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Pattaya - Death of 1000 Cuts.?
This is the full text of an article I had published in the Pattaya Bangkok Expat Magazine.
It is not normally my policy to involve myself or even comment on political issues here in Thailand as I take the view that I am a guest in this country and such matters are for the Thai people to resolve for themselves – nor do I feel such weighty issues have any place in what is meant to be a light-hearted publication.
However when a political decision has direct implications for me and for my fellow expatriates who have chosen to make this country our home, I feel entitled to make an exception.
The subject I am referring to is the proposal currently before the cabinet to amend the operating hours of ‘entertainment venues’ and in particular to enforce upon such venues an earlier closing time than the currently permitted 2 AM. Various options are under consideration, 1 AM, Midnight and even 10 PM.
So why should such issues concern me when at my advanced number of years I can barely stay awake past midnight anyway?
The answer is because of the potential effect on the social structure of the society I live in – Pattaya is almost unique (the only other similar city I can think of is Las Vegas) in that it’s sole ‘raison d’etre’ is entertainment. True there is now a burgeoning resident population but Pattaya came into existence to provide entertainment, mainly to foreign visitors, and all such current development is founded of Pattaya being and remaining ‘Fun City’.
Whilst the aims behind the proposed changes are very laudable, namely to reduce drug abuse amongst the Thai youth and also prohibit said youths from entering premises not suitable for people their age; aims that few would disagree with, the result I fear will not address these issues at all but simply have a very detrimental effect on the whole social fabric. Indeed the fallout from such changes would I feel actually increase the numbers of young people turning to drugs.
We have already seen some of the effects of the current strict enforcement of the 2 AM closing time and the frequent police raids on some of the more lurid establishments, the result being more young people aimlessly wandering the streets in the early hours, a higher number of jobless people and an increase in the number of street prostitutes – all of which have resulted in a rapidly escalating rate of street crime. Once a very safe town to wander around after dark, Pattaya is regrettably no longer so and even on the main well lit roads, caution is needed.
Even earlier closing time can only further exacerbate this situation, for much as the authorities would wish it otherwise, the bulk of the funding of Pattaya’s entertainment venues comes not from the ‘family tourists’ that the government wishes to encourage but from those who come here with more ‘earthly’ pleasures in mind and who do not wish to retire early so that they can rise in time to visit a temple at dawn the following day. You may argue the merits of this or otherwise but the fact remains that this is life as it is, and not as how some would like it to be.
And far from these being the ‘low value’ tourists that the government claim them to be, many in fact bring considerable amounts of money with them when they come, and moreover are happy to part with it into the local community provided they feel that in return, their desires are met. And if not met they will rapidly go elsewhere taking their money with them.
Some of this has already happened, I feel it no coincidence that Singapore, so long the bastion of jokes about having the life cleaned out of it, is rapidly relaxing its social restrictions just as Thailand is tightening hers.
The result will be fewer tourists, resulting in fewer establishments providing much needed employment or those that remain having to considerably reduce their numbers of staff, again resulting in several of those laid off resorting to crime in order to fund their lifestyle.
Again those establishments where ‘ladies of the night’ are currently employed will also reduce their numbers, resulting in more of these ladies plying their trade out on the streets.
So what’s the difference? Shouldn’t prostitution be discouraged anyway? Again let’s look at life as it is, not as how some would like it to be – the world’s oldest profession isn’t suddenly going to pack up and disappear. And isn’t it better that it only takes place inside establishments where only those seeking it venture (and anyone entering accidentally can rapidly about turn), rather than confront the general public simply out for a stroll along the beach promenade?
So what if all the ‘low life’ tourists move elsewhere, wouldn’t this be compensated by more high spending ‘family tourists’ coming to a safe and cleaned up city?
Well, without going into the whole subject as to where most of the money that family tourists spend actually ends up (a subject of another debate); frankly, No it wouldn’t.
Why? Because they too will be affected by the increased danger on the streets each time they venture beyond the gates of their 4 and 5 star resorts, and whereas some are content to spend their entire vacation within the confines of their hotels or on organised coach tours outside, many others will still wish to go out on their own, and will not wish to stay in a city where they can only safely do so under escort.
Fewer tourists equals less money circulating in the community as a whole affecting those not directly involved in just the entertainment industry, but also others in businesses such as property development and construction, plus all the shops and supermarkets involved in providing services and supplies to the population. All of these will suffer and many will go out of business.
The result if the more extreme options on offer are chosen will be a dead city populated only by street criminals, drug addicts and prostitutes, with the few remaining tourists and residents remaining strictly behind high walls and security fences.
Think that this can’t happen? That once safe and friendly towns cannot become like this? Try asking anyone from some of the cities in South Africa.
So please if you know any Thai people, say to them ‘We respect your government’s right to make it’s policy decisions in the interests of the Thai people alone, but please if you have any influence, ask them to think again on this matter. For far from bringing about the good aims of the proposal, it will in fact have a very detrimental effect on many parts of Thai society, not to mention the loss to the Thai economy of a large part of the tourist income.
