14-04-2017

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FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

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Friday, April 14, 2017 – Thursday, April 20, 2017

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KAMALA VENDORS CONTEST DEMOLITIONS > PAGE 2

STAYIN’ ALIVE

NEWS

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New Governor beaming with enthusiasm

LIFE

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Lies Sol - A life of adventure

Emergency workers conduct a car-accident rescue exercise on Tuesday as part of the launch of the Songkran Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

OFFICIALS MODESTLY AIM FOR SONGKRAN ROAD DEATH TOLL TO BE ‘LESS THAN LAST YEAR’ The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

O

fficials have not set a target for this year’s Songkran Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign, which began on Tuesday (April 11). Instead, they are modestly hoping to reduce the death and injury toll to less than last year, when three people died and 62 people suffered injuries in 57 reported road accidents.

Comparatively, the Seven Days

campaign in 2015 saw 57 reported accidents leaving 58 people with injuries – but zero deaths.

“We have not set a target, but I just hope the number will be less than last year. If nobody is killed or injured, it would be good for everyone in Phuket,” Phuket Vice Governor Snith Sriwihok told The Phuket News on Tuesday (April 11).

V/ Gov Snith said he welcomed the united effort in tackling road safety in Phuket during the holidays.

“Unity in targeting safety is important,” he told The Phuket News.

“This year, I am glad that Phuket officials are working together with the Phuket Land Transport Office, Royal Thai Army, Phuket Airport, Royal Thai Police and local administrations in raising road-safety awareness – and enforcement – during these holidays, when many people travel home to visit their families,” he said.

“Phuket people welcome this festival when it is observed with

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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humility and respect in accordance with original Thai culture. Don’t lose self-control while having fun, don’t drive recklessly, then we will celebrate Songkran Festival with happiness,” he added.

Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong, who arrived in Phuket to take up the post of Governor only on Monday (April 10, see page 3), began the campaign with a inspection of the road-safety measures in place at the Phuket Checkpoint onto the island at...

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Songkran road safety takes the middle road

Continued from page 1 …Tha Chatchai, one of 17 checkpoints across the island where officers will be enforcing traffic laws during the seven days.

“Governor Norraphat is today (April 11) inspecting many checkpoints set up across the island. He cares deeply about people’s safety during Songkran, and I am following his focus on this right now,” V/Gov Snith said.

Police across the island will be vigilant for drunk drivers during the campaign, confirmed Phuket Provincial Police Chief Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen.

“Phuket police actually started their crackdown on drunk driving before the Songkran Festival and we expect our efforts to be more effective this year,” Gen Teeraphol said.

“We are thankful that we have other officials and people

supporting us, including local administration officials, Royal Thai Army soldiers and even local residents helping out at the 17 checkpoints,” he added.

This year drunk drivers will not have their vehicles impounded for the duration of the Seven Days campaign, Gen Teeraphol confirmed.

“I have made it clear for my officers to crack down on all drunk drivers- with no exception,” he said.

However, he added, “When the driver has sobered up from being drunk, he can drive his car or motorbike back home.

We will not hold the vehicles for the entire Seven Days campaign.”

Regarding safe water play, Gen Teeraphol reconfirmed that police will allow water battles pitched from the back of pickup trucks, but noted that “overzealous” and dangerous behaviour will invoke action from police.

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Debate over riding in pickup trays staved off for Songkran > page 6

Beachfront battle Vendors contest Kamala shop demolitions The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

M

ore than 30 operators who had their beachfront businesses at Kamala demolished earlier this month have filed an appeal with the Phuket Provincial Office claiming “injustice” by the Kamala Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor).

The buildings were demolished Tuesday last week (April 4) reportedly after the OrBorTor posted eviction notices announcing the structures were on public land – one of the points contested by the vendors.

The appeal was filed at the Phuket Provincial Office the next day (April 5) and the vendors were received by Phuket Vice Governor Snith Sriwihok, a process that revealed a long

Watchara Goaisakun explains the vendors’ claim to the land along the Kamala beachfront. Photo: PR Dept embittered battle for rights to the land.

Kamala OrBorTor Chief Garun Sriden on the Tuesday (April 4) publicly explained that the demolitions were carried out with permission from the Administrative Court

in Nakhon Sri Thammarat (the regional Administrative Court) as the “claimants” had lost their appeal to keep the structures.

“The demolitions were carried out as the structures breached the Building Control

Act. The deadline had ended,” Mr Garun said.

The eviction and demolition notices were originally posted on Aug 3, 2016, he said.

Final notices, given vendors seven days to vacate the land, were posted on Feb 24 this year, he added.

“In addition, the ‘claimants’ had appealed to the Nakhon Sri Thammarat Administrative Court to postpone the deadline, but the Court denied the request,” Mr Garun explained.

However, vendor Watchara Goaisakun pointed out, “The land was acquired a long time ago and has a legally issued SorKor 1 land document…

“The land in dispute is being heard in the court. I also want to ask why other buildings nearby were not demolished,” Mr Watchara added.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

New Governor pledges to solve ‘all problems’

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Premkamon Ketsara thaiassist@classactmedia.co.th

N

orraphat Plodthong, the new and 48 t h Governor of Phuket, arrived on the island on Monday morning (April 10), brimming with confidence of resolving all problems in the province.

“I am originally from Nakhon Sri Thammarat. I can speak Southern Thai. I don’t think there will be any problems with working here,” Governor Norraphat said.

“Here (Phuket) is well known for problems. Don’t worry. Problems exist to be solved,” he added.

Gov Norraphat said he was surprised with his transfer to the post of Governor of Phuket.

“I am surprised with the order, because Phuket is a not your ordinary province,” he said.

Gov Norraphat and his wife, Ms Sudawan, had a busy schedule for their first day in Phuket, paying respects to revered figures including the Phuket Heroines and to Khaw Sim Bee, formally known as “founding father of

Mr Wilkinson was rushed to the A&E Dept of the stillunfinished Chalong Hospital, but doctor’s attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

British man likely electrocuted: Police

Norraphat Plodthong, the new and 48th Governor of Phuket, and his wife, Ms Sudawan, pay their respects at the statue of historic Phuket figure Phraya Rassada Na-Ranong on Rang Hill in Phuket Town on Monday (April 10). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Phuket development” Phraya Rassada Na-Ranong, and a formal dinner with leading island officials and dignitaries to be held that night.

Governor Norraphat comes to Phuket after serving as the Provincial Management Advisor at the Office of the

Permanent Secretary for the Interior.

He is also a former Deputy Director-General at the Department of Local Administration, which is the governing body for all local administrations below the level of provincial government

Gold thief arrested in Songkhla POLICE FROM PROVINcial Police Region 8 last Saturday (April 8) arrested a 28-year-old Thai woman wanted in connection with theft from a Phuket gold shop on March 18.

Police in Phuket were on the lookout for a woman who had twice entered gold shops on the island on the pretence of buying a necklace, and walking out of each shop with more than B20,000 in stolen gold tucked into her back pocket.

The wanted notices were issued on March 20, said Maj

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Thiwaporn Saksri, 28, from Chiang Mai was arrested an an undisclosed address in Songkhla province.

Thanasak Sawangsri of the Wichit Police, after officers were informed that the woman had stolen her second piece of gold jewellery from the Muang Thong branch of the Yongdee Gold Shop on Pattana

Thongtin Rd on March 18.

The Phuket Provincial Court issued an arrest warrant for Thiwaporn last Friday (April 7) after she was suspected of being the woman involved in the theft.

Police were able to track down Thiwaporn to an undisclosed address in Songkhla, where officers in Sathing Phra District took her into custody.

At last report, Thiwaporn was being held in custody at Wichit Police Station where she was to face charges for the two thefts in Phuket.

Darawan Naknakhon

throughout the country.

His arrival in Phuket follows Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha ordering Phuket’s previous Governor, Chockchai Dejamornthan, to be transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister with immediate effect on April 4.

POLICE ARE INVESTIgating the death of an Brit expat in Phuket after he was found collapsed in his Rawai home’s garden last Thursday (April 6) from a suspected electric shock.

Chalong Police were called to the house, in Soi Sungthong, at 3:31pm. At the scene they found Englishman Paul Wilkinson, 55, lying unconscious and unresponsive in a garden bed on the inside of small fence wall. On the other side of the wall was the electricity-supply meter for the house, with a jumble of wires hanging underneath.

Mr Wilkinson was rushed to the Accident & Emergency Department of the still-underconstruction Chalong Hospital while rescue workers

performed CPR. However, doctors were unsuccessful in their attempts to revive him.

Mr Wilkinson’s body was taken to Vachira Hospital.

Mr Wilkinson’s daughter, still deeply distressed, told police that she was in the house when she heard her father call out, said Lt Col Kanan Somrak of the Chalong Police.

“I was inside the house and my father was working in the garden. Then I heard the my father shout, ‘Oy!’ I ran out and found him face down. I called my neighbours to help to carefully pull him out from the garden and then called for help,” she said.

Police suspect that Mr Wilkinson suffered a fatal electric shock.

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Woman, 42, arrested attempting to sell ‘ya ice’, hand grenade to Phuket Police A 42-YEAR-OLD THAI woman was arrested in Patong last Thursday (Apr 7) as she attempted to sell crystal meth (ya ice) and an M67 hand grenade to plain-clothed police officers.

Urai “Nan” Haha, 42, was taken into custody after police officers staged an operation to lure suspected drug dealers.

Lt Col Woraphong Phromin of the Patong Police together with a team of officers arrested Urai “Nan” Haha, 42,

after they discovered she had on her person 316.52 grams of ya ice and an M67 hand grenade after she attempted to sell them to the undercover officers. Police also seized from Urai a Toyota Yaris valued at B600,000.

Urai was taken to Patong Police Station where she was charged with possession of Category 1 Drug with intent to sell and illegal possession of a military-grade weapon.

Eakkapop Thongtub

Ur ai ‘Nan’ Haha , 42 , attempted to sell 316.52 grams of ya ice and an M67 hand grenade to police officers. Photo: Patong Police

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THEPHUKETNEWS.COM Phuket Seven Day Weather Forecast

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Tin Suklim, 70, was hit while turning right into Soi Thala.

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Man, 70, killed in bike crash

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POLICE HAVE YET TO press any charges for a deadly motorbike collision involving a 17-year-old last Saturday (April 8) that killed a 70-year-old man who was heading towards Phuket’s welfare home for the elderly in Pa Khlok.

Tin Suklim, 70, was riding eastbound along the Pa Khlok Rd (Route 4027) and was turning right into Soi Thala when the accident happened, explained Lt Col Sanit Nukong of the Thalang Police.

Mr Tin was turning right into the street when his was struck by a motorbike driven by and 17-year-old Anuwat Kongngam, who was riding westbound, Col Sanit said.

“Mr Tin suffered serious injuries and rescue workers rushed him to Thalang Hospital, but he was pronounced dead at 5:35pm,” Eakkapop Thongtub

New ‘in-line’ scanners to reduce queues The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

T

he introduction of “inline” security scanners at Phuket International Airport earlier this month has resolved the problem of massive queues of tourists being forced to wait outside the International Terminal, airport officials have confirmed.

Phuket Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan revealed that the “in-line” scanners were brought online at midnight on April 1, with passengers no longer needing to have their baggage screened at the entrance doors to the terminal.

Passengers can now check in their hold baggage immediately, where it will be scanned via a conveyor-belt system before being loaded onto the aircraft, Ms Monrudee explained.

Previously, passengers had to check all of their baggage through an X-ray machine before entering the International Terminal, causing huge queues

The X-ray machines previously used at the entrance doors to the International Terminal now sit idle. Photo: AoT during busy holiday periods.

In one of the worst cases, hundreds of passengers were forced to wait outside the terminal during the New Year holidays while only two staff were available to conduct security scans on baggage.

The problem gained such notoriety that Thailand’s Transport Minister Lt Gen Arkhom Termpittayapaisith inspected Phuket Airport in person in January and ordered

Tourist thanks honest cabbie

A YOUNG SWISS TOURist has thanked a Phuket taxi driver for his honesty and for returning his bag, which he had forgotten as he exited the cab at his hotel in Patong last Tuesday night (April 4).

