13-02-2015

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

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Since 2011 / Volume V / No. 7

CAR CHASE WITH NAVY LEADS TO GUN ARREST > PAGE 3

JET-SKI DRAMA

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(February ), where he was accompanied by former president of the hu et Jet-s i Association, Anusorn Saley. r Anusorn ad ised r hang that as the cost of the repairs would be co ered by the insurance, any compensation paid to the et s i operator should be only for loss of income while the et-s is are repaired a charge that is usually no more than , per day, and for no more than three days, meaning r hang should only ha e been charged a total of 15, at the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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Long sought burglars finally apprehended

SPORT et-s is, and threatened to not allow him to lea e the country until he paid up. anic ed, r hang immediately went to withdraw the cash from an A . After se eral withdrawals, and some negotiations, r hang was able to negotiate the compensation demand down to , . hen, after realising that the et-s is were insured and that he had shelled out much more than the actual repair costs, r hang filed a complaint at amrongtham Centre on onday

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The truth about dolphin captivity

Photo: Shinjung_69 / Flickr

n the first incident, hang Cheng, rented four et-s is on Saturday (February ) from the othara Company on angtao each, paying , for all four of them. Howe er, two of the et-s is collided within fi e minutes of being rented out. he et-s i operators immediately demanded that r hang pay , to co er the cost of the damage to the

NEWS

LIFE

ONE CHINESE TOURIST IS DEAD AND ANOTHER HAS GONE HOME WITH A BITTER TASTE IN HIS MOUTH AFTER BEING SCAMMED BY AN UNINSURED OPERATOR

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20 Baht

most. r Anusorn said the et-s i operator’s demands for , were absurd and were against the Jet-s i Association Act. Armed with rental documents and A withdrawal statements, as well as photographs of the damaged et-s is and a police report, r hang was able to persuade amrongtham officials that he had cause for compaint and wanted the et-s i rental company to repay the money he had already handed o er.

PAGE 27

Phuket FC begin new season this weekend

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Tour guides who caused controversy arrested > page 5

Marine hub momentum Nattapat Tuarob reporter1@classactmedia.co.th

T

h e g o v e r n m e n t’s g r a n d p la n s to tu r n P h u k e t in to a h ig h q u a lity m a rin e h u b is s ta r tin g to g a in m o m e n tu m w ith v a r io u s p ro je c ts s ta r tin g to s e e f r u itio n .

P h u k e t G o v e r n o r N is it J a n s o m w o n g v o ic e d h is a g re e m e n t a n d u p d a te d m e d ia a t a p re s s c o n fe re n c e o n M o n d a y ( Fe b r u a r y 9 ) . “ P h u k e t h a s g o o d p o te n tia l to b e c o m e th e h u b . W e h a v e fo u r p r iv a te ly o w n e d m a r in a s p lu s o n e g o v e r n m e n t m a rin a a n d th e d e e p s e a p o r t. “ A t C h a lo n g P ie r, w e h a v e a o n e s to p s e r v ic e fo r to u r is t in fo r m a tio n [im m ig ra tio n s e r v ic e s] a n d p a p e r c h e c k in g fo r a n y b o a t a n d s h ip a rr iv in g in P h u k e t, w h ile a ll s h ip s w ill be installed with VST Vessel Traffic System . A fire rescue boat has also b e e n o rd e re d u n d e r a b u d g e t o f B 2 5 m illio n w h ic h w ill b e p la c e d in R a s s a d a P ie r. “ I th in k w e a re q u ite re a d y to w e lc o m e m o re y a c h t a n d c r u is e s h ip tr a v e lle r s . W h a t I’m c o n c e r n e d w ith

Ao Por Marina is th a t w e s h o u ld h a v e m o re g a r a g e s fo r b o a t re p a irin g o r m a in te n a n c e . “ W e h a v e o n e b u t it m a y n o t b e e n o u g h fo r th e in c re a sin g n u m b e r in th e f u tu re . I th in k w e a ls o s h o u ld p u t th e y a c h t re p a irin g m a in te n a n c e s tu d y in th e te c h n ic a l c o lle g e ’s e d u c a tio n a l p ro g ra m . “ A ls o , w e s h o u ld b e c o n c e r n e d m o re w ith b a s ic in f r a s tr u c tu re [u tilitie s] s u c h a s w a te r, e le c tr ic ity a n d tr a n s p o r ta tio n o r e v e n w a s te m a n a g e m e n t.

A ll th e s e th in g s m u s t b e w e ll m a n a g e d b e f o r e w e r e a l l y b e c o m e t h e h u b .”

H e w e n t o n to s h a re h is v is io n fo r

o rg a n is in g o n e “ in te r n a tio n a l e v e n t” c o -o r g a n i s e d a m o n g a l l m a r i n a s i n P h u k e t: “ P h u k e t m a r in a s a lw a y s h a v e e v e n ts s e p a ra te ly . I th in k if a ll th e m a r in a s is la n d w id e h e ld a n e v e n t to g e th e r, it w o u ld h e lp p ro m o te P h u k e t a s a h u b o f y a c h t a n d c r u is e s h i p a s w e l l .”

Fo l l o w i n g t h e D e e p S e a P o r t ’ s E IA g a in in g a p p ro v a l la te la s t m o n th , th e g o v e r n o r w a s o p tim is tic a b o u t p ro g re s s , n o tin g th a t d o c k w o u ld b e e x te n d e d fro m 3 6 0 m e tre s to 4 2 0 metres, and that the treasury office is w o rk in g c lo s e r to a w a rd in g th e

c o n c e s s io n s to in v e s to r s .

Ao Por extension M e a n w h i l e , e x p a n s io n o f th e p ie r A o P o G r a n d M a r in a in th e n o r th e a s t o f th e is la n d is a ls o u n d e r w a y .

S o m k id R u a m p a n p o n g , G e n e ra l D ire c to r o f th e m a r in a to ld th e P h u k e t N e w s th a t th e e x te n s io n o f a b o u t 8 0 m e tre s w ill m e a n a n a d d itio n a l 2 ,0 0 0 s q u a r e m e tr e s f o r m o o r in g a n d a n c h o rin g . “ T h e n e w e x te n s io n p a r t w ill a l l o w f o r 2 5 -3 0 m o r e b o a t s . W e a r e tr y in g to m o v e s p e e d b o a ts in to m o re s h a llo w a re a s , a n d th u s p ro v id e m o re [m o o rin g ] s p a c e fo r y a c h ts a n d m e g a y a c h t s ,” M r S o m k i d s a i d .

T h e w h o le m a r in a c o v e r s a ro u n d 10,000 s uare metres and can accommodate 160-180 yachts, including “ m e g a y a c h ts” a n d “ s u p e ry a c h ts”.

“A ro u n d 4 0 p e r c e n t h e re a re y a c h ts a n d m e g a y a c h ts . In th e fu tu re w e h o p e t o b r i n g i n m o r e m e g a y a c h t s .”

T h e M in is tr y o f T o u ris m h a s a ls o ju m p e d o n b o a rd in p ro m o tin g th e is la n d to c r u is e s h ip a n d y a c h tin g s e g m e n t.

See also, story on pag e 8 .

Two men nabbed with over 1,400 ya bah pills Nattapat Tuarob reporter1@classactmedia.co.th

P O L IC E A R E L O O K I N G fo r th e d r u g lo rd w h o s u p p lie d 1,470 y a b ah p i l l s ( a m p h e t a m in e ) th a t w e re s e iz e d d u rin g a n a rre s t o f tw o m e n in T h e p k a s s a t t r i o n Fe b r u a r y 8 .

P o l i c e na b b e d S o r r a po n g K h a w n m e a n g a t a b o u t 6 p m on February 8, seizing 70 pills.

S o r r a p o n g to ld p o lic e h e g o t th e d r u g s f ro m h is ro m m m a te – N a iy a d e n M a k th a ra k , 3 2 , o f N a k o r n S ri T h a m m a ra t.

T h a t s a m e e v e n in g , p o lic e r a id e d th e r u b b e r p la n ta tio n w o rk c a m p o n P a k ro n g c h e e p R d . D u r in g th e ra id , p o lic e found a total of 1,400 y a b ah p ills . B o th S o r ra p o n g a n d N a iy a d e n w e re c h a rg e d w ith possession of Category 1 drug w ith in te n t to s e ll.

Jet-ski drama in Phang Nga Bay Continued from pag e 1 A c tin g a s a n in te r m e d ia r y , D a m ro n g th a m o ff ic ia l S o m p o n g P a n th o n g , m e t w ith t h e j e t -s k i c o m p a n y o w n e r , M r Y o th a ra k , a n d m a n a g e d to h a m m e r o u t a n a g re e m e m n t i n w h i c h t h e j e t -s k i c o m p a n y w o u ld r e t u r n B 4 5 ,0 0 0 to M r Z h a n g .

M r Y o th a r a k s a id h e h a d c h a rg e d M r Z h a n g b e c a u s e th e in s u ra n c e p o lic y o n th e j e t -s k i s h a d e x p i r e d w h e n t h e c o llis io n o c c u re d .

T h e r i p -o f f v i c t i m s a c c e p te d th e o ffe r a n d w e re re lie v e d to g e t a t le a s t s o m e

o f th e ir m o n e y b a c k ju s t b e fo re le a v in g th e c o u n tr y th a t a fte r n o o n .

H o w e v e r, w h e n G o v e rn o r N is it h e a rd a b o u t th e d e b a c le , he ordered the Marine Office t o s u s p e n d t h e j e t -s k i o p e r a to r’s lic e n c e .

T he Phuket N ew s h a s s i n c e le a r n t th a t fo llo w in g G o v N in its in s tr u c tio n s , th e Y o th a ra k C o m p a n y h a d its lic e n c e s u s p e n d e d fo r o n e m o n th a n d w a s fined B10,000. Money has also b e e n re tu r n e d to a re p o f M r Z h a n g w h o w a s s till s ta y in g o n P h u k e t. I n th e s e c o n d in c id e n t, W u X ix io n g , 4 6 , d ie d in

B a n g k o k P h u k e t H o s p ita l o n Tuesday (February 10) of injur ie s h e s u s ta in e d a f te r c r a s h in g a r e n t e d j e t -s k i i n t o a m o o r e d b o a t o n L o h d a lu m B a y in K o h P h i P h i. A t 4 :3 0 p m re s c u e r w o rk e rs fro m P h i P h i w e re c a lle d a f te r W u h a d c ra s h e d a j e t -s k i i n t o t h e D o w n t a l a y y a c h t. M r W u w a s ta k e n to P h i P h i H o s p ita l w ith in ju r ie s in c lu d in g a b ro k e n ja w a n d b ro k e n r ig h t a r m .

T h e v ic tim w a s tr a n s fe r re d to B a n g k o k P h u k e t H o s p ita l, b u t d ie d la te r th a t n ig h t.

Additional reporting b y D araw am N aknakhon

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Gun drama as inspection team visits Nui beach club Nattha Thepbamrung rep orter3 @classactmedia.co.th

A

worker was arrested last Thursday (February 5 ) for possession of a gun and ammunition, along with crystal meth paraphernalia when the Navy and V ice-Governor Somkiet Sangkhaosuthirak made a surprise visit to Nui Beach, below the Karon V iew Point.

The visit came following complaints from local people that staff of the Nui Bay M embers Club had barred them from walking to the beach unless they paid a fee and had fired shots to threaten them.

As the investigation team arrived, J akkapong Sawadtawee, 30, a member of the club staff, tried to get away in his car. Navy men chased him down in their own car and forced him to stop.

In his car they found a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol and the gear for smoking ice.

[ conferring occupation rights] but we will investigate to see whether the gate is built on land covered by the paper, or on forest land. If the latter, it will be removed.”

The Chief of Phuket M arine ffi e ripat heerakulpisut, who was also in the investigation team, said that the building of the club itself is on the beach, which is “obviously illegal”.

“It is built on the sand.

I will check with the municipality to see whether the building was approved or not. But in any case it must be demolished.”

A team from the Phuket Land Office will measure the land to check where the border is, and what must be WHAT A BEACH: Jakkapong Sawadtawee, 30, after being arrested with a gun, ammuni- removed for encroaching on neighbouring state land. tion and drug smoking paraphernalia.

T h e Ph u k e t N e w s has Another 20 staff were from local people about the The complaint from local since learnt from the Chief of lined up, ordered to write business blocking the way to people also alleges that they Internal Security Operations down their names and were the beach and [ staff] threat- have fired shots to threaten Command, Phuket Office, ening people who come onto local people who try come Capt Borworn Promkaewnthen tested for drugs.

V / Gov Somkiet explained, the land. onto the land. gamhas that the Royal Thai “We visited this place today “They have erected a gate “I have been told that the Navy Area 3 has been surveybecause of many complaints and demand an access fee. land has a NorSor3kor paper ing the site everyday since

19-year-old Aussie tries to scam police This photo certainly raised some eyebrows.

Lingerie clad lady ru es feathers LOCALS IN PHU KE T Town had cause to call for police Friday morning (February 6) after spotting a foreign woman strutting around an area close to Wat M ongkol Nimitr dressed in only lingerie and high heels.

Once police arrived, they found that the woman was part of a photoshoot.

They q uickly put a stop to the shoot, issued a stern warning to the organisers, and made sure that the woman was dressed more appropriately before leaving the scene. No charges or arrests were made. @thephuketnews

A 19-YE AR-OLD AU STRAlian man is in hot water after filing a false police report about a robbery that he said occurred whilst he was walking down the beach in Karon Sunday (February 8 ).

At 11.10pm Sunday, the man, Alex Gorgees, 19, went to aron poli e station and filed a report stating that whilst he was walking down Karon Beach, three men approached him, threatened him with a knife and then robbed him of several items which he said were worth a total of B38 9,5 00.

After Ale filed the report five nits of investi ators went out to check all CCTV s in the area and q uestioned witnesses.

Alex Gorgees wished he had never set foot in the police station.

U nsatisfied with what they didn t find the poli e as ed Alex further q uestions.

After further interogations, Alex admitted that he had lied about the robbery taking place and had filed a false omplaint to get money from his insurance company, police said.

Alex now faces being charged with filing a false report.

the incident on February 5 .

“So far, we have found two pistols with bullets, one had a licence, the other did not here are offi ers from Royal Thai Navy Area 3 surveying the site everyday sin e the first da said apt Borworn “We are still looking for further evidence, especially weapons and drugs.”

He added that the navy team sent to the area is monitoring if the landlord follows the order to remove any encroaching buildings or not.

“One building that is obviously built on the sand must be removed and the team is keeping an eye on the progress,” he said.

The gate in front of the land which seems to be the only way to get to Nui beach is still under investigation.

“We heard that the pass fee is around B100 per person.

The land where the gate is situated is still being checked to see if it is in NorSor3Kor or forest land to see if we can remove it or not.”

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GENERAL MANAGER SALES

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SALES MANAGER J ittiya ( Tiya) Rakdej 08 8 7 54 137 1

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The two robbers were caught with a large number of stolen items

Burglary duo nabbed at last Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

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SALES REP RESENTATIV E P hatreema ( J ump) Thonglred 08 8 7 54 137 2 sales3 @classactmedia.co.th

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Phuket police sei e counterfeit goods worth B3 million

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wo men from Pa Khlok were ar rested last Wednesday (February 4) for a months-long burglary spree in the area.

T h a la ng p ol ic e f i r st stopped Prasert Tortip, 20, in Soi Klong Kampaeng in Pa Khlok, after noticing that he was riding a Honda Scoopy that matched a description given by some of the burglary victims.

He was wanted on an arrest warrant issued in November last year.

His confession led to the

arrest of the second thief, Saroj Sepsod, 26, whom Prasert described as “the leader of the gang”.

Saroj was arrested in his home in M oo 3 in Pa Khlok at 11: 30am. He was also on the wanted list, after a warrant for his arrest was issued in August last year for burglary after dark.

Police seiz ed numerous items that the duo had stolen, including wallets, mobile phone and chargers, necklaces, glasses and more.

E ight burglary victims who had filed complaints came to the police station in the morning and were

able to identify some items stolen from them, though not all. Police said a total of 11 people had been robbed by the two men.

Saroj admitting robbing the houses in the area and selling some of the stolen items at discounted prices to friends and other local people.

He was charged with breaking and entering after dark, while Prasert faces charges of theft at night using a vehicle.

Among the robberies carried out by the two men were one in Bang Rong on J anuary 10 and another at M ission Heights on J anuary 30.

ON TU E SD AY (FE BRU ARY 3), in a joint operation between police from Sub-D ivision 4, E conomic Crime Suppression D ivision in Bangkok (E CSD 4) and Patong police, about 3,000 counterfeit goods were seiz ed during raids on three shops in Patong.

The haul, said to be worth about B3 million, included 1,000 items of clothing, 45 1 watches and 1,5 00 bags. They were seiz ed from storage areas behind shops in SB Plaz a, Taweewong Rd, and Bangla Rd. Along with seiz ing the goods, police also arrested four men, two Thais and two rmese however a fifth man managed to escape arrest. The four were named as Bobbie Kiri (Thai), 5 0, J akkrapong Koliyanon (Thai), 32, Tutu (M yanmar), 25 , and Iram J i (M yanmar), 30.

Patong Superintendent Col Chaiwat Ouikam said, “All of these counterfeit goods, as well as dr s and ille al firearms must disappear from Patong.

We already target these things, however, we need to be sure before making any arrests.”

The superintendent of E CSD 4, Col Teera Thongrayab,

The suspects and a large pile of counterfeit bags. explained to T h e Ph u k e t N e w s how police sent undercover offi ers to find o t information prior to the raids, “Sometimes we an send new offi ers to pretend to be customers as no one knows they are police.

“The officers then find shops selling fashion products will possibly have counterfeit goods at storage areas behind the shop. If customers ask about buying those products, sales people will bring them into the storage area,” he said. oli e have onfirmed that raids like those yesterday will continue across Phuket.

Col Teera explained, “We were assigned to be in Phuket for seven days starting from February 2. Police need to seiz e all illegal products which are related to economic crimes."

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Officials inspect development P R MANAGER P ichsinee ( Oil) P omnoi 08 8 7 65 58 8 1 pr@classactmedia.co.th

OFFICIALS FROM THE administ rative Cou r t in Nakorn Si Thammarat last Thursday (February 5 ) visited the construction site for the E va Beach condo development in Rawai.

The development is the subject of an ongoing case being considered by the court.

The case was brought by a local resident who alleges that the Rawai M unicipality should not have issued a building permit for the development, said the head of the M unicipality, Arun Soros.

Accompanied by an expert from the Architecture Council of hailand the offi ials went

to see the site for themselves and to meet representatives from the developers, E va Group.

The architectural expert will submit a report that will be sent to all sides of the dispute and the court “will make a judgement later”, an offi ial said

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Tour guides who caused eco controversy nabbed Eakkapop Thongtub editor@classactmedia.co.th

F

ollowing the controversy caused by a group of tourists photographed with a variety of marine creatures, one of which is a protected specie, two tour boats were captured yesterday (February 10) and their crews investigated.

At 3: 30pm, Phuket Tourism and Sport D irector, Santi Pawai and M arine Police Superintendent Lt Col Pichet Samakjan, led a team of marine and tourist police to Chalong Pier to search for two suspect boats.

M arine police managed to identify the boats after a person name J irapong J eewarongkakol posted a number of pictures of Asian tourists holdin oral star fish the pote ted giant clam and other sea creatures on Facebook. n the first oat a poli e q uestioned a Burmese man, Whar n who poli e elieved was one of the men seen in the Facebook pictures.

Whar, who did not have a tour guide permit, denied the allegation and said that he did not work as a tour guide on the boat but did have other d ties owever when offi ials

Yung Cook Shone, 50 (left) and Whar Yun Fu, 25 face being charged with working as illegal guides. pressured him, Whar admitted that he did work as a tour guide on the boat on the day the pictures were taken. hen offi ials as ed to see the boat operation permit and boat registration, the captain of the boat told police that they are still waiting for the arine ffi e to renew them At the same time, a second team of police were searching the J unyong boat. The boat owner and tour guide, n oo hone a orean national, admitted that he guided the tourists the day of the photographs because he was short of staff. n also admitted that he had let the tourists take pictures of the

animals that they had caught, but had assured that they had been released back to the sea after the pictures were taken. oli e es orted har and n to Chalong police station, and both now face charges of working illegally as guides, punishment of which can e p to ear in prison a fine of no more than B100,000, or both.

The boat operators face charges of operating tour boats without a permit which carries a maximum fine of and also operatin the boats on an expired licence for whi h the o ld e fined a ma imum of B10,000.

Parks chief mulls rules for bridal photoshoots AFTE R A PICTU RE FROM A Chinese couple’s pre-wedding photoshoot was widely shared, the chief of Phuket’s Sirinart National Park is preparing to introduce new regulations to control commercial photo shoots in the national park area.

The shot, from above, shows the bride using her wedding gown as a net to hold a number of sergeant-major fish t appears she ma also have one of the fish in her hand, though the version of the photo on the Internet is not lear eno h to onfirm this Park chief Kittipat Tharapiban’s bosses at the D epartment of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (D NP) have also announced that prewedding photoshoots may not be allowed in parts of national parks in general.

M r Kittipat said, “The team is working on it. Nowadays, photo shoots in national parks are becoming a lot more commercial and we are concerned about the natural environment.

“It is not a problem for @thephuketnews

The Chinese couples pre-wedding photograph has been widely spread on social media. those who just want to take pictures during their trip to the park, but a crew with loads of eq uipment and big productions for commercial purposes have to apply to the national park for approval, explaining the purposes of the shoot, the shooting locations and the process.”

Assistant D irector of National Parks Neramit Songsaeng noted that there are many types of national park land – areas for activities or for service, and pure forest.

“What the department is

concerned about is the pure forest land where people are barely allowed to go. These may become a target for photoshoots as they are beautiful and unpolluted.

“There is an existing regulation covering [ visitor activities] in national parks but there probably should be more spe ifi ones “However, commercial photoshoots will be considered case by case. As I say, there are many types of national park land and many different ways of shooting pictures.”

Tourism and Sport D irector, Santi Pawai said that the Facebook pictures of tourists holding the animals were severely criticised on social media. It was inappropriate and he was surprised that the tour guides allowed this to happen.

They were led to investigate after seeing the Facebook page and they learned that the boats belong to the Oz at D iving Centre Company (OD C) which does have legal business registration documents.

OD C told police that the company did not have a tour guide on board and said the people in the pictures were st to rists ffi ials warned that all tour companies that did not have Thai guides will be subject to arrest because they want to stop tourists from doing anything considered inappropriate and which could damage the tourism image. All tour companies that fail to comply will have their business licences revoked.

With regards to the pictures taken with the animals, Thanate M annoy, D irector of the Coastal Resource Conservation Centre said tourists having their pictures taken with the animals caused no harm to them from the look of the pictures, and that they can only advise tourists

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Dead Burmese worker found in lift shaft A A BU Rmese construction worker was found inside an elevator shaft on a construction site in Cherng Talay last Wednesday (February 4).

At 7 pm, Cherng Talay Investigator, Lt Thanapon Rattanaburi led a team of police and Kusolharm rescue workers to the site of a resort and spa in Koktanoat after receiving a call from the foreman.

He advised the police that his crew of workers had found the body of a Burmese worker inside the shaft.

U pon arrival, which is a six-storey building, police were led to the body which was inside the shaft.

Police said the victim, San Hla ai had een dead for at least two days. His skin had begun to decompose and there were signs of a head injury.

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PHUKET NEWS

Police Reform

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Chief tells of his strategy Nattapat Tuarob rep orter1 @classactmedia.co.th

P

olice Commander Gen Somyot Poompa nmoung was in Phuket recently to underline his strategy for reform, and priorities for local law enforcement.

Chairing a meeting by the Region 8 police command on Saturday (February 7 ) at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, Police Cmdr Gen Somyot revealed, “There will be a seminar to brainstorm and exchange ideas about the means to reform the police organisation. I will invite police representatives from across Thailand to join this seminar, which will take place at the Royal Police Cadet Academy (RPCA) on Tuesday (February 10) in Nakon Pathom.”

“D eputy commander Pol Lt Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen will chair this event. After that we will summarise our concepts and pass it on to the Prime M inister for consideration,” he added.

Pol Gen Somyot went on

Xi Jin Ping rep visits Bangla

Gen Somyot Poompanmoung speaks during his recent visit to Phuket to outline his policy priorities for police in Region 8 .

These include: Security and safety for citiz en and to rists man traffi in Prevention and suppression of transnational crime and terrorism and Preparation for the

Asean E conomic Community integration.

Gen Somyot also provided some details about the Police e ion ommand ffi e in Phuket, located at Tha Chat Chai Checkpoint.

“There will be some of-

ficers transferred to work there on J uly 1, and behind the building, we will establish a training centre for police.

Also, Sakoo Police Station will be set up to look after the area in Phuket International Airport.”

ON FE BRU A RY 7 , M R M eng J ianz hu, secretary of Central Politics and Law Commission of the Communist Party of China as a special envoy to the Kingdom of Thailand, visited Bangla Rd in Patong.

Accompanied by Govenor Nisit J ansomwong, along with Pol M aj Gen Wissanu M uangprasee, D eputy Commander of Police Region 8 and Pol Col Chaiwat Ouikham, Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, the purpose of M r M eng’s visit was to see first hand one of the most popular attractions among Chinese tourists.

Prior to coming to Phuket,

M r M eng also visited Chiang M ai and met with Prime M inister Prayuth Chan-Ocha in Bangkok on Februay 5 .

Governor Nisit J ansomwong told the press on February 9 that M r M eng had asked about the popular places in Phuket among Chinese tourists, and inq uired about security matters.

He said that M r M eng said he would lobby to help raise awareness among Chinese tourists about “proper manners” when travelling abroad.

Last year there were more than a million Chinese tourists who visited this island, making it Phuket’s largest source market.

Navy invites Class Act Media on aerial inspection THE ROYAL THAI NAV Y on February 10 invited The Phuket News on an aerial inspection tour of some of the island’s popular beaches.

Led by Third Naval Area Command Fleet Commander, Rear Ad mi ral Sayan Prasongsomrit, and Capt.

