Georg “Swiss” Witmer denies charges

Accuses Ullrich of lying

"So, I went to visit him and told him to pay my bill, which was altogether 705,000 Baht. This amount was for hotel bills, telephone calls, decent lunches and dinners while making contacts with so many people for the period of over 2 months. Ulrich refused to pay me the sum. We had an argument, but I found that it was no use, so I left him, thinking that I had just lost 700,000 Baht," Georg continued.

"Then a month later, another contact was made. I went to visit Ulrich in prison, and he asked me for help again. I told him that I had already spent over 700,000 baht of my own money in assisting him, and that hadn’t gotten it back yet. I told him that there would be no more business until I received my money back. Ulrich told me to come back again the next day, to fetch the money. When I went back on the 19th of January, I received a check for 700,000 Baht.

"On the 28th of January, Captain Chalerm Yoobamrung brought up the subject in parliament. He accused Ulrich of being the biggest foreign criminal. Ulrich was very upset, and believed that I was the man who provided this information to Capt. Chalerm.

"A couple of days later, he accused me of cheating him. The accusation states that Ulrich gave me a sum of 700,000 Baht on 26 October 98, and 7,000,000 Baht on 13 November 1998.

"Does this make sense to you? If he accused me of taking all this money in October and November from him then why did I just receive the money he owed me on the 19th of January, when he gave me a check of 700,000 Baht, which I cashed on the 20th in Pattaya City?

"He even made a receipt with a false signature of mine for the 7.7 million baht. This is now with the police department for scrutiny and it will be proven that I did not sign it. The real culprit is Mr. Dieter, his right hand man, which I now intend to prove.

"Someone even tried to contact me when I was in prison, asking me to confess to the crime so everything would be over soon.

"I have a turtle farm, and during my 12 days in prison, over 2,400 mother turtles died, plus thousands of eggs. Calculating the damage would be over 50,000,000 million baht, which I am certainly going to sue him for. Plus my wife, who is pregnant, and my daughter who has problems at her school because Rosalin said on TV that I was part of the Mafia in Pattaya. The man has got to pay me for all the damage he has done. I have been looked upon as a bad man and my picture and story have appeared all over the press and TV. This has caused me and my family a lot of anxiety. I still trust justice in Thailand, so it may take a little time, but everyone would then see that I am innocent, and will prove who the real crooks are. There are even a couple of high ranking officials involved, and even our honorable politicians," Georg concluded.

City again displeased with Chat Thai garbage collection

Refuse piling up in certain areas

Deputy City Manger Virawat Khakhai summoned representatives of the Chat Thai Company to Pattaya city hall last week to inform them their service must be improved. The Chat Thai Company is responsible for collecting the city’s trash.

Mr. Virawat said that the Chaimongkol Temple Fresh Market in South Pattaya and the Phra Dul Market in Central Pattaya were prime examples of the company’s inefficiency, as mounds of trash and festering garbage were not collected on a regular basis. He said that the city had observed this for a long period of time.

He continued, saying that the company had no regular trash collection schedule, which led vendors to pile up their trash in front of the markets, causing considerable health hazards to the population and a public eyesore. He told the company that he expected it to collect trash every evening at eight p.m. from now on.

Representatives of the company pointed out that collecting fees from people was very difficult and many people are months behind in their payments. The company also said that the public did not cooperate by putting trash in vessels and containers, which was a standard practice all through the civilized world.

Mr. Virawat said this matter would be looked into by the city. He also told the company representatives that they had been remiss in collecting trash in residential areas. He told the company that the service must improve. If there were any problems, the company should contact public officials immediately and not allow these problems to become chronic.

American arrested for child molesting

Caught naked with two young boys

Michel Charles Vale, 62, from New York, USA, was arrested for child molesting on February 26. Police caught Vale fondling two young boys, aged 12 and 15, in his hotel room. All three were nude at the time of the arrest.

Police detectives first spotted Vale talking with the boys on the third floor of the Royal Garden Plaza. Suspicious, police tailed the three to Vale’s hotel room in Jomtien.

After obtaining Vale’s room number from the desk clerk, police climbed up to the third floor balcony where they could view the happenings inside Vale’s room.

One of the windows was unlocked, and as soon as the officers saw what was going on in the room, they opened the window, jumped in and made the arrest.

In the room, all the three were naked on the bed. Vale was molesting one of the boys.

Vale told police he had just arrived in the Kingdom at 3:30 a.m. that day. He said he had been to Thailand several times, and works as a freelance translator.

The 12-year-old boy came from Korat, the 15-year-old from Petchaboon.

The 12-year-old told police that Vale first approached his 15-year-old friend, asking to have sex with the younger of the two.

