Prime Minister evasive at local “meet the press” session

Deferred all issues to provincial authorities

One hundred fifty reporters from nine eastern region provinces attended the conference on May 19 at the K.P. Grand Hotel in Chanthaburi. The nine provinces represented were Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat, Prachinburi, Sakeo, Chachoengsao, Nakhorn Nayok, Samutprakarn and Chonburi.

The regional conference was the third of its kind. The first was held in Chiang Mai and the second in Khon Kaen. Each conference was set up to allow representatives of the press to ask questions pertaining to concerns in their areas.

The prime minister met with local residents who are concerned with falling prices of fruits and other produce grown in the eastern region.

After each question, the prime minister directed questions concerning a certain ministry over to that particular minister to answer. He informed the press earlier that any questions unable to be answered in full would be followed up.

The problem areas drawing the most attention were environmental concerns involving the various industries located in the eastern region, specifically air and water pollution, and trucks transporting dangerous chemicals. The rampant drug trafficking originating from the Cambodian border coming through Chanthaburi and Trat and now spreading throughout the eastern region was another major topic of discussion. More questions followed concerning the falling prices of fruits and other produce grown in the region.

No straight answers were forthcoming on most of the topics. The prime minister deferred to a recent policy that directs provincial governors to hold local press conferences to cover many of the questions being left unanswered. The prime minister said that at these provincial conferences, provincial governors are to inform the general public, through the media, of clarifications of local problems of concern. They are also directed to identify obstacles involved, along with their plans for corrective action.

A reporter from Rayong referred to a televised discussion on ITV with Pattaya’s mayor and other officials who were researching the idea of bringing casino gambling to Pattaya. The prime minister’s response was neither positive nor negative, stating that laws were currently in place prohibiting gambling. “Even though,” he said, “many people may favor the idea, as it may prevent Thai nationals from gambling abroad”.

Pattaya Mail’s editor Kittisak Khamthong asked the prime minister about the campaign to host the 2008 Olympics in Chonburi. The prime minister re-directed the question to Jurint Laksanawisid from the office of the prime minister in his capacity as National Athletic Events Coordinator. Jurint indicated the process was still in its initial phase. 3 or 4 other countries were being considered, even though Chonburi and Pattaya are considered to be suitable locations to hold the sporting events. The first hint of any decision is not expected until September and the final selection will probably be announced in July 2001.

Jurint said the government is emphasizing athletics in all 76 provinces and has allocated 70 million baht to promote sports, with additional committees appointed at the district and sub-district levels to organize this development.

The prime minister finished by saying that Chonburi has been identified as the location where a cultural exhibition hall is to be established. This will be a center to consolidate various items displaying customs and the legacy of the eastern region. The exhibition hall is still in the planning phase. Each region in Thailand will have a similar center with each having a specific design inherent to its region.

World Smoke Out Day 31 May

Countries around the world, including Thailand, are recognizing 31 May as “World Smoke Out Day”. “Smoke Out” activities are being sponsored by the World Health Organization and Pattaya’s Dusit Resort in conjunction with the Bicycling for Health Club.

The World Health Organization designated a torch as the campaign symbol to create clean air free of tobacco smoke. The torch was first lit in India in January 2000, and is destined for nine countries in Southeast Asia from India on to Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar. The torch arrived in Thailand on 30 April and continued traveling throughout the provinces announcing the campaign to quit smoking. The Director of the World Health Organization will be participating in a campaign ceremony in Thailand before the torch leaves the country on the 1st of June.

The Pattaya Bicycle for Health Club and the city administration are organizing a bicycle rally to support the campaign to quit smoking. Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat will “release” 200 bicyclists at 3.30 p.m. from the Dusit Resort on 31 May. During the rally, vehicles with loud speakers will accompany the bikers and loudly announce the dangers of smoking, inviting people to kick the habit. The entourage will head towards South Pattaya’s Walking Street, on to the Chalerm Prakiat overpass, proceed further to 3rd Road and end at the Pattaya Central Festival Business Center. Everyone is invited to participate in the Bicycle Smoke Out Campaign and all smokers are invited to kick the habit.

American sailors accused of sodomy and rape

Thai police close case, sailors turned over to US Naval Authorities

George Jameson Martinez, 22, an American sailor from the USS Kitty Hawk, was briefly detained by Thai police after he and 4 other sailors were accused of raping and sodomizing 29-year-old service girl Phongsai Bhuminua. Martinez has thus far been the only name released. He and the 4 others implicated in the offense were turned over to US Naval authorities for further investigation.

Pol. Lt. Col. Chachawal Phisuttiwon and the officer in charge of the case Pol. Lt. Nawarat Pramuanyat said that Thai authorities will not pursue the case as the US Navy offered, and the victim accepted, 40,000 baht in compensation for her injuries. Miss Phongsai was briefly hospitalized at Banglamung Hospital.

