Click here to read our June 2012 News.

Since July 27th Soi Diana's popular Papagayo Coyote Club opened an A Go-Go Bar - called PAPAgogo - at the same location, but in a separated room - for people that are in the mood to eye up more skin(s).

The new black venue on Soi LK Metro, located between Mash A Go-Go and Queen Club A-Go-Go is looking now for its staff. It will open soon as a 2-floor Coyote Club.

At the Southern end of Pattaya's Second Road Pattaya's first Indian Dance Club with the name Thai Night City Club 1 opened.

You can't miss it. It is conveniently located between the street's two popular Kebab boothes.

Leam Bar opened on Soi 7, just in front of the Soi's Clinic A Go-Go Club.

Club 23 on Soi 8, a well-known Coyote Bar, announces that it is a disco too! The Soi's only one!

Barbican Express is Pattaya's latest outlet for Pizza located near the entry to Soi Diamond on Soi Phratamnak. The new outlet has an easy to read menu-card for our visitors from Arab countries.

Xzone A Go-Go installed a new immense sign in front of its club on Soi 16.

Xzone A Go-Go on Soi 16 sells the beer during Happy Hours for 39 Baht, Club Relaxx A Go-Go, at the same address, for 29 Baht only...

The well-known Restaurant and Café Berlin, located across from Pattaya's famous Bamboo Bar, closed and is on the block.

Star Dust Beer Garden, located near the Dolphin Turnabout on Pattaya's Second Road, had to close. It was once popular for its open air bars and Ladyboy shows.

The Eazy Room Bar, located on Soi 15 and the successor of the failed Eazy Room A Go-Go, had to close too.

Fiik Bar on Soi 8, the neighbour of Sexy Girls A Go-Go, closed (temporarily?).

A&W, the fastfood outlet at CentralFestival's top floor, closed. It's the second time the fastfood chain closes a shop in Pattaya. About a decade ago A&W closed its restaurant at the beach front entry to Soi Post Office. Pizza Hut was its successor.

DQ Dairy Queen, located on CentralFestival's ground floor, closed. A few month ago DQ already closed its Hamburger Outlet on the 5th floor of the building. Burger King is occupying DQ's empty space. With its inflated prices, Burger King is by far Pattaya's most expensive Burger outlet.

Walking Street's Turkish Food Corner doesn't sell Ice Cream only, since a few weeks it also sells Turkish Kebab.

Snatch an opportunity: Many hotels in the resort offers discounts until September 30th 2012.

The Caramel Strip Hall at Bali Hai Entertainment Complex changed it's format and is now integrated into the Caramel Restaurant and Gentlemen's Club.

In my home country Rex is the most popular name for dogs. In Pattaya Rex seems to be the name of Pattaya's latest nightclub at Bali Hai Entertainment Complex. If I can trust media reports it replaces the failed Caramel Strip Hall and is an establishment I can't afford...

Mitsubishi says Thailand's fuel quality is responsible for the malfunctioning of fuel gauges in cars. Gasohol in export countries is of much better quality and doesn't produce such problems. If you run a motorcycle in Thailand you should avoid Gasohol too. Its bad quality can destroy the carburator...

Eleven per cent of transgenders surveyed in Chonburi had HIV, soaring to 20 per cent among those aged 29 or over. Infection rates among transgenders are thought to be on the up, as high-risk lifestyles, including prostitution and drug use take their toll. A study published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says HIV prevalence rates among transgenders across the Asia-Pacific could be as high as 49 per cent.

Pol. Col. Thammanoon Munkong, a Pattaya Police Officer, was urgently transferred on June 21st after letting arrested gamblers free. When the police brought the 74 gambler suspects to Pattaya Police Station, Pol. Col. Thammanoon Munkong entered the meeting room, switched off the lights and pulled out the plug on the computer with all the evidence. The consternated Police was able to record only 13 names and seize some of the gambling equipment. A few weeks before, on May 29th, the Police raided another gambling den in Central Pattaya. They found only one employee. The Police believe that the gamblers were tipped off before hand. Our source believes that the very same Pol. Col. seemed to be the informant. He was part of the raiding Police and had all the information before the operation started...

