To the Editor,
I would like to bring to your attention regarding a situation that happened to me on Wednesday 7th September 2011.
I was walking on the pavement past Numchai electrical, Sukhumvit Road, at 10.45 in the morning and two youths on a motorbike came towards me on the pavement. The youth on the back grabbed me by the throat and pulled a chain I was wearing, then rode off towards Soi 49. I turned round and the youth on the back was waving my chain which had a cross on it at me and laughing. I would like to point out that the chain and cross was not on display so I do not know how they knew I was wearing it.
No one was on the path but myself. I phoned the tourist police on 1155 and no one answered the phone. I tried again and still no answer. I went into a 7-11 contact point which was displayed on their window, and asked the assistant for help re tourist police. The notice on the window said available 24 hrs, but the assistant did not understand what I wanted so I showed him the notice outside. He had a word with another assistant and she just shrugged her shoulders and turned her back. The assistant told another assistant in the shop and they started laughing. I was obviously very upset and traumatised at what had happened to me, and couldn’t believe there was no one who I could turn to for assistance. I came out of the shop and tried to ring the tourist police again, to no avail.
What I would like to know is; 1) why no one was manning the phone, when it states on notices outside 7-11s 24hr help; 2) If no one is available to man the phone why wasn’t there a voice message to say when some one would be available? 3) Or a voice message to give the person who needed help another contact number to ring.
I have lived in Pattaya for 3 years and noted that there are signs all over Pattaya displaying the tourist police number to ring if you need help, also articles in newspapers about contact points in 7-11s.
So tourists that visit Pattaya could well find themselves in the same predicament as myself which isn’t good, and what is the point of displaying the tourist police number when no one is able to contact them?
Thank you,
Yvonne
