HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Dirty Dongtan Beach

Thank you for exposing all the foreign pedophiles

Is there a drought?

Long-necked women

Buckingham call home

Digging up Walking Street

It’s the GI’s fault

Tiny minority of farangs

Dirty Dongtan Beach

Dear Sirs
This picture is from last Saturday. During about 1 hour dirty things went into the sea next to the Dongtan Beach. (It was not from the street - this tube is on the right hand side - the weather was sunny und nice). Very nice to swim after this, isn’t it? I tried to send a copy to the city hall but could not find any address.
Kind regards
James

Thank you for exposing all the foreign pedophiles

Editor;
I have been visiting Thailand (every 6 months) for the last 8 years. It’s a beautiful country and the Thai people are fantastic! I would like to give a “big thank you” to the Thai police and everyone else involved with the arrest of all the foreign pedophiles (Pattaya Mail, 30th May-5 June). That’s the “only problem” I have noticed in Pattaya: too many foreign pedophiles, walking along Beach Road and hanging out in local malls, looking for kids.
Please continue the crackdown on these sick perverts and hopefully all of them will receive a sentence of at least 30, 40 or 50 years in prison.
A very special “thank you” to Ms Mariel Schaltz, keep up the good work.
Thank you,
J. Cole
USA

Is there a drought?

Editor;
Any uncertainty on water supplies for Pattaya (and this is in relation to domestic use), can easily be answered by simply looking at the ever declining water levels in Mabprachan Reservoir. Levels have continued to fall despite recent rains to a point where you can easily walk from one side to the other. Even if substantial rains occurred it is hard to imagine how the reservoir can replenish itself as all natural run offs are either blocked after the soil was taken away for sale as land fill, or the rapid developments around the reservoir have either blocked the run offs or taken up the excess water demand.
Unless a long term solution, such as the pipe line that was cancelled is found, then ultimately Mabprachan Reservoir will simply dry up.
It’s really time for city hall to take action!
Concerned Resident

Long-necked women

Editor;
The TAT representative in Pattaya is right to question the building of a long necked Karen village locally. He should be congratulated. Pity his bosses in power do not agree.
The Karen or specifically Padaung do not have any rights in these ‘human zoos’ and they are certainly not in their natural habitat.
They are paid 3000 baht per month (this is per long neck who has to feed her family). They are not free to roam as they please.
Their kids do not get education because to send them to school would deprive the tourists of their pleasure.
It is not only highly likely that their ID permit restrictions have been broken but also their work permits are questionable. (The last log got permits as farm labourers.)
In short traditionally it has been ‘pon prayote’ for the benefit of all the Thais in the area where these camps are established and this can include not only the businessmen but local amphur officials and police and immigration police.
Some years ago the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand condemned the ‘unscrupulous businessmen’ who set up similar camps outside the area where these people had been granted refugee status. Times change and so do governments. There has been a veritable epidemic of these camps since.
Yes conditions may be better than in Burma, which is the standard answer from the exploiters, but I think we can all see beyond their benevolence.
Andrew Drummond

Buckingham call home

If anyone knows of a British ex-pat in the Pattaya area called Peter Buckingham previously of Luton Bedfordshire, who is married to a Thai national, please can they ask him to call home urgently. We have no contact details for him and there has been a sudden death in the family. We have tried the British Consulate but without anything to go on they cannot help. Many thanks for taking the time to read this.
The Buckingham Family

Digging up Walking Street

Dear Editor;
On the evening of June 4, 2008, I took this photo on Walking Street of a digger interrupting the flow of people walking by this late evening road works at around 23:00.
At one point in the evening, due to the amount of water that was starting to build up on the main roadway, people had to pass on the pavement on one side of the street only, proving to be a little awkward for some at times due to increased numbers of people looking to pass this obstruction at the same time in both directions.
Tom Brown

It’s the GI’s fault

Dear Editor
I can understand Mr S Chetwyn’s feeling about Songkran and that it is a bit of a stupid time; however, he must understand that it is not really the fault of the Thais.
I read somewhere about an old Thai man who said that in his day Songkran was most certainly a gentle time. A holiday for a few days (not like today when this festival can go on for weeks) to respect the old ones by gently pouring water with flower petals over their shoulders or hands to wish them good health and fortune and to thank Buddha for rainfall to help with crops.
The old man then explained why Songkran has changed since his day. In the late 60’s the GI’s based in Thailand during the Vietnam war were not content with the old Thai tradition of gently pouring water over people, instead they wanted some fun by chucking water over people by the barrel full... “Hey buddy this is fun.” The Thai kids obviously loved this new approach to their normally quirt Songkran, and unfortunately the new Songkran has stayed to this day.
On another area ... girlie bars. Again started by the GI’s in Thailand during their stint here during the war. Not that I am apposed to these bars whatsoever!
Phil

Tiny minority of farangs

Dear Sir;
Having lived and worked in Thailand for many years prior to my retirement I make an effort to keep up with events by reading the Thai press and the English language Thai press on-line. Also friends keep me informed of the status quo in the country.
I am writing to express my concern about the fact that your journal carries detrimental and negative stories on a nearly weekly basis about a tiny minority of farangs, namely those who love adolescent boys.
As you are no doubt aware, Asian culture and Buddhist culture in particular reveres men who look after the welfare of young people, especially boys. They are seen as putting wayward youth on the path of acceptance and tolerance. A scant knowledge of Thai classical literature, documents these traits. Needless to say, the role of monks in boys’ upbringing is legendary. The fact that this vindictive campaign is only aimed at farangs speaks volumes. As far as I have been able to ascertain no Thai has been in trouble for consensual relationships with a boy.
Until quite recent times there was no such concept in law in Thailand (or elsewhere in South-East Asia, except for laws left over from colonial times), of an age of consent. But we are now in the quite ridiculous situation where the age of consent in Thailand is higher than the average in Western nations.
As we all know it is of course the dominance of Western NGOs in developing countries forcing Judeo-Christian values on foreign cultures which has resulted in this very sad state of affairs. Where there was love and harmony, in the space of a few short years, due to the introduction of Westernisation, there is now exploitation and violence. Young people and their adult friends are now no less than criminals. The mafia and corruption are the name of the game these days.
Boy lovers are now being violently blackmailed, even held hostage until large sums of money are handed over, and their captors safe in the knowledge the farang will not complain to the authorities for fear of prosecution in Thailand or back home. Children and young people are being forced into having relationships with farangs by ruthless gangs in order to satisfy these criminal activities. This complete volte-face in the space of a few short years has been brought about by the busybody do-gooders of the west.
I feel your newspaper along with others really ought to be ashamed of yourselves by giving publicity to these Western pressure groups. Instead you should be highlighting the damage they are causing to the fabric of life in Thailand and how the East has nothing to learn from Westerners on social mores. (One only has to compare the behaviour of Western youth to its counterpart in the East). You should be celebrating the difference of Thai culture vis-à-vis the West and bring out its strengths of tolerance, social harmony and acceptance. That, no doubt, is after all why you like living in Thailand!
Be brave, fight for the truth!
Yours faithfully,
A. Doctor
England

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