Pattaya Mail — News

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Rogue reporter sought for rape

Pattaya Police having neglected their duty in taking action, the Crime Suppression Division
was contacted and are currently seeking the whereabouts of the editor of a local Thai language bi-monthly newspaper, reporter for a respected national Thai daily newspaper and also director of a local medical clinic.

Photo: Human rights activist Paweena Hongsakul, President of the Committee to Expedite the Rights of Women and Children (left), is now involved in the rape case against a local reporter.

The rogue reporter is wanted on charges of aggravated rape, contributing to the delinquency of minors, and impersonating a police officer after he allegedly raped a 16 year old girl at a motel in Pattaya close to midnight on Valentine’s Day, February 14th.

Due to reporter’s reputed connections to "influential people", human rights activist Paweena Hongsakul, President of the Committee to Expedite the Rights of Women and Children, attached to the Prime Minister’s office, has become involved in the case at the request of the victim’s father, a native of Kalasin.

The 16-year-old victim, who had come to Pattaya to study and who was employed at a Thai restaurant in North Pattaya, was abducted at gunpoint from a phone box in front of Pattaya City Hall as she was making her way home after work.

The victim stated in her report to police that the alleged perpetrator told her he was a police inspector and threatened to arrest her. She believed him because he had a gun, a CB radio and handcuffs. He then forced her into his car, drove her around Pattaya, and threatened her with her life. She said that after an hour of this, he turned into a deserted coconut grove where he told her, "You wouldn’t give in to my desires. So I’m going to kill you and throw you in a trash bin."

He then took her to the a motel and raped her.

The next day, the victim told the manager of the restaurant where she worked what had happened, then filed a complaint with Pattaya police. Police took her testimony then sent her to the hospital for a gynecological examination.

On February 16th, Police Captain Pratheep Thongdee, an inspector with the Pattaya police, took her to examine the car, which was parked in front of the newspaper office. The girl assured police that this was the car. Police entered the office and spent several hours talking to the reporter. Finally they emerged and asked the girl
" If he pays damages, would you forget the whole thing?" The girl wasn’t sure and asked to talk to her adult relatives first.

The girl was not contacted by the police again and she began feeling afraid and unsafe. She was told to run away from Pattaya to her home and tell her relatives of the situation. Relatives took this problem to elders who they respected. They decided to
file a complaint with Ms. Paweena Hongsakul.

Ms. Paweena is known for helping the oppressed in Thailand.

This very same reporter was accused of another rape incident last year, his victim then is now living with him under the aegis of his wife. He thus escaped being charged for the crime.

The reporter is reportedly an ‘influential’ person and related to ‘influential’ people. He is also close to the new Chief of the Pattaya Police Station. Before Ms. Paweena became involved, no one dared touch him. Instead, many have helped him.

After word of his imminent arrest was leaked, the accused vanished and it is believed he is hiding out at the home of an ‘influential’ person so he may prepare his defence without being arrested.

On February 24th, Police
Lieutenant Colonel Aphinan Kasetsatien, Commander of the Crime Suppression Division, led a group of officers to ask for help in completing a squadron
from Police Major Jongsak Yaemlamool, Chief of the Tourist Police for Pattaya in order to make the arrest.

With the "Big Guns" now involved in the case, it is believed that the reporter will not be able to overturn the charges filed with the Crime Suppression Division, as there are witnesses and evidence against him.

Students protest in Mab-Ta-Phut

Students of the Mab-Ta-Phut Pittayakorn school are again protesting. The 1,500 students of the school were forced to move to the Vitayakhom 2 school in Rayong to escape deadly gases released by the Mab-Ta-Phut Industrial Estates.

Director of Education for the area, Kwang Robkhorb promised the students a new campus would be built on the grounds of the Youth Services Centre in Huay Pong. Kwang told the public he had received a budget of 83 million baht for the project.

The students, led by the President of the Student Environment Committee, said they had not seen any signs of school construction whatsoever. They did see that the government offices nearby were undergoing many improvements.

The students demand to know where the 83 million baht went.

The students say the gas problem has not improved at all and accuse the Mab-Ta-Phut Industrial Estates and the Ministry of Education of collusion. Student activists say they were transferred to the other school to ‘shut them up’ and the two organisations had no intention of building a new school.

In a new development, the poisonous cloud has now reached the school to which the students were moved, 7 kilometres distant from the Mab-Ta-Phut industrial estates. The students said they might as well be in their old school, with the noxious cloud spreading out like tentacles of death.

The students have demanded they be sent back to their old school and have begun to gather funds and donations to build their own school.

Mr. Vinij Pathanrat, the Principle of Mab-Ta-Phut Pittayakorn, told students that the problem of the poison gases was being solved. He said that there was no budget to build the new school.

Mr. Vira Mavichak, Assistant Director of the Industrial Estates, pointed out that in May of this year, the odours would be 80% gone.

