|
Arson suspected
in BMW blaze
Boonlua Chatree
The owner of a BMW that burst into flames during the night of March
15 believes that the incident was arson, rather than the result of a leaking
LPG fuel tank.
Police at Dongtan Sub-branch received a report at 4:30 a.m. that a car was
ablaze in a parking lot on Thepprasit Soi 73, and officers went to the scene
along with the Pattaya Fire Brigade.
They found a light green BMW series 320 with a Bangkok license plate burning
in the lot. Several owners of cars in the same parking lot had already woken
and moved their vehicles away from the area. The fire was a powerful one,
with occasional explosions, and it took firefighters 15 minutes to bring the
blaze under control. Only the car’s metal frame was left.
The owner was identified as Nawin Thongsa-ard, age 44, of Pathumthani. He
resides in the rented room next to the lot with his wife. Nawin stated that
he bought this used car from a friend many years ago, and never had any
problems with it. He had fitted the vehicle with an LPG gas tank nearly five
years ago.
He had returned from work and parked the car in the parking lot at about 8
p.m. on March 14. Later he had gone to bed, and was woken up by his neighbor
who told him that his car had burst into flames. It was on fire from the
outside, and spread to the inside of the car very quickly. He immediately
notified the police and the fire brigade.
A Belgian tourist supplied police with an eyewitness account. He said that
he was on the balcony on the 18th floor of View Talay Condo, which is
located behind the rented room. He saw two men throw something at the car,
which caused the blaze. He immediately came down and rode his motorcycle to
the scene. Two men of Chinese appearance ran out and fled on a motorcycle
that had been parked in a nearby deserted soi. He followed them, but
couldn’t catch them.
Nawin said that the fact the fire started on the outside of the car and
spread inwards was suspicious. Also, he had never had any problems with the
LPG tank leaking. He believed that he is the victim of arson, and told
police he had had problems with his former employers regarding compensation.
He had taken them to court but lost his claim. He said it was possible
somebody was attempting to teach him a lesson.
Police said that forensic officers will be checking the car and the
immediate area, and that witness accounts are being investigated.
Enraged elephant attacks woman on beach
Theerarak Suthatiwong
An elephant entertaining tourists on the beach during the afternoon
of March 8 suddenly became enraged and injured a woman tourist before
running into the sea.
Officers from Banglamung Police Station and rescue workers from Sawang
Boriboon Foundation were called out to the scene of the incident, in front
of the Jae Juk restaurant in Naklua.
 Sea
Rescue keeps a close eye on the elephant, hoping it doesn’t try to swim out
into deeper water.
They found an unconsciousness woman named Ms Porn-Uma Pasukmuang, age 24, a
resident of Nakhon Srithammarat. Her face was black and blue. The officers
transferred her to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital for treatment.
The elephant was standing in the sea 30 meters away from the scene. Police
contacted the sea rescue unit to closely follow the elephant with a rubber
raft, obstructing the animal so it would not go into deeper water. After
about an hour the elephant had calmed down, and allowed its mahout to place
a chain around its ankle.
The mahout, 35-year-old Yai Chanla from Surin stated that he had brought the
two-year-old elephant named James from Surin to display at Nong Nooch
Tropical Garden. However, there was not yet any work there for them, so he
brought the elephant to sell sugar cane to tourists on the beach at the Jae
Juk restaurant. Normally, said Yai, the elephant was playful and had never
injured anyone.
Ms Oraya Pasukmuang, 28, the injured woman’s sister stated that she had come
for a vacation to Pattaya with four members of her family, and they had a
meal at the Jae Juk restaurant. While they were waiting to pay their bill, a
mahout came to sell sugar cane and bananas. Her sister bought one plastic
bag of sugar cane, and intended to give it to the elephant, but the bag fell
to the ground. She bent down to pick it up, and the elephant believed that
she was grabbing its food. It first struck Porn-Uma, causing her to fall to
the ground, and then tried to crush her. The mahout stayed close to the
animal but couldn’t control it.
