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HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Pattaya has enough water for 10 years, says Irrigation Department

Two Russian women shot dead on Jomtien Beach

Indoor stadium now under city management

Volunteers trained to cope with possibility of rabies outbreak

City Scope

Two foreign men accused of beating and robbing Israeli tourist

Navy cracks down on smoking by officers and ratings

Hotel chairman donates 3M baht of aircon units to Police HQ

Culture Street will bring tradition back to Songkran

City on continuing alert for bird flu

Dead dolphin found on Jomtien Beach

Navy chief conducts ceremony at Thungprong Temple

Garbage worries rise as volume increases during high season

Sontaya leads team in discussing end of the political term

New Pattaya City Hospital scheduled to open in 2010

New beach umbrellas provide a sponsored place in the sun

No traffic problems during Songkran says culture chairman

8 million baht budget provided for community health projects


Pattaya has enough water for 10 years, says Irrigation Department

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Responding to fears of another drought next year, the Irrigation Department and the East Water Company have assured the Pattaya Business & Tourism Association (PBTA) that there is enough water for the next ten years.
Their prophetic announcement came during the PBTA’s last administrative committee meeting, held on February 14 at Green Park Resort Hotel.
Thanet Supornsahatrangsi, PBTA president said, “The drought that was experienced in 2005 was severe and seriously affected daily life and tourism. Even though presently the situation is improving, if preparations are not made the crisis could re-occur.”
Representatives from the Irrigation Department responded that the 5 reservoirs supplying Pattaya currently have total reserves of 27 million cubic meters, which is 69% of their total capacity. Before the drought in 2005, the reservoirs contained only 11 million cubic meters, or 27% of their total capacity. “So it is anticipated that for 2007-2008 there will definitely be no water shortages.”
East Water Company representatives chimed in that East Water has laid water pipes from the Bang Pakong River to Bang Phra Reservoir, which is able to feed the area with 200,000 cubic meters per day. An additional 10,000 cubic meters per day can be purchased from Sattahip to stock up water reserves at Mabprachan Reservoir.
Feed pipe systems that have either been completed or are in the works include from Dok Kray and Nong Pla Lai Reservoir to Banglamung, and from Pra Sae Reservoir in Rayong to Pattaya, which could be used during a water shortage.
Dhanee Thongprachum, manager of the regional Irrigation Department, said that in future, Pattaya’s water problems will be over as feed pipes have been laid and expanded under a support budget of 261 million baht.
Two wells are also being constructed, one at Thappraya Hill and one at Soi Khao Noi, each with a capacity of 15,000 cubic meters. However, the latter is currently involved in a land dispute with Wat Boon Samphan. Negotiations should be finalized by May.


Two Russian women shot dead on Jomtien Beach

Manhunt on for lone gunman with mystery motive

Boonlua Chatree
Police are searching for a lone gunman after two young Russian women were shot dead on Jomtien Beach as they lay on beach loungers just before daybreak.
The shooting took place in the early morning hours of February 24.

Livbov Svirkova

Tatiana Tsimfer

The alarm was raised by a security guard on duty at the entrance to Anantaya Resort, which is located at Soi 18, Jomtien Beach, just 20 meters away from where the women were sitting.
Police arrived at the scene to find two Russian women, Miss Livbov Svirkova, 25 and Miss Tatiana Tsimfer, 30 slumped in their beach chairs with multiple bullet wounds in their dead bodies.
The bodies were later transferred to the Forensic Institute whose initial findings reported that Svirkova and Tsimfer were inflicted with six and four 9-mm bullet wounds respectively.
Examining the scene of the shooting, police found four empty 9mm cartridge cases. The table where the two were sitting at held a bottle of whisky, a glass, one mobile phone and a mini skirt.
Somsak Noonoi, 28, an employee of the Siam Pattaya Guard Company, told officers that he was on duty at the Anantaya Resort entrance when he heard one gunshot, so he ran out to investigate. As he was running he heard more gunshots. Initially it was reported that he saw a young Thai man, about 165 cm tall, wearing a black T-shirt and white jeans with a gun in hand run to a motorcycle and fled towards the end of Jomtien Beach. Later investigations reported that the nationality of the murderer is still not determined.

