Weather Update

NEWS
HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Pattaya ‘sky train’ receives mixed reviews at 1st public hearing

Chonburi has edge in bid for World Expo, governor says

City donates 60 first aid kits to Gopai neighborhood group

Vendor pitches wireless video system to city

Small fire at North Pattaya Big C frightens many, injures none

City to regulate water vending machines after random checks find coliform bacteria

Thieves steal drain covers in Sattahip

No one hurt in North Point construction site fire

Illegal loggers raze 3 rai of Sattahip hillside, shoot at police

Grief-stricken American father commits suicide after losing child for second time

American becomes latest tourist drugged, robbed by late night escorts

DSI, 100 officers raid South Pattaya gay bars

Gun-toting Kiwi arrested after late-night shoot ‘em up

Police suspect inside job in 1 million baht theft of Dutch couple’s safe

Police hunt for Serbians alleged to have stolen Rayong ATM

3 Pattaya discos recognized for following law, regulations

Navy stages anti-drug program at Rayong school

Bang Saray boaters race to pick up garbage

Pattaya seminar pushes street vendors to clean up

Sattahip woman finds 2-headed gecko, inspiration to play lottery


Pattaya ‘sky train’ receives mixed reviews at 1st public hearing

Phasakorn Channgam

Plans for an elevated train line along 2nd Road Pattaya were met with mixed reactions at the project’s first public hearing.

At the Sept. 6 meeting, 34 community leaders were split on whether the sky train running from Pattaya City Hall along Beach Road to Bali Hai would actually be used enough to warrant the improvements it might offer the city’s traffic and reputation problems.

Prapat Krangphanich (right) makes his presentation.

Prapat Krangphanich, a planner with the Chotejinda Moosell consulting company hired to prepare the rail line’s feasibility study, said the rail line would start at City Hall on North Pattaya Road, turn left at the dolphin circle onto Second Road, passing Big C (First station), crossing Central Road, passing Central Festival Pattaya Beach (Second station), further down crossing South Pattaya Road passing Pattaya School No. 8 (Third station) turning right at the flyover onto Chalermprakiat Road and ending at the Bali Hai Pier.

Boonma Fungrak of the Rong Maikeet community complained there were too few stations spread too far apart. He said people wanting to use the rail line would have to pay for other transport just to get to the station.

The rail line, he added, likely would be popular at first, but as the novelty wore off would be largely ignored by locals. She added that traffic created by the likely lengthy construction would be “unbearable.”

Surin Yimyai, chairman of the 5 December community, said he approved of the idea because it would help alleviate traffic problems in Pattaya. He added that it would also enhance Pattaya’s image as an international tourist destination.


Chonburi has edge in bid for World Expo, governor says

Prinya Thetsawad

Convenient transportation links and solid tourism infrastructure make Chonburi the best choice to host the 2020 World Expo, Gov. Senee Jittakasem said this week.

Chonburi Governor Senee Jittakasem is confident that Pattaya will win the bid to host World Expo 2020.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva confirmed Sept. 5 that Thailand would be bidding for the expo, which is currently running in Shanghai and will next be in Italy in 2015. He said three governments are vying to be host: Chonburi, Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai.

At a Sept. 6 press conference, Senee said he believes Chonburi is best suited to host the fair, thanks to its proximity to Bangkok, the large number of hotels and tourism facilities in Pattaya and the area’s many transportation links.

Thailand will compete against Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Philippines, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United States to be the host of the expo, which is held every five years. The winner will be announced by year-end.

If awarded to Chonburi, the expo would be staged on 1,200-1,500 rai of land next to Thammasat University’s Pattaya campus near Siam Country Club. That property currently is home to the Bira International Circuit race track.

Chiang Mai, meanwhile, plans to integrate the World Expo with its famous Chiang Mai Zoo, while Ayutthaya would house the event at the city’s Vocational Training Center.

Senee said Chonburi has a number of advantages over its competitors, including transportation. Chonburi is within an easy drive of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport and minutes away from smaller U-Tapao Pattaya International Airport. It also can be accessed via the deep-water Laem Chabang Port.

