'There were not that many people in Pattaya back in the old days," said Cheng Baikloy, who has witnessed first-hand the transformation of the seaside town over the past seven decades. "We lived simple lives, and food and fresh water could be found naturally within just a few steps of home."
The panoramic view of Pattaya bay from Pratamnak Hill has been replaced with a view of tall buildings.
Today, to the eyes of most outsiders, Pattaya is little more than a hedonistic playground, a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah where sex is the primary currency, and greed and corruption run rampant.
But for Ms Cheng, it is still home. The 70-year-old has been living in Na Kluea area in the northern part of Pattaya since the day she was born, but she said the area is now barely recognisable compared to what it once was. "We had pure air to breathe, clean water to drink and abundant food to eat."
It was about 1958 when things began to change, she said. Pattaya opened its doors to outsiders, and a short trip down Walking Street, the town's main nightlife strip, now stands as testament to the results of foreign influence. Traditional life has quietly faded, giving way to massive commercial development.
Many locals no longer feel safe in their own town. Others feel ashamed to admit where they come from. As local authorities launch a sweeping clean-up in a bid to rid Pattaya of its more unsavoury elements, many are questioning whether it will ever be possible to restore the town's sullied reputation.
A sign hung on Pratamnak Hill by Pattaya residents seeks help from the NCPO to take care of the Waterfront Suites.
QUIETER TIMES
The journey between Bangkok and Pattaya in the 1950s could take more than six hours each way, requiring the use of a ferry to cross the Bang Pakong River in Chachoengsao province.
Ngao, 52, a lifelong resident of Pattaya, recalled that during her youth the seaside town had no hotels, no restaurants and very few tourists. There was only one yacht club.
"I don't know when it started changing, but I remember 30 years ago, I used to go to Jomtien beach with my family. We went there in the morning, sat under the shade of coconut trees, talked to friendly locals, and we would spend all day there feeling hassle-free," she said.
"Now I don't even want to go out since I don't feel safe here."
Ms Cheng has similar memories of rampant development slowly overrunning the once tranquil seaside town.
"Klong Nok Yang, near where I live, used to be a big canal where fishing boats came to shelter from approaching storms," she said. "Fishermen used to be able to anchor five boats next to each other in that canal. But now it is so narrow that a single ship can barely pass through it."
The canal is now lined with houses and restaurants; as the town slowly built up, the canal was slowly filled in. And it is not only the aesthetic of the community that this has affected.
"When it rains, it floods. That is a poor side effect from the development that has come to our town," Ms Cheng said.
"The canal has been made much narrower and it can't handle the massive amounts of water that flow into it."
Lead-in: Statue of Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, Prince of Chumphon used to look out to the ocean but now he is looking directly at condominium.
WHEN THE SUN SETS
Closer to the beach, the effects of rampant development are more obvious. High-rise hotels and condominiums cast long shadows across the sand, and the beach area is slowly losing a battle of attrition against the encroachment of roads, promenades and restaurants. Waterfront areas have become prime real estate, and nearly every corner of Pattaya is filled with beer bars and massage parlours.
The town once lauded as a family destination is now a world-renowned red light district.
During the day, the busy Beach Road is bustling with activity, as people walk along the promenade which lines Pattaya beach and traffic clogs up the nearby streets. Tourists loiter on chairs under the cool shade of coconut trees.
By night, a beautiful beachside park transforms into a place for freelance prostitutes to ply their trade. Fluorescent light filters through the coconut trees and onto the faces of these young women, earning them the nickname “Pee Maprao”, or coconut ghosts.
“Hello, how are you?” comes the simple greeting that can be heard along the beachfront area. Sui, a 28-year-old who originally came from Isan, is on the hunt for a client.
A block away, Mimi, a young and attractive ladyboy wearing heavy make-up, stands hiding her face from the world. She lurks in the shadows, projecting her masculine voice to foreigners from time to time in a bid to to get their attention.
“I have been doing this for almost a year and I love it. I get to meet new people every day. It is dangerous sometimes, but I can take care of myself,” Mimi told Spectrum. But she said times are changing, as local authorities launch a campaign to clean up Pattaya’s tarnished image.
“It is getting more difficult, and police are patrolling the beachfront area almost every night. I can’t call out for customers the way I used to. I did it one time and ended up at the police station since I was actually calling out to an undercover police officer,” she explained.
