26th Year
Pattaya’s First English Language Newspaper
Established in 1993
VOL.XXVII No. 14
30 BAHT
FRIDAY APRIL 5 - APRIL 11, 2019
PM calls for unity among Thais June events commemorate U.S. military’s discovery of Pattaya Story on page 5
HM the King strips Thaksin of royal decorations
His Majesty the King has stripped fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of his royal decorations, citing his 2008 flight to escape serving a two-year prison term on a conflict of interest conviction and other legal cases against him. (Story on page 6)
Thailand’s Prime Minister has sent a message to political parties and all Thai citizens, reminding that them the purpose of forming a coalition government is to unite to do good deeds for the Kingdom and its people while preventing ill-intentioned individuals from doing harm. The message from current Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha also asked members of the media to present the news in a positive light, to create a peaceful atmosphere in the nation, and to help gain confidence from investors and the international community. General Prayut stated that political dispute is a major obstacle to peace and development that prevents Thailand from reaching its full potential. He asked all Thais to consciously consume information from various media outlets, by considering all available facts. He said they should steer away from disinformation that may become threats to society.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha. (AP Photo)
The Prime Minister said that democracy places importance on the common good and the next
government must work to the best of its ability to foster unity among all Thais. He deemed such
an approach will pivot Thailand toward prosperity honorably and steadily. (NNT)
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Baywatch Soi Khopai 11 sewers dredged
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Drainage work begins on Jomtien Soi 5
Workers dig a large trough at the beginning of Jomtien Soi 5 to connect to drainage pipes under the footpath on Jomtien Beach Road to allow for faster stormwater drainage.
Jetsada Homklin
Jetsada Homklin Pattaya sanitation workers dredged 11 sewers in Soi Khopai following complaints
about the smell. Neighborhood Vice President Nikom Sangkaew oversaw the March 27 work detail, with the crew dredging and
washing out sewer pipes. Sanitation workers lobbied passersby and nearby street vendors to stop dropping waste into the sewers.
Nongprue locals demand illegal dump cleanup
Pattaya has built a drainage trough on Jomtien Soi 5 to solve persistent flooding. Public works technician Wiroj Jorsungnern led the March 28
work detail outside the Krua Surf Restaurant owned by one of Pattaya’s deputy mayors. Workers dug a large trough at the beginning of Jomtien Soi 5 to connect to drainage pipes under the footpath on
Jomtien Beach Road to allow for faster stormwater drainage. A large steel plate was placed over the hole for safety between work shifts. The job should be completed within a week.
PEA upgrades Soi Khopai power grid
The Provincial Electricity Authority stabilized the high-voltage distribution system on Soi Khopai to meet higher demands for power.
Jetsada Homklin The Provincial Electricity Authority has stabilized the high-voltage distribution system on Soi Khopai to meet higher demands for power. PEA Pattaya operations
Jetsada Homklin Nongprue Soi 4 residents are complaining about garbage dumped illegally on a roadside. Denizens of Fah Mi Ard Kan village said they were nauseated by the smell and there
was so much rubbish it was spilling on to the road itself. They demanded subdistrict officials clean up the 15-meter stretch of sewage, scraps and garbage piled up and do a better job of enforcing no-dumping laws.
chief Decha Khaodara led the March 26 work detail in front of the front of Dee Den Resort and working through Soi Khopai 7. Residents have complained about brownouts, sparking fears about fires from overloaded
transformers and wires. PEA said the previous distribution system could not handle the demand from the growing neighborhood. Power was cut in the morning and evening as new equipment was installed.
Jomtien Beach Road gets a shower Jetsada Homklin Pattaya cleaned Jomtien Beach Road after receiving complaints about the smell
from garbage-polluted water. Cleaners hit the street March 29 to wash off the smelly water that seeped out of the bottom of waste bins
put along the beach. Authorities asked that people sort their trash into the proper bins before disposing of their rubbish.
Cleaners hit Jomtien Beach Road March 29 to wash off the smelly water that seeped out of the bottom of waste bins put along the beach.
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Facing libel charge, Jomtien Pattaya plans upgrade to masseuse backs off bribery claim King Rama IX sailing monument against Pattaya’s ex-top lawyer
Pakjira Wuthiphan makes her apologies personally to Sretapol Boonsawat before Pattaya police and Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh.
Jetsada Homklin Pattaya’s former top lawyer said he will drop a libel case against a Jomtien Beach masseuse after she apologized for publicly accusing him of masterminding a plan to have municipal police extort hefty bribes from beach vendors to fund a New Year’s party. Pakjira Wuthiphan made her apologies personally to Sretapol Boonsawat before Pattaya police and Deputy
Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh March 26. Sretapol, who headed Pattaya attorney’s office before taking over the leadership of a Jomtien Beach massage association, accepted her apology but warned her not to make such accusations again. Pakjira had gone on local cable television claiming Sretapol had pushed club members to pay city hall regulatory officers up to 20,000 baht to pay for their holiday party. A group of
municipal police were suspended in the bribery scandal late in January and Pattaya’s mayor ordered an investigative panel immediately probe the complaints brought by the beach vendors. Sretapol denied any part in the scandal, saying Pakjira’s accusations damaged his reputation and brought public ridicule on him. Libel, a criminal offense in Thailand, carries a penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 200,000 baht.
Deputy Mayor Pattana Boonsawat (left) heads Pattaya’s plans to upgrade the landscaping around the King Rama IX sailing monument on Beach Road.
Pattaya plans to upgrade the landscaping around the King Rama IX sailing monument. Deputy Mayor Pattana Boonsawat toured the Beach Road monument with city and
culture officials March 26. He said the monument – erected to honor HM the late King Bhumibol’s winning voyage from Hua Hin in the 4th Southeast Asian Games – should be fenced off and made more
prominent to tourists. No specific details, budget or timeline was disclosed, but city engineers were ordered to create a plan and present it to the city council. (PCR)
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5-time criminal busted again for theft
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Suspects behind 13 Pattaya burglaries arrested
Police announce the arrest of five-time criminal Seree Suamen (not shown) for offering a motorbike ride to a Pattaya man, then robbing him.
Somchai Kothlamkaek A five-time criminal was arrested again for offering a motorbike ride to a Pattaya man, then robbing him. Seree Suameng, 37, was taken into custody at his Soi Wat Banglamung apartment March 25 after police tracked down the motorbike he was riding at the time.
Pattapit Kongbanjob, 33, told police he was going home when Seree stopped and offered him a ride. But Pattapit realized Seree was taking him a different way and jumped off the bike and was injured. He said Seree drove back, scooped up his wallet and amulets that he’d dropped and drove off.
Using CCTV footage, police traced the motorbike to a Banglamung woman who said she’d lent it to her sister. When police showed up at the sister’s flat, they found Seree. Police said Seree previously was imprisoned three times on drug charges, once for gambling and once for theft.
Hungry driver plows into stopped traffic Patcharapol Panrak The hungry driver of a television production van slammed into a pickup truck
in Najomtien, creating his own little reality show. Van passenger Chanatan Jarukurupin, 48, suffered a severe leg injury when a
Rescue personnel work to extricate van passenger Chanatan Jarukurupin from the wreckage.
Toyota Hiace used by the film crew for the “Hua Jai Sila” soap opera collided with a truck stopped at a red light at the Nong Jub Tao intersection on Sukhumvit Road. Van driver Paradorn Pakdee, who said the film crew was coming back from Bang Saray, admitted he took his eyes off the road, hungrily looking at a restaurant along the road and running straight into the stopped truck.
Banglamung police announced the capture of four men wanted for 13 Pattayaarea burglaries.
Somchai Kothlamkaek Four men wanted for 13 Pattaya-area burglaries have been arrested. Banglamung police announced the capture of Wirat Roypradith, 25, from Kampaeng Phet, Worapong Patai, 23, from Prachin Buri,
Anon Charoenyud, 27, from Trat, and Kiattisak Ritthep, 23, March 26. Officers seized the motorbikes and tools they allegedly used to break into apartments and houses along with a variety of property reported stolen. Police said CCTV cameras
proved central into identifying and tracking the suspects, but not until after they’d burglarized 13 residences in Pattaya City, Banglamung and Nongprue. Investigators said they spent the proceeds of their burglaries for entertainment and drugs.
Nongprue motorbike taxi robbed Boonlua Chatree Police are hunting for a man who robbed a female motorbike-taxi driver and stole her bike. Samang Kumtavee, 53, walked from Soi Tungkom Tanman 11 to call police March 29 after a small-framed male passenger punched her in the head and stole her handbag with 800 baht. He then took off on her red Yamaha Spark, leaving her on a deserted road late at night. Samang said she’d picked up the passenger from the Eakmongkol–Soi Thepprasit taxi stand to take him to Khao Saotongthong Temple. But the man asked her to continue past the temple onto a dark street. Afraid to come back alone, she stopped and asked him to get off there. He obliged. But as Samang took off her helmet, he pulled
Police are hunting for a man who robbed motorbike-taxi driver Samang Kumtavee and stole her bike.
it, and smacked her in the head. Police are investigating.
Nongprue suspends police volunteers after toddler clubbed in head Boonlua Chatree Nongprue officials have suspended all operations by police volunteers after one knocked a two-year-old boy unconscious with a wooden bar. Ten-year volunteer veteran Jakapob Boonrod failed to appear for police questioning following the incident where he tried to block a motorcycle trying to escape a police checkpoint with the two-meter pole. In doing so, he hit 25-month-old Sila Ninkum in the head. The child was knocked out and needed three stiches to close a head wound. The boy’s father, Siwa Ninkum, 28, filed an assault complaint against Jakapob. Nongprue deputy police chief Pol. Col. Krit Masuk said that charge could be upgraded to attempted murder depending on the severity of the child’s injury.
Nongprue deputy police chief Pol. Col. Krit Masuk visited “Nong Sam” at the hospital and reported that the toddler is active and playing, but still sore. Medical scans came back negative for any lasting damage.
Krit visited “Nong Sam” at the hospital March 27 and reported that the toddler is active and playing, but still sore. Medical scans came back negative for any lasting damage. While Jakapob did not appear before police, he spoke to the media, saying he hit the boy accidentally.
Siwa said he was driving with his wife and child on a motorbike around 10 p.m. when he spotted the checkpoint. As none of the three people on the bike were wearing helmets, and because Siwa admitted to taking drugs several days earlier, he feared a ticket or arrest and tried to make a U-turn.
Jakapob blocked him, hitting Nong Sam in the head as Siwa swerved the bike. Krit said the case is on hold until the boy’s mother makes a formal statement to police. After that, Jakapob can be brought in for questioning and exact charges set. Siwa also may face charges of driving without a helmet or using drugs. Until then, all police volunteers have been suspended until Nongprue police settle the matter and review procedures. Update: Jakapob Boonrod is out on bail after being charged with assaulting a toddler with a wooden pole while on duty. Jakapob paid a cash bond and was released from custody March 28. Police reiterated charges could be upgraded to attempted murder depending on the final medical report from Banglamung Hospital, where the toddler is being cared for.
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June events commemorate U.S. military’s discovery of Pattaya Pattaya will celebrate 60 years since American soldiers discovered the sleepy fishing village and turned it into the U.S. military’s choice for R&R with a series of events and concerts in June. It was on March 29, 1959 that the first truck brought American personnel stationed in Bangkok and Korat here to rent Praya Sunthorn’s resort house at the south of Pattaya Beach, 20 years before the Nongprue Sanitation District would be incorporated into modern Pattaya City. Their arrival changed the peaceful seaside village forever. City hall will commemorate the birth of Pattaya tourism with the Thailand Travel Mart June 5-7 and the Bikini Run on June 8. The Pattaya Music Festival
Korat volunteers train in Khao Maikaew Jetsada Homklin
Pattaya will celebrate 60 years since American soldiers discovered the sleepy fishing village and turned it into the U.S. military’s choice for R&R with a series of events and concerts in June.
returns June 14-15, followed June 28-29 with the Knock Knock Music Festival the Horseshoe Point Resort. Other events include meditation practice on World
Yoga Day on June 21 at Central Festival Pattaya Beach and the 18th Sepak Takraw competition at the Eastern National Indoor Sports Stadium. (PCPR)
Kong Khao festivals planned for end of Songkran Pattaya will bring Songkran celebrations to an end with two traditional rice-piling ceremonies April 17 and 20. The annual Kong Khao Festival is a water-free event steeped in tradition that occurs after “wan lai”, the water-throwing finale of the Thai New Year. Nong Yai Temple will hold its Kong Khao on Apr 17, with believers carrying sand to the wat and making sand pagodas. Three days later there will be arts and culture shows, retro dances and local plays. The same activities will play out April 20 at Lan Po Public Park in Naklua, along with traditional games, such as slingshots,
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Pattaya will bring Songkran celebrations to an end with two traditional rice-piling ceremonies April 17 and 20.
water boxing, sepak takraw, a chess competition, puzzle games and stage plays. In the evening, entertainment
will be provided by famous folk singers including Arm Chutima, Kong Huay Rai and Suphan Buri’s Joy. (PCPR)
Central Thailand civil defense volunteers learned rescue skills during training in Khao Maikaew. Fireman Attasit Arjmontree led the March 27-29 workshop at the Ban Suan LK Resort with volunteers from Nakhon Ratchasima. Skills taught included rope use, rappelling, fire aid, CPR and casualty management. The training provided by Nongprue fire and rescue experts was aimed at bolstering expertise in disaster situations.
Thieving husband returns home after promising to repay wife Patcharapol Panrak A Sattahip wife has dropped theft charges against her estranged husband after he apologized for taking all her gold and dumping her. Cambodia native Tieree Patt, 38, met with Boonsong Sontalay, 55, for an hour March 30 at Najomtien Police Station before agreeing to take him back, on the condition he’d repay her. Tieree and Boonsong have been married for five years. She worked as a vegetable seller and he a furniture maker. But he drinks too much, she told police, and after a recent fight he left her, taking her three gold necklaces, a gold ring, a pair of 3baht-weight gold earrings, 10,000 baht cash and her mobile phone. She said she called her
Pattaya eyes Big Buddha Hill redevelopment Jetsada Homklin Having cleared encroachments around Big Buddha Hill’s Chinese shrine, Pattaya now is trying to figure out what to do with the land. Deputy mayors Manote Nongyai and Pattana Boonsawat toured the Phra Yai Temple area with engineering and public works staffers on Pratamnak Hill March 28 with an eye toward redevelopment of the wat, the Wang Sam Sien Chinese shrine and Attajinda Road. Pattaya was given five rai of Ministry of Defense land from the Royal Thai Navy. After the rights were transferred, Pattaya improved the landscaping but found numerous private ventures had built on part of the land. The city ordered all the structures removed in October 2016.
Having cleared encroachments around Big Buddha Hill’s Chinese shrine, Pattaya deputy mayors Manote Nongyai and Pattana Boonsawat now are trying to figure out what to do with the land.
Among them was the popular Wang Sam Sien, built by the Mahakitpaisan Foundation. In July 2016, the Supreme Administrative Court upheld a lower
court’s verdict against Mahakitpaisan for building the shrine on public land and gave it to Pattaya. The city originally planned to raze the shrine, but
Rappelling was one of the many skills Central Thailand civil defense volunteers learned during training in Khao Maikaew.
reversed course and will now manage it directly. Now it is looking to beautify landscaping and add facilities to bring more tourists to the area.
Tieree Patt has dropped theft charges against her estranged husband Boonsong Sontalay after he apologized for taking all her gold and dumping her.
spouse, asking him to return her savings, but he refused. So she went to police to file a theft report. Accompanied by Najomtien Moo 1 village chiefs, Boonsong apologized and said he wanted to come home, but negotiations broke down when he admitted he’d spent all the gold
and cash on a motorbike and support for his family in Korat. More talking led to a pledge by Boonsong to pay her back 10,000 baht a month. She agreed to take him back, but got assurances from police that if he reneges on his deal, the theft charge will be reinstated and prosecuted.
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Happy Birthday HRH Princess Ubolratana Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Phannavadi was born on April 5, 1951, in Lausanne Switzerland. She is the eldest child of HM the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and HM Queen Sirikit, and the older sister of H M K i n g M a h a Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun. HRH Princess Ubolratana is a devoted leader of young people in the campaign against drugs, and as such has instituted and keenly watches over the To Be Number One project, encouraging family values, music and sport as alternatives to drug use. She has also set up the Khun Poom project to assist autistic children in Thailand. In 2008, HRH Princess Ubolratana played the main role in the Thai film “Where The Miracle Happens”. HRH Princess Ubolratana has also shown a keen interest in the way Thailand is being promoted by the TAT, and regularly attends the International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin.
Chakri Dynasty commemorated on April 6 Banks and businesses to close on Monday in observance of holiday
Pattaya Mail humbly joins the Kingdom of Thailand in wishing Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana a most happy birthday on April 5. (Photo courtesy of the Bureau of the Royal Household)
Fr. Corsie Legaspi coming to Pattaya
Faith healer Fr. Corsie Legaspi of the Philippines (left) will be conducting a healing mass at The Church of Assumption on Soi Siam Country Club, Pattaya on April 5, 2019, at 1 pm. (Pattaya Mail File photo)
Fr. Corsie Legaspi, also known as the faith healer is scheduled to return to the Church of Assumption on Soi Siam Country Club Pattaya on Friday April 5, 2019. Holy mass and his divine treatment commence at 1 pm. Father Corsie has previously treated people in Pattaya who were suffering from injuries and ailments by placing his hand on their forehead, causing them to momentarily
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lose consciousness while being supported by helpers who lay them gently on the ground. The treatment is called ‘slain in the spirit’. Father Corsie introduces four basic types of healing which are: ‘Physical Healing’, referring to the healing of the physical aspects of the body, both external and internal. This is why 90% of patients come to a healing session. The ‘Emotional Healing’,
which has to do with dispelling painful memories of the past. These bad recollections may lie buried in a person’s subconscious, and may at times become the cause of physical illness. ‘Spiritual Healing’ involves the vicious cycles of sin and the forgiveness of sin. ‘Deliverance Healing’ means deliverance from demons and evil spirits. The Bible speaks of such healings being performed by Jesus Christ.
PATTAYA MAIL PUBLISHING CO., LTD. 62/284-286 Moo 12, Thepprasit Road, Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20150. Administration, Advertising and Editorial Offices: Tel: 038 411 240-1, 038 413 240-1 • Fax: 038 427 596 E-mail: ptymail@pattayamail.com • Website: http://www.pattayamail.com Managing Director Pratheep S. Malhotra e-mail: pratheep@pattayamail.com Executive Editor Daniel M. Dorothy e-mail: dan@pattayamail.com Deputy Managing Director Kamolthep Malhotra e-mail: prince@pattayamail.com Director-Business Development Suwanthep Malhotra e-mail: tony@pattayamail.com Editor Nopniwat Krailerg e-mail: editor@pattayamail.com Sports Editor Martin Bilsborrow e-mail: martin@pattayamail.com Executive Editor-Pattaya Blatt Elfi Seitz e-mail: elfi@pattayablatt.com Director of Communications Supa Kukarja e-mail: sue@pattayamail.com Senior Special Correspondent Peter Cummins e-mail: npetercummins@hotmail.com Advertising Department Nutsara Duangsri e-mail: nutsara@pattayamail.com News Department: Boonlua Chatree, Urasin Khantaraphan, Patcharapol Panrak, Theerarak Suthathiwong, Jetsada Homklin © Copyright Pattaya Mail Publishing Co., Ltd. (e-mail: newsdesk@pattayamail.com)
Chakri Day (April 6) was first instituted by H.M. King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) in the year 1919 to commemorate all the Kings in the Chakri Dynasty, which started with Rama I and continues to this day with Rama X, HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun. The reigning Kings in the House of Chakri brought peace and tranquility to the people within Thailand’s borders and successfully protected the Kingdom, maintaining sovereignty and integrity through crucial
periods threatened by European colonization and two World Wars. In commemorating “Chakri Day” the national flag is proudly displayed by the people of Thailand and traditional ceremonies are held for government officials and members of the community, making offerings of flowers and garlands at the many statues of Kings in the House of Chakri. The Chakri Dynasty, or the “House of Chakri” followed the reign of King Taksin the Great, when he abdicated
due to poor health. The Chakri Dynasty was ushered in on 6 April 1782 when a close aid of King Taksin, General Chakri, marched back into Thonburi and assumed the throne as H.M. King Buddhayodfa the Great. Each Monarch thereafter has had “Rama” as part of their title. Since this year the holiday falls on a Saturday, banks, government offices and most business offices will close on Monday, April 6 in observance of this special day.
