10-02-2012

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Juliet’s rocking song has 20 million fans

T

ourism Authority of Thailand, watch and learn. An eight-year-old Australian girl has shown the national tourism body how it’s done, reaching out to an audience of almost 20 million with a message – “I love Phuket” – albeit in unconventional style and without even really intending to.

The girl, Brisbane-based Juliet Childs, has become an internet sensation with the release of My First Hardcore Song, which had received a massive 19.6 million hits on YouTube as of Wednesday (February 8).

In case you haven’t heard the song already, it is backed by a heavy metal soundtrack thanks to Brisbane producer Rob Sharpe.

The general gist of the song is that Juliet loves her dog “and her fishes”.

According to the T-shirt she’s wearing in the film clip, she also loves Phuket.

Juliet’s mum Kristina told The Phuket News, “We travel to Phuket every year. We love Thailand, especially Phuket.

“Her ‘I heart Phuket’ shirt is one of her favourites that she always wears.

“We always stay at Poppa Palace [in Patong] and the staff there have basically adopted Juliet. When we go there the staff will always ask to hang out with Juliet and they braid her hair and teach her how to talk in Thai.”

But all the attention the viral video has gained was by no means intentional. Kristina was quoted in the Brisbane Times as saying: “It wasn’t a set-up or anything.

“We harmlessly shot a video to show our friends and family and then it went all crazy.”

An article in the New York Daily News has also asked several metal musicians what they thought of the clip. Dave Davidson of metal band Recovation described it as “completely adorable and totally brutal”, while Prong’s Tommy Victor saw it as “Rebecca Black meets Harley Flanagan”.

-Love Phuket at myfirsthardcoresong.com

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–Photo by Kristina Childs, tinaxo.tumblr.com

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NEWS Child slave gangs ‘being watched’ Authorities are turning more attention to the rising number of immigrant beggars in Patong, after revelations that human trafficking gangs are luring vulnerable children to Phuket and forcing them to beg for money.

The number of immigrant beggars in Phuket, particularly in Patong, has climbed in recent years. At least 10 were arrested in January alone for not having a correct visa or work permit to live in Thailand.

The Phuket News received reliable information that many of the beggars are Cambodian children, lured to Phuket by Vietnamese criminal families and forced to beg on the streets.

The gangs target destitute Cambodian families with children under 12, offering parents B3,000 per month if they hand over their child.

One of the Vietnamese families is reported to comprise

a daughter who is in charge of “supervising” the child beggars, a mother who makes garlands for them to sell, and a father who beats the children if they don’t raise enough money on any given night.

About 50 of these child beggars are reported to live close to JJ Plaza in Patong, and more in Soi Tan, figures confirmed

by Charuen Phromnam from the government-run Semarak Centre, which focuses on child and juvenile problems.

He said officials are keeping their eye on the areas where they suspect immigrant beggars are living and working.

Mr Charuen said officials hope to learn soon the exact number of forced beggars and where they are located.

The issue will be brought to provincial authorities soon, when Mr Charuen and his team have collected enough information to convince them of the extent of the problem.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

KR torture chief gets life Cambodians elated at sentence for ‘Comrade Duch’ > 8

Taxis 1, Policeman 0

About 200 taxi drivers in Kamala gathered in front of Kamala Police Station on Monday afternoon (February 6) to protest against a policeman who they said was running a taxi rank at Kamala Beach.

They argued that driving a taxi should be reserved for local people, and said the setting-up of a taxi rank by Pol Lt Col Anan Kobkiatthawin – originally from Patthalung – had caused resentment among local drivers.

Worse, they said, Col Anan’s taxi company – set up in front of a restaurant he owns next to Kamala Beach and close to the police station – employed drivers from Bangkok and other provinces.

This, they said, was “vocation snatching”.

The protest was sparked by five local drivers based in the same area, who called on colleagues from Kamala to back them in their protest against the policeman’s temerity.

Officers spent more than

Protesting taxi drivers gather outside the police station in Kamala on Monday (Feb 6). four hours conducting negotiations, at the end of which Col Anan agreed to suspend his taxi service.

The Superintendent of Kamala Police Station, Pol Col Natthapakin Kwanchaipruk said on Tuesday that he felt the local drivers were making a mountain out of a molehill.

He said that Col Anan was not running a taxi rank; just one cab was based at the restaurant, operated by one of Col Anan’s relatives.

Col Natthapakin also denied a report that Col Anan would be transferred to another police station. The dispute had arisen from a “tiny matter” he explained, and was not grounds for a transfer.

“I don’t say [Col Anan] is right,” he said. “But it’s not fair to judge one person who is trying to make an honest living when there were so many unlicensed taxis out there.”

Pol Col Natthapakin said he suspected that the local

drivers’ anger might have had a quite different root cause: a police raid last week on a cockfighting pit behind Phuket FantaSea. Some local taxi drivers were reportedly involved in gambling on the cockfights.

In addition, he said, Col Anan is close friends with some former officials of the Kamala Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor), who apparently have conflicts with a group of local taxi drivers.

Call centre racket busted Phuket police are looking for Briton Paul Antony Barret who, they allege, was the leader of a call centre scam gang busted in Patong.

The Briton became a wanted man after the Phuket Tourist Police raided a house that was believed to be the office of a call centre racket on Pang Muang Sai Kor Rd in Patong, on Friday afternoon (February 3).

The local raid was part of a nationwide investigation that

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has already seen the closure of another call centre in Bangkok.

It is reported that call centre staff were allegedly posing as investment brokers in phone calls to victims, with police estimating that more than B20 million had been conned out of the victims to date.

They invited victims overseas to invest money through their company, convincing them the operation was kosher by referring inquiries to a non-related website abroad.

During the raid three Filipinos, Aubry Pengson, Sarabeth Servito and Henry King Lee, were arrested after police broke through the door.

One computer, five laptops, a bank book, an ATM card, and eight mobile phones were seized from the building.

The three admitted that they had been working for Barret without work permits, and were sent to Kathu Police Station for further investigation.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

IT’S ALL WHITE

ISLAND NEWS

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Public urged to ignore Massive dawn raid finds prison is ‘clean’ beggars Two hundred officials poured into Phuket Provincial Prison at dawn on Monday to conduct a thorough search of the facility as part of a national drive against drugs.

Their priority was to find drugs and mobile phones.

With the 1,615 convicts all herded into the prison’s assembly yards, the officials rummaged through the dormitories and the skillstraining buildings.

The result: no drugs, no mobile phones.

A hundred and four inmates, chosen at random, were required to give urine samples for drug testing. The results: all negative.

The satisfied Director of Phuket Provincial Prison, Rapin Nichanon, explained that the raid, along with others across the country were ordered by the government following the recent arrest of major drug dealer Nipon Kanchat, 54, in Pathum Thani Province.

In Nipon’s house police found more than 3.8 million pills of ya ba (methamphetamine) and 71 kilograms of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) with an estimated street value of more than B1 billion.

Under questioning Nipon gave up the names of three alleged confederates: Pol Capt Piyanut Katejamras and Pol Sgt Maj Venus Srijai, and Peerayuth Patsakol, an inmate

Phuket Provincial Prison inmates wait in the main assembly yard, above, as police toss a dormitory (below left) and rifle through prisoners’ lockers, searching for drugs and cellphones. In the end, none of either were found. This was the very first time that members of the English-language press had been allowed to take photos inside the gaol.

in Bang Kwang Prison in Nonthaburi Province.

Interrogated, the two policemen admitted that they had been involved in transporting the drugs from the north of Thailand, delivering them to Nipon.

Peerayuth, however, de-

nied any involvement in the narcotics trade and a search of Bang Kwang turned up nothing to connect him to drug dealing or to Nipon.

Mr Rapin told The Phuket News that the rate of drug smuggling into Phuket Prison has been falling. In the past

few months, no mobile phones have been detected inside the prison, though officials sometimes still find drugs in food and clothing brought by visitors for friends or relatives held inside.

He added that searches are conducted every day in

an effort to create a “White Prison” – a drug-free prison.

In addition, CCTV cameras and guard patrols around the outside wall help to reduce the opportunity for anyone to throw drugs or phones over the wall.

–Paritta Wangkiat

A new initiative has been launched to try to persuade tourists and locals not to give money to beggars, with the aim of reducing the number of panhandlers in Phuket.

The drive is being led by the Phuket office of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MOSD) which explained that beggars and other vagrants target tourist attractions on the island.

Chaunchome Chanthawong chief of MOSD Office said, “It’s very hard to get rid of beggars if people keep on giving money to them.”

Some beggars are on the island by choice. However, others – both Thai and foreign – are controlled by human traffickers who force them to beg.

The majority of the beggars are children or handicapped, though some are adult women or are elderly. Last year the Phuket MOSD arrested 30 people for begging.

In January the MOSD team arrested three beggars in Patong and the market near Phuket Rajabhat University.

All three – a man and two girls – were Cambodian.

The man was sent to Phuket Immigration and the two girls to the Child Welfare Department, for repatriation.

On February 3, two men, a woman and a child were arrested in Srisoonthorn. All were Thai. They were handed over to the authorities for processing.

Karon fight ‘a result of police corruption’ Two group of vendors, one Thai and the other Cambodian, were involved in a territorial brawl in Karon on Tuesday (February 7), resulting in three people being sent to hospital.

What sparked the battle is unclear, as both sides told radically different stories to Chalong Police.

But according to some combatants, the ultimate cause may have been corruption on the part of police in Patong.

A member of the Cambodian group, Wan Thairat, 32, said that he and six others had moved from Patong to sell sunglasses in the Karon area three days before the battle .

Wan claimed that his group was attacked by more than 10 Thai vendors for daring to set up business on their territory.

“Patong police guaranteed our safety, even if we were to

do business in Karon,” said Wan. “They said they would contact police in the Karon area to take care of us.”

In return for this “guarantee” each of the Cambodians paid B1,000 a month to officers in Patong, Wan said.

On the opposing side, Thai vendor Arnon Yodjan, 27, claimed the Cambodians started the fight, which ended with him receiving nine stitches to a wound in his back.

He said he believes he was attacked because he was a witness to a stabbing in Patong, which involved a Cambodian gangster named Kabin.

Kabin reportedly was involved in the fight and was taken to the hospital with another Cambodian after they were injured by Thai people who waded into the fight to help Arnon.

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Locals protest against actions of Nitirat group Around 50 people marched to Phuket Provincial Hall last Friday (February 3) to protest against the work of the Bangkok-based “Nitirat” group, and their campaign to amend the controversial Article 112 of the Penal Code on lèse majesté.

Protesters demanded that the Nitirat group and others immediately stop their attempts to amend the law, and stop collecting signatures from people in Phuket in support of their efforts.

Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak met the protesters and accepted an official letter from Saman Kohlek and Don Limnanthapisit, the leaders of the protest

Chickys rally for sick friend Phuket’s women-only Chicky Net group (www.chickynet. com) are to hold a fundraising night in Rawai to raise money for expat Cindy Cochrane’s daughter.

Cindy, who is well known around Rawai and Phuket, was diagnosed seven weeks ago with terminal cancer. She was given two weeks to live but is currently undergoing treatment overseas.

Money raised at the February 19 event will go into a trust fund for Cindy’s sixyear-old daughter Yazmin, for her schooling needs.

T he “ B e n ef it P i n k Party” will be held at Junior’s Bar (Cindy’s former bar Enigma) on Viset Rd in Rawai from 3pm to 10pm, and will be a pink-themed dress-up evening.

For more information or to donate, contact Ali on 087-335-4432.

Bob Brindley dies of cancer One of Ao Chalong Yacht Club’s (ACYC) staunchest supporters, Bob Brindley, died on Sunday. He had been suffering from cancer.

ACYC commodore Grenville Fordham said: “According to his son, Steve, Bob knew it was time and had contacted all his family and friends to say goodbye.

“The cancer had started to give him a lot of pain in the preceding couple of days and he reportedly went quickly without suffering.

“Bob will be particularly missed by all at the ACYC, where he helped organise raffles, served on the committee and helped get the new club premises up and running.”

Just add ice: The makings of “4 x 100” seized from the two student dealers: kratom leaves, cough mixture and cola. Fifteen students were arrested on Saturday (Feb 4).

Kids arrested over ‘4 x 100’ cocktails Fifteen students were arrested on Saturday (February 4) by police in the Rassada District for using drugs, with their two suppliers also caught.

The 17 arrests followed 21 others made on January 30 around Phuket Town.

The students were arrested after urine tests were conducted during raids on homes in Bang Chee Lao Community in Rassada, which officials believed was a popular gathering place for young people using drugs.

The 15 students who failed the tests were all reportedly from provinces in the deep

south of Thailand, near the border with Malaysia.

They told officers they bought drugs from two students originally from Narathiwat Province, but now living at Laem Hin on the northern edge of Phuket Town.

A raid of the Laem Hin house, also on Saturday, resulted in the supplying duo’s arrest and the recovery of 62 wads of kratom, a mildly narcotic plant, along with cough mixture and cola.

These, along with ice, are the ingredients used to make a narcotic cocktail known as “see

koon loy”, or 4 x 100, which is popular among young people in the deep south.

Officials also arrested a couple who just happened to be buying drugs from the duo at the time of the raid.

The Chief of Phuket City District Office who joined the raid, Suppachai Poachanukul, said the group usually gathered at deserted houses or in public parks to drink 4 x 100.

He added that he was worried about the rising number of Thai students, especially those in secondary school, using drugs.

Diarrhoea claim runs out of legs A Chinese tour group from Chengdu province have claimed that more than half their group suffered severe diarrhoea after eating at a Phuket restaurant and demanded compensation from their tour company, Pacific Holiday (Thailand) Co Ltd. The group told Chinese media – including major outlets Xinhua News Agency, Chengdu Daily and Sichuan News – that they were taken to hospital and were diagnosed as having food poisoning.

However, representatives from the Pacific Holiday and Thai Village Restaurant went to the Phuket Governor’s office last Friday (February 3), claiming the media versions were misleading, and that the restaurant’s food was probably not the cause. They also claimed the group had tried to blackmail them.

The manager of Pacific Holiday, Lin Yong Wei, said the group booked a tour with the company between January 25 and 29.

On January 29, they were taken to have dinner at the Thai

Village Restaurant in Rassada District. Eleven of the tourists reported having diarrhoea the next day.

Mr Lin said his staff took the 11 to Patong Hospital, where three of them received treatment after being diagnosed with gastroenteritis. The other eight left the hospital without seeing a doctor.

The doctor who treated them said that the diarrhoea might not have been caused by the restaurant’s food, as the symptom showed up quite late.

The Sales Manager of Thai Village Restaurant, Ti­ ra Hohum, said: “If it was food poisoning, the symptoms should have show up within four hours of them eating.

“However, this group had diarrhoea 12 hours after eating at our restaurant. It therefore may not be correct to conclude that the food in our restaurant is the cause.”

“This ruins Phuket tourism,” said Pacific Holiday adviser Phalat Juntarasopin.

“We can’t allow the news to go around like this when the story is not true.”

President Sauli Niinistoe.

Tsunami survivor wins vote Sauli Niinistoe, who spent hours clinging to a tree in Khao Lak during the 2004 Asian Tsunami, won Finland’s presidential election on Sunday (February 5).

The conservative politician’s time as finance minister earned him widespread respect and credibility, but it was the dramatic events in his personal life that may have endeared him to voters.

The veteran politician lost his wife of more than 20 years and mother of his two sons in 1995 in a road accident.

Nine years later, he narrowly escaped the tsunami in Thailand by climbing a tree with his younger son. –AFP

THE PHUKET NEWS

ISLAND NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Dr Sak Tanchaikul.

Aids Fair to educate Phuketians

The Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) will hold a special Aids Fair on Valentine’s Day (February 14) to educate the public about the disease.

Phuket is currently No 1 in Thailand in terms of the proportion of the population living with HIV/Aids, said Dr Sak Tanchaikul, chief of the PPHO. Dr Sak said during a press conference on February 1 that as of December 31 last year PPHO records showed 7,415 people in Phuket had been diagnosed as having HIV/Aids.

This number includes 99 people who died last year from the disease, and 69 new patients diagnosed.

However, the actual figure of those infected is possibly much higher.

The February 14 event will be held in the auditorium of Phuket Rajabhat University from 10am to 3pm, with educational exhibits and performances.

Decision on Admin Court by end of Feb Phuket could soon be getting its own Administrative Court after the House of Re­presentatives approved a draft proposal on January 25 for its construction.

The Senate is expected to approve the draft proposal by the end of February.

The court will be used to settle disputes and lawsuits between government authorities and members of the public, and those between government employees and government authorities.

Atichoke Pholdee, the Director of the Bureau of Asset Administration, believed the proposal would be approved, given that MPs had already said yes to the draft version.

Pending approval, construction on the, three storey building will begin in May. The B245-million, 9,000sqm courthouse will sit on 19 rai of land in Mai Khao, near the Provincial Police Region 8 office.

5

BUT IS IT BIG ENOUGH? New Phuket Airport plans come under public scrutiny Around 40 local businesspeople and representatives met last Friday (February 3) to discuss the B5.7 billion redesign of the Phuket International Airport (PIA), with some expressing concern that the upgrade would not be enough to cater for the expected future increase in passenger numbers.

The meeting was called to allow members of the Senate Transport Committee to get feedback from locals about the new airport plans. It was also the first time artist’s impressions of the new building had been unveiled.

The new PIA will be able to cope with 12.5 million passengers annually, compared with 8.2 million at the moment. There will be 1,500 car parking spaces and 33 immigration counters, up from 21 counters currently.

The construction of the international terminal is due to start this June, and is expected to be finished by 2014, while the renovation of the domestic terminal is due to be complete by 2015.

If the design goes ahead, the airport will be able to accommodate 25 aircraft

Rendering of the new international terminal with its wave-shaped roof, viewed from the aircraft parking apron.

–Image courtesy Senate Transport Committee at a time, up from 15 at the moment, and will be able to handle 20 arrivals and departures an hour.

However, several local representatives at the meeting said that passenger numbers could exceed 12.5 million in the future, and asked whether the plans could be changed to make the runway longer, to allow very large long-haul aircraft to take off – which is currently not possible.

Phuket Senator Thanyarat Achariyachai said the largest number of passengers on the busiest day in 2010 was 20,000.

This increased to 32,000

visitors on the busiest day last year, Sen Thanyarat said, raising the question of whether the airport could support the increase in tourist numbers in the future.

Air por ts of Thailand (AOT) representative Chaturongkapon Sodmanee said he would look into the issue of extending the runway to allow for larger planes.

However, he said he thought the current runway length of three kilometres was more than enough – despite the fact that the minimum length for a double-decker Airbus A380 to take off fully-laden is 3.5 kilometres.

“Extending the runway further will make the airport overlap with private property and existing roads.

“We also have to think carefully about the environmental impact of this.”

There were also f light scheduling options to prevent overcrowding at the airport, he said.

AOT will consider the feedback and present an updated design to the representatives soon.

The new airport design includes a new international terminal and renovation of the existing domestic terminal.

The design was created by

a group of Thai designers and architects who have adapted the look “to fit Phuket’s unique characteristics”.

Accordingly, Chinesecolonial architecture and a large wave design (representing Phuket’s beaches) are features of the design.

The plans also include “green” energy-saving systems such as using natural light and reusing water.

To solve the problem of tourists being harassed by taxi drivers at the entrance of the PIA, the new design proposes a buffer zone and separate exits for those wishing to use the bus services.

V/Gov backs ‘social order’ crackdown Phuket Vice-Governor Cham­ roen Tipayapongtada announ­ ced on Tuesday (February 7) that he strongly supports a coming crackdown on businesses operating without licences, in order “to bring social order to Phuket”.

V/Gov Chamroen and officials met on Tuesday to announce the crackdown on entertainment venues, internet cafés, gaming venues and student accommodation. Random urine tests for drugs will also be part of the crackdown.

Officials said there were 257 licensed entertainment venues in Phuket, but just as many unlicensed – usually meaning that they have a licence to operate as a restau-

rant, for example, but not for entertainment.

Unlicensed venues, if raided, are subject to fines and may be closed down permanently.

An official from the Phuket Anti-Narcotics Task Force told the meeting that student apartments and internet cafés tend to be gathering places for young people to use drugs, or to buy them.

V/Gov Chamroen said that lax enforcement of laws and ignorance on the part of the authorities didn’t help the situation.

“We are talking about a society with double standards [with the law enforced in same cases but not in others],” he said.

Russians stranded as tour firm goes bust A large group of Russian tourists were left stranded in Phuket after their travel agency, Moscow-based LantaTur International, went bankrupt while they were in the middle of their trip.

The travel agency cancelled their holiday half way through, and the 93 tourists

were left to pay for accommodation and flights home, even though they had already paid Lanta-Tur in advance.

Some were offered free accommodation by Phuket authorities, while others received a discount from hotels thanks to the intervention of the authorities.

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THE PHUKET NEWS

Phuket scores poorly in awards from Tripadvisor

The pickings for Phuket were pretty slim in this year’s Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards. The island failed to score in the world listings for destinations, beaches or hotels.

Arguably the best score for a Phuket place of accommodation went to Sansuko Ville Bungalow Resort in Phuket Town, which was sixth in the B&B section for Asia and No 1 in Thailand.

It was joined in the Thailand list by Villareal Heights in Kata (eighth), Baan Malinee, Cherng Talay (ninth), Artha Hotel, Patong (12th) and Phuket Baan Chang, Cherng Talay (14th).

The island managed only three entries in the listings for upper-end hotels in Thailand – The Shore at Katathani in 11th place, Villa Zolitude in Chalong in 18th and Andara in Kamala in 25th.

Andara also came eighth in the luxury hotels segment in Asia and second in Thailand.

Trisara and The Pavilions, both north of Bangtao Bay, came 13th and 19th respectively in the Thailand segment.

B-Lay Tong in Phuket

was sixth in the “Trendiest Hotels” in Asia list (second in Thailand), while Cape Sienna was 20th (ninth), the AsiaLoop G House in Patong 23rd (10 th) and Twin Palms 24th (11th). The Nap in Patong ranked 12th in Thailand.

Kata-Karon scored three times in the budget accommodation list for Asia, with The Manohra Cozy Village rated ninth, the Boomarang Village Resort 12th and the Pacific Club Resort 21st.

Finally, Paresa in Kamala came sixth in the Asia list for “Relaxation/Spa” hotels (third in Thailand), with Andara ninth (fourth) and Ayara Hilltops at Surin Beach 22nd (ninth).

They were joined in the Thailand list by Kantary Bay at Cape Panwa (13th), Centara Villas in Karon (15th), The Surin at Surin Beach (16th), Cape Panwa Hotel (18th) and Cape Sienna (25th) Not technically in Phuket – bureaucratically speaking it’s in Krabi Province – Phi Phi Don scored fourth in the list of Asian destinations and 18th in the world. The list is at tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Duck race nets B160k The Phuket Community Foundation held its annual fundraiser, The Great Phuket Rubber Duck Race, at Laguna Phuket on Sunday (February 5).

