HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Clear out the youth gangs from the fishing pier

The longer you stay, the more you pay

Khai Khem’s insightful article

Refreshing

More on two tiered pricing

Cleaving Jomtien trees horrifying people

Physically assaulted

Please fade away

Why the beach closure?

Clear out the youth gangs from the fishing pier

Editor;

The following is a copy of the e-mail that I sent to the Royal Thai Police and Tourist Police. The police probably won’t do anything until a farang is killed or seriously injured. At least I tried. Maybe you have some influence.

Pattaya has a serious problem that local police and tourist police don’t see or choose to ignore. This problem has a great impact on tourists, local farang and good Thai people.

The area around and near the entrance to Pattaya Sanam Pla or fishing pier on Beach Road is frequented by many young Thais with nothing to do except drink beer, whiskey and fight. Most are 15 to 17 years old and rather new people to Pattaya. I saw 3 fights between young Thais from 23:00 to midnight on July 21. They were violent gang style attacks with 3 to 7 boys on one boy. Beer bottles were used in 2 of the assaults. The fights were rather intense with the intent to injure. Between the fights, some of the boys were insulting and they were trying to start fights with farang.

There wasn’t a single police or tourist police officer in the area of the pier while I was there. There were officers 300 meters away watching television and talking at the Walking Street police box. Tourist police occasionally patrol the outside area of Beach Road, but don’t go near the pier. Perhaps the police are afraid of the gangs or just don’t care. Removing this bad element from Pattaya would be great. An undercover officer can easily see the people that need to be removed from Pattaya.

Name withheld by request

The longer you stay, the more you pay

Dear Editor,

After reading this week’s edition of the Pattaya Mail I felt I just had to put pen to paper as it were. ‘Visa fees’ what an outrage. If there was anybody out there that ever doubted the Thai authority’s feelings towards farang, now you should know: “they do not want you here”. The longer you want to stay, the more you pay! Wake up farangs find a new ‘haven’. Thailand gives you ‘nothing’, only takes. What’s next? A large ‘levy’ on farangs with property, regards company tax? Wait for it, beware it can happen, this is all the Thai leadership’s making. He never hides his dislike for farang, they seem to think this is the best place in this big wide world. Give your heads a shake you have all but killed the golden goose. One day someone will have to ‘eat’ it, and I for one hope they choke on it.

I could write much more but for what end!

Signed,

‘Tee Bee’, an amazed 10-year resident

Khai Khem’s insightful article

Editor;

I must applaud Khai Khem’s recent article as the most intelligent thing I’ve ever read in your paper. How true that the younger generation is in need of more guidance and help than ever before. The rising, random violent attacks are indeed troubling.

As for the sad, continuing suicide stories, staying here for any length of time is difficult. I’ve met people who have foolishly spent beyond their means and I’ve also met a good number of people who have been cheated or swindled out of sizeable amounts. But this is acceptable in Thailand if perpetrated against a foreigner. An example of the one-sided law is on Beach Road where on any given day you can observe a ring of Thai con men operating. They claim to be soliciting donations for the ‘Boy Scouts of Thailand’ organization, producing fake identification and documents. They cleverly get tourists to sign their names in a donation book and then prod them into giving. I’ve seen the tourist police talk to these men but they never do anything. The message this sends is that it is okay to steal if the victim is a foreigner.

An Observer

Refreshing

To: anniversary@pattaya mail.com

It is so refreshing to read your publication on a weekly basis that I wish that it was a daily instead of a weekly. It is nice to see a paper that focuses on important local issues instead of the constant anti-western babble that appears in other rags. You do an excellent job at servicing the community that you report on. Please keep up the good work and I look forward to celebrating your 20th Anniversary.

Don Anderson

More on two tiered pricing

Editor;

I have read many letters regarding the “2 Tiered Pricing” in Thailand where Thais pay one price and farangs pay a higher price. I think back on several experiences that I have had in the past in other parts of the world where I see the same 2 tier pricing, and 2 examples that come immediately to mind are both in US Territories or States, one in Guam while visiting 2 Lovers Leap, where a Guamanian friend of mine cautioned me to wait until the Japanese Tourists had left the refreshment stand before purchasing a drink unless I wanted to pay the “Japanese” price, and still in the City of San Diego at the Torrey Pines Golf Course where if you are not a “City Resident” with a “City Card” you pay a double price for your round of golf.

