OCT 2009
Universal Player Patrick Ribbsaeter October 2009 • ScandAsia.Se 1
2 ScandAsia.Se • October 2009
New Ambassador to Indonesia
The Swedish Government recently appointed Ewa Polano as Ambassador in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Your FREE Swedish Magazine in Asia ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Swedish residents in South East Asia. We also publish a ScandAsia magazine for Norway, Denmark and Finland.
Please sign up for Your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher: Scandinavian Publishing Co., Ltd. 4/41-2 Ramintra Soi 14, Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief: Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com
rs Polano is currently coordinator at the office of Minister for Trade Ewa Björling and chairs the Ministry for Foreign Affairs promotion team. She has previously served as Sweden’s Ambassador to Mexico, EU Issues Coordinator at the European Union. Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Minister at the Swedish Embassy in Berlin, Germany. Mrs Polano will take up her duties as Ambassador in Jakarta in September. The Swedish Government Offices Regeringskansliet has talked with Ewa Polano about her upcoming job and duties.
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help more companies discover the large market that Indonesia represents.
What will be the most important aspects of your work as Ambassador in Jakarta? Our work at the Embassy will now primarily focus on the Swedish EU Presidency and relations between the EU and Indonesia, but at the same time we will take the opportunity to raise the profile of Sweden in the country. Trade development and promotion is also important. Indonesia has a great potential that has not yet been fully realised. In recent years Indonesia has made great political and economic progress. Democracy is gaining ground and Indonesia has the best economic growth in South East Asia - despite the crisis! I want to promote our trade relations. Some 60 Swedish companies currently have a presence there, and I want to
How do you think your previous experience will help you in Jakarta? I have broad experience from several different countries: Mexico, Syria, Germany and Argentina. Indonesia and Mexico also share many similarities. They are both large countries and important regional actors. Both countries have, in recent years, gone from being dominated by one political party towards a clear democratic development - but with many similar problems concerning the judicial system, human rights and corruption. In addition to serving as Sweden’s Ambassador in Indonesia, Ms Polano is also expected to be accredited in Timor-Leste and to ASEAN.
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Knocking on Your Door Swedish antenna developer C2SAT has chosen Singapore to be the door to South East Asia.
Graphic Designer: Disraporn Yatprom disraporn@scandmedia.com
Colour Separation: S.K. Graphics Art Printing: Than Printing
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You have served abroad before. How does it feel to do so again? I look forward to working abroad again. Working at home at the MFA during the past three years has been very useful to me in getting a feeling for current Swedish outlooks and in becoming acquainted with the fresh ideas that have emerged in different areas. I got a lot out of working at the Ministers Office - not least the interesting experience of working close to the political leadership. It’s good to come home now and again.
C2SAT
Life style advertisements: Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com
Distribution: Sopida Thaveesup sopida@scandmedia.com
The new Swedish Ambassador in Indonesia, Ewa Polana.
By Morten Scheelsbeck
By Morten Scheelsbeck he Board of C2SAT has decided to establish its own subsidiary company based in Singapore, C2SAT Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., to enable a stronger focus on the rapidly growing South East Asian markets. The company has teamed up with Fong’s Engineering and Manufacturing (Pte) Ltd in Singapore, one of Singapore’s leading precision mechanics companies, to establish local production of C2SATs antennas. With local production in Singapore C2SAT can ensure short and cost-effective deliveries to South East Asia.
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C2SAT has now also deals directly with PT AJN Solusindo in Indonesia, which C2SAT previously delivered antennas to via via Maritime Communications Pty Ltd. All cooperation with Maritime Communication Pty Ltd, which since 2007 has been C2SATs exclusive distributor in the South East Asian markets and Australia and New Zealand has been terminated. C2SAT objectives are clear: Produce at least 50% sales growth per quarter over a two year period so that C2SAT will reach positive cash flow by 2010 and within two years be established as one of three global antenna manufacturers with a market share of 15% of growth. October 2009 • ScandAsia.Se 3
Swedish-Thai Model: Mr. Universal Player Meet
Raised in Sweden and just got out of jail Patrick didn’t know much about Thailand when he arrived. However, he soon discovered that being half Thai, half Swede was quite beneficial for a modelling career. He started dating actresses and also set up his own company ‘Universal Player’. By Rikke Bjerge Johansen Photos by: Disraporn Yatprom
Universal Player is a person who is enjoying his life, good with women, smart, selfconfident, likes fashion and travelling, well-connected, loves to party and is always looking for more in life. Or in other words: Patrick Ribbsaeter. The 29 years-old model is everything above and then some if you add ‘dad’ and ‘business owner’ to his profile. No wonder he chose the name ‘Universal Player’ for his company. Patrick lives in Bangkok on his second year and is very busy with his business Universal Player. The company arranges events, PR, marketing for big international brands, holds a model agency called Ribbsaeter Models, promotes DJ’s and models and is a charity foundation. In the near future Universal Player will open up a huge gym in the Sathorn area of Bangkok called Empire as well as a clothing line and online magazine, plus starting up a model agency in Indian. On top of it Patrick has his own blog www. ribbsaeter.blogspot.com where fans can follow him 24-11. He uploads videos and photos of his life in Bangkok.
