Tubby Navy personnel ordered to slim down

Patcharapol Panrak
The Royal Thai Navy at Sattahip launched its No Big Belly campaign on June 18. Vice Admiral Sriwisut Ratarun, commander of the Sattahip Naval Base presided over the opening stretch.
The objective is to reduce the waistlines of all Navy personnel, their family members, and civilian personnel on the base who are considered to be overweight.
Alongside the program to reduce weight there is instruction on how to keep fit and to remain slim.
Vice Admiral Sriwisut said the campaign is part of a directive from commander of the Navy Admiral Sathiraphan Kaeyanon, aimed at motivating naval forces, families, and inhabitants near the Navy’s departments to realize the dangers of obesity.
He said that everyone taking part in the program to reduce weight must change his or her habits for eating, sleeping, walking, sitting and running with continuous exercise. From research undertaken before the project started it was found that there are many obese officers and employees, and the time has come to ensure they lose weight and become healthier.

Under darkening skies, “tubby” officers begin to exercise
in an attempt to reduce their waistline.

Wheels come off for Chaiyaphum woman

Theerarak Suthatiwong
A woman who left her Toyota Hilux Vigo pickup truck parked outside the Little Duck Hotel discovered when she came back next day that thieves had removed all four wheels together with the spare.

Where did my tires go? Pornthip returned to her vehicle to find that thieves had taken all four tires, and the spare.

Pattaya Police Station received a report at 6 p.m. on June 21 from Ms Ponthip Roopchaiyaphum, 20, a resident of Chaiyaphum, and dispatched officers to the scene. They found the victim waiting with her British boyfriend, and the pickup as the thieves had left it, jacked up and left on blocks, wheel-less.
Pornthip stated that she had parked her vehicle at about 10 p.m. behind the hotel, and gone to visit a friend’s beer bar on Walking Street. She came back the following evening to discover the theft. She had asked the hotel employees if they had seen anyone suspicious, but no one knew and there was no security guard.
The victim said she had bought her pickup only a year ago, and had had the wheels changed to 20-inches, which cost more than 80,000 baht.
Police believe that there were probably two or three thieves, and that they would have sold the wheels to a secondhand shop.

Two football gambling bankers arrested

Raid also nets four drug users

Police arrested all five of the miscreants, two for bankrolling illegal gambling, and three for possessing narcotics.

Patcharapol Panrak
Two bankers for illegal gambling on the Euro 2008 football series have been arrested by Sattahip police, who discovered a list of punters with bets totaling nearly 8 million baht.
At a briefing on June 22, Pol Col Supatee Bunkrong, superintendent at Sattahip Police Station, described the arrest of Pradit Ritthichan, 31, of Moo 5, Soi Bonkai, in Sattahip Sub-district, and Amnuay Thongsri, 51, of Moo 2, Sattahip Sub-district.
The two men, said Pol Col Supatee, had in their possession cash evidence consisting of 25,550 baht, 35 list sheets for Euro 2008 gambling valued at a total amount of 7,595,899 baht, and narcotics intended for consumption. Theerawat Kerdklai, 20, Ekapol Kindong, 19, Ms Wareerat Sawatsri, 22, and Ms Chailadda Traithong, 18, were discovered in a house in Moo 8, Sattahip Sub-district, where they had gone to take ya ba.
Pol Col Supatee said that a directive had been sent out nationwide from the commander of the Royal Thai Police to be on the alert for bankers of illegal gambling during Euro 2008. Sattahip police had received a report that there were three illegal bankers in their area, and a warrant had been obtained from Pattaya Provincial Court to search the target house. Two of the bankers were discovered there, but the third had been alerted and fled. The young narcotics consumers had been discovered in the house.
Pradit and Amnuay both confessed to acting as bankers for the football gambling. Most of the gamblers were their friends, they said. Both men were charged accordingly, and the four drug takers were charged with illegal possession of Class 1 narcotics.

