Weather Update

NEWS
HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Rayong group threatens mass demonstration

U.S., Thai drug authorities launch ‘Operation Hot Spot’ in Pattaya

Tired of waiting on utilities, Pattaya starts yanking disused cables

Lawn-mowing Sattahip man rattled by discovery of snake and eggs

U.S. Navy officials brief Thai counterparts as ships head toward Somalia

Chonburi firm celebrates ‘best rice’ award with Carabao concert

Rayong panel finds human trafficking problem not severe, but still requires action

Phothisamphan Pittayakarn School joins royal effort to stop violence against women

Thai, Cambodian army leaders tout open border at Pattaya meeting

Baywatch

Bogus license plates lead police to arrest of alleged drug dealers

Isaan builder arrested for rape of 10-year-old Chachoengsao girl

20 tourists soggy, but unhurt, after speedboat capsizes

Man arrested for trafficking endangered exotic animals

Gold-snatching twins in double trouble after victim fights back

One dead, 11 injured in early morning auto accident

Pattayans celebrate ritual see-off of Lord Ganesha

Pinktober kicks off with music, seminar at Hard Rock Cafe

Thai Oil donates 1 million baht to Chonburi pillar project

Police step up patrols of gold shops, banks

Japanese Buddhist group ties nuclear weapons to social ills


Rayong group threatens mass demonstration

Suthi Atchasai and officials from the Eastern Public Network announce they will hold a mass rally if 11 facilities they deem dangerous are not shut down by Sept. 30.

Theerarak Suthathiwong

A group of Rayong residents, unhappy with a court’s decision to allow Maptaput Industrial Estate projects to resume, threatened a mass rally if 11 facilities it deems dangerous are not shut down by Sept. 30.

Suthi Atchasai, coordinator of the Eastern Public Network, said the “dangerous” projects include petrochemical, iron smelting, nuclear power, mining and coal-burning plants in Rayong, Chantaburi, Trat, and elsewhere.

At a Sept. 11 meeting at the Star Hotel in Rayong, he said the projects should not be built in areas near homes and called for further investigations into their health risks and impacts. Suthi said independent environmental, health and technical organizations should stage open hearings to debate the merits of the projects.

He called on similar public-interest groups throughout Thailand to submit petitions to the government to halt the projects by Sept. 20. If the government doesn’t adhere to their requests by Sept. 30, he said, the Eastern Public Network will stage a mass demonstration at Maptaput and remain there until it does.


U.S., Thai drug authorities launch ‘Operation Hot Spot’ in Pattaya

Officials announce the launch of ‘Operation Hot Spot’ in Pattaya.

Thanachot Anuwan

Pattaya authorities are cooperating with a U.S. drug agency in a community-based initiative to fight the local narcotics trade.

“Operation Hot Spot” launched in Pattaya Sept. 22 with both Thai and American officials handing out clothes, pens, hats and other small items to promote the initiative, which encourages residents to give authorities information on individuals involved in drug trafficking, terrorism and money laundering.

Drug Enforcement Agency investigators from the American Embassy in Bangkok met with Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome Sept. 15 to outline the plan. Itthiphol is local honorary head of the nationwide program.

Under the program, people are invited to call 02-205-4444 or visit the dea-rewards. com website to provide drug-related tips. Operation Hot Spot is tied to the DEA’s “Rewards for Information” program that pays rewards to those whose information leads to arrest or conviction of wanted traffickers shown online. The rewards can be substantial, with good intel on Burmese drug kingpin Wei Hseuh-Kang netting 62 million baht.

Aims for the Pattaya chapter aren’t quite so grandiose, with the city hoping to get tips related to drug dealing on Walking Street and in other entertainment areas.


Tired of waiting on utilities, Pattaya starts yanking disused cables

Phasakorn Channgam

Pattaya officials have taken charge of long-discussed plans to trim the area’s mess of old, abandoned telephone and electrical wires to help beautify the city.

City employees work to bring down some of the many dead cables cluttering up the scenery.

