Garbage galore

Dear Editor;

As a long term resident of Nongprue, I am becoming increasingly disgusted by the level of garbage dumped alongside, what were once, attractive, quiet Sois. For example, the Sois between Soi Muslim and Wanasin Farm, and thence to Mapsong past Chaingmai Villa, are rapidly turning into fully developed garbage dumps.

It doesn’t help to burn the garbage as we have repeatedly done, nor it seems to complain to the local authorities, all to no avail.

I read in your newspaper a while ago that Nongprue was going to promote Eco-tourism! Come on get serious! In addition, Pattaya has just been awarded an Environmental Certificate. All to be applauded, but what about the basics?

Come on Nongprue, sort this mess out!

Your Faithfully,

Ecobob

Why don't we have potable water?

Editor;

Why is Sattahip water supply now potable from the tap, while the information I receive on the Internet extolling the merits of Pattaya for tourism said, “Do not drink the tap water. Don’t even gargle with it.” With all the money being spent on water treatment plants, cannot some of it be allocated to improve the water supply system? Is the bacteria laden groundwater leaking into our water supply due to leaking water pipes the culprit, or below standards of our water treatment? The time for Pattaya to have a reliable potable water supply is way behind schedule. Mr. Mayor et al take note.

Frank Mack

Old Thai hand since 1967

Enjoyed reading about Beautiful

Editor,

Having just finished reading the recent column Successfully Yours, I was delighted to find out about one of Pattaya’s most delightful ladies, Khun Beautiful. As a Western woman, I have always admired Beautiful’s amicable personality and prefer to sit at a table in Shenanigan’s Pub where I know she will serve me and my guests. Warm and friendly to all, this young woman is a joy to encounter. She justly deserves the name she goes by. I often wondered what she was like in ‘real life’, so to speak. Kudos to the columnist who chose to interview her.

C. S.

Sincere thanks to Starbucks’ staff

Sir:

I had a very good experience the other day at Starbucks Coffee on Beach Road. After enjoying a good cup of coffee, I left my phone on a table and walked away. The alert staff quickly found the phone and using very good common sense called a Falang name in my phone book, reporting to a friend of mine that I had left the phone. My friend then sent me an email, informing me where I had left my phone, as I did not have my phone any longer.

I checked my email, got the message and returned the next day. The staff at Starbucks were happy to see me come and retrieve my phone and it seems they were waiting for me.

This is not the first time I have had such good fortune in Thailand, and I hope my future experiences will continue to be as pleasant. I sincerely want to thank the staff at Starbucks for their kind and helpful action.

Tom Loughney

New phony Sunee “crackdown”

Dear Mailbag;

Yet another “big crackdown” against child prostitution in Pattaya’s Sunee Plaza, with showy raids, arrested farangs and rounded up street kids. The fireworks had hardly cooled when on New Year’s night the cops were out in force, seemingly in fulfillment of Chonburi governor Chadej Insawang’s pledge to clean the town of vice.

But may I respectfully suggest to the good governor that he chose other, more certain means of making good on his promise. My wife’s younger sister works in one of the Plaza area restaurants. It is common knowledge in the area that the police sent there to uphold the law are also being financially supported by the several bars employing boys as young as sixteen, and one very visible bar in particular which openly uses boys as young as 11 to turn a profit.

One of these bar owners told my sister-in-law’s boss that the “crackdown” in reality was a strong suggestion from the police to the bars to keep their underage boys out of sight until the end of January. That hardly sounds like what Governor Chadej promised everyone.

The issue, though, is not about political promises but is about protecting and saving children from abuse and exploitation. The sexual abuse of children in Sunee Plaza has been going on openly for years, fueled by way too much “mai pen rai” from the local Thais and farangs, callous indifference by the Pattaya Gay community, inaction by Pattaya and Chonburi government officials, and most importantly by corrupt policemen who are cashing in on child abuse instead of stopping it.

Instead of sending in the very policemen who are part of the problem, Governor Chadej should use the Tourist Police or some other trustworthy agency to enforce the law in Sunee Plaza. How about closing some of these bars in question, getting these exploited children some real help and putting the bar owners, bad cops and assorted pimps and drug dealers operating there in jail?

Let’s stop debating about “social order campaigns” and putting on showy media events. Let’s apply some simple common sense and human compassion, starting in Sunee Plaza. Let’s see if Governor Chadej’s promises are for real or just, as suggested, a one month reprieve from bad publicity for the Kingdom.