I am sure if you look back in your past you have probably encountered many such situations all over the world.

Dennis Bird

Ban Chang

Cleaving Jomtien trees horrifying people

Dear Mailbag,

Having in the past extolled the virtues of city hall in regard to their planting program on Jomtien Beach I am sadly now drawn to question the direction of the overall policy.

The planting of palms and the laying of pathways was welcomed, I would think by almost everyone; however, the recent policy of cleaving the beautiful evergreens on Dongtan Beach in particular I know has horrified most people.

These aged and majestic trees thoughtfully planted by someone decades ago are being systematically devastated and no one seems to understand or is able to explain why it is being done. It has been suggested that it was to protect the electric cables but that cannot be so as many branches have been left OVER the cables.

The slow but persistent work involves cutting the trees roughly in half and pruning most branches leaving a telegraph pole or catapult effect. This is being accomplished by a couple of workers, one cutting the other looking. The branches fall anywhere they are felled resulting in smashed streetlights etc. There is no standard measurement at which they are cut resulting in a broken splintered image reminiscent of a battlefield.

When enquiring I am told the same thing that I hear when I plead about the ravaging of the beautiful island of Koh Chang; “It will grow back”. Yes, true, it will bush out sideways and at some point people will no longer notice, but the beautiful, majestic appearance of those wonderful trees will never be replaced.

So what is the reason; safety maybe? Well I have never witnessed one fall in the 13 years I have lived on Jomtien, unlike the old palms that have definitely fallen, so that cannot be the answer. I do note that the heavier pieces of wood are carefully taken away, which may give a clue.

There is a small area at the end of Jomtien that has so far not been culled. May I suggest that this area be left as an experiment? This is really the last bit of natural unspoilt South Pattaya Beach and eventually this protection, I believe, will cause a migration to that cool and lovely spot allowing a more even spread of people along the beach. If city hall was then to make an exception to the ridiculous but rigid policy of only deck chairs and no sun beds you would I am sure witness a renaissance in that area.

Regards,

Richy

Physically assaulted

Editor;

I read in your paper last week about a mugging in which the gentleman was physically assaulted. I also had an unpleasant experience perhaps your readers could benefit from. I was taking a shortcut through Soi Pattayaland when some of the touts outside a “boy bar” began shouting at me and pressing signs in my face in an obnoxious fashion. I held up my hand as if to say, “please enough”, and then incredibly, one of the young men took a wild swing at me striking a glancing blow on my jaw. In shock, I resisted the urge to fight back and simply held the small man in a bear-hug. With the other workers outside the venue taking threatening stances I was lucky two traffic policemen came by very quickly but then they did nothing, allowing the Thai men to leave almost immediately.

Dressed in nice clothes and sober my insistence they do something only made them belligerent. It’s not safe here in this country anymore being a tourist travelling alone.

Sincerely,

“Things are changing here”

Please fade away

Editor;

It would seem I have created a storm that will not fade away. Unlike UBC. I sent my article in due to the poor response I received from UBC. Also they stated that the signal will return very quickly, which it did not. It would also seem something has happened recently, the signal has returned much quicker. Spoke too soon the picture has gone. C Thomson Australia, is obviously a well traveled man and has had a dish in Scotland. For my geography, I apologize. But in my defense we are very close to the equator, and are more central hemisphere. I am amazed at the response, some of you tried too help, others have nothing better to do with your time than dissect my very unimportant mail, when there are more demanding issues.

Matt

Why the beach closure?

Hi there mailbag,

Another “last Wednesday in the month” and another beach shutdown. Even more annoying considering the number of rainy days we’ve had of late.

I have been doing as much ferreting around as a farang can, city hall, tourist office, mayors office, (he is always away on important business in Bangkok or Chonburi or Chang Mai or Honnobloodylulu, but at least his secretary is a sweetie) Sanitation Dept, Jomtien Beach Committee, full circle back to city hall, they are the one’s responsible for the beach closures, was passed from A to B to C to D who put the phone down whilst laughing loudly.

Guess civil servants are the same the world over, neither civil nor servants. Normally if they had any intelligence they would not be doing what they are doing, or more pointedly, not doing what they are supposed to be doing.

There may be an exception in city hall, someone who can read and write and can explain the reason behind the beach closures, perhaps that’s a bit like believing there is a Father Christmas.

Please someone explain to us confused locals!

Yours,

R. Walton

Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail
are also on our website.

Now Available