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Auk Pansa to be celebrated Tuesday
October 14 this year marks end of Buddhist Lent
Devote Buddhists throughout Thailand mark the end of Buddhist Lent this
Tuesday, October 14. The holiday, called Auk Pansa or Tak Bat
Tay-Wo, has long been a Thai tradition.
During the two days of celebration, Buddhists go to their local temples to
make merit; alms are presented to monks in the morning, offerings are made
to monks in general, making merit is done at the temple, and people listen
to the Tay-Wo sermon (an event where food is given to monks).
Temples throughout Banglamung and Pattaya will be crowded, especially
Photisamphan Temple, Sawangfa Phutaram Temple, Chaiyamongkhol Temple, Nong
Yai Temple, and Nong Or Temple.
Devotees bring kaotom harng or kao tom lookyon, which is
symbolic of Tay-Wo, to give to the monks early in the morning. People
believe that this will bring luck and prosperity to themselves and their
family.
The end of the Buddhist Lent is always on the increasing full moon on the
15th day of the 11th month, in or around October each year. It is the last
day the monks have to remain inside their temple after residing there for
the 3 months of the rainy season.
The monks must make Sangkakam (religious services) on what is called
Maha Pawarana Day (Day of Service). This is when the monks gather to
assess each other’s behavior and to receive council. The abbot conducts
discussions and a questioning session with lower ranking monks. This
Pawarana, one of the priest’s behaviors, is done to replace praying
Patimok (priest rules), which is done every 15 days during Buddhist
Lent.
For Tay-Wo, giving food is done on the decreasing full moon on the
1st day of the 11th month, one day after the end of the Buddhist Lent. As
the story goes, Buddha went up to heaven to give a sermon to his mother and
stayed 3 months during the Buddhist Lent, then came back to earth at
Sangkassa Nakorn City.
This second coming down from heaven is called Dawadung. In the old
days the Buddhists waited to give food, and the tradition has continued and
is still practiced today.
The kaotom harng story came from a day when the temple was crowded
and some couldn’t give food to the priests. Therefore kaotom harng
was made to put as offerings into a priest bowl. Offerings are made from
sticky rice and covered with a coconut leaf, and the offering has a long
tail, which is good for throwing. They believe that this will bring the
greatest fortune, and this tradition has continued, too.
The tradition of Buddhist Lent, or the annual three-month Rains Retreat
known in Thai as Phansa, dates back to the time of early Buddhism,
when all holy men spent the season in permanent dwellings, avoiding
unnecessary travel at a time when crops were still new for fear they might
accidentally step on young plants.
To this day, monks stay in a temple of their choice and will not travel
outside until Lent is over.
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NOTE: This is a day
of celebration, and we are led to believe that it is ok for food
and drink outlets to serve alcoholic beverages during this time
of merriment. But just to make sure, please check with your
local constabulary for confirmation. |
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EDITORIAL: 3 dead and hundreds injured as excessive force used against protestors
It can be no surprise to anyone in this country and
overseas that the violence which has been threatening to erupt since August
26, when supporters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) stormed
into the grounds of Bangkok’s Government House intent on bringing down the
People’s Power Party’s coalition, has finally broken out.
Until late on Monday, at which time protestors marched to Parliament, vowing
to prevent newly-elected Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from delivering
his policy statement to both houses, it seemed that police had used
reasonable methods of control of the flagging protest, refusing to be
provoked into violent conflict. At the same time, PAD leaders seemed to be
using a “Ghandi-esque” approach in order to win sympathy from the masses
whilst challenging their right to suffrage.
However, all this changed when the clashes broke out early Tuesday morning
as protestors gathered around the parliament compound to prevent lawmakers
from attempting to enter the Parliament building, which led to the worst
violence seen in Bangkok for 16 years. Police fired tear-gas into the
thousands strong crowd, often aiming not over the heads of the protestors,
but towards the ground and into the crowd.
The results of their actions, seen countrywide and worldwide on local and
international television, were horrendous. Legs were blown off, people’s
limbs burned or crushed beyond repair, hands blown off, injuries and severe
burns to faces and bodies, with blood everywhere. An unarmed group,
including old people, sheltering from the violence by a wall, were unable to
escape tear gas canisters lobbed directly at them by police. Innocent people
were caught up in the chaos, unable to escape injury. At the end of the day
two people lost their lives.
There is never any justification for such excessive violence. A percentage
of PAD protestors may have been prepared to use violence themselves - but
the scale of the response of the police towards their own countrymen and
women who see a different solution to the stalemate which has gripped
Thailand for far too long, is totally unacceptable, and its economic and
social consequences will be felt long after memories of the videoed violence
itself have faded.
