Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
A decision will be made soon on what kind of computer system to use at the new Pattaya City Hospital, which is expected to be ready to receive its first patients two years from now.

Dr Wuttichai Tawatthongchai, director of the medical section at the Pattaya City Public Health Department.

On January 10 at Pattaya City Hall, a meeting was held to examine proposals from Cisco Systems (Thailand) Co Ltd and Samart Comtech Co Ltd.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay chaired the meeting along with Dr Wuttichai Tawatthongchai, director of the medical section at the Pattaya City Public Health Department.
Laying of the foundation stone for the hospital is scheduled for March 17, and Verawat said that the information and communications technology that would be used to support the hospital and its services should reflect the high standards being used in all other aspects of the project.
Verawat said that a budget for the hospital has already been approved by the national government, and that public health officials have been appointed as advisors for the central supplies for the project. A construction company will be selected soon, with the hospital due to be completed within two years of the start date.

Tourist Police make clean sweep of Walking Street

Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya Tourist Police made a clean sweep of Walking Street during the evening of January 16, bringing in a team of volunteers to clear the area of beggars and touts.
Under the leadership of Pol Lt Col Suwan Unanan, the officers and volunteers arrested or moved on all those who were considered to be making a public nuisance of themselves, following a number of complaints by visitors that they were continually being harassed in and around Walking Street.
Amongst those arrested was a gang of six Cambodian beggars, consisting of two men, two women and a young boy and girl. Five touts who were drumming up business for live sex shows were also arrested, as was a man who was offering to take photographs of tourists with a captive loris.
A youth selling dried marijuana to tourists was netted by the police. Jiraporn Choeydee, a resident of Lardkrabang District in Bangkok had in his possession six packs of dried marijuana each weighing eight grams. Jiraporn told the officers that he had purchased the marijuana from a friend in Ban Huay Yai, and that he sold it to tourists for 300-500 baht per pack.
All of those arrested were taken to Pattaya Police Station where they were charged.

Finnish motorcyclist killed in head-on collision

Boonlua Chatree
A Finnish tourist riding his motorcycle against the traffic as he attempted to cross Third Road was struck and killed by a car on January 12.

Johannes Sulevi Vafhafaho, 51, was killed when the motorcycle he was driving against traffic struck an automobile.

The accident happened at 12:30 p.m. in front of the VK Center secondhand shop in Central Pattaya. Police and rescue workers from Sawang Boriboon Foundation were called out to the scene, where they found a large crowd of people and a considerable build-up of traffic.
The deceased was identified as Johannes Sulevi Vafhafaho, a 51-year-old citizen of Finland. He was wearing a red shirt and white trousers, and was lying on his back. Death was from head injuries.
Beside the corpse was a black Honda 450 cc motorcycle with a severely damaged front section. At the scene was also a new bronze Honda City automobile whose front section on the left side was damaged from a collision. The left door was caved in, and the windshield was broken where the body of the deceased had collided with it.
Police questioned the driver of the car, a 58-year-old British national named John Edward Falconer, who was staying at View Talay Jomtien 2. Falconer, along with other witnesses, said that the deceased had emerged from a soi and driven his motorcycle at a high rate of speed to cross the road. He had collided hard with Falconer’s vehicle, which was traveling from South Pattaya in the direction of Central Pattaya. The motorcyclist’s head had struck the car’s windshield. He was not wearing a helmet, as it was securely fastened to the side of his motorcycle.
Falconer was provisionally charged with reckless driving that caused an accident, damage to property, and death. The body of Vafhafaho was transferred to Banglamung Hospital and the Finnish Embassy notified of his death.

Japanese man charged over woodlands body case

Boonlua Chatree
A Japanese man has been arrested for the murder of a Japanese businessman found dead in woodland on Soi Rongmohinkao on December 26.
The body had been found at about 7 p.m. when Plutaluang Police Station received a report from a member of the public saying that the corpse of a man had been found near the Monks’ Sanctuary, in Sattahip District.

Sasaki Tochihako (right) has been arrested on a charge of premeditated murder.

