The Phuket News 10 August 2018

thephuketnews thephuketnews1 thephuketnews.com Friday, August 10 – Thursday, August 16, 2018

Since 2011 / Volume VIII / No. 32

PATONG PUM PUI BAR BOSS AT LARGE > PAGE 3

STERN ORDER

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NEWS

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Boy, 7, revived on sand as surf danger roils on

LIFE

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Holistic Chef prepares menu for Thanyapura Tourist Police Deputy Commander Gen Surachate Hakparn and inspectors in front of the ‘Serenata’ tour boat at Boat Lagoon Marina on Aug 3. Photo: Tourist Police

10 TOUR BOATS GROUNDED AS ‘UNSAFE’, MORE THAN 200 CAUGHT IN BOAT SAFETY CRACKDOWN Eakkapop Thongtub editor@classactmedia.co.th

T

en boats operating in Phuket have been banned from operating as they have been deemed unsafe in the ongoing crackdown on marine safety in the wake of the Phoenix tour boat disaster last month that killed 47 tourists.

Tourist Police Deputy Commander Gen Surachate Hakparn announced the news during an inspection of tour boats, fishing boats and shipyards in Phuket last week.

More than 400 boats have been inspected since the crackdown was launched, Gen Surachate explained, with more than 200 of them found

not meeting safety standards.

The operators of the 200 boats have been ordered to meet the safety regulations or face the same fate.

Gen Surachate last Thursday (Aug 3) conducted inspections at eight major tourist-departure piers and shipyards in Phuket, starting with Chalong Pier.

Other locales visited by Gen Surachate and his team of inspectors included the busy Rassada Pier near Phuket Town, the Phisit Panwa Pier, Boat Lagoon, Rattanachai Shipyard and Ao Por Pier, all of which are major tour boat ports in Phuket.

The aim of the inspections, and the crackdown, is to improve marine safety in the tourism industry and to

restore confidence among Chinese tourists to travel to Phuket and the Andaman region, Gen Surachate explained.

More than 20% of travel bookings by Chinese tourists had been cancelled since the Phoenix disaster, he added.

The order to ensure tour boats in the region are safe comes directly from Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, he added.

The campaign is a joint effort, with the Royal Thai Police, Royal Thai Navy, Ministry of Tourism and Sports and relevant government offices, including the Marine Department, ordered to play their part.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

“If an entrepreneur violates any laws or violates the safety standards relating to water or land travel, legal action will be taken immediately,” notes the order.

Port inspection teams have been set up to check boats at 24 major piers in Phuket.

Any boats that do not pass inspection will not be allowed to leave the port.

Specifically, for any boats departing on island tours, the ship’s commander must notify the port inspection team and marine officials of the boat name and details of the hull, the exact number of passengers and the coordinates of where the boat is travelling to...

SPORT

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Ricciardo to leave RBR for Renault in 2019

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Light aircraft crash survivor making progress, probe continues > page 4

Surf danger plagues coast

Expat rescues boy, 7, as deadly waves prompt call to close beaches The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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n expat teacher at a Phuket school rescued a 7-year-old boy from surf at Nai Harn Beach on Monday (Aug 6), while the International Surf Lifesaving Association (ISLA) issued a notice on Wednesday (Aug 8) recommending that Phuket’s exposed west coast beaches be closed to swimmers until current dangerous conditions subside.

The ISLA warning noted the following warnings were in effect: High Surf, Dangerous Shorebreak, Severe Rip Currents, High Winds, Sudden Squalls, and Rapid Beach Erosion.

“A warning means these conditions are imminent or are already occurring,” the statement read.

“Short-period waves of two-tothree metres are battering Phuket’s exposed beaches. Sudden squalls can produce dangerous winds and surf height can increase quickly.

“Sets of large waves are powerful enough to overwhelm bathers and sweep them off their feet directly into powerful, outgoing, rip currents,

Large waves are powerful enough to overwhelm bathers and sweep them off their feet directly into outgoing rip currents, warned ISLA. they can also be swept out to sea,” the statement noted.

Beaches experiencing the severe conditions included: Nai Harn, Kata Noi, Kata, Karon, Surin, Bang Tao, Layan, Nai Thon, Nai Yang and Mai Khao.

The recommendation to close the beaches to swimmers followed the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) on Tuesday issuing its 16th consecutive weather warning for the

Andaman region. By yesterday (Aug 9), the TMD had issued its 20th warning, extending it to be in effect until at least next Wednesday (Aug 15).

Residents of Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang and Satun were warned to beware floods and landslides, and that waves along the coast would reach two to four metres tall.

In storm areas, waves were predicted to reach more than four metres tall.

The Marine Department on Wednesday banned all small boats from leaving shore.

All boats travelling to Phi Phi Island or to the nearby islands of Koh Mai Thon, Koh Hei, Koh Lone or Koh Racha must be more than 12 metres long, the order stated.

“Any boats travelling to any other islands must exercise caution,” the warning read.

The warnings followed a 7-yearold boy being pulled from the water unconscious at Nai Harn Beach on Monday (Aug 6).

An expat woman who teaches at a school in Phuket saw the boy floating among the waves and dived in to rescue him.

“He was blue and white when he was dragged out of the water,” the woman told The Phuket News.

“I gave him CPR and a Thai woman helped me… and this continued for four minutes as the lifeguards stood and watched over us and then brought oxygen tank when he wasn’t even taking air yet…

“It’s like they didn’t know what to do,” she added.

“I’m just so concerned for the

safety of people and if I weren’t there I would hate to think that the boy wouldn’t have survived.

“About two minutes after the boy’s pulse was back another lifeguard came running and took him near the road where the ambulance came and took him,” she added.

Lifeguards at Nai Harn confirmed the rescue took place at about 4pm, but were scant on other details.

Lifeguards told The Phuket News that the boy was 7 years old and “from China”, but that he had a Thai mother.

The Phuket News has yet to confirm which hospital the boy was taken to and whether or not he has made a full recovery.

However, one lifeguard did urge, “I would like to tell parents to take care of their children when playing in the water, especially near the lagoon because there are no lifeguards there, and drowning incidents always happen there.”

On July 30, 11-year-old student Supat ‘Petch’ Jampathong died after being pulled away from the beach in a strong rip current at Nai Yang while he was playing in knee-deep water with friends.

Phoenix to be raised, Five face charges for Phoenix, Serenata owner to pay B10mn PHUKET PROVINCIAL POLICE Commander Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen on Tuesday (Aug 7) confirmed that five people are currently facing criminal charges of negligence for the Phoenix tour boat disaster on July 5 that killed 47 Chinese tourists and the capsizing of the Serenata tour boat that same day.

The Phoenix capsized and sank off Koh Hei (Coral Island), in a storm squall south of Phuket on July 5 while carrying 89 tourists on board.

Gen Teeraphol delivered the news at a press conference held at Phuket Provincial Hall in the presence of local and national media as well as reporters from major news services in China such as People’s Daily and state news agency Xinhua.

Gen Teeraphol opened his address with explanations of the current state of police action in the incident involving the Serenata tour boat, which capsized near Mai Thon Island on July 5, but with no fatalities.

Gen Teeraphol named two suspects facing charges for that incident: Metha Limsakul, the 56-year-old boat captain; and Pang Daxian, the 26-year-old Chinese national working as the Assistant Manager of Lazy Cat

Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen at the press conference on Tuesday (Aug 7). Photo: Chutharat Plerin Travel Co Ltd, which operated tours on the Serenata.

Metha has been charged with recklessness causing physical and mental harm to other people by committing an act by using a vehicle (boat), Gen Teeraphol said.

Pang has been charged with recklessness causing physical and mental harm to other people.

“Police investigators have pressed charges against both offenders and handed case files for both cases to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Phuket Provincial Court on Aug 1,” Gen Teeraphol said.

“Today (Aug 7) at 10am, a prosecu-

tor presented the case against Pang to the Phuket Provincial Court, while the case for Metha is still under consideration by prosecutors,” he added.

Gen Teeraphol named three people facing charges for the Phoenix disaster: Somjing Boontham, the 50-year-old boat captain; Onchan Kanhayote, the 56-year-old construction engineer for the Phoenix; and Woralak Rerkchaikarn, the 26-year-old Managing Director of TC Blue Dream Co Ltd, which operated tours on the Phoenix.

All three have been charged with recklessness causing death, physical injury, and serious physical injury to other people, Gen Teeraphol said.

Gen Teeraphol confirmed that the five facing charges in the two cases (the Serenata and the Phoenix) were already in custody, and that all five have been denied bailed.

Police have questioned 50 victims and relatives of dead tourists, 10 of the Phoenix boat crew, seven government officials and 12 outsiders, Gen Teeraphol said.

Gen Teeraphol said that he expected to hand the case file of the investigation to the Public Prosecutor’s Office

by Aug 30.

Chutharat Plerin

Continued from page 1 ...In inspecting boats under construction, repairs or renovations, the hull and the assembly of the vessel must meet safety standards, with the blueprints of all boats inspected and authorised by signatories.

“If the boat does not meet the standards, the Marine Department boat inspectors must be held responsible,” Gen Surachate said plainly.

Meanwhile, the DirectorGeneral of the Marine Department, Jirut Wisanjit, has announced that the major operation to raise the sunken tour boat Phoenix off the seabed will be carried out this week.

Speaking at the Phuket Deep Sea Port last Sunday (Aug 5), Mr Jirut said that plans to raise the Phoenix, which lies at a depth of 45 metres some 1.5 nautical miles off Koh Hei (Coral Island), were underway after the owner failed to organise its own efforts.

Jirut Wisanjit said the owner of the Phoenix will be orderd to pay for the cost of the salvage. Photo: PR Dept “Preparations are now 8090% complete, and we plan to recover the Phoenix within this coming week,” he said.

Mr Jirut explained that the Marine Department on July 11 ordered the owner of the Phoenix – 26-year-old Phuket resident Woralak Rerkchaikarn – to recover the boat from the bottom of the bay, giving 20 days to complete the recovery.

With the deadline passing on July 31 and no action taken to recover the Phoenix, the Marine Department has hired salvage operators to recover the boat and will order the boat owner to pay the B10 million cost of the recovery, he said. thephuketnews

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Patong ‘Street Kings’ speak

Police Chief debunks Panya myths, confirms cold cases reopened Chutharat Plerin thai@classactmedia.co.th

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atong Police Chief Col Anothai Jindamanee has met the press to debunk rumours that Panya ‘Sia Auan’ Yingdang, the 39-year-old bar owner in Patong wanted for his role in the slaying of Paweena Namuangrak and Anantachai Jaritram in Chonburi on July 29, had been in hiding in Phuket and had now surrendered to police.

Col Anothai denied the rumours at a press conference last Sunday (Aug 5) at The Bay and Beach Club Patong.

Joining him was Preechawut ‘Prab’ Keesin, President of the Pisona Group and the Patong Development Foundation.

Col Anothai confirmed that police had already searched Panya’s bar, the Pum Pui bar on Bangla Rd, and Panya’s house in Patong, but found nothing.

“On the night of July 31, officers from the Patong Police, military personnel from the Royal Thai Army Region 5 and local officials raided the Pum Pui bar.

“Police initially found this place was operating without licence,” Col Anothai said.

Col Anothai explained that

Patong Police Chief Col Anothai Jindamanee (right) and Preechawut ‘Prab’ Keesin, son of former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, speak to the press about Panya ‘Sia Auan’ Yingdang and the state of public safety in Patong. Photo: Chutharat Plerin Pum Pui bar had been raided twice before and that he had ordered the bar to shut down after the July 31 raid.

Col Anothai also confirmed that police would re-open the case of Panya shooting dead an ice cream vendor in November last year.

“The prosecutor had ordered not to file the charges in court,” he said.

As previously reported

by The Phuket News, Panya turned himself in to Patong Police at 5am on Nov 18 for shooting dead Amporn Suksawat, 47, in what Panya told police was an “ongoing dispute”.

Somjai Chartrithap, 37, is shown the warrant for his arrest for a murder in Surat Thani 10 years ago. Photo: Phuket Provincial Police

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assault and selling pirated goods, will be checked. Specifically for cases in 2015 and 2017, which involve the opening of a club, the killing (of Mr Amporn) and this latest case,” Col Anothai said.

“In the case of the shooting of an ice cream seller on Nov 18, the incident happened before I took this position (as Patong Police Commander),” he said.

“I would like to initially answer that police inspectors handed the case file to the Public Prosecutor’s Office on February 1.

“Then the prosecutor ordered not to proceed with

ity, tourism and community in Patong.

“As President of the Patong Development Foundation, we have provided our staff to help with general affairs at Patong Police Station. The purpose is to develop the Patong Police to be ‘standard’ and be an image of Thailand’s tourism.

“This is to welcome general people by focussing on serving people. In addition, the project we have spoken with Col Anothai about is to fix the flood problem (at Patong Police Station) by raising the floor as well as to work on water management for faster draining of rising floodwaters,” Mr Preechawut said.

Mr .Preechawut also rated Bangla Rd as the “most beautiful and cleanest ‘walking street’ in Thailand”.

“Compared with other ‘walking streets’ in Thailand, Bangla Rd is a model of a tourism city. It may not be the best in the world, but now we are studying to make it be the best model in the world.

“From going to walking streets in Pattaya and Chiang Mai, I can say that Bangla Rd is the best road in Thailand in terms of safety, cleanliness and beauty,” he added.

See ‘Bar owner implicated in murders’ on page 7.

Shipyard fire guts tour boat

Nightclub guard arrested for murder 10 years ago POLICE IN PHUKET LAST Friday night (Aug 3) arrested a nightclub security staffer wanted for a murder in Surat Thani a decade ago.

Officers led by Col Akanit Danpitaksarn, a Deputy Commander of the Phuket Provincial Police, arrived at the “Hor. NokHook” (ฮ.นก ฮ กู ) night venue on Patak Rd, near Chalong Circle, at 10pm and arrested Somjai Chartrithap, 37.

The venue is technically registered as a “restaurant”.

Somjai was shown two outstanding warrants for his arrest: one for working together with others to commit premeditated murder, the other for skipping bail.

The murder arrest warrant was issued by the Surat Thani Court on March 16, 2008 and

According to the police report, Patong Police investigator Maj Teerasak Boonsaeng was notified of the shooting by the Kusoldharm Foundation at 6:10am.

Police arrived at the scene to find Mr Amporn’s body leaning against the wall of the staircase on the 4th floor of the apartment building, located on Soi Sukcharoen, off Phra Metta Rd. The apartment block was used as a residence for staff from the Pum Pui bar.

“High-ranking police commanders are highly interested in Panya’s old cases. Files of cases involving Panya since 2013, which include physical

charges and handed the case back to Patong Police on March 12,” Col Anothai explained.

“I took this position after that. Now a high-ranking police commander has called for cases to be rechecked. However, for the order not to press charges, we can do nothing about that,” Col Anothai said.

Regarding the recent surfacing of a video showing a man on Bangla Rd attacking tourists with something like a hammer, Col Anothai confirmed that the suspect was not Panya, but staff of the Pum Pui bar.

“The suspect has been arrested and is now facing charges for the incident,” he added.

In concluding his address to the press, Col Anothai raised many other issues, including drugs, law enforcement on night venues, preserving tourists’ confidence in safety as well as the years-long campaign to have Patong established as a special economic zone.

Mr Preechawut, President of the Pisona Group and leading son of former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, said the Patong Police had set up a committee to launch a campaign to promote stabil-

also confirmed that Somjai was also facing charges of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition and carrying a firearm in public place without a permit.

The subsequent arrest warrant issued on Jan 15, 2009 was for Somjai failing to present himself to the Surat Thani Provincial Court.

Somjai, still registered as living in Phlu Thuean of Phanom District in Surat Thani, near the provincial border with Phang Nga, has been handed over to officials in Surat Thani to face legal action he had managed to dodge for a decade.

The section he has been charged with for the murder alone, if he is found guilty, incurs from 15 to 20 years in prison.

Eakkapop Thongtub

A TOUR BOAT UNDER REPAIRS went up in flames at a shipyard in Rassada on the east side of Phuket Town on Monday (Aug 6), with the fire gutting the boat, causing an estimated B4-5 million in damage.

Phuket City Police and emergency services were notified of the fire, at the Asian Phuket Marine and Dockyard in Rassada, near the entrance to the Saphan Pla Pier on the east side of Phuket Town, at 1:30pm.

Firefighters on four fire trucks arrived at the scene to be confronted with dark smoke billowing out of the boat, which was on the hardstand undergoing repairs.

