Boonlua Chatree
Police arrested a transvestite who tried to steal from a British citizen to have money for breast surgery.

The miscreant (seated) tried to steal from a tourist (right), claiming that he needed the money for breast enhancement surgery.

Pol. Maj. Wittaya Yoenyong, Crime Suppression Inspector at the Pattaya Police Station, was on patrol with other officers at 1.30 a.m. on February 7 when notified about an alleged pickpocket being detained at a beer bar on Soi Diana, Pattaya 2nd Road.
The “woman of the second category” Pongsathorn Chunsil, 22, of Yasothon, was taken into custody.
David Shine, 50, said that he was walking back to his room located in the soi when passing some bars the accused hugged him and offered sex but he declined.
Shine said while the man embraced him he also tried to pick his trouser pocket containing 5,000 baht but he was aware of this and reacted.
Shine tried to stop the thief, all the while shouting for help. Nearby onlookers were able to detain the thief.
Pongsathorn allegedly said that he needed money for breast surgery. Police said they found that the accused had police record involving the consumption of narcotics.

Indian man held for trying to pass counterfeit bills

Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya Tourist Police arrested an Indian real estate businessman for allegedly using fake banknotes in a bar.
At 1 a.m. on February 7, Pol. Lt-Col. Suwan Oun-anan was on patrol on Walking Street in South Pattaya when he was alerted by residents that they had detained a tourist passing fake banknotes at a beer bar at the beginning of Soi Diamond.

Pankaj Sharma has been arrested for allegedly trying to use counterfeit money to buy drinks in a Soi Diamond bar.

Police arrested Pankaj Sharma, 25, after officers allegedly found 10 counterfeit US 100-dollar bank notes, three 1,000-baht bank notes and a 100-rupee note in his trouser pocket.
Bar owner Bunchoo Sanitkham, 55, said that she advertised on the Internet to sell her bar and that the suspect had contacted her about the business and made an appointment for negotiations.
During the talks Sharma ordered drinks from the bar and paid with the fake dollars. After verifying that they were fake notes, she called police.
Sharma said that he was a real estate businessman and denied the accusation, claiming that he didn’t know the bank notes were fake because he had received them from his customers.

Women held for ya ice dealing

Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya Police arrested four women for allegedly dealing in the drug ya ice after an undercover policeman posed as a buyer.
Pol. Col. Sarayut Sanguanpokai, superintendent at the Pattaya Police Station, and Pol. Lt. Col. Chanapat Nawalak, deputy superintendent, announced the arrests on February 10.
In custody were Siwaporn (aka Look Mai) Yoshido, 35, who is half Thai half Japanese; Nuanla-Ong Khotthada, 35, of Chonburi; Acharaporn Nimruang, 24, of Lampang; and Wanida Chanchamni, 28 from Khon Kaen.
Police said they found ya ice in 20 plastic zip-packets of 1.4 grams and 16.6 grams each totaling 44.6 grams, five ya e pills, 45 ya ba pills and 4,000 baht in cash in Siwaporn’s room at the MO Guesthouse on Soi Buakao.
Col. Sarayut said that Siwaporn was arrested last August for possessing ya ice. She was out on bail but allegedly went back to distributing ya ice again.
Police said an undercover officer offered to buy the drug. Allegedly Siwaporn agreed to deliver it to him in a room at the guesthouse where the arrests took place.
According to police, Siwaporn said that she bought ya ice from a man called Tom, about 30 years old, and distributed it to Thai and foreign tourists in entertainment places for 4,000-5,000 baht per gram.
Police Investigators are pursuing the drug supplier.

The women are put on display before being locked up for drugs possession.

Container truck accident kills two

Boonlua Chatree
A container truck slipped its load while overtaking another vehicle then overturned, killing its driver and the driver of the pickup that it was overtaking.
On February 10 at 7.30 p.m., Pol. Lieutenant Jirasak Aebfang of Banglamung Police Station received a report that a road accident had occurred causing fatalities on Route 7 (Pattaya-Rayong Road).
Police and Sawang Boriboon Foundation rescuers rushed to the scene of the crash and found a large container truck flipped on the side of the road. The truck belonged to the Thai Plastic and Chemicals Company.
Rescuers found the body of the truck driver Sayan Pohdee, 40, at the side of the truck.
About five meters away was a Toyota pickup with a smashed roof and the body of the driver Sergeant Dejboon Pansapsarn, 59, a soldier of Nawamin camp, in the driver’s seat.
Police said the pickup truck driven by the sergeant was heading into Pattaya while the container truck that was heading to Laem Chabang Port tried to overtake it.
As the road was bumpy the container tragically slipped off the truck to crush the pickup truck and caused the container truck to also overturn.