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Patrick is Thai-Swedish model who has worked for Armani, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Kenzo, Christian Dior, Loewe, Calvin Klein, Jean Paul Gaultier, Ermenigildo Zegna, Fendi, YSL, etc. 4 ScandAsia.Se • October 2009
Lost and gained a lot “I want to make Universal Player a brand everywhere around the world. I work hard but I’m motivated. I have lost a lot of money and gained a lot. Money is around to roll,” he says. Patrick is driven by his restless nature and his need to be involved in projects in order to keep up with his energy level. “I’m an Aries, a very energetic person who can’t sit still for two seconds. I love to move around and try new different things. I get bored easily with things. It’s good because it keeps me looking for more,” he explains. It has been like this since he quit school in an early age in Sweden. “Me and schools was never a good combination. My friends continued and graduated with diplomas and had to look for a job. In the meanwhile I travelled all over the world, had jobs and earned money,” Patrick says.
Mr. Sweden in jail Patrick grew up in Jakobsberg north of Stockholm with his mother and two sisters before he moved to Gothenborg at the age of 13 to live with his dad. “I have always considered myself a Swede and never felt any different compared to my friends. My mum wanted me to learn Thai but I was too busy playing football,” he says with a smile. Being the son of two models it was not a coincidence that Patrick and his older sister also chose that path. At the age of 19 he participated in the modelling competition ‘Mr. Sweden’ and made it to the finals. He also made it to the headlines later the same year – but for a whole other story. “I went to jail for one year when I was 19. All the newspapers wrote ‘Mr. Sweden goes to jail’ because I had just been participating in the competition,” he remembers. The reason was a big misunder-
standing, according to Patrick. “There was a guy who was mad at me because of a girl I was dating. He was known as a pretty rough guy so I was scared of him. One night he and a friend stood outside a club waiting for me and followed me into a shop. One of them attacked my friend and I was so scared that I punched the other guy. But it was his friend I punched, not him, so they gave me 16 months. I went to prison for one year. I don’t regret it. I learned a lot,” he says. Eurasian model After prison Patrick moved to Barcelona and kicked off his modelling career. He did everything from TV commercials, fashion shows to catalogues, learned Spanish and moved to Greece as well. In 2002 he went to Thailand. “I was quite surprised how cool it was. The money was good and I felt a home. A good place to start up business too,” he recalls. Being a Eurasian (mix of Asian and European) Patrick found out that there was a big demand for him in the Asian modelling business. He lived a real ‘player life’ and worked for brands like Armani, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Kenzo, Christian Dior, Loewe, Calvin Klein, Jean Paul Gaultier, Ermenigildo Zegna, Fendi, YSL. “I dated a lot of girls, partied too much and worked all over Asia.” Married an Asian celeb In 2006 Patrick fell head over heals in love with Avi Siwa. She is a hot celebrity from the Philippines, a FHM-model, tv-star, actress and famous for being controversial, for example about her bisexuality. Patrick married her and the couple hit the front pages around the world when they posed naked in front of the world press to support PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animal). To hide their private parts they were holding a sign “Back to Eden. Close All Zoos”. The campaign against animals in zoos was made in Bangkok and the couple got a lot of attention. “It was such a good course and since then I have been very active with PETA and Animal rights. Unfortunately, Patrick and his wife split shortly after. “We were a perfect match and she is still the perfect woman for me. But our relationship was too intense”. His son Universe Patrick stayed in Bangkok and met another woman. Five months ago his life changed. He became a father. The little boy’s name is of course Universe. “Your whole world changes when you have a child. He is my everything, my Universe,” he says and proudly shows pictures on his laptop of his cute, little baby. Universe is just one more reason for Patrick to work even harder on his projects. “I love creating things, I want to be somebody, I want to be rich and make changes for people due charities and foundations. I want to leave the Earth knowing that I’ve tried my best,” says Patrick.
