Representatives of Chonburi’s mass media present a fruit basket to Chonburi Governor Pracha Taerat, for moral support to continue his works.

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Chonburi Governor Pracha Taerat held a dinner for the media on February 4 to thank them for their help in covering official functions and campaigns during his first year in office.
The event was held at the Honor Pavilion in Chonburi, and in addition to Governor Pracha was also attended by deputy governors Monthian Thongnit and Komsan Ekachai.
Members of the print, broadcast and electronic media attended the dinner. A lucky draw was held with prizes that included 10 TV sets, a fridge, rice cookers and gift baskets. All those attending received a souvenir pen as a memento.
Governor Pracha said that the media has an important role to play in providing official information to the public and also in covering the activities of the administration in an impartial manner. He said that following the code of ethics laid down by the media itself was, however, important for the press, and that any media must always remember that it reflects the society in which it functions.

Philippines Navy commander visits Thai aircraft carrier

Patcharapol Panrak
The commander-in-chief of the Philippines Navy visited the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Fleet on February 5, with the meeting taking place on the board the deck of the HTMS Chakri Naruebet.

Admiral Prawit Srisukwattana (right) and Vice Admiral Rogelio Calunsag (left) exchange gifts and pleasantries on the latter’s official visit to Thailand.

Admiral Prawit Srisukwattana welcomed Vice Admiral Rogelio Calunsag and his group, who were on an official visit to Thailand. A salute was fired from the HTMS Pinklao.
Vice Admiral Calunsag signed the Chakri Naruebet visitor book, and attended a presentation on the operations of the Royal Thai Fleet.
Admiral Prawit said that the visit was designed to more closely develop international relations. The Thai and Philippines navies undertake joint reconnaissance operations annually, and the relationship between them is excellent.

Cleaning contractor urged to improve garbage collection on beach

Pramote Channgam
Pattaya City’s Public Health and Environment Department has directed the contractor responsible for keeping Pattaya Beach clean to be faster and more thorough in its work.

Worachat Kongsamut
Worachat Kongsamut, acting on behalf of the head of the Maintenance, Cleanliness and Waste Disposal Department chaired a meeting on January 30 to discuss the collection and disposal of garbage from the public areas.
Worachat said that following Pattaya City’s appointment of Kaimuk Co., Ltd. to maintain cleanliness in Pattaya, it has been found that the beach is cleaner. However, some parts of South Pattaya, particularly the stretch of beach from the front of Tuk Com to the Pattaya Second Road intersection still has a large amount of refuse. The number of garbage collectors might have to be increased. Another location that has received many complaints is the Wong Amart Beach area, which is still not clean enough.
The Kaimuk representative acknowledged this and said the situation would be corrected as a matter of urgency.
The meeting also directed Somchai Sawetsomboon, general manager of East-West Consortium Management to tend to the odor from the left over garbage on Koh Larn.

Bad timing for French musician’s handbag snatch

Boonlua Chatree
A French musician down on his luck snatched the handbag of a Thai woman, rather unwisely choosing to do so in front of Pattaya Police Station.

Charatthip Udornkhet points to alleged French bag-snatcher Mohamed Almouboudi.

Officers on duty in the early hours of February 2 were advised there was a scuffle going on, and stepped outside to take a look. A small crowd had gathered around Mohamed Almouboudi, a 52-year-old French national who was in a state of drunkenness. He was holding a guitar, and a pink handbag that contained 680 baht, one MP3 player, and one Nokia cell phone. Charatthip Udornkhet, a 33-year-old resident of Udon Thani identified herself as the owner of the handbag.
Charatthip stated that she was sitting and waiting for her friend on the beach, opposite Soi 8, and that they planned to go to Tony’s Pub on Walking Street. Almouboudi came up to her with his guitar and tried to befriend her. She didn’t understand what he wanted. She walked away. Suddenly, Almouboudi came from behind and snatched her handbag, then ran towards Pattaya Police Station a few meters away, where he promptly fell over.
Officers detained the Frenchman in a cell, and charged him with snatching another person’s property.

Woman pickpocket seized at open market

Police believe that Amporn Rachawong (seated, right)
maybe a part of a larger gang of pickpockets.

Theerarak Suthatiwong
A Thai woman who picked the pocket of a Swedish man while he was shopping at the Thepprasit Housing Open Market was caught when she was surrounded and detained by angry vendors.
Miss Amporn Rachawong, 31, of Nontaburi Province was identified by 55-year-old Gunner Christer Hans Karlsson as being the person who had taken his wallet, which contained more than 5,000 baht and personal documents.
Miss Amporn denied stealing the Swede’s property, saying she had merely picked up the wallet when it fell from his trouser pocket and was going to give it back to him. The police did not believe her.
Officers searched Amporn’s bag and discovered two mobile phones and more than 10,000 baht. They said they believed she had stolen the goods from other victims at the market, and that she might be part of a gang of pickpockets.
Earlier, Miss Benjarat Kim, 26, had filed a report that she had had 1,000 baht and her Nokia mobile phone stolen at this market. The officers presented Amporn to her, but Benjarat was not able to positively identify her as the thief. Amporn was detained for questioning and for any suggestions she might be able to give regarding her possible accomplices.

