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Thai-Danish Trade News is published and
distributed to selected Thai and Scandinavian business executives and officials with an interest in Thai-Danish relations by Danish-Thai Chamber ot Commerce, Royal Danish Embassy and Scand-Media Corp., Ltd.
@ Danish-Ihai Ghamber of Commerce
Tom Sorensen
140212 14th Fl , Glas Haus 1 Sukhumvit 25 Boad, Nodh Klongtoey, Wattana, Bangkok 1 011 0 Tel : (66) 0 2661 7762 Fax: (66) 0 2661 7764'5 E-maiI contact@ dancham orth
Presrdent Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce
President
SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
lvr Tom Sorensen Mob: +66 (0) 1917 5828 E-mail: president@dancham o[th
Have we not all, again and again, repeated the words "it's a small world"? This so-called small world effect is beginning to turn into a pretty interesting subject with surprising consequences.
legal Advisor l\y'r Santhapat Periera Tilleke & Gibbins lntefnational Lld. Tel : +66 (0) 22637700 Fax: +66 (0) 22637710 E-mail: santhapat@tillekeandgibbins com
Whenever you have a large gathering of people who meet to talk and network with one another, the chances are that some will find that they have friends and acouaintances in common. This is what the small world is all about.
lYeasurer lvlr, Soren Presmann
Presmann (Thailand) Co, Ltd Tel : +66 (0) 2962 1151 Fa: +66 (0) 2962 E-mail: soren@presmann co ih
1 t
52
Foreign Ghambers'
A US psychologist carried out a bizarre experiment over 30 years ago about
Goordinating Gommittee
this small world phenomenon. In short he recruited people around the country,
Mr Peter Emil Romhild
sent each a package with a note that the package was in fact for someone else. He only gave vague clues, to whom these packages were intended for.
Beili Jucker Public Co , Ltd Tel : +66 (0) 2367 l1'11 Fax: +66 (0) 2367 1000 E-mail: bjc@berlijuckerco th
Members
By keeping record of all this, it turned out that the packages eventually reached
Mr Henrik Friis
the target people after passing through the hands of just five other people.
DISA (Thailand) Ltd Tel : +66 (0) 2714 39Bg Fax: +66 (0) 2714 3983 E-mail: disath@disa co th
Media Gommittee l\y'r Jorgen lb Hedes (Committee Chairperson) Sun Paratech Co , Ltd Tei: +66 (0) 3522 1010-8 Fax: +66 (0) 35221019 E-mail: Iloorings@access inet co th lMr Allan Jensen APV (Thailand) Ltd Tel : +66 (0) 2367 534'1 -6 Fax: +66 (0) 2367 501 E-mail; ajensen @apuco,uk
Nlr Bent Bjorlin Hansen XponCard International (Thailand) Ltd Tel : +66 (0) 2636 7890 Faxr +66 (0) 2636 6699 E-mail: beh @th xponcard com
Events Gommittee Mr Prasansak Suwanpotipra
I
Later experiments showed similar results. The psychologist concluded that'Trom arms dealer to zoo keeper, everyone can be connected to everyone else via just five intermediaries".
Sociologists reckon that we alltypically know some 300 people we are on firstname terms with. In other words we are just a hand-shake away from 300 people, two away from 90,000, three away trom 27 million and so on.
This is why the Chamber of Commerce has taken the initiative to create a Danish-Thai Alumni. We want to make the world a smaller place; we want to create a forum where Thai's with a Danish work or educational background can "hand-shake" with the Danish business communitv in Thailand and vice versa. Just another initiative by the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce.
(Committee Chairperson) E-mail: suwan82l @asianet co th
Mr Vitoon Lefort VL Intertrade Co , Ltd Tel : (66) 0 2541 6043-7 Fax: (66) 0 2541 5786 E-mail: vitoon @ likeitcollection.com
Tom Sorensen Presidenl oresident@ dancham.or.th
l!4r Kristian Strand Nokia (Thailand) Ltd (0) Tel : +66 26427020 Faxr +66 (0) 2248 8259 E-mail; kristian strand@nokia com
Royal Danish Embassy Commercial Section, 10 Soi Aftakarn Prasit Satholn Tai, Bangkok 10500 Thailand Tel : (66) 0 2343 1100 Fax: (66) 0 2213 1752 Ms Tine Hylleber0 Commercial Counsellor
Graphic Production &
Ma*etng
Smnd-Media Corp. Ltd 4141-42M@3, Ramintra Soi 14 Bangkok 10230 Tel
j (66) 0 2943 71 66-8 Faxr (66) 0 2943 71 69 E'mailr scandmedia@ scandmedia @m
EDITORIAL PHOTOS BY
.;IGMA
3
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Aabenraa
Ramboll opens regional office in Bangkok By Gregers Ma/ler
utoott, the leading Nordic lconsulting group, on 11 December 2003 opened a re-
fl I
gional head office for South East
Asia in Bangkok. The Grand Opening was held at Dusit Thani Hotel and presided by the Danish Ambassador to Thailand, Mr.
Ulrik Helweg-Larsen. Prior to the opening, a technical seminar was held at the hotel as well, in which experts from the group explained the technical details behind some of the latest projects carried out in Laos. The seminars were well attended mainly by official from the ministries of the Royal Thai Government, and judging from the ouestions after the seminar the subjects covered had been of keen interest to the panicipanrs.
Ramboll (Thailand) Co., Ltd. will be headed by Managing Director Carl Christian Ostergaard who arrived from a 6 year posting in Ghana where he also established a regional operation for Ramboll, covering West Africa. Mr. Zstergaard has also worked on road projects in Zimbabwe , but Asia is new to him. "lt is cefiainly a different business culture - and I am still adapting my self to all the do's and don'ts - but othenvise I feel
good here," says Mr. g stergaard. The Ramboll office in Thailand which will cover Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, has initially been established on Lad Prao Road Soi 130 in the Bangkok suburb Bangkapi. "We have decided to focus
initially on these countries. ll
well as other countries in the region will be a later decision," says Managing Director Soren Holm Johansen, from Ramboll's Headouarters in Denmark who is resoonsible for Asia. Carl Chr. Ostergaard will fo-
cus on developing projects
in
these countries for Ramboll within the group's traditional strong areas of roads, bridges & airports, water & environment,
energy and telecom.
"ln fact, we have several projects running already, except quite often people don't know we
- they are mostly know as Danida projects, since they are financed by Danida the Danish development cooperation agency. Most of these environmental sector projects are, however, in fact carried out by us," he explains. are involved
Malaysia should be included as
5
Klaus Stove new country manager of Danfoss Thailand Danfoss (Thailand) Co., Ltd has announced that General Manager Prasansak Suwanpotitra has left Danfoss as of 1st January. A new Country Manager is Klaus Stove who also keeps his position of Business Area Manager, Asia Pacific - Industry. More news about Danfoss on web site www.danfoss.com. Khun Prasansak is a Director of the Board of the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce.
Danfoss aims high for 2004 Danfoss has its sights set on new takeovers this year-but continued price disputes could bar the way candidates are arguing that
overall growth rate of five per-
its acouisition activities with un-
Danfoss should pay a high price for their companies, because of
cent in 2004, pafiicularly during the second half of the year. lf this
fettered momentum. Business daily Borsen reponed the news
the Nordborg-based company's cushy capital base.
today.
