On Saturday June 27 2009 the 4th bar at the new Sangkaew Bar Complex opened with a big party, nice ladies and excellent food. The small Sangkaew Bar Complex is opposite of the ailing Soho Square.

At about 21:15 on Wednesday June 24 2009 Pattaya's Tourist Police produced its great show on Walking Street. More than 25 officials and volunteers saluted their big boss and walked with him through our Walking Street until Soho Square. During his march on Walking Street, his limousine and the cars and motorcycles from the Highway Police moved from South Pattaya Road to the Gems Shop in front of Soho Square to end this unnecessary show on Pattaya's famous street. Strangely enough, the police and the press couldn't watch any beggars, street vendors, sexy katoeys or 'sexy shows' and 'Ping Pong shows' crying touts. The street was unusual boring - as during a rainy day time. Perhaps good for us: The big boss couldn't (or wouldn't) see the real life on Pattaya's Walking Street.

A first time visitor to Pattaya told me: I not expected to see this kind of silly demonstration of power in Thailand. I know shows like this from communist countries only and from banana republics.

'Thailand is not ready for free elections in the near future', Thailand's Prime Minister said in News broadcasted on June 22nd 2009 on Channel News Asia. During the same broadcast interviewed tourists said 'making holidays in Thailand isn't dangerous - as long you avoid all places occupied by Thailand's military'.

To create good impressions and public safety in Pattaya Chonburi's new Governor Senee Jittakasem said in a briefing on May 26 2009 'joint police and military patrols have to be resumed in Pattaya'... Perhaps the new Governor should ask Tourists first about their feelings making holidays in a city secured (or occupied) by Thailand's Military Police.

After more than a year of intensive work and preparation Joe Louis' Traditional Thai Puppet Theater opened its impressive restaurant with its integrated and authentic Thai entertainment on Pattaya City Walk in front of the new Fraser Resort, a few meters only from Royal Garden Plaza. Enjoy the unique atmosphere and lifestyle from 'good old Thailand' - once called Siam. That time never will come back to reality. It will remain history.

During the early hours of Thursday 11th 2009 Pattaya Police arrested more than 100 ladies, gays and katoeys enjoying the pleasant breeze on Pattaya Beach. At Pattaya Police Station the officials registered the names, asked a fine between 100 and 200 Baht and released them with a warning not to be seen on Pattaya Beach again. This stupid clean-ups happens once almost every single month. On the other days the (same ?) policemen (and volunteers) are sitting on the beach and are enjoying the attendance of the beauties themself. With the exception of some katoeys the ladies sitting on Pattaya's Beach Promenade do not bother any tourists. They give you a lovely smile only or a soft 'hello'. The real annoyance happens on the other side of the street by the pushier touts from the (Indian owned ?) tailor shops and the attractive young people carrying clipboards & asking you to fill out a 'survey'. The 'survey' is a scam! It's time Pattaya Police arrest and remove this people from Beach Road. The toots are destroying Pattaya's image and reputation, not the beauties.
If Pattaya Police doesn't clean up Pattaya from that annoying touts Pattaya Police itself remains Pattaya's greatest joke.

Regular readers of this page will remember:
In our Pattaya News Flash from October 2008 we published a joke under the title 'Formula One has to come to Pattaya'. Now we are just learning from City Hall that Pattaya's Mayor Itthiphol Khunplome has plans to bring professional auto racing to Pattaya. According to City Hall Pattaya will organize professional car racing next year. It seems that Nightwalker is a clairvoyant.
8 months ago he published the following vision:

