02-01-2015

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 2015

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SKUTTLED LIFE

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Find out what’s in store for all of us in 2015

TWO BELARUSSIANS, BELIEVED TO BE MEMBERS OF AN INTERNATIONAL SKIMMING GANG, ARE CAUGHT TAKING MONEY OUT OF ATMS IN RAWAI Saran Mitrarat editor@classactmedia.co.th

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wo Belarussians were arrested in Rawai area on Christmas Day (December 25) after allegedly stealing B100,000 via local ATM machines.

Last Friday (December 26) Phuket Police Chief Maj Gen Pachara Boonyasit announced the arrest of the two men, Mikalai Romankou and Siarhei Bandarkou, both 35, who, he said, used

phony ATM cards to make illegal cash withdrawals from Belarussian bank accounts via “many different ATM machines” in Rawai.

The arrests came after Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) reported that it suspected the two men of using cloned cards to raid other people’s bank accounts.

An SCB representative said that bank records showed the suspects making a cash withdrawal from one ATM machine. They then took the cash

to a Western Union desk where they had it cabled to an account in Belarus.

Police arrested the suspects yesterday at 5:30pm in the parking lot of the Rawai Beach Hotel. They seized eight fake ATM cards giving access to private bank accounts in Belarus.

Gen Pachara said that both suspects are already wanted in Bangkok for stealing B1 million in the same fashion.

The two men said they found the eight ATM cards in the toilets at Phuket International Airport, each

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with the PIN number written on the back. They decided to try them see if they worked.

The duo now face charges of fraud and possession of fake cards for criminal purposes.

If found guilty they face jail sentences of one to 10 years, and possibly also fines of up to B200,000.

The arrests caused consternation among people who have SCB bank accounts in Rawai, whose cards were canceled.

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Skimmers skuttled

Continued from page 1 An SCB spokesperson told The Phuket News that, as a precaution, all ATM cards for accounts in its branches in Rawai have been suspended.

Account holders should take their blocked cards, along with ID cards or passports, to any SCB branch to receive replacement for them.

While most skimmer

gangs caught in Phuket are engaged in stealing account details and PIN numbers for accounts in local banks, the two Belarussians are thought to be at the other end of the skimming scheme.

They allegedly brought with them to Phuket cloned ATM cards with information stolen from account holders in Belarus.

Bike rider first casualty in 7 Days of Danger JUST 15 MINUTES INTO the Seven Days of Danger road and sea safety drive, a man from Petchabun became the first casualty when he crashed his motorbike into the central reservation of Thepkrasattree Rd in Sri Soonthon.

Anucha Promraksa, 25, died from a broken neck in the crash, at 12:15am on Christmas Day (December 25). His 15-year-old passenger, Surawut

Chomsri from Sakon Nakorn, was taken to hospital semiconscious, and suffering from scrapes and bruises.

A witness said that after the bike hit the central reservation at high speed, “the passenger bounced off and slid along the road.

“The motorbike flipped in the air several times before the driver fell off and landed head-first.”

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Official demands for changes delay opening of controversial dolphinarium > page 6

One dead in high-speed Phuket pick-up crash A pick-up truck crashed and overturned in front of the Siam Gas Station near Phuket International Airport on Thepkrasstri Rd last Friday (December 26), leaving the driver badly injured and another man dead.

Tha Chat Chai police and rescuers arrived at Baan Koh En area where the crumpled Toyota pickup lay upside-down in front of the gas station.

Two people, one dead, were lying in the deep culvert next to the road.

Rescuers took the driver, Leng Jampatong, 53, who is the owner of an ice block wholesale business in the Sakoo area, and the body of Tawatchai Sermras, 31, to Thalang hospital. Mr Leng was later transferred to Vachira for further treatment.

Witnesses said the truck was coming from Nai Yang

The crumpled carcass of the pick-up truck lies upside down next to the gas station. at high speed when the driver lost control of the vehicle at the twisting road, driving it into the canal.

It was being driven at such

speed that it bounced out of the culvert again, spilling the occupants and landing upsidedown in front of the gas station.

This was the second death

in the Seven Days of Danger road and sea safety campaign which started yesterday (December 25).

Eakkapop Thongtub

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Owners still battling developer and bank

PHUKET NEWS

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Nattha Thepbamrung reporter3@classactmedia.co.th

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he supposed December 17 deadline for agreement on a deal over the troubled Chom Tawan development – when, some home owners feared, they would be evicted from their homes – passed without incident.

This is despite developer Napawan Co Ltd failing to pay the remaining debt to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), a debt that was secured using the land titles and the homes.

“The payment has not been made. The bank and the builder are starting the auction process, which will take some months,” said Daryl Davies, 70, from Australia, who bought a condominium in the Chom Tawan development three years ago.

He said that more than 20 cases have been filed in the Phuket Court against Napawan and its principals, Andy and Julie Street.

Some buyers are also suing ICBC for accepting the mortgages on their properties as collateral on the Napawan loans without the home buyers’ knowledge.

“We [the buyers] are trying get the court’s consideration.

We have also filed our case with the Bank of Thailand.”

“It should take around six months for the auction process.

Mr Street told us that he had offered a plot of land [elsewhere] to the builder instead of money, and that the deal was accepted.

We are waiting to see what happens next.”

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Streets have more problems over another project, Tawan Views, overlooking Ao Por on the northeast coast of Phuket.

@thephuketnews

Beyonce enjoys riding on the back of a baby elephant.

Outcry over Beyonce’s ride on baby elephant

Stopped: Tawan Views, photographed from a neighbouring property overlooking Ao Po. That project, consisting of 24 units in six buildings, ground to a halt more than four years ago with the main structure completed.

The builder of that project, Pisanu Vorawath, has told The Phuket News that he has been owed B15 million since the project stopped and, despite repeated assurances from the Streets, he has yet to receive a penny.

The project website describes Tawan Views as “80 per cent complete” and offers buyers the possibility “to design and finish your own ‘shell’ apartment and buy at up to 32% off the standard price!!”

The full prices as advertised on the website range from B19.75 million to B45.6 million for the “new” three-floor mega-penthouse.

Mr Pisanu told The Phuket News that he was owed B13 million in retained fees and another B2 million for water and electrical work he had

done after the main construction halted.

Most construction contracts stipulate that the client withholds a percentage of payments until the contract is completed to the client’s satisfaction.

Mr Pisanu pointed out that he did not call a halt to contruction; the client did, and should therefore pay the B13 million retained.

He also noted that he had received multiple SMSs from the Streets promising payment soon, which indicated that they agreed that he should be paid.

As a result of not being paid, Mr Pisanu’s company – which once employed 150 workers – is now effectively dead. All staff apart from a handful have been found jobs elsewhere and he is being dunned by creditors.

Mrs Street, who is a director of Tawan Views, told The Phuket News, “Tawan Views is being restructured under the guidance of professional advisers.

“We are preparing to [re] commence the project 1st or 2nd quarter next year [2015].”

Asked whether he believed this, Mr Pisanu just laughed.

He is considering legal action.

Additional reporting by Alasdair Forbes

SINGING SUPERSTAR Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z arrived on Christmas Day (December 25) to spend a few days and perhaps the New Year in Phuket with their daughter Blue Ivy. Photos from the star’s Twitter account show her at an unnamed high-end resort on the island. Two of them picture her sitting astride a baby elephant – which caused some consternation among those lobbying for an end to exploitation of animals for the amusement of tourists.

Responses to the story

on The Phuket News Facebook included, “You’d think celebrities would be more in touch with the consequences of this behaviour.”

“Oh boy, another one.

Maybe this can bring more awareness as was the case with the other dingbat.”

“Apparently these socalled super stars have a total lack of realism. They should know better.”

Readers may recall the furore when the “other dingbat”, mega-star Rihanna, posted selfies showing her cuddling a slow loris on Patong’s Bangla Rd.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

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Light rail plan heading for last public hearing he final public hearing into Phuket’s proposed B23 billion light rail project is to be held on January 6, with one of the consultants saying he hopes local people will take the public good into account.

Kanok Khemnark, environmental expert for the light rail system project from Phuket International Airport to Chalong Circle, said, “The project is designed for Phuket’s mass transport system. The results and details of the study are now nearly complete.”

He confirmed that the current plan is for the light rail tracks to start in Phang Nga, crossing the bridge onto Phuket and from there through Phuket Town and onward south to Chalong Pier.

“There is a possibility of road closures and traffic may need to be re-adjusted.

"We want to use this light rail system to promote tourism and the [old Phuket Town] walking street, as well as environmental and cultural preservation activities.

T GENERAL MANAGER SALES Andrew (Andy) Joyce 088 754 1370

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SALES MANAGER Jittiya (Tiya) Rakdej 088 754 1371

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SALES REPRESENTATIVE Phatreema (Jump) Thonglred 088 754 1372 sales3@classactmedia.co.th

Computer-generated image shows a light rail car travelling south along Phuket Rd, with remarkably little traffic around.

“We would like to ask people [at the hearing] to consider this as a matter of public interest. In countries in Europe, for example, we see this kind of system operating effectively in city centres.

“The budget for this project

is expected to be B23 billion.

When it comes to raising the funds, we will see if any private sector institution might be interested. “It could be similar to the BTS [Bangkok Transit System, which is privately owned] or it could be a joint

investment between the public and private sectors.

“The next hearing will be held on January 6, 2015, at The Metropole hotel. This is the third scheduled public hearing, and everyone is invited to share their ideas.

“From feedback and research presented at previous hearings, it is clear that the majority of the people who attended understand the issues and how the light rail system will help tourism.”

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Gov wants grubby Rassada Pier cleaned SALES SUPPORT Siriporn (Nok) Seangmas 086 479 7470 sales@classactmedia.co.th

PHUKET: GOVERNOR NIsit Jansomwong said on Monday (December 29) he was unhappy with the grubby appearance of Rassada Pier, the main embarkation point for tourists heading for places in Phang Nga Bay or for Phi Phi. The Governor visited Rassada Pier with the Head of the Phuket Marine Office, Phuriphat Teerakulpisut, and the Head of the Phuket Provincial Transportation Office, Jaturong Kaewkasi, during the rush hour of several tour operations. Afterwards, they walked around the pier and boarded some of the ferries.

The Governor noticed large amounts of trash in the water and told Mr Phuriphat that the pier area needs to be cleaned more often.

He told members of the media who toured the pier with him, “We are approach-

ing New Year. We must strictly enforce life vest rules for tourists. Phuket is famous with international tourists, so it’s important for us to look after them. The ferry staff must prepare enough life vests and ensure that tourists wear them.

“Plus, Rassada Pier needs to be cleaned more often. I spoke with some tourists from South Africa, and they told me that they come to Phuket every year because they love it. So the pier should be clean and look nice.”

The Governor also visited the taxi and bus service counter, asking how long the prices had been fixed at the pier – and recording video on his smart phone as staff answered.

He got his answer from one of the staff: “These prices were set a long time ago.”

Marine Office boss Phuripat Teerakulpisut (right) listens as the Governor makes his point. thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

PHUKET NEWS

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No ‘Thai deal’ for tax-paying foreigners at national parks Chawala Kongsaeng editor@classactmedia.co.th

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oreigners who possess a valid work permit and pay tax to the Royal Thai Government through a Tax [payer] Identification Number (TIN) have no legal entitlement to the “local rate” at any of the National Parks throughout the kingdom, a National Parks tourism promotion officer has confirmed.

The clarification follows an inquiry to The Phuket News from an expatriate reader asking for help to clarify the long-running confusion on whether legitimately working foreigners are entitled to the Thai rate at national parks.

“I have gone to several national parks and most charge only the Thai admission charge when I show my passport and work permit.

“However, there have been two around Krabi who refuse.

I was wondering what is the actual rule for this?” asked Celi Harper. “Surely there is a standard agreement across

The entrance to Sirinath National Park in Phuket: No concessions for non-Thai residents. all national parks throughout Thailand?”

The Phuket News contacted the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) headquarters in Bangkok, as well the offices of various national parks in/near Phuket.

All officers we spoke to were in agreement that there

are only two main rates – for Thais and non-Thais – and that work, tax or visa status are irrelevant.

Flexibility for residentstatus foreigners visiting national parks throughout the Kingdom is not, apparently, consistent. Inquiries by The Phuket News have revealed that some foreigners have

been allowed to pay the Thai fee simply by speaking Thai to the officer, or showing the park officer their Thai TIN card, work permit, student ID and/or driving license.

Others have been outright refused and told they must pay the “foreigner fee”.

“Depending on the park, or specific park duty officer,

foreigners may be allowed to pay the Thai rate,” explained the Chief of the DNP’s Tourism Promotion office, Ms Wanlapha.

However, she confirmed that this “flexibility” was not based on any laws or regulations which, on the contrary, she insisted, stipulate that foreigners, regardless of their official status in Thailand, are obliged to pay the foreign price.

She noted a few exceptions: Anyone under 3 or over 60 years old can get in free, and students who are part of a qualified academic institution group activity at a national park will collectively figured into a group discount rate, of which nationality of individual group members is not scrutinized.

There are 124 National Parks in Thailand, listed on the Department of National Parks Website (www.dnp. go.th/). Four fee categories appear in two main tiers – for Thai adults and children, and foreign adults and children.

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Iranians arrested for stealing ‘millions’ from hotel lockers THE PARTIAL MEMORY OF a robbery witness involving the number “69” ultimately helped police track down two Iranian thieves wanted for stealing “millions of baht” from various guesthouse safes and lockers in Patong over the previous few days.

Patong police last Friday (December 26) apprehended the two “tourists”, identified as Ghorbaniaf Sharr Shahram, 48, and Emery Sfaharin, 42.

After questioning that successfully garnered confessions from the suspects, authorities formally charged both with committing robbery using a vehicle and with forced entry or vandalism. At least one more charge is under consideration.

Police had been trying to track the suspects down since Christmas Eve (December 24) after being alerted by several guesthouses and hotels in the area that someone had broken into lockers and stolen guests’ deposits.

Investigators were able to get CCTV images of the two men, moving around on a motorbike, using screwdrivers and other prying devices to break open safes and lockers @thephuketnews

The two Iranians may face further criminal charges. at several guesthouses, before walking out with any cash stored inside.

However, the CCTV footage did not show clear shots of the culprits’ faces, as both wore helmets while carrying out the robberies, police said.

One witness said he remembered the license plate of the motorbike used by the thieves included the numbers 169. Police then diligently searched for Yamaha Nuovo scooters with that number.

To no avail. But finally, last

Friday, they found a Nuovo with the plate number 163 parked at the Baan Ton Sai Bungalow. They staked it out.

Police spotted the two suspects leaving the guesthouse on the scooter and followed them to a currency exchange booth where the men changed some money before returning to the guest house.

After comparisons with CCTV footage, the police were convinced that they had their culprits, and moved in.

Inside the room, they found screwdrivers and other tools, and cash in a variety of currencies “valued at around a million baht”.

Police seized the booty and detained the suspects for further questioning at Kathu Police Station.

Several victims came to the police station to finger the suspects.

Police said the duo were believed to have broken into some 20 lockers or safes over the previous few days.

They are also investigating whether the suspects plied hotel staff with spiked “power drinks” to knock them out before carrying out the thefts.

The Thai rates range from B10-40, while the foreigner rates range from B50-400 – from five to 10 times the amount paid by Thais.

The DPN classifies adults as people aged 15-59, and children 3-14.

“Regardless of whether you have lived and worked here for many years, you [foreigners] aren’t entitled to the same privileges as Thais. You need to pay the same amount as foreign tourists, but if you are lucky, you might benefit from the flexibility [exercised by some park officers],” she said.

Asked why she thought the fees were so high, Ms Wanlapha remarked “We don’t get enough budget from the government to maintain the parks, and lately the number of foreign visitors to national parks has declined.”

A spokesperson for the DNP in Phuket said that no special concessions are made for foreigners living or working in Thailand – they must pay the same high rate as tourists.

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Kiwi caught with ice and cocaine POLICE ARRESTED 12 MEN, including a New Zealander, on the night of December 24 for possession of drugs.

New Zealand native Taylor Grainge, 41, was arrested after he was found in possession of 1.25 grams of crystal methamphetamine and .95 grams of cocaine.

He has been charged with possession of Category 1 and Category 2 narcotics with intent to sell.

The 11 other men were arrested while picking up parcels from the Patong Post Office.

Each package contained fresh kratom leaves. In total, police seized a total of 30.5 kilograms of kratom leaves.

The men were identified as Asami Tayoh, 24, Natsaree Tayoh, 22, Adnan Waresamaair, 28, Amaran Malazhair, 26, Hafis Danor, 26, Zhukifli Hayeedaoh, 20, Zhohparon Samoh, 20, Arfan Uzeng, 25, Arzawan Johzoh, 25, Issamaiar Hamu, 26 and Arthit Ma’air, 21. All of the men have been charged with Category 5 drug possession.

All 12 men were taken to the Kathu Police Station in Patong for processing.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Dolphinarium delayed Nattha Thepbamrung reporter3@classactmedia.co.th

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he dolphinarium on Soi Palai in Phuket has been ordered to adjust its site plan by the Fisheries Department, adjustments that will result in a significant delay to its opening date.

The Phuket Fisheries Office stressed that the show would not be allowed to open until the operator completely adjusts the site to create “an appropriate environment” for the dolphins.

“Fisheries Department officers from Bangkok and our team visited the site in early November. The officers from our departments ordered the dolphinarium operator to adjust and change many things,” said Narumol Eakpach, Fisheries Officer Specialist, Phuket branch.

She told The Phuket News that there is a list of five main things the operator needs to change before the next site inspection.

There is only one pool on site. The operator must build more supporting pools in case of emergency.

The pool is currently treated with salt and chlorine,

The dolphinarium sits unused near the Phuket Zoo on Soi Palai. The owners have many hoops to jump through. but waste from dolphins contains ammonia, which cannot be treated with chlorine. In the long run the ammonia will build up, posing a health risk to the dolphins. The department recommended that the operator use an ozone system.

The temperature inside of the dolphin show is too high.

An appropriate ventilation system must be installed.

The concept that showgoers may touch the dolphin is

dangerous as it could possibly pass diseases from humans to dolphins or vice-versa.

The plan to have a show twice daily needs to be revised.

The operators need to show how they plan to keep the dolphins happy and healthy, and working. Currently, there is no aquatic life support diagram in the plan, and the drainage system needs to be reconsidered because it will have a direct effect on the nearby community.

“The authorities will not allow the dolphinarium to open as long as the operator has not adjusted the show and the site as ordered,” she said.

She said that the team did not see any dolphins during their site inspection.

She added, “The site was entirely closed up with big corrugated iron sheets.”

But, she said, “If they are breaking the law, they face fines of B5,000 to B40,000 or

up to four years in jail, or both.

“We have talked to the show’s operator, and they must follow the orders of the Fisheries Department. The operator has to think about the health of the dolphins.”

Those involved in an ongoing public campaign in Phuket against the opening of the dolphinarium argue that the health of the dolphins will be affected simply by them being kept in captivity.

The Pimex boat show: an event not to be missed ASIA’S TOP BOAT SHOW, the Phuket International Boat Show (Pimex), is set to take place 8th to 11th January 2015 at the award-winning Royal Phuket Marina (RPM) on the Island’s east coast. Bringing together all things marine and much more, Pimex has become Phuket’s largest annual showcase of boating and lifestyle. It is the largest inwater consumer boat show in Asia with 50 boats on display this year.

Now in its 12th year, Pimex has established itself as a key event in the regional marine and lifestyle event calendar, as well as attracting a traditional core of visitors from Hong Kong, Singapore and Europe. Over recent years, Pimex has seen growth in visitors from Russia, China and Thai nationals.

A strategic partnership with Thailand Elite, the world’s first country membership programme, this year, will show-

case Phuket’s and Thailand’s yachting lifestyle to Thailand Elite members and provide a marketing and networking platform showcasing Thailand Elite to the growing number of very wealthy people who have holiday homes in Phuket and will be visiting the show.

Eighty exhibitors will showcase more than 120 brands at this year’s Pimex.

Class Act Media, owner of The Phuket News, is a cosponsor of the event.

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PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

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Suspected skimmer gang members caught in Phuket Saran Mitrarat editor@classactmedia.co.th

wo Belarussians were arrested in the Rawai area on Christmas Day (December 25) after allegedly stealing B100,000 from local ATM machines.

On Friday (December 26) Phuket Police Chief Maj Gen Pachara Boonyasit announced the arrest of the two men, Mikalai Romankou and Siarhei Bandarkou, both 35, who, he said, used phony ATM cards to make illegal cash withdrawals from many different ATM machines in Rawai.

The arrests came after Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) reported that it suspected the two men of using cloned cards to raid other people’s bank accounts.

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Phuket Police Chief Maj Gen Pacahar Boontasit introduces the two Belarussians to the press on Friday.

An SCB representative said that bank records showed the suspects making a cash withdrawal from one ATM machine. They then took the cash to a Western Union desk where they had it cabled to an account in Belarus.

Police arrested the suspects yesterday at 5:30pm in the parking lot of the Rawai Beach Hotel. They seized eight fake ATM cards giving access to private bank accounts in Belarus.

Gen Pachara said that both suspects are already wanted in Bangkok for stealing B1 million in the same fashion.

The two men said they found the eight ATM cards in the toilets at Phuket International Airport, each with the PIN number written on the back.

They decided to try them and see if they worked.

The duo now face charges of fraud and possession of forged cards for criminal purposes.

If found guilty they face jail sentences of one to 10 years, and possibly also fines of up to B200,000.

An SCB spokesperson told The Phuket News that, as a precaution, all ATM cards for accounts in its branches in Rawai have been suspended. Account holders should take their cards, along with ID card or passport, to any SCB branch to receive replacement cards.

She noted that the Rawai branches have now run out of replacement cards, but new ones can be had from any other branch of the bank. The nearest to Rawai is at Chalong Circle.

Bike death is first casualty just 15 minutes into 7 Days of Danger JUST 15 MINUTES INTO THE Seven Days of Danger road and sea safety drive, a man from Petchabun became the first casualty when he crashed his motorbike into the central reservation of Thepkrasattree Rd in Sri Soonthon.

@thephuketnews

Anucha Promraksa, 25, died from a broken neck in the crash, at 12:15am on Christmas Day (December 25).

His 15-year-old passenger, Surawut Chomsri from Sakon Nakorn, was taken to hospital semi-conscious, and suffering from scrapes and bruises.

December 25 was the first of the Seven Days, the last being January 3.

The authorities had hoped to record no deaths during the period, spanning the New Year, when alcohol plays a heightened role in traffic accidents.

A worker from the HomePro

Thalang branch who witnessed the accident, said he saw Anucha’s Honda Scoopy bike hit the central reservation at high speed.

“The passenger bounced off and slid along the road while the motorbike flipped in the air several

times before the driver fell off and landed head-first,” he said.

Anucha’s body was sent to the Thalang hospital morgue for his blood to be checked to see whether alcohol might have played a role in the crash.

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THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

2014: THE YEAR IN PHUKET

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

2014: A look back at

A

s ever, it has been an eventf ul yea r in Phuket, feat uring the good, the bad and the downright ugly, criminals, giant snakes, deadly fires and deadly accidents on land, on the water and under it. All human life is here. Here are the highlights, month by month.

JANUARY THE DEADLINE PASSES for Lee “Pitbull” Aldhouse to appeal against his 25-year sentence for murdering American Marine Dashawn Longfellow; Rock star Sek Loso cancels a Phuket concert after a Facebook row about his political opinions; Popular Phuket radio personality and DJ Paul “DJ Doris” Norris dies in a road crash; The B10m cruise boat Lady Andaman sinks after hitting a concrete block on the seabed in Chalong Bay; Swede Johan Sebastian Ljung is sentenced to life for the knife killing of Maksim Schantz (Ljung’s co-accused, Tommy Viktor Söderlund, also gets life two months later); Prakong Choojan from Phuket dies when a grenade is thrown at anti-government protesters in Bangkok; Nine statues of heroic figures in the 18th Century war against Burma are paraded down the island to be installed at the Victory Field in Thalang.

Above, all that was left of the illegal Lotus restaurant on Bang Tao Beach after it was pulled down. Below, motorists wait by the roadside for a protest mob in Mai Khao to release their stranglehold on the island’s main highway.

Above, Thai Navy Marines patrol Patong Beach after all the sunlounger-and-umbrella operators were expelled. Below, four died in this fire in a Phuket Town furniture shop.

FEBRUARY TWENTY PEOPLE ARE rescued from a burning dive boat Bunmee I. It is the third such incident in three weeks.

On January 29 the dive boat Magic Carpet was holed and sank near Koh Tachai, and on February 9 the Blue Star caught fire and sank in Burmese waters; Fortunately there are no casualties in any of these incidents. Blaming political turmoil, particularly in Bangkok, major developer Sansiri slashes its condo plans.

MARCH TWO HUNDRED TUK-TUKS blockade Patong all night over “unfair” arrests; Reports emerge of Chalong police officers extorting money from the dive industry. Eventually two officers are arrested; Russian couple Alexei Slabinskiy and Yana Strizheus are kidnapped

by Russian loan sharks. She is let go and flees back home.

He is believed dead – a body

found in the countryside is thought to be his. The kidnappers escape; DNA tests confirm that remains found in the Chalong area are those of seven-year-old Natthapa “Nong Dear” Papkaew, missing since Dec 2013. Her death remains a mystery; Four workers die from poison gas inhalation while working in a sewer; Lawyer Chaiyod “Tui” Panyawai wins the Phuket seat in elections for the national Senate.

APRIL PLANS FOR A MINI-CITY at Phuket International Airport are announced. The city will include condos and shopping malls; Businessman Boonkeng Srisansuchart stops filling in a tin lake surrounded by land he owns – authorities reluctantly agree he has no permits to do this; Thousands are stuck in

a mega-traffic jam after local people block the main northsouth highway to protest about police handling of the rape of a pregnant woman; Chalermluk Kebsab beats long-time Godfather of Patong, Pian Keesin, in local polls to become Mayor of the town.

MAY NEW ZEALANDER GARY Halpin, a Tourist Police volunteer, is jailed for eight years for dealing in methamphetamine; Sirinart Marine National Park chief Cheewapap Cheewatham requests and receives a transfer after death threats from land “investors” he has been investigating for encroaching in the park; Plans are announced for Blu Phuket, a shopping mall five times the area of Central Festival; DNA tests confirm that a body found in the countryside is that of kid-

nap victim Alexei Slabinskiy; May 22: The Thai military, led by Gen Prayuth ChanOcha, seize power from the government of PM Yingluck Shinawatra. To the dismay of the entertainment industry an all-night curfew is imposed and all community (FM) radio stations are ordered to stop broadcasting.