Work began Sept. 9 on Sukhumvit Road in front of Pattaya School #1 with Pattaya City Council member Banlue Kullavanijaya leading city public works employees in a survey of utility poles to determine which wires are no longer in service. Representatives from two telephone and one cable television company were also summoned to remove any dead lines found.

While workers from TOT and CAT Telecom cooperated, representatives from TT&T were notably absent. Banlue said that if phone company’s lines are found to be dead and creating problems, the city will pull them down.

Banlue’s launched his campaign at a city Public Works Committee meeting Sept. 3, noting that residents have long complained about the unsightly tangle of dirty, drooping cables dangling from nearly every light pole around the city. Instead of replacing lines, utility workers simply string up another until they collapse under their own weight.

It took years to get telephone and electrical companies to finally move their lines underground along the north end of Beach Road and getting them to remove unused lines throughout the city would take even longer, Kullavanijaya said. Therefore, the city will simply do it itself, and in short order, he said.

“Cables should be well arranged to be tidy and safe. If well managed, it will create a nicer view of the city,” Banlue said.

He encouraged residents who see drooping wires to call the Pattaya Call Center at 1337 to file a complaint.


Lawn-mowing Sattahip man rattled by discovery of snake and eggs

Patcharapol Panrak

Finding a snake in the grass is one thing. Finding 27 of them is quite another.

But that’s exactly what Chantana Thannin uncovered while mowing the lawn of his Sattahip home Sept. 6. Curled up near his fence was a rattlesnake lying on top of 25 eggs and hatchlings.

Handlers capture the snake to move it and its nest into the nearby jungle, away from people.

Sawang Rojanathamsathan Rescue Foundation responded to Chantana’s call for help, as the 39-year-old was afraid to get water from the pond near the fence. While such snakes don’t aggressively seek humans to bite, they will do so if they or their offspring feel threatened.

Animal handlers lassoed the 70 cm. snake and pulled it up to reveal the nest. Two of the eggs had already hatched. The babies were no longer than a finger and were black with a white tail tip.

The animal rescuers transplanted the snake and its nest into the nearby jungle, away from people.


U.S. Navy officials brief Thai counterparts as ships head toward Somalia

Patcharapol Panrak

The U.S. Navy welcomed Thailand into the multinational effort to battle Somali pirates in Africa, sending a top special operations official to meet with senior Thai officers as the ships prepared to get under way.

USN Captain Chris Chambers (left), chief of staff for U.S. Navy Somalia operations, is greeted by Adm. Supakorn Buranadilok, commander in chief of the Royal Thai Fleet, Rear Adm. Chaiyot Sunthornnak, commander of the two-ship Thai contingent, and Capt. Ratsadang Theeranet, deputy commander of piracy suppression.

USN Captain Chris Chambers, chief of staff for U.S. Navy Somalia operations, met with Adm. Supakorn Buranadilok, commander in chief of the Royal Thai Fleet, Rear Adm. Chaiyot Sunthornnak, commander of the two-ship Thai contingent, and Capt. Ratsadang Theeranet, deputy commander of piracy suppression at the Sattahip Naval Base Sept. 9.

They discussed the 24-nation anti-piracy effort and exchanged ideas on how the Thais could best participate. Chaiyot said he appreciated the U.S. briefing and for taking the central role in curbing the pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

The warship Pattani and supply vessel Similan left for Somalia Sept. 10 for a 98-day mission. Defense Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan presided over the departure ceremony at Sattahip Juksamet Pier.

Prawit said Thailand is just one of many nations that have suffered due to the hijacking of cargo ships. Both Thai ships and government property have been affected, he said.


Chonburi firm celebrates ‘best rice’ award with Carabao concert

Chonburi Public Relation Department

Chonburi’s C.P. Inter Trade Co. Ltd. threw area residents and farmers a celebratory concert after its “Coronation” brand rice won the “World’s Best Rice” award at the World Rice Contest in the Philippines.

Deputy Gov. Songpol Champaphan and C.P. Inter Trade Assistant Managing Director Yongyut Prukmahadamrong pass the hat to kick off the celebratory Carabao concert.