Yai has been detained for further questioning.
Senior police officers inspect entertainment outlets
High rank officers in the
local constabulary have been touring Walking Street
in South Pattaya, making sure everything is in order.
Boonlua Chatree
Police led by senior officers have been patrolling Pattaya’s
entertainment outlets to ensure that the laws are being adhered to.
Pol Lt Gen Jetanakorn Napeetapat, commander-in-chief of Provincial Police
Region 2, Chonburi Provincial Police commander Pol Maj Gen Bandit Khunachak
and superintendent of Pattaya Police Station Pol Col Nopadol Wongnom have
been checking the outlets along Walking Street and other areas of the city.
Pol Lt Gen Jetanakorn said that more than 1,000 entertainment establishments
including pubs, bars, discotheques, karaoke lounges and restaurants have
been inspected, and that the police had received good cooperation from
everyone.
The officers are checking to see if the outlet licenses are up-to-date and
valid, to make sure that no obscene or inappropriate shows are being staged,
that licensed premises are closing at the required time of 1 a.m., and that
no one is carrying weapons into the outlets. Observance of the new law
banning smoking is also being monitored.
Pol Lt Gen Jetanakorn said that the inspection is being undertaken in
response to national policy.
Chanyuth pushes for commission to resolve water supply problem
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Former Chonburi MP Chanyuth Hengtrakul is urging the formation of a
commission to resolve the water shortages that are continually threatening
Pattaya, saying that this is an international tourism destination and that
the situation warrants more attention than it has yet been given.
 Former
Chonburi MP Chanyuth Hengtrakul (right) says not enough is being done to
address the water shortage problem in Pattaya. PBTA President Jamroon
Wisawachaipan (left) looks on.
Chanyuth was addressing the monthly meeting of the Pattaya Business and
Tourism Association on March 12.
He said that despite the enormous revenue Pattaya generates, the city still
does not have enough tap water. This seriously impacts upon people’s lives
and upon business, and it hurts the tourism industry upon which the city is
founded. Unless a serious remedy is found, the problem would only get worse
in future.
Chanyuth said that it is not even possible to identify the reasons for the
water deficiency. Only temporary measures are taken to relieve the problem,
and there is no reliable information on the underlying reasons for the
shortages and what is causing them.
A total of only 90,000 people have house registrations, said Chanyuth, but
actually there are more than 300,000 people living in the city. This is 300
percent more than the official figure.
Chanyuth said that this year there are extra funds of about 50 million baht
to increase the water supply. Production of filtered water at the
Nongklangdong Water Treatment Plant would be increased from 1,500 cubic
meters of water per hour to 2,000 cubic meters, using a budget of
approximately 20 million baht. Banglamung Water Treatment Plant will have
its production increased from 1,000 cubic meters per hour to 1,500 cubic
meters. However, the long-term solution to the problem is to have more areas
to store untreated water. The rate of production of treated water has
significantly increased, but there are not enough areas for storing
untreated water. This is because only untreated water from East Water Co Ltd
or the Irrigation Department is being used.
Paitoon Orachorn, assistant director of the Provincial Waterworks Authority
said that a major problem in the past had been leaking pipes, but these were
now being continually maintained. The project for increasing production at
the two treatment plants at a 50 million baht budget was underway.
The Provincial Waterworks Authority has a long-term plan to raise 803
million baht from private organizations for the 2009-2010 budgets. This
would increase production from 3,500 cubic meters per hour to 9,500 cubic
meters. This means an increase of 220,000 cubic meters of water per day, the
current figure being 120,000 cubic meters per day, and would be able to
support the city’s growth for up to five years.
The meeting agreed that a commission should be formed to find a permanent
solution to the problem.
Telegram falls victim to modern-day communications technology
The telegraph is headed for
Thai communication
history from the beginning of May.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Thailand’s telegram service will cease on May 1, a victim of newer
communications technologies such as cellphones, email, instant messaging and
online money orders that have rendered the 133-year-old service obsolete.