The afternoon family event was this year held to raise money for a toy library at Phuket Rajabhat University.

The day raised just under B160,000 for the project.

Around 500 people attended and were involved in dragon boat racing, Battle of the Bands by Legend Music – partly judged by Live

89.5 DJ Jason Wilder – and the highlight event, the rubber duck race.

Participants “bought” a duck for B200, and the rubber duckies were released on

the Dusit Canal at 4pm.

After a dramatic competition, the close race was eventually won by a beak.

For more pictures of the duck race, see page 28.

Packed house for classical music Calling themselves 4G (‘Four Generations’), the string quartet, headed by Mom Luang Us­ni Pramoj (second from right) on viola, welcomed the chance to give a free concert to a packed audience of young people at the Prince of Songkhla University (PSU) on January 31.

Mostly new to classical music, the students

and their parents applauded between the movements of Antonin Dvorak’s American String Quartet and ML Usni’s own composition, String Quartet No 2.

Phuket resident Dan Miles, who organised the concert, said he was delighted that the large auditorium was almost full. www.foreca.com

Phuket Seven Day Weather Forecast FRI FEBRUARY 10

SAT FEBRUARY 11

SUN FEBRUARY 12

MON FEBRUARY 13

TUE FEBRUARY 14

WED FEBRUARY 15

THU FEBRUARY 16

High: +33° Low: +26°

High: +32° Low: +26°

High: +32° Low: +25°

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SOUTHERN (WEST COAST):

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THE PHUKET NEWS

NATIONAL NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Tigers get brutal chop in Bangkok slaughterhouse Police busted a grisly exotic wildlife slaughterhouse in Bangkok when officers caught four men in the act of chopping up a tiger in a residential home, officials said on Monday (February 6).

Elephant, zebra, wildebeest and lion remains were also found at the suburban property as well as meat kept in a refrigerator that police and wildlife activists said was likely to be destined for human consumption.

“We assume that the meat is from tigers because we found tiger skin and heads. From what I’ve seen, I think it’s two tigers,” Nature Crime Police Commander, Police Colonel Norasak Hemnithi, told AFP. He said police arrested seven men and are hunting another, believed to be the owner of an exotic animal restaurant in Bangkok, which has operated in the capital for a decade.

“We believe that this butchers house is mainly to provide orders for the restaurant, but those arrested said they sometimes shipped meat and stuffed

7

IN BRIEF Red Bull director dies in Pattaya fall An Austrian executive of the Red Bull Company has fallen 18 f loors to his death from a north Pattaya apartment complex.

Early on Monday (February 6) security guards found the naked body of Harald Schmidberger, 60, who is listed as a managing director of the drink company which originates from Austria, reported Pattaya One News.

Medicat ion to t reat cancer was found in his apar tment. Staff at the complex said Mr Schmidberger, who lived alone, appeared depressed over the previous week.

Brit held in BK on child sex charges This photo, taken last year by the Freeland Foundation, shows a tiger cub at a newly-built zoo in Chaiyaphum Province in the northeast. Wildlife police said they had discovered several unregistered tiger and leopard cubs in a raid on a private zoo, raising suspicions that it was part of a smuggling ring.

–Photo Freeland Foundation animals to China,” he added.

Wildlife anti-trafficking group Freeland, which often works with the Thai police on operations, said local police chanced on the gruesome scene after encountering a man whose hands were covered in blood in

Bangkok’s Yannawa district.

“Police escorted the man back to a residential building and discovered four others in the midst of chopping up a 400 -kilogram me male tiger,” the group said.

Freeland director Steven

Galster said the group believes some of the animals were “bred in, or laundered through, private zoos in Thailand”.

Col Norasak said he thought the tigers might have been from the wild, but other animals could have been from private

zoos. The arrested men could face four years in jail for the illegal processing of wild and protected animals, he added.

Thailand is one of 13 countries hosting fragile world tiger populations, estimated to have fallen to only 3,200. –AFP

A British national was held by the immigration police on Sunday (February 5) in Bangkok on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and publicising child pornography.

Police raided a house in Pridibhanomyong and arrested Varley Layman Andrews, 65, on charges of rape of a minor and child pornography.

Six shot dead in south Gunmen shot dead two civilians in the southern province of Narathiwat on Tuesday (February 7), and four more people were killed in that province, Yala and Pattani last week, as the army defended its record on an eight-year insurgency in the Muslim-majority region.

Attackers killed a 52-yearold school caretaker and critically injured his 41-year-old wife at a rubber plantation in Narathiwat on Tuesday.

In a separate attack in the same province, a 40-yearold Muslim man was shot dead at a tea shop.

Meanwhile gunmen shot dead two paramilitary troops in Yala on Sunday (February 5) as the troops escorted Buddhist monks on their morning alms route, police said.

The victims, aged 37 and 42, died after attackers opened fire with assault rifles from the back of a pick-up truck in this one of three insurgencyplagued provinces near the border with Malaysia.

Monks are often given security protection for their mor ning alms collection rounds in the region, where they are seen as a symbol of the state and, like teachers, are among the targets of attacks.

In a separate incident on Saturday (February 4), another paramilitary, a Muslim, was shot dead in Pattani as he drove his pick-up truck.

Local police said the violence could have been retaliation for the recent shooting

dead of Muslim civilians by paramilitaries in neighbouring Pattani province.

That incident at the end of January, in which four civilians including an elderly man and an 18-year-old man died, sparked local outrage.–AFP

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8

REGIONAL NEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Khmer Rouge jailer gets life A life term handed to a feared Khmer Rouge jailer has elated Cambodians, but observers say the historic verdict violates the torture chief’s human rights and serves public opinion rather than justice.

Kaing Guek Eav, or Duch, who oversaw the deaths of some 15,000 people at S-21 prison in the late 1970s, had his punishment increased on appeal by Cambodia’s UN-backed tribunal from 30 years to a full life term for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The long-awaited ruling last Friday, which dismissed Duch’s appeal against his conviction, was hailed by survivors of the brutal regime, with Bou Meng, 71, one of the few to walk out of S-21 alive, calling it “perfect justice”.

Legal experts and human rights campaigners however voiced dismay at the judges’ decision not to give Duch a reduction for the time he spent in illegal detention before the

court was established.

“I think there could be a perception that public opinion has trumped human rights,” said Rupert Abbott, Cambodia researcher for Amnesty International.

“We understand this life term has been welcomed by Cambodians,” he told AFP. “But we think it’s important that the human rights of Duch aren’t completely forgotten.”

Duch was the first cadre to face the court.

He has been held in detention since he was found working as a Christian aid worker in the Cambodian jungle in 1999 and held unlawfully until his formal arrest by the tribunal in July 2007.

No legal process was started during these years and no substantial investigation was carried out, leaving Duch to languish in jail while Cambodia figured out what to do with him.

In acknowledgement of this the

Kaing Guek Eav, Comrade Duch original verdict reduced the 69-yearold’s sentence by five years.

Prosecutors had suggested a similar gesture on appeal, calling for a life term commuted to 45 years.

In the end, the court’s highest body went even further in what Ou Virak, head of the Cambodian Centre

for Human Rights, said “sets a very bad precedent” in Cambodia, where arbitrary pre-trial detention is routine.

As a Khmer Rouge survivor whose father was executed under the regime, he admitted the verdict left him with mixed emotions.

“From a personal point of view I’m pretty happy to see a life term.

But on a professional level, looking at the human rights aspect and the legacy of this tribunal, I’m reluctant to congratulate the decision.

“It’s a violation of his human rights, however heinous the crimes may be.”

Appeal judges also gave no weight to Duch’s cooperation during his trial, when he repeatedly admitted responsibility.

They argued that these signs of remorse were severely undermined when Duch changed his tune on the final day and asked to be acquitted because he was just following orders and not senior enough to be tried

by the court.

But observers stressed the supreme court chamber was not unanimous in its final verdict.

Two foreign judges wanted to take into account Duch’s eight illegal years in detention.

This would have seen the former maths teacher given a life sentence reduced to a fixed term of 30 years.

But they were overruled.

“The devil is in the detail,” said human rights activist Theary Seng of the judicial split.

“It feeds into my fear that this was really a political decision to make Duch the scapegoat for the whole regime,” said the campaigner, who lost her parents under the regime.

Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge were responsible for one of the worst horrors of the 20th century, wiping out up to two million people through starvation, overwork and execution between 1975-1979.

–AFP

Wave of self-immolations by ‘desperate’ Tibetans China said Tuesday it would “resolutely crack down” on any attempts to instigate violence in Tibetan-inhabited areas, where authorities have launched a deadly clampdown on protesters.

At least two people were

killed last month in clashes between police and locals in the southwestern province of Sichuan, which has a large population of ethnic Tibetans, many of whom complain of oppression under Chinese rule.

“The Chinese government

will resolutely crack down on any attempt to incite violence, disrupt national unity and territorial integrity in accordance with law,” foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said.

The unrest in Sichuan – which borders the Tibet

autonomous region – comes at a time of rising tensions in Tibetan-inhabited areas, where rights groups say at least 19 monks and nuns have set themselves alight in less than a year.

Exile group Free Tibet

and US-based broadcaster RFA reported that three selfimmolations happened in a remote village of Sichuan on Friday, but local authorities quoted in the official Global Times newspaper denied this.

On Monday, the Tibetan

government-in-exile said the wave of self-immolations was a desperate response to “new levels” of Chinese persecution and urged the international community to engage with Beijing to prevent further violence.

– AFP

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Maldives president quits

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The Maldives’ first freely elected president resigned Tuesday after what his party called a “coup d’etat” orchestrated by opposition leaders with the backing of security forces in the holiday paradise.

Within hours of President Mohamed Nasheed stepping down, his deputy – who is from a different party – was sworn in to replace him, promising to uphold the “rule of law”.

“It will be better for the country in the current situation if I resign,” Nasheed had told a televised news conference. “I don’t want to run the country with an iron fist.

I am resigning.”

His announcement followed a police mutiny that capped three weeks of anti-government demonstrations in the Indian Ocean island nation against what activists saw as Nasheed’s “unconstitutional” arrest of a senior judge.

In a series of statements released publicly and to foreign diplomatic missions, Nasheed’s Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) said the president’s resignation was “involuntary” and that he had been effectively overthrown.

Pres. Mohamed Nasheed.

“We strongly condemn the coup d’etat that has been brought against the constitutionally elected government,” the party said.

It said the president had been taken to his office “under the custody of the security forces” and forced to announce he was stepping down.

Vice President Mohamed Waheed, who had clashed with Nasheed over the chief justice’s detention, was sworn in as the new head of state.

The dramatic day of unrest began in the early hours when a group of policemen – estimated

at from several dozen to several hundred strong – refused orders to break up an anti-government protest in the capital Male.

The MDP said members of the armed forces had joined the protesters’ ranks at the behest of senior opposition leaders loyal to former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Gayoom, who had ruled the Maldives for 30 years, was ousted by Nasheed in the country’s first democratic elections in 2008.

“The opposition, supported by the army and police, offered an ultimatum to President Nasheed: Step down or be faced with a bloodbath in the capital,” the MDP said.

Nasheed formed the MDP in exile before returning home to a hero’s welcome, sweeping 54 per cent of the vote in the 2008 polls and going on to build an international reputation as a campaigner against climate change.

But protests calling for his resignation escalated after he ordered the arrest last month of Criminal Court Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed on charges of misconduct and favouring opposition figures.

–AFP

THE PHUKET NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

DEAD ZULU SINGER ESCAPES ZOMBIES South African police arrested a man on Monday after he claimed to be a popular musician returned from the dead, after being held captive by zombies for the past two years.

Claiming that he is the late Zulu traditional music singer Khulekani Khumalo, also known as “Mgqumeni,” the man arrived at the musician’s home last week at Nqutu village in east South Africa’s KwaZuluNatal province.

He reportedly convinced several members of Mr Khumalo’s family – including two of his wives, his grandmother and grandfather, who unveiled the man as his long-lost relative on Sunday.

News the musician had returned spread like wildfire, prompting fans to descend on his home.

He said he had been a victim of witchcraft and that the zombies had forced him to sing and eat mud during his ordeal. He claimed to have woken

up in a field in Johannesburg last week before finally making his way back home.

He did not die, he added, but was kept with zombies in a place he could not recall, forced to eat mud and sing for them.

“The man is currently in custody pending a criminal investigation. Detectives have been questioning the man this morning and are conducting further investigation,” said police spokesman Jay Naicker.

“The arrest follows developments yesterday when the man made his first public appearance at Nqutu,” he added.

The man was to appear in court this week.

Faith in witchcraft is common in rural South Africa. However, some fans said they doubted the story because the man did not have Mr Kumalo’s trademark dreadlock hairstyle, had lost a lot of weight and now had a gold tooth.

–AFP/The Phuket News

Greece protesters vent anger as EU ups the pressure Greeks angered at salary and pension cuts being imposed on their country burned a German flag on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Lucas Papademos pushed ahead with talks to achieve a make or break bailout.

With the country in the grips of a general strike, scuffles broke out on Syntagma Square in central Athens where thousands of protesters braved rain to vent their anger at the EU and International Monetary Fund at what they saw as a hard line spearheaded by Germany.

A group of nationalist protesters burned a German flag and began to set fire to one that showed the Nazi swastika, before riot police swooped in.

The country is rapidly running out of time to agree new budget action and to conclude a debt write-off with banks needed to secure a second rescue package and avoid default in about six weeks’ time.

Papademos, caught between conflicting pressures for the soul and solvency of the nation, was to resume key meetings later in the day.

He was set for another

round of talks with heads of the Greek socialist, conservative and far-right parties that form his unwieldy coalition and reach agreement on strict budget measures demanded

by Greece’s creditors.

Athens is under intense pressure from European Union leaders, with talk of an exit

by Greece from the eurozone no longer taboo.

Earlier on Tuesday, European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes was quoted as saying that it was “not a train crash if someone leaves the eurozone”.

But EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso stressed that Greece’s place was in the eurozone.

“We want Greece in the euro,” Barroso told reporters in Brussels.

Greece must pay back 14.5 billion euros (B592 billion) in bonds due March 20 or default, which could roil the 17-nation eurozone and undercut a global economic recovery.

An EU diplomatic source suggested all was not lost and that negotiators hoped talks would be wrapped up

by Wednesday.

–AFP

9

IN BRIEF World’s ‘last’ First World War veteran dies

A picture of Syria’s embattled President Bashar al-Assad sprayed with red paint lies on the ground next to a Russian flag about to be set on fire by protesters opposed to the Syrian regime during a demonstration. –Photo AFP

Assad ‘set to end violence’

Russia said on Tuesday that President Bashar al-Assad was “fully committed” to ending the bloodshed in Syria, as his regime pounded the city of Homs for a fourth day and vowed no let-up.

As several European nations pulled their ambassadors from Syria, a top US senator called for the arming of rebels fighting Assad’s rule and Washington said it was exploring options for providing humanitarian aid.

Tank and artillery fire rained on Homs, killing at least 15 civilians, activists said, as the interior ministry vowed to keep up its onslaught against “terrorist groups”.

“There are about four blasts every five minutes,” said Abu Rami, an activist in Homs reached by AFP by telephone from Beirut. “The humanitarian situation is dire. No one

can move around.” An interior ministry statement carried by the SANA news agency pledged that “operations to hunt down terrorist groups will continue until security and order are re-established in all neighbourhoods of Homs and its environs.”

More than 6,000 people have died in nearly a year of upheaval in the Middle East country, as Assad’s hardline regime seeks to snuff out a revolt that began with peaceful protests in March 2011 amid the Arab Spring.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov flew into Damascus to a hero’s welcome on Tuesday, with thousands of cheering, flag-waving Assad supporters lining the route of his motorcade.

Russia, which along with China over the weekend vetoed a UN resolution condemning

the government crackdown, has staunchly stood by its last ally in the region, a key buyer of Moscow’s military hardware that hosts a strategic Russian naval base.

“We (Russia) confirmed our readiness to act for a rapid solution to the crisis based on the plan put forward by the Arab League,” said Lavrov, adding Syria was ready to see an enlarged Arab League mission in the country, Russian news agencies reported.

The 22-member Arab League deployed an observer mission to Syria in December to oversee a plan to end the bloodshed. However, this was suspended a month later amid increasing violence on the ground.

It has since put forward a new plan for Assad to hand his powers to Vice President Faruq al-Shara.

– AFP

The world’s last surviving First World War veteran, who served in Britain’s Women’s Royal Air Force, has died aged 110.

Florence Green, who joined the W R AF as a 17-year-old in 1918, was believed to be the last veteran of the 1914-1918 conflict.

She died in her sleep at a care home in eastern England.

Amanda Knox seeks to have slander conviction overturned Amanda Knox is seeking to have her slander conviction overturned, four months after she was cleared of killing her British room-mate Meredith Kercher.

Dave Marriott, a spokesman for the Knox family, confirmed that lawyers had launched an appeal against the slander conviction.

US appeals court reverses California gay marriage ban A US federal appeals court struck down a California law Tuesday that strips gays and lesbians of the right to marry in the latest round of America’s long-running battle over same-sex marriage.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court judge’s ruling that an amendment to the California state constitution banning same-sex marriage violated principles of due process and equal protection under the law.

thephuketnews.com

10 LETTERS/VIEWPOINT

THE PHUKET NEWS

OPINION

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Time to meet your maker Why dating is such big business in Thailand > 11

Editor’s Viewpoint

NORACHAI’S WORLD

BEGGING TO DIFFER

The issue of beggars, and whether or not to give money to them, proves an ethical and religious dilemma for many.

Some beggars are i n Phuket by choice. Some even choose to beg rather than seek employment, such is the potential for profit.

However, there is a growing number of beggars on the island – both Thai and foreign, usually children – being controlled by human traffickers who force them into effective slavery.

Last year, officials arrested 30 people for begging, a relatively small number considering the growing problem it has become.

But what is the point in arresting the socially disadvantaged? Even for those few who are arrested, there is no real punishment, and often they are just sent on their way to return to old habits.

And with Phuket being such a lucrative market for begging, there is simply no incentive for them to stop.

The only way to solve the problem, then, is to make it unprofitable, while also

Going for a song.

Letters to the Editor Dark forces While it’s very easy to bash Phuket’s taxi drivers as greedy and aggressive (and no doubt many are both), perhaps we are aiming our ire at the wrong people.

I recently overheard a conversation in Thai between a taxi driver and his friend. The friend asked the driver how his business was doing. The reply was most illuminating: “Same as ever, 30 per cent for me and 70 per cent for ‘them’.”

So the next time you grumble at paying B1,000 for a taxi ride, remember that it’s quite possible that B700 goes straight to the local “mafia” – quite possibly the very same people, in positions of influence, who allow this intolerable situation to continue year after year.

A few token public transport routes will not solve that problem.

Iain Richardson

Pigs might fly Re: Jet ski registration proposed Am I dreaming ? I swear I just saw a pig fly by my window. Am I so gullible to believe all that I’m told?

I thought they were to be totally banned seven years ago.

Just Curious

Spaced out Re: New Phuket Airport scheduled for take off And what about the outrageously bad parking habits whereby, if you are lucky enough to actually get a parking space in one of the first few rows, you will definitely have someone park behind you as soon as you do?

People park wherever they wish. No parking areas, red and white curbs mean absolutely nothing. A bigger airport without a massive

expansion of the parking facilities and a bit of actual parking law enforcement only means bigger problems.

I love t he pa r t t hat says, “We also have to think carefully about the environmental impact of this.” This means nothing.

The environment always come in last in priority in Phuket, period.

Now, if they’re actually going to seriously address the existing problems, then I’m all for it.

Sorry, I remain skeptical, if not cynical.

Dave

costs to a different location on the planet.

Houdini at least stayed around till the end, instead of leaving his investors asking “w.t.f.?”

John Richard Head

Mo’ money blues Re: Mega yacht seen in Phang Nga Bay Either way it brings to mind a couple of points: Where there’s a will, I want to be in it. Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.

Just Curious

Out of this world

Himalayan hymn

Re: Has Joe Conrad done a Houdini?

“It is still not clear why Mr Conrad staged a ‘grand opening’ last Wednesday.”

I, and no doubt many others, would assume it was one last hurrah to raise removal

Re: From the hills to the paradise isle: Phuket’s small but vibrant Thai-Nepalese community The Nepali community is proud and thanks you very much.

Daeng_rimmu

This week in history A real mess Re: Diarrhoea claim runs out of legs It is my understanding that food poisoning can take from 12 to 24 hours to show some signs.

Laurie Howells

A bit cheeky?

Re: Diarrhoea claim runs out of legs The story about the Chinese tourists getting sick was sad to hear, but not surprising. Who would have thought, people getting an upset stomach while on an Asian holiday?!I can’t believe they had the cheek to attempt to sue.

Food poisoning can occur anywhere around the globe, for those on holiday and those who are residents. And one more thing – the Chinese tourists simply could have got a bug, and it might not have been the food after all.

Cindy

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

dealing with the root causes behind poverty.

Instead of just handing over your loose change, why not direct your donations to organisations who give practical help to the needy?

Better yet, volunteer to work with one. There are many such charitable organisations around the island who help the poor and less fortunate, and elsewhere in Thailand who provide jobs and education for such people.

Next time you go shopping, instead of buying massproduced handicrafts at the market, why not look around for handmade crafts sold by charitable organisations?

Money from these sales goes directly to the people who made them and often helps provide programmes to educate and support them.

It’s a far better option for those wanting to help out, and ensures the money is used sensibly while also helping to reduce Phuket’s beggar problem. And it solves that moral dilemma.

■■ February 10, 1863 – The fire extinguisher is patented.

■■ February 11, 1978 – The People’s Republic of China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens.

■■ February 12, 1994 – Thieves break into the National Gallery of Norway and steal Edward Munch’s iconic painting The Scream, leaving a note, “Thanks for the poor security”.

■■ February 13, 1961 – A 500,000-year-old rock is discovered near California, that appears to anachronistically encase a spark plug.

■■ February 14, 1849 – James Knox Polk becomes the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken.

■■ February 15, 1972 – Sound recordings are granted US federal copyright protection for the first time.

■■ February 16, 1923 – Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FEATURE 11

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

MEET YOUR MATCH

WHY DATING IS BIG BUSINESS IN THAILAND

A

ccording to a study by the Kasikorn Research Center (KRC), there are more than 15 million single people in Thailand – a figure that is increasing by a remarkable 10 per cent a year.

With so many lonesome singletons nationwide, the competition to find a partner is hotting up.

As Thailand has developed, its people have also taken on a more Western lifestyle, one that sees people working longer hours, and also marrying (and having children) at a later age than ever before.