With strong wind fanning the flames, and nearby boats also sustaining minor damage from the fire, the firefighters took 90 minutes to bring the fire under control.

Initial estimates valued the damage done at more than B4-5 million, said police.

Yodsanat Songkeatwong, the owner of the shipyard, told police that the boat had been on stands undergoing repairs since July 31.

The repairs were scheduled to be completed and the boat relaunched

The fire billowed heavy, dark smoke and it took four teams of firefighters 90 minutes to bring the blaze under control. Photo: DDPM-Phuket from the site on Thursday (Aug 9).

Lt Col Chatchai Choonu and Capt Wetchasak Jun-Adung of the Phuket City Police noted in their initial report that the boat was 20 metres long, six metres wide, and registered to carry 125 passengers with a complement of captain and crew totalling six.

However, the registered name of the boat and its owner and operator were not recorded in the report.

Mechanics were working on the boat in the afternoon, Mr Yodsanat said, adding that he was preparing to have another boat brought down from its supports when he saw the front of

the boat on fire and the flames rapidly spreading.

Mr Yodsanat said that he shouted to workers inside the boat to extinguish the fire, but their efforts failed, prompting him to call the emergency fire service hotline 199.

After questioning people at the scene, police at this stage believe the was started by sparks from cutting iron falling onto a “sofa”.

However, police noted that they will investigate further and have forensic police inspect the scene.

Of note, within metres of the boat on fire was the Ao Nang Princess 3, the sister ship of the Ao Nang Princess 5, which caught fire and sank midtransit on a day cruise from Phi Phi to Phuket via Nopparatthara Beach in Krabi in 2015.

The Ao Nang Princess 5 had 115 passengers – 107 adults and 8 children – on board, of whom 34 were injured, with 12-year-old Shani Maril, who was on holiday in Thailand with her parents, the sole fatality of the disaster.

An initial investigation by police concluded that the fire was not caused by careless maintenance.

Eakkapop Thongtub

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Rising through recovery

Teen survivor of light aircraft crash making progress

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del Samae, the 19-year-old Aerospace Engineering student who suffered serious injuries in the deadly light aircraft crash in Pa Khlok on March 10, is recovering well, his parents have reported.

Mr Adel was retrieved from the crash site near the Phuket Airpark unconscious and remained comatose for weeks, but responded to stimuli.

By June, he was still unable to move parts of his body below the neck, but was showing improvement and doctors allowed him to go home.

Mr Adel still requires a great deal of physiotherapy which is hoped will lead to him being able to live a normal life.

Mr Adel’s father, Mahason Samae, revealed to The Phuket News’ Thai-language sister paper Khao Phuket last Wednesday (Aug 1) that Adel can now respond verbally, but not in long sentences.

Adel understands what his parents say and he can eat by

Adel Samae, the 19-year-old Aerospace Engineering student who suffered serious injuries in the deadly light aircraft crash in Pa Khlok on March 10, is recovering well, but has suffered brain damage and still needs much physiotherapy. Photo: Supplied himself. “He can take care of himself more. But the right side of his body still needs the physical therapy, especially the arm and hand. And he is also practising walking,” Mr Mahason said.

“Now he can feed himself by his left hand,” he also added.

The Samae family thanked everyone who has supported Adel through the fundraising of Borrae Sports Club and the donations made to Mr Adel’s

Siam Commercial Bank account, number 795-248-4255.

“My family would like to thank everyone for their help. We have received over B200,000 in donations. We will use it to pay for the cost of physical therapy, food and other necessary items for Adel.

“Every baht that you have provided helps us a lot. Thank you again,” Mr Mahason said.

Adel has suffered brain damage, but the family’s next main concern is his eyesight,

Mr Mahason explained.

“His brain was affected in the accident. Now his brain is like that of a primary school student, and we have noticed that he cannot clearly see objects at a short distance,” he said.

"Right now we are trying to receive money from an insurance company, but there is not much we can do because we don’t have much knowledge about this."

“We are trying to contact people who have this kind of knowledge and ask for information about how we can call for damages."

“We hope that if we receive money from an insurance company, we will use it for the long-term treatment of Adel,” Mr Mahason said.

“However, we are also waiting for the result of the investigation. We recently spoke with the inspector. He said that it might take a year,” he noted.

Lt Col Anukul Nuket, Deputy Chief of the Thalang Police, explained to Khao Phuket this week that he was still waiting for Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee

of the Ministry of Transport to conclude their investigation.

“We can’t say when the result [of that investigation] will come out. It might take a long time to learn whether this accident was caused by engine failure or pilot error,” Col Anukul said.

T he other st udent to survive the crash, Orawan Jindarak, has already returned to her studies at Thalang Technical College, where she and Adel were studying, Col Anukul noted.

“She has returned to her studies. Only Adel still needs treatment,” he said.

Miss Orawan sustained spinal cord, coccyx, muscle injuries and broken fingers in the crash. After undergoing an operation, she received treatment at the female orthopaedic building unit at Vachira Phuket Hospital and was discharged from hospital on Mar 27.

However, 1st Lt Narin Thaweewat, 67, from Pathum Thani, who was a specialist instructor in aviation maintenance at Thalang Technical College, and Capt Wattana Thinphang-nga, 68, from Phuket, both died in the crash.

No monkey poking, say warning signs BA M BO O R A I LS FOR monkeys to play on have been set up and CCTV will be installed to ensure people do not antagonise the monkeys or ‘break the monkey rules’ at the popular main monkey sites in Phuket Town.

The news came at a meeting at Provincial Hall last Thursday (Aug 2), where Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong was brought up to speed to the latest updates in the ongoing saga of dealing with the growing number of wild monkeys in Phuket.

Gov Norraphat was told that the Natural and Wildlife Education Centre at Khao Phra Thaew and Phuket City Municipality have built bamboo rails as monkey equipment at Toh Sae Hill in Phuket Town.

A 200-metre-long area where people can stop and legally feed monkeys also has

The signs also caution 'Do not touch monkeys directly’ and ‘Do not poke and assault monkeys at all times’. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot been set up at on the road up the hill, between the 1.6 kilometre and 1.8km road markers.

Staff from the Natural and Wildlife Education Centre at Khao Phra Thaew will have the approved warning signs in four languages – English, Thai, Chinese and Russian – which will be installed at Rang Hill and Toh Sae Hill, both in Phuket Town, by Aug 20.

Also, CCTV will be installed to “monitor tourists” in

case they didn’t follow rules, Governor Norraphat was told.

The ‘rules’ to be posted show a departure from original orders to not feed wild monkeys at all to now “Please only feed monkeys at designated areas”.

However, the “word of caution”, as the signs are now designated, maintain that people “Beware of monkey's attack”.

The signs also caution “Do not take your food back from monkeys”, “Do not touch monkeys directly” and “Do not poke and assault monkeys at all times”.

Further, the signs warn “A tour guide must follow all the rules” and display graphic images of people who have contracted serious, sometimes deadly, diseases from wild monkeys.

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Site of historical battle to feature new museum The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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museum covering 36 rai will feature at the ‘Phuket Historical Park’ under construction at the Thalang Victory Field, the site recognised as where the deciding battle took place in a victory over Burmese invaders in 1785.

Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong announced the news last Thursday (Aug 2) during an inspection of the 96-rai site near Baan Riang in Thepkrasattri, near the heart of Thalang Town.

The museum is to relate the history of Phuket’s renowned and revered Heroines – Thao Thep Krasattri and Thao Sri Soonthorn – as well as the history of Thalang, he explained.

Governor Norraphat said adjust the monument needed to be outstanding and beautiful in order to “recall the goodness of Thalang heroes and history”.

He also called for the area to be landscaped around the monument for the cultural market to attract tourists.

The cultural market will occupy the remaining 60 rai at the site.

The Governor added that the Phuket Provincial Office had set up an administration committee to drive the project forward and co-ordinate work so that it had clear direction.

“Any operation around the monument

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Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong leads a ceremony to honour the Queen Mother Sirikit Kitiyakara at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday (Aug 6). Photo: PR Dept

Blue is the colour to honour Queen Mother

Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong inspects the site of the Phuket Historical Park in Thalang, which originally was announced to cost B350 million. Photo: PR Dept must be approved by this committee.

Today, a design contractor has presented the initial draft.

“The draft plan will be presented to the committee at its next meeting,” he said.

Governor Norraphat has campaigned heavily for the site, often called in English the ‘Phuket Historical Park’ to move ahead, The Governor especially ramped up his push for the park project in January in the run-up to the annual Thao Thepkrasattri and Thao Sri Soonthorn Festival held in March, as he believes Thalang Town deserves regaining its status as a critical part of Phuket’s

historical and cultural heritage.

However, no budget figures for the project were announced or clarified during his visit last week.

The original budget announced for the entire project amounted to a staggering B350 million for the park – and that was in 2013.

In 2016, it was announced that B42 million was to be spent on a landscaping, a pumphouse and some exercise swings at the site.

However, despite the B42mn already spent including landscaping around the monument, Gov Norraphat on Tuesday maintained that the area around the monument needed to be landscaped again.

PEOPLE ACROSS PHUKET have been asked to wear light blue this Sunday (Aug 12) as the nation celebrates the occasion of the 86th birthday of the Queen Mother Sirikit Kitiyakara, mother to His Majesty The King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun.

Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong at 8am on Monday (Aug 6) led a ceremony at Phuket Provincial Hall to honour the Queen Mother.

During the event officials signed books of birthday wishes. The books of commemorations will remain at Provincial Hall through Sunday for people to sign theirs blessings.

All people are invited to join the official celebrations,

which will begin at 7am on Sunday with a merit-making ceremony to 87 monks and novices at the 72nd Anniversary Commemoration of Queen Sirikit Public Park.

At Phuket Rajabhat University in Rassada at 8:30am will be the signing of a book of commemorations at the convention hall and at 5pm there will be ceremonies and the lighting of candles to pay respects to Queen Sirikit.

Government officials attending ceremonies must wear their white uniforms, while the general public is asked to wear light blue, though women may dress in traditional Thai costume for events.

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KODCHANAT THINSEPON Editor

CHRIS HUSTED

Executive Editor

084 307 7408 execeditor@classactmedia.co.th Fifteen years working in news and covering local issues and events in Phuket, with 18-month hiatus spent working for the Brunei Times on Borneo. From Queensland, Australia; 10 years living in the UK before moving to Phuket in 2000. Degree in business management. Spare time spent sailing or with family.

MATTHEW POND

News & Sports Editor

editor3@classactmedia.co.th Originally from the UK; Has over six years experience as editor and reporter for Phuketindex.com magazine and website, and InPhuket magazine.

T

he news that actual safety inspections of Phuket tour boats is finally underway is much welcome. Even better is that action has been taken in banning 10 boats from operating because they were deemed unsafe.

Not so welcome, but sadly not surprising, is that more than 200 boats – about half the fleet – failed the inspections and were ordered to rectify their issues or face the same fate.

Yet despite all the press conferences and assurances, it already looks like we will soon be heading toward the same old devil-may-care attitude about safety. And let’s focus on not just the abstract concept of safety for the sake of ‘restoring tourist confidence’, as officials at all levels have been spouting, rather than preventing the next mass slaughter of

editor1@classactmedia.co.th Twenty years experience in the I n t e r n a t i o n a l m e d i a m a r ke t , creating content for Paramount Pictures, Mar vel and the BBC. Having previously lived on the island, David returned to cover regional lifestyle and cultural stories.

He originates from the UK.

SIRAPISIT ‘FAME’ BUNCHOOCHEEP Reporter

091 165 0259 reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

NITAD ‘TAE’ MANEE THANAPONG ‘OAK’ KHAO-AMPHAIPHAN NIRAVIT ‘MOS’ VORAVANITCHA Graphic designers

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no effort to understand why.

What officials seem to have failed to recognise is that the problem is the gaps in the information made publicly available – as if controlling the information will command people to believe them.

The problem with this is that the people they are trying to convince are not Thai. They have no reason to believe anything Thai officials tell them. As TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn has already admitted, the ‘problem’ with restoring tourists’ confidence has been that people were already saying what they thought on Chinese social media, over which Thai officials have no control.

All this posturing by officials leaves any potential tourist wanting to keep their family safe simply choosing another destination for a holiday. Good luck with that.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Brit caught in Phuket for over 1,000 day visa overstay Patong ‘Pum Pui’ bar owner linked with Chonburi slayings Unsafe boats grounded in Phuket boat safety crackdown Body of boy, 11, missing in Phuket surf recovered Phuket police take down loan shark gang Weather alert for Phuket, Andaman 15 injured as BangkokPhuket bus overturns on highway Phuket nightclub guard arrested for previous murder Hotel room killer ‘on the run’ Royal Phuket Marina holds strong as Phuket Yacht Show announced

Visit thephuketnews.com for all the latest news

HAVE YOUR SAY

DAVID JACKLIN

Lifestyle Editor

families on holidays. This is what the rest of the world sees the Phoenix sinking as: Disaster? Yes. Preventable? Yes. The boat inspections, if they continue, are in the end nothing more than making sure passengers are in safe vehicles. This alone poses a serious challenge for Phuket officials as historically Phuket is well practiced in failing to continue any safety campaigns.

But the tell-tale sign that down the road nothing will change is that, as Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen made plain just on Tuesday, still not a single official has been found worthy of naming as even ‘under investigation’ for failing to identify the safety shortcomings that led to the disaster.

The short of it is that someone signed the boat off as safe to put to sea and there has been

TOP 10 STORIES ON thephuketnews.com

Lifeguard Quality

A concerned reader’s letter sent in to The Phuket News I feel compelled to point out the obvious. Lifeguards at Nai Harn and other beaches would not have to rescue 18 people in one day if they would apply PREVENTION! It is not enough to put up red flags then turn your back on the water all day to play ball games, frisby, play on the phone, hire surf boards to non-swimmers, or ride surfboards themselves in the red flag and ‘safe flag’ area.

Three years ago they were vigilant and impressive and it is a difficult job when done properly. However, most tourists will move if the whistle is blown and they are waved to safety.

They no longer observe and wave people out of the rips. I am a 70-year-old female who has two family members who were former professional lifeguards working in both Australia and Canada. Fortunately I have surfing and surf club experience myself and am a very strong swimmer, as I almost lost my own life last year rescuing a Chinese and a Russian man at the same time,

both pulling me under in their terror. Fortunately a tourist on the beach heard my screams for help, ran to the lifeguards and eventually two lifeguards came to assist. The Chinese man was unconscious and close to death. I had to beg them to put him in recovery position and administer first aid until the ambulance came.

It is imperative to employ, train, and supervise properly qualified lifeguards, and to ensure that their time is spent preventing drownings, as too many lives are lost in Thailand.

Concerned Surf Swimmer

Fire Fairies

Re: Shipyard fire guts Phuket tour boat “An initial investigation by police concluded that the fire was not caused by careless maintenance” Really, must have been the fire fairies who caused it then! No Thai ever to blame, just like the slippery roads. “It was the hot sparks fault, not me creating them” malczx7r “police conclusion that it was not caused by careless maintenance”… probably

right. Because...it was due to working with welding equipment (cutting steel, sparks showering a sofa). Carefree unprofessional work, without using spark catching covers.

Kurt

A little late

Re: Weather alert for Phuket, Andaman Would have been nice for tourists to have known a little earlier, before they boarded the irresponsible speedboats this morning.

Xonax

Painful Demise

Re: A Breath of Fresh Air. Oxygenated ride along the pine beach.

It is a fallacy that the rough surf has the power to fuse an extra oxygen atom, known as ozone. Only the immense energy of lightening (or a fusion reactor) can do that.

Breathing pure ozone will lead to a painful death.

Christy Sweet

Wind Power

Re: A Breath of Fresh Air. Oxygenated ride along the pine beach.

FYI The word monsoon

has nothing to do with rain and everything to do with wind.

We have ‘monsoon season’ all year round in Phuket. We have the NE monsoon which brings the dry weather and we have the SW monsoon which brings the rain.

Sir Burr

Good ol’ days

Re: Sunday Service. Prepare for a divine afternoon at Coast.

It was a delightful spot before the hotel when one had to walk, what seemed like a kilometre, down the beach to reach this secluded spot. Once there, one could stretch out on an uncrowded beach or hang out in the shade of umbrellas provided by a group of restaurants. Good Thai food, cold beverages with your toes in the sand. You can’t beat that.

I miss those days.

Island Man

Just a thought...

Re: Phuket governor reiterates unregistered croc warning Just wondering why it would be OK to own a crocodile?

