The picture shows the Paloma intersection on May 28th at 00:20. As every year and since more than 20 years a large part of Pattaya, including Pattaya's Beach Road, was under water. Pattaya City Hall still doesn't like to invest its money in useful improvements. Our Mayor prefers to place his Dolphins all over Pattaya.

The Festval happened from May 23rd until May 26th on Jomtien's Beach Road from Thappraya Road until the Sea Breeze Hotel.

Moter Bike or Mother Bike - that's the question...

---

2012 was the Year of English Speaking, initiated by the Thai Ministry of Education.

Run out of space for the last letter - or what?

---

2012 was the Year of English Speaking, initiated by the Thai Ministry of Education.

During Itthiphol Kunplome's first meeting on June 2 2008 the newly elected Mayor of Pattaya presented his development strategy for Pattaya: 1. Providing car parks for large tour busses to prevent them entering the city. 2. The adjustment of traffic lights and traffic lanes. 3. To close Pattaya Beach Road to traffic from Friday to Sunday. 4. A closer control of entertainment outlets and other places such as internet cafes. 5. The management of public places in accordance with official regulations. 6. Better security of lives and property for residents and visitors. 7. Efficient collection and disposal of garbage and wastewater. With every single month more and more tourist busses are obstructing Pattaya's traffic, and most of them are real 'dirty bastards' - old stinkers and polluters of Pattaya's roads and Pattaya's air. The drivers ignore almost all traffic regulations and are parking their vehicles wherever they can find a suitable space. Moreover, most of Pattaya's Sois are not constructed to withstand the weight of this busses, and the right-angled entries to most of Pattaya's Sois are a big obstacle for a trouble-free traffic.

During September 2012 our lovely Mayor told the press that Pattaya's new City Hospital on Soi Buakhaow will open during February or March 2013. On May 1st, 2013, the hospital was still closed. Construction started on March 19th, 2009. The new hospital was expected to be fully operational at the beginning of 2012...

During his second election campaign Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome announced to transform the city into a bicycle friendly place. Pattaya's main street are so bumpy that they not only are an impertinence for every single bicycle but also for the back of its rider! Not one single street in this city features a bicycle lane.

As mentioned above Pattaya's Mayor announced to close Pattaya Beach Road to traffic from Friday to Sunday. Instead of implementing Itthiphol Kunplome promises Pattaya City Hall closes the the traffic lights during weekends and is upgrading Pattaya's Beach Road into a 3-lane Racing Circuit.

Thailand lost track of democracy after the government of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted by a military coup in 2006, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on April 29th, 2013. She said the coup destroyed the rule of law in Thailand and the country also lost international credibility. However there are still elements of anti-democratic regime. The 2007 constitution, written by a group of drafters appointed by the coup-led government, contains 'mechanisms to restrict democracy', she added. With her speech at the 7th Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies, held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on April 29, 2013 Thailand's Prime Minister doesn't will make new friends at Thailand's notorious army. Click here to read the full text of Ms.Yingluck's speech.

58 senators, most of them members of the military-supported 'Democratic Party', has called on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to apologise to the public over her controversial(?) speech in Mongolia. Thailand's so-called 'Democrat Party' even sent a letter to the Mongolian president alleging that Yingluck had told lies in the speech delivered to a conference on democracy in Ulan Bator on Monday. In a statement read at a press conference, the senators accused Yingluck of causing the international community to misunderstand Thailand and creating further rifts. The senators call themselves Senators Who Love the Country. In her speech Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the story is not over. It is clear that elements of the anti-democratic regime still exist. The reaction of the 58 senators is the proof.

The US-based Freedom House rated Thailand as "Not Free" due to heavy sentencing by courts under the lese majeste law, as well as online censorship. The founding of the Cyber Security Operations Centre [CSOC] in late 2011 and the expansion of its work in 2012 enabled the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology to block online content without the need for a court order, the report said. The CSOC extends control and surveillance of online media and has aided the large-scale shutdown of websites and individual pages. The centre works with Internet service providers and website owners to block not only Thai-based content, but also material that is available globally, affecting thousands of sites.

