Pattaya police say they’ve identified a number of individuals seeking kickbacks from hotels in exchange for being listed as a Covid-19 quarantine facility. However, as none of the hotels involved have filed a complaint, the individuals in question have not been charged. Yet.

With hotels across the city shut down as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, some people have attempted to exploit the desperation of those in the hospitality sector, according to a report in the Chiang Rai Times. The statement from the Pattaya police comes in the wake of the government pledging to crack down on such extortion and identify those responsible.

PHOTO: Chiangrai Times

However, deputy national police chief Suwat Chaengyodsuk says no hotels have taken any further action and therefore the individuals cannot be charged. He also says none of those identified are government officials, nor do they appear to have links with any politicians.

PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is pressing for legal action to be taken against those involved, while the Public Health Ministry is threatening to file a defamation suit against the wrongdoers for abusing the ministry’s name.

Hotels chosen as government quarantine facilities must meet strict conditions, including having separate air-conditioning units for each room and non-carpeted flooring. It’s understood that in Pattaya alone, around 10,000 hotel rooms are being used in the government’s mandatory quarantining of repatriated Thai citizens.

SOURCE: Chiang Rai Times

The mayor of Pattaya has led officials in launching a campaign to mark the phased re-opening of the famous tourist hotspot. Well more of a celebration! Normally hosting millions of tourists every year, Pattaya has been through a tough time during the last few months, with businesses, beaches and all nightlife and hospitality venues shut down due to the impacts of the Covid-19 virus.

Now, through the “Pattaya is brighter together” campaign, Mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem and other city officials are hoping to bring hope to residents and encourage visitors to return as Pattaya gradually re-opens and the journey back to some sort of normality gets underway.

The event kicked off last night when city officials and members of various tourism bodies, as well as local media, attended an opening ceremony on Pattaya Beach. At the event, officials took part in coconut painting, using coconuts bought from local farmers. Even Mayor Khunpluem painted a coconut, with all artwork then exhibited at Pattaya and Jomtien beaches to signify that brighter times are to come.

To date, Pattaya has gone around six weeks without a case of community transmission of the Covid-19 virus. The latest re-opening comes as the country enters Phase 3 of a nationwide easing of restrictions in light of a nominal number of new virus cases nationally, most of which are being detected in repatriated Thai citizens in state quarantine.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News

2 teenagers died at the scene after their motorbike collided with a car at a U-turn in South Pattaya just before curfew came into effect on Friday night. Pattaya City Police were notified of the incident at 10:45pm at the notorious U-turn in front of a Pattaya Makro store, the scene of many of multiple deaths and incidents in recent years.

Police, emergency responders and reporters arrived to find the damaged vehicle and motorbike as well as a crowd at the scene who had witnessed the event. The bodies of a 14 year old male and female teenager were found on the road. Rescue workers from the Sawang Boriboon foundation attempted to provide first aid but were unsuccessful.

Friends of the teens told The Pattaya News that they were heading back home on other motorbikes. When the two victims were making a U-turn on their motorbike they lost control and both driver and passenger fell on the road where they were hit by an oncoming vehicle. Neither teen was wearing a helmet.

The vehicle’s driver, a 23 year old woman whose name is being withheld pending an investigation, and who was visibly shaken by the incident, told police the 2 victims had run through the U-Turn quickly and she was tragically unable to avoid hitting them. She is co-operating with Pattaya Police in the ongoing investigation.

The U turn in question has a long and tragic history, even being ordered permanently closed at one point and only just recently opened to one-way turns in a single direction to Sattahip.

SOURCE: ThePattaya News