On July 18th Officers from Pattaya Police, Tourist Police, Immigration Police, Highway Police and Marine Police discussed persistent problems with Jet Skis Scams, petty crime involving Transsexuals and others on Pattaya Beach. The Officiers decided that on Beach Road every 300 meters Police Security Points will be set-up to assist tourists should they require it. They also aggreed that Jet Ski scams seem to be a problem with tourists. We understand that a reorganisation of their own activities will be necessary until tourists can benefit from the announced improvements...

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has ordered 18 schools closed and some classes at 11 others suspended because of the outbreak of the hand, foot and mouth disease. A total of 12'581 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) were reported in the country from January 1 to July 5, a deputy government spokesman said. Since the possibility is high for the disease to spread further, Thailand's cabinet ordered the Public Health Ministry's to take measures to prevent and control HFMD.

International Arrivals to Thailand:
January - May 2012 China: 943'161
Malaysia: 916'367
Russia: 578'687
Japan: 534'556
Korea: 457'644
India: 405'719
United Kingdom: 372'746
Australia: 354'646
Germany: 326'733
USA: 321'552
France: 276'617
Canada: 101'050
Africa: 71'666
New Zealand: 38'615
Sri Lanka: 27'320
Bangladesh: 26'533

On July 5th 2012 Thailand's Constitutional Court began hearing an incendiary charter amendment case that could lead to the dissolution of the ruling Puea Thai party. The court is set to rule over claims of the Democrats that plans by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's party to amend the constitution are a threat to the deeply-revered monarchy. Opposition Democrats also accuse Yingluck's party of seeking to redraw the country's charter to enable the return of her divisive brother Thaksin, who was ousted from power in a coup by royalist generals in 2006. If the Constitutional Court judges find that the amendment plans threaten the monarchy, it could lead to the dissolution of the party. Two pro-Thaksin premiers were forced from office in 2008 in judicial rulings, making way for the Democrats - who have not won an election in 20 years - to take power in a parliamentary vote. The Democrats(!?) have the support of Bangkok's notorious Elite and Thailand's Military. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, said Thai people were tired of the systematic effort to undermine and subvert democratic institutions (by Thailand's Military and Bangkok's Elite). There will be a severe backlash if we see yet another repeat of the usurpation of electoral rule, he said.

Thailand's Constitution Court on Friday afternoon dismissed the five petitions against the government's charter amendment bill. It said there was no evidence to prove the alleged intention to topple the constitutional monarchy and the democratic administration. After the verdict was announced, supporters of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy gathering in front of the court building and other areas cheered and waved in joy and excitement. In Thailand Friday the 13th seems to be a happy day...

After the court's verdict Maj Gen Chamlong Srimuang and Pipop Thongchai announced that their People's Alliance for Democracy (also known as PAD) will bring its supporters onto the streets again if Parliament goes ahead with passage of the constitutional amendment bill on its third reading. The yellow-shirt movement of PAD supporters would closely monitor developments and as soon as the bill enters its third reading it would call a meeting and then announce further action against the government and the bill's backers, said Maj Gen Chamlong.

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The so called People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) is an organisation with close ties to Bangkok's Elite, the Democrat Party and Thailand's Military.

Cambodia announced a troop pullout from the demilitarised zone near the disputed Preah Vihear temple. It is nothing but a propaganda trick, a Thai Army source says. Nevertheless, the Thai Army already had to reduce the number of its troop: The (actual) Pheu Thai government didn't approve a monthly allocation of 30-million-baht budget for the Suranaree Taskforce, so troop reductions were necessary in certain areas. The rejection of the budget is seen by some as a government attempt to pressure the army to bring down troop numbers as the Yingluck Shinawatra administration and Cambodia premier Hun Sen have been on good terms. The Democrats and the Thai Army still remain the big incalculable variable in Thai politics.

On Thursday, July 5th, Thailand's main airport was closed for repairs about at 20:30. It forced 11 aircraft to divert to three other airports: Three aircrafts had to fly to Don Mueang, seven to U-tapao and one to Chiang Mai. The subsidence also caused delays for 200 take-offs and landings. A small area at the northern part of the western runway was found to have subsided by about 5cm. Airport General Manager Somchai Sawasdeepon insists the subsidence on the western runway was caused by normal wear and tear, but Airline Managers questioned if the airfield had been built with proper civil engineering techniques and high-standard construction materials. Aviation experts said they were astonished by the large number of soft surface problems at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, once touted as Thailand's Pride... The AoT Manager stressed the airport's safety should not be put in doubt as the AoT has safety standards to maintain. Update: On July 16th 2012 Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra discussed congestion problems at Suvarnabhumi Airport with officials. She ordered officials to decrease the number of day flights, increase the number of night flights and urged the officials to use Bangkok's second airport, Don Mueang, to help ease congestion at Suvarnabhumi. Suvarnabhumi airport has the capacity to handle 76 flights an hour. However, it actually serves only 55 flights per hour because the number of flights it can operate is limited on the western runway. Therefore Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered officials to speed up the 62-billion-baht second phase of the expansion of the airport's passenger terminal and the construction of a 13-billion-baht third runway to increase the Airport's capacity.

