HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

To wash or not to wash

Even more on baht bus overcharging

Stupid farang tricks

International criminals

Rail connection now!

Motorway connection Lake Mabprachan

Division of Jerusalem Won’t Bring Peace

To wash or not to wash

The Editor;
To wash or not to wash after use of bathroom is a no-brainer (‘hand washing police’... page 14, September 28). Which man in his right mind is going to scrub clean after merely touching his you-know-what only to gather millions of bacteria from the handle on the open inwards door when leaving a public lavatory? I often wait until another user enters or leaves to avoid touching the door.
Lavatory/bathroom/restroom/loo doors should open outwards and having a sturdy kicking plate at the base. Better still no door but a “chicane” for modesty.
Yours etc.,
Good Loos

Even more on baht bus overcharging

Hello All,
Imagine living in a city that has low fared public transportation that is readily available whenever you want or need it. You don’t have to worry about finding the bus stop or even waiting for the next scheduled arrival. All you have to worry about is minding your belongings and your head as you get on and off. How much would we have to pay for such a service back home I wonder?
The public transportation where I live is expensive and anything but convenient, unlike the baht buses which are both. I have always paid ten baht as I was told when I first arrived nearly ten years ago that it was the appropriate fare. So what’s that? Fifty cents? Yes maybe it’s cheaper for the Thais and some people feel they are discriminated against because they are foreigners but is it really worth bellyaching over five baht? These will be the same people who would cry for the baht buses to return if they were ever taken away. Really, aren’t there better issues to complain about?
Sincerely,
Patrick Lane

Stupid farang tricks

Editor;
Whilst I am equally tired of the stupidity encountered on the roads here in Pattaya I also feel mentally drained for having to deal with farangs who come to Thailand wanting to be more stupid than some of our native drivers who shouldn’t have licenses in the first place. For the Pattaya Beach Bum (an apt description) to try to compare the few people who violate road rules in Washington DC to that of Pattaya borders on ridiculous if not delusion. Why do farangs come here thinking they should be as lawless and without common sense as some of the Thais?
Here is a case in point. Several months ago I saw a foreigner riding a motorcycle with a flat sidecar - one of those three wheeled motorcycles if you will. Inside the sidecar was a pram which the idiot was holding whilst using his left hand to accelerate, steer and brake. Yes, inside the pram was a baby. Let’s look at this pragmatically, with some brains and a western point of view. If any parent were seen in a western country putting the baby at such risk, the government would take the baby from this irresponsible father, and they should. I’m tired of seeing 5 people on a motorbike, or baht buses so laden with passengers, the front wheels barely make contact. This is Thailand and these people haven’t come close to a western standard.
When I see the statement made by the Pattaya Beach Bum: “At least in Thailand I don’t have to strap the kids into a straight jacket for a short trip to the market,” I have to wonder if he has children at all. It’s at best a stupid statement, at its worst it shows someone devoid of common sense and someone who cares not one wit for the safety of their children. What the bum doesn’t understand is that the reason for having government in the first place is to protect the rights of the individual that cannot protect them on their own. A baby has no choice when it comes to being born to stupid fathers who think nothing of their safety, only their own inconvenience. When I take my six-month old out, it’s a production. I imported a proper car seat from the West and I use it 100 percent. The extra time and energy to take him in and out, even for short trips is nothing for me as his safety trumps my inconvenience. My little boy will see me as his protector. I suppose if I were an idiot with a bum mentality, I’d toss him in the back seat for a short trip and hope he doesn’t get thrown too much while unrestrained.
Shame on you Beach Bum.
Geoffrey Humphreys,
Pattaya

International criminals

Dear Editor;
It is distressing to see how many criminals are now coming to Thailand to victimize both farang and Thai citizens. It is almost a weekly occurrence noted in your paper. In many cases, these people have extensive criminal records and convictions in their own country. How do they enter the kingdom so easily when all visitors are supposedly screened and documented upon arrival? If these thugs are able enter Thailand so easily, what is to stop terrorists which are looking for targets where many farang congregate?
Regards, Bill Turner
California, USA

Rail connection now!

Editor;
Pattaya and the east coast do not need more highway connections, as they will be filled up with even more cars. Now we need a fast and reliable rail connection between Bangkok - Suvarnabhumi and the east coast. Hopefully work will start soon on the double tracking project between Chachoengsao and Sriracha, making this possible in near future. The powerful bus organization in Thailand will of course try to destroy such plans! Most of us are tired of them and endless traffic jams!
Yours,
Sven,
Central Pattaya

Motorway connection Lake Mabprachan

Dear Editor;
Your lead article in the Pattaya Mail of October 5, 2007 covered the continued, never ending saga: ring road here - access road there - connecting road everywhere - several past and present options, etc.
To be perfectly honest I don’t understand where we, the ordinary folks stand. I believe a map, in colour, outlining past and present and future options as they stand as of today would give many involved with properties in the closer vicinity a clearer picture of the various options.
Thank god I am personally not involved, but the poor folks around the Crocodile Farm area leading to Soi 31 Sukhumvit Road along Soi Crocodile Farm, not withstanding all those between “Croc” Farm and the railway lines, I am certain, are quite rightly confused. I am not even speaking about the traffic from the South to the North and vice-versa through Pattaya.
Is by “keeping the potential buyers in the dark” one of many the reasons of a marked melt down in the property sector - I am sure this cannot be the sole reason though!
Outside water to Lake Mabprachan - who cares?
There is maybe somebody out there who cares for the long term future and success of the Eastern Seaboard’s most important resort to take a stand. Preferably from the “Olympus” of the city hall, of our beloved city, to elaborate on the future of the water pipe, which should have brought additional “wet” to Lake Mabprachan? All we know: there is an important link missing to connect existing pipes to the intake of the lake. Hence no additional water, should we again have a draught like 3 years ago! I understand the funds were made available at the time - are these funds still available or why does the job not get completed? Just a simple question!
Pattaya Mail - Please keep up your fine work with constructive information through your publications and TV News.
Yours very fondly,
Trafficante Horribiles
Ed’s note: We hope this map might help clear up the matter.

Division of Jerusalem Won’t Bring Peace

Editor;
The recent speculation in the media that the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was alluding to the division of Jerusalem in the cause of peace will not, and should not, bear fruit. I say this due to the fact that hard liners on both sides of the fence will not let this become a settlement and as usual, there will be vigilante injustice to follow. Would it only be that as a practical solution Jerusalem could be declared and recognized internationally as a free state of some sort and belong to all faiths. I believe that many in the world would welcome this solution, but alas, too many of the faithful would again be set against utopia.
Best regards,
Gary Dale Cearley

Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail
are also published here.