In addition, people have become more technologically savvy, with smartphones commonplace, and Facebook one the most popular websites (not to mention ways to waste time) in the Kingdom.

Another research report

by KRC described how the internet is increasingly playing a key role in introducing people to each other, with ever increasing numbers using it to find a date or a mate.

The dating business in Thailand is dominated by two main types of service: online dating and matchmaking, which also relies upon the internet for business.

In 2009, KRC estimated the value of Thailand’s matchmaking industry to be an astounding B470 million. In the same release, it said that the year-on year online dating business had grown by 10 per cent from 2008 to 2009.

However, many Thais are still wary of using online dating websites because of the possibility of deception on the part of others – such as lying about age, looks, social status, and wealth.

This has led to increased use of matchmaking agencies, where members are screened to ensure every details is truthful. They also offer strict confidentiality for those who sign up – an important factor for hi-sos.

THE MATCHMAKERS Dr Date, who also goes by the name Rachata Thammarat, is the owner of matchmaking company ‘I Like Date’. In a recent interview, he explained to The Phuket News that the idea of setting up a matchmaking service agency came from his experience in the spa and car rental business.

At the spa, he found that groups of women most commonly talked about beauty and love, while the vast majority

agreed that we had made a good match.”

MAKING A MINT

of the customers for his car rental business were men, and most of them were single.

Dr Date says that “I had the idea of organising a party for both sets of customers, so they could meet. Afterwards I sought their feedback, and found they wanted to know more about each other.”

It’s a different story for Kulchulee Subsinudom Nylander, or Khun Bee, managing director of Bangkok Matching Company. She explained to The Phuket News that she has always loved to party and meet new people.

Often she found herself introducing friends to each other, as they were too shy to initiate relations on their own. She eventually began handing out matchmaking business cards to them.

A third matchmaker, Nitinan Assawathorn, or Khun Nikki, managing director of the Single Solution Company, owner of “MeetNLunch” and “Meet Farang”, told The Phuket News that she found she had many single friends who she was introducing to other friends. She eventually turned this into a business.

BUSINESS OF LOVE Dr Date established his matchmaking business in 2005, and now has around 5,000 customers. Of these, about 90 per cent are Thai and 10 per cent foreigners. The vast majority are from Bangkok

and the surrounding provinces, with the remaining 20 per cent from other places nationwide.

He’s seen a 10 per cent rise each year in customers, who are aged anywhere between 22 and 70. His ‘I Like Date’ company has some 80 clients in Phuket, with a 60:40 female-to-male ratio. They usually have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, and work in secure jobs with a monthly salary over B10,000.

I Like Date offers three packages, depending on how many dates you want. The cost for one date is B5,500. If you want to hedge your bets, then three dates cost B12,000, while a year of unlimited dating will set you back B25,000.

For the three-dates package, dates must be spaced three months apart.

Bangkok Matching, meanwhile, charges from B6,800 per date to B350,000 for a lifetime’s worth (should you need that many). The process consists of an interview with the matchmaker, provision of documents, verification of documents and payment.

All in all, the process takes around two weeks.

Demand is constant, according to Bangkok Matching’s Khun Bee, who says “Even during floods or Bangkok’s political problems, we still had customers contacting us to help them meet their match.”

FIND A FOREIGNER

AJ Reviere, public relations manager of “Meet Farang”, told The Phuket News that their customers are “around 50 per cent from Bangkok and surrounding provinces, and 50 per cent from provinces nationwide.” As the name suggests, they cater exclusively to Thai women looking for foreign men.

According to Reviere, they have a database of more more than 1 million foreign men from countries worldwide, the result of a joint venture with a similar matchmaking company in Hong Kong. The company’s other matchmaking service, MeetNLunch, which opened in 2006, caters to Thais only.

According to Reviere, “The selling points of Meet Farang are safety and convenience, because even if some of our customers are famous people, we still keep their information completely confidential.

Also, if a Thai customer is not completely confident with their English abilities, our matchmaker team will help support them by translating, or composing an email, depending on the needs of the customer.”

MACHINATIONS OF THE HEART So how does matchmaking work? The first step is to arrange an initial interview

by phone, before meeting in person with the matchmaker to discuss your background and personal information, including what you are looking for in a mate.

It then takes around three weeks for the matchmaking company to verify if you have a criminal record, and to process your profile through the system.

Once your profile is approved, you then pay for your package, before matchmaker analysis helps find someone of a similar lifestyle, attitude and qualifications – hopefully your dream mate. Once a match is made, profiles are sent to both parties for their consideration, and a date is then made.

Dr Date told The Phuket News, “We usually have an initial matching success of around 80 per cent, which means people seeing each other’s profiles and agreeing to a first date. However, despite initial success, some couples fail to establish a long-term relationship, and make use of our company again.”

The good doctor tells us about a recent success story: “A couple that we helped introduce fell in love immediately after a first date.

Aged 35, the Thai man is a business owner in Phuket, while the 29-year-old woman lives in Bangkok. Both of them

I Like Date is obviously going from strength to strength, with its matchmaking business having expanded via franchises to six branches in Hua Hin, Chonburi, Ayutthaya and elsewhere.

Dr Date, meanwhile, has been contacted by an individual in Phuket about opening a local branch, which is now being considered by the company. He says it is highly likely it will begin operation later in 2012.

The cost of a franchise operation starts at B350,000, a fee that includes a website that supports eight languages, has a database of customers worldwide, and a system for support marketing. In addition to its franchises, I Like Date has even opened a college for anyone interested in being a matchmaker.

Established in 2010, the Matchmaking College offers two programmes: basic and advanced matchmaker. Two days’ training costs B25,000.

According to Dr Date, to succeed as a matchmaker you must have a passion for love and beauty, as well as be strongly interested in helping others. The course is taught by professional matchmakers with more than four years’ experience, and you receive a certificate upon graduation.

“We have already proposed our course to the Ministry of Education for approval, and are waiting for acceptance because this course is brand new in Thailand,” explains Dr Date. He goes on to say that, as a professional matchmaker, you can eventually expect to make anywhere up to B2 million per year.

Khun Nikki of MeetNLunch and Meet Farang, told The Phuket News, “The annual income of a matchmaker at managerial level could be more than B1 million.”

While the riches on offer undoubtedly make it an attractive business to go into, all of the matchmakers interviewed confirmed that they still believe their role is just to help you find your destiny that little bit sooner than you would have on your own.

After all, as War and Peace sang “We all need someone to love.”

–Apinya Saksri

thephuketnews.com

12 BUSINESS/TOURISM

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

BUSINESS

On the block Dubai’s Kingdom Hotel Investments puts Mövenpick Resort up for sale > 14

business@thephuketnews.com

Unregistered hotels ‘bad for tourism’ Two thirds of Bangkok hotels selling rooms over the Internet are not registered with the Thai authorities, according to the Thai Hotels Association (THA).

THA vice president Sura­ pong Techauvichit said that hotels that failed to comply with the nation’s hospitality laws are potential hazards and deter hotel investment.

He was speaking at a joint THA and Association of Thai Travel Agents meeting on Monday.

Hotels in Thailand are ob­ liged to be registered with the Department of Provincial Administration (DPA), which is part of the Ministry of Interior.

“The association conducted an investigation into Bangkok hotels and we discovered 532 hotels, representing 84,534 rooms, were active on the internet,” said Mr Surapong.

“We checked this with the registrar at the Department of Provincial Administration and found that 353 hotels with 34,803 rooms had failed to register,” he added.

He said registration had a direct impact on quality of services, security, fire hazard checks and other safety aspects.

What raised suspicions was a contradiction in statistics.

Thailand attracted 19 mil­ lion tourist arrivals last year, up 19.84 per cent from 2010.

But the increase in tourist arrivals did not correspond with the increase in overall hotel occupancy last year. That was up by only 12.45 points.

“The increase in tourist ar­ rivals did not deliver improve­ ments for [registered] hotels,” said Mr Surapong. “We have to assume that more travellers are staying in unregistered hotels.”

–TTR Weekly

Global hotel deals ‘will match 2011 volume’

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels (JLLH) is predicting that global hotel transaction vol­ ume will hold steady in 2012 to equal or exceed the US$31 billion (B960 billion) in deals done last year.

In its annual publication, Hotel Investment Outlook 2012, JLLH notes that global hotel investment volumes surged impressively in the first half of 2011, with real estate invest­ ment trusts (REITs) leading the way and signs of debt market revival encouraging activity.

Economic uncertainty in the second half of the year caused momentum to falter, the report noted, though deals con­ tinued, especially in the United States, reaching US$31 billion worldwide, an increase of 17 per cent over 2010 volume.

“In Asia Pacific, bullish enthusiasm took hold of the investment landscape for the re­ gion,” JLLH noted in launching the report. “Hotel transaction volume across Asia-Pacific is projected to reach US$5 billion [B155 billion] in 2012, a level similar to 2011.”

Mike Batchelor, JLLH Managing Director Investment Sales Asia, noted, “Follow­ ing a V-shaped recovery in 2010, growth in Asia-Pacific economies moderated through 2011 and is projected to con­ tinue to do so in 2012.

“Strong domestic econ­ omies are also resulting in emerging sources of capital with offshore hotel investments being made by players from China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.”

He added, “Asian investors

Thanyapura hires director of business development

The Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket, one of the more significant hotel sales in recent times. have invested a total of US$7.5 billion [B233 billion] in global hotel real estate since 2009, accounting for 26 per cent of total cross border investments and the highest proportion for any source region. This trend is likely to gain pace in 2012 as more groups look to deploy capital offshore to take advantage of displaced global hotel markets”.

Activity in Thailand is projected to increase as some countercyclical buying oppor­ tunities emerge, JLLH predicts.

“The political environment is more stable and trading is expected to rebound over the next 12 to 18 months, not­ withstanding the impact of the recent flooding disaster

in Bangkok.

“As in Hong Kong and Singapore, some offshore and long-term Thai owners are looking to redeploy funds elsewhere. Vietnam will see some activity, though inflation­ ary challenges make it a hard proposition for international investors and the market will continue to be dominated by domestic players.

“The fundamentals are good but further investment in infrastructure is needed to support the strong economic growth that has been evident in recent years.”

In the past two years, JLLH has completed several high-profile transactions in Thailand including the Laguna Beach Resort Phuket, Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket, Baan Taling Ngam Samui and the Sofitel Silom Bangkok.

Mr Batchelor said, “So far, the dislocation in the finan­ cial markets has not impacted underlying trading funda­ mentals in Thailand. This has reassured investors to a certain degree and has underscored the attractiveness of high-quality income-producing hotel real estate as an asset class.”

He added, “Constraint will be driven by illiquid mar­ kets and the shrinking capac­ ity of international banks to lend significant sources of new money.

“Still, the market in Asia will be flush with equity capi­ tal that will come into play.

We expect single asset sales across the gateway markets of Bangkok, Phuket, and Pat­ taya to be the main centres of activity, following a similar pattern in 2011.”

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Thanyapura has appointed Sirima Rojprasitporn as Direc­ tor of Business Development.

Ms Sirima has a long his­ tory in the luxury hospitality industry, having worked at hotels including Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor in Siem Reap, the Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh, the Kandooma Resort in the Maldives and others in Bangkok such as the Millennium Hilton, The Pen­ insula and The Metropolitan.

She was educated in Lausanne, Switzerland, and at the University of New Haven, Connecticut.

Her new role will include building up the brand’s hotel and resort offerings while look­ ing for prestigious sporting and lifestyle companies to bolster the Thanyapura vision of “a unique total health approach to wellness and fitness”.

Frei confirmed as GM of new Khao Lak resort Kata Group Resor ts has confirmed the appointment of Robert Frei as General Manager of its new Beyond Resort Khaolak.

Mr Frei began his career in hospitality as Executive Chef for Amari Group in Pat­ taya in 1986, before moving into a Director role at Indigo Pearl Phuket, where he stayed for 14 years.

In recent years, he has worked as General Man­ ager for Rawi Warin Resort Koh Lanta and Takolaburi Resort Khaolak.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Laguna ‘80pc ready’ for giant mice group Laguna Phuket has confirmed that it is “80 per cent ready” to host Phuket’s biggest ever conference – 16,000 Amway members from China – in April and May this year.

Phakwiphoo Tanpradit, the Laguna manager handling the project, gave a meeting at Provincial Hall on February 1 details of how the conference will be organised.

The 16,000 Chinese will not all arrive at once; they will arrive in groups of 600 to 700 a time between April 15 and May 14, staying four nights in the Laguna complex to attend meetings, tour the island and enjoy a gala dinner.

The hotels in the complex will be packed, with delegates staying at the Angsana Laguna Phuket, the Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket and the Laguna Beach Resort. Amway VIPs will stay at the Banyan Tree Phuket and support staff at the Laguna Holiday Club Resort and Best Western Allamanda.

The Laguna complex will be laying on 21 gala dinners during the month, each for 700 to 900 people. The dinners, in the marquee at the Y junction in Laguna, will have a Taiwanese theme because that country will host next year’s Amway China conference.

The dinners will feature

THE NEXT THREAT

Travel industry warned to watch Iran

Phakwiphoo Tanpradit, the Laguna project manager handling the Amway conference. entertainment on a “floating stage” designed by a Taiwanese company, which will be installed specially for the Amway event.

Ms Phakwiphoo noted one problem, a shortage of Mandarin-speaking staff in Phuket. “We have contacted Prince of Songkhla University and will get students to help us, but we still need more,” she said.

To speed the entry of the delegates into Phuket, a special MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) lane will be set up in the Immigration hall at Phuket International Airport.

Insurer takes big hit from Thailand, NZ Thailand’s f loods and the earthquakes in New Zealand contributed to a fourth-quarter net loss of between US$200 million and US$250 million (B6-7.5 billion), giant Swiss insurer Zurich Financial Services (ZFS) said on February 2.

A specific estimate is to be included in the annual results for 2011 due to be released next Thursday (February 16), the company said in a statement.

“Given the exceptional frequency and overall severity of catastrophes and significant weather-related loss events

BUSINESS/TOURISM 13

throughout 2011 – including the events mentioned above – cumulative losses have triggered the group’s global aggregate catastrophe reinsurance cover with additional recoveries of US$130 million, ZFS said.

In November the Swiss insurer posted a 64-per cent jump in third-quarter net profit to US$1.2 billion (B36 billion), despite what it described as “the worst catastrophe year” since 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated the east coast of the US. –AFP

A prominent Thai economics professor has alerted the Thai tourism industry to the potential impact of an Israeli attack on Iran, including high oil prices and the dangers of a wider conflict, Travel Impact Newswire reported on January 31.

Addressing the joint annual meeting of the Thai Hotels Association (THA) and the Association of Thai Travel Agents on January 30, Associate Professor Dr Somchai Pakapaswiwat, who also advises the Government via the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), analysed how an attack on Iran would pan out, including the possibility that it might expand into a wider war involving the United States, China and Saudi Arabia.

It is the first time that the tourism industry has been warned directly to be prepared for the business impact of a potentially catastrophic geopolitical crisis.

It also answered in advance the question posed by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in its marketing pitch for an upcoming series of

seminars entitled “Are you ready for the next crisis?”

Fears were raised by a lengthy article in the New York Times headlined “Will Israel Attack Iran?”

In it, writer Ronen Bergman, a political analyst with the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, concluded: “After speaking to many senior Israeli leaders and chiefs of the military and the intelligence, I have come to believe that Israel will strike Iran in 2012.”

Although some commentators have said they see the article as an indirect message from the Israeli government to the White House, putting pressure on the Obama government to step up its pressure on Iran, others, including Dr Somchai, clearly take it seriously.

Speaking at the Thai tourism forum, Prof Somchai made his Isreal-Iran comments within the broader context of three other problems affecting the Thai tourism industry – the after-effects of the recent flooding crisis, travel advisories issued by a number of countries following

the arrest of a terrorist suspect and the Eurozone economic downturn.

Without offering any judgments himself, Prof Somchai discussed the implications of a closure of the Straits of Hormuz and the impact high oil prices would have on the global economy, leaving it for the tour operators and hoteliers to consider the damage it would have on their businesses.

Asked if the industry should mount a preventive protest against what would be a clearly man-made and still avoidable crisis, a THA official said, “What can we do? It’s out of our hands.

“Of course, we hope that they will not do anything that will create more trouble for all of us.”

Prof Somchai’s remarks will put pressure on local, regional and international travel organisations to shift their focus to pre-crisis preventive strategies rather than post-crisis convalescence and recuperation.

–Travel Impact Newswire and TTR Weekly

PM: Tourism will prosper Tourism will prosper this year, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra told travel representatives on January 30, but she warned that competition would be tough in the lead-up to the adoption of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015.

She opened the Federation of Thai Tourism Associations’ seminar on the government policy towards Thailand’s tourism industry saying the country welcomed 19.09 million tourists in 2011 and generated B730 billion in revenue, despite past political discord and floods.

“In the near future, tourism will face fierce competition that will require cooperation from all parties and a clear strategy to develop the industry to usher in the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, as well as to revive tourist confidence in the country.”

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra: World Economic Forum will be ‘a vital opportunity to boost tourism revenue’.

Identifying Thailand’s role as a gateway to the Mekong Region, she urged tour operators to tap emerging markets such as India, identifying the lucrative wedding package segment as a place to start.

She urged federation members to look at the wider picture, the arrival of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 and events that they could tap to improve tourism revenue outside of the travel sector.

“Thailand will host the second World Economic Forum, 30 May to 1 June in Bangkok, which is a vital opportunity to boost tourism revenue and negotiate on behalf of tourism, due to the presence of business leaders,” she told the seminar.

She confirmed the importance of domestic tourism in the post-flood recovery phase, adding that provincial governors had been encouraged to highlight tourism and raise competitiveness while creating more travel products.

Government priorities in relation to tourism include developing transport networks, such as rail and road networks, restoring historical tourist attractions and infrastructure, resolving water management system problems and establishing funds to support community tourism. –TTR Weekly

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14 BUSINESS/PROPERTY

THE PHUKET NEWS

OFFERS?

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Saudi billionaire puts Mövenpick resort up for sale The 362-room Mövenpick Resort & Spa in Karon is up for sale, one of several hotels in Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s property portfolio that have been put on the block in recent months.

Nihat Ercan of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels in Singapore, which is handling the sale, told The Phuket News, “There is no asking price as such. The market will determine where the price will be.

“But we expect it to be at least B3.2 billion.

“This is one of Phuket’s landmark resorts. It’s on

Phuket’s second-best-known beach, it is highly accessible and it has significant land holdings.”

In the last quarter of 2011, Prince Alwaleed’s Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI) sold off its stakes in the Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta and the Mövenpick Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

Those sales put US$93 million (B2.8 billion) into the KHI coffers, and the sale of the Mövenpick in Karon should add a much more significant lump to the company’s cash holdings.

The Saudi newspaper Arab News quoted the Prince as saying, “These transactions mark yet another step for KHI towards the realisation of the value of its investments.”

Sarmad Zok, chairman and CEO of Dubai-based KHI, and a board member of parent company, Kingdom Holding Co, was quoted by the newspaper as saying, “We are delighted to realise value from our investments.

“Whereas M&A transaction volumes have been thin globally, KHI’s active monetisation program is a testimony to the

The Mövenpick Resort, sold twice in the past eight years, and about to be sold again. quality of its assets and team execution.”

Neither mentioned that KHI has been hit by the “Arab Spring” revolutions across the Middle East.

In the fourth quarter of 2011, according to financial news service Bloomberg, profit declined 20 per cent, falling to US$50 million (B1.5 billion) from US$63 million (B1.89 billion) a year earlier.

Local commentator Bill

Barnett, in his blog, The Phu­ket Insider, said, “JLLH … have said they are receiving a high level of interest in the resort.”

The resort began life as the Karon Villa and Royal Wing, owned by the Vanich family. I In December 2003 it was sold to LaSalle Investment Management, which spent US$20 million (B600 million) on an extensive makeover.

InterContinental brand subsidiary Crowne Plaza was

contracted to run the property.

KHI bought the resort in May 2006 for US$98.5 million (at the time about B3.7 billion), assigning Mövenpick to manage the property.

Although the expected minimum price this time is lower than the B3.7 billion KHI paid for the resort, KHI will have already made significant gains from the villas and apartments it built at the resort and sold to private buyers.

Amazingly superior Thailand By

Scott Gorsuch Design Matters

T

Brand ambassador Stamp Aphiwat plays for dCondo buyers.

dCondo 2 sells out All 653 condos at the dCondo Kathu-Patong project were booked on the first day of a three-day pre-sale period at the end of January.

DCondo Kathu-Patong is the second project launched in Phuket by Bangkok property giant Sansiri. The first project sold in October in just three hours.

PR Manager Kamonwan Thansri told The Phuket News, “It took longer for the second project to be booked out because the units are a bit

thephuketnews.com

more expensive [than the first project].” The condominiums are in three eight-storey buildings, with a total sale value of B800 million, and designed with first-time Thai home buyers firmly in mind.

As a thank-you to buyers, Sansiri staged an informal concert for buyers, featuring the company’s brand ambassador, pop singer Apiwat “Stamp” Eur thavor nsuk.

About 60 buyers enjoyed the show and having their pictures taken with the star.

hey are running the “Amazing Thailand” ad campaign again.

Expats tend to use the term facetiously, generally in reference to some perceived fault or failure of the country to live up the expatriate’s expectations.

One wonders why they choose to live here, given their chronic level of disappointment.

Maybe they forgot to check before they moved here to see that this isn’t Europe.

Personally, I am amazed by many things in Thailand that are in fact better than their counterparts in the West.

Access to world-class medical care, affordable urban hotels and easy regional air travel are among many examples.

Of course one may have to leave one’s bar stool in Rawai or Cherng Talay to take advantage of what the country has to offer; the capital, for example, provides an amazing assortment of delights and it’s one hour and ten minutes’ flying time from Phuket.

Access to information resources may not seem like a strength in a developing country, but when it comes to design resources, Thailand truly amazes. Bangkok’s TCDC – the Thailand Creative Design Center – is a resource for designers that is far superior to anything I have seen in New York or London.

The extensive library at the TCDC hold some 25,000 volumes on all aspects of design.

The TCDC consists of a multitude of knowledge technologies, all under one roof.

The central feature is the design library, which houses some 25,000 volumes on every aspect of design from architecture to product design to graphic arts.

The periodicals collection contains hundreds of titles, so you can browse your favorite interior design magazine from Holland or architecture journal from Canada without splurging B550 at the airport newsstand.

There are collections of film, music, and digital media, all of which you can enjoy in soundproof media rooms.

An extraordinary resource is the Materials Connexion, literally a library of innovative materials that are available in Thailand and are just waiting for you, the clever designer or inventor, to use in some new creative way.

Lightweight fabricated metals, high-tech fabrics, polymers,

insulators, structural glass, green building elements – you name it, it’s there. Whatever your insoluble dilemma, the product solution is to be found here. Amazing.

