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Top government
officials begin mapping out political reform
Thai government holds summit in Pattaya
The kingdom’s top government leaders met in Pattaya
last week to begin the process of mapping out political reform. The main
points coming out of this first session, held August 4 and 5 at the Royal
Cliff Beach Resort, were decentralization of power and reorganization of a
select few ministries.
 Former
US President Jimmy Carter met with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
during the Thai government’s summit at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who both called the
meeting and presided over it, announced that he wants provincial governors
to have more power and be given the authority to oversee all government
matters pertaining to their provinces. Governors’ titles would be
changed to directors-general or chief executives of their provinces.
Governors would no longer be under control of the
Ministry of Interior, and would instead come under the supervision of the
prime minister’s office.
Initially, four provinces will be used to test the
scheme, and the governors of those provinces will be given greater
autonomy to handle local affairs and problems. Under a one-year pilot
project, the four select provincial chief executives would be given full
authority to supervise their provinces’ budgets and manage state
officials at all levels.
 Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was greeted by Royal Cliff Beach Resort
executives (from left to right) personnel manager Yutthana Choengkroye,
resident manager of the Royal Cliff Grand and Pattaya Mail wine columnist
Ranjith Chandrasiri, (PM Thaksin), managing director Panga Vathanakul, and
general manager Andrew Wood.
The four pilot provinces have yet to be named, but
Phuket appears to be in the forefront to become one of the chosen few. The
cabinet will most likely review the project sometime this month, and the
1-year test period could begin as early as October this year.
Also coming out of the summit was a plan to reorganize
government ministries, affecting 15 ministries and 156 associated
departments. Ministries receiving the most attention included the Ministry
of Science, Technology and Environment, which is to be divided up into
separate ministries to direct natural resources, environmental concerns
and science technology; the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives would
undertake the duties of controlling production standards in agriculture,
and the Ministry of Industry would have a closer relationship with the
agriculture ministry. The Ministry of Transport and Communications would
see communications and telecommunications becoming separate entities
affiliated with other agencies. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would
assume more of a role in international trade, and the Ministry of Commerce
would focus on domestic trade.
The list of dignitaries attending Prime Minister
Thaksin’s workshop was impressive, and included former premiers Anand
Panyarachun, Banharn Silpa-archa, and Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, as well
as the entire cabinet and Democratic Party List MP Vijit Srisa-an, who sat
in for former prime minister Chuan Leekpai, Korn Dabbarangsi, the leader
of the Chart Pattana Party and former deputy prime minister, Suwat
Liptapallop, former Minister of Industry and current secretary-general of
the Chart Pattana Party, and academic leaders, political party leaders,
party secretary-generals, the council of ministers and under-secretaries.
In all, 70 top government officials attended the workshop.
 (L
to R) Former premiers Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, Banharn Silpa-archa and Anand
Panyarachun provided valuable input for PM Thaksin’s workshop on
political reform.
Former United States President Jimmy Carter also put in
an appearance, meeting with PM Thaksin at the Royal Cliff during a
stopover in Thailand on his way from Bangladesh to Korea.
The prime minister called the two-day workshop to chart
bureaucratic reforms and prepare for a new era of government in Thailand.
The objective of the workshop was collect opinions on the ideal direction
for the government’s transformation. The participants were divided up
into four sub-groups to discuss reform in areas associated with national
security, administration, and social and economic development.
Finally, the civil service commission is also destined
to undergo changes, with the objective of creating more efficiency in
respective areas and focusing on better serving the public.
The next workshop is scheduled for September.
Road rage reaches
California freeway status
Drunk driver fires shots at slow moving
(police) car
Vichan Pladplueng
Sompong Pinyosiripan, 40, a resident in Moo 10, Huay Yai
sub-district, while driving under the influence lost his patience with a
slow moving car in front of him, so he pulled out a pistol and fired shots
at the red sedan slowing him down. But the car in front of him was being
driven by police, who were not amused.
