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Royal Barge procession honors HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Traditional ceremony down the River of Kings
brings joy and hope to His loyal subjects
Bangkok (AP) - Trumpets and rhythmic chants echoed
across the Chao Phraya River on Monday in a rare procession of gilded boats
honoring His Majesty the King, who has been hospitalized for three weeks and
was unable to attend the tribute.
More than 2,000 oarsmen rowed 52 ceremonial boats down the river in a grand
floating parade known as the Royal Barge display. It floated past the ornate
riverside Grand Palace and the city’s most famous Buddhist temples.
HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej usually presides over the ceremony - just the
16th since he ascended the throne in 1946 but part of a 300-year-old
tradition.
Instead, HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn took his father’s seat inside
a shaded pavilion at the center of the main barge, fanned by an attendant as
thousands of onlookers crowded the river banks to glimpse the boats. The
bows of the royal barges were adorned with figures of serpents, swans, a
seven-headed dragon and other creatures.
Royal Barge processions have marked coronations, Buddhist religious
ceremonies and the king’s birthday.
Monday’s procession marked the end of the three-month Buddhist Lent, but
came ahead of celebrations to honor the revered monarch’s 80th birthday on
Dec. 5.
A large stretch of the Chao Phraya, the busy waterway that cuts through
Bangkok, was closed to boats for several hours Monday. Several major streets
and bridges along the route also were closed during the ceremony.
HM the King has recovered
Discharged from hospital
amidst cheering subjects
His Majesty king was discharged from the hospital on
Wednesday after more than three weeks of treatment for a colon infection and
weakness on the right side of his body.
Thousands of cheering, flag-waving well-wishers, as well as members of the
royal family, were on hand as King Bhumibol Adulyadej rolled out of the
hospital in an electric wheelchair and then proceeded to Chitralada Palace,
his Bangkok residence.
The HM the King smiled and stopped to speak to several people at Siriraj
Hospital.
“The king has now recovered, his blood pressure in normal, his colon has
recovered and there is no longer a shortage of blood flow to the brain,” a
statement from the Royal Household Bureau said.
Doctors advised the king to continue physical exercise to regain muscle
strength, the palace said.
The king was admitted on Oct. 13 to the hospital, where large crowds
gathered regularly to express their concern. A major celebration is planned
for his 80th birthday Dec. 5. (AP)
Hotel room rates to rise as Pattaya goes for upper end of tourism market
Chatchawan Supachayanont
(right) announces hotel rooms in Pattaya
are going to become more expensive next year following a decision
by THA-EC to increase room rates.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Hotel rooms in Pattaya are going to become more expensive next year
following a decision by the Thai Hotel Association - Eastern Chapter
(THA-EC) to increase room rates, after discovering that prices were lagging
behind those of competing Asian destinations.
Committee members and members of the association were asked for cooperation
in adjusting their rates during a meeting at the Dusit Resort on November 1,
when the strategy for next year was discussed and plans drawn up for
attending ITB in Berlin in February.
ITB is one of the biggest international events in the tourism industry
calendar, and the Eastern THA will conduct a major promotional campaign
there.
Association chairman Chatchawan Supachayanont said that the campaign should
focus on the quality end of the tourism market to expand Pattaya’s base in
that sector.
Chonburi Administrative Organization and Pattaya City have been asked for a
support budget of 6 million baht for ITB, and to date 3 million baht has
been raised.
The THA-EC has asked members attending ITB to design their stands at the
exhibition to reflect the upmarket approach that is being adopted.
Competition from other Asian destinations is, however, going to be intense,
and Chatchawan said that one problem for Pattaya City is the standard hotel
rate. Hotel owners and operators have kept their rates deliberately low to
attract large numbers of visitors, and as a result Pattaya lags behind in
terms of both revenue and image.
This is particularly the case when you compare the hotel room rates to
nearby competing countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam, he said.
