Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya City Immigration Police have arrested a Frenchman for sexually molesting a 14-year-old boy, following investigations that revealed the man had taken a minor into the Rainbow Apartment on Soi 17 in South Pattaya for suspected immoral purposes.
Police obtained Provincial Court Warrant No 8 Jor 7948089 and at 1 a.m. on August 9 officers entered the premises.

Luc Bernard Michel Rousslle (seated center) was arrested for sex with a minor under 15 years of age.

The man was known to be in room 107, and police requested a key from the staff so they could enter the room without prior warning. They found the man lying naked on the bed and hugging a Thai boy, who was also naked. The two were asked to dress and were then taken to Pattaya City Immigration for questioning.
Luc Bernard Michel Rousslle, a French national, confessed that he had paid 600 baht to the boy. He said he found the boy walking in the Soi Sunee area in South Pattaya, and that the boy was offering to sell his sexual services. Rousslle said he agreed to buy the boy’s services and took him back to the Rainbow Apartment.
Police charged him with committing an obscene act against a child less than 15 years of age.
The boy, who was given the alias of Noom, admitted that he had been offering to sell a sexual service to foreign men at the price of 600 baht. He said he wanted money for spending and that he had no parents and lived with a friend in a rented room at Soi Yensabai, South Pattaya. Noom said he offered himself everyday to foreign men in order to make money for buying food and paying the rent.
Pol Colonel Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai, superintendent of Pattaya Immigration Police said that Rousslle would be deported and his name placed on a blacklist to prevent him re-entering the country.

Monks found taking drugs in temple

Patcharapol Panrak
Two monks have left the priesthood after they were found taking drugs at Kao Chechan Temple in Bangsarae, Sattahip.
Residents in the area who attended the temple had made a complaint to Prakit Rotjanadilok, district chief of Sattahip, that two monks at the temple were regularly consuming ya ba on the premises.

After being defrocked, the monks are led away to face drugs charges.

Pol Sen Sgt Maj Winai Petprapai of Bangsarae police together with members of the Civil Volunteers of Bangsarae Sub-district and Border Protection Volunteers of Sattahip went to the temple on August 7 to investigate. The officers found Priest Jeerasak Samnakwicha (alias Sataro, age 26 years) and Priest Rangsan Chanjamlah (alias Tinaharo, age 32 years), both second-level theologians, in a suspicious condition.
The police officer asked the two priests for a urine sample to be tested at Bangsarae Police Box, and the results immediately showed up as violet, indicating positive.
The two monks, who had joined the priesthood on July 23, confessed that they had used drugs. They then voluntarily resigned from the priesthood, after which they were transferred to Sattahip Police Station to face charges of possession of Class 1 narcotics.
Surachet Kaewkam, deputy district chief of Sattahip, commenting on the case said that residents in the area of Kao Chechan Temple had made the complaint because they feared the temple would lose its reputation once people knew that monks were taking drugs there.
Sattahip district chief Prakit said that he had received many complaints about monks consuming drugs at several temples. The primary reason for them to become monks was to avoid problems outside the temple. Police are reluctant to enter the temples and so drug users feel they can continue to take drugs in the temple grounds without being disturbed. Prakit said a tighter method of control needs to be found.

Police sweep beach of hookers

Boonlua Chatree
Tourist Police descended on Pattaya Beach in the early hours of August 3 to round up the prostitutes and transvestites who have been annoying and embarrassing tourists by openly soliciting sex from beneath the palm trees and thereby sullying Pattaya’s reputation.

Police rounded up and arrested freelancers and transvestites from Pattaya Beach.
Pol Lt Col Suwan Aun-Anan, inspector at the Pattaya Tourist Police cooperated with Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh and city hall officials, together with Pattaya Municipal Police in organizing the raid.
Forty-one women and seven transvestites were arrested and charged with disturbing tourists, which infringes on Pattaya City regulations. They were fined 300 baht each before being warned and released.
During the vice cleanup, police also arrested a 42-year-old man, Adult Pan-Aram, who was distributing dry marijuana. He had one small pack on him. He was charged with illegal possession of Class 5 narcotics.
Pol Lt Col Suwan said that the women and transvestites on Pattaya Beach were a nuisance to tourists who wished to walk along the oceanfront at night, and that police will continue to curtail their activities.