JUNE ON JUNE 3, AFTER HUNdreds of people have been summoned for interviews with the military, the curfew is cancelled. Hooters restaurant opens in Patong. Sixty-five Cambodians, believing rumours (probably originating from the Cambodian government) that the Thai military is conducting a pogrom against illegal labour, turn themselves in and get sent home (many, realising there is no pogrom,

return weeks later); Tawee Thongchaem, Mayor of Patong, and three close associates are arrested on “mafia” charges; 91 taxi drivers are arrested or surrender to answer related charges; Taxi stands on public land are pulled down, along with illegal restaurants and bars built along Bang Tao Beach; At Surin Beach the high-end beach clubs demolish themselves.

JULY VENDORS AND BEACHchair operators begin to move off Patong beach, the last stronghold to be toppled by the Army’s “clean the beaches” campaign; Italian investigative journalist Tony Papaleo, on holiday in Phuket, is stabbed by a teen gang; Heavy storms sweep in and damage resort coastlines; Immigration announces that tougher penalties

for overstay – including blacklisting – are in force. All out-in visa hops are stopped because of suspicions that many doing such visa runs are not tourists, but are working illegally in Thailand; The discovery that a dolphin show is being built in Chalong causes an outcry among animal lovers and sparks an ongoing campaign to stop the dolphinarium. Singing star Amita “Tata” Young marries Chat-adul “Mor” Sinapongpipit at Sri Panwa.

AUGUST A FIR E I N A PHUK ET Town furniture store kills four people including a 10-year-old child; A system to allow meter taxis full access to Phuket Airport is inaugurated, breaking a number of monopolies; The Phuket International (Siriroj) Hospital is sold to the Bangkok Hospital group for B3.61 bilthephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

2014: THE YEAR IN PHUKET

9

news over the year KILLERS BEGIN LIFE BEHIND PRISON BARS

Clockwise from above, left: Lee ‘Pitbull’ Aldhouse, Moshe David aka Gabor Nemeth, Johan Sebastian Ljung and Tommy Viktor Söderlund.

Above, Patong’s ex-mayor Pian Keesin listens as Pol Maj Gen Paween Pongsirin details ‘mafia’ charges against him. Below, Paul Goudie (left) recalls how he was mauled by a tiger and an injured passenger is stretchered onto the shore after the speedboat Seastar crash.

lion; The new mayor of Patong inspects the town’s drainage system and finds multiple cases of rule-breaking, bad construction and poor design that probably contribute to the regular flooding of the town in the rainy season. Ikea announces it will open a “pickup point concept” store in Phuket; The northbound lane of the Central underpass is opened to traffic; The illegal Lotus restaurant on Bang Tao Beach is ripped down; the manager of Rock Hard in Patong, Gerard Caleo, on a trip home to Australia, is arrested for a murder committed 24 years ago; The new chief of Sirinart Park reveals that he sleeps in a bulletproof bunker and has received death threats.

SEPTEMBER @thephuketnews

HU NGARIAN/ISR AELI Moshe David, aka Gabor Nemeth, is sentenced to life for the murder of Peter Reisz in Phuket. He faces another trial in Samui for the murder of another Hungarian, billionaire Laszlo Csapai; The Marine Department orders that all foreign-flag yachts entering Phuket waters must be equipped with tracking devices; Patong’s former mayor, Pian Keesin, and six associates surrender to police to answer charges of “Ang Yi” (mafia) activities.

OCTOBER AO YON AND PARTS OF Chalong Bay Marina are ordered closed to all private boats, the former for “security” reasons, the latter for repairs; In one of Phuket’s largest ever drug busts, B9 million

worth of methamphetamine is seized. Those arrested point to a big supplier, a woman in Bangkok; Australian tourist Paul Goudie is mauled by a tiger at Tiger Kingdom. He is not seriously injured but the attack adds fuel to the growing campaign against exploitation of animals for the amusement of tourists; A speedboat full of tourists crashes into a trawler, flinging passengers into the water. A Korean couple are found dead two days later near the sunken wreck of the boat. The driver admits he was distracted; Pian Keesin, former Mayor of Patong, the island’s most colourful and controversial political player, who is under investigation for corruption and “mafia” activities, dies of a heart attack; Chinese “businessman” and “Future richest man in world” Chong Mi Chiew is arrested

for running a massive Ponzi scheme in China, Malaysia and Thailand; A 62-year-old Phuketian, Suwat Saejong, shoots a motorbike taxi river dead in a road rage incident near Rajabhat University; Beachgoers in Patong are alarmed to see a huge waterspout offshore. It lasts about five minutes before dissolving.

NOVEMBER A RUSSIAN TOURISTS dies after crashing a jet-ski; A group from Bangkok meet the Governor and others to propose a mega-concert on the beach in Phuket. After a frigid reception they change their mind; Phuket shows off preparations to handle any case of the deadly ebola virus; A mahout is killed by his elephant in Phang Nga. Days later, another is killed

by his elephant in Phuket; Phuket hosts 3,000 athletes who take part in the Asean Beach Games 2014. The event is a huge success, not least because Thailand wins by far the most medals; Uber launches its taxi-call app for smartphones in Bangkok and Phuket, but runs into a row over its Uber X service (in Bangkok only), which is labelled illegal by the government; Considerable confusion among tourists as different parts of the government announce that they may or may not bring their own umbrellas onto the beach.

DECEMBER A FIRE IN PATONG DEStroys six shops; A 10-year-old child is hurt when shelves of paint at Homeworks in Central Festival East collapse like dominoes; Seven-year-old

Molly Bailey dies after the car she is in crashes into a poorly marked, 2-metre-deep hole left by the subsidence of a small back road; The Parks Department recommends that the Land Department rescind land papers for a number of sites on the edges of Sirinart Park including land under Trisara, the Pullman and Malaiwana; An investigation is launched into alleged graft in the construction of the pier at Rawai; A six-metre python, “the largest in a decade”, is caught in a home in Chalong; Five soldiers and five civilians, hired by a Ukrainian businessmen to collect a B15 million debt, are arrested after allegedly kidnapping the debtors; two experienced Russian divers from Phuket die in a cavediving accident in Chiewlan Reservoir.

Opinion 10 OPINION

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

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2014 TOP 10

Coming to terms with change

D

espit e pe r sist i ng downplay of climate change, reputable scientific data suggests that weather patterns on the planet are indeed fluctuating from the “norm”. One would be foolish to deny that the planet’s expanding population (see also Life Page 4) has not been and will not continue to be affected.

A preliminary report recently released by the World Meteorology Organization suggests that 2014 is likely to be “the hottest year on record”, which would mean that 14 out of 15 of the hottest years recorded by meteorologists over the past few centuries occurred in the 21st century.

“Higher than normal” surface temperature is just one key factor in many countries and regions experiencing either excess rainfall or inadequate rainfall, resulting in both flood and drought disasters.

While not as vulnerable

historically as countries like the Philippines and Bangladesh, Thailand is certainly starting to feel the pinch of climate change, as is Malaysia and Indonesia (See News pages 11 and 12).

Meanwhile, most of the kingdom saw a drastic reduction in rainfall throughout 2014.

For the first 11 months of 2014, this was the case for almost every single Thai region – Central (-18pc), South east coast (-15pc); North (-9pc); East (-7pc) and Northeast (-2pc), according to the Thai Meteorological Department Aside from the f loodstricken deep south last month which otherwise has been relatively dry, the year-round exception region for drought was the Andaman coastal provinces – Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun – which, together saw 7pc more rain than the 30-year average.

Leading the country for excess rain were Ranong and Phuket which each recorded approx 17.5pc more rainfall than usual. Indeed, our ‘green season’ extension left many sun-seeking beach-goers disappointed through to the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

But the spout of excess rain is in stark contrast to the Thai capital, which recorded 33pc less rainfall in the same time.

And though accurately predicting the day-to-day weather forecast may still be an intricate guessing game, anticipating and preparing for the changes in the patterns of our planet’s weather systems is not exactly rocket science.

If climate patterns have taught us anything over the last few years, we’d be wise to start bracing for the opposite of ‘excess rain’ in the first half of 2015. And if the rains don’t return promptly by midyear, will you be ready, Phuket?

(Jan 1, 2014-Dec 26, 2014)

thephuketnews.com

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Tiger mauls Australian tourist at Tiger Kingdom Phuket Phuket: Two tourists brutally murdered on Koh Tao Kardashian clan were ‘great guests’ at luxury Iniala resort, north of Phuket All safe after dramatic dive boat sinking near Phuket [VIDEO] Thai men biggest cheaters; small penis size blamed Three foreigners to be expelled from Phuket Phuket: Are Russians really rude?

Vendors begin to move off Phuket’s Patong Beach So fast! Couple who helped Phuket tsunami victims already found Thai woman beaten by Russians on Pattaya Walking St

Visit thephuketnews.com for all the latest news

HAVE YOUR SAY

editor1@classactmedia.co.th Originally from Canada; BA in Sociology from the University of Birmingham in the UK and an MA in Online/Print Journalism from the University of the Arts in London. Three years experience for Britain’s third-biggest publisher, Immediate Media, as well as Bauer Media and InStyle magazine.

EDITORIAL

Still holding my breath!

Re: Cabinet approves crackdown on illegal tour guides I really am fed up... when will Thais learn how to accommodate and learn to live with changing times and the real world? When will they learn that so many foreigners love their country and want to show it to the world?

Wake Up! scubancicks

Who are they fooling?

Re: Phuket airport immigration deny ‘B100 fast track through Ebola line’ It was in operation today as friends used it coming in.

Fredinbangkok

If I were a wagering man...

Re: 10pc of Phuket beaches set aside for mat and umbrella operators The creep will begin the first day. In a couple of months it will be half the beach. Mark my words.

Scudman

Remembering for renewal, rebuilding

Re: Learning lessons from the Tsunami a decade on I wholly agree the stresses on the fragile ecosystem in coastal Thailand will need stronger management. Many of these issues were identified in the Phuket Tourism master plan penned back in the early 1980s which my legacy employer worked on.

On this day of memory of the many lives lost let us rededicate to building better – bother stronger construction and with more wisdom where to build, how much to build and where not to build that the resources can heal as we seek for our hearts and for those who lost loved ones.

This journey has been my passion since watching the horrifying news and nearly unbelievable seismic data roll in. Occupying the night here in the USA where sleep left me entirely and my professional life pivoted to the now robust discipline of tsunami

engineering.

Mathew Francis

Rebecca Polzin-Ahluwalia

Well done Phuket News. I feel very saddened that not one of the Thai “national” papers has carried a memorial article. Even the bbc, for all its faults, has it as a lead article.

Andy Fletcher

Oh boy, another one. Maybe this can bring more awareness as was the case with the other dingbat Richard Joynes

Name and shame their faces too Re: Suspected skimmer gang members arrested in Phuket I think the police should have the right to grab these guys by the ears and make them look up at the camera, otherwise what’s the point in having these pictures taken? Surely, it’s not just so the BiB can get their picture in the papers?

Chas

Role models on the wrong side?

Re. Beyonce rides baby elephant in Phuket photo gallery You’d think celebrities would be more in touch with the consequences of this behaviour

She should be setting an example as the world is watching!

R Polzin-Ahluwalia She’s on vacation, who cares Rey Arboleda Lol The abused animals care.

Gina Duangthong

Kudos to hard New Year labour Re. Five day holiday for Thailand New Year Good to hear that CAM is not bowing to the concept of holidays ‘gifted’ by government at the expense of private companies. Labour Dept confirms no legal status to the 2 Jan ‘holiday’ as far as the private sector is concerned, WE’RE still cracking the whip Grenville Fordham

Have an opinion? Comment on stories at thephuketnews.com thephuketnews

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THAILAND NEWS 11

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Dam waters released into flooded far South R iverside communities reeling under monsoon floods in the far South at the end of last year faced further hardship as authorities at the end of the year warned releasing water from the brimming Bang Lang dam in Yala.

With the dam reservoir at 99% of its capacity, previously flooded down river villages in Yala and Pattani provinces were warned of the new threat late on Friday by Yala deputy governor Sayant Intharapakdi.

He said rain from the Dec 17 to 25, 2014 moonsoon downpours had raised the level behind the Bang Lang dam

to 114.81 metres above mean sea level. Its maximum waterholding level was 115 metres.

The hydropower dam held 1,444.80 million cubic metres of water, which was 99.34% of the total capacity of the reservoir. It was essential that water be discharged from the dam to ensure its safety, Mr Sayant said.

Nimuhammadnurdin Wae, a senior engineer at the Bang Lang dam, said the discharge started about noon on Friday.

The dam would release about 30 million cubic metres of water daily to protect its structural integrity.

“The discharge from the Bang Lang dam will affect people in Yala and Pattani provinces. The level of the Pattani River will rise and f lood houses in risk areas along both sides of the river in Bannang Sata, Krong Pinang and Muang districts of Yala,” Mr Nimuhammadnurdin said. (continued below) He expected discharge water to reach Yala municipality by 10am on Saturday and enter Pattani on Sunday.

The rock-fill Bang Lang dam stands in the Pattani River in Bannang Sata district and is 58 kilometres from the centre

of Yala.

Pattani deputy governor Weerapong Kaeosuwan on Friday recommended evacuation of people living by the Pattani River in Muang Pattani, Yarang, Nong Chik and Mae Lan districts. Muang Pattani district was flooded Thursday night during a high tide.

In Narathiwat province, flood levels increased slightly in Sungai Kolok and Tak Bai districts on Friday due to floodwater from Sukhirin district and drained floodwater from the Kelantan state of Malaysia into the borderline Sungai Kolok River.

Water is discharged from the Bang Lang dam in Yala last Friday. Photo: Bangkok Post/ Maluding Tido Some urban schools reopened there last Friday but those in remote areas remained closed.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said in Tak Bai on Friday that flooding in the three southern border provinces

of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat was most severe this year, and exacerbated because roads were built without drains in natural floodways. He said water retention areas were necessary in the three provinces.

Bangkok Post

PM Chan-ocha: Failure is not an option

Selfie-aware: PM Prayuth Chan-ocha poses with media members. Photo: Post Today

PRIME MINISTER PRAYUTH CHANocha has rated the performance of his military-installed government over the past three months as “unsatisfactory”, saying its achievements so far won’t ensure security and sustainability.

The government has suffered recently in public opinion polls of its performance, with many wondering if it is achieving all that was promised. Gen Prayuth said Thursday that if he doesn’t solve the country’s problems, he might well be

CDC to issue ‘reform volume’ THE CONSTITUTIONAL Drafting Committee (CDC) is set to publish a “reform volume” of the draft constitution in clear, concise language to present to the public for input before January 5.

Mr Borwornsak Uwanno, CDC Chairman, revealed that the committee is near its completion of the draft constitution. He added that the committee agreed that a summary memo needed to be published so that the public and various groups can grasp the main intentions and highlights of the new

@thephuketnews

The Constitution Drafting Committee resolved that the new charter should provide for a non-elected prime minister in the event of a political crisis. Photo: Bangkok Post constitution.

The committee has therefore tasked committee spokespersons Pakorn Preeyakorn and Kamnoon Sithisaman

with summarizing in clear and concise language the main points of the constitution, which the committee will call the “reform volume.” NNT

considered a “traitor”.

He said the government would have to work harder at maintaining peace and order, integrating the management of the country, and reform.

“I don’t want to hear any more questions as to when the general election will be held. The time frame of everything is given in the constitution. It now rests on all of you, not me alone,” Gen Prayuth said.

“I’m here as a referee or a headmaster who will accelerate the work. Sometimes,

there may have been much rushing which led to misunderstanding,” he added.

The government has divided its mission into three stages, he said.

The first stage is when the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) took over the country, the second stage is a period of one year dedicated to reform work, and the third stage is to bed down the previous changes.

Every side is well aware that problems may take time to resolve, he said.

12 ASIA NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Malaysia hit by worst floods in 30 years

alaysia’s worst flooding in decades has forced some 118,000 people to flee their homes and has seen Prime Minister Najib Razak come under fire after photos showed him playing golf with US President Barack Obama during the storms.

At least five people have been killed by the rising waters and there appeared to be little respite on the way on Friday (December 26), with forecasters predicting further heavy rainfall across previously unaffected southern parts of the country.

As local media carried photographs of people wading through flood waters as deep as two metres and entire houses submerged by rising water, the government faced criticism for not declaring a state of emergency to help devastated communities.

Seasonal flooding hits Malaysia every year and regularly forces tens of thousands from their homes, but the latest round has forced authorities to evacuate around 118,000 people, mostly in the north-east,

M

A Malaysian waits outside his flooded home for a boat to a relief centre. Photo AFP state news agency Bernama reported.

Among the dead was a man who drowned at a relief centre on Christmas eve, while a rescue boat carrying eight people including a young couple went missing after it became entrapped in a whirlpool and capsized, the news agency said.

Rising flood water has rendered several roads unusable and authorities have suspended train services in some of the

worst-affected areas. Communications have also been badly hit by the storms.

Military officials said that additional helicopters from Kuala Lumpur were sent on Friday morning to deliver medical supplies, food and drinking water to victims of the flooding.

In a rare piece of positive news, around 100 tourists who were stranded in a remote resort in central Malaysia’s Mutiara Taman Negara Resort by flood-

ing and mudslides were rescued and sent to a relief centre.

PM Najib called on rescue workers desperately trying to reach flood victims to step up their efforts to deliver food and water.

Mr Najib himself came under fire, however, when the Obama golfing pictures emerged.

Mr Najib decided to cut short his usual year-end vacation and returned to Malaysia on Saturday AFP

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Manila moves toward talks with red rebels THE PHILIPPINE GOVernment and communist rebels said on Friday (December 26) that formal negotiations to end a lengthy insurgency could restart shortly, though the rebels’ armed wing announced it was beefing up its guerilla campaign.

Peace talks over one of the world’s longest-running insurgencies, which have been on and off since the 1980s, may resume as early as the second half of January, Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison said in a video message on Facebook.

Back-channel talks to “prepare the agenda” for formal negotiations have been continuing since September and agreements on a ceasefire and social and economic reforms may be finished before President Benigno Aquino steps down in 2016, said Sison, who is in exile in the Netherlands.

Teresita Deles, presidential adviser on the peace pro-

cess, did not give a timeline for the negotiations, but told AFP that Sison’s remarks were “very positive” and indicated that common ground between the two sides was “broadening”.

In a goodwill gesture the rebels on Friday released two soldiers held captive for four months in the southern province of Bukidnon, said military spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla.

But the communists’ armed wing, the New People’s Army marked the 46th anniversary of its founding on Friday with a call to intensify its guerilla campaign. “[We] must seize and control the initiative by launching more frequent and sustained tactical offensives,” the group said in a statement.

Over the past 46 years, the communist insurgency has claimed 30,000 lives, according to military estimates. AFP

Kiwi bar manager on trial for insulting the Buddha A BAR MANAGER FROM NEW ZEALAND on Friday (December 26) told a Myanmar court he had “no intention” of insulting religion when he used a mocked-up image of the Buddha wearing headphones to promote a cheap drinks night.

Philip Blackwood, general manager of the Vgastro bar, posted the offending photo on the bar’s Facebook page on December 10, triggering widespread anger in the predominately Buddhist country, which is witnessing a surge in Buddhist nationalist sentiment.

The 32-year-old was arrested along with two Myanmar nationals – Tun Thurein, the bar’s 40-year-old owner, and manager Htut

Ko Ko Lwin, 26.

The trio face possible jail terms if found guilty of breaching the Religion Act with the contentious poster, which was quickly withdrawn from the bar’s Facebook page when the furore erupted.

“I had no intention at all of insulting religion.

I only did it for promotional purposes for my shop. I’m not guilty,” Blackwood told the court in comments read out in Burmese by a judge.

Vgastro, a tapas restaurant and nightclub in an upmarket part of Yangon, was shut shortly after the poster came to light, despite a Facebook apology by management for their “ignorance” in using the Buddha’s image. AFP

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

WORLD NEWS 13

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

A year when borders blurred

B

orders are supposed to be sacrosanct the world over but 2014 saw boundaries in Ukraine, Iraq and Syria thrown into question, raising fears of a new world order.

Yet experts say such concerns are overblown.

Russia’s quick-fire annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in March drew a chorus of outrage and a diplomatic war-of-words. But the fury failed to reverse the situation or prevent a Moscow-influenced separatist conflict from breaking out in the country’s east.

In June, a lightning offensive across northern Iraq

by Islamic State (IS) jihadists and their proclamation of a caliphate spanning IS-controlled territory in Iraq and neighbouring Syria sent shivers down the West’s spine.

“The borders that were designed by the British and the French rather arbitrarily a century ago are now being decisively challenged by ISIS,” said Robin Wright, a scholar at the United States Institute of Peace and the Wilson Center, using an alternative name for IS. “The basic question is whether Iraq and Syria can

“In terms of broader systemic change, even if we look at what would seem to be the most radical of these examples, Islamic State, it’s fascinating that they call themselves Islamic ‘State’,” he said.

“Some of the first things they have been doing is establishing classic state institutions, passports, currency, all those things we expect bordered states to do.

“In a lot of ways, they acknowledge the world of borders.”

Ukrainian soldier walks near their armoured personnel carrier at the headquarters of the Ukrainian forces, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region, on December 24, 2014. Photo: AFP ever be revived with their contemporary, modern borders.”

Wright was referring to the secret Sykes-Picot deal that Britain and France signed in May 1916 carving up the Middle East. In June, members of IS posted a photo series online of militants bulldozing a berm dividing Iraq and Syria, entitling it “Smashing the Sykes-Picot border”.

Zones where state is absent Wright, who has interviewed hundreds of people from all walks of society in the Middle

East to get an idea of the changing nature of the region, redrew the map to reflect what could happen and published it last year in The New York Times Sunday Review.

In the map, she illustrated how Libya, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Yemen could divide into 14 countries, for instance Kurdistan over the north of Iraq and Syria, and even “Sunnistan” and “Shiitestan” – and that was before the IS sweep.

She also underlined “the unleashing of political forces in countries that were not ready, prepared or able to make his-

International journalist deaths soar in 2014: press watchdog THE GRUESOME MURders of foreign journalists by Islamic State group contributed to 2014 being a particularly deadly year for international correspondents, a review by the Committee to Protect Journalists read last week.

The CPJ study found that an “unusually high proportion” of the 60 journalists who died reporting from the world’s trouble-spots in 2014 were international journalists.

Among the grim toll were American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, whose horrific beheadings by IS jihadists were published by the group in online videos in August and September.

German photographer Anja Niedringhaus also died after being shot by police while covering elections in Afghanistan for The Associated Press.

Six international journalists were among five reporters and two media workers killed in Ukraine this year, the first journalism-related killings CPJ has confirmed in the country since 2001.

In total, around a quarter of journalist fatalities in 2014 involved international corre@thephuketnews

Screen shots of the executions of James Foley and Steven Sotloff. spondents – double the usual mortality rate.

However, the study found that the “overwhelming majority” of reporters at risk for their work are locals.

The CPJ cited the case of Syria, the deadliest country

for journalists in 2014 for a third straight year with 17 deaths, as an example of the risks faced by local reporters.

Of the approximately 20 journalists estimated to be held hostage by the IS group, most are local, the CPJ said. AFP

toric transitions, most notably Libya”, which has plunged into lawlessness since the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi.

For Michel Foucher, a Parisbased geographer, borders in the area have not been called into question yet.

“But there are zones where the state is absent, which more or less organised groups have rushed into,” he said.

Philip Steinberg, Director of Durham University’s Centre for Borders Research, pointed out that borders have had a long history of being adjusted.

Kosovan precedent for Ukraine Where Ukraine is concerned, Russia’s involvement in the deadly crisis has sparked concern that Moscow is on a mission to regain influence over what used to be the Soviet sphere and stop the European Union’s expansion east.

Before it even intervened in Ukraine, Russia’s dominance over Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and its move to set up an Eurasian Union as an alternative to the EU – including Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan – had already sent tongues wagging.

But Foucher pointed out

that while Moscow has been accused of disregarding international law with its annexation of Crimea, NATO countries are not white as snow either.

In 1999, they intervened in Serbia and its province of Kosovo to end unrest between the two and stop the persecution of Kosovar Albanians, eventually leading to Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence in 2008.

“In a sense, the principle of the inviolability of borders... was not respected where Serbia was concerned because Kosovo was a province that was detached by force,” said Foucher.

He added that Kosovo was used by the Kremlin as a precedent for its involvement in Ukraine.

Ultimately, said Steinberg, “stability is almost always in the interest of those who currently have a degree of power”.

Raed Fahmi, a former Iraqi minister, recently pointed out that Arab nationalists long called for Arab unity and for the elimination of arbitrary borders but failed.

And “later on all leaders focused on enhancing their power within each individual Arab country”. AFP

14 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Banyan Tree launches villas inside Laguna B

anyan Tree Residences has expanded its portfolio by launching its first wholly residential property within Laguna Phuket and adjacent to the flagship Banyan Tree Resort on Phuket’s prime west coast location of Phuket.

Strategically positioned to overlook the alluring beauty of lagoons along the sophisticated waterfront abode, the 5-bedroom residential project consist of only 19 exquisite villas.

The Banyan Tree Grand Residences project is built in a modern, contemporary, architectural style with strong traditional Thai influences.

Each villa presents capacious living areas with a total base area of over 760 sqm. and an unsullied flow of interior design including an expansive shaded terrace that links the living area to a large infinity swimming pool and integrated Jacuzzi.

With additional services and management by Banyan Tree, owners are sure

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Kristopher Honeycutt

Marisa Guerrero

Outrigger hires two online experts to benefit from the lifestyle experience that comes with ownership.

Whilst the current Banyan Tree Residences are lifestyle investment properties located in Thailand, the Seychelles, China, Indonesia, Mexico, and Vietnam; Banyan Tree Grand

Residences is the very first fully residential property by the group in Thailand.

“There has always been a demand for beautiful primary and secondary homes in prime locations by reputable developers in Phuket, and we have been developing a range

of properties to meet demands for those who desire ownership within a safe and secure location such as Laguna Phuket We have been receiving a lot of enquiries for high-end, luxury, fully residential homes within the resort, with professional management services.

We believe the Banyan Tree Grand Residences with all the advantages of the Banyan Tree’s international standard of services and infrastructure will help to meet those demands.” said Stuart Reading, the Head of Banyan Tree’s Property division.

Vehicle sales fall through the floor VEHICLE SALES IN Thailand in November slumped by 21.8 per cent compared with the same month in 2013, according to an announcement

by Toyota Motor Thailand.

The slump saw sales fall from 93,400 to 73,000 units.

The biggest fall was in saloon car sales, at 29,242 units, down 27.7 per cent, while sales of vehicles for commercial purpose stood at 43,826 units, a decline of 17.4 per cent.

It said sales of one-tonne pick-up trucks dropped to 35,644 units, down 22.6 per cent.

It attributed the dive in sales of peersonal vehicles (as opposed to commercial) to high household debt which has slowed spending by the household sector.

