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Just a question of time
Dear Editor,
The very first day I landed at Jomtien Beach and saw banana boats
arriving to the shore at high speed discharging cheering customers, I said
to myself: “This is dangerous as well criminal. One day a serious accident
will occur. It’s just a question of time.” Many accidents have happened in
the last years, mostly none reported.
What happened (last week) is tragic and grave. A Polish lady, a tourist, was
killed by the propeller of a boat, a few meters from the shore.
Who is the prime responsible for that horrible and unacceptable tragedy? Not
the ignorant, ill-mannered, untrained young man who legally drove the boat.
Not the poor Polish tourist that got in the water in the wrong place and
wrong time. Or maybe the city management that never issued rules and
regulations for the safety of the bathers? The answer is too easy. City Hall
has to be fully blamed for their carelessness and lack of sense of
responsibility.
Meanwhile a bail of 100,000 baht was paid by some unknown entity.
In the future, a trial will be carried out. The Thai driver will be
discharged of any responsibility and the insurance company, if any, will pay
a small amount to the Polish family. I’m sure that many people should be
happy to read the police report on the interview to the boat driver.
The driver will go back to his usual job and again drive the boat.
Everything will become as usual. Let’s wait for the next deadly accident.
Again it is just a question of time.
Concerned Farang
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Pattaya is a modern
day Dodge City
Editor;
Re: City Hall should have been placed on the boardwalk (PM Mailbag
Friday, 18 January 2013) - This is not Sunset Blvd, The Mall or George St
Sydney; this is Asia. Why do you “Jonny come Latelys” spend your time
whinging of what might have been and enjoy the way things are? Correct me if
I am wrong, but if I own a shophouse my property begins at the edge of the
road (in Thailand). This means that if a vendor wishes to trade in front of
my property I am entitled to charge them rent. I can build the approach to
my property as I wish. It may not be in tune with the abutting properties
but it’s mine.
In retrospect it would have been better if the government had a master plan
30 years ago, but what’s done is done, other then buying back all land
within a few metres of the kerb and spending millions laying sidewalk so you
can jostle with motorcycle taxies taking short cuts. Learn to live with it
or move on.
Pattaya is a modern day Dodge City. It sprang up over night with little
thought of the future. I suppose you could pray for an earthquake so we
could start afresh. Love it or hate it, this is Thailand and if you can’t
stand the heat then get out of the kitchen.
Sean
Ed’s note: The shop house begins at the numbered markings which show on the
title deed, not the edge of the road. There is usually a round stone buried
at every corner of your land to mark the boundary. The municipality or
department of highways owns the pavement (width can vary) which begins at
the edge of the road to the boundary stone of your property. The pavement
(sidewalk) always belongs to the municipality or department of highways, not
the shop owner.
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Ban huge buses
Editor;
Re Gary Hacker’s letter about buses: I could not agree more. The other
evening from Soi Potisan to Soi Post Office I counted 39 moving and parked
big buses. Three were double parked on Beach Road.
Ban them from the city and bring in the passengers on mini buses. The big
buses offer no advantage to Pattaya’s hotels, restaurants, or entertainment
centres. Most have passengers from China who have paid special low rates.
Several people agree with me. Let’s hope they take up the pen/pc and make
their thoughts known. Traffic here is bad enough without them clogging up
Pattaya roads. Perhaps City Hall may take some action if enough complaints
are raised.
Brian Kirkham,
Pattaya
Jet ski scam in Pattaya
Editor;
Yes, it is time to finish the jet ski scam in Pattaya. It is a tradition
overdue (I was scammed at Jomtien Beach in April 2000).
However, maybe funny things will turn up even after the mandatory insurance
is put into effect and that is what I miss in your article:
You mentioned that Phuket has had mandatory insurance since 2009. The
important question is: “Did it put a stop to the scams in Phuket?”
Your article also mentioned “the stickers visible to renters”. Does the
sticker tell the renter that the jet ski has insurance and that the renter
is not responsible for any damage?
Best regards,
Klaus Schackt
Pattaya
Ed’s reply: So far, nothing has been carved in stone. These and other
questions might be addressed as more details become available.
A church isn’t an individual
Editor;
Response to Ray Standiford - In his letter to the Mail Bag regarding
taxing churches, Mr. Standiford expressed his opinion about the “separation
of church and state”. Unfortunately, his understanding is incorrect. The
First Amendment is not about a theocratic democracy. It is about protecting
the rights of individual citizens to worship as they choose. It is about
preventing the government from interfering with churches in any fashion.
Not only would taxing churches violate that important right that people
have, it wouldn’t raise any significant amount of money. A church isn’t an
individual so it would have to be subject to business taxes. And businesses
are only taxed on profit, not revenue. By the definition of profit of the
taxing authorities, churches don’t make a profit. So the tax revenue would
be pretty close to zero. If new tax laws were written to tax money from the
churches, all it would do would be to take money that churches (ostensibly)
use to help people and give it to politicians who don’t have quite that good
of a record.
John Nielson
Oakley CA
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Attn City Hall
Editor;
Attn City Hall:
Jomtien Beach can be a great place to visit, sunbathe, spend the day,
swim, have children play, and relax, we just need to get Pattaya City Hall
to realize that there is an important serious need to have:
1. More workers removing trash from the waterline to the street, including
around storm drains.
2. Garbage collection should take place after midnight and before 7am.
3. The dumpsters should be placed back in a proper manner, after dumped and
cleaned around area at that time, not later, the trash washed into the storm
drains with the water truck.
4. The empty dumpsters stink, due to not removing, replacing with clean
often enough and or not spraying any disinfectant into them, they are
covered bacteria and flies.
5. Imposing fines to people that litter is very important.
The Pollution Solution Group
Gerry T. Rasmus
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