CAT Telecom Public Co Ltd had last year advised the National
Telecommunications Commission that it planned to close its telegram service,
and had received affirmation on June 21.
CAT says that these days instant communications are available for everyone,
and that the number of telegrams being sent had dwindled to insupportable
levels. There were also difficulties in maintenance for the aging telegram
equipment, as the spare parts were no longer manufactured.
A telegram costs 1 baht per word with a minimum cost of 10 baht. Currently
about 100 telegrams are being sent every month, resulting in a monthly
income of about 5,000 baht. However, the overheads for CAT amount to about
25 million baht a month.
CAT says that the highest volume of telegram usage was in March 1995, which
registered an incoming 487,984 telegrams and more than 500,000 outgoing.
Thailand’s telegram service began in 1875. The Bureau of Defense installed
the first telegraph line from Bangkok to Paknam (present day Samutprakarn),
laying a cable under the sea to the lighthouse that warned of the sandbar at
the mouth of the Chao Praya River. Total length of the cable was 45 km. In
1883 the Bureau of Posts and Telegraph was formed for public use of the mail
and telegram facilities.
Entertainment operators told to be on lookout for staff taking drugs
Entertainment venue
entrepreneurs attend training
on how to detect drug use in employees.
Saksiri Uraiworn
Training has been held for the operators of entertainment outlets to
enable them to more closely monitor their staff for illegal drugs use.
The training session took place on March 11 at the Thappraya meeting room at
Pattaya City Hall, and was formally opened by deputy governor of Chonburi
Province Komsan Ekachai.
Also present were Banglamung District Chief Mongkol Thammakittikhun and
superintendent of Pattaya Police Station Pol Col Nopadol Wongnom. More than
60 representatives of entertainment outlets took part.
Deputy Governor Komsan said that drug use is spreading throughout Chonburi
Province, and that the entertainment industry provides one of the prime ways
of distributing narcotics. Therefore the cooperation of business operators
is being sought in monitoring their employees for the sale or consumption of
drugs.
Those attending the training were shown how random urine tests for employees
helps to prevent drugs use as well as detect drugs being consumed, and how
to spot the symptoms of narcotics use.
The Ministry of Interior is responsible for the implementation of anti-drugs
laws. Entertainment outlets come under the Entertainment Establishment Act
of 1966, which stipulates the withdrawing of licenses in the event of drugs
being found on the premises.
Sonthaya speaks out against those
tarnishing the Khunplome family name
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Sonthaya Khunplome has spoken out against people who he says are
slandering him and his political party, declaring that he is afraid they
will damage the good reputation of his family.
 Sonthaya
Khunplome talks about being slandered by opponents.
Speaking at a news conference organized on March 13 in the meeting room at
the Rao Rak Chonburi office in Bangsaen Sub-district, the former Minister of
Tourism and Sports said there was a group of people with ill intentions
broadcasting rumors damaging his and his family’s reputations.
Sonthaya said that some of the rumors concern the alleged move of his
political party from national to local politics in their quest for access to
local budgets. If he intended to pursue budget funds, said Sonthaya, his
group would go into national politics where there are much larger budgets
than in local politics. Therefore the rumor is not true.
Sonthaya explained that there are a lot of politicians from the North, the
South and the Northeast, who were once members of parliament and are now
contesting for seats in local politics. They are doing this in order to
develop their own hometowns. In the event that his brother Wittaya Khunplome
stands for the seat of chief executive of the Chonburi Provincial
Administrative Organization, he is not doing this to seek benefits. He is
running for election because he would like to develop his own hometown. He
is experienced in politics and he has awareness and abilities for
development of the city.
“The reason for issuing this declaration via the mass media is so that
people would know about the current methods and policies of the We Love
Chonburi Group,” said Sonthaya. “It is not being done to seek benefits for
the party, but for our hometown and the nation.” If the declaration is not
correct or is false then it would be regarded as him ending his political
career, he told the assembled reporters.
