Loy Kratong, Thailands most romantic festival, usually marks the end of the rainy season, but not this year! Thailand's Meteorological Department predicts that the rain will continue well into the winter, with especially strong downpours in December. The unusually heavy rain is not a result of El Nino or La Nina but El Nino may develop over the next one or two months, resulting in warmer temperatures, the spokesman said.

On Friday, October 26th 2012, Pol. Maj. Gen. Katcha Tart-sart, the Chonburi Police Commander, invited the media to a Ceremony at the former X'Zite Disco on Pattaya's Third Road. Over 400 police, police volunteers and civilian volunteers from Banglamung, Huay Yai, Na Jomtien, Pattaya, Plutaluang, Sattahip, Sriracha as well as from Pattaya's Tourist Police, the Highway Police and the Immigration Police were presented to the press. Later in the evening the officials had to patrol in and around the city to ensure Pattaya's crime rates stay low. About one hour later the lovely Police Commander already presented the results of the sweep! His hardworking subordinate arrested a few dozens of 'Beachworkers', about 40 street vendors, 20 beggars, 11 drug addicts and 3 drug traffickers, one of them with 4'000 YahBah tablets. As usual the arrested 'Coconut Ghosts' had to pay a 100 Baht fine for loitering, then the suspects could simply return to where they were picked-up from. Thailand's laws dictate that unless evidence is collated which proves they are involved in prostitution or other criminal acts they can only be fined for loitering. Nevertheless, Pattaya Police announced they will remove Pattaya's Coconut Ghosts from the streets of Pattaya on a nightly basis. An easy way to boost the income of Pattaya's Police. The proud Police Commander from Chonburi said his intend is to make Pattaya and its surrounding areas a crime-free zone... During September 2012 Chonburi's Governor ordered that all Police Stations have to crackdown on motorists who drive the wrong way down a one-way street. Nothing ever happened. Beach Road, Second Road and all other One Way Streets are still used by Motorcycle Taxi Drivers, Farangs, Thai Beauties and even Police men in both directions. A few month ago Police announced to fine drivers parking their cars in a 2nd row. Nothing happened. Streets are still blocked by this reckless people. On Soi Photisarn, North Road and the Soi's inbetween as well as on Beach Road and Central Road we still can see Police men driving their motorcycle without wearing a helmet, often with their mobile phone on the ear. Loan Sharks can distribute their name cards unhampered in this City. Obviously not one single official is capable to read them. Police act (perhaps) only if somebody complains about the illegal money lending businesses. But not all Pattaya Police officials are stupid, some like to do their duties and are even using their brain(s): On October 24th officials from Pattaya Police observed three members of a Baht Bus pickpocket gang. The three gangsters had been arrested many times and had just been released from prison. When they pickpocket an American citizen Police was watching the event and arrested the gang on the spot. Bravo! That's the kind of Police Pattaya needs - not the ones that are talking rubbish!

Thailand's health minister said that Thais should do more exercise like walking and bicycling, after he read the latest survey from a Bangkok-based university. According to the survey Thais spend more than 13 hours on average doing very little and are physically active for only two hours a day. Thais sleep 8.2 hours on average and are physically idle for over five more hours each day. Thai population will continue to be plagued by obesity and other health problems if Thai people don't change their lifestyle and their eating habits, the university concluded. If you meet some Thai people please invite them to do some physical exercises. It's for their health and your pleasure.

The former Sabailand on Pattaya's Second Road, located opposite BigC North Pattaya, reopened on November 16th 2012 as Honey 2 Body Massage. The completely new venue not only has an impressive house front, but also beautiful new rooms and a lot of very sexy masseuses. On November 25th the owners conducted the grand opening of their 2nd branch in Pattaya. The festivity started with a Buddhist Food Offering to 9 monks from Nongyai Temple. Many officials and politicians attended the Grand Opening including Banglamung's Administrative Head, Pattaya's Deputy Mayors and Banglamung's Police Superintendent...

On Pattaya's 3rd Road another Thai Night City Club opened accross from Paradise Sauna & Spa in South Pattaya. It's the second Indian Thai Dance Club in this town. The first one is located at the Southern end of Pattaya's 2nd Road.

