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Police ready to
assure tourist’s
safety throughout
Songkran festivities
Vendors and business operators warned not to use water canons or PVC pipes during Songkran
Boonlua Chatree
A thorough patrol of Pattaya was recently conducted by
local crime suppression police, led by Deputy Police chief, Lt. Col.
Sakrapee Preawpanich, to clean up the streets and reduce crime throughout
the city, ensuring tourist safety during Songkran festivities.
Officers have set up a number of spots around the city to
closely monitor all activities, and will stop and inspect any suspicious
person that they feel may either be carrying weapons or be involved in drug
related activities. The inspection points will also serve as places to pick
up and fine motorists and motorcyclists failing to follow traffic
regulations, such not wearing helmets or not having registration plates.
Police will also use the checkpoints to answer any enquiries about parking
or directions.
Pol. Col Kamolchai Tiengrungroj added that officials have
also warned vendors and business operators not to use water canons or PVC
pipes during Songkran. These items are considered dangerous and are banned
by national authorities.
“This year, the regulations will be enforced and we
will arrest anyone selling these items as well as confiscate and warn those
using water pistols, PVC pipes or anyone not following the traditional
values of Songkran. We will focus on making sure that people are polite and
follow the current social order policies,” said the police chief.
This is the second year weapons of mass-watering have
been banned, but how effective authorities will be in enforcing the rules
remains to be seen!
Cobra Gold 03 to be
held in May
The United States, Singapore and Thailand will begin
their joint military exercises, held annually under the name of Cobra Gold,
in mid May, according to a top military officer.
Chief of Staff, Gen. Surapol Chinachitra, said that Cobra
Gold 03 will be held here between May 16 and 29. “This year, we’ll focus
on peacekeeping and anti-terrorism missions, as well as general military
operations,” he stated.
Gen. Surapol said that no real ammunitions and explosives
would be used this year.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Niphat Thonglek, Cobra Gold 03
director said that the Royal Thai Armed Forces had prepared measures to
prevent Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) during the nearly two-week
joint exercises.
“Apart from preparing military hardware and troops to
take part in this year’s joint exercises, the Thai military has also
prepared measures to prevent SARS, as some participating officers will be
from countries with a high risk of the new deadly flu,” Gen. Surapol
disclosed. Chinese and Vietnamese troops will join this year’s exercises
as observers.
Countries declared by the World Health Organization (WHO)
as destinations with a high risk of SARS include China, Hong Kong, Taiwan,
Singapore, and Vietnam.
Maj. Gen. Niphat said that strict medical check-ups must
be conducted for troops coming from the countries listed as high risk of the
new killer pneumonia, and that anyone found being suspected of the deadly
flu would be immediately sent home.
In addition, US troops taking part in Cobra Gold 03 will
fly directly from Washington to Bangkok, instead of making a stopover in
Taiwan as earlier planned. (TNA)
Smiles all round at the Banglamung Home for the Aged as officials pay their respects to elders over Songkran
Suchada Tupchai
Wirawit Wiwatanavanit and Preecha Kamolbutr, deputy
governors of Chonburi presided over the ceremonies of the official opening
of the “Family and Elders Week” at the Banglamung Home for the Elderly
on April 10.
A heart
warming sight - thee area’s elderly seem to be having the time of their
lives during the traditional Songkran water pouring ceremony.
Deputy
Governor Wirawit Wiwatanavanit participates in the time-honored tradition of
pouring sacred water on the hands of highly respected elderly.
Local officials including Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat,
Somsak Yonokphan, Banglamung district chief and government department heads
were joined by many residents throughout the day to pay their respects and
give blessings to residents of the home during the Songkran festivities.
Uttaraporn Boonnark, administrator at the Banglamung Home
for the Elderly said that the government had designated April 13-14 as
National Family and Day of the Elderly, which is also recognized by
government ministries.
The Banglamung Home for the Aged invited nearby residents
to join in the Songkran celebrations in the age old Thai tradition of
pouring water over the hands and feet of the their elders while wishing them
health, happiness and long life during Songkran. It is activities such as
these that preserve Thai culture and promote better relationships within the
local community and society as a whole.
The day’s activities began with religious ceremonies in the morning and
the pouring of the water. Later in the afternoon the deputy governor opened
the festive season at the Banglamung Home for the Aged. Residents from the
centers in Sattahip and Banglamung performed shows and displays of thanks.
Traditional songs and dances were performed as officials conducted
traditional ceremonies throughout the day. The atmosphere created was warm
and caring, bringing smiles from ear to ear on the faces of all residents.