By 2020, he added, the region may even have a high-speed rail line linking Bangkok, Chonburi and Rayong, cutting the travel time from the capital to just 25 minutes. Compared with Chiang Mai’s smaller airport and northern location and the relative remoteness of Ayutthaya, Chonburi is much more convenient, Senee said.

Pattaya, known worldwide as a leading tourism resort, also has an advantage in hotel rooms and other facilities, the governor said. With more than 700 million people expected to visit the expo, Pattaya’s 300 hotels and 37,000 rooms will come in handy.

Senee said if Abhisit chooses Chonburi as Thailand’s bidder, planning would begin immediately, as China, he noted, took 10 years to plan the Shanghai expo.

While the expo’s impact on tourism would be huge, the governor noted the benefit of hosting the exposition would last long after the fair closed. The Thammasat area would become a new city called “Green Pattaya 2” and house an exhibition center similar to the BITEC facility in Bangkok. It will also be used as a showcase for locally made Thai goods and feature an international sports complex.

“Chonburi will benefit tremendously from this event, in both the industrial and agricultural sectors,” Senee said.

“Tourism growth will be incredible,” he continued. “Pattaya will become a world-famous cosmopolitan region, not unlike Shanghai. I am convinced that in 10 years people from all corners of the world will come to Pattaya because the city will offer all the comforts and convenience for our visitors, be it for their business ventures or for their recreational enjoyment.”


City donates 60 first aid kits to Gopai neighborhood group

Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay (right) talks with Gopai neighborhood residents before distributing first aid kits.

Vimolrat Singnikorn

Continuing the city’s “20,000 Beds Hospital Project,” Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay presented 60 first aid kits to residents in Pattaya’s Gopai neighborhood.

Verawat and Pattaya City Council members presented the kits to Gopai Neighborhood Association Chairman Wirat Noijinda Aug. 24. He said the supplies are a key part of the Doctor at Home initiative, which aims to provide medical care to those who often cannot make it to a doctor’s office.

It’s also just part of the larger 20,000 Beds project, which attempts to provide medical care to the underprivileged and chronically ill. By allowing the elderly, infirm and those with diabetes, high blood pressure, AIDS and other chronic conditions to be cared for at home, hospital crowding and city traffic can be reduced while making medical care more convenient, Verawat said.

Noijinda said the medical sets would be well received in the Gopai neighborhood, a community of 770 homes spread over more than 900 rai. The area traditionally has been very crowded, with pockets of run-down buildings that played host to young drug users. The community, he said, has improved of late thanks to the city’s active involvement.


Vendor pitches wireless video system to city

Sophon Nanasombat, business development manager for CMS Technology, pitches his wireless video system.

Thanachot Anuwan

Police and rescue officials could monitor public events and transmit video during emergencies using a British wireless surveillance system pitched to the city by its Thai distributor last week.

Sophon Nanasombat, business development manager for CMS Technology, met with Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome Sept. 3 to show off the features of the Rinicom Ltd. Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing video transmission system. The U.K. company claims to have created the world’s smallest such device, and showed off how it can be hidden in a jacket for use by undercover officers at public events.

Sophon also said the equipment “is ideal for use in emergency situations, whereby pictures and sound from the affected areas can be transmitted to the command center where instructions on rescue procedures can be swiftly transmitted to emergency teams in the field.”

Sophon said Rinicom product range and expertise has made it a successful competitor in the market of equipment manufacturers for first responders, critical infrastructure management teams and other emergency services. Connections can be made with the touch of a button without complicated configuration.

The system has a transmission range of eight kilometers, but requires a WiMax Internet access network, which Pattaya does not have. Each unit also costs upwards of 1 million baht, so the mayor thanked the vendor for the presentation and said the city council will consider his proposal at its next meeting.


Small fire at North Pattaya Big C frightens many, injures none

Firefighters extinguish a small fire near Big C in North Pattaya.

Boonlua Chatree

A short-circuiting spotlight is being blamed for a fire at North Pattaya’s Central Center that scared many, but injured none.