Police arriving at the scene noted that the body was naked and bloated, and was almost dried out. The wrists, hands and ankles were cut. Initial estimates were that the man had died 10 days previously. Residents of Soi Rongmohinkao were questioned, but no one on the soi had gone missing and there were no indications as to the man’s identity. It was assumed that he had been killed and brought from another area.
Later during enquiries, Pol Col Nopadol Wongnom, superintendent of Pattaya Police Station received a report from a Japanese man named Kachinori Nakasono, saying that his 67-year-old father Hirochi Nakasono had gone missing. He said that his father had traveled to Thailand on Thai Airways International flight number TG 641, and had landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport. A Japanese man named Sasaki Tochihako driving a hired bronze-colored Toyota car with a Chonburi license plate, number Kor Bor 6109, had collected him from the airport. After that, he had vanished.
Police investigations revealed that the car was known to have been parked outside the residence of 53-year-old Sasaki Tochihako, which is located on Soi Boonkanchanaram in Nongprue Sub-district, Banglamung. A warrant was immediately requested from the court to search the premises.
Tochihako told police that he was the owner of the house. Amongst the items found on the premises were 3,117,000 yen, a Toshiba laptop, and 11 cartons of Peace Lights cigarettes. Kachinori Nakasono confirmed that the assets belonged to his father. Police also searched the car, and kept as evidence a number of cigarette butts found in the ashtray. These were sent to the Forensic Sciences Institute to check for the deceased man’s DNA.
Forensic tests were meanwhile carried out on the dead body, and it was established that the man had been strangled. Blood samples were compared to blood taken from Kachinori Nakasono, and it was confirmed that the murdered man was indeed his father, Hirochi.
Police obtained a warrant from Pattaya Provincial Court, number Jor 55/2551, for the arrest of Sasaki Tochihako on a charge of premeditated murder.
Tochihako has denied all charges, and has made no other comment, saying that he would speak only in a court of law. Pol Col Nopadol has responded that he is sure the police have the right man. Tochihako is now awaiting trial, and the Japanese media has been following the case with great interest.

Magician who made cars vanish is tricked by GPS

Theerarak Suthatiwong
A gang of car thieves led by a well-known magician found themselves behind bars when Banglamung police used a higher form of magic, the Global Positioning System, to pin them down.
Pol Col Sarayuth Sanguanpokai, superintendent at Banglamung Police Station, explained how modern technology was used to trap the gang.
Three people have been arrested. They were named as Silayuth Nuangkanlaya, age 33, the leader of the gang; Thamanoon Tharaporn, 34; and Pongsakorn Thamarat, 18. They had in their possession when arrested tools including a hammer, pliers, a screwdriver, a monkey wrench, an open-ended wrench, a file, a machinist’s vise, and a hacksaw. They also had a bronze-silver Mitsubishi Strata pickup, which was stolen, and a bronze-gold Nissan Frontier pickup that they used to commit their crimes.
On the morning of January 9, Chaiyan Sriboonta, a 26-year-old worker at S-Con Concrete Co Ltd had filed a report with Banglamung Police Station regarding the theft of his bronze-silver Mitsubishi Strata pickup. Chaiyan stated that after he had finished work the previous evening he had driven his pickup back to his residence at the Lukmai Apartment Building on Soi Sukhumvit 81, where he parked the vehicle.
Next morning it was missing. When he reported the theft to the police, he told the officers that the vehicle was equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System).
Police checked the GPS information and discovered that the thieves had taken the vehicle and parked it at Noppartrachthanee Hospital in the Kannayao Sub-district of Bangkok. Officers immediately went to investigate, and found Thamanoon getting out of the vehicle. He was arrested, and the police were able to quickly move in and arrest the other two members of the gang, Silayuth and Pongsakorn, while they were having a meal at the nearby Siam Water Park.
Silayuth confessed that he and his accomplices had stolen Chaiyan’s pickup. Silayuth said he is a magician who performed at the Tawan Daeng Sardsaengduen in Khon Khaen, and that Pongsakorn, who is a relative, assisted him. At the beginning of the year he had performed as a magician at a famous pub on Walking Street in South Pattaya. He performed magic shows around the country and received an income of six or seven thousand baht per show.
He had met Thamanoon in a pub in Nakorn Rachasima Province. They agreed to work together stealing vehicles around the Northeastern region, and they had stolen more than 10 vehicles.
Silayuth said that most of the vehicles they stole were Mitsubishis, and they became skilled at stealing them. He used a screwdriver to break the lock on the driver’s door, and then used pliers to take the lock out. After that he brought the key they had prepared and put it into the keyhole of the ignition. He put the file into the keyhole and ground it. It only took 20 minutes before the key was able to start the vehicle, and Thamanoon would drive it away. Pongsakorn was the lookout man.
The vehicles were sold to a dealer who bought illegal vehicles at the border in Maesord District, in Tak Province. For one vehicle they could get 50-60 thousand baht, and they divided the money to spend on going out to the entertainment areas. Regarding copying the key, Silayuth said he learned how to do the trick from a man in Khon Khaen Province.
Police are now following up on stolen vehicles in areas where the gang was known to operate. As for Silayuth, escapology was not known to be amongst his magician’s repertoire.

