Do you notice anything unusual in the picture? Well it a newly installed pedestrian crossing light at the junction of 2nd Road and Pattaya Tai (South Road). It is the first time that I have seen one in Pattaya.

Maybe one day it will be safe to cross the main roads of Pattaya. It may even then have the vague chance of being family friendly. Until then I would not bring children to Pattaya, it is simply not possible to cross roads without taking extreme risks. The fight to cross the road from Beach Road to Walking Street is nothing less than shameful.

Meanwhile from The Pattaya Mail

A recent survey has identified Pattaya’s traffic black spots and a number of options are being studied to find out which will be the most suitable to implement.

Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn recently2 presided over a meeting of the Committee of the Pattaya Traffic Study Project to urgently remedy the traffic woes in Pattaya.

Dr Thawatchai Laosiripongtong, president of the Center for Traffic and Transportation Research and Development at TDRC said that the latest data revealed the most worrisome traffic problems occur on Pattaya First Road (Beach Road) and Pattaya Second Road at three main locations: the Dolphin Roundabout, which is unable to handle the number of vehicles, Pattaya Klang Intersection on Beach Road where pickup trucks park blocking traffic into First Road, and South Pattaya at the entrance to Walking Street.

Proposals for rectification include the installation of traffic lights at the Dolphin Roundabout, improving the curve at the front of Walking Street, and setting up quotas for public transport vehicles and other vehicles parking along Beach Road.

The Royal London Circus is extending its run in Pattaya and this has required a location change. It is now located outside my front door at Pattaya Park (Thappraya Road: Soi 12, on the way from Pattaya to Jomtien) The show will now run until 8th January 2006.

I'd see you down there but I failed my escapology course and I will be tied up in the bars and gogos down town. Besides, the ball juggling and bedroom acrobatics of Soi 6 are a little more to taste and there is always a little fire breathing on offer on return to home base.
 

Ticket reservations: 05-1789007 / 015973737 / 097246393
Group booking: 01-5385799

From Stickman (Essential reading)

Pattaya’s Immigration Office shut down its Soi 8 facilities on Saturday 3rd December. The new office is set to open Tuesday 6th December on Soi 5 in Jomtien. And for farang holding one-year visas, local Immigration officers note that beginning in February expats will be able to fulfil their 90-day reporting requirements online.

We Pattaya residents must surely be jealous of the actions taken in Phuket

From Phuket Gazette

Municipal officials will patrol the streets of Patong day and night this high season in a crackdown on touts and street vendors harassing tourists, Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukbal has announced. We need to ensure that [touts] do not distribute leaflets or grab tourists’ hands to try to persuade them to buy from their shops. We will arrest them for being a public nuisance, which carries a maximum fine of 2,000 baht. We have received many complaints from tourists who had been harassed by touts

The latest move to curb street touts intrusive methods has already upset some shop owners. Patong tailor Niphon Narula explained to the Gazette that municipality officers arrested one of his shop staff for “just standing” in front of his shop on Thaweewong Rd. We weren’t handing out leaflets … If we annoyed tourists, we would be in the wrong, but he was just standing in front of our shop. How could they have arrested him?

K. Niphon said that on November 22 was the fourth time his staff member had been arrested. The first time incurred a 500 baht fine, and a 1,000-baht fine followed for each of the following two times. However, in his most recent arrest the staff member was let off with a warning.

K. Chairat said: If they are just standing [in front of the shop], we will not arrest them. But we will be more strict in ensuring that tourists have a good holiday in Phuket.

From Pattaya City News

Another outspoken local journalist receives a death threat.

Following on from the recent murder or local Channel 7 journalist, Khun Santi, it appears that another local journalist who is the local representative for Thai National TV Channel 3 and is the owner of a local Thai newspaper Sur-Tawanorg, has received a death threat. This is Khun Anan who is the Chairman of the Pattaya Media Association who came to see Police Colonel Waratshai, the Chief of Banglamung Police to discuss the case.

He explained that early on Thursday Morning two men driving a Blue BMW Car entered his office and asked to speak with Anan, his staff, who accompanied him to the Police Station, informed the pair that he was sleeping. They told the two staff members that this was not a problem because they would be attending his funeral very soon. They both left the office and drove away. Anan is known to have strong views on many local issues and reported extensively on the recent murder of the Channel 7 journalist Santi. Banglamung Police are now conducting an investigation and are patrolling the area around his office on a regular basis throughout the day.

I don't know off it is official but the wet season seems to be over here in Pattaya and we haven't had any heavy rain for a week.

The rub is that our mains supply has already dried up. We seem to be back to the water restrictions such that we only get a main supply at night.

From Pattaya City News

The Islands off the Pattaya Coast and Pattaya were put on high alert as the Oil slick begun to break up and drift towards the area.

Thai Oil Plc instantly initiated a clean up operation using buoys which have now contained the slick. Initial fears that Pattaya Bay would be affected have now been discounted due to favorable currents.

However we decided to see for ourselves and hitched a ride on a Royal Thai Navy Helicopter on Monday morning. We saw that the slick has now broken up, however on some of the smaller islands in the Gulf, the Oil has come ashore. We can confirm that Larn Island which is a popular tourist destination, especially at this time of year, has not been affected. The clean up operation which is estimated to have cost Thai Oil, 2 Million Baht is still on going but we understand the slick is not expected to spread further.

Editorial from the Bangkok Post

An oil slick about 3km long containing about 100,000 litres of crude could be heading for Pattaya after a pipe on an unloading Japanese oil tanker ruptured yesterday, leading to a large spill. The Ryuho Maru was discharging a load of crude oil from Oman at a buoy about three nautical miles off Udom cove when the accident occurred. The oil was being transferred to the Thai Oil refinery plant in Si Racha district.

It took about 30 minutes to shut the valve, and by then about 100,000 litres of oil, or a third of the tanker's cargo, had spilled into the sea.

The Marine Department has ordered an investigation to establish whether the tanker's crew had mishandled the transfer, or if a faulty pipe was to blame.

The tanker threw a floating boom around the slick in a futile attempt to contain its spread. Strong winds and choppy seas pushed the oil slick over the top of the boom and were still hampering clean-up efforts last night.

A Marine Department official said the situation should be under control in a few days. The department would send in the Chontharanurak, a vessel used specifically to battle oil spills. If necessary a second vessel, the Den Suthi, would be dispatched from nearby Samut Prakan.

Hold on a little...Pattaya is a very popular fun city. The so called vice is one of the reasons why so many flock to Pattaya. Freedom of sexual pleasure is something to be proud of. In a world so generously populated by those on their moral high horses it is pleasure to find a place like Pattaya. If there is such thing as a vice it should surely describe those shitty people in life who seek to deprive their fellow man of sexual pleasure.

Editorial from the Bangkok Post

Another week and another murder of a foreigner with an unsavoury reputation in Pattaya. Last Wednesday was a busy day for the Pattaya police with not one but two gangland-style murders in the seaside resort. The Thai editor of the Pattaya Post was found in his BMW, blindfolded, hands bound and with a bullet hole in the back of his head.

