|
PM advises children
to follow their dreams
Pramote Channgam
“Smart thoughts, pure mind, follow dreams and co-operation” was the
advice for our young generation and slogan for Children’s Day 2009.
 Deputy
Mayor Wattana Chantanawaranon reads a message from PM Abhisit Vejjajiva.
On January 9, Deputy Mayor Wattana Chantanawaranon presided over the opening
of Children’s Day at Pattaya City School 3 and read a message from Prime
Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
The message said that adults should realize the importance and potential of
youths and raise them so that they take responsibility for their own tasks,
study hard, respect elders and undertake further self-development in order
to be able to cope with the world today.
We should help our children live in harmony for democracy, peace and unity
of the nation, he said.
Deputy Mayor Wattana added that the aim of this year’s children’s day was to
encourage youth to know the importance of learning, creativity,
responsibility and self-training in order to be able to help society.
Democrats strengthen grip on power
Ambika Ahuja
Bangkok (AP) - Thailand’s ruling coalition strengthened its
grip on power Monday after winning the most seats in parliamentary
by-elections against allies of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
 In
this Dec. 23, 2008 file photo, Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva
arrives at Government house for his first cabinet meeting in Bangkok.
Parliamentary by-elections Sunday, Jan. 11, were the first test of political
strength for Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s ruling coalition since
it took power in December after months of unrest. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit,
File)
Unofficial results showed Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s Democrat Party
and its coalition allies capturing as many as 20 of the 29 parliamentary
seats at stake in Sunday’s polling, Election Commissioner Apichart
Sukhakanont said.
An official tally was to be released later Monday.
The polls were the first since Thaksin’s political allies were ousted from
power in December by a court ruling and parliamentary maneuvering and
replaced by a coalition led by the rival Democrat Party.
“The results show that the public wants the country to move forward. People
want to reduce political rift,” Abhisit told reporters.
Parliament elected Abhisit as the nation’s leader by a thin majority last
month. His ascendance to form a shaky coalition government followed the
dissolution of three parties in the previous governing coalition of Thaksin
allies after a court ruled some of their members had committed election
fraud.
Voters in 22 provinces cast ballots Sunday to fill the 29 seats made vacant
mostly by politicians disqualified by the court ruling.
The dissolved parties had been packed with allies of Thaksin, who was ousted
by a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption and abuse of
power. He is in exile, defying a court conviction on a conflict of interest
charge.
Thaksin twice led his party to impressive election victories and he retains
popularity among the country’s rural majority. His loyalists contested most
of Sunday’s races under the banner of the newly formed Phuea Thai Party.
Abhisit’s government plans to implement a 300 billion baht stimulus package
in the next few weeks to boost domestic demand and woo poor voters in rural
Thailand.
Analysts said the election results may ease concerns that Abhisit lacked a
popular mandate because his party did not win general elections in December
2007.
“It will be easier (for the coalition) to pass measures to help boost the
economy and ward off attempts to bring down the government,” said Sukhum
Nuansakul, a political scientist at Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng University. “But
it does not mean it will be more stable. (The prime minister) will have to
rely more on small parties and factions who have their own demands and
agenda.”
The Democrat Party came to power after months of political chaos caused by
protesters opposed to Thaksin’s political machine. Their sometimes violent
demonstrations culminated in an eight-day blockade of Bangkok’s airports in
November that made it difficult for Thaksin’s allies to govern with any
credibility.
Abhisit’s government was voted in with a majority of 37 votes, with the
support of 235 lawmakers in the 480-seat lower house of Parliament. The
Democrats received the support of politicians who had formerly been allied
with the pro-Thaksin coalition government.
Mardi Gras scheduled to dance away the doldrums
Mayor Itthipol Khunplome
(right) announces the event with celebrities Ploy Mahadamrongkul (left) and
Oranich Kittiyakorn (center).
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
What better way for Pattaya to dance out of the tourism doldrums
than in the “Pattaya International Mardi Gras” set for January 23.
So put on your dancing shoes.
For the first time in the city, a fancy “electric parade” will generate some
needed sparkles and colors into the street and the economy in a parade that
the city mayor hopes to make a signature event for Pattaya.
