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No water bills
until next year
Government launches scheme
to reduce daily living costs
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Water supply bills won’t have to be paid until the beginning of next year,
under a national government initiative to help the population during these
difficult economic times by decreasing daily living expenses.
 Phaithoon
Orashorn, assistant manager of the Provincial Waterworks Authority in Region
1.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej declared a six-month policy with six
projects designed to help the Thai people through the lean times.
One of the projects is to suspend payment of the water supply bill for
families that consume less than 50 cubic meters of water a month, which
amounts to 3.2 million users. The estimated saving is 213 baht a month for
Nakorn Luang zone users, and 176 baht a month for other provincial users.
This amount is covered by a national 3.93 billion baht budget.
Phaithoon Orashorn, assistant manager of the Provincial Waterworks Authority
in Region 1, which covers Pattaya, said that residents eligible for the
scheme would not have to pay their water bills during the period August to
January.
Two groups of water supply user are included. One group is those who consume
less than 50 cubic meters of water, or 50,000 liters per month. The second
is a juristic person or condominium, a dormitory, flats, and leasers of
apartments with rental rates lower than 3,000 baht per room/month, where
each room has an average water usage of less than 50 cubic meters. In this
latter case, the owner of the establishment must apply at the Pattaya
Waterworks Office to establish eligibility.
Phaithoon said that those who use more than 50 cubic meters of water must
continue to pay their bill as usual. Pattaya Waterworks Office wishes to
remind all water consumers that they should use water economically and
responsibly.
Hazard vessel money was
wasted says councilor Sanit
“Rescue ship used only for meeting VIPs”
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
A Pattaya City councilor has complained that the budget for the
purchase of sea rescue vessels has been misspent, the boats having proved to
be inappropriate for the work.
 City
Councilor Sanit Boonmachai
Councilor Sanit Boonmachai made the complaint during a council meeting on
August 5 at Pattaya City Hall, saying that the money has in effect been
wasted.
Sanit said that the city had previously spent more than 72 million baht on
purchasing a marine hazard vessel. The 80-ft long ship can hold 50
passengers, has eight engines, and a top speed of 22 knots per hour. It has
firefighting equipment and a first-aid station.
However, there has been no use for the vessel, and it has been used only for
welcoming VIP guests. It is currently docked at Ocean Marina, where Sanit
claimed the condition of the vessel is deteriorating.
Three newly purchased rescue ships, which cost 11 million baht each, are
also unfit for operations because they are large flatboats that crash
against strong waves and hence are not able to transport injured people to
the shore.
Furthermore, said Sanit, the other rescue boats are small and the officers
are careless. Many times when fishing boats and cruisers have caught fire,
all of the property was lost before assistance was provided.
As far as Pattaya City’s marine security system is concerned, said Sanit,
both officials and equipment are very inefficient.
Mayor Itthipol Khunplome said that the engines and hulls of many of the
rescue boats are dilapidated, which is causing some problems for operations.
A program will now be undertaken to try and resolve the problem.
Honest baht bus driver returns
bag with 0.5M baht worth of cash
Omani tourists thankful
Theerarak Suthatiwong
Three visitors from Oman who left a bag with nearly half a million
baht worth of cash in a baht bus were greatly relieved when the honest
driver returned it to them.
 Relieved
Omani tourists thank honest Jakarin with a 2,000 baht reward.
Pattaya Police Station received a report just after midnight on August 12
from Hahim Essa, a 50-year-old Oman citizen in great distress, saying that
he and two fellow countrymen had left a black bag containing their airplane
tickets, passports, and dollars and Thai currency totaling about 500,000
baht in a blue-yellow Toyota baht bus.
Essa said he had hired the vehicle to take him from the beginning of Soi 7
and Beach Road to the Beverly Plaza Hotel on Thappraya Road. He had left the
bag on the back seat.
At the same time police were taking down Essa’s information, Jakarin
Chamdhej, the 52-year-old driver of the baht bus, arrived at the police
station with the Omani’s bag. Inside were 14,000 dollars, 8,000 baht, three
airplane tickets, and three passports. Essa confirmed that all the property
was intact, and gave 2,000 baht to Jakarin for his kindness.