Awards go to outstanding teachers

More than 3,000 teachers from 120 schools in the education
area joined the ceremony.

Patcharapol Panrak
Chonburi Education Department Region 3 held a Teacher’s Day presentation on January 16, at which 396 educationalists received awards for their outstanding work during the year.
Watcharin Puthapornpaisit, chairman of the Teacher’s Subcommittee for Chonburi Education Department Region 3 led the ceremony, which took place at the Ambassador City Jomtien Hotel.
More than 3,000 teachers from 120 schools in the education area joined the ceremony, with nine monks invited to perform a Buddhist mantra. Offerings of food were made to the monks.
Watcharin read out a message from the chairman of the Teacher’s Council, Professor Sermsak Wisalaporn, thanking the teachers for their devotion to the profession and for their achievements for society.
Watcharin presented plaques and certificates to a total of 396 administrators, teachers, and officials in education.

PILC and Father Ray Foundation treat the kids of Ban Jing Jai

Members of the Pattaya International Ladies Club and officials from the Father Ray Foundation pose for a fun picture with the children from Ban Jing Jai.

Saksiri Uraiworn
Pattaya International Ladies Club and the Father Ray Foundation jointly presented New Year gifts to the children of Ban Jing Jai on January 16 during a visit to Big C in South Pattaya.
Mrs Rosanne Diamente led the PILC group while Father Lawrence Patin brought administrators from the Father Ray Foundation.
The excited children chose which clothes and other items they wanted, while members of the two organizations handled the purchases. Sweets and ice cream completed a perfect day out for the youngsters.
There were 50 children from Ban Jing Jai aged between six and 13 years. The budget was for each child to have 500 baht worth of gifts.
PILC and the Father Ray Foundation are preparing to hold an event like this every year to assist underprivileged children during the New Year period.

Work to begin on building two clock towers

City will have new landmarks by May

Vimolrat Singnikorn
City hall has prepared a 3 million baht budget to build two clock towers at prominent points within the city, and construction of both is due to be completed by May of this year.

An artist’s rendering of the clock tower to be built in South Pattaya at Bali Hai Pier.
Members of the International Lions Club District 310C led by Banchong Banthunprayuk, president of the Pattaya-Taksin Lions Club visited Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn at Pattaya City Hall on January 11 to discus construction of the two clock towers. The International Lions Club suggested the idea, and city hall will provide most of the funding. Lion will support the budget with 70,000-80,000 baht.
During the meeting Narong Wongwaroo, head of the city architecture department presented models of the two towers, one of which will stand at Lanpho in Naklua, and one at Bali Hai Pier in South Pattaya.
The clock tower at South Pattaya will be the bigger and taller of the two, as this is one of the prime tourist areas of the city and it was felt that a prominent landmark that would act as a meeting point would be appropriate.
Engineers have designed the tower to be 23 meters high, with a square base of 9 x 9 meters. It will be constructed of granite, which has a beautiful natural color and will be able to endure the weather. The tower will have a lotus motif.
The Lanpho clock tower will be 12 meters in height, and will be of similar design to the tower at South Pattaya.
Niran said that city hall has set up a budget of approximately 3 million baht for primary construction of these clock towers, and that work would start in February. Construction would take between three and four months, and the towers and landscaping should be completed by May.

Pattaya will take part in major HIV research program

500 volunteers sought from sexual services sector

Vimolrat Singnikorn
Pattaya City is cooperating with the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences on a one-year project intended to more closely identify the risks of contracting HIV and to decrease the number of HIV infections in the Pattaya City area.
Dr Theera Worathanarat of the Retro Virus Department at the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences had a meeting with Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay on January 16 to discuss the project, in which 500 people are taking part.