On January 7 Pattaya City collaborated with the Tourism Authority of
Thailand (TAT) and Central Pattana Co. Ltd. to officially announce the
Pattaya International Mardi Gras.
Celebrities to join the razzmatazz on the day from 4 p.m. onwards are Nui
Sujira, Natalie Davis, Run Nattamonnakarn Sirinikorn Choti, Ploy
Mahadamrongkul and Oranich Kittiyakorn.
Mayor Itthipol Khunplome said that the tourism situation needs to be fixed
immediately and this very colorful and exciting parade could become a
signature event for Pattaya, sure to please tourists both domestic and
foreign.
Dr Nattakit Tangpoonsintana, deputy managing director of Central Pattana,
says that the fancy electric parade with other shows along the beach will
combine three themes: Thai contemporary arts, modern beach lifestyle and
under the sea celebration.
The highlight will be the launching of Queen Oceania and many celebrities’
performances.
Sea creature sculptures are appearing all around Pattaya including in front
of Central Festival Pattaya Beach, Central World, Central Ladprao and
Central City Bangna to publicize the Mardi Gras.
The route of the parade will be as follows, beginning on Beach Road Soi 7,
passing Central Festival Pattaya Beach to Walking Street to Soi 2 Road and
back to Central Festival Pattaya Beach.
There will be 12 different sections of the parade over the distance of five
km with everyone from city schools, Pattaya’s Business and Tourism
Association, Beer Bar Owner Association and Central Festival Pattaya Beach
all joining in the fun.
Sea creature sculptures are
appearing all around
Pattaya to publicize the Mardi Gras.
City doubles welfare payment
Deputy Mayor Wutisak
Rermkitkarn (back row, center) oversees the distribution of a living
allowance to elderly, disabled and people living with HIV.
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
Pattaya City continues to pay welfare allowances to elderly,
disabled and people suffering from HIV for the sixth consecutive year,
doubling the amount this year to 1,000 baht a month to keep up with rising
living costs.
Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn said that during the 2008 budget year 273
people received this monthly living allowance, which is available for the
duration their lives.
He said the Pattaya living allowance project was initiated in 2004, provided
with a budget from the Department of Social Development and Welfare to
assist those in need in the community.
The project started with 81 recipients in 2005, 74 joining in 2006, 35 in
2007 and 83 in 2008. Another group of 66 elderly, 18 disabled and 9 people
living with HIV has been added to the list this year.
Pattaya administrators carefully consider applications for support.
Officials visit the homes of each applicant, taking photos to submit to a
selection committee for consideration.
The names of people selected for assistance are then posted on a board at
city hall for 15 days. If there is no objection against the names announced
within that time then payment support can begin.
The deputy mayor said regarding the allowance for people living with HIV,
people need to send applications to the Pattaya Social Welfare Division to
be approved.
The South Pattaya Branch of the Krung Thai Bank opens bank accounts for all
those who receive the daily living allowance into which monthly payments are
made by the city administration.
Deputy Mayor Wutisak and Pattaya Councilor Somchai Chaona recently presented
the welfare payments to recipients at city hall.
New Year greetings fill air and mailboxes
Banglamung Post Office is
still lively with people sending off cards and gifts.
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
In the massive volume of New Year good wishes flying back and
forth on the last days of December, traditional posted greeting cards
and gift parcels still held their own against the huge flow of mobile
text messages and emails.
Telephone companies counted up to 50 million SMS messages sent on
December 31 and January 1. Of these about a million were multimedia
messages containing photos.
The Banglamung Post Office reported that 900,000 greeting cards were
sent, a 3% drop from the previous year while Lotus and Big C department
stores reported a 5% increase in cards and gift parcels sent from their
stores, cleaning out their stock of cards.
Rungruang Rattanapol, chief of the Banglamung Post Office, said on
January 7 that this year’s traffic in traditional greeting cards was
down due to people using SMS messages via their cellphones because it is
faster and more convenient than using the post office.
But nothing could replace giving and receiving New Year gifts through
the post. Most people still send chocolate and images of Their Majesties
the King and Queen and the late HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana as gifts to
elderly relatives for prosperity. The number of gift parcels sent
increased compared to last year, he said.
