HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Long live His Majesty the King

Pattaya’s tourism changes over the years

Songkran exodus

What does it matter?

ATM theft

Dual pricing in England

More on dual pricing

Long live His Majesty the King

Dear Editor,
It was heartening to learn of His Majesty, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, decision to grant a royal pardon to Swiss citizen Oliver Jufer, after Mr. Jufer was convicted of violating Thailand’s lese majeste laws. His Majesty’s act of compassion and mercy in granting said pardon set a shining example that the leaders of all nations, everywhere, should embrace and emulate. HM The King’s wisdom in this matter is commended.

Both Thailand and the Thai people are strong enough and resilient enough to survive the Oliver Jufer episode. Thailand is not weakened by Mr. Jufer’s release from prison. Indeed, Mr. Jufer and his antics are but the momentary lapse of a single man, a single human being. Mr. Jufer’s antics may have offended many throughout Thailand, and even offended the law, itself. However, a society with laws cannot rightfully expect justice if it dispenses with mercy and concerns itself only with prosecuting and sentencing those who offend and violate its laws. His Majesty’s pardon of Mr. Jufer embodies one of the highest aspirations of the Thai people - their unwavering and longstanding desire for a more just society.

I hail from America, but on this day, I salute Thailand and His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. In America, we have no monarchy. Our nation severed our allegiance to the English king over two centuries ago. We did so for just and noble reasons. Had that king displayed the wisdom then that HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej has demonstrated recently, then America might not have a president now, but a king.

There is more than just a little irony in the fact that America is touted as being a superpower in the world, yet our own leaders do not currently rise to the level of leadership that HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej has demonstrated. If His Majesty can forgive Oliver Jufer, perhaps the Thai people can do likewise, as well. Mr. Jufer is a human being, and as such, prone to antics and to errors in judgment. That hardly makes him an enemy of the Thai state, nor deserving of unending personal animosity on the part of the Thai people at large.

It is no mere coincidence that Thai politicians do not enjoy the enduring popularity of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. His Majesty is not merely King, but rather, he conducts himself in a kingly manner, as befits the true leader of a nation.
Long live HM the King!
Charles Mosteller
Tigerville,
South Carolina

Pattaya’s tourism changes over the years

Editor;
Having been a visitor to Thailand since 1971 and here virtually every month for the past twelve years, I need hardly say that I love Thailand and its people.

However, I am becoming very perplexed at current changes in immigration and local policing policy that seemingly is doing everything it can to deter tourists from making return visits.

Two incidents in the past week. Last April 4th, the traffic police set up a road block on Thappraya Road opposite Nirvana Place stopping dozens of motorcycles for inspection. I happened to be a passenger on the back of one and as my driver was found to be in fault (I never did find out what it was) he like all but two in the next hour and a half I was waiting there, had to go by motorcycle taxi into town to pay a fine. No problem with that. But there is absolutely no doubt that 90% of those stopped were foreigners and as many were on rented bikes they were having a hard time finding out what exactly was wrong with their documentation from non-English speaking police. Some had passports confiscated (no reason given by the policemen) others were fined apparently because they did not have one on them (at 10 in the morning!) and excuses such as it was back in their respective hotels were not acceptable. I am sure that several tourists amongst those sent off without their bikes to pay the fine that will not be returning to Thailand to face the hassle.

Another messy saga today. I hold a one year multi-entry visa and as the 90 day stay was near expiration I went by mini-bus to Cambodia to obtain a renewal. The Thai departure non-smiling immigration officer spent nearly ten minutes examining my UK passport page by page and then turned the Thai visa sideways and upside down examining that as if he had never seen one before! The Cambodia entry and exit was simple and quick. Back to the Thai Arrival and my passport was subject to yet another page by page checking and finally I was granted another 90 day visa. My gripe is that the officer had quite obviously not been to the much publicised immigration officer "greeting course" as he was very abrupt and rude in every way! The comments afterwards from my bus companions were the same ... shock at how they treat visitors as if all are criminals or travelling on forged documents. Is this a major problem nowadays? If so, a polite explanation and apology for the long checking delay would have been very well accepted.
James Bridges

Songkran exodus

Dear Sir;
With regard to the Songkran Festival, from observation many foreigners living in Thailand are now choosing Songkran as a time to leave the country. This exodus is indicative of how a once lovely custom has been allowed to degenerate into something that many find no longer palatable. What’s more it looks as if the whole thing will last one week in Pattaya. I leave on the 11th of April and will be back when the mayhem is finished.
Brian,
Pattaya

What does it matter?