Thammawat M alaisukarin, D irector of Naval Civil Affai rs D epar t ment of the Royal Thai Navy’s Third Naval Area Command, based

in Phang Nga, the tour covered Kata Noi, Karon, Kata, Patong, Surin, Bang Tao, Laypang and Nai Yang.

“These are all areas we’ve z oned off for the public. We want to assure the public and tourists that we follow the NCPO orders to maintain public land for public use,” Capt Thammawat explained.

“There is no more encroachment, but only public service areas established

at some beaches. There are areas designated for jet-skis, swimmers and boats. The OrBorJ or has helped us to keep the beaches in order and clear of encroachment.”

Capt Thammawat concluded, “The Third Naval Fleet is responsible to keep Phuket’s beaches in order. Phuket is a tourism city. We do our best to keep this place for our people, our future and tourists.”

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Govt team seizes beach vendors’ illegal gear LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFficials last Friday (February 6) confiscated 57 pieces of beach furniture laid out by a vendor on Surin Beach.

The newly appointed Thalang District Chief, Weera Kerdsirimongkul, and his deputy Samran Yukunthon led a group of local administration officials, Cherng Talay OrBorTor members and military volunteers on a sweep of both Surin and Laypang beaches aimed at keeping both clear of illegal vendor activities.

They were also on the lookout for illegal constructions that might have sneaked back onto the beach since dozens of bars and restaurants were demolished in June, July and August last year.

The team seized 28 mats and mattresses, 24 pillows, and five beach umbrellas, all belonging to a woman called Surin Buasri, who had laid them out on the beach for tourists to rent.

She was told that if she wanted to retrieve her belongings she must first go to the Cherng Talay OrBorTor office and pay a B2,000 fine.

Tourists who were already lying on mats rented to them were not disturbed.

@thephuketnews

PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

7

Teen mother numbers need to be reduced Nattha Thepbamrung reporter3@classactmedia.co.th

P

huket Public Health Office is set to put measures in place to reduce the number of teen pregnancies (15-19-years-old) after it was revealed that the number of teen mothers in Phuket has now surpassed the national standard (50/1000).

The announcment came at a meeting on Tuesday (February 3) by the Phuket Public Health Office who revealed that Phuket now has 60 teen mothers per 1,000 teens.

Chief of the Health Promoting Department, Phuket Public Health Office, Wanlapa Jeenloy, told T he Phuket N ew s, “The standard number of underage pregnant woman must be 50 from 1,000 or lower.

“We arranged this meeting to discuss about activities and measures we will use to cut the number of underage mothers in Phuket.

“Following this, we will file our plan with the Public Health Ministry and re uest a budget of B2 million.”

It was decided that four Tambons should be targeted first, namely Talad Yai, Talad Nua, Wichit and

Chief of the Health Promoting Department, Phuket Public Health f e a la a ee loy u ersta s the ee to re u e tee a e re a es huket Rassada, as teen girls in these areas are most at risk.

Ms Wanlapa went on to say, “The committee will draft a new sex education course to be introduced at schools around the island.

Activities will also be arranged to make teens understand more clearly about this issue.

“For those who do not attend school, the Provincial Social Development and Human Security team will provide alternative programs such as seminars or day activities that will attract teens to join.

“Also, parents are one of the most important parts.

“Both parents who have their

daughter in or out of school will be trained by our team to change their attitude and make them realise that giving sex education, and building a friendly atmosphere where children feel free to talk about sex is a way of protecting against underage mothers as well as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs),” she said.

In additon, she said that there will be Reproductive Health Clinics not only in hospitals but also in places that teens can access easily.

These will have a friendly atmosphere which will make teens feel trusted and safe.

The services will include birth control (suited for individual needs), STD check ups and treatments, pre and post natal services, and abortions (in cases where the teen is physically not mature enough for pregnancy).

All services will be confidential, and all information will be kept secret from parents.

The birth control service will be controlled by a mobile working team who will access places where teens gather, as well as local communities such as slums, sea gypsy villages and remote areas.

8

PHUKET NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Marine hub plans are to put emphasis on quality tourism Nattaphat Tuarob rep orter1 @classactmedia.co.th

T

he ministry of tourism and sport supports plans to position Phuket as a regional marine hub, but a lot still needs to be done to ensure ‘q uality over antit e onomi enefits for h et a to rism offi ial has said.

Tourism reps convened with lo al overnment offi ials in a meeting at Royal Phuket City hotel on Feburary 4 to discuss strengthening tourism networ s in a five provin e tourism cluster that includes Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Ranong and Satun.

Attending the meeting and a proceeding tour of the Phuket D eep Sea Port, Tourism D epartment D eputy D irector General Kajorn V eerajai told T h e Ph u k e t N e w s that as part of a national strategy, the government aims to ensure that marina and port facilities on the island meet international standards.

Commenting on market potential, M r Karon said,

Improvements at the deep sea port will see separate berthing for cargo and cruise ships, bridges connecting dolphins to land, a cruise terminal building, basic facilities, internal roads and parking.

“One traveller on a cruise ship spends approximately B10,000 per day so we need to build the infrastructure to support this group of tourists.”

He noted that out of the 8 5 cruise trips that visit Phuket annually, 7 0 per cent are from Singapore and M alaysia, and the other 30pc are from E urope

and the U nited States.

“Now we have the port mainly for marine logistics, but if we add marina-like services, then we need to have a passenger terminal and make it similar to an airport; we need to have immigration, stoms p li health offi e animal q uarantine station, and

other related facilities.”

In other words, “We have to make it convenient for tourists who don’t want to go into town, to spend their money in the marina area.”

The problem, he explained is the “lack of motivation” for tourists to spend their money. or e ample three or five

hour trips, where can they go?

We have to think for them.

Otherwise they won’t know.

We have to try to get them to go out. Once they land, where can they go, what and where can they buy? ” D eputy D irector General Kajorn V eerajai said that one of his main objectives in Phuket

was to collect information about the D eep Sea Port.

“I was told that this port can support ships of up to 268 metres long, which req uires waterway depth of at least nine metres. So we have to discuss how this can be developed to take bigger ships.”

M r Karon also supports bringing more cruise passengers directly to Patong.

“Patong lacks adeq uate mooring and marina [ facilities] . Currently, the ships have to anchor at sea and transfer passengers to shore. This needs to be developed and the M inistry of Tourism and Sport will support this project.”

He stressed that the income is more important than tourist numbers, and that lobbying for more lax regulations on high-yield yachting and marine passengers is also a priority of the M inistry.

“The M inister will try to discuss with relevant bodies to ease the law for foreign yacht owners because we are not law makers … I would like to have one central database in which ever one o ld enefit from

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

PHUKET NEWS FOCUS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Ex lover sought for arson attack

9

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Darawan Naknakhon editor@classactmedia.co.th

n a rre st w a rra n t h a s b e e n is s u e d fo r W e e ra p o n g T u b p e tc h fro m N a k o rn S ri T h a m m a ra t, w h o p o lic e b e lie v e w a s in v o lv e d in a n a lle d g e d a rs o n a tta c k in K a th u th a t le f t o n e m o to rc y c le d e s tro y e d a n d a c a r b a d ly d a m a g e d .

T h e a rre st w a rrra n t w a s is s u e d b y P h u k e t P ro v in c ia l C o u r t o n S a t u r d a y ( Fe b r u a r y 7 ) a f te r p o lic e re c e iv e d in fo rm a tio n th a t c o n v in c e d th e m W e e ra p o n g w a s re s p o n s ib le fo r th e a tta c k .

A t 1 1 : 5 0 p m l a s t Fr i d a y ( Fe b r u a r y 6 ) , L t S a w a n r a y a E id th ro n g f ro m th e T h u n g T h o n g p o lic e s ta tio n w a s c a lle d to in v e s tig a te a f ire n e a r a to w n h o u s e in S o i 7 , M o oB a a nI r a w a d e e .

U p o n a r r iv a l a t th e s c e n e , L t S a w a n ra y a fo u n d a g ro u p o f re s id e n ts b a ttlin g to c o n tro l a b u r n in g H o n d a C lic k a n d H o n d a C iv ic .

Two fire trucks were im-

Mr Yang (center) was allegedly punched in the face after a dispute over a fare.

Tuk-tuk driver assaults tourist over fare price A

The remains of the Honda Click which police believe was burnt by the owner’s ex-boyfriend. m e d ia te ly c a lle d to th e s c e n e and firemen managed to put the fire out in 30 minutes.

T h e m o to rb ik e b e lo n g e d to Sunee Kamwijit, 30, and th e H o n d a C iv ic , w h ic h s u ffe re d d a m a g e to its r ig h t s id e , w a s o w n e d b y Y o th s a n a T h o n g y in g d e e , 4 0 , w h o w a s n o t h o m e w h e n th e d a m a g e o c c u rre d .

The fire also caused dama g e to M s S u n e e a n d M s Y o th s a n a ’s r e n te d h o u s e a n d a n e le c tr ic tra n s fo r m e r o n a n e a rb y p o w e r p o le .

W h e n q u e s tio n e d a b o u t th e in c id e n t, M s S u n e e to ld p o lic e th a t a t 7 p m s h e h a d p a r k e d th e H o n d a C lic k n e x t to th e H o n d a C iv ic . A t 11:30pm she smelt something

Canadian found hanged A C fo u ( Fe h o m

A N A D IA N M A N W A S n d d e a d la s t T h u rs d a y b r u a r y 5 ) in h is R a w a i e , a n a p p a re n t s u ic id e .

C h a lo n g p o lic e , c a lle d to t h e h o m e , f o u n d 2 9 -y e a r -o l d J o n -E r i c B a r w i s e h a n g i n g i n th e b a th ro o m w ith a n y lo n r o p e a r o u n dh is n e c k .

A f te r K u s o ld h a r m re s c u e rs c u t h im d o w n , p o lic e e x a m in e d th e b o d y b u t fo u n d n o in ju r ie s o th e r th a n

Part of the rope remains in the bathroom. b r u is b o d y V a c h e x a m

e s a ro u n d h is n e c k . T h e w a s , h o w e v e r, ta k e n to ira h o s p ita l fo r f u r th e r in a tio n .

H is T h a i g irlf r ie n d to ld p o lic e , “ I w a s a s le e p in th e bedroom and woke up to find [h e ] h a d h a n g e d h im s e lf in t h e b a t h r o o m .”

A fte r s e e in g th e b o d y a n d a s k in g h e r m o re q u e s tio n s , p o lic e s a id th a t th e y h a d c o m e to th e c o n c lu s io n th a t th e d e a d m a n h a d b e e n “ stre sse d o u t o v e r a p e rs o n a l is s u e ” a n d th a t th is h a d c a u s e d h im to ta k e h is o w nl ife .

17-year-old busted with ya ice A 1 7 -Y E A R -O L D B O Y W A S a r r e s t e d w i t h 2 0 0 .1 2 g r a m s o f c r ys t a l m e t h ( y a ice) j u s t a f te r m id n ig h t la s t T h u r s d a y ( Fe b r u a r y 5 ) . H e w a s a r r e s t e d w h ile m a k in g a d e liv e r y o f th e d r u g to th e G o o d n ig h t re s o r t in T a la dY a i.

P h u k e t C ity p o lic e , u n d e r th e c o m m a n d o f M a j G e n P a tc h a ra B o o n y a s it, a r re s te d b o y B , 1 7 , (re a l n a m e w ith h e ld d u e to h is a g e ) in fro n t o f th e G o o d n ig h t re s o r t o n N a r is o n R d w i t h f o u r b a g s o f y a ice t o t a l l i n g2 0 0 .1 2g r a m s .

B w ill b e c h a rg e d w ith p o s s e s s io n o f a C a te g o r y 1 d r u gw ithi n te n t tos e ll. @thephuketnews

Boy B had the drugs hidden inside the lotion box. a fte d r u T o n a n d

T h e a rre st o f b o y B c a m e r p o lic e a r re s te d a fe llo w g d e liv e r y m a n , C h o n g k a m k a e w , w i t h y a ice y a b ah on February 3.

C h o n c o n fe s s e d to th e p o lic e th a t h e g o t p a id to d ro p o f f a d e liv e r y to th e G o o d n ig h t re s o r t fo r th e ir c lie n ts a n d to ld p o lic e a b o u t B .

A f te r re c e iv in g in fo r m a tio n a b o u t th e tim e o f th e n e x t d e liv e r y a t th e re s o r t, p o lic e r e tu r n e da n dw a ite df o r B .

At 12:30am last Thursday B a r r iv e d a t th e re s o r t a s e x p e c te d a n d w a s g o in g to d e liv e r h is d r u g s to h is c lie n t.

P o lic e a p p ro a c h e d h im , a n d w h ile c a r r y in g o u t a s e a rc h f o u n d t h e f o u r b a g s o f y a ice h id d e n in s id e a s k in lo tio n b o x .

B w a s ta k e n to P h u k e t C ity p o lic e s ta tio n fo r q u e s tio n in g .

b u r n in g a n d th e n h e a rd g la s s s h a tte r. “ I ra n o u ts id e a n d s a w m y m o to rb ik e a n d th e H o n d a C iv ic b u rn in g . E v e ry b o d y c a m e o u t to help to try to put the fire o u t ,” s a i dM s S u n e e .

A t th e tim e p o lic e s till d id n o t k n o w w h a t h a d c a u s e d th e fire and therefore blocked the a re a to c o lle c t m o re e v id e n c e .

T U K -T U K D R I V E R a p p e a re d in c o u rt T u e s d a y a f t e r n o o n ( Fe b r u a r y 1 0 ) a f t e r b e in g c h a rg e d w ith a s s a u ltin g a n A u s tra lia n to u r is t o u its id e o f C e n t r a l Fe s t i v a l o n M o n d a y (February 9). He was fined B 2 ,0 0 0 .

A t 1 2 :2 0 p m M o n d a y tw o A u s tra lia n to u ris ts w e n t to Wichit police station to file a n a s s a u lt re p o r t a g a in s t a t u k -t u k d r i v e r . T h e i n j u r e d v ic tim , Y a n g S ip e n g , 2 1 , w a s s till b le e d in g f ro m h is lip a n d n o s e w h e n h e a r r iv e d a t th e s ta tio n w ith h is g irlf r ie n d a n d a tra n s la to r.

M r Y a n g to ld p o lic e th a t h e a n d h is g irlf r ie n d to o k a t u k -t u k f r o m t h e S u g a r P a lm c o n d o in T a la d N u e a t o C e n t r a l Fe s t i v a l w i t h t h e

u n d e rs ta n d in g th a t th e fa re w o u ld b e B 2 0 e a c h . H o w e v e r, o n c e th e y a r r iv e d a t C e n tra l Fe s t i v a l t h e t u k -t u k d r i v e r s a id th e p r ic e w a s B 2 0 0 e a c h .

A n a g ru m e n t e n su e d a n d M r Y a n g to o k o u t B 1 0 0 to p a y th e d r iv e r h o p in g it w o u ld p u t a n e n d to th e a rg u m e n t. H o w e v e r, th e d r iv e r s n a tc h e d th e B 1 0 0 o u t o f M r Y a n g ’s h a n d a n d th re w a p u n c h a t h is fa c e b e fo re s p e e d in g a w a y .

A t 5 p m , t h e t u k -t u k d r i v e r , C h in n a ra t K a e w , 4 2 , tu rn e d h im s e lf in to p o lic e a n d w a s c h a r g e dw itha s s a u lt.

W h e n a p p e a rin g in c o u rt, C h a in n a ra t c o n fe s s e d to th e a s s a u lt. T h e ju d g e , ta k in g in to a c c o u n t it w a s C h a in n a r a t’s first offence, fined him B2,000 a n ds e n t h im o n h is w a y .

Opinion 10 OPINION

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

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editor@classactmedia.co.th

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KODCHANAT THINSEPON Ed i t o r

STEVEN LAYNE M a n a g i n g Ed i t o r

editor@classactmedia.co.th From the USA; BA in Communication Arts from Bangk ok University International College; six years’ experience at Nation Junior Magazine, Bangkok Recorder, Phuket. net, Farangs.com and Phuket Gazette.

ALASDAIR FORBES Ex e c u t i v e Ed i t o r

087 884 9964 execeditor@classactmedia.co.th From the UK; 40 years as a journalist and editor on magazines and newspapers in the UK, Middle East, Hong Kong and Thailand: Cheshire Observer, Chester Chronicle, Saudi Gazette, Gulf Mirror, Gulf Construction, Gulf News, Hongkong Standard, Asian Business (Editor) and Phuket Gazette (Managing Editor for seven years).

J.P. MESTANZA Sp o r t Ed i t o r

editor2@classactmedia.co.th From USA; Degree in Journalism and Media Studies, from R utgers University. Three years experience at The Jersey Journal, Sports Page Magazine, and My9 News.

DALIA HILMI L i f e Ed i t o r

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T

EDITORIAL

In the spotlight again

h e y h a v e b e e n th e p la g u e o f T h a ila n d ’s to u r is t in d u s try p re tty m u c h fo r a s lo n g a s th e re h a s b e e n o n e . T h e y h a v e m a n a g e d to g e t h ig h lig h te d in te le v is io n p ro g ra m s a n d n e w s p a p e rs a ro u n d s th e w o rld . A n d th e y h a v e b e e n d is c u s s e d b e tw e e n P h u k e t Is la n d ’s c o n s u ls a n d g o v e r n o rs o n c o u n tle s s o c c a s s io n s .

A n d y e s , o n c e a g a in th e y h a v e m a d e it to th e f ro n t p a g e o f T he Phuket N ew s. B u t t h i s tim e , a t le a s t th e re w a s a p o s itiv e o u tc o m e .

Y e s , ta lk in g a b o u t P h u k e t’s je t s k i. L o v e th e m o r h a te th e m , th e y ’re h e re .

T h is w e e k ’s in c id e n t o n c e a g a in s a w a to u ris t b e in g s c a m m e d b y a n o p e ra to r, n o th in g u n u s u a l th e re . H o w e v e r, th is tim e it w a s n o t th e to u r is t w h o lo s t, it w a s th e o p e ra to r, in th is c a s e , th e Y o th a ra k C o m p a n y w h o o p e ra te s o n B a n g ta o b e a c h .

A

C h in e s e to u r is t h a d r e n t e d f o u r j e t -s k i s f o r h i s fa m ily a t a c o s t o f B 9 ,2 0 0 . A t th a t p r ic e y o u w o u ld h o p e it w o u ld b e fo r a d a y . H o w e v e r, only after five minutes two of t h e j e t -s k i s w e r e i n v o l v e d i n a c o llis io n .

N o w th e re w a s n o th in g to d is p u te w h e n it c a m e to th e o c c u ra n c e o f th e in c id e n t, h o w e v e r, th e re w a s w h e n th e Y o th a r a k C o m p a n y re q u e s te d th e to u r is t p a y B 2 0 0 ,0 0 0 .

H o w e v e r, h e m a n a g e d to g e t a w a y w ith p a y in g B 9 9 ,0 0 0 , n o t s u p r is in g ly w ith o u t a n y f u s s fro m th e Y o th a ra k C o m p a n y .

H o w e v e r, th e to u ris t s e n s e d s o m e th in g w a s n ’t r ig h t a n d d e c id e d to h e a d to th e D a m ro n g th a m C e n tre , lu c k ily w ith fo r m e r p re s id e n t o f th e P h u k e t J e t -s k i A s s o c i a t i o n , A n u s o n S a le y . M r A n u s o r n a d v is e d th e to u r is t a n d th e D a m ro n g th a m C e n tre e x a c tly h o w m u c h h e s h o u ld h a v e p a id .

T h is le d D a m ro n g th a m

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

MATTHEW POND N e w s Ed i t o r

editor3@classactmedia.co.th Originally from the UK; Has four years experience as editor and reporter for P huk etindex.com magazine and website, and InP huk et magazine.

TANYALUK ‘MANGO’ SAKOOT

Re p o r t e r

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081 868 1658 reporter3@classactmedia.co.th

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NISAKORN ‘SAI’ KITTIPRAPANANT NIPAPORN ‘JANE’ SANGKRIT NATASUANG ‘SATANG’ BUSARANON ATHIKOM ‘KATY’ KEYURANON G r a p h ic d e s ig n e r s

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99/ 7 Moo 1 (Billion P laza), T. Kathu, A. Kathu, P huke t 83120

official, Sompong Panthong to m e e t w ith th e Y o th a ra k C o m p a n y , M r Y o th a ra k . A s m u c h th o u g h t m u s t h a v e g o n e in to n a m in g th e c o m p a n y a s th e s c a m . M r S o m p o n g g o t th e p a y m e n t d o w n to B 4 5 ,0 0 0 .

H e a rin g a b o u t th e c a s e , P h u k e t G o v e r n o r N is it J a m s o n g w o n g to o k th e m a tte r o n e s te p f u r th e r. H e to ld th e M a r in e Office to revoke the operators lic e n c e . T h e y h a v e d o n e s o , b u t o n ly fo r o n e m o n th .

N o w p e o p le c a n m a k e c o m m e n ts s u c h a s “ O n ly a m o n th ? ” o r “ W e ll d o n e ? Its a d is g ra c e th a t its o n ly fo r o n e m o n th !

P a th e tic ” . B u t w h e n e v e r h a s s o m e o n e in a u th o r ity a c tu a lly h a d th e g u ts to s ta n d u p to th e s e s c a m m e rs . N e v e r!

This is a first and Governor N is it s h o u ld b e c o n g ra tu la te d for being the first to tackle th e m . A n d e v e n m o re s o M r A n u s o rn fo r b e in g s o h o n e s t a n d g o in g a g a in s t a g ro u p h e w a s o n c e inc h a r g e o f .

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Plane crashes into river in Taipei Canadian found hanged in Phuket home. Suicide, police say Phuket police seize counterfeit goods worth B3 million 19-year old Aussie lied to Phuket police Bomb explosion in Bangkok Gun drama as Phuket govt team visits beach club Lingerie clad foreign o a ruffles feathers in Phuket Town Tiger Temple raided, animals impounded Giant shark near Phuket ends up on barbecues Bartender arrested for selling shisha, hookah

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HAVE YOUR SAY Pics and stones breaking bones

Re: Phuket parks chief m ulls rules for b ridal photoshoots Y e a h r ig h t... t r y i n g to p r e s e r v e th e “ n a tu ra l e n v iro n m e n t” o f th e p a r k s ...p le a s e . T h is c o m e s fro m th e a g e n c y th a t c a n n o t e v e n m a in ta in th e ir o w n p o p u la r b e a c h a re a s , lik e in th e L a y a n a re a . T h e e n tire fo re s t a d ja c e n t to th e b e a c h is a lw a y s s tre w n w ith tra s h a n d litte r, m u c h o f w h ic h is ille g a lly d u m p e d . I h a v e p e r s o n a lly s e e n th e m d ig g in g big pits which were then filled with trash and back-filled.

J u s t b e h o n e s t, th e y w ill b e lo o k in g h o w to c h a rg e p e o p le fo r ta k in g p ic tu re s in th e p a rk , th e y c o u ld n ’t c a re le s s a b o u t th e p o te n tia l d a m a g e to th e n a tu ra l e n v iro n m e n t.

T h e y c a u s e m o re d a m a g e th e n th e y p re v e n t.

E d S an d ers If K h u n k ittip a t is c o n c e r n e d , Sargent major fish’ should go visit the raw fish market.

T h e re a re th o u s a n d s o f ju v e nile fish there already dead a n d fo r s a le . W h a t a b o u t th e b ig n e t tra w le rs o p e ra tin g

in P h e v e ry w e d d to re a

a n g th in in g lly

n g a b a y c a g ? I a m so rry s h o ts d o e s n ’ m a tte r.

C o n f us ed

W h a t a lo a d o f c ra p is n o d a m a g e to th e is ju s t p h o to s . T h e p a n e e d s to g ro w u p a a c tin g lik e a s p o ile d c h

tc h in g , a fe w t se e m K ev i n

! T p a rk n d c h az

h e re rk , it c h ie f s to p ild w o lf

W o w , m o re b itte r a n d g r u m b lin g e x p a ts . W h a t a s a d life th e y liv e h e re . I w o n d e r if th e y c o n s id e re d w h a t it w o u ld b e lik e to liv e in s o m e o n e e ls e ’s c u ltu re , b e fo re th e y m a d e th e d e c is io n to g o a n d liv e i n s o m e o n e e ls e ’s c u lt u r e ...

S up h o l

Swift justice served

Re: Canadian found hang ed in Phuket hom e.

Suicide, police say I g u e s s th a t w ith o u t C C T V fo o ta g e , a ll th e y n e e d to d o is ta lk to th e p o o r g u y s T h a i g i r l f r i e n d . . . P O O F! . . . c a s e s o lv e d . T h a i p o lic e a re in c re d ibly efficient is closing cases.

E d S an d ers

Trashy Patong

Re: W ant W orld H eritag e status? Clean y our b eaches – Phuket G ov I th in k a lo t o f th e r u b b is h o n P a to n g b e a c h o r ig in a te s f ro m th e g u tte rs o f P a to n g a n d is w a s h e d d o w n w ith th e s to r m w a te r in to th e s e a w h e n th e re is to r re n tia l ra in . W h e n I w a s in P a to n g la s t y e a r th e re w a s n o g r id o n th e s to r m w a te r o u tle t in to th e s e a , s o a ll th e r u b b is h w a s g o in g s tr a ig h t in .

G iv e n th e ty p e o f r u b b is h o n th e b e a c h , I’v e o fte n th o u g h t th a t it m ig h t b e d u m p e d a t s e a b y b o a ts a n d s h ip s a n d g e ts w a s h e d u p .

L o v eP at o n g

Keep ‘em posted

Re: Phuket g ov t team seiz es b each v endor’ s illeg al ge ar I b e t e v e r y o n e th a t re n ts m a ts a n d p illo w s a n d o th e r c ra p th a t s h o u ld n ’t b e o n th e b e a c h , a re b a c k o u t th e re to d a y ... t h e y ju s t d o n ’ t le a r n .