Swiss national Alexander Roth, 29, thanked taxi driver Jakrapan Chalermwai as his bag was handed back at Phuket Tourist Police headquarters in Phuket Town the next day.

Mr Roth entered Mr Jakrapan’s taxi at Phuket International Airport, but discovered that he had lost his bag only after he was dropped off at the Bliss South Beach Patong resort, on Thaweewong Rd. “Not knowing what to do, he called the Tourist Police 1155 and reported his bag missing,” explained Tourist Police Region 5 Commander Col Srisak Kampeerayan, present at the handover.

urgent action be taken to resolve the crisis.

However, Phuket Airport management has so far declined to comment on the security issue of unscreened baggage now being freely allowed into the terminal itself.

Ms Monrudee has been unavailable to comment to The Phuket News regarding the security concerns. All other airport management contacted by The Phuket News

said they were not authorised to comment.

However, a public statement issued by airport authorities assured, “The security system is installed in accordance with international standards. If baggage containing suspicious items are found, the passenger will be notified before they board the aircraft and measures will be implemented to ensure safety.”

Public Holidays Songkran (April 13-17) Office/service

Swiss tourist Alexander Roth reports his bag missing on April 5. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub “Mr Roth could not remember the license plate of the taxi, so Tourist Police officers put a call out to all taxi drivers to keep a lookout for a bag left behind in the cabs,” he said.

That’s when Mr Jakrapan reported back that he had found the bag.

Mr Roth examined the bag, which contained cash in baht and other currencies as well as his passport, camera

and other personal items, and confirmed nothing was missing.

“I am very glad to get my bag back. Everything is here. I’m sorry for the trouble and for wasting Mr Jakrapan’s time and I thank him for bringing it back,” Mr Roth said.

Tourist Police and Mr Jakrapan told Mr Roth they were happy to be of service.

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Pickup passengers allowed Phuket Transport chief confirms riding in pickup trays is legal Shela Riva reporter1@classactmedia.co.th

W

hile Bangkok authorities last week debated whether or not people can ride in the back of pickup trucks – a common practice across Thailand – the Chief of the Phuket Land and Transport Office (PLTO) confirmed to The Phuket News that it is beyond doubt legal to ride in the back of pickup trucks on Thai roads.

“Passengers in the back of pickup trucks are allowed,” PLTO Chief Banyat Kantha told The Phuket News.

“This is because Section 21 of the Vehicle Act B.E. 2522 (1979) was amended in 2003 so that a private vehicle such as a private pickup truck – with vehicle weight of not more than 1,600 kilograms – may be used as a private car and is permitted to carry more than seven passengers,” he explained.

“Families in Thailand, for a long time, have used pickup trucks as private family vehicles. They are often required to transport all the members of a large family. So it is allowed,” he added.

Regarding the new law requiring all passengers to wear seatbelts, which was launched last Wednesday, Chief Banyat

Riding in the back of pickup trucks is legal, Phuket’s Land Transport chief has confirmed.

Photo: The Phuket News / file noted, “Passengers in public transportation vehicles such as tuk-tuks and songthaew (trucks or pickups converted to carry passengers) are not required to wear seatbelts as these vehicles are not installed with seatbelts for the back passengers.

“Drivers and front seat passengers in these vehicles, however, do need to wear seatbelts,” Chief Banyat explained.

However, whether people will be able to continue to ride in the back of pickups in the future remains unclear.

Last Wednesday (April 5), the government backtracked on a new rule banning people from travelling in the rear space, or tray, of pickup trucks

following fierce criticism from the public.

The ban was announced only 24 hours earlier (April 4).

The regulation will now be enforced only after the Songkran festival, they now say, reports the Bangkok Post.

Deputy National Police Chief Pol Gen Detnarong Sutthichanbancha said the government decided to offer a reprieve, though a date had yet to be fixed for commencing the enforcement of the new pickup passenger ban.

During the Songkran holidays, officers will give only verbal warnings to passengers who sit in the back of pickup trucks, he said.

People can continue to sit

in pickup trays and the government has not set a maximum number of passengers, Gen Detnarong added.

However, he insisted police will still enforce the law requiring the mandatory use of seat belts, particularly for passengers in commuter vans.

BACKLASH A Chumphon police officer is being investigated after he posted a Facebook message criticising the controversial measure, the Bangkok Post also reported.

Lt Col Akarat Hoongnam, an inspector at Salui Police Station in Tha Sae District of Chumpon, said the law should not cause problems

for people and that it would be important to enforce it at all social levels.

“If high-society people or the rich are allowed to make the laws, they will not care about the plight of the poor,” he told the Bangkok Post.

Instead of barring people from riding in pickup trays, there should be a greater focus on enforcing speed limits, he said.

However, Chu mphon Police Chief Sonthichai Awathanakulthep has instructed Col Akarat to explain his actions, according to Chumphon Police deputy commander Wimol Phitakburapha.

Col Wimol said if he is found to have committed an offence, a committee will be formed to take disciplinary action against him.

He said police are dutybound to enforce laws in line with government policy, and they should not oppose them.

UNIFORM RESPONSE Meanwhile, a Facebook post by a police officer in the Deep South complained that the people who came up with such traffic laws are those who spend their time in airconditioned rooms and do not care about the poor.

“How would 10 people be able to go to work together in

the front space of a vehicle?

How could we [the police] fight back against bandits who shoot at us?” he said, referring to the fact that police also sit in the back of pickups.

Following the announcement of the ban, more than 100 people were arrested within two hours last Wednesday (April 4) in Khon Kaen’s Muang district after police set up a checkpoint there.

The traffic violators were fined B200 each. They included those who failed to fasten their seatbelts and people travelling in back of pickup trucks.

Khon Kaen Police Chief Noppadol Petsut said the fines were low and efforts had been made to educate drivers. Some received only verbal warnings.

Bandit Donnang, a 65-yearold driver of a pickup, was arrested and fined B200 for carrying his relatives in his vehicle’s tray. They were heading to a merit-making ceremony.

He said even though he agreed with the road safety push, he wanted authorities to ease the measure.

“People in rural areas do not have enough money to pay for public transport so they just travel together in a pickup as a group to save on transportation costs,” Mr Bandit said.

Driver escapes as Range Rover engulfed by flames A WOMAN DRIVING SOUTHbound on Thepkrasattri Rd toward Phuket Town escaped unharmed last Thursday (April 6) as her Range Rover SUV caught fire, with the flames gutting the car completely, leaving nothing but a burnt-out shell.

Traffic backed up on the busy road, which serves as the main corridor linking Phuket International Airport with the rest of the island,

just after 12:40pm as police, rescue workers and firefighters arrived to battle the blaze.

The car was pulled over into the emergency lane just south of the intersection to turn-off to go to Nai Thon and Nai Yang beaches (Route 4031).

The firefighters from Thepkrasattri Municipality managed to extinguish the blaze after about 15

minutes, but not before the flames had gutted the entire vehicle.

Capt Chatree Chuwichian of the Thalang Police said the driver, Weeraya Thitiworana, 34, escaped unharmed.

Ms Weeraya was travelling to Phuket from Takua Pa District in Phang Nga, just north of the island, Capt Chatree explained.

“She said she saw flames coming

from under the bonnet and pulled over as quickly as she could. She got out of the vehicle and called for help as soon as possible,” he said.

“We believe the fire was started by some electrical short, but we have yet to confirm the exact cause,” Capt Chatree added.

The Range Rover SUV was insured for B1.7 million, he noted.

Eakkapop Thongtub

The woman driving the Range Rover e s c aped a s flame s engulfed the car.

Cement truck driver dodges charges POLICE HAVE CONFIRmed they will not be pressing any charges against the driver of the cement truck that killed an Australian tourist.

The accident occurred on a curve near the quiet Tri Trang beach on Mar 30, where the body of 49-year-old Paul Anthony Bradbery from New South Wales was found partially lodged under the right side of the truck, driven by Sakon Sriprasit, 39.

Mr Bradbery’s motorbike was on the ground on the left

An Australian tourist died after his rented motorbike collided with the cement truck. Photo: Patong Police side of the truck. A helmet was found at the scene, but he had suffered severe trauma.

“The investigation concludes that Mr Bradbery fell

over on his motorbike on his own and Mr Sakon was unable to stop in time. Therefore, there have been no charges,” Maj Teerasak Boonsang of the Patong Police told The Phuket News last Thursday (April 7), “Unfortunately, it was likely that Mr Bradbery was not very used to driving the motorbike,” he said.

Phuket Tourist Police reported that Mr Bradbery checked in alone at a Patong Resort on Mar 27.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

7

Tourists and guides must share reef responsibility Heavy tourism traffic has caused much damage to the coral reefs around Phuket.

Photo: Maxmillionx

The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

A

clear majority of respondents to a recent online poll by The Phuket News have called for both tourists and their tour guides be charged for damaging coral where their activities have caused obvious harm to the key tourist marine ecoattractions in the region.

The question came to the fore after coral preservation efforts at key tourist dive sites and coral reef attractions for day-trippers in and around Phuket were ramped up to a ridiculous level and shifted from targeting tourists to the tour guides and tour companies that lead them.

The drive began in earnest in late January, when officials from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Phuket office posted signs at Koh Racha Yai’s three main bays warning tour guides and tourists of the consequences of breaking marine conservation rules.

After a couple of “misunderstandings”, Chinese tourist Huang Yongjia, 35, was caught

@thephuketnews

Three people were on the Honda Scoopy when the accident occurred. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Big bike collision leaves four injured with two baby Parrotfish in a plastic bottle and was charged and fined B100,000.

Officials tried the same with 53-year-old Russian tourist Olga Smirnova, but as she did not have the B100,000, she spent two nights in police lockup while awaiting trial for feeding bread to fish at Racha Yai. However, after Ms Smirnova’s dire situation captured widespread media attention, officials changed tack and started focusing on tour guides and tour operators.

Nonthasak Marine and one of their guides came into question for allegedly breaking off a piece of coral to kill a sea urchin in front of tourists, a claim the company strongly denies, and an illegal guide now stands accused of standing on corals at Koh Racha.

To all this, The Phuket News asked readers, “Who should be held responsible environmental damage – the tourists who break the rules, or the tour guides and the companies that hire them?”

Only 7% of respondents

to the poll, which closed at on April 9, voted for tourist to be held soley responsible for their actions. A further 29% voted for the guides to be held wholly responsible for environmental damage.

However, 64% of all respondents voted, “Both tourists and their guides should be held responsible, and both should be charged.”

For the full poll results, visit ThePhuketNews.com and select “Poll” from the “News” menu.

FOU R PE OPL E W E R E injured, one seriously, when a big bike collided with a Honda Scoopy in Koh Kaew last Saturday (April 8).

Phuket City Police were informed at 10:20am of an accident where two motorbikes had collided on Thepkrasattri Rd northbound that had left four people injured, one of them seriously.

Lt Col Chalaew Taihu of the Phuket City Police arrived at the scene with Kusoldharm and Srisoonthorn rescue workers to find a badly damaged Honda Scoopy lying in the road. Nearby was an orange Kawasaki big bike.

Col Chalaew said, “There were three people riding on the Honda Scoopy; Ms Khwanta

Bauchai, 33; Ms Vassana Binlaroi, 33; and Miss Chonlada Binlaroi, 13.

“Ms Vassana and Miss Chonlada only suffered minor injuries and were taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital.

However, Ms Khwanta sustained serious injuries and was taken to Mission Hospital.

“The driver of the big bike, 34-year-old Dominic James Hodge from the United Kingdom also sustained minor injuries and was taken to Bangkok Hospital,” he said.

“At this stage we believe that one of the motorbikes run a red light. However, we will check CCTV footage to find the true cause of the accident,” Col Chalaew said.

Eakkapop Thongtub

Opinion 8

OPINION

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CHRIS HUSTED

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

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

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editor1@classactmedia.co.th From Melbourne, Australia, Mark holds a BA from La Trobe University where he completed a double major in Anthropology and Media Studies.

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EDITORIAL

Sheltered from reality

he Phuket News continuously receives comments via its website and Facebook page from a number of foreigners complaining about how foreigners are the only people on the island that ever get stopped and fined by police – mainly for not wearing a helmet.

