Tourist heads to airport, wakes up in Pattaya

Robbed by Bangkok taxi driver

Imagine the feeling. One moment you’re sitting in a metered taxi on the way to the airport, seemingly the next moment you’re waking up in Pattaya without money or luggage.

That’s apparently what happened to 47 year old Swedish tourist Lars Christer Jonsson.

Jonsson wandered into the Pattaya tourist police station on March 23rd to report that a taxi driver had robbed him.

Jonsson told police that on Sunday the 21st of March he withdrew a sum of money from a bank on Silom Road on his way to the airport. "I then went into an outdoor restaurant with my luggage. I ordered a drink, a coffee, and orange juice. I then went into the toilet, but took my luggage with me. When I got back to my table to continue drinking my drinks, I noticed a taxi driver sitting beside my table staring at me. The driver approached me and asked me where I was going. I told him the airport. He offered to take me there for 300 Baht, but I told him no, I wanted to take a metered taxi. The man agreed to open his meter, so I got into his car with all my belongings. After I sat in the car, I remembered nothing. I woke up in Pattaya, with no money and all my luggage gone."

Jonsson was taken to the Pattaya police to file a written complaint, and was then taken to the Banglamung hospital to check if was drugged. He will be sent to the tourist police in Bangkok in order to find the taxi driver.

Koh Larn residents working to improve the island

Meet with Pattaya administrators to initiate improvements

Residents of Larn Island met with city officials last week to discuss ways to improve the island to make it both a better place to live and more attractive to tourists.

Residents of Koh Larn show Pattaya officials how backed up the drainage system is on their island.

Several ideas were brought before city officials, including repairing the wastewater treatment plant, licensing jet-ski operators and building a hospital.

Virawat Khakhai, Pattaya Deputy City Manager, met at city hall with Suchart Khobjai, Head of the Larn Island community, along with a group of officials and residents of Larn Island.

Suchart Khobjai said that the wastewater treatment plant on the island was not working properly and was clogged. He said that the plant must be repaired as soon as possible, and, as this is low season, it would be a good time to fix it. Island residents said they would take responsibility for the daily transportation of workers from Pattaya.

The head of the community continued, saying the island had now required all jet-ski operators and water-scooter owners to register. In case of problems, it would be easier to contact the owners. This would protect tourist’s safety.

Tent and beach hammock renters are also being closely supervised now. They are required to keep beaches clean and store their goods at night to not destroy the view.

Deputy City Manager Adisorn said he would present all these ideas at the next meeting of the Pattaya City Council. He would also move that a community hospital be built to help tourists who have accidents.

The Ta Waen Beach area is the most likely choice for the area to build the hospital.

Russian dancers busted in Pattaya

Charged with performing nude without work permit

Immigration police arrested 5 Russian exotic dancers from the Harem Hall of the Holding Group in North Pattaya last week.

Five Russian exotic dances were arrested in North Pattaya last week after a group of undercover immigration police observed them dancing nude.

Vakourova Svetlana, 29, Fadeeva Natalia, 26, Makeeva Elena, 23, Terentieva Lioudmila, 22, and Tiklenkova Svetlana, 30, were remanded to custody after undercover agents, posing as tourists, observed the quintet performing on stage nude, which is a violation of Thai law.

On the 18th of March at around 21:00, a team of immigration officers posed as tourists and went inside the hall to watch the show. As the 5 Russian dancers came on the stage to perform, the team got up, took some pictures for evidence, and made the arrest.

All 5 of the girls were brought to the Pattaya immigration office where they were charged with performing an adult show in public and working in the kingdom without a work permit.

The girls were then sent to the Pattaya police for further interrogation before being sent to the Chonburi prosecutor.

Banglamung Police apprehend amphetamine dealer

Illegal weapon confiscated

Banglamung police last week arrested Mr. Jamnong Pongpai, 29, for selling amphetamines from his house in Nong Preu.

Drug dealer Jamnong Pongpai displays the weapon he was caught with.

