09-03-2012

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DEATH TRIP 4 DEAD AS MINIBUS CRASHES Minibus collided with pickup truck

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our European tourists were killed and another five were injured after their minibus collided with a pickup truck in Thai Muang, Phang Nga province, last Saturday afternoon (March 3).

The four dead have been identified as Krinicina Jaliya, 29, from Russia, Nergiz Tinç, 26, from Turkey, a 47-year-old Ukranian called Melhichender and a 37-year-old Russian named Alexander. Police could not provide full names for the latter two.

Five other injured Turkish, Ukrainian and Russian tourists were taken to Thai Muang Hospital, then transferred to Mission Hospital in Phuket. They were identified as Lazina Svetlanarat, 28, Labeznaya Galina, 56, Serkan Tinc, 33, Medvedeva Nadejda, Continued on page 2

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Four were killed, five were injured Phuket-bound truck overshot bend

Dead from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey

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Photos: Thung Maprao Siam Ruamjai Rescue Foundation

Paritta Wangkiat reporter3@thephuketnews.com

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ISLAND NEWS

NEWS More tragedy on the region’s roads Continued from page 1 59, and Sepdakor Alexandaras, 54. They are all currently in a stable condition.

According to Thai Muang Police, the pickup truck carrying fish crates was driving out of Phuket, while the minibus was on its way into Phuket, after the passenger’s day trip to the Similan islands.

The minibus had been arranged by Medsai Travel & Tour based in Phang Nga province.

Thai Muang Police reported that the pickup overshot the bend on Petchkasame-Thung Maprao Road just before Thung Maprao bridge. Trav-

elling at speed, the pickup then hit the right side of the minibus, killing all four tourists sat on that side of the vehicle almost instantly.

After the collision, the pickup flipped over and slid onto Thung Maprao bridge, while the minibus ran off the road before eventually coming to a complete stop.

The driver of the pickup truck, Chamnan Dabkaew, 26, was slightly injured. He waited until the police arrived at the scene, and was later charged with careless driving causing death.

The minibus driver appeared at the police station that same day.

Senate committee discusses island’s transport problem The Senate Tourism Committee met with local authorities on Wednesday (February 29) to discuss aspects of tourism that particularly draw complaints from tourists.

The complaints are: untidy or dirty beaches, service providers ripping off tourists, the selling of fireworks or lanterns on the beaches, jetski rip-offs, ugly billboards and under-manning of Thai

Airways check-in counters at Phuket International Airport.

Vice Governor Dr Sommai Prijasilpa and Phuket elected Senator Thanyarat Achariyachai, were in attendance.

Sen Thanyarat said, “We have had complaints from tourists about problems, and we have not been quick to resolve them. Maybe, in 10 years or so, we will find tourists are no longer returning.”

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1st birthday celebrations The Phuket News is one year old this week! > 8

Marking the historic defence of Phuket Phuket will celebrate its historical heroine sisters, Thao Thepk rasat t r i and Thao Srisoonthorn, who successfully defended the island against a Burmese invasion in 1785, in an annual festival to be held on a field at Baan Riang in Thalang between March 2 to 15.

The highlight of the festival is a bilingual sound and light show on the history of Thalang town that will be held each night between March 13 to 15, starting at 8.30pm and lasting an hour and 20 minutes.

Governor Tri Augkaradacha takes to the stage to act as King Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, while Vice-Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada will be King Padung of Burma, protagonists in the historical drama.

The performance will be joined by 800 performers, made up of students from Phuket Rajabhat University and schools in Phuket and Phang Nga provinces.

Governor Tri Augaradacha (centre) takes on a new job as an actor in historical plays.

Also from March 13 to 15 is the festival fair, where 80 booths will sell food and OTOP products. There will also be shadow puppet performances, southern folk dances, and Thai-Muslim dances.

Entry is free for the festi-

val, which runs from 5pm to midnight for the three days, and there is seating for 3,000 in the audience.

Other activities during the 14 day celebration include a Buddhist ceremony, crosscountry-bike racing (March 1

to 4), a mini-marathon along a Thalang historical route and Muay Thai boxing competition (March 11), plus a ceremony to worship ancestors (March 12 to 13).

Authorities will spend B6 million on the event.

Funding calls for mobile Cabinet

The property poster that offended some local residents.

Real estate poster offends Buddhists Local residents have complained that posters for luxury pool villa development ‘Chaba Village’ are disrespecting the image of Buddha.

The poster, which appeared on a billboard at the Central Festival Phuket intersection, featured a Buddha-like image sitting with one knee up, hea d nestled on it s knee, and eyes closed.

P r ayoon N hu su k t he chief of Phuket Culture Office told The Phuket News “We received a complaint last month, and tried to contact the company, but were unable to reach anyone there.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

“The circle in the middle of the forehead and the hair are distinctively Buddhalike imagery.”

Mr Prayoon added, “The Buddha experts we consulted have different opinions, but most of them agree that at least some parts of the poster look like Buddha, although with a female appearance.”

The Phuket Culture Office chief explained that Thailand doesn’t have a law that deals with cases like this, but that they would pass on the displeasure of locals to the company.

The offending poster has since been taken down.

Officials from five provinces in the Andaman region and the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) met in Phuket on Tuesday (March 6) to decide on projects to be proposed to Cabinet for funding approval, prior to the mobile Cabinet meeting in Phuket on March 19 and 20.

Deputy Secretary-General of NESDB, Chanvit Amatamatucharti, told officials from 40 authorities in Phang Nga, Krabi, Ranong, Trang and Phu ket t h at t hey ca n apply for their share of Cabinet’s B600 million allocated for projects.

Project proposals can be made in the category of the Andaman region as a whole, encompassing the five provinces, to the maximum of B100 million. Individual provinces can also propose funding, up to a maximum of B100 million for each province.

He said when funding proposals are approved the money will come within one week and the project needs to start immediately in order to secure that funding. Projects should focus on water resources and improving the quality of life for people.

Phuket has five set projects to propose: three to develop water resources (B74 million), a marine t ranspor tation cont rol system (B20 million), a nd a h istor ic site i n Thalang (B9 million).

O t he r Phu ket p ro jects for prior selection include building a new prov i ncial hall, t he Thalang monument, improving the road connecting Patong, Kata and Karon and an underpass at Bang Koo intersection.

Other projects being discussed include the Patong tunnel, renewable energy, and the “no plastic bag” campaign.

THE PHUKET NEWS

ISLAND NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Stein Dokset charged with ‘intentionally killing’ lover Stein Håvard Dokset, 50, who kept the rotting body of his ex-lover in a bathroom of his house for three years, was on March 1 charged with “intentionally causing” her death.

He also faces charges of attempting to hide a dead body and possession of a gun without a permit.

However, Dokset continues to insist it was an accident.

Police said on Febr uary 29 that the Norwegian had admitted that he had pushed ex-girlfriend, Roongnapa Rachsombat, 33, resulting in her falling down the stairs and hitting her head on the floor below.

A day later, however, he told The Phuket News in an exclusive interview that there was no fall. The argument took place in a bedroom on the ground floor, he explained.

She died in the bedroom and he stashed her body in the en-suite bathroom.

The argument and ensuing fight happened when he arrived home from a shopping trip and met Ms Roongnapa in the bedroom on the ground floor. She told Dokset

Stein Håvard Dokset reenacts the scene for local police. she wanted to break up with him. He rejected the idea and locked the bedroom door.

“Then she started punching me in the chest,” said Dokset.

“I pushed her away. I was trying to protect myself.”

Ms Rungnapa fell backwards onto the floor, slamming her head on the wall as she went down.

After discovering that she was dead, Dokset said, he went out of his mind.

“I was in complete shock.

Everything was a blur,” he

said. “I sat there for maybe three minutes, maybe three hours. I don’t know how long it was.”

When he finally calmed down, he said, he walked out of the room and pulled a garbage bin from his parking space into the room.

He laid the bin on its side, dragged her body to it and stuffed her inside. Then he righted the bin and pushed it into the bathroom.

The next day, he covered her body with a plastic

rubbish bag, taped the lid of the bin shut and locked the bathroom door.

Why, The Phuket News asked, didn’t he call the police or an ambulance, or at least report the death of Ms Roongnapa? “I was too scared,” he said.

Part of his fear stemmed from his knowledge that Ms Rungnapa had been carrying on a secret relationship with a local police officer. The couple had even had a baby together.

“I knew her boyfriend was a policeman. I was too scared to call police.

“I was afraid that if I told everyone the truth, they would not believe that it was an accident.”

Dokset’s relationship with Ms Rungnapa had been rocky for a year before her death, since October 2008 when, after they had been together for five years, she went to stay with her family in Surat Thani for three months.

“She told me that she was going to have a baby,” he said.

“But the baby was not mine.”

She said the father of the child was her police boyfriend,

who was staying at Surat Thani at the time.

She asked Dokset for money to pay for an abortion but he refused, urging her to come back to the home they shared at the time, in Hua Hin. He said he would be the father of the baby.

Two of her children from a previous relationship already lived with Dokset and Rungnapa. She agreed to come back to stay with him.

She had the baby, but did not move back in with Dokset, who by now had moved to his mansion in Kata.

She would, however, visit him every couple of weeks and the relationship continued until the night she died, after she tried to make a complete break with Dokset.

“I love her very much. But from the day I covered her with a plastic bag, I blocked her from my memory.

“I had no plan to keep her body or to dump it,” he said.

Dokset appeared in the Phuket Provincial Court on March 1.

He said that he will apply for bail to prepare for his trial.

3

IN BRIEF Two Russians rob Swedish tourist Police are searching for two Russian women who stole a gold necklace, mobile phone and B8,000 from a Swedish tourist while he walked along Karon Beach.

Swedish tourist Peter Wentzel, 40, told police he was walking along Karon Beach on March 2 when two Russian women, aged around 30-35, stopped and asked him for a cigarette in order to distract him.

They then robbed him and ran away before riding off on a motorbike.

Karon Bar staffer stabbed to death Wittaya Lahprom, 27, a member of staff at a small bar on the beachfront in Karon, was stabbed to death on Saturday evening (March 3) after he slapped a customer in an attempt to stop him from bullying other people in the bar.

Wittaya is reported to have been carrying a .38 pistol but had no time to pull it before being knifed by the patron. He died on the way to Patong Hospital.

Police are looking for the customers involved in the stabbing.

A Nai Yang official believes the shoreline at the popular northern beach is receding.

The sands of time: Nai Yang vanishing One of Phuket’s most popular stretches of sand, Nai Yang Beach, is being lost to the sea, an official from the Sirinat National Park believes.

The official, who did not want to be named, said a combination of wind and waves, especially during the monsoon season, had taken their toll over the last 30 years.

“The eroded part of Nai Yang Beach measures almost

5 kilometres [from an overall length of 23 kilometres]. But of this, the worst damaged area is two kilometres long, where about 1,200 rai of beach has been lost. Now, there is not much beach land left. We have to find solutions together,” said the official.

Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister, Wuttipong Chaisang, recently visited Nai Yang Beach after hearing

reports that the beach had suffered large scale erosion.

Mr Wuttipong said, “I think we have to first clearly understand the cause of the problem. We should discuss with foreign experts who know about this kind of issue, such as those from Hawaii, where they have a similar landscape to Phuket.

“I will discuss this issue with the Prime Minister soon.”

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Paiboon to run again in April 7 poll for OrBorJor Paiboon Upatising, the recently resigned President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (OrBorJor), registered Sunday morning at the Phuket Provincial Hall to run for re-election in a poll scheduled for April 7.

He was the only candidate to sign up on the first day of registration, which ends today (March 9).

After lodging his papers, Mr Paiboon told The Phuket News he was positive that he would get good support from the people of Phuket.

“We’ve achieved a number of projects during the past four years,” he said. “We are confident that we will get another chance to run the OrBorJor.”

While President of the OrBorJor, Mr Paiboon set up several facilities including recreational facilities and public buses in Phuket Town. His team also opened the OrBorJor Hospital.

Mr Paiboon said that, if elected, he has an ambition to create “a green Phuket” with recreational and green space around the island.

An OrBorJor soccer field is currently under construction at Cherng Talay, near Surin Beach. It is due to be completed by the end of this year.

A new sports complex is planned for land around Bang Neow Dum reservoir in Thalang District, and an exercise trail will be laid

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Paiboon Upatising: Resigned to force an early election. o u t a r o u n d B a n g Wa d reservoir in Kathu District.

He also wants to take on one of Phuket’s longeststanding abandoned buildings, the Lucky Complex, a failed department store building on OrBorJor land in Saphan Hin. Lucky Complex was taken over by the OrBorJor in 2002 and various attempts have been made in the intervening years to get the complex up and running again, first as a duty-free centre and later as science learning centre.

None of these has met with any luck. Mr Paiboon now wants to try turning it into an indoor sports complex.

Mr Paiboon said he has also been discussing with the

Land Transport Office a plan to add more “pink” buses to increase the OrBorJor’s public transport’s capacity.

He said his major concern is the OrBorJor Hospital – one of the reasons he called an early election, as he was worried about the expiry in June of the contract with Bangkok’s Thonburi Hospital to run the hospital.

Mr Paiboon said that, if re-elected, he plans to increase the number of medical specialists to include eye, ear, nose and throat, and skin doctors.

In addition, he said, he has a plan for promoting Phuket to bring more tourists from new markets such as India and Taiwan.

Clean bill of health for tin smelter The Thaisarco tin smelter in Makham Bay – Phuket’s sole heavy industrial plant – was inspected by Phuket authorities on Tuesday (March 6), after officials received letters complaining that the smelter was causing air pollution in neighbouring communities on Cape Panwa.

However, during a site inspection, authorities found no evidence of pollution emanating from the factory, and local community representatives, who joined the inspection, said they had no complaints.

“Thaisarco has always taken action every time we complained about problems,” said Sonthaya Autsarhar, village headman of Moo 8, Cape Panwa.

He said that sometimes dust was carried by the wind from the smelter to local villages, but that he personally believes that its impact on the local community is small.

Since five years ago, a

Thaisarco tin smeltery is categorised by the Department of Primary Industries and Mines as a grade A factory. local committee comprising representatives from Thaisarco and the local community has met monthly to discuss any problems relating to the smelter.

Thaisarco’s Commercial Director, Panya Toachareon, told the assembled officials that the company has always been very sensitive to the possibility of adverse environmental impact.

The company, he explained,

uses a reliable consultant, certified by by Department of Industrial Works, to produce environmental impact reports every six months, covering air emission quality, working air quality, ambient air quality and water quality. A copy of the reports goes to the Office of Natural Resources and Environment Policy and Planning.

According to the most recent ambient air quality

report, Mr Panya said, the air contaminant rate was only 30 microgrammes per cubic metre, one quarter of the maximum amount allowed by law.

However, he told the officers that, in light of the complaint letter, Thaisarco would conduct another environmental survey immediately to give the authorities more precise, up-to-date figures so that any doubts could be cleared up.

Thaisarco, a subsidiary of the British AMC Group, began its tin smelting operation in Phuket in 1987.

With Thailand now no longer able to supply tin ore to the factory, Indonesia has become its main supplier.

The smelter used to process about 30,000 tons of tin ore a year, but this figure is now down to just 1,000 tons, due to dwindling supply sources and rising transport costs. As a result, the factory’s heavy machinery now runs only once every three months.

Laguna defends keeping of elephants Laguna Phuket issued a statement on Tuesday (March 6) clarifying its position after Joey, a young elephant at the Laguna Elephant Camp, was seized by authorities on February 27.

Joey was one of three young elephants in Phuket taken away by authorities on suspicion that they were born to an unregistered mother who was being held illegally in a

camp in Sai Yoke, Kanchanaburi Province. In the statement, Mark Breit, Regional director of Laguna Tours and Quest, stressed, “The Laguna elephants were rented from their owners in accordance with official procedures and in each rental procedure we have undertaken thorough and exhaustive due diligence.

“However, one of these elephants, Joey, a two year-

old juvenile, was recently taken into the care of authorities while his mother’s legal status was investigated. “ [ N e i t h e r] L a g u n a Phuket, [nor] any of its hotels, has been accused of wrongdoing in this issue.”

Defending Laguna’s keeping of elephants, he said that the hotel complex “houses and employs domesticated Asian elephants which, due

to habitat loss and poaching, have no available area to be returned to the wild.

“By housing them and involving them in our tourism activities we offer a good alternative to city-based scenarios, where elephants can be seen performing tricks for money.

Laguna’s five elephants, he said, were well cared for and “much-loved by both staff and hotel guests”.

THE PHUKET NEWS

ISLAND NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Budget finally approved for Patong road repairs

Sathaporn Sornchana, of the Phuket Highways Dept.

Phuket Highways Department (PHD) has finally received the budget to fix the landslideaffected section of the road over the top of Patong Hill.

A chunk of the road slid down the hill in October after heavy rain and has not been properly repaired since then, due to a shortage of funds.

Sathaporn Sornchana, Deputy Chief of the PHD, told The Phuket News that the Thai Cabinet has approved a budget of B22 million to stabilise the hillside and rebuild about 100 metres of missing road

surface. The repairs will take place as soon as possible, he said, probably starting next month and taking around four months to complete.

The PHD also received the go-ahead to repair a smaller landslip on the bypass road near Siam Niramit.

The budget for this is B8 million. Repairs will be done at the same time as those on Patong Hill.

Meanwhile, the PHD has put the underpass project at the Thainaan intersection out for tender. The B600-

million project was approved

by Parliament in January a nd , prov ided t he r ig ht contractor can be engaged, work will start in August this year, taking around two years to complete.

Mr Sathaporn said the PHD is hoping that two more major intersection projects will also be viewed favourably by the government.

The first is the combined underpass/overpass project at the Samkong intersection on the bypass road (next to Tesco Lotus). This project,

for which the PHD is asking B700 million, has already been proposed to the government and the hope is that it will be included in budgets for next year.

The second is the proposed underpass at the Bang Khoo intersection at the north end of the bypass road. With public hearings over, the PHD plans to put this project before the mobile Cabinet meeting in Phuket on March 19 and 20, in the hope that the B500 million needed will be included in budgets for 2014.

Phuket woman first Thai to land at tip of Cape Horn Not too many Thais get to the tip of Cape Horn, the southernmost point of South America.

In fact, local authorities on Navarino Island, at the southern end of Chile, told Daruwan Le Touze and her French husband Hervé that Daruwan was the first Thai woman recorded as having set foot on the island.

Dar uwan and Her vé,

owners of Catathai, which makes catamarans in Phuket, have been on a long sailing expedition, reaching Cape Horn – or Cabo de Hornos as it’s know locally – in February, a month after leaving Phuket.

While aboard their yacht, Mrs Daruwan painted a signpost adorned with a Thai flag and reading “Thailand,

17,364 km” to add to the other distance signposts to far parts of the world, erected in Puerto Navarino, a small port on the island.

The seas around Cape Horn are notorious for their violent weather, and were the undoing of many sailing vessels in earlier times, before the Panama Canal was completed in 1914.

Daruwan Le Touze adds Thailand to the tourist signpost.

5

IN BRIEF Australian tourist dies in Patong Australian tourist Robert Francis Mullally, 49, died instantly on March 6 after he fell down a stairway at his Patong hotel.

A bar hostess, Sinjai Kinkong, 24, who was with Mr Mullally at the time, told police that she had heard the Australian call out to her, before he reportedly fell down the stairwell at the Pacific Light Hotel.

Police said Mr Mullally was drunk, leading police to believe he fell accidentally.

His body is in Patong Hospital, awaiting collection by his family.

Record number of Swedish deaths Two Swedes who died over the weekend in Phuket have brought the total of Swedish citizens killed in Thailand in the first two months of 2012 to 33.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said the 33 deaths were a significant increase compared to the total of 52 in 2006, ScandAsia reported.

But t he nu mb e r of Swedish people visting had also gone up considerably, it reported.

Local students take first prize at the recent Thailand Ukulele Festival 2012 competition.

Guitar heroes

A three-piece band from Phuket’s Baan Nabon School, in Chalong, were named champions of the Thailand Ukulele Festival 2012 competition, held at Siam Paragon mall in Bangkok recently.

With entries from countries across Asia, only five bands made it to the final round, making the Phuket students’ achievement all the more impressive.

The three members of t he b a nd , Wa t ch awo ng Petsuwan (ukulele), Anwa Rathaporn (bass) and Treerat Nachalam (singer), all are 12 years-old. They are led by teacher Nitiphat Na Nakorn.

Mr Nitiphat attributed his band’s success to their relaxed style of playing.

“Beforehand I was quite nervous, but in the end they were very impressive.

“I am very happy with my students, and I think this award will make them more confident in their own abilities.

Music helps with concentration and thinking,” he said.

For winning, the band received a prize of B40,000 cash, and six new ukuleles.

The festival was organised

by Ribbee Boutique Ukulele Paradise, a dedicated ukulele store in the capital.

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Thailand will offer $250,000 (B7.5 million) in compensation to the family of a Japanese cameraman shot dead during a crackdown on protests in Bangkok two years ago, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Tuesday (March 6).

Ms Yingluck told reporters before leaving on an official visit to Japan that her Government would send a letter of condolence to the family of Hiroyuki Muramoto, a Reuters cameraman.

“The letter is issued on behalf of the Thai Prime Minister to Hiroyuki’s family and to inform them of the compensation they are entitled to receive like others,” Ms Yingluck said.

“I will not have enough time to meet with his family due to my busy itinerary,” she said when asked if she would personally see the late journalist’s relatives.

Last month the Government approved a B2 billion budget to compensate for all deaths and injuries sustained during a string of violent rival political protests since 2005.

Ms Yingluck’s Government, which took power last year, has said there is clear evidence that

One soldier was killed and another severely injured in Pattani province last Thursday (March 1) as insurgents ambushed their unit on escort duty and exploded a roadside bomb, while a Muslim couple were shot dead in their home in the province on the same day.

Police said eight soldiers from Pattani Task Force 25 were escorting teachers to school in Krawa village in Ma-Yor district when insurgents detonated a five-kilogramme home-made bomb, using a mobile phone, reported The Nation.

The couple, meanwhile, were shot dead in their home late on Thursday in Sai Buri district.

Police said Malee Jehmu, 54, and his wife Bungo Jehmu, 51, were shot dead by two men who arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire with an assault rifle and a pistol.

The husband died in front of the house and his wife fled inside but died there.

The couple’s son, a defence volunteer for the district, had been killed by insurgents in 2010.

In neighbouring Yala province, security has been heightened in the wake of 74 attacks on security officials and civilians in February alone, provincial police said.

Meanwhile, Fourth Army Area Commander Lt-Gen Udomchai Thammasarojrat said last Friday (March 2) that the Government has not approved the new st r uct ure of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) because it was awaiting a legal study being made and not because it would give the military more power.

Red Shirt anti-government protesters on April 10 last year hold a portrait of Japanese cameraman Hiroyuki Muramoto (left), one of two foreign journalists killed during clashes between troops and anti-government Red Shirt protesters, as part of the first anniversary ceremony of the violence in Bangkok.

Photo: AFP soldiers were responsible for the death of M r Mu ramoto during the April-May 2010 Red Shirt demonstrations.

The Red Shirts are broadly loyal to fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is Ms Yingluck’s older brother.

More than 90 people, mostly civilians, were killed and nearly 1,900 were wounded during the

2010 Red Shirt rallies, which ended in a bloody militar y crackdown under the previous premier, Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Ms Yingluck is scheduled to visit Japan from late Tuesday until Sunday (March 10) in an attempt to win back the confidence of Japanese manufacturers hit by the Kingdom’s worst floods in decades last year.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

RISING

SUN:

JAPAN 1 YEAR ON

Balancing act for tsunami mayor and single father Agence France-Presse

Mayor Futoshi Toba has spent the past year trying to rebuild a city that was virtually wiped from the map by Japan’s tsunami, battling the government’s sometimes slipshod approach to recovery while also learning to be a single parent to his two motherless sons.

One year on from the disaster, there has been progress, but there is a long fight ahead.

“We are just about at the starting line in terms of the reconstruction marathon,” the 47-year-old mayor told AFP, speaking in his prefabricated office on a hill that overlooks the razed city of Rikuzentakata in northeast Japan.

More than 1,800 people, including Toba’s wife, died in the city after the earthquake and tsunami on March 11 last year – nearly 10 per cent of

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the national toll.

A third of the administration’s civil servants perished and 90 per cent of buildings were levelled.

The picture-postcard sea shore was destroyed, with all but one of the 70,000 pine trees that lined the coast uprooted, taking the area’s tourism industry with them.

Most of what was once the city has been cleared, but here and there stand the skeletal shells of buildings.

Rikuzentakata has a preliminary plan to rebuild, Toba says, gesturing to an aerial photograph showing the extent of the devastation, but a lack of leadership from Tokyo is making things hard.

“If the government is going to be involved in reconstruction, it should give us clear instructions,” said Toba, who became mayor of Ri-

Northeastern Japan was left in ruins following the tragic tsunami on March 11, 2011. kuzentakata just a month before the tragedy struck.

Money that was set aside for disaster recovery has been painfully slow to materialise.

Special budgets in May, July and November allocated more than 14 trillion yen (B5.2 trillion) to rebuild the region hit by the quake and tsunami.

But only 7.8 trillion yen – 55 per cent – of the money had been spent by the end of January.

Less than four per cent of

funds set aside for rebuilding key infrastructure, such as roads, dikes and sewerage, had been put into action by the end of December, the Asahi Shimbun reported, citing government documents.

Toba says there is a “huge gap” between politicians in the capital and those living in areas torn apart by the country’s worst post-war calamity, with metropolitan lawmakers seemingly wrapped up in party politicking.

Toba says dithering by former prime minister Naoto Kan, when he stayed in office long after promising to resign, had created uncertainty for the crisis-hit northeast.

Kan’s successor, Yoshihiko Noda, has been similarly ineffective, says Toba, with no decision made on whether Tokyo will buy land in tsunami-hit zones and rebuild breakwaters – the fundamental starting point for reconstruction.

Toba’s anger is tempered,

however, by an acknowledgement of human frailty – a lesson that has been hammered home for him over the last 12 months.

“I tell myself that I should be strong in public, but in front of my sons I am just a father.”

Since last March, Toba has had to balance his duty to the city with the role he has to play at home for two children, aged 13 and 11, whose mother died when their seaside home was swept away.

“My boys were badly affected by her loss. The younger one still cries at night,” he said.

Toba now sports a beard, which he has vowed not to shave until Rikuzentakata is firmly on the path to recovery.

He said life as a single parent and a mayor could be difficult, and he often turns to memories of his wife, Kumi, to help him through the hard times.

“She is still protecting me from heaven,” he said.

“All I can do for her now is to help rebuild this city and to bring up our two sons properly.

These are my promises.”

Mother’s call answered: healed but still scarred Agence France-Presse

A year ago, a desperate young mother stood amid the ruins of her devastated city wrapped in a blanket as she scoured tsunami wreckage for her missing son.

Twelve months on, Yuko Sugimoto and her family are reunited and living in a temporary home, but the scars from the catastrophe still remain.

“The disaster made me realise it’s a miracle that tomorrow comes,” she said after re-visiting the spot where a photographer captured her despair after her life had been t u r ned upside down by the ferocious waves of March 11, 2011.

Sugimoto recalled how two days after the tsunami she cowered against the bitter cold as she searched for any clue to the whereabouts of her only child.

The 29-year-old was at work and five-year-old Raito was at his kindergarten when the sea came crashing into Ishinomaki.