Chinese man drowns in attempt to rescue woman

Theerarak Suthatiwong
A Chinese man drowned at Tawaen Beach on Koh Larn during the morning of June 24, when a woman got into difficulties in the sea and he attempted to save her.
Pattaya sea rescuers took the two of them to Bali Hai Pier, where Sawang Boriboon Foundation rescuers collected them and rushed them to Pattaya Memorial Hospital. Physicians and nurses in the emergency unit managed to revive 43-year-old Ms. Jianjun Liu, but Tai Fat Hui, 25, could not be saved.
Somkiat Chanyawanit, 56, a local tour guide said that he had been taking care of the Chinese group of which the two injured people were members along with 21 others. The group was staying at the Royal Century Hotel in Central Pattaya, scheduled for two nights.
Somkiat had taken the group to Tawaen Beach at about 9 a.m., traveling by speedboat from in front of Mike Shopping Mall. The group relaxed on the beach and bathed in the sea. Ms Liu, who did not know how to swim, donned a life preserver and paddled out from the shore about 20 meters.
Suddenly, her life preserver flipped over, and she shouted for help. Hui swam out to rescue her, but the two of them disappeared under the surface as more than 100 horrified people watched from the beach. A sea rescue patrol was nearby, and pulled the two of them out of the water. Ms Liu regained consciousness, but the deceased had lacked air for too long, and could not be revived.
The body was sent for autopsy to the Forensics Institute at the Royal Thai Police Hospital, and the Chinese Embassy was informed to contact the deceased man’s relatives.

Crazed Frenchman slashes wrist

Boonlua Chatree
A distraught Frenchman with girlfriend problems was rushed to hospital after he slit his wrist with a razor.
Pattaya Police Station received a report on June 27 at 1 a.m. that a man had been injured at a room on the fourth floor of an inn on Soi Sukruedee, Central Pattaya, and officers along with Sawang Boriboon Foundation rescue workers went to investigate.
The man was identified as Stephane Verraes, age 35. He was lying in bed in a pool of blood after using a razor to slit his right wrist a total of five times. The rescuers calmed him down and administered first aid before transferring him to Banglamung Hospital.
A girl given the alias of Miss Om, age 30, told police that she had met Verraes on the beach at Soi 12, where he told her she looked like his former girlfriend. Om invited him to her room, but didn’t let him into the room because her husband was in and might have misunderstood she was only trying to help the Frenchman. She then suggested to Verraes that he go back to his own accommodation by motorcycle taxi.
Not too long afterwards, Verraes returned to her room while she was staying with her husband. She allowed him to come into the room, and he started to speak and act in a demented manner. He took out a picture of his former girlfriend from his pocket to show her, and demanded Om tell him where she was.
Om and her husband tried to force him to leave their room, but he started to rummage through the wardrobe and then used a razor on her dressing table to slit his own right wrist. Om and her husband hurriedly left the room and called the police for help.

Sea rescue demonstration staged for visitor confidence

Pramote Channgam
The Royal Thai Navy in Region 1 in cooperation with Chonburi Province and Pattaya City staged a demonstration of sea rescue services in front of the Pattaya Sea Rescue Office at Bali Hai Pier on June 24.

The sea rescue team uses their Sea Hawk helicopter to demonstrate how they would rescue a victim out at sea.

Vice Admiral Pairat Pookarat, commander-in-chief of Region 1 along with Deputy Governor of Chonburi Komsan Ekachai presided over the event together.
The demonstration, part of a rolling program to ensure readiness of the Navy in Region 1 to mount sea rescue operations, was divided into two parts. The first part was to simulate the rescue of people drowning near the shore, using two lifeboats, two RIB boats, and eight officers. The second part was to demonstrate a sea rescue using the HTMS Naratiwat, two coastal patrol boats, and a Sea Hawk helicopter.
The offshore scenario was that the Naratiwat had received a report from a fishery boat, stating that it had found a boat full of tourists that had collided with a rock 20 nautical miles away from shore. The tourists were seriously bleeding and floating in the sea. They needed emergency transportation to the hospital. The rescuers used the Sea Hawk helicopter to search for and take the injured people to hospital.
Vice Admiral Pairat said that part of the purpose of the exercise was to instill confidence for tourists, and that in the event of any accidents the alarm can be raised with the Royal Thai Navy Region 1 Center, which is on duty 24 hours and takes responsibly for 12 provinces from Chumporn to Trat.
Surat Thepchaito, head of the Sea Rescue Office in Pattaya said that the office is also on 24-hour standby with a rescue team and equipment. He said the office has more than 50 officers in service who are divided into three shifts for each day.
Apart from the Sea Rescue Center at Bali Hai Pier, Pattaya City has another three rescue centers at Krathinglai Beach, Wong Amat Beach, and in front of the Pattaya Park Hotel.