This writer has absolutely no idea where these foreigners live their cocooned lives, but what is clear is that they need to get out more to see who actually gets checked for what and when. The Phuket News would like to ask these commenters if they have ever been stopped at a police checkpoint and asked to pee in a plastic container? These pots of pee are immediately tested for drug use. If the pee turns purple it’s positive, if it doesn’t change colour it’s negative.

Should one’s pee turn purple, heaven forbid – because

these commenters presumably believe that no foreigners would even contemplate using recreational drugs while here on this paradise island – then action will be taken against you.

Police will prosecute those whose pee turns purple and according to the law, they will be fined, arrested, imprisoned and who knows... because these pee tests are rarely carried out on foreigners, but in some areas, where mainly Thais live, they are an every night occurrence.

Furthermore, have these commenters contemplated why certain areas, those inhabited mainly by foreigners, are clamped down on by police?

This writer can guarantee that if anyone was to drive through an area mainly inhabited by foreigners, such as Kamala, Patong, Nai Harn or Rawai, at any given time of day or day of the week, he/she would witness the vast majority of foreigners

riding motorbikes in these areas doing so without wearing a helmet, thus breaking the law.

Is it really any wonder why police really target these areas when the foreigners routinely break the law.

For these commenters who frequently belittle the police for “only stopping and fining foreigners”, please, on any given night, go through a backstreet in Rassada, Srisoonthorn or Wichit and see how many checkpoints are specifically set up to test Thais, not only for riding without a helmet, but also for drug use. This might actually change your belief that you are the only ones ever stopped and fined for anything.

The Phuket News often criticizes the police, when they deserve it, but there are also many foreigners here that deserve criticism, as they appear to live their lives in a blinkered state.

TOP 10 STORIES ON thephuketnews.com

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

One barbell at a time for Vietnam’s first transgender bodybuilder Weather warning issued for Phuket, other Southern provinces PM Prayut orders Phuket Governor transfer, effective immediately Phuket officials unveil rules for Songkran Brit expat dead in Phuket from suspected garden electric shock No charges for Phuket accident killing Aussie tourist Phuket beach businesses cleared under guise of ‘Keep Phuket Clean’ campaign Phuket bike collision leaves four injured, one seriously King signs new constitution Phuket transport chief confirms pickup passengers allowed, no seatbelts required in tuk-tuks

Visit thephuketnews.com for all the latest news

HAVE YOUR SAY Wagging the dog I notice that a rival Phuket weekly newspaper has dwindled in size to just 12 pages, with only four of news items.

However, the free Chinese newspaper inside has grown to 32 pages.

Perhaps your rival would now be better placed inside the Chinese paper. Otherwise, it looks like a case of a Chinese tail wagging a Phuket dog!

Andy Phillips ...................................................

Coral damage has many causes

Re: Hold tourists and guides responsible for coral damage, says Phuket poll Good poll and a clear result.

At the same time, if this topic is taken out of the history and seen/posted individually, it looks like there were only two parties to blame for any coral damage.

Certainly, this could be seen a bit more general: Huge drifting fishing nets stuck at reefs, nylon rope, fishing lines and anchor damage is also responsible for damaged coral and certainly not caused by tourists or guides.

Mig Wehrle

Support for ex-gov

Re: Phuket Opinion: Progress meets Phuket The best thing Dr Chockchai did was to attempt to make Phuket a legitimate tourism destination. Hopefully, whoever comes next will continue the effort. If so, business and real estate will rebound from the last three years of decline.

Foot ...................................................

Double standards

Re: No charges for Phuket accident killing Aussie tourist Hmm, no charges, bit of double standards here! Seems if it’s a Thai involved in an accident it’s ok, I thought any death had to go to court? As per the Aussie guy’s accident on a jet-ski.

Malczx7r ...................................................

Why the big deal?

Re: Swiss tourist thanks honest Phuket taxi driver Great to get the bag back, but is it so unusual for someone to hand a bag back instead of stealing it that a ceremony is needed? That is the correct, honest and decent thing to do.

Items get left in taxis every

day all round the world, honesty should be the norm, not something special. I think it reflects really badly on Thailand that this actually makes the news.

Discover Thainess ...................................................

Personal choice

Re: Buckle up or get fined, warn Phuket Traffic Police While I always wear my seat belt, it’s not because I have to or I’ll be fined, it’s because I value my life and use common sense. It should be up to the occupants if they choose to wear seat belts or not and die or not on Thailand’s roads.

The same as wearing bike helmets, it’s another “opportunity” for the BIBs to cash in as there is no genuine wish to keep citizens safe. Why don’t they do real police work and chase down speeding and reckless drivers and actually enforce speed limits, catch red-light runners, ghost riders and so on?

But I suppose that would take real effort... that should be a priority over enforcing wearing your seatbelt at checkpoints. I can think of many so called laws that are ridiculous and miss the mark,

the buying of alcohol between certain times, curfew time on tourist nightspots, beach chair fiasco etc. They appear to only enforce what is easy for them to control and/or profit from, it just doesn’t make sense sometimes.

Pauly44 ...................................................

One step forward...

Re: ‘Keep Phuket Clean’ campaign draws thousands to Patong Beach Departing Governor, just six months and five days in his position in Phuket. Perhaps his superiors were not amused that a Governor wore polo shirts with ads/logos of private businesses?

So, does this halt further progress of Patong Tunnel, Phuket light rail and the check on illegal hotels for the time being? I guess Phuket officials will now go to lean back in their office arm chairs, relax, and wait for new “orders”.

I’m curious what this changing of the guard means for Phuket beach “rulings”.

Lucky it is the very low season already. Time enough to implement new beach ruling. That will be fun to witness again.

Kurt

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

10 THAILAND NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

All vans to be replaced by microbuses by 2022 BANGKOK Bangkok Post

A garbage island is found off Koh Talu in Bang Saphan district, Prachuap Khiri Khan. Photo: Siam Marine Rehabilitation Foundation

Another ‘garbage island’ discovered PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN A FLOATING GARBAGE island has been found in the Gulf of Thailand off Bang Saphan district.

Snorkellers off Koh Talu last Sunday (Apr 9) reported the floating trash moving towards the island to the Siam Marine Rehabilitation Foundation.

The garbage includes plastic bags, bottles and foam boxes, which is about one kilometre long.

Foundation secretarygeneral Paopipat Charoenpak said on Sunday that the gar-

bage could damage shallow water reefs around the island and pollute the island if it washes up on its beaches.

The latest floating garbage is the second trash slick found in the province after the previous one was detected in February. Authorities said the trash two months ago could be debris flowing into the sea from the heavy floods in southern provinces. It took about 10 days to move it from the sea.

The foundation has alerted the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, which sent speed boats to locate the trash and it is being collected.

Bangkok Post

T

he Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) expects to replace all of about 5,000 vans used for its public van service with microbuses by 2022 in a bid to improve road safety.

The van service is managed by private operators with concessions granted by the BMTA. Somsak Hommuang, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Transport, in his capacity as Acting Director of the BMTA, said the public van service will close by 2022 which is when 70% of the permits granted to van service operators expire.

In compliance with the Transport Ministry’s public transport safety policy, the BMTA plans to fully commence the microbus service in the next two years, Mr Somsak said.

He added that by 2022, those whose public van service concessions expire will be required to switch to microbuses if they want to continue

The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority says there are currently 5,000 passenger vans operating within the city, and all will be gone within five years. Photo: Ian Fuller/Flickr providing public transport services.

He said the BMTA aims to encourage van service operators to replace their vans with 20-seater microbuses by offering them tax benefits.

The BMTA is seeking the ministry’s approval on the tax benefits plan.

The tax plan would not only encourage van operators to change to microbuses, but local car makers would also be able to produce and

sell microbuses at prices significantly lower than imported ones, he said.

Four car-making companies – Toyota, MG, Hino and Bestlin Group – have expressed interest in a proposal to support private companies to set up a new factory in the so-called Free Zone, where taxes will be waived so they can produce microbuses and sell them at prices close to the average price of vans now used in the BMTA’s service, he said.

The ministry also plans to seek cooperation from Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation (TCG) to find and offer loans to van operators who want to replace their vans with microbuses before their van concessions expire, he said.

An imported microbus costs around B2.4 million while one produced locally would cost between B1.5mn and B1.6mn after the tax benefit, he said. The average price of a van is B1.3mn.

Elderly woman dies in railway community fire BANGKOK

Fire rages through the homes.

Photo: Civil Defence Volunteers

AN ELDERLY WOMAN DIED in a fire that destroyed 20 houses at the Suan Phlu community beside the railway track in Bang Yi Rua area of Thon Buri district early on Monday

(Apr 10), police said.

Capt Jate Nilpruek, Deputy Chief Investigator of the Bang Yi Rua Police, said the fire broke out about 3am at a food stall in soi 19 of Thoed Thai road, where there were about 50 one- and two-storey wooden houses.

About 20 fire engines were des-

patched to fight the blaze.

The fire was put out in one and a half hours, after 20 houses were burned down over an area of about 1,600 square metres.

The charred body of a woman, identified as Jumaporn Thipthaweesuk, 65, was found in one of the

burned houses.

Capt Jate said the cause of the fire was being investigated. Witnesses said it started at food stall run by a woman known only as Mrs Toy, aged 60-65.

She would be called in for questioning.

Bangkok Post

Thai women join rebel monk ranks NAKHON PATHOM SCISSORS FLY AS THAI families surround their daughters to shear off tufts of hair until they are nearly bald – a ritual preparation for the women’s new future as rebel female monks.

Taking on the spartan lifestyle is a subversive choice for the two dozen women, who are the latest to buck tradition in Thailand’s male-dominated Buddhist order.

The Buddhist nation’s clergy remains steadfast in not officially recognising female monks as legitimate.

But their ranks are gradually growing under the leadership of Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, an abbess who founded an all-female monastery in

Nakhon Pathom province outside Bangkok.

Last week she inducted 24 more women into what is known as the bhikkuni – female monk – tradition.

The hair-cutting ceremony was an emotional moment for many of the incoming monks, whose ages spanned the spectrum – from their twenties to their sixties.

Some were amused while others struggled to hold back tears.

After most of their hair was snipped off, the women’s heads – and eyebrows – were shaved and rinsed.

They then donned rustcoloured robes, sat through a series of prayers, and received their first round of alms as they stepped into new, austere lives shorn of romance and most forms of excess. AFP

Thai women wanting to become female Buddhist monks hold incense sticks as they stand in line during an ordination ceremony at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

ASIA NEWS 11

Girls preserving traditions

Kashmiri teenagers take up male dominated Sufi music INDIA AFP

W

hen Kashmiri teenager Shabnam Bashir first took up classical Sufi music three years ago, she had to practise singing in secret because all the men in her Muslim family opposed her new passion.

Now the 14-year-old is a proud member of what her teacher Mohammad Yaqoob Sheikh says is the first mixed Sufi singing ensemble in Indian-administered Kashmir, where the music has for generations been a male preserve.

“It took me two months to convince them all,” said Bashir as she joins four other girls – and one 13-year-old boy – for singing practice.

“My father finally gave me permission on condition that it did not affect my regular studies.”

Thousands of people in the Muslim-majority region follow Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam whose adherents seek spiritual communion through music and dance at the shrines

Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh, the Sufi music teacher, teaches his students the nuances of Sufi music, on the outskirts of Srinagar. Photo: AFP

of their saints.

The songs, which use the lyrics of old Kashmiri- and Persian-language devotional poetry, date back to the 15th century. But they have evolved as a uniquely male tradition, sung by men and handed down through the male line of the family.

Sheikh is the exception – he learned the art from his maternal grandfather, Ghulam Mohammad Qaleenbaf, one of the region’s best known Sufi singers.

“T he earlier masters wouldn’t even pass it on to

sons of their daughters, only sons or sons of sons,” Sheikh said at his home in the outskirts of the main city of Srinagar.

Sheikh began teaching young Kashmiris in a bid to preserve the Sufi musical tradition of the picturesque Himalayan region, which has been divided between India and Pakistan since partition but is claimed by both countries.

