HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Get this man off the streets

Baht buses are deadly weapons

Money to be refunded

Sterling’s demise

Further commendation for Isaan police

Manners maketh man

Get this man off the streets

Editor;
Is it me, or does anyone else find it alarming that a 51-year old Italian man is caught having sex in the bushes with a 12-year old boy, as almost unbelievably, the boy allegedly got on this man’s motorbike for a ride to the mall. I’m struggling with this as I would not like to think that a schoolboy could be at fault in any way for the actions of a grown man.
They have to be protected from this scum, which brings me to my second point: the police say this man has been arrested several times for the same offence, the last time quite recent. I thought there was a mandatory statutory rape charge for sex with a minor. Could anyone tell me why this beast is still walking the streets of Pattaya and not locked up in a Thai jail?
Do the police or TAT think they can turn Pattaya into an international family tourist destination while men like this roam the streets? It’s time for action. These are the people who give foreigners a bad name. Pattaya police and the courts, please get this man off the streets for good.
Mickyfin Burnley

Baht buses are deadly weapons

Editor;
Last Saturday night at the intersection of Pratamnak Rd. and Cozy Beach Rd. (police box) I came across a gruesome scene: a baht bus taxi had a motorbike 3/4 buried under its front end with no sign of the bike driver.
Now, I have been riding a motorbike in Pattaya for the last 2 years and I can tell you there is rarely a day goes by I don’t feel intimidated or threatened by one of these drivers trying to drive up my exhaust pipe or pass me by centimeters just to cut in front of me and then turn 20 meters ahead with no turn signals.
What I would like to know is what are the qualifications needed to become a baht bus taxi driver? Let me guess, must have raced on a track with Louis Hamilton at least once...
A 5000 lbs. vehicle is just as deadly as any rifle in the wrong hands. 2-3 months ago I read in the newspaper that a monorail had been approved for around Pattaya. I say the sooner the better in the name of safety.
Peter

Money to be refunded

Dear Sir,
You recently published a letter from me about a Pattaya hotel which withdrew, without my permission, money from my bank account to pay for an enforced stay while there was a sit in at the Bangkok airport. When I returned to Pattaya this month, I made another visit to the Tourist Office to register my complaint, which they forwarded to the city council and the mayor.
I have now heard from the tourist office that the hotel is to return my money to me. I am, therefore, very grateful to the tourist office and the council, for the decision that has been reached. The honorary consul at Jomtien was also sympathetic.
All I have to do is ensure the money goes back into my account and, if not, tell the tourist office. The hotel in question remains off my list, however, for their treatment of a loyal and regular customer.
Yours sincerely,
Charles Walker, UK

Sterling’s demise

Sir,
Having seen my small pension decline more than 30% over the last few months I have plenty of sympathy for Mr. Martin (23rd Jan), but it seems to me that his request to the Thai Immigration is a no brainer. His annual expenditure on his Thai family must eventually come from his income and has nothing much to do with his statutory obligation to the immigration authority. If he is a British citizen it would be more appropriate for him to request the British government to stop appropriating a portion of his pension because he lives in Thailand.
The best way for the Thai government to boost tourism would be to abolish the visa altogether for the privileged nationals who now get a month visa free stay on arrival. This period could be extended as is the case with Malaysia. If the government wishes to make a charge it can easily do this by providing a simple visa on arrival. In Turkey and Egypt, for example, a visa is obtained on arrival and is the size of a postage stamp. No forms need to be completed and no photographs required. The current visa situation here is, in my opinion, counter-productive. If South Africa, Gambia, Senegal, most North African countries, Central and South American countries do not require visas, why should Thailand?
British Citizen

Further commendation for Isaan police

Editor;
My experience with police in Isaan is similar to that of Rory in last week’s Mailbag. They can be helpful beyond the call of duty.
Last August, three visiting family members from Australia and I were passengers on a train from Nong Khai to Bangkok which returned to Nong Khai station shortly after departure, due to the political disruption in Bangkok. We were directed to VIP buses which would take us to Bangkok. But an unplanned 12+ hour overnight bus trip would have been extremely taxing for four 60+ year olds and we asked police officers on duty if we could go to Udon Thani on the bus or hire a taxi to take us to Udon Thani.
The police officers informed us that there were no taxis available in Nong Khai and that the bus company was reluctant to take us to Udon Thani, wanting to keep seats available for passengers to Bangkok. The bus company representative said we could buy a ticket to Udon and stand in the bus, but we declined.
The police officers were very helpful and most concerned about our welfare. They eventually arranged four seats to Udon Thani on the last bus to depart which was not full. They made sure that we paid the correct fare to Udon Thani and checked that the driver would put us down at the bus station in Udon Thani. They conveyed all this information to us despite the language difficulty.
I too have been “fined” several times at police roadside checkpoints on the highway south of Korat, which is irritating to say the least. However, it is clear that there are many Thai police who do “Protect and Serve” as Rory put it. They should be commended and I wrote to Nong Khai police station at the time to express the thanks of myself and visiting family members. I take this opportunity to thank them publicly.
Barry,
Pattaya

Manners maketh man

Editor,
“Manners maketh man”, we used to be told. The principle appears to be widely forgotten, but it is refreshing to see it has not been altogether lost. In John Arnone’s ‘Thailand Year Zero’ (23rd Jan), he reminded that a basic rule of manners is; “Wait until you are asked for advice before you give it.”
If that simple tenet was observed by Pattaya’s expats and regular visitors, and those who forgot it were given the cold shoulder, it would not be attracting notoriety as a haven for ‘grumpy old men’, as was stated in a recent Bangkok Post article (Bangkok has plenty of them too).
John’s analogy of treating world affairs in the same way as visiting someone’s home was appropriate, but one has to wonder how many of the moaning Minnies would know how to conduct themselves if visiting someone’s home.
Besides John’s letter giving some hope, the letter from ‘Rory’ (same issue) was also positive. A truth is that if Thailand was not an easy place to live and the people were as inhospitable as the stereotype-mongers portray, those who are provoked to ire by the slightest difficulty they encounter would not be here.
Some of the people who support and condone stereotypical assaults on their hosts are not who one wouldn’t expect it of, but thankfully there is a new wave of writers replacing the ‘old knockers’. By one new book I was pointed to Sarah Wilde’s epic poem ‘Most Men, Some and Others’, which seems to cover most of man’s inherent foibles and faults that only relatively few manage to overcome. It does not specifically refer to Pattaya fans, but the following verses certainly apply (there are more). I think your readers John Arnone and Rory have marked themselves as ‘Others’. I leave the constant criers to self-judge which they are.

To hide their inner doubt
Most men invoke malice
They point, sneer and tear apart
Drink from their poisoned chalice

Some men can’t take to foreign parts
To change each place they seek
Others take all in their stride
They are not so meek

Jack Tighe

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