Pongpai was caught with 7 tablets of methamphetamine in his trousers. A further search revealed Pongpai possessed one homemade 12 gauge handgun and 2 rounds of ammunition. It is not known whether Pongpai ever attempted to discharge the 12 gauge handgun, although a lack of a broken hand was a good indication that he hadn’t recently.

Mr. Jamnong was charged with possession of illegal weapons and amphetamine with intent to sell.

He now awaits the full majesty of the law.

Pattaya police nail more speed dealers

Confiscate over 1,000 tabs of methamphetamine

Police Colonel Sirisak Tantinavachai led a doughty squadron of police to arrest 4 amphetamine dealers from a house in Marine Place in South Pattaya. Police confiscated 97 tablets of amphetamine.

The 4 confessed that they had bought the drug at another house in South Pattaya.

Police spell out “Ya Ba” in Thai with the over 1,000 tabs of speed confiscated from the house of Arun Lertsonthisali in South Pattaya.

Police later searched the second house, where they found 1,026 tablets of amphetamine, worth over 80,000 baht retail, and equipment for using the drug.

Mr. Arun Lertsonthisali, 22, the resident of the house, told police that he had been in business for a long time. He did it because the money was good. He told officers that he bought many thousands of tablets from a very large wholesaler in Banglamung.

After questioning, police charged him with sale of Schedule One substances.

Death of Danish tourist remains a mystery

Police yet to determine cause of death

A Danish tourist last month died under mysterious circumstances and police are at odds whether it was an accident, suicide or murder.

The death was first reported on the 26th of February 1999. However, the officer in charge of the case kept the details from reporters until March 16th.

The man, Royal Voka, a Danish national, had fallen six stories from his room at the Welcome Plaza Hotel.

Police admitted that upon checking the room, they found streams of semi-dried blood, which meant that the man was most likely wounded before falling to his death. His wrist had also been slashed with a long sharp object.

Police initially told reporters that the man was a drug addict who had overdosed, become confused, slashed his own wrists and jumped from the window.

But evidence points to the fact that the police have no actual knowledge of what caused the man’s death.

Royal police catch Pakistani robbers in Pattaya

Committed robbery in Bangkok and fled to Pattaya

Two of three Pakistani robbers who had knocked off the Ratana Emporium Department Store in Bangkok for over 1 million baht were caught in Pattaya on March 19th.

Royal Palace Police tracked Mohamed and Favez Ali to Pattaya after the two had robbed the Ratana Emporium Department Store in Bangkok for over 1 million Baht.

Mohamed Ali, 39, and Favez Ali, 36, nationals of Pakistan, were arrested after officers from the Royal Palace Police Department had tracked the men to Pattaya.

When caught, Mohamed Ali and Favez Ali had 200,000 baht on their person, as well as foreign currency totaling 1,000,000 baht.

The two were caught from in front of a Muslim community center in South Pattaya.

The robbers told immigration police that the third man had gone to a mosque on Rama 3 Road in Bangkok.

The Royal Palace Police took the three men and the money to the Royal Palace police station for further questioning.

Police break up pot party

A squadron of 10 Pattaya Police officers, led by Police Lt. Colonel Sirisak Tantinalachai, burst into a house in Sukh Sabai Villa and found 5 young people smoking Marijuana.

Working from a tip off, police had learned that this was a venue for drug related and criminal activities.

Searching the house, officers found three bags of dried Marijuana, 80 tablets of amphetamine, ammunition for a .38 pistol, and a modified motorcycle with no license, which officers assumed was used to deliver drugs.

Aside from this officers found a VCR, a television, electric fans, and sound equipment. All these had been partially disassembled.

Pattaya ready to host Pattaya Festival 99

Organizers proceeding full steam ahead

Pattaya’s City Manager Niran Watanasartsathorn is confident that the Pattaya Festival will be a fantastic experience for all. He told reporters that everything was organized and ready to go.

Pattaya Festival will be held as part of the Songkran festivities from April 12-19.

Niran was sure there would be no problems whatsoever as there had been many planning meetings with the provincial governor. Business people in Pattaya had also attended these meetings and had been apprised of every detail of the festival.

