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Mr. Mayor, some
suggestions on water treatment billing
Dear Sirs,
Enclosed is a Mailbag submission for your
consideration. It is directed towards the mayor and City administration as
a suggestion. I hope the mayor reads the Pattaya mail if not a perhaps
staff could send or fax him a copy if you feel it is relevant:
If the Water Treatment Billing, so proposed, is on a
separate billing relating to the equivalent of 85% or so of water usage,
its very design insures failure. People, I would suspect, will ignore that
billing and only pay the water bill. Why one might ask? Quite simply,
water treatment cannot be cut off for non-payment. I would like to suggest
that the City consider one bill monthly that would be a combined itemized
statement being due and payable for both. The computer system is in place
and might require a programming and the billing form reformatted. It
appears the existing monthly billing statement has ample room. Controls
could be place to insure water treatment proceeds are deposited in its
designated account.
Many advantages appear to be totally in favor of the
City and customer. Primarily would be the lack of additional employees,
supervisors, and bill collectors. Further customers would not have to make
2 trips to the office to pay if not at home when the collector makes his
rounds. Also more funds, perhaps 100%, would be directed to water
treatment rather than overhead costs.
This suggestion seems like a win win situation for the
City and residents. Perhaps others have a suggestions that could improve
or even better this suggestion as we look forward to proper water water
treatment and what promises to be expensive to operate and maintain.
Sincerely Yours
Khun Raymond
P.S. Happy 7th Anniversary Pattaya Mail. You are not
only getting older but better with each issue. We need your help to make
Pattaya a better place to live
Sincerely
Raymond Mabey
Mr. Mayor, here’s
you PR man
Dear Sir,
Firstly, congratulations on the Pattaya Mail’s
seventh birthday last week. I reckon I have read most issues, either in
Pattaya or here in Australia since you went on the net. Having just read
your report today of the FCCT conference, I was interested to note a
suggestion that Pattaya appoint a media officer to generate promotional
stories and to monitor and respond to unfair or unjust criticism. As you
know, I have a sizeable place in my heart for Thailand in general and
Pattaya in particular. I have visited Pattaya at least twice a year since
1978. You also know that I would be keen to work in Pattaya in the media
field, and this of course is so restricted.
A media officer in Pattaya would give the resort
international tourism and business advantages and benefits. It is
something I would like to consider offering myself for such a position. I
could envisage being involved in taking Pattaya to a new level of
recognition. I always have been a hard working and dynamic journalist,
public relations and media consultant with my own company and a list of
high profile clients in Australia and overseas. It would be a wonderful
challenge for me to use my talents and contacts in world media to be
involved in the promotion of my favorite city outside Australia, Pattaya.
Kind regards,
Hoping to be in Pattaya late in the year,
Keith Hillier
Beware of flying
bananas
Dear Sir,
Further to Ricky Livid’s letter and the Timeshare
scam.
I was in Pattaya about 6 weeks ago and was stopped by
two girls with clipboards. After their questions were answered, I was
asked to pick a card from a bag. After picking 2 that were obviously not
the ones they wanted me to pick, I was asked to pick a third, which lo and
behold was a star prize. The girl got excited and said that if I turned up
at this ‘event’, she would get 500 Baht. I would get free food, a look
around their new condo’s and also a free week there every year. Smelling
a rat, I said I would come a few hours later (they wanted me to drop
everything and go there and then). I didn’t bother to go. Next day I had
a farang man ring me at my hotel, who was very abusive, telling me I was a
(censored) stupid’ and ‘are all English were such (censored)’.
I had to walk past these people’s shop on Beach Road
the following day, so I decided to cross to the beach side, just in case
the same girl was there. This same girl however was armed with her
clipboard and a banana actually on the beach side! She saw me coming (I
have a recognisable bald head!), so I detoured onto the beach to walk
past, only to find the banana follow me on, just missing my head. Needless
to say, I steered clear of this part of Beach road for the rest of my
stay. I wonder how many more legitmate business with premises close by are
losing. I can’t be the only one to have been harassed in such a way.
They need getting rid of!
Simon Hall
England
You’ll need
calculator for this one
Dear Sir,
I could retire in the USA but the cost of living is very
high. For example if you make a trip to the Emergency room with an insurance
card it will still cost you US$1200. Plus you will continue to receive bills
from doctors you never heard of a year later. My house payment is US$806 a
month for 30 years. My electric bill is 150 dollars a month. It costs $65.00
a hour at a car dealer to have your car worked on. The average new car price
is $15,000. The average food bill is $100 a week for two people. I am
painting my master bedroom. The paint costs $25.00 a gallon. It cost me
$269.00 last week to fix an oil leak in my truck. A trip to the dentist for
a root canal $700. I have to drive an hour one way to work and four hours to
Atlanta for Thai food. I know you will say but you make more money than Thai
people.Yes, you are correct but it is all revalent. I make more and it cost
me more to live. Because by law I am required to have house insurance $555 a
year. Car insurance $560 a year. Truck insurance $560 a year. But if I
retired in Thailand I would not need all these things and the cost of living
is cheaper. Maybe I long for the days of the 1970’s living in my Bungalow
in Bangchan and living in Thailand is just a dream.