Advance Info Services (Public) Company Ltd. (AIS), and Total Access
Communications Public Company Ltd. (DTAC) could be well-satisfied as New
Year wishes continuously sent via cellphones jammed the air space and
hummed the transmission towers, an increase of 25% over the number of
messages sent on the last day of 2007.
Kids enjoy Redemptorist party
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
Children’s Day was happily celebrated at Pattaya Redemptorist
Center with snack food ordered in and with games and dancing.
 Youngsters
from the Redemptorist School perform Thai classical dance on Children’s Day.
On January 10 at the children’s home, Father Lawrence Patin, director of the
Father Ray Foundation, home director Supachai Satheerasilapin, Rotarians
from the Jomtien Pattaya Club and children, in all numbering more than 350
people and everyone had a ball.
The morning was lively with free food arriving early, provided by
kind-hearted adults from places such as the Rotary Club of Jomtien Pattaya.
Some 500 snacks were delivered from MacDonalds to distribute to the
children.
Then game booths went into action awarding prizes: bingo, darts, ring
tossing and hooking booths. The children circulated to all the booths, had a
great deal of fun and took prizes home as well.
Then there were more competitions such as tug-of-war and sack-running while
stage shows were performed, such as Thai classical dancing and Thai boxing.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva created the motto for Children’s Day 2009,
urging children to think smart, think pure thoughts, follow dreams and
promote unity.
He had wished all youngsters healthy mind, intelligence, joy and for them to
grow up as capable and knowledgeable people for the benefit of our nation.
Heave, ho! Put everything you
have into the tug-o-war.
Rotarians from the Rotary Club
of Jomtien-Pattaya hand out delicious MacDonalds meals to the kids.
Adults (L to R) Father Worawut
Saraphan and Father Lawrence Patin from the Redemptorist Center, with Ingrid
Cunliffe, Rosanne Diamente and Rachel Hoag lead the fun on Children’s Day.
And they’re off! Blue is out
to a short lead over green.
Ministry gives milk as New Year present
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Neatly combining a solution to the oversupply of milk and giving a
New Year’s gift to the public, the Ministry of Public Health donated 10
million bags of milk, 3,000 bags per district, all around the country.
 Dr.
Marut Jirasetsiri of Chonburi Public Health presents milk to road users at
the Aow Udom intersection.
Dr Marut Jirasetsiri of Chonburi Public Health, along with Pol. Lt-Col.
Kittipat Pongpanich, deputy director of Laem Chabang Police Department, and
Somrudee Sukudom of Sriracha Public Health brought 3,000 bags of milk to
give to the public at Sriracha’s “happy gift point”.
Wittaya Kaewparadai, minister of public health, presented 10 million bags of
milk to the public as New Year presents all over the country at scattered
“happy gift points”, also to help buy out overstocked milk from dairy
farmers.
Jomtien townhouse burns
Boonlua Chatree
Fragrant incense sticks lit to chase away a bad mood caused a fire
on the second floor of a townhouse on Thepprasit Road, scattering the woman
owner’s pet cats and dogs.
 Anyarat
embraces her scared, wet cat after the fire.
At 9 p.m. on January 4, Pol. Capt. Pratipat Phumilee at the Pattaya Police
Station called out the fire brigade to the house near the Outlet Mall in
Pattaya.
The Pattaya Rescue Unit and 10 fire engines responded and quickly put out
the fire but not before it caused some 200,000 baht in damage.
The fire on the upper level of a two-storey townhouse spread panic as nearby
residents started to remove their belongings but firefighters were able to
contain the blaze and no one was injured.
House owner Anyarat Jitramphan, 31, said that she was alone in the house and
was in a bad mood. So she lit some perfumed incense sticks and fell asleep.
She awoke and found that fire had spread quickly to the bedroom, so she ran
downstairs to raise the alarm.
“Right now I’m worried about my cats. I have found only two of my seven
cats. If someone has seen the other five cats, please kindly tell me,” said
Anyarat.
After the fire she counted two cats and three dogs, one of them her favorite
male cat named “Song” which was found wet and miserable behind the house.
Anyarat held it in her arms with tears of joy before taking it to a
veterinarian hospital for treatment.
Police said the likely cause of the fire was the incense, but would
investigate further.
