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The night the lights went out in Pattaya
Pattaya spared red shirt violence, full duration of lengthy national curfew
Even
24-hour convenience stores
were ordered closed during the nationwide curfew.
Tourists
learn about the curfew from a hand written
sign posted on the front door of this 7-Eleven.
Staff Reporters
Arguing that the lengthy curfew imposed after last week’s
deadly riots in Bangkok was both unnecessary and devastating for the area,
Pattaya officials were able convince Thailand’s military to lift the
clampdown on the city after just two nights.
Following a May 21 meeting at Pattaya City Hall, the
Centre for Resolution of the Emergency Situation lifted the curfew for the
greater Pattaya area at around 8 p.m., relieving both tourists locked in
their hotels for the previous two nights and businesses that feared losing
prime weekend evenings to the embargo.
Police and volunteers inform some late goers that there
is a curfew in effect.
Under the curfew, all businesses were forced to close and
all people told to stay indoors.
Pattaya was the only exception, however, in a curfew that
covered Bangkok and 23 other provinces for part or all of the evening hours
starting May 19 and planned to continue through May 31 in 24 provinces, from
midnight to 4 a.m. The government imposed the lockdown to restore order
after mass rioting, arson and looting broke out in the capital and around
the country following the Royal Thai Army’s breakup of the United Front of
Democracy Against Dictatorship’s sprawling protest rally May 19. More than
53 people were killed in the fighting since the army operation began May 13.
The cancellation - announced on national television and
locally at a Walking Street press conference by Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome -
was met with relief by business owners and tourists alike who wasted no time
in following the mayor through Walking Street and other nightlife areas.
Yet while most tourists and residents believed the “red
shirts” passed over Pattaya for violent protests in places like Chiang Mai,
Udon Thai, Ubon Ratchatani and Khon Kaen, there were, in fact, a number of
actual and rumored incidents in the area that authorities say at least
initially warranted the curfew here.
About 500 red-shirted protestors blocked the entrance to
the Thai Oil Refinery in Laem Chabang, where they’d been causing disruptions
for a week. Six-wheeled speaker trucks shouted anti-government platitudes in
an attempt to fire up the red shirts. They were met by hundreds of Chonburi
Provincial Police officers bent on preventing the red shirts from setting
fire to the refinery. Rescue boats and fire-fighting equipment were prepared
in case authorities had to rescue employees from the facility by sea.
Authorities feared the Laem Chabang protestors would next
join about 100 red shirts already gathered on a field behind North Pattaya’s
Central Center to watch the news and events in Bangkok on television. After
comrades set fires to commercial and government buildings in five provinces,
Pattaya officials dispatched more than 100 city security personnel to
protect city hall. The Laem Chabang group, however, never appeared and the
local red shirts remained peaceful.
Even before the curfew began at 8 p.m. May 19, department
stores fearful of the kind of arsonist attack that destroyed Bangkok’s
Central World and two other malls closed voluntarily at 5 p.m.
No attempts were made on any retail center, but that
didn’t stop Internet-fueled rumors from flying, including one false rumor
that the Mike Shopping Mall would be bombed. About 50 provincial police were
dispatched to the eight-floor mall just in case.
Such was also the case at the Dusit Thani Resort where
false rumors said someone had shot an M79 grenade at the hotel, and a beer
bar complex on Soi 8 were rumors falsely suggested someone had planted a
bomb.
In the end, Pattaya saw no red shirt activity of any kind
on either May 19 or 20. Security, however, was stepped up nonetheless. Hotel
security watched perimeters to protect guests, checkpoints were set up on
main roads into the city and officers were sent to guard high-risk targets
such as the Thai Oil Refinery and the PTT oil tank farm at Rong Po Market in
Takhiantia. Meanwhile, police trucks roamed the streets, announcing over
loudspeakers for pedestrians to go inside, street vendors to pack up their
carts and businesses to close.
The curfew took a few hours to take hold May 19, but
after 11 p.m. that day and after 10 p.m. the next Pattaya resembled a ghost
town with traffic on the streets more akin to 5 a.m. than before midnight.