If you are looking for a good bicycle at a reasonable price and with a good service then we highly recommend this small shop on Soi Photisarn, located between FamilyMart (Soi 4) and the entry to Bangkok Hospital Pattaya. The owner (in the middle of the picture) itself does the maintenance and the service.

Myanmar Airways International, also known as MAI, will resume its flights between Yangon and Cambodia on December 1st 2012. For more information please click here - or click into the picture!

Pattaya Dragon's Moonlight Complex: Since many years unfinished on Pattaya's 2nd Road. A dragon without teeth and/or money?

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All pictures published on this page are as accurate as possible - this one too!

On Saturday, November 3rd 2012, at 03:20 the Pattaya-Dongtan Police were called to a road accident on Jomtien's Second Road. At the scene, police found a severely-damaged black Harley-Davidson motorcycle lying on the road. The victim's body was found about 50 meters from the wrecked chopper. A witness told police that the German national was driving his motorcycle erratically at a high speed and appeared to be drunk. When he approached a curve in the road, just opposite the Dusit Garden Condominium, he lost control of his motorcycle, which overturned. His body flew off the bike and hit an electric pole, killing him instantly. On August 2012, we already reported about The Forgotten Road in Jomtien. Most of the street is equipped with not working candelabrum. The street is unmaintained. It is full of sand, which can be seen during daylight only! Every biker knows that it is almost impossible to handle a motorcycle on slippery sands if something unexpected happens on the street. In civilized countries a community is obliged to take care of its roads and can be taken to the court if the government doesn't satisfy laws and regulations. Thailand obviously is still a developing country with governments not interested in the well-being of its citizens and its guests.

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Jomtien's Second Road on November 17th 2012 at 15:00 at the entry to Rompho Market & Bar Complex after about 1 hour only of rain. The street as well as the pavement are flooded by water. Jomtien's Second Road is an entirely new street. It shows again that Pattaya's City Hall obviously prefers to work with fumblers, not with professionals.

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Think twice before you store your data in the clouds of the World Wide Web! What you do if your clouds are in a disaster zone? Book a flight to Pattaya and look out for the missing data!

October 30th 2012: Lao Telecommunications opened 4G mobile phone service on October 29th 2012, while 'High-Tech Thailand' is still struggling over its controversial 3G auction from October 22nd. Japan began using 3G in 2001, South Korea in 2002 and neighbouring Asean countries introduced 3G before 2010, but Thailand is still investigating whether the 3G auction was lawful or not...

November 1st 2012: More than 20 years ago a Saudi businessman disappeared. The case is one of three crime cases relating to a Saudi gems theft that has strained Thai-Saudi relations for more than two decades. Thailand stalled the probe into the disappearance after a key witness in the case went into hiding. Pol Lt Col Suwichai Kaewphaluek, a retired police officer who is believed to have been involved in the alleged kidnapping and detention of the Saudi businessman, fled overseas. A joint committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul with Justice Minister Pracha Promnok as his deputy, has now checked on the whereabouts of Pol Lt Col Suwichai and discovered he is in hiding in a neighbouring country. Thailand's government will now seek cooperation from the neighbouring country...

November 2nd 2012: Police arrested a 14-year-old girl who was running a prostitution ring out of a motel in Tambon Rajathewa in Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan province. The girl usually charged 2'000 Baht each for two minors, one 14 and one 16 years old. She normally received a 500-Baht fee for each of the girls she set up with customers. Sex with underaged girls is still part of a Thai culture: Many Thai men believe that the girl(s) can revitalize their life. Therefore Police usually is interested only in the sevice providers and not in their Thai customers. And - as in this case - neither Police nor media ask how a teenager can run the business without the knowing and the support of the manager of the establishment. It seems they all already know that 14-year old Thai girls are very clever entrepreneurs...

November 4th 2012: Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is succeeding. More and more people love and support her. The Pitak Siam rally on October 29th and talks of a coup show just how nervous the other side is getting. Thaksin Shinawatra's opponents still not understand that with the threats of tanks and automatic assault rifles, Thailand's traditional elites in September 2006 won a battle, but not the war.