"At the moment, we're in
"Buying up companies is a tricky business," Clausen ac-
talks with several companies on
knowledged. In 2003, Danfoss
possible buyouts. And I hope that these talks will result in actual acquisitions," Danfoss ad-
acquired four new subsidiaries, two in Denmark, one in Finland, and a fourth in China. An addi-
ministrative director Jorgen
tional three to four olanned
Mads Clausen told the newspa-
buyouts were scrapped, largely due to haggling over price. The Danfoss honcho predicts the company will reach an
Th" Danfoss concern has re I solved in 2004 to continue
oer.
According to Jorgen Mads Clausen, all of the acquisition
prediction holds, the company will have posted turnoverof DKK 16.4 billion (2.2 billion euros) by
the end of the year. Clausen stressed that the estimate was conservative, and that the majority of the company's growth would have to be generated on markets outside of Europe.
Scand inavian Woodworking Machinery becomes Scanmach Asia The main business areas of Scanmach Asia Co., Ltd. will be new and second-hand wood-
with its Danish supplier Junget
working industry. The Thai company states in its press release late December 2003 that the new formation will result in a stronger capital base, more resources and additional know-how. Junget is one of the leading international suppliers of wood-
A/S early last year.
working machinery and tools
The business coooeration between Scandinavian Woodworking Machinery and Junget is a step to ensure continuous
with more than 50 years of experience within the industry. lts oroducts include solutions for
For more information about the Scanmach Asia, please visit
the production of windows,
www.scanmacn.com
growth amid the continuous expansion within the Asian wood-
doors, panels and solid wood as well as for carpentry and joinery.
Q \-f
candinavian Woodworking Machinerv Co.. Ltd. - an im-
porter of wooiworking machin-
ery and tools from Europe to Thailand - has recently changed its name to Scanmach Asia Co., Ltd., effective 1st January, as a
result of the company's merger
working machinery, service, know-how, technical support and cutting tools. With a wide product program, Scanmach Asia will be able to combine brands and models to fit the soecific demands of its customers.
the company's
website:
7
Danish gymnasts on tour in Thailand
Grippl bu
i
National Danish Pedor Tne I I mance Team (NDPT) on December 18 arrived in Chiaqg Mai to enterlain Thai schoolchil-
Hansen and tour manager
'
dren, students and families, . starting from the North to the South of the country, as part of its World Tour 2003-2004. The tour in Thailand stafted from the North with a performance in Chiang Rai, which was
warmly attended by 3,000 schoolchildren. The team then
ish Export Councilto slash its
wrote Anders Amstrup to'readers of NDPT website while s'tay-
activities by an additional DKK 17 million, according to
an internal ministry budget rnemo.
Since 2001, the Export Council has weathered cuts in funding in excess of DKK 50 million, despite several in-
dependent analyses which have revealed that the increase in 2002 exoorts di-
modern rhythmic gymnastics,
artistic vaulting and tumbling with colourful show items. The entire programme is a team effort and is accomoaniment of
carefully selected
music
adapted especially for the various activities. Routines and cos-
ing at Nakoin Sawan
The nation's lT Industry Association has cautioned that future budget cuts could cost Denrnark dearly in terms of lost export revenues. "lt's unfortunate if these cutbacks hit export opportunities, and crucial Danish cor-
porate interests. Denmark will have to subsist on sales abroad for the next several years," said Henrik Egede, communications director and
a
member
of lT
group's
board. Egede said that Danish lT
and knowledge-based expotts, which total DKK 51 bil-
lion yearly, are well on the way to surpassing agriculture expofts, and that many lT in-
dustry projects have been made possible with the sup-
port of the Danish Export Council.
mances of gymnastics, rhythmi-
cal sequences, dance and advanced tumbling. lt aims to contribute to a cultural understand-
ence to sail in small on elephants and to
At the end of the
tumes also vary continuously
I
Christmas
"\
in their early twenties and participating as true amateurs - is led by team leaders Rie ToftgArd
organizatio;l'
Nielsen and Erick Morales
Margrethe ll of Delmark as pro-
beach in Krabi," he added.
'"lq6Pr
ig a
with another week in Singapore, where they will arrange a nce
then back
(
he said.
throughout the show.
From their last stop in Thailand at Pattalung, the team on January 8 travelled to Malaysia,
S'ponts
College in Nakorn Sawan. During their stay in Thailand; the team members also had the chance to appreciate the nature of Thailand. "lt was a fan
rectly attributable to the council's work totalled at least DKK 3 billion.
through spectacular perfor-
ing through performances and
enjoy the good training fadilities,"
,
promote an awareness of Danish gymnastics tradition abroad,
worKSnops.
three in Suphan Buri, one
The gymnastics show is a one-and-a-half to two-hour event, displaying a variety of
& Sports Association (DGl) to
going to perform for the students. Right now the team is training in the sporls hall and we
in
tector. The team was founded in 1993 by the Danish Gymnastics
college, and tomorrow we are
travelled southward and had one performance in Nakorn Sawan,
Krabi, and five in Pattalung.
trenchments at the Foreign Ministry will require the Dan-
{qders Christian Anmtrup. The iour started idtenmark in Seolember before taking off to South Africa, Australia,"Jipan, China and then Thailand, where the team likes, among others, the facilities provided*for their performances and training. "We are staying in a sporls
part of a non-profit
with
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Fusion food and future plans nang Mai's latest restaurant /n lr;f is restored in a beautiful old
house and the owner of the restaurant is a Dane who is a bit ahead of his time. It was originally a pensioner
dream. Something he would have loved to do once he was old and rich enough and had the time to make things comfortable
around his guests. But then some good friends found an empty and very interesting house along the canal which was close to the Thapae Gate
name, however he wisely threw
gene-mutated and good-tem-
away the word in the middle, and in May Chiang Mai's latest restaurant "The House" opened up
pered." "There is nothing wrong with
to the public. "The house is from 1937 and we have preserued the old style in corresoondence to all the new trendy restaurants, which all look
the same with their old wooden baseboards and sophisticated light. With paintings and lamps from different decades we try to
create a house similar to
a home, which has a look of many
the Thai or the ltalian restaurants downtown but why compete with
them? | have always liked fusion food and food from the Pacific Rim and then I found a chef that actually loves cooking it," Hans B. Christensen says.
be or Ramazotti-songs playing on repeat. People who enjoy sit-
ting in a nice relaxed room and having different food without having to pay unreasonable pnces.
The Danish restaurant keepers plan is to make "The House" a rallying point for regular guests
over for a week to introduce
even though tourists of course are also welcome. So far the house also includes a shop and in October he opened a wine and tapas bar for those who do not feel like a big meal. New ideas have been brought to the agenda such as events with visiting chefs, coffee tasting and the
some new dishes with local in-
menus.
Pom, the chef is Thai and has worked in South Africa and at The Peninsula Hotel in Bang-
kok. He enjoys experimenting and was in his element last week
generations having lived here." So far they have been quite successful except for the three antlers that are hanging above the kitchen door. Even though it needs to look like a home, the craniums of dead animals are maybe a bit too much for the guests to take.
when the Danish restaurant
and he has also worked at
new and get new ideas from the guests. The other day, for instance, a visiting tea enthusiast introduced us to some of the fan-
restaurant
However, "The House" is
Amokka in Copenhagen. lt was
tastic types of tea that grows in
keeper says. So far he has had great success with exporting his ceramics through the company called Rice, and he is also a joint
trendy in other ways: lt is the first restaurant in Chang Mai with fusion food and the menu card for example includes lettuce with
interesting to see his new ideas," Hans B. Christensen continues.
the area. Earl Grey
owner of the three Cocoon
tangerine sauce and crispy glass
shops in Bangkok. The friends always referred to the house as "The Durian House" while there were always a crowd of salesmen selling durians in front of the gate. Hans B. Christensen decided to keep the
of Chang Mai, and they immediately asked Hans B. Christensen if it wasn't for him?