BenPendejo

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

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

THAILAND NEWS

7

Police bust paedophile ring

Lecturer, probation official among eight arrested for underage sex NATIONWIDE Bangkok Post

E

ight suspects, including a well-known university lecturer and a probation official, have been arrested for buying online sex services from underage boys, but senior figures asked that their names not be disclosed, said a police commander.

The suspects were caught on court warrants for supporting the flesh trade and depriving boys aged below 18 of parental care, said Pol Maj Gen Kornchai Khlaikhlueng, commander of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD), during a media briefing on Tuesday (Aug 7).

Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, deputy chief of the Tourist Police Bureau and senior police officers, were also present.

ATPD investigators have pressed charges against the eight suspects and sent them to the Criminal Court.

They were granted bail on a bond of B300,000 each.

Maj Gen Kornchai said the customers included celebrities and university lecturers and officials, but the names would not be disclosed.

Several phuyai (senior figures) had phoned him and asked that a

Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, deputy commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau (second from right), looks at a police chart featuring online child sex networks during a media briefing. Photo: Tourist Police Bureau media conference not be held for fear the names of the customers would be made public, he said.

“One suspect works at an organisation overseeing legal officials and another teaches other people. Both have wives and children, but they abused underprivileged children,” said Maj Gen Kornchai.

Earlier, a combined team of police and officials from the ATPD, the Tourist Police Bureau, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and non-governmental organisations jointly launched a crackdown on online sex networks providing services by boys aged below 18.

Bar owner implicated in murders CONBURI THE ACCUSED GUNMAN in the murder of two young people at Buddha Mountain has told police that a Phuket bar owner opened fire first, using two pistols, then he followed suit by firing seven shots at the pair.

Narong Warintharawet, 22, implicated bar operator Panya Yingdang, who remains at large, in the murder of Paweena Namuangrak, 20, and her boyfriend Anantachai Jitram, 21, in the parking lot at Khao Chee Chan (Buddha Mountain) in Sattahip on July 29.

Panya, the alleged mastermind, is believed to have fled to Cambodia.

Pol Maj Gen Chalermkiart Srivorakhan, deputy national police chief, and senior police officers took Narong, the alleged gunman, back to the crime scene for a re-enactment on Wednesday morning (Aug 8).

Narong and another suspect Kritsana Sisuk, 22, turned themselves in separately to local police in Nakhon Sri Thammarat on Monday night (Aug 6) and were then taken to Sattahip Police Station in Chonburi and charged. @thephuketnews

An officer in a white T-shirt poses as the alleged mastermind carrying two handguns at the crime re-enactment at Khao Chee Chan in Sattahip district, Chonburi. Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong Kritsana was taken for a crime re-enactment on Tuesday (Aug 7).

So far, five suspects in the fatal shooting of the young couple have been arrested.

The three others are Kiatisak Suransaengmilboon, 35, Sayant Sisuk, 43, and Jirasak Unaiban, 34.

During the re-enactment, Narong told police that he, Kritsana and Sayant accompanied Panya to Buddha Mountain that day. They were in a car driven

by Kritsana and were following the two young people.

At the parking lot, Panya got out of the car carrying two handguns, according to Narong, who followed behind.

Panya walked towards Miss

Paweena and suddenly opened fire at her with both guns, the suspect said.

Narong admitted that he then fired three shots at Mr Anantachai and four shots at Miss Paweena.

They then fled in two cars, one driven by Kritsana and the other by Jirasak. Only Panya remains at large.

Gen Chalermkiart said Narong alleged he was paid B50,000 by the Phuket bar operator to shoot the young couple.

Jealousy was believed to be the motive for the murders.

Miss Paweena worked for Panya and was reported to have been his favourite.

Bangkok Post

The operation led to the arrest of Namphon Somngam, alias New, 27. He was allegedly an agent and owner of ‘Rak Dek’ (Love children) Line chat group.

Namphon has been charged with human trafficking by procuring boys aged not more than 18 into the flesh trade and disseminating

child pornography into the computer system for gains.

Police took him to the Criminal Court last week and opposed his bail, said Maj Gen Kornchai.

Col Khomkrit Sukthai, of the ATPD, said Namphon used to work as a manager of a convenience store in Bangkok before quitting the job.

The suspect, who police say is also a paedophile, then opened a Facebook account ‘Namphon Somngam’ to accept members who liked to watch child porn clips with a membership fee of B300 each. The suspect later created the Line chat group Rak Dek for these members.

The man charged membership fees of over B500 for viewing porn clips of boys. Those who wanted to have sex with them would be charged B1,500 each and Namphon would deduct B500 for his brokerage fees, said Col Khomkrit.

His arrest led to the rescue of seven boys, aged between 12-16, who later identified the customers, said Maj Gen Kornchai. .

A source said two of the eight customers caught for buying sex services from boys were a wellknown lecturer at a university in Nakhon Pathom and the other was an official attached to the Probation Department.

8

THAILAND NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

Battling a crooked system One man’s fight against bent police and cheating businessmen BANGKOK Bangkok Post

A

19-year-old woman’s plunge to her death from a moving truck which was initially recorded as an accident by police, but is now believed to be a murder, is another blow to the country’s justice system, says social advocate Atchariya Ruangrattanapong.

Himself a victim of crooked police and cheating businessmen, Mr Atchariya said he found it all too easy to relate to the ordeal faced by the woman’s family who had to battle to have a thorough investigation carried out.

Nareekan Yawiratch, who is believed to have been killed on her way home in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pa-in district on July 19, is the latest in a long line to suffer from the abuse of power, bribery and betrayal that are endemic in Thailand due to what Mr Atchariya describes as “inequality between the rich and the poor”.

InquiryLines, published bi-weekly on Mondays is a Bangkok Post column to present in-depth details of a range of issues from politics and social interest to eye-catching everyday lives.

“Police reform is badly needed to solve, or at least relieve, these problems,” he said.

Mr Atchariya, 51, believes his role as co-founder of a legal association places him in the position to straighten out some of the injustices.

“My enemies are the bad eggs.

They are the common criminals, the crooked police and the rogue state officials,” he said.

The soon-to-be lawyer has studied Ms Nareekan’s death which deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said last Friday (Aug 3) will now be treated as murder, and not an accident as claimed

by Surapol Darakham, the driver of a truck from which the woman had fallen to her death.

The driver told police the woman had jumped out of the truck after accepting a lift home from an entertainment venue in the province.

“There is solid evidence to charge the driver with premeditated murder,” Gen Srivara said.

Mr Atchariya, meanwhile, be-

Atchariya Ruangrattanapong says that his enemies are bad people. Photo: via Bangkok Post lieves there is more to the case than meets the eye as the murder may involve certain police officers based in Ayutthaya. The lawyer has presented police with a video clip of a conversation in which B300,000 was mentioned as a possible bribe to “clear things up”.

The alleged bribe takes Mr Atchariya back a decade to when he was charged with trespassing and damaging public property during a legal conflict. In 2008, his construction firm was contracted for work, which it carried out, but the project owner refused to pay him. He was discussing the dispute in the project owner’s property who subsequently accused him of trespassing and filed a complaint with the police in Pathum Thani.

However, Mr Atchariya insists he was charged with a crime he did not commit and says he was solicited for money by a police officer to end the investigation.

“That officer tapped his ring on the interrogation table and said tang [money] three times,” Mr Atchariya said, adding he had no idea at first what the officer meant.

It was not until the officer dropped a coin on the table that it dawned on him what was being implied.

Mr Atchariya worked as a civil engineer but knew nothing about

the law, which proved to be costly.

He said the firm owed him B2 million but instead of repaying the debt, it ended up gaining the legal upper hand over him when charges were pressed.

“I was gripped with fear because I know nothing about the law. I didn’t want to be jailed,” he said.

The engineer-turned-constructor quickly hired a lawyer to help him.

However, Mr Atchariya, already feeling frustrated by the problems he was facing with the project owner and the lawsuit against him, also had issues with the lawyer he retained.

The lawyer, after a quarrel with the inquiry officers, washed his hands of the case while keeping the fee which Mr Atchariya had paid him in advance.

The police also piled pressure on him to make a decision whether to confess or deny the charges.

The lawyer who walked away from the case was dishonest, according to Mr Atchariya. Despite having received B70,000 from Mr Atchariya, the lawyer secretly sold information to the firm he was in dispute with. The lawyer then disappeared when he was found out.

He and his wife became even more suspicious when police wrapped up the investigation in just 37 days without him being given a chance to present his own evidence.

The odds may have been stacked against him, but Mr Atchariya refused to bribe the police.

His family later hired a new lawyer who helped him win the legal battle. The court dropped the charge but police had failed to remove him from their database.

He subsequently suffered unexpected problems when trying to get a new job. He and his wife, who was then pregnant, staged a sit-in protest outside the Royal Thai Police office in 2010 as they believed he had been blacklisted by the authorities.

Mr Atchariya’s plight led to much public interest, and donations poured in for him. Finally, the overwhelming sentiment supporting him compelled the police to remove his name from their records.

Mr Atchariya later landed a job at a building firm but quit after two months when he discovered the firm used substandard materials to stretch its profit margins.

Since then, Mr Atchariya has set about fighting on behalf of the victims of similar “twisted justice”.

He capitalised on his systematic thinking afforded by years of his engineering line of work. At the same time, he acquired legal knowledge from sources available online.

He also frequently visited the courts to observe both civil and criminal cases in which an associa-

tion he co-founded was providing legal assistance.

The Help Crime Victims Club was unveiled in 2013 when it provided legal assistance to a drug suspect who was ruled by the appeal court to be a scapegoat.

It had been falsely claimed by police that the 37-year-old Chiang Mai resident had been in possession of 7,000 methamphetamine (ya bah) pills. The man was jailed for nearly two years before new evidence emerged which cleared his name.

Through the years of directing the club, he uncovered many such instances of the police acting unprofessionally, if not downright criminally, Mr Atchariya said.

The police are not concerned with protecting the poor. They are more interested in investigating cases involving celebrities and rich people, he noted.

At police stations, “the rich are served with water and coffee while the poor were greeted with that table-tapping sound or handcuffs,” Mr Atchariya said, adding that many poor suspects are often handcuffed and detained before being questioned.

“That is what happens at the police investigation stage, which marks the first step of the justice process,” he said.

His club is determined to turn this inequality around and intends to expose the rogue officers in Ms Nareekan’s case.

Mr Atchariya said he is sometimes chided as a publicity seeker.

“I want to ask whether people think I would put my life on the line in return for short-lived publicity,” he said, adding his club’s fight against injustice has landed him in more than 30 legal cases, not to mention a slew of civil lawsuits “for sticking his nose in other people’s business”.

But he says nothing will change his intention to continue to fight for the rights of underprivileged victims of crime.

Mr Atchariya says his knowledge in legal affairs, which he accumulated from running the club, often misleads people to think he is a lawyer.

“I’m studying law at the Dhurakij Pundit University right now,” he said. “After graduation, I’ll sit an exam for a licence.”

Man caught for trying to serve kratom tea at police station SONGKHLA A 26-YEAR-OLD MAN WAS arrested after police caught him trying to serve kratom tea hidden in a soy milk carton to his relative who had earlier been apprehended for kratom abuse.

Koder Buso, a native of tambon

Thung Phor in Sabai Yoi district, arrived at the Saba Yoi Police Station last Saturday (Aug 4) to visit his relative. He brought along snacks and a 500cc Lactasoy milk carton for his relative Kariya Tohad, who had been detained there for another kratom case. .

When Koder approached a noncommissioned policeman on duty

to seek the visit, the policeman carefully checked the food and the carton to prevent any illicit supply, especially narcotics.

The policeman opened the soy milk carton and saw murky tea-like juice inside, not anything like the soy milk of the brand.

When the juice was poured out of the box, it clearly was kratom tea.

Police arrested Mr Koder right away. He was charged with illegal possession of boiled krathom tea.

Koder told police that Kariya’s elder brother had asked him to bring the snacks and milk to Kariya and he had not known that the milk carton contained krathom tea.

Police did not believe him.

Bangkok Post

Koder Buso, 26, of Songkhla’s Saba Yoi district shows kratom tea from the soy milk carton he brought to the Saba Yoi Police Station last Saturday (Aug 4).

Photo: Assawin Pakkawan thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

ASIA NEWS

9

Peddling for cultural change Iraq’s street satirists determined to embarrass corrupt officials IRAQ Salam Faraj

O

n a strip of pavement in the southern Iraqi city of Kut, a gaggle of amateur comedians pull in the crowds every Friday – drawing chuckles, smiles and knowing nods.

With a rich repertoire of skits, Khaled al-Atbi and his peers poke fun at politicians more interested in lining their pockets than rebuilding a country devastated by decades of war.

“Theatre is a message,” said the 42-year-old al-Atbi, director and actor in the sevenstrong troupe.

“With our satire, we condemn... corruption, lack of public services and tribal activities,” he said, citing those factors as central to discontent in Iraq.

Since the US-led ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq has been plagued by graft and sectarian fighting, culminating in the Islamic State group seizing around a third of its territory in 2014.

@thephuketnews

An Iraqi man performs a theatrical skit on the ‘Tigris Culture Street’ in the southern Iraqi city of Kut. Photo: Ahmad Al-Rubaya / AFP As Iraq seeks to move beyond the brutal war that last year finally defeated the jihadists, al-Atbi is determined to embarrass officials who pocket bribes and hand out plum civil service jobs to relatives.

The father-of-two hopes his little troupe can help trigger a culture change, even as he juggles his satirical ventures with a full-time job as a policeman.

In one sketch, al-Atbi plays a diligent official obliged to work with incompetent but politically connected colleagues.

The scene did not require much in terms of props – just a table and a few chairs, which were quickly encircled by rapt onlookers.

“Our audience is very receptive because they know what we are enacting exists in reality,” said al-Atbi.

Less than two years after they began working the streets, the group’s efforts have already brought about change, according to Kut residents.

“We can challenge leaders and solve social problems,” said 48-year-old teacher Abu Ali, who never misses a Friday skit.

Where rubbish was once piled high, roads are now clean and refuse is collected regu-

larly, Abu Ali added – thanks at least in part to pressure created by street plays.

But not everyone is a fan.

The group has attracted online trolls, and while street audiences are generally very supportive, hecklers make their presence felt. “‘You exaggerate!’ ‘Stop insulting the parties and leaders!’” are common refrains, al-Atbi shrugged.

But the performers are not discouraged.

Once a week, they set up on ‘Tigris Culture Street’, among stalls of second-hand books lining the banks of the river running through the agricultural region.

The plays are the only “breath of air... for people of culture” in the area, said hairdresser Karim al-Bahadli.

“They express the feelings that are inside,” said alBahadli – a must, he believes, for a turbulent country that is ranked by Transparency International as the world’s 12th most corrupt.

Southern Iraq was the epicentre of protests in July against corruption and poor

public services.

Iraq’s state human rights commission said recently that at least 14 people were killed in the demonstrations, which spread from Basra to Baghdad, before waning under pressure from the security services.

For fans of al-Atbi and his troupe, laughter is something of a social safety valve.

They scored their “greatest success” with a series of skits in the lead-up to May 12 elections, said troupe member Jalal al-Chati, who works as a reporter.

No shade of political sentiment escapes the group’s ridicule.

In one scene, the actors play two politicians – one a devout man offering voters access to the afterlife, the other promising to fend off government efforts to shut down shops selling alcohol.

To avoid sailing too close to the political wind, they use no names. But appreciative murmurs and giggles among the audience indicate they know exactly who is being mimicked.

AFP

10 WORLD NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

In the line of K-9 duty

Fearless Sombra, the cocaine-sniffing bane of drug traffickers COLUMBIA Diego Legrand

S

ombra works for a crack anti-narcotics police squad in Colombia’s capital Bogota, has helped recover millions of dollars in illegal drugs, and like many of her colleagues, has faced threats.

But when a drug cartel placed a US$7,000 (B233,222) bounty on her head, worried bosses decided to take the sixyear-old German Shepherd out of the line of fire for her own protection.

“It’s not only Sombra facing threats, many police dogs are threatened on a daily basis,” police canine trainer Jeison Cardona said.

Sombra’s predicament came about after striking a number of blows against the powerful Clan del Golfo cartel, which is in the process of negotiating its surrender after a series of defeats.

Back in 2016, Sombra sniffed out 2.9 tons of cocaine in a container full of bananas at the Uraba port, bound for Antwerp in Belgium.

