
at the anniversary party held at Chart Thai Party headquarters.
Party leaders, former MPs, other party representatives, government employees
and businesspersons as well as members of the public attended the event. In
the morning religious ceremonies were held and Banharn opened the Chart Thai
Coffee Shop.
Sontaya said that he and the other members of the Chonburi group were once
members of Chart Thai and therefore felt attached to the party. That feeling
had never changed, he said.
After receiving the khao laam, Banharn put white Chart Thai jackets on all
members of the Chonburi group and accepted them as members. After which he
said that each time Chart Thai has been in opposition it has always come
back to lead the next government.
Even though Sontaya had been out of the party for two or three years,
Banharn said he had never changed. He said that when he first opened the
khao laam he thought it was money, but was happy to see the applications and
was happy that Sontaya was coming back as a member of the family.
Sontaya told reporters that he hadn’t discussed a position as he never
creates conditions and is willing to work in any position. He said that most
locals agree with his decision to return.
Russian woman stabbed by two handbag snatchers
Boonlua Chatree
Two robbers on a motorcycle stabbed a Russian woman when she tried to
prevent them snatching her handbag.
The stabbing took place at 1 a.m. on November 14. Police and officers from
the Sawang Boriboon Foundation were called out to help Ms Natalia Ivanova, a
25-year-old Russian tourist, who had been attacked and injured in front of a
mini-mart at the beginning of Soi Thappraya 5, Pratamnak Road.
 Worawit
Rodkaew and Somrak Kocharit were arrested for stabbing and robbing a Russian
tourist in South Pattaya.
She had been stabbed in the arm and ribs with a knife, which had broken off
in her body. Officers rushed her to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.
Mrs Kolesnik Svetlana, 23, a friend of the injured woman, said the two of
them had been shopping at the mini-mart. They were on their way back to
their rooms at Jomtien Beach when two men on a motorcycle came after them
and tried to snatch Natalia’s handbag. She resisted, and one of the men
stabbed her.
Police went in immediate pursuit of the two robbers and caught one of them
riding his motorcycle through a wooded area not far from the scene. He was
identified as Worawit Rodkaew, age 30, and he admitted to the attack. The
other man was named as Somrak Kocharit, and police went in search of him.
Pattaya tourist police were able to arrest Somrak at 3 p.m. on the same day,
at a room in the South Pattaya area. He had in his possession 1,500 baht in
cash that he had taken from his victim.
Somrak told police that he had been working as a deliverer of produce to
Sophon Market in South Pattaya. However, he hadn’t been working recently,
and he always wanted to go out for entertainment. He was also addicted to ya
ba, so he worked together with Worawit to rob tourists in Pattaya City.
Natalia was reported to be in a stable condition after undergoing treatment
at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, but was being kept in for observation.
Transvestite ya ba dealer leads police to live hand grenade in lover’s room
Boonlua Chatree
Undercover police officers netted a transvestite drugs dealer and a teenager
with a live hand grenade when they staked out the intersection of Soi
Bongkot and Soi Arunothai at Pattaya Klang in the early hours of November
13.
 Sawang
Abpakarat (left) was arrested for possession of ya ba, whilst Surasak
Chuanil was arrested for possession of a hand grenade.
Police information had indicated that a ya ba dealer would be making a
delivery at that location, and the officers waited for about an hour before
a transvestite appeared on a red Honda Quick motorcycle and stopped and
waited at the crossroads. The officers believed him to be the dealer waiting
for a customer, and presented themselves.
The transvestite was identified as Sawang Abpakarat, 34, of Udon Thani. In
his beauty case police found 400 ya ba pills hidden in a straw, 4,500 baht,
and a mobile phone. Sawang, a former beauty shop owner, admitted that he was
selling the drug and said he still had some in a room at the DJ Apartments
on Soi Rungland in South Pattaya.
Police escorted him to his room and found another 560 ya ba pills together
with a quantity of jewelry and a Bangkok Bank account book that revealed an
amount of several hundred thousand baht on deposit. Sawang stated that all
of the assets were amassed from ya ba distribution.
Sawang said that he bought the pills in lots of 200 from a dealer in
Bangkok, paying 25,000 baht each time. He also said that he had a boyfriend
for whom he was paying the rent on a room at Nipa Apartments in Soi South
Pattaya 2, and that the boyfriend was an accomplice.