G la d to h e a r th e y a re s e m i o n to p o f it a t S u r in , b u t th e o n ly w a y to m a k e it g o a w a y is to p o s t A r m y a n d /o r N a v y p e rs o n n e l th e re a ll d a y , e v e ry d a y , b e c a u s e a s s o o n a s th e c a t’s a w a y ... t h e r a t s s c u r r y b a c k o u t.

E d S an d ers E d , h o w o fte n d o y o u g o to th e b e a c h ? W h e re s h o u ld to u r is ts w h o a re o n ly h e re fo r o n e o r tw o w e e k s g o to re n t b e a c h m a ts a n d u m b re lla s?

W h a t a b o u t s e n io r to u r is ts o r o th e rs th a t c a n n o t la y d o w n o n th e s a n d , w h a t s h o u ld th e y d o ? Y o u a re v e r y c r itic a l o f w h a t o th e rs n e e d . I a m a d is a b le d v e te ra n , I w a s s o d is a p p o in te d th a t I c o u ld n o lo n g e r re n t b e a c h lo u n g e rs o n S u rin B e a c h . H o w e v e r I a m a b le to a ffo rd a m e m b e rs h ip a t Z a z a d a w h e re I g e t lo u n g e rs .

N o t a ll to u ris ts c a n a ffo rd th a t o r a re in P h u k e t lo n g e n o u g h fo r a m e m b e rs h ip to w o rk .

W h a t s h o u ld th e y d o ? Y o u c a n n o t g o fro m o n e e x tre m e to a n o th e r. I a m h e re fo r th re e m o n th s a n d g o to th e b e a c h e v e ry d a y . N e v e r h a d a p ro b le m w ith b e a c h v e n d e rs , n e v e r h a d a p ro b le m w ith a n y o n e .

T h a t d o e s n o t m e a n p ro b le m s d o n ’t h a p p e n . T h e y n e e d to b r in g b a c k s o m e s u n lo u n g e rs a t b e a c h e s w h e re to u ris t u s e th e m th e m o s t. T h e m a jo r ity o f to u ris ts I h a v e ta lk e d to w a n t t h e lo u n g e r s b a c k ...

D ern g t

H a v e a n o p in io n ? C o m m e n t o n s to r ie s a t th e p h u k e tn e w s .c o m thephuketnews

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THAILAND NEWS 11

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Hands Across the Water A

ustralian charity, Hands Across the Water was set up as a direct result of Forensic D etective Peter Baines,OAM , witnessing the devastating effects of the Boxing D ay Tsunami in the Phuket-Khao Lak region.

While working as part of the Australian response team, Peter was deeply touched by the number of children left orphaned by the disaster and was inspired to set up an organisation that could ma e a si nifi ant differen e in their lives.

Hands was founded in 2005 and ilt their first orphana e at Phang-Nga, opening Baan Tharn Namchai in 2006 which is now home to over 100 children. Since then, it has raised over B27 0 million and supports six homes for at-risk children across Thailand.

Amongst its projects, Hands supports children affected by HIV in the Yasothon area, as well as children in Kanchanaburi, Surin and Chumphon.

Hands’ newest home, PAM A House, located in Chanthaburi, will e offi iall opened on ar h and will provide shelter for up to 20 at-risk children. Living in this environment gives the children an opportunity to gain an education

@thephuketnews

from Baan Tharn Namchai graduated from university completing his law degree.

To celebrate its work across Thailand, Hands will host a Night of Celebration at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit in Bangkok on Friday, M arch 6.

The event will include musical entertainment, a live fundraising auction, a Thai themed V illage Fair and fantastic priz es. Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand, H. E . Paul Robilliard will attend, along with Founder of Hands, Peter Baines, OAM , acting as keynote speaker.

Bring your family and friends to celebrate in style and support this worthwhile cause!

Hands Across the Water founder Peter Baines OAM with children from and enjoy a brighter future.

Hands commitment to Thai children in the long term is evi-

denced by the fourteen children it now supports through university.

Recently, one of the children

T ic k e ts a r e B 3 ,0 0 0 p e r p e r s o n a n d ta b le s a r e B 2 7 ,0 0 0 fo r a ta b le o f 1 0 . E m a il te a m @ h a n d s a c r o s s th e w a te r .o r g .a u to b o o k o r v is it h ttp ://h a n d s a c r o s s th e w a te r .o r g . a u /e v e n t s /d i n n e r - e v e n t s / b a n g k o k /.

Bangkok in top 10 cities with worst traffic BA NGKOK WA S R A N K E D eighth among the world’s top 10 cities havin the worst traffi a ordin to a new study by British motor-oil company Castrol.

The Castrol M agnatec Stop-Start inde loo s at traffi onditions and number of annual start-stops per car in 7 8 cities around the world to determine how traffi affe ts o rne times n first pla e is a arta with 33,240 start-stops per year followed by Istanbul, Turkey, with 32,5 20 start-stops, and M exico City with 30,8 40.

Bangkok came in the eighth place with 27 ,48 0 start-stops.

Rotterdam in the Netherlands registered the least with 6,360 stopstarts a year.

The index, which was put together using the GPS data provided by Tom Tom navigation users, said drivers experiencing more than 18 ,000 stopstarts a year experienced “severe” traffi Castrol used GPS measurements collected by Tom Tom navigation to come up with a start-stop average per kilometre. It then multiplied that number by the average distance driven per year in each city.

B a n g k o k Po s t

12 ASIA NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Australian PM vows to change after failed bid to unseat him

A

ustralian Prime M inister Abbott vowed M onday (February 9) to change after s rvivin a onfiden e vote on his leadership, while urging an end to the disunity that has seen the government’s popularity plummet.

A ott has een fi htin for his job after poor poll ratings and a series of poli a ips sp rred some s from his conservative Liberal Party openly to attack him, calling last week for a leadership “spill”.

The motion aimed to declare vacant the positions of party leader and deputy leader, occupied by Abbott and Foreign M inister J ulie Bishop.

If it had succeeded, the party room – Liberal Party members of both houses of parliament – could have voted for new candidates.

But the 101 Liberal parliamentarians – one was absent – rejected the proposal by 61 to 39 in a secret ballot. One vote was discarded for either being incorrectly completed or not filled in at all n a televised statement, Abbott called for the party to end “disunity and uncertainty” and move forward.

“The Liberal Party has dealt with the spill motion and now this matter is behind us,” he said.

“We are absolutely determined to work for you, the people who elected us. We want to end the disunity and the uncertainty which destroyed two

Tony Abbott seen here speaking at the 2015 National Flag Raising and Citizenship Ceremony. Photo/Nick-D

Labour governments and give you the good government that you deserve.”

Labour switched leaders twice during its time in power from 2007 to 2013, with Abbott highly critical at the time. U niversity of Western Sydney political historian D avid Burchell said the recurring instability could be partly blamed on the diminishing ability of politicians to properly explain tough decisions to the public.

“I don’t believe either this government or the opposition have any idea how to speak in those terms,” he said.

“They have become paralysed the fear of fi le ele torates and trapped in a cycle of endless political crisis management.”

Abbott admitted in a later press conference that the government had “bitten off more than we could chew” in trying to rein in a growing

d et defi it slashin health and education spending while tightening welfare – moves condemned as too harsh.

“I have listened, I have learnt, and I have changed and the government will change with me,” he said, vowing to be more “consultative and collegial”. Abbott initially refused to be drawn on whether he planned to resh f e his a inet with reas rer J oe Hockey widely seen as a potential fall guy. But he later told parliament: “I stand by my treasurer. I stand by my team.”

- Government ‘in paralysis’ Abbott, 5 7 , survived despite waking to a dire Newspoll in The Australian broadsheet, and the vote outcome is unlikely to end speculation about his future.

The poll showed the ruling Liberal-National coalition trails the

Labour opposition on a two-party basis 43 percent to 5 7 percent, while 68 percent of the 1,17 8 people interviewed were dissatisfied with A ott s performance.

His popularity lags behind Communications M inister M alcolm Turnbull and Bishop, touted as potential future leadership contenders. Opposition Labour leader Bill Shorten said the government was “in paralysis”.

“Abbott promised he would run a stable and united government. This is his biggest broken promise yet,” he said.

“The prime minister and ministers should be protecting the living standards and jobs of all Australians – but they’re only interested in their own jobs.”

Since being elected in September 2013, the government has sealed free trade deals with China, South Korea and J apan. It also killed off controversial carbon and mining taxes and sharply reduced the number of asylum-seeker boats arriving in Australia. But the proposed savings to r the d et defi it alienated many voters, with Hockey widely criticised for failing to sell them s ffi ientl ne of the a en hers who initiated the onfiden e vote Luke Simpkins, said Abbott created the situation himself.

“This has been a good wake-up call,” he said.

AFP

Taiwan ‘hero’ pilot found clutching joystick of crashed plane THE PILOT OF THE CRASHE D TransAsia plane was still clutching the joystick when his body was found in the cockpit, after he battled to avoid populated areas, reports said last Friday (February 6) as the airline faced sanctions over its second fatal accident.

The TransAsia Airways ATR 7 2-600 crashed shortly after take-off from Songshan airport in Taipei last Wednesday (February 4), hitting an elevated road as it banked steeply away from buildings and into the Keelung River.

Pilot Liao Chien-tsung, 41, was among at least 35 people who lost

their lives in the accident. Fifteen people survived and rescuers are still searching the river and submerged wreckage for another eight who remain missing.

Liao has been hailed as a hero for apparently making a last-ditch attempt to steer the turboprop plane, with passen ers and five rew on board, away from built-up areas during its steep descent, avoiding more deaths and damage.

His body was found in the cockpit still holding the joystick with both hands, and with his legs badly fractured, the Taipei-based China Times newspaper said.

Pilot Liao Chien-tsung, 41, of the plane has been hailed as a hero for apparently making a last-ditch attempt to steer the plane away from built-up areas. Photo/anekainfounik.net/ “He struggled to hold onto the joystick till the last moment before the plane plunged into the river, in

an attempt to control its direction and to reduce casualties,” the report said. AFP.

North Korea fires shortrange missiles NORTH KORE A TE ST-FIRE D five short ran e missiles into the sea off its east coast Sunady (February 8 ), raising cross-border tensions ahead of Seoul’s planned joint army drills with the U S. he orth fired the missiles into the E ast Sea (Sea of J apan) from its eastern city of Wonsan between 07 .20-08 .10am GM T Seoul’s defence ministry spokesman said. he ew a o t ilometres (124 miles) before landing. " We are closely watching for any signs of additional missile launches by the North," said the spokesman.

On Saturday (February 7 ), the orth said it had test fired an ltra precision" anti-ship rocket, which will be deployed across its navy " before long" .

The missile tests come as South Korea and the U nited States prepare to start major annual joint military exercises hated by Pyongyang.

The large-scale Key Resolve and Foal E agle exercises, to begin in early M arch, look set to trigger a sharp rise in military tensions on the divided peninsula.

Pyongyang sees all joint U SSouth Korea army exercises as provocative rehearsals for invasion and has freq uently demanded they be stopped.

The nuclear-armed communist country has pushed ahead with the development of ballistic missiles and rockets, despite tough sanctions imposed by the international community.

In 2012, Pyongyang demonstrated its rocket capabilities by sending a satellite into orbit, but it has yet to conduct a test that proves it has mastered the technology req uired for an effective inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM ) that could reach the U S mainland.

AFP

HUGE REDUCTIONS on exclusive properties in Phuket, details on page 17

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WORLD NEWS 13

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Paedophile Gary Glitter guilty again UK residents can now re ster to ote o l e L A S T W E E K T H E U K E le c to r a l C o m m is s io n la u n c h e d a d e d ic a te d o v e r s e a s v o te r re g is tra tio n c a m p a ig n . T h e c a m p a ig n a im s to e n c o u ra g e B r itis h c itiz e n s liv in g o v e rs e a s to re g is te r to v o te a h e a d o f th e U K P a rlia m e n ta r y G e n e ra l E le c tio n , d u e to ta k e p la c e o n T h u rs d a y 7 M a y 2 0 1 5 .

This is the first UK Gene ra l E le c tio n w h e re p e o p le c a n re g is te r to v o te o n lin e .

T h e E le c to ra l C o m m is s io n h o p e s th a t th e n e w o n lin e p ro c e s s w ill e n c o u r a g e m o re U K n a tio n a ls liv in g o v e rs e a s to re g is te r to ta k e p a r t in e le c tio n s f ro m o v e rse a s.

E s tim a te s s h o w th a t th e r e m a y b e a s m a n y a s 5 .5 m illio n U K n a tio n a ls liv in g o v e rs e a s , b u t th e re a re f e w e r th a n 2 0 ,0 0 0 c u r r e n tly o n th e e le c to ra l re g is te rs .

T o re g is te r a s a n o v e rs e a s v o te r, U K re s id e n ts o v e rs e a s m u s t h a v e p re v io u s ly b e e n re g is te re d in a U K c o n s titu e n c y w ith in the last fifteen years.

T o re g is te r to v o te , U K c itiz e n s s h o u ld v is it h t t p s :// w w w . g o v . u k / r e g i s t e r -t o -v o t e O v e r s e a s v o te r s c a n c h o o s e h o w th e y w a n t to v o te . T h e y c a n v o te e ith e r b y p o s t, b y p ro x y o r e v e n in p e rs o n (if th e y w ill b e in th e ir c o n s titu e n c y o n p o llin g d a y ). T h e d e a d lin e to re g is te r to v o te is m id n ig h t (B S T ) o n M o n d a y 2 0 A p ril 2 0 1 5 . T h e d e a d lin e fo r a p p lic a tio n s fo r p o s ta l v o te s is 5 p m (B S T ) o n T u e sd a y 2 1 A p ril 2 0 1 5 . T h e d e a d lin e fo r a p p lic a tio n s fo r p ro x y v o te s is 5 p m (B S T ) o n T u e s d a y 2 8 A p ril 2 0 1 5 . O v e rs e a s v o te rs s h o u ld a p p ly a s fa r in a d v a n c e o f th is a s p o s s ib le .

B

r itis h fo r m e r g la m ro c k e r G a r y G litte r c o u ld s p e n d th e re s t o f h is life in p ris o n a fte r b e in g fo u n d g u ilty a t a L o n d o n c o u r t l a s t T h u r s d a y ( Fe b r u a r y 5 ) o f h is to r ic s e x a b u s e a g a in s t th re e y o u n g g irls .

G litte r, 7 0 , w h o s e re a l n a m e is P a u l G a d d , w a s c o n v ic te d o f o n e c o u n t o f a tte m p te d ra p e , fo u r c o u n ts o f in d e c e n t a s s a u lt a n d o n e c o u n t o f s e x u a l in te rc o u rs e w ith a g irl u n d e r th e a g e o f 1 3b e tw e e n1 9 7 7a n d1 9 8 0 .

The jury of five men and seven women ac uitted Gadd o f th re e o th e r c o u n ts a fte r d e l i b e r a t i n g f or t w o d a y s a t t h e e n d o f a t w o -w e e k t r i a l .

T h e e n te r ta in e r b le w k is s e s a t th e p u b lic g a lle r y a s h e w a s le da w a yt ot h e c e lls .

G litte r w a s a t th e h e ig h t o f h i s f a m e a s a s i n g e r -s o n g w r i t e r a n d m u s ic ia n w h e n h e a tta c k e d h is v ic tim s , a n d in v e s tig a to r s s a id h e ta rg e te d y o u n g g irls w h ow e r e ina w e o f h im .

P ro s e c u to r J o h n P r ic e h a d e a rlie r d e s c r ib e d h o w a d r u n k e n G a d d h a d tr ie d to

‘Bali Nine’ lawyer plans last ute b to halt r s ua L A W Y E R S FO R T W O A U S tra lia n s fa c in g im m in e n t e x e c u tio n in B a li s a id o n M o n d a y ( Fe b r u a r y 9 ) t h e y p l a n t o l a u n c h a ra re c h a lle n g e a g a in s t th e I n d o n e s ia n p r e s id e n t’s r e f u s a l to g ra n t th e m a p a rd o n .

A n d re w C h a n a n d M y u ra n S u k u m a r a n , r in g le a d e r s o f th e s o -c a l l e d “ B a l i N i n e ” d r u g s m u g g lin g g a n g , lo s t a le g a l b id in th e B a lin e s e c a p ita l D e n p a s a r to h a v e th e ir c a s e s re v ie w e d la s t w e e k .

It e f fe c tiv e ly d a s h e d th e ir f in a l h o p e o f a v o id in g th e firing s uad, with executions e x p e c te d to b e c a r r ie d o u t th is m o n th .

B u t th e ir la w y e r T o d u n g M u l y a L u b i s t o l d t h e Australian B roadcasting Corporation h e p la n n e d o n e la s t a tte m p t to s a v e th e ir liv e s b y c h a lle n g in g I n d o n e s ia n P re s id e n t J o k o W i d o d o 's d e c i s i o n n o t t o p a rd o n th e m .

T h e le g a l m o v e h a s b e e n ra re ly a tte m p te d b e fo re , b u t M u ly a s a id h e d id n o t b e lie v e W id o d o c o u ld s im p ly re je c t t h e m e n 's c l e m e n c y p l e a s o n th e b a s is o f a d r u g e m e rg e n c y .

W id o d o h a s b e e n a v o c a l s u p p o r te r o f c a p ita l p u n is h m e n t a n d w a r n e d In d o n e s ia w a s in @thephuketnews

Bali Nine pair Andrew Chan (left) and Myuran Sukumaran. a s t a t e o f e m e r g e nc y d ue t o d r u g s , w ith d o z e n s o f p e o p le d y in g e v e ry d a y . " W e ll w e h a v e d o n e a lm o s t e v e ry th in g a n d n o w w e a re planning to file another claim to th e a d m in is tr a tiv e c o u r t in J a k a r t a ," M u l y a s a i d . " W e w ill c h a lle n g e th e re je c tio n o f th e c le m e n c y is s u e d b y th e p re s id e n t, o r m a d e b y th e p re s id e n t. " W h y ? B e c a u s e w e d o n 't th in k th e p re s id e n t c a n re je c t a ll th e c le m e n c y p e titio n s b a s e d o n ly o n a d r u g e m e rg e n c y s itu a t i o n ." M u l y a s a i d t h a t i n s t e a d W id o d o s h o u ld c o n s id e r e a c h c a s e o n its m e r its , p o in tin g to C h a n a n d S u k u m a r a n 's r e f -

o r m a tio n d u r in g th e ir a lm o s t 1 0 y e a r s i n B a l i 's K e r o b o k a n p r is o n . " T h e p re s id e n t s h o u ld g o in to it o n e b y o n e . Y o u c a n n o t ju s t re a d th a t o n p a p e rs a n d th e n m a k e a re je c tio n o r r e f u s a l ," h e s a i d . " T h a t 's n o t t h e w a y t o d o i t b e c a u s e w e a re ta lk in g a b o u t h u m a n life , s o w e s h o u ld n o t tre a t p e o p le , p e titio n e rs , a s n u m b e rs – tre a t th e m a s h u m a n b e i n g s ."

T h e A B C s a id s u c h a n a d m in is tra tiv e a p p e a l w a s th o u g h t to h a v e b e e n a tte m p te d o n ly o n c e b e fo re , in 2 0 0 8 , a n d fa ile d .

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or er ro k star ary l tter arr es at South ark ro Court in central London. fo rc e h im s e lf o n a g irl, w h o w a s a g e d u n d e r 1 0 a t th e tim e , i n t h e m i d -1 9 7 0 s .

T h e v ic tim o n ly c a m e fo rw a rd 2 0 y e a rs a fte r th e in c id e n t w h e n s h e s a w G a d d h a d a d m itte d in 1 9 9 9 to c h ild p o rn o g ra p h y c h a rg e s.

H e a ls o a tta c k e d tw o g irls , a g e d 1 2 a n d 1 3 , a f te r in v itin g th e m to h is d re s s in g ro o m w ith o u t th e ir m o th e rs .

O n e v ic tim , n o w in h e r 5 0 s , to ld th e c o u r t h o w G litte r, s m e llin g o f " b o o z e a n d c ig a re tte s " , h a d p u t h is a r m o v e r h e r, m a k in g h e r fe e l

" u n c o m fo r ta b le ".

C h ie f C ro w n P ro s e c u to r B a ljit U b h e y s a id G a d d h a d " a b u s e d h is a c c e s s to y o u n g fa n s in o rd e r to g iv e h im s e lf th e o p p o r tu n itie s to a s s a u lt a n da b u s e h is v ic tim s . " T h e b ra v e r y o f th e v ic tim s a n d o th e r w itn e s s e s in th is c a s e c a n n o t b e u n d e rs ta te d a n d th e ir te s tim o n y h a s b e e n v ita l in b r in g in g P a u l G a d d t o j u s t i c e ."

The singer was first jailed in 1 9 9 9 w h e n h e a d m itte d p o s s e s s in g 4 ,0 0 0 im a g e s o f c h ild p o r n o g ra p h y .

H e w a s d e p o r te d f ro m C a m b o d ia in 2 0 0 2 o v e r u n specified claims and convicted in V ie tn a m in 2 0 0 6 o f s e x u a lly a b u s in g tw o g irls , fo r w h ic h h e w a s s e n te n c e d to th re e y e a r s inj a il.

O n re tu r n in g to B r ita in , G litte r w a s p la c e d o n th e S e x O ffe n d e rs R e g is te r fo r life .

G litte r s h o t to fa m e in th e 1 9 7 0 s a n d h a d o v e r 2 0 h i t s i n g l e s i n c l u d i n g " I 'm t h e L e a d e r o f th e G a n g (I A m )", " I L o v e Y o u L o v e M e L o v e" a n d "C o m e O n C o m e In G e t O n ".

H e w ill b e s e n te n c e d o n Fe b r u a r y 2 7 a n d t h e n a t u r e o f h is o f fe n c e s m e a n s h e is lik e ly tof a c e a le n g th yj a il te r m .

P e t e r W a t t , f r o m c h i l d r e n 's c h a r ity th e N S P C C , a c c u s e d th e s in g e r o f b e in g " d e v io u s a n d m a n ip u la tiv e th ro u g h o u t t h i s t r i a l ." " T h a n k f u lly th e ju r y h a s s e e n th ro u g h a ll th e fa k e te a rs , a n d h is a tte m p ts to p a in t h is v ic tim s a s lia r s , g o ld d ig g e r s o r o p p o r t u n i s t i c f a n t a s i s t s ," h e a d d e d .

B ang kok Post

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14 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

onsu er onfi en e down slightly in January h e n e w y e a r h a s b ro u g h t w ith it a s lig h t d ro p in consumer confidence a f t e r a n 1 8 -m o n t h h i g h a t t h e e n d o f 2 0 1 4 , a c c o rd in g to th e la te s t re p o r t f ro m th e U n iv e rs ity o f th e T h a i C h a m b e r o f C o m m e rc e (U T C C ).

T h e U T C C ’s re p o r t fo r Ja n u a ry s h o w s th e c o n s u m e r confidence index fell to 80.4 p o i n t s f r o m 8 1 .1 i n D e c e m b e r , w h ic h w a s th e h ig h e s t s in c e 8 1 .6 in J u n e , 2 0 1 3 .

T h e d ro p is b la m e d o n lo w r ic e a n d r u b b e r p r ic e s a s well as weak export growth in Ja n u a ry . “ C o n s u m e r c o n f id e n c e tu r n e d a b r u p tly p e s s im is tic la s t m o n th a f te r th e N e w Y e a r c e l e b r a t i o n s ,” s a i d U T C C V i c e P re s id e n t T h a n a v a th P h o n v ic h a i. “ D e s p ite lo w e r p e tro l p r ic e s b rin g in g d o w n th e o v e ra ll c o s t o f liv in g , th e re is s till a la c k o f confidence due to the economy re c o v e r in g s lo w ly , w h ic h h a s w e a k e n e d p u rc h a sin g p o w e r u p c o u n t r y ,” s a i d T h a n a v a t h . “ T h e le n g th o f tim e n e e d e d to m a k e a fu ll re c o v e r y d e p e n d s o n g o v e r n m e n t d is b u rs e m e n t

o rubber r es are artly to bla e for the ro o su er o e e a uary says the ers ty of the ha ha ber of o er e to b o o s t th e e c o n o m y a t a tim e when exports and tourism have y e t t o r e c o v e r f u l l y ,” h e s a i d .

I n re s p o n s e to th e s lo w d o w n , P rim e M in is te r P ra y u t C h a n -O c h a h a s a s s i g n e d t h e C o m m e rc e M in is tr y to e v a lu a te p ro d u c t p r ic e s a n d s tim u la te s p e n d in g , e s p e c ia lly in th e tourism and export sectors.

T h e U T T C p re s id e n t s a id th e P r im e M in is te r’s a c tio n s s h o w s th a t th e g o v e rn m e n t h a s s ta r te d a c k n o w le d g in g

th a t e c o n o m ic re c o v e r y m a y be slower than expected.

T h e g o v e rn m e n t m u s t th e re fo re w o rk o u t m e a s u re s to h e lp e a s e th e c o s t o f liv in g fo r l o w -i n c o m e e a r n e r s , i n j e c t n e w m o n e y to s p u r th e e c o n o m y a n d a d d re s s u n e m p lo y m e n t d u r in g th e d r y s e a s o n , h e s a id . “ A m id h ig h h o u s e h o ld d e b t pressure, we don’t expect peop le ’s c o n s u m p tio n to r e c o v e r in the first uarter, as was earlier expected,” said Thanavath.

H o w e v e r, M r T h a n a v a th w a s c o n f id e n t th a t to u r is m in c o m e w o u ld b e g iv e n a b o o s t o n V a le n tin e ’s D a y a n d d u r in g C h in e s e N e w Y e a r, a d d in g th a t g o v e rn m e n t in v e s tm e n t o f B 1 0 0 -1 5 0 b i l l i o n i n m e g a p ro je c ts th is y e a r w o u ld a ls o s h o re u p e c o n o m ic g ro w th .

