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Floods ravage neighborhoods and streets in Pattaya
Damage costs still undetermined
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Beginning at 1:30 a.m. on September 18, three hours of
non-stop rainfall caused critical flooding at Pattaya Central Road and Pattaya
Third Road, resulting in a water level of nearly 50 centimeters. Traffic was
jammed not only on these two main arterials, but adjacent side streets were
impassible to most vehicles. Severe damage was done to property in this central
business district. Banks, hotels, shops and residences took the brunt. The
police and hordes of volunteers worked through the night to clean out the
drains, pump out water and establish some control.
 The
aftermath – heavy flooding left parts of Pattaya Center Road in shambles.
Other parts of the city were hit just as bad. Soi Bua Khao
was under water, as were many high-density neighborhoods throughout Pattaya and
Jomtien including a number of local fresh food markets.
When the water level dropped, the public was left to clean
up the mess and repair the damage. In areas where the water hadn’t drained
people couldn’t get to work and their children couldn’t reach school.
 Flooding
at Pattaya Chalet damaged homes in the area and left a layer of mud and debris.
Hundreds of people were stranded in their cars, trapped by
rushing water. Trucks, cars and motorcycles were damaged and the owners now
look forward to expensive repair bills. Shop equipment and supplies were ruined
and households succumbed to the filthy mess.
When is the city going to deliver on its promises of solving
the devastating floods that occur during heavy rains? Even an occasional
rainstorm floods whole sections of the inner city, but during the monsoon
season, the hardship placed on residents is vast and the destruction of
property during flash floods throws whole sections of the town into chaos.
Irrespective of the human misery, floods also seriously affect the economy.
This is a longstanding problem which has not been addressed by city planning
and engineering. Sadly, with all the promises to solve the flooding, it gets
worse every year and more and more people are affected. The fact is that our
city still washes out almost every time it rains - and it rains a lot in
Pattaya.
Beach Road improvements will create more scenic view
Tunneling and traffic snarls must be endured
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Motorists can look forward to another three and a half
months of Beach Road traffic congestion whilst the city continues its
ongoing beautification project. The tunneling will eventually result in the
removal of unsightly cables, wires and water pipes from view and install
them underground. The object is to create an uncluttered sea view.
 Cluttered
electric lines, T.V. cables, and telephone lines on Beach Road should
disappear by early January.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn called another meeting at
city hall with his management team and concerned departments on September 15
for a progress report. He stated that the work must proceed with expediency
as it is now adversely affecting traffic on the road, and any delays would
have a negative impact on everyone in the area.
Pattaya City has formed a joint venture with S G -
Bangsaen-World multi link for the tunnel project. This project has been
running since August and when it went to construction, with a budget of 240
million baht, the time schedule was set for 240 days of work.
The tunneling on Beach Road starts from the Dolphin
Roundabout in North Pattaya and continues to South Pattaya, a stretch of
3,400 meters. Completion time should be around January 8, 2005.
Pichet Uthaiwattananon, construction supervising project
director said, “The project work for this year will entail moving all
public utilities underground and all high voltage posts at the beach area
will be gone. Admittedly they are a mess at the moment.”
Mayor said, “This project is meant to improve the
scenery of Beach Road which has always been the main image in people’s
mind of ‘picture post card’ Pattaya City.
The removal of the messy cables, pipes and wires will help to restore
that image to residents and tourists. There is also a plan to arrange signs
attractively and plant more foliage along the beach. When the whole project
is completed, this area should be beautiful again.”
More security assured for tourists along Walking Street
Boonlua Chatree
More than 70 tourist police officers and police
volunteers have been dispatched to patrol the Walking Street area in order
to provide more security for visitors who frequent this famous tourist spot.
 Tourist
police have stepped up their patrols on Walking Street.
Complaints have been made about the street’s crime rate
and that visitors are hassled by undesirables. Local officials have decided
to increase the presence of law enforcement.
Walking Street is a vibrant conglomeration of restaurants, bars and shops
and is one of the most frequented streets in town. A greater police presence
will reassure visitors that their security and safety is a priority. More
surveillance will be undertaken to keep an eye on aggressive transvestites,
illegal workers, beggars and lewd entertainment venues.