“There is worry about sharing the tourism market with Vietnam, because the
country is increasing its investments in tourism, and this may affect
tourism in Pattaya,” said Chatchawan. He added that Pattaya was still
expected to stay ahead because of its large number of attractions and its
well-developed facilities, but in terms of development strategy there had to
be a focus on the future.
Chatchawan told association members that Pattaya City has provided a 20
million baht budget for other marketing promotions in 2008, including
advertising and providing information for the markets inland and abroad.
Of this, 12 million baht will be used for overseas promotions, focusing on
Russia, the Middle East, India and Japan. The remaining 8 million baht would
be used for domestic promotions and an advertising company will be appointed
to devise a promotional campaign.
Organizer selected
for Loy Krathong festivities
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
City hall has now chosen the company that will organize Pattaya’s Loy
Krathong festivities, and has set a budget of 1.8 million baht for the event
on November 24.
A meeting of the organizing committee was chaired on November 1 by Deputy
Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh, during which the proposals from two companies, P 3 O
Production Oxide Co Ltd and SY Senorita Co Ltd were discussed.
Pattaya City Chief Clerk
Wuttipol Charoenpol
After consideration, the committee approved SY Senorita’s proposal. The
company already had experience in organizing last year’s Loy Krathong
festival, and the committee felt that the plan of activities was appropriate
to the Bali Hai venue and to the theme developed by the committee.
The proposal by P 3 O Production Oxide was felt to lack understanding of the
logistics required by the city and by the venue, and the committee felt that
probably the company had not done enough research. The presentation was
therefore not as complete as it should have been for a tourism city.
Pattaya City chief clerk Wuttipol Charoenpol, one of the committee members,
said that the event would focus on the traditions behind Loy Krathong, not
just for the benefit of the tourists but also to help youngsters appreciate
the values of the festival.
Festivities will be held on November 24 from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. at Bali
Hai Pier. Amongst the attractions will be a Little Noppamas Pattaya contest
for scholarships valued in total at 85,000 baht.
A concert will be held that includes the Jubjib Cheonyim comic group and the
famous Bird Juke Box, a blind singer who imitates more than 100 voices of
well-known international singers.
There will also be a stage for displaying Thai culture including classical
music and dance, long drums, and local traditional games.
Pattaya’s mass media will judge the Little Noppamas contest, and income
generated from this will be presented to the Redemptorist Foundation in
Pattaya.
Condoms distributed to entertainment outlets as HIV cases rise
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
Representatives of more than 40 Pattaya entertainment establishments
attended a seminar on protection against sexually transmitted diseases, held
at the Public Health Center on October 26.
 Mrs
Na Anya Chantrakat, head of the Contagious Disease Prevention and Protection
Section.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn formally opened the seminar, which had been
organized by Mrs Wannaporn Jamjarat, director of the Pattaya Public Health
and Environmental Department.
Mrs Na Anya Chantrakat, head of the Contagious Disease Prevention and
Protection Section said the purpose of the seminar was to encourage the
entrepreneurs to form a network to take care of their employees’ health. The
network would act to promote knowledge and understanding, and so change
sexual behavior patterns.
AIDS is a major problem, data from this year showing that the country has
more than one million HIV cases and that the number is increasing by 70 or
80 new HIV cases per day. The data reveals an increase amongst sexual
workers, and the seminar emphasized the importance of the use of condoms.
Na Anya said that condoms were being distributed to entertainment outlets
and that these can be collected from the Public Health Department at any
time.
King cobra found snoozing
above temple gate
Patcharapol Panrak
Monks at Sattahip Temple were startled when they found a 3-meter long king
cobra snoozing in the space above the entrance gate.
 Pichit
removes the deadly snake from the temple grounds, as curious onlookers
watch.
The deadly snake was discovered during the afternoon of October 31, when a
monk reported to Abbot Wiboolthamabal that he had been sweeping the temple
grounds and when he used the broom to clean the upper area of the temple
gate he found a black king cobra coiled asleep there.
