Features

A tip about your passport

Editor;
As we are all getting that little bit older and dare I say forgetful? - This is an excellent tip i.e., always to insert your email ID in your passport on the address page.
This is an incident that occurred at the airport recently.
A passenger with an American passport changed money, and in the process, forgot his passport and boarding pass on my counter. As it was placed on the side, where my monitor blocks the view; it remained there for over 20 minutes. The next customer brought it to my attention. I went outside to search for him but to no avail.
The passport was well worn, with numerous visas, including Japan. He had travelled from Narita to LAX. The page in the U.S. passport where one can write home address and third party contact was blank. All it had was his e-mail address.
I went on line and e-mailed him a brief message, including my phone number. He turned up about a half hour later, profoundly grateful. He was blissfully unaware that his passport was missing!
He was checking his email in the cab when he saw the mail I had sent. He turned the cab around and came back to the airport to collect it. He works in Japan and his work permit was attached to the Japanese visa in the passport. He was in the US only for a week.
In retrospect, it is evident that even if he had written his address in the passport, it would not have helped. Even a phone number is not much help, as a finder may not be willing to call long distance, if ‘found’ in another country. An email, any one would send, from any place; and you can access your e-mail from anywhere in the world when you are traveling.
Therefore, please write your email address in your passport; it can really ‘save your bacon’ some day.
Best Regards,
William (Wullie) Mercer

Great to see the new boat marina taking shape

Editor;
It’s great to see the new boat marina taking shape. I hope this gets rid of all those high speed boats parked up and those questionable roadworthy tractors pulling them about that side of the bay!
It’s a terrible eyesore for people arriving to walk the only city bay pier, and with the smell of diesel and petrol spill, oil changes, engine parts, along the roadside! (It spoils) What could be a scenic route around the bay up to Pratamnak hill.
Hats off to city hall. This should be a winner with revenue collections! The main idea is to claw back this clean welcoming environment and reign in those unsightly boats parked illegally and the mechanic shops. It’s holiday resort, not a dockyard!
Good luck,
Gary Edwards

Another complaint about noise

Editor;
The Dutch Swing College Band, a famous band from Europe who plays jazz at a high level, were Thursday evening in Central Place. We visited this event and arrived around 6.20pm. A Thai band was making ‘music’ but the sound mixer had a different hearing and it was much too loud. The music was louder than the singers. It was really awful to hear this noise.
After 30 minutes they finished. There were two Thai hosts to tell a lot of things…but mostly in Thai and the audience was more than 70% farang (couples) and less than 30% Thai. This also takes 30 minutes and again the sound mixer made the sound too loud.
It is a luck the Dutch Swing College Band starts to play with a good sound mixer, exactly the right sound was to hear. Perfect! But I believe ‘Swing’ means dancing! But the most of the audience was sitting on chairs. Of course you can place some chairs for older people, but less chairs and standing tables was much better.
In the pause there was a performance from Tiffany ladyboys with feathers dancing and playback. Really the public which comes for hearing the Dutch Swing College Band are NOT interested in that kind of show. Those were the remarks I heard around me. They didn’t get any applause at the end.
It is a pity that a performance by the Dutch Swing College Band mostly sponsored by the Dutch government was a disaster by being organized by not professionals. Pattaya has a long way to go before they can organize events from top-class music bands. In my eyes the event was a disaster by the loud music before the event of the Dutch Swing College Band and they didn’t realize the quality of this group. Piet Beside: Most visitors of the event were 50 years up.
Piet De Jong

Not high end tourists

Editor;
Re: TAT targets high-end tourists to drive Pattaya revival (PM Friday, 21 November 2014) - All the Russian and Chinese tourist I’ve seen here in Pattaya are a long way from the high end tourists TAT thinks will come. Less face it, Pattaya is only attractive to Russian and Chinese on organised package tours or on charter flights. For the Russians, because it’s cheap and they get a free visa, and for the Chinese because it’s often an employer reward bonus and is a trip out of China.
Pattaya will not be attractive to high end tourists in my lifetime, if ever.
John Guru

Warning - late night noise problems

The Editor,
I would like to alert anyone who might be contemplating purchasing or renting a condo or house close to Bang Saray beach about the above problem. The loud music noise coming from parked vehicles on Beach Road (adjacent to the Municipal Park) regularly starts around 10-00 pm and sometimes continues until the early morning hours. The loud base noise even vibrates the walls in our house, situated in a village very close to the beach. Representations to the local Municipal Office and the Police Sub-station in Bang Saray are a waste of time. Complete disregard for nearby residents who have purchased expensive homes in the area seeking a quiet environment and who contribute to the local community. Buyer beware!
“Jingjo”

Putting out fire with gasoline

Dear Editor
Pattaya has not been reformed or changed in any way, in fact it’s got worse for tourists.
Last week my wife and I managed to find some Q.T. to spend at the beach. We drove down central Pattaya Road and parked in a car park next to the beach. As we walked to the beach, we noticed the beach venders had spread like ants all along the beach front, leaving about 2 meters between each group of deck chairs. So we sat down and spent a couple of hours relaxing. When the tab came they charged us 50bht each for the chairs and 60bht for 3 bottles of coke, which you can buy across the street for 10bht. So they double charged us on the cokes. 50bht for a deck chair on public land! When is the so called government going to stop this corruption and exploitation of tourists?
Some Thais seem to think it’s their god given right to rip tourists off and use them as an ATM or punch bags, instead of nurturing them. It’s already been said that the Land Department is the most corrupt department in Thailand, so why don’t they act on this information? The Pattaya vendors are laughing all the way to the bank.
Scott McMahon

Some British pensioners may well escape

Editor;
Re: British pension worries (PM Mailbag Friday, 28 November 2014) - I have read the consultation document and can confirm the timeline that is set out in Barry’s letter. However, reading the small print I think that UK pensioners - where the state pension is the only, or a substantial part, of their total income then they may well escape.
The consultation is in respect to all UK taxpayers living abroad, not just pensioners.
Mind you, I have decided to leave Thailand in the spring next year after 7 years. My reasons are equally to do with the attitude of the UK government toward me as a pensioner and also the political situation here.
David Wood

A tip about your passport

Great to see the new boat marina taking shape

Another complaint about noise

Not high end tourists

Warning - late night noise problems

Putting out fire with gasoline

Some British pensioners may well escape