The gunman silhouette was captured on the city’s CCTV cameras.

The two women arrived on February 16, with the Discovery Holiday Tour Company and were staying at the Dragon Beach Resort on Jomtien Beach, approximately 500 meters away from where they were shot. At approximately 4 a.m. they left their room and stopped to buy whisky at a 7-Eleven store, and then went to the beach to enjoy a swim at daybreak.
Pictures taken from the city’s CCTV show a man park his motorcycle at the roadside about 5 meters away from the where the women were sitting, run across the wide footpath, jump down onto the beach and fire shots at something or someone. He then ran back to his motorcycle and rode away.
The CCTV captured images of the gunman during the nine-second shooting but his face could not be seen clearly.
Police theorized that the gunman wasn’t after valuables because the women weren’t wearing anything of value.
Acting national police chief Pol Gen Seripisuth Temiyavej has ordered that the killer be found quickly because this reflects badly on the country’s image and inevitably its tourism businesses.
Minister of Tourism and Sport Suwit Yodmanee said this crime, like any other murder of foreigners in Thailand, would definitely affect the tourism momentum especially in the Russian market. About 100,000 Russians travel to Thailand and to Pattaya City annually. Their visits generate millions of baht for many businesses.
The Russian consul in charge of the case said no evidence had been found to indicate that two women were involved in international sex or illegal drugs trading. They worked as telephone operators in their hometown and that this was their first trip to Thailand.
Police said the women had bought a package tour to Thailand and in the eight days since they had arrived they hadn’t traveled much with the tour group, usually sightseeing around town by themselves. Police said they didn’t know whom they met or what they had done during those days because the tourists could move around freely and are not obliged to travel with the group.
Pol Lt Gen Assawin Kwanmuang, chief of the Provincial Police Bureau 2, said he has set up an operations center at a hotel near the murder site, and organized 12 groups of officers to gather information on what has become a nationwide headline murder case. He said the team leaders meet every seven hours to update the situation. Police have offered 100,000 baht to anyone who can provide them with information that will lead to the capture of the killer.
Police have questioned the tour guide of the company from which the two victims purchased the tour package. Investigators said the tour leader had received the two women and other tourists from U-Tapao Airport on their arrival to the kingdom and delivered them to their hotel.
Security guard Somsak remains the most valuable witness so far, and police are keeping him in their care for further questioning as the case proceeds. Police have also questioned the shopkeeper who sold the alcohol to the women, and are searching for the baht bus driver who delivered them to the beach.
Police are checking the women’s mobile phones for clues as to whom they were in contact with during their stay in Pattaya.
Footprints were found on the sand near the bodies, but police are disappointed that they couldn’t make out which were the shooter’s footprints, because by the time they arrived, curious onlookers had mingled around the bodies thus disrupting any sign of evidence that could have been vital to establishing the identity of the gunman.
On Tuesday Pol. Col. Suthin Sappuang, superintendent of Pattaya police station summoned over 500 motorcycle taxi drivers to meet with his investigation team. He urged anyone of them who may have information of the movements of the women during their last 8 days to come forward and help police with their investigations.
Meanwhile at city hall, Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh said that out of the 85 CCTVs installed around Pattaya and Jomtien, only 60 were in working condition. The defective cameras were sent back to the manufacturer in England for repairs, 13 have come back but have yet to be installed.


Indoor stadium now under city management

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Dr Suwit Yodmanee, Minister of Tourism and Sport, presided over a meeting for public opinion on the 4th National Sports Development Plan 2007-2011, held on February 16 at the Tide Resort.

Minister of Tourism and Sports Dr. Suwit Yodmanee.