The abbot called the Rojana Thamasatarn Foundation rescue service, which
sent Pichit Kliekutan, a volunteer officer who is skilled in the catching of
poisonous snakes. Pichit used a long iron pole with a ring to snare the
snake’s neck while the reptile was sleeping. He also used a three-pronged
fork to immobilize its head and prevent it from arching its neck, so it
couldn’t attack anyone after being caught.
Abbot Wiboolthamabal, who is also the dean of Sattahip, said it was the
first time that a king cobra had been found there. He was surprised, as
there were no animals or rodents in the garbage heap near the temple to
provide a food supply for the snake.
Pichit said that the frequent rain had probably caused the ground to become
waterlogged, encouraging the snake to find a high place in which to shelter.
Bay Watch: It’s no longer in the pipeline
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
A 100-day operation to unclog Pattaya’s sewage pipes has begun under a 12.12
million baht budget from city hall, with NAS Material Handling Products Co
Ltd contracted to clean out the drains and spray them so that they no longer
cause flooding. The work will continue into the New Year. Quite what will
happen after the budget is spent and the work finished, we do not know.
Drains have a habit of clogging themselves up pretty quickly with sand, dead
foliage and garbage. Maybe there could be an ongoing budget? But at least
this is a good start.
Camp encourages love of sport and religious tolerance
Over 200 youngsters took part
in a sports camp organized by Siam Hero in cooperation with Pattaya City.
Theerarak Suthatiwong
Two hundred youngsters including 30 from the three troubled Southern
provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat took part in a sports camp
organized by Siam Hero in cooperation with Pattaya City.
Maj Gen Supawut Uttama, commander of the 1st RDF Unit based at Camp Erawan
presided over the opening of the project at the Sriwara Room of the Town in
Town Hotel on October 23, along with Col Adul Malipan, who was formerly on
the Thai national soccer team, mayoral advisor Itthipol Khunplome, actor
Sornram Theppitak, Miss Sunisa Piaksang, senior personnel resources officer
at the Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok, and Surapol Lertmetta, general manager of
the Town in Town Hotel.
Maj Gen Supawut said the project was designed to encourage the youngsters to
take an interest in playing sport and to stay away from drugs.
Col Adul said that the camp held last year had been a success and that Siam
Hero had decided to organize the event again this year, in conjunction with
Pattaya City and Pattaya Police Station. The camp was held over the period
October 20 to 28, and was for youngsters between the ages of 10 and 13
years.
Thirty Thai Moslem children from schools in the South, 10 each from Yala,
Pattani and Narathiwat joined the camp along with 100 underprivileged
Pattaya youngsters, with 200 students in total taking part in games of
soccer, horseback riding, swimming and Thai boxing.
Along with the development of sporting activities, the idea was to show the
children that unity and common purpose transcended religious barriers.
Police arrest man who
abducted 8-year-old boy
to supply sex to foreigners
Warrant also issued for Canadian citizen
Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya police have arrested a man who abducted an eight-year-old boy,
drugged him, and used him to supply sexual services to foreign pedophiles.
Pattaya Provincial Court has also issued an arrest warrant for a Canadian
man who is alleged to have used the boy’s services.
 Yospol
Srawichai (right) is brought in for questioning.
Miss Natlika Thanyawanitpong, 39, and Supot Charoenlap, 39, filed a report
with Pattaya Police Station on October 30 saying that their eight-year-old
son, given the alias name by police of Jo, had been missing from their home
for more than a week.
The couple told officers that they are sidecar food vendors. On the day of
the disappearance they had gone to buy food and beverages at Carrefour in
Central Pattaya. When they returned home their son was missing. They had
gone back to Carrefour, knowing that Jo had also been there, and asked to
examine their CCTV recordings. They discovered that a Thai man had abducted
the boy in the mall.
The couple then said that they had tracked down Jo and discovered that the
man was using him to supply sexual services to foreigners on Soi Sunee Plaza
in South Pattaya.