D e s p ite th e e a rly d o w n w a rd tre n d , M r T h a n a v a th s a id th e U T C C w a s m a in ta in in g its f u l l -y e a r f o r e c a s t f o r e c o n o m i c g r o w t h o f 3 .5 t o 4 p e r c e n t , predicting export growth of 1 to 2 p e r c e n t. “ A s lo n g a s th e re a re n o m o re d e m o n s tr a tio n s a n d p o litic s re m a in s m u te d , w e s till b e lie v e G D P c a n m a n a g e g ro w th o f b e tw e e n 3 .5 to 4 p e r c e n t th is y e a r ,” s a i d T h a n a v a t h , w h o s e p re d ic tio n s a re in lin e w ith th e B a n k o f T h a ila n d , w h ic h is p re d ic tin g 4 p e r c e n t g ro w th fo r 2 0 1 5 ; u p f ro m its e s tim a te o f 0 .8 p e r c e n t la s t y e a r.

A c c o rd in g to th e In te r n a t i o n a l M o n e t a r y Fu n d , T h a i la n d ’s G D P g r e w b y ju s t 0 .5 p e r c e n t la s t y e a r b u t is s e t to i m p r o v e t o 3 .5 p e r c e n t t h i s y e a r.

B ang kok Post

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Pile driving just got quieter: EIA approved Diamond Condominium are the rst ro erty y raul Stat a s be use re u ts a

e elo er souther ha la to use the e ro e tally fr e ly le r er syste he syste has rtually o o se or brat o as art of a o o o u so o o t e t to t o the e ro e t a e hbour ro ert es

Limelight Avenue offers indy shopping experience T H E L IM E L IG H T A V E N U E s h o p p in g m a ll o p e n e d its d o o r s la s t w e e k , in tro d u c in g a n e w laid-back shopping experience to P h u k e t T o w n .

L o c a te d a t th e s ite o f th e o ld I n d y M a rk e t (T a la d P o i K o n g ) o n D ib u k R o a d , a p o p u la r h a n g o u t w ith th e y o u n g e r c ro w d , th e n e w ‘life s ty le ’ mall is set to officially open in M a rc h .

H o w e v e r, a b o u t 6 0 p e r c e n t o f th e s h o p s in th e m a ll a re a lre a d y d o in g b u s in e s s , in c lu d in g a T o p s S u p e r m a rk e t. T h e remainder are expected to be f u lly u p a n d r u n n in g in tim e f o r th e m a ll’s g r a n d o p e n in g next month.

B u ilt a t a c o s t o f B 3 0 0 m illio n a n d c o v e r in g a to ta l o f 5 ,0 0 0 s q m , th e m a ll f e a t u r e s a r a n g e o f fo o d s ta lls , fa s h io n o u tle ts a n d s h o p s s e llin g a c c e s s o r ie s a n d n a tty s o u v e n ir s , s a id

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D U S IT IN T E R N A T IO N A L h a s a n n o u n c e d th e s ig n in g o f a h o te l m a n a g e m e n t a g re e ment (HMA) for the first-ever d u s itD 2 p ro je c t to b e lo c a te d in M y a n m a r.

S la te d fo r a 2 0 1 7 o p e n in g d a te , th e d u s itD 2 R e s id e n c e Y a n g o n is s itu a te d b e tw e e n th e c ity c e n tre a n d Y a n g o n I n te r n a tio n a l A ir p o r t. T h e re s id e n c e w ill o f fe r 3 0 0 u n its , a s p e c ia lty d in in g o u tle t, b a r, b u s in e s s lo u n g e a n d re c re a tio n a l fa c ilitie s in c lu d in g a g y m a n d s w im m in g p o o l.

D u s it h a s e n te re d in to th is H M A w ith re a l e s ta te d e v e lo p e r, M y a n m a r J P A s se t C o .

L td . T h e b u ild in g h a s b e e n d e s ig n e d b y Iid a A rc h ite c t S tu d io in J a p a n a n d th e c o n s tr u c tio n m a n a g e m e n t w ill b e h a n d le d b y K o k u s a i L a n d ( V ie tn a m ) L td .

D e s ig n e d a ro u n d th e c o n c e p t to “ fe e l c a lm A s ia n w in d s a n d e n j o y h e a r t f e l t h o s p i t a l i t y ,” la rg e w in d o w s o n th e g ro u n d oor give residents the feeling o f in d o o r /o u td o o r liv in g . T h e b u ild in g ’s a r c h ite c tu r e b le n d s w e ll in to th e s u r ro u n d in g l a n d s c a p e , w h i l e m u l t i -s t o r e y v e r tic a l s k y g a rd e n s c o n tin u e th e in d o o r /o u td o o r th e m e .

T h e p o o l, b a r a n d g y m a re p o s itio n e d in th e to p s to re y s s o th a t re s id e n ts c a n ta k e in b re e z y , s c e n ic v ie w s o v e r

p ro p r ie to r P h a n e e K o is o m b o o n o f L im e lig h t M a n a g e m e n t L td .

O n c e f u lly o p e r a tio n a l, th e m a ll w ill fe a tu re a d o z e n o r s o fo o d s ta lls , 1 5 fa s h io n o u tle ts a n d a n o p e n a ir z o n e th a t p a y s tr ib u te to th e o ld I n d y M a rk e t o n w h ic h th e m a ll is b u ilt.

M s P h a n e e s a id s h e w a s confident that Limelight Ave n u e w o u ld b e a s u c c e s s a s it g ro w s in p o p u la r ity o v e r tim e , a d d in g th a t m o re L im e lig h t m a lls c o u ld b e in th e p ip e lin e fo r P h u k e t if th e c o n c e p t p ro v e d s u c c e s s f u l. “ I t ’ s w h a t p e o p l e w a n t ,” s a id M s P h a n n e .

L im e lig h t A v e n u e o p e n s f ro m 1 0 a m u n til 1 0 p m d a ily w ith th e T o p s S u p e r m a rk e t o p e n in g f ro m 6 :0 0 a m u n til m id n ig h t. T h e m a ll a ls o h a s a 2 4 -h o u r c o f f e e s h o p , T o m “ n ’ T o m C o ffe e , a s w e ll a s o n -s i t e p a r k i n g .

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O n th e s ig n in g , M r M a s a m i Hatae, Chief Executive Officer o f M y a n m a r J P A s s e t C o , s a id , “ T h e d u s itD 2 in Y a n g o n w ill be the first property in the city to c o m b in e th e b e s t o f w a rm A s ia n h o s p ita lity a n d c u ttin g e d g e d e s i g n . T h e m u l t i -c u l t u r a l c o lla b o ra tio n b e tw e e n th e T h a i h o s p ita lity m a n a g e m e n t b ro u g h t b y D u s it, th e s o p h is tic a te d b u ild in g d e s ig n b y o u r J a p a n e s e a rc h ite c ts a t Iid a S tu d io , th e J a p a n e s e p ro je c t c o n s u ltin g a n d c o n s tr u c tio n m a n a g e m e n t b y K o su k a i L a n d and the excellent cooperation o f o u r lo c a l M y a n m a r p a r tn e r s w ill e n s u re th e p ro je c t is a tr u ly g re a t s u c c e s s , b r in g in g to g e th e r th e v e r y b e s t o f A s ia n i n n o v a t i o n a n d h o s p i t a l i t y .” “ W e a re v e r y p le a s e d to

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in tro d u c e th e d u s itD 2 b r a n d in Y a n g o n w h ic h w ill b e a tre m e n d o u s a d d itio n to o u r p o r t f o l i o ,” a d d s D u s i t I n t e r n a tio n a l D ire c to r o f H o te l B u s in e s s D e v e lo p m e n t, M r R y a n C h e n . “ O u r te a m w ill w o rk c lo s e ly w ith th e d e v e lo p e r a n d a ll s ta k e h o ld e r s to e n s u re th e d e liv e r y o f a s u c c e s s f u l p ro je c t.

W ith th e g ro w th o f M y a n m a r’s to u r is m in d u s tr y , w e tr u ly lo o k fo r w a rd to s h o w c a s in g D u s it’s w o r l d -r e n o w n e d h o s p i t a l i t y i n t h i s c h a r m i n g c i t y .”

T h e o p e n in g o f th e d u s itD 2 R e s id e n c e Y a n g o n w ill b r in g th e to ta l n u m b e r o f h o te ls u n d e r th e d u s itD 2 b ra n d to n in e , jo in in g th e lik e s o f th e d u s itD 2 C h ia n g M a i, T h a il a n d , d u s i t D 2 Fu d u B i n h u C h a n g z h o u , J ia n g s u , C h in a a n d d u s itD 2 N a iro b i, K e n y a . thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

BUSINESS NEWS 15

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Phuket to target ASEAN tourists Nattha Thepbamrung reporter3@classactmedia.co.th

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Charn Issara Group to add Baba Beach Club to portfolio CHARN ISSARA DEVELopment Public Company Limited, last Saturday (February 7) announced its plan to extend the world-renowned Sri panwa resort by adding 2 more buildings with the total value of B900 million.

There will also be a brand new project named Baba Beach Club in Phang Nga province, which is a joint venture between Charn Issara Development Public Company Limited and Junfa Real Estate – a leading real estate company from China. The mentioned project will comprise of a beach club hotel, beachfront and pool villas, etc. The total value of the whole project is approximately B3 billion, with Charn Issara Development Co.,Ltd. holding 70 per cent of the share.

To make this even more exciting, the two parties will continuously invest and expand the Baba Beach Club brand to the Cha-am area. The nature of this business will be hotel and hospitality, which can be considered as a sub-brand of Sri Panwa. The value of this new project is around B1.029 billion and is expected to open in the beginning of 2017.

Mr Vorasit Issara, Managing Director of Sri panwa Management Company Limited, said, “Currently, our Sri panwa business is going very

@thephuketnews

well and our market share has reached higher than expected.

“Despite the economic crisis in Europe, there has been an increase in tourists travelling from Asia, especially from China.

“With a variety of customers using our services, a stable purchasing power for tourism at high-end and premium levels, outstanding services that impress every guest whom we have welcomed to the Sri panwa hotel, as well as a continual practice of public relations, have maintained our world-renowned reputation for our excellency, with the rate of 40 per cent for return guests.”

As for the expansion plan to Baba Beach Club, Mr Vorasit said, “We will definitely maintain the standard to be the same as Sri panwa’s. The difference will be the location and concept of the hotel.

Baba Beach Club will target young customers who

will enjoy the “hip & chill” atmosphere of the hotel.

“Within the next 15 years from now, I also expect to see the growth of Baba brand all across China, which should attract investors from various countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and China itself.”

“The year 2015 is expected to be a better year for real estate market, and will be packed with challenges for all developers as they will need to compete in q uality, designs, locations, etc.

“Such challenges inspire the Charn Issara Group to continue to improve our business in order to win the hearts of our target groups.

“Meticulous designs, remarkable locations, top-q uality materials, and great partners aiming to reach the same goals as ours, are the key components that have been keeping up Charn Issara to its long-term success,” Mr Songkran concluded.

s Phuket prepares to become a member of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Phuket Governor, Nisit Jansomwong has an idea he believes will bring more tourists from ASEAN countries.

Details of the idea were revealed at a meeting held last Tuesday (February 3) to prepare official sectors across the island for the AEC which comes into effect later this year.

Governor Nisit said, “I believe that Phuket people are good at adapting to different situations.

“The upcoming AEC, which will blend us together with our nine neighboring countries who have different languages, cultures and traditions is a challenge for which we will have to be well prepared. “ fficial sectors are still working in the Thai language only but I have ordered all official websites for hu et be at least bilingual with Thai and English.

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“ fficers in all departments should be able to communicate in English. The Damrongthem Center is sure to have to deal with cases of foreigners, especially under the AEC,” he said.

Phuket’s tourism relies on major groups such as Chinese and Russian, and whenever these countries face an economic crisis, Phuket will be affected directly.

“There will be around 600 million members of the community. If we can make Phuket their destination, our economy will be more stable.

“Last year we made around B20 billion which is q uite low compared to previous years.

I think we should pay more attention to our neighbours,”

said Gov Nisit.

He concluded by stating that Phuket gets low income from tourists of ASEAN countries. Howe er, official sectors in Phuket as well as private businesses can help promote more of Phuket’s selling points to neighbouring tourists.

“For example, there are an average of 300 Chinese tourists per month who visit for health checks at Bangkok Hospital as they trust our service.

“There are European guests who return to hotels 13–14 times because they are impressed by the standards.

“We have the potential to develop in many ways, and we should present this to countries nearby,” he said.

16 WEIRD NEWS

THE BIG LIST Body Rockin’ Some people like to change who they are, from the outside in, and have no qualms about showing it off. These are the ones that caught our eye, whether it’s to prove a point or simply part of their fetish.

Tongue piercings: So many people have tongue piercings, it’s become a bit passe. But one customer at Starlight Tattoo in New Jersey took this to the next level by piercing their tongue with 16 spikes that will haunt your nightmare.

Spread around the tongue like a second set of metal teeth, this picture was actually taken two years ago. The unnamed customer has since upped the ante and added two more spikes for a grand total of 18.

Fat an d back: The story of former Austrlian underwear model Paul James is chronicled in the documentary, Fa t a n d B a c k .

He intentionally gained 50 per cent of his body weight, went from 80kg to 120kg in six months, only to attempt to work his way back to shape by the end of the 12 month cycle – all in an effort to better understand the mindset of obese people. While losing the weight, this personal trainer also recruited an obese woman to help her get fit as well.

Eye tattoo: This conjures images of Big Brother knocking down your door and scanning eyeballs to track your movements. But there are people in this world who allow themselves to get tattoos on the cornea of their eye, though it it mostly for cosmetic reasons. Originally developed in the 19th century as a way to improve sight, eye tattoo’s have become a way to effectively cover up eye defects. Still there are many who choose to black out their eye balls for the sake of looking like a zombie. So there’s that.

Tongue splitting: Also known as tonq ue bifurcation, it’s easy to describe: when a tongue is split into two.

The split is made through scalpeling or surgical laser while self-modifiers achieve the looks by gradually tightening nylon bindings inserted through their tonq ue piercing over a long time.

Though it req uires a high pain tolerance, it is also – unlike most of this list – permanent.

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

“Red Skull” shaves down his own beak

S

ome comic book fans dress up like their favourite characters. Not Henry Damon – he takes it to another level.

The Caracas, Venezuelanative underwent several operations to look like his favourite supervillain, Red Skull from Captain America lore.

Among the many procedures the 37-year-old has had done, cutting off part of his nose might not be the most noticeable. In addition, to the nose shaving, he

has several subdermal implants on his forehead and silicone implants on his cheekbones and chin.

To top it all off, Damon has tattooed his face in blue and red for colour.

“Henry, aka Red Skull, is a physically and intellectually healthy person,” said his doctor, Emilio Gonzalez. “He’s an excellent son, husband and father, who has an extreme taste for body modification.”

Henry Damon has gone through several procedures.

Pregnant baby gets twins Barbershop gives removed – medical journal punishment cuts TWO FOETUSES WERE removed from a baby girl in Hong Kong in 2010 after it was found that she was born “pregnant” with twins.

At just three weeks old, the girl – who was born to Chinese mainland parents – underwent successful surgery and was discharged just eight days later from the hospital, according to the Hong Kong Medical Journal.

Doctors removed the foetuses, which weighed 14.2 grammes and 9.3 grammes, respectively. Each had an umbilical cord, legs, arms, a spine, intestines, skin, and a rib cage. The report says that the foetuses were about eight to 10 weeks gestated.

According to the report, the condition – called feotus or foetu – occurs about one in every 500,000 births in

the worlds and less than 200 cases have ever been reported.

“It was almost impossible to detect during the prenatal check-up, as the emrbyo inside the baby was too small,” said Dr Y u Kai-man, a specialist in obstetrics and gyneacology.

“Since it is impossible for the little girl to have conceived the pregnancy on her own, the fertilisation of the twin fetuses, of course, belongs to her parents, which has gone to the wrong place.”

Though the report says it is not exactly known how the phenomena happens, it suggests a possible link to the mother’s multiple abortions.

“The widespread use of antenatal ultrasound in early gestation may provide more concrete evidence... and shed light on this intriguing condition,” the report said.

AN EFFORT TO DISCIpline kids who misbehave, a barbershop in Snellville, Georgia in the southern US has started to offer the “Benjamin Button Special”.

The haircuts at A-1 Kutz are designed to make the kids looks like a balding older man and are intended to embarrass the child into acting properly.

Photos of the haircut were posted on Instragram by the barbershop’s owner, Fred, with a caption that read, “So u wana act grown...well now u look grown too”.

Fred told a local TV news st at ion t h at h is 12-year-old son was the first to recei e the haircut after he started acting up in school.

“Y ou got to be creative

with your discipline, you can’t touch them for fear of the police and law enforcement getting involved.

I don’t whoop my kids so that was the way I chose to discipline him at the time.

After customers and parents saw the haircut, they asked him to cut their kid’s hair like that as well. That’s when the Benjamin Button Special started taking off.

“I think that’s fitting, without beating the kid and abusing them. I’m sure that [ the kid] will behave himself right now,” said one customer of A-1 Kutz during a local TV segment.

As for Fred’s son, the haircut led to fantastic results.

“My son’s grades came up dramatically. I think it worked very well,” he said.

Lion attacks tamer during show in Egypt Body suspension: Imagine large sterilised metal hooks piercing through your skin. Now picture yourself hanging from your skin for a several minutes. This is body suspension and it’s been used in ancient cultures for millenia. Several have described the experience of being hung by the skin (usually from their back) as “cathartic” or “therapuetic”.

While there are several different ways one could hang, the practice is much safer than it looks. Former J a n e ’ s Ad d i c t i o n and R e d H o t C h i l i Pe p p e r s guitarist Dave Navarro is an advocate of body suspension.

A LION TAMER IN EGY PT escaped suffered minor injuries after one of the animals attacked her during a show.

Faten El-Helw was dancing in the ring during her routine at the show, which took place in Tanta, Egypt last week. In a video uploaded on Y ouTube. com, El-Helw is seen inside the ring surrounded by two lions when one of the animals sud-

denly jumps on the performer amid screams and yells from the audience.

El-Helw, whose family has a long history of taming lions, left an area hospital just hours after the attack and recovered well enough that she managed to perform the next week.

In an ironic twist, ElHelw’s husband was killed in a similar attack back in 2004. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Living with a Celiac disease diet

5

Get crafty this V-Day with heart pencils

THE TRUTH What really goes on behind the scenes of a dolphinarium > Page 2

A group of Phuket residents head to Taiji, Japan, to uncover the the daily atrocities inflicted on cetaceans. @thephuketnews

7

2 COMMUNITY

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

The truth about dolphin trade

I

t’s one thing to voice opposition to the planned ‘Nemo’ dolphinarium already built near Phuket Zoo in Chalong, but it’s really something incredible to then actively seek out the truth behind the reasons why the dolphinarium is morally wrong.

Last week a group of Phuket residents made up of local business people, school children and parents made the long trip over to the small fishing village, Taiji in Japan, where the documentary The Cove was filmed. The film uncovered the daily atrocities inflicted on cetaceans in this sleepy community.

The objectives of the visit by the Phuket group was to witness first hand what happens to dolphins on a daily basis, to understand the captivity trade process and to see the drive hunt that leads to the slaughter of thousands of dolphins annually. The group also wanted to see Taiji and its people to try and understand their perspective. However, the main objective was to present a letter to the Major of Taiji and tell him that Phuket does not want the wild dolphins caught in Taiji in a Phuket dolphinarium.

Eight children aged six to 13-yearsold, accompanied by a handful of parents and teachers from the Gecko Community School in Thalang, became ‘Mini Cove Monitors’ for the duration of their stay for Ric O’ Barry’s Dolphin Project.

Ric’s group has a presence of volunteers on the ground in Taiji throughout the hunting season (September - March).

The tasks of a cove monitor are to witness and communicate to the world in real time what is happening in Taiji.

The Dolphin Project has a non-confrontational approach and are respectful to the people and authorities of Japan at all times.

Each day as a Cove Monitor feels like Groundhog Day, yet the drives can be so different from day to day. Each day starts early with a 5am wake up to get to Taiji harbour when the fishermen leave at daybreak. There are 12 hunting boats in total, so once they have left; we know that the day can pan out in several ways but mostly not in a good way.

The next stage is to relocate and find a high vantage point to watch the boats on the horizon with binoculars; sometimes for several hours. Once a formation of boats is spotted, it is highly likely that a pod of dolphins or whales has been seen and a drive hunt is almost imminent. There were a couple of days during my Cove Monitor stint when the

The team had to endure some shocking sights during their visit to Taiji, this was one of the worst. fishermen came back empty handed, and we call these precious days a “blue cove” day.

Once the hunters have spotted a pod of dolphins they begin the ‘dolphin drive hunt’. The method is a highly effective way of locating, capturing and killing the dolphins, sometimes a hundred or more dolphins can lose their freedom this way in a single day.

When a pod of dolphins swims by, the fishermen position their boats one behind the other, perfectly evenly spaced.

Then they lower several steel poles into the water, one on each side of each boat.

The poles are flared out at the bottom like a bell, which amplifies the sound produced when the hunters repeatedly hit the poles with hammers. The noise creates a wall of sound underwater, and as dolphins are primarily sonic oriented beings they abruptly find themselves surrounded between this wall of sound and the shoreline.

From this point on there’s just an overwhelming feeling of hope and trepidation that takes over. You can see it all happening miles off the coast and that helps detach emotions from the job in hand, but then the next stage is to move down to the harbour wall and see the distressed, terrified pod being herded into the coast. This is when the day suddenly hits you. You can see the dolphins slowing down, they’ve been cruelly chased from several miles offshore and you clearly can see that they are exhausted.

From the harbour the infamous ‘Kill-

The Phuket team with some Japanese activist on red cove day.

ing Cove’ is just minutes away. We now move around to the beach at The Cove so we can see the hunters chase the pod into the mouth of the cove. Once they are in, their fate is sealed with several layers of netting preventing the dolphins escaping.

From the beach at the cove you can’t see much. However, on one of the days the Gecko children and I did witness one fisherman in a ‘skiff’ (similar to a long tail boat) get really frustrated with the dolphins trying to escape and he literally ran over them with his propeller, this was shocking and a stark reminder that this is not a humane kill, not one bit of it is done with an ounce of compassion or regard for the dolphin and the torture it is enduring. This is what makes the slaughter so hard to watch. Writing this now is literally taking me hours because recounting it in my mind’s eye brings me to tears each time. My stomach is churning, my breath quickening and my head is pounding. The lump in my throat is getting bigger.

It’s impossible not to put yourself in the dolphin’s position. They are highly intelligent and emotionally responsive beings. They feel fear, confusion and pain. They long to be with their families, they are pod animals in closely-knit communities and have their own way of communicating. To see small calves torn away from their mothers and the sheer will and determination to survive is truly one of the most sickening things I have ever experienced.

Once the dolphins are pushed right

into the shallows of the killing cove, plastic tarps are now pulled around so the activist groups and the Japanese tourists that come to Taiji can’t see the bloody mess that takes place. There’s the last look out point to get to, which is high enough to offer views down into the cove. From here we see the struggle. We see divers grab dolphins that are tangled in the nets trying to escape. It’s the end.

The cove then runs red.

Some of you will be wondering what this has to do with dolphinariums. They don’t just kill dolphins at Taiji. The pretty and popular species such as the bottle nose and albino dolphins are captured and sold for large sums of money to the 50 or so dolphinariums in Japan and all around the world. Poignantly, my first impression of this town is that the locals celebrate cetaceans. From the moment you step off the train there are colourful murals of dolphins and whales, numerous statues and even a whale museum.

This town simply must adore cetaceans.

Wrong.

The whale museum holds captive dolphins for visitors’ amusement in the tiniest and dirtiest tanks I have ever seen. There is no stimulation for the dolphins at all. All they have in their lives is feeding times, for which they have to do tricks for the crowds to earn their food. You may think that witnessing the slaughter would be the most horrific thing to experience, but seeing these dolphins swimming around and around their tiny and filthy tanks and imploring us to help them is actually the saddest thing I have ever experienced.

The dolphin shows that happen throughout the day can be heard at exactly the same time as the noise of the engines, the banging poles and the dolphins thrashing for their lives, literally around the corner in the killing cove.

There are tourists enjoying looking at cute dolphins a mere three-minute walk from the killing cove. It is this bittersweet irony that makes this whole place seem completely illogical.

I am convinced beyond a shadow of doubt that if Phuket opens a dolphinarium it will be a huge and damning message to the world. I certainly will not be able to sleep at night knowing that the Taiji dolphins are there. Will you?

If you’re asking yourself what you can do, it’s quite easy. Do not buy tickets to any dolphin shows or circuses, or ‘swim with dolphins’ programmes.

Swimming with dolphins does not help cure ailments or mental illness anymore than petting a puppy. As Ric O’Barry says: “The dolphin smile is nature’s greatest deception. It creates the illusion that they’re always happy. I think this multi-billion dollar captivity industry is built on that optical illusion.”

Finally, Molly and Ashley from Gecko community wanted me to deliver these messages to you: “We are just kids trying to make a difference. You are adults and you have greater power than us to make a change”.

“Being a mini cove monitor I’ve seen for myself what horrible things the fishermen do to the dolphins, let’s stop it together.”

Words by Natasha Eldred and Gecko Community children Photos courtesy of dolphinproj ect. net thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

DINING 3

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

The delights of Somtam Kai Kem STREET EATS Nattapat Tuarob reporter4@classactmedia.co.th

Clockwise from top: Yum Tua Phu Goong Sod - Spicy Winged beans ; Laab-Moo - Spicy Minced Pork. and shrimp ; and Fried Chicken.

@thephuketnews

S

omtam or spicy papaya salad is one of Thailand’s signature dishes; a favourite among Thais and with many foreigners. The variety of somtam dishes is vast. Some people prefer it sweet and sour; others prefer it spicy.

Bought from a street stall, a dish of somtam costs about 30 baht but expect to pay up to 100 baht in a fancy restaurant.

For this edition of Street Eats, we take a trip to Somtam Poo Ma 2, a local restaurant run by a somtam lover dedicated to serving up the national dish in all its different forms.

Somtam Poo Ma 2 is run by Aree Wanitwongsa, 50, a former beauty salon owner with a passion for the national dish.

Ms Aree was inspired to open her own somtam eatery after sampling the dish from various vendors around the island, but the general lack of hygienewould often upset her stomach. Somtam Poo Ma 2 was her answer to the problem.