During his visit the minister also signed an agreement to transfer the management of the recently built indoor track and field stadium to Pattaya City management.
The National Plan has six development strategies aimed at basic sports, public sports, sports standards, professional sports, sports science and technology, and sports management.
Pirom Simasatien, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, which organized the meeting, said that public consultation at this stage was particularly important as the ministry was investigating opinion on every level, including government departments, public sports associations, learning institutes, and sub-district administration organizations.
This exercise is being carried out in five regions, namely Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Chonburi, Songkla and Bangkok. Once the data has been collected and analyzed it will be applied to the National Sports Development Plan.
Dr Suwit said that sports for the elderly and the disabled would be promoted alongside sport for the able-bodied, and he urged national and local organizations to provide their input on this to ensure that the required budgets were included.
During his visit the minister also signed an agreement along with Kanokphan Junkasem, director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, and Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn to transfer the 472,500,000 baht indoor track and field stadium to Pattaya City jurisdiction. The stadium was used for the 1st Asian Indoor Games. Pattaya City will now manage the stadium.
Monthian Thongnit, deputy governor of Chonburi, said that the province is preparing to present itself as host for 39 national sports games in 2010.


Volunteers trained to cope with possibility of rabies outbreak

Vimolrat Singnikorn
Fears of a possible outbreak of rabies during the hot summer months has led to the training of volunteer veterinary workers throughout the 27 Pattaya communities.
Surapong Wongsontrapron, a veterinarian at the Public Health Office in Pattaya City said that although at present there are no known cases of dogs or humans infected with rabies, the situation is being closely monitored.

People are being encouraged to bring in their dogs for rabies vaccination.

A training program started on February 16 in which approximately 120 volunteers from the 27 communities within Pattaya City will learn how to handle isolated incidents of rabies.
A few days later, on February 20, another program began that provides information to the public and encourages them to bring their dogs in for vaccinations or for sterilization, free of charge. The service is provided at Pattaya Public Health Office between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The information is disseminated via mobile units that tour the communities.
Data for the year 2006 shows that during the year 2,137 dogs and 746 cats were brought in to receive vaccinations. This year Pattaya City has a goal of performing this operation on no less than 80 percent of the animals in Pattaya City.
Surapong said that although the population of dogs was being controlled, data shows the number is not decreasing. This is because dogs and cats are able to give birth to many offspring. City hall is asking for the cooperation of the communities in catching stray dogs and taking them to the dog pound at Jomtien. The pound receives an annual budget of 600,000 baht to support and feed the strays.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay on behalf of Pattaya City recently donated some 3,500 kilos of dog food to the pound. Currently the pound is taking care of 464 stray dogs and 42 stray cats. Another pound has recently been opened at Plutaluang District in Sattahip to take care of the overspill.


City Scope: Mayor confident city will continue to attract tourists

Security and water supply issues are taken care of

(Left to right) Chaiwat Charoensuk, Chatchawal Supachayanont and Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn are optimistic about the future of tourism in Pattaya.

Narisa Nitikarn
Pattaya City is working hard to provide services and security for visitors and will continue to be a major tourist attraction, says Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn.
Niran was presenting a speech on the development of Pattaya and the role of the private sector, which he delivered at a meeting at the Long Beach Hotel in Naklua on February 21.
Co-presenters at the meeting were Chatchawal Supachayanont, president of the Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter, and Chaiwat Charoensuk, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Central Office Region 3.
Niran said there was a city hall budget of 16 million baht to promote tourism, and that every department involved has been directed to cooperate fully so that the maximum potential can be achieved from this amount.
The unrest in the South and the bombings in Bangkok have caused worry amongst investors and visitors, but city hall has a strategic plan for safety that includes the installation of CCTV cameras in the Pattaya and Jomtien areas.
Chatchawal asked the mayor about the possible problems with water shortages during this year, saying that last year the situation had become critical and attracted a good deal of negative publicity.
Niran said that the main reservoir for Pattaya City, Mabprachan, could supply between 90 and 95 percent of the city’s raw water needs. If there is not enough water in Mabprachan, nearby reservoirs can supply more, as the laying of pipelines from the Chaknork and Bangpra reservoirs is now complete. The Provincial Water Works Authority is looking to find a way to increase the amount of production for enough water to supply the demand for homeowners and businesses.
The mayor also presented a report on the marketing plans for 2007 including a presence at ITB Berlin, which will be held at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds in Germany from March 7 to 11.


Two foreign men accused of beating and robbing Israeli tourist

The two accused are put on display.