EC: No tampering with poll results Bangkok - The Election Commission of Thailand (EC) said it did not tamper with poll results, confirming that last Thursday’s announcement of vote count did not change constituency election outcomes. Deputy Secretary General of the electoral organ, Krit Urwongse, explained that the reason why the EC did not announce 100 percent of election votes on Sunday, March 24, was because some of the polling places were not able to access the “Rapid Report” system developed specifically to feed real-time vote counts to the public.
EC Deputy Secretary General Krit Urwongse.
Explaining why the number of ballots increased by 4.5 million when election results were made public on Thursday, Krit said ballot papers cast by overseas voters and those voting outside of their
constituencies were not included in the first announcement on March 24. 2.3 million ballots were from advance voting and up to 100,000 ballots were from overseas voting. He also admitted there were miscounts on the number of voters and the number of cast ballots. Out of 186 petitions submitted to the EC, seven of them demand a recount of the ballot. Police Colonel Jarungvith Phumma said a recount can only be conducted on a caseby-case basis and that a retabulation of all votes cast in the election is not permitted by law. (NNT)
HM the King strips Thaksin of royal decorations Bangkok (AP) — His Majesty the King has stripped fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of his royal decorations, citing his 2008 flight to escape serving a two-year prison term on a conflict of interest conviction and other legal cases against him. Thai media reported that the Royal Command from HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn was published Saturday in the Royal Gazette. Last week, a military award
Thaksin has been given was revoked by the army, with the explanation that he failed to deserve the honor. The hostility of royalists towards Thaksin has been evident since he was in office over a decade ago, though it was never expressed directly by members of the royal family, which by tradition is above politics. HM the King’s older sister, Princess Ubolratana, caused an uproar in February when
the pro-Thaksin Thai Raksa Chart Party registered her as its nominee for prime minister. The move was initially seen as a clever ploy by Thaksin’s political machine to immunize itself against charges that it opposed the monarchy. It backfired badly when the King declared it inappropriate and unconstitutional, and the party was dissolved by the courts before the election, hurting the pro-Thaksin forces.
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Woman collects poptops to make limbs
Linda Oslodsen collects aluminum can tabs to donate for the making of artificial limbs.
Somchai Kothlamkaek A Thai woman who picked barbecue skewers off the beach and made public ashtrays is now collecting aluminum can tabs to donate for the making of artificial limbs. Linda Oslodsen was spotted April 1 collecting the “pop tabs” from beer bars on Pattaya Beach Road and Jomtien Beach Road. She said the aluminum will be given to the Prostheses Foundation of HRH the Princess Mother.
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It’s something she’s done for years, Oslodsen said, and she’s cultivated a network of people at bus stations and the beach to help her. It’s just one of a few things she’s done to help the public in her spare time. Previously she picked up discarded wooden BBQ sticks and placed five-liter water bottles she cut in half on the beaches as ashtrays. Those wishing to donate aluminum tabs can call her at 080-082-1377.
Soi Dog urges Pattaya Deputy Mayor not to impound dogs Editor; The major animal welfare charity, the Soi Dog Foundation (Soi Dog), has called for the Deputy Mayor of Pattaya, Manote Nongyai, to rescind an order he has issued to round up stray dogs along the holiday city’s Jomtien Beach, and throw the dogs in the local pound. Phuket-based Soi Dog argues that impounding dogs not only condemns the animals to an often cruel life sentence behind wire, but is also simply not effective in the long term. We agree that dogs that are a danger to people, especially to children, should be removed. We also agree with the Deputy Mayor that sterilising and vaccinating street dogs is an excellent course of action, and to that end Write to the Editor:
E-mail: mailbag@pattayamail.com
Soi Dog is currently financing the sterilisation of female dogs in Pattaya. But impounding dogs doesn’t work. While it may seem that a concerted roundup results in ‘streets cleared, job done’, that’s a mistaken perception. It is impossible to round up every single dog in a given area. Those that are not caught, along with dogs from streets surrounding the area targeted by the roundup, will swiftly recolonise the empty streets along the beach. With no competition for sources of food (mostly garbage bins), they will breed swiftly. Within a year or so the number of street dogs along Jomtien Beach will be back up where it was before the roundup. Meanwhile, the municipality will have to feed and care for the hundreds of dogs
that were rounded up and which will continue to live in the pound, potentially for years. Does the Municipality have budget set aside for this? Or will we see the same situation as we’ve seen too often before, where a lack of funding for dog pounds results in dogs being malnourished, or suffering and dying because there is no money for medicines or veterinary treatment? Soi Dog has long argued that the only solution to reducing street dog populations is the procedure known as Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate and Release (CNVR), whereby the dogs are caught, sterilised and vaccinated, and then – the important point – released back into the area they came from, where they prevent other dogs from moving into their territory, while also gradually dying off from old
age or other natural causes. We’ve shown in Phuket that this works. When we started, about 15 years ago, there were an estimated 80,000 street dogs on the island. Now there are about 7,000, and they are healthy and almost always friendly. There also is a different aspect to the solution, which would be in the Pattaya Municipality’s interest as well as being within its capabilities: better garbage management. The fact that officials see a problem with too many dogs tells me that garbage is not being dealt with efficiently. Street dogs are sustained almost entirely by garbage. If they cannot find food they will go elsewhere. No garbage, no street dogs. Job done. John Dalley, Soi Dog founder
Note: Letters printed herein in no way reflect the opinions of the editors or writers for Pattaya Mail, but are unsolicited letters from our readers, expressing their own opinions. No anonymous letters or those without genuine addresses are printed, and, whilst we do not object to the use of a nom de plume, preference will be given to those signed.
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VOL. XXVII No. 14
EU leaders postpone decision on 2050 climate goal
Young people protest for climate action with a sign reading ‘Save the World Now” during a ‘Friday for Future’ demonstration in Berlin, Germany, Friday, March 22, 2019. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)
Frank Jordans & Samuel Petrequin Brussels (AP) - European Union leaders have pushed back a decision on the bloc’s long-term efforts to fight climate change, with some countries opposing a pledge to end most emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. Leaders meeting in Brussels agreed to discuss the issue again at their next gathering in June, ahead of a U.N. summit on climate change in the fall. The delay frustrated environmental campaigners, who argue that the EU should lead global efforts to meet the 2015 Paris accord’s
most ambitious target of keeping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century. “European governments are kicking the can down the road on climate change,” said Sebastian Mang, a policy adviser with Greenpeace. Mang cited warnings from scientists that sharp cuts in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are needed in the coming decades to prevent potentially catastrophic levels of warming by the end of the century. “Young people get this,” he said, referring to recent rallies in cities around the
world that drew hundreds of thousands of students calling for leaders to tackle climate change. French President Emmanuel Macron, who two years ago launched the “One Planet Summit” aimed at speeding up the implementation of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, said Friday that the bloc’s efforts at fighting climate change “were eminently insufficient.” “Today, we are not giving a clear answer to the commitments we made in Paris in 2015, to the scientific challenges pointed out by the best experts, and to the legitimate impatience that youngsters
Thousands in Germany protest planned EU internet reforms
People protest against the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market by the European Union in Leipzig, Germany, Saturday, March 23, 2019. People fear for the freedom of the internet when users content has to pass upload filters to protect copyrights. (Peter Endig/dpa via AP)
Berlin (AP) - Tens of thousands of people have marched in cities across Germany to protest planned European Union copyright reforms that they fear will lead to online censorship. The dpa news agency reports the biggest protest Saturday was in Munich, where 40,000 people marched under the
motto “save your internet.” Thousands of others took part in smaller demonstrations in the German cities of Cologne, Hamburg, Hannover, Berlin and other cities against the bill that is being voted on this week. The most controversial section would require companies such as YouTube and Facebook
to take responsibility for copyrighted material that’s uploaded to their platforms. Proponents say the new rules will help ensure authors, artists and journalists are paid. Opponents claim they could restrict freedom of speech, hamper online creativity and force websites to install filters.
are expressing in demonstrations every week in our capitals,” Macron said. “We will need to wake up, but we have not really seen that yet.” Much of the two-day EU meeting in Brussels was taken up with haggling over the bloc’s future relationship with Britain. But on the second day, leaders were able to address a number of other issues, including the EU’s ties with China, industrial policy and global warming. Some countries, including France, Spain and the Netherlands, had proposed that leaders agree “an ambitious long-term strategy by 2020 striving for climate neutrality by 2050” in line with the Paris accord’s climate warming goal. Climate neutrality would require countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to the level that can be absorbed again and
is sometimes referred to as “net zero.” Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic were among those EU nations reluctant to explicitly cite the year 2050 for curbing emissions, according to position papers obtained by The Associated Press. Still, a lead author of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recent report on limiting global warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial times said that while the EU declaration was vague, it addressed important points. “They sharpened the commitment to 1.5 (Celsius),” said Daniela Jacob, director of the Climate Services Center in Hamburg, Germany. The European Parliament recently voted in favor of raising the targeted emissions cuts to 55 percent by 2030, but leaders of the
bloc’s 28 members have so far refrained from following suit. In Norway, which is not an EU member but cooperates closely with the bloc, local media said at least 36,000 people across the country took part in climate protests Friday. Oslo city council expressed its support for the approximately 10,000 young people who had gathered outside the Norwegian Parliament, Stortinget, as part of the global climate protests by students. “The school strikes for the climate are a clear signal from the younger generation that we have to act now,” city council member Raymond Johansen said. “We are the first generation that can see the climate changes with our eyes and are probably the last generation that has the possibility to do something about it.”
Digital scrapbooking site Pinterest files for IPO Rachel Lerman & Barbara Ortutay San Francisco (AP) Pinterest is pinning its future on Wall Street, with the digital scrapbooking site filing for an initial public offering of stock on March 22. It follows a similar filing with securities regulators earlier last month by ridehailing company Lyft in what is shaping up to be a busy season for technology IPOs. Also expected to sell stock to the public in the coming weeks: Lyft rival Uber and messaging app Slack. Pinterest said in its filing that it intends to list itself on the New York Stock Exchange using the ticker symbol “PINS.” The company hasn’t yet said how many shares it’s selling in the IPO or how much money it intends to raise. The San Francisco-based company had revenue of $756 million last year, a 60 percent bump from 2017. It had a loss of $63 million last year, compared to a loss of $130 million in 2017. Pinterest allows people to search for and “pin” images as inspiration for fashion, interior design, travel and more. The company said it has more than 250 million users each month, and users have saved more than 175 billion pins since the site was launched. Pinterest has raised nearly $1.5 billion in the private markets, and was last valued at $12.3 billion in 2017, according to PitchBook Data. Pinterest has long shunned being labeled a social network. Because of that, it
In this Oct. 11, 2018, file photo, Evan Sharp, Pinterest co-founder and chief product officer, poses for a photo, standing beside a wall of pegs symbolizing the company logo at Pinterest headquarters in San Francisco. Pinterest is pinning its future on Wall Street, with the digital scrapbooking site on Friday, March 22, 2019, filing for an initial public offering of stock. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
doesn’t push users to add friends or build connections. It also means it’s been able to avoid problems of its larger rivals like Facebook. But despite the lack of friend networks, many advertisers likely still consider Pinterest to be part of their “social” budgets, said eMarketer analyst Andrew Lipsman, meaning it competes in part with Facebook, Snapchat and others. Pinterest makes advertising revenue when businesses promote pins in users’ feeds. Pinterest has the potential to be more valuable than most digital media to advertisers, Lipsman said, because it has direct information about what a user wants. It’s all clear in the search if a user is searching for new floor lamps or diamond rings, there’s a decent chance they want to buy those things.
“Visual search has a much bigger impact in terms of driving desire,” Lipsman said. Pinterest was founded in 2010 by Ben Silbermann and Evan Sharp, who still serve as CEO and chief product officer, respectively. The company has been working on developing its artificial intelligence search, which allows people to take a photo or upload a screenshot of an item and find similar products on Pinterest. Like many other tech companies, including Facebook and Google, Pinterest will create two classes of stock - one that will give the holder one vote per share, and another that will get 20 votes per share. Shares held by executives and board members will be converted into shares of the second, more powerful, class. Pinterest’s filing did not break down the percentage of ownership.
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Doris Johnson and her AAA rating There are some patients that will stay in your memory for ever. Doris Johnson was one of those (not her real name). Doris lived in a pensioner unit around 100 meters up the road from my surgery. She was a lovely old lady, and very vibrant. However, cigarettes were her staple in life, and I’m sure the empty beer bottles outside her door were hers. But beer and tobacco was not as significant as Doris’ AAA. AAA stands for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, and we doctors love acronyms. I am sure that the education bodies decreed that the medical course should contain three years of acronyms, as well as another three years of clinical practice. So what is an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)? First off, the aorta is the main artery of the body, directly connected to the heart and taking the vast majority of the blood from that important central pump to the abdominal organs and the legs. This artery is around 2 cm in diameter. However, a situation can occur, whereby the artery begins to bulge and can grow to four or five times the normal diameter. It is this swelling that is called an ‘aneurysm’. Being of the Abdominal Aorta, then explains the AAA description. Interestingly, aneurysms are four times more common in men than women and occur most often after 55-60 years of age. Elderly males have yet another aspect to monitor, as well as their prostates!
The danger of the AAA comes from the fact that this can burst, like an over-inflated balloon, and the patient experiences a catastrophic internal hemorrhage. Fortunately, early detection and diagnosis is increasingly possible as more sophisticated medical screening methods become available. There is a strong link between cigarette smoking and the occurrence of aneurysms. Smokers die four times more often from ruptured aneurysms than nonsmokers. Unfortunately, until an AAA bursts, there are generally no symptoms to let you know you have one of these ‘time bombs’ waiting in your belly. The discovery is then usually during an annual physical, where it can be palpated by the doctor, but by far more accurate is an ultrasound, which can give exact dimensions, and thus progressive indication of how rapidly the swelling is growing. The answer to this is an operation to replace the swollen, weakened artery, with a suitable piece of highly expensive ‘garden hose’ of correct length and diameter. This is a major operation, but once you have had an AAA detected, there is no other way around the problem. So back to Doris. I had found her AAA during a routine examination and sent her off to have an ultrasound done, which not only confirmed the clinical diagnosis but also could measure the aneurysm. Doris needed an operation.
The next step was to see the surgeon and the anesthetist, and both declared that with her chain-smoking, her alcohol affected liver and general physical condition, this 70 year old was not a fit candidate for elective surgery. It was my job to sit down with Doris and explain all this to her. Her ‘time bomb’ could go off at any time, but unless she stopped smoking, nobody was prepared to wield the knife. Doris took it all quite calmly. “I’m old, I understand, but I don’t want an operation anyway,” was her reply. She then floored me with her next statement. “When it bursts, can I call you, and will you come to me?” It was about nine months later I got a call from Doris when I was about half way through the morning’s clinic. “It’s happened, Doctor. Can you come?” Telling my nurse to ring for an ambulance, I ran out of the clinic and achieved near record Olympic time for the 100 meter dash. Doris was lying in her easy chair. A cigarette was burning in the ashtray. She smiled at me and then literally died peacefully in my arms. I put out the cigarette and shed a quiet tear for Doris and waited for the ambulance. In the stillness of her little pensioner unit, I used the opportunity to reflect on life and our tenuous hold upon it. But when someone dies in your arms, you never forget it.
US experts: Medicines for opioid addiction vastly underused Matthew Perrone Washington (AP) - Medicines proven to treat opioid addiction remain vastly underused in the U.S., the nation’s top medical advisers said. Only a fraction of the estimated 2 million people addicted to opioids are getting the medications, according to a report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The influential group, which advises the federal government, called for increased prescribing of the drugs and other changes to reduce barriers to their use. In 2017, opioids were involved
in nearly 48,000 deaths - a record. In recent years, there have been more deaths involving illicit opioids, including heroin and fentanyl, than the prescription forms of the drugs, which include oxycodone and codeine. Government-approved medications, which include methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone, help control cravings and withdrawal symptoms like nausea, muscle aches and pain. Their use is backed by most doctors and medical groups. Yet they still have skeptics, especially among supporters of 12-step programs that favor abstinence-only approaches.
This July 23, 2018 file photo shows packets of buprenorphine, a drug which controls heroin and opioid cravings, in Greenfield, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
The report concludes that patients taking the medicines fare better over the long term and are 50 percent less likely to die than if they weren’t on them. An “all hands on deck” response is needed - including doctors,
law enforcement and family members - to expand access to treatment, it said. The group’s conclusions echo similar reports from the U.S. Surgeon General and a presidential commission appointed to President Donald Trump to make recommendations for curbing the opioid epidemic. The 14-member panel, which included addiction and rehabilitation specialists, summed up several reasons behind the low use:
Stigma Stigma and misunderstanding about the nature of addiction remains one of the biggest barriers to treatment
Monthly shots control HIV as well as pills in 2 big studies Carla K. Johnson Seattle (AP) — Monthly shots of HIV drugs worked as well as daily pills to control the virus that causes AIDS in two large international tests, researchers reported. If approved by regulators in the United States and Europe, the shots would be a new option for people with HIV and could help some stay on treatment. Instead of having to remember to take pills, patients instead could get injections from a doctor or nurse each month. “Some people will be thrilled” at the convenience, said Mitchell Warren, executive director of AVAC, an AIDS advocacy group. Condoms remain the most widely available and inexpensive form of HIV prevention. Pills taken daily can keep HIV levels so low the virus is not transmittable to sex partners, but not everyone takes them as prescribed.
The shots could improve how well some people stick to treatment, perhaps helping those who have trouble remembering to take daily medicine to keep infection at bay. There are other potential benefits. Getting shots at a clinic can lend more privacy to patients worried about the stigma of filling an HIV prescription at a pharmacy, said Dr. Susan Swindells of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, who presented results Thursday at an HIV conference in Seattle. Cost will be an issue “to make sure that everyone has access to this medication,” said Dr. Hyman Scott of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, who was not part of the study. It’s not clear how much the shots would cost. HIV pills can cost a patient up to thousands of dollars monthly, depending on the drug combination, insurance coverage, rebates and discounts.
And there will be concerns about patients missing a monthly shot, which could lead to drug-resistant strains of the virus. It will be “a good option for some people,” Scott said. Whether monthly shots will also work to protect users’ sex partners hasn’t been studied yet, but there is reason to think they will, said experts at the conference. The shots are a long-acting combo of two HIV drugs — rilpivirine, sold as Edurant by Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen, and ViiV Healthcare’s experimental drug known as cabotegravir. ViiV Healthcare paid for the research. The drugmakers are seeking approval later this year in the United States and Europe. One study included 616 people who were taking pills to treat their HIV infection. The other study enrolled 566 people who hadn’t yet started treatment, so they
first got pills to get the virus under control. In each of the studies, half the participants switched to the shots while the rest stayed on pills. After nearly a year, 1 to 2 percent of people in both groups had traces of virus in their blood, whether they got shots or pills. That shows the shots worked as well as the standard pill therapy. A few people withdrew from the studies because of pain after the injections. The studies were done in Europe and North America and in nations including Argentina, Australia, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Japan and Mexico. “We don’t have experience rolling out an injection in the real world,” said Warren, the AIDS advocate. He said the next challenges will be how to deliver the shots and whether patients will remember to come back monthly. “These are big questions.”
in part because two of the medications used to treat opioid addiction - methadone and buprenorphine are themselves opioids. The panel said this contributes to the mistaken belief that it’s “just substituting one drug for another.” Experts said the medications are given at doses big enough to fend off withdrawal, but too small to produce a euphoric high. Patients can drive, rebuild relationships and get back to work.
Rules The medicines are subject to restrictions that limit their use. For example, methadone can only be given at government-regulated clinics, which can require patients to commute. Buprenorphine can
only be prescribed by certified health professionals who must complete eight hours of training. Federal rules also cap the number of patients that these physicians can treat to 275. The authors also note that medications are often not available to prison inmates. The report concludes there’s no scientific basis for such limitations.
Lack of training Addiction treatment has long been separate from mainstream medical training, the report notes, which means many doctors, nurses and social workers don’t receive training on treating drug addiction. The report calls for combining addiction programs into standard medical education.