Her Majesty the Queen has shown grave concern for the injured, has
instructed all Bangkok hospitals to give them special care and has donated
personal funds to help the injured. Surely this has to be understood by all
politicians, police commanders and other authorities involved in this crisis
as a precursor to urgent moves towards the reconciliation of all sides and
the cessation of any moves towards further violence?
Even as Prime Minister Somchai made his delayed policy statement,
deliberately neglecting to mention with regret those horribly injured in the
ongoing clashes outside, Thailand was reeling from shock at the horror of
Tuesday’s events.
If this conflict is not resolved, the rest of the world, together with its
tourists and investors, may well draw back from a country whose leaders
apparently permit such excesses. How much longer must the Thai people
suffer?
We deplore the excessive use of force last Tuesday by the riot
police force in its abortive attempt to break up the PAD protest
at the Parliament building, and call for a united and successful
reconciliation between all the political factions.
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Buffalo races set for
October 12 - 13
Chonburi Buffaloes rearing to go
Officials announce the annual
Chonburi Buffalo Races
will be held this coming Sunday and Monday.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Choice water buffaloes are pawing the ground once again for the 137th
Chonburi Buffalo Races to be galloped on the auspicious days of October 12
and 13.
This race, believed to be unique in Thailand and the world, is this year
again being organized by the Chonburi Provincial Administration and the
Tourism Authority of Thailand, to be run precisely on the 14th night of the
waxing moon in the 11th lunar month.
Two races will be run on the grounds in front of both the Chonburi City Hall
and the Muang Chonburi Hall, accompanied by other festival activities such
as a traditional Thai sports competition, a singing contest, a parade of
traditional carts, normally drawn in the villages by water buffaloes, and
Miss Village beauty contests.
But large and impatient on center ground will be the beloved work-horse
water buffaloes themselves that will receive deserved attention and
accolades.
The racing buffaloes, no doubt training up earnestly now in the rice fields,
will be divided into 3 categories: super junior buffalo, junior buffalo and
large buffalo.
Apart from finding the speediest thoroughbred, competitions will also sort
out the most beautifully-decorated buffalo, the funniest buffalo and the
best buffalo breed.
For more information, please contact Chonburi Municipality at 038-283958 ext
138 or the Chonburi Information Center at 038- 279448.
Hotel electricians search
for bright ideas
Saksiri Uraiworn
Hotel electricians from more than 150 hotels along the Eastern
Seaboard gathered to spark ideas on how to use energy wisely in Pattaya.
 Suradej
Satanphathai (left), chairman of the Eastern Hotel Electricians Association,
presents flowers to Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn, thanking him for
presiding over their meeting.
Members of the Eastern Hotel Electricians Association further developed
their “Using Energy Wisely Campaign” at the Grand Sole Hotel on September 25
at the seminar chaired by Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn and Suradej
Satanphathai, chairman of the Eastern Hotel Electricians Association.
Suradej told the seminar that because of world energy shortage and rising
prices of fuel, many organizations are trying alternative energy sources to
replace traditional ones.
The urgent task is to find a way to use energy economically and in an
environmentally sound way. Electrical services need to be open to
innovations and be up-to-date with the latest technology as well as keeping
existing equipment in good condition, he said.
Ministry of Public Health
discouraging reusing cooking oil
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Reusing cooking oil exposes both cook and food eaters to cancer,
lung and heart diseases, warned the Ministry of Public Health, which is
also imposing a fine of up to 50,000 baht to ensure that businesses use
fresh oil.
 Lawan
Sangsang receives her certificate from Dr. Prapon.
Deputy director of the Department of Medical Science at the Ministry of
Public Health, Dr. Prapon Tangsrikiatikul made this warning in a
ceremony to recognize 6 owners of Pattaya food businesses who had passed
the cooking oil inspection by health officials.
Deputy Permanent Secretary Apichart Puechphan and officials from the
city’s Sanitation and Environment Office also attended the event at city
hall on September 26.
Dr Prapon said because of economic hard times, some cooks are tempted to
reuse cooking oil again and again to save money. Some 25% of businesses
inspected had already been fined 50,000 baht for using dirty oil, the
vapors from which, especially in confined spaces, can cause cancer from
being inhaled. This was on top of consumers eating the bad oil being
harmed, he said.
Lawan Sangsang, a fried banana vendor in Central Pattaya, received her
certificate, saying that she used 27 liters of fresh cooking oil per day
and that her oil is changed daily.
