Some visitors of our Website informed us that unwanted and unsubscribed SMS messages are withdrawing and plundering large sums from their AIS operated 1-2-call Mobile Phone accounts. To test the claims we bought a cheap (original) Samsung phone and a 1-2-call SIM-card from Tukcom. At home we inserted the SIM-card and called the 1-2-call service number to get a phone number and to activate our new account. Then we topped our account with 50 Baht and checked the balance of the account. It tooks a few hours only until the first SMS message arrived. At the end of the day we had 5 (FIVE!) SMS messages on the new phone and our 1-2-call account showed a balance of 3 (THREE!) Baht! The next day we got back to the nice ladies from Telewiz, an AIS owned company, and the official distributor of 1-2-call SIM-cards. We explained the incident to a lady. She worked a few seconds on the computer and assured that she already blocked the access of all SMS advertisements. We then updated our account again - with another 50 Baht. The very same evening we checked the phone again. Another 5 SMS messages withdraw another 47 Baht from our account. In civilized you can report an offence against an unacquainted person with the police. In Pattaya the police tells you to contact AIS (via Telewiz). Same answer if you call Thailand's National Consumer Protection Board.

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In our News Flash published on January 2011 we already reported a similar (apparently unsued) criminal attack on Mobile Phone accounts from True move, but this one seems to be even perkier. The attacks stop if your account doesn't have enough of money to withdraw, but starts again as soon as you refile your phome. It seems the gangsters can directly check the amount of money in your 1-2-call account.

Energy Minister Arak Chonlatanon announced on October 4th 2012 that petrol 91 be phased out in December 2012 in line with the Ministry's policy to promote greater use of ethanol-based fuel in transportation. The decision comes despite the facts published by Mitsubishi Motors. Mitsubishi showed that Thailand's fuel containing an ethanol additive produced by the PTT Group is of poor quality compared with bio fuel from neighboring countries. Thailand's ethanol-based fuel can be a threat for your car and/or your motorcycle.

A rusty legacy of the HVIDSTEN Group on a prime location on Jomtien's Beach Road: Unfinished since many years...

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All pictures published on this page are as accurate as possible - this one too!

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According to City Hall's event calendar published on Pattaya's official website there are still no activities in Pattaya during October 2012 and the rest of this year. No Halloween, no Loy Kratong, no Countdown 2013? Pattaya a sleeping town - or simply lazy officials?

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Pattaya Beach Promenade not only is a popular meeting place for Farangs. Rats like to live there too. Everybody can see them, but not Pattaya's officials. They ignore them since many years and give the rats the opportunity to increase their population with every month.

September 29th 2012: In 2005 Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar agreed to relax the immigration procedures to attract more non-Asean visitors. They created the Five Countries One Destination campaign. A Single Visa should attract tourists from outside the region, especially from Europe, North America and Australia. During July 2012 Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam launched the Single Visa, but not Thailand. Thailand refused to join the agreement! Thailand fears a loss of revenue from visa fees. According to the Single Visa agreement, tourists have to pay the fee at the country of entry...

September 30th 2012: Suvarnabhumi International Airport was opened on Sept 28, 2006. It was announced as Thailand's Pride. Today we know it better: Bangkok's airport is and remains the country's eyeshore. Illegal tour guides and taxi drivers are still preying on both Thai and foreign passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport six years after its opening. Bringing travellers from inside the passenger terminal to taxi drivers tour guides receive 100 Baht to 500 Baht per passenger. The drivers then charge fares that are five to 10 times higher than standard fares. As an example, taxi drivers charge 1'300 Baht to 1'500 Baht for a ride from Suvarnabhumi airport to Pattaya where they also receive commissions from the hotels and shops they bring tourists to...

October 1st 2012: A regional security officer said: The region's lawlessness is still a massive test for all countries in the region, including China. The drugs and other crimes are not going to go away, unless the governments in the region tackle those making the big money - on all sides of the border - from illegal logging, drugs, gambling and trafficking.