Sonthaya said that currently his group is not controlled by any party,
because members of the group have resigned from the Chart Thai Party,
notably Wittaya and Ittipol Khunplome. Other members are going to resign
from the party. They are not thinking about being members of any party, but
are thinking about the development of their hometowns, he said.
Beach Road will be closed to traffic during Songkran
Saksiri Uraiworn
Pattaya Beach Road will be closed to traffic during the Songkran
holiday in view of the congestion of previous years.
A meeting held on March 13 at Pattaya City Hall, chaired by permanent
secretary Sittiprap Muangkoom discussed the arrangements for this year’s Wan
Lai-Kong Kao Festival, scheduled from April 18 to 20.
 Sittiprap
Muangkoom
April 18 will see the Naklua Wan Lai celebrations take place at Lan Pho
Public Park in Naklua, on April 19 Pattaya Wan Lai will be celebrated at
Chaimongkol Temple in South Pattaya, and April 20 sees the Pattaya Kong Kao
at Lan Pho Public Park.
On April 19, the Buddha image and Buddhist monks’ parade will be held with
vehicles along Naklua Road, with people paying respect and pouring water on
the monks. Several activities will be set up on Kong Kao on April 20 at Lan
Pho Public Park, including greasy pole climbing, archery and hoop takraw,
and there will be product stands from the Pattaya communities and official
units.
Sittiprap said that on April 19, Pattaya Beach Road would be closed to
traffic from North to South Pattaya. This is because there have been crowds
and traffic jams each year in the past. This year, he said, the road would
be closed for residents and tourists to join in the water fun at the beach.
Police net thief who resold stolen property to fishermen
Patcharapol Panrak
A fisherman who stole nets from the Sattahip fishing community that
he then sold back to the original owners has been charged with theft and
making ransom demands.
 Sanmuang
Pianoi and his family point to the nets Chaowalit had stolen from them
During the afternoon of March 8, Sanmuang Pianoi, a 50-year-old fisherman
from Beach Road in Sattahip went with his wife and sister-in-law to file a
complaint with Sattahip Police Station. He said that his five nets for
catching crabs in Sattahip Bay had disappeared. They cost 7,000 baht per
net, a total of 35,000 baht. Sanmuang said the nets had been found in a
small fishing boat belonging to 50-year-old Chaowalit Puttharaksa.
Officers went to search the boat, the Kwan Muang. The vessel was moored
beside the Sattahip Marine Police Pier. Three plastic tarps were covering
nearly new netting, which Sanmuang confirmed belonged to him and his
sister-in-law. The netting had gone missing the previous night.
 Chaowalit
Puttharaksa sits at the police station, awaiting his punishment.
Chaowalit said he had no intention of stealing the nets, and that they had
become entangled with his own net. He agreed he had asked for a 400 baht
payment for their return, and that he had said he would cut off the lead and
sell it in the event that no one claimed the netting. One net has
approximately 7kg of lead, which would fetch a price of 150 baht per kg.
Police charged Chaowalit with theft at night, and with making ransom demands
for other peoples’ property.
Several other fishermen have filed similar complaints with Sattahip police.
Sanmuang said that he had earlier suspected Chaowalit of theft, as he often
had old nets that he cut the leading from and sold.
Briton accused of child
sex abuse arrested again
Gornsiri Naksompop
Associated Press
Police arrested an elderly British man on Tuesday in Pattaya for alleged
sexual abuse of an 8-year-old boy, saying it was at least the fourth time he
had been taken in on similar charges.
 John
Maurice Praill (left) arrested for the fourth time on child sex abuse
charges.
John Maurice Praill, 77, was arrested at his home while free on bail on a
previous charge, said Police Col. Khanisorn Yuwawithaya.
Praill, one of four foreigners arrested on sex charges in Pattaya last
March, has a record of at least three previous arrests, Khanisorn said.
