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Long Live Her Majesty The Queen!
Queen Sirikit, Mother of the
Populace
Pattaya Mail joins the Kingdom in wishing a most Happy Birthday to Her
Majesty Queen Sirikit.
Her Majesty’s selfless dedication has been evident and appreciated by
her subjects throughout the nation. Her Majesty is also a mother highly regarded by her
children. The benevolence of Her Majesty the Queen bestowed upon Her
subjects, including those living in remote rural areas, explains the love she has earned
from her people who regard her as Mother of the Populace.
Thus, August 12 is more than just the day the nation celebrates Her
Majesty’s Birthday, it is also observed as National Mother’s Day.
Happy Birthday Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and Happy Mother’s Day to
all in the land.
Long Live The Queen!
Working towards eradicating child prostitution
Royal Garden stepping up efforts to solve the
problem
Shopping malls the world over have become the meeting
places of today’s youths. Unfortunately, certain adverse byproducts of this universal
gathering have emerged. With this large congregation of youths, the inevitable
forming of youth gangs is prevalent, as well as the convergence of ill-intentioned adults
who prey on the less fortunate children, using these children for the purpose of child
prostitution.
Suphadit Maneeratcharatsri, the Managing Director of the Royal Garden
Shopping Plaza, has been working hard to eradicate these problems from his mall. He
realizes, however, that this aspect of his job is not an easy one.
"As a businessman, I am not able to forbid these people from coming
into the shopping center," Suphadit stated. "We also have to be very careful
about accusing people of wrong-doing, for if we are wrong, we could be violating their
rights of freedom and be sued."
"Once the store had a group of police chase and arrest some of these
bad people," Suphadit continued, "but the result was that the youths returned
and caused malicious mischief, such as spraying paint on stores, defecating in the
elevators, and other unmentionable things."
Suphadit also sees that the problem runs deeper than just a few delinquent
gangs acting alone. "I don’t believe these gangs operate by themselves. There
must be someone behind them who makes them do what they are doing. This becomes evident
when gang members are arrested - within a short period of time they are all bailed out of
jail."
Suphadit understands that a long term plan is needed, which requires a lot
of cooperation between local businesses, organizations and the local police.
"Firstly, the Royal Garden isn’t the only place where these
things happen. There are many other places where these illegal activities take place, but
we have been singled out in the press. Why? The Royal Garden has always been, and will
continue to be, happy to cooperate with police and other organizations in order to find
policies to protect and suppress these gangs."
Suphadit is optimistic that these problems can be solved. "With
businesses, the civil service, the police, the Social Welfare Department and others
working together in a strict manner, the problems of youth gangs and child prostitution
can be greatly reduced."
A spokesman for the Tourist Police stated that they are not sitting still.
"We have sent out uniformed and plainclothes officers to keep gangs and child
molesters under surveillance."
Suphadit Maneeratcharatsri added one final thought, "Let this be a
warning to all those who think they can use our mall as a place for finding children to
molest. You can’t. We are watching and you who are caught will be dealt with
harshly."
Working to reduce child prostitution
Police vigilance and AIDS
awareness affecting change
The Thai Department of Social Welfare and the Ministry of the Interior say
that the foreign press’ estimate of 800,000 child prostitutes in Thailand is an
exaggeration. The two organizations put the number at one-tenth that many, or 80,000.
The Ministry of the Interior also said that many of the prostitutes in
Thailand are illegal aliens from countries which have common borders with Thailand.
Thailand’s poor economic performance and the fear of AIDS are two reasons for the
reduction in the number of prostitutes, the Ministry announced.
Dr. Vichai Chokevivat heads a working group set up by the Department of
Social Welfare to determine the number of child prostitutes in the country.
The working group gathered figures and statistics and gave its report
"How Many Child Prostitutes" on July 27, 1998.
Dr. Vichai revealed that the working group had done surveys of
entertainment venues known to provide sexual services in 20 provinces in 1997. Figures
show that the number of people engaging in prostitution is 10-16% of former statistics.
Child prostitution has also decreased. The working group found that a large number of
prostitutes were from countries which border Thailand.
Dr. Vichai said the reason for the decrease is Thailand’s willingness
to accept and publicize the AIDS epidemic, which other countries in the region deny. This
has kept the Thai people informed and wary of engaging in or patronizing prostitutes.
The Sena Patana Khunaphap Cheevit program, which sends
representatives to rural areas, has had major success in educating rural people on the
dangers of promiscuous sex. The new laws which require students to finish 12 years of
school has also had a beneficial effect.
Another program, the "Educational Project for Young Women",
provides vocational training to teenage girls who might otherwise turn to prostitution.
