ScandAsia Norway - October 2009

OCT 2009

Experienced Ambassador Takes on Vietnam October 2009 • ScandAsia.No 1

2 ScandAsia.No • October 2009

Your FREE Norwegian Magazine in Asia ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Norwegian residents in South East Asia.

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Norway Offers Military Planes to Indonesia Norway wants to sell four of its Hercules transport planes.

By Morten Scheelsbeck

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orway has offered to sell four H-type C-130 Hercules aircraft to Indonesia, according to Rear Marshal Imam Wahyudi, logistics assistant to the air force chief of staff. He said the planes had been used by Norway for some time and therefore the Nordic country would conduct a retrofit on the aircraft before delivering them to Indonesia.

The four planes were offered to Indonesia for US$66 million.

"Considering the price and our need to beef up our fleet, it is not a bad proposition, if the government is interested," he said.

Earlier, the US and Australia had offered to sell six E-type and J-type Hercules C-130s at special discounts

to Indonesia with deliveries in 2012.

The six planes which would be a grant from the US are initially allocated for three countries in Asia and Africa. Before being given to Indonesia they had already undergone retrofits, he said.

Indonesia at present has a squadron of C-130 Hercules’s of various types such as C-130 Hercules VIP, C-130 H/HS, C-130 B/H and C-130 BT with an average rate of readiness of 60 percent or nine planes.

Although they are decades old, the Indonesian air force was still using them and maintaining them through various services. It conducted a retrofit on four of them at a cost of US$51 million so that they can still be used for some more time.

"The four Herculeses underwent a retrofit in Singapore. The retrofits on two of them has been finished while the rest are still undergoing retrofits in Singapore and at the Indonesian Air Force’s maintenance depot," he said.

Shipping Firm to Hire

Hundreds of Filipinos Norwegian shipping firm Torvald Klaveness Group (TKG) says it hopes to hire hundreds of more Filipino seafarers in the coming years.

By Morten Scheelsbeck

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orvald Klaveness Group (TKG) expands its fleet on expectations that the world economy will soon recover. That means jobs for hundreds of more Filipino seafarers businessmirror.com.ph reports.

Chairman Tom Erik Klaveness said the company will prioritize the employment of Filipino seafarers in the new vessels that will be purchased within the next three years, about the same time cargo volumes are expected to pick up.

Klaveness, who was in the Philippines in celebration of his company’s presence in the country for the

past 25 years, said that his company will spend between $150 million and $350 million for the purchase of between five to 10 brand-new vessels.

Of its current 1,000 seafarer count, about 800 are Filipino and the rest are composed of several other nationalities.

Klaveness said the group will continue to support the families of seafarers and will add the number of students in maritime schools such as the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy in Zambales and the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific in Bataan.

“We are here for the long term. And as a result of our programs, 98 percent of Filipino seafarers stay with us. Filipinos are our most loyal seafarers,” he said.

In the Philippines, the company established Klaveness Maritime Agency in the 1984, which served as its local crew manning agency.

The company, which had not laid off any of its vessels despite the downturn in shipping traffic, owns about 19 vessels, mostly dry bulkers and other specialized vessels that carry cargo such as steel, iron ore and cement to various countries from Europe to Australia.

October 2009 • ScandAsia.No 3

Norway’s New Ambassador From Philippines to Vietnam Experienced hand takes on new exciting challenge.

By Sarah Mia Haagerup n the 7th of September Mr. Ståle Torstein Risa took over as the Norwegian ambassador to Vietnam, replacing former ambassador Mr. Kjell Storløkken.

A week after formally being received as the new ambassador to Vietnam by the Vietnamese president, Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet, the new ambassador Mr. Risa is sitting in his Hanoi-office ready to begin his new job, looking optimistic and already quite well adjusted. Besides Vietnam, he will also serve as the Norwegian ambassador to Laos.

Behind Mr. Risa’s desk is a map of Vietnam, a country he is eager to

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learn more about, not that this is his first time in Vietnam, though.

Mr. Risa is a well travelled man, and for the last 25 years he hasn’t stayed in the same country for more than five years at a time. A short time ago he was driving down the streets of Manila, where he has worked since 2005 as Norway’s ambassador to the Philippines. Now he is in Vietnam about to embark upon yet another journey.

The reason why Mr. Risa applied for the position as ambassador to Vietnam is that the country holds a great fascination for him.

“The area was known to me as a tourist and was intriguing. And, of course, it is a country of great change. The changes are many and the growth rate here is impressive.

Having seen Hanoi some years ago, my wife and I wanted to experience it professionally also,” says Mr. Risa.

Also, Vietnam is interesting due to the fact that the country is so different from the Philippines, especially in terms of the political environment, he adds.

Beautiful residence The Norwegian Embassy in Vietnam is located in the centre of Hanoi in the big Vincom City Towers. Not far from there, in the old quarter, Mr. Risa has moved in to a beautiful old classical French villa with his wife Mrs. Yuen Kwan Risa. The villa is from the late 1920s - a striking piece of architecture renovated completely by the Norwegian government. It was falling apart in the late 1990s, so the Norwegian government decided to bring it back to its original state and today it stands as it did 80 years ago, but fully equipped with modern amenities and Norwegian furniture.

Before the Norwegians took over, several Vietnamese families lived in the villa. You can still see evidence of this, as family names have been carved into the ground floor ceiling woodwork.

From Sortland to Suharto dictatorship As a young man, Mr. Risa studied law at the University of Oslo, majoring in public international law and human rights. Later he got accepted at the prestigious University of Virginia School of Law, where he received his Masters Degree in law.

Mr. Risa joined the Norwegian Foreign Service at a young age but took a leave of absence in 1983 to work as a deputy district court judge in a small town called Sortland in the northern part of Norway.

For approximately a year he served as a judge, sending people to jail, deciding disputes between couples and neighbours, and handling 4 ScandAsia.No • October 2009

traffic violations. But The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had other plans for him, and in 1984 he was off to Hong Kong to work as Norway’s vice consul at the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Hong Kong.

“It was a big transition from small town life in Norway to a pulsating East Asian metropolis. But a tremendous place to be in at that time, really exiting,” Mr. Risa says.

Of course, back then the British were still in charge of Hong Kong, and very visible everywhere. Not like Hong Kong today. Hong Kong was also the place where he met his wife.

Then in 1987 Mr. Risa moved with his wife to Jakarta as he got a job as first secretary at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Jakarta. At this time the Indonesian society was widely controlled by the Suharto family’s dictatorship.

In his job he dealt with everything from people disappearing in the night never to be heard from again to house arrests.

“Hong Kong was a vibrating metropolis, while Indonesia was struggling with everything from governance and corruption issues to serious human rights violations.

There was much to do there,” Mr. Risa remembers.

After Jakarta, Mr. Risa served as counsellor at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington and as minister-counsellor at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Tokyo. Until 2005 he served as deputy legal counsel at the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Goals for the future Norwegian-Vietnamese bilateral relations were a subject Mr. Risa discussed with the Vietnamese president when the two met at the accreditation ceremony the 4th of September. According to Mr. Risa, more and more Norwegian companies are becoming interested in Vietnam, particularly in areas such as shipping and maritime industries, energy, and fisheries and aqua culture.

With many years of experience in areas such as law, shipping, commercial relations, and development Mr. Risa is fully prepared for the

challenges in Vietnam. At the same time living in Asia for so many years has given him a great insight into the region.