But wait, design mavens!

That’s not all. International experts from all areas of d esign, media, art, communications, technology, planning, and creativity present regular lectures and symposia – Tyler Brûlé, founder of Wallpaper and Monocle magazines, spoke last week.

The state of the art gallery space hosts both a permanent exhibit, titled “What is Design”, and curated special interest exhibits that change every two months. Recent displays covered Japanese bamboo construction and contemporary industrial methods for producing distressed denim (who knew?).

Documentary films play continuously in the entry

lounge, the coffee bar and epicurean food counter are the grooviest in Bangkok, and there is live jazz on weekends.

The TCDC is sponsored by the Thai gover nment with support from private industry. The coffee bar, exhibits, and jazz concerts are open to the public.

Use of the library and related resources requires payment of a nominal membership fee, and is open to Thai nationals and foreigners holding a valid work permit.

The Thailand Creative Design Center is on the 6th floor of the Emporium Shopping Center. Reach it via the Phom Phrong BTS station. Then take the escalator to the cinemas and turn right.

Scott Gorsuch is Principal, Leisure Design Group, a Phuket based design development and project management company. He can be reached at sg@leisuredesigngroup.com

16 ART

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

CULTURE

BIG LIST: Insane inventions > 22

culture@thephuketnews.com

Staying in shape

“I was wandering around Central Festival with my wife, and as she was interested in the slimming shops, we went into a couple of them to check out what they did and the cost.

“In one I saw this young lad totally engrossed and concentrating on playing his electronic game as he waited for his mother, who was prob-

ably shedding a few ounces in another room. Apart from admiring his intensity, I was struck by the sheer starkness of the room and furniture, contrasted against this boy’s bright yellow tank top. “The electronics age was well upon this lad, who didn’t seem to mind mum was leaving him alone to amuse himself.”

–Gerry Cummings

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Floating with wolves T

he bed on the f loor on which I am laying starts to gently vibrate from deep sounds rising from speakers placed under the thin mattress.

Immediately my body relaxes in response to the modulating music coming through the wire from a laptop at the corner of the room.

While I am effectively floating bodyless in this otherworldly soundscape, the wail of a “floating” didgeridoo is heard over my head, in one ear then the other. Noisy Patong mercifully fades away.

Christopher of the Wolves, a visiting street performer and alternative musician, has just set up a room for this vibroacoustic therapy that usually continues for between 60 to 90 minutes, in his house near the Patong mosque.

While his friends and acquaintances undergo this stress-reducing and gentle therapeutic sound treatment, designed to help the body’s cells realign themselves to become healthier, Christopher plays the didgeridoo and the weird flying-saucer-shaped steel Hang drums.

As a Reiki master, Christopher also channels natural forces to the patient without

thephuketnews.com

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

needing to touch them. He gives these sessions in return for donations.

Originally from Seattle, Christopher says his studio there is stacked with 20 traditional instruments collected from around the world, all of which the musician can play and can use in his performances.

For example, he played

hands, are a Swiss invention.

Like the ringing Tibetan brass bowls, didgeridoo, sitar and Indonesian gamelan, the sounds from the steel drum take you easily to a deeper level of existence.

–Norachai Thavisin

Veerachan Usahanun:

Christopher: 087-8919409, christopherotw@gmail. com; trancevision.com

Wua Gallery and Studio:

the didgeridoo of the Australian Aborigines at the opening of the recent Phuket Art Festival. He makes his sounds wherever he is asked in the world or just in the street, to share his belief in the healing properties of his music-making.

The two Hang drums, that resonate deep unearthly notes when tapped with fingers and

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.

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

THE PHUKET NEWS

PEOPLE 17

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Seeding the future The multinational grouping includes members from more than nine countries.

The Seed of Cherngtalay Church is an impressive sight in the north of the island.

Hidden down the end of a small soi in Cherng Talay is one of the biggest Christian churches on the island.

Ever y Sunday at The Seed of Cherngtalay Church, bilingual services are held for around 400 church members, a congregation that includes Thais and foreigners alike, including an entire service in English.

Pastor Thikhun “Yai” Phapsaneh and his wife Goong moved from Bangkok to Phuket around 11 years ago.

But the couple – who were so used to having a church in their lives – found none in Cherng Talay. Back then the roads were in bad shape, and the couple had to travel a long way to attend a service.

So instead they began inviting people to their home – the very first service a decade ago

and he’s very humble too – he was a successful businessman before was a pastor.”

“Everyone is from different backgrounds and we come together in unity. I want all the foreigners in Phuket to feel very welcome here,” says Pastor Yai. The church in non denominational, and everyone is welcome. Anyone who is unsure of the location or wants more information can contact Pastor Yai directly.

consisted of just four people in their living room. Word of mouth quickly spread though, and the next thing they knew there were 40 people crammed into their house.

Yai and his wife realised that they needed to build a church, and so constructed a small building in front of their house for the members, who had reached numbers of around 150 by this point.

Four years ago, they built the large church that is visible today. Its popularity continues to soar: around 500 people attended the December 2011 Christmas Day service – one of their biggest ever attendances.

As the number of tourists and foreign residents grew in Phuket, increasing numbers of English speakers were attending the church, so Pastor Yai began translating the service,

with help from his wife, for English speakers who would listen using headphones.

Then about a year and a half ago, they decided to start holding weekly two-hour services in English. More than 30 people attend, a multinational group that includes members from Algeria, Philippines, Malaysia, India, Nigeria, Finland and the Ukraine.

Member David Orlow, from Oregon in the United States, is also involved in the church, and fills in for Pastor Yai when he is away.

“When I moved to Phuket I wanted to help out in any way I could,” says Mr Orlow, who has been a church leader for the last 20 years.

“I’ve been to a lot of churches around Asia, and this one just felt like home. With Pastor Yai, there’s an energy,

EVERYDAY PEOPLE

Nirut Tangasem, Andaman Times editor, has lived in Phang Nga for eight years.

The Seed Church, 48/67 Moo 4, Soi Pasak 8, Cherngtalay, Thalang, 076 -274975, yai_k@hotmail.com; cicphuket.blogspot.com.

Sunday services 10.30am (Thai), 2pm (English) and 7.30pm (Thai). A Saturday evening Thai service is also held in Phuket Town.

Goong, far left, with Yai Thikhun and David Orlow.

Snake toddy and tourists Nirut Tangasem, the editor of the Andaman Times, did not have far to come to attend the promotional brunch buffet put on by Maikhao Dream Resort and Spa on the pristine Natai Beach in Phang Nga province, not far north of the Sarasin Bridge.

He also runs some beach bungalows and camp site along the beach, just south of the busy luxury resort.

For our attention, a snake had been killed and pickled in alcohol and herbs, and whisky-coloured brew was available for at the cocktail bar for any guests brave enough to drink toddies of it.

Mr Nir ut is of course just such a brave person and tells all the claimed virile benefits of the potion.

As owner and editor of the monthly newspaper, paid for by advertising and freely distributed in Phang Nga, Mr Nirut has been at it for some three years.

The province is home territory for him as he has lived there for more than eight years.

From the balcony of the resort, fully-booked by Korean, Chinese and Russian tourists for the Chinese New Year week, Mr Nirut surveys the evening vista of the fa-

miliar sea, painted deep-red now by the setting sun.

He reminisces about how the nearby Khao Lak area has become over the years almost a German enclave, a real favourite with visitors from that country who appreciate the unspoiled natural peace of the national park area, and the long empty beach stretching out in either directions on the coast.

He is happy continuing to edit his newspaper, which helps to promote this part of the world that he loves to sun-seekers and nature-lovers from far and wide.

–Norachai Thavisin

thephuketnews.com

18 HEALTH

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

’Ave an ava – a top snack RAW TRUTH

Dr Richard Cracknell

Popular health myths warn against eating avocados, which wrongly labels them as a dietary problem because of their calorie and fat content.

Yet, the truth is that as well as tasting great, avocados can boost your health. Here’s why:

PROTEIN

• Avocados provide all 18 essential amino acids necessary for the body to form a complete protein.

• Avocado protein is readily absorbed by the body, along with fibre.

BENEFICIAL FATS

• Avocados provide the healthy kind of fat that your body needs.

• Avocados boost levels of HDL (‘good’ cholesterol).

HDL cholesterol can help protect against the damage caused by free radicals. This type of cholesterol also helps regulate triglyceride levels, preventing diabetes.

no dents in its skin and will feel slightly soft when squeezed.

You can also buy unripe avocados, which feel very hard when gripped, and let them ripen at home. The portion of the avocado closest to the skin is the most dense in nutrients, so be sure to scrape the skin clean before discarding it.

Bon appetit!

CAROTENOIDS

• Avocados are an excellent source of carotenoids (provitamin A) and phytonutrients.

• Every time you consume foods rich in carotenoids, you deliver high quality vitamin A to your body, thereby protecting eye health.

• Carotenoids also enhance the functioning of the immune system and promote healthy functioning of the reproductive system.

• Since carotenoids are fat soluble, eating avocados optimises the absorption of these nutrients.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

• The combined effect of the nutrients contained in avo-

Dr Richard Cracknell ND, PhD is a Traditional Naturopath. He runs the Living Avocado is a healthy snack. –Photo by Dalibor Bosits.

Food Cafe (Phuket’s only raw cados offers powerful anti- HEART HEALTH vegan restaurant), Nai Harn inflammatory benefits.

• The fat content provides pro- Beach, Rawai, 076 388 638; tection against heart diseases. livingfoodcafe.com • Avocados’ unique combination of Vitamins C and E, • Studies have shown that oleic acid improves cardiovascular The opinions and advice carotenoids, selenium, zinc, health. Oleic acid is the pri- contained in this column phytosterols and omega-3 mary fatty acid in Avocados. are those of the author only. fatty acids helps guard against The Phuket News is not reinflammation.

To get the most nutritional sponsible for the outcome • Avocados can help prevent value from avocados, avoid or results of following any or ease both osteo- and rheu- those which have become over- advice in any given situation. matoid arthritis. ripe. A ripe avocado should have

Double or nothing...

White-collar workers who spend 11 hours or more at work faced double the risk of depression as those who worked seven to eight hours a day, according to a British study published last week.

The research, published in the open-access science jou r nal PLoS ON E, fol lowe d mor e than 2,100 civil servants – who had no previous depressive episodes or psychological risk factors – for an average of nearly six years.

Those who worked longer days than average were 2.3 to 2.5 times more likely to have a major depressive episode, said the study led by Marianna Virtanen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and University College London.

EDUCATION

Hilton Phuket’s spirit of giving

HAPPY FEET: Students at Kajonkiet International School Phuket (KISP) in the after-school tap-dancing club. From Monday to Thursday, after school, KISP students can join up to two clubs in: sports, arts and literature, including Thai literature, rhyme and games, football club (home of The Eagles), badminton, basketball, art and craft, performing arts, dancing and of course tap-dancing.

In the spirit of giving back to the community, Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa team members visited children at Koh Lone Island school on January 27, volunteering their services at the school.

“At Hilton Phuket, we are committed to doing our part for the community and this activity has given us the perfect opportunity to enrich the lives of the children at Koh Lone Island School,” says Andre A. Gomez, General Manager, Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa. A total of 35 team members from the hotel spent the day painting the onestorey classroom, cutting the grass, repairing the children’s playground and cleaning the school’s canteen.

From left, repairing the children’s playground equipment, Koh Lone school students.

Donations of school uniforms, books and stationary from the hotel were also well-received by the school children. To round up the day’s activities, team members interacted with 19 students from the school through a series of games and activities created

by Hilton Phuket’s training

department.

Located 20-minutes away by boat from the southeast island of Phuket, Koh Lone Island is the second largest island in Phuket province.

It is also known as Koh Lohn or Lon Island, and is mainly populated by friendly Muslim communities that

make a living from fishing, rubber tree plantations and coconut plantations.

With the small population of 200 people, there is only one government school available on the island. The school has three teachers and the total of 19 students from Grade 1 till Grade 6.

What’s in a face?

World-renowned psychologist Dr Paul Ekman gave a free lecture on Thursday (February 2) to an audience of 130 people on the topic “Emotional Intelligence and Education: Reading faces, recognising feeling and revealing lies” at The View, Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club.

Dr Ekman has been a pioneer in the study of emotions and their relation to facial expressions, and is widely considered to be one of the 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century.

He visited Thanyapura to share his research into the

thephuketnews.com

Psychologist Dr Paul Ekman. critical life skill of emotional intelligence, including recognising and better managing our own emotions as well as reading other people’s.

HELPING HAND: Staff from Amari Coral Beach Phuket visited Baan Kalim School in Patong recently to give funding assistance to underprivileged children as part of their “Baht for better life” programme. The charity project is managed by ONYX Hospitality Group (onyx-hospitality.com/social-responsibility.html) to help school children in Thailand.

THE PHUKET NEWS

MOTORING 19

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

On the road again

Phuket’s Classic Car Club has been running for around five years , as a way for car enthusiasts to meet up, share experiences, and give their cars a good run out.

Group leader Narindet “Tar” Changdee says there are around 40 classic car owners associated with the Phuket car group.

All the owner’s cars are bought in Thailand, because import tax is very high. The club has Thailand’s biggest selection of classic cars for sale on the group’s website, with 29 currently being advertised.

Mr Narindet says the cheapest car is B78,000, up to B13.8 million.

“Our definition of classic cars is very comprehensive, including not only vintage cars but also collectibles of the 1970s, 80s and today – as long as they are original and not ‘upgraded’ with aftermarket body kits.

“So we welcome a genuine 70s Celica as much as a 50s Silver Cloud, as well as an affordable ‘youngtimer’ like a 70s Corolla – so long as they are in good and original condition.

“But they can also be younger, if they are exotic

Above and far right, Classic Car Club members. Top right, Narindet “Tar” Changdee. enough, like the Lotus that was part of our rally.”

Mr Narindet said that the car club came about from the members wanting a way they were able to show their car off as well as drive it, rather than just have it on display outside a hotel or temple.

“For us, driving is the fun part,” he says.

Because the car club was established in the name of fun, there are no charges involved.

On January 22, Classic Car Club Phuket organised its first ever classic car rally – the Phuket Classic Car Trophy 2012.

Cars involved included a

1955 MGA Roadster, 1963 MG Midget Roadster, Mercedes 200 Fintail Sedan, 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, Mercedes 280 S Sedan, 1977 Toyota Landcruiser, 1980 Jaguar XJ Sedan, 2008 Lotus Exige and Mr Narindet’s own car, a 1979 Nissan Skyline 2000GT. The rally started at the Sri Supphaluck Orchid shop on Thepkrasattri Rd, next to the Heroines Monument, and the rally involved a 65 kilometre drive around the northern part of Phuket.

“The route was mainly on small and quiet roads, without much traffic. But there were lots of bends to increase

Adopt a dog

Meet Dton Khao, who was dumped at the Soi Dog shelter in July last year.

She’s around 18 months old and has the sweetest, friendly nature.

She loves to play “fetch” with a ball and can often be seen playing with staff and volunteers. This little girl would be perfect for a family with children and we’d love to see her find the perfect home. She sterilised, fully vaccinated and gets on well with other dogs. If you can offer her a good home, 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.

the fun,” he said.

The group had a lunch break at Ao Po Grand Marina, before finishing at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club.

The winner, Dr. Suchon Jittanonta, a Thai collector living in Phuket, was driving a 1963 Mercedes 200 Fintail.

His daughter, Atiporn, was his able co-pilot.

While a car rally is often about getting to the finish point as fast as possible, the Phuket rally was more of a scavenger hunt, with various activities and challenges held along the way.

Questions included what the name of a particular island

was, or the model name of a 40-year-old car wreck parked outside someone’s house.

There were also driving skills tests such as reversing as close as possible without touching a marker, or driving exactly one metre with closed eyes.

“Once we get more members, we plan to hold activities for the public, such as a classic car show.

“We also think car rallies and car shows are a new and interesting focus for Phuket,

because it ca n promote Phuket’s cultural diversity.

“It could also work in conjunction with promoting Phuket’s Old Town, because the old town and old cars is a good combination.

“We are still a small private group of car lovers, but we would love to have bigger events in the future.”

Classic Car Club Phuket: email classiccarclubphuket@ hotmail.com or visit the website: classiccarclubphuket.com

Pet of the Week

This beautiful Chihuahua called Nacho is five months old.

He belongs to Adriana and Paul who live in Thalang.

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

thephuketnews.com

20 KIDS PAGE

THE PHUKET NEWS

COLOURING CONTEST

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

E

ach week, colour the picture, have a photo taken with the finished work, and email it to editor@ thephuketnews.com, just like our Australian General Manager Jason Beavan recently did!

T h e bes t wor k s will be published in two weeks’ time in the February 24 paper, while the best colouring-in entries from last week (Feb 3) will be revealed in the February 17 paper, so look out for that!

Thanks to everyone who has entered so far, including all the children at Darasamuth Phuket School, Kajonkietsuksa School, British International School Phuket, Phuket International Academy, and the Coconut Club.

Plea se keep the entries coming in, remembering to write your name, age and school on your work. Good luck!

mail@ sophieillustration.co.uk

thephuketnews.com

TIME OUT 21

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

THE PHUKET NEWS BOOK

MUSIC

FILM Man on a Ledge 102 minutes Rating: 15+

Director: Asgar Leth Starring: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris

The End of Money Old Ideas

By David Wolfman Da Capo, 240 pages

Leonard Cohen Columbia

Since the birth of civilisation, money has meant tangible pieces of metal or paper.

But as that changes, David Wolman sets out to investigate the future of money.

He begins his journey by deciding to shun cash for an entire year, before venturing forth to find people and technologies that illuminate the road ahead.

In Honolulu, he meets Bernard von NotHaus, a convicted counterfeiter and alternativecurrency evangelist. In Tokyo, he sneaks a peek at the latest anti-counterfeiting wizardry. In a downtrodden Oregon town, he mingles with obsessive coin collectors, and in rural Georgia, he examines why some people feel the end of cash is Armageddon’s warm-up act.

After stops at London’s Digital Money Forum and Iceland’s central bank, Wolman flies to Delhi, where he sees how cash penalises the poor – and how mobile technologies promise to change that.

It doesn’t seem possible, but Leonard Cohen’s voice sounds even deeper, darker, and more foreboding than ever on Old Ideas, his 12th studio album in 44 years – and his first in just over eight.

Not unexpectedly, the 10 new compositions deal with subjects that have become his stock in trade – the quandaries of human existence, issues of love, relationships, sexuality, loss and death. Consequently, many of his tracks capture a resounding sense of defeat and disappointment.

The mellow opening number ‘Going Home’ sees him standing back and analysing himself as a writer and performer: “I love to speak with Leonard/He’s a sportsman and a shepherd/He’s a lazy bastard living in a suit.”

But his works are by no means lazy – instead they are deep, highly introspective works that are nothing short of poetic genius. Cohen may have old ideas, but they’re still good ones.

With a title about as subtle as 2006’s Snakes on a Plane, there are absolutely no prizes for guessing what this film is about.

Unfortunately, while snakes and planes have some value as content for mindless thrillers, men and ledges simply do not.

The film centres on escaped convict Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), who resurfaces in an expensive Manhattan hotel and suddenly steps out onto the ledge outside his window, where he will remain for almost the entire movie.

The concept may not sound scintillating on paper – and that’s because it’s not – but Nick is obviously up to a great deal more than threatening to jump off the ledge of a hotel

and create a splattered mess on the pavement below.

For it emerges, through a poorly conveyed flashback structure that abruptly and unsatisfactorily falls by the wayside, that Nick is a former cop who has broken out of prison after being convicted for, wait for it, ‘a crime he didn’t commit’.

Man on a Ledge sits firmly in the B-movie category of single-setting thrillers, so riddled with plot holes and logical inconsistencies that the pulling of any one plot thread will quickly unravel the whole show.

Director Asger Leth is able to inject plenty of action into each scene, which serves

well to distract us – at least until it becomes apparent that scriptwriter Pablo F. Fenjves doesn’t have that many tricks up his sleeve.

Every plot point is cliched and foreseeable, and the film ends up getting by on tension and suspense alone – that is to say you’ll probably see what’s coming, but watching it play out is still somewhat enjoyable.

As events unfold though, the implausibility of the entire situation only increases, and by the time that Nick Cassidy’s fate is decided, the story has pretty much gone off the rails.

Visually the film isn’t too bad. Some of the heist sequences manage to create some good

tension, and the editing is smart enough to keep things moving at a good pace without letting the mind settle for too long – which is the only way this movie functions at all.

Yet the real problem is Worthington’s lead performance. He fails to bring the intensity and charisma needed for the character to hold our attention. Instead, he’s flat and dull and leaves you wondering how much more gripping the film would be with someone else standing on that ledge.

US critics have said that Man on a Ledge is a metaphor for how perilous the Australian actor’s career has become after Avatar. That’s maybe a little cruel, but even Worthington recently admitted that he’s happy to continue playing action movie roles.

He’ll have to pick better scripts and deliver more intensity than he shows here though – or else find himself pushed from that ledge.

–Dane Halpin

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.

SFX COLISEUM PHUKET (CENTRAL FESTIVAL)

SFC JUNGCEYLON PHUKET (PATONG)

ATM Er Rak Error (T/E.SUB) [G]: 12:10, 14:40, 17:10, 19:40, 22:10 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (E/3D) [G]: 12:30, 14:30, 16:30, 18:35, 20:35, 22:35 Man on a Ledge (E) [15+]: 18:00, 22:15 Man on a Ledge (E/F) [15+]: 12:30, 14:45, 17:00, 19:15, 21:35 Panya Renu 2 (T) [G]: 11:40, 13:45, 17:20, 20:10 Rak Sudtai Painah (T) [G]: 11:15, 13:10, 15:50, 19:30 War Horse (T) [13+]: 12:30, 15:30, 18:30, 21:30

ATM Er Rak Error (T/E.SUB) [G]: 12:00, 17:10 Contraband (E) [18+]: 12:40, 15:00, 17:20, 19:40, 22:05 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (E) [G]: 11:45, 13:50, 16:00, 18:00, 20:05, 22:10 Machine Gun Preacher (E) [18+]: 14:30, 19:45, 22:25 Man on a Ledge (E) [15+]: 11:20, 13:30, 15:40, 17:50, 20:00, 22:15 Underworld: Awakening (E) [15+]: 12:15, 14:15, 16:15, 20:30 What’s Your Number (E) [13+]: 18:15, 22:30

BRAIN TEASERS 16. Raise price of walk. (4) 19. Narcissus’ lover 1. Quartet get a goal lover. (4) - that’s 80. (9) 20. Deserted child 5. City to avoid. (5) located fish. (9) 8. More reckless 22. Herder chauffered bacon. (6) her, it’s said. (6) 9. Ancient first sin, 24. Sweat for each they say. (8) steeple. (8) 11. Brief letter to 26. In one calorie, reserve computer. (8) I’m hostile. (8) 28. Let go donkey – 12. Loan shark gets employer to take old small dog outside.