Nearly 1,000 people fled from the Big C mall when smoke began pouring out of a top-floor storeroom before noon Aug. 26. Five engine companies responded to the fire, but the minor blaze was extinguished in 10 minutes with no substantive property damage estimated.

The fire broke out in a storage area near the SF Cinema City movie theaters that housed dolls and a mattress. Earlier that day a spotlight shorted out, melting an electrical line that sparked flames on a mattress. Employees put out the fire without fanfare and it’s assumed the same wiring caused the larger fire that morning.


City to regulate water vending machines after random checks find coliform bacteria

Vimolrat Singnikorn

Pattaya will begin requiring that drinking water vending machines be registered and inspected by the city after a number of dispensers were found contaminated with coliform bacteria.

Bubpa Songsakulchai, a Pattaya Sanitation Department researcher, and her team conduct random tests on drinking water vending machines in Pattaya.

Bubpa Songsakulchai, a Pattaya Sanitation Department researcher, said random tests on water-vending machines in South Pattaya turned up five dispensers on Soi Day Night with coliform bacteria, most likely due to the vending machines’ filters not being changed regularly.

Bubpa said to ensure quality, the machine’s filters must be changed every three months and their internal storage containers cleaned regularly. The machines have gained popularity in Pattaya due to both their convenience and lower price compared with bottled water.

The researcher said the Consumer Protection Division is drafting regulations to require that water vendors attend a maintenance seminar and that their machines be inspected. Consumers will be able to check if a machine is clean and safe by looking for an official city sticker, she said.

Bubpa said if the city finds unregistered water machines, they will be hauled away and their owners fined 20,000 baht and will face up to two years in prison. He said the city hopes to have all water-vending machines under control by the end of the year.


Thieves steal drain covers in Sattahip

Patcharapol Panrak

Sattahip police are searching for thieves that stole three iron drainage covers from a small soi off Sukhumvit Road.

Locals put up makeshift warnings to alert motorists about the missing drain covers until authorities could replace them.

A truck driver reported to Sattahip officials Aug. 27 that someone had removed the drain covers from the roadway between Sukhumvit 51 and 53, creating dangerous holes in the soi for motorists. The truck driver covered the gaps with concrete slabs and called authorities, who replaced the missing covers.

Authorities speculate local drug addicts may have taken the valuable drain covers to sell as scrap. Police are now investigating.


No one hurt in North Point construction site fire

Vimolrat Singnikorn

On September 6 at about 11.45 a.m. a fire broke out in the storeroom of the Bouygues-Thai premises in Pattaya, on a plot of land adjacent to Northpoint condominium in Naklua Soi 6.

Fire fighters struggle to put out the flames as thick smoke rises from the burning storeroom fire.

The one storey storeroom built of concrete, wood and tin sheets, houses construction material such as electrical equipment, paint, gas tanks and other tools.

At the time of the fire there were no workers in the vicinity as they were working at the main building construction site or were out to lunch.

The storeroom is located about 100 meters from the main construction site, consisting of a 54 storey building and a 46 storey building, a 5 storey car park and a building to house power generators and an underground water storage facility.

Small explosions were heard during the firefighting efforts which may have been caused by the gas tanks.

Fire fighters managed to control the fire in 30 minutes.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but police speculate that it could have been caused by an electrical short circuit.

Officials at Northpoint released a statement saying, amongst other things, “Property management company Savills has contacted and reassured Northpoint residents, who are all safe and were not affected by the incident.”


Illegal loggers raze 3 rai of Sattahip hillside, shoot at police

Patcharapol Panrak

An illegal timber operation clear cut more than three rai of land in Sattahip before police and district officials chased off the lumberjacks.

Officials inspect damage done by illegal loggers in Sattahip.

Officials responded to the Khaomom Hillside after complaints the area was being deforested by illegal wood cutters. They arrived to find three large Dipterocarpus downed by three men fleeing on foot after firing a shotgun at authorities to ensure their getaway.