New vending rules
to clear roads and footpaths
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Pattaya City is cracking down on street vendors blocking vehicle
lanes and footpaths in a plan to better organize street commerce
according to new regulations from the Ministry of Interior.
 The
city is discussing ways to organize street vendors, keeping them from
blocking both foot and street traffic.
A preliminary meeting of residents, businesses and city sanitation officials
convened at city hall on September 30, chaired by Mayor Itthipol Khunplome.
The new Ministry of Interior rules on street vending will cover from Central
Pattaya to Soi Buakhao on Third Road, in South Pattaya in front of Wat
Chaimongkol to the Pattaya Third Road intersection, including Pattaya Beach
and Jomtien Beach.
Permanent secretary of Pattaya City Sittiprap Muangkoom said that those at
the meeting agreed that traffic should not be blocked due to street vendors.
The city will look into ways to organize street vendors, perhaps into two
categories of existing vendors and newcomers, assigning to them permanent
areas and selling time so that road traffic is not obstructed and to improve
the appearance of the city.
He said this preliminary meeting had not reached conclusions but had
identified regulation issues to be considered further.
Taxi rider runs late
for his baby
Patcharapol Panrak
A woman gave birth to a baby girl in the middle of the night in a
rented room with only her anxious two-year-old daughter beside her while her
desperate taxi motorcyclist husband, detained elsewhere on a job,
frantically called for help.
An ambulance from the Wat Yanasangwararam Hospital rushed to her rescue but
the baby was quicker and was born right there on the floor of her rented
room.
After the ordeal, the woman was taken to hospital where doctors pronounced
both mother and baby well, even though the baby arrived some two weeks
before it was due, weighing 2900 grams.
Just after midnight on September 25, taxi rider Nikorn Bunyakarn, 25,
received a phone call from his wife Isaranee Chaimatchim, 20, of Udon Thani
Province, in her room in Najomtien that she had severe labor pain.
His frantic call to Sattahip’s Sawang Boriboon Thamasathan Foundation Radio
Center saw male nurse Pichit Kliakkutan streaking to the house in an
ambulance.
He said he found the young mother lying unconscious, losing blood with only
the placenta born. Her young daughter was crying beside her.
Dr. Sasakorn Weerasathapanakun was on hand at the hospital to stabilize her
condition and successfully completed the birth.
Pattaya convoy helps
victims of Lopburi flood
Patan sub-district in Lopburi
is still under water.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Pattaya has gone to the rescue of flood victims in Lopburi Province as a
convoy of two trucks, led by Mayor Itthipol Khunplome, rushed money and
emergency supplies there on September 27.
In Lopburi, the Pattaya relief team distributed emergency food and supplies
and 111,804 baht in cash, donated by Pattaya residents, to 500 flood victims
at the Ban Mie district.
Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn, along with a team of officials from the
Pattaya social welfare office were on hand to help as well.
Floodwaters of 1.50-2 meters running down from the mountains have inundated
the Muang, Kohksamrong and Banmie districts in the province, causing damage
to 200,000 rai of agricultural land, affecting some 56,000 residents.
Water level in the Chainat-Pasak Damn had overflowed but water pumps are
working overtime and the situation has eased in some areas and is expected
to improve further in the next 15 days.
Pattaya was quick to come to the aid of Lopburi, setting up relief aid
collection points at 5 places in the city between September 22-26 which
received the supplies delivered on this trip.
More donations can be made at: Pattaya City Hall, Wat Chaimongkol in South
Pattaya, new Naklua market, Lotus Super centers in south and north Pattaya
and the Sawang Boriboon Thamasathan Foundation.
Sriracha set to use wind power
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
By the middle of next year, Sriracha authorities plan to be using 18
windmills to produce electricity on Koh Loy in an exciting and innovative
development for Sriracha Municipality.
Sriracha Deputy Mayor Charat Suwan said his municipality will fight the
world’s energy crisis by generating wind power as an alternative source of
electricity.
The pilot project, with a budget of 4 million baht, will see 18 wind
turbines built on and in the area of Chao Praya Surasak Montri (Jerm
Saeng-Chooto) Bridge at Koh Loy Public Park in Sriracha.
The work involves a small power-generating grid of 18 sets of 400-watt
electrical generating units sited at different locations and storage
capacity for the electricity produced.
The windmills will catch much of the wind that blows over the island 24
hours a day.
A low-speed windmill expert from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at
Rajamangala University of Technology in Thanyaburi was consulted on the
building of a wind-driven generator.
A private company is designing this operating system with the design
estimated to be completed this month. If approved by the Sriracha Municipal
Council then construction using Thai manufactured materials will begin with
a completion date set for the middle of 2009.