Police officers then went to Soi Sunee Plaza where they quickly found a man,
identified as Yospol Srawichai, age 24 and a resident of Saraburi, walking
in the street with the boy. Yospol was arrested and taken to Pattaya Police
Station for questioning.
Jo told the officers he had met Yospol at Carrefour. Yospol asked him to
come and play games in his room. However, he had been taken to Ben Mansion
on Soi Sunee and forced to provide sexual services to foreign men. He
received 100 baht on each occasion.
Yospol admitted taking boys to sell sex to foreigners. He charged 500 baht
on each occasion, keeping 400 baht for himself and giving 100 baht to the
boy. He drugged the boys with ya ba so they would be in a condition to obey
him. He had about 10 boys under his control. Yospol said he left the boys at
several bars on Soi Sunee, and that he knew in advance when the police would
come, so he had the opportunity to escape with the boys. He said earned a
good living with this service.
In the case of Jo, Yospol had also given him ya ba pills before taking him
to provide a sexual service to male foreigners. He did it once a day for a
total of five days. He identified a foreign customer who was staying at Ben
Mansion on Soi VC, and led officers to the premises.
The man had, however, checked out and his immediate whereabouts were not
known. Police checked CCTV footage and hotel records, and requested an
arrest warrant from Pattaya Provincial Court in the name of Orville Farak
Mader, a 54-year-old Canadian citizen. He has since been arrested in Canada.
Yospol has been charged with abducting children from their parents to force
them into prostitution, and with forcing children to satisfy other people’s
sexual needs whether consenting or not.
Lucky escape for baht
bus driver hit by train
Boonlua Chatree
The driver of a baht bus had a lucky escape when his vehicle was struck by a
freight train, escaping with only minor injuries.
The accident happened on October 27 at the point on Soi Sukhumvit 93 where
the railroad tracks cross the road at an unmarked crossing.
 It
was a lucky escape for the driver when he only received minor injuries when
his baht bus was struck by a train.
Officers from Banglamung Police Station were called out and went to the
scene with Sawang Boriboon Foundation rescue workers. They found a blue
Isuzu baht bus with a Huayyai-Naklua license plate. The vehicle had been hit
at the driver’s side by a train, pushing it into a thicket beside the
railroad tracks. The driver, Paiboon Muangnikorn, age 35 and a resident of
Huayyai, was extricated from his cab. He had suffered only minor injuries.
The driver of the train was waiting at the scene to give a statement.
Police established that the baht bus driver had come out from his residence
near the scene to wait for passengers at the bus stop in Naklua. While he
was crossing the railroad, which had no signal bar or lights, he failed to
see the train that was coming from Maptaput and heading in the direction of
Bangkok. The train struck his vehicle, knocking it into the thicket.
Further questioning of the two drivers will be carried out to prepare an
official report.
Workers flee as air-con unit
sparks fire at Excite disco
Theerarak Suthatiwong
A short circuit in an air-conditioning control panel is thought to
have started a fire at the Excite entertainment complex that caused 10 fire
engines and 20 ambulances to rush to the scene.
The fire was reported at 7:00 p.m. on November 1. Officers from Pattaya
Police Station and Sawang Boriboon rescue workers went to the Excite
premises on Third Road, along with the firefighters. Deputy Mayor Ronakit
Ekasingh also attended the scene.
Excite is divided into several zones, and the fire occurred in the Tech
Zone. There was a lot of smoke, which caused employees to panic and remove
all of the valuable property from the location. The fire came from an
air-conditioner control panel, and spread to the fiberglass wall.
Firefighters took about 30 minutes to extinguish the flames. Only four
people required medical treatment, having inhaled the smoke.
Samith Yamasamith, 74, the owner of Excite, said that there were only a few
employees working in the Tech Zone at the time. The cost of the damage is
estimated at not less than 200,000 baht.
Fire investigators from Chonburi Zone 13 will examine the scene and produce
a report.
Workers scramble to get
equipment out of the building after
a fire broke out at Excite Disco.