A year later, she repeated the trick, detecting a 1.1-ton coke cache hidden in fruit pulp in a warehouse in the

In 2016, Sombra sniffed out 2.9 tons of cocaine in a container full of bananas at the Uraba port, bound for Antwerp in Belgium. A year later, she repeated the trick, detecting a 1.1-ton coke cache hidden in fruit pulp in a warehouse in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta. Photo: AFP

Caribbean city of Santa Marta.

Furious Clan del Golfo members offered a policeman $7,000 to hand over the super sleuth canine.

“We took the precautionary measure of transferring her, given the Clan del Golfo threats,” deputy director of the police’s anti-narcotics unit, Tito Castellanos said.

Menaced by one of the most feared men in Colombia, Clan del Golfo head Dairo Antonio Usuga, known as ‘Otoniel’, Sombra was transferred to work at Bogota’s

international airport.

This might sound like the plot from 1989 Hollywood action-comedy K-9, starring James Belushi and an Alsatian named after rock-n-roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis – but it’s real life.

Police dogs play a crucial role in combatting the narcotics trade in Colombia, the world’s biggest cocaine producer with 146,000 hectares of plantations producing 866 tons in 2016, according to the United Nations – much of it sold in the United States.

Colombia’s 346-strong canine unit has helped police confiscate more than 200 tons of cocaine worth an estimated $6 billion (B199.6bn) over the last three years, according to the police anti-narcotics division.

Alone, Sombra, whose name means shadow, has tracked down nine tons during her five-year career.

Now, though, she’s living a relatively quiet life, spending her days sniffing around the airport’s cargo hold while at night she goes back to her

kennel, the location of which is a closely guarded secret.

Sombra works a standard eight-hour day and appears to like her new life, sharing her time between two handlers.

“More than the job, the relationship with (the) dog is one of friendship, companionship, supporting one another,” said Jose Rojas, one of her handlers.

As for the job, it is difficult to make the cut. Of every 100 dogs, only five have what it takes to be an anti-narcotics agent.

The chosen few specialise either in cocaine or synthetic drugs; the best develop a sense of smell capable of piercing steel.

But like all the best jobs, “looking for drugs is a game” for the dogs, said Rojas.

When Sombra detects something suspicious, she’s given a ball as a reward.

She’s “excelled because she’s developed her sense of smell” in hunting cocaine, added Rojas proudly.

She’s also distinguished herself with her fearlessness: unlike some other dogs she doesn’t flee from the jungle, ships or television cameras.

In the interminable fight against drugs, dogs have proved themselves valuable allies to authorities, to such

an extent that drug traffickers have decided to try to eliminate them.

Already, dogs have been killed in the detection of drug crops, seeking out the explosives left behind by gang members to protect their yields.

In the border zone with Ecuador, in rural Tumaco, “animals have been killed by explosives and snipers.

When the dog sits down to signal it’s found an explosive, it activates it”, said Carlos Villarreal, anti-narcotics canine training chief.

Colombia is second only to Afghanistan in terms of landmines, creating an extra peril in the fight against drugs for both humans and animals.

Drug traffickers themselves have had to adapt to the unique challenges their four-legged pursuers pose, going so far as using “lion’s urine” to scare dogs off the cocaine scent, Villarreal said.

While the job is intense, it’s a short career for a canine agent, in human terms at least.

Sombra has two years left before she’s sent to retire at a home in Guaymaral, a rural area north of Bogota.

Until then, the police will do their utmost to look after one of their most prized assets.

AFP

Holiday reads: Beachgoers check out French seaside libraries FRANCE GOING TO THE BEACH can be tough work, but if you need a break from all the gruelling swimming and sunbathing this summer, a trip to one of France’s pop-up seaside libraries could be just the thing.

Lulled by the gentle cries of seagulls in the distance, flocks

of readers have been heading to the book-filled beach huts that authorities have opened along the coast of Normandy in northern France and elsewhere.

“It’s a perfect break for reading and relaxing between two dips in the sea,” said 52-year-old hairdresser Isabelle from her deckchair at the library in Etretat, a Normandy resort famed for its dramatic

white cliffs.

“Since I’m not going away on holiday, this is my treat every afternoon,” she said, before diving back into a detective novel.

Etretat is one of 12 local resorts where authorities have set up library beach-huts this summer. Open from July 7 until August 26, each of the wooden huts has been filled

with 1,000 books.

Normandy launched its ‘Read At The Beach’ scheme in 2005 with three huts and by last year was welcoming more than 38,000 bookworms along this stretch of the coast.

The idea has since taken off elsewhere in France, with the Herault region in the south attracting 21,000 readers to its own beach huts last year.

Similar schemes have also been launched in other countries including Australia, Bulgaria, Israel and Spain.

In Normandy, anyone is welcome to dip into a book, with no registration needed – but readers must stay in the deckchairs provided, rather than taking them down to the sea to get sand between the pages.

This year 400 chairs are up for grabs around the region at the beach huts, which are open every day between 2pm and 7pm, with some books in English, German and Italian provided for foreign readers.

On a recent sunny afternoon in Etretat, a dozen readers – aged between nine months

People enter in a little library, open during the summer, in Etretat, northwestern France. People can borrow books to read them on the beach. Photo: Charly Triballeau / AFP and 70 – come to transport themselves to other worlds from the hut, overlooking the sea.

“We need more of this kind of place,” said Romain Mace, an engineer on vacation from the city of Rouen, enjoying a volume of poetry as his baby slept beside him – a rare pleasure for sleep-deprived young parents.

Since the books cannot be taken off-site, the hut’s two librarians will happily put aside a novel you’ve started so that you can pick up the story where you left off the next day.

Corinne Ait Amar, 47, had returned to delve back into the thrilling exploits of gentleman-thief Arsene Lupin while her daughter was engrossed in a Japanese manga comic.

“It’s perfect,” said the nurse, on vacation with her family from the eastern city of St Etienne.

“My daughter and I have been saying to ourselves that we might meet up with the rest of the family a little later than planned...”

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

BUSINESS NEWS 11

PropertyGuru Awards 2018 13th PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards arrive in style ADVERTORIAL

R

eturning for its landmark 13th annual gala dinner, the PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards, presented by Kohler, is the longest-running and biggest event of the regional PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards programme, which was first launched in Thailand in 2005.

Following site inspections conducted by the judges and supervised by BDO, the official shortlist will be revealed in mid-August and the Winners, Highly Commended awardees and recipients of special awards will be honoured at a black-tie Gala Dinner at The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok on Friday, August 31.

Expecting around 600 guests, the 2018 gala dinner is exclusive for shortlisted developers, sponsors and partners, comprising C-level and senior industry figures in development, property consultancy, construction, marketing, property technology, legal, finance, and architecture and design. Select members of print, television and online media will cover the event.

With a professionally run awards system supervised by BDO, the world’s fifth largest auditing and accountancy firm, the Thailand Property Awards is the premier and most credible industry

Winners at the annual PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards have much to be proud of. awards in the country, with the top and emerging names in real estate celebrating the best developers, projects and designs.

The primary objectives of the awards are to recognise Thailand’s evolving property and construction sectors; to provide a widely respected and trusted regional platform to showcase the achievements and innovation of developers and private or public entities that contribute to the built environment; and to inform residents and investors in Asian countries more choices of quality real estate.

Entry to the awards is free,

and nominations were open to the public from Jan 23 to June 29, with online entries open until July 6.

The Independent Central Judging Panel chaired by Suphin Mechuchep, Managing Director, Jones Lang LaSalle (Thailand) Ltd, includes Charles Blocker, CEO & Founder, IC Partners Ltd; Colin Yap Chin Wei, Founder/ Creative Director of Hotels & Resorts Design Co Ltd; Leong Choong Peng, Advisor (Thailand), Arcadis; and Marciano Birjmohun, Director, The Singapore-Thai Chambers of Commerce; among others.

The Official Supervisors

has BDO overseeing the ethical, fair, transparent and credible judging process, led by Paul Ashburn, Co-Managing Partner, BDO Thailand, and Angelina Harinck, Assistant Manager, BDO Thailand.

In deciding the Developer awards, the judges carefully consider a company’s reputation, image and corporate social responsibility initiatives, overall track record, displays of innovation, and achievement in the past 12 months.

For the Development & Design awards, entries are judged based on location, value for money, unique sell-

Fishing operators protest ILO Convention SEAFOOD MOR E T H A N 200 R E presentatives of Phuket’s fishing industry gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall on Aug 1 to file a formal letter of protest against the ratification of International Labour Organization Convention No. 188 into Thai law.

The ILO adopted the “Work in Fishing Convention, 2007” on June 14 of that year and the articles in the convention have been under consideration by the Thai government since then, the representatives explained.

The articles of the convention are expected to become law in Thailand in September this year, they added.

Already known is that during the past 11 years a copy of the draft law to be introduced has been sent to Office of @thephuketnews

Many of Phuket’s commercial fishing fleet operators oppose Thailand ratifying the ILO Convention. Photo: PR Dept the Phuket Governor for approval, and returned signed and approved to lawmakers in Bangkok.

The same process was conducted with 22 of Thailand’s 24 coastal provinces that have major fishing industries.

At the handing over of the formal letter of protest on Aug 1 leading representative Itsarapong Srisupawadee said

that introducing the articles of the convention as law in Thailand will create problems that will seriously affect the fishing industry, especially in hiring workers.

“If the convention does become law, it would change the way of life of Thai fishermen, which would be controlled by foreigners,” he said.

“Also, the new regulations

would require a lot of money to improve our boats and equipment, which might result in us going out of business – and no longer fishing – because we can’t afford the cost,” he added.

“This will lead to many workers being left unemployed because the fishing industry would be gone and just waiting to be taken over by foreigners,” he noted.

“To this, the Phuket Fishermen Association would like to confirm our position and urge the government not to ratify International Labour Organization Convention 188 into Thai law,” Mr Itsarapong said.

Phuket Vice Governor Snith Sriwihok received the formal letter of protest, yet it was not reported what the next course of action would be or which office the letter would be forwarded to.

The Phuket News

ing points, state of completion, sales success, design concept, innovation, use of space, quality of amenities, and construction and materials used.

Originally launched in 2005, the Thailand Property Awards is the oldest and longest-running Asia Property Awards programme in the region. Nominations from the public have reached as high as 1,500, whilst received entries average between 175 and 300 every year.

Companies that have won the coveted Best Developer titles include Ananda Development (2017), MQDC

Magnolia Quality Development Corporation (2016) and SC Asset Corporation PLC (2015).

The only award not chosen by the judging panel, the Thailand Real Estate Personality of the Year, has been presented annually since the inaugural gala dinner. Recipients include some of the biggest names in Thai real estate: Supaluck Umpujh, Chairwoman, The Mall Group (2017), Dr Suriya Poolvoralaks, Managing Director, Major Development (2016); and William ‘Bill’ E. Heinecke, Founder, Minor Group (2015).

The PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards have also partnered over the years with charitable organisations to raise funds, including Children of the Forest (2006), Habitat for Humanity (2011), and Raks Thai Foundation (2018).

PropertyGuru Group is Asia’s leading online property company and the preferred destination for over 25 million property seekers to find their dream home, every month.

PropertyGuru and its group companies empower the property seekers with the widest option of more than 2 million homes, in-depth insights and solutions that enable them to make confident property decision across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

For more information, please visit PropertyGuruGroup.com

12 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

RPM holds strong on show

CEO Gulu Lalvani announces new Phuket Yacht Show 2019 MARINE Chris Husted execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

R

oyal Phuket Marina (RPM) will continue to host the island’s major boat show with the Phuket Yacht Show dates announced for Jan 4-7, 2019, organiser Andy Dowden and RPM founder and CEO Gulu Lalvani announced last Friday (Aug 3).

The news was the main announcement at the monthly Grow Boating networking event for Phuket’s yacht charter and boating industry, and throws down the gauntlet to the Thailand Yacht Show, which held its third edition at Ao Po Grand Marina in February – its second venue in its three years.

Now to be combined with the Phuket RendezVous, the ‘Thailand Yacht Show & Rendezvous’ in May was reported to take place from Jan 4-7, 2019, but was recently rescheduled to be held Jan 10-13 (see story below).

However, the venue remains “to be confirmed shortly in conjunction with the consensus of industry opinion”.

As to the Phuket Yacht Show, speaking to a very healthy turnout of leading figures in Phuket’s boating industry at RPM last Friday, Mr Dowden explained that the show had gained the support of new investors – and a strong contingent of sponsors including the Tourism

Royal Phuket Marina CEO and Founder Gulu Lalvani made his vision plain: ‘One show in Phuket, one show in Pattaya – that is best for Thailand.’

Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).

Mr Dowden for nearly two decades has led the charge for Phuket to be the focus of a boat show in Thailand under the Phuket International Boat Show (PIMEX) banner. The show last year in its form as the ‘Phuket Rendezvous’, with Mr Dowden on board with the Asia Rendezvous from Singapore team led by Gael Burlot, attracted 5,000 visitors from over 60 countries, 100 companies from over 40 countries and 50 yachts in the water with more space for superyachts.

Mr Dowden last Friday maintained that the first week in January was still crucial to the success of the show, a factor debated in other events.

“This is when the High Net

Worth Individuals (HNWIs) are on the island and other quality potential customers and clients for Phuket’s boating industry,” Mr Dowden said plainly.

Superyachts will again feature strongly with a private event set up at Koh Rang Noi. “Last year (at the Phuket Rendezvous) we had four to five superyachts, this year we are looking to improve on that. We have strong support from the owners of the venue at Koh Rang Noi, for that we are very grateful, and will be hosting a private event there, which is only 10 minutes away by tender,” Mr Dowden noted.

The Phuket Yacht Show will be comprehensive in its appeal, with a variety of lifestyle events, entertainment and food-and-beverage attractions

to be hosted along the boardwalk at the marina.

For this Russell Chew has been brought on board for the event. “Technically he is the Events Director at RPM, and Gulu has very graciously offered him to provide his services for us,” Mr Dowden explained.

“Mr Chew has much experience in Singapore with the previous team,” he added.

The show will also move forward in its appeal to the smaller operators in the marine industry and associated businesses.

“For years I have had the feedback that in addition to all the boats on show and the entertainment provided, to be a true boat show we need to have a lot more of the smaller marine industry providers, and

this year we have taken a big step forward in that direction,” Mr Dowden explained.

“Not everyone will be buying a boat… People need something small they can take home at the end of the day, a keychain, a fishing road, something,” he said.

“That’s why this year we are reaching out to chandleries, sports equipment providers and the like to get them to join the show. We will even be offering very big discounts to take part,” he said.

Charter focus will also be strong, and monthly boat rallies from RPM will continue to support and develop the local industry.

“Those who buy or want to charter boats can join these rallies and enjoy a great day at Phang Nga Bay, right on our doorstep,” Mr Dowden said.

Highlighting his very strong involvement in RPM continuing to be the venue for the yacht show, Mr Lalvani explained that the new investors already had extensive experience in hosting boat shows in the Mediterranean.

Without naming the new key investors in the show, Mr Lalvani did explain that they had been deeply involved in holding successful boat shows in Turkey and had recently relocated to Phuket.

Regarding the long-ongoing debate about whether Phuket could – or should – host two boats shows, Mr Lalvani explained that his vision was plain: “One show in Phuket, one show in Pattaya – that is

best for Thailand, which has become the place in Asia for yachting.”

The statement received welcome applause at the event last Friday night.

A clear sign of the coordination of the boat shows in the Gulf of Thailand and in Phuket, Scott Finsten, Harbour Master at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club, opened the evening’s presentation.

The Ocean Marina Yacht Club is surging forward in its role in hosting the Ocean Marina Pattaya Boat Show, and the Ocean Marina now had 440 berths, Mr Finsten said.

“Our expansion has seen 200 berths added over the past six years,” he noted.

“The boat show is the perfect event for us to fill the marina and boat offices and marine services have benefited from it,” he added.

Mr Finsten noted that Bangkok “is the growing market” for the Ocean Marina Yacht Club.

“They come down (from Bangkok) and charter yachts on weekends – these are our future yacht owners,” he said.

In other strong positive news for the boating industry announced last Friday, RPM Marina Manager Ben Mccrory explained that the years-long dredging of the access channel to RPM was finally complete.

“The channel has been dredged to two metres depth at lowest tide,” Mr Mccrory said.

“This allows 24/7 access to the marina for powerboats up to 35m in length,” he noted.

Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous 2019 PRESS RELEASE A BRAND NEW YACHTING and boating lifestyle festival, combining the Thailand Yacht Show and the Phuket RendezVous in early January next year, promises to become one of the region’s biggest.

The combined experience and expertise of Verventia Pte Ltd, the organiser of the Singapore and Thailand Yacht Shows, and Asia RendezVous Pte Ltd, organisers of the Phuket, Penang and Singapore RendezVous events, is expected to result in the biggest and most ambitious marine industry event on Phuket, attracting hundreds of ultra-high-net-worth individuals into the market.

The merger followed calls from the industry to hold fewer and

more well-organised yacht shows after many felt the industry was stretched too thinly over several competing shows. With the merger, the organisers will consolidate their strengths into one premier show on Phuket. Given its size, Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous is likely to incorporate a number of marinas island-wide, becoming the most comprehensive marine industry event on Phuket to date.

The first edition of the Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous will take place from January 10-13, 2019 during the high season when Phuket is typically heaving with activity and visitors from all over the world. The show is backed by the Royal Thai government as well as the major industry players, and both organisers have held successful events on the island previously,

attracting yachts from some of the world’s leading brokers and manufacturers, including numerous Thailand premieres.

The Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous 2019 will feature both on-land and in-water components, including interactive displays, exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and panel discussions. The first part of the Christofle Yacht Style Awards 2019, which recognises the best of the yachting industry, will also take place during the event, with the second part being staged during the Singapore Yacht Show & RendezVous in April 2019.

Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous 2019 is expected to attract the ultimate players in luxury lifestyle who will display high-end products and services to Asia’s growing population of ultra-high-

net-worth-individuals. Visitors will be able to view some of the region’s most luxurious yachts as well as meet with yacht brokers, high-end property developers, bespoke travel organisers and specialists within the hospitality and food and beverage industries.

A selection of supercars, the latest gadgets and luxury timepieces will also be on display.

The Sponsorship Experts, Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co., Ltd. will be managing sponsorship and partnership marketing for Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous 2019. They have a number of commercial sponsorship and partnership opportunities available for brand and businesses wanting to integrate with this high profile yachting and lifestyle event as

The first edition of the Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous will take place from January 10-13, 2019. Image: Paul Poole well as many other opportunities to create bespoke events for your brand or business.

Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co., Ltd. is an independent marketing consultancy based in Bangkok, Thailand specialising in commercial sponsorship and partnership marketing, working with both rights holders and brands – acting as a catalyst by bringing them together and maximising the relationship.

For more information visit PaulPoole.co.th. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

Spreading Buddhism across the globe

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

16

Family Fun Run for Mai Khao turtles

17

THE HOLISTIC CHEF

Jamie Raftery’s health food dream David Jacklin editor1@classactmedia.co.th

J

amie Raftery had a dream. For a teenage dish washer in the west coast of Ireland it was rather an ambitious dream. To become a chef and work in one of the world’s most famous kitchens, Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry in California. The dream came true.

Along his dramatic rise to the top table, Jamie has worked alongside a who’s who of famous chefs, including Michael Caines, Heston Blumenthal and won The Gordon Ramsay Scholarship to train and work with the brilliant, but notoriously demanding man.

After 20 years of working at the top of his game, and feeling burnt out from the demands of Michelin-star kitchens, Jamie Raftery needed a sabbatical. He’d gone as far as he could go in his calling for high-end cuisine.

Jamie was looking for a new aspiration, and it came in the most unlikely of places. On the banks of the Pai River in Northern Thailand.

Having gone to Pai for a rustic retreat from the fast lane, Jamie began to explore and work with a plantbased food diet. The connection with nature, the raw fruits of the land from farm to fork, and the study of the ancient Hindu system of Ayurvedic medicine and philosophy ignited a new passion and path.

The Holistic Chef was born.

Jamie has now dedicated himself to an integrated @thephuketnews

approach to food, balancing health, lifestyle and taste into every dish. In 2019 he’s launching a cookery school in the UK in the pursuit of educating chefs on whole food diet and recipes. Whilst based in England, he describes the cooking school as ‘Nomadic’, and travels regularly to International kitchens to spread the word and develop local, seasonal menus.

And so, fortunately for me, I was able to meet the man at the Thanyapura Health and Sports Resort, Thalang, to discuss his love of healthy ingredients and, most essentially, sample the culmination of his new skills.

Chef Jamie is at the resort to create a range of new menus, inspired by locally sourced goods that will be available at Thanyapura soon.

I asked Jamie about his approach to developing whole food diets and explorating new combinations of taste.

“It’s about an individual’s relationship with food,” Jamie said. “Diet, thoughts and exercise are all connected towards a healthy approach to life. The food you eat should also nourish these interests. Holistic dishes can be full of flavour and vital in your body’s need to thrive.”

Jamie uses a range of techniques and seasonal ingredients to create an incredible array of taste combinations and development of food rules and processes, including fermentation and macrobiotics.

On with the show. Firstly I was presented with a Black Bean Chilli ‘Non’ Carne bowl. I see what they

did there. The bean chilli was accompanied with avocado, infused mango cubes, cashew nut sour cream and cauliflower rice. From talking to Jamie about his passion and craft I was not surprised to be wowed by the result. The chilli is one to savour and surprisingly hearty. And the supporting ingredient combo bring new grins with every mouthful. Missing the meat?

Not so much.

For dessert I had the Key Lime Cheesecake with acai berry and coconut crisp, which had a delicious citrus tang against the nutty crumble base.

The finale, a Cacao and Silken Tofu Mousse made with almond butter, orange, goji berry and chia seed jam. The crunchy granola topping and smooth chocolate mousse play so well together and I was left more that satiated across my lunch experience.

It’s a fine feeling to know that dishes as rich and complex as these could be just what your body and soul are after too.

So what’s next on Chef Jamie’s journey?

“My goal is to ‘Educate, Inspire and Empower’.

It’s about informing people on new techniques, that a healthy diet is simple to create, and provide the knowledge to do it well.”

Visit The Holistic Chef website at holisticchef.co.uk Jamie Raftery’s unique and uber-tasty recipes will soon be launching at Thanyapura Health and Sports Resort, Thalang. Visit Thanyapura.com for details.

14 HISTORY

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

Reach of the empire Were the Greeks or Romans in Phuket or the Peninsula?

The roman trading port of Arikamedu, India. Painting: John Cleveley the Younger

HISTORY OF PHUKET Colin Mackay

“T

he beautiful vessels, the masterpieces of the Greeks, stir white foam on the Periyar River… arriving with gold and departing with pepper.”

These lines from an ancient Tamil poem The Lay of the Anklet, believed to have been written around 200 AD, tell of Greek triremes and trade ships arriving and departing from the rivers of south India. However it remains tantalisingly uncertain today whether these same Greek or Roman trade ships ever came that bit further west to trade directly with the west coast ports of the Malay Peninsula.

Certainly there is evidence the Greeks were well aware of the existence of the Malay Peninsula. The first known Greek reference to the peninsula is around 100 BC, when it is referred to as ‘the Golden Khersonese’, which was a direct translation of ‘Suvarnabhumi’ (Golden Island), the Indian name for the peninsula at the time.

There is ample archaeological and chronicled evidence that both the Greek and Roman empires traded directly with India and China. Early in the first century AD it is recorded that a Greco-Egyptian sea captain, Hippalus,

learned from Indian sailors how to use the monsoon winds to sail directly from the Red Sea across to India. Thereafter trade with the East boomed.

The Greeks and the Romans established a series of permanent trade colonies in India. One was at Arikamedu on India’s Coromandel (southeastern) coast just a couple of weeks’ sail across the Bay of Bengal from Phuket, and was probably also regularly visited by Malay trading prows crossing over from the peninsula.

Indeed Malay sailors may also have directly visited Greek and Roman ports such as Berenike on the Red Sea. The Romans used the word ‘Seres’ for Chinese or Asians from further east than India. A report from the Roman historian Julius Flores as early as the reign of the first Roman emperor Augustus (27 BC– 14 AD) describes some ‘Seres’ visiting the city of Rome itself: “...the Seres came likewise, and the Indians, bringing with them presents of pearls and elephants.”

However, according to the Chinese annals, the first Chinese man ever to reach the West was Gan Ying and this was in 97 AD, over a century after Flores’ account. These earlier Seres may well have been Malays from the western peninsula – the nearest part of eastern Asia to Rome.

Around 140 AD the Greco-Egyptian geographer Claudius Ptolemy wrote his compendium Geographia, which was essentially a travel guide for Greek sailors heading east to trade. In the Geographia some of the physical features

Roman trade in the subcontinent according to the Periplus Maris Erythraei 1st century AD. Photo: PHGCOM of the western Malay peninsular coast are described (although all with the wrong longitudes and latitudes). Ptolemy did note that the main trade emporium on the western Malay peninsular coast was a port called ‘Takola’. Takola is presumed by many scholars today to have been Takuapa, in Phang Nga. Ptolemy also makes mention of an island on the west of the peninsula called ‘Saline’ which may have derived from Phuket’s old name of ‘Salang’ or ‘Salon’. He noted that “In this Island there are a large number of shellfish and the inhabitants are always naked.”

His son Pliny the Younger also noted that “India is brought near to us by [the Roman traders’] lust for gain.” It is therefore quite possible that, to try to cut out the probably voracious Indian middlemen, these profit-seeking Greco-Arab and Roman ship captains would have sailed their ships a couple of weeks further east from India to try to reach the markets of the Malay Peninsula directly.

As early as 520 AD, when Cosmos Indicopluestes, a Nestorian Christian trader from Egypt, traveled to India, he wrote that Christian communities already existed in Burma and the Malay Peninsula further east. It therefore remains likely, but still frustratingly unproven, whether Greek or Roman triremes or galleons ever appeared in Tharua, Patong or Phang Nga bays or indeed in any other ports on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula.

No Roman items are recorded as having been found on Phuket Island to date, although they have been found in

Roman gold coins excavated in Pudukottai, India.

One coin of Caligula (37–41 CE) and two coins of Nero (54–68). Photo: British Museum other parts of Thailand, such as Kanchanburi. These include a metal lamp, a Roman ivory comb and a German coin minted in Cologne from the time of emperor Victorinus (268–70 AD). Roman coins from the time of Antonius Pius and Marcus Aurelius (138–80 AD) have also been unearthed further east in Vietnam. But such Greco-Roman artefact discoveries in Thailand are paltry compared to those from India where over 6,000 Roman coins have been found.

It is also possible that these Roman items arrived in the peninsula only as trade ‘carry’. That is, they may have been brought over by Indian, Arab and Persian middlemen to trade. In sum, Manfred Raschke, a leading scholar on Roman commerce in Asia, best summarises this enigmatic issue of whether the Greeks or Romans ever appeared in the Malay Peninsula by stating that, “Much is asserted, but little is yet proven.”

Adapted with kind permission from the book ‘A History of Phuket and the Surrounding Region’ by Colin Mackay.

Available from good bookshops and Amazon.com. Order the softcover 2nd edition directly at: HistoryOfPhuket.com thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

TRAVEL 15

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

Rustic Singapore Pulau Ubin, one of the rare places in the city-state where nature still rules Pongpet Mekloy Bangkok Post

A giant tree like the one on Pulau Ubin never fails to amaze visitors.

Variety of flora and fauna.

Photo: Pongpet Mekloy @thephuketnews

O

f the more than 60 islands that make up Singapore, Pulau Ubin is said to be among the most cherished by Singaporeans. Unlike other major islands of the city-state, it is still home to thriving nature and a small number of people who continue to live the rural lifestyle that reminds visitors of what much of the republic was like half a century ago.

Trees may be a common sight in Singapore, even in the heavily built-up mainland. Still, a giant like the one on Pulau Ubin never fails to amaze visitors.

It had been quite a while since I had first heard about Pulau Ubin from fellow mountain bikers in Singapore. I had been told that the island, which they simply call Ubin, also has a bike park that boasts some interesting trails. However, it was only on a recent holiday with my sister that I got to finally visit the island.

Like many other tourists, we opted to explore Ubin by bicycle. We rented the rigs, ordinary ones with gears and front baskets, from one of the shops near the island’s ferry jetty. Each cost S$5 (B120). Crosscountry and fat bikes were also available, but we decided not to pay more since we wouldn’t have enough time for the mountain-bike park anyway. Any well functioning two-wheeler that could take us from one place to another would be good enough.

Our plan for that afternoon was to visit attractions in the east part of Ubin. Before we set off, the friendly man at the bike-rental shop briefed us about the direction and warned us to be careful, especially on down slopes. His words prompted us to double-check the brakes to make sure they wouldn’t fail us.

From the shop, we rode through the seaside community and out of it towards the island’s lush interior.

Our first stop was a pond at the beginning of the Sensory Trail. Drawn by the pink lotus blooms which could be easily spotted from afar, we parked the bikes and walked to the edge of the pond. Rich with myriad aquatic plants, it serves as a bountiful habitat for fish, birds and insects whose presence could be felt by the sounds that filled the air.

Having learned beforehand from the exhibition pavilion next to the ferry jetty that this magnificent pond was once used as a fish farm, I couldn’t help but admire the magical power of Mother Nature to bounce back to life, as well as the hard work of those who had helped make the natural self-healing process faster with no interruption. As a matter of fact, a few decades ago, apart from fish and prawn farms, Ubin was damaged by other economic activities, such as rock mining and rubber planting. These days, thanks to concerted efforts by the government and many parties, including the island’s residents, Ubin has become a haven for Singaporean city slickers and foreign visitors alike.

The gentle breeze and the serene atmosphere at the pond tempted us to sit down on the grass and just chill out. Too bad our time was limited.

We skipped the Sensory Trail and headed towards Chek Jawa, the wetland at the southeastern tip of the island. On the way, we rode past a number of ruralstyle wooden homes and cemeteries. We also saw wild boars and monkeys. At Chek Jawa, apart from a mangrove and tidal ecosystem that can be observed via boardwalks and a tall observation tower, there is a beautiful Tudor-style house built in the 1930s as the vacation home of a British official.

It was already late in the afternoon, and grey clouds were taking over the sky by the time we finished with Chek Jawa. We took another road on the way back so we could see more of Ubin, such as one of the old rock quarries and a campsite on the north side of the island, from whence we could see the Malaysian shore on the other side of the Johore Strait.

We managed to return the bikes and catch the ferry back to the Singapore mainland before it rained.

Kampong (Traditional Village) Lifestyle. Photo: Pongpet Mekloy While on the boat, I looked back to Ubin, to its west side in particular.

Next time, for sure, I’ll hit the bike park. My mind also drifted back to Thailand. We Thais are luckier than the Singaporeans. We still have many times more wilderness and rural areas.

It’s a pity that, unlike them, we tend to take those precious assets for granted.

Bangkok Post Pulau Ubin can be reached by boat from the Changi Point Ferry Terminal, which is a short walk from the Changi Village Bus Terminal.

Giant Trees of Pulau Ubin. Photo: Lesley Van Loon

16 CULTURE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

Moscow, Russia. Photo: Pexels.com

Joy to The World!

Havana, Cuba. Photo: Pexels.com

As AAB turns three, Buddhism spreads around the globe ALL ABOUT BUDDHISM Jason A. Jellison mitnoy@live.com

F

or any of you tourists out there who just got to this sunny little mountainous rock astride the Andaman Sea that is otherwise known as ‘Phuket’, you will find that we have great reason to celebrate.

It’s not just that we get to live in a tropical paradise and dine on surf-and-turf any day that we want. No, there’s much more to the

story.

You see, The Phuket News took a gamble several years ago on a tiny Buddhist series that had never been tried before. Entitled ‘All About Buddhism’, it was an original newspaper series written by a western convert that would break down the mysterious religion known as Thai Buddhism piece-by-piece.

Running this series was something of a risk. After

all, what you had was a totally unknown writer attempting something that had never been done before, the possibility of misunderstandings, culture crashes, losses in translation, and absolutely no template to follow… yet we made it anyway.

Thanks to the generosity of readers like you, who fund our happy little shire with loyal newsstand purchases every week or two, we’ve not only enlightened expats in Thailand, but tens of thousands far beyond the borders of our happy Buddhist Kingdom.

So, today as both something of a retrospective and as a little treat, I thought we’d ring in AAB’s third season by taking a little tour of all of the most unlikely places where our series has popped up around the world. And some of the locations might really surprise you.

Without further ado: Welcome to Moscow. Yes, Moscow!