(4,2) city. (6) 14. Not find error so 29. Build upright. (5) 30. Bled Eve re much: perfect. (9) poorly made gazebo. at two points. (5) 6. Entertainment Solutions to last week’s puzzles (9) provides distraction.

(9) Down 7. Expanded, 1. Foreigner sun god significant in terminus. (8) in tooth. (6) 10. Herring fillet 2. Distress higher bread hair. (7) group. (5) 13. In pieces, as 3. Distort hairless below. (7) horse color. (8) 15. Pet hairdo 4. Not there, we confused goddess. (9) hear with this. (3) 5. Girls block water 17. Eat about each Across

note – learner’s time limit. (8) 18. Ballet step is the point in forest clearing. (8) 21. Spectacles part wat. (6) 23. Di etc restated order. (5) 25. Children! That’s the point! (5) 27. A pound for priestly robe. (3) thephuketnews.com

22 WEIRD WORLD

THE PHUKET NEWS

MATCH MADE IN HELL? He killed mother-of-f ive Helle Christensen – his girlfriend at the time – by cutting her head off, eating parts of her body and then boasting about it on the internet.

His new girlfriend previously stabbed a single father to death and drunk his blood – posing in a picture online, before her arrest, with blood dripping from her lips, holding a power saw and a knife.

A caption underneath read: “I want to cut the throats of people on the subway.”

And so it is that Sweden’s most evil couple – a cannibal and a Satan-worshipping vampire – have applied to join in possibly the most unholy matrimony ever devised behind the bars of their secure psychiatric hospital.

And as the usually liberal Sweden is horrified by their crimes, no politician in the future would risk an imploding career by ordering their release.

Yet the diabolical duo live in hope. Gustafsson posted on the internet this week: “We want to live together at some point, have dogs and pursue our hobbies: piercing and Sweden's most evil couple: Michelle Gustafsson and tattoos.” She made no menIsakin Jonsson, hoping to join together in unholy matrimony. tion of their other hobbies: Isakin Jonsson, 33, has asked Karsuddens psychiatric facility killing people and ritualistihuman vampire Michelle Gus- near Katrineholm, where they cally consuming them. tafsson, 23, if the fellow killer are expected to remain for Her can nibal f iancee wanted to be his girlfriend on the rest of their lives. added: “I love Michelle.

November 13 last year via inBoth opted for indefinite Have never met anyone like ternet messaging service MSN. psychiatric treatment to save her. I want to live a nonThey decided to get en- them from automatic life criminal life.” sentences. But experts believe gaged on December 9.

Justice authorities have not The couple are fellow in- they are both so sick they said whether their request to be wed will be granted. mates at the high-security will die in captivity.

PEED OFF! Norwegian toilet tyrrany

Grass thongs: A walk in the park. –Photo by kusa.com.au

The going gets turf Footwear sales are a walk in the park for an Australian company who have launched a new pair of f lip f lops made of fake grass.

The unusual footwear, created by KUSA, features fake turf stitched into the soles so owners get the same sensation as strolling barefoot on a freshly mowed (plastic) lawn.

The company’s website shows sun seekers walking along the beach in the grass

slippers which occasionally need to be fluffed for added comfort.

The bizar re footwear seems to have been a hit with customers across the globe, appearing on various trendsetting and fashion websites.

Customers have been advised not to mow the grass to avoid damaging the product.

The KUSA flip-flops are currently available online from around B1,000.

Irish Pubs • Restaurant • Guest Houses

Draft Beer Great Food Cool Rooms Good Music Live Sport

thephuketnews.com

If you work in this Norway call centre, best steer clear of curry the night before.

They’ve had a high-tech surveillance system installed that triggers an alarm if they spend more than eight minutes per day in the toilet.

Managers are alerted by flashing lights if an employee is away from their desk for a loo break or other “personal activities” beyond the allotted time, leaving what those eight minute “personal activities” could be to the imagination.

But unions and workplace inspectors have branded the practice at insurance company DNB as “highly intrusive” and a potential breach of human rights.

Norway’s privacy regulator has now written to DNB telling

THE BIG LIST Insane Inventions

Let’s not kid ourselves: the grass flip-flops (see left) represent the greatest evolution in footwear since Crocs.

But they are just one of many inventions making the world a better – or at least more amusing – place to live.

Thriller: A nanny supervises a baby suspended in a wire cage attached to the outside of a high tenement block window.

Is there something wrong with this picture? If you didn’t spot it, it’s that you’ve basically turned into Michael Jackson and are dangling your child out of a freakin’ window. Pretty soon you’ll be getting plastic surgery and inviting young boys to sleep in your bed. The cages were distributed in the 1940s to members of the Chelsea Baby Club in London who had no gardens, or apparently any qualms about putting a child in a box dangling over a busy street. Needless to say, they didn’t hang around too long.

Fighting flatulence: The flatulence deodoriser is “a pad to be worn by a user for absorbing gas due to flatulence”. If you can get past the I’m-basically-wearing-a-weirddiaper-for-farts factor, this invention is actually a pretty good idea. Or it would be, we guess, if you’re the guy giving the testimonial who said: “When I feel the urge I usually quickly install it through the back of my pants. Then I do not have to worry.

It also does a nice job muffling the noise.”

Cleaning up: Sick of the newborn just moping around the house for free, doing nothing but eating, drinking, sleeping and defecating without doing any work? Well then, get that little lazy bludger out there working for you with the baby mop. It’s a utilitarian’s dream.

–Photo by Usien

them the monitoring system is “a major violation of privacy”.

It said: “Each individual worker has different needs and these kinds of strict controls deprive the employees of all freedoms over the course of their working day.”

Horse trainer to have 'f***ing sex' An elderly British horse trainer got a little too excited after he recorded his first Grade One win, blurting out how he planned to celebrate his win.

Peter Casey announced to a shocked presenter he was “going to have f***ing sex tonight and everything” after his 6/4 favourite Flemenstar came in first.

The interviewer, RTE presenter Tracy Piggot, understandably looked a little embarrassed by the hasty comment, which went out live to thousands of viewers.

The interview had started innocently enough as Piggot congratulated the veteran on his success.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Casey said: “It’s unreal, I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it.”

He continued: “I’m going to have f***ing sex tonight and everything. And I’m going away for a week”, presumably to have more sex.

Stunned Tracy told him: “You can’t say that!”, obviously in vain as he had already said it.

She managed to carry on with the interview after the outburst but confessed, “I’m going to be in terrible trouble after that.”

Studio presenter Robert Hall later apologised to viewers, describing Carey as a “very excited trainer”.

People plough: The days of smashing your car into things and not knowing whether or not it was a living person are finally over. Using sensors in the car’s bumper and engine hood, this invention claims to be able to decide “with a high reliability” if that thing you hit was a pedestrian. Of course, maybe it’d be better if it actually prevented the collision in the first place, but as it stands all this really does is keep a tally of how many vehicular homicides you’ve committed.

Dog eared creation: Do you have a dog with long, floppy ears?

And if you give it food, is it always getting its long, floppy ears covered in the food you give it?

If so, you should get your hands on some ‘animal ear protectors’, essentially plastic tubing that makes sure your dog’s ears stick out horizontally like some sort of novelty Halloween prank. Then again, if this is a legitimate concern for you, you might also ask yourself, ‘What’s wrong with my dog? Why can’t it clean the excess food off its ears?’ And finally ‘Will my dog look any less stupid walking around with these tubes around its ears than it would with crusted-up dog food all over itself?’

Solid liquid: “Ha! Powdered water! What do you add to it?” Yes, this hilarious hypothetical invention has been included in classic joke email forwards since before emails.

Except it’s totally a real thing. Powdered water is tiny droplets of water encapsulated in what’s basically a grain of sand. It looks and feels dry, but it’s actually 95 per cent liquid. But before you go shoving handfuls of sand into your mouth, this is used to soak up gases rather than for drinking, making it an ideal combination for the flatulence deoderiser.

Inflatable anchor: Yes, another classic from Grandma’s corny joke emails. But not only do they work, but under certain conditions, inflatable anchors can be more effective than regular ones. The anchor is first buried deep in the soil and then inflated, lodging it so hard into the ground that its pullout resistance will be superior to that of a regular anchor. The anchor is also able to come out as easily as it went in, probably promising to call and making some excuse about needing to leave early.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

LIFE&STYLE lifestyle@thephuketnews.com

SHOPPING 23 Riding giants

Jamie’s mum fulfills a life-long dream > 26

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

editor@thephuketnews.com

Off the hook Chinupha Phongnarisorn

Cafe owner

Her Ray Ban sunglasses were a gift.

This printed T-shirt (B250) is from Pha Thai shop at Foxtail Plaza in Kamala.

She found her fun bracelet (B1,200) from the Dress Up shop, also in Kamala.

Her Wrangler jean shorts (B1,800) were bought in Sydney.

The zebra-striped Zara flats (B1,600) are from Central World in Bangkok.

Grey matters Rattanaporn Wangsong Housewife

Her hoop earrings (B20) were a bargain find at the Naka Weekend Market.

She also bought her tank top (B100) from the Naka market.

These cool, faded denim jeans (B1,290) are from a shop in Khonkan Province.

Her strappy shoes (B590) were bought in Chinatown, Bangkok.

ACCESSORIES 1

2

3

COLONIAL SHOP 1. Silver necklace 2. Silver earrings 3. Handmade bag 4. Woven purse

B6,400 B990 B1,190 B850

4

Accessories from Colonial Shop, 119 Thalang Road, Phuket Town. Open 10am-7pm. 076-214-801.

thephuketnews.com

24 DINING

A lady that lunches Uraiwa n “Waeo” Voute first opened The Lunchroom three and a half years ago as a way to spend more time with her children, compared to her previous job as a busy dive tour guide.

The Lunchroom, just opposite the Kathu waterfall road and next to Grizzly’s sports bar, is a relaxing restaurant that many Phuket-based expats use as their local hangout.

Khun Waeo first moved to Phuket in 1996 to work as a trainee waitress but soon began assisting tour

groups and and managing the day-to-day running of a busy dive shop in Kamala.

“With two young children, it was very full on. I soon realised I had to start something of my own, and I’ve always loved eating,” she says with a laugh.

What began as a small coffee shop with cakes and snacks is now a full blown restaurant, which was expanded considerably when Khun Waeo took over the shophouse next door.

The restaurant is open air, with matching rattan fur-

The famous burgers.

niture, and a nice view of the nearby Kathu bush.

“It’s not really fancy, but it is very comfortable. Many people come here because they feel welcome.”

The menu is a mix of Thai and European dishes, including chicken with cashews (B100), cordon bleu (B250 and made fresh every day), and spaghetti carbonara (made with real cream, B150).

Khun Waeo also offers half portions, meaning people can easily mix and match their favourite foods. However,

Penang curry from The Lunchroom.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

she’s most well known for her Australian beef burgers and ‘Lunchroom curry’, chicken breast filled with cheese and topped with a yellow curry sauce. “It’s a great combination.”

The Lunchroom is open every day except Sunday, from 7am to 11pm (kitchen is open until 10pm). There is also free wi-fi, and computers available for customers.

■■ The Lunchroom, 9/96, Moo 6, Kathu, 076-323-772, 081-956-3166, lunchroomphuket@gmail.com

Uraiwan “Waeo” Voute runs The Lunchroom in Kathu.

SPOON-FED DELIGHTS

It’s not for nothing that Sunday Brunch at the Twinpalms’ Oriental Spoon restaurant is one of the island’s largest displays of food. On the substantial menu is – take a deep breath – fish, beef and lamb cuts, breads, salads, pasta, roast vegetables, pizza, seafood, sushi, and large assortment of imported cheeses.

Last week when we visited, the special was British beef Wellington, while highlights included the crème brulée (with the caramelised sugar, top cooked to perfection), Thai salads (authentic and a good range), a chocolate fountain, and plenty of fresh European breads, including a special fruit variety.

Another standout at Oriental Spoon is the quality of service. Waitresses were very attentive during the entire brunch, and drinks were kept filled without missing a beat. Bookings are essential for those wishing to attend.

■■ Twinpalms Phuket, Surin Beach Road, Cherng Talay, 076-316-500; twinpalms-phuket.com

thephuketnews.com

From top left, clockwise, Abdullah Samae; fried fish with herbs, Saneh Milumiang cuts parmesan cheese, and creme brulee.

THE PHUKET NEWS

DINING 25

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

From left, Sevalee Ratanapinsiri and her parents Kawee and Aree run the Lotus Steakhouse in Old Phuket Town.

The Lotus blossoms Just reopened as a steakhouse, Lotus Thai restaurant has been run by the Ratanapinsiri family for around 30 years, in the same Sino-Portuguese shophouse at 119 Phang Nga Rd. The f r iendly Sevalee “Ling” Ratanapinsiri, daughter of owners Kawee and Aree Ratanapinsiri, is the face of the restaurant, and says the redesign has been a real family effort, with many relatives providing furnishings and giving them support.

The quirky mint green shophouse is certainly an eye-catcher when driving through the old town.

“Mu m and Dad were thinking about closing the shop and retiring,” says Ling,

“But then we came up with the idea for a steakhouse, as there are not many of these in Phuket Town.

“We love steak so we decided to change the restaurant to a steakhouse, but we have added other dishes such as pasta, while still cooking Thai food.”

The menu is relatively extensive, with Phuket beef steak (B295), salmon steak (B229) and pork steak (B120-190), plus various other western dishes, such as well-priced pasta dishes (B90 upwards), Currywurst (German sausage for B120), hash browns (B60) and potato croquettes (B60).

Keeping things in the family, Ling’s father, Khun

Kawee works as the head waiter while her mother, Khun Aree runs the kitchen.

“It’s homely and modern here. I think for steak and

farang food, the prices are pretty decent really.”

■■ L o t u s S t e a k h o u s e , 119 Ph a ng Ng a Ro a d , Phuket Town, 076-217-811.

China Town opens in Central Festival The new China Town Restaurant, located in Central Festival Phuket, celebr at ed it s g r a nd opening on January 27.

The restaurant has authentic Chinese cuisine, made from “treasured recipes, fresh ingredients and a pair of loving hands”.

China Town is situated on the first floor, Lanlom, Central Festival, 081693-0042; facebook.com/ chinatownphuket

thephuketnews.com

26 EXPLORE

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

RIDE OF A LIFETIME JAMIE’S PHUKET

First off, I should admit I've never actually been on an elephant ride.

There are elephant trekking places all over Phuket.

Some are close to the main beaches, while others get a bit more off the beaten track (and are much better in my opinion – after all, I don't want to be trekking with a view of Patong or within earshot of a busy road).

And it's good business for sure – riding an elephant is on many tourists ‘must do’ list. My parents have been over here a number of times, and it was on their second visit in 2004 that they went for an elephant ride. I recently asked mum to write about her experience.

Here’s an abbreviated version of ‘My Elephant Experience’, by Paula Monk.

“When I was a child, I would look through my books and see pictures of far away, wonderful lands. I was fascinated by them, but in the 1950s, growing up in post war Britain, it didn't seem possible that I would ever see any of

Chinpracha House

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.

98 Krabi Rd, Phuket Town, 076 211 281. Open daily 8am4pm. B100.

Kathu Mining Museum

Paula Monk: “I was filled with wonder at the sights of children riding on elephants, and imagined how it would feel.” those places for myself.

“I was filled with wonder at the sights of children riding on elephants, and imagined how it would feel. That little dream lay dormant for almost a lifetime. The world has moved on during that lifetime and people travel far and wide – ordinary people like me.

“Now we have family in Thailand (it was called Siam in my childhood) and on one of our visits I was determined to fulfil my childhood dream.

I can't now tell you the name of the place where we went

for our elephant ride. It was in the rural south of the island, in hilly terrain. I feel there couldn't have been a better place – the elephants were well looked after and so were we – my husband and I. The jungle was thick and lush and the views from the hill tops were superb.

“Slowly we moved off. I was all grins and happiness!

At first the ride seemed fairly smooth, but soon we were traversing the slopes of the jungle through narrow pathways. It was like a fair ground ride – I

was thrilled and exited and scared stiff at the same time.

“Going down hill it almost felt like we would be lurched forward and roll over the beautiful elephants head, but we hung on tight and enjoyed the thrill. Mostly our elephant strolled slowly along the familiar paths – sometimes she broke into almost a trot, accompanied by gasps and squeals from us.

“Our ride lasted for a long time – about an hour we recall. As we realised we were coming to the end of the

ride we became aware that we felt physically tired.

“It is hard work to keep the body stiff and alert and to be holding on tight. But above all, we felt exhilaration that in our 60s we had taken the chance to fulfil a dream.”

Read the full version on Jamie’s website: jamie-monk. blogspot.com. Jamie works at liveaboard dive specialists Sunrise Divers in Karon.

More info: 084 626 4646, info@sunrise-divers.com; www.sunrise-divers.com

Immigration switch to auto-gates in BK Immigration Bureau will start using auto-gates at Suvarnabhumi Airport for Thai passengers from April.

Immigration Division II commander, Pol Maj Gen Natthathorn Prohsunthorn, told TTR Weekly that by the end of March, or early April, the Immigration Bureau will switch to auto-gates to speed up the clearance of Thai passengers.

“Passengers will pass through a gate to verify the passport whether it is authorised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Then they will move on to the next machine to verify identity, whether they are the same person in the passport by finger scan, check criminal records and related information.”

The commander claims a processing time of just 16 seconds. Eight gates will be deployed at departure and arrival zones (two each at zones B and C).

In 2010 Immigration Division II tested the system at Suvarnabhumi Airport’s arrival checkpoints using machines borrowed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Pol Maj Gen Natthathorn

thephuketnews.com

PHUKET MUSEUMS

also said that Immigration Division II would tackle staff shortage with a new recruitment drive, but it is a long term plan over three to five years.

“Passengers increase by 10 per cent annually and that means we need 355 officers for all checkpoints,” he explained.

The division has 1,148 officers on the payroll, 164 short of the required workforce.

It lost 98 officers, this month, who were promoted to commissioned officers and transferred to other departments. Another 127 officers will be away on training later this month for a month and return to the division afterwards.

“To temporarily solve this shortage, we have asked for more officers to be transferred from overland immigration checkpoints, but there are language issues that need to be considered,” he said.

Suvarnabhumi Airport has 124 counters at the arrivals area and 80 in the departures hall. Around 60 per cent of the counters are operational.

Last year, Suvarnabhumi Airport received 35 million international passengers (Thais and foreigners).

–TTR Weekly

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 , T h ai - C hin e s e 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.

Seashell Museum

Over 2,000 species of sea shells that were collected by the Patamakanthin family are now displayed in the museum.

The collection includes fossils dating back 380 million years, rare golden pearls, giant clams and left-handed Noble Volute shells.

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.

Thai Hua School Museum

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 of the past and present.

28 Krabi Rd, Phuket Town, 076 211 224; www.thaihua museum.com. Open daily 9am5pm. 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. Archaeological finds such as ancient statues, pre-historic beads and tools are on view here.

On 4027 Road (east 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, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Cebu Pacific opts for long-haul flights Philippines’ low-cost carrier, Cebu Pacific, will commence long-haul flights in the third quarter of 2013. The airline will lease eight Airbus A330-300 aircraft to serve new markets.

“We are exploring cities where large Filipino communities reside — Europe, Middle East, Oceania and the US. Data indicates that more than half of Filipinos deployed in these regions take multiple stops and connecting flights because no home carrier can fly them there nonstop,” said Cebu Pacific president and CEO, Lance Gokongwei.

Mr Gokongwei cited Saudi Arabia as an example, where only 165,000 passengers flew direct nonstop flights from Manila (Civil Aeronautics Board 2010 data), compared to 293,000 Filipinos travelling to Saudi Arabia in the same year. This means that nearly half of Filipinos who flew to Saudi Arabia in 2010 had to take multiple flights to get to their destination.

With Cebu’s long-haul operations, the budget airline will provide more affordable, direct flight options to Filipinos overseas, a popu-

lation estimated to be 11 million worldwide.

Since its inception in 1996, Cebu Pacific has offered short-haul flights for Filipinos working and residing overseas. Passenger traffic to and from Hong Kong, where the Filipino population is high, grew by 88 per cent since CEB started operating flights from Manila in 2001.

With the current fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline cannot operate longhaul flights. The carrier needs a new fleet, possibly A330s that can fly 11-hour routes.

The carrier plans to lease up to eight of the aircraft.

QF and BA rationalise Sydney services

Qantas and British Airways will cut London and Sydney services transiting in Bangkok this March for services that turnaround in the Thai capital.

Both airlines will continue serving the popular Sydney-London Kangaroo route through Singapore, which has been positioned as the primary Asian hub in a restructured Joint Services Agreement signed August last year.

As part of the JSA changes, British Airways will cease

TRAVEL NEWS

its Bangkok-Sydney service which means all of its flights from London will turnaround in Bangkok effective March 3.

Qantas agreed to terminate its Bangkok-London services March 26. All services from Sydney will turnaround in Bangkok.

Both airlines have run services through Bangkok to link London and Sydney since they started operations to Southeast Asia in the post World War II era. However, the Singapore hub has slowly taken over the role of a transit stop on the so-called Kangaroo route. Bangkok has grown into an important

leisure travel hub that the two airlines believe can sustain turnaround services.

CX’s Smart Saver Fares

Cathay Pacif ic Air ways currently offers saver fares online with discounts ranging from 16 per cent to 25 per cent on selected routes in Asia and North America until March 31.

This round of Smart Saver fares remains valid until March 31 for booking and travel ex-Bangkok.

Based on the lowest regular online fares, discounts on business class fares are

between 7 per cent and 33 per cent. They are available for 14 Asian destinations as well as Los Angeles.

The biggest discount is to Los Angeles service at 33 per cent, resulting in a business fare of B115,345 followed

by Shanghai and Beijing; 28 per cent to give passengers a B33,230 fare to both cities.

Business fares to Tokyo, Japan are discounted by 7 per cent to B55,870. To its home base, Hong Kong, Cathay cuts the fare 26 per cent to B20,765.

Other business fares to key destinations are: B16,350 to Singapore; B37,755 to Seoul and B25,270 to Mumbai.

In economy class, five cities in North America are also eligible – San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Vancouver and Toronto.

Discounts range from 8 per cent up to 33 per cent.

Seoul gets the deepest discount, 33 per cent down to B17,085 while Mumbai, only – 8 per cent to B11,870.

Hong Kong economy fare is also cut by 26 per cent to B9,530.

Economy fares to other key destinations are: B8,410 to Singapore; B18,915 to Tokyo; B14,600 to Shanghai; B12,845 to Delhi; B39,445

to Los Angeles; B41,605 to new York and B41,115 to Vancouver.

