Advance ~ May 2011

AustChamThailand

A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN-THAI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AUSTRALIA THAILAND BUSINESS COUNCIL www.austchamthailand.com May 2011

ANZAC Day in Kanchanaburi In This Edition

Governor-General Opens AustCham’s Community Services Project business brief Has Thailand Really Got Talent?

member’s profile The Gloom and Doom of the Thai General Election

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AustChamThailand Advance Trust is like the air we breathe.

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member’s profile 50th Year of Delivering WorldClass Engineering Construction

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chamber events Luncheon: Thailand Election Preview on 30 March 2011

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May 2011

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Contents PATRON His Excellency James Wise Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand PRESIDENT John Anderson Meinhardt Portfolio: Regional Links VICE PRESIDENTS M.L. Laksasubha Kridakon Baan Laksasubha Resort Portfolio: Alumni Belinda Skinner Top Talent Asia Portfolio: Communications and English Teaching

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TREASURER Leigh Scott-Kemmis DBM Portfolio: Thailand Australia Free Trade Agreement and Advocacy

Business Brief 6 Has Thailand Really Got Talent?

10 Economic Impacts of the Japan Earthquake 12 The Gloom and Doom of the Thai General Election

DIRECTORS David Bell Crestcom – Ra-Kahng Associates Portfolio: Speakers and Talks Andrew Durieux Coverage Portfolio: Member Benefits

member profiles 15 Celebrates 50th Year of Delivering World-Class Engineering Construction

anzac day 16 AustCham Thailand’s Board of Directors, 2011/12

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COMMUNITY SERVICES 20 Governor-General Opens AustCham’s Community Services Project

26 Bangkok Sundowners at The Huntsman 28 Phuket Sundowners at Novotel Phuket Resort

chamber Events 22 Breakfast Briefing & Webinar: The Three Essential Building Blocks of Highly-Effective Teams 22 Breakfast Briefing & Webinar: Economic Implications of the Japan Earthquake 22 Luncheon: Thailand Election Preview 24 Sponsors Cocktail Reception at the Ambassador’s Residence

NEW MEMBERS 30 AustCham’s New Members and Changes of Member Companies Members’ offers 32 AustCham Members’ Offers From the Chamber Office 34 Message from the AustCham Office

Cover Photo: Govenor-General of the Commonwealth to Australia, Her Excellency Quentin Bryce AC, welcomes Prisoner of War veterans at the ANZAC Commemoration Ceremony in Kanchanaburi.

Khun Jurairat Jammanee HASSELL Portfolio: AustCham Ball Warwick Kneale Baker Tilly Portfolio: Community Services Sam Mizzi McConnell Dowell Portfolio: AFL and Eastern Seaboard Industry Khun Suganya Ransigutta TMF Portfolio: Business Awards Ben Yong Baker McKenzie Portfolio: Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce Thailand and Other Links Saeed Zaki , Ph.D. dwp Portfolio: Breakfast Briefings EX OFFICIO Maurine Lam Regional Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner, ASEAN

From the Board

COORDINATORS Paul Whyte New Asia Pacific ESB Coordinator Email: esb@austchamthailand.com Paul Wilkinson CEA Projects ESB Coordinator Email: esb@austchamthailand.com Steve Brajak Raimon Land Phuket Coordinator Email: phuket@austchamthailand.com Harry Usher Lady Pie Phuket Coordinator Email: phuket@austchamthailand.com Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce 20th Floor, Thai CC Tower 889 South Sathorn Road Bangkok 10120 Tel.: +66 2 210 0216 Fax: +66 2 675 6696 execdirector@austchamthailand.com www.austchamthailand.com

Editorial Committee Belinda Skinner, David Armstrong, Robert Taylor, Josh Hyland, Gregers Moller, Gary Woollacott Marketing & Production Scand-Media Corp. Ltd 4/41-42 Moo 3, Thanyakarn Village Ramintra Soi 14, Bangkok Tel.: +66 2 943-7166/8 Fax: +66 2 943-7169 scandmedia@scandmedia.com Advertising Finn Balslev Email: finn@scandmedia.com Contributions to Advance magazine are welcome. Please submit content to josh@austchamthailand.com by the first day of the month for publication in the following month’s magazine.

Opinions expressed in Advance do not necessarily reflect the views of the Chamber.

AustChamThailand Advance

President’s Message

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opefully over the past few weeks you have had a chance to enjoy the numerous public holidays Thailand has in April. My family and I spent Songkran at Koh Samet and in HuaHin, then, later in the month participated in the official opening of the AustCham community services kindergarten project at Wat Phutakian. We were honored to have Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, officiate at the ceremony. The next day we joined in the ANZAC Dawn Service at Hell Fire Pass in Kanchanaburi. This was an indeed a very moving experience. For those who have not had the chance to participate before, I would strongly encourage you to do so.

There have been some interesting developments with the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC). The ABTC is an APEC initiative that allows business people, through a single application, to obtain authority for multiple short-term visits to other APEC economies over a three-year period. This saves cardholders the time and effort involved in applying for individual visas or entry permits to other APEC economies. The scheme also gives cardholders access to fast-track immigration processing lanes at major airports in participating economies.

Today there are around 90,000 ABTC holders from participating economies. Australia holds over 30 percent of these cards.

Australians who recently applied for the card may well have encountered difficulties due to the stricter criteria the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has imposed since June 2010. The purpose of the amendments was to counter any perception that Australia was using the scheme for its own self-interest. AustCham Thailand, through its membership of Australia Business Asia (ABA), has sent letters to relevant Ministers, in response to a number of members whose applications had been knocked back.

Recently, we were asked to participate in discussions with DIAC to provide feedback on the current eligibility criteria and to identify possible changes.We learned that it is likely that some of the current requirements (such as a company having to meet trade or investment to the value of AU$5 million per annum with other APEC economies) will be dropped. The advice was that if you can hold off making your application for a few more months, you

should stand a better chance of obtaining the card as you will benefit from the eased eligibility requirements.

Recently the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFCCT) held their President’s luncheon.

This is a good opportunity for all Presidents of others Chambers to get together to discuss various issues and see how we can help in a collective manner. Recently, discussions were held between AustCham’s Board members to review and comment on a proposed charter for the JFFCT, it was clear that the Board is overwhemingly supportive of the JFCCT, its mission and the concept of having a Charter. We look forward to working with the other foreign Chambers of Commerce to help us push common positions with the Thai government.

Prior to Sundowners we will be holding a Members’ briefing which is open to new and existing members alike. This is a great opportunity to find out what the Chamber can offer its members, and to meet its staff and Directors. On Friday 13 May, we will be in Pattaya for Eastern Seaboard Sundowners. We look forward to meeting our ESB members.

Looking further ahead, the AustCham Ball is fast approaching. To be held on 11 June at the InterContinental Hotel. This evening promises to be a lot of fun. The theme this year is a masked ball, so don your mask and dress to impress! We are trying to keep it simple this year. Stylish with a slight twist. Please book your tickets soon as places are strictly limited.

John Anderson President, AustCham Thailand www.austchamthailand.com May 2011

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business brief

Has Thailand Really Got Talent?

By Nicolas Henley, Talent Technologies

W

ith ‘Thailand’s Got Talent’ currently the talk of the town, this article asks whether now is the time for companies to identify their people’s talent more closely, and looks at how they can expect to enhance business performance in so doing.

Being a judge in Thailand can be a thankless job, so it’s no surprise that when a show like Thailand’s Got Talent goes live, the social media networks light up with viewers in their thousands disagreeing with decisions made at the top.

Your talents (or natural abilities – the two terms are interchangeable) are the synaptic connections your brain makes as you grow from childhood to youth.

They are not the knowledge or skills you may acquire on the way of that journey.

Instead your talents are how your brain naturally processes the stimuli from the outside world and your inner world (your own body and its components) and makes sense of that unconsciously. Your talents, in other words, are your instincts – they are what makes you different and unique.