Even 24-hour 7-Eleven stores were shut tight and the always busy beachfront
was deserted.
The impact on business and tourism, obviously, was
devastating. Walking Street bar owners to independent motorbike taxi drivers
alike complained about losing out on income when, in fact, there were no red
shirt problems in Pattaya. After it became clear the area had been all but
spared any unrest, they pushed city officials to get the curfew lifted.
Praichit Jaetapai, a massage parlor owner in South
Pattaya, said that while the current unrest was less damaging than the
closure of Bangkok’s international airport in 2008, she still was losing out
on at least three hours of business a night.
A motorbike taxi driver said he was now taking in less
than 300 baht a day, down from more than 500 baht. And restaurant owners
complained their takings were down by half.
Itthiphol said that, in the end, the curfew was lifted
because the CRES “estimated that no violence would occur in the Pattaya
area.” However, he noted, the city’s own security measures remain in force
for the entire duration of the nationwide curfew.
The promenade on Pattaya Beach, normally full of tourists
and locals,
is completely empty during the curfew.
Today is Visakha Bucha Day
Banks and government offices closed
Making
merit at a local temple on Visakha Bucha Day.
Today, Friday May 28, is one of the most venerated
holidays on the Buddhist calendar: Visakha Bucha Day. This Buddhist Holy Day
marks the beginning of the Buddhist Era 2,548 years ago, and celebrates the
miracle of the Buddha being born, reaching enlightenment and passing away
and achieving final release from the circle of rebirth, all on the same
date.
Devout Buddhists are participating in ceremonies at
nearby temples, making merit in the morning by bringing alms to monks and
listening to sermons. Later this evening devotees will continue assembling
at temples to conduct the “Wien Thien” ceremony, walking around sacred
temple grounds three times holding candles, joss sticks and flowers honoring
the Buddha, the Dharma (Buddha’s teachings) and the Sangha (the Buddhist
Monastic Order).
For this holiday, killing any kind of animal and drinking
alcohol or intoxicating substances is forbidden for 3 days. Wats are to be
adorned with lanterns, flowers and joss sticks as symbols of worship, and
skyrockets will be lit for three days to celebrate.
Banks and government offices are closed for this holiday.
Although not mandatory, the government is asking that no alcohol be served
on this day, and that all bars and entertainment venues close for 1 day. An
unnamed police spokesman told Pattaya Mail that police will strictly
enforce this “request”.
Human rights panel
chairman reviews Walking Street redevelopment plan
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome
(left) addresses a Thailand human rights panel concerning the redevelopment
of Walking Street.
Thanachot Anuwan
Long-standing plans to redevelop Walking Street will
boost the environment and lead to a safer nightlife district, Pattaya Mayor
Itthiphol Kunplome told the head of a Thailand human rights panel.
During a May 14 tour of the area, Paboon Samsiripong,
chairman of the Human Rights Sub-Committee for Women and Children, was
briefed about the planned South Pattaya Bay development project, which seeks
to refurbish the city’s crowded entertainment district by adding open spaces
and more family-friendly attractions.
Currently Walking Street is overrun with adult
businesses, street vendors and touts, a situation that can lead to crime and
other problems. The sub-committee wanted an update on Pattaya’s actions to
remedy the situation.
Itthiphol noted that the Environmental Protection
Commission has shelved consideration of the project until the city resolves
the long-standing issue of property owners on the waterfront side of Waking
Street encroaching on public land. In hopes of jarring loose action on it,
the city submitted a report to the human rights panel in hopes of enlisting
its support.
Paiboon agreed the development project will both benefit
society and generate more than 60 million baht a year for the country. He
agreed to submit a favorable report to the government, which could see the
South Pattaya Bay project elevated to national importance.
Pattaya preps 3-prong
strategy to win back tourists
Vimolrat Singnikorn
With its tourism industry in tatters following last
week’s bloody “red shirt” riots in Bangkok, Pattaya is preparing a
three-prong strategy to entice visitors back to the city.
