Patcharapol Panrak
A python remains at loose somewhere in the Chakri Narubet Royal Ship souvenir shop, despite efforts by rescue workers to capture it.

Rescue workers temporarily corner the souvenir loving snake, but the slippery customer managed to get away.

At 2 p.m. on November 18, Mrs Kanchana Madthapatang, the 36-year-old owner of the gift and souvenir shop at Juksamed Pier on Sattahip Naval Base called the Sawang Rojana Thammasthan Rescue Foundation for assistance, stating that her customers had been frightened away by a 2-meter long python that had been hiding in a pile of army trousers on the shelf.
Rescue workers went to the scene with equipment, and found a coiled python in the clothes. The snake was young and swift and slithered away to another corner, and the rescuers could not find it.
Kanchana said that she had no idea when she opened the shop that morning that there was a python inside. The shop has a high wall, doesn’t have a window, and has a completely covered door. It most likely came in from the roof.
Customers who were visiting the Chakri Narubet, the Similan, and the Puttayodfajulalok Royal Ships, and who wanted to buy some souvenirs discovered the snake. They found the python hiding in a pile of clothes.
Kanchana said that even though this snake posed no danger, it scared the customers. For the time being she doesn’t know where the snake is. The goods in the shop will certainly have to be removed for a thorough search.

British woman has handbag slashed and property stolen

Theerarak Suthatiwong
A British woman had her handbag slashed open and the contents worth more than 100,000 baht stolen while she was shopping.

Teresa and John Pateman report the theft to police.
Mrs Teresa Pateman, 47, and John Pateman, 51, both from the United Kingdom reported the theft to Pattaya Police Station on November 20.
Mrs Pateman stated that she is a housekeeper at a hotel in the UK, and that her husband is a painter. They had arrived in Pattaya on vacation two weeks ago, and were staying at the Nautical Inn Hotel on Soi 11. Just before midday, they had gone to the Grand Hall market on Soi Buakao.
When she reached for her handbag to pay for a shirt, Mrs Pateman discovered the bag had been cut open and all the property inside taken. She had lost a credit card, 50,000 baht in cash, an Olympus digital camera valued at approximately 25,000 baht, and a Nokia model 630 I mobile phone. She didn’t know when it happened.
The police station notified police officers on patrol but no further evidence of the thief was found.

50,000 illegal CDs seized in police swoop

Theerarak Suthatiwong
More than 50,000 illegal CDs were seized when police raided a shop in Ban Rimtalay Village at Samed in Chonburi on the evening of November 19.

Police in Chonburi confiscated 50,000 illegal CDs and arrested the shop owner.

Pol Col Wanchai Ekpornpit, superintendent at Central Chonburi Police Station had received information that the Ban Disc CD rental shop was supplying illegally copied movies and music VCDs. Officers from Samed Police Sub-branch went to investigate with a search warrant from the court.
At the scene, Piyapong Bunma, the 25-year-old owner of the shop was serving customers. The officers presented the search warrant from the court before searching. They found more than 50,000 illegal music CDs and VCDs, and two computer systems hidden behind the shop.
Piyapong said that he had operated the shop for more than six months, but that he did not have many customers. He therefore tried to increase his income by copying new movies and music that hadn’t yet been distributed in the legitimate CD market. He had an investor from Pattaya who brought original CDs for him to copy and later send to distribute in Chonburi, Pattaya and in neighboring areas, along with renting them out at his shop.
Pol Col Wanchai said this search and arrest was conducted in response to the policy for eliminating the illegal copying and distribution of CDs. The police had received complaints from the copyright holders of the original material, and had sent in undercover officers to investigate until they had a case for arresting the owner of this illegal shop.

Two women drug and rob Irishman

Theerarak Suthatiwong
Two women who drugged and robbed an elderly Irishman when he took them home after meeting them on Pattaya Beach Road, got away with money and valuables amounting to almost 200,000 baht.
Pattaya Police Station received a report at 1 p.m. on November 17 that a robbery had taken place at an address in Ashford Gardens on Soi Ratchawarun, Pratamnak Hill.
Officers arriving at the scene found that the lower story of the two-story townhouse had been ransacked. The householder, 66-year-old Irish citizen Jeremiah McCarthy, was lying drowsily on the sofa. His forehead had a minor cut, but he was able to give a statement.
He said that last night he had gone out to enjoy the nightlife and had met two girls at Soi 12 on Pattaya Beach Road. They were white, full figured, good looking, and had long hair. He thought that both girls were sexual service girls, so he invited them to his residence. The two girls asked him to stop to buy some cans of beer at a convenience store on Thappraya Road before continuing to his place.
When he took them to the second floor, he felt terribly dizzy and lost consciousness. He woke up again around noon and discovered that he had a cut on his forehead, but didn’t know what had happened. He also discovered that his safe box in the bedroom was gone. It contained 120,000 baht in cash, a passport, a credit card, and other documents. A computer valued at 50,000 baht and two cell phones on the lower floor had also disappeared. The total value of the goods taken was approximately 200,000 baht.
Police believe these two girls have probably done this several times, and most likely had an accomplice as they could not carry the safe box on their own. The officers allowed the victim to look through the criminal files to see if he recognized the two women.