This process goes on week-in, weekout in Thai companies yet the process for determining what ‘Talent’ is, whether for a promotion, new hire, board or team selection decision, remains murky.

When we say someone is ‘gifted’ or ‘talented’ in a certain area, what we usually mean is that performing for that person is almost natural or effortless – and that would be a fair description of a person working in the area of their talents.

Given that we have been making these kind of decisions easier for years now, we thought that this article might help managers avoid the scourge of social media brickbats, if not improve the performance of their company and teams!

Yet, so often in companies, we see people clearly struggling in their roles. The classic example of this is when someone excels in one role (say as an engineer) and then is promoted. His or her role suddenly becomes that of a manager.

What Talents Are… and Are Not

This is more than just a transition to be ‘adapted’ to. Because the talents of an effective manager are usually greatly different to that of an engineer (research

First it may be useful to get clear on what talents are – and are not.

Oxygen?

When trust is present, no one notices, but when itʹs absent, everyone notices.

May 2011

What often follows from such transitions is a sudden increase of staff turnover as the new subordinates are disengaged and eventually leave.

Note that in this whole process skills and qualifications (gained through school and university) are almost entirely irrelevant. Yet this continues to be the key criterion HR departments in Thailand and globally continue to hire on.

Research conducted by Gallup in the US indicates that only 13 percent of the workforce say they have the ‘opportunity to do what they do best’ every day. Loosely translated, this means that only 13 percent are in roles that play to their talents.

And it’s this one factor which the same organisation has identified as being critical to enhanced business performance criteria such as low absenteeism, safety, productivity, and customer engagement.

Understanding, hiring and using talent is, in other words, not a nice-to-have but an essential component of employee engagement and, through it, business performance.

How to Identify Talent

Trust is like the air we breathe.

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indicates that the most effective managers are generalists who are also ‘low’ in spatial relations – which is the talent most engineers are ‘high’ in) the transition might, in many cases, not be worth making.

We always recommend companies that are making selection decisions of any kind to place its largest weighting on talent. Past performance is of course important – but the key focus needs to be on where the candidate is going next. If businesses want to progress, it’s always tomorrow’s performance that matters more than yesterday’s, in the same way that, when making an investment in a company’s stock, a fund manager will usually focus his judgement towards future prospects.

Yet the talent management systems of today’s companies are terribly backward-looking. This is largely because

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business brief

most HR practitioners do not understand talent or cannot articulate it (instead many companies fall back on the bag of spanners they call competencies which, to paraphrase Drucker, is the wrong answer), and also because they are not aware of the one tool that objectively identifies an individual’s talents – the Highlands Ability Battery.

The Highlands Ability Battery is a tool built from 90 years of research largely from the Johnson O’Connor Institute in the USA based on thousands of MRI studies on the use of individuals’ talents linked to certain tasks. For a more in-depth introduction into the talents we are talking of, you may be interested in seeing the slides of the presentation I gave to AustCham, which can be downloaded from the AustCham homepage or Reports page.

The Highlands Ability Battery is the only tool that identifies talent objectively, giving answers to questions such as: • Which career path will give me the greatest satisfaction?

• Which role will let me perform to my strengths?

• In a team, which two functions should I concentrate on?

• What kind of complementary talents that I lack should I look for in a new hire?

• How can I resolve clashes in working style with my colleagues?

How to Make Sure Your Company’s Got Talent – and Performance!

The benefits of following this process are manifold. Brass tacks, identifying each individual’s talents clearly and precisely helps you, as manager, play your team to its strengths.

This is the one essential difference between great managers and mediocre ones. A great manager will have a clear idea of his team members’ talents and set the team up around those wherever possible. Again citing Peter Drucker, he will enhance the strengths and make the weaknesses irrelevant.

Contrast this with the modern competency-based form of talent management, where the emphasis so often is on fixing weaknesses – a subtle difference that, as Gallup and Corporate Leadership Coun-

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A man should never be appointed to a managerial position if his vision focuses on people’s weaknesses rather than on their strengths. The man who always knows what people cannot do, but never sees what they can do, will undermine the spirit of the organisation. – Peter Drucker cil studies of 100,000s of employees worldwide have shown, is a major disengager. Making sure you and your team can reach peak performance at work is helped by this three-step process:

nate story of the Thai referee who was trapped inside the stadium last month because both sets of fans wanted to lynch him, being a judge sometimes does have its disadvantages.

First, identify each team members’ talents (using Highlands is in our opinion the best way of doing this). Next, work out the roles each of you are strongest in. From the research, it’s highly unlikely that any one person is amazing at every role. So find out each members’ strongest two or three roles, and get them in those seats. Finally, set up longer range plans if necessary, such as career paths and personal growth plans, with a focus on each member’s strengths.

Using an objective process, such as the Highlands Ability Battery with its 90 years of empirical research, removes the risk of brickbats and recriminations from purely subjective decisions.

As the connection to our work is the most important engagement driver, it’s essential that companies begin to pay more attention to this crucial intangible.

On Why Not Being the Judge is Sometimes an Advantage…

As we are seeing with game shows such as Thailand’s Got Talent and the unfortu-

We are at a stage of economic development where individuals are giving more time than ever before and place of work, and we owe it to them – and ourselves – to make sure we get it right.

For everyone’s health, it’s essential to play to our strengths. Discovering our talents is the starting point of that journey and one that can seriously help teams perform.

About Talent Technologies Talent Technologies (Asia) Co. Ltd helps companies reach their potential by fully engaging their Talent. For more information, contact: nick@talent-technologies.com

AustChamThailand AustCham is looking for a volunteer to join the editorial committee and assist proofreading Advance magazine on a monthly basis. Attention to detail is important and past experience in writing / editing is desireable. Only a couple of hours are required each month. Please email expressions of interest to: josh@austchamthailand.com or call the AustCham office directly.

AustChamThailand Advance

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business brief

Economic Impacts of the Japan Earthquake

By Paul Gambles Director of MBMG Group

titative Easing programme started to unwind:

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• Global stock markets were declining, • Industrial commodity prices were suddenly vulnerable, • The Australian dollar fell by more than five percent against the Greenback, and • The long bull market in Australian property also began to slow.

ust after 14:46, local time on 11 March, a 9.0-magnitude undersea earthquake occurred some 45 miles off the coast of North Eastern Japan, triggering a devastating tsunami almost 40 metres high which travelled six miles inland. The confirmed death toll continues to rise and is expected to reach 27,000. The level of contamination and fallout from the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plants remains a grave concern, with the scale of the nuclear crisis now upgraded to the maximum of seven – the same as the world’s worst nuclear disaster which took place in Chernobyl, Russia in 1986.

The financial implications of the crisis are only now starting to become clear, including regard to its impact on the Australian economy.

Since the first quarter of 2009 Australia has witnessed one of its longest, strongest economic rebounds and asset market turnarounds, largely due to the influx of liquidity into capital markets and the global economy created by a combination of quantitative easing and additional extensive borrowing by indebted governments – primarily the United States, Eurozone countries, Japan and the United Kingdom. This liquidity has found its way to marginally priced assets, such as commodities, where relatively small differences in demand or supply can have a significant impact on prices, as well as to ‘risk assets’ such as Thai stocks.

Commentators had started to wonder what would be the consequences if this liquidity was either withdrawn by central banks or simply dried up. Answers were starting to become clear at the end of February, as the effects of the US Federal Reserve’s so-called QE2, or Quan-

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The catastrophic events in Japan dramatically changed all this. Central banks, led by the Bank of Japan, turned on the liquidity taps once again. Consequently in the aftermath of the tragedy, financial markets, risk assets and commodity currencies, such as the Australian dollar, rallied strongly once again.

