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Sattahip Market blaze
destroys houses and shops
Patcharapol Panrak
Fire razed Sattahip Market and destroyed more than 30 homes during the
afternoon of August 17.
The blaze began at or near a computer game shop on the seashore and the wind
fanned the flames into the market.
A helicopter and boat from Sattahip Naval Base were deployed together with
the Sattahip fire brigade to fight the blaze.
No one was seriously injured, but damages have been put at more than 10
million baht.
Sattahip Police Station was informed at 2 p.m. that a fire had broken out at
Sattahip Market along the seacoast road opposite Sattahip Temple.
Police then coordinated with the fire brigade, Sattahip Naval Base, the
Naval Aviation Division, a fire-fighting ship of the Naval Special Warfare
Unit, and the Special Flight Unit at Region 1 of the Naval Operations Fleet
at Sattahip.
Rescuers from Rojana Thamsathan Sattahip Foundation also attended the scene.
Investigators say that the fire may have begun at a computer game shop on
the seacoast road. A strong sea breeze blowing onto the coast caused the
flames to spread quickly inland to the row of wooden houses located along
the road to Sattahip Market, and the blaze destroyed the Or Phanich
newspaper wholesale shop, the Chokwattana tour company, a grocery shop, a
drug store, and a veterinary clinic, amongst other properties.
Mayor of Sattahip Narong Boonbancherdsri said the fire began on the second
floor of the computer game shop named Chato Games, although this is denied
by the owner of the shop, 16-year-old Sukee Wuthipreecha. Forensic
specialists are now trying to establish the cause of the blaze.
Sonthi Panyaprateep, 47, the owner of Sonthi Dental Clinic, said that while
he was in the clinic he had smelled smoke so he went to the upper floor and
saw smoke and flames coming from the back of the Chato Games Shop. He said,
however, that he could not be sure whether the fire broke out at the game
shop. Behind the shop there was a one-story wooden house beside the sea, and
it is possible the fire started there.
Sattahip District Chief Prakij Rojanadilok said that this is the third
serious fire in the area in recent times.
Admiral Satirapan Kaeyanon, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy has
assigned the 1st Region Fleet under Rear Admiral Phajon Ramkomut to set up a
disaster mitigation center within Sattahip Temple. Rear Admiral Rerngrit
Boonsongprasert, director of the Naval Civil Affairs Department is
coordinating the distribution of emergency supplies to those rendered
homeless, with rice, dried food, drinking water and clothes being
distributed.
People try to rescue whatever
property they can.
PBTA working with city hall to draw up long-term
water supply plan
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The Pattaya Business and Tourism Association says it is still concerned over
the city’s water supplies and has been working with city hall to prepare a
long-term water management plan that will be submitted to the governor of
Chonburi Province.
 Sa-nga
Kijsamrej.
Although the present supply of raw water does not present any difficulty,
says the PBTA, only 45 percent of the supplies going to residents and
business operators in the Pattaya City area is raw water from the Mabprachan
and Charknok Reservoirs, which are linked. Consequently, in the event of a
drought, such as happened in 2005, there could be an immediate impact on
living conditions and the local economy.
Sa-nga Kijsamrej, vice president of the association, says that city hall and
the PBTA have drawn up their own plans to resolve the water supply problem.
Approximately 6 million people are now visiting Pattaya each year, says
Sa-nga. The official figure for the city’s population, according to the
census, is 102,330 persons. Add to this a large number of unrecorded
residents and migrant workers, and the potential for a water supply crisis
becomes very real.
 The
PBTA is still worried that Mabprachan Reservoir will not be able to supply a
sufficient amount of water for Pattaya’s future needs.
City hall has conducted a survey to try and put a reliable estimate on
Pattaya’s “hidden” population, so that planning for utilities and the
calculation of budgets for safety and security, including adequate financing
of the police services, can be undertaken.
Presently the demand for water in Pattaya is approximately 130,000 cubic
meters per day, and this is likely to increase rapidly. Mabprachan Reservoir
can produce 36,000 cubic meters per day while Charknok Reservoir can produce
24,000 cubic meters per day. This, of course, is not nearly enough, so
Pattaya has been buying water from the Banglamung Filtration Plant, 28,000
cubic meters, and Sattahip, 25,000 cubic meters per day.
