HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Pavement obstructions

Amazing Thailand

Is this really a civil society?

Repeal the smoking ban

Re bar closures

Tea time?

Second hand smoke

Pavement obstructions

Editor;
I was very interested to read the recent letter on the bad site of the traffic police box on Third Road. Whilst I have great respect for Thai people and, in fact, have a Thai partner, I am sure most farangs will agree that Thais are not great walkers, when there is a motorbike taxi to hand. But the vast majority of visitors to Thailand come from countries where they expect safe walking pavements and the Thai authorities should take this on board. Apart from the above mentioned infamous police box, there are numerous obstructions or potholes wherever you walk. If Pattaya wants to become a serious family resort it needs to take heed of this.
Cav
London UK

Amazing Thailand

Dear Editor,
I have lived in Thailand for some years now and have never been so happy in my life. Some ex-pats do not seem to realise that the Western way of thinking does not compute with the Thai way of thinking. That is what makes living here so interesting. Nothing is what it seems, and nothing seems what it is, it’s Disney World, Alice in Wonderland combined!
I remember reading a quote from a journalist many years ago, ‘In Thailand proposing a law, passing a law, obeying a law and enforcing a law in are four completely separate issues, not one having any relationship to the other,’ which I think pretty well sums things up.
Corruption is a fact of life that even the present PM seems to think is perfectly normal and acceptable, and certainly the last PM was a prime example. But then so it is in many other countries. Thailand is not alone.
This letter in the Bangkok Post thinks it hits the nail, ‘Op de Kop’ as we say where I came from, ‘I, as a British subject, would like to thank the Thai people for allowing a businessman to come to England and invest so much Thai money in our country, buying sports clubs, numerous houses and reputedly spending large sums on his daily lifestyle. I would like to say as an Englishman that all Thai businessmen are welcome here to obtain passports, buy land and houses as well as companies here. We only need a few more like him and we can kiss the backpackers and the average tourists goodbye! I am so happy our British business people cannot get passports and buy land, properties and businesses in Thailand because they might suck large amounts of money out of my country. Thank you Thailand and keep up the good work.’
Loved it!
Enjoy Thailand for what it is, don’t try to make it like where you came from. If you were so happy there why are you living in Thailand?
RW

Is this really a civil society?

Editor;
Having lived here for almost 22 years I can tell you from experience that civility has drained far better from Thai Society than the 3 foot deep water that turned Sukhumvit into a lake last Tuesday. What happened to the beautiful Thai people? One only has to venture onto the roads to see hideous examples of Thai drivers harming Thai drivers.
Where has the civility gone in this supposed civil society? Put on your turn signal and try to merge into the fast lane and you will find almost 100 percent that the person who is driving more than one block behind you will stomp his foot on the pedal so that you cannot get in front of him. Why was it not important to be where you are now when you didn’t want to merge into the lane and why did he have to try to keep you from getting in front of him? Surely this cannot be a tenet of harmonious living as taught in Buddhism.
I see horrible examples daily where people will show no courtesy to others. Watch a woman with a child try to cross any street and you will see drivers increase their speed so the woman cannot cross. Don’t even mention the baht buses because they are beneath contempt. Wealthy or poor, the behavior is the same. What I see now after 22 years is not a slow decay of morals and ethics, but a rapid plunge into a society that seems only to care about themselves and money.
Fender benders have turned into a way for people to make easy money by using the police to extort foreigners. Fabricated damage is not something new in this process as the foreigner is threatened and squeezed until the money is no more.
Many people believe they will be reincarnated when they die and if you ask them they will tell you that they will come back to Thailand as a Thai. If you live a miserable life, hurt countless people and only think of yourself and how much you can get from someone, what on earth makes these people think they will come back as anything more than a gnat flying around the tail of a hyena or jackal in the remotest part of Africa? Isn’t that what they deserve? I have always lived by the golden rule and believe you reap what you sow.
For some, coming back as a disease or virus might be too good for them.
Colonel Lloyd Bonafide
United States Marine Core, retired
Jomtien Condotel

Repeal the smoking ban

Dear Editor;
As you know, many of us visiting Pattaya are on a strict budget. Those of us that want to smoke but are too cheap to buy cigarettes could simply stick our head into a bar for a minute or two and get a second hand nicotine fix. Now this simple pleasure is being denied to us. I personally find flatulence in a confined space much more offensive than smoking. Why doesn’t the government do something about this obnoxious problem as well?
Regards,
Bill Turner
California, USA