Foundation stone laid for Banglamung Hospital’s 97MN baht new wing

Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
November 18 saw the laying of the foundation stone at Banglamung Hospital for the 97-million-baht building being constructed in honor of His Majesty the King’s 80th birthday.
Chonburi Province is overseeing the project in association with Banglamung Hospital, with the new wing scheduled to receive its first patients at the end of 2009.

Governor Pracha Taerat (center) presides over the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Banglamung Hospital’s 97 million baht new wing.

Chonburi Governor Pracha Taerat conducted the foundation stone ceremony, accompanied by Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and Banglamung District Chief Mongkol Thamakittikhun.
Pracha said the new wing is being built to accommodate the growing number of outpatients at Banglamung Hospital. This year, so far, there have been 395,873 outpatients, which means there are more than 1,000 patients each day. The existing facilities are crowded, and a service area is lacking.
The 97 million baht budget for the new building has yet to be fully assembled. Contributions are coming from official and private organizations, with 15 million baht received from the Chonburi Administrative Organization, 15 million baht from Pattaya City, and 20 million baht from Banglamung Hospital. Currently there is 72,100,000 baht available, with approximately 24,900,000 baht still lacking.
The new wing will be a seven-story building constructed in accordance with the Public Health Department planning section regulations. It will contain 150 beds, and it is estimated that it will be ready to provide service by the end of 2009.

Lottery fever as villagers see spirit enter ‘lucky’ tree

Patcharapol Panrak
Villagers who saw the spirit of a man dressed in white disappear into a giant kapok tree have been betting feverishly on the lottery, in the hopes that it might have been an auspicious sign.

Scary or lucky? Only time will tell.

Mrs Pranee Yodsingh, 38, says that opposite her house in Sattahip is a huge three-folded kapok tree some 20 meters in height. The trunk is twisted so that it resembles the trunk of an elephant, while some say it looks like a Hindu phallic symbol.
Many people have over the years come to pat the tree with powder, and some had won the lottery, she said.
On the night of November 13, visitors had come to the tree from Laem Chabang and Samutprakarn. Villagers told them that they had seen an old man dressed in white coming out of the tree, and then disappearing back into it. Some of the villagers were afraid, while others were fearlessly pursuing the lucky lottery numbers.
Pranee said that the spirit had not set out to frighten anyone, and that he had simply appeared and disappeared.
Mrs Somros Khumsap, 72, said the ground was waterlogged because of sand being dug out. There was only one kapok tree, which had been lucky to survive because it had fallen down when it was a small tree.
She had seen the man in white walking in and out of the tree. It was not a dream, she said firmly, because she saw him clearly.
Villagers are now awaiting the results of the lottery with a keen interest.

Chart Thai candidates on the stump in Samaesarn

Chart Thai candidates for Chonburi Zone 2 Sansak Ngampichet (left),
Chanyuth Hengtrakul (2nd right), and Poramet Ngampichet (right)
visit with folks in Samaesarn.

Patcharapol Panrak
Chart Thai Party members under Zone 2 in Chonburi visited Sattahip on November 21 to persuade Samaesarn inhabitants to vote for them.
The Chart Thai candidates for Chonburi Zone 2 are Sansak Ngampichet (No 10), Chanyuth Hengtrakul (No 11), and Poramet Ngampichet (No 12), who all went on the stump to Chong Samaesarn Market in Sattahip.
The candidates were welcomed by Sanae Pitakkorn, Tawwsak Nimanong and Commander Sutas Wongpreedee, all Chonburi councilors in the Sattahip District Zone, together with Prasert Pitakkorn, head of the Samaesarn Sub-district Administrative Organization and his deputy, Niran Bamrungban.
Sansak said that in Samaesarn Sub-district there are more than 4,000 people who have the right to vote, but that only about 2,500 had used their right to vote before. He thought, however, that more would turn out this time, as he has enjoyed a long-term contact with them and they are enthusiastic members of their community.
Poramet is a Samaesarn favorite, and well known and respected in the community, but there is a possible candidate from the Pua Phan Din Party, who was a former commander of Sattahip Naval Base and who has great loyalty from the Samaesarn people who had earlier helped in resolving a land dispute. The candidate is thought to be Admiral Weeraphan Ngokngam, but the admiral has yet to openly declare that he will be running for parliament.
In the absence of a declaration by Admiral Weeraphan, Chart Thai is believed to at present hold the pole position in Samaesarn.

