The TAT (Tourist Authority of Thailand), MTV, Grammy and RS Promotion (usually the inspired ones..), the organiser and the main promoters of the Pattaya Music Festival promised 3 great days for Thai music lovers.

The festival happened from March 16. to March 18 2007.

I couldn't attend the event. I was sick and had to stay at home, but according to my Thai friends and my neighbours I didn't miss a lot.

They all told me the same story: No Sanuk at all.

Nevertheless the fair around the festival was a compensation for the missed fun: Clothes and good food at prices you usually dream up only.

I was missing the outstanding taste of the good old and handmade ice creams... A delight at 10 Baht. But nobody was thinking of me. Nobody came back with one of this wonderful ice creams.

We all hope, that next years festival will bring back the sanuk from last years festivals.

On March 21. the Pattaya police were informed that a motorbike accident occurred on Pattaya 3rd road in front of X-Zyte Disco.

According to the police, the driver was speeding on Pattaya 3rd Road and tried to overtake another motorbike in the same lane. The police were later informed by the hospital that the driver died. The accident happened at 2.30am.

On March 27th, at 5 am, the fire department officials got informed that there was some fire at X-Zyte Disco. When they arrived they found the fire burning on the second floor. The officials were able to put out the blaze within 30 minutes.

Investigations are still on the way to get the cause of the fire.

X-Zyte will open again soon.

On March 25. 2007 Bangkok's old airport reopened it doors for domestic fligts. The information about the change of the airport for domestic flight was OK for Thai tourists. They got the information mostly from Thai TV. But most foreigners didn't know anything about the change and had to run for a taxi to get their connecting flights at Suvarnabhumi Airport. There was a great confusion among farangs and some even got angry.

For decades the reopened airport was known as Don Muang Airport. But some road signs on the way to the airport spelled it Don Mueang, which in my sight is the correct translation of the Thai peoples pronunciation. With the exceptions of some taxi drivers nobody in Thailand will understand Don Muang.

The same is true for Pattaya. If you drive your car from Bangkok to this exciting town, the signs tells you Phattaya, Phatthaya and Phathaya as well as Pattaya. Thai people call the city Phatthayaa.

The nothern part of Pattaya is known as Naklua, but according to the spelling of the Thais the correct writing should be Nakluea.

Pattaya's southern part is known as Jomtien. but on the way to Jomtien, or in Jomtien itself, you can find signs telling you that you are at Chom Tien or Chom Tian.



Upcountry, a lot of people not even know Bangkok. Bangkok's Thai name is Krung Theep.

The Council for National Security (CNS) removed elected prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the September 19. 2006 coup. The CNS cited alleged widespread corruption in the previous government as one of four reasons for the coup.

But a survey of regional business leaders shows that Thailand's image in 2006 was worse than in 2005.

The survey was released by the Hong Kong based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy and surveyed 13 Asian countries.

The survey ranked the Philipines as the most corrupted country and Singapore as the the cleanest of all. Thailand scored as number 2.

Congratulations... - for not being No. 1!

March 14. 2007:

Thailands Public Health Ministry yesterday won cabinet endorsement of its draft on alcohol consumation control.

It would likely set the minumum age for drinkers at 20 and impose an around-the-clock ban on advertisements on all kind of media.

The ban includes the display of names and logos of alcoholic beverages in the media, at theatres, shows and social function.

The bill will specify where alcohol consumation and sales are prohibited, such as religious places, schools, government offices and petrol stations.

An exception is made for advertisements that appear in live programmes from overseas TV stations.

March 5. 2007:

Thailands Pollution Control Department issued an air pollution warning after its air quality gauging stations in downtown Chiang Mai detected a harmful level of small dust particles.

Dust particles smaller than 10 microns could enter sensitive internal breathing organs and cause respiratory ailments.

According to the Pollution Control Department a dust level of 120 ug/cu m is acceptable.

Provinces with high dust levels include Chiang Mai (197.7), Lampang (207,7), Chon Buri (159) and Samut Prakan (121).

The air pollution crisis is predicted to continue for at least three month.

The increasing dust level is a result of widespreed fires in the nothern provinces and in neighbouring countries including Burma, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The farmers still use the slash and burn technique to prepare their land for new crops.

The Pollution Control Department recommends to stay at home and avoid outdoor activities...

On the 24th of February at 6.00am Dongtan Police were called to the scene of a double murder on Jomtien Beach opposite Soi 18.

Police rushed to the scene and found two brutally slained Russian lady tourists aged 25 and 30, slumped on two beach chairs. They had been mindlessly shot dead by someone using a 9mm gun.

A security guard of the Jomtien Ananya Hotel told Police that at 3 am he was on duty and noticed the two Russians Ladies leaving the Dragon Beach Resort only 500 meters away from the murder scene on the beach. The ladies apparently liked to watch the dawn arrive whilst having a drink on the beach.

At 5 am he heard a gun shot and immediately headed towards the area of the blast. Whilst running to the scene he heard three more shots fired.

He spotted a Thai man who was walking calmly from the scene. The man simply jumped on his motorbike and drove off quickly towards the Chaiyapruek Police box.

The two victims first came to Pattaya on the 16th of February with a group of 50 tourists from the Discovery Holiday Tour Company. On the 3rd of March they wanted to go back to their country.

In the night of murder, they had their night out at Walking Street. Before they went back to their hotel they took some rest at a beach chair near their hotel and later found shot to death.

A tour guide of the tour company told Police that after picked them up at the airport, the two ladies wanted to live privacy so he did not know any of their problem or confliction.

The President of Pattaya Tourism and Hotel Association said that after the murder of the two Russian tourists had been broadcasted, numbers of Russian tourists who stayed in hotels around Pattaya are scared and went back their country.

Furthermore, advance reservation from Russians tourist groups also got cancelled. This case will badly affect (Russian) tourism in Pattaya.

Police investigation continues. Police have offered a 100'000 Baht reward for the capture of the gunman.

On March 1. 2007 the police arrested a 24 old Thai man and charged him with the murderer of the two Russian ladies. Police said he was turned in by his former girlfriend.

What should be 'the pride of the nation' turns into a nightmare.

Thailands new airport is plaqued by alleged corruption, cracked runways and taxiways, damaged airbridges, problems inside the passenger terminal and by unsatisfactory services for passengers.

Suvarnabhumi has 51 gates and 105 passenger boarding bridges. 11 boarding bridges are already damaged, two of them seriously.

Thailands former Don Muang Airport will reopen on March 25. 2007. Two budget airlines, Nok Air and One-To-Go will move their fleets back to Don Muang. Thai International will also base some domestic flights back to the 92-year-old airport.

According to Don Muang's director 'this beautiful girl must put on her make-up and get dressed up again. The girl will get back into shape'.

Sometimes foreigners get the impression, that Thailand doesn't have the capability to manage a Mega Project without running into Mega Problems...