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Longboat races scheduled for November 22-23
International teams from
neighboring countries to be featured
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Pattaya’s famous longboat races have been scheduled this year for
November 22 to 23, with competitors vying for HM the King’s Cup.
 Mai
Chaiyanit announces the upcoming longboat races.
Nongprue Municipality, Pong Sub-district Municipality, Pattaya City, and the
Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization held a joint media briefing
for the event on September 15, announcing that the venue once again would be
Mabprachan Reservoir.
Deputy chairman of the Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization Rewat
Phonlookin, Mayor Itthipol Khunplome, Nongprue Mayor Mai Chaiyanit, and
Mayor of Pong Sub-district Municipality Pannawat Jaiyangyuen were the
speakers at the Pattaya City Hall briefing.
Mai said that longboat races have a long tradition in Thailand, and are very
much a part of the nation’s culture. Nongprue Municipality and Pong
Sub-district had agreed the Pattaya races should take place again, this
being the eighth year in succession.
Mai said the upcoming event is receiving good support from the Chonburi
Provincial Administrative Organization, Pattaya City, the Rowing and
Canoeing Association of Thailand, Sattahip Naval Base, and the Royal Thai
Navy.
The Pattaya Traditional Longboat Race and International Boat Race of 2008
will be divided into three categories. The traditional longboat race will
involve 55 oarsmen per team, and the winning teams will receive 100,000
baht, 50,000 baht, and 30,000 baht. The small boat category will involve 30
oarsmen per team, and the winning teams will receive 50,000 baht, 30,000
baht, and 20,000 baht.
The international category with 12 oarsmen will be the first race, and will
bring in teams from neighboring countries. This is being done in association
with the Rowing and Canoeing Association of Thailand.
Overseas teams will be from Burma, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and
Singapore. The winning teams will receive 50,000 baht, 30,000 baht, and
20,000 baht.
Every winning team in all categories will receive His Majesty King Bhumibol
Adulyadej’s Cup.
Contestants vie for position
at last year’s event.
PILC Welfare team
visits Grandma Nid
Boys from the Independent Living
project repair Grandma Nid’s roof.
Ingrid Cunliffe
The Pattaya International Ladies Club (PILC) Welfare team visited again
with Grandma Nid during food drops in the Mabprachan area last month. She is
looking really well and her grandsons are doing fine, with the young one back at
school.
The team was disappointed to see that she was unable to use the loom that she
makes the crafts on. When asked why she was not working the loom, the reply was
‘because of the rain’.
Grandma Nid lives in a slum area in which she has a modest tin shanty.
Unfortunately for her, the roof, which was in very bad condition, had finally
given up the ghost and was leaking really badly in the area where she normally
works.
The Welfare team decided this would not do, as this was a main part of her
income, so the team got the roof repaired, using the boys from the Independent
Living project that Khun Jar heads up for the many boys who are homeless, which
happened to be about a kilometer away.
She is very happy with her new roof and the team was pleased to be able to help
not just one project but two, by employing the boys to do the labor from the
Independent Living project.
It’s amazing how we take for granted the smallest of things and I am pleased to
say that at the upcoming PILC Bazaar we will be able to sell some of Grandma
Nid’s crafts at the Welfare table, so please come along and meet Grandma Nid for
yourselves and see what an amazing woman she really is.
After a hard day’s work, boys from
the Independent Living project
ham it up for the camera.
Art market paints the town red
Pramote Channgam
The much anticipated Art Market on Walking Street 2008 opened with a
bright palette of colors and equally colorful crowds in Pattaya on September 12.
 Kitti
Ritsomboon, sculptor from the Ritsombun Buddha Sculpture House in Samut Sakhon.
The Whiteface mime artists amused and mesmerized, shows by the Saisama
Puppeteers, who recently won an award in Prague, and pantomimes captivated
youngsters. Well-known artists sketched away in the open air while musicians
kept up a cheerful beat.
Works of art from artists living in the 26 central provinces filled the street.
Such flowering of culture is rare in Pattaya and large numbers of tourists and
residents alike flocked to the 3-day event.
 Apinan
Posayanon, director of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture.
Apinan Posayanon, director of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, and
Mayor Itthipol Khunplome looked pleased as they jointly launched the market.
Apinan said art events such as this are not frequent outside the major cities so
this market was very much welcomed as a good start.
Apart from being able to sell and perform their work, artists gained from the
experience of being in touch with their audience who in turn appreciated better
the process of creative culture, he said.
The Whiteface Troupe performs a
pantomime.
An art lover has her likeness
sketched.
PCEC guest lays down the law
The regular Sunday meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club
got underway September 14 at the Amari’s Henry J. Bean Restaurant when, after
the usual morning announcements, MC John Fishback introduced Al Serrato, club
treasurer, to “interview” Katrena Wonnasakda with Thai Inter Law.
 Katrena
answers some tricky questions about living in Thailand and the ‘adventures’ one
may have with the law here.
Katrena holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Ramkhamhaeng University and is a
licensed attorney in Thailand. She has 22 years of experience and specializes in
legal consulting, business registration, and trade/patent matters. Based on the
“interview” along with comments from the audience, a lot was learned about legal
matters in Thailand.
There are many “law” offices around, but they are not staffed with “real”
lawyers. Only licensed attorneys may represent someone before a Thai court.
Further, in Thailand, lawyers are not required to be certified in any specialty.
Lawyers may become expert in certain areas of the law, but are permitted to
practice in any area. A person can also change their lawyer if they are not
satisfied with performance. Any fees would be based on the negotiated contract
between the client and the lawyer. Normally, such contracts cover the services
to be provided, the fee, and the method of payment - up front, deposit, or pay
by stages, etc.
If a foreigner is arrested, they are usually permitted a telephone call so that
they can contact a lawyer, friend or family. Usually, such calls are to be brief
and be made for the purpose of getting assistance. If the police will permit
bail, it is usually after they complete their police report. A person can use
their own funds for bail, but it is not the policeman’s job to accompany the
accused to their residence or elsewhere to obtain the money; it is at the
discretion of the officers. Generally the accused will have to rely on someone
to obtain and bring it to the police station. Bail can be with money or the
pledging of property - no credit cards are accepted.
 MC
John Fishback opens the PCEC meeting for Sunday the 14th of September.
If you have bail insurance as part of your automobile policy, it will provide
bail up to its limits, but only for offenses related to your driving the insured
vehicle. Some insurance companies provide policies to cover a bail bond.
If the police do not set bail or you cannot make bail, they are required to take
you before a judge within 48 hours. If you have a hearing before a Thai judge
and your lawyer doesn’t appear, the judge will probably reschedule the hearing.
If you do make bail and your passport is not kept by the police, you still
cannot leave Thailand as all Immigration officers at the airports and border
crossings have access to the arrest information in their computers.
In the matter of appealing a guilty verdict and sentence, Katrena said that if a
lawyer charges a cheap price, you will probably not get a good lawyer. A more
expensive lawyer may not win on appeal, but they will probably be more qualified
and present a better argument to the appellate court.
An issue that often comes up is that of a foreigner picking up a Thai companion
at a bar and taking them somewhere to engage in sex. What if they have a fake
identification card? The age of the person “is what it is” under Thai law. So,
it doesn’t excuse having sex with a minor if they provide a fake identification
card. Katrena said that under Thai law, anyone under the age of 15 cannot
legally give their consent. However, there are other criminal laws that may
apply, especially if prostitution is involved. So, she strongly recommended that
no one should get involved in having sex with anyone under the age of 18.
 Club
Treasurer Al Serrato introduces well known Thai Lawyer Katrena to PCEC members.
In Thailand, wills do not have to be written in Thai. However, a Thai
translation will be required by the courts to process the will. In Thailand, one
can make a handwritten will or they can have it prepared by a lawyer. A will
made in another country might be valid in Thailand, but one should consult with
a Thai lawyer as Thai law governing wills may be different from their own
country.
In Thailand, a foreigner cannot own land. A foreigner can inherit land, but may
be required to sell it within a specified time period. If a foreigner has a
registered marriage to a Thai citizen and the Thai citizen does not have a will,
a foreigner can still inherit land that was in their spouse’s name. However, if
there are stepchildren involved, the land would go 50 percent to the spouse and
50 percent to the children.
On lawyer fees, no specific answers could be given because it will depend on the
nature and complexity of the case. Katrena did offer to provide free initial
consultation during this month for any PCEC member. Her office name also appears
on the attorney lists of the American, British, German, Canadian, Swedish, and
Belgium embassies.
The regular open forum was then conducted by “Hawaii Bob” Sutterfield with the
aid of Stuart Saunders. As always, the often humorous open forum provided
answers to questions from the audience about living here in Thailand following
the club’s motto – expats helping expats.
Will we survive?
Dr. Iain Corness
Will we survive the current turmoil in Thailand? Will the tourists return? Will
the American financial markets ruin us? Ask anyone and they all have long faces.
We’ve just gone through the low season, and is the next one going to be the
‘lower’ season rather than the high season?
Quite honestly, what we are going through is nothing new. Thailand has had its
history of political upheavals and coups. Thailand has had blood shed on the
streets and in the universities. Thailand has weathered reports of visitors
“fleeing Bangkok” and nervous nations issuing travel warnings. When you think
about it, how have we survived?
One of the reasons we have survived, and will survive the present downturn comes
from the very nature of the Thai people themselves. Have you ever met a
friendlier race of people? Where else in the world can you go and be greeted
with such smiles?
Sure we have prices that are lower than many other tourist destinations, but
tourists do not come to Thailand, rather than elsewhere, to just get bargains.
In my view, the “Amazing Thailand Grand Sales” promotion does not bring tourists
to this country. By the time you factor in their air fares and accommodation,
the same article bought in their homeland is much cheaper.
No, cheap items do not bring back the tourists in large numbers. The Thai people
can with their friendly nature, and we too can help in the reconstruction of the
high season.
How many of you have invited your friends and relatives overseas to come and
visit? Now! Rather than replying to anxious emails to say that you are OK, have
you said that ‘everything’ is OK, and they can ignore the pushed panic buttons
by overseas embassies. How many of you have offered to find good cheap
accommodation for your friends (and there are bargains to be had)?
Yes, rather than waiting for the tourists to come back while staring
apathetically at the wall, you can actively attract tourism by pointing out that
Thailand was, and still is, an exciting and colorful country where the tourist
dollar still goes a long way; the climate was, and still is, superb; the
infrastructure is one of the best in SE Asia; the golf courses are still green
and the caddies are still smiling; real estate bargains are waiting for them and
hospitals are still second to none and the prices for medical procedures are
still around half of that charged in the west.
So why the despondency? We live here and enjoy the living 12 months a year,
every year. Get the people from your home countries to come and sample it with
you. If we all bring out one tourist each, we will have done something to
restore normalcy and prosperity. Think about it.
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