Pattaya News Flash
Breaking News
March 2008
Click here to read our February 2008 News.

Cheating men
Drinks at my prefered restaurant on Soi 1 cost 20 to 40 Baht more when served by men, gays or 'would be ladies'.
A very bad situation for an otherwise good food outlet.

Prince Hotel
The well known Prince Hotel on Soi 8 will change its name to Baron Hotel after the current renovation ends. The new Hotel will have about 200 rooms.

The hotel will get a new bar complex with 20 bars and 2 discos or A Go-Go clubs. The old bars will close on May 1st 2008.

Gulliver's Tavern
Gulliver's Tavern
The entry to Gulliver's new 'Walking Street Sport Café is a new attraction on Walking Street. It opened on March 21 2008.

Taboo A Go-Go closed
Taboo A Go-Go Go-Go on Soi 16 (Walking Street) closed its door.

Rock Girls A Go-Go on Soi 15
Rock Girls A Go-Go on Soi 15 (Walking Street) closed its door but reopened a few days later...

Fun Room closed A Go-Go on Soi 15
The Fun Room A Go-Go on Soi 15 (Walking Street) closed its door again.

Tornado on Soi 6
Tornado on Soi 6 no longer an A Go-Go Club. After 'renovations', the venue opened as an open bar with some ladyboys...

Magic Palace A Go-Go on Walking Street closed
Magic Palace A Go-Go on Walking Street closed
Since March 11 2008 Magic Palace A Go-Go on Walking Street is closed. Reason: Redecoration. The club opened on December 31 2007.
Rumors say that it will reopen as a food outlet.

2nd Floor of Hammer Disco closed
2nd Floor of Hammer Disco closed
It seems that the disco will change its format. Ads are looking for dancers and offer salaries between 8'000 and 15'000 Bath a month.

Price increase
Since February 1 2008 some all-you-can-eat Buffet Restaurants in Pattaya charge 129 baht per person, an increase of 10 Baht. Drinks got more expensive too.

Gothic closed
Gothic closed
Gothic A Go-Go on Soi B.J. closed and is on the block.

Y.U.? A Go-Go closed
Y.U.? A Go-Go in Jomtien closed.
The venue opened in June 2006 as a bar & disco but converted to A Go-Go in Jan 2007. Later the bar was known as a Karaoke & A Go-Go Club.

Pook A Go-Go on Soi 6 closed too
Pook Bar & A Go-Go on Soi 6 closed its doors.

Pook's Bar at Swan House on Soi Buakhaow remains open.

Already mentioned in our February News Flash: Goldfinger (Soi 7) and Oasis Coyote Club (Soi 8) closed too. Hard times...

Sex for Jobs
An inquiry has been launched into allegations that a leading city official in Bangkok abused his authority and had sexual affairs with a number of his subordinates in exchange for promoting them.

The top official allegedly promoted those having affairs with him to high positions.
Previous Publications
Pattaya News Flash March 2008
NightWalker's News
Warning to Women Tourists
Murder of a 27 years old woman tourist on March 15 2008 shocks Phuket's Police.
Women tourists are urged to wear a whistle when they stroll along a beach and not to wear a swimsuit which reveals too much, Tourist Police said.

Before the month is out, the Tourist Police Division hopes to be able to distribute the whistles along with some 100,000 copies of a revised version of its safety pamphlets targetting foreign female holidaymakers.

Wearing revealing bikinis, however, is not always the reason rapists attack, according to behaviour psychologist Pol Maj-Gen Pongpat Chayapan. Many attackers and rapists are psychologically abnormal and can attack even if the victim is fully clothed, he said.
Never say 'never'
Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama ensured the business sector in the US that military will be under the constitution from now on, and another coup d'etat will not be staged.
Nevertheless, People's Alliance for Democracy's (PAD), an organisation 'associated' to Thailand's military is preparing new protests against the newly installed government. The PAD led mass rallies against Thaksin Shinawatra while he was prime minister in 2006, was used by the military as an excuse to stage the coup.
In the meantime opposer of the new governnment are flooding Thailand's Newspaper with offending letters, calling the new ministers 'a group of bloodsuckers' and 'parasites'.
We are living on a tinderbox again, not in a democracy.
Since March 11 2008 Police is enforcing Closing Time
Since March 11 2008 Police is enforcing Closing Time in Pattaya
Enforcing Closing Time
Every night at 02:00 the same spectacle:
Enforcing Closing Time
Police, with the help of the Thai Army, is enforcing the closing time in Pattaya.

Many farangs told me that, if the police will continue their efforts, they will spend their next holidays in Cambodia, Vietnam, in the Caribbean or in Brasil.
This could hurt the already shaking Thai economy.

At the moment of writing all Discos, A Go-Gos and Bars have to close at 02:00. Many 'Open Bars' close their lights but serve their customers until about 04:00.

Marina Disco close at 03:00

Marine Disco 2 close the advertisements at 02:00 but stays open until 04:00.

Tony's Europa Club, a 'Fitness Club' with 'integrated Disco' also stays open until 06:00.

Tony's, Lucifer and Hammer on Walking Street usually stay open until they can spot the arriving Police... During the last few days the officials arrived at about 02:30 to observe the closure.

A 'funny' game between a cat and some mice. A situation usually associated with a Banana Republic, where the different agencies of a Government, the Police and the Military have their own interpretation of a law.