It’s unlikely that this rally marks the beginning of the next stage of an inevitable or sustainable economic or financial boom. The liquidity which has been the key economic and financial driver for the last two years can’t continue indefinitely. Although Japan is both printing and borrowing money right now, comparisons with the stimulatory effect on the Japanese economy of the aftermath of the 1995 Kobe earthquake are misplaced. Japan’s net sovereign debt 16 years ago was only a quarter of today’s level. Gross government debt then stood at a high but manageable 90 percent of GDP. Today it has breached 200 percent – more than twice the accepted sustainable maximum.

As James Sullivan of MBMG Group’s affiliated portfolio advisors, Miton, put

it: “There’s an optimistic perception that natural disasters can eventually be turned into a positive because of the boost to demand from reconstruction work... however markets are being far too complacent about the implications of what is happening in Japan. Private domestic demand was already fragile before the disaster struck and the public finances are in a dire state... this could have significant repercussions globally.”

Subsequently we have already seen indicators that the global economy is unable to sustain its recently acquired addiction to cheap liquidity: • The Eurozone’s peripheral countries have seen debt pricing hit levels that indicate a high probability of default; • The UK‘s contracting gross domestic product (GDP) reflects a marked slowdown and high risk of the onset of another recession; and • America has seen its credit outlook downgraded.

The continued ability of the four big debtor currencies to carry on feeding the liquidity bubble now seems a remote possibility. For an Australian economy that has become increasingly dependent on the minerals and commodity sectors, this is a red light. Commodity suppliers will likely be the biggest casualties of any financial fallout from chickens coming home to roost in the four major debtor economies, especially as China is attempting to rein in inflation by restricting capital flows and liquidity within the overheating global economic engine.

There’s an optimistic perception that natural disasters can eventually be turned into a positive because of the boost to demand from reconstruction work...

AustChamThailand Advance

business brief

Japan Gross and Net Government Debt (% GDP) 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

80

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82

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84

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86

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88

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90

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92

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Net Government Debt

94

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98

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02

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08

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Gross Government Debt

That’s not to say that there won’t be further attempts to provide stimulus to the markets – there almost certainly will.

However the risk that these attempts will fail increases every day. US stimulus has had a significantly greater impact on recent increases in the price of oil (something which will dampen growth and productivity) than on economic activity within America – in other words, stimulus has now become counter-productive. In such an environment a slowdown is inevitable.

house prices may continue to rise while Melbourne prices fall. But eventually the bubble will burst with dramatic consequences.

So, there may be a period of weeks or even months during which the Australian economy continues to prosper as a result of the attempts to continue giving the moribund indebted economies the kiss of life, but the global economy’s day of reckoning, which was postponed two years ago, can’t be avoided indefinitely.

Australia’s commodity-driven economy may enjoy the benefits of marginal pricing for a while longer; miners in Western Australia may continue to earn more than doctors, accountants or solicitors in Sydney for a little longer; and Perth

The human losses in Japan are a tragedy that will be remembered for many years to come. The financial losses that will hit Australia when its economic bubble bursts may also prove to be very hard to forget.

AustChamThailand Advance

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Corrections will take place throughout almost all property sectors and the Australian dollar may look like an even more certain bet after the recent tragic events in Japan. However, the current period of calm, which may manage to extend into next year, presages a perfect economic storm.

Established in Bangkok as a research/ advisory practice since 1995 to serve individuals, institutions and businesses throughout Asia, MBMG Group administers client assets exceeding US$165 million from offices in Bangkok, Pattaya, Singapore and Mauritius, where

it holds a fund management license.

MBMG Group companies have received numerous awards and are currently ranked as Finance Monthly’s “Financial Advisory Firm of the Year” for Asia in 2010 and ACQ Magazine’s “Investment Management Firm of The Year”, “Financial Advisory Firm of The Year” and “Tax Advisory Firm of The Year” for Asia. Paul Gambles is a regular speaker at events on market forecasting, financial planning, investing and legal issues and features regularly on CNBC’s Squawk Box as well as Money Channel’s Global Movement programme and has written articles for Advance and been a regular presenter at AustCham events on economic, taxation and investment matters since 2006, including hosting AustCham’s first webinar in 2009.

Paul can be contacted at: paul@ mbmg-international.com and his regular MBMG Updates, of which well over 1,000 have now been published, can be found on his blog at: www. mbmg-international.com

May 2011

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business brief

The Gloom and Doom of the Thai General Election

By Voranai Vanijaka, Political and Social Commentator, Bangkok Post

P

rime Minister Abhisit Vejjava has said he will dissolve the House of Parliament in early May. According to electoral law, there’s a 60-day grace period, after which the general election can be held.

Another technicality is the three organic laws that govern the general election.

However, they are expected to be passed by both houses. Therefore, if the prime minister keeps to his words, we are looking at a general election either in late June or early July.

Already there’s a campaign against a democratic election, as well as plenty of gloom and doom predictions.

The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), otherwise known as the “yellow shirts”, is conducting a “no vote” campaign. Its leaders – media tycoon Sondhi Limtongkul and former politician turned street activist Major General Chamlong Srimuang – are asking the people of Thailand to boycott the election.

They believe that a democratic election is not the answer to Thailand’s political and social conflicts. That it may, in fact, escalate the problems – as the crop of politicians that sit in parliament are the source of conflicts.

Instead, the PAD argues for the invocation of Article 7 of the Constitution, which states that if a national crisis cannot be resolved, the King may appoint an interim government. This of course would prevent any possibility of a Puea Thai party electoral victory and the return of Thaksin Shinawatra.

According to Election Commissioner Sodsri Satthayadharma – given the political and social upheaval, the rising price of goods, and all of the country’s other woes – an election could create a situa-

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tion that Mrs Sodsri believes may pave the way for a mass uprising – similar to the situations in North Africa.

if not all sides accept the results of the election, which might renew the protest and violence.

This line of reasoning also echoes among many of Thailand’s leading figures and newspapers columnists: A general election is not the solution. It may cause more problems. Invoke Article seven.

“The stakes are high and the race is likely to be fiercely contested,” said Rungrawee Chalermsripinyorat, an analyst for Crisis Group South East Asia.

“We (the election commission) are exhausted,” Mrs Sodsri told the press.

“The problem of vote-buying cannot be solved, no matter which system we use.

Politicians are too crafty.”

The Election Commissioner expects rampant political violence and vote buying ahead of the general election.

Already there have been a handful of assassination attempts against politicians at the local level. The latest of which is the assassination of 54-year-old Sunee Litreeniem, a local politician with the District Administrative Office in Pattalung Province. This is seen as significant, because in Thai politics, it is the politicians at the local level, the DAO, who are key in bringing the votes for the political parties.

In its latest report, “Thailand: The Calm Before Another Storm?”, released on 10 April, the International Crisis Group warns of the “storm” to come.

The report states that political reconciliation efforts have led almost nowhere since the crackdown on the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship’s (red-shirt UDD) demonstration on 19 May last year. That the situation may boil over,

“Domestic, regional and international monitors and a well-publicised electoral code of conduct could help minimise violence and enhance the credibility of the polls.”

Anticipating the many “irregularities” in the upcoming election, there are growing demands among non government organisations (NGOs), civic groups and international think tanks for foreign observers to monitor the election.

However the possibility is unlikely. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has said in March that international poll observers would be “inappropriate” and that he did “not respect” Westerners.

Underlining the present political atmosphere is the persisting rumors of a military coup de tat, something which the military top brass repeatedly deny to the press.

On 6 April, the Supreme Commander Songkitti Jaggabatar announced that there would definitely be no coup d’etat.

He made the statement in the presence of the top commanders of the three armed forces: Army C-in-C Gen Prayuth Chanocha, Navy C-in-C Adm Kamthorn Phumhiran and Air Force C-in-C ACM Itthaporn Subhawong.

“We (the election commission) are exhausted. The problem of vote-buying cannot be solved, no matter which system we use. Politicians are too crafty.”

