Mayor Orders News Papers To Report Only 2 Deaths A Week

[loonodingle]

I read the pattaya daily News and they state that the Mayor has ordered the news papers to only report 2 deaths a week.

Whats all that about.....................?

[ThaiBob]

I read the pattaya daily News and they state that the Mayor has ordered the news papers to only report 2 deaths a week.

Whats all that about.....................?

I believe the article in question is on the Pattaya Daily News website and headlined "GANG LEADER‘S DEATH UNLEASHES BLOODSHED ON THE STREETS OF PATTAYA".

There is also a Note From The Editor:

"....

Pattaya Daily News tries not to report more than 2 severe crime items each day, in accordance with the council's request to downplay violence, but we have reported many similar events in the past and feel that trying to pull the wool over the public's eyes is not the way to go about reducing the senseless violence which increasingly characterizes this city. Rather, we feel that all such incidents must be reported in full to pressurize the Powers That Be into taking some constructive action.

Warina"

[basjke]

This must be the biggest joke this lifetime.Instead of doing something against the rising criminality the government just decides to prohibit it from being reported.Keep the good work going boys. :D

[midas]

Incredible and bizzare..............! In the 70;s it would have given material

to write a sketch for Monty Python ....................

[Thaddeus]

Incredible and bizzare..............! In the 70;s it would have given material

to write a sketch for Monty Python ....................

"What has the Mayor ever done for us"

[Pdaz]

Good old Khun Ittipon... Seems that the apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree...

Would suggest an editorial stating that if he did his job as the Mayor and fufilled his promises to improve Pattaya ( and not just his bank account ) the press wouldn't have so many gruesome stories to report..

Typical reaction from corrupt pollies here... Either distract attention away from the scandal or hush it up with pressure....

Wan*ers all of them.. Perhaps if the media report all the violence, corruption and disasters here they could finally shame/persuade the locals to elect someone capable and responsible enough to do the job properly... Guess that's what bought elections get you... Self interest, corruption, inefficiency and declining standards.....

Edited November 9, 2008 by Pdaz

[Mighty Mouse]

Suppressing newspaper reports of prostitution, muggings by lady boys, motor vehicle accidents, suicides from tall buildings, violence against farangs, drunk and disorderly behaviour in the bar areas, will raise the profile of Pattaya as an ideal family holiday destination.

The newspapers will now have to enlarge their comic strip section in order to fill their pages.

[bartender100]

Just like the movie "JAWS" "there's NO shark"

[BSJ]

On another forum I was derided for suggesting a bullet proof vest would be a good investment for those living in Pats.

[jumnien]

The saddest part of the whole story is that the media in Pattaya tend to report only violent deaths which are a very small fraction of the total deaths. They are following a trend started in the United States and Europe whereby the vast majority of deaths due to lifestyle (over-eating, sedentary lifestyle, smoking and alcohol consumption) go unreported.

[Jingthing]

The saddest part of the whole story is that the media in Pattaya tend to report only violent deaths which are a very small fraction of the total deaths. They are following a trend started in the United States and Europe whereby the vast majority of deaths due to lifestyle (over-eating, sedentary lifestyle, smoking and alcohol consumption) go unreported.

????

Why is that sad? Natural deaths are a part of life. Not newsworthy. They are of interest to family and friends and an obituary notice section is a way to report them. Violent deaths on the other hand are CRIME stories and are newsworthy. Not the first time I have heard of governments suppressing crime information, for example South Africa.

[jumnien]

The saddest part of the whole story is that the media in Pattaya tend to report only violent deaths which are a very small fraction of the total deaths. They are following a trend started in the United States and Europe whereby the vast majority of deaths due to lifestyle (over-eating, sedentary lifestyle, smoking and alcohol consumption) go unreported.

????

Why is that sad? Natural deaths are a part of life. Not newsworthy. They are of interest to family and friends and an obituary notice section is a way to report them. Violent deaths on the other hand are CRIME stories and are newsworthy. Not the first time I have heard of governments suppressing crime information, for example South Africa.

My Buddha! Since when are deaths caused by suicide involving over-eating, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol poisoning and smoking NATURAL! Nature abhors suicide!

[CGW]

I read the pattaya daily News and they state that the Mayor has ordered the news papers to only report 2 deaths a week.

Maybe? the powers that be are a lot smarter than we give them credit for?

Once word is out on the street that violent crime will go unreported

Violent crime will drop dramatically

After all the only reason these perps! commit these heinous crimes is for their moment of fame

A fascinating insight into Hi-So??? Thai thinking? Some would blame drugs, unemployment and a society based on corruption.