Jakarin said that after he had driven Essa and his friends to the hotel, he
had gone to look for passengers. A customer hired him to drive to North
Pattaya, and found the bag on the seat. Jakarin drove straight to the police
station. He said he never thought about keeping the bag, because his parents
had taught him to be an honest and truthful person. Furthermore, he wanted
to create a good image of Pattaya City for tourists.
Three projects mooted to improve facilities for the disabled
Making Pattaya a model city
Vimolrat Singnikorn
A group of leading academics has suggested three projects that should be
undertaken if Pattaya is to become a leading city in providing facilities
for the disabled.
 Associate
Prof. Trairat Juratat from the Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn
University.
Associate Prof Trairat Juratat and lecturer Pawadee Tanawisut from the
Faculty of Architecture at Chulalongkorn University, along with lecturer
Chumkhet Sawangcharoen of the Faculty of Architecture at Thammasart
University presented their views to the Pattaya Disabled Work Group during a
Pattaya City Hall meeting on August 8.
The meeting was chaired by Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh, who said that the
city and the Pattaya Redemptorist Foundation had the same goals in providing
facilities for the disabled and in making Pattaya a model for a sound
physical environment for people with disabilities.
The meeting was the first time that city hall officials and the Work Group
had officially met to discuss firm proposals.
Assoc Prof Trairat said that the proposals could be divided into three
projects.
The first was a master plan to adjust the city’s public areas and sidewalks
to make them convenient for the elderly and the disabled. This would include
all the main roads within the city limits, such as Sukhumvit Road,
Pattaya-Naklua Road, Pattaya Beach Road, Pattaya Second and Third Road,
Jomtien Beach Road, North Pattaya Road, and Central Pattaya Road.
The second project would be to produce detailed designs for the
architectural and engineering aspects of the changes required on Pattaya
Beach Road from the North Pattaya Roundabout to Naklua, to Bali Hai Pier, to
Pattaya Second Road from North Pattaya to South Pattaya and to Bali Hai
Pier.
The third project would involve the next set of adjustments to the public
areas and walkways along Naklua Road, from the Provincial Electricity
Authority offices to the Dolphin Roundabout, and including the public park
on Sor Thor Ror Mountain, the Big Buddha and the area nearby, and the
sidewalks along Jomtien Beach and Thepprasit Road.
Lecturer Pawadee said it is important to bear in mind that these changes
should be made for the benefit of children and the elderly, in addition to
the physically disabled.
1,000 people will take part in Coca-Cola Coastal Cleanup project
In tandem with Cleanup East Asian Seas 2008
Vimolrat Singnikorn
More than 1,000 people are expected to take part in the
Coca-Cola International Coastal Cleanup project on Pattaya and Jomtien
beaches on September 20.
 Budsayada
Youngfhuengmontra from Thai Namthip is helping to promote healthy and
diverse ocean ecosystems, to oppose practices that threaten oceanic and
human life, and to eliminate garbage on the beach and in the world’s
water resources.
A meeting to discuss the project was held on August 11 at Pattaya City
Hall, led by deputy permanent secretary Apichart Puetpan and including
Pinat Anchaleesangkat, head of relations and communications management
at Thai Namthip Co Ltd and the company’s external affairs manager
Budsayada Youngfhuengmontra.
Budsayada said that the Ocean Conservancy in Texas, in the United
States, established the Coca-Cola International Coastal Cleanup in 1986.
The goals are to promote healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems, to oppose
practices that threaten oceanic and human life, and to eliminate garbage
on the beach and in the world’s water resources. This includes
establishing the source of the garbage.
Thai Namthip has been cooperating with companies around Thailand since
2005 to promote the concept amongst schools, communities, tourists, and
private organizations.
This year, Thai Namthip has organized this event in Hua Hin, and on Mae
Ramphueng Beach in Rayong Province. Apart from collecting the garbage,
the organizers also record data on the garbage to ascertain the sources
and to eventually reduce its quantity on a national level.
Thai Namthip has formally requested the help of Pattaya City in the
Coca-Cola International Coastal Cleanup, and has set September 20 as the
date for the event. It is expected that more than 1,000 people will
participate.
City hall has agreed to Thai Namthip’s proposal, noting that the event
would be held during the same period as the project Cleanup East Asian
Seas 2008, being organized by the Department for the Promotion of a
Quality Environment. This is being held in cooperation with the
Coordinating Body for the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), and is scheduled
from September 18 to 20 on Pattaya Beach.
The next meeting to discuss Thai Namthip’s project will be held on
August 25.