Deputy Gov. Songpol Champaphan hosted the concert by the ever-popular Carabao at the Chonburi District Office Sept. 12. In addition to the concert, the celebration also featured game booths offering prizes for winners and the Charoen Pokapan Group selling goods at special prices. There was also a lucky draw for free rice.

C.P. Inter Trade Assistant Managing Director Yongyut Prukmahadamrong thanked all the farmers who grew the award-winning rice and presented 250 bags worth 10,000 baht to the Chonburi Red Cross.

Yongyut said Coronation is grown for export to 110 countries around the world.


Rayong panel finds human trafficking problem not severe, but still requires action

A Rayong committee on human trafficking found the problem in the province is not severe, but there is room for improvement.

Theerarak Suthathiwong

Preliminary findings by a Rayong committee on preventing and suppressing human trafficking found the problem in the province is not severe, but that there are still several areas where illegal prostitution and forced labor need to be quashed.

At the panel’s Sept. 2 meeting, Lt. Supeepat Jongpanit heard a summary of Rayong’s current trafficking situation. More data will still need to be collected before a formal report can be prepared to guide law enforcement and government agencies.

While Rayong’s human trafficking problem was not deemed “severe,” it still exists, mainly in karaoke bars and brothels tucked away in bungalows in remote parts of the province. Minors are often involved in these operations, forced into prostitution by pimps and brokers.

The report also pointed out problems at some schools and dormitories that house more male than female students, leading to social problems and improper solicitation. Finally, the report also listed several areas where it would be inappropriate for teens to work.

The subcommittee on human trafficking is comprised of government, law enforcement and welfare organization officials. Its goal is to set up a plan to prevent trafficking and to respond to cases were victims are found.


Phothisamphan Pittayakarn School joins royal effort to stop violence against women

Students from Banglamung’s Phothisamphan Pittayakarn School were the latest to join HRH Princess Bajarakitiyabha’s campaign to stop violence against women.

Thanachot Anuwan

Students from Banglamung’s Phothisamphan Pittayakarn School were the latest to join HRH Princess Bajarakitiyabha’s campaign to stop violence against women, hosting a panel of top area legal advocates.

Region 2 Attorney General Pornsak Thepasuwan, Pattaya Provincial Court attorney Pakorn Sukhonthachat and representatives from the Office for Protection of Rights and Legal Aid led a series of lectures and activities for the students Sept. 9.

Pornsak told the youths that one of three Thai children and women have been victims of physical or mental abuse. Incidents run the gamut from beatings to the posting of scandalous video clips on the Internet. In many cases, Pornsak said, there is little social support for such victims.

Feeling these are urgent problems that require solutions, HRH Princess Bajarakitiyabha became the local ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the worldwide advocate against violence toward women. The latest school event is just one activity being organized by the local UNIFEM participants.

In addition to lectures, there were also booths offering techniques to monitor and report violent incidents, knowledge, and understanding.


Thai, Cambodian army leaders tout open border at Pattaya meeting

Lt. Gen. Bun Seng (left), commander of the Cambodian Military Region 5 and Lt. Gen. Kanit Sapitak, commander of the Royal Thai Army Region 1 sign a peace accord.

Phasakorn Channgam

While they don’t agree on who owns the Preah Vihear temple, Thailand and Cambodia are working together along a different stretch of border to increase trade.

At the annual Regional Border Committee Sept. 16 at the Welcome Jomtien Beach Hotel, military leaders from both countries signed an agreement to create an open border in a Srakaew district where holders of a “border pass” can freely come and go between the two countries to do business.

Royal Thai Army Region 1 Commander Lt. Gen. Kanit Sapitak said the area in Nonmakmun, Koksoong will be jointly managed by local Thai and Cambodian governors and is aimed at supporting business in neighboring provinces.

Kanit’s counterpart, Cambodian Lt. Gen. Bun Seng, noted that the Srakaew initiative was evidence Thailand and Cambodia can peacefully work together on border-related issues.

That’s not to say the Preah Vihear issue is solved, however. But Kanit deferred talk about the bitter, sometimes violent, border dispute, saying it fell under the jurisdiction of another committee.