Beach vendors comply with new order

Before…

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
After more than six months of disagreement, the beach vendors say they will now comply with Chonburi governor’s order to reduce the number of concession plots.
The original plan to cut down the allocation of plots to a strict one-vendor-one-plot basis has, however, been modified to take into account those vendors who operated multi-plot concessions under the old scheme.
Chonburi Governor Pracha Taerat had directed Pattaya City not to renew the licenses after their expiry date on June 24, and to implement the new concession areas in which one vendor would be able to occupy only one plot, the plots having been enlarged slightly to an area of 7x7 meters to compensate for the loss of other plots that a vendor may have had.
A survey had revealed there were 278 vendors operating under the old scheme, with several of them occupying more than one lot.
Pattaya Mayor Itthipol Khunplome asked the governor to allow the 18 vendors occupying more than four lots to have a total of two lots under the new arrangement, rather than one, and this has been accepted.
The objective of the revised concession areas is to return about 50 percent of the area occupied by the sprawl of vendors back to the public for the whole stretch of 2.6 km of Pattaya Beach.
Pichet Uthaiwattananont, director of the engineering department said that the draft of the arrangement plan had been drawn and there was now no major disagreement. The next step is the measurement and marking of the plots.

Now, with the beach cleared and ready to be measured and marked.

Students undergo safety training

Youngsters should know how to react and help during emergencies

Patcharapol Panrak
Chairman of the Sattahip Sub-district Administrative Organization Pairoj Malakul na Ayuthaya on June 18 opened a training session for 600 students from Nawigayothinburana School, in which the youngsters were taught safety procedures for use during public hazards.
The training took place at the school, which is sited within the Prince Chumporn Camp.
Deputy chief administrator of Sattahip SAO Peng Buahom said that in the event of a public hazard such as a fire or flooding, youngsters need to know how to react and under certain circumstances to be able to help.
The 600 students were from primary school classes 4 to 6 at Nawigayothinburana School, with the teachers also taking part.
Pairoj said that under the Plans and Stages of Decentralization for Local Administration Act BE 2542, the SAO is regarded as being at the front line in the event of any public hazard incident, and that it is important to be continually in a state of preparation for any such eventuality.

Students learn how to react if a fire should suddenly break out.

Dental check-up for Fountain of Life kids

Paul Strachan
A group of dentists from the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya visited the Fountain of Life recently to give the 93 children at the center a dental check-up.

The dental team from Bangkok Hospital Pattaya checks each child’s teeth for cavities.

As ever the FOL tooth fairy Ingrid Cunliffe was on hand and Sister Joan who prior to the examination explained that the children are taught to brush their teeth every day and that although the center could provide a long line of sinks, they deliberately made the children clean their teeth at a spare piece of ground at the side of the center. This means, she said, that when the children go home in the evening they wouldn’t be looking for aluminum sinks, and therefore they would follow the same procedure at home.
Then the children all lined up for the arrival of Dr Thanaporn and Dr Tapasit, along with Jurawan, Ratchanee, Chonthicha and Kavisara all from BHP.
The two doctors set about their task, reassuring each child as they examined and noting down the results of every examination. Each child received a sausage balloon twisted into colorful animal shapes as a gift, which helped put them at ease
Dr Tapasit said that many of the children were in dire need of immediate attention and the reports from the day would allow Ingrid to prioritize the needs of each child and then get them booked into the hospital for their various procedures.
After the examination Dr Tapasit handed over a cheque to Sister Joan on behalf of the BHP dental director Dr Tassanne for the sum of 50,000 baht.
This makes BHP’s dental department a Gold Sponsor for this year’s Jesters charity drive. This money will go towards the Jesters Care for Kids 2008, which will assist with the running costs and expenses at the FOL for the next year.