Sriracha and TAT organize Songkran and ‘Kongkhao’ rice festivals
To be held April 19 - 21
Songklod Kaewvisit
Ittiphol Khunpluem, advisor to the minister of tourism
and sports announced celebrations for the Grand Songkran and Kongkhao rice
festivals will take place April 19 through 21 at the Public Health garden
near the beach in Sriracha.
Sriracha and the Tourism Authority of Thailand have
jointly organized the Grand Songkran and Kongkhao festivals to preserve the
traditions and culture of Thailand for the younger generation of Thais.
These annual festivals are held not only to share Thai culture with tourists
but also to pass valuable knowledge on through generation to generation.
Festivities will include Muay Tap Jark demonstrations,
which is a special and fun kind of boxing, Wai Kru or paying respect to the
teachers, rattan ball games, demonstrations on making traditional sweets and
snacks, sword and spear fighting and monkey shows. Traditional dances
representing the north, southeast and central regions of Thailand will be
performed and Buddha images will be on display. A Miss Songkran pageant has
been organized and many other activities will round out these extravagant
celebrations.
Elephant health training session
Suchada Tupchai
Thailand’s beloved elephants need health care and
skilled people to administer to the animals. Veterinarian Manit Phanprapha,
director of animal Health and Welfare Bureau region 2, recently presided
over the opening ceremony of a fundamental Elephant heath training session
held at the Grand Sole Hotel. Elephant show business operators, mahouts,
elephant caretakers in the Pattaya region, and the National Animal Disease
Control and Protection Bureau officials attended the seminar.
To respond to the growing problem of elephant extinction
in Thailand, the National Animal Disease Control and Protection Bureau plans
to educate mahouts and the pachyderms’ caretakers on proper first aid
procedures and elementary medical care. These people are closest to the
animals when they get sick or are injured. This way, they feel that many
elephants’ lives can be saved. In the past, without formal training
mahouts could not effectively help when their elephants fell ill. In the
countryside it often takes too long for the provincial veterinarians to
arrive.
The bureau started their training with mahouts in Pattaya
City and Kanchanaburi and presented them with certificates after they
finished the training.
Veterinarian Manit said, “The number of elephants in
Thailand is decreasing at a shocking rate and we need to stop this
decline.” He added that if the government and private sector cooperates in
taking good care of the elephants, these jumbos will live in better
conditions, consume a better diet, and live in a better habitat.
Admiral Tertsak Satiansawad, Commandant Royal Thai Marine Corps bids farewell
New leader, Vice Admiral Wirat Damrongjarern takes over
Boonlua Chatree
The Royal Thai Marine Corps Commandant position shift
took place last week at the Royal Thai Marine Corps central ground,
witnessed by marine troops from different divisions, seaman, and volunteers.
Vice Admiral Wirat Damrongjarern, Deputy Commandant, Royal Thai Marine Corps
replaced the outgoing Commandant, Admiral Tertsak Satiansawad, effective
April 1.
Admiral
Tertsak Satiansawad (right) ceremoniously hands over the position of Royal
Thai Marine Corps Commandant to his successor, Vice Admiral Wirat
Damrongjarern.
Vice
Admiral Wirat Damrongjarern assumes his duties as new Royal Thai Marine
Corps Commandant.
Admiral Tertsuk said he was thankful to everyone under
his care for the great support they gave him through the years in protecting
and monitoring peace within and along the borders of the Kingdom.
“The Royal Thai Marine Corps became more prosperous and
successful because everyone sincerely stepped in and provided their help,”
the admiral said. He said although he is leaving to accept a higher
position, he is always willing to help the Marines Corps on any matter.
When accepting the position, Vice Admiral Wirat
Damrongjarern, new Commandant, Royal Thai Marine Corps said he would follow
past leaders’ footsteps in maintaining the standard of quality of the RTMC
and strictly obey orders given by headquarters in safeguarding the Kingdom.
“One of the most important tasks of the Marine Corps is stopping
illegal drugs movement through the seaways,” Vice Admiral Wirat said. He
urged his troops to develop their strength, both physically and mentally,
and build stronger unity to fight this evil. He pointed out that sustaining
the strength and quality of his forces will be a challenging job for him and
his subordinates.
Serve your country with pride and strength
New recruits go through annual selection process
Songklod Kaewvisit
The Thai military held their annual selection process at
Banglamung district building on April 9 and 10. Around 3,000 young men from
Banglamung and the surrounding areas were screened. The majority of the
selected are destined for the Royal Thai Army and Navy. Lt. Col. Santipong
Thampiya, the selection committee president, sat as the chairman.
Young
recruits go through preliminary screening at the annual conscription process
held at the Banglamung district building on April 9 and 10.