Thailand has seen a flood of tens of thousands of Russian tourists in recent years and no less than 50% of them wind up on our sandy beaches whilst they are in the Kingdom of Thailand. The Phuket News has even had to start a sister newspaper that is published exclusively in Russian and, from time to time, you’ll see our articles on laptops and tablets in Russia’s coffeehouses.

In fact, did you know that there are over 1.5 million Buddhists now living in Russia? Buddhism actually got to Russia on foot, Siberian Husky, or other winter-hardy mammals in the 1600s, but it got revived in Kalmykia, Russia after the 1991 fall of the USSR. Today, there are a number of Buddhist Universities in Russia.

Most of them are located in Siberia.

(Hardly surprising because, after all, us Buddhists are known for enjoying our solitude and quiet.)

Meanwhile, not too far away, AAB has popped up in Belgrade, Serbia. Once part of the Roman Empire, also once part of the Byzantine Empire, and also once part of the Ottoman Empire, Serbia’s

Miami, Florida. Photo: Pexels.com Tomorrow People Organization of Belgrade were kind enough to host yours truly at an educational conference in Bangkok in the Autumn of 2017.

Did you know that the very first Buddhist Monastery in Serbia is also celebrating its anniversary this August? The very first Buddhist Monastery opened its doors in Cortanovci, Serbia last August and has a staff of full-time monks.

We’ll be mailing a copy of this article to them as the first of a series of monthly gifts.

Meanwhile, as joy erupts in Serbia, we travel on to Cambridge, Mass., in America. Cambridge is home to both the deeply-religious Bhumibol Square, dedicated to HM King Rama IX, as well as the highly esteemed Harvard University.

AAB came to Harvard’s attention after I had the honor of meeting with their Admissions Department this past June.

And, for something totally unexpected, we come to Miami, Florida & Havana, Cuba! The Association for the Study of Cuban Economics, based at the University of Miami, was kind enough to host me for a lecture on Sufficiency Economics, a Buddhist Economic Theory created by HM King Rama IX in the 1970s.

Young academics from all over

the world get to meet and hobnob at The ASCE. Often friendships are made that last a lifetime. Dr Enrique Pumar organises a gathering of academics from all around the world at ASCE’s annual conference, with many being raised in or have connections directly to Cuba.

So, from the sandy beaches of Phuket, to the snarled traffic of Bangkok, to the permafrost of Siberia, to the coffeehouses of Moscow, to the kafanas of the SkadarlijaBohemian old-quarter of Belgrade, to the hallowed halls of Longfellow Hall at Harvard, from the Versailles Restaurant in Miami, to Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana in Havana, Cuba, or simply in the history pages of The Daily Caller in America, AAB is slowly exceeding the borders of Thailand and raising awareness of Buddhism all over the world.

I wonder what Season #3 will bring? Hmm. Stay tuned!

All About Buddhism is a monthly column in The Phuket News where I take readers on my exotic journey into Thai Buddhism and debunk a number of myths about Buddhism.

If you have any specific queries, or ideas for articles, please let us know.

Email editor1@classactmedia.co.th, and I will do my best to accommodate your interests. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

COMMUNITY 17

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

Phuket Marathon Ninja Turtles

14th Mai Khao Marine Turtle Fun Run 2018 The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

Protecting the sea turtles that nest in the Mai Khao beach and the surrounding areas.

Protecting the little ones on Mai Khao beach @thephuketnews

T

he 14th Mai Khao Marine Turtle Fun Run and Half Marathon 2018 will be bigger and better than ever.

The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation in collaboration with JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa and its foundation partners will host its annual fundraising sports event, the 14th Mai Khao Turtle Fun Run and Half Marathon 2018, which will be taking place on Sunday, Oct 21, from 5:30am to 8:30am, at the Phuket Gateway.

The event is set to be a fun fitness and family oriented affair, which will be open to the general public and all ages. Following the huge success of 2017, the event is hoping to attract more than 4,500 runners.

There are a range of courses including a 3km family run, 5km fun run, 10km mini-marathon, new distance 21km half-marathon; and VIP run for all distances.

New for this year is the 21km Half Marathon. The race starts at 5:30am at Phuket Gateway and goes northwest along the Haad Sai Kaew beach towards Thepkrasattri Bridge, passing the Rural Road No. 3006, to the Pi Lai Viewpoint area before looping back in front of the beach club and returning through Baan Tha Noon to the iconic Sarasin Bridge for the finish.

The entry fee is B400 per person for the 5km event; B500 per person for the mini-marathon 10km; B650 per person for the 21km half-marathon; B1500 per person for the VIP run for all distances (guaranteed trophy) and B1,500 per family (two adults and maximum two children aged under 12 years old) for the 3km family run category.

The money raised will go towards to the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, which is committed to protecting the marine and coastal environment and ecosystems for the well-being of the sea turtles that nest along Mai Khao Beach and all the surrounding areas.

Online registration is available now until Sept 30, and will close when registration hits 4,500 entrants.

Walk-in registrations will be taken at The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, Oct 1-10, from 10am to 5pm.

All registered runners will also receive a running shirt and medal, and there will be numerous trophies for the hotel and running club with the most participants, the heaviest and the best fancy dress outfit.

Award trophies will be given based on the chip time for each age group category, for the top five finishers for males and females in each of the three races (5km, 10km mini-marathon and 21km halfmarathon).

The first through fifth finishers in the overall category of the 5km, 10km and 21km events will also receive trophies and gift vouchers.

Online event registation at: PhuketSoftEvents.com Thank you to all of the generous sponsors, associates, volunteers and participants. For more information about the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation or to be part of this event sponsorship, email

info@maikhaomarineturtlefoundation. org or maikhaoturtlefoundation@gmail. com Call +66 076 338 000 ext. 3309.

Follow us on social media channel https://www.facebook.com/ maikhaomarineturtlefoundation

18 ISLAND SCENE

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

From Left: Phuket Yacht Show organiser Andy Dowden, Royal Phuket Marina CEO and Founder Gulu Lalvani, Ocean Marina Yacht Club Harbour Master Scott Finsten and RPM Marina Manager Ben Mccrory.

The boating fraternity turned out in numbers to support the event.

No, I’m not going to play ‘Sailing’ by Rod Stewart.

Wicky Sundram (2nd right), CMP Phuket Boat Lagoon, and wife Jeniffer (right) enjoying the evening with friends.

GROW BOATING NETWORK EVENT - PHUKET YACHT SHOW ANNOUNCED Big news dropped last Friday night (Aug 3) at the monthly Grow Boating networking event for Phuket's marine industry at Royal Phuket Marina, with the five-star marina to host the inaugural Phuket Yacht Show in early January 2019. Another great turnout for Grow Boating, including RPM founder and CEO Gulu Lalvani present in person to give his strong support for the move. Great news, great crowd, great fun.

Dr. Marissa Jablonski (right) held workshops on reducing single-use plastic in hotels.

The Phuket Hotels Association team at the Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach.

PHUKET HOTELS ASSOCIATION RUN ENVIRONMENTAL WORKSHOP EVENT On Wednesday (Aug 1) at the Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach, Dr Marissa Jablonski conducted an interactive environmental workshop on ‘Effective ways to Reduce and Eliminate Single-Use Plastics in your Hotel’ hosted by the US Embassy Thailand and the Phuket Hotels Association.

More 'T' Vicar?

The teams prepare for battle.

IT’S ‘T’ TIME AT THE WINE TASTING CLUB EVENING AT THE GREEN MAN PUB Last Wednesday (Aug 1) The Green Man pub, Chalong, hosted a range of colourful and tasty beverages, all beginning with the letter ‘T’, either by title, grape, region or vineyard.

Howard Digby-Johns oversaw the tasting event proceedings, with fabulous canapes prepared by Nui Jangrugsa for the fun-loving, mixed-crowd turnout. thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

Good sportsmanship, good cause.

And the winners were...

ISLAND SCENE 19

20 hotels took part in the fund raising sports event.

The Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort team finished third.

HOTEL BADMINTON TEAMS SHUTTLE TO RAISE FUNDS FOR PHUKET SCHOOL Over 150 hoteliers from 20 resorts in the Phuket area came together to participate in the Outrigger Charity Badminton Tournament, held last Saturday (Aug 4) at the PK Arena Badminton Club in Thalang. Funds raised will go towards the Baan Kok Wat Mai School, where Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort has undertaken several long-term projects, such as library renovation, school toilet enhancements and upgrading the playground, canteen and classrooms.

The dtac team point to the future.

The Turbo troops are in town.

DTAC LAUNCHES NEW HIGH-SPEED NETWORK SERVICE IN PHUKET TOWN The Dtac team descended on Phuket Town last Friday (Aug 3) to launch their new Turbo campaign introducing the new 2300 MHz latest technology to provide customers with better connection and faster download speeds across the island.

Pinyo Thippimas (2nd right) accepts the prestigious invitation.

GASTRONOMIC SOCIETY CHAPTER WELCOMES PINYO THIPPI MAS Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs Phuket Chapter Bailli Ian Lancaster warmly welcomes the Food & Beverage Manager of The Boathouse Phuket, Pinyo Thippimas, into the world-renowned gastronomic society. @thephuketnews

PATONG POLICE CHIEF HOLDS PRESS PARTY TO SAY THANK YOU Patong Police Chief Col Anothai Jindamanee (centre), Prab Keesin (3rd from left) and Janjira Sittabutra, President of Phuket Reporters Association, with Patong police officers at a ‘Thank you’ press party held at The Bay and Beach Club, Patong last Sunday (Aug 5).

20 EVENTS

FRI

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

10 AUG

An Italian Evening

Malaysian Street Food Festival

Mussels night @ Shakers 1.2kg mussels served with French fries, your choice, your style: natural, marnière, Provençale, garlic and cream or Thai style. Reservations recommended B295 P/P. shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

Featuring Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur chefs E.Kalaivanan Elumalai and Afzainzam Bin Basri, discover the rich and exciting flavours of Malaysian cuisine, a gastronomic convergence of Asian flavours.

THB 1,275++/Adult Buffet dinner at Pakarang Restaurant 9-10 August 2018. THB 875++/Adult Lunch Buffet at Beach BBQ 11-12 August 2018. Reservations, Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort, 076 370 100 ext 5307.

Enjoy a selection of Italian antipasti, cold cuts, premium cheese, marinated olives, grill vegetables, homemade pickles, caprese skewers, bruschetta and homemade breads - all complemented by free-flow Italian beverages. B1,999 net per person for antipasti buffet and free-flow Italian beverages. Enjoy 25% OFF when you dine with four persons or more. Reservations at Dusit Thani, Laguna, Phuket: dtlpfb@dusit. com or call 076 362 999 ext.7303.

SUN

All you can eat Sunday Roast Buffet Beef, Pork and Lamb – Cauliflower, Broccoli, Peas, Carrots, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes – Yorkshire pudding – roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes – gravy, mushroom sauce, mint sauce. Reservations recommended. B350 P/P. shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

12 AUG

Sunday Roast All Day, All Night ALL YOU CAN EAT BBQ RIBS Come join us for our WEEKLY BBQ EVERY FRIDAY served ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT at Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong. Indulge in All You Can Eat BBQ Pork Ribs, Chicken and Sides for ONLY 445 BAHT! Our BBQ is famous at Two Chefs!

Come try us out and enjoy our mouthwatering pork ribs, flavor-bursting chicken and more! Join us for Live Music from 8-Late Performed by Our Famous Two Chefs Band! Come for the FOOD - Stay for the Fun. www.twochefs.com

PBS #4 PBS is a relaxed and informal networking meeting held every month. A small entry fee, THB 500 per person, that includes the first 3 drinks and a light buffet.

Make sure to bring lots of business cards, as getting to know each other is what PBS is all about. TheAug, 2018 meeting will be held in Kathu. Exact location can be found on our FB page - https://www.facebook.com/ phuketbusinesssundowners/

SAT

Healthy Vegan Buffet at DiLite Restaurant Come to Thanyapura’s DiLite Restaurant to enjoy a healthy vegan buffet every Monday to Saturday. Lunch: 12pm to 3pm Dinner: 6pm to 8:30pm. Price: Lunch B350 and Dinner B550. Information and bookings call 076 336 000 or visit: thanyapura.com/hotel/dining/

11 AUG

All you can eat BBQ Ribs night 6PM – 11PM: All you can eat BBQ Ribs served with salad buffet, potato salad & choice of sauces. Reservation recommended. 295 baht P.P. shakersphuket@ gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

Go Live Sunday Seafood Brunch - Only July and August The Banyan Tree Brunch experience offers a generous selection of live fresh, local and imported seafood with exceptional Lobsters dishes, Japaneses starters, mouth-watering meats, Asian wok and Western grill treats. Gourmet cuisine, exceptional service, Live Jazz and tranquil surroundings, The Banyan Tree Brunch has something for everyone! Every Sunday 12.00 - 15.30, Prices start from THB 2,800 net per person. **Come 4 pay 2 so 50% off or come 2 and get 25% off. Reservations, Banyan Tree Phuket, fb-phuket@banyantree.com

Come enjoy a Traditional Sunday Roast EVERY SUNDAY at Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong. Indulge in our Traditional Sunday Roast ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT for ONLY 445 Baht! Enjoy a Large ALL YOU CAN EAT selection of your favorites!

Featuring: Roast Aussie Beef, Pork Loin and Chicken.

Roasted or Mashed Potatoes. Roasted Mixed Vegetables Flavored with Thyme and Garlic. Yorkshire Pudding and Red Wine Gravy. Enjoy Live Music from 8-Late Performed by Our Famous Two Chefs Band!

Come for the FOOD - RESERVE Your Table Now Online at bit.ly/TwoChefsReservations Check out more details on our website at bit.ly/TwoChefsEvents Reservation, Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong. Kata Beach 076-333-370 Kata Center 076330-065 Karon 076-286-479 Patong 076-344-914.

MON

13 AUG

Traditional Sunday Roast at O’Tool’s Served from 2pm. Your Choice of either Roast Beef, Chicken, Loin of Pork or Leg of Lamb Served with Roast & Boiled Potatoes, 3 Fresh Vegetables, Yorkshire Pudding & Gravy. Only 350 Baht. Includes a Free Glass of House Red or White. See: www.otools-phuket.com

Simmer & Spice Curry buffet, great variety, vibrant flavours. Every Monday from 18.30 - 21.30. Reservations, SALA Phuket, events@salaphuket.com, 076 338 888.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

MON

EVENTS 21

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

13 AUG

SUN

Australian Alumni, is delighted to invite members and guests to join our Phuket Sundowners to be held on Wednesday 15th August, 2018, at the Novotel Phuket Phokeethra. Novotel Phuket Phokeethra is located in the heart of Phuket Town and we will be enjoying a panoramic view of Phuket at the Estrela Sky Lounge, while networking with old and new friends in the business community.executivedirector@austchamthailand.com

2 SEP

RETRO NIGHT – BACK TO THE 70S & 80S

All you can eat BBQ night 6pm – 11pm: Beef, Pork, Chicken, Burgers, Sausages, Prawns and Squid, Salad buffet, Choice of potatoes and sauces, bread, buns and garlic bread. Reservation recommended. B395 P/P. shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

WED

15 AUG

Phuket Sundowners & Members Briefing The Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (AustCham), in collaboration with AMCHAM, BCCT, Franco-Thai and NTCC, and the Australian Alumni, is delighted to invite members and guests to join our Members Briefing on “Central’s Retail Developments and Opportunities in Phuket”, featuring presentations from keynote speaker Khun Pakorn Partanapat, Chief Operating Officer of Central Pattana Public Company Limited, to be held on Wednesday 15th August, 2018, at the Novotel Phuket Phokeethra. Khun Pakorn will present on Central Phuket’s new luxurious wing “Floresta” due to open in September 2018, and what the expansion can mean for other businesses on the island.

THU

Don’t miss out on our newest, exciting weekly event at Two Chefs. Come and join us for our special Flambé 300g Australian grass-fed rib eye steak served with a creamy peppercorn sauce, roasted vegetable medley and potato gratin for ONLY B495.

Have a sweet tooth? Treat yourself to the Two Chefs banana flambé served with vanilla ice cream for ONLY B95. Sit back and enjoy one of our drink specials as you listen to the famous Two Chefs band performing all your favorite retro hits and more! Live music starts from 8pm and goes late at all of our Two Chefs locations. Reservations are highly recommended. You can book on our website at www.

TwoChefs.com or find us on Facebook at Facebook/ TwoChefsThailand. Come for the food, stay for the fun! Reservations: Call us directly at Two Chefs Kata Center 076 330 065, Kata Beach 076 333 370, Karon 076 286 479 or Patong 076 344 914.

