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Koh Larn will need more efficient boat service says Burapha study
Careful management of natural resources also needed
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Koh Larn needs a better transportation system that will allow the
island to develop over the next 10 years, and careful management that will
maintain its natural resources and prevent unsuitable investors from coming
in with inappropriate projects.
These are the findings of research carried out by the Thailand Research Fund
in cooperation with the Logistics Research Center at Burapha University, and
presented at Pattaya City Hall on June 19 by Assist Prof Dr Taweesak
Thepithak, who is head of the project.
Sutham Petket, deputy permanent secretary of Pattaya City said that Koh Larn
is an important tourism location that has lots of visitors, even during the
low season.
During the low season, said Sutham, the number of visitors averages 200 to
300 per day, while the high season sees this rise to between 1,000 and
1,500.
Burapha’s research showed that Koh Larn must be developed carefully, and
that includes transportation between the island and the mainland. Other
essentials include a communications network, development of public
utilities, and suitable facilities for tourists.
Dr Taweesak said that 90 percent of the island is mountainous with lush
forest, and that the coastline has white sand beaches. The coral around the
island is famous for its beauty.
Regarding the number of inhabitants, there are only 2,600 registered, but
there is a hidden population of about 3,600, which is increasing every year.
This means that the island’s facilities must be able to cope with the number
of visitors and residents, and this includes efficient garbage and waste
disposal, and a careful watch kept on environmental conservation.
Tourists currently travel to the island by ferry, a 45-minute journey, and
by speedboat, which takes 20 minutes. The main Koh Larn piers are Naban Pier
and Hard Tawaen Pier. Looking at the boats presently used, said Dr Taweesak,
it was found that there was a lot of waste and pollution created.
It is estimated that in the 10 years to 2018, the number of tourists would
increase to 3,500 per day and 1,279,325 per year. A more effective and
non-polluting transportation system must be found.
Dr Taweesak also said that as growth continues, it would be important to
prevent outside developers and investors from coming in and taking away the
benefits of the island from the residents, and from undertaking
inappropriate projects.
Koh Larn needs to be properly managed, he said, with the natural resources
of the island being paramount.
Embattled prime minister faces no-confidence motion, more street protests
Ambika Ahuja
Bangkok (AP) - Thailand’s prime minister defiantly defended
himself against a no-confidence debate in Parliament Monday, telling
opponents he would have to be “insane” to bow to protesters who besieged his
office for a fourth day.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was characteristically gruff and, at times,
belligerent during the opening debate of a no-confidence measure brought by
the opposition after four weeks of street protests calling for the
government to resign.
Some critics have dismissed the event as a symbolic gesture. Neither
Monday’s debate in the Senate nor Tuesday’s no-confidence motion in the
lower house of Parliament was likely to result in Samak’s ouster, given the
overwhelming majority of his ruling coalition.
“Do not mess with someone like Samak!” the prime minister angrily told
senators. “If you have never been a political leader, then stop boasting
about what you know.”
Demonstrators, led by activists of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, have
peacefully occupied the area around Government House, the seat of Thailand’s
government, since breaking through a police cordon last Friday.
The protesters accuse Samak’s five-month-old government of being a puppet of
former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military
coup, and accuse Thaksin of wanting to abolish Thailand’s revered monarchy.
Samak angrily denied those allegations, telling lawmakers that only an
“insane prime minister” would step down in response to such accusations.
The Senate will not vote on the no-confidence measure. The more powerful
lower house of Parliament began debating the motion Tuesday against Samak
and seven of his Cabinet ministers, ahead of a vote scheduled for Thursday.
Lawmakers “will expose the wrongdoing of this government to make the public
aware that this government has lost legitimacy in running the country,”
Senator Somchai Sawaengkan, one of 36 senators who grilled the government,
told The Associated Press.
In a nationwide address on state television Sunday, the embattled prime
minister said he would resign if the vote went against him.
Samak’s six-party government coalition, which is led by Samak’s People’s
Power Party, controls about two-thirds of the 480 seats in the lower house
of Parliament.
Samak’s partners would have to desert him for any no-confidence motion in
the lower house to succeed, but it was not certain which way the balloting
would go. Even if Samak wins the vote, the debate - compounded by tensions
in the streets - could pressure his backers to seek a replacement as prime
minister.