AustChamThailand Advance

business brief

scape, where smaller parties are forming alliances and merging together in order to increase their bargaining power.

There’s the alliance between Newin Chidchob’s Bhumjaitai Party and Banharn Silpa-archa’s Chart Thai Pattana Party.

They promise “to make every decision together” post election.

Suwat Liltapanlop’s Chart Pattana and the so called 3P’s Puea Pandin Party have recently merged into Chart Pattana Puea Pandin Party.

Pundits agreed that the key strategy for the smaller parties is to be in the coalition government, because that’s where the budget is.

General Songkitti insisted that the military remains supportive of democratic rule and operates under the Constitution.

“If any military officers attempted to stage a coup, they would be regarded as rebels,” he said. “The military would not involve itself in the politics of the general election.”

Be that as it may, the rumors persist and the public maintains concerned.

Election Commissioner Sodsri recently caused another big stir. In an interview with Matichon newspaper, Mrs Sodsri said she had learned from a military source (whom she declined to name) that there was a plot to stage a “silent coup” to make way for an appointed government.

Among the political parties, there’s a frenzy of activity.

The ruling Democrat Party is campaigning vigorously with its brand of populism.

In addition, millions have been spent on billboards and TV commercial spots.

Bureaucratic spending and shuffling has been on high gear.

Not to be outdone, the Democrats’ main coalition partner, Bhumjaitai Party, led by controversial de facto leader and banned politician Newin Chidchob, carries the

AustChamThailand Advance

banner of ‘’protecting the Royal Institution” and of course, populism.

Puea Thai Party, bogged down by the lack of a candidate for premiership, has begun to paint a clearer picture.

There have been conflicts between the Mingkwan Sangsuwan faction (thought to have strong ties to banned Thai Rak Thai politician Sudarat Kayurapan) and the Chalerm Yubamrung faction, which supports Thaksin Shinawatra’s sister, Yingluck, as the candidate.

Mr Mingkwan was thought of as a leading candidate, but due to – according to Puea Thai sources – his “poor performance” in the latest censuse debate Thaksin Shinawatra has been having second thoughts.

According to news reports on 11 April, the former prime minister has designated his sister as the heir apparent and challenged those who disapprove to resign from the party. This is also seen as a move to preempt defections after the election.

But regardless of who is the PM candidate, make no mistake that Thaksin Shinawatra is the absolute leader of Puea Thai and UDD. There is also a shifting of the political land-

It is accepted that the Abhisit Vejjajiva Government has the backing of the establishment and the military; however Puea Thai Party is expected to gain the majority of the popular votes, but perhaps not a parliament majority.

If this scenario plays out, Puea Thai perhaps won’t be able to form a government, as smaller parties would not want to go against the wish of the establishment and the military. This would leave the Democrats to form a minority coalition government.

If such is the scenario, then it is likely that the red shirts will once again take to the street. The UDD core leaders have promised as much in their various speeches.

If however, Puea Thai Party is able to win a parliament majority and form a singleparty government, then the ball is in the court of the establishment and the military as to how they will proceed.

Another coup d’etat, and there could be a civil war.

The end-game for Puea Thai and the UDD is the return of Thaksin Shinawatra to power. The end-game of the PAD, the military, the establishment and the ruling Democrat party is to prevent the return of Thaksin.

The general election is but a chapter in these struggles, but would it be the final chapter?

Thus the cycle of Thai politics.

May 2011

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member profiles

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to all market sectors our capability covers civil and marine, mechanical, pipelines and tunnelling. This breadth of capability allows us to meet the needs of numerous sectors including: civil infrastructure, industrial plants, mining and metals, oil and gas, power, as well as transportation and water.

For over 18 years In Thailand, McConnell Dowell Constructors Thai Ltd has developed a successful reputation as a multidisciplined contractor in the region with our own skilled project management, financial strength and fair business practices providing security and comfort to our clients, suppliers and employees.

Our creative approach is what makes us stand out from the crowd, and that’s why our projects consistently win engineering and environmental awards. Anyone can build it, but we build it better, and we built it to last. Each of our business

Tunnelling & Underground

units have the best and brightest in their fields. It’s something we’re proud of, we strive to be the industry leaders, and it shows in our work.

We come up with smart ways to solve engineering problems. We’re inherently inquisitive and we probe and poke about. We rate ourselves on our ability to innovate and our clients place a high value on it. It also means we work on more challenging projects that not only require a creative engineering approach, but also the need to be inventive logistically in terms of equipment and project management.

The main operational focus of McConnell Dowell is to meet and exceed our clients’ requirements through innovation and teamwork and to promote industry excellence in the management of safety, quality, environment and human relations in every project we undertake.

As McConnell Dowell celebrates 50 years of construction success in 2011, we wish to thank all clients, staff, suppliers, business partners in being pivotal to the success of the company as it commences its next 50 years.

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ANZAC DAY

ANZAC Day in Kanchanaburi on Monday, 25 April 2011 Hundreds of Australians gathered in Kanchanaburi to pay respect to all those who have suffered through times of war. War heroes, army personnel, representatives of government and many people who have suffered loss during the various wars or have connections to the wars, listened silently between the two giant rock faces at Hellfire Pass, as the Australian Governor-General, Her Excellency Quentin Bryce AC gave a poignant address:

Friends, thank you for travelling to Hellfire Pass to see in this Anzac dawn. Today is a pilgrimage. Alongside one another here, and with countless others throughout the world, we journey to the places that war has etched and scarred. The theatres of conflict. The graves and cenotaphs. The shrines and memorials. Our minds and memories.

Here, in the Thai jungle, standing on the bones of the “Death Railway” at the withered heart of darkness.

Our silence begs the relentless hammer and tap of our soldiers’ tools; the Last Post’s haunting final wail as another succumbs to the brutal toil. Our torchlight recalls the long-lit, grueling nights of work, the days that never gave way to nourishment and sleep. Our soldiers’ strange and gruesome battlefield. Not the sort they’d imagined: bullets, bayonets, mortar blasts; hand-tohand combat on the front line; courage under fire. The

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fire here was from hell, they said. It needed a different kind of courage.

Exiled from the Allied war effort, and held captive to advancing its defeat our soldiers braved a battle fought in the shadows. In the shadows of the hell fires. In the shadows of their captors’ torture and menace. In the shadows of their ravaged frames and private anguish.

It was in this impenetrable, malarial jungle of monsoon deluges, saw-toothed mountainous rock, crocodiles, scorpions, snakes and mosquitoes, that our soldiers built a railway with a few crude pulleys, derricks and mixers, and their mighty bare hands.

In ten months: four million cubic metres of rock was shifted, 14 kilometres of bridgework constructed. Our soldiers, prisoners-of-war, among an extraordinary slave-labour

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ANZAC DAY

force: 30,000 British; 18,000 Dutch; 13,000 Australians; 700 Americans; and with them, 250,000 Asians.

As the aggressors grew anxious to expand their offensive, so the toll grew, on our soldiers’ lives and wellbeing. Abject cruelty and neglect, increasingly signified their treatment.

Inevitably crippling fatigue, starvation, horrific sickness, disease and death gouged their ranks. Just about everything was filthy: the miserable rations, the water, the men’s bodies, their loin cloths, their rotten wounds and ulcers, the brazen inhumanity. But there were some things that transcended the filth. The feisty dictum that the path home is an empty mess bowl, no matter what was dished up.

The miracle workers in the makeshift hospitals.

The men’s spirits: somehow impossibly sustained by faith and hopes and dreams; the poetry of Keats and Arnold; their own quiet lullabies; a budding Plumbago flower; a

AustChamThailand Advance

decent, gutsy laugh. Their deep, generous, tender friendships. The fires that burned in their starving bellies. The home fires they burned for one another. Long after the war, when Chilla Goodchap nursed his wife before her death, he thought of his dead mates: “In Burma we would link up in a group of say four or five, and work as a family. You’d know every mortal thing about them. They’ve told you every one of their stories of home, and their upsets and their pleasures. With those five fellows, no matter what you get you’d share, and if one bloke is crook, you stand with a bloke, in his dying moments, his bloody awful bloody death, and you’re holding his bloody hand.”

