Editor;

About a year ago I donated my brilliant solution to the stray dog problem in a letter to the Mailbag. Inspired by the A.S.P.C.A. (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), my solution included an organization supported by donations, veterinary care, pet adoptions, unwanted animals humanely put to sleep, and the appropriate governing body to require all dog owners to license their pets and get proper vaccinations. Having had the benefit of reading responses to my original letter, along with the experience of another year of living here, I see my original concept was somewhere between idealism and fantasy. Nobody is going to donate any money or adopt any dogs, the whole thing will be too expensive, and the government is not going to require owners to license and vaccinate their dogs. I’ve also learned not to make assumptions based on what happens in the USA.

So, I would like to offer a more realistic solution that is quick, cheap, and very workable: A group of police officers go out with a truck and round up all the dogs wandering around the main roads and beaches, and the mangy and obvious strays on the side roads. The dogs are loaded in the truck, and brought to an appropriate place to be “put to sleep” (shot). Those that can’t be caught can be “put to sleep” on the spot, bagged, and thrown on the truck. The officers can use their judgment as to whether any particular dog may or may not be someone’s beloved pet. Once the dog population is brought under control, the officers go out once a month on “maintenance missions”.

I can picture some readers’ jaws dropping at such a ghastly and heartless suggestion, but there are several reasons why I believe this action should be taken and is appropriate: 1) Most of these animals aren’t lovable pets - they are mangy, smelly, annoying, disease carrying, flea and tick infested rodents; 2) they’re bad for tourism, and give a false, negative impression of Thailand and its people; 3) there is the potential for an outbreak of rabies or some other disease that can carry over to humans, possibly spread by fleas or ticks; 4) some of them bite people, and can seriously injure small children; and 5) lastly, but most importantly, they cause motor vehicle accidents. In fact, I am writing this letter today because recently I witnessed a young girl take a spill off her motorbike while trying to avoid a dog crossing in front of her. She wasn’t seriously hurt, but could easily have been killed had there been a truck right behind her to run her over after she fell. And what if she had 2 small helmetless children as passengers, as is so common in Thailand?

I have myself, on numerous occasions, had to brake hard to avoid a dog crossing the street. By the way some of these dogs totally ignore traffic, I can only surmise that they are so accustomed to vehicles stopping for them, that they cross any street any time they feel like it. To those people who say, “why bother; leave the poor innocent animals alone”, I answer: With the number of dogs running around and the amount of motorbike traffic, I would find it hard to believe that more than a few people aren’t killed every year as a result of motorbike accidents due to these dumb dogs. Then the question becomes, “What is the appropriate number of human lives to be lost for the dogs to be spared?” In my opinion, the mere risk of injury to humans, along with the other reasons mentioned, is enough to warrant doing away with these pesky critters.

Sir,

I have a house in Moo 12 Jomtien Palace. At the entrance from Thappraya Road stands the wonderful sculptured Hanuman statue on a roundabout. In recent months a newly opened hotel has erected all round this statue advertising boards, supported by poles and glaring spotlights. The sight of the statue is practically obliterated.

Also, as one driving a car exits into Thappraya Road the glare from these lights temporarily blocks one’s vision. There has been a lot of publicity recently covering ‘advertisement boards’. I feel as this is a public thoroughfare and therefore spoiling the sight of this statue for tourism benefit, it is illegal.

Yours sincerely,

Dear Sir:

I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to the Pattaya Mail, its management and staff for a fine job of reporting for your Seventh Anniversary of publication. I appreciate the opportunity to maintain a pulse on what is happening in Pattaya.

Our family has been most appreciative of your paper printing the letters regarding the “Murder of my son, Joe Gaal, Canadian photo journalist found dead at Ocean View Hotel, April 30, 1989.” We feel that keeping the story alive will allow opportunity for those who know what happened to come forward and claim the reward. My e-mail is: [email protected]. Telephone/ Fax: 250 765-9960.

We also hope that the Foreign Crime Suppression Unit in Pattaya will make certain that (those who might know) are granted opportunity to tell all that they know about this “murder.” Hopefully all the evidence that was provided by our family is being investigated and persons in the photographs identified and questioned.

I leave you with this quote: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing!”

Thank-you,

Dear Sir

As a fellow ‘Brit’, David Rhodes letter made me think about his hometown of Liverpool.

As ex RN I have regularly visited both Merseyside and Thailand. He may consider Pattaya a world centre for sex tourism but I remember when Liverpool was considered the same in Europe. If you wanted sex, it was difficult to choose between Liverpool and Hamburg. However, I preferred Liverpool as most of the girls were enthusiastic amateurs! I had little money at the time!

Most of us who love Thailand can recognise the cultural, economic and temporal variations and make a more realistic judgement.

Sex is not the worst thing in the world. All things considered Thailand and Pattaya are still safer than most areas visited by tourists. I have visited Thailand over twenty times in the last 5 years and have never been approached to buy drugs in Pattaya. I have in Liverpool. I also remember Singapore in the 1960’s, very much like Pattaya now. Even earlier, Hong Kong went through the same phase. This is not driven by evil it’s driven by poverty.

David seems to believe Pattaya is only a centre for sex, money and drugs. Sex and its exploitation are of course a factor in Pattaya’s popularity with many. However, the cost of a good holiday, the weather and the facilities available are also factors. They make Pattaya an excellent venue for a holiday, or retirement.

Young people from the UK degrade themselves in Spain with drugs and sex. I rate the morality of a Pattaya bar girl, working to make a living, as much higher than the thousands of UK holiday makers who have sex with anybody on holiday because its fashionable.