Lt. Col. Santipong said that this year, big numbers of
young Thai men showed an interest in serving the country voluntarily. He
said that not only did the benefits that soldiers receive attract them, but
also they wanted to experience and learn from the modern military.
Besides basic soldier discipline and field action, the
recruits will learn other skills such as mechanics, electrics, and sports.
Lt. Col. Santipong said these young men would be able to find jobs and earn
money for themselves when they are equipped with hands-on knowledge.
In the past, military service had a very negative image
and thus many tried to escape it, but nowadays, after a heavy promotion by
the military using some superstars who joined the service and the
announcement of the benefits men would get from the service, the annual
selection ceremony successfully draws a lot more Thai men to join up.
Lt. Col. Santipong pointed out that though Thailand is
not facing any war or defense crisis, the military still needs new batches
of the young generation for military training. Lt. Col. Santipong said these
young soldiers are the strength that would protect and develop the country
and urged new soldiers to take the service as a duty, not a burden, and they
should be proud of themselves.
Young Thai men who passed the physical check-up and were selected into
military service will have to report to the district office in May and
November.
City Council meets the press to clarify their role in running the city
Trying to clear up misapprehensions
Songklod Kaewvisit
Tawit Chaisawangwong, chairman of the Pattaya City
Council officially opened a council meeting at Pattaya City on April 9,
introduced the council to members of the local media and explained their
role in running the city as part of a public relations campaign.
Pattaya
City Council Chairman Tawit Chaisawangwong
The council is responsible for inspecting and questioning
city management and city officials on the various aspects of the day-to-day
operations. They described their role as similar to that of the media, in
that they report deficiencies but have no real authority to manage the city.
The council and city departments try to work together for
the betterment of Pattaya. However, they stated that the media often
misunderstood the role of the council and it is time to clarify the
situation.
Tawit said, “The misunderstanding of the council’s role in city
management is quite evident, but during this meeting we hope to clarify that
for you (the press). ... Under the current laws, the council has no
authority in management issues but does operate under four main guidelines.
The first being to inspect the work carried out by city management,
including the mayor and the four deputy mayors. The second is to consider,
amend or approve budget requirements for the city put to them by the
management team. The third is to pass legislation and regulations guiding
management. The council has already approved 14 documents to date. Finally,
the council has the duty of creating various committees within the local
management infrastructure. There are currently nine of these committees,”
explained Tawit.
Butchers slaughtered on the way to abattoir
Boonlua Chatree
Two men were shot dead on their way to an abattoir in the
Mabprachan area last week. The victims sustained gunshot wounds to the head
and body from an 11mm weapon.
Two men
were murdered last week on their way to pick up a load of meat from an
abattoir in the Mabprachan area. Police have not yet determined the motive.
Police arrived at the scene of the shooting to find a
pickup truck with the windscreen shattered by bullet holes. The gunshot
riddled body of Sommart Deejai, aged 39, was in the driver’s seat. He
sustained four bullet wounds. The passenger, as yet unidentified, was a man
aged approximately 25 years old, and he also had four bullet wounds. The
driver had 40,000 baht in cash in his pocket.
Initial investigations revealed the pair was on their way
to the Nongprue abattoir to collect their supply of meat to sell at the
Phanat Nikom markets early the next morning. Allegedly another pick-up
containing 4-5 people overtook them, firing numerous shots into the
windscreen, killing the men instantly.
Police suspect that the victims were murdered because of involvement in
illegal business, or perhaps stiff competition in the marketplace led to the
shooting. Police are following up on a number of leads in the investigation.
300 hundred laborers arrested during immigration raid in Sattahip
Confusion reigns as some Thais and “legal migrants” mistakenly rounded up too
Over 100 immigration officers and volunteers raided
fishing communities in the Sattahip area this week. Officer’s detained 285
people while many fled to avoid capture either by jumping in the water or
running into fields.
Detainees were placed in handcuffs and chains. Among the
group were a number of Thai residents who complained to officials that they
were Thai and that the volunteers’ actions were not only illegal, as they
used excessive force, but also impolite.
All were taken in for questioning. During the process,
one man identified as Boonlert Rungpait, verbally abused immigration
officers and insisted he was Thai and that they should free him. It was not
until other residents verified his story that he was released.
Shortly after a messenger from a local company also
turned up with documents stating that 85 of the laborers were residing and
working in the kingdom legally but the department of labor was yet to issue
the relevant documents. They were subsequently released upon validation of
the documents.
Residents who were forced to suffer the indignation
imposed by immigration officers and volunteers vehemently complained to the
Region 2 Police commanders on the validity of immigration volunteers
carrying guns in a residential area, which is clearly against the law.