At a May 19 Pattaya Business & Tourism Association
meeting, Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome said the city planned to bring in Thai
media outlets to showcase the city, send letters to all foreign embassies to
assure them that Pattaya is a safe holiday destination and work with hotels,
restaurants and other businesses to offer discounts and promotions.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome talks with business owners about
plans to help tourism to Pattaya recover from the devastating political
problems over the last few years.
“Even though some foreign tour groups have postponed
their trips and some countries are forbidding travel to Thailand, we still
have Thai tourists,” Itthiphol said. “We know this is a safe area to travel
to and Thai people need a place to relax and relieve the stress of political
problems.”
The city plans to tap a 10 million baht reserve budget to
try again to rebuild tourism after a second devastating year of political
unrest. Last year a combination of a late 2008 closure of Suvarnabumi
International Airport and April red shirt riots clobbered Pattaya tourism.
While it rebounded beginning in October, those gains and more have been
wiped out by protests and riots that have left more than 87 people dead
since April 10.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand said last week it
expects the country’s tourism industry to lose another 120 billion baht
between now and the end of the year with tourist arrivals dropping 20
percent from last year’s already low levels during the second and third
quarters.
To win back tourists, Itthiphol said Pattaya must get its
own house in order. That starts with increasing security along its signature
beachfront. Then, once Bangkok returns to normalcy, media outlets from the
central part of the country will be invited to tour and film the city,
showing that Pattaya is peaceful and ready to host visitors.
The next step is to send letters to foreign embassies,
tell them that not only is Pattaya safe, but solicit their help in spreading
that message to tour agencies back home.
Finally, the mayor said, the city will seek cooperation
from hotels, department stores and tourist attractions to begin special
promotions and discounts to lure back visitors. “We want tourists to feel
like they’ll regret it if they don’t visit Pattaya this year,” Itthiphol
said.
Banglamung 1st Thai district to create development master plan
Boonlua Chatree
Banglamung municipal officials have hired two
universities to draft the first district-level development master plan
in Thailand.
Banglamung Sub District Municipality Mayor Likhit
Sirimaneerat and Prof. Kriangsak Phramphan sign an agreement to draft
the first district-level development master plan in Thailand.
Banglamung Sub District Municipality Mayor Likhit
Sirimaneerat signed the contract with Burapha University and Stanford
University in the United States May 18 to jointly draft the plan.
Likhit said officials realize the importance of
organized development for the district’s seven communities. By creating
a master plan for the municipality, they hope to outline methods and
goals to maximize livability and sustainability of development in the
district. The plan will follow Banglamung’s vision of “bloom, relax,
peace, delicious dishes and beautiful nature.”
Beach Road hole
causes accident concerns
Shopkeeper Sombat Charoensiri took it upon himself to place a concrete block
in front of the foot-deep hole on Beach Road to warn drivers.
Thanachot Anuwan
Business owners blocked off a part of Beach Road that
collapsed near Central Road for fear it would cause accidents.
The meter-long depression appeared May 14 near the
intersection of the two busy streets and police or city officials had yet to
repair or cordon it off. Area shopkeeper Sombat Charoensiri took it upon
himself to place a concrete block in front of the foot-deep hole to warn
drivers.
City officials were urged to remedy the problem before
someone got hurt.
New Pattaya permanent
secretary calls on bureaucrats
to work hard, be honest
Phasakorn Channgam
Pattaya’s new permanent secretary called on city
bureaucrats to work hard, be organized and resist corruption.
Four days after taking office, Sunthorn Ratanawaraha, a
former Chonburi deputy governor, laid out his principles and plans to city
employees May 14 at Pattaya City Hall. He said that in his 30 years working
in public service, his driving principle has been to work hard, be precise
and achieve good results.
Sunthorn Ratanawaraha, Pattaya’s new permanent secretary.
Sunthorn noted that being responsible for 2,000 people is
a big job for the permanent secretary and directed supervisors to take
charge of their subordinates and lay out clear plans and job descriptions
for them. He also reminded them that they collect a monthly salary to work
on behalf of the people, not to position themselves to take bribes.