Carry on with the good work men!

Edited November 9, 2008 by CGW

[Jingthing]

My Buddha! Since when are deaths caused by suicide involving over-eating, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol poisoning and smoking NATURAL! Nature abhors suicide!

They are simply so COMMON that they are not newsworthy. It sounds like you are satirically proposing that every heart attack death of every overweight person should be reported in the news (perhaps as a suicide?). That is simply ridiculous.

Suicide is another matter, whether or not it is newsworthy is an editorial decision, for example condo jumping though common enough is always newsworthy, a teenager slitting their wrists I personally think should be a private matter for the family.

Edited November 9, 2008 by Jingthing

[maksidah]

Someone one this forum about six months ago suggested that the murder rate here was higher than Washington DC (which is considered to be the highest murder rate per capita in the USA, which is arguably the highest in the world outside a war zone).

Someone should do the math on that one. I would say that there is at least a murder every night here with no end in sight, in a town of 100K. This excludes suicide or accidental death -simply MURDER.

Embassies should issue travel warnings (not joking), if anyone has noticed the haphazard and trivial manner petty gangsters empty a clip upon often relatively hapless victims often wounding bystanders and passers-by.

Better call Niels Colov and the PVP, They'll sort it out.

[innovator]

Strange how you go around Thailand and almost never witness, hear, see or experience violent, daily murders. It is only when you come to Patters that this behavior begins to show up.

I guess Pattaya has been designated as the "Hotspot" for taking people out in Thailand. Sure, murder happens in every city and country in the world, but it seems a bit strange that it happens nightly/daily in a very small, holiday beach resort.

[Jingthing]

a very small, holiday beach resort.

Not small.

Have you been here in awhile? It is a substantial CITY now. It is the most popular beach resort CITY in Asia. I compare it to Acapulco, the seedy edgy side is an integral part of the picture. Of course I would like to see violence decreased but I am not convinced it occurs here per capita any more than Bangkok.

Edited November 9, 2008 by Jingthing

[LennyW]

Strange how you go around Thailand and almost never witness, hear, see or experience violent, daily murders. It is only when you come to Patters that this behavior begins to show up.

I guess Pattaya has been designated as the "Hotspot" for taking people out in Thailand. Sure, murder happens in every city and country in the world, but it seems a bit strange that it happens nightly/daily in a very small, holiday beach resort.

Have you ever been to Bangkok???

[Chang_paarp]

I think there may be a major back flip in the making here.

If the reporters are not kept busy reporting all the murders, suicides and other deaths they might have time to do real reporting. Like, the condition of the roads, beaches and general infrastructure, then on Tuesday they could read up about investigative journalism and on Wednesday they could start looking at the (non-existent ) corruption in our fine city, or mysterious disappearance of Kanman Po and his reported sightings in Cambodia, or ......

About Wednesday afternoon the mayor will advise the assembled media that there are a number of thus far unreported murders, suicides and lost kittens they should be concentrating on.

[hm1973]

Although we are not a newspaper, I can assure you that Pattaya One News will continue to report as normal. This idea about reporting restrictions issues by the Mayor is utter nonsense and has never and will never happen.

Howard

Pattaya One News

[prefabs]

Although we are not a newspaper, I can assure you that Pattaya One News will continue to report as normal. This idea about reporting restrictions issues by the Mayor is utter nonsense and has never and will never happen.

Howard

Pattaya One News

Good on you, Howard. An honest man they can never silence

[spiderman2]

Are there any figures as to what the murder rate is in Pattaya, the mayor must know them and theyre obviouly higher then 104 per year.

There were 765 reported incidents of murder for 2005-6 in the UK.

http://fleshisgrass.wordpress.com/2007/04/...ate-and-weapon/

[Mighty Mouse]

This idea about reporting restrictions issues by the Mayor is utter nonsense and has never and will never happen.

Howard

Pattaya One News

The Mayor has just crossed your name off his Christmas card list.

[sharecropper]

Although we are not a newspaper, I can assure you that Pattaya One News will continue to report as normal. This idea about reporting restrictions issues by the Mayor is utter nonsense and has never and will never happen.

Howard

Pattaya One News

Howard, can you please clarify a small ambiguity in your post. Are you saying that, so far as you are aware, he has not asked for this censorship, and never would, or are you saying he did ask and you strongly disagree with it, which is how I read it.

Many thanks.

[maksidah]

I recently saw on CNN in Sinaloa Mexico gangland shootings were about 4 a day and that made international news as something standing out. Pattaya has at least one on average I think (or very close now)

Sinaloa is a state/province not a smallish city!!