 When
Sompong Pinyosiripan fired shots at the slow moving car in front of him, he
didn’t realize police were inside.
The two policemen were departing from the municipal
police station at 3.30 a.m. on July 25, driving in a red Honda Civic along
2nd Road when they noticed a black pickup tailgating very close behind. When
shots rang out, one of the officers took a good look out the window and saw
a man waving a gun at them. Pol. L/C Niwat Sawadee and his partner Pol. L/C
Chumpol Chomphuphet continued north on Pattaya-Naklua Road, and radioed in
the incident to the Pattaya police station.
The pickup truck turned onto North Pattaya Road heading
for Sukhumvit Road and was seen turning south. Police officers followed the
vehicle into a Jet petrol station and arrested the driver.
Sompong defended his actions with a hard luck story
involving lost business and quarrels with provincial politicians. Having
spent the night drinking his sorrows away in Central Pattaya, he was driving
a singer to her home in Soi Kophai when he came up behind the slow moving
Honda Civic. He said his nerves simply exploded as the Honda slowly crawled
down the road and he pulled out his 9mm automatic and fired eight shots into
the sky.
Aside from the attempted murder charges registered by out
of town police, other charges included unlawfully carrying a weapon in
public, carelessly discharging the weapon and endangering the lives of
others.
Kevin Quill back in
court
Arrest warrants issued for Garden May and
Jim Lumsden
Boonlua Chatree
Still trying to clear name, Kevin Quill was back in
court on August 6 to face charges of possession of 100 methamphetamine
pills.
Quill was arrested in Pattaya on October 12 last year
after police found two large black bags containing 170 cartons of
contraband Benson & Hedges cigarettes in his Mercedes Benz sport
utility vehicle. Police searched the cigarettes and found 100
methamphetamine pills concealed inside.
Quill admitted to charges of possessing contraband
cigarettes but has consistently denied the charges against him for
possessing illegal narcotics. Quill says he had no knowledge of the drugs
found with the cigarettes.
Quill has appeared in court four times, and each time
the case has been postponed to a later date. On April 19, the Chonburi
provincial court allowed Quill to post one million baht bail.
On August 6, Kevin Quill was back in court facing Judge
Kampol Sukeethorn. Pol. Maj. Komkryt Sriponggnam, representing the Foreign
Crime Suppression Center, was also in court to testify that Quill’s
arrest was carried out in perfect order. His statement was made in
response to defense lawyers’ claims of investigation tampering and that
Quill was set up.
Quill’s defense included news video coverage of the
arrest, but the court failed to accept most of what was submitted as
evidence, although they allowed portions to be entered as possible
evidence for future consideration.
Quill has also registered criminal charges with Pattaya
Municipal Police against two Scottish nationals, Gordon May and James
Lumsden, stating that the two men collaborated to misappropriate his
personal property during the period October 12, 2000 - May 16, 2001.
Arrest warrants were issued for both May and Lumsden in
response to the accusations. The arrest warrants each have a 10-year
duration and don’t expire until May 16, 2011.
Pattaya police arrested James Lumsden on July 26th and
charged him with misappropriating personal property, including the
residence belonging to Kevin Quill. Lumsden emphatically denied all
charges. He was also allowed to post bail, set at B500,000. No court date
has been announced.
Gordon May is currently in Canada.
Police continue to
raid after-hours bars
Ask provincial authorities to close down 7th
Hole and Big Fun
Boonlua Chatree
On August 2, police paid a surprise visit to the 7th
Hole after-hours bar, allegedly favored by all night drug users. The bar
was still doing business at 8:00 a.m. when Pattaya Municipal Police Chief
Pol. Col. Phadungsak Ubekhanon led 50 police officers on an early morning
raid.]
 Police
rounded up 93 people from the 7th-Hole Bar, 54 of which tested positive
for illegal drugs.
When police went inside and turned on the lights, 93
people were sitting in the lounge in a state of suspended animation. The
entire crowd was rounded up and transferred to the Ban Phoonsri Drug
Treatment Center and tested for drug use. 39 women and 15 men tested
positive.