Boonlua Chatree
Two foreign men accused of breaking into the Pattaya hotel room of an Israeli visitor to beat and rob him were seized by police in Bangkok the following day under an arrest warrant issued by Pattaya Provincial Court.
Bojan Papo, a 27-year-old Australian citizen, and Ron Bazilai, 33, an Israeli, were still in possession of the 290,000 baht they are accused of stealing from their victim.
Late at night on February 15, the two men were alleged to have gone to the room of Nahm Iasav Raham, a 46-year-old Israeli who was staying at a hotel in Naklua.
Raham subsequently told police that he was taking a rest in his room and had the door open when a man he knew well, and who he identified as Bazilai, had entered with an unknown man and attacked him, punching him and hitting him with an iron bar.
Raham had escaped from his room and called the police. When he went back he discovered that a bag containing 290,000 baht in Thai currency and euros, plus his passport, an ATM card and his cell phone had been taken.
The two men had already taken a taxi and fled, but police investigations revealed they were hiding out at the Nonsri Residence on Chuaploeng Road, in the Yannawa district of Bangkok. Police officers arrested them as they were walking out of the secluded hotel.
Pol Maj Gen Panya Mamen, commander-in-chief of the Tourist Police, who announced the arrests at a police briefing on the morning of February 17, said that both of the accused men denied the charges, but they had been caught with all the evidence and he was confident there was a case against them.
Bazilai has lived in Thailand for 14 years, and is the owner of an Israeli restaurant on Khaosarn Road. He had met Raham in Pattaya, and asked him several times for money. Raham said he always gave money to the accused, because he felt that he was helping a fellow countryman. On the day of the robbery, however, Raham had refused. This had led to the assault.


Navy cracks down on smoking by officers and ratings

Vice Admiral Chanchai Charoensuwan, commander of Sattahip Naval Base, chops a mock up of a cigarette to kick off the Royal Thai Navy’s campaign to help people stop smoking.

Patcharapol Panrak
The Royal Thai Navy is leading a campaign to help people stop smoking, asking all its personnel to try and quit the habit.
Admiral Satirapan Kaeyanon, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy, is heading the campaign. He said that everyone in the service, and in government departments connected with the service, is being offered the opportunity to receive specialist advice from experts from within and outside of the Navy, to “absolutely stop smoking”.
The project is being undertaken as a merit-making exercise for His Majesty the King, who celebrates his 80th birthday on December 5.
Vice Admiral Chanchai Charoensuwan, commander of Sattahip Naval Base, said that he has assigned Apakorn Kiatwong Hospital to offer help and advice to officers and their families. The first step, he said, is for those officers and employees who wish to stop smoking to join the project. They will then have a qualified expert to give them advice and help, which will lead them to stop smoking.
Admiral Nopporn Ajavakom, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Fleet, said that the Navy has a target of reducing the incidence of smoking to zero, and that the campaign is being conducted throughout all the divisions of the Navy, under the responsibility of each division commander.
Vice Admiral Jumnong Kittipeerachol, commander of First Naval Area Command, said that he has initiated a strict policy. If any officer smokes cigarettes, that will have an affect on consideration of promotion and transfers. Any officer who smokes cigarettes will not able to transfer to the First Naval Area Command.
Admiral Satirapan said that smoking is the cause of many direct and indirect diseases. Each year the Navy and the government spend a large part of its medical budget on treating officers and their families for medical conditions contracted through smoking.
Apart from that, he said, smoking is an expense, with smokers spending money on cigarettes that should be spent on their families.


Hotel chairman donates 3M baht of aircon units to Police HQ

One hundred air conditioning units have been donated by the chairman of the new Nusa Playa Hotel for use at the Police Region 2 Headquarters.

Boonlua Chatree
One hundred air conditioning units have been donated by the chairman of the new Nusa Playa Hotel for use at the Police Region 2 Headquarters.
The presentation took place at the hotel at 5 p.m. on February 21, with Pol Lt Gen Somdej Kaokam, deputy commander-in-chief of Region 2 receiving the units from Wisanu Thepcharoen, chairman of the Nusasiri Group.
Also in attendance were Pol Col Sutin Suppuang, superintendent of Pattaya Police Station, Pol Col Noppadon Sornsumrarn, superintendent of Banglamung Police Station, Pol Lt Col Chanapat Nawalak, deputy superintendent of investigation at Pattaya Police Station, and Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn.
Nusa Playa Hotel is a new hotel located at Soi 13 Na Jomtien Beach. The 37-story property has a total of 580 rooms.
Wisanu said the value of the 100 air conditioning units presented to Police Region 2 Headquarters was more than 3 million baht, and that the donation was made in recognition of the work done by the police in serving residents and visitors.