“We sampled many dishes but, I fell for Somtam Kai Kem (salted eggs), because it’s not too spicy. Instead, this dish is salty, sweet, and sour all at the same time.

On special nights, the restaurant serves the somtam of its namesake, Horseshoe Crab Somtam (Somtam Poo Ma).

As well as fresh crab, this dish includes Yum Pla Duk Foo (crispy catfish with green mango).

Somtam Poo Ma 2 is open daily 10.30am - 10.30pm, except for the 26th and 27th of each month. For

reservations, call 081-607-8663. The eatery is situated on the opposite side of

the New Kathu Fresh Market. Delivery is also available.

4 EDUCATION

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

HeadStart gives for gibbons

S

tudents at HeadStart International School welcomed Gibbon Rehabilitation Project volunteer Mr Michael to their school last week to talk about the plight of the gibbons at the sanctuary in Pak Klhok.

Every first Friday of the month, students are allowed to wear casual clothes and are encouraged to make a small donation to a charity.

The students gave generously and the Gibbons will be happy to be receiving approximately B15,000 for the cause.

The international schools enjoying the day.

The Inception Cup

O

n Sunday February 8, the only mechanical live room escape game provider in Thailand, the Chamber of Secrets, organised a unique, competitive programme international students all over Phuket.

“Inception” is the name of the programme created by the company as a team-building exercise for groups of students or staff from companies and organisations to enjoy.

In this latest competition, 30 students aged 12 to 14 years old, and 20 teachers were representing five renowned international schools, namely: British International School Phuket; Kajonkiet International School; QSI International School; Darasamuth Phuket School (English Programme); and Phuket International School & Kindergarten.

The students, accompanied by teachers, were grouped in different

teams named after capital cities, such as Melbourne, Rio, Paris, New York and Moscow. The activities involved problem-solving, logical puzzles, and team-work.

The challenges allowed the students to test their intellectual and observational capacity while simultaneously being entertained in the live escape game rooms, and with fun outdoor activities.

Darasamuth Phuket School were the champions of the day, winning the “Inception Schools’ Cup”.

Achieving the first and second runner-up positions were Kajonkiet International School and British International School Phuket.

Kajonkiet donates resources to Baan Koh Lon School

T

eachers and students at Kajonkiet International School Phuket visited Baan Koh Lon School on Wednesday February 4 to deliver resources and equipment that were donated during their Children’s Day activities.

T h e s m a ll s c h o o l ts a n d th re e te a c h lin e in s tu d e n t n u le a v in g th e is la n d ts u n a m i.

T h e s c h o o l is in m n d re s o u rc e s to te a c e c tiv e ly .

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d e n d e c p le in g a f d

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h a s ju s e rs , a n m b e rs sin c e

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u c h n e e d o f b o o k s h th e c h ild re n e fto o k p a rt in a c re n b e fo re s ittin g h e r.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

HEALTH 5

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

My Life with Celiac disease XXXXXX HEALTH XXXXX MATTERS

Siham Semaan Siham C. Semaan sihamsemaan@gmail.com sihamsemaan@gmail.com

With my husband’s support and my family’s care, I was able to regain my energy and started to feel better only a few weeks into my gluten-free diet.

I

was born in a traditional Lebanese family where everything rotated around food; Christmas dinners, Sunday lunches, and everyday home cooking. My relationship with food was always a love/ hate relationship. I love food but it always caused me discomfort and pain.

In my childhood years, I was anaemic and the doctors would tell my mother to give me iron supplements, and to feed me spinach and red meat. My teenage years were years of migraines and joint pain.

The doctors would attribute that to “part of growing up”. I got married in 1987, I was 22 years old and I had my son one year later. In 1992 when I was pregnant with my daughter, my doctor said that I would need a blood transfusion during delivery because of my severe anaemia. I was sick throughout my pregnancy and I was very weak. Luckily, I had a healthy baby girl, but I lost all my energy after giving birth.

Years passed and every year I would undergo endless medical and lab tests. The results were always the same: severe anaemia without knowing the reason, stomach lining inflammation, and horrible headaches.

My nails were brittle and my hair was falling into clumps, but nobody could tell me what was wrong with me.

In 1999, my husband and I met a family doctor at a social event. I don’t want to say it was a coincidence, I would rather say it was “God’s mercy” to save me from my misery. The doctor was looking into my medical history with both concern and interest. It was a challenging case for him. He asked for one more endoscopy but this time to go deeper with the scope, down into my “duodenum”.

After a few weeks when we had all the results, the doctor welcomed us with a very serious face, and he said, “Well Siham, in all my years as a medical doctor, I haven’t met one single patient with your case. I only heard of the disease you have in textbooks while I was at medical school. What you have is Celiac disease or the Sprue”. I did not understand what he was saying, Celiac disease, what is that?

Who has an allergy on wheat? People have been eating wheat for thousands of years and nothing happened to them? Why am I different?

Slowly but surely, I learnt how to follow a glutenfree diet. With my husband’s support and my family’s care, I was able to regain my energy and started to feel better only a few weeks into my gluten-free diet.

Everything was better, my mood, my stomach pain, my attitude – even my children could feel the change.

They were getting to know a new mother, a mother who has energy, who can play with them, laugh with them, study with them, and spend quality time with them.

Finally, we had peace at home! I have been on a glutenfree diet for more than 15 years now. And I see that my mission is to shed the light on the real meaning of Celiac disease and what it can do to your body.

What is gluten? How does the body react to gluten?

The body reacts to gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, as if it were a poison. The immune system reacts to the protein by destroying the duodenum (a small part of the small intestine responsible for the absorption of vital nutrients from food). The malabsorption leads to serious illnesses.

What is the treatment for Celiac disease? The only treatment is a gluten-free diet. A person suffering from Celiac cannot eat wheat, barely, and rye. A Celiac patient should also avoid oats unless they are certified gluten-free. Moreover, he or she should avoid all processed and ready-made foods because they contain gluten in a hidden way. For example, soya sauce has gluten. Processed ham and turkey slices could contain gluten. Liquorice has gluten. Most ice creams have gluten. Some ketchups and HP sauces have gluten. Readymade salad dressings have gluten. Some store-bought

Santosa Wellness Center

A person suffering from Celiac cannot eat wheat, barley, rye, as per the top two images (pancakes, bread). Bottom: glutenfree ice-cream. @thephuketnews

With views of the Andaman Sea, the Santosa Wellness Center features state-of-the-art facilities, the centre boasts a fivestar raw and vegetarian restaurant, a juice and coffee bar, eight colon hydrotherapy rooms, a pavilion with an expansive range of healthy activities, a herbal steam sauna, and a plunge-style ice bath. santosaphuket.com

potato chips have gluten. Some candy brands have gluten.

How to live a healthy and happy life with Celiac disease? Be very strict with your gluten-free diet. Eat a healthy diet with a variety of fruit and vegetables.

Exercise every day to keep your joints in good shape. Start preparing your own meals. Do your annual blood tests to check your iron levels, your calcium, and all the minerals in your body. Follow blogs and websites about Celiac disease and gluten-free cooking. Enjoy dining out, but do not forget to mention that you have Celiac disease. In restaurant language, it’s called a “gluten-allergy”.

Many restaurants in Phuket are very aware of this condition and cater to your needs. Just be patient and stick to your

diet. It will become a way of life!

A couple of months ago, I started a blog called Bake Free. The purpose of this blog is to share Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean gluten-free and dairy-free recipes. Moreover, the blog shares articles and tips about Celiac disease. The blog is bilingual, English and Arabic.

Keep in mind that “Feeling healthy and feeling good about yourself is not a luxury. It’s an absolute necessity.”

Visit my blog on www.bakefree.co and like my Facebook page on www.facebook.com/bakefreecompany or write me on info@bakefree.co if you have an inquiry about Celiac disease or glutenfree cooking.

6 VALENTINE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Our guide to a fabulous V-Day in Phuket Dalia Hilmi editor1 @classactmedia.co.th

No Valentine’s Day would be complete without a small romantic gift courtesy of Kata Rocks...

Below: Kata Rocks.

S

Saint Valentine (Latin: Valentinius) is a widely recognised third-century Roman saint commemorated on February 14 and associated since the High Middle Ages with a tradition of courtly love. The day of romance we call Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century, but has origins in the Roman holiday Lupercalia.

So whether you’re into this holiday or not, we’ve put together a little guide for some Valentine’s Day ideas; for the single gals and guys, as well as some romantic things to do for couples.

Reserve... A romantic dinner for you and your lover. Get touchy-feely (with your food) at this sensual romantic setting.

Kata Rocks is serving up “food of love” and romantic recipes for two this V alentine’s D ay. You and your lover can enjoy an amaz ing six-course dinner cooked by Chef Steven Baker (B10,000+ + a couple) with a choice of a bottle of white, red or sparkling wine.

Anantara Spa. Be kind... D o something noble this V alentine’s D ay and join the “Give out V alentine’s Project”. Here, you’ll be able to get in touch with your crafty side and make heart pencils.

The best part? You’ll be helping to raise funds for homeless dogs all the while making yourself happy as well! (see page 7 ).

Socialise... At Higher in Patong and enjoy an elegant, delicious meal in a relaxing atmosphere. When you’re nice and full, walk downstairs for some cocktails at Seduction.

(Fo r r e s e r v a t i o n s c a l l 0 9 3 5 8 1 8 1 6 2 ).

Roses will be everywhere, presented to females guests arriving for dinner at luxury resort.

And no Valentine’s Day would be complete without a small romantic gift courtesy of Kata Rocks, an ideal complement to a beautiful evening. (For reservations, visit katarocks.com/)

Party... At Love Nightlife, which has beccome a bit of an annual tradition for single Aussie’s in Sydney and they’ve just brought it over to Patong. For any singletons who’d rather spend the most romantic night of the year wielding a paddle than crying into a family-siz ed bag of chocolate, then head over to Love’s V alentine’s D ay Pool Party featuring D J Anny – U kraine’s hottest female export! J oin the biggest party at Phuket’s only open-air nightclub featuring a rooftop pool. (Fo r r e s e r v a t i o n s , p l e a s e v i s i t lo v e n ig h tlife .n e t/th a ila n d /p o o l/).

Watch... The movie that everyone is talking about, Fi f t y S h a d e s o f G r e y . This adult-oriented romanti novel t rned film was released in cinemas last night (February 12). Get in touch with your wild side and check it out!

Reserve... A romantic couples pampering experience at any one of the fabulous spas around the island; including Anantara Spa, The Spa at M ö venpick Resort & Spa, Zen Spa Club, J W M arriott and tons more. No one’s mastered the art of massage q uite like the Thais have, so make sure this is part of your V alentine’s D ay weekend.

If you’re looking for something a little less commercial, but still want a vibrant atmosphere, be sure to check out Timber Hut or Sanaeha in Phuket Town. Or better yet, if you take a stroll through some of the back roads you’re bound to be faced with a few romantic local delights!

The point is, whatever you’re looking for this Valentine’s Day, Phuket has got it. Even for those of you who just want to head somewhere and forget it’s even February 14th.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Above: Higher restaurant, above Seduction in Patong. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

VALENTINE 7

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

What the team are thinking...

Mango: Baba Nest, in Sri panwa, is a little rooftop bar where you catch one of the most beautiful sunsets. There is a wooden decking where you can just sit, drink a cocktail and take in the views of Panwa cape. The perfect place to spend Valentine’s Day with your special one.

Love is sharing Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

“L

ove is sharing” – a quote shared by a woman from the British International School Phuket. She spends her time creating things for children and homeless dogs in Phuket using heart handicraft pencils.

Chonnipa (Tal) Promlerd, 28, who works at BISP, will be joined by a group of her friends as they take part in the “Give Out Valentines Project”.

The event also took place last year, and she said, “I used to donate dog food, around 20 kilograms, but it wasn’t enough for the dogs. So I thought of an idea to make something

to sell instead.

“There are benefits from buying food. I know we can help others in various ways, but I choose the thing that I’m an expert at. Handicrafts.

“I believe that by sharing, we can spread happiness. So that’s why I decided to do this.” Funds raised will go towards the weekly “Give Out Park” event, which hosts fun activities and giveaways for children every Saturday at Phuket Provincial Community Hall.

Funds will also go towards food for homeless dogs at the Phuket dog pound in Bang Kanun.

“We expect to sell around 300 hearts. They cost B49 each. If I can

Alasdair: This year I’ll be watching the sunset from the top of a mountain in Nan Province in the North of Thailand with my wife.

JP: Family is the first thing on my mind on Valentine’s Day, mostly because, as a single person, it makes it easier when I cry myself to sleep. I usually send my mother flowers and buy a few cards for the pretty girls at 7/11.

Exciting stuff.

sell 250 heart handicrafts, then it’s good news for dogs on Valentine’s Day.” For more information or to join, call 095.037.5780 or email c.promlerd@ gmail.com.

Feel like a romantic stroll this V-Day?

P

Above: The Sunday Walking Street market (Lard Yai).

Below: Naka weekend market.

@thephuketnews

huket, already well-known for its fresh, succulent seafood, is rapidly gaining a reputation as a great place to find excellent Thai and international food in some very picturesque venues.

But, there’s nothing more authentic and cultural than taking it to the streets. Day or night, you will see famous street markets everywhere.

Along the beachfront, the roadside and at any major event. These intimate markets are a great way to get close to real local life with very little effort.

So, if nothing else, take a romantic stroll through one of our suggested markets and you’re sure to pick up a bargain or two, perhaps some fresh quality ingredients to whip up a delicious meal, or even some local sweets for dessert.

1. Lad Poi K hong, Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 4pm -10pm.

2. Weekend Market, otherwise know as the Naka Market.

3. Sunday Walking Street Market (Lard Yai) on Thalang Rd. A good day to walk around the old town.

4. And if the markets don’t tickle your fancy, then head to the Celebrity Valentine’s Jazz Concert at Central Festival.

Word on the street is a trio of celebrity singers will accompany musicians from the prestigious Bangkok Symphony Orchestra in a free V-Day jazz concert, on February 14 at the Grand Hall on Floor 1 starting at 6pm.

All are welcome to enjoy the free concert featuring live renditions of romantic classics in a variety of languages, including Thai, English, French, Latin and Chinese.

Matt: Having a 4-yearold boy makes Valentine’s Day pretty much like any other. But I’m sure my wife will be happy with her new wok and iron! ;-) Bobbie: Give love to those who need it the most. I will get some candies or cookies and give it the children at the Sansook community. Valentine’s Day is a great way to catch up with old friends too, maybe I’ll give them a call.

Maew: Valentine’s Day for me is all about spending time with your parents. The people who provide unconditional and true love to you.

Kamin: I will make a funny handmade card for my boyfriend, about how happy I am to be with him (like every year haha) and of course, buy a little gift for him as a surprise, something that I’ve noticed he has had his eye on for a while.

Dalia: Back home, I always enjoyed watching a DVD and indulging in a delicious takeaway. This year, I plan on drinking some buckets on the glorious sands of Koh Phi Phi for a friend’s birthday.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

8 DINING

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Welcome in the Chinese New Year with a celebratory dinner at Aziamendi

A

ziamendi, placed in the stunning grounds of Iniala Beach House, on Natai Beach, will begin its prestigious visiting guest chef programme on February 18 and 19, with a special collaboration with celebrity Thai Chef Ian Kittichai.

Aziamendi’s Chef de Cuisine, Alex Burger explains, “The concept of the ‘Four Hands’ degustation dinner will be a unified approach between Aziamendi and Chef Ian Kittichai to tell the story of our distinctive styles of gastronomy.”

Ian Kittichai began his career with the Waldorf in London before working for Four Seasons and winning acclaim in multiple international culinary competitions. He is well-known for hosting the weekly cooking show Chef Mue Tong (The Golden Hand Chef), which can be seen in over 70 countries. In addition, he is one of the permanent Iron Chefs on the Iron Chef Thailand TV show.

His restaurants include Namsaah Bottling Trust and Hyde & Seek Gastro Bar in Bangkok, Spot Dessert Bars in New York City, Mumbai’s KOH by Ian Kittichai, Singapore’s Tangerine at Resort World Sentosa and the acclaimed Issaya Siamese Club with its sister outlets, Issaya Cooking Studio and Issaya La Patisserie, in Bangkok.

Chef Ian Kittichai comments, “We

Above: Chef de Cuisine, Alex Burger.

Below: Chef Ian Kittichai.

Aziamendi Restaurant Interior. (the chefs) will connect our philosophies that are strongly influenced by local culture and available produce. We then will present it to diners on this auspicious occasion in the Chinese lunar year in such a beautiful setting.”

Dinner is priced at B5,000 ++. Spe-

cial wine pairing starts from an additional B3, 500 ++ per guest. Bookings are strongly recommended for this special event.

Please either call + 66 (0) 94 005 0654 or email reservations@aziamendi.com.

Wine challenge coming to Phuket

At Tre

5 Course Dinner 4,200 net per person including a bottle of Rosé Bubbly per couple RESERVATION +66 76 372400

l

FB-PHUKET@BANYANTREE.COM

Price are inclusive of service charge and government tax

BANYANTREE.COM

VALENTINE’S AT TRÉ, BANYAN TREE PHUKET Celebrate your love and dine under starry skies with a romantic 5-course gourmet dinner and a chilled glass of Rosé Bubbly while the sounds of violin lull you away. Celebrate Valentine’s Day in style at Tré French-Vietnamese restaurant, overlooking the serene lagoon of the luxurious DoublePool Villas. Thai Baht 4,200 net per person inclusive of a Rosé Bubbly per couple.

To make a reservation, call 076.372.400 or fb-phuket@banyantree.com www.banyantree.com

I

t is time to get competitive (in the best possible way) as the first “Phuket Annual Wine Options Challenge” (WOC) is coming to Kata Rocks, Phuket on Thursday, March 5.

The WOC is a friendly, entertaining and enjoyable team wine tasting event that celebrates group fun and the fruit of the vine.

Kata Rocks, along with BB&B and Class Act Media is delighted to cordially invite you to join them at Kata Rocks for this uproarious fun wine tasting game that allows novices as much chance of winning as veteran wine aficionados. However, event organisers do offer an important safety tip: be careful not to rubbish the all-powerful quiz master who has a low tolerance for wine snobs and other types of pretentious behaviour.

It is a team wine challenge where participants create team of four individuals with fun names and come to

compete against other squads.

The WOC is a series of multiplechoice questions on a total of eight wines. It’s fun and challenging and participants don’t have to be wine gurus to take part and enjoy the challenge.

In the game itself, the quiz master will present a series of increasingly precise options for teams to discover the identity of the wine being tasted.

A typical series of questions might include is it an “old world” or “new world” wine? What is the varietal Riesling, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc?

Did the wine come from Australia or America? Is the wine two years old or 10 years old?

The winning team will be presented a trophy which will have their team name engraved on it plus an overall winner’s prize. There will also be prizes for the best team name and for other participants as it’s about the wine, not just winning!

Kata Rocks will serve a delicious casual poolside BBQ buffet after the WOC event, for B1,200++ per person starting from 8pm. Reservations are strongly recommended for this special event.

For more information or to enter, please contact Khun Neung at awc@bbb. co.th or Scot Toon at generalmanager@ katarocks.com thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Dances with drongos GARDEN IN SIAM Alasdair Forbes execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

@thephuketnews

GARDENING 9

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

O

ne day last week we had a visit from a Greater Racket-tailed Drongo. We get a visit two or three times a week and it’s always a pleasure.

These birds are great. As juveniles they look fairly ordinary – black with a body length of about 32cm, and red eyes. But as they get to adulthood, they grow a prominent crest from the base of the beak, and two of their tail feathers grow and grow, until the tail is longer than the bird. These two feathers each consist of a naked shaft with a “racket” on the end – they really do look like badminton rackets.

In flight, they are aerobatic, twisting and turning to follow and swallow insects on the wing, their rackets twisting and fluttering behind. They’re also loud, with a big reper-

toire of noises – clicks, whistles, a scolding noise. They are also prodigious mimics, so you can often be fooled into thinking you have a blue-winged pitta or a green magpie in the garden, only to find it’s a drongo taking the piss.

But if you hear aloud fluting “diddle-oo-peep-peep” in your garden, it’s a greater racket-tailed drongo.

All the sounds are from the drongo apart from the “chackachackachacka“, a bit like a broken-down traction engine, which you’ll hear clearly at the beginning.

That’s a squirrel that seemed to take umbrage at the intrusion.

10 EXPLORE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

A Tour of South Phuket

JAMIE’S PHUKET Jamie Monk editor@classactmedia.co.th

W

e had some new visitors to Phuket recently. My aunt and uncle were in Thailand for the first time, staying 7 nights at the Centara Karon Resort which is a few minutes walk from the sands of Karon beach and a couple of kilometres up the road from my office at Sunrise Divers.

We had a couple of evenings with them visiting a few favourite places like Kopitiam and the After Beach Bar, but since it's high season I could only take one full day off that week. On the Sunday I drove to pick them up from the hotel for a little tour around some of the sights in the south of Phuket before heading to the beach in the late afternoon for my son's birthday party. And, as it happens, it was also my aunt's birthday. All photos on this page were taken on the same day.

This little tour covers a lot of beautiful scenery and is only a small corner of southwest Phuket. It was one of the first parts of Phuket that I explored when not diving. It was a very quiet area then, but even now the roads are not so busy and it's a nice area for a ride on a moped with lots of possible stopping off points.

It was nice to be a "tour guide" for half a day and this trip with my relatives helped me remember that Phuket really is a nice place to live! We started from Karon to the south, past Kata beach and then on the hilly, winding road along the coast to Nai Harn beach.

First stop was the well known Karon Viewpoint (also called "the Phuket Viewpoint" or Kata Viewpoint). And as you can see the weather was perfect, just what you'd hope for in January. Always

a great view from here looking north along the Phuket coastline. There are many great coastal views in Phuket.

From the viewpoint you drop down towards Nai Harn. This area has got so much more developed in the last 10 years, lots of restaurants, houses, a few resorts, and there are banks and local businesses. When the road gets to Nai Harn Lagoon, there is an option to turn right and stop at Nai Harn Beach, maybe visit Nai Harn temple or follow the coast round to the very small Ao Sane beach. But we headed on south. The road here is narrow and hilly. You climb from beach level up to about 50 metres above sea level where there's a wind turbine, a great view and not a lot of parking space! This is one of my favourite views in Phuket.

The view from the wind turbine viewpoint just south of Nai Harn beach can be seen in the top photo. The beach on the left side of the photo is Ya Nui Beach just to the south, and after taking in this great view on a great day, we stopped at Ya Nui for a quick drink. It's always been a fairly quiet place. The one beach-side restaurant has now gone, but there are a few places to eat and drink by the road - and the road is very small and quiet. Ya Nui has a few nearby bungalows, and other people come by car or moped for a relaxing beach day without too many crowds.

Just a few minutes drive from Ya Nui is Phromthep Cape, which is the "end of Phuket", the most south-westerly point

on the island and a very popular stop for sunset views. I actually think there are better places for a sunset, but that's another story! Certainly the views are lovely. I was disappointed this time, because the lighthouse was closed (normally you can climb up for a better view). A hike to the very end of the cape was not an option with a couple of "not so young" folks, but I do recommend it.

I did consider lunch at the Cape Phromthep restaurant. We have eaten there only once before and I do want to try it again sometime, but preferably at sunset. On this occasion, I thought we could try a place at Rawai Beach, just another five minute drive. Rawai Beach is changing too - more modern looking buildings on the beach road and a resort under construction. I chose a place called "Rimlay" for lunch towards the jetty end of Rawai Beach (east end), next door to the well known Nikita's restaurant.

Rimlay has some tables in the shade

right by the sea, looked ideal and I'd say my aunt and uncle thought so too!

I had a great seafood salad and (of course) a cold Chang. We sat by the sea and I thought "damn, Phuket is a great place!" I think i'll blog this restaurant a bit later, it's certainly one to visit again.

A very pleasant lunch. Time ticked by, a second cold beer was enjoyed and it was time to move on. We could have stopped at the Phuket Seashell Museum, but time was limited. We drove to Chalong and then up and up the hill to the Big Buddha. It was rather busy up there. My aunt had to borrow a sarong to cover her shoulders (they hand these out for free at the entrance). You are supposed to dress properly at temples. I saw a shirtless guy being stopped by "Big Buddha Security" and not allowed in without a shirt. The day continued to be hot with blue skies.

From the Big Buddha, given a little more time, a stop at Wat Chalong Temple would have been next on the list and between there and home there's also the Phuket Botanic Garden and the Bird Park. A bit too much for a day!

We had a party to get to, and so the Big Buddha was the last stop on this trip.

We stopped home to pick up the family, headed off for the party and the day ended with a stunning sunset.

This kind of tour is something I often suggest to people. This corner of Phuket has a lot to see, and the scenery is beautiful, plus there are loads of options for restaurants and bars - if you did this as an afternoon tour it would finish nicely with a sunset at a viewpoint or the After Beach Bar. It's a very nice part of Phuket away from the busier beaches, lots of places of interest, sea views and small beaches. Especially ideal if you have a hotel around Karon Beach or Kata Beach. It had been a while since I'd done a little tour like this and even for me, living here a long time, it was a lovely day!

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Second from top: Rimlay restaurant, towards the east end of Rawai Beach.

Bottom: Ya Nui Beach.

Read the full version at Jamie’s Phuket Blog, jamie-monk.blogspot. com. Jamie works at liveaboard dive specialists Sunrise Divers in Karon, 084 626 4646, sunrisedivers.com thephuketnews

12 TECHNOLOGY

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Batman’s Final Battle CHADDERBOX

Chad Nolan Meyers chadnolanmeyers@gmail.com

I

f you had the fortune of playing Batman: Arkham Asylum and/or Batman: Arkham City, then I know you are as excited as I am for this new entry into the series – Batman: Arkham Knight.

Developed by Britain’s Rocksteady Studies, Arkham Knight is the fourth installment in this series of Batman games, following Asylum, City, and the mostly forgotten Origins.

Using a wide variety of gadgets, martial arts techniques, and the cover of darkness, the “world’s greatest detective” is well-prepared to take on his final challenge.

