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HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Wriggle room only for python passenger

Jockeying begins for new city council as present term nears its end

HRH Princess Sirindhorn names new building at Redemptorist School

Welfare allowance budget drawn up for 2008

Lotus Express given green light

Ronakit says progress is being made on reclaiming beach from sprawl of vendors

Alisa Phanthusak receives Royal Award

City hall considers IT system for new hospital

Tourist Police make clean sweep of Walking Street

Finnish motorcyclist killed in head-on collision

Japanese man charged over woodlands body case

Magician who made cars vanish is tricked by GPS

Awards go to outstanding teachers

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

Work to begin on building two clock towers

Pattaya will take part in major HIV research program

New site sought for marine tourism pier

Customs DG visits fast-expanding Laem Chabang Port

Pattaya accepts environmental guidelines

Elderly make offerings to monks at ceremony for HRH Princess Galyani

Local businesses suffer as prices rise for gasoline and electricity


Wriggle room only for python passenger

Theerarak Suthatiwong
A 2.5-meter long python that had hidden itself under a baht bus parked in front of Mike Shopping Mall caused considerable excitement not to mention traffic chaos in the early hours of January 13.
Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Radio Center received a call just after midnight from a member of the public to say that the snake had slithered from Soi Diana across Pattaya Second Road, where it had gone to ground under a baht bus parked there awaiting passengers.
Vehicles passing through the area had to be stopped to avoid an accident, and rescuers spent more than 30 minutes catching the python.
The baht bus was a blue Isuzu Dimax with the number 576. The snake had wrapped itself around the axle and calmly fallen asleep. Once the Sawang Boriboon snake handler had the reptile safely under control, many people from amongst the crowd of excited onlookers came to touch it for good luck. The snake was a female, fat and measuring 2.5 meters in length.
Baht bus owner Somporn Failui, a 38-year-old resident of Naklua, said that he had parked his vehicle in front of Mike Shopping Mall on Second Road to wait for passengers. The snake had slithered from Soi Diana and crossed Pattaya Second Road, heading in the direction of his vehicle. Traffic passing through this area had braked, and an accident had almost occurred.
Rescuers put the snake into a bag in order to release it back into the wild. Police believe it may have belonged to someone who took it around the bars for tourists to have their photographs taken.


Jockeying begins for new city council as present term nears its end

Itthipol Khunplome has 50-50 chance of being elected mayor says Niran

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Pattaya City Council will complete its term towards the end of March and preparations are being made to elect a new mayor and councilors.
Itthipol Khunplome, at present chief advisor to the mayor, made it clear a year ago that he would be running for the top job, and he has been talking to members of the council he expects to have on his team in the event of being elected.
It is anticipated that four or five of the existing council members will not be on the new council when it is formed.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn told Pattaya Mail that a meeting had been held to consider the 24 people who will become members of Pattaya City Council for the next term. There are many people who have been in Pattaya politics for a long time, such as three former mayors of Pattaya City, he said. They were invited to the selection process, as was Sontaya Khunplome, chairman of the We Love Chonburi Party, who is the final judge.
Positive and negative factors will be studied from the political work of each person, said Niran, with each potential member rated as to his or her social standing, political instincts and sense of duty towards the community and country.
The ability to work as part of a team is also important, said the mayor, because personal opinions amongst individuals might be strong but the council must work as a coordinated body for the benefit of the city.
Niran said that anyone who applies for selection and who is not chosen might be considered for the next term. He estimated that four or five people on the present council would not go forward to the new term. It was all part of the process of renewal, which is ultimately for the good of the city.
Niran added that he felt the chances of Itthipol being elected mayor are about 50-50, and said that the candidate needs to campaign vigorously in the remaining brief period open to him.
Mayor Niran’s term finishes on March 27. A committee in Chonburi Province will set the exact date for the next election.


HRH Princess Sirindhorn names new building at Redemptorist School

Teachers and students at the Redemptorist School in Pattaya gather to officially christen the Wattanathorn building.