A container truck heading into Laem Chabang lost its load, killing two.

Man held for attempted rape

Theerarak Suthatiwong
A drunken supermarket employee allegedly tried to rape a female university student waiting at a bus stop on busy Sukhumvit Road only 500 meters away from the Banglamung Police Station.

Therawat Sitthichai has been remanded to custody for attempted rape.

At 7 a.m. on February 5, Pol. Lt. Wirat Tedtong on duty at the Banglamung Police Station did not have far to go to arrest Therawat Sitthichai, 20, of Sukhothai after he allegedly molested a student under the highway overhead crossing in front of Pattaya School #2.
Police found a big crowd already surrounding the accused who had bruising on an eyebrow and a swollen face from fighting with onlookers. The crowd had come to the rescue of Puthimat Kriangthantri, 21, a student at Sriprathum University.
The attack victim had a cut on her mouth, bruises on her body and soiled uniform.
Puthimat said that a male friend had dropped her off at the bus stop in front of the school to catch a bus to her class at the university in Chonburi.
It was early in the morning and she saw the accused on a parked motorcycle under the walkover bridge but didn’t pay intention to him. She said later the man came up behind her and put his hand over her mouth and dragged her behind the advertisement signboard of the bus stop.
She told police that Therawat tried to take off her dress. She defended herself but was hit several times on her face and stomach until she passed out. Luckily a motorbike taxi rider at the taxi stand opposite and other people came to her rescue, injuring the accused in a struggle.
According to police, Therawat finished his shift at the Family Mart at the Pettrakul Road Branch in North Pattaya at 1 a.m. and drank with his friends nearby until morning. He then headed to Chonburi on his motorbike to see friends.
He stopped at the bus stop to answer a phone call and on seeing Puthimat, he was suddenly gripped by sexual desire “because of her nice fitting clothes.”

Marines reach out to Pattaya orphanage during Exercise Cobra Gold 2009

More than 25 Marines and sailors took part in planting trees for the Father Ray Children’s Orphanage Feb. 7 in Pattaya. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Daniel A. Flynn)

Lt. j.g. Mark Torres, chaplain for Marine Aircraft Group 36,
plays his guitar for the children who live at the Pattaya orphanage.
(Photo by Lance Cpl. Daniel A. Flynn)

Lance Cpl. Daniel A. Flynn
More than 25 Marines and Sailors deployed in support of Exercise Cobra Gold 2009 participated in a community relations event Feb. 7 at Father Ray Children’s orphanage in Pattaya.
The Marines and Sailors who participated in this event planted about 40 trees for the orphanage, and after that, they visited and played with the children who live there and ate lunch with them.
When the service members first arrived at the orphanage, all of the children gathered around with smiles on their faces, in order to great the Marines and Sailors.
“It gives the children hope to see that people from around the world care about them,” said Lt. Cmdr. Robert Slaughter, Chaplain for Combat Logistics Regiment 3. “It is a great opportunity for U.S. military members to be great ambassadors to Thailand,” he added.
After the initial greeting between the service members and the children, the Marines and Sailors immediately started working on planting the trees for the orphanage.
With the manual labor out of the way, the Marines and Sailors were able to give their attention over to the children completely.
Lance Cpl. Thomas Mills, a cryogenic technician with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 36, said, “Being here is a great and very humbling experience; it makes you appreciate what you have.”
After about an hour of playing with the children, the Marines and Sailors enjoyed a lunch that was cooked up on a barbeque grill by the staff of the orphanage.
“I believe you see the face of god when you serve others, especially children,” said Lt. j.g. Mark Torres, chaplain for Marine Aircraft Group 36.
Also, by participating in these types of events, service members are brought out of their element and it helps them to live a better life, added Torres.
The children at the orphanage took to the Marines and Sailors very quickly. The positive interaction and the smiles on the faces of both children and service members alike made this event a successful one.
When it was time for the Marines and sailors to leave, just looking into the eyes of the children would tell one that even though they where only there a few hours, the children in that orphanage will remember the Marines and Sailors who came to visit them for the rest of their lives.