The year-to-date figure is even worse, with sales during the first 11 months this year totalling at 792,000 units, from 1,216,000 the first 11 months of 2013 – a fall of 34.9 per cent – Toyota said.

The slump is attributed to low consumer confidence.

The Consumer Confidence Index in November was still in retreat due to the public’s worries over global economics.

SEAN DEE, EXECUTIVE vice president and chief marketing officer of hotel chai Outrigger, has announced the addition of two new professionals to the company’s global distribution team. Kristopher “Kris” Honeycutt.

Honeycutt has joined Outrigger as corporate director, digital, and Marisa Guerrero is the company’s new social media strategist.

As corporate director, digital, Honeycutt oversees Outrigger’s globally managed digital marketing assets and efforts and is responsible for digital asset strategy, development and implementation of technology, creative, content and analytics.

Honeycutt comes to Outrigger from MVNP (formerly Milici Valenti Ng Pack) where he was senior interactive director.

He studied graphic design and fine art photography and used his university degree as a springboard to explore and expand his knowledge on what he found to be his niche, the Web. As social media strategist, Guerrero is responsible for developing strategies and executing action plans to establish a clear and strong global brand voice for Outrigger through social platforms and working directly with their properties to ensure consistency and best practices.

Guerrero also manages the company’s global social media conversation and articulates global brand positioning through frequent messaging. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

BUSINESS NEWS 15

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

From boom to bust? After hitting a high last year, Russian numbers are way down.

Computer-generated image of one of the rooms in the new Manathai Khao Lak resort.

Manathai in Khao Lak move Sources: Ministry of Tourism and Sport and Kasikorn Research Centre.

Phuket News Graphic

Numbers of tourists from Russia falling by the minute K

asikor n Research Centre (KRC) says the Russian economic crisis will cut Russian travel to Thailand by at least 9.3pc in 2014 and 24.6pc in 2015.

The forecast comes as a shock for the local travel industry as it relies heavily on this market.

The research centre said the Russian economy faces a crisis caused by the conflict in Ukraine, the EU’s economic sanctions and a fall in oil prices.

Those factors have hit the Russian economy and would cause a slowdown in of 4pc next year, it said.

@thephuketnews

As Russians are a significant source of business for the country’s tourism, the economic crisis has impacted the Thailand tourism and export sectors. The sectors suffered a loss of B21,560 million, or 0.16pc of the country’s GDP. The crisis discourages Russian travellers from spending on long-haul trips to places like Thailand.

The centre estimated that this year there would only be 1.58 million Russian travellers to the kingdom, down 9.3% and generating B1,130,000 million, a decline of 7.3%.

The bank projected that Russian tourists to Thailand

would drop by 24.6% in 2015.

Revenue from this market would decrease by 20.7%.

The Kasikorn predictions contrast darkly with the figures of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, which recorded a total of 1.74 million Russian tourists visiting Thailand in 2013, up 32.66% from 2012, with a revenue rise to match.

Those figures seem most unlikely to be matched this year, given that the ministry itself gives a January-November figure for 2014 of 757,502, down from 930,843 in the same period of 2013.

That’s a fall of almost 19pc.

INDEPENDENT THAI HOSpitality group Manathai Hotels & Resorts’ ability “to tap a deeper, authentic Thai experience is embodied in Manathai Khao Lak – which introduces guests to a visually captivating and culturally vibrant destination, as well as a stylish and charming resort inspired by the surrounds and flavours”.

So says the company, which is offering special opening rates starting from B4,895++ which includes daily breakfast for two people in a Deluxe Balcony room until April 30 next year.

“Manathai Hotels & Resorts understands that individual travellers, families and couples want to engage with

a destination on their own terms,” Chief Operations Officer, Christoph Berger said.

“They crave individuality, choice and authenticity – and that’s what we deliver.”

Overlooking the Andaman Sea, Manathai Khao Lak is a window to nature at its finest: cave kayaking in Phang Nga Bay, diving at the world renowned Similan Islands and trekking in Khao Sok National Park, featuring the world’s oldest evergreen forest.

The meaningful cultural connection continues at Manathai Khao Lak’s Pad Thai restaurant, a beachfront and poolside culinary concept that “gets creative with one of

Thailand’s most iconic dishes”.

Another plus is Manathai Kids which offers activities for children and families to learn and have fun together.

Manathai Khao Lak’s recreation, services and facilities includes a swimming pool, a fitness centre, a 24-hour reception and concierge service, 24hour security, complimentary Wi-Fi, room service, luggage storage, in-room dining, a private library, a private airport transport service, motorbike and car rental, a childcare service, and an activities and tour service. It also has a meeting space for up to 30 guests, and a team of event planners who can stage the beach weddings.

16 WEIRD NEWS

THE BIG LIST The year in weird The past year has seen a variety of different weird and bizarre happenings all over the world. Here we share some of the most cringe-worthy and interesting stories of the year.

Pheromone party: Back in July, a bar in east London hosted a “pheromone party” – an alternative dating trend based on the idea that smell plays a key role in the choice of a sexual partner.

Each person agreed to wear the same cotton T-shirt for three nights in a row, with no deodorant or perfume, and to bring it to the party. The clothes, infused with the pure scent of the wearer’s body, were placed in transparent plastic bags with numbers on colored labels — pink for women, blue for men.

Holy moly: Back in October, doctors spent four hours removing a large facial tumour from 17-year-old Grace, who had basically been living next to a big piece of herself since 2004. The growth attached itself to the teen’s, who hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo, jaw. Despite its size, however, the tumour had not prevented her from being able to eat and breathe, according to a clip from TLC UK’s Body Bizarre program.

After a six month recovery process, Grace will receive artificial teeth in order to help her chew.

Placenta taco: In May, new father Nick Baines walked out of the hospital along with his wife and newborn son, and a takeaway bag of her placenta.

The British journalist decided to take part in placentophagy (the act of eating placenta, or afterbirth) which has been generating lots of buzz in recent years. The placenta is said to be packed with iron, vitamins B6 and B12, giving ‘diners’ more energy and supposedly helps combat postpartum depression, though scientific evidence has yet to corroborate this.

Baines decided to cook up the placenta and place it in a taco: “It was tender, kind of like brisket,” he later said.

Fake coma: Back in late October, Briton Alan Knight was outed for pretending to be quadriplegic and in a comatose state for over two years, bilking his elderly neighbour out of £40,000 in the process. Knight lived off of disability benefits at his home in Swansea, South Wales, “hooked up” to an oxygen tank and received “care” from his wife Helen who was in on the scam. He was named the caretaker of his neighbour Ivor Richards and systematically drained the money out of his bank account. We was caught after Investigors collected CCTV footage that showed Knight walking on a bridge and shopping at Tesco.

Chasing the sunset: In January, the smog in Beijing had become so dense and thick that Chinese authorities resorted to broadcasting live sunsets on huge TV screens throughout the capital, which normally advertised the latest products and attractive tourist destinations. Although smog readings are usually high in the Chinese capital, readings on January 16 were startlingly high – particles of 250 micrograms pollution (25 micrograms is considered a safe level by the World Health Organisation). Visibility was as low as a few hundred metres.

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

China city bans Christmas in schools over western origins

A

Chi nese cit y has banned schools from holding Christmas events, state media reported on Thursday (December 25), highlighting official suspicions about the increasingly popular festival because of its foreign origins.

China’s Christian population, currently estimated at around 60 million, is rapidly growing and Christmas is increasingly marked in the country ruled by the officially atheist Communist Party.

But the government education bureau in Wenzhou, an eastern Chinese coastal city sometimes called “China’s Jerusalem” because of its large Christian population, banned schools from holding “Christmas-related” events, the Global Times reported.

Local off icials “hope schools can pay more attention to Chinese traditional festivals instead of Western traditions”, said the tabloid, which has close ties to the Communist Party.

Interest in Christmas has grown in China as an occasion for shopping, with marketeers using everything from saxophones and Smurfs to steam trains to get consumers to open their wallets.

But authorities in Wenzhou this year launched a demolition campaign aimed at local churches, with more than 400 forced to remove visible crosses and some completely destroyed.

The ban came as a university in central China required students to watch a

documentary about Chinese sage Confucius instead of celebrating Christmas.

“Be good sons and daughters of your country, stand against kitsch Western holidays,” a banner on the campus of Northwest University in the ancient city of Xi’an said, according to photographs posted online.

“Resist the expansion of Western culture,” read another.

A university spokesman told the state-run Guangming Daily that the school appealed

to the students to pay more attention to Chinese traditional culture, and not to “idolise foreign festivals”.

The newspaper added: “Each year Christmas brings debate, with one side saying that the festival can bring a lot of new fun things, and another side saying that we should not fawn over foreign things and overlook Chinese traditional festivals.”

China’s Communist party periodically issues broadsides against “Western cultural infiltration” amid growing consumption of foreign movies, music and other goods.

The microblog of the ruling party mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, displayed pictures of around 10 university students in the central province of Hunan holding an anti-Christmas street protest.

“Resist Christmas,” read banners held up by the students, who wore traditional Chinese outfits. “Chinese people should not celebrate foreign festivals.” AFP

Dutch scientists use smell to recreate JFK, Diana and other famous death scenes DUTCH SCIENTISTS ARE recreating the deaths of some of the world’s most famous personalities by reconstructing their last moments using scents and sounds.

From the sweet smell of Jacqueline Kennedy’s perfume mingled with the scent of John F. Kennedy’s blood to Whitney Houston’s last drug-fuelled moments in a Beverly Hills bathtub, scientists at Breda university say they offer visitors a unique, if somewhat macabre, historical

snapshot.

“We all have seen the images of JFK’s assassination, but what did it smell like?” asks Frederik Duerinck, from the communication and multimedia design faculty of Breda’s Avans university of applied sciences.

To find out, visitors with a sense of the morbid are invited to lie in a series of four silver metal boxes similar to those found in a morgue.

The boxes, which are pitch-dark inside, are rigged

with pipes leading to bottles containing pressurised smells.

A soundtrack is played and on queue different scents are released into the box to recreate a specific “final moment.”

For around five minutes, visitors can relive the smells and sounds believed to have surrounded four people whose deaths are etched into the world’s collective memory: Kennedy (1963); Princess Diana (1997); Moamer Kadhafi (2011) and Whitney Houston (2012). AFP

Mall-goers horrified as Circus passes off dogs shark leaps from tank as pandas A SMALL SPADENOSE shark jumped out of its uncovered aquarium to the horror of a farang who thought it was going to eat his baby last Thursday (December 25).

No injuries were reported in the incident at Central Ubon Ratchathani. Reports suggest the shark was eventually returned to the aquarium unharmed, after a number of people poked at it.

The mall’s public relations blamed the shark jump incident on a child who was seen tapping the aquarium with a toy, scaring the little shark. A dad damaged his baby carriage as he desperately snatched his

child to safety. The baby wasn’t struck by the shark, according to the mall’s CCTV footage.

The aquarium is 150 cm tall and displays different animals like bluespotted stingrays, yellow tangs, and other pretty fish. Coconuts Bangkok

ORGANISERS OF THE ORfei Circus in Italy face possible criminal charges after authorities discovered that they painted two chow chows to resemble pandas.

Though wildelife activists had initially discovered the two dogs during a visit to the circus earlier in December, police in Brescia, Italy confiscated the two dogs on December 19.

“Two white-furred dog

cubs, a male and a female of chow chow breed, were camouflaged as pandas and shown to the public, particularly children, to take photos demanding payment,” Italy’s state forestry police said Other reports say that the circus was telling skeptical customers that the animals were half-panda, half-dog hybrids.

According to investigators, the dogs are in good health. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

What to do with all those piling satang

ANDAMAN A-LIST

2

From the view of a used-car salesman

6

Travellers select Ao Nang as one of world’s top spots in 2014 > Page 5

Krabi's Phra Nang Beach. Photo: Kallerna

@thephuketnews

2 QUESTION & ANSWER

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Lots of loose change I’ve got a whole lot of small QUESTIONS QUESTION: coins (one and two baht, 25 and 50 satang) & ANSWERS that I don’t use and don’t know what to do Chawala Kongsang editor@classactmedia.co.th

with. Where in Phuket can I take them to exchange for big bills? Will any of the big shops or banks accept them if I have a lot? I must have thousands of baht worth, and my pile keeps getting bigger every week. Please advise. Ned in Phuket Town

ANSWER: Dear Ned, thanks for your

Do you have any Phuketspecific questions n e e d i n g a n s we r e d ?

Please email editor@ classactmedia.co.th

question. We’ve often wondered about this too. Places like the US, for example, don’t really have the same problem because banks and shops utilize paper coin rolls, making commerce with such small value coins much more convenient. In place of coin rolls, we’ve seen people in Thailand count their coins into B50 and B100 piles and seperate them into small, clear plastic bags. In any case, we’ve contacted the main Phuket branches of a few banks as well as some popular retailers here to ask them their policy on whether they will exchange small coins for bills. Here’s what we were told:

•Bangkok Bank (the main Phuket branch on Phang Nga Rd) does not have a policy for exchanging satang coins, but told us they would accept all coins to deposit in an account there.

•Kasikorn Bank have policies for both exchanging and depositing satang and one baht coins. It’s free of charge if the number of coins is 500 or less, but if you bring in more than 500 coins, there will be a charge of 1 per cent of the total monetary amount.

•Neither Siam Commercial Bank nor Ayudhaya Bank will accept bulk small coins for exchange or deposit.

•SuperCheap (the main superstore on Thepkrasatri Rd near Sapam) will accept satang and one-baht coins. They advise customers to simply queue up at a cashier, even without buying any of their products, and ask to exchange (To make such a request in Thai say Khor Lack Noi ขอแลกหน่อย).

However, if one comes with a large amount of coins, you might need to leave the coins there and return a day later to collect the money, as it will take time to count.

•Tesco Lotus also accepts small units of coin because they still use them regularly.

If you want to exchange them, you are advised to walk up to the customer service desk and ask to exchange. They said there is no limit to the amount of coins you can exchange, but should also allocate time for counting.

•According to Seven Eleven headquarters in Bangkok, the convenient store chain also uses satang coins regularly; however, each store has its own owner and management. Therefore, some might need more small coins, and others won’t because they may already have sufficient coinage in their reserves. Therefore, some stores may deny large exchanges. Just ask.

In general, if you plan to to make large exchanges, purchases or deposits with satang or other small-value coins, it is advised to organize your coins into small manageable portions. That said, depending on the value, vendors may still wish to re-count the coins, which means you should always allocate enough time for the transaction.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Change will be slow, but sure: Gov Nisit MEET THE GOVERNOR Nattapat Tuarob reporter1@classactmedia.co.th

There is one thing that always comes up, how to make Phuket to be a world class destination, in respect to being clean, convenient, comfortable and offering fair prices. We will not solve everything at once but we will gradually improve.

Gov Nisit hopes to regulate jet skis and build Phuket’s waste incineration capacity to make the island more attractive and sustainable. @thephuketnews

F

PEOPLE 3

or this month’s Meet The Governor column, The Phuket News had an insightful sit-down with the sharp and stern bureaucrat; the conversation covered jet-skis, tourism and his long term plans he looks to implement while in the driving seat of the island.

On jet-skis, according to a recent Phuket News Poll (the results of which were published on page 2 of the December 26 issue), 84 per cent of respondents strongly oppose jet-ski operations on the island. What’s your response to them?

I would say that jet-skis in Phuket have been operating for a long time. If we suddenly wipe out the business, there would be major repercussions for them. Now we have enacted clear regulations, and if they don’t follow them, we can null their operating licenses.

If the jet-ski operators are responsible for a bad side effect, a tourist has an accident caused by a jet-ski operator, for example, then we will put them on our list and if it happens a second time, then we will cancel their license. I know that lots of foreigners don’t feel positive towards the jet-ski operators. However, now we have started to manage and regulate the operators, starting in Patong, and later we will continue to every other beach in Phuket.

In Patong, since we first announced the management plan, I haven’t got a report of an accident involving a jet-ski. Next year, we will continue to Kata, Karon and other beaches.

Phuripat Teerakulpisut, Director of the Phuket Marine Office will be responsible for evaluating and monitoring [the jet-ski operators]. This is a security measure created to make all the beaches remain in harmony.

If they don’t follow the rules, they will be phased out. I know that many Consuls don’t appreciate the jet-skis because they complained to me many times. So I informed them that now we have initiated regulations to control them. We are trying to make it safe and and prohibit them from abusing the rules.

One of the solutions is we will have a local referee as a mediator between tourist and jet-ski operators, along with the police, who need to be informed in every case and the police will have to decide, so it will prevent overcharging from the jet-ski operators.

Also, within the rental contract, there are four languages on an instruction and agreement in which tourists must read and be aware of in case there is an accident What’s your view on sustainability and tourism in Phuket?

Phuket, nowadays, needs improved law enforcement. We will enhance the potential of the province in the areas of marine safety standards; to check the location and the speed of ships in the territorial waters, which we will utilize what we call “Vessel Traffic System”. This system will be installed to cover 13 radar loops around Phuket to monitor nearby vessels. Gradually, we will improve our standard, enhance the potentiality of infrastructure to support tourism.

There are flood-prone areas that must be allocated budget to fix. There should not be floods. Traffic must be reduced.

Regarding mass transit, we are finalizing the public hearings (about a light rail system).

Tourism and Phuket can not be separated because we have high-value resources – beaches, islands, and marine activities. We can’t switch to other types of business.

The price of Phuket land is expensive, and other types of business can not compensate for it, compared to tourism.

As for the waste issue, we are considering investing in a new incinerator to handle future rubbish. This is where I would like the public sector to invest. There were some of private sector entities who proposed investing here, so I told them to conduct a feasibility study, but I’ve seen no sign of them”.

Can you outline your long term plans to address future problems in Phuket ?

Now, Phuket isn’t growing all by herself.

Phuket is a part of the government’s development strategy, so we can’t have Phuket depend only on a provincial strategy – we need to assemble with the country.

Whenever I have an idea to develop Phuket, there is one thing that always comes up, which is how to make Phuket to be a world class destination, in respect to being clean, convenient, comfortable and offering fair prices. We will not solve everything at once but we will gradually improve.

Taxis are one example (of improvement).

On the first day I took office, there were 107 taxi meters, now we have 245 metered taxis. Central Group will invest in providing shuttle buses. These changes will put a lot of pressure on the black-plate taxis. There will be measures to arrest and fine them, and transition them into the legal system.

The problem is they are poor, and we need to sort it out. If we shut the window of opportunity, it seems like we are pushing them to be criminals.

Many foreigners don’t understand why law enforcement in Thailand is not compulsory, it is difficult in Thailand. We have numbers of poor people here in Phuket who are not Phuket locals. They come from other provinces, Phuket people themselves are not the problem, many opportunity seekers pour into Phuket.

There are approximately 360,400 registered residents in Phuket, but we have hundreds of thousands who come from other provinces and countries living in Phuket, including millions of tourists a year. Last year, there were 11.9 million tourists. They are

part of resources exploitation. We can’t push them away. So, we need to make them learn and understand the rules and regulations.

And, according to the Phuket News Poll, many people want sun loungers back. I believe your poll. But I can’t allow them to occupy entire beaches. We set up a special zones for them and set up the system to prevent permanent occupancy, so we allow the rotation of operators and access to community enterprise. Those beach business operators must be poor. I will consider the Phuketian poor residents first, but people who have resided in Phuket for a long time are also considered too.

The door will be shut for those influential figures. Those who sell the rights to other people will be cut off from the group, and we will enforce the rules and regulations. I will sign an MoU with the beach chair operators.

My interim plan will be applied for three months. After that, there will be an expert evaluation of the results. If it turns out positive, then we will continue on but if it is not, then we will stop.

My goal is to bring Phuket beaches into the Best 100 beaches of the world. So at the end of the year, we will hold a competition, which beach among the [main] nine Phuket beaches will be the best beach.

Have you gotten feedback about your plan?

Lots. There are groups of people who disagree with the plan. Some want the same beach operations (as before), some don’t, especially the hotels, but now they understand that the sun loungers are necessary for some groups of tourists since the weather is hot. So we need to find a balance. I can’t act against the law. I don’t want the hotels to operate the sun loungers. I don’t want them to steal the occupations of local people. They have to stay in harmony, help each other. For those who don’t want the sun loungers, they can go to the beach and sit there. Special zones will be set up as a solution.

Also, drink vendors are allowed, but not cooking vendors. Smoking is prohibited too.

Foreign tourists need to be aware and understand that just as you must follow the laws and regulations in their country, if you come to Thailand, you must respect our laws and regulations too. Smoking in public areas is prohibited, around the world. I think those people who have common sense and who really want to seek relaxation will need to respect our country.

4 HAPPY NEW YEAR

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Looking into the crystal ball of 2015 THE GLOBAL SCALE Steven Layne editor3@classactmedia.co.th

If you’re wondering if you’ll get pregnant, meet your soul mate, win the lottery or finally land that dream job, go on and cough up your money...

Y

et another “New Year” is upon us.

On a geological scale, it’s hardly anything special – an arbitrary point on a relative time scale, a prompt to mark that our planet has clocked yet another 940- million-kilometre trip around our sun, just one more to add to some 4.6 billion orbits, since, it is widely believed by scientists, Earth was formed.

But on a human and societal scale, the New Year is a big deal. For people, so much can happen in a single year, and there is definitely a lot in store for Phuket, Thailand, the world and our solar system for that matter. With the age of digital technology in full propulsion, time is of the essence.

It’s the year of the sheep on the Chinese Zodiac, and that means... well, who really knows what that means? If you’re wondering if you’ll get pregnant, meet your soul mate, win the lottery or finally land that dream job, go on and cough up your money to one of the many soothsayers around town, and on the internet, if you so wish, for there are plenty of outlets that will gladly tell you what you want to hear if the price is right.

My aim here is tell you what you need,

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

not want, to hear, as there are some things we can absolutely be certain about this year.

A crowded planet

If you were annoyed about congestion levels in 2014, don’t expect the crowds to ease up any time soon.

In Phuket, the official registered population is around 350,000, and is not expected by officials to budge this year beyond a few points.

However, the actual population of people who live, work and visit the island is estimated to be between 900,000 to a million at any given time. Tourism promotion officials are hoping to ensure this number increases year on year.

As for the actual growth rate, we can reasonably extrapolate from available waste and resource consumption data that Phuket will grow by another 10 per cent this year – that’s 100,000 more people on top of the levels you see now.

But it’s not just Phuket, it’s the whole planet! The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs projects the world population to increase this year by some 80 million people, from 7.25 billion in 2014 to 7.32 billion by the 2015 year’s end. That’s like cloning all of Germany or Iran, and scatter-

2015’s outlook looks cloudy. Photo: kestya-d52gkyf ing the new humans all around the world, an average of 220,000 new set of organs every single day for the year.

That said, the Phuket News’ psychic desk predicts to see a lot more of the following key words in this year’s headline stories: scarce, shortage, disaster, murder, plot, riot, war, heist, famine, drought, corruption, court, scandal, flood, raid, disaster, disease, epidemic, terror, GMO, fluoridation, contamination... and certainly don’t forget about climate change (see editorial on News page 10).

Hey, but don’t let such a grim outlook stop you from toasting to a New Year full of wealth, health, happiness, wisdom and perhaps most important of all, luck, for it seems we could all use more of it from here on. Happy New Year!

New Year’s resolutions worth sticking to Dalia Hilmi editor1@classactmedia.co.th

I

t’s time for a New Year to roll in and you’re tired of the same old failed New Year’s Resolutions.

Don’t want to typically choose a resolution that you’ll never stick to anyway?! We totally get it. Lo and behold, there are some things that us otherwise hopeless and hapless New Year’s resolute-ers can look forward to.

There’s no real way to sum these up, so take a look at the resolutions below and find out what you should do to make 2015 a knock-out.

1. Finish a chap-stick/lip balm.

Oh what a day! If you can manage to hold on to that sucker for the better part of six months (maybe a year), be proud.

2. Fill up your gas tank all the way.

Maybe we don’t know that many wealthy, or even relatively financially stable people, but no one seems to do this. I’m more on the “I-might-run-outof-gas” spectrum than I am “oh dang, only a half a tank left” wavelength.

3. Try taking a selfie that looks like a picture of an actual person.

Yes, we’re talking to you duck-face ladies of the world. How about showing us your great new do by taking a seminormal picture of yourself.

4. Don’t collect your hair on the wall of the shower. Make it into an easy to clean up wad, and then throw it out after you’re done showering. Just once.

5. Don’t pick your nose in your car.

Why make a commitment you can’t stick to?

We can see you.

6. Girls, don’t do the back-up fake emergency phone call when on a first date.

I know, dealing with a bad date is just so unfair. But really, what did people do like 50 years ago when a date went awry?

7. Walk, wherever you’re walking, without staring at, using, or listening to your phone.

The world is actually pretty interesting if you spend time absorbing it. Take the head-phones out, put the phone in your pocket and walk with your head held high and observe the sounds of birds chirping (or taxis beeping) in your ears.

Warning.... you may find yourself thinking that you probably shouldn’t be making any new resolutions this year... mainly because you’re still working on the ones from last year. Or that it’s been a year since you didn’t become a better person. If that’s the case, then maybe forget about everything we have just said! thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

TRAVEL 5

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Krabi beach makes world top-10

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outhern Thai destinations continued to receive world recognition from digital-saavy travellers this past year. Trip Advisor recently announced its Travelers’ Choice™ awards for Destinations on the Rise in 2014, and Krabi’s Ao Nang made 4th on the world list, while two Phuket spots were also recognized, though only on the top Thailand destinations list.

The Destinations on the Rise awards highlighted 52 spots around the world that have seen the greatest increase in positive feedback and interest from the TripAdvisor community, year-over-year.

Classic New Jersey beach destination Wildwood now ranks as the top U.S. destination on the rise, while the rapidly developing Da Nang, Vietnam is the top spot in the world. In addition to the U.S. and world, Travelers’ Choice Destinations on the Rise lists were also unveiled for Asia, Europe, South America, and the South Pacific.

“The TripAdvisor community has helped surface some unheralded destinations across the globe that are receiving rave reviews from travelers worldwide,” said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor.

“From the boardwalks of the Jersey Shore to the temples of Vietnam, these award-winners offer highly-rated options for accommodations, restaurants and activities to inspire those planning their vacations for the new year.”

Mr. Thawatchai Arunyik, TAT Gov-

@thephuketnews

Ao Nang Beach. Photo: kallerna ernor commented on Krabi making the fourth spot.

“Ao Nang is popular for its scenic beach and relaxing ambience, and a selection of nice accommodation, restaurants and bars. The beach is also a transportation hub to enjoy the beautiful nature of nearby islands, including Rai Le Beach, Phra Nang Cave, Ko Poda and Ko Kai. Having been named among the 10 Destinations on the Rise in the World for 2015 by globetrotters will help enhance the attractiveness of this lovely beach destination, and attract more visitors.”

Ao Nang was ranked in the fourth place, after Da Nang (Vietnam), Sihanouville (Cambodia) and Limassol (Cyprus). In the fifth to 10th place are Bodrum City (Turkey), Naha (Japan), Hurghada (Egypt), Kazan (Russia),

Manaus (Brazil) and Eilat (Israel).

The Travelers’ Choice Destinations on the Rise in the World listed Ao Nang as offering 87 hotels, 157 restaurants and 78 attractions. Meanwhile, in an article titled “TripAdvisor names its 10 Destinations on the Rise” written for CNN Travel, the writer Katia Hetter described Ao Nang as being “known for its beaches and water sports. In addition to swimming and sunbathing at Phra Nang Beach, TripAdvisor reviewers recommend the prawns and papaya at Ton Ma Yom.”Ao Nang 2 Ao Nang is located some 20 km from Krabi town, and 6 km from Noppharat Thara Beach. Krabi can be reached by plane, bus and car. There are several direct domestic flights from Bangkok, as well as regional direct flights from neighbouring countries.

According to TripAdvisor, the Travelers’ Choice awards for Destinations on the Rise highlight 52 spots around the world that have seen the greatest increase in positive feedback and interest from the TripAdvisor community, year-over-year.

Award-winners were determined using an algorithm that primarily measured the year-over-year increase in positive TripAdvisor traveler review ratings on accommodation, restaurants, and attractions, across destinations worldwide.

The Destinations on the Rise list was part of a larger “Top Destinations in 2014” list, which included two spots in Phuket, and several more in the vicinity.

Out of the general top 25 Asia destinations recognized, the only Thai destinations to make the list were Bangkok and Chiang Mai, in 5th and 6th places, respectively. The two destinations also made the top 25 world list in 20th and 24th places.

Only two Phuket destinations were among the 52 spots to be acknowledged, with Patong being named the 4th top Thailand destination, and Rawai, 8th.

The box below shows the full Top 10 destinations of Thailand.

2014 Top Thai Destinations

1. Bangkok 2. Chiang Mai 3. Pattaya 4. Patong

5. Khao Lak 6. Bophut 7. Krabi Town 8. Rawai

9. Hua Hin 10. Chaweng

10 ENVIRONMENT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Sun’s shining, are you?

HAPPY HABITAT

Steven Layne editor3@classactmedia.co.th

Us common folk don’t really need to be concerned with the physics of a watt (W), but just need to know that energy is measured in W

ENERGY INDEPENDENT: Above right: A 40-watt PV panel generating electricity on the driveway of the author’s abode. Below right, simple solar set-up for a simple yet fulfilling lifestyle.

C

ommon Error year 2015 has arrived, and while many aspects of life on Earth in the days, weeks and months ahead are worthy of serious contemplation if not concern (see Editorial on News page 10, as well as Global Scale column on Life page 4), there are some other aspects that “enlightened” and “awakened” citizens of our transitioning human collective can look forward to in the year ahead.

Among them, natural resource emancipation, and in particular energy independence. And even though Phuket black-outs seem to be lessening while crude oil prices plummet ever-closer to a decade low, there’s a lot more reason to rejoice, for we are now have more choice, never mind the fossil fuel order.

For those who’ve followed the Happy Habitat beat, you’ll know I’m an enthusiast and advocate for alternative energy, especially solar power, which has never been more affordable and practical for common citizens in Phuket, Thailand and the world.

Even at B30-60 per watt in Phuket currently, photovoltaic (PV) domestic energy production is definitely practical for most islanders who can read and understand this, and the news on this solar front keeps getting better, with PV panels to be produced in China for as little as B14 per watt this year. Before you can really appreciate what this means, you’ve got to understand the fundamental math in domestic energy consumption. Here I’ll simplify/outline the basics.

What’s with the wattage?

In slightly advanced laymen’s terms, a watt is a unit of energy, equal to the product of volts (V) and amps (A). Barring engineers, us common folk don’t really need to understand or be concerned with the actual

physics of a watt (W), but really just need to know that energy use is measured in W, and be able to do basic calculations on how much energy one uses, needs to use, in W. For example, the office computer monitor in front of me right now is consuming as much as 150w (220V x 0.7A) for each hour it’s turned on, while the desktop PC it is plugged into is using as much as 250W to process this information. Meanwhile, my smart phone that is charging via the USB port is only drawing 5-10W (5V x 1 to 2A) every hour it charges.

Most appliances will list/label the wattage which it is rated (the maximum amount of energy it will draw). This number tells you how much energy it needs to function, which is important to figure before you take the jump into solar power, or any other alternative energy source for that matter.

If you are planning to emancipate yourself from fossil fuels, partially or wholly, like myself, the first step you should take is to figure out how much electricity you use, roughly, every day in W. Then, you can identify how much energy you would need to produce (using solar panels) and store (in batteries), and also figure out if there are any ways you can consolidate and eliminate unnecessary energy consumption/waste.

Seeking a sufficient set-up

Many people have thought about going solar, but often don’t get beyond examining/scrutinizing their personal comforts, which are often too excessive to be in harmony with “eco”. Such folks might get stuck on questions like, ‘Can I run my surround sound home entertainment system and sub-woofers, 60,000 BTU air conditioner, freezer fridge and 50-inch LCD TV?’ Well, if it’s such obstacles holding you back from investing in solar, then yes, it’s safe to say that you may remain a slave to fossil fuels (and oil-rooted wars) for some time.

That said, by learning how to be energy conscious and consolidate accordingly – asking yourself what it is you truly need to sustain if not thrive in terms of energy consumption – you will

find that the solar route is a blessing waiting to be embraced. But it all starts with some basic calculations.

When I’m at home all day/night on a day off, for example, with my current solar system set-up, I would typically need to use 120W for a cooling fan (precisely 120 Watt-hours, which means I run a 15W fan for 8 hours); about 60W for lighting (10W LED light turned on for six hours), 20W to keep my smart phone charged and another 50W to work on my lap-top for five hours. In addition to this, I might have my picnic cooler plugged in for six hours to keep my drinks cooled, consuming a whopping 240W. I might decide to practice a few songs on my electronic keyboard for an hour too (10W for one hour).

Thus, altogether, on such a day at home, I would need to use about 500W of electricity, or about half a kilowatt of energy. And since my fully-charged battery has a capacity of about 500W (12v x 40A-hours), my storage capacity should be just enough to supply said needs, even if it were raining all day, assuming my battery was fully charged from the start.

It should be noted that my set-up was designed specifically using low-energy or energy-efficient direct-current (DC) circuits that don’t require an inverter or utilize any wasteful alternating current (AC) circuits. Keep in mind that there are a multitude of factors that would cause one to lose energy or produce/convert/store energy inefficiently, which we’ll have to get into another time. In general, one should always design their set-up with some sufficient slack/over-kill (having battery storage for a kilowatt in my case).

In any case, a journey of a thousand, million, billion, trillion steps, begins with the first, said some old wise guy.

So what are you waiting for? Grab a pencil, figure out your wattage now, and start surveying for spots around your home/land that get full/optimal sun exposure. In a future column, we’ll look at different types of solar panels and batteries on the market. In the mean time, I’d love to hear from you.

Located 500 m From Jungceylon thephuketnews

6 MOTORING

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

It’s been a bumpy road The fortunes and misfortunes of a Phuket used car salesman WISE WHEELS Richard Jones richard@pixy.asia

Richard Jones is the Managing Director of BuyCar24 and can be contacted through www. buycar24.com.

U

sed car salesmen have been a staple part of Thailand’s automotive industry for over 40 years and until recently enjoyed a good business. With a disastrous two years for the Thai auto industry, we met-up with Phuket used car salesman “Mr Non” to discuss the state of the used car business and also to find out more about his journey to becoming a used car salesman and founding member of the Phuket Used Car Association.

A Surat Thani native, Khun Natthinon Tutthammarong, or Mr Non, came to Phuket in 1987 looking for work. He quickly found a job as a car salesman, first working for Nissan and then Volvo. But it wasn’t until he started working at Mercedes-Benz that his life took an unexpected twist.

Clients trading-in their used Mercedes opened-thedoor for him to the used car market in Phuket and it wasn’t long before he understood the business and had gotten to know the local dealership owners.

He saw the potential in opening his own dealership but lacked the capital needed to start. Continuing at Mercedes-Benz, he earned the distinction of being the first sales person from Thailand to receive training in Germany and as his reputation as a trusted salesman grew, so too did his client list.

It was a turn of events in 2005 that would ultimately give him the money he needed to start-up on his own. Still working at Mercedes-Benz, Mr Non innocently purchased a BMW for his own personal use.

This action resulted with him getting fired - which he felt was wrong - and after seeking legal help, the

courts agreed and he was awarded with enough funds to start his own dealership.

Starting with a small lot near Supercheap, his previous clients soon found out where he was and it didn’t take long before he was trading in mostly European and luxury used cars. The business grew and in 2012 he moved to a bigger custom-built showroom on the corner of a busy junction.

That same year the previous Thai government rolled-out the first car scheme for new car sales, essentially slashing the price of smaller new vehicles by around 20%. Initially this had very little effect on the used car market says Mr Non, but then at the beginning of this year business started to decline and it hasn’t stopped.

The economic problems facing the region, including the decline in tourism revenue and the low market price for rubber, along with the current state of domestic auto industry means hard times for Mr Non and other used car salesman.

“I don’t think the used car business is going to be as good and wonderful as 4 or 5 years ago” he says, admitting he’s struggling to keep his business afloat.

It’s a similar story for other local deal-

erships – they’ve either had to adapt, by offering other services such as car cleaning, tuning, repairs or close down, which has happened to a number of the smaller dealerships.

Other changes taking place in Thailand’s used car industry hold yet more uncertainty for independent dealerships. Toyota are already selling used cars alongside their new car showrooms with other brands expected to follow suite.

Thanachart, one of the biggest car financing companies in Thailand, are launching their own dealerships nationwide as is Gulliver – a Japanese used car giant who have ambitious franchising plans for their Thailand expansion.

Despite all the current problems and the uncertain future, Mr Non remains optimistic for the next year. “We have a lot of hope that in the coming year the tourism business will improve and then the business owners will come and buy cars again”.

Mr Non is not alone in his current circumstances, there are multitudes of other local businesses all feeling the pinch of the region’s economic troubles.

We will have to wait and see if his wishful aspirations of the returning tourism dollar will be fulfilled.

READY FOR TAKE-OFF: Steven Spielberg’s Back to the Future series predicted flying

cars by 2015. Now the year is here, and while there still aren’t skyways as anticipated by Hollywood back in the late 1980s, there is finally at least one existing flying car prototype anticipated to be piloted, literally, this year. It’s called AeroMobil. Designed in Slovakia, this ground-air hybrid is capable of going 200kph with a range of 700 km (435 mi; 378 nmi) in the air or 500 km (310 mi) on the road. Keep your eyes on the skies! thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

HEALTH 7

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Tap change from within Take control of your life using tools that you already have HEALTH MATTERS Susanna Eduini anna@santosaphuket.com

We are all worthy of the greatest life we can dream of. All we need is to accept this and believe how worthy and valuable we are

“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back.

Take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes” Morpheus. (from the movie Matrix)

F

or years I’ve been repeating those words as a mantra, without stopping to contemplate what their real meaning is.

The only thing I knew was that they had to do something with “change”. I didn’t realize they had to do with more than that. Their deepest meaning is about our inner journey, about our personal Wonderland. That inner place where we make decisions, where we build our beliefs and where we create what then becomes our world.

And in that deep rabbit-hole we can discover that we have all the resources and the powers we need to reach our goals. And this journey is the most amazing journey ever, the one within us.

My goal with these series of articles is to provide you with information and exercises for you to have access to your inner strengths. For getting the results you want, opening you up to new possibilities, to experiment with things never experienced before, and to discover new facets of yourself. Let’s begin!

What are our tools for “Change”?

1 The power of choice All of us are blessed with the power of choice, always.

Even when there are circumstances that we have no control over, we still have the power to choose who we will be and how we will act. Our choices are not mere incidents; they are powerful decisions that create an effect on the rest of our world. One powerful question here is: What do I decide to choose right now?

Susanna Eduini is the Executive Chef at Santosa Wellness Centre in Phuket, Thailand. She describes herself as a Meta-Coach, Autrice & Spiritual Chef and offers coaching sessions about food and cooking classes. She is the author of three best-seller books about raw food, published in Italy by Edizioni MyLife.

2 Living in the present We cannot change something unless we become aware of the present moment.

The past is gone, the future has not happened yet and the only place where we have power is NOW. This is the time that we can be aware of ourselves, of our thoughts, our bodies and the feelings we have.

Public Health Min to propose stricter anti-smoking law

T

he Ministry of Public Health is preparing to propose the drafting of a new law aimed at reducing the number of teen smokers.

The new anti-smoking law, if approved, is expected to fill the loopholes in the current one, which has been in effect for 22 years.

Under the new tobacco control law, the definition of tobacco products will cover all kinds of things containing nicotine, including baraku, electronic baraku, and electronic cigarettes.

In addition, people who can legally buy tobacco must be 20 years of age or above, instead of 18.

Advertisements, sales promotion activities, as well as points of sale of tobacco will be monitored more strictly. Operators @thephuketnews

will be unable to divide cigarettes into smaller units for sale as they will be required to sell them in the form of packets.

Over the past 20 years, more than five million Thais succeeded in quitting smoking, according to the ministry. However, the number of teenagers taking up smoking is now close to the number of those who gave it up. The improved law is intended

to reduce the rate of new smokers, which is estimated at 100,000 per year.

According to the Ministry of Public Health’s statistics, seven out of ten young smokers are unable to quit smoking throughout their lives. The rest can only give it up after 20 years of addiction. A young tobacco addict faces an estimated B156,000 baht in economic loss and treatment. NNT

Do you want to take the red pill, and deal with reality, or the blue pill and live in illusion? Photo: W. Carter And even when we make plans, they will simply remain visions and thoughts unless we take action in the present moment. One powerful question here is: What am I feeling right now? What powerful action can I do right now, that will let me have a different result?

3 Accept who we are

We are all worthy of the greatest life we can dream of. All we need is to accept this and believe how worthy and valuable we are. We are the only ones responsible for our beliefs about ourselves.

If there is a belief about us that we do not like, we can change it. No one can let us feel unworthy, unless we give him/her permission to do so. One powerful question here is: Can I give myself permission to accept myself, completely? What

It’s a long way down the rabbit hole, but there may be light at the end if you’re patient. Photo: Libi Fishman do I need to do so?

That should be enough for today, and I’m looking forward to next time to offer more rhetorical questions, exercises and insights.

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

EDUCATION 11

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Dusit announces new hotel school

Tutoring institutions get scrutiny from OPEC

T

he Office of the Private Education Commission (OPEC) has commenced its ‘reorganization’ of tutoring schools in order to bring all of them to standard and to ensure that they properly meet safety regulations.

Bandit Siphutthathangkun, secretary-general of the commission, said on December 24 that there were around 2,300 tutoring schools nationwide.

The commission has found that some schools charge higher fees than allowed, while some schools either allocated too much or too little content in a class.

Those schools have been told to make appropriate adjustments.

Meanwhile, buildings used to host the classes need to properly meet the safety regulations that call for fire extinguishers and fire escapes to be available.

Tutoring schools that make no improvements after being ordered to make the appropriate adjustments will be shut down. NNT

@thephuketnews

L

Rendering of Dusit Thani Hotel School, scheduled to open late 2015

ater this year will see the opening in the capital of Thailand’s first hospitality school based on ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals.

Dusit International’s pioneering Education division, responsible for Thailand’s first hospitality school, Dusit Thani College, and a first-of-its-kind joint venture with Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School, announces another first for the local hospitality education field.

In late 2015, Dusit will launch the new Dusit Thani Hotel School, Thailand’s first hospitality school based on ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals. The school will offer a com-

plete curriculum at both certificate and diploma levels, covering all areas of hotel operations. It will be operated separately from Dusit Thani College where those wishing to further their studies may transfer their credits to enroll in the college’s Bachelor and Master Degree programs. Additionally, credits from the Dusit Thani Hotel School are transferable to higher education institutions throughout the country.

The Dusit Thani Hotel School will be located in central Bangkok and offer up to 1,300 students 7,000 square metres of learning space, including: nine classrooms, two language laboratories, two IT laboratories with the latest industry software programs, three demonstration kitchens, three practi-

cal kitchens, and mock-up rooms of key hotel areas, such as front office, housekeeping, restaurant, and bar.

The school’s curriculum has been designed with different entry and exit points, allowing for a flexible programme students can tailor to suit their professional goals.

No matter which path they choose, they will acquire the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge to enter the hospitality field upon graduation anywhere in the ASEAN economic community.

“Developing and nurturing homegrown hospitality talent is crucial for our tourism industry,” shares Dusit International Managing Director and CEO, Khun Chanin Donavanik.

New basic ed core curricula to be piloted next year

T

he Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) is looking to pilot its new core curriculum for basic education in 2016, before schools nationwide adopt it the following year.

Kamol Rodklai, secretarygeneral of the OBEC, said that the new core curriculum will be a major revamp of the one in use

now. According to her, the B.E. 2551 (C.E. 2008) core curriculum has been in use for six years and it is time to make adjustments to suit the social changes that have taken place since and also to support the goal of producing the type of human resources the country needs.

The OBEC will evaluate the pros and cons of the present cur-

riculum, the curricula used by other countries as well as the draft of the basic education curriculum earlier studied by Mr. Phawit Thong-rot, a former secretary to the minister of education.

According to Mr. Kamol, the new core curriculum will place greater emphasis on local culture and way of life. NNT

Rural Thai students commute from school by boat. Photo: Fitri Agung

8 DINING

Exhilarated at the beach

Dalia Hilmi editor1@classactmedia.co.th

We headed to the buffet and proceeded to fill our bellies. From seafood, to refreshing salads, to live meat stations, the buffet really did have everything.

X

ana Beach Club is set on Phuket’s stunning north, with a 35-metre pool and a picturesque backdrop by the sea. It features a state of the art sound system and an extensive dining menu catering for the masses.

With its plush beach loungers, poolside beds and glamorous onsite accommodation at Angsana Laguna Phuket Hotel, it’s no wonder Xana is fast becoming one of Phuket’s most luscious hotspots.

I recently attended the launch of their weekly Sunday Fun Brunch, which marked the start of high season and operates every Sunday from 11:30am – 3:30pm.

The restaurant is located right on the beach, so you can enjoy an array of cuisines while looking out at the beautiful views.

Once we were offered a drink from the attractive drinks menu, we headed to the buffet and proceeded to fill our bellies. From seafood, to refreshing salads, to live meat stations, the buffet really did have everything.

One particular tasty station included a selection of bbq chicken and pork pieces, which came alongside mashed potato and a few baby roast potatoes. Next to that, you had the option of filling your plate up with: roasted vegetables; corn on the cob; tender beef steak; fried rice; egg fried rice; and baby pork garlic sausages.

The salad station was something I had never seen

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

before. A bookshelf that had stacks of cups filled with lettuce leaves, which could then be topped up with either salmon or chicken, croutons and Parmesan cheese. The perfect Caesar salad.

I then headed to the burger station, where you could either choose from the ready-made burgers or option to have one made right in front of you. The beef was cooked to perfection; it just melted in your mouth.

Another station, which was particularly tasty, was the meat and cheese station. It featured a large selection of cheeses: from Brie, to Camembert, to cheddar, to Gouda. Whatever you desire, they had it. Alongside the cheese, was an array of cured meats: from salami, to Parma ham, to chorizo. Then came the selection of crusty and warm breads – top all that with a glass of red and you’re sorted.

The dessert station was divine, a generous selection of cheesecakes, strawberry crepes, trifles, tropical

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

fruits, chocolate sponge cake and more.

Overall the extensive appetising buffet not only included quality fresh ingredients but the selection left you spoiled for choice. The service was exceptional, always catering to your every need. It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

thephuketnews

12 TECHNOLOGY

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Top games and apps of 2014

W

ithin a few years, we’ll be talking about how slow and outdated everything was in 2014. Let’s take a deep breath and enjoy, for a moment, what it feels like to be on the cutting edge before it’s too late!

Top Videogames

1 Titanfall: This Xbox exclusive is designed by the creators of Call of Duty and it shows with stunning, realistic visuals. The unique features (running on walls, invisibility, stopping bullets mid-flight, etc.) makes it one of the most violently inventive games of the last few years.

2 Dragon Age: In quisition 3 Call of Duty: Advanced Warefare 4 Dark Souls II 5 Destiny

Top Google Searches

1 Robin Williams 2 World Cup 3 Ebola 4 Malaysia Airlines 5 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Apple Watch.

Google’s Project Loon.

Google Glass.

Tech year in review CONNECTED

Top Mobile apps

1 Elevate (iOS/Android): Apple named Elevate their app of the year because of it’s aim to improve brain function. This free app creates a series of game to improve your math skills, concentration and memory.

2 T h rees! (iOS / Android) This puzzle games app has w o n nu mer ous end of year award for being one of the most slick-looking and addictive apps out there!

3 S ou nd Hou nd (iOS/Android): Identify any song, anywhere, anytime.

4 iPassword (iOS/ Android): Make complex, unique passwords and manage it all through this app.

5 Camera+ (iOS/ Android): Sleek interface and robust suite of editing tools make this the top photo app.

Screenshot of Elevate app.

LIFE

Dana Blouin DTBlouin@yahoo.com

Not to be left out in the cold, Apple also tossed their hat into the wearable tech market with the launch of...

Dana Blouin is an expert in the field of the Internet of Things and connected devices. Follow him on Twitter @danablouin

W

ell, it is the start of January and that means that 2014 is completely behind us. I figure there is no better way to kick off my column than to take a quick look back at connected technology from the year past before we look forward to the future in the coming months. It’s no doubt that 2014 was an exciting year for the connected devices that make up what is largely referred to as the Internet of Things, or IoT depending how “in the know” one might be.

The Internet of Things covers a lot of technology space, everything from smart cities, smart homes, connected cars, wearable tech and pretty tmuch any device that can be connected to the internet in one way or another. The smart home space was considerably shaken up when Google acquired Nest for a cool US$3 billion, letting them sink their hooks into a significant and established product.

Google was also on the leading edge of the wearable tech and augmented reality space with their Google Glass launch. And though the product has limited functionality in its current form and received a fair amount of negative

press, it still seems Google is ready to move forward with a full-blown product launch.

Not to be left out in the cold, Apple also tossed their hat into the wearable tech market with the launch of their much-anticipated Apple Watch. At first glance, it seems to outdo all other entries in the smart watch space combining functionality, connectivity and streamlined communication features. Apple also rolled out its HealthKit, which is intended to help app developers create apps for health and fitness devices and tie that data back into the Apple iOS. Finally, we cannot have connected devices without connections and both Google and Facebook launched rather ambitious projects intended to expand internet connectivity to underserved parts of the planet.

Google has its project Loon that aims to use balloons in the stratosphere equipped with antennas to deliver internet service to remote locations. Facebook, for their part, aims to use drones to deliver internet service in a similar, though not identical, manner.

There are a lot of connected devices in a many different spaces and markets.

I look forward to exploring them here in this column. See you next month!

Most anticipated game of 2015

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pparently The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is so ambitious, developers Projekt Red delayed the release of the game for three whole months just to work out the small kinks.

Most games these days are released with so many little bugs that gamers have become put off and some ultimately stop playing altogether (examples include Assassin’s Creed, Driveclub and Halo: The Master Chief Collection). From the looks of The Witcher 3, it will be the RPG that will finally take advantage of the potential of nextgeneration consoles and developers are right to take their time.

Set for a May 19, 2015 release

date, The Witcher 3’s cinematic look and rich story will keep gamers on the edge of their seat for the full 100 hours of play time. The setting is 30 times larger, according to Projekt Red, and the fighting system has been overhauled.

In addition, the story – which will see Geralt of Rivia return as the main protagonist – will include a number of complicated moral dilemmas that will uniquely affect each gamer’s quest.

Gamers have been teased about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for two years now and it has won numerous awards at the E3 gaming convention based solely on gameplay footage. Just five months to go...

Top games to be released in 2015 March 24, 2015 Bloodborne PS4 June 2, 2015 Batman: Arkham Knight PS4, Xbox One, PC June 30, 2015 Final Fantasy VII PS4 June 30, 2015 The Legend of Zelda Wii U First half 2015 No Man’s Sky PC, PS4 Second half 2015 Halo 5 Guardians Xbox One Late 2015 Star Wars: Battlefront PC, PS4, Xbox One

Golden Tweet – The most retweeted Twitter post was none other than comedienne Ellen DeGeneres’ selfie at the 86th Academy Awards, which she hosted. The photo, which includes movie stars Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie, Channing Tatum, Lupita Nyong’o and half of Jared Leto’s face, was retweeted a record 3.3 million times and was “favorited” over 2 million times. It was taken live on air during the broadcast back on March 2.

thephuketnews

FILM 13

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM 4, 2014 THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, FRIDAY,APRIL JANUARY 2, 2015

COMING ATTRACTIONS IN 2015 J.P. Mestanza editor2@classactmedia.co.th

NOTABLE 2015 FILM RELEASES

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e’ve known for quite a while just how big 2015 will be for movies. From reboots of classic films to sequels of our favourite and more! Here’s a look at some of the films that The Phuket News staff cannot wait to check out.

MORTDECAI January 23 FIFTY SHADES OF GREY February 13

THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT March 20

GET HARD March 27 EX MACHINA April 10 CHILD 44 April 17 SAN ANDREAS 3D May 29

ENTOURAGE June 5 JURASSIC WORLD June 12

TED 2 June 26 TERMINATOR: GENISYS July 1

MINIONS July 10 ANT-MAN July 17

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

Disney and director JJ Abrams have big things planned for the franchise as it gears up for it’s seventh film in the series. With original cast members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill alongside newcomers John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, fans will be lining up weeks in advance just to get a good seat in the theater.

To be released December 18, 2015.

THE MARTIAN

Matt Damon will star in Ridley Scott’s highly-anticipated film, The Martian, alongside actors Jeff Daniels and Jessica Chastain.

The story is adapted from the 2012 Andy Weir novel of the same name where astronaut Mark Watney becomes stranded alone on Mars and must improvise in order to survive.

To be released November 25, 2015

PAN July 24 MASTERMINDS August 14

SINISTER 2 August 21 CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON II

September 18

THE JUNGLE BOOK October 9

ST. JAMES PLACE October 16

007: SPECTRE November 6

THE PEANUTS MOVIE November 6

HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2 November 20

KRAMPUS December 4 DIRTY GRANDPA December 25

THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE

Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson and Taron Egerton star in this action film based on the comic book of the same name. It tells the story of a secret spy organisation that recruits unrefined but promising street teens and their training.

To be released February 13, 2015.

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

The reboot of the 1980s Mad Max series of films will star Tom Hardy in the titular role (made famous by Mel Gibson). A trailer for the film promises big, explosive action with a story that defines simplicity: in a postapocalyptic wasteland, loner Max meets a woman (Charlize Theron) who wishes to cross the desert.

To be released May 15, 2015.

The trailer for this Disney mystery adventure, starring George Clooney and Britt Robertson, has piqued the interest of many over social media. Both protagonists team-up to complete a dangerous mission to unearth secrets of an enigmatic place somwhere in time and space, known only as “Tomorrowland.”

To be released May 22, 2015

The Wachowski brothers (The Matrix trilogy) bring us Jupiter Ascending, starring Sean Bean, Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis. The original screenplay tells the story of human Jupiter Jones and interplanetary warrior Caine Wise in a sci-fi thriller with the potential for a franchise.

To be released February 6, 2015.

FURIOUS 7

Not only will this be Paul Walker’s final

SEVENTH SON

ere are this week’s coming attractions for SFX Coliseum Cinema (Central Festival) and SF Cinema City Jungceylon (Patong).

For up-to-date movie times and tickets, visit booking.sfcinemacity.com. @thephuketnews

THE WALK

Director Robert Zemeckis’ The Walk will tell the story of Philippe Petit’s dangerous highwire walk between the towers of the World Trade Center back in 1974. Joseph GordonLevitt stars as Petit. The story is already the subject of Oscar-winning documentary Man On Wire.

To be released October 2, 2015.

BLACK MASS

JUPITER ASCENDING

NEW MOVIES THIS WEEK...

H

Ultron is the first villain in the Marvel film universe that can be compared to Darth Vader. Comic book fans know that certain storylines are on the horizon and for that to happen, certain key plot points have to occur in this film. The seeds of civil war are about to be planted.

To be released May 1, 2015.

TOMORROWLAND

August 28

EVEREST

appearance on film, but Furious 7 will also see Jason Statham’s first shot as a villain.

It will be interesting to see how director James Wan incorporates Walker’s death into the franchise’s storyline.

To be released April 3, 2015.

Johnny Depp stars as Whitey Bulger, one of the most wanted men in the history of the United States who evaded police for decades before his capture in 2011. The film is based on the book of the same name and will also star Sienna Miller, Benedict Cumberbatch and Joel Edgerton.

To be released September 18, 2015.

Running time: 102 minutes

STAND BY ME DORAEMON 3D

Rated: PG-13

Running time: 95 minutes

Young Thomas (Ben Barnes) is apprenticed to the local Spook (Jeff Bridges) to learn to fight evil spirits. His first great challenge comes when the powerful Mother Malkin (Julianna Moore) escapes her confinement while the Spook is away.

Rated: G A cat-like caretaker robot is sent from the future to guide a 10-year-old boy, Nobita, in order to ensure that future generations of the boy’s family is prosperous and happy.

Based on the popular manga series.

14 ENTERTAINMENT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Looking back on 2014 glamour AMIGOVIA Whitney Mitha whitneymitha@yahoo.com

The wedding pic posted by Kanye West and Kim Kardashian quickly became the most liked picture in Instagram history with 2.5 million.

Whitney is an American living in Phuket, writing about the latest gossip and trends in pop culture.

Read more from Whitney onWordpress and Facebook (search: “amigovia”) and follow her on Instagram @Amigovia.

A

nother year has ended and a new one begun. Even though it’s just a change in date (see also Life page 4), there is always the hope and anticipation of life changing events in the new year. Let’s take a look back at some of last year’s standout happenings in pop culture...

Wedding bells

Weddings we wished we attended in 2014 as they all had to have been beautiful with fun receptions.

After the legalization of same sex marriage in the United Kingdom this year, Sir Elton John and his partner of twenty one years were finally able to tie the knot. They wed exactly nine years to the date of their civil union. How sweet.

The other stand out wedding this year was that of infamous bachelor George Clooney! Yes, he did in fact finally tie the knot at age 52 with Amal Alamuddin, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer. She has a royal vibe in my opinion. Classy pick George.

The biggest wedding of 2014 was definitely the Kimye union – between Kanye West and Kim Kardashian – which took place in Florence, Italy back in May. The wedding pic

posted by the couple quickly became the most liked picture in Instagram history with 2.5 million.

Goodbyes

This past year we lost some Hollywood legends.

Famed American comedienne Joan Rivers passed away as did actor/comedian Robin Williams.

The fashion world said goodbye to legendary designer Oscar de la Renta in October. Born in the Dominican Republic, de la Renta became world famous after first gaining notoriety for dressing Jacqueline Kennedy. For the rest of his life he became known for dressing powerful women.

Model behaviour

The Victoria’s Secret angels landed in London for their annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show which included performances from arguably the biggest artists of the year in Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, who fits right in with the models.

For the first time ever, the show’s final piece – the Fantasy Bra – was worn by two

women: Adriana Lima and Alessandria Ambrosio both walked down the catwalk together. This is the first time I can recall more than one model wearing the priceless, bejeweled Fantasy Bra of the year.

Karlie Kloss was named model of the year

by People magazine but, personally, I have to go with Kendal Jenner. She is everywhere!

Karlie has been around for a while now with slow and steady success whereas Kendall has blown up this year. She is absolutely making her mark as a serious high fashion model and, for the most part, has remained scandal free. Good for her!

So the year came and went with humans landing a probe on a comet and spending half the year obsessed with dumping buckets of ice water on their heads and filming it for charity, of course.

Happy New Year! May it be filled with everyone you wish for!

thephuketnews

16 ISLAND SCENE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM CAM CLIENTS This past week, several more clients dropped in the Class Act Media offices to wish us a Happy New Year (previous visits were featured in last week’s issue). Pictured are representatives from Point Yamu Resort by Como, and Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa.

AMARI CELEBRATES CLUBHOUSE OPENING The Amari Phuket management team led by Mr Pierre-Andre Pelletier – Vice President and Area General Manager, South Thailand (second from left), Mr Richard Margo – Hotel Manager (right) and Ms Tipaporn Koonphol – Deputy General Manager (left) recently participated in The Club House Opening Exclusive Party and congratulated Mr Yuthachai Charanachitta – President & CEO of Amari Estates Co., Ltd (second from right) for a successful night.

HIGHER LIGHT OF XMAS Jureerut Brett was one of 12 winners who won a prize in Live 89.5’s 12 days of Christmas competition. Breakfast host Phil Brandel presents the prize for dinner at Patong’s new Higher Restaurant on the rooftop of Seduction on Bangla Rd (which she will enjoy with her husband, not pictured).

XMAS LOVE FOR CAMILLIAN KIDS Cecilia Pitre, Founder/MD of BCBG Party Style

by Cecilia, along with associates Marc, Natti and Ishan recently visited Camillian Center in Khao Lak to bring a bit of Christmas spirit to the kids there. Camillian Social Center in Takuapa district is a non-profit organization under the St. Camillus Foundation of Thailand providing care and rehabilitation for children living with disabilities.

For more information on how to get involved, contact Cecilia at Cecilia@cecibcbg.com or visit www.cecibcbg.com

LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH & FAMOUS It was an invitation only affair for the annual Asia Superyacht Rendezvous, and from the looks of it, fun was had by all aboard the 10 uber-luxurious vessels that took part in this year’s event.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

ISLAND SCENE 17

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

10 YEARS ON: PHUKETIANS REMEMBER Several memorials took place across the entire island on December 26, in remembrance of the thousands who perished during the 2004 tsunami that rocked SE Asia.

Thai Buddhist monks during the annual service at the Mai Khao Memorial.

When the sun goes down ever December 26, Patong beach is lit up through candlelight as sand sculptures are dug.

Phuket officials during the memorial service in Mai Khao.

The Memorial Wall in Mai Khao.

The Andaman Sea Surf School and other organisations took part in the 10th Tsunami Memorial Paddle Out ceremony on December 26 off Patong Beach.

Japan monks during the memorial service in Kamala.

Japan Honorary Consul Shigekazu Sato during the memorial service in Kamala.

Several organisations took part in the 10th Tsunami Memorial Day Paddle Out in Patong.

@thephuketnews

18 EVENTS

FRI

2 JAN

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

SAT

3 JAN

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS 80’S PERFORMED BY GLENN TILBROOK ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS 80S Thanyapura Holiday Camp 22 Dec 2014 – 9 Jan 2015 (excludes Thu 25 Dec & 1 Jan) Get active and learn multisports skills! Camps are designed to be fun for kids of all ages from 7-14 yrs at Thanyapura. Variety of sports provided including Learn to Swim, Competitive Swimming, Tennis, Triathlon and Multi Sports. Starting price from THB 700 per day with different time tables of each sport. For more information and reservations, please call +66 (0)76 336 000 Email: reservations@thanyapura.com

Jazz, Blues & BBQ at Dewa Phuket

Some people don’t have everything in the world, and heaven knows we all like to party for a good cause. For one night only Iniala is going to let its hair down to raise much needed money for the Inspirasia Foundation to help the disadvantaged in Thailand, Indonesia and India. Squeeze’s lead singer and guitarist, Glenn Tilbrook will perform with a band that’s “Cool for Cats” for a special concert followed by Phuket’s most loved DJ Jason Wilder spinning your favourite songs from the 80s. So, dust off your rara skirt and neon socks and join us for some slap and tickle at some fantastic place and dance footprints in the sand until it’s all over at midnight. Ticket includes Tapas dinner by Iniala’s Executive Chef Sandro and free flow drinks from 6pm until 9pm. THB 3,000++ dinner, free flow and concert. THB 1,500 ++ concert only entrance from 8.30pm., Person: INIALA BEACH HOUSE, Phone: 076 429430

Farewell Party for Trudy McGown - Australian Embassy BKK

Live Seafood & Jazz Sunday Brunch at Banyan Tree

Suk Singpatong + Sitnumnoi

Pool Competition at Expat Sports Bar BBQ at Expat Hotel Time 8pm, Expat Sports Bar, Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www.expatsportsbar. com For THB 499/-nett.

All you can eat

Music in the yard

Indian Curry Night on Fridays

Join Banyan Tree’s indulgent LIVE Seafood Sunday brunch featuring lots of LIVE Canadian Lobsters, Tiger prawns, freshly shucked Oysters, Wagyu rump and Foie Gras. Meander from one live cooking station to the next, and don’t forget to leave room for cheese and dessert. With live Jazz music and a kids club, starting at B2,800++ per person including free flow of selected beverages. Advance bookings are highly recommended, Contact 076 372 400. fbphuket@banyantree.com

Traditional Sunday Roast Angus O’Tool’s Karon Beach

The competition at 9pm Expat Sports Bar at the Expat Hotel Soi Taipan Patong.

See map at www.expathotel.com.

Come to Navrang Mahal in Karon Sea Sands Resort & Spa for an authentic Indian Feast every Friday in Karon Beach.

Try out our delicious naans, mutton vindaloo, chicken tandoori, dal makhini, butter chicken, samosas, lassis and many more mouth-watering dishes. For only 499/- nett and special reduced prices on drinks, 076-286464 Ext 4.

with an afternoon of FUN at its newly themed Sunday Brunch! DiVine serves international buffet featuring seafood and meat BBQ with heated carving stations.

There’s a dedicated buffet for children with free cooking classes and other fun activities indoors. For the adventurous, enjoy the “Walk On Water” and other water fun games at the pool. Price for 4-11 yrs at THB645++ per child. Food only THB1,290++ per person. Beverages Buffet at THB 890++ per person. For reservations, call 076 336 000 or dining@thanyapura.com

Hawryluk Legal will be hosting a Farewell Party for Trudy McGown - First secretary and consul for the Australian Embassy in Bangkok, at Home Restaurant in Kalim.

Invite is extended to all Aussies in Phuket who are interested in meeting Embassy officials from Bangkok. Let’s throw a big farewell party for Trudy, she has been a great asset to Aussies in Thailand :-) RSVP essential to info@hawryluklegal.com, 076 510 111

Every Saturday night, Num Noi Singpatong, the head trainer and owner of Singpatong + Sitnumnoi gym in Patong Beach, hosts an elite fight series “Suk Singpatong + Sitnumnoi Saturday fight night” at Patong Boxing Stadium (Sai Nam Yen Road), where top international and Thai fighters compete. Visit pattongboxingstadium.com for more info.

Proudly supported by Class Act Media. Remark: Free transportation in Patong, Karon, Kata areas when requested in advance.

Fridays from 7pm Enjoy live jazz with a delicious banquet of grilled meats, fresh seafood and more. From THB 800++ per guest Book Now: 076 372 300, Person: RSVP, Address: Dewa phuket, Email: sales2@dewaphuket.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Enjoy the acoustic sounds of Brazilian Samba, Rhythm & Blues Saturday 3rd January with our International trio Don Falzone, Jimmy Duchoeny & Mark Lambert. Indulge yourself with SALA Phuket’s sumptuous, inspired Brazilian mixed grill buffet including a bottle of ‘Chandon’ per couple for just 3,500 baht++ per couple!

Kick back and feel the Samba beat in this most tranquil setting under the stars overlooking the Andaman Sea! At SALA Phuket’s Music in the Yard on Mai Khao beach - Saturday 3rd January, contact Khun Ni on 076-338 888

SUN

4 JAN

Lunch or dinner served from 2pm. Your choice of either roast beef, chicken, loin of pork or leg of lamb served with roast and boiled potatoes, three fresh vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Only B320 per person which includes a free glass of house red or white. Opposite Centara Karon Resort. See otools-phuket.com

Fun Family Brunch Every Sunday at DiVine 11.30am-2.30pm Thanyapura’s DiVine is offering families

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

MON

5 JAN

SWASDEE SIAM at Dewa Phuket Mondays from 7pm An evening of Thai cultural performance and aromatic flavours from our Thai kitchen. Just THB 650++ per guest Kids Eat Half Price Book Now: 076 372 300, Person: RSVP, Address: Dewa phuket, Email: sales2@dewaphuket.com

Free Sauna TRX – Santosa Signature training Santosa Wellness Center is the home of Phuket’s only certified, open TRX class.

Born in the Navy SEALs, TRX Suspension Training bodyweight exercise develops strength, balance, flexibility and core stability simultaneously. TRX is the original workout system that leverages gravity and bodyweight to perform hundreds of exercises. TRX is highly functional and efficient in achieving extreme results quickly!

To book this class, or to find out the other TRX class

TUE

EVENTS 19

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

6 JAN

dynamic Latin-based dance workout has taken the fitness world by storm. Vibrant and energetic, an hour of serious cardio passes by in such a flurry of colourful smiles, that it doesn’t feel like exercise at all! Join us at Santosa, where the formidable Geti Pici transforms our fitness pavilion into a fit-party! To book this class, or to find out the other Zumba class times, please go to www.santosaphuket.com or find us on facebook, Santosa Wellness Center. 076 330 600 Patak Rd, Kata.

WED

7 JAN

PASTA MANIA at Dewa Phuket Wednesdays from 7pm Savour the flavours of Italy with fresh pasta, homemade sauces, tasty appetizers and desserts.

Just THB 650++ per guest Kids Eat Half Price Book Now: 076 372 300, Person: RSVP, Address: Dewa phuket, Email: sales2@dewaphuket.com

THU

8 JAN

PIMEX: 12th Phuket International Boat Show Marine and More: Phuket’s Ultimate Luxury Lifestyle Show. Held at Royal Phuket Marina, the home of Asia’s favourite Boat Show since 2007. PIMEX is an established and successful event in the marine and leisure calendar. As the 2014 edition showed, the show is well attended by luxury brands and individuals keen to buy. Over 3,800 individuals were involved and USD$25 million of product was sold with many more leads followed up after the show. Like its location, PIMEX is a relaxed event where participants celebrate the boating, leisure and luxury lifestyle in an ideal tropical destination. The show is more than boats on display but also an opportunity to see the latest luxury cars, properties and engage in some Phuket hospitality. www.phuketboatshow.com Proudly supported by Class Act Media - The Phuket News, Novosti Phuketa, Live 89.5 & The Phuket News TV.

WED

18 MAR

RBFC THAILAND 2015 ‘Classic’ Sport Fishing Tournament To be held 18 to 20 March 2015 off the beautiful Similan Islands, the tournament boasts the most generous prize money in Asia!!!

At least 20 boats have already confirmed, including teams from Australia, Canada, USA, UK, Germany, Oman, Hong Kong and Singapore. For further details please contact Warren Crowe Tel: +66(0) 812704291 or Andy Bright Tel: +66(0) 862739948. E-mail: info@rawaibeachfishingclub.com

VNEA Pool Leagues Season 2 Join Thailand’s Largest Pool League !

Have Fun - Meet People - Play Pool For more details LIKE us on www.facebook. com/vneaphuket or call: 085 797 0005 For Schedules, Standings & Statistics check out: www.compusport.us Proudly supported by Class Act Media - The Phuket News, Novosti Phuketa, Live 89.5 & The Phuket News TV.

SWINGER NIGHT THURSDAY Soccer Bar Bangla RD. Soi Crocodile, Person: Richard, Email: dcondoms@ gmail.com, Phone: 086 943 3056 (Afer 2 PM)

TUE

27 MAR

CONSTECH 2015

SWINGER NIGHT TUESDAYS

Aerial Yoga–Unique to Santosa

Soccer Bar Bangla RD. Soi Crocodile, Person: Richard, Emai : dcondoms@ gmail.com, Phone: 086 943 3056 (Afer 2 PM)

Free Sauna

Zumba in the Jungle We do not consider Zumba a class, it is a fitness party! Making exercising fun, the

@thephuketnews

The Good Shepherd Craft Shop Opens every Wednesday from 10AM to NOON and every Saturday from 9AM to NOON. We have a wide and wonderful selection of handicrafts such as educational toys, dolls, puppets, paper art, greeting cards for all occasions, Novelties like tooth fairy pillow, and many more. All proceeds go directly to The Good Shepherd mission. More info visit www.thegoodshepherd.info/shop/ reginatudor@gmail.com, 083 104 0788

The fluid, gravity-defying twist on yoga shows how we can learn to fly whilst relieving compressed joints and re-aligning the body. The practice uses graceful, trapezelike movements which sometimes seem like acrobatics. A wonderful way to do inversion poses, aerial yoga really is an innovative fitness trend, and Santosa are extremely proud to be the only center in Phuket offering suspended movement in every direction along with stimulation of the organs, muscles and bones. To book this class, or to find out the other Aerial yoga class times, please go to www.santosaphuket.com or find us on facebook, Santosa Wellness Center. 076 330 600. Patak Rd, Kata, colleen@santosaphuket.com

Thailand International Construction Machinery, Equipment and Technology Exhibition 2015 is an international business platform gathering more than 400 exhibiting companies & brands from around the world spanning a vast range of construction and mining machinery and equipment, and machinery for building material production. More than 5,000 trade buyers, industry player and key decision makers from Thailand and ASEAN construction and mining industries are expected to visit the event. CONSTECH 2015 is organized by Thai Contractors Association under H.M. the King’s Patronage (TCA) and managed by IMPACT Exhibition Management Co., Ltd. CONSTECH 2015 is a must visit exhibition!, Address: IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand., Email: pasinc@impact.co.th, Phone: 02 833 5208 Proudly supported by Class Act Media - The Phuket News, Novosti Phuketa, Live 89.5 & The Phuket News TV.

20 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York Across

1. Ablutophobia is the fear of what?

2. Roughly how many people die of malaria every year?

3. Where would you find London Bridge now?

4. How many shells are there in the Smithsonian’s collection?

5. How many seasons are there on the planet Venus?

Answers below, centre.

SUDOKU

56. Just lying around 57. TV’s “American ___” 1. Second baseman?

58.

Asian perennial 5. In this way herb 9. Comics sound 59. Approach 14. Locks 60. Campbell of 15. Anahat ___ “Party of Five” 16. Come in second 61. Small woods 17. Sight from Taormina 62. Rank 18. Magazine type 63. Fed 19. Dog-___ Down 20. Jay Ferguson hit 23. Start of a cheer 1. Sharpen 24. Burn up 25. When calm arrives 2. Biblical verb 3. Hokkaido native 32. Nescient 4. Manhattan ___ 34. Belgium village 5. Compose 35. So out it’s in 6. Appointed time 36. Lassie portrayer 7. Unattractive 37. Bilked tangelo?

39. Yeanling producer 8. Exhausts 40. Type of shirt or 9. Catches, in a way jacket 10. Krypton, e.g.

42. Perfectly fine 11. Piecrust 45. Gaudy scarf ingredient 46. Smoke 12. One in a suit 13. Poet Hughes 47. Faint flash on the horizon 21. “Likewise” 22. Dissembled 54. Argus-eyed

25. Doctor 26. Move, in a way 27. Start of a refrain 28. “___ bells!”

29. Woody 30. They may be seeded 31. Kind of room 32. Organic compound 33. Time piece 37. Blue eyes or baldness, e.g.

38. Taking a side 40. ___ room 41. Tell tale activity 43. Old World herbs 44. Col. Sanders feature 47. Cord fiber 48. American journalist Lisa 49. It may be fixed 50. ___ rock 51. Footnote word 52. Astronomer’s sighting 53. Secluded spot 54. Electric ___ 55. Pathet ___

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1. Washing or bathing; 2. 1.5 million; 3. Lake Havasu City, Arizona; 4. 15 million; 5. One.

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

This week in history ■■ January 2, 1981

One of the largest investigations by a British police force ends when serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, the “Yorkshire Ripper”, is arrested.

■■ January 3, 1957 The Hamilton Watch Company of the USA introduces the first electric watch.

■■ January 4, 2010 The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building, is officially opened.

6,469,952 Number of spots painted on the Dalmations by artists in the making of the original cartoon, 101 Dalmations.

96

Percentage of the time that the average car in Britain remains parked.

204 million

■■ January 5, 1933

Number of emails sent by Internet users worldwide – every minute.

1,000,000 Approximate number of bacteria in each square centimetre of your armpits.

375

Known species of shark.

(Only a dozen are dangerous to humans.)

Source: Uberfacts

A helping hand with an old-fashioned toy. Photo by James Fergus Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket?

Email it to editor1@classactmedia.co.th

Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay. It takes four years to complete.

■■ January 6, 1907 Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome, Italy.

■■ January 7, 1927 The first transatlantic telephone service is established – between New York and London.

■■ January 8, 1877 Crazy Horse and his Oglala Lakota warriors fight their last battle against the United States Cavalry at Wolf Mountain, Montana Territory.

Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 17

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Property PROPERTY FOR RENT CENTRAL KATHU CONDO. 1-BEDROOM dCondo Mine, near Kajonkiet school, main Tesco-Lotus. Fully furnished, all mod cons, huge pool, fitness, security. Long-term preferred.,11,000THB per month, phuket. pn@gmail.com, 089 652 1951

Condominium for rent The Base, Downtown Phuket. 34 sqm,1 bedroom, fully furnished, security, fitness., Suwit Traithipsirikul, Opposite Central Festival, tiwus@hotmail.co.th, 081 537 9878

BOUTIQUE ROOM FOR RENT 1 Bedroom, Fully Furnished with Fiber Optic Wi-Fi, Safe & Good Location Rang Hill Area, Downtown Phuket. Friendly Local Neighborhood. zhu, zhunaumann@gmail.com, 089 668 3639

Large, Condo in Kathu

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/thephuketnews

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @thephuketnews

Beautiful Ocean & Sunset Views A highrise, highend apartment on Beach Rd central Patong. 2 bed 3 baths, sleeps 5, large kitchen with dinning & bar areas a spacious 240 SQM. All amenities provided. Short or long term. Daily rates from $205, discounts for weekly or monthly rentals. For more details email patongtower26iw@gmail.com

3 Bedroom Pool Villa in Laguna A 3 bed villa with a large swimming pool and a BBQ station great for families. Modern, spacious & fully furnished. B100,000 a month!, Kristina Alingalan, kristina@livephuket.com, 086 951 9969

Family Villa in Kamala rent Comtemporary style villa perched on hillside overlooking Kamala. Fully furnished, 3 bed, safe, great for families. 75K THB p/m, Kristina Alingalan, Kamala, Phuket, kristina@livephuket.com, 0869519969

Condo for Rent/Sale Kata Karon Luxury seaview condominium 600 meter to the beach special rate daily and monthly, 086 948 9995, sunsetplaza.eu, info@sunsetplaza.eu

Panoramic Ocean Views

100sq.m, 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom, Fully Furnished Condo in Kathu with sweeping views over popular golf course. Large communal swimming pool, Gym, 24 hour security and undercover parking. Available now, asking 40,000 p/m for 6 month contract, longer and shorter we can discuss. Contact 0878891486, English speaking, lauren.p.stjames@gmail.com

A beautifully furnished 26th floor apartment on Beach Road central Patong, surround balcony, 2 large bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, large fitted kitchen with dining area plus bar area, 240 SQM. WIFI, Sat TV, short or long term rental. For more details +66 (0)87 887 9070 or email patongtower26iw@gmail.com

7 bedrooms golf view for rent

HOUSE SHARE Professional non smoker

7 AC bedrooms, golf view. private swimming pool in Anuphas Golf Ville, Kathu, Phuket close to all shopping malls and international schools. L: 20/56 Moo 2 Thepkrasattri Road, Koh Keaw, Muang, Phuket 83200, Contact Waleeporn. Tel: 0812713228, Fax : 076238947, info@procarpentering.com

Amazing Beachfront Villa 4 bedroom pool villa on the beach for holiday rental. Stunning views.

Fully furnished & fully equipped. Daily maid, villa manager, electricity, water and all maintenance included, Alex Seago, alexanderseago@gmail. com, 087-8923876

required to share beautiful house in Cherngtalay.

The house is in a very quiet area, very secure, has full internet, plenty of parking, western kitchen ect. 10000 Baht pcm plus bills. Interested?

Please drop a line to chris@securitysafestop. com or call 081 9686 051.

Luxury appartment, Patong

Luxury appartment for rent in Patong, 1bedroom 50 m2, fully furnish,balcony,kitchen, big swimmingpool. 15,000.baht per month (1year contact) Min. 6 month, jstuder@loxinfo.co.th, 0810808831.

Large Space Apartment 48 sqm

5 mins to PIA and Nayang Beach

Sale&Rent Condo near Bangwad dam very convenience to shopping area & hospital.Comfortable living in big space studio start 48 sqm - 84 sqm.

1BED, 2BED, 3BED Fully furnished kitchen utensil.

Surrounding in green area rent start 17,000/month

3 beds, 2 Bath, western kitchen, Indoor utility/storage room, lounge, dining area, covered terrace, covered car port, small front garden. Quality furniture throughout. Internet TV. 120 sqm interior space. 4 Air Cons. 25,000 Baht per month for 1 year long term rental. Available Mid May 2014. Contact: kanaloa55@ yahoo.co.uk, Call: 084 189 5149.

One Boutique Room For Rent 1 Bedroom of 30 sq.m, Downtown, Phuket Town. Fully Furnished with mini-kitchenette, Wi-Fi. On Mae Luan, Rang Hill Area, Safe & Pleasant Neighborhood, Price : 9500, Person : zhu , 10/22 Soi Phitak Taweep, Mae Laun Road, Talad Yai, Muang Phuket, zhunaumann@ gmail.com, 0896683639

NORTH One of a kind retails space One of a kind retails space for rent!! 50 Square meter on road front building, only 16’000 THB per month. Call now 085 797 0005, Ying, ying@thailandpooltables.com

Brand New Modern Pool Villa

Brand New Modern Tropical Pool Villas (2&3 beds). Fully furnished. Free Wifi, International Sat. TV inc. Russian TV, Pool & Garden Maintenance. Between Cape Yamu & Ao Po Marina. Call 0818935270, srdupouy@gmail.com, 0930145072.

WEST Renovated Condo in Laguna Newly Renovated 1 Bd apartment for short and long-term rent in Allamanda 2 Residence, inside 5 star prestigious Laguna Resort, Phuket, Anna, 0824127022, lagunacondo@gmail.com

Stunning Seaview f/f 1bed in North Patong with all facilities, swimming pool, sauna, gym, close to Junceylon & Patong Beach. 25K p/m for 6-12m. Kristina Alingalan, kristina@ livephuket.com, 0869519969

Pool Villa for Holiday Rental An elegant, high quality 3 bedroom villa with private 12 meter pool is available for short term or long term rental. Furnished to the highest standards, the property is part of a luxury private estate located only minutes to Nai Harn beach, restaurants and shops. 12 month contract 85,000 Baht/month Daily rates from 10,000 Baht/day high season Dec thru April Daily rates from 15,000 Baht/day peak season Dec 21 – Jan 15, sales@villastellaphuket.com, 081 080-3184

@thephuketnews

Phuket Luxury Villa, Sea view Beautiful modern Luxury Villa located in the South of Phuket Island/Sea views to Chalong Bay. (for Sale or Rent) now available, Price : 13.75m, Jeet, amarjeetscot@yahoo.com.sg, +6596385363 or +1 8322284994

Ocean View 4 Bed Pool Villa Newly completed luxury pool villa in Ao Yon, Cape Panwa is available for holiday rental. Free for upcoming high season. Top class villa with infinity pool, jacuzzi, sun deck, great views.

Maid & concierge included. 60 – 70,000THB/ night. Contact Alex home@thaivillaboutique. com 087-8923876, Alex, home@thaivillaboutique.com, 087-892 3876

Amazing Beachfront Villa 6 bedroom pool villa on beach in Cape Panwa for long-term rental. Stunning views. Fully furnished & fully equipped. 465,000THB/month based upon 12 month contract. flexistayphuket@gmail.com, Tiya,Cape Panwa, 089 600 0041

Beachfront Villa for rent Beachfront Villa for rent 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom new renovated 2014 www.villarentalphuket.net contact 08 1403 8386 Mr. Gerhard, christian spleiss, c.spleiss@robert-spleiss.ch

Happy Home (Room For Rent)

Nice room is fully furnished,Pool,CCTV and free WIFI. The location is fonly 10 minutes away from Naiharn Beach. Price starting 9,000THB/m.(Daily rates available upon request) Tel.081-8932165,0819561218, Price : 9,000 , Person : Linda Ketkaew, 59/118 M.7 Soi.Saiyuan 15, Saiyuan Rd, Rawai, Maung, Phuket 83130, Starwalker.ds@gmail.com, 0818932165

DELUXE PENTHOUSE/LOFT 120SQM Rent from 29,000THB/month, Long/Short term, Inc. weekly cleaning, towel & linen change.

Fi b e r n et 6 5 M B ,C a b l e T V, K i n g b e d, b i g bathrooms,terrace 20 SQM. Quiet, 500 M to Chalong pier. Only extra cost electricity. Email: 4711en@gmail.com, Call: 086 940 6560.

NEW DE LUXE BIG STUDIO 70SQM Rent from 24,000 THB/MONTH. Inc. weekly cleaning, towel & linen change. Extra cost electricity. Queen bed,terrace 20 SQM. Big bathroom, Wifi Fibernet 65MB. CABLE TV, complete kitchen set. Email: 4711en@gmail.com, Call: 086 940 6560.

Modern Patong Condo for Rent Recently built condo for rent in Patong. There are 4 studio rooms (37sqm) and one 1 bedroom unit (48sqm). Contact us for more details, Alex, info@phuketcondo.net, 087 892 3876

House for Rent at Kata 1 bed room with separate pantry Fully furnish and big balcony 5 mins to Kata beach 18,000.- per month 1 year contract (minimum 6 month contract) Tel: 087-507-0325, Khun Araya, araya_ea@ hotmail.com

KATA BEACH Apts FOR RENT 1BR Aircon, WIFI, Spa, Fully Furnished. Start at 500 BHT Tel: 086 595 8512, 081 970 4638, nalumana2000@yahoo.com

Villa in Cheng Talay Close to Laguna / Surin Beach this one bedroom Villa is up for long term rent. Comes with full cable TV, maid service and Gardener. ( Has Telephone / ADSL internet line paid by tenant ), Asking 25,000 Baht per month ( excl : elec / water / Telephone ) Please contact : accounting@electrical-marine. com, 076 272 177 or 085976911.

Apartment for long term rent Patong Tower ( M 704 ) fully furnished 68 sq. mtrs for long term rent. Included: Cable TV; Satellite TV; Wifi internet access; parking; security; Price 18,000/M, Contact: Jaspal Singh, jaspalt@loxinfo.co.th

Retail Space Available Newbuild 1 Bed in Quiet Resort

SOUTH

DusitD2 Patong proudly offer retail space for monthly or yearly rental at 21 sqm. Please contact Khun Rinwara T: +66 (0) 76 337 000

Luxury 1 Bedroom F/F Apartment 65 Sqm. cable T.Vs(2)& wifi cleaning and laundry service available. Great location central Patong (Soi Sansabai) short or long term welcome. Tel Ian 087-8879070 E-mail Ianscondo@yahoo.com

Townhouse for Rent 10 Min from Kamala Beach, 3 storey building, fully-equipped kitchen, 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 24/7 security, access to communal pool 20x10m.

Contact natalia_tyr@yandex.ru, 093 586 5617, from 40,000-80,000 Baht per month.

OFFICE/SHOP FOR RENT Ground Floor space with excellent positioning on Chalong Pier Road.For more information, please call 081 416 4177 or 076 381 341, marketing@ sea-bees.com

18 CLASSIFIEDS

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PROPERTY IN PHUKET PROPERTY FOR RENT SOUTH

List your classified now at thephuketnews.com New Luxury Villa For Sale 3 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, living room, kitchen, private swimming pool (12 metre). House area of 600 sq.m., land 1.5 rai (2400 sq metre). Located on the shore of the ocean on the Koh Kho Khao, Phang-nga. larion2555@gmail.com. 084 226 4574.

Rent- 2 Bed Bungalow Nai Harn Air Condition – Color TV, Free UBC cable Platinum Package. Free Internet.

Master bed, excellent mattress, Sealy Posturepdic. Couch + chairs w/ end tables. Counter bar w/ stools. Cooking Equip / Fridge. Short term – 16,000 per month, Long Term – 13,500 per month Plus Damage Deposit. Available now 1-April-2013. Call Nok 087-244-1322.

Luxury Villa for Sale/Rent Oyster cove pool villa located near Cape Panwa. Rent from 150,000 THB, Sale 38 M. 3 beds, Living area 600 sqm, Mr.Boonsin Leelavichitch, 081 691 3940

NOW AVAILABLE!!

1,2,3,4 bedroom different private pool villas for RENT in Naiharn-Rawai., start from 15000 baht/month. (Holiday rental, ShortLong term) Please contact: 087-877-2320 En / 084-854-9889

DELUXE STUDIO 34 SQM Rent from 13,000 THB/month, long/ short term. Extra cost electricity. Furnished, Wifi Fibernet 65 MB, Cable TV, microwave, blender, water boiler, plates, weekly cleaning, towel & linen change.Quiet area, Lot of parking space.

4711en@gmail.com, 086 940 6560.

PROPERTY FOR SALE NORTH

WEST Luxurious villa in Gated Community Bang Tao Beach Exclusive development, Fully furniture, Walring to the beach, great facility on site.

Direct from owner. Priced for quice sale at 15.9 MB., Eddie, 0899710278. eddyelan@ yahoo.com

3 bedroom condo Surin Beach

Nice renovated ground floor apartment 100 sqm at Surin Gate. 2 baths.

Washing machine/tumble dryer. Full size kitchen. Thai free hold., THB 3 900 000, Khun Too, cmlundqvist@gmail.com, 0836426381 (thai and english)

Reduced - Kamala 3.6mb Bargain, reduced to Sell. The Trees Residence. Secure and quiet, Top floor 1 Bedroom Luxury Apartment. Fully Furnished, Balcony, Fridge/ Freezer, Washing machine, Communal Pool, Gym. Low price, buy direct from owner., THB 3600000, Paul, TheTreesGC4@gmail.com, 0841303234

Detached townhouse with pool 6.4 MB Laguna area. 2 levels house 3 bed 2 bath.

Bali style pool, quality fully furnished and western kitchen., Anchana, info@macraetrading.com, 0819682017

16 Room Guest House and Bar F1 NEW 16 Bedroom Guesthouse Bar and F1 freehold available, One Street away from Patong Beach, 900 Mtr to Bangla,see website for details. info@phuketgr.com, 0839674783

Kata Beach Ocean front Condo

3 bed 2 bath home for sale. 1Km from heroines monument. Kitchen and storage room added to home. Thai/Eng:0869510123. 3MBaht

Luxur y 5 Star 1 BR condo Ocean view,furnished spa,pools,gym Quiet end on Kata Beach.Available to move in now!

These Aspasia units rarely for sale! 7.3M THB asiasail@yahoo.com, 09 3670 4885

NAKA ISLAND

Inexpensive land plots / commercial property Inexpensive land plots on east coast of Phuket for sale, 0.3 - 8 rai, some with a sea view (Bang Pae, Yamu Hills). Direct sale by owner. Price starts from 500 000 THB. Commercial property: two-storey building: 50 rooms, 13 bathrooms, 3 kitchens, 4 rai land plot, 7 min from airport. Nicely renovated. Can be a hospital/school/commercial/residential property. 35 mln baht, Lana, lana.phuket@gmail.com , 080 27 16 484, 090 870 7773

PANORAMIC SEA VIEW LAND: Spectacular view of Phang Nga Bay, James Bond and Phi Phi Islands. Road access, underground utilities. 4.5 km from Heroine Monument.

1.99 Rai at 5.9MB per rai. Chanote title. 089 473 8338, PhuketOne@gmail.com.

AO POR SEAVIEW LAND

1.5 Rai cleared, tiered land with constructed, drained access road from “Beach Road”. Chanote.

400m from Ao Por Grand Marina. Building will have 270 degree view of islands and Krabi.

B10,000,000, 082 277 5971.

Luxury living BangTao Beach California style Luxury living 300 meters from Bang Tao Beach – In small luxury villa compound built to European standards by Swedish developer.

Gated 24 hr security. Management & maintenance on site; Maid, Concierge Services.

Rental revenue. 3 spacious King bedrooms with en-suites and rainfall showers. Fully equipped kitchen and laundry. 200 sqm open plan living area; 50 sqm private pool, Jacuzzi. Sold fully furnished and decorated directly by owner. Secure legal ownership: Freehold via BVI company; land lease via off-shore structure., 21.9 MB, PEDER BERGGREN, Soi Cherngtalay 14, +66-612397670, Fax: +66-819684807

3 Bed, Large Garden, Koh Kaew Chuan Cheun Lagoon, near British School & Boat Lagoon Marina(shops, gym,swim pool). 2 x Chanode land title for 584 sq.m, private cul-de-sac location. Good water supply. 6.45 mil Bt, AJ, adrian.j.simpson@gmail. com, 0860406866

Laguna Luxury 1 Bed Golf Totally renovated: new kitchen, wood floors, semi furnished, sound system.

Price includes Laguna Golf Membership and Privilege Card. THB 7.4M. Owner 084 247 1632, phuket3203@ gmail.com

1.5 Rai Private Land Cape Yamu 1.5 Rai flat land at Cape Yamu. 2 x 0.75 Rai adjoining plots. OrBorTor road access to quiet end of soi location. Sale direct from the owner. B3.75 Million per rai negotiable. Call 081 087 9237.

BLUE CANYON GOLF CONDO PENTHOUSE BLUE CANYON GOLF CONDO 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bath, 2 Storey Fully Furnished SEA and GOLF course views For Sale or Rent Great Value 089 8683171, Price: 40,000 baht per sq m, Email: jnixon9@hotmail.com

Highfield Mission Hills Phuket 10-ter-

raced hilltop Building Plots. Fantastic sea & mountain view. New road - water - electricity. Only 10 minutes to Airport & Tesco Lotus. 2.5m-4.5 Baht.

087 978 5803-4 / stanjsmith25@yahoo.com

85sqm 1 bedroom pool access apartment with great views for sale. Walking distance to Karon beach & shops + nightlife. Large jacuzzi & Western kitchen. 21 years left on lease. Price reduced for a quick sale. Contact Alex info@ phuketcondo.net, 087-8923876, THB 5.3 MB,

5/6 bedroom all ensuite bathroom with jacuzzi on 1 rai chanote, 5 min to laguna.Luxury finishing.

Pool 12mx6m.600 sqm up living srea, THB 27 500 000, ERIC, annericphuket@hotmail.com, 087 893 4636

FOR QUICK SALE Sea-View Land & Luxury Villa project in Kamala including architect plans & building permit for 9 villas, 4000m2 sale only THB 30 MB, MIO, pupillopascal@gmail. com Call:088 768 0942

Land for Sale Only 400m from Naiyang Beach. 3 Rai 1 Tarangwah. 10MB per Rai. Contact via email chiangmaibeltrade@hotmail.com for more information.

Surin beach land for sale

3bed 2 bath Home for Sale

Beachfront house, panoramic views of bay & islands to the south, built 2007, easy access to Phuket, 240sqm on 2 floors, 4 beds, 750sqm plot, separate house for staff., +66 (0)848461270

Bargain – Karon Apartment 5.3M

THAI POOLVILLA NEAR LAGUNA

5 BDR LUX SEAVIEW POOL VILLA A stunning Luxury Pool Villa with amazing panoramic views of Chalong bay located on the lush foothills of Big Buddha Phuket Fully furnished, Fully equipped, 5 BDR ensuite + guest toilet, 2 Livingrooms, Laundry/Maid room, Study/Office Service inc; water, pool&garden maintenance, internet WiFi, cable TV, 24hour security&engineer. Price : 85,000, Oliver, namphung@andamanhorizon.asia, 087877-2320, Fax : 076-388-311.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

LAND FOR SALE...CHEAP

Beautiful private location, only 400 m. from Surin Beach. 504sqm. Perfect size for hotel or condominium. Chanote title. Contact: flexistayphuket@gmail.com, 089 600 0041

LARGE SURIN BEACH CONDO B 10.9 MILLION Three bedroom, sea view 148 m2 condo apartment on prestigious Surin Beach, Phuket. Must sell, now only B10.9 million (original price over 15 mil). Tel. 081 676 8717, teera@email.biz

BANGTAO PENTHOUSE FOR SALE 124 sq.m penthouse, 2bed 2 bath. Total 3 floors, No elevator. Within walking distance to Bangtao and Surin beach. Partial seaview from roof top.

Reduce price for quick sale 9.5M baht. Please email for more details, 9.5 M/THB, Suppamas, suppamas@live.com, 089 655 7480

For sale Spacious one bedroom apartment with ocean view, north of Patong. Floor area 96m2 internal and 72m2 terrace including water feature with sala and jacuzzi. Perfect bachelor pad with rental income. Email for info: bartduykers@mac.com.

Kamala Boutique Resort This boutique resort business which consists of 5 individual villas. The resort is fully occupied presently with long-term rentals offering excellent rental income with very little maintenance. The resort land plot totals 2,080 sqm with a built up area of 750 sqm. There are 3 villas, 200 sqm each with 4 bedrooms,3 bathrooms, 1 villa with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom and 1 villa with 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom.

Each villa is open plan living & dining area and an open plan western style kitchen.

Storage room, office room, air-cons, satellite TV, telephone line and Internet. This is an ideal investment for the nearly retired or retired couple whom wish to enjoy life with a monthly income. There is also a beautiful 20-meter common pool for all residents to enjoy and relax in the beautiful landscaped gardens. Remote controlled gated security and car parking. 076 279 280.

Kata beach Great Location 49/1 Soi Koktanod Kata Beach 4 Story, 7 BR, 7 Bath, Spa, Rd front House or Guest House by Owner Tel: 086 595 8512, 081 970 4638, nalumana2000@ yahoo.com

Beautiful Land Laguna-Cherngtalay Chanote title, yellow zoned, save area.

Nearly 4 rai, direct from owner. Subdivided in 6 plots each ca. 1,000sqm. ready to build. Only 7.5 MB per rai. Khun Chanchira, 081 367 7683, chanchira.panpaen@ googlemail.com.

2 BEDR. KATA GARDENS 6B 180SQM 17 MB.THB/RENT 150,000THB/ MONTH. New Deluxe Patak villa 300. Quiet area. 5 bedrooms,4 kitchens,6 bathrooms.10 air cons. Good Parking. Many possibilities.

Holiday rental 4 units. 4711en@gmail.com, 086 940 6560

DELUXE STUDIO 34 SQM

6.8 MB.THB/rent from 60.000THB. At Twinsands ABSOLUTE 5 Star Hotel and Spa! Just outside Patong, Sea view. Pool view. Excellent restaurant. Modern style. Parking space.

Good rental return 10 pct. 4711en@gmail. com, 086 940 6560

6 Rai hilltop land, full chanote, sea/mountain views, new concrete road, terraced building plots. 10 mins to Airport & Tesco Lotus. Water/electric available. Price: 18,950,000Baht. Call: 087 978 5803-4, Price: 18,950,000 Email: stanjsmith25@yahoo.com

Freehold - Lagoon View!!!

F. MODERNIZED 1 BEDR. CONDO, ALLAMANDA 1 FOR SALE BY OWNER. EUROPEAN KITCHEN, GRANITE/MARBLE BATH, DOUBLE SINKS, FURNISHED, INCL.2 GOLF MEMBERSHIPS. INFO & PRICE : E-MAIL : ORNILS@SBG.AT

Land for Sale Mission Hills 800m2/1300m2/1600m2. Very quiet and private locations, very close to airport, Tesco, Golf courses and Phuket International Academy. All Chanote tiltle. Price on application. 087 276 0529

Yamu beach Land for Sale Land for sales breakdown 91-339 wha and land 170 wha near Yamu beach, Condo Grove Garden. Free plan pool villa, Price: 2.5-8 MB

2 BEDR. KATA GARDENS 6B 180SQM P r i c e 14 . 9 M B .T H B / R e n t f r o m 100,000THB/month, 200m. from the beach. Gated.24 hours security. Resort 33 units. Good rental return,8pct.

Thaicompany. 4711en@gmail.com, Call: 086 940 6560

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THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 19

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

PROPERTY IN PHUKET

List your classified now at thephuketnews.com Kalim Sea View, Freehold Condo for Sale: 11.9 MB 2 min walk to beach, big

balcony & sunset view, 180 Sqm, 2 Ensuite Bed rooms, big living space.

089 617 2312, PhuketAREA.com Search C146.

CENTRAL

WEST LUXURY 3 BR IN The Residence

3 bedroom 4 bathroom, Land area 580 m2., Spacious living quarter’s feature open plan living & dining areas, a fully equipped, open-concept gourmet kitchen. The Villa comes fully furnished, Contemporary and expansive indoor and outdoor living spaces are offered, private pool. Services as Restaurant, Gym, Spa, Maintenance ,Security and Maid. Massivly Reduced price 18.9 MB! Contact:oliver@thurmanngroup.com Call: 087-877-2320

2 room Apartment in Patong Special price! Excellent apart. in HavenLagoon 57sq.m. 300m. to the beach. Euro repair, furniture, appliances,2air-conditioner. Living ro om+kitchen,bedroom,bathroom,balcony,park ing,WiFi,gym,2pools,24Hour Secur. Andrey, abel555@yandex.ru, +79166976770

SEA-VIEW LAND FOR SALE KAMALA

2.75 Rai 4500sqm. Nor Sor 3 Kor Title Ready to built with building permit already, electricity & road access OK, only THB 10 Mio/Rai T 088 7680942 or pascal.elephantboutiquehotel@gmail.com

One Sale 3 Luxury Apartments

1. 2 really big beds rooms big kitchen and living: 135 sqm 2. 1 bedroom 60 sqm 3. 1 bedroom 58 sqm a total of 253 sqm in the center of Kata - sea level close to the shops and sea in a charming property: with-pool-sauna-parking etc; Total market price (18.4 mill bth) NOW 13.4 mill bth Tel:0817888280 or mail: maurice.phuket@gmail.com

Beautiful Sea & Mountain Views New 1 Bedroom condo in Kata includes WIFI, TV, Sauna, Pool, Gym, Restaurant & Coffee lounge. Manager&Rental Programs a valuable investment ready to move in total area 44.2 sqm. Priced to sell @ 3.98 MBT O.N.O. Call +66(0)878879070, ianscondo@yahoo.com

Karon Hill land for sale Land 7,188

sqm, 4 Rai 1 Nhgan 97.1 Wah, seaview 270 °. Access road, electricity & water. Chanote title. 75MB nego. Contact Valentina or K. Bernd, Valentina & K. Bernd , Email: Valentina@ilo-phuket.com, Valentina ( + 66(0) 85 12 91 550), K. Bernd 076 340 731 office; 081 896 3479 mobile

7th Floor Suites (Hotel) Building For Sale Kata Beach Center 9 apar tments and a 300 sqm Penthouse on the roof plus fully equipped restaurant and pool with terrace are free of rent and now available.

Price total 38 million Baht (9.50.000.euro) include chanote and Thai company.

For serious interest email: maurice.phuket@gmail.com, Tel: 081 788 8280 SEA FRONT LAND FOR SALE KAMALA Sea front land for sale Kamala. 6 Rai. Chanote. 089 874 2141, Thongchai, 089 874 2141, thongchaiwong8@hotmail.com

Palm Colonate

CENTRAL

A luxury modern-colonial villa, 6 bedroom suites on the edge of the famed “Loch Palm Golf Course”, Kathu which outstanding golf & mountain-vista views.

Only 22.5 MB.Center of Phuket, within 10 mins to Central Festival, Tesco lotus, Big C, Phuket international hospital, Bangkok-phuket hospital, International school (BISP, KIS, Head start international school), Sarawut ,sarawut@wahestate.com ,0866130068

House for sale in Kathu Urgent!!!

House for sale, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2 living area , Large laundry, Large Balcony, Western kitchen, Fully Furnished 5 LCD TVs, Pool Table. At Kathu. 086-0826078, astroboy1959 @hotmail.com

Freehold House for sale Freehold house for sale in estate in Cherng Talay. Land 735m2, floor area 230m2, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom. Many upgrades incl new carport included. Price B11 million. Call 083 509 8797 for info or viewing.

Beautiful Villa For Sale 4 Bedroom/4Bathroom detached villa on 164Sq.Wah with swimming pool.

Superb location between ChalongPhuket Town. Now 8 Million Baht. Call for appointment to view. 089 868 5143

NEW House For Sale 2 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom with Off street parking in small QUIET Boutique Estate behind Red Mountain Golf Course. Full Chanote Title Contact Gim English/Thai Ph 081-6065772 for an Inspection !!

Beachfront Condo in Cape Panwa

Two floors 282 sq. m of living space with stunning views. 3 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms + Study + large kitchen. Fully furnished. Communal 40m pool 5 steps away. Beach 15 steps!

091 876 2330.

House for sale with Pool Kathu district, cottage settlement, Turnpike, Golden Villas 3, 9/111, one floor, no stairs, 3 bedrooms, new kitchen, all air con, total living area of 150sq.m, total lot size 300sq.m, pool 7 x 3.5mtr, a small landscaped garden, a large container of water. Price 9,500,000Baht, 093 687 4385, e-mail: msn4@bk.ru

Great Value! Pool villa for sale Brand new! Large 4 Bedroom pool villa.Price reduced from 12.9 to 9.3 million THB. Be quick! Tel: +66(0)810771765

KATHU 3 BED HOUSE FOR SALE

Large 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom, 2 storey detached house on quiet cul-de-sac in Kathu. Western kitchen. Mountain views.

Priced for quick sale. Full details at www. kathu-property.com 5,300,000 THB, Pete Harris, Soi Phuket Hope Land, Kathu, info@kathu-property.com

2 BR. PRIVATE POOL 180SQM APT Rent from 65,000THB. Incl. cleaning,linen,towels change weekly.

Fast fibernet. Cable TV.2 big bathrooms.

Wash/dry machine. Big complete kitchen.

Quiet location. Only extra cost electricity.

086 940 6560, 4711en@gmail.com

2 shophouses for sale both with rooms above available, spacious size, superb location. Easy access to Jungceylon, and only 50m from Patong beach. Contact: flexistayphuket@gmail.com, Price : 18 MB, Phone : 089 600 0041

Double Shophouse Patong Beach

Sale a unit at Bel Air Panwa

@thephuketnews

Reduced by 600,000B. ONLY 16.9MB.

Contact Brian (Owner) 089 054 4354, +632 906 435 7146, Alan 087 999 6174, bggvirgo@gmail.com.

See RoyalPhuketMarinaCondos.com for complete details.

New House For Sale Kathu

1-bedroom 60 sqm include furnishing in the center of Kata - sea level close to shops and sea in a charming property: with-poolsauna-parking etc; market price (4.1 mill bth) NOW 2.6 mill THB: 0817888280 or maurice.phuket@gmail.com

RPM Owner Direct Unique luxury condo 2 bed, 2 bath, 155sqm. Foreign FREE HOLD. Recent architect remodel. New Jacuzzi. Views to lake, mountain, marina, pool etc.

Completely furnished to very high standard.

Motivated owner leaving.

dCondo Kathu for SALE! dCondo Kathu, Full Furniture, Ready to move in., K.Phu, 081 892 3709

Sabai Village Kathu behind Red Mountain Golf Course , 2 Bedroom , 2 Bathroom with off street parking. 42.9 Sq Wah in a small QUIET boutique estate. Full Chanote Title. CALL GIM 081 606 5772

Special Sale Luxury Apartment

nt e Urg

le sa

5 minutes to cape panwa luxury condo with 2 bedrooms ,pool near ship port, Good road 15 minutes to the city of Phuket. It can be viewed by appointment.Contact 61413743125, 61894023015 or alternetively Khun Sopa at Belairpanwa property.

Patong Free Hold Condo Great investment opportunity in Patong. I have 2 NEWLY RENOVATED condos in same complex near Simon Cabaret. Both condos fully funished + free hold. Condo no.1 4th floor studio unit 50sqm already rented out. Condo no.2 just funished renovation 3rd floor 1 bedroom 50sqm every thing brand new. This one never use and could be your residence plus earn income from other condo.Complex has huge pool + garden and 24 hrs. security. I want 5 MB for both. Eng 085 471 9246 Thai 087 621 3405.

SOUTH 3 BEDROOM/3 BATHROOM BUNGALOW, CHALONG 240 sq mtrs living space,

1900 sq mtrs land plot Chanote, Freehold or leasehold. Lovely peaceful location in small Thai village yet close to main shopping, hospitals, schools etc. Full a/c, all rooms carpeted and wallpapered.

Brand new bespoke fitted kitchen. Beautiful big landscaped garden, fish pond with fountains. THB19.75 mill. Fixtures and fittings included. Furniture by negotiation. 081 747 3000 paulspring@live.com

APARTMENTS IN RAWAI: PRICE REDUCED Modern apartments in a luxury estate

with all amenities and 5 min walk from the beach. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, spacious living room with European kitchen, 3 balconies, full set of furniture bought in 2014, total space 135 sqm. Gated community with a big pool, kids’ playground and parking (parking space included into the price). Price reduced to 7,99 MB for quick sale.

Call: 0881684250, +79264380129, Сергей, ssmagin@inbox.ru

Great plot in Rawai for sale

Beautiful chanote title land 130 sq.w. soi Salika only 200m to the beach. Direct road access from main road. Walled in ready to build, 4.5 million THB, Orrathai, adkongarsa@gmail.com, 0872790001

Apartment for Sale (Rawai) Great investment opportunity to either live in or rent out. Start at 80 sqm. with 9 rooms is fully furnished, Pool&ofice, Quiet and covenient location. Please call 081 8932165, Starwalker.ds@gmail.com, 0818932165

Special Discount Last 3 units Luxury pool villa, Great location near Rawai beach 2 Bed/3Bath, Full Fur, Premium Quality Built Best Buy New Phase 80% under construction, Kris, (+66) 081 691 3029, kris.silanachai@ yahoo.com

Bar & Restaurant For Sale!

2unit Building.Good location,near Chalong pier.

Incl.furniture&kitchen equipment. 2bedrooms on 2nd flr.Contact us for more info & offer, Price : 2.4M (negotiable), Denciana Aliangan, 2/9-10, Moo 5. T.Rawai, Amphur Muang, Phuket 83130, (66) 081-538-5746

NEW PRIVATE POOL VILLA CHALONG 5.9 MB. 165 SQM. Rent 45,000 THB. 2 STOREY .3 Bathrooms, 2 Bedrooms. 4 AIRCON. Modern Western style. Thai company. Good Parking. 4711en@ gmail.com, 086 940 6560

20 CLASSIFIEDS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

PROPERTY IN PHUKET

List your classified now at thephuketnews.com 2 bdr house for sale at Saiyan 2 bdr house for sale at Saiyan Rd, 5 minutes drive to Nai Harn beach. 2 bathrooms, a spacious living room, kitchen, small garden and car park area. Price is 4.7 million THB, Contact: Maria, 0940981977, phuketsalerent@ gmail.com

Rawai Great Buying Lovely house with 2 bedrooms or separate SC flat downstairs.Well ventilated with natural light in pristine condition.Distant sea views.4,995,000 Baht. Warren Crowe 081 270 4291 or thailandmls@gmail.com.

RAWAI PRIME LAND PLOTS Adjacent to Mangosteen Resort, quiet residential area. 3 different sizes: 1-1-86.5 rai - 11.80 MB 2-0-87.5 rai - 16.64 MB 3-0-35.5 rai - 22.50 MB Best land and best price in the area.

Quick sale, price negotiable.081 536 5846.hajo_von_keller@hotmail.com

Rawai Beach View Residence

Beachfront Luxury Apartments. Built to a high specifications by an English developer. Perfect holiday destination close to all amenities. 6 x 2 Bedroom 160m2 Apartment 2 x 2 Bedroom 320m2 Penthouses Phone; +66 (0) 91 179 4392 Email; rose@mac-estate.com Web; www.rawairesidence-phuket.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE SOUTH 3-storey apartment on the beach

3-storey apartment with a penthouse and sala for sale. Only 100 m from Phuket’s top-rated Nai-Harn Beach. 220 sqm. Freehold possible. Priced at 9 MB. Please call Alexander 080 521 0736.

Townhouse for sale ,Chalong House for sale. B5 MLN. Residential complex Ananda Garden Hill, Chalong. Closet to HomePro. 150 sq.m., 2-storey, 2 beds, living room, kitchen, 2 balconies, 2 baths, office, carport. Fully furnished. B 5,000,000, mvs97@yandex.ru, 091 805 3725

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

3 Bed Pool Villa in Rawai BEST LOCATION IN R AWAI, MODERN, PRIVATE, SECURE, 4X8 POOL, 2 DECKS,3 CARS PARK, WALK TO EVA BEACH, ALL AMENITIES NEARBY YET VERY QUIET CUL DE SAC. 12.9 MB., Jerry, orn@live.ca, 0877008854

RAWAI VILLA: BARGAIN PRICE Spacious property in 1,000sqm garden. Private 9x4m pool. Three large beds, all a/c and en suite. Big Western kitchen. Plus guest house. Furnished. Private access.

Price cut for quick sale. MB12.9. Call 087 273 0141, alangath@gmail.com

Business Oportunity

2 Rai Chanot, 8 Bungalows, 22 Rooms, Restaurant, Well, large Pool, Reg. Comp. since 96, incl.Parking, Shopping, Bars, Diving, walking distance. Price: 26Mio., Contact: bigasail@samart.co.th, 086 940 1860, Fax: 076 381 934

Kalim Sea View, Freehold Condo for Sale: 11.9 MB 2 min walk to beach, big balcony & sunset view, 180 Sqm, 2 Ensuite Bed rooms, big living space. 089 617 2312, PhuketAREA.com - Search C146.

2 BDR BEACHFRONT APT BY OWNER 2bdr/2bath ens, open concept, huge balcony with direct walk out to pool, beach, restaurant, in 5* resort with access to their gym, spa, ideal for family, separate storage, furniture incl, fast owner sale, leaving Asia, 13.9MM neg, Rawai, laura@ tilaholdings.com, +65 96532849

Nai Harn Baan Bua

When only the best will do!!!!4 bed/ pool villa in Phukets best kept gated community.410 sq.mtr villa.812 sq.mtr land.Overlooking lagoon.Beautiful.Ph: 0812704291.or thailandmls@gmail.com.

Price 22.5 MB.

MAI KHAO LAND DIRECT OWNER 5.1 RAI VERY QUIET 1 KLM TON SEA, CAN BUILDING OR INVESTMENT. 2.750000BTHS. THAI; 082-8123486

Land for sale 2 rai of land in the South

of Phuket. Unique location on the hills between Naiharn and Rawai, 5 mins from the beach. Panoramic view on Chalong bay and Naiharn. Easy access via private road, reputable neighborhood (German village), tropical forest. Ready project for a 3 storey villa. 3200 sq. m. Call Svetlana 086 743 4657 or Alexander +7 926 914 5555, oxum@mail.ru; samat2011@ yandex.ru, Price: B18.5 million for 1 rai .

Land for Sale Cherngtalay Beautiful 2,400sqm (1.5RAI) Chanote titled land plot in Pasak 8, located on the highest point of a gentle slope. Quiet and safe area.

Only 8.5MB. Agents welcome.

Phuketlandvilla@hotmail.com, 089 875 9609.

Kathu Golf Condo for Sale

Kathu golf condo 99.30 sqm., 4 Fl, Views to Phuket country club golf course.2 bed, 2 bath, kitchen with fully furnished ( 3 aircons, hot water, refrigerator, TV, microwave, 24 security and internet provides), sppcnx@gmail.com, 081 536 9252

GRAND VIEW CHALONG BAY VILLA & LAND: 3 bed room, 4 bath room, 2 livingroom, 1 dinningroom, 1 kitchen (american style), 1 garage (2 cars), 1 swimming pool (10x4), 1 bed room for a maid, 1 bath room for a maid, Internet, Security 24/24, Sea view and jungle view, Total sqm 556.92, Total land sqm 581, a.pellegrino2810@gmail.com, 084 241 3387. Price 4.24MB.

3 BR LUX POOL VILLA IN NAIHARN 3 bedroom 3 bathroom, Chanote (Freehold), Land area 402.80M2 Living area 208 M2. Luxurious one-storey villa offers privacy and features your own garden and pool to enjoy the ambiance of outdoor tropical living. Fully furnished, large kitchen with built-in basin, stove, and cabinets. Private and Peaceful area. Only 9.6 MB. Contact: oliver@thurmanngroup.com, Call: 087-877-2320

Townhome Seaview Rawai 4.2M 3 Story Home/Office featuring a fully automatic

Garage roller door,2 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Air conditioned, Sea views, extended terraces front and back, peaceful location situated just off Viset Road Rawai making this a very unique home or office. Regretful urgent sale. Any offer will be consider. Price 4.2Million (Less than cost price one million) until end of June 2014, B4,200,000, Ranuka, mrsmum mygift@gmail.com, 0937877212

Office/Shop For Rent Chalong Pier Road ground floor unit available for shop or office use. Excellent location on this popular and well-known road.

For more information, please call 081 416 4177 or 076 381 341. thephuketnews

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Call 076 29 29 09

or visit mystorageasia.com

 Sizes to Suit all Budgets  Personal & Business Storage  Motorcycle Storage  Left Luggage Service  We Sell Boxes  Storage Insurance Inclusive

Secure, Clean & Cost Effective Self Storage Jungceylon Shopping Center, Patong, Phuket

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Jobs

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Native English Teachers

Join an International Team, Princess Yachts Phuket is hiring

Chalong International School is looking for two experienced teachers for our preschool and primary school to start Jan 6 Mon-Fri resume to phuketteacher@ yahoo.com, 080 624 7060

1 Position: Yacht Charter Assistant; excellent written and spoken english, computer and internet, secretarial experience, Thai national 1 Position: Marketing Assistant; Video, Photo, Adobe, Internet and good English, Thai national Please call Rico Stapel at 0866900444 and send resume to rico@princessyachtssea.com,

TELE SALES WORK FROM HOME Earn up to 3,000 - 5,000 baht/day. International organization specialized in holiday rentals listing is expanding to new areas of interest. The ideal candidate is a responsible and diligent person with experience as a telemarketer or in sales. Good English and excel skills are essential. Thai or foreigners can both apply. We offer: full training, telephone and email support, high commissions, Email: recruitment@holiplanet.com

Vacancies for property sales reps 1.Sale English,Chinese,Russia (Good commission)Have experience in line of Sale 2.staff at booth for Property(17,000 + Lunch + Commission) Can communicate Good English, Kaew, kaew@agtropical. com, 094-8073434

POPMUSIC BAND AVAILABLE FOR NY

Luxury Hospitality Management is Thailand’s leading luxury management consulting company, offering services to organisations primarily within the Hospitality, Travel and Tourism industries.

We are growing and hiring:

5 piece band available for NEW YEARS EVE. Can do audition first. Bring own instruments. Good quality band for a good party with popular old and new songs! email: paulsmollan@yahoo.com phone: 091-0426739

EXECUTIVE CHEF Are you looking for a Nanny?

Job Wanted!!! If you are looking for someone who can look after your child, pets or house when you plan to get away at night or during the weekend, Pls contact Email : jj_icu@hotmail.com, 081 476 7570

Russian Property Broker 150k+

SALES CO-ORDINATOR Thai nationality only, fluent in English, with background & experience in OTA and connections with wholesale agents, Minimum two years experience in Sales. Able to work independently in headquarters office. Good benefit and bonus by KPI targets.

TOUR DESK SALES CO-ORDINATOR Thai nationality only, Sales coordinators for our LHM Adventure tour counter To be based in the properties we manage, fluent English with strong sales mind, full time and part time, good salary, attractive commissions with KPI target bonus structure.

Interested candidates are invited to send an application with complete resume, in English, with qualifications, experience, a recent picture and expected salary to: md@luxuryhospitalitymanagement.com Phone: 0897256994 http://luxuryhospitalitymanagement.com/

BB PHUKET NEEDS YOU! Come and join us to be a part of our Dream Team. The new unique Pool Bar and Restaurant on Phuket’s stunning East Coast is looking for you.

Position:

- Restaurant Manager/ Assistant Manager (ผูจ้ ดั การห้องอาหาร, ผูช้ ว่ ยผูจ้ ดั การห้องอาหาร) - Bartender/Bartendy (บาร์เทนเดอร์, บาร์เทนดี�) - Host/Hostess (พนักงานต้อนรับในห้องอาหาร) - Banquet Attendant (พนักงานฝ่ายจัดเลี�ยง) - Marketing /PR (การตลาดและประชาสัมพันธ์)

Incentives:

Salary package: ��,���-��,���, competitive compensation and benefit packages and guaranteed service charge. (รายได้รวมอยูร่ ะหว่าง

��,��� – ��,��� บาท ตามตำแหน่ ง , ความสามารถ และประสบการณ์)

- Daily tips - Staff Food - Staff Van - FUN at Work

Requirements:

- “Can Do” attitude (มีทัศนคติดี) - Outgoing personality (บุคลิกภาพดี) - Good English (สามารถสื�อสารภาษาอังกฤษได้ดี) - Great communication skills (มีทักษะการสื�อสารที�ดี) - Passionate (มีความชื�นชอบในสายงาน) - F&B Knowledge (มีความรู้ในด้านอาหารและเครื�องดื�ม) - Hard working (มีความอดทนในการทำงาน) - Reliable (ซื�อสัตย์ม, สุจริต)

Thai& Non Thai nationals Contact us on Jobs@bbphuket.com Phone number: English: 0848927517, Thai: 0935757770

@thephuketnews

Phuket Shopping Tours Job Are you an outgoing, fun loving person? Highly motivated, with excellent customer service skills? If so we want to hear from you. Phuket Shopping Tours is seeking expressions of interest from LICENSED TOUR GUIDES for freelance and full-time work. In addition to hosting Shopping Tours and Island Tours, successful candidates will assist with other aspects of the business including sales, marketing and promotional duties and will be an integral part of our growing team. Requirements ·Good English ·Outgoing personality ·Excellent customer service skills ·Own transport - driver’s license and own car highly desirable ·Excellent knowledge of Phuket ·Prior experience in 4/5 star resorts To learn more about Phuket Shopping Tours and what we do please read our website www.PhuketShoppingTours, Facebook and Tripadvisor. To apply send resume including copy of Tour Guide License to info@PhuketShoppingTours. com or call 0898 66 88 33

We are one of the leading real estate companies in Phuket that is expanding fast and looking for talented individuals to join our young, dynamic team. We have a position for a Russian speaking agent who has a number of years experience in real estate & within the Phuket market. This is a great opportunity for any hungry and talented sales people to join a market leader. Top Level Commission offered., Top Level Commission, Kamala, Phuket, 092 474 6157, paul@livephuket.com

Position HR Manager Thai Nationality. Proven experience with managing a team. 3-5 years experience. Knowledge of labour laws, visa and work permit regulations. Good command of written and spoken English. 40,000 baht salary. Send your resume in English to jazon@ headstartphuket.com

Kotasovac

An offer you can not refuse!

Anyone who wants to be within a few weeks of earning money an interesting way, contact us. It involves a simple promotional activity on the Internet, which is very fairly assessed and which can behandled easily, by even a schoolboy! For work, you need a computer, patience and a desire to change their financial situation for the better. If you want to have an interesting monthly income, contact us as soon as possible. We would like to help. Contact by e-mail only: kotasovac@gmail.com

Popular hotel in Central Patong is looking for an Executive Chef. The applicant must have a minimum of 5 years experience in a similar position.

The applicant must be able to assume full Management of a busy Kitchen and be able to co-ordinate Staff. Other duties include: Purchasing, Costing Innovative ideas and external catering events. Salary is negotiable and dependent on experience and ability. Languages Required: Thai / English

Excellent THAI CHEF Looking for an excellent Thai Chef to work abroad. I am looking for an excellent Thai Chef to work overseas in Sri Lanka at a new Thai Restaurant. Would require to speak little bit of english but what I am looking for is a really good chef who can make Authentic Thai food. Will provide great salary and accomodation. Please contact me on suranga.sd@ gmail.com to discuss further.

Assistant Branch Manager 20 K We are hiring!!!!! Both positions for our new branch in Phuket and to be part of our energetic team.

Excellent commission & benefits.

Email info@thailandpooltables.com, 20,000 THB per month, Ying.

AKA THAILAND AKA THAILAND looking for candidates to fill position: Operation Manager, Chief Accountant, Website & Graphic Designer, Customer Service (English language is a must, Competitive salary for the right candidate) please send CV to info@akathailand.com, Angie, Chalong, 076 604004

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Buy&Sell BOATS & YACHTS 4.1M/40HP RIB, 09/2014 AS NEW! BOUGHT IN SEPT. 2014,14HRS ONLY! SUZUKI ENGINE+BOAT UNDER WARRANTY (SUZUKI PHUKET).

BIMINI+TRAILER+TUBE COVERS. 0935840565 (RUS/ ENG) 0987086632 (FR/ENG, 350,000 THB, )

Silver Princess Yacht PC530 A 53 ft Power Catamaran by Silver Princess Yachts. Beautiful design, compact yacht with space & modern interior.

Dimensions: 53 ft length, 21 ft beam, 4 ft draft, 50 passengers, 22,000,000 THB, Sonny, 669-8810-5024, Website: www.silver-princess.com, sonny@silver-princess.com

Yamaha Enduro Outboard 25hp 25hp Yamaha Enduro 2 stroke Outboard std shaft (not long). Like new, only used 10 hrs. Too big for my dinghy. 65,000 THB or best offer, Call Art on 094 906 0887.

WILLIAMS 325 TURBOJET for Sale GREAT DEAL! Asking price is 320,000 THB vs 991,620 THB for the new! Price is negotiable. Year 2010, Excellent condition, 40 knots in 4 sec! Sunbrella covers. CALL NOW! 089 558 8811, 320,000 THB, Irina, sales@fivestarseacruises.com

TechWorX Marine.

Service and install of Smart phone or pad controlled Marine AV and IT, Media servers systems. External antenna 3G/4G internet systems. Reliable onboard WiFi. Phuket and Bangkok. Please email for info package. info@techworx.asia

SPEEDBOAT FOR SALE: SEATBOAT 369 sale. Year 2009, engines 2x225 hp, capacity 22 passengers, great condition, ready to run, 2 stern exits, bathroom, shower, set of new options (coach, tent anto-staining), all documents. Priced at 1.9 MB, negotiable. Call Andrey 085 368 5908.

Class B AIS DEAL AIS DEAL by Electrical Marine Co, Ltd. Has the Simrad Class B NAIS - 400 complete with GPS and VHF antenna’s that will interface with all marine system with NMEA 2000 & NMEA 0183. sales@electrical-marine.com, 32,500 THB + VAT, +66076272177

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Williams 325 Turbojet for Sale GREAT DEAL! Year 2010, excellent condition, 40 knots in 4 sec! Sunbrella covers. Price for the new is 991, 620 THB, Resale price is 550, 000 THB! CALL NOW!, Contact Irina, sales@fivestarseacruises. com, 0895588811 Luxury Yacht for Sale For sale 2002 Bertram 510 Flybridge luxury yacht. Reduced to only USD675,000. Contact Marcus on marcus@leema rine.net.

Crownline 320 LS 50 kts Bowrid:Very fast-nice sport boat, 2x350 MPI engines, year 2009, like new, lifetime hull warantty, only 100 working engine hours, Thai flag, tax payed. Only 3M THB, Airberth 0,5 M THB seperately. yacht@elas.si.

13 Metre Wooden Hull Cruiser Cap. 17 PAX. Wooden hull, 3.5 metres W, draws 1.5 meters, diesel engine generates 123 KW. Perfect for fishing or day tours. Fitted w Fish Finder and GPS. Was B1,500,000 now only 500,000 THB. Call 082 414 6931 or phil@krabikonnect.com.

Yacht sale 36-ft Searay A very good condition with bedding for 5, air-con, generator, kitchenette, BBQ grill, twin propulsion, Mercruiser 5.0L bravo III DTS, raymarine chartplotter, GPS and depth sounder. B4.5 million. Call 089 647 5204.

2009 POWER CATAMARAN 45ft. 4 cabins. Volvo D-4 IPS 300. Genset. Aircon.

“Bose” surround. Raymarine. Low hours. Fully loaded. Fast and economical. As new. Bargain.

Only 339,000 euros. Email: eddyelan@yahoo.com 089 971 0278, Eddie.

CAR FOR SALE TOYOTA VIOS for Sale Toyota Vios 1.5 J, ABS, Auto, 2010 model, Silver. 64,XXX KM. First class insurance till 25 January 2015. Only THB 339,000. Call 086 479 7471 to view.

2010 BMW 325i Sport Immaculate low kms (47,000) White 325i Sport with a full compliment of accessories. The car is in new condition with good rubber, full insurance and still has 12 months warranty remaining., 1.67 MB, hsewaugh@yahoo.com, 0849138926

Bertram 505 Conver for sale Launched in 1989 this long range sport fishing vessel is powered by 2 Hino Marine 360hp V8 Turbo . The interior is fully air-conditioned and features a saloon, three cabins and a galley. Price: 7,000,000 THB, Stefano, info@ thebigblues.com, 087 834 5293 .

NEW SEALINES AVAILABLE: Orders are now open for the new range of Sealine Sports and Flybridge, both 380 and 450. For details of this exciting new range Contact: inq@sea-yss.com, www. sea-yss.com, 081 370 1995.

A steal for a quick sale 2007 Italian demo yacht Cranchi 47ft Hard Top. Fully loaded with Tropical air con, genset, Electrical winches, garage, roof, Raymarine Premium Navy, BBQ, Ice Maker, 3 Fridges, “Bose” Sound, Neon light, Twin 570HP with reliable shaft drive, under 300 hours, Brand New Condition. Euro 335,000.

Tel: 089 971 0278, or email eddyelan@yahoo.com for more details.

NEW MAZDA BT50PRO PICKUP TRUCK Perfect condition. Only 7800 km. Only 720 000 bht. See more pics http://goo.gl/zZW0Xi, Price: 720000, Kathu, 08 33 91 65 54

TOYOTA FORTUNER 2008 SILVER,TAN LEATHER INTERIOR, 2.7 PETROL, 69,000 KM,ORIGINALOWNER,NO ACCIDENTS, EXCELLENT CONDITION, CLEAN CAR,FULL TOYOTA SERVICE RECORD, INS AND TAX TO AUGUST 2015. CALL 0883863556 TO VIEW, 700,000 THB, 0883863556

2013 SUZUKI CARRY 2 cars, 8100 km and 16500 km. Top condition.

Price: 300,000 THB/car o.b.o. Tel 080-5889390 Eng or 092-5628762 Thai

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CLASSIFIEDS 25

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

List your classified now at thephuketnews.com

BUY & SELL IN PHUKET

CAR FOR SALE Subaru WRX STI A Line 2012 Arctic silver with satin gray wrap, Advance racing wheel, STI front and side spoiler, Cold air intake, HKS exhaust, Fuel bank system, STI rear diffuser, Engine remapping, Turbo boost control, Front anti roll bar, Front and back strap bar, Racing STI steel wheel, Mint 2,000 km., 3,500,000 THB, Rujiporn (Fang), fang@sripanwa.com, 076-371000

2006 Toyota Yaris Good Cond’n 2006 Lt. Blue Toyota Yaris for immediate sale.

135K kms, well maintained and serviced, no accidents, reliable car. Call/email Matt, THB 260,000 Firm, 0900720566

2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 8,000 km., The General Lee orange, Wrap in black satin color, Standard 6200 cc with 425 hp, Aftermarket parts, Mopar intake, Mega flow exhaust, H&R lowering spring, Front & back strut bars, Front anti roll bar, Hennessy engine remapping, Now delivering 488 hp, 4,200,000 THB, Rujiporn (Fang), fang@sripanwa.com, 076-371000

2014 Fortuner TRD 1300 Km 1.27 MB 1 month old brand new fortuner 3.0 D4D absolutely fully loaded TRD SPORTIVO full time 4WD price new 1.549.000 selling for 1.270.000 1 MONTH OLD real chance to buy a top model fortuner reason for sale DONT LIKE DIESEL. not negosiable no more discount no bargaining no trades please respect this and kindly NO EMAILS calls only, 1,270,000 THB, Christopher, 08-43772526

BMW X5 First to see will buy, LPG, New air suspen.

Contact 084 054 8122 to view. 850,000 THB.

Honda Accord 2.4 – Like New !

Only 4 years old (9/2010), Only 52TKM, Aut.,Top model, 1 owner, black leather,8 airbagsNew 1.5 m. THB,Now only 795.000THB., tik@smartproperty.net, Eng: 0867479292 Thai: 0819705204

Isuzi D-Max, very low mileage, 4-cab 3.0L(2006). Metallic black,raised suspension, wide wheels, tan leather seats. 59,000 kms, one expat owner/driver. Bodywork like new.

360000 THB, Steve, steve_phuket@hotmail.com, 0862709968

CAR FOR SALE Ford Explorer Limited 2006 4.6-liter, V-8 (Strong Powertrain), 240 horsepower, 99,000 km. Selling Price 850,000 THB. (can be negotiated) Urgent sale ! Call 081 666 6622.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Band available for events New on Phuket island; 5-piece good quality music band available for all sorts of events Corporate events, weddings, gala dinners, parties, festivals etc. Genre: pop/top 40, motown and a bit of rock. Please contact: Brigitta, 0822577102, rigittalouisa@yahoo.com

CLUBS & MEMBERSHIPS New in Phuket BACKGAMMON 086 951 5511, tonivanLaak@hotmail.com

FURNITURE Folding Event Chairs 100 funky, modern design chairs that fold for easy storage. Made from high quality plastic that won’t change colour in the heat. Great for a restaurant or events. Bought in Bangkok from Pioneer Furniture. Paid approx 950 THB per chair. Willing to separate but would prefer to sell as a bulk lot. Some are still brand new in un-opened boxes and all are in excellent condition, 650 THB each, Andrea, ndreachappell@gmail.com, 0802087454

Business For Rent Massage Spa and Travel Agent with Room for Motorbike Rental good location close to Laree Hotel in Patong Beach. Low key money and Rent, Darren, billycross666@outlook.com, 098 040 8356

FINAL INVENTORY SALE DON’T MISS FURNITURE, ORIENTRUGS, PAINTINGS, PRINTS, CDs, ANTIQUES, DINING SET 4x8 IVORY, STEREO, LAMPS++ CALL HEINO 076 289 894 AT 19/2 RAWAI VILLAS. SHOWTIME 9AM to EVENINGS.

For Sale Nissan Teana 2.5 xv- November-2013-Only one year - 15,000 km White Collar-With-all options New price 1,700,000 THB Now 1,200,000 THB Tel-081 788 8280 Thai-090 163 2140, maurice. phuket@gmail.com

HONDA CITY FOR SALE AUTO. 2007. EXCELLENT CONDITION. 1 owner. Regularly serviced. 1ST CLASS Insurance. 93,000km, Price : 280,000 THB. 089 874 2942.

Isuzu DMax For Sale Isuzu Dmax 2005 2.5TD, 119,000 kms, 1 owner, Full service history, green book, Ins & Reg July 2015, power steering, electric windows. Excellent condition. To inspect call 086 944 1640, priced at 265,000 THB.

Chevrolet Optra 1.6 Auto 120.000Kms/2006 1 owner excellent condition, 1st class insurance, new tyres, full options, leather interior, airbag, ABS. 081 968 1416, 250.000THB

Chevi Colorado + Honda PCX FOR SALE Pick-up truck Chevrolet Colorado LTZ 2013 4x4 for sale.

In use since November 2013, perfect condition. Diesel 2,8L, Full 4x4, AT, climate control, leather interior, white body. One owner, 10000km, warranty, insurance. Price 25000 USD. Black Honda PCX-150 2013 for sale. Tuned-up bike with warranty and insurance. Price 2000 USD. Call Artem 0937285960, tema_lan@mail.ru

Ford Everest Limited 3.0 4x4 Excellent condition 2010, 1 owner fully loaded: GPS, DVD, Rear Seat TV, rear camera, leather, 8 seats, 6 air bags. 39,500 km priced for immediate sale. Ford Dealer serviced, 810,000 THB, Mike, Chalong, 088 491 3857.

For sale Navy Bar Soi Sea Dragon, Bangla, Patong.

Key money paid until October 2015. Asking price for 1.6 MB., playschoolphil@ yahoo.com, 081 083 3231 Bangla rd bar for sale Bangla rd Patong bar for sale 10 meters from the band everything included alcohol stock computer fridge chairs 8 year lease 3.9 million baht eng.086 2752264 or thai 0806195985, 3.9 THB, ed bayford, edbay54@yahoo.ca

GUESTHOUSE LEASE FOR SALE 13 year lease on 15 room guesthouse in Patong for sale.

Includes bar and kitchen plus all equipment and fittings, Price : 3.5M, Person : Paul, Patong, +66-81-958-1055, www.expatguesthouse.com, pauljames@expathotel.com

Business for sale Business only or business and property. Est 2003. Repeat business from big data base, non-tourist related soft furnising manufacturing and retail business. Genuine enquires only, no tyre kickers. For further info email samos1941@gmail.com

Four Poster bed 6’6X3’6 Four poster bed. Thai hardwood. Inc. mattress and mosquito net. 35,000 ONO, adrian@bd-asia.com, 0870892084.

JEWELLERY /WATCHES Breitling Crosswind 18K Gold Breitling Crosswind Chronograph - 40 Diamonds - 43mm 18k Yellow Gold - Reference: K13355 nr: 1677. Pre-Owned - Purchased October 2004 from authorized Breitling dealer.

Contact for more infomation 090 901 3601.

Shake things up with Jukebox Shake things up. Bring Elvis back to life with this beauty! call us now 085 797 0005, 33,000 THB, Ying.

Business Partner Wanted

We Sell Boxes & Moving Supplies: At

Unique business opportunity, in the high end motorcycle industry, now available. Partner wanted to expand existing profitable business. For more info contact 081 691 9346.

MY STORAGE Self Storage you can buy quality moving and packing supplies like individual boxes, bubble wrap, packing tapes & knives plus secure padlocks. We also help you to move and store. Call 076 292 909.

CATERING EQUIPMENT GAS B.B.Q clearance sale The B.B.Q Center. GAS B.B.Q clearance sale cheapest in Thailand. All models only 19,000 Baht. Call Khun Thip: 076 366 860, 081 597 5568

CLUBS & MEMBERSHIPS Blue Canyon golf membership Blue Canyon,Corporate membership 2 nominees, can add families later, 1.25 ML negotiable, contact gerryw@amantaresources.com

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SPORT

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

27

Phuket FC, Singapore club team-up for youth FOOTBALL

P

huket FC have entered into a partnership with Geylong International FC of Singapore’s S-League to begin a set of annual preseason youth matches in preparation for both squad’s respective seasons.

The partnership was an-

nounced last week after Geylong International FC’s CEO, Leong Kok Fann, met with Ronins’ Chairman Pamuke Atchariyachai in Phuket.

For at least the next two years, Phuket FC and Geylong International FC will alternate as hosts for a set of exhibition youth matches set to take place each January before the start of the season.

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SCORE

Power punch – Hundreds came out to watch the Kard

Chuek fights on Christmas (December 25) at Saphan Hin Stadium in Phuket Town. Kard Chuek is the traditional rope binding used by Muay Thai fighters to harden their hands and is still practiced in Thailand on different occasions.

There were ten Christmas Day fights in total last week, nine of which were Kard Chuek, and it was broadcasted on regional television.

The winners of each year’s set of matches will receive the President’s Trophy from the host club’s CEO. Phuket FC youth will travel to Bedok Stadium in Singapore to play a two-match play-off against Geylong from January 15–17. Both matches kick-off at 6pm.

Phuket’s Chairman Pamuk said: “ I am exciting that our

youth will have a chance to advance their skills, to gain more experience, and have a chance to visit another country.

This is a good opportunity for both teams” It was also announced that Phuket FC will invite 15 youth teams – with 9 to 10-year-old kids – to play a tournament at the team’s training grounds in Chalong later this year.

28 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Thailand stars cap big year on major tours GOLF THE 2014 SEASON WAS A good year for Thai professional golfers who won a combined five titles on two major tours.

While the veterans carried the Thai flag on the international stage, some young ones showed they could follow in their footsteps.

Thongchai Jaidee, 45, was again the country’s most successful golfer with his win at the European Tour’s Nordea Masters in Sweden. It was his sixth European Tour title and second on European soil after the 2012 Wales Open.

He played in all four majors and made the cut for the first time at the Masters where he finished tied for 37th.

Thongchai began the year at No.46 in the world and finished at No.39.

“It’s my best season since I turned pro in 1999,” said Thongchai, who won the professional athlete of the year award from the Sports Authority of Thailand.

Thongchai has earned berths for next year’s Masters and British Open through his world ranking and Race to Dubai position. He was 22nd in the Race to Dubai and earned €1,545,786 (about B62 million).

On the Asian Tour, Thaworn Wiratchant, 47, won both the Queen’s Cup in Samui and the King’s Cup in Khon Kaen bringing his Asian Tour titles to 18.

Prom Meesawat, 30, ended an eight-year title drought with

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

Wild Oats XI wins record eighth Sydney to Hobart honours YACHTING

Thongchai Jaidee won the Nordea Masters in June. his victory at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Taiwan in September.

It was his only second Asian Tour title after his win in South Korea in 2006.

Prom continued his good form for the rest of the year and finished third on the Asian Tour money list with US$532,471 (about B17 million).

In Japan, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (58) did well enough to keep his playing rights for next season despite struggling after being crowned Asia’s No.1 last year.

On the LPGA Tour, Pornanong Phatlum came close to becoming the first Thai to win on the women’s elite circuit.

She had a three-shot lead after three rounds in Malaysia but ran out of steam on the final day to lose to China’s Feng Shanshan.

Pornanong remained the best female Thai golfer on the international stage.

She finished 20th on the LPGA Tour money list with US$735,031 (about B24 million) and was 27th in the world rankings. Bangkok Post

upermaxi Wild Oats XI won its eighth line honours in the Sydney to Hobart race last Sunday (December 28), officials said, to become the most successful yacht in the history of the competition.

The Mark Richards-skippered 100-footer crossed the finish line ahead of American newcomer Comanche in the gruelling 1,163 km race down the east coast of southern Australia, organisers the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia said.

The nine-year-old yacht crossed the line after two days, two hours, three minutes and 26 seconds at 3:03pm, while Comanche finished in two days, two hours, 52 minutes and 44 seconds.

“It was our toughest race.

To have a boat (Comanche) so close is always difficult, especially when they are going faster than you,” Richards told reporters in Hobart after the yacht crossed the line at Battery Point.

“We managed to pull it off and I just said to the guys, we have just got to hang in there, hang tough, minimise the losses and wait for the first opportunity we could

S

The crew of the Wild Oates XI finished the grueling 1,163 km race in two days, two hours, three minutes, and 26 seconds. to attack and we did and it paid off.”

Wild Oats XI, one of five supermaxis – the biggest and fastest yachts – in this year’s race was also first across the line every year from 2005 to 2008 and in 2010, 2012 and 2013.

It surpassed the record of Morna/Kurrewa IV, which won seven line honours titles in the 1950s and in 1960.

But choppy seas during the race meant the leaders were unable to challenge the race record set by Wild Oats XI in 2012 of one day, 18 hours,

Wild Oates XI skipper Mark Richards celebrates.

23 minutes and 12 seconds.

The brand-new, cuttingedge Comanche, owned by American technology entrepreneur Jim Clark, had a stellar start when it flew out of Sydney Harbour at the start on Friday (December 26), followed closely by Wild Oats XI. But as the boats turned south they encountered choppy seas, prompting the fleet to spread out as they tried to avoid the worst of the weather.

By morning the winds had eased, giving an advantage to the slim-line Wild Oats XI, owned by billionaire Bob Oatley, which broke away from the wider-bodied Comanche on Saturday afternoon (December 27).

Wild Oats XI extended its lead on the second night, taking advantage of a highpressure ridge in the Bass Strait, although Comanche narrowed the gap to 10 nautical miles at Tasman Island on Sunday (December 28).

“It all went really, really well. To win a Hobart is such a great honour, but to win an eighth one, it’s just wonderful,” Richards said.

“The opportunity to re-

write a bit of sailing history doesn’t happen every day of the week, that’s for sure. Just a very exciting moment.”

Meanwhile, Clark said he was not sure if Comanche would be back to race next year, but praised Wild Oats XI and its crew.

“Wild Oats and Mark Richards ran one hell of a race and it’s a really excellent boat,” he said.

The Sydney to Hobart was Comanche’s first major ocean race, with accomplished American skipper Ken Read admitting before the start that the yacht – which is broader than its class rivals and has a towering 150-foot mast set further back than most – was not perfect for the competition.

Perpetual Loyal, another supermaxi, was the most high-profile retirement after withdrawing with hull damage, while Brindabella, a former line honours winner, also pulled out after it started taking on excess water due to damage to rudder bearings.

The 70th Sydney to Hobart bluewater classic drew its biggest fleet since 1994 of 117 yachts. AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

SPORT 29

Baltimore Ravens’ Kamar Aiken celebrates after scoring last week. Photo: DOCE

Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton leads his team to victory over the Falcons. Photos: Lemar

Ravens, Panthers win to claim last NFL playoff berths GRIDIRON

C

arolina and Baltimore captured the last two National Football League playoff spots with victories while Aaron Rodgers shook off a calf injury to spark a crucial Green Bay triumph.

Carolina routed host Atlanta 34-3 last Sunday (December 28) in a matchup of teams with losing records for the NFC South division crown while Baltimore downed Cleve-

land 20-10 and took the last American Conference wildcard playoff spot after San Diego lost 19-7 at Kansas City.

Rodgers returned from a second-quarter left calf injury late to run for one touchdown and throw for another in the second half to spark the host Packers over Detroit 30-20.

Aggravating the injury was Detroit’s Ndamukong Suh stepping on Rodgers’ left leg twice late in the game.

With the victory, Green Bay claimed the NFC North

crown over the Lions and earn a first-round playoff bye on the final day of the NFL regular season.

Defending Super Bowl champion Seattle defeated visiting St. Louis 20-6 to finish 12-4 and claim the top seed in the National Conference playoffs, including a firstround bye and a home-field edge with Green Bay (12-4) taking the second seed.

Next weekend’s first round National Conference playoff games will find Detroit (11-5)

Chelsea confirms Torres Milan move FOOTBALL SPAIN STRIKER FERNANDO Torres will join AC Milan permanently from Chelsea in the New Year, the English Premier League leaders said Saturday.

The news came several hours after Spanish media reports claimed the former Liverpool forward would be returning to his first club Atletico Madrid.

The 30-year-old had joined Milan on a two-year loan at the beginning of this season.

He won the Champions

@thephuketnews

League, the Europa League and the FA Cup in threeand-a-half years at Stamford Bridge, but never lived up to goal-scoring expectations after a £50 million (64m euros, $78m) transfer from Liverpool.

Torres will join Milan permanently on January 5, Chelsea said.

The deal does not rule out a return to Atletico in the upcoming transfer window, though.

The Spanish champions have indicated they do not have the funds for a permanent deal themselves, but may yet sign him on another loan deal from Milan once he has left Chelsea.

In fact, Sports newspapers such as Marca and AS and national daily El Pais had said earlier that Torres’s move back to Atletico was decided after the Madrid club’s Italian player Alessio Cerci agreed to move to Milan in return. AFP

at Dallas (12-4) and Arizona (11-5) at Carolina (7-8 with one drawn).

In the American Conference playoffs, New England (12-4) has the top seed with Denver (12-4) second after a 47-14 rout of Oakland on Sunday and both took firstround byes.

In Atlanta, Cam Newton ran for one touchdown and threw for another while Roman Harper and Tre Boston returned interceptions for touchdowns to spark the Pan-

thers’ victory over the Falcons.

Carolina edged New Orleans (7-9) for the division crown and joined Seattle in 2010 as the only clubs with losing records to reach the playoffs.

At Baltimore, Joe Flacco threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to rally the host Ravens past the Browns.

A loss by San Diego, which would have advanced instead with a victory, put Baltimore in the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons.

Flacco connected with

Torrey Smith on a 16-yard touchdown pass and a twoyard scoring toss to Kamar Aiken as the Ravens netted the game’s final 17 points.

“Anything is possible in the playoffs,” Flacco said.

“We’ve just got to go in there and have some confidence.”

Another losing team with something to cheer was Tampa Bay, as the Buccaneers (214) clinched the top pick in next year’s NFL Draft with a 23-20 home loss to New Orleans. AFP

30 SPORT

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

PREMIER PREDICTIONS: ENTER NOW AT THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Wenger eyes top four berth as Arsenal gallop FOOTBALL

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MONTHLY STANDINGS

A

rsene Wenger believes Arsenal are gathering momentum at the right time after they enhanced their prospects of qualifying for the Champions League with a hard-fought 2-1 win at West Ham. First half goals from Santi Cazorla and Danny Welbeck at Upton Park last Sunday (December 28) were enough to help Arsenal leapfrog West Ham in the Premier League table.

And, after a spluttering campaign, the Gunners are back on course to finish in the top four and seal a coveted place in Europe’s elite club competition.

“The Champions League is vital for us,” Wenger said.

“We have done it 17 years so I’m entitled at least to believe we can do it.”

With the transfer window opened on January 1, Wenger knows there will be speculation about moves in and out of the Emirates Stadium, but the Gunners boss is focused on getting his injured players fit rather than any wheeling and dealing.

Out-of-favour Germany striker Lukas Podolski continues to be strongly linked with a January move to Inter Milan.

But Wenger has played down the prospect of him moving on and is more concerned at seeing the likes of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere return from spells on the sidelines.

“At the moment nobody goes out. Ozil is coming back at the back of January, so of course there is a lot of competition up front.”

Manuel Pellegrini accused his Manchester City players of complacency after they allowed a two-goal lead to

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493 487 486 485 483 480 474 473 473 471

English Premier League 2014 - 2015

Arsene Wenger during a match against Southampton in October 2013. Photo: Philip Currie slip away in a costly 2-2 draw against lowly Burnley.

The defending champions wasted the opportunity to pull to within a point of Premier League leaders Chelsea, who were held by Southampton earlier on Sunday (December 28), after first half goals from David Silva and Fernandinho had put City well in control at Eastlands.

An early second half effort from Burnley’s George Boyd was followed by a dramatic 82nd minute equaliser from Ashley Barnes which ended City’s bid for a club record 10th consecutive victory.

“The way we’re playing, we need to run a lot of metres,” said Pellegrini.

Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho claimed that there is a “campaign” to get his players wrongly punished for diving following his side’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Southampton.

After Eden Hazard had cancelled out Sadio Mane’s opener for Southampton last Sunday (December 28), referee Anthony Taylor booked

Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas after he went down under a challenge by Matthew Targett in the second half.

Television replays indicated that the official may have made a mistake, as Targett appeared to make contact with Fabregas after slipping, but Mourinho suggested that there was more to it than that.

He listed previous incidents when Chelsea players had been booked for perceived dives, including one involving Diego Costa against Burnley on the opening weekend of the season.

Diving had also been the topic of post-match conversation after a 2-0 home win against Hull City earlier this month, which saw England defender Gary Cahill topple to the turf in an eye-catching manner.

“Why was it not a penalty?

Because the referee made a mistake,” Mourinho said.

In other news, Louis van Gaal believes Manchester United are still in the Premier League title race despite the fact that his side side paid the price for their failure to convert a number of first half chances when they were held to a 0-0 draw at Tottenham on Sunday (December 28).

Van Gaal admits his side cannot afford a repeat of this wasteful display.

But he is confident United are improving and capable of reeling in Chelsea and City during the second half of the season.

“When you cannot win such type of matches when

(you are the) better team –- like against (Aston) Villa and also now -- then it is very difficult to be the champions at the end of the season,” Van Gaal said. AFP The Liverpool vs Swansea English Premier League match had yet to kick off before The Phuket News went to print. For the latest standings of the EPL Predictions contest, visit: thephuketnews. com/login-game-premierleague-competition-ex.php

PREVIOUS RESULTS: Sunday 28th December 2014

Tottenham 0-0 Man Utd Southampton 1-1 Chelsea Aston Villa 0-0 Sunderland Hull 0-1 Leicester Man City 2-2 Burnley QPR 0-0 Crystal Palace Stoke 2-0 West Brom West Ham 1-2 Arsena Newcastle 3-2 Everton Friday 26th December 2014

Chelsea 2-0 West Ham Burnley 0-1 Liverpool Crystal Palace 1-3 Southampton Everton 0-1 Stoke Leicester 1-2 Tottenham Man Utd 3-1 Newcastle Sunderland 1-3 Hull Swansea 1-0 Aston Villa West Brom 1-3 Man City Arsenal 2-1 QPR Monday 22nd December 2014

Stoke

0-2 Chelsea

Sunday 21st December 2014

Newcastle 0-1 Sunderland Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal Saturday 20th December 2014

Man City 3-0 Crystal Palace Aston Villa 1-1 Man Utd Hull 0-1 Swansea QPR 3-2 West Brom Southampton 3-0 Everton Tottenham 2-1 Burnley West Ham 2-0 Leicester Monday 15th December 2014

Everton 3-1 QPR Sunday 14th December 2014

Man Utd 3-0 Liverpool Swansea 1-2 Tottenham

Team

MP W

D

L

F

GD

Pts

1

Chelsea

19 14

4

1

41 14 27

46

2

Man City

19 13

4

2

41 17 24

43

3

Man Utd

19 10

6

3

33 19 14

36

4

Southampton

19 10

3

6

32 15 17

33

5

Arsenal

19

9

6

4

34 23 11

33

6

West Ham

19

9

4

6

30 23

7

31

7

Tottenham

19

9

4

6

24 24

0

31

8

Swansea

18

8

4

6

23 19

4

28

9

Newcastle

19

7

5

7

22 28

-6

26

10

Liverpool

18

7

4

7

22 24

-2

25

11

Stoke

19

7

4

8

21 23

-2

25

12

Everton

19

5

6

8

29 31

-2

21

13

Aston Villa

19

5

6

8

11 22 -11

21

14

Sunderland

19

3

11

5

16 27 -11

20

15

QPR

19

5

3

11 21 34 -13

18

16

West Brom

19

4

5

10 18 28 -10

17

17

Hull

19

3

7

9

18 26

-8

16

18

Crystal Palace

19

3

7

9

20 30 -10

16

19

Burnley

19

3

7

9

14 29 -15

16

20

Leicester

19

3

4

12 17 31 -14

13

FOOTBALL FIXTURES Saturday 10th January 2015

A

Chelsea v Man City

17:30

Sunday 1st February 2015

Sunderland v Liverpool

12:45

Arsenal v Aston Villa

13:30

Burnley v QPR

15:00

Southampton v Swansea

16:00

Chelsea v Newcastle

15:00

Everton v Man City

15:00

Aston Villa v Chelsea

15:00

Leicester v Aston Villa

15:00

Burnley v West Brom

15:00

Swansea v West Ham

15:00

Everton v Liverpool

15:00

West Brom v Hull

15:00

Leicester v Crystal Palace

15:00

Crystal Palace v Tottenham

17:30

Man City v Hull

15:00

Newcastle v Stoke

15:00

13:30

QPR v Southampton

15:00

16:00

Swansea v Sunderland

15:00

Tottenham v Arsenal

15:00

West Ham v Man Utd

15:00

Sunday 11th January 2015 Arsenal v Stoke Man Utd v Southampton

Saturday 17th January 2015

Saturday 7th February 2015

Aston Villa v Liverpool

15:00

Burnley v Crystal Palace

15:00

Leicester v Stoke

15:00

Arsenal v Leicester

19:45

QPR v Man Utd

15:00

Hull v Aston Villa

19:45

Swansea v Chelsea

15:00

Man Utd v Burnley

19:45

Tottenham v Sunderland

15:00

Southampton v West Ham

19:45

17:30

Sunderland v QPR

19:45

Crystal Palace v Newcastle

20:00 20:00 20:00

Newcastle v Southampton

Sunday 18th January 2015

Tuesday 10th February 2015

West Ham v Hull

13:30

Liverpool v Tottenham

Man City v Arsenal

16:00

West Brom v Swansea

Monday 19th January 2015 Everton v West Brom

20:00

Saturday 31st January 2015

Wednesday 11th February 2015 Chelsea v Everton

19:45

Stoke v Man City

19:45

Saturday 21st February 2015

Hull v Newcastle

12:45

Crystal Palace v Everton

15:00

Aston Villa v Stoke

15:00

Liverpool v West Ham

15:00

Chelsea v Burnley

15:00

Man Utd v Leicester

15:00

Crystal Palace v Arsenal

15:00

Stoke v QPR

15:00

Everton v Leicester

15:00

Sunderland v Burnley

15:00

Hull v QPR

15:00

West Brom v Tottenham

15:00

Man City v Newcastle

15:00

thephuketnews

Sport THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015

SPORT 31

editor2@classactmedia.co.th

Phuket FC youth squad to play internationally > page 27

THAI ATHLETES

‘DELIVER’

THAILAND SPORTS hai officials have been satisfied with their athletes’ overall performance this year and now looking forward to a brighter future.

T

Asian Games

With 12 gold medals, Thailand were sixth overall at the 17th Asian Games behind China (151), South Korea (79), Japan (47), Kazakhstan (28) and Iran (21).

But Thailand made a very slow start and it took them several days to claim the country’s first gold medal thanks to Yannaphon Larpapharat’s fine performance in the men’s singles

bowling. Other champions in Incheon included boxer Wuttichai Masuk and tennis star Tamarine Tanasugarn.

Wuttichai saved the face of the Thailand Boxing Association (TBA) when he was the country’s only champion in the sport in Incheon.

His victory over South Korea’s Lim Hyun-Chul in the light-welterweight final came after a series of controversial decisions. Thailand, as well as other countries, complained about biased judging, prompting TBA chief Pichai Chunhavajira to fly to Incheon to look after the team.

Indeed, some experts believed Wuttichai’s win was a surprise as he was deducted a point in the final against the home boxer.

Wuttichai was named the best male athlete of the year by the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).

Tennis star Tamarine, 37, finally won her first Asian Games gold medal when she partnered young star Luksika Kumkhum to win the

women’s doubles title.

It was Tamarine’s last Asian Games and she won the best female athlete of the year from the SAT.

Football achievement Thailand beat Malaysia 4-3 on aggregate in the final of the AFF Suzuki Cup to lift the trophy for the first time in 12 years. They won 2-0 at home in the first leg, and came back from 3-0 down to lose 3-2 in the second leg in Kuala Lumpur.

Thailand are now the most successful national side in the Asean football championship, along with Singapore, with four titles.

Coach Kiatisak Senamuang became the first man to have won the Asean title both as a player and a

coach. Thailand previously won the crown in 1996, 2000 and 2002 with Kiatisak a player in those three teams.

Earlier in the year, the Thai women beat hosts Vietnam 2-1 in the fifth-place play-off at the Women’s Asian Cup to secure a place at the 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup. It will be Thailand’s first ever World Cup appearance at the senior level.

Controversial stars Muay Thai superstar Buakaw Banchamek (Por Pramuk) was again in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

After a three-round bout against Germany’s Enriko Kehl in a K-1 fight in Pattaya, Buakaw suddenly disappeared before the result was

announced. The fight ended in a draw and according to the rules, an extra round was needed to determine the winner.

With Buakaw’s absence, Kehl was declared the winner.

Vanessa Mae became Thailand’s first ever female athlete at the Winter Olympics when she took part in a ski event in the Sochi Games in early 2014.

But the renowned violinist, who was born in Singapore to Thai and Chinese parents but grew up in Britain, was last month handed a four-year ban by the International Ski Federation (FIS).

The FIS said the qualifying results of Vanessa, who competed in Sochi using her father surname Vanakorn, were manipulated.

The 36-year old is appealing the suspension with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and is expected to hear a decision soon.

Bangkok Post

Racing up a storm in Rawai RACING Nattha Thepbamrung reporter3@classactmedia.co.th

P

huket: The annual longtail boat competition, ‘Rawai Longtail Boat Racing Sport 2014’, was held last Thursday (December 25) at Rawai Beach.

The competition was overseen

by Rawai Municipality Mayor Arun Soros, and Somsak Looktao, the Rawai Long-tail Boat Association President. A number of local people

and tourists gathered to watch the races.

“We have this activity every year to preserve the sea people’s lifestyle which is supported by the municipality and the association.”

“This activity promotes tourism in the area, as well as good relationships between the longtail boat fellows and local people from different villages.” 46 teams from different villages in Rawai joined the competition which was separated into five divisions based on the longtail boat’s engine capacity.

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS Run #1506: Saturday, January 3 at 3:30pm Hares: Who The * Is Alice, Christian & Jean Location: Naiharn lake area Bus pic k- up: Patong : 2:30pm, Kamala: 2pm More info: Phuket-hhh. com or Facebook.com/ phukethashflash @thephuketnews