Reuben Smith

Ban Chang

Happy New Year

Dear Sirs,

Just a short note to say thanks for a great year reading your paper. I must say that my friends and I look forward each week to all the news and gossip from Pattaya. Long may you prosper.

Happy New Year

From your friends in Ireland

Trying to sort out what happened

Dear Editor,

On the 31st of December (New Year’s Eve) at about 4:00 p.m. I had the unfortunate experience of collapsing inside “Big C”. Somehow I ended up in the Pattaya Memorial Hospital. Apparently I was assisted by a couple of Big C staff, and at least one ‘farang’ who I remember being present in the hospital when I regained consciousness. I would like to hear from any of the people that helped me as I would not only like to thank them personally, but also find out exactly what my reactions were at the time. I am baffled as to why I collapsed, so any information you may give me will certainly help me and my doctors.

On the subject of medical assistance, I cannot be more praiseworthy of Pattaya Memorial Hospital. They truly are a superb outfit. I was treated with the utmost kindness and consideration from start to finish, and from top to bottom.

Alan Michael Messeder

Some suggestions for the reputation committee

Dear Editor;

We read in the Pattaya Mail that the so-called “Pattaya Reputation Salvaging Committee” is to be set up to look into certain problems. I do hope that this committee will constructively assist Pattaya’s city council further to improve the city, as they are already doing a good job in continuing to make Pattaya a pleasant place to live in and visit.

It does seem that the masses of people who have decided to reside in Pattaya or to visit it as tourists, whether they be Thais or foreigners, are happy with the way it is, and would not want it to be changed in basic character.

Of course every city or town has its problems, and so does Pattaya, but it does have a reputation for being a wonderfully lively and joyful place, utterly lacking in hypocrisy, which I suppose in itself can create envy, irritation, and annoyance to some people who come from duller, more puritanical parts of the world and hate to see others enjoying themselves too much.

May I respectfully suggest that this good committee concentrates on the real problems faced by this rapidly growing city, some of which are:

1. The public transport system. Pattaya should have a good bus, meter taxi, and motorcycle taxi service. The last is already in place.

2. The road system. Many roads are seriously potholed or unmade up (dusty). A major investment should be made here.

3. The drainage system. Although much has been done it does appear that more is needed. Heavy rain still causes considerable havoc and damage to the roads.

4. The garbage collection system. This should be such as to cover all areas and to enforce the collection of garbage rather than the burning of it, which can be very damaging to health and unpleasant to neighbours. The illegal dumping of garbage must be minimised.

5. Public parks. Now is the time, before it is too late, to assign land or purchase it for the creation of public parks which Pattaya will need in the years to come.

6. Crime. The continuation of the campaign to rid Pattaya of really serious crime, drugs, etc., including the removal of ‘unwelcome visitors’.

And finally Pattaya would not be at all that it is without the wonderful local people, whether they be from this area or further a field in Thailand, many of them quite poor and only wanting to make a reasonable living. These people include beach vendors and market vendors who are often targeted for unfair harassment by the authorities when all they want to do is to make an honest baht in very difficult economic times. These people generally do not annoy the average resident or visitor of the non-volatile type and should be allowed, Thai style, to earn money for their rice bowl. Compared to many other tourist destinations these people are pleasant and polite and do not harass at all, but are sometimes harassed themselves which angers many visitors when they see it happen or hear about it.

Long live Pattaya! As now being promoted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand - “Pattaya has now become everyone’s ideal destination, providing non-stop fun and entertainment - catering to every taste and persuasion.”

Yours faithfully,

Observer

Traffic police needed on Soi 13

Sir;

Some police presence is needed on Soi 13 to ticket all the wrong-way drivers. It’s still (used as a) a two-way street with fifty percent of the traffic coming from Beach Road and together with the parked cars is extremely dangerous for pedestrians.

Kevin F. Cleary.

New Year Wishes

Dear friends,

I lived in Pattaya for long periods, one to one and a half years each time, in the last decade. I was a regular reader of your newspaper all the times and I still read it through the Internet.

I would like to wish you all have a very happy, prosperous, wealthy and above all healthy New Year. May your targets now and in the future be accomplished in the best expectations.

With respect a friend of yours,

Khun Carl Papadopoulos