Deputy Interior Minister
visits city and pledges support
Says he will make sure city remains
at the forefront of the tourism industry
Deputy Minister of Interior
Supol Fongngam (center) visits the command and control room at city hall,
escorted by Governor Pracha Taerat (left) and Mayor Itthipol Khunplome
(right).
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Deputy Minister of Interior Supol Fongngam visited Pattaya City Hall on
August 8 to discuss the main problems confronting the city, such as
narcotics and the water supply, and to hear how the administration is coping
with its development program.
The minister and his entourage first paid their respects at the King Taksin
the Great Monument in front of Pattaya City Hall, and then visited the
Command and Control Room and the 1337 Call Center.
Supol was welcomed by Chonburi Governor Pracha Taerat, Mayor Itthipol
Khunplome, Banglamung District Chief Mongkol Thammakittikhun, and Pattaya
City permanent secretary, Sittiprap Muangkoom.
Itthipol outlined the major projects for the deputy minister, describing the
project to install the power lines underground at Pattaya Beach Road, and
the 16.5-km road that is being built alongside the railway, and which is 90
percent complete.
He also described the wind and solar energy generation project on Koh Larn,
which began in March, and the future project to construct a center to
provide temporary accommodation for the homeless before they are transferred
to an area with a suitable environment for them.
Supol said that Pattaya is becoming increasingly famous as an international
tourism destination, and that the city must not neglect important problems
such as narcotics abuse and the uncertainties of the water supply.
He added that in the event of Pattaya needing to cooperate with the
government, support would always be extended to make sure that the city
remains at the forefront of the tourism industry.
Laem Tan Seafood Festival
is being staged this weekend
Fresh seafood at special low prices
Bangsaen officials gather to
announce the Laem Tan
Seafood Festival will take place this weekend.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
This weekend sees the staging of the Laem Tan Seafood Festival at
Bangsaen, to be held on August 22 and 23.
Organized by the Saen Suk Municipality and held on Laem Tan Beach, the
festival is expected to generate 50 million baht for the local economy.
A briefing on the event was held on August 13 at the Tide Resort in Bangsaen
by Sontaya Khunplome, former Minister of Tourism and Sports, Wittaya
Khunplome, head of the Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization,
Sawat Homplume, Saensuk Municipality Mayor, and superintendent of Saensuk
Police Station Pol Col Chaichana Chitdham.
Sawat said this would be the fourth consecutive year for the event, and as
in previous years the concept is to gather the top seafood restaurants from
the East Coast to prepare fresh seafood at special low prices.
Sontaya said that the festival is being supported by a budget from the
Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization.
More than 100 seafood outlets will be taking part, said Sontaya, and in past
years there have been many thousands of visitors to the festival.
“We estimate that between 50 and 100 million baht will be generated by the
festival,” he said, “raising income not just for the participating
restaurants but for local businesses.”
Frenchman caught with opium
in police sting operation
Theerarak Suthatiwong
A Frenchman has been arrested for peddling a mix of opium resin and
marijuana after police set up a sting operation to trap him.
 Frenchman
Alex Vandenbulcke has been arrested for attempting to sell marijuana and
opium to undercover police.
An officer from a police team consisting of Pol Capt Atthaporn
Klanruangsang, deputy head of crime suppression at Pattaya Police Station
and officers from the Crime Investigation and Suppression Division called
the dealer during the early hours of August 5, posing as a drugs buyer.
An agreement was made to purchase a quantity of opium for the price of 1,000
baht, and an appointment was made to meet outside house number 162/133 in
Jomtien Nivet Village, on Thappraya Road.
When the dealer arrived, the officers identified themselves and arrested
him.
The man was identified as 30-year-old French national Alex Vandenbulcke. In
his possession he had 2.6 grams of raw opium resin, and another 0.8 grams of
raw opium resin mixed with dry marijuana. The drugs were hidden in a Prada
black bag together with a mobile phone that was used to sell illegal
narcotics.
Vandenbulcke confessed that he had bought the raw opium resin from a friend
in Bangkok in order to sell it in the Pattaya area. He was charged with
possession of a Class 2 narcotic, raw opium resin, and a Class 5 narcotic,
marijuana.
Brit busted for importing
sex stimulant
Boonlua Chatree
A 60-year-old Englishman has been arrested for illegally importing the
erectile dysfunction medicine Kamagra.