Police went to the room of 18-year-old Surasak Chuanil and found him in bed
with a teenage girl. Sawang reacted angrily and advised the officers to
search for an explosive device that Surasak had bought and hidden in the
room.
Officers searched delicately and found a new K83 hand grenade in the dresser
that was ready to use, but no drugs were found.
Surasak stated that he had been with Sawang for several months, and that he
had to deliver ya ba from Sawang to customers. Most of them were teenagers
at entertainment venues and they paid 350-450 baht per pill. Sawang and
Surasak had separate residences to reduce the possibility of arrest.
Regarding the grenade, Surasak said he had bought it just two days ago from
his friend Mr Art for 1,500 baht. He didn’t know where Art had bought it. He
was afraid that it might be dangerous, and intended to sell it to a friend
but the police found him first.
Huay Yai mayor shot dead
Police believe political motive for killing
Boonlua Chatree
Two gunmen shot dead the mayor of Huay Yai on November 16 in what police
believe was a politically motivated killing.
Pol Col Noppadol Sornsamran, superintendent of Banglamung Police Station led
a team of officers to the scene, with Sawang Boriboon Foundation officials
also attending.
The shooting had taken place in front of the Huay Yai Health Center. Anon
Intarasingh, who was 48, was still alive although he had 20 bullet wounds
and was bleeding profusely. He was rushed to Pattaya International Hospital
but doctors were unable to save him.
Police said Mayor Anon had been shot with a shotgun. They found eight shell
casings on the ground. Not far from where the injured man had been lying
there was a bronze-and-gray Isuzu D-Max pickup whose windshield and driver’s
door had been hit by bullets.
Wiwat Honyaem, 49, a protection officer for Huay Yai sub-district
municipality, said Anon was driving from the municipality office and
planning to go directly home. As the pickup approached the Huay Yai Health
Center, approximately 200 meters away, two men wearing full-face helmets and
riding a white Honda motorcycle with no license plates came alongside the
truck. The pillion rider pulled out a shotgun and shot at the vehicle’s
driver side, injuring Anon. Anon opened the door and ran for about 30 meters
but the men chased him and shot at him until he fell.
Police are working on one theory that the shooting was over a landfill
contract. Anon was facing charges brought against him by a third party and
was planning to contest the case. But many influential people were unhappy
when he was elected mayor of Huay Yai, and a political motive seems more
likely. Anon had taken the precaution of carrying a gun, but when the time
came he had been unable to protect himself.
Middle Eastern tourists run for their lives as fire breaks out at Marine Plaza Hotel
Boonlua Chatree
Tourists from the Middle East ran for their lives when fire broke out at the
Marine Plaza Hotel on Pratamnak Road in the early hours of November 15.
Firefighters, police, officers from the Sawang Boriboon Foundation, and
medical teams from nearby hospitals raced to the six-story, 160-room hotel
that had 640 guests from the Middle East.
 Firefighters
used extension ladders and cherry pickers to rescue people from the blaze.
The fire had broken out in room 431 on the 4th floor and many guests were
trapped in their rooms. Firefighters used extension ladders and cherry
pickers to obtain access from the outside and rescue them. Three visitors
were injured when they attempted to use bed linen to escape, and three more
suffered from inhalation of smoke and were taken to Pattaya Memorial
Hospital.
Firefighters were hampered in their access to the building by numerous song
taews parked along the road and it took police more than an hour to clear
the traffic congestion. Once firefighters were able to reach the scene it
only took 30 minutes to dowse the flames.
Police questioned Kralis Mahamad Musabam, 24, a citizen of Oman, the guest
staying in room 431 where the fire broke out. He told officers that while he
was laying down watching TV he smelled smoke from the air-conditioning
compressor. Then flames engulfed the curtains and the carpet and he couldn’t
extinguish them, so he fled the room.
Rahim Kerry, 20, a citizen of Dubai who was staying in room 402 complained
that during the commotion he had left his door open and 14,000 baht that he
had left on the bed headrest had gone missing. Police, however, have
expressed doubt at his claim, as he had just arrived back at his room with a
Thai girl and had called reception because he had got into an argument with
her.
The 4th floor has been blocked off while forensics experts search for
evidence to the cause of the fire, which caused 1 million baht of damage.