Miss Phongsai told police she had agreed to go with Martinez to a local hotel at 2:00 a.m. on May 15 after he paid the 200 baht fee at a beer bar in Soi 2. She said they walked to the hotel, where she surrendered her identity card at the reception desk before going up to his 8th floor room.

She said the room was dark when they entered and remained so when four other men allegedly came out of the corner and surprised her. She said all four of the other men were unrecognizable in the dark. She said they began to rape and sodomize her, stifling her screams by pinning her down. Afterwards, she said, the men dressed in the dark and walked out of the room. One man tossed 500 baht at her on the floor.

Miss Phongsai said she dressed, went downstairs, collected her identity card and returned to the beer bar where she told her friends what had took place before reporting the incident to police.

Local police contacted the American naval authorities and together they returned to the hotel to investigate. They were able to obtain Martinez’s name from the hotel registry.

The US publication Stars & Stripes, in an inflammatory article that referred to Pattaya as, “a seedy port city”, “sleazy south Pattaya”, “where hundreds of thousands of people - and an estimated one out of three bar girls... are HIV positive” and where “Americans created a booming prostitution economy,” also wrote that “One of the sailors allegedly videotaped the assault,” but that, “The videotape was allegedly taken back to the ship.”

It is expected that U.S. Navy criminal charges and disciplinary actions will be brought against Martinez.

However, the incident will not be tried in Thailand, Pol. Lt. Col. Chachawal said. Miss Phongsai agreed to this decision after accepting 40,000 baht in compensation for her injuries from the U.S. Navy. Local police considered the case closed after Miss Phongsai accepted the 40,000 baht.

Suspicious masseuse leads to Russian arrest

Russian wanted her to work in Amsterdam

Russian Vladimir Kievakike, age 41, was arrested on 17 May at the Lek Hotel for conducting business on a temporary visa and without a work permit.

Miss Somjit Nuamnoi, age 31, prompted the arrest when she became suspicious and reported Vladimir’s actions to police. She told police Vladimir first confronted her where she was employed as a masseuse. He offered her employment as a masseuse in Amsterdam and promised her a salary of 2,500 gilders (50,000 baht) per month. The amount of money was attractive and she said became very interested.

Trying to get Thai women to work in Amsterdam landed Russian Vladimir Kievakike in jail.

Somjit was to obtain a document from the district office confirming her residence and identity in order to apply for a visa. She said she obtained the document on 14 February and on the 16th Vladimir had her sign an employment agreement with the Land of Smiles Company Ltd. Vladimir identified himself as the manager and described his company as providing ancient oriental massage in Amsterdam.

After signing the agreement she was enrolled in a 10 day course to learn the ancient art of Thai massage. She was presented with a certificate of completion on 26 February.

Up to then she thought everything was legitimate, but became suspicious when Vladimir said he would coordinate her visa and wanted her to hand over her documents of birth and residence with visa pictures and passport. He also requested her to sign a power of attorney. The request for the power of attorney made her suspicious and she reported what was transpiring to the Pattaya Tourist Police.

Police arrested Vladimir Kievakike and charged him with contracting business without permission in the Kingdom under a temporary visa and for illegally contracting employment for Thai nationals in a foreign country.

American sailor attempts suicide in Pattaya

US Navy sailor Mark Alten Hoffen, age 23, was taken to the emergency room of the Pattaya Memorial Hospital at 2.30 a.m. on 15 May after he jumped from the third floor of a local gay bar.

Hoffen was being treated for multiple fractures when local police were called in to investigate. A song teaw had delivered Hoffen to the hospital.

Police officers learned that Hoffen was upstairs in a 3rd floor room with one of the male employees from the gay bar. When the club manager knocked at the room door to announce closing time, allegedly Hoffen unexpectedly went out onto the balcony, yelled out “sawadee Thailand”, then leapt from the balcony to the pavement below.

German arrested for robbing bar girl

Turnabout is not fair play

Miss Amphai Tiangthan, age 23, reported to Pattaya police that she was robbed by a foreigner who took her gold bracelet and necklace with pendent weighing 11 baht on 9 May.

German Jurgen Kelzenberg became enamored with a bar girl’s gold and took it from her at knifepoint.

She identified the man as a German national and told police the man paid the 200 baht fee at the beer bar where she worked in Soi Diamond thinking they were going back to his hotel. Instead the man pulled out a knife and put it to her throat in a secluded area next to the Tantrarak School. In addition to her gold jewelry, the man helped himself to 70 Swiss Francs and 12,000 baht in cash that Amphai was carrying.

The Pattaya Police Foreign Crime Suppression Center soon identified the man as Jurgen Kelzenberg, age 31, residing in Soi Nori with a Thai girl named Kamolwan Kijphinit. He was spotted in Jomtien near the Dongtan Police box and arrested. Miss Amphai was then able to provide police with a positive identification of Kelzenberg.

