Pattaya News

Major General Popanan Luengpanuwat, head of the Junta's National Council for Peace and Order in Chon Buri, called a meeting on Thursday in a bid to tackle the issue of Pattaya taxi drivers taking advantage of tourists.

There had been complaints, including from foreigners, about drivers refusing to use the taxi meter and charging large amounts for short distances, he told the meeting at Pattaya City Hall. In fact nobody has ever heard of anybody who has ever come across a Pattaya taxi using its meter.

Representatives of three Pattaya taxi companies, with a total of 500 cabs, explained that the starting price - Bt40 for the first 2km - was not enough for cabbies to cope with high living costs. Private taxis waiting near my house charge 200 Baht for short trips, 5 times the official fare.

Popanan said he would call another meeting on July 26 at the Bang Lamung district office for all taxi operators for their cooperation to adhere to the law.

Popanan also assigned the Chon Buri Land Transport Office to ask for permission to hike the minimum fare to Bt100 for the first 2km, like on Koh Samui.

Can of sardines

Pattaya'a authorities have announced, much to the surprise of baht bus drivers, expats and tourists that standing in the baht bus or on the back of the baht bus will be banned from now on.

People who violate this law can be charged up to 3000 baht.

The reason for banning standing on the back of baht busses has been stated that many people have fallen off over the years, generally when intoxicated, and injured themselves seriously. Removing the back standing areas of baht busses is also being looked at.

It is stated that this ban has taken place immediately and police have begun fining people standing on the back. The Pattaya news can confirm that several reports of tourists being told to pay a 3000 baht fine for standing on the back have happened.

Comment: Will they back off?

10th July 2018. From Dave

You can't stand on the the back of a Songtheaw now, what's going on? If this is a safety drive ,why don't they check Baht Bus Drivers for Licences and their Vehicles for road worthiness.

I saw 3 Thai's stopped last week for 3 up on Scooter with no Helmets. If we ever get rid of the Army, will life go back to normal or will Police activity continue?

Packing sardines

Baht bus

The other week I turned up at Second Road with 2 Bags of Shopping, the only space on the Bus was on the back in the middle.

The driver told me to get on but I said I couldn't stand on the back of the Bus with 2 Bags of Shopping. He said... you'll have to walk then, the next bus is for private hire or pay 300b.

The next Bus backed up and I went to get on but the Driver stopped me and said I had to walk, his bus was for private hire, a few seconds later a little old Thai lady got on and sat down, I said...is this your Private Hire. The driver said ...it was his Bus and it was up to him who got on it.

Well I couldn't argue with that, but I'm like a Dog with a Bone. I said what's your Licence Number? he said me no speak English . Haha at this point about 20 Russians turned up ,so he drove off and the next Bus backed up and I got on and we were soon following him,

But you have to be careful, if you get to cheeky he has all his mates there.

Eleven men and 14 women of various nationalities have fallen victim to a police raid late on Saturday night.

They were attending a swingers party at an unnamed hotel (the article included a name but this wasn't correct) off Pratamnak Soi 5. The tourist police went in mob handed with Bang Lamung district administrative officials with support from soldiers from the 14th Military Circle.

The victims included American, Canadian, Chinese, Malaysian, Singapore, German, Thai, Cambodian, Indian and Ukrainian nationals. They were detained for further legal action.

Police said the party admission fee was 1,500 baht per person but it appears the party was for adult consensual couples and not attended by sex workers.

The hotel operator, a Chinese national, was arrested for violating the Hotel Act and illegally facilitating sexual activities.

This year's Songkran seems a little subdued compared with previous

years. Perhaps things have calmed down due to the military government bringing in swingeing penalties for aggressive water fighting. Anyway there are less high pressure blue pipe guns in circulation and more people armed with conventional plastic water guns.

But there is still plenty of opportunity to get soaked though as Dave reports:

I went out at 9:15 last night to catch a Songthaew into town. When I got on everyone was sitting on the Right and the Left hand seat was covered in Water. I brushed away some water and sat down.

I said to a man sitting opposite that the Water throwing should have stopped for the evening by now. He said tell that  to that woman behind me. As I looked around a Thai woman had a bucket of Water in her hand and was in the middle of throwing it at the Bus. By some luck the water missed me and hit 2 ladies and the Man sitting opposite me. The middle aged Lady Tourist and the Young Thai Girl wearing short shorts and were both drenched.

There were no more incidents until the Second Road, when a Thai Girl targeted me with her Water Pistol. Luckily the water hit me in the Face and only my hair got wet. I would happily have throttled these water throwers,

I will not go out again until Friday and this madness is over.

Run! It's the beach police

Pattaya City council have announced that what they called 'special forces' will team up with infamous thetsakit (municipal officers) to fine people caught throwing cigarette butts on Jomtien's Dong Tan beach.

The beach police will have the power to demand 2,000 baht on the spot. Based on past experience, the move is likely to ignite fears that unscrupulous officers may attempt to extort tourists.

Deputy mayor Banthit Khunjak announced three 'special forces' operatives would be patrolling with regular thetsakit staff. They would use CCTV to help them nail smoking miscreants.

Thaivisa notes that thetsakit officers in places like Bangkok have been key in fining tourists 2,000 baht for dropping butts in tourist areas like upper Sukhumvit. Many people believe that only tourists are targeted and if Thais are in fact fined, they pay much less.

British expats in the Thai beach resort of Pattaya have been caught up in another police crackdown after officers raided bars across the city.

The police raided bars mostly in the vicinity of Soi 6 and were searching for dartboards, which they claimed were being used illegally by venues.

One bewildered bar owner on the strip reported police demanding to see a dartboard license. When they were unable to produce the appropriate documentation police confiscated their dartboards, reports Thai Visa .

When they enquired as to how they could apply for a license they were inevitably told the license did not exist.

Pattaya Darts, the city's largest amateur darts club, was forced to close temporarily and issued the pictures statement via social media,

Thailand has banned smoking on their top beaches citing litter from butt ends, which seems a bit rich when overlooking large amounts of plastic pollution that is washed up on beaches these days.

The country has banned smoking at 24 of the most popular beaches with foreign tourists.

Bannaruk Sermthong, director at the Office of Marine and Coastal Resources Management told Reuters : Starting today, smoking and cigarette-butt littering are prohibited on beach areas. Anyone who wants to smoke must do so in designated smoking areas, not on the beaches.

If you're found smoking on a beach you could be fined 100,000 baht (£2,243) and get a year in prison.

And it's not just cigarettes which are banned on Thai beaches.The country has also banned vaping entirely.

Oh and drinking beer on the beach is also prohibited

The Thai military government has approved an increase of tolls on Highway 7 or known as Bangkok-Pattaya motorway from 60 baht to 105 for cars, effective from April 19.

Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said the approval came after the Special Highway Department has finished the construction of nine new toll booths on the Bangkok-Pattaya motorway.