Ru mou rs spread that the children had all been washed away; that none

Yuko Sugimoto looks for her son on March 13, top, and the same housewife standing with son Raito at the same place in January 27 this year.

Photo: AFP would be found alive.

For three days she and her husband traipsed from shelter to shelter, hoping against hope for a miracle.

Then on March 14, their prayers were answered.

“Tears blurred my eyes.

I couldn’t see my son’s face, I was totally speechless,” Sugimoto told AFP. “W hen I was able to focus again, he was in his father’s arms.”

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Chuwit targets illegal casinos in Bangkok.

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Martin Carpenter, British Honorary Consul, makes a point at the meeting. With him (centre) is Samantha Nieman, Bangkok-based British Proconsul, who is responsible for helping Britons involved in accidents or attacks. At left is Piyanoot Hongsyok, Honorary Consul for the Republic of Estonia.

TUK-TUKS. AGAIN.

Consuls voice outrage over spate of violence

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here were no prizes for guessing what was top of the agenda at Wednesday’s Phuket consuls meeting – tuk-tuks, and particularly the recent string of vicious assaults on tourists and expats involving groups of tuk-tuk drivers.

The meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall, held every three months, brings together the island’s honorary consuls to meet with Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and voice any concerns they may have. Phuket Provincial Police

By Paritta Wangkiat (Mai) REPORTER

Commander Maj Gen Pekad Tantipong and other relevant officials were also present.

The frustration among the consuls was apparent as they discussed how to tackle the ongoing problem of the island’s tuk-tuk drivers, and voiced concerns over the commitment of local government to resolve the issue.

“Several tourists have run

into problems here recently,” Seven Smulders, the Dutch Honorary Consul in Phuket, said.

“Three Dutch tourists were assaulted by tuk-tuk drivers [on August 1]. Until today, these problems haven’t been resolved.” The drivers responsible for that particular assault, which left one of the tourists requiring 18 stitches in the head, still have not been apprehended.

Dirk Naumann, the Germany Honorary Consul in Phuket, also told the story of

53-year-old German man Kurt Trotnow, who as of press time Wednesday remained in a coma after allegedly being beaten by tuk-tuk drivers in Patong over a B100 fare late last week (see page 5 for full story).

“I’m asking myself,” Mr Naumann said. “How can we allow the law on this island to be taken into the hands of the mob?”

A key issue remains the clannishness of the tuk-tuk drivers, and their often extortionately high prices, said to Mr Naumann, who noted

that the majority of quarrels between tuk-tuk drivers and tourists are results of fares.

He pointed out that an 800-metre drive costs only B40 in a metre taxi in Bangkok, but B200 in Patong.

Mr Naumann was also furious at having received a phone call from Kathu police notifying him of the incident on Wednesday morning, six days after it occurred. The consuls have an agreement with police that they should be notified immediately of Continued page 2

Vettel extends F1 lead.

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here were big celebrations at the Kathu offices of The Phuket News this week as the newspaper reached its first anniversary – one year on from the first issue (see left), which hit the streets on March 4, 2011.

Almost from the off, the newspaper has been exceptionally well received thanks to its lively presentation, its exclusive, superbly written stories and the excellence of its photography.

As well as presenting the very best in local news and sport, every week we’ve also scoured the globe for breaking international stories, resulting in one, comprehensive package – all for only 20 baht.

Indeed, it’s been a true year of landmarks for parent company Class Act Media. Apart from starting The Phuket News, the Phuket-based firm also launched Phuket Live Radio 89.5 FM to immediate applause from listeners all over the island, who have dubbed it “fresh, informative and, above all, fun to listen to.” Tune in today, on air or on the internet (phuketliveradio.com).

Class Act Media also established Phuket TicketMaster (phuketticketmaster.com), through which anyone can sell or buy event tickets online, the Job Club (jobphuket.net) for employers looking for staff and people looking for jobs; and the English Premier League tipping contest – a first in Thailand (don’t forget to sign up if you haven’t done already: thephuketnews.com/match-user.php).

The Southern Sun newspaper for Koh Samui was also released last year, while sister company Events Thailand (eventsthailand.net) organised major events such as the Asian Hospitality & Travel Show. Events Thailand also helped people starting out in the hospitality business get experience through internshipsthailand.com.

Above all, thanks go to all our great readers who have supported us over the past 12 months – we love hearing from you and we will keep striving to give you a great read every week. It’s been a big year for us and Phuket, but watch out in the coming 12 months – it’s going to get a whole lot bigger!

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DON’T ASK. TELL. Tourism bosses: ‘Make drivers comply’ The authorities must stop requesting that tuk-tuk and taxi drivers join an official system, say tourism leaders. Instead, they must be forced to join.

Leaders of the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) have made a plea to the authorities to force tuk-tuks and taxis drivers into complying with a sensible system, rather than repeatedly asking them to do so.

Phuket authorities arranged a meeting on Wednesday (September 28) to discuss ways to fix chronic problems caused by intransigent tuk-tuk and taxi drivers.

The chief of the advisory group of the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), Wanta Pummararossukon, said the PLTO had asked tuk-

tuk and taxi drivers to join in various systems over many years, and had explained to them many times the advantage of being in a system.

The latest initiative has bogged down for lack of enthusiasm (See page 2).

Sarayuth Mallam, a Vice President of the PTA said the system would work if the law was enforced and serious penalties levied on any drivers misbehaving.

“We can’t wait for them to decide they want to join the system. We have to force them to do it,” he said.

Many drivers don’t want to join any form of regulatory system because, they argue, it will cost them money. Also, they say, they will see income drop if, for example, they have to adhere to standard fares.

Mr Sarayuth revealed just how much money drivers make: at least B4,000 a day during the high season (B80,000 a month for a five-day week), and about B1,000 a day during the low season, “which is a very good income for everyday life”.

“I’ve met many locals who gave up jobs such as working as security guards to drive black-

plate [illegal] vehicles because the money is so good,” he said.

Step by step, Mr Sarayuth said authorities should push taxi and tuk-tuk drivers to register themselves and their vehicles.

Later, the authorities should carry out regular checks on taxis and tuk-tuks on the road, to see whether they are registered or not. If not, he said, they must be fined heavily or arrested.

Registered drivers should be encouraged to use meters.

“Apart from putting them in a system, [local politicians, police and other officials] must

stop thinking about their own interests and favouring [tuktuks and taxis],” Mr Sarayuth said, stressing that a deadline must be set to fix the decadesold problems.

Another Vice President of the PTA, Bhuritt Maswongssa, told The Phuket News that local business people – or anyone who has trouble with bad tuktuk or taxi drivers – can help.

“If you have a problem, don’t keep quiet about it,” Mr Bhuritt said. “Instead, use the legal process to give an example to other misbehaving drivers.” –Paritta Wangkiet

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Gaddafi’s body buried, Nato asked to stay on.

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BUS HAVOC Nineteen Russian tourists were injured when the tour bus in which they were travelling crashed at the western end of Patong Hill on Wednesday.

Vettel on the brink.

Three crashes in four days: One dead, 55 hurt It was an extraordinary week for bus crashes, even on Phuket’s notoriously crashprone roads: In just four days two tour buses slewed off the road after brakes failed, and a minibus carrying tourists smashed into a tree.

The first crash was on Saturday (October 22) when a privately-owned six-wheel bus was making its way from Kamala to Rawai. On board was a party of Chinese tourists who were heading for a day out on Koh Hey.

Coming from Kata down the last part of the hill before Chalong, the driver, Sarawut Tonegaew, realised he had no brakes.

He told The Phuket News in Vachira Phuket hospital, where he was treated for head and thigh injuries, “I tried to stop the bus by driving it into a drain running along the left side of the road.”

Instead of stopping the bus, however, this manoeuvre backfired, sending the bus hurtling out of control. It veered across

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the road, snapped a power pole, went through the crash barrier and rolled down the hillside.

It came to rest upside down, blocked by trees from falling further.

All the 27 Chinese tourists on board, along with Mr Sarawut and a guide, were injured. One of the tourists, Wu Rong, later died of her injuries.

It took at least two hours for the electricity company to clear up the mess and make the road safe again for traffic.

Later the same day, three Koreans and thei r T hai driver were injured when the minibus they were in smashed into a tree on Thepkrasattri Rd, on the straight section of highway just north of the Tha Chat Chai check point.

All four were rushed to hospital. The driver, Anuchart Lertsiriwongsakul had his leg shat tered in several places, and passenger Don Sik Uyoo, 35, ended up in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Bangkok Hospital.

He is still in the ICU, but the other two passengers, Sun Hee Kim and Sang Moon Lee, were treated for lesser injuries and were due to fly home on Tuesday night (October 26).

Police Lt Col Prakob Boonkwan said that the Phuketbased driver – who also owned the minibus – might not have been familiar with the road, but said recent rain was not a factor as the road was dry at the time of the accident.

He added that Mr Uyoo, Continued Page 2

City hit United for six.

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shortage of beer in Phuket is the latest effect of the flooding in and around Bangkok.

Although supplies of Chang Beer appear to be flowing normally, and Leo is still plentiful, lovers of Singha, Heineken and Tiger beers are feeling the pinch.

Here’s the situation:

■ Singha, which is made by Boonrawd Brewery and has for decades been promoted as the Thai beer, has been worst hit by the floods, which have knocked out the brewery.

Singha is hard to find on the island, and when it can be found, tends to be for sale at prices as much as three times as normal.

Last Friday a Boonrawd spokesperson confirmed to The Phuket News that the Pathum Thani brewery was unable to produce beer because it was partially flooded and there was no electricity.

A call on Wednesday was met by official silence from the company, but Manop Hemhong, manager of local agent Phuket Sivalee, told The Phuket News that one part of the factory came back online on Tuesday evening, and the plant is now producing beer at about 30 per cent capacity.

A wall has been built around the plant, he said, and pumps installed. However, there was still a problem with transport; truck-and-trailer rigs coming to the plant inevitably cause waves that add to the woes of people living nearby, and this was restricting the amount of beer that can be taken out of the brewery.

Manop Hemhong admitted that supplies of Singha have been dwindling since September. In the past week

Revenge of the Horseshoe crabs.

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While Bangkok has been getting wetter and wetter, beer drinkers have been finding that Phuket’s increasingly dry.

Sivalee has received just 20 cases of Singha, which all went to hotels.

He said it would be impossible for any retailer to hoard supplies of Singha because Sivalee controls how much each retailer gets, based on a quota system.

He stressed that despite the short supply, Sivalee has not raised its wholesale prices.

These are set by Boonrawd at B690 for a case of 24 cans or small bottles of Singha.

Mr Manop added: “Some shops in the beach areas have raised the price to between B1,500 and B1,600 a case [about B65 a can].

“We cannot control the

price at which these people sell our beer.”

Patong Whisky Co on RatU-Thit 200 Pi Rd, opposite the Holiday Inn, sells alcohol wholesale. Its manager, Somjai Piyamit, confirmed on Friday, “Singha beer ran out in the middle of October.”

■ Leo: Supplies of Leo, Mr Manop explained, have been affected to some extent, but not as much as Singha. “This is because Leo is brewed in Khon Kaen, a long way from the serious flooding.”

However, transport through the flooded areas has been a problem. While Phuket Sivalee has been getting regular

supplies of Leo, it has been getting large bottles only, Mr Manop said. Supplies are now beginning to flow more freely, with Sivalee getting some 30 per cent more than last week.

Leo is now “off quota”, Mr Manop said; buyers can buy as much as they like. For Leo the wholesale prices are B490 for a case of 12 large bottles, or B568 for a case of 24 cans.

■ Chang: Unlike all the other beers, supplies of Chang, brewed by ThaiBev in Ayutthaya, Kampaengphet and Wang Noi – in the flood zone – appear to be unaffected so far.

■ Heineken and Tiger: These beers are brewed in the

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Jumphol Susangrat, Vice President of local agent MM Wine, said the brewery has not been affected by the floods, but the difficulty of transportation through the floods around Bangkok has caused a bottleneck in the supply line.

“Normally we get four or five deliveries a week, but now it’s only three,” he said. He said the amount coming into Phuket has increased by about 60 per cent compared with last week.

“But this is still nowhere near to meeting demand,” he added.

He said he was not sure whether the supply line would hold up; it would depend on Continued on page 2

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Two held for murder of Phuket taxi driver

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OLD LOGO Two men who shot dead a Patong taxi driver in Phang Nga Province last month, and then used his car as security for a loan from a loan shark, were arrested on Friday (November 11) in Karon.

The two men from Nakhon Pathom Province, Traithep Hintong, 29, and Nattawut Roongsawang, 27, admitted killing 25-year-old Kawee Sangrawee, a Patong taxi driver who worked in front of Jungceylon, and stealing his new car.

Mr Kawee disappeared on October 22.

His body was discovered three days later in an oil palm plantation in Kok Kloy sub-district, in Phang Nga Province.

Pol Capt Chaiya Seksan of Kok Kloy Police Station told The Phuket News that after their a r r e s t t he t wo t old police they had earlier rented a car in Karon, then “pawned” it in their home province.

As the date for returning the car loomed, the duo were unable to come up with the funds to redeem the car and take it back to Karon.

Fearing the possibility of painful physical repercussions for failure to return the car or pay t he loa n sha rk , the two decided they needed another car to replace the one in the hands of the loan shark.

The easiest way to do that, they figured, was to Continued Page 2

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‘DESPICABLE’ Good Riddence: ‘The public and vulnerable need to be protected from you for a long time,’ said the British judge.

Con artist kicked out of Phuket jailed for 4 years in UK British con artist Paul Christopher Ridden, who was arrested in Chalong in September for defrauding a number of expatriates, has been jailed for four years in the UK. The Argus newspaper reported that 58-year-old Ridden was jailed last Saturday (November 12) by Hove Crown Court in the city of Brighton for a run of property scams in nearby Eastbourne.

In 2008, the court heard, Ridden rented a Victorian house in Eastbourne and built up a property rental business.

However, he ran into cash-flow problems when some tenants failed to pay rent.

To cover the shortfall in his

finances, he turned to conning people, some of them with mental problems. He showed some people properties they had no chance of moving into, taking deposits from them. He also carried out petty scams, such as agreeing to sell one victim a TV for £400, then failing to deliver.

By the time police caught up with him, his cons totalled £55,000 (B2.8 million). He was arrested in 2010. Released on bail, he fled to Thailand.

He w a s a r r e s t e d by Chalong police on September 6 this year, after an expat made a complaint to police he had been ripped off for B120,000 to arrange a retirement visa

for him. The visa was never supplied by Ridden.

Follow the first complaint, many other victims showed up at Chalong Police Station to complain about being scammed by Ridden.

R idden ad mit ted to frauds totalling B354,000, though police said they believed the figure might be considerably higher.

They also discovered he was wanted in Britain so, rather than have him resting i n Phu ket at t axpayers’ expense, he was given a sentence of just one month on fraud and visa overstay charges, then shipped him off to meet the judge in Hove.

The Argus reported that Ridden was found guilty of 11 charges of fraud by false representation, three thefts and one count of dishonestly obtaining services from a hotel.

The court was also told that the conman had a history of fraud convictions going back to 1990.

The newspaper quoted Judge Anthony Niblett as telling Ridden, “You are a professional confidence trickster. The only word to describe these offences is despicable.

“The public and particularly the vulnerable need to be protected from you for a long time.”

–Paritta Wangkiat

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American mixed martial arts fighter Junie Allen Browning, 26, accused of hurting five people during a brawl at a Karon bar, turned up at Chalong police station on Wednesday (December 21) to defend himself and give his side of the story.

He explained that he had delayed his appearance – it was 10 days after the brawl before he came to the police station – because he had received threats and feared for his life.

Mr Browning, who fights cage matches under the name The Lunatik, filed a complaint with police alleging that his opponents had started the fight and had attempted to murder him.

He also complained that two diamond earrings he was wearing at the time of the fight had disappeared.

His opponents in the ‘Battle of the Native Bar’ previously filed complaints that he started the fight, hitting management and customers of the bar, resulting in five of them being sent to Patong Hospital.

They also alleged that he started fighting again in the hospital. And the bar owner, Sukanya Srisomboon, filed a complaint about damage caused to the bar by Mr Browning.

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At Chalong Police Station, Junie Browning displays the knife wound in his arm.

Ms Sukanya alleged that Mr Browning also injured some of a group of Thai bystanders who also somehow got into the fight. Police later said these bystanders were local tuk-tuk and taxi drivers.

Browning, who was beaten unconscious and stabbed in the fight, countered last night by insisting that he and his girlfriend, Laura Nissley, were the victims in the brawl, which was started by the others.

stabbed with a knife during the fight.

He said he had no idea why the fight had started. “Personally, I thought it’s gonna be one-on-one fight [with bar manager Simon Menzies],” he said.

“If that had happened we’d have had a fight, got bruised.

That wasn’t a problem until there were weapons and bottles.

“At that point, it wasn’t a fight. It’s trying to stay alive.”

In talks at Chalong Police Station, it was clear that neither side wants to take the matter to a criminal court, and Pol Capt Chianchai Duangsuwan tried to find a compromise.

The bar owner and her friends want compensation for damage to the bar and for medical treatment.

Mr Browning wants compensation for hospital costs and for loss of earnings from a match he was due to fight next month in the US, but will now not be able to contest.

No deal was reached and Mr Browning flew out again to Bangkok, saying that he no longer feels safe in Phuket.

It seems unlikely the full facts of the fight will ever be known. This will not be an easy one for the courts to rule on.

–Paritta Wangkiat

He showed up at the police station with stitches in his head, which he said were the result of someone smashing a bottle and a beer mug on his head.

He displayed more stitches on his arm where he had been

www.thephuketnews.com

YOUR CHRISTMAS SPECIAL INSIDE!

20 Baht

US expat arrested OLD LOGO for loan-sharking 100 72 0 32

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Not so happy Christmas for arrested Russian.

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Junie ‘Lunatik’ Browning tells police his version of the Battle of the Native Bar

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S P E C I A L I S T

INSIDE Friday, December 30, 2011 – Thursday, January 5, 2012

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THEY TRIED TO KILL ME 100 72 0 32

Freeing the butterflies.

K I T C H E N

Advance Asia Furnitech Co.,Ltd. 37/21-23 Moo.7, Chaofa.Rd., Chalong, Muang, Phuket 83130 Thailand Tel. +66 76 281 103 Fax. +66 76 383483 E-mail: info@kitchencultures.com http://www.kitchencultures.com

For US and allies, a risky path on North Korea.

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Bottles and blockades as FC Phuket lose again.

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merican expat Anthony Thomas Granata, 73, and his Filipina secretary, Ressel Alpay, 38, were arrested on Wednesday afternoon on charges of loan sharking.

In an operation mounted

by Phuket Immigration Police, the two were called to the car park of the Tesco-Lotus store in Cherng Talay by a debtor, who was then witnessed by police handing over money to Ms Alpay, who gave the debtor a receipt.

Ms Alpay then walked into the Tesco store, followed by police officers. Sensing she was being tracked, she walked out of the store and got into an Isuzu Mu7 driven by Mr Granata.

Police, meanwhile, had approached Mr Granata and had shown him a search warrant.

He told them to go away and drove off with his door open.

As he did, Pol Maj Kaken Nikornhatsachai, Inspector of the Immigration Police, managed to climb aboard.

What followed was almost farcical.

After passing Surin Beach, Mr Granata turned the car around and went back to Tesco where he again turned around and headed back towards Surin Beach.

Once again he turned the car around and headed back towards Tesco, though this time to the rear of the store, telling Ms Alpay that he would drop

The international news year in review.

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Thrills and controversy in Sydney-Hobart race.

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PLUS Anthony Granata and his secretary, Ressel Alpay, at Thalang Police station on Wednesday. her off and that she should run away.

Maj Kaken, who understands English, waited until this happened and then simply grabbed the car key. When he did so, the other members of the immigration team swooped and arrested the wanted pair.

The couple were then escorted to Mr Granata’s home in Baan Bang Jo where a search was made for evidence. Some 60 loan contracts were seized,

along with a ledger with the names of borrowers and the amounts lent to them.

But police were unable to find the 500-plus passports allegedly held by Mr Granata as security against loans. The Phuket News understands that the loans were made exclusively to foreigners, about 80 per cent of whom were Philippine citizens. Most loans were at least B30,000.

Two passports were found

in Ms Alpay’s handbag.

Mr Granata and Ms Alpay were then taken to the Immigration Police office for paperwork to be completed, and then, because the alleged offences occurred in Thalang District, the two were taken to Thalang Police Station for questioning.

Both were charged with working without work permits and with charging illegally excessive interest rates on

loans. A source told The Phuket News that the alleged interest rate was 10 per cent a month.

Both denied the charges.

They also declined to answer questions about the passports.

Loan sharking is not considered a particularly serious offence in Thai law, usually drawing no more than one year in jail on conviction, so police raised no objection to the pair being freed on bail.

– Apinya Saksri

The Year in Phuket P11 Business P12-14 Arts P16 People P17 Weird World P22 Shopping P23 Dining P24-25 Travel P26 Explore P27 Health P31 Events P32-33 Classifieds P34-38 Sport P39-44

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10 LETTERS/VIEWPOINT

THE PHUKET NEWS

OPINION

Our friends from up north

‘The Russians are here to stay. Their outlook on life, their social interactions, their ways of doing business, all promise to change expatriate dynamics on the island’ > 11

Editor’s Viewpoint

NORACHAI’S WORLD

ONE YEAR ON

T

his week marks an i mpor t ant event i n t he h i s t o r y of The Phuket News – our one year anniversary.

It is an achievement we are immensely proud of. Some said it couldn’t be done, that there wasn’t enough room on the island for two weekly newspapers, or that we were simply too ambitious.

We have proved all doubters wrong. In reaching one year we have well and truly made our mark on the island’s media scene.

Our newspaper has become a success story. We have a large group of regular readers who purchase our newspaper week in and week out, and more than 5,000 online followers on our Facebook page, a number rising daily. We have many supporters throughout the island, and abroad.

Launching a newspaper is comparatively easy, but the hardest part is surviving. Many businesses do not. We have not only lasted the first year, but our paper has continued to go from

Busy reading the paper.

Letters to the editor You’re number one [Re. The Phuket News celebrates first anniversary] I would like to say congratulations for reaching your first anniversary.

I have been a reader from day one, and have seen the paper go from strength to strength over the past year. Your paper has tackled the hard issues as well as providing entertaining and interesting stories about life on the island.

Keep up the great work.

Fanboy

You stay classy, Phuket News [Re. The Phuket News celebrates first anniversary] “Class Act” Phuket News – excellent choice of company name!

Congratulations

Best in show [Re. The Phuket News celebrates first anniversary] Congrats, they said you would never make it. You sure showed them, well done.

Jackjons1970

Licence to print money?

[Re. Licence plate auction] I read with interest about the forthcoming car number plates auction in April.

I have just sold my personal number plate B A 1 a few months ago for £135,000 (B6.5 million). I have had this number plate for 23 years.

Personal number plates are big business in the UK and now other countries are also following in the process about holding personalised number plate auctions.

Brian Adamson

Put plastic in its rightful place [Re. Policy clash puts brakes on no-plastic project] In Toronto we have had years of plastic bag controversy.

O u r pr ev iou s m ayor thought the solution was to impose a five cent charge for any plastic bag. This was to encourage people to carry and re-use bags or have a fabric re-usable bag.

It now seems there are as many plastic bags in circulation as ever, the difference is we now pay for them or we have to buy them on a roll for our wet garbage. Where does the money go and to what purpose? I am now totally conditioned to carrying a couple of bags with me.

But none of this solves the problem of plastic in the oceans and lakes, in the drains, in the wood and on the beaches. I was pleased to be given an alternative bag at Ocean Plaza

the other day. A very nice paper bag with rope handles made from recycled paper.

If all stores simply begin to use paper or cellophane, plastic could just disappear. If there is a sale of cheap cloth re-usable bags at every cash check out, shops will co-operate. Approach the people who supply plastic to supply an alternative and you’re on the way.

Tim Devlin

Taken for a ride [Re. Harrowing scene as Popeye gets taken away] Everyone who truly cares about the fate of elephants should never ride one.

This story seems to make it sound like we should feel sorry for the elephant be taken from its friend, but the reality is that it was most likely taken from its mother and felt the need to bond with another elephant.

Of course, the likely result is

strength to strength. Not that we’re standing still.

We are constantly on the lookout for ways to improve and give you a better read. In addition to our local, national, regional and international news, we have a strong, wellread sports section, larger than in any other Phuket newspaper, plus features, entertainment, arts and culture.

Of course, everything that we’ve achieved so far is because of you, our readers, who have been the key to all of our success.

You were prepared to take a gamble on us by purchasing our paper, and we hope you’ve been rewarded.

We have loved all your positive feedback, and constructive criticism alike.

After all, The Phuket News is your newspaper and we want you to be involved in helping us shape its future.

We have many plans and ideas in the pipeline for 2012, and we promise this next year will be even better than the last.

Thanks for reading so far, and here’s to many more years of The Phuket News.

This week in history a pittance of a fine, no jail time and a return to the status quo as soon as the media coverage dies down. At the end of the day, animal cruelty will survive and thrive. The one way to combat it is to educate tourists. Hit the bad guys in the wallet!

Dave

Cruel intentions [Re. Status of elephants under investigation] I am confused, I cannot understand why Thailand is so full of cruelty and exploitation of animals! Buddhism clearly states that it is wrong to kill or to cause any sentient being to suffer. But I realise people create all sorts of twisted logic to justify their selfish, greedy, callous and cruel appetites.

Thailand looks like a paradise from the outside, what a tragic shame that it is obviously not so for animals.

K. Raja-Peppers

Letters may be edited for clarity or length. Email editor@thephuketnews.com or fax 076 612 553. Please include your full name, phone number, and email address.

thephuketnews.com

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

■■ March 9, 1946 – Bolton Wanderers stadium disaster at Burnden Park, Bolton, England, with 33 people killed and hundreds injured.

■■ March 10, 1977 – Astronomers discover rings around Uranus.

■■ March 11, 1702 – The Daily Courant, England’s first national daily newspaper, is published for the first time.

■■ March 12, 1994 – The Church of England ordains its first female priests.

■■ March 13, 1954 – Viet Minh forces attack the French base at Điện Biên Phủ, beginning a vicious battle that will eventually lead to France’s withdrawal from Vietnam.

■■ March 14, 1931 – Alam Ara, India’s first talkie film, is released.

■■ March 15, 1985 – The first internet domain name is registered (symbolics.com).

THE PHUKET NEWS

FEATURE 11

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE

Alasdair Forbes execeditor@thephuketnews.com

W

hile tour companies and hotels – and the Tourism Authority of Thailand in particular – drool over the huge numbers of Russian tourists pouring into Phuket, a less remarked-on but nevertheless significant change has been taking place on the island: the growth of the Russian expat community.

Fact: Phuket’s Russian com mu n it y now has its own church, the Holy Trinity Church in Thalang, built with funds raised in the Russian community.

Fact: Of the 92 yachts in last year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, 12 were crewed

by Russians. They scored third place in two of the regatta classes.

Fact: There are Russian volleyball and football teams on the island; in the Andaman Soccer Sevens the Russians made it into the semis. The tournament was covered by Phuket Russian TV and in Russia magazine, one of three Russian-language magazines published on the island.

Fact: Apart from the bulk tour companies such as Pegas and Coral Tour, whose buses can be seen every day, there are local niche companies r un by Russians such as Valeriy Joy Dive, which does boat trips for Russians.