Japanese specialists provide advice on care of handicapped
Narisa Nitikarn
A Japanese team specializing in ways of taking care of the handicapped
traveled to Pattaya to meet with the Redemptorist Foundation for the
Disabled.
 The
Agape Group from Japan, led by Ms. Saiki Mitsue, met Pattaya’s
administration to exchange opinions about taking care of handicapped people.
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh and Suporntham Mongkhonsawat, secretary of the
Redemptorist Foundation for the Disabled, welcomed the Agape Group from
Japan led by Ms Saiki Mitsue when they arrived at Pattaya City Hall on
November 13.
The two sides exchanged ideas and opinions on ways to take better care of
handicapped people, and related experiences and progress to date in their
own countries.
Suporntham said that in Japan there are strict laws about taking care of
handicapped people, and that the Japanese have a lot of sympathy for the
disabled.
This is the second visit to Pattaya for the Agape Group, whose members were
impressed by the facilities now being provided here for the handicapped.
Ronakit said that the city always supports activities and services for
handicapped people. This includes the undertaking of projects such as making
the sidewalk along Pattaya Beach more accessible for wheelchair users. A
rest area for the handicapped is planned next for the beach area. Ronakit
said also that sporting activities including the Pattaya International
Wheelchair Sports Invitation 2006 are staged regularly.
Rotary Club promotes safety on Rotary Road Safety Day
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The issue of road safety has been the focus of the Gé Laurent Foundation and
the Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya for a number of years. So much so, they
hold a special annual campaign to promote awareness among the population.
 Police
Lieutenant Colonel Sirichai Khongprasert (left) and Alvi Sinthuvanik (right)
discuss the Road Safety Project.
This year’s project on November 11 reached its high point with a special
checkup for the city’s motorcyclists at Wat Chaiyamongkol on South Pattaya
Road. The car park was transformed into an informal garage where hundreds of
bikes were given a once-over by 10 students and teachers from the Aksorn
School of Technology, Thepprasit, Pattaya.
Jomtien-Pattaya Rotary Club PP Alvi Sinthuvanik explained in her opening
speech that this year’s project was a culmination of cooperatives from a
number of local organizations, the Gé Laurent Foundation, Suzuki Motorcycle
repairs, Aksorn School of Technology, and Pattaya Police station.
Alvi welcomed Pol. Lt. Col. Sirichai Kruprasertwattana, Pattaya’s newly
appointed traffic police superintendent to the podium to officially open the
day’s activities. Rotary’s ongoing road safety project has emphasized the
importance of not only vehicle care but also a responsible attitude toward
driving or riding on the streets of Pattaya and Jomtien. As Pattaya City and
its surrounding areas continue to grow, so does the number of vehicles on
the road, increasing the rate of accidents and injuries. The Rotary project
includes seminars and educational videos as tools for spreading the word to
the public about the importance of safe driving.
Following the morning’s official duties, Pol. Lt. Col. Sirichai
Kruprasertwattana watched the energetic work being carried out by the
college students on the long line of motorcycles waiting for their free
inspections. He was very impressed with the big support from the Gé Laurent
Foundation, and said that for the future he will discuss other projects to
increase the road safety problems.
Another example of humanity in motion.
Mechanics from Mit Yon Pattaya
Limited carry out repairs to motorcycles.
Certificates presented to English language students
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn on November 9 presided over the presentation
of certificates to over 200 graduates of the 2005 and 2006 foreign language
project, at a ceremony held at Pattaya District Office.
 Mayor
Niran Wattanasartsathorn presents a certificate to one of the graduates.
The Public Foreign Language Teaching Project was organized because Pattaya
is a tourism city and tourists bring a lot of business to the city.
Therefore, it was deemed imperative that more locals be able to speak
English to communicate with foreigners.
The first round of classes were held between June and August last year and
the second round during the same period this year. The classes were rotated
between Pattaya schools including on Koh Larn to give the opportunity to
students and members of the public.
Miss Suwanna Sukgasem, a student at Pattaya School No 10 said that she
attended the courses with friends and learned basic English, which gave her
more confidence to speak with foreigners.