We agree with your aims of reducing drug dependence amongst your youth and of deterring them from visiting inappropriate establishments, but please, please think again. This is not the way to achieve such a result.’
Asian Bird Flu
Another problem that threatens to blight the tourist industry not only of Pattaya but also of Thailand and perhaps all of South East Asia is the emergence of Asian Bird Flu.
Not because this is a disease tourists will catch - you will NOT, repeat NOT!!!
Leastwise not unless during your stay, you visit a chicken farm in the infected areas on which live chickens still are running around and which rub up next to you - all most unlikely.
You will not catch it from other humans nor from eating cooked chicken or cooked eggs either.
It is NOT SARS.
And even SARS was vastly overblown by some of the media and also institutions that ought to have known better, some would have had us believe it was the Black Death reincarnate.
I quote here from Dr. Michael Morton, a British doctor living in China and who recently addressed our Expats club.
‘Do you know how many people died world-wide from SARS? - Answer about 900’.
‘Do you know that at the height of the epidemic round about last June, due to people staying away from work, the traffic in Beijing was down so much that the consequent reduction in road deaths more than exceeded the number of people who died from SARS?’
‘So you could actually say that SARS saved lives!’
And SARS was transmittable from human to human - Asian Bird Flu is not.
But, being the usual Job’s comforter, the WHO has been making statements such as ‘What if it infected someone who already had normal flu, and merged with that virus to create a new strain that could pass from human to human?.
Well, Asian Bird Flu is not new, it has been around for a hundred years or more and so far there is no instance of this happening.
So why are they saying this?
Well to some extent, they are well meaning, wishing to encourage us all to be cautious, and probably also they are covering themselves so in the very unlikely event of this happening, they can’t be accused of not having warned us.
But we all know what some of the more populist press do with cautionary warning statements - they see a good sensationalist headline in them and ignoring the caveats expressed simply publish the most dire prognosis possible.
So how long before we see in some of the best selling tabloids headlines such as ‘Bird Flu Plague threatens tourists - WHO official’?
And how long before naturally nervous tourists decide that, just as with SARS, this is perhaps not a good part of the world to take their hard earned vacations?
SARS devastated the Thailand tourist industry last year - for really no good reason.
There is even less valid reason why Asian Bird Flu should do the same again this year, provided we stick to the known facts, and ignore sensational press headlines..
And these are, I repeat again - ‘You will NOT catch bird flu by coming here on holiday’.
Please pass this message on to your friends.
Traffic Light Enhancement
We wondered for several days what they were doing to our traffic lights here in Pattaya.
Men were seen climbing up poles and attaching a strange device beside the actual light that when lit displayed a red number such as 199.
When I first saw this at the junction of 3rd road and Soi 17 - a particularly dangerous junction due to red light jumpers, I thought it might be indicating the number of fatalities at this intersection.
But then these began to appear all over town and then the numbers started to move, counting down to zero and all became clear.
It was a digital display indicating in seconds how long before the lights changed to green.
So what you say? Normally it’s only a few seconds to wait.
Not here in Thailand I’m afraid.
Firstly for fairly obvious reasons, most intersections controlled by lights only allow one direction to flow at any one time. So that if for example you are at a normal crossroads, you will only get a green light one time in four.
Also the time the green light on a single road is on is much much greater than in most Western countries - here it can be on for several minutes compared to a maximum of 10 to 20 seconds. This does have some advantages in that because every time the lights change there is an inevitable delay as not all cars in the ‘go direction’ can get into gear and set off instantly. Thus within reason the more frequent the change, the greater lost time during which nothing moves.
The downside of this is that seeming to wait at a red light for an interminable time can lead to frustration and also when huge queues of traffic build up, a temptation to force ones way to the front, if necessary by creating an extra lane, which then has to merge back in when the lights do finally change, causing further delay.
So the idea of this countdown is a good one in that it shows you just how long you will have to wait, which is surprisingly not as long as you previously imagined. It also enables you to get ready (get into gear, put your your lunch away, end your mobile phone call etc. etc.) to move off when the lights do change.
Not of course that you will actually be able to move then - this is still Pattaya, timers or no timers - you will still have to wait whilst the car in the leftmost lane who has now decided to turn right, finds a way past the car in the rightmost lane who has similarly decided to turn left and whist they sort this out nothing moves.
And the timers also have a ‘green phase’ now telling you via an illuminated green digital display, just how many seconds remain before the lights change back to red.
And when the aforesaid impasse blocks you from crossing the junction and you see the seconds left rapidly count down to zero, this can be doubly frustrating.
Overall I feel though that these numbers are a benefit and they may, repeat may, lead to less people jumping red lights and hopefully less accidents as a result.
Dish of the day
After such ‘heavy’ items, let’s continue on a lighter note with this menu item delicacy seen in an up country restaurant:-
Enjoy!
Christmas in Thailand
And although it’s now some time in the past, I couldn't finish without including this delightful picture seen in the Bangkok Post - it summarises perfectly what still keeps us hopeful in this wonderful country.
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