Pattaya designated an entertainment zone. This zone covers most of Pattaya Bars between 3rd Road and the Beach Road from Walking Street to Pattaya North Road. Bars outside this zone have to close at 01:00. The Bars on Naklua's Road seems to have a 'Naklua entertainment zone'. They close the lights at 02:00, but stay open until the last customer leaves the Bar.
There were worrying mentions of 18:00 as an opening time for A Go-Go Clubs 'closed' Bars and Discos. A silly proposal (and situation) for Pattaya.
New Minister is enforcing a closing time of 02:00
Newly-installed Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobumrung ordered police to strictly enforce a 02:00 closing time at all nightlife venues on Phuket.
According to Mister Chalerm pubs and nightclubs were supposedly used by youths as a place to experiment with and trade in narcotics. He said better compliance with existing closing times would be a key part of his campaign against drug abuse.

The very same Mister Chalerm is promoting the set up of casinos in Thailand...
Closing Time in Pattaya
Nobody knows ....
Last year the city hall extended the closing hour for bars in Pattaya from 01:00 to 02:00, but on February 6 2008 Pattaya Police raided clubs and discos to enforce a 03:00 closure. Newly issued licences claim a 01:00 closing time...

Usually the bars in Pattaya close the lights at 02:00, but stay open as long as they have some visitors.
State Railway of Thailand: Disgusting
Roaches on trains
On Prachin Buri-Bangkok trains the roaches come out of the woodwork and sometimes drop from the overhead luggage carriers. The entire health aspect is nonexistent and totally disgusting: Food vendors using the floor, seats and luggage racks to prepare the food...

On Northeast trains you have to share your bed with bed bugs.
New on Soho Square
Utopia Lounge
Utopia Lounge
Utopia Lounge, Bar and Boulevard Café with Coyote Dancers.
Thai Army shows its muscles again
Thai Army will be conducting exercises in Bangkok
Troops will be conducting exercises in Bangkok for several days, and the public should not panic over military movements, first army region commander Lt-Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha said on March 11 2008.

The troops will be involved in 'a routine exercise' in the capital to ensure military preparedness.

As usual, some wondered if it was just an excuse for another coup.
Thai Airports
Get rid of Taxi Mafia
Deputy Transport Minister Songsak Thongsri has pledged he will get rid of all influential gangs controlling taxi queues at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.

He also plans to allow any taxi drivers who drop off departing passengers to queue up and wait for arriving passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport.

Currently, taxis taking departing passengers to Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang are barred by some influential groups, said to be linked to some hugh-ranking AoT officials, from queueing and picking up arriving passengers. Only official airport limousines and unauthorised taxi limousines under the control of the influential gangs are allowed to pick up passengers at the airports.

Mr. Songsak intended to wipe out mafia-type gangs and their unauthorised taxi services there.
Construction Worker
Construction Worker on their way back home
Construction Worker on their way back home. Security first...?
Coup Leader flees
Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, the September 19. 2006 coup leader, former head of the Council for National Security and former defence minister, has moved into a residence in the compound of the 11th Infantry Regiment (King's Guard) amid concerns he could face reprisals following the return of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Previously, however, Gen Sonthi told the Newspapers that he was not excited about Mr Thaksin's homecoming...
Illegal wildlife trade
Thailand is a key player in illegal wildlife trade
A newly-released report found that Thailand is still a regional hub for the illegal wildlife trade, which mostly takes place in Bangkok, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Surat Thani and Tak provinces.

The five most-wanted wild animals are wild birds, turtles, pangolin, the slow loris and the tiger. The top destinations for the wildlife trade are China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and some EU countries. Thailand's wildlife trade is valued at about one billion baht a year, making it Thailand's third most profitable illegal business after drug and arms trafficking.

Thailand signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which bans international trade of the listed species, but Thailand has legal loopholes that facilitate wildlife trade.

The report estimates that at least 50 elephants have been smuggled from Burma to Thailand each year. In Thailand the smugglers apply for registration documents from authorities to certify they are captive elephants. About twenty per cent of the smuggled elephants die during transportation.

Last year Thailand exported four elephants to Germany, five to China and 11 to Malaysia. Furthermore China has ordered some 300 elephants from Thailand to entertain visitors during the Olympic Games.
Aids cases on rise
A survey released by the national sub-committee on Aids prevention shows that at least 40 people a day being infected by HIV.

New cases were mostly found among teenagers aged between 15 and 19. This group is sexually active and tend not to use condoms while having casual sex with multiple partners.

Students and office employees were at high risk of contracting HIV/Aids as they used to have multiple partners without using protection, the new report says.

An estimated 500'000 Thais are living with HIV/Aids.
War on drugs
Revival of the war on drugs

During the last 18 months of the military junta nothing had been done to seriously tackle Thailand's drug problem.

Drug trafficking was rampant across the country.

The new government already removed four members of the Narcotics Control Board (NCB) appointed by the coup leaders.

Many believe that influential people with good connetions to the military are involved in drug trafficking.
Thai society
Thai society must change its mentality and break away from the short-term focus on numbers and material wealth.
Money isn't everything.

Banthoon Lamsam, chief executive officer of Kasikornbank.
iFarang
Lack of Education
No matter where I am walking, here in Pattaya, in a small Soi in Naklua or in a remote village in Udon Thani or somewhere in the Korat, if children can spot me or any another Farang they ask for money.

At moments like this I always ask me, what kind of education this children get in this otherwise beautiful country.

Who is teaching Thai children that every single farang is a walking ATM?

iFarang ©2008
Last Word
Cast not a clout till May is out.
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