However, even this amount is not enough, and therefore, the PBTA, with
support from city hall, are appealing to the governor of Chonburi to look at
this case and push to lay new pipe to link Bangpra reservoir to Mabprachan
reservoir, as apparently the old pipes are rusted and of no more use.
East Water, meanwhile, has laid down new pipes to feed water from the basin
of the river in Rayong and from Bangpra Reservoir to Banglamung Filtration
Plant and Nongklangdong Filtration Plant.
Mabprachan Reservoir is able to produce a further 30,000 cubic meters of
water per day but connectivity problems impose a limit upon this.
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh says that city hall is working with the PBTA
and will submit the matter to the governor of Chonburi so that, as a
priority, new pipeline connections would be made to feed water into
Mabprachan Reservoir.
Navy buys fruit to
help Southern planters
Naval officers inspect longon
from the Southern provinces.
Patcharapol Panrak
The Royal Thai Navy has purchased almost 8,000 kilos of fruit to help
Southern planters, distributing it amongst its own agencies for resale.
Admiral Sathiraphan Kaeyanon, commander-in-chief of the Navy assigned the
Navy Civil Affairs Department, led by Rear Admiral Rerngrit Boonsongprasert
to coordinate with the Internal Trade Department and the Navy’s Marine
Special Task Force in the Southern region to purchase 7,740 kilograms of
longon from the planters of Muangtia Sub-District, Maelan District, Pattani
Province and distributed it to agencies under the Royal Thai Navy in Bangkok
and provincial areas.
The Naval Operations Fleet took 1,880 kg, Naval Coast Protection Fleet 500
kg, Royal Thai Marines Corps 3,000 kg, Air and Coastal Defense Command 1,030
kg, Sattahip Naval Base 810 kg, Naval Ordnance Department at Sattahip 410
kg, and the Recruit Training Center 110 kg.
Rear Admiral Rerngrit said this project would continue, and would help many
other areas. He said that longon from Tanyongmas, in Narathiwas Province can
currently be purchased at low prices such as 30 baht per kg for Grade A, 25
baht for Grade B and 20 baht for Grade C, and that the Royal Thai Navy had
already purchased more than 10,000 kg.
Urgently needed works to be undertaken at Bali Hai Pier
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Bali Hai Pier is to undergo repairs and improvements following a council
decision on August 15.
 Although
it doesn’t look too bad in this photo, the bridge leading to Bali Hai pier
is in need of work.
The improvements, the first time that work of this kind has been carried out
since the pier opened four years ago, will include the installation of a
security system.
City councilor Sanit Boonmachai said that repairs were urgently needed
because some of the pier’s facilities had deteriorated to a dangerous
degree, such as the boat landing rafts and the ladders that access them, the
bridge path, some of the metal work is deteriorating, as is the safety
rubber in the landing areas, and the electricity supply is not sufficient.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn said Bali Hai Pier has been very popular and
used heavily on a continuous basis, hence the degree of wear and tear on the
structure.
Navy and city hall combine for beach cleanup
Sailors pose with city workers
during their day out cleaning the beach.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Navy personnel and Pattaya City cleaning staff performed a cleanup of
Pattaya and Jomtien beaches on August 21.
The joint exercise, which is carried out every year, was part of the
celebrations surrounding the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen.
The New Recruit Training Center at Sattahip Naval Base sent personnel to
work together with city hall cleaning staff, and Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn inaugurated the occasion in front of an image of Her
Majesty.
Niran presented a memento of the event to Captain Virat Somchit, deputy
commander of the New Recruit Training Center prior to the combined cleanup
taskforce, which consisted of about 1,000 persons, beginning their work.
Most of the garbage collected during the day was plastic bags, together with
dead leaves and branches from the beachside trees.
Villagers claim officials buck
responsibility over dead turtles
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Bangpakong villagers who found a number of dead green sea turtles washed up
in the mangroves and reported the matter to the local authorities are
complaining that no one wants to take responsibility for examining the
possible cause of death and that the matter has simply been shifted from
department to department.
Chatree Kaencharoen, the 46-year-old village chief of Song Klong, in
Bangpakong, Chachoengsao Province said that villagers had informed him on
August 9 that a lot of green sea turtle carcasses had been found in the
mangroves. The turtles were very large, about 120 cm in length and with a 65
cm carapace, and weighed about 50 kg. They had probably been dead for two or
three days and had started to rot, he said. Waves had carried them into the
mangrove forest.