City Scope
with Mayor Niran: Pattaya getting major facelift
Suchada Tupchai
On September 20 Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn met the
people once again at city hall to announce and report on the progress and
developments his administration has undertaken.
Mayor Niran spoke of the problems of the recent floods
saying, “The heavy rains last Friday night caught us off guard and
unfortunately caused a lot of damage to many parts of our city.” The mayor
said that a lot of the flooding problems were caused by a few factors, some
of them being rapid growth in constructions of new buildings and the filling
in of land which causes the natural flow of water to be blocked. Some
instances also show that public land has been encroached for these purposes,
and this disregard for building codes is causing great damage to the water
flow system as planned by the city. Another major cause was the accumulation
of garbage that irresponsible residents poured down the drainage system,
thus affecting blockage to water flow.
 The
mayor reported that various parts of the city suffered damage caused by the
floods, namely Central Road, where the force of the water was so strong that
it smashed the doors of the Kasikorn Bank. Many housing estates were
inundated and residents had to evacuate to the second floor of their houses.
Mayor Niran said that the city had immediately
implemented plans to avoid these flooding problems in the future. He said
that side drains would be built along all roads so that water can flow
faster leading into the major drainage system.
The mayor also said that this year a multi million-baht
budget had been acquired for the purpose of connecting drainage of rain
water into the city’s water treatment system pipes, leading to the water
treatment plant. Both waste and rain water would be treated together for
further usage. This will effectively help the swift drainage of rainwater
during heavy downpours.
On tourism, the mayor spoke of improvements being carried
out on and around Pattaya Hill, also known as the Sor Thor Ror 5 Hill, named
after the Navy radio station on top. A fitness park is under construction
and is estimated to be 50% complete. “I have spoken to our engineers
asking them whether it was possible to connect the Sor Tor Ror Hill with the
Chalerm Prakiat Hill without having to build an overpass,” said the mayor.
“Our engineers and architects are drawing up a plan to build a tunnel
connecting the two hills.”
The mayor went on to say that one of the next projects
would be to install closed circuit television cameras along Beach Road as
phase one, the next phase being along Jomtien Beach. These he said would
enhance the safety of residents and tourists alike, as security personnel
would be monitoring all movements along the beaches 24 hrs a day.
The mayor spoke of projects that were already underway,
including the work being carried out to put all electric, telephone and TV
cables underground. “As soon as this work is done, we will not see any
more poles protruding out of our sidewalks. We will also plant trees and
flowers along the roads, making our city look much more beautiful and much
nicer for our pedestrians.”
The mayor expressed regret for the traffic problems
during construction but assured the citizens that every precaution is being
taken to ensure the safety and convenience of the road users.
In regards to traffic solutions, the mayor said that new
computerized electronic traffic control systems are being installed at all
major junctions on Sukhumvit Highway. This will help the smoother flow of
traffic both through and into Pattaya.
He went on to say that sprinkler systems have been
installed on the road islands, whereby the grass and plants are
automatically watered without having someone do it manually. The next phase
would be the road leading up to the Rayong bypass. The mayor also suggested
that all schools should install this system to water their grounds.
On the public relations avenue, the mayor said that with the assistance
of the central government, 60 ‘touch screen’ information units will be
installed in and around Pattaya, including hotels, hospitals, department
stores, airports such as U-Tapao and Don Muang (Bangkok). “These will be
the perfect tool to give information about Pattaya and the east coast to
residents and visitors alike.”
A-Plus Group presents plans for the upcoming Pattaya Carnival 2004
Canceled last year due to lack of imaginative plan
Suchada Tupchai
Having been canceled last year due to organization glitches,
this year’s Pattaya Carnival plan has already been submitted to the city in
hopes that the carnival can get underway in December.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and Weerawat Khakhai, deputy
city administrator, along with council members listened to A-Plus Group
representatives during their Pattaya Carnival plan presentation last week at
Pattaya City Hall.
 Aphisit
Chunchomphu, managing director of A-Plus Group presents his “Pattaya Carnival
Red Hot Beach” project to the city council.
