HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Outraged by liberal do gooders

On the way to work ... what price misery MRTA?

Poor baht bus drivers

Dubious about pavement on beach

Locked doors at cinema

My bike please, sir…

Each Day the Last

Outraged by liberal do gooders

Editor;

Is there any honor left in Pattaya? Continuing to support discrimination by Thais against anyone who is not Thai, is not honorable. Getting on a baht bus at the same time as a Thai and paying that driver double what he expects of the Thai is tantamount to admitting that we non-Tha๏s should be ripped off. I refuse to acquiesce to the status quo.

I regularly paid 5 baht to the driver when 5 baht was the required fare. I also endured the ire of a baht bus driver who did not like the idea that a farang knew about the scam. Two weeks ago I was kidnapped by a baht bus and whisked off to destination unknown. When he dropped off his 100 baht customers at their hotel he then asked me “where you go”. He knew full well where I was going as I grabbed the bus on the way to Jomtien. “Oh ... Jomtien far away” he said. As I could see this thief for what he was, I was ready for him. I paid him 5 baht for me and 5 baht for my companion and told him to his face, that he better not open his mouth or complain.

I don’t overpay my water bill, nor do I do the same for my electricity. For you liberal do gooders who want to overpay because you can, do so with the thought in mind that you are not only dishonoring yourself, but you are also dishonoring the Thais as well as non-Thais. If you wish to move this dishonor further, I suggest that since you are so wealthy and farang, that you add 10 percent to your electric bill and put a little check box at the bottom explaining why. But please, don’t put farang in the box, instead label the box “moron”.

Choose the harder right not the easier wrong.
Howard L. Bloom

On the way to work ... what price misery MRTA?

Editor;

Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister called him “that lousy driver”.

Driving into to work this morning, thankfully against all the traffic trying to squeeze into Bangkok’s Asoke and Sukhumvit Road from Ratchadaphisek, I ponder on the cost of the train accident yesterday on Bangkok’s new subway. At least a 12 km three-line traffic jam stretching as far back as the eye could see, on this misty January morning. Scores of miserable drivers trying to get to work, the cancellation of all underground trains, another week before they can re-open the system.

The millions of baht in lost revenue, estimated at Bt2.3 - Bt2.5 million per day plus the collateral damage quoted by one minister as being in the region Bt100 million (which seems a staggering amount!). The loss of goodwill and confidence in the system is a PR company’s opportunity; however, the insurance companies are hit again, only 21 days after the tsunami disaster. The cost to the environment? Slow moving cars belting out pollutants, all add to the quality of life and financial misery.

And then you start to think ... how can one employee cause this much damage? What about my own business? What about insurance against these kinds of disasters? It’s a lot to think about on the way to work.
Andrew J Wood
General Manger
Chaophya Park Hotel, Bangkok

Poor baht bus drivers

Sir,

I refer to the meeting held at city hall on Jan 11 to discuss the upcoming Pattaya Bus Service. It’s read that the bus company has stated that Pattaya residents will be given a 50% discount on monthly tickets whilst tourists will pay the full rate. I sincerely hope that this means residents regardless of race.

I burst out laughing when I read that Bunjerd Tongdee, president of the baht bus “mafia” ... sorry, I meant “cooperative”, stated, “You have already started discounting the price before the service begins.” Well please forgive me if I’m wrong, but maybe I’m only imagining being charged 100% more than my fellow Thai passengers (including my Thai born wife) for the last 20 years I’ve been coming here, surely a discount judged purely on one’s race.

The baht buses have held a monopoly for far too long, so don’t expect me, or any other non Thai to shed a single tear if the new service means fewer greedy, unfair and at times hostile baht bus drivers who seem to take great pleasure in ripping off foreigners on the one hand, whilst expecting sympathy because they are all such pure, clean living, non-drinking, honest family men on the other.

David Cartner

PS: If anyone is contemplating writing to justify the unfair dual pricing policy rampant in Thailand, please do everyone a favour and give your head a good shake before putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)!

Dubious about pavement on beach

Editor;

I am pleased with the completion of the walkway around the ocean side of Dusit Resort as it makes for a pleasant stroll. However, I, too, am dubious about the pavement being laid down on the beach. Is the plan to run it all the way to Wong Amat? If done well at it might make for good jogging away from petrol fumes. If done poorly it would be a nightmare.