Chatree said he had informed the Bangpakong Aquatic Culture Center, the
District Fishery Office, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
However, none of them sent anyone to examine the carcasses. Instead, they
had shifted responsibility onto others, said Chatree.
Banthoon Ritdaecha, 32, said that during the morning before the carcasses
had been found a carcass had been discovered in the mangroves about 2 km
from the village. The villagers didn’t know why the creature had died, and
this species of sea turtle had not been found in this area before. The main
discovery was made when the tide went out.
Sitti Dangsakul, district fishery officer of Chachoengsao said that in the
Gulf of Thailand there are two types of large sea turtles, the green sea
turtle and the hawksbill. Both are in danger of becoming extinct, and the
Fishery Department and the Royal Thai Navy have a joint conservation program
to cultivate the eggs and release the young turtles back into the ocean. He
said this kind of turtle would not be found in a mangrove forest.
The green sea turtle lives in sea depths of 30 to 40 meters and comes to lay
eggs on the beach only in November and December. The carcasses will have to
be cut open to find the cause of death. Possibilities are entanglement with
fishing nets or the swallowing of plastic bags. Normally this turtle’s life
span is about 100 years, and those found were mature adults.
Briefing for volunteer police
Pol Col Sutin Suppuang
addresses Pattaya’s volunteer force.
Boonlua Chatree
Pol Col Sutin Suppuang, superintendent of Pattaya Police Station assembled
50 Volunteer Police officers on the afternoon of August 19 for a briefing on
their duties.
He told the volunteers that their entire performance should be based on the
concept of service, both to residents and to foreign visitors. The
volunteers are generally gathered by police radio calls, and support the
regular police in their patrols.
Pol Col Sutin said that the purpose of gathering the volunteers on this
occasion, which took place in the car park in front of the police station,
was to ensure that they worked smoothly and efficiently with the regular
force when called upon.
Baywatch: Down in the dumps beside the temple
Narisa Nitikarn
Photos by Vimolrat Singnikorn
If you think this pile of garbage dumped on the pathway beside Chaimongkol
Temple is large, take a look during the nighttime and you will find it is
even larger. Somebody is dumping all this rubbish beside the temple wall
during the night, expecting the waste collection services to clear it away.
Yet what do we find just 50 meters further down the pathway? Large bins that
have been provided for the collection of garbage. This is too far,
apparently, for the garbage dumpers to walk.
A further 50 meters away there are two holes in the ground. These were dug
about a month ago, but the purpose is unknown and nothing has been done
since. Nothing has been done to cover the holes, and they are a danger to
anyone walking in this area. What a wonderful advertisement this all is for
tourists visiting Pattaya. But it could be worse. The garbage dumpers might
discover the holes and realize they are perfect receptacles for storing
their rubbish.
British man holds loaded gun to head of Finnish visitor
Boonlua Chatree
Police have arrested a British man who showed off in front of a bargirl by
pointing a loaded pistol at the head of a Finnish man who was talking to
her.
 Henley
Spensor (right) continued to be unruly at the police station until a foreign
police volunteer managed to calm him down.
The incident happened at 4:30 p.m. on August 22, with police being called
out to the Jane Beer Bar in Pattaya New Plaza on Second Road.
They found a very frightened Jonathan Qvarnstram, a 26-year-old Finnish
national, who said he had been sitting and drinking with a bargirl inside
the bar. A foreign man at the next table was looking at him in an unpleasant
fashion. The man then came up and asked for a light for his cigarette, but
Qvarnstram said his attitude was menacing, and he refused.
The man then took a gun out from his waist and pointed it at Qvarnstram’s
head. Kaew Kaewsa-Ard, the 38-year-old owner of the bar, shouted a warning
at the man and then escorted him off the premises. The man put his gun away
and rode off on a motorcycle. Kaew told the bargirl to alert the police, who
then sent out a radio report.
Traffic police intercepted the suspect as he was riding into Chatkaew
Village 3 on Soi Wat Bunsampan 11. The man appeared to be drunk, and was
bragging to the officers and villagers that he knew many high-ranking
policemen. A 9mm pistol loaded with three bullets and with one spent
cartridge was found upon him. He was taken to Pattaya Police Station.
At the station the man was aggressive, and stripped off his clothing. He was
identified as Henley Spensor, a 32-year-old British citizen. Spensor
continued to shout and ask for beer from the police. A foreign volunteer
officer persuaded him to be quiet.
