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Tiny twister storms Pattaya

One child saved, too many left in "child hell"

Photo: Secretary General of the Coalition to Fight Against Child Exploitation (FACE) Sudarat Sereewat talks with, and eventually rescues, this little girl from the exploitation of vendors on Soi 8.

Child rights activist Sudarat Sereewat was in Pattaya this past week to act as a watchdog for the children involved in the now internationally infamous child sexual abuse case in Pattaya of Norwegian Alf Oddvar Bjørndal. Secretary General of the Coalition to Fight Against Child Exploitation (FACE), she employs a ‘no nonsense’ approach and faces problems head on. A woman small in stature, she is remarkably effective in her methods, and backs down to no one. She believes it is time for Pattaya to wake up and take off its blinkers.

Pattaya Mail was fortunate to conduct an in-depth interview with this remarkable woman. (Making a difference: Eradicating child exploitation in Thailand)

While in town, Sudarat and a group of friends paid a visit to Soi 8 to investigate the situation of a different type of child abuse. They were soon approached by a little girl selling gum.

A bit shocked, Sudarat asked the little girl where her parents were.

‘My mother’s in jail and my father’s dead.’ ‘Who are you living with?’ ‘My grandmother.’ ‘Is she really your grandmother?’ ‘No.’ ‘Do you like her?’ ‘No, because if I don’t sell enough gum, she beats me.’

At that point, two teenage gang ‘supervisors’ were seen approaching. The little girl became visibly afraid. The child ducked and hid under the bar.

To divert the patrollers, members of the group told the girls that two foreigners wanted chewing gum at the other end of the bar, which elicited a warning from the charming teens, ‘You’d better be telling us the truth, or we’ll come back and slap you silly.’

Thus diverted, the little girl asked Sudarat to take her to a safe place. In her capacity as a staff member of the Social Welfare Department, Sudarat took the girl away from the bar scene and eventually back to Bangkok where she is now in a Social Welfare "safe house".

Sudarat informed local authorities, telling both the local police and the Tourist Police that the girl was with her.

The next day, Tuesday, January 20, a woman claiming to be the girl’s mother went to the local police with friends to report the missing child. When told where the girl was, the woman left the station without leaving her name or any way to contact her.

Sudarat told Pattaya Mail reporters that the child is now recovering from the emotional shock of living on the street and is receiving counseling and a balanced diet.

Thanks to the effort of this benevolent group, the child is now safe, although her fate from here is still unknown. She is, however, just one child of many.

Wanchai Rujanawong, Public Prosecutor for the Supreme Court and legal advisor to FACE, announced, regarding this situation, "this is only the beginning," and issued a strong warning that "we’ll be back".

It is a sad fact that these children are beaten, starved, or pinched black and blue if they do not sell enough. The government and police have been turning a blind eye to this for years. It’s time to do something.

Anyone interested in the details of this case may contact Public Prosecutor Wanchai Rujanawong at the Chief Prosecutor’s building, telephone (02) 541-2974.

Mab-Ta-Phut pollution update

In the never ending battle against life-threatening pollution in the Mab-Ta-Phut industrial estates, Vira Mavichak, Deputy Chief of the Department of Factories, led the first meeting in 1998.

The committee to monitor clean-up of waste water treatment found that two companies, Bayer Premier, Ltd. and Tuntex, Thailand, Ltd. had cleaned up their acts in a satisfactory manner to date. This actually means they have not cleaned up as much as is necessary, as they have until February, 1998, until they come under further scrutiny.

The committee had also made an inspection at the Government Fertiliser Company, which is a member of the Mab-Ta-Phut Industrial Estates.

It was found that this relatively new factory was emitting noxious fumes which were causing considerable anguish among residents.

The factory was ordered to solve the problems quickly.

Norwegian paedophile back in court

Accused paedophile, Norwegian Alf Oddvar Bjørndal, will appear in Chonburi court today (Friday, Jan. 23) to be detained for a further 12 days while police continue to compile evidence in his case.

Pol. Capt. Nuengphathai, police officer in charge of the case, visited Chonburi Prison on January 20th to interrogate Bjørndal, but Bjørndal refused to cooperate, stating that he will say nothing without his lawyer present.

Nai Visarn, the lawyer previously reported to have been appointed by the Norwegian embassy to defend Bjørndal, denied he has been assigned the case.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian press has continued their strong presence here and are closely monitoring the progress of this case.

Mechanical failure thwarts theft attempt

A Belgian and his Thai girlfriend were strolling along the road when a motorcycle zoomed up and the pillion rider snatched the man’s shoulder bag, which contained an expensive camera.

Karma intervened and the thieves’ motorcycle, which had no registration plates, broke down 50 metres into their getaway.

The Belgian gave chase and was able to wrest his bag away from the erstwhile thieves. Seeing that the Belgian was large, young and angry, the two thieves thought a sprint would be good for their health.

When the Belgian saw a police vehicle approaching, he and his girlfriend waved their hands like semaphores and told police that the thieves had fled into the jungle.

Police gave chase and saw the flash of light-coloured clothing between tree trunks. As the jungle is a dangerous place, officers did not enter. They felt it was their responsibility to report to the station, which ordered a manhunt.

The stolen bag was recovered.

Selling drugs from their "Beemer"

Two university students were caught operating a ‘mobile drug supermarket’ when concerned citizens filed complaints against the two students, Khunakarn Rungroj, 26 and Vachara Kaewsiri 18. Their business must have been successful, as their vehicle was a Bronze BMW.

Apprehending the young men and searching the car, police found 140 tablets of orange methamphetamine hidden in the doors. One-inch vials of grade 4 heroin were also found.

The young men were charged with possession of schedule 1 drugs with intent to sell.

The men confessed to the crime. They told police that they had just returned from Malaysia and had no money to buy sound equipment or car decorations.

The two men and their BMW were taken to the Pattaya police station for charging.

Strategies to help industry survive the economic crisis

by Virachai Somchart

Tawee Butrsoonthorn, Head of the Council for Industry in Thailand, suggested 5 ways for industry to survive during the economic crises. Five eastern provinces held a huge party to celebrate brotherhood and to listen to "How to Help Industry Survive in the Time of Economic Crises."

Mr. Tawee gave the lecture at the Naphalai Ballroom of the Dusit Resort, Pattaya.

He said that businesses most important to the Thai economy were the small and medium sized. These businesses were the most influential in enlarging the economy. They also were responsible for employing the most people in the production sector. This is an important factor in development of regional businesses. These businesses will also be the most instrumental in solving the economic crisis.

Tawee explained, the main problem industry is having now is the problem of cash flow, due to reduced demand for industrial products. Manufacturing costs have also risen. The 5 ways to solve this problem are:

At this time, cash flow should be more important than profit. Companies should have as much ‘cash on hand’ as possible. Accountant procedures must become more efficient, meticulous and stream-lined. The accounting procedures should not be geared only to the exchange rate against the US dollar. This will give companies an ability to analyse the results of their work in a more accurate manner. As for borrowing, long-term loans should be negotiated. In the case of companies which export, the benefits of packing credit should be used to cause a cash turnover and help to alleviate the cost of interest rates.

Companies should modify their marketing techniques by looking at profit per piece rather than market sector share. Price wars and credit term competitions between companies in attempts to increase market share should be avoided. Doing so will increase burdens on companies. Credit should be offered sparingly and debts should be quickly collected.

Companies producing a range of products should stop producing those which do not sell for the time being and invest the funds saved into products which produce profit.

The market should be followed closely at all times and exports should be increased to satisfy world market demand.

Good relations should be maintained with customers, creditors, debtors and financial institutions.

Cost of production should be lowered as much as possible without compromising quality.

Areas in which costs should be lowered are: construction of offices, purchase of raw materials, and ready made parts for products. Lowering the amount of these items purchased will keep needed cash from being tied up. If there is a choice, domestic raw materials should be used.

Efficiency should be improved from a technological standpoint to gain advantages over competition.

Advertising costs, free samples and gifts should be secondary to service and efficiency of production.

Personnel and administrative techniques should be streamlined with as few steps as necessary. This will increase speed of production and delivery. Personnel should be continually trained. Good labour relations should be maintained. Employees should be a part of every decision and notified of the company’s progress regularly. Company problems should not be kept ‘secret’.

There should be alternatives when any plan is made, to anticipate future changes. Administrators should take a ‘long view’ of situations when formulating company plans. This will enable quick problem solving when necessary.

F&B elects new Board of Directors

The Food and Beverage Association of the Eastern Seaboard elected Wanchai Rooploke as Presidentalong with the new Board of Directors. The election was held amid a large celebration at the Tropicana Hotel in Pattaya.

The new board is planning two ‘Amazing’ activities. One is the ‘Best Bartender’ contest in February of 1998. The other is a celebration involving the administrators of the association.

The group was then fêted with firewater and fruits from Thailand. The administrations advised that local products be used in this time of crisis, as domestic spirits and other beverages were equal in quality to imports and much less expensive, too. The group then heartily partook of the proffered home-made goodies of Thai wines, Thai whiskies and Thai liqueurs.

Any beverage business operators may telephone (038) 226-1613 and receive a special discount on domestic products.

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