Pattaya & Thailand LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS (24 October 2022) Fabulous 103fm
Don’t bring meat into Thailand whatever you do. With western food shops now regularly being raided and found to be selling foodstuff that DOESN’T have FDA labeling but instead has been brought in in containers avoiding Thai import regulations. The latest to get caught is a man bringing 9 KG of pork sausages on a flight from Vietnam. With importing food stuffs, specifically meat without a license a crime in Thailand, the unnamed traveller’s contraband was discovered by a sniffing beagle at the airport where all baggage is now regularly checked on arrival.
Flooding continues in 27 central and north eastern provinces this week following continued storms. Waters are slowly receding but close to half a million people are reported as still affected as water levels in Ang Thong and Ayuthaya remain at a high. Ubon Ratchathani has seen historic high flooding cutting off most road access to the centre. On Phuket, following a road collapse, travel to some part of the island is now impossible by vehicle and local makeshift hospital facilities have been set up for patients who can’t cross to the sides where hospitals are located.
With the family claiming that their 75 year old father has GONE MISSING, the father of a wealthy Thai man has claimed that he has been swindled by his 65 yr old new lady friend, whilst he claims that the 50 Million baht he gave her was a gift out of love, following their, so far, 6 month long relationship . The CIB are investigating and yesterday questioned the lady involved, and it’s hoped that they can locate the man quickly. She told the media they met way back in… April this year, and that they had become engaged a few months later, at which point he gave her an expensive ring and a cheque for the money and, according to her, HE had persuaded her to divorce her then husband, a policemen and that they then had got married.
In Songkhla a drug enforcement team led by a local deputy district chief, that reportedly was robbed of a stash of drugs they had impounded during a sting operation, has been ARRESTED by national police after a court warrant was issued claiming that they had demanded bribe money from the dealers. Last week we reported that they had nabbed one man, set up a sting for his suppliers, which went wrong and saw THEM held by 9 gunmen who hijacked the police vehicle, allegedly along with the initial drug stash. But with 6 noof those 9 now in custody, In depth questioning led to claims of line app conversations where the officers involved had demanded a million baht or 200,000 meth pills or 10kg of crystal m eth to make it all go away. Like him or loathe him, Thailand’s Top Cop LT gen Hakparn, investigated the locals and told the media that when he confronted them with the evidence, they confessed. Hakparn is fast building a reputation for clearing up drug dealing on a grand scale.
Step forward foreigners who want to buy land in Thailand legally, step back those who are not millionaires and you have the small but select group of non-thais being offered the chance to own up to a rai in the capital or the Pattaya region. Plans now endorsed by the cabinet will see houses available for ownership by expats willing to bring in just over a million dollars to Thailand for the purpose. For those with smaller bank balances, condos remain the single ownership option here. For the well heeled, their money, 40 million baht, will have had to have been here for three years in a bank or investment.
Meanwhile at home and in Pattaya, the saga of the late night nightclub continues to cover national news pages. With authorities now determined to investigate who really owns the Club One, formerly Bone. Reports that its owned by a Chinese man and not a Thai, and the manager there caught on camera berating police who raided the club after hours, seeing customers flee and HE subsequently claiming that his outburst, claims of friends in high places and having SETTLED his account in advance was due to his being drunk, for which he apologizes. Plans continue to see the club property blocked from holding a licence for 5 years. NOW, a group of venue operators have banded together to voice their outrage at the idea that they PAY authorities to turn a blind eye to late opening. Business owners have commited to legal proceedings against anyone publishing claims or copies of papers falsely accusing the nightlife industry of paying off any officials, this as they too highlight the return of tourism and the potential damage such claims could do to the local economy.
Police deny any wrongdoing nor accept so called tea money. But the internet has been awash with claims that some enjoyed perks and others received money, with a list of venues on a scrap of paper showing amounts paid. The problem, of course, is that social media is unreliable and anonymous posts lack credibility, PLUS the fact that the piece of paper posted as so called evidence, includes names of businesses LONG closed down as a result of covid, but for sure, police are now keen to ensure that clubs and entertainment venues close BANG ON TIME. Now, a look at licences will reveal that all are expected to stop serving at 1AM, with an hour allowed for exit of patrons, that’s always been assumed as a 2 AM closing time BUT, the worry is that the ramblings of a disgruntled manager along with social media postings can do nothing but harm to others. Pattaya certainly needs its entertainment business, it’s the single largest draw for tourists, local and international, and it’s hoped that the furor will calm down quickly.
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