Jurgen confessed to the crime admitting he planned to rob Amphai after seeing her all decked out in gold at the beer bar. All of the stolen items were recovered except for the five baht weight gold bracelet, which Jurgen said he sold at a gold shop in Sri Racha. He was charged with armed robbery and is awaiting trial.

Thailand & the 2008 Olympics

Chonburi / Pattaya would host water sports

Members of the Thai Olympic Committee are still cautiously optimistic that Thailand may have a chance to host the 2008 Olympics. Ten cities are still in the running, and in September that number will be reduced to five. The final decision will be announced in July 2001. If successful, the Chonburi area and Pattaya would be host to four different water events.

Last Monday, May 22, members of the Thai Olympic Committee, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Pattaya’s city administration met with local restaurant and business owners and the eastern region hotel community to outline what it would mean to the local economy if Thailand was successful in its bid to host the Olympics.

Dr. Nat Inthornpan, member of both the International Olympic Committee and the Thai Olympic Committee (center); Roderick Mc Geoch, Coordination Consultant for Host Submission of the Olympic Games 2008 (2nd from left); Suwanachai Rytirak, TAT Director of Tourist Location Development (4th from left); Jaradsri Suriyachai, Secretary of the Thai Eastern Hotel Association (far left); and Suwach Phraebhiromrat, Chairman of the Pattaya Hotel Association (far right).

Dr. Nat Inthapan, IOC and Thai Olympic Committee member, said if Thailand’s bid for the games in 2008 were successful the Olympic games would be a sure boost to country’s economy. Employment and the income brought in preparing for the Olympics would be the initial positive aspects going to the private sector, but positive affects would continue to last for years after the games ended. The prestige gained from hosting the games would add to Thailand’s fame and display the country’s capability around the world.

TV rights alone are being estimated at US$833 million (US Dollars); another US$200 million would be realized from overseas marketing, which would start to come in three years before the games took place. Other benefits derived from hosting the Olympics would include improved infrastructure, especially transportation and road improvements, to provide added conveniences to support the games.

Suwanachai Rytirak, TAT Tourism Development Director, said the world recognition gained after hosting the games would continue to attract conferences involving people in the thousands, and major events with 10,000 or more people.

In Thailand’s bid to host the games, the IOC and Thai Olympic Committee would like to see a combined effort involving every level of society. The panel encouraged the “entire area” to root for Thailand’s bid to host the 2008 Olympics, and introduced the Slogan, “Combined Spirit Can Achieve the Goal”.

Roderick Mc Geoch, the consultant orchestrating Thailand’s bid for the games in 2008, said according to IOC rules, 28 events make up the Olympic games with up to 10,000 athletes participating from over 200 countries, with 5,000 judges and referees. Personnel from the media attending the games could see numbers over 25,000, and the games would have live televised coverage viewed by over 5 billion people around the world.

The sparks were flying

Students that graduated 20 years ago from the Regional Electricians School Class 10 at the Bang Khen Main Office recently reunited at the Merlin Hotel in Pattaya. Each of the 23 graduates work in various locations throughout Thailand.

Students and teachers from Class 10 Regional Electric during their 20 Year Reunion at the Merlin Hotel in Pattaya.

President of the Jomtien-Pattaya Rotary Club Bancha Mungchana hosted the event. Bancha works at the Regional Electrical Facility in Bang Lamung. Also attending were a number of instructors from the school and the former Regional Electric Operations Deputy Director Arun Keosont.

The evening gave the former classmates the opportunity to meet and compare experiences over the past 20 years and to meet other family members of the group. In addition, the get together allowed the professional electricians to organize a special fund for class 10 graduates covering illnesses and death among their families.

Bancha invited eight young people from Rotary Club, aged 15-18, who were part of an exchange program from around the country. They enthusiastically joined the reunion and exchanged ideas, later joining in the singing. An electrifying evening was had by all.

5 persons fined

Pattaya City deputy mayors Wiwat Khakhai and Niran Watanasadsathorn organized a team of local police and collection officers to conduct a sweep of elephants and mahouts illegally residing inside city limits.

Police are taking strict action to ensure Pattaya’s elephant population does not continue to increase without proper supervision.

The recent incidents involving elephants prompted stricter action to prevent these animals from roaming the city’s streets in order to prevent any further problems.

The action was initiated after receiving reports of elephants still sighted roaming in some areas after numerous pleas were made by the city administration.

Two elephants and five mahouts were located in Soi S.S., Nong Prue. The action taken against the group consisted of police confiscating the various fruits sold to tourists for feeding the elephants. Police also confiscated the elephant seating platforms and issued strict warnings not to bring the elephants back inside the city limits.

Deputy Mayor Niran said the large number of elephants already residing in Pattaya continues to increase with others being brought in from Surin seeking employment. The wandering elephants obstruct traffic and concern for the safety of visiting tourists is of major importance.

The city is restricting the numbers allowed and police have received instructions to have unregistered elephants returned to their former homes.