Respects are paid to one of the
nation’s greatest kings on Chulalongkorn Day
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Banglamung District chief Pratheep Chongsubthum led government officials and
members of the public in laying wreaths at the King Rama V Monument in front
of Banglamung District Office on October 23, Chulalongkorn Day.
 Banglamung
District Chief Pratheep Chongsubthum (front right) leads local government
officials and the general public to perform a Buddhist ceremony on this
special day.
Joss sticks and candles were lit as the wreaths were placed, and prayers
were offered in memory of one of Thailand’s most revered monarchs.
Phra Chula Chomklao Chaoyuhua ascended to the throne in 1868, and died in
1910 when he was 58 years old after ruling the country for 42 years. He was
born on September 20, 1853, and was the eldest son of Their Majesties King
Mongkut and Queen Dhepsirindra.
King Chulalongkorn was a great reforming king, modernizing the country and
establishing the institutions that remain in place today as part of
Thailand’s national structure of government.
 Banglamung
District Chief Pratheep Chongsubthum makes a speech about HM King Rama V’s
integrity.
He abolished slavery, founded a modern legal and judiciary system,
established a teacher training college based upon European models, and
constructed a railway system, power station, a tramway, and a water supply
system.
King Chulalongkorn traveled to Europe twice, visiting France, Russia,
Germany, England, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Sweden and Denmark.
He also loved to travel extensively throughout the kingdom to personally
investigate and share conditions and aspirations with his subjects, and was
one of the most honored and beloved of kings.
He established Chulalongkorn Royal College at Mahatat Temple, and Maha
Mongkut Royal College at Bowornniwet Temple to be used for education in
Academic Scripture. He constructed Wat Dhepsirindra and Wat Benjamaborpit,
which are amongst the most beautiful architectural works in Bangkok.
King Chulalongkorn was also a poet and writer of verses, which made use of
tones as well as rhymes or phrases, and he wrote more than 30 novels.
Pattaya residents lay wreaths
in commemoration of HM King Rama V in front of his statue on Chulalongkorn
Day.
(From left) Nittaya Noyes,
Dujduan Ruangwettiwong, Itthipol Khunplome, Verawat Khakhay, Nittaya
Patimasongkroh and Thongpoon Kudthalaeng were among the many who attended
the Chulalongkorn Day activities.
Longboat races will
compete for Royal trophies
Pattaya’s annual long boat
races are scheduled to weigh anchor on Nov. 17.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Pattaya’s traditional longboat races will take place on November 17 and 18
at Mabprachan Reservoir, with contestants vying for the HRH Princess
Sirindhorn Trophy and the HRH Princess Soamsawalee Trophy.
Nongprue Municipality organizes the races in association with Pong
Municipality, with support from Pattaya City, Tourism Authority of Thailand
Central Region 3, and a number of private organizations.
Nongprue Mayor Mai Chaiyanit held a meeting of the organizing committee on
October 26, during which it was announced that the festivities would start
with an enactment of the Royal Barge parade. The races themselves are in
three categories, namely large longboats with 55-person crews, small
longboats with 30-person crews, and midget boats manned by five crewmembers.
Other attractions will include buffalo races, another Chonburi tradition,
with the animals divided into super midget, special midget, large midget,
and large categories.
There will also be a Thai country music concert featuring performers such as
Tat Na Takuathung, Ekarat Suwannaphum, Ratchanok Srilopan and Praew
Patcharee.
Shake a stick for those
lucky lottery numbers
Visitors offer garlands of
flowers, joss sticks, candles, fruit, food and prayers at the Ket Ngam
Spirit House on Beach Road.
Boonlua Chatree
Lottery numbers 10, 14 and 26 were in sudden great demand on October 28,
when villagers went to consult the oracle at Ket Ngam Spirit House and shook
out from the cylinder the numbered lucky sticks that they were convinced
would lead them to a fortune.
 Lottery
numbers 10, 14 and 26 from the Ket Ngam Spirit House were in sudden great
demand on October 28. Better luck next time.