Cataract patients prepare for operations

Governor Pracha Taerat (left) is shown the equipment used to detect cataracts.

Pramote Channgam
Bangkok Hospital Pattaya in cooperation with Nongprue Municipality is proceeding with the next stage in the project to provide free operations to cure cataracts, a program that was started as a commemoration of the 80th birthday of His Majesty the King.
A briefing was held on June 20 by Chonburi Governor Pracha Taerat along with Nongprue Mayor Mai Chaiyanit and Dr Pichit Kangwonkit, director of Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, to report on the progress of the project.
Mai said that the program included examinations by BHP physicians and Nongprue officials to select patients for the cataract operations. This has now been done twice. There were 82 patients the first time, and 34 the second time. On the day of the briefing, the 82 patients from the first intake were being examined before their operations.
Dr Pichit said that 10 experts from the BHP Eye Center were dealing with the patients, and that the next step would be the operations. Governor Pracha said he had just visited the Eye Center, where he was greeted and briefed by Dr Pipat Anuchatrakul, the ophthalmologist who is supervising the examinations.
Other organizations also involved in this project include Chonburi Red Cross, the Provincial Public Health Department, the Chonburi Hospital Ophthalmology Section, Somdej Pra Boromrajathevi na Sriracha Hospital (Queen Savang Vadhana Memorial Hospital), Samitivej Hospital Sriracha, Phyathai Hospital in Sriracha, International Rotary Club District 3340, and all of the Rotary Clubs in Chonburi.

Pattaya Mail visits new mayor

Itthipol promises support for Rotary and PM projects

Pramote Chan-ngam
Representatives of Pattaya Mail visited Pattaya City Hall during the morning of June 17 to congratulate Pattaya’s new mayor, Itthipol Khunplome.

Pratheep Malhotra pins a ‘Make Dreams Real’ pin on Mayor Itthipol Khunplome’s lapel.
Pratheep Malhotra, managing director of Pattaya Mail Publishing Co Ltd and governor of District 3340 Rotary International, along with the company’s general manager Kamolthep Malhotra and director of sales and marketing Suwanthep Malhotra led a team that presented a basket of flowers to the new mayor to congratulate him on his appointment.
Pratheep, whose position as governor of District 3340 covers Rotary Clubs in the East and Northeast, spoke to Mayor Itthipol on projects that Rotary is undertaking for the benefit of society. These include provision of clean drinking water for schools and communities, the child hunger elimination project, health and sanitation projects for schools and communities, support of education for disadvantaged children, and polio vaccinations.
“Each day in the world, 30,000 children under the age of five years die from causes that could have been prevented,” said Pratheep. “Rotary must work to reduce this number, and has as its motto for the period 2008-09, ‘Make Dreams Real.’
“In my position as governor of Rotary International District 3340, I am sure I can rely on your support for our projects.”
Pattaya Mail is also closely involved with the Pattaya Young PR Ambassadors training and competition project, which the company has actively supported for the past three years. The purpose of the project is to provide youngsters with knowledge and understanding about Pattaya City’s administration, history and tourist attractions, with the competition being open to students between the ages of nine and 16.
Mayor Itthipol said that after hearing about all the projects that are being organized for the benefit of society, either through Rotary Club activities or through Pattaya Mail Publishing Co, he would on behalf of Pattaya City be glad to provide full support to the best of his ability.

(L to R) Kamolthep Malhotra, former mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, Pratheep Malhotra, Mayor Itthipol Khunplome, Elfi Seitz, Rungratree Thongsai, Suwanthep Malhotra, and Korn Kitja-amorn congratulate the city’s new mayor.