Saturday 17 May 2014

YWCA Charity Run in Pattaya Preparatory Meeting

Khun Rankert Ekasing The Deputy Mayor of Pattaya presided over a meeting at Pattaya City Hall to discuss preparations for a charity event that will take place on Pattaya Beach Road on the 21st of June.

The event is the YWCA Charity run and will see competitors doing two round trips from a starting point in front of Central Festival Pattaya Beach to the Amari Hotel a distance of about 3 Km. Competitors can walk or run the course and the event will benefit the coffers of the Bangkok-Pattaya YWCA Centre.

The YWCA will use the proceeds to buy medical equipment for Banglamung Hospital and for building classrooms for Kindergartens. The event will take place in the cool of the afternoon starting at 5pm and entry tickets are 350 Baht. Although this event is for the YWCA there is no official dress code but if you want to turn out in an American Indian costume, wearing a plastic construction workers hat or just come naturally as a gay biker then I am sure the organisers will not object.

Chonburi Multiple Vehicle Crash No Injuries

Chonburi Lt Colonel Suwat was called to attend a serious road accident on the Chonburi By-pass involving multiple vehicles. He arrived on scene with rescue units to find a bus travelling from Bangkok to Laem Chabang with 24 passengers on board that had been in collision with three other vehicles. Also involved was a Nissan Almera, Toyota Vios and a Mitsubishi Van.

Police questioned the driver of the bus Khun Wuthisarn aged 24. He said that he didn't cause the accident. He simply came across the scene where the other three vehicles had crashed his brakes did not work good enough for him to stop in time.

Maybe Khun Wuthisarn should drive his bus a little slower in the future to give his brakes chance to work or maybe have his eyesight checked out and get a new pair of spectacles so he can see accidents in the distance in more time.

4 vehicles involved including a tour bus with 24 passengers. No one injured or killed - a good day in Chonburi.

Drug Bust in Na Jomtien Pattaya

Khun Phawat The Sherrif of Sattahip along with the headman of a village in Na Jomtien announced the arrest of a drug dealer along with the seizure of a quantity of class 1 narcotics.

Enforcement officers from the Sattahip drugs enforcement division effected the arrest of a Khun Kampol aged 49 and the seizure of 93 Yaa Baa (Methamphetamine) tablets. 

The officers had moved in to make the arrest as Khun Kampol got out of his Nissan pick-up truck. He tried to escape into a nearby cassava field but was apprehended. The officers searched him and found the Yaa Baa tablets in his trousers pocket.

Khun Kampol confessed to possessing the drugs and said that he had bought the tablets for 10,000 Baht from another dealer. He said that he had been addicted to drugs for 28 years and needed to take 5-10 tablets a day to fuel his habit. and needed to buy large quantities to sell on to finance his drug needs.

Rainy Season Dengue Fever Season in Pattaya

This month sees the start of the rainy season. Welcome showers bringing relief to the stifling heat of the hot season. The rainy season unfortunately brings dangers that can hardly be seen but often felt - pesky mosquitoes. which spread diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Malaria is rare now in Thailand but Dengue fever is on the rise. Banglamung Council has started a communication campaign to remind villages in the area of the danger of this insidious disease that can be fatal if left untreated.

A leaflet campaign highlighting the dangers as well as teams of district workers who are spreading out to spray chemicals that will wipe out the eggs and larvea of the dengue carrying mosquitoes before they can get out in the community and wreak havoc.

Dengue is a contagious disease spread by female mosquitoes . If they bite people who are sick with a fever, especially during high fever the Dengue virus will multiply in the mosquito for about 8-10 days, and then When a mosquito bites a person, the virus can be spread to humans. Children and old folks are most vulnerable to Dengue fever but even healthy fit individuals can be incapacitated.

Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water so it is advised not to leave items around that can hold this still water like tyres,bowls and planters. and avoid exposure to mosquitoes who are more active in the periods around dawn and dusk.

Pattaya Beach Sand Dumping

The Pattaya Marine Environment Agency has been hard at work recently publicising the fact that they have been hard at work beautifying the beaches around Pattaya. Hundreds of millions of Baht have been spent on beautifying Beach Road now it is time to spend hundreds of million Baht on the beaches that they adjoin.

As Pattaya promotes itself as beautiful International beach resort the beach is disappearing. Erosion is a natural process sometimes adding sand to one area of a coast line whilst stripping it from another. As sand is eroded from Pattaya beach Pattaya City Hall orders truck loads of sand and sandbags to be dumped on the beach to halt the erosion, It isn't going to work but hey spending money makes some money for some people.

Another problem with erosion is that it exposes the rocks and coral reefs that were once hidden. Now dead coral reefs is not a great advertisement for Pattaya so another project is to dump sand on these exposed eyesores that can be dangerous to bathers who can rip their feet on the sharp reefs and outcrops.

The authorities are dumping a lot of sand on a rotational basis starting from the North end at Wong Amat Beach in North Pattaya to the main Pattaya beach to Pratumnack and Jomtien beaches. And the next month they start the process all over again.

Saturday 10 May 2014

Pattaya Coffee Seminar on Health, Safety and Environmental Issues

Khun Ekasing Teangmo The Deputy Mayor of Pattaya presided over a coffee morning seminar at the Bayview Hotel to discuss Health, Safety and environmental issues in the workplace. The meeting was organized by The Area 7 Labor Safety Center and attended by representatives concerned with Health, Safety and the environment from concerned governmental and non governmental organizations.

A seminar was held to exchange ideas, knowledge, experience between the representatives Both government agencies and private organizations to share best practices in standards development , safety, health and environment at work. The event also included a special lecture about the health and occupational health given by Dr. Chai The President of Medical Enterprise Community Health. There were also lectures on topics regarding labor law and fire protection.

Why a coffee seminar? well obviosly many large cups of the stimulating beverage needed to be consumed to keep the delegates awake and attentive to the dtirring and stimulating subjects of Health, Safety and environmental issues in the workplace.

Bangkok Pattaya Hospital Brain Development Seminar for Genius Thai Babies

Thai parents spend a fortune on extra curricular classes to make their smart kids into virtual geniuses. The smart kids spend hours after school crammed into class rooms playing games on their mobile phones whilst over paid smart lecturers attempt to instill extra smartness into their smart phone wielding students.

Now the parents have another way to spend even more money on their kids in helping to develop the brains of their darling offspring before they are even born.

A meeting was held at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital where medical professionals, obstetricians and hopeful prospective parents got together with a group who claimed to be able to pass on "Touch" techniques whilst the baby is in the womb they demonstrated techniques that would enhance brain development and enhanced organ and body growth of the future tiny Thai tots during the whole period of pregnancy.

Creating a Smart Thai baby - an oxymoron or perhaps Thais celebrate April 1st a little later in the year than we do in the West.

Thai Birds in Pattaya Getting Lazy

It is a well known fact that Thai birds are lazy, but this is the hot season. Soaring temperatures are making them listless and they will just not get off heir nests. They are just not the easy Lay-ers they once were. 

Journalists, reporters and members of the media flocked to The Vibul Chicken farm in in Moo 7 of Bang Bung district in Chonburi to hear first hand from Khun Vanvipha of an eggciting topic that is the talk of the town among egg producers, egg distributors, egg stalls in the markets of the area and of course us who consume copious amounts of the egg shaped delicacies especially around breakfast time.

The subject of course in no Yolk. We are all aware that eggs are getting smaller. Consequently egg prices are sky high with the price of the average egg going up from a modest 2 Baht 50 satang to a whopping 3 Baht 20 satang - and that is the wholesale price - egg sellers are having to crack into their savings to buy eggs at these highly inflationary prices.

The reason for the poultry product price rises - global warming - well at least the high temperatures being experienced in Thailand at this time of year which is commonly knowb as the Hot Season.

Seams like Thai roosters are getting a little lazy in these sweltering temperatures and the lazy Thai hens can't be bothered to venture far from their nests to gobble up the feed that nurtures their egg laying activities.

We can all help to aleviate this dire situation - leave those gas guzzling, planet destructing SUV's at home and as you stare down at those diminutive fried eggs on your breakfast plate do the funky chicken dance around table - it may not bring about the start of an early rainy season but it may bring more public awareness to this terrible problem of global warming and an emphatic SOS - The Shrinking Omelette Syndrome.

Did anyone tell the Thais that this is The hot season and there has been no global warming for the last 18 years - ah well any old reason for a price hike.

Chinese Credit Card Scammers Arrested in Pattaya

A press conference was held at Pattaya Police Station to announce the bust of a major transnational credit card scam outfit. Chonburi Provincial Police Commander Police Major General Katcha and other senior officers from Chonburi and Pattaya gave details of the operation that was directed by the Provincial Transnational Crime Suppression Unit.

A sting operation saw agents from the Transnational Crime Suppression Unit going undercover posing as tour guides and meeting with gang members at a branch of McDonald's on Sukhumvit Highway in Central Pattaya and a subsequent meeting with other members at a rented room in Central Pattaya.

The Operation subsequently led to the arrest of 14 people including 11 Thais and 3 Chinese nationals. The credit card skimming scam was highly organised with gang members liaising with other members in China who passed on details of stolen credit card information and pin numbers. This information was entered onto false credit cards and then passed to the gofers who would go and withdraw cash or transfer large amounts of money from victims accounts to the accounts handled by the masterminds in China.

Police seized a large number of credit card blanks, card skimming apparatus, laptop computers and mobile phones used by the gang members. It is believed that the gang have skimmed over 2 million Baht using 20 credit cards with stolen information with the gang receiving up to 50% to share between the gang members and the rest going to Chines compadres.

Pile Up in Leam Chabang Kills 1 Injures 1

Leam Chabang Police officers and rescue units were called to a multiple vehicle accident with multiple casualties on The Sukhumvit Highway in Leam Chabang. At the scene on the flyover near The Harbour Front Shopping Mall they were confronted with three vehicles - a Honda Wave motorcycle, an Isuzu Pick-up truck and a Hino tractor trailer.

From witness statements and an account given by the driver of the lorry who was not injured and had stayed on scene. Khun Winai the lorry driver said that he was just leaving Leam Chabang port en route to Maptaphut in Rayong to deliver his load when the accident occured.  It seams that the motorcycle had firstly crashed into the pick-up which then lost control and rammed into the trailer of the articulated lorry.

The motorcycle rider a 21 year old man was severely injured, given first aid at the scene and transported to hospital for further emergency treatment.

The driver of the pick-up Khun Sawat aged 35 was trapped in the cab of his vehicle and he needed to be cut from the wreckage by rescue workers. Unfortunately he didn't survive the accident and his body was transported to Leam Chabang Hospital for a full post mortem to be carried out.

Friday 9 May 2014

Pattaya Police Eagle Patrols

A press conference was held at Pattaya Police station presided over by Police Major General Kacha Commander of Chonburi Regional police force. Major General Kacha was accompanied by Police Colonel Supachai senior officer at Pattaya Police station along with senior police officers from Banglamung, Nongprue and Na Jomtien.

The officers gave details of a new effort to implement crime prevention and crime suppression in the Pattaya area. The new effort dubbed "Eagle Patrol" will see an increase in patrol officers and police volunteers out on the streets of Pattaya and adjoining jurisdictions.

The "Eagle Patrol" has already been trialed in Chonburi and Sriracha and has been deemed a great success seeing a significant increase in arrests and reductions in crime. 200 extra officers have been equipped and trained to get out on the streets and be in a position to act as a rapid response team to supplement the existing officers in their day to day policing tasks.

Motorcyclist Shot in Chonburi

Chonburi Police and rescue workers rushed to the scene of what they thought was a motorcycle accident in Chonburi. On the road outside a gym in Central Chonburi they found a Yamaha motorcycle and it's rider. He had been shot more than once in the chest with a 9mm weapon.

The police questioned Khun Piya aged 20 a friend of the shooting victim. He said that they were riding their motorcycle towards Chonburi and somewhere near Tesco Lotus a gang of about 10 youths on 5 motorcycles mobbed them and tried to make them stop. They tried to carry on and then  some member of the gang pulled a gun and opened fire on them. They got as far as the gym before his friend succumbed to his wounds, collapsed and crashed the bike.

The police are desperately looking for the gang and the gunman before they repeat their vicious attack and harm more people.

Russian Lady Found Dead in Central Pattaya Condo

Pattaya Police and a Unit of The Sawang Boriboon Rescue Foundation were called to a condo complex in Central Pattaya after reports had been received of the the finding of a deceased foreigner in one of the rooms.

At the scene a fourth floor room of building C at The Nirun Condo in Soi Arunthai they found the body of a Russian lady Miss Tatiana Schmykova aged 63. The body of Miss Schmykova was in an advanced stage of decay, medics estimated that she had been dead for 5 or 6 days.

Miss Schmykova had sustained a head wound. There were many bottles of beer and Lao Khaw - Thai rice whiskey around the room some of them broken. However there didn't appear to be any signs of a struggle or any indication that foul play was involved so the police are assuming at the moment that she may have fallen whilst in an intoxicated state and received a blow to the head.

Neighbours said that Miss Schmykova had rented the room for about a year and was known to enjoy a drink or two. The deceased was removed and transported to hospital for a full forensic autopsy to be carried out to  ascertain the real cause of death. Meanwhile as is the custom The Russian Embassy in Bangkok has been notified of the death of one of it's nationals.

Taxi Driver Impaled on Metal Bar in East Pattaya

A unit of the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Foundation were called out to give assistance to a motorcycle taxi driver who had become impaled on a metal rod.

At the scene construction site for a row of Shop-houses in front of The Rungreung Village in Soi Kaotalo in East Pattaya they found a taxi driver Khun Siritar aged 25 who was in great pain after a metal rod had pierced her ankle while she was walking on the construction site.

According to her friends at the taxi rank Khun Siritar was taking a break and strolling around the site when she screamed in pain and they went to help her. Emergency Medics administered first aid as best they could and transported her to hospital with the metal rod still embedded in her lower leg.

She was initially admitted to Pattaya Memorial Hospital but then transferred to Banglamung Hospital where an operation was carried out to remove the offending piece of re-bar.

Drunk Driver Causes Mayhem in Nongprue East Pattaya

In the early hours of the morning Nongprue police were alerted to an incident in Soi Khao Talo, East Pattaya where the driver of a pick-up truck was running amok. The pick-up had already crashed into the wall of a house in Moo Baan Ravipon in Soi 13 and then driven off at high speed. Then in Soi 10 he lost control again and crashed into a motorcyclist before embedding the truck into another house.

At the scene police and rescue workers found the results of the mayhem that had ensued. The motorcycle rider Khun Sukhasan aged 30 was in a bad state. Unconscious, bleeding heavily with suspected broken legs. He was immediately rushed to Banglamung Hospital by a Unit of The Sawang Boriboon Rescue Foundation.

A large crowd had gathered and detained the driver of the Nissan pick-up truck. Police moved in quickly as the mob were not being gentle in the way they handled the obviously intoxicated driver.

Khun Samrong aged 45 was taken into custody immediately, for his own safety and taken to Nongprue Police station where he faces serious charges depending on whether the motorcyclist pulls through or not.

Norwegian Stabbed by Wife in Central Pattaya Hotel

A Norwegian national was admitted to the emergency ward at a Pattaya hospital after sustaining serious knife wounds to his chest. He was blleding heavily from stab wounds to his rib cage.

Staff at The All Seasons Hotel in Central Pattaya had transported Mr. Stinson aged 43 to Pattaya Memorial Hospital after there had been an altercation at the hotel between Mr. Stinson and his wife. They had been arguing for several days and it culminated in a physical fight between the two. The fight became violent and ended up with his wife stabbing him three times in the chest.

It appears that the fight began when Mr. Stinson refused point blank to return to Norway with his wife.

Mrs Stinson did not accompany her husband to hospital. The authorities are in the process of interviewing Mrs. Stinson and are also waiting to see if Mr. Stinson wishes to press charges against his well miffed missis.

Thursday 8 May 2014

Pattaya Mayor Opens New Language School

Khun Itthipon The Mayor of Pattaya joined together with Khun Butree the director of The Western Language School to preside over the opening ceremony for the new school.

Khun Itthipon undertook the strenuous ribbon cutting ceremony and then announced the awarding of scholarships for local school kids who have passed the qualifying requirements. This will give the kids a 30 hour free language course.

The Western Language School is located in Soi Town in Town in Central Pattaya. Language classes are now open to the general public with instruction given in a variety of foreign languages including: English, German, Russian and Chinese. To mark the opening a special discount of 30% is available until May the 31st for students booking 60 and 120 hour courses. 

The school is open from 9am till 8pm and can be contacted on 038-423-733 and 038-413-733

Drunks Fall Off Motorcycle in Central Pattaya

During the Songkran period police clamped down with a major operation to persuade and deter folks from drinking and driving. Now the holiday is over it seams things are back to normal. At 5am Pattaya Police and a rescue unit from the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Foundation were called to attend an accident in Central Pattaya after reports of a motorcycle crash with two people injured.

At the scene a bend near the Bird Inn Hotel in Soi Bongkot they found a Honda Click motorcycle that had failed to negotiate the curve and crashed.

The two ladies who had been on the bike Khun Ooy aged 37 who had been driving and her pillion passenger Khun Paeng aged 42 were laying unceremoniously in the road with a wide variety of cuts wounds and abrasions. Khun Paeng also had lacerations on his hands and face embedded with the remnants of a beer bootle he had been drinking from at the time of the crash. The pair said that the ywere returning after a night out in Walking Street South Pattaya.

Rescue workers administered first aid at the scene before transporting the sozzled citizens to hospital for further treatment. Relatives arrived to pick up the peices of the motorcycle. Not sure who came to sweep up the broken glass scatterred across the road.

Drunks Fall Off Motorcycle in Central Pattaya

During the Songkran period police clamped down with a major operation to persuade and deter folks from drinking and driving. Now the holiday is over it seams things are back to normal. At 5am Pattaya Police and a rescue unit from the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Foundation were called to attend an accident in Central Pattaya after reports of a motorcycle crash with two people injured.

At the scene a bend near the Bird Inn Hotel in Soi Bongkot they found a Honda Click motorcycle that had failed to negotiate the curve and crashed.

The two ladies who had been on the bike Khun Ooy aged 37 who had been driving and her pillion passenger Khun Paeng aged 42 were laying unceremoniously in the road with a wide variety of cuts wounds and abrasions. Khun Paeng also had lacerations on his hands and face embedded with the remnants of a beer bootle he had been drinking from at the time of the crash. The pair said that the ywere returning after a night out in Walking Street South Pattaya.

Rescue workers administered first aid at the scene before transporting the sozzled citizens to hospital for further treatment. Relatives arrived to pick up the peices of the motorcycle. Not sure who came to sweep up the broken glass scatterred across the road.

Russian Motorcyclist killed in Accident in Na Jomtien Pattaya

In the early hours of the morning Na Jomtien police and a rescue unit from The Sawang Rojana Foundation were called to attend a road accident in Na Jomtien near The Ambassador City Hotel.

They arrived on scene at the 155Km marker on the Pattaya Bound carriageway of Sukhumvit Highway to find a Yamaha Nouvo motorcycle that had massive front damage and the lifeless body of a foreigner laying in the grass. The deceased motorcyclist had sustained massive injuries including a broken neck. He was later identified as a Mr. Andrey Bogdanov aged 30 of Russian Nationality. Near the motorcycle was a light pole that had damage and appeared to be what stopped the motorcycle.

Enquiries at The Ambassador City Hotel gave the police more information. A receptioist at the hotel Khun Nopadon told the police that Mr. Bogdanov had rented a room at the hotel recently and had also rented a motorcycle from a bike rental shop nearby.

The body of Mr. Bogdanov was transported to The Queen Sirikit Hospital in Sattahip for a full post mortem to be carried out. Meanwhile as is the custom the Russian Embassy in Bangkok has been notified of the death of one of it's citizens.

Sattahip TukTuk Driver Found Dead

Sattahip police and rescue workers rushed to help a TukTuk driver who seemed to be in distress in Moo 6 Sattahip. When they arrived they found that they could do nothing as the 77 year old driver Khun Supon was already dead.

Police were puzzled about the cause of death. The deceased had no visible injuries but seemed to have been convulsing had a lot of foam around his mouth.

Police talked to his landlady Khun Dollaporn aged 68 who said that Khun Supol had lived there for about a year and diligently left for work at 4am every day. On that day he had helped to take a customer to hospital who was suffering from angina.

The body of Khun Sopon was transported to Sattahip Hospital for a full autopsy to be carried out that should throw some light on the actual cause of death.

Major Sriracha Drugs Bust at Chicken Shop

Sriracha Police and drug enforcement officers conducted a raid on a chicken shop near Sriracha Tiger Zoo. The shop called Coconut Chicken was thought to be a front for a more nefarious business the trade and distribution of narcotics. The officers gathered near the chicken shop and at the appointed moment plucked up the courage to move in.

They searched the shop and found lots of grilled chicken. The owner of the shop Khun Chanon looked nervous as if someone had ruffled his feathers. A further search and the officers were in cluck sorry luck. 1,200 Yaa Baa (Methamphetamine) tablets were discovered in a box in a closet. and a smaller cache of 49 tablets in other drawers behind the shop.

It looks like the chickens had come home to roost for Khun Chanon and under questioning confessed to possession of a large quantity of class 1 narcotics for the purpose of distribution.

He said that he bought the drugs from the Thai Cambodia border area in Sakeaw Province where he would purchase 1,000 - 2,000 tablets for resale to drugs dealers in Sriracha who sold them on to local workers and Thai youths.

He has been running this "extra" business for about 3 years and made around 50,000 Baht per month. Also seized in the raid were a 38mm pistol, an 11mm automatic weapon and a quantity of ammunition.

It looks like Khun Chanon, the chicken shop owner may be spending a long period of time cooped up courtesy of The Department of Corrections. And there are no bones about it - getting a large amount of deadly drugs off the street is certainly a feather in the cap for the Sriracha officers.

Rescue Workers Free Kid Locked in Car in North Pattaya

A rescue Unit from the Sawang Boriboon Foundation rushed to the help of a child trapped in a vehicle in North Pattaya. At the scene outside a seven-eleven store near Sisuwit School in North Pattaya they found a frantic father and his Isuzu Mu 7. Inside the car his 2 year old was curled up on the front seat sound asleep.

The father Khun Saksit had parked for just a few moments to drop some rubbish in a bin outside the convenience store leaving the sleeping child inside. The keys were in the ignition, the engine running and the air conditioning turned on so rescuers were not too concerned about the child becoming hot or suffocating.

Khun Saksit was not sure if his daughter had played with the door lock engaging the auto locking system to engage or if there had been an electrical fault. He gave rescuers permission to break into the vehicle. It took 30 minutes to pry open the door. The child was unharmed, the father thanked the rescuers and continued his journey.

Couple of points to note. Firstly It would have been quicker to call on the nearest motorcycle taxi drivers I am sure they could have gained entry in a jiffy or at least know someone nearby with the requisite skills.

And finally why oh why do Thais think it is ok to have a young kid loose on the front seat of their cars. If the child had been strapped into a proper baby seat in the rear then this type of incident or even worse incidents would not happen at all.

Wednesday 7 May 2014

Nongprue Pattaya Drinking Water Quality Conference

At Nongprue Municipal Offices a conference was held to discuss the Annual Drinking Water Quality Campaign 2557. The conference was attended by Municipal officers including Khun Thirawit the Nongprue Municipal Secretary, Community Leaders, business and entrepreneurs involve in the water production and water distribution sector.

Khun Mai The Mayor of Nongprue opened the conference and gave a speech expressing his concerns about the current situation with regard to the options available for consumers who expect clean and potable water for their family's daily needs. This was followed by Khun Saranya who gave the attendees a lecture about The Safe Drinking Water Act and the rules and regulations aimed to prevent contamination of water supplies.

People would like to have clean safe water piped to their homes as happens elsewhere in the world. This is not going to happen anytime soon. Thais depend on water vending machines that dispense clean drinking water into containers that can be taken home.

There are serious concerns that if the filters on these water vending machines are not cleaned regularly then microorganisms such as e-coli bacteria can build up that is a clear and present health hazard. Attendees then took a break to enjoy a meal together no doubt accompanied by a sparkling glass of water.

Green Industrial Convention Ambassador City Jomtien Pattaya

Now this news story brought a smile to my face. I am not a great admirer of the green sector whose motives are usually more profit related than philanthropic. Save my bank balance under the guise of  saving the planet.

A Green energy, green industrial convention was held at the Ambassador City Jomtien. There were several hundred greenie representatives of green companies who gathered together to chat about well green stuff. Attendees enjoyed green seminars and discussions on green topics.

Dr. Lazuli Sima chokedee a senior government official was on hand to hand out green certificates to the green delegates and the handing out of prizes to the greenest of the members members. First prize a gas guzzling. pollution emitting motorcycle. Painted in green no doubt.

Truck Crash and Fire in Sriracha

Nongkham Police in Sriracha were alerted of a major road accident in their area with reports of one of the vehicles on fire. Police rushed to the scene along with fire brigade units and other rescue vehicles and medics.

There were two vehicles involved. A 22 wheel lorry had crashed into the back of an 18 wheel lorry containing wood chips. The container of wood chips was well ablaze and fire fighters set to work dousing the fire with their water hoses. It took a while to bring the fire under control. It was only then safe for rescuers to attempt to get into the mangled cab of the rear lorry using cutting equipment and The Jaws of Life. This tricky operation took over an hour.

The charred body of the driver was removed. It was not possible to make an identification at this time. He is thought to have been aged between 35 - 40

His body was transported to Leam Chabang Hospital for a full post mortem to be carried out before  the deceased can be released to relatives for funeral rites to be carried out. Police commented that this type of rear end crash happens often especially as in this case in the early hours of the morning when drivers simply fall asleep at the wheel.

Baan Bung Tomb Raiders in Pattaya

Members of the media were sent on a spooky assignment last week at a cemetery in Baan Bung District. Journalists were given a guided tour of the cemetery that covers over 40 Rai of land by the keeper of the cemetery Khun Arak aged 41. In Thailand Buddhists cremate their deceased relatives. There are many people who have Chinese ancestry who's tradition is to inter their loved ones in tombs. 

These tombs are usually ornately decorated with surviving relatives visiting frequently to offer gifts to their ancestors. These gifts include gold leaf which is liberally spread around the tomb. Over the years this gold accumalates and under the cover of darkness by the light of a full moon they stalk the cemeteries scraping off the gold and making off with their ghoulish gold stash.

With the price of gold being so high and the tomb raiders morals being so low it is thought that 3-4 million Baht worth of gold has been stolen from this one cemetery alone.

Reports to the police have been made about these thefts. Gold shops in the area have been put on alert to look out for dodgy looking characters with protruding Dracula like teeth and maybe wolf like appearance handing over stashes of gold with grubby yet gold coloured fingers.

Pattaya Minivan Truck Accident at Huay Yai

Huay Yai Police, Rescue Foundation units and medics from Banglamung Hospital and Bangkok Pattaya Hospital were dispatched to a major road accident only 100 meters away from Huay Yai police station. There were reports of multiple casualties.

At the scene they found a commuter van with the driver and 14 passengers embedded in the flat bed trailer of an 18 wheel lorry. Injuries varied from serious to minor. Rescue workers had to use cutting equipment and the jaws of life to extricate the driver Khun Surachai aged 51.

First aid was administered by medics at the scene and then the casualties were transported to The Queen Sirikit Hospital in Sattahip, Banglamung Hospital and Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. 4 passengers who had received only mimor injuries were treated but declined to be taken to hospital.

The driver said that he drove this route from Bangkok to Rayong regularly and on this occasion was taken by surprise that a truck was parked across the highway. It was dark he said and didn't see it in time and had no chance to brake or swerve to avoid a collision.

Passengers commented that the driver driving like a maniac at high speed was more than likely a contributing factor. As for the driver who parked his articulated lorry across the highway - well police are not surprisingly still trying to find him.

Tuesday 6 May 2014

Kitten Freed in Sriracha

Rescue workers from The Sawang Prathip Rescue Foundation in Sriracha were called upon to make a purrfect rescue when a member of the public called their radio control centre that they had found a kitten trapped in netting.

The rescue workers were alerted and woken from their cat nap that they were taking and keen to avert a catastrophe did not pause and rushed to the scene. There was much pity for the kitty who was not only frightened but more than a little ferocious as it tried to bite anyone who got too close.

The rescue workers unfurled their equipment for this type of emergency - a pair of scissors and spent an hour carefully freeing the frightened feline. The kitten now extricated did not pause to thank the rescuers and scooted off no doubt glad to be born free.

Thai Soldier Mown Down By Hit and Run Truck in Sriracha

Sriracha Police and rescue workers were called to attend an accident on The Sukhumvit Road in Sriracha. At the scene they found a young soldier Khun Phumin aged 22 who was laying on the road bleeding and unconscious with his Honda Wave motorcycle laying close by

Khun Phumin was on his way to pick up his girlfriend in Leam Chabang when he was rear ended by a flat bed lorry. He was given first aid at the scene and then transported to hospital for further emergency treatment.

The police meanwhile are searching for the driver of the lorry who as is the norm failed to stop and fled the scene in the cover of darkness.

Progress in Englishman Shot in Pattaya

Pattaya Police announced the progress or rather lack of progress in the case of the English guy shot in the face in Jomtien last week.

Mr. Andrew Alexandar aged 41 is continuing to make good progress when he was lucky enough to be shot in the left cheek by an unknown but known assailant. Lucky to be shot in the cheek - yes two inches to the left and he would not have been so lucky he would probably be dead.

The police said that they were in the process of seeking an arrest warrant from Pattaya Provincial Court for the unknown shooter who escaped the scene in a pick-up truck and is now thought to be in hiding up-country with his Thai wife.

Immigration Police have been put on the alert and will stop the man if he attempts to leave Thailand over a land sea or air border.

The police think that there had been an altercation between the Englishman who was shot and the Englishman who they think they don't know the identity of. Meanwhile Mr. Alexander is not talking either. Maybe because of his facial wounds or maybe that he is worried that his unknown attacker might get a little pistol practise in before they meet again.

LPG Car Fire in Chonburi

Fire fighters were called to attend an LPG fuelled vehicle blaze on Sukhumvit Road in Samet District Chonburi. At the scene they found a Toyota sedan with the engine compartment on fire. They used fire hoses to contain the blaze so that the fire would not engulf the entire vehicle. The area was cordoned off just in case there was an explosion and a traffic jam stretching 2 Km soon built up. The fire was soon doused and the LPG turned off.

The owner of the car Khun Sumet from Donhuaroh District said that he was returning home after a trip to the jetty to buy seafood with his family in the car when he noticed sparks coming from underneath the bonnet. He managed to pull over and get himself and the other four members of the family out of the vehicle before flames erupted.

He had no idea how the fire started. He had been running the car on LPG for along time on LPG to save money - now it seams those savings had literally gone up in flames.

TukCom South Pattaya Raided

Senior Pattaya Police officers and a squad of about 50 enforcement officers from from the Police Region 2 Intellectual Property Rights Unit were called upon to conduct a raid of the Tuk Com IT Center on South Pattaya Road.

Apparantly they had received complaints from local Thai residents and foreigners that shop holders had been selling cheap mobile phones. They had then realised that they had been duped and the 20,000 Baht iPhones and Samsung Galaxies that they had paid 5,000 Baht for were actually counterfeited - what a surprise!!

26 operators and shop assistants were busted, 351 fake smart phones were seized worth over a million Baht - not sure if that is the real price for the real phones or the fake price for the fake phones.

The Commander of the task force emphasised that they would not stand for folks selling fake goods in Pattaya whether it was fake clothes, fake watches or electronic items. This trade in smuggled goods from abroad to sell to duped tourists would only serve to bring the city inro dissrepute.

No mention was made of the selling of Fake services by fake women on Baeach Road - but that's another storey.

Norwegian Harms Himself in Jomtien

Pattaya Police from Dongtan sub-station on Jomtien Beach and a unit of the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Foundation were called to attend an incident at a restaurant a little ways down the beach

At the location a four story guest house they found a Norwegian gentleman who had definitely lost the plot. Mr. Per Stale Lund aged 37 was perched on a flat roof area on the second floor above the restaurant threatening to throw himself off the roof and on to an electrical transformer below. He was already covered in blood as he had cut himself several times in the neck and chest with a knife instead of the steak he was served up with. 

What had caused him to go bonkers well would you believe an argument with his Thai girlfriend abot another Thai girlfriend - never heard of that before. Mr. Lund was clearly intoxicated and still wielding the knife that he had used on himself.

Officials tried in many languages to coax him down but Mr. Lund seemed to be travelling around a different planet. After about three hours he finally carried out his threats and jumped. Fortunately officials had already cut power to the transformer and his jump was only a few feet onto the tables and chairs of the restaurant. He received a few bruises and no doubt a hefty bill from the restaurant owner for the damage to the furniture and the steak that was by now cold and uneaten.

Mr. Lund was taken to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital for observation. The police said that this incident followed on an incident last week when he had also lost the plot in a beer bar in Jomtien.

Saturday 3 May 2014

Fatal Motorcycle Crash in Soi Theppraset Pattaya

In the early hours of the morning Pattaya Police at The Dongtan sub station on Jomtien Beach and a unit of the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Foundation received notification of a serious accident nearby with one fatality.

They rushed to the scene on Theppraset Road in front of Samui EC Tech Co., Ltd to find that a Honda PCX motorcycle had crashed into the back of a pick-up truck.

The motorcyclist later identified as a Mr. Amnoui Anuntakul aged 21 who was a Thai-American national had been thrown three meters by the impact and was laying in a pool of blood. He had sustained massive injuries in the crash and probably had died almost instantly.

The Mazda pick-up truck had sustained major damage to the tailgate and rear end and had been shoved several meters don the road by the force of the impact. The owner of the pick-up was at the scene after being alerted to the crash and stated that the vehicle had been parked outside her company for several months. Eyewitnesses to the accident said that they had seen the motorcycle approaching at high speed and drove straight into the back of the truck.

The body of the deceased was transported to Banglamung Hospital for a full autopsy to be carried out before he can be released to relatives for funeral rites to be carried out.

Pattaya Third Road Fatal Motorcycle Accident

Pattaya Police and a unit of the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Foundation were dispatched to reports of a serious road accident on Pattaya Third Road.

At the scene outside the Kwi Ek Pub they found a White Toyota Van belonging to The Trans Asian Line that had been in collision with a Yamaha Nouvo motorcycle. The van had extensive front end damage and the motorcycle was totally wrecked and laying in two parts in the road.

There were two people injured in the crash both had been riding the motorcycle. A 19 year old Thai male had already been transported to Banglamung hospital for emergency treatment. The other victim Miss Wanaporn aged 22 from Nakhon Ratchasima Province had sustained massive injuries and was laying dead in a pool of blood on the road.

The driver of the van Khun Khomsan aged 63 said that he had been transporting a group of Russian tourists to the A-One The Royal Cruise Hotel on Pattaya Beach Road when a group of motorcycles ran a red light and then drove onto the wrong side of the road to overtake a vehicle. The Yamaha had hit head on before he had a chance to brake or swerve to avoid a collision.

The police collected evidence at the scene and proceeded to check CCTV cameras in the area to check the account of the van driver. Meanwhile the body of the deceased victim was transported to Banglamung hospital for a forensic autopsy to be carried out.

Pattaya Tomboy Raped

Around dawn Pattaya Police were called to a convenience store on Sukhumvit Road  at the entrance to Soi Neun Plub Wan in East Pattaya. A naked girl had gone to the store in distress saying that she had been raped. The staff had called the police.

The young 21 year old lady from Buriram Province who describes herself as a Tomboy told the police that she had been raped on rough land close by on Soi Country Club.

She explained that she had been drinking at a karaoke bar in Jomtien and had accepted the offer of a lift home by a man called Na. They took a motorcycle taxi to an area behind a local temple where Na said he had parked his bike. The motorcycle taxi left and they continued to walk. As they passed some waste land Na dragged her into the bushes and despite her efforts to fight him off he raped her and then fled the scene.

The police took her to the scene of the assault, collected her clothes for evidence and took a brief statement then escorted her to hospital for a physical examination to take place.

Latest Progress in Jomtien ATM Robbery

Police Major General Katcha the Chonburi Provincial Police Commander announced the capture of two members of the gang that robbed an ATM machine on Sukhumvit Road last week. Major General Katcha led a team of senior Pattaya police officers who staged a video taped re-construction of the crime starring the mastermind of the crime Khun Atit aged 33. Khun Atit took them step by step through the happenings that night which netted the gang just around million Baht.

He said that they had parked close to the ATM machine. They had not moved the CCTV camera which the police later found pointing skyward. He then used gas cutting equipment to gain entry through the rear metal casing of the stand alone ATM. The process took about 30 minutes and then they drove off to split the proceeds.

Police said that they have arrested a 17 year youth at his home in Phichit Province and are actively searching for another individual called Khun Bunkert aged 23 and expect to make an arrest pretty soon as they know the area that he is hiding out.

Art Exhibition at Royal Garden Plaza Shopping Center Pattaya

The Deputy Nayor of Pattaya Khun Rankert Ekasing presided over the opening ceremony of  an art exhibition at The Royal Garden Plaza shopping center, Pattaya. Distinguished guests at the ceremony included Khun Somporn the Vice President of The Royal Garden Plaza and Khun Mana who is responsible for cultural events in the city.

The exhibition entitled Phatom translated in English as Primal has been put on by a group of local artists PTY56. The exhibits on display are themed to show vibrant images of the culture of the city. Over 40 works of art are on display for art enthusiasts and those who are not so enthusiastic to peruse and enjoy.

Most of the works are available for purchase with proceeds going to The Father Ray Foundation. Another art exhibition entitled "Genesis" is planned at The Royal Garden Plaza shopping center soon. Come and enjoy.

Thursday 1 May 2014

Sriracha Technical School Hijacked on Sukhumvit Road

A young college student from Sriracha Technical School was driving along Sukhumvit Road to meet a friend in Sattahip district. As he was stood at a set of traffic lights near South Pattaya a couple of motorcycles pulled up alongside him. The bikes had three men and three women on them. Tow of the men hopped off and got on the back of his motorcycle. One of them pushed a gun in his back and ordered him to drive on.

They directed him to a deserted soi and then relieved him of his iPhone 4 mobile phone, 1,800 Baht in cash and left him stranded as they rode off on his motorcycle. Khun Permpon aged 19 made his own way to the police station to report the highway robbery. He was able to give descriptions of the robbers all about 20 years old and descriptions of the motorcycles they were riding.

Police technical officers were able to get a GPS ping from the stolen phone somewhere in the Jomtien Beach area before the signal stopped obviously the phone had been turned off. They are hoping the phone may be turned on again sometime soon meanwhile they are examining images from CCTV cameras in the area that may give them more leads as to their identities.

Pattaya ATM Robbery Reperussions

In the wake of the audacious withdrawal of over a million Baht from a free standing ATM machine on Sukhumvit Road last week Police Colonel Supachai and other senior police officers held a press conference at Pattaya Police Station to assure the public, and the banks that they were doing everything in their power to bring the thieves to justice.

The police are worried about copy cat robberies so have stepped up patrols of vulnerable ATM machines especially those belonging to the UOB Bank that appear to be easier to break into. Police patrols are checking regularly stand alone ATM's at petrol filling stations, convenience stores and gold shops.

They urged business where these vulnerable ATM machines are located to install efficient lighting and CCTV cameras as these types of crime often occur in the depth of the night when police and security patrols take their naps.

Explosives have been used in past attempts to get at the money in these machines. These have proved unsuccessful until the latest attempt when butane gas cutting equipment did the job just nicely.

In a separate and unconnected story Hardware shop owners have reported an unusual increase in the sale of butane gas cylinders probably due to the labour day holiday where the gas is needed to fuel barbecues.

Jomtien Beach Labour Day

Jomtien Beach was also a favoured destination for locals, foreign tourists and the hoards of Bangkokian day trippers looking to take a well deserved day off to celebrate my birthday usual called Labour Day no doubt in respect to my mother who spent many hours in labour on this day many many moons ago. Parking was plentiful on the Jomtien Beach Road up to about 8am when the tour buses started arriving en-mass.

There were plenty of deck chairs vacant as the beach boulevard became paved with thousands of straw mats and som tam, Singha and seang som parties. Gaggles of giggling kids headed to the waterline with their rubber rings and frolicked in the frothy foam of this pristine Thailand beach destination.

Beach vendors had a jackpot day selling more shrimp, crabs and sticky rice in an hour than they would in a normal day. With prices mysteriously higher than normal for this day a subtle change could be seen in the early evening as the tourist mats disappeared to be replaced with numerous beach side parties occupied by the beach vendors who had had a long and weary day and needed a beer or two or three to wind down.

Moral Education Seminar in Pattaya

At The Tappraya meeting room Khun Chintana The Director of the Pattaya Department of Education presided over a seminar and training workshop for local educators on the topic of integrity and ethics in  public service. The aim was to focus on moral development as well as development that focuses on the mind with due regard to reaching teaching goals whilst adhering to laws, regulations, rules, and moral obligations.

134 teachers, teaching assistants and education managers attended the training sharing their experiences and leaving no doubt with enhance knowledge and skills that will help them pass on moral values to the dear little children of Pattaya.

Pattaya Labour Day Jams

It was good to see that Thai folks turned out in force to celebrate my birthday on May the First. They called it Labour Day which is rather strange as most people took the day off and little labour was done.

Bangkokians descended on Pattaya for a great day out by the beach. Most folks managed to park their cars and claimed their pogs on beach road by early afternoon. By late afternoon the mass migration back to the metropolis began and it was time to roll up the straw mats, ditch the empty beer bottles and plastic plates of som tam and join the ques of traffic exiting the city.

Those with a modicum of local knowledge were aware of the traffic jams and knew where the short cuts were and formed their own traffic jams.

I avoided the jams and celebrated my birthday with a bottle of Johnny Black by the pool.

Pattaya City Hall Flood Prevention Meeting

As the monsoon season has arrived with vengeance in Pattayav this year and heavy rains are becoming a daily event it is comforting to know that Pattaya City Council is on the ball.

Khun Itthipol The Mayor of Pattaya presided over an important meeting at Pattaya City Hall to discuss and analyse the causes of flooding and the measures to prevent and alleviate flooding problems in the Pattaya area. The meeting was attended by Khun Pakorn a senior Pattaya Council official, Dr. Sophon an expert in flooding from a Bangkok University and a number of local officials and community representatives and organisations.

Various proposals have been put forward to fix the problem that resulted in major inconveniences to local citizens last year who learnt how easily cars could float. Have no fear Khun Itthipol and Pattaya Council are near. Surveys have been done and plans drawn up. It was now the time for action to decide which plan and which survey was more meritous.

Top of the list of topics for the meeting was the division of the are into nine zones. The Construction of sewer networks and pumping stations that will require a budget of 7.7 billion baht to be spent over several years. Canals to be upgraded and ponds dug to store water overflows in the event of flash flooding in the Soi Khao Talo area with a budget of around 1.9 million Baht.

These and other measures would be done speedily and would only take 9 years to be completed. Meanwhile stock up on packamacs, wellies and inflatable dinghies here comes the rain.