Further inspection showed that more than three rai had been razed of valuable Keruing trees as well as rubber plants. Local residents confessed they’d known loggers had been illegally taking trees for two months but were scared to interfere because they were armed.

Authorities took possession of 12 felled Dipterocarpus trees and are now investigating the logging company and the men who fired on police.


Grief-stricken American father commits suicide after losing child for second time

Theerarak Suthathiwong

The grief-stricken father of a 4-year-old boy who died after falling from the 10th floor of a Jomtien Beach condominium apparently killed himself with an overdose of sleeping pills four days later.

This photo of Brett Wolfe and his son Michael was found near the deceased’s body.

American Brett Wolfe, 40, was found by authorities about six hours after he died, lying on a bed in a Jomtien Plaza room he’d rented Aug. 25, the day after his son, Michael, had tumbled off a chair on the balcony of Wolfe’s View Talay 2 apartment. On the table next to the father was a glass of water and about 20 tablets. A suicide note was left on the dining room table.

In the hand-written letter he said he felt sad and guilty over losing his son, who had apparently climbed onto a chair while playing unattended on the balcony. “I have nothing left in my life,” he wrote, adding that it was simply “better” to end it all.

The tragedy was not the first trauma the single-father had endured with his young son. According to the Arizona Republic newspaper in the United States, young Michael was kidnapped by his babysitter in February 2008, setting off a national “Amber Alert” for the missing child. Police found the toddler three days later and arrested the 15-year-old nanny - whom Wolfe had found through a Craiglist advertisement - and her 35-year-old accomplice.

The child was held by state child-protection officials for several days amid accusations of neglect and illegal custody. Welfare officers questioned why Wolfe had hired a teen runaway he found on the Internet as a live-in nanny and Michael’s mother, Relaiza Labadan, told authorities via telephone from her native Philippines that the child was taken to the U.S. without her permission.

Labadan later recanted the story, saying she was angry about their breakup. Michael was returned to his father and they continued to live in Surprise, Arizona until Michael moved to Pattaya to work as Muay Thai boxing instructor five months ago.


American becomes latest tourist drugged, robbed by late night escorts

Boonlua Chatree

An American man who picked up a woman at a Walking Street disco and took her back to his room full of gold and electronics woke almost a day later from a drug-induced nap to find his date and valuables gone.

Police say this woman might be responsible for drugging and robbing an American tourist.

James Edward Porter, 45, said he invited the woman he met at the Insomnia disco back to his ST Court Hotel room in the wee hours of Aug. 28. She asked him to stop at a 7-Eleven store where she bought coffee for them first. She then asked him to shower first when they got to their hotel room. After he did, he downed the coffee and soon fell into unconsciousness.

Porter reported he awoke around 11 p.m. the next day to find his 150,000 gold bracelet, 100,000 baht gold necklace, 200,000 baht in cash, Olympus digital camera, passport and keys gone.

Police are pursuing a women Porter identified as the culprit.


DSI, 100 officers raid South Pattaya gay bars

Boonlua Chatree

Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations and seven other agencies raided several South Pattaya gay bars after allegations of lewd shows, sexual services and narcotics being sold there.

Police look over the license documents for one of the bars on Soi Pattayaland 1.

More than 100 officials stormed the X-Boy, New Dynamite and Kawai Boys bars on Soi Pattayaland 1 around 1:45 a.m. Aug. 29. They found more than 80 male dancers cavorting with foreign customers. Three were underage and had fake identification cards and all were subjected to drug tests.

Col. Tanongsak Raksaksakul, commander of the Office of International Affairs and International Crime, said gay bars generate a large number of complaints about drug use, prostitution, human trafficking and child molestation. So, he said, DSI formed the interagency task force to attempt and sweep out this harmful element from Pattaya.


Gun-toting Kiwi arrested after late-night shoot ‘em up

Boonlua Chatree

Pattaya Police arrested a New Zealand man carrying a loaded pistol who allegedly shot into the air outside a Thai woman’s house on Soi Khao Noi.

Police bring in Gary Clarke for questioning.

