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First pylon placed for Pattaya’s new indoor athletic stadium
Sports city dream becoming a reality
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The first support pylon for Pattaya’s new 472.5 million
baht indoor athletics stadium was set into place at the auspicious time of 9.29
a.m. Tourism and sports minister, Sontaya Khunplome did the honors on Friday,
July 23, amidst an array of grand ceremonies.
Sontaya
Khunplome (center), tourism and sports minister presided over the laying of the
first support pylon for Pattaya’s new indoor athletics stadium. Joining him
were Tawee Noknoi (left), deputy Chonburi governor and Santsak Ngamphichet
(right), tourism and sports minister advisor.
The new indoor athletics stadium is due to be completed by
July 2005, in time to host the inaugural Indoor Asian Games scheduled to take
place from November 12 to 19, 2005. The stadium is being built on Soi
Chaiypruek 2, south of Pattaya, in a large area inland from Sukhumvit Highway.
During the opening ceremonies Sontaya said, “This new
indoor athletics stadium is an important step towards developing sports in the
region, especially as Thailand will host the 1st Asian Indoor Games. Chonburi
is an ideal place and is ready to host such a great international event and
again in 2006 for 24th SEA Games in which Thailand, and specifically Chonburi,
has been chosen as the venue instead of Singapore.”
 An
artist’s rendering of what Pattaya’s new indoor stadium will look like on
the inside when it is completed about a year from now.
The Asian Indoor Games will feature 9 events in the newly
completed facility, including futsal, 25-meter swimming events, bicycle
motocross, aerobics, takraw, Muay Thai boxing and extreme sports.
The stadium is being built by the Sino-Thai Engineering Plc
and will take 450 days to complete. They will be paid in 15 installments.
The new facility comes after a Cabinet meeting in 2003
approved a budget of 680,000 million baht to host the games. At a meeting on
January 24 this year, the Asian Olympic committee agreed that Thailand would
host the first indoor games event.
Bars can stay open until 2 a.m., for now
Interior Ministry’s midnight closing plan postponed again
Ariyawat
Nuamsawat
Not much has been heard lately about the Interior
Ministry’s proposed midnight closing for entertainment venues. According to
Anucha Mokka, MOI deputy permanent secretary, this is because the plan has
once again been postponed.
 Anucha
Mokka, deputy permanent secretary to the ministry of the interior relayed
government policies and eased fears over changes to the current legislation.
The deputy secretary reiterated, however, that the plan is
postponed, not forgotten, and that Pattaya’s entertainment venues should
adhere to current rules and regulations or risk incurring the wrath of law
enforcement or, worse yet, the Interior Ministry.
Apparently the MOI feels that local entertainment venues
have been bending the laws of late, so the MOI sent the deputy secretary down
to Pattaya to meet with law enforcement agencies, and provincial and local
government officials at the Ambassador City Jomtien Hotel on Monday, July 26.
The province’s cafe, bar and massage parlor owners were also called in.
Deputy Secretary Anucha started by telling the meeting that
he was here as part of the government’s effort to ease their concerns over
proposed changes to the legislation. He assured them there would be no
immediate changes to the laws proposed January 13, but he wanted to create a
better level of understanding for all concerned, especially in enforcing the
current regulations.
The focus is being put on the six ironclad social order
rules: 1) All venues must have authorization to operate and are subject to
inspection; 2) Patrons under 20 years of age are prohibited from entering
during operating hours (staff over 18 are able to work in the establishments);
3) No narcotics or illegal mind altering substances are allowed on the
premises; 4) Lewd or inappropriate entertainment is prohibited; 5) Strictly
follow operating hours as classified in the legislation and in accordance with
operating licenses; and 6) Weapons inside entertainment venues are strictly
prohibited; this is applicable to members of the public and law enforcement
agencies.
Penalties for infringement are set to range from
imprisonment, increased fines and or cancellation of operating license and
numerous other guidelines as well as tighter rules on closing venues that
break the law, ranging from 30 days to permanent closure.
The increased entertainment venue license registration fees
will remain in effect, with a new operators license set at 50,000 baht;
Interim license 1,000 baht and License renewal 10,000 baht per year. Fees also
take into account the type and size of venue under the amended legislation.
During the meeting government officers and business operators voiced their
concerns over the lack of clarity in the legislation and as such the issue was
discussed at length. For further understanding, a booklet outlining the
legislation was handed out to all attendees.