Karaoke bar was a front for prostitution

Boonlua Chatree
Police from the Division for Suppression of Crime against Children, Juveniles and Women together with officers from Laem Chabang Provincial Police Station raided a karaoke bar that was also acting as a brothel and arrested the owner.

Police raided Nongporn Karaoke and found that it was being used as a front for prostitution.

Already suspecting that Nongporn Karaoke near to Nongpedhai Intersection in Sriracha was being used for nefarious purposes, police arranged a sting operation by sending an undercover officer into the premises with 2,000 baht with which he was to offer to buy sexual services.
Just after midnight on August 9, Laem Chabang police and officers from the Division for Suppression of Crime against Children, Juveniles and Women together with a social welfare official, totaling some 20 officers, surrounded the premises as the undercover officer entered.
Nongporn Karaoke is located in a four-story building with the ground floor used for karaoke and the upper floors partitioned into smaller rooms, some of them for staff and others as it was subsequently discovered for commercial sexual activity.
The undercover officer agreed to pay for sex with a female attendant in the bar and paid 2,000 baht as a service fee. Having taken the girl to a 2nd floor room he signaled to the waiting police, who then entered the premises.
The officers apprehended the bar owner, 58-year-old Mrs Jinda Sae Lim, who was sitting taking care of the young women in the bar. The 2,000 baht used in the sting was found and kept as evidence. A man found having sex with a woman in a room on the 2nd floor was arrested. Urine tests were carried out on customers and the staff, and one woman tested positive. She admitted to having taken ya ba. A female attendant aged 17 and consequently below the legal age for working in a bar was also discovered.
Jinda said that she had previously owned a similar establishment in a nearby building but that it had been damaged by fire. She had moved into the new premises at the beginning of the previous month. She had previously been arrested by an officer of Laem Chabang Provincial Police Station on a charge of procuring for prostitution, and the court had fined her 5,000 baht. Jinda said she pitied the young women, fearing that they would have no work, and admitted that the karaoke bar was a front for prostitution.
Police say that the standard charge for having sex with one of the girls in the bar was 650 baht per hour, of which 300 baht went to the bar owner.

One million seeds scattered over Koh Larn in reforestation program

The view from the helicopter as it circles over the area it is about to plant with over a million seeds.

Narisa Nitikarn
A million seeds have been scattered from a helicopter over Koh Larn as part of a program to reforest 2,000 rai of land on a mountain area that had previously suffered environmental damage.
Alongside the seeding, workers are planting 200,000 saplings in the areas that are easier to access.
The reforestation project, which is being supervised by the Koh Larn Office of Pattaya City Hall, is being undertaken to honor the 80th birthday of His Majesty the King, which will be celebrated on December 5.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn said this latest stage is part of a three-year program to replenish the forests on Koh Larn. The species planted on this occasion include the Margosa or Nim tree, Pterocarpus, Golden Shower or Indian Laburnum, Cassia and rubber tree.
The scattering of one million seeds was undertaken with a helicopter arranged by the Provincial Police, Area 2.
Sutham Petchket, deputy permanent secretary of Pattaya City in his capacity as Koh Larn Office director said that along with the planting of the perennial trees, city hall would have to instill environmental protection consciousness among the people living on Koh Larn to help conserve the forest, because the forest has been damaged by the Koh Larn people themselves.
Pracha Taerat, governor of Chonburi Province presided over the ceremony, which was also attended by students from Pattaya School No 10, members of staff from the Dusit Resort, and personnel from the Royal Thai Navy.
PTT Public Co Ltd meanwhile planted 200 trees around its gas plant and warehouse in Banglamung on August 12 in celebration of the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen. Other factories in Chonburi Province have plans to add greenery in and around their premises.

