I have been involved in 2 car accidents in Pattaya, one might have been my fault, one was definitely not my fault. I won't bore you with the details but both accidents involved Thai motor cyclists and in both cases, the friendly, smiling police officer at the station tried to stitch me up. In the case of the accident that clearly was not my fault, (a motor cycle taxi driver whose taxi jacket was issued by a Pattaya policeman ran into the back of me in broad daylight), the attempted stitch up was the most blatant. Basically, because of the police connection, the officer at the station tried to get me to sign the Thai language accident report in the section normally signed by the 'guilty' party to admit liability. When that failed he tried various other tricks to get the taxi driver off the hook but fortunately with no success. My Thai wife was receiving guidance over the phone from her police officer brother-in-law in Bangkok. The bottom line is I received 10,000Baht from the taxi driver to cover damage estimated at 20,000baht and I have been told I was lucky. No, it didn't make me feel any better.
When it was too late to be of any use the family police connection told me the only way for a farang to get a fair deal when dealing with the police is to have a lawyer present. Only a lawyer will keep the police honest particularly when it's Thai v farang. Sad but true. So if you want fair treatment, you need to find a Thai lawyer who will be on-call. He may charge you a couple of thousand Baht to appear but he could save you much more if he gets you fair treatment and even better, full settlement for the damage caused to you or your vehicle. Best of luck.
Sierra Tangos
- Tornado A-Go-Go, Soi 6 - Opening early September 07
- Karaoke Wars, Soi Beokeow - Police Colonel Sutin, the Chief of Pattaya Police was one of many officers to respond to a serious fire which had taken hold of a Karaoke Bar located in Soi Beokeow just after daybreak on Thursday. We can confirm that no one was hurt in the blaze which was apparently caused by a dispute between two groups of Staff from the Dai-Eji Karaoke Bar and the New Boys Karaoke Bar located nearby. [via Pattaya City News] Ed. They were fighting over a single, female customer. Times must be hard.
- As part of efforts to turn Bangkok into the tourism capital of Asia, the Bangkok Me
tropolitan Administration's "Charming Bangkok" campaign will open two free tourist tramlines in Bangkok. The first, the Red Line, will open in the next two weeks, running only on weekends. The tram will start from Hualumphong subway station and go through China Town, Charoen-krung Road and return to Hualumphong. The second, Yellow Line, will launch in late October, running in the Rattanakosin Old Town area, starting from Wat Phra Kaew and ending at Tha Chang pier. [via Bangkokrecorder]
- Thailand, A Different Missionary Position - Are they trying to save them or convert them?
- With "3:10 to Yuma" riding in to cinema's next week it's time to honour the best of the west. See if you agree with this Top 15 list. Can't believe Open Range starring Costner and Duval isn't on the list. Okay, the start and end are too close for comfort to My Darling Clementine but the dialogue is quality throughout and the gun fight scene is as good and as realistic as any gun fight scene put on film. I promise you, you'll replay the fight scene over and over again, it's that good. Check it out.
- Produce Visio type diagrams right in your web browser with Best4c - Best4c looks like a solid (and cheap) solution to create network diagrams, floor plans and flowcharts. Creating a diagram is relatively intuitive with a drag and drop multi-paned interface with toolbars and tabs, and you can keep your diagram private or invite others to collaborate. Registration and signup are free.
- The perfect iTunes equaliser settings for MP3's - Rocker Merlin Mann's favorite iTunes MP3 equalizer settings, which he says give tracks a "nice pop," are as follows:
db +3, +6, +9, +7, +6, +5, +7, +9, +11, +8 db
- At 85 years of age, Morris married Lou Anne, a lovely 25 year old. Since her new husband is so old, Lou Anne decides that after their wedding she and Morris should have separate bedrooms, because she is concerned that her new but aged husband may overexert himself if t
hey spend the entire night together. After the wedding festivities Lou Anne prepares herself for bed and the expected "knock" on the door. Sure enough the knock comes, the door opens and there is Morris, her 85 year old groom ready for action. They unite as one. All goes well, Morris takes leave of his bride, and she prepares to go to sleep. After a few minutes, Lou Anne hears another knock on her bedroom door, and it's Morris .and he is ready for more "action". Somewhat surprised, Lou Anne consents for more coupling. When the newlyweds are done, Morris kisses his bride, bids her a fond goodnight and leaves. She is set to go to sleep again, but, aha, you guessed it Morris is back again, rapping on the door, and is as fresh as a 25-year-old, ready for more "action". And, once again they enjoy each other, but as Morris gets ready to leave again, his young bride says to him, "I am thoroughly impressed that at your age you can perform so well and so often. I have been with guys less than a third of your age who were only good once. You are truly a great lover, Morris." Morris, somewhat embarrassed, turns to Lou Anne and says : "You mean I was here already ?" The moral of the story : Don't be afraid of getting old, Alzheimer's has its advantages.
- Don't Mess With Gran
Tags: pattaya, pattaya-rag, pattaya-nightlife, Atlantic-Bar, u-too-bar, a-go-go
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