Pattaya carnival has traditionally been organized during the
month of December. But the fair did not happen last year because the city could
not find anyone to do it properly. Earlier this year the city contacted
companies experienced in large-scale entertainment venue organization to send in
their proposals. Last week, Aphisit Chunchomphu, managing director of A-Plus
Group led his team to city hall to present their project to the city council.
Aphisit said that this year’s carnival should contain
uniqueness, internationality, and traditional activities, and proposed to call
it “Pattaya Carnival Red Hot Beach”.
The event would be divided into 4 themes: a Fun zone, Food
zone, Health and Spa zone, and Show zone. The Fun zone would highlight X-treme
games. The Food zone would provide the longest Bar-B-Q grilling booths and
international food stalls. The Health and Spa zone would highlight sand
formation, beach games, and “a record 100 Thai masseurs”. The Show zone
would highlight stage activity, including non-stop dancing, a fashion show and
sexy show.
City councilors emphasized that a logo of Pattaya City should
be printed on souvenirs such as T-shirts, umbrellas, belts, and caps. They
expressed hope that these would benefit the city’s income throughout the year.
They also plan to publish member cards to be distributed to visitors, offering
discounts at several venues such as hotels, restaurants, and attractive places
for the next time they visit.
On the first day of the event, Aphisit said, there would be
an elegant opening where a chairman would literally touch a grand blue jewel and
it would turn to red to declare the official opening of Pattaya Carnival 2004.
High technology equipment such as a water screen and laser animation would fill
up the fun for the day. A long colorful and exciting parade would entertain
people on the second day. On the third day, concerts and several contests would
be the highlight of the event.
To commemorate the 78th Birthday of His Majesty the King,
exactly 780 fireworks would be set off into the night sky.
Aphisit said the budget was previously set at 25 million baht,
but his company would ask only 10 million baht from the city. For the rest of
the amount the company would appeal to sponsors. He said he believes that he
would receive high cooperation from local and national business operators for
advertisements. Aphisit said he didn’t expect the event would make a profit,
but he hopes to create fame and uniqueness for the city.
Many in the meeting agreed to study the plan thoroughly. City councilors,
however, also agreed to continue to look at proposals from any other company
that is ready to present their ideas for the event.
Tourism Improvement Committee to attract more tourists
Suchada Tupchai
Many forces are at work to improve Pattaya City’s image
to lure more tourists to the area. A new group on the scene is the Tourism
Improvement Committee whose members are dedicated to increasing visitor
numbers and arranging more activities that will draw them in.
The first official meeting was held on September 15 with
the city’s mayor, Niran Wattanasartsathorn at the helm. Opening the
meeting, Mayor Niran said, “Our purpose in setting up the Tourism
Improvement Committee is because Pattaya City is an international tourist
town with the potential to organize activities such as entertainment,
culture and sports. All could attract tourists to come here and all of these
activities bring income to the town and the nation. However, the tourist
industry is highly competitive. Therefore it is important for the marketing
development plan of Pattaya to set up this committee to connect between
government and private departments for more efficiency in promoting tourism
guidelines, the marketing plan, and promotion of Pattaya.”
This meeting was the first of many that will be scheduled
to set up and highlight activities each month, so that Pattaya will have a
monthly activity schedule such as New Year, Chinese New Year, the Pattaya
Marathon, and the Pattaya Carnival.
Committee members agreed the process will involve
proposing one main activity for the month and discussing the pros and cons
in order to organize an activity most appealing to tourists. Logistics must
also link the high-low tourist seasons during which the number of tourist
varies, plus the weather seasons. Members also acknowledged more attention
must be paid to the needs and preferences of tourists from different
countries, as international tourists often have selective ideas of what they
want from a holiday. Another main topic for the first meeting was future
tourist development on Larn Island which could include a health spa.
Attendees included committee members from government
departments and local organizations including the Pattaya Tourist police,
TAT Central Division 3, the Pattaya Hotel Association, the Chonburi
Industrial Board, the Thai Eastern Hotel Association, and a contingent of
press reporters.