It was and the Danish designer just turned 40 before realizing his dream about becoming a restaurant keeper. "The right house on the right spot and so I thought, why not
now?"
the new
keeper had invited a Danish chef
"l always learn something
gredients.
"The Danish chef
has
worked at River Caf6 in London, which is my favorite restaurant
"The House" has already
and Darjeeling have been trashed while we can do it much better
become a success, not at least among the "local foreigners" and
on a local basis," Hans
noodles, tortilla with chicken, Asian vegetables and Greek
the upper Thai middle class. That is people who once in a
His restaurant opened 25 years earlier than planned but
yoghurt, crab and lobster cake with miso sauce and a tasty seabass that has been twisted in such a manner that Austin Power would have called it "
while would like to eat something else than pad thai and pizza and
not a day too early in what is the second largest city of Thailand.
B.
Christensen states.
who do not want to have their dinner destroyed either by a tone
Text and photos
deaf Whitney Houston-wanna-
by Lasse Norgaard
tt
Text by Gregers Moller, Photos by Jan Mouritsen
Danish msrbradbsf in Bang Henriksen is one of Qlotn lJ onlyfour Danes living in the seaside resort of Bang Saen. A few months ago he and his wife Nuan expanded their restaurant and guesthouse located attractively right on Bang Saen Beach Road. Bjorn Henriksen entered the hospitality industry in 2002 when
he and Nuan ooened "Nuan's Guesthouse" in a townhouse across from the beach in the northern end of Bang Saen. Last
year, he further bought the neighbouring town house on the corner, and a few months ago he opened Nuan's Corner here - a restaurant with a wide selection of mainly Danish dishes. "l learned everything I know about international cookino from Bjorn," says Nuan. For Bjorn, being a restaurant and guesthouse owner is only the latest turn of events in a life which started more than half a century ago back in Sundby on
Amager close to the Danish Capital of Copenhagen.
Bjorn's father would have liked to see the young Bjorn take
over the leather goods factory, which he had established and in which his mother also occasion-
ally helped. But Bjorn entered an apprenticeship atthe Royal Dan-
ish Navy's works for repairing torpedos and sea mines, a work-
In 1971 , Bjorn jumped from
his marine oriented life track onto the new booming telecom wagon. Ericsson needed people
shop since closed down, and
to help set up telephone
graduated two years as a skilled machinist. Then he was drafted for military service, which he served in the Marine on the cadet training ship of the Danish Navy, Mon. Sailing appealed to him so he continued sailing with the Danish shipping company DFDS on
going from Copenhagen to the Mediterranean Sea and back.
switchgear stations and as the industry itself could not supply the demand, people from all walks of life joined in. " "We were bookbinders and bakers. I was a machinist. We all knew noting about telecom equipment but we were trained by the few people who knew and then we trained the new people who joined our teams. We were setting up phone relay centres all over Denmark."
"lt was my first encounter with a warmer climate. lt was only the subtropics, but I liked it," Bjorn recalls. Working for
In 1978 Ericsson landed a contract to set up telephone system in Libya and Bjorn was adventurous enough to apply to be
DFDS he also sailed the Esbjerg
one of the hands they needed to set it up. lt was a short contract of only three months but
the so called Levant Route which was a cruise ship route
Harwich route and during this time he also married but shortly afterwards divorced her again. "My last job for DFDS was changing the two old Aalborg Ferries from a ferry interior layout to that of a cruise liner. The two cruisers are today renamed Dana Corona and Dana Sirene." ne says.
Bjorn thrived on the atmosphere
and the lifestyle as well as the good pay which was tax free for
the amount earned
while
abroad. By this time he had married his second wife, a marriage which was to last for 25 years before they eventually broke up.
Bjorn Henriksen's next chance to go abroad was Cairo. This lasted 1 _ year
....-
and was for him a confirmation that this was indeed the kind of life, he liked to live. "We lived on the island in the middle of the Nile where most of the Embassies were located and most of the other foreigners lived. Every weekend we would drive around in a big American carto see the red sea, the pyramids and what have you all around the area. lt was a oood time," Over the years to come, assignments followed in so many
places that Bjorn can today hardly keep track of them all and
the order in which they happened. They brought him to Morocco, Australia, Singapore, Germany, Indonesia and back again to Singapore.
"My first job in Singapore was actually in Indonesia. Habibi, the later president who owns half of Batam lsland between Singapore and Indonesia, wanted to make a new year call
from Batam, so we had to quickly establish a mobile phonelink for him." he muses. Later, he worked in other cities all over Indonesia on a three year assignment setting up some of the first mobile ohone systems in this country. During the unrest in Indonesia in 1996, Ericsson suggested
S
iaen Restaurant their staff to go for a month to Singapore expecting the unrest to tide over by then. But for Bjorn this would become a seven year stay.
The Asian crisis hit the region during the summer of 1997. But while all the other countries
in the region stopped up and cancelled their orders, Singa-
help teach the new foreign MD everything about telephone network systems in one month... , Bjorn and Nuan went looking for a place to stay and decided for the charming fishing village Ang Sila north of Bang Saen on the banks of the Gulf of Siam. Here, the couple today
owns a house registered
in
pore Telecom kept on expanding and ordering new equipment all the time. When off duty, Bjorn would
Nuan's maiden name, although the couple had married during a
go to Thailand, where he had
One day, a friend mentioned that there were a couple of other Danes who would regularly visit the little German restaurant in Bang Saen on Beach Road Soi 1. The Danes turned out to be
started dating a young Thai girl called Nuan. She worked there as a receptionist and cashier but as the relationship got more serious, Nuan in 1996 quit her job and moved to Singapore. Here she lived with Bjorn for the next four years. "lt was good for me," says Nuan, who is the oldest daughter of a farmer from Surin in {he
Thai countryside. Living with Bjorn in Singapore, she was forced to practice her English and got acquainted with the lifestyle of the expatriate community.
About this time, Ericsson sold their entire installation business to Flextronic Networks and
in 2000 Flextronic was to take over the installation business in Bangkok. Bjorn was requested to move up from Singapore to
vacation to Denmark in April 2001.
Bjarne Sorensen, a former TV photographer, Jan Mouritsen, a Danish press photographer and
Lennart Avnby, civil engineer and owner of the STC crane fac-
tory in Ban Bueng. Nuan and Bjorn atfirst joined
Bjorn agreed and Nuan then found a townhouse for rent directly on the beach road facing the sea across the newly renovated board walk about three kilometres from the round-about.