All fares include taxes and surcharges and are subject to change due to currency fluctuation and offered on limited seats.

–TTR Weekly

Starwood launches ‘City Weekend-Resort Weekday’ promotion

Starwood Hotels & Resorts provides travellers an added reason to take a city weekend break or a resort weekday escape with the launch of their ‘City Weekend-Resort Weekday’ promotion.

Enjoy ‘20per cent Off Standard Rates with breakfast for 2’ or ‘50per cent off the Second Night’ at more than 160 participating hotels and resorts across Asia Pacific.

T he promot ion r u n s th roughout the month until February 28 and bookings are applicable for stays up to December 31, 2012.

Participating brands include Sheraton, Westin, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Four Points by Sheraton, W, Le Méridien and Aloft.

For more information on this special offer, visit star wood-ap.com/weekends2012.

thephuketnews.com

28 ISLAND SCENE

RUBBER DUCKIE, YOU’RE THE ONE(S): Hundreds showed up for the annual Great Phuket Rubber Duck Race on February 5, held annually at Laguna Phuket to raise money for the Phuket Community Foundation. At least B159,000 was raised in total.

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

A BLISSFUL NIGHT: On February 6, BB&B hosted a wine, food and jazz evening at Bliss Beach Club with Jake Jacob from Gerard Bertrand Wines as the special guest.

Pictured from top left, the team at Two Chefs, Billy Agren, Jon Sjolin, Krister Westberg, and Mattias Palhammar; and left, Jake Jacob and BB&B area director south Bart Duykers.

SONGS OF LIFE: Pictured at the String Quartet concert at Prince of Songkla University are, above from left, Bangkok Symphony performers Siripong Tiptan, violinist, Kittikhun Sodprasert, cellist, Blair Speers, Hoteltravel.com main sponsor, M.L. Usni Pramoj, viola, and Tasana Nagavajara, violinist. The concert was held on January 31.

–Photos by Dan Miles.

thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

ISLAND SCENE 29

Above left: Cora Bright from Rawai beach Fishing Club.

Above right: The Singapore Slingers team won two prizes; Heaviest Wahoo (10.5 kg) and Heaviest non-billfish. They received two trophies and B260,000.

CAST AWAY!

Twenty boats competed for B300,000 in prizes over the weekend during the Wahoo Thailand 2012 Sport Fishing Tournament. Fisherman from 18 different nationalities took part in the extravaganza, with some boats catching up to six different species of fish. Though everyone was a winner, the top prize of over B550,000 in cash and prizes went to the Singapore Slingers on Reely Nauti One. Above: Neil Hay of the O Schnoodle team with a super trevally aboard MV Splendor.

Below: Warren Crowe of the Shotgun team battles a good fish aboard MV Thai2on.

(Background Ian Tubby, Carmine Vastola).

Neil Hay of the O Schnoodle team, Captain Joe and deckhand with Neil’s winning sailfish aboard MV Splendor. The fish was tagged and released.

Warren Crowe, Neill Campbell and Andy Bright.

Dave Roberts receives a certificate of sponsorship of the event.

thephuketnews.com

30 ENTERTAINMENT

IN BRIEF Intern reveals 18-month JFK affair A former White House intern is speaking out about an 18-month affair she had with US President John F Kennedy while he was in office, revealing intimate details in a new book.

Mimi Alford, who was 19 when she started her internship at the White House in 1962, discussed her secret sexual affair with the president in her book Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy, to be published this week.

MIA in Super Bowl controversy The NFL and a major US television network are apologising for another Super Bowl halftime show (following Janet Jackson’s famous 2004 ‘nipple slip’).

Br it ish si nger M I A extended a middle finger during the performance of Madonna’s new single, ‘Give Me All Your Luvin’.

In front of 110 million viewers on NBC, and million others online, she flipped the bird and appeared to sing, “I don’t give a (expletive)”.

The NFL and NBC have both issued apologies.

thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Feeling the blues Phuket International Blues Rock Festival this year kicks off over February 24-25 at a new site at Laguna Phuket in Cherng Talay.

This year’s headliner, blues musician Chris Thomas King, performing exclusively at the festival, drew attention with the movie O Brother Where Art Thou in 2001 where he found crossover fame as musician and actor in the Coen Brothers’ movie.

Of all the songs on the f ilm’s Gram my-win ning soundtrack, King’s “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” was recorded live during filming. The soundtrack reached number one on the billboard charts and has sold over 10 million copies.

Plenty of food and drink will be available at the festival, but coolers will not be allowed as it is not BYO. Once again global artists are making their way here from USA, Europe, Asia and Australia. Returning by popular demand are AkashA (Malaysia) and John Meyer’s Blues Express (Australia).

Rich Harper cancelled due to illness in the family and will be replaced by legendary Swedish blues rocker Clas Yngstrom & Sky High.

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

SATURDAY Box Of Neutrals Saturday Morning Glory Phuket News Radio Dazed and Confused Phuket News Radio

The 2012 headline act, blues singer Chris Thomas King.

From Ireland comes girl rocker Grainne Duffy and her band who will be the first Irish contribution to the festival.

Australia will contribute with two additional acts in Jack Derwin and Stuart Bush.

In another first from Canada is Moscowfish. Jim Paxton also returns for acoustic performances in the hotels along

with Randy & Peter (USA).

The local blues scene is represented by Colin Hill Band with Jimmy Fame and PJae Stanley and The Rockin’ Angels with Mojo Perry.

Thailand contributes TOKEN – a Tribute to Santana.

The festival will also donate to Patong Beach Rotary Club’s school education fund.

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

LUXURY 31

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

LUXURY PHUKET

The dictionary defines luxury as “a material object, or service conducive to sumptuous living”, while Wikpedia states: “Luxury goods are products and services not considered essential but are associated with affluence. The concept of luxury has been present in various forms since the beginning of civilisation. Its role was just as important in ancient western and eastern empires as it is in modern societies.” On this new page, we’ll promote the very best in luxury living on Phuket, whether it be a yacht, jet, car, watch, fashion, or jewellery – so read on, and enjoy the Phuket luxe life.

Wahoo Luxury Yacht Charters T her e i s no b et ter way to appreciate the Andaman Sea, with its crystal clear waters and some of the most stunning scenery in the world than on a private charter yacht with Wahoo Luxury Yacht Charters.

Wahoo - Phuket’s favorite private yacht charter company offers

an unforgettable cruising, game fishing or diving experience in Phi Phi, Phang Nga, Krabi and beyond Your magical day begins with a warm Thai welcome from their on-board service team, who will ensure you are pampered to the fullest extent throughout the day, leaving you to relax, enjoy a

refreshing swim or explore on the Jet Ski and Sea Canoes.

Their sumptuous food menus are all freshly prepared on board, allowing you to dine al fresco in beautiful surroundings, with every possible luxury taken care of.

Email info@wahoo.ws, visit www. wahoo.ws or call 076 281 510,

thephuketnews.com

32 EVENTS

THE PHUKET NEWS

WHAT’S ON IN PHUKET FEBRUARY 10 Exclusive Dinner at Trisara

List your events here for as low as B99 per line, or online at www.thephuketnews.com/events.php

Valentines Day at

Alain Rougie joins us with 30 years experience in gastronomy, and is celebrated as the world’s leading Foie Gras producer.

Aperitif and dinner commence at 6.30pm.

B4,500++ per person, with wine pairing.

Contact: events@trisara.com or 076 310 100.

FEBRUARY 12 Exclusive Dinner at Trisara Located at the foothills of the Mayacamas, Dominus Estate is the Napa Valley property of Christian Moueix who also owns Petrus.

The estate’s Bordeaux varieties are uniquely refined expressions of this special terroir.

Aperitif and dinner commence at 6.30pm.

B3,500++ per person. Contact: events@ trisara.com or 076 310 100.

FEBRUARY 14

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Laguna Phuket. Bookings 081 728 1010

“Love is in the Air” Valentines Day at Amari Phuket

aglow with an ensemble of popular operatic arias and classical pieces. Julie-Anne has sung many operatic roles in Europe including Susanna in Marriage of Figaro, Musetta in La Boheme and Zerbinnetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. Donation: B1,500 for the performance, 3 glasses of wine or beer and canapés. Dress: Cocktail. Email surangt@bisphuket.ac.th or tina@phuke thasbeengoodtous.org. Call 080 143 9554.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to Phuket Has Been Good To Us, enabling them to continue to teach English to over 850 Thai students in government schools.

FEBRUARY 18-19

Tuesday, 14th February 2012

  

        

      

            ’    

      

Please make your reservations by Dialing 076 340 106 extention 85

Basketball Skills Camp at BIS Former NBA star Ike Nwankwo and his Top Flight Basketball Academy will be at the British International School to run a basketball camp on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th February.

This camp is the first of its kind in Phuket and an amazing opportunity to learn from the best coaching team in Thailand. Price: B3,500 includes lunches, refreshments and a T-shirt.

The camp is open to ages 9-18 years old.

Limited spaces so enroll now! Contact Tim Pearson on 082 776 4464, www.bisphuket. ac.th .Email: tpearson@bisphuket.ac.th.

FEBRUARY 24-25

Record Breaking Mass Wedding at Promthep Cape The island is aiming to break the national record for the biggest mass wedding on Valentine’s Day. The Thai traditional style mass wedding for 108 couples will occur at Laem Promthep, the best sunset in Thailand. Other activities include offering alms to 99 Buddhist monks and planting trees as part of a schedule running from February 12-15, 2012.

Special package (one day) B7,000 per couple on the wedding day Febuary 14, 2012. Contact Suanluang Inter Wedding 076 221 976, email: info@interwedding phuket.com. See interwed dingphuket.com.

Phuket Int Blues Rock Festival Get ready for the 7th annual Phuket International Blues Rock Festival – South East Asia’s biggest – in Laguna Phuket. This Festival will be the biggest ever with 12 acts.

This global fiesta will feature musicians from USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Malaysia & Sweden, tremendous music and plenty of food and drink. Headline act is the American blues artist/actor who has sold more records and appeared in more movies than than any other blues performer this century: Chris Thomas King! Contact Andy on 086 682 2639, www.phuketbluesfestival.com, email: phuketmusic@yahoo.com.

FEBRUARY 14 FEBRUARY 16

Happenings Tuesday 14th February 2012 Valentine’s Day Dinner Baht 1,500++ pp food only for 3 course menu Baht 10,000 ++ per couple in private cabana including 1 bottle of Moët & Chandon Rose 60 min Thai massage for 2 and Valentine 3 course set dinner for 2

184 Koktanode Road, Kata beach, Phuket 83100 (Next to Boathouse) +66 (0) 76 330 421 info@rekataphuket.com www.rekataphuket.com

thephuketnews.com

A Starlight Soiree International Opera Star, Julie-Anne Hunter, accompanied by BIS’s very own Merja Makivirta on the piano and supported by talented students from BIS will set the Phuket night

APRIL 23-28 Phuket Pride 2012 Current list of activities for Pride week: -CC Bloom’s Hotel in Kata – Pride Pool Party 4 to 9 pm – April 22.

-2 Night Big stage event at Loma Park – 4 pm to 11 pm - April 27 and 28.

-Nightly Soi Paradise street parties – starts at 10 pm - April 23 to 26.

-Mr. Gay Phuket by Fong Kaew at My Way Bar - Paradise Soi – April 26.

-Grand Parade through the street of Patong – starts at 4 pm - April 27.

-Phuket Gay Pride Overnight Tour (Rainbow Scuba Tours) – April 23 to 24.

-Gay Day cruise to Racha Island (Time and Sundowner Bar) April 24 and 25.

-V. Sawana Bar – Pride Party in Rawai.

Contact Kenneth 086 604 1333, info@ phuket-pride.com.

THE PHUKET NEWS

EVENTS 33

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

WHAT’S ON IN PHUKET

List your events here for as low as B99 per line, or online at www.thephuketnews.com/events.php

FRIDAY

Thit Road, Patong. Reservations 081 891 4381.

TUESDAY IBAP Networking Meeting Impressions and Recollections of a Thai attorney - Mr Rachasak Suwankumnoet (Khun Win), LL.B, Barrister-at-Law, Lawyer and Translator. Khun Win will be sharing some of his insider views of the work of the local police and the local courts, especially related to cases involving foreigners. IBAP has been invited to meet at Urban Food located in Central Festival Shopping Center. http://ibap-phuket.org or call 081 970 7910.

......................................................................

Pool Competition Pool Competition at 9pm. Expat Sports Bar, Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www. expatsportsbar.com.

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man Pub, one km from Chalong circle. Contact 081 895 4763.

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Pool Competition 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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At 9pm Expat Guesthouse Sports Bar, Patong. See map at www.expatguesthouse. com.

................................................................................

Half-Chicken Spit Roast Only B225 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

................................................................................

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM

Chef’s Table at Paresa

All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man PubContact 081 895 4763.

.

................................................................................

Quiz Night every Wednesday at Peppers Sports Bar near Laguna. Great food, great music, great beer. Contact 081 728 1010.

Facebook Peppers Sports Bar.

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.

BBQ at Expat Hotel

................................................................................

Time 7.30pm, Expat Sports Bar, Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www.expatsports bar.com.

Salsa Night

................................................................................

After the overwhelming success of our Salsa Evening , we are delighted to invite you to our Salsa Event at Royal Phuket Marina. Dance the Cha-cha, Bachata, Samba and Rumba. Live on the Boardwalk outside “Les Anges” with the sound of our house DJ Mascaro. Date: February 25.

Time: 8pm onwards. Entrance Free. Dress: Colorful. For all reservations & enquiries please contact Anna and Didier on 084 051 7455 or 084 306 2016 or Mr. Murat (Events &Group Manager) on 081 797 3364 on www.phuket-dance.com.

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BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat

20% Off All Pizzas 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.

................................................................................

Every Friday, all-you-can-eat authentic Indian curry buffet, B449 net per person.

Draught beer B50. 7pm-11.30pm. Call 076 286 464.

Best Sunday Carvery in Phuket

Half-Chicken Spit Roast Only B225 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

................................................................................

BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat Only B295 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. Reservations call on 081 891 4381.

THURSDAY Only B325 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Rd, Patong. Reservations 081 891 4381.

Curry Fridays at Navrang Mahal

................................................................................

Interactive Pub Quiz Night Starts from 8pm every Wednesday night.

The largest selection of draught beer in Phuket. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

Sunday Roast Pork or Beef Dinner

................................................................................

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.

................................................................................

BBQ Buffet All You Can Eat

Every Sunday 2pm onwards Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong B290 per person.

Stilton with port or wine every Sunday 2pm onwards B290. Please see www. expathotel.com.

Chef’s Table at Paresa

Quiz Night @ Peppers

SUNDAY

Only B295 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. For reservations call on 081 891 4381.

SATURDAY

WEDNESDAY

Roast beef, BBQ ham, chicken, pork and Yorkshire pudding. All you can eat B399.

Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

................................................................................

Salsa Night After the overwhelming success of our Salsa Evening , we are delighted to invite you to our Salsa Event at Royal Phuket Marina. Dance the Cha-cha, Bachata, Samba and Rumba. Live on the Boardwalk outside “Les Anges” with the sound of our house DJ Mascaro. Date : February 25. Time: 8pm onwards. Entrance Free. Dress: Colorful. For all reservations & enquiries please contact Anna and Didier on 084 051 7455 or 084 306 2016 or Mr. Murat (Events &Group Manager) on 081 797 3364 on www.phuket-dance.com.

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM 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

................................................................................

Half-Chicken Spit Roast Only B225 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. Reservations please call 081 891 4381.

MONDAY Roaring Bhoys Live Music every Monday night. The largest selection of draught beer in Phuket. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

................................................................................

BBQ Buffet All You Can Eat Only B325 per person at Shakers. Rat-U-

Brew Great Beer Phuket’s one and only small batch handcraft beer. Open every day for lunch and dinner 11am until midnight. Live music from 7.30pm onwards. Behind the ship, the port zone at Jung­ceylon. Call 076 3667 753.

................................................................................

Grizzly’s Sports Bar & Restaurant 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.

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

34 JOBS

THE PHUKET NEWS

CLASSIFIEDS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

The Sunrise Ocean Villas Located only 60m from beach > 37

classifieds@thephuketnews.com

JOBS IN PHUKET

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php

Netzilla is urgently looking for talented individuals to join our team in Phuket! If you think you have what it takes to be a part of a winning team, don't hesitate to let us know!

POSITION: PROGRAMMER - Minimum 2 year experience in PHP & MySQL programming - Excellent working knowledge of PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, CSS, AJAX - Knowledge of Object Oriented Programming - Able to work irregular hours - Able to work in a team as well as independently - Able to communicate in English preferred - Knowledge of phone application development is a plus INTERESTED APPLICANTS ARE INVITED TO SEND

THEIR RESUME WITH EXPECTED SALARY TO:

E-mail : hr@netzilla-phuket.com

Rental Manager Bangtao Beach: Holi-

A c c o u n t a n t Cherngthalay: Build-

day Resort requires experienced rental and service manager. Excellent salary and bonus. Call 087 885 3532.

ing company seeks Bookkeeper/Accountant. Good English and IT VAT experience. Good salary and Bonus. Call 087 885 3532.

Professional Sales Pe o p l e N e e d e d:

Web Developer PHP flexible hours. Retainer, MVC: PHP Developer fuel, phone and commiswith strong MVC framework (Yii, CI, Symf, ZEND) and JQuery. Email: iibc. shayne@gmail.com

sion. Call K.Nam 076 272 702. Island Curtains.

Office Staff Wanted: Female, English speak-

Bookkeeper: Part time ing staff to work in nice preferably with Mac computer knowledge Patong area. Contact 0 89 972 3861.

environment with outgoing personality and basic book keeping skills. Please call K.Nam 076 272 702. Island Curtains.

Elite Fitness: Personal Trainer – Classes instructor (Aerobics, Body Combat, Body Pump, Yoga Etc.) Thai or foreigner, Male/ Female. Contact Tiya 089 600 0041. Email: tiya@ elitegyms.net.

Kindergar ten Secretary: Must have good En g l i s h a n d c o m p u te r skills. Mon-Fri, 7.30am4.30pm, Chalong. Call 080 624 7060.

Wanted Thai Captain: Sales Staff Wanted: English speaking female.

Thai with previous selling experience with own car, outgoing personality with ability to sell to farangs,

thephuketnews.com

Looking for Thai captain for boat in Chalong. English speaking.Salary: B10,000 fixed + B200 every day.

Need IMMEDIATELY. Call Delphine 087 277 7395.

Patong Bay Vacation Club employee: Do you enjoy working in positive, progressive,and professional work environment? Do you enjoy working with people in a team? Urgent required: -OPC/Night Booking OPC 10 positions High rate of Commisison.

- Tele Marketing 5 positions Salary and commmision.

Please send your CV (with recent photo) :eve@ patongbayvacationclub. com or Tel: 076 344 161 ext.4302.

Apple Mac Support: Apple Mac technical support needed to help with computer issues in Surin area.

Please email admin@ esxoasia.com.

New office opening in Patong. We need the best sales people, positions available now. Only hardworking,energetic, friendly, outgoing, sales focused people with great English need apply.

1.Sales Consultant (Full time only).

2.Promotion Ladies (Parttime or full time).

3.Independent Sales Contractors (Work at your own pace).

Great pay is available for the right people starting at 15,000 a month plus huge commissions.

Call 080 882 0781 or email info@passivecash solutions.com.

Class Act Media publishes The Phuket News – Phuket’s leading English language newspaper – and broadcasts Phuket's most vibrant and coolest English language radio station – Live 89.5 FM.

WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEKING SALES MANAGER (THAI OR FOREIGNER) RESPONSIBILITIES: - Reaching sales target - Developing and following up new sales leads - Self discipline in developing and managing sales volumes - Preparing regular sales activities reports to the GM - Excellent communication and negotiation skills - Self driven and motivated with a positive attitude - Work well under pressure and achievement oriented COMPETITIVE SALARY, BONUSES AND TRAVEL EXPENSES, FRIENDLY WORK ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL SECURITY (10%) PAID BY THE COMPANY, EXCELLENT CAREER PROGRESS OPPORTUNITY

Companion/Social Secretary: Single female 20-32. Good English, slim and attractive only. Live in separate high-end condo accommodation.

Able to travel internationally. Position requires day-to-day activities of semi-retired English/Canadian businessman.

Can be part time.

Salar y 15 - 40K per month. Photo application to bggvirgo@gmail. com and call 089 054 4354

Interested applicants are invited to apply by sending a full resumé in English with a recent photo & expected salary to:

Class Act Media Co., Ltd. 99/7, Moo 1, T. Kathu, Phuket 83120 Tel: 076 612 550-2 Fax: 076 612 553 E-mail: gm@thephuketnews.com

www.thephuketnews.com JOB WANTED Butler/House Manager: Professional 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.

THE PHUKET NEWS

CLASSIFIEDS 35

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

BUY & SELL IN PHUKET BOATS & YACHTS Boat for Sale or Barter to Car: Body fiber glass, 27

ft, 2007 Y, 2 engine Honda, 4 stroke, 225 M/P. Capacity: 10 person’s, build in Pattaya.

Price:760,000. Tel +66 8 751 81347. Email: sss_box01@ yahoo.com.

Dinghy Size 2.45 metre:

Inflatable tubes. Rigid hull and cover. Used only in fresh water.

B65,000. (new B100,000) 081 728 0140 or email milou2612@ gmail.com.

BUSINESSES FOR SALE Kamala Bar for SALE!:

Very profitable bar on main road. Owner returning to Australia in high season. Has one bedroom with ensuite, three FS TVs, pool table, stock, furniture. etc. Price negotiable. Call Chompoo on 084 844 3504.

B u s i n e s s f o r S a l e: Pegasus 8.2M - Late 2006: SUZUKI 140 HP -

4 strokd - 300 hours. Fully equipped. Location: Boat Lagoon. Price: B700,000.

Contact 086 268 7901, martin@pertinax.asia.

Phuket slingshot, Thailand’s only, and bumper cars. Call 082 419 0742.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Small Business Good Returns: Income of over

400k pa and accommodation with this busy and growing laundry business in Patong.

Good customer base and reputation, with 9 machines and 3 staff, means money in your pocket from day one.

Price B460k. Call Phil: 087 267 9280.

Private Luxury Yacht Charters: Luxury day

and overnight yacht charters with crew and chef on board. Rates from B49,000 per day. Contact 089 971 0278, Visit our website at www.yacht-char ter-thai land.com.

Investors or Partners Wanted: 5 Rai hillside land,

Maikhao Beach. Perfect for Resort, 15-20 villas. First villa under construction. www. phuketapartments.de, Contact Julius 087 267 1192.

BUSINESS SERVICES

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php

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.