He said young Kashmiris were turning away from classical music and towards protest rap songs inspired by the tense politics of the heavily militarised region, where dozens of

Poachers kill rare one-horned rhino NEPAL POACHERS HAVE SHOT dead a one-horned rhinoceros at a national wildlife park in Nepal, officials said this week, spotlighting the threat faced by the rare animals.

Officials found the male rhino with its horn gouged out in Chitwan National Park, the country’s biggest rhino conservation area.

“We performed a postmortem and found that it had been hit by a bullet on its head,” the park’s spokesman Nurendra Aryal said.

Aryal said a team had been set up to investigate the incident and security had been tightened at the district borders.

In September last year a rhino died weeks after poachers shot it in the same park, the first of the rare animals to be killed in the country in over two years.

Thousands of one-horned rhinos once roamed the plains of Nepal, but their numbers have plunged over the past century due to poaching and human encroachment on their habitat.

The population decline was particularly dramatic @thephuketnews

A Nepalese veterinary and technical team prepare to dart a rhino in Chitwan National Park. Photo: Prakash Mathema/AFP during Nepal’s 1996-2006 civil war, when soldiers on anti-poaching duties were redeployed to fight the Maoist guerrilla insurgency.

But the country has since made rapid progress in combating the poachers who kill the animals for their prized horns, drawing praise from conservation groups and activists.

The horns fetch huge prices in some Asian countries where they are used for medicines and jewellery.

Nepal is home to about 645 rhinos, out of which about 600 live in Chitwan National Park.

The park is in the process of relocating five rhinos to

another conservation area in far-west Nepal to boost their population.

Shant Raj Jnawali, a rhino expert at WWF, said the latest death highlighted the vulnerability of the animals despite anti-poaching efforts from the community, park wardens and army.

“We hope that the investigation will help us devise new strategies to strengthen protection for these animals,” Jnawali said.

Rhino poaching carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail and a 100,000-rupee (B34,660) fine.

AFP

protesters were killed last year in clashes with government forces.

“Teaching young boys and girls in a disciplined manner is the surest way to preserve this heritage,” said Sheikh.

But doing so has not been easy.

When he first started teaching girls, Sheikh faced opposition from both neighbours and soldiers, and had to move the classes to a new location four times.

“It looked like everything was going up in f lames. I wanted to do something to

save Sufiyana,” he said.

Now he has trained nearly 50 Kashmiri women – although only a small minority continue to perform after marriage.

Among his current students are teenagers Rehana Yousuf and her sister, who sit in a circle with their fellow musicians, heads covered in bright colourful scarves.

Yousuf plays the Santoor, a 100-stringed instrument that accompanies Sufi singing, and says she was inspired to learn when she first saw Sheikh perform on television.

“When I heard he (Sheikh) teaches girls too, I developed a strong urge to learn,” she said.

“My father is also his (Sheikh’s) student, and he was happy for me to come here.”

A curfew imposed last year following violent protests over the killing of a popular rebel leader meant classes had to stop for four months.

The situation has calmed since, but tensions are still running high in the territory, where many favour independence from India.

On the Pakistan side of the border, Sufi music is thriv-

ing thanks to a hybrid form known as Sufi Rock, in which the original lyrics are sung to electric guitar tracks and traditional tabla beats.

The form has seen a recent revival with the advent of Coke Studio, a television show which features live music performances. Female performers are among its biggest stars.

But over the years, political tensions have eroded Indian Kashmir’s rich musical heritage.

When an armed uprising against Indian rule broke out in 1989, public performances by artists suddenly stopped and cinema halls were closed and transformed into camps for government forces.

Once a feature of most public events, performances of Sufi music are now relatively rare.

Sheikh still goes wherever there is demand.

“Once in a while we go to perform in the homes of a few who still appreciate this music,” he said.

“For us, it’s like prayers, we cannot demand a price.

They pay what they like,” Sheikh said.

12 WORLD NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

A stamp on the future

Dutch clog-makers fighting to save an ‘almost dead’ tradition NETHERLANDS AFP

J

ust decades ago there were thousands. Now only about 30 Dutch clogmakers remain, fighting to save a dying craft with the wooden shoes more often found today as fridge-magnets rather than footwear.

Expertly wielding a long metal spoon-like tool, Nicole van Aarle rhythmically hewed away at a piece of willow, the shavings falling at her feet, the walls of her workshop in the southern Dutch town of Aarle-Rixtel adorned with clogs of all shapes and sizes.

“I work when I can. In the evenings, or after dropping the kids off at school, at weekends.

But I can’t make a living just from making clogs,” said this former soldier, who is proud of being a fifth-generation clog-maker.

At 40, she is one of the country’s youngest clogmakers and represents the future of a trade in which most craftsmen are already

The last clog makers of the Netherlands are fighting to defend their ancestral work, formerly at the feet of all the Dutch. Photo: AFP reaching retirement age.

It’s a “ver y wor r ying situation,” said Pieter van Rooij, from the Dutch Heritage Centre.

“Preserving this craft is long overdue, to ensure that it is handed down to future generations. Otherwise we will lose the know-how of how to make this Dutch icon.”

Even though clogs have been made for centuries across

many countries such as in France and Britain, they have become as synonymous with this lowlands country of 17 million people as tulips and windmills.

Up until World War II, clogs were the footwear of choice for most Dutch people.

Made from a single piece of wood, they are “warm, dry and not very expensive,” said Jack van der Voort, president

of the Dutch Clog Monument association.

“And you can adapt the shape of the shoe to your job, to the ground on which you work, to the region.”

But the tradition “is almost dead,” he said, calculating that only about 40 clog-makers remain in Europe, of which 30 live in The Netherlands.

“It’s like chips in Belgium or German sausage, we have

to preserve it,” said Van Aarle.

“Of course everyone wants to eat chips. But clogs are difficult to walk in, so it’s more complicated.”

Since the end of the war, the Dutch have increasingly donned rubber or leather footwear and clogs have become a sign of a rural past.

Van der Voort and Van Aarle have started to organise markets, festivals and even a national clog-making championship in their passion to keep their handicraft alive.

“The interest is there. People are beginning to become interested in their traditions again,” said Van der Voort.

And new uses are coming to the fore.

“Young people going to music festivals are sometimes wearing clogs. They protect them from the mud, they’re easy to take off outside a tent and no-one steps on your toes,” laughed Van Aarle.

For her and her father, Harrie, clogs are an essential part of Dutch identity. “From my first steps until about 15 years ago, I wore clogs,” she said.

“I grew up watching my father making clogs and I wanted to learn when I was about 18 or 19.”

At first her dad refused, seeing no point in teaching his daughter a craft with no future. But he eventually gave in, in face of her persistence.

Now, the 66-year-old visits his daughter’s workshop daily, as she tries to give a modern facelift to a craft seen by most Dutch as old-fashioned.

“We try to be creative with our designs, by adding heels, or engravings, creating clogs for occasions like births or birthdays... there’s a lot that can be done” to boost the hand-made market.

Out of the 300,000 clogs made in the country every year either by machine or hand, about a third are bought by tourists, said Van der Voort.

Some end up as garden decorations, others as fridge magnets.

Van Aarle hopes her two sons may one day take over the family business. “That would obviously make me very proud. But it’s a difficult job and I would never force them.”

Jarre braves Dead Sea elements ISRAEL ELECTRONIC MUSIC PIoneer Jean-Michel Jarre braved heavy winds that led to a late start for his concert at the Dead Sea aimed at drawing attention to environmental issues.

The concert that began late last Thursday (Apr 6) and stretched into last Friday (Apr 7) saw Jarre and others perform in front of the ancient Masada fortress next to the Dead Sea. Weather conditions led to a start that was some two and a half hours late. The 68-year-old Jarre arrived and greeted the crowd by saying “Shalom, Israel” and spoke of the need to draw attention to the shrinking Dead Sea. He played a range of music from throughout his career for the several thousand in attendance, including parts of his best-known album “Oxygene”.

The concert also included some of the extravagant elements Jarre’s shows are known for, with lasers, smoke and giant screens.

Jarre himself wore glasses fitted with a camera.

Jarre first shot to fame in the 1970s in his native France and became an inf luential

Electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre performs in Israel at a concert to raise awareness of the receding of the Dead Sea. Photo: Menahem Kahana/AFP figure in electronic music.

He said in an interview last week that he hoped the concert would contribute to “the resistance against all the Trumps of the world” – referring to what he sees as US President Donald Trump’s anti-environmental stance.

The venue at the foot of the ancient fortress is one of the most stunning sites in the region and the location of a seminal event in Jewish history.

Biblical King Herod built the Masada fortress in the 1st century BC on a rocky outcrop 430 metres above the Dead Sea. In 73AD, Roman troops besieged 960 Jewish Zealots there after they rebelled against the Roman rule of

then Palestine, according to a historian of the period, Flavius Joseph.

Instead of allowing themselves to fall captive, they committed collective suicide.

Jarre is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which in 2002 designated Masada a world heritage site.

The Dead Sea – actually a lake – is shared by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories.

It is the lowest and saltiest body of water in the world and is receding by roughly a metre per year.

Experts have warned it is on course to dry out by 2050.

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

BUSINESS NEWS 13

Expedia lifts lid on Thai tourism Data from billions of flight searches and bookings made available TOURISM The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

E

xpedia g roup, the world’s largest online travel company that includes Expedia.com, Hotels. com and other leading online travel brands, has released 2016 full-year data revealing the trends in hotel demand from international visitors to Thailand last year.

“It (the report) shares deep insights about traveller behaviour that can help our Thai hotel partners to optimise revenue by knowing when and where to target the right travellers at the right time with the right offer to help boost incremental demand,” explained Pimpawee Nopakitgumjorn, Director of Market Management at Expedia group.

Expedia is first and foremost a technology company operating in the travel sector.

It analyses vast amounts of data from a diverse range of travellers from more than 75 countries in 35 languages, with more than 600 million site visits per month, she added.

The group repor ted US$60.8 billion (B2.104 trillion) in sales for 2015 and boasts more than 18,000 staff.

According to the report, Expedia group’s top 10 international markets into Thailand (2016) in order of bookings were: 1) United States; 2) Hong Kong; 3) Japan; 4) UK;

According to Expedia data, Thailand saw the highest growth from Hong Kong, generating the highest Average Daily Rate of all internatioanl travellers. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot 5) Australia; 6) Singapore; 7) South Korea; 8) Germany; 9) Malaysia; and 10) Sweden.

The top five destinations most popular with travellers who booked via Expedia group sites (2016) saw Bangkok in top place and enjoying more than 30% year-on year growth, while Phuket placed second with more than 20% year-on year growth.

Other locales saw Pattaya as the third most popular Thai destination for travellers to Thailand, but enjoying more than 40% year-on year growth in 2016, while Koh Samui placed fourth (+10% year-on year growth) and Chiang Mai fifth (+20% year-on year growth).

Among the “key traveller insights” were that Thailand

US may extend laptop ban TRAVEL T H E U N I T ED STAT ES may soon expand its ban on air passengers carrying computers on board US-bound flights, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly revealed last week.

The threat of a terror group trying to blow up an aircraft mid-flight is constant, he told a Senate hearing on border security, suggesting that the current ban might not have gone far enough.

“It’s real, I think it’s getting realer,” he said of the threat… We may take measures in the not-too-distant future to expand the number of airports.”

Last month, Washington banned passengers on direct flights to the United States from 10 airports in eight countries from carrying on board laptop computers, tablets and other electronic devices larger @thephuketnews

The ban on elec tronic devices on aircraft may soon be expanded. Photo: AFP than cellphones.

The affected airports are in Turkey, North Africa and the Middle East. Britain followed with a similar ban applying to incoming flights from six Middle East and North African countries. The move, which forces passengers to put their devices into checked baggage, came as counter-terror officials developed concerns that jihadist groups were devising bombs disguised as batteries in consumer electronics.

AFP See ‘Carry-on electronics ban here to stay’ on page 17.

saw the highest growth from Hong Kong travellers, up by 1.5 times.

“Hong Kong proved to be the most valuable market, generating the highest Average Daily Rate amongst all international travellers,” said the report.

“Visitors from Hong Kong peaked from June through September, coinciding with their summer break. While top destinations included expected cities like Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya, Hong Kong travellers are showing increasing interest in Krabi with a year-on-year growth of over 35%,” it noted.