This also lowers migration to urban areas such as Bangkok and keeps families together.
The laws against having sex with prostitutes under 18 has also been very
helpful in Thailand’s fight against AIDS. The punishments for the customer, parents
and procurers of child prostitutes are severe.
The sad state of the economy has also reduced people’s disposable
income, which prevents them from frequenting prostitutes.
Many prostitutes have gone back to the fields and are working with their
families in their native provinces.
Professor Dr. Kritataya Achawanitkul of the Mahidol University Society and
Research Faculty says that at present there are approximately 4 million females in
Thailand between the ages of 11-17. Of this number, approximately 18,000 are engaged in
prostitution. Of this number 5,419 are natives of countries which border Thailand.
Pattaya Police have become very watchful and have recently arrested many
people who frequent child prostitutes, both male and female.
A special center set up in Pattaya is now rigidly enforcing laws against
the sexual exploitation of children. Arrests are made and the violators names and pictures
appear in newspapers and other media. This is a warning to foreigners who wish to come to
Thailand to engage in sex with children.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Tourist Police have also
organized a campaign, with flyers handed out to tourists warning them of the severe
penalties.
In the past, child prostitutes often frequented shopping centers, the
tourist boat pier, beer bars in South Pattaya, the footbridge on Pattaya Third Road and
Jomtien Beach.
When the police increased vigilance, child prostitutes had to move to new
areas, coming back to the former when they felt it was ‘safe’. Other
‘methods’ and ‘fronts’ for prostitution have been devised but they are
under constant surveillance by police officers.
Officers have been making arrests while prostitutes are in flagrante
delicto so as to not be accused of harassment or false accusation. This also protects
officers from accusations of entrapment in order to extort money from tourists.
The "service girls" at the many beer bars in Pattaya are very
aware of AIDS, seeing many of their "sisters" succumb to the condition.
The Somdej Hospital in the city of Sriracha revealed that most patients
who receive treatment for AIDS are 20-35 years of age. They are usually addicted to drugs.
The average number of deaths per month from AIDS is 8-10 people. This number shows no
signs of increasing.
Pattaya Police confiscate 600 speed tablets
Wife arrested, husband gets
away
Pattaya police, in another ‘sting’ operation, managed to
confiscate 600 methamphetamine tablets and nab the dealer.
At 3:00 a.m. on July 31, the Drug Enforcement Division of the Pattaya
Police learned that ‘speed’ was being sold out of a house in Banglamung. Two
plainclothes officers went to the house, pretending to be buyers.
Mr. Nuchanart Boonmee, 35, and Mr. Chao Sukhkasem, 43, a common law couple
produced 10 tablets of the drug at the price of 100 baht per tablet.
Police showed their identification and told the couple they were under
arrest. Oddly, even though police were in the couple’s house, Chao managed to escape
the two burly police officers.
Officers did manage to arrest Ms. Wongthondee, 37, Mr. Nit Sukhkasem, 30,
and Mr. Saishon Phakdeethawal, 21, who were also in the house.
Officers confiscated an additional 590 tablets of speed, hidden in the
mattress of a bed, and two cellular phones.
Ms. Nuchanart confessed that the house belonged to her husband, Mr. Chao
(the man who escaped).
She said they bought the drug from a major producer in lots of 10,000 baht
per buy. Their usual customers were teenagers and motorcycle taxi drivers. Ms. Nuchanart
said if she knew the two men were police officers she never would have sold them the
drugs.
Police said that the head of this gang was Mr. Chao, aka, ‘Daddy
Ott’.
The producer from whom they purchased the drugs is not known.
Young woman molested
Taiwanese factory owner arrested
A Taiwanese owner of a women’s clothing factory was
arrested for molesting a 13-year-old girl in a Pattaya hotel.
Police received a complaint from the girl’s aunt, Ms. Suntree Phopak that Hoo Kung,
47, had sexually assaulted her 13 year old niece.
After the assault, Hoo fled in a motorcar. Police apprehended him on Pattaya Central Road.
The 13-year-old victim told police that she worked at a small ‘noodle shop’ in
Sriracha. At 23:00 hrs. on August 1, Hoo and a "Ms. Ting", a neighbor from her
native province, came into the shop. "Ting" was employed at Hoo’s factory.
Both sat down and proceeded to become quite drunk.
Later "Ting" invited the 13-year-old and a friend to go for a drive to Pattaya
and offered to pay them for their time. Seeing that the inebriated woman was a neighbor
from home, the girls trusted her. Hoo drove the group to the hotel in Pattaya and told them
to take a rest. They would take them out for some fun later. The group opened two rooms.
Once in the room, Hoo tried to assault the 13-year-old but she resisted
and ran out of the room. Jumping into a baht bus, she went to her aunt’s home in
Pattaya.