Mr. Phinij Charoenphanich, District Chief of Rayong, said he would co-ordinate efforts with all involved to obtain a budget for the new school, which he was sure the students would approve.

The students were not impressed by any of this.

On February 5th, Mr. Sura-at Thongniramon, Deputy-Governor of Chonburi, a group of marines, officials of Mab-Ta-Phut Municipality, students and teachers gathered to bring school equipment back to the Mab-Ta-Phut Pittayakorn School from the Rayong School.

Mr. Vinij Pathanrat said he did not agree with the move back to the school as examinations were soon, and if the students breathed the deadly gases every day, it could cause major problems.

This reporter sees that the ‘bottom line’ for allowing the students to move back is that officials are afraid that social unrest could occur.

At this point, teachers are divided into two camps; one group does not want to move back, due to the noxious fumes. The second group of teachers feels the only way to make officials take action is to move back into the old school.

There is still considerable discussion about the 83 million baht which Mr. Kwang Robkhob said had been allotted for a new campus. Officials and the Mab-Ta-Phut Industrial Estates are now silent on this matter.

Classes began as usual on February 12th, 1998.

Norwegian tourist beaten and robbed by baht bus driver

On Friday the 13th of February at around three in the morning, Mr. Fredlief Svendsen, a 62 year old Norwegian tourist, was abducted, beaten and robbed by a baht bus driver and an accomplice off Sukhumvit Highway.

The as yet unidentified assailants took Fredlief to a heavily wooded area off Sukhumvit Highway where they assaulted him and made off with the victim’s gold chain, watch, 3,000 Baht in cash and the papers to a motorcycle Fredlief had just bought the previous morning.

Two foreign female tourists were also in the baht bus but managed to escape unharmed.

Photo: Fredlief Svendsen leads Pattaya investigators on a search through the crime scene.

Fredlief Svendsen from Oslo, Norway, a frequent visitor, came to Pattaya to spend his holiday with his Thai wife. "On the evening of Thursday the 12th, I took my new motorbike out, which I just bought in the morning, and went around visiting my old friends at a couple of beer bars," Fredlief told Pattaya Mail.

"I ended my evening at the Best Friend Complex on Beach Road. Since I felt that I had a little too much to drink, I decided to go home on a baht bus. I first went to see my motorbike, just to check if it was properly locked. A tall dark man suddenly stood behind me, but said nothing. I then went out of the complex and saw a baht bus waiting for customers. I jumped into the baht bus and told the driver that I wanted to go to Pattaya Plaza Condotel. I noticed that the tall man was following me, but didn’t notice if he jumped into the baht bus or not.

"On the baht-bus, I noticed two foreign ladies sitting and talking with each other. The baht bus drove up Sukhumvit Road and passed my home. I shouted for the driver to stop the car, but the man did not care much about what I said and he continued driving to the other side of Sukhumvit Road, and right into a kind of a jungle.

"When he stopped the car, I got out. One of the men came straight to me and kicked me down. I saw and heard both the ladies run and scream for help. I turned towards the man and fought him, but the driver kicked me in the face. I fell to the ground and felt really dizzy. They then grabbed my gold chain, my watch and finally they took money of approx. 3,000 baht from my wallet. As I just bought the motorbike early that morning, they even took the papers with them," continued Fredlief.

"It took me a while before I could stand on my feet again. I then walked out to Sukhumvit Road, where I was luckily picked up by a couple of Thais in their pick-up who drove me to the Police Station."

The hospital kept Fredlief overnight for observation, releasing him in the morning.

"I have come to you so you can publish this as a warning to other tourists," Fredlief told Pattaya Mail. "And I would also like to meet those two foreign ladies. Maybe they saw or heard something more on those thieves. If you did, could you please contact Pattaya Mail so we could meet in private, as your eye-witness testimony could mean a lot in order to get these thieves behind bars," concluded Mr. Fredlief.

The Tourist Police have become actively involved in this case and are currently searching for the assailants. Gathering evidence, police have been to the scene of the crime, as well as the Best Friend Complex on Beach Road.

Walking street under fire

A Pattaya City Council member was criticised for inflammatory language regarding the walking street at the council’s meeting.

Mr. Narit Petcharat, head of the committee which oversees the walking street, reported that a city council member had said that the members of the walking street committee were using the street for ‘personal gain.’ The personal gain was garnered from the various activities held on the street.

Mr Narit felt this was very damaging to the committee and the city council itself, as they appointed the committee to oversee the street.

The person accused of making the remark was Mr. Sutham Phantusak. Mr. Sutham allegedly said if the problems with the thoroughfare were not solved soon, it would be very difficult to solve them at all. Committee members also alleged that Mr. Sutham remarked that if the committee started collecting taxes illegally from the merchants, it would cause the mayor many problems.