Bolstered by the frequency of low-cost carriers in the region, Hong Kong also showed the largest year-on-year rise

in package bookings at 80% growth (compared with the top 10 international markets into Thailand).

Regarding the UK and Australia as source markets, the report noted, “Australia and UK travellers demonstrate similar traits when it comes to booking and staying at hotels in Thailand. They like to be organised and secure their rooms well in advance, evident by their relatively longer booking window of over 1.5 months (about 50 days) as compared to other nationalities.

“For stand-alone hotel bookings, a large majority of them (80%) book 3-4 star hotels. Interestingly, when they make package bookings for Thailand on Expedia group

sites, they are more likely to upgrade to 4-5 star hotels,” it added.

Ms Pimpawee’s advice to hoteliers was simple: “Don’t just fill your hotel – fill it with the most valuable travellers. International visitors stay longer, book further in advance and are less likely to cancel. Today, they are more price sensitive than ever before. Diversifying your distribution strategy might give you a bigger slice of the international pie, better base inventory and higher Average Daily Rate.”

In addition, Ms Pimpawee urged hotels to give consumers the option of when to pay when booking. “Allowing consumers to have the choice of either paying for their hotel rooms at the time of booking or upon check-in enables hotels to increase their overall relevance to consumers,” she said.

However, Ms Pimpawee’s crucial advice was “Be mobile”. “According to Expedia group proprietary data for 2016, over 45% of the group’s traffic arrived via mobile and nearly one in three transactions were booked on mobile devices,” she noted.

“Hotels who want to capture these travellers should consider having both a mobile web and app strategy. A partnership with the Expedia group gives hoteliers exposure across a wide range of travel brand apps and mobile web.”

Supporting the advice, the

report is steeped in stunningly specific data. Regarding mobile bookings, the report notes, “The mobile space isn’t just cellphones anymore, multidevice ownership is becoming the norm. Consumers are constantly connected to their phone, computer, and tablet all at the same time.

“Mobile is an important growth channel in APAC. By 2017, roughly 25% of online bookings in the US and Europe and more than 33% in AsiaPacific will be transacted via a mobile device.”

To this, the report revealed, “Through Expedia labs research, we learned that customers will search for a flight online an average of 48 times before booking a trip to ensure they had the best route and price,” adding that every second there were millions of price changes across the products Expedia offers.

“More importantly, we measured that after 90 seconds, users started forgetting what they saw…Today’s consumers are searching and buying across-devices and you have to get the transition between devices right,” the report said.

“Expedia has access to an unprecedented amount of data, one of them being 8.6 billion flight searches every year.

This enables the company to leverage on the ‘Power of Real Time’ and offer this within our (online tool) Expedia Partner Central,” the report added.

14 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Pension transfers amid shift

SIPPS make a return to favour as new QROPS tax introduced FINANCE

Phuket Expat Finance

I

n 2006, following an EU ruling on the free movement of capital, the UK introduced Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (QROPS), which allowed Britons to transfer their UK pensions overseas. It has been a very popular piece of legislation. According to the HMRC, 110,000 expats have taken advantage of this legislation to switch £8.8 billion (B377.64 billion) out of their UK pensions.

Amid the Brexit changes, Chancellor Philip Hammond did not even wait for Article 50 to be invoked before declaring there would henceforth be a 25% charge on UK pensions being transferred overseas.

And “henceforth” meant the day after his announcement on March 8.

This new tax is not absolute, however, as there are circumstances in which the 25% charge does not apply.

For instance, if the: • QROPS and pension

UK Chancellor Philip Hammond did not even wait for Article 50 to be invoked before declaring a 25% charge on UK pensions being transferred overseas. Photo: AFP holder are both in the same country after the transfer; • QROPS and pension holder are both in European Economic Area (EEA) countries after the transfer; • QROPS is an occupational pension scheme set up by the individual’s employer; • QROPS is an overseas public service pension scheme and the pension holder is employed by a participating

employer; • QROPS is part of a pension scheme established by an international organisation to provide benefits in respect of past service and the pension holder is employed by that organisation.

In other words, a resident of Australia can still have an Australia-domiciled QROPS. A resident of Spain or Portugal may still transfer their pension

to a Malta QROPS. And if an employer either converts their pension scheme to a QROPS or creates a QROPS for international employees, transferring that scheme would not be taxed. For those of us living in Asia, however, the tax would apply.

While many have proclaimed this a death knoll for QROPS, it is by no means the end of pension transfers. In

fact, this change in legislation has already led to a renewed interest in Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), which remain an option to anyone looking to achieve most of the same benefits offered by QROPS. Long before QROPS, people used SIPPs to pull together the fragments of multiple company pensions they had collected over the years, and to combine them into one, easily-manageable pension.

This has not changed.

Likewise, if you are looking to realise the present value of a final salary pension (whether an active or dormant scheme) and convert it into a lump sum over which you have total control, this can still be done with a SIPP. If your goal is to pass a sum of money on to your family, rather than collect a monthly pension which stops when you die, a SIPP still serves this purpose admirably.

There are three major areas where QROPS benefited expats in Asia: income tax, death tax and lifetime allowance.

A Gibraltar QROPS, for

example, potentially limited the total income tax bill on your pension to 2.5%. With a SIPP, you must rely on local pension taxation rules and/ or the terms of any Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) between the UK and your country of residence. There is no DTA between UK and Thailand, so a SIPP (like any UK Pension) would be taxable in the UK. According to a strict reading of the statute on Thai taxation of pensions, provided there was no remittance into the SIPP in the same year you draw your pension income from it - and provided the pension was not accumulated while employed in Thailand - any withdrawal should be free of Thai income tax.

With a QROPS, once you have lived outside of the UK for 10 years, you are exempt from the “death taxes” which may apply to a UK pension.

With a SIPP, there is no such exemption.

To learn more about pensions and transfers, email chatwithus@phuketexpatfinance.com

Lowry takes reins at Le Meridien HOSPITALITY KARL HUDSON, MARRiott International Area Vice President for Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar, recently announced the appointment of Julian Lowry as General Manager of Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort.

Prior to his appointment, Julian was the Executive Assistant Manager of the resort from October 2015. He joined Le Méridien Phuket in December 2008 as Director of Food & Beverage.

“I am pleased to announce Julian’s appointment as General Manager of Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort,” said Mr Hudson.

Mr Lowry draws on “a solid 30-year career that includes leadership roles in Culinary, Food & Beverage and overall resort management,” he added.

Mr Lowry now oversees all operations at the property, located at the secluded beach at Karon Noi Bay, south of Patong on Phuket’s west coast. The resort features 470 rooms and suites, 10 restaurants and bars, spa, and an on-site conference centre that was fully renovated in May last year.

The resort is set to also

Julian Lowry has been appointed as the new General Manager of Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort. renovate its free-form pool – one of two oversized outdoor pools overlooking the Andaman Sea – from April 22 to July 31, in line with the venue’s 30th anniversary celebration in November this year.

Mr Lowry’s career began with the Sheraton Heathrow Hotel in the UK in 1987, where he was 1st Commis Chef.

From there he continued on to work in diverse locations as Germany, France, the state of Qatar, Nigeria, Saint Martin, Georgia and Bahrain. An accomplished chef, he led multinational culinary teams in state banquets for several world leaders, often personally crafting signature dishes

at high-profile events.

Mr Lowry is an avid runner, often in tandem with his 10-year-old son, Nathan. He also enjoys travelling with the rest of his family including his wife, Nicola, to familiar and new destinations where he sharpens his photography skills whilst exploring.

His eldest son Dominic is 21 and studying in the UK for a bachelor’s degree in international hospitality management.

Mr Lowry replaces Rudolf Borgesius, who is taking a well-deserved retirement after 36 years of service with Le Méridien brand, including 16 years with Le Méridien Phuket.

The Phuket News thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

The rough and ready past of Phuket Town

18

Australian Consul to lead Anzac Day event

20

DELIGHTFUL DINING

Angsana’s Bodega & Grill serves up some Mediterranean masterpieces > P16 A refined desert is the ultimate way to finish your perfectly cooked steak at the elegant Bodega & Grill.

@thephuketnews

16 DINING

Filet mignon with pan-seared foie gras in shallot and red wine reduction.

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Tasmanian lamb cutlets with mashed potatoes and buffalo mozzarella.

Good taste reigns at Bodega Baz Daniel

The star of Bodega’s considerable pantheon of fabulous cuisine is, however, the steaks – sourced from the best locations in the world.

A

bodega is a wine store, much beloved of all who have sampled the pleasures of lazy travel through the countries bordering the Mediterranean. Much taken by Laurie Lee’s romantic journey in As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning I set off as a penurious student following in his poetic footsteps travelling through Italy, France and Spain. Here, the village bodega was a social magnet when evening’s shadows finally cooled the day, drawing happy throngs of leathery, wine-loving locals to drink and devour tapas while laughter and good conversation echoed from the ancient walls.

The Angsana Laguna Phuket’s Bodega & Grill captures much of this romantic Mediterranean sensibility in its own wine cave set in the centre of the restaurant, and combines this with a selection of sensational grilled meats, fresh seafood and pastas that deliver great taste in every sense of that mouth-watering phrase.

Everything about Bodega & Grill is tasteful – from the enticing environment beside the limpid blue water of one of the resort’s swimming pools, to the beguiling indoor/outdoor sala, to the polish and style of the service, to the comprehensive wine selection and to the wonderful food itself.

Bodega and Grill is designed along classical lines with chequered marble floor and mirrored walls surrounding the bodega “wine cellar” which boasts a selection of over 200 labels, thematically grouped around fine Italian, Spanish and French classics, but with plenty of New World adventure to enliven your evening.

The restaurant’s air-conditioned interior seats around 30 diners in a large L-shaped open sala dining space cooled by old-fashioned overhead fans. Appropriately, Bodega’s musical accompaniment to dining includes Latina ballads and we were just about to leap into an embarrassing Fandango around the chequered floor when our starters arrived to save the day.

Bodega & Grill’s stunning poolside location is perfect for a romantic dinner.

I’d chosen French foie gras deliciously tempered with tamarind sauce and sweet mango and Madame had selected a mix of escargots and prawns, thoughtfully sans carapace and bathed in a mushroom sauce. Like all of Bodega’s dishes, the ingredients for these starters were sourced from the world’s finest locations, and were all fresh, tasty and healthful.

Next, we took a stroll though the lighter side of Bodega’s main courses menu with Madame opting for a gamey organic French breast of quail with truffle risotto and my Tasmanian lamb ragu with papardelle pasta.

Though technically a grill house, it would be misleading to suggest that Bodega is solely for carnivores as the menu offers a wide variety of seafood and fish, plus a selection of soups, pasta and risotto dishes.

The star of Bodega’s considerable pantheon of fabulous cuisine is, however, the steaks – sourced from the best locations in the world including Japanese Miyazaki Black Wagyu Rib Eye and US Tomahawk Marble 7, plus Australian and Italian cuts – the finest steaks you’ll find anywhere.

Great care is taken to ensure that diners get their steaks at exactly the right temperature and texture with six choices: blue (cold centre), rare, medium rare, medium pink, medium well done and well done.

Bodega’s combination platters for

two or four people are rightly famous with the all-meat option featuring grilled Wagyu Filet Mignon, Italian sausage, Tasmanian lamb and Korobuta pork chops.

The Andaman Seafood platter is a very popular choice featuring Phuket lobster, marinated king prawns and fish such as white snapper, while the Surf and Turf is a delightful combination of Phuket lobster, garlic-cilantro marinated king prawns, white snapper, Wagyu filet mignon and both lamb and pork chops.

All these platters come with grilled potatoes and vegetables, cherry tomatoes and sauce choices and we saw several families with young children tucking into the platters with considerable gusto underlining that this is a family restaurant as much as it is also a highly romantic spot for a cuddly liaison a deux!

Our finale featured a shared chocolate parfait with Maraschino cherries and ice cream and although I did try for a cuddle with Madame, by then she was just too replete with the good taste of Bodega and sent me to bed with only my childhood teddy bear for company!

