PATTAYA, Thailand – Potential budget duplications for the purchase and installation of CCTV systems in Pattaya were a point of concern raised by a city councillor at a meeting held at City Hall on July 19. Sorawit Suthithamrongsawat, a council member from District 2, highlighted these concerns during the review of the second revision of the Pattaya City Development Plan 2023-2027.
Sorawit pointed out two projects: a 10-million-baht project for installing CCTV cameras along Pattaya Beach and Bali Hai Pier by the Pattaya City Clerk’s Office, and a 1.3-million-baht project for upgrading and enhancing CCTV systems along Pattaya Beach for the fiscal year 2025. He questioned whether these projects were redundant and emphasized the importance of efficient budget use. Sorawit suggested that integrating overlapping projects could lead to more effective implementation and better use of taxpayer money, and he also stressed the importance of not depleting the city’s financial reserves.
In response, Nattapon Teerawutworawet, Director of Pattaya’s Strategy and Budget Office, clarified that the proposed budgets were not overlapping. He explained that the 6-million-baht budget for the Strategy Office was distinct from the Clerk’s Office budget. The CCTV installation along Pattaya Beach falls under the jurisdiction of the Engineering Office, which has been upgrading the beach area and removing outdated cameras to install new fibre optic cables.
Nattapon further explained that many of the existing CCTV cameras, which had been in use for 5-7 years, were found to be defective and beyond repair. This necessitated the purchase of new, high-resolution cameras to enhance security, particularly in tourist-heavy areas, thus improving Pattaya’s safety image. The proposal aims to replace old, damaged cameras with new, more efficient ones to ensure better safety and security for residents and visitors alike.