Retired farang
A case of mistaken
identity
Dear Sir,
I reply with incredulity to the letter from Major C.
Petard titled “Terror of the Town”. I feel I maybe leaving myself open
to a wind-up as I almost cannot believe the contents are for real.
He refers to ‘hells angels in gangs on street
corners’ who wear “nutty little waistcoats”. I, as a member of the
Jesters M.C. certainly have a nutty waistcoat but haven’t as yet been
awarded with a number or have I decided to adopt one. Although as a club
we were not be confused with the hells angels. I do have friends in the
angels and as yet have never seen a number on any one of them. Possibly
this is a case of mistaken identity? Could these “hells angels” be
motor cycle taxi boys? If so I would hardly call the waistcoats nutty but
they do appear to have a number I supposed issued to identify that they
are licensed.
Motorcycle taxis do a great job for ferrying the people
of Pattaya to and from areas of town that Baht buses do not go. As for the
Jesters, I feel our reputation speaks for itself; certainly on a regular
basis in your time periodical. I would suggest our “fair city” needs
open minded, imaginative, energetic people living in it, not whiners with
fossilized attitudes.
Best Regards
Richard. R (Jesters M.C.)
Of short back and
sides and pink gin
Sir,
I refer to Major Petards sightings of teenage motor
cycle gangs roaming willy-nilly the streets of Pattaya. What was not
intimated, however, was the way some of these young men blatantly start
small fires, usually at night on street corners and for a dare no doubt,
just stand or swagger around their handiwork often calling out names to
passers by.
‘Ignore them Audry,’ I’ve often said when we have
been out looking for transport to run us back to our ‘resort.’ Yes you
know who you are 17,13,16 and 25. You could all do with a short back and
sides! (Probably never done a days work between them.) These things must
be said. To the good Major, the Pattaya Mail and all her good readers; a
well deserved stiff pink gin to us all.
Bottoms up. What
Yours most obliged
Captain Jono-Surrey-Smethurst
Army Pay Corps. (retired)
co/ Uvillbehappy Rest Home
South East Coast of Thailand.
Keeping posted
Dear Sir,
I would like to thank you for the news you bring us of
Pattaya. I visit Pattaya every year and find your online news great. It
keeps me up to date on what is happening so I don’t run into any
surprises when I vacation in Pattaya.
Please continue the great work. Thanks.
Don Cline
More info on visas
Dear Sir,
The Grapevine item on non-immigrant retirement visas
(July 14) was somewhat misleading as the advice given by the Thai embassy
in K.L. was essentially correct. The process for applying for a
non-immigrant visa must start inside Thailand. as the applicant will
need:-
* a letter from a Thai bank certifying that a
sufficient amount is held in a deposit account.
* a certificate of registration of Thai address from
immigration.
* a letter from the applicant’s embassy in Bangkok
certifying that he/she is of good standing plus confirmation of retirement
and pension received.
These documents plus a covering letter, fee, bankbook,
passport and copies of everything should preferably be presented to the
appropriate desk in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok.
When satisfactory (the process may need more than one
visit) a telex can be sent to the Thai embassy of your choice authorising
them to issue you with a non-immigrant visa. You then take a trip abroad,
complete visa application form, pay the fee, remember the telex reference
number you were given and you get the visa, no problem. On re-entry to
Thailand you get 90 days, at the end of this time you go to immigration
with all the above documents again and apply for an extension for the
balance of a year. Subsequent annual extensions can be made without
leaving the country. It is important to differentiate between the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, who control the issue of visas, and the Immigration
Division of the Inteerior Ministry which extends them. Words of warning, I
would not recommend using the services of agents who suggest they can get
you a visa in no time at all, even if successful, it will cost you a lot
more, and could lead to disaster. Doing it yourself is culturally
educational and fun, you’ve got lots of time since you’re retired
anyway.
Also, NEVER let anyone, other than an authorised
government official who gives you a receipt, or a bona-fide travel agent
who is ticketing you abroad, have possession of your passport.
Yours etc,
Mr. Keith
Copyright 2000 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]
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noticed that the letters herein in no way reflect the opinions of the editor or writers
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