An artist’s rendering of the
18 wind turbines
to be set up at the Koh Loy Public Park Bridge in Sriracha.
Police nab alleged
German pedophile at airport
Boonlua Chatree
A German citizen was arrested before boarding a plane for Cambodia and
charged by Pattaya police with indecent dealing with a minor.
Bernd Dieter Diefendacher, 59, of Karlsruhe, was stopped as he was boarding
an Air Asia flight to Cambodia on September 29 and was charged with
“separating a minor under 15 years of age from parents in order to perform
obscene and lewd acts,” according to Pol. Lt. Col. Thawatchai Sudsakorn.
The accused is out on a bail of 200,000 baht pending court hearing.
On the same day police also arrested Miss Cynthia Morris, 21-years-old South
African national, at the airport and charged her with using a fake passport
intending to travel to Auckland, New Zealand. She was taken to Rachataewa
Police Station for further investigation.
Commander of the
Royal Thai Navy retires
Patcharapol Panrak
Admiral Sathiraphan Kaeyanon, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy,
retired on September 30 when he turned 60, after 38 years of service for his
country.
 Admiral
Prawit Srisukwattana (right) presents a souvenir cannon shell to Admiral
Sathiraphan, retiring Commander of the Royal Thai Navy.
In his farewell speech, Admiral Sathiraphan predicted that the Royal Thai
Navy will be “the naval leader in the region in terms of number of men,
modern equipment, good management and leadership.”
The Navy bid farewell to its chief in a ceremony on board the naval ship
HTMS Naraesuan docked at Laemthian Pier at Sattahip Naval Base, attended by
Admiral Prawit Srisukwattana, Commander of Royal Thai Fleet and other
high-ranking officers.
As the Pinklao battleship fired a saluting salvo, and Admiral Prawit
presented a souvenir cannon shell to Admiral Sathiraphan. The retiring
commander in turn distributed gifts to naval officers present.
During his three years at the top job, Admiral Sathiraphan increased the
Navy’s capacity and combat readiness through better armament and manpower.
He is also credited with making the procedure easier for junior officers to
obtain promotion through merit.
Jomtien power branch
office switches on
Pramote Channgam
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has opened a
new Jomtien branch office to support more than 13,000 power consumers.
 Manop
Thanomkitti, PEA deputy of distribution and service in Region 3, pushed the
button to officially open the new office, as Mayor Itthipol Khunplome (left)
and Banglamung District Chief Mongkol Thamakittikhun (right) look on.
The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) Jomtien Branch is located in Soi
Chaiyapreuk, Nongprue, with Tawatchai Roisri as branch manager. The office
controls the distribution of power to Huayyai, Sattahip, Najomtien and parts
of Pattaya City, a circuit of 340 kilometers.
Manop Thanomkitti, PEA deputy of distribution and service in Region 3,
switched on the lights at the new Jomtien branch office on September 29 in a
ceremony attended by Rewat Pollook-In, deputy chief of the Chonburi
Provincial Administration, Mongkol Thamakittikhun, Banglamung district
chief, and Mayor Itthipol Khunplome.
Saman Sutthipongkaset, manager of PEA in Pattaya, said the Jomtien branch
supplies 13,000 consumers and until August had collected 17 million baht in
revenue. PEA expects the number of users to increase as Pattaya City is
expanding fast.
Manop reported that the underwater cable project to Koh Larn and Koh Sichang
was underway with the Interlink Consortium Company having completed a survey
of the layout and had ordered the 2 KV underwater cable.
The cable will be delivered by December 2008 and electricity should reach
the two islands through this route by June 2009 in a project costing more
than 311 million baht.
Jomtien to host
cereal conference
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Preparations are well underway for the 34th National Corn and Millet
Educational Conference in Pattaya scheduled for April 8-10, 2009.
 Assoc.
Prof. Dr. Nirand Chantarawong.
Some 300 delegates from 42 countries are expected to attend the meeting in
Jomtien, organized by Kasetsart University and supported by the Chonburi
Provincial Administration Organization.
Pattaya’s deputy permanent secretary, Apichart Puechphan chaired a meeting
at the city hall on September 25 to prepare for the conference with Assoc.
Prof. Dr. Krisda Samphantarak, Assoc. Prof. Chaiwat Chaiyakul, vice
chancellor at Kasetsart University, Sriracha Campus, and Assoc. Prof. Dr.
Nirand Chantarawong in attendance.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nirand said Kasetsart University at Sriracha has been
operating an educational research model on corn and millet for more than 40
years and is an expert in this field.