Dr Theera Worathanarat
Four countries in total are participating in this project. Three of them are in Africa, namely Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. In Thailand, the fourth country, Pattaya was selected as the area for research because of its large number of tourists and large population of immigrant workers.
The occupation where the risks of HIV transmission are the highest is the sexual services sector, and Pattaya’s large sex industry was felt to be an ideal area for study. By taking a sample of workers from this sector and giving them intensive education on the dangers of HIV and how to avoid infection, the researchers hope to establish a model that can be used elsewhere.
The cooperation of 500 people who live in the Pattaya area is being sought. The volunteers will have to undergo at least six blood tests, keep appointments to receive the results, and attend workshops for knowledge and understanding about the dangers of contracting this disease.
Verawat said that participation in the project is a welcome opportunity for Pattaya to make a significant contribution to the fight against HIV and AIDS.

New site sought for marine tourism pier

Vimolrat Singnikorn
Discussions are being held to decide on the location of a new pier that will serve marine tourism and visiting yachtsmen, following the rejection last year of the proposed site at Bali Hai.
At a meeting at Pattaya City Hall on January 17, deputy chairman of Pattaya Council Urit Nantasurasak discussed with the Marine Department the options available.

Urit Nantasurasak

Earlier, Golden Plan Co., Ltd, Sea Spectrum Co., Ltd., and STS Engineering Consultant Co., Ltd., were hired to undertake research for suitable locations to construct piers for marine tourism on the shores of the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. The results of the research showed that Pattaya City and Surat Thani Province are both suitable locations.
The concept is that the piers would generate more income from marine tourism, and effect greater control over who is landing on Thai shores. At present, many of those arriving by sea land on Thai islands or moor offshore, where they are not checked by Immigration.
At one time there had been a proposal for a pier to be built at Bali Hai in South Pattaya, but Pattaya City Council vetoed the idea because it was felt such a structure would be too intrusive, both in terms of the view and in the number of people using a limited area.
Two other locations are currently being surveyed, one near Lanpho Naklua Market and the other in Na Jomtien. These will be considered in more depth at the next meeting, during which design proposals will also be considered.

Customs DG visits fast-expanding Laem Chabang Port

Laem Chabang Port is ranked 21st worldwide
for the volume of products exported.

Theerarak Suthatiwong
Wisuth Srisuwan, director general of the Customs Department inspected the operations of the Customs Office at Laem Chabang Port on January 14, where Customs Office director Somsak Pojpatinya showed him around the premises.
Laem Chabang Port was ranked 21st worldwide in 2007 for the volume of products exported. During the course of the year, 4.6 million TEU containers passed through the port. Motorized vehicles formed the largest category, followed by gasoline. The United States is the number one destination for goods, followed by China.
Estimates are that in 2011, Laem Chabang Port will be ranked 11th worldwide for volume of exports, owing to the expansion of operations at the port.
Two mobile X-ray machines are used at Laem Chabang to check goods. Officials are posted at 21 locations within the port on the lookout for smuggled items and for radioactivity and any other signs of international terrorism. There are 187 CCTVs installed with eight control rooms to monitor the port on a continuous basis.
In 2007, port officials arrested a total of 98 smugglers for attempting to transport contraband, with the resultant fines totaling 126 million baht. Income for Customs at Laem Chabang Port for 2007 was 25.6 billion baht, 18 percent higher than had been predicted.
An increased budget has allowed the construction of a new Customs Office at Koh Sichang, and more residences have been rented near Laem Chabang Port to improve the living conditions of officials, many of whom had to rent their own property in order to be close to their place of work.
Wisuth said that the Customs Office at Laem Chabang is respected at an international level, and that morale amongst its officials is high.
He added that in the future there is a possibility the United States might be inspecting 100 percent of the containers that enter the country. At present, random checks and searches are used. The regulations would have to be followed closely. More than 10,000 containers are sent every day, and to avoid containers being opened and searched in the US more X-ray machines would be installed at Laem Chabang. Shippers would also have to provide more information, and port officials would have to work more closely with them.

Pattaya accepts environmental guidelines

Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
Pattaya City is working with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on a project designed to help protect the city’s environment.