Fire destroys home and contents
Soothsayer warned of misfortune
Patcharapol Parnrak
Kimthee Perplu, a Sattahip fresh seafood dealer
tragically lost his house and belongings when fire destroyed his newly
acquired home. Kimthee, who had rented the house before purchasing it, was
told by a fortuneteller that if he bought it he would have problems. Damages
and losses were estimated at around 3 million baht.
 Kimthee
retrieves items from his burnt house - the fortuneteller told him not to buy
it.
Kimthee told reporters that he had lived in the house for
4 years and only recently purchased it. The previous owners, a navy family,
had died in a car accident some 5 years ago and he was renting it from the
dead family’s relatives.
Kimthee added that he only recently agreed to purchase
the large two story house for 800,000 baht but had yet to complete the
transfer due to various problems with documentation, as it was still
connected with the navy. He went to a fortuneteller to seek advice, but the
fortuneteller told him that if he bought the house he would have problems.
“I never thought that this would come true,” said Kimthee.
Sifting through the rubble fire investigators discovered the cause of the
blaze was the 20 year old wiring system. Heartbroken, Kimthee said he would
take responsibility for the damage.
Community gathers together to aid underprivileged
family following theft
Boonlua Chatree
What could have been a nasty legal case for young woman who
stole 200 baht worth of items from a South Pattaya 7 Eleven store was turned
around by members of the community who saw her plight in the face of poverty.
Siriluk Phankheaw, 19, was detained at a South Pattaya 7
Eleven store for stealing 200 baht worth of items on July 20. At the time she
was carrying her two-year-old daughter. Police were called and she was hauled
off to Soi 9 with just 9 baht in her pocket. Feeling empathy for the young woman
after she relayed her story, reporters offered to settle the bill if the store
conceded to drop the charges. Pattaya Mail’s Boonlua Chatree paid the bill and
charges were dropped. Intrigued, he asked the woman about her life.
A teary
eyed and happy Somkrit Markheow received a 7,800 baht donation from
Chumchern Kongpetchsak on behalf of the radio station and the kind hearted
people of Pattaya.
Siriluk said she and her daughter lived with her grandmother
in a makeshift house in the slum area behind the Taihe Temple in central Pattaya.
On July 21, reporters visited the family at their ramshackle
residence. The young woman’s grandmother, Somkrit ‘Wan’ Markheow, relayed
further information on their living conditions. The elderly lady, who is
severely disabled, as both legs have been amputated and her hands are severely
disfigured, said she tried to etch out her existence begging on the streets,
making very little to support herself, let alone her grandchildren and great
grandchildren.
“I go begging and see people with money eating and wonder
why I am hungry. Because I am poor and that is my life,” Wan says.
Seeing the living conditions and listening to the old woman,
reporters decided to call for help from their colleagues at a local radio
station. The announcement went out and people with open hearts in turn opened
their wallets and a total of 7,800 baht was raised for the woman.
Pattaya Mail’s Boonlua took the woman to the radio station to receive the
donation. A teary eyed and happy Somkrit Markheow received the donation from
Chumchern Kongpetchsak on behalf of the radio station and the kind hearted
people of Pattaya.
More young people turning to drugs and prostitution
A poll released on July 26
suggests that the rate of young Thai people becoming involved in the sex trade
and drug abuse is accelerating despite the government’s attempts to crack down
on vice. The comprehensive ABAC poll, conducted by Assumption University from
June 1 to July 24, surveyed over 14,000 young people aged 11-26 years in 29
provinces across the country.
The poll showed a sharp drop in the number of young people
living at home with their parents, from 76.2 percent last year to only 69.3
percent this year. And while the survey showed a good deal of interest in
‘creative’ activities ranging from sports to religious worship among young
people, it also showed that only 84.7 percent of those surveyed spend much time
with family and relations, down from 96.2 percent in 2003.
A considerably lower proportion of young people carried out
‘social good’ activities - 76.9 percent, compared to 85.3 percent last year
- while the number of people giving alms to monks fell from 85.3 percent to 79.4
percent, and the percentage of regular readers and library users fell from 54.3
percent to a mere 48.4 percent.