Mr. Sutham said he meant that the walking street should be a place where tourists could walk undisturbed by various exhibitions and shows which they may not enjoy.

The committee members of the walking street are very upset by Mr. Sutham’s alleged remarks. They asked Pattaya Mayor Pairat Suthithamrongsawat to order Mr. Sutham to issue a formal apology in a city council meeting.

The walking street is a part of Beach Road in South Pattaya which is closed off to vehicle traffic in the evening so tourists may walk in a promenade atmosphere, not unlike that of the Champs Elysee in Paris.

Plans taking shape for Pattaya Festival

Now that the Siam World Fair Company has received the green light to organise the Pattaya Festival, which take place on 11-19 April, they are now busy preparing for the event.

On February 20th at Pattaya City Hall, Mr. Vichai Prasawaranan, the Head of the Board of Directors of the company, along with a working group, explained plans for the festival.

Helping to organise the festival will be members of the city government, the city council, the government sector, private business people, representatives of various societies and clubs, and institutions, with Mr. Sutham Phantusak of the Pattaya City Council in charge of news.

Ms. Thanaphorn Kamjairit, the Public Relations Manager for the Siam World Fair Company, told the gathered board the festival’s purposes where:

To increase and encourage tourism in Pattaya in the Amazing Thailand Years, with the overall view being Amazing Pattaya. A campaign to revive Thai culture was also one of the purposes of the Festival to help Pattaya residents realise the importance of the preservation of traditional Thai culture. The fair is also being designed to test the government’s "Thais Helping Thais, and economising" and in addition to this, the most monumental and awesome cultural performance of the year will be held.

Events in which the community may closely participate are the "Family Rally for Charity", a stage show to preserve Thai culture, comedy shows and country music shows.

There will be a beer-drinking contest in the beer garden, which will be a rest stop for tourists.

A gala ball and dance will be held on the final night of the festival, in order to help tourists and locals to get to know each other.

Beach Road will be closed to vehicles and become a "music street" where everyone may dance.

Many merchants will also be showing off their wares. One can find house decorations, leather, cosmetics, furniture and other merchandise.

The Pattaya Festival promises to be an eye-catching event.

Cobra Gold set to begin 1st May

General Ratana Chalermsaenyakorn told of the coming ‘Cobra Gold’ exercises, an exchange of knowledge and field training session regularly held by the joint Thai and American armed forces.

This year’s land based Cobra Gold exercises will be held in the central provinces. The exercises will last one month from May 1st-June 1st.

The sea exercises are expected to give local tourism a great boost, as one thousand American military personal will participate in the exercises and are expected to spend their days off in and around Pattaya.

As the value of Thai currency has dropped so far in value against the dollar, the military personal will effectively have nearly double the money to spend.

The exercises will be co-ordinated by the Ministry of the Interior and safety of the soldiers will be carefully monitored.

Also, various ‘entertainment’ venues are being given a bit of leeway and will be able to stay open late, as this is a very good opportunity for Thailand to make money and garner much needed dollars.

Dust and smoke drive Sriracha citizens to protest

by Lek Pattaya

On February 12th, over 100 citizens gathered at the Thai-Carbon Products office in Sri Racha to protest a cloud of dust-particles and smoke which the company has been allowing to escape into the air.

The residents have been suffering from air-borne poisons for some time and are angry that nothing is being done to solve the problem.

The demonstrators carried signs, shouted slogans and laid funeral wreaths in front of the company. Otherwise, the demonstration was peaceful.

Officials and administrative staff of Thai-Carbon Products refused to talk or negotiate with the demonstrators.

After an hour the demonstrators dispersed, promising to come the next day.

When the protesters gathered again on February 13th, Mr. Klaharn Tokhamvit, an administrator with the company, agreed to talk with the demonstrators. He told them that the company would do its utmost to solve the problems and made an appointment for another discussion on February 25, 1998.

Residents are becoming ill from the air-borne toxins. Mr. Boonyeun Kongpraset, 43, told reporters that his 65 year old mother had been vomiting blood and needed to be hospitalised. Her condition improved and doctors told her that the only thing she could do was avoid the fumes. Mr. Boonyeun said that his family must seal the doors and windows of their house to be able to sleep. This does not stop some fumes from seeping into the house, though, and his whole family suffers from headaches and loss of appetite.

Residents say the dust particles have covered the entire area, killing trees and garden plants and making the area look as if it had been covered by volcanic ash. While walking, the dust gets into shoes and causes severe skin irritations on residents feet and ankles.

The residents also complain of the constant deep booming of the machinery, which causes anxiety and palpitations in older residents. Sleep is difficult as the machines run 24 hours a day.

The residents protested in the past and the company promised to solve the problems in 90 days. It has now been 7 months and there are no signs of improvement.

Copyright © 1998 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
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