“But in the event any problems occur along the border, both countries will find a peaceful solution, avoid facing each other with armed forces, and will respect the sovereignty of each nation,” he said.


Baywatch: Pattaya Beach melting near Soi 6

Vimolrat Singnikorn

All it takes is a little rain and Pattaya beach just melts away.

Residents in the area complained that this area in front of Soi 6 has looked like this since the last few thundershowers and there is still no sign of city workers putting it back in shape, even during the dry spells.

Not a very good image to portray to our tourists who come here for the much publicized clean and beautiful beaches is it?

Sea, sand, sun and broken ankles anyone?
City Hall take note.


Bogus license plates lead police to arrest of alleged drug dealers

Boonlua Chatree

Tracking a Honda Civic with bogus license plates, Pattaya police arrested a couple accused of dealing crystal methamphetamines.

Danai Kasemsuk and Pimonrat Panya have been arrested for allegedly dealing crystal methamphetamines.

A team of crime suppression investigators tracked the gray Honda bearing the unregistered plates down Sukhumvit Road to the Aroy Chang Restaurant. Inside were Danai Kasemsuk, 27, and Pimonrat Panya, 29. Both were found carrying ya ice, 4.5 g. in total. They were arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute.

Lt. Col. Kritsakorn Thong-In said the two were long suspected to be active drug dealers and found that tracking the unregistered car was the best way to finally catch them.


Isaan builder arrested for rape of 10-year-old Chachoengsao girl

Boonlua Chatree

A 46-year-old construction worker was arrested for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl reported missing by her parents.

Banjee Polthaisong was detained by residents at the Paradise Bungalow in Pong after shouts from the child brought them to his room. Inside bed sheets were soiled with blood and semen and the girl sat nearby, clearly frightened. Police arrested the Khon Kaen man on rape charges.

The bungalow’s caretaker told police Banjee had said the girl was his niece when renting the room. The caretaker discovered the rape and reported it to police.

Upon questioning, Polthaisong said that he was a builder and had gone to Bangkla District in Chachoengsao for a contract. On the way, he said found the girl on the side of the road and offered her new clothes and a dessert to go with him.

Police have contacted the girl’s parents, who had reported her missing at the Bangkla Police Station.


20 tourists soggy, but unhurt, after speedboat capsizes

Boonlua Chatree

Twenty South Korean tourists were soggy, but unhurt, after their speedboat capsized while traveling from Pattaya to Koh Larn.

A helpful speedboat brings some of the Korean tourists back to shore after their ordeal.

Marine rescuers pulled the tourists, along with a Thai captain and tour guide, out of Pattaya Bay about 5 km offshore. Guide Duanchai Malee said the Benjamaporn twin-speed boat hit trash or some other object in the sea, causing it to pitch and take on water.

With so many people on board, the boat quickly became unusable.

All the passengers had been wearing life jackets, so no one was lost or hurt. Authorities are questioning driver Komin Puthha, 53, about the specifics of the mishap.


Man arrested for trafficking endangered exotic animals

Police have arrested Chaiyapol Mahachai (seated) for his involvement in the illegal trade of exotic, protected species.

Boonlua Chatree

Police have arrested a Thai man accused of selling exotic, endangered animals on the streets of Pattaya.

Officers from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division apprehended Chaiyapol Mahachai, 28, near the intersection of Soi Diana and Soi Buakhao Sept. 13. He was caught with two plastic boxes containing 10 pygmy slow lorises and sugar gliders. He did not have a license for the creatures, which he was selling for 30,000 baht each.

Expanding their investigation, officers found another 5 lorises at his home. He was charged with breaching the Wildlife Protection and Preservation Act, possession and preservation of protected wildlife without permission, trafficking protected wildlife and violating various customs laws.

The arrest came on a tip from FREELAND, an international animal-protection group, which has been assisting Thai national police track an international animal-trafficking ring operating in Pattaya and at Bangkok’s Bangkok’s Chatuchak Market.