Earlier, in the very same housing estate, a Dutch national was killed by a gunman who had come knocking on the front door of his office. This second “hit” was newsworthy for two reasons: the shooter was a Caucasian and the target was a prominent Dutch underworld figure, John Mieremet.

Mieremet, of course, is not the first foreign gangster to be killed in Pattaya. Dozens have been murdered in the last few years. The crime organisations for which they work are of every persuasion and come from every corner of the world. There are Russian and Swedish mobsters, Pakistani conmen, west African drug and diamond dealers, English soccer hooligans, Australian boiler-room operators, Japanese extortionists and Canadian bikers running meth operations who all call Pattaya home. There is even reportedly a gay Mafia at work in the town. What is interesting about Mieremet’s murder is that it was apparently in reprisal, Dutch police believe, for the killing of Evers Hingst, the most prominent underworld lawyer in the Netherlands, only two days previously. That Mieremet could be found and murdered by a foreign triggerman in less than 48 hours suggests the links between organised crime and Pattaya are getting more sophisticated and entrenched.

This should be a cause for concern. Criminal activity and dirty money when not suppressed, only ever encourage more of the same. And Pattaya surely has enough vice already.

The British newspaper The Guardian recently summed up Pattaya’s attraction to British criminals this way: “In the 1980s, Spain’s Costa del Sol was the destination of choice for many British criminals. Today they head to Thailand, where the beaches are stunning, the women cheap and the police are bribable.”

That Thailand has acquired an international reputation as a country where illegal businesses can flourish because of poor law enforcement is obviously not a good thing. Yet little seems to be done. In large part it is because of the long-standing weaknesses and lack of sincerity in anti-corruption campaigns, but it also because of the prevailing view that any money that flows into Pattaya is good money, no matter its origins.

This is incredibly short-term and self-destructive thinking.

Apart from the damage to Thailand’s image, the growth of such dark industries as fake passports, fake medicines, human-trafficking rings, gun-running and stand-over operations and so on hurts the Kingdom in very real ways.

As with the narcotics industry, the producing country always pays a terrible price due to the local consumption spawned and encouraged by the availability of the illegal good in question. Dirty money also quickly undermines (or in Pattaya’s case further undermines) local law-enforcement and civic institutions. Further, it deters honest business activity, and generally poisons the atmosphere.

To be sure the death of Mieremet is no great loss. He was reportedly part of a Mafia-organisation founded by the late Dutch “godfather” Klaas Bruinsma and was involved in gambling, drug trafficking, prostitution and extortion rackets. Mieremet and his partner Sam Klepper were considered to be one of the Netherlands’ most notorious criminal outfits. The pair was known as “Spic ‘n’ Span”, after an American brand of cleaning powder, for their skill in eliminating rivals.

Bruinsma was shot dead over 10 years ago, Klepper in 2001 and now Mieremet. The three were living proof, or perhaps more accurately, incontestably dead proof, that those who live by the sword die by it.

It is not, of course, possible to screen or run a background check on every tourist seeking to come to Thailand for a holiday or extended stay. But it is possible to do more than turn a blind eye to some of the most egregious criminal excesses and elements that are apparent to even the most casual visitor to Pattaya.

Like Mieremet, many of the worst gangsters in Pattaya will end up dead or in jail, double-crossed or otherwise ruined. It’s the order of things in the criminal world. That they should be allowed so easily to take some of Thailand with them is a truly unsatisfactory state of affairs.

Hopefully putting an end to the pick pocketing described here

From Pattaya City News

Police Lieutenant Colonel Wootishart, the Chief of Pattaya’s Tourist Police Division has received a multitude of complaints from foreign victims of organized cases of theft on Baht Buses especially in the South Pattaya Area.

The Tourist Police recently arrested 5 individuals accused of committing such a crime. In this case the victim is Gerardus Kraaij from South Africa. The driver of Baht Bus number 279 initially alerted the Tourist Police when he noticed a group of suspected thieves who had just got onto his bus on Pattaya Beach Road. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard the South African Passenger shout out that his money had been stolen. Luckily for him, a group of Tourist Police had already surrounded the bus and 5 people were arrested, Two women, two girls aged between 15 and 17 and one man. The South African’s money totaling 5,180 Baht was recovered from the suspected thieves who were taken back to the Tourist Police Station for this press conference. They were all charged and their futures are now in the hands of the provincial court.

From The Nation

‘Pattaya Post’ editor found shot in head

Santi’s reports on hotels providing sex services led to transfers of senior police. Chon Buri police are investigating the gangland-style murder of a journalist and local newspaper owner found shot dead in his BMW yesterday morning in Pattaya.

Santi Lammaneenil was shot three times – in the forehead, under the chin and in the right temple. His hands were tied with a power cord from a mobile-phone battery charger. His body was found in Bang Lamung district, according to the initial autopsy report.

Lt-General Jongrak Juthanond, commander of Provincial Police Region 2, said someone might have wanted Santi killed because of his gambling debts, extramarital affair or his exposure of night entertainment venues in the beach resort town that operated beyond legal hours.

Up to three men might have abducted Santi, or tricked him into meeting them at the crime scene, Jongrak said.

The editor of the Pattaya Post newspaper for more than 10 years, Santi also freelanced for TV Channel 7, and Khao Sod and Khom Chad Luek newspapers. He was deputy chairman of the local press association and set to become its chairman.

A local veteran reporter, who identified himself as Dej, said Santi’s coverage over the past few months of certain hotels in Pattaya providing prostitutes had led to the immediate transfers of five senior police.

Santi’s car was parked with the engine still running when it was found near brush on Naklua Soi 16. The car’s interior had been ransacked and the rear windscreen had a bullet hole. His pistol was found in the car with two bullets fired.

Police quoted his widow, Sumalee Seedaeng, as saying Santi told her about specific information stored on his personal computer before he went missing on Monday. Police have not found any information leading to a possible motive.

Sumalee said a man with a large build had twice come to look for Santi at her house – the first time on the day Santi went missing and the second time the day after. Santi had frequently stayed overnight with his relatives over the past few months. Recently he asked her: How could our family go on if I’m abducted and killed?

Beach Road Construction Site

The recent addition of thousands of plant pots on Beach Road was a welcome improvement on the traditional building site decor. Things seem to have taken a bit of a downward turn already as some of the plants have already died through lack of watering.

And shock horror...new holes are already being dug on the promenade

From Pattaya City News

The Mayor of Pattaya, Khun Niran recently met a delegation from the Central Pattana Company from Bangkok who own a number of shopping centers in Bangkok and the Central Festival Center in North Pattaya. Head of the group was Khun Jaran, the Assistant Managing Director of the Group and his subordinates.

The company has a plan to construct a huge shopping center on Pattaya Beach at the entrance to Soi 9, next to the Pattaya Police station. The group came to City Hall to discuss the plan with the Mayor and to receive his recommendations on the construction.