Indo Construction: 40

ABC International Nursery: Education for chil-

Tile It: Thalang. Wana Park

Kiddies Home Nursery: Award for top Nursery

years experience of more than 20 years at your service in Thailand. Main contractor: study project, architecture design and construction and management.

Contact 076 381 895.

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.

inboard engines, hydraulic and mechanical equipment service, repairs and spare parts. MAN, Arneson, ZF, Rolls Royce and others. Professional team of engineers, high quality, personal approach guaranteed. Contact 076 336 221, 083 171 4141. Email info@ digifoxmarine.com.

35ft Bay Liner Motor Yacht: Year 2009, twin

260HP Mercruisers, Aircon. Navigation, TV/DVD/ surround, fridge/freezer, coffee machine, vacuum, flush, full bimini enclosure, many other options. Immaculate condition, a steal at B3.99m. eddyelan@ yahoo.com, call 089 971 0278.

dren 18 months to six years old with experienced native English teachers following the UK EYFS curriculum. Contact 089 971 1813.

for Phuket Province 2011.

Ages 3 months to 4 years.

Open 7 days a week and from 6.30 am to 7pm. Rock Garden Village. Call 076 528 862, mobile 082 539 8252, email: kiddieshomenursery@gmail. com.

Alarms & CCTV Services: Protect your home or

office with an alarm system and CCTV cameras. Call 085 798 9469 or email contact@ alarms-phuket-services.com.

Green House: Construction, renovation, electric, metal work, wood work, shop fitting.

Please contact 085 654 2244.

CARS FOR RENT Car for Rent: Car in good

condition, short and longterm rental with first class insurance and delivery service. 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 Digifox Marine: Marine

ages 1 1/2-8. Mon-Fri 8am.5pm. Bus service available from Patong, Karon, Kata, Phuket, Rawai and Chalong.

Website: www.buds-phuket. com.

Nissan NV Manual 2000 Carry Boy: New

tyres, full service Tax and full insurance June 2012.

Excellent condition. Silver B150,000. Call 089 908 4421.

Singapore Club Phuket: Calling all Singaporeans in Phuket to join “Singapore Club Phuket”. Contact Robin on 081 803 7189, 076 303 500.

CLUBS

COMPUTERS

Funstart: Family sports

and leisure club. Swimming/ golf/playcentre/gaming arcade. Call 076 203 185, 087 882 5544. See funstart phuket.com.

All 4 Diving: 5/4 Sawatdirak Road, Patong Beach.

Contact 076 344 611.

English Computer man: Sales (new and used), service and repairs, WLAN a speciality. Free telephone advice. Call 0846 257 744 or email computermanphuket@gmail.com.

SK A L I nt e r na t i onal Phuket: Skål is a professional organisation of leaders from all branches of the travel and tourism industry. www. skalphuket.org.

diver education. Contact 076 284 026. Phuket’s only dive club.

DIVING Phuket Scuba Club: PADI 5 Star Centre. Half-day, day-trips, live-aboards and

EDUCATION 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). www. the geniuslanguageschool.net.

WRITE YOUR CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENT Heading ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......

Body ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B99 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B198

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.

Pr o t e c t yo u r h o m e w i t h C C T V: C C T V &

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.

Toursys: Tour operator software. Presented by Blue D Zine Co., Ltd. See bluedzine. com.

...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B297 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B396 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B495 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B594

Jeep CJ7 2.0 L Automatic 1989: Stain-

less, disc-brake, powersteering. B450,000.

C a l l 0 8 6 2 6 8 8 7 0 1.

CHILDCARE Buds Nursery: Phuket Oldest Bi-lingual international child care facility. High quality, time proven schedule and curriculum. Now in brand new purpose build school. Experienced native English teachers to teach

...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B693 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B792 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B891 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B990

Box B200

Colour Background B200

Colour Headline B200

Colour Picture B395

Deadline: Monday 12pm (noon) for that Friday’s issue

Hand this in at agent shops, our office or fax: 076 612 553

thephuketnews.com

36 CLASSIFIEDS

THE PHUKET NEWS

BUY & SELL/HOMES IN PHUKET EDUCATION Learn Thai at Home: Female Thai 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 practise and home study material. Both at beginner and more advanced levels. Call 081 797 1497 or Email teacher joy_phuket@hotmail.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.

smoother ride with DYNA BEADS! Available at West Coast Service Center Phuket.

Your big bike specialist on the bypass road. Contact 085 785 4440.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS FOR SALE

PERSONAL SERVICES

Health Food : Online health food in Thailand. Good karma, all natural healthy, natural and organic products.

Contact 082 276 1675. www. goodkarmathailand.com.

DH Yoga Studio Bangtao: Next to Tesco Lotus

Native German Teacher: Native German TEFL teacher is teaching German and English to single students at home or small groups in Chalong. (German/English) 080 778 1220, (Thai) 081 810 9115.

Cooking School: Fire up

service and support. Premium service: home cinema, home automation, marine AV and IT, lighting control and multiroom audio-video. Call 084 443 9863.

producer of premium coffee blends and powdered mixes as well as selling, maintaining, servicing and repairing all major brands. 076 355 600-1.

Cherngtalay. Daily 8.30 am and 19.00 pm. Class - B200, 1 month - B3,000, 3 months B7,000. phuketdh@gmail.com.

English-Thai Law Office: Visa, work permit, company formation, property transfer etc. Please telephone for advice. Contact 084 063 9223.

Havana Cigar Shop: Yamaha Serow for Sale: 220cc, year 1996.

Sale B45,000. Please contact Khun Nicolas (farang) 083 176 4265. Khun Ball 081 084 9532 (Thai).

MOTORBIKE SERVICES

Opposite HomePro Village Chalong. Contact 081 956 2024. Email: vinoltds@hotmail. com.

American Health Clinic: Chiropractic spinal adjustment with an experienced chiropractor can take away the pain almost as quickly as it began.

Call 076 612 707.

Dynamic Tyre Balancing: Dynamically balance

Techworx: Custom design

your motorcycle tyres for a

& installation. Professional

popular Yoga for men and women in Phuket. Four classes every day. Kata yoga, it works! www.katahotyoga.com, Contact 076 605 950.

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International Kindegarten: International Kindergarten. Native English teachers, UK and Singapore curriculum, small class sizes. The best choice. Call 082 323 1188.

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your creative flair with Food Services Cooking School. Italian, Western and Thai cuisine.

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MOTORBIKES FOR SALE

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

sage,100 9-10 Soi Post Office Patong Beach Phuket Kathu 8 315 0. The most beautiful, serene and tranquil facilities in Patong Beach.

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This is an all inclusive original Thai massage shop.

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PROPERTY CONCIERGE Live Music By Colin Hill: Popular expat pro musi-

Four Beds/Four Baths Villa for Rent: Securely located in Baan Suan Loch Palm Estate, 10 minutes to golf courses, International schools and Central, 15 mins to Patong. B65,000 per month. Includes common area pool and gardening service, 6 months minimum. Available from 22 April 2012. +61 41 268 3850 or email jenjira555@yahoo. com.au.

Rent Kata One-Three Bed Apartments: Superb

cian (guitar/vocals) with work permit. Can perform solo, duo or band. www.play-guitar.net, 089 777 3063.

apartments and pool penthouses 115-375 sq metre, less than five minutes walk to two beaches (Kata and Kata Noi) Call 081 078 1246.

Selling or Renting Your Property?: We have buyers for foreign freehold, sea view properties and land. Call 080 143 2929 or visit realestate.phuket. net.

Apar tment for Rent in Rawai: Business nine apartments, fully-furnished with swimming pool & office.

Contract 081 893 2165.

PROPERTY FOR RENT Apartment for Rent in Patong: New condo with swimming pool, security 24/7. 46sq metre, furnished.

Daily/monthly. 089 728 4005 or email: thamad17@yahoo.com.

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.

Phuket Visa: Offers consulting and services on company registration, work permit, visa, accounting, auditor, legal advice. Contact 081 892 9960.

Kata Hot Yoga: The most

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Chalong Land: Land in 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. Contact Peter on 089 652 1951 or email phuket.pn@ gmail.com.

Beach Frontage: One bedroom self-contained holiday villa Rawai. Rental Day/Week Call 081 677 1641.

Rawai Beach Front House: Rawai beach front 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.

THE PHUKET NEWS

CLASSIFIEDS 37

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

HOMES IN PHUKET

rent and lease in luxury building with pool. Per day, week, month, year and 30 years.

Contact Scott Bolls, email: sbolls@hotmail.com, call +66 81 828 0972.

PROPERTY FOR SALE Phuket - Allamanda Residences: One Deluxe Condo-Unit (Duplex House) fully furnished set within the unique Phuket Laguna Complex 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: utaipan@ya hoo.com.

B1.9 Million New Condo: New Studio (1 bedroom) condominium in The Point, across from Phuket International Hospital and BigC. Beautiful four year old central atrium building with no stuffy hallways. 36 m2, high speed internet, cable TV, and swimming. Parking under building.

Third floor with nice view. 1.9 M Baht. Contact Walter at wp drake2@yahoo.com, 083 301 3470.

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php

Jindarin Beach Club & Resort: B1.5 million for one plot, B3.2 million for cottage + plot. Call 080 467 7770 (Thai), 083 520 0020 (English). www.jindarin.com, Email: eam1008@ me.com.

Nice One Rai Chalong NOW Reduced to 6.5m ono: In Chalong 200 metre off main road in great location.

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24 Rai Flat Land Cheap:

24 rai flat land close to Phuket zoo. Owner direct B3.8 million per rai, chanot title. Call 085 789 1773.

ment. B1.3 million. Call for details on 0857946530.

pool, security 24/7. Furnished, 46sqm, freehold: B2.9 million.

089 728 4005, thamad17@ yahoo.com.

Kata Phuket Luxur y Studio/Apartment: 60

Top Rawai Beach Condo For Sale: Serenity

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.

Resort & Residences. Two bed / two bath, 134 sq metre.

Only B11.9 million. See www. stefan.asia for details.

Luxur y Villa, Phuket Loch Palm for Sale: Plot: 650 m², own water, solar, living area 280 m², furnished, carport, 80 m² pool, four bedrooms, four bathrooms, 5 flat tv, ADSL, Cable TV. 19.5 million Thai Baht. +66 (0) 88 381 0012, email: office@palm-beachentertainment.com.

Land for Sale: Land Mission Hills half rai plot, quiet select location, chanote, water, electric price B1.6m. Six rai hilltop, sea/mountain views, chanote, water, electric, office B4.2m per rai. Contact 087 978 5804.

Discount Rentals Daily / Weekly / Monthly / Lease LUXURY VILLAS NEAR LAGUNA

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.

Patong Guesthouse: 8 New Apartment for Sale rooms, internet cafe and apart- Patong: Condo: swimming

Land for Sale: 11 rai, one kilometre from Naiyang beach. B6.5 millions per rai.

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Urgent Three Bed House for Sale: Phuket grand ville pasak soi 8, two storey house, three bed, three bath, three aircon, cable, internet and fully-furnished. Call 081 894 2505.

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.

Info: 089 594 4067 Land for sale in Rawai: One rai with Chanote, please contact direct to owner 089 472 9870, email d_chaibut@ yahoo.com.

Kata Beach Centre Phuket: Apar tments for

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. Please check more info at www.awphuket.com.

Seaview Land AoMakha m for Sale: 3 3 rai land upon hill with seaview.

Very easy access from road.

B5 million per rai. Contact 081 895 4318. Email: wapeebow@gmail.com.

Modern Pool Villa: 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

House Wi t h Pool Rawai/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. Fully air-con, WiFi and cable TV. Solar hot water. Large approx 70 sq metre free-form pool in large established tropical garden. Sala and covered two-car 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.

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.

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

Perfect Land for Villa: Approx three rai, with chanote 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.

Thai Style House for Sale: Teak wood floors, stairs, walls, 2 bedroom.

Land 330 sq metre, peaceful location, five minutes to Patong, Chanote title. B5.0 million. 086 268 8701, email: f430spiderf1@hotmail.com.

thephuketnews.com

38 CLASSIFIEDS

THE PHUKET NEWS

TRADES IN PHUKET

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

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THE PHUKET NEWS

ISLAND SPORT 39

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

GAME ON FOR FC PHUKET

Team announced for 2012 season There is light at the end of the tunnel for FC Phuket supporters, with interim president Naruebet ‘Ko Lek’ Aryupong announcing the team will compete in the 2012 Division 1 competition.

With the announcement came sweeping changes to the club’s structure.

Though not confirmed, it is rumoured that Mayor of Kathu Municipality, Chai-anant Suthikul, will be the new club president, and Jirayus Songyos, former FC Phuket manager, will be vice president.

It was said that the two men have pitched in B5 million each to keep FC Phuket going.

A Financial and Management Department will be cre-

FOOTBALL

ated to handle all financial matters, led by Arseen Arammethapongsa and Pradit Saengjan.

The marketing manager from Siam Niramit Phuket will also join forces with the club as new head of the FC Phuket marketing team.

The FC Phuket team manager was due to be announced today (February 10).

Ticket prices for 2012 will also change, though will only see a nominal increase. The cost will rise from B50 general admission and B20 for students, to B60 and B30, respectively.

It was also proposed that the club start a donations ac-

FC PHUKET 2012 LINEUP Strikers • Thawin Butrasombat, star striker who was off with a broken tibia for most of the 2011 season.

• Watcharapong Jan-ngam.

• Watcharakorn Klaitin from Chiang Rai United – rumoured to have discipline issues.

• Karute from Ivory Coast (Muang Thong Utd).

• Suwit Tulan from Phuket.

count that FC Phuket fans can deposit money into. This will not be a share sale as previously suggested, but will instead be a charitable donation.

Fans have already been receptive to the idea, posting positive comments on the supporters’ Facebook page.

Ko Lek announced he

Record haul at fishing comp FISHING The “Wahoo Thailand” 2012 Fishing Tournament, held last weekend, reeled in quite a catch.

The last time the tournament was held there were only seven boats and a B100,000 prize purse. This year, 20 boats joined, competing for a record B3 million in cash and prizes.

Participants from 18 different countries joined in the competition, held from February 2-5. Most boats caught f ish, with some boats catching up to six different species.

Top prize – which was worth over B550,000 – for the biggest Wahoo went to the Singapore Slingers of Reely Nauti One, with the

Captain Joe of MV Splendor holds a toothy wahoo. boys from Australia/Scotland taking out top boat team on Wahoo’s boat Splendor.

The presentation night was attended by over 160 anglers, boat owners, crew and sponsors at Kan Eang @ Pier in Chalong.

Following the success of this year’s event, the tour-

nament has already been confirmed for next year, with organisers aiming for 40 boats and B5 million in prize money.

■■ For inquiries about next year’s tournament, contact Warren Crowe or Andy Bright at info@rawaibeach fishingclub.com.

Midfielders • Seksit Srisai (retained).

• Santos, a Brazilian from Yangon United FC in Myanmar.

• Yuttana Jongnok, a Myanmar League Champion with Air Force Utd • Poramut Krongborisut (retained).

Defenders • Suphat Ontthong (retained) • Nene Bi (retained) • Montree Janseeharat, previously played for Phuket in 2009.

had also travelled to Bangkok to meet with footballers from both last season and prospective new players from Muang Thong United, subsequently announcing the list of players who will make up Phuket’s starting side next season (see above).

It is rumoured that Sarach

Portrait and TSLC remain undefeated

Goalkeepers: • Tatpicha Aksornsri from Muang Thong Utd • Phuketian Suchart Sae-ang In addition, FC Phuket are rumored to be buying a left back from Chiang Mai FC , as well as a Norwegian centre-half, while 2010 players Suthee Sakdiwong, Kittitach Kraithong and Arwoot Nuchet will be contacted and offered new contracts.

Yooyen, FC Phuket’s star midfielder who was poached by Muang Thong United, might also return to Phuket.

Despite making the Muang Thong team, his preferred position is filled by Theerasil Dangda, a player seemingly impossible to replace.

A goalkeeper from Suphan-

buri will also have a trial with FC Phuket.

With the news, a group of fans from Noksanarm Fan Club, who pledged to run up the Big Buddha Hill if FC Phuket remained alive, will now have to carry through with their pledge.

Their kae bon (a ritual performed when your wish is granted) schedule has yet to be confirmed, but the ringleader, a fan who uses Facebook name Yoyo Sarasin, said they will go on the run after the first game in March is played, just to make sure that there will not be any last minute changes.

Based on the rollercoaster off-season the club has had, that’s probably a wise move.

–Kazira Hans

Premier Division GP

W

D

L

GD

P

1

Team Portrait FC

3

3

0

0

10

9

2

Thalang

2

1

0

1

4

3

FUTSAL

3

Thanachart

2

1

0

1

0

3

4

Jitjongrut

2

1

0

1

-2

3

Portrait FC are now six points clear on top of the Premier Division table following another dominant performance in round three of AFL Season 9 presented

by Thanachart Bank.

In the first of two top division matches played last week, Portrait FC again showed why they are the league leaders with some excellent attacking play.

Striker Somsak was in devastating form, scoring five goals as Portrait ran out 8-2 winners against cellar dwellers Honda.

Thalang Tigers looked to push on from their opening match win by taking on Jitjongrut. In a very tight affair it was Jitjongrut who took the lead in the first half and managed to hold on, keeping Thalang

5

Honda

3

0

0

3

-12

0

First Division GP

W

D

L

GD

P

1

Team Thanyapura

3

3

0

0

12

9

2

Ultraman

3

1

1

1

0

4

3

SGS

2

1

0

1

-1

3

4

Island Boys

2

0

1

1

-6

1

5

Chevrolet

2

0

0

2

-7

0

at bay to grab a 1-0 win and the three points.

The First Division (D1) continued on field two with SGS claiming a 6-3 win over Chevrolet.

The second D1 match saw TSLC play Ultraman. Both

teams entered the match unbeaten, looking to keep their good run going.

However, a goal either side of half time saw TSLC remain at the top of the Division 1 table and hand Ultraman their first loss. Final score 2-0.

All’s Fair as league resumes FOOTBALL

After a brief hiatus, the Fair Play League resumed at British International School (BIS) last weekend.

In the Under-14 division, Thailand and France played out an entertaining 2-2 draw, with both teams missing good opportunities to take all three points in the closing minutes.

The result of the day saw undefeated league leaders Germany Green lose 6-3 to now joint-leaders Argentina.

Both teams played great attacking football, but it was the Albicelestes day as they took more of their chances.

Germany White also had a tough loss against a reju-

–Photo by Martin Hill venated Brazil team, going down 7-1.

The Under-11s played two matches each on Sunday. In the first round, Thailand put up a spirited display, but faded badly in the final minutes to go down 6-1 to Germany White.

Brazil then continued their charge to the title with a 3-0

win over Germany Green, while France overcame a 2-0 half time score, and an impromptu bee attack (the attacker was fended off), to grab a share of the spoils against Argentina with a 2-2 draw.

In the second round of matches, Thailand were looking to claim their first point

of the competition but came up just short, losing to France 5-4. Germany Green then put in an impressive display to win 4-1 over Argentina, and finally Brazil conceded their first goals of the competition but continued their winning form to claim a 3-2 victory over Germany White.

29/2/2012

thephuketnews.com

40 INTERNATIONAL/ISLAND SPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Pakistan rout England CRICKET

Pakistan’s cricket team put its numerous problems behind them through consistent performances as they wiped out the world’s best team England 3-0 with captain Misbah-ul Haq aiming to move on to further heights.

Bedevilled by the spotfixing scandal of 2010, which ended in lengthy bans and ultimately jail ter ms for three of its key players – Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer – Pakistan registered their firstever whitewash over England here on Monday. The victory, Misbah believes, will help Pakistan move on.

“It’s a wonderful win but the most important thing in any sport or life is that whatever you achieve it goes in the past.

If you stuck with it you can’t move ahead and improve,” said Misbah after beating England by 71 runs in the third Test.

Pakistan’s resurgence is not only surprising but praiseworthy as they have not lost a Test series, winning nine of the 15 Tests, with one defeat and five draws – all under Misbah.

Moreover, there have been no problems off the field, something which have con-

England were beaten by 71 runs in the third Test against Pakistan. sistently derailed Pakistan’s on-field progress.

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja showered huge praise on the players.

“The current players have become the latest pin-up boys of world cricket,” Raja told AFP. “It’s a dramatic turnaround for Pakistan and hats off to their discipline, consistency and distinction.

“Sky is the limit for them because this wasn’t an easy

series. Now this win will help this team build in confidence,” said Raja, who warned against complacency.

“I would still call it a work in progress, the beginning of something special,” said Raja, now a widely travelled commentator.

“We have got to beat South Africa and Australia on their grounds and I am sure this team can achieve that.”

Misbah acknowledges the

–Photo by PCB

challenge of playing well on away tours.

“That’s another challenge, this team loves challenges and that challenge is in our minds and everybody is just focusing to prove themselves outside Pakistan, so we are looking forward. If we just go to South Africa and Australia, we just want to do well there.”

Misbah, a veteran at 37, said the current team is a blend of youth and experience.

“Only time will tell what you can achieve or what you can do. We just want to do well and that’s what we are aiming for and youngsters are coming up, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Hafeez are doing well and seniors are supporting them,” said Misbah.

Another former captain, Waqar Younis, praised Misbah.

“He (Misbah) has been tremendous leader of a young and transformed team,” said Waqar, also here as a commentator.

“His cool and calming influence is good for the team and credit to the management for keeping discipline in the team,” said Waqar, who quit as coach in September last year after developing health problems.

And the win Misbah said will force other nations to take Pakistan seriously.

“This England win will send a strong message to the cricket world, and that is that we are a strong and powerful cricketing nation and deserve respect and more international matches,” said Misbah.

“We have been ignored for quite some time, but our performance will help us get better scheduling and respect.”

–AFP

Phuket to host the might of the MCC Phuket’s new home of cricket is set to host the traditional home of the sport as the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), from Lords, kick off their Thailand tour with a T20 match at the ACG this week.

Founded in 1787, MCC’s teams play around 500 matches a year. They set off for overseas tours to destinations as diverse as Tanzania and Cyprus (and Phuket), working with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to help promote the game internationally.

With Pakistan just completing their first ever clean sweep against top-ranked England in a Test series, the MCC players will no doubt be looking to save face for England with a successful tour of Thailand.

However, with the ever improving standard of cricket in Phuket, the home side could prove to be a stubborn first obstacle.

The match will start from 2pm on Thursday February 16. All are welcome to attend.

Miss Saigon finished fourth overall in the Multihull class. –Photo by rolienphotography.com

Out to play in the Bay International competitors dominated the standings of The Bay Regatta, held last week, indicating its growing success on the Asian sailing calendar.

The third most common language spoken at this year’s regatta after English and Thai was Russian, with five Russian entries: Ruby Tuesday, Gastion and Ocean Agassi (all in the Racing Class), Creme Brulee aka Venture (in Bareboat Charter) and Uminoko (in Cruising A).