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City Hall and its Mayor Itthiphol Khunplome are known as clever people. After the phenomenal success of Singapore's Grand Prix Night and the worldwide coverage of the event Pattaya's big people decided that Formula One has to come to Pattaya ASAP (as soon as possible). 'No other event can generate as much money and publicity in practically no time. That's exactly what we need - no work, but a lot of money. The ladies in Pattaya already got it - and City Hall can do it too - we learn quickly.' City Hall said that Pattaya is a modern tourism city that already has a high international reputation among fast and reckless drivers of cars and motorcycles. 'Pattaya also has the perfect infrastructure to host such an event', City Hall said. 'We not only have endless numbers of High Class Bars, A-Go-Go Clubs and other Entertainment Places, Pattaya also has a lot of First Class Hotels, Restaurants, Escort Services and Massage Parlours - and Beach Road, Walking Street, Bali Hai Pier, Arthachinda Road, Third Road and North Road make a perfect Formula One Circuit. Pattaya can outperform Singapore in almost every case.' 'Pattaya Police and its well trained Volunteers can handle all security problems and our sophisticated Sophon TV crew is capable to capture whole the event and transmit it to the rest of the world. City Hall itself has a proven record of large event organisations and we are well-known for our last minute decisions.' Bang Saen, a village about 50km in front of Pattaya and (once) 'managed' by the father of our new Mayor, already has its Bang Saen Grand Prix. Pattaya is world-class entertainment - with or without Formula One! But with Formula One in Pattaya venues like Sisterz, Super Baby, Super Girl & Co. would get just another opportunity to jacking up the price of their barfines and our beloved Mayor Itthiphol Khunplome could top his father.

After returning from Pattaya three Taiwanese visitors were reported to have caught the virus while staying in Thailand. They were diagnosed on their return to Taiwan. On Wednesday June 10 2009, after the press reported the cases in Taiwan, Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai was scheduled to visit Bang Lamung Hospital in Pattaya to check on virus control preparations. On Thursday Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said 21 new infections were confirmed in Pattaya and another 9 new cases of A(H1N1) influenza infections were reported from other parts of Thailand. All Pattaya cases have caught the virus at entertainment venues, the Minister said. The spread of the flu has sparked alarm in Pattaya. It is unknown why Pattaya's authorities and/or hospitals didn't report the cases themself. On Wednesday, when Taiwan's media published the allegations, Thailand's Public Health Minister said 'People and tourists should not panic about the report as his ministry has stepped up measures to prevent a pandemic of the deadly virus'. On Thursday Mr Witthaya said 60 epidemiologists travelled to Pattaya to keep close watch on the patients there. The question remains: Who did suppress early reports from Pattaya and why? The Kasikorn Research Centre said the economy would lose between nine billion and 28 billion Baht as a result of the flu outbreak, and 65 per cent of that would be in the tourism sector. Deputy permanent secretary Paichit Varachit from the Public Health Ministry said people can protect themselves from being infected by maintaining good health, getting enough rest and avoiding alcoholic drinks. People are advised to wear masks, wash their hands often and avoid close contact with others to reduce the chance of the virus spreading, he said. Officials in Phuket asked entertainment businesses to close for a five-day cleaning to fight the fast-spreading flu. Thermal scanners will be installed at bus terminals in Bangkok to screen passengers leaving the capital. Most H1N1 flu patients can recover without treatment within 3-4 days and do not need medicine, Thailand's new treatment guidelines say.

On Thursday June 11 2009 Kantana, one of Thailand's largest TV-show and news producers, was on Beach Road and made some recordings in Pattaya's dirty water. A lot of policemen secured the event, but according to a Farang, the police didn't give any explanation. Another Farang told me that the TV crew is searching the beach for the swine flu. The dirty water would be a perfect hiding-place for the virus, he told me. I don't think the film crew is as stupid as their TV Shows & their Soap Operas are. Nevertheless I doubt they could see - or even find - anything in that water. Later this evening Channel 3 arrived with at least 4 cars, also protected by police. On Walking Street I could spot another camera team in front of Casnovy A-Go-Go, surprisingly enough without assistance from our police. They all had to shoot the latest pictures from 'influenza threatened Pattaya'. Bad News are Good News, at least for TV teams in Thailand and - probably - around the world.

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We here in Pattaya are just waiting for the latest TV news from Belgium, the Nederlands, from Germany and Great Britain telling us that Swine Flu eradicated Pattaya's Nightlife, its entertainers, its visitors and its citizen...

