pattaya times

Signs setting the demarcation of the new road, Jomtien Second Road are now being erected. The exact translation from Thai the English is "Jomtien Road Sai 2" but is called Jomtien Second Road in English. The existing road was widened from two lanes to six lanes, although street side parking often blocks one lane in each direction. The wide road connecting Jomtien Beach to Central Pattaya runs north to south and is fast becoming one of the most heavily trafficked rods in Pattaya. This has helped alleviate some of the traffic on Sukhumvit Highway now that a shorter, faster route has been built. The continuation of the road required more than 500 property owners to sell parts of their land to the city. In one case a condominium's two towers were split by the new road.

The internet around the world is buzzing from reports in Thailand of two American, major pornographic movie makers getting arrested in Thailand and then freed under legal loopholes and another case of a Bangkok blogger defaming many prominent foreigners, including a British Embassy official. Under the Thailand Computer-Related Crime Act many criminal court cases in Thailand have charged internet users for attacking a person or company on the internet and damaging their reputation using photos, movies or text on blogs and websites. Now the law is being applied to makers of pornographic movies using Thai models and against bloggers. An American-managed law firm in Pattaya is now successfully defending foreigners arrested for producing computer-related sex videos while also prosecuting bloggers for defamation under the Computer Related Crime Act.

Red Shirt leader and Pattaya business tycoon Chanyut Hengtrakul speaks out about the recent political revelations and the chance for a democratic election in Thailand.