Pattaya will be responsible for more than ten different events, such as a floral parade, international beach volleyball competitions, dog show, beach soccer and other madcap and zany activities.

The private company hired by the city has found sponsors for the various events, with three million baht in sponsorship already having been promised.

One of the most important events will be a ceremony to honor His Majesty King Taksin the Great with a light and sound show, which will be a ‘first’ for Pattaya.

Preserving Pattaya’s environment

City joins central government in publicity campaign

Pattaya City and the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment are joining forces to begin a large publicity campaign to preserve the environment.

Pattaya was made an ‘Environmental Protection Area’ in 1990, but the problems have not yet been fully solved. Citizens, businesspeople and various agencies responsible have not shown sufficient interest in improving the situation and environmental problems abound.

Mr. Vira Skulthap (left), Deputy Chief of the Environmental Support Committee of the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, meets with Mayor Pairat Suthithamrongsawat and others to discuss ways to tackle environmental problems in Pattaya.

Central government agencies are therefore becoming involved, and last week held a local seminar to instruct people in how to maintain the environment. Over 300 people attended the seminar.

Mr. Vira Skulthap, Deputy Chief of the Environmental Support Committee of the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, stated that the purpose of the seminar was to emphasize the importance of the environment to the people and businesspeople. He said that everyone should work together in protecting the environment from pollution. He said this was especially true of Pattaya, as it was an officially designated ‘environmentally protected area.’

A public promotional campaign would begin with the seminar to teach people how to prevent and solve problems with pollution. Sub-groups and committees have also been formed to find ways to solve the problem.

Holiday thieves caught

Stealing to get home for Songkran

Police received a report from Mr. Somkhit, the father of Ms. Kesrin Meengern, that two thieves, one woman and one man, had taken her tape player and television and had then escaped on a motorcycle.

After receiving the report, police sent out a group of officers on a ‘man and woman’ hunt and caught the two with the stolen items.

At the Pattaya police station, the two, Mr. Pairin Amchareon and Ms. Sujinda Sukhkasem, told police they did not have enough money to return to their homes in the countryside for the Songkran holidays.

Searching Pairin, officers found an illegal 22 pistol on his person.

The two thieves begged for mercy, telling police they would feel very bored celebrating the holidays with no money.

Unimpressed police charged them with burglary and possession of illegal weapons.

Miss Tiffany Universe 1999 Pageant to be broadcast on ITV

by Teetha Clench,
Pattaya Mail’s Fashion Editor and resident ‘do-gooder’

Hi! Hi! Hi! Teetha has been gone for soooo long and she knows how much everyone missed her, which is as it should be.

Why, her editor says that the ‘Thai Legion of Decency’ has been looking for Teetha and would give anything to know her whereabouts.

Of course, Teetha realizes that this group is so well intentioned and wants to control everyone’s thoughts, but Teetha believes in action and has not had a chance to contact them.

Teetha, of course, has told you about her often tiring charity work at the ‘Home for Unwed Fathers’. This ‘halfway house is well intentioned, but Teetha was just not satisfied.

This is, of course, because Teetha, so much more knowledgeable than others, knows you can not ‘do things by halves.’

But an inspiration came to Teetha. She would open up her own charitable institution! It’s not a ‘halfway house’; it’s an ‘all the way’ house. As Teetha always says, she does not believe in ‘doing things by halves’, but instead, likes to go ‘all the way’-er-anyhoo, to get don-uh, ‘get things done’ in a complete manner to everyone’s complete satisfaction.

So, Teetha, with generous and enthusiastic help from her friend and genius designer, ‘Mince Aphai’, began to draw up the plans for the ‘house’. Now, a house is not always a home but Teetha cannot make homes for all these young men, but she is able, with a bit of help from Mince, to service, uh, take care of most of their needs.

Winners of last year’s “Miss Tiffany” contest. This year the beauty contest will be shown on ITV.

Such problems these young men have! But Teetha is always willing to bend over backwards to help people, as Mince is willing to bend... never mind.

These ‘oh so sad’ young men don’t have the type of problems readers, much less knowledgeable than Teetha, would think.