On the ground floor the restaurant was located, and the six rooms upstairs were rented out as guesthouse accommodation. One year later, the success of "Nuan's Guest House" was obvious. Bang Saen needed a restaurant and guesthouse of this style and Nuan and Bjorn this summer managed to buy the corner townhouse. The old restaurant and the new restaurant is separated only by one other townhouse unit and Nuan is trying to persuade the owners of this to sell this unit to her as well. On the second and third floor of the townhouses, Nuan and Bjorn run a small guesthouse with a combined 13 rooms. The moderately priced rooms at 600
the three other Danes as regular guests at the little restaurant, until Nuan one day asked Bjorn if he would help her set up a bit more up-scale farang hang-out
- 800 baht per night are
than the little German shop.
:hitchats with the clients," Bjorn
equipped with air-conditioning,
TV, refrigerator and warm water.
"My role is to be the farang rwner who moves around and
jokes. He is today 56 years old and technically he still lives in Denmark. Throughout all his years abroad, he was constantly
on "short term assignment". "Currently, I am just living on my savings and waiting for my public pension to start being paid out," he says.
Nuan visibly enjoys being busy about the place as the manager of Nuan's Corner. "lt's not my restaurant - it's Nuan's," Bjorn insists. But Nuan - today 33 - says gives all the credit to Bjorn. "He taught me too cook," she
says and points to Bjorn.
That explains the distinct Danish touch to the dishes offered by "Nuan's Corne/'which
opened in April 2003 and has
since fast become the main gathering place for a growing variety of Canadians, British, Swedish and other resident foreigners in Bang Saen.
Q
Pensak Howitz is ex
"n"tor. r:-lcited with the comino
revival of an active Thai-Danish-Almuni. In fact, Mrs. Pensak Howitz has
twice established associations like this, where Danes and Thai
people could meet and develop personal or academic relations. "First time was in the 60's when lwas studying in Denmark and we founded a Thai Student Organization, in which I was very active," she recalls. "Later, my late husband Am-
bassador Frantz Howitz and
I
established the Thai-Danish
Alumni Association in 1979 which was also ouite active for many years, even after we left Thailand," she adds. It oleases her that the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce
Thai studies at the university's Southeast Asian Studies lnstitute. lt was during this time that she founded the very successful Thai Student Organization To further her studies she then returned to Thailand, but later she was able to move back to Copenhagen where she spent
a total of 14 years teaching among others Buddhism at the Southeast Asian Studies Institute. This was how she met and fell in love with Franz Howitz who was to become to the Danish Ambassador to Thailand. The year was 1972 and the couple moved to Thailand as the Ambassador trom 1974 to 1980. "Our marriage was the first marriage to break the rule that
is today keen on reviving and
Danish diolomats were not allowed to marry a citizen of the
expanding the idea.
country where they were
"What Thailand and Den-
posted," she recalls.
mark have built together over the
Back in Thailand, Pensak
years should continue. Espe-
Howizt revived her interest in
cially new scholarships should be established - not only for Thais to study in Denmark. In current day Thailand, it could also be relevant to offer young Danes scholarships to study here, whether at our academic and military institutes," she says. "We could teach these young
people many things, which they could use to develop their country when they go back home." Senator Pensak Howitz also sees the Alumni as a mecha-
nism to ensure continuity of high-level ties between Denmark and Thailand on a multitude of levels and through a variety of channels and not only on the diolomatic level.
Pensak's own relationshio with Denmark goes back more than forty years. In 1963 she was awarded a scholarship from the Thai Ministry of Education to study archeology in Denmark, at
the University of Copenhagen. While she was studying in Denmark, she was asked to teach
14
underwater archaeology and was involved in several scientific research projects within this historical field. But challenges existed in the current days as well.
Thailand was going through at a time of insurgency and communists were looking to estab-
lish power bases among the poor people in the countryside.
It was about this time, Pensak Howitz established the Raindrop Foundation to help the underprivileged in the Noftheast.
Most other international organizations concentrated at that time
their aid work in Bangkok, but she and her husband agreed that it was develooment on the grassroot level in the provinces especially along the borders to
the neighbouring communist countries of Laos and Cambodia, which was most needed. "Looking back, there is obviously a direct line from this initiative to my election to the Thai National Assembly as the Senator for my home province of
Sakon Nakhon, but at that time
this never entered my mind," Pensak Howitz laughs. It was also during her years as a diplomat in Thailand that Pensak Howitz was instrumental in establishing the Thai-Danish Alumni Association underthe Ministry of Agriculture in 1979 the year its first seminar was also
Herlufsholm Kostskole
- en dansk skole
med international og akademisk atmosfure
held to commemorate 3 cycles of the Thai-Danish relations. It used to be very active, but then she and her husband had
to leave Thailand for diplomatic duty in SaudiArabia. The chairman of the Alumni was then MR
Chakrathong Thongyai while Pensak Howitz was the Vice Chairman. Later, when she was posted in Japan with her hus-
band, MR
Chakrathong
Thongyai resigned and she became the Chairman herself. "To revive the Alumni under the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce is a good idea," she says. "lt will lead to a more modern association, "catching up to
globalization," you could say," adds the Thai senator.
Asked if she is prepared to take an active role at the helm
Herlufsholm Skole er mere end en uddannelsesinstitution. Vi bestreber os pA at vere en skole, der gor en forskel for eleverne - pA alle livets omrAder - bAdd nu og i fremtiden :
of the alumni in the new setting, she confirms that she is ready if she is called uoon. "lf the members want me to, I am certainly willing be help in
a
PA
I I
PA PA
det akademiske og intellektuelle omrAde det ekstrascolare omrAde det dannelsesmassige omrAde
- det gsr en forskel!
whatever capacity is needed. I have a debt of gratitude towards Denmark and some outstanding
Danes I have been fortunate enough to meet overthe years," sne says.
'They taught me the importance of being honest to yourself in whatever you are doing and that you have to be disciplined in what you are doing. I am proud of this and in some
KoNuxr os SA SENDER VI INFoRMAToNSMATERIALE OM KOSTSKOLEN OG VORES UDDANNELSER.
-
Besgc os pA srorEN rnsn pA TNTERNETTET: www.herlufsholm.dk
ways it also sets me somewhat aoart from the other senator because I have my own way of working," she adds.
To be eligible to the Thai National Assembly, Pensak Howitz had to revert to her
maiden name
Pensak
Chagsuchinda. This was benefi-
cial also because her family's name has deep roots in the north
eastern province where here ancestors once had nobility. But with her special background it is quite natural, that her involvement in the International Affairs Committee of the Thai National Assembly is one of her dearest duties as a senator.
4700 Nestved wwwherlufsholm.dk
Skolens kontor: Tlf.55 75 35 00 . Fax 55 75 35 14
e-mail: rektorkontor@herluf sholm. dk Rektor privat: TLf. 55 75 35 25 . Fax 55 75 35 26
15
Cheaper and bett Danish and other
Scandinavian companies are increasingly looking to move parts of their production abroad, primarily to the Easl or South East Asia. lt's more often a question survivalthan one of expansion. The companies need to have the same quality produced but save on wages, taxes and other costs.
By Lasse Norgaard
n" Danish company which has indeed become aware
cating 11 young Thai people in
of the benefits of relocating part of its production to Thailand is
"maga-mussel", which is the
A lvf
Royal Scandinavia. The company includes among others the
Royal Danish Porcelain Factory and Georg Jensen silver.