Universal Player: Universal Player Co., Ltd Patrick Ribbsaeter +66 (0) 850570347 patrick@ribbsaeter.com www.ribbsaeter.com Blog: www.ribbsaeter.blogspot.com Clientele: Nike, Audi, Toyota, Kenzo, BMW, Tiffany, Nescafe, Siemens, Motorola, etc. October 2009 • ScandAsia.Se 5
SWEA Singapore’s
Active Chairwoman Anna Karin Byström, the newly elected president of SWEA in Singapore, is proud to be part of this global network for Swedish women, which this year celebrates its 30th Anniversary. By Kathrine Gravrok-Butt
nna Karin Byström has been a member of SWEA since she moved to Singapore two years ago. She believes that the network and support they provide is very important for Swedish women living abroad. “Wherever SWEA is present, there is always help and support available,” she says. Last April she attended the Annual World Meeting in Washington, where she met the other SWEA leaders from around the world. She says it was very inspiring to meet all these confident and strong women, especially the ‘veteran leaders’ such as the founder of SWEA Agneta Nilsson.
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SWEA’s role in Singapore: Anna Karin explains that SWEA in Singapore offers several activities and support functions to both new and old members. These include regular events such as monthly
dinners, coffee mornings, parties, nature walks, and guided excursions. Every spring and autumn, they arrange information meetings for new members, in cooperation with the Swedish church, the embassy, Swedish school and the business association. They also offer mentoring services to newly arrived members, for the purpose of providing advice and support during the initial settling period. Some of the activities that SWEA offers focus on learning about Singapore and the Asian culture, while other events celebrate various Swedish traditions and festivities. ‘The goal is to activate people, and encourage them to socialize and use the network that SWEA provides to find new friends in Singapore’, Anna Karin says. One of the most recent SWEA events was the annual Spring Party, held on Saturday 16th of May at Indochine Waterfront Restaurant. This popular event gathered 170 guests that enjoyed alfresco dining and some classic Swedish dance tunes, played by celebrity guest and DJ Claes “Clabbe” of Geijerstam. Busy life for SWEA President Anna Karin and her family are experienced expatriates and have also lived in Shanghai before they moved to Singapore. She loved living in this exciting, lively city and especially enjoyed the constant action and movement of people. “Living in Shanghai was an enormous difference from our lives back home, as we come from a small town in the Northern part of Sweden,” says Anna Karin.
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After moving to Singapore, Anna Karin found that life here was very easy and comfortable, especially compared to living in Shanghai. She therefore felt the need to get herself busy and decided to get involved with SWEA. She also has other projects to keep her occupied and is currently writing her PhD thesis on ‘Intercultural Communication and Organizational Culture’. This is a subject of great interest to Anna Karin and very suitable to write about while living in Asia. The expatriate period in Singapore will end next summer for the Byström family, which is causing mixed emotions for the family members. Anna Karin explains that her three children (aged 11, 14 and 17) are enjoying life in the big city so much that they are reluctant to move back to the countryside in Sweden. However, Anna Karin and her husband feel that they will be ready to leave Singapore next year. SWEA facts and history SWEA, Swedish Women’s Educational Association Inc., is a global, non-profit organisation for Swedish speaking women who live or have lived abroad. It was founded by Agneta Nilsson in Los Angeles in 1979, and since then the organisation has spread to 36 countries, across 5 continents and has nearly 9000 members worldwide. SWEA’s objective is to protect and inform about the Swedish language, culture and traditions, and also to supply a network for its members throughout the world. For more information go to: www.swea.org/singapore/
October 2009 • ScandAsia.Se 7
Janne Olsson is the most well known criminal ever in Sweden. He was the man who took hostages at Sveriges Kreditbank in central Stockholm 1973, from August 23 to August 28. These six days was called “The drama at Norrmalmstorg”. This was also the origin of The Stockholm Syndrome, a term today recognized all over the world.
Stockholm Syndrome
he autobiography of Janne Olsson was released in the beginning of September this year. The book is called Stockholms Syndromet. The major part of his book was written when he was doing time in some of Sweden’s harshest prisons, Kumla and Hall. Janne Olsson has been living in the north of Thailand since 1996. He runs a super market in Isan together with his wife Phian. They also have a son, now 15 years old and named Sakda (also the name of the super market). “This is the first time I tell my own story about the days in the bank. It reveals a lot of unknown things about the drama. But there was also a road to Norrmalmstorg and back again for me personally. When I was released from prison 1980 I also left the criminal world. I
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had enough. I was doing seven years for Norrmalmstorg and I was thinking: never again,” says Janne Olsson. Why did you take hostages at Norrmalmstorg in the first place? “The purpose was to get another inmate and friend of mine, Clark Olofsson, out of jail. I was on the run at that time and thought this was a good idea. After taking hostages and having Clark taken to the bank by police, I demanded three million SEK, weapons and a fast car. My plan was to be out of the bank and Stockholm before dusk the first day,” tells Janne Olsson. But it did not turned out that way. Instead the police was drilling three holes in the ceiling of the bank vault and sprinkled tear gas in to it. After six days Janne Olsson had to give it all up. The four hostages where released. Nobody was injured at this attack.
“Thank God for that. The police had no idea of what they were doing. They used too much tear gas. There where also a lot of young, nervous and armed policemen around all the time,” says Janne Olsson. The Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger or risk in which he or she has placed them in. The term “Stockholm Syndrome” was coined by the criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot, who assisted the police during the days at Norrmalmstorg, and referred to the syndrome in a news broadcast. For further information, see: www.norrmalmstorg1973.se
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
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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.
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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
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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?!
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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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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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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.Se 9
Thanks to Lill-Babs, the Bajaur Laut people in the eastern part of Borneo now have their very first school. It is build by volunteers from the Swedish NGO Ankarstiftelsen and paid for with money which the singinglegends earned at a charity concert and donated to the project. Charlotte Lund Dideriksen
Lill-Babs’ Sea Gypsy School Built by Volunteers in Sabah he Bajau Laut-people are commonly known as the ‘Sea-gypsies’. This indigenous ethnic group, that populates the coasts of Malaysian Borneo and the southern Philippines, spend most of there life offshore, even their houses are placed on poles in the ocean.
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But on the small island Bum Bum close to the city of Tawau there now is at least one house made of stone. This is the new - and very first – school for the Bajaus in the Tawau-area. And it is constructed by Swedish volunteers from Ankarstiftelsen and paid for by the well-known Swedish diva Lill-Babs.
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Charity concert The financial foundation of the school was the outcome of a charityconcert by the singer, who donated her fee – about 100.000 Swedish kroner - to the school-project by the initiative of the Swedish sports personality Sven Tumba. With the help of hard-working volunteers the Lill-Babs school was ready for the Bajau-children in April 2009, and it quickly became so popular that the age of the pupils range from five to 20. “It is not common that the Banjau children has access to education, and many of them ends up as illiterates, which means that they will live a life just as poor as their parents along the shores or as beggars in the cities. So the school can really change their lives” explains Levie Olivo, who works as a teacher on the school. Adding that they were a bit anxious on how people would receive the school “Most of the Bajaus live their life expelled from the surrounding society, they are quite marginalized, and this means that they are very sceptical towards intruders. But we didn’t have to worry about that, most people here are really excit-
ed about the school, and now, after only three months on the island, the school is almost full,” she says. The school is capable of providing about 300 children with daily education, and is the first of several planned projects in the area. More than 200 children have already been enrolled.
First time in Asia The location of the Bajau schoolproject is quite a change for the Swedish NGO, which usually works on projects in Latin America, but the change of location didn’t stop the volunteers from the organisation to go to Sabah to construct the school-building themselves. “Normally the funding we receive is pure financial, but not in this case. The Swedes actually travelled down here to build the school, from pouring the foundation to carry the bricks” says Torben Venning, the manager of the local Schoolorganisation Borneo Child Aid Society, who has cooperated with the Swedes in the school-construction. He is quite impressed by the effort of the volunteers. “It was definitely not an easy job and they came in a very hot and
moist time of the year, so compared with Sweden the change of climate must have been very hard to cope with. So it was astonishing, particularly for the locals, to see Swedish middle-aged women roll up their sleeves an get the work done,” he ads.
Twenty years of work The Borneo Child Aid Society is today – twenty years after its start-up - responsible for the primary education for more than 8400 students. Most of them are children of the immigrant-workers from Indonesia and the Philippines working on the many palm-oil plantations nearby. The more than 100 Learning Centres are situated in an area stretching from the Indonesian border on Sebatik Island near Tawau to Gamore near Telupid in the North. Majority of the Centres are situated far inside vast plantation areas. Subsequently there an increasing amount of logistic to be taken care of from the head quarter of BCAS in Lahad Datu.
Escalating popularity The overwhelming success of the school project has also been quite a challenge for the small volunteerbased organisation. “When we started out back in 1991 we ran one tiny school with room for 73 students and now we have grown into being quite influential. This year we have registered almost 8450 pupils,” says Torben Venning. For the vast majority of the young students, the BCAS-controlled schools are their only option to escape illiteracy, as they are prohibited to attend the public schools of Sabah. “Most children enrolled in the schools are of Indonesian of Philippine origins. This means that they do not share the same privileges such as access to the public school-
systems – as Malaysian children,,” he explains. This lack of nationality has severe consequences for the student’s future opportunities.
From garbage to children According to the devoted schoolsupervisor the children of his schools achieves more than just the standard examination requirements by attending school.
BORNEO CHILD AID SOCIETY Lot 37, MDLD 6057, Lorong Perdana 3, Sri Perdana P. O. Box 61850, 91127 Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia Tel: (+60) 089-862600 Fax: (+60) 03-21784113 info@borneochildaid.org www.borneochildaid.org Local reg. name: Humana Child Aid Society Sabah Reg. No. 123/96
“In the bigger cities of Sabah the immigrant children are commonly known as the ‘garbage-kids’ of no value. In BCAS we believe that the school can teach them not to accept these terrible prejudges and that they can achieve the same as the Malaysian children. A big part of our work is to change this devastating mind-set of being inferior,” he says adding that
creating a common sense of equality among the youngsters is a fundamental ambition for BCAS. “This is also the reason why BCAS puts so much emphasis in having school-uniforms and graduating ceremonials. It is an important part of giving the kids an identity as being students, like other children in Malaysia, instead of considering themselves as outcasts.”
Sponsorships: We need additional funding to secure the expansion and continuation of a far reaching and unique child education program, which is now providing basic education for more than 8000 Children.
How to donate: Please send accompanying email to info@borneochildaid.org or inform us in other way of your donation, so that we can issue an official receipt.
Sponsoring 50 Children’s education for a year: M$ 18000 = USD 5140 = Eur 3700 The cost per child is M$ 360 per year = 110 US$ = 71 Euro
ANKARSTIFTELSEN
Idrottsvägen 14 S-546 72 Mölltorp, Sweden borje.erdtman@ankarstiftelsen.com
October 2009 • ScandAsia.Se 11
Swedish Star Chef in Malaysia Finding executive chefs from the Nordic countries in South East Asia is just as rare as finding Whitefish Roe on the menu. By Joakim Persson t was pure coincidence when ScandAsia came across the Swedish chef Michael Elfwing at the five-star Hilton in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur. Given how rare it is to find Swedish Chefs in this corner of the world, it was no surprise to learn that this young and highly talented Chef De Cuisine from Sweden had already been discovered by the Swedish community in Malaysia and was consequently being utilized on a regular basis for various events. DiGi’s Swedish CEO, for instance, hires him on special occasions and MASBA arranges a yearly Christmas dinner at the hotel. It was the Nordic fish soup on the menu - while lunching at Hilton - that caught our attention. In addition, reading a story in the very same hotel’s own magazine about one of their chefs bearing a familiarsounding name, added up to the realization that the chef in that printed story – Michael Elfwing – was the very same one seen in the kitchen – and Swedish! With the interesting concept of presenting Australian cuisine and a very appealing menu this high scoring Senses within the KL Studio restaurant complex will challenge your culinary horizons – no matter if you are a novice or highly knowledgeable. Expect exciting flavours and creative approaches to dining, such as ’molecular gastronomy’. And Scandinavians will get the
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bonus opportunity of a chance to discuss cooking methods and their dining adventure in their mother language with Chef De Cuisine Michael Elfwing. Here we learn some enriching details from the world of chefs and how Senses, under his direction, has evolved into one of Malaysia’s most popular fine dining experiences. Why Kuala Lumpur? How Michael ended up in Kuala Lumpur in the first place has its logic explanation. With Senses being the brainchild of the Master Chef Cheong Liew, the Swede was entrusted for the opening team at the new Hilton Kuala Lumpur-based restaurant, thanks to having worked under him in Australia. A celebrity chef in Australia for nearly three decades and originally from Malaysia, Cheong Liew was asked by Hilton, since he was running a restaurant at one of their hotels in Australia, if he would agree to bring his concept to their new hotel in KL. Indeed he would and at 23 years age Michael was offered one of the chef positions and has been there since its inception, now approaching five years. Under Cheong, Michael had broadened his skills, after stints at a vineyard restaurant in Perth and a city-based French-Italian restaurant. “I learned about Cheong Liew and met him. I had then worked for six years in a western kitchen, want-
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ing to progress. Learning how to use Asian ingredients in a non-Chinese setting was an immensely gratifying experience,” recalls Michael. Though Senses has always had an Australian focus, under his guidance other international elements are also being embraced. “It has always been an Australian restaurant because the first executive chef in the hotel was Australian. The director was also Australian, as well as the food and beverage director. I too have an Australian passport.” “Given those circumstances it was easier to open with an Australian concept, instead of calling it… say French or Italian. But increasingly with the freedom I got and the more successful we have become, I can add on with more, also Scandinavian dishes like Sea Trout, Bleak Roe etc. Not necessarily in the way one would cook back home, but in a way I believe will work here.” “Now when I live here I can see that it’s fairly modern Asian and Western - very Chinese but cooked in a western style,” he explains further. “So what I learned from Cheong is very different from what we cook here today.” Still showcasing innovative Australian cuisine, Michael’s origin also plays a part. “I always try to include a few dishes with some Scandinavian touch.” “But branding has always been Australian because we import almost everything from there.” A glance at the menu confirms this with odd names included in some dishes, such as Kangaroo Island Marron (an island outside Australia and a gigantic sweet hummer) or King George Whiting (one of South Australia’s most important food fishes) – names which both attract attention and are there for a reason. By the way, Michael has become something of an expert in sourcing ingredients. “We bring in char, for instance. Then I send an sms to the Scandinavian managers about the delivery, offering them to book a table.”
Sea Trout in a jam can from Ikea, where a small smoke machine is placed in the pot!
“People in Asia are used to a lot of taste; it shouldn’t be too balanced or mild. Then they’ll say: ‘This is a bit too tasteless for my liking.’ So clearly, coming here as a Swede, it won’t be Swedish cuisine, but you can recognize the Scandinavian touch slightly.” The diners, the majority of them locals, appreciate foreign ingredients like dill or basil more than those from their own cuisine, according to Michael. “Selling Asian food in Asia but in a western setting does not really work well, so after a few years we turned around the menu drastically.” The hotel’s Chinese restaurant does the genuine Asian bit just as well and the guests of Senses were asking for more western food. Regarding how to pinpoint what Australian cuisine really is Michael says it is very difficult to add to the branding. “It means different things to different people. It’s more the method in how to cook the food – straightforward, fresh ingredients, not so much braised, French sauces, but more light.“ One example of a creative dish with a Swedish touch is ‘Smoking Allowed’ – a modern interpretation of smoked salmon. This is a smoked
Molecular gastronomy Without disclosing too many details Michael is currently experimenting with molecular gastronomy as a way to progress. This adventure started in 2008 when he was invited for training at the famous culinary test bed and gastronomic laboratory that The Fat Duck in the county of Berkshire, England is. Here the 27-year-old learned more about mastering the techniques in preparing the food, flavours and optimizing ingredients and brought a new appreciation for other aspects of cooking which he had not thought of as important before. Molecular gastronomy, originating from another famous restaurant called El Bulli in Spain is a scientific approach to food that manipulates its textures and flavours through cooking temperatures and food combinations. Having spent in total eight years in Australia, educating himself as a chef, followed by the move to Malaysia and Senses, Michael’s wish is to continue as a chef in the kitchen and not an overseeing role, such as food and beverage manager. So he is very satisfied in his current role. Even though he might eventually step up the ladder, his wish is to stay hands-on and where he sees a promising future in the region. ”I chose to be a chef because I want to be in the kitchen. Clearly, I think there are still lots of opportunities in Asia. There are lots of people appreciating what you accomplish; appreciating good food, and who are happy to spend on it. Thus there is still work for someone like me directly in a restaurant like this.”
Cook it yourself Sometimes they wish to buy a fish to cook it at home, which Michael and the hotel gladly caters to. “In that way you bond with them. Or when they have guests about to come here: ‘Tell me what you want I can arrange it but give me at least a week’s notice.’” The Nordic Fish Soup, he describes as a tasty white soup with cream. October 2009 • ScandAsia.Se 13
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!
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