Before joining the city, Sunthorn was the primary
administrator for Chonburi Province while serving as deputy governor. He
also served as a senior administrator as deputy governor of both Nan and
Rayong provinces. During his civil service career he also served as the
chief of three provincial districts and deputy chief of another. He holds a
master’s degree in political and administrative science from the National
Institute of Development Administration and a bachelor’s degree in business
administration from Ramkhamhang University.
As permanent secretary, Sunthorn is responsible for the
Pattaya Engineering, Sanitation and Technology departments. He has three
deputy permanent secretaries working under him.
Four Bangkok teens burned in mysterious spray gas accident
Injured teens await a
boat from Koh Larn to Pattaya after receiving burns from exploding gas
(inset).
Theerarak Suthathiwong
Four well-connected Bangkok teenagers were burned in a
mysterious Koh Larn accident involving about 17 cans of Super Flame spray
gas.
The three 17-year-old girls and one 18-year-old male
sustained burns to their arms, legs and abdomens around 6 p.m. May 8 in
their room at the Tuk Tuk Resort on Tawan Beach. Treated initially at the
scene by Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan, the four were transported by
speedboat to Pattaya Memorial Hospital.
Guesthouse owner Somsak Sugor said Napat Jungsamran,
Kotchaporn Wongsakwanit, Chanikan Junpratheepthong and Athima Himathongkam
had checked into a single room around 3 p.m. the day before and had not come
out. The next night, Somsak said was cooking in the kitchen when he heard
shouts for help from the teenagers’ room.
There he found the injured teens and 17 “Super Flame” gas
cans but no cooking materials and no reason why there would be so many
containers.
After the four were transported to the hospital, Somsak
added that he received a phone call from an unnamed Bangkok politician
urging him not to speak to the media about the youngsters’ accident. Somsak
declined, as the circumstances surrounding the accident were mysterious and
he felt the public had a right to know.
3 injured when car flattens noodle stand
Three people were
injured when a car driven by Art Tasanathai lost control and rammed a
street-side noodle stand in the wee hours of the morning.
Theerarak Suthathiwong
Three people were injured when a car crashed into a
roadside noodle restaurant on Sukhumvit Road near Soi Khao Noi.
Police were called to the Jae Muay noodle stand around
3:30 a.m. May 15. There they found that a Nissan vehicle driven by Art
Tasanathai, 31, had plowed into tables and several motorbikes. Three patrons
were hurt with injuries including burns from scalding soup and a broken leg.
The injured were taken to Banglamung Hospital.
The driver, from Nonthaburi, said he was driving to see a friend on Soi
Khao Talo when, about 50 meters from the street, he hit the brakes and they
locked up. He lost control and crashed into the restaurant.
Budding Russian pornographer’s secret video panned by police
Boonlua Chatree
An aspiring Russian pornographer made his debut at
Pattaya Police Station after his lead actress turned him in for secretly
filming her.
Dragov Kalin Olegov was taken into custody May 7 after
police responding to a complaint from a Walking Street bar girl found a
hidden Toshiba video camera inside a bag in his Diamond Beach Hotel room.
The complainant, identified only as “Namfon,” told police
she had met Olegov in a bar and had accompanied him back to his room. During
their liaison, she noticed a green bag on top of a dresser curiously
positioned with its end facing the bed below.
When she asked Olegov why he had placed the satchel
there, he didn’t reply. So she immediately searched the bag and found a
camera with its lens against a small hole in the bag to film the action in
the room.
Namfon contacted a friend for assistance then went to
police to complain. Police, speculating Namfon was not the first unwitting
actress, returned and seized the camera and a memory card before taking the
Russian to Pattaya Police Station.
Sattahip underwear bandit nabbed after 11 weeks
Patcharapol Panrak
 It
took eleven weeks, but a Sattahip underwear bandit has finally been
arrested.
Police
don’t believe Weerayut Somsalam didn’t know how his neighbor’s undergarments
ended up in his flat.
Plutaluang police nabbed 27-year-old gas deliveryman
Weerayut Somsalam May 6 for allegedly snatching four sets of panties and
bras from the bathroom of 25-year-old neighbor Wilaiwan Kaewyodkhao Feb. 19.
