HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

God Bless Mike Franklin

Sleepless in Pattaya

Thailand Year Zero

Wanting to feel more welcome at immigration

Life outside Pattaya

Rare Walking Green Man

Ease the burden

In memory of Mike Franklin

God Bless Mike Franklin

Editor;
Good Morning my dear friends in Pattaya, I was so saddened to see the headline of the weekly online edition of the Pattaya Mail today. I knew Mike was not well when I last e-mailed him, and I am even more saddened now at his passing. Mike was the first contact I had with Pattaya, and he made me feel right at home as soon as I arrived. That was in 2003. I have had four visits to Thailand since then and I am planning a trip there in March 2009. This was to be a surprise visit, and I was quite looking forward to bumping into Mike at Jameson’s, or seeing him MC a local charity golf tournament. In the short time I had the experience of meeting Mike, you are right in saying he made everyone feel the warmth of friendship. It is this kindness that is missing in today’s society, but it is this selfless act that we should emulate in the spirit of Mike’s memory.
Thank you Mike, for the outstretched hand when I arrived, and for the spirit of kindness you so freely gave.
God Bless, you are in my prayers...
Your Canadian Friend.
Andrew

Sleepless in Pattaya

Dear Editor,
Your recent front page stated the local authorities were to encourage visitors to boost the flagging tourism in Pattaya. One positive action is to reduce noise in the city. Example: Friday January 9, a party in a bar somewhere in Soi 7 with very loud music and the familiar bass amplification (you know the sound) (ba bum bum bum ba ba bum, etc., etc.) finished at 5 a.m. Saturday morning, keeping much of Central Pattaya awake including one presumes the police station on Soi 9.
Many tourists and friends have said they will be taking their winter break elsewhere in the world so they can get a good night sleep. So come on Pattaya mayor, take action, use your authority to reduce noise now, before tourism drops much further.
Yours sincerely,
Norman Clarke & Friends

Thailand Year Zero

Editor;
I enjoyed Lester’s condescending analysis of my previous letter about Westerners meddling in Thailand’s affairs. There were a few things that I do take exception to however.
His comparisons of Thailand with the situation in Germany under the Nazis and Palestine, etc. etc. was a little silly. All one need to do in order to understand good taste and judgement is to compare world affairs with visiting someone’s home. If you are invited to visit someone and while you are there they speak harshly to their children, it is none of your affair. However, if their children should come running out of a back room screaming that they are being held hostage and beaten daily, then it just might be appropriate to get involved.
It has always amazed me that whenever Westerners are chastised about meddling in other’s affairs, they must always cite Nazi Germany, Palestine, Rwanda or some other extreme case in order to attempt to legitimize what is basically just meddling.
When I hear or read Westerners making such comparisons I begin to understand why Thais have a tendency to lean toward xenophobia. I think that, like me, Thais recognize that such logic is not logic at all. It is simply dishonesty.
But to get back to the subject of manners and good taste, I would like to suggest that because someone goes to a foreign country and invests in it or takes a holiday in it or involves themselves in it in some other fashion, does not mean that they have a right to “speculate, criticise, theorise or advise” it. What it means is that they are looking to make some money from it or that there is something in it that they wish to purchase. Of course that includes entertainment or something offering emotional satisfaction. In a nutshell, they are here because they want something and that doesn’t automatically guarantee the right to change what they have found here or even suggest that it be changed.
The basic rule is very simple Lester. “Wait until you are asked for advice before you offer it”.
John Arnone,
Yasothon

Wanting to feel more welcome at immigration

Editor;
It’s only a few weeks since Pattaya Immigration office received an award for best outstanding service. But that’s not what I have experienced over the years. They were rather impolite and short to me, also I’ve witnessed a few occasions were they behaved quire arrogant and rude towards falang tourists and residents. Maybe some officers are getting fed up with being asked the same questions day in, day out.
But you can’t blame falang just because some of them are ignorant about visa and immigration regulations. The only thing that has really improved is that they have changed their police uniform for a less intimidating outfit. Especially now we’re in a global down-turn and tourism is suffering, show us that famous Thai smile once in a while for it will make a lot of immigration visitors feel more at ease and welcome.
Best wishes,
Chris
Pattaya