Conversely, this drop in ‘creative’ activities was
accompanied by a rise in ‘uncreative’ activities, with the percentage of
young people who consumed pornography in various forms rising from 25.5 percent
to 38.1 percent. Gambling, meanwhile, rose from 22.1 percent to 32.6 percent,
while alcohol consumption inched up to 41.2 percent from 37.1 percent. Perhaps
unsurprisingly, 26.9 percent said that they engaged in violent quarrels,
compared to a significantly lower 17.4 percent in 2003.
But perhaps most worryingly, the ABAC poll found from their
data analysis that the number of young people who have a tendency to be involved
in the sex trade rose to 474,575, from 386,555 last year.
The number of young drugs abusers was also found more than
double now, to 955,764 from 444,307 in February, three months after the
government declared the victory on its ‘war on drugs’ last year.
Interestingly, the vast majority of young drugs users were found to be people
who were not in formal education.
The southern region was found to have the highest proportion
of young drugs users, with 9.74 percent of respondents admitting to using drugs,
compared to only 4.34 percent in the Northeast.
While methamphetamines remained the number one drugs of
choice, with 58.78 percent of confessed drugs users claiming to have taken them,
marijuana also showed itself to be popular, with smaller percentages of
respondents admitting to taking solvents, ecstasy and anti-depressants. (TNA)
18 die in first half of
year as dengue epidemic infects 14,000
Eighteen people have died, and over 14,000
people have been infected by the mosquito-borne dengue fever during the first
six months of the year, but public health officials insisted that this
represented a considerable improvement on last year’s figures.
Releasing new figures on the dengue fever situation, Dr.
Kumnuan Ungchusak, director of the Bureau of Epidemiology, said that 14,808
people had been infected by the disease in the six months leading up to July
17, representing 21.38 people per 100,000 head of population. Of these, 18
people had died - a mere 0.12 percent of the total number of people infected.
Dr. Kumnuan said that this shows a major reduction on figures for the
previous five years.
The highest rate of dengue fever this year was found in
the eastern province of Rayong, where 55.07 people per 100,000 head of
population were infected. Other provinces with high rates of infection were
the eastern province of Chantaburi, the southern provinces of Chumphon and
Krabi, the northeastern provinces of Si Sa Ket, Sakon Nakhon, and Samut
Songkram, the northern provinces of Lampang and Lamphun, and the central
province of Nakhon Pathom.
Dr. Kumnuan attributed the reduction in the infection rate
to successful campaigns by the Ministry of Public Health to encourage the
public to cut off breeding opportunities for the dengue-carrying mosquitoes,
which breed in stagnant water. Nonetheless, the director of the Bureau of
Epidemiology expressed concern over the opportunities for dengue infection in
large cities, including Bangkok.
Although most deaths from dengue fever occur in young
children, there has recently been a worrying trend towards fatalities among
older children and adults.
Although the disease can be fatal, in some cases there are
no symptoms at all.
Dr. Kumnuan urges anyone with a fever of more than a
two-day duration to be tested for the virus, noting that many patients do not
receive prompt medical treatment, as they imagine they are infected with a
minor virus. (TNA)
Three public holidays this weekend for Buddhist Lent
The government has announced that there will be
three consecutive public holidays, not four, for this year’s Buddhist
Lent.
Deputy government spokeswoman Sansanee Nakpong announced that
the cabinet has agreed that the public holidays to observe the Buddhist Lent
would be July 31 - August 2.
The three consecutive public holidays are for the Buddhist
Lent Eve on July 31, the Buddhist Lent on August 1, which are Saturday and
Sunday, and a compensation holiday on August 2.
August 3 will be a working day, not another public holiday. (TNA)
Armed thief detained and beaten following attempted robbery
Residents tackle culprit before police arrive
Boonlua Chatree
Angry residents detained and beat an 18-year-old man after he
had attempted to rob a mobile phone shop in South Pattaya. The man, identified
as Apichart Muangnude, was also carrying an unloaded Beretta pistol.
 Apichart
received some unfriendly street justice for trying to steal two mobile phones.
Police arrived at the Kliknik Mobile Shop at around 11 p.m.
on July 20 to find a large crowd gathered at the crime scene. Apichart was
sitting on the ground, covered in blood, after being kicked and slapped by those
detaining him for his mischievous actions.
The shop owner, Kulthida Thongpratum, told police that the
man had visited her shop on separate occasions looking at a number of phones.