There are Russian property and hotel developers, and Russian restaurateurs.

Fact: The Russians are here to stay.

Their outlook on life, their social interactions with others, their ways of doing business – all of these promise to change expatriate dynamics on the island.

At present the Russian community is still comparitively small. As with other foreign communities, pinning down the exact number is impossible.

Phuket Immigration were unable to tell The Phuket News on the phone how many Russians are in Phuket on non-immigrant visas, and the consular section of the Russian Embassy in Bangkok

Ms Sheludkina arrived in Phuket six years ago as a tourist. said, “We have no idea. If they do not notify us, we don’t know they exist.”

However, estimates by expat Russians themselves put the number between 1,000 and 5,000, depending on the time of year; as with other expat groups on the island some are here yearround while others are snowbirds, flying in for the sun when the snow begins to fall in Moscow or Vladivostok.

Raisa Sheludkina arrived in Phuket six years ago as a tourist. “My plan was to take a long holiday from stress,” she says. “Here I am comfortable, warm, there is the ocean, it is safe and there is a good infrastructure.” She decided to stay.

In Russia she had a successful wholesale business selling textiles imported from Europe, China and the United Arab Emirates. She sold it and put it into a property agency, Railand, which has offices just outside Laguna Phuket. Since 2009, she says, her business has grown 20 per cent.

Other expat groups on the island are not all overjoyed that the Russians are here.

There is dark talk of “the Russian Mafia spreading from Pattaya”, and grumbles that Russians are unsmiling, stand-offish, abrupt and loud.

Raisa – who is herself very soft-spoken, with a delightful smile – puts some of this image down to the language gap. “Russians stick together

because of the language,” she says. Most Russians speak only Russian.

In addition, Russians – like the Chinese – speak loudly because that is their culture, she adds, remarking that if you smile at strangers in Russia you are likely to be regarded as a soft in the head.

Phuket-based photography partners Kim Khamzin, originally from Irkutsk, and his wife Elena, also a from Vladivostok, expand on this.

“Guys look aggressive because of the social environment in Russia,” Elena explains. “It’s actually in their blood to be friendly.

They remind me of people who are scared. They don’t speak the language, so they [make themselves] look scary.

But in fact they are looking for someone to help them.”

The social and business environments in Russia are tough, she says. “If you want to do business in Russia it’s impossible to avoid dealing with bad guys. Russia is very corrupt and bribes are an everyday part of business.”

It can get out of hand, she adds. She k new one businessman who said the [official] bribes he was required to pay totalled 113 per cent of turnover. The only way to get around that is to get help – and that usually means getting in with bad guys.

But Russians have other very effective tools that equip them for business – tools that

Phuket’s Russian community now has its own church, the Holy Trinity Church in Thalang. are already helping them to make inroads in Phuket.

Elena explains, “Russians are five times more entrepreneurial than Western Europeans. They are very hard-working and they do their research. They are hungry for knowledge and they pick up on everything very fast.”

She points to the Russian influence over the past 100 years in the US where, she says, Russians went into crumbling urban societies that everyone else avoided. “”Every city in the US I’ve been to, the Russians have improved it.”

Are there Russian “mafiosi” in Phuket? Kim estimates the number of “bad guys” at one in 1,000, but he warns that Russian business people, brought up in a hard environment, with little respect for the laws, “push a lot harder”.

Elena adds, “Phuket is particularly good for business for Russians. Russia is very corrupt and they are used to this. It’s easier for them to understand [corruption here]

and more acceptable to them.”

She adds, “They are very hard-working and if you use them in the right way Phuket will benefit. They love Thailand and they understand the Thai [business] environment really well.

Kim think that the Thai authorities need to pay more attention to the Russian business dynamic on Phuket.

Only 10 per cent or so speak English, he says, so the official Thai attitude seems to be that they don’t exist.

But they do, and they are here to stay. “The Thai authorities will probably have to push them harder to respect the law,” Kim says.

But not too hard – “If you push them away, it will be them against the rest.”

A more glowing view of Thailand comes from Evgeny Parfenov, 32, who grew up in Nakhodka in the Russian Far East. Here he manages Russia magazine and Russian Phuket TV on cable.

He is the founder of Russia Market Central, a company

that has five Russian magazines and four cable channels, aimed, he says, at helping Russian business cooperate with international business.

He launched his f irst magazine in his home town, about Japanese imported cars which flowed through the city when Russia opened up, and later spent five years in China working in logistics.

“China’s a great country,” he says with a broad smile. “I loved it.” But for him Thailand was a revelation of a totally different nature.

“My wife and I were divorced in China but Thailand has brought us back together.

“This country has made me better, I don’t know how.

Now I am free of all that stuff that stopped me concentrating. Here, there is openness; you are who you are.

Everybody is very straight.”

And he is sure of one thing: “In Russia everything is frozen and difficult to move. I have opportunities all over Asia. I will never do business in Russia again.”

thephuketnews.com

12 BUSINESS/TOURISM

THE PHUKET NEWS

BUSINESS

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Praise for property

Annual awards get underway with launch party > 14

business@thephuketnews.com

Minimum wage hike for skilled workers National News Bureau of Thailand

The Central Wage Committee has resolved to increase the minimum wages of 22 professions by up to 40 per cent in April, depending on job difficulty and financial status of the employers.

Chairman of the Central Wage Committee, Somkiat Chayasriwong, said the wage increases ranged from 11-40 per cent. The lowest rise belongs to entry-level inventory clerks, whose wage will increase from B250 to B320 a day.

Cooks and masseurs are among the jobs with the highest wage hike of more than 40 per cent, from B280 to B400 a day and from B310 to B440, respectively. The new wage

rates will be effective from April 1 onwards.

Even though the wage increase would be a substantial hike, the chairman said it would be stabilised in the long run. He also reiterated that the committee could not raise the minimum wage for all workers to B300 at once, as the wage adjustment would be greater than the increases in product prices and inflation.

Previously, Cabinet agreed to raise the minimum wage for labourers to B300 a day in seven pilot provinces in April, and in 70 other provinces on January 1, 2013.

A B15,000 salary increase for state enterprise employees and civil servants was also approved recently by Cabinet, with a retroactive effect to January 1.

Outlook for home loans is ‘positive’ Thai-Asean News Network

The Land and Houses Bank predicts a positive outlook for its housing loan expansion this year in light of the recovering economy, following the heavy floods late last year.

The bank’s president, Sasithorn Pongsathorn, said the expansion of the bank’s lending will be driven by continuous growth in home sales in 2012.

Last year, the ban k’s lending expanded by 30 per cent or B50 billion. Loans to SMEs account for 46 per cent of the bank’s total lending, while personal loans account for 54 per cent, 80 per cent of that for mortgages.

thephuketnews.com

The president said the bank has to adjust to changing conditions, such as the reduction in deposit protection for accounts with a balance of no more than B1 million, beginning in August, and the higher cost stem m i ng f rom an increase in the compulsory fees for commercial banks to 0.47 per cent of their total deposits.

The rising cost has forced the bank to find ways to compensate for lost revenue, such as launching new services.

Ms Sasithorn said that the bank has set its lending target growth at 25 per cent this year, and aims to raise the ratio of SME loans from the current 48 per cent to 50.

Slow inflation ‘shows economy is recovering’ Thai-Asean News Network

The instantly recognisable Snake brand talcum powder is getting ready to take on Asean competitors.

Rash decisions for Asean 2015

Thai-Asean News Network

The Thailand-based British Dispensary company is looking to expand overseas with its famed Snake brand prickly heat talcum powder to prepare for the launch of the Asean Economic Community in 2015.

Narin Ekwongwiriya, marketing director of British Dispensary, which was founded by British doctor Dr. Thomas Hays in Bangkok in 1892, said there is increased competition in the consumer products market.

Consequently, the company is readjusting its strategies by introducing new products with more modern designs, and increasingly focusing on overseas markets.

He revealed that the company plans to expand its business into the Asean region to prepare for the fast approaching launch of the Asean Economic Community in 2015. The company plans to grab market share in Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Cambodia.

Mr Narin pointed out that the domestic prickly heat talcum powder market sees annual sales of B1.5 billion and continues to grow every year due to many factors, especially an increase in the temperature.

The company has targeted sales growth of at least 20 per cent for 2012, an increase from last year’s domestic and international sales figures of two billion baht.

The company has just debuted new brand Ocean Fresh prickly heat powder, targeting men.

The Commerce Ministry has reported that inflation rose 3.35 per cent in February due to rising food and oil prices. But the rate is down 3.8 per cent from the previous month, showing that the country’s economy is sound, says the ministry.

Permanent Secretary of Commerce, Yanyong Puangrat, has announced that the consumer price index for February was 113.63, an increase of 3.35 per cent from the same period last year.

This takes the average inflation rise for January and February to 3.36 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The increase can be attributed to rising goods prices: food and beverage prices rose by 7.18 per cent, rice and starch by 2.78 per cent, 7.19 per cent for meat and poultry, 2.69 per cent for eggs and dairy products, and 6.43 per cent for fruits and vegetables.

It is predicted that the inflation rate for the first quarter will be 3.65 to 3.75 per cent, and between 3.3 and 3.8 per cent for the whole year – under the assumption that the global oil price is US$95 to US$115 (B2,850-B3,450) per barrel, and the exchange rate is B29.33 to the US dollar.

The Permanent Secretary added that the Government’s decision to reinstate the fuel levy has had minimal impact on the inflation rate at just 0.112 per cent. At the same time, the LPG price hike only affected inflation by 0.0018 per cent, while the NGV price hike has had no impact at all.

The planned change in

daily minimum wage to B300 and the B15,000 minimum monthly salary for bachelordegree holders also has had no effect on inflation.

Global economic uncertainties, natural disasters, fluctuating exchange rates, and unclear interest rate policies remain the main external factors affecting inflation.

The Kasikorn Research Center expects inf lation in the first half of 2012 to remain at the current level but said it could surpass four per cent in the latter half of the year due to rising production and logistics costs in light of more expensive oil.

It noted that the impact on the prices of basic commodities, from rising manufacturing and logistics costs and increased Oil Fund contributions from petrol sales, was significant in the month.

It estimated that inf lation during the first half of the year will stand at around 3.3 to 3.4 per cent, with a chance of exceeding 4 per cent due to pressure from rising production costs.

Headline inf lation is projected to average at 3.9 per cent this year, which is within the target range of 3.5 to 4.5 per cent, while core inflation could rise from the previous year to three per cent, also within the target range of 2.6 to 3.6 per cent.

The centre, meanwhile, suggested investors keep an eye on the movement of the core inflation rate, which is likely to inch toward the upper end of the current target range of 0.5 to 3 per cent during the second half of the year.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FINISHED BUSINESS/TOURISM 13

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Outrigger appoints new resort GM Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Asia Pacific has appointed Apichart Asa as General Manager of Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort and Villas, effective immediately.

Mr Apichart has enjoyed an extensive hospitality career in Thailand, which began as a receptionist.

He has since progressed through the ranks of rooms division to the position of general manager, working at a number of popular resort destinations in Krabi, Koh Samui and Phuket.

Prior to joining Outrigger in 2011, Mr Apichart was gener al ma nager at t he Metadee Resort in Phuket.

Community responsibilities have been a recurring theme of Mr Apichart’s hotel career.

He has been a committee member and registrar for the Patong Hotel Association and served on the subcommittee of the Phuket Tourist Association.

He has also served on the executive committee of the Thai Hotels Association, Southern Thailand Chapter, and as a community committee member of the Chalong Police Station.

Collapsed Air Australia owes B2.9bn to creditors

Collapsed budget carrier Air Australia owes creditors A$90 million (B2.9 billion) and a government rescue package will cover little more than half of its unpaid wages, said a report just out.

Air Australia went into voluntary administration earlier this month, grounding all of its flights and stranding thousands of passengers, including hundreds in Phuket, little more than three months after relaunching itself as a budget passenger airline.

Administrators for the carrier, KordaMentha, met about 100 creditors in Brisbane on Wednesday to outline the situation, warning that the airline had debts worth A$90 million and few assets to sell.

ANZ bank, the airline’s largest creditor, is owed A$20 million (B600 million).

“Our prognosis is the air-

DON’T DREAM, IT’S OVER: Air Australia’s planes were all leased, along with just about all of the company’s assets. line is not sellable, but we have had four expressions of interest for the sale of the engineer business,” Korda told creditors, according to Australian Associated Press.

“Because the company leases its buildings, leases its

planes, leases its equipment, you don’t have a lot of assets,” he added. “There’s not a lot to sell.” Korda said unpaid wages for some 300 staff would be met by the Australian government, but capped at A$118,000 per employee, meaning only

A$5 million of the A$8 million owed would be met.

Air Australia was previously an air-charter company known as Strategic Airlines. It relaunched into the passenger market to try and capture customers after the Qantas

strike and grounding.

Mr Korda said the airline company would likely go into liquidation. “I think their strategy was to start up a low-cost airline, and in my experience that is a very difficult undertaking,” he added.

Car sales predicted to top ‘magic one million mark’ Thai-Asean News Network

Total car sales in Thailand will reach the magic one million mark this year, the Permanent Secretary of the Finance Ministry, Areepong Bhoocha-oom, predicted this week.

Presiding over the launch of the First Auto Show Thailand 2012, Mr Areepoing said that the country’s automotive industry is expected to begin growing again this year after the heavy floods in late 2011.

It is likely, he added, that total vehicle sales this year will pass one million units for the first time in Thailand’s history. This year’s target for car production is expected to be 1.8 million units.

Mr Areepong also spoke of the poor response to the gover nment’s tax rebate policy for first-time car buyers.

He said he believed that the relative unpopularity of the scheme was probably due to the impact of the floods.

He added that he believes the scheme will still help stimulate domestic auto sales and contribute to this year’s sale target of one million cars being achieved.

The President of K iatnakin Bank, Thawatchai Suthikijpisan, said that the number of people applying for new loans for car purchases continues to grow. Part of this, he said, was due to the first-time-buyer scheme.

Mr Thawatchai noted, however, that r ising oil prices continue to have an impact. If the global oil price increases to 145 dollars per barrel, he said, it will affect consumers’ buying decisions.

Suppasak Dulalumbha,

the General Manager of Mitsubishi Motors Thailand’s Promotion Division, agreed, saying that the higher oil prices were already affecting consumers’ buying decisions.

However, he is still optimistic that the overall auto mobile industry will grow by 10 per cent this year.

Pattanadej Asasappakij, President of King of Auto Product, organiser of the First Auto Show Thailand 2012, said he believed the first-time-buyer programme would be more popular if there were no limit on the size of car engine the first-time buyers might purchase while still qualifying.

However, Mr Areepong said the government has no plans to adjust the conditions of the scheme, nor to extend it beyond the expiry date of December 31 this year.

Tilleke & Gibbins dumps Phuket Thai law firm Tilleke & Gibbins Phuket (T&G) has announced the closure of its Phuket office with effect from February 29.

Law firm Duensing Kippen will be taking over responsibility for virtually all of T&G Phuket’s client matters and files.

John Howard, former jointventure partner with T&G, and managing director of its Phuket operations, has joined Duensing Kippen in an ‘Of Counsel’ capacity. It is understood that T&G, which recently came under new management, prefers

wholly-owned operations such as its Vietnam offices.

Despite the fact that the Phuket office was profitable, it was – as a joint venture – an anomaly in the company’s network, thus the decision

by T&G to drop it.

thephuketnews.com

14 BUSINESS/PROPERTY

B1bn in BBC assets seized from Saxena Thai-Asean News Network

The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has seized assets worth over one billion baht owned by Indian-born ex-financier Rakesh Saxena, who is charged with embezzling money from the nowdefunct Bangkok Bank of Commerce (BBC).

Acting Secretary-General of the Anti-Money Laundering Office, Pol Col Sihanart Prayoonrat, said that the panel’s meeting on Thursday March 1 has assigned officials to examine assets involving the embezzlement case of Sax­e­na, former senior adviser of the BBC. Saxena has been indicted on 24 charges of conspiring in the embezzlement case, approving unauthorised loans and fabricating accounts, as well as establishing bogus loans that saw the BBC lose US$48 billion (B1,440 billion) and foreign currency worth a total of $85 million (B2.55 billion).

Mr Sihanart noted that AMLO has seized Saxena’s overseas assets, worth over B1 billion, and will proceed with the seizure of the assets of other defendants such as former BBC president Krikkiet Chaleejandra, and relatives in­volved in the cases.

As for the development in

the proceedings to seize assets of the Transport Ministry’s Former Permanent Secretary Supoj Saplom, he stated that AMLO still cannot do so as it is waiting for the National Anti-Corruption Commissioner’s decision about arraignment against him.

Charged in Thailand with embezzlement from 1994 to 1995, Saxena was deported to Thailand from Canada in October 2009, after the longest extradition battle in Canadian history, lasting 13 years.

Saxena became adviser to Mr Krikkiet, then the new senior vice-president of BBC, in 1989.

The bank collapsed in 1996, contributing to the Asian financial recession, economic and political crisis that followed the 1997 devaluation of the baht.

In June 1996, Thai authorities charged Saxena, M r K r ik k iet and others with embezzling money estimated to total US$2.2 billion (B66 billion).

Saxena himself allegedly siphoned off US$470 million (B14.4 billion) in 1992-1993 through a string of derivative transactions.

In his defence, Saxena said that he was just an adviser and a trader, and that the collapse of the real estate markets was the real trigger of the recession.

TAT, MasterCard launch drive to attract golfers The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and MasterCard Worldwide have launched a campaign aimed at bringing more golfers to Phuket.

Sansern Ngaor ungsri, deputy governor for International Marketing (Asia and South Pacific) of the TAT, together with Gregg Hirano, vice president and Thailand country manager for MasterCard Worldwide, explained that the campaign will bring golfers and visitors to Thailand and Phuket for a series of “golf-related experiences”.

“We have succeeded in

thephuketnews.com

several previous campaigns in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Samui, Koh Yao Yai and Krabi, which were very well received by golfers and visitors,” said Mr Sansern. “This new campaign is aimed at attracting both local and regional tourists in order to boost Thailand’s tourism and economy throughout this year.”

MasterCard cardholders will be able to enjoy special discounts and privileges at up to 90 golf courses and shops in more than 20 provinces across Thailand.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Nominations sought for 2012 Property Awards The 2012 Thailand Property Awards (TPA) kicked off in Phuket last Friday (March 2) with a launch event, one of five such parties being held across the country.

The first of the 2012 Thailand Property Awards launch parties was held in Pattaya on February 10, followed by Hua Hin (Febr uar y 15), Samui (February 29) and Phuket. The remaining party was due to take place in Bangkok on March 6 in order to cover the Kingdom’s major property markets.

The awards, widely regarded as Thailand’s most important real estate event of the year, officially began on March 1, when nominations opened to the public. Nominations will close on April 18, after which companies that qualify will be invited to submit their entries.

Nominations are welcome from members of the public as well as from those within the industry.

The seventh edition of the TPA will have 37 categories, including seven new ones – five in the agent awards section to counter criticism that international agencies scooped all the awards last year – and additions to the Eastern Seaboard and Phuket in the “Best Boutique Condo” categories.

“The new additions are a recognition of the major role the internet is playing in marketing new developments

Ensign Media CEO Terry Blackburn (left) and Jules Kay, managing editor of the company, at the March 2 Phuket launch of the awards held at Up Beach Club, Naithorn Beach. and communicating with clients, and we anticipate a large rise, especially in social media marketing,” said Terry Blackburn, CEO of Ensign Media, organisers of the event.

A gala ceremony, which attracted over 550 guests in 2011 including Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Finance, Viroon Tejapaibul, will be held on October 13 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok, during which the 2012 winners will be announced.

The major awards are: Best Developer; Best Boutique Developer; Best Villa Development Thailand; Best Condo Development Thailand; Best Commercial Development Thailand; Best Affordable

Condo Development (Resort); Best Shared Ownership Development; Best Green Development; and Real Estate Personality of the Year.

Regionally, nominations are being taken for: Phuket: Best Villa Development; Best Condo Development; Best Boutique Condo Development (Phuket); Bangkok: Best Housing Development; Best Luxury Condo Development; Best Affordable Condo Development; Eastern Seaboard: Best Villa Development; Best Condo Development; Best Boutique Condo Development; Samui, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai: Best Residential Development;

Real Estate Services: Best Residential Agent for each of the six areas; Best Independent Agent; Best Commercial Agent; Best Property Management Company; Best Property Consultancy; Best Overseas Property Agent; and Best Agency Deal; Architecture/ Interior design: Best Residential Architectural Design; Best Commercial Architectural Design; Best Landscape Architectural Design; Best Hotel Architectural Design; Best Residential Interior Design; Nominations can be made by visiting thailandproperty awards.com and clicking the “Nominate Now” button on the home page.

T-Box: entertainment flexibility Advertorial Imagine having all of your movies, home videos, photos and your entire music collection on one central storage device that is capable of serving all the TVs in your house with different content at the same time.

Not only that, but with a good Internet connection, all of it can also be streamed remotely on your iPad or iPhone.

Media servers have been around for a while already but add Internet radio, web TV services, weather reports and CCTV integration and what you have is the T-Box. TechWorX have been making their T-Box brand in Thailand for nearly three years now and have also been selling throughout Southeast Asia.

The onboard hard drive storage currently ranges from 4TB to a staggering 160TB, with full hard drive failure protection. All machines are capable of the latest in high-

The T-Box media system’s user interface is good to look at and very simple to use. definition video and audio technologies. The T-Box is also available in 12- and 24volt versions for a marine use.

Loadi ng new movies into the box is a breeze: simply insert the disc.

The server recognises it and then automatically looks up the relevant cover art and

other information online to complete its database.

Using this information it is able to build upon its i n for m at ive a nd g r e atlooking user interface.

T he system ca n also download episodes of your favourite TV shows automatically and add them to the

library. It can also be synced with your iTunes account.

TechWorX have their T-Box media system on display at their showroom in Cherng Talay, Phuket . Contact Daragh at info@techworxprojects.com or call 084 443 9863 for an appointment.

THE PHUKET NEWS

BUSINESS 15

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

MY STORAGE facility gaining popularity among home-owners and businesses Advertorial Home owners and businesses who in the past had difficulties finding storage space have for the past year benefited from the unique storage services provided by MY STORAGE self storage, conveniently located at Jungceylon shopping centre in Patong, Phuket.

Equipped with advanced security systems and built to be well ventilated, fire resistant and with vermin prevention in mind, MY STORAGE – secure, clean and cost effective self storage – is the only provider in Phuket offering short- or long-term rental of dedicated storage space for households and businesses.

Sukanda Chiaranussati, managing director and Robert Åkerblom, general manager at MY STORAGE, say that the inspiration to develop a storage facility derived partly from their own experiences when moving from Sweden to the island six years ago.

“In our move to Phuket we were accompanied by a container packed with most of our personal effects.

“After quite an extensive

search for a suitable place to temporarily store our belongings while locating a permanent residence, the goods finally ended up with a local company offering storage.

“However, the weather exposure and pests soon started to take their toll and when the time finally came to collect our goods and the move into a new home a number of months later, most had been damaged by weather, water leakage and vermin,” explains Robert.

Another factor in their decision to start their self storage endeavor was the continuous growth of Phuket’s real estate market. The property sector has increased exceptionally in the past decade with numerous commercial properties, villas and condominiums being developed, sold and let out.

According to Robert, the industry’s continuous growth has prompted demand for a wide range of innovative commercial services such as, in their case, self storage.

In 2010, MY STORAGE fitted out an existing warehouse at Jungceylon by installing 28 different sizes of storage units, ranging from internal one-

MY STORAGE is set up to keep the weather and pests away from clients’ belongings. cubic-metre locker units up to 20-cubic-metre drive-up storage units, with 24 hour access.

Tenants can access the storage facility with their own individual pin codes and each individual storage unit is secured using the customer’s own key and lock.

Types of storage services offered during the generous opening hours, seven days a week, are specially developed to meet all types of storage

needs. They are suitable for all households/businesses and units can at your request be fitted out with shelving for archiving. Vehicle storage for cars, motorcycles or smaller water crafts are also available.

If you are a regional traveller there is also a left-luggage service.

Anyone needing moving and packaging material can find a wide range of branded high quality products such

as strong boxes, wrap, tape, strings and padlocks for sale at the facility’s reception area.

Transportation of belongings can also be taken care of

by MY STORAGE which, at discounted rates for customers, operates a moving truck.

Units can be rented daily, weekly, monthly or yearly and is extendable to any length of period a customer requires.

Rents, inclusive of insurance, start from B100 a day for

left luggage and B995 a month for lockers. There are also monthly specials and promotions available both for rental units and packaging material.

“Customers who until now been using our services have, been a healthy mix of Thai and expats. There is still work to be done on marketing of the type of services we provide since the majority of Phuket residents thus far have not been exposed to the concept of self storage,” says Sukanda.

“However, a year into operation, our services are gaining awareness not just from Thai and expat property owners or their tenants, but also from businesses.

“It is seen as a cost-effective measure for storing stock and a smart way to operate a secure distribution centre with an ability to meet fluctuations by up- or down-sizing rental space according to needs at any given time.”

For further information contact MY STORAGE at 076 292909, visit www.mystorageasia.com or stop by the facility at Jungceylon Shopping Centre in Patong.

thephuketnews.com

16 ART

THE PHUKET NEWS

CULTURE

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

BIG LIST: The mealbreakers > 22

culture@thephuketnews.com

KNOW WHERE THIS IS? GUESS RIGHT AND WIN!

GERRY’S view

THIS WEEK’S HINT: “I have passed this mosque countless times, as I’m sure all of you have whether you are full time residents or just visitors to Phuket.

The distinctive green colour catches the eye as you approach from either direction, but it is only for a couple of seconds, as the traffic of minivans ferrying their occupants onto or off the island forces you to focus on the road ahead”.

–Gerry Cummings

EMAIL US

editor@thephuketnews.com

ENTER ONLINE

www.thephuketnews.com/ random-view.php

GUESS THE CORRECT LOCATION AND WIN A B500 GIFT VOUCHER FROM PHOTO HUT: www.photohutgroup.com

photohutgroup.com

Congratulations go to Suratvadee Sombutmee, who correctly guessed that last week’s photo was of the Pla Phom shrine at the summit of Phromthep Cape. Readers Air Chooyang, tuktamon, Steve Garner, and FANG also sent in the right answer.

Containing the damage Norachai Thavisin editor3@thephuketnews.com

thephuketnews.com

Designed by Woulfe Studio

Baan Wana Park, 177/22 Moo.4, Srisoonthorn Road, Thalang, 076 620 071, designedbywoulfe.com.

Dream Gallery

Boat Lagoon, 23/122 Thepkasattri Rd, Koh Kaew, 076 273 487, gallery@asiansourcingallery.com, thedreamgallery.asia.

O

n a pleasant, sunny morning, artist and envi ron ment alist Montri Thipsak relaxes at his home in Chalong, and reflects on how best to combat the ongoing environmental degradation of Phuket, his adopted home for seven years since moving from peaceful Phang Ngan island.

His current thinking is fixed on promoting the use of the pinto, the small metal tiered food container that was used as the norm in Thailand when he was growing up.

At once, the ingenious pinto can transport all of your many dishes for lunch or dinner, or be taken to buy ready-made food from street stalls. It can then be washed and used again.

Somehow the pinto, degradable paper bags and banana leaves, have been replaced by the ubiquitous plastic bags and bone-white foam containers that are clogging up our land and sea.