Dear editor
Don Juan made some comments about spelling in Thai being written in one way and being pronounced in another. I don’t think English speakers like us have any reason to complain about how a word that originates in Thailand is spelt.

Let’s face it, the signs are for those that use English. Not only for those that speak or read it as a first or even second language.

The fact is, many people use English in different ways. Those from America or places in Europe pronounce combinations of letters differently. In the UK local accents are very different and so is pronunciation but we are reading the same letters.

The most important thing is communication.

The English language has built in redundancy so whole words, never mind letters can be missing but the meaning is still apparent. If I see a sign to Jomtien I know it’s the same place as Chom Tien.

It’s not easy to be consistent when one language has many more letters and in particular vowels than another.

There are often arguments about these spelling differences, but they have no real meaning.
Ken Way
UK

ATM theft

Editor;
I am a disabled American living in Pattaya and my financial resources are limited.

On March 7, 2007 I used my Bangkok Bank ATM card to withdraw money from an ATM at Krung Thai Bank. The remaining balance was 51,339 baht. The next day on March 8 over 50,000 baht was stolen from my account in numerous transactions and I was left with 760 baht in my account.

I reported the theft to Bangkok Bank and I made a report to the Pattaya Police. Bangkok Bank told me that the ATM transactions were made in a foreign country but I never gave or loaned my ATM card to another person.

This appears to be the work of a well organized criminal group. There are probably many other victims of this type of theft in Thailand. People need to be especially careful when making ATM withdrawals and if they notice improper activity in their account, they need to report it to their bank immediately.

The banks need to upgrade their security at their ATM to protect themselves and to protect the people who use their machines.
Clinton L. Sumrall

Dual pricing in England

Editor;
I believe that the letter from Mr Ashendon with the picture of UK dual pricing was incomplete. Nowhere did I see on the picture the price for ‘Farangs’. Perhaps you could ask Mr Ashendon to supply the missing picture with the "Foreigners 25.00 pounds" clearly displayed, as it is here in Thailand.
Regards,
Freddie Clark

More on dual pricing

Dear Editor;
I refer to Ian Ashenden’s letter and photograph entitled ‘Dual Pricing in England’ in the April 6th edition of Pattaya Mail. Ian, I think you have missed the point with respect to the controversial subject of dual pricing within Thailand. The admission charges at St John’s College merely show a sensible reduced rate for senior citizens, students and children; i.e. those people who earn little or no money. If a foreign couple took their elderly parents and young children to St John’s College they would pay the same admission charge as displayed on the board, i.e. same as English people.

The dual pricing within Thailand is discriminatory, and in some cases bare-faced robbery. Example: Last week I took my Thai wife and 3 of her school age relatives to the Million Years Stone Park, admission charge for each of them is 100 baht, no reduced rate for children!, whilst I had to pay 300 baht. Now I could accept a slightly higher admission charge of say 50%, but 200% is, in my opinion, daylight robbery.

What can be done about this discriminatory charge for foreigners? Probably very little, but here is a suggestion: Send a tour bus packed with about 30 foreign tourists to one of these attractions, if the foreign admission charge is well out of proportion to that of the locals, get everybody back on the bus and leave, after telling whoever is in charge at attraction the reason why. In the above example the attraction would have lost 3,000 baht if charged at the local rate and 9,000 baht at the foreign rate. Maybe they would eventually get the message.
Wally Cook,
Pattaya resident

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