SAT

18 AUG

2018 King of the Mountain Phuket Trail Run The King of the Mountain Trial Run is hugely popular amongst both locals and visitors to the island. The route takes its runners along steep hilly terrain and past beautiful waterfalls within the Khao Phra National Park that surrounds Thanyapura. With a choice of 3 distances (4km fun run, 8km trail and 15km trail), there is something for everyone at this event. Please contact for more details. events@thanyapura.com, 076 336 000.

EVERY DAY

16 AUG

PIWC Annual couple dinner The annual PIWC couples’ evening will be held at Mom Tri’s Wok Gallery on the 18 August 6.30pm for 7.00pm.

Cost is 800 baht per person, guests are welcome. info@piwc-phuket.com

FRI

Sala Wednesday nights ribs, beats, brews.

Devour our succulent pork rib set complete with sweet corn chowder, blue cheese salad, moist cornbread and finish it off with a bread and butter pudding. DJQ will keep the soul flowing and your toes tapping as you wash down those tender ribs with a bucket of craft brews. Full Rack set B1,600, Half Rack set B1,200, bucket of craft brews B800. Reservations, SALA Phuket Resort and Spa. Email: events@sala phuket. com or call 076 338 888.

Phuket Sundowners - August 2018 AustCham Thailand, in collaboration with AMCHAM, BCCT, Franco-Thai and NTCC, and the

@thephuketnews

31 AUG All you can eat Thai Tapas menu An array of unlimited tapas-size table serving of travelers’ and locals’ favorite Thai dishes, Kantok is the perfect place to devour the best of the best Thai cuisine at once, from mouth-watering appetizers and savor soup of Phuket specialties and soul satisfying desserts. Only THB 750-net per person. Serving daily from 11am-11pm. Reservations, Kantok Restaurant, Burasari Phuket, 076 292 929.

Dot Property Thailand Awards 2018 The Dot Property Thailand Awards 2018 ceremony will be announcing the first ever People’s Choice Award for “Best Developer Thailand 2018” and this is the first award to be voted by the public! The special People’s Choice Award winner along with winners from other categories will be revealed at the big event on August 16th, 2018. Another addition for 2018 is the launch of Thailand’s Best Real Estate Agencies presented by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®. The Dot Property Thailand Awards 2018 are organised by Dot Property Group, Southeast Asia’s largest property portal network. For more information, please visit www. dotpropertyawards.com

13th PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards 2018 Returning for its landmark 13th annual gala dinner, the PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards, persented by Kohler, is the longest-running and biggest event of the regional PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards programme, which was first launched in Thailand in 2015. With a professionally run awards system supervised by BDO, the world’s fifth largest auditing and accountancy firm, the Thailand Property Awards is the premier and most credible industry awards in the country, with the top and emerging names in real estate celebrating the best developers, projects and designs.

22 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York 1. Besides Thailand, which two countries have coasts on the Gulf of Thailand?

2. What do the initials stand for in C. S. Lewis?

3. Which battle was the last pitched battle fought on British soil?

4. Which company owns the trademarks and products of Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley?

5. Completed in 1890, what type of bridge is The Forth Railway Bridge in Scotland?

Answers below, centre

SUDOKU

Hard

Across 1. Word with book or silk 5. Upbraid 10. Research facil.

14. Smoothie ingredient 15. Pirogue 16. Speck 17. Venomous snakes 20. French novelist Pierre 21. ___ mask 22. Remain unused 23. Wrote, in a way 26. Grand ___, Nova Scotia 28. It may be stuck in a bar 30. Bother 32. Delighted 33. Plumbing joint 34. Defunct car 36. Tool with a v-shaped jaw 42. Neighbor of Cameroon 43. Smeltery input 44. Indulges 47. Ancient nomad 50. Oxlike antelope 51. Prefix with orthodox 52. Realizes

27. Compunction 29. Fishing item 31. Drop-offs 32. Ever, old style 35. Work made of found items 37. A party to 38. Cincture 39. Film ___ 40. Unit of capacity 41. Egg containers 44. Old TV variety show 45. Amount of Down container 1. Occurred leakage during 2. B___ Raton shipment 3. Vulgar 46. Milk-secreting 4. Wasn’t straight organs with 48. Souvenir shop 5. Torme specialty stock 6. Old Turkish office 49. Chopped 7. ___ of a kind 51. Aught 8. Skier’s domicile 55. Commits a faux 9. Hindu diety pas 10. Little devil 57. Time to beware 11. Cognition 59. System relating 12. Endeavor to control of 13. Tried out inventory, for 18. Conclusion short 19. Chemical cousin 23. Mother of Helios 60. Tux followers 61. Bruiser 24. Cry out loud 62. New Deal org.

25. Gloomy 63. Cognizance atmosphere 53. American ___ 54. Hula hoop?

56. Empty promises 58. Dangerous sea swimmer 64. Thickening agent 65. Ridgeline 66. Weapon 67. Blubber 68. Astringent fruits 69. Martin or McDermott

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1) Cambodia and Vietnam; 2) Clive Staples; 3); The Battle of Culloden (in 1746 near Inverness); 4) Hasbro; 5) Cantilever

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

1

second of activity in the most accurate simulation of the human brain ever created took one of the world’s largest supercomputers 40 minutes to calculate.

2

rats will stop playing with each other if the bigger rat doesn’t let the smaller one win at least 30% of the time.

4

times more likely is an air rage incident in economy class if the plane also has a first class.

8

percent of guys who own televisions don’t watch any sports at all, according to Nielsen data.

17

percent of Brits admit they would be willing to have sex with an android, and 11% are willing to raise a robot baby.

5,840

Purrfect day at Koh Khai Nai. Photo: Jeffrey Ephreim Villanueva Villegas Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket? Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

This week in history Aug 10, 2003 The highest temperature ever recorded in the United Kingdom, 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) in Kent, England. It is the first time the UK records a temperature over (38°C).

Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton found to date, is discovered by Sue Hendrickson in South Dakota.

people in the United States have a last name that ends with their first name, with Donald MacDonald being the most common.

Aug 11, 1786 Captain Francis Light establishes the British colony of Penang in Malaysia.

Aug 13, 1961 East Germany closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants’ attempts to escape to the West, and construction of the Berlin Wall is started.

Source: Uberfacts

Aug 12, 1990 Sue, the largest and most complete

Aug 14, 1885 Japan’s first patent is issued to the

erated by Ohio State University as part of the SETI project, receives a radio signal from deep space; the event is named the “Wow! signal” from the notation made by a volunteer on the project.

Photo: Big Ear Radio Observatory inventor of a rust-proof paint.

Aug 15, 1977 The Big Ear, a radio telescope op-

Aug 16, 1989 A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects microchips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto’s stock market.

Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

Jobs

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Trades & Services

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

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MARINE SERVICES

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Buy & Sell

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

JOBS Teacher wanted for child

Native English qualified teacher needed for child 5yo with autism. Speech, ABA, occupational therapists will have priority. High salary, flexible working hours. European nations only. ksenia, dcondosale@ gmail.com

BUSINESS FOR SALE UR

T

Bar staff wanted

TS

AL

E

SURIN: LUXURIOUS BAR-RESTAURANT SALE

Totally renovated, Italian design and furniture, all-new imported kitchen and bar equipment, ready to operate. Large Bar, DJ booth, garden lounge, rooftop. Seats 50 indoors, 50 in garden and 40 rooftop. Pablo: 080 143 5541. info@dedos-restaurant.com

NT Live-in housekeeper wanted GE R ULive-in housekeep wanted for house in Kata. Must understand English and love dogs. Excellent conditions. 31/3 Soi Plukjae Kata Phuket. Contact: Lillian Dinic: lil@ladolcevitare. com.au or call 080 690 5248.

N GE UR

N GE

N GE

TS

A

LE

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Astounding Health Opportunity

Blondie Bar 2 at Otop Market Patong UR ASEA Launching Phuket! U.S Revolutionary Health product requires Bar Staff. Thai nationals only. and opportunity. Monday August 27th 6.30pm Chanalai Good salary and room provided. Phone Hillside Resort, Soi 24 Patak Rd, Karon Beach. International Mick: 081 087 6114. speakers along with Dr Ray Dixon Australia. Please register for free presentation (Thai translated). Drraydixon@hotmail.

BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE com, 0624488838.

FOR SALE AIR BERTH M320

250,000THB INC.VAT FOR BOAT UP TO 32 FEET/ 9.5 METRES. CONTACT: ASIA YACHT AGENCY CO.,LTD VIA CONTACT@ASIAYACHTAGENCY.COM, 081-894 -3234- FRENCH / ENGLISH — 086269-0808 THAI / ENGLISH. G UR

T EN

SA

LE

Boat For Sale

72’(22m) Thai Trawler partially-converted as Tour Boat Business. Rebuilt from top to bottom 3 years ago (spent just over 1MB) including engine as was planned to use for a tour business, owner had to return to the UK unable to return (very ill son). Some weather damage and need some repairs. Engine has only done only 6 hours, has new 12 kua generator. Currently in Hua Hin. Viewing can be arrange. Must sell within the next few months. Offers over THB 500,000. Contact Shayne on 0934 189 529 or shayne.inbox@gmail.com

CARS, TRUCKS FOR SALE

Hyundai Veloster TURBO

Hyundai Veloster Turbo 39,000km, Price from new 1,749,000 THB, full service book, 4 original rims with tyres with only 6,000km, all options. m.arnskjold@gmail.com, 0836351440 ENG / 084-3058363 TH. U

E RG

NT

SA

LE

2012 Ford Ranger 2.2 Open Cab

Flat roof waterproofing

We do flat roof waterproofing with 20 year warranty by installing quality four layer slate spotted bitumen torch foil + crack repair!Andreas Ruthe, 22/5 Moo1 Kamala Kathu, office@tcm-asia.com, 086-9439834,076-385081.

MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE For Sale

New set of Kasco G7 golf clubs RH R FLEX. Driver 10.5°, 3 Wood 15°, U4 Hybrid 19°, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, P, S irons. Milled head putter. 11 clubs, 4 head covers, graphite shafts except putter. B25,000. Bob Mather, Kathu. Contact: bobmather_4@ hotmail.com, 095 549 2748.

OTHER Commercial Laundry Services

Exceptional commercial laundry services in Patong. Increased capabilities are allowing us to expand to support 500 additional rooms. Competitive, Chonticha, Patong, candkservicespatong@gmail.com, 0991658538.

Accountancy,Bookkeeping,Tax

Accountancy, Bookkeeping, Australian Taxation, GST, VAT, Business Advisory Anabel Da Silva, PO Box 161, Palmyra, Western Australia, 6957, anabel@dasilva-accounting.com, +61 40 400 6236.

POOL TABLES AMAZING DEAL NOT TO BE MISSED!

78,000km. Six-gear manual transmission.

Looks and feels like a new car, treated like a baby by its single owner. Engine clean as. Full set of new tyres. B500,000. Call 081 427 5168.

Like new English Riley Pool Table for sale.

Measures 320cm long by 170cm, comes with six pool cues and cue rack as well as game counter. Pick up in Chalong no delivery. Only 50,000 THB. Adam 091 016 1167.

CARS, TRUCKS FOR RENT

REAL ESTATE SERVICES

GE

R NT

EN

T

CARS FOR RENT

We offer car rental at affordable prices.

Monthly from B10,000. Daily from B400.

Call us and find out what we offer. B10,000 monthly. Stig Johansson, 110/78 Moo 2, T Paklok, A Thalang, 83110 Phuket. Contact: stigisaan@gmail.com, 084 847 4377.

UR

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HOME IMPROVEMENT

CHATTHA Property and Rental Management Service in Phuket

Our services: Housekeeping, Garden, Swimming Pool, Maintenance and Repair. www.chatthamanagement. com office: 076 636 244 or mobile: 090 179 6635.

Chattha Management.

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Buy & Sell

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

PROPERTY FOR SALE PROPERTY FOR SALE 5 bedrooms family home

BEAUTIFUL 5 BEDROOMS HOME CENTRALLY LOCATED | 2 MINS FROM BIS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL | 10 MINS TO PHUKET TOWN | 15 MINS TO CENTRAL FESTIVAL | 15 MINS TO SURIN BEACH | SECURE GATED CHILD FRIENDLY COMMUNTIY | ALL GROUNDS IMMACULATELY MAINTAINED 19.8M, Abby, Woodlands estate, Koh Kaew , Phuket, abby.barnhurst@icloud.com, +66 840896521.

4 Pool villas - 1 Rai for sale

Reduced price from 32.9 MB to 24MB (only 6 MB for 1 villa). Bali-Thai Style pool villa 3 bed, 3 bath. Located Pasak, Bangtao beach, Phuket. More info: (+66) 96-8956392,(+66) 94-282-2893 or Umaphorn.fg@gmail.com

Land & House for sale

Villa 225sqm. incl. 75sqm terraces on Freehold Chanote Land: 1 to 6 rai on SUKORN ISLAND, Trang province. Price THB 7,150,000 - THB 15,250,000. Owner, Koh Sukorn, Trang province, ddsukorn@gmail.com, 081 537 1957.

New Modern Villa – 5 Mins to Ao Po Grand Marina

200 sqm, land 500 sqm, 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, swimming pool, close to UWCT school. Including: pool/garden/wifi/TV.SAT/services. Google map: tiny.cc/ deltaho. Contact owner (Alain): mrdupouy@yahoo.fr. 65,000/ month, Alain, 57/3 Moo 3 Soi Ban Bang Pae, T. Pa Khlok, T. Thalang, Phuket 83110. Email: mrdupouy@yahoo.fr or call 081 893 5270.

RPM owner direct

Unique luxury condo 2 bed, 2 bath, 155sqm.

Foreign FREEHOLD. Architect remodel. New Jacuzzi. Views to lake, mountain, marina, pool, etc. Completely furnished to a high standard, toothbrush only required. Owner leaving Thailand. Priced at 16MB for quick sale. Contact Brian (Owner): 089 054 4354, 076 360 943. bggvirgo@gmail.com RoyalPhuketMarina Condos.com

80m2 freehold condo in Patong

Freehold 80m2, 2-bedroom apartment in quiet condo with swimming pool in Patong. Ideal investment in most active tourist area in Phuket. B5.9 million. Contact Michel GUILLIEN, Andaman Beach Suites, Unit 1604, Patong, Phuket. Email: mguillien@gmail.com or call 097 920 2339.

5-bed pool villa, 1.2 Rai

3 detached buildings, L-shaped open plan living, Western kitchen, guest suite, pool 11mx5m, quiet residential area. 1.2 rai plot. THB19,750,000. Contact Mrs Simpson by email: thaivillaonline@gmail.com or call 084 447 7248. More info at: thaivillaonline.com

Unique Investment Opportunity

Unique investment opportunity Not to be missed: 5 pool villas, big land, large entertaiment areas, parking garages and private gates. More info www. thegardenkptphuket.com www.thegardenkptphuket.com

COMMUNITY

PROPERTY FOR SALE

PROPERTY FOR SALE Luxury Villa

With private boat morning and jacuzzi.

Email paradise11@mac.com for pictures, plans and price.

PROPERTY FOR RENT

Kamala Condo

Modern fully furnished 2B/R, 2 bathroom condo , 90 SM, min 3 months. Quite & secure. Wifi&cable TV included. 4 condos in this building. Small garden.12,000, bkeenan2010@hotmail.com, 084 716 0502.

Ready 01/07/2018

Penthouse for Sale

432.44 SQM Penthouse for sale: 320 Degree view of Patong bay and city.

Private pool. 22nd floor (top floor) at the Andaman Beach Condominium, Patong, Phuket, Thailand.

Condo Facilities: Two tennis courts, 10 x 24-metre swimming pool, fitness & game room, restaurant, parking. 60 Million Baht O.N.O., Songpan, songpanpirom@hotmail.com, 081 737 8662.

Rent. The Heritages Suites, nice 2 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, Jacuzzi, 160sqm. Modern furnished. Lease long term (minimum 1 year). Parking, pool, fitness. Close KIS, Lotus. 39,000 per month, Owner, Kathu, Thai 089 552 9303 / Eng 093 717 9343.

Pool Villa For Rent PhangNga

4-Bed Pool villa nearby Natai beach. Surrounded by nature. North of Phuket, 25 mins from airport. Idea for retired/long term stay family. Yupadee: miakcg@yahoo.com, 081 926 3286.