Chonburi Provincial Government officials and Pattaya City Hall are spending 17 million Baht on an advertising campaign to bring back local Tourists to Pattaya. Its main slogan will be 'Pattaya: Be Our Guest'. Advertisements will run on Thai television channels, Thai radio stations, on billboards, websites and in major newspapers and magazines. GMM Media Co. Ltd. will handle the production and the distribution of the advertisements. You remember: GMM Media, GMM Live and Wittaya Khunplome, the brother of Pattaya's Mayor Itthiphol Khunplome, have been the organizers of the Pattaya International Music Festival earlier this year... Wittaya Khunplome is also Chonburi's Provincial Administration Organization Mayor.

In 2004 City Hall invested more than 55 million Baht to install 237 CCTV cameras on Pattaya Beach and at other 'important tourism areas' in Pattaya. Today 85% of Pattaya's CCTV system is out of order, nevertheless City Hall is preparing to assemble a 60-million baht budget for additional installments of another 200 CCTV cameras... The repair of the current CCTV system will cost the city another 15 million Baht. CCTV system vendors must have good sales persons - or very good connections.

Premierships Sports, Pattaya's No 1 Sports Bar and Restaurant, on Soi Diana Inn closed.

Sophon Cable is Pattaya's largest Cable TV provider. I had to live with it for the last 15 years. A few weeks ago the company introduced a new policy. The 'highly skilled workforce' at Sophon Cable decided to provide its viewer with a new surprise every few days. A few month ago Sophon removed Channel News Asia from its network. Since June 10th 2009 Channel News Asia is back. It replaces CNN. A few days before the lovely people from Sophon replaced CNBC by Aljazeera, a channel that they removed last year. With Sophon Cable you never know if your preferred TV channel is where it was used to be - or if it vanished with the dust. The only thing that never changed during all that years: During heavy rain falls, just when you have the time to look television, all channels get 'replaced by heavy snow'. People working at Sophon Cable must be 'real professionals'.

To attract people Soho Square, off Walking Street, opened a small Night Market. On June 18th Soho Square abandoned this activity too.

A study funded by Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission shows that Thailand's police force, including highways and traffic police officers, is the most corrupt state agency. According to the study businessmen had to pay 'extra money' to the Land Department (72.22%), tambon administration organisations (68.52%), provincial administration organisations (60.52%), highways and traffic police (59.08%), local politicians and so called influential figures (Thais don't like to use the correct term 'Mafia') (44.76%). 17% of the interviewed businessmen said they had come into contact with corrupt politicians.

Republica Disco on Walking Street got closed for a second time.

Pattaya Police arrested an 80-year-old woman as the ringleader of a marijuana-sales operation. She run her business from a small grocery shop in Pattaya. Police seized more than 2 kilo of dried marijuana and about 100 ganja-filled plastic bags. The woman told police that she already had been jailed for selling drugs. She left the jail about two years ago, she said. Some people never change their habits...

In the room(s) of the former Black and White A-Go-Go at Covent Garden (Soi 16, off Walking Street) a new bar opened on Friday June 5th 2009. Called Club Sin City A-Go-Go, the bar presents a bunch of lovely Thai Ladies.

No comment.

Drama in Pattaya?

The Baracuda Bar in Naklua, located on Naklua Road, has its very own beautiful Tuk-Tuk. Hopefully it doesn't have to transport drunken visitors.

Stranded in front of Tukcom on Pattaya's South Road. Apparently City Hall doesn't have the money to improve the situation on Pattaya's main roads. Pattaya's government seems to uses the money to finance expensive studies to bring sky trains (and other dreams of our beloved Mayor Itthiphol Khunplome) to Pattaya.

It is expected that Tony's will built up 'Tony's Original Pattaya Airport' on this location - later this year... Neighbours told me that they already saw workmen preparing a 'run-away'.

Work is on the way for new bars on Walking Street. Using the phone numbers on the left you can book your very own bar! The bars will be ready to move in in a few weeks.

'La Dolce Vita will be closing its doors due to the economic climate from the first of June to the End of July !'. NHK - a well-known Japanese TV Station - reports that 80% of Japanese Tourists cancelled their bookings for Thailand after the outbreak of flus in Thailand.