Immigration officials from Pattaya, Sriracha and the
Region 2 Police deputy commander apologized to residents on the actions of
their subordinates but stressed that residents must also understand the
nature of their duty.
To appease the angry group, police assured them that they
will rethink their strategies in the future to ensure incidents such as this
do not happen again.
Drunken vandal arrested for breaking Chart Thai Party office window
Two others escape after stone throwing incident in North Pattaya
Boonlua Chatree
The night watchman standing guard at the Chart Thai Party
office in North Pattaya last Wednesday morning detained one out of three
drunken vandals who had thrown stones, breaking office windows.
Eighteen-year-old Amlee Jongcharoen was captured by
former police officer Jirapol Wongsuwinai after the young offender and two
friends shattered a window at the office of parliamentary representative
Chansak Chavalit-Nititham.
Banglamung police officers were called to the Chart Thai
Party office at 1.30 a.m. on April 10 after receiving the report of this
“voting with stones”, also know as vandalism. Rushing to the scene,
officers found that the night watchman had detained one of the youths
responsible for the attack. Banglamung officers took the youth to the
station for further questioning, and confiscated his motorbike in the
process.
Amlee Jongcharoen admitted to his mischievous act of
vandalism saying he and two friends had been drinking heavily and were
passing by the office. They stopped the motorcycle, picked up a stone and
threw it at the window. Amlee said they had thrown stones at the office of
parliamentary members on three separate occasions before being caught.
Police charged the youth with willful damage of private
property before leading him off to the holding cell. Police are still
investigating the whereabouts of Amlee’s two cohorts.
However, the overly suspicious former policeman Jirapol
was not convinced that this was simply an act of vandalism. He suspects that
the group responsible for throwing stones was possibly hired by someone else
to damage the office.
Jirpaol added that since there had been three similar
incidents, he had decided to keep a close watch on the premises,
subsequently catching one of them. The youth, when questioned, denied that
someone had hired him to damage the office.
82 illegal foreign entrants arrested at Chong Sa Mae Sarn, Sattahip
Boonlua Chatree
The ongoing policy of strict immigration control and
arrest and deportation of illegal aliens in the kingdom netted 82 offenders
during a recent sweep in Sattahip. Pattaya Immigration office, Banglamung
civilian guard volunteers, and Pattaya immigration volunteers cooperated in
the search for illegal immigrants after receiving an order from the National
Immigration Office.
The special force was sent to investigate the Chong Samae
Sarn area in Sattahip after learning that there were some illegal fishermen
working near the pier. Some workers were spotted deeply engrossed in the
exciting pastime of drying fish and squid on the beach. The event must’ve
drawn quite a crowd, as police were able to round up and arrest 82 illegal
Cambodian, Burmese, and Laotian fishermen near the pier in the Samae Sarn
area, Sattahip.
When questioned, they said they were paid 4,500 to 6,000
baht per month by their Thai employers. The fisherman did not, however,
cooperate with police by disclosing their employers’ names and status.
After taken into custody they were transferred to Chonburi Immigration
Office for further investigation will be sent back to their countries.
After seeing “Smoke on the Water”, police arrest karaoke bar owner for selling pot
An investigation by Region 2 police officers led them to
a karaoke bar in Soi Bongkot in the early hours of April 10 where they
discovered 3 packets of dried marijuana.
The owner of the bar, 37 year old, Sakchai Pornhomsakun
was arrested in connection with selling the illegal weed and taken to Soi 9
for interrogation.
Sakchai admitted to selling the dope to tourists in the
area and revealed his source of supply. Officers moved quickly and arrested
Mrs. Boonchoo Boonglun at her residence along with 19 bags of marijuana.
Both were charged with possession and distribution of a
class five illegal substance and taken into police custody. They now can
sing a duet of the jailhouse blues while awaiting trial.
Pattaya police arrest group of happy gamblers in South Pattaya
With Thailand’s first casino yet to be officially
approved, gambling is still a major pastime for many around the country. In
the latest raid of illegal gambling establishments, criminal investigation
officers raided a house in Soi Saeng Kaew in South Pattaya, arresting 17
people for illegal activities. All 17 were taken to the police station for
questioning.
Ah,
life here is fun, even when you’re being arrested for gambling...
The owner of the house, Mrs. Tongdaeng Sorak admitted to
running the gambling house and encouraging those feeling lucky enough to
gamble away their cash and gold.
Apparently their luck had run out. During the raid, officers confiscated
19 decks of cards, other gambling paraphernalia and a 1,000 baht in cash.
All 17 were charged with illegal gaming and will have to spin the dice in
the court system.
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