Usa Kiatchaipipat

On January 16 at Pattaya City Hall, Mrs Usa Kiatchaipipat, director of the Ministry’s Department for the Development of the Community and Special Areas met with Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay to establish the next stage of the project.
A long-term environmental project for Pattaya, working in conjunction with the Ministry, was first mooted in 2003, after which guidelines were discussed and developed involving both sea-based and land-based activities and how they affect the environment.
September this year will see the next phase of the project, and the meeting was held to discuss how to put into practical use the results so far.
Sittiprap Muangkoom, deputy permanent secretary of Pattaya City said that the directives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment would be applied in 2008. Officials from the ministry will next be supplying more detailed information.

Elderly make offerings to monks at ceremony for HRH Princess Galyani

More than 350 people gathered to leave offerings for the priests
and to mourn to HRH Princess Galyani.

Vimolrat Singnikorn
More than 350 elderly people wearing black attire gathered to leave offerings for monks at the Pattaya Public Health Center on January 11 in mourning for Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay and chief advisor to the mayor Itthipol Khunplome attended the religious ceremony, with the senior citizens being members of the Pattaya Elderly Club.
After the ceremony, head of the club Pranee Maneesarn led members in leaving offerings for the monks. At the end of the ceremony, all of the elderly people took part in a raffle to exchange New Year gifts. The contributions at this ceremony will be presented to Nong Or Temple.
Leaving offerings for priests is a Buddhist merit ceremony similar to Kathin, in which offerings are made to all the priests at a temple, usually in November.

Local businesses suffer as prices rise for gasoline and electricity

Kamolthep Malhotra
Increased prices for gasoline, energy and consumer goods have been hitting Thai people hard recently, not least in Pattaya where many local businesses have been struggling, and the announcement by the Minister of Energy that electricity bills would become higher in February has filled many people with gloom.
Hotels, restaurants, shops, the entertainment sector, factories, offices and of course local residents will all feel the increase.
Energy Minister Piyasawat Amaranan said that starting in February electricity prices would be adjusted upwards because of the increasing cost of oil. Thailand obtains its oil from overseas, and the price paid per barrel depends on the price set on the exchange in Singapore.
Piyasawat said that although the government has tried to implement the use of gasohol (a mixture of ethanol and gasoline that can be used in the internal combustion engines of most modern automobiles) and bio diesel fuels, the current problem is that not enough can be produced.
The minister said that the government has been urging industry, commerce and its own departments to save energy. Energy efficient light bulbs are an important part of this campaign, and not only does the widespread of this kind of bulb achieve significant energy savings, it also reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.
Early in January, diesel prices increased to 112 US$/barrel, and benzene is now at 107 US$/barrel.
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand has announced that the cost of electricity will increase 3-4 satang/unit starting in February. The increase in price is mainly based on the cost of fuel, but the value of the baht also has to be taken into account when calculating the new prices.
Retail oil prices in Greater Bangkok as of January 22 were as follows: 32.89 baht/liter for ULG 95 RON, 30.59 baht/liter for UGR 91 RON, 28.89 baht/liter for gasohol 95 - E10, 28.09 baht/liter for gasohol 91 - E10, 29.34 baht/liter for HSD 0.05s, and 28.34 baht/liter for HSD-B5.
Due to these prices, the highest gasoline prices in Thai history, the auto industry has been suffering. Tripetch Isuzu Sales Co Ltd said that the total amount of vehicles sold for 2007 was 631,250. The main market was pickups, which decreased by 9 percent, and private car sales decreased by 11 percent. The overall decrease in sales compared to 2006 was 7.5 percent.
The company says that there are several negative factors, such as the nonstop rises in gasoline prices, inflation, fluctuations in bank credit terms, and an unstable political situation. Even though vehicle companies have mounted various sales campaigns, offering attractive down payment conditions, lowering interest rates to 0 percent, stretching payment plans to 72 months, and throwing free insurance in with the vehicle, they have not been able to motivate consumers to make purchases.
The price of palm oil, which is used in making bio diesel, has increased because of demand, and in fact there is a critical shortage of palm oil in the market. Siripol Yodcharoenmuang, Deputy Minister of Commerce said that the ministry is prepared to control the activities of palm oil producers, implementing the law to see that profiteering does not take place.