Georg Jensen started already five years ago transferring
its silver production to Chiang Mai. Starting up with initially 10 employees, today Georg Jensen has a staff of 226 people working at the big factory in the outskirts of Thailand's second largest city, known for generations for its skilful silversmiths. Recently, the production of the hand painted Danish porcelain which has been produced in Denmarkfor225 years, has likewise been relocated to Thailand. Royal Scandinavia has started a joint venture with Patra, one of Thailand's biggest chemical factories, which is situated 80 kilometers north of Bangkok. Here two Danish china paint-
ers are in the process of edu-
t-
tr
l1r
painting the relatively new set
-
new version of the old "musselset'. Anne Dorthe Msller Christensen and Kirsten Goldermann explain that they applied of their own free will for the job to train the Thai painter for six months in Thailand, however it was not without considerations. "lt felt in a way like putting a loop around your own neck", Anne Dorthe explains adding that it was all up to herself. She did not receive any negative response from colleagues when first she had decided applying for the job and got it. That was not the case with Kirsten Goldermann. "l got both types of reactions. Both those saying: "Oh how exciting - lwish that I had the guts
to do it" and those who were
asking "But how can you do it?" Kirsten says. The 11 young Thai people have been selected from the
r in the East same tests as the ones used in Copenhagen. They have no problems in handling the Dan-
ish design and many of the newly employed have experience as graphic designers, art painters or decorators of some of the beautiful temples in Thailand. "Some of them have atalent that I have never seen the like of it, and then you wonder what on earth they are doing here. But
it is a job that secure them
ucts, like the Danish are signed by the painter on the bottom. On the products from Thailand, the first initial will always be "T" to signal that this particular Danish handicraft is "Made in Thailand". Royal Scandinavia will not say how many jobs that are being transferred to Thailand in the future. At the moment, it is only official that the production of the handmade mega-mussel will be transferred. But the company is building a new factory together
BAGSV,flRD KOSTSKOLE OG GYMNASIUM Indbyder til gode
lareir og mange nye kammeratskaber
i et trygt og inspirerende miljg tat pl b6de hovedstadens rige kulturliv og den dejlige nordsjallandske natur.
Vi tilbyder . dansk grundskole med afsluttende 9. og 10. klasses pr6ver, . dansk studentereksamen, .International Baccalaureate (LB.) i samarbejde med C.I.S. Vi optager kostelever pi alle klassetrin fra 6. klasse til og med 3.g N.B. Vores to kokke er medlemmer af EURO-TOQUES! Ring, fax eller besOg vores hjemmeside www.bagkost.dk
money to do other things they want in the spare time," Anne
with Patra. in which there is room
Dorthe says. Although they got six month, the two Danish women were already ready to start the production after three. The quality of course is important. Not only to the customers but also to the Danish col-
ers.
vores materiale, ligesom du og din familie altid er velkomne
Showing around the factory, Anne Dorthe and Kirsten admit that the feelings are mixed. "it is difficult not to get spellbound by the construction and the opportunities," Dorthe says. "But on the other hand it is also a little sad because it is a piece of Danish culture that will disappears from the country."
rundvisning og en samtale om dine lnsker og drgmme om
leagues who will be unemployed. First of all they have to be convinced and therefore the oroducts from Thailand have to be just perfect. The Thai handmade prod-
enough for 100 porcelain paint-
Vi glader os til at h@re fra den store verden og sender gerne
til
en
fremtiden......
Med venlig hilsen Helle Thune rektor e-mail: bk@bagkost.dk wwwbagkost.dk Aldershvilevej 138, 2880 Bagsvard, tlf. +45 44 98 00 65, fax +45 44 98 03 22
.":
e{
?::
16
.l{
".t
t7
Ecco's tann anaging Director Bert van
"We hardly have simple, in-
I V I Heesbeek of Ecco shoes
experienced work to do. This
l\ /l
tannery in Thailand likes to state that, "one thousand cows pass through our factory every week." When his listeners look confused, he explains that this is the number of cows it takes to make
up the tannery's capacity of 225,000 square feet of cow skins a weeK. Mr. Heesbeen, the third generation in a Dutch tanner family, is a very enthusiastic person. In
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18
KNoWLEDGE TAKTNG pEopLE FURTHER
dirty. But nowadays a clean and proper factory is one of my main objectives. In the end it guaran-
tees top quality." As an employer, Ecco is very much in demand by Thai workers.
"We pay a good salary and the working conditions are up to
the European standards. That
his mid forties with laughing
belongs to the Ecco way of good
eyes, he talks about his business in the way that highly so-
governance and moral stan-
phisticated lT-people talk about high technology computers.
its workers, the workers are good for the company. Simple
"However, we work with a natural product. That makes a big difference. Not one skin is the same," he told a recent group of visitors from the Thai Neteherlands Chgamber of Commerce. to the Danish
like that. lt is one of the pillars of our success." Besides the human factor, Ecco takes care of the environment by using a highly sophisticated water purification system. Ecco's tanning process is fully computerized. The control room looks like an operating theatre. Machinery and software are mainly made in ltaly. The Ecco Thailand tannery gets the raw skins from the Ecco
owned factory. The Ecco tannery employs
155 well-trained and experiwww.lamboff,com
profession has changed a lot. In-
deed before, it was somewhat
enced workers. "lt is professional work," van Heesbeen says.
dards. lf the company is good for
= I =
U'
z,
Nyborg G.y:mnasium er en moderne kostskole. Her bor du i dejlige omgivelser midt i Danmark samtidig med, at du tager en dansk studenter- eller hf-eksamen eller den internationale studentereksamen, I
nter nationa I Ba cca
(5
ureate (I B).
Skolen legger vagt pA gode og tatte kontakter mellem elever, lerere og ovrigt personale: pA kostafdelingen iform af elevdemokrati, pA skolen bl.a. iform af et tat samarbejde om den enkelte klasse.
A1[ig'o =
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betaling 5.OOO - 31 .000 kr.,
affibngig af..foreldreindkomst og alder. 'r' '.,
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sender gerne ydeiligere oplysninger
ansognlngsskema; 1:::l
r'
17 19
ows pass ry weekly subsidiaries in Indonesia. Portugal and Holland. There they are
cleaned from meat remnants and onlytemporally prepared. In Thailand they get the final touch and are clolured so they can be used to make shoes. "Ecco shoes are maybe iun
for 75 percent. The rest we sell to other clients," van Heesbeen explains. Every week at least 70 thousand pairs of shoes, of different sizes and models are produced.
It is exported to all over the world. The main markets are
some people's mind not very fashionable," says van Hees-
Germany, USA, Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK.
been, "but if you walk on an Ecco shoe, you'll never want a differ-
From 1996 until 2002 the annual
Ecco is very successful.
ent type of shoes. lt is so comfortable - you even wantto sleep with your shoes on." In his taltalizing presentation he stated that Ecco's casual line is based upon lhe feel-good factor'. Softness, lightness, flexibility, vitality, freedom, you name
turnover increased by almost
ir.
year.
Especially golf shoes are big sellers. Van Heesbeen, an ex-
fect mix, says Bert van Hees-
cellent golfer himself, says: "Everytime you take one step, your shoe takes three, so you better take care of your material." The Ecco tannery is situated nextto Ecco's shoe factory in the Ayudhaya are, 80 miles north of Bangkok. 'They are our main customer
100 percent and is now at around US$400 million. World-
wide, Ecco employs 9,000 people and 12 million shoes are made each year. Ecco will enlarge its tannery
and production capacity next 'Thailand and Ecco is a perbeen.
z
fyns-amt.dk dk
Kbstskolen ved bro og
balt
e Christensbn ost people have experiI V I enced visiting a cemetery in a foreign land and found a grave with the name of one of
l\ /l
their own countrymen. You have
no other information than what is provided on the stone and your mind starts wondering why he or she came to rest here. The old Siam was full of such
unusual characters.
Almost forgotten Johanne H. Christensen (1881 1939) dedicated her life to improving childbirth condition for Thai women and children.
Some were here because the administration was not in the hands of one of the colonial pow-
ers who would regulate everything their way, but rather in the hands of a progressive King and a friendly government who welcomed foreigners. Plenty en-
joyed this hospitality. Some hoped to make a quick fortune; others were simply adventurous.
Some were on the run; others had come to serve their God by fulfilling a calling. Johanne Henriette Christensen was definitely one of the ide-
alists. Born May 22,1881 and
educated as a nurse back in Denmark, Johanne Henriette Christensen spent most of her adult life in Thailand where she died November 7, 1939. Her dedication to improve the lives of Thai women and chil-
dren was outstanding. Still, today only few people would know
that Bangkok Christian Hospital is for instance founded on the outstanding child birth clinic established and operated by this remarkable Dane. I was first told about Johanne Christensen some fofty years
20
ago. lt was Miss Ladawan Mathiesen, the Housekeeping Manager of Bangkok Christian Hospital, who mentioned her
name. Miss Ladawan was half Danish, half Mon. Before her father moved back to Denmark
he had made arrange-: ments for Ladawan to be taken care of by Johanne Christensen. Miss Ladawan was proud that she was herself indeed one of the nurses educated by Johanne Christensen and after her death in 1939 Miss Ladawan became one of the people who carried forward her work. Another person who brought my attention to Johanne Christensen was Mary Altha Eakin Laugesen - herself a great personality. She was born in 1906 at Bangkok Christian College as the youngest daughter of the oioneer John Anderson Eakin who lived in Thailand f rom 1888
in Siam ( rbl a from Scandinavian Society Siam). She became one of the co-authors of this book because
of her marriage to Gudmund Laugesen of East Asiatic Company. Mary Laugesen lived in Denmark for many years and spoke Danish. In the State Archives of
Denmark a manuscript by her hand "Danes in Thailand" is kept. She was a brilliant storyteller and wrote among others a biography of her father. Also Mary Laugesen spoke to me about Johanne Christen-
927 . Some will recognise the
sen with considerable respect as one of kind which is rarely found.
name Mary Laugesen as one of the co-authors ofthe book Scan-
In her unpublished manuscript she describes her as: " - a most
tll
1
33-
a
markable woman" remarkable woman; a nurse of superb skill, a supervisor with a no-nonsense discipline, and with
a Christian devotion hard to match."
So who was she? Well, inspite of her obvious reputation,
factual information about her achievements in Thailand is surprisingly hard to find.
Johanne Christensen was
born in Aalborg on May 22, 1881as the daughter of railway supervisor Poul Martin Christensen. She attended private school
and after her graduation from
city of Trang province. From
tensen organized his funeral and
Kantang to Tap Tien - today the city of Trang - you would have to go by rowing boat, on horseback or by ox cafi.
ensured that a Danish flag covered his coffin. Fortwo years - from 1917 to
1919 - Johanne Christensen
arranged, Johanne Christensen passed away November 7,
Johanne Christensen arrived Kantang Christmas Eve
also filled a vacant position as
1
medical doctor at the Missionary
A proposal was tabled to
and was handed the telegram sent from Singapore to inform the missionaries in Tao Tien of
name the new hospital "Johanne Christensen's Memorial Hospital", and an American doctor was assigned to take over the responsibility for the clinic, but with the outbreak of the World War ll
pany of some British railway
Hospital in Phitsanulok. It was, however, in Bangkok that Johanne Christensen found her calling for life. In 1922 the head of the mission approved her request to open a clinic for child delivery "Mataphawasatan"
worKers.
on Thanon Plap Pla Chai
her arrival. So there was nobody to pick her up and herfirst Christmas was celebrated in the com-
The mission in Tap Tien
secondary school she took a one
(Trang) became Johanne Chris-
year course in child care in
tensen's home for the next 11 years. Together with Dr. and Mrs. Bulkley she established a modern hospital in the city and at times she was heading the
Copenhagen. ln 1907 Johanne Christensen enrolled to become a nurse at Copenhagen Municipal Hospital and upon her graduation she travelled to New York. Here she was introduced to a doctor affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in Siam. This encounter became her destiny.
November 1911 Johanne Christensen left for Siam where her final destination was a new missionary station established in
Trang province. This province was at the time very isolated. There was no scheduled connection by boat to Bangkok and no road or railways extended this far South of th,e capital.
Johanne Christensen first went by steamer to Singapore. From there she travelled to Penang and from here onwards by a small local boat to Kantang which was at the time the main
project herself. This was the case when the Siamese government in 1913 during an outbreak of Cholera assigned Dr. Bulkley the responsibility of the public health care in this part of the country. So it was Johanne Christensen who was in charge when that same year the High Commission for
Denmark under supervision of the Danish doctor Niels Nedergaard; but before this was finally
939.
the olans had to be cancelled.
in
lnstead the work at the clinic was
Bangkok and here she help deliver many hundreds of Thai children over the years to come. lt stands as an exceptional testimony to her skill and dedication, that during all those years, only
carried forward by dedicated
one(!) single mother died
in
labour at her institution. lt was also here that Johanne Christensen over the years educated
a whole generation of Thai nurses and midwives.
staff like Ladawan Mathiesen. After the war, the Presbyterian Church in Thailand bought another plot of land between Silom and Suriwongse including a few major buildings. Johanne Christensen's clinic was consequently moved here and initially this was the only medical facility of the new Bangkok Christian Hospital.
The place eventually be-
However, when the new hos-
came too small and Johanne Christensen started making plans for a move. A plot of land
pital was officially opened in
was purchased on Thanon
by only very few.
1949 it was not given her name
and today, she is remembered
Southern Thailand, Phya Rat
Phyathai where today Bangkok
Last year, I personally met
sada and his nephew, the Governor of Trang, were ambushed and the two prominent men were brought to the hospital for treatment of their injuries. The following year, the Danish harbour master in Phuket, Frits Haurowith drowned on February 14, 1914 when trying
Christian Student center is lo-
one of the many children which Johanne Christensen took into her care during her lifelong commitment to serving the poor in Thailand. His name is Peter or
to approach the harbour of Trang. Of course Johanne Chris-
cated. This was where her new clinic was going to be built. But before her plans could be carried out, Johanne Christensen fell seriously ill and cancer was diagnosed. She was sent to McCormick hospital in Chiangmai for treatment while the mission board tried to obtain a passage for her to U.S.A. or
Phairot and he lives today in Lampang. During our meeting, he shared with me his fond memories of his adopted mother who managed to secure his education before she passed away.
21
Hans Christian Andersen celebrations taking shape edge of the poet will help bring an even larger world focus on Hans Christian Andersen," says Lars Seeberg. The Royal Theatre alone is planning seven projects devoted toAndersen during 2005, including a new ballet and opera along with guest visits by the Australian Ballet, Britain's Arc Dance Company and top international
the Th" celebrations to mark I 200th anniversaru of Danish
fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75) will be a major cultural event in 2005 in Denmark and around the World. ln Thailand. olans are currently being made but nothing as
of yet finalized. Elsewhere
in
South EastAsia, Singapore has been selected for major celebrations. In China, a dedicated web poftal www.hca2005.cn was recently established. Here, also Mandarin speaking people from the rest of Asia can follow the latest international news and
names.
Among the plays to be staged is a hitherto completely unknown work by Hans Chris-
"The Chinese have a deeply-
project's activities in China and an essential oart of our communication strategy. From the staft, we have placed greal emphasis on our visibility on the Internet and consider www.hca2005.cn as a natural extension of our
felt relationshio with Andersen
activities on the English-lan-
The work, described as a " fairytale comedy" and entitled " Wasteland", appears in the an-
and he was fascinated with
guage HCA2005 portal," says
nual edition of Anderseniana,
China," says Lars Seeberg, Secretary General of H.C. Andersen
Director of Public Affairs for
published by Odense City Museum every year since 1933.
events generally relating to Hans
Christian Andersen.
"The Chinese website is a superb symbol of how, a small culture like that in Denmark
HCA2005, Christian Have. Back in Denmark, the festivities are to kick off at Parken national stadium in Copenhagen on April 2, 2005, followed by a
through modern technology can
welter of concerts, readings, the-
2005.
exchange knowledge and in-
atrical productions, exhibitions,
sight with a major culture such as that in China." The Chinese HCA2005 portal will also provide experience-
film festivals, opera and ballet performances throughout the
oriented material like various forms of multimedia games for children and other playful souls,
who want to immerse themselves in the universe of Hans Christian Andersen in other, alternative ways. "The Chinese HCA2005 oor-
tal is a cornerstone for
the
rest of the year. H.M. Queen Margrethe ll of Denmark has agreed with great pleasure to become patron of the many Hans Christian Andersen 2005 events. This is considered of great importance to the many cultural events in Denmark and the rest of the world. "We are grateful to Her Majesty who with her great knowl-
tian Andersen, which has just been oublished for the first time
- 165 years after it was written by Andersen.
Andersen was born in Odense, which is located on the central island of Funen. "Wasteland", inspired by the play "Der Verschwender" by Austrian playwright Ferdinand Raimund, was turned down by the Royal Theatre in Copen-
hagen and never previously published. Also the Danish Broadcasting Corporation will stage 75 concerts focused on the Andersen theme, including a new work by leading Danish contemporary composer Per Norgard.
Vi har Danmarks bedste priser og biludvalg til dig som udlandsdansker. Ring, fax eller e-mail og fA et godt tilbud oA din feriebil i Danmark.
Teletax: +45 33 26 80 8l rese rvati o n@ avi s. d k
E- m a i I :
turtwut.avis.dk
22
AVIS
Danielsen now with DentalMan A/S After building up GPV Asia (Thailand) to a successful enterprise, Hans Danielsen left Thai-
land earlier this year and has now taken up the position of General Manager for Danish company DentalMan fuS. The job now, to open up the
Asian market for mobile dental units. The DentalMan Company offers an alternative to traditional
dental equipment and is creating comprehensive new designs
in dental equipment and dental office solutions. The product line offers a variety of highly efficient components for dental applications, including a flexible range of future dental solutions for the dentist technician, hygienist, university,
nursing home, hospital and armed forces.
Danish bosses get more holiday Centre for Management data shows that Denmark's captains of industry had more time off but only modest pay rises in 2003
While top management in Danish industry and commerce only mustered modest 3.5 percent salary rises on average last year, they scored better on holidays, with 40 percent of a 4,317strong sample taking six weeks holiday as opposed to only 20 percent in the previous year, the
Centre for Leadership survey shows. Managing directors in Denmark had an average pre-tax income of the eouivalent of 232,000 euros in 2003, with the worst paid quafier of all top managers on 157,000 euros and the best paid residue earning close on 270,000 euros before tax. By comparison technical managers only earned an average 86,000 euros per year with the best paid
working in the lT and computer sectors.
Dane elected as World President /\ t tne annual general meeting in Dubai, Niels /-l Boserup, CEO of Copenhagen Airpofts A/S, has been elected as new presidentforACl World. ACI World is the only global association of airport operators and
represents more than 1,500 airpofts. Copenhagen Airport is known as one of the world's best airports and enjoys much respect and recognition in airport circles. With the new position, once again focus will be on Copenhagen Airport. "ln these years, the airport industry has an even larger need for cooperation and communication in order to help the industry grow in a positive direction", says Niels Boserup.
-t
Mejnert laid to rest off Koh Larn f\ Vf
n
Saturday 10 January, the
funeral of one of the long
time Danish residents of Thailand, Mejnert Lynge Badstue Lund took olace at Wat Chaimongkol in Pattaya where a large number of friends had gathered to pay their respects. Sunday afternoon the following day, some twenty of his closest friends took his ashes out to be strewn in the sea off Koh Larn where many of his friends have earlier been laid to rest.
It was a touching scene when his step daughter Gaye poured his ashes from the white linen into the clear sea in the silence afterthe engines had been cut and the only sound heard
was the song of the Danish singer Kim Larsen "..o9 om lidt ervi borte.." played on a portable taoe recorder. Close friends like Bjarne from Restaurant Kronborg and John from John's Badehotel strew flower petals in the water. John also opened a bottle of Mekong and soda and poured Mejnert his last drink into the sea. Mejnert Lynge Badstue Lund was only 53 years. He was found dead in his bedroom in his apad-
ment in Pattaya in mid Decem-
ber, presumably murdered. News of his untimely death was
received with disbelief and sadness among the Danes in Pattaya where he lived for the past many years. Mejneft stood out among the Danes in Thailand because of his many years of residence, because of his big heart and helofulness towards his friends
24
and during the past ten years also because of his extraordinary looks. He never shaved or had a haircut except on the day of the death anniversary of his wife, whom he had loved dearly. Before moving permanently to Thailand, Mejnert sailed as a motorman on Maersk shios and EAC ships. But he enjoyed
cooking and he was just as often to be seen in the gally as in the engine room. When not at sea, he lived in the Klong Toey harbour area of Bangkok, where so many other Danish seamen had at that time settled down.
Mejnert finally in 1985 decided to stay on land with his wife who was some years older than him. At that time, he had already for six years assumed responsibility as the step father for his
wife's grandchild, Gaye, whom her daughter had handed over to her as a baby to take care of. "l called him Papa and she was my Mama," Gaye recalls. "He took care of me with the love of a real father. Every morning he would comb my hair before I went to school, and before he left me at the school gate he would give me three baht and
teach me to save one. He was the Dad of my life..." In Bangkok, Mejnert worked
as Manager of Odin's Rest, a Danish restaurant on the corner
of Sukhumvit Soi 29. The restaurant was owned by one of the largest Danish contractors on Greenland who needed a local manager to take care of his res-
taurant.
Later
the
Odin restaurant was relocated to Sukhumvit Soi 22 but Meinert remained
as the Manager. And when
the owner, Harald, eventually sold his contractor business on Greenland and moved to Thai-
land permanently, he agreed with Mejnert that they should move Odin to Pattaya where they had found a building near the former bus station on Soi 0. When Harald died 6 years ago his widow was unable manage as the owner of the restaurant, and Meinert opened his own "Meinert's Place" - on Beach Road Soi 3. But when the building was sold and the new owner increased the rent, Meinert decided to quit. Instead, he used the money he had saved up to lend out as a private loan to other people. "But he was really too soft for
Mejnert's daily routine would typically start around noon when he would get up and enjoy a cup of coffee, drink one litre of water and a Kloster Beer. Then he would go over to Welcome Inn where he would sit the rest of the
day taking care of his business
and drinking half a bottle of Mekong whisky. While the motivation and details of his murder is still unresolved, most people believe the reason has to be related to this business. "He didn't make much, but he always managed to send money to me if I needed his help," says Gaye who for the past
couple of years has lived with herAmerican husband and only
six month ago moved to the
that business. Too often he
United States.
would waive the interest or al-
him by occasionally by hiring him
When the news about his death reached her, she came back and with the help of Consul Ulrik Holt Sorensen at the Danish Embassy the body was
as an extra hand in the kitchen in Restaurant Kronborg.
released to her with the consent of his family back in Denmark.
low lenders to drag out the payment for months and months," says Bjarne Nielsen who helped
Gregers Maller
Stenhus Kostskole er en boglig skole, som Onsker at give eleverne grundleggende kundskaber or fardigheder, der kan medvirke til at
Simply Scandinavian in Thailand candin"uian Week in Thai land or Simply Scandina-
'Thailand is a big city, but the people are friendly," says band
vian took place this year at
leader Ulf Johansson Werre,
Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok on the 24th - 29th of November with simply the best dinner show with beautiful vocals by Danish jazz singer Majken Christiansen accompanied by Helsinki Jazz
trombone, piano and vocal for
Q rvl
Phantoms from Finland/Sweden. The top class Scandinavian Buffet with dinner dishes, smor-
gasbord, delicious desserts and pastries were prepared by Danish Chef Lars Kyllesbech.
Some of the dishes oresented at the celebration were: Salmon wrapped in pastry with spinach & chili sauce and Fillet
of Plaice with Tartar Sauce
&
Lemon.
"Most of the dishes you can actually make with local ingredients," says Chef , Lars Kyllesbech.
Simply Scandinavian in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will be held from 6th - 1Oth December at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Johnna Giles, a Dane who since 1995 for many years lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has joined Hans Wetterberg in the organization of Scandinavian
ditions like in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia whe16 Chef Lars Kyllesbech, Singer Majken
Besgg vores hjemmeside : w ww. stenhus.dk / www. stenhus-kostskole.dk
Stenhus Kostskole, Stenhusvej 20,43OO Holbrek
Tlf. +45 5943 0269 - Fax. +45 5943 7811- E-mail: adrnin@stenhus.dk
Welcome to the world
of DFDS Transport
In Kuala Lumpur, the Malay-
tion will this year for the first time join the Swedish and the Norwegian Business Association in a joint Christmas lunch during the
Scandinavian Week. The event provides an excel-
lent opportunity to strengthen great opportunity to hold business meetings during the day followed by an evening of authentic Scandinavian food and
events have become annual tra-
. skitur, kanotur, overlevelsestur, Stenhus-Games, irsfest m. m.
sian Danish Business Associa-
been called for the past 1 5 years
eral countries throughout the world, and in many cities the
. en intemational 10. klasse
Weeks.
Scandinavian business ties with
Hans Wetterberg. He has has been organizing these events in sev-
Stenhus Kostskole tilbyder bl. a.:
. data og tysk fra 6. klasse . valgfag og niveaudelte fag 8.-10. klasse herunder fransk og sport & fritid . edb integreret i de enkelte fag efter behov ved brug af internet
Helsinki Jazz Phantom, who visited Thailand for the first time.
Simply Scandinavian - or Scandinavian Week as it has
- is the invention of Mr.
udvikle den enkelte elevs evner og anlag optimalt.
local industry and it is also a
mustc.
Photlarin Suparuit
DFDS Transpofi (Thai) Ltd. 19th Floor Silom Complex '191 Silom Road Bangkok 10500 Tel : +66 22662777 Fax: +66 2 266 5 E-mail: stef an.vandersluys @dfdstransprt.co th tommy@df dstran sport.co.th
bkk@dfdstransport.co.th
www.dldstransporl.com
Christiansen, the Helsinki Jazz
Phantoms and Mr. Hans Wetterberg himself was heading after Thailand.
25
Useful Gontact ROYAL DANISH EMBASSY
Commercial Section 10 Soi Attakarn Prasit Sathorn Tai, Bangkok Tel.: (66 2) 343-1100 Fax: (66 2) 213-1752 HE Ulrik Helweg-Larsen
Ambassador Ms. Tine Hylleberg Commercial Counsellor
Low turn-out for Danish Christmas Service in Bangkok Hans Vestergard ff "u"r"n6 from the Danish I lJensen Seamen's Church in Singapore
on Sunday 7th of December held a Christmas Service for the
Danish community in Bangkok at the Scandinavian Church. The service was attended by about 1 5 Danes and other Scandinavians. "This is the third year where we have tried to establish this Danish Christmas tradition but it doesn't seem to be taking off,"
says Mr. Gregers Moller, the
had been instrumental in oroa-
three started driving back on
nizing this year's event. "ln the Danish community we
Saturday morning and arrived
will now seriously have to consider if we want to continue arranging these sermons or instead concentrate on the joint Scandinavian service held on the 24th of December." The Danish service was nearly going to be held without the music, as the resident Reverend Lennart Hamark had left for Laos with the musician Mr. Bernie Kroon and lead singer
dot when the Danish service
Danish member of the counsel
lrene Kroon for a service
of the Scandinavian Church who
Vientiane the day before. The
non-stop Bangkok almost on the
stafted. Reverend Hans Vestergard Jensen was on his way to Denmark with his wife Anne to cel-
ebrate the merger of the two Danish organisations for Danish churches abroad. Stable Lodge had generously sponsored their accommodation during their stay in Bangkok. Photlarin Suparuit
in
ROYAL THAI EMBASSY Norgesmindevej 18
DK-2100 Copenhagen 0 Denmark Tel.: 39 62 50 10 Fax: 39 62 50 59 HE Adisak Panupong Ambassador
Mr Prasittidej Vichitsorasatra Counsellor SCANDINAVIAN SOCIETY SIAM G.PO. Box
Bangkok 10501 Tel.: (66 1) 811 8128 Fax: (66 2) 661 5937 Mr. Hakan Alm
Chairman DANISH-THAI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 140212 14th Fl., Glas Haus 1 Sukhumvit 25 Road, Bangkok 10110 Tel.: (66 2\ 661-7762
Fax: (66 21 661-7764-5 Email contact @ dancham.or.th Mr. John Svengren Executive Director
I
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Mail or fax the coupon to:
Company name:
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I I I
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I I
Fill in this
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+KSkandiaB
On our Airbus 4340, we've invented a special class for the economy-minded business traveler - Economy Extra. lf you are satisfied with the service in Economy Class but would like a wider, more comfortable seat in a separate,
secluded cabin and your own PC power outlet, then this is the class for you. You have the flexibility of being able to change your reservation up until the time of your departure and a member of SAS EuroBonus you earn 50% more Basic points than in Economy Class. So when you need to fly economy but want something ,:,' extra - ask for SAS Economy Extid. For information and reservation, please contact your traveiaqent or call SAS on +6622600444.
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