Mont r i m a n age s t he Nakonnai Art Museum on Soi Saiyuan 2 on the way down to Naihar n Beach.

For some five years now, a group of local artists have

PHUKET GALLERIES

I Mon Art Gallery:

29/2 Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town, 086 961 8968, montian_29@live.com. Open daily 8am-7.30pm.

King Art Studio:

21 & 50 Soi Bangla, Patong, 086 682 9130, info@kingartstudio.com; kingartstudio.com. Open daily 10am-midnight.

Little Monk Gallery:

95/33 Saiyuan Rd, Naiharn, 086 294 3971.

Nakonnai Art Museum:

84/34 Moo7, Soi Saiyuan 2, Rawai. 085 974 7218, nakonnaiartmuseum@yahoo.com.

Red Gallery:

Phuket Art Village, Soi Naya 2, Rawai, 087 323 321, redgallerythai@yahoo.com; phuketredgallery.com.

Sarasil Art Galllery:

121 Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town, 076 224 532, somkiatkaewnok@yahoo.com; oilpaintingsphuket.com.

Open daily 8pm-9pm.

The Love Art Studio:

28/13 Soi Naya 2, Naiharn, 089 471 5653, pui.t.l.a.s.@hotmail.com; theloveartstudio.com.

The One Gallery: Artist Montri Thipsak and the Nakonnai Art Museum off Saiyuan Rd that he manages. made this shady space a haven of art, consisting of a gallery and two-storey house, from the suburban undergrowth of original vegetation in the quiet lane.

Some artists from the same group of practising painters and sculptors have now moved to a larger space at Soi Naya

1, further down Saiyuan Rd, where the unique Phuket Art Village is growing apace.

Back at Nakonnai, the small gallery spaces are filled with paintings of some six local artists, including those of painter Kamon Chookham, who lives in the studio-house with his young family.

In the cool of the evening, Montri, Kamon and other artists of the group find their way into the small garden filled with plants to drink. play music, exchange creative thoughts and enjoy each others company well into the night – Phuket’s environmental woes are not forgotten, however.

53 Srisoonthorn Rd, Cherng Talay, 083 634 6840, inone_111@yahoo.com. Open daily 11am-9pm.

Veerachan Usahanun:

110/34 Cherng Talay, Bang Tao Beach Rd, 081 490 4359, usahanun@live.com; veerachanusahanun.com.

Vichen Gallery Bzenter

Behind Da Vinci Restaurant, Saiyuan Rd, Rawai, 087 8903722.

Open daily 3-9 pm. (Telephone to view before 3 pm.)

Watcharin Art Studio:

27 Yaowaraj Rd, Phuket Town, 088 386 1449, watcharintinorodnit@hotmail.com, rindamagicalart.com.

Wua Gallery and Studio:

1 Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town, 076 258 208, wua.artgallery@gmail.com; wua-artgallery.blogspot.com.

THE PHUKET NEWS

PEOPLE 17

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Treading the thin blue line

Pictured above with the Thai police are from back row left, Denis and Erik, and middle row, Philip, Kevin and Paul.

A

small group of hardworking Phuket Provincial Police Volunteers are making a positive contribution to life in the small beach town of Kamala.

The team of seven volunteers, who work in conjunction with the Royal Thai Police, but separately from the Tourist Police, can often be seen patrolling the main streets of Kamala, plus the beach front, and have become familiar friendly faces in the area for both locals and tourists alike.

Led by retired British police officer Paul Edden, volunteers regularly help settle disputes – such as jet ski hire and traffic accidents – provide tourist information, immigration assistance and general advice.

In cases of death, they also help liaise with embassies

in Bangkok, local authorities and next of kin.

“The response we get in Kamala is great, with the bar owners and many other members of the public wanting to talk to us. It gives them a feeling of security,” says Paul.

The ex-cop says the team is particularly grateful for volunteers Radi (from Bulgaria) and Denis (from Russia) who lend a hand assisting and communicating with Eastern European tourists, many of whom get into trouble because of a lack of understanding about the local culture.

“If you live here you get to understand the local culture, but tourists don’t have that knowledge.

“Most of our work is diffusing conflict between people, which can sometimes take two or three hours of negotiation,” Paul says.

Kamala’s Phuket Provincial Police Volunteers Kevin, left, and Denis, go through their medical training procedure.

Volunteer Philip Thackstone, a retired senior fire officer from the UK, says it is great to be able to help foreigners. Many tour agencies are only interested in booking people on trips, and good advice for tourists, particularly

about what to do when things go wrong, is hard to find on the island, he says.

Kamala’s volunteers can be called or approached directly by members of the public, as well as being on call for the Thai police if their assistance

is needed. They are vital in providing English, and other language assistance to foreigners in need, and are a valuable tool for the local authorities.

The team are always looking for new volunteers – particularly men and women who

are older than 30, with life experience, a calm demeanour, and preferably the ability to speak multiple languages.

■■ For more information on volunteering, contact Paul Edden on 083-982-9105 or email ph_edden@yahoo.co.uk

EVERYDAY PEOPLE

Heart of glass Norachai Thavisin editor3@thephuketnews.com

Ekachai Sotsuk takes his time, slowly pulling glowing molten glass into the shapes of fish and shells.

The combination of midday sun and the little gas-fire blowtorch that he is using to melt a glass stick make his little workshop on Phi Phi Don island quite warm.

Thankfully, a relieving sea breeze blows cool air off the Andaman Sea, making his work a little easier.

The expert glassmaker looks around with satisfaction. There are beautiful clear glass shapes sparkling in the light everywhere.

Small glass hermit crabs

with beady glass eyes are popping out of real seashells, while translucent fish swim in mid-air, hanging from wire racks.

Prawns and seashells, meanwhile, take on another life as glass souvenirs, perhaps appropriately crafted in glass that was once sand on the beach .

Ekachai, a Phi Phi native, has been an apprentice in this work for eight years.

He freely admits that his glass sea creatures are not Phi Phi glassmaker Ekachai Sotsuk supports Arsenal. as “natural” as the ones Sale made, the glassmakmade by his master Son, his lane to browse. Once again, teacher, who is having a rest the combination of fragile er returns his concentration this afternoon before taking material and natural sea to the orange-glowing glass shapes hits the mark, and in front of him, which he is over in the evening.

As we talk, two tourists the visitors buy several effortlessly transforming into step in from the narrow souvenirs for home. the shape of his island home.

thephuketnews.com

18 HEALTH

Reducing busyness and lowering stress helps one feel balanced and increases life force; it is also taken in China to turn grey hair back to its original colour.

Finding balance is not easy if one is in the habit of being constantly busy, and with economic times being ‘interesting’, it’s easy to say ‘I simply can’t put off doing this and that’.

Working with a life coach or finding support in a church or community can help a person pursue a simpler, happier life.

HOLISTIC DAD Billy Bradley culture@thephuketnews.com

Our modern world has advanced in many respects, and yet people are still struggling to attain happiness.

We feel consumed by our stressful lives and all the running around we do.

We can all learn from Thai people and their mai pen rai (no worries) mentality, but there is such an epidemic of busyness that it is catching on everywhere.

We may feel we are being more productive by multitasking incessantly and overworking, but the reality is that we end up burnt out and our health takes a drastic toll, as do our families. According to one source, approximately 10,000 young businessmen in Japan die from karoshi (‘death by overwork’), and depression is increasing in the United States at an alarming rate.

We a re i n desper ate need of balance in our lives, healthy food and a strict adherence to a healthy lifestyle

Reduce your life of busyness and embrace Thainess. that doesn’t permit us to follow this trend of having no time and no breathing room.

One may not be able to attain such a lofty goal overnight, but over a few weeks one can begin to analyse time wasting and draining activities.

“People speak and act if ‘being busy’ is a force beyond their control, as if somewhere back in history a malign spirit of busyness invaded the planet”, writes Abbot Christopher Jamison in Finding Sanctuary.

An initial step to take is to examine one’s priorities. What means the most to you, and

what takes away time from that? What are time wasting activities that you could avoid doing? How can you have a healthy relationship with your work without overdoing it?

One can also consider taking adaptogenic herbs that help individuals cope with stress. Both Thai and Chinese medicine use jiaogulan, an inexpensive and highly affective herb that promotes homeostasis.

It can be purchased in tea form as well as capsule. Our family loves he shou wu, which is also cheap and can be purchased in Phuket Town. It

This is the first of a new series of monthly health columns from Phuket’s ‘holistic dad’, Billy Bradley. Billy is an unschooling (homeschooling) dad, interfaith minister, Vedantist, gamer, autodidact, and lover of life. To read more from Billy, visit holisticdad.net.

The opinions and advice contained in this column are those of the author only. The Phuket News is not responsible for the outcome or results of following any advice in any given situation.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Fragrant repellant HEALTHY herbs

In Healthy Herbs, we have previously praised the health benefits of lemongrass. Now it is the turn of its botanical cousin citronella (Cymbopogon nardus rendle).

Just mentioni ng its name brings to most people sensual memory of the herb’s pungent fragrance, that insects detest. Citronella oil is used the world over as a very effective organic insect repellent.

Often found growing in clumps in your garden, in very much the same way as lemongrass, with which it is often confused, citronella, with its distinctive reddish stalks, makes for attractive

borders, especially around your outdoors sitting area.

Even better, the evening breezes lift its pleasant aroma, and mosquitoes and flies stay away.

Herbal tea made from its leaves and stalks, either called takrai daeng (red lemongrass) or takrai hom (fragrant lemongrass), is also used in Thai traditional medicine to cure sores in the mouth, and for wind and indigestion. The scent of citronella is even said to calm barking dogs.

T h e h e r b’s o r i g i n is traced back to mana grass in Sri Lanka. Today though, China and Indonesia together produce 40 per cent of the world’s annual production of citronella oil of 4,000 tonnes.

EDUCATION

Under the Bard’s watchful gaze Norachai Thavisin editor3@thephuketnews.com

A beautifully-drawn picture of the Bard, William Shakespeare himself, looks out f rom one cor ner of t he room. He is happily sucking on a baby’s dummy.

The visual reminder that even Shakespeare had to learn at some stage sets the right tone for this studio, used by the senior drama group at the British International School Phuket at Koh Kaew.

As I enter, ala r m i ng screaming is coming from the other side of the studio, lined by mirrors.

Apparently, 20 student actors of the Nose2Nose troupe are limbering up for a very important show that the group is set to perform in just two hours: supporting a mostly solo performance by visiting young English actor, Timothy Mann, in a play entitled Space to be performed later in the school auditorium.

For once, BIS d rama teacher Timothy Evans can sit back and watch his class being taught by someone else – visiting drama trainer, Neil Farrelly, and actor Mann.

“Do something for three

thephuketnews.com

Walking the line BIS acting troupe Nose2Nose introduces Space, a solo play by visiting young English actor Timothy Mann. minutes that will catch the audience’s immediate attention,” says Neil.

With hardly any hesitation, each actor launches into spontaneous actions that raise giggles all around.

“Now can we come up

with ideas and sketches about space that can introduce our play?” he asks.

There is no shortage of ideas among these very talented young actors.

Indeed, it is fascinating to watch as normal inhibitions

and the shyness of youth are discarded on the floor of the studio. The actors visibly become different beings who are free to dance, sing and try to turn into a range of other characters.

On the spot-lit stage in

the auditorium later, the troupe visibly enjoys itself, performing to the school principal, teachers, parents, and their peers.

The theatrical alchemy is working. The baby Bard would no doubt approve.

Vorapot Gulati (Smith) from Reception class practices balancing on a bench at Kajonkiet International School Phuket’s indoor gymnasium.

With gymnastics especially designed for the Early Years Foundation Stage, children focus on balancing, f loor work, shapes and fixed positions, push and pull activities, jumping, climbing, and obstacle courses.

THE PHUKET NEWS

ENVIRONMENT 19

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Swimming free at Mai Khao

Some 70 endangered green sea turtles, all about a year old, were able to swim free recently, when the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, in conjunction with JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, organised their release from the beach at Mai Khao on the afternoon of Friday March 2.

It was the third annual turtle release held by the foundation to raise funds and awareness for the plight of the critically-endangered sea turtles in Phuket.

Director of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC), Mickmin Jarujinda, and Director of the Naval Civil Affairs Department of the Royal Thai Navy, Capt Par inyatham Poonpitak, led resort guests and visitors

Young endangered green turtles make their way to an uncertain future. Will they survive our polluting of the sea? alike in carrying the young turtles to the surf, as a rainstorm swept in from the sea.

Guests made donations for the privilege of releasing the turtles into their

n at u r al h abit at , t wo of which have been tagged with satellite tracking devices for research purposes.

The turtle foundation uses the funds raised to support

the hatchery program run by the Navy, as well as the injured turtle rehabilitation programme of the PMBC. Life will be hard for these 70 young turtles. Commercial

fishing activities kill thousands each year. Many sea turtles die from eating or becoming entangled in plastic debris.

Plastic bags that end up in the sea are often mistaken for

their food of jellyfish by sea turtles, especially leatherbacks.

Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, +6689-733-8830, info@maikhaoturtlefounda tion.com

Taking on the Siamese sharks MEET

the natives These visiting boys have happily caught themselves a big handful of pla swai, or iridescent shark (Pangasius hypophthalmus), from a gamefishing pond in Phuket.

Adopt a dog

Faust is approx 6 years old and she’s been living at the Soi Dog Shelter since 2008. She’s a playful, friendly dog who would really appreciate the comforts of home. She loves it when volunteers come to visit her and adores affection.

We’d love Faust to find people to care for her and give her a new life. Faust comes sterilized and fully vaccinated. If you can offer Faust a new life please email cindy@soidog.org or phone the Soi Dog shelter on 081 788 4222.

You can also visit our website www.soidog.org or follow us on Facebook!

If you are interested in adopting a dog please do not buy from the markets. Soi Dog Foundation has over 200 dogs and puppies available for adoption at any time. For more information on how to adopt visit soidog.org. All animals are fully-vaccinated and desexed. Young puppies will be desexed free of charge as soon as old enough.

A species of catf ish, these river dwellers have been introduced into local ponds, mainly for food.

Native to the waterways of Southeast Asia, including the Mekong and Chao Phraya, these fish thrive and grow quickly to more than half a metre long.

In the Chao Phraya in Bangkok, for instance, they can be seen surfacing as a seething mass to hungrily gobble up stale bread that people buy to throw to them from ferry boat jetties.

Small, plate-size, pla swai can always be found at fresh food markets, and

on ice in the supermarkets, even though many consumers regard their f lesh as being inferior and coarse.

These “Siamese sharks” m ig rate upst ream when rivers are swollen with floodwater to spawn, returning downstream again when conditions become drier.

Pet of the Week

This beautiful Soi Dog, Thela, belongs to Rune Hyll Krantz. Thela was adopted from the Soi Dog Foundation two years ago, and is loved very much by Rune, his wife and his 15 month old daughter. This photo was taken when Rune arrived home from working with the Tourist Police Volunteers. He says Thela waits for him every day to come home from work.

Want to see your pet here? Email your photos to: editor1@thephuketnews.com

thephuketnews.com

20 KIDS PAGE

THE PHUKET NEWS

COLOURING CONTEST

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

E

ach week, colour the picture, have a photo taken with the finished work, and email it to editor@ thephuketnews.com. The grand winner will be announced on this page in two weeks’ time!

This week, congratulations go to Elena, age 10, from Headstart.

Sophie says: “It’s so bright and colourful, it really stands out.

I also like all the added little details, especially the rubber ring that rabbit is twirling!”

mail@ sophieillustration.co.uk

Runners-up

Arne, age 8, Headstart

thephuketnews.com

Jillian Buckley, age 5, QSI

Lauren Hayward, age 5, BIS

Thanks go to all the children at Darasamuth Phuket School, Kajonkietsuksa School, British International School Phuket, Phuket International Academy, and Coconut Club for their fantastic entries.

Please keep them coming in, remembering to write your name, age and school on your work.

TIME OUT 21

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

BOOK

MUSIC

FILM The Skin I Live In 117 minutes Rating: 18+

Director: Pedro Almodóvar Starring: Antonio Banderas, Elena Alaya, Marisa Paredes Dane Halpin editor2@thephuketnews.com

The Art of Hearing Ghostory School of Seven Bells Heartbeats

by Jan-Philipp Sendker When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter Julia have any idea where he might be.

But some years later, after it becomes apparent that his disappearing act was by choice, Julia discovers a love letter he wrote many years ago to a Burmese woman she had never heard of.

Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with her father’s mysterious past, Julia decides to travel to the village of Kalaw in Shan State, Burma, in search of answers.

What she discovers though is not the betrayal and drama that she and her mother expected, but rather an unbelievable tale of faith.

Shrinking from a trio to a duo since their last album hasn’t affected School of Seven Bells’ core sound of dreamy electronica as much as you might expect.

Ghostory’s nine ethereal songs swirl around a central narrative: they tell the story of “a young girl named Lafaye and the ghosts that surround her life”. It’s a concept album that works well.

Alejandra’s vocals emanate from the centre of an electronic mist, obscuring many of the lyrics, which is fine: her delicate exhalations tell the story on the hypnotic ‘Low Times’, while she sounds intriguingly lost amid the bass-heavy ‘Love Play’.

But this album is far from ghostly – it is very much alive.

A twisted and depraved meditation on gender identity, our interior versus exterior lives, and of lust gone awry, The Skin I Live In is a film which is impossible to forget – whether you like it or not.

It begins with a skin surgeon (Antonio Banderas) who keeps a beautiful woman (Elena Anaya) as a compliant prisoner in his palatial home. How she came to be there is a long and utterly disturbing story that gradually unfolds through an almost

farcically complicated series of twists and flashbacks.

Given this maze, The Skin I Live In is hard to analyse without giving too much away.

Suffice to say that one of the movie’s most impressive abilities is the way in which it handles these surprises. Rather than dealing in dramatic revelations, the key plot devices come naturally from non-linear narrative.

Put simply, Almodóvar doesn’t simply follow the Scooby Doo approach of tearing the r ubber mask off the

villain, instead taking a step back to look at every terrible moment the man endured that has led to his insanity.

These complex situations – and unimaginable horror – are handled so casually that it draws us that much deeper into Almodóvar’s strange universe, forcing ever more heightened reactions to the content.

While the film’s style and cinematography, brightly lit and clean to the point of sterility, stand in beautiful contrast to the story’s dark and disturbing elements, Almodóvar isn’t interested in examining notions of light and dark, as much as he wants to explore how we both protect and deceive ourselves.

For Robert (Banderas), skin is what defines us. It can guard us, change us, and it projects our identity. In his world, Robert is a captive to his past, Vera

SFX COLISEUM PHUKET (CENTRAL FESTIVAL)

SFC JUNGCEYLON PHUKET (PATONG)

Act of Valor (E) [18+]: 11:40, 13:50, 16:00, 18:10, 20:20, 22:30 Chronicle (E) [13+]: 12:20, 14:15, 16:10, 18:05, 20:00, 22:00 Chronicle (E/F) [13+]: 13:10, 15:05, 17:00, 19:00, 21:00 Gang Tob Phee (T) [G]: 12:00, 16:15, 20:30 Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (E) [G]: 17:50, 21:50 Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (T) [G]: 11:20, 15:50, 19:50 The Grey (E) [13+]: 14:40, 17:15, 19:40, 22:10 Haywire (E) [18+]: 14:10, 18:25, 22:35 Rak Sud Teen (T/E.SUB) [13+]: 14:00, 16:30, 19:00, 21:30 Valentine Sweety (T) [15+]: 13:20

Chronicle (E) [13+]: 11:15, 11:45, 13:40, 15:35, 17:30, 19:25, 21:15 Faces in the Crowd (E) [18+]: 16:00, 22:10 Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (E) [G]: 11:50, 13:50, 18:10, 20:10 Journey 2: Mysterious Island (E) [G]: 14:50, 18:00 Rak Sud Teen (T/E.SUB) [13+]: 12:00, 14:30, 17:00, 19:30, 22:00 Safe House (E) [15+]: 13:10, 16:50, 20:00, 22:25 The Skin I Live In (E) [18+]: 12:20, 15:30, 19:10, 21:40

BRAIN TEASERS

1. Blend point of clock part. (5) 4. Superior cardinal has big cup. (4) 6. Tobacco for cormorant. (4) 10. Terpsichore, for example, meant – they say – entertainment. (9) 11. Goes poorly as mouth parts swallow a thousand. (5) 12. Clog drunkard taking sailor in. (5) 13. Dissect sentence for average direction. (5) 14. NY city whisky. (3) 15. Put your foot down over letter addition. (5) 16. Communist sort of admiral (3) 18. Powerful river next to scout’s shelter. (6) 20. Island has acid measure of UK and French. (6) 23. Saturate bribe. (3)

25. State weight for Georgia. (5) 27. Boating implement, or about a… (3) 29. …taper to fall. (5) 30. Dark time for knight without knighthood. (5) 31. Cleric has most of rabbit. (5) 32. Oil can fit – oddly, it’s not real. (9) 33. Shoe support for family chart. (4) 34. A tidy way to drink.

(4) 35. Slackens rope; reduces pain. (5) Down 1. Admiral’s place stones joint. (8) 2. Cushions for young pigeons. (6) 3. Particle may bring Ron to power. (8) 4. Cleaner on the soccer pitch. (7)

5. Said, “Absolutely the furthest, Ed.” (7) 7. Carry back whale.

(8) 8. Pigs so strangely spread rumors. (6) 9. Heraldic red mixed sticks. (5) 17. I am in Rome, therefore not right. (3) 19. In the same place in tangle, can be touched.

(8) 21. Dance what sailors round before a smoke.

(8) 22. Cloths use Texas mahjong pieces. (8) 23. Check smell of the French cold. (7) 24. Warsaw chap has feline and weasel’s kin.

(7) 25. Microscope part to see small tower. (6) 26. Jelly like small picture. (5) 28. Spies representatives. (6)

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s quiz:

?

?

Across

1. Saint Jude; 2. Evening Star; 3. The Woolsack; 4. A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations; 5. The Azores; 6. £800 [$800 in the US]; 7.

Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Turkey; 8. F Scott Fitzgerald; 9. Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa; 10. Majorca.

SUDOKU

(Alaya) is a captive to Robert, and both are held captive by the skin-deep delusions they’ve created for themselves.

Through the non-linear structure of the movie, Almodóvar ignites a slow burning thought into your mind before dramatically blowing it up.

The only downside is that the twist is so nerve-rattling it’s difficult to regain focus on the rest of the story, and nothing afterward can really compare.

When Bruce Willis was declared dead at the end of The Sixth Sense, the story quickly came to its conclusion.

But it’s a solid half hour where The Skin I Live In must deal with the ramifications of its twist, and it will be days before the film stops crawling under your skin.

As some movies and movie times change every Thursday morning, after The Phuket News has gone to press, the accuracy of the following information cannot be guaranteed. For up-to-date information, visit sfcinemacity.com, or phone the cinemas directly: SFX Coliseum Phuket 076 209 000 and SFC Jungceylon Phuket 076 600 555.

?

THE PHUKET NEWS

THE QUIZ Test your general knowledge with these 10 questions

1. Who is the patron saint of lost causes?

2. What was the name given to the last steam locomotive built for British Rail?

3. On Britain’s House of Lords, what does the Lord Chancellor sit upon?

4. In which of Charles Dickens’ novels do the following characters appear: Ebenezer Scrooge, Betsy Trotwood, Inspector Bucket, Madame DeFarge and Joe Gargery?

5. In which archipelago would you find the islands of Sao Miguel, Terceira and Pico?

6. What is the total cost of buying all four stations in the traditional game of Monopoly?

7. Which four countries share a land border with Armenia?

8. Who wrote the novel The Great Gatsby?

9. Which countries have the following top level internet domains: BE, CA, HR, SA and ZA? 10. On which Mediterranean island did poet and writer Robert Graves die?

Thanks to Peppers bar in Cherng Talay for the questions. Peppers hosts quizzes every Wednesday. Call 076325-112 or visit phuketsportsbar.com

thephuketnews.com

DANE'S WORLD

22 WEIRD NEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS

IN ARREARS Man in rear end accident

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

with Dane Halpin editor2@thephuketnews.com

THE BIG LIST

used ‘sexual anus plug’ A 41-year-old American man in Florida, charged with DUI after rear-ending another driver on February 24, apparently rear-ended himself before the accident.

The man, Kevin Harold Brann, “had a sexual anus plug in his rectum, which he removed, or it fell out” in the backseat of the police car, according to the arrest report from Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

When officers responded to the accident, they noted that he smelled strongly of alcohol and was barely able to stand up or walk. Though he denied drinking, Brann

failed roadside sobriety tests and was arrested for DUI. On the way to Martin County Jail, police said the visibly drunk Brann urinated and “soiled himself” before leaving behind his sex toy in the police vehicle.

The officer noted that he turned the item over with Brann’s other property at the Martin County Jail.

Brann ultimately scored .409 and .412 on the breathalyser test – a limit so high officers had to transport him to Martin Memorial South hospital to be medically cleared.

He is being held in Martin County Jail on $5,000 bond.

Booty butcher arrested at butt pump party Agence France-Presse

Philadelphia police have arrested a transgender hip-hop artist known for injecting substances into the buttocks of other women to give them a curvier, more feminine appearance.

Padge Victoria Windslowe, 42, was charged with aggravated assault, deceptive business practices and related offenses after a 23 year-old exotic dancer was hospitalised following a procedure in February.

She was arrested late Wednesday (February 29) outside of what police say

Creamy surprise An American grocery store worker accused of handing out dairy samples mixed with a little of his own special ‘yoghurt’ blend has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Anthony Garcia pleaded guilty in the case in October, admitting he contaminated, with his own semen, a sample of the yogurt he was handing out at an Albuquerque Sunflower Market in January 2011. He was sentenced on Thursday (March 1).

Garcia also admitted putting some of his semen on a plastic spoon that he placed with the yogurt. The 32-year-old then approached a female customer and offered her a sample.

The woman told police that after tasting the sample, she spat on the floor several times and wiped her mouth on the garment she was wearing to get rid of the taste.

Prosecutors called the case “sickening and appalling”.

Would you let this 'woman' perfom surgery on you? was a “pumping party” being held by customers waiting in a house for silicone injections and is being held on US$10 million (B320 million) bail.

Irish Pubs • Restaurant • Guest Houses

Draft Beer Great Food Cool Rooms Good Music Live Sport

thephuketnews.com

MEAL BREAKERS

Elmar Weisser will no doubt welcome the tax break.

Marching for moustache maintenance Moustachioed Americans with a sense of both charity and humour are making plans to descend on Washington on April Fool’s Day to demand a tax break for their defining facial feature.

The American Mustache Institute, which advocates “equality for people with facial hair,” hopes its “million mustache march” will lead to a US$250 (B8000) tax break to cover the cost of moustache maintenance, its president Aaron Perlut said.

Depending on the turnout, H & R Block, a national tax-preparation service, will donate up to US$10,000 ( B320,0 0 0) to M ill ion s from One, which provides

long-term clean water in developing countries.

Perlut denounced “a longstanding pattern of discrimination against people with moustaches,” adding however that “there’s no better vehicle to achieve our goals than to use humour.”

Perlut also hopes to see Barack Obama sport a hairy upper lip. Out of the 43 other men who preceded him as president, only nine had moustaches or beards, the most recent being William Howard Taft in the early 1900s.

Those unable to join the April 1 march in Washington can participate virtually online by visiting americanmustacheinstitute.org.