PROPERTY WANTED Looking for property in Laguna

Willing to sell or rent your property in the Laguna area? Please contact me: raisa@ rl-property.com or +66(0) 81 737 1687 (you can use Viber, Whats App or Line) raisa@rl-property.com thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

SPORT 29

Patong White in control C&C Marine league leaders continue with their unbeaten run CRICKET Neil Quail

C

&C Mar ine sponsored league action returned to the ACG last Sunday (Aug 5) with a double-header featuring Patong White and Goan Panthers in the morning while Patong Blue and Kashmiri CC faced off in the afternoon.

Having won the toss, Michael Flowers (7) and Stuart Hamilton opened Patong’s batting innings. An early breakthrough came in the fifth over when a prime delivery uprooted Flowers’ off-stump. Hamilton (10) soon followed being bowled in the next over by Arun Chawla with the score on 27.

Next in was Prakash Jha, and a quick-fire 41 off 19 deliveries was finally ended by a catch off the bowling of Balesh.

Reaching the 10-over drinks break on 74 for four, Van Blerk (30 not out) was joined by Neil Quail both targeting a competive 150 total, with their partnership eventually guiding

Speed king Waseem Ahmad takes the scalp of powerhouse Matt Kohler while Alex Runhaar and umpire John King look on. Photo: Michael Way Patong to 147 off 20 overs.

After the break, Patong’s bowling attack soon resulted in a third over dismissal when Sarvesh Kandolkar (2) lofted a Robertson delivery for keeper Van Blerk to catch with the Panther’s total on just 10.

Deuskar was then joined by Vijay, who lasted until the seventh over when Flowers toppled Vijay’s stumps, with the Panthers precariously perched on a score of 20.

With 16 more runs added to the Panther’s score before the 10-over break, this also brought two more wickets for Patong with catches by

Quail and Jha ending the innings of Ravi Naik and Balesh, respectively.

Requiring 111 runs off the remaining 10 overs, Mayur (49) and Chawla (26 not out) took the game to Patong in posting a respectable total of 121 runs from their 20 overs.

Michael Flowers returned Patong’s best bowling figures with two wickets for only 10 runs off his three-over spell while Deuskar picked up the game’s Man-of-theMatch award.

The second game saw Patong Blue win the toss and elect to bat first against Kashmiri CC. Captaining one

of his last matches for Patong, Alex Runhaar opened the batting alongside compatriot Matt Kohler, both scoring freely in the opening salvo.

Waseem Ahmad, the star KCC fast bowler, came in for the sixth over and immediately reduced the run rate before demolishing Kohler’s (35) wicket and leaving Patong at 64 for one after seven overs.

An attacking Ali Kahn (45) then arrived to the crease and wasted no time in smashing three fours and four sixes, but was eventually undone by the pace and accuracy of Ahmad in the 13th over with the score on 121.

Runhaar (60 not out) then switched to attack mode, and with the assistance of Andrew McMillian (11) and Sameer Kahn (7), helped lift the Blues to a good score of 180 from their 20 overs.

Ahmad was the best of Kashmiri’s bowlers with two wickets for 17 runs off four overs.

Needing 181 to win, Kashmiri pummeled 23 runs off the first two overs before captain, Imtiaz Mushtaq (4) was caught by Ali Kahn in the third over off the bowling of Sameer

Kahn.

Playing his first ever cricket match, Canadian Jamie Westenburg (15) entertained the crowd before his maiden innings was ended by a Kohler catch off a Saju Abraham delivery.

Soon after, in-form Arif Mushtaq (53) was caught by Rishi Sadarangani off a Khan delivery, while Runhaar sealed a fine captain’s performance taking an excellent catch in the deep to dismiss Ahmad (22) off Sadarangani’s bowling.

A comfortable win for Patong Blue in the end, while Alex Runhar, fittingly, was named Man-of-theMatch by umpire John King.

This Sunday’s (Aug 12) schedule at the ACG sees Kashmiri CC v Patong White at 10am followed by Goan Panthers v Easy Living CC at 2pm.

Phuket cricket is always looking for new players, sponsors and teams.

Please contact us via the Phuket Cricket Group or ACG Facebook pages, or e-mail Jason@acgphket. com for more information.

Caddy Shack lead Natalie Bar by four points in PPL POOL AFTER WEEK 10 OF THE Patong Pool League (PPL), sponsored by Thailand Pool Tables, Genius 2 Garden and Restaurant and Tualek Whisky, Caddy Shack remain top of the table just four points ahead of their nearest rivals and last year’s runners-up, Natalie Bar. In week 10 action, played last Thursday (Aug 2), it was Simon & Oil’s turn to face league leaders Caddy Shack in an away game, with the Caddy Shack also announcing the recruitment of top player Shaun who had just returned from a trip to the UK. Shaun and Paul (also

known as Elvy) both won their singles and doubles games for Caddy Shack and there was very little Simon & Oils could do against such a formidable force.

After losing the beerleg in two sets it was another significant win for Caddy Shack with the final score resting at 8-3.

Meanwhile, second placed Natalie Bar played at home to Kiki Sport Bar. William, a Dutch pool talent playing for Kiki Sports Bar, won his singles and doubles games as did Natalie and Oh playing for the home team.

It was a closely-fought game until the very end but with Natalie winning the

beerleg in three sets it gave them a much-needed 7-5 win.

Elsewhere, Red Light Bar took on Martin Swiss in a game that was in fact played on July 29 so that Martin and Pom could enjoy their annual trip to Hua Hin. This also meant that Scott, who was visiting from Chock Chai, was able to lend Red Light a helping hand.

As usual Scott got lucky and managed to snooker Teacher Tak, who was moonlighting for Martin Swiss, five times. He also managed to win his singles game. However, Tak got his revenge in the doubles.

Ae playing for Martin Swiss won her singles and

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS Run #1697: Saturday Aug 11 Run Start Time: 4pm Hares: Manneken Pis, Bunnyken Pis Location: Heroines Monument - West - Behind Honda showroom Directions: If coming from Heroines Monument, travel west [4025] toward Cherng Talay for approximately 400 metres and then turn left (HHH) just before the Honda centre. Drive in through the rubber plantation to laager site. If coming from Cherng Talay, before arriving at Heroines Monument and just after the Honda centre turn right (HHH) and follow as above.

Bus pick-up: Patong @ Expat Hotel: 2:30pm Kamala @ Black Cat’s Bar: 3pm More info: phuket-hhh.com

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doubles games as did Tony and Tum playing for Red Light.

It was a close call but after a three-setter beerleg Red Light walked away with a 5-7 victory.

Happy End played away against Wombat bar and Teacher Tak, and Chris from Belgium won their singles and doubles games for Happy End. But so did Kob and Frank playing for Wombat.

Wombat and Happy End are usually of equal calibre and the games are always very close, and this game was no different with Happy End leading by one point going in to the beerleg.

Tak played a great pot on the black in the beerleg but

Belgian national Jan is a frequent visitor to Patong and when he’s here he plays for Happy End Bar. Photo: Supplied unfortunately the white ball had so much speed it went down too. Lets just say Tak went from hero to loser in less than two seconds.

In the second round of the beerleg Happy End lost their happiness and had to give in, and not only lost the beerleg, but also the match

LEAGUE STANDINGS Caddy Shack

69

Natalie

65

Kwans Birdie Club

58

Kiki Sports

52

Simon Oil

50

Genius

49

Happy End

49

Wombat

49

Red Light

48

Martin Swiss

44

Ting Tong

44

with the final score being 5-6 to Wombat.

Finally, Ting Tong was playing at home against Genius. Ting Tong’s Nick and Lollipop both won their singles and doubles games and helped their team on their way to a comfortable 8-3 win.

Matt Pond

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

SPORT 31

Kroenke on the brink

American business mogul moves closer to full Arsenal takeover FOOTBALL John Weaver

S

tan Kroenke moved to the brink of a full takeover of Arsenal on Tuesday (Aug 7) after minority shareholder Alisher Usmanov accepted an offer worth £550 million (B23.749 billion) for his stake.

As of Tuesday, American businessman Kroenke owned 67% of the Gunners through his company Kroenke Sports and Entertainment and offered to purchase the 30% held by Usmanov's Red and White Securities firm, valuing the Premier League club at £1.8bn (B77.423bn).

Usmanov confirmed in a statement released to Britain’s Press Association that he had accepted the offer but did not give a reason as to why he has now opted to cash in.

Kroenke, owner of the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL, said having a single owner would benefit the club but fans said it was a “dreadful” day.

Despite cup successes in recent years, Arsenal have slipped behind their rivals in the Premier League and have consistently failed to reach the latter stages of the Champions League.

Date

Arsenal's US owner Stan Kroenke waits for kick off in the English FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on May 27, 2017. Photo: Adrian Dennis / AFP They have not won the title since 2004 and last season finished sixth, 37 points behind champions Manchester City.

Arsenal, who play City in their season opener on Sunday (Aug 12), are also adjusting to life after Arsene Wenger, who left the club in May after 22 years at the helm, replaced by former Paris Saint-Germain boss Emery.

“We at KSE are moving forward with this offer leading to 100% ownership of the club,” Kroenke

What’s on at the ACG Time

said in a statement published on the London Stock Exchange.

“We appreciate Mr Usmanov’s dedication to the Arsenal Football Club and the storied ethos and history the club represents.”

Later on Tuesday, Red and White Holdings released their own short statement to confirm the deal.

“I have decided to sell my shares in Arsenal Football Club which could be the best football club in the world,” said Usmanov.

“I wish all the best and great

Activity

Fri Aug 10

4:30pm

Senior Cricket Training

Sat Aug 11

Afternoon

Premier League Football (TV)

Sun Aug 12

All Day

C&C Marine ‘8 by 20’ League

10am

Kashmiri C.C. v Patong White

2pm

Goan Panthers v Easy Living

4pm

Sri Lanka v South Africa (TV)

Lots of cricket on at the ACG this week – visit their Facebook page for more details. Photo: Suthida Huadkham

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success to this wonderful football club and to all those whose lives and careers are entwined in it.”

The deal brings to an end a battle between billionaires Kroenke and Usmanov for control of the club.

In October last year, KSE offered around £525mn (B22.580bn) to buy the 18,695 shares held by Usmanov, the Russian businessman who himself attempted to buy out Kroenke in May 2017.

“The successful implementation of the offer will result in the opening of a new chapter in the history of the club in bringing 100% private ownership by KSE,” the statement said.

“KSE believes moving to private ownership will bring the benefits of a single owner better able to move quickly in furtherance of the club’s strategy and ambitions. KSE is a committed, long-term owner of the club.”

Kroenke has been a part-owner of Arsenal since 2007, gradually increasing his stake.

Under Stock Exchange rules, Kroenke will have to make an offer for the remaining minority shares in Arsenal, most of which are small numbers held largely by supporters of the club.

It is not currently mandatory for

those shareholders to accept but if Kroenke purchases Usmanov’s percentage, he can then push through a compulsory acquisition.

This would see KSE take those final shares to complete a 100% takeover of the club.

The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust issued a strongly worded statement opposing the move.

“Stan Kroenke taking the club private will see the end of supporters owning shares in Arsenal and their role upholding custodianship values,” it said in a statement.

“The AST is also extremely concerned to note that this purchase is being funded by a loan,” it added.

“The most dreadful part of this announcement is the news that Kroenke plans to forcibly purchase the shares held by Arsenal fans. Many of these fans are AST members and hold their shares not for value but as custodians who care for the future of the club.”

Within two hours of the announcement ‘#KroenkeOut’ was trending on Twitter in Britain.

Arsenal great Ian Wright tweeted: “Incredibly sad day for so many of our fan shareholders that no longer own a part of this club.”

AFP

Sport

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor3@classactmedia.co.th

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2018

Patong White in control of cricket 8 by 20 league > p29

ON THE MOVE

Ricciardo shatters calm of F1 midseason break with surprise announcement

Australian Daniel Ricciardo will throw in his lot with the midfield-leading French team after what he called one of the hardest choices of his career. Photo: Dan Istitene / AFP

BOX OF NEUTRALS Michael Lamonato michael@boxofneutrals.com

D

aniel Ricciardo has shattered the calm of the F1 midseason break by announcing a surprise switch to Renault on a two-year deal starting 2019.

The Australian had been widely expected to stay with Red Bull Racing (RBR), the team with which he has won all seven of his career victories, but Ricciardo will throw in his lot with the midfieldleading French team after what he called one of the hardest choices of his career.

“Twenty-nine years living on this earth, it was actually one of the toughest life decisions I’ve made,” Ricciardo

said. “Sad to move on, absolutely.”

“Personally I felt it was a time now where it was good for me to move on and a have a fresh start somewhere else. I think it’ll be healthy for me.”

As recently as the Hungarian Grand Prix at the end of July both Red Bull Racing principal Christian Horner and Ricciardo had suggested a contract extension was due imminently, and the fact that the team hasn’t named a replacement suggests it was blindsided by a late Renault swoop.

The move was doubly surprising given the two teams’ relative competitiveness. Renault has qualified almost 1.5 seconds behind Red Bull Racing on average this season, and current drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz,

the latter of whom Ricciardo will displace, are regularly lapped by RBR. But the motivations behind the decision are manifold.

For one, Red Bull Racing is thought to have offered the Australian inferior terms to those enjoyed by teammate Max Verstappen in the knowledge that neither Mercedes nor Ferrari had seats available.

Questions about team status alongside Verstappen would also have played a role. Though the team insists it fields both drivers with equal opportunity, Horner’s proclamation late last year that Verstappen’s new contract would enable him to “build a team around him” left few with any doubt Red Bull Racing’s heart lay with its teenage prodigy.

But the most significant

motivator will have been Red Bull Racing’s adoption of the Honda power unit from next season. Though current supplier Renault’s engine is slower and less reliable than its Ferrari and Mercedes counterparts, the Honda engine is less powerful and less dependable still.

Honda’s torrid three-year relationship with McLaren still seared into the sport’s collective consciousness, and though the Japanese marque has made great strides with the Red Bull-backed Toro Rosso team this season, it has experienced 160% of the failures of Red Bull Racing’s Renault engines and remains the slowest motor on the grid.

In Renault’s favour is its rebuilding project, now in its third year, which is accelerating rapidly and is due to ma-

ture with the team contending for race wins in 2020 and a title in 2021. When it returned to the sport in 2016 it scored just eight points and finished ninth in the title standings; at the halfway mark of 2018 it sits fourth with 82 points.

Ricciardo’s switch is therefore a gamble that Renault will be no less likely to win races than Red Bull Racing by 2020. If that eventuates, he’s ideally placed to capitalise from his plum manufacturer seat; if not, in 2021 seats at Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and teams elsewhere on the grid will become available again.

With Ricciardo’s future resolved, Red Bull Racing must now decide whether Carlos Sainz, still under Red Bull contract while on loan to Renault, or Toro Rosso’s

Pierre Gasly will replace the Australian next season.

Sainz would ordinarily be the favourite, but his inflammatory relationship with Max Verstappen during their time as teammates at Toro Rosso may count against him.

Gasly, on the other hand, will have his experience with the Honda power unit weighed against his inexperience in Formula One. Daniel Ricciardo, contract in hand, can now enjoy the midseason break, but in his wake Red Bull Racing and a bevy of drivers will be in overdrive to allocate the most competitive drive available in Formula One. Don’t forget to listen to Live89.5 each and every Saturday at 9am and 5pm for the Box of Neutrals radio show.

Hotel badminton teams raise funds for Phuket school BADMINTON OVER 150 HOTELIERS FROM 20 resorts came together to participate in the Outrigger Charity Badminton Tournament, held last Saturday (Aug 4) at the PK Arena Badminton Club in Thalang, central Phuket.

Funds raised will go towards the

Baan Kok Wat Mai School where Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort has undertaken several long-term projects, such as library renovation, school toilet enhancements, and upgrading the playground, canteen and classrooms.

Each hotel team contributed B3,500 to compete in men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles

matches. JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa finished the day as overall champion after nearly 10 hours of competition.

“I’d like to thank all the hotel teams who participated,” said Leah Matters, Resort Manager at the Outrigger. “The players showed great spirit and sportsmanship to raise funds for a worthy cause – and

to promote physical health benefits through sport.”

Badminton is a very popular sport in Thailand and is included in schools’ curriculums.

Results: Men’s doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles, JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa was named champion after beating Andara Resort & Villa. Outrigger

JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa won the event. Photo: Supplied Laguna Phuket Beach Resort finished the tournament in third place.

The Phuket News thephuketnews