German tourist attacked with bottle by jealous boyfriend
Police vow to arrest assailant
Boonlua Chatree
A dispute over a bargirl led a jealous Thai man to
assault a German tourist, smashing a bottle in the foreigner’s face, and
breaking his nose. Still not satisfied, the assailant threatened the bar
owner and vowed to attack all foreigners who came into the bar.
 Werner
Schmidt was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Pornprom Soum, 37, who runs the Sweet Raymond beer bar
on Soi Regent Marina Village called the police. At the scene, police found
Werner Schmidt, 59, sitting on the floor with his face and clothes covered
with blood. Pornprom told officers that a Thai man who works as a security
guard at a beer bar next door attacked the tourist with a large Chang beer
bottle, which broke his nose, and other witness confirmed her story. Werner
was taken to Pattaya Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Service worker Wilawan Yopho, 23, told police that the
attacker was a man called Kai who worked as a guard at the neighboring
X-Ray A-go-go Bar. She said two days before, Kai had paid her for providing
sexual services, and that he came back to the bar the next day wanting her
services again but she refused because she was sick. Kai said, “If you
don’t want to come with me that’s okay, but I will hit any foreigners
who set foot in this bar.” Wilawan said just then Werner, who had
recently arrived in Pattaya, entered the bar and Kai attacked him.
Police went to Pattaya Memorial Hospital and found that
Werner had a broken noise, which needed a brace, and he received 9
stitches. Werner told officers was a salesman in Germany and had just
retired. He said, “I love Thailand and have come to visit every year for
the past 28 years. I’ve never had trouble or been harmed before. I still
think Pattaya has good people and I definitely come back to Thailand
again.”
Police Lieutenant Colonel Sumet Harnwisai, investigator on duty at the
Pattaya police station, said he could not believe the severity of what
happened to this tourist through no fault of his own. Sumet stressed he
would not let the perpetrator get away and will order an immediate arrest.
Police step in to break up female fisticuffs
Two women in love with the same man
Boonlua Chatree
Police received a report on September 15 at around 10 p.m.
that two women were involved in an altercation and were asked to the scene to
break up the fight. When officers arrived, Gom Ketphaeng, 29, and Saifon
Sophon, 32, were slapping each other’s faces and causing a public
disturbance.
Police did their best to calm them down on the spot, but
the infuriated ladies paid no attention. Officers hauled them off to the
police station to get them to calm down. Once inside the station, police
arbitrated the dispute and lectured the women that they must stop their
nonsense settle and their argument, since fighting would only land them in
trouble with the law.
The women seemingly came to a friendly compromise and left
the station together. However, once outside they met the object of their
mutual affection and Gom lost her temper and slapped her lover’s face. Her
rival Saifon took umbrage and came to her boyfriend’s defense and defiantly
slapped Gom. Since the incident happened right outside the police station,
officers had the last word, charging the ladies with disorderly conduct and
fining them each 1,000 baht.
Remorseless pimps caught exploiting upcountry girls
Sting ‘ops’ crack prostitution ring
Boonlua Chatree
After being tipped off that human traffickers were involved
in the sex trade by bringing girls as young as 14 from the northeastern
provinces into Pattaya to work as prostitutes, undercover police mounted a sting
operation to catch the brokers.
A foreigner deployed by local police met with mamasan Supab,
21, and her two pimp colleagues, Panlop and Worawat, both 18, to strike a deal.
Previous surveillance showed the trio escorting a pair of 14 year old girls
along Pattaya’s beachside. Surveillance officers were hiding close by taking
photographs for evidence, and others were armed with 6,000 baht of marked
banknotes to close the transaction.
The deal was done with a payment of 300 baht for each girl
plus expenses and transport. When Supab accepted the money, officers made the
arrest. A body search was made and found Supab in possession of 2 bags of
marijuana.
None of the three denied the charges and showed no remorse as
they were led away to the police station, saying only that the girls were not
forced, but were eager for 50% of the share-out for their work.
Further questioning revealed the girls had been in this
business for over 4 months. They left home in the northeast and came to Pattaya
to find jobs because their parents could not afford to send them to school. When
they came to Pattaya they were approached by the gang and offered the job.
The three brokers were charged with prostitution involving
minors.
