PATTAYA, Thailand – Sukhraj Kalra (Chup) should know a thing or two about Walking Street. He owns the only Indian restaurant on the strip and acts as president of the Walking Street Community which represents 60 businesses. But he also heads up the foreign division of the Pattaya tourist police volunteers and attends Pattaya court as an official mediator between the parties in both civil and criminal cases.
Born in Bangkok, Chup moved with his family initially to Sattahip and then to Pattaya in the 1970s. He opened in Walking Street an Indian tailor’s shop, Rani Fashion, which he later converted to a popular Indian restaurant Shalimar in 2017 managed by his wife Anu. “We have some choices you won’t find elsewhere,” she says. They include Mutton Sukka (spicy goat meat with caramelized onions), Peanut Masala, Rani Palak (spinach based vegetarian) and Honey Chilly Potatoes which are delicious chips like you never tasted before.
With 40 years business experience in the city, it’s not surprising Chup was elected president of the Walking Street Community which monitors environmental issues, such as keeping the street clean, acts as a pressure group reporting to City Hall on issues such as the booze licensing laws and defends Pattaya when under attack by foreign media. “Nobody could have predicted the future of Walking Street,” he says, “moving from dingy nightclubs to a more upmarket zone with diversified entertainment.”
The customer base has changed as well. “The street is dominated now by Chinese and Indian tourists and there are now six or seven dance halls and discos catering specifically for the Indian market,” he explains. “Most of the former night-owl markets for single guys, including the Brits, have moved to Soi Sex (Sorry Soi Six) and Soi Buakhao where Pattaya’s former reputation as an anything-goes resort still maintains a foothold.” But he adds that underage dancers and sex shows are a no-no these days owing to governmental pressure and police swoops in years gone by.
Chup also heads up the 25-strong group of foreign tourist police volunteer assistants who work exclusively on the nighttime Walking Street, generally assisting the regular tourist police carry out their duties. Twenty years ago the volunteer group, then led by Howard Miller, starred in the popular TV documentary series Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand. “Yes, things are quieter these days with far fewer drunks making a scene,” says Chup. Another change is that the tourist police are no longer the only visible police presence. The Special Affairs police, representing City Hall, are the dominant presence in the Street these days.
But Chup manages to fit in even more responsibility, acting as a mediator and counsellor at Pattaya court when two opposing parties fall out. “The issue can be a civil dispute between neighbors, financial arguments or even criminal offences,” he says. Chup speaks near-perfect English so it’s no wonder he is a regular visitor to the court house. He also maintains good contacts with City Hall officials and the mayoral office, not forgetting he’s a founder of the India-Thai Pattaya business association.
So what’s the future of the Walking Street? Chup says the market will increasingly be Asian. “Already those gogo clubs which still survive are visited mostly by wealthy Singaporeans and South Koreans and the trend will continue. The Street has been fully renovated and you won’t find overhead power lines as they are all underground now.” He expects within 10 years to see Pattaya as “neo” or new Pattaya with a mixed economy, partly tourist-orientated and partly a business community as reflected in the activities of the Eastern Economic Corridor and massively improved rail and sea communications with Bangkok. In other words, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