 With
this amount of ED meds, Albert Edward Weaver was either trying to sell the
drug or planning on a plethora of personal good times.
A team of officers under Pol Col Noppadol Wongnom, superintendent at Pattaya
Police Station, carried out an investigation on Albert Edward Weaver and
arrested him as he was parking his Toyota Vios in front of a house at Moo 9
in Nongprue.
Searching him, police found 167 packs of Kamagra gel and 42 packs of Kamagra
pills, each containing four tablets. Weaver claimed he had bought the
medication from an unknown Thai man on Soi Buakhao for 500 baht per pack. He
said he didn’t know that possession of this kind of medication was illegal.
Weaver has been charged with importing items without having paid duty and in
breach of the rules and regulations relating to bring such items into the
kingdom.
Illegal Cambodians bagged
as police pursue snatch-thief
Boonlua Chatree
Police in fruitless pursuit of a bag-snatcher ran into a construction camp
where they instead found a community of illegal Cambodian laborers, and
arrested 34 of them instead.
 Police
chasing a snatch and run thief instead found a cache of illegal workers.
The bag-snatch was reported to Pattaya Police Station at 2:20 a.m. on August
11, and officers were sent after the thief who had fled the scene of the
crime at Thepprasit Road on his motorcycle.
From there, he turned into Soi Thepprasit 7 and then abandoned his red-black
Honda Wave to escape on foot through the Suansawan Village construction
workers’ camp.
Police in pursuit entered the camp, and a crowd of Cambodian workers,
thinking the place was being raided, attempted to flee in all directions.
The officers managed to round up 34 of them, nine women and 25 men.
The Cambodians were taken to the police station and charged with working
illegally in the kingdom. They were then deported. Police are also seeking
their Thai employer, and with a bit of luck will also find the bag snatcher.
Police round up boys selling sex
Boonlua Chatree
Commissioner of Chonburi Provincial Police Pol Maj Gen Bundit Khunajak
together with superintendent of Pattaya Police Station Pol Col Noppadol
Wongnom formed a team of officers and worked in cooperation with Mayor
Itthipol Khunplome to round up underage boys who were soliciting sex to
foreign men around the city’s beer bars.
 Commissioner
of Chonburi Provincial Police Pol Maj Gen Bundit Khunajak (2nd right) and
superintendent of Pattaya Police Station Pol Col Noppadol Wongnom (right)
visit internet shops in Pattaya, warning them to operate according to the
law.
A squad of 60 officers from Pattaya Police Station and 60 Pattaya volunteer
police officers combed the bars during the night of August 10, and brought
in 60 boys for investigation and testing for narcotics. Of those tested, 15
proved positive.
Pol Maj Gen Bundit later visited the internet shops in Pattaya, and warned
them to operate according to the law. He reminded them it is forbidden to
provide service over the time limit, and to serve children less than 18
years of age.
Pattaya police have been given a directive to crack down on underage
children of both sexes soliciting in the city’s streets and bars.
F&B expo expects
to attract 8,000 visitors
(L to R) Raewat Tongsong,
Chaiwat Charoensuk, Ronakit Ekasingh,
and Rewat Phonlookin announce the upcoming Food and Hoteliers Expo.
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
The Pattaya Food and Hoteliers Expo 2008 will take place over the period
August 28 to 30 at A-One The Royal Cruise Hotel.
A meeting of the organizing committee took place on July 30, chaired by
Rewat Phonlookin, deputy head of the Chonburi Administrative Organization
along with Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh, Raewat Tongsong, president of the
Food and Beverage Association Eastern Chapter, and Chaiwat Charoensuk,
director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand in Pattaya.
Raewat said that the Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization,
Pattaya City, and private companies and organizations are providing
financial support for the expo.
The objective of the event is to help the food and beverage industry upgrade
its standards to international level, at all sectors including cooking,
presentation and service.
The expo is also designed as a major meeting place for buyers and sellers,
and as a showcase for what the industry has to offer.
This is the second year for the Pattaya Food and Hoteliers Expo, which will
follow the same format as last year’s event including the cocktail
competition, which was a highlight.
Open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from August 28 to30, the event is predicted
to attract more than the 8,000 visitors who attended last year, which was
considered a very satisfying turnout.