Vimolrat Singnikorn
The Redemptorist Center has announced that the new multi-purpose building opened at the Redemptorist School will be known as the Wattanathorn Building, the name bestowed upon it by Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn, who had officially opened the building on February 15 last year.
Making the announcement on January 2, Father Lawrence Patin, who heads the Redemptorist Center in Pattaya and also the Father Ray Foundation said that during the official opening ceremony Her Royal Highness had referred to the building as “the multi purpose building”, as she had not at the time granted the name.
On Saturday August 11, said Fr Lawrence, the Redemptorist School had received a letter from the Office of His Majesty’s Principal Private Secretary Jitlada concerning the building’s name. It was to be named the Wattanathorn Building, meaning “building with care and prosperity”, following the wishes of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn. Her Royal Highness also gave her initial title of “Sor Tor” to place in the upper portion of the building’s name.
Teachers and students from the Redemptorist School gathered to hold a Christian ceremony for the official naming of the building.
The Redemptorist School was opened in 1987 for teaching electronics and computers to disabled people, orphans, and underprivileged people free of charge. With their new skills, they would be able to find work. Disabled people from throughout the country have attended classes here.
The school subsequently expanded to include disabled women, but was restricted in the dormitory space available for them. The existing building was a two-story wooden structure with no elevator, which made it difficult for wheelchair users, and the bathroom facilities were inadequate.
A project to construct a new building was therefore started. Wattanathorn Building is a three-story structure with a ground area of 18 x 52.5 meters and available space of 2,100 square meters. It has eight rooms, consisting of a library and a conference room on the first floor, a computer room, a language lab, a study room and a classroom on the second floor, and a female study room and recreation room on the third floor.
An access ramp and an elevator have been included for wheelchair users, and there is an international standard security system.


Welfare allowance budget drawn up for 2008

Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
Pattaya City will for the fifth consecutive year present an allowance to the elderly, the disabled, and people living with HIV.

Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn presents the allowances to the elderly folks.
The committee that handles the disbursement of the allowance met at Pattaya City Hall on January 15 to decide on the 2008 payments, with the meeting led by Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, assisted by Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn.
Wutisak said that the welfare allowance has been distributed since 2004. Pattaya City provides a budget from the Department of Social Development and Welfare to support allowances for three categories of people: the impoverished elderly and the disabled, and people living with HIV.
Surveys monitor those in need, with officials visiting the homes of those who are nominated. Data is collected and pictures taken for presentation to the committee for consideration. The budget is divided so that the recipients receive monthly payments of 500 baht each.
Wutisak said that guidelines have been drawn up to assess the degree of poverty, and that the assessment is made in each case on this basis. The name of the potential recipient is posted on the Pattaya City announcement board for 15 days. In the event that there are no objections, then the person can obtain the right for support.
There are, however, no such requirements regarding the allowance for people living with HIV, said Wutisak. People have only to send their names to the Pattaya City Social Welfare Department.
There were 273 people that received the monthly allowance from Pattaya City up till the 2008 budget year. They consisted of 81 people receiving allowances in 2005, 74 people in 2006, 35 people in 2007, and 83 people for 2008. Officials from the Krung Thai Bank South Pattaya Branch came to assist the people receiving the allowance, by opening bank accounts for their monthly deposits.