Parade will promote anti-AIDS message

Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
A parade will be held on November 30 as part of the activities surrounding World AIDS Day, which is held on December 1.

Ananya Chantrakat, head of the Department for the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases at the Pattaya Public Health and the Environment Department.

Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay chaired a meeting of the organizing committee at Pattaya City Hall on November 20, along with Apichart Puetpan, deputy permanent secretary of Pattaya City.
Mrs Ananya Chantrakat, head of the Department for the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases at the Pattaya Public Health and the Environment Department said the parade is designed to promote knowledge on the prevention of the spread of AIDS.
The parade will start from the Dolphin Roundabout and continue along Pattaya Beach Road to South Pattaya, ending at Pattaya School No 8. The total distance is 3.8 km.
Taking part in the parade are 20 different groups, comprising 14 schools, four Pattaya communities, and two enterprises. Prizes are being awarded to the best of these, with the top prizes being 6,000, 5,000 and 4,000 baht, and three consolation prizes of 2,000 baht each.
Pattaya City is providing a support budget of 1,000 baht budget for each parade group, under rules that include the group be no less than 30 people, and that a large sign be prepared by each group.

Rock Hotel’s Christmas Charity Light-up and Ball set for December 1

The spy who rocked me, is this year’s theme

Since its opening in 2001 Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya has strived to spread the spirit of Rock ‘n’ Roll. By creating authentic experiences, this rock credo is not only reflected in their unique way of providing their stars (guests) with unique and memorable experiences during their stay but is extended out to their genuine concern for the underprivileged members of our community.

Dress code - James Bond for men and Bond Girls for women.
Now in its 6th year, Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya’s Annual Christmas Charity Light Up has always been fun yet meaningful. Throughout the years, they have raised funds for deserving charitable institutions that look after the underprivileged and marginalized members of society. Last year a staggering 800,000 baht was raised. The management says that this year they have some amazing auction prizes so they hope to exceed that figure. The event is in partnership with Westwools Carpets Thailand Co. Ltd and VIP Skiing.
This year’s event is no different than years past, in that the money raised through the support of the community will benefit charity: the Melissa Cosgrove Children’s Foundation, which cares for children of construction workers in Pattaya, the Foundation of the Development Of Life For Disabled Persons and the Fountain Of Life Centre for children in North Pattaya.
The organisers are now looking for your help in raising funds for these charitable institutions. Undoubtedly the amount you give, whether as a donation or purchase during the auction, will come a long way to help those in need.
Come dressed as cool as James Bond and join the fun at Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya on December 1, 2007. Tickets priced at THB 2000 per person, Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya’s 6th Annual Christmas Charity Light Up features cocktails, dinner, shows, auction and ballroom dancing. Dress code - James Bond for men and Bond Girls for women. Tickets for the event are available from the Hard Rock Hotel Tel 038 428755-9 ext 8010/8011.

Hoaxer dupes local media

A hoaxer in Pattaya, calling himself Horace Stallings and running a purported Pattaya Media Awards company, duped some members of Pattaya’s print media last week. Claiming that his Pattaya Media Awards company had carried out a survey of the local newspapers with 3,000 respondents, ratings were given on three newspapers, as well as comments from the Pattaya Media Awards as to the reasons for the ratings.
Unfortunately, and one can imagine quite embarrassingly for the “winning” publication, it very quickly came to light that Horace Stallings was a pseudonym and the Pattaya Media Awards company did not exist, with the email addresses being as false as the name of the principal.
Members of the local media, including print, radio and TV, have expressed their displeasure at the audacity of the imposter responsible for this ruse. By doing so he has shown contempt and insult to the media in Pattaya as a whole. We are still investigating as to the origins of the hoax and will no doubt expose the identity of the rogue responsible.
The Pattaya Mail can assure its readers that it is the only local newspaper that has won the Best in the East awards from the Eastern Mass Media Association for the past nine years.
In the meantime, we believe that “Horace” has returned to his part-time position as unofficial photographer at one of Pattaya’s beer bars.