Dear Sir,
If a very high level of anger and utter frustration shows through in this letter, it is because I, like many others have been keep awake all night yet again, by a bar in the extension of Soi Jeraphon, crossing over Soi Buakhao, it has been going on ALL night, as it has on previous occasions, and now at 9.30 in the morning is still blasting away. It began last night at 7.30pm, and as you will then understand, 14 hours of racket, at a decibel level that shakes the glass in our windows and doors and negates any possibility of sleep. Is there no sanity?
We have over the past years, presented petitions to City Hall, written letters to all those who should care, i.e. City Hall, the police (Banglamung and Pattaya), in fact just about everything we can think of we have done, within the law, obviously to no avail. We are representing 370 apartments and many more people.
The law, therein, is the crux of the problem. Why have a law that is constantly flouted? If a law is not upheld and enforced, you simply make fools of the law, and of those supposedly charged with maintaining it. If it is not upheld, or cannot be, then do away with it, and stop the farce and pretense of their actually being a law.
At 9 a.m.this morning, after many calls from frustrated residents and tourist/renters/holidayers, I went to look at the situation and photographed the place, there were NO tourists, but rather about 8 Thai people, in various stages of inebriation, or worse (and that is not a value judgment, but from the experience of many years as a drug and alcohol councellor), falling around the place, and screaming into the karaoke system.
Because of our efforts, and obvious failure, it begs the question, is money changing hands the reason why the law is not up held? When previously, the management here petitioned City Hall, wait for it, it took over 6 months for even so much as a return call or inquiry, what a sick joke. In that time we were kept awake again and again, often until dawn.
Consider, how much effort it would take, upon getting a complaint, to have just ONE officer, on his bike, go to the offenders, and lay down the law.
We often hear of Pattaya having drives to encourage tourists to the city, why bother when all efforts are nulled by a very few, who make a joke of the law, have no consideration for others, and drive away those who have come to rest and relax, fat chance of that. And as for calling 1337, it is a joke, a red herring.
No one is saying close the bars, but at least have them live within the bounds of the law, so that we all know where we stand.
We have tried to get an answer from the various authorities, to this question, but of course never a word. “How can it be, that discos, and karaokes are bound by laws concerning opening hours and noise containment and levels, when a rogue bar open on ALL sides, can erect giant speakers, out in the open, on the actual road, and unabatedly emit noise of obvious high decibel levels, and do so night after night until the next dawning, to the distress of at least hundreds, possibly thousands?
Please City Hall answer us, in this paper, so that it is clarified. Answer please, please!
Signed,
Frustrated and Sleepless (yet again)