“The brinksmanship game between (the protesters) and the Samak government
has now reached a crescendo. Something will soon have to give,” political
analyst Thitinan Pongsidhirak wrote in The Nation newspaper Monday, adding
that Samak’s “tenure appears increasingly untenable.”
The Nation and other Thai newspapers cited possible replacements in Deputy
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and one-time Prime Minister Banharn
Silipa-archa.
Protesters say they will not be satisfied until Samak’s entire government
steps down.
“The People’s Alliance for Democracy believes that the government’s decision
to allow a no-confidence motion in Parliament is a political game to lessen
tension,” said spokesman Suriyasai Katasila. “Once they win the votes, they
will use that victory to legitimize their stay in power.”
The People’s Alliance for Democracy led mass demonstrations before the 2006
coup demanding Thaksin step down for alleged corruption and abuse of power.
They now accuse Samak’s government of interfering with corruption charges
against Thaksin and trying to change the constitution for its own
self-interest.
Rumors have swept Bangkok since the protests began that the country’s
powerful military would stage another coup, something the top brass has
repeatedly denied.
Watched by a grim-faced Samak, Senator Sumon Suttawiriyawat led off the
debate, accusing Samak’s “nominee government” of trying to rehabilitate
Thaksin rather than focusing on the country.
The parliamentary opposition, led by Democrat Party leader Abhisit
Vejjajiva, was expected to bring up alleged wrongdoing and mistakes by the
Samak administration.
They allege that Samak has mismanaged the weakening Thai economy, interfered
in the country’s generally free press and mishandled negotiations with
neighboring Cambodia over disputed territory.
“We hope that Samak will not treat this motion as nothing more than a way to
defuse tension on the street,” said Democrat Party spokesman Ong-art
Klampaiboon. “He needs to prove that they are sincere about solving
political problems.”
Religious ceremony
marks inauguration
of new mayor and council
City hall employees treated to lunch
Pramote Channgam
Mayor Itthipol Khunplome along with city councilors and
administrators gathered in front of the King Taksin Monument at 10:30 a.m.
on June 17 to offer food and the four necessities of life for 14 monks to
mark the occasion of the inauguration of the mayor and the council.
 Mayor
Itthipol Khunplome and his mother Satil offer food and the four necessities
to the monks.
Itthipol lit the joss sticks and candles, and Priest Buaket Patumsiro,
former abbot of Chonglom Temple in Naklua led the chanting.
Along with making merit for the new city administration, the gathering also
made merit for Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, who passed away
on January 2 this year.
After the religious ceremony was completed, the administrators and
councilors offered lunch to Pattaya City Hall employees.
School shuts as rain disrupts Sattahip
Water 1 meter deep in places along Sukhumvit
Patcharapol Panrak
Singhsamut School in Sattahip closed for a day on June 19 after
heavy rains led to flooding in the area.
Sattahip Mayor Narong Bunbancherdsri said that the rain, which started about
2 a.m. and continued until 9 a.m. couldn’t drain away quickly enough because
of the high volume of precipitation combined with a high tide and high water
level in the Nong Takian Reservoir.
Sukhumvit Road became a wetland for 5 kilometers, with the water 1 meter
deep in places, and traffic backed up along the highway and side roads. Some
vehicles broke down as water got into their engine compartments, adding to
the traffic chaos. Residents were unable to get to work or take their
children to school.
Police and rescue workers from Sawang Rothana Thammasathan Foundation
directed the traffic and moved stalled vehicles, while Sattahip Municipality
sent out 10 fire engines and pump vehicles to drain off the water. Three
hours after the rescue operation began, traffic was back to normal.
Sanan Pawandee, director of Singhsamut School ordered the closure of the
school for one day, as water nearly 1 meter deep flooded the football field,
the basketball field, and some of the school buildings. The 3,200 students
had to go back home, proving that it wasn’t bad news for everyone.
School was called off for a
day in Sattahip
as heavy rains and river runoff flooded the area.
Residents flee as floodwaters
damage their homes
Flood run-off project not yet complete
An unlucky inhabitant looks on
in despair at the damage caused by the flood.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Flooding along the east side of the railway road during the early hours of
June 19 caused several families to leave their homes, looking on helplessly
as the water rose and damaged their vehicles, furniture and household
appliances.
More than 50 centimeters of water were recorded in this area, and although
the flooding subsided within about 20 minutes the damage was extensive.