"My friend walked over to me and told me that the man was offering 500 Baht if I would follow him to his hotel. I asked my friend if I would have to go there alone, and my friend said that he was going too, so I took the offer."

Road construction resumes

Pattaya faces more traffic problems

Traffic is once again bunching up as the Samprasit Company has resumed its work on the 1,800 million baht waste water treatment plant.

Areas currently affected are Beach Road and Third Road.

Pattaya City officials have said they will closely supervise the Samprasit Company in its digging of the city’s roads, and have told the Samprasit Company to show plans for digging.

The temporary repairs on Third Road have caused dangerous areas for drivers.

A few months ago, the company was ordered to stop operations for the Amazing Central Region Festival.

Since the company was ordered to stop before they were prepared to do so, problems with their temporary repairs began surfacing just weeks after construction was halted.

Cracks and "sink holes" began appearing, which have been patched with a rubber compound.

Representatives of the Samprasit Company said the damage was a result of city officials rushing them to cover the road temporarily before the Amazing Central Region in the beginning of November 1998. Now, they say, everything will have to be done again.

It is expected that the current round of construction will be wrapped up before the Pattaya Songkran Festival, which runs from April 12-19.

Until that time, there will be only one lane for traffic in construction areas.

The Traffic Division of Pattaya police will become heavily involved in easing the traffic problem and its adverse effects on tourism.

Swedish drugs suspect captured in Pattaya

Undergoing plastic surgery at time of arrest

Swedish drug trafficking suspect Tommy Lindfors was arrested in Pattaya last week, perhaps only a short while before he may have become unrecognizable.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Suphadset Chokechai, the Commander of the Pattaya Tourist Police who was in charge of the local investigation, told reporters that Lindfors was undergoing step by step plastic surgery to have his appearance changed.

Swedish drug trafficking suspect Tommy Lindfors was arrested in Pattaya last week.

Mr. Swen Albin, an official with the Royal Swedish Police, met with Colonel Suphadset on February 18th, asking for cooperation in apprehending Lindfors, 39, wanted for importing 2 kilograms of cocaine into Sweden. The Swedish officer told Colonel Suphadset that Lindfors could be identified by a tattoo of the Ace of Spades on his wrist.

A group of Pattaya Tourist Police, led by Captain Thanomsak Intrabutr, spotted Lindfors driving a car in front of the Eurostar Hotel. The car he was driving when arrested had a Prajinburi Province registration.

Lindfors arrived in Pattaya 4 months ago. Since that time he has been hiding in Pattaya and nearby provinces.

Lindfors told police he was living in Prajinburi province with his Thai wife.

Colonel Suphaset handed Lindfors over to Swedish police.

Pattaya organizes animal vaccination campaign

Aim to eradicate rables by the year 2000

Pattaya City and the Ministry of Public Health, along with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, are sponsoring a rabies vaccination campaign to eradicate rabies in Thailand.

The stated aim of the campaign is to keep tourists safe from rabies and pollution from animals. The campaign has received patronage from Kharon Na Lamphoon, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Public Health, who is also its president.

A veterinarian performs a delicate neuter operation as public officials observe.

The representative from the Tourism Authority of Thailand is Chonburi Governor Sujarit Pajchimanan and Pairat Suthithamrongsawat, the Mayor of Pattaya, who both gave speeches at the opening ceremonies at Pattaya City Hall.

The goal of the campaign is to eradicate rabies in Thailand by the year 2000. Rabies is mostly found in cats and dogs and an ongoing effort to stamp out the disease has been in progress for 6 years. The campaign will entail cooperation from all sectors of the government and it is hoped that 80% of all dogs and cats will be vaccinated.

The vaccinations will be from March 1st-14th, throughout the country. The target animals for vaccination are homeless dogs and temple dogs.

Along with the vaccinations, spaying and neutering will also be done on cats and dogs in Pattaya. Pet owners may have this done at no charge from 8:30-12:00.

There will also be exhibitions about the dangers of rabies and a news conference at the meeting room at Pattaya city hall.

Mobile Community Service Organization instituted

To assist people in rural areas

Officials from several Banglamung district offices will take to the countryside to assist rural residents as part of the new ‘Mobile Community Service Organization’.

The service was instigated by the Ministry of the Interior’s order to give service to the people in isolated areas.

The first services provided to the rural people were medical services from the Banglamung Hospital.

Thai identification cards and driver’s licenses are also being provided to residents by the mobile service.

The organization is receiving assistance from the Phra Kiart Vocational Center.

Free haircuts were also given to people in rural areas.

