HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Vendors and touts to be cleared away from Bali Hai Pier

Youngsters learn about dangers of HIV

Navy wives learn traditional massage skills to supplement family income

City faces pork shortage as abattoir plans closure

Tourists in favor of new beach layout

Consternation as tourism figures plunge 30 percent

One man drowns, 13 rescued as cargo ship hits fishing boat

Gang beats up and robs British man

Police raid Soi Sunee Plaza again

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will preside over coral seeding ceremony

Outstanding students awarded scholarships

Hospital improves facilities at Mercy Center

Bank cleans up at beach

Marines take delivery of 24 patrol vehicles

Military personnel cycle for health

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Vendors and touts to be cleared away from Bali Hai Pier

People breaking regulations to be arrested and fined “without exception”

Pramote Channgam
An urgent clean-up of Bali Hai Pier is to be undertaken, as the sprawl of vendors and the clutter of taxis along with the undisciplined use of the pier by boat operators is presenting a negative image of this important attraction.

Sanit Boonmachai says that anyone who breaks the regulations must be arrested and fined without exception.
Sanit Boonmachai, city councilor and chairman of the administration and peace keeping committee held a meeting at Pattaya City Hall during the afternoon of July 23, at which it was agreed that immediate action needed to be taken.
Sanit said that the appearance of the pier is rapidly worsening, with vendors taking up a complete lane of the walkway, boat operators mooring without following the safety regulations, and taxis and touts infesting the pier entrance.
Pattaya has a series of new regulations, enacted in 2003, concerning the operating of the pier, said Sanit, and these must be enforced by city officials to bring some order to this key tourism location.
Pol Maj Jeerawat Sukhontasrap, head of the Municipal Police in Department 2, said that keeping the pier in order is complicated because there are three departments responsible. Pattaya Municipal Police have responsibility for the area around Bali Hai Pier, while the Sea Rescue and the Harbor Department are responsible for keeping the pier itself and the boats in order. There had to be integration of the work of these three departments to ensure that the pier operated according to all the regulations.
The committee passed a resolution to direct city hall officials to work with the three organizations, and Sanit said that anyone who breaks the regulations must be arrested and fined without exception.
The Office of the Permanent Secretary of Pattaya City will create signs for the pier to ensure there is no misunderstanding, he added.

The undisciplined use of the pier by boat operators, along with the sprawl of vendors and the clutter of taxis is presenting a negative image of Bali Hai pier.

Youngsters learn about dangers of HIV

Organizers and students who participated in the project assemble
for a commemorative photo.

Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
The Office of Disease Prevention and Control in Chonburi Zone 3 has organized a campaign to warn students about the dangers of HIV, and how to avoid infection.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay opened the campaign on July 24 at Pattaya School No 8, Pattayanukul, with organizer Mrs Rawisara Jirarojwattana also present and with students from 11 schools attending.
Rawisara said that HIV is continuing to spread amongst young people, and that not only is the disease a destroyer of lives it also undermines the future of the nation, taking away young people who would otherwise be an important part of Thailand’s future.
She said that the reason the disease is spreading so fast amongst youngsters is that they often do not understand what comprises high-risk behavior, and how HIV is transmitted.
The Office of Disease Prevention and Control Zone 3 is running the campaign as a way of communicating with young people, and wants to hear the opinions of those present as to how the message could be further promoted.
Amongst the activities organized were a drama presentation, music, a public debate, an exhibition and a quiz with prizes for the correct answers. The 11 schools taking part were each presented with a shield to commemorate the event, which was held over the period July 24-25.

