Coronavirus: Pattaya's speed boat operators facing bad times

[P100]

I want to cry!

Poor poor speed boat mafia.

So in future we must be prepared for a wave of speed boat scams to make up for the losses. India take care!

[maprao]

7 hours ago, tifino said:

... probably the speedbaots other most common popular destination?  

would be even worse off? i.e. deserted...

 

 

I remember the days when  these were the only boats you could see in the bay.

[DrTuner]

7 minutes ago, maprao said:

I remember the days when  these were the only boats you could see in the bay.

And Bali Hai was an actual nice park and the eyesore building blocking the Pattaya sign wasn't there. Neither were Russian or Chinese hordes. Last of the good times.

[mok199]

Take the jet ski ,mini van ,tour bus,watch/sunglasses touters,,, parasail crews, baht bus ,scooter taxi drivers with you...I am sure I left out a few ....Pattaya has not been this nice since 2012...

[Brer]

Wonder how much they will put the prices up.

Everything will be going up in Pattaya, looks like farangs will have to move to Issan.

[johng]

9 minutes ago, maprao said:

I remember the days when  these were the only boats you could see in the bay.

I remember seeing a US navy Aircraft carrier  quite far offshore  in Pattaya bay  maybe 1997 or 98 ?

[peterb17]

1 hour ago, Leaver said:

Are those that scam, steal and cheat not "local people?"

 

For scamming jet ski operators, zero sympathy.

 

For taxi drivers not using the meter, zero sympathy.

 

For cashiers padding out bar bills, zero sympathy.

 

For bar security who who threaten violence over padded bar bills, zero sympathy.

 

For the places that have dual pricing structure, zero sympathy.  

 

For those in the markets throwing a crazy price at me because I am a farang, zero sympathy.  

 

 

For just about every other local, I wish them well, as we head into the Pattaya Financial Crisis. (PFC) 

 

 

Of course the obvious response is why on earth do you live here.

 

Maybe you don’t? 
 

I stick with my post -  I allege that in the last couple of years the members of this forum have  become really quite unpleasant.

 

its a trend in the so- called social media 

 

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by peterb17
Grammar

[Leaver]

3 minutes ago, peterb17 said:

Of course the obvious response is why on earth do you live here.

 

Maybe you don’t? 
 

I stick with my post -  I allege that in the last couple of years the members of this forum have  become really quite unpleasant.

 

its a trend in the so- called social media 

 

 

I live here because none of the people on the above list effect me so much that I feel I am not happy living here, but then again, I have local knowledge, and can steer clear of them.

 

What about all the tourists they have scammed over the years?  The jet ski guys have ended people's holidays. 

 

It's kharma.  They took so much money they shouldn't have, and now they get little to none.

 

I you do not little Buddhist principles, why do you live here?    ????

 

 

[Kenny Boy]

8 hours ago, vadid said:

My heart bleeds.

Mine too

[cardinalblue]

The Phoenix revenge!

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Siam Chon news reported that one of the worst hit sectors of tourism in the wake of cancellations from China due to the coronavirus outbreak is sea transport companies and speedboat operators.

Take the next month to do some maintenance.... I'm sure some of them need it!

[dallen52]

1 hour ago, Stoker58 said:

TAT will announce a 10% increase in tourist arrivals.

It will probably be a banner headline..

Saying welcome back to the Chinese tourists..

And arrivals are up 20%

 

But no mention of the 30% drop off..

So still down 10%.

 

Thai government officials and mathematics don't go together. 

Unless it's the Brown paper envelopes %...

[Destiny1990]

4 hours ago, Assurancetourix said:

 

I do not know; I don't live in Pattaya or Jomtien;
but what is certain is that when they go to get their boats with their pickups, they usually find themselves swept away by the tide;
they therefore no longer have vehicles to tow the trailers with the boats on them.

No need their boats go out the water these boats lay 24/7 in the bay.

[steven100]

burn the smelly noisy corrupted boats ....  and the scamming jet ski's.

[Destiny1990]

3 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

Large sums of public money have been released to build the marina.

 

Work started with poor quality materials and management, well below the 

amounts of money released.

 

Despite that the money ran out quickly then

they was not able to finish it.

 

You can see now the remains sinking.

Nobody tried to find out where the money went.

 

Another page of the Pattaya saga...

 

Win win for these boat guys as they rather occupy to whole beachfront as their Own marina.

[brianthainess]

They could spend three months making and fitting prop guards but they won't.

[Isaan sailor]

I’m gonna really miss the winding howl of the outboards, and the screaming Chinese—NOT.

[alfalfa19]

boo-hoo.   cry me a river, scam boys.  PS:   is the jet ski scam officially dead now?

[Boedog]

You reap what you sow, maybe the Government could give work to all the people who is affect by complete lack of tourists and clean the rubbish dump which it  they call Thailand, but we know that wouldnt be on the agenda, people are sick of the air pollution, from poorly maintained trucks and cars, paddock burns rice, sugarcane,  using the forest and canals as rubbish dumps oh and let's not forget there such proactive measures to contain the spread of the virus,and least pretend you care and stop with the <deleted> lip service

[Black Angus]

Can we now put a car park in the Bay and get rid of them from there also. It's a big ocean.