Arkham Knight takes place a year after the events of Arkham City. Scarecrow has rigged Gotham City with bombs that set off with his infamous “fear toxin”, forcing a massive evacuation of the entire city. Batman and Commissioner Gordon are left to clean up the mess, and they will go against all the old favourites: Penguin, Two-Face and Harley Quinn, just to name a few.

Taking full advantage of the capabilities of next generation consoles, Arkham Knight allows for up to five times the number of

Fourth installment in series of Batman games, Arkham Knight, to be released in June. on-screen enemies that was possible in Arkham City, and riots can feature up to fifty on-screen enemies interacting with the environment to smash items and objects not to mention your Batman’s face. The technical changes also allow for cutscenes to be rendered in real time, where previous installments had used prerendered videos to compensate for the drag in console speeds on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Case in point, the technology behind both the PS4 and Xbox ONE allows Rocksteady Studios to dream up new ways for gamers to interact with the characaters

and dive into the story of the game, creating a fully-immersive experience.

Did I mention the Batmobile yet?

Yeah, this one’s got the Batmobile. It will perform jumps, speed boosts, rotate on the spot, smash through objects like barricades and trees, and, of course, can fire deadly missiles. Batman can even eject from the Batmobile and immediately begin gliding around.

Get ready to embrace the darkness.

Batman: Arkham Knight will be released on June 2 for the PS4, Xbox ONE, and PC.

Governments press Twitter for data, not Thailand or China

T

witter said last week it saw a 40 per cent jump in government request for user data in late 2014, with sharp rises coming from both Turkey and Russia.

But the popular messaging site said it received no requests at all from the military regime in Thailand - not for removal of messages, not for information on those posting messages.

China also made no requests to Twitter.

The “transparency report” released by the messaging platform showed the United States remained the largest source of data queries with 1,622 over the last six months of the year, but that notable increases came from Turkey and Russia.

The total number of requests globally was 2,871, up from 2,058 in the first six months of the year.

Turkey – which blocked Twitter and other social media last year for leaking data

about government corruption – vaulted to the number two spot with 356 requests, the Twitter report said.

In Russia, where authorities demanded last year that Twitter block “extremist” accounts, Kessel said, “We went from having never received a request to receiving more than 100 requests for account information during this reporting period.”

Twitter said the jump followed the passing of a “blogger’s law” in Russia that

requires those with more than 3,000 daily readers to register and adhere to stricter rules or face a large fine.

In both cases, Twitter reps said they did not provide any data.

In the United States, the number of requests increased by 29 per cent during the period, and Twitter complied in 80 per cent of those cases.

Japan was third with 288 requests, and Twitter complied in 36 per cent of those cases.

Twitter said Turkey made the largest number of requests to take down content -328 of the global total of 376.

Twitter was required by the Turkish courts to remove at least some material in 50 percent of the cases.

Globally, it took down content in 13 percent of cases.

AFP

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

IN

B RI EF

Plans set for live-action Zelda series

Film and TV streaming website Netf lix is reportedly in talks with Nintendo Gaming Co. to develop a live-action series of the popular videogame Zelda.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the series would have a similar feel as Game of Thrones but for a family audience.

After the original Zelda hit shelves in 1987, Nintendo has gone on to make 20 more games in the series and sold over 52 million total copies.

Japanese hotel staffed by robots

The Hennna Hotel in Nagasaki, Japan has 72 rooms, a pool, and all of the other amenities you’d expect from a hotel – including robots.

Scheduled to open in July 2015, the hotel will be staffed by humanoid robots. The robots will greet guests, complete the check-in process, carry bags and even speak English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

Heart defribillators installed in public

Hea lth of f icia ls a nnounced this week that they will install 3,000 heart defibrillators in public areas.

Public Health Minister Somsak Chunharas said the automatic external defibrillators will be installed in cities, remote areas and island communities.

The installation phase will be completed within three years.

Coconuts Bangkok

LOOKING FOR THE BEST

PROPERTY DEALS IN PHUKET *FIND THEM ON PAGE 17 thephuketnews

FILM 13

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM 4, 2014 THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, FRIDAY,APRIL FEBRUARY 13, 2015

A mix-up FILM REVIEW J.P. Mestanza editor2@classactmedia.co.th

JUPITER ASCENDING

In the end, the audience is left with a shiny film that lacks depth but has the characters, setting and visuals to become a winner.

S

pecial effects can’t make up for a messy story.

While the visuals are consistently stunning in Jupiter Ascending, especially during the action sequences, it’s difficult to follow exactly who and what is going on. Carried by fastmoving aircrafts and jet-powered skate boots, the film is ultimately a beautiful mess.

But this is Jupiter Ascending and it doesn’t care how much focus it lacks or where the story goes. The film tries to become a bit of everything: Brazil and Cloud Atlas but with a side of Blade Runner and a hint of The Matrix. Yes, the Wachowski’s bring a “wow” factor that is hard to beat, though the story needs a fresh coat of clarity and consistency.

Mila Kunis plays Jupiter Jones, a Russian emigre who cleans toilets for a living with her mother and aunt. While trying to make some extra cash on the operating table, she is rescued from certain death by Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), a half-dog, half-human former legionaire turned bounty hunter. This won’t be Jupiter’s first time getting saved.

For the rest of the film, Jupiter learns that she’s a player in an intergalactic family squabble in which three siblings – Balem, Titus and Kalique of the House of Abrasax – fight over earth, one of the most universe’s most prized possessions. At various points, we see Jupiter dealing with intergalactic bureacrats, running away from explosions

Starring: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Eddie Redmayne, Tupper Middleton, Douglass Booth and Sean Bean.

DIRECTOR: Lana and Andy Wachowski

RUNNING TIME: 127 minutes

NEW MOVIES THIS WEEK...

H

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

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

IN

Cameras to roll on Zoolander 2

Everyone’s favourite male model, Derek Zoolander, is coming back to the big screen as production on Zoolander 2 is set to take place in Rome later this year.

Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson have signed-on to the sequeal, along with Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell and the addition of Penelope Cruz. Stiller, who directed the first film was originally slated to lead this production as well though it is rumoured that Paramound Pictures is looking for a new director.

The film is slated for a 2016 release.

Chris Pratt and J-Law to unite?

and even fall in love while wrapping her head around her potential royal roots.

Within the first third of the film, we meet Stinger Apini (Sean Bean), whose banter with Wise provides much of the highlights of the film. The history between these two characters is what ultimately drives the story forwards through the thick mud of lethargic plot points. The Wachowski’s created a world full of interesting storylines, it’s just a shame that they chose Jupiter Jones’ over Stinger and Wise’s history. The film picks up everytime both of them are on screen sharing tidbits of a past that is far too interesting to gloss over.

In addition, there’s a lot going on with the alien royal family: Eddie Redmayne plays an older brother who is withering away and serves as the main antagonist. Meanwhile his two siblings are charmers who treat Jupiter as one of their own – but everyone has a dark side.

Kunis plays Jupiter as a gullible and naïve “damsel in distress” for much of the film and each sibling taps into that sense to get what they “seemingly” want. That’s when a certain character is cue’d in to save the day, rinse and repeat. In the end, the audience is left with a shiny film that lacks depth but has the characters, setting and visuals to become a winner. But it’s about the story, Lebowski.

Given the Wachowski’s penchant for sci-fi world-building and grandeur, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jupiter Ascending 2 in theaters sooner than later. Hopefully it would go light on the Jupiter (Jones).

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Running time: 127 minutes Rated: PG-13 A spy orga n isat ion recruits an u n r ef i ned, but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training programme just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius. Starring Colin Firth and Taron Egerton. (Based on the comic book of the same name).

Running time: 133 minutes Literature student Anastasia Steele’s life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey in this erotic romantic drama. (Based on the book of the same name.)

Also playing: Jupiter Ascending; The Imitation Game; Tracers; Single Lady (Thai)

Out: The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, Seventh Son @thephuketnews

B RI EF

Rated: R

Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence are in talks to star in sci-fi thriller Passengers, which already has The Imitation Game’s Morten Tyldum set to direct.

The film tells the story of a group of human colonists who are transported to a distant planet when one of them is awakened from their slumber 90 years before anyone else. The film is written

by John Spaihts (Doctor Strange; Prometheus) who first came out with the script back in 2010.

Both Lawrence and Pratt will have to find time from their busy schedules, as Pratt is set to work on Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and The Magnificent Seven while Lawrence shoots Joy and X-Men: Apocalypse.

Bad Neighbours 2 in the works

After a successful run at the box office last year, both Seth Rogen and Zach Efron have signed on to film Bad Neighbours 2.

The story will centre around a sorority that moves into the vacant frat house next to Mac (Rogen) and Kelly’s (Rose Byrne) home. The couple then recruit Teddy (Efron) and his old frat brother to fight back. The film is scripted by the same writers of the original, Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O’Brien.

The film is scheduled to be released May 13, 2016.

US BOX OFFICE TOP 10 Film

Weekend

Gross $55.37M

1

The Sponge Bob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

$55.37M

2

American Sniper

$23.29M $281.39M

3

Jupiter Ascending

$18.37M

$18.37M

4

Seventh Son

$7.22M

$7.22M

5

Project Almanac

$5.23M

$15.66M

6

Paddington

$5.22M

$57.12M

7

The Wedding Ringer

$4.72M

$55.00M

8

The Imitation Game

$4.69M

$74.55M

9

Black or White

$4.54M

$13.14M

$4.11M

$30.86M

10 The Boy Next Door

14 ENTERTAINMENT

1st Place Instrumentalist - Blaze KC, Electric Guitar.

3rd Place Instrumentalist – Luciano Bendi, Piano.

3rd Place Vocals – Jasmijn Cornelisse.

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

2nd Place Instrumentalist – Eve Wittaker, Flute.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

1st Place Vocals – Julianna Mester.

Young talent take over RPM stage

T

he Youth Talent Contest took place Friday February 6 at the Royal Phuket Marina and this year the competition was split into two separate categories: Vocal and Instrumental performances.

The winners were as follows: 1st Place Instrumentalists - Blaze KC, Electric Guitar; 2nd Place Instrumentalists - Eve Wittaker, Flute; 3rd Place Instrumentalist - Luciano Bendi, Piano; 1st Place Vocals - Julianna Mester; 2nd Place Vocals - Natalya Dougall; 3rd Place Vocals - Jasmijn Cornelisse.

The 50 competing students were judged by an independent panel of officials from the industry.

hands across the water

2nd Place Vocals – Natalya Dougall.

The year of the goat

P

huket OrBorJor is organising a festival for the Chinese New Year celebration, which will take place February 19, to welcome the Year of the Goat.

Beijing’s original acrobat performers, the China National Acrobatic Troupe, and Thai artist Getsunova, are scheduled to perform at the event.

In addition, actress Kanya Raiwin will host the show.

The Chinese Festival will include food and souvenirs of the Chinese New Year. The celebration will be held at Sanam Chai on Surin Rd, Talad Yai, from 5–7pm. Free admission!

For more information call 0-7621-7087.

Event of the Month: Chinese New Year Phuket4Kids phuk etfork ids.com

C

J oin us for a memorable celebration night to raise funds for Hands Across the Water, an Australian charity that gives at- risk Thai children and their communities a helping hand. Hands’ has six homes across Thailand including Baan Tharn Namchai in Khao Lak, which is home to over 100 children The temple fair themed evening will include: F ab u lou s f ou r cou rse f in e din in g w ith b ev erag es T emp le f air b ooths an d g ames L iv e en tertain men t A g ran d au ction in clu din g trip s to B ali an d S eam R eap

v Don’ t miss the opportunity to j oin us in Bangkok and make a real difference to the lives of at- risk children in Thailand

Date and time: F riday , 6 M V enue: S heraton G ran de S u k hu mv Dress code: C olorf u l an d cock tail in Tickets: 3 , 0 0 0 B aht p er p erson

arch 20 it, 25 0 S k eep in g or 27 , 0 0

1 5 f rom 6 : 3 0 p m u k hu mv it R oad, B an g k ok w ith the temp le f air theme 0 B aht p er tab le of 1 0

Inquiries and booking details, please email team@handacrossthewater.org.au

hinese New Year begins with the new moon and is the premier festival of the Chinese calendar.

Two centuries ago, tin mining drew thousands of Chinese labourers to the island and their influence has remained, making Phuket the province with the highest percentage of ethnic Chinese in the Kingdom. So it’s no surprise that Phuket’s Chinese community celebrate the New Year in grand fashion with a lot of gusto.

To commemorate the Year of the Goat, festivities on Phuket will be held from the February 15–17. Activities start at 3pm and wind up around midnight.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand, Phuket office (TAT) and Phuket City will combine the Chinese New Year celebrations with the annual Old Phuket Festival.

Festivities are centred around the old town: Thalang Road, Krabi Road, Dibuk Road

and Phang Nga Road. These roads will be closed to traffic for three evenings of celebrations so think carefully about parking!

Expect to see light shows, folk dancing, canal boat rides and plenty of street food.

Local homes and shop-fronts will be decorated with flowers and include platters of oranges and sweet fruit. The streets will be garlanded with red banners and decorations to promote luck and happiness for the coming year.

For more information contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket office (TAT).

191 Thalang Road, Phuket Tel. +66 7621 1036, +66 7621 2213 Fax. +66 7621 3582 tatphket@tat.or.th www.tourismthailand. org/phuket, www.facebook.com/TourismAuthorityOfThailandPhuket

Did you know that this international musician will be coming to Phuket soon to perform?

Watch out in next week’s addition for more details on the forthcoming “Night to Remember” event coming to Phuket soon. thephuketnews

16 ISLAND SCENE

a

a

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

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K R A C H E R V IS IT S P A R E S A P H U K E T

Arranged by Fabulous is Needed Co. Ltd. of Bangkok, 30 lucky guests enjoyed a superb meal on February 4 at Paresa Phuket with perfectly matched beverages from the cellars of Austria’s award-wining sweet winemaker, Kracher.

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B U S I N E S S T A L K S R I P A N W A

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har ssara e elo e t ubl o pany Limited hosted a business talk with Phuket media during an event on ebruary at the o a y s Sr a a resort.

Amongst the many plans discussed during the event, the company is currently working on developing the Baba Beach Club, slated to open 2017 in Phang Nga province. ( ull story o

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E X P A T S G E T M E D IC A L A D V IC E FR O M B K K H O S P I T A L D O C T O R S

a kok os tal huket hoste th s year s rst e alk for ats o the to s of efra t e e s ha e ( )a e tal ealth are o ebruary s ore of tereste e atr ates huket bra tly art ate the e e t h h as o erate by r a ta r yalu a o hthal olo st a treoret al sur eo r Su a ha er sa rostho o t st a r ra hat ra er utsa ee or er oo t st u s e al st hey o e for es to she l ht o the auses sy to s preventive care, treatment options, as well as new medical technology, all in a bid to encourage a happy and healthy life for all. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

ISLAND SCENE 17

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

K I D S T A R S O F T H E FU T U R E M A K E W A V E S Royal Phuket Marina saw over 50 competing students showcase their talents at the Youth Talent Show on February 6. A panel of judges picked the top three in each of two categories.

Story on Life page 14.

D IS C O V E R T H E IS L A N D S O F L O V E A T V IJ IT P H U K E T R E S O R T The Vijitt Resort Phuket team welcomed a group of KTC, Bangkok Airways, Bangkok media, and tour company Love Andaman for the “Discover The Islands of Love” familiarisation trip organised by KTC and Bangkok Airways. The trip was a chance to introduce a new sense of adventure at Andaman islands, including an unforgettable and unique experience staying at The Vijitt Resort Phuket.

Governor Nisit Jansomwong greets delegates from China.

C H I N E S E P A Y V IS IT T O P H U K E T

Mr Meng Jianzhu waves goodbye to Phuket.

Governor Nisit Jansomwong, along with Mrs Monrudee Gettuphan, Acting General Manager Of Phuket International Airport, welcomed Mr. Meng Jianzhu, the Secretary of Central Politics And Law Commission of The Communist Party of China and a special envoy of President Xi Jinping during February 7–8 as a guest of The Thai Government.

L O T S O FC O L O U R S A T “ I L O V E M Y L I FE ” A R T E X H I B I T

The launch of “I Love my Life”, a debut art exhibition by BISP student Sevastan Lukashov, took place on February 4. After a serious motorbike accident in March 2013, in which he fell into a coma, Lukashov began to express himself through art and paintings.

R A D IO T H A I L A N D ’S 44T H A N N I V E R S A R Y Sevastan Lukashov (3rd from left) with parents and school administrators. @thephuketnews

On February 5, Radio Thailand celebrated it’s 44th year on the airwaves and Class Act Media was there to document the entire thing.

S A N S I R I P A Y S V IS IT T O C L A S S A C T M E D I A Members from Sansiri’s public relations department paid a visit to Class Act Media headquarters in Kathu on February 9.

18 EVENTS

FRI

13 FEB

FRIDAYS WINE & TAPAS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM and friends a choice of two romantic venues to commemorate Valentine’s Day: Romance by the Sea at Casuarina Beach Restaurant & Pub includes delectable four-course set menu, THB 8,900++ per couple. Be My Valentine at our awardwinning Italian Restaurant, La Trattoria includes sensational four-course menu priced at THB 4,500++ per couple inclusive of red roses, chocolates and R osé beverage. For more information and reservations, please call our Food & Beverage Team on +66 (0)76 362 999 ext. 7303 or e-mail: dtlpfb@dusit.com

Imagine yourself sitting 50 metres above sea level and gazing out at an amazing sunset whilst sipping on a Kaffir Lime Martini and enjoying the unique sophisticated city lifestyle ambiance of Phuket. Every Friday ‘All you can Eat’ Tapas and more with free flow of sparkling wine at 1,390 Baht net from 7 10pm. Get 30% discount on selected beverages from 5.30-6.30pm everyday. Located at Vanilla Sky Bar, Cape Sienna Hotel-Kamala Call 076-337300.

SUN

15 FEB

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

Love to Hate Valentine’s Day Centra Ashlee Hotel Patong presents Love to Hate Valentine’s Day. Join us for a uni ue Valentine’s Party. Here, everyone is welcome! Live DJ from 19:00 Midnight. At open air Rooftop Bar & Lounge. B750- Smoked BB Buffet and Welcome Drink, B500Free flow beverages whole night, B200Free flow soft drink. saleschp@chr.co.th, Contact: 081 171 0143, 076 349 870-7.

Traditional Sunday Roast Angus O’Tool’s Karon Beach Lunch or dinner served from 2pm. our choice of either roast beef, chicken, loin of pork or leg of lamb served with roast and boiled potatoes, three fresh vegetables, orkshire pudding and gravy. Only B320 per person which includes a free glass of house red or white. Opposite Centara Karon Resort. See otools-phuket.com

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

See map at www.expathotel.com.

Sunday Poolside Chill Out Brunch at Kata Rocks F o r T H B 499/ - n e t t .

A ll y o u c a n e a t

Indian Curry Night on Fridays Come to Navrang Mahal in Karon Sea Sands Resort & Spa for an authentic Indian Feast every Friday in Karon Beach. Try out our delicious naans, mutton vindaloo, chicken tandoori, dal makhini, butter chicken, samosas, lassis and many more mouth-watering dishes. For only 499/- nett and special reduced prices on drinks, 076-286464 Ext 4.

SAT

14 FEB

Dine with your Valentine at Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket offers lovers

Suk Singpatong + Sitnumnoi Every Saturday night, Num Noi Singpatong, the head trainer and owner of Singpatong + Sitnumnoi gym in P atong Beach, hosts an elite fight series “Suk Singpatong + Sitnumnoi Saturday fight night” at Patong Boxing Stadium (Sai Nam Y en R oad), where top international and Thai fighters compete.

Visit pattongboxingstadium.com for more info. Contact 087 628 2719. Proudly supported by Class Act Media. Remark: Free transportation in P atong, Karon, Kata areas when re uested in advance. Proudly supported by Class Act Media - The Phuket News, Novosti Phuketa, Live 89.5 & The Phuket News TV.

BBQ at Expat Hotel Time 8pm, Expat Sports Bar, Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www.expatsportsbar.com

from our Thai kitchen. Just THB 650++ per guest, Kids Eat Half. Price Book Now: 076 372 300, sales2@dewaphuket.com

TUE

17 FEB

Live Seafood & Jazz Sunday Brunch at Banyan Tree

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

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Chill out poolside every Sunday for brunch, with our shared table family style dining along with live chill out music. Chef serves modern Mediterranean inspired plates and platters with an Australasian accent. Relax the afternoon away enjoy the brunch then cool off in our stunning 35 meter oceanfront infinity pool Chilled live beats will set the tone and backdrop to the perfect Sunday session 12 noon till 4 pm every Sunday 1500++ per person for brunch and 2500++ including free flow of selected beverages Reservations re uired, Email: reservations@katarocks. com, Phone: +66(0)76 370 777

MON

16 FEB

SWASDEE SIAM at Dewa Phuket Mondays from 7pm An evening of Thai cultural performance and aromatic flavours

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

Weekly Charity Jackpot Quiz Every Tuesday 6.30pm at Sea Breeze Royal Phuket Marina. Schedule February 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th. First Prize is a 1000 THB food voucher for use in Sea Breeze. The Jackpot is a minimum of 2000 THB per week which rolls over to the next week if no-one wins it. The uiz costs 100 THB per person and teams numbers are unlimited. 100% of the entrance fee per person goes to charity of the month. contact info@seabreezerpm. com 081 415 2884.

WED

18-19 FEB

“Four Hands” Dinner at Aziamendi Guest celebrity Chef Ian Kittichai of Bangkok’s iconic restaurants, which include Hyde & Seek and the acclaimed Issaya Siamese Club, will make a special collaboration at Aziamendi on February 18 and 19 to celebrate Chinese New ear. This culinary event is not to be missed. Dinner: THB 5,000++. Wine pairing for additional THB 3,500++. +66(0)94 005 0654 or reservations@aziamendi.com

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

WED

18 FEB

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

Just THB 650++ per guest, Kids Eat Half Price Book Now: 076 372 300, sales2@ dewaphuket.com

VNEA Pool Leagues Season 2 Join Thailand’s Largest Pool League ! Have Fun - Meet People - Play Pool For more details LIKE us on www.facebook.com/vneaphuket or call: 085 797 0005 For Schedules, Standings & Statistics check out: www.compusport.us Proudly supported by Class Act Media - The Phuket News, Novosti Phuketa, Live 89.5 & The Phuket News TV.

THU

EVENTS 19

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

19 FEB

extremely proud to be the only center in Phuket offering suspended movement in every direction along with stimulation of the organs, muscles and bones. To book this class, or to find out the other Aerial yoga class times, please go to www.santosaphuket.com or find us on facebook, Santosa Wellness Center. 076 330 600. Patak Rd, Kata, colleen@santosaphuket.com

SAT

21 FEB

Soi Dog’s monthly Mobile Adoption Soi Dog Foundation will be holding its first mobile adoptions event at Macro in Thalang. Puppies and kittens will be available for adoption from 11am until 3pm, all vaccinated and sterilized. Soi Dog adoption staff will be on hand to answer any questions on the day. Soi Dog do not charge any adoption fee. Contact nidnoi@soidog.org or 093 709 9622 for more details. Proudly supported by Class Act Media.

SUN

22 FEB

Chinese New Year Celebrations @ Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket Dinner Buffet @ Pool Deck. A sumptuous Chinese menu includes a selection of appetizers, soups, main dishes and live cooking stations; stir-fried Hokkien noodles, Dim Sum, roasted duck curry, wok fried blue crab with black beans, roasted prime rib gravy, delectable desserts and more.

Price: THB 2,500++ per person and 50% off for children aged from 6 – 12 years old.

Commences 6.30pm Bookings are essential, please call +66 (0)76 362 999 or email: dtlpfb@dusit.com

Aerial Yoga–Unique to Santosa The fluid, gravity-defying twist on yoga shows how we can learn to fly whilst relieving compressed joints and re-aligning the body. The practice uses graceful, trapezelike movements which sometimes seem like acrobatics. A wonderful way to do inversion poses, aerial yoga really is an innovative fitness trend, and Santosa are

@thephuketnews

3rd’ Thailand SUP Invitational, Stand Up Paddle racing Come & soak up all the action & witness the best of the best SUPers on offer as we crown Thailand’s SUP champions doing an Elite 6km race & 1km Sprint race.

It’s not all serious with plenty of fun & family races & the unforgettable Island team relay challenge where business’ & hotels battle it out for bragging rights. There is a special SUP clinic for beginners to try as well as Music, Indie markets, games, food, beer tent, Finished off with an epic after party at Bliss Beach Club with the freakishly talented “Soundwave Sunday” DJ’s. 500THB/ person includes race registration & equipment hire. Enter as many race categories as you wish. For early registration & more info contact: tim@standupprojects.com, 082 519 3282 Proudly supported by Class Act Media The Phuket News, Novosti Phuketa, Live 89.5 & The Phuket News TV.

THU

5 MAR

PHUKET ANNUAL WINE OPTIONS CHALLENGE It is time to get competitive (in the best possible way) at the first ‘Phuket Annual Wine Options Challenge’ (WOC)! The WOC is a friendly, entertaining and enjoyable team wine tasting event that celebrates group fun and the fruit of the vine. The WOC takes place at Kata Rocks. Sponsored by KATA ROCKS, BB&B & Class Act Media.

To enter please email Scot via generalmanager@katarocks.com or Khun Neung on awc@bbb.co.th, team entry forms must be received along with a 500 baht entry fee per team before February 27, 2015. Proudly supported by Class Act Media.

FRI

6 MAR

WED

18 MAR

RBFC THAILAND 2015 ‘Classic’ Sport Fishing Tournament

Bring your family and friends to celebrate in style!

Australian charity, Hands Across the Water invites you to a Bangkok Night of Celebration. The event will include musical entertainment, a live fundraising auction and guest speakers. Hands supports six homes and around 300 at-risk children across Thailand and has raised 270MB over the past 9 years. Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok. Starts 6:30pm. Ticket price 3,000 Baht per person or 27,000 Baht per table of 10. Bookings on team@handsacrossthewater.org.au. Proudly supported by Class Act Media.

