|
Thais and foreigners unite to celebrate H.M. the King’s 75th Birthday
Songklod Kaewvisit
On December 5, Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat led
Pattaya governmental officials, police, soldiers, businesspeople, students,
and the general public of all nationalities to a gathering on Walking Street
to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Royal Birth of HM the King
Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great.
A young
subject holds a lighted candle and sings to her beloved King.
This year the 101 businesses on the Walking Street
Committee united with government and private sectors in organizing the King’s
Birthday celebrations.
The event started as representatives of various
associations, clubs, government offices and the general public lined up to
light candles and joss sticks, present flowers and garlands as offerings to
the sacred Buddha image, and then to place gold and silver tokens of homage,
loyalty and love before a life-size portrait of His Majesty the King,
honoring and paying deepest respects to the world’s longest reigning
monarch.
The night sky then came to life with a fireworks display
after the Royal Anthem was sung by the almost one thousand strong crowd who
attended the celebrations.
December 5 is a very meaningful day to the Thai citizens. People take the
opportunity to reflect on all of the good things their beloved King has done
for the country and His subjects. The day is also marked as Father’s Day
in Thailand.
H.M. The King urges compassion and toughness in fighting drugs
By Uamdao Noikorn
Associated Press Writer
Thailand’s adored King Bhumibol Adulyadej used his
high-profile annual birthday speech last week to call for a mix of
compassion and toughness in fighting the nation’s drug problem.
“Drug addicts have become both the attacked and the
attackers,” the King said.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, the world’s
longest-reigning monarch, has been on the throne for 56 years and turned 75
last Thursday. He was speaking to thousands of people from all walks of
life, including Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thanks largely to royally sponsored crop substitution
programs, Thailand has practically eliminated opium production over the past
two decades. But the consumption and trafficking of the stimulant
methamphetamine has recently become a huge social problem here.
The Thai army has tried to stop methamphetamine from
being smuggled in from neighboring Myanmar, and the government has launched
a deterrent campaign, jailing users and executing traffickers.
The king said people who inadvertently became addicts
were unlucky, and those who consciously chose drugs were stupid.
“Bad luck is forgivable but stupidity shouldn’t
be,” he said, adding that unlucky people deserve to be forgiven and
rehabilitated, while stupid people should be dealt with toughly.
The king said Thailand has the reputation for exporting
drugs to the West, but suggested that Western nations were to blame because
they consumed the narcotics.
“Foreign countries point their fingers that Thailand is
the source of drugs there. That’s not correct. They want the drugs
themselves. The main fault lies with the consumers,” he said.
He also urged his people to embrace all things Thai
instead of rushing to adopt foreign fashions.
Noting the trend toward Thais peppering their speech with
English words, he urged them to be more proud of the traditional knowledge
handed down by their ancestors.
The King sounded another nationalist note in talking
about a stray dog he adopted several years ago, which has become a favorite
companion. Last month he published a book about the dog, whose name is
Thongdaeng, the Thai word for copper.
He urged people to adopt more Thai dogs, particularly
strays. “Thailand has a lot of natural resources but we’ve never made
use of them,” he said, adding that much money spent on buying
foreign-bred, pedigree dogs could have been saved.
Pattaya celebrates National Environment Day on December 4
Suchada Tupchai
In response to HM the King’s public comments to the
nation on December 4, 1992, which conveyed his worries over the
environmental situation of the nation and the world, Thailand now celebrates
National Environment Day every year on December 4. His Majesty told citizens
that environmental degradation has become a serious problem in the kingdom
and it must be tackled quickly. He pointed out that the responsibility for
protecting the environment rests not only with government departments, but
also with every individual.
Keeping
the environment clean can be fun, as these youths demonstrated on December
4.
Deputy Mayor Wuttisak Rermkijikarn opened the National
Environment Day celebrations held at Pattaya Beach Road opposite Soi 4,
attended by Wattana Janttanawaranont, another Pattaya deputy mayor, Apichart
Phanpuet, Pattaya permanent secretary, Andrew Khoo, general manager of Hard
Rock Hotel Pattaya, and representatives from Dusit Resort.
The day’s activities included a beach cleaning session,
community environmental exhibitions including waste recycling processes to
reduce the usage of plastics, and a photo contest under the slogan
‘Pattaya environmental friendliness’.