Senior police officer arrested for drunkenly brandishing gun in restaurant

Boonlua Chatree
A police lieutenant colonel from Koh Chan was himself arrested for drunkenly brandishing his gun in a restaurant, giving in to the arresting officers only after a struggle for the weapon.

After waving his gun and scaring customers at a local eatery, Pol Lt Col Watcharin Luang-orn was arrested for drunken behavior and endangering the public.

Pattaya Police Station received a report at 1 a.m. on January 27 from officers at the Pattaya City Radio Police Center, stating that Miss Kaenapa Meepo, owner of the Nongjai restaurant at the Tip Plaza Market alongside Second Road had notified them that there was a very drunk Thai man drinking whiskey and waving a gun at customers.
Officers attending the scene found a man wearing a white T-shirt and carrying a pistol. The man was in a state of extreme drunkenness, and officers saw him approach a group of people in the restaurant. The police surrounded the man. He reacted in anger, and there was a struggle before the gun could be removed from his possession. It was a black 11 mm handgun with a magazine loaded with seven bullets.
The officers took the man outside where his grey-bronze Toyota Vios was parked. He resisted strongly, and attempted to assault members of the crowd that had gathered. He was handcuffed and taken to Pattaya Police Station.
There, the man identified himself as a police officer. He stated his name and rank as Pol Lt Col Watcharin Luang-orn, age 54, a Level 3 inspector of investigation at Koh Chan Police Station. Watcharin attempted to pull rank over the officer on duty, and threatened to file counter charges that he had been wrongfully handcuffed and arrested. The officer responded that Watcharin had been arrested for drunken behavior and endangering the public. The case continues.

Russian victim of snatch-and-run catches two transvestite thieves

Boonlua Chatree
Two transvestites who snatched a gold chain from the neck of a Russian tourist who was walking along Pattaya Beach in the early hours of February 4 were caught when their victim chased after them.

Evidently this is not the first time these two have been caught committing crimes on Pattaya Beach.

Vladimir Ivanov, a 30-year-old Russian citizen was joined by passer-by Miss Supaporn Srijarom, 25, in pursuing the thieves. Supaporn told the police she had been walking along Pattaya Beach near the Tropicana Hotel at Soi 6 when she saw two women of the second category snatch the foreigner’s necklace. However, the victim ran after the thieves and caught them as they tried to ride away on a motorcycle.
Theerakorn Rattanathep, age 26 of Chiang Mai Province and Chalermwut Meekiew, 28, of Chiang Rai Province were arrested. Both were wearing wigs and makeup. Their white and black Honda Wave X 125 motorcycle that had fallen to the ground was impounded. Theerakorn was searched, and a piece of a 14-K gold necklace was found hidden in his crotch. A cross-shaped locket that had been dropped at the scene was identified by the victim as his property.
Ivanov said that he had been walking along the beach when he saw the two transvestites. Chalermwut was the rider of the motorcycle and Theerakorn was the passenger. Theerakorn told his friend to stop the vehicle and they came up to him and tried to invite him to have sex. However, he knew they were transvestites and when he tried to walk away Theerakorn snatched his necklace, breaking it, and ran to the motorcycle.
Miss Supaporn ran in pursuit of the thieves with Ivanov, who grabbed Theerakorn’s collar, and thief and motorcycle fell over together.
Police say that the two transvestites have committed other crimes of theft on Pattaya Beach. They have been detained and charged.

Top tennis players help release sea turtles into the ocean

Patcharapol Panrak
Top tennis players from 40 countries here to attend the Pattaya Women’s Open 2008 took time out on February 4 to visit the beach at Sattahip Bay where, despite heavy rain, they helped to release 30 sea turtles back into the ocean.

Anastasia Rodionova of Russia (right) and her younger sister and doubles partner Arina (left), two tennis stars who played in the Pattaya Women’s Open tennis tournament, pose with their new found friends before releasing them into the sea.
Rear Admiral Chaiwat Sriakarin, commander-in-chief of Air and Coastal Defense Command at the Royal Thai Navy Base in Sattahip welcomed the women players, who were accompanied by general manager of the Dusit Resort Waran Chalermrithichai and head of security Sogkram Karunarithikhun.
The Women’s Open, played from February 2 to 10, carried total prize money of almost US$200,000.