Officials check bars for fire safety
Deputy Governor Pisit
Boonchuang (seated, center) looks over the licenses
and operating permits at X-cite disco and finds them to be in order.
Theerarak Suthatiwong
Deputy Governor Pisit Boonchuang stressed the vital importance of
fire safety in Pattaya’s clubs and bars as he led an official inspection of
two large pubs in the city, following the tragic new year blaze at the
Santika Pub in the capital.
Fire at the Santika Pub on Soi Ekamai in Bangkok on New Year’s Eve killed 64
young celebrants and injured several hundred who were trapped in the burning
building.
On January 5 the deputy governor along with Banglamung District Chief
Mongkol Thamakittikhun, Senior Deputy District Chief Pratchaya
Unpetchwarakorn, Pattaya Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh and other officials
inspected fire safety provisions at Differ and X-cite bars.
At the Differ Pub on Petchtrakul Road which serves a large number of
customers everyday, officials inspected the main exit and emergency exits
behind the stage, measuring their widths, locating emergency lights and fire
extinguishers and recorded details for future safety inspections.
The X-Cite Pub on Pattaya 3rd Road which regularly organizes large concerts
had just renovated inside to increase safety for customers, installing
easily accessible fire extinguishers, sprinklers, and a fire alarm and
enlarged the emergency exit.
Deputy Governor Pisit said the Ministry of Interior had ordered all
provincial governors to inspect entertainment establishments in their
jurisdiction for building structures and fire safety.
The official team said the primary inspection of these two bars was
satisfactory and the result will be reported to superiors.
Three held for security truck heist
Boonlua Chatree
In a daring heist in South Pattaya, two armed men held up a Samco
security truck and, with help from a driver and fourth person, made away
with five million baht in cash.
Three of the suspects have been arrested with one still at large with the
cash haul.
On December 28 Pol. Col. Somnuk Changate, Superintendent at the Banglamung
Police Station investigated a robbery of the security truck which was
delivering money to the ATM at the Jet gas station in South Pattaya opposite
the Lotus Department store on Thepprasit Road.
 Police
inspecting the scene of the crime found a pocket knife used in the robbery.
Driver of the security truck Anurak Ringruk, 35, and Nirut Buaban, 26, said
they had stopped to fill up the Siam Commercial Bank ATM there on their
usual route around town.
Nirut said as he left the truck carrying a money box containing five million
baht two men wearing khaki attire approached. One of them put Nirut in a
headlock and threatened him with a pocket knife, later found discarded on
the ground.
Brandishing a pistol, the other man grabbed the money box and the men ran to
a waiting Gold-Bronze Toyota pickup truck, parked with a driver at the
ready, and sped off in the direction of Sattahip.
CCTV recorded much of the hold-up for police.
Police said the robbers were well-prepared and had been waiting at the gas
station for some hours and knew the delivery route well.
Later police arrested Peerapong Jiaranai, 32, a former money delivery
employee, after a tip-off that the man had been suspended from work because
100,000 baht collected had gone missing.
Police alleged that the accused had made threats to exact his revenge
against the company.
Police alleged that Peerapong later admitted cooperating with Bancha Kose,
36, Somyot Thongpliew, 31, a former Samco employee, and Charin Pan-Ngern,
25, to commit the robbery.
This was due to them knowing that a large amount of money would be brought
fill up that particular ATM during the New Year festival.
According to police, Bancha was assigned to form a team to commit the
robbery and they were to divide up the money later at a chosen location in
Rayong.
Pol. Col. Somnuek Chanket said so far three of the four suspects had been
arrested but the alleged mastermind Bancha was still at large and the money
had not been recovered.
Police said the men had expected to receive 100,000 baht each after the
heist and that the stolen money had most likely cross over into Cambodia in
Srakaew Province.
Immigration Police are now involved and a 200,000-baht reward for
information had been posted.
On December 31 police found the pickup truck suspected to have been used in
the hold-up parked on Soi Chonprathan and registered to Uthon Somwang, 26,
who is helping police with their investigation.
Transvestites caught stealing confiscated high-heels whilst paying fines
Boonlua Chatree
Two opportunistic transvestite sex workers tried to steal new
high-heeled shoes from right under the noses of police while they were
waiting in front of city hall to pay a fine for soliciting sex on the beach.