The main concern is parking and the extra traffic expected on an already busy Pattaya Beach Road. The project is expected to cost a staggering 2.5 Billion Baht and the company confirmed that off street parking is a priority and they do not expect any extra traffic congestion on the beach because of the shopping center. We understand that construction will begin shortly.

Flower Power

From the Pattaya Pages

The Pattaya authorities seem to have decided that having spent 4 million baht on flowers for Beach Road, they would prefer them to be enjoyed by tourists rather than working girls.

The police have therefore been ejecting the girls from the promenade.

I think if they really want tourists to go and walk amongst the plants that they should install something to help pedestrians actually cross the road. Just a few crossing points with a traffic island half way across would help massively. There's no way that Pattaya can expect families to come and enjoy whilst the main streets are completely uncrossable for children (and adults)

Elephants Impounded

From Pattaya City News

Pattaya City Hall in conjunction with Pattaya’s Tourist Police Division conducted an early evening operation on Sunday night against the expanding elephant population here in Pattaya.

The operation staging area was Pattaya City Hall where instructions were given to round-up the elephant masters and their elephants. Instead of simply fining the masters and sending them on their way, the animals were actually confiscated by the City and sent to the Pattaya Elephant Village. One baby elephant was even transported to the village on the back of a baht bus. The village will charge the masters 300 Baht per day to house and feed their elephant which must be paid back in full before they can collect the elephant which will then be transferred to the nearby Kow Keow Zoo should they not pay outstanding boarding and food costs.

It is hoped that this will not be a one-off operation and will be conducted on a regular basis so Pattaya’s streets can be cleared of these potentially deadly animals.

The Final Push to the Beachhead

From Pattaya City News

There is a new flower display which is part of the beach re-beautification program which will hopefully be completed by the start of the High Season. At a staggering cost of 4.8 Million Baht, 5 locations along the beach were chosen and a variety of exotic plants and brick formations will rejuvenate the beach.

The Mayor has decided that the Beach Road will be closed between 7 o’clock in the evening to Midnight on weekdays starting soon so the many holes and problems along the beach can be cleared before the on-set of high season. If this planned closure was to go ahead then this is clearly bad news for Baht Bus drivers and businesses along the beach who will feel the effect of this beach closure.

I am not sure what the alternative traffic arrangements will be to travel South near the beach.

Car Parking Charges Considered

From Pattaya Today

City Hall authorities say that they are determined to resuscitate the idea of car parking charges in selected areas of the city in an attempt to reduce overcrowding and to raise revenue. Such a scheme is not new and was introduced on a trial basis two years ago. However, the local government officials appointed to collect the money from cars and motorbikes in downtown Pattaya at that time found the work very heavy going.

They were subjected to dire threats of violence from business proprietors and vehicle renters whose two and four wheelers cluttered up the main roads. Attempts to reprimand the owners of the rental companies utterly failed.

Local government chiefs now expect to appoint a private company to collect the cash from parked vehicles in selected areas, starting early next year. A committee is currently examining the charging structure which is likely to be based on a one hour unit. The initial, pilot areas will be Naklua Road (near the market), Beach Road from the Dusit to Siam Bayshore and the Dongtan district of Jomtien.

It’s likely that the system will be a manual one. Uniformed attendants will collect the fee from vehicle drivers as they pull up – assuming they can find anywhere to park in the first place. It has not been decided how to charge rental companies for taking up so much parking space, especially on Beach Road, but it will be the responsibility of the private company which makes the successful competitive tendering bid, assuming there are any takers for a job likely full of hassles.

There have been periodic examinations of “pay and display” electronic parking charge systems popular in Europe, but these are felt to be more useful in confined areas such as underground car parks rather than the open streets. In the last few years, double yellow lines, prohibiting parking, have appeared on some city roads but have been widely ignored. There are only two tow trucks available for hundreds of offenders on a daily basis.

Pipe Dreams Coming True

From Pattaya City News

Local Association announces that Pattaya’s water problems are a thing of the past. The Business and Tourism Association of Pattaya held a meeting at the Green park Resort in Naklua, chaired by Khun Tanaert. He had some very good news for association members who have voiced their concerns on the water supply problems and what the future holds. He announced that a pipeline project running from a Bangkok Reservoir to Bang Pla in Siracha which was due for completion by June 2007 will be completed by the end of October this year.

This reservoir is already connected to the Maprachan Reservoir and as soon as the pipeline is complete, then Pattaya should have a year round supply of water regardless of the monsoon season. This is good news for hotels and tourist attractions who were concerned that problems would arise during the forthcoming high season. We now await confirmation of the completion of the pipeline.

Pumping it In one Day, Out the Next

From Pattaya City News

It’s an amazing fact that only days ago Pattaya was experiencing severe water shortages, the problem with water now is that there is simply too much of it. With days of sustained rainfall, many areas around Pattaya have experienced flooding as the drainage systems struggle to cope with the sudden influx of rain water.

On Tuesday night we toured Pattaya and as you can see many roads were under water and some were so bad that they had been closed off by city officials.

The next morning we joined the Mayor of Pattaya, Khun Niran who spoke with us and confirmed that 10 badly affected areas had been identified including Soi Beokeow, Soi Dongaert in Nong Get Noi Village, the Naklua Market area, The North end of Pattaya Third Road and The Pacific Village.

Fire trucks with pumping equipment, who were pumping water into houses only days before were now pumping water out at the affected locations.

In Naklua, flood waters are putting pressure on small rivers and we noticed some damage including this bridge which had only been constructed months before the rain at a cost of 300,000 Baht, which is now unusable and could collapse at any time. The electric supply in this area has also been cut as cables become submerged in the rising water.

We conclude this report with a look at the Maprachan Reservoir which is our main supply for domestic water here in Pattaya. The levels are rising but there is still a long way to go before it returns to normal levels.

With a change in the wind direction, the monsoon season is now expected to continue here in Pattaya. Even though the rains appear to have finally arrived, we must look at the long term water problems and continue to conserve water to allow the city to build up good water supplies for next years dry season.

Immigration Emigrating to Jomtien

From the Yellow Board

On Thursday, Sept 15th, Pattaya Immigration will be testing the need and response to having a sub-office in South Pattaya to serve the community. Immigration Officers will be available to provide all the services that are offered at their main office, currently on Soi-8. They will also help with any questions regarding Visas, Work Permits, Marriages, Residency and any other Immigration matters. The hours of operation are 9am-4pm.

In about 2-3 months the current Immigration office on Soi-8 will be permanently closed and they will move to their new building being constructed at Jomtiem Beach. The Jomtien location will be inconvenient for most Pattaya residents, so having a sub-office in Pattaya will benefit all locals.

For those that reside in Pattaya, it is important that many farangs make an appearance at Thursdays one-day sub-office. A strong response from the community will go a long way to convince Immigration of the need of having a future permanent sub-office in the area. Otherwise, Pattaya residents will soon have to drive all the way to Jomtien for Immigration services.

The one-day temporary sub-office will be in the Pattaya People Communications Building, located on Soi Day-Night, adjacent to the Day-Night Hotel. Soi Day-Night is one street west of the new TukCom Electronics market, and the Pattaya People Building is about 50-meters south of South Pattaya Rd. Look for the white & red sign for Pattaya People, on the corner of South Pattaya Road and Soi Day-Night.

If you would like to use an Immigration office located in Pattaya then encourage your friends to make an appearance, if even just to ask some Immigration question.

Permanent Beach Building Site

The good news is that the construction  work will be finished on completion of the following 6 year projects: The Pattaya High School Archaeological Society, The Pig & Whistle Pot Holers Association and the OTOP Petroleum Exploration Company.

From Pattaya City News

Meeting at Pattaya City Hall attempts to rectify construction problems on Pattaya Beach Road.

After hundreds of complaints and stories in the local press about the condition of Pattaya Beach Road it has finally been decided to resolve the problems of unfinished construction work and holes that reappear on a regular basis. The problem has been that utility departments have not been working together and will work separately and dig their own holes to complete their work.

This meeting brought together the utility companies who have been told to complete their work as quick as they can and this will be followed by a complete resurfacing of Pattaya Beach Road. The construction work on the promenade must now be completed without delay as the beach, according to delegates is both unsightly and unclean. After months of reporting on this issue we will wait with baited breath and see if this meeting finally transforms Pattaya Beach Road to its former glory.

Good PR Bad PR

From The Pattaya Mail

Deputy Mayor Weerawat Khakai has criticized the Pattaya City public relations campaign, saying that it is not good enough to support all the activities scheduled.

It has already been agreed that the activities held so far this year have all suffered from inferior PR, said Weerawat. Now is the time for improvement.

City hall has prepared a PR budget of 20 million baht. However, this budget seems to be not enough when looking back to previous activities of the TAT, where large budgets have been used, he said. Now is the time to examine the budget usage plan and if the funding is inadequate, to consider a new budget.

Thanet added that Pattaya had a lot of activities but not all were prominent because of the lack of PR. Continuous promotion is needed, not just promotion for one event at a time.

But there is so much bad PR generated by the Pattaya authorities which must be very expensive to counter...

Police headquarters deputy chief, Police Major General Wut Lipatapallop chaired a meeting of local police, tourist police, highway police and water police on August 31 to sharpen up law enforcement policy.

On the vexed subject of entertainment venues throughout Pattaya, they needed to discuss and fix the permitted opening hours. All those infringing permitted opening hours or providing lewd shows will be arrested without exception, he said.

Meanwhile more bad PR...

After neglecting the water supply infrastructure for years the authorities are reduced to praying for rain

If all else fails, pray. Nongprue District Chief Mai Chaiyanit and Pong Sub-district Chief Pranerm Siriroop on August 29 led a ceremony of prayer at Mabprachan Reservoir in the hope of bringing rain to the parched region.

Mai said that although heavy rainfall should be occurring by now, the levels were not what they should be, and the reservoir is dangerously low. Therefore, he had discussed with Pranerm the idea of reviving the old tradition at the reservoir.

It did indeed rain that evening, for two hours, and heavily. It wasn’t enough to raise the level in the reservoir, but it did raise people’s spirits.

Racing to Pattaya

From Pattaya City News

There has been an announcement that a new international motor racing circuit is to be constructed just outside of Pattaya.

At Pattaya City Hall a signing ceremony took place between the T.I.M.C. Company and Pattaya City Hall. The signing of this memorandum of understanding between the Mayor of Pattaya, Khun Niran, and Khun Gritgrai, the Managing Director of T.I.M.C., the Thailand International Motorsport Complex concerned the construction of a new racing circuit in Kow Mai Geow sub-district which is 20 minutes outside of Pattaya.

This circuit will differ to the one currently on Highway 36, the Bira International Circuit. This new circuit will be constructed to international standards and will include a car park for over 4,000 cars, there will also be a helipad which can accommodate 3 helicopters at one time and the complex will have a capacity of 60,000 including a 15,000 capacity covered stadium. The complex will be completed by the middle of next year and the circuit will hopefully attract high profile international competitions.

Short Time Pass Please

Red, Yellow & Green seems a little bland for Pattaya. They could have come up with something more colourful...No 69, Yodsak to Heaven, Red light route etc. Could have had  short & long time passes.

From The Pattaya Mail

After months of delay, Pattaya’s public bus system is finally running. The Pattaya Beach Bus Compan began services on August 23. City administrators and members of the media boarded the bus as it left city hall for the maiden trip.

In the initial stages, three buses will run the Green route over the next 30 days in order to iron out any potential problems. Following this, a further six buses will begin servicing two other routes.

Amnart Luengamornlert, Pattaya Beach Bus Company president, revealed that the company had invested 80 million baht on this part of the public transport concession contract, aimed at easing the city’s growing traffic problems.

Air-con buses, each seating 30 people, will service three main routes with a fare of 30 baht for the entire distance of each route. The month-long test run will also gauge the number of passengers as well as difficulties on the route. The full 24 vehicles are expected to be in service on all three routes in October.

Future plans will see the buses modified to cater to the city’s disabled community, and there will be an increase in bus stops and ticketing venues at hotels, shopping centers and convenience stores.

The three routes are color coded into Red, Green and Yellow lines

Ticket prices are 30 baht for one trip, 90 baht for a day pass, 180 baht for a three-day pass and 900 for a monthly pass.

The bus service is scheduled to run daily from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m. with service at regular intervals and additional buses at peak time for the most popular routes.

Cop an’ Earful

From Pattaya Today

Fun Town is finally coming of age in another media medium with the recent launch of an English-language radio station dedicated to broadcasting about the resort: FM TRS on frequency 102.95. Run by Anna- one of Pattaya’s better known media personalities- the station operates from 6:00AM until midnight with plans to go 24-hours, seven-days a week as soon as possible. Apart from music and the usual local news there are interviews with local ex-pats and professionals

Clearing the Beach

It strikes me that a permanent building site is the ideal place for a red light zone.

To suggest that Pattaya is family resort is ludicrous. There is no way in a million years that I would like my children even to cross the busy road onto the beach. There are no crossing facilities whatsoever and the only method seems to stride confidently out and hope the traffic stops for you...And crossing 2nd road is worse. Then the beach is hardly clean when you get there. I would feel very sorry for families tricked into staying in Pattaya. At the very least they should concentrate on Jomtien as a possible family resort.

From Pattaya City News

Ronakit Akasit, deputy city mayor, has announced that he intends as a matter of extreme urgency to clean up the Beach Road area. He said that many tourists had complained about prostitutes selling their personal wares there as well as homeless people hanging around the area to beg.

Ronakit said that the bad impression which these sights left in the minds of visitors gnawed away at much of the constructive progress now being made to create a family resort in Pattaya.

 He added that it wasn’t just a question of the prostitutes themselves being a public nuisance, but their minders and pimps were often present as well. There had been recent examples of violence breaking out following arguments about the distribution of cash once a customer had been hooked. It was noted that Beach Road was not as dark as it used to be, thanks to the installation of street lamps, but this innovation had not been sufficient to ward off the problems.

Ronakit said that eighty additional city hall security staff had been hired and they would be patrolling Beach Road on a 24 hour basis. Another innovation would be the installation of 40 high-resolution TV cameras with a zoom facility to clarify who was doing what of an offensive nature. Repeat offenders must expect to be arrested and jailed, he stated.

Some homeless men sleeping rough on the beach were foreigners, but vagrancy was an offence under Thai law and merited deportation.

Praying for Rain

Based on an article from Pattaya City News

It appears that officials are now turning to more traditional methods to bring on the rainy season as Pattaya’s water supply remains almost non-existent.

We joined this religious ceremony conducted in the center of the dried-up Maprachan Reservoir, attended by Khun Chanyut, Member of Parliament for Chonburi Province, Khun Sansak, adviser to the Interior Minister and Khun Worawit, the Chief of Banglamung District. Offerings of food were made to Buddha and a short ceremony requested the Buddha’s help in providing Pattaya with much needed rain.

All eyes are now on the sky to see if this religious ceremony was successful or not.

Top Brass Turn on the Taps

Based on an article from Pattaya City News

It appears that the acute Water crisis in Pattaya is now being investigated at the highest level.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Khun Pinit came to Pattaya to discuss the problem with the Mayor and other local officials. He begun his visit at the Pattaya Water Treatment Plant in Soi Nong Get Yai.

Although rains have not as yet been forthcoming sewage water is now being recycled by the plant in an attempt to offer some sort of water supply to businesses and homes around Pattaya. However the levels of Sodium Chloride inside the treated water is too high and is causing medical complications especially for domestic users.

The East Water Company are ultimately responsible for providing water to Pattaya and have been told by the Deputy Prime Minister to resolve this issue immediately.

Following this visit Pinit made his way to Pattaya City Hall where he chaired a meeting concerning the water crisis. The Governor of Chonburi, the Mayor of Pattaya and other provincial and city officials were in attendance. The Deputy PM urged officials to submit a budget proposal to Central Government in Bangkok who are more than willing to allocate funds to rectify the water problems in Pattaya which will get worse as the years go on if nothing is done now to solve the issue.

More Bangkok Police Raiders in Pattaya

The use of Bangkok police is creeping into several areas of policing. Perhaps some of the more liberal policing we receive in Pattaya was down to local police and has not been sanctioned by higher authorities.. This is all a little worrying.

Still the economic pressures must be high to maintain the sales of copies. I for one never part with cash at Beach Road vendors except for goods that are not available elsewhere.

Based on an article from Pattaya City News

The hunt for street vendors selling copied branded items is now intensifying and operations are now being conducted by Police from Bangkok who are determined to eradicate this activity from Pattaya.

A group of Police concerned with Economic and Technological Crime based in Bangkok went to Soi’s 7 and 8 late on Thursday Night to search for these illegal vendors. It wasn’t long until six vendors were detained and over 400 fake items were confiscated. The vendors and the offending articles were taken to Pattaya Police Station where various copyright violation charges were brought against them.

Not so Fresh Water

From The Pattaya Mail

A random visit by city hall sanitary inspectors working in cooperation with Banglamung Hospital has revealed drinking water suppliers selling substandard water, working in uncontrolled surroundings.

Inspectors first visited the TPI drinking water factory at Soi Sukhumvit 43 in Naklua, and the SodSai factory, which is two blocks away. The packing rooms and filling processes were found to be substandard, with toxic substances present.

The inspections were carried out under the direction of Deputy Mayor Wuttisak Rermkijakarn and Dusit Chantaracha, pharmacist at Banglamung Hospital. The companies in breach of the regulations have been given 15 days to arrange their licenses and upgrade their processes. If they do not take action they will be prosecuted.

Wuttisak said that Pattaya City lacks water and he voiced concern about people buying drinking water unfit for consumption. The random tests will continue, he said.

Dirty Tanks

So not only do we have to suffer several days in a row without tap water, but the backup plan of buying water by tanker turns out to be a health hazzard.

From Pattaya City News

A group from the Pattaya Public Health Department visited the water treatment plant in Nongprue to inspect the facility and ensure that the quality of water produced at the plant is at acceptable levels. This plant produces water to sell to water tankers.

A multitude of complaints have been received by residents of Pattaya that water they are purchasing from water tankers is not clean and cases of skin irritations have been reported. A variety of tests have been conducted at the plant by health officials who now have to wait 48 hours for the results. They anticipate the plant will fail the quality tests. If this is the case, it will be shut down pending modifications to the operation and an increase in the quality of water produced.

Mall Rats

Tuk.Com is the big computer mall on Pattaya South Road. I always knew it as Com City.

From Pattaya City News

Police Colonel Wisoot from the Bangkok Special Crimes Unit dealing specifically with the production, sale and distribution of pornographic material conducted a raid of the Tuk.Com Center on the South Pattaya Road which is well known for selling illegal copies of software and some vendors are also selling sex CD’s.

The raid was conducted on two shops, the Rhino Shop and the Princo Music & Concert Shop which are next to each other on the 4th Floor. Police found a total of 800 pornographic CD’s, some produced in Thailand and others produced elsewhere. The owners of the shops, Khun Kanit aged, Khun Singkorn and Khun Prasert were arrested and later transferred to Pattaya Police Station along with the confiscated CD’s. They were formally charged with selling pornographic material and are awaiting a court appearance.

Rose Tainted Water

I have a feeling that we have been buying from the Rose company which is pretty close, the neighbours have certainly been complaining about the water quality

From Pattaya City News

Deputy Mayor checks Drinking Water Companies, problems are discovered.

Khun Wootisuk, Deputy Mayor of Pattaya was joined by members of the Pharmacy Department of Banglamung Hospital along with Public Health Department representatives made an inspection of a number of drinking water producers in the Pattaya area to ensure the quality of the drinking water was within acceptable limits. They begun by visiting the PTI Company based in Naklua and the Sodsai Company also in Naklua. In both cases, checks on the water and the machinery were made for bacteria’s and other harmful organisms and in both cases nothing was found, however the companies were given a number of suggestions on how to further increase their hygiene levels to ensure that the company do not experience problems in the future.

The group then went to the Rose Water Company on the Tappraya Road in Jomtien. Khun Wirat is the owner of the company and could not produce any license papers permitting them to produce drinking water. He told the Deputy Mayor that he begun as a small service for locals and expanded without realizing that he required any such licenses for the company. The water was checked and failed every test and the seals on the 10 liter bottles were found to be showing a fake company name. This company was immediately shut down and is now not permitted to conduct business until licenses are obtained and their water passes quality tests.

Betting On a Casino in Pattaya

From Pattaya City News

At the Sea Sand Sun Resort in Sattahip, Khun Sontaya Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister chaired this surprise meeting to discuss plans for a casino to be built here in Pattaya. The issue has been ongoing for many years and would require a change in the law to permit gambling.

Also in attendance were Khun Pisit, the Governor of Chonburi and Khun Sangar, Member of Parliament for Chonburi Province along with many other senior provincial and local government officials who are backing the plans. It was announced that a Casino in Pattaya would be good for tourism and would have many other indirect benefits including extra revenue from the increase in Tourists and an increase in house prices as people would choose to locate themselves near any casino that was built. The idea is supported by top government officials and will now be re-presented to central government in a bid to open Thailand’s first legal Casino here in Pattaya.

Porn Loops

Presumably the sellers keep returning as there is a good profit in copy DVDs/CDs. It is illegal to sell porn in Thailand full stop so no harm is done to legitimate shops by the trade in copies. So as far as I can see it is fair game to support your local sellers.

I for one don't buy anything from Beach Road traders except DVDs/CDs so maybe this also contributes to the continuing resurgence of the  trade

From Pattaya City News

Police crackdown on counterfeit goods and pornographic CD’s around Pattaya.

The first case occurred on Pattaya Beach and involved the arrest of five individuals caught selling counterfeit branded wrist watches, copies of popular movies and pornographic movies. A total of 60 watches, 500 CD’s and DVD’s were confiscated and the five people were charged with various copyright offences.

The second case occurred in Soi 13 off Pattaya Beach. Khun Somsak was caught selling pornographic CD’s to tourists. A total of 150 CD’s were confiscated. The offender was charged with selling sex CD’s and locked up pending a court appearance.

The third case comes from Soi Neun Pleub Wan in Central Pattaya. Police received word that a vendor at the nearby Poi Pet Market was selling pornographic CD’s. We joined Police at the market and watched as the vendor was arrested and a large quantity of sex CD’s were confiscated. He was charged and later transferred to Banglamung Police Station where he remains behind bars awaiting his time in court.

Pattaya Runs Dry

It is very alarming, We have had no mains water for 4 days now.

From Pattaya City News

Pattaya’s Water Crisis reaches a critical point as the Maprachan Reservoir runs dry.

A group of foreign residents situated on the banks of the Maprachan Reservoir alerted us to an alarming fact. They claim that the Maprachan Reservoir is now empty. As we continue to monitor the deepening water crisis here in Pattaya we went down to the Reservoir on Friday afternoon to see for ourselves and can confirm that the reservoir is now all but empty with small pockets of stagnant water remaining.

The Maprachan is the main source of domestic water for the Pattaya and Banglamung areas and it now appears that even with a sustained period of rain, the reservoir may not return to normal levels until next year at the earliest.

With new developments continuing to be built in the East of Pattaya and blocks of shop-houses being constructed around the Pattaya area, where is the additional water used by these new constructions going to come from? It is clear that Pattaya City Hall and the District administration have to act now to combat this crisis which is now at a critical level.

Saturday Morning Extensions

From The Pattaya Mail

The Immigration Department’s Pattaya office is now open on Saturday mornings in addition to its existing Monday-Friday service.

Superintendent of Pattaya Immigration Police, Police Colonel Ittipol Itthisarnronnachai, said that the additional opening hours were necessary to provide greater convenience for the large number of foreigners in the city who require their visas extended and other support services.

Pattaya is the first of 54 Immigration checkpoints to provide Saturday morning service. The hours are from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.

Pol Col Ittipol said that the Immigration Department has also added an internet service for hotels, who can now declare their foreign guests faster. Usually the hotels report to the Immigration office, but now they send the information via the internet.

Don't Piss About with Toilet Attendants

From Pattaya City News

A fracas between an English tourist and a pair of Thai male toilet attendants in the early hours of Saturday morning led to the arrest of the locals on charges of assault and battery.

The 39-year-old Englishman had gone to answer the call of nature in the public convenience in Soi Lucky Star off Walking Street around 4.00AM and was coming out when the Thai men taking money from those caught short demanded their coins.

When the Englishman failed to hand over a few baht he alleged he was set upon by the two Thai men sitting at the front of the toilet block. After suffering a bit of a beating and extricating himself from his attackers, the Englishman went to Soi 9 police station and lodged a complaint against the men.

Accompanied by the police, he returned to Soi Lucky Star and pointed out his assailants. Police confronted the men who admitted to their assault. They were arrested and taken back to Soi 9 for charges to be laid.

Early to Bed and Don't Take a Shower

From Pattaya City News

An update now on Pattaya’s Water Crisis. The Maprachan Reservoir which is the main supply of domestic water in this area is now at 12% Capacity. Officials tell us that a limited supply will last until the middle of August assuming no significant rainfall occurs before then. At which point the reservoir will run dry and no domestic water supply will be available in Pattaya.

So what will happen if the reservoir runs dry? Pattaya City Hall are already extracting water from deep wells, some is being pumped into the reservoir itself and the rest is being distributed via water trucks and fire trucks to the most needy communities who now have no water supply. The rain plane project is still ongoing and Pattaya has experienced some rainfall over the last few weeks.

Without sustained periods of heavy rainfall over the next few months, Pattaya’s domestic water supply will cease to exist. We urge you to conserve water as much as possible and please avoid watering plants and cleaning cars. If you decide to continue using water for this purpose, use buckets of water instead of hosepipes which will use less of this precious resource.

Sing a Song of Police Raids

From Pattaya City News

As part of the mini-crackdown underway by Pattaya Police who are checking as many bars and other late night venues as they can, Police Major Sutum and a team of officers received word of a Karaoke Bar inside Rungland Village in South Pattaya that was open late.

Police entered the Nana Karaoke Bar well after the legal closing time of 1am to find patrons inside consuming alcohol and the music still on. The Manager of the bar is Khun Johnny aged 37. He was asked for the bar’s licenses but could only produce licenses which permit the sale of alcohol; however the more important license which permits the business to trade was not present. Khun Johnny claimed that the paperwork was in the system but the license had not yet been issued. Police arrested him on a charge of operating a venue without the correct documentation and a report has been sent to the Governor of Chonburi who may decide to close the venue on a temporary or permanent basis.

Bars Cleared for New Cinema

From Pattaya City News

A group of Beer Bar owners located at the Pattaya Shopping Plaza opposite Soi 13 on Pattaya Second Road have been told to vacate the bars to make way for a new cinema complex.

The bar owners are not happy as their tenancy agreements will not now be honoured. The land was leased to Khun Boonpeng who rented the entire piece of land from the land owner for 500,000 Baht per month. He would then receive rent from each individual bar. The land has now been sold to a company from Bangkok who intends to construct a cinema complex on the site who were happy to wait until the tenancy agreements had finished before they completed the sale. The problem for the bar owners begun when the landlord was three months late in paying his rent. He sent a check for 1.5 Million baht, the three months rent, to the land owner who refused to accept it and informed the Bangkok company that the land could now be sold as the tenancy agreements were now cancelled. This infuriated the bar owners who contacted Chonburi MP Khun Chanyut for help who unfortunately could do nothing. However he managed to negotiate a deal with the original land owner who agreed to compensate each bar owner with three months rent but confirmed that they must now vacate their bars in order for construction of the cinema complex to begin.

They forgot to mention the many karaoke bars/massage parlours targeted at Thai men. This would add a few thousand more

Based on an article from the Asia Bugle

The Numbers Game: I’m often asked how many women are ‘on the game’ in Pattaya. The best estimate anyone can give is going to be a ballpark figure.

According to the Santa Maria Sun, a Californian newspaper: Each night, up to “30,000 bar-girls”…stake out stools under neon lights, 40 or 50 to a bar.

Hands up all those beer boozer owners, or even short time operators, who have 40 or 50 girls warming stools behind their bars each night. There are around 700 boozers in Fun Town that could be classified as beer bars and apart from the Atlantic (Soi 3), Cosy (Soi 2), Wonderful (corner Second Road and Soi Yamato) and We Are The World (Beach Road near Soi 8) I can’t think of any joint that could lay claim to employing much more than 20-25 girls.

If we suggested there were an average of 20 girls employed by each of the 700 or so boozers (and this is an exaggeration) then on any given night there are around 14,000 shouting “Welcome, sit down please” around the city.

There are 53 ogling dens spread from Naklua to Pratamnak Road employing anywhere from about 10 to upwards of 70 dancers. The average is around 35. That means each night there are some 1,850 lasses caressing the chrome poles.

Then there are the massage girls in places such as Sabailand, Sabai Room, and Sabai Dee to name just three. They would number around 500 or so. Finally, there are the freelancers who wander up and down Beach Road and in and out of Royal Garden and Big C as well as the discos. Being really generous there might be 1,000 that would fit into this category.

Add all the above figures together and on any given evening there are around 17,500 females hoping to earn a little extra by engaging in mattress dancing with foreign males (or females as the case may be). Personally, I think my figures are an exaggeration, but fall far short of the clearly ludicrous ‘up to 30,000’ touted by the American newspaper.

Long Wait for a Bus

From The Pattaya Mail

Plans to provide a microbus service in January never materialised, owing to reported problems with bus stop authorisation. A second proposed start-up date of March 18 also came and went without any sighting of a bus.

Suriyon Klindee, Pattaya Beach Bus Co Ltd’s operations manager, said that the proposed trials in March had to be postponed when problems were encountered in installing the bus stop signs. Some of them were to be in front of shops, he said, and problems arose in the residential areas. Pattaya City administration received many complaints because the signs hid shop fronts or spoiled the scenery. Pattaya City notified us to move them away to be installed in appropriate places. These sign changes caused delays and now we want to open our service in June, said Suriyon.

Suriyon says there are no other problems involved. It is expected that all signs will be ready in May. Most of the buses are also nearly complete. Last week we went to the provincial transportation department for document registration.”

Suriyon said route details will be made available soon, and that the service will be started in June “for sure”. The air-conditioned microbus will be in service first, and the sunroof bus, which has never been used in Thailand before and about which there is some dispute over the type of registration required, will follow later.

Asked about facilities for handicapped people, Suriyon said that this is being considered a pilot project for all Thailand tourist locations. Therefore we were going to install support in two cars for handicapped people, but the Redemptorist Vocational Centre for the Disabled thought that this wouldn’t bring any benefit to the handicapped. They thought that we should install support for all 24 buses, and this has already been discussed with Pattaya City, which agrees. Pattaya City will support a 12-bus budget, and the company will handle another 12 buses to support the handicapped, including offering them a special price.

He said that tickets for tourists and the public still remain as planned, such as a one-way electronic ticket for 30 baht. A one-day ticket will be 90 baht, a three-day ticket 180 baht, and 900 baht for a one-month ticket. Tickets will be distributed through the hotels in Pattaya, which will be very convenient. This month, trial runs will be held on some routes.

Suriyon said that after surveying the sector of the public that always uses the baht bus service, the company doesn’t think they will use the microbus service because of the higher price. It fits very well with the tourists though, he commented.

Pattaya, a Dry City

From the Bangkok Post

Tourism operators here have complained about water shortages as the drought lengthens.

Thanet Suparothasrangsi, chairman of the Association of Tourism Operators in Pattaya, said a severe drought has caused many reservoirs and water sources in Chon Buri to run dry. The water level in five reservoirs which supplied raw water for tap water production to feed Pattaya had fallen by 50%. The reservoirs were Nong Klang Dong, Huay Khunjit, Huay Sawan, Map Prachan and Chak Nok. Reserves in those reservoirs would last until May, if no more rain came.

Due to the sharp drop in the water level, the Irrigation Department has asked the Provincial Waterworks Authority to reduce tap water supplies by 20%. Raw water has also been bought from East Water Co to alleviate the problem.

Before the drought, about 110,000 cubic metres of tap water a day were supplied to customers in Pattaya town. Now, water supplies have fallen to 80,000-90,000 cubic metres a day.

Sources said East Water Co could supply only 27,000 cubic metres of raw water a day to the Pattaya tap water production plant. However, the plant needed 33,000 cubic metres a day. The firm could not increase supplies to the tap water plant as it had signed a contract with industrial estates to supply water to them. Chon Buri governor Pisit Ketpasuk said authorities could not force East Water Co to increase water supplies for household use.

Rumours on Beach Road

There is no chance that Pattaya can be a 'family oriented resort' There are always going to be out of town areas where the hotels can offer idyllic surroundings. Pattaya beach itself is rundown with dubious water cleanliness, gaping pot holes and coach loads of cheap package tourists being herded around. It is like suggesting that Blackpool can be an upmarket resort.

From the Yellow Board

I have heard that all the bars along Beach Road in Pattaya will have to move. In order to provide a good family oriented atmosphere they have to go. April fools day has passed but it sure sounds like a joke. Actually the figure I heard is that there can be no bar within 40 meters of the Beach Road. That doesn't include Walking Street.

The attempt at "no bars on Beach Road" dates back to at least 1990 when I frequented a beer bar on Beach Road (and I think Soi 13/3) during a two week stay. The farang owners were then in the process of finding a new location because they said they were told that their license would not be renewed because they did not have an acceptable location for a bar and that in fact all of Beach Road was to be made bar free. Well of course that didn't happen though they did have to move their bar.

Supposedly no NEW licenses for bars within 50 m. of the center of Beach Road are being issued. A bar owner friend has just gone through an ordeal with officialdom over this. This dates back to the master entertainment zoning plan that came out last year or was it 2003? Bars could only be licensed within a zone between Beach Road and 3rd Road (set back 50 m. from each). Naklua and Walking Street were also within the zone.

Certainly there are factions here who would like the whore house by the bay image to disappear and other factions who're quite happy with the way things have been. But I think the new factor here is that the value of real estate along Beach Road has skyrocketed to the point that there are other businesses that can be far more profitable than bars.

Jumbo Fines

From The Pattaya Mail

The Walking Street Committee followed city hall’s lead and put the persistent problem of wandering elephants in Pattaya as one of the topics discussed at their monthly meeting. Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, who is also committee president, chaired the recent meeting held at city hall.

The mayor questioned committee members as to the problems they had experienced with roaming pachyderms, as well as other annoyances, such as people presenting Thai pythons for photo opportunities and children selling flowers to tourists.

The committee voiced their concerns and said that such activities must be stopped and rules enforced. They also moved for a tenfold increase in fines for those breaching the laws. The 200 baht fine (£3) has not deterred anyone and a motion was made to increase the fine to 2,000 baht. (£28)

Other issues raised at the meeting included a postponement of the monthly Walking Street cleaning program. The mayor announced that due to the region’s water shortage, the area should only be cleaned when it becomes too dirty.

Buses Starting March...Maybe

From The Pattaya Mail

Pattaya’s public transport service has experienced yet more delays. The government red tape, Pattaya Baht Bus Cooperative objections, route concerns and pricing headaches have all pushed the proposed start date back from the end of this month to at least March.

Yet another meeting was called at city hall on January 11 so that city administrators, transport officials and concerned department heads could once again discuss the project. Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn chaired the proceedings.

Suriyont Glindee, Pattaya Beach Bus Company. operations manager revealed that delays stalled the start of the service at numerous levels but they would be ready to begin operations on March 18.

The intended bus service will have three main routes, each color-coded - Yellow (route 1), Green (Route 2) and Red (route 3). There will be distinct inbound and outbound stops, and buses will run from 6.30 a.m. to 1.45 a.m. daily. All buses are air-conditioned and contain 34 seats.

The Yellow right hand route begins at the Kratinglai intersection, runs along Sukhumvit Road, turns into Soi Chaiyrapruk up Jomtien Beach Road, up through Thappraya and Pratamnak Road, down through the Chaimongkol Temple intersection in South Pattaya, continue up along Pattaya Second Road to the Dolphin Roundabout, along Pattaya-Naklua Road and up to Sukhumvit Road by the Banglamung District office, returning to the Kratinglai Intersection. The left hand route will follow the same route in the opposite direction, with the only difference being that it will turn towards the beach at the Dolphin roundabout and proceed down Beach Road until the beginning of Walking Street, where it will turn up South Pattaya Road, then turn right towards Jomtien. This route, which will have 6 to 8 buses running on it, will cover a total distance of 35 kilometers round trip, with buses leaving every 25 to 30 minutes.

The Green route begins at the North Pattaya Road bus station, runs along North Pattaya Road to the roundabout where it will do a U-turn and head back up North Road to Sukhumvit Road, where it will then head south, turn right at the Thepprasit Road intersection, proceed to Thappraya Road, turn right onto Pattaya Third Road, proceed up to North Pattaya Road and back to the starting point. There will be 3-5 buses operating this route leaving every 15 to 20 minutes on the 16 kilometer run.

The Red right hand route starts at Bali Hai pier in South Pattaya up to the South Pattaya Road intersection and along Second Road past the Dolphin Roundabout, turning right at Soi Potisan, up to Sukhumvit Road before returning to Bali Hai via Sukhumvit Road and South Pattaya Road.

The Red left hand route goes in the opposite direction and follows the same route except it will also turn down Beach Road at the Dolphin Roundabout on its way back towards Bali Hai pier. This 12-kilometre route will be serviced with 6-8 air-conditioned buses.

Tickets for all routes are 30 baht one way on each route; a full day ticket is 90 baht; 3-day ticket 180 baht and a monthly ticket 900 baht. The bus company suggested that Pattaya residents be given a discount of 50 percent on the monthly tickets and a 350 baht price for students. During the first 4 months all one-way tickets will be 15 baht. The idea, however, was not well received and a fair standard price for all persons was raised.

Not a Drop to Drink

Speaking as someone with a house where the water mains can go dry for a few days at a time then this is a serious issue. It is not really very nice to know that even if you can afford bottle water neighbours around you may be scrimping on washing & flushing the loo. After all they may the ones cooking for you in the local restaurant

From The Pattaya Mail

The past month has been busy in Pattaya and with the increase in visitors, water usage has been skyrocketing. Water levels are now at an all time low, less than 50 percent capacity, and many residents and businesses often go with out this vital resource.

Governor Pisit Ketphasook and provincial water authorities led a brainstorming session at city hall last Friday morning, as representatives from the business and tourism industry relayed their difficulties in coping with the lack of water. The province is experiencing low water levels and a solution must be delivered, said the governor.

Pattaya Water Authority representatives explained that water flow has been dramatically reduced in order to prevent the reservoirs from being totally depleted. The water authority reps said that if they had left the production levels as normal, there would only have been enough water to last until February.

However, a decision to purchase water from the East Water Company and Sattahip Water Authority was agreed upon and volume should increase to meet the demand.

Chewong Choosri, Region 3 Water Authority deputy governor explained that 4 out of the 5 pump stations at the city and the district’s five reservoirs had to be lowered by as much of 50 percent, or from around 5,000 cubic meters per hour to 3,700 cubic meters per hour, while the process was being completed and it would be at least 1-2 weeks before water flow returns to normal. Long term plans are also in progress.

The water authority has received a budget of 275 million baht to improve water distribution and production as well as purchase water from the East Water Company. The water will be transported to local reservoirs for storage. This should also resolve the problem of pumping water due to low levels. The pipeline from the Amata Nakorn Reservoir is still under progress and should be completed by September next year. This will supply a further 500 cubic meters per hour. Once completed it should stave off any water problems in the near future, said Chewong.

Changing Early Closing

From The Pattaya Mail

Over 200 of Pattaya’s beer bar operators converged on city hall last Friday to discuss the detrimental affects limited operating hours had on both their business and general tourism in the city. Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and Tawit Chaisawangwong, city council chairman met with the group.

The focus of discussions centered on the Interior Ministry’s (MOI) amended entertainment laws which forces operators to close at midnight and 1 am if inside Pattaya's entertainment zone.

The mayor said he was aware the MOI laws had created problems for the venues in popular tourist destinations such as Pattaya. Pattaya generates 50 billion baht annually from over 4 million visitors. In the past the city and concerned parties have tried to push for changes in the law but to this date we have not had any response, said the mayor. Niran added that the provincial tourism office was open to the idea of changing operating times and that officials would push for the changes at the right levels of government.

However, the most important thing is cooperation; all night spot owners must join together for their cause. You must show the government and provide facts on the damage the change has created in the business. The forming of an association or society is necessary in order to start the process. The city will support the association and meet with business owners from pubs, karaoke bars and discos to join in and make the case, as well as make the association more tangible and credible, said the mayor.

As the meeting concluded the Pattaya Beer Bar Owners Association was formed. Chatree Sithisak was elected as president and will preside over further meetings in an effort to change the operating regulations and provide the relevant information required by the government.