Pattaya City officials went immediately to check the damaged area near the
pump station construction at the Kam Ling Project in Huayai Sub-district.
Mrs Arun Suayklang, 54, of house number 107/3 at Moo 13 said there had been
heavy rain earlier and that at about 1 a.m. she and her neighbors, who live
in a rowhouse of 10 housing units, were sleeping when water was heard
flowing into the premises. Arun said she alerted her neighbors and they
started to move their property.
She said there was more than 50 centimeters of water that flooded in for 20
minutes. The residents moved out their children and elderly folk, and items
such as clothes and electrical appliances. The water rose, destroying
property inside the houses and damaging motorcycles parked outside.
Rescue workers brought in a pump, which was able to immediately reduce the
water level, and they also contacted the railway authorities.
City officials said that a pumping station is being built near here to drain
water away from the high level areas. This is part of the Gaemling Project
in Kaomagok Sub-district, designed to reduce the risk of flooding, as water
presently drains back from this high ground into lower lying areas in the
city.
Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn along with Pattaya City Council members and
officials from the Mobile Sanitary Works Division went to check the damage.
Wutisak explained that sewer pipes were being laid for about 16 kilometers
along the eastern side of the railway road, and that there are four pumping
stations in total, located on Soi Watboonsampan, Soi Kaotalo, Soi
Chaiyapreuk 2, and in the Tarnman Sub-district area. The budget for the
project is 300 million baht, and the job is more than 50 percent complete,
with completion scheduled for this year.
July 1 is D-Day
for beach vendors
Chonburi Governor orders licenses to be canceled
Pramote Channgam
July 1 will be D-Day for the new beach bed and umbrella
concessions, Chonburi Governor Pracha Taerat has announced.
 Governor
Pracha Taerat is adamant that the new beach concession arrangements would
start on July 1.
Speaking on June 12 at the Pattaya City Hall conference room, the governor
was co-chairing a meeting with Mayor Itthipol Khunplome, advisor to the
mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, Chonburi Deputy Governors Komsan Ekachai and
Chatpong Chatphut, and Banglamung district chief Mongkol Thamkittikhun.
Pracha said that results now have to be tangible, as the negotiations have
become an ordeal that have gone on for months and now have to come to an
end.
He said that the existing licenses would expire on June 24, and that
Chonburi Province had ordered Pattaya City not to renew them.
The layout for the new concession areas allows only one operator to have
only one lot, measuring 7 x 7 meters. This is in accordance with the goal of
returning 50 percent of the area currently occupied by the sprawl of vendors
back into public usage.
An earlier survey had revealed there are 278 entrepreneurs on Pattaya Beach,
with several of them occupying more than one lot.
The mayor of Pattaya City has asked Chonburi to allow the 18 vendors who
currently occupy more than four lots to have a total of two lots under the
new arrangement, rather than one. Those occupants that have less than four
lots should have only one lot, or a global usage area of 36.5 percent, he
said.
Governor Pracha said he was directing Pattaya City to cancel all of the
former arrangements, and the new arrangements would start on July 1.
Following the implementation on Pattaya Beach, the new arrangements would be
expanded to Jomtien Beach and Koh Larn.
In the event of anyone infringing upon the rules, the city would take legal
action, warned the governor.
Burglars hurt homeowners’
dogs during break-in
Boonlua Chatree
Burglars who broke into the house of a British engineer shut the
owner’s dog in the bathroom before ransacking the premises and escaping with
property valued at more than a million baht.
 British
citizen Peter Leslie Slade with one of his recovering dogs after the break
in.
Pattaya Police Station received a report on the break-in at 1:30 a.m. on
June 15, and officers went to the property at Ek Mongkon Village, on Soi 17,
a single-story house with two bedrooms.
The owners of the house, 64-year-old British citizen Peter Leslie Slade and
his Thai wife were waiting. They showed the officers where the intruders had
taken property from the wardrobe drawers and table drawers, listing the
missing items as a gold necklace, a gold ring, a set of diamonds, a silver
ornament more than 16 baht in weight, two mobile phones, a laptop, and a
wristwatch.
Slade said that they had bought the house and lived there for more than
seven months. On the night of the burglary, they had gone out for dinner at
about 9 p.m. The couple have two dogs, one of which was inside the house and
the other on guard outside. When they returned home, they found the animal
outside the house had been injured. The dog inside the house had also been
drugged, and had been put in the bathroom. The thieves had broken in through
the sliding door in the bedroom, and had left it open.