Friends, let this new day, this ANZAC sunrise, blaze in the deeds and memories of the tens of thousands of soldiers who suffered and died and rest here now. In those who survived the filth and rallied to rebuild their

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ANZAC DAY

The fires will always burn here, as they should, in rightful remembrance of all they destroyed and all they nurtured. The fires from hell. The fires in the bellies. The home fires of mates who made their terrible way together here, who built a railway in the jungle by hand – our soldiers of the Hellfire battle. Friends of Australia and Thailand, lest we forget.

bodies and lives, find their families, and hold onto their mates. In those who are with us today to affirm the injustice, the pain and the torment, and the long, slow road back to healing and living well. I sincerely thank my fellow countrymen, my companions, for showing me the way today. Mr Lex Arthurson, Mr Cyril Gilbert, Mr Bill Schmitt, the Hon Tom Uren, and with us, Mr Neil McPherson. Fine, courageous, knowing veterans of this place, who join all of us here to honour the wartime sacrifice of those we love and respect.

In the aftermath of such atrocity, let us be thankful for

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the lessons of war; for what ANZAC Day offers every year in growing our wisdom; and for the mutual sense and compassion of our governments in preserving this memorial to honesty, peace and understanding.

The fires will always burn here, as they should, in rightful remembrance of all they destroyed and all they nurtured. The fires from hell. The fires in the bellies.

The home fires of mates who made their terrible way together here, who built a railway in the jungle by hand – our soldiers of the Hellfire battle. Friends of Australia and Thailand, lest we forget.

AustChamThailand Advance

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Terms and conditions apply TAP email today your name and number for an information pack. esteemgeoff@yahoo.com - 08100 57208 No agents please.

community services

Australian Govenor-General, Her Excellency Quentin Bryce AC Opens AustCham Thailand’s Community Service Project on Sunday, 24 April 2011

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hree years, Baht 850,000 (approximately AU$27,000), many donations, and the work of countless hands were used to upgrade the Wat Phutakian Kindergarten. AustCham couldn’t have asked for a more magnificent opening ceremony. En route to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Australian Govenor-General, H.E. Quentin Bryce cut the ribbon, officially opening the school. “It is an enormous pleasure to be here at the opening of this important new building, and superbly refurbished kitchen and dining spaces” her excellency said. “What a very exciting day it is, especially for teachers and families: your children are so delightful and engaging. What enormous love and happiness they bring.

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These little ones need and they deserve these marvellous new facilities: a warm place in winter, cool in summer, a place where they can enjoy their “Special Lunch Day”.

The upgraded facilities provide a larger, safer and more comfortable area for the children to learn, play and eat. The toilets and kitchen have been upgraded, a new outdoor dining area constructed and a water filtration system installed.

AustCham President, John Anderson said that the kindergarten and war sites in Kanchanaburi are places where we come to recognise the privileges and responsibilities that we enjoy as Australians. “Of course one of those responsibil-

AustChamThailand Advance

community services

ities is to contribute to the communities in which we live. For many AustCham members and friends this area – Thailand – is our community” John said.

“So it has been a great privilege for us to work with the Thai people in the Wat Putakian community to provide much needed upgrades to their kindergarten, which now serves the needs of up to 100 children from the local area each day.

mention, however, must got to the AustCham member companies – Meinhardt (Civil and Structural Engineering), Hassell (Architecture) and EEC-Lincoln Scott (Mechanical, Electrical & Sanitary Engineering) who donated design, architectural and engineering services; and also to Bluescope Steel which provided roof trusses at cost, and Boral Concrete which donated the cost of the concrete.

The project was identified in 2008 by Bill Slape, Manager of the Hellfire Pass Museum. The AustCham Community Services Subcommittee was quick to seize the opportunity, and over the next two years a range of improvements were made, the most significant being the construction of the new kitchen and dining area you now see, a filtered water supply and upgraded amenities.

Bryan and Trish Balmer together with Kevina Stewart did much of the project management and helped coordinate fund raising.

There can be no greater reward from an initiative like this than the picture of smiling children enjoying a meal in their new surrounds.

Inevitably some of those who assisted will not get the recognition they deserve.

I appologise if that is the case today.

Many companies and individuals associated with AustCham and its community services subcommittee (at least 25) contributed cash, goods and time to the project and we thank them for it.”

A volunteer project such as this is always the product of many contributions – some small, some large. Special

AustChamThailand Advance

Rod Beattie has filled the role of main contractor, builder, plumber, consultant, adviser, counsellor and many others. He deserves great credit for bringing the project to a successful conclusion.

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chamber events

Breakfast Briefing & Webinar: The Three Essential Building Blocks of Highly-Effective Teams on 29 March 2011

Breakfast Briefing & Webinar: Economic Implications of the Japan Earthquake Managing Director of Talent Technologies, Nicolas Henley, met members to teach them how to utilise their employees strengths, inspire trust and clarify expectations to maximise efficiency. With examples from the world of business and sport, the talk highlighted some useful techniques for professionals to promote more effective teamwork. See page 6 for an article

by Nicolas entitled “Has Thailand Really Got Talent?”

Held at the AustCham office and viewed also online by those in Bangkok and overseas, Director of MBMG, Paul Gambles, discussed economic implications of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. For further details on this topic, please see an article written by Paul on page 10. If you would like to make a donation towards the Red Cross’s Japan and Pacific Disaster Appeal 2011, go to the Red Cross website or contact the AustCham Thailand office for further details. To join our next webinar, look for the link at the base of your email and log in before the start time at 8.00.

Luncheon: Thailand Election Preview on Wednesday, 30 March 2011 Editor-In-Chief, Khun Pichai Chuensuksawadi and Political and Social Commentator, Khun Voranai Vanijaka of the Bangkok post, held a luncheon at the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, regarding the upcoming Thai election.

Entitled Politics, Policies and Personalities, they discussed the challenges at hand, the key figures involved with the election and possible scenarios that might occur following the election. Please turn to page 12 to see an article by Khun Voranai on “The Gloom and Doom of the Thai General Election”.

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AustChamThailand Advance

Chamber Events

Sponsors Cocktail Reception at the Ambassador’s Residence on 24 March 2011 Last month, AustCham Thailand invited its sponsors a gathering at the Ambassador’s residence. This is a way of thanking them for their generous support of the Chamber. AustCham would also like to thank H.E. Mr. James Wise and his wife, Teresa, for opening their home to us, as well as the Australian Embassy for their assistance in organising this event.

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1) H.E. Mr. James Wise - Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand; John Anderson - AustCham President, Meinhardt; Belinda Skinner - AustCham Vice President, Top Talent Asia; Mark Wood - Australian Embassy. 2) Khun Nattaya Oracha - Natural Ville & Le Notre; Dr. Valarie McKenzie - Thana Burin; Charles Wrightman - Natural Ville & Le Notre; Anne Lewinski - AL Consultancy. 3) Simon Causton - The British Club Bangkok; Khun Suklin Rathabhakdi - The British Club Bangkok; Caryn Taylor - Servcorp. 4) Khun Atchara Suknaibaiboon - TMF; Khun Kasemsri Kaewthammachai - Thana Burin; Khun Panida Kaewpradit - McConnell Dowell. 5) Khun Premsuda Srinarula - dtac; Khun Wattana Pilaipongse - dtac; Khun Tipyarat Sukhanetr - dtac. 6) H.E. Mr. James Wise - Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of

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Chamber Events

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Corporate Sponsors 2011 GOLD SPONSORS

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SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS

Thailand. 7) John Pollard - Meinhardt; Peter Skinner - HASSELL. 8) Shiela Castaloni - TMF; Louis Cheng - Grand Millennium Sukhumvit. 9) Khun Sasiwimon Sadsadikraisorn - dwp; Saeed Zaki - AustCham Director, dwp.

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Chamber Events

Bangkok Sundowners on Wednesday, 5 April, 2011 at The Huntsman AustCham held its Bangkok Sundowners event at the Huntsman Pub for the first time during March. Thanks go to the venue sponsors as well as Bangkok Fine Wines for their Corporate Sponsorship on the night.

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1) Gary Woollacott - AustCham Past President, Opus Recruitment; Michael Thomas - Radisson Resort; Charles Wrightman - Natural Ville & Le Notre. 2) Shane Torr - ISM Technology Recruitment; Khun Suganya - AustCham Director, TMF; Khun Sareeya Sirichan - Trawong. 3) Jo Hagan; Khun Nannapat; Sriwalai - Grant Thornton; Robert Hagan; Graeme Hagan. 4) Khun Janshine Wisuttiphat; Khun Juthamart Veerakul; Khun Prim Held; Khun Khanok-on Thongwatana. 5) Khun Rinrada Korntikakul - AES Group; Dr. Anucha Chintakanond; Khun Suphawadee Sirisukha. 6) Rick McGill - SafeCom; Khun Chonnicha Chaiwichit - Peopleserve Asia. 7)

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Chamber Events

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Shane Torr - ISM Technology Recruitment; Andrew Durieux - AustCham Director, Coverage. 8) Suzanne Wood - A & S Thai Works; Russell Wood - A & S Thai Works. 9) Philip Howel-Williams - Infinity Financial Solutions; Nicki Bunclark - Infinity Financial Solutions. 10) Vincent Pourre - People Serve; Maxime Besnier - Tana Netting. 11) Khun Rungnapha Kaewduangsri - Santa Fe; Khun Suganya - AustCham Director, TMF. 12) Cassandra Italia - Global Health Travel; Sally Cowley - Desert Diamonds; Cynthia Kramer - Microsoft. 13) Lynette Morris - KPMG; Ian Morris - KPMG; Marisa Chicarelli - Linklaters. 14) Brett Gannaway; Andrew Smith - Inovastra; Phillip Smith - AusWa Thai

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Chamber Events

Phuket Sundowners at Novotel Phuket Resort on Friday, 25 March, 2011 Thanks to corporate sponsors, Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Centre, and food and venue sponsors, Novotel Phuket Resort for supporting another great AustCham networking event. The next Phuket event is scheduled for June this year.

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1) Adriana Jonsson, Thanyapura Hospitality Group; Martin Michalik, Thanyapura Hospitality Group; Andrew Durieux, AustCham Director and Coverage; M.L. Laksasubha Kridakon, AustCham Vice President and Baan Laksasubha Resort Hua Hin; Harry Usher, AustCham Phuket Coordinator and Lady Pie; Skulna (Bird) Varayu, Thai Bondall; Simon Farbenbloom, Australian Embassy; Johnn Anderson, AustCham President and Meinhardt. Paul Suvodip, Thanyapura Hospitality Group. 2) Larry Cunningham, The Chava Resorts and Australian Honorary Consul; Johnn Anderson, AustCham President and Meinhardt; Simon Farbenbloom, Australian Embassy. 3) Simon Samaan, The Phuket News; Jittiya Rakdej (Tiya), The Phuket News; Peter Davison, Phuket International Hospital; Greg Herbert. 4) Thanya Limkangwanmongkhol, G4S Security Services; Suthep Satitburana, The Prime Minister’s Office; Jerrold Kippen, Duensing Kippen Tax and Law. 5) Tom Janzow, Eyenav Multimedia; Kwan, Suchada Sanksuwan, Miramare; Skulna (Bird) Varayu, Thai Bondall. 7) M.L. Laksasubha Kridakon, AustCham Vice President and Baan Laksasubha Resort Hua Hin; Jorge De la Torre Koch, Events Thailand; Adriana Jonsson, Thanyapura Hospitality Group. 8) Graeme Chuck, Shades; Paul Newson, Thai Bondall; Philip Gill, World Construction and Engineering. 9) Alan Cooke, ACG Cricket; Peter Davison, Phuket International Hospital; Phil Teese, Media Services.

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AustChamThailand Advance

Chamber New members Eventsand Members’ changes

CORPORATE ORDINARY MEMBERS

Genesis Skin Klinik Genesis Lab Co., Ltd. 946 The Dusit Thani Building, 9th Floor Rama IV Road, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok Tel: +66 2 636 3740-2 Fax: +66 2 636 3730 Email: contact@genesisklinik.com

Principal: Dr. Rujirat Vongthongsri Alternate: Mr Pinun Vongthongsri

Dr. Rujirat Vongthongsri is a 15 year experienced and qualified doctor who is an expert in Dermatology, Cosmetic Laser Surgery and Esthetic medicine at Genesis Skin Klinik. After years of practice in highly reputed hospitals like BNH and Bumrungrad hospital, Genesis Skin Klinik was established at the Dusit Thani Hotel in 2010. Located in the heart of Bangkok City, with its 350 square meters of outstanding designed clinic space and panoramic view of Lumpini Park Genesis Skin Klinik will definitely bring you a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. Privacy and personalised programs are important priorities at Genesis Skin Klinik. Highstandard first class services are provided by multilingual professionals in English, German, French, Japanese and Thai.

Leblond Associates (NLP) Asoke Towers 219/21, 7th Floor Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey–Nua Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 2 664 0570 Fax: +66 2 664 0571 Email: Sebastien@nlptopcoach.com Website: www.niptopcoach.com

Principal: Mr Sebastien Leblond Alternate: Mr Ben Wirt

NLP Top Coach is a new company in Bangkok under Leblond Associates. They are really exited to be one of the first company in Thailand to offer a complete choice of certification under Neuro Linguistic Programing and American Board of NLP.

Parker Bridge Recruitment Co., Ltd. 19/97 Sukhumvit Suite, 11th Floor Soi Sukhumvit, Sukhumvit Road North-Klongtoey, Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 2 651 3770 Fax: +66 2 651 0743

Principal: Mr Steven John Hamblin Alternate: Mr Martin Hill J.A.T. International Co., Ltd. 222/361 Baiyoke Tower 2 3th Floor, Rajprarop Road Pratunam, Bangkok 10400 Tel: +66 2 656 4453 Fax: +66 2 656 3092 Email: www.jat-m.com Website: jatmzi@hotmail.com

Principal: Mr. Ashrafi Mian

J.A.T. International Co., Ltd. was registered in Thailand on 23 January 1998 in Bangkok. J.A.T. is an export oriented company with a significant business in Japan and Australia. They specialise in exporting all kinds of Thai products such as readymade garments, wooden handicrafts wooden furniture and building materials including roof and wall insulation and solar energy products. They also have shipping and logistics support for their regular buyers.

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Parker Bridge Recruitment is a specialist recruitment consultancy and an affiliate of Parker Bridge NZ, renowned for their service excellence and in assisting our clients achieve better organisational performance by assessment, identification, recruiting and developing the best people – those who possess key qualifications, knowledge and skill sets to achieve their clients’ business vision and direction.

They have offices in Bangkok, Auckland and Wellington. We are open, honest and are in constant contact with our clients and candidates alike to provide them with the service excellence they expect.

PTT Chemical Public Company Limited 555/1 Energy Complex Building A 15th-18th Fl., Vibhavadi Rangsit Rd. Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900 Tel: +66 265 8400 Email: savanit.b@pttchemgrouo.com Website: www.pttchemgroup.com

Principal: Mr Veerasak Kositpaisal Alternate: Thasnalak Santikul, Ph. D. PTT Chemical was founded upon a strong foundation of two of the major players in Thailand’s Petrochemical and Chemical industry sectors: The National Petrochemical Public Company Limited (NPC) and Thai Olefins Public Company Limited (TOC). PTTCH is fully integrated petrochemical and chemical company.

Their products are derived from the main product, Olefins, namely ethylene and propylene with other products, including EObased performance and Oleochemicals. PTTCH also provides services to support PTT Group’s production capacity.

Sofitel Bangkok Silom 188 Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel: +66 2 238 1991 Fax: +66 2 238 1999 Email: H3616@sofitel.com Website: www.sofitel.com

Principal: Ms Panadda Pongcharoen Alternate: Mr Christian Schiegel Sofitel Bangkok Silom rises up in the midst of it all - an ideal place to take in the view and venture out with the city very much at your doorstep, located at the crossroads of Bangkok’s commercial and entertainment districts, with easy access to the city’s subway and skytrain networks. The hotel has 469 guest rooms, including 128 Luxury Club Sofitel Rooms, 13 Prestige Club Sofitel Suites and an Imperial Suite, located on the twenty-seventh to thirty-fifth floor, all have dramatic views of Bangkok’s stunning skyline and cater to corporate travellers.

The Sofitel Club Lounge on the twentyseventh floor, where a daily buffet breakfast is served, provides a sanctuary and meeting place for travelling executives, and offers the added convenience of handling checkin/check-out formalities. The hotel features its own extensive business facilities, with 12 luxuriouslyequipped meeting rooms and a conference capacity of up to 250 guests.

AustChamThailand Advance

AUSTCHAM Members’ offers

plan code “PBCN25”. Advance reservations are required to take advantage of the offer.

Amari Orchid Pattaya Sivara Spa is offering a special two and a half hour package for only Baht 2,999.

It includes a mint foot scrub, feeling fruity body scrub, aromatic oil massage and manicure or pedicure. For more information, contact sivaraspa@orchid.amari.com.

Baan Laksasubha Baan Laksasubha at Hua Hin is delighted to offer readers two nights stay in the Garden Veranda for only Baht 7,000. Set in plush landscaped gardens, spacious guestrooms are ideal for a romantic getaway or weekend retreat with the family. Enjoy dining at our Costanera Beach Restaurant and Tapas Bar which overlooks a private beach and serves a variety of culinary delights. To book this offer, kindly email rsvn@baanlaksasubha.com or contact us on 032 514 525-31 and quote ACOO1.

Clarity IT ClarITy will visit your office (CBD area) and carry out a half day audit and review for your use of IT (based on well proven principles) and then brief on ways you can improve your overall IT. Please contact: + 66 (0) 2 650 4770 or email: enquiry@clarity.co.th

Coverage SARS, Tsunami, Bird Flu, Coup, Swine Flu, Riots, – what’s the next X for Thailand?

What’s next for your business? Are you prepared? Coverage knows and understands all parts of your business and can help provide a plan, training and exercise for you and your staff in English and Thai. Andrew is offering a 20 percent discount for all AustCham members. Call 02 261 8485.

Conrad Bangkok To celebrate their 25th Anniversary, guests will receive an extra night based on a minimum consecutive three-night stay. Travelers must take advantage of the offer by 12 June 2011 for travel now through 30 June 2011. To take advantage of this offer, contact: reservations@conradbangkok.com and ask for the Conrad 25th Anniversary package or request

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Four Points Sheraton Bangkok Join us for delicious food and refreshing drinks during happy hours at BeerVault and AmBar with our buy one, get one free promotion on selected drinks. Dips and Dash tapas is on the house! BeerVault happy hours are from 17.30 to 19.30 pm every day. AmBar happy hours are from 23.30 until closing every night. For more information or reservation, please call +66 2 309 3000.

Holiday Inn Bangkok Silom AustCham members can now receive a special 25 percent discount on food and beverages. Enjoy our sumptuous international buffet at The Brasserie, Northern Indian Cuisine at Tandoor, an outstanding a la carte selection for afternoon tea at Orchid Lounge, or relax after a long hard day of work at Hari’s Bar with tasty snacks and great music. For more information please call 02 238 4300 or email: reservations@holidayinnsilom.com

IMPACT Arena Make your convention an utmost success with our modern and integrated facilities, together with additional service as you wish.

Complete convention packages to serve all your convention requirement for even thousand or just selected a few delegates.

For more information call +66(2) 833-5252, or email: sales@impact.co.th

Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa Choose and enjoy between a set menu of four or seven courses on the beach that fuse the finest ingredients and most tantalizing flavors of Italian and Mediterranean specialties. Prices are Baht 1,800 per person for four courses and Baht 2,000 per person for seven courses. For more information and reservations, please call: +66 32 511 881 ext. 1804

InterContinental Hua Hin Resort Thai residents can enjoy a grand deluxe room with daily breakfast and late check out, wth

prices starting at Baht 5,500 for weekdays or Baht 8,000 for Saturday and Sunday, per room, per night. For bookings and enquiries, please call +66 32 616 999, or email: rsvn@ ichuahin.com

Intrepid We would like to offer 20 percent discount on all Intrepid Urban adventure tours worldwide.

These are unique day trips ranging from three hours to full day in over 100 cities around the world. To make a booking simply go to our website: www.urbanadventures.com when you make a booking, enter the promotion code ‘AUSTCHAMTH’. This discount is open ended with no end date and no limit on the number of bookings.

I Visions We are offering a ten per cent discount off all software packages for AustCham Members.

For more information, please contact: +66 2 661 7899 or email: hinduja@ivision.co.th

LeMeridien We are offering a 20 per cent discount on food (only) at Latest Recipe, Bamboo Chic, Tempo and Latitude13, for one to 20 guests.

Children between 3-12 years old receive 50 per cent discount and below three years old dine for free. This promotion cannot be combined with any other promotions. Please provide you member Name and card number when you make a reservation and present you card for identification at the venue. This offer is valid until 31 December 2011. For reservations, please contact 02 232 8888 or email fbadmin.bangkok@lemeridien.com

Mainstay Property Solutions In-conjunction with Loxley, MPS is now selling an energy saving device called the AirconMiser. The AirconMiser can save between 30 – 60 percent on air conditioner power consumption and generally pays for itself within 6-12 months. They are offering an introductory price of Baht 10,000 which is 20 percent off the RRP. AustCham members will also benefit from free installation. Further discounts are available for volume sales. To purchase, or for further details, call: +66 2 735 6823-5.

AustChamThailand Advance

AUSTCHAM Members’ offers

Manohra Dining Cruises Board a Manohra Dining Cruise beautifully restored antique rice barge and take advantage of our silver selection which is now available at an incredible price of Baht 1,400 per person, promising a sumptuous variety of seven memorable courses. Our Gold set menu of nine courses is also available at Baht 1,990 per person.

For further information or reservations, please call +66 2 476 0022 Ext. 1416 or email: manohra@manohracruises.com

Marriott Resort and Spa Book any luxurious spa treatment and extend your relaxation with a complimentary neck and shoulder massage for additional 30 minutes. Offer from now until the end of 2010.

This promotion can be used between 10.00 and 14.00 hrs. For further information or reservation, please call 02 476 0022 Ext. 1563, or email: ms_bmrs@minornet.com

Millenium Hilton Thai residents can take advantage of Baht 3,000 for room and breakfast with complimentary upgrade to Executive Room or Baht 3,500 for room and breakfast with Complimentary upgrade to Executive Suite and Thai Massage for two persons. For information and reservation please call 02 442 2000.

Nai Lert Swissotel Bangkok Swissotel has a total of 12 meeting and event rooms located on the ground and lobby floors; a total of 17,150 sqm of prime meeting space. With magnificent views of the garden, our 652-sqm ballroom is the ultimate choice for any celebration, seating up to 800 people.

We offer a full day meeting package for local companies at Baht 999 per person which includes the advantage of our premium facilities and privileges. For more details, please call 02 253 0123.

Novotel Siam During April and May, take advantage of our “Holiday Saver Package” at Baht 3,990 including American Breakfast for two persons for two consecutive nights as well as many fabulous offers/ discounts to make your

AustChamThailand Advance

holiday perfect such as a BTS one Day Pass Card, Baht 500 cash back, two hours of spa massage treatment. Special dinner rates are available on the Chaopraya Cruise at only Baht 750. For more details call: +662 209 8888

Novotel Bangkok Fenix Silom Until the end of July 2011, we are offering a 15 percent discount from regular buffet prices to all AustCham members. Buffet lunch is only Baht 540, buffet dinner only Baht 640 and Sunday brunch only Baht 760!

For reservations, please call 02 206 9100, or email: H7172-FB2@accor.com

Phachara Suites Strike when the deal is hot with our unbeatable exclusive deal starting at Baht 2,500.For more information or reservation please call +66 2 262 9888.

Raja’s Fashions Rajas Fashion is offering one free shirt when you buy any suit. This offer is valid until 31 July. Dress sharp. Look sharp. Feel sharp.

Please contact +66 2 253 8379 or email: rajas@ksc.th.com

Siam Ocean World This summer, Siam Ocean World presents the all-time hit television series of a clam called Shelldon, a world-class Thai animation.

Through “Shelldon’s Real Ocean Adventure: in the Underwater World with Shelldon”, Siam Ocean World brings together various children’s favorite characters and backdrops to life at the underwater world in the heart of the city. Until 17 May, come before noon and pay only Baht 280 per person for admission!!

The Aetas Baht 2,750 is being offered to celebrate the opening of “The AETAS Bangkok”. This Superior Room offer comes with ABF and internet and will be upgraded to a Delux Room with a 20 per cent discount on food and beverages at ‘Moments’ and ‘Pause’ if staying for three consecutive nights. For more information or

to make a reservation, please call: +66 2 618 9000 or email: contact@aetashotels. com

The Barbque Store For AustCham Members only. Until the end of March: Purchase a four burner Aussie barbecue for only Baht 12,000 (RRP 19,900). For more information, please contact 02662 6665 or email: info@bbqthai.com

The Landmark Bangkok Sunday Roast Buffet, a traditional British main meal served every Sunday lunch, is now available at the Huntsman Pub. The original British Pub located on Basement level of The Landmark Bangkok. Enjoy the incredible Sunday Roast Buffet, features roasted meat, roast potato, smoked salmon, prawn cocktails, fish and chips, yorkshire pudding and much more. From 11.30 - 14.00 this buffet is only Baht 490 net per person. Call for reservation at +66 2 254 0404 ext 7777.

The Sukhothai Bangkok To celebrate Sukhothai’s 20th Annaversary, they are offering a special package with starting from Baht 7,800 per room per night which includes breakfast at Colonnade, free mini bar, and an extra credit of Baht 1,200 for Room bookings and Baht 2,000 for Suite bookings - Credit earned from your room cost can be used for dining and relaxation at our spa! The package is for a minimum of two consecutive nights stay. For reservations, please email: reservations@sukhothai.com

Tiny Seeds International School We would like to offer to waive our registration fee worth Baht 40,000 for all AustCham members who enroll their child(ren) at The Tiny Seeds International Preschool.

For more information, please contact: +66 2 260 2926-7 or email: thetinyseeds.pre. school@gmail.com

May 2011

33

From the Chamber Office

Calendar of Events

Message from the AustCham Office

FRIDAY, 6 MAY Phuket Seminar: Expert Advice on Expat Tax

Speakers: Stephen Caswell, Caswell & Associates and Stephen French, MMT Partners 12.30-14.00 Venue: “Japanese Restaruant”, Royal Phuket Marina WEDNESDAY, 11 MAY

D

espite the Songkran holiday during April, it was by no means a subdued month! Almost 40 AustCham members and friends joined us on Sunday 24 and Monday 25 April for our annual ANZAC Day pilgrimage to Hellfire Pass in Kanchanaburi province to take part in remembrance activities. For Australians and New Zealanders – as well as many other nationalities – ANZAC Day has become a sacred day of the year.

It is an opportunity to give thanks to those who sacrificed in serving their country. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the individual and collective contributions we have made to our communities, and to recognise the values and traditions that sustain us.

We were truly honored this year to have the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Her Excellency Quentin Bryce AC, to preside over ANZAC Day commemorations and officially open AustCham’s Community Services Project at the Wat Phutakian Kindergarten. After considerable hard work, support and generosity from AustCham members and friends, it was fantastic to have Her Excellency cut the ribbon with AustCham President, John Anderson, and local children and officials, marking the project officially open.

The Dawn Service at Hellfire Pass and ANZAC Day commemorative Service at the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery are always deeply moving experiences. This year was no exception. Each with their own story, hundreds of Australian, New Zealand, Thai and other nationals gathered to remember those who have suffered during war.

Organising the AustCham ANZAC Day program is one of the more rewarding activities for the AustCham office and we would like to thank all those who participated in it. The program is, nonetheless, also a logistical challenge so we would like also to recognise the efforts of all those who contributed and helped us to put it together. Thanks!

Looking ahead, another great lineup of speakers has been organised for this month, in addition to our regular Sundowners networking events and other activities. As part of a joint AustCham-British Chamber-New Zealand Chamber initiative to focus on Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)-related issues, David Bell and Christopher Bruton will speak to us about the challenges and opportunities of managing SME enterprises in Thailand – drawing on a collective 70 years of expat business experience! And with elections in Thailand approaching, Chris Baker will be sharing his insights and opinions on what might be in store on the Thai political scene. Please see our Calendar of Events to the left of this message for further details.

Please note that Sundowners at the Dusit Thani hotel this month will be held on the second Wednesday to avoid clashing with our member’s holiday plans during the first week of the month.

AustCham Office.

Thank you to all April sponsors

Member Briefing: Information and updates on the activities and direction of the AustCham. New members are especially encouraged to attend as this is a great introduction to AustCham and its Board.

17.00-18.00 Venue: Dusit Thani Bangkok WEDNESDAY, 11 MAY Bangkok Sundowners

Due to the public holidays on 2 May (In Lieu of Labour Day) and 5 May (Coronation Day), Sundowners has been moved from the first, to the second Wednesday of the month.

18.00-21.00 Venue: Dusit Thani Bangkok THURSDAY, 12 MAY Breakfast & Webinar: Expert Advice on Expat Tax

Speakers: Stephen Caswell, Caswell & Associates and Stephen French, MMT Partners 7.30-9.00 Venue: The AustCham Office SME Joint Chambers Evening Presentation:

Sharing 70 Years of Expat Business Experience 18.30-20.30 Guest Speakers: David Bell, MD, CrestCom - Ra-Kahng Associates and Christopher Bruton; Director, Dataconsult Venue: The British Club FRIDAY, 13 MAY ESB Seminar: Expert Advice on Expat Tax

Speakers: Stephen Caswell, Caswell & Associates and Stephen French, MMT Partners 04.30-18.00 Venue: Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya ESB Sundowners

18.00-21.00 Venue: Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya SATURDAY, 14 MAY Voluntary English Teaching

Venue: Baan Khao Huay Mahad School, Rayong THURSDAY, 19 MAY Key Issues Dinner: Thaland’s Political Outlook

18.00 – 20.00 Guest Speaker: Chris Baker, Bangkok Based Writer Venue: Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok THURSDAY, 20 MAY AustCham/BCCT/NZTCC Evening Presentation: How to Run a Business

34

May 2011

in Thailand - Reflections on the Past, Perceptions of the Future 18.30 – 20.00 Venue: TheAustChamThailand British Club Advance

since 1951. www.isb.ac.th

info@lenotrethailand.com