Her complaints are common among the city’s bountiful workers of the night, with police eyeing curbs on prostitution and petty street crime. But the authorities are facing an uphill battle to turn around Pattaya’s image, even as some locals say they’ve had enough.
Beer bars are prominent in Pattaya.
IMAGE PROBLEM
Pattaya’s reputation as a sex tourism destination is particularly troubling for young women who are not involved in the sex industry.
“I am afraid to tell everyone that I am from Pattaya,” said Taew, 22. “I don’t know what kind of woman other people will think I am once they find out where I live.”
Her concerns are not unfounded. Nan, 32, is a tall, tanned and well-educated businesswoman who was born and raised in Pattaya. Two years ago she was taking a tour in Germany. While she was walking around Berlin, she asked a couple to take a picture of her and her friend.
“Danke,” Nan managed to say in German to thank the couple who had helped her.
“ ‘Where are you from?’ the man asked after he handed the camera back,” Nan recalled. “I told him I am from Pattaya, Thailand. All of a sudden his wife pulled her husband’s arm away and said to me, ‘There is no place for a hooker like you in our country. Go back to where you are from if you want to find customers.’
“I was stunned by the comment, but didn’t say anything back to her. I didn’t realise how bad the image of Pattaya is until that day,” Nan said. From that point on, she always introduced herself as being a Chon Buri resident, being careful to avoid any mention of Pattaya.
Sonthi Kodchawat, secretary-general of Thai Environmental Health Association.
COLOURFUL NIGHTLIFE
Pol Col Suppatee Boonkrong, the deputy commander of Chon Buri Provincial Police and now an acting superintendent for Pattaya City Police, said that during the past two months serious action by police had cut down on some petty crime like bag snatching. However, he said prostitution remains an “unsolvable” issue.
“We can arrest as many [prostitutes] as we like, but we are seeking a sustainable solution for these people so they can still earn a living. If they have other better ways, I believe they would not want to be doing this,” he said.
Pol Col Suppatee seemed less concerned about the nature of the nightlife for which Pattaya is famous than he is about stamping out petty crime. He said he wants Walking Street to be a “must visit” place for foreign tourists. Even though he accepts that go-go bars are prevalent, he said that is what people come to Pattaya for: to see the bright lights and colourful nightlife.
But he rejects accusations that many of the illegal activities in Pattaya are being controlled by foreign criminal elements. He said that for that to happen, foreign criminals would have to have power over the police, but “this was not the case in Pattaya”.
“We keep everything under control and there is no mafia here. It is true that there are some foreign businessmen who come here and use a Thai nominee to establish a company for them, but no one here stays above the law,” Pol Col Suppatee said.
“The town actually benefits a lot from these tourists. Russians who can afford to leave their country are the wealthy ones. They will travel with their family and spend money here on hotels, food, clothes and services. Some even make Thailand a retirement home.”
Beach chairs and umbrellas on Pattaya beach.
OUT WITH THE OLD
Before the tourism and nightlife industries rose to prominence in Pattaya, one of the primary trades was fishing.
But small-scale fishermen are coming under increasing pressure from commercial operators, as they run only small boats incapable of venturing more than 3km from shore.
Tui, a 40-year-old fisherwoman, told Spectrum she has been working a small fishing boat since she was 10 years old.
“Fishing now compared with the old days is a completely different story. I used to be able to catch fish or mussels easily by just casting my net on the surface, but I can’t do that any more,” she said.
With the growth of Pattaya, Chon Buri province has become an important hub for tourism and trade. The first two phases of Laemchabang Port have been built not far from Pattaya. Since then, water currents have changed, which has lowered the catch for small-scale fishermen.
“The water along the shoreline has become very muddy. Fish don’t come to lay eggs in the area any more. So now it is almost impossible for us to make a living here,” Tui said.
Most locals though are involved in tourism, but even they are being forced to battle outsiders swarming to Pattaya hoping to make some quick money.
Renting umbrellas and deck chairs on the beach has been a popular business for decades. Some 30 years ago, “ownership” of a patch of sand was kept within the same family.
Sing, a 42-year-old man who runs an umbrella and chair business on Pattaya beach, told Spectrum that he is not local, but had made the move down from Isan. Like everyone else who come to the town, he simply wants to make a better living.