A judge in the UK sentenced fake bomb-detector seller James McCormick to 10 years in jail for fraud. A quote from the BBC World News Service states, McCormick bought novelty 'golf ball detectors' which were little more than radio aerials from the USA for less than $20 each before selling them as bomb detectors for $5'000 each. The Royal Thai Air Force, the army's Ordnance Department, Thailand's Customs Department, Thailand's National Security Centre, Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board, Thailand's Forensic Science Institute of the Justice Ministry, and Thailand's Yala, Phitsanulok and Phuket provincial administrations they all bought the bogus bomb detectors - and still claim that the toys are working... Known in Thailand as GT200 and Alpha 6, Thai officials invested around 1.3 billion Baht in the (never working) detectors. Thailand biggest buyer was the Army Ordnance Department. Nevertheless, it's unlikely anyone in Thailand will be held responsible or punished for wasting the taxpayers money and/or for enriching himself.

Professor Aurel Croissant, co-author of Democratization and Civilian Control in Asia, said Thailand is a high-risk coup-prone country. It will be a long time before Thailand can achieve genuine civilian control over the military. It will depend on not just the military refraining from getting involved in politics but also on strong civilian support and consensus that civilians should have oversight of the military. the Professor said. The military's power can be exerted not just through the staging of coups d'etat but also through influence over the government's decision-making processes, he added. The military can exercise control over policy because democracy is weak. Thailand has experienced 18 successful military led coups since 1932!

Hundreds of houses have been built in areas in Chaiyaphum that will be under the water when two new dams are constructed. The owners of the houses are expecting profitable compensation. Chaiyaphum Governor Pornsak Chiaranai said about 600 houses have recently been built in Nong Bua Rawe and Thep Sathit districts, where the two dams are due to be built. The construction of a house costs about 70'000-90'000 Baht/each. The investors have the expectation these houses will be eligible for as much as one million Baht each in compensation when the dams are actually built. So far 502 villagers have applied for compensation...

Thailand's Army Chief General Prayuth Chanocha today presented the army's idea of erecting walls along the entire Thai-Malaysia border. According to the lovely General the wall should block the smuggling of bombs and similar devices for use in attacks by insurgents. Thailand's commander-in-chief said that these walls would help prevent the delivery of explosives to insurgents in the deep South. With the wall Thailand's security officials can focus on breaking down networks of bombmakers and bomb-assembly outfits. The Great Wall of China is a success among tourists from all over the world, as are the remainings of Berlin's fortunately defunct Berlin Wall. Perhaps Thailand's Army has the intention to sell its Thai-Malaysia Wall to the tourist industry too, as the latest attainment of Thailand's unteachable backwoodsmen...

The Southern Bangkok Criminal Court ruled that Italian journalist Fabio Polenghi was killed by a bullet fired by the security forces during the May 19, 2010 unrest. The court said Fabio Polenghi was hit and killed by a .223 calibre high velocity bullet while he was running away from Ratchadamri Road towards Ratchaprasong intersection. The only group that had been identified as being in that area at the time was the King's Guard Second Battalion. According to the Court the person who fired the gun could not be identified. Fabio Polenghi's mother Laura Chiorri was at the court for the ruling. She said she was happy that at last the family now knew who (as a group) took her son's life. Abhisit Vejjajiva, the current leader of Thailand's 'Democrat Party' and a puppet of Thailand's Military, was Prime Minister in 2010, and Suthep Thaugsuban was his deputy and in charge of security. Nevertheless, Thailand's Military remains untouchable, despite the court's ruling... Update: Thailand's Army Chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha announced that the death of Italian photojournalist Fabio Polenghi still faces a lengthy court case before it reaches its closure. According to Thailand's Army the case not even entered an official judicial process yet. Soldiers have evidence as well, and the battle should be in court, don't talk about it outside the court the General said.

Bangkok's Skytrain is nice and clean and air-conditioned, a fast way to get around the city. On July 1st 2012 Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited (BTSC) launched the Rabbit Card for Thai Senior Citizens aged 60 years and over. It offers 50% discount of normal fares for travel on the BTS SkyTrain. Passengers are able to use the Rabbit Card to travel throughout the BTS system, including both the Sukhumvit and Silom Line Extensions, totaling 30 stations, or running a distance of 30.95 kilometers. But as stated above, the card only applies to Thais with a Thai ID card. At MRT, Bangkok's underground train service, anyone aged 60 or over (including foreigners) can get a Senior Stored Value Card or an individual token at half price if you go to the ticket counter. The SkyTrain policy does not create a favourable image for the BTS company and is clearly a blatant discrimination.

All information published on this page are as accurate as possible, but this one is a joke - inspired by actual results on research at Thailand's Universities and presented on Thai TV.

If you are interested: The shop modifying the motorcycles is located on Soi Phratamnak.