Besides strengthening the Norwegian-Vietnamese bilateral ties, Mr. Risa is very focused on issues relating to climate change and pollution, which has become a big problem in Vietnamese cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Risa mentions in particular the proliferation of motor bicycles which has caused considerable pollution in both cities, not only air pollution but also noise pollution. The pollution has become much worse in only a few years, a problem which is only going to get worse, he says In order to address the many climate challenges we face today, the Norwegian government has integrated climate and environmental issues into its aid programs, including the one in Vietnam.

“It is no longer a separate issue as you cannot have development without proper attention to climate issues,” Mr Risa explains.

In addition more motor bicycles on the roads have meant a lot more chaos.

“I have never seen such total disrespect for traffic rules. There does not seem to be any clear rules, with strange vehicles coming at you from all directions. To be a pedestrian in Hanoi is without a doubt a very risky business,” Mr. Risa laughs.

The life of a diplomat A life filled with travelling and constantly moving around has meant certain sacrifices for Mr. Risa and his wife.

“My wife and I sometimes think about having a place of our own, a place we can really call home. It is difficult to settle when you move all the time, and you certainly have to have the ability to say goodbye to friends,” Mr Risa says. Even though it was difficult leaving Manila and saying goodbye to friends and staff, they had been geared towards it from the beginning, which made them mentally prepared.

“Many acquaintances, a few friends, that’s the life of diplomacy,” he says.

October 2009 • ScandAsia.No 5

Gigantic REC Factory in Singapore Right now, the work is peaking at the construction site in Singapore, where 5000 workers are constructing REC Group’s factory for the manufacture of solar wafers, which will the the world’s largest.

By Morten Scheelsbeck

he Norwegian company REC Group is one of the biggest operators in the solar energy industry worlwide. Last year, REC Group started the construction of the world’s largest integrated wafer, cell and module production facility which will be located in Singapore.

REC is investing 3.3 billion SGD in the first face of the project, and

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6 ScandAsia.No • October 2009

the factory should be up and running in the spring 2010. The finished manufactures of wafer, cell and module will be sold throughout the world contributing to make use of the sun to produce energy.

Singapore just perfect “We are looking at a challenge when it comes to global warming, and we need to have alternative energy resources. In that respect we need to look at the opportunities that the sun gives us. It is logical to use the sunshine and convert it into power,” REC Chairman Øyvind Hasaas says, adding: “We are really working hard to find good solutions when it comes to finding ways to get energy of the sun in the future.”

But the question is why REC Group chose Singapore to invest in: “We obviously don’t have much sun in Scandinavia, but we have the technology.”

“We started out looking at around 200 locations in the world, and based on different criteria Singapore was the place we finally selected. A lot of places in Asia had good locations but in Singapore we found the most highly automated

facilities to our needs. That was the best,” the chairman states.

Not hit by crisis REC Group decided to go ahead with the major project before the world wide financial crisis set in, but Øyvind Hasaas thinks they have really managed to get unharmed through it: “For example, you can say that it has been our success that many craftsmen and construction work-

ers have lacked nothing else to do, because then it has meant that we have not had some problems finding the many thousands that we had to hire,” Øyvind Hasaas says. .

Once the new large factory will be ready for spring next year, it will be with a number of employees at around 1100. There are, however a lot more workers when construction work is peaking, and we peak right now with 5.000 workers.

October 2009 • ScandAsia.Sg 1

Taste of Scandinavian Shoppe in Singapore, owned

by Mel and her Danish husband Michael Thøgersen, has specialized in providing all the Scandinavian food, snacks and drinks you miss in Singapore.

By Bjarne Wildau

2 ScandAsia.Sg • October 2009

Home

candinavian Shoppe in Singapore is the place for Scandinavians to look for all kinds of specialties from their own country that they haven't been able to find anywhere else. In the shop, Mel Thøgersen and her staff do what ever they can, to ensure that there is always a wide range of different kinds of Scandinavian food, bread, cakes, different kinds of Scandinavian liquor, and not to forget many kinds of snacks, chocolate, sweets.

Mel Thøgersen and her husband Michael took over the shop in November 2007. The previous owner had used the name “So Delicious”, but it did not take long before the couple changed the name in order to describe more precisely that all the “so delicious” stuff was goods from Scandinavia. And lots of what you can find in the shop is not for

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eating – like a cheese cutter or new strings for your old cheese cutter.

while she is pointing at a pushchair, belonging to the children.

The idea

All the good stuff

“Before the shop came about, I was working for an American company designing HR systems. I was pregnant, and my husband Michael complained about my long working hours. He felt sorry for me, and he would like us to spend much more time together”, Mel Thøgersen explain.

“My husband had a friend whose girlfriend worked in this shop. That’s how we got in touch with the former owner,” she explains.

Since then Mel has been giving birth to two wonderful children, a boy named Noah, and a girl called Mikaela.

“They normally join me when I go to the shop, but today my mother is taking care of them,” Mel says,

“Scandinavian Shoppe” has most of what you will ever think of as a Scandinavian. The entire Scandasia magazine you are holding in your hands right now will be far too small to mention all the available goods.

The shop is also clearly well funded. You don't find two or three glasses of marinated Herrings on the shelves, there are loads of goods all over.

“We get most of our things straight from Copenhagen. Also things from the other Scandinavian countries. All the fresh goods like cheese, butter, bacon, fresh bread, and much more, we get out here by air cargo. The rest take the journey by boat”.

Mel is happy for the changes in her working life. Her husband Michael Thøgersen was right. She was working far too much before, and the new life as a shop owner with two Filipino assistants employed fits much better into to her life with two small children.

We get most of our things straight from Copenhagen.

Also things from the other Scandinavian countries. All the fresh goods like cheese, butter, bacon, fresh bread, and much more.

Mel Thøgersen with her two shop assistants who help her make shopping at Scandinavian Shoppe a pleasant experience.

More loyal customers On top of that, she can enjoy the fact, that more and more people discover “Scandinavian Shoppe”, as the place to go for their favourite food, snacks and drinks.

“Most of our costumers are regulars. They come week after week, and we also have costumers who

live in other countries in the Far East. They come here just before they are heading for the airport,” Mel Thøgersen says.

“It’s obvious that we have to charges a higher prize here in Singapore, compared with the prices in Scandinavia. Especially air cargo is very expensive. We do have cos-

tumers who are complaining about that, but most of the costumers understand that it has to be more expensive here. Instead of complaining, they should look forward to sitting in their Asian home and enjoy food from back home,” Mel says.

SCANDINAVIAN SHOPPE Special offer:

* Scandinavian Shoppe 30 South Buona Vista Road How to get there?

- MRT to Buona Vista. Bus no. 200 to Lor Sarhad.

- MRT to Harbour Front / Vivo City. Bus no. 10, 30, 143 to Redwood West. Walk up South Buona Vista Road Tel:+65 6476 2575 - scandishoppe@singnet.com.sg

‘Gamle Ole’ Vintage Cheese

S$

45.65 pr/kg

October 2009 • ScandAsia.Sg 3

Norwegian Lawyers in Singapore The Norwegian law firm Vogt & Wiig has been active in Singapore for two and a half years now. Among their customers are both large Norwegian shipping companies and private expats.

4 ScandAsia.Sg • October 2009

By Morten Scheelsbeck on Ansten and Christian Bjørtuft Ellingsen are lawyers and directors of Vogt & Wiig Singapore Branch. Together with a third Nowegian lawyer, Pia Grude, they run the Singaporean department of Vogt & Wiig, a Norwegian law firm with its headquarters in Oslo, Norway. The firm is leading in the maritime field having a number of large Norwegian and foreign shipping companies as its customers. Throughout the years, Norwegian companies have increased their businesses in the shipping metropolis Singapore and because of the increasing need for legal assistance in South East Asia, Vogt & Wiig start-

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ed a local department of the firm in Singapore in January 2007. The Singapore Branch remains to date the law firms only branch outside of Norway.

Request from the industry The idea of opening a local branch of Vogt & Wiig in Singapore was actually not the firm’s own idea. It was the customers’, the shipping companies’: “We saw more and more Norwegian companies and other companies involved with shipping moving down from Norway to Singapore. Consequently, several of our major customers requested that we move out here with them.

They simply asked us to establish

ourselves down here so we could help them more often and more up close and personally, and so we did in January 2007,” Jon Ansten explains, adding: “The personal and close relationship is very important to the firm, so it was quite logical that we listened to our customers’ wish.”

Vogt & Wiig started out with only one lawyer in January 2007, and are now three. In total there are 85 lawyers in the firm.

Companies and privates The law firm in Singapore helps their shipping customers with things like purchases and sales of vessels and new building contracts. Vogt & Wiig also has a lot of private Norwegian

We could have more private Norwegian customers,” says Jon Ansten and Christian Bjørtuft Ellingsen, who have been involved in over 100 shipbuilding contracts since Vogt & Wiig moved to Singapore in 2007. customers who need help regarding the system of taxation in Singapore.

These are primarily expats who are interested in the low Singaporean tax compared to the much higher Norwegian tax.

“When you are Norwegian and want to build, purchase, sell or finance a ship in Singapore or Asia, come to us,” Jon Ansten says.

“We have been involved in over 100 shipbuilding contracts since we moved down here, and we also help in the overall buying and selling of already existing ships. We work closely with major banks in relation to the financing,” he explains.

Jon Ansten originally obtained his law degree from the University of Bergen 10 years ago. His expertise within the firm includes financing of vessels, taxation and corporate matters.

Norwegian customers and Norwegian law Jon’s permanent colleague in the firm is Christian Bjørtuft Ellingsen from Oslo, who joined the branch in August this year. He is Vogt & Wiig’s expert in shipbuilding contracts and maritime insurance. Even though the firm practises in Singapore, they are not allowed to advice on Singaporean law. Their customers are mainly Norwegians companies many with Singaporean subsidiaries, but also include Singaporean and Asia based companies and banks seeking advice on Norwegian law.

“We are Norwegian lawyers, and we are working for a Norwegian law firm. We are not allowed to advice on Singaporean law, so our business has from the starting point always had Norwegian context,” Christian Bjørtuft Ellingsen says. As a result Christian and Jon work closely

with a number of local law firms. In addition to Jon and Christian, partner at the Oslo office, Erlend Lous, and English solicitor, Adrian Moylan, are lawyers who dedicate much of their time to the Singapore office.

Expansion plans for the future Vogt & Wiig has ambitions to expand the office with another lawyer.

They have already gone from one employee in 2007 to three now, even though there have been several challenges involved in starting up a business outside of Norway.

Despite the financial crisis really has embarked, Vogt & Wiig has been spared from a decrease in the number of cases or turnovers this year compared to last year. They have actually even had a small increase in the number of cases.

“The contents of the cases have obviously changed a bit because of the financial crisis, and if we can continue in the same positive style in the future it is certainly realistic that we will have several new colleagues down here,” Jon Ansten says.

The volume of work has therefore not changed so much because of the crisis. In contrast, clients’ needs have changed, and there has been a change in emphasis from the predominantly transaction related work to assistance relating to disputes and distress.

Networking and seminars part of the plan The two lawyers estimate that they have approximately 200 cases a year, but they feel they can manage even more.

“I think we could have more private Norwegian customers. We try to attend the cocktail parties and the seminars held for the Norwegian community in Singapore, and we even organizes our own seminars to tell about the system of taxation for Norwegian expats and of course relevant maritime topics which is our core business,” Jon Ansten says, adding that the seminars have been a positive experience and that they probably will continue organizing them.

“It means of course a lot that the help comes from someone who can speak the same language. You feel immediately that you know each other, and so the first barriers are gone,” Jon Ansten states.

Vogt & Wiig has no plans to expand the company with offices in other parts of Asia. If the time comes, it would be the office in Singapore that would be expanded.

Ahhh...

Danisco

The Danish food ingredients giant Danisco plays a more significant role in making most everything you eat taste better and be healthier.

By Joakim Persson anisco belongs to the kind of corporations that are the most anonymous to the general publish, since they are almost never seen or mentioned in any brands that we consume.

And yet they are part of everybody’s daily life!

“Danisco ingredients are found in every second ice cream that is served on the planet,” says Gorm Larsen who is head of Danisco’s culture creation and tech centre in Singapore “For yoghurt it’s every fourth, and every second cheese contains something, that we have we supplied!”

As a Director of Innovation, Gorm Larsen has developed the operations in Southeast Asia from scratch, moving first to Penang in Malaysia where he spent five years as the first innovation staff in the Asia Pacific - and from there to Singapore.

“If you think you can develop a solution sitting in cold Denmark and make it fit into warm Indonesia that’s naïve,” Gorm Larsen says.

“When an Asian person takes a product and tastes something they get a different impression. Asian consumers have a different way of actually tasting the product, which impacts what they recognise.”

Improving taste, texture and appearance, extending shelf life, optimizing food safety and enabling cost effective production – Danisco’s ingredients have many functions, but improving the general quality of your foods is key.

“Some of the low calorie products that were put on the market a few years ago were initially not very successful until the industry realized that a product is not acceptable to consumers eating-wise if it tastes bad.”

“The crisis has taken a little bit of the boost from the health trend, but I think it will come back to that health is an important element of the market.”

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October 2009 • ScandAsia.Sg 5

Huber’s Butchery Outlet Opened at Dempsey Huber’s Butchery & Bistro @ Dempsey features Huber’s largest selection of meats, a new organic foods section and its first al fresco Bistro. uber’s Buthchery on 15 October opened its new flagship store Huber’s Butchery & Bistro @ Dempsey on, 15 October 2009. Located at 18A Dempsey Road in Tanglin Village, the 3,000-square foot outlet will be Huber’s second and largest in Singapore, and will showcase new lifestyle concepts not available at any previous Huber’s butchery.

“We have incorporated many new elements to offer added convenience and a new shopping experience," says Mr. Ernst Huber, Chairman, Huber’s Pte Ltd.

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Jump into the future At the new outlet you will find the largest selection of Huber’s meats with over 18 metres of meat counters featuring fresh beef, pork, lamb, veal, poultry, sausages, hams and cold cuts at the new flagship store. Look also for all the ready-made products with a hot deli, pasta section, over 30 varieties of cheese and a selection of bread from Swiss Bake and Picotin.

The new outlet will also feature two firsts for Huber’s – its first Organic Foods section featuring organic produce like vegetables, milk, fruit and eggs, as well as its first in-store Bistro.

The 30-seater Al fresco bistro will feature all items available at the store and more. Beyond the meats, cold cuts, vegetables, bread, olive oil and sea salt sold in store, Huber’s Bistro will also serve coffee, tea, sandwiches and cakes from Perla’s.