October 3rd 2012: National park officials from Tab Lan are urging tourists to avoid staying in more than 70 resorts and guest houses that are encroaching on park land. Land surveys have revealed more than 100 commercial establishments and dwellings have overstepped boundaries and were built on park land: Muang Nai Mork, Ban Pha Ngam Resort, Raimoowarn, Raikrissanawarn, Imphuill, Banlek Payai, Bansuan Khunyai, Bantorfan, Jungle Ville, Banrai Ville, Phu Praingam, Rimnam Plaiphu, Banrai Khunphaka, Suansukho, Ban Teppitak, Raihangkhunkhao, Rai Warissara, Ban Kungking, Lalandao, Ban Khun Add, Ban Larnphraya, Lifestyle Homestay, Krua Khwanlak, Bantamfan, Le Cool Resort, Phupha Waree Nutchanart Resort, Bansuan Teparak, Rai Paranee, Inglom Chommork, Kiat-Sarin Hill, Rai Panadao, Kiangmork Chalet, Tonnam Homestay, Taksina Garden, Chomjan Hut, Rablom-Chomdao, Ban Rabianglom, Duen kab Tawan Thai- German, Bansuan Sanguansuk, Bansuan Rimpha, Suan Indra, Suan Phasawarn, Nern Dorkput, Raikafae Wangnamkhiao, Rimmai Rimphu, Suankatechai 9, Tawanpandao, Banrai Khunanan, Tan Tawan, SiriTarn, Nonsee Rimtarn, Rai Fakiangdao, Bansuan Maihorm, Phupruksa, Imok Imjai, Sapsuwarn Homestay, Suan Saproongrueng, Suan Nueng-Nuch, Rai Phupimanmork, Vogue Banlangmek, Ban Phu Areerak, Rai Phunamkhang, Ranpinkaeo, I Ozone, and Nonsee Stake Hut. It seems that all this resorts were errected over night - or with the help of some very influential officials.

October 4th 2012: Mouldy walls, leaking roofs and damaged paintwork are the result of a 480-million-baht renovation of the Saranrom Palace, which is used to house the Foreign Ministry. The 'renovation' was carried out by Christiani & Nielsen with StoneHenge serving as a consultant. The companies attributed the shortcomings to bad design and low-quality labourers...
Nevertheless, a senator is luring potential investors from Taiwan and other countries by promising 'Thailand's plus is the availability of a skilled workforce'.

October 9th 2012: A spokesman from the Royal Thai Police Office told the press that rice millers cheated at least 760 of Thailand's rice farmers with damages estimated at around 307 million Baht. Rice millers under investigation are located in Buri Ram and Phetchabun. The authorities also confiscated about 200 tonnes of rice smuggled into Sa Kaeo from a neighbouring country to sell as domestically produced paddy under Thailand's pledging scheme. Officials from the Public Warehouse Organisation and some level 5-6 state officials supported the cheating.

October 22nd 2012: Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) launched an auction for 3G mobile phone service licences. Nine slots of bandwidth were available in last week's auction and there are only three major mobile phone service providers in the country. Advanced Info Service (AIS, also known as 1-2-call) bid 14.6 billion baht, while Total Access Communications (Dtac) and True Corp bid 13.5 billion baht to win their licences. According to many observers this was a "fake" auction. Compared to similar auctions held for 3G bandwidth around the world the revenue generated from the 3G auction in Thailand is one of the lowest.Thailand's three major operators won three slots each for a bargain.

October 24th 2012: Boonlert Kaewprasit, a retired general of the Thai Army, said he would have staged a coup by now if he was in a position to do so. The unconvincable general claims Thailand is being run by a puppet government to rob the country. The general's Protecting Siam group is planning a rally on Sunday, October 28th 2012, to Stop the Crisis and Catastrophe...

October 24th 2012: Pol Sgt Manas Suapho of the Bangkok Metropolitan Traffic Police surrendered himself to the authorities. He was on the run for three days leaving his vehicle behind him with drugs worth about 760 million baht. The police man confessed he had transported drugs about 10 times since 2010 and earned between one million and 2.2 million baht for each delivery. My friend, who is a former police officer at Pracha Chuen police station, asked me to join the drug trafficking ring, he said...

October 25th 2012: Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha has warned General Boonlert Kaewprasit and his Pitak Siam group that their anti-government rally on Sunday must respect democratic principles and that protesters must not put pressure on the military.

October 27th 2012: The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) has found more than 345 billion Baht was smuggled out of Thailand in the past five years. The malpractice has been around for a long time. The lion's share of the outgoing money was transferred between Thailand and Hong Kong. There were about 10 money laundering gangs operating in Thailand. They serve corrupt politicians.

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Last month we published another set of Miraculous Stories from Amazing Thailand.

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Seen at BigC Extra! Central Pattaya.