Police believe that at least two men had committed the crime, and that they
may have known about the owners’ routine. They had drugged and injured both
of the dogs during the break-in. They had not been seen because the house is
next to woodland, and the village security guard would not have seen them.
Fingerprints have been found, and police are checking their records.
Former teacher faces charges
of molesting underage boys
Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya police have arrested a British man who was a former
university teacher in Bangkok and charged him with having sexual relations
with boys under the age of 15 years.
 Pol
Col Nopadol Wongnom (front right) and other officers search Malcolm Edward
Falkus’s (left) house.
Police investigations revealed that the man had allegedly been paying
13-year-old boys from Pattaya City schools 500 baht for sexual services.
Having obtained search warrant number Gor 362 / 2551 and arrest warrant
number 1259/2551 from Pattaya Provincial Court, police led by Pol Col
Nopadol Wongnom at 5 p.m. on June 18 entered house number 333/5 on Soi
Thappraya 10, the residence of Malcolm Edward Falkus, 68.
Falkus was arrested and charged with committing obscene acts with boys under
the age of 15 years. Police searched the three-story house and removed a
computer that will be examined at Pattaya Police Station.
Pol Col Nopadol said that a boy had been questioned in front of witnesses
and social welfare officers. The boy had claimed Falkus paid him 500 baht
for sex, and had taken him to a beer bar on Soi Sunee Plaza in South
Pattaya. He alleged that Falkus had taken many other boys for the same
reason, paying them 500 baht each time.
Norwegian dies in hotel room
Boonlua Chatree
Police believe that a Norwegian man found dead in a hotel room with
a fractured skull had fallen and injured himself while under the influence
of narcotics.
Officers led by Pol Col Noppadon Wongnom, superintendent at Pattaya Police
Station, together with rescue workers from Sawang Boriboon Foundation and a
physician from Banglamung Hospital were called out at 10:40 a.m. on June 15
to a hotel on Pattaya Second Road, at Soi Yamoto.
The property was a four-story building, the ground floor being used as a
restaurant and bar, and the upper floors as a hotel. On the third floor in
room number 6 was the body of Anders Conradi, a 49-year-old Norwegian
citizen. The corpse was lying on its back beside the door, and was wearing
blue jeans without a shirt. The face and chest were dark blue, the skull was
fractured, both hands were flexed, and there were several needle marks from
injections on the arm. There was no trace of fighting in the room. The
physician estimated the man had been dead for no more than 24 hours.
Mrs Sunanta Reukraksanee, a 43-year-old cashier said that the deceased had
rented the room since June 7. He had brought his Thai and foreign friends to
his room regularly. The night before the discovery of his body, a compatriot
named Tom, who was a regular visitor, arrived and knocked on the door. There
was no answer, so Tom assumed he was out. The next morning Tom returned, and
when no one replied to the knock on the door he obtained a passkey and
entered the room, where he found the body.
Pol Col Noppadon said that it appeared the deceased had been taking drugs
and had fallen down, breaking his skull. An autopsy will be held to confirm
the cause of death.
British man electrocuted
during flooding
Electricity authority unable
to find exposed wire that caused fatal shock
Boonlua Chatree
A British man died when floodwaters caused by heavy rain engulfed an
electrical cable near to where he was walking during the early hours of June
19.
The man, Scott Mitchinfow, age 32, was walking through floodwaters beside
Pattaya School No 8 near Soi 17 on Pratamnak Road, on his way back to the
nearby D&House Hotel, when he was electrocuted.
He was transferred unconscious to Pattaya Memorial Hospital where despite
the attention of physicians he passed away.
Ms Wanida Wanit, 32, stated that she had first met the deceased when he came
to her place of work, the Naughty Girls A-Go-Go on Walking Street. He went
there regularly as their relationship grew. On this night he had gone to the
bar and waited until she had finished work before going back to his room.
There had been heavy rain across the city for more than three hours, the
volume of water and the high seas preventing fast drain-off of water and
consequent flooding in many areas. Some areas were under a meter of water,
notably Pattaya Second Road at South Pattaya. Cars and motorbikes were not
able to get through, but the deceased was impatient and asked her to walk
through the flood back to the room.