Motorcycle taxi riders attend training to improve image

Over 3,000 motorcycle taxi riders from Pattaya attended training as part of a program to enhance the tourism image of the city.

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
More than 3,000 motorcycle taxi riders from all over Pattaya attended training for two days as part of a program to enhance the tourism image of the city.
Organized by Pattaya City and Banglamung District, the training was held on August 7 and 8 at Pattaya School No 7 in Ban Nongpangkae.
Banglamung District chief Pratheep Jongsuebtham presided over the opening, which was also attended by Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh, Land Transportation Department officers, and representatives of Pattaya and Banglamung police stations.
The project was held to improve the skills of motorcycle taxi riders, encouraging them to be polite and friendly, and to give good service to visitors. The riders were also encouraged to respect the driving laws, and to be aware at all times of the importance of lives and property.
The training follows on from recent legislation that more closely controls motorcycle taxis, and the registering of drivers and their vehicles with the Department of Land Transportation.
Ronakit said the new legislation is starting to have visible effects, with good cooperation from riders. Taxi queue vests are now available in four colors for the four designated zones, and are being distributed.

Leading policewoman wins award

Boonlua Chatree
A leading Pattaya policewoman has received an award for her work in investigating crimes against women and children.
Pol Lt Col Ms Siraprapha Suparatchote, an investigator at Pattaya Municipal Police Station, received her award from the International Women’s Conference for Social Development and Human Security.

Pol Lt Col Ms Siraprapha Suparatchote (left) receives a top award from Prime Minister Gen Surayud Chulanont.

Prime Minister Gen Surayud Chulanont presented the award to her on last month.
Pol Lt Col Siraprapha has a BA in business administration and an MA in political science from Ramkhamhaeng University, and a BA and MA in law from Sukhothai Thamatiraj University. She has gained her Barrister at Law qualification from the Barristers Council,
During her 12 years and six months with the national police service, Pol Lt Col Siraprapha has served for eight years in Pattaya. She began her career as a deputy inspector at the Research Command Center in Bangkok, followed by four years at Bangna Municipal Police Station.
As a specialist in investigating crimes against women and children, and in human trafficking, she has undergone training at the National Police Headquarters, and in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Pol Lt Col Sirprapha is a Level 2 investigator at Pattaya Municipal Police Station and is attached to the Women and Children Protection Centre, which is under the Chonburi police department. The National Police Headquarters established the center in 1999.

PSC donates to school lunch program

Malinee Suwansaenee (2nd left), chairperson of the Association of Filipinos, together with Dennis Willett (4th right), PSC president, present 21 scholarships and 120,000 baht respectively to Dujduan Ruangwettiwong (3rd left), chairwoman of YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center. Ceremony witnesses include Nittaya Patimasongkroh (far left), Premruedee Jittiwutthikarn (4th left), Bernie Tuppin (3rd right), Mukda Maneeratjarassri, (2nd right) and Warapan Sukhonthasith
(far right).

Narisa Nitikarn
Pattaya Sports Club has donated 120,000 baht to the YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center for the YWCA’s school lunch program.
The center’s chairwoman, Dujduan Ruangwettiwong, informed the August meeting that PSC President Dennis Willett had presented the funds for the YWCA to use in visiting schools in Pattaya and nearby areas and providing a free lunch for the students.
The YWCA has also received 10 scholarships, valued at 18,000 baht, from Itthipol Khunplome, advisor to the mayor of Pattaya, and 11 scholarships valued at 19,800 baht from the Association of Filipinos. The donations were made at the Diana Garden Hotel in North Pattaya on August 7.
Wan Dokrak Ban, an event in which representatives of organizations that have donated scholarships are able to meet the students who have received them, will be held on August 21 at Mike Shopping Mall, 5th floor, from 10.30-15.00 hours.

Homemart changes name to Ban Chang

Vimolrat Singnikorn
The Homemart Center Company Ltd, which has two branches in Pattaya and Chonburi, has changed its name to the Ban Chang Group Ltd as part of a rebranding for the East Coast markets.