Police briefs
Boonlua Chatree
Teen gang fight leaves one
dead and 3 critically injured
Pattaya Police arrested six young gangsters after they
took revenge on their enemies. The savage brawl involving guns and knives
left one man dead and three seriously injured.
After receiving a report at 2:30 a.m. September 12 that a
dispute among teen gangs was going on near Soi Black Man in South Pattaya,
officers arrived at the scene to find 17 year old Thanaphon Khaokokkruad
mortally shot through the heart by a .32 caliber pistol, and three others,
Thitikorn Inkaew, 17, Piyaphong Phungsuk, 17, and Witsanu Karnsommut, 19,
severely injured.
Information turned up identifying the shooter as a member
of the Khao Noi gang, which is known to the police. Arrest warrants were
issued on September 15 for six teenage suspects believed to be fleeing to
Chachoengsao. Fast moving officers caught them at the bus station in
Chachoengsao and brought them back to Pattaya police station for
questioning. Under interrogation all six pleaded guilty.
The boys were detained and charged with murder, attempted
murder, possession of illegal firearms, and bringing a concealed weapon into
a known residential area. They now await judicial proceedings.
Pattaya police arrest
Buriram man for
blinding a rival
in a fight
A Thai boxer from Buriram blinded a man with a snooker
cue during a fight and fled to Pattaya hoping to avoid the law.
On September 15 Pattaya police received a report from
their counterparts in Buriram that there was an arrest warrant out for 27
year old Samruay Meesat who was wanted for blinding a man during a fight and
was on the run from justice. They asked for cooperation from Pattaya
officers to seek out the suspect.
A search of the city found the man working as a boxer in
the Siren beer bar in South Pattaya. Armed with a warrant they took Samruay
into custody for questioning.
Under interrogation, Samruay confessed to the crime. On
the day of the incident, he admitted he had gotten into a fight during a
snooker game with Sommart Muonram and another man. He admitted to blinding
Sommart with a snooker cue, and rendering one of Sommart’s friends
unconscious. Fearing arrest he ran away to Pattaya to hide by working on one
the city’s many beer bars.
Samruay was charged with assault with deadly intent. He
was extradited to Buriram to face legal proceedings.
Japanese tourist tries to jump from the 8th floor of hotel
Said he had no reason to live after lover leaves him
Boonlua Chatree
Feeling he had no reason to live after his Thai
girlfriend left him, a Japanese tourist climbed out on the window ledge of
the 8th floor of a local hotel and contemplated leaping.
Police received a call from the general manager of the
Dusit Resort in North Pattaya on the afternoon of September 16 saying a
Japanese guest, later identified as Nakatami Ken, 31, was on the edge of the
hotel window and about to commit suicide. Police officers and members of
Pattaya City Rescue team rushed to the scene and found the depressed tourist
sitting on the ledge with his legs dangling down. Officers talked to him,
trying to calm him down and pleaded with him not to jump. The tension was
palpable and a crowd of onlookers had gathered, fearing for the man’s
life. But Nakatami Ken still hovered on the edge.
Police
and rescue workers talk to the despondent man, urging him not to jump.
At the scene Pol. Maj. Anan Charoenchasri, police
superintendent of the Chonburi police station, Pol. Lt. Col. Wuttichat
Luansukhan, Pattaya tourist police inspector and Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn judged the situation as critical and ordered the rescue
team to place a 4 x 4 x 1.50 meter rescue crash pad on the ground below him.
Two Japanese volunteers arrived on the scene to talk to
Nakatami Ken, which had a calming effect on him. They gave him a cold drink
of water and told him about how human beings should forgive each other and
that he had much to live for. Their persuasive efforts lasted about half an
hour until Nakatami Ken moved away from the window ledge to safety. Police
officers and witnesses gave a roar of applause and cheers that the man’s
life had been saved.
When questioned about the reason, Nakatami Ken told police said that he
had rented a house with his Thai lover Sukanya Bula, but she left him. This
made him so sad and disappointed that he could not please her that he had
seen suicide as a way to end his sorrows. Officers cheered him up and told
him to lie down and take a rest and time would heal his wounded heart.