Life outside Pattaya

Editor;
I have frequently visited Thailand since marrying a Thai lady from near the Laos border 15 years ago. I have been living here in Pattaya now for 3 years and visit Isaan several times a year. It never fails to astound me to hear some of our expat experts expound on the terrors of being outside Pattaya, particularly concerning the attitude of Isaan police toward farangs who may be so foolhardy as to attempt to travel through their wastelands. They make it sound as if the highways and byways of the region are lined by police officers with their hands out extorting exorbitant sums in “tea-money” for non-existent offences. To many, it would seem that Apache country starts just south of Korat. In this light, I should like to relate a tale concerning the recent New Year’s Eve.
I was spending some time in the village visiting my in-laws and to attend my sister-in-law’s wedding. Due to overcrowding in the family’s rather small dwelling, the foreign visitors - she was marrying a guy from Switzerland - were accommodated in a new resort bungalow hotel a few kilometers away. On New Year’s Eve my daughter dropped me off at the resort earlier than usual and drove back to the village. When I attempted to retrieve my key from reception, there was nobody there due to a family party. (They presumed nobody would be returning before midnight.) As my phone was on the charger inside the bungalow, I had no option but to return to my family’s farm some 5 km away. However, there were no drivers around at the usual motorcycle rank - just a few policemen hanging around a vehicle control check-point.
I approached the chap directing traffic and asked him in broken Thai where I might find a motorcycle taxi. He looked over to the taxi rank and shook his head. He crossed the road to a small bar and returned quickly muttering that no-one in there should be driving anything at all tonight - too drunk. He then approached a more senior officer who was involved in some paperwork and after a short exchange, put on a crash helmet and kick-started a police motorcycle parked nearby. He signaled me to approach and to mount his pillion.
He then drove me the 5km or so to the door of our family house. I thanked him of course, wished him Happy New Year and tried to push some money on him. He got slightly miffed and suggested that they weren’t all thieves and robbers just because they wore uniforms. Then large smiles and Happy New Years all round and off he went back to his probably boring duty of trying to keep the most homicidal of drunken maniacs off the road. Having lived in several countries and observing the police practices this was certainly new one to me!
This tale I have found to be more typical of the Isaan attitude to alien visitors than any of the horror stories woven by the Whining Willies with their bottomless wells of (non-) experience thrusting their inaccurate wisdom on all those prepared to listen. Expats who live in the more remote regions have informed me this is probably more typical of those who “Protect and Serve”, for whatever motive, than one might imagine.
Rory

Rare Walking Green Man

Editor;
The Walking Green Man is alive and well, stationed at Big C car park North Pattaya. Maybe he will migrate to all Pattaya Traffic Lights Junctions. That would be something, all the lights going red, the pedestrians free to walk across the junction, even diagonally, but do not dilly dally, as the bikes will be straining, revving, and some may be unable hold back and jump the red. Unusual I know.
Matt Jomtien

Ease the burden

Editor;
Visa fees will be waived to encourage foreign tourists? What about the foreigners whom are long stay guests of Thailand and every day spend their income from abroad contributing to the Thai economy while supporting their Thai families? In this economic climate many of them must be finding it increasingly hard to show a bank balance required by the Immigration Department. Can this requirement be eased?
Ron Martin
Sattahip

In memory of Mike Franklin

Editor;
I wrote a few poems to Mike on his birthdays, etc, including one on his 70th at Jameson’s. Here is the last:

Michael John Franklin, always known as Mike
an honour to have known him, you rarely meet the like.

Born on April the first, what a special day,
how often you heard, many people say,
There goes a good man, always doing good,
If only everyone, really understood.

Loved Thailand, all Thai people that he met,
high or low, never differed from the set.

His life was giving, his family, he was proud,
that was Mike, never heard him shout out loud.

Banjob, Tukata, especially little Samm,
often heard him say, that’s the man I am.

Don’t cry, little Samm, wherever near or far,
Dad will always be with you, no matter where you are.

I met Mike almost twelve years ago,
so lucky to see our friendship grow & grow,

Cherio old friend, never will I forget,
If only a little longer, that’s my regret.
Ed. T

Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail
are also published here.