Culture Street will bring tradition back to Songkran

Narisa Nitikarn
Promoting authentic Thai culture is to be the aim of the festivities surrounding the Thai New Year, Songkran, in April.

Suan Phanomwattanakul (left), chairman of the Chonburi Cultural Council and Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay discuss the upcoming Songkran festival.

Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay chaired a meeting of the administrative board of the Chonburi Cultural Council on February 8, with chairman Suan Phanomwattanakul present, to discuss the proposed Culture Street to be held during Songkran.
The event will be staged at Chonburi April 7 to 15 and at Bali Hai Pier April 11 to 19.
Verawat said that Pattaya District Office would be happy to fully cooperate with the Culture Street festival with the aim of celebrating Songkran in the traditional manner, unlike previous years when it has been celebrated violently.
The next step is to campaign among the public, especially among the young on how to pour water and request blessings from elders and preserve the fine traditions.
The opening ceremony at Bali Hai Pier will be held on April 12 at 5 p.m., when there will be a colorful five-region cultural parade, representing the cultures of Central Region, the North, South, Issan and East. There will also be a parade to celebrate the cultures of Pattaya’s diverse foreign community.
Verawat said that the event is being organized during the time that Naklua and Pattaya celebrate wan lai (water pouring), when tourists from all around the country will be attending in great numbers.
Suan said that Culture Street has received two 500,000 baht budgets from Chonburi Provincial Administration to stage the event in Chonburi and Pattaya. However, meetings on the organization of both the Culture Streets will be held between sub-committees in order that each district can independently submit the format of their parades.


City on continuing alert for bird flu

Buppa Songsakulchai (left), a Pattaya public health specialist, reminds Napaporn Toyee-Id, vendor at the Maela-Or Food Market, to choose poultry that is safe before bringing it to sell to consumers.

Vimolrat Singnikorn
Buppa Songsakulchai, a Pattaya public health specialist, said that although there have been no cases of the bird flu virus H5N1 in the city, public health services are closely monitoring the situation.
Poultry would continue to be on sale, said Buppa, and at present demand is constant, so more information would be provided to consumers and poultry vendors to ensure they are on the alert.
The Consumer Protection Unit at the Public Health and Environment Office in Pattaya City has mobile inspectors to monitor the bird flu situation at food markets around Pattaya. They provide information to people for choices in buying chicken, duck and other poultry.
Buppa said that the virus cannot survive in heat of more than 70 degrees Celsius, therefore consumers can safely eat the meat that is cooked at this temperature or higher.
Most vendors have the opportunity of purchasing poultry that has been tested by the Department of Livestock Development. Napaporn Toyee-Id, a 29-year-old vendor at the Maela-Or Food Market, said that the meat is received from a poultry slaughterhouse in Naklua, and that it carried a seal of approval from the department. Consumers feel reassured when they see that.
Bird flu virus is carried in the intestines, and the birds don’t show any symptoms. When wild birds migrate they can spread the virus. When other animals such as chickens and ducks become infected, there are two stages to the virus. If the animal has the less serious stage, it can recover. However, if it is a serious infection the animal may die.


Dead dolphin found on Jomtien Beach

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Tourists alerted City Public Safety Department officials on the morning of February 17 that a species of bottlenose dolphin was lying on Jomtien Beach near the Tourist Service Center. City officials along with veterinary staff went to the scene where the dolphin was examined. It was thought to be three to four years old, and at 1.5 meters in length weighed around 100 kilograms.
The creature had been dead for about a week. There was a piece of fishing net wrapped around part of its tail, and it is assumed the dolphin had been caught up with an abandoned net that fishermen had cut loose and left in Pattaya Bay. If the dolphin’s tail had become enmeshed, it might have lost its strength to swim, and died.
Officials transferred the body for burial. They said the number of dolphin, especially this species, has almost reached the point of extinction. Fishermen rarely see dolphin in the bay. Those that are spotted there might have become detached from their school in the Bang Pa Kong River and swum to the Gulf of Thailand.