Pediatric specialists meet at APPES 2006
From left: Kitti Angsusingha,
president of Pediatric Endocrine Society of Thailand, Deputy Mayor Ronakit
Ekasingh, Prof. Chanika Tuchinda, Pediatric Endocrine Society of Thailand
advisor and Chris Cowell, president of APPES strike the drum opening the 4th
Biennial Scientific Meeting Asia Pacific Pediatric Endocrine Society 2006
(4th APPES 2006) at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort Pattaya.
Narisa Nitikarn
The 4th Biennial Scientific Meeting of the Asia Pacific Pediatric
Endocrine Society 2006 (the 4th APPES 2006) was opened on November 1 at the
Royal Cliff Beach Resort by Chris Cowell, president of APPES, Kitti
Angsusingha, president of the Pediatric Endocrine Society of Thailand,
Professor Chanika Tuchinda, advisor to the society, and Deputy Mayor Ronakit
Ekasingh.
More than 200 doctors and medical specialists from 12 Asia Pacific countries
attended the conference, which was held between November 1 and 4.
The conference is held biannually and presents a forum for its 12 member
countries, which are New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, China, Japan,
Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand.
This is the 4th time that the event has been organized and the first time
that Pattaya has acted as its host. There were three main lectures covering
early diabetes, short stature and understanding sexual differentiation, with
Noel McLaren of the USA, Professor Jan Marteen Wit of Holland, and Professor
Ieuan Hughes of the UK as speakers. This was followed by a symposium that
covered six pre-set subjects.
The conference was also designed to help spread information on the latest
technology available in the treatment of disorders such as diabetes and
thyroid related illnesses.
Other than the two main categories of presentation, oral and poster
presentations were made by 138 specialists covering 160 subjects.
DHL Express opens new hub
at Suvarnabhumi
A grand opening ceremony for the DHL Express Bangkok Hub
was held at the customs free zone of Suvarnabhumi International Airport on
November 13, with Tavatwong Thanasumitra, chairman of Bangkok Flight
Services (BFS), and Scott Price, chief executive officer of DHL Express Asia
Pacific presiding.
 Tavatwong
Thanasumitra, chairman of Bangkok Flight Services (BFS), and Scott Price,
chief executive officer of DHL Express Asia Pacific ceremoniously send off
the first official packages from DHL’s new Express Bangkok Hub.
A press briefing was then held in the conference room and a Q&A session was
led by Scott Price along with Charlie Dobbie, senior vice president,
operations, DHL Express Asia Pacific, and Herbert Vongpusanachai, managing
director of DHL Express International (Thailand) Ltd.
Media people were divided into groups to take a tour around the hub to
explore the warehouse, the loading docks, parcels sorting system, and other
hi-tech infrastructure, transportation, and communications.
Scott said that DHL Express Bangkok Hub is one of the many hubs in the Asia
Pacific region, including Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo.
DHL holds a very large market share and is growing progressively in
countries like China, India, and certainly Thailand. Here, DHL has become
the strong leader in the industry with a market share of 50 percent, and has
the largest infrastructure network in the industry.
The new Bangkok Express Hub that has just moved from the former
international airport to Suvarnabhumi became operational on September 28.
The facility represents an investment of US$22 million, or 825 million baht,
and features a hi-tech merchandized parcel and document sorting system.
Total facility area is 12,000 sq m, with a total warehouse space of almost
10,000 sq m and six loading and unloading docks.
Scott said that Thailand is the gateway to Indochina - Vietnam, Cambodia,
and Laos - where the trade volume from 2004-2005 increased by close to 40
percent, adding up to US$5.2 million. Thailand has excellent infrastructure,
and intra-Asia and inter-regional connectivity. The investment that was
spent in the merchandized express hub in Indochina has aided in increasing
sorting efficiency, and improving sorting quality.
Scott said that the strong points of the new facility here are that it is
five times bigger than the previous one, and sorts shipments 30 percent
faster. It also aligned with the Thai government’s vision to develop Bangkok
as a major aviation and logistics hub.
He said there are around 400 commercial flights per week connected to DHL’s
Asia Air Network. There were more than 3.3 million shipments, with 48
million kilograms sent in 2005 alone. Delivering on its business promises in
Asia Pacific, DHL utilized a combination of owned, leased, chartered and
purchased uplift capacity to move shipments to 30 destinations in 16
countries with the assistance of more than 20 dedicated freighter aircraft
in Asia Pacific and over 800 commercial flights per day.
