HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Finally found beach road bus

Beach Road improvements

Monkey in distress

Blocked drains

Misplaced priorities?

Tourism in crisis

Inactive investigation promotes crime - active promotion prevents crime

Crime affects tourism

Finally found beach road bus

To: [email protected]
This is to let you know that I finally found the beach road bus stop between Soi Welcome and Soi Eleven. I’ve probably walked past it a hundred times without noticing it.
I even used this facility (the red bus) to go to Tesco Lotus, a 60-minute circumlocutory journey, and even when we got there I had to use the overhead bridge to get across the road.
I saw a news item that vendors were out in force last Tuesday, protesting at Tesco Lotus plans to open more stores around Pattaya; I noticed this didn’t include Beach Road, Jomtien. I’m not a ‘rich farang’; I’m a disabled UK citizen living here for health reasons, on a fixed income. I like to shop where it’s most economical to do so, and apart from the hassle of getting there and back, Tesco Lotus fits this bill. I wish they could lay on a bus to bring shoppers there and fetch us back. Once such a facility became known I’m sure it would be well used, and Tesco would recoup its costs in increased numbers of shoppers like myself.
I’ll keep scouring your newspaper for any developments.
Mr Philip Fletcher, avid shopper

Beach Road improvements

Editor;
Congratulations to the city of Pattaya for greatly improving the walkway on Beach Road. It is a real pleasure to get a bit of exercise walking by the beach under the shady palms. The police chased off all the working girls so now there is more room for beggars and souvenir hawkers. Where did all the working girls go? They now reside in the shopping malls. It’s much cooler there and they don’t have to worry about inclement weather. I personally think it was better for families when the girls walked the beach.
Regards,
Bill Turner
California USA

Monkey in distress

Editor;
May I put your readers’ attention to one very distressing thing I have noticed? In the middle of Soi 14 running between Pattaya Third Road (east side) and Soi Arunothai in the middle of the street bend there is a monkey caged under appallingly poor conditions. It has been so for years! One can really wonder why people around don’t care more or have a heart, mind and spirit or basic love for an animal that is so close to us in nature? Is it at all legal to keep animals like this in Thailand? I’m a kind of newcomer in the field of animal protection, but is there anyone out there who has an idea of what is possible and reasonable to do to help the monkey from uneducated, uncaring, senseless humans? Can anyone connect me to people, organsiations, etc., that work with protecting the “rights of animals” so to speak? My email is [email protected] Is there anything we can do? I would be glad to hear from anyone about this.
“N.A. the Saviour”

Blocked drains

Dear Editor;
I have an interesting story for you regarding people who are being allowed to block the drains with, grease, oil and fat by Pattaya City Hall.
This is happening in a soi only 2-3 years old. The Soi is LK Metro just off Soi Buakhao and Soi Diana Inn. The owner of the soi does not want to know about this problem and neither does city hall. I ask myself, why is this the case?
If farang were operating illegally they would be fined a large sum of money and closed down. They are cooking Thai food at Soi Lk Metro in the road and the smoke, grease, oil and fat is all going down into the drains.
When the owner was contacted he did not want to know about this matter. When Pattaya City Hall was contacted about this matter, we went in person to complain and the secretary said it should not be happening. But 30 minutes later the secretary called my wife and said that it was ok for them to cook outside and block the drains up with smoke, oil, grease and fat. Maybe somebody has taken money under the counter? But soon everybody in this soi will have their business under water when the rainy season starts, and their toilets blocked because the water can not drain away like it is supposed to.
Regards,
Mr L. Evans

Misplaced priorities?