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Odds and Ends The Associated Press
Escaped wallaby goes on walkabout in Dallas neighborhood Dallas (AP) - A wallaby who apparently escaped his owners went on a walkabout in an east Dallas neighborhood before being recaptured. Tim Tiernan said he and his wife were taking a morning walk when they saw what they first thought was a dog. The wallaby hopped into the couple’s driveway and up to their back door. Dallas Animal Services officers eventually caught the marsupial in the couple’s backyard. The animal was identified as Muggsy and picked up by his owner. Officials didn’t release the owner’s name or how the wallaby escaped. The agency said the wallaby is kept on a country ranch. Wallabies are native to Australia and surrounding islands and are a close relative of the kangaroo. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News via AP)
94-year-old WWII veteran finally gets high school diploma Shrewsbury, Mass. (AP) - A 94-year-old World War II veteran has received his high school diploma - 74 years after he would have gotten had he not enlisted. Paul Snow says he felt “naked” from all the attention he received during a ceremony at St. John’s High School, but says he always wanted to get his diploma. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports the Worcester native enlisted in the U.S. Navy a day before his 18th birthday in 1943, and was honorably discharged about three years later. Democratic U.S. Rep. James McGovern and St. John’s High School worked together to award a diploma to Snow as a tribute to his service. Snow was awarded with an honorary diploma dated June 17, 1945.
Reel-y? New beer can double as motion picture film developer Rochester, N.Y. (AP) - Kodak says a new beer hitting the market can be used to develop its Super 8 movie film. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Delaware created its SuperEIGHT beer after a conversation with people at Kodak, the upstate New York technology company most famous for its photographic roots. Dogfish learned from Kodak that heightened levels of acidity and vitamin C in certain beers could make them a processing agent for film. That inspired the brewery to design such a beer. Kodak helped by testing it. Dogfish founder Sam Calagione says he’ll document his summer travels on Super 8 film that will be developed in SuperEIGHT beer and turned into a short film. The beer, made with pear, mango, berries, kiwi, quinoa and salt, is set for US distribution next month.
Crossword No 1340
VOL. XXVII No. 14
sponsored by
Massic Travel
Across 1 Profit (4) 3 Female child (8) 9 Connection (7) 10 Accumulate (5) 11 Wood nymph (5) 12 Not present (6) 14 Crush flat (6) 16 Concealed (6) 19 Artificial waterways (6) 21 Aspect (5) 24 Large passenger aircraft (5) 25 Rower (7) 26 Saviour (8) 27 Inflamed swelling on eyelid (4)
Down 1 Award for selling a million records (4,4) 2 European country (5) 4 Yearly (6) 5 Be an informer (5) 6 Coached (7) 7 Stratagem (4) 8 Incidental remarks (6) 13 Example (8) 15 Without weapons (7) 17 Impart knowledge (6) 18 Onto dry land (6) 20 Solitary (5) 22 Heavenly body (5) 23 Partly open (4)
Last week’s answer Across: 1 Goliath, 5 Heart, 8 Owned, 9 Valiant, 10 Bassoon, 11 Yield, 12 Excess, 14 Harrow, 18 Forum, 20 Copious, 22 Traitor, 23 Raise, 24 Dwell, 25 Dustman. Down: 1 Goodbye, 2 Lands, 3 Arduous, 4 Havana, 5 Holly, 6 Amateur, 7 Toted, 13 Carnage, 15 Aspires, 16 Western, 17 Scared, 18 Feted, 19 Motel, 21 Opium.
Ten-Minute Sudoku An easy Sudoku puzzle that should not take long to complete. The rules of Sudoku are simple. Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Each row must contain one of each digit. So must each column and each 3x3 box. Answer next week.
Last week’s answers:
No. 243
(Dogfish Head Craft Brewery via AP)
Man returns library book 53 years late Fair Lawn, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey man says he has returned an overdue library book - 53 years after he first borrowed the book. Fair Lawn resident Harry Krame says he checked out “The Family Book Of Verse” by Lewis Gannet from his school library when he was 13 and Lyndon Johnson was president. The now 65-year-old Krame found the book recently while cleaning out his basement and felt guilty about keeping it overdue for all those years. Memorial Middle School Vice Principal Dominick Tarquinio says a late fee at today’s rate would be about $2,000, but says the district will let it slide. School librarian Susan Murray says she plans to use the book for a display to teach students about returning books.
Answers next week.
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Have you WYSIWYG today?
We are in the digital age, and cameras, even smartphones, have just become so clever, it is almost as if the photographer is no longer needed. As a person who cannot handle the remote for the TV, I am involved in this Digital age, but I taught myself to WYSIWYG to improve my photos. So,exactlywhatisWYSIWYG (pronounced “wizziwig”)? It is the acronym for “What You See Is What You Get”! WYSIWYG works, but you have to train your eye to see critically what is really there, through the viewfinder. We all tend to ‘imagine’ what is in front of us, rather
than ‘seeing’ what is really there. Look at drawings of houses done by young children. Inevitably, there will be more than two walls. Children ‘know’ that houses have more than two walls, so draw houses accordingly. However, when you look at any house, from any angle, you can only see a maximum of two walls at one time. Small children do not use WYSIWYG. Unfortunately, neither do many photographers. Hands up all readers who have reviewed their images from the memory card and been disappointed? All of you, if you are telling the truth – and that includes me! What was wrong with those photos? Were there trees growing out of people’s heads, giving them strange reindeer ‘antlers’? Did some have such harsh shadows across the person’s face that you could not see the eyes, and in fact, the face looked
Dear Hillary, How do you keep up with all the tears that must come through your mail box? Every week another tale of doom and destruction, another house lost, and pig farms as well I read a couple of weeks ago. Or are you a victim as well? James Dear James, It’s easy, Petal. I save up all the tissues that come with the reporters’ take- aways and mop the mail box with them. Now as to your second question, yes I am a victim – I got ripped off at the local market by one stall holder who short changed me, but I didn’t know till I was counting my satangs that evening. Dear Hillary, You bleat on every week about not having any expensive French champagne. Why don’t you do what the rest of us do, and that is to drink the cheaper champagnes from Australia, Chile, Spain or Italy? Methode Champenoise Dear Methode Champenoise, You have answered it already in your ‘nom de plume’ my Petal. You obviously know of the restrictions on using the name “champagne”. The Champagne producers successfully lobbied the European Union to restrict the use of that term within the EU to wines produced from their region. Thus, wines from elsewhere cannot even use the term “méthode champenoise” on products sold in the EU, and instead the term “traditional method” (méthode traditionnelle) or the local language equivalent may be seen; for instance, in Germany the term used is “klassische flaschengärung”. South African wines from the Western Cape are labelled with the term “Methode Cap Classique”. However, consumers outside the
grotesque? Did some have the person so small in the picture that you cannot tell who they are? Shall I continue, or since you have probably ticked the box for “all of the above”, let’s not prolong the agony, but get down to what we have to do to fix the problem. The answer is very simply WYSIWYG, but you have to train yourself to ‘really’ see. We all know what we want to see in this once in a lifetime photo, but ignore the fact that what we are seeing in the viewfinder is not actually what we want. It’s the child and the house with three sides again. You have to train yourself to look critically at what is in the viewfinder before going ‘click’. This is actually harder than it seems. You have to scan the small viewfinder to see if there are trees growing out of people’s heads. You have to squint at the faces and see if shadows are
ugly. You have to be prepared to put the camera down and recompose the shot before clicking that shutter, remembering at all times that what the camera ‘sees’ is not necessarily the proportions you are seeing with the naked eye. That may sound a little weird, but it isn’t really. What the camera sees depends upon the lens you are using. The “standard” (50-55 mm) lens gives a field of view
EU may see “méthode champenoise” used on labels for products made outside of France. So for little people like me I would much rather drink the “real thing” than some other country’s copy. So, please send me the good stuff, that’s a nice chap. Dear Hillary, Do Thai women think differently from western women? Is the family really that important? The guys I drink with say that the neighborhood cat is higher up the tree than me, and I’m paying the bills. I’m only into the second month of this relationship and I’m starting to feel I’m being put upon. The hand is always out, and it is always for “family” problems. ATM? Dear ATM, Are you any good at running? Olympic standard 200 meter sprints. Time you lined up on the starting blocks young ATM (you must be young not to know about the family ladder and where you are on it – just don’t stand on the cat on your way up)! Dear Hillary, Why don’t these Thai girls kiss properly? You go to give them a nice sloppy kiss and instead of returning it, you get a sniff on the cheek, or even on the arm? That’s a bit off isn’t it? Everybody all over the world knows what a French kiss is, surely? Willie Dear Willie, Perhaps you have a problem with body odor and they are just checking. And do you brush your teeth three times a day? I don’t think I’d like sloppy kisses from someone who doesn’t have dental floss beside the bathroom sink. There
coverage approximately the same as the human eye, but the “wide angle” lenses (24 mm and 28 mm, are the common ones) give a distorted viewpoint compared to that seen by you. Likewise, the “long” lenses give a very narrow viewpoint compared to what you see with your own eyes. This is probably one of the best arguments for the use of SLR cameras, because when you look through the
viewfinder, in most DSLR’s you are actually looking through the lens. The compact cameras where you are not looking through the camera’s lens have a compensation for this, but it is a poor substitute. Who remembers which set of lines you are supposed to use as the edge of the shot when you are taking it? Nobody. 99 percent of serious photographers use SLR’s, and the main reason is WYSIWYG. Which brings me to the next important item. The Preview Button. Do you actually know where it is and how to use it? This is ‘real’WYSIWYG. Did you realize that when you look through the viewfinder, you are looking through the lens with the aperture wide open? But your shot may be recorded at f16. The preview button allows you to see at f16 exactly what will be on the final print. Use it! What you see is really going to be what you get!
is a big difference between French and Thai kisses. Just think yourself lucky you get any sort of show of affection. PS. Have you shown her your wallet? That might improve the kisses if the wallet is full enough! Dear Hillary, Can you tell me just what goes on in a Thai girl’s head? I have had this relationship with one of the girls in the local bar. If she wants a night off, I pay for her bar fine, and she comes home with me. We have a great time and I usually take her for som tam or something on the way. The other night I felt like seeing her, but when I went to the bar and suggested I pay bar for her she said no. I stayed for a while and then another farang came in and off she went off with him all lovey-dovey if you please. Are they all like this? I thought I had a pretty good understanding with the girl, but it must have meant nothing to her. Confused Dear Confused, Let me tell you like it is Petal, and you won’t be confused in the future. “This relationship” as you call it, is nothing like the “relationship” as she sees it. You are as free as the proverbial bird, come along, pick up, put down and here’s a bowl of noodles. And be thankful. She sees one customer who she can get to buy her out when she’s got no better offers. The other farang was probably offering two bowls of noodles. A much better business deal if everything else is equal. Your girl in the bar is a businesswoman, Mr. Confused. That’s where you are going wrong. Your relationship does not “mean nothing to her”. It represents an “off” for the evening and a bowl of som tam and some small change. No more, no less. Stop confusing business with pleasure.
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160 youths learn practices of 5 religions
VOL. XXVII No. 14
Bangkok, Pattaya churches host Bible camp
Participants in the youth Bible camp pose for a commemorative group photo.
The group’s first stop was Pattaya’s Sikh Temple.
Jetsada Homklin Jetsada Homklin More than 160 Bangkok youths learned about religious tolerance and co-existing peacefully at five-religion camp in Pattaya. The youths – followers of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism – were brought to Pattaya by the Culture Ministry’s Department of Religious Affairs to educate youngsters on the tenants and practices of other religions in hopes it will inspire unity and peace among believers of other religions. The group’s first stop March 25 was Pattaya’s Sikh Temple where Chairman Amarit Singh Karla spoke about Sikh doctrines and had the youths join in on chanting, eating a vegetarian meal together and learn about Sikh dress and lifestyle. Next stop was the Darul Ibadah Mosque were advisor Seree Makaudsa explained various Islamic practices, including the “brazukh” funeral rites. The youngsters remained in
Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, Hindu, and Sikhism youths gather to learn in harmony.
Churches in Pattaya and Bangkok organized a youth Bible camp focused on volunteering. Thanat Thammanukulthorn, assistant pastor of Mahachon Church Bangkok, and his Pattaya counterpart Rev. Petcharath Inkong hosted a March 27-29 getaway at the Baptist Conference Center Volunteerism was stressed, with the youths sweeping on Jomtien Beach Road. On the opening day, Phil- out across Jomtien Beach to pick up garbage and ippine pastor Amman Wells natural debris. Volunteerism also was stressed, Church officials said the spoke to the nearly 100 youngsters, mixing in parables from with the youths sweeping joint camp allows parishioners the Bible and showing car- out across Jomtien Beach to to developer closer ties and toons to teach life skills, prob- pick up garbage and natural gives kids a productive way lem-solving and creativity. debris. to spend their school break.
‘I want snow for Christmas:’ Students demand climate action Frank Jordans Youths from 5 religions participate in learning Islamic practices at Darul Ibadah Mosque, Pattaya.
Pattaya through March 28, making visits to the Christian Redemptorist Church, Hindu
Temple and Buddhist Yansangwararam Woramahawihan Temple.
Nongprue Kindergarten hosts graduation
Deputy Mayor Anak Pattanangam hands out diplomas during the Nongprue Kindergarten graduation celebration.
Warapun Jaikusol Pattaya-area tykes got their first diplomas as Nongprue Kindergarten celebrated graduation. Deputy Mayor Anak Pattanangam and school Principal Kitisak Sirilert handed out the certificates to the young students in
front of proud parents and subdistrict administrators March 26. Also receiving certificates were Grade 6 at the school, which teaches Kindergarten through primary. In all, 316 pupils graduated. The ceremony is meant to instill pride in learning and encourage kids to continue their studies.
Berlin (AP) - Thousands of students skipped school in Berlin last Friday as part of a growing worldwide youth movement demanding faster action against climate change. Carrying signs with slogans such as “I want snow for Christmas” and “The climate is changing, why aren’t we?”, the demonstrators gathered in a park near the capital’s main train station before marching through the government district. Police estimated the size of the crowd at more than 20,000. Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who inspired the protests in Germany and elsewhere by staging weekly “school strikes,” headlined the demonstration, joining others at the rally shouting: “What do we want? Climate justice. When do we want it? Now!” Later, taking the stage in front of the landmark Brandenburg Gate, the 16-year-old told the animated crowd that “older generations have failed tackling the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced.” “When we say to them we are worried about the future of our civilization, they just pat us on our heads and say everything will be fine, don’t worry,” she said. “But we should worry - we should panic - and by panic I don’t mean running around screaming; by panic I mean stepping out of our comfort zones because when you’re in a crisis you change your behavior.” The crowd applauded wildly and chanted “Greta, Greta” as she wrapped up her short speech and left the stage. Thunberg later met with scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, just outside the German capital. Some 26,000 scientists in German-speaking countries have signed a call in support of the protesting students in recent weeks. “The young people are right to say that this is about intergenerational justice,” said the Potsdam Institute’s director, Johan Rockstrom. “Science clearly shows that climate action today, or the lack thereof, defines the world our children and grandchildren will have to live in.”
The Berlin rally was one of more than 20 being held around the country. Protester Gabriele Konradi brought her 7year-old daughter Valerie to the protest and they were part of a group holding signs like “change the system, not the climate.” Valerie said she hoped “people will not produce so much garbage anymore.” The weekly “Fridays for Future” protests have been largely welcomed by German politicians, although some have criticized students for protesting during school time. One protester addressed the grievance with a sign saying: “I’ll go to school, if you keep the planet cool.” While Chancellor Angela Merkel has called the protests “a very good initiative,” many at the rally accused her government of failing to do enough to stop global warming. “Angela Merkel, do you climate homework!” read one sign. Environment Ministry spokesman Stephan Gabriel Haufe denied that Germany is dragging its feet on climate action, saying the government plans to pass a bill this year laying out new targets for each sector of the economy to reduce its emissions by 2030. Unless emissions of heat-trapping gases start dropping dramatically, scientists estimate that the protesters will be in their 40s and 50s, maybe even 30s, when the world will reach the dangerous levels of warming that international climate agreements are trying to prevent. Thunberg started last year holding solitary demonstrations outside the Swedish parliament to urge quicker, stronger actions to fight climate change. Inspired by her effort, the weekly protests have now snowballed from a handful of cities to hundreds, though many draw smaller crowds than took part Friday in Berlin. “The young people who are standing here and demonstrating everywhere in Germany now can definitely make a difference, and also will be seen by the politicians,” said Felix Osebold, a 19-year-old student protesting in Berlin. “It can’t be that nothing is happening.”
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Yorkies celebrating 20 years in Pattaya In 1999, A Yorkshire couple came to Thailand to start a new life, and a new business. Norman Denning, who had been a butcher for more than 45 years, running his own shop in Shipley, and Eileen, who herself had a butchers shop close by, decided they had had enough of the UK. They packed all their equipment into a container and shipped it out to Pattaya where they had rented a building on Beach Road in Jomtien. There they set about re-creating the butchery that they had back in Yorkshire. At the time, there was only one other couple making a few pies in Pattaya, but no-one was producing real English bacon, sausages, gammon and pies the way it was done in the UK, and other products that so many English ex-pats missed from home. So, after many weeks of finding the right supplies and ingredients, Norman and Eileen opened ‘Yorkies’ in May 1999, slowly developing a good customer base. After 10 years in Pattaya, they celebrated by raising money to build a much
needed school in Yasothon, North East Thailand. Eventually, Yorkies out grew the building on Beach Road, and in 2011, they relocated to new premises on Soi Chaiyapruek, adding a fresh new modern butchery and separate bakery, which now supplies many outlets such as restaurants and supermarkets around Thailand. Regretfully, Norman is no longer with us, passing away in 2012 and sadly never seeing his new butchery fully working, as he died suddenly, just days before
the factory was finished. Eileen pledged to keep the business running, and with the help and support of her hard working team, which had now become more like a family, and the dedication of her managers Noo and Ake, who had by now been with the company for more than 19 years, Yorkies have reached their 20th year, serving the customers both in Pattaya and around Thailand. So, from the 1st of April to the 31st of May, every customer spending 1,000B or more from the shop on Soi
Yorkies say a huge thank you to all past and present customers, most of whom have become firm friends of Yorkies, and look forward to the next 20years.
Norman Denning and Eileen opened Yorkies in May 1999.
Destination
ECONOMY PRICE FROM VALID .
LONDON/MUNICH
Chaiyapruek will be able to pick out a voucher ranging between 50B -250B to use against that purchase. We know that Norman is still watching over Yorkies and would be very proud to see how far the business has gone over the past 20 years.
BUSINESS PRICE FROM VALID .
EVA (LON) BRITISH (LON EDI MAN NCL GLA) EMIRATES (LON) EMIRATES (MUC) FINNAIR (MUC) KLM (MUC)
21600 15500 12000 10700 12000 12000
++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++
1Y 1Y ADV. 7D 2M ADV 5D 2M 1Y 3M
44500 ++ 80500 ++ 67500 ++
1Y (PREM) 1Y ADV. 5D
SWISSAIR (GVA) FINNAIR (DUB) SWISSAIR (FRA) LUFTHANSA (PAR)
12000 12500 12000 11000
++ ++ ++ ++
1Y 1Y 1Y 1Y
89500 59500 88000 78500
++ ++ ++ ++
1Y 1Y 1Y 1Y
THAI AIRWAYS GARUDA AIRLINES
15500 ++ 13300 ++
1M 10D
22500 ++
1M
16500 ++
1M
13400 ++ 21000 ++
1M 7D
29500 ++
1M
65000 ++
3M
25900 ++
3M
DUBLIN/GENEVA /FRANKFURT/PARIS
SYDNEY MELBOURNE BRISBANE/PERTH SINGAPORE/HONGKONG CATHAY (SINGAPORE) EMIRATES (HONG KONG) HONGKONG AIRLINES (HONGKONG) SINGAPORE AIRLINES (SINGAPORE)
++ ++ ++ ++
7D 1M 7D 14D
HONGKONG AIRLINES (NRT) THAI AIRWAYS (ICN,PUS) JAPAN AIRLINES (NRT/HND/OSA)
11000 ++ 13700 ++ 12800 ++
1M 1M 14D
ASIANA AIRLINES (LAX) CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES (LAX) HONGKONG AIRLINES (LAX)
17500 ++ 12000 ++ 16800 ++
1Y 6M 6M
SHANGHAI AIRLINES (SHA) SHENZEN AIRLINES (CAN)
8000 ++ 6000 ++
1M 1M
GULF AIR (CAI)
8500 ++
3M
VIETNAM AIRLINES (HAN,SGN) BANGKOK AIRWAYS (PHU QUOC)
3000 ++ 6500 ++
JAPAN/KOREA USA
CHINA
AFRICA
VIETNAM
6200 6500 6000 6400
3M 14D ADV 3D
FARES SHOWN ARE INFORMATIONAL AND SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. " ++ " DENOTES TAXES & SURCHARGES AND NOT INCLUDED IN THE FARES. VISIT US FORLATEST ALL INCLUSIVE OPTIONS. FARES AND CONDITIONS MAY CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTOCE
Eileen, her managers Noo and Ake, and all the team at Yorkies would like to thank everyone who has continued to support them over the past 20 years, friends, clients and the media. In particular, the Pattaya Mail who was the first to publish an article
about Yorkies giving them the publicity they needed to start Yorkies on their road to success. To all our past and present customers, most of whom have become firm friends of Yorkies, we say a huge thank you and look forward to the next 20years.
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VOL. XXVII No. 14
Out of the limelight
Albert Roussel.
Right, let’s kick off with a test. I’ll give you a list of composers and we’ll see how many names you recognise. Here they are: Adalbert Gyrowetz, Johannes Matthias Sperger, Dmitry Bortniansky, Leopold Kozeluch, Etienne Ozi, Justin Heinrich Knecht, Artemy Vedel and Johann Georg Lickl.
Ring any bells? Probably not. But don’t feel inadequate, because if I gave that list to some professional musicians, I bet most of them wouldn’t recognise the names either. And just in case you’re wondering, those composers were born between the years 1750 and 1770 and were therefore contemporaries of
Mozart and Haydn. The online encyclopedia Wikipedia lists nearly two hundred other long-forgotten composers who were born during the same period. They may seem an obscure bunch today but in their time, some of them were celebrities in the musical world. Take the curiously-named Adalbert Gyrowetz for example. He spent much of his time travelling around Europe and wrote over thirty operas, sixty string quartets, sixty symphonies and about forty piano trios. He was born in the Czech city of Budìjovice, also known as Budweis. And yes, you guessed – the city is famous for Budweiser Bier which has been brewed there since the thirteenth century. Adalbert may well have had a few swigs himself to sustain him through those sixty symphonies. It’s safe to say that there are hundreds, if not thousands more obscure composers than there are famous ones. Some of them faded into obscurity because their music wasn’t compelling enough to stand the test of time. Some fell out of fashion. Many are waiting to be rediscovered. One problem is that despite the hundreds of concert halls in the world, there simply aren’t enough to find performance opportunities for all these composers. And as concert promoters realize, people are more likely
to attend a concert if there’s something familiar on offer. Unless they are rediscovered, Adalbert Gyrowetz and his contemporaries really don’t have much of a chance. This week marks the birthdays of two composers who are not exactly obscure, but are currently a bit out of the limelight. They were both born on 5 th April though eighty-five years apart.
Louis Spohr (17841859): Clarinet Concerto No 1 in C minor, Op 26. Aron Chiesa (clt), Brussels Philharmonic cond. Antonio Saiote (Duration: 20:37; Video: 720p HD) Louis Spohr (SHPAW) was a forward-thinking individual as well as a respected violinist and c o n d u c t o r. Around 1820, he invented the violin chin-rest which today is standard equipment on violins and violas. As a conductor he was one of the first to use a baton. He also invented “rehearsal letters”, which are used to this day as reference points in every musical score and corresponding instrumental parts. This is why, at orchestral rehearsals, you’ll often hear the conductor announce for example, “Let’s go from Letter D”. Spohr wrote
more violin concertos than any other composer of the time and he also composed four clarinet concertos. This concerto was written during 1808 and 1809 after Spohr had performed Mozart’s clarinet concerto with the German virtuoso Johann Simon Hermstedt. Spohr was so impressed that he decided to write one himself. He evidently wanted to write a concerto free from the artificial bravura which was popular of the time. The work is in the usual three-movement format and contains some lovely melody writing. The slow movement is lyrical and reflective and leads into the light yet technically-demanding last movement. Stylistically the music is quiet conservative and unlike many classical works, the finale just fades away, instead of ending with the conventional loud chords.
Albert Roussel (1869-1937): Bacchus et Ariane Suite No 2, Op 43. Brussels Philharmonic cond. Stéphane Denève (Duration: 18:26; Video: 480p) Roussel is one of the few composers who originally
worked on board a ship for the French Navy, a duty which briefly brought him to Asia. In later years, many of his musical works reflected his fascination with distant or exotic places. He turned to music composing as an adult and became one of the most prominent French musicians of the interwar period. This colourful work dates from 1930, when he was also working on his Third Symphony. You can clearly hear occasional hints of Ravel and Stravinsky but perhaps it’s unfair to make comparisons because Roussel has a distinctive musical voice of his own. This eight-movement suite comes from his ballet of the same name and much of the music is infectious and dance-like. Sometimes it’s like listening to a film soundtrack. For anyone unfamiliar with the colourful, exotic music of Roussel, this would be a splendid place to start. It’s a shame we hear so little of his music these days. If anyone deserves to be rediscovered, it is he.
To watch these YouTube videos, either use your Smartphone to read the QR codes or go to this article online, click on the “live” links and go direct to the videos. If you have a laptop, sound quality can be improved significantly by using headphones or external speakers.
Barry Lopez looks for hope beyond the ‘Horizon’ Rob Merrill Part travel journal, part history, part science lecture, part autobiography, and completely unique, “Horizon” feels like the crowning achievement of Barry Lopez’s illustrious career. Fans of his award-winning “Arctic Dreams” (1986) and subsequent books about little understood landscapes, cultures and wildlife will find much to love here. Readers who have never read Lopez might be better served reading one of his single-topic tomes first. At 512 pages, this book is dense. It’s divided into six main parts based on the geography of Lopez’s lifelong travels — western Oregon, the High Arctic, the Galapagos, Kenya, Australia and Antarctica. There are maps that help readers visualize where our peripatetic narrator is at any given time, but not much else in the way of context. Lopez admits in the prologue that he consciously chose to simply tell stories, not explain any “juxtapositions in time,” but it would have provided readers with helpful perspective to know more about his life circumstances during any given trip.
The resulting feel of the book is fragmented — perhaps intentionally mirroring the way memory works? — with passages about the power of music to “pry something ineluctable out of a particular landscape” (listening to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony on Skraeling Island, 660 nautical miles from the North Pole) just 20 pages removed from a technical explanation of how the Antarctic Moon and Neutrino Detector Array at the South Pole works. Each of the chapters is jammed with stories and personal reflections. Lopez, perhaps more than any other nature writer alive, is introspective to his core. Every experience, every sight, every person he meets, has made an impression on him and unlike most of us he kept notes. This book is his attempt to look back on it all and say something about the world we share. Whether you personally lean toward the cynical or hopeful, one thing is certain — we need adventurous, curious souls like Lopez to keep traveling and bringing back stories from beyond our particular horizon — in order to find our way forward as a species, together. (AP)
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Down’n’Outz: ‘Live at the Hammersmith Odeon 2009’
mott@pattayamail.com When Mott The Hoople reformed for 5 nights at the Hammersmith Odeon in a freezing cold November in 2009, the support bands were different every night. But on the final evening the audience was in for a real treat. Long time Mott The Hoople and fan Joe Elliott, of Def Leppard fame, had formed a band for a one off appearance playing the songs from
Mott The Hoople’s subsidiary bands such as Ian Hunters solo work, The British Lions, and Mott. He pulled some golden threads and got some of the best musicians in the business (from The Quireboys, Raw Glory, and The Union) to join him for this one off celebration. The song selection for their 45 minute set was faultless opening up with a thundering version of “Golden Opportunity”, the first track on Ian Hunter’s “Overnight Angels” album from 1977 and which allowed the musicians to stretch out and show their intent. Next up is the gritty title track from that album, with Joe Elliott living the dream as he spits out the vocals.
The British Lions song “One More Chance to Run” follows and includes a name check to John Fiddler, who wrote the song and was in the audience. Morgan Fisher, the keyboard player for Mott the Hoople, Mott, and the British Lions was also in the audience, turning it all into a real rock ’n’ roll family party.
Joe Elliott performs with the Down’n’Outz.
The band then blasts into the aptly titled “Storm” and by now the individual members have got their collective grip on the music and everything is pulling in unison.
Mongolian students bring ‘Carousel’ to Pattaya school Mark Beales
Students from English School Mongolia (ESM) perform the musical ‘Carousel’ at GIS.
A group of students from Mongolia visited the Pattaya area recently to stage a production of the hit musical “Carousel”. More than 60 students and staff from the English School Mongolia (ESM) visited Garden International School (GIS) and put on a show for students in Year 5 and above in the Main Hall. Every year, ESM stages a theatre production in the State Opera House, and then tours with it. This year they decided to tour Thailand and as their Principal, Mr. Hill, knows the GIS Principal, Mrs. Hawtree, through the
Students perform one of the dance numbers from ‘Carousel’.
There were some moving performances from the ESM students.
The costumes and performances in the show were amazing.
Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA), it was agreed they would bring their show to Ban Chang. “Carousel” is a tragic love story and the GIS students thoroughly enjoyed watching the show and meeting the performers. GIS is based in Ban Chang near Pattaya. (Photos by Ritche Guisona)
The three-guitar attack, heavy drum and bass and pitch perfect harmonies all rock like a hurricane. My own personnel favorite track follows next, a rampaging version of Mott’s “Shouting and Pointing” and just when you thought it couldn’t get any better than that, Spike is brought out to sing lead vocals on “Career (No Such Thing As Rock’n’Roll)” and he hits it right on the button, with blistering guitar solos backing him up. From here on it’s rock ’n’ roll all the way; “England Rocks” and the final number “Good Times” raise the roof of the good old Odeon . It left a great big hole on the stage for Mott the Hoople to follow this, but they finally did bring the audience back on their side.
Of course this was not the only outing for the Down’n’Outz, they were too good a band to be just brushed away, so whenever their schedules permit and the planets align, they are dusted down and out they go again. The band have already released two studio albums and another Live album is coming. Ronnie Garrity, the original bass player, found his schedule to be just too hectic and bowed out a year or so ago to be replaced by the voluptuous black leather glad Share Ross from Vixen, which certainly gives the band a very appealing live presence. Track List: Golden Opportunity Overnight Angels One More Chance To Run Storm Shouting and pointing Career Who Do You Love By Tonight England Rocks Good Times Down’n’Outz: Joe Elliott - lead vocals and guitar Phil Martin - drums Ronnie Garrity/Share Ross - bass guitar Keith Weir – keyboards Guy Griffin - guitar Paul Guerin - guitar Spike (lead vocals on “Storm”)
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VOL. XXVII No. 14
Rangers free 6 trapped baby elephants in Thailand
Thap Lan National Park rangers prepare to extract six baby elephants stuck in a muddy pond in northeastern Thailand. (Department of Natural Park, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation via AP)
Video of the great elephant escape released by the Department of National Parks shows the animals climbing out of the muck and quickly heading into the forest, a few dozen meters away. (Department of Natural Park, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation via AP)
Bangkok (AP) - Six baby elephants, trapped in a mud hole and separated from their parents, have been rescued by a team of park rangers in northeastern Thailand. The rangers came across the elephant calves on Wednesday March 27 as they were struggling to climb the pit’s slippery banks, according to officials of Thap Lan National Park. Some of the rangers went for help, while others spent the night with the baby elephants. On Thursday, as the elephants wallowed together at one side of the pit, rangers at the other side spent four hours using hoes and pickaxes to dig out enough
Park rangers took five hours to dig out a path to save six elephant calves after they were found trapped in a muddy pond. (Department of Natural Park, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation via AP)
mud to form a ramp. Video of the great elephant escape released by the Department of National Parks shows the animals climbing out of the muck and quickly heading into the forest, a few dozen meters away. The rangers cheer the elephants on, with comments like “Go, go on, child!” One elephant struggles, slips and falls, but finally all make it out of the muck. The last of the animals then lingers, after all the others have made it past the tree line. It faces the rang-
ers for a moment, turns, pauses and finally runs into the jungle. “Gone, they’re gone,” cries a ranger, as the rescue crew comes together to celebrate. Park chief Prawatsart Chantep said there were signs that a herd of elephants believed to be related to the trapped infants was circling the area. Elephants are the official national animal of Thailand, and for a time graced the country’s flag when it was still called Siam.
But they do have their dark side. Development has sharply reduced their natural habitat and shrunk their numbers. They are notorious for raiding farmers’ fields for food, especially sugar cane. Several people are killed each year by angry elephants. Last November, a driver on a road near another park in the northeast struck the hind legs of one when it wandered out of the jungle at dusk. The animal responded by stomping on the car, destroying the engine and killing the driver.
Thai Election Commission blames software for counting errors Kaweewit Kaewjinda Bangkok (AP) - Thailand’s Election Commission said that computer software was partly to blame for inconsistent and delayed vote totals from last month’s general election. During early reporting of the election results, its tabulation software had trouble handling data entered simultaneously from several points and sometimes displayed incorrect numbers, the commission said in a statement as it faced criticism over lack of transparency. Several political activists have started a petition to impeach the election commissioners. On Thursday, March 28, the commission issued a 208-page compilation of votes in every constituency in response to criticism, but some tallies still failed to add up correctly.
In this Sunday, March 24, 2019, an officer counts ballots in the general election after closing a polling station in Bangkok. Thailand’s Election Commission said that 100 percent of the votes from the recent general election had been counted and a party allied with the ruling junta has won the most votes, though the results are not yet official. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
The commission’s figures show the party supporting the current military junta had the most popular votes, trailed by its main challenger, the party ousted by the military in a 2014 coup.
The military-backed Palang Pracharath Party supports Prayuth Chan-ocha to continue as the country’s leader. As army commander, he led the 2014 coup and has since served as prime
In this Wednesday, March 27, 2019, file photo, Pheu Thai party’s candidate for prime minister Sudarat Keyuraphan left, and Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, right, smile during a press conference in Bangkok. Seven political parties led by the flagship party loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have come together in a coalition to try to form Thailand’s next government, even though the results of the general election will be formally announced only on May 9. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
minister and junta chief. The main challenger is the Pheu Thai Party, associated
with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 coup.
Pheu Thai’s candidate for prime minister is Sudarat Keyuraphan, who has charged there were irregularities in the election. On her Facebook page last Friday, she described alleged tampering with ballots. Pheu Thai announced that it had assembled a coalition of parties that would hold a majority of seats in the House of Representatives. But because an appointed Senate also votes to pick the new prime minister, a majority in the lower house alone would not put them in power. The Senate members are indirectly appointed by the ruling junta, and are virtually certain to back Prayuth for prime minister. Disqualifications and other rulings by the Election Commission ahead of May 9, when it is supposed to formalize the election results, may also affect how the new government is formed.
VOL. XXVII No. 14
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CMA class 28 at Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya
Supatra Chirathivat (4th right), Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs & Social Responsibilities of Centara Hotels and Resorts welcomes executives of the Capital Market Academy (CMA). They included (l-r) Somsak Chotirattanasiri, Director of the Budget Bureau, Narong Lertkitsiri, CEO of Konaka (Thailand), Admiral Pichet Tanaset, Chief of Staff (COS), RTN Royal Thai Navy, Dr. Chaiyawat Wibulswasdi, Chairman of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Supatra Chirathivat, Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs & Social Responsibilities of Centara Hotels and Resorts, Pravit Chitnarapong, President and chief executive of Black Canyon (Thailand) and Somchai Assavaseranee, CEO of Nature Best Food Co., Ltd.
FRIDAY APRIL 5, 2019 17
Honda LPGA 2019 professional golfers at Dusit Thani Pattaya
Neoh Kean Boon, General Manager of Dusit Thani Pattaya, recently welcomed Thai professional golfers on the US-based LPGA Tour, Pornanong Phatlum as well as two pros who joined the Honda LPGA tour: Ariya Jutanugarn, who recently returned to the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings, and Moriya Jutanugarn, who won the Hugel-JTBC LA Open last April. The hotel has been the official partner to the prestigious ladies golfing events since 2009 and continued with the 13th edition of the Honda LPGA Thailand 2019.
Ben regales renowned pianist at Yupins Restaurant
Vietnamese beauty queens at Avani Pattaya
Somsak Tanruengsri, GM of Avani Pattaya Resort & Spa welcomed Miss Vietnam Universe Ambassador 2018 contestants to the resort recently. Miss Mai Thi Ngoc Hiep (7th right) proved to be the most beautiful on all counts and was declared the winner.
Souled Out proceeds presented to Baan Jing Jai
Ben Hansen (right) of Ben’s Theatre is a regular visitor at Yupins Restaurant and he loves to wine and dine with his much-admired performers. In this instance Ben kindly entertained a famous and gifted lady pianist Regina Albrink, in collaboration with the Dutch Society Pattaya. Regina gave a series of performances at Ben’s Theatre and they were all a sell-out. Her skills at the piano were shown to be of the very top order in the world of music and were appreciated by all those who were lucky enough to witness them. And two hours of play in one show was all done from memory. Totally amazing. Sitting next to Regina Albrink is Klaas Hofstra. Ben is one of the greatest organisers of musical performances in Thailand. Call him on 0899833351. Or Line benben.
THAI launches Warehouse Management System campaign
Happy children of the Baan Jing Jai surround Eva Johnson who was there to present 54,000 baht to assist the home with their expenses. This amount was raised at the recent Souled Out Charity Concert held at the Lion Pub. Eva said “This is what Souled Out charity events are all about, raising funds for the orphaned and abused children in Pattaya.”
Varangkana Luerojvong (5th left), Managing Director, Catering Department, Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI), presided over the official launch of Warehouse Management System Campaign (WMS) organized under the theme “Thai Catering Warehouse Technology Showcase 2019” at the THAI Catering Department, Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The WMS campaign has been implemented to help enhance THAI Catering’s warehouse management capability. The system offers greater accuracy in inventory control and product information reliability through effective information analysis and operational planning process improvement.
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VOL. XXVII No. 14
When Cruising is more than Cruising –– Here she blows! compact. Compare Bangkok at a bulging 1569 sq km with the ship’s 300 meter length, 50 meter width and 13 deck heights (only about 1/5th of a sq km!). But everything is there with walking or elevator length. The key to any city and the ability to navigate it is access. A ship has that in spades, but most would agree who have been there, Bangkok does not. Even though the BTS and MRT try, Bangkok is just too big. To illustrate this important concept, Roger talked about his previous weekend’s trip to BKK for the Whiffenpoofs concert at
A rose-red cruise liner.
Member Roger Fox gave the third episode of his talks on the subject of cruising. In the first he had concentrated on the inclusivity of cruising sighting that, not only do you get a luxury room on a ship and more food than you can possibly eat or think, but the surroundings are first class, the entertainment is world class so that the terrific stops become almost an afterthought. He did give a tongue in cheek warning that cruising can be addictive and had a clear example to prove it! During what he calls his honeymoon phase Roger was amazed at this concept and the extraordinary value of it. If you liked that surf and turf meal because it was
so grand … then get another one. Wonderful clams! New England clam chowder was served one night and Roger’s raving about it not only got him another that night but the waiter held back an additional cup for the next night when it was not on the menu. Such is the service that goes with everything on the cruise. So what is the secret to the great success of cruising and its exponential rise in the holiday market? Roger posed his theory on this. As transportation a ship is a very hefty mode. This was explained by comparing an Airbus 380, the largest passenger plane flying, with an average size cruise liner. The plane weighed in at a mere 510 tons compared to the
town, climbed a lot of steps, walked a lot, ate 5 so-so meals but, and here is the main point, he left his senior (therefore half price) MRT card at home. By the time he realized this he was on the bus to BKK and there was no returning to get it. “Forgot my glasses once on a ship at dinner, so I excused myself for the 10 minute round trip walk back to my cabin to retrieve them, then on with the night! After dinner a 10 minute leisurely walk to the evening show, and after that to another entertainment venue. Access is the key, and if after a torrid day of activities on board I want to take a break … a five minute walk back to my room to lie back on my pillow top mattress, which has been made up since breakfast and will be again in the evening, then I can do it,” Roger says.
Roger continued by highlighting three special cruises he had experienced: snorkeling at St Thomas, Nagasaki (as an example of a ship stopping right in town – walk off the ship and you are there), and Alaska where a friend talked him into an add-on cruise that turned out to be the best cruise in his cruising life, due the sheer glory of the stops. The heart of the talk came when Roger shared the special highs he has sought and experienced on board ships at precise times and places. For a description of these specials, the reader of this article will have to go to the Youtube video of the PCEC meeting of the 24th. It will be worth your time to do it. In the meantime try a cruise … love it or hate it, it’s the best money value vacation ever.
Did I mention the food?
ships weight of 91,000 tons or the equivalent of 178 A380s. That is a staggering, mind-blowing difference. Thought of as a city, the ship is complete but very
the Sukesol hotel. Leaving on Friday AM and returning Sat PM, he spent 32 hours away from home, spent $82, took 4 baht bus rides, 2 long bus rides, 8 train rides in
So, listen carefully now. The big secret is ...
VOL. XXVII No. 14
Articles For Sale/Rent As611/01-52/ Pattaya Mail Cartoonist Michael Baird (M.J.B.) has 3 brand new cartoon E-Books out. These and his other 10 cartoon E-Books can be bought from www. amazon.co.uk or www. booksmango.com. You will now be able to see all of Mike’s cartoons in FULL COLOUR. His 3 new Kindle E-Books are “Pattaya Cartoon Memories”, “Ladyboy Book 3” and “Pattaya Unforgettable Memories”. These cartoons are for grownups and would be unique gifts. You never know - You might see yourself in them!
Articles/Services Wanted Aw01/01-52/ Missionary in Rayong sponsoring Little Duck Nursery needs help. Please - Any unwanted items
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you have would be appreciated. (Eng) Rev Stephen 086 600 5682, (Thai) 0875 381 586
Businesses for Sale or Rent Bop05/11-15/ For Sale: Operating bar and restaurant at lake Mapbrachan.Approx. 150sqm with pool table (recently refurbished), fully stocked, rent 13,000 Baht/ month (no key money): The price 850,000 Baht, is open to negotiation. E-Mail: chrohente@gmail.com Bop04/14-52/ Big Thai restaurant on busy Soi in Pratumnak; 52 seats, guest toilets, 1 bathroom, 2 bedrooms, WiFi; 700,000 THB (298) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www. gopropertythailand.com Bop03/14-52/ Commercial shop located in VIEWTALAY condominium Jomtien Beach, ground floor; business space 47sqm; 1 bathroom, terrace;
WiFi; security 7/24h; parking for clients, 2,495,000 THB (246) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www. gopropertythailand.com Bop02/14-52/ Warehouse on Huay Yai Road, 4 big halls on 1.5 Rai (2,400sqm), 8 toilets, air-condition; perfect for all kind of business. 20,000,000 THB (331) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www.gopropertythailand.com
Notices No02/11-20/ Pattaya Panthers Rugby Club is looking to recruit new players. All ages and abilities welcome to come to training nights every Thursday at Horseshoe Point in east Pattaya from 7pm – 8.30pm. For more information, go to Pattaya Panthers page on Facebook. No01/11-20/ Looking for a game of snooker with a retired ex-professional UK snooker player? Tel. Mike on 089 152 3202
Pets Pets03/01-52/ Homeless puppies available for adoption to warm and caring homes! All puppies are healthy, vaccinated and acclimated to people. If you are looking for a friend for life, just call 088 402 6772 or e-mail to karin@carefordogs.org. Pets02/01-52/ **Free Cats and Kittens** We are still trying to find loving homes for over 40 cats and kittens. Please check the pictures on our website or ring Sandra. Call 085 287 5004 http:/ cats4youinpattaya.webs.com
Property for Rent Houses, Villas Prb02/14-18/ Bungalow for Rent, one Bedroom, 2 Baths, living dinning pantry area unfurnished, in Soi Nernplubwan, Mabyailia 17
Pattaya Emergency Numbers Pattaya Call Center ................................ 1337 Police Station .......................................... 191 - Pattaya ................................................... 038 424 186 - Banglamung ......................................... 038 221 800-1 Highway Police ....................................... 038 392 001 Fire Brigade ............................................. 199 Pat. Int. Hopsital ..................................... 038 428 374-5 Bkk-Pat Hospital ..................................... 038 259 911 TAT Central Office: Region 3 Pattaya . 038 428 750 Tourist Police ......................................... 038 429 371, 1155 . .................................................................. 038 410 044 (FAX)
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off Sukhumvit 53. 10 minutes from Pattaya Beach. Rent: 6,500 baht/month. More detail: 081-653-1950, E- mail: juanitareed@hotmail.com or Line ID: 081-653-1950 Prb01/09-22/ TOWNHOUSE, Off Soi Khaotalo, Like new, quiet, safe, two bedroom, one bathroom, patio, carport, Thai kitchen, air-conditioned, FULLY FURNUSHED, Guarded Subdivision, Communal Pool, One Year Lease Minimum, B9,500. Monthly, B19,000. Security Deposit. English, 087-805-5276
Condos, Apartments Prc218/10-19/ Royal Park Luxury Service Apartments and penthouse suite, Jomtien: starting at 15,000 baht/month. 56-70sqm, one bedroom, large living area with balcony and European kitchen, Free internet. Enjoy our rooftop swimming pool. Short walk to the beach.
VOL. XXVII No. 14
Monthly and daily rentals, Contact 086 111 7414 or check on our website www.royalparkjomtien.com to see why we are number 1 in Jomtien
Property for Sale Houses, Villas Psb03/14-52/ New reformed City Villa in the heart of Pattaya; close to 3rd Road/ LK Hotel; walking distance to Soi Bokhao; 120sqm living space; land approx. 150sqm; 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room, kitchen; fully furnished; 2 new Flat TVs; 3 aircons; big storeroom; garden, carport & parking; NO THROUGH ROAD- very quite; 3,950,000 THB (284) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www.gopropertythailand.com Psb02/14-52/ Luxury Pool Villa in Soi Siam Country Club, close to Mabprachan Reservoir, well maintained, fully furnished, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 living room + dining area, air-condition, living space 320 sqm, land size 500 sqm, European kitchen, Thai kitchen, washing machine, salt water pool, Jacuzzi, electric gate, parking for 2 cars, community pool, 24h security; 5,900,000 THB, Rent 38,000 per month (348) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www. gopropertythailand.com Psb01/14-52/ House located on Thappraya Road, PattayaJomtien; land size 372sqm, living space 250sqm; fully furnished; 1 living room; 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, European kitchen; garden; security 7/24h; community pool; parking; close 10 Baht Taxi Route, restaurants, bars, supermarket, laundry, 8,300,000 THB (281) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www.gopropertythailand.com
Condominiums Psc100/13-17/ Porchland Condo in Jomtien, Owner Sale: One bedroom, 48m2, 8th Floor, high quality. All included. 2.1 Million Baht. Info: 087 138 3523 Psc99/11-15/ Condo for sale 32sqm: 750,000 baht. Offer includes furniture, in a prime location. Contact 096 3979541
Psc98/14-52/ Studio, close to TUCOM, City location; 46sqm; 2nd floor; fully furnished; living-bedroom; bathroom, kitchen; large balcony; 24/7 security; reception; community pool; car park; 1,050,000 THB; (286) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www.gopropertythailand.com Psc97/14-52/ Studio located close to Jomtien Beach Soi 7and‘RhompoNightMarket’,3rd floor; living space 47sqm; fully furnished; 1 living-bedroom; 1 bathroom, kitchenette; terrace; WiFi; security 7/24hrs; fitness gym; community pool; garage; restaurants, bars, supermarket, laundry; 1,600,000 THB; (248) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www. gopropertythailand.com Psc96/14-52/ Studio in Jomtien with sea views, 47sqm, Thappraya Road, 1 living-bedroom, 1 bathroom, kitchen; well maintained, 24h security; car parking, laundry, air-condition, fully furnished, big balcony, fitness
gym, community pool, close to 10-Baht Taxi Route, supermarket, bus station, massage shops, restaurants; 2,600,000 THB; (375) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www.gopropertythailand.com
Land for Sale P05/14-18/ If you are looking for the perfect building plot to build your dream home then this is it! It is a fraction under half a Rai, fully walled with more blocks used than will be used to build your home and in an exclusive private estate. Access is through an electronic gate to a private a road with drainage already installed. 3phase electricity is also installed and ready to be connected. There is nothing more to be spent except to build your dream home. Price is 3 million Baht. This is cheap as you will find that the normal price in this area is 6 million per Rai for just open land. Tel. 086 101 1341 - Thai and English spoken.
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P04/11-15/ Land for sale, 118 Tarang-wah, location near Chaknok Lake. Contact 096 3979541 P03/14-52/ 4 Rai land located 45m along Sukhumvit Road, close NONG NOOCH BOTANIC GARDEN; total land size 4 Rai, 134sq-wah; 1 Rai solo: 35,000,000 THB, 4 Rai in total: 120,000,000 THB (321) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www. gopropertythailand.com P02/14-52/ 3,25 Rai land close Huay Yai Road with 600sqm big house 19,950,000 THB; GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www. gopropertythailand.com P01/14-52/ 1,150sqm land for sale in the town of Bang Saray, (288sqw), few minutes’ drive to the beach, can build up to 7 floors. 27,000,000 THB (329) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www. gopropertythailand.com
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Services Provided Sp05/14/ PLANS DRAWN: Design & Construction: Condo Remodeling.Tel. 085-083-4221
Vehicles for Sale/Rent Vc02/14/ Jay’s Rent A Car: Toyota’s & Honda’s. All top of the range, for your safety all serviced by Toyota/Honda, all have A.B.S./airbags + 1st class rental Insurance. Rent the best. Please ring for details: (Thai) 084-8655102 or (Eng) 085-283-4915 Vc01/14/ For Sale: BMW 320d GT Sport (Automatic) sedan: 2.0 million baht (o.n.o.). Year 2014, mileage not over 49,500km, excellent condition, well maintained & Serviced at BMW, Mag Rims & Kumho tyres, include spares 4 sets original BMW Mag Rims & Run-Flat tyres. Call Christine on 081-996-0708 (English)
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VOL. XXVII No. 14
Truelove does the double so the later tee offs probably had some advantage. Despite the inclement conditions, there were still some good scores, none better than a spectacular 43 points from Steve Truelove (12). Steve shot 77 to also win the Low Gross, plus got the Long Drive on 18, for a really astounding day. The minor placings in the A flight went to Brad Jordison (10), to go with his maximum 2 technicals, while Daniel Grob (13) beat Sam Torkkeli 20/16 Steve Truelove.
The March PAGS monthly tournament saw 94 players, including 6 ladies, tee off in the rain at Laem Chabang on March 25. Nearly 40 other prospective players could
Ewa Nilsson (left) collects her prize.
not see the rain clearing, so opted for not starting their round, and went home. The 94 hardy souls battled around the A & B combination, with preferred lies on
the closely mown surfaces being the order of the day. Greens rolled smoothly but were very firm, even with the rain to soften them up. The rain cleared about 11:30am
on countback after both signed for 35 points. In the B Flight (14–21), Daniel Isaramart (14) led the way with a solid 40 points, to go with his approach on #12 prize. The silver position went to Hans-Georg Bufe (19) with 38 points, while Per Lovegren (19) did enough for 36 points and 3rd spot. C Flight for handicaps 22 and above was won clearly by Dan Margetts (26) with a strong 40 points. Birger Karlsson (33) showed
glimpses of good form to record 37 points to secure 2nd place, with Thomas-Joerg Leuscher (24) signing for 35 points and the bronze medal position. Ewa Nilsson (33) played well in the conditions to complete her round with 38 points, and a win in the Ladies division. Honourable mentions go out to Ville Korri and Jack Slowlak who both secured the maximum number of 2 technical prizes.
Butler sails home at Navy The Jomtien Golf Society
Younger etches his name into history PSC Golf from The Growling Swan Monday, March 25, Greenwood Stableford Only seven players today and Greenwood Golf Course was the destination. As we arrived at the course, the rain hit us and I mean it really came down. After a short delay of about 45min we were ready to get underway, there were not many on the course so we were allowed by the starter to proceed. We attacked from the yellow tees (given the rain and what we thought would stop any chances of the ball running) and courses C & B in that order. As you would expect the rain was good for the course and did not upset our game. The course was in good nick, as you would expect nothing other than that from this venue. Fairways were in great shape the greens played true but a little slow, bunkers clean and raked. We would play one flight only and returning to the winner’s circle for the first time in a little while was Captain Alex Field, his 36 points being enough to put him out in front by a couple of points.
Thursday, March 28, Pattavia - Stroke 1st Steve Younger (13) 63 net 2nd Sean Miller (31) 66 net
Harry Vincenzi with Tony Molloy and Per Forsberg.
Monday, March 25, Khao Kheow Stableford Steve Younger and Sean Millar, with Buffalo Bill looking over the top.
3rd Takeshi Hakozaki (12) 67 net 4 th Patrick Poussier (28) 67 net Near Pins: Keith Buchanan, Takeshi Hakozaki, Bill Steinmann, Steve Younger. Long Putt: Patrick Poussier, Bill Steinmann. Twenty golfers set out in two buses and a couple of cars to deliver us to Pattavia Golf Course for monthly mug day. This is a good course that is priced sensibly and once again it was in tip top condition: fairways were excellent, bunkers were clean and raked and if you asked most of our golfers the greens were a little
slower than normal. We took the course on from the yellow tees and with one flight only, which saw Steve Younger topped with an excellent round of golf. Steve’s net 63 gave him his 4 th monthly mug and put him out ahead in the all time list of mug winners. Second home was Sean Millar, still struggling with a bad back, but playing well enough to post a net 66. Third and fourth went to the countback, with Takeshi Hakozaki having the better back-nine to finish third ahead of Patrick Poussier who filled the last spot on the podium.
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Two divisions out today with the equal cut at 7-16 and 17 and as we teed off there were a few spots of rain, but apart from a small delay at the first drinks stop we managed to get around mainly unscathed by the weather. Ron Miller returned the best score of the day, winning division 1 with 35 points. Paul Young was second on 30 and Tony Molloy finished third on 29. Joseph Toner with 31 points topped division 2, with Willy Van Heetvelde coming in second after beating Kari Aarnio on a 20/17 back nine countback after two 28’s. There were only four winners out of eight today in the near pins, Bob Comartin, Ron Miller and Mick Werner in division 1 and Ian Plummer in division 2.
Willy Van Heetvelde recorded the only 2 of the day to scoop the division 2 rollover pot.
Wednesday, March 27, Plutaluang Stableford East and West nines were the challenge today at the Thai Navy course as there was a major shotgun start competition on the North and West nines. Paul Butler topped the podium, winning with 38 points while Dennis Scougall was second on 36, Harry Vincenzi third with 35, Per Forsberg fourth on 34 and in fifth place came John Carlin with 33 points. Near pins went to (Div 1) Bob Comartin, Nik Evans, Per Forsberg and Dennis Scougall, and (Div 2) Paul Butler, John Carlin and Harry Vincenzi. There were no 2s today.
Friday, March 29, Eastern Star Stableford The highest turnout of the week with an almost identical cut as of Monday and Per Forsberg returned the best score of the day to win division 1 with 35 points. Colin Aspinall came second with 34, Ron Miller was third on 32 and Paul Young took fourth place after beating Richard Goodwyn 15/14 after two scores of 30 points were returned. Glyn Evans won division 2 with 34 points, Ron Lavett was second on 32 and Tony Thorne beat Joseph Toner for third on a 18/16 back nine countback after they both came in with 30 points. Near pins were claimed by (Div 1) Mark Cooper (2) and Ron Miller, and (Div 2) Paul Butler, Frank Kelly (2) and Paul Sturgeon. Once again there were no 2s in either division.
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Bell secures spot in Ferdinand Cup final Traveller’s Rest Golf Group Monday, March 25, Khao Kheow – Stableford 1st Kwon Young-Jun (12) 40pts 2nd Alex Chao (11) 34pts 3rd Bill Reid (10) 33pts Kwon Young-Jun smashed a fantastic 40 points today and almost smashed our Billy into the middle of the next century as he flew through the air and “gracefully” accepted his prize. Second place went to Alex Chao with 34 points; Alex is one of the Hong Kong boys who are over here on a reconnaissance mission before the main party arrives later in the year. Third place, by virtue of a countback, went to Bill Reid as his 33 points and stronger back nine was good enough to get him in the prize money.
Tuesday, March 26, Green Valley – Stableford 1st Nick Noble (14) 37pts 2nd Peter Park (05) 37pts 3rd Ryan Thomas (0) 35pts
Nick Noble posted his first win of his tour today with a very respectable 37 points. It was just enough to get him over the line as Peter Park almost caught him, but unfortunately fell at the last hurdle and lost on a countback. Third place went to Ryan Thomas who shot a brilliant one-over off the stick and finished with 35 points off scratch.
Wednesday, March 27, Greenwood – Medal 1st Ian Bell (7) net 67 2nd Klaus Fast (2) net 69 3rd Michael Law (17) net 70 Today was the third round of the TRGG-Ferdinand Cup and the third opportunity to qualify for the finals in January. It is a stroke event and carries a very substantial prize for the overall winner. Desperately trying to secure a place in the finals was Michael Law, but his net 70 only secured him third place. Klaus Fast shot a brilliant one over off the stick but his net 69 was only good enough for second place as today’s
Ian Bell.
Kim Seung-Hwan.
qualifier was Scotland’s very own Ian Bell, who finished with a net 67 and a place in the finals.
Chao was bathing in glory as the cameras flashed and paparazzi fought each other for the picture that was going to make the front page back home. With the crowds surrounding Alex it was difficult to see the runners up… but they were there, Paul Lanzetta whose 37 points gave him second place was jostled off the podium and as big as Colin Smith is, he was brushed aside as 35 points and third place was insignificant to these boys! In division two another Scotsman was staking his claim to glory, having broken his shoulder late last year, Jimmy Cooper missed
Thursday, March 28, Phoenix Gold – Stableford Division 1 1st Alex Chao (12) 38pts 2nd Paul Lanzetta (7) 37pts 3rd Colin Smith (13) 35pts Division 2 1st Jimmy Cooper (19) 40pts 2nd Etsutoshi Iribe (15) 38pts 3rd John Baxter (17) 37pts The Hong Kong paparazzi made a beeline to the Traveller’s Rest as word quickly spread that one of their boys had won a tournament. Alex
out on almost five months of golf but with his medical dispensation and inert golfing ability as well as the true Scots determination to conquer pain he powered to the top of the leader board with an amazing 40 points. In second place a newcomer to the TRGG, Etsutoshi Iribe made an appearance on the podium with 38 points and the oldest and most dexterous Rock and Roller in town, John Baxter twirled his way to a third place spot with a credible 37.
Friday, March 29, Burapha – Stableford Division 1 1st Kim Seung-Hwan (11) 39pts 2nd Alex Chao (11) 37pts 3rd Wayne Cudjoe (12) 37pts Division 2 1st Don Hawkins (16) 38
2nd Ted Senior (16) 34 3rd Colin Mok (19) 31 Today we took on the C & D courses and Kim SeungHwan put a South Korean name atop of the leader board with a fine 39 points while in division two Don Hawkins posted an equally notable score of 38.
Saturday, March 30, Eastern Star – Stableford 1st Alex Chao (11) 38pts 2nd Mick McHale (17) 33pts 3rd Klaus Fast (2) 33pts Alex Chao once again lapped up the attention as he produced another Oscar winning performance and impeccably strode to the podium to collect yet another award. In Alex’s shadow was Mick McHale who took second place with 33 points, beating Klaus Fast on a countback.
Anderson posts best of the week Madsen & Hammond finish on a high PSC Golf from Siam Country PSC Golf from Café Kronborg
Resort Pattaya Monday, March 25, Mt. Shadow – Stableford
Ty Anderson, Stan Rees and Jonathan Pratt.
Tuesday, March 26, Pleasant Valley Stableford On Tuesday we went with 3 groups to Pleasant Valley. The course was in reasonable condition but there were were many wet spots around the sprinklers. It is always a problem with this course as they water it too late in the morning. We found ourselves playing behind a 9-ball group of caddies and it really slowed down our game. The course was not easy today and we cannot present high scores but there was an exciting finish between Stan Rees and Sam Gettinby. The decision came down to the 18th hole where Stan produced a beautiful birdie and won with 35 stableford
points, beating Sam on countback. In third place was Dave Smith with 34 points. The near pin awards went to Mike James, Mike Mallot, Dave Smith and Stan Rees.
