Pattaya Today 1
Vol. 8 No. 16 1 - 15 May 2009
Volume 8, Issue 16
1 - 15 May 2009
The Greening of Pattaya
Pattaya City Mayor Itthiphol Khunpleum After being granted the the resort more attractive to privilege of being able to tourists worldwide. DASTA, - Designated Arhost the ASEAN Conference, it was a cruel twist of fate eas for Sustainable Tourism for Pattaya City to lose face Administration – was set over the Red-Shirt debacle, up under the royal decree of when a few hundred mob September 13, 2003, by the members were allowed to pen- then government of Thaksin etrate the cordon to enter the Shinawatra as an instrument Royal Cliff and intimidate the to sustain balanced tourism development in various ASEAN leaders. However, every cloud has designated zones in Thaia silver lining, which in this land, which were considered case was the welcome news potentially under threat; that Pattaya has been desig- current officially designated nated by the government as zones include the Chang a suitable zone for substan- Archipelago and Chiang Mai tial redevelopment under the Night Safari. The cabinet DASTA scheme, to radically of the current government transform the city’s ecology has now ratified proposals and environment and make for the redevelopment of
Pattaya, originally laid before it in March, 2009, by the overseer of tourism in Thailand, Deputy Prime Minister Major General Sanan Khachornprasart. Under the terms of these proposals, Pattaya City and its immediate environs, the eight adjacent tambons, will undergo significant improvements in the overall environment and infrastructure, addressing the problems of an inadequate road network and its consequent traffic congestion, unplanned development, overcrowding, insufficient water supplies,
coastal erosion, public safety, and other detriments to the citizens’ health, with the intention of substantiating Pattaya’s claim to be the leading coastal resort in Thailand and bringing it up to the global standards necessary for the city to compete on the world tourism stage. A steering committee, consisting of DASTA representatives and Pattaya City Administration, has been set up to draft the first outline of the Master Plan, which is expected to be made public a year hence. Continued on page 2
Damage to Royal Cliff around 14.4 million baht
Disappointed that to date the government had made no promise to pay for the damage to the Royal Cliff Beach Resort during the April 11 mayhem, Ms Panga Wattanakul, managing director, informed the press of recent developments. She said that the total damage to the resort was
25 BAHT
estimated at 14.4 million baht, caused when Redshirt protestors forced their way into the premises during anti-government protests in Pattaya on April 11. Ms Panga detailed the various damage cost centres including broken glass and doors, broken furniture, shattered kitchenware, uprooted
plants, trampled gardens and lost revenue when tourists checked out in a hurry and refused to settle their bills. She went on to say that both the Royal Cliff and Pattaya as a whole had suffered very serious damage as potential guests had been frightened away resulting in many cancelled bookings. Continued on page 5