Test results were sent to a crime detection lab in
Chonburi for further analysis. The 54 people were given the option to
acknowledge their guilt and allow charges to be made immediately, or wait
for official results and face trial at a later date.
This latest raid followed a similar foray to the Big
Fun Disco in the middle of the day on July 30 in which 30 people were
arrested for illegal drug use. The same person, Chamlong Meekaew, owns
both the Big Fun and the 7th-Hole. Police have asked provincial
authorities to close down both places.
Chamlong Meekaew was fined B2,000 for allowing his two
entertainment establishments to operate after legal closing hours.
Police in time to
rescue potential rape victim
Save woman from over-zealous fisherman
Boonlua Chatree
On the evening of July 30, a Pattaya police officer on
patrol heard a woman’s cries for help in the area of Pratamnak Hill. The
fading light and the dense vegetation prevented him from locating the
victim, so he relayed for assistance. Within a few minutes, five officers
and three crime prevention volunteers from the South Pattaya station
appeared at the scene.
 Fisherman
Tannarong Wongsanao was arrested for trying to rape a customer.
The search party found a young man with his pants off
sitting on top of a woman who’s clothing was in total disarray. His hand
was gripping the woman’s throat and he was threatening her with a pair
of scissors. Officers rescued the victim, then ordered the would-be rapist
to put his pants back on before they handcuffed him and took him into
custody.
Tannarong Wongsanao, age 26, was employed as a hired
hand on a tourist fishing boat in Pattaya. He told the police the woman he
attacked had been taken out fishing in the waters of Koh Larn that day. He
said she had been flirting and leading him on all day and it seemed to him
she would be willing to accommodate his desires, so he took her to the
woods. But when she resisted his advances he decided to take her by force.
Miss Walaiporn Herwin, a 41-year-old tourist from
Phichit had a different story to tell. She told officers that she assumed
Tannarong’s intentions were honorable and thought they were simply
taking a walk in the woods. He then turned lustful and jumped her.
Pattaya’s tourist
police named “Outstanding station”
Receive prestigious CIB award
Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya’s tourist police received the “Outstanding
Police Station Serving the Community Award 2001” from the Central
Investigation Bureau.
 Pattaya’s
tourist police celebrated promotions, birthdays and the receipt of a
prestigious award.
The Outstanding Police Station Award involved a
complete review of records and accomplishments of police stations from all
over Thailand. The results of actions and services rendered to the
community at the Tourist Police Station Dept. 3 were found to be
exemplary, and the officers assigned to this duty were the most deserving.
In light of this, Tourist Police Chief Inspector Pol.
Maj. Noradech Klomtuksing and all police officers assigned to the tourist
police department 3 in Pattaya, celebrated at the Ruay Restaurant on North
Pattaya Road.
During the evening, tourist police officers also
celebrated the promotion of three officers and the birthdays of six fellow
officers.
U.S. Embassy
Consular Officer to visit Pattaya on August 17
Consular associate Roderick Gonzalez and passport and
citizenship specialist Yaowanee Pisuthipot from the U.S. Embassy, Bangkok
will visit Pattaya on August 17, 2001. Their visit will provide the
opportunity for Americans residing in the area to obtain a number of
consular services without having to travel to the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok.
Mr. Gonzalez and Ms. Pisuthipot will be providing
services at the following times and location:
* Friday, August 17, 2001 from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon and
from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Montien Pattaya Hotel, #369 Central
Pattaya City, Second Rd., Pattaya, Chonburi. Tel: (038) 428-155-6.
Below is a list of services that will be provided during
this visit:
* extra passport pages
* passport applications (be advised, however, that new
passports must be picked up at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok - they cannot be
sent via mail)
* notarials, including affidavits required by the Thai
government for marriage, driver’s licenses and certain types of visas
* registration with the U.S. Embassy
* information on application procedures for Thai citizens
seeking U.S. visas (note that visa applications must be submitted at the
U.S. Embassy, Bangkok)
Please note that U.S. law requires a $US55 (or Thai baht
equivalent) fee for each notarial service provided. Passport applications
cost $US 40-60.
