HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Tourism in Pattaya

Continued ruination of Jomtien Beach

New airbags

Thank you baht taxi

Wonderful people going the extra yard

Is this scam or legal

Tourism in Pattaya

Dear Pattaya Mail,
I have lived in Pattaya for more than 4 years. I’ve been coming to Thailand and to Pattaya since 1994. I say this just to demonstrate my familiarity with this country. Thai leaders work hard to attract tourists to Thailand. The same holds true for the civic leaders in Pattaya. But sadly they all seem to fail, at least from my perspective.
I’ll offer my advice to Pattaya leaders so it will be clear and simple. Farangs will not go any where on holiday/vacation where they do not feel confident in their physical safety. They do not feel threatened by working girls. But they do feel threatened by the many obvious Thai men gang members.
The current push by the Pattaya police to clear all ‘undesirables’ from Beach Road is a perfect example of just another waste of time. Rather than rounding up or clearing all Thai men who appear to be gang members or ruffians from the Beach Road, they waste their time harassing the working girls. Their statement that they received a complaint about the girls aggressively soliciting couples is a joke. Since when are Thai women aggressive anyway? Let’s not kid each other. It’s the hooligan type men that are the problem. I suggest they concentrate on them, not the girls.
For the record, I don’t go to bars, nor do I walk on Beach Road looking for women. But I can not ignore what I see happening and I feel compelled to state my observations here. If local officials truly want to instill confidence in potential tourists about the safety of Pattaya they should focus on those people that commit crimes of theft and assault. The girls do not do this except very rarely in conjunction with these men. And as for the fine reputation of Pattaya, I am pretty sure that most people that come here are quite aware of the reputation of Pattaya. That has some bearing on their decision to come here in the first place.
Go after the real problem, gang members...
Signed,
Objective Observer

Continued ruination of Jomtien Beach

Dear Editor,
I cannot believe that, despite Pattaya Council’s so called object of promoting Pattaya as a resort of beauty and a place for tourists to spend time in, they are allowing another concrete monstrosity to be built next to Jomtien Beach near the Jomtien Complex. Apart from the obvious disruption to the already notorious traffic congestion at the bend on to Jomtien Beach Road, there are so many buildings either in the course of construction or already recently built on Thappraya Road that the many very narrow sections of this black spot just cannot take any extra traffic. And what of the sewer, water and telephone situation which is already the laughing stock of the community? Why a council could give further permission for building only goes to show how divorced they are from the correct way to run a city.
Yours very sincerely,
SLF, Manchester, UK

New airbags

Editor;
Inventions by unknowns do happen. I have noticed that this is the case in Thailand, and one in particular has become quite popular. It seems someone in Thailand has come up with a new product called “Airbags for Motorcycles”. The unique thing about this product is they are all shaped like children.
Charlie brown
Soi Keow Noi
Pattaya

Thank you baht taxi

Dear Sir/Madam
I had just returned from Pattaya on November 13, when I was crossing Pattaya 2nd Road by Big C when suddenly I was aware my wallet had fallen out of my pocket. I was approached by a motorcycle taxi who informed me a baht taxi, number 592, had picked up my wallet and driven off. I then returned to my hotel, the Charming Inn on Beach Road, intending to go to the police, but the owner of the hotel took over and phoned the taxi office on North Road who in turn contacted the driver. I was asked to go to the office. On arrival number 592 was there along with my wallet. Not a thing had been taken from it, thank goodness. I do not know the driver’s name but I would like to say a big, big thank you to him. I have read all sorts about these taxi drivers, some good and bad things about them, so I feared the worst. But not on this occasion, so some praise please for 592 tank you
Yours faithfully
V. Lewis

Wonderful people going the extra yard

Aloha Pattaya Mail;
The “Keeper of the Ocean” takes his hat off to Gilbert and Annie from the Ocean Marina Resort and Yacht Club. From the day they watched my volunteers and myself cleaning the beach and ocean, they started and are still doing, everything in their power to make a big difference in regards to protecting the beaches and water ways. They are setting examples, educating others and giving ideas on easy ways to change the course of self destruction of this beautiful place in which we all live, “earth”.
As I told this lovely couple, if I could just find one couple at each Resort or Condo Complex to take it upon themselves to do just a little of what Gilbert and Annie have done and still are doing, my job would be a joy. They have proved to me that it does not matter where you come from or where you are, it’s where your “com min from that matters”. I want to wish them the best Christmas ever and a Happy, Happy New Year, as we say in Hawaii, “Mele Kalikimaka” and “Hauoli Makahiki Hou”.
Mahalo Nui Loa,
Gerry Rasmus
pollutionsolutionthailand @yahoo.com

Is this scam or legal

Sir,
Is this scam or legal? My friends from Belgium came in with 5 sleeves of Belgian cigarettes each, bought at the airport in Amsterdam, for their own use because they stay for 1 month, and they were fined about 77 euro per sleeve. They had to pay for their own taxi to go inside BKK to go to the police station to pay the fine.
The best part is, they were told by police officers to put the cigarettes in their bags so the customs wouldn’t collect them. Once past the customs, some other police guys asked them to open the bags and took all the cigarettes and fined them. This is what we call team work, isn’t it? And finally, normally they have the right to keep one sleeve but they took it all. It this legal, can they do that? This never happened before in the Don Muang Airport.
Flying Frog

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