Pattaya marketing association to start two projects

Trip to Australia and “Pattaya Reward”

The Pattaya Association for Public Relations and Marketing, chaired by Ms. Phanga Vathanakul, will initiate 2 new projects: A "Marketing Trip" to Australia and the "Pattaya Reward" program.

Ms. Panga Vathanakul (center) chairs a meeting of the Pattaya Committee for Public Relations and Marketing.

During their "Marketing Trip" to Australia, the association plans to invite tour agents from Australia and New Zealand to observe Pattaya. There will be parties and a video will be made emphasizing Pattaya’s beautiful beaches.

The agents will also be informed of the various projects in progress to make Pattaya an even more inviting tourist destination. These projects are the expanding of the beach and the sea clean up.

Ms. Phanga said that the association would like to involve Thai Airways International in the program.

The "Pattaya Reward" program is a modification of the "Passport to Pattaya", which has been discussed for over a year now. The project has been thoroughly designed and has been sent to City Manager Nirand Watanasartsathorn for approval.

The program will be a 10 year long promotion to attract tourists to Pattaya.

Tackling the problem of street kids and drug abuse

by Kittisak Khamthong

In every society there is a segment of the population that is less fortunate than the rest. How they ended up in this predicament is an involved matter that would take years to solve.

However, in the meantime, the tireless efforts of dedicated individuals like Father Michael Phicharn Jaiseri of the Redemptorist Center and Police Lt. Colonel Jirat Phicitphai, Head of the Ban Poonsri Drug Rehabilitation Center in Pattaya, are helping to ease the plight of these people and initiate their return to mainstream society.

The Board of Directors of the Women's, Youth and Elderly Association will collate the information received at the seminar to determine what they can do to help.

The organizations dedicated to helping these people are non-profit, and rely solely on benevolent contributions. It is important that these programs remain in the public eye, as funds for forgotten programs quickly dry out. It is much easier to "blame" a nameless "society" when the crime rate is high than to realize it is within our power to do something about it.

On February 25 Father Michael invited a distinguished committee of the Board of Directors of the Women’s, Youth and Elderly Association, led by Deputy Director Police General Somkhuan Hirikul, to attend a seminar entitled, "Drug Use Prevention Among Adolescents and Young People". The informative seminar covered a wide range of topics, expanding beyond drug use.

Father Michael began with a little history of the projects of the Redemptorist Center.

Father Brennan, a Catholic Priest, founded the Redemptorist Center in 1988. The first center was in Naklua and was called the ‘Ban Arom Dee’. The center later moved to ‘Ban Bua Khao’ in Soi Bua Khao and is now called the ‘Soon Than Chivit’. When the number of street children increased, the center moved to its present location.

Mr. Chachawal Asawanon, who charges only 2,500 baht a year for the land, supports the center. At present, the center has 42 male and female children residents. Each child receives an education, special education and therapy.

Father Michael fears that the number of street kids will increase in the future and the center will not be able to accommodate them all. He would like the center to have its own piece of land in the name of the foundation. The money to buy it may come from donations and hopefully, an inexpensive piece of land will be found. Father Michael said it should be at least 5 rai in area. This would prepare the center to accept the growing number of street kids for the next 10-20 years. The contract on the present land expires in another 10 years.

With its own piece of land, the children could plant gardens, which would help reduce expenses at the center.

After the children are helped, they are sent home to their families. The average cost for helping one child is one million baht. All this money comes from donations.

Mr. Suphaphorn Noja, Manager of the ‘Ban Dek’ of the Redemptorist Center, then spoke of the "Program to Improve the Lives of Street Kids and Needy Children in Pattaya". He said that street kids in Pattaya are just like street kids in big cities. When they leave their homes, they must fight to survive on a daily basis.

Most of them survive by selling sexual services. Some are willing to do this and some are forced. Most are between 10-18 years old. The next most popular ways street kids support themselves is by begging or selling small items such as chewing gum. Most of these children are from the Isan area and/or are Cambodian children. They are sometimes as young as three years.

Mr. Noja explained that there was a difference between children engaging in each of these activities. The children who were supervised by adults usually had a place to live, but the adults kept all the money the children made.

Mr. Noja also explained that the children of prostitutes, usually left with neighbors during the day, are very easy to exploit. They are often "too knowledgeable" for their age. Solving this problem must begin with society, the family and the government.

The first necessity is that the children must want to be helped. They must learn to obey rules. After these two hurdles are overcome, the children may become active participants in the program. Children in the program would receive both ordinary and special education. If they wished to return home, the project would assist them in doing this.

Some children did not wish to join the program, as they preferred the independence of living on the streets.