Navy uses private port
for exercises in the South
Patcharapol Panrak
Training for the cleaning up of oil slicks, the rescue of disaster victims,
and the securing of marine and land facilities was carried out by the Royal
Thai Navy, starting on August 4.
 The
military rescue team practices extracting victims from the ocean.
The Navy used a private port for its exercises in the South of the country,
thereby remedying the problem of a lack of harbor and command center in the
upper areas of the border country.
Rear Admiral Pachon Ramkomut, deputy director of the National Marine
Protected Operations Center in Zone 1 and deputy commander-in-chief of the
Royal Thai Navy in Region 1 opened the training.
Capt Taksin Rueksangket, section chief and deputy chief of staff said that
the training was being staged for the Royal Thai Navy Region 1. It involved
the Thai Marine Police, the Department of Transportation and three bureaus
of the Merchant Marine, namely Bureau 3 Petchaburi Branch, Bureau 3 Prachuan
Kirikhan Branch, and Bureau 4 Chumporn Branch.
Also included in the training were the Department of Fisheries, the
Department of Customs, and Tharua Prachaub Co Ltd.
Rear Admiral Pachon said that the joint training and testing was necessary
to ensure that in the event of a real disaster there was efficient control,
command, and cooperation between all the units involved.
He said that in the past when there have been problems in the South, the
Royal Thai Navy has had difficulties in completely securing areas in the
upper part of the region around Chumporn and Prachuan Kirikhan. The Navy
needs an adequate port where it can anchor ships, and somewhere to land
aircraft, and this region lacks such naval facilities.
However, Tharua Prachaub Co Ltd has a deepwater port at which large warships
like the HTMS Chakri Naruebet can be anchored. This is considered to be a
perfect security and command center for handling disasters and trouble in
the South, and the Navy is therefore using the port in its training
exercises.
Training shows how Dharma
can help us through difficult times
Saksiri Uraiworn
Use of Dharma principles to support morale during the economic downturn,
when so many people are suffering, was the subject of a talk and training
held at the Public Health Center on August 5.
 Abbot
Surachet Akkapoonyo from Wat Phra Dhammakaya.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay opened the event, which was also attended by
city councilors Praiwan Aromchuen and Choosak Sriwatchanapong, with the
audience consisting of students and members of the public.
Abbot Surachet Akkapoonyo from Wat Phra Dhammakaya was the speaker.
Verawat said that the period from July to October, during which Buddhist
Lent occurs, is a time when people have more opportunities to listen to
Dharma lectures and to be more aware of demerit, merit, kindness,
wickedness, human rebirth, and re-incarnation.
Holding a Dharma lecture at this time would therefore encourage people to
seek out other opportunities and to apply Dharma principles to their daily
lives, making it easier for them to weather the difficulties that beset the
nation during this difficult time.
Court observes Rapee Day
in memory of the Father of Thai Law
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
Chief Judge of Pattaya Provincial Court Peera Jungpiwat presided over the
commemoration day for Prince Rapee Patanasak, the Father of Thai Law, on
August 7.
Mayor Itthipol Khunplome also attended the ceremony, during which wreathes
were laid at the Prince Rapee Monument.
 Chief
Judge of Pattaya Provincial Court Peera Jungpiwat presides over the
commemoration day for Prince Rapee Patanasak, the Father of Thai Law, on
August 7.
Ten Buddhist monks chanted a mantra for the Prince, and Judge Peera gave a
speech in which he spoke of the foundations laid by the Prince for
Thailand’s modern legal system.
Prince Rapee was the 14th son of King Rama V, born on October 21, 1874. When
he was young he studied Thai at the Phraya Sri Sunthorn Voharn institute,
and then he went to study English in England for three years. He came back
to Thailand for one year and then went to study law at Christ Church College
at Oxford University in England.
 Chief
Judge Peera Jungpiwat places a flower garland on the Prince Rapee Monument.
King Rama V appointed him minister of justice and president of the special
commission that was established to revise the nation’s laws.
The Prince played a leading role in reorganizing the national courts of
justice, and modernized the courts in Bangkok and the provinces, bringing
the judiciary into line with countries in the West.
He established the first school of law in 1897, giving some of the law
lessons himself and writing law books.
Prince Rapee fell ill with kidney disease in 1920, and went to Paris for
treatment. He passed away on August 7 at the age of 47. To commemorate his
achievements, the anniversary of his death is known as Rapee Day, and the
legal profession gathers each year on this date to remember the Prince and
his works.