Prior to the crime Apichart asked to look at two phones. He then grabbed them
and fled. She chased him, yelling for help. Two men came to her aid, tackling
the thief.
The two men told police they were just walking past the shop
when they saw the man run out with the stolen goods, so they tackled him. Upon
seeing the gun they wrestled it from him, beating him in the process so he would
be unable to use it.
Police arrested Apichart and charged him with theft and illegally carrying a
gun inside the city without due cause or authorization.
German tourist detained after refusing to pay bar bill
Said he’d rather go to jail
Boonlua Chatree
A German tourist identified only as Frank was arrested
after drinking in a Beach Road bar and refusing to pay his bill. The bar
owner called police to detain the man. Apparently he wanted his girlfriend
to pay his 200 baht debt for alcohol and cigarettes.
 German
Frank decided he’d rather go to jail than pay his 200 baht bar tab. Police
were happy to oblige.
Officers arrived at the bar to find the 36-year-old German in
a state of inebriation and causing quite a ruckus. They escorted him to Soi 9
for further questioning.
The obstinate European refused to give his surname to police,
stating that his passport was in his hotel room and that he had no funds to pay
his bill. Frank also said if police wanted to lock him up they could ahead as he
would wait for his girlfriend to pay his debt to the bar.
Without hesitation officers provided a free room at the lockup and charged
him with failing to pay his debt for food and drink.
Regional police arrest British national in connection with pirated goods distribution
Be careful what you buy over the Internet
Boonlua
Chatree
The central government’s crackdown on pirated goods
continues with the latest arrest including a foreigner accused of producing
and selling falsely branded products over the Internet.
Following an extensive investigation Pol. Lt. Gen.
Jongrak Jutanont, Region 2 police commissioner led the raid on the Chonburi
residence of Roy Brown, 53, last Friday afternoon.
It
sounded like a good idea at the time, but Roy Brown found out the hard way
that selling pirated goods over the Internet can land you in jail.
Brown was accused of producing clothing and accessories with
brand name logos such as a Nike, Adidas and Reebok. Police confiscated almost
500 shirts and rolls of logos in the raid.
Evidence in the case was also discovered on a computer used
for record keeping and e-commerce, as well as receipts and documentation of
Brown’s activities.
Police charged Roy Brown with breaching copyright laws and selling pirated
products.
Police briefs
Boonlua Chatree
Underground lottery dealers arrested
With the aid of police informants, local criminal
investigation officers arrested a major underground lottery and caught
dealers red-handed with 86 illegal betting tickets worth 37,458 baht, 2,800
baht in cash and bankbooks with deposits totaling over 300,000 baht.
The first arrest occurred in an industrial estate near
Pattaya with Supachai Nualdaneg, 23, being detained with almost 40,000 baht
in lottery receipts and a small amount of cash.
The second arrest occurred when officers caught up with
Chaweewan Winghtong, 37, who had over 330,000 in lottery tickets, cash and
bankbooks. Both were charged with illegally gambling, in direct competition
to the legal government lottery system.
Hot on the trail police arrested a third lottery dealer
in the Niran Condo complex in Central Pattaya. Toon Chaeheng, 34, was caught
with almost 300,000 in cash and receipts, and Wattana Thani, 40, a
motorcycle taxi rider in Soi Pattayaland was caught with a further 60,000
baht in cash and lottery receipts.
Teenage girl
attempts suicide over failed love affair
In the early hours of July 22, police and Sawang Boriboon
rescue personnel rushed to the beachfront near Soi 13 following the report
of a young girl walking into the water in an attempt to commit suicide.
Authorities rushed to the location with rescue personnel
acquiring a boat, as they saw the girl floating some 50 meters from shore.
She appeared exhausted as rescuers pulled her into the boat, saving her from
a watery grave.
Police questioned the teenager, who cannot be named, as why she wanted to
die. She told police that her love interest, who she called Apichart, had
left her for another woman. She said that she was heartbroken and decided to
kill herself to ease the pain.
Aircraft carrier HTMS Chakri Nareubet now a popular
floating destination for Thai residents
Patcharapol Parnrak
Before this story can be told, first we must go back
to 1989 when a huge storm battered Thailand’s southern coastal
provinces of Chumporn and Prachuap Khiri Khan. The devastation from the
storm was massive, resulting in large losses in property and life.
