OCT 2015
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Coming Events
Nordic Halloween Network Where: Dexter Cafe & Bar, Sathorn Soi 8, Bangkok When: Friday 30 October 2015 Nordic Young Professionals and Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce will on Friday 30 October be hosting a Halloween Networking Event at Dexter Café & Bar. Mark the calendar now and look forward to get to know the most scary young Nordic professionals in town.
Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine in Thailand
Bangkok Color Run 2015
ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in Thailand. We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Singapore and the rest of South East Asia.
Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher : 211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29 Prasert Manukitch Road Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com
Where: Vachirabenjatas Park, Chatuchak When: Saturday 31 October & Sunday 1 November 2015, 8 am (Village opens from 06.30 am)
The Color Run™ 5k is coming to Bangkok! The only question is “Are you ready for the craziest, colorful, 5k of your life?” You bet you are. Race it solo or with your Color friends. The Color Run is a five-kilometre, un-timed race in which thousands of par ticipants, or “Color Runners”, are doused from head to toe in different colours at each kilometre. With only two rules, the idea is easy to follow: 1. Wear white at the starting line 2. Finish plastered in colour! Once you finish the run you will be able to participate in the famous Colour Throwing Festival! This will be located near the stage in the event village area. Registrations: Early bird - 700 THB - Limited amount (Limited Edition TCR T-shir t, bib, headband, tattoo and packet of colour powder), Regular - 900THB (Limited EditionTCRT-shirt, bib, headband, tattoo and packet of colour powder)
Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Assistant Editor: Joakim Persson Joakim@scandmedia.com
Ready for Christmas lunch?
Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com
It is that time of the year that we all look forward to: Chr istmas time one of the most popular traditions is the Nordic preChristmas lunches. Soon you will be invited for that yearly Christmas lunch in your business community.
Joakim Persson Joakim@scandmedia.com Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Peerapol Meesuwan Peerapol@scandmedia.com Printing : Inthanon Interprint Co., Ltd.
Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com
Check out the calendars: ScandAasia: www.scandasia.com/thailand-calendar/ Sweden: www.swecham.com/events/ Denmark: www.dancham.or.th/events/ Finland: www.thaifin.org/events-catalog/ Norway: www.norcham.com/events2
News Brief
New Swedish Ambassador to Thailand welcomed by community By Joakim Persson
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he timing could hardly have been better : Thai-Swedish Chamber of Commerce held on 3 September 2015 its first evening networking after the summer break and were able to introducing also the new Swedish Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Mr Staffan Herrström, who had just arrived a few days before The evening was held at Huntsman’s Pub, Landmark, just around the corner of the Embassy of Sweden and sponsored by SAAB Group Asia Pacific represented by Kaj Rosander, Regional Director Gripen Expor t Asia. Honorary guests were - apart from the Swedish Ambassador - also Minister Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission Mrs Charlotta Schylter, and Counsellor and Head of Chancery Mr Olov Westergård. TSCC’s Chamber President Jan Eriksson introduced the Ambassador to the many guests and afterwards H.E. Staffan Herrström, with his spouse Mrs Karin Herrström by his side, held what was most likely his first public speech since his arrival to Thailand. Jan Eriksson had encouraged him to outline his strategy and agenda as Sweden’s Head of Mission to Thailand, but Staffan Herrström politely declined, saying that would be way too long and boring. The Ambassador instead told the guests that he had only just begun his new ambassador posting two days before and this networking was the end of his third day at work in Thailand. He had acquainted himself with the embassy team, 4 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
which he deemed to be of high calibre, and said he was very much looking forward to working with them. He mentioned the consular services offered in Thailand as very important, and so was the promotion of Sweden. The Ambassador introduced his colleagues present, including the other newly arrived: Mrs Charlotta Schylter, Mr Olov Westergård, Defence Attaché Lt Col Roger Nilsson, as well as the two new Swedish interns Katarina Eklund and Kirke Kyander. Staffan Herr ström also revealed that Bangkok had been the dream destination for him and his wife to go next, as ambassador couple, after Budapest. While he had been appointed as ambassador to Vietnam previously that Asia stint had been way too short. They had really wanted to return to Asia, so this was the wish come true. Kaj Rosander from SAAB then spoke and expressed hopes of a very good collaboration onwards with the Swedish government, and with the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok, in their business and trade efforts for Swedish export. Kaj briefly informed the networking the group’s focus on promoting the sales of radar systems, submarines as part of Sweden’s national strategic innovation programme. President Jan ended the speeches by encouraging the networking guests to give a big hand to the new team members at the Embassy of Sweden.
News Brief
Newcomers and “Old and Wise” welcomed by Dancham in Danish style By Maria Andreasdottir
T The buffet was delicious. Suddenly, it was all gone :-)
Excited guests tried to upload the best mood picture for a photo-competition during the evening. 6 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
hur sday 24 September 2015, the legendary Danish restaurant “Stable Lodge” in Bangkok was filled with Danish ‘’hygge’’. At the entrance, a giant version of Arne Jacobsen’s classic wooden Royal Guard soldier wearing his characteristic bearskin headpiece and Dannebrog in his hand, invited members and friends of Dancham in to a cheerful Welcome Home-party arranged by DanishThai Chamber of Commerce. If it wasn’t for the hot temperature and the English language one could easily have forgotten we were actually in Thailand. On the veranda, guests were handed a sticker with either a label marked ‘’New in town’’, “Old and Wise’’, “Young and energized”, or a unnamed label that you would have to fill in yourself. With the “newest in town”-guest only being in Bangkok for 7 days, this was a network initiative from Dancham to make people connect. The traditional ‘’smoerrebroed’’ was arranged as mini-burgers and ser ved as fingerfood along with Danish ‘’frikadeller’’ (=meatballs)
and Danish beer. The evening was sponsored by D2 Real Estate, and included exciting competitions with prizes sponsored by Royal Copenhagen and Jacob Jensen. A photo-competition of the best mood picture from the evening was the reason why people suddenly gave their smar tphones loads of attention. Both “Young and Energized” and ‘’Old and Wise’’ guests attended the Danish evening. Business cards and practical Bangkok-tips were shared along with Danish ‘’skål’’ (=cheers) in a great atmosphere. Altogether Danish Thai-Chamber of Commerce and sponsors made a party-evening in best Danish style.
October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 7
News Brief
Anders Normann, Knight 1st Class of Dannebrog
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ongtime resident Ander s Normann, former Chairman of EACThailand and Bangkok Nur sing Home was recently bestowed the Knight 1st Class of Dannebrog by H.M. Queen Margarethe II for his contributions to Thai-Danish relations. This auspicious occasion was marked by the Danish Ambassador at an exclusive dinner on 29 Juli 2015 at the Embassy where prominent Thais, headed by the Director General of the Crown Proper ty, Dr. Chirayu congratulated Anders Normann with this very distinct honor. In his speech, the Ambassador thanked Anders for his invaluable contribution to promote Thai Danish relations during his nearly 50 years in Thailand. Anders Normann also marked the occasion to refer to the decision by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discontinue maintaining an Honorar y Consulate in Bangkok. Mr. Normann has held the position as Honorary Consul General for
Stig Vagt-Andersen Knight 1st Class of Dannebrog
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n 29 June , Honor ar y Consul Mr. Stig VagtAndersen was granted an audience with H.M. Queen Margrethe of Denmark in order to thank Her for bestowing upon him the rank of Knight 1st Class of Dannebrog. The audience took place at Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen. Stig Vagt-Andersen was earlier given the decoration by Ambassador
Mikael Hemniti Winther at a public meeting at Cafe Kronborg in Pattaya. The meeting mar ked also the closure of the Danish Consulate covering the Eastern Seaboard. During the audience, H.M. the Queen asked Mr. Vagt-Andersen to please convey her best regards to the Danes in Thailand.
8 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
Denmark in Bangkok since 1997. All operational tasks had already been transferred to the Embassy during the tenure of Niels Dyrlund. Anders Normann confirmed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that he will continue in a private capacity to assist the Embassy and the Ministry if and when circumstances warrant. The large metal Consulate sign has now been returned to the Embassy and replaced by a Modern Danish painting. On 11 August 2015, Anders Normann was granted an audience with H.M. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark at Amalienborg in Copenhagn during which he noted with pleasure that the Queen expressed a keen interest in the affairs and development of Thailand. Recognised for his collection of Asian antiques and artefacts, Anders Normann is the only foreigner with his own museum in Thailand, housed in his Nicole Wellness Center in Silom.
News Brief
Thai-Swedish Chamber attends Thailand Property Awards 2015
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or the second year in a row the ThaiSwedish Chamber of Commerce (TSCC) is an Associate Partner of Thailand Property Awards, and its representatives attended the black-tie awards gala held at Plaza Athenee Bangkok (a Royal Meridien hotel) on Wednesday evening, 16 September 2015 as the awards celebrated 10 years. As the next TSCC Thai Proper ty Guide for 2015/2016, is in the works it was timely for the Chamber to continue its engagement with Thailand’s real estate sector by boosting these Awards. TSCC displayed its activities at a dedicated booth and was represented by Executive Director Jiraya Chanchon and TSCC President Jan Eriksson during the awards. Mr Eriksson had the honour of presenting the Awards for ‘Best Retail Architectural Design’ to the winner Central Plaza WESTGATE by Central Pattana PLC. (also the winner of Best Retail Development). The perhaps most prestigious prize ‘Best Developer’ saw SC Asset Corporation PLC as winner.
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Established and up-and-coming developers in Bangkok, Phuket, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Khao Yai, Samui and Eastern Seaboard vied for a total of 29 categories over three sections: Developer, Development and Design. The upcoming Thai Proper ty Guide edition helps foreign investors navigate every aspect of property investment in Thailand and come to well-informed decisions. It includes presentations of developments from sponsors as well as residential destination updates and other relevant updates and ‘Living in Thailand’ advice. “The high quality of developments in Thailand has allowed the industry to transform itself from being an emerging market in 2006, to becoming one of the stars of Southeast Asian real estate today, despite certain economic or socio-political challenges,” said Terry Blackburn, CEO of organising Ensign Media.
13/2/2014 4:49:50 PM9 October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand
News Brief
Nordea Private banking seminar: Count China in!
