HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Arrogance is unbecoming

Pattaya is changing

Bread and medicine

Thank you Mayor Niran

Pattaya problems are like enemies, they accumulate.

Insulted by lack of crackdown on obvious crime

Arrogance is unbecoming

Dear Editor,
(Re: Immigration - A very different experience)

After reading through Peter Wheeler’s letter in regards his own experience at immigration I wasn’t prepared for the totally inappropriate comments/conclusions made as to why his experience was so different to those of others when renewing a retirement visa.

I am not yet of retirement age but I do utilise the various Thai media forums (both written and online) to get a better understanding of what is going on in this beautiful country and to what may become my own experiences further down the line.

To belittle the previous letter writers as possibly not dressing like human beings and not acting like human beings is totally uncalled for and for such a broad problem (not just in Pattaya) it smacks of a certain arrogance.

Did the previous writers mention that they dressed like they were hitting the beach at 3.00 a.m. tanked up on Singha beer? No they didn’t; did they say they on purposely decided to be uncivil to uniformed officers? No they didn’t. In fact the letter is bordering on condoning tea-money payments which is not what previous writers wish to read and I am sure not something that Mr Wheeler intended.

If the writer has any involvement in the Pattaya expats club, then a more appropriate response would be to ask the Head of Pattaya Immigration to attend a meeting and explain his department’s practices for all to hear and then to answer questions fielded from concerned expats.

I am sure, though, that I would not attend, I would probably be out buying my tuxedo!
Dave
Bangkok

Pattaya is changing

Editor;
First let me begin by saying how much I love Pattaya, which hopefully my family and I will soon call home. Coming to Pattaya I bring the same baggage of prejudices and commentary of local conditions that most do. Pattaya is a city in transition and is suffering like most municipalities with the same problems. Traffic - who has not spent time mumbling about this in New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, etc.

Infrastructure, schools, crime and a myriad of other problems haunt the municipal government. Where to spend tax money to do the most good in solving the immediate and future situations is a problem that faces all cities throughout the world.

Pattaya is turning into a world class resort and retirement spot, and I feel it is doing the best job of dealing with these problems considering the resources it has to work with. The only suggestion I would have would be to firmly enforce the traffic laws, be it for the local population or visitor.
Ron Fleitman
New York City

Bread and medicine

Dear Pattaya Mail,
The off the cuff article by Dr Iain Corness in the section “Modern Medicine” (September 10) concerning the expiry date of medicines was trivialising, misleading and, frankly, dangerous. Dr Corness argued that drug expiry dates were rather like his wife’s concerns about the expiry date of bread for toast, or, like the 60 kph speed limits (59 is safe and 61 is not).

No, Dr. Corness - not so facile. I agree that some medicines change over time, chemically, as you state. However, it is not as you say, just a matter of “biological availability”, because some drugs become extremely dangerous and can have fatal consequences if taken over the expiry date, and I believe it is your professional duty to say so, clearly. For example, to name one commonly prescribed medication: tetracycline antibiotics. These decompose after the expiry date, to produce highly toxic substances that can cause serious kidney damage.

Perhaps a more serious academic and professional approach is not too much to ask for matters concerning readers’ health and safety,
Nick Crawford (retired professor)
Pattaya

Dear Professor Crawford,
Thank you for your input, and despite your heavy emphasis on academia, I do not think we are so far removed from each other philosophically. You do appear to agree with me that expiry dates are not ‘absolute’, and I certainly agree with you that a chemical alteration occurs after a period of time, when I wrote “with medications, which are all chemicals (even aspirin, which is acetyl salicylic acid), a chemical change occurs and the original medication is no longer the same chemical compound.” And yes, I was aware of the tetracycline situation, though this is hardly a ‘first-line’ drug these days. However, you must also realize that the medical column is not written for pharmacology or medical undergraduates, but in an easy to read format and style for the general public, so forgive its generalities. It is never intended to be a resource material for further academic studies, I leave that to work from people such as yourself. But I shall address this problem again to ensure that the readers realize that I am only referring to ‘short’ periods of time past the expiry date, something that was missing from the original article, and I thank you for pointing out this deficiency.
Dr. Iain

Thank you Mayor Niran

To: Pattaya Mail
The residents of Soi La Bella Casa had been experiencing a long running problem of a business in our neighborhood draining dirty water into our street. The water collected in large puddles, blocking passage by pedestrians, growing algae, smelling bad and causing a health hazard.