Enjoy a meal “We believe that our contemporary Huber’s Butchery & Bistro @ Dempsey will offer a great facility and location not just for shoppers looking for a comprehensive and convenient place to quickly pop in to get their groceries, but also for those who wish to relax and enjoy a cup 6 ScandAsia.Sg • October 2009

of coffee or a meal at the Bistro,” said Mr. Thomas Kreissl, General Manager for Retail, Huber’s Butchery.

The new store will open from 9.30 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. daily (from Mondays to Sundays), including public holidays. Free parking is available for customers.

Launch Party Huber’s Butchery & Bistro @ Dempsey Rd, Tanglin Village was launched with a party on 18 October including a big lion dance performance.

Customers enjoyed free barbeque sausages, free flow of Swiss beers and coffee, free Mövenpick Ice Cream and Swiss wine tasting while the Swiss Alpine Lions’ Band entertained throughout the party.

HuberÊs recipe Excellence in manufacturing is paramount to Huber’s aim of ensuring a robust food safety system and quality of our meat products. The company specializes in the production of premium meat products.

Huber’s offers a wide selection of prime meats, sausages, hams and cold cuts. The team’s expertise and constant focus on meats allow Huber’s to consistently meet the stringent demands of discerning chefs and food connoisseurs.

Enthusiastic partners Several of Huber’s business partners were present at the opening.

“We are very enthusiastic about the new Huber’s Store at Dempsey as it combines an ease of discovery, relevancy to the Dempsey’s stellar mix of quality food and beverage offerings,” said said Chef Patrick Heuberger, Au Petit Salut restaurant.

Mr Xavier Baumgartner, Managing Director of Swiss Bake Pte Ltd. supports the statement.

“We are excited to be a part of the new Dempsey Store and support Huber’s efforts to provide consumers with quality sandwiches and salads at Huber’s Bistro,” he said.

“We are continually looking for opportunities to integrate our offerings of products and create a ubiquitous experience for our customers,” said Martin Fassler, Managing Director of Fassler Gourmet Pte Ltd. “By making our soups and seafood available through the Huber’s Dempsey Store, we hope to complement the quality offering available at Huber’s Butchery.”

Quick Facts Bistro • Alfresco dining style with 30-seater • Coffee, tea, salads, sandwiches Organic • Organic fruits, vegetables, eggs • Organic beef, lamb and chicken Pasta • Fresh pasta and pasta sauces Hot Deli • Take away piping hot Pork Knuckles, roasted chicken, roasted pork belly, meatloaf, etc.

Meats • Over 18 metres of meat counter featuring European-styled Milk-Fed veal, ready marinated Australian and New Zealand Barbeque meats to Japanese and Korean loved Beef Short Ribs (Kal-bi), Shabu Shabu and Wagyu Beef to American size Angus Porter House Steaks and Juicy Burgers and more.

• Sausages Over 20 varieties of sausages including traditionalstyled sausages: Nuernberger, Bockwurst, Weisswurst, Wienerli and Cervelat.

Personalized services • Meat Portioning – Specialised cutting, slicing, chopping, scoring and tying of meat

• • • •

Vacuum packing service to help seal in freshness & extend shelf life Free marinating service using air-flown spices & marinades from Switzerland Expert tips & advice on meat preparation, handling and cooking Oven roasting service Pre-order pick up & free home delivery service for orders above S$75

October 2009 • ScandAsia.Sg 7

KLM Celebrates 90 Years of Inspiration Celebrations in Singapore Changi airport when KLM turned 90 on 7 October 2009.

Mrs Hijdi Popken and her children, Anne & Sander on 7 October at KLM 90th Anniversary Celebrations at Changi Airport Terminal 1 before boarding their KLM flight to Amsterdam.

In Australia

KLM

Royal Dutch Airlines, the world’s oldest airline turned 90 on 7 October 2009, a joyous occasion that sparks celebrations throughout 2009 and around the world.

“KLM is the oldest airline still operating under its original name,” says Paul Rombeek Air France KLM, General Manager Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

Mr Rombeek added that the airline owes its success in the past 90 years to the diligence of its people and their willingness to innovate,” KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was the first international airline to operate scheduled services to Singapore in 1933 and today operates daily services with a mix of B777-300ER and B777-200 aircraft.

KLM celebrated 75 years of KLM services to Singapore on 21st May 2008.

In Jakarta On 01st October 2009, KLM celebrated the 85th Anniversary of its very first intercontinental route in a Fokker F-VII – that linking Amsterdam to Batavia (Colonial Jakarta) which was inaugurated on 1 October 1924. The trip took between 8 and 9 days.

In September 12, 1929, KLM started regular, scheduled service between Amsterdam to Batavia.

Until the outbreak of the Second World War, this was the world’s longest-distance scheduled service.

There are plans to have a grand celebration in Jakarta, alongside offers of special fares and other marketing promotions in October 2009.

8 ScandAsia.Sg • October 2009

90 Years of inspiration The Jubilee celebrations took off with a special “Celebration Flight” over The Netherlands on 1 January 2009, using a KLM Boeing 737-800 painted in a retrospective livery that previously adorned KLM’s Douglas DC-8s in the 1960s.

A special Boeing 777-200 carried a load of passengers that included 70 chronically and terminally-ill children whose infectious enthusiasm about their first flight ever gave this event a meaningful and inspiring start. KLM aims to provide more than 1,000 underprivileged children with their first flights in 2009.

On 07 April 2009, a special tulip was named after KLM. The ceremony took place in the 60 years old, Keukenhof Gardens and the new white tulip hybrid is called “Tulipa KLM”. Bulbs from this tulip have been made available through online orders via the KLM website and these are set to blossom throughout the country come the next season in May 2010

Other events Other events planned for the Jubilee Year are a flight with the historic plane, the KLM Douglas DC 2 Uiver, winner of the 1934 EnglandAustralia, MacRobertson Trophy Air Race handicap formula and the KLM Open Golf Championship with some surprising Jubilee elements.

KLM in The Netherlands will also be organising a community of clients, suppliers, employees, partners and universities to generate big ideas in the key areas of innovation and sustainability.

Paul Rombeek, Air France KLM, General Manager Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

During the closing stages of the historic London – Melbourne MacRobertson Air Race on October 1934, KLM’s entry – the Douglas DC-2 named “Uiver” – landed in Albury after experiencing difficulties.

With help from the local community, “Uiver” was able to complete the race.

On 23 October 2009, celebrations marking this occasion and acknowledging the assistance rendered by the community will take place at Albury Airport.

In New Zealand KLM in co-operation with the Dutch Embassy in New Zealand, the NetherlaNZ Foundation and Penthouse Cinema jointly organised the premiere of the Dutch-New Zealand co-produced film “Bride Flight” which recounts the lives of three of the 29 women who flew onboard a KLM DC-6A that participated in the London-Melbourne Air Race in 1953. This event was held on 18 June 2009 as part of KLM’s 90th anniversary celebrations in New Zealand.

Innovative thinking These activities underline KLM’s innovative forward thinking which lies at the core of its successful alliances and leading position in the aviation industry.

KLM’s development and growth has been anchored by its deep roots in the Dutch society and the far-flung travel of its people and traders.

October 2009 • ScandAsia.Th 1

Hans Marqvard Jensen Hans Marqvard Jensen, Captain, was killed in battle south of Phayao, Northern Siam, (renamed Thailand in 1939) on October 14, 1902, when only 24 years old.

By Flemming Winther Nielsen ome long-time residents, commonly referred to as ‘farang,’ and a few newcomers know the name and talk about him, shaking their heads, and sometimes shuddering. Imagine, alone and dying in the middle of nowhere, and him only 24. The talk is mostly based on guesswork and theories, but in two articles I will provide some facts about Hans and his life — he deserves it.

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Vindegade in Odense today. This is the street, where Hans Marqvard Jensen grew up...

Cocoa and new boots In 1902 a small parcel was sent from the town of Odense, Denmark, to Siam. It arrived in Bangkok Harbor onboard one of The East-Asiatic Company’s (EAC) regular ships early in November 1902. Mr. Guldberg of the company knew that Captain Jensen was dead and on the 18 November the parcel was forwarded to ‘The Danish Majesty’s Acting Consul General, Mr. d’Abaza’ When opened, it “proved to contain six tins of Van Hoyten’s cocoa and a pair of new patent leather boots.”

His favorite beverage and needed footwear never received; a micro snapshot of the young man behind the ‘declared hero of war’ renown.

We don’t have many such images of him personally, although a few will be mentioned later, but we do know more of the frame of his young life, and it is one of the sagas of the farangs in Siam-Thailand.. His name has been recalled through the years, and never completely forgotten.

Vindegade, Odense Hans was born in Vindegade 54, Sct. Knuds Parish, Odense, on April 2 ScandAsia.Th • October 2009

...and below Bangkok as it looked when he arrived around Christmas 1900. Many Danes died of typhoid, malaria or other tropical diseases shortly after their arrival.

3, 1878. Vindegade is a part of one of the very old districts in the town center, quite near the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen and the

idyllic ‘The King’s Garden’. His father, Rasmus Jensen, was registered in the census papers as a carpenter, his mother Marie, as a housewife.

Hans had an older sister, too. The family lived in the front house on the plot and had a maid. Besides being a carpenter, his father also owned a

Hans Marqvard Jensen’s grave is today found in Chiang Mai where some Danish tourists find it and wonder who he was.

small farm in Bolbro, at that time in the outskirts of Odense.

As a young man, Hans was first trained as merchant-clerk, then went on to do his compulsory military service.

From the military archives we then learn that Hans served in The Royal Life Guards in Copenhagen.

He was accepted at the officers’ academy and appointed second lieutenant the eighth of October 1898.

It is mentioned that Hans Marqvard Jensen was E.K 3a [egnet for krigstjeneste]. In translation it reads: ‘Fit for service in war’. And into war he went, to one of the most isolated places of Northern Siam.

A world of difference In the autumn of 1900, Marqvard Jensen was seconded from the Danish army and assigned as second lieutenant in ‘The Royal Siamese Provincial Military Police’. From urban

Copenhagen and a secured career, to wooden villages and elephant tracks around 700 kilometers north of Bangkok, a mind-blowing difference in everything from climate to food and eating habits.

Why was Hans offered the job and why did he accept this faraway position? Perhaps a love of adventure, but we don’t know his inner or personal motives. There are no signs of coercion—from personal problems such as debt for example.

Furthermore, he was single. Hans’ father died shortly before he left for Siam that might have influenced his decision.

What we do know is that around the turn of the century there were close and cordial personal relations between members of the Royal House in Bangkok and the Royal House in Copenhagen. The East-Asiatic Company (EAC) had major teak concessions and other

businesses in Siam, and was closely related to both Royal Houses; they acted as liaison and had a material interest in peace and stability.

King Chulalongkorn, Rama V (1853-1910) was absolute monarch and the great modernizer of Siam, from railroads to schools. The country itself could provide neither skilled labor nor technicians and engineers. The King was wary of colonists, since the neighbor to the west, Burma, was a British Colony, Laos to the north and east, French.

For skilled labor, technicians and other professionals, the king often preferred foreign expert help from minor countries without colonial aspirations. For example the admiral of the Siamese fleet Andreas Richelieu was a Dane, son of a pastor in Jut-

land. He later became a member of the board of directors of EAC. The commander of The Royal Provincial Military Police was another Dane, the highly respected Colonel, later General, Gustav Schau. He had many Danish officers in his service.

With all these close interconnected relations it could well be imagined that the tall, blond young man was patted on the shoulder by high ranking superiors and encouraged to accept some years of service in the Far East.

Hans Marqvard Jensen arrived in Bangkok onboard an EAC freighter around Christmas 1900.

This is the first part of a two part article. The next part will be published in the December issue of ScandAsia Thailand.

October 2009 • ScandAsia.Th 3

Mosquito

Borne Diseases Mosquitoes have been on the planet longer than man and have come to regard us as an attractive “all you can eat” buffet. They really don’t mean us any harm; there is no grand plan to take over the planet, it is just that now and then they like a little feed of blood.

It is not even all the mosquitoes that are after us, only the older ones and, you may be surprised to learn, only the females.

By Dr Michael Moreton *)

nfortunately the mosquitoes carry some rather nasty parasites and viruses in their bodies. They have been clever and have adapted so that they do not suffer from these diseases but they do pass them on to us when they bite. There is little reaction to the first bite and it may be quite painless; with more bites the sensitivity of the body increases and an itchy red hive may appear after a few minutes.

When the female mosquito bites in order to obtain blood, she also injects saliva and an anti-coagulant into the blood stream; the saliva may contain parasites and viruses that can cause illnesses. It was as recently as the 1890s that it was discovered by work in Calcutta, Cuba and Panama that the mosquito was responsible for spreading Yellow

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*) Dr Michael Moreton is the International Medical Coordinator at the Bangkok Hospital. Email: Moreton@bgh.co.th 4 ScandAsia.Th • October 2009

Fever and Malaria. The heroes who made this discovery were Sir Ronald Ross who when working in Calcutta proved that mosquitoes were the transmitters and Dr Walter Reed of the US Army Medical Corps who

used this information in Panama to protect the workers; without his work it is unlikely that the Panama Canal could have been built.

About 700 million people annually, mostly in Africa, Asia, South and Central America, suffer from mosquito-borne diseases resulting in two to three million deaths, the majority of them being young children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Malaria: Anopheles The word Malaria comes from Italian and means bad air. Before Dr Reed’s work it was thought that the disease was caused by bad elements in the air. We now know that the disease is caused by a single cell parasite the Plasmodium; of which there are five varieties, the most serious being the Plasmodium falciparum. This is usually carried by an Anopheles mosquito that has acquired the parasite by biting an infected person. About a

week later, when the mosquito enjoys another meal of human blood, the parasite is injected into that new victim. The Anopheles likes to feed at dusk and dawn and this feature is useful in designing protection programs. It is also predominantly a rural disease but it does occur in cities too, probably because the mosquito finds more suitable breeding places in country areas: ponds, swamps and other pools of stagnant water.

The parasite multiplies in the patient’s body and symptoms start to appear about 6-12 days after infection. Fever, chills, nausea, muscular and joint pain, shortness of breath and rapid pulse are typical symptoms.

The classical symptoms of Malaria are the cyclical occurrence of sudden coldness, followed by rigor and fever and sweating for several hours. Coma, convulsions and neurological complication may occur.

In severe cases, kidney failure may result in blood being passed in the urine - one of the old names for the disease was Black-water Fever.

Even with excellent medical care a 20% death rate can occur; without it, the death rate may be much higher even more. Following the initial attack, patients may suffer from Chronic Malaria where the disease returns months or years after the initial attack. The parasite can hide in the liver for many years and come out to cause a new attack. The longest recorded period between the initial attack and a recurrence is thirty years!

Since Charles Laveran first visualized the malaria parasite in the blood in 1880, microscopic examination of the blood has been the most reliable method of diagnosis, but in recent years more sophisticated lab tests have been developed which

can give a rapid diagnosis. In areas where even simple blood tests are not available the diagnosis is made from the history and physical examination; this is not satisfactory and many false positive and false negative diagnoses are made if laboratory services are not available.

Treatment is difficult and this is made more so by the parasite evolving and acquiring immunity to each new drug. The Spanish colonizers of South America learned from the native people of Peru of a “wonder drug’ for the treatment and prevention of Malaria. Quinine is extracted from the bark of the Cichona tree and this medication, known as Jesuits Bark, was used for over three hundred and is still being used in some situations. Modern drugs have been developed and the choice depends on the individual patients symptoms and the location of the patient as drug resistance differs from place to place.

The prophylactic use of drugs, patients taking medication before going to visit an area in which malaria is endemic, is controversial.

They have to be started before the risk of exposure and continue for up to four weeks afterwards, they can sometimes cause serious sideeffects and are subject to the problem of resistant strains.

In the days of the British Empire, the colonizers all had to take a dose of Quinine every night. Quinine is very bitter, so to make it more palatable they added a little Gin, soda water and lemon, which is the origin of the Gin and Tonic.

Visitors to endemic regions are encouraged to take steps to avoid being bitten. Suitable clothing with arms, legs and neck being covered are ideal; special care should be taken at night. Skin preparations either

in cream or spray form should be applied to all exposed skin. Preparations containing DEET are very effective.

The use of mosquito netting at night is essential if the bedroom is not closed from the outside air.

Modern netting is impregnated with anti-mosquito chemicals that can increase the protection.

Elimination of the mosquito population has been attempted with varying success in many countries. Malaria was once endemic in Europe and North America, but mosquito control has made it very rare in these regions. Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water so draining swamps and flooded areas has helped enormously. DDT was used extensively for many years but the health hazard and other environmental risks of this chemical have

almost eliminated its use. Other less hazardous chemicals have been developed but some public health authorities still feel that DDT has a useful role to play.

No effective vaccine has yet been produced but we may be getting close. The Bill Gates Foundation is financing a project in which researchers have expressed confi-

dence that they will produce a vaccine within the next few years.

Yellow Fever: Aedes Yellow fever is an acute viral disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. “Yellow” refers to the jaundice that is quite common in sufferers. There have been many devastating epidemics in history; Philadelphia in 1793 when over 10,000 died; New Orleans in 1853 when 8000 died; the French Army in Haiti in 1802 when an army of 40,000 men was decimated and thus changed the history of the region.

It’s not all mosquitos that care diseases.

But just imagine the itching!

October 2009 • ScandAsia.Th 5

Avoiding being bitten is the top priority in preventing all diseases related to mosquitos. Repellents and mosquito nets will keep you safe!

Screen doors, and insect window screens have greatly reduced the mosquito exposure to mosquitos in our homes.

Mosquito bed nets are essential in bungalows in places like Cambodia - and then they are also decorative.

Yellow Fever begins suddenly about three to five days after being bitten. In mild cases there may be only fever and headache but within twenty four hours 15% of the patients will develop chills, back pain, extreme prostration and bleeding into the skin. Most recover but some will die. There is no effective treatment for this disease but there is good news; there is a good vaccine against this disease. Extensive public health programs in endemic regions have helped control this disease.

Dengue Fever: Aedes This is another disease spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. This mosquito, unlike the malaria types is a day feeder and is also present in urban as well as rural regions.

Dengue is present in many tropical countries; a recent outbreak in Australia, caused several hundred cases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that worldwide there are 50 million cases a year. It is caused by a virus in the Flavivridae

family. There are four types of this virus and each one causes a slightly different disease. Contracting and developing antibodies to one, unfortunately, does not protect you from the others.

The disease presents with a sudden onset of fever, headaches, severe muscle and joint pain. An old name for the disease was Breakbone Fever because of this terrible pain. There may also be abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

One of the worrying features is that there are changes in the blood which makes the blood less able to clot and leads to spontaneous bleeding. This causes a typical rash, caused by many small hemorrhages underneath the skin. If the disease should become severe internal bleeding may occur, then it is classified as Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, a much more serious disease.

There is no specific treatment for the disease; dehydration can be a problem and intra-venous fluids are given to prevent this from occurring. Careful

observation of the platelet count is needed and the patient nursed with care to avoid any trauma; only very rarely is a blood or platelet transfusion necessary.

The four types of Dengue mean that one attack may not give protection from another variety, in fact an attack by a second variety may be more severe and is more likely to lead to Hemorrhagic Fever than the first. It is as if the immune system is fooled into believing that it has antibodies to this new invader when it doesn’t.

Work is being done produce a vaccine for the four types and there are reasons to believe that one will be available within a few years.

Precautions are similar to those for Malaria, mosquito control and personal mosquito protection. It should be remembered that this mosquito is a day feeder.

Japanese Encephalitis: Culex This disease is most prevalent in Southeast Asia. The JE virus is a Sout member of the Flavividae Family mem

Mosquito repellents? How could we ever live without them?!

6 ScandAsia.Th • October 2009

and is carried by the Culex mosquito, whose natural home is in rice fields. It is most prevalent in rural area but cases are seen even in urban areas. Most infections are asymptomatic or mild and it is estimated that only 1 in 200 cases develop into encephalitis.

After a few days of non-specific fever symptoms the patient may start to show neurological signs: neck rigidity, numbness, and convulsions.

A vaccine was developed over fifty yeas ago and has been found to be very effective. Anyone traveling extensively in Asia, particularly to country areas is encouraged to have this injection.

Unfortunately those are not all the diseases that can be carried by these pesky insects: Rift Valley Fever, West Nile Virus, Equine Encephalitis, Ross River virus, Barmah Forest virus are other serious mosquito borne diseases. Viral meningitis can be spread from mosquito bites and this is a significant problem in nontropical countries. Luckily it seems that the AIDS virus is not spread by mosquitoes.

Avoiding being bitten is the priority in preventing any of these diseases. The development of fine mesh window screens in the nineteenth century was probably the most significant step in defending us against the mosquito. The application of a DEET cream or spray before leaving home is of the greatest importance; it should also be reapplied every few hours.

The Travel Medicine Clinic at the Bangkok Hospital is staffed by doctors able to provide information and advice to patients planning trips in Asia or to other parts of the world where these diseases are a problem. The doctors can provide advice on prophylaxis against Malaria and recommend vaccines that you may need.

Secluded, Relaxing and Romantic for your perfect stay in our natural paradise

Chaw – Ka – Cher TROPICANA LANTA RESORT Koh Lanta, Krabi

Sales and Reservation Office: 247/1 M. 2, Aonang, Muang Krabi 81000 Tel. +66 (0) 7563 7970, +66 (0) 8 1895 9718, E-mail: reservation@chawkacherresort.com Resort : 352 M.2, Saladan, Koh lanta, Krabi 81150 Tel. +66 (0) 75 667 122 – 4 www.ChawKaCherResort.Com

Collects More Awards

usit Thani Pattaya has been awarded Outstanding Hotel with the acknowledgment attributed Dusit Thani Pattaya’s overall profile including its location, convenience, cleanliness as well as comfort. The plaque with the award was handed to the five-star hotel by Pattaya City Mayor Ittiphol Khunplome.

Located just north of Pattaya, the Dusit Thani Pattaya has two beachfronts ideal for absolute relaxation and privacy. And yet Dusit Thani Pattaya is only a few minutes away from the long list of dining,

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shopping and recreational facilities on Pattaya’s Beach Road.

Also of late, the management and staff of Dusit Thani Pattaya have celebrated the Best Supplier Video Award presented during the Jumbo Awards Night, one of the highlights in the recent Connections Plus 2009 MICE event organized by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau.

More than 15 hotels from Bangkok, Pattaya and Krabi sent their entries for the Best Supplier Video, a 30-second video commercial showcasing the best of their hotel. The Dusit Thani Pattaya cast and crew

wasted no time in telling the MICE planners and buyers what their hotel has to offer to ensure a most enjoyable, pleasant and successful event…and they certainly did so in a most special winning way eventually beating all the other hotels in bringing home the Best Supplier Video Award!

For more information, please contact: Vanjie Lauzon Marketing Communications Manager Dusit Thani Pattaya 240/2 Pattaya Beach Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20150, Tel: + 66 (0) 3842 5611-7 Fax: + 66 (0) 3842 8239 E-mail: vanjie.lz@dusit.com www.dusit.com

Ranyatavi Resort

Phang Nga Joins Variety Hotels ariety Hotels is delighted to announce the latest addition to the group with Ranyatavi Resort in Phang Nga. Ranyatavi Resort is located on the unspoiled soft white sands of Pilai beach in Kok Kloy, Phang Nga, just 20 minutes (27 kms.) heading north from Phuket International Airport.

Ranyatavi Resort consists of 53 rooms comprising of Deluxe Rooms, Villas, Grand Villas, Thai House Pavilion, and Beachfront Jacuzzi Villa. All rooms are tastefully decorated in elegant Thai style, sea front, and offering a sense of space, freedom, and total relaxation.

Experience healthy choices from our Chef’s exotic recipes of

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8 ScandAsia.Th • October 2009

Thai and international cuisine served at 2 panoramic sea view restaurants, Paprika and Screw Pina. Afterwards, chill out your night at our Galanga Bar, the romantic pub of Kok Kloy.

Complementary facilities within the resort includes massage, fitness, pool, jacuzzi and sundeck overlooking the private beach. Moreover, the resort is capable of welcoming business meetings or private func-

tions with a meeting room of 100 persons capacity. Arrangements for local excursions, island hoping, golf courses and other tourist attractions can easily be handled by our accommodating staff.

Switch off and release your stressful feelings, and let Ranyatavi Resort, relax you and send you back home in a tranquil and relaxed state of mind.

For more information, please contact info@varietyhotels.com

Aonang

Villa

Privilege Card

deally located in the beachfront of Aonang Beach, Aonang Villa Resort is a place where you can relax in privacy while taking in the breathtaking beauty of the natural surroundings.

“We would like to be one of the perfect ingredients for your most fulfilling holiday ever,” is the ambitious slogan of the resort.

Guests who join the The Aonang Villa Privilege Card program will experience the warmest welcome with impressive gifts and benefits.

To join, please contact the call center at +66 (0) 2203-1449 or email: marketing@aonangvilla.com

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October 2009 • ScandAsia.Th 9

Scandinavian Tourists Return to Thailand

By Morten Scheelsbeck wedish currency is growing compared to the Thai Baht.Scandinavian tourists will return to Thailand in the coming high season as their currencies are getting stronger, says TUI Nordic, a tour operator in Scandinavia.

To accommodate an increasing number of tourists, the company will lease a Boeing 767 from Thomson Airways, its sister company in Britain, bringing its fleet to four, said Christian Clemens, CEO of TUI Nordic.

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The extra Boeing 767 will operate between Dec 15 and March 5, with 34 flights per week to Phuket and Krabi.

120.000 Scandinavians TUI expects to bring a total of 120.000 tourists from Scandinavia to Phuket and Krabi, up from 110.000 planned earlier this year. The new projection will be on par with the number in 2007 when the economy was good.

“Scandinavian tourists will return to Thailand between December and March because Swedish and Norwegian currencies are growing stronger, says tour operator TUI Nordic.”

"Despite the global recession, we still see a great interest in Thailand this coming winter and we have by now sold more than 60% of tour packages," Christian Clemens said, adding that TUI Nordic's partner hotels in Thailand are helping by offering attractive prices 10% lower than last year's rates.

Growing currencies Christian Clemens said both the Swedish and Norwegian currencies had appreciated against the baht and this would help raise tourists' purchasing power when travelling to Thailand.

August and September are typically difficult months for TUI Nordic, which has to offer heavy discounts. With the discount offers, the volume of tourists will stay at about 15,000 during the two-month period this year.

"We also have put a lot of effort into convincing customers who used to travel to the Mediterranean during the Scandinavian summertime to choose Phuket. We are dependent on the close co-operation with local authorities to successfully establish Phuket as a yearround destination," he said.

TUI Nordic consists of three businesses; a scheduled airline, a charter airline and the number-two tour operator in Scandinavia, mainly selling overseas holidays.

Scandinavian tourists stay in average about two weeks and spends 8,000 to 10,000 baht daily for accommodation and other needs.

10 ScandAsia.Th • October 2009

CB Richard Ellis Thailand Won CNBC Asia Pacific Property Awards 2009 B Richard Ellis (CBRE) Thailand has made outstanding achievements by winning the CNBC Asia Pacific Property Awards 2009, recently held at Marina Mandarin in Singapore. This annual event is part of the International Property Awards, the world’s most prestigious competition dedicated to finding the best real estate professionals across the globe. The event was attended

by CBRE Thailand’s key personnel, including Ms. Aliwassa Pathnadabutr, Managing Director and Mr. Nithipat Tongpun, Executive Director.

CBRE Thailand won six categories at the country level; four out of six categories were five-star awards, including “Best Residential Real Estate Agency“, “Best Commercial Real Estate Agency”, “Best Residential Real Estate Agency Website“, and “Best Commercial Real Estate Agency Website” for www. cbre.co.th,. Additionally, we were also awarded the “Best Residential Real Estate Agency Marketing”, and “Best Commercial Real Estate Agency Marketing”.

As a five-star award winner for 4 categories at the country level, CBRE Thailand was nominated at the regional level and subsequently won the “Best Commercial Real Estate Agency Asia Pacific”, and “Best Commercial Real Estate Agency Website Asia Pacific” for www.cbre. co.th.

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As an Asia Pacific award winner, CBRE Thailand will be competing at the international level against other winning companies from Europe, the UK, the Americas and Arabia in November 2009 to find the world’s Best Commercial Real Estate Agency and Best Commercial Real Estate Agency Website.

“CB Richard Ellis Thailand is delighted to receive these eight prestigious awards, especially the ‘Best Asia Pacific Commercial Real Estate Agency’ and ‘Best Asia Pacific Commercial Real Estate Agency Website’ awards which clearly proves that our expertise and experience have been recognised, not only by the Thai property market, but also by the highly competitive Asia Pacific property market. I would also like to thank our staff at all levels for their contribution and hard work.” said Mr. David Simister, Chairman of CB Richard Ellis Thailand.

Award entries were judged by a panel of professionals from various countries whose collective knowledge of the property industry is second to none.

October 2009 • ScandAsia.Th 11

Danish Michelin Stars to Bangkok Here is your chance to find out why Kiin Kiin in Copenhagen has been rewarded with a Michelinstar, which is very rarely given to an Asian restaurant when chef Henrik Yde-Andersen and Lertchai are cooking in Bangkok.

By Rikke Bjerge Johansen

he very famous Thai restaurant Kiin Kiin in Copenhagen was in 2008 awarded a star in the prestigious international Guide Michelin. Behind Kiin Kiin are Chefs and Owners of the 1-Michelin Star Kiin Kiin Henrik Yde-Andersen and Lertchai Treetawatchaivong.

“We are different from other restaurants and we are original because we re-design Thai food in our own way with a balance of Thai food being combined with some European touch and look,” Lertchai from Kiin Kiin explains.

From 25-28 November they will come back to Bangkok and serve their famous Thai food with a modern twist at the Celadon restaurant at the Sukhuthai Hotel in Bangkok.

“We are moving ‘Kiin Kiin’ to

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12 ScandAsia.Th • October 2009

The Sukhothai. You will enjoy dining Thai food in the new way where your eyes might not recognize the food but your tongue will,” Lertchai promises.

The restaurant got everyone’s attention when they received the Michelin star last year.

“We were extremely excited and very happy with the award we have got from Michelin because it has always been something that we dreamed about. We enjoy every time we eat good food with high quality which has been prepared with extra care from many fine restaurants, we have visited. Eating good food can really make me feel happy and pleasured,” says Lertchai.

The restaurant is known for the art of dining. Every little detail is meticulously thought through, from the

I think we have succeeded because we have worked very hard. We have put our heart into the restaurant 100 percent pre-appetizers to the plate design and they’re trying to be true to the Thai roots.

“I still remember we tried to serve papaya salad (SomTum) in our first menu. However it was not well implemented because it tasted too light and wasn’t spicy at all. I always think that guests coming to our place should go back home with some new experience or new taste in their mouths. However most of our guests are European, hence we also have to adjust the taste somehow so that they can enjoy our food. I mean our food won’t lose the identity in flavor, but somehow we reduce some degree of it. For example red curry in Thailand can be very spicy, but in Kiin Kiin we reduce the spiciness into half,” he explains.

Lerchai also has a recipe for Kiin Kiin’s success: “I think we have succeeded because we have worked very hard.

We have put our heart into the restaurant 100 percent”.

Here is your chance to find out why Kiin Kiin has been awarded with the highest star in the food world, the Michelin Star.

Kiin Kiin Wine Dinner on the first night (25 November) is at Baht 3,300++ per person. Starts at 7pm.

Other nights serve set dinner and a la carte.

For more details and reservations, please email to promotions@ sukhothai.com or call: 02 344 8888

October 2009 • ScandAsia.No 7

New Norwegian Priest in

Singapore

He grew up in Østfold in south eastern Norway, and for the last five years he has been a priest in Houston, Texas.

Now he has come to the Norwegian church in Singapore.

Meet Jan Tommy Fosse.

By Morten Scheelsbeck an Tommy Fosse has tried a lot of different things even before he decided to be a priest. He grew up in Østfold south east of Oslo. He was trained as a priest in Oslo, where he was graduated in June 2000. He first started out doing compulsory military service, where he was chaplain in HM the King’s Guard regiment in Oslo. After that he worked as a youth pastor for three years in a church in Oslo in which he was responsible for the youngest members of the congregation. Here he had a lot of one-onone contact with young people and he was responsible for many of the personal interviews.

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First stop: Houston Then he went to Houston, Texas in the USA where he was a priest for five years in the Norwegian church.

He could not get visas for more than five years in the U.S., so it ended naturally. Then he discovered that the job as priest at the Seamen’s Church was available in Singapore, and applied immediately.

“I’ve always been fascinated by being out in the world to work. I myself was an exchange student in my years of studying, and I generally get along really good being out and meeting new people. So when I first got the opportunity to be a seamen’s priest, I had no doubt that it was something right for me,” Jan Tommy says.

The family had earlier had experiences with seamen churches and had visited them some times and they thought that it was comfortable and cosy. They wanted to be a part of that.

A family thing Jan Tommy’s family is of course with him in Singapore. They are his wife Inger, who now helps in the church, Mathias at 9 years, Daniel at 6 years, 8 ScandAsia.No • October 2009

and 3 year-old Rebekka. Mathias and Daniel have just started at Overseas Family School in the middle of Singapore, and Rebekka is starting in kindergarten.

“The children have adapted very fast like Inger and me, but they are still struggling a bit with all the new things and impressions they have to get used to. But they have already been finding new friends, so I am very confident about it,” the new priest states.

“We decided that if we were off to a seaman’s church, it was something we should do together as a family, as so we have done. My wife Inger worked in the church in Houston, and now she works here in the church in Singapore.”

More than a church The Norwegian seamen’s church plays an important role in the local Norwegian community in Singapore. It is obviously a religious meeting place, but the seamen’s church is the setting for many other events such as social arrangements.

It is used for cultural events of various kinds as well, and because the Swedish church is sharing the location, the two churches often offer their two communities the same events.

“In Norwegian we call it a “samfundshus”. It is a place where the local community can meet and do different things with each other.

Of course most of the traditions are based in religion, but today it means much more than that to us and those who use the church. And I feel ok with that. We arrange everything from services to Thursday lunches, and people are welcome to participate in whatever they want.

Of course, again, Christianity is still the starting point for many of the things we do,” Jan Tommy states.

According to the new priest, some come for the Christian ser-

vices of the church, and then usually attend the social events as well.

Others come because of the social events, but then they come into the chapel where the services are held.

“The two types of users generally become a more comprehensive type over time,” Jan Tommy says.

“I want to be used for everything.

I like to be a priest, and of course that is my background and the most important thing for me, but I think it is fantastic that in a seamen’s church we can be together and do so many different things. I love all the roles.

That is how I worked in Houston, and this is how I intend to continue in Singapore.”

A home from home Jan Tommy Fosse carries his experience as a seamen’s priest with him from Houston, but what are his plans personally for the seaman church in Singapore? In what way will he affect the church?

“Some of the positive experiences I have from the seamen’s church in Houston I would like to implement in the same way here. It has to be a really nice experience to come here and you should feel welcome. I want the church to be “a home from home” in the sense that people should feel at home among peers and compatriots like they know from their home countries. I would like to give the community that possibility. I see that as one of my main tasks here.”

“Many are as expats, with only one of the parents working and with a couple of children. For them, we would like to be the place where families can find a network and a pleasant environment that does not necessarily have anything to do with work. This should be a place where you can be with someone who is in the same situation as yourself,” the new priest states.

October 2009 • ScandAsia.No 9

The Nordcham

Crayfish Party Nick Jonsson: “We could not have accomodated many more people. There could maybe have been 130 but that is about the max we can fit in.”

he Nordcham Cray Fish party in HCMC on 19 September turned out to be a GREAT event.

All 123 participants were very happy and the organizers only received positive feedback from the participants.

By the end of the party, only 2 3 cray fish were left over in a bowl all the rest were gone. The size and quality of the little critters were also exactly right this year!

Also all the 15 litres of Aquavit were gone - in fact so fast, that the organizers quickly had to procure three more litres before the party was over!

T

10 ScandAsia.No • October 2009

October 2009 • ScandAsia.No 11

12 ScandAsia.No • October 2009