More than 10 slow lorises were seized during the two-month investigation, including babies and pygmy slow lorises, which were poached and illegally shipped from another country, FREELAND Foundation said in a statement. Pattaya police said the animals are often used in creation of an herb-based prescription elixir.


Gold-snatching twins in double trouble after victim fights back

Boonlua Chatree

An Icelandic man who had his gold chain snatched by a pair of twins chased down and smashed into the thieves with his motorbike.

Ronan Børne (right) points to the twins he chased down and captured via motorcycle after they snatched a gold necklace from his neck.

Police found Ronan B๘rne (sic), 30, being assisted by residents near the railroad tracks at Soi Siam Country Club Sept. 11. Nearby lay his Yamaha Nouvo motorbike, which had crashed into the back of a Toyota truck. He suffered only bruises to his legs.

Being detained by other residents at the scene were two 19-year-old twin brothers, Jakarin and Jakarat Nilchai. They allegedly tore off Ronan’s jewelry at the Vanasin Farm market and sped away on their Honda Wave. What they didn’t count on was a pursuit from the victim.

The Icelander caught up with the duo and rammed their motorbike causing them to crash. Police found the gold on the twins and said they were suspected of several other similar crimes.


One dead, 11 injured in early morning auto accident

Injured victims lay scattered around the scene of the accident.

Boonlua Chatree

One woman was killed and 11 injured when a Canadian man, apparently inebriated, smashed into the side of a baht bus in the Dolphin Roundabout.

Francis Joseph Giannini, 46, was arrested at the scene after suffering only minor cuts to the head. He was found stumbling around the wreck and shouting and was presumed to be drunk or high on drugs. He claimed to be from Bangkok and unaware of the roundabout when entering the intersection at high speed.

Three people were thrown from the taxi in the 4:30 a.m. crash after Giannini smashed into it with his black Nissan pickup truck. The baht bus careened into a coconut tree, smashing the vehicle and trapping driver Sorot Limpasathiankul inside. It took rescuers more than 20 minutes to free him.

All the victims - including Giannini’s Thai partner - were taken to Pattaya Memorial Hospital. A woman passenger was moved to Bangkok Hospital Pattaya and later died there.

Giannini, a long-term Thai resident originally from Beirut but who holds a Canadian passport, was charged with involuntary vehicular manslaughter, reckless driving and consumption of ya ba.


Pattayans celebrate ritual see-off of Lord Ganesha

Followers of the Hindu and Buddhist god Ganesha prepare to lower a statue of the “god of success” into the sea at Pattaya’s Bali Hai Pier.

Phasakorn Channgam

About 500 followers of the Hindu and Buddhist god Ganesha capped a 10-day festival with a ceremony lowering a statue of the “god of success” into the sea at Pattaya’s Bali Hai Pier.

Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay and Pattaya Shaivites Club President Chaiwat Detnathee led the faithful at a fire sacrifice and prayer ceremony Sept. 12 as part of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration. The centerpiece of event was the ritual immersion of Ganesha images into the sea, symbolizing a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his abode in Kailash while taking away with him the misfortunes of his devotees.

About 500 people at Bali Hai joined in, bathing in curcuma, coconut and nectar, and covering the heads of priests as per ancient tradition.

At the auspicious time of 5:39 p.m., Verawat and others raised the 2.4 m. statue of Ganesha and carried it into the sea.


Pinktober kicks off with music, seminar at Hard Rock Cafe

Thailand’s Thanyarak Foundation is teaming up with the Hard Rock Cafe to raise awareness about breast cancer during its annual month-long “Pinktober” event.

(L to R) Panta, representing the Hard Rock Cafe Pattaya; Secretary-General Dr. Tamnit Ansusinha; Piyachart, also representing the Hard Rock Cafe Pattaya; and Sita, representing the Hard Rock Cafe Bangkok at the official presentation of a framed set of Pinktober pins to Secretary-General Dr. Tamnit Ansusinha.

The celebration begins Oct. 1 at the Hard Rock with a breast cancer seminar and is being marked at cafes around the world with charity benefit concerts and the sale of the company’s 11th limited edition Pinktober pin. The Hard Rock donates 75 percent of the revenue from the pin to breast cancer charities.