He was walking across the road through water that came up to his knees when
he was electrocuted. No one dared enter the water to pull him out, so Wanida
directed a baht bus to rescue him.
Pattaya Electricity Authority officials turned off the electrical power to
that area, and tried to find the source of the leaking electric current.
There are power lines and cables to advertising hoardings in this vicinity,
but an initial examination failed to find an unprotected wire.
Investigations continue.
British woman dies after being struck by hit-and-run driver
Boonlua Chatree
A British woman was struck by a pickup truck as she was crossing
Pattaya Third Road opposite the Mityon Company in Central Pattaya at 2:35
a.m. on June 16, and later died from her injuries in Pattaya Memorial
Hospital.
Police were called out to the scene by a radio report, where they found that
Sawang Boriboon Foundation rescue workers had already transferred the
injured woman to hospital.
There were traces of blood on the road, but the four-door green pickup had
already left the scene.
The injured woman was identified as Miss Jennifer Burden, a 26-year-old
British citizen. She had suffered internal injuries and was bleeding from
her mouth and nose. She was unable to give a statement. At 9 a.m. that
morning, the hospital advised police she had passed away. The body was
transferred to the Forensic Medical Institute for autopsy.
Pol Col Noppadon Wongnom, superintendent at Pattaya Police Station said that
Miss Burden was crossing the road at the same time as the pickup was
approaching at speed. The vehicle struck her, and then sped off. The
pickup’s license number is not known, but police are checking vehicle
records.
Mayor meets local leaders as part of community involvement policy
Receiving feedback on how to develop the city
Community leaders, along with
representatives from government
and private organizations meet with the mayor.
Pramote Channgam
Mayor Itthipol Khunplome chaired the opening of a meeting with local
leaders and representatives of Pattaya business associations on June 17 at
the Thappraya meeting room in Pattaya City Hall.
The objective of the session was to get feedback on how development of the
city should proceed, in line with Itthipol’s campaign pledge that the people
should have an active voice in the future of the city.
An important element of this plan is to include a Pattaya City Community
Council, known as S2E, added to the city administrative structure.
Itthipol announced that he has requested a budget from Pattaya City Council
to renovate the old wing at Pattaya City Hall. The second floor would be
used for all civil registrations, while the mayor, his deputies and the city
councilors would use the third floor.
This, said Itthipol, would be more convenient for contact and would help in
the development of the one-stop service policy.
There are 14 urgent policies that the Pattaya City administrators need to
first tackle, said the mayor, and these would be undertaken with the
cooperation of local leaders and business associations.
Pattaya needs more overseas marketing says Thai Airways regional director
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Pattaya should sharpen up its overseas marketing campaign, as new
hotels create excess rooms in the city and research shows that poor image
problems still bedevil Pattaya as a tourism destination.
 Parit
Bupakam
The Pattaya Business and Tourism Association and the Tourism Authority of
Thailand jointly organized a meeting with tourism industry professionals at
the Rawintra Spa and Resort on June 17 to discuss the marketing situation in
Southeast Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay said that Pattaya is currently spending a
budget of several million baht on marketing promotions, devising advertising
campaigns and informational activities for the overseas markets.
The main thrust, he said, is in supporting appearances at main tourism
events such as ITB in Germany, WTM in England, and ATM in Dubai.
Parit Bupakam, director of Thai Airways International for Southeast Asia and
Australia said that Pattaya has a negative image for tourism, especially
over the environment and prostitution. However, he said, the situation is
improving, as can be seen from the many international hotel brands that are
moving into Pattaya. Also, there are positive moves on improving the
environment.
One of the main problems, said Parit, is the management of Pattaya Beach,
where the sprawl of concessionaires and the annoyance from itinerant vendors
is detrimental to those visitors looking for privacy and relaxation.
Parit said that Pattaya needs more man-made attractions, because although it
has advantages over other Thai destinations such as Phuket, Chiang Mai,
Samui, and Kao Lak, given the large number of visitors who come to Pattaya
there needs to be even more of a choice than there is at present.
Pattaya now needs a sustained promotional campaign, he said, with road shows
overseas every year that draw in consumers, in addition to the trade buyers
who attend the big events. If discounted packages were offered at these road
shows, said Parit, a powerful marketing tool would be created.
A source of considerable worry was the economic and political uncertainty in
Thailand, as overseas visitors do not always understand the inherent
stability of the country and are often dissuaded from coming here through
the news stories they see in their home countries. This also needs to be
addressed, he said.