By Joakim Persson
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n 7-11 September Nordea Private Banking, Singapore, went on a road show to Thailand and China to meet its customer base and present valuable insights on a hot topic recently being on everyone’s lips: China. Providing two different views on the topic ‘Is China a lost investment case?’ the expert speakers were Amy Yuan Zhuang, Senior Analyst at Nordea Markets in Singapore, and Christina Boutrup, corporate journalist and the author of the book ‘China Sweet & Sour’. Bringing forward different angles, the two presentations were really informative and intriguing; giving the invited listeners an in-depth– perhaps for many slightly new–perspective on where China is heading. The senior analyst focused on por traying her assessment of the recent events, and gave her short to long-term forecast; while the journalist portrayed China’s growing global role and influence and how it is conducting business. The country is becoming a successful, international player with its homegrown brands and is increasing investment abroad with the capacity to beat any competition in terms of purchasing power Will the bubble burst? Is China collapsing now? These are among the questions many investors have in2015 about the world’s largest economy (which China became in 2014). One thing was clear, based on the seminar expert: expect slowing growth rates in China for many decades to come! “The long-term trend will not be about China’s growth–it’s going down for sure–but the question is how much it will be going down,” said Amy and predicted that its GDP will continue falling for the coming 40 years. Why? Because of a falling labour force: in 30 years from now China will lack people! Also not efficient investment among companies is a concern for growth. Aside these natural challenges the man-made ones are what to really worry about. “Overcapacity and deflation, inventor y overhang, and corporate debt overload. China is currently producing 20 per cent too much due to 10 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
a state-planned economy.” “And because Bejing has this growth target every year, the fear of sharp slowdown delays structural adjustment. The fear pushes them back to rely on ‘Old normal’,” explained Amy. The ‘old normal’ is the old growth model in China. “Actually, China has had two old growth models. The first old model was export-driven which characterised Chinese economy during 1980s – 2008. Then China moved on to the current growth model being investment-driven (and not export-driven). China has been talking about changing to a new normal (third growth model) towards consumption-driven but that has not yet happened.” “When will bubble burst? Government will continue to rely on the ‘Old normal’, which supports a near-term soft landing. In the short term Beijing has enough policy tools, combined with housing market recovery to keep growth stable in the short term,” predicted the Nordea analyst. “Medium-term risk is high because too much investment could make the investment less profitable and investment has to be financed by lots of bank lending, which is already very high and hence risky.” “The credit-fuelled investment mania is getting worse! China has been pumping in a lot,” she warned. “How can China keep bubble running? Well the other countries couldn’t!” Chinese corporations are heavily indebted. The CNY devaluation, Amy explained as China’s attempt to kill two birds with one stone; achieving financial liberalisation at the same time as having a policy option of weakening the currency to stimulate export.” Despite all the challenges Chinas is not a lost cause.A potential savour could be the OBOR One Belt, One Road project. The Made in China 2025 Plan with plans to promote innovation is positive and there are also investment opportunities for the long term, she thought. “Find the New China, and don’t rely on Old China! New China is more consumption-driven
and includes a larger service sector, while Old China is focused on infrastructure investment.” Another way to see it is that in a way growth is going down because it’s unhealthy so they need to find a new model. Christina Boutrup came with this angle as part of sharing further insights on how China is growing in importance the world over and that it can, despite a lot of mistrust, actually be seen as a serious player and partner. This was an eye-opener as well as confirmation of what we can all see happening around us, without always understanding. Christina brought up Geely’s takeover as owners of Volvo Cars as example. “Volvo’s management say they are very happy with Geely as owners and can blossom again as a Swedish economy,” she related from talking to them. Yet, there is a lot of mistrust for Chinese investors to overcome, including a conspiracy surrounding China. There is no secret agenda, it’s in their five-ear plan, said Christina. “The Chinese government said: ‘Go out and by so China can claim the value chain!’ The new thing is to buy up technology and brands.” She also explained that it is deeply rooted in China to imitate the best in the industry, to learn from the masters. As a result brands from China are increasing very competitive – and innovative too. “We can see Chinese brands that are very competitive; most are impossible to compete with. What can you then do? You are forced to enter alliances with Chinese companies.” “So should we fear Chinese Investment? No, we have to get used it because it will explode. We’ll have to understand the Chinese system.” “Volvo was just the beginning; we’ll see a lot of Chinese investment. We in Europe are like a buffet. Anyone can buy anything – there are no restrictions. Buy what you want!” Christina gave French vineyards, of which some are getting new Chinese owners, as a concrete example: China is the top third wine producer in the world and they are learning from the west. “In Europe it’s new to us to see all these Chinese, and we can see them now also in Copenhagen.” Chinese investors have also begun coming to Scandinavian in much larger numbers and also started investing there. There are also opportunities for Scandinavia in this. Within renewables and for example health care the Nordic region has a lot of knowhow and solutions that can be exported to China. “In the future China will have 400 million people aged above 60 years old and they don’t have the health system needed for that. In Sweden they have private companies within this already and can start exporting.” Chine loves to have such bilateral cooperations. Just be aware: for the Chinese the win-win opportunity means: ‘I beat you twice.’ They make sure they get a good deal out of it, said Christina.
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25/03/15 14.25 October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 11
News Brief
Scandinavian Society Siam’s annual crayfish party Text and photos by Claus Gundersen
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SS’s annual crayfish par ty took place on Saturday 26th September 2015 at Rembrandt Hotel, which has been the venue for the last five crayfish parties. The par ty star ted out with welcome drinks in the foyer in front of the dining room – a great way for people to mingle and have a chat before the serious business of tackling the crayfish begins. Wine for this event was sponsored by Spica Co. Ltd. The impor ted crayfish were excellent and plentiful. They just kept coming no matter how many times the dishes were emptied. But man cannot live from crayfish alone, so there was also salmon, salad and small quiche, followed by Swedish Västerbotten cheese and Danish blue cheese, all accompanied by different kinds of bread. And for the sweet tooth, there was a desser t station with various kinds of cakes and fruit. At the end of the evening, there were small pizzas for midnight snacks. But crayfish must swim, so there was, of course, plenty of aquavit, beer and wine, and despite our best efforts to eliminate it all, there was still a bit left at the end of the evening. A total of 130 par ticipants joined the party. Not quite as many as last year, but still enough to make it a great party. Most participants were hardened crayfish aficionados,
12 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
but there was also quite a few newcomers, and judging by their comments about the party, they are already halfway hooked. After dinner there was dancing to the tunes of Unicorn band, an all-female band. Despite some initial reservations about the choice of band, these girls really proved their versatility, and as soon as they were through their first song, there was no doubt that they knew their job. They could rock and they could swing, and the dance floor was full to the end. There was even a standing ovation to get them to play one extra number, which they did. Crayfish are not cheap, and even though the tickets were not that cheap either, the party would not have been possible without sponsor ships. Cash sponsor s included Black Mountain Golf Club, Thaivivat Insurance, Pecunia Asset Management, KIS International School, Bumrungrad Hospital, Blufox Relocation, and SEB Bank. There was also a lucky draw with prizes sponsored by Admiral’s @ 24, Black Mountain, Bumrungrad Hospital, Dexter Café & Bar, Husqvarna, Kiridara Luang Prabang, Lux, Hotel Mermaid, Oakwood, Oriflame, Pharma Nord, Purimas Beach Hotel & Spa, Riva Surya Bangkok, Samitivej Hospital, Scanproducts, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Stable Lodge, and 137 Pillars House Chiang Mai.
News Brief
Old Thai House in Denmark to be renovated By Gregers Moller
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he old Thai style house in Moesgaard Museum n e a r A a r h u s w i l l n ow be renovated on the initiative of former Member of the Thai Senate Dr. Pensak Chagsuchinda Howitz. The Thai House has long been a symbol of the significant relations between Denmark and Thailand. The Thai House was given to Denmar k as a gift by the government of Thailand in 1975 and was erected at Moesgaard to be part of the museum’s summer exhibition that year, which was dedicated to Thailand. The house is around 100 year s old and originally from Ayutthaya, the old capital of Siam, 200 km north of Bangkok. In 2006, it was renovated for the fir st time, again with involvement of Dr. Pensak, whose interest in Denmark goes back to her time when she was married to former Danish Ambassador to Thailand, Mr. Franz Howitz. From 18 August until 26 August, Dr. Pensak arranged for a week long visit to Denmark of Mr. Anek Sihamat, Academic Advisor to Princess Sirinthorn Institute and former Director General of Fine Ar ts Depar tment, Ministr y of Culture. During the visit, they met with Mr. Ulrik Høj Johnsen from the Institute for Culture and Society under the University of Aarhus, Curator at Moesgaard Museum, Professor Mikael Gravers and Professor Jan Skamby Madsen, Director of Moesgaard Museum, Sven d E r ik J en s en , bu i l d i n g
manager at the museum, as well as Mr. Tobias Mürsch, a young talented Danish architect likely to be involved in the project. After an inspection of the Thai House and a meeting to outline the project in a Memorandum of Understanding, it was decided to try to renovate the house back to its original form 130 year ago in Thailand. It will be attempted to bring one or more Thai architects to Aarhus along with one or more Thai carpenters skilled in building this style of house to carry out the renovation and transfer their Thai wood working techniques to a team of Danish carpenters wor king with similar kind of renovation projects at Moesgaard and other museums in Denmark.
October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 13
News Brief
New strategy makes Danish IFU an attractive investment partner By Gregers Moller
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From left Jan Dam Pedersen, Thailand representative for IFU, Tommy Thomsen, CEO of IFU, Deepa Hingorani, SEA Regional head of IFU, Ambassador Mikael Hemniti Winther, Poul Weber, IFU Representative in Thailand and Asbjorn Overgaard-Christiansen, Commercial Counsellor at the Danish Embassy in Bangkok.
he Danish Investment Fund for Developing countries – IFU has developed a new strategy that makes it easier than ever to qualify to be an IFU supported company or loan partner. Mr. Tommy Thomsen, CEO of IFU, and Mrs. Deepa Hingorani, who heads IFU’s new Singapore regional office, explained the new strategy at a breakfast meeting for Danish business people at the Danish Embassy in Bangkok on 25 September 2015. There are two main changes, that makes IFU now more attractive. First of all, IFU has increased the upper level of how high a GDP per capita a country can have and still qualify to be a “developing country” in IFU terms. This brings all the South East Asian countries back in the fold – except Singapore. S e c o n d l y, t h e D a n i s h component in a project no longer needs to be a direct Danish investment by the initiating Danish company. Instead it could be the supply of a key technical component or products that come from one or more Danish suppliers, even simply providing technical advice from a Danish consultant would be enough. Other than that, the project may have an operation and maintenance agreement with a Danish company, or a license agreement with a Danish company. It would even qualify if the Danish company’s role in the project is simply to be the buyer of the produce of the project. In short there has to be a Danish interest in the project.
The Norwegian Seamen’s Church emergency app
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h e N o r w e g i a n S e a m e n ’s Church has developed an app, “Nødnummer”, to make the stay of Norwegians abroad safer. The app can be downloaded for both iPhone, Android and Windows and in the app store it has the following description: “If an accident or disease strikes, the App from the Norwegian Church Abroad provides quick and easy emergency calls for medical assistance, fire and police in the country you are. In acute situations, we would tend to stress and not thinking as clearly as usual. Then it is important to have vital phone numbers readily available,” it says. Some of the major features in the app is as mentioned in the description,
that you get automatic access to all local emergency numbers no matter what country you are in, but other than that, it shares your current position to let others find you via GPS coordinates, it stores contact number for relatives, employer, and telephone number of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It also has all embassies and the main “tourist consulates” placed as a reference and “Find-Home function” where you can place a marker at your location, and thus be able to see which way you are going back if you go out on tour. The app is rated with a 4+ in the app store but has not yet received enough ratings for this to be considered general.