Lance Cpl. Matt Foster, with Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242,
as well as several children living at the orphanage plants a tree.
(Photo by Lance Cpl. Daniel A. Flynn)

Armed Forces blood program contributes to saving tourist’s life

Lance Cpl. Cristina Noelia Gil
CG09 Combined-Joint Information Bureau Staff Writer
With approximately 7,000 U.S. Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen supporting Cobra Gold 09 throughout the Kingdom of Thailand, the joint blood supply program has resources standing by at Tricare-approved hospitals to adequately treat injuries.
Cobra Gold is in its 28th year and is a Thai-U.S co-sponsored joint, multi-national military training exercise designed to improve international interoperability and effective planning and execution of complex multinational operations.
In addition to the numerous service members, contractors and dependents who benefit from the program, hospitals in the countries where U.S. forces operate can also tap into its resources.
Feb. 2 - a German tourist was admitted to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital in cardiac arrest and suffering from profuse bleeding. In order to save the man’s life, hospital officials needed to locate a supply of an uncommon blood type - RH negative.
“About 99 percent of the population in Thailand is RH positive, so finding RH negative blood is a challenge,” said Lt. Cmdr. Roland L. Fahie, joint blood program officer.
The joint blood program was called upon for support and was readily able to follow through with the rare red blood cells and contributed to saving the tourist’s life.
“In an emergency situation, you exhaust all your resources to help someone. This was a very fortunate event for all of us, and especially for the man who received the blood, that we were here to save someone’s life,” Fahie said. “It means a lot to me that we were able to be a part of something like this.”
In any operations that involve large numbers of service members, the joint blood supply program is readily available with supplies of every blood type.
“Generally, wherever there are large numbers of military personnel engaged in operations, whether it’s peacekeeping or wartime, and in training where there is potential for life-threatening injury, the joint blood program is there,” said Fahie. “Our mission is to ensure we have adequate blood support and supplies for any mission within our (area of operation). We do things civilian blood programs can’t do - we deploy.”
In addition to supporting medical civil action projects in the region, stepping in to help local medical personnel accomplish their job shows other nations the U.S. is always willing to lend a hand.
“Not only are we here to provide routine care through MEDCAPs, but to help them in their endeavors,” Fahie said. “They are here to provide emergency medical care for us, so we are helping them help us through having our supply readily available. That is what Cobra Gold is all about. It’s about strengthening our ties with other countries.”
After witnessing the powerful effects of the program, Fahie reaffirmed his support for blood donation and encourages people to donate whenever possible.
“This is the perfect reason for people to donate blood. The blood collected back on the home front saves human life,” said Fahie. “It is better to have an abundance than not have it at all. If blood programs like this didn’t exist, many people wouldn’t be here today as a result.”

Thai, U.S. forces train to protect the skies during Cobra Gold 2009

Two F/A-18 jets take off from Utapao Airfield Feb. 12 during a Large Force Exercise with Royal Thai Air Force, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps participation as part of Exercise Cobra Gold 2009. The F/A-18s depicted here are from Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242, which is serving under Marine Aircraft Group 36 for this exercise. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Daniel A. Flynn)

Lance Cpl. Daniel A. Flynn
U.S. Marine Corps, Royal Thai Air Force and U.S. Air Force personnel participated in a Large Force Exercise here Feb. 12 as part of Exercise Cobra Gold 2009.
In general terms, the Large Force Exercise is focused on air-to-air and air-to-ground combat training scenarios, allowing command and control personnel, air controllers, and pilots to gain experience and improve their tactical capabilities.
The exercise provides an excellent opportunity for U.S. and Thai forces to partner together in order to learn from one another and improve military interoperability.
“This training has allowed us to meet and work with other professional aviators,” said Capt. Ernesto Howard, a pilot with Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242, a squadron comprising several two-seat F/A-18 Hornets that are serving under Marine Aircraft Group 36 for this exercise. “It has been good training from both the pilots’ perspective and the perspective of working as peers.”
The pilot’s training scenario started with an aerial refuel mission, and then it progressed into their F/A-18s dog-fighting through simulated combatants in route to their objective. Once they reached that point, the Hornets dropped inert ordinance and then fight their way back to the airfield where they launched, according to Howard.
Before the pilots launch, they receive several briefs, which allow them to effectively plan and execute their mission.
The U.S. Marine Corps pilots were also required to coordinate with Thai and U.S. Air Force personnel, stationed in another part of Thailand more than 150 miles away.
“The most challenging part of this exercise is that we can’t talk to the Thai and U.S. Air Forces in person because they are so far away,” said Howard. “Although, the language barrier does not hinder our ability to work together,” he added.
“This is a unique experience, being able to go to another country and train with their military,” said, New Orleans native Capt. Cody Buras, an F/A-18 pilot with VMFA (AW) 242.
As one of the only permanently stationed squadrons on Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, VMFA (AW) 242 engages in a rigorous exercise schedule that takes them across the Asia-Pacific region annually.