Hoo was charged with molesting a person under 15 years old.
Ms. Ting has disappeared.
Farewell Alois Xavier “Louis” Fassbind
Mr. Pattaya begins his greatest adventure
Pattaya citizens and people
from all over the world turned out in their hundreds this week to bear
witness to Louis Fassbind’s memory. Fassbind, the Executive Vice President
of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, passed away last Monday, quietly with
dignity, in the hotel he had developed and loved so dearly.
Whilst Pattaya mourns its loss, the Fassbind legacy is such that his mission
and vision will continue to influence the everyday lives of all who live and
work in this city, Pattaya.
Many words will be written about Louis Fassbind, the man they called “Mr.
Pattaya”, but words are but hollow testament to a man who spent more than
half his life in Thailand, 28 years of which were devoted to promoting our
city.
A flamboyant philanthropist with the rare qualities of far sightedness and
determination, Louis Fassbind was a large man with largesse to match his
physical size. 25 years a Rotarian, and a founding member of the
Jomtien-Pattaya Club, he was a driving force behind many of the Rotary
projects to help the people of Thailand. Additionally, more than 10 years
ago he founded and funded the Fassbind Medical Centre in the Banglamung Home
for the Aged. For those who knew him personally “Charity” was his middle
name.
Originally from Switzerland, he was well versed in all aspects of hotel
management by the time he came to Thailand in 1966, to work in the Oriental
Hotel. By 1970 he had come to Pattaya to oversee the construction and
opening of the Pattaya Palace. Three years later he joined the Royal Cliff
Beach Resort as General Manager.
To say that Louis Fassbind “was” the Royal Cliff is no exaggeration. He
worked tirelessly, attracting international events of all types to Pattaya;
be they sporting, academic or the Arts, Louis Fassbind’s hand guided them
all. His enthusiasm was infectious. He had the ability to sway popular
thinking to his vision of the future.
It is said that successful people have a five year plan they work towards.
Louis Fassbind’s was more of a fifty year plan. Very early he could see that
Tourism was going to be good for all of Pattaya, not just his hotel.
Properly managed and promoted, the tourism industry income would benefit the
entire Pattaya economy, right the way from the smallest food vendors through
all retail sales outlets and finally the Service Industry itself. This was
the mission and successful plan which earned him the “Mr. Pattaya” title.
He was an avid environmentalist, even to the extent of “adopting” Koh Pai
(Bamboo Island). Guests would be taken there, feted and welcomed ashore with
ceremony and champagne to then be given sacks to assist in cleaning up the
beach. Louis Fassbind had style and flair, to a degree rarely seen even in
Amazing Thailand.
There was no challenge that he would consider insurmountable. He would sit
down to discuss and talk about it and finally say, “Just let me handle it.”
And he would deliver, such was his determination to follow any project
through to its logical conclusion.
His famous hospitality gave him such an international persona that he will
be missed by countless people all over the world. His work was recognized
with numerous Awards, including the Award of Merit at the PATA Congress in
Beijing and in 1998 being named as “Hotelier of the Year” at the ITB
Conference in Berlin.
But Louis Fassbind was more than just a brilliant visionary and planner. He
was an active adventurer right to the end. He travelled the world, gaining
excitement and experiences that most would only dream about. He loved
sailing his distinctive junk “Hanumarn”, taking over the helm when the
weather got rough and laughing as he sliced through the waves. He enjoyed
life to the full and his gregarious nature was such that he enriched the fun
times for his fellow adventurers.
But fate was not going to let Louis Fassbind complete his “master plan”. In
that, he was going to retire in the year 2000 and spend the final years
sailing in “Hanumarn” and just having fun. There were lots of festivities to
be arranged and when the final hour came this talented, charismatic man
would have made a joke about it, arranged a party, invited all his friends
and gone out with a Big Bang.
Louis Fassbind left us all so quietly and quickly that we have all been
caught unawares, but there is no doubt that his influence which helped shape
and develop Pattaya is still here. He will not be forgotten and must be
honoured as one does for all pioneers.
Louis Fassbind, “Mr. Pattaya” has been an integral part of the development
of this city. His guiding hand brought us from infancy to maturity, his
laughter echoes through the streets, his entrepreneurial flair shows in the
fun spirit of Pattaya.
Louis Fassbind is not dead, he just no longer resides with us. May you enjoy
your next party, Louis.
Alois X.
Fassbind (right) with best friend and business partner Bruno Forrer (left),
former Royal Cliff Beach Resort Pastry Chef KIm Caula (2nd left) and Royal
Cliff Beach Resort Sales and Marketing Manager David Holden.
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