Khanchit Willaboonsiri, managing director of Homemart Center Co., Ltd., speaks about the brand name change from Homemart Center Co, Ltd. to Ban Chang Group.
Managing Director Khanchit Willaboonsiri said that at the same time there is a repositioning of the company’s policy towards good service both during and after sales, with training being given to staff to ensure a friendly service atmosphere at all times.
Ban Chang Group sells building materials to the retail and wholesale markets, and considers Chonburi and Pattaya to be solidly expanding markets because of the large amount of investment that is coming into the region.
Khanchit says that the stores have English and Dutch speaking employees, and skilled workers to install products and equipment where needed. Special emphasis is also being placed upon deliveries, he said.
Ban Chang distributes construction equipment, engineering tools, paints and chemical products, water supply materials and equipment, electrical products, cement, ceramics, sanitaryware and kitchen equipment. There is also a center that supplies everything needed for roofing.

Locals trained in conservation of dugong feeding grounds

Patcharapol Panrak
Rear Admiral Phajon Ramkomot, chairman of the working committee for the conservation and rehabilitation of dugongs (sea cows) and sea grass resources, who is also deputy commander of Navy Command Region 1 of the Strategic Fleet at Sattahip, conducted a training course at the Phurimaat Hotel in Ban Chang, Rayong last month.

A naval officer looks over the dugong preservation display at the Phurimaat Hotel in Ban Chang, Rayong.
Captain Athorn Khluobmat, head of public relations for the committee said the purpose of the course was to educate fishermen and other people living and working along the coast of Rayong on the conservation of dugongs and sea grass.
Captain Athorn said the two are closely connected, for sea grass is a supply of food for the dugongs, and consequently conservation of sea grass resources is part of the protection of the dugong species.
Organizations participating in the training included Rayong Province, Amphur Ban Chang, Phlaa District Office, the 3rd Maritime Police, District 5 Maritime Police, Burapha University Institute of Marine Science, Eastern Marine and Coastal Research Centre, Burapha University Chanthaburi, and the Center for the Development of Khung Krabae Cove. Sixty people attended.
Rear Admiral Phajon said that dugongs swimming and playing with young yachters in Sattahip Cove and watching them feeding off sea grass in Daan Cove at the Navy Base and in front of Aphakornkiativong Hospital only 15 meters offshore has drawn much interest from tourists and the public recently, because they are a rare sight nowadays.

99 sea turtles released into the ocean

Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay leads the group
releasing sea turtles back into nature.

Vimolrat Singnikorn
Green turtles and hawksbill turtles were released into the sea at Samae Beach on Koh Larn on August 6 as part of the national policy on conserving and enhancing the ocean’s resources.

Officials released 99 sea turtles in honor of Her Majesty’s birthday.

The turtles were from Sriracha Municipality’s Sea Turtle Preservation Center at Koh Loi Public Park. Sriracha Mayor Chatchai Timkrachang opened the brief ceremony for the event, which was also attended by Pattaya Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay.
The project to raise sea turtles and release them into the ocean began in 2000 as a cooperation between Sriracha Municipality, the Waste Water Management Authority, and Pattaya City. On this latest occasion, 99 sea turtles were released. They were all either green turtles or hawksbill turtles aged between three and five years.
Chelonia mydas is the formal name for the green turtle. It is known to grow up to 90-100 cm long and has the average weight of a mature individual, around 110-180 kilograms. The turtle’s plastron is a yellow hue, the limbs are dark-colored and lined with yellow, and are usually marked with a large dark brown spot in the center of each appendage. It feeds almost-exclusively on various species of sea grass and seaweed.
Otherwise known as Eretmocheiys imbricata, the hawksbill is a small to medium sized turtle with a shell length of 70 to 90 cm and an average weight of 35 to 36 kg. This species has two claws on each flipper and a beak-like mouth. The shell color is usually mottled brown with dark and light spots or streaks, and its undersides are light yellow or white. It feeds on small sea grass, plants, barnacles, fish, and especially sponges and sea urchins.