While we’re generally a fan of the unexpected, there is one place where we draw the line – our food. For us, the following are always going to be serious meal-breakers: Headless chook: An American mother went to McDonald’s with her two children and ordered two Happy Meals with chicken nuggets for the children. But with the six-year-old subsequently refused to touch the nuggets, being a generous soul, the mother decided she would eat them herself.

When she looked at the biggest one, she found that it looked just like a chicken’s head (Note: It was a chicken’s head).

Eat fresh: We’ve heard of people getting stabbed on the subway, but apparently you can also get stabbed eating one. John Agnesini, 27, sued his local Subway restaurant after he made a frightening discovery that gives new meaning to his former favourite, the ‘Italian cold-cut trio’: a knife baked into the bun.

Soft serve: An Australian family were pleasantly surprised when they were served complimentary ice cream in a pub after they complained about the noise being made during a football match. But after eating the chocolate gelato, Steve Whyte and his wife Jessica became “violently ill”. It was later revealed those chocolate fudge balls inside the frozen treat were in fact poo. Human poo. Which they ate.

Croaka-cola: Fred DeNegri was barbequing in his backyard when he cracked open a can of Diet Pepsi, took a thirsty gulp and immediately started gagging. The flavour of his Pepsi was rank and the texture was thick like slime – more so than normal. He immediately took it to a sink and shook out the contents until something resembling “pink linguini” slid out, followed by “dark stuff”. Despite persistent shaking, a heavy object remained inside the can, which ended up being a frog.

Luckily, DeNegri suffered no health repercussions, but you can bet the poor guy will never again enjoy a carefree sip of soft drink without the fear of finding ‘a frog in his throat’.

Medium rare: When German tourist Axel Sanz-Claus ordered his steak ‘extra bloody’ from a high-class steakhouse in New York's Waldorf-Astoria hotel, he wasn’t expecting to get served a blood-soaked tampon with his meat. After the incident, Claus told reporters, “I had [the used tampon] in my mouth, chewed it, and nearly swallowed it.” Enough said.

Finger food: When Clarence Stowers bought a pint of frozen custard, he didn’t expect to have someone’s finger inside one of his orifices. But as he devoured his dairy goodness, he came across what he thought was a piece of candy. You can probably guess already that it wasn’t candy, and Stowers said he spat the object out, and “I said, ‘God, this ain’t no nut!’ So I came in here to the kitchen and rinsed it off with water and realised it was a human finger and I just started screaming.”

This hot dog is loaded: No one said hot dogs promote longevity, but it’s not like eating a frankfurter is as dangerous as someone sticking a gun in your face – unless your name is Olivia Chaines and you’re eating at Costco. She had swallowed a piece of a Hebrew National brand hotdog in the shopping aisle of a Costco in May 2004 before she realised that it contained a piece of metal. X-rays revealed that the hot dog had contained a live 9mm bullet, although in reality, probably safer than half the other things added to hot dog meat.

Listen to Dane's World every day on Live 89.5 FM radio.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

LIFE&STYLE lifestyle@thephuketnews.com

SHOPPING 23 That’s just The Ticket Entertainment news, reviews and gossip > 32

fashion file Have an outfit to show off? Send a photo to:

editor@thephuketnews.com

Grey is the new black Oraluck Chidchio

Marketing executive

Finding all the angles Kichari Tortilla Yeti English teacher

Dress (B590) from Kae Raberd shop at Major Ratchyothin in Bangkok.

Pendant necklace (B9,000) bought on a trip to New Zealand.

Handmade bag (B900) bought from a friend.

Black shirt (B60) found on Khao San Road in Bangkok.

Printed skirt was a gift from a friend.

Sandals (B40) also from Khao San Road.

ACCESSORIES 1

2

ANDARA 1. Red shell earrings White shell earrings 2. Square bracelet Round bracelet 3. Black shell necklace Black shell bracelet

B2,190 B6,190 B5,590 B7,690 B7,190 B5,990

3

Andara, Plaza Surin, Srisoontorn Rd, Cherngthalay, 076-271-624. Open daily 10am-8pm.

thephuketnews.com

24 DINING

THE PHUKET NEWS

A look inside the main dining room of Suay Restaurant.

Salmon with rice noodle and yellow curry sauce.

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

The signature spicy yellow fin tuna salad, Isarn style.

A thing of great beauty Thai chef Tammasak “Noi” Chootong opened up his first restaurant just over one year ago. Practically ever since then, his Suay Restaurant in Phuket Town has been ranked one of the best on the island.

The acclaim is largely due to the talent of Khun Noi, who has a string of accolades to his name and experience at the JW Marriott Resort & Spa Phuket, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance by Marriott Resort and Spa Koh Samui, and time working on-board luxury liner Queen Elizabeth II. It was while he was working at the Marriott that he was awarded Manager of the Year

2005, Tsunami Hero for 2005 (after rescuing a man in the 2004 tsunami and getting him to hospital), an Outstanding Performance award, and a Leadership award for the hotel’s kitchen team.

Khun Noi, 38, has travelled extensively and is fluent in German, Thai and English.

Born in Hat Yai, he moved to Stuttgart, Germany, with his family as a teenager.

He was raised there, and graduated with a masters degree in kitchen development from the German Ueberkingen culinary school in 1994.

In 1999, after five years at the Mar itim Hotel in Stuttgart and the Michelin-

Chef Tammasak Chootong. star Top Air Restaurant, he joined the QEII, before returning to Germany, and arriving back in Thailand around eight years ago.

He joined the Marriott, then in 2007 began work at Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts as their Corporate Thai Chef, working around the world to develop and implement the Saffron signature Thai restaurant in 10 Banyan Tree resorts, before becoming Area Executive Chef for the Banyan Tree Bintan Indonesia.

Looking to develop his own brand, Khun Noi left Banyan Tree and, alongside his sister Mam, opened Suay in Phuket Town in November 2010. Since then, the restaurant has gone from strength to strength, and is currently ranked Phuket’s number one restaurant on TripAdvisor,

out of a total of 569 listings.

His concept is simple – delivering high quality food at reasonable prices, meaning locals can afford to dine there often. The restaurant is a white and pale-green cottage, surrounded by lush garden. The décor is at once sharp, crisp, elegant and airy, with incredibly reasonable prices. Most of the dishes on the menu range from B80 to around B200, though of course there are high-end options for up to B600.

Signature dishes include the steamed salmon with rice noodle in yellow curry (B129), spicy yellow fin tuna salad (B99), grilled

Put some delicious jelly in your belly STREET EATS Sukunya Phoonpong reporter2@thephuketnews.com

High season has arrived in Phuket, and soon the hottest month of the year, April, will be upon us. It is the perfect time to eat something cold and sweet, and we have found the answer, delicious o aew.

My mother, who is somewhat of an expert at making this Thai dessert, says the main ingredient of the iced sweet treat is o aew jelly.

“O aew is very similar to jelly, but a little different. I first

thephuketnews.com

Treat yourself to a serving of Phuket’s favourite dessert. immerse o aew seeds in water, then mix them with banana jelly and jia gor (the Chinese name of a drying agent using

magnesium sulfate). I leave it to set before then serving it with ice and sweet syrup.

“I think this o aew jelly is

softer, stickier and more delicious than normal jelly because it is made from natural ingredients,” she says. “But sometimes people serve regular jelly as o aew in some restaurants.”

There are many ways to order the dessert, includ-

ing with red bean or black grass jelly and ice, or with red syrup on the top.

“It is interesting that people use colour coding to order their favourite o aew,” says mum. “People can ask for khao (white) for o aew jelly, dam (black) for black grass jelly, and daeng (red) for red bean.”

O aew is very popular all across Phuket, and the original can be found only on the island. The three best places to enjoy delicious o aew are on Soi Soon Uthit on Yaowarat Rd (near the Dibuk intersection); at Dibuk intersection (inside the Loktian local food centre); and at the Cham Cha market on Ranong Rd (near Lor Rong shrine). The dessert is normally priced at B10-20.

US sea scallops with spicy exotic fruit salad (B250), and the mango sticky rice spring roll with black sesame ice-cream for B80.

“The food is Thai contemporary. It still has authentic Thai taste, but is presented in a modern, Western way,” says Khun Noi. “It’s about making people trust you and your food. People k now what they are getting when they come here.”

That is to say, they’re getting nothing but the best.

■■ Suay Restaurant, 50/2 Takuapa Rd, Phuket Town, 087-888-6990; suayrestaurant.com, facebook.com/ phuketsuayrestaurant

Centara promotes Gestin to Executive Assistant Manager

Christophe Gestin, Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket’s Director of Food and Beverage has been promoted to Executive Assistant Manager, Food and Beverage and Sport & Recreation.

Mr Gestin started his career with the Centara Hotels and Resorts at the Centara Grand and Villas Hua Hin in the position of Assistant Fo o d and B ever age Manager in 2005. He has been with Centara Hotels & Resorts for more than seven years.

THE PHUKET NEWS

DINING 25

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

DiVine chef goes coconuts Thanyapura’s DiVine Restaurant Head Chef Sathaporn ‘Moo’ Bootmeechai is venturing where no chef has possibly gone before, with a durian-themed buffet feast.

Before that, however, he is first experimenting with coconut – one of Thailand’s signature ingredients. The Coconut Carnival buffet, which includes coconut sangria and martinis, runs at the restaurant from March 12-18.

As well as drinks, 18 dif-

ferent coconut dishes will be on offer, including coconut salad, fish with a coconut crust and orange sauce, and coconut massaman. The buffet is priced at B780++ per person.

It is the restaurant’s plan to host one themed dinner p e r mont h , showca si ng Phuket’s finest local ingredients. Fish is planned for April, with the aforementioned durian being served in May. “That one will be a real challenge for me,” says Chef Moo.

Employed at Thanyapura for the last two years, the chef has spent 24 years in Phuket kitchens, including stints at the Banyan Tree Phuket, Kata Beach Resort, and Royal Paradise Hotel.

Bookings for the Coconut Carnival are recommended.

■■ DiVine, Thanyapura , 120/1, Moo 7, Thepkrassattri Rd, Thalang, 076-336-000 ext 5070, dining@thanyapura. com; thanyapura.com

DiVine Head Chef Sathaporn ‘Moo’ Bootmeechai with his new coconut salad dish.

SRI PANWA LAUNCHES CHAMPERS Sri Panwa and Armand de Brignac joined forc e s to launch the highly rated champagne Armand de Brignac on February 28 at Sri Panwa’s rooftop bar, Baba Nest.

Brett Berish, CEO of Armand de Brignac, introduced the champagne made by the Cattier family in their French vineyards.

Armand de Brignac was voted the best in the world in 2009 by FINE Champagne magazine.

thephuketnews.com

26 EXPLORE

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Phi Phi on the horizon Norachai Thavisin editor3@thephuketnews.com

It’s only 8.30am on a Thursday morning, but already the five large ferries, docked three abreast at Rassada Pier in Phuket Town, are full with passengers.

Hundreds of expectant tourists form this formidable friendly invasion force, heading for the two islands of Phi Phi, those small and fragile natural jewels all on their own in the pristine Andaman Sea. Judging by the languages I hear around me on the boat ride over, today hordes of Chinese, Russian and French visitors, all in assorted beach gear, are ready for sun and sea.

They all disembark en masse onto the narrow jetty at Phi Phi Don, the larger of the two islands, before streaming into the narrow lanes of the holiday village already packed with tourists.

The beach is lined by longtail boats; a couple of them are already noisily reversing with their passengers on board, escaping to a less-crowded stretch of sand on the other side of the island.

Meanwhile, sleek speedboats power in with more visitors, their row of large outboard engines revving.

Clockwise from above: the two Phi Phi islands welcome boatloads of visitors during high-season; workers head home; disembarking on the Phi Phi Don jetty; the crowded harbour.

Blond Scandinavian men sit, somewhat bored, in the many dive shops near the beach, ready to teach people how to dive down to see the richness of the coral reefs under the crystal clear water.

Signs on almost all hotels

and guesthouses read “FULL.” It is after all high-season on Phi Phi. In the fierce afternoon heat, the many air-conditioned convenience stores offer cool respite for passersby.

On a rough field, against a striking backdrop of lush

Journeys to treasure are always meant to be shared.

green hills, teams of young men compete in a football championship, with much laughter and cheering. Village life goes on after work is done.

Just offshore, a particularly eye-catching longtail wooden boat, built of thick old

FESTIVALS & FAIRS Monument Fair Celebration of the heroine sisters who defended the island of Phuket at the end of the 18th century. There is a daily performance reenacting the battle between the islanders and Burmese.

Date: March 13-15.

Location: Thalang Victory Field.

Phuket Bike Week First held in 1991 by Phuket Rider Club, welcomes motorbike riders from around the world.

Date: Mid-April.

Location: Loma Park, Patong Beach.

Phuket Otop Fair Promotes food and products made in Phuket.

Date: Mid-May. Location: Centre Stage, Sapan Hin Public Park.

Enjoy exclusive preview booking from today to 15 March 12. In addition, all MasterCard payments from 01 March 12 to 14 April 12 are eligible to redeem special travel accessories bags and neck cushion, while stock last**. You also stand a chance to win Central Gift Vouchers worth THB 8,000 in our Grand lucky draw. Visit mcshopathon.com/silkair

All-in one-way fare from

All-in return fare from

All-in return fare from

THB

THB

THB

5,420

Singapore

7,650

Singapore

24,280

Australia/New Zealand *

facebook.com/SilkAir More journeys to treasure at silkair.com Fares quoted are for one-way and return trip on Economy Class per person, for flights originating out of Phuket only. All advertised fares are inclusive of associated taxes and surcharges only. Fares quoted are subject to change due to currency fluctuation. Bookings to be made online via mcshopathon.com/silkair or authorised SilkAir agents from today to 14 April 12 for travel from today to 31 May 12. Black-out travel dates apply.

Subject to seat availability. Tickets are strictly not refundable, and change of flight, date or passenger name is not permitted. Other terms and conditions apply. The products and services offered under this Promotion are provided solely by the Merchant, under such terms and conditions as determined by such Merchant, and MasterCard accepts no liability whatsoever in connection with such product and services. *Australia/New Zealand: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Auckland and Christchurch. **Please email Phuket_Sales@singaporeair.com.sg within 30 days of your ticket purchase to arrange for the collection of the giveaways.

thephuketnews.com

Prisoner Product Fair Sells products made by prisoners across southern Thailand.

Date: Mid-June.

Location: Centre Stage, Sapan Hin Public Park.

Phuket Halal Food Festival Introduces Muslim culture in Phuket, with fashion show, live music and singing.

Date: Late July.

Location: Various.

Seafood Fiesta Celebrates the sea, with a wide range of freshly cooked local seafood, including lobsters, crabs, octopus, squid, clams and all kinds of fish, together with vegetables, fruit and juice drinks.

Date: August Location: Rawai Beach.

Por Tor Festival Fair Also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, ethnic Chinese worldwide believe that during the 7th lunar month, the ghosts of their ancestors visit. To make sure their visit is a happy one, offerings of food are made, such as the common local offering of a red cake in the shape of a turtle.

Date: Seven days in late August.

Location: Phuket Road.

exposed timber, waits to take other villagers home. It’s has been a long day for them too, catering to the international tourists who bring in a daily baht bonanza for the islanders.

Back onshore, a troupe of wiry young men limber up

and twine cotton strips around their hoops and twirling sticks ready to be lit for their fire dancing and juggling, once the sun dips below the horizon.

In the glow of sunset, viewed from the deserted curving end of the beach I find myself in, the bright lights and flags of the throbbing tourist village in the near distance sit in contrast with the bluegreen steep timbered cliffs.

A couple of swimmers float in the warm sea, now turned bright red by the sunset.

I wonder, what was this island like before it was developed? Why in the world have visitors come here in such numbers? And have they all found what they were seeking?

So many questions to answer.

Meanwhile, Phi Phi settles down to relax for the evening.

It needs its rest, for tomorrow is another busy day.

■■ Getting there: Passenger ferries leave at 8.30am and at 1.30pm for Phi Phi from Rassada Pier southeast of Phuket Town. Costs vary but expect to pay about B600 for a return ticket. While good accommodation can be found on arrival, it’s best to book ahead during high season.

PHUKET MUSEUMS Chinpracha House

Seashell Museum

This elegant colonial-style mansion was completed in 1907 by wealthy Chinese immigrant Tan Ma Siang. Chinpracha House is one of the most integral ancient remains on the island.

Old photographs, Italian floor tiles, imported furniture from China and old utensils are wellmaintained in the house’s interior.

Over 2,000 species of sea shells that were collected by the Patamakanthin family are now displayed in the museum.

98 Kr abi Rd, Phuket Town, 076 211 281. Open daily 8am4pm. B100.

Thai Hua School Museum

Kathu Mining Museum

Built according to colonial architecture, imitating a mansion of a tin miner, the museum shows the origins of Phuket’s culture and history especially from the mining era.

Several indoor exhibition rooms display different themes such as Phuket architecture, mining , Thai - Chinese way of life, Chinese immigrants’ life, the Baba’s marriage and the solar system.

The outdoor exhibition displays equipment including a dredge and hydraulic mining gear.

Muang Tor Sung Rd (behind Loch Palm Golf Club), Kathu, 088 766 0962. Open daily 9am4pm. B50 for Thais, B100 for foreigners, children half-price.

Philatelic Museum

The museum is in the old preserved Post Office, housing old equipment such as telegraph tickers, telephones, parcel-weighing machines and collections of Thai stamps issued since 1951.

There are also a small library and a souvenir room.

Phuket Post Office, Montri Rd, Phuket Town, 076 224 883. Open Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm. Sat 9am-12pm. Free entrance.

2/2 Moo 2, Viset Rd, Rawai, 076 613 666; www.phuketsea shell.com. Open daily 8.30am5.30pm. B100 for Thais, B200 for foreigners, children half-price.

The museum is in what used to be the main Chinese-language school, built in 1934. Classrooms inside were renovated as exhibition rooms, displaying Phuket Thai-Chinese culture and tradition.

28 Kr abi Rd, Phuket Town, 076 211 224; www.thaihua museum.com. Open daily 9am-5pm.

B50 for Thai, B200 for foreigners, add extra fee for photograph.

Thalang National Museum

The museum focuses on the history and archaeology of Phuket and nearby provinces. Has archaeological finds such as ancient statues, pre-historic beads and tools.

On 4027 Road (eas t of the Heroines monument), Thalang, 076 379 895. Open daily except public holiday 9am-4pm. B20 for Thai, B100 for foreigners.

Thavorn Hotel Lobby Museum

Located in the walkway from the lobby to the dining room of the Thavorn Hotel, this small museum corner shows old photographs, posters, ornaments, utensils and mining tools from the Phuket’s mining era and World War II, collected by the owner of the hotel.

74 Rassada Road, Phuket Town, 076 211 333. Open daily 8am5pm. B30.

THE PHUKET NEWS

TRAVEL 27

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

TRAVEL NEWS

Hyatt announce plans will be a stand out in Bangfor Park Hyatt Bangkok kok’s skyline and will reinforce Slated to open in 2014, Park Hyatt Bangkok will be housed within a new, modern mixeduse building, bringing the legendary Park Hyatt luxury brand to one of Southeast Asia’s leading business and leisure destinations.

Park Hyatt Bangkok is one of 18 announced Park Hyatt properties under development worldwide – the first in Thailand – and upon opening, will become the third Hyattbranded hotel in Thailand.

“Park Hyatt Bangkok’s premier location within this attractive and rapidly growing international city represents our commitment to introducing the luxury of Park Hyatt to gateway locations around the world where our guests are travelling,” said Stephen Haggerty, global head of real estate and development for Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

“The spectacular ‘twisted coil’ exterior design of this hotel

the Park Hyatt brand’s long history of innovative design.”

Park Hyatt Bangkok will feature 222 rooms, including 49 suites. The hotel will include all-day dining and speciality restaurants, a lobby lounge and speciality lounge, as well as a sky bar and restaurant with magnificent views of down town Bangkok. Park Hyatt Bangkok will also feature 15,515 square-feet of meeting space and impressive amenities including a spa, business centre, fitness room and swimming pool.

Hilton Worldwide signs agreement for first Waldorf Astorial hotel in Southeast Asia Hilton Worldwide has announced the signing of a new management agreement with Magnolia Finest Corporation Limited to introduce the first Waldorf Astoria hotel in Southeast Asia, and Hilton

Worldwide’s ninth property to Bangkok. Scheduled to open in 2015, the 170-room Waldorf Astoria Bangkok marks the debut of Hilton Worldwide’s world renowned luxury brand in Thailand. “[This] underlines our commitment to strengthen and expand our portfolio of one-of-a-kind properties in key cities across the globe.

The Waldorf Astoria name is synonymous with timeless luxury and sophistication, and guests to the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok can expect a truly luxurious experience, with the highest level of service and comfort, in spectacular and tranquil surroundings,” said John Vanderslice, global head of Luxury and Lifestyle Brands at Hilton Worldwide.

The Waldorf Astoria Bangkok is located along Ratchadamri Road in the heart Bangkok’s renowned, bustling Patumwan district.

Its central location is ideal for leisure guests visiting some of the city’s finest dining places, entertainment venues, popular shopping complexes such as Central World and Siam Paragon, and attractions including the Royal Sports Club. The hotel is approximately 1.5 kilometres south of Sathorn, Bangkok’s central business

district and home to regional head offices of multinational corporations, making it “ideal for corporate travellers seeking a premium environment.”

Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel’s weekend getaways Whether you’re looking for quick a weekend getaway or an action-packed escape, the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel is offering two special hotel deals in Bangkok.

With the Shop Till You Drop package at this boutique hotel in Bangkok, enjoy the ultimate shopper’s break and a location convenient to shopping, dining, and entertainment. With this special package, you’ll receive deluxe accommodations, a daily full American breakfast buffet for two at Flavors restaurant, a

10 per cent discount at more than 200 Central Department Store retailers, a 30-minute foot, head, or shoulder massage for two at Quan Spa, and a BTS Sky Train day pass ticket per person per day. This limited-time offer is available through March 31, 2012, with rates ranging from B6,000 to B9,750 per night.

Those looking for a minivacation can take advantage of the Weekend Getaway package, available through March 31, 2012. With a minimum 2-night stay (Fri and Sat required), wake up to a daily breakfast for two, and spend the day taking advantage of your BTS Sky Train day pass ticket (one per person per day). You’ll also enjoy a 20 per cent discount on dining, spa, laundry, and local calls, plus a 10 per cent discount at all Central Department stores.

Rates range between B6,400 and B8,700 per night.

To book either of these packages, visit marriott. com/hotels/hotel- deals/ bkkbr-renaissance-bangkokratchaprasong-hotel/, or call 1-800-228-9290. For the Shop Till You Drop package, use promotional code SHO. For the Weekend Ge taway package , use promotional code WK1.

Discover t he real Bangkok with Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort & Spa’s ‘Streetwise Guru’ Step behind the tourist scenes to uncover the capital’s best back street cuisine and hidden cultural highlights, with Anantara’s Streetwise Guru Chetta Khambunditkul.

Chettha, who has worked at the resort for 15 years and is also Chief Concierge for the property, is a member of the Hotel Concierge Association, and is always testing out new culinary recommendations.

Consequently he has developed a Bangkok gastronomy hot list that is second to none, meaning that guests needn’t navigate the city’s overwhelming choice, and can simply head straight for the places that boast his experienced seal of approval.

Guests can even ask Chettha to accompany them on a tour to explore lesser known attractions in addition to famous sites. This unique opportunity to combine a cultural and culinary trip comes with the added educational and cultural appeal of gaining insider knowledge from a local’s point of view. bangkok-riverside. anantara.com

thephuketnews.com

28 ISLAND SCENE

THE PHUKET NEWS

IT’S BLISS

thephuketnews.com

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Hundreds of people showed up for the official opening of the Bliss Beach Club, on Bang Tao Beach, held on Saturday March 3. The light rain did little to dampen the spirits of guests, who enjoyed the open bar and entertainment.

THE PHUKET NEWS

ISLAND SCENE 29

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

CELEBRATING EIGHT OF THE BEST: Around 150 guests came

together to mark the eight year anniversary of I-Sea Film Production Company Limited at the Sukko Culture Spa & Wellness on February 29.

OFFICIAL LAUNCH FOR THAILAND PROPERTY AWARDS: Ensign Media, which publishes Property Report Asia Magazine, descended on Phuket at the weekend to officially launch its annual Thailand Property Awards and encourage people to nominate potential winners. The party was held at Up Beach Club at Naithon Beach. The award ceremony itself will be held on October 13 at a venue in Bangkok.

PHUKET’S LOSS IS SWEDEN’S GAIN: Well known girl-about-town Kanticha ‘Joffe’ Rattanasopa became Kanticha Löfdal last week when she married Stefan Löfdal at a yellow, white and gold wedding on the beach at the Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa. The couple will live in Sweden. Photo: Daeng, www.weddingphuket.net

ADD A LITTLE SALSA: Guests at the Phuket Dance Salsa Latin party danced the night away on February 25 at Les Anges at Royal Phuket Marina. The dance group holds one or two parties per month at various locations around the island.

thephuketnews.com

30 EVENT

THE PHUKET NEWS

WHAT’S ON IN PHUKET MARCH 9-10

List your events here for as low as B99 per line, or online at www.thephuketnews.com/events.php

Open House Kajonkiet

The “Open House” event includes student work exhibitions, academic competitions, a special booth from Shelton College Singapore and several booths from local organisations.

Programme March 8: -9.00am - Opening Ceremony by Phuket Provincial Governor Tri Augkaradacha.

-9.30am - Shows from our students.

-10.00am - Academic competitions and exhibitions.

Programme March 9: -9.00am - Graduation Ceremony K3, P6 and M3 students Kajonietsuksa.

-All day - Student exhibitions.

MARCH 31 Wacky Olympics The family sporting event you will not want to miss! Free entry. From 9 am to 3 pm. Contact 076 612 876, www.headstart phuket.com.

Programme March 10: -9.00am - Graduation Ceremony K3 and P6 students Kajonkiet Pattana School.

-All day - Student exhibitions.

Contact please call Kajonkietsuksa School : Contact 076 264 770-2. Address: 125 Soi The Valley 1, Pra Phuket Keaw Road, Kathu, Phuket. See kajonkietsuksa. ac.th.

APRIL 13-15

tions, please contact +66 (0)76 336 000 Ext. 5070 Email: dining@thanyapura.com, www.thanyapura.com.

MARCH 13-15

The Kajonkiet Group would like to invite you to our “Open House” at our new school campus in Kathu on March 8, 9 and 10.

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Thao Thepkrassattri Thao Sri Suntorn Festival The festival celebrates the island’s victory in 1785 over an invading Burmese force.

The festival is held at Baan Riang, near Thalang, in the evening. There are market stalls, food, and impressive performances.

Anyone in Phuket will have seen the Heroines Monument, commemorating the two sisters who led the people of Phuket to victory.

Songkran Festival Songkran is the old Thai New Year, and is an occasion for family reunions. Many Thai people return to their homes and families for the three-day festival. It is celebrated each year between April 13 and 15. It was originally a religious holiday.

Songkran begins with early morning meritmaking, by offering food to the monks.

Paying respect to elders and ancestors is also an important custom of Songkran.

Young people pour scented water over Buddha images and on the hands of elders to show respect, and to seek their blessing. Another custom of Songkran is to clean houses and anything old and useless must be thrown away. It is believed that anything bad belonging to the old year will be unlucky to the owner if left and carried on to the coming new year.

The most prominent custom of the festival is throwing water. Everybody throws water on each other, during the three-day festival. The most popular place for waterthrowing is in Chiang Mai.