We went to Pattaya City Hall, where our request for assistance was personally received by Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn. Mayor Niran immediately dispatched three city officials, who approached the operator of the business and ordered that repairs be made right away. The repairs were made that evening.

We residents wish to express our gratitude to Mayor Niran and the city hall officials for their prompt and considerate attention to our problem.

La Bella Casa Residents

Pattaya problems are like enemies, they accumulate.

Editor;
As the saying goes, “Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.” In Pattaya, “The good times come and go, but problems accumulate.” Lately, as problems accumulate, the good times are becoming scarcer. It’s hard to enjoy the nightlife in knee deep in water. All the problems of Pattaya can be traced to weak public servants who are afraid to ruffle feathers.

Pattaya will not turn the corner back to being a pleasant place to live until the police start things off by taking a zero tolerance approach to crime, first and foremost violent crime. Next property crime, followed by traffic violations. In Thailand, gratuitous corruption is a lost cause, so I won’t even waste time on that issue.

City Hall must immediately institute zoning regulations and enforce them in the face of “influence”. Bangkok businessmen shouldn’t be calling the shots in Pattaya. Pattaya leaders, as representatives of Pattaya’s citizens, should make the rules. The city needs to stop all new construction and put in place some type of western style zoning. Western countries enjoy a high standard of living because they have a common sense plan, Pattaya has anything but.

I left Bangkok because it’s a real mess. Pattaya is rapidly following in Bangkok’s footsteps and that’s not good. I moved outside the city because Pattaya is becoming a mess and I now tend to support local businesses because it’s such a hassle doing into Pattaya City. In order to ease the traffic problems, all businesses must be required to provide off street parking for customers and workers. Homeowners and renters must be required to park vehicles on their property and stop blocking public streets. This is a safety issue as much as a common sense thing. If police, fire trucks, and ambulances can’t move because of gridlock, that’s everyone’s problem.

In fact, there really should be no on-street parking in the area from North Pattaya Road to the Third Road overpass and Third Road to the Gulf. The city’s streets just can’t support the present traffic load and on-street parking greatly adds to the problem. Street venders need to be controlled and allowed only in designated off-street locations. Baht busses need designated pick-up and drop off areas that aren’t in the middle of traffic. If Pattaya is going to be a tourist destination, crosswalks and speed limits must be established and enforced without fail.

Pattaya is no longer a quaint little fishing village, it’s a city! The city administration needs to accept the fact and take charge. The big busses that tear up Pattaya streets need to be regulated as well as the baht busses. Excessively noisy clubs near housing need to be closed down. Trash, animal control, and sanitation laws need to be introduced and enforced before there is a real tragedy, like plague, rabies, etc.

If the police are scared of the mini-mafia, ask the governor to send in the military to provide checkpoints and “get the point across” just like they do upcountry and down south.

Pattaya will never be the care free tourist spot it once was, but can be a good safe place to live and a great place to visit with some minimal organization. Stop listening to the anarchists who want everything for free and start listening to the people who support the Pattaya economy. Right now Pattaya is dying a slow painful death, it needs and deserves effective leadership, not talk and Thai-style procrastination.
Pattaya “Beach” Bum

Insulted by lack of crackdown on obvious crime

Editor;
I’m somebody who simply notices things when passing streets and public places in Pattaya. Something that makes me surprised, astonished, vexed and angry is that there are persons and gangs year after year who appear to have a kind of license to cheat foreign tourists. I think of that gang outside Royal Garden Shopping Mall who with false id-cards approaches western tourists and asks for a donation for a fictitious charity organisation or something!

A lot of Pattaya foreigners must have stumbled on them!? And anyone can go there and look at these very suspect and partly funny looking cheaters in childlike baseball caps approaching foreigners to cheat them of money. How can this go on and on year after year? Doesn’t an ordinary police force or tourist police exist in Pattaya? Or are they all bribed to look the other way and do nothing about this apparent crime that helps to damage the reputation of Pattaya?

As a foreigner who is firmly established here I feel personally insulted by crimes directed to other foreigners - of course! Why doesn’t anyone do something?
“Insulted”

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