Spensor said that he had bought the gun from a policeman friend he named as
Noi, for 7,000 baht. He said he only wanted to use it to threaten his
enemies.
Bar owner Kaew said that Spensor usually came to drink at the Jane Beer Bar,
but the night before he had had a dispute with his girlfriend. He had become
drunk and gone home, but returned in the afternoon for more beer. He became
very drunk. Spensor then asked Qvarnstram for a light for his cigarette, and
when the Finn refused he took out the gun and placed it against his head.
Qvarnstram told police he didn’t want to press charges, because Spensor
hadn’t injured him. The man was drunk, and jealous because of the bargirl.
Police, however, have charged Spensor with carrying a firearm and ammunition
in public, and will report the case to the Immigration Police with the
recommendation that Spensor’s visa be withdrawn, as his behavior is a danger
to life and property.
Laborer axes neighbor
in head during a quarrel
Boonlua Chatree
A man has been arrested for killing his neighbor with an axe during a
quarrel.
Police received a report at 3:20 a.m. on August 18 that a man had been
killed during a fight at a house on Soi Siam Country Club opposite Pattaya
train station. Officers led by Pol Col Sarayut Sa-Nguanpokai and rescue
workers from Sawang Boriboon Foundation went to the scene.
 An
emotional scene ensued during the arrest, as Pranom’s three children
encircled their father and tried to prevent police arresting him.
They found the corpse of Supat Wongsa, a 45-year-old laborer from Chiang
Rai, lying on his back covered in blood. He had been cut in the back of the
head, causing a wound more than 30cm long that extended round to his ear.
The deceased man’s wife and four-year-old son were crying beside the body.
Supat’s wife, Mrs Nang Nual, a 55-year-old resident of Surin, said that the
murderer was a neighbor. Officers surrounded the suspect’s house 50 meters
away from the murder scene and arrested Pranom Wongpia, age 42, a laborer
from Srakaew. The man was in a state of drunkenness. There was an emotional
scene, as Pranom’s three children encircled their father and tried to
prevent police arresting him.
Pranom said that previously he and his family, who had been close friends
with Supat and his family, had been sharing Supat’s house. Pranom had
obtained work as a railway worker and had been able to move out and build
his own house nearby. After moving his family into their own home, Pranom
said that Supat and his wife had acted very coolly to him. Perhaps they
thought he had forgotten their kindness when he was out of work.
Then Supat had become verbally abusive towards Pranom, especially when Supat
had been drinking. On the night of the quarrel, Pranom had taken his family
out to eat, and when they returned Supat was sitting and drinking in front
of his house with his wife. Supat began shouting and saying abusive things
about Pranom’s parents.
After an argument, Supat had chased Pranom back into his own house and
struck at him with a 1-foot-long knife. Pranom, however, had a sacred
tattoo, and the knife was unable to injure him. He picked up an axe of his
own that he used for cutting firewood, and a fight started. Supat’s wife
joined in. Then Supat fell to the ground.
Pranom has been charged with unlawful killing and his case will appear
before the court.
Gunman sought after
snooker bar shooting
Boonlua Chatree
Police are seeking a gunman after a man was shot and injured at a snooker
bar in the early hours of August 22.
Officers from Pattaya Police Station were called out to the snooker bar,
which is located opposite the Pattaya Bell Hotel on Soi Pratamnak 4. Blood
was found on the snooker table in the entrance area. The owner of the bar
said the gunman had fled, and that the injured man had been taken to Pattaya
Memorial Hospital.
Police questioned witnesses before going to interview the victim. He was
identified as Pasan Thabthong, age 23. He had been shot to his right
shoulder, and the bullet was still in his body.
Jeerawat Jitchana, a friend of the victim who had taken him to the hospital,
stated the two of them had been playing snooker together. They had then
stepped outside the bar and sat at the roadside. Five youths on three
motorcycles had ridden up and parked in front of the bar and gone inside.
Their leader, a man named as Un, had tried to pick a fight with someone in
the bar, accusing him of injuring his brother. The owner had asked him to
leave, as he was disturbing the customers, and the group then came out of
the bar.
Un took out a gun and threatened revenge on the person who he said had
injured his brother. He was very angry and shot at the floor in the snooker
shop. Then he saw Pasan, who was sitting and looking on. Un shouted at
Pasan, asking him why he was looking at him, and if he wanted trouble. He
then shot Pasan in the shoulder with the .38 caliber pistol and fled with
his group.