Gary Clarke, 29, was taken into custody around 3:20 a.m. Sept. 4 after officers who pulled over his Toyota Fortuner saw he had a 9mm Berretta tucked in his belt.

Clarke’s vehicle was apparently red-flagged by police after 26-year-old Rachnee Rachtan called police claiming the Kiwi had shot a gun into the air outside her home. Neighbors reportedly spotted the Phuket license plate and alerted police.

Police charged Clarke with the possession of a lethal weapon and ammunition without a permit and carrying the weapon in public.

Police asked Rachnee to file an official police report after which more charges may be added.


Police suspect inside job in 1 million baht theft of Dutch couple’s safe

Boonlua Chatree

Police speculate that a thief who stole more than a million baht in cash and jewelry from the safe of a Dutch couple had intimate knowledge of their Jomtien Beach home.

Frederik and Josina Gordijn called police after returning home Aug. 31 to find their bedroom ransacked but only the safe’s contents missing. Opened with a key hidden in the couple’s wardrobe, the safe had contained 2,040 euros, 20,000 baht, three gold necklaces weighing nine baht, a 12-karat Russian diamond set valued at 20,000 euro, and a pair of diamond earrings.

Frederik, 67, told police he and his 64-year-old wife had gone out that morning, leaving their Burmese handyman, “Charlie” in their two-storey Soi Eden house. The gardener told investigators he’d been inside all day watching television, but had heard nothing. Suspicious of his behavior during questioning, but lacking any sort of evidence the Burmese man was complicit in the burglary, officers simply took his passport while they investigate.

Police say the thief had to have been known to the couple, as there were no signs of forced entry and the safe was opened with a key. There was also a guard dog that apparently didn’t raise a fuss.


Police hunt for Serbians alleged to have stolen Rayong ATM

Police inspect the stolen ATM left in a cassava
field sans the 4.3 million baht in had inside.

Theerarak Suthathiwong

Four Serbian men are believed to be behind last month’s theft of a Rayong automated teller machine containing more than 4 million baht.

Police Sept. 1 found the two trucks the thieves used to haul away the ATM, which was found later in a cassava plantation in Huay Yai sans 4.3 million baht. Maj. Gen. Tanitsak Theerasawat, commander of the Rayong Provincial Police, and Pattaya Police Superintendent Nantawaut Suwanla-Ong examined the Toyota and Isuzu trucks at the T.C.C. Car Center on Sukhumvit Road in Pattaya.

The team of 30 officers seized the vehicles and paperwork related to their lease, including copies of passports the thieves used. Using that, investigators determined that two of the men had already fled across the border into Cambodia, but police on September 7 tracked down and arrested two others who were hiding out in Bangkok and transferred them to Rayong for further investigation.

Car dealer Akarapol Chansaereekul said he rented the two trucks Aug. 19-20 and Aug. 25-27, but had no idea they were used in the Aug. 27 heist. He confirmed the drivers to European and the vehicles matched that shown in security camera footage at the bank.


3 Pattaya discos recognized for following law, regulations

Chonburi Public Relation Department

Chonburi officials have nominated three Pattaya discotheques to receive awards for strictly following the law.

Chonburi Governor Senee Jittakasem presides over a meeting of deputy governors and provincial chiefs.

At an Aug. 30 meeting of deputy governors and provincial chiefs, Deputy Gov. Pornchai Kwansakul said Pattaya’s Hollywood, Star Dice and X-Zyte discos all met Interior Ministry requirements to be listed as “white service” locations that comply with social laws and regulations. Also nominated to receive honorary plaques were UEFA in Sriracha and Bebe in Chonburi.

Pornchai also announced that the Interior Ministry would bestow the “Mark of Territorial Great Life” on Chonburi Juvenile and Family Provincial Prosecutor and the Deputy Provincial Administrative Organization for their efforts in supporting the ministry’s National Defense Volunteer program.

In other business, Social Development and Human Security Administrator Somchai Sirorat reported that the Social Welfare Council of Thailand selected two women to receive “Best Mothers” awards. Samrong Tam-Saard was recognized for benefits to society and Walaiporn Sujiranutham for patience and diligence.