The Bangkok native denied he stole the woman’s underwear,
claiming he had come home from work to find it behind his door and did not
know who placed it there. Police were skeptical and the matter was scheduled
to go to court.
Alleged Swedish drug dealer compounds problems
with attempted bribe
Henrik
Christian Koch hides his face from cameras as police display the cache
of drugs and weapons they allegedly confiscated from his apartment.
Theerarak Suthathiwong
An accused Swedish drug dealer got himself into even more
trouble when he tried unsuccessfully to bribe his way out of arrest with
500,000 baht.
Henrik Christian Koch, 41, and his 21-year-old girlfriend
Paweena Srimuang were taken into custody by Chonburi Provincial Police May
15 in their Four Seasons Hotel room on Pattaya Third Road. Officers seized a
loaded .38-caliber pistol, 1.5 g. of ya ice in 3 plastic bags, 2 raw opium
cubes weighing 10.5 g., a half gram of dextroamphetamine, one ya ba tablet,
one ecstasy tablet and various paraphernalia and sex toys. The drugs were
concealed in everything from pens to spray cans.
Officers also discovered 500,000 baht in cash, which Koch
allegedly offered the police in exchange for his freedom. They refused the
bribe and arrested him on drug, weapons and attempted bribery charges and
alerted the Swedish embassy before remanding him to the custody of the
Pattaya Police Station.
Drunken accident or murder?
Sattahip man awaits fateful decision
Patcharapol Panrak
Police investigators are waiting for experts to determine
if a drunk, partially disabled Sattahip woman died after falling and hitting
her head or whether her equally drunk husband killed her in one of their
frequent quarrels.
Doctors at Sattahip Km 10 Hospital ruled May 17 that
Sommai Khunpolpitak, 45, had died of a head injury while stumbling back to
her house after a nearly 24-hour drinking marathon with her husband and
relatives. Partially paralyzed, she had trouble walking under normal
circumstances and husband Diew Suebkha, 36, said they’d both fallen trying
to cover the 500 meters from the family members’ home.
Despite bruises and other injuries covering the length of
Sommai’s body, Diew insisted he had not killed his wife. He said after she
fell and was knocked out he dragged her back into the house, dropped her on
a mattress then changed her clothes into the blue polo shirt and white pants
police found her in.
Doctors backed up the man’s story, saying the bruises
were consistent with falling and being dragged and that the head wound did
not appear to come from a weapon.
Police, however, still suspect Diew hit his wife with a
blunt object killing her. They said neighbors reported the two were often
intoxicated and fought often. Sometimes, neighbors alleged, Diew beat his
partner.
Sommai’s body has been sent to the Forensic Institute
where experts will be able to determine the nature of her head injury and
whether the death was an accident or murder.
Chicken griller pulled from financial flames by sweetmeat cook
Supoj
Limhorsoon (2nd right) receives a certificate of appreciation from Saensuk
police and Yupin Wechkama (2nd left) for returning Yupin’s lost money.
Theerarak Suthathiwong
A Bang Saen Beach grilled-chicken vendor who lost nearly
150,000 baht can thank a Thai sweetmeat salesman for finding her misplaced
handbag.
Supoj Limhorsoon, 47, noticed the bag at the beach cart
where he sells the meat flavored with coconut, sugar and flour May 15. After
its owner never returned, the Chonburi man looked inside and found 148,730
baht. A good Samaritan, he took the bag to Saensuk Police Station.
Two days later 38-year-old Yupin Wechkama came to the
same station to report her bag lost. She was able to correctly identify the
handbag and property inside it. The officer therefore made an appointment
with Supoj to return it in front of witnesses.
For his honesty, Supoj was given a certificate from
police.
Yupin said she was happy to get the bag back, as it
contained money she needed to pay for her children’s school fees. The
chicken lady thanked the meat man, saying it affirmed that even in times of
trouble, the country still has good people.