November 5th 2012: Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung's claims that some Thai people had hired a Shan man to assassinate Thaksin Shinawatra, who is due to visit Myanmar this week. A report says that Myanmar police had Thai war weapons seized in Tachilek, including rocket-propelled grenades. We have to admit that there are a large number of war weapons in the border area, deputy army spokesman Col Winthai Suwari said on November 5th. Myanmar's minority groups need to have weapons to protect themselves and put up resistance against the authorities, Col Winthai added.

November 8th 2012: Former Prime Minister and Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva used a falsified military personnel registration document to apply for a job as a Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy lecturer. A defence panel decided to strip him of his military rank and recall his salary. Mr Abhisit said the move to strip him of his military rank was politically motivated...

November 12th 2012: Former Prime Minister and Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has submitted a petition to the Administrative Court, asking it to rule whether the Defence Ministry's order to retroactively dismiss him from military service and strip him of his rank is against the law. He has asked the court to rule whether the Defence Ministry can legally retroactively dismiss him and strip him of his military rank since he left the military service a long time ago.

November 14th 2012: At Udon Thani local Buddhists vandalised a three-storey protestant Christian church. About 20 men, who claimed to be laymen from a Buddhist temple in the neighbourhood, stormed into the church, ransacked and vandalised the building. A Nong Wua So District chief officer said the conflict between the local people and the church had existed for a long time. Reports say that a number of villagers have converted to Christianity since the church was opened there three years ago.

November 15th 2012: In front of Thailand's 'censure debate', which is scheduled for November 25th - 27th, Pitak Siam leader General Boonlert Kaewprasit and his group rally on November 24th at the Royal Plaza. Pitak Siam protests are intended to cause an abrupt change in the country's government. According to its spokesman, the movement now has about 500'000 registered supporters. Thailand's National police chief said there were reports that a group of people had contributed a total of 6 billion baht to a fund to be used to oust Yingluck Shinawatra's government.

November 20th 2012: Bangkok's City Hall renamed a troubled stadium. The Bangkok Futsal Arena has come under attack after Fifa refused to use the 1.2-billion-baht arena for the 2012 Futsal World Cup for safety concerns. Since November 19th 2012 the stadium is known as Bangkok Arena Nong Chok. Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) was asked to look into alleged irregularities in the building of the stadium. The arena was not 100% completed for the games. People questioned the construction delay. Several irregularities have come to light which need to be clarified, including the hiring of a private firm to build the stadium, some MPs said. To get rid of a problem simply rename it!?

November 21st 2012: Police indorse the seizing of speed pills and assets worth about 500 million Baht from a major gang working on five locations in three districts of Chiang Rai, but not the arrest of the boss of the organisation. Inexplicably the 60-year-old Jamras Sompongpan, formerly known as Olarn Phajaroen, didn't wait to welcome the Police...

November 25th 2012: Pitak Siam's much-publicised rally to oust the Yingluck Shinawatra administration drew about 20,000 people, a far cry from the ambitious target of 1 million originally set by Pitak Siam leader General Boonlert Kaewprasit. He said he would no longer lead Pitak Siam. But former Thammasat University rector Surapol Nitikraipoj said the end of the Pitak Siam protest did not mean the defeat of the movement. It was likely to revive itself when the time was right. Bangkok's Elite and their allies from the Thai Military and the Democratic Party seem to be unteachable.

November 26th 2012: The Group of Village Volunteers for the Protection of Three Institutions submitted a petition asking the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to take legal action against the prime minister, the cabinet and the police chief for improper enforcement of the Internal Security Act (ISA) to handle the Pitak Siam rally on November 24th 2012.
A Pheu Thai Party member filed a complaint with Dusit police against retired Gen Boonlert Kaewprasit and five other people in connection with the Nov 24 rally. The six are accused of rebellion and illegal assembly and violating the Internal Security Act.
The battle starts again...

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Last month we published another set of Miraculous Stories from Amazing Thailand.

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Seen at the entry to North Pattaya's Drinking Street.

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.. or vice versa? Seen on Pattaya's Central Road.

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Illusion Show World Class
Avenue Second road, 3d Floar... Advertisement seen by Tom on a Baht Bus.

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According to City Hall's event calendar published on Pattaya's official website there are still no activities in Pattaya during November 2012 and the rest of this year. No Loy Kratong, no Countdown 2013? Pattaya a sleeping town - or simply lazy officials?

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And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to the European Union...