The new shoes had been confiscated from vendors and were temporarily
stockpiled at city hall. The footwear proved to be too much of a temptation
for the light-fingered women-of-the-second-category, and they quickly
swapped their old high-heels for a brand new pair.
Kilenthong Ngam Da-nga, 20, from Kalasin, and Somsamai Phuklongta, 25, were
detained by police. Somsamai told police, “The new shoes were much nicer
than their old ones.” His remarks that others were doing the same thing
without being detected went unheeded.
Earlier in the day, on January 8, Pattaya municipal police and volunteer
police on patrol had arrested 18 transvestites soliciting sex with
foreigners on Pattaya Beach.
The colorful and noisy group was brought in to have reports filed against
them and to pay fines at the municipal police office at city hall where our
two katoeys could not resist the new shoes that seemed to be there for the
taking.
Pol. Lt. Somchai Chaimananukul at the Pattaya Police Station was called by
the municipal police to come to deal with the new offence.
Gas station catches fire
Boonlua Chatree
The last fire of the year in Pattaya blazed at the Thepprasit PTT petrol
station causing damages amounting to a million baht.
Ten fire engines took approximately 30 minutes to put out the fire which
resulted from an electrical short circuit.
 Firemen
fight back flames at the Thepprasit PTT petrol station on New Year’s Eve.
At 10 pm on December 31, firemen rushed to the gas station on Thepprasit
Road along with rescuers from the Sawang Boriboon Foundation and Pattaya
police.
The large petrol station was closed and only the 7-Eleven next to it was
still open. Fire started at an engine-oil changing area inside the station,
causing a powerful fire near the gas distribution point.
7-Eleven employees tried to extinguish the fire with a chemical extinguisher
until firemen arrived but the entire station building was already completely
engulfed in flames.
Station manager Jarae Phumipat said Suthon Rodmanop, a rescuer from the
Sawang Boriboon Foundation who worked at the gas station, said that a short
circuit occurred in the office’s roof.
Then sparks fell to a bucket leading to a gasoline tank in the office and
strongly spread elsewhere but fortunately not to a head pump divider which
would have caused more damage.
Fake British bank notes found
Boonlua Chatree
A Pakistani owner of a tailor shop and his wife were detained by
police after trying to exchange two counterfeit 20-pound sterling notes at a
bank currency booth.
UOB employees called police after finding fake notes among other pound notes
that Crora Taren, 23, was trying to exchange for baht.
 Front
and back of the two fake banknotes.
On the morning of January 5, Pol. Lt.-Col. A-nan Thammachaiyakul at the
Pattaya Police Station was called out to the UOB booth at the beginning of
Soi 9 and Pattaya 2nd Road where the Pakistani woman and her husband Atif
Faruki, 34, were arguing with bank staff who had exchanged their real pound
sterling notes but were retaining the two fake ones.
Bank teller Panuwat Yooyen, 34, said the woman came with her daughter to
exchange 180 pounds sterling.
He verified the notes and found two counterfeit 20-pound sterling notes
mixed in with genuine ones.
But the woman customer shouted and protested that the bank employee had
replaced the real money with counterfeit money and called her husband who
came and shouted at the teller as well.
Police said the couple claimed that they did not know that some of the
English currency received from customers was fake.
The couple was detained for further investigation.
Irish flees apartment blaze
Boonlua Chatree
Fire burned out a fifth-floor apartment of an Irish resident causing no
injury but 200,000 baht in damages.
 Rescue
workers tend to the injured Irishman.
About 3.30 a.m. on January 9, Police Major Chanatad Nawakunnarangsee of
Pattaya police called out the fire brigade to an apartment block on Soi
U-Mae in Central Pattaya.
Three fire trucks put out the fire in about half an hour but not before
furniture and electrical goods were destroyed.
Apartment owner Michael Joseph Toohy, 40, tried to douse the fire but ran
downstairs after almost suffocating from smoke. Other tenants also ran out
in a panic.
A friend took the apartment owner for a physical check-up in hospital.
Police said the cause of the fire could have been a short circuit, but they
will investigate further.
|