Editor;
In last week’s Pattaya Mail, it was good to see the mayor allocating an additional budget of 4 million baht to the music festival, while at the same time his deputy is handling a yearly budget of 72,100 baht for the elderly and disabled of the city.
Sign me,
“Abacus”

Tourism in crisis

Editor;
Tourism throughout this once great city is ailing and I fear the same may be said for the most part of the country. Whatever the excuses given I suggest that the real reason for the increasing, decrease in tourism numbers is that Thailand has become an unfriendly destination.
This trend began with the famed ‘Social Order Campaign’, and has increased, as many realised that a good source of corruptive income could be gained by illicit activities in the extraction of tourist dollars. Early closing of attractions, drug testing of patrons and now an order that all foreigners must carry their passports at all times (photocopies not deemed acceptable) to the delight of criminals and terrorists to name but a few. Tourists are looked upon only as ‘cash cows’ to be milked and cheated whenever possible.
Thailand’s tourism was historically built on its famed nightlife (sadly no more) and so no longer attracts the customers that would have traditionally ‘vacationed’ here. I don’t expect it to improve under the present watch, in fact I would suggest its decline (tourism) is terminal for most parts of the kingdom with just a few very notable exceptions.
The first step to putting things right is to listen and understand where we have gone wrong!
Somchai Boonmee
Via internet (London)

Inactive investigation promotes crime - active promotion prevents crime

Editor;
On the 19th of February at 10 a.m. my house was burglarized of approximately 200,000 baht worth of my possessions, much of which is irreplaceable.
I was out on my daily bike ride; my Thai wife was visiting her family in Isaan for three days. Within a 45-minutes span of time the thieves made off with my possessions, apparently a set-up.
The Banglamung police came and I was told there couldn’t be any fingerprints taken, (even though) the thieves must have touched the windowpanes and the door handles. The police took one empty jewelry box from my wife for fingerprints, which I have never heard about since.
I later went to Banglamung police station and signed the police report and was told by a captain that a detective could be sent out only the next day to do some investigating. I waited, but nobody showed up. After my wife called the police station she was told that this very captain was out of the country and that we should come and see him next week.
This is frustrating, as how much of my belongings were surely sold off within that time. I went to the tourist police office and they couldn’t help for they have no jurisdiction after the ‘normal’ police takes a case on.
I sent a letter to Chonburi’s governor since I have heard him speaking at the Pattaya City Expat Club and was impressed as well as touched by the way he was reaching out to expats.
One week later I was called to the Banglamung police station and had a talk with the previous captain, who had my letter to the governor lying on his desk. He said in Thai to my wife that I shouldn’t have sent this letter, since this made him lose face. My reply was, that, if he catches the thieves, I will send another letter and that will gain his face back big time.
After that I was taken into an investigating room, where one of the officers interviewed me and asked why I have waited so long with my complaints. At that point he went to the construction site opposite my house and rounded up app. eight construction workers and took them to the police station to interview all at the same time. One investigator - eight suspects? Surely nothing much came out of this.
After a few days we called the police station again, just to be told that they won’t do anything anymore on this case and if I want to catch the thieves, I have to investigate and catch them myself, and only after that they are willing to arrest them.
My investigations were leading to a white Toyota car, which as witnesses told me had left the area with my stuff in the back. The vehicle returned to the village and I got hold of the license number. The same witnesses told me that the white car is driven by one Thai man and his Thai girlfriend who are babysitting the house of a Russian neighbor when he is absent. I called the police to investigate. They promised to put the number on their computer to find out who the owner of the car is. Since then I haven’t heard from them again.
I went to see the owner of the village, a well known society person in Pattaya and he promised to help. So far he had sent policemen from Pattaya police station, but they couldn’t do anything either, since they also have no jurisdiction in my area.
Me and my wife believe that we know the guy who stole our property, but the fact is, since he was investigated already and relieved, we cannot put a finger on him, since he could sue us.
Now we all hear all the time that the government and the city administrators like to promote Pattaya as a safe city under the motto: “live - love - laugh - and be happy - experience Pattaya”.
Inactive investigation promotes crime while active investigation prevents crime.
R. P.

Crime affects tourism

Dear Editor,
I wish no disrespect. I just recently visited Pattaya - Jomtien after a five year absence. In a way many things have changed and then many things have remained same - same. But what is scary as a tourist is your newspaper reporting all the serious crime. I am glad the reality of life is reporting the problems. The problem of course is how life has changed.
I believe if the volume of crime does not change tourism will be affected. I for one have no interest in a return trip to that area until there is major change.
Vinnie O’Connor
Nome, Alaska

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