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Dog-napped and held for ransom

A disaster waiting to happen

Pattaya over 14 years

Chris Ritchie

Dog-napped and held for ransom

Editor;
Well I am a Canadian ex-pat for 8 years here now and usually do not have many complaints about the strange ways that things operate here, but…
On Loy Krathong night my 82-year-old dad, housekeeper, my dog and myself went out to Lake Mabprachan (Boat Race Park) to enjoy the festivities. Many of our Thai friends also joined us.
Now my dog (Shandy) is a 1.5-year-old lovely Golden Retriever who is very intelligent and has been in my training for obedience and to look after my old dad. He does a great job at both.
At about 1:00am I started to pack up and get ready to head home but noticed that I had not seen Shandy for an hour or so. My friends and I started the search party to try to find Shandy so we could leave but had no luck. Well we love him very much and stayed as late as we could (2:30am) looking but then decided we had to get my dad home and most of the party was staying all night and they could look out for him.
Shandy is not the type of dog who would go with anybody unless forced to. He is very kind tempered and would never bite anyone.
The next day I woke up and we went back out to the lake to look for Shandy. Our friends were still there and said he had not showed up so I started putting up signs that I had made on my computer for the typical “Reward”, “Lost Dog” etc., and went to all of the local village security guards (who were all very helpful) and the local stores, including one local Girly Bar. The reward was for 2000 THB.
On Monday at 1:00pm we received a phone call from one of the local bar girls we had given my number to saying that there was a man there asking if any farang had come around looking for a Golden Retriever because he had found one on Saturday night at the festival. (Hmmmm why would he ask if a “farang” had been asking?) She told him that she had my number so he used her phone to call and spoke to my housekeeper in Thai. He said he wanted to return Shandy and collect the reward. When my housekeeper told him that we were so happy and could meet him and give him the 2000 THB, he kind of snickered at the amount but said to meet him at Wat Nong Yai on Sukhumvit Rd. The bar girl had told us that there was three men in a motorcycle with a sidecar. We went to the Wat and waited for 3 hours but no one showed up so we went home sad.
At 8:00pm, I received another call from a Thai man who could speak good English and would only talk to me and not my Thai housekeeper. He said that he had rescued Shandy at the park and took him home to look for the owner and his daughter had taken good care of him. He said that he only wanted to give Shandy back to his owner and that the dog was sad and would not eat or drink for the last 2 days. I told him that it was great news because our family missed him and that Shandy took care of my 82 year old father. (I knew what was coming next so…) I told him we could meet strait away and I would bring the 2000 THB reward. That was when he said that he wanted more because his daughter had bought chicken and food for the dog. I offered him 2500b but he laughed and said he wanted 5000 THB and would only meet us in 30 minutes so I did not even have time to call a police officer to assist us. I love my dog so agreed to meet him.
We went to meet the three men at the Railway Station on Soi Siam Country Club and they had Shandy tied up inside their sidecar. I did bring four of my Thai friends with me but my friend said it might be dangerous to cause trouble and that I should just pay them and leave. Well he was smart and correct. The man who had spoken with me on the phone in English was not even there but the other three henchmen were so I paid them and left with my dog.
This is extortion no matter how you look at it and we believe strongly that Shandy was abused and hit while in their care. A man can tell by his dog’s actions.
Well, that is my story how my dog was kidnapped and held for ransom here in Pattaya so be careful with things like this as I am told it happens a lot.
Happy camper: Tim Rooney

A disaster waiting to happen

Dear Ed,
I am writing to tell you about a safety issue. The “square” in Soi Nernplabwan near the Dao cafe has over the past few years gone thru’ a series of metamorphic changes. Recently someone decided to excavate the complete area to a depth of + 2m and there it stands without any safety barriers to protect children and vehicles from plunging in.
I am a safety engineer and I just cannot understand how something as serious as this can remain in limbo week after week.
I beseech somebody to take remedial action before someone is seriously injured.
Regards,
Mitch

Pattaya over 14 years

Hello,
As a regular monthly visitor to Pattaya as a British expat from Hong Kong and having originally visited Pattaya nearly 14 years ago, I would like to share my thoughts and observations to some of the continuing changes and wonders of Pattaya.
In no particular order,
1) The modern economic miracle - the 10 baht bus: When I first came to Pattaya in 1994, travelling on the baht buses were the same price in 1994 as they are in 2007.
Given inflation over the past 13 years, the tripling of oil prices, the rise in wages, the rise in raw materials such as steel to make vehicles, the cost of maintenance, nowhere else in the world has the price of transportation remained the same.
Indeed for foreign tourists, the real cost of travelling by baht bus is lower today than in 1994 since the Thai baht has depreciated since then!
If people look at taxi fares, rail fares, bus fares, subway/tube fares in their home countries today compared to 1994, they can see the price appreciation. This is one of the wonders of Pattaya, Thailand and absolutely unsustainable!
2) The RICK effect - Global economic growth is being driven primarily by the rise of 4 countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China. As their economies continue their rapid rise, their people become better off and together with the cost of low fare airlines, more people go overseas for their holidays.
Given Brazil has enough amazing beach resorts and fun loving people, their incentive to visit beach resorts overseas is limited. Replace Brazil with Korea and one can see that the biggest new groups of tourists visiting Pattaya which will continue to grow, are from Russia, India, China and Korea (RICK)!
Given that these groups tend to bring their wives and girlfriends with them and will generate the biggest new sources of revenue to Pattaya over the next decade, it is easy to see the motivation for Pattaya to develop new shopping malls and leisure facilities, extend its spa and massage facilities, hotels, restaurants and clean up some of the more unsavoury elements of the place which undermine its image in these new sought after markets.
Moreover, given India and China are in close proximity to Thailand and share a common ancestry; the emergence of business powerhouses such as Infosys and Tata Motors means new foreign investment into Thailand and new expats, who will enjoy the leisure facilities that Pattaya has to offer.
3) The emergence of a city by the sea - Pattaya used to be a sleepy fishing village and then a beach resort but it is now becoming a city. People should no longer compare Pattaya as a less attractive beach resort to Phuket or Koh Samui since neither of the latter can be classified as a city with the scale of development that is and will continue to take place here.
4) The beauty of Thai people - No change! Regardless of the developments, fundamentally, the philosophies, behaviour and mentality of Thais have not changed. They remain a very proud nation who strictly adhere to their beliefs and culture even if some of their logic escapes the rest of the world!
5) The retirement destination of choice for Europeans - This has grown exponentially especially for Scandinavians and Brits. The warm weather, the variety of beaches, world class dining choices, world class medical facilities, world class massage and spa facilities, sailing, golfing, the lack of “government controls” for smokers and drinkers, general tolerance by Thais of “exuberant” behaviour means that Westerners from cold climates have a place that they can call home without being told what to do by others.
6) The cosmopolitan melting pot of races and countries - Pattaya is more cosmopolitan than any other city in Asia! In fact I would compare its cosmopolitanism with London and New York. If one gets on a baht bus one could easily be sitting next to an American, Russian, Arab, German and Brit! During any evening in Walking Street, one will literally see people and hear languages from all over the world.
One of the great qualities of Pattaya is how people from all over the world cohabit without the same fear, hatred and violence that seems to occur on a daily basis elsewhere. Credit has to be given to the Thais for creating such an ambience and feeling of harmony and to the visitors and expats who live here!
As every year progresses, the more fun and enjoyment I get from coming to Pattaya. Her unique qualities are increasingly being appreciated by more people from more countries than ever before.
In her own time, Pattaya will become the equivalent of Miami in Asia. Her potential is huge and still scratching the surface of what she will become.
Regards,
Billy

Chris Ritchie

Dear Sir,
I thought your overseas readers might like to know that a “tamboon roi wan ceremony” (one hundred days) was held last week at Chris Ritchie’s residence. It was well attended by his family and friends.
R.I.P.
Rgds,
Billy Sheal

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