Praill’s lawyer, Nitiwat Pattanasarn, said his client denied the allegation
against him.
He said the arrest was his client’s third, with charges dropped in one case
and a trial under way for the other, in which he pleaded innocent.
Praill was arrested in December 1997 for allegedly molesting a young boy,
and was fined and released after denying the charge. In March 2000 was
arrested on charges of sexually abusing two girls, ages 13 and 14.
Nitiwat said that Praill remained in police custody pending further
investigation, but that he would request that his client be released on
bail.
Businessman charged with
stealing soil from public land
Samran Bamrungsrap
(foreground) shows where he had been stealing
red earth from public property, selling it for profit.
Patcharapol Panrak
A businessman who rented a backhoe to dig up red earth from publicly
owned land that he then sold as fill to a village project in Sattahip is now
facing a charge of theft of public property.
Sattahip District chief Narong Theerachantarangkul received a report during
the afternoon of March 12 that a local businessman known only as “Kaen” was
digging up the red earth with a rented backhoe and selling it for 800 baht
per 8-ton truckload.
Narong assigned his deputy Surachet Kaewkham to lead a Volunteer Civil
Defense team to the site of the digging, a garbage pit at Bangsarae
Sub-district in Sattahip District. They found a backhoe coming out of the
site as they arrived, and questioned the operator. The operator was
identified as Samran Bamrungsrap, a 34-year-old resident of Sattahip. He
told them at he had been hired by Kaen from Pattaya to dig the red earth
from the garbage pit. The officers impounded the backhoe and took it to the
area behind Sattahip District Office.
Samran was taken to Sattahip Police Station and charged with being an
accomplice in the theft of property from a public place. The officers also
conducted a drugs test on Samran’s urine, which proved positive. He
confessed to consuming ya ba, and had that added to his charge sheet.
Narong said that the Chonburi governor had a strict policy to monitor the
forests and watercourses of the province, and to prosecute anyone removing
materials from publicly owned land.
Italian man dies when
ice tongs pierce his chest
Boonlua Chatree
An Italian man died in a freak accident when he lost control of his
motorcycle and a pair of ice tongs that he had placed in the front basket
punctured his chest.
Pattaya Police Station received a report at 9 p.m. on March 10 that a
foreign man was lying dead at Pattaya Memorial Hospital. Arriving at the
emergency room of the hospital, officers found Mrs Khampaeng Nonthichan, 55,
hugging a dead body. The deceased man was identified as Carmelo Lombardo, a
55-year-old Italian citizen.
There were two open wounds on the body, each approximately two inches in
length. The first was to the right armpit, and the second to the right side
of the chest. The physician said that death had been due to the loss of a
large amount of blood, as the cut to the chest had punctured the man’s lung.
He had been pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Police transferred
the body to the Medical Jurisprudence Institute for verification of the
cause of death.
Khampaeng told the officers that she had a mutual life with the deceased for
one full year. On the exact anniversary of their life together, they had
gone out to buy things for the house at the market fair near Mini Siam on
Sukhumvit Road. Amongst the items was a pair of metal tongs for ice, which
they placed in a plastic bag in the motorcycle’s front basket.
On the way back to their residence they passed the elevated timber walkway
in South Pattaya where the road was being resurfaced. The deceased lost
control of the motorcycle and crashed, and was stabbed with the tongs.
Khampaeng said she pulled the tongs out of his body, and blood gushed out.
Sawang Boriboon Foundation rescue workers arrived and took the deceased to
the hospital.
The officers kept the 1-foot long ice tongs as evidence, noting that they
were sharp and stained with blood.
Police undergo
VIP escort training
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The American Embassy has provided a training program for the
Provincial Police in Region 2 to escort VIP traffic.
 Pol
Lt Gen Jetanakorn Napeetapat, commander-in-chief of Provincial Police Region
2 and Robert Brooks, president of the United States Navy League in Thailand
enjoy a moment during the training.