A large number of service girls and other employees of entertainment
establishments came along to the beach shrine, which is located at the
entrance to Soi 6/2. They brought with them as offerings garlands of
flowers, joss sticks, candles and fruit.
Vendors around the spirit house are also happy at times of activity, as they
are able to earn an income of between 200 and 500 baht a day.
The Ket Ngam Spirit House is built in the style of a traditional Thai house,
is painted red, and stands on an area of 10 square wah. It stands under a
15-meter ket tree, which locals say has flourished on this part of Pattaya
Beach for more than 50 years.
No one knows who built the spirit house, or why. Long before Pattaya became
a tourism city, fishermen would moor at the beach in front of the shrine and
offer food and prayers to help them catch more fish. When they were
successful, they came back to the shrine to offer thanks. Eventually, the
visits became a custom that could not be broken for fear of ending the
cycle.
A new Ket Ngam spirit house was built in 1994, when the promenade was laid
out. By that time the original spirit house had become dilapidated, because
no one maintained it. However, no one wanted to demolish it or remove it
from the location.
Pattaya Rotary Club and members of the Volunteer Radio Club in Thappraya
were contacted to help renovate the spirit house, and they sought help from
the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Pattaya City, Chol Pakphum Part Ltd, the
Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Naklua Foundation, and various local companies,
shops, vendors, mariners, fishermen, and the general public.
Construction was completed with a donated amount of 210,880 baht, and a
ceremony held to consecrate the spirit house in the name of King Taksin the
Great and Prince Chumporn Ketudomsak. Buddhist and Brahmin ceremonies were
held.
The faithful come to the shrine to pay their respects every year on the 9th
waxing moon of the 1st lunar month, when Pattaya City holds a ceremony.
People in this area especially revere the memory of King Taksin, who
quartered his army here on the way to drive out the Burmese invaders after
they had sacked Ayutthaya. Belief in the potency of the Ket Ngam Spirit
House is therefore strong, many believing that the spirit of the king still
maintains a watch over the people of Thailand.
Pattaya Mail asked Mrs Pikulsri Pantharit, a 55-year-old vendor from
Nongkai, about her life in the shadow of the shrine. She said she sells
items such as cooking oil priced at 20 baht per bottle, garlands of flowers
priced at 10 baht, betel leaves smeared with lime priced at 20 baht per
pack, cigarettes for 10 baht, and joss sticks and candles. She said that
many people come to pay their respects every day, and she is able to have a
monthly income of 6,000 to 10,000 baht, or between 200 and 500 baht per day.
Devotees shake a bamboo cylinder of sticks, numbered 1 to 99, and those
sticks that fall out of the container are used to buy lottery tickets.
As for the 10, 14 and 26 numbers … well, better luck next time. But winners
have been reported, and like the fishermen of old, people will keep
returning to the shrine.
China’s most important Buddha relic
will be displayed at Ban Sukawadee
Sawang Auaarthon Thammasathan
Foundation will borrow one of the world’s most important Buddha relics from
Xingchen Temple in Shanxi Precinct, China, to display in the Buddhabaramee
Building in Ban Sukawadee.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Thailand and China have cooperated to bring one of the world’s most
important Buddha relics to Thailand, where it will be placed at Ban
Sukawadee from November 15 through January 15.
The displaying of the relic will form part of the celebrations surrounding
the 80th birthday of His Majesty the King. No charge will be made to the
public for visiting the relic to pay their respects.
Sawang Auaarthon Thammasathan Foundation obtained permission to borrow the
relic from Xingchen Temple in Shanxi Precinct, China. The relic, which is
from a UNESCO certified site, will be installed in the Buddhabaramee
Building in Ban Sukawadee.
Loan of the relic, the most important Buddha relic in China, is a major
symbol of the long-standing relationship between the two countries. Funds
raised by the event will be presented to His Majesty for adding to the
budget to construct Nawamintrachootit Temple in Boston, in the United
States.
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