14 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
IFU is cur rently active in 9 projects in Thailand but has previously been active in another 20 business projects which they have today exited. IFU has this year been active in Thailand in exactly 40 years and this exit strategy has always been part of the concept. Typically, IFU seeks to leave and sell its shares in a project to one of the existing partners after 5 – 8 years. In other countries in South East Asia, IFU is involved in 8 projects in Vietnam and has exited 28, in Philippines 1 project and exited 12, in Malaysia 2 projects active, exited 25, in Indonesia 21 active project and exited 7 and in Cambodia 1 active project and 1 exited. Myanmar 0 projects so far. The new IFU Head Quarters for South East Asia was opened only a week ago. Explaining why Singapore was selected, Mrs. Deepa Hingorani explained that an analysis had shown, that not only were there 178 Danish companies registered in Singapore – many of these companies were also regional head quarters for the other subsidiaries operating in the region. Companies with interesting projects should in Thailand contact local IFU advisors Mr. Jan Dam Pedersen on jandam.pedersen@ novanta.asia or Poul Weber, who joined IFU in 1988, on weber@ lotus-star.com. To contact the new regional o f fi c e d i r e c t o r M r s . D e e p a Hingorani, feel free to email her on dhi@ifu.dk
News Brief
Swedish baker showcases cake creations in Bangkok By Joakim Persson
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urveying a target sector for the new PR and marketing service platform for Thailand, EuroThaiLink, the ScandAsia team came across a Swedish confectioner and baker at the Food & Hotel Thailand (FHT) trade show (held on 2-5 September). FHT is a premium international trade exhibition for Thailand and the region’s globally renowned and rapidly expanding food, hospitality and tourism industries. This trade event, which included a number of Scandinavian brands and companies, is dedicated to hotels, restaurants, café’s, bakery, coffee shops, food & drink, wine & spirits, equipment, tableware, technology, import and distribution and retail. Bangkok-based Jeff Öberg was drawing a lot of attention as par t of the large I-Cream Solutions booth, where he was demonstrating some fantastic tar t and cake creations in a display counter. These ar tistic and photogenic creations were probably the most popular in the whole trade show, as “ingredient”, for visitors to photograph with their smart phones. Jeff is overseeing the team of bakers and pastry chefs at Sapparot Group, the renowned F&B company known primarily for the Lady Brett and Rocket Coffeebar brands and including the trios of Swedes xxx in the management. “I work for Sapparot Group here in Bangkok and in that capacity I got in contact with I-cream solutions. Through this I have established a good
relationship with them.They have asked me a few times to come and test their forms and make some new creations,” explained Jeff. I-cream solutions is the leading specialist in the gelato and ice cream solutions in Thailand, supplying high-standard impor ted ingredients and equipment together with the right services like: training, education, consultancy and support. Following on some exhibitions, such as FHT held at Bitec, Jeff also got in touch with the SilikoMart from Italy, whom he met when they came to Bangkok. Silikomart offers, among other refined and innovative products, high-quality silicone for use in the kitchen providing excellent results and significant advantages. “I got the opportunity to use their forms and create new, interesting things with decorations. They want to expand this relationship in Asia with me, and I get to try out new forms. These forms are my view world leading within pastry and ice cream,” said Jeff. “I also conduct courses, demonstrating how to use these forms in various ways, and combining different textures, flavours and colours in various ways so that the result, first and foremost, tastes good, looks appealing, and becomes an unforgettable experience.” “The moulds come in various patterns and give the opportunity to create interesting
desserts and bakery without needing a lot of tools, while getting the same result each time. Even the production of large quantities works fines with these moulds. That enables also consumers to make creations they have never been able to previously, which make the world of desserts much more fun and that more people turn interested in trying it out without having to be professionals.” As an example of innovation in the kitchen environment these moulds enable professionals as well as consumers the ability to with less complexity conjure up eye-catching designs within pastry. Made of platinum liquid silicone, which complies with food standards, these long-lasting moulds are completely non-toxic, odourless and tasteless. Jeff continued to highlight that I-Cream Solutions also imports spray colours in various hues made from Cacao fat. “This enables to also be able to spray cakes, tar ts and ice cream and obtain various effects. Before, we were limited to using compressor ; mixing chocolate and cacao fat with colour and this make it impossible for the public to achieve. What we do is to demonstrate that with simple means one can come up with unique creations in various patterns, that up to now has only been on display in magazines, made by professionals.” October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 15
A guide to dual By Maria Andreasdottir
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ast year Denmark passed a dual citizenship bill. On 1st September 2015 the law became effective and it is now possible for foreign nationals living in Denmark to become naturalized citizens while keeping their foreign citizenship. The law also allows Danes living abroad to become naturalized citizens of their new country of residence and still keep their Danish citizenship. But the nationality law of the foreign country must of course be observed. Together with Danish Consul Birgit Sarah Kondrup-Palmquist, we will in the following article guide you through the rules and regulations regarding the dual citizenship The new law of dual citizenship concerns you if • you have applied for a foreign citizenship and consequently resigned your Danish citizenship • you are under 22 years and are a child of at least one Danish parent and born outside Denmark • you have been naturalized Danish and consequently resigned your original citizenship Be aware, though, that dual citizenship is not something you have the right to obtain. In all cases it is something you must apply for and there are some conditions to be fulfilled. Furthermore, you must always keep in mind if the other nationality permits dual citizenship. “I think it’s great Denmark has passed the bill for having two citizenships, but this does not mean the other country allows having dual citizenship. Danish law cannot dictate other countries’ laws,” says Consul Birgit Sarah Kondrup--Palmquist. “It is up to each individual to check if the other country allows dual citizenship, too.”
Case 1:You applied for a foreign citizenship and consequently resigned your Danish citizenship If you changed to another citizenship many years ago or applied to get the other citizenship before 1 September 2015 you now have the possibility to apply to get your Danish citizenship back again. The deadline for submitting this application is 31 August 2020. If you applied for citizenship of another country after 1 September 2015 you will not need to give up your Danish citizenship (from a Danish point of view) – but the other country might not accept dual citizenship.. No matter if you applied before the law became effective or just recently applied, you will be asked to: • Provide evidence of your affiliation to Denmark. You need to document you have some association to Denmark, to the Danish culture and/or language. • You must not have been convicted during the time after having lost the Danish citizenship until applying for obtaining the Danish citizenship again.
Case 2:Your father or mother is a Danish citizen and you are born outside Denmark A child born outside Denmark and with either a Danish father or mother – or both being Danish - has the Danish citizenship until the age of 22. To retain this Danish citizenship beyond the last 16 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
citizenship day in the 21st year, it is imperative that the person applies for keeping the Danish citizenship before it turns 22. Like Group 1, the applicant must provide evidence of a strong connection to Denmark and you must have lived in Denmark at least 1 year before turning 22. If you are a Danish parent to a child born outside Denmark, it is recommended by the Danish Embassy to collect all kinds of evidence throughout the years of upbringing, like flight tickets to Denmark, boarding passes, list of dates, where and who the child has been visiting, diplomas from the Danish Summer School and any other Danish related documents. All this will help proving the affiliation to Denmark and thereby strengthen the chances of keeping the Danish citizenship.
Case 3:You became Danish citizen and gave up your first nationality Every year, a list of people who have applied for Danish citizenship is presented to the Danish parliament and passed as a bill. It has so far been a condition, that each person renounces their former citizenship. If you are included in the list after April 2015 you do no longer have to resign from your original citizenship – seen from a Danish point of view. If you are already a naturalized Dane you have the next 2 years counted from 1 September 2015 to reapply for a Danish citizenship - which you will be granted - without the condition that your will have to resign from your old citizenship. This means that you can reapply to have back your former citizenship together with the Danish citizenship, but do keep in mind, your former country might not accept dual citizenship. Do check it before applying for your former citizenship, so that you don’t have to renounce your Danish citizenship and your troubles will start all over again.
How and where to apply? Group 1: Danes naturalized in a foreign country who have obtained a different nationality than the Danish You have to apply before 31 August 2020. You have to apply through The Danish State Administration (=Statsforvaltningen). You can download the declaration on their website www.statsforvaltningen.dk. It costs 1100 DKK to apply and you have to send the declaration via airmail. If you want the Danish Embassy in Bangkok to send it for you there is a fee of 1100 THB. Group 2 +3: Children of Danes and naturalized Danes of a former, foreign nationality You have to apply through the Danish Ministry of Immigration, Integration and Housing (=Ministeriet for Udlændinge, Integration og Bolig). It costs 1200 DKK and you can download their declaration at www.uibm.dk and send it via mail. Similar to Group 1 you can have the Danish Embassy send it for you for a fee of 1100 THB. If you need further help from the Danish Embassy, for example a closer scrutiny of the documents, the Embassy will charge you its hourly rate of 5300 TBH. This could easily be worthwhile in more complicated cases. The Danish Consul recommends that you follow the respective homepages guiding rules for application as they may change over time.
Denmark releases new worldwide travel app
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re you ready to travel? With the new app from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs you will be. The travel app ”UM Rejseklar” (=ready to go) will make you feel safer traveling everywhere. The app, which is in Danish, will provide you with: • contact information to the Danish Embassies and Consulates worldwide • travel advices • travel directions to the Embassy or Consulate nearest to your current location • easy access to “Dansker-listen” (=the list of Danes) This list is made to let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contact Danes abroad in emergency situations • Push-messages about impor tant news or warnings in the country where you are travelling. The app was released 21 September 2015 and can be downloaded to both smartphones and tablets and on iOS, Android and Windows devices. The content of the app is continuously being updated to keep up with developments around the World. You have to accept Location Services to get the full benefit of the app. It is a common problem to travel apps that people tend to switch off their location on their mobile devices, and that way the different apps are less useful. ”UM Rejseklar” has been under production for a long time to make it work perfectly. The Danish Embassy in Thailand has been one of the testers of the new app – and has endorsed it. The app will ensure that you as a Danish citizen can reach help 24 hours a day. If you call your local Danish embassy outside office hours you can request your call to be diverted to The Global Control Centre. Visit the url below to download the app : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dk.um.danesabroad&hl=en
PREPARATIONS FOR APPLYING FOR DANISH CITIZENSHIP: To show evidence of your strong connection to Denmark the following could be used: • Flight tickets to Denmark • Boarding passes • Diplomas for attending the Danish Summer School • Danish contacts and dates of the child’s visit to Denmark • Pictures from stays in Denmark with relatives • A language tests October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 17
Ladies and gentlemen,
please be seated
W Agneta’s World Photographer: Daniel Herron
hen Daniel and I had visited the OTOP store and were on our way to the BTS, we passed by at TOTO. What is TOTO you might wonder? TOTO is a showroom located at Q House, Ploenchit Building, with the most “trendy” Water closets…yes you heard right. Why shouldn’t WC’s be trendy and luxury? As we were in a fun mood, we decided to walk in and have a look and what we saw was amazing. Didn’t know there are so many kinds of WC’s. Like cars, the less expensive Fiat, the middle class Toyota and the top of the top, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Rolls Royce and so on… A young salesman showed us all different WC’s and explained the different functions and you could see, he was very proud. It was like he had described the most interesting and fancy things in the world. Daniel and I had big problems not to laugh, we were both thinking, “a place for shit at Ploenchit”…. stupid but quite fun. There were WC’s that more or less opened the seat lid when you were approaching, as it would feel that you needed to sit down quick. Some WC’s were equipped with so many different buttons, that you almost needed an
River City Gem
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trip to River City, next to Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, is always nice. You can take the BTS to Saphan Taksin and walk or wait for the lovely Sheraton Shuttle boat that takes you to Sheraton and from the hotel; you have direct access to The shopping Mall River City. I happen to have my favorite long time Jewelry store at River City. This shop is called Bongkot Gems after the owner. Cindy Bongkot is Chinese/Thai and she has owned and operated this store for 30 years. She has two sons and one grandchild. As we all know, there are plenty of Jewelry shops in Bangkok, but still you have to watch out, not everyone is honest and sell the real goods. I can warmly recommend this store, as I have been a faithful customer for many, many years and I have never had a reason to complain. Well, I might lie a little now; sometimes they are still closed when you expect them to be opened. To be sure to find the door unlocked, don’t arrive until 12.00 noon and not after 8 pm on weekdays. Sundays they close at 6 pm. The shop number is 203. Here you will fall in love; one jewelry piece is nicer than the other. I could spend hours just looking at all those stones. Now I have a very special ring on my mind, what about a big very clear yellow sapphire with one little diamond on each side? To die for……The prices, well what can I say? They are reasonable and of course you can negotiate. Christmas is soon to come, so next time you are visiting the river close to Sheraton, do drop by and just enjoy the glamorous gems. At the same time, take a look at the antique stores at River City. If you are longing to find e.g. a nice looking Buddha statue, this is absolutely the place. 18 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
instruction book to be able to use it. One WC offered a” tornado flush”, sounded interesting… All in different designs, some in a round shape, some square shaped, one toilet for everybody’s taste. Well, suppose you have to choose the one after the design you like or price, as you can hardly try them out. For fun, I did sit down on one very spectacular… The poor guy, who advised us, must have thought we were nuts. It was also interesting to see the matching toilet tissue, one for every person’s color more or less. What about brown or black? I remember I once read or heard in Sweden, that colored toilet paper wasn’t healthy…. well, it’s trendy at least. Joking apart, of course there were also plenty of elegant lavatories, bathtubs, showers, hand dryers and many other accessories. You could also see some made up bathrooms in different designs, some very elegant and you saw the Japanese influence of minimalism and lots of wood. Yes, the brand is of course, Japanese. Now you know where to go if you look for a fancy toilet e.g. but be aware, a modern, exclusive design is not inexpensive. The most exclusive you have to pay up to a 100.000 baht for…is it worth it or not, that’s the question and you have the choice.