Please share this information with other Americans in
your area. Should you have any questions, contact the American Citizen
Services office at 02-205-4049, or via email at: [email protected]
For additional information about the American Embassy in
Thailand, please visit the website http://usa.or.th
Pattaya hosts ASEAN
Navy Commander’s Conference
ASEAN countries to assist each other during
natural dilsasters
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries
have agreed to assist each other during natural disasters. This was the
focus of this year’s ASEAN Navy Commander’s Conference held at the end
of July at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.
 Assistant
Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy Admiral Somchai Thawornphanich
(center) with V. Adm. Thawint Moongchanya, Superintendent (RTN) (left), and
R. Adm. Wanlop Kerdpol, Director-General of Operations (RTN) (right)
announced details of the ASEAN Navy Commander’s Conference held in
Pattaya.
The role, duty and capabilities of each country were
illustrated during the conference, followed by discussions among
participants that included naval commanders from Cambodia, Brunei,
Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.
Malaysia is scheduled to host the next ASEAN
Commander’s conference in 2003. The Western Pacific Naval Symposium from
September 14-16 will be held at Port Moresby, Papa New Guinea.
Pratumnak-Pattaya
Lions Club presents bikes to students
For use in traveling to and from small rural
area school
Chakrapong Akkaranant
Lamai Pheawthong, president of the Pratumnak-Pattaya
Lions Club joined with members to present 16 bicycles to the Huay Mara
School. This pragmatic donation was made in response to the Education
Ministry’s goal of assisting students in rural areas who do not have
transportation to school.
 The
Pratumnak-Pattaya Lions Club presented 16 bicycles to the Huay Mara School.
The Huay Mara School, located in Moo 2, Nong Syachang
sub-district in Huay Yai, Chonburi has 115 students attending two
kindergarten grades on up to the 6th grade. Identified in a survey, the Huay
Mara was one of the area schools found to be in urgent need of
transportation for some of its students. Bright and eager to attend school,
many young children from poor families walk from 4-6 kilometers a day to
attend classes. For them there is no other way to get there.
The Lions Club members decided this was a suitable
project and raised the B21,000 to purchase 16 bicycles. These bikes will be
managed by the school staff and supervised by the school director Pongsak
Sekuhumpat. The students most in need of transportation will be allowed to
borrow the bikes until the end of the school term, or until family financial
situations improve.
New US law on
passport applications for minors
from the American Citizen Services Unit,
American Embassy - Bangkok
On Monday, July 2, 2001, the United States Department of
State began implementation of a new law regarding the passport applications
of minor U.S. citizens under the age of 14.
Under this new law, a person applying for a U.S. passport
for a child under 14 must demonstrate that both parents consent to the
issuance of a passport to the child or that the applying parent has sole
authority to obtain the passport. Passport applications made at domestic
U.S. passport agencies in the United States and at U.S. consular offices
abroad will both be covered by this law. Exceptions to this requirement may
be made in special family circumstances or exigent circumstances
necessitating the immediate travel of the child.
The purpose of the new requirement that both parents’
consent be demonstrated is to lessen the possibility that a U.S. passport
might be used in the course of international parental child abduction.
In order to bring age requirements into alignment, the
age at which a minor may execute his or her own passport application is
being raised from 13 to 14, effective July 2, 2001.
Parents having concerns about passport applications for
any minor child who may become the victim of an international parental child
abduction, including children between the ages of 14 and 18 who are not
covered by this new law, should contact the Office of Children’s Issues in
the Bureau of Consular Affairs at (202) 663-2641.
Updated every Friday
Copyright 2001 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]
Updated by
Chinnaporn Sungwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk.
E-Mail: [email protected]
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