Bodega & Grill at Angsana Laguna Phuket. Opening Hours: Breakfast: 6:3011pm, Lunch: 12-5pm, Dinner: 6-11pm.

Tel: +66 (0)7 635 8555 Website: www. facebook.com/BodegaandGrill thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

TECHNOLOGY 17

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Carry-on electronics ban to stay

Ban could expand to cover more airports world-wide says US official A Kuwaiti man puts his laptop inside his suitcase at Kuwait International Airport before boarding a flight to the United States. Photo: AFP

Andrew J Wood

L

ast month, the US banned passengers on direct flights to the United States from 10 airports in eight countries from carrying on board laptop computers, tablets and other electronic devices larger than cellphones. The affected airports are in Turkey, North Africa and the Middle East. The UK followed with a similar ban applying to incoming flights from six Middle East and North African countries.

The ban was the result of information seized during a US raid on Al Qaeda in Yemen in January.

The United States may soon expand its ban on air passengers carrying computers on board on USbound flights, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said last week.

“We may take measures in the not-too-distant future to expand the number of airports,” he told reporters.

So, why the ban? Simply put – because laptops and similar devices have already been used by terrorists to carry explosives that have been detonated to bring down planes and recent intelligence suggests more are on the way.

The terrorists are known to be highly motivated to bring down a US bound plane in mid-flight with huge loss of life. The subsequent media attention would be on par with the 9/11 attacks which killed thousands and downed the World Trade Center Towers in New York.

During the Sept 11, 2001 attacks 2,996 people were killed and more than 6,000 others wounded.

Those killed included 265 on the four planes, 2,606 in the World Trade Center and 125 at the Pentagon.

They do not include the 19 terrorists.

Laptops and electronic devices larger than a smart phone have been banned from carry-on luggage coming to the US and UK from airports in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. Six UK airlines – British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2, Monarch, Thomas Cook and Thomson – and eight foreign carriers are affected.

A UK Government spokesperson said, “We recognise that we face a constantly evolving threat from terrorism and must respond accordingly to ensure the protection of the public against those who would do us harm.

“The update we are making to our security measures is an important part of that process. Decisions to make changes to our aviation security regime are never taken lightly. We will not hesitate to act in order to maintain the safety of the travelling public and we will work closely with our international partners to minimise any disruption these new measures may cause.”

Which airports are affected by the new UK air travel rules? For UK-bound travellers, it affects six countries coming from: Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. The US ban applies to 10 airports in eight countries – Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

The damage caused by laptop bomb on a Somali airliner in 2016. @thephuketnews

Airport security continues to tighten.

This scene could soon be a thing of the past.

In February 2016, a passenger was blown out of a plane after a bomb exploded in an apparently blundered suicide attack on a flight as it left Somalia. Since the plane had not reached a high altitude, the pilot was able to return to the airport. Two people on board were injured.

It is thought by the intelligence community that the sophisticated device was a test for use in Europe and the United States. According to news sources the explosive device was built into a laptop computer and was detonated on the Somali passenger jet. It was smuggled through an X-ray machine by airport staff at Mogadishu airport.

Later this was handed to the suicide bomber to take on the Daallo Airlines Flight 159 to Djibouti.

The device blew a hole in the skin of the Daallo Airlines plane but did not down the aircraft. It detonated 20 minutes into the flight before it reached cruising altitude. The flight had been delayed

by one hour and this may have saved everyone on board. Whether the devise was triggered manually or malfunctioned is not known.

The suspected bomber was blown out of the plane, and his body was recovered on the ground.

The bomber knew precisely where to sit and how to place the device to maximise damage. Given the placement, the blast would have set off a catastrophic secondary explosion in the fuel tank if the aircraft had reached cruising altitude.

The ban on carry-on electronics aboard US bound flights from airports in North Africa and the Middle East was the result of information seized during a US raid on Al Qaeda in Yemen in January.

Information from the raid shows Al Qaeda’s successful development of compact, battery bombs that fit inside laptops or other devices believed to be strong enough to bring down an aircraft. The battery bombs would need to be manu-

ally triggered by a suicide bomber, which is why the electronics ban is only for the aircraft cabin not checked luggage.

The US Department of Homeland Security publicly cited two attacks on flights in the last two years: The downing of a Russian jet over the Egyptian Sinai in October 2015 and the failed attempt in Somalia on a passenger jet that had taken off from Mogadishu in February 2016. The attack in Somalia occurred just months after an EgyptAir mechanic allegedly helped smuggle a bomb onboard Metrojet Flight 9268 at Sharm elSheikh airport, killing 224.

Andrew J Wood is a travel writer and a regular university guest lecturer. A long-time resident of Thailand, Andrew is a former hotel general manager and Immediate Past President of Skal International Thailand. Andrew is also a Director of Worldwide Destinations Asia Co Ltd in Bangkok.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 18 HISTORY

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Tin fever, opium and sin: Early life in Phuket Town Colin Mackay

B

y around 1890 Chinese immigration into Phuket had peaked, with the Chinese population on the island probably reaching nearly 50,000 and dwarfing the Thai and Malay population of perhaps 1,000-2,000. The island, and particularly Phuket Town, therefore, had become almost entirely Chinese.

Tin mining remained the primary raison d’etre for Phuket Town’s economic existence. Charles Kynnersley on his 1903 visit tells us, “The site of the present town is all tin land. The mines absorb all labour. Cultivation does not seem to be encouraged, no one cares to plant so long as mining pays so much better. Rice, fruit and provisions of all kind are imported. Fruit and vegetables come from Penang. Everybody is hard at work making money at the mines.”

He tells us there was even “a new mine parallel to the principal shop street.” Land clearing for new mines was going on all around the town: “jungle fires are still frequent and there is no timber to speak of near Toungkah... the principal road to the landing place has also been diverted to allow a mine to be opened. Borings are being taken by the Government Offices and if tin is found the site will be sold and new offices built elsewhere. Everything is sacrificed to the mines.”

Shophouses As these mines generated huge profits for the dominant Tan clan families and the more successful new Chinese immigrants. Shops, offices and houses which had previously been mainly just one-storey shacks made from atap and wood were replaced by more substantial, often two-storey shophouses built of timber planks and bricks and mortar with clay tile roofs.

These early shophouses were much more rustic than the ornate ones that can still be seen today. They were made with thick walls to keep the interior cool. The best examples of these early shophouses can still be seen in old Takuapa town, one of the last places where this historic architecture remains in Southern Thailand.

The more ornate shophouses one sees in Phuket Town today were mainly built in the first quarter of the 20th century. Some of the first of these type of shophouses were built on Dibuk Rd by the Tan clan towkay (leader) Tan Engkee, who took the Thai name Wiset-

Thalang Rd in 1906.

Soi Romanee now draws visitors of a different kind.

Soi Romanee was known as Phuket’s ‘red light’ district and housed many brothels. nukoonkij and became the biggest shophouse landlord in town.

He used a Penang architect to design them in a style now often referred to today as “Sino-Portuguese”. However this is a bit of a common misnomer.

“Sino-European” is closer to the truth, or even “Sino-British”, since this form of regimented shophouse was actually introduced in 1819 by Stamford Raffles, a man from Hampshire in England, when he established Singapore. He based property taxes on the width of the shop frontage, so these shop-houses are invariably narrow, usually only five meters wide, but very long, often with an open courtyard inside.

Raffles also decreed that a covered public walkway be built along the front of the ground floors of the shop, so that people could walk along the street without exposure to the tropical sun and rain. Unfortunately, unlike the French colonial city planners, he neglected to enforce the planting of trees. This omission left the enclosed streets of Phuket Town, like those of the other Straits Settlements towns, almost like furnaces in the summer, exposed all day to the baking tropical sun. In 1890, when King Chulalongkorn visited Phuket Town on his tour of Southern Thailand, observers counted 685 shophouses in town, 318 built of brick and 367 of wood.

Baba and Nyonya The local-born, often mixed-blood offspring of the Chinese towkays in Phuket became known as Baba (male) or Nyonya (women) and together as “Peranakan”, or local-born Chinese. To this day they still uphold and thrive on their distinctive culture, dress and food.

Their daughters and sons were usually married to relatives, often just outside

A Chinese funeral procession in Phuket Town.

the limit of incest taboos. Others married into powerful Siamese or Malay families in the region, giving these nouveau-riche Chinese more influence and the local Siamese and Malay families more access to money.

These wealthier Phuket-born “Baba” families looked down on what they called the “one mat, one pillow crowd” – the poor Chinese-born coolies arriving off the boats. They tried, as they still tend to do today, to keep marriage among their own kind, just as the old Chinese saying goes, “The dragon marries the dragon. The phoenix marries the phoenix. The hunchback marries the hunchback.”

By the early 20th century these wealthy Chinese in Phuket Town began to build offices and ornate shrines, temples and some larger Penang or “Straitsstyle” houses just outside town. Several of these can still be seen today dotted around in Phuket Town, which has now expanded around them. The wealthy also helped the community to build Chinese schools, hospitals and halfway houses (homes for the destitute).

But let’s not paint too romantic a picture here. Most houses around Phuket Town at the time were still simple, rather shoddy, shacks of wood with thatched or corrugated tin roofs. The town was, by all accounts, hot, filthy, squalid and unsanitary, with no proper water supply, unpaved roads that regularly flooded or became mud baths in the rainy season and little in the way of garbage removal or proper sanitation and drainage.

The nostrils of any visitor would have been assailed by a congregation of foul and pungent smells – garbage, frying tofu, un-refrigerated meat markets, rotting seafood waste, open sewers, buffalo dung, shops with fish drying in the sun and shrimp paste manufacturing and the like. The Penang Gazette referred to Phuket Town in the last years of the 19th century as “a most rotten and unhealthy place... a collection of Chinese huts and hovels”.

Sin and Distractions The main entertainment for these traders and the mine coolies after sweating out in the mines all day was gambling.

Sir Francis Light, when he was Governor of Penang, had noted, “The Chinese are excessively fond of gaming, there is

The tradition of Baba weddings continues to this day. no restraining them from it. This invariably leads them into many distresses and frequently ends in ruin.”

During his visit to Kathu in 1903 Kynnersley described Get Ho town as “a long street where hundreds of coolies were assembled and the Gambling Farm was densely packed. Only Chinese are allowed to gamble, not the Siamese.”

The Chinese also smoked copious amounts of opium. In 1869, for example, 109.5 chests of opium – about seven tons – were officially imported into Phuket. At least double that amount would probably have been smuggled in undeclared, to avoid the onerous taxes of up to 20% on sales and another 11% on cooking it. That represents an intake of well over one kilogram of opium for every man on the island that year.

A highlight for a miner would have been his occasional trip to one of the comparatively high-class brothels in Soi Romanee (allegedly named after a famous Romanian mamasan who worked there) for a night of arrack, opium, sex and gambling. Dr Landon, a 19th century writer about the Straits Chinese, noted that in Penang, “Of late years many [Chinese] women have come chiefly as prostitutes who are bought by brothel keepers to carry on their trade here. The writer knows no instance of a respectable [Chinese] woman emigrating with their husband.”

Many brothels in Penang and some in Phuket were run by Japanese women.

Though the majority of the prostitutes were Chinese, there were also Japanese and Siamese girls and even some Europeans. In Penang and Singapore, the press was regularly outraged when white women, usually Eastern European or Russian, were discovered in Chinese brothels. “It is quite disgraceful,” puffed the Malay Mail on one such occasion.

Several European prostitutes were deported from Penang for working in such Chinese brothels. One suspects some of them may have made their way north to less priggish – but also affluent – Phuket to ply their lucrative trade.

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

Available from good bookshops and Amazon.com. Or order it directly at: www. historyofphuket.com thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

PEOPLE 19

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

A lively meal with Lies Sol A MEAL WITH...

Baz Daniel

T

he second in our “A meal with…” series sees me enjoying some fabulous Italian cuisine at the charming Rossovivo family restaurant at Fisherman Way in Chalong in the delightful company of Lies (Lisa) Sol. She arrived in Phuket in 1989 and has forged an eclectic career spanning the diving, maritime, public relations and health and wellness industries.