Lotus Express given green light

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The first Tesco Lotus Express retail outlet in Pattaya took another step towards completion on January 14, despite the fierce opposition of local shopkeepers, when a second public hearing revealed the majority of residents to be in favor of the store.
The Thai Union Against Foreign Retailers has actively lobbied against the store, and construction was halted towards the end of last year to clarify the status and legality of the work.
Tesco Lotus had carried out its own research, which showed that the majority of people in Pattaya were in favor of the store. Local retailers, however, had vehemently opposed the results, and Pattaya’s mayor had suggested a second public hearing be undertaken.
The results of that second hearing have revealed that the majority of residents are in favor of Tesco Lotus Express.
On January 14 at Pattaya City Hall, Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn chaired the second public hearing for people in 27 communities regarding the acceptance of the Tesco Lotus Express on Soi Nernplabwan in Central Pattaya.
Niran said that the situation has confused many people. City hall had examined the construction work and the permissions granted to use the area, and found that everything was approved correctly. However, those in opposition to the project continue to accuse Pattaya administrators of having a special interest in the large department store chain. That, said Niran, is not true at all.
If anyone still has doubts about the permission for constructing Tesco Lotus Express on Soi Nernplabwan, then they can verify the details at any time, he added. Pattaya City has operated according to the law and the Ministry of Interior regulations. It has acted throughout for the benefit of the local inhabitants.
Tawit Chaisawangwong, chairman of Pattaya council said that checks have been made to ensure that there has been no suspicious activity regarding the granting of permissions. He said that all such processes are based on the law, and that a section exists in city hall to verify the procedures of government officials.
Representatives of the Rungruang Community, which is in the same construction area as Tesco Lotus Express, said that the general point of view amongst residents is that local retailers and foreign retailers have their own customers, and that the two groups of customers are not the same.
Shoppers will use their own discretion. Local retailers should have confidence in what they offer, and in the service they give. Consumers will find what they want for themselves. If a higher price means better quality, they will pay the higher price.
There were 228 people at this second public hearing. Of these, 156 people voted for Tesco Lotus Express and 69 people were against. Two people abstained and there was one spoiled paper (invalid ballot).
After the results were announced, there were still some people who were not satisfied. They questioned Niran, who said that the results of this second public meeting would be submitted to the governor of Chonburi for final consideration.

For the second time during an open community meeting, it became apparent
that most residents in the area are for, and only a select few are against,
building a Tesco Lotus Express on Soi Nernplabwan.


Ronakit says progress is being made on reclaiming beach from sprawl of vendors

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Action is being taken to implement the Chonburi governor’s policy on closer control of Pattaya’s beach concessionaires, reclaiming for public use more than 50 percent of the area that had been taken up by the undisciplined sprawl of the plots occupied by umbrella and sun-bed vendors.

Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh (front right) leads officers on a visit to the entrepreneurs on Jomtien Beach.

The policy now is that one concessionaire can possess only one lot, although as compensation they are allowed to increase their area from 7 x 7 meters to 8 x 7 meters.
On January 15, Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh along with Amnuay Sompongtham, who is a councilor and also chairman of the Jomtien Beach Bed and Umbrella Club, visited Jomtien Beach to talk to the vendors there. Accompanying them were officials from the Pattaya Public Health and Environment Department and the law enforcement division.
Governor Pracha Taerat had late last year issued a directive that will result in closer control of the use of the beaches by vendors. A plan was drawn up that will reclaim 50 percent of the area currently occupied by concession holders, which will mean canceling the rights of possession of some of them. In future, the policy will be for one vendor to have only one plot. A committee has been formed to oversee the implementation of the new regulations, removing any involvement of politicians.
Ronakit said that there has been significant progress in the rearranging of plots, with new areas drawn up for 730 concession holders, and that the total area is being measured to ensure the governor’s policy regarding the 50 percent reclamation is followed.
Once everything is finalized, he said, the plan would be submitted to Pattaya City council and to Chonburi Province. When agreement is reached, bids would be invited for the new concessions.


Alisa Phanthusak receives Royal Award

Alisa Phanthusak (left) was one of ten women to receive a prestigious Royal Award.

This year the Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women under the Royal Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawalee is celebrating its 25th Anniversary by presenting a Royal Award to 10 outstanding Thai women.
The Royal Award recognizes the valuable work, outstanding life and contribution made to society by these 10 women.
Ms. Alisa Phanthusak, assistant managing director of Tiffany’s Show, has been granted this prestigious award for her outstanding work.
The presentation took place on Thursday, January 17, 2008 at the Wipawadi ballroom at Sofitel Centara.


City hall considers IT system for new hospital

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.