Thursday, March 28, Pattaya C.C. Stableford Pattaya Country Club was our venue on Thursday and the course was in reasonable condition with the greens in good shape. Ty Anderson scored a solid 39 points for top spot today while Stan Rees continued his fine form this week and came second with 38. Jonathan Pratt took the third and final podium place with 37 points. The near pins were claimed by Ty Anderson and Jonathan Pratt.
A Flight (0-22) 1st Kenneth Madsen (14) 38pts 2nd Ty Anderson (12) 36pts 3rd Henning Olsen (21) 31pts B Flight (23+) 1st Peter Hammond (31) 37pts 2nd Patrick Poussier (28) 35pts 3rd Gordon Clegg (24) 30pts 4th Karen Brown (30) 30pts Near Pins: Henning Olsen, Patrick Poussier. Long Putts: Karen Brown, Ty Anderson Cafe Kronborg played Mountain Shadow on Monday, where the forecast was rain for the whole golfing day. The rain duly appeared as we were all teeing off and gave everyone a good soaking, however by the 7th hole it had eased and then stopped completely for the rest of the round. The course was in pretty good condition and not too affected by the rain, greens were very receptive to shots in and were still pretty quick on the downhill putts. A Flight played from the blue tees and B Flight from the whites, but the scores were pretty even for the flights. The A Flight winner was Kenneth Madsen, with the score of the day, an outstanding 38 points. This was his last day of golf this season
Kenneth Madsen (left) with Peter Hammond (right) and Dave ‘The Admiral’ Richardson.
due to his imminent return to Denmark. In second place was Ty Anderson, continuing with a rich vein of good scores with a solid 36 points. Third was Henning Olsen with a steady 31 points, still a pretty good score considering the conditions. In B Flight the winner was Peter “Hot” Hammond with a great 37 points, which could have been a lot more had the golfing gods looked upon him more favourably. It was also Peter’s last round of the season, returning to the UK shortly with his golf game in great shape. In second place was Patrick Poussier with a good 35 point and there was a 3-way countback for 3 rd and 4 th places with 3 players having
30 points. Gordon Clegg came in strongest with 18 points on the back to take 3rd place and Karen Brown was 4th with 16 points on the back - Carole Kubicki just losing out with her 15 points.
Thursday, March 28, Pattaya C.C. Stableford 1st Richard Kubicki (11) 35pts 2nd Arne Max Pedersen (23) 35pts 3rd Rob Brown (6) 34pts 4th Lotte Boskov (23) 34pts 5th Jan Lovgreen (24) 32pts Long Putt: Kurt Sandgaard Pattaya Country Club was Thursday’s challenge and the course was in pretty good condition with fast true greens and softer than usual fairways. A small but moti-
vated group turned out, with everyone keen to finish on a high. However, probably due to the slick greens and some really difficult pin positions no-one managed to match or beat their handicap. The cards also revealed that there was a countback for every place and that 7 players were vying for 5 places. Two players on 35 points fought it out for the top spot and the winner was Richard Kubicki with a countback of 18 points, beating Arne Max Pederson into second place, Arne’s countback of 16 points falling just a little short. There were also two players fighting it out on countback for third and fourth places, both having 34 points. Victorious and taking third was Rob Brown with a countback of 16 points, beating Lotte Boskov into fourth. Lotte had a storming 22 points on the front, but was unable to maintain the pace. Fifth place was the most hotly contested position with three people having 32 points and only the one place up for grabs. Jan Lovgreen secured fifth place with a solid 18 points on the back, relegating Ronnie Ratte with 16 points and Karen Brown with 14 points into the also-ran positions.
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VOL. XXVII No. 14
Auke & Poopay crowned medal champs PSC Golf from The Billabong Bar Monday, March 25, Phoenix Gold Stableford Just a slight precipitation as we left the bar which turned into a full blown storm as we travelled to Phoenix, but as is the usual here in Thailand it didn’t last that long and we were away all on the course by 9.15 am. Carts were allowed on the course albeit in the rough only on the Lakes side and even after the rain the course wasn’t that wet. The scoring was fantastic with Jack Piercefield scoring 38 points to take 3rd, Paul Walia came 2nd with 39 points
and Graham (Rotheram) Beaumont took 1st spot with a magnificent 43 points, The conditions must have been right up his alley. Oh and Graham got the only two of the day that was almost a hole in one and promptly bought everyone a drink.
Wednesday, March 27, Green Valley – Medal Today was the culmination of 12 monthly medals since March last year, kindly sponsored for the past 4 years by Brian Chapman of Haven Consultants. One male and 1 female from each month’s competition come together in March to determine this year’s
Humphrey’s big haul PSC Golf from the Pattaya Links Golf Society
Merle Humphreys (center) with Darren Beavers (left) and Mickey Tighe (right).
Wednesday, March 27, Royal Lakeside Stableford A Flight (0-17) 1st Paul Smith (5) 41pts 2nd Phil Davies (11) 38pts 3rd Les Cobban (8) 37pts 4th Idris James (7) 37pts B Flight (18+) 1st Merle Humphreys (23) 42pts 2nd Jim Ferris (23) 36pts 3rd Bart Bingham (20) 36pts 4th Derek Phillips (18) 35pts Very unusually, Links Golf games were rained off twice this week on Monday and Friday. The society took to the road on Wednesday to play a stableford competition at the sumptuous Royal Lakeside course. The weather stayed fair but overcast enabling the field of 35 golfers to enjoy the day on a beautifully prepared golf course. The field was divided into two flights at sixteen and under and play got away on time. Fairways and greens were excellent and the slight breeze helped golfers produce good scores. In the top flight fourth place went to Idris James, his 37 points losing out on countback for third place, which was occupied by Les Cobban. The runner-up was
Phil Davies with 38 points whilst the victor was Paul Smith whose seventy-two gross gave him 41 points for an emphatic win. In the second flight Derek Phillips beat John Chelo on countback for fourth place with 35 points and third place went to Bart Bingham on 36. Jim Ferris took advantage of countback to stay ahead of Bart in runner-up place whilst the winner, with the best score of the day, was Merle Humphreys with 42 points. Merle is happy playing his own game in his own time but today most of his shots were true as he recorded his biggest score with the group to take the famed Green Jacket for the first time. Near pins went to Darren Beavers (3), Ryan Thomas (6), Tom Herrington (12) and Pete Seil (15). The consolation awards for the best nines (non winners) went to Colin Smith (front nine 22 points) and Kevin McEntee (best back nine 20 points). Darren Beavers’ ten points on the front nine assured the slow starter of the “silly hat” whilst the continuing woes dogging Micky Tighe saw him presented with the “wig” after a couple of decent shows.
Brian Chapman of Haven Consultants with Noodle, Poopay, May and Thip.
champion. This event is always well supported and today was no exception with 42 golfers lined up on the 1st tee. The ladies always leave the men in the shade on these occasions. Miss Thip (16) upped her game after the turn for a net 73 to come fouth, with Miss May (11) in third with 8 pars in her round and a net 71. Miss Noodle (14) had a very solid round with 8 pars on her card and a net 69 but she lost out on a countback by just one shot to Miss Poopay (11) who becomes this year’s champion. In the men’s competition Wayne Cotterell (12) stumbled on the back nine with only 1 par for a net 75 and 5th place
losing on a countback to Dave Smith Jnr. (22) despite him having trouble on the par 5s. Glen Ellsworth (13) took 3rd place with a net 73 dropping only 5 shots on the way home. A similar situation occurred with the men as the ladies for although Tony Oakes (14) finished in 2nd place, recovering well from dropping 7 shots in the first 3 holes, for a net 72 to win the first monthly medal of this year’s competition, for the day’s winner and this year’s champion was Auke Engelkes (12) with a net 70 overcoming 3 double bogies on the back nine. We had five 2s today, going to Miss Poopay, Auke, Cottee, John Anderson and Barry Copeskate.
Friday, March 29, Phoenix Gold Scramble The monthly scramble with
11 groups playing at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club and the course itself was in magnificent condition with the exception of the greens, which were a little slow. The scoring was very good as it is not too often any group will give this course a going over but today saw the team of Gary Ritchie, Auke Engekles, Arch Armstrong and Bob Newell scoring 58.2 net and coming in 3rd place. Brad Jordison, Peter Jueckens. Paul Beck and On Phristet placed second with a score of 57.1, but in tp spot was the quartet of Paul Greenaway, Paul O’Mahoney, Steve Dodd and Andrew Skaiffe with 56 net, scoring 12 birdies off their 4 handicap - a great score indeed!
Auke Engelkes receives his prize from Brian Chapman.
Buckers adds to mug collection PSC Golf from the Tropical Golf Group Tuesday, March 26, Royal Lakeside – Stableford This track as always was in great condition and at 1000 baht green fee is real value. The greens normally slick were a tad slower today, with many 3putts being the norm. Of the eleven golfers placed in the regular 18-hole stableford competition, the scores were packed tightly together and the organizers had their hands full dealing with five countbacks. The top spot in A flight (0–13) went to Bill Steinman’s 36 points from his handicap of 12. Second was Alan Sullivan (13) with 35 points, on countback over Brian Parish (13). John Davis had the top nine-hole score among non-placers with 19 points. The B flight (14–20) had fewer players, and therefore only two placings. Andre Van Dyk followed up his Friday win with another strong performance and today was first again with 37 points. Brian Gabe secured second with 35 points while Bob Britton had the top nine-hole score with 19 points. In the C flight (21-23), Frank Xin (23) was first with 37 points on countback over Walter Baechli (21). Kae Dayton (23) claimed third with 35 points and Carole Kubicki had the best nine-hole score with 19 points, on countback over Buckers.
Graham Buckingham with the monthly mug for March.
In the D flight (24 and up), Don Carmody (27) was first with 37 points and Roy Dayton (27) was second on 36, edging a countback over Dave Cooper (24). Barry Elphick had the best nine-hole score with 16 points, over Karen Brown on countback.
Friday, March 29, Pattavia – Medal It was time again for the popular Tropical Golf Monthly Mug comp playing “modified medal” (max double par) where course strategy and risk/ reward top the decision list. Medal play also forces a bit of self-honesty, “Can I really pull of that 200 yard shot through the trees and over the water”? Better to get a double bogey than double par to stay in contention.
Pattavia was the destination, the course was in fine condition and the greens (mercifully) were a little slower. One reason why became apparent just after the turn when the rain came down, and how! We lost about an hour of time but the course drained rather well and play continued without much difficulty. Graham “Buckers” Buckingham won the mug by a single stroke over three other players, saving a rather difficult countback. Graham shot a net 71 off his 23 handicap and as this was his third mug it seems he’s building up a nice collection. As to the rest of the winners, the scores were a bit high in some cases, but some said the rain delay upset their winning rhythm. Mashi Kaneta topped the A-Flight (015) with a net 72 ahead of Rob Brown (73) and Tom Herrington (76). In BFlight (16-22) Paul Weatherley was the winner on net 72, while Mick Coghlan was second on net 77 and Andre Van Dyk third a further shot back. (78) C-Flight (23-24) saw Dave Cooper take the honours with a net 75 followed by Frank Xin (77) and Gorden Clegg (79) Don Carmody shot a net 72 to win DFlight (25+) ahead of Karen Brown (78) and Barry Elphick (79)
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Gosney wins gold at Treasure Hill PSC Golf from The Bunker Boys Monday, March 25, Treasure Hill – Medal
Friday, March 29, Crystal Bay B & C – Stableford
1st Raleigh Gosney (21) net 66 2nd Michael Brett (14) net 76 3rd Robby Watts (7) net 77 There was a slight drizzle as we arrived at the course but by the time we had checked in and changed the rain had stopped completely, so we were able to tee off straight away. In contrast with recent weeks there was no run on the fairways, in fact they were quite soggy in places so the ‘pick clean and place rule’ was implemented. Raleigh Gosney tore the course apart with a scintillating round of net sixty-six to take first place, a full ten strokes ahead of his nearest competitor. Raleigh had all facets of his game in good shape and had only one bad hole. Michael Brett took second place having to cope with two disaster holes, which hurt a lot more in medal format than stableford. Robby Watts was in superb form from tee to green but had a ‘Barry Croker’ (shocker) with the putter. In fact, he missed
1st Takeshi Hakozaki (12) 37pts 2nd Jimmy Carr (18) 35pts 3rd Geoff Parker (17) 33pts During the low season, golf courses are faced with a dilemma, how to set green fee rates at a level that will attract players and at the same time generate enough revenue to fund maintenance and upkeep. Crystal Bay is a case in point. A caddie indicated that there were no bookings at the course on Thursday and today we could see only two other groups on the course. As a consequence course maintenance is a bit less than desirable. Many of the fairways had bare areas or soon to be as the irrigation system has failed. Some of the greens were also in a poor state, again with bare areas or not having been mowed in a timely manner. Local knowledge is a great advantage in golf as Crystal Bay member Takeshi Hakozaki showed today, taking first place with a fine round of thirty-seven points. Jimmy
DATE:
PSC
Geoff Parker - golfer of the month.
a three-footer on the last to save one of the sixes games and also confined him to third as he had a good back nine. All the near pins were won with Raleigh and Michael taking one each and Peter Kelly taking the remaining two.
Wednesday, March 27, The Emerald – Stableford 1st Steve Durey (20) 32pts 2nd Jimmy Carr (18) 32pts 3rd Dave Ashman (20) 29pts The deserted Emerald course had received a drenching during the night and early
FRI 05
SAT 06
Takeshi Hakozaki.
morning and was soggy in places so the ‘pick, clean, and place’ rule was applied once again. The condition of the course was not as good as normal with a few greens in particular looking very shabby. Scores were the lowest seen in a while and nobody really showed much appetite for the contest. Raleigh Gosney, who on Monday tore up the course, today tore up his scorecard. Several times on the front nine Geoff Parker threatened to quit and go home he played so bad.
SUN 07
MON 08
TUE 09
Carr came second with thirty-five, with Geoff Parker in third on thirtythree. Takeshi also managed to snare two near pins with Geoff and Jimmy taking the other two. From the start of the month,
WED 10
Geoff Parker set off in a blaze of glory and established an unassailable lead in the contest for golfer of the month. A few threatened at different times but nobody could catch Geoff who won by a five-point margin.
THU 11
FRI 12
The next PSC golf event is a 2-person scramble on May 16 at Phoenix Gold
Apple’s Irish
Pattana
Bunker Boys
Bangpra
Pattavia
Greenwood
Pattaya C.C.
Greenwood
Khao Kheow
Mt. Shadow
Bangpakong
Pleasant Valley
Cafe Kronborg Colin’s Golf
Treasure Hill
Green Valley
Growling Swan Billabong Golf Le Katai
Mt. Shadow
Khao Kheow
Burapha
Phoenix
Green Valley
Pleasant Valley
Crystal Bay
Khao Kheow
Plutaluang
Pattana
Treasure Hill
Khao Kheow
Pattana
Eastern Star
Treasure Hill
Pattavia
Bangpra
Burapha Plutaluang
Pleasant Valley
Lewinski’s The Links I Rovers Retox Game On Siam Country Sugar Shack
Pattavia Pattaya C.C.
Greenwood
Eastern Star Khao Kheow
Harry’s Golf The Golf Club
Pleasant Valley Pattaya C.C.
Parichat
The Players Lounge
Green Valley
Pattavia
Treasure Hill
Silky Oak
Green Valley
Tropical Golf
Eastern Star
Valley View Hackers
Green Valley
Bangpakong Green Valley
Greenwood Green Valley
Green Valley
The Bunker Boys meet at Woody’s Bar on Soi Skaw Beach for golf outings every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (www.bunkersociety.com) or call 094368 3580, 081 788 2338 or 087 693 7803. Transportation leaves from Cafe Kronborg on Soi Diana Inn at 8:15 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, (contact Dave on tel. 038 602 2117). Colin’s Bar plays golf Sun/Mon/Wed & Fri (www.colinsbar.com). The Growling Swan plays golf on Monday & Thursday (www.thegrowlingswan.com). Lewinski’s in Soi Pattayaland 1 (Soi 13/3), play Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Transport is available, call Marcus on 089 503 9179 for further information and booking. The Pattaya Links Hotel Golf Society departs from Soi Buakhao on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Call Phil on 0625 933 380 or visit www.thelinkshotelpattaya.com. The Golf Club is located on Soij LK Metro. Call Phil on 090 769 3778. Tropical Golf meets at BJ’s Holiday Lodge at 8am on Tuesday’ & Friday. Call Derek on 089 034 0629. Retox Golf – Tel. (Paul) 0923744276, Email retoxgolf@gmail.com
26 FRIDAY APRIL 5, 2019
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Kevin Kisner gets it right at Match Play Doug Ferguson Austin, Texas (AP) — Kevin Kisner can’t think of another tournament that made him grind so hard. He began the Dell Technologies Match Play with a loss in the opening round. He had to play 120 holes over five days. Three matches were decided on the 18th hole. He had to play three sudden-death playoff holes just to get to the weekend. And last Sunday morning, he faced a cold wind that made temperatures feel like the upper 30s. It all felt worth it when he made good on his second try at winning golf’s most unpredictable tournament. Kisner outlasted British Open champion Francesco Molinari in the semifinals, and then let Matt Kuchar make the untimely mistakes Sunday afternoon until Kisner closed him out with a 20-foot putt for a 3-and-2 victory. “Grueling, not only from the mental side, but the physical side,” Kisner said. “A lot of golf and a lot of stressful holes and stressful putts.” But then, that’s how he got here in the first place. Kisner, who won $1,745,000 for his first World Golf Championships title, recalls his father staking him $16,000 to see if he could make it as a pro golfer. He won his third tournament on the minitours, and when his bank account reached $40,000, he thought he was rich. The lesson along the way: Make putts or lose money. That’s what works at the Match Play, and he delivered enough key moments
Kevin Kisner poses with his trophy after he defeated Matt Kuchar in the finals at the Dell Technologies Match Play Championship golf tournament, Sunday, March 31, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
to capture the biggest win of his career. “It was a long week. I prevailed. And I’m a world golf champion,” Kisner said. He became the first player to win Match Play after losing in the championship match the previous year. “If you’d have told me I’d be sitting here 10 years ago, I would probably have said you were crazy,” Kisner said. “I think it shows in my grind. That’s what I do. I’ve had ups and downs throughout it. I’ve won on every tour, every level. And had tremendous downfalls on every tour and every level. So I pride myself in the way I pick myself up and keep grinding.” Last year wasn’t close, as Bubba Watson raced out to a big lead and ended the match on the 12th hole.
Kisner never trailed against Kuchar, which didn’t make it any easier. Kuchar had a 12-foot putt to win his second straight hole and tie the match on No. 10, with momentum sure to follow. He missed, and on his next swing, Kuchar put his tee shot in the water on the par-3 11th. Kisner, equipped with a 2up lead, took it from there. He made putts from 6 feet and 4 feet to halve holes, and seized control on the 15th when Kuchar’s chip was too strong and led to another lost hole. “It’s tough to maintain the high level of play the entire tournament,” Kuchar said. “You hope to do it and I feel like I’ve kind of built a game that I could rely on playing some good, steady golf. But I gave too many holes away. I knew against Kisner I couldn’t do it, and he just plodded along ... and let me make mistakes. And that was good playing by Kevin.”
VOL. XXVII No. 14
KL Cobras capture top-tier title in Land of Smiles tourney The New Delhi Sacred Bulls, the Shanghai Red Guard and 22 other teams competed in the City of Angels Ice Classic held March 27-30 in Bangkok at the Rink, Grand Central Rama IX. The Kuala Lumpur Cobras shut-out the Dubai Mighty Camels 3-0 to win the top tier in the tournament. Cobra captain Rich Hutson brought in four fellow Canadians and his squad went undefeated throughout the competition. Long-time tourney participant Joe Burgess died recently in Phuket, so tourney organizer Scott Whitcomb of Jogsports named one of the divisions after him and the Tokyo Hockey Freaks defeated the North of 69ers 2-1 to capture the division honoring Joe. Thailand’s Flying Farangs had two teams in the tourney and the above-35 squad lost to Jellonas from Finland 3-2 in their semi-final match. Jellonas featured former NHL player Sami Helenius who suited up for the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche among others during his professional career. Meanwhile, the Flying Farang over-40 squad led by captain John Schachnovsky captured
Kuala Lumpur Cobras take on the Dubai Mighty Camels at the City of Angels Ice Classic, held March 27-30 in Bangkok. (Photo/Naratip Srisupab/SEALs Sports Images)
their fourth straight title, beating arch-rivals Hong Kong Tigers 4-1 in their division final. Kari Miettinen of the KL Cobras Rec team was the leading scorer in the tourney with 15 goals and 1 assist. Bangkok’s Andy Brine had the most assists (10) while Tero Kipela of the Abu Dhabi Scorpions led the goalies in wins (4) and GAA (.60); Brad McNamee of the New Delhi squad had the best save percentage (.982), while four goalies (Brad McNamee, Tero Kipela, Brad
Baker of the Tokyo Hockey Freaks, Partick Leduc of the Flying Farang) shared the shutout lead with two each. The tournament coincided with the departure of the Thai National Team for the United Arab Emirates where they were due to compete this week in the IIHF Division 3 qualifying round against Hong Kong, Kuwait, Bosnia Herzegovina, Kyrgyzstan and hosts UAE. The Thai team won its first game last Sunday with a 5-4 shootout victory over Bosnia Herzegovina.
The Flying Farang over-40 team battle the Hong Kong Tigers in their division final. (Photo/Naratip Srisupab/SEALs Sports Images)
Tom Brady saves 1st tweet for April Fools’ Day: I’m retiring Foxborough, Mass. (AP) —New England Patriots fans who forgot that last Monday was April Fools’ Day might have been panicking when quarterback Tom Brady tweeted that he had decided to retire. The six-time Super Bowl champion has joined Twitter and his first post said simply: “I’m retiring. In my spare time, I’ll be tweeting.” An email from a Twitter spokeswoman confirmed the account, but it also referred to the fact that the tweet came
on April Fools’ Day. About an hour later, Brady sent out a second tweet that said, “Was this a bad joke?” Brady is a 41-year-old, three-time NFL MVP who has to stop playing some time. But after leading New England to the title this year, there’s no indication that he’s slowing down. And anyway, is this how he would announce it? Even tight end Rob Gronkowski, who actually retired last month, did so with a lengthy Instagram post.
Read more news at pattayamail.com
In this Oct. 30, 2016, file photo, New England Patriots’ Tom Brady (12), Rob Gronkowski (87) and James Develin (46) head back to the sideline during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert)
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Grindvold shines at Eastern Star The Tara Court Golf Society Sunday, March 24, Green Valley – Stableford We had a large group out today here at Green Valley and enough for three flights with the cut for the A flight at twelve, the B flight at eighteen and the C flight above that. We had very good scoring in all the flights and in one case even playing to your handicap wasn’t enough to make the prizes. In the C flight Pat Carty (H/cap 25) has returned to form and he was the winner with an excellent thirty nine points. Ted Murphy (25) came second with thirty five, beating Gerry Hughes (22) on a countback. In the B flight we also had an excellent thirty nine points which was by Glen Perkinson
(17), who was playing his first ever game with us. In second place was Rocky Hudson (18) with thirty six points and Kevin O’Sullivan (14) came third with thirty four. In the A flight Nick Caulfield (7) was the winner with thirty eight points and we then had two players with thirty seven. Jack Grindvold (3) won the countback to get second place and Gus Guidetti (11) had to settle for third. We had four 2s today, from Rocky Hudson, Gerry Hughes, Nick Caulfield and Gus Guidetti.
Tuesday, March 26, Pattaya C.C. – Stableford A smaller group today as the low season starts to take hold. A short trip to Pattaya
There were three 2’s, from Glenn Armitstead, Kevyn Wright & Craig Hitchens.
Thursday, March 28, Eastern Star Stableford
Nick Caulfield
Jack Grindvold
Country Club and the course was in good condition with a few wet patches from the rain on Sunday & Monday but the greens were fast & true. We were away right on time and all 4 groups got around in under 4 hours. Only 1 division today and the winner was the only one to beat his handicap. In first place was
Glenn Armitstead (17) with a great 39 points. Four points adrift in second was Rocky Hudson (18) on 35 points while in third and keeping his run of being in the money was Ken Hobbs (30) with 34 points. The fourth and final spot on the podium went to Joe McArdle (14) and his 33 points.
We were at Eastern Star for our first visit of this year and the course was excellent value for money and in very good condition. This is a very difficult layout and only for those who like a challenge. Due to heavy rain on the previous few days it was even more of a challenge as it was playing very long with no run on the ball.
We had only one flight today with five places and we had a runaway winner in the shape of Jack Grindvold (3) who went round in three over gross to score thirty seven points and win by a clear five shots. Donal McGuigan (16) came second with thirty two points and Mikeal Anderson (14) was third on thirty one. Shaun Merriman (10) placed fourth with thirty points and Richard Fearby (2) got the fifth and last place with twenty nine. Kevyn Wright had the only 2 of the day it meant that he went home very happy.
Federer wins 101st title, beating Isner in Miami Open final Steven Wine Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP) — Orange streamers rained down while Roger Federer held another championship trophy aloft, his familiar grin as wide as ever. For the ageless Federer, winning never gets old. Now 37, Federer became tennis’ first repeat champion of 2019 when he won his 101st career title last Sunday by beating a hobbled John Isner in the Miami Open final, 6-1, 6-4. Federer neutralized Isner’s
big serve and won 32 of 35 points on his own serve. The 6-foot-10 Isner scrambled so desperately to stay in rallies that he hurt his left foot and limped badly through the final few points. Isner said afterward he didn’t yet know the nature or severity of the injury. Federer, by contrast, is just fine. He was the Dubai champion on March 2, and runner-up to Dominic Thiem at Indian Wells two weeks ago. “This is a good phase, a good stretch for me right now,” Federer said. “I really
feel super healthy. That’s why I have been able to play every day for the last four weeks. That’s something that maybe hasn’t always been the case for the last few years. So you appreciate these moments.” Federer is 18-2 this year, best on the men’s tour, which stamps him as a threat to add to his record total of 20 Grand Slam titles in 2019. “Unbelievable for you to keep winning and playing this level of tennis,” Miami tournament director James Blake, a former top-five player, told
IOC lifts threat to remove weightlifting from Paris Olympics Graham Dunbar Lausanne, Switzerland (AP) — Weightlifting’s place at the 2024 Paris Olympics has been confirmed after an IOC review of persistent doping problems, as long as the sport’s governing body meets certain conditions. The International Weightlifting Federation will continue to undergo “very close monitoring” after 18 months of scrutiny, the Olympic body said last week. This includes finalizing an agreement — expected within days — between the IWF and the IOC-backed International Testing Authority to run a doping control program. Weightlifting’s reputation was tarnished by more than 50 positive tests in reanalysis of samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. A key upgrade in the sport’s anti-doping program means lifters must compete more often to be consistently tested.
“Athletes now have to regularly appear at international events and therefore be subject to ... in-competition testing in different places around the world,” International Olympic Committee sports director Kit McConnell said at a news conference after a board meeting. Weightlifting suffered cuts along the way to retaining Olympic status. The IOC previously reduced the size of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic competition, with one men’s medal event fewer and a quota cut of 64 athletes. Countries with historical doping issues, including Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, will have fewer entries in the Tokyo lineup. The IOC’s board formally ended the membership of Japan’s Tsunekazu Takeda, who is implicated in an investigation of suspected vote-buying to help Tokyo
win hosting rights in 2013. Takeda announced last week he would step down as president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, though he denies wrongdoing. The IOC board expressed the “highest respect” for Takeda’s decision and noted presumption of his innocence, spokesman Mark Adams said. Takeda has acknowledged he signed off on about $2 million in payments to a Singapore consulting company, Black Tidings, before IOC members picked Tokyo as host ahead of Istanbul and Madrid. French investigators have linked Black Tidings to Papa Massata Diack, a son of former long-time IOC member Lamine Diack of Senegal who held influence over Olympic voters in Africa. The IOC must replace Takeda as chairman of its marketing panel by May.
Roger Federer, of Switzerland, returns to John Isner during the singles final of the Miami Open tennis tournament, Sunday, March 31, 2019, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Federer at the trophy presentation. “It makes me feel
like such an underachiever. We’re all just in awe.”
Isner also paid tribute to Federer during the ceremony. “You were entirely too good today, entirely too good this whole tournament,” Isner said. “You are entirely too good your whole career. It’s absolutely incredible what you’re doing. We’re so lucky to have you in this game, and we all want you to keep playing and literally never retire. So keep it up, man.” The first 33 men’s and women’s titles in 2019 were won by 33 different players, including Ashleigh Barty in the Miami women’s final Saturday. Federer is the first repeat winner in 20 men’s tournaments this year.
Unified cruiserweight champ Usyk moves to heavyweight Moscow (AP) — The undisputed world cruiserweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, is finally moving up to heavyweight. The Ukrainian fighter said he’s vacated the WBA cruiserweight title rather than fight challenger Denis Lebedev, in a video statement on the WBA’s Instagram feed last week. “That fight will not happen because I and my team have decided to move up to heavyweight,” Usyk said. “I’m vacating the belt. I don’t want to just have it, so let the guys fight for it.” It wasn’t immediately clear if he’s vacating the IBF, WBC, and WBO belts. Usyk unified the cruiserweight division in July by beating Murat Gassiev and immediately said he could move up
In this Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018 file photo, Oleksandr Usyk smiles during a press conference in Kiev, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
to heavyweight. However, he defended his cruiserweight titles by knocking out British fighter Tony Bellew in November. Usyk, the 2012 Olympic
champion at heavyweight, has a 16-0 pro record, 12 by knockout. Usyk is a native of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, but has continued to represent Ukraine.
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BIMS – the healthy program Did your doctor tell you to get more exercise? Jogging didn’t appeal? Too cold for swimming? Then try going to motor shows. At our Bangkok Motor Show (incidentally the 40th such show) I had walked from the hotel to the Challenger Hall twice before the event was officially open. Of course, this was mainly due to poor preparation on my part, in forgetting to take the thumb drive with me. Returning to my room in the Novotel I then found I had brought the wrong set of keys from my office, the set with no thumb drive attached. Turning back to the Press Room I did the usual begging thing and a spare thumb drive was found. It was a promotional USB drive and after the euphoria of thinking I was now able to proceed, I found it wouldn’t play on the Challenger Hall computer. It did however tell me to scan the thumb drive. With my digital age ability, this was an impossibility. Normally I get my 13 year old son to do these tasks, but he was in school. More begging and a computer savvy chappy got it all up and running. And so it was into the show and more walking. I was informed by someone a
R-R Cullinan.
lot younger than me that the exhibition hall was 600 meters in length, so up and back was one km. This meant that by lunchtime I had already covered 4 km, and I hadn’t even got to the car accessories section. Returning after a quick coffee and a sandwich I entered the exposition hall again and was waylaid by the RollsRoyce stand. There it was, in all its obese grandeur, the
SUV to eclipse all other SUV’s - the huge R-R Cullinan. Like a middle-aged matron, displaying her necklaces willed to her many years before. A Toyota Fortuna with bling and steroids. But it does have dinky hub caps that always stop the correct way with R-R the right way up. That’s worth another million baht over the Fortuna. SUV’s are the current fad, especially expensive ones.
SUV’s that are used to pick up children weekdays and groceries at the weekend. Off-road? Only mis-judging and driving over the kerb in the supermarket car park. You can of course go the cheapie road and get a Porsche Cayenne or a Bentley Bentayga or Maserati Levante. By comparison, the Isuzu MU 10’s of the plebian SUV set. While on the automotive weight watchers, it is interesting to see that cars follow people. Obesity is the name of the game. One of my favorite cars of a few years back was the Mazda MX-5. A true sportscar for the masses. Small, light, perfectly balanced, with just enough power to make driving fun. It has become so fat that it is now more of a sedan. One concept group which took the interest of the local motoring press was the MINe City EV. This is an allThai project, using an electric motor generating 160 BHP and giving a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour. The battery is Lithiumion 30 kWh which can power the MINe for up to 200 km. The charging time is 1 hour per 1 charge or DC Quick Charger mode takes 15 minutes to charge to 80 percent. Standard service charges are 50 baht for one hour, 80 baht for two hours, 110 baht for
Motor Show MINe.
three hours and 150 baht for four hours. The car has a length of 3.3 meters, width 1.7 meters, height 1.6 meters, and weight 900 kg. What else was there at the Bangkok International Motor Show, which caught my attention? The best looking cars were definitely on the Aston Martin stand, other than their jewel, the Valkyrie. Designed by Adrian Newey, this had a nominal value of 300 million baht and only 25
km/h. Well past take-off speed for your average Boeing. One car that did arouse much interest was the new (10th generation) Honda Accord which, for my money at least, is the top affordable limousine style vehicle at the show, outshining the Toyota Camry or the Nissan Teana. Styling is today, whilst Camry and Teana are looking dated. Honda gives you two engine choices, the first being
Honda Accord.
examples will be built. Don’t believe it. Especially the one on the stand which did not have an engine at all (supposedly a 6.5 liter V12 developing 1,100 BHP) using F1 technology in the suspension and brakes. When the car does have an engine, it can (reputedly) cover zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds and has a top speed of 402
a 1.5 liter V-Tec Turbo developing 190 BHP and torque of 243 Nm while the second engine choice is 2 liters with two electric motors developing 215 BHP with switchable modes being electric battery, hybrid or engine power alone. If you are in the market for luxury and style, have a good look at the Accord.
MX-5.
Songkran death days coming up
Hamilton lucks the win in Bahrain Bahrain saw new Ferrari signing Charles Leclerc dominant, setting pole position and streaking away from team mate Sebastian Vettel. He was so close to his maiden F1 podium he would have won easily but with 12 laps to go, an engine malfunction resulted in a loss of 160 BHP, slowing him so much that Hamilton and Bottas (Mercedes) were able to reel him in. Ferrari team boss Binotto expects the fault will have a straightforward fix and is not related to how the team runs its engine. He showed confusion reigning supreme, saying after the race, “I think what happened, even if we have not a clear understanding now and we are
VOL. XXVII No. 14
still looking into it, it is a single problem that will be easily addressed. So it’s not related to the way we’re using the engine mapping or whatever. It has to be, let me say, a single component failure. We’ll find out.” Ferrari has two weeks to fix it! Not as much as Leclerc wants it fixed. Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul described the team’s double failure in the Bahrain Grand Prix as “frustrating and unacceptable”. Abiteboul admitted the team has made “a very bad start” to the season. (That was putting it mildly!) “Similar to Melbourne, our qualifying in Bahrain was massively compromised by minor electronics issues,
which impacted both cars. “Our race today came to a sudden stop so close to the finish. These are issues we have previously encountered but something we were unable to rectify in Bahrain. These problems are increasingly frustrating and unacceptable as both cars have shown very good competitiveness both over one-lap and race runs,” said Abiteboul, who added the team must “react and shift our focus on reliability.” Renault also managed automotive synchronized racing, with both cars expiring with three laps to go, while in a points finish. Back to the front runners and Vettel (Ferrari) had another race to forget. Taking
the lead at the start over his team mate, he was hunted down and passed by Leclerc, to then fall into the clutches of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), and then spin unaided, damaging his tyres so much that the vibrations shook the front wing off! A much better race in Bahrain with scrapping (and scraping) all the way down the field. The usual first lap suspects in trouble were Lance Stroll (Racing Point Indian Takeaway) and Romain Grosjean (Hasn’t got it right yet). Surprises were McLaren being in the points for most of the race, while Ricciardo’s strategist got it all wrong dropping the Australian out of the points before the Renault imploded.
Bangkok – The cabinet has acknowledged an integrated plan for road accident prevention and reduction during the Songkran festival this year. The Assistant Government Spokeswoman, Col. Taksada Sangkhachan, said the plan was proposed by the Road Safety Administration Center. Col. Taksada said the plan will be carried out from April 11th to 17th, 2019, to ensure
the safety of travelers throughout the country during the long holiday of the traditional Thai New Year. She said the authorities will launch awareness campaigns about drink driving and how to drive safely. (That plan is nowhere near enough. Once again the powers that be are ignoring the 80 percent of road fatalities caused by motorcycle riders with no helmets.)
Autotrivia Quiz Last week I asked for knowledge on the Jaguar Mk7. British Jaguars used Grace, Space and Pace as their motto. This was very much so in the early 50’s when Jaguar added the Mk7 saloon to the XK 120 in the showrooms. There was another called the Mk7 M. What was the difference between the two Mk7’s, and why? This was relatively easy. Manufacturing in the early days of Browns Lane was somewhat haphazard. The Mk 5 chassis was used on the Mk7 and 7M so the underpinnings were the same. Mk 8 was a 7M with uprated body (no central divider on
the windscreen, for example). The horn grilles are different and the fog lamps are in a different position on the bumper bar. The electrics were also different between the two Mk7’s with the M getting Mk8 wiring. So to this week. Let’s look at some Porsche history. What was the difference between the 72 Porsche 911 and the 73 911 horn grilles? For the Automania dehydrated beer this week (just add hops and water), be the first correct answer to email automania@pattayamail.com or viacars@gmail.com. Good luck!
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E-mail: comhaps@pattayamail.com
Fax: 038-427596
Events The next meeting of Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC) will be held on Sunday, April 7. The PCEC program varies, but usually involves a guest speaker on a topic of interest to Expats. The program starts at 10:30 am with a buffet breakfast available from 9:00 to 11:00 am on the 4th floor of the Holiday Inn’s Executive Tower located behind the Holiday Inn’s Bay Tower on Beach Road. The Singha Sattahip Navy Beach Run 2019 will take place at HTMS Chakri Naruebet in Sattahip on Saturday, April 20. For runner registration, visit website: www.runningconnect.com/ event/STH2019 The popular annual Pattaya International Firework Festival will be held along Beach Road, opposite Central Festival Pattaya Beach shopping mall on May 2425. The event features parades, live music concerts, traditional dance shows, food fair and more. The Eastern Seaboard Businessmen’s Dinner is a monthly event taking place at the Mantra Restaurant at the Amari Pattaya Resort on the last Thursday of the month. It brings together business leaders from various backgrounds including Automotive, Aerospace, Real Estate, Architecture, FMCG, Electronics, White Goods, Logistics, Recruitment, Legal, Consulting, and others in a relaxed atmosphere. If you are interested in attending please contact Anuttra.Sukruen@tinfish.co.th. A Farmers’ Market takes place every 2nd Saturday of the month at the Holiday Inn hotel on Pattaya Beach Road from 10.30 am - 3.30 p.m. Products range from wellness
items, jewelry, freshly prepared food, organic vegetables and fruits. The next market will be held April 13. Join Royal Cliff’s Funtasea Easter Wonderland on Sunday, 21 April at Panorama. Enjoy fun, unique games, an exciting lucky draw and special treats lined up for the whole family. Every game has a winner and every winner gets a prize. All kids will get a chance to decorate colorful Easter eggs and bunny cookies or take part in an exciting Easter egg hunt. The party is from 2:00 – 5:00 pm. Admission fee is THB 500 per person for hotel guests and THB 550 per person for all outside guests. For more information contact Ms. Cherry at 038-250421 Ext. 2064 or email funtasea@royalcliff.com. A stamp market is held every Sunday from 10.00 a.m. till 3.00 p.m.at Rahnpintang Moe Kata Restaurant, Panji Place, on Soi Ponphraphanimit 7 (200m from the Bangkok Highway underpass). Here can you exchange stamps from the whole world. Call 089 091 3418 for more information and directions.
Dining Oasis, the all-day dining restaurant in Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya, has a menu of ocean-fresh seafood every Sunday evening to Friday evening. The Oasis chefs present Thai, Japanese and Asian recipes, with the freshest sushi, sashimi, oysters, crab, mussels, lobster, and fish steamed, grilled, fried and barbecued
available from the food stalls and the buffet table. The price is only THB 999 per person, and half price for children under the age of 12 years. Buffet served from 18:00 to 22:30 hrs. For more information or reservations, contact 038 714 981. Celebrate Songkran at Avani Pattaya. Splash out with great offers on dining and fun activities for all the family. Start your Songkran with a traditional water pouring ceremony at Sala Rim Nam Thai Restaurant on April 13 from 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm. Join the parade to the hotel pool where the party begins with refreshing drinks and tasty street foods throughout the day. On Wan Lai Day, April 19, party on at the elevated terrace bar at Benihana restaurant from 12:00 noon – 12:00 midnight. Dive into seriously addictive sushi and sashimi or sip a ‘pail of cocktail’ with a floating whiskey. For more information, call 038 412120 or email: pattaya@avanihotels .com, www.avanihotels.com. Throughout April, Horizon Rooftop Restaurant & Bar at Hilton Pattaya invites you to experience the succulent taste of ‘Giant Lobster’ while enjoy a stunning view of Pattaya Bay at one of the best rooftop restaurant & bars in Pattaya city. Try Lobster Thermidor served with 3 flavors of dipping sauces including BBQ sauce, Thai seafood dipping sauce and mango salsa, with a choice of your favorite side dish selections include Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Truffle, Sauté Heirloom Potato with
Chimichurri Sauce, Grilled Pear with Fennel Salad, Saffron and Lemon Rice or Baked Macaroni and Cheese. A set of Giant Lobster Thermidor is priced at THB 3,250 net per set. Horizon is located on level 34 at Hilton Pattaya. Open daily for dinner at 6pm – 11pm. For more information call 038-253-000 or Email to: bkkhp.pattaya. horizon@hilton.com. Persimmon restaurant at Pattana Golf Club & Resort offers 3 weekly theme nights for customers to enjoy exciting dining concepts. Pizza/ Pasta Night, 299 Baht net per person, every Tuesday invites you to personalize your favorite Italian dishes. Wednesday is Seafood Night, 399 Baht net per person, with unlimited amounts of the freshest seafood from the local market. On Fridays, enjoy a variety of barbecued meats during the Carnivore Night at 499 Baht net per person. Book your seat prior and enjoy your dinner at Tel. 038 318 999 ext. 11230 or email to: restaurant@pattana.co.th. L’Olivier Restaurant invites you to enjoy a daily cold buffet and 4-course menu comprising soup, salad bar, main course and dessert for only 395 baht. The buffet menu is changed every two days. The restaurant specializes in French Provencal cuisine, traditional Thai food and rare Vietnamese dishes. Dine in air conditioned comfort or on the terrace. Located on Jomtien Walking Street between View Talay 2 and Jomtien Complex on the main taxi thoroughfare. For reservations, call
Ms. Wan on Tel. 061 854 4848 (French, English & Thai spoken). The Bay Grill & Buffet at Dusit Thani Pattaya: Dine with a sea view and enjoy seafood and meat barbecue accompanied by Thai and international items from soup, appetizers and main courses to dessert for only THB 1200++ per person. Free flowing beverage for additional THB 599++ per person. The Bay is open daily from 18:30 - 22:00. Call 038 425 611-7 ext. 2149 0r 2150 for more information and reservations. Big Fish restaurant at Siam@Siam Design Hotel Pattaya enhances its seafood buffet with more premium catches and live music entertainment. The restaurant offers a nightly Seafood BBQ Buffet at only THB 777 net or THB 1,099 net with free-flow wine. Enjoy highquality, premium seafood cuisine as you listen to acoustic guitar and piano music from prominent local artists. Seafood BBQ Buffet at Big Fish is available every night from 6:00 p.m. to 10 p.m. For reservations call 038 930 600 or email fbsec@siamatpattaya.com. After 14 years as the Landlord of an Irish Pub, the name Kim Fletcher has not disappeared. Kim may have gone from Jamesons, but his wife Goy has ensured that the name Fletcher has not died by opening Fletchers’ Folly, a boutique pub on the Dark Side. Kim is trying to get used to being retired, but the new ‘pensioner’ loves regaling the drinkers with stories from his lifetime in pubs, punctuated with his characteristic laugh. Fletchers’ Folly is on Siam Country Club Road, opposite Maxxis tyres and 300 meters before the “Chicken Crossroads”. Food and drinks at very reasonable prices.
Pizza and Pasta All You Can Eat at Mövenpick Siam Hotel Na Jomtien: Twist Restaurant features Italian classics like creamy Carbonara or meaty Bolognese with a choice of pasta, or the delicious Prosciutto Pizza with your choice of regular or whole wheat dough. The menu also includes original Thai-fusion pizzas and pasta such as the Tom Yam pizza with chili paste, prawn, squid and Thai herbs or the tasty Green Curry Pasta. Available all day from Sunday – Thursday at only THB 500 per person, with a glass of soft drink. For more information or reservation, call 033 078 888.
The happy BBQ chef at Thai Garden.
The Thai Garden Terrace Restaurant offers nightly dining presentations with different themed “all you can eat” buffets at the resort poolside: Monday – Italian buffet; Tuesday – BBQ buffet; Wednesday – multi-cuisine buffet; Thursday – German buffet with roasted pig; Friday – Thai buffet; Saturday – international buffet; Sunday – steak & skewers buffet. The buffet starts from 6 p.m., runs until 9 p.m. All this for just 399 baht net per adult. What you see is what you pay, no additional service charges or VAT. For reservations call 038 370 614 or make your booking at www. thaigarden.com under “buffet reservation”. Thai Garden Resort is located on North Pattaya Road, 200 meters from the Dolphin roundabout and 200 meters before Tesco Lotus. Continued on page 31
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Dining at Chez Cook, the cook’s place going to revamp the menu soon. The first thing that becomes obvious is the prices. The most expensive item is a T-Bone steak at B. 280 and a salmon steak B. 180, a pork chop is B. 160 and chicken breast is B. 150. Salads are B. 60-80, soups B. 40 and Thai stir-fries B. 80-150. Beers are B. 60 for a small bottle. Chez Cook describes the fare as a fusion food with Thai and European.
Chez Cook who said it was not hot, all said with a smile. Order “mai ped” just to make sure. Between the three of us we had a pork chop, a chicken breast and a khao pad gai (chicken fried rice). The slices of chicken in the fried rice were large and filling. The pork chop was tender and the chicken breast was a good serving. This parrot is dead.
bottle of beer and the crown was removed at the table with an amazing little gadget from Japan. Chez Cook is a fun restaurant and could be described as a ‘work in progress’. The
food is perfectly adequate, the service from Cook, who is kept busy, is very friendly, being chief cook and bottle washer, greeter and general factotum. Yes, one lady does it all. Prices are ridiculously low. Chicken breast with garlic bread and salad for B. 150, and it was a full plate as well. Another full serving was the pork chop. With three in the Dining Out group, all drinks and meals, the bill came to B. 400. We left satiated and at those prices we will be back. Chez Cook, Siam Country Club Road, opposite Chateau Dale residences sales gallery, on street parking, hours 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed Mondays.
The eclectic bar.
Chez Cook is a funky little restaurant on Siam Country Club Road about 2 km further down from the Wanasin Market and opposite the Chateau Dale Residences Sales Gallery. There is a covered external section, and is rustic in appearance. The interior has an eclectic décor with padded walls and a coffee / cocktail bar at the far wall and the ‘hong nam’ wall is a canvas for a parrot. (No John Cleese dead parrot sketches, please. I can already hear you reciting, but
it’s OK, Chez Cook’s parrot is dead also.) It is actually a very pleasant venue, with plate glass on two sides so you can watch Siam Country Club Road and is air-conditioned. The ambience reflects the amazing décor and most tables are set for four covers, with one six at a squeeze. Chez Cook can seat eight diners outside and 14 inside. The menu is partially handwritten and covers three pages, though the lady running the show said they are
Fusion style Khao Pad Gai.
Meals all came with a small container of sauce, but beware of the one with the chopped mouse poo chilli, it is very hot. Do not believe
We were in a group of three and two asked for CocaCola, to be presented with a large bottle of coke to share. Miss Terry ordered a small
A meaty pork chop.
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E-mail: comhaps@pattayamail.com
From page 29 Yupin’s Restaurant in Jomtien Complex offers some fabulous culinary options including Fines De Claires Oysters arriving fresh ‘Par Avion’ from Normandy in France. Served on ice with lemon and on request a spicy Thai sauce for dipping. An amazing experience. Only 595 baht per six oysters. Yupin’s fantastic French onion soup is now available again! For more information or reservations, call 038 250394 or visit website: www.yupins.com.
Fines De Claires Oysters at Yupins.
Linda’s Restaurant is large with seating for 200 people, with a covered al fresco verandah outside for those who wish to smoke. Inside, in air-conditioned comfort, there are comfortable chairs and decent sized tables, with white starched napery. Linda’s Restaurant is located on Thappraya Road opposite the Jomtien Complex. Open seven days a week from 7.30 a.m. until late. For reservations, Tel: 038 252 726, visit www.lindasrestaurant.com, or Email linda@ lindasrestaurant.com. Yamato Restaurant located on Soi Yamato has been around for more than 39 years and the soi was named after its oldest tenant. This is a restaurant to take a few people with you. The prices are certainly not over the top, and the quality is superb. Yamato Japanese restaurant, 219/51 Soi Yamato (13/1), close to Beach Road
Balsamic Capsicum Bruschetta Bruschetta is a classic Italian dish. Most restaurants will serve you a Bruschetta as a starter. It is made in several different ways, with diced tomato style the more usual. This bruschetta however uses red capsicum (red peppers) instead of tomato.
Ingredients Serves 4 (2 baguettes per person) Garlic 1 whole bulb Olive Oil 2 tbspns Sweet red pepper 2 medium, halved and seeded Fresh parsley 3 tbspns Basil minced fresh 2 tbspns Lemon juice 1 tbspn Salt ½ tspn Ground black pepper ¼ tspn French bread stick 8 slices Balsamic vinegar 1tbspn
Cooking Method Remove papery outer skin from garlic bulb (do not peel or separate cloves). Brush with 1 teaspoon oil. Wrap in heavy-duty foil. Bake at 425° for 30-35 minutes or until softened. Cool. Broil red peppers until skins blister, about 10 minutes. Immediately place peppers in a bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 15-20 minutes. Peel off and discard charred skin. Coarsely chop peppers. Cut top off garlic head, leaving root end intact. Squeeze softened garlic from bulb and finely chop. In a bowl, combine the parsley, basil, lemon juice, salt, pepper , Balsamic vinegar and remaining oil. Add peppers and garlic; mix well. Cut bread into 8 slices, 1 cm thick; broil until lightly toasted. Top with pepper mixture. Serve immediately.
Fax: 038-427596
end, telephone 038 429 685 or 038 421 618. Open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner. The legendary Somsakdi Restaurant has been in operation in Pattaya for more than 40 years. Proprietor and Chef Somsakdi is still cooking and running his amazing restaurant at 78 years of age. The menu is probably the largest in Pattaya, with 374 individual items. Each dish is in Thai with an English explanation underneath. Rather than be swamped by
Yamato’s mixed sashimi plate which had octopus, salmon, tuna, crab sticks, sea bass, squid and mackerel.
choices, let Somsakdi guide you. After all, who knows his dishes better than he? Somsakdi Restaurant, Pattaya Soi 1, tel. 038 428 987, 038 423 284, 038 429 869, limited parking plus on-street parking in the soi. Hours 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., seven days.
Entertainment Hard Rock Pattaya’s 6th annual Guitar Battle will see 20 finalists perform live in front of fans and judges at the Hard Rock Cafe Pattaya on Saturday, May 11, from 5:00pm until 9:30pm. Entrance is free for spectators. For more information, call 038 428 755 or 038 426 635. Despacito Fridays at Siam@Siam Design Hotel Pattaya –Start off the weekend with a sensual step Latin night at the Roof Sky Bar, every Friday from 4pm – 10pm with DJ Ro-Bi-El Gordo and DJ Rocky, plus zumba classes. Free admission, ladies enjoy a free drink until 5pm. For more information, call 038 930 600. Enjoy great music from Thomas Reimer, one of the most famous European Jazz guitarists, playing live every evening (except Tuesday) from 6.00 p.m. - 10 p.m. at the Sugar Hut restaurant on Thappraya Road, call 038 364 186 for details.
Community Services The North Star Library on Sukhumvit Road, north
Pattaya holds regular Thai language classes Mon - Fri from 10.30 a.m. till 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. Cost of admission is 100 baht per session for library members and 200 baht for non-members. Private lessons are also available for 200 baht per hour. In addition, the library also holds Yoga training every Tuesday from 1 - 2 p.m. at the Father Ray Foundation. Cost is 1200 baht for 6 sessions (first session free). For more information, call 081 575 4854 or email wan_nujan@yahoo.com Alcoholics Anonymous: The Pattaya Group meets Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. All meetings are closed (alcoholics only) and are held at Soi Skaw Beach (off Pattaya 2nd Rd). Contact Carl 08-456-31-671. The Good Morning Pattaya Group meets 9 a.m. every morning. All meetings are ‘open’: contact 084 564 8479. The Jomtien Group meets every day at noon at Jomtien Long Stay Hotel: Contact, Andrew 086 107 6631. The Scandinavian Group meets on Tuesdays and Fridays 6 p.m. at the Norwegian Seaman’s Church, Thappraya Road Soi 7: contact Hans 085 135 7755 or Rune (Rayong) 089 754 9515. 10.30 a.m. meetings every day at Satree Pattana Centre on Soi Skaw Beach off Second Road. Call 084 564 8479. The Samaritans of Thailand English Help Line operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide support to the expatriate community. English-speaking staff, trained in crisis intervention will provide active, non-judgmental and empathetic listening services on the phone. All calls will be handled on an anonymous basis and are free of charge. (02) 713-6791. Overeaters Anonymous The ‘Up to You’ group meets Wednesdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the housing area just behind Pan Pan Restaurant in Jomtien on Thappraya Road. Call Steve at 038-364-207(h) or 089-250-1359 (cell) for directions or more information. Narcotics Anonymous Hotline: 082 811 2686. 3 English speaking meetings in Pattaya near Central Festival and 2 in Jomtien each week. Also regular Thai speaking meetings at 12 noon every Sunday, and Persian Farsi speaking meetings at 5.30 pm on Thursdays. Please call the Hotline for details.
Groups & Associations Rotary Club of JomtienPattaya (English) meets every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month at Royal Cliff Grand Hotel, Pattaya City. Fellowship begins at 18.30 hrs and Dinner meeting at 19.00 hrs. President Vutikorn Kamolchote Email: <vutikornk@hotmail.com> Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard (English) meets at the Siam Bayshore Hotel, 17.30 hrs for 18.00 hrs on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month, followed by dinner (Fellowship) President Brian Songhurst Email: <bjs2904 @yahoo.com> Rotary Club Phönix Pattaya (German) meets every Tuesday at the Holiday Inn Pattaya at 19.00 hrs. President Peter Schlegel Email: info@rotaryphoenix-pattaya.org. Le Rotary Pattaya Marina, seul Rotary Francophone d’Asie, vous accueille les premier et troisième vendredis de chaque mois, début des réunions 19h, à l’hôtel Pullman G Pattaya Wongamat 445/3 Moo 5 – Soi 16 – Pattaya Naklua Road. Venez agir avec le Rotary pour changer des vies. Pierre Yves Eraud Président 2018-2019 Email: < info@rotarypattayamarina.org.
Rotary Club of Pattaya (Thai-English) meets at the First Pacific Hotel, Central Road on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month. Meetings begin at 19.00 hrs. President Stephen Devereux Email: < stevecarlow@gmail.com> Post 12146 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States of America (Ban Chang – U-Tapao, Thailand) meets the second Saturday of each month at 13:00 at Sinthavee Park Condo, 2/1 Moo 5, in Ban Chang. If you are interested, please contact Membership Chairman Dan Morgan at <banchangvfw 12146membership@gmail .com> or visit website: www. banchangvfwpost12146.org. The Royal British Legion Thailand meets on the last weekend of every month at various locations around the city. Please join and like the Face Book page and you will see the all the social events listed. You do not have to have served in the Armed Forces to become a member and can join in the many social events arranged throughout the year. The Legion’s primary aim is the care and welfare of those who have served and/or their dependents. For general enquiries send an email to - chonburi .secretary@rbl.community.
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Hilton Pattaya hosts 6th stair race to support Earth Hour Jetsada Homklin Hilton Pattaya hotel once again opened its stairwells to colorfully dressed athletes who took part in the 6th
Staircase Race Earth Hour Run on March 27. Rudolf Tröstler, General Manager of Hilton Pattaya, led 70 eager stair climbers off the start line and up the 660
Tough work for legs and lungs but there’s still time for a smile.
steps from the lobby on the 1st floor to restaurant and Horizon Bar on the 34th floor of the hotel. The race was divided into 4 types including speed male individual, speed female individual, speed team, and costume team to promote an environmental conservation theme. Saksamai Hongsiri was the king climber of the day and won the speed male event in a time of 7.40 minutes. Porntiva Fadsungnern was the fastest female, completing the course in 9.10 minutes. The Edge restaurant team from the Hilton won the speed team category in 8.20 minutes while the housekeeping squad were adjudged to be dressed in
Soccer’s big guns head to Singapore this summer The third edition of the International Champions Cup in Singapore rolls into town this July with a blockbuster selection of top European clubs. The four-team line-up comprises Premier League giants Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Italian Serie A heavyweights Juventus and Inter Milan. The new-look two match, four team format will be held over a single weekend on the 20th and 21st of July, promising local and travelling fans a spectacular footballing treat. “We are very pleased to bring the International Champions Cup to Singapore again. The event is the only platform for fans in the region to get up close to their favourite teams,” said Charlie Stillitano, Executive Chairman of organizers Relevent Sports Group. “Manchester United, Inter, Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur are clubs with strong support in the region, and we believe the fans will be happy to see them in action.” This year’s tournament will cap a long-awaited return to the city state for both Premier League sides. It will also be their first appearance at the new National Stadium after Tottenham graced the old Kallang venue in 1995, and Fabien Barthez’s cameo
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba (left) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Jan Vertonghen compete for the ball at Wembley Stadium in London. The two English Premier League teams will play in the International Champions Cup in Singapore this summer.
as an outfield player headlined the Red Devils’ last visit in 2001. Conversely, it will be a second appearance in more recent times for the Italian sides. Juventus played the first ever football match in the newly-opened National Stadium against a Singapore Select in 2014, while Inter triumphed over Bayern Munich and Chelsea to be crowned champions of the 2017 International Champions Cup Singapore. The opening match, kicking off on Saturday 20th July, will be between Manchester United and Inter, marking a
decade since the sides clashed in the last eight of the UEFA Champions League. To round off the weekend of football, Juventus take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 21st July. A rematch of last season’s Champions League meeting, Spurs will be looking to get back at the side that defeated them in the round-of-16. Football fans in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines can purchase official tickets on Shopee. Official tickets go on sale to the general public from 10am, 4 April 2019 at www.sportshub.com.
Athletes pose at the start line of the 6th Staircase Race Earth Hour Run at the Hilton Pattaya hotel on March 27.
the most appropriate and colorful costumes. Apart from stair race, Hilton Pattaya joined the rest
of the world on Saturday, March 30 by turning off non-essential lighting from 20.30 to 24.00 to mark Earth
Hour, a worldwide movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Ferrari gifts Hamilton another GP win in Bahrain Sakhir, Bahrain (AP) — Lewis Hamilton’s surprise win for Mercedes at the Bahrain Grand Prix last Sunday was the latest present from rivals Ferrari, served on a silver plate and wrapped with a red ribbon. Hamilton won at a canter despite the Silver Arrows lagging behind the red Ferraris for most of the race. First, Sebastian Vettel imploded under pressure from Hamilton, spiraling out of contention some 20 laps from the end as the pair of five-time Formula One champions fought for what seemed like second place. Then it got even worse for Ferrari as race leader Charles Leclerc’s engine started losing power. “(It was) just a loss of power, completely,” Leclerc said. “There were no signs before.” It was the F1 equivalent of an open-goal in soccer for Hamilton, who took full advantage before getting a post-race hug from former Manchester United and England star David Beckham, who waved the checkered flag on Hamilton’s 74th career win. Only seven-time F1 champion Michael
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, Sunday, March 31. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Schumacher has more with 91. Leclerc finished third behind Valtteri Bottas as Mercedes somehow clinched a second straight 1-2 from two races, having been slower than Ferrari in pre-season testing and in Bahrain. Ferrari looked in ominous form after dominating every practice session and every section of
qualifying on the 5.4-kilometer (3.3-mile) desert circuit. “We were lucky. Ferrari out-performed us from the get-go,” Hamilton said. “It definitely feels weird. But what can you do? You can’t deny yourself (victory).” Note: For more on the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix – turn to Automania on page 28.
KL Cobras capture ice hockey title in Bangkok Turn to page 26
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