I first met Lies Sol in 2005 aboard Patti Seeri’s stunning wooden-built traditional Indonesian sailing Phinisi Silolona, which was moored off Trisara Resort in Phuket’s north-west at the time. It was fitting that I should meet such a classy lady aboard such a classy sailing vessel and the first impression that Lies made has endured.

Lies represented the quintessential Phuket island romantic, the sort of heroine you’d find in a James Michener novel about escape to exotic tropical isles. And yet here she was, not a fictionalised romantic creation, but the living, breathing author of her own life of adventure.

Lies hails from Amsterdam and speaks Dutch, English, French and German, plus basic Japanese and Thai.

Her early adventurous spirit was ignited by an uncle, a missionary based in Ambon since the early 1950s, who told magnificent stories of his travels when she was a wide-eyed little girl.

Early Days of Adventure After university in Amsterdam, Lies decamped for Japan and taught English and translated for a living in Tokyo, all while studying Japanese and appearing in TV programs and commercials. However, it seems Lies’ soul felt the call of the ocean and the tantalising possibility of a life scuba diving and sailing saw her, on a whim, heading to southern Thailand and an undeveloped tropical paradise called Phuket.

As Lies tells it, “Someone in Bangkok said just get on a bus and head south until you find paradise. So, I did and arrived at the furthest point to which the bus went, which was a palmfringed beach called Kata.”

It was 1989 and Lies says, “Phuket

@thephuketnews

Lies Sol first arrived in Phuket in 1989. was bustling with like-minded souls seeking the chance of adventure and escape from the confines of the modern world. We tended to live freewheeling bohemian lives, sleeping on boats, the beach, or in ramshackle beachside accommodation. There were plenty of parties fuelled by grog and good company and there was a shared sense that here you could re-invent yourself and be whoever you wanted and do whatever you wanted to do.”

The Call of the Sea In Lies’ case this meant following her great passion – the Siren call of the mighty oceans. She became the manager of a bare-boat chartering company in Chalong dealing with all the weird and wonderful customer requests and problems that arose day-to-day.

Lies passed all her scuba qualifications to become a dive instructor and worked with Siam Diving and the Dive Café for a time before moving to Phi Phi Island for a couple of years and working as a dive instructor at the Palm Beach Resort.

Between 1994 and 1996 she went on to work aboard the luxury yacht Modern Star in Indonesia, then managed the private island Papa Theo and organised the first “Thousand Islands Regatta”. Later she became chief stewardess, cook and dive instructor aboard luxury charter yachts sailing around Florida, the Caribbean, Indonesia, New Guinea, Langkawi and Phuket. It was the sort of life that would make James Michener salivate but it was all simply a day-to-day reality for the amazingly adventurous spirit called Lies Sol. From Adventuress to a World of Luxury and PR Some spoilsports might say that you eventually have to pay the price for

Liz and an all-female crew compete in a Platu-class yacht race. such freedom and hedonism when you reach later life, but Lies seems to have made an effortless transition to a more stable, even dare I type it, more conventional existence, without losing her passion for adventure. She went on to work for Art Asia Publishing on Phuket and SEA Yachting magazines and became heavily involved in organising the King’s Cup and Phang Nga Bay Regattas for several years.

In 2006 she joined Mom Tri’s Boathouse at Kata Beach and became well known in her new role as that iconic resort and restaurant’s eversmiling PR manager, working with the legendary Louis Bronner and of course Mom Tri Devakul himself.

Her new milieu of luxurious wine dinners, parties and international jet-setters was one in which Lies thrived. But never one to let the grass grow beneath her feet, five years later she took an entirely new direction, training as a yoga teacher in California before returning to Phuket to teach at Bikram Yoga.

While still a keen yoga practitioner, Lies is now focussing on her latest full time job as resident director at Northrop and Johnson Thailand.

An Amazing Journey for Lies and for Phuket Lies has astounding life story and she compares her own journey with that of Phuket itself over the past years.

“I have seen enormous changes in Phuket over the almost 30 years I’ve called it home. It has gone from being a pretty undeveloped escapist’s dream, to one of the world’s most popular mainstream tourist hubs.

“This has brought with it inevitable growing pains such as traffic congestion, environmental stress and rampant construction, but there have also been giant strides in the sophistication

of experiences Phuket can offer residents and visitors.

“When I arrived, Phuket had a beer and som tum culture, you couldn’t get good Western food, or a even a glass of wine. Everything closed down in the rainy season. I had to drive to Phuket Town to pay my bills, buy Western food, or phone my mum. Now you can find anything you want here and we are totally connected to the rest of the world 24/7. I would say Phuket is different, rather than better than the old days.

A different sort of traveller finds their way to Phuket now and they are also looking for different things.”

So where is Phuket heading?

“We have exchanged penurious adventurers for bus-loads of Asian tourists, but as a commercial tourist-based economy you have to adapt or die. However, Phuket’s environmental decline is terrible and combined with the horrendous traffic, it could well signal our death knell in future.

“Phuket now needs to be managed like a big city, with effective garbage separation and processing; a comprehensive public transportation system; and strictly-enforced building and development codes. Frankly, I feel most sorry for the local people who now live in Thailand’s most expensive region and face traffic and environmental problems on a growing scale. Foreigners have the choice of leaving any time they wish, but the locals will be left with the appalling mess that fast progress and tourist development have made.”

It was a sobering end to a lovely dinner in the cheery, bubbly atmosphere of Rossovivo. As I walked out to the car park with Lies, I noticed a sign in a window that read: “Laugh today… it’s later then you think.”

Yes, indeed Phuket!

20 COMMUNITY

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Australian dignitaries to lead Anzac Day sevice Mark Knowles editor1@classactmedia.co.th

T

he Australian Consulate-General in Phuket will be hosting the first government-led Anzac Day commemoration service ever to be held in Phuket, on April 25.

“Anzac Day is an important day on the calendar for both Aussies and Kiwis. Dawn services are traditional in both countries, as they mark the time of the original landing of Australian and New Zealand soldiers on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey to fight with the Allied forces in World War I,” said Craig Ferguson, Australian Consul-General for Phuket “Over time April 25 has turned into a day that Australians and New Zealanders remember those who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations and the contribution and suffering of all those who have served,” he explained.

“During the service in Phuket, we hope to see the sun rise over the water.

The dawn service will begin with a bagpiper walking in, piping his lament. Lt Cdr Paul Pelczar of the Royal Australian Navy will give a commemorative address, a New Zealand school student will read, the Ode will be said, a bugler will play the Last Post, followed by the traditional one minute’s silence and the laying of wreaths,” Mr Ferguson explained.

In Phuket, the services will be held at the Phuket Yacht Club.

“We have chosen the Phuket Yacht Club for the service this year and we thank the Club’s Commodore Scott Duncanson for his support. Many

This year, for the first time ever, Australian Consul General for Phuket Craig Ferguson (centre) and his team will be organising an Anzac Day Dawn Service at the Phuket Yacht Club. Photo: The Phuket News Phuket residents will be familiar with the beautiful and very private waterfront location of the Yacht Club, which is off Chao Fa East Rd in Chalong,” Mr Ferguson told The Phuket News.

The traditional Dawn Service will commence at 6:30am on April 25.

Lt Cdr Paul Pelczar has served in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) for 31 years and said he is honoured by the opportunity to give a commemorative address at the inaugural Anzac Day ceremony in Phuket.

“The Australian Embassy has a considerable commitment to the well-established Anzac commemorative services at Hell Fire Pass near Kachanaburi.

Therefore, I feel very fortunate and certainly lucky to have arrived recently in the Kingdom and to be selected by the Australian Defence Attache to Thailand (RAN Capt Christopher Smith) to be the Australian Defence Force representative in Phuket,” said Lt Cdr Pelczar.

This allows the Australian Defence Force to continue to focus on the much larger commemoration along the ThaiBurma railway while appropriately

acknowledging the significance of the event in Phuket,” he added.

Lt Cdr Pelczar said his speech at the ceremony will focus on World War II and acknowledge the suffering of allied prisoners of war. “Actually delivering the commemorative address at the inaugural Dawn Service in Phuket is both an incredible honour and absolute privilege and will most likely strike me emotionally as I read my address.

“My address initially reflects on the battles and sacrifices made by Australians and New Zealanders in 1917 (100 years ago) along the Western Front.

My main focus will be to remember the significant challenges Australia and New Zealand faced 75 years ago, in 1942. And as we are in Thailand, I will also reflect on the human cost in the POW (Prisoner of War) camps along the Thai-Burma railway. I will also personify the address by telling a story of an Australian sailor who served on HMAS Perth during WWII. “Those values associated to the Anzac tradition of courage under adversity, mateship and ingenuity resonate deep-

Poppies symbolise the sacrifice of soldier’s blood. ly, and as current serving members, we feel a professional responsibility to uphold that legacy. The day is particularly meaningful to current and former Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women as a time for reflection with the grateful acknowledgement of their nations’ communities.

“Anzac Day is engrained in the Australian and New Zealand psyche that allows both nations to symbolically come together wherever an Australian or New Zealander finds themselves in the world and remember the human cost of war and the sacrifices made for us to enjoy our current freedoms and prosperity.

“The initiative by the Consul General, the critical support from local community leaders and the contribution by the local Thai authorities is an acknowledgement of the importance of the growing Australian and New Zealand expatriate community in Phuket province,” concluded Lt Cdr Pelczar.

Those interested in attending the dawn service are urged to register their attendance by emailing RSVP.Phuket@dfat.gov.au

First Rotary Quiz Night a success

T

he Rotary Club of Patong Beach hosted its first ever Quiz Night fundraising event on March 31.

“We had a very enthusiastic bunch of folk at our very first Quiz Night at the Aussie Pub in Kamala,” said Past President Walter Weeler.

The Quiz Night will be held every last Wednesday of the month at the Aussie Pub in Kamala and will be hosted by quiz master Paul McCabe.

“He kept them all in hand and entertained the brains with some easy and some not so easy questions,” said Walter of Paul’s first night as quiz master.

Raff les prizes for the night were donated by local supporters of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach and

Join the fun for the next Rotary Quiz night at the Aussie Pub. the substantial amount of B17,240 was raised on the evening for the club’s charity projects, this year particulalry to the “helmet for kids” project.

Why not join in the fun next time and see how your general knowledge adds up?

“A big thank you go to all participants and the Aussie Pub Team in Kamala for helping and supporting the Rotary Club of Patong Beach” with this ongoing monthly fundraiser,” added Walter. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

HEALTH 21

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Five healthy habits for weight loss mountain), 500m open water swimming and much more. If you fancy nature, a mountain-trekking trip to Phang Nga might be fun. (Make sure you get proper training!)

Once you’ve decided on the race, search for a training coach or training plan. Invite a training partner to the race with you and prepare everything you need to make it to the finish line (shoes, clothes, bike, etc).

Dr Narinthorn Surasinthon editor1@classactmedia.co.th

M

ost people who have tried dieting have failed at least once, the key to longterm weigh loss to develop healthy habits in your everyday life. Whether it be a personal or health situation, there are abundant reasons one might find to stop exercising.

Sometimes it helps to think of it in a different light: it is not a weightloss regimen, but a healthy lifestyle program. This new activity in your life shouldn’t end in a few months but should become a lifetime habit. Talking about it is easy but actually doing it? It’s not so easy. You’ll need help from outsiders and motivation. So to get you started, here are five practical motivational tips that really work: 1. Make small weekly targets

If you can’t measure it, you can’t achieve it.

“Losing weight” is not a specific goal, nor is it measurable. Your weekly goals should be easy to follow.

For example: •Work out three times a week (you are setting a specific and realistic target here) •Dining out no more than two times a week •Drinking no more than two glasses of wine/alcohol during the weekend •Going to bed at 9pm at least three times a week

Making realistic short-term targets for excersise is a great first step.

•Keep a record of your completed weekly targets and reward yourself with a non-edible prize such as a massage, a dress, or concert ticket.

2. Healthy food grocery shopping Maintain your motivation to choose healthy and clean foods on your next trip to the grocery store by setting aside one hour for conscious shopping.

Make a list and stick to it. Avoid looking at unhealthy food or buy a healthier substitute. You’ll spend less time looking in the fridge or ordering food deliveries. You’ll eat healthier options and create menus with healthy recipes and preparations.