Locally, Advanced Information Systems, the Grammy music label, Spicy Disc, Coca-Cola, Singha Corp., Pernod Ricard Thailand and other companies are cooperating with the Hard Rock in also marking the 15th anniversary of the Thanyarak Foundation, which works to raise breast cancer awareness in Thailand.

Thai pop artist Burin Boonvisut and executives from Hard Rock cafes in Pattaya and Bangkok visited the foundation’s offices Sept. 6 to present a framed set of Pinktober pins to Secretary-General Dr. Tamnit Ansusinha. More than 30 pins adorned the frame, which was signed by Burin.

In addition to the seminar, the Oct. 1 event will also feature a mobile mammogram bus and concert from Grammy-label artists. Activities run 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. and more information is available by calling 038-426-635 or 080-141-2599.


Thai Oil donates 1 million baht to Chonburi pillar project

Thai Oil Assistant Managing Director Narongrit Thawornwisitporn hands
over a 1 million baht donation to Chonburi Gov. Senee Jittakasem.

Chonburi Public Relation Department

Thai Oil Ltd. became the latest company to contribute funds toward Chonburi’s city pillar project, donating 1 million baht for the shrine.

Assistant Managing Director Narongrit Thawornwisitporn said 560,300 baht is earmarked for construction support while the balance will be for purchase of amulets, statues and coins.

Chonburi Gov. Senee Jittakasem has been rounding up wealthy companies and individuals to pay for the shrine, which the governor feels the city needs, as other major municipalities have so-called lucky pillars.

The 200 million baht project is slated to be completed by the Dec. 5, 2011 birthday of HM the King.


Police step up patrols of gold shops, banks

Thanachot Anuwan

Pattaya Police are stepping up patrols of area gold shops to prevent robberies.

Superintendent Col. Nanthawut Suwanla-Ong announced Sept. 15 that officers are taking a more proactive role in stopping robberies and burglaries at high-value targets, including banks.

Pattaya’s SWAT team is taking a leading role in taking a more proactive role in stopping robberies and burglaries at high-value targets, including banks and gold shops.

Leading the initiative will be the city’s Special Weapons and Tactics squad, which have divided the city in half and planned patrols from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

In addition, Nanthawut said, he has increased the number of red boxes in sois and residential areas where police patrols check in regularly during the night, signing their names to ensure the area is being watched by the police, from 100 current red boxes to more than 200.

Checkpoints on roads leading in and out of the city run every weekend. This, he said, will increase safety and peace of mind for residents and tourists.


Japanese Buddhist group ties nuclear weapons to social ills

Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay (left) and Soka Gakkai Thailand Association Vice President Kasuhiro Bunnoko (right) jointly open the exhibition.

Phasakorn Channgam

Tying today’s problems with drugs and domestic violence to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, a local leader of a Japanese Buddhist lay organization told a group of Pattaya-area students and residents that countries cannot realize their own success until their ethics are focused on advancing peace.

Kasuhiro Bunnoko, vice president of Soka Gakkai Thailand, hosted the “From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit” exhibition Sept. 13 at the association’s Soi Chalermprakiat 5 offices. Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay and a number of area students attended.

The exhibition, shown in Bangkok in February and in 16 other countries, examines the nuclear weapons issue through the lens of human security. The exhibition was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1957 declaration by Josei Toda, the second president of the Soka Gakkai, calling for a ban on nuclear weapons.

The online presentation focused on the message that countries cannot become successful by unleashing suffering on others. By reorienting society’s ethics toward peace, many other social ills can be corrected. Bunnoko told the group that drug, environmental, domestic violence and other social problems can be solved through peaceful co-existence.

These problems, he said, start small but quickly expand. If state agencies and the public cooperate, they can be solved through mutual understanding.

Soka Gakkai International is a lay Buddhist movement linking more than 12 million people around the world. Members integrate their Buddhist practice into their daily lives, following the Lotus Sutra based teachings of Nichiren, a 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest.