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City cleaning out and
developing Naklua canal
Development gets 130 million baht budget
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The canal in Naklua, long neglected, has recently caught
the eyes of city officials. Development of the area has begun, and the
project is proceeding along with a 130 million baht budget.
The
city is finally cleaning out the Naklua canal, and if all goes according to
plan it could become, at least temporarily, a rather scenic area.
The Naklua canal serves as the town’s main water
drainage facility and diverts water from outer areas, including Pattaya and
Sukhumvit areas, into the sea. But the canal is too narrow to handle current
capacity due to the area’s rising high-density population and the increase
of shops and businesses that have sprung up along the canal.
Heavy rains have put an even greater strain on the
draining efficiency of the canal, and if not corrected will cause serious
flooding in the near future. The city has now initiated a plan to survey and
improve the canal for natural water drainage and treated water drainage.
The plan is part of the city development project for
2001-2003 and includes construction of brick walls and drainage pipes on
both sides of the canal, construction of pedestrian walkways, stairways down
to the canal, and canal cleaning. An installment of electricity along the
canal is being considered.
After the completion of the project, the canal will provide better
drainage and the water treatment system will help protect the environment.
The developers also plan to prohibit further land encroachment along the
banks of the canal.
Mobile cabinet meeting
in Pattaya may agree to
cut gasoline prices
by 0.10-0.30 baht a liter
The government may reduce retail gasoline prices by
another 0.10-0.30 baht a liter later this month. Energy Minister Prommin
Lertsuridej said that a proposal on the new fuel price cut would be
discussed at the upcoming mobile cabinet meeting to be held in Pattaya on
May 19.
"I’ll propose the new price cut for retail
gasoline at the mobile cabinet meeting but the cabinet must make the final
decision," Prommin explained.
Local motorists have urged the government to further
lower retail gasoline prices, which are now about 1.50 baht a liter cheaper
than those in Singapore, saying that the war in Iraq is over.
The government imposed ceiling prices for retail gasoline
weeks before the eruption of the Iraqi war to ease motorists’ burden of a
fuel price-hike.
Prommin said if the price cut is approved, it will take
effect as of May 20. (TNA)
Pattaya City will comply
with the central government fuel saving campaign
Thailand could face fuel shortages in near future without public cooperation
Pattaya City is urging residents to cooperate with the
central government’s new campaign for energy-saving measures.
Representatives of Electricity Generating Authority of
Thailand, Provincial Electricity Authority, and Metropolitan Electricity
Authority met last week to discuss the strategies to urge people to save
energy, mainly fuel.
The Ministry of Energy revealed that Thailand is now in
its first stage of fuel scarcity. A quick response to this information will
help prevent the problem from growing into an energy crisis.
The ministry is urging people toward strict energy saving
discipline. Since Thailand still has to import some energy resources from
abroad, public compliance on this issue can reduce added expenses for
imported fuel.
The public is being asked to reduce the monthly use of
electricity by 5 percent. People should adjust their air-conditioner to 25
degree Celsius, regularly maintain their A/C units and clean the A/C filters
regularly.
Other energy saving measures can include using staircases
instead of elevators when the trip involves only one or two floors. Building
owners should install an automatic electricity cut when the elevator is not
in use, switch off advertising signboard lights if not effectively used, and
avoid the use of outdoor spotlights when possible.
The ministry has suggested that motorists should cut
monthly petrol consumption by 5 percent. Using only Octane 91 petrol in
their vehicles, regular engine tune-ups and proper maintenance will ensure
more efficient fuel usage. Most importantly, reducing speed to not more than
90 kilometers per hour will cut fuel consumption dramatically.
The business community should also increase their use of
post, fax and email services. Many deliveries can be made by motorcycle
rather than delivery cars or trucks.
Officials tour Europe to promote Pattaya’s first International
Master Games
Hope to attract competitors and tourists
Songklod Kaewvisit
Committee members for Pattaya’s first ‘Master Games’
are touring Germany and nearby European countries as part of a public
relations campaign to advertise the upcoming events later this year.
Committee members set out on their journey Wednesday May 8 and will return
on May 26. The PR tour is promoting the event and intends to draw
competitors in the sporting and musical competitions scheduled to begin in
October this year.
Mayor
Pairat Suttithamrongsawat (seated center) posed with the Pattaya Masters
Games committee before they headed out to Europe to promote the games.
The Master Games are aimed at mature active competitors
in the 40 plus age group. Due to be held throughout October, events will
include soccer, beach soccer, volleyball and beach volleyball, table tennis
and a music competition.
These newly organized events are intended to draw more
European tourists to the region and showcase Pattaya City as a national and
international tourism and sporting center in Thailand.
Phunpol Kamutthira, head of the Master Games committee said, "The
government has given strong support to the idea, particularly H.E. Sontaya
Khunpluem, Minister of Tourism and Sports, because he sees it as a positive
step in the overall promotion of Thailand’s tourism industry. A number of
countries have also supported the idea and will send team representatives to
participate in the scheduled events. We received an invitation from Germany
and will present the package to them. Pattaya City committee members will
also join in the PR campaign to encourage competitors to participate in the
event."
Pattaya Mass Media Association
holds general meeting to
resolve issue of rogue reporters
New regulations for press include registration,
dress code and approved ID
Suchada Tupchai
The Pattaya Mass Media Association recently met with
members and city officials to discuss a number of current issues at their
Annual General Meeting held at City Hall.
Tonglor
Umpeung, president of the Pattaya Mass Media Club and Mayor Pairat
Suttithamrongsawat address the issue of rogue reporters at the association’s
AGM held at city hall.
As with any association, certain matters pertaining to
codes of conduct and standards need to be addressed. However, it was the
major issue of unscrupulous news hacks in Pattaya discrediting their
profession and those associated with it by extorting restaurants, bars and
other establishments of goods and service that had to be urgently addressed.
Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat, who sat in on the
meeting said, "The media plays an important function in the development
of society. It acts as the voice of the people as it investigates and
reports incidents that occur on regular basis. Because of this, members of
the press must provide unbiased and thoroughly researched material to be
published or aired and not distort the truth."
Pattaya has a large number of media representatives and
some business owners said they’ve been intimidated into providing
reporters with ‘freebees’ in order to avoid negative press. With this in
mind, the association has amended their codes to improve the standard of
dress, strict rules and regulations on behavior and has instructed all
members to officially register with the association as a means of salvaging
their reputation in the eye of the public.
Legitimate members will eventually carry new up-to-date ID cards to
distinguish themselves from devious hacks who display inappropriate
behavior. The new cards will make it easier for the association to identify
its members.
Deputy PM Purachai
Piumsomboon now helping to revamp civil service sector
Overhauling of civil service forces sector
to acknowledge need for improvements
Songklod Kaewvisit
Effective workplace strategy planning is in progress in
Thailand’s government service sector, and who better to revamp this sector
than "Mr. Social Order" himself, Deputy Prime Minister Purachai
Piumsomboon.
Deputy
PM Purachai Piumsomboon was recently in Pattaya to preside over a civil
service seminar on how to improve the workplace.
The Civil Servants Association of Thailand has teamed up
with academics from Burapha University to begin implementing quality
controls in the workplace. The latest effort was a training seminar held at
Burapha University in Bang Saen, and presided over by Deputy Prime Minister
Purachai Piumsomboon.
The seminar was organized to help government offices and
officials recognize and deal with the various problems faced within the
system and begin rectifying them in their own sections.
Using the private sector as an example, the overall aim
is to inspire civil servants to perform their duties honorably and to
effectively serve the public’s interest. Sound familiar?
Attendees of the seminar learned how to improve their
attitude towards their jobs and the people they serve. The session also
encouraged them to use their experience in dealing with the system in order
come up with improvements in the way things are done. The whole idea is for
them to see a bigger picture in the overall scheme of things, not just the
narrow scope of their everyday duties.
Thailand’s economy and social structure are going
through constant changes. Add the rapid advance of technology and endemic
problems throughout the government system and it is easy to see why the
quality of government services needs to be upgraded.
Department heads and high ranking officials acknowledge there is an
urgent need to change the current civil service’s image as a corrupt,
lethargic bureaucratic maze. If Thailand is to develop its true potential,
its government institutions must become more efficient and transparent.
Walking Street committee still trying to enforce cleanliness
Annual competition for establishment’s most
attractive lighting proposed
Suntorn Kangsirikul, president of the Walking Street
Committee chaired a board meeting held at city hall last week to discuss
ways to improve the street’s image, cleanliness and atmosphere.
Suntorn
Kangsirikul, president of the Walking Street Committee chaired a meeting to
discuss ways to improve the street’s image, cleanliness and atmosphere.
Referring to the overloaded trash disposal bins, which
have become an eyesore, Suntorn said, "The waste cans on the street
were provided only as litter bins for pedestrians and not intended for
residents and business operators to deposit their accumulated garbage. This
practice is unacceptable and cannot continue."
Suntorn stressed that residents and business operators
along the street must place their trash bags in front of their
establishments and wait for the city’s garbage trucks to pick them up at
certain times.
Walking Street presently has only 14 litter bins but the
committee has agreed to add 30 more. Some of the bins are currently broken
and plans include either repair or replacement. The Walking Street committee
is urging the 101 business establishments to cooperate in helping to
maintain a clean and tidy environment in the area.
The committee is considering a plan to install new
decorative lights along the street which would make the area more decorative
and brighten the atmosphere for nighttime strollers. The lights in place now
are outmoded, often broken and maintenance is costly.
As an initiative to participate in the area’s
improvement the committee proposed organizing an annual contest among the
101 businesses that comprise Pattaya’s Walking Street. The most beautiful,
flashy and outstanding venue would be presented with a trophy from H.E.
Sontaya Khunpluem, Minister of Tourism and Sports.
Thailand set to become diving center of Asia
Tourism and Sports Minister Sontaya Kunplome opened the
International Asia-Pacific Diving Fair in Bangkok on May 9, with promises
that Thailand was set to spring into action as a diving hub for the Asian
region; while forecasting that the fair would see 20,000 visitors a day and
a total revenue of over 1 billion baht.
Opening the fair at the Queen Sirikit National Convention
Center, Sontaya noted, "Thailand’s tourism sector is increasingly
focusing on niche markets and the diving market is taking an important
place. Thailand has won global recognition as a world-class diving
destination and the country is well known for its diving and snorkeling
schools."
The minister also spoke of Thailand’s marine
biodiversity in terms of coral reefs, schools of fish and an opportunity for
divers to swim with rare whale sharks.
The three-day fair pulled in around 20,000 visitors a
day, resulting in revenue of approximately 1 billion baht from the sale of
diving packages and equipment, with each visitor spending an average of
10,000 baht.
This is the second time that Thailand has hosted the
international diving fair, which this year contained 83 booths and
exhibitors from 17 countries.
In addition to purchasing package tours and equipment,
visitors had a chance to discuss diving techniques with world-class divers
and compete for various prizes.
A portion of the revenue from the fair will be handed
over to the Royal Navy Center for Turtle Conservation. (TNA)
City and private sector announces new ad campaign ‘Pattaya 4 Fun’ to draw more Thai tourists to the region
Domestic tourist market promoted to balance blow from SARS
Songklod Kaewvisit
Pattaya City Hall held a recent meeting to discuss a new
strategy to improve the city’s floundering tourism sector. Members of City
Hall and tourism and hotel associations turned up to hammer out the details
of a new campaign aimed at boosting the number of Thai tourists to Thailand’s
most famous seaside resort town.
Manit
Boonchim, director of Tourism Authority of Thailand, Central Region 3
office.
With a drop of 70 percent in foreign tourists due to the
fear of SARS in the Asian region, efforts are now being undertaken to
supplement the loss of income from foreign tourists.
Manit Boonchim, director of Tourism Authority of
Thailand, Central Region 3 office, explained that in the last 2 months the
fear of SARS has severely damaged the Asian tourism industry with China,
Hong Kong, Singapore and Thai markets being greatly affected. Tourists from
these countries had been the main target trade for Pattaya City.
A road show presentation was conducted recently at the
Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok and the new campaign was
launched to promote Pattaya and surrounding districts to the local Thai
tourist market.
"The campaign has received support and cooperation
from hotel management and tourist destinations where prices will be reduced
by as much as 50 percent in some areas in an effort to attract Thai tourist
trade. Room rates have plummeted, with hotel rooms now available from 499
baht to 3,999 baht per night including breakfast and discount entrance fees
to a number of tour destinations. We expect this program to be quite
successful," said Manit.
Thanes Supornsahrangsri, president of the Pattaya
Business and Tourism Association (PBTA) told the meeting that the SARS
epidemic triggered a drop in foreign tourist arrivals and has negatively
impacted local operators.
Thanes said, "The Pattaya 4 Fun campaign will target
a potential 10 million people from Bangkok and outlying provinces to the
region on weekends. We feel the city’s main draw card for local tourists
is seafood. The campaign has also received cooperation from many of the city’s
professional associations and businesses."
Chatchawal Supachayanont, president of the Thai Hotels
Association-Eastern Chapter added, "In addition to the Pattaya 4 Fun
campaign, the Pattaya East Travel Trade 2003 event will be held in June. Two
hundred travel agents from around the globe are expected to attend the trade
fair which will certainly boost the travel sector."
The city called for business operators to reduce their rates for Thai
nationals to bolster the program. Establishments were also requested to get
the word out about Pattaya East Travel Trade 2003 to begin on June 21
continuing each Saturday on the beach front of Soi 4-5 from 6 p.m. till
midnight in order to attract more visitors.
Korean woman dies during her honeymoon in Pattaya
Drunken husband angry at being refused conjugal rights but denies throwing his wife out the window
Boonlua Chatree
A death was reported at a well-known hotel in Soi
Wongamat on Pattaya-Naklua Road where the body of a Korean woman, named Li
Jong Ja, age 31, was found laying on the concrete after falling out of a
hotel window.
The
happy marriage didn’t last long, and we may not ever know what happened,
but the bride ended up dead on the pavement. The groom is being questioned
by police.
Police questioned the husband of the deceased, Pak San
Shan, age 37, who was at the time still intoxicated and was not able to give
a clear account as to what happened. But officers observed bloodstains on
his shirt. Police also found evidence of foul play. A coffee table glass was
smashed, fruit from a basket was scattered, and a water thermos was broken.
The waste bin also contained tissue paper soaked in blood.
Pak San Shan was taken to the police station and later
admitted to having a fight with his wife. He told police that the couple had
been married for only 7 days and had come to Pattaya for their honeymoon.
Pak San Shan said he had gone out for some drinks while
his wife was at the hotel alone. He returned to the hotel drunk and woke up
his wife hoping to have some sexual activities with her but she turned him
down. A fight ensued and he said he unintentionally hit her. But he insisted
he had nothing to do with her falling from the building.
Police have detained the man and have confiscated his
passport to prevent him from fleeing the country. His wife’s body has sent
for autopsy to determine the actual cause of death.
Region 2 police have since become involved in the case
and the dead woman’s family will fly to Thailand to claim the body and
examine evidence in the case. Local police are in the process of obtaining a
court order to the detain the dead woman’s husband who has since sobered
up and denied all charges brought against him over the death of his wife.
Police will have a tough time investigating since there were no
witnesses. Results of the autopsy will be available shortly.
Pattaya Tourist Police focus on National Police Bureau policies to curb crime
Series of arrests connected with the drug trade net armed criminals
Boonlua Chatree
After extensive investigations, Pattaya Tourist Police
arrested 23-year-old Tawatchai Tongkham in possession of a 22-caliber weapon
with 2 rounds of ammunition. Tawatchai was well known in the area for
carrying a weapon and officers nabbed him as he was walking in Soi Jirapol
off Soi Bua Khao. He was subsequently taken in for interrogation and charged
with carrying an unlicensed and loaded weapon in public without
authorization.
Recent
Tourist Police sweeps have netted a handful of gunmen.
Further interrogation led officers to a motorcycle shop
in Soi 17 in South Pattaya suspected of housing illegal drugs on the
premises. Police detained 37-year-old Govit Klomnangnon (aka Daeng). They
searched Daeng and found a loaded 38-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol and a
methamphetamine tablet. A subsequent drug test showed positive results for
drug use. Officers charged Govit with carrying an unlicensed and loaded
weapon in public without authorization and possession and use of a class 1
illegal substance. The man’s possessions were confiscated along with other
drug paraphernalia.
Continuing on their winning streak, Tourist Police set up checkpoints in
Soi Potisan in North Pattaya. The operation netted an additional two
suspects, both carrying illegal weapons. Twenty-four year old Charnnarong
Mookdokmai was in possession of an automatic pistol and 16-year-old Cheevin
Prokobtham was carrying a 30-centimeter knife. Both men were charged
accordingly.
Dopers partying in beer bar get busted
Sixty Thai and foreign swingers netted in raid
A group of partygoers weren’t satisfied with the drinks
menu in one of Pattaya’s beer bars. The coke on offer evidently wasn’t
up to their standards. But when police raided the establishment the party
fizzled out in a hurry.
A team of undercover police raided the bar in Soi Bongkot,
off Pattaya Third Road, when it was learned that a foreign resident was
hosting a special party for friends and customers on the building’s third
floor.
Prapat Lekmee, aged 28, from Chiang Mai, who was believed
to own the bar and guesthouse was arrested while the sixty other partygoers
both foreign and Thai were searched. No illegal substances were found on
their bodies; however, 4 bags of cocaine and marijuana were found on the
floor. Since nobody claimed ownership of the drugs all were subjected to
urine tests.
Eleven of the sixty people’s tests turned up positive
for illegal drug use. The whole group was carted off to the local cop-shop
for questioning. Those who tested positive will be charged for consumption
of an illegal substance. Prapat Lekmee was charged for illegal operations on
the premises.
Siam Country Club residents fed up with telephone cable thieves
Service has been interrupted five times over past 2 months
Ekachai Kamolsri
The increasing theft of telephone cables in the
Mabprachan area of Siam Country Club Road has residents up in arms. Several
times in the past two months telephone cables of both TT&T and Telephone
Organization of Thailand (TOT) have been stolen in the middle of the night
by a group thieves, cutting off all means of land based communication to the
area.
Up they
go again! TT&T workers replace stolen telephone cables on Siam Country
Club Road for the 5th time in the past two months.
The latest occurred on Monday, May 5. Disgusted
homeowners called in reporters to follow up on the situation after the 5th
time cables have been cut and removed.
Jaroon Kuenui, a technician with TT&T in charge of
the replacing the stolen cable said, "This is the fifth time in two
months thieves have taken telephone cable from the TOT and TT&T. Each
time this happens it costs approximately 100,000 baht to replace the
cables."
The TT & T have taken measures to eliminate theft.
"Each TT&T line now has a built-in alarm system and if the line is
cut the alarm goes off at the main switching center and the Banglamung
police are informed within minutes of the line being cut. We have personnel
on watch around the clock for thefts such as this. The police are too slow
in getting to the problem area and thieves have already fled the scene,
often leaving the wire loosely hanging off the poles," explained Jaroon.
The main target area for these professional thieves is
from the entrance of Soi New Village to the turnoff to Horseshoe Point.
Residents and technicians in the area await a responsible
solution to the ongoing problems before it happens yet again. The say that
if the police and the relevant departments can eventually get their act
together and catch these thieves it may stop the theft in the short term.
However, when these thieves are caught, they might only face a light
sentence, which may not be a deterrent.
As usual, no immediate solution is forthcoming from
authorities. So residents wonder how soon they will again be victims of
these odious thieves who will probably come back and steal the telephone
cables again, leaving hundreds of people without basic communication for
days.
As one homeowner put it, "This is a quiet,
respectable residential area, far from the bright lights of the city center.
But it appears that police and the local administration are only interested
in preserving the image of Pattaya’s tourism and could care less about the
local residents who live here!"
Another resident added, "Those who are responsible for these thefts
have absolutely no social conscience. If there is a road accident or someone
falls seriously ill, how can we call an ambulance? If a home or shop catches
on fire or a crime is being committed, we cannot call the fire brigade or
even the police. There are old people and innocent children who live here.
These repeated thefts leave us all helpless victims of their petty
selfishness."
Bay Watch
The Sign says it
all...
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