Fifty restaurants will take part
in Beach Road Food Street Show
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
Pattaya Food Street Show 2008, to be held on August 28 to 30,
promises to be a real treat for food lovers, with 50 food stands from hotels
and restaurants throughout Pattaya and the East Coast offering their produce
for visitors.
 Anat
Limjirawattana, managing director of Event 9 Marketing Co Ltd.
The event is part of the Pattaya Food and Hoteliers Expo, and will be staged
along Beach Road in North Pattaya between sois 1 and 4, between the hours of
6 p.m. and midnight.
A meeting of the organizing committee took place on August 5 at Pattaya City
Hall, headed by Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay and including Raewat Tongsong,
president of the Food and Beverage Association Eastern Chapter and Anat
Limjirawattana, managing director of Event 9 Marketing Co Ltd.
Raewat said that the idea was to create an opportunity for restaurants to
promote their services to residents and visitors, and that it had received
excellent support from the industry.
There will be at least 50 restaurant stands offering food and drink, and
there will be a stage for live performances and a beer-drinking contest.
People attending this evening event will be able to park at the Pattaya Food
and Hoteliers Expo participating hotels, including the nearby A-One The
Royal Cruise Hotel, where the expo is being staged.
THEOS launch postponed
for third time
Thailand’s first observation satellite grounded by fears of falling debris
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Thailand’s first observation satellite, THEOS, had its launch scrubbed for
the third time on August 6.
 Thailand
is still waiting for our first Earth observation satellite to be launched
into orbit.
The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) has
expressed its disappointment in the new delay, caused by fears from
countries under the orbital launch path that rocket boosters would fall into
their territory.
At 2:30 p.m. on that day, Gen Doc Wichit Sataranon, chairman of the GISTDA
executive board and Dr Thongchai Jarupaphat, director of GISTDA announced in
Bangkok that the launch would not take place, before going to a meeting room
for discussions with representatives from France.
The new launch date will be announced as soon as it is confirmed.
THEOS is Thailand’s first Earth observation satellite. Previous attempts had
been made to launch the satellite into orbit, but there were problems with
other countries in the proposed path of THEOS that did not want any part of
the satellite to fall into their territory. Therefore, the launch was
repeatedly postponed.
The launch when it takes place would be monitored at the Satellite Control
Station at Sriracha.
THEOS is a remote sensing observation satellite, and its nominal lifespan is
five years. Weighing 750 kg, it would be orbiting at an altitude of 820 km
and capturing images with its photo-optical system.
The project is a cooperative one between Thailand and France, with the two
main bodies being GISTDA of Thailand and EADS Astrium of France, working
under a budget of 6 billion baht.
Launch of the satellite will be by a Dnepr rocket from Dombarovskiy. THEOS
was first scheduled for launching on November 30 of last year, and that was
postponed to January 9. The third scheduled date was August 6. Now it has
been postponed indefinitely, after Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan suddenly
withdrew permission for the first-stage booster to fall within their
borders.
The Ground Reception Station is located in the Ladkrabang district in
Bangkok, and the Satellite Control Station is located in Sriracha.
The atmosphere at the
Satellite Control Station in Sriracha
is solemn after the launch was once again delayed.
100 cyclists rally
at Nong Nooch
More than 100 cyclists pedal
through Nong Nooch Tropical Garden to promote knowledge on global warming.
Patcharapol Panrak
More than 100 cyclists cooperated with Nong Nooch Tropical Garden to
stage a cycling rally on August 4 to promote knowledge on global warming.
Led by former mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, the pedal-off was at 9 a.m.,
with members of the Pattaya Bicycle Club augmented by government officials,
businessmen and members of the public.
General manager of Nong Nooch Kwanwan Khantisuk said that an agreement had
been made with the Pattaya Bicycle Club led by Niran for their members to
ride their bicycles into the gardens.
The intention was to promote awareness of the dangers of global warming, and
ways in which individuals and organizations can make a contribution to
helping reduce the problem.
Kampol Tansatcha, owner and director of Nong Nooch Tropical Garden said that
the garden collects plant species from all over the world for study and
research, and supplies seedlings for plants and trees. The gardens cover an
area of more than 1,000 rai.
Interested tourists also
toured the gardens during the event,
although in a more comfortable and less physical way.
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