MON

16 MAR

First day of TEFL training Earn an internationally recognized TEFL certificate from Phuket’s highest-rated TEFL course. Trainees learn about teaching methodology, language awareness, and phonology while gaining invaluable experience though guided lesson planning and observed teaching practice.

Meaningful job support for Phuket, Thailand or anywhere in the world. Discounts available for local residents. For more information, contact Eric Haeg. TEL: 081 968 9334, EMAIL: info@teflcampus.com.

To be held 18 to 20 March 2015 off the beautiful Similan Islands, the tournament boasts the most generous prize money in Asia!!!

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

FRI

27 MAR

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

20 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York Across

1. What word can be added to ‘Bells’, ‘Mink’ and ‘Pearl’ to form three pop group names? o ol s a lly he she of ally be o es a are 3. What does Volkswagen mean in English?

4. Which American president’s wife was called Thelma? hat as the a e of the rst olls oy e ar ro u e Answers below, centre.

SUDOKU

67. Eyeball s ey flyer 69. Slam e ersey e 71. Brace

29. Sounds at re orks 31. Portico 1. Muscat native 33. Kind of time 6. Goya’s “Duchess of ___” 34. Combines 10. Dorking, e.g.

36. Astern 14. Held up Down er souther 15. Cardinal France 16. Title of respect 1. Airy 38. Ethnic cuisine 17. Intermittently 2. “___ along!” e l e 20. Bug 3. Not aweather 40. It towers over 21. Tights 4. Hardly Mr. Cool Taormina 22. Campaign 5. Tennyson poem 42. Unadulterated o e flo er 6. Spanish 101 verb 46. Senescence clusters 7. Kind of partner 48. Katzbalger, e.g.

26. U.N. agency 8. Flat rolls 49. Capital west of 30. “O, gie me the ___ 9. Daughter of James Haiphong that has acres o’ II 50.

Dense, rollcharms”: Burns 10. Like ice cream shaped cloud 32. Theseus slew him 11. Alphabetic 51.

Stimulates 35. Squeal system 52. Island chain?

41. Without delay 12. Invitation heading 54. PC “brain” 43. Botched 13. Domain 55. Obeys 44. Certain stanza 18. Opposite of 57. Any day now 45. Go bad paleo59. Censor’s target 47. One of three vessels 19. Sawbones 60. Volume 48. Wrap 23. Cloud 61. Brain section 53. Hirudinean 24. Busy 62. Organic 56. Missile part 26. Prayer leader compound 58. Club-shaped tool 27. Commend 64. Club alternative 63. Occasionally 28. Carpenters and 65. “___ Girls” 66. Defeat decisively harvesters

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: lue

our

he eo le s ar har 5. Silver Ghost.

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k a e)

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

This week in history February 13, 1633 G a lile o G a lile i a r r i v e s i n R o m e f o r h is tr ia l fo r h e r e s y , f o r a s s e rtin g th a t t h e E a r t h is n o t a t th e c e n tre o f th e u n iv e r s e .

February 14, 1779 E x p lo re r C a p t J a m e s C o o k is k ille d b y n a tiv e H a w a iia n s n e a r K e a la k e k u a o n th e Is la n d o f H a w a ii.

February 15, 2013 A m e te o r e x p lo d e s o v e r R u s s ia , in ju r in g 1 ,5 0 0 p e o p le a s a s h o c k w a v e b lo w s o u t w in d o w s a n d ro c k s b u ild in g s .

February 16, 1923 H o w a rd C a r te r u n s e a ls th e b u ria l c h a m b e r o f E g y p tia n P h a r a o h T u ta n k h a m u n .

February 17, 1933 A f te r 1 3 y e a rs , th e B la in e A c t e n d s a lc o h o l p ro h ib itio n in th e U n ite d S ta te s .

February 18, 1978 T h e f ir s t I r o n m a n T r ia th lo n c o m p e titio n ta k e s p la c e o n th e is la n d o f O a h u . It is w o n b y G o rd o n H a lle r.

120,000

Amount in baht that the average woman will spend on mascara during her lifetime.

22

Number of prisons built in Califorrnia since 1980.

Number of new universities: 1.

$29bn

Money estimated to have been made by Mexican drug cartels in 2010 – about the same as Google.

38

Number of times Mike Tyson had been arrested by the time he reached his 13th birthday.

51

Percentage of Americans who think that bad weather affects cloud computing.

Source: Uberfacts

Who you looking at? A praying mantis adorns blossoms on a Crown of Thorns plant. Photo by Rob Miller Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket?

Email it to editor1@classactmedia.co.th

February 19, 1674 E n g la n d a n d th e N e th e rla n d s s ig n a t r e a t y e n d i n g t h e T h i r d A n g l o -D u t c h W a r. A p ro v is io n o f th e a g re e m e n t tr a n s fe r s th e D u tc h c o lo n y o f N ie u w A m s te rd a m to E n g la n d . It is re n a m e d N e w Y o rk .

Source: W ikipedia thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

@thephuketnews

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

PROPERTY 17

18 PROPERTY

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

@thephuketnews

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

PROPERTY 19

20 PROPERTY

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

@thephuketnews

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

PROPERTY 21

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 23

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

EDUCATION

MARINE SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

PRODUCTION SERVICE

GUARDIAN SERVICE

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

STORAGE Reserve Your Storage Space

Call 076 29 29 09

or visit mystorageasia.com

 Sizes to Suit all Budgets  Personal & Business Storage  Motorcycle Storage  Left Luggage Service  We Sell Boxes  Storage Insurance Inclusive

Secure, Clean & Cost Effective Self Storage Jungceylon Shopping Center, Patong, Phuket

ELECTRIC

STORAGE

MARINE SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

PACKAGING

REMOVALS

ADVERTISE HERE

@thephuketnews

24 CLASSIFIEDS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Jobs

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com thephuketnews

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER thephuketnews

classifieds thephuketnews.com

Sale & Marketing 1 Position - Female / Male - Experience 1-2 years

- Age 18 – 35 Years old - English as well

Waitress 5 Position - Female only - Age 18 – 35 Years old - English as well

- Good personality - Active

Bartendy 5 Position - Female only - Age 18 – 35 Years old - English as well

- Good personality - Active

Incentives:

- Salary 30,000++ (basic & service charge) - Staff Food - Staff van - Daily Tips

Contact Phone: 076-349850, 076-349939 Email: Admin@hootersphuket.com

Welcome to both Thai & Non Thai nationals J oin an International Team, P rincess Y achts P huket is hiring 1 P osition : Y acht C harter A ssistan t; ex cellen t w ritten an d sp ok en en g lish, comp u ter an d in tern et, secretarial ex p erien ce, T hai n ation al 1 P osition : Marketing Assistant Video, Photo, Adobe, Internet and good English, Thai national Please call Rico Stapel at: 0866900444 and send resume to rico@princessyachtssea.com

Swimming coach & assistant

S w immin g coach & assistan t w an ted: 2 y rs ex p erience teaching Babies. (1 yr for asst.) Native English speaker. Sal 50K/20K with other benefits., K.Bee, mantakids.pkt@gmail.com

The Terminal P huket

P hu k et S irin ath P rop erty & T he T ermin al P hu k et Sales Staff 2 (2 years Experience) Marketing 1 (3 years Experience) Accounting 1 (5 years Experience) A & S Supervisor 1 (10 years Experience) M & E Engineer 1 (10 years Experience) HR, Naiyang Beach, k.taksakorn@gmail.com, 076 327 590

Native English Teachers

C halon g I n tern ation al S chool is look in g f or tw o ex p erien ced teachers for our preschool and primary school to start an 6 Mon-Fri resume to phuketteacher@yahoo.com, 080 624 7060

TELE SALES WORK FROM HOME

Earn up to 3,000 - 5,000 baht/day. International organization specialized in holiday ren tals listin g is ex p an din g to n ew areas of in terest. T he ideal can didate is a resp on sib le an d dilig en t p erson w ith ex p erien ce as a telemark eter or in sales. G ood E n g lish an d ex cel sk ills are essen tial. T hai or f oreig n ers can b oth ap p ly . W e of f er: f u ll train in g , telep hon e an d email su p p ort, hig h commission s, Email: recruitment@holiplanet.com

V acancies for property sales reps

1 .S ale E n g lish, C hin ese, R u ssia ( G ood commission ) H av e ex p erien ce in lin e of S ale 2.staf f at b ooth f or P rop erty ( 1 7 , 0 0 0 + L u n ch + C ommission ) C an commu n icate G ood E n g lish, Kaew, kaew@agtropical.com, 094 807 3434

Are you looking for a Nanny?

J ob W an ted! ! ! I f y ou are look in g f or someon e w ho can look af ter y ou r child, p ets or hou se w hen y ou p lan to g et aw ay at n ig ht or du rin g the weekend, Pls contact Email : jj_icu@hotmail.com, 081 476 7570

Russian P roperty Broker 150k+

W e are on e of the leadin g real estate comp an ies in P hu k et that is ex p an din g f ast an d look in g f or talen ted in div idu als to j oin ou r y ou n g , dy n amic team. W e hav e a p osition f or a R u ssian sp eak in g ag en t w ho has a n u mb er of y ears ex p erien ce in real estate & w ithin the P hu k et mark et. T his is a g reat op p ortu n ity f or an y hu n g ry an d talen ted sales p eop le to j oin a mark et leader. T op L ev el C ommission of f ered., T op L ev el C ommission , K amala, Phuket, 092 474 6157, paul@livephuket.com

Excellent THAI CHEF

L ook in g f or an ex cellen t T hai C hef to w ork ab road. I am look in g f or an ex cellen t T hai C hef to w ork ov erseas in S ri L an k a at a n ew T hai R estau ran t. W ou ld req u ire to sp eak little b it of en g lish b u t w hat I am look in g f or is a really g ood chef w ho can mak e A u then tic T hai f ood. W ill p rov ide great salary and accomodation. Please contact me on suranga.sd@ g mail.com to discu ss f u rther.

Assistant Branch Manager 20 K

BB PHUKET NEEDS YOU! Come and join us to be a part of our Dream Team. The new unique Pool Bar and Restaurant on Phuket’s stunning East Coast is looking for you.

Position:

Kotasovac A n of f er y ou can n ot ref u se! A n y on e

- Restaurant Manager/ Assistant Manager (ผูจ้ ดั การห้องอาหาร, ผูช้ ว่ ยผูจ้ ดั การห้องอาหาร) - Bartender/Bartendy (บาร์เทนเดอร์, บาร์เทนดี�) - Host/Hostess (พนักงานต้อนรับในห้องอาหาร) - Banquet Attendant (พนักงานฝ่ายจัดเลี�ยง) - Marketing /PR (การตลาดและประชาสัมพันธ์)

Incentives:

Salary package: ��,���-��,���, competitive compensation and benefit packages and guaranteed service charge. (รายได้รวมอยูร่ ะหว่าง

��,��� – ��,��� บาท ตามตำแหน่ ง , ความสามารถ และประสบการณ์)

- Daily tips - Staff Food - Staff Van - FUN at Work

W e are hirin g ! ! ! ! ! B oth p osition s f or ou r n ew b ran ch in P hu k et an d to b e p art of ou r en erg etic team. E x cellen t commission & benefits. Email info@thailandpooltables. com, 20 , 0 0 0 T H B p er mon th, Y in g . w ho w an ts to b e w ithin a f ew w eek s of earn in g mon ey an in terestin g w ay , con tact u s. I t in v olv es a simp le p romotion al activ ity on the I n tern et, w hich is v ery f airly assessed an d w hich can b ehan dled easily , b y even a schoolboy! For work, you need a computer, patience and a desire to change their financial situation f or the b etter. I f y ou w an t to hav e an in terestin g mon thly in come, con tact u s as soon as p ossib le. W e w ou ld lik e to help . C on tact

by E-mail only: kotasovac@gmail.com

Requirements:

- “Can Do” attitude (มีทัศนคติดี) - Outgoing personality (บุคลิกภาพดี) - Good English (สามารถสื�อสารภาษาอังกฤษได้ดี) - Great communication skills (มีทักษะการสื�อสารที�ดี) - Passionate (มีความชื�นชอบในสายงาน) - F&B Knowledge (มีความรู้ในด้านอาหารและเครื�องดื�ม) - Hard working (มีความอดทนในการทำงาน) - Reliable (ซื�อสัตย์ม, สุจริต)

Thai& Non Thai nationals Contact us on Jobs@bbphuket.com Phone number: English: 0848927517, Thai: 0935757770

thephuketnews

CLASSIFIEDS 25

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Buy&Sell

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FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @thephuketnews

COMP ANY FOR SALE NEW!

Company for sale - Owner retiring

W ell k n ow n 1 2 y ear estab lished comp an y sp ecializ in g in sales an d ren tal of con tainers, site/sales offices, Porta Loos as well as Self Storage. Customer base in clu des T esco L otu s, L ag u n a, M arriot, B oat L ag oon an d man y more. E n ormou s p oten tial f or ex p an sion an d ex p ort. A con serv ativ e v alu e of comp an y assets ex ceed 1 1 M B w hich is in clu ded in the sale p rice of 1 4 M B . C all G ordon 0 8 1 8 9 2 4 8 0 4 , w w w .saf ew ay asia.com.

2013 Monte Carlo 5 – EUR 670,000

Benetti Tradition 100 – USD 6,455,000

2013 Lagoon 52 - EUR 979,000

2013 Lagoon 450 – EUR 550,000

2015 Lagoon 630 Motor Yacht – EUR 2,060,338

2015 Lagoon 400S2 – EUR 417,985

www.simpsonmarine.com

BOATS & YACHTS

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Luxury Motor Y acht for sale

B R A N D N E W R E F I T - I M M A C U L A T E C on dition T his lu x u riou s 8 5 - f oot motor y acht is a R ay mon d H u n t D esig n ( B ertram b oats) 2 x caterp illar C 1 2 A C E R T 7 0 5 hp ( D ig ital C on trols) L icen ced for 60 passengers or 12 berth A full specifications sheet is av ailab le u p on req u est. 3 9 , 26 5 , 9 9 2 T H B , S tu art W alk er, elitechartershk @g mail.com, + 8 5 29 7 6 0 0 28 7 B O E N B IM E N

4 .1M/4 0HP RIB, 09 /2014 AS NEW!

U G H G IN E IN I+ G ) 0 9

T + B T R 8 7

IN S O A T U A IL E R 0 8 6 6 3

E P N D + T 2(

T . 20 E R W U B E F R /E N

1 4 A R C O G ,

,1 4 R A V E 3 5

H R N T R S 0 ,0

S O Y (S U .0 9 3 0 0 T H

N L Y ! S U Z U K I Z U K I P H U K E T ).

5 8 4 0 5 6 5 (R U S / B , )

Silver P rincess Y acht P C530 A

5 3 f t P ow er C atamaran b y S ilv er P rin cess Y achts. B eau tif u l desig n , comp act y acht w ith sp ace & modern in terior. D imen sion s: 5 3 f t len g th, 21 f t b eam, 4 f t draf t, 5 0 p assen g ers, 22, 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 T H B , S on n y , 6 6 9 8 8 1 0 5 0 24 , w w w .silv er- p rin cess.com, son n y @silv er- p rin cess.com

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Investor/P artner Needed C

ommercial b u sin ess req u ires added f u n din g .

B 1 5 m- B 25 m ( min / max ) shares. C omp an y is state of the art an d w ill b rin g ex cep tion al R O I . C an b e activ e or silen t p artn er. W ill resp on d on ly to seriou s in q u iries.

Complete information available to qualified investors for full investment info. Call E + 6 6 8 8 4 9 1 3 8 5 7 / T + 6 6 8 225 8 1 1 5 3 , mdran n an @g mail.com

Sale Double Shophouse - Kathu

3 storey with six large rooms, large shop/office on ground floor. Rooms fully furnished with cable TV and internet access. C ar p ark av ailab le. 1 4 .5 M B , P au l, E mail: in f o@ ex p athotel.com, 0 8 1 - 6 0 6 - 5 7 7 2

Restaurant For Sale K

itchen eq u ip ect. A ll n ew . S eats 20 b u t more cap acity M on thly ren t T H B 20 , 0 0 0 N o k ey mon ey K .B ern d, E mail: b ern d.schild@g mx .n et,

men t, f u av ailab f or T H B 0 8 1 8 9 1

rn itu re, b ar le ou tside.

7 0 0 , 0 0 0 ., 9 8 1 8

Office/Shop For Rent Chalong Pier Road ground floor unit available for shop or office use. Excellent location on this popular and well-known road.

For more information, please call 081 416 4177 or 076 381 341.

@thephuketnews

One of a kind retail space

O n e of a k in d retail sp ace f or ren t! ! R oad f ron t b u ildin g , 3 6 - 5 0 S Q M p rice f rom 1 2 to 1 6 , 0 0 0 T H B p er mon th. C all n ow 0 8 5 7 9 7 0 0 0 5

Restaurant & Bar For Rent A

lon g estab lished f u lly eq u ip p ed R estau ran t w ith B ar f or R en t in an ex cellen t location on N an ai R d, P aton g . T he 1 0 5 M 2 p remises in clu des a f u lly eq u ip p ed K itchen , R estau ran t an d B ar w ith amp le seatin g f or 5 0 cu stomers an d ex cellen t p ark in g f acilities., P eter W esche, in f o@p hu k et- b esthomes.com, 0 8 1 8 9 2 8 5 26

RAWAI RESTAURANT

F or U rg en t S ale. A rea 3 .8 0 0 S q m R edu ce f rom 1 .5 M B T o 9 8 0 , 0 0 0 b aht Y early R en t 20 0 , 0 0 0 b aht I n clu des 2 H ou eses., K .A sok e, b ig _ redchili@y ahoo.com, 0 8 9 6 4 6 7 1 7 6

INV ESTMENT IN RAWAI

G erman desig n , 5 u n its, 5 0 sq m to 1 0 0 sq m. B u ildin g 20 1 4 + 1 - shop 4 0 sq m. C omp lete p rice: 28 .5 million B aht.

T el: 0 8 0 1 4 5 3 5 3 3 C histin a.

CAR FOR SALE 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8

8 , 0 0 0 k m., T he G en eral L ee oran g e, W rap in b lack satin color , S tan dard 6 20 0 cc w ith 4 25 hp , A f termark et p arts, M op ar in tak e, Mega flow exhaust, H&R lowering spring, Front & back strut b ars, F ron t an ti roll b ar, H en n essy en g in e remap p in g , N ow deliv erin g 4 8 8 hp , 4 , 20 0 , 0 0 0 T H B , R u j ip orn ( F an g ) , E mail: f an g @ srip an w a.com, 0 7 6 - 3 7 1 0 0 0 , F ax : 0 7 6 - 3 7 1 0 0 4 .

Subaru WRX STI A Line 2012

A rctic silv er w ith satin g ray w rap , A dv an f ron t an d side sp oiler, C old air in tak e, H K sy stem, S T I rear dif f u ser, E n g in e remap p in F ron t an ti roll b ar, F ron t an d b ack strap w heel, M in t 2, 0 0 0 k m. 3 , 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 T H B , R f an g @srip an w a.com, 0 7 6 - 3 7 1 0 0 0 , F ax :

ce racin g w heel, S T I S ex hau st, F u el b an k g , T u rb o b oost con trol, b ar, R acin g S T I steel u j ip orn ( F an g ) , E mail: 0 7 6 -3 7 1 0 0 4 .

Nissan Teana Special 6 cyl

N issan T ean a S p ecial 6 cy l N ov emb er 20 1 3 1 7 0 0 0 K m N ew p rice 1 .7 0 0 .0 0 0 .T H B P rice N O W 1 .1 0 0 .0 0 0 .T H B , M au rice, E mail: M au rice.p hu k et@g mail.com, 0 9 9 3 0 2 7 0 7 1 - T hai; 0 9 0 1 6 3 21 4 0 .

26 CLASSIFIEDS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

List your classified now at thephuketnews.com

Motorbike and trailer for sale Honda 200cc

CAR FOR SALE

Motorbike + Trailer Perfect condition, will sell separately or both. Bike B60,000, trailer B20,000. Ideal 4 shopping, camping, dog carring., pino.ellul@yahoo. com, 0848581917

2010 BMW 325i Sport

Immaculate low kms (47,000) White 325i Sport with a full compliment of accessories. The car is in new condition with good rubber, full insurance and still has 12 months warranty remaining., 1.67 MB, hsewaugh@yahoo.com, 0849138926

Ford Explorer Limited 2006

4.6-liter, V-8, 240 horsepower, 104,349 km. Urgent Sale!!! (can be negotiated), Email: info@theviewphuket.com, 081 666 6622

FOR SALE Mitsubishi Triton

Neo and Cookie We are 15 weeks old. We are very

sweet with people and can get along easy with other dogs too! We hope you are the one who can give us a home.

We will protect your house and love to cuddle. We already got some basic training. If you are interested in us you will get 2 dog training lessons for free.A dog is often happier when they have a friend around. These are best friends, so it would be best if they can stay together, Diana Koster, info@phuket-dog-resort.com, 083 599 6017

Missing Quincy

Missing our dog Quincy, Airdale terrier, male, black and brown coat. He got lost on the 31st of december in Patong,3000 Baht reward, 0870912798

DIVING EQUIPMENT

OTHER

Dive Gear for SALE

MOTORBIKES FOR SALE HONDA FORZA 2013

BUY & SELL IN PHUKET

COMMUNITY

PETS FOR ADOPTION

Triton 2.5. Only 25,000km. With tinted windows, reverse sensor and camera. A1 condition. Full service history with Mitsubishi dealer, 650,000 THB, Sam Hannah, samhannahtci@gmail.com, 096 053 8117

Axiom BCD ML), Aqua Lung Regs LX with SPG, Dive bag, Dive knife, SMB, 2 masks, fins (US 10), Only used 4 times.

Email for further details., 35,0000 THB, Sam, Bang Tao, samhannahtci@gmail.com, 096 053 8117

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Inexpensive land plots / commercial property

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

Honda Forza low 8,775 kms. White, still under warranty, Excellent condition. Note: Helmets inc. Not top box, 120,000 THB, ross@microbase.com.au, 082 2781570

FOR QUICK SALE

Sea-View Land & Luxury Villa project in Kamala including architect plans & building permit for 9 villas, 4000m2 sale only THB 30 MB, MIO, pupillopascal@gmail.com Call:088 768 0942

CALLING THE DOG LOVERS OF PHUKET

Soi Dog are looking for dog lovers in Phuket to come and spend time with our 300+ street dogs in residence at our shelter in Mai Khao, North Phuket. We need volunteers to help socialise and walk our dogs - as this is fundamental in preparing our lovely dogs for adoption in Phuket and around the world. Whether you can spare one day a week or can come every day, we would love to have you help our dogs. Volunteering at Soi Dog is an amazing experience and may well change your life. For more details, please email Diana at volunteering@ soidog-foundation.org

Beautiful land plot for sale very convenient

located in a secure estate with underground electricity less than 10 mins from Phuket International Academy, Airport, Tesco , Naiyang beach, Grand AoPor marina in a peaceful foreigner community, Chanote title,1100sqm, flat land with fences around, mountain view , ready to build, good investment. For quick sale direct from owner only B3.5 mln., Montha, 081 343 0777, montha_phuket@yahoo.com

S I N G A P O R E | P H U K E T | B A N G K O K | P A T TA Y A | K O H S A M U I | P E N A N G | J A K A R TA

Charter: Rico Stapel rico@princessyachtsthailand.com call: +66 8 6690 0444 Го в о р и м п о - р у с с к и : А л ё н а В и х а р е в а alyona@princessyachtsthailand.com call: +66 898 74 9944 Sales: Alister Brunskill alister@princessyachtssea.com mobile: +66 8 0886 4945

I N F O @ P R I N C E S S YA C H T S S E A . C O M /PrincessYachtsSEA

@princess_s_e_a

/PrincessYachtsSEA

|

W W W. P R I N C E S S YA C H T S S E A . C O M

/+PrincessYachtsSEA

/princess-yachts-south-east-asia

/user/PrincessYachtsSEA

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

SPORT

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

27

On your marks: Phuket FC ready to tackle 2015 season FOOTBALL JP Mestanza editor2@classactmedia.co.th

N

ew coach, new blood, new season.

The Ronins are set to start their 2015 Yamaha League-1 campaign tomorrow (February 14) on the road against Trat FC (kick-off at 6pm) with a clean slate.

With new coach Trongyod “D aeng” Klinsrisook roam-

@thephuketnews

ing in front of the Phuket FC sidelines and the implementation of a new system, the Ronins are expected to take the next step towards eventual promotion to the Thai Premier League.

Coach D aeng’s teams are known for their reliance on counter-attack and hard defending, a departure from former Coach Reuther M oreira’s focus on positional movement and long passes.

“We had a good pre-

season. Now, it is very important to get a fast start in the season. E specially since we have home game next week, which is very important,” said Phuket FC defender Yusuke Sato.

The J apanese international will also be making his debut as team captain, taking over duties from Wasan Natasan who joined Osotspa Saraburi of the Thai Premier League during the off season.

“I am so nervous,” Sato

said with a laugh, “I have a little bit of pressure, but if we have good results then everything will be looking good. I feel good about the new season.”

According to team M anager Pariyawit “Benz ” Achariyachai, the team has kept only two of last year’s foreign players, Sato and Andre Luis “Andrez inho” Rodrigues Lopes. The team has also acq uired Berlang NlomeNdebi of Belgium, M oussa

Silla of the Ivory Coast, and Roni “Roninho” de Souz a Gonç alves.

In addition, Coach D aeng has brought over about six of his former players from his previous sq uad, Pattaya U nited.

“At this time we’re very ready, all the team is ready to go. We have a good team of young players, they’re hungry, and [ Coach D aeng] will give them a chance to play.”

Phuket FC will look to improve pon their finish, where the Ronins ended the season in 11th place but with the most points (47 ) since their inception into the league in 2011.

The team’s first home match will take place February 21 against BBCU at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town (7 pm kick-off).

C l a s s Ac t M e d i a i s a p r o u d m e d i a p a r t n e r o f Ph u k e t FC .