[anicon]

13 hours ago, jacko45k said:

They are at least still travelling to Hong Kong.

I read just this week Hong Kong is planning on closing the border from China, sounds reasonable to me.. this virus has also temporarily solved the HK mass protest marches China was concerned about.. at least it's not in the headline news as of now, not nationally anyway..

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, anicon said:

I read just this week Hong Kong is planning on closing the border from China, sounds reasonable to me.. this virus has also temporarily solved the HK mass protest marches China was concerned about.. at least it's not in the headline news as of now, not nationally anyway..

Apparently there are many cruise ships with sick people aboard in the harbour too. There are demonstrations about the border too.

HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) - Hundreds of Hong Kong medical workers started striking on Monday (Feb 2) to demand that leader Carrie Lam immediately close the city's border with the mainland to prevent the spread of a deadly coronavirus.

[raccos21]

[jonclark]

Wow - That is six pages of some of the most bitter comments I have ever read. 

 

How people can rejoice at the economic hardship that this will cost the people here is staggering. The most effected by this are not the owners of boats, but the small independent traders that rely on low level passing trade to make enough to live on, pay school fees, and rent. 

 

People should feel ashamed of themselves. Taking pleasure in another's hardship. 

[morrobay]

20 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

What happened with that marina near Bali Hai for these speed boat operators to park there boats?

Another train wreak of a project  

[Wongkitlo]

1 hour ago, jonclark said:

Wow - That is six pages of some of the most bitter comments I have ever read. 

 

How people can rejoice at the economic hardship that this will cost the people here is staggering. The most effected by this are not the owners of boats, but the small independent traders that rely on low level passing trade to make enough to live on ok, pay school fees, and rent. 

 

People should feel ashamed of themselves. Taking pleasure in another's hardship. 

I'd say you are correct that the workers not the owners suffer. My guess is that Chinese companies own the boats employing Thai workers. Same with the massage shops and restaurants and hotels where you see the Chinese tour groups going in. They sell cheap tours and everything is "in house". Sure they employ Thais but the profits flow back to China not to the Thai economy so much. The effect of the virus makes it seem questionable whether the solo  Chinese travellers are really coming in numbers. They have closed some cities but the free independent travellers are still free to come but don't seem to be there in great numbers. As to posters' reactions there seems to be a lot of ongoing anger at their  treatment by Thai authorities (particularly immigration) and their encouragement of Chinese and Indians while they are continually making it harder for Westerners to stay long term, and the incompetence of the Pattaya authorities and their attempts to turn Pattaya into a "family destination".

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, jonclark said:

The most effected by this are not the owners of boats, but the small independent traders that rely on low level passing trade to make enough to live on, pay school fees, and rent. 

And maybe those dying in China!

[KenKadz]

"Some staff have asked to go back to their hometowns in the meantime to find alternative employment."

 

Self Correcting? Maybe some of the thieving ladyboys, bag snatchers, and other social parasites could go along improving safety and security for the rest of us.

[White Christmas13]

On 2/6/2020 at 11:30 AM, jonclark said:

Wow - That is six pages of some of the most bitter comments I have ever read. 

 

How people can rejoice at the economic hardship that this will cost the people here is staggering. The most effected by this are not the owners of boats, but the small independent traders that rely on low level passing trade to make enough to live on, pay school fees, and rent. 

 

People should feel ashamed of themselves. Taking pleasure in another's hardship. 

Is that so, did the speed boat drivers considered the hardship of the Russian

families who lost 2 kids in Phuket after speeding and colliding?

[metempsychotic]

On 2/5/2020 at 4:04 PM, DrTuner said:

I can really feel the love in the air in this thread ????

Hard to fathom why some of the locals may not be too enamoured of western tourists. 

 

Sadly the demographic on thai visa while limited to a number of disgruntled geriatrics mourning their privleged way of life is quite visible and does none of us any favours with their incessant negativity.

 

I have no issue with constructive criticism, but his thread and many like it ate not critical they are downright abusive if not outright bigotry.

 

To take such joy in a complete loss of income by an entire group of people and their families - no matter how distateful you find the service they provide is just plain petty.

 

Why not outright wish their familes and children starve for your personal entertainment.

 

Perhaps you dont like the speedboats, but who ultimately is at fault for letting the service they provide become unregulated. Lets shoot the baht bus and taxi drivers next - they are all bad right?

 

What you seem to neglect to consider is this is just one aspect of how folks are going to struggle in pattaya over the coming months.

 

These boat operators are a single ink in the chain, the people they ferry stay somewhere, eat somewhere, get transporeted by someone, they buy their tat souveniers and spend their money with someone else. 

 

They only thing thus entire debacle is proving is how very low on the food chain the sexpat, week long millionaires and threadbare retirees truly are in the grand scheme of things.

 

Taking your petty pleaure in this is watching pattaya decline yet further, the <deleted>hole that it is.