Navy wives learn traditional massage skills to supplement family income

Patcharapol Panrak
A professional level traditional Thai massage course has been organized for Navy wives to increase their family income.
Vice Admiral Komin Komutanon, commander-in-chief of the Coastal Defense Force at Sattahip formally opened the course on July 22, with 40 trainees attending.
Vice Admiral Komin said that in addition to creating a source of possible income for the wives of Navy personnel and others who were taking part, the knowledge that they gained would help them take care of their families and the elderly.
Rear Admiral Peerasan Watcharamul, the Coastal Defense Force deputy commander-in-chief said that because of the fast rising cost of living, the families of government employees throughout the country were finding it difficult to make their incomes cover all of their commitments.
The wives of Navy personnel were restricted in what employment they could take to help supplement their family income, as they had to reside close to the base where their husbands were employed.
The professional level traditional Thai massage course has been organized by Asst Prof Sirirak Pinkaesorn, a specialist in ancient massage from Sukhothai Dhammadhiraj University, together with a team of experts and trainers. The course is being held under the responsibility of Captain Banjob Phodang, director of the Naval Civil Affairs Department at the Coastal Defense Force.
Rear Admiral Peerasan said that traditional massage is a highly respected specialization, and that it can be learned by anyone regardless of their educational background. Once the practitioner has the certification, the work can be undertaken on a freelance basis, at a location suited to practitioner and customer.
An income of 20,000 to 30,000 baht per month is possible for those determined to put their new skills to work, which would greatly help the family budget.

City faces pork shortage as abattoir plans closure

Illegal pig slaughtering forces official supplier into operating loss

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Pattaya is on the verge of a pork shortage as the official abattoir that supplies the city with pork is preparing to close, the illegal slaughtering of pigs by breeders or agents having made the business financially unviable.

Porky gets a reprieve as Pattaya teeters on the verge of a pork shortage.

The abattoir, which is located in Nongprue Municipality, had declared it would close on August 1, but has agreed to remain open for another month while a solution is found.
Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay held a meeting with representatives of the company on July 24 at Pattaya City Hall.
Verawat said that the privately operated abattoir is the only pork slaughterhouse in Pattaya City, and that its proposed closure would cause a serious shortage of pork meat in the city.
Previously, Pattaya had operated its own slaughterhouse, the law stating that every municipality must have a slaughterhouse in operation. When the private concern was opened in Nongprue, Pattaya City closed the old one.
For a while the private slaughterhouse was operating well, but recently it has been operating at a deficit. Verawat said this was because 250 to 300 pigs must be slaughtered per day, but only 80 to 150 pigs were being brought to the abattoir.
Many of the animals that should have been sent for slaughter were instead being killed by the breeders or other agents to avoid paying a fee, and pork was also being trucked in from outside the city limits.
Verawat said that a solution had to be found, and that in the meantime an extension of time was being requested for the slaughterhouse to continue operating for another month.
Following that, said Verawat, it was most likely Pattaya City would rent or buy the business from the private sector and run it as a public concern.
In the meantime, he said, it is important that measures be taken to prevent the illegal slaughtering of pigs to ensure that hygiene standards are maintained and the official abattoir is able to cover its costs.

Tourists in favor of new beach layout

But garbage is a problem

Pramote Channgam
Chonburi Governor Pracha Taerat’s policy of rearranging the beach bed and umbrella concession areas to return at least 50 percent of the beach area to public use is receiving a favorable reaction from tourists, and a rather more guarded reaction from the vendors themselves.

These tourists from Pathumthani say they like the new beach layout.

The new arrangements started on July 1, and a survey by Pattaya Mail reveals that on both sides there are pluses and minuses.
Patchanee Niamsuk, a 41-year-old beach bed and umbrella concessionaire who works at a pitch in front of Soi 9, and who has been in the business for more than 20 years, said that the new policy has not affected her income at all. Further, she is happy because the image of the beach has become so much nicer. Patchanee did say, however, that the closing time for the vendors should be extended to give tourists that extra time on the beach.
Thipawan Kitchanapoot, who has run a beach bed and umbrella business for more than 30 years, said that the beach is getting dirtier, because vendors are now prevented from using large areas and there is no one there to clean up. Although the concession areas have been reorganized, city hall hasn’t followed through with sending garbage collectors onto the newly released areas of the beach.
Tourists were using their own mats on the public areas, and this was leading to more uncollected garbage. City hall needs to remedy this quickly, said Thipawan.
Kitikorn Lidta, a 30-year-old visitor from Chonburi said that she didn’t know about the organizing of the Pattaya beach bed and umbrella concessions. She likes the beach, and has found plenty of space in which to relax, in the areas where there are no beach beds. Not everyone wants to use a beach bed, she pointed out. Many prefer to bring a mat and sit with their families eating food they have prepared at home.
Raksak Sawatditat, a 23-year-old tourist from Pathumtani said that he comes every month with his friends, and uses the beach beds. On this visit, the change is noticeable, and the beach is much nicer. The beach bed areas are more orderly, and the prices have also come down from 50 baht to 30 baht. One thing that needs to be improved is the amount of garbage on the beach, and it should be cleared away.

Consternation as tourism figures plunge 30 percent

awittree Namwiwatsuk
The first three months of this year saw a worrying drop in the number of tourists to Pattaya, the arrivals having fallen by 30 percent, reports the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

TAT Pattaya director, Sub. Lt. Chaiwat Charoensuk

The figures refer collectively to Thai and foreign visitors, and much of the lack of local traffic can be attributed to the rising cost of gasoline and the cost of living in general.
Director of the TAT in Pattaya, Chaiwat Charoensuk, said that the figures for January to March were down by 30 percent, and that this trend was showing no improvement during the overall first six months of the year.
In addition to the decrease in Thai tourists, tourism from the European and Asian markets is also down, he said, including key markets such as Russia, Korea, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Chaiwat said that Phuket had been faring better than Pattaya, but that there were as yet no clear numbers for the entire six-month period.
He said that extensive overseas promotions at the giant trade shows had ensured Pattaya has a high profile. The city had been represented at ITB in Berlin in March, in May there had been a representation in Dubai, and in June in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, for the Chinese market.
Chaiwat said there were also various promotions to bring in tourists during the low season, such as the golfing event that involves 15 golf courses throughout Chonburi province.

One man drowns, 13 rescued as cargo ship hits fishing boat

Patcharapol Panrak
A crewman drowned when a cargo vessel struck a fishing boat off the coast of Sattahip early in the morning of July 31.
The 13 remaining crew members were hauled out of the water by a number of other fishing boats in the area, and taken to shore by a rescue operation mounted by First Naval Area Command and the Sattahip Marine Police.
The alert was received at 6 a.m. on July 31 by Pol Lt Col Anuchit Laklok, chief of Marine Police Station 3, Sub-division 5, Marine Police Division, who received a call from Teerachai Prasertvit, a 36-year-old resident of Samut Prakarn Province who owned the red-and-white Chonpaiboon fishing boat, a 20-meter vessel used for trawling.
Teerachai reported that a large cargo ship had hit his boat, causing it to immediately sink. The 14 crewmembers had been thrown into the water.
Vice Admiral Chairat Phukkarat of First Naval Area Command, who is also director of National Marine Coordination at the Protection Center in Area 1, assigned Rear Admiral Choompol Wongwekin, chief of staff, First Naval Command to send patrol squadron No 24 led by Lt Sakol Sukheesan, and a Special Operations vessel of the First Naval Thai Fleet led by two naval officers, PO 1st Class Sarawoot Phaengon and PO 1st Class Sompet Yanapanya to the scene.
The rescue boats, loaded with diving equipment, departed from Ocean Marina in Na Jomtien Sub-district, and worked in cooperation with the Marine Police No 633 Patrol Squadron.
Searching the seas, which were heavy, the rescuers found the hull of the fishing boat south of Koh Rin, and attached it to one of the rescue craft for towing back to shore. The co-ordinates were recorded as being at a latitude of 12 degrees north by 45 minutes and a longitude of 100 degrees east by 33 minutes, 25 nautical miles and three hours away from shore.
Wisit Prasertvit, the 30-year-old captain of the fishing boat said that at approximately 4:30 a.m. a large Indonesian cargo ship named the Mallayan Empress had appeared. The ship, captained by an Indonesian named Mahdan, was on its way from Bangkok to Laem Chabang Port. The vessel struck the fishing boat while the crewmembers were taking their break, causing it to immediately break up and sink. The crew jumped into the water, some of them grabbing foam boxes and other floatable items that they could cling onto.
One man was lost, and the remaining 13 drifted in the sea for about 30 minutes before being rescued by five fishing boats named the Charoenchai, Chareonsin, Damrong, Chonphaiboon 2, and Chonphaiboon19.

Navy divers attempt to salvage the sinking ship.

Gang beats up and robs British man