Under embassy instructors, 25 police officers from Region 2 underwent the
training, which was held at Bira Circuit over the period March 10 to 11 and
was organized in cooperation with Mazda Motors, the United States Navy
League in Thailand, the Glenn Defense Marines in Thailand, and the United
States Embassy Force Protection Detachment.
Leading the training was Scott Bernat, chief of the Naval Security Force
Protection Detachment of the US Embassy, and Robert Brooks, president of the
Thailand Navy League of the United States.
This training covered all aspects of security escorting, including the
creation of a plan for control and procedures, preparing preventive measures
and efficiency, readiness of personnel, vehicles and equipment, and the
appropriate technology for security measures. All of the attending police
officers passed the direct driving requirements under simulated conditions.
Pol Lt Gen Jetanakorn Napeetapat, commander-in-chief of Provincial Police
Region 2 was present to see his officers undergoing the training, and
afterwards presented certificates to the participants and the team of
experts.
All of the attending police
officers received real driving training
under simulated conditions.
Volunteer Tourist Police officers undergo training
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Pattaya Tourist Police began a training session for volunteer
officers at the Welcome Jomtien Beach Hotel on March 12, with Tourist Police
Commander Chuchat Suwanakom opening the session.
 Tourist
Police Commander Chuchat Suwanakom.
Volunteer officers have been used since 1993 to assist Tourist Police in
their tasks in Pattaya City. Tourist Police Station 1 is the office that
takes care of security in the Chonburi region, but does not have enough
regular police officers to support the quantity of tourists. Residents were
therefore asked for their help in assisting the police.
During this training session, 155 local inhabitants underwent the course,
which was held from March 12 to 14. Itthipol Khunplome, chief advisor to the
mayor was guest speaker, providing information on tourism and the special
needs of tourists.
Mayoral candidates Itthipol and
Alisa take center stage in debate
Mayoral candidates Itthipol
Khunplome (left) and Alisa Phantusak (right)
debate the issues during a Pattaya Mass Media Club organized event.
Pattaya Mail Team
Two of the candidates standing for election to become the next mayor
of Pattaya presented their visions for the city’s future during a debate
organized by the Pattaya Mass Media Club on March 5, National Mass Media
Day.
Club chairman Chaiyot Phupattanapong opened the debate, which was held at
the Diana Garden Hotel in North Pattaya. The two candidates attending were
Itthipol Khunplome, leader of the Rao Tak Pattaya Group and Miss Alisa
Phantusak, leader of the Pattaya Fa Mai 2 Group. A third candidate, Surat
Mekawarakul, leader of the Surat Group had been invited but declined, citing
a private business appointment.
Amongst the audience were Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, chairman of the
Pattaya City Council Tavich Chaiswangwong, and deputy mayors Ronakit
Ekasingh and Verawat Khakhay.
Questions were put to the candidates by a number of people in the audience,
and ranged from specifics such as the traffic problems, protection of lives
and property, and the public utility system, through to broader visions for
future growth. Here are some edited highlights.
On traffic problems
Itthipol said you need to start by organizing a primary plan that
begins with a traffic study, examining the problems closely and analyzing
road space and road usage to find out exactly what is causing the
congestion. From the study a project can be devised and a budget drawn up
for a long-term solution. The budget request would be submitted to the
Bureau of the Budget at the Ministry of Finance.
The process would take a year before the budget request, because under the
terms of the Administration Act, Pattaya City has to have specific
permissions from the national government for development budgets.
Importantly, the plan would need to be clarified step by step, from the
initial survey to the primary designs, the design details, through to
maintenance.
Alisa said that making public transport more convenient and of better
quality would be the centerpiece of resolving traffic problems. Better buses
need to be provided. Parking areas need to be established for private
vehicles and for buses. Driving habits need to be changed. Improving safety
and driving skills is necessary, especially with motorcyclists, who form the
greatest number of accident statistics. Life has to be made better and more
convenient for pedestrians, who shouldn’t have to compete with vehicles for
road space.