28 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Big win for Thalang as they stump the Village CRICKET Andrew Mcmillan editor2@classactmedia.co.th

T

halang Cricket Team’s big guns stood up last Sunday (February 8 ) in a big win over the V illage Cricket Team at the Alan Cooke Ground in Thalang.

Fresh off an upset victory against top of the ladder Patong, the V illage were looking to climb higher up the ladder with a win against a TCT side that was et to find form with the bat or ball.

The V illage’s M ike Khan and M artin Platts were slow

to get going as they batted first s am Ali dismissed Platts and then Pir with successive deliveries as the V illage found themselves 2/ 12 from 6 overs.

Syed Shahnaz joined Khan out in the middle and they guided their side to 2/ 23 at the first drin rea TCT’s skipper Bill ‘Steamboat’ Stahmer had Khan out LBW on the 2nd ball following the break.

M ark Ashman came to the crease and the small ACG rowd saw their first atta ing shots of the morning. In the next 7 overs the V illage lifted their score to 61 runs before the introduction of Thai youngster ‘Paan’ saw the end of Ashman, bowled for 18 runs from 23 balls.

The V illage were 4/ 66 after 20 overs.

Paan continued to provide chances for TCT with 3 close LBW appeals and a number of balls that narrowly missed the edge of the bat.

In the 28 th over he got a ball to jump off a good length and catch a glove on its way through to the wicket keeper.

The V illage were 5 / 103 at the third drink break with Shahnaz still at the crease on 37 not out. he final overs of the V illage’s innings begun with

TCT all-rounder J ustin Thomatos havin his first owl of the season.

His over included 3 wides, 1 run and more notably 2 V illage wickets including the V illage captain Rehman. The V illagers managed to face out another 6 overs and bring their total up to 132 before a running mix up ended the 37 .2 over innings.

Syed Shahnaz was the top scorer with 47 (8 3). Best with the ball for TCT was Neil Culpan with his two late wickets ivin him the reat fi res of 2/ 5 from 7 overs including 2 wides and 4 maiden overs.

TCT req uired 133 to take a first innin s points win and for the first time this season J ustin Thomatos and Andrew M cM illan paired up in the middle.

The dynamic duo took a liking to the V illage bowlers and posted off the first 10 overs.

After a break, TCT’s M cM illan was in rare form hitting numerous boundaries around the ACG. The V illage’ captain M udasir ehman o ldn t find a wicket or slow down the TCT opening pair. J ust before the 20 over drinks break M cM illan lofted Platts down the ground to reach his maiden century at the Alan Cooke Ground.

TCT went to the 20 over break at 0/ 17 3, already with a lead of 41 runs with M cM illan 105 * (7 8 ) and Thomatos 45 * (42).

Neil Culpan came out to replace the retired M cM illan after the break and continued to keep the scorers busy as TCT went on the attack. TCT’s captain Stahmer declared the innings closed after the 28 th over with a lead of 105 runs and 15 overs remaining in the match. TCT’s total was with homatos finishin 8 1* (68 ) and Plattsy the only wicket taker with 2/ 41.

The V illage 2nd innings was a non affair with M ike Khan and Syed Shahnaz keeping their wickets intact early.

After seeing off Neil Culpan the field was spread and the V illage used the remaining overs to get in some batting practice.

M ike Khan finished 17 not out in the total of 3/ 5 8 .

Sam Ali picked up 2/ 17 and M cM illan grabbed another 2 catches to take his tally to 4 catches for the match.

T h is S u n d a y ’s m a tc h -u p t h e Ph u k e t 4 0 - O v e r L w ill s e e L a g u n a ta k e la n d C r ic k e t C lu b a t th C o o k e G ro u n d , 1 0 a m Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n p h u k e tc r ic k e tg r o u p .c o

in th e e a g u e o n Ise Al a n s ta r t. , v is it m .

VNEA Pool: Season 2, Round 15 HOME

AWAY

SCORE

LHM

Man O Man

0–5

La Taverna

Orange Corner

0–5

Off Course

Hiso Low Cost

1–4

Big Apple

Kata Dragons

2–3

Pen In

Mermaids

4–1

Reality

Taz Girls

5–0

Arrow Media

Fun Taz Y

0–5

Legends

OTG Running

0–5

WTF !!

Millionaire

1–4

The Residence

Class Act Hustlers

5–0 thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

SPORT 29

Phuket Super Six League: Season 9, Round 1 PHUKET’S BIGGEST LOcal football league is back as the ninth season of Super Six Football kicked-off last week at Headstart International

ROUND 1 RESULTS DIVISION 1 Shakers FC – Two Chefs 6 – 1

Blue Horizon – Daohang 4 – 2

DIVISION 2

Phuket Condos & Homes B – USSR 5–0

School. Visit thephuketnews. com or phuketfootball.com for the latest updates, scores and standings of Super Six Season 9 .

Irish Times – Talon FC 8 – 2 TEFL Campus – Big One 3 – 2

DIVISION 3

Naraya United – Healthy FC 6 – 2 Shambala United – Novotel 5 – 3 Thailand Weightloss – Phuket Serenity Villas 2 – 0 Jugqrue FC – ConF 4 – 7

Shakers (blue) off to a flying start in season 09, with a 6-1 victory against Two Chefs (red). Super Six: Season 9, Round 1.

Photo: Karl Ward

Phuket’s Suleiman elbows his way to win MMA WITH A BARR AGE OF punishing elbows, 25-year-old MMA fighter Tarek Suleiman (4-2) was able to walk away with a victory at Desert Force 15 in Abu Dhabi on Monday (February 9).

The Phuket-based Syrian fighter finished off Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Christofer Silva (3-1) in the middle of

the second round with elbow strikes while he was held on the ground.

This was Suleiman’s second straight bout after overcoming tearing his ACL in October 2013 during a bout against Abdel Medjedoub.

Suleiman, who missed weight for his fight against Silva, was making his debut at welterweight (77kg).

Suleiman trains out of Phuket’s Tiger Muay Thai

& MMA Training Camp in Chalong.

Thanyapura to host Supersports 10 Mile run on March 22 RUNNING

F

or the first time ever, Phuket will be the site of the “Supersports 10 Mile International Run 2015” when it takes place at Thanyapura on March 22.

The event was announced at a press conference last week at Thanyapura and saw several guests, including Governor Nisit Jansomwong, Thanyapura Executive Chairman and Ironman Chris McCormack, and others.

Thousands of athletes from all over the world are expected to line up for the 6am start on March 22.

Thanyapura’s state-of-theart technology means runners will be able to check their times on race day around 5pm

on either supersports.co.th, thanyapura.com or sportstats. asia.

The event will have four distances: 10 mile (6km), 5 miles (8km), 2 miles (3.2km) and 500 metres for kids aged 4–12. The 10-miles event will be divided between men and women as well as age group: 15–29 years, 30–39 years, 40–49 years, 50–59 years and over 60.

Thanyapura and Super-

sports members receive a B100 discount on entry fee and shirts will be given to the first B1,500 registered runners.

Race entry fee is B500 for 10 mile, B400 for 5 mile and 2 mile. The 500m kids race is B300. Interested runners can register up to March 13 at Thanyapura.com.

Class Act Media is a sponsor of the Supersports 10 Mile International Run 2015 Phuket.

Sailing champs to defend title at Bay Regatta SAILING

Phuket fighter wins Muay Thai tourney in Bangkok MUAY THAI MUAY THAI FIGHTER Ncedo Gomba took home B150,000 after winning a four-man tournament organised by the World Muay Thai Council (WMC) in Bangkok on Friday (February 6).

The 26-year-old South African defeated Chainoi Worawut in the final of the 57 kg tournament via decision after a three-round war with the Thai.

Gomba reached the final after defeating a Chinese

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opponent with an elbow in the second round.

The standout fighter, who has fought in Bangkok’s famed Rajadamnern Stadium, trains out of Phuket’s AKA Thailand in Rawai/Nai Harn area.

A v ideo of h is f ig ht against Chainoi can be seen on thephuketnews.com.

The event was organised by the Thai government, W MC and Inter national Federation of Muay Thai Amateur to commemorate the coronation day of Somdet PhraSanphet VII.

BAY REGATTA, SET TO take place March 4–8 on the waters off of Phuket.

The regatta, organised by Regatta Asia, will see five categories including Multihulls, Cruising B, Cruising A, Racing and Bareboat classes.

The several past winners have entered the chance to become repeat champions, including 2014 Multihull win-

ners Twin Sharks (skippered

by John Newnham) as well as second place Asia Catamarans Hurricane (Alan Carwardine).

In addition, 2014 Cruising B

champion boat Poco (Kevin Gillow) will look to repeat, along with 2014 Racing class winning boat First (Alexander Trofimenko). The competiton

will begin on March 4 and start from Ao Po and end near Koh Yao Noi. Day two racing will start from the island up to the north point of Phi Phi Island while the third day will see the race surround the island all the way to Tonsai Bay in Phi Phi Don. The final day of racing will take place from Phi Phi Don to Ao Chalong Day. The closing party and awards ceremony will take place at O2 Beach Club in Chalong on March 8.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

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PREMIER PREDICTIONS: ENTER NOW AT THEPHUKETNEWS.COM MAIN SPONSOR

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PANTONE 295C

PANTONE 1797C

The overall competition winner receives 2 round-trip business class tickets Phuket-Kuala Lumpur AND 2 round-trip business class tickets Krabi-Kuala Lumpur from Malaysia Airlines, overall value THB71,100.

The monthly competion winner for October will receive a THB3,000 voucher to spend at Angus O’Tool’s Irish Pub and Restaurant.

Cyan

100

Cyan 100

Magenta

57

Magenta 100

Black

40

Black

5

MONTHLY STANDINGS 1.

2.

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5.

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7.

8.

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10.

getrekt blackrock diggersd giggs sami celticpride jambos Seahorse stegee Clarey B

OVERALL STANDINGS 38 34 34 34 34 31 31 31 31 28

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English Premier League 2014 - 2015

Chelsea s Colombian midfielder Juan Cuadrado ( ) vies with Aston illa s rench defender Aly Cissokho during the English Premier eague football match between Aston illa and Chelsea at illa Park in Birmingham. Photo: AFP/ Ben Stansall

Mourinho warns against title complacency in EPL

J

FOOTBALL ose M ourinho insists the Premier League title race is not over even though Chelsea extended their lead at the top to seven points with a 2-1 victory at Aston V illa last week.

Branislav Ivanovic’s second-half winner enabled the league leaders to take advantage of M anchester City’s 1-1 draw against Hull and strengthen their grip on pole position on Saturday (February 7 ).

It also meant Blues boss o rinho finall laimed a first win at illa ar at what was the sixth attempt.

But M ourinho was keen to pla down the si nifi an e of his side’s advantage over City and he claimed he will take nothing for granted until another title is mathematically guaranteed.

“In another countr y I would say it’s fantastic, in this country I would say it’s nothing,” M ourinho said. ver ame is diffi lt anything can happen. It’s ver ver diffi lt “Seven points means seven points, we have 14 matches to go. We are speaking about 42 points to play for and in 42 we have a lead of seven.

I think it’s nothing.

“I’m surprised by nothing.

In this country every team can take points so I am not surprised.

M eanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur hero Harry Kane wants his side to carry on from where left off against bitter rivals Arsenal after the 21-year-old scored two goals in Tottenham’s comefrom-behind win over the Gunners in last weekend’s North London derby at White Hart Lane.

When T h e Ph u k e t N e w s

went to print, Tottenham were in fifth pla e and st one point and a place in front of Arsenal, one of their rivals for a top four spot – and the Champions League football that goes with it.

Yet not since 1995 have Spurs finished above perennial Champions League alifiers Arsenal f we finish a ove Arsenal, of course we’ve got a reat han e of finishin in the top four because Arsenal have been up there for so many years now,” said Kane.

Kane is the E nglish topi ht s leadin s orer with 22 goals in all competitions, including an impressive run of 11 in his last 14 matches.

In other news, Yaya Toure believes M anchester City can win all of their remaining remier ea e fi t res and successfully defend their title.

Prior to their game against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Wednesday, M anuel Pellegrini’s team had slipped to seven points behind leaders Chelsea with 14 matches left to play.

City had failed to win in their previo s five mat hes a run that coincided with Toure’s absence due to Africa Cup of Nations commitments with Ivory Coast.

Toure helped his country win the continental competition last Sunday (February 8 ) with a penalty shootout victor over hana in the final

After triumphing with his country, Toure, 31, is ready to inspire his club to glory. ith m onfiden e know football is not about one game or two games, especially in the Premier League,” he said.

M a nche st e r U n it ed’s under-performing forwards forced manager Louis van Gaal into adopting long-ball tactics, the D utchman said after his side snatched a 1-1 draw at West Ham. U nited started with Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Angel di aria and Adnan an a at U pton Park last Sunday (February 8 ), but it took a stoppage-time volley from D aley Blind to earn the visitors a point after Cheikhou Kouyate had given West Ham a deserved 49th-minute lead.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said U nited’s strategy was “thump it forward and see what happens”, and V an Gaal admitted that the introduction of gangly Belgian midfielder M arouane Fellaini as a 7 2nd-minute substitute had heralded a change of tack.

“I’ve done that already a lot of times with Fellaini, so that is not new,” said V an Gaal. AFP T h e p r in lis h w e r

Ph t b e Pr e e c o

u k e t N e fo r e th is m ie r L e m p le te d

w s w e n t to w e e k ’s E n g a g u e g a m e s .

Team

MP W

D

L

F

A

GD

Pts

1

Chelsea

24 17

5

2

2

54 21 33

56

Man City

24 14

7

3

Southampton

24 14

3

3

47 24 23

49

7

38 17 21

45

4

Arsenal

25 13

6

6

47 28 19

45

5

Man Utd

6

Tottenham

24 12

8

4

40 23 17

44

25 13

4

8

39 34

5

43

7

Liverpool

25 12

6

7

36 29

7

42

8

West Ham

24 10

7

7

36 28

8

37

9

Swansea

24

9

7

8

28 31

-3

34

10

Stoke

24

9

6

9

27 29

-2

33

11

Newcastle

24

8

7

9

30 36

-6

31

12

Everton

24

6

9

9

31 34

-3

27

13

Crystal Palace

24

6

8

10 26 34

-8

26

14

Sunderland

25

4

12

9

22 36 -14

24

15

Hull

25

5

8

12 23 34 -11

23

16

West Brom

24

5

8

11 22 34 -12

23

17

QPR

25

6

4

15 26 43 -17

22

18

Aston Villa

25

5

7

13 12 34 -12

22

19

Burnley

24

4

9

11 23 40 -17

21

20

Leicester

25

4

5

16 22 40 -18

17

EPL FIXTURES

Everton v Newcastle

15:00

Saturday 21st February 2015

Leicester v Hull

15:00

Aston Villa v Stoke

15:00

Man Utd v Tottenham

15:00

Chelsea v Burnley

15:00

Sunderland v Aston Villa

15:00

Crystal Palace v Arsenal

15:00

Swansea v Liverpool

15:00

Everton v Leicester

15:00

West Brom v Stoke

15:00

Hull v QPR

15:00

Saturday 21st March 2015

Man City v Newcastle

15:00

Aston Villa v Swansea

15:00

Southampton v Liverpool

15:00

Hull v Chelsea

15:00

Sunderland v West Brom

15:00

Liverpool v Man Utd

15:00

Swansea v Man Utd

15:00

Man City v West Brom

15:00

Tottenham v West Ham

15:00

Newcastle v Arsenal

15:00

QPR v Everton

15:00

Saturday 28th February 2015 Arsenal v Everton

15:00

Southampton v Burnley

15:00

Burnley v Swansea

15:00

Stoke v Crystal Palace

15:00

Leicester v Chelsea

15:00

Tottenham v Leicester

15:00

Liverpool v Man City

15:00

West Ham v Sunderland

15:00

Man Utd v Sunderland

15:00

Newcastle v Aston Villa

15:00

Arsenal v Liverpool

15:00

QPR v Tottenham

15:00

Burnley v Tottenham

15:00

Stoke v Hull

15:00

Chelsea v Stoke

15:00

West Brom v Southampton

15:00

Crystal Palace v Man City

15:00

West Ham v Crystal Palace

15:00

Everton v Southampton

15:00

Leicester v West Ham

15:00

Tuesday 3rd March 2015

Saturday 4th April 2015

Aston Villa v West Brom

19:45

Man Utd v Aston Villa

15:00

Hull v Sunderland

19:45

Sunderland v Newcastle

15:00

QPR v Arsenal

19:45

Swansea v Hull

15:00

Southampton v Crystal Palace

19:45

West Brom v QPR

15:00

West Ham v Chelsea

19:45

Liverpool v Burnley

20:00

Wednesday 4th March 2015 Man City v Leicester

19:45

Newcastle v Man Utd

19:45

Stoke v Everton

19:45

Tottenham v Swansea

19:45

Saturday 11th April 201 Burnley v Arsenal

15:00

Liverpool v Newcastle

15:00

Man Utd v Man City

15:00

QPR v Chelsea

15:00

Southampton v Hull

15:00

Sunderland v Crystal Palace

15:00

15:00

Swansea v Everton

15:00

Burnley v Man City

15:00

Tottenham v Aston Villa

15:00

Chelsea v Southampton

15:00

West Brom v Leicester

15:00

Crystal Palace v QPR

15:00

West Ham v Stoke

15:00

Saturday 14th March 2015 Arsenal v West Ham

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

SPORT 31

Teen wonder Ko happy to be an ‘icon’ at 17 GOLF

N

Ko watches her tee shot on the 15th hole at the Coated Gold Championship, where she missed out on first place but became the youngest-ever world No 1 at 17 years of age. Photo: AFP

ew Zealand teenager Lydia Ko on Wednesday (February 11) said she was comfortable in the role of a female sporting icon after becoming golf’s youngest ever world number one.

Seventeen-year-old Ko, who smashed Tiger Woods’ record of reaching the top ranking when he was 21, said comments from aspiring golfers drove her to become a better player.

She was speaking just after the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews admitted its first female members, a breakthrough after 260 years of men-only membership.

“When I have kids or juniors

come up to me and say ‘Oh you’re my idol’ it makes me feel very proud,” she told a teleconference ahead of next month’s HSBC Women’s Champions.

“Hearing those things makes me feel like I need to become a better player just for them and hopefully just give more opportunities for the goals that will lead the LPGA.” South Korean-born Ko, who won her first professional event at the record age of just 14, tops the rankings just a year after turning pro and changing her clubs, sponsor and coach.

A cautionary tale about life at number one comes in the form of Taiwan’s Tseng Yani, who spent two years at the top until 2013 but then crumbled and is now ranked at 90.

But despite the pressure, the laid-back Ko said she was relaxed about the rankings and determined to keep enjoying her golf.

“It’s pretty awesome and it’s a huge honour to be in this position.

I’m very proud to be here. This has always been a goal to become world number one, so to be in the ranking right now it’s awesome,” she said.

“But I’m really going to go out to every tournament and try to have a good result there and not think about the rankings, because if somebody else plays really good and they win a couple of tournaments it’s really out of my hands.

“I’m just going to really enjoy being there, it’s really fun.” AFP

On the mats – The Kata Beach

BJJ Open saw about 60 grapplers from all over the world competing against one another against the backdrop of Nai Harn Beach. This is the third year for the event, which took place on Feb 6 and was organised by Phuket Top Team MMA gym in Chalong. Other Southern Thaliand gyms also competed, including AKA Thailand, Combat 360X in Khao Lak and members of Tiger Muay Thai.

The event had several categories in both gi (kimono) and no gi (submission grappling) competition. In addition, BJJ legend Carlson Gracie Jr held a seminar at Phuket Top Team prior to the event. Photos: Sergey Ribalko.

Live Sports TV Schedule *Times may be subject to change

CHANNEL START END

SPORT

EVENT

TEAMS / INFO

Friday, February 13 669

13:35 15:40 Rugby Union

Super XV

Crusaders v. Rebels

15:40 17:40 Rugby Union

Super XV

Brumbies v. Reds

00:10 02:00 Rugby Union

Super XV

Lions v. Hurricanes

Saturday, February 14 669

13:35 15:40 Rugby Union

Super XV

Blues v. Chiefs

669

22:05 00:10 Rugby Union

Super XV

Sharks v. Cheetahs

00:10 02:00 Rugby Union

Super XV

Bulls v. Stormers

817

21:30 23:30 Rugby Union

Six Nations

England v. Italy

810

00:00 02:00 Rugby Union

Six Nations

Ireland v. France

SS1

10:30 18:30

Cricket

ICC World Cup

England v. Australia

SS4

19:40 21:45

Soccer

FA Cup 5th Round

Swansea v. Sunderland

22:00 00:00

Soccer

FA Cup 5th Round

Everton v. Liverpool

Super XV

Waratahs v. Western Force

Sunday, February 15 669

12:05 14:00 Rugby Union

669

19:55 21:55 Rugby Union Aviva Premiership

Saracens v. Bath

810

21:55 00:00 Rugby Union

Scotland v. Wales

SS1

10:30 18:30

816

Cricket

Six Nations ICC World Cup

India v. Pakistan

17:25 19:25

Soccer

FA Cup 5th Round

Blackburn v. Stoke (Delay)

19:25 22:00

Soccer

FA Cup 5th Round

Aston Villa v. Leicester

22:55 01:00

Soccer

FA Cup 5th Round Arsenal v. Middlesbrough

@thephuketnews

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS Run #1512: Saturday, February 14 at 4pm Hare: Ejackulator, Creature & Flip Flop Location: Chaofa West - TOT Directions: Coming from the north or the west, make your way to the Honda Garage on Chaofa west. Drive south for 2.4 km and opposite the TOT offices turn RIGHT HHH at the Family Mart toward Villa Zoltude.

Coming from the south past Wat Chalong 1.2 km turn LEFT HHH at the Family Mart toward Villa Zoltude. Once on the side road, carry on straight up the hill for 2.9 km until you run out of tarmac. Park carefully and mind the ditch.

Bus pick-up: Kamala (Baan Rim Klong) 2:30pm; Patong (Expat Hotel) 3pm.

More info: phuket-hhh.com

Sport

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor2@classactmedia.co.th

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

New coach, new blood, new season for Phuket FC! > page 27

LOCKED AND LOADED Australia’s Michael Clarke bowls during the one-day international World Cup warm-up cricket match between Australia and the UAE in Melbourne. Photo: AFP/Mal Fairclough.

New Zealand, Australia look poised for strong World Cup run CRICKET

N

ew Zealand hammered home their status as World Cup dark horses with an emphatic 134-run warm-up win over South Africa last week as Australia’s Michael Clarke gave a pointer to his recovery from recent hamstring surgery with a knock of 64 in the team’s warm-up game against the United Arab Emirate.

Clarke, captaining Aus-

tralia for the first time since t he su rger y al most t wo months ago, spent just over 90 minutes at the crease in a confidence-booster at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The 33-year-old was promoted to opener to maximise his time in the middle, and offered a sharp chance on two after winning the toss.

He steadied and kept the scoreboard ticking over in a 123-run partnership with Aaron Finch.

National selectors will

now assess Clarke on Thursday before considering the merits of an earlier-thanexpected recall for Saturday’s World Cup opener against England at the MCG. “We’ll sum it up tomorrow, see how he pulls up more than anything,” coach Darren Lehmann told Fox Sports, issuing a guarded prognosis for when Clarke will return.

“We’ll see how he goes in the field, but we’re really pleased with that start and he’s been really confident.”

Meanwhile, Kiwi Kane Williamson top-scored with a 53-ball 66, dotted with nine fours. Skipper Brendan McCullum smashed a typically muscular 59 off 45 balls with seven fours and a six.

Their efforts lifted the home side to an impressive 331-8 in 50 overs at Christchurch.

Seamers Vernon Philander, Wayne Parnell and Kyle Abbott all took two wickets each but strike bowler Morne Morkel went wicketless, con-

ceding 31 runs off seven overs.

New Zealand pace bowler Trent Boult showed the vaunted Proteas attack how to make the most of the conditions at the Hagley Oval with the 22-year-old returning 5-51 off 9.2 overs.

It could have been more embarrassing for South Africa but JP Duminy (80 not out) and Philander (57) lifted their side from 62-6 with a 121-run seventh-wicket stand, which put a little gloss on the gloomy picture.

“We are not too fazed about the result. It’s about time in the middle, and overs under the belt,” said Duminy after his team were bowled out for a paltry 197.

Come Sunday, when South Africa face Zimbabwe in their first pool match at Hamilton, “We will be ready to go – we won’t read too much into this”, he insisted.

“Everybody got a bit out of it. It’s nice to take wins but we are happy with where we are.” AFP

North should not have played on – World Rugby RUGBY WA L E S W I N G G E O R G E North should not have continued playing after his head injury in Friday’s Six Nations opener against England, World Rugby said last week.

But the sport’s governing body exonerated the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) of any blame in their handling of the player.

North took an accidental boot to the head from England lock Dave Attwood in the first half in Cardiff and he was temporarily replaced by Liam Williams while he underwent a mandatory concussion assessment.

The 22-year-old returned but

then clashed heads with team-mate Richard Hibbard during the second half in what appeared to be a more serious incident.

North did not go off a second time, playing on as England started their Six Nations season with a 21-16 victory.

According to World Rugby, North should not have remained on the field: “World Rugby head injury protocol clearly states that a player should be immediately and permanently removed from the field of play where there are any visible symptoms or suspicion of a potential concussion”.

But World Rugby said the WRU had followed correct protocol, accepting its explanation that

“neither the team medical staff nor the independent doctor had sight of the incident”.

Wales resume their Six Nations campaign against Scotland at Murrayfield this Sunday (February 15).

Meanwhile, Wales centre and qualified doctor Jamie Roberts has voiced optimism that the debate sparked by North’s injury will help make the sport safer.

“Concussion is a huge part of the game at the moment, and hopefully moving forward, the protocols that we put in place -from our side, there will be video replays now for the medical staff at home and away matches -- are going to make the game safer for the players involved.” AFP

Wales’ George North runs in to score a try during the Six Nations match against Scotland in March 2014. Photo: AFP/Geoff Caddick. thephuketnews