Cops are way over their heads but as long as the punks are killing themselves they don't care. My hunch is that someone at the top is ultimately making huge sums on the meth trade, so it goes on.

Just the other day TV news reported some thug getting caught with a brand new beautiful Browning 9mm semi-auto. I remember years ago even in Cambodia getting your hands on a flash pistol was not easy. In Thailand forget it.

I think Pattaya is the worst and getting worstER but there are plenty of problems elsewhere. not exclusive to Pattaya whatsoever - recall the extrajudicial murders a few years ago. Many of those were very bad people and they have been replaced by equally nasty creatures.

Pattaya City News could easily go through its archives and give us data on the murder rates as well as the true and transient population of Pattaya instead of running the same restaurant adverts 30 times a week. I doubt it though, theer would be a crushing blow upon them from so many outside forces and howard must know this.

That is why events are reported. There is no analysis of issues in Pattaya or Thailand (the "why"). Can't say I blame them, it needs to be done from outside or international cred journalist/organization. No doubt this is risk to life or at least visa status.

Howard will continue to report the shootings no doubt, that is the 'coverup'. The death is not the story - the story is why these gangland murders continue unabated.

We can only wait with baited breath till it spills into the tourist population. The shootings already claim many lives and injure innocent adults and children (Thai) by the dozens. When it does occur, expect a big fuss and then it to be swept under the rug asap.

Edited November 10, 2008 by maksidah

[hm1973]

Although we are not a newspaper, I can assure you that Pattaya One News will continue to report as normal. This idea about reporting restrictions issues by the Mayor is utter nonsense and has never and will never happen.

Howard

Pattaya One News

Howard, can you please clarify a small ambiguity in your post. Are you saying that, so far as you are aware, he has not asked for this censorship, and never would, or are you saying he did ask and you strongly disagree with it, which is how I read it.

Many thanks.

Sorry if it was unclear......The Mayor HAS NOT issued such a directive to local media organizations. The Mayor has the right to complain about specific news articles and suggest to local Journalists to review the way they report the news as does everyone. He would never issue a directive to us and could never force us to change the way we report the news.

Howard

[barky]

Although we are not a newspaper, I can assure you that Pattaya One News will continue to report as normal. This idea about reporting restrictions issues by the Mayor is utter nonsense and has never and will never happen.

Howard

Pattaya One News

Howard, can you please clarify a small ambiguity in your post. Are you saying that, so far as you are aware, he has not asked for this censorship, and never would, or are you saying he did ask and you strongly disagree with it, which is how I read it.

Many thanks.

Sorry if it was unclear......The Mayor HAS NOT issued such a directive to local media organizations. The Mayor has the right to complain about specific news articles and suggest to local Journalists to review the way they report the news as does everyone. He would never issue a directive to us and could never force us to change the way we report the news.

Howard

That's great to hear Howard, but how many Thai newsagencies may bend in their eagerness to comply with the mayor wishes.

If this does in anyway manifest itself into the press being hushed-up, then it's time to get out of Pattaya as the levels of crime would increase out of control. In essence the mayor is saying come and do crime in Pattaya nobody knows or cares about it. Dodge City.

[Chang_paarp]

Although we are not a newspaper, I can assure you that Pattaya One News will continue to report as normal. This idea about reporting restrictions issues by the Mayor is utter nonsense and has never and will never happen.

Howard

Pattaya One News

Howard,

Whilst your organisation may not be worried about this, there are some in your industry that would slavishly follow any whispered directive or hint of displeasure.

[jupiler]

The crime in Pattaya is allready way out of hand.

sooner or later it gonna hit tourism. Its just a matter of time.....

Edited November 10, 2008 by jupiler

[PhilHarries]

The crime in Pattaya is allready way out of hand.

sooner or later it gonna hit tourism. Its just a matter of time.....

I wonder just how many tourists read the local newspapers and thus have even the faintest notion of the crime rate? Then of those who do read of the deaths how many even raise an eyebrow over Thai on Thai crime?

But even when the crime spills over onto the tourists themselves we still see Thailand being voted number 1 tourist destination in countries where they have lost one or two of their own folk. Sure you are correct that there will come a tipping point but I think it's a way off yet and the authorities know it hence the inaction.

Only when someone from the mayor's family gets slotted in a backstreet gang firefight will the authorities actually do something. But then their solution will be to close all the beach road bars at 7pm and tell the tourists to go back to their hotels and watch some culturally enlightening Thai soap operas.

Thailand desperately needs a police force that actuqally goes out on crime prevention patrols rather than sit on their butts waiting for a call to go do a clean up operation.