Fishing communities were ripped apart and large numbers of boats and
their crew disappeared or sank to the bottom of the gulf. These
provinces lost communications facilities and the Royal Thai Navy was
called in for help.
During
peacetime, the HTMS Chakri Nareubet is a popular tourist attraction at
the Chuk Samet port facility in Sattahip.
At that time supplies and equipment had to be flown
from U-Tapao. There were no seafaring vessels large enough to cope with
the dangerous conditions on Thailand’s Gulf when the navy struggled to
help those in need. The fury of Mother Nature left deep scars in the
hearts and minds of the communities battered by the fierce weather.
 Adm.
Vichai Yuawanangkoon (right), commander-in-chief, Royal Thai Fleet hands
a memorial photo to Adm. Chumpon Pajusanont, commander-in-chief, Royal
Thai Navy.
The storm was an important turning point in the
history of the navy, as measures were taken to prepare for future
events, whether in patrolling Thailand’s waters protecting the nation
from attack to providing effective aid and assistance to those in need.
The decision was made to construct a vessel large
enough to carry aircraft, able to travel quickly and provide aerial
assistance in patrolling up to 200 nautical miles from its positions.
The HTMS Chakri Nareubet was commissioned for that purpose.
Once the authorization was given, the construction
process began in Spain’s Principe de Asturias. The process spanned two
years, from 1994-1996.
HM the King named the aircraft carrier the HTMS
Chakri Nareubet, and on January 20, 1996, HM Queen Sirikit flew to Spain
and, together with Queen Sophia, christened the vessel in a ceremony at
Ferrol, Spain.
The vessel then made its way from Spain, arriving in
Phuket on August 4, 1997, before making its way to the Sattahip base. It
arrived in Sattahip on August 10, and was then officially commissioned.
Now, fast forward back to the present, 2004.
The HTMS Chakri Nareubet has a full complement of
vertical/short take off and landing (VSTOL) aircraft and helicopters.
Six newly built S-70B-7 Seahawk multi-mission helicopters are also on
board. The 11,400-ton displacement ship was the first air-capable vessel
to enter service in Southeast Asia.
It’s role as the Royal Thai Navy’s designated
offshore patrol helicopter carrier (OPHC) reflects the ship’s chief
peacetime roles of disaster relief, search and rescue, exclusion zone
surveillance and environmental protection. However, the navy also
acknowledges that the ship has potential as a regional sea control asset
during times of crisis. Due to the costs of operational deployment,
however, the carrier is rarely at sea.
This has not deterred the navy, as the vessel has since seen over 4
million visitors from all age groups and social levels. It is greatly
popular among Thai students where it sits in pride of place at the Chuk
Samet port facility, as long as peace reigns in Thai waters.
Thai and US military right on target with missile practice
Patcharapol Parnrak
Thai and U.S Navy and Marine Corps. recently
concluded the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training (CARAT)
exercises here in Thailand for its tenth successful year.
 Drone
firing off the HTMS Rattankosin.
During the recent exercises, missile practice was
conducted with a high degree of accuracy. The exercise took place in the
Thai Navy’s section of the Sattahip Bay area.
Heading up the surface to air missile training was
Adm. Vichai Yuawanangkoon, commander-in-chief, Royal Thai Fleet for
Thailand and Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn from the US.
Adm. Vichai Yuawanangkoon revealed, “This is the
second time we have had the opportunity for missile practice, the first
being in 1995 off the HTMS Rattankosin and the HTMS Sukhothai. The year,
we have again used the HTMS Rattanakosin for missile practice, with the
US military providing drones as targets, which are very close to true
aerial targets. The Thai Navy is strong in the defense of Thai waters
and such successful training missions affirm our commitment to the
nation’s sovereignty and safety in Thai waters.”
CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held
annually throughout Southeast Asia that began in 1995 by combining a
number of existing exercises to be conducted sequentially by a single
U.S. Navy task group.
Rear Adm. Taweewuth Pongsapipatt, commander of the
Royal Thai Navy’s Frigate Squadron 2 and Thai director of CARAT 2004
said, “The success of this year’s exercise is clearly derived from
the cooperation between Royal Thai Navy and U.S. Forces.
“The cooperation is aimed to enhance individuals’ abilities and
tactics in order to be able to work together in all levels of military
combined operations. Furthermore, it also shows a good long lasting
relationship between our two countries,” concluded Rear Adm. Taweewuth.
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