Police arrest woman
for dangerous driving
Distraught driver says she had only broken traffic law
Theerarak Suthatiwong
Police had to break the window of a car to extricate a deranged
woman who, with a seven-year-old child inside the vehicle had driven in an
extremely dangerous manner through the city until the police had blocked her
at a traffic light.
 After
leading police on a crazy chase, then barricading herself inside her car
once stopped, Orasa is finally convinced to exit her vehicle.
The incident took place on June 19, when traffic police received a report
that a woman driving a silver Toyota Vios had crossed a red traffic light at
high speed and was driving in the wrong direction along Pattaya Beach Road.
A radio call went out and police followed the woman, who was cutting up
other cars and going through red lights, until she stopped at the Sukhumvit
Road traffic lights. The woman, who was accompanied by a young girl, refused
to get out of the vehicle, and the officers, to prevent her from speeding
off, placed rocks in front of the car’s front and rear wheels.
The police tried for an hour to persuade the woman to leave the vehicle, but
she stayed inside, praying. Eventually, the officers broke the car window to
unlock the door, and she was taken to Pattaya Police Station.
The woman was identified as Mrs Orasa Kositcharoenkul, age 48, a resident of
Lamlookka, in Pathumthani. The girl was identified as seven-year-old Nong
Earn, a primary school student in class 1 at a school in Bangkok.
Orasa remained in an agitated state, explaining that she had brought her
daughter to visit Pattaya and they were staying at a local resort. She said
she had driven across the red light at South Pattaya and Pattaya Second
Road, and entered Pattaya Beach Road without knowing it was a one-way
street. She was afraid that the police would stop her, and tried to flee.
Orasa said she thought the police had overreacted, because she was only
infringing upon a traffic law, and was not a criminal. She didn’t know why
the police broke her window.
Police fined her for running a traffic light, driving in the wrong
direction, and careless driving, before requesting her relatives to collect
her and calm her down.
What a laugh says Dr Wallop
Laughing is combined exercise and therapy
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Stress can be treated with laughter, a top-of-the-line free
medication that doesn’t need any equipment and which can also be used for
other afflictions such as heart disease, obesity, pulmonary disease, and
insomnia.
 Dr.
Wallop Piyamanorom reiterates that laughing will cure stress.
So says Dr Wallop Piyamanorom, who has specialized in laughter therapy for
the past 11 years and who is also chairman of the Thailand Laughter Club.
Addressing the gathering during the announcement of Ripley’s International
Laughing Contest at the Arnoma Hotel Bangkok on June 17, Dr Wallop said
there are two types of laughter. One is the natural, spontaneous kind, while
the other is the science of laughter therapy that helps people face problems
or illness.
This treatment not only activates the blood circulatory system, he said, but
it also affects the digestive system and the excretory system.
Laughter therapy is also a form of internal exercise, he said, exercising
important muscles. Statistics reveal that overweight people who underwent
laughter therapy for six weeks lost between three and four kilograms without
dieting.
It’s no joke says Ripley’s as
laughing contest is announced
First prize of 100,000 baht will make you smile
Ripley’s invites all laughers
to attend the laughing competition,
which carries a one hundred thousand baht first prize, on July 5.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not will hold a laughing contest at the Royal
Garden Plaza on July 5, with the top prize being something to smile about at
100,000 baht.
The announcement was made on June 17 at the Arnoma Hotel in Bangkok by
Somporn Naksuetrong, managing director of Ripley’s World of Entertainment
Pattaya.
Somporn said that Ripley’s has been in Pattaya for 13 years and has become a
renowned tourism attraction.
Ripley’s International Laughing Contest, which is being supported by the
Ministry of Tourism and Sports is expected to draw both Thai and foreign
competitors, and Somporn believes it can become an annual event.
Laughing will be judged by its loudness, length, content, style, and
infectious quality.
The winner will take home 100,000 baht, while the first runner up will raise
a smile at the prize of 10,000 baht. Participants and the audience are
invited to wear their national dress, and there will be a prize of 5,000
baht for the best national costume.
Anyone is invited to take part, and information can be had by calling 038
710294-8, or through www.ripleys thailand.com.
Sunday June 29 will see a selection round, and the finals will be held on
July 5 at the Fountain activity area on the ground floor of Royal Garden
Plaza.
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