He said the conference would look at all aspects of the cereal crops and
their potential as export crops for Thailand.
Bangsaen whales
serve fish bonanza
Lucky Ekasak Sermsri went out
in a small boat with friends
and very soon brought back a pile of large, good-eating fish.
Patcharapol Panrak
The story of fishermen hauling in a bonanza of unusually large fish
off Bangsaen Beach continues with the fish being driven closer to shore by
“leaping whales.”
Elated fishermen are boasting individual caches of big white snapper,
parrots and “pla ku” fish, much prized in restaurants, some fishermen
reporting daily income of 20,000-30,000 baht. All thanks to a pod of four
large whales, said to be “Bruda” whales, which have been feeding near the
artificial coral reef off Bangsaen Beach, sending deeper sea fish to
fishermen near the shore, almost on a plate.
Lucky Ekasak Sermsri, a local spear fisherman, went out in a small boat with
friends and very soon brought back to the Laemthan Pier a pile of about 200
kilograms of a large variety of good-eating fish of eye-opening large sizes.
A big crowd gathered at the pier to marvel at the local sea’s unusual
bounty.
Ekasak recounted how he had dived without scuba gear only about 5 meters
down to find the sea bottom “covered with crayfish” that he was able to
choose to spear at will.
His catch that day also included a 150 kg snapper and a parrot fish that was
“very expensive.” The snapper would fetch 150 baht a kilo and the parrotfish
and “ku” fish 600 baht per kilogram, he said.
Sriracha Mayor Chatchai Timkrachang said previously only dolphins came for
food during this period but it was good to see the whales here.
He said Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management had a team of 24 members
collecting data on the four whales that came for shrimps, mussels, crabs and
fish, all in the sea off Chonburi and Sriracha provinces.
He said it was a good ecological sign to see abundant sea life.
Saensuk Mayor Sawat Homplume welcomed the whales as a tourist attraction as
well as for local people to see.
He said that fishing by trawlers would be monitored more effectively now to
prevent damage to the artificial reef which had increased the sea’s
fertility.
Plan to link
Royal Birthdays
Patcharapol Panrak
The idea of linking the royal birthdays of His Majesty King Bhumibol
Adulyadej and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit would honor them both and provide
space for many useful patriotic activities by the populace in between,
according to a Sattahip plan.
 Narong
Theerajantarangkun, chief of Sattahip District.
Narong Theerajantarangkun, chief of Sattahip District, held a meeting on
September 25 to begin organizing activities for the “116 days from Mother’s
Day to Father’s Day creation of unity” from August 12 -December 5, 2008, the
birthdays of Their Majesties.
Chonburi councilors and the Ministry of Interior agree that this period can
be used to create unity and involve more people, especially youngsters, to
raise their knowledge about King and country.
Narong said such activities can include: promoting the study of current work
and past achievements of HM the King, historical knowledge about His
dynasty, promoting the study of Thai language by young students, to know
better about grammar, the language used by Royalty and Thai wisdom from
proverbs.
There could be contests on singing the national anthem and patriotic songs
and activities to “celebrate our flags at a flag camp” at a location yet to
be chosen.
Officials from the sub-districts of Najomtien, Samaesarn, Sattahip and
Bangsarae were on hand that day to discuss this initiative and agreed to
meet soon to complete details of the planned Royal Birthdays’ activities.
City fathers promoting
an au natural Loy Krathong
Saksiri Uraiworn
The best Loy Krathong floats made from natural materials in this
year’s festival will win cash prizes from Pattaya City administration.
 Deputy
Mayor Wattana Chantanawaranon
So it will pay to head for your backyard coconut and banana trees and help
reduce global warming while you are at it.
Pattaya’s Loy Krathong festival is set for November 12 at Lan Pho Park in
Naklua. Deputy Mayor Wattana Chantanawaranon headed up a recent meeting on
the subject.
Rewards for the most beautiful and Green floats are: 10,000 baht first
prize, 7,000 and 5,000 baht for second and third prize with two consolation
prizes of 2,000 baht each.
There will be three competition categories: primary school, secondary school
and an open one for the public.
All of the competitors must use natural materials for the float to be made
by their own hands at the festival venue within a time limit of 4 hours. The
size of the krathong must be a minimum of 30 centimeters in diameter, of any
designs with appropriate Thai-style decorations.
On the same night will be a concert by well-known folk singer Saeree
Rungsawang, Pamela Bowden and Janet Kiew.
Anyone interested in joining the float-making competition can apply to the
Child and Youth Activity Section at the Pattaya Education Department from
now until November 12 during office hours. For more information call
038253220 or 03825 3231.
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