Pattaya’s roads need to be of better quality, both for road users and for
pedestrians. When new roads are built, the project needs to be approached as
an integrated one, putting in adequate public utilities at the same time the
road is built. Proper studies need to be undertaken to ensure the new roads
integrate with the existing system, and that the constructions are of the
highest quality.
On baht buses
Itthipol said that the Ministry of Land Transportation must be
requested to issue a directive to the Land Transportation Department in
Pattaya, which would then be able to take up issues with the administrators
of the Baht Bus Cooperative. These would include dealing with poor service,
extortion, advantages being taken against the service price, and passengers
being dropped off before reaching their destinations. All of this damages
Pattaya City’s image. The ministry has the power to order the head of the
Land Transportation Department to impound drivers’ licenses. There should be
a two-step process, in which a fine is the first step and withdrawal of a
license is the second. Without a license, the driver loses his livelihood.
Greater control over the baht buses can therefore be achieved in this way.
Alisa said that the problems of the drivers themselves needed to be
examined, as they underlie the quality of the service. If the regulated fare
structure does not provide sufficient income for the drivers to earn a
living, it leads to them taking advantage of their passengers in order to
earn more money. If a better fare structure were offered, then possibly the
drivers would develop a more service-oriented approach to their work.
On the administration
Itthipol said that the rules and regulations governing the
administrators of Pattaya City must be strictly followed to ensure fairness
and efficiency. This includes providing better information for the public on
the running of city hall.
Alisa said that meeting residents and talking over their needs and problems
should be a priority, because the city’s budget comes from their taxes and
good leadership can only be achieved by understanding what the people want.
TOT makes presentation to highway police for catching cable thieves
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
The TOT has presented 10,000 baht as a morale booster to the highway
police for their efforts in arresting thieves cutting and selling
communications cables.
 (From
left) Chansuk Jaleanpongpun, manager of the TOT Public Co., Ltd. Pattaya
Outer Services Center, presents 10,000 baht to Pol Maj Komsan Kanha, highway
inspector for Chonburi Division 2.
The presentation was made on March 10 at the Pattaya Highway Police Station,
where Pol Maj Komsan Kanha, highway inspector for Chonburi Division 2
received the payment from Chansak Jaroenpongpan, manager of the TOT Pattaya
Outer Service Center.
Highway police officers arrested a number of thieves stealing cables and
electrical wiring in the second half of last year, bringing in 10 people
from Nongprue, Changkaew, and Ban Ampor.
The arrests were made at checkpoints and by officers stopping vehicles for
spot-checks along the highway. Theft of wiring has long been a major problem
for the TOT, and the police had made it a priority to catch the thieves. Pol
Maj Komsan said that as a result, the number of thefts has decreased by more
than half when compared to the previous year.
Training held to develop leadership qualities amongst disabled
Local community leaders and
wheelchair bound adults participate in a training program for potential
leaders of the disabled community in Chonburi Province.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
A training program for potential leaders of the disabled community
in Chonburi Province began on March 6 at Pattaya Redemptorist School, the
session being opened by Rewat Pollook-in, deputy chief executive of the
Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization.
The concept behind the training is to improve the potential of local
disabled people to confidently fend for themselves and fulfill their roles
in society.
Held over the period March 6 to 8, the course was attended by 25 disabled
people from Chonburi Province. Emphasis was placed on the leadership of
groups of disabled, including liaison with government and private
organizations to campaign for projects, and the marketing of products made
by the disabled so as to create income for them and their families.
Chang Kornjanarat, social developer for the disabled at the Redemptorist
Center said that much of the training centered around showing attendees how
they could develop skills that they may not have realized they had, for
example working with computers or playing musical instruments.
Many disabled people seldom venture out of their houses, said Chang, as they
feel the obstacles they would encounter would be too great. Consequently,
they suffer from low self-esteem. The training therefore worked to build up
self-confidence.
The training program is held twice every year, with the next sessions due to
start at the end of the year.
|