Police said they knew Un lived near the scene and that they are confident of
finding him.
Police blockade Soi Sunee Plaza in narcotics raid
Boonlua Chatree
Police blockaded Soi Sunee Plaza in the early hours of August 18 and
assembled staff from the gay bars in the area to test them for narcotics
use.
Pol Col Sutin Suppuang, superintendent of Pattaya Police Station, and
Pratheep Chongsubthum, Banglamung District chief, supervised the raid.
Police herded 200 males who had been dancing or selling their services in
the bars and subjected them to urine tests. Traces of narcotics were found
in the urine of 10 of those tested, and they were removed to Pattaya Police
Station for questioning.
Pol Col Sutin said that the raid was intended to stop the spread of drugs
amongst the gay go-go bars of Soi Sunee Plaza, which are highly popular
venues for foreign gay men visiting Pattaya.
Oxen and buffalo released
to raise funds for South
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Offerings were made for monks in 266 temples in four Southern provinces on
August 18, and oxen, buffalo, fish and birds released as part of the merit
making ceremony.
 Chonburi
Deputy Governor Roengsak Mahawinitchaimontree participates in the event to
support temples in the south.
The ceremony, for temples in Yala, Pattani, Naratiwat and Songkla, was held
at Pattaya School No 2 and was part of the celebrations surrounding National
Mothers Day, which occurred on August 12.
Abbot Ratwisuthimanee of Chonburi presided over the gathering, with the
devotees wearing yellow.
Abbot Sankharaksamniang Naratho, representing the Southern temples, and
Penprapa Indharapol, representing the people of the South, discussed the
unrelenting situation in the region. Abbot Sankharaksamniang said the monks
in the South live as if they were in a prison. “They must close the temple
door for safety. They must be careful when going out to receive food
offerings. They must check thoroughly when a villager intends to make merit
at the temple.”
 Local
citizens, shown here presenting robes to monks, turned up en masse to
support 266 temples in the 4 southern provinces.
Money was presented to 20 representative abbots, and 12 oxen and buffalo
will be released and funds raised in this way will also be sent to the
South. As part of the merit making, more than 100,000 fish and birds were
released at Yanasangwararam Temple.
The oxen and buffalos will be given to agriculturists within the Ox-Buffalo
Bank Project, which is under the auspices of His Majesty the King. The
recipients will feed the animals and use them for their farming activities.
The Department of Livestock Development in Chonburi will supervise and
monitor the handing over of the cattle.
HRH Princess Soamsawalee sends emergency supplies to flood victims in Chiang Rai
With help from the Royal Thai
Navy, Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawalee has sent 2,500 bags of
emergency supplies to help support flood
victims in Chiang Rai.
Patcharapol Panrak
Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawalee has sent 2,500 bags of emergency
supplies to help support flood victims in Chiang Rai.
On August 18, Her Royal Highness appointed her assistant secretary, Mrs
Somtawin Yangyoo, to organize the supplies from the Princess Pa Foundation,
at the Thai Red Cross. An airplane hangar of the 201st Squadron, Royal Thai
Naval Air Division at U-Tapao Airport was used for the packing of the bags,
which was undertaken by a taskforce from Royal Thai Navy departments in
Sattahip, Chonburi, Ban Chang and Rayong.
The Recruit Training Center at Sattahip Naval Base sent 150 personnel, while
others came from the Royal Thai Naval Air Division, the Patrol Squadron,
Sattahip Commercial Port, and the Navy Supply Center at Sattahip Naval Base.
Goods in the emergency bags included rice, dry food, medicine, drinking
water and other daily necessities. Collection and packaging of the supplies
took two days, and the bags were then rushed to Chiang Rai.
Rotarians rally for fire victims
Narisa Nitikarn
Rotarians from District 3340 R.I. have raised funds to help the victims of
the Sattahip fire that destroyed 40 buildings on the coast road at Sattahip
Market on August 17.
 PDG
Jin Srikasikorn (right), on behalf of Dr. Arnon Chirajavala, District
Governor of Rotary International District 3340, hands 30,000 baht to
Ronnachai Visessuvan, who, along with is wife, suffered from the fire on
August 17.