The women tennis stars try to encourage the little turtles to head out into the ocean.
Players and media watched a video on the work of the Royal Thai Navy’s Sea Turtle Preservation Center before touring the center itself where officers showed the visitors how the eggs are hatched and the fledgling turtles fed and taken care of. It takes between three and six months before the turtles are considered to be ready for release into the ocean.
Chaipak Siriwat, chief organizer of the Pattaya Women’s Open then led the players in releasing 30 sea turtles back into the wild at the Sea Turtle Preservation Center Beach.

High prices make for a quiet festival as Year of the Rat begins

Vimolrat Singnikorn
Chinese New Year was low key in Pattaya this year, with the increase in prices for traditional New Year items putting off many buyers and the gold shops reporting less business compared to previous years.

Nittaya Patimasongkroh said that few customers bought gold for Chinese New Year this year.
February 5 was the day of purchase for Thai people of Chinese lineage making preparations for Chinese New Year on February 7, but with prices between 10 and 25 percent higher than last year there was little enthusiasm for spending money.
Pattaya Mail reporters checked out some of the prices of goods in the markets. Stringy pork was priced at 200 baht per kilogram in South Pattaya, whereas it was only 79 baht last year. One fresh chicken including the entrails was 120 baht per kilogram, compared to only 48 baht per kilogram last year.
Kalae was 30 baht per kg, but last year it was 18 baht. Morning Glory was 20 baht per kg, compared to 17 baht last year, and oranges were 35-40 baht per kg compared to 25 baht last year.

Thai people with Chinese lineage were conservative when spending for objects of worship.
Mrs Ni Meechai, a vegetable vendor in South Pattaya said that many of the prices had risen during the Chinese New Year festival. However, the number of buyers had decreased, as people were more careful about spending. Instead of buying 1 kg, they bought only half a kilo, for example. It was noticed that most buyers bought only goods that were necessary. The unstable political climate has affected the economy, and higher prices for animal food products and transportation were pushing up prices.
Gold shops have also been affected. Nittaya Patimasongkroh, at one of the South Pattaya gold shops, said that the price of gold on February 5 was 14,150 baht, but few customers bought gold for ang pao. Even though the number of gold buyers was similar to the previous year, they were not spending as much money. Instead of customers purchasing a 1-baht weight of gold, they would purchase only a 50 satang weight.
The increased price of gold, said Nittaya, was more to do with the international markets, and factors such as the weakened US dollar and the high price of oil.
The morning of February 6 was the day for paying respect to ancestors, according to Chinese tradition. Thai-Chinese people in Pattaya performed their traditional customs, but in a quiet atmosphere. Pattaya City itself was quieter than usual during a Chinese New Year festival, owing to the 100 days of mourning for Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani, who passed away on January 2.

Valentine celebrations quieter this year

Roses - the favorite gift (besides gold) on Valentine’s Day.
This year they’re a bit more expensive, though.

Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
The uncertainty of the national economy with goods being sold at more expensive prices, a higher cost of living and unemployment rates rising have resulted in a quieter Valentine’s celebration this year when compared to last year.
Celebrations have also been dampened by the fact the country is still in the period of a hundred days mourning for Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani.
Pattaya Mail reporters surveying the market a few days before St Valentine’s Day found that less shopping activities were going on to celebrate the event, even though the vendors were displaying attractive selections of gifts such as red roses, red doll bears, heart-shaped pillows and chocolates. The price for a rose is 10 baht for the homegrown species and 100-150 baht for the bigger sizes imported from China, while the dolls and pillows are being sold within the range of 99-2,500 baht.
Some vendors remained buoyant. Surasak Srikraisit, a vendor of dolls said that he has been selling various kinds of doll in Pattaya for over three months and has been offering the Valentine model for about a week, receiving quite a good response with an average 30 to 40 customers a day. “Most of them go for the cheaper prices of around 200 baht, with the average age being about 25 to 30,” said Surasak. “There have been fewer teenagers lately.”
However, a flower seller named Rin, who works in South Pattaya has expressed concern over the orders for red roses this year, saying they are down in number compared to last year. Further, the cost of the roses has gone up to almost double, especially the imported roses from China. Orders that come in are mostly for bouquets of Chinese roses, which are priced at 2,000 baht per bouquet.
Suwanan Wongkaew, or Nong Am, a teenager who was seen shopping for a Valentine’s gift for her special one, told our reporters that despite high prices, sentiment was still important. “This year I am going to buy a red rose which symbolizes the words ‘I love you’ for my special friend for Valentine’s,” she said. “I believe this says what I want to say on this special occasion, and that a white rose would not mean the same thing at all.”

Automotive Focus Group active on Eastern Seaboard

Dr. Iain Corness
The Automotive Focus Group (AFG) is an organization covering people in and around the local auto industry, allowing for a more clearly focused networking to occur. They speak each other’s language!
Under the aegis of the Australian Thai Chamber of Commerce (AustCham), the AFG meetings coincide with the Seaboard Sundowners for general networking after the AFG event.