In Thailand the DHL Express Bangkok Hub is able to handle more than 23,000
pieces per hour and over 6 million shipments per year. The hub has a
state-of-the-art quality control center that is equipped with the latest
technology and security systems to ensure smooth, safe and reliable
end-to-end shipments.
Scott said DHL Thailand offers customers a comprehensive range of logistics
solutions through three business units: DHL Express, DHL Danzas Air & Ocean
and DHL Solutions. Customers can enjoy the convenience of one-stop-shop
service, from shipping documents to containers, delivered by 1,100 DHL
staff. Currently there are 25 DHL service locations covering 76 provinces in
the country.
With over 30 years of experience in Thailand, DHL has an in-depth
understanding of the local market. He said DHL is the market leader trusted
by more than 30,000 customers around the country. As a trade facilitator,
DHL has been supporting Thailand’s importers and exporters by leading them
in supply chain management expertise so that customers can focus on their
core business.
Phony Thai money hits Paris
Jan Olav (right) talks to Dr.
Iain Corness about the counterfeit bullet coins scam.
Dr. Iain Corness
While the more usual currency that is liable to be counterfeit is the USD
100 bill, some enterprising counterfeiters are now producing fake Thai
money, and people are being duped. And it is not the B. 1,000 bill that is
being reproduced, it is rare Thai coins worth millions of baht, when
genuine, but a few thousand baht only when fake. But the chance of scooping
up a rare bargain and making millions can sometimes be too much of a
temptation.
The latest round of fakes have come to the notice of well known numismatist
Jan Olav Aamlid, after hearing that some special Thai ‘bullet’ coins were
offered in Paris, and sold for many millions.
The coins in question were the very rare commemorative bullet coins issued
on May 24, 1880, in the reign of the Thai King Rama V, in the memory of his
mother Somdej Pra Dhep Sirintramat. Six denominations from two baht up to 80
baht were made, and in total only eight sets were produced. Today, three
sets survive, so when the two top denominations (40 baht and 80 baht) were
offered in Paris last month it set the coin collecting world buzzing. Being
the owner of one of the three known remaining sets, Jan Olav Aamlid was also
curious.
The coins eventually sold for 3.5 million baht at auction, but the purchaser
demanded that the authenticity be checked and the two coins were
air-freighted to Pattaya to be assessed by Jan Olav Aamlid. “I was excited
when I opened the box,” said Aamlid, “but that quickly turned to
disappointment when I saw that these were very poorly crafted fakes.”
Where the real 40 and 80 baht bullet coins (which are roughly spherical in
shape) have the designs that were engraved by craftsmen, the fakes have had
the designs stamped in. There are also different sizes of the designs in the
genuine article, where in the fakes, the same sized stamp has been used on
both coins.
Instead of being worth at least 3.5 million baht, the lumps of silver are
probably only worth around 20,000 baht as ingot.
Another Thai coin that has recently been the subject of counterfeit is the
Gold Met Kanoon (gold jackfruit) coin. This is a gold coin shaped like a
jackfruit and not a finished bullet coin. One of these was also sold in the
Paris auction, and similarly was a fake.
It is believed that the counterfeit coins are actually made in Thailand and
are being sold in the nation’s markets to unsuspecting tourists or
collectors with no real experience of this type of coin. The fakes then turn
up in coin marketplaces overseas when the tourist attempts to cash in his
holiday bargain.
Jan Olav Aamlid also believes that there are some well organized confidence
tricksters involved who are now looking at expanding their market to
overseas auctions.
As a professional numismatist, Aamlid believes that the auction houses have
to be more diligent in authenticating items before offering them at auction,
and this obviously did not happen at the Paris offering.
He also believes that collectors should always have their ‘investment’
checked by an expert or reputable dealer before spending large sums on coins
that may not be quite what they are purported to be.
In the business world ‘due diligence’ is expected in any transaction, with
the purchaser making sure that everything is as it purports to be.
Unfortunately, common greed can lead to a coin collector forgetting the
simple rule “caveat emptor” (let the buyer beware).
Jan Olav Aamlid can be contacted by email through
[email protected]
Jan holds up a “coin” from a
tray of real (left) and bogus ones (right) to show the difference.
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