Panya Chongmeesukh’s photo titled ‘Tawaen Beach’ won 1st prize and
10,000 baht. Kitti Kittipongsataporn won 2nd prize and 6,000 baht with his
photo titled ‘Sabai sabai day in Pattaya’. Third prize and 3,000 baht
went to Adul Nootchart for his photo titled ‘Beautiful Waters in Pattaya’.
City holds brainstorming meeting to address traffic problems
Suchada Tupchai
Pattaya’s chronic traffic problems and how to solve
them was the topic of a recent discussion as Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat
and Deputy Mayor Niran Wattanasatsathorn addressed a committee and members
of private firms in a brainstorming session on how to handle traffic woes in
the city.
Held on December 2nd at the conference room in Pattaya
City Hall, attendees listened to Mayor Pairat talk about the horrendous
traffic conditions that now exist and stressed that action must be taken to
try to alleviate some of the worst problems.
The mayor pointed out that road surfaces in the city and
surrounding areas have severely deteriorated and even some traffic signs
were not in good condition. Acknowledging that local driving habits are
undisciplined and the design of the traffic flow is disorganized, he asked
those involved to provide ideas that would help ease some of the problems.
A suggestion was made to reintroduce the one-way system
on Pattaya Second Road since the experiment a few months ago produced a
better flow of traffic in that sector. However, dissenters reminded him of
the many protests that had come from businesses on the route and the
complaints that personal convenience was sacrificed during the experiment.
The meeting also kicked around some ideas on how to solve
traffic jams in the area of weekend flea markets and suggest more police
coordination in each section.
Mayor Pairat said an investigation of all traffic
problems in Pattaya should be done as the first step. Then he explained that
each problem needs to be analyzed separately before finding a solution. He
pointed out that traffic conditions have worsened through the years because
the city’s policies are not effective.
On another note, since the recent introduction of new
laws by the central government in Bangkok regarding mini-vans for hire,
Pattaya has been lax in enforcing the new laws and there are still vans
operating in the city which do not legally conform to the new regulations.
The Vans for Hire Association of Pattaya chairman, Sutan
Sokhojai said that nowadays there are 200 vans under the control of the
association. He conceded that the association is not able to control all
illegal vans and that more cooperation is needed to bring this group within
the bounds of legal operations. The association can be contacted at
telephone number 038-423-554 if there is a problem with the behavior of
drivers of vans for hire.
Local private and government sectors march against drugs to commemorate HM the King’s birthday
Pattaya’s private and government sectors joined
schoolchildren in a parade against drugs on Wednesday afternoon, December 4.
Hundreds
of schoolchildren, business operators, and government officers took to the
streets to parade against drug abuse.
After mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat released the
marchers from Pattaya School Number 8, residents and schoolchildren carrying
banners and chanting anti-drug slogans called for the city’s inhabitants
to stay away from illegal substances as part of the beginning ceremonies in
honor of HM the King’s 75th Birthday.
The parade weaved its way from Pattaya School Number 8
and along Pattaya Second Road with each of the walkers wearing a bright
yellow shirt printed with a warning for everyone to stay away from drugs or
pay the price.
Hundreds of schoolchildren, business operators, and
government officers joined in the parade. The crowd of marchers paid tribute
to HM the King once they reached the Tiffany’s Cabaret Theater.
The central and provincial government bodies have declared war on the
rising drug abuse problems in Thailand. Activities such as this are designed
to promote awareness and encourage the nation’s youth not to be lured into
addiction.
Pattaya City celebrates ‘Independence Day’
No longer just an obscure village
Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat, together with city hall
and city council members went to pay their respects to the statue of King
Taksin as a sign of gratitude and honor and to mark the day Pattaya’s
status was changed via an election from a simple little village to a
designated city.
City
officials paid homage to the statue of King Taksin to mark the day
Pattaya’s status was changed via an election from a simple little village
to a designated city.
The city was awarded this status on November 29, 1978
because it was recognized that the town was developing and had the potential
to become a real city. Today it is one of the main tourism areas in Thailand
for Thai’s as well as for international tourists.
Every year on the 29th of November the 1500 members of city hall and
officers of the city welcome monks to city hall for a religious ceremony and
to receive blessings for their hard work.
Four prisoners accused of beating Felix Harder to death in Pattaya jail
Boonlua Chatree
The bizarre death of Felix Harder in the Pattaya police
lockup last month (reported in Pattaya Mail, November 8) seems to have
finally reached a conclusion.
After an extensive investigation police identified four
criminals who stomped to death forty-five year-old Felix Harder in the
Pattaya City lock-up on October 28. Officers have already arrested two of
the offenders and the other two will be transferred from a prison in Trat
Province.
The forensic department disclosed on November 25 that two
of Harder’s ribs were broken and there were bruises all over the corpse.
The department concluded that the deceased was intentionally beaten to death
by a group of men. On November 26, Pol. Maj. Col. Suriya Petthongkliang,
police investigation officer asked the court of Pattaya to issue a warrant
to arrest two of the accused, identified only as Kai and Tong.
At midnight on November 28, Pol. Lt. Col. Krit
Siriprasertchok, investigation officer from Pattaya police station along
with a team of duty officers arrested two suspects, identified as
29-year-old Morakot or ‘Kai’ Saengsri, from Bangkok, and 32-year-old
Boonlert or ‘Tong’ Ngochareon, from Sattahip.
Both men, who were recently released from Pattaya police
station’s jail, confessed to the crime. They told police that their group
consisted of four prisoners serving a jail sentence because they couldn’t
afford to pay a fine.
Regarding the fatal beating, Morakot told officers that
the foreigner had thrown his urine on them which made them angry. All four
prisoners rushed at Felix Harder and mercilessly stomped him to death.
Further investigation helped Pol. Capt. Weerawut Meelai
and other officers find the other two suspects. Sarayut Chumdaeng, age 20
from Chanthaburi, and Eakkanit Eakthukarn age 22, had been living at Soi
Taihee Temple on Central Pattaya Road.
Both are currently locked up at Trat’s provincial
prison. Police asked the court of Pattaya to issue another warrant and an
authorization document to transfer the two men to Pattaya police station.
Gen. Lt. Pol. Sanae Khamthiang, Commander of Chonburi
Police Department Region 2 called the police officers who were on duty at
the time of the murder into his office to find out truth about the foreign
prisoner’s death. Gen. Sanae said that it was a disgrace for Pattaya
police to allow such vicious quarrels to happen in the prison. He said
Pattaya police station has highest number of police on shift-duty in the
Kingdom, but incidents like this still happened.
Couple robbed at gunpoint on Jomtien Beach
Indifferent response from police prompts couple to talk to the press
Belgium national Kristian Grymonprez and his wife Parinee
were mugged on Jomtien Beach at 3:00 p.m. on November 20th. The couple was
walking on the beachfront when they were held up by a Thai man holding a
large caliber automatic pistol.
Police
Artist’s impression of the assailant.
The armed thief stole a 5-baht-weight gold necklace from
Kristian and a 5-baht-weight gold bracelet from his wife Parinee. Hoping to
delay the thief, Kristian managed to grab the perpetrator’s motorcycle key
which resulted in the man firing shots at the couple. The mugger then
hot-wired his Honda, and sped off towards Sukhumvit Road. Kristian called
the police, who arrived 10 minutes later from Sattahip police station.
The couple visited the police station on Friday November
22, where it took 3 hours to write a report on the incident. They were asked
to look at mug shots, and were told a sketch of a man would be made and
later they would be given an appointment. A week passed but the police did
not contact them.
Kristian and Parinee went to the Pattaya Mail with
the intent to warn tourists and residents of this dangerous experience. Once
this was done, the police immediately provided them with a sketch of the
criminal, and an appointment. The couple sat with police artist provided
them with a description of the man who had held them at gunpoint on Jomtien
beach. A police sketch has been provided below.
Police are still continuing their investigation and if you have any
information regarding the incident on Jomtien Beach or information leading
to an arrest, please inform the Sattahip Police station.
Transition notices
36-year-old
Canadian, Tracy Lee Glover collapses in condo
Tracy Lee Glover, a 36-year-old Canadian, died
mysteriously in his Soi Nokkhao condo on December 3. His girlfriend, Nirada
Polsena, 23, from Udonthani, told police an odd tale of events that led up
to the death.
Nirada told police that she and the deceased had been
together for over a year. Apparently Glover had recently been in China, and
whilst there was allegedly attacked by Chinese youth gang on the street.
Nirada said that the attack was over some sort of problem that couldn’t be
resolved, but didn’t elaborate.
She said that Glover returned to Thailand on November 28
for holiday, but quickly fell sick and complained of chest pains. Nirada
said that his "condition was shaky", and on the day of his death,
she alleges she accidentally dropped a clothes iron on Glover’s head,
causing it to bleed. She said that when she attempted to take him to the
hospital, Glover collapsed to the floor and stopped breathing.
By the time police and Sawang Boriboon rescue personnel
arrived on the scene, Glover was already deceased. The body was transferred
to the forensic department for autopsy.
Englishman Peter Shirley, 53, suffers heart attack
English resident, Peter Shirley, aged 53 passed away in
his fourth floor Jomtien apartment Sunday morning, December 8 after
suffering a heart attack. Police and Sawang Boriboon personnel arrived at
the scene to find Shirley’s girlfriend of one year crying over his body.
The woman, identified only as Noi, said she had been
staying with Peter Shirley for over a year and that earlier in the evening
he had complained of chest pains. She added that they were both sleeping
when the man had gotten up to go to the bathroom. She said she was startled
awake by a crashing sound.
When Noi found him in the bathroom, she called the
security guard for help and to call a doctor. She said she placed a pillow
under his head before calling Pattaya Memorial Hospital, but he had already
passed away before paramedics could arrive.
Police officials’ initial presumptions are that Shirley
suffered a cardiac arrest.
Thamasamakee Temple organizes aerobic dance for all exercise lovers
Aerobics for health was recently held at Pattaya School
Number 6 in Thamasamakee Temple, and was attended by over 200 participants.
Adisorn Pollukin, deputy chairman of the Pattaya city council presided over
the event.
Get
healthy through aerobics at Pattaya School #6.
Adisorn explained that he had intended to mark an
official opening on the day, but had to cancel it due to heavy rain.
Nevertheless, a large number of participants still attended, and the event
was enjoyed by all.
Two aerobics groups were set up at the Thamasamakee and
Chaiyamongkol temples, with an allocated budget given by Pattaya City. The
aim is to encourage the community to participate in fitness programs, which
is a good way to improve physical health and reduce daily stress.
The first group will start at Pattaya School Number 6 and runs from
December 2 to January 17. A daily aerobics class is held from 5:30 to 6:30
p.m. and everyone is welcome. The admission is only 5 baht per session for
the public and free of charge for students.
Chonburi Disabled Group celebrates Disabled Day on Beach Road
A new event called Chonburi Disabled Day, initiated by a
group of disabled citizens who call themselves the Chonburi Disabled Group,
was recently celebrated on Pattaya Beach Road in front of Soi 4.
Savitree
Srisakul, chairwoman of the Chonburi Red Cross, donated necessity items to
disabled citizens.
Prakit Inthisit, the group chairman, stated that the
project is aimed at educating disabled people about their basic rights and
equal opportunities in society. The group has formed a network with other
organizations to obtain advice on medical, educational, and vocational
support, to achieve the ultimate goal of giving the disabled equality, and
allowing them to live happily integrated into society.
During the event, disabled students enjoyed various
activities, including an Ankalung performance from Redemptorist School for
the blind, and a modified performance by the hearing impaired, Thai folk
dance, wheelchair dancing, music, and mime.
Deaf
children in their stage costumes performed a marvelous show.
Both government and private sectors supported the day,
providing exhibitions and services on legal advice, career advice, and
medical assistance.
The opening ceremonies were presided over by Chonburi’s deputy
governor, Preecha Kamolbutr, Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat, and Savitree
Srisakul, chairwoman of the Chonburi Red Cross.
Baywatch
Eakkachai Kamolsri
Someone should make the effort and help this business owner screw tight
the nuts that are supposed to be holding this signboard to its post. It has
been hanging dangerously over the Central Pattaya Third Road junction for
days. If nothing is done, it might finally give in to the laws of gravity
and head to the ground, perhaps turning an otherwise beautiful day into an
unlucky one for a pedestrian or parked vehicle.
|