Outgoing coordinator George Strampp explains the results of the election of AFG office-bearers.

The third quarterly meeting took place last week at the Marriott Resort and Spa, after a plant tour of TRW, where the AFG members familiarized themselves with the very varied workings of TRW in Thailand. Being suppliers of suspension and brake modules (and much more), TRW is involved with the production of many makes of vehicles, and James (Jim) Falla the leader of TRW, was able to show just how they manage the “just in time” procedure with only 90 minutes in which to supply their components to the waiting automakers.
The more formal meeting in the Marriott saw the members being given the results of the election of AFG office-bearers, with outgoing coordinator George Strampp welcoming Mike Diamente of Dana as the new incumbent. Armin Walter of BMW will assist Mike as required. A new position as honorary secretary was filled by Maurice Bromley (GoIndustry). Others elected were Jim Falla (TRW) and assistant Karsten Thrane (UTI) as tours and meetings facilitators, Uli Kaiser (Interstar) for IT and communications and Dr Iain Corness (Pattaya Mail and ASEAN Autobiz) as PR and Media representative.
The meeting was also given a short address by Sanjay Lamba, the executive general manager - purchasing with the Automotive Alliance Thailand (AAT). He advised all the members that AAT were very much committed to the auto industry in this country, having already spent $1 billion on the initial set-up of the 50/50 joint venture of Ford/Mazda. With 166 local suppliers to the plant, AAT is then an important member of the automotive community on the Eastern Seaboard.
Sanjay also spoke on the further development of the site, with another $500 million investment over the next 12 months, building new lines for the exciting B-Car project which will roll out Mazda and Ford variants at the end of 2009 or beginning 2010.
Whilst full details of the B-Car project cannot at this stage be revealed, Sanjay did inform the AFG members that both gasoline and diesel engines would be offered for the small cars, with Ford already having the most popular small cars in Europe and E20 gasoline compatible engines in this country.

Fourth training camp will be held for vagrant children

Vimolrat Singnikorn
Pattaya City is to stage its fourth Sai Yai Rak Youth Camp for vagrant children, and will select 30 youngsters considered to be most at risk from sexual exploitation and drug use for a 45-day training period beginning late in April.

Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn reiterated that the children’s behavior will be kept track of after the Sai Yai Rak Youth Camp is complete.

Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn chaired a meeting at Pattaya City Hall on February 1 to discuss the arrangements for the camp. Amongst the personnel on the organizing committee are representatives from the Supanimit Foundation of Thailand, the Fountain of Life, YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center, Wiwat Polamuang School, and the Royal Thai Navy Region 3.
Wutisak said the first Sai Yai Rak Youth Camp was set up in 2005, with the purpose of supporting and educating homeless children and youngsters who mostly leave home because of family problems. The training is designed to instill a sense of responsibility and direction in the youngsters, and also to train them in vocational skills so that they can earn a living without recourse to commercial sex or drug peddling.
The fourth camp is now being prepared, said Wutisak, and 30 youngsters will take part. The camp is scheduled for the period April 29 to June 12, a total of 45 days, and will be held at Wiwat Polamuang School, in Royal Thai Navy Region 3. Arrangements are being made to monitor the progress of the youngsters after the course is completed.

Award for 4-year-old boy who fought his mother’s attacker

Young Suthirat receives an award for helping save his mother from an attacker.

Patcharapol Panrak
A four-year-old boy who attacked a man who was attempting to rape his mother has been presented with an award by the Sattahip District Administrative Organization.
The boy’s mother, Mrs Jiranan Klinhom, 23, filed a report with Sattahip Police Station alleging that Weeraman Photisarn, 29, assaulted her and attempted to rape her. She said that while she was trying to defend herself, her four-year-old son Suthirat, who attends the Children’s Nursery Development Center at Khao Kantamas Temple in Sattahip, came to her help by hitting Weeraman.
Jiranan said she bit Weeraman’s arm and was able to run from the house, whereupon her attacker fled the scene.
On February 4, police obtained a warrant of arrest for Weeraman from Pattaya Provincial Court. Weeraman is a former attendee at the Wiwat Polamuang drug rehabilitation program, and was an employee at a shop in Ban Chang Market in Rayong.
Paroj Malakul na Ayutthaya, leader of the Sattahip Sub-district Administrative Organization heard about Suthirat’s brave behavior from Mrs Rattana Ta-Ngarm, a 19-year-old assistant at the Children’s Nursery Development Center, who told him that the media was paying attention to the boy.
Paroj organized a ceremony on February 5 to present an award and gifts to Suthirat, saying that his behavior was an outstanding example to children everywhere. Suthirat’s teachers said that the lad is a very polite and outgoing individual.