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The Kingdom of Thailand rejoice at the celebration of Their Majesties the King and Queen’s fifty-third wedding anniversary
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great and Her
Majesty Queen Sirikit will celebrate Their 53rd wedding anniversary on
Monday, April 28.
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Mom Rajawongse
Sirikit Kitayakara were married by Her Majesty Queen Sawang Vadhana, the
paternal grandmother of His Majesty, at the Sra Pathum Palace in Bangkok on
April 28, 1950.
Mom Rajawongse Sirikit, the daughter of the Thai
Ambassador to France Mom Chao Nakkhatmongkol Kitayakara and Mom Luang Bua
Sanitwongse, met the soon-to-be-King at the Thai Embassy in Paris in 1948.
They were engaged to be married at the Windsor Hotel in Lausanne,
Switzerland on July 19, 1949.
They returned to Thailand during the government of Prime
Minister Field Marshal Pibul Songkhram and a stunningly beautiful marriage
ceremony was held while the Thai military forces formed to honor and salute
the Royal Couple.
Following the Royal marriage, His Majesty King Bhumibol
Adulyadej the Great ascended the throne, becoming the ninth King of Thailand
in the Chakri Dynasty with all the pomp and pageantry befitting a Royal
coronation on May 5, 1950.
Their Majesties have four children, HRH Princess Ubolratana, HRH Crown
Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, and HRH
Princess Chulabhorn.
PBTA plans road show around Thailand
Special campaign for Thai tourists aims to compensate
for decline of foreign tour groups
Veerachai Somchart and Suchada Tupchai
The new president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism
Association (PBTA), Thanet Supornsaharangsri called a meeting last week to
discuss how the recent events in the Middle East and the outbreak of the
SARS virus in neighboring countries are affecting the current business
climate.
(L to
R) PBTA vice presidents Naris Petcharat and Sangar Kitsamret, PBTA President
Thanet Supornsaharangsri and Jamroon Witsawachaiphan, PBTA vice president.
The drop in the number of foreign arrivals has affected
every area of business, from hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and
other fringe businesses. Held at the Green Park Resort, people at the
meeting discussed measures that can be taken to ease the burden.
The PBTA intends to organize a road show around Thailand
to encourage Thai tourists to visit the area, and called for further
cooperation from the private and government sectors. PBTA president Thanet
said, “The PBTA intends do its best to resolve the current difficulties
but we do need cooperation from the likes of Pattaya City, the Thai Hotels
Association-Eastern Chapter, Pattaya Hotels association, TAT office, Central
Region 3 and the Chonburi Attraction Club to provide viable suggestions to
promote tourism in Pattaya.”
The Chonburi Attraction Club (CAC), according to Dr.
Pisai Somjaeng, director of the Ocean Science Institute and president of the
CAC, “Was created to provide the most benefit for Thai people, promote
businesses in the tour and travel industry, assist members in tourism
marketing and exchange information to preserve the tourism sector in
Chonburi Province. We also endeavor to develop knowledge and upgrade
standards in the industry and resolve any problems that arise.”
The first step would be for all organizations and
associations in Pattaya to reduce pricing for Thai nationals as part of the
special campaign to encourage Thai people to visit the city.
Special prices for food and beverages would also be
required with the cooperation of hotels as well as setting up special
promotion booths in appropriate sections along Pattaya Beach Road. This
would all be done in conjunction with a road show, scheduled to be held from
June 24-28 this year.
The PBTA is confident that these efforts will attract enough Thai
tourists to resurrect the flailing tourist industry.
City holds training seminar on food safety for local restaurant operators
Suchada Tupchai
To keep the Pattaya City’s present high standard of
food safety up to world-standards, a training session was recently organized
to educate and inform restaurant owners on regulations and procedures.
Local
restaurateurs listen to the latest regulations and procedures designed to
ensure food and safety standards are kept up to world standards.
Deputy Mayor Urit Nansurasak officially opened the second
training seminar for registered restaurants in Pattaya. The seminar,
focusing on hygiene, cleanliness and preparation procedures was attend by
over 100 restaurant owners and their staff at city hall.
As Thailand approaches the hot summer months the need for
education in the food and beverage industry increases since there here is a
higher risk of spoiled food and diseases. Food handlers must be properly
trained in hygiene and cleanliness.
As Pattaya City is filled with hundreds of restaurants
and is host to a number of festivals during the summer season, and as the
number of visitors increases, continuous training is necessary to make sure
food is fresh and safe.
People who attended the seminar were also taught the
necessary skills to provide good service to customers, a quality that
appears lacking in some of the smaller establishments.
The previous training seminar was held in December last year and was well
attended. The Pattaya Department of Health, Hygiene and Environment will run
seminars on a regular basis to improve overall food safety during the
bustling tourist season.
City launches “United Pattaya resistance to drug addiction” project
In compliance with Bangkok central government’s policy
to eradicate illegal drugs from Thailand, Pattaya City has initiated a drug
prevention center for the city. The launch of this new project at City Hall
was presided over by Deputy Mayor Wattana Jantaworanont.
Deputy
Mayor Wattana Jantaworanont says that the drug war “is a war which cannot
be lost if the country is to be saved from disaster”.
In the role of center director, Mayor Pairat
Suttithamrongsawat and his deputies held a seminar to pass on the government
policies to Civil Crime Prevention Volunteers, Sawang Boriboon Foundation
rescue units, tourist police, highway police, and 487 Pattaya City officers.
Deputy Mayor Wattana Jantaworanont stated that in the
past two months, the outcome of crime suppression efforts has been very
satisfactory. “However, there are still many tasks to handle and help from
all sides is still needed to win the war against drugs. This is a war which
cannot be lost if the country is to be saved from disaster,” Wattana said.
Many moderators were also invited to give valuable information and
training to officials at the meeting.
Amphetamines
‘no longer risk to national security’
Thailand hailed a milestone on April 16 in its fight
against drugs when the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB)
announced its recognition that amphetamines were now merely a criminal
problem rather than a threat to national security.
Teeraphat Santimataneedol, ONCB deputy secretary-general,
said that the nation’s amphetamines problem had eased considerably, and
could now be regarded as simply a small-scale criminal problem within the
society, no more threatening than the drugs problems faced by Singapore or
Malaysia.
Teeraphat said, “This reduction has come because the
government declared its war on drugs less than three months ago. Drugs users
and dealers in certain provinces across the country, such as Chiang Mai in
the north, have virtually halted all activity due to the stringency of the
government’s drugs suppression measures. This tough stance has pushed up
the average price of amphetamine tablets to 300 baht each with some areas
recording prices as high as 400-500 baht per tablet, and in several areas
amphetamines are extremely difficult to get hold of.”
According to the narcotics board, most of the
amphetamines still on sale are old ones which had entered the system before
the government launched its anti-drugs campaign at the beginning of
February.
Teeraphat said that border sources indicate that drug
traders across the border were continuing to stockpile drugs, and were
waiting to assess the government’s next moves before trying to release
them on to the market. He also conceded that amphetamines were still being
traded in Bangkok’s Klong Toey slum area, and that former amphetamines
addicts were turning to solvent abuse in increasing numbers.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ordered all
agencies involved in the fight against drugs to review the success of the
government’s campaign before the end of November, in order that the
information can be handed over to His Majesty the King to mark His birthday
on December 5. (TNA)
City joins with regional water authority to resolve water problems
Guidelines set down by Ministry of Interior
Eakkachai Kamolsvi
To address the region’s present water shortages and to
comply with policies and guidelines set down by Pracha Maleenont from the
Ministry of Interior, Chonburi water authorities recently met with Pinyo
Tonwiset, president of the Thai Provincial Administrators Association.
The meeting was basically a fact-finding mission and
focused mainly on the water crisis now facing Pattaya City and its immediate
surroundings during the hot, dry summer months. Severe water shortages are
now having a negative impact on the economy and the tourist industry.
Pattaya City engineering chief, Sittiparp Muangkham met
with water authority officials to come up with a way to increase water flow,
the lack of which is causing much hardship to residents and business alike.
A two-step plan was introduced which would tackle the problem in the short
term with a long-term solution to follow.
The first step will involve the construction of large
water storage tanks in Soi Khaotalo at the cost of 109 million baht. Water
in these tanks would be distributed to Soi Khaotalo, Jomtien, Thepprasit,
and Soi Nernplubwan areas.
Construction of a second water tower in the Thappraya
area at a cost of 96 million baht has been proposed. A budget of 39 million
baht to improve of the quality of water pipes and an increased distribution
process will need to be approved.
Construction is expected to begin this year. Officials
will request surplus funds from the government to begin construction of the
Soi Khaotalo water tower first. The extra funding is required to ease worst
affected areas of Jomtien, Thepprasit and Khaotalo.
The long-term plan is still under consideration and
involves the route in which water from Sattahip is transported to local
reservoirs, specifically the Mabprachan dam.
The government is still inspecting the route in which
pipes are to be laid, and reviewing budgets.
At a recent meeting between Pattaya’s government and
private sector (G&PS) committees and the Chonburi Provincial
Administration Organization (PAO) it was decided that the city and the PAO
would share the necessary budget and project expenses in order to expedite
its completion.
Forestry police inspect consignment of railway sleepers for legality
Patcharapol Parnrak
Forestry police experienced in weeding out illegal
shipments of wood descended on three holding yards in Sriracha, Laem Chabang
and Plutaluang to inspect the legality of over 40,000 railways sleepers kept
in storage for the Department of Thai Railways.
Police
and forestry officials inspect piles of railway sleepers stored on the
Eastern Seaboard to see if they came from illegal logging in Thailand.
Twenty officers and professionals from the forestry
department specializing in identifying species of wood checked over 5000
sleepers lying the yards nearby the Plutaluang railway station.
Piles of sleepers had been divided into separate lots of
new and old. Forestry officials identified many of the sleepers as being
received from a shipment through Laem Chabang Port but a large number was
difficult to legitimize.
Three thousand sleepers were identified as Miranda wood,
having come from the southern region of the Asian peninsula and not Benjapan
wood quite often found on the Thai side of the border.
Further investigations are continuing as to whether the
some of the railway sleepers had been shipped into the country or illegally
logged from local reserves in the provinces of Rayong and Chantaburi.
The forestry department placed a ban on logging in
Thailand after years of disastrously serious deforestation.
The inspection process was instigated to ascertain the
illegal use of Thai grown trees and to make certain the sleepers were
imported correctly and appropriate duties had been paid.
Currently there are only four companies throughout
Thailand that have approval to supply wood to the railway authorities; the
Mongkol Commercial Company, Focus Sandee Company, the Saw Company Ltd and
the Banchang Wood Sales Co. Ltd. These companies are licensed to import from
South East Asia.
Test results from the odd 3000 suspect railway sleepers are due soon. If
any one of these companies has supplied illegal wood, forestry officials
will prosecute and the business could be closed down.
Dimwitted thief arrested after attempting to break into minister of interior’s holiday condo
MOI called in the burglary in progress
A string of gambling debts, combined with being in the
wrong place at the wrong time, led to the arrest of 30 year old Nivat Raksat
on the 7th floor of a Jomtien Condo complex near Dongtan Beach as he was
eyeing up his next hit during a robbery spree.
Nivat
Raksat (seated center) looks rather worse for wear after getting caught
trying to burglarize the minister of interior’s holiday condo.
A seventh floor apartment was occupied by Minister of
Interior Wan Noor Muhammad Mata, who was spending time with his family over
the Songkran break. Unfortunately for Nivat the MOI spotted the man’s
suspicious behavior and Nivat was quickly detained.
Dongtan police relayed the report to Pattaya police
headquarters at 7.30 a.m. on Tuesday April 15 and a team of officers swooped
down on the condominium to arrest the cat burglar.
Nivat’s car was conspicuously parked nearby and when
police went to investigate, they stumbled across a double bonus. The vehicle
contained a loaded 38-caliber pistol and a number of items Nivat had already
collected on his early morning raids, including 2 “do not disturb” signs
from a local hotel, 2 watches, 4 mobile phones and 1,200 baht in cash. All
items were confiscated and kept as evidence.
Back at the station, Nivat confessed to his crimes,
admitting that he did not know the apartment he was casing belonged to the
interior minister. He added that he had already conducted successful
robberies at a nearby hotel and stashed the stolen goods in his car. His
next job might have been Wan Noor Muhammad Mata’s apartment had he not
been caught.
Nivat was charged with possession of a loaded weapon
without the necessary license, possession of stolen goods, as well as
breaking and entering.
Later that morning, Pol. Maj. Gen. Amnuay Petchsiri, deputy commander of
the National Police Bureau inspected the crime scene and said that police
are responsible for the safety of all. It was a stroke of luck that Nivat
entered the seventh floor of the condominium just as the minister was about
to leave his apartment.
Japanese tourist beaten in the parking lot after Tiffany Show
Refused to pay surcharge, but Tiffany denies involvement
Staff reporters
Japanese tourist Fumio Miyashita, 53, was beaten in the
parking lot of the Tiffany Show on his way to the car park after the show.
He and his adopted Thai son had refused to pay an “extra charge for
foreigners” for the Tiffany cabaret show in North Pattaya last Monday
evening, but Tiffany management categorically states that the two events
were unrelated.
(From
left) Tiffany’s manager, Aphinan Khwan-yuang, Sutham Phantusak, managing
director and Alisa Phantusak, assistant-managing director said that no
Tiffany staff was involved in the beating of a Japanese tourist in the
show’s parking lot.
Japanese
tourist Fumio Miyashita, 53, was left battered and bruised after being
beaten by 5 unknown assailants in the parking lot of the Tiffany Show in
North Pattaya.
Miyashita, his wife Yod, his 28-year-old adopted son
Kriangkrai, and Miyashita’s friend Kamei filed a police complaint at the
Pattaya tourist police office after the attack and again later in Bangkok,
saying they had been assaulted by five men outside the cabaret.
Miyashita came to Thailand with his family for the
Songkran festivities.
Miyashita’s wife Yod told police that ticketing staff
wanted the two Japanese men to pay an extra charge of 250 baht each on top
of the 350-baht ticket price because they were foreigners. The Japanese
refused to pay and called the manager, who agreed to waive the extra
charges.
After the show the Japanese nationals headed for the car
park where five young men beat Miyashita and as a result he suffered cuts
and bruises to his forehead, cheeks and elbows.
On April 16th, inside the Tiffany’s theater, Sutham
Phantusak, managing director of the Tiffany Show Company along with
management held a press conference regarding the unfortunate incident.
Sutham stated categorically that there was absolutely no
involvement in the incident by the staff of Tiffany’s. “We do charge 600
baht for VIP seats but for Thai nationals we charge a special discounted
price of 350 baht in support of the TAT’s promotion geared for Thai’s
visiting Thailand’s tourist destinations. This is because many Thai
citizens earn much less compared with foreigners,” Sutham said.
“On the evening of the crime, the two Japanese men had
refused to pay the extra charge, requesting to pay the Thai ticket price.
The company is in the entertainment industry and we have the policy that the
customer is always right. Aphinan Khwan-yuang, manager, allowed the two men
through the door without paying the extra charge,” Sutham explained.
According to Tiffany’s management, when the show ended
at approximately 9:45 p.m. a group 5 youths attacked the tourist, then fled
shortly afterwards. A police report was made and police officers questioned
staff at the cabaret, and in their judgment the staff was not implicated.
Sutham went on to say, “We would like to see this
cleared properly. It was a logical assumption that the attack was made by
our staff but this is untrue. We have been in the tourist promotion industry
and supporting Pattaya tourism through our entire 30 years of operation. We
have never had such a thing occur in our history and there is no reason for
any staff member to attack a tourist for a mere 500 baht, which would damage
our reputation. ... There is no real proof.”
“However, if there is any proof that any Tiffany staff
were involved in the attack, we would pay the gentleman for all necessary
expenses and ensure police prosecute the offenders to the full extent of the
law,” Sutham said.
“We (Tiffany Show Co., Ltd.) feel deeply sorry that this has occurred.
We do have a guard on duty in the parking lot but he was assisting with
parking at the time. I personally feel sorry that this has occurred and
again state that no one connected to Tiffany’s was involved. On behalf of
the company I would offer a cash reward to the officer(s) if they arrest
these assailants,” concluded the managing director.
Intoxicated Swedish resident accidentally falls to his death
Boonlua Chatree
Sixty one year old Swedish national Lennart Bror Torstad
was found dead on the ground floor parking lot of Rung Fa Condominium after
he accidentally fell from the 8th floor through the kitchen window.
The deceased’s girlfriend, Buasri Youngchanin, aged 32,
told police that they had been living together for about 6 months and had
recently moved in the condominium. Buasri said Lennart was scheduled to
return to Sweden on April 19th. She said Lennart was a nice and charming man
but on the night of the accident he drank so much alcohol he could barely
control himself.
Buasri also said Lennart watched TV alone in the room
before she fell asleep. When she woke up and did not see Lennart in the
living room she went to check in the kitchen. She said she was in deep shock
when she saw the kitchen window was broken and Lennart was lying in the
parking lot.
Buasri told police that perhaps Lennart tried to get to
the refrigerator for some water in the kitchen but unfortunately slipped out
of the glass window, since the window was installed in a risky position.