Siam Safety expands into 8 more countries with Iraqi deal
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Siam Safety Premier Co. has expanded its international
reach with the signing of an Iraqi company to distribute the unique
fire-extinguishing balls in eight more countries.
Phanawatnan Kaimart, managing director for the Naklua-based
company, announced the new dealership contact with Star Group at the Pattaya
Beach Resort & Hotel in Chonburi May 15.
Star Group CEO Hallow Talabani (left) signs a sales
distribution contract with Siam Safety Premier Co. Managing Director
Phanawatnan Kaimart (right).
Siam Safety’s Fire Extinguishing Ball is a sphere-shaped
fire extinguisher that when tossed into a fire, activates within three
seconds to disperse flame-extinguishing chemicals. It also sounds a loud
noise as a fire alarm. It is currently sold in 101 countries through 49
distributors.
Star Group head Hallow Talabani said his company will
expand Siam Safety sales into Belgium, Finland, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Lebanon,
Libya, the Netherlands and Syria.
“Currently, Iraq has a law that all vehicles must have
the fire ball installed for more safety measures which has resulted in an
increase in the quantity of the product. This year the company aims to sell
a million of these fire balls. This is due to the fireball product having
creative economic management, which will reach the customers without
breaking into the market or providing any sales promotions,” Talabani said.
Talabani, who is a nephew of Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani, said he was not put off by the recent outbreak of violent unrest
in Bangkok. He said it actually was an advantage that the Thai company do
business with a firm so used to political turmoil.
Talabani also planned to meet Assistant Commerce Minister
Alongkorn Palabut to discuss the purchase of 30-100 million tons of rice a
year.
Sattahip provides relief for victims of April storm
Winai Kongsamut receives donated supplies from Sattahip
officials
after a typhoon ripped through part of his house.
Patcharapol Panrak
Sattahip officials donated supplies to seaside residents
whose homes were damaged in a brief, but fierce storm last month.
Mayor Narong Bunbancherdsri led a delegation of city and
disaster-relief workers to the Beach Road coastal community hit by the
two-hour squall April 28. The mayor presented essential supplies to
60-year-old Winai Kongsamut whose house was one of two damaged in the storm.
Civil Engineering Division workers repaired his broken
roof, supports and floors. But other area residents whose homes escaped
damaged also received goods as they left home afraid of more storms.
Puddles and wires create
dangerous situation
It’s time to clear out
dangling wires from Beach Road.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Hanging wires and pavement problems near the intersection
of Second and Central roads are forcing pedestrians into the road to avoid
possible electrical shocks and puddles.
Some of the power lines are nearly touching the ground
and, when it rains, people are walking around large puddles and the wires,
setting the stage for a dangerous accident with passing cars.
City workers need to tie up the wires and fix the sidewalks to keep
pedestrians safe.
Baywatch: Residents thrilled with new
sculptures on Jomtien Beach
Residents are quite fed up
with these eyesores in front of their homes and have put out a plea to city
hall to remove the piles of junk from their doorstep.
Phasakorn Channgam
In keeping with the beautification program of the beaches
in Pattaya and Jomtien, city officials have erected a unique sculpture made
up of old drainage pipes on Jomtien Beach opposite Soi 14 much to the “joy”
of tourists and residents alike.
Residents in the area have christened the work of art
“The pipe dream” and have complimented city officials for their most
significant contribution to the arts by beautifying their beach with such a
wonderful masterpiece.
Residents in the area informed our reporter that the
original plan was for these used drainage pipes to be shipped out to sea
where they would be dropped to the seabed, to serve as condominiums for
coral to thrive in, and at the same time beautify and preserve the
underwater world.
Many moons later, the beach beauty metamorphosised into
what now looks like “Atlantis by the sea” complete with sea weeds and other
eerie growth creeping around the structure. Rumor has it that “Clash of the
Titans” was filmed around these ancient ruins.
Residents are now getting quite fed up with these
eyesores in front of their homes and have put out a plea to city hall to
remove the piles of junk from their doorstep without further delay. One
resident noted that the scene looks like a set in “Nightmare on Jomtien
Beach”. City hall please note.
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