Navy chief conducts ceremony at Thungprong Temple

Admiral Nopporn Ajavakom, commander-in-chief of Royal Thai Fleet at Sattahip, places gold leaf paper on the sacred religious marker stone.

Patcharapol Panrak
Admiral Nopporn Ajavakom, commander-in-chief of Royal Thai Fleet at Sattahip, on February 20 conducted a ceremony for the sacred marker stones at Thungprong Temple in Plutaluang sub-district, Sattahip.
Chairman of the Plutaluang Sub-district Administrative Organization Thaweep Taengkaew, and Piroj Marakul na Ayuthaya, chairman of the Sattahip Sub-District Administrative Organization, were amongst those attending the ceremony.
Previously, Thungprong Temple was located on the shore beside the bay where the Navy Reconnaissance Fleet is presently moored, but it was moved to a new location in Plutaluang sub-district because the Navy needed the land for maneuvers.
The Navy has therefore always supported the temple, which is a remote one and which was reconstructed with funds raised by followers. Each year the Navy brings robes and offerings for the monks, and this ceremony was for applying gold leaf to the marker, which consists of round stones buried in the ground to mark the sacred limits of the temple.


Garbage worries rise as volume increases during high season

Vimolrat Singnikorn
The increasing amount of garbage generated by Pattaya City is causing concern at city hall, where there are worries that inadequate collection and disposal during the high season might harm Pattaya’s tourism image.
On February 16, chairman of Pattaya City Council Tavich Chaiswangwong called a meeting to discuss the performance of East West Management Co Ltd in collecting refuse.
Amongst those attending the meeting were Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay and Mrs Rujilapa Yaemlaor, managing director of East West Management.
Rujilapa said the volume of refuse has increased in proportion to the increase in the number of visitors and the number of new residents, and that the refuse from the business and industrial sectors is also growing in size and diversity.
“Currently the company provides 21 garbage trucks with routes around Pattaya City to collect all of the garbage, but these are not enough to cope with the increased volume and consequently there is garbage left behind,” she said.
Tavich said this problem is common for all growing cities such as Pattaya. Pattaya City hired East West Management to attend to this problem. If the company cannot handle it, then Pattaya City will hire another company.
Tavich added that currently Pattaya City is divided into a ratio of 70:30 for garbage collecting, in which 70 percent of the total is the company’s responsibility, and 30 percent is Pattaya City’s responsibility. There is between 230 and 240 tons of garbage left behind in several areas per day.
Rujilapa said the company would add four garbage collection trucks to its fleet in an effort to improve the situation.


Sontaya leads team in discussing end of the political term

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Sontaya Khunplome, former Minister of Tourism and Sport, chaired a meeting of the We Love Chonburi group on February 13 to start assessing the work of the present administration of Pattaya City in view of the fact that the current political term will come to an end in 2008.

Sontaya Khunplome
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and his chief advisor Itthipol Khunplome attended the meeting, along with Pattaya City Council members and city hall administrators. Reporters were not allowed inside the two-hour session.
Sontaya said after the meeting that it was a consultation for all levels of the We Love Chonburi political group. Pattaya City is an important part of the province, and the political term is going to end in 454 days. The purpose of the meeting was to assess the work of administrators and Pattaya City Council members, to see how they had progressed and how they had satisfied the people.
The session had included planning for work before this term ends, in order to prepare readiness to support the future election. Topics ranged from infrastructure and services to support the 27 communal areas, traffic control, environmental concerns, and the services provided for tourists.
Sontaya said there are already candidates lining up to contest for the position of mayor, and that the election would be won on the provision of information on clear and sound policies.


New Pattaya City Hospital scheduled to open in 2010

Budget requested to ease burden on Banglamung Hospital

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
A new hospital is planned for Pattaya in order to treat the growing population and to ease the burden on Banglamung Hospital.

Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay says the city should go ahead and begin planning the hospital even though it won’t be easy.