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TOP The Galler y is a store at Ploenchit selling only Thai products. You will find beautiful Thai silk garments, potter y, glassware , jewelr y, herbal products like soaps, lotion, oils etc. You also find lots of tablemats, cutlery in steel, bags, yes you name it. These stores have been in existence for 5 years and a governmental project. The concept for this and the other 2 stores in Bangkok (The walking Street, Silom and The Avenue, Ramintra) comes originally from Japan. The products cost less than in the “normal” stores, as there is no middle hand involved. The stores buy directly from the producers. This has become a very popular concept and many neighboring countries are following the concept, like e.g. India and Laos. I asked the very cordial salesgirl if the customers were mostly Thai or foreigners and she said, “It’s about 50-50%. By the way, this sales woman spoke very good English. She and her sister had a counter with wonderful herbal products made by her family. If you are around Ploenchit, Ramintra or Silom, drop in and have a look.You can easily find a small give away or why not, special occasions, a birthday or Christmas gifts? Time goes quick and soon we’ll have Christmas again!
Maybe you have heard of OTOP?
French Café Tartine
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y second tip-off for October month is to pay a visit to Cafe Tar tine. This is a small French Bistro owned by a couple from Avignon, France. They have lived in Bangkok for many years and love being here. 6 years ago, they opened Café Tar tine on Soi Ruamrudee, just a short walk from the BTS Ploenchit station. This is such a lovely little restaurant. You can enjoy small dishes like e.g. Quiche Lorraine or a Quiche with salmon or a vegetarian version. You can also have a sandwich made after your own choice of cold cut; you can also enjoy their roasted chicken that is prepared in a big roaster on the terrace. If you like sweets, there are several delicious choices. My favorite is, without doubt, the Tarte au Citron (Lemon cake). This is to die for, best in town. They are also known for their Baquettes. They taste exactly like a baguette must taste and they are well known and appreciated all over town. Many people travel a great distance to Au Tartine just for lunch and their famous Baquettes, it’s worth it. If you are a fan of salad, you can put together your own with your choice of ingredients. This place is ver y popular at lunchtime and they are also open for early dinner. We, photographer Daniel and I happened to visit on a very rainy day and we were early, so lucky not too many people. When we left, after having had their Quiches, people started to drop in. You can also have “Take Away” if you want to eat in your office or don’t feel for cooking. Try it out, you will not regret it. October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 19
Tips for choosing the preschool for your
What do we, as parents, have to consider when searching for the ‘ideal school or kindergarten’ for our children? By Nina Jagota
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he first day of school or kindergarten will for most children - and their parents - be the day they will always remember. The process of saying goodbye at the gate can be almost as difficult and exhausting as the weeks of deciding which school is the right school for your child’s first schooling experience. For weeks or even months leading up to this day, the parents have been through an often difficult process of selecting which school, pre-school or kindergarten they consider the best for their child.
Location and fees When looking for a kindergarten or a pre-school, two crucial factors are the location of the school and the cost of the school fees. So first step is to find out what international schools, kindergartens or pre-schools are available within a reasonable distance from your home. Going back and forth between your home and the school will be part of your daily life for years to come. It is important to be honest: Convenience matters! For your child, a short distance to school certainly also offers benefits. No need to be pulled out of bed in the early hours of the day, rushed through breakfast only to sit sleepy in the car for an hour. If you are in Bangkok, remember to count in all the opportunities along Bangkok’s excellent BTS / MRT systems. Distance is no longer just a question of kilometers, but rather a question of time. When you have found four or five nearest options, it is time to look at the school fees. Do not just rely only on what is posted on the websites, it is highly advisable to call the schools and kindergartens that you are considering, and ask them what your real costs will be. Again, it is important to be honest - don’t go shopping for a Benz if all you can really afford is a bicycle. Now you are probably down to two, maybe three options without having exhausted yourself too much. This is important since you will for sure need all your energy for the next crucial step – your visit to the school or kindergarten.
The classroom teacher What should you be looking for exactly at each kindergarten or school visit? Meeting the classroom teacher is a must. Your child will be spending several hours per day under 20 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
the supervision and care of this person. Notice how she is interacting with the other children in her class - she will be interacting with your child in the same way. Do you hear the other children talking, laughing, singing, asking questions, and expressing their ideas, expressing their preferences and points of view? Do you hear the teacher speaking warmly, kindly, and respectfully to the children? Do you hear the teacher inviting the children to make choices, decisions, and be a part of the activities in progress? The teacher should emphasize on promoting open-ended questions, prompting the children when interacting. This can encourage the children to experience new ideas, and furthermore, enable them to be creative, critical, reflecting to new ideas and enhance their problem solving skills. Overall, the one thing well-qualified teachers do have in common is that they are usually attentive listeners. Children are very expressive, and a teacher with good understanding would be acting upon the children’s verbal and non-verbal cues in the process of constructing an enjoyable learning experience for your child. Smaller classes help. It is significantly easier to give one-on-one attention and be responsive to each child in the room when there are fewer children in a class. At your school visit, you can ask about this ratio in your child’s class. The relationship that you would be having with the teacher once your child enrols in the school should be a strong, trustworthy, respectful and honest relationship. In the process of finding the right school, it is also suggested that the school you are visiting should have a welcoming gesture towards you to encourage your involvement as parental inputs in your child’s class. Every child has a unique background both culturally and sociologically. It is impossible for the school and the teacher to understand and know the children fully if they exclude the parents and family from the child that they are working with in the class.
The environment Another important factor to consider when visiting a kindergarten is the overall environment. A stimulating and creative classroom environment can help children to progress effectively in their development. The learning environments that stimulate
children’s physical and social experience could be both outdoor and indoor but there should be rich resources that are flexible and easy to use. The environment should also be filled with activities that stimulate critical thinking skills. For example, the activities and the toys should be inviting to the children as well as providing opportunities for interaction, hands-on play and exploration. The recommended learning environment for children in the early years is learning through play. The kindergarten should have centre play areas such as, easel painting, art table, science, books, puzzles, play dough, blocks, and water/ sand play. This means that activities should be well organized in clearly defined areas in the classroom, and most importantly, should be accessible to children. Having papers, markers, and blocks on shelves that children can reach would help build their independence. A quiet reading corner and dramatic play area are also important to encourage their concentration, creativity and imagination. A corner as simple as a dramatic play area is more essential than it may seem. Studies have in fact shown that the imaginative play in the form of daily ‘pretend play’ actually improves emotional and behavioural skills, which could lead to improved academic performance later in their schooling years. Outside play should also be a part of a typical day. The outdoor area should be where children can run, climb, walk, explore, and participate in other types of play with their friends. There is a direct correlation between the gross motor skills practice that children achieve through outdoor physical play to their long-term health.
No “perfect recipe” The perfect recipe for choosing the ‘ideal’ school for your child does not exist. Many parents simply go by their own parental instincts. This is natural, and there is certainly nothing wrong in trusting your own instinct in the process. After all, you should feel comfortable and confident in leaving your child at the school gate in the mornings. However, the few professional tips and suggestions above should give you some ideas about what to look for when making up your mind. Keep in mind the important role you are taking in deciding the right choice for your child’s first school will contribute to your child’s progress toward a crucial foundation and an enjoyable first schooling experience.
right child
Copyright: Gennadiy Poznyakov / 123RF Stock Photo
October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 21
Pre-School was not our first choice Thai-Danish parents miss an alternative to the pre-school concept. By Maria Andreasdottir
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e would have prefered not to send our daugther to pre-school,” says S t e e n Tr o l l e . B u t eventually, the acknowledged worldwide ThaiDanish photographer and father comprimised and together with his wife Sunisa send their 3,5 year old daughter, Skylar, to attend preschool in August 2015. The Trolle family is based in Bangkok and in Thailand children aged 3-5 typical attend preschool, where their parents can choose whether it should be a playbased or an academic based one. It’s not by law that children have to go to pre-school and according to Steen Trolle and his wife Sunisa they believe children should rather have more freedom to play and be the children they are. “I doubt pre-school is the best option for children. I am not happy about institutonalizing children with scheduled and structured days too early,” Steen Trolle says. When he was at Skylar’s 22 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
age, he was in a little day-care group in Denmark managed by four childminders. “I think I was very lucky being in day care. I think it gives the child more quality when the grown up can divide their time to a smaller group of children rather to a whole class of kids. We were not scheduled into a hardpacked program either and we were free to go home when we wanted to”. Steen and Sunisa Trolle wished to let Skylar have a similar day-care group as her father, and in fact the Thai-Danish parents tried to set one up themselves. “We were looking for a group of children and one or two childminders to take care of them.We thought it would be easy, taking the idea of giving your kid the best of two worlds: freedom and friends. Unfortunately we could not find anyone likeminded”. In the end Steen and Sunisa Trolle had to comprise and started looking for a pre-school for Skylar. “For us, there is nothing more important than
Skylar being happy. We think it’s important she meets other children and can play and be creative with others, but we are not completely satisfied with the whole concept about putting her in a “template”, which we think a pre-school can feel like. Right now we are doing a test period of the pre-school concept and so far Skylar has been happy about it,” Steen Trolle says. When looking for a pre-school, Steen and Sunisa made a list of what they would find most important for the pre-school to live up to. “You are actually delivering your child in the care of strangers, so for us it was an important requirement to meet her future teachers first together with Skylar. We needed well-educated and native English speaking teachers and to see a good chemistry between the children and the teachers.” Beside having competent teachers, the preschool should also be as close to their home as possible, so Skylar can have easy access going and coming from pre-school and back home and not waisting her time with transport. Pre-school
usually last from 9-14:30. “It’s a long day for a little child. The most important is Skylar, and we want her to be a child, to be creative in her own way and not hamstrung by time-scheduled modules and programs. I am not excited about the pre-school thing, it is a comprise we have taken and it has been our choice. We have chosen what we do and where we live, and there are some circumstances to consider.” The other alternative to pre-school would be hiring a nanny, but Steen and Sunisa Trolle believe it is healthy for the child to be surrounded by other children, so they rejected this option to childcare. “Right now, our best alternative to a day-care group for Skylar is the pre-school, but we are openminded to other substitutes and ideas.” Until now Skylar has been satisfied with her playbased pre-school Seeh Phinong International Kindergar ten and the test-period thereby continues. October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 23
Finding a proper playgroup By Maria Andreasdottir
The selection of playmates is not that big. Your child plays with the children it goes to school with. I think it’s healthy they also build friendships with other children than their classmates, and that’s where parents have to help by finding outside playgroups
Robert Akerblom and his family. Seen from the left: Sukanda, Oscar, Robert and Carl. Photo: Robert Akerblom.
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inding a proper playgroup for one’s child in a big city as Bangkok can be a bigger project than expected. Swedish father Robert Akerblom, Danish father Steen Trolle and Danish mother Mai Ellegaard has met their obstacles and are still improving their children’s sparetime.
Why playgroups? Steen Trolle is the father to a 3,5 year old daughter, and for him playgroups are important due to improve children’s well-being. When you live in a big city with a huge traffic issue you have to adjust your life to make the best out of your children’s sparetime. “Playgroups are vital. Here in Bangkok we need spaces where children can play safe, but the reality is that these spaces are very rare here. Even if ”arranged meetings” can sound a little repulsive, we need them for safety. Children can’t walk alone here and ”just run over to play with a friend” like they can in Denmark,” Steen Trolle says. Danish mother Mai Ellegaard agrees. “The selection of playmates is not that big. Your child plays with the children it goes to school with. I think it’s healthy they also build friendships with other children than their classmates, and that’s where parents have to help by finding outside playgroups,” says Mai Ellegaard, mother to two sons. Swedish father to twinboys Robert Akerblom 24 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
has so far met great help from acknowledged schools finding playgroups for his sons, which he thinks is a suitable introduction to life in school and to make playgroups of like-minded children. “Our boys of 1.5 years have attended a few playgroups, be it lead by school or outside, and will probably attend a few more ones prior to their Kindergarten start in May 2016. We feel that the ones operated by the International schools in general have better facilities and smaller groups compared with the smaller stand alone groups or groups run by organizations like Bambi.org.” he says.
Which kind of playgroup? All the parents agree it’s an essential factor that their children will maintain their Scandinavian culture. One way to keep it up is by having playgroups consisting of same-languaged children. Swedish father Rober t Akerblom and Danish father Steen Trolle have both tried to find other Scandinavian parents who wants to start up a playgroup where their children can speak their non-English mother tongue. “Outside schools we are searching for a Swedish or Scandinavian play group to attend say once or twice a week. If there are no such playgroup we will tr y to get in touch with parents in similar situation like us and try to organize informal play dates.” says Robert Akerblom.
Mai Ellegaard wants her boys to maintain their Danish culture and language too. She thinks it is good for the children to have different types of playgroups, so they can keep up with both their English and Danish language. Danish Father Steen Trolle argues that it’s not all about finding a group of children who speaks the language similar to one’s child. “The most important thing is off course the child is happy among its playmates. If my daugther doesn’t feel good in the only Danish-speaking playgroup, then she should not be forced to play with them.The whole idea with having a playgroup is letting your child have some qualitytime with friends outside school,” Steen Trolle says.
You can not substitute all the hours you ought to speak to your child. In China there is nothing called ‘’quality time’’, it is just time. The more the better!
Xinxin continues to introduce Chinese norms to Denmark
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hinese-born Xinxin Ren Gudbjörnsson has stirred up a debate among Danes about their approach to education. It all star ted in 2013 and since then she has starred several TV-programmes advocating how Chinese norms could benefit Danish schoolkids. Her second book “Find motivationen” (=Find the motivation) was published on 28 August 2015 about motivating people in general by using Chinese values. She is determined to continue giving Danes the advantages of Chinese lifestyle. The Danes were first introduced to Xinxin when she appeared on a ‘’homework diet’’ television programme where the “demanding Chinese” was called ‘’Tiger Mum’’ because of the strict Chinese way that she demanding that the students did 2 hours of homework everyday and quit watching television, playing computer games and playing with friends. She believed a hard Chinese discipline could make the Danish students even better in school. Her message was to inspire Denmark with Chinese values and make Danish children work harder and raise their grades in school. Her diet eventually succeed. “It is not the matter of talent, it is the matter of willpower,” Tiger Mum said. She thinks parents has the responsibility to equip their children’s with skills through a more
strict upbringing. She feels that both teachers and parents lack commitment to make their children fulfill their skills in school. “There is too many bad excuses not to bring up your children properly here in Denmark. If an illiterate night shift factor y worker in China can bring up her children properly, then it is only a matter of will for a Dane to do it too,” she says. She mentions a tendency among Danish parents wanting to be super-humans by being everything and doing everything. But instead they should be better to prioritize their children, especially regarding doing homework. “You can not substitute all the hours you ought to speak to your child. In China there is nothing called ‘’quality time’’, it is just time. The more the better!” she says. It is not only the Danish school system and the Danish parents who need some Chinese values according to Xinxin Gudbjörnsson. She believes Chinese values could benefit Danes in many other areas. She mentions how Danes are too good to praise each other for everything but forget to give criticize their children, which will later have some negative consequences for their personality later in life. ‘’Danish children are very insecure because they are not used to be evaluated that much. Therefore they have no idea what they are good at and what they are not good at. When they later begin working and meets criticism
they totally lose their self-confidence. It can be a shock to some,” she says. With her new book her mission is to motivate Danes in a Chinese way. “It has become very clear to me that many people in Denmark have not been given some basic knowledge and help regarding motivation in contrast to Chinese people. In Denmark they say ‘’the passion drives the work’’, but what if there is no passion? They also say ‘’put yourself together’’, but what if you don’t know how?” she asks. By implement a Chinese way of thinking she believes she can motivate the Danish people. “I believe anyone wanting to be motivated can be motivated. You can not force it. I know many Danes do not fancy the Chinese model, but I want to break with the prejudice because I think only a few know how it really works” she says. Even if she has met a lot of criticism for being too tough, Xinxin guarantees her strict Chinese values are a great advantage to Denmark. She says it makes life less painful when children are prepared to meet and handle criticism. It makes life easier when know how to work with motivation. Xinxin wants to bring the best out of the Danish people by continue giving them Chinese norms and values to apply in their daily lives. Sources: www.viauc.dk www.kristeligtdagblad. dk & www.dr.dk www.jyllands-posten.dk October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 25
Teaching complicated social phenomena to under 4s
It is no surprise that our expectations for our children are much higher than the generations that preceded us. With globalisation comes tougher competition thus we expect our little ones to go on to do great things, be globally aware and to be successful in the field of their choice all while being comfortable in social aspects of their lives. Ultimately, we want our children to have it all.
26 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
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hen this is all put to paper it seems incredibly difficult to do. How on ear th can we guarantee that our children will grow up to be the well-rounded citizens of the globe that we envision them to be? Many schools understand this but one school in particular, The Regent’s International School, Bangkok is successful in providing the answer in their Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). All of its Early Years teachers adopt a “planned purposeful play” teaching method, provide a great deal of resources for the children and work closely with all of the parents; a formula that all good schools should adopt. Head of Early Years, Eleri Davis, has been with the school for 12 years and still has a positive relationship with many of the students who have since left Early Years and moved up through the school. Using a superhero called Captain IDEALS she illustrates complex social phenomenona – while this may sound daunting, when guised as play the children are actually learning to adopt good learning practices early on. The acronym IDEALS,one that is often referred to throughout the school and stem from the Round Square ethos, stands for Internationalism, Democracy, Adventure, Leadership and Service. The Round Square organisation is a global body of some of the best schools that share the same belief in their approach to education. Ms. Davis said, “while we have all developed unique teaching methods we all want our children to be good members of society. Captain IDEALS serves as a good role model for the children; all the little things he does the children follow and it makes a big difference. For example, to introduce democracy we
allow our children to vote on the book we read at story time – they get to experience voting before they can even truly grasp what it means to vote. It’s this early introduction that stays with them as they develop”. It is this “planned purposeful play” that makes the Regent’s Early Years so successful. Every activity, every playtime, every question; it is all done with careful intent to help each child develop in areas that they need to. Only joining the school in 2014 from the UK, Toni Herbert, the school’s Pre-Nursery Teacher, fully adopts this method. On adult and child initiated play she said, “When we say child initiated we are still planning it because we would have planned our continuous provision of what children can access. Children are allowed to direct their own learning and decide what they’re going to play with and we support it with sustained shared thinking. This means we don’t wade in with questions like “what have you got there?” or “what colour is it?” we observe and then interject very sensitively into their play. It’s a really important thing in Early Years to get the balance just right. A lot of people think we just play especially when they just walk into a session but it’s all very meticulously planned with the 7 areas of development in mind. There’s always a learning objective even though it might not necessarily be made explicit to the children; they’ll also be getting something out of it as well.” With such a formula set in place children that are under the carefully guided care of Regent’s unique Early Years stage they find that their students continue on with their education and lives with the best educational foundation at their disposal.
DAY AND BOARDING
AGES 3-18
B r inging out th e
BEST in EVERY CHILD • Small class sizes enabling individual attention • Highly experienced British teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) from the UK • Excellent outdoor play area and facilities in a safe and secure environment • Toddler Playgroups hosted on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays for children aged 8 months - 3 years Scan the QR code for more details.
Nearest MRT Station Thailand Cultural Centre CONTACT US: Tel: +66 (0) 2 957 5777 ext. 202 Email: admissions-bkk@regents.ac.th www.regents.ac.th 601/99 Pracha-Uthit Road, Wangthonglang, Bangkok 10310 Regent's 2015 university destinations include:
October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 27
The Early Years at KIS International School
KIS welcomes you to the Early Years Centre. Learning at KIS begins at 2½ years old with a holistic, play based programme. Children begin their day playing with their friends in their very own playground, with trees and plenty of shade.
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nce in the cosy environment of the Early Years Centre, the children are excited to explore centres such as the water play and sensor y play areas, the light tables with sand, the assortment of natural blocks, or the role play area. Playing in this fun, imaginative and purposeful way helps children develop their skills and provides a foundation for their future learning. All children at KIS learn through the IB programmes. This, together with a diverse community with over 40 nationalities, helps children understand different cultures and become open minded and sensitive to different points of view. Guiding them throughout their day are the kind and caring teachers who are specifically trained for this age group and who make the children feel at home.
28 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
The Early Years Centre at KIS, like a preschool, has its own spaces and a warm, safe and caring environment, but it also has “big school” benefits, such as the use of the pool, gardens, courts, and other resources. Children at KIS enjoy coming to school and once you pick them up at home time (either 12:30 or 14:30) they will be full of enthusiastic stories to share with you. If you have a young child who is ready to dive into a world of exploration and inquiry, eager to become independent and confident, then come and visit the Early Years Centre at KIS! www.kis.ac.th admissions@kis.ac.th Tel: +66 (0) 2274 3444
October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 29 October 2014 • ScandAsia.Thailand 37
Ideas Worth Spreading The tagline of TED, the non-profit organization dedicated to both advancing knowledge and bringing about social change, sums up its mission, vision and activity in three words. Since the first TED talk was launched in 1984, hundreds of speakers have taken to the stage to share their ideas for a better world, including past US presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton; technology gurus Bill Gates, Sergey Brin and Larry Page; novelists Isabele Allende and Young-ha Kim; and activists Julian Assange and Khalida Brohi.
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hroughout the past three decades, TED talks have inspired, challenged and transformed, in large par t because of the attention brought by these impressive figures. However, many others have also impacted lives through TEDx, a program that encourages independently organized TED events that aim to “help communities, organizations and individuals to spark conversation and connection through local TED-like experiences”. Most recently, TEDx came to Thailand at NIST International School’s inaugural TEDxYouth@NIST, held on 5 September 2015, sponsored by Toyota, the Korea Tourism Organization and Adges Consulting. Through the theme Voices, NIST students expressed their passions and ideas in front of an audience of 300 community leaders, teachers and peers. The event also featured several guest speakers: Thai-Swedish actress and NIST alumna Praya Nataya Lundberg, co-founder of TEDx Tokyo and Tokyo International School Patrick Newell, experienced TEDx speaker and yogi Abria Joseph, and Royal Foundation Project member and NIST alumnus Jarutat Snidwongse na Ayuthaya. Each offered unique perspectives on the importance of empathy, learning and mindfulness. Yet the stars of TEDxYouth@NIST were most often the student speakers. From the story of Thailand’s first blind orchestra to a call for valuing the arts in education to the fear of the real “f word” (failure), their confidence and poise stood out despite speaking alone on stage in a packed theatre. More importantly, the eloquence of their talks took a step toward TED’s goal: sparking ideas that will lead to lasting change. For more information about TEDxYouth@ NIST and the speakers who took part, visit tedxyouthnist.weebly.com.
30 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 31
Moving to Learn
The Link Between Physical Development and Early Learning by Bangkok Patana School Foundation Stage From the moment a child is born - and even before - movement is essential for the developing brain. When we move messages travel through the nerves to the brain and when these impulses jump the gap between nerves, ‘neural growth factors’ are released. These cause the nerve endings to grow and sprout, creating strong and well organised neural pathways which enable children to ‘make sense’ of information and learn effectively at school.
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hen a child is bor n, its early movements are ver y basic, as the young brain is underdeveloped. Connections between the brain stem, where physical movement is controlled and the cortex (the domain of higher functioning) are weak. At this stage primitive reflexes dominate, such as the ‘Palmer’ or ‘Infant Grasp Reflex’, wherein a light touch to the palm of the hand will cause the fingers to close and grasp. As pathways grow from the base of the brain to the cortex, these primitive reflexes are replaced by more sophisticated reflexes called postural reflexes.These allow more sophisticated control of movement. Frequent, rich and varied oppor tunities for movement are essential for successful passage through these stages of physical and neurological development. Missing any particular stage may mean problems at a later date. Children need lots of movement and sensory experiences. Movement helps: • the brain to grow and make new pathways • integrate the primitive reflexes • develop postural (balance) reflexes • develop and integrate the senses • develop bodily awareness,laterality, directionality and perceptual motor functions • develop the vestibular system - balance, coordination, sensory-motor integration and attention 32 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
• the left and right hemispheres of the brain to work together In simple terms, children need to roll, crawl, walk, run, skip, slide, spin, swing, hop, tumble, climb, hang, dance, throw, catch, ride, swim, do gym, wheelbarrow, rough and tumble, wrestle, squeeze, twirl and be bear-hugged! Children need to get messy. Their hands and feet need to be in the sand, play-dough, gloop, mud, shaving foam and bubbles. Children need to avoid inactivity or spending lots of time in front of TV and computer screens. Robyn Cox from New Zealand uses the analogy of a ‘bucket’ to illustrate this. Imagine a young child’s brain as this ‘bucket’, which is full of holes as it is not fully formed yet. The lowest holes, at the very bottom of the bucket, link to the gross physical and motor skills; while those further up link to the higher cognitive skills associated with learning. At the highest point are the external influences such as school, teaching methods, resources, parenting and diet. It is vitally important that all of the lower holes in the bucket are ‘plugged’ first, so that children have developed neurologically before beginning formal learning. Only adequate physical experiences will ensure that this happens, allowing the bucket to ‘fill’ with learning and knowledge. If a child has insufficient movement experiences, then these holes remain unplugged and all ‘learning’ just empties straight out through the bottom of the bucket! No matter
how good the teaching, parenting and resources, learning cannot be retained. Often, when children are struggling at school, we look to the influences at the higher levels of the bucket. However, the causes of learning difficulties may lie deep inside and could be linked to problems with neural pathways. Movement is the key to developing these neural pathways. In Australia, Barbara Pheloung has developed a set of simple, specially designed floor exercises to support children with learning difficulties. She has found that in many cases, completion of these exercises over a period of time can improve brain integration and readiness to learn. Practicing and mastering these movements helped many of these children catch up academically with their peers. Movement and play are often intrinsically linked and should go hand in hand. Children need access to a wide range of physical activities throughout the day to support the development of both fine and gross motor skills. Whilst children are moving, learning and having fun, the ‘buckets’ are being filled in the process! Further information can be found at: www.movingsmart.co.nz www.movetolearn.com.au www.patana.ac.th/primary-foundation.asp
October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 33
PREParing Active Learners
Learning through Play By Valerie Campeau Communications and Development Manager
Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage at Bangkok Prep are active learners as they create their own challenges, develop their independence skills and find ways to solve problems. We recognise that children have unique learning needs as they are all at different stages of development. The positive relationships with teachers and the role of our ‘enabling environment’ are crucial in the learning and development of the child.
Q A
Q: How does the Foundation Stage environment enhance children’s learning and development? A: The Foundation Stage at Bangkok Prep offers engaging and beautiful indoor and outdoor learning areas. The Nurser y and Reception classrooms are designed to create a stimulating and nurturing learning environment, promoting that intrinsic desire for our young children to learn through exploration and play. Our outdoor area offers an especially natural and creative space where the children are able to engage and learn outside. We aim to provide the best learning opportunities through our provision of high quality resources that challenge and promote children to interact and engage with each other, the curriculum and the world.
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Q: How is ‘learning through play’ constructed and delivered? 34 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
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A: This is delivered through planned and open ended themes in response to the children’s learning needs and interests. Child-initiated learning experiences are balanced with purposeful and directed adult led activities with the teachers, developing and promoting a positive attitude towards lifelong learning.
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Q: Can you describe a typical day at school? A: The day in Foundation Stage starts at 8am and ends at 2pm. Children also participate in a variety of specialist lessons including music, physical education, swimming, Thai Studies and computing.
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Q: How do you prepare a child for their transition from the Foundation Stage to the Primary School?
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A: At Bangkok Prep, we are fortunate enough to have both our Foundation Stage and Primary School on one site. We star t our transition process early by organising joint activities with Year 1 students and parents such as workshops and assemblies. We create oppor tunities for children in Year 1 to join our Reception classes (aged 5 years old) to talk about the Primary School and share their experiences with the young children.
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Q: How are parents included and involved in their child’s education at Bangkok Prep? A: We believe parents have a vital role to play in the education and development of their children. Bangkok Prep is founded on par tnership and communication where being open is important, as well as, being a part of the community to which your child belongs. We warmly invite parents to share their child’s learning with the teachers through attending ongoing parent teacher consultation meetings, participating in our ‘Stay & Play’ sessions and the termly open mornings. In the classroom, parents actively enhance their child’s education, through guided reading sessions in the library, cooking or creative activities and supporting our school performances. The school also celebrates numerous international and community events. Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School (Bangkok Prep) Sukhumvit 53 (Adjacent BTS Thong Lo) Tel: 02 260 7890 ext 104 Email: admissions.spvr@bkkprep.ac.th
October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 35
From strength to strength: Harrow Bangkok’s Head Master Mick Farley explains why there’s never been a better time to join the School This year, Harrow International School Bangkok is celebrating one of its most successful years yet. 2015 sees the School’s 17th year, and in many ways it has come of age since it opened its gates as the first Harrow International School in Asia in 1998. It now has 1,500 students on the roll, from 37 different nationalities.
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arrow on the Hill is one of the very few schools in the UK that is a full boarding school. Harrow Bangkok’s Head Master, Mr Michael Farley, explains why this affiliation with Harrow UK sets his international school apart from others: “Boarding is in the DNA of Harrow; it’s what we do. We have steadily built a reputation as a leader in boarding within the ASEAN region. This makes us a particularly appealing option for students from overseas, who want all the benefits of a top quality ‘Harrow’ education, while enjoying the comfort and support of a home from home.” Expatriate parents often comment on how much is on offer to their children as boarders, from the huge range of extra-curricular activities (including more than 50 sports) to the free, expert out-of-hours tuition. “Four of our last six Head Boys and Head Girls have boarded, and certainly the Harrow spirit is imbued in the experience of all of our boarders,”... Mr. Farley agrees.
Reaching for the stars Harrow Bangkok, like Harrow on the Hill in the 36 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
UK, is known for academic excellence. Once again, the School’s Year 13s produced a stellar set of A2 Level results. Mathematics students performed especially well – of the 112 who took the exam, 60% achieved an A* or A grade. Engineering is also a strength of the School, with 18 students going on to study engineering courses at higher education. University destinations for Harrow Bangkok’s Sixth Formers are predominantly in the UK and USA, mainly at Russell Group and Ivy League institutions respectively. This year also marks an exciting new phase of the School’s journey: an extensive site redevelopment programme, called HBuild, which sees the commissioning of new facilities and the
expansion of existing buildings from now until 2018. “Students are already realising the benefits of our ambitious plans,” says Mr Farley. “We have just celebrated the completion of our multipurpose athletics centre. Called ‘The Den’, this is the largest school outdoor athletics area of its kind in Thailand.” Building is almost complete for six new Boarding Houses, each housing 60 children. These are attractive and well-designed houses, with beautifully landscaped internal courtyards and secure facilities over four floors. Work is also complete for a new Sixth Form Centre, named the Rayleigh Centre after the Harrovian John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh. With views over Harrow Lake, this includes a light, spacious Common Room for students alongside plenty of collaborative learning spaces to meet the needs of our growing numbers of senior students. The extension to our Early Years Centre is also finished, and a wonderful environment for the youngest Harrovians to thrive. The future is bright for Harrow Bangkok, as it looks forward to the completion of improved Creative Arts facilities, new sports and lake amenities, and the establishment of a Design Technology Department. As Mr Farley comments, “This will ensure that we have all the resources we need to deliver an education fit for the 21st century.”
Harrow Bangkok at a glance Age range: 18 months to 18 years School type: co-educational (boys and girls) Boarding options: weekly (Monday to Friday) or full-time (during term times).You can also attend as a day student. Curriculum: English National Curriculum - IGCSEs, AS Level, A2 Level Admissions: Contact (0) 2503 7222 or email: admissions@harrowschool. ac.th for more information or to book a tour of the School.
October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 37
Brighton College opening September 2016 in Bangkok
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Brighton College, the UK’s top co-educational school in 2015, will open its doors in Bangkok in 2016. The Pre-Prep school, opening September 2016, will teach children from the ages of 2 to 8 in a stateof-the-art campus, with the Prep and Senior schools opening a year later in 2017. The Bangkok campus will be Brighton College’s third international sister school, and is a partnership between Brighton College UK and Ocean Group, one of Thailand’s most successful business groups. As well as three iconic school buildings, each housing one of the age groups, the campus will have exceptional performing arts and sports facilities. 38 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
David Tongue is the Headmaster of Brighton College
righton College, the UK’s top co-educational school in 2015, will open its doors in Bangkok in 2016. The Pre-Prep school, opening September 2016, will teach children from the ages of 2 to 8 in a state-of-the-art campus, with the Prep and Senior schools opening a year later in 2017.The Bangkok campus will be Brighton College’s third international sister school, and is a partnership between Brighton College UK and Ocean Group, one of Thailand’s most successful business groups. As well as three iconic school buildings, each housing one of the age groups, the campus will have exceptional performing arts and sports facilities. David Tongue, Founding Headmaster of the Bangkok Campus, is currently Headmaster of Brighton College Al Ain, the joint highest-ranking British school in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the only new school ever to achieve the Emirate’s top inspection rating. Prior to working for Brighton, David worked in the Falkland Islands and Spain. He and his family are looking forward to moving to Bangkok and being an integral part of the campus as it grows: ‘Having grappled with the blizzards of an Antarctic winter, followed by the 50 degree heat of a desert summer in the UAE,’ he says, ‘it’s true to say that we can’t wait to arrive!’ Brighton College Bangkok will be the newest member of the Brighton College family of schools. Founded in 1845, Brighton College is the UK’s top co-educational school for A-level in 2015, and in the top 5 of all UK schools. This phenomenal success is testament to the work of Richard Cairns, Head Master of Brighton College, and his exceptional team of leadership and teachers. For Cairns, the importance of valuing every pupil and nurturing their talents is key to the college’s remarkable improvement over recent years: ‘I believe passionately in the importance of the individual,’ Cairns says. ‘Every child that receives a Brighton education is valued for his or her own sake, encouraged to develop his or her talents to the full in a community where there are no stereotypes and where every achievement, however small, is noticed.’ In 2011, the first of Brighton College’s sister schools opened in Abu Dhabi, and now educates over 1600 pupils. It shares the honour with Brighton College Al Ain of being the Emirate’s highest-rated school, and this year is Abu Dhabi’s top-ranked school for GCSE. Every Brighton College campus has at its heart Brighton College’s aims: a love of learning for its own sake; the importance of gaining the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in this century; the value of spirituality; a nurturing of talents beyond the classroom; and the importance of respect and service to others. Brighton College Bangkok will further these core values, and has the stated aim of becoming one of the leading British curriculum schools in Asia.
Tel: +66 (2) 512-1872 Mobile: +66 (89) 009-1111
October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 39
Garden International School Sathorn, Bangkok
Your Choice. Their Future. Our Family.
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ndependence, understanding, respect - the school is committed to providing a safe, positive and enjoyable learning environment using a British educational framework; encouraging all students to develop to their full potential; responding to the differing needs of individuals; promoting qualities of independence, responsibility, critical thinking, international mindedness and respect; providing an environment that aims for the highest educational standards in lifelong learners.
Education system: British Age range of students: 2 – 18 years Primary language: English Other languages offered: Thai; Mandarin; French Transportation offered: Yes Lunch/snack offered: Yes Foreign students: 58% Average class size: 20 Student-teacher ratio: 5:1 and up depending on age School hours: 7:50 – 15:30 After school activities: Sports; creative; academic; enrichment School facilities: Playground; swimming pool; library; cafeteria; art facilities; computer rooms; science laboratories
Bangkok Campus 34/3-4 Yen Akart Road, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120 Thailand Tel : +66(0)2 249-1880 Fax : +66(0)2 249-1943 Email : info@gardenbangkok.com www.gardenbangkok.com
40 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
Get Smart, Get Active: Play and Learn
the Shrewsbury Way
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hrewsbur y International School is a leading British International School that offers an inspirational English-language education to carefully selected students, aged 3 to 18 years. With a spacious site that occupies a stunning riverside setting in the heart of Bangkok and a community of experienced teaching professionals, we boast a reputation for excellence in music, sport and the performing areas, and one of the very best public examination
track records in the Asia-Pacific region. The foundations for success are established in our very youngest Early Years classrooms, where our values are embodied by Shrewsbury’s “Active Learning” approach; a method which places the children’s own interests at the very hear t of learning. Under the super vision and guidance of experienced, specialist Early Years teachers, supported by two qualified assistants in every
EY1 class, children are given the freedom to choose and independently explore a rich variety of resources and play-based learning activities, carefully arranged throughout our specially designed Early Years environment. Learning is centred in spacious classrooms that open out on soft play gardens, complete with splashpool, reading zones and sand pits; stimulating, safe spaces for children to explore, play and learn. As children play, their progress is monitored closely; information which teachers then use to devise new learning activities, resources and displays that reflect and fulfill the changing needs, interests and learning styles of every child. This ensures that school is a challenging, fun and stimulating place for Shrewsbury’s young learners to be. Through this approach, ever y classroom becomes a reflection of the children themselves; a vibrant, evolving montage, that celebrates their own work and achievements, and which is coloured by the diverse interests and backgrounds of our international learning community. A visit to Shrewsbury will confirm the sense of energy, purpose and enjoyment that our approach creates. If you would like to find out more about our school, our Active Learning approach and how to become part of our vibrant international community, contact our Admissions Team today at admissions@shrewsbury.ac.th + 662 675-1888 ext. 1110. Pre-school children and families can also try out our facilities, make friends and meet some of our own exceptional staff by joining us at one of our regular Wednesday afternoon Playgroups. Ask our admissions staff for details.
PLAY & LEARN At Shrewsbury Playgroup
Shrewsbury Playgroup provides a fun introduction to Active Learning for pre-school children. Enjoy playing together, exploring our resources and making new friends in a specialised Early Years environment. Every Wednesday during school term from 1.15 pm. – 3.15 pm. (Except every every second Wednesday of the month, when sessions are organised by our partner organisation BAMBI. Reservations at playgroups@bambiweb.org). Price 300 Baht per child (BAMBI member 200 Baht per child). Please register in advance by calling Susan Low on 02 675 1888 ext. 1404 www.shrewsbury.ac.th Shuttle boat service available from Sathorn Pier (connecting with BTS Saphan Taksin). * All children must be accompanied by a parent (no nannies please).
SHB Play Group 2015 final.indd 3
For children age 1 – 3 years.
9/24/2015 3:57:52 PM October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 41
A NEW KIND OF MAGIC The same Magic Years International Kindergarten that children and parents have grown to love is growing too. Under the new name, MY International School, it now provides outstanding primary years education and expanded learning opportunities to children ages 0 to 9 years. All children, from newborn to the Primary Years, become part of a vibrant and dynamic learning community at MY International School, whose programs are designed to instill a life-long zeal for learning. facebook.com/myisonline instagram.com/magicyears youtube.com/myikonline www.magicyears.ac.th tel: +(662)981-7770 +(662)573-4597-8 email: oďŹƒce@magicyears.ac.th 59/307-308 Muangthong Thani Chaengwattana Soi 29 Pakkred, Nonthaburi 11120
NURTURING LIFELONG LEARNERS.
42 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
Making the most of the Early Years
at British International School, Phuket At British International School, Phuket (BISP), our Early Years centre caters for children aged from 18 months to 5 years.
By Gilly Notley, Early Years Unit Team Leader
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hildren come to us as competent individuals with an innate curiosity which, when intentionally and carefully nur tured blossoms into a lifelong love of learning. Our priority is to get to know every child as a unique individual and every effort is taken to personalise learning, knowing that children will learn best when they feel secure, happy and motivated. As part of a truly multicultural school, children learn not only about Thai culture but also the cultures of their peers at school. Similarities and differences are celebrated and opportunities to learn from one another are encouraged and across ages. Teachers view themselves as partners in the learning process, modeling learning attitudes and supporting children to become expert learners. Our highly experienced staff work together as a learning community to ensure that they are up to date with recent developments in education and communication technology. We are dedicated to offering the highest standard of education and care to our youngest learners. Knowing how much a close relationship between home and school can impact on a child’s learning we warmly welcome parents into our setting and work hard to build open and positive relationships with parents and carers, involving them where possible in their child’s learning journey. Surrounded by greenery and mountains, ours is a truly unique setting which offers several large natural outdoor play spaces and spacious wellresourced indoor learning environments. Here the children’s natural curiosity and developmental need to be active in their learning (so crucial for brain development at this stage) is fully promoted and supported. Our large campus enriches the children’s experiences through opportunities for children to connect with the world beyond their immediate environment, making learning as real, purposeful and memorable as possible. With trips to places of interest both on and off campus there is never a shortage of experiences to engage hearts and minds. To learn more about Early Years at British International School, Phuket (BISP), please visit bisphuket.ac.th/early-years, follow the Facebook page at facebook.com/thebisp, or email Helen at hmunoz@bisphuket.ac.th October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 43
Peder Jorgensen turns 80 years By Gregers Moller
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eder Madsen Jorgensen celebrated on Sunday 27 September the 80th birthday of his adventurous life. Peder Jorgensen and his wife Ruth Eleanor Jorgensen – born Leed – lived altogether 22 years in Thailand as missionaries; first 1962-71 in Central Thailand and then in North East Thailand from 1983 to 1995. The couple, who have been more closely involved with the lives of the poor rural people of Thailand than any other living Dane today, has since their return to Denmark several times revisited the country on shorter travels. Son of a farmer, Peder grew up in Bøvl Mark near Sønder Omme in Denmark. This handson knowledge of farming and the mentality of farmers became useful during his stay among farmers in the North East of Thailand. Peder Jorgensen was educated deacon from Filadelfia in Dianalund in Soroe and had worked at Kirkens Korshaers Nicolai Tjeneste in Copenhagen. Ruth was educated a midwife. When they left for their first period in Thailand, the couple had already two children, a three year old daughter Kirsten, who had been accompanying her parents on a language training course in England, and the only five month old son Thorkild. Later they had one more daughter, Anne-Marie during their stay in Thailand. In her book published a few years ago, “Fra 44 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
Limfjorden til Mekhong” http://www.blissart.dk/ ruths-bog.html, Ruth recalls and tells vividly of how difficult life with three children was for the family in Thailand when the husband was more away helping others than at home helping her.
Leprosy work During their first period in Thailand, from 1962 to 1972, Peder and Ruth were on an assignment for OMF – Overseas Missionary Fellowship. While Ruth worked as a midwife, it was Peder’s task to work with people with leprosy in Nongbua in Nakornsawan and Manorom in Chainat in the western part of Central Thailand. Leprosy was at that time still quite wide spread. It was an uphill task to teach the population about new medicines that could cure the disease and help the ones already disabled by it. Most of them lived as professional beggars. Among his achievements during his work in Nongbua was the creation of a hospital and leprosy rehabilitation center for OMF. The patients were here surrounded by a farming area of 80 hectare of land which could sustain up to 100 families. At the time this was built, 1966, the Thai population was only 32 million people. For Peder Jorgensen, bringing Christ to people is only one side of being a missionary. But the living proof of Christ is to work to alleviate the poverty of the people around him. When someone took
to his good example and wanted to be baptized, he always asked a local Thai priest to baptize the newly converted Christian. In 1972, the couple returned to Denmark after nine years – interrupted by a few breaks – in Thailand and settled in Karup in Jutland. The main reason was the consideration for the school education of their three children. Ruth became mid-wife for the region and Peder found employment with the local municipality until a few years later he became secretary general for the Santalmissionen.
Phibun Mangsahan But in 1984 Peder and Ruth returned to Thailand again, this time to Phibun Mangsahan north of Ubon Ratchathani in the Northeast of Thailand on a mission for the Norwegian Missionar y Society. It was during this period, that Peder and Ruth Jorgensen started the project of building a home for bright children of poor people who this way would get the chance to take a higher education. This home, Ban Immanuel, became the crown of their work in Thailand. It made it possible for for hundreds of young people in the area to move up in the Thai society and achieve positions they would otherwise never have been able to. Another achievement was in 1994 to built a Church in Phibun Mangsahan. The unique octagonal building is designed by the Danish
During Peder Jorgensen’s intermediary years back in Denmark, he continued his humanitarian work. Here he is portrayed collecting used eye glasses to be sent to Thailand.
architect Henrik Chr. Thomsen. The bell tower next to the church received the bell from Hjortshoej Church near Aarhus in Denmark. The building and the Church bell are still there, but under the influence of Thai lack of understanding of maintenance, the Danish legacy is slowly falling apart.
Artifact collection Peder Jorgensen has always been fascinated by the old skills of the rural Thai people and the tools of their skills. He found it genius how the managed to use simple materials available in their natural surroundings to produce tools to exist in harmony with nature. He started early on collecting rarities simply out of curiosity. As his collection grew he soon became more systematic and over more than fifty years he has diligently built up the number of specimens and value of this collection. Often these items were simply daily household tools that he was keenly aware would soon no longer exist. For many years, the collection was the pride of his large study in his home near Ikast in Denmark, but over the past few years, the majority of the artifacts have been cataloged and transferred to the Thailand collection at Moesgaard Museum’s near Arhus in Denmark where they will be preserved for the future. For Moesgaard Musuem, the collection is
Peder Jorgensen with his Friends of Thailand award, which he received in Bangkok 2010.
unique because many of the old skills, production methods and trades no longer exits. In 2001, when it was decided to establish a major exhibition in Bangkok during the upcoming State Visit to Thailand of H.M. Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Peder Jorgensen was called upon to establish this together with Sigurd Rambusch of the National Danish Archive and then curator at Moesgaard Museum, Professor Jesper Trier. H.M. the Queen opened the exhibition on 8 Februar y at the National Museum of Thailand in Bangkok. It presented examples of the long and close relationship and cooperation between Denmark and Thailand including the archaeological work of Dr. Pensak Howitz, wife of the former Danish ambassador to Thailand. Peder Jorgensen had shortly before this event published a book by Major Erik Seidenfaden entitled “The Royal Siamese Provincial Gendarmerie” in which Major Seidenfaden had served for a number of years. Peder Jorgensen noticed when going through material at the National Archives in Copenhagen that it said that Major Seidenfaden had written a book, but it had never been published. Curious, Peder Jorgensen found the manuscript in Bangkok and with the help of benevolent foundations he managed to have it published. The book is today only available as second hand.
Friend of Thailand Peder Jorgensens love for Thailand and the Thais have also led him to undertake numerous trips as a guide to Thailand for Danish travel agents and readers of a range of Danish local papers. In 2010 he received official recognition for his dedication to introducing Thailand to the many groups he had been leading around the country when the Tourism Authority of Thailand awarded him the Friends of Thailand award. The year after, in 2011, Peter Jorgensen and Ruth visited Thailand and Phibun Mangsahan for the last time so far. The visit was to inaugurate a new building at the Immanuel home which Peder Jorgensen had worked tirelessly to collect 600.000 Danish kroner – over 2 Million Thai Baht – for the construction of. The new building increased the capacity of the home with another 16 boys and 16 girls to a total of 60 students.The existing building that Peder and Ruth erected during their time in Thailand was at the same time given a thorough maintenance check-up. Peder Jorgensen’s 80 year birthday will be celebrated with his wife Ruth, who over the recent years has suffered from a number of rheumatic and other illnesses, as well as with the couple’s three children.
October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 45
The Nai Harn Phuket
joins “Leading Hotels of the World”
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uxury beachfront resort The NAi Harn in Phuket has been accepted by pioneering hospitality consortium Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) to join its exclusive collection of hotels and resorts around the world. Representing more than 400 elite hotels and resorts in 80 countries worldwide, LHW is the
recognized standard bearer for luxury hospitality experiences and membership of its distinguished network will provide The Nai Harn with access to its global sales offices and the high end, discerning travellers who are loyal to the LHW brand. Due to open in January 2016, the resort is the only hotel in Phuket, Asia’s thriving resort island destination, to have been accepted to become a member of what is recognized as the most prestigious collection of hotels in the world. “We are absolutely delighted,” said The Nai Harn General Manager Frank Grassmann. “It is a great honour to belong to LHW and rub shoulders with the best of the best in the industry as we seek to set new levels of luxurious and unique experiences in Phuket.” Located on beautiful Nai Harn beach near the southern tip of the island, The Nai Harn will offer 130 luxurious guest rooms and suites with panoramic views over the Andaman Sea, a bespoke luxury spa and a stunning new pool and food and beverage spaces. The resort will provide authentic destination experiences, extraordinary culinary happenings and expertly curated connections to the best of
island life and southern Thai culture. Originally launched in 1986 and most recently named the Royal Phuket Yacht Club, The Nai Harn has undergone an extensive remodeling programme to restore the legendary resort to the pinnacle of the luxury resort hospitality. High profile guests over the years have included Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, Prince Albert of Monaco, Prince Henrik of Denmark, former French president Jacques Chirac, the late actor Sir Peter Ustinov, dance legend Rudoph Nureyev, US actor Forest Whittaker and Roger Moore, who once fought Dr No on his famously eponymous James Bond Island off the coast of Phang Nga, a short speedboat hop away. http://www.lhw.com/hotel/Nai-Harn-Phuket-Thailand For further information Ms Bobbie-Jane Skewes Group Director of Sales and Marketing E-mail: bobbie-jane@manathai.com Tel: +669 8251 9110 Website: www.thenaiharn.com
Patara Fine Thai Cuisine The 25-Year Legacy Standing Strong Patara - Authentically Different.
P
atara Fine Thai Restaurant has become one of the world’s most famous Thai eateries. Pioneers in the refinement of Thai cuisine whilst preserving the authentic savory flavors, Patara celebrates 25-years of successful operation and growth. Patara boasts awardwinning branches around the globe from London, Geneva, Singapore, Beijing to Vienna. However, Patara’s Bangkok restaurant is truly a one of a kind establishment located in Bangkok’s trendiest highbrow district of Thonglor on Soi 19. Created by Thai restaurateur, Khun Patara Sila-On, the restaurant is housed in a cozy 70’s style Thai home that has been fully renovated and redecorated to present elegance and beauty. Winners of multiple Thailand tatler’s Best Restaurant accolades amongst other glowing recognitions, PataraThonglor is about uniquely executed, Thai cuisine presented in a contemporary style while never comprising authentic taste and quality. Hence their tagline: “authentically different”. Just one minute from Thonglor main road, the restaurant is secluded in such a way that it feels worlds away from the bustle of the city that adds to its calm ambience. Entering through the lush garden, servers greet you with cool 46 ScandAsia.Thailand • October 2015
fragranced towels and the warm Thai-style care. A spacious parking lot is on site to provide easy access and hassle-free parking. Perfect for young foodies, gastronomists and anyone looking for a charming meal. In 1990, Khun Patara wanted to share the true cooking methods and flavors of exotic Thailand in London where her sons were studying; and that is where Patara’s first location opened. Truly ahead of her time, the emphasis then and today remains the same: the finest quality ingredients combined with fine presentation of traditional Thai dishes. Entering into a matchless culinary journey, diners will find signature dishes like the Crab and Betel Leaf curry served in a decorative iron pot gently that sits simmering on the table. The tastes combine the soft sweetness of the fresh crabmeat in a spiced curry sauce, punctuated by the peppery notes of the betel leaf. The Grilled Thai Aubergine and Crabmeat salad is one of Patara’s most unique dishes; serving aubergine grilled to sweet tenderness and stuffed with chunky fresh crabmeat, drizzled in a tangy lime and shallot caviar vinaigrette. Meanwhile the innovative, must try rendition of a ‘Yum Som O’ substitutes Norwegian salmon for prawns to pair with piquant pomelo jewels and fresh herbs.
Each bite delivers intricate and savory flavors that tantalizes the taste buds. With over two decades of experience, the brand is as dedicated as ever to offering the most flavorful and robust yet traditional conceptions of Thai dishes. Their signature touch is to unite unique, quality ingredients with the most timeless Siamese treatment. The result is nothing short of magical and “authentically different” indeed. Patara Restaurant Bangkok 375 SoiThonglor 19, Sukhumvit 55, Klongtonnua, Vadhana, Bangkok 10110 Tel: 0-2185 2960-1 Fax: 0-2185 2962 Website: www.patarathailand.com
The Indian Connection
illustrator : DangPM
มุมภาษาไทย l mum pha:să: thai l Thai Language Corner
By Klavs Johansen (thai@snakthai.dk)
Y
ears back,while working in an industrial suburb of Bangkok, I occasionally ran into men of Indian origin when I went to have dinner at local food stalls or open air restaurants. As ‘fellow foreigners’ in a predominantly Thai environment, we might enjoy a conversation over dinner or a subsequent beer. The men were generally engineers or technicians employed in the local garment factories, Hindus, Hindi speaking, and many of them with a surprisingly good command of Thai. A few of them were Thai married and had stayed in Thailand for many years, others for shorter periods. One of them, while admitting to not being fluent in Thai, told me that he could understand what the Thai monks were chanting. The reason for this, and most probably one reason for the Indians generally gaining a strong command of the Thai language, is the extensive use of loan words of Indian origin in Thai. The Indian languages supplying this additional vocabulary are Sanskrit and Pali, each a dead language, closely interweaved, and indirectly related to Hindi of today. Pali is the language of Buddhism and monks in Thailand are chanting almost entirely in this language with a Thai pronunciation. Hence, my Indian friend could understand what was chanted, or at least much of it. In brief - and my knowledge of the subject and the limitations of this column both demand briefness - the Thais were culturally influenced by two waves of ‘Indianization’. One, a Hindu wave, mainly via the Khmer Kingdom, bringing Sanskrit loan words, the foundation of a writing system, as well as the cult and traditions to be associated with royalty in Thailand, and, two, a Buddhist wave, bringing Pali loan words and Theravada Buddhism.
It makes sense to compare the influence of Pali/Sanskrit on Thai language to that of Latin on European languages. Besides bringing an alphabet, loan words from these dead languages have dominated the religious, intellectual and even scientific vocabularies of the languages they influence. This to the extent that new words are made up by combining words from the root language, be it Latin or, in the case of Thai, Pali/ Sanskrit. From a Thai language learner’s point of view, one interesting part of this Indian connection is that we get some words in Thai of Pali/Sanskrit origin which may be recognizable from English through the shared Indo-European ancestry or through later entry of words with Indian origin into English. Such recognition in a Thai vocabulary pool, otherwise entirely foreign to speakers of European languages, is a much appreciated benefit. Just a couple of examples of Thai words borrowed from Pali/Sankrit with a recognizable equivalent in English: มารดา / ma:nda: / ~ mother (formal term), ธิดา / thída: / ~ daughter (formal term), เทวาดา / the:wa:da: / ~ deity (devine). Such word pairs have appropriately been called ‘friends’. Since I am not a historical linguist some of the friends mentioned in this month’s column may be ‘imagined’, however, as learners of Thai, we are not picky, but happily include all that may help our acquisition of the language. More examples are: ทันต์ / than / ~ tooth, ทันตแพทย์ / thantàphâe:t / ~ dentist, มานุษ / ma:nút / ~ man(kind), ศาสตร์ / sà:t / ~ science, โค / kho: / ~ cow, ราช / râ:t / ~ raj, rule, ราชา / râ:tcha: / ~ raja, ruler,
The word ‘raj’ is one of the words of Indian origin which have entered English later. More examples are: กรรม / kam / ~ karma, ครู / khru: / ~ guru, กัญชา / kancha: / ~ ganja, สูตร / sù:t / ~ sutra, recipe, บัณฑิต / bandìt / ~ pundit. Other words are recognizable from place names, either on the subcontinent itself (ชมพู ทวีป / chomphu: tháwî:p / ) or from some of Thailand’s neighbors with a similar Indian influence, e.g.: หิมะ / hìmá› / ~ snow, recognizable from the snow-clad Himalayas, สิงโต / sĭngto: / ~ lion, know from Singapore (The Lion City), just as บุรี / bùri: / ~ city (puri, -pore), also known from the names of numerous Thai towns, and, สถาน / sàthă:n / ~ place, recognizable in the last syllables of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Finally, a large number of prefixes, suffixes, and other syllables, stems from Pali/Sanskrit and a general knowledge of them will point you towards many meanings, free of charge and irrespective of any trace in English. To mention but a few of them: เอก / è:k / ~ first, one, โท / tho: / ~ two ตรี / tri: / ~ three, มหา / máhă: / ~ great, and พระ / phrá’ / ~ sacred.
โชคดี น ะ / chô:k di: ná’ / ~ good luck, and remember that you can ask questions or suggest topics to be treated at the Thai Language Corner by contacting us at the email above. October 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 47
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