Closing the meeting with status reports, the Khao Kheow Open Zoo discussed its plant breed conservation project, the Sports Authority updated officials on preparations for the 39th National Games, bureaucrats presented an update on the Chonburi pillar project and health officials provided the latest information on influenza H1N1 cases and control.


Navy stages anti-drug program at Rayong school

Rear Adm. Prathee Sukpinit spearheads a Royal Thai Navy-sponsored seminar
to teach Rayong students about the dangers of drugs and how to avoid them.

Theerarak Suthathiwong

More than 100 Rayong students learned about the dangers of drugs and how to avoid them during a Royal Thai Navy-sponsored seminar.

The Aug. 17 activity for 120 teens at Rayong Wittayakom Paknam School included a seminar, photo exhibition, selection of youth leaders to take charge of the anti-drug effort at the school and a sports competition.

Rear Adm. Prathee Sukpinit, deputy commander in chief of Navy Region 1, said children need to be given activates that keep them busy in their free time and away from drugs. Sports, he said, offer a great way of doing that.

While there are several organizations working to raise youth awareness of the drug problem in Thailand, the Navy, he said, has a commitment to work closely with schools in the Rayong area.


Bang Saray boaters race to pick up garbage

And they’re off!

Patcharapol Panrak

Bang Saray-area organizations discovered a unique way to get locals to help clean up the beach: turn the cleanup into a boat race.

Residents from eight neighborhoods and schools joined sub-district officials, the Royal Thai Navy and more than a half-dozen other groups in a Aug. 27 beach cleanup and rowing competition that not only rewarded the fastest boat, but the one that could collected the most trash from land and sea.

Mana Bunmee of May Name Sattahip Supply Part Ltd. offered to pay 1 baht for every kilogram of refuse collected and 10 baht for every used tire. Each team ended up collecting more than 50 kg..

Bang Saray Mayor Pinsom Nimsuwan said the beach has been under pressure from erosion and development. Realizing the impact the beachfront has on people’s lives and occupations, local groups wanted to do something to restore the natural scenic beauty, he said.

Participating were the Royal Thai Navy’s Naval Recruitment Center, the Sriracha Fisheries Research Station, Kasetsart University, Kledkaew Sub-district, A.D. Condominium, Underwater World Pattaya, May Name Sattahip Supply Part. Ltd., Mae Mae Ubon Group and local fisheries groups.

The winning team poses next to their garbage.


Pattaya seminar pushes street vendors to clean up

Pattaya vendors listen to presenters at City Hall teaching them about health codes, garbage disposal and presenting a good image.

Thanachot Anuwan

Hoping to inspire the city’s many street vendors to clean up their acts, Pattaya officials staged a seminar to teach them about health codes, garbage disposal and presenting a good image.

About 200 vendors attended the Aug. 31 workshop at Pattaya City Hall. Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome opened the event, telling the food sellers and wandering merchants that their products and behavior can leave a good or bad impression on the tourists so vital to the community’s welfare.

Vendors were briefed on proper sanitation practices, health regulations and cleanliness.


Sattahip woman finds 2-headed gecko, inspiration to play lottery

Patcharapol Panrak

If not for its size, the two-head gecko Chanthom Kreetha found in her Sattahip house might have had her running for the hills. Instead, it inspired her to bet on the lottery.

Two heads are better than one - unless you plan to use them to play the lottery.

Chanthom, 52, said she wasn’t frightened by the mutated reptile. She noticed it while cooking an early morning offering for a monk at Samnak Patibattham Temple on Soi Yenruedee. The housewife took it as a sign her kindness was being repaid with a visit from a unique creature to bring her luck, as other family members had won after finding lizards with two tails.

She placed the freakish little fellow in a silver bowl with a candle and some money for good luck then set out to buy a lottery ticket with her house number and age as the lucky numbers. Alas, her numbers didn’t come through. Maybe she’ll be luckier in the next draw.