EDITORIAL: Pattaya turns into Waterworld
Suchada Tupchai
In the early hours of Friday the 18th it was a dark and
stormy night, when with little warning as citizens were going about their
nightly lives, the skies opened up all over Thailand.
The blitz of lightning lit up the darkness of night
dangerously shooting sparks in all directions. With that came the crack of
thunder, which sent both man and beast covering and rushing to find a place
of safety. Along with nature’s thunderous light and sound display, rain
poured down on our town with a vengeance.
Pattaya was hit very hard that night. Within minutes the
streets were flooded, and traffic lights went out adding to the woes of road
users who were stuck for hours in locations where the waters were rapidly
rising to above waist level.
Homes, shops, even city hall was not spared the watery
wrath of the rains. In some housing areas the water rose to as much as 1.5
meters. Within an hour, Pattaya had turned into a ‘waterworld’ and the
citizens began their long all-night battle with the elements.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn was quick off the mark,
donning his gum boots, out on the water logged streets taking a first hand
look at the situation. He was seen to be giving orders left and right to
city workers to speed up relief efforts.
Of course the mayor knew very well the causes of these
floods that took just minutes to inundate the city. He knew very well that
one of the major causes was the dumping of garbage by thoughtless citizens
into the city’s drainage system, effectively blocking the easy flow of
water for which it was intended.
The other cause of floods is that construction has been
designed as such that water flows down towards the sea. This, compounded
with the fact that Central Road and 3rd Road from Soi Bua Khao down to 2nd
Road is a natural basin, thus collecting water as it flows down hill. In
this area the dangers are twofold, because as the water recedes, all the
sand and mud washed down into this area makes for very dangerous motoring,
especially for the motorbikes.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn admits that other than the
above causes of floods, the constructions of new structures both legal and
illegal on both legal and encroached land are also the main reasons. Adding
to that is the filling of land to raise the ground levels without proper
consultation or advice from city engineers.
The mayor also admits that these problems have been a
headache for all former city administrations and he has inherited this
daunting task to remedy the situation. He says that the city will receive a
huge budget so that he can effectively overhaul the whole flood prevention
system.
Though the acquisition of more budget seems to be the
answer to change our annual waterworld into a normal dry city when the rains
come again, the management must first be aware that these problems must
first be solved within the Pattaya City administration itself. The training
and control of the human system, ensuring transparency in construction plans
by both the public and private sector must have priority.
Most important of all, city hall must initiate the
feelings of change amongst our populace. They must be made aware of the
troubles that they cause by their own selfish greed. It is a known fact that
most of the complaints come from such people. They blame everyone one else
but themselves for the city’s woes.
The city can dump millions of baht trying to fix
problems, but that will not be the only answer. The city must come up with
contingency plans to educate the people and make them think of the needs of
their fellow citizens and work together towards the betterment of our city
and the quality of our lives.
If not, then we can expect to live in this sandy, muddy
waterworld for a long while to come.
Food traders warned not to stiff the public by raising prices
Holidays and external factors no excuse for opportunism
Strict vegetarians who participate in the ancient
celebration of Thailand’s Vegetarian Festival in October are often held
hostage to a severe price hike in fresh food during this period. Since this
also affects the general public, the Ministry of Commerce is enlisting the
help of the police force in cracking down on greedy food traders who are
using rising oil prices as an excuse to raise the prices of their goods.
Speaking on September 17 after a meeting with around 100
police officers from Bangkok, Siripol Yodmuangcharoen, the director-general
of the Department of Internal Trade, noted that a number of traders were
opportunistically - and illegally - raising their prices and stockpiling
goods; and thus taking advantage of consumers.
Traders who raise their prices or stockpile goods can be
prosecuted under pricing laws, with maximum sentences of seven years in jail
and fines of up to 140,000 baht. Siripol said that he ordered trading
officers across the country to keep an eye on store prices in the run-up to
the Vegetarian Festival in October.
Police officers will help the Ministry of Commerce stamp
out such practices which are most often triggered by special holidays or
external events. If and when the government announces the next oil price
rise, police will monitor traders even more closely.
Traders who raise their prices or stockpile goods can be
prosecuted under pricing laws, with maximum sentences of seven years in jail
and fines of up to 140,000 baht. (TNA)
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