Emery Lapinski
Naklua

Locked doors at cinema

Editor;

Thank you for bringing to the attention the dangerous situation of locked doors at the cinema in North Pattaya. Hopefully, this will cause them to correct it and perhaps save many lives if a fire erupts.

Paul Shapiro

My bike please, sir…

Editor;

I recently parked my motorcycle legally on Beach Road, just south of the Royal Garden Mall, in front of the Nepal Clothing Store. I parked there at about 6:30 pm and there were no signs up at that time indicating any restrictions for parking hours. However, these signs do go up beginning about 7:00 pm, and they indicate no parking after that hour along that stretch. After parking and going for a stroll with some out of town Thai guests, we passed by the location about 8:15 pm, on our walk down towards Walking Street. I noticed that my motorcycle was missing from where I parked it. We asked a few people working around there and we were told that the police had just towed the bike away, just 10 minutes earlier. We had to go to the station at Soi 9 to get it.

We took a baht bus to the soi and were told about 20 minutes later that we should pay the fine, then we could take the bike. But the bike was at an impound lot located just north of North Pattaya Road, on Pattaya 3rd Rd. The fine was just 200 baht and was posted in the station (only in Thai, not English). But also there was the cost of the tow, which was an additional 300 baht. Total of 500 was paid, smiles given, and lots of jokes made about how there was no choice for me except to pay.

When we got to the impound lot, things went fairly easily as I had my receipt and they located my bike immediately. While backing the bike out, I noticed a deep gash in the right front panel of the bike. I cleaned it off and saw it was about ฝ inch wide, 3 inches long, and about 1/8 of an inch deep. This was not there when they took the bike. I paid good money for that motorcycle and did not appreciate that someone damaged my property. I told them that I was not happy they damaged the bike, and I wanted them to pay me for the damage so I could replace the panel.

Wow, was that a mistake. The head man there threw my receipt back at me, took my keys from the bike, and stormed away. I was in shock and finally followed him to ask for my keys, as I could not get into my condo without them. I intended to go back to the police station to complain. Instead, I got a big surprise.

Sitting next to the head man was … a policeman. I was told I could complain to him. I asked him to come over and look at the damage. He did so, and then said that it was nothing important and I should have kept my mouth shut and accepted the situation as it ‘was not so bad’. He spoke good English, plus my Thai friend was with me. I was now feeling insulted, coerced, and held hostage. And all this was done under the threat of violence on me and my Thai friend who accompanied me there. And the policeman just stood by quietly and witnessed this all, doing nothing to protect our property rights, or our right to safety in this fair city.

After a while the headman brought my keys over, again physically threatened my Thai friend, and finally gave me my keys after I said that I was prepared to accept the situation and leave. I have never witnessed anything like this before in my life and was shocked and offended at the lax attitude of the policeman during all of this. I could only come up with one conclusion, and that is collusion. They are all involved in this scam and I am just hoping that this letter will help others to avoid a similar situation. Watch where you park, pay the fines, and just smile. Otherwise, you could become a victim of violence, all in view of the local police who care nothing about your safety.

Perhaps the police department might want to investigate these types of business practices and who they assign their lucrative tow contracts to. Do you think they know who the strong armed men in this city are?

Sign me as:

Held Hostage in Pattaya

Each Day the Last

Dedicated to all those that have suffered through this terrible crises.

What would you do if you knew this would be your last day on earth? Probably you would spend the entire time trying to make amends for all your wrongs. But you cannot know in advance, just like the poor souls that were killed when the tsunami brought sudden destruction. So why not live today as though it were the last? Why not consider-

Each Day the Last
God, let me live my every day
As day if were my last
And try to make amends for all
The misdeeds that fill my past

Let me be kind to everyone
In thought and word and deed
And share what worldly goods I have
With those who are in need

Help me, O God, with strength of heart
And with Your holy grace
To walk in calm and patience and
To keep my humble place

I want to be Your servant, God
And always do Your will
Until my eyes are closed in sleep
Until my heart is still

Be merciful to me, O God
For my imperfect past
And let me live my every day
As if it were my last.

B. Phillip Webb Jr.

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