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Pattaya Understand Pattaya's name was originally Thap Phraya, meaning Army of the Phraya - commemorating the surrender of Nai Klom's army to that of Phraya Tak (later King Taksin the Great), without a fight. Thap Phraya became Phatthaya (the name of the north-easterly wind at the beginning of the rainy season), and then Phatthaya (the true phonetic spelling). Since 1978, Pattaya has been administered under a special autonomous system with a status comparable to that of a municipality by the mayor of Pattaya City, who has overall responsibility for policies, public services, and supervision of all City Hall employees. Tourism Once a sleepy fishing town, Pattaya first boomed as an R&R spot during the Vietnam War and has been a sex tourism destination trying to improve its image ever since. Currently, Pattaya is booming again: TAT claims 5,338,000 visitors for 2005 (up 6.5% from 2004), of which two-thirds were foreigners, and the takeover by the new Suvarnabhumi Airport (located to the east of Bangkok, alongside the expressway to Pattaya) from the more distant Don Muang Airport at the end of September 2006 will undoubtedly make further increases in tourism revenues inevitable. Pattaya is popular not only as a beach resort and for its entertainment, nightlife and shopping, but also for the broad selection of pastimes it caters for, from golf and horseback riding to bungee jumping, karting and shooting - not to mention a wide variety of watersports such as scuba diving, jet-skiing, sailing, water skiing, windsurfing and kitesurfing, and a whole lot more. Pattaya is also very popular as a conference, convention and seminar venue, and the grapevine hosts rumours of future developments of varying degrees of plausibility, such as a horse racing track, casinos, and a tram system. The Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) Information Office is just outside the centre, exactly 1 km south of the junction of Second Road and South Pattaya Road - proceed along Pratamnak Road, continue straight up the hill, and where the road bears sharp right part way up, turn sharp left into the small side-soi. Worth a visit if you're in Pattaya for an extended period and want to browse for fresh ideas for new things to do/see. Open daily 08:30-16:30, tel. +66-38428750 / 8990 / 7667 or use the TAT freephone number: dial 1672 or e-mail: Newspapers Pattaya Mail - 25 baht, weekly Pattaya People - 25 baht, weekly Pattaya Today - 20 baht, fortnightly ... more travelguide information

	Amari Orchid Resort & Tower	Score 7.375 from 8 reviews
	240 Moo 5, Pattaya-Naklua Road, Banglamung,
	The resort offers a variety of restaurants to suit every taste and mood. Enjoy Tex Mex food accompanied by live music, stylish à la carte cuisine, or simply a snack on the terrace with the refreshing breeze. ... more
	All Seasons Pattaya	Score 8 from 17 reviews
	425/9 Moo 9, Pattaya 2nd Road, Central Pattaya
	All Seasons Pattaya's facilities and services include a contemporary lobby bar, restaurant, nature inspired spa, fitness centre, swimming pool and pool bar. The hotel's first floor offers conference facilities suitable for all corporate and private meetings. ... more
	Sawasdee Court	Score 0 from 0 reviews
	501/27 Soi 10, Pattaya 2nd road, Pattaya City
	Location Sawasdee Court is located in Soi 10. (Opposite Siam Bayview Hotel), quiet and intensive place to stay and near the bargain shop. ... more
	Quality Resort @ Pattaya Hill	Score 6.875 from 11 reviews
	329/14 Pratumnak Soi 2 Rd
	The property is located approximately 5 minutes via Local Bus to Pattaya's walking Street area, 10 minutes via Local Bus to Jomtien Beach and 10 minutes walk to the beach. ... more
	Mind Resort	Score 8.5 from 1 reviews
	171/16 M.10 South Pattaya 3 rd, Nongprue Banglamung
	Our rooms are decorated in “Thai Contemporary Style”, enchanted by hand-painted wall in Thai pattern with gold plate. Private balcony will connect you to lovely surrounding nature. ... more
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The Born Free Foundation has long been publicly critical of the conditions Sri Racha Tiger Zoo and the zoo is now receiving more bad press: a government official is facing serious disciplinary charges after authorising the export of 100 tigers from the zoo to a Chinese theme park (see below for links to that story). And on 1st May a teenage worker at the zoo died after being mauled by six tigers in front of more than 100 shocked tourists. "She passed away in hospital," a spokeswoman from the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo southeast of Bangkok said, declining to elaborate on the attack that took place on Thursday. Media reports said 18-year-old Uraiwan Sansern received deep wounds and a cracked spine when she was set upon by six Bengal tigers she was handling for the benefit of tourists. "Some tourists outside the enclosure tried to scare away the tigers by knocking on the glass panes, but the glass was too thick," a zoo tour guide told the Nation newspaper, saying the visitors were from China and Korea. It said fellow workers used sticks to chase the tigers away, but that Uraiwan was already severely mauled by the time help arrived. The young worker was reportedly untrained to handle the dangerous animals, and was trying to make a tiger sit for tourists by hitting it with a stick when the attack occurred.

AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN

The Born Free Foundation is not surprised by tragic accident. We have long felt there was an accident waiting to happen at Sri Racha Zoo. The conditions for the tigers in the zoo are grim. Reports from the Animals Asia Foundation, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and from distressed visitors to the zoo paint a picture of a tiger production line. A Born Free supporter who visited Sriracha in January 2003 described widespread hand-rearing and cubs being suckled by pigs and dogs. Normally a female tiger would give birth to cubs and then would rear them for about two years, until they were old enough to fend for themselves. Only then would she come into season and attract a mate once more. If the cubs die then she comes into season immediately. Presumably this is the intention of the zoo - by hand-rearing the cubs they can get another litter of this valuable resource brought into the world. The supporter was told the zoo has one tigress who has three litters per year with five cubs per litter.

PIGS SUFFER IN ZOO TOO

The use of pigs and dogs as surrogate mothers seems more of a tourist gimmick, with most hand-rearing being done by zoo staff. People may not consider the welfare of the pigs an issue amongst the bizarre sights in the zoo but the female pigs are kept in a narrow metal stalls, a horrible device used on factory farms on pregnant sows. It severely restricts their movement and in this instance would prevent the sow from pushing away the stranger in her litter. These crates were banned in the UK in 1999. Most female tigers have strong maternal instincts and taking away the cubs should be considered a cruel action. If the particular tiger who produces so many cubs is one who rejects her litters, then by constantly breeding and removing her cubs the zoo is putting her health at risk. Like the poor overworked dairy cow whose calves are removed so that milk is constantly produced for human consumption, this tiger will probably "wear out" before the end of her natural life span. The unnatural burden on her system of constantly being pregnant and giving birth must surely have severe health implications.

TIGERS BEHIND THE SCENES

Our supporter was told there were about 200 tigers in the zoo. She saw about 30 on display for tourists - the cages were clean, with some nods towards environmental enrichment - a muddy puddle in some, the odd tree in others. Then she found out where the others were housed. At the rear of the facility were small concrete cages. No pools, no trees, no toys, nothing in them but tigers. One cage had about thirty tigers in it, others had four-five tigers in cages 5m x 5m. An Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) report refers to the way that the cubs are de-clawed at three months old. Presumably this is to allow safe handling and for safer photo opportunities. Both AAF and the EIA describe another photographic opportunity - with "Kenya Boy". A man and two women of African origin dressed in faux animal print outfits share an enclosure with tigers. For money the man and women pose will pose with a tiger. As EIA reports "Besides the obvious degradation of both human and tiger, the exhibit reinforces the common mistake that tigers are native to the African continent."

TIGER PARTS SOLD FOR TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE?

Further in the report we may find the real reason for the production of all these tigers: "In December 2000 EIA investigators found tiger bone pills manufactured buy the Ouay Un factory for sale in the Sri Racha Health Traditional Medicine Clinic, on the premises of Sri Racha Tiger Zoo. Furthermore, in a study by TRAFFIC in 2000, a Chinatown store owner in Bangkok told investigators that he buys tiger penis from the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo." The use of tiger parts in TCM is illegal in Thailand and China but its use is still popular with many sectors of the Asian community.

THAI AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN.

In November 2003 Sri Racha Zoo was raided and the Police found several hundred animals the owners could not properly account for. This was part of a wider crack-down. In the same month a police raid on a Bankok home fond piles of fresh tiger meat alongside the paws of slaughtered bears; in the home of a known dealer more than 100 animals, alive and dead, plus six live tigers were discovered. The fact there were raids at all is significant. For decades Thailand's heritage of teak forests and richly varied wildlife has fallen prey to grasping politicians, military officers and ruthless entrepreneurs, largely ignored by the government. However, the current Prime Minister, former billionaire tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, has changed course and last autumn launched a crackdown on the trade, claiming he would have it cleared up by the end of 2003! The Minister of the Environment has recently increased the jail term for wildlife smugglers from four years to 10 years. Excellent news.

PUBLICITY STUNT BEFORE OCTOBER CITES MEETING?

Of course, some are cynical about this tough action. It is feared it is a short-lived publicity stunt in the run up the huge CITES meeting which Bankok will host in October. Certainly the Minister of the Environment is concerned about adverse publicity and apparently has banned the tipping off of journalists about raids. Nonetheless, the publicity is getting out there, and the international media attention the death of the keeper has attracted is welcome. It highlights once again the risks inherent in public handling displays of big cats. Not only has a young woman died, but the tigers involved in the attack may also be paying a very high price.

3.5 hours

The Elephant Village was opened in 1973 as a sanctuary for former working elephants. These elephants, through reasons of injury or ill health, can no longer be used as a part of the backbone of heavy work in the jungles of Thailand. Also because of their diminishing habitat, it is now longer possible to return them to the wild. The Elephant Village provides these magnificent creatures with a safe haven, where they may live out their lives with dignity and freedom from fear. Spend the afternoon being entertained by the big tuskers, see them having a bath and how they were once used as a working animal. The elephant show includes demonstrations of training techniques, bathing, traditional roundup methods and the Glong Sabad Chai Ceremony with a war elephant. At the end of the show, visitors will have the opportunity to take a short ride on an elephant for an extra cost. Click here for more information and Booking Details

Nong Noch Tropical Gardens is actually known for its "Cultural Show". There are three daily shows. What is not so widely known is that the primary business of Nong Noch is Architectural Landscaping and a Tropical Nursery. Tel: +66-38-709358-8, Fax: +66-38- 238160