“I came here hoping to open a restaurant and make some money. Once I got here three years ago, a friend told me I could own a beach chair business, which I thought was a very good idea since there are always customers here,” Mr Sing said.
He agreed to “buy” a spot on the sand so he could run his business. He expected to pay a small fee for the privilege, but what he was told made his jaw drop. “I had to pay two million baht to the previous owner just to get the spot,” he said.
By law, no one is allowed to sell or give away the title to run beach chair businesses. They are required only to pay 500 baht per year directly to Pattaya City Hall to help pay for beach maintenance. But like many things in Pattaya, the law is at odds with reality.
Mr Sing struggled at first, but with the popularity of the city as a beachside destination, he soon earned back the two million baht and began to turn a profit.
He charges 50 baht for Thai customers and 100 baht for foreigners to sit on a chair for as long as they want. He also serves food from nearby restaurants, pocketing a small commission for each meal.
AIMING HIGH
Even as authorities battle against entrenched corruption and illegal practices, new problems are emerging in Pattaya. Last month, local activists launched a protest against a new condominium project near Bali Hai pier, which they argue will destroy the panoramic view from Pattaya’s most popular landmark.
“Help! We need NCPO! Help!” read a sign hanging from the main entrance of the Pratamnak Hill viewpoint last month. It was put there by a group calling itself Pattaya Watchdog.
“We are a group of local young people who came up Pratamnak Hill the night Pattaya Music Festival was being held, and we noticed a big ugly concrete building in front of us instead of the panoramic view of the ocean,” said Prakan Dechanong, 29, a local merchant and Pattaya Watchdog member. “We decided that we wouldn’t let this happen to our town."
The group has also enlisted help from local activists from the Conservation Group of Ao Naklua, which has worked on environmental issues for the past five years. Ratana Ongsombatt, 54, is one of the most active members of the group. She said Pattaya is at a peak time for the tourism industry, but the local environment is the worst it has ever been. “Everyone wants to take something from the town, but no one cares to give back,” she said.
She explained that the hill is the most revered place in Pattaya, and local fishermen go there to pay respect to the statue of Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, also known as the Prince of Chumphon, before taking to sea.
“So now what are they going to pay respect to? The soulless condo building?” Ms Ratana said.
Amid the controversy surrounding the condo tower, work on the project has been suspended by Pattaya City. During an investigation by city officials, it was discovered the building had violated planning regulations. The developers have added additional floors to the building without permission and altered the layout from the approved plans.
“The biggest problem [for the developers] that could actually bring them down is the fact that they have built on a conservation area. If found guilty of encroaching on public land, this whole building will have to come down,” Pattaya deputy mayor Ronakit Ekasingh said.
CLEANING UP
But Conservation Group of Ao Naklua said the condominium dispute is symptomatic of a broader problem — that decades of neglect and government incompetence has led to the destruction of much of Pattaya’s natural environmental.
“On a clear day, you can go up to the hill and look down to the ocean, and you will see black water coming up from the middle of the sea. The garbage problem is out of control, the air pollution is killing us,” Ms Ratana said.
“Now I feel like I am living in a big slum.”
Sonthi Kodchawat, secretariat-general of the Thai Environmental Health Association, told Spectrum that Pattaya has been an environmental protection area since 1992. Work is under way to tackle all environmental issues, particularly water, he said.
“I think the town is growing too fast. No matter how good of a system is put in place, if you don’t control the growth and make the town planning good enough, this town will not survive,” he said. “Pattaya has no identity left except for being a town of beer bars and nightlife.”
Mr Ronakit, the deputy mayor, said Pattaya’s water treatment system was state of the art, but conceded that a bigger problem is the mounting piles of household garbage. According to the statistics from Pattaya City Hall, the town generates more than 400 tonnes of waste per day.
“We have been asking surrounding districts in Chon Buri if we can dump our rubbish in their areas, but they have all said no. We don’t have an incinerator in our town, and there are none that are big enough in nearby areas,” Mr Ronakit said. “We are trying the best we can to keep our town clean.”
Pol Col Suppatee said it was time for locals to reclaim and take care of their home, instead of focusing on short-term monetary gains. “It’s time for Pattaya people to treat this town as their home. Ignoring the problems and allowing corruption is not at all worth it. The loss is much greater than the benefit. This is our only home and we’d better protect it,” he said. n