Re bar closures

Dear Sir;
Regarding the four day drinking ban at bars, there is always a lot of indignation about the days when bars are forced to close. This will be either due to elections or Buddhist/Royal events. I would not be at all indignant if I felt these bans were enforced everywhere and were supported by Thais. As an experienced traveller in Thailand, I can guarantee you the following. All 4 and 5 star hotels will be serving alcohol as normal in all their bars and restaurants. All Thai owned shops of any size will be selling alcohol as usual. All bars owned by Thais for Thais outside of the South Pattaya/Beach Road entertainment centres will be selling alcohol as usual. Police will only be patrolling the main entertainment centres looking for bars to fine. So that means Walking Street, sois between Beach and Second, Sunee, etc., will all be closed and visiting tourists will be thinking, ‘I thought this was supposed to be an internationally ranked resort where you can have fun, so what the hell is going on?’ The most heavily watched bars will be beer and sex bars, both gay and straight catering for farangs, and, naturally, any bar owned by a farang.
As is always the case, it all boils down to money, fines levied, and the chance for the authorities to paint a positive picture of themselves. As soon as the police go off duty, they will head for a bar to have a drink.
Thai watcher

Tea time?

Editor;
Visiting The Regent’s School International Day we had a nice confrontation with the police, just before arriving there from Jomtien. They were standing there with 3 people and a big car just making some coffee money.
Wearing no helmet, I had to pay 200 baht; when I asked him for the ticket he informed me that that would be 400 baht, which I had to pay at the police station. That is what they call corruption and blackmail at the same time.
Who can change this kind of attitude?
Dutchie

Second hand smoke

Editor;
Last week’s issue announced yet another ineffective smoking ban - this time “to save our children”. Sounds good but, until the real pollution culprits are dealt with, this minor step is akin to a ripple in the ocean.
Carbon monoxide is the killer and yes, it is in cigarette smoke but much more so in the thousands of vehicles (cars, trucks, busses, motor bikes), having minimal or no pollution controls on Thailand streets every day.
If we really want to save lives and, not just say it, then Thailand should:
1) Set strict regulations on pollution controls of new vehicles coming into Thailand
2) Test the emissions of existing vehicles and “ban” those not meeting the standards
3) Inform and then issue violations to tour bus operators, delivery vehicles, and mini buses, who leave their engines running at the curb, sometimes for hours. At any given time there are 4-6 tour buses, engines running at idle, parked in my hotel driveway.
Doing just one of the above, any single one, would remove more carbon monoxide in a day than a thousand smokers produce in a month, but - it is easier, cheaper, and infinitely more popular to ban smoking. Next, a ban on sex and alcohol - equally ineffective.
Although my previous letters did not object to a smoking ban, some of your readers saw something that wasn’t there. Let me be specific - have a smoking ban, just do not believe it will reduce the number of smokers or, clean up already heavily polluted air. When you concentrate on one area it is easy to ignore other pollutants such as exhaust systems from factories, restaurants, vehicles, burning trash, outdoor food cooking carts, etc.
Let us for a moment imagine the ideal situation craved by most non smokers - no smoking anywhere, anytime. Globally, conservatively, a million people would be out of work, millions would lose their retirement funds invested in some of the many other companies (candy, snack foods) owned by the tobacco companies and last, but surely not least, where would countries, worldwide, replace the $90,000,000,000 - yes, 90 billion US dollars paid in taxes by the companies, their now unemployed workers and, of course, the smokers.
That scenario leaves us with nations having to treble welfare compensation; ditto for health care now paid for by most of the evil tobacco companies, and a 15/20% raise in income taxes!
Heart disease is the leading cause of death and much of that is attributed to obesity. So, in addition to the smoking ban, tax the hell out of fast food suppliers and consumers. The same could be done with makers of scented products which many find objectionable and allow no animal fats to be used in cooking. And on, and on...
Personally I find it very difficult to share my already small airplane, bus, or cinema seat with a fat person so, set weight standards, and tax fatties. Hell, lets ban and/or tax everything we don’t like.
Get real you banners, stay away from smokers, perfume laden women/men, we don’t wish to be around you either as most are not fun (read - gregarious, outgoing) people. Hmm? maybe we should tax dull?
Don Aleman

Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail
are also published here.