They are not pitiful, weak and wan young men. To the contrary, all of them are veritable paragons of manhood, with curving muscles, flashing black eyes and smooth amber skins which make the knees and the resolve go wea, anyhoo, one can see why they have problems.

Teetha is outraged when she thinks how these men are seduced by callous women who, after using the fellows for one night, throw them away like ‘damaged goods’. One night! How silly! Why Teetha knows that two or three nights and things really begin to heat u-become copasetic. Teetha is such a recycler!

So, Mince’s ‘oh so kind’ mother, Ms. Kao Aphai, gave Teetha and Mince the use of one of her large and spacious beach houses (such a ‘well to do’ family). The other advantage to this house is that it is very ‘Thai’ in style and has no opaque doors or windows. Only screens, which allow Teetha and Mince to keep everyone in view on a moment to moment basis, thus being able to help them in times of crisis.

But when set up in the house, Teetha found it rather hard to get donations from the community for necessary items, such as soap, toothpaste, body oil and clothing.

Then Mince came up with a veritable inspiration. He said that as the house was on the beach and the weather always warm, he could ‘do the most with the least’ and make a ‘fashion statement’ at the same time. Taking a small sum of money, he took thorough and conscientious measurements of all the residents (Teetha thought he was a bit too thorough.)

He then ran up swimming trunks, resembling ‘Speedos’! (As material was limited, they were quite a bit briefer.) But necessity dictates and Teetha delectate-anyhoo.

And, these have the advantage of being sooo much healthier. They allow the skin to breathe, the body to move naturally, relieved of ‘unnatural’ constraints and once can see-er-get ‘impressions’ from body language as to who needs what.

Well, to make a long story short, Teetha was all in a dither as to what to do for donations. Oddly enough, several female tourists were walking along the beach and noticed the sign in the front of ‘The Home’, under which several of the residents were resting languorously, after a hard nigh-er-work ou-uh......never mind.

Seeing people in need, these women accosted Teetha immediately and asked if there were anything they could do to help. She was soooo touched.

Now, the new ‘home’ is being inundated by donations from the various women’s groups in the community, who also visit on an alarmingly regular basis.

But, the really exciting news is that Teetha is ‘back in the saddle’ at the Pattaya Mail and be reporting on this year’s, Ms. Tiffany Pageant. This, ‘oh, toooo fashionable’ pageant will be held on March 27-28 at the ‘Tiffany Show’ theater, on Pattaya Second Road.

The ‘finalist round’ and choosing of the lovely new ‘Miss Tiffany’ will be held from 8:00p.m.-00:30 p.m. on the 28th.

Mince is all-aflutter and helping the contestants raise their voices, tuck in this, hide that and keeping abreast of all the contestant’s needs.

Dr. Seri Wongmontha will head the team of ‘oh so knowledgeable’ judges.

There will be seven ‘tasteful’ prizes given; ‘The Most Beautiful Outfit’, ‘The Darling of the Press’, and four other prizes, ‘Ms. Tiffany Grand Prize’, and four runner ups.

Truly exciting is that the second night will be broadcast on ITV! Teetha will be on TV, too in some form or another.

Many attend cremation of editor’s father

Rewat Phonlookin, Member of the Provincial Council of Banglamung, representing Sontaya Khunpleum, Assistant Minister of Communications, presided at the cremation ceremony of Mr. Wong Khamthong, father of Mr. Kittisak Khamthong, Editor of the Pattaya Mail Newspaper.

The cremation ceremony was at Khlong Sai Temple in Nong Jork in Petchburi Province, Mr. Kittisak’s home.

Others attending were Saengsorn Suntornsin of the Bank of News and Song, Channel Five, Pattaya, Thitiphong Nualmanee, Panya Khanakul, Head of the Editorial Staff of the Eastern Post, Jaroon Boon Somphong, the Montien Hotel, Pattaya, Chakraphan Pintasom, Pattaya Technology, and staff from the Pattaya Mail.

Copyright 1998 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand 
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Created by Andy Gombaz, assisted by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek.