HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Not everyone cheats

Support for the Pattaya Orphanage

Thoughts for the children

Kudos to Pietro

Car insurance for farangs

Thoughts for Father Ray

Fix the potholes

Why all the fuss?

Thanks to Rob Astbury

Travel and H20

Please put out that cigarette

Not everyone cheats

Dear Sir,

Not a day passes where I don’t hear a farang story about cheating Thais. Well, I purchased some furniture that was duty delivered. 1 day later I got a phone call to say: “Madam, you paid too much for the furniture, the delivery made a mistake”. My money, 10,000 baht was returned to me. I had no idea that I paid too much because of my many bills in doing my condo. So, 3 cheers to Pattaya Cane and Fabric Co. Ltd. for their honesty and I am sure there are more Thais like that.

Lauren Perren

Diana Estate Condo

Support for the Pattaya Orphanage

Editor;

As a long-time visitor to Pattaya and a sponsor of a Thai girl at the Pattaya Orphanage, I wish to extend my support for Father Brennan. Myself and my Thai girlfriend have only been allowed to take the kids out on day trips after visiting the orphanage for several years and having been fully checked out by the relevant authorities in both countries.

The story by the People is flawed in many respects and is a classic example of the British gutter press stringing together small snippets of conversations into a sensational exposure of alleged wrongdoing.

This will in no way deter myself from supporting the orphanage or from visiting my little girl whenever possible. I hope that Father Brennan can put this behind him and continue with others the great work he does.

Chris Grundy/Uthon Sukdee

Manchester/Uttardit

England/Thailand

Thoughts for the children

Editor;

My name is Todd Karabel I told my Thai wife a couple of days ago about the blind children and she started to cry. She used to work at Din Daeng Bangkok. She told me if she ever had loose money she would give it to the children of Bangkok. Your photo is very, very sad. If you can contact them tell them we love them.

Thank you,

Todd

Kudos to Pietro

Editor:

Kudos to Pietro (“noisy temple keeps tourists awake”, Pattaya Mail, January 17). When I view Wat Chaimongol I don’t see shade trees, and bushes, and flowers, and benches for rest and contemplation. I see many new buildings and a huge parking lot that distracts from the beauty of the temple.

I can’t stroll around the temple grounds and be peaceful and quiet. I am assaulted by disagreeable sounds both day and night. Its nerve wracking at times. It starts as early as 5 a.m. and sometimes lasts far into the night. After the monks retire we have a chorus line of canines yelping and fighting and getting it on. (Does the temple really have to be a depository for these poor animals?)

Surely the xylophones and boom boxes and loud movies can be confined to some of the temple’s air conditioned rooms.

Residents don’t want to interfere with custom and accepted practice, but do we really need all this noise pollution? Pattaya has more than its share of noise. Pattaya needs to retreat from what is going on. The temple should serve as that retreat.

R. Standiford

Car insurance for farangs

Dear Sir,

My Thai wife has a car and I have a Thai driving license. The car insurance covers me if driving. One hears many people state that a UK license is sufficient for one’s insurance purposes. Other people are adamant that the insurance is only valid with a Thai driving license.

Although it is not directly my concern I would be very grateful if somebody would be kind enough to state the position clearly. I have friends who visit the Kingdom and should they ask me what is the law here I admit that I do not know, and, as stated, they hear opposing opinion on the subject in bars, etc. Naturally those who rent out vehicles claim their clients are fully insured with only a UK license.

So it would be good for all if a definitive definition of the rules were to be supplied.

Many thanks,

A Pattaya Resident

Thoughts for Father Ray

Editor;

My wife and I want to express our support to Father Brennan concerning the British tabloid article accusing him of collusion with the pedophile community.

It’s unfortunate the non-authored article, from a seedy publication can be allowed to be printed in the first place. However, in a free society, one can publish just about anything that can titillate and feed the public’s appetite for such swill.

Those that are familiar with Father Brennan and the work that he has done in Thailand, will dismiss the article for what it is ... a lie, plain and simple. I wish Father Brennan many years of service to God and his adopted country, and an early libel lawsuit to the culprits concerned.

Ben and Ruth Martinez

Frequent visitors to Thailand

Fix the potholes

Editor;

Two days ago I saw a motorcycle accident at the corner of Second Rd. and Central Road., on the other corner of Tops. Luckily the 2 people on the motorbike did not get killed, only got slightly hurt. After, I looked at the place of the accident. One big pothole after another! And this in the main street. And only 15 meters from a police post who looks for people on a motorbike without helmet, to charge them 200 baht.

I think somebody should charge the mayor or whoever is in charge of the streets and roads here in Pattaya with attempted murder. These holes in the street are indeed murderous. A disgusted visitor to Pattaya.