Pattaya District Office is preparing a budget for construction of the proposed Pattaya City Hospital, which is anticipated to open in 2010.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay called a meeting on February 7 to discuss plans for the new hospital, with a representative of Smithivate Hospital in Sriracha present, along with a team of architects from the Ministry of Public Health.
Verawat said the intention was to ease the pressure on Banglamung Hospital, which is dealing with an increasing number of patients and is currently treating more than 800 people a day.
He said that city hall is in the process of submitting a budget to the Bureau of the Budget, which is in agreement with the project because it would benefit the local population.
“It is anticipated that the budget will be allocated in 2008 and the hospital will be operational in 2010,” the deputy mayor said.
Pattaya City Hospital will be a six-story, 80-bed hospital built adjacent to the Pattaya Public Health Office on Soi Buakhao in Central Pattaya.


New beach umbrellas provide a sponsored place in the sun

Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh describes the changes that are taking place with the first phase of the city’s project to have the private sector sponsor Pattaya’s beach umbrellas.

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
One year after the initial idea, city hall’s concept of the private sector sponsoring Pattaya’s beach umbrellas and therefore doing much to improve the appearance of the beaches is beginning to become a reality.
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh and Dhanavat Sripraphan, chairman of the Pattaya Beach Umbrella and Deckchair Association held a meeting on February 22 with the beach operators to describe the changes that are taking place with the first phase of the project.
Ronakit said that a three-kilometer stretch of Pattaya Beach is to receive 8,200 umbrellas sponsored by Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, at a total cost of 5 million baht. City hall has already received part of the funds.
The new umbrellas are of a much higher standard than the old ones and are made from Oxford canvas, measuring 42x16 inches and with a pole 2.4 meters long. They bear the words Pattaya Beach. Ronakit said the contract is for a period of three years.
The operators will start receiving the umbrellas this month and will have to take good care of them for if an umbrella becomes damaged the operator will have to foot the repair bill.
The project will spread to other beaches such as Jomtien and Dong Taan for which other private sector businesses have shown an interest, amongst them ING Life Insurance Company Limited. The umbrellas will display the names of the beaches to which they will be assigned.


No traffic problems during Songkran says culture chairman

Vimolrat Singnikorn
Traffic will not be disrupted during the Thai New Year festival, Songkran, when the focus of activities will be promotion of the cultures of the five regions of Thailand, says the chairman of Chonburi Culture Council.

Somdul Thamnao, deputy chairman of the Culture Council in Panatnikom District, worries this year’s Songkran festivities will once again cause traffic chaos.

A meeting of the organizing committee was held on February 21 at Pattaya City Hall, with Suan Phanomwattanakul, chairman of Chonburi Culture Council in the chair.
Songkran festivities will be held over the period of April 11 to 19 at Bali Hai Pier. April 13 to 15 will be National offcial Songkran holidays and Wanlai (the water “pouring” event) will be held in Naklua, and Pattaya city on April 18 and 19 consecutively.
Suan said that with a large number of Thai and foreign tourists in Pattaya for the festivities, this would be a good opportunity to promote Thai culture. The five regions, namely Central Thailand, the North, Issan, the South and the East will be represented through cultural performances, and OTOP products will be on sale.
Somdul Thamnao, deputy chairman of the Culture Council in Panatnikom District, voiced his concern over the traffic problem. “Every year there are always serious traffic problems, and it is feared that this will cause trouble in the area where the event is held,” he said.
Suan reassured him, saying that officers from the Provincial Police in Pattaya and the Pattaya Tourist Police will be on hand to solve all the problems relating to traffic and the safety of tourists and residents.


8 million baht budget provided for community health projects

Pattaya’s Public Health and Environmental Department officials discuss public services for 2007.

Vimolrat Singnikorn
Pattaya’s Public Health and Environmental Department is providing a budget of more than 8 million baht for a range of community public health projects.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay on February 12 chaired a consultation meeting with department officials, with director Mrs Wannaporn Jamjumrus, sanitary advisor Buphaa Songsakulchay, and Na Anya Jantharakaat, head of the Communicable Disease Prevention Department attending.
Verawat said this year a priority would be given to community projects and free services. The Public Health and Environmental Department would have a budget of 8,124,000 baht for 47 projects, such as exercise for health, testing for diabetes, drug addiction prevention, and a campaign to promote food cleanliness and safety.