APRIL 23-28

MARCH 17 New Zealand Wine Dinner A taste of New Zealand Mom Tri’s Kitchen at Villa Royale. Sileni Estates is a major vineyard and winer y development in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand’s oldest established vineyard area. The wines have won worldwide acclaim.

Enjoy a five-course dinner and seven wines. Menu prepared by: Mom Tri’s Chef Darren Wiper. Main Course: Sileni Cellar Selection HB Merlot 2010 + Roast rump of lamb. B1,900 ++ per person not including tax or service. 076 333 568, info@momtriphuket.com. See momtriphuket.com.

MARCH 24

MARCH 12-18

Phuket Pride 2012 Pride Week on April 23 to 28. Events and parties so far planned: - Big stage show party April 27 and 28 at Patong Loma Park - Pride Parade through Patong on April 28

“A Ray of Hope” Fundraiser

Coconut Carnival March 12-18, 2012, 6.30pm – 10 pm.

B780 per person* at DiVine Restaurant.

Enjoy a week of this festive buffet dinner at DiVine Restaurant in Thanyapura, offering a wide selection of innovative coconut dishes prepared by Chef Moo. *Price is subject to 10% service charge and 7% applicable government tax. For reserva-

thephuketnews.com

The Lions Club of Phuket Pearl cordially invite you to “A Ray of Hope” fundraiser on March 24, 2012 from 7 pm. Welcome punch, snack buffet, live band, live show and auction. Dress code is colourful. Entrance fee is B1,200 per person. Contact 087 887 9672 for more details.

- Mr. Gay Phuket competition by Fong Kaew Mansion on April 25 and 26 - Night out in Thailand party on April 24 by Out in Thailand and Backstage Bar - Big street parties and fun nights in Soi Paradise throughout the week - CC Blooms Hotel Pride pool party on April 22 - V. Sawana Bar Pride Party in Rawai

Tickets available at www.phuketticket master.com.

- Gay day cruise to Racha Island by Time Bar and Sundowners on April 24 and 25

APRIL 6

- Phuket Gay Pride overnight tour by Rainbow Scuba tours on April 23 and 24

Chakri Day

With much more coming soon. for regular updates on events around Phuket visite www.phuket-pride.org.

A public holiday to honor the founder of the Chakri Dynasty, King Rama I.

THE PHUKET NEWS

EVENTS 31

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

WHAT’S ON IN PHUKET FRIDAY

List your events here for as low as B99 per line, or online at www.thephuketnews.com/events.php

tel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www.expatsports bar.com.

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20% Off All Pizzas IBAP - The State of Phuket 3 Back by popular demand this meeting will be a moderated panel presentation by leading Phuket business and information experts. Venue: URBAN FOOD, located in Central Festival Shopping Center. http:// ibap-phuket.org or call 081 970 7910.

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At Shakers. Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim areas.

Reservations call 081 891 4381.

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All Major Sports Live On the big screen. F1, MotoGP, Tennis, Golf, AFL, NRL. Irish Times Irish Pub, Jungceylon, Patong.

Pool Competition Pool Competition at 9pm. Expat Sports Bar, Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www. expatsportsbar.com.

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Chef’s Table at Paresa Recipe by Ryan is an innovative culinary dining venture. Indulge in intricate dishes created by Paresa’s Executive Chef Ryan Arboleda, featuring a six-course set menu prepared in a live cooking environment.

Time: 6pm to 10pm. Call 076 302 000, email: dining@paresaresorts.com.

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BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat Only B295 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. For reservations call on 081 891 4381.

SUNDAY Church Service English/Thai Every Sunday 10am. Come share in worship unto God, and hear Word of God, followed by fellowship lunch. See phuketchurch.net.

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Half-Chicken Spit Roast Only B225 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

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Pool Competition At 9pm Expat Guesthouse Sports Bar, Patong. See map at www.expatguesthouse. com.

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Rotary Club of Patong Beach Weekly meeting in English. Dinner out on first Tuesday of the month. rotarypatong.org.

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Salsa Class Rawai Salsa Class in Green Man Studio from 6.30 to 9 pm, more information on phuketdance.com.

.

WEDNESDAY

Sunday Roast Pork

Quiz Night @ Peppers

Every Sunday 2pm onwards Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong B290 per person.

Please see www.expathotel.com.

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Quiz Night every Wednesday at Peppers Sports Bar near Laguna. Great food, great music, great beer. Contact 081 728 1010.

Facebook Peppers Sports Bar.

Best Sunday Carvery in Phuket

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Roast beef, BBQ ham, chicken, pork and Yorkshire pudding. All you can eat B399.

Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

Interactive Pub Quiz Night

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Starts from 8pm every Wednesday night.

The largest selection of draught beer in Phuket. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

Curry Fridays at Navrang Mahal

Half-Chicken Spit Roast

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Every Friday, all-you-can-eat authentic Indian curry buffet, B449 net per person.

Draught beer B50. 7pm-11.30pm. Call 076 286 464.

Only B225 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. Reservations please call 081 891 4381.

SATURDAY

Sunday Brunch

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Live Music Enjoy live music at Kamala’s only live music venue. Every Saturday from 8.30pm with free buffet. Call for more info on 085 655 5127.

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Chef’s Table at Paresa Recipe by Ryan is an innovative culinary dining venture. Indulge in intricate dishes created by Paresa’s Executive Chef Ryan Arboleda, featuring a six-course set menu prepared in a live cooking environment.

Time: 6pm to 10pm. Call 076 302 000, email: dining@paresaresorts.com.

................................................................................

Half-Chicken Spit Roast Only B225 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

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AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man Pub. Contact 081 895 4763.

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BBQ at Expat Hotel Time 7.30pm, Expat Sports Bar, Expat Ho-

................................................................................

Enjoy the original Sunday brunch in Phuket at Twinpalms, Surin Beach. 12-3pm. Reservations please call 076 316 577.

MONDAY Duke’s @ Kata Duke’s @ Kata is happy to sponsor the ChickyNet Monthly Book and DVD Exchange.We meet every second Monday of each month. Visit dukesbigboard.com for details.

BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat Only B295 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. Reservations call on 081 891 4381.

THURSDAY BBQ Buffet All You Can Eat Only B325 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Rd, Patong. Reservations 081 891 4381.

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All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man Pub, one km from Chalong circle. Contact 081 895 4763.

.

DAILY

Grizzly’s Sports Bar & Restaurant

Roaring Bhoys

Watch all the sport that is on TV this weekend with us. Located between Loch Palm Golf Course and Kathu Waterfall. Call 087 471 8747.

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BBQ Buffet All You Can Eat

Sunset Happy Hours & Ninjazz

Only B325 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. Reservations 081 891 4381.

Don’t miss the Sunset happy hours. Between 5pm and 7pm. “Buy one get the same one free” promotion. The Luna Bar, Centara Grand Beach Resort. Call 076 201 234.

TUESDAY AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man Pub, one km from Chalong circle. Call 081 895 4763.

Enjoy live music at Kamala’s only live music venue. Every Saturday from 8.30pm with free buffet. Call for more info on 085 655 5127.

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM

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Live Music every Monday night. The largest selection of draught beer in Phuket. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

Live Music

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Brew Great Beer Phuket’s one and only small batch handcraft beer. Open every day 11am until midnight.

Full Moon Brew Work, behind the ship, the port zone at Jung­ceylon. Call 076 3667 753.

The Craíc Live Music every week Roaring Bhoys - Tuesdays & Saturdays Bangkok Travellers - Sundays Draught Guinness at the only Irish Bar in North Phuket Open from 5pm, closed Mondays Laguna Phuket

thephuketnews.com

32 ENTERTAINMENT

THE TICKET

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

THE PHUKET NEWS

with Claire Connell

editor1@thephuketnews.com

WHAT’S ON IN CLUBLAND Friday, March 9 LTJ Bukem feat MC Conrad Bliss Beach Club 10pm blissbeachclub.com

Friday, March 23

FIRESTARTERS: Founding Prodigy member Leeroy Thornhill performed at Seduction Beach Club and Disco on Monday night, much to the delight of his many fans. Leeroy’s music style is a mix of old school samples and electro known as Miami bass, a style he picked while touring with The Prodigy in the mid 1990s. His own band Flightcrank released their first album in March 2001 to critical acclaim.

WELCOME HOME: Thai DJ Nakadia performed at

the Summer Wind Club & Restaurant in Patong on March 3. Nakadia is now based in Berlin on a two year artist visa. She has become “the” Asian face on the European DJ scene and is expected to release more songs this year.

Gosling and Mendes spotted in Bangkok

Canadian-born Ryan Gosling is dating actor Eva Mendes.

Hollywood heartthrob actor Ryan Gosling is in Thailand currently filming his new movie, Only God Forgives, which gave girlfriend Eva Mendes the perfect opportunity for a trip to Bangkok.

The good-looking couple have been in Thailand since early last month and Eva has already spent a lot of time taking in the sites, plus getting her hair done and trying out

local cuisine from food stalls.

Gosling, 31, stars in the crime thriller movie about a police officer and a gangster who participate in a Thai boxing match.

The movie has been described as a modern East meets West western, and it follows a kickboxer turned gangster (Gosling) who must fight to avenge the murder of his brother.

Pyjama Party Famous 9pm famousphuket.com

Saturday, March 24 Hed Kandi: Twisted Disco DJs Stuart Ojelay & Yasmin Ogilvie Seduction 10pm seductiondisco.com

Future sound of KL The Future Music Festival Asia will kick off on March 17 in Kuala Lumpur, featuring international acts such as the Chemical Brothers, Sneaky Sound System and Pendulum.

The festival will be held at the Sepang International Circuit, and will be the official opening event for the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix week. The 12-hour event is scheduled to start at 2pm.

Since its debut in 2006, the Future Music Festival has grown and won the hearts

of music lovers all around Australia, becoming one of the ‘essentials’ of the summer festival circuit. Now in its sixth year, it is expanding its reach and giving music fans in the Asia-Pacific region the chance to experience the quality of entertainment that has made Future Music Festival famous in Australia.

See futuremusicfestival. asia. Tickets are available from RM98 via airasiaredtix. com. Tourism Malaysia is the event’s presenting partner.

WEEKDAYS The Breakfast Club

Ryan Jon

7am til 11am

Weekday Hitz Blitz

great music

11am til 3pm

Drive on LIVE

Jason Wilder

3pm til 7pm

The Night Ritual

Sam Clarke

7pm til 10pm

ROCKING ON:

Phuket’s teen band Legends of Siam entertained the crowd during a concert at Hard Rock Cafe in Patong last weekend. The band won the Battle of the Young Bands competition held at Laguna during the Phuket Community Foundation’s Rubber Duck Race Day on February 5. ‘Mix It Up’, the band’s acclaimed debut single, is an original song that delves into teenage relationships through the use of social networking.

The Monkees frontman Davy Jones dead at 66 Agence France-Presse

Davy Jones, lead singer of 1960 s m a de -for-T V band The Monkees, whose many hits included songs such as I’m a Believer and Last Train to Clarksville, died last Wednesday, the local coroner said. He was 66 years old.

thephuketnews.com

The British-born star, whose TV antics with Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork drew fans but also unflattering comparisons with the Beatles, died of a heart attack in Florida.

The four-piece band initially gained fame through their TV show about a band called The Monkees,

created by legendary US music producer Don Kirshner.

Jones’s good looks and British charm – he was born in Manchester, England – went down well with US audiences, along with the three American group members: guitarist Nesmith, bassist Tork and drummersinger Dolenz.

The band released nine albums between 1966 and 1970, after which they disbanded – but they have come back together in various combinations over the years.

Fresh-faced Jones was said to be the reason that David Bowie – real name David Robert Jones – changed his name in the mid-1960s.

SATURDAY Box Of Neutrals Saturday Morning Glory Phuket News Radio Dazed and Confused Phuket News Radio

Rob James, Peter McGinley & Michael Lamonato Sam Clarke & Ryan Jon Jason Wilder & Simon Ostheimer Bongo Bob & Baba Fats Ryan Jon & Alasdair Forbes

9am til 10am

10am til 12pm 12pm til 1pm 1pm til 4pm 4pm til 5pm

Going Green

Nick Anthony

5pm til 7pm

Saturday Night Fever

DJ Burt

7pm til 11pm

SUNDAY Dazed and Confused

Bongo Bob & Baba Fats

1pm til 4pm

Lazy Sunday Afternoons

Jason Wilder

4pm til 7pm

Absolute Jazz

Doug Styles

7pm til 9pm

www.phuketliveradio.com Tel: 076-612-895, 090-490-7895

THE PHUKET NEWS

JOBS 33

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

CLASSIFIEDS

Modern pool villa:

3-bedroom pool villa, five minutes from Laguna > 36

classifieds@thephuketnews.com

JOBS IN PHUKET Qualified Teacher/ Tutor wanted : English speaking, tutor wanted for Grade 4 student, 2-3 hours per day, 6 days a week, to do extra tutoring (reading, writing, math) in Thalang. At Phuket International Academy School.

Contact:Sherin.peace@ gmail.com. or call 084 877 3566.

Driver Wanted: Part time from 3pm - 4.30pm Monday- Friday, with own small truck to pick up goods from Central area and deliver to Thalang dog pound daily. Contact 08 4 877 3566.

Administrative assistant: English speaker

with good Microsoft office skills and references. C.V to info@techworx-projects. com.

MY STORAGE – Thailand’s No.1 Self Storage facility located at Jungceylon Shopping Center, Patong, Phuket – is seeking a well organised and enthusiastic Facility Administrator / PA.

Facility Administrator / PA

English speaker, must have experience and references.

C.V to info@techworx-proj ects.com.

- Bachelor’s degree or related field - Thai national 25 – 35 years old, fluent in English (written and spoken) - Minimum of 3-5 years experience in the related field - Computer literate with good knowledge of Microsoft Office - Excellent administrative and communication skills required - Bookkeeping and Office Management skills required - Self-motivated, Proactive, Flexible and Well organized - Service-minded and must have attention to detail - Experience in Property Management an advantage.

Office Staff Wanted: Female, English speaking staff to work in nice environment with outgoing personality and basic book keeping skills. Please call K.Nam 076 272 702. Island Curtains.

A c c o u n t a n t Cherngthalay: Build-

side Hotel is looking for staff: For the following positions no English is required; chef, kitchen helper, housekeeping staff, handyman. For the following positions English is required; bar and restaurant service staff, reception staff, night reception. Good star ting salar y and SC. Only Thai nationals. Please contact K. Sandy on 087 275 4581 or email: info@ karonhillsidehotel.com

ing company seeks Bookkeeper/Accountant. Good English and IT VAT experience. Good salary and Bonus. Call 087 885 3532.

Submit your CV with recent photo and a covering letter in English to hr@mystorageasia.com or call 076 29 29 09 for further information.

Want to know more about MY STORAGE? Visit mystorageasia.com

experience with own car, outgoing personality with ability to sell to farangs, flexible hours. Retainer, fuel, phone and commission. Call Khun Nam 076 272 702. Island Curtains.

and JQuery. Email: iibc. shayne@gmail.com.

Massage Shop Staff: Require experienced st af f for busy, fr iendly massage shop, Patong

Beach,hairdresser, beauty salon experienced, manicure / pedicure, facial, etc.

10am to 11pm. Day off per week. Please contact Khun Key ( Thai) on 080 889 6557 or email your resume to tammice@live.com.au.

Rental Manager B a n g t a o B e a c h: Holiday Resort requires experienced rental and service manager. Excellent salary and bonus.

Call 087 885 3532.

Female English Teacher: SGS/Security

Kindergar ten Sec- company looking for full retary: Must have good time Female English teachEnglish and computer skills.

Mon-Fri, 7.30am-4.30pm, Chalong. Call 080 624 7060.

er to teach to our guard.

081 607 6637.

Web Developer PHP Sales Staff Wanted: MVC: PHP Developer English speaking female.

Thai with previous selling

Apple Mac technical support needed to help with computer issues in Surin area. Please email admin@esxoasia.com.

Secure, Clean & Cost Effective Self Storage

Purchase manager:

Karon Hillside Staff Wanted: Karon Hill-

Apple Mac Support:

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php

with strong MVC framework (Yii, CI, Symf, ZEND)

Laguna Holiday Club & Laguna Holiday Club Resort is currently seeking passionate and experienced candidates to be part of our team in the following…

LAGUNA HOLIDAY CLUB Sales Manager/Branch Manager Assistant Sales Manager Sales Representative & In House Sales Explorer Pass Coordinator Explorer Pass Booker

LAGUNA HOLIDAY CLUB RESORT Accountant: English speaker with good Quick books, Microsof t of f ice skills and references. C.V to info@techworx-projects. com.

JOB WANTED Butler/House Manag er: Pr ofe s si o nal Head Butler 44 with over 20 years extensive experience with The Royal Household, Buckingham Palace and an internationally renowned Hollywood Producer is now available. Interested parties kindly email enquiries to p.v.b.b@live.com.

Guest Service Manager Guest Service Agent General Technician Previous timeshare experience, knowledge of sales techniques and sales closing ability for Assistant Manager/Sales Manager Multi-lingual ability including English, Russian and Cantonese or Mandarin preferred for Sales Representative & In House Sales Welcome for experience in related filed Full training will be provided

We are proud to provide an excellent benefits package including basic salary, generous, commissions, medical coverage, training, etc; for Laguna Holiday Club Good benefits, service charge, 2 days off/week, medical coverage, meal allowance and etc; for Laguna Holiday Club Resort

Call for an interview 076-362400 Ext.4406 career@lagunaholidayclub.com thephuketnews.com

34 CLASSIFIEDS

THE PHUKET NEWS

BUY & SELL IN PHUKET

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php

for 34 months. Bar had same owner for 12 years and wants a quick sell to move back home.

Asking for B1.9 millon only.

Please contact tomarell@hotmail.com.

BUSINESS SERVICES Phuket Consult Services: Insurance, personal assistance, legal assistance, police and emergency assistance, property management sales and rentals, company registration, visa and work permit and accounting. Call 081 691 9679.

Tile It: Thalang. Wana Park

BOATS & YACHTS

Obligation free appointment .

Call for more information 084 100 6274.

Speedboat for Rent: Panwa Beach. 16 knots service speed comfy can do 38 knots emergency. Sight seeing Phi Phi Island or fishing. We have equipment experienced skipper. Contact Gustav 080 649 0500.

Pegasus 8.2M - Late 2 0 0 6: S UZ U K I 14 0 H P

- 4 stroke - 300 hours. Fully -equipped. Location: Boat Lagoon. Price: B700,000. Contact 086 268 7901, martin@pertinax.asia.

BUSINESSES FOR SALE B u s i n e s s f o r S a l e: Phuket slingshot, Thailand’s only, and bumper cars. Call 082 419 0742.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Investment Opportunity: 8-15% monthly returns.

Unique Automated Business: Low overheads, Great returns. Create passive cashflow with our Forex Trading system. Call for more information 082 286 4463.

Investors or Partners Wanted: Five-rai hillside land, Maikhao Beach. Perfect for resort, 15-20 villas. First villa under construction. www. phuketapartments.de. Contact Julius 087 267 1192.

Restaurant for Sale:

Restaurant for sale Farang/ Thai, quality furnishing, terrific potential, ill healht force.

Sale B800,000. Contact 087 978 5804.

Bar Bangla Road for sale: Best bar-deal on Bangla Road? Good location in popular Soi Crocodile. Lease paid

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

on Srisoonthorn Rd. Phuket’s quality tile boutique. Tiles for interior, exterior, residential, commercial. Contact 076 620 168 or 081 424 2828. Email info@tile-asia.com.

The car for rent: Car in good condition, short and long-term rental with first-class insurance and delivery service.

Call 086 690 6007, email: k.niwatt@hotmail.com.

A1 Car Rentals: Fullyinsured. Starts at B12,000 to B18,000 per month. Please call 089 831 4703. Email for more info: a1carrent@gmail.com.

CARS FOR SALE

quality, time-proven schedule and curriculum. Now in brand new purpose build school.

Experienced native English teachers to teach ages 1 1/28. Mon-Fri 8am.-5pm. Bus service available from Patong, Karon, Kata, Phuket, Rawai and Chalong. Website: www. buds-phuket.com.

ABC International Nursery: Education for chil-

dren 18 months to six years old with experienced native English teachers following the UK EYFS curriculum. Contact 089 971 1813.

CLUBS

Q uali f i ed Teach er/ Tutor Wanted: English speaking, tutor wanted for Grade 4 student, 2-3 hours per day, 6 days a week, to do extra tutoring (reading, writing, math) in Thalang. At Phuket International Acadamy school. Contact:Sherin. peace@gmail.com. or call 084 877 3566.

Russian Language for Your Kids: Are your children starting to forget Russian? Sign up to our Russian Language For Kids program.

Visit http://PhuketRussianSchool.com, email us at info@ phuketrussianschool.com or call 082 804 9131.

Funstart: Family sports and leisure club. Swimming/golf/ playcentre/gaming arcade.

Call 076 203 185, 087 882 5544. See funstart phuket. com.

Guitar Lesson By Pro Player: Guitar/bass lessons beginner to advanced. Personal one-on-one or by DVD. Diploma of Teaching (Aust) degree. Call 089 777 3063.

Farang Food Paradise: Your specialist of imported food and drinks in Phuket. Visit our shop at the Billion Plaza, opposite Tesco Lotus. Contact 076 612 733, 076 248 900. www.phuketfood.com.

SK A L I nt e r na t i onal Phuket: Skål is a profes-

Nissan Navara Sell 4 Doors: July 2011,

sional organisation of leaders from all branches of the travel and tourism industry. www. skalphuket.org.

14,000km. B790,000. Call Olisiy 088 838 3242.

Prot e c t Your H o m e w i t h C C T V: C C T V &

Singapore Club Phuket: Calling all Singaporeans in Phuket to join “Singapore Club Phuket”. Contact Robin on 081 803 7189, 076 303 500.

alarm service. Protect your home with high-quality CCTV camera,and GSM alarm. Free survey and quote.

Please call 086 105 8144 or click www.huketechnology. com.

Indo Construction: 40

years’ experience and more than 20 years at your service in Thailand. Main contractor: study project, architecture design and construction and management. Contact 076 381 895.

CARS FOR RENT New Mazda2 & Vios for Rent: First class insurance, special price for long term rental.

Call 080 521 9888, email sornin_s@yahoo.com.

DIVING M a z d a Tr i b u t e 2 0 0 5 G o l d c o l o u r, 60,000 km full Mazda Service history. One owner.

B580,000. Call 081 737 0722.

All 4 Diving: 5/4 Sawatdirak Road, Patong Beach.

Contact 076 344 611.

EDUCATION Learn Thai at Home:

Hyundai XL 5 Speed Manual: Good condition B50,000. Call 085 787 5526.

CHILDCARE Buds Nursery: Phuket’s oldest bilingual international child care facility. High-

Thai woman teacher with 8-9 years’ experience gives Thai and English lessons for company/hotel staff and Thai cooking at your home.

Full course with conversation practice and home study material. Both at beginner and more advanced levels. Tel:081 797 1497 Email: teacherjoy_ phuket@hotmail.com.

Want to Practice your Thai?: Thai Courses and

lessons for daily life (culture and language) with friendly and energised Thai female teacher. Graduated from university. Negotiable prices can be offered. Plus have outdoor activities for your experience!! Call 080 386 5026.

Dos & Don’ts of Thai Culture: Learn Thai and Thai culture that is necessary for enjoying life in Thailand.

Group classes three days per week, learning about the real dos and don’ts of Thailand. The Genius Language School, call 089 203 9270 (Aooddy).

Cooking School: Fire up

your creative flair with Food Services Cooking School. Italian, Western and Thai cuisine.

Try our famous pizza school.

082 816 0126, email: info@ foodservicesth.com.

Native German Teacher: Native German TEFL teacher is teaching German and English to single students at home or small groups in Chalong. 080 778 1220, 081 810 9115.

International Kindegarten: International Kindergarten. Native English teachers, UK and Singapore curriculum, small class sizes. The best choice. Please contact 082 323 1188.

Rawai Progressive School: International private school for ages 3-12 years, offering Montessori education.

See our website montessorithailand.com.

thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS

CLASSIFIEDS 35

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

BUY & SELL/HOMES IN PHUKET MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS FOR SALE SOKEN Surround Sound Stereo: Big amp, 5 powerful speakers, really excellent sound. Paid 15,000 12 months ago, sell 7,500.

Call 082 283 8902.

Ya m a h a S e r o w f o r Sale: 220cc, year 1996. Sale B45,000. Please contact Khun Nicolas (farang) 083 176 4265.

Khun Ball 081 084 9532 (Thai).

MOTORBIKE SERVICES

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php

2024. Email: vinoltds@hotmail.com.

PROPERTY CONCIERGE

Atmanjai: World’s best natural health programmes to improve health, reduce stress, weight loss, detox, rejuvenation, vitality and overcome disease. See more info at www. atmanjai.com.

Dynamic Tyre Balancing: Dynamically balance SAFEWAY STORAGE •

Furniture

•

Cars-Boats

•

Machinery

Main Highway Thalang

your motorcycle tyres for a smoother ride with DYNA BEADS! Available at West Coast Service Center Phuket.

Your big bike specialist on the bypass road. Contact 085 785 4440.

PERSONAL SERVICES

American Health Clinic: Chiropractic spinal ad-

Selling or Renting Your Property?: We

justment with an experienced chiropractor can take away the pain almost as quickly as it began. Call 076 612 707.

have buyers for foreign freehold, sea view properties and land. Call 080 143 2929 or visit realestate.phuket. net.

076 313 235, 081 125 1873

Live Music By Colin Hill: Popular expat pro musi-

Health Food : Online

cian (guitar/vocals) with work permit. Can perform solo, duo or band. www.play-guitar.net, 089 777 3063.

health food in Thailand. Good Karma, all natural healthy, natural and organic products.

Contact 082 276 1675. www. goodkarmathailand.com.

CHURCH

SERVICE, PATONG

Ev.Wednesday 9.30am Prayer Meeting Addr. 110/12 Soi Patong Tower

Table for Sale: Long 6 - 8 S e a t Ta b l e , D a r k Wood, 6 Matching Chairs, 12 months old. Cost 16,000 Sell 8,000 ono. Call 082 283 8902.

MOTORBIKES FOR SALE Kawasaki Boss 175: Blue, 9 years old, good condition, used daily. Includes very solid sidecar (now detached). Email for Photos.

B29,000 ono. Call 082 283 8902.

Ctc. Ps.David Tan 084 006 3438 davidtankahseng@gmail.com

www.phuketchurch.net

Bon Café Phuket: A producer of premium coffee blends and powdered mixes as well as selling, maintaining, servicing and repairing all major brands. 076 355 600-1.

Villa 5 House for Rent:

Kata Hot Yoga: The most

house for rent 37sq.wah. Two bedrooms, one restroom, one kitchen. B16,000 per month.

Call 081 895 9622.

popular yoga for men and women in Phuket. Four classes every day. Kata Yoga, it works! www.katahotyoga.com, Contact 076 605 950.

Buon A p p et i to: D e li market and bistro.Number one supplier of Italian Deli in Phuket. Call 076 384 273, info@buonappetitogroup.com, w w w. b u o n a p p et i t o g r o u p. com.

PET ADOPTION

8,000 km. Perfect condition. Fast and fun. Priced to sell quickly at 595,000 baht. Call 081 734 8309, email ducphuket@gmail. com.

Rent Kata One-Three Bed Apartments: Superb

Techworx: Custom design & installation. Professional service and support. Premium service: home cinema, home automation, marine AV and IT, lighting control and multiroom audio-video. Call 084 443 9863.

Foundation have over 300 beautiful dogs and puppies available for adoption. Fully-vaccinated and sterilised.

Contact 087 050 8688, email: john@soidog.org.

PET HOSPITAL

POOL TABLES

company formation, property transfer etc. Please telephone for advice. Call 084 063 9223.

Phuket Pool Tables:

Havana Cigar Shop:

snooker supplier in Phuket.

Sales, rent and profit-sharing.

All accessories and services.

Call for more details on 081 823 4627.

Opposite HomePro Village Chalong. Contact 081 956

Stunning three-bedroom pool villa, five minutes from Laguna 600 sq metre plot in peaceful location. Finished to a very high specification “MUST SEE” Selling price B12.9 million. Please contact 084 994 9303 or email phuketpoolvilla.info@ gmail.com.

THE SUNRISE OCEAN VILLAS

signed for comfort has everything near Laguna lease B22,000. Contact 089 594 4067.

with swimming pool, security 24/7. 46sq metre, furnished.

Daily/monthly. 089 728 4005 or email: thamad17@yahoo.com.

House for Rent Near Heroines Monument: Two bed, one bath,

Rawa i B e a c h Fro n t House: Rawai beach front

cable TV, internet, fully furished house at B8,000 per month. Call 080 521 9888, sornin_s@yahoo.com.

house for sale/long term rent.

Three beds, three baths with three air-con. Cable TV, ADSL on area 1600 sq metre. Call 089 649 9939.

Comfor table Private and Quiet: Three bedroom

PROPERTY FOR SALE

townhouse, just a few minutes to Karon Beach. B25,000 per month, long term rent required.

Call 081 396 0880.

Houses for Rent : Long Term, Chalong, very private with mountain views, two bedrooms, kitchen, fully-furnished, Sat TV, ADSL, UBC and common swimming pool. 089 724 3669.

Chaofah Pet Hospital: Apar tment for Rent 8/28–29 Moo 9, Chaofah East in Rawai: Business nine

English-Thai Law Off ice: Visa, wor k per mit,

apartments and pool penthouses 115-375 sq metre, less than five minutes walk to two beaches (Kata and Kata Noi) Call 081 078 1246.

Modern Pool Villa:

Apartment for Rent Luxury Pool Villa: De- in Patong: New condo

Why buy a pet?: Soi Dog

Road. Contact 076 283 365.

Harley XR-1200 for Sale: 2009 model. Only

bedroom self-contained holiday villa Rawai. Rental day/week Call 081 677 1641.

sulting and services on company registration, work permit, visa, accounting, auditor, legal advice. Contact for more info 081 892 9960.

CCM Complex, call 076 510 111, email info@hhlegaladvi sors.com, www.hhlegaladvi sors.com.

Suzuki Revo 110, 5 years old, Blue Paint, 2 New Tires, Taxed until July.

E xc e l l e n t C o n d i t i o n , 18,000 ONO. 082 283 8902.

Beach Frontage: One

Phuket Visa: Offers con-

Haris & Hawryluck - Attorneys at Law: Unit 6D

Suzuki 110 Revo:

n e s s s p ac e f o r r e nt o n fifth floor of Patong Towe r. C a l l 0 7 6 3 41 3 7 0 .

PROPERTY FOR RENT

HOUSE OF LORD CHURCH

Ev.Sunday 10am + Fellowship Lunch

Space for Rent in Patong: Of fice, Busi-

apartments, fully-furnished with swimming pool & office.

Contract 081 893 2165.

One-Bedroom House, www.phuketpooltables.com.

Your number one billiard and Kata: Fully-furnished, one

bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, terrace, WiFi and cable TV. Price B9,000 per month. Located in Kata. Call 081 606 2827.

Land for Sale: Land Mission Hills half rai plot, quiet select location, chanote, water, electricity. Price B1.6m. Six rai hilltop, sea/mountain views, chanote, water, electricity and office. B4.2m per rai. Contact 087 978 5804.

After a great success of the first phase, the Sunrise Ocean Villas is now starting to build the 8 other villas of "Phase2". The price of 17.9 million baht makes the project one of the most compettitive on the island for being only 60m from the beach.

Each villa has an living area of over 300 sqm, has 3 spacious bedrooms, all sea views, 5 bathrooms, a 10x4m infinity pool, maid's quarter and a covered 2 car-parking. The houses are specially designed to guarantee a complete privacy, with an open panoramic view of the sea.

House With PoolRawai/Nai Harn: Plot of approx 825 sq metre with enclosed space of approx 220 sq metre. Three bedrooms and three bathrooms with open plan western kitchen. Fullyair-con, WiFi and cable TV. Solar hot water. Large approx 70 sq metre free-form pool in large established tropical garden. Sala and covered twocar parking with electric gate.

Well-established quiet neighborhood. Chanote title. For sale by owner at B10.7 million.

Call 087 267 1282 or email david_rosa mond@yahoo.com .for details and photos.

Come visit the villas and you will be wonderfully surprised by the quality of the project as well as the quality of life you can find here.

For appointment or more details, contact the project director Khun Monta at 081 343 0777 (Thai, English & German) Email: thesunrise villas@yahoo.com.

www.thesunrisevillas.com

thephuketnews.com

36 CLASSIFIEDS

THE PHUKET NEWS

HOMES IN PHUKET

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php plex with balcony right over the lagoon, 3 bedrooms, roof-terrace with sala etc. FOR SALE OR LONG TERM LEASE. Call (66) 081 737 0365, e-mail: utai pan@yahoo.com.

PROPERTY FOR SALE CONT. Land For Sale: 6 rai Hilltop, sea/mountain views, chanote, water, electricity and office. B4.2 million per rai , Contact : 087 978 5804.

Top Rawai Beach Condo For Sale: Serenity

Resort & Residences. Two bed / two bath, 134 sq metre.

Only B11.9 million. See www. stefan.asia for details.

Seaview Land for Sale:

Nice One Rai Chalong: Reduced, just

B6 million now! Full chanote title. Call 089 651 3479, 087 053 6181.

title, 2 km south of Thai Muang town centre. Just 24 km north of Sarasin Bridge. Good road access and electricity. Very quiet, green area. Urgent sale for just B5 million total, nonnegotiable. Contact Peter on 089 652 1951 or email phuket. pn@gmail.com.

Chalong Land: Land in

Beach Front Land:

Seven rai with 180 metres of ocean frontage opposite of Yacht Haven Marina, for sale. Very peaceful natural environment, water, electricity, access by public road and boat, ready to build.

Price B6.2 million per Rai. Land could be subdivided into small plots, for details please call owner directly 081 343 0777 or 086 475 6 0 6 0, email: montha _ phuket@yahoo.com.

New Apartment for Sale Patong: Condo: swimming pool, security 24/7. Furnished, 46sqm, freehold: B2.9 million.

089 728 4005, thamad17@ yahoo.com.

Grand Ville Pasak Soi 8, two storey house, three bed, three bath, three air-con, cable, internet and fully-furnished. Call 081 894 2505.

Chalong. 15 rai of gently sloping land, with full chanote, near Chalong temple. Sea views from top of land. Good road access and electricity. Perfect for development. Only B5 million per rai. Call Peter on 089 652 1951 or email phuket.pn@ gmail.com.

Jindarin Beach Club & Resort: B1.5 million

one kilometre from Naiyang beach. B6.5 millions per rai.

Please call : Siriporn +66 (0) 896 499 939.

Patong Guesthouse: 8 rooms, internet cafe and a p a r t m e n t . B1. 3 m i l l i o n .

0857946530.

Discount Rentals Daily / Weekly / Monthly / Lease LUXURY VILLAS NEAR LAGUNA

Info: 089 594 4067

Phuket - Allamanda Residences: One Deluxe Condo-Unit (Duplex House) fully-furnished set within the unique Phuket Laguna Com-

Nice Three Bed House for Sale: Three-bedroom house in Moobaan Tarn Thong Villa opposite Moobaan Chao fa California. B3.1 million. Contact Lee on 081 803 7189.

Sea View Villa: Luxury seaview Patong-Karon villa, four bedrooms, private pool.

Sell for B22 million, and also available rental daily and monthy basis. www.awphuket.com.

Kamala Two Brand New Villas: Two bedr o o m s , t wo b at h r o o m s , Western kitchen, 130 sq metre. Nice garden with large pool in quiet area. Price: B5.5 million or minimum threemonth rental. Call 081 496 9070 (Eng/Swedish) or 081 719 1175 (Thai). Email:diod@ telia.com.

Kata House For Sale: 5 minutes to beach, large modern house, three floors, furnished, three beds, two full bath, air-con, western kitchen, spacious living room, garage with laundry/overhead storage, large covered patios, security doors/windows, garden, company name available. B5.5 million. Call 081 131 5751, email: seadog5000@yahoo.com.

Rawai Pool Villa: 4 Bed-

Heading ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......

Body ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B99 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B198

room/4 Bathroom European style single storey house with self-contained guesthouse and pool on 736m2 plot.

Large master bedroom with en-suite, walk-in wardrobe.

Modern western style kitchen with granite tops, built-ins throughout and 4 air-cons.

Electric gate, TV and phone line. Large verandahs, carport, and established garden.

Chanote title B11m. 087 891 9349.

...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B297 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B396 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B495 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B594 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B693

Seaview Land AoMakham for Sale: 33 rai land

upon hill with seaview. Very easy access from road. B5 million per rai. 081 895 4318.

Email: wapeebow@gmail.com.

...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B792 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B891 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B990

Box B200

Colour Background B200

Colour Headline B200

Colour Picture B395

Kata Phuket Luxur y Studio/Apartment: 60

sq metre. Lease hold 30+60 year option. Free furnishing and transfer. B3.0 million. Contact Scott Bolls, email: sbolls@ hotmail.com, call +66 81 828 0972.

Deadline: Monday 12pm (noon) for that Friday’s issue

Hand this in at agent shops, our office or fax: 076 612 553

Perfect Land for Villa: Approx three rai, with chanote

for one plot, B3.2 million for cottage + plot. Call 080 467 7770 (Thai), 083 520 0020 (English). www.jinda rin.com, Email: eam1008@ me.com.

Luxury Condo Central Kathu: For sale or rent.

Two bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. Guest toilet. Total 161-212sq metre. Very nice view, large balcony, common facilities pool/gym. 086 268 7901 (English), martin@per tinax.asia.

Great House for Sale:

Three bedrooms, four bathrooms and pool. B5 million.

Contact 089 469 2897.

New Townhouses in Kamala: This is a development of affordable 3-bedroom townhouses, located in Kamala, approximately 1.5 km from the white sandy beach of Kamala and about 10 minutes drive to Patong. Prices from only B4,900,000. For more info call 087 882 2856 or email luc@ phuket-tropical-realestate.com.

WRITE YOUR CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENT

thephuketnews.com

and swimming. Parking under building. Third floor with nice view. B1.9 m. Contact Walter at wp drake2@yahoo.com, 083 301 3470.

Near Chalong pier, 150 metres from the sea. Three rai and one ngan plot. Chanote title. Price: B20 million per rai. No agent.

Call 087 278 7206.

Land for Sale: 11 rai, Urgent Three Bed House for Sale: Phuket

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Thai Style House for Sale: Teak wood floors,

stairs, walls, 2 bedrooms.

Land 330 sq metre, peaceful location, five minutes to Patong, Chanote title. B5.5 million. 086 268 8701, email: f430spiderf1@hotmail.com.

Kata Beach Centre Phuket: Apartments for rent and lease in luxury building with pool. Per day, week, month, year and 30 years. Contact Scott Bolls, email: sbolls@hot mail.com, call +66 81 828 0972.

Nice One Rai Chalong NOW Reduced to 6.5m ono: In Chalong 200 metres

Fi ve B e d ro o m Th a i Style Pool Villa for Sale:

24 Rai Flat Land Cheap:

Private Pool Villas from B4.9M: Intira Villas is a de-

off main road in great location.

Full chanote title. 089 651 3479.

24 rai flat land close to Phuket zoo. Owner direct, B3.8 million per rai, chanote title. Call 085 789 1773.

Near Laguna Phuket on one rai, living space 600 sq metre up. 087 893 4636.

velopment of 15 boutique villas in the heart of Rawai. Second phase open now. Only a few villas available. 083 594 9279.

B1.9 Million New Condo:

New Studio (1 bedroom) condominium in The Point, across from Phuket International Hospital and BigC. Beautiful fouryear-old central atrium building with no stuffy hallways. 36 m2, high-speed internet, cable TV,

Condo at Patong Loft for Sale: Condo for sale

with the renter. Good for investment!. 86sq metre on fifth floor. More details please call 081 432 6587.

THE PHUKET NEWS

CLASSIFIEDS 37

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

TRADES IN PHUKET HOME IMPROVEMENT

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Design service for aquariums and water gardens.

Filtration systems for fresh and salt water.

All aquarium equipment.

Fresh-water and salt-water fish from around the world.

Clean water guaranteed.

Bangkok Branch: 02 272 4334.

Phuket branch: 076 258 340 (Thai), 081 562 7939 (English)

HOME IMPROVEMENT

SWIMMING POOLS

STORAGE Reserve Your Storage Space

Call 076 29 29 09 w

or visit mystorageasia.com

re p o o ls ph u k e t . c o m w w. e m p i

 Sizes to Suit all Budgets  Personal & Business Storage  Motorcycle Storage  Left Luggage Service  We Sell Boxes  Storage Insurance Inclusive

1,800 baht pool service

for the first 20 customers (standard size pool) Wana Park, Srisoonthron Road, Thalang, Phuket 83110 Tel 076 620168 info@tile-asia.com

19/43, 19/45 Moo 7, Srisoontorn Rd, T. Srisoontorn, A. Thalang, Phuket 83110.

Tel: 076-620113 or 084-8506140 Fax: 076-620015

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38 ISLAND SPORT

Laguna raze Village

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

CRICKET Last Sunday (March 4) saw a battle between the form team of the season, The Village Cricket Team, and last years T20 champions, Laguna Cricket Club, in the Island Furniture Cricket League (IFL).

In probably the most highly anticipated match of the season so far, Village were looking to cement their position at the top of the table to guarantee themselves a finals berth.

Meanwhile, Laguna, who were licking their wounds after a first defeat of the season to ICC a few weeks prior, knew that this was a must win match to keep them in the finals race.

With the pitch wet from overnight rain, Village, after winning the toss, had no hesitation putting Laguna into bat.

This quickly paid dividends, with the early dismissals of Laguna’s opening batsmen, Michael Ayling (1) and Bill Stahmer (3).

With Laguna losing two early wickets for only 16 runs, Village were looking to assert their dominance.

However, this was shortlived. Andrew Cole (84 not out) and Sameer Khan (34) put on a partnership of 84 runs (from 135 balls) until Khan was

Miss Saigon finished second overall. Photo: James Allan

Photos: Neill Culpan bowled by Justin White in the start. However, the Laguna 26th over with the score on 100. team had other ideas, with Island Cricket This had built the founda- their opening pace attack of Team P W L PT tion for the innings, and with Sami Ullah and Val Guiraud Laguna CC 4 3 1 20 wickets in hand, Laguna could keeping the Village on the The Village 4 3 1 18 push the run rate along. back foot with some fast and Island CC 4 3 1 17 Cole and Val Guiraud (15) accurate pace bowling.

4 2 2 16 Patong CC put on a valuable 41 run partOpening batsman Martin TNT 4 2 2 14 nership from 44 balls, before Foster (2) was clean bowled LLL 4 1 3 12 4 0 4 1 Guiraud fell in the 33rd over. by Guiraud in the 4th over Leopards This was followed by a 39 with the score on 7. run partnership from 35 balls In the 6th over, Guiraud runs, with none of the batsmen between Cole and Laguna slipped awkwardly in his de- reaching double figures. captain Stuart Reading (18) livery stride on the greasy The Village were bowled until Reading fell in the 39th pitch, twisting his ankle, out for 62 runs in 22nd over. over with the score on 180. and the Village appeared Pick of bowlers for Laguna Cole finished with a flur- to be offered a reprieve from were Sameer Khan (4-13) and ry to take the score along to the pace attack.

Lijo Hose (4-24).

Man of the match was 202 runs with the loss of 5 Kevin Quilty (12) and wickets. Pick of the bowlers for Tim Ross (14) then steadied A nd rew Cole, wit h Sathe Village were Paul Stamp the innings with a 34 run meer Khan and Lijo Hose (2-23), Tom Gordon (2-31) partnership before Ross was picking up second and third clean bowled by Sameer Khan. place respectively. and Justin White (1-32).

Laguna picked up maxiAfter the lunch break, the It triggered a Village batVillage openers took to the field ting collapse, as they lost their mum points to advance to the looking to get off to a strong next 9 wickets for only 21 top of the league table.

Short course sends sailors for a loop James Irvine Allan /The Phuket News

One of the shortest courses ever set marked the second week of the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) Irish Times Race Series on Sunday (March 4).

The total course length was only nine nautical miles – to the Ao Makham safe watermark and back, with two short loops.

It was Miss Saigon who was first across the line, while Peter Wood from Windstar also got a tremendous start, up weather with a tight line, getting a good lift from the off.

But it wasn’t long until Adam Tepper on board Linda had picked up the pace and passed.

To w a r d s S W M A o

Makham, Linda – trailing Miss Saigon – was pulling away from Windstar upwind, but after rounding the mark, Linda didn’t have a spinnaker and was quickly passed by the ever-competitive Wood.

Windstar finished the day in third place overall, second place overall, and Bill Sax on Astraeus took the glory and the wine for the day, having the largest performance increase over the previous race.

Rob Azzopardi’s crew failed to show up, leaving poor Rob all alone at the ACYC. Nonetheless, Rob set out by himself, and although a little late to the start line, managed to sail the course single-handedly, for which he was awarded a bottle of wine for his sterling efforts.

FPL blown wide open The 2012 Fair Play League held its penultimate round of matches at British International School (BIS) last weekend.

The Under 14 division played first, with all games kicking off at the same time on three different pitches.

Thailand put in a fine performance against league leaders France, romping to 5-1 victory, while Germany Green reclaimed their place at the top of the league with a 7-2 win over a depleted Argentina side.

In a close encounter, Germany White pulled off a shock result by beating in-form Brazil 7-5 to claim their first win of the season, and crush Brazil’s

FOOTBALL

chances of winning the title.

This Sunday’s (March 11) final round of matches see France and Germany Green go head to head in a ‘winner takes all’ match that will decide the U14 division champions.

In the Under 11 division, each team played two games during the afternoon. In the first set of matches, the top two teams, Brazil and Germany Green, battled for top spot in the championship, though cancelled each other out with the final score 0-0.

Argentina continued their good form with a 6-2 win over

France, and Thailand showed great spirit by coming back from 3-0 down to grab their first point of the season, drawing 3-3 with Germany White.

After a short interval, the second set of matches got under way. Brazil grabbed what could be a league defining victory, scoring in the final two minutes for a 4-3 win over Germany White.

Thailand secured another point in a 4-4 draw with France, while Germany Green’s clinical finishing gave them a 4-0 victory over Argentina – ensuring the division winners will not be decided until the final day of the season.

Honda stalls, TSLC hits the gas In last Thursday’s only Premier Division Adult Futsal League (AFL) match, Honda came close to producing a shock upset against second placed Thanachart Bank.

It was a spirited performance from the Honda side, but some clinical finishing was enough to see Thanachart through as 4-2 winners.

In the Division One matches, Ultraman got off to a flying start against SGS, scoring in the first two minutes of the

thephuketnews.com

FUTSAL match, but then allowed SGS to increasingly dominate possession, and that in turn bred confidence in the trailing team.

As the clock counted down, Ultraman were caught out by a well worked SGS goal with 10 minutes remaining. Both teams pushed for a winner but came up short, with the final score 1-1.

The next match saw Island Boys play frontrunners TSLC.

With Island Boys having no substitutes, it looked as if a goal fest was on the cards, but TSLC went in at halftime with only a narrow 2-1 lead.

Throughout the second half Island Boys had chances to snatch a point, but with five minutes remaining, TSLC put those hopes to rest by scoring their third of the match.

Two more quick goals for TSLC and a late consolation for the Island Boys made the final score Island Boys 2, TSLC 5.

THE PHUKET NEWS

ISLAND SPORT 39

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

GET UP, STAND UP 7 guys, 90 miles, 5 days Dane Halpin editor2@thephuketnews.com

It takes a strong person to stand up for something they really believe in.

In the coming week, seven Phuketians will need to be particularly strong – they will be standing up for a very long time, embarking on a circumnavigation of the island, on stand-up paddle boards, to raise money and awareness for a special cause.

“We will be travelling over 90 miles (150 km) in the course of five to six days,” says organiser Quintin Clover. The crew will depart on Tuesday (March 13) at 5.30am.

“We have put in months of training and have sacrificed a great deal of time and effort to make this event a reality.”

The cause: A day care centre in the Rassada Fishing Port area, set up by The Good Shepherd charity to care for the children of the predominately Burmese migrants who work there.

“If we can raise the funds to build a small community hall, the charity will be al-

Quintin Clover (left) and six others are heading on a fiveday odyssey around Phuket on stand-up paddle boards. lowed, on the upper level, to build a proper school for underprivileged Thai and Burmese children,” says Quintin.

“Our goal is to raise B5.2 million to build this structure.

It will serve as a solid foundation for the community and give those less fortunate the gift of an education.”

Quintin came across the school while working as a graphic designer for The Good Shepherd.

“They [Good Shepherd] do an amazing job, but they really need a financial boost.

We’ve had some really good donations so far... and we hope

to keep the momentum going after we finish [the paddle].”

While Quintin might be a seasoned surfer, he is relatively green in the world of standup paddle boarding, having only taken it up at the end of the last surfing season.

“The other g uys [Tal Derhy, Nathan Chilcott, Tim Campbell, Arend Moelich, Luke Remmers and Andrew ‘Easy’ Eadie] are more veterans than me.

Are the seven men ready for the gruelling five-day journey that lies ahead?

“If we have a little bit of luck, we’re on track.

“We all get on very well... and it’s been really good having people from different career backgrounds to help promote the cause and for sponsorships.

They won’t be completely on their own during the journey though – Stand Up Paddle Thai will provide a support boat, while Renaissance Phuket Resort and Spa will be supplying food for the full five days.

“We’ll definitely be eating well, if we manage to stay on track and end up at the right beaches.”

And when the ordeal is finished? “I think everyone will be ready for a beer.”

There is ample opportunity for everyone to join them, with the official after party being held at Skyla’s Beach House in Kamala immediately after they finish on March 18.

■■ If you would like more information on the paddle, or to donate, visit standup phuket.com, or email quintin@standupphuket.com. To learn more about the charity, visit thegoodshepherd.info

Thai star golfer Thongchai Jaidee in PowerPlay action.

PowerPlay golf to tee off in Phuket GOLF

While to anyone but the enthusiast, golf as a spectator sport can be a little dull, PowerPlay Golf is looking to change that.

The dynamic nine-hole format was first played in the UK in 2007. By 2011, it had expanded to 30 countries and over 600 golf courses – and it will soon arrive in Thailand.

Essentially, PowerPlay Golf is a short, points-based format played over nine holes to two flags, with an easy white and a harder black ‘PowerPlay’ flag on each green.

A PowerPlay to the black flag earns extra points if converted to a birdie or better, but PowerPlays are limited.

On the final tee, golfers have an optional extra PowerPlay, but risk incurring penalty points if they bogey a lasthole PowerPlay.

Director of Asian Golf Events Co. Ltd, David Pett ig rew, said Powe rPlay Golf was a relatively new discipline that was rapidly growing in popularity.

The PowerPlay Golf Thailand Tour 2012 will start in Phuket at Laguna Phuket Golf Club on June 17, before moving on to Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai. Entry is open to all amateurs who have an official handicap supported by a handicap certificate, and the top 10 from each regional event will go on to play in the Thailand Finals in Hua Hin on October 6.

The winners of the Thailand Finals will represent Thailand in the PowerPlay Golf World Finals.

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thephuketnews.com

40 INTERNATIONAL SPORT

IN BRIEF Marussia passed fit for Australian GP Russian Formula One team Marussia was given the green light on Tuesday to compete in the opening Formula One race of the season, the Australian Grand Prix on March 18, after finally passing the crash-test.

Marussia had with drawn from the final practice sessions in Barcelona last week because of a problem with the car.

Klitschko stops Mormeck to claim 50th KO Undisputed world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko claimed the 50th knock-out and 57th victory of his career when he ended hapless Frenchman JeanMarc Mormeck’s hopes in the fourth round on Saturday.

THE PHUKET NEWS

Clarke in doubt for Windies CRICKET

Agence France-Presse

A h a m s t r i n g i nj u r y i s hampering Australian captain Michael Clarke’s prospects of being fit for this month’s tour of the West Indies.

Clarke will have scans on his left hamstring, which was strained while making 117 in Australia’s loss in the second tri-series final against Sri Lanka in Adelaide on Tuesday.

He was ruled out of yesterday’s (Thursday) deciding final in the best-of-three series and could also be in doubt for the looming tour to the Caribbean.

The Australian players are due to f ly to the West

Indies on Friday with the opening ODI match at St Vincent on March 16.

“I have done something to my lef t hamst r i ng, I don’t know to what extent,” Clarke told reporters after Tuesday’s ODI loss.

“But it’s obviously not feeling good at the moment, that is for sure.

“We leave for West Indies in three days. I don’t want to make a judgment until I make a scan, I think I would be silly to do that.”

Clarke only returned to action last weekend from a strain to his right hamstring, which sidelined him for three games.

And the captain admitted

he went against the wishes of Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris by returning so soon.

“It’s a tough one, I pushed really hard to try and get back for this finals series,” he said.

“And I tried my best not to give Alex much of an option, to be honest.

“So I feel for him as well as my left leg at the moment because I know he probably would have preferred me to take it easy.

“But I wanted to be part of this finals series.

“But after straining my right one, I probably favoured my left over the past couple of weeks, 10 days, and I have done a bit of damage there.”

Clarke is unlikely to play in the West Indies.

Photo: AFP

Raikkonen tops final test

Runako Morton killed in car crash The West Indies Cricket Board on Monday paid tribute to Runako Morton, after the former Test and one-day batsman was killed in a car accident.

Morton played 15 Tests for the West Indies, scoring 573 runs at an average of 22.03.

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Can Kimi Raikkonen replicate the speed on March 18?

FORMULA 1

Week’s best times:

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen, driving a Lotus, clocked the best time of the week on the final day of preseason Formula One testing at Montmelo on Sunday.

The Finn, who has returned to the sport after a spell in the World Rally Championship, timed 1min 22.030sec after completing 121 laps.

In sharp contrast, defending world champion Sebastian Vettel was the slowest on the day with a time of 1:23.608 in his Red Bull after his team managed just 23 laps.

“We would have liked

more time on the track, but we had a problem in the morning,” said Vettel “I went on the circuit and broke the front wing, lost

1. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/LotusRenault) 1:22.030 (164 laps) 2. Sergio Perez (MEX/SauberFerrari) 1:22.094 (232) 3. Jenson Button (GBR/McLarenMercedes) 1:22.103 (108) 4. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 1:22.155 (231) 5. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Ferrari) 1:22.250 (240) 6. Bruno Senna (BRA/WilliamsRenault) 1:22.296 (212) 7. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Force India-Mercedes) 1:22.312 (137) 8. Kamui Kobayashi (JPN/SauberFerrari) 1:22.386 (149) 9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Ferrari) 1:22.413 (227) 10. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:22.430 (180)

time and then, just before the interval, we had a problem with the gearbox.”