"The government must work with the Social Welfare Department and local officials in solving the problem," said Mr. Pricha Kamolbut, Director of the Chonburi Social Welfare Department. The government officials must seek out the children at the various night establishments where they hang out. The parents must be sought and questioned. If the child has no parents, they would come under the jurisdiction of the Child Protective Services.

Police Lt. Colonel Jirat Phicitphai, Head of the Bang Poonsri Drug Rehabilitation Center, told members of the committee that drug addiction was at epidemic proportions among young people. He said that peer pressure was a large factor in child drug addiction.

He said that, "Almost 100% of street kids are addicted to drugs. Treatment requires much involvement from parents and the wish to stop using drugs by the child."

He said that the center required tens of millions of baht per year for operations. The center receives no government subsidies.

Rolls-Royce forecasts Asia pacific to be largest air transport market

The Asia-Pacific region will become the world’s largest air transport market within two decades in spite of current economic factors and declining passenger traffic, forecasts Rolls-Royce Plc.

The demand will be driven by continued long-term growth of air transport in all sectors including replacement aircraft in both airline and corporate jet markets. Just over 50 percent of new engine deliveries will be for 100 seat and larger wide and narrow-bodied aircraft; almost 25 percent for regional aircraft between 19 and 100 seats and the remaining 25 percent for corporate jets.

Rolls-Royce forecasts the strongest demand for wide-body aircraft will come from Asia-Pacific over the next 20 years as it develops the largest intra region traffic low, with growth calculated to top 7.8 percent over the period. Long-haul market traffic to and from Asia is also forecast to become larger than the currently dominant transatlantic market.

The Rolls-Royce Mayor Aircraft Market Outlook reveals the true potential for growth in Asia. Statistics show that whilst in the United States there is one aircraft in service for 56,000 people, in Japan the ratio is one to 300,000, in China one to 4 million and in India it is one aircraft to 9 million.

Rolls-Royce Regional Executive for Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, Peter Clogger, said, "The long-term prospects for the air transport market in Asia are extremely positive in spite of current declines in passenger traffic and the impact this has had on the financial performance of the region’s airlines".

Clogger added that the relative under-development of air-transport in many Asian markets, linked to the strength of the anticipated long-term growth, would lead to the region becoming the largest air transport market over the next 20 years. "Roll-Royce is in a strong position to take advantage of the opportunities that we forecast for the coming decades. We offer engines for the majority of today’s civil aircraft, giving us an excellent base upon which to build for the future," he said.

With the significant increase in the number of Rolls-Royce engines in service in the Asia-Pacific region, the company is developing a network of strategic joint ventures to handle repair and overhaul for the growing fleet, including the recently opened International Engine Overhaul Company which is a 50:50 joint venture with Singapore Airlines. Further liberalization of the air transport market in Asia will also contribute to sustained growth in the region. There is also considerable scope for increasing frequency to Asia-Pacific from Europe, according to the Outlook.

DHL unveils "e-Track"

DHL Worldwide Express, the world’s leading air express service, unveils "e-Track", the best shipment tracking service in the market. This easy-to-use e-mail-based shipment tracking offers greater accessibility and control to international air express customers. E-track further empowers customers with another convenient and user-friendly tool for fast and accurate shipment tracking. For customers without direct access to the Internet, e-Track is the ideal shipment tracking service, providing the same accurate and timely shipment status information that customers using DHL’s web-based tracking services receive.

E-Track requires no hardware or software installation. To use the service, customers only need to send a message to the e-mail address [email protected], along with the DHL-shipment airway bill number(s) in either the subject line or in the e-mail text, and within seconds the tracking results will be returned. Customers will receive a shipment tracking report that consists of a summary stating the current status of the shipment, followed by a detailed report which identifies the various transition points that the shipment(s) has/have passed through its journey through the DHL network, including dates, times and locations.

E-Track is accessible globally and customers can track as many shipments as they desire, with a maximum of 30 shipments per e-mail recommended to ensure the fastest possible response times.

For customers who wish to fully automate and/or schedule e-mail tracking requests; DHL will provide further assistance upon request.

"In today’s competitive environment, customers are looking for easy-to-use, flexible and convenient services to increase their overall productivity and efficiency. With the introduction of DHL’s e-Track, customers have an easy-to-use option to help better manage their shipment information," comments Mrs. Veerawan Nguiakaramahawongse, national Sales Manager DHL International Thailand.

"This smart and user-friendly e-mail-based tracking service is the latest in a series of DHL technology initiatives that reflect its continuous efforts to provide first-class accessible services to customers," she continued. "E-Track supplements our existing automated shipment tracking services which include web tracking and EasyShip, both of which have proved to be very successful in the marketplace."

Copyright 1998 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
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Created by Andy Gombaz, assisted by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek.