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Bad Paper (14/08/2007 12:46:54)
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Author: Pandora.
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As I thought so, none of my letters are ever published, Pattaya People only publish letters that don’t criticise the paper.
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Rats (14/08/2007 12:41:43)
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Author: G.R.
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In Hawaii we put aluminum bands around the coconut trees so the rats can't climb the tree to make a nest and chew on the coconut vine which will make the coconut drop before its time causing danger to us below. Hawaii brought in the mongoose to kill the rats the problem is that the rat and mongoose sleep at difference times. Now we have many rats and mongoose. Rats are here forever. Like people. However long that is. You set traps, use cats. Don't put out poison, you will kill what you don' want to kill. Of course they don't live in garbage like here. Clean up the garbage, put bands on trees, set traps and I'm sure we will still have rats. Not as many, but they are here to stay, as they live everywhere on this planet. Start getting rid of the garbage and the rats will go back to the bush to eat and leave the Cities. G.R.
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Reader's Opinion (14/08/2007 12:40:56)
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Author: Anthony. UK.
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Farangs behaving badly, go home you’re not welcome! I first visited Thailand in 2005 and kept going back since, another visit coming up in January 2008 for a month. When I first visited Pattaya, it was generally a good atmosphere, everyone happy no hassle at all; however, my last trip in January 2007 was not the case. I arrived in Pattaya around 1:30pm, checked into hotel, went to meet a friend at a bar on soi 8 only to find two British guys fighting and in the day time as well! The following night on the same street and a different bar, 3 more people from the UK were fighting, In all I witnessed 10 fights in 25 days of my stay. Then it dawned on me, most of these guys were around 25 years old and under. Because Thailand is now recognised as a cheap holiday for westerners and Spain prices continue to rise, I realised that these idiots are now actually coming to Thailand instead of Spain, bringing with them the attitude also. Look what us Brits have done to Spain, we ruined it! If you can’t handle drink and act responsibly, don’t drink at all! My message to you is you’re not welcome in Thailand. Go back to Spain, get yourself locked up, it’s the only holiday you understand! Ryan
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Your Help Please (14/08/2007 12:39:53)
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Author: http://www.geocities.com/solutiontopollution
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Aloha, my name is Gerry Rasmus Sr, aka KOTO, keeper of the ocean. I have dedicated the past 30+ years of my life to Pollution-Solutions, doing my best to assist Mother Nature to survive the destruction done by humans because of the lack of knowledge or lack of concern. For the past 7 years, from Buri Ram to Chiang Mai I have been Waster-Sizing, which means bending at the waist to pick up the waste, thus getting rid of both. I have also stapled laminated Pollution-Solution posters to many trees. At such a time when the posters no longer serve a purpose or are no longer legible I will remove them and the staples. I have been out of the Country for most of July and just received an e-mail from a concerned party telling me that some of my posters are going adrift. I have checked all of Jomtien Beach and I will check all of Pattaya Beach in the next day or so. I want to thank Jack Clancey, aka Jack The Beach, for keeping me informed. I will walk the walk as long as Buddha, God, my back and legs will carry me. Anybody out there who cares enough and is willing to put out a little effort to help Mother Nature can join the over Fifty Club. You do not need to be over 50 to participate. There is no fee to join this club. Everything you need for this exercise program is waiting for you, the Waste and the Bag. We call it Waster-Sizing. All you need to do is Bend at the Waist to pick up the Waste and get rid of both. The rewards are priceless. If you would like, you can make a donation so we here at Pollution-Solution can, with the permission of City Hall, make 20 signs, 10 for Jomtien and 10 for Pattaya. They will be blessed by the Monks, set in cement and will read in Thai and English, with a picture of a Monk putting trash into a garbage can. This will give merit to H.M. the King's 60Th Anniversary of accession to the Throne. Donations will also help purchase garbage cans with ash trays with pictures, to be placed next to all of the beach vendors who want but can't afford them. I will also continue talks with City Hall to start imposing large fines to those who are daily in violation of the rules. Many gas stations, motorcycle repair shops, food vendors, etc., are dumping their motor and cooking oil into storm drains which go into our ocean. Many Jet Ski operators drain their old oil into our ocean. The fines will discourage those who depose of waste in an improper manner. Oil, plastic, cigarette filters, garbage and other types of toxic waste are killing our land and sea life. Dolphins, turtles, fish, crabs, clams, birds, plant life are all struggling to survive the destruction of their habitat. Many animals not knowing better ingest plastic bags, which kill them by blocking their ability to breathe and eat. Toxic cigarette filters when eaten also kills them. Please "THINK" before you discard toxic cigarette filters, plastic or waste of any kind in an improper manner. People who can't afford bottled water are becoming sick because of pollution in all of our waterways. Most of the people in our hospitals are there due to water borne diseases. We need your help. Mahalo Nui Loa (Thank you very much) Remember the "AINA." The life of the people is in the land. May health and happy be with you all. KOTO Keeper of the ocean.
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Card Cloning (14/08/2007 12:36:51)
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Author: Brian Yates.
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I recently read a letter "Phantom Withdrawal" (Pattaya People Issue 92) from Doug Thomas. I live in Udon Thani and twice in a period of 3 months had my Debit card cloned. As with Mr. Thomas, the bank personnel could not and would not believe that this could happen and therefore refused to do anything about it. Unlike Mr. Thomas, who was robbed of a paltry sum, I was robbed of 2000 and 1600 quid respectively. As I only used to download my bank statements periodically the money could be withdrawn without me noticing, especially when the crafty sods only withdrew 10,000 baht at a time, so I could still withdraw what I needed. It was only when they made the mistake and got greedy and withdrew the maximum of 20,000 and I couldn't get any for myself that alarm bells rang. Obviously on both occasions I cancelled the card, but because it is a British card the PIN number can only be changed at a ATM branch in the U.K. and they will not send a new card to Thailand. This causes all sorts of stress related problems and it is easier to return to England to sort it out. This costs more money (with air fares and living expenses) even though the efficiency in getting the stolen money back is excellent. The problem in Thailand, and I dare say all over Asia, is that ATM's are like phone boxes, they are everywhere and therefore can be tampered with very easily. After the first incident having returned from the U.K. I used only 4 specific machines, 3 of which were literally just outside banks but still in the actual foyer where they could be clearly seen by bank staff. At one of these locations my card was actually cloned again - can you believe that? Needless to say now I only use banks. Oh! I generally have to queue but at least my money is safe - I hope! I also track my money more frequently. In the U.K. the banks and building societies are very sympathetic and realise that card cloning is a worldwide problem and understand the sophistication of the devises used to photograph your card details i.e. magnetic strip and PIN number, there doesn't have to be someone looking over your shoulder watching you type in your number. If this has happened to me twice in 3 months how many more people particularly farangs are being robbed this way? My advice to everybody is to check statements regularly, keep receipts and cross reference. Use a bank; it takes a little longer but security is king here. You never think it will happen to you and when it does it's one of the worst feelings you can ever experience. Do not trust ATM's, even if the area is patrolled by a guard. Brian Yates.
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I'm Curious (14/08/2007 12:36:00)
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Author: Doug
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Does anyone know where packages from abroad are sent when they are addressed to residents in Pattaya/Jomtien? It seems that there is a wide and gaping hole that these packages fall into, and I just wondered if anyone knew where? Air mail from the U.S. comes to Thailand every day, and delivery in Bangkok is very prompt, but when mail comes to Pattaya/Jomtien there seems to be a "Twilight Zone" that scoops it up.
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We Need You! (14/08/2007 12:35:10)
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Author: Bob Robertson.
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Expat pensioners –we need you. The intransigence of Gordon Brown during his term as Britain’s Minister of Finance might follow him to No. 10 Downing Street, much to the dismay of half a million expat British pensioners living throughout South Africa and other Commonwealth countries. They are struggling to survive on frozen pension incomes, set solid at the amount they received as the first payment. Some have been receiving as little as £54 per month for the past 20 years. Meanwhile, those retired in other countries, such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Malta, Switzerland and the U.S.A. are on parity with their UK peers. Gordon Brown argues that such lesser-paid people were informed their pensions would be frozen, except where a reciprocal agreement exists between the British Government and the government of the country in which the pensioner now resides. This is untrue, and unsupportable in law. Reciprocal agreements are not conditional upon the payment of indexed pensions in a foreign land. Brown alleges it would cost the British taxpayer a “significant” £400 million a year to bring equity into the equation. In truth, the funding is already available in the National Insurance coffers. The Government Actuary’s report, January 2007, predicted a surplus of £38.475 billion, expected to increase next year to £43.3 billion, reaching £74.133 billion by 2012, which is the end of his forecast period. Because justice eluded them in Britain, a consortium of pensioner Alliances from Australia, Canada and South Africa, has filed to have the issue considered at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The matter has been designated priority, and a hearing date is expected shortly. It is important for the consortium to be representative of as many expat British pensioners as possible, so this is a call for support from expat to become part of our justified cause. It’s worth knowing that ex-government employees, retired and living in the affected countries, receive all the benefits that others have been denied! Email me at bobrob@border.co.za to help us make our collective futures brighter. We need to pull together like never before. Bob Robertson.
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ATM Cautions (14/08/2007 12:33:49)
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Author: Fred.
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In regard to Phantom Withdrawals (30/07/2007 04:35:55) Author: Doug Thomas and his troubles with the atm and fraud. A few years ago now, I used the atm machine outside Mike Dept store Beach Rd Pattaya. I noticed a couple of Thai men standing behind me whilst I used the atm to make my withdrawal. I can remember thinking to myself that they looked a bit suspicious, but I dismissed this feeling as paranoia. Well as it turned out, I had good cause to be suspicious. When I returned to my country about two weeks later, the fraud dept of my bank contacted me and asked if I had been to England? I said not for about 20 years. They informed me that someone was committing fraud on my card in the UK to the sum of about 10,000 Australian dollars. Fortunately, I was indemnified against this and did not lose a cent myself. Since this time, whenever I have used an atm, I do so within the bank itself or better still, I use the bank money changers. Never, I repeat, NEVER use the atm that stands alone on the street. Low life is watching you and will commit fraud on your card. Fred.
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Full Story Please (14/08/2007 12:32:40)
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Author: Mr. R. Turner. UK.
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Whenever we are Pattaya my wife and I always buy Pattaya People. As regulars to Pattaya three or four times a Year, we like to keep up to date with what's happening in the town. Back in the UK we always read it on the internet. Some of your stories are really good. However, on some of your news you state "to read more on this story buy the paper". How can I buy the paper in the UK? I think you should give the full story. Mr. R. Turner. UK.
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Thank You Pattaya (14/08/2007 12:31:01)
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Author: John Bell. Melbourne
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After having stayed in Pattaya for 5 nights, it was the most exciting place I have ever stayed; the respect, the service. The hotel we stayed was small but the best hotel ever, the Sunshine Vista. We are coming back with a group of 12 to play lawn bowls at the sports club Pattaya. The people are like angels, we love you all! Thank you Thai people for making my holiday complete. Best regards, John Bell. Melbourne.
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