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, who was eighth fastest on Sunday, believes the testing period has demonstrated that there will be little to choose between the teams this season.

“The car felt good from the very beginning, and we have managed to improve it over the test days, so I think we can say that we are very well prepared,” said the Mercedes driver.

The 2012 Formula One season gets underway in Melbourne on March 18.

COOL RUNNINGS

Harry ‘beats’ Bolt in race Britain’s Prince Harry discovered a way to beat the world’s fastest man on Tuesday: cheat.

After challenging Usain Bolt to a race over 30 metres in Kingston, Jamaica, the Prince waited until the sprinter’s back was turned, then dashed off down the track.

Bolt was lef t star ing in disbelief, while Harry, 27, was so pleased with himself he threw his arms wide in celebration as he crossed the finish line.

Bolt asked: “What was that!?” before challenging him to a rematch at the London Olympics. The royal guest smiled and replied: “I’m busy.”

Wearing a Jamaican team kit, to the delight of athletes gathered at the track named after Bolt, the Prince got his excuses in early, telling the 25-year-old sprinter: “I was in my prime when I was 25.”

Then, as Bolt began giv-

thephuketnews.com

In his race against British royalty, Usain came second. ing him tips on sprinting technique, the Prince made his dash for glory.

Bolt joked: “He cheated, but I’m still the fastest man in the world, so he has got a long way to go. He knew that he wouldn’t beat me and he wanted to make sure he went back to London saying he beat me.

Later, the pair lined up together on the starting blocks, and this time Bolt allowed the Prince to win as they ran down the track together.

Bolt , who hold s t he 100-metre and 200-metre world records, added: “He was so cool, we had fun. It was wonderful.”

THE PHUKET NEWS

INTERNATIONAL SPORT

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

41

Manly win grand final rematch RUGBY LEAGUE Agence France-Presse

Reigning NRL champions Manly Sea Eagles gave incoming coach Geoff Toovey a winning start to the new season with a 26-20 victory over the New Zealand Warriors on Sunday.

Loose forward Glenn Stewart scored the decisive try for Manly with eight minutes left in a rematch of the 2011 grand final to see off the War r iors at Auckland’s Eden Park.

Manly, who downed the Warriors 24-10 in last season’s decider to take their eighth championship, grabbed three early tries to race to a 16-0 lead before the Warriors hit back to get within two points before Stewart’s final try.

Meanwhile superstar Benji Marshall kicked a late drop goal to give title favourites Wests Tigers a 1716 golden point extra time win over the Cronulla Sharks at Leichhardt Oval.

Test fullback Billy Slater scored a brilliant late try to hand Melbourne Storm a

hard-fought 24-19 win over Canberra on Saturday.

Trailing 19-18 with four minutes remaining, Storm scrum-half Cooper Cronk went to the air with Slater bringing down the bomb with a perfectly timed leap to score next to the posts.

T h e B u l l d o g s g a ve new coach Des Hasler a winning start in beating Pen r ith Pa nthers 22-14 with Penrith scoring ace Michael Gordon suffering a suspected broken fibula.

Gold Coast’s off-season buildup paid dividends as

high-profile recruit Jamal Idris picked up two tries in an 18-0 win over the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville.

The Brisbane Broncos began life without retired Test great Darren Lockyer in positive fashion on Friday, seeing off the Parramatta Eels 18-6 at Parramatta Stadium.

Wayne Bennett’s first game in charge of the Newcastle Knights was foiled by his old St George Illawarra club with Jamie Soward landing a drop goal for a 15-14 golden point extra time win at Newcastle in Thursday’s season kick-off.

NRL

ROUND 1 RESULTS Rab’ohs Warriors Tigers Raiders Panthers Cowboys Eels Knights

20 – 24 Roosters 20 – 26 Sea Eagles 17 – 16 S harks (GP) 19 – 24 Storm 14 – 22 Bulldogs 0 – 18 Titans 6 – 18 Broncos 14 – 15 Dragons (GP)

Team

P W D L B PDPT

Titans

1 1 0 0 0 18 2

Broncos

1 1 0 0 0 12 2

Bulldogs

1 1 0 0 0 8 2

Sea Eagles

1 1 0 0 0 6 2

Storm

1 1 0 0 0 5 2

Roosters

1 1 0 0 0 4 2

Tigers

1 1 0 0 0 1 2

Dragons

1 1 0 0 0 1 2

Sharks

1 0 0 1 0 -1 0

Knights Rabbitohs

1 0 0 1 0 -1 0

Raiders Warriors

1 0 0 1 0 -5 0

Panthers

1 0 0 1 0 -8 0

Eels Cowboys

1 0 0 1 0 -12 0

1 0 0 1 0 -4 0 1 0 0 1 0 -6 0

1 0 0 1 0 -18 0

Irish end French hopes RUGBY UNION

Ireland ended French hopes of the Six Nations Grand Slam –earned when a team wins all its matches – on Sunday as they fought off a fierce France second-half comeback to draw 17-17.

Two tries by Tommy Bowe – taking his tally to five for the tournament – and seven points from Jonathan Sexton with Morgan Parra kicking two penalties gave the Irish a 17-6 half-time lead.

However, a try by Wesley Fofana – making it three in three matches – and two more penalties by Parra levelled the

Six Nations

Team

P W D L PD PT

Wales

3 3 0 0 23 6

France

3 2 1 0 24 5

England

3 2 0 1 4

Ireland

3 1 1 1 30 3

Scotland

3 0 0 3 -17 0

Italy

3 0 0 3 -54 0

4

game and denied the Irish their first win in Paris since 2000 and only third in 30 years.

“To be ahead at half-time and then get that result is disappointing,” said Ireland captain Paul O’Connell.

“This was a great opportunity to win – we didn’t take it.”

Fofana was shattered at the seeing his team’s Grand

Slam dream ended.

“It’s great to score another try but it’s frustrating to end up with a draw which ends our Grand Slam hopes,” he said.

The visitors spurned two great chances to break the deadlock when Rory Best’s throw went askew with the lineout metres from the French line and although they regained possession from the French, veteran centre Gordon D’Arcy knocked on when under no pressure.

The French also made a mess of trying to end the stalemate as Lionel Beauxis’s attempt at a drop goal barely took off and the Irish cleared.

French lock Pascal Pape, left, vies with Ireland fullback Tommy Bowe.

Photo: AFP

Bulls take down Cheetahs RUGBY UNION South Africa’s Northern Bulls topped 50 as defending champions the Queensland Reds relied on superboot Mike Harris to lead the Australian Conference in this weekend’s second round of the Super 15.

Meanwhile, New Zealand heavyweights the Canterbury Crusaders and the Auckland Blues both crashed to unexpected defeats as the Otago Highlanders emerged as the form Kiwi Super Rugby team.

Three-time champions the Bulls lead the South African Conference after smashing the Central Cheetahs 51-19 in Bloemfontein despite finishing the match with only 13 players.

Meanwhile, Harris, proving a more than capable replacement for sidelined Wallaby playmaker Quade Cooper, kicked 25 points in the Reds’ 35-20 win over the Western Force in Brisbane, with both sides scoring two tries.

The unfancied Highanders continued their giant-killing exploits to upset the seven-time champion Crusaders 27-24 in

Super 15 Team

P W D L PD PT

Bulls

2 2 0 0 37 9

Reds

2 2 0 0 19 8

Highlanders

2 2 0 0 7 8

Stormers

2 2 0 0 16 8

Brumbies

1 1 0 0 2 8

Waratahs

2 1 0 1 12 6

Chiefs

2 1 0 1 11 6 2 1 0 1 0 5 2 1 0 1 -2 5

Lions Crusaders Hurricanes Rebels

2 0 2 0 Blues Western Force 2 0 2 0 Cheetahs

Sharks

Bulls fly-half Morné Steyn.

Photo: Martin Oliver Dunedin, outscoring last year’s finalists three tries to two.

In Hamilton, the Blues slumped to their second straight loss, succumbing to the injury-weakened Waikato Chiefs 29-14.

Peter Grant kicked a penalty goal from the touchline two minutes from time to give the Western Stormers a 15-12 win over the Coastal Sharks in Cape Town to move into second spot in the South African Conference behind the Bulls.

T h e NSW Wa r a t a h s

2 1 0 1 -11 4 1 0 0 1 -16 4 0 2 -8 2 0 2 -16 1 0 2 -17 1 0 2 -34 1

ROUND 2 RESULTS Stormers Cheetahs Reds High’ders Lions Melbourne Chiefs

15 – 12 Sharks 19 – 51 Bulls 35 – 20 Western 27 – 24 Crusaders 28 – 30 Hurricanes 19 – 35 Waratahs 29 – 14 Blues

bounced back from their shattering last-gasp loss to the Reds to claim a bonus point against the Rebels 35-19 in Melbourne, while f ly-half Beauden Barrett kicked a last-minute penalty to give the Wellington Hurricanes a thrilling 30-28 victory over the Golden Lions in Johannesburg.

thephuketnews.com

42 INTERNATIONAL SPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

THIS YEAR’S GRAND PRIZE IS SPONSORED BY:

THE PHUKET NEWS TIPPING COMPETITION: 26

Young double sinks Spurs FOOTBALL Manchester United kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Manchester City as Ashley Young’s superb double inspired a 3-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

On the day Andre VillasBoas was sacked by Chelsea, Sir Alex Ferguson’s secondplaced side moved to within two points of table-topping City after a ruthless display of finishing at White Hart Lane.

United survived a strong showing from Spurs in the first half and took the lead through Wayne Rooney’s header just before the break.

Young bagged the second with a powerful volley from a tight angle and then put the result beyond doubt with a stunning curling effort from outside the area.

Jermain Defoe reduced the deficit late on but third-placed Spurs have now lost their last two league games and are just four points ahead of resurgent Arsenal.

A day earlier Roberto Mancini’s men were comfortable 2-0 winners against

Ashley Young scored a double against Tottenham to keep Manchester Utd within reach of Manchester City.

Bolton at the Etihad Stadium.

Gretar Steinsson’s own goal and Mario Balotelli’s second half effort sealed the points for City in a clinical victory.

Balotelli could have had several goals, but he had to wait until the 69 th minute to finally break the resolve

of inspired Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan.

At the Spor ts Di rect Arena, Newcastle snatched a late d raw with f ierce r iva l s Su nd e rla nd i n a volatile north-east derby.

Sunderland’s Stephane Sessegnon and Lee Cattermole were sent off, though

Sunderland did lead until the 92nd minute thanks to Nicklas Bendtner’s penalty.

It was Sunderland menace Shola Ameobi who once again put the Black Cats to the sword, bundling home the ball at the back post late on to earn the Magpies a share of the spoils, much to Martin O’Neill’s disappointment.

Arsenal were once again thanking the left boot of Robin Van Persie’s as his injury-time volley earned a priceless victory for Arsenal away at Liverpool.

The Dutchman levelled for the visitors after Laurent Koscielny had turned the ball into his own net and he popped up late on to volley past Reina at the near post to send the Arsenal faithful into raptures.

Elsewhere, West Brom beat Chelsea 1- 0 at the Haw thor ns in what was Andre Villas-Boas’ final game in charge of the Blues.

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League action, Chelsea will look to rebound from their leadership woes with a win over Stoke, while Man U and Man City will expect to take three points against West Brom and Swansea respectively.

FIFA edges closer to goal line technology Agence France-Presse

Global football chiefs took a step closer to bringing in digital goal-line technology after the idea was approved in principle by the sport’s law-makers on Saturday.

Calls for technology to help officials decide if the ball has crossed the line have increased in volume since England midfielder Frank Lampard had a goal ruled out against Germany in the 2010 World Cup even though television replays showed his shot had clearly gone in.

Now the International

FOOTBALL FA Boa rd ( I FA B) have an nounced they will go forward with final tests on two goal-line systems – British company Hawkeye’s and GoalRef, a GermanDanish firm – ahead of making a final decision in July.

FA general secretary Alex Horne admits it is unlikely there would be time to install a system in time for the next Premier League season, but world governing body FIFA have plans to use it at the Club World Cup in Japan in December if either of the two

England midfielder Frank Lampard’s goal (above) was ruled out in the 2010 World Cup. systems gets the green-light. then we will do it.

“The reality is that asking 20 Horne said: “We decided that if there is a system working clubs to put something in place

in five weeks, all tested and calibrated, is unlikely, and the Premier League would probably

not want to introduce it midway through the competition.

“It’s an important step forward for us but it is important that we do test it for failure.” Meanwhile, the IFAB will also push ahead with allowing Muslim women to wear headscarves – but a safe variety which comes off straight away if pulled.

FIFA member Prince Ali of Jordan – with the support of FA chairman David Bernstein – made a proposal to overturn the ban on the scarves, which had been taken on safety grounds, and the IFAB are likely to give it the final go-ahead in July.

Over 90 Cities, One Perfect Gateway.

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INTERNATIONAL SPORT 43

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

THE PHUKET NEWS

‘It will be hell for whoever succeeds AVB’ Continued from page 44 one disagreement too many with Abramovich, so it is hardly surprising to hear Luiz Felipe Scolari speak in less than glowing terms about the experience of working for the Blues in the 2008-09 season.

Like Villas-Boas, Scolari was sacked by Abramovich after less than a season in charge after losing his battle with some of the more dominant personalities in the dressing room.

Scolari, now in charge of

Brazilian outfit Palmeiras, said: “Chelsea’s culture is very different, but this move is strange – although it’s not so strange to me because of what I went through there.

“Villas-Boas was a champion and he will continue to be.

He needed to replace at least seven or eight players, even since I was there, but he failed.

“It will be hell for whoever succeeds him.”

Avram Grant, who succeeded Mourinho in 2007,

English Premier League Team

MP W

the club’s superstars.

The Israeli agrees with Scolari that dealing with Chelsea’s influential power-brokers can be a major distraction.

“I think in this case he [Villas-Boas] was lacking a little bit of experience.” VillasBoas’s commitment to the job can’t be faulted, with reports that he slept in a Japanese style pod at the training ground after Saturday’s loss to West Brom in a bid to allow him the maximum time to work on

Is Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich boss from ‘hell’? lasted an equally short period of time – despite almost win ning the Champions League – after it became clear he didn’t have command of

French Ligue 1 Team

remedies for the crisis.

But he didn’t help himself in his dealings with aging stars like Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba who needed to have their egos massaged before being eased out of the club.

His aloof management style also infuriated players, who reportedly regularly arrived just seconds before the deadline for training sessions in a bid to wind-up the disciplinarian leader.

In the end, Abramovich’s

belief that the inexperienced Villas-Boas was the right man for the job of rebuilding the squad has proved an expensive mistake.

It was only last June that Abramovich stumped up £13.3 million in compensation to buy out Villas-Boas’ contract with Porto and the 34-yearold will continue to be paid his £90,000-a-week wages for the remainder of his three-year deal, unless he finds a new job in that time.

Italian Serie A

D

L

F

A

P

D

L

F

A

P

D

L

F

A

P

1

Manchester City

27

21

3

3

69

19

66

1

Paris Saint-Germain

MP W 26

16

7

3

48

26

55

1

Team Milan

MP W 26

16

6

4

53

22

54

2

Manchester United

27

20

4

3

66

27

64

2

Montpellier

26

16

6

4

49

26

54

2

Juventus

25

13

12

0

38

16

51

3

Tottenham Hotspur

27

16

5

6

52

33

53

3

Lille

26

12

11

3

45

29

47

3

Lazio

26

14

6

6

41

30

48

4

Arsenal

27

15

4

8

55

38

49

4

Rennes

26

12

7

7

36

30

43

4

Udinese

26

13

7

6

37

23

46

5

Chelsea

27

13

7

7

47

32

46

5

Saint-Étienne

26

12

7

7

33

28

43

5

Napoli

26

11

10

5

44

25

43

6

Newcastle United

27

12

8

7

39

39

44

6

Toulouse

26

12

7

7

28

23

43

6

Roma

26

11

5

10

39

33

38

7

Liverpool

26

10

9

7

30

25

39

7

Lyon

26

12

4

10

41

34

40

7

Internazionale

26

11

4

11

36

36

37

8

Fulham

27

9

9

9

37

36

36

8

Marseille

25

10

9

6

34

24

39

8

Catania

25

8

10

7

34

35

34 34

9

Stoke City

27

10

6

11

27

38

36

9

Bordeaux

26

9

9

8

31

30

36

9

Palermo

26

10

4

12

39

43

10

West Bromwich Albion

27

10

5

12

34

35

35

10

Valenciennes

26

8

7

11

27

28

31

10

Chievo

26

9

7

10

22

31

34

11

Norwich City

27

9

8

10

38

44

35

11

Brest

26

5

15

6

22

22

30

11

Atalanta

26

9

11

6

30

28

32

12

Sunderland

27

9

7

11

35

31

34

12

Evian

25

7

9

9

35

37

30

12

Genoa

26

9

5

12

35

48

32

13

Everton

26

9

7

10

27

28

34

13

Caen

26

7

7

12

30

37

28

13

Fiorentina

25

8

7

10

25

25

31

14

Swansea City

27

8

9

10

30

34

33

14

Lorient

26

6

9

11

24

34

27

14

Bologna

25

8

7

10

25

29

31

15

Aston Villa

27

6

12

9

30

35

30

15

Dijon

26

7

6

13

31

45

27

15

Cagliari

26

7

10

9

23

29

31

16

Queens Park Rangers

27

5

7

15

28

46

22

16

Nice

26

6

8

12

25

30

26

16

Siena

26

7

8

11

30

28

29

17

Blackburn Rovers

27

5

7

15

38

60

22

17

Nancy

26

6

8

12

24

35

26

17

Parma

25

7

8

10

30

39

29

18

Wolverhampton

27

5

7

15

30

56

22

18

Ajaccio

26

6

8

12

28

47

26

18

Lecce

26

6

7

13

30

42

25

19

Bolton Wanderers

27

6

2

19

29

56

20

19

Auxerre

26

4

11

11

32

40

23

19

Novara

26

3

8

15

21

46

17

20

Wigan Athletic

27

4

8

15

23

52

20

20

Sochaux

26

4

9

13

23

41

21

20

Cesena

25

4

4

17

16

40

16

Tottenham Fulham Newcastle Blackburn Man City

1-3 5-0 1-1 1-1 2-0

Man Utd Wolves Sunderland Aston Villa Bolton

QPR Stoke West Brom Wigan Liverpool

1-1 1-0 1-0 0-2 1-2

Everton Norwich Chelsea Swansea Arsenal

Dijon Lille Marseille Nancy Saint-Étienne

1-1 2 – 2 0-1 2 – 0 0 – 2

Montpellier Auxerre Toulouse Lyon Evian

Sochaux Bordeaux Caen PSG Lorient

1 – 1 1 – 2 0 – 0 4 – 1 0 – 2

Valenciennes Nice Brest Ajaccio Stade Rennes

Spanish Primera Liga

English Championship

0–4 1–1 1–2 0–0 3–0

Milan Chievo Napoli Atalanta Cagliari

Fiorentina Lecce Roma Bologna Internazionale

D

L

F

A

P

1

2

85

21

67

1

Borussia Dortmund

24

17

25

17

6

2

73

19

57

2

Bayern Munich

24

15

25

12

7

6

38

29

43

3

Mönchengladbach

24

14

Levante

25

11

5

9

37

36

38

4

Schalke 04

24

14

2

5

Athletic Bilbao

25

9

10

6

41

32

37

5

Bayer Leverkusen

24

11

6

Málaga

25

11

4

10

36

37

37

6

Werder Bremen

24

10

54

7

Osasuna

25

8

11

6

29

39

35

7

Hannover 96

24

8

53

8

Rayo Vallecano

25

10

4

11

36

38

34

8

VfB Stuttgart

24

9

26

52

9

Atlético Madrid

25

8

9

8

34

31

33

9

FC Nuremberg

24

49

49

10

Sevilla

25

8

9

8

27

28

33

10

Hoffenheim

45

37

48

11

Espanyol

25

9

6

10

27

34

33

11

47

43

47

12

Betis

25

9

3

13

29

35

30

12

10

34

30

47

13

Real Sociedad

25

8

6

11

27

36

30

4

16

53

60

43

14

Mallorca

25

7

8

10

24

30

12

7

15

46

53

43

15

Getafe

25

7

8

10

25

12

7

14

35

44

43

16

Granada

25

8

4

13

22

34

11

10

13

39

52

43

17

Villarreal

25

6

9

10

Peterborough

33

10

8

15

51

53

38

18

Racing Santander

25

4

12

19

Millwall

34

8

10

16

35

47

34

19

Sporting de Gijón

25

5

20

Nottm Forest

33

9

5

19

29

51

32

20

Zaragoza

25

4

21

Bristol City

34

8

7

19

28

55

31

22

Coventry City

34

7

7

20

29

48

28

23

Portsmouth

33

9

9

15

34

37

26

24

Doncaster

32

6

8

18

28

53

26

MP W

MP W

D

L

F

A

P

8

7

62

32

65

1

Real Madrid

25

32

64

2

Barcelona

28

60

3

Valencia

56

4

35

56

32

55

34 41

32

13

52

9

11

5

15

11

13

34 33

Watford

18

1

Southampton

34

2

West Ham Utd

33

19

7

7

53

3

Reading

33

18

6

9

43

4

Blackpool

34

15

11

8

57

44

5

Middlesbrough

33

15

11

7

41

6

Birmingham

33

15

10

8

53

7

Brighton

34

15

9

10

40

8

Cardiff City

33

14

11

8

50

9

Hull City

32

15

7

10

10

Leeds United

34

14

7

11

Leicester City

33

13

12

Burnley

34

14

13

Crystal Palace

33

12

14

Ipswich Town

33

15

Barnsley

16

Derby County

17

Cardiff City Barnsley Birmingham Crystal Palace Doncaster Ipswich Town

0 – 2 1 – 1 2 – 2 1 – 0 1 – 1 3-0

West Ham Utd Nottm Forest Derby County Peterborough Brighton Bristol City

19

Leicester City Millwall Portsmouth Watford Leeds United Blackpool

2 – 0 1 – 2 1 – 3 3 – 2 0 – 1 1 – 1

Levante Real Zaragoza Athletic Bilbao Grenada Real Madrid

3 – 1 2 – 1 2 – 0 0 – 1 5 – 0

Real Betis Villarreal Real Sociedad Valencia Espanyol

2–0 2–2 1–2 1–0 2–2

Cesena Genoa Lazio Novara Catania

German Bundesliga

22

Team

Team

Palermo Juventus Parma Udinese Siena

D

L

F

A

P

4

3

52

16

55

3

6

51

16

48

5

5

37

15

47

8

51

32

44

7

6

36

29

40

6

8

37

38

36

11

5

30

32

35

5

10

41

33

32

9

4

11

23

32

31

24

7

9

8

27

28

30

VfL Wolfsburg

24

8

4

12

28

44

28

FSV Mainz 05

24

6

9

9

35

38

27

13

Hamburger SV

24

6

9

9

28

42

27

29

14

FC Köln

24

7

4

13

31

45

25

34

29

15

Hertha BSC

24

5

8

11

26

40

23

35

28

16

FC Augsburg

24

4

10

10

25

39

22

26

38

27

17

SC Freiburg

24

5

6

13

30

52

21

9

21

35

24

18

FC Kaiserslautern

24

3

10

11

16

32

19

6

14

23

48

21

6

15

21

46

18

Getafe Rayo Vallecano Real Mallorca Barcelona Sevilla

1 – 3 4 – 2 1 – 1 3 – 1 1 – 1

Malaga Racing Santander Osasuna Sporting Gijon Atletico Madrid

Team

MP W

Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 0 Hamburger SV 0 – 4 Hannover 96 2–2 Freiburg 2–1 Kaiserslautern 0 – 0

Bayern München Stuttgart Augsburg Schalke 04 Wolfsburg

Champions League Relegation

Hertha BSC

1–0

Dortmund

2–1

Mainz 05

Nürnberg

1–0

Borussia M’gla…

Hoffenheim

1–1

Köln

Champions League qualifiers

Premier League promotion

Werder Bremen

Europa League

Premier League play-off

Coventry City Reading Middlesbrough Burnley Southampton Hull City

COMING UP Premier League

(times in Thailand. Matches shown on TrueSport 1-6)

Saturday March 10 Bolton v QPR Aston Villa v Fulham Chelsea v Stoke Sunderland v Liverpool Wolves v Blackburn

19:45 22:00 22:00 22:00 22:00

Sunday March 11 Everton v Tottenham

Man Utd v West Brom Swansea v Man City Norwich v Wigan Tottenham v Man Utd

21:00 21:00 23:00 23:10

Tuesday March 13 Arsenal v Newcastle

03:00

Wednesday March 14 00:30

Liverpool v Everton

03:00

thephuketnews.com

44 INTERNATIONAL SPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS

SPORT

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Standing for a cause

Paddling around Phuket for charity > 39

sport@thephuketnews.com

ROMAN’S RUINS Abramovich fiddles while Chelsea burns THE CHOPPING BLOCK SACKED: CLAUDIO RANIERI

(2000-04 – appointed by Ken Bates and sacked by Abramovich) Record: Played 197, Won 105, Drawn 46, Lost 46 Win ratio: 53.3 per cent

SACKED: JOSE MOURINHO

(2004-07) Record: P182, W123, D39, L20 Win ratio: 67.6 per cent

SACKED: AVRAM GRANT

(2007-08) Record: P54, W36, D13, L5 Win ratio: 66.7 per cent

C

SACKED: LUIZ FELIPE SCOLARI

(2008-09) Record: P36, W20, D11, L5 Win ratio: 55.6 per cent

LEFT: GUUS HIDDINK

(2009 – returned to coach Russia after spell as Blues caretaker boss) Record: P22, W16, D5, L1 Win ratio: 72.7 per cent

SACKED: CARLO ANCELOTTI

(2009-11) Record: P107, W67, D19, L21 Win ratio: 62.6 per cent

helsea owner Roman Abramovich looks set to target top bosses like Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho as he searches for a permanent successor to Andre Villas-Boas, but some of his former managers have warned the Russian’s hands-on approach makes it an impossible job.

Abramovich is searching for his eighth manager in five years after sacking Villas-Boas just 257 days into his turbulent reign at Stamford Bridge.

Former Chelsea midfielder and West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo will take charge until the end of the season, but Barcelona chief Guardiola and Real Madrid boss Mourinho are believed to the leading names on Abramovich’s wanted list.

Abramovich is certain to try to tempt one of those managerial giants with the promise of a hefty salary and substantial transfer war chest.

However, there is a growing belief that

thephuketnews.com

the tycoon’s dictatorial regime, which has seen six managers axed, makes it impossible to thrive at Chelsea for long.

Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the League Managers’ Association, believes the situation “is a serious embarrassment to the owner, the club, the fans and the league”.

But Abramovich clearly feels his massive investment in the west London club gives him carte blanche to call the shots.

He piled pressure on Villas-Boas by turning up at training sessions and publicly questioning the managers’ tactics, as well as holding an inquest with the players and manager after a 2-0 defeat at Everton.

Even Mourinho, who brought Chelsea unprecedented success, lasted only three years before Continued on page 43

SACKED:

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS (2011-12) Record: P40, W20, D10, L10 Win ratio: 50 per cent

Photo: AFP