“People think it’s only the King’s Cup that draws international competitors to Phuket, but that’s not the case,” said Scott Duncanson, owner and skipper of Quantum Fusion M,

thephuketnews.com

SAILING who finished up in third place in the Racing Class.

Forty-three boats registered for the regatta this year, with 13 entering the Multihull division, making the Multihull class the largest ever contested in The Bay Regatta.

The four days of sailing saw participants start off Koh Rang through a course that took them to Koh Kudu, and south towards Krabi, before spending a day just north of Ao Nang, and eventually back to Ao Chalong.

With two first-place finishes and two second-place finishes Russian Arbuzov Andrev’s

Ruby Tuesday captured the five-boat Racing Class with six points.

And though Scott Duncanson’s Quantum Fusion flew through the water on the final day, winning with a day’s best of 2:06:53, its three thirdplace finishes in earlier races relegated it to third overall in the Racing Class.

In the nine-boat Cruising A class Neils Degenkolw’s Phoenix took top honours, while Gavin Welman’s Rascal took out the Cruising B class. The seven-boat Bareboat Charter division saw Kochnev Petr’s Tonicola 2 claim victory, and Andrew Stransky’s Fantasia won the 13-boat Multihull Class.

THE PHUKET NEWS

INTERNATIONAL SPORT

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

DOPING CHEAT

41

New-look England see off Contador suspended, stripped of Tour de France win Scotland Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador on Monday received a two-year ban for doping during the 2010 Tour de France and was stripped of his victory in the race.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said Contador’s suspension runs through to August 6, 2012, which means that the Spaniard loses his 2010 Tour victory and will be unable to take part in this year’s race.

Contador tested positive for the banned anabolic agent clenbuterol, but he was subsequently cleared by the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) in February 2011, prompting the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Cycling Union (UCI) to appeal the decision to CAS. The 29-year-old Spaniard claimed he had ingested the banned substance by eating a contaminated steak, an explanation which satisfied the RFEC but which failed to pass muster with the UCI and WADA. “CAS has partially upheld the appeals filed by WADA

CYCLING and the UCI and has found Alberto Contador guilty of a doping offence,” CAS said in a statement.

“As a consequence, Alberto Contador is sanctioned with a two-year period of ineligibility starting retroactively on 25 January 2011, minus the period of the provisional suspension served in 2010-2011 (5 months and 19 days). The suspension should therefore come to an end on 5 August 2012.”

CAS added that the “presence of clenbuterol was more likely caused by the ingestion of a contaminated food supplement” than by contaminated meat.

Apart from losing his 2010 Tour de France title, the verdict means that Contador is stripped of all his wins in 2011, which include the Giro d’Italia.

It also comes as a further body blow to the sport of cycling which has been wracked by doping offences over the last 15 years – particularly involving the Tour de France,

Alberto Contador (left) during the 2010 Tour de France. the toughest and most prestigious race in the world.

The UCI said that though it derived no satisfaction from the verdict, it “welcomed the news as the end of a longrunning affair that has been extremely painful for cycling”.

“This is a sad day for our sport. Some may think of it as a victory, but that is not at all

the case,” said UCI President Pat McQuaid.

“There are no winners when it comes to the issue of doping – every case, irrespective of its characteristics, is always a case too many.”

Contador’s win in 2010 was his third in the Tour de France and under UCI rules his suspension means he would

forfeit the victory to Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, who finished as runner-up.

But Schleck said: “There is no reason to be happy now.

First of all I feel sad for Alberto. I always believed in his innocence. This is just a very sad day for cycling.

“If now I am declared overall winner of the 2010 Tour de France it will not make me happy. I battled with Contador in that race and I lost. My goal is to win the Tour de France in a sporting way, being the best of all competitors, not in court. If I succeed this year, I will consider it as my first Tour victory.”

Tour de France organiser Christian Prudhomme said: “My first reaction is to say ‘at last’.

“It puts an end to an interminable procedure which lasted too long and deeply embarrassed all organisers of races in which Alberto Contador took part.”

Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx said he was “shocked and disgusted” by the CAS ruling. –AFP

F1 races to the start of new season MOTO F1

World champion Sebastian Vettel said his back-to-back title triumphs in the last two years would count for little when the 2012 Grand Prix season gets underway in Australia on March 18.

On the day when Red Bull used the internet to unveil their new “fourth generation” RB8 car, which they hope will continue their dominance of the sport, the 24-year-old German took the time out to dwell on his hopes of making it a hat-trick of world titles.

“It’s difficult to say (what will happen). Every season we start from zero again,” Vettel said.

“Unlike other sports, in tennis for instance, you’re the number one in the world and there is a certain gap between you and the number two.

“Whereas for us it all starts from zero again, zero points, where everyone has the same chance and we are all building our new cars.

“Until we put the new cars on track to race each other we don’t really know. So we’ll see, but I’m as confident as I can be at this point.

“Hopefully we will have a good couple of days testing with the car to prepare well

for the season.”

The new RB8 car, designed

by Adrian Newey and unveiled on the Internet, showed it to have the same “platypus”

snubbed nose as all the other cars this season with the exception of McLaren.

Webber was set to have the first opportunity to take

to the track in the new car when the first tests took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Vettel taking over for Thursday and Friday.

Vettel had his second world title last year sown up by early October with three races still to go. Team-mate Marc Webber went on to take third place.

Together, their all-conquering Red Bulls dominated the constructors championship, finishing well ahead of McLaren and Ferrari.

T h e i r p e r fo r m a n c e s prompted Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone to declare that he would prefer if there was more of

a competition in the sport and Vettel agrees that he has set himself near impossibly high standards.

“The target is obviously to try to do it again, to get everything out of ourselves, so we’ll see how we get on with the new car." – AFP

Debutant England centre Owen Farrell was delighted by the commitment his revamped side showed as they began the defence of their Six Nations title with a 13-6 win away to Scotland on Saturday.

England’s first victory at Murrayfield since 2004 also gave new interim coach Stuart Lancaster an ideal start in his first match in charge since succeeding Martin Johnson, who resigned after the side’s World Cup flop in New Zealand.

Australia-born fly-half Dan Parks kicked Scotland into a 6-3 half-time lead in this Calcutta Cup clash after landing two penalties to one from 20-year-old centre Farrell, who plays for English Premiership champions Saracens.

But Parks’ day nosedived fewer than 30 seconds into the second half when his clearing kick was charged down by recalled England fly-half Charlie Hodgson for the only try of the match.

“That’s just the start for us,” said Farrell, who converted club-mate Hodgson’s try and kicked eight points in total.

“We came out here and worked unbelievably hard for each other, that’s what we’ve worked on the last couple of weeks – getting together and bonding as a team,” added Farrell, son of England backs coach Andy, a former dual code international.

–AFP

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42 INTERNATIONAL SPORT

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suspension failed to inspire Liverpool as they were held to a goalless draw by Spurs Javier Hernandez scored a at Anfield. late equaliser as Manchester In The Phuket News TipUnited staged a stunning threeping Competition, the winner goal comeback in a thrilling of January’s prize was ‘A1CR’.

3-3 draw against Chelsea at This month’s competition Stamford Bridge on Sunday. is already shaping up to be Sir Alex Ferguson’s side a good one, with ‘gazza’ in looked destined for defeat the lead on 39 points, closely when a Jonny Evans own goal followed by ‘apollo131’ and and strikes from Juan Mata ‘UMSTPN’, both on 36. and David Luiz put Chelsea The February prize will three up by the 50th minute. again be a B3,000 voucher But United were handed from Australia Bar and a route back into the game Grill in Kata, where you can thanks to two controversial ‘A1CR’ (right) collects his B3,000 Australia Bar and Grill penalties, both converted by voucher, after winning the January tipping competition. watch all the international sport on 50” plasma screen Wayne Rooney, before MexiTVs or on the big screen. can substitute Hernandez Edin Dzeko sealed the vic- Arsene Wenger.

‘Gafferworld’ still leads headed the equaliser with six tory on 70 minutes, as play was Meanwhile, Senegal striker minutes remaining. halted twice for groundstaff Papiss Demba Cisse enjoyed a the overall competiton on The result left Ferguson’s to clear snow from the pitch dream debut for Newcastle as 368, but ‘chasman’ is making second-placed side two points at Eastlands. his second-half strike secured a run at the lead, jumping behind Manchester City at the On Saturday, Arsenal a 2-1 win against Aston Villa into second place with 337 head of the Premier League thrashed ten-man Blackburn at St James’ Park on Sunday. points. The overall winner will table, after City kept up their Rovers 7-1 at the Emirates Norwich also downed receive a return flight to the title push with a comfortable Stadium. Robin van Persie’s Bolton 2-0, Wolves climbed UK, courtesy of Albatross 3-0 victory at home to Fulham hat-trick, two goals from rising out of the relegation zone with Lufthansa City Center.

This weekend sees Man on Saturday evening. star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a 2-1 win over QPR, Wigan Sergio Aguero’s penalty Mikel Arteta’s strike and Thi- and Everton battled for a 1-1 U take on Liverpool at Old gave City the lead after 10 erry Henry’s late goal disposed draw and Sunderland were too Trafford, Aston Villa host minutes, before Chris Baird’s of the relegation-threatened good for Stoke, winning 1-0. Man City, while Tottenham own-goal on the half-hour Rovers, as Arsenal eased some On Monday, Luis Suarez’s take on Newcastle at White mark doubled the host’s lead. of the pressure on manager return from an eight-match Hart Lane.

STRIPPED!

England manager Fabio CaFOOTBALL pello has hit out at his employers the Football Association Terry, 31, was relieved after they stripped John Terry of his duties last Thursday of the England captaincy due (February 2) due to an ongoto racism allegations. ing court case in which he is

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Terry loses England captaincy over Ferdinand racism claims

accused of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers centreback Anton Ferdinand during a match last year.

But that is a decision Capello says he is not comfortable with.

“I don’t agree with the decision, I spoke with the chairman (David Bernstein) telling him that in my opinion Terry cannot be punished until the court’s decided – that’s the civil justice, not the sporting one – that Terry has done that which he is accused of,” Capello told a football programme on Italian Rai public television.

“For that I felt it was right that Terry should keep the captain’s armband.

“However, the fact that the Board has taken this decision is their right when it comes to England.”

Terry’s court case is not due to take place until July 9, after the European Championship finals in Poland and Ukraine and the FA felt it would be inappropriate to keep him as captain with suspicion hanging over his head.

“Following the decision to adjourn the court case against John Terry to July, the Football

Terry will no longer wear the England captain’s armband.

Association confirm he will not captain the England team until the allegations against him are resolved,” said the FA’s statement on Thursday.

“This decision has been taken due to the higher profile nature of the England captaincy, on and off the pitch, and the additional demands and requirements expected of the captain leading into and during a tournament.”

The case has attracted huge media attention in England, due in no small part to the fact

that the England dressing-room is a multi-racial environment and is likely to include Ferdinand’s brother Rio. Capello’s outburst is unlikely to come as a surprise to England’s decision-makers, though, who were well aware of the Italian’s stance.

“Fabio Capello has not been involved in the FA Board discussions which reached this conclusion, but understands the FA Board has authority to make this decision,” Thursday’s statement said.

This is not the first time Terry has been stripped of the captaincy.

Two years ago, following allegations of an affair with a team-mate’s ex-girlfriend, Terry was removed as captain with Rio Ferdinand installed in his place.

However, due to Ferdinand’s injury problems making him often unavailable for England duty and a messy episode in a friendly against Denmark a year ago in which the captain’s armband was handed around like a passthe-parcel package, Capello decided to reinstate Terry.

Having been snubbed then, Ferdinand has already publicly claimed he is no longer interested in the role.

“I don’t want to be England captain after the last episode, just want to concentrate on playing for [Manchester] Utd and if I make the squad then as ever I’ll be delighted,” Ferdinand announced on Twitter.

Terry has always strongly protested his innocence and has been backed by his club manager Andre VillasBoas, who has kept him as Chelsea captain.

–AFP

INTERNATIONAL SPORT 43

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

THE PHUKET NEWS

Premier League Team

Ligue 1 MP W

D

L

F

A

P

D

L

F

A

P

18

3

3

63

19

57

1

PSG

22

15

4

3

38

19

49

24

17

4

3

59

24

55

2

Montpellier

22

14

4

4

42

23

46

24

15

5

4

44

25

50

3

Lille

21

10

9

2

36

21

39

Chelsea

24

12

7

5

44

29

43

4

Lyon

22

12

3

7

36

25

39

5

Newcastle

24

12

6

6

36

31

42

5

Marseille

22

10

8

4

33

21

38

6

Arsenal

24

12

4

8

46

34

40

6

Rennes

22

10

6

6

32

25

36

7

Liverpool

24

10

9

5

28

21

39

7

Toulouse

22

9

7

6

22

22

34

8

Sunderland

24

9

6

9

33

24

33

8

Saint-Étienne

21

9

6

6

24

24

33

9

Norwich

24

8

8

8

34

39

32

9

Bordeaux

22

7

9

6

24

23

30

10

Swansea

24

7

9

8

26

29

30

10

Lorient

21

6

8

7

21

24

26

11

Everton

24

8

6

10

24

27

30

11

Brest

22

4

12

6

20

21

24

12

Stoke City

24

8

6

10

23

36

30

12

Valenciennes

22

6

5

11

22

26

23

13

Aston Villa

24

6

10

8

29

33

28

13

Evian

22

5

8

9

29

35

23

14

Fulham

24

6

9

9

29

35

27

14

Nancy

22

5

8

9

22

29

23

15

West Brom

24

7

5

12

24

34

26

15

Ajaccio

22

5

7

10

25

39

22

16

QPR

24

5

6

13

25

41

21

16

Dijon

22

6

4

12

25

41

22

17

Wolves

24

5

6

13

27

44

21

17

Caen

21

5

5

11

24

32

20

18

Bolton

24

6

2

16

28

49

20

18

Nice

22

4

7

11

22

26

19

19

Blackburn

24

4

6

14

34

54

18

19

Auxerre

21

4

7

10

28

35

19

20

Wigan

24

3

7

14

21

49

16

20

Sochaux

21

4

7

10

22

36

19

1

Man City

24

2

Man Utd

3

Tottenham

4

The Championship Team

Team

MP W

Serie A

MP W

D

L

F

A

P

5

7

46

30

56

1

Juventus

21

15

7

7

51

31

52

2

Milan

13

11

5

46

33

50

3

Udinese

9

7

48

36

48

4

46

27

47

33

30

47

28

25

35

27

47

1

West Ham

29

17

2

Southampton

29

3

Cardiff City

29

4

Blackpool

29

13

5

Birmingham

28

13

8

7

6

Mid’brough

29

12

11

6

7

Hull City

28

14

4

10

8

Reading

28

13

6

9

9

Leeds

29

13

6

10

Team

MP W

D

L

F

A

P

12

9

0

33

13

45

22

13

5

4

43

19

44

22

12

5

5

33

20

41

Lazio

22

11

6

5

34

22

39

5

Intern’ale

22

11

3

8

34

29

36

6

Roma

21

10

4

7

35

25

34

46

7

Napoli

22

7

10

5

36

24

31

45

8

Palermo

22

9

4

9

32

32

31

42

45

9

Genoa

21

9

3

9

31

38

30 29

10

Brighton

29

13

6

10

32

30

45

10

Fiorentina

21

7

8

6

23

19

11

Burnley

29

13

5

11

42

34

44

11

Cagliari

22

6

9

7

20

23

27

12

Derby

28

12

5

11

33

36

41

12

Parma

21

7

6

8

27

34

27

13

Leicester

29

10

9

10

38

33

39

13

Chievo

22

7

6

9

19

28

27

14

Crystal

29

10

9

10

27

28

39

14

Atalanta

21

7

8

6

25

27

231

15

Barnsley

29

11

6

12

42

46

39

15

Catania

19

5

8

6

23

29

23

16

Watford

29

9

9

11

32

40

36

16

Bologna

21

5

7

9

18

26

22 20

17

Portsmouth

27

9

7

11

32

29

34

17

Siena

21

4

8

9

21

22

18

Peterborough

29

9

7

13

46

48

34

18

Lecce

22

4

5

13

22

38

17

19

Ipswich

29

10

4

15

46

57

34

19

Cesena

21

4

4

13

13

31

16

20

Bristol

29

8

6

15

25

41

30

20

Novara

22

2

7

13

19

42

13

21

Millwall

29

7

8

14

28

39

29

22

Doncaster

28

6

6

16

23

45

24

23

Nottm Forest

28

7

3

18

22

46

24

24

Coventry

29

5

7

17

26

41

22

MP W

Bundesliga Team 1

MP W

Dortmund

20

13

Primera Liga D

L

F

A

P

1

Team Real Madrid

21

18

1

2

71

19

55

2

Barcelona

21

14

6

1

61

13

48

3

Valencia CF

21

10

7

4

31

22

37

4

Levante UD

21

9

5

7

27

25

32

D

L

F

A

P

4

3

45

14

43

5

RCD Espanyol

21

9

5

7

25

24

32

A Bilbao

21

7

9

5

33

28

30

2

B Munich

20

13

2

5

47

14

41

6

3

Schalke

20

13

2

5

46

25

41

7

A Madrid

21

8

6

7

31

27

30

8

Málaga

21

8

4

9

25

31

28 28

4

Mönch’bach

20

12

4

4

31

12

40

5

Bremen

20

9

5

6

33

34

32

9

Osasuna

21

6

10

5

23

33

31

10

Getafe

21

7

6

8

22

27

27

Sevilla

21

6

8

7

22

24

26 25

6

Leverkusen

20

8

7

5

28

27

7

Hannover

20

7

9

4

22

24

30

11

8

Hoffenheim

20

6

6

8

22

24

24

12

Vallecano

21

7

4

10

25

32

24

13

Mallorca

21

6

7

8

18

25

25

Granada

21

7

4

10

16

28

25

9

Köln

20

7

3

10

29

40

10

Wolfsburg

20

7

3

10

24

36

24

14

11

Stuttgart

20

6

5

9

26

28

23

15

Sociedad

21

6

6

9

23

30

24

16

Betis

21

7

2

12

23

30

23

12

Hamburger

20

5

8

7

25

34

23

13

Mainz

20

5

7

8

28

34

22

17

Villarreal

21

5

8

8

20

29

23

Santander

21

4

10

7

18

26

22

14

Nuremberg

20

6

3

11

19

31

21

18

15

Hertha

20

4

8

8

25

31

20

19

Gijón

21

5

4

12

20

39

19

20

Zaragoza

21

2

6

13

16

38

12

16

K’slautern

20

3

9

8

15

24

18

17

Augsburg

20

3

8

9

19

33

17

18

Freiburg

20

4

5

11

25

44

17

SPORT ON TV

Champions League Relegation

Champions League qualifiers

Premier League promotion

Europa League

Premier League play-off

Eli Manning was instrumental in the Giants’ 17-14 win.

UNBELIEVABLE Continued from page 44 Manning kept his poise even after two New York drives in the third quarter ended in field goals, keeping the Giants trailing 17-15 as the fourth quarter began.

“We stayed positive,” Manning said. “We were moving the ball. We just weren’t getting touchdowns. We kept getting close. I knew eventually we would get a break.”

Manning, who set a Super Bowl record by completing his first nine passes at the start of the game, became the fifth player to win two MVP awards, joining Tom Brady, Terry Bradshaw and Bart Starr one shy of Joe Montana’s record three.

The son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and younger brother of Pey ton Man ning, whose Indianapolis Colts play in this year’s Super Bowl host venue, proved he deserves to be considered among the NFL’s elite quarterbacks.

Last August, Manning’s claim that he belonged in that group brought ridicule from critics. Not anymore.

“He hung in there,” Archie Manning said. “He was patient. He had to be patient. There wasn’t anything easy out there. (But) he will not be saying he belongs in the Hall of Fame.”

As for Eli’s second title coming in the stadium where his brother plies his trade, Archie said: “It’s special because of this city. This city has meant a lot to our family.”

The Giants, who went 9-7 this season, matched the

NFL 1967 Green Bay Packers as the only teams with so few victories in a full season to win the Super Bowl.

But after a 7-7 start, the Giants captured two must-win games to reach the playoffs, then upset Atlanta, Green Bay and San Francisco on the road to the Super Bowl.

“We have a great bunch of guys that never quit and have great faith in each other,” Manning said of his Giants teammates. “I’m proud of the way we have dealt with everything all season and come out strong.”

When the Giants took the ball with less than four minutes remaining and 88 yards from a touchdown, they still had faith in Manning’s ability to make things happen.

“We went out there fully expecting to score,” Snee said. “We love that situation, having it on our shoulders to go down and score another touchdown. Eli is just so at ease in that situation.”

Manning completed a 38-yard pass to Mario Manningham, two shorter ones to him and two more to Hakeem Nicks to set up the decisive six-yard touchdown run by Ahmad Bradshaw with 57 seconds remaining.

“He was clutch,” Nicks said. “Eli always comes out and performs well. He’s top in the game in clutch situations.

He was calm as he always is, delivering the ball and trusting in us to get the job done.

“A game like this, I didn’t expect nothing less.” –AFP

Premier League (Times in Thailand)

Saturday February 11

Sunderland v Arsenal

22:00

Man Utd v Liverpool

19:45

Swansea v Norwich

22:00

Blackburn v QPR

22:00

Sunday January 29

Bolton v Wigan

22:00

Tottenham v Newcastle

Everton v Chelsea

22:00

Wolves v West Brom

20:30

Fulham v Stoke

22:00

Aston Villa v Man City

23:00

00:30

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS Run 1353: Saturday February 11 at 3.30pm Hares: No Hope, Apeman and Singha Directions: Old Airport Road. Head North on Thepkasattri Road towards the Airport.

Turn left at the Old Airport Road and carry on west for 3 km, turning left at the third junction (HHH sign). Laager in the usual rubber plantation next to the pineapple field.

thephuketnews.com

44 INTERNATIONAL SPORT

SPORT sport@thephuketnews.com

GIANTS STAND TALL E

li Manning delivered the New York Giants another last-minute Super Bowl triumph over the New England Patriots with the same cool-under-pressure style that has become his trademark.

Manning completed 30-of-40 passes for 296 yards and one touchdown, including 5-of-6 on the 88-yard game-winning touchdown drive to give the Giants a 21-17 triumph over the Patriots in Super Bowl 46 on Sunday.

He was named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, an accolade he also won in 2008 after the Giants shocked the Patriots 17-14 on a touchdown pass by Manning in the final seconds to deny New England an unbeaten run to the championship.

“This is twice now on the biggest stage we have gone down the field to score a touchdown and it starts with Eli,” Giants offensive guard Chris Snee said. “He was tremendous in that situation. He did a phenomenal job.”

Continued on page 43

thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Oh captain, my captain Terry is stripped of England captaincy > 42