Amongst the unfortunate victims of the fire were Rotary Past Assistant
District Governors ADG. Ronnachai and his wife ADG Prapapan Vises-suvan both
members of the Rotary Club of Sattahip.
On hearing of this most unfortunate incident which brought suffering to the
residents of Sattahip, District Governor Dr. Arnon Chirajavala and Rotarians
in the neighboring Rotary clubs rallied together to raise funds for
presentation to the couple, to help alleviate some of their suffering.
On Thursday August 23, at the meeting of the Rotary Club of Sattahip, PDG
Jin Srikasikorn represented District 3340 in donating 30,000 baht, to the
Vises-suvan household. Other donations included 10,000 baht from President
Preecha Peethong on behalf of the Rotary Club of Pattaya, from the Rotary
Club of Plutaluang by President Usa Charoenying, the Rotary Club of
Sattahip, represented by President Nichapat Srisutthiyakorn and the Rotary
Club of Jomtien-Pattaya led by DGE Pratheep Malhotra and PP Alvi
Sinthuvanik. The total donation amounted to 105,000 baht.
In a message delivered by PDG Jin, District Governor Dr Arnon said that
although compared to the amount lost in the blaze the donation is a modest
one, but it does help to boost the morale of the victims who are fellow
Rotarians.
Ronnachai Vises-suvan puts on
a brave face and smiles as he thankfully accepts aid from Rotarians, (l-r)
President Preecha Peethong, President Usa Charoenying, President Nichapat
Srisutthiyakorn and DGE Pratheep Malhotra.
200 drug abusers
complete rehab course
Patcharapol Panrak
A ceremony to present certificates to 200 drug offenders who have undergone
rehabilitation at Wiwatpolamuang School on the Royal Thai Navy Base at
Sattahip was held on August 18.
 Naval
officers present certificates to the graduating class.
Director of the school Captain Thee Upanisakorn, who is also commander of
the New Recruit Training Center, presided over the occasion.
The drug rehabilitation course was carried out under a new method of
intensive therapy designed by the Thanyarak Institute and took place over a
period of 120 days.
Captain Thee said that the treatment was undertaken under the guidelines
laid down in the Drug Addict Rehabilitation Act, BE 2545.
Sign of the times
as Town In Town closes
100 workers lose their jobs as hotel converts
to serviced apartments
Hotel executives meet with
employees,
giving them the bad news that the hotel is closing.
Theerarak Suthatiwong
One of Pattaya’s best-known hotels has been forced to close by the downturn
in the economy, with the loss of more than 100 jobs.
The three-star Town In Town Hotel in Central Pattaya, which first opened its
doors 16 years ago and which was a popular venue for meetings in addition to
providing accommodation, is to become serviced apartments.
 The
Town In Town Hotel in Central Pattaya, which first opened its doors 16 years
ago, is to become serviced apartments.
Surapon Lertmetta, a director of the hotel, called a meeting of staff and
management at noon on August 16 to explain the reasons for the closing of
the Town In Town. A decline in the number of guests staying at the hotel
coupled with the worsening economy had led to the operating expenses
becoming greater than the profits. The hotel, said Surapon, had ceased to be
viable.
The Town In Town had 16 floors and 360 rooms, and was serviced by more than
200 staff members. The board of directors had decided the only option was to
close the hotel and reopen as serviced apartments. This, said Surapon, meant
making more than 100 staff members redundant, but that a significant number
of jobs would be saved to operate the apartments business.
He said that the closure had only been done with the greatest reluctance,
and he asked for understanding from those members of staff who had been laid
off.
“The hotel must transform into a smaller business so that it and some part
of the staff can survive in the future,” said Surapon.
An additional problem for the hotel, as any hotelier will immediately
appreciate, is its location, said Surapon. Pattaya has seen many new hotels
open in recent years, and most are located near the ocean or other
attractions. But Town In Town is located in the city center, and was not
able to attract a wide enough interest from tour groups or customer groups.
Staff will receive all the benefits to which they are legally entitled, and
the Chonburi Provincial Labor Protection and Welfare Office will oversee the
situation and make sure that everyone is treated fairly. Welfare officer
Chockchai Gerdnaimongkon was present to assure staff that their rights will
be respected.
Former general manager of the hotel Mrs Anyama Prasoppon, who is
representing all the laid-off staff members, agreed that the hotel directors
were acting in a responsible fashion by offering compensation to those who
were losing their jobs.
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