Lennart Torstad’s body was transferred to the forensic
department for a post mortem examination.
“Woman of the second category” seriously injured in robbery
Thief says that if it weren’t for the motorcycle taxis,
he would have gotten away with it
Nuti Pasena, a “woman of the second category”, was
beaten and robbed in the wee morning hours last week. If not for the
intervention of a group of motorcycle taxi drivers, the thief, by his own
admission, might even have gotten away with it.
Nonetheless, police raced to the Big C parking lot in
North Pattaya at 4 a.m. after receiving a report that a mugging had taken
place. Arriving at the crime scene officers found a man dressed in women’s
clothes lying on the ground and bleeding profusely from a head wound. Later
identified as Nuti Pasena, the victim was taken to Pattaya Memorial Hospital
for treatment.
It was not made immediately clear what the “woman of
the second category” was doing in the Big C parking lot at 4 in the
morning.
Fortunately, a nearby group of quick-thinking motorcycle
taxi riders came to the aid of the victim and detained the mugger,
twenty-year-old Somboon Layoo.
Somboon was taken to the police station for interrogation
and admitted to the crime. He said he attacked Nuti and hit him on the head
with a stone. He was planning to steal all Nuti’s money and personal items
and then go on a spending spree during Songkran festivities and maybe even
buy himself a mobile phone.
The mugger conceded that if the group of motorcycle taxi
riders had not detained him and called the police he would have got away
with the crime. He is now in police custody and awaits trial on charges of
assault and theft.
Navy sends pilots to seed clouds as part of the ‘Royal Rain’ project
Patcharapol Parnrak
Naval pilots have been sent to seed the clouds in an
effort to bring rain to ease the drought in parched provinces of northeast
Thailand.
Admiral
Yongyut Nopakhun (left), commander in chief of the Royal Thai Navy presided
over a ceremony to send naval pilots and government officers to begin this
year’s Royal Rain project.
Admiral
Yongyut Nopakhun (center), commander in chief of the Royal Thai Navy, sent
naval pilots and government officers into the skies to begin this year’s
Royal Rain project.
Admiral Yongyut Nopakhun, commander in chief of the Royal
Thai Navy presided over a ceremony to send naval pilots and government
officers to begin this year’s Royal Rain project. The admiral was welcomed
by Rear Adm. Supakorn Burankint, chief of the navy’s air division, as part
of the ceremonies.
The Naval Air Division sent two aircraft along with 32
officials, including police from the airport who will participate in the
operation.
The Royal Rain project began 1955 after HM the King
visited the northeastern region of Thailand. Upon learning of the hardships
faced by residents and farmers due to the lack of water resources HM set up
a cloud seeding project.
The Royal Rain project, still under the patronage of HM, is administrated
and run by the office of the permanent secretary to the Ministry of
Agriculture and Cooperative and now covers 8 northeastern provinces of
Nakorn Rachasima, Buriram, Surin, Roi-et, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Mahasarakham
and Chaiyaphum. These provinces remain the most affected by drought.
Naval base sends in 4 ships to tighten Andaman Sea coastguard
Patcharapol Parnrak
The Royal Thai Navy recently sent four ships to join the
national coastguard fleet on the Andaman side of the country. HMS Chonburi,
HMS Bangpakong, and 2 coastguard observer vessels were sent to increase
safety and protect the country from unlawful fishing in restricted areas.
Captain
Somprasong Visoldirokphan, commanding officer of HMS Bangpakong, organized a
religious ceremony at the Laem Tien Pier at Sattahip Naval Base, in the
presence of Rear Admiral Sirichai Khanitthakul, commander in chief of
Frigate 2, Royal Thai Fleet.
Royal
Thai Navy ships set sail for the Andaman Sea.
The fleet was also assigned to prevent illegal
activities, such as drug transportation, and monitor illegal immigration
from Indonesia, India, Burma, and Malaysia.
Although the government’s control over illegal drug
trafficking on land has tightened, security on the waterway is still
inefficient.
Captain Somprasong Visoldirokphan, commanding officer of
HMS Bangpakong, organized a religious ceremony at the Laem Tien Pier at
Sattahip Naval Base, in the presence of Rear Admiral Sirichai Khanitthakul,
commander in chief of Frigate 2, Royal Thai Fleet.
Governmental officials brought in flower bouquets to present to the
navies on duty and to give moral support to them since they were going
offshore and away from their families.
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