Thailand has not been very serious about safety standards, Industry Minister Pongsvas Svasti said on Wednesday July 4th 2012. Motorcycle riders don't even wear helmets here and there's a long way to go to educate people about safety standards, the Minister added.

Thailand's problem is that workers have no skills, at least not the skills investors are looking for, Thailand's Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong said on Wednesday July 4th 2012.

The workers from Nine Engineering Department had to go back to Second Road to redo repairs to drain covers. Floods of motorists and bikers complained about uneven pavement and drains that didn't lie flat on the pavement. Pattaya's workers are known for their flimsy street repairs all over our beautifully ruined city. A spokesperson from the department said that 'we are very busy, fixing three or four road problems a day. We urge the public to be patient in waiting for street repairs'. The result: After the repair the road is as bumpy as before... We simply call the workers lazy and their works anything but professional.

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Chonburi's Senator Surachai Chaitrakulthong is luring potential investors from Taiwan and other countries by promising 'Thailand's plus is the availability of a skilled workforce'. The contrary is true, Thailand's problem is the lack of a skilled workforce.

Thailand's former International Airport, widely known as Bangkok Don Mueang Airport, will reopen for commercial aviation on August 1st, not on October 1st as earlier planned. After its opening, Don Mueang airport will become another important source of revenue for the country, in addition to Suvarnabhumi airport, Thailand's Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong said. As long as there is no political violence and no natural disaster Mr Kittiratt expects the number of foreign tourists will significantly increase over last year.

Pattaya Police is still busy in collecting 100 Baht bank notes from suspected prostitutes. On Sunday morning, July 1st, Police arrested suspected prostitutes on Pattaya's Beach Road, at the entry to Walking Street, on Phratamnak Road and on Jomtien's Beach Road. The Police recorded the names of the arrested men and women, collected the money and let them go back to their prefered meeting places.

On Soi Phratamnak Pattaya's Police makes great business almost every evening with all that 'clever' motorcycle drivers not wearing helmets. Obviously Pattaya's ladies think it's not worth to protect their nice heads and stupid brains...

Officers from Banglamung and Pattaya arrested 7 men suspected of dealing drugs to Pattaya notorious Jet Ski vendors and tourist guides. Two of the arrested suspects are speedboat driver themself...

On July 3rd 2012 our tap water was gracefully enriched with red worms. It wasn't the first time.
A few days ago we encountered the same problem. A few months ago a spokesman from Pattaya's Waterworks told the press that the city's water has drinking water quality. Be careful using tap water here in Pattaya, even when using water from the many Osmosis vending machines. 30% off all water from vending machines is contaminated a test in Bangkok revealed - don't think the situation here in Pattaya will be better! myLady™ told me that she can't recommend Pattaya to their vegetarian friends anymore...

A Spokesman from the Water Department assured that there is no shortage of water. There is sufficient amount of water in all reservoirs to cater to the needs of residents and tourists for the rest of the year. He not elaborated on the quality of the water delivered by the Water Department...

Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa announced his ministry would conduct a feasibility study on building an F1 circuit near Chiang Mai's Royal Park Ratchapruek. Chiang Mai had been selected for the project because the ministry aimed to make optimum use of the property surrounding the flora expo site, which generated revenue for the Highland Research and Development Institute - a state enterprise that supports research and development of royal projects in highland areas in the North.

2012 is the Year of English Speaking, the Thai Ministry of Education announced. The program will be initiated in schools and will involve plenty of academic activities. It will let teachers and students have opportunities to speak English and build their confidence in using it without excessive concern about grammatical errors. NightWalker and his Team have the same approach - since many years...

NightWalker's Pictures

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Thailand's Fruits
Thailand's Workforce
Settling Down
Festivals & Holidays

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