Signed:

Old Frampton, N.L.

Why all the fuss?

Dear Pattaya Mail,

I live in the United States and read your publication on the web weekly, as I miss Thailand and like to keep abreast of on-goings there. I understand that, like everywhere else in the world, things are not perfect there for your country’s expats. While living in Thailand, you can expect circumstances to arise that may not be what one would expect in a Western Country. These happenstance’s should be a lesson in learning and not a gripe or complaint posted in your “Letters” column.

Every time someone cuts me off while driving, I encounter a rude clerk, or something I buy is not as good as expected, I don’t write my local paper and complain. One must expect that situations will arise whether you are here or there, and the grieving process is most usually done within one’s own mind, not in a public forum.

I would like to see more “good news” stories from “farangs” living in Thailand, rather than “I was scammed” stories. There are so many more good things that happen to foreigners in Thailand than bad. Let’s look at the small things that happen daily there that wouldn’t happen back home and write about them.

Folks there want to voice their discontent with trivial matters in your forum mainly because they don’t have enough expat friends to vent their frustrations with. My recommendation to people who write to your paper to voice their disgust at having to pay 5 more baht for a taxi than a local is to walk and tell your girlfriend all about it. Let’s be grateful for what we have and say some nice things for a change.

Michael Henshaw

Virginia, USA

Thanks to Rob Astbury

Dear Sir

Well, thanks to Rob Astbury we now know who arranged the clearance of rubbish from Jomtien Beach Road Soi 5 and the wonderful planting of palm trees thereon. Many thanks are due to Mr Astbury and to the generous and public-spirited management and two long-term residents of View Talay Villas who funded this project. It is to be hoped that others will follow in their good work.

Perhaps a group could be formed to work together with the city council to point out and arrange clearing of other unauthorised rubbish dumps and especially to stop the unhealthy burning of them. Any suggestions, anyone?

Why not start with another part of the Jomtien area where many tourists go for elephant rides, namely Thepprasit Road Soi 17 which in parts is an absolute disgrace with piles of household rubbish irresponsibly dumped, especially near tin shack housing. Is no one in charge to control this? Pity the poor tourists who must see and smell all this.

Yours faithfully

Observer

Travel and H20

Editor;

For benefit of your readers, my wife and I did our annual renewal trip to renew cycle registration and from Soi Kophai to the office in never-never land. It took about 40 minutes and the distance was 19km. Luckily it was a slow day. So we only had to wait about 45 minutes to get the paperwork completed. In April we did an instant replay to renew my drivers license. Both Thai and farang were complaining about the location. Clearly service and accessibility were not part of the criterion when the land was purchased. Could that be the reason license renewal for most Thais are not a priority? They stand to lose all if not most of a day’s wages for each trip.

Upon our return trip, we drove by the Maprachan Reservoir and both my wife and I were surprised at the low level compared to previous years. The uncontrolled construction over the past 12-15 months has taken its toll and the city has not upgraded water supply to meet the demand. Brown outs must be occurring as our home is experiencing low pressure (the size of a pencil stream) for the past 4-6 weeks. The natural rumor is that they are supplying the hotels to appease to tourists. Other resort areas in Thailand experienced water problems and thus lost tourist dollars.

Perhaps H20 should be a top priority for the city, adequate to serve all residents and businesses. I doubt we will make it 6 or 7 months out for the hoped for rainy season. Perhaps the city could provide a useful truthful report on the current water situation to be published in the Pattaya Mail.

Pattaya Mail might ask if we have 2 reservoirs or 1 and how housing estates get to be built in a water shed area?

Sincerely

Khun Raymond

Please put out that cigarette

Editor,

I do not understand how people who do not smoke believe they have the right to dictate their preference to everyone else. Tobacco is a legal and taxed product just as alcohol and many other products.

I believe in freedom and as such support the need to have non-smoking restaurants, if the rightful owners decide that is the way they want to run their business.

Why do you insist that you have the right to go into every establishment and expect every one of them to cater to your specific needs? How about respecting the needs of others as well?

If you believe there is such a demand for a no smoking bar or restaurant, then I am sure many owners will adhere to that policy, just don’t expect every establishment to change. Thailand is a free country and we should all have a place we can go and enjoy ourselves. Smokers will choose to go to smoking restaurants and non-smokers will have the choice of there’s, but please must you force your personal taste on all of us?

I am sure that if you don’t like loud music or go-go dancers then you don’t go to those establishments, but if you did, do you expect them to stop everything that they do? And please don’t try to make Thailand into California, as you will lose all visitors to this great country, for being tolerant of many cultures is what is unique about this country.

Eric Minerich

Project Manager

CyberAir Communications, Inc.

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