3. Health apps Fitness and healthy eating apps make our lives easier. They simplify tasks

Marmite may be brain food: Study

I

n a world bitterly divided into proand anti-Marmite factions, lovers of the tangy British spread have found support from an unexpected quarter: brain science. Experiments found that volunteers who ate a daily spoonful of the dark-brown yeast extract seemed to have higher levels of a vital neuron chemical associated with a healthy brain. The reason could lie in Marmite’s high levels of vitamin B12, the investigators say.

In a study published on April 5, psychologists at the University of York in northern England recruited 28 volunteers and divided them into two groups.

One group ate a teaspoon of Marmite each day for a month; the other ate a daily teaspoon of peanut butter.

The volunteers wore non-invasive skullcaps fitted with electrodes to monitor brain activity while they looked at a screen with a visual stimulus – a large stripey pattern that flickered at a regular rate. The Marmite group showed a substantial reduction of around 30% in response to the stimulus compared with the peanut butter group.

The work, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, sheds a powerful light on how diet can affect brain activity, the researchers say.

How Marmite worked was not clinically investigated, but the presumption is that it boosts levels of an important neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

GABA acts as a kind of brake on over-excited brain cells. It binds to neurons and reduces their activity, helping to provide balance in the brain. Sci@thephuketnews

Marmite has high levels of vitamin B12. entists have previously theorised that GABA helps to dampen fear or anxiety, which happens when neurons are overstimulated.

“This study suggests that eating Marmite is potentially good for you in that it seems to increase a chemical messenger associated with healthy brain function,” lead authors Daniel Baker and Anika Smith said.

Deemed a quintessential British food, Marmite has been the subject of a “love it or hate it” debate that has rumbled on for years, including a tongue-in-cheek campaign on social media to abolish the condiment. One joke by detractors goes thus: “I was in a good mood last week. I entered a competition and won a year’s supply of Marmite – one jar!”

AFP

such as setting goals, monitoring achievement, food tracking, fitness training and water intake. Monitoring daily food intake and activities reduces overeating and under training. Apps provide inexpensive ideas for workouts to do anywhere, any time – motivating you along the way. Share the data with your trainer, nutritionist, or wellness advisor to get a snapshot of where you are in your journey to weight loss.

4. Signing up for races Register for a race or a fundraising bike ride, run or walk! Your goal of finishing the race will help motivate you to exercise, drink lots of water and eat healthier. Phuket has many options such as 3-5km runs (road or trail), sprinting triathlons or duathlons, 20km recreational bike rides (road or

5. Calendars and boards Whether you prefer a wall calendar or motivational board, writing down plans, strategies and punctual goals will train your mind to make lifestyle changes.

Include inspirational pictures, quotes, or articles to boost your confidence. Set up reminders and change up to routines once your body exceeds goals.

So no more delays or excuses, if you don’t like starting over again, stop quitting! Take care of your body through exercises or treatments.

Narinthorn Surasinthon, MD is the Medical Director of the Thanyapura Integrative Health Centre.

For more information and health tips visit: thanyapura.com Thanyapura’s Health & Wellness Centre offers regular promotions to help guests optimise their weight loss goals.

Yoga targets core muscles which lead to weight loss while slimming body treatments blasts cellulite through natural ingredients.

22 ISLAND SCENE

From left: Matthew Hansen, Tilou Trahan, Chang Min Lee and Marcel Pluken.

From left: Madeline Gerbracht and Puttanaporn 'Sri' Kanarat.

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Jasmine with her mum Yixin Zhang.

From left: Chae Rin Shin, Sonja Kristiansen and Anne Myers.

THE SONGKRAN FUN COMES EARLY AT QSI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF PHUKET Students, parents and staff at QSI celebrated Songkran early with a big party last Friday (Mar 7). The day included a somtam-making competition, fruit-carving workshops, prize raffle, a delicious hot lunch and of course, plenty of water fights!

Staff from Angsana and Banyan tree with their full rubbish bags.

Vice Governor Siwaporn (in black) with hotel staff during the beach cleanup.

LAGUNA HOTELS HELP TO KEEP PHUKET'S BEACHES ‘CLEAN BY OUR HANDS’ Dozens of staff members from Angsana Laguna Phuket, Angsana Villas Phuket and Banyan Tree Phuket joined a beach-cleaning activity “Keep Phuket Clean by our Hands” together with Phuket Vice Governor Ms Siwaporn Chuasawad and local municipal officers at Bang Tao Beach on April 4.

STUDENT WINS TRASH HERO PHUKET FOR MARCH Mia Morano from HeadStart International School won this month's Trash Hero Phuket Student Challenge. Mia won herself two tickets to Surf House Kata Beach, a Trash Hero T Shirt and a Trash Hero reusable bottle.

Well done for making a difference M i a ! Wa n t t o e n t e r ? V i s i t facebook.com/trashherophuket for more information.

Senior representatives from MontAzure joined co-sponsors at the opening ceremony of the annual Tonkla-Kamala School Camp.

MONTAZURE DONATES TO HELP FUND CAMP FOR MUSLIM YOUTHS Mia Morana gets a hug from a friend.

Mr Setthaphol Boottho, Executive Director of MontAzure, the expansive mixed-use development in Kamala, recently offered support in the form of a B30,000 donation to the Kamala Muslim Foundation to help fund the “Tonkla-Kamala Camp 2017”. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

ISLAND SCENE 23

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Governor Norraphat and his wife Sudawan lay a wreath at Rang Hill.

Gov Norraphat and his wife are welcomed to the Governor’s residence by local officials.

The Governor and his wife met with members of Phuket’s community organisations.

The Governor’s old classmates came to Phuket to wish him well in his new posting.

PHUKET WELCOMES NEW GOVERNOR NORRAPHAT PLODTHONG Norraphat Plodthong, the new Governor of Phuket, arrived on the island on Monday (Apr 10) accompanied by his wife Sudawan. Since his arrival, Gov Norraphat has visited several local shrines and monuments and met with officials and community members. Gov Norraphat comes to Phuket after serving as the Provincial Management Advisor at the Office of the Permanent Secretary for the Interior.

Young and old alike were thrilled to be involved in the turtle release.

Local families took part in the turtle release.

From left: Anthony Loh, V/Gov Siwaporn Chuasawat, Prapa Hemmin, Piploy Pluemarom, and Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong.

LAGUNA PHUKET LAUNCH 40 YOUNG SEA TURTLES INTO THE ANDAMAN SEA FOR THEIR EPIC OCEAN ADVENTURE 40 sea turtles were released during the event. @thephuketnews

Some 40 young sea turtles were released into the waters of the Andaman Sea to begin their lifelong ocean odysseys at Laguna Phuket’s 23rd annual sea turtle release held on April 2 from the beach at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC). The beach ceremony was part of Laguna Phuket’s on-going environmental partnership with the Phuket Marine Biological Centre and the Third Naval Area Command of the Royal Thai Navy to help the plight of endangered sea turtles.

24 EVENTS

FRI

14 APR

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM friends and start your weekend off right! www.dedoslelounge.com 076 621 692.

Easter Dining Available Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 14-17 April. Celebrate Easter this year with a sumptuous four-course meal at Bodega & Grill. Dinner 18:00 - 23:00. Food only THB 2,080++ per person.

Reservations Angsana Laguna Phuket, fbreservationlagunaphuket@angsana.com 076 358 500.

ALL YOU CAN EAT BBQ RIBS Come join us for our WEEKLY BBQ EVERY FRIDAY served ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT at Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong. Indulge in All You Can Eat BBQ Pork Ribs, Chicken and Sides for ONLY 395 BAHT! Our BBQ is famous at Two Chefs!

Come try us out and enjoy our mouthwatering pork ribs, flavor-bursting chicken and more! Join us for Live Music from 8-Late Performed by Our Famous Two Chefs Band! Come for the FOOD - Stay for the FUN at Two Chefs!!! www.twochefs.com Kata Beach 076333-370 Kata Center 076-330-065 Karon 076-286479 Patong 076-344-914.

Pool Competition at Expat Sports Bar

Brunch To The Beat Mediterranean Sunday Brunch at Metzo’s Feast to your heart’s content on our Mediterranean menu of mezze and tapas served family style at your table, live cooking station, kids’ corner and dessert buffet. After brunch, why not relax and take in the view of the Andaman Sea with complimentary access to the resort swimming pool. Starting from THB 990++ per person. Reservations, Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort, metzos@outrigger.co.th 076 360 600.

Phuket Bike Week 2017 PHUKET BIKE WEEK 2017 “WORLD Ride Together”, the legendary event in Asia, will celebrate the 23rd anniversary on 14th -16th April 2017. This event will be the largest gathering of motorcyclists in SE Asia, expecting to draw over 10,000 motorcycles, 50,000 visitors from 30 countries to Phuket. The excitement will take place in Patong Beach on 14th - 16th April 2017 and in Phuket Town on 22nd April 2017. More info at: phuketbikeweek.com. Proudly sponsored by The Phuket News and Khao Phuket.

SAT

15 APR

Sunday Fun Brunch Phuket’s most popular brunch experience. Seafood, live station, entertainment, kid’s corner and massage corner. From 1,650++ THB. 12.00 - 15.30. Reservation: info@xanabeachclub.com 076 358 500.

Paradise Island Festival - Samui

Thai Seafood and Meat BBQ THB 999.-++ @Lobby Terrace (Weather permiting) from 19:00 – 22:00 hrs. The most amazing and delicious BBQ at Kata Beach Join us for this culinary extravaganza where ‘Authentic’ Thai dishes (and some western items) are served ‘buffet’ style. Our Chef will arrange truly 100% fresh seafood from our fisherman and also prime meats for this special event… We are very confident you will love this event. Reservations, Nook Dee - Kata Beach 076 688 888.

The first festival of its kind to be staged in the glorious beauty of the south of Thailand, it will feature some of the best international and Thai musical acts, alongside an arts program showcasing the very best that Thai culture has to offer. Confirmed artists - The Pharcyde, Goldie, LTJ Bukem, Krafty Kuts, Maribou Stare, DJ Kentaro - full line up and more details - paradiseislandfestival.com

5 Gourmet Tapas plus 2 drinks for just 690.- net!!! And French Oysters for just 50.- net/piece. Never worry about where to spend Friday evenings again! Join DeDos LeLounge for our Chill Out Fridays featuring cool beats from DJ Not from 7:30 until late! So grab your

MON

17 APR

The Banyan Tree Seafood Brunch experience returns with a generous selection of live fresh, local and imported seafood with exception Lobster dished, Japanese starters, mouth-watering meats, Asia wok and Western grill treats. Gourmet cuisine, exceptional service, Live Jazz and tranquil surroundings, The Banyan Tree has something for everyone! Every Sunday 12.00-15.30, price start from 2,800net per person.

Reservations, Banyan Tree Phuket, fb-phuket@banyantree.com 076 372 400.

6PM – 11PM: Beef, Pork, Chicken, Burgers, Sausages, Prawns & Squids, salad buffet, Choice of potatoes and sauces, bread, buns and garlic bread. Reservation recommended. 395 baht P.P. shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

WED

19 APR

Live Sports at Expat Hotel NRL, AFL, Soccer, Rugby Union. Any live sport, we will show it. Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www.expatsportsbar.com

SUN

16 APR

Traditional Sunday Roast Angus O’Tool’s Karon Beach Chill Out Fridays in Surin

Easter Brunch @ XANA

All you can eat BBQ night Go Live Sunday Seafood Brunch

Mussels night @ Shakers

Spend a Sunday with us at The Pool House and The Pool Bar. Try our new style brunch. Price: THB 1,600++ buffet with free flow of soft drinks, THB 2,200++ buffet including premium beverages package. Reservations, fnb.phuhr@hyatt.com 076 231 234 #5106.

Sunday 16th April - 12.00 - 15.30. Easter Egg Hunt.

Lady’s hat competition: Win 1 night at Angsana Laguna Phuket and 2 persons for Sunday Brunch. THB 1,650++ food only and THB 2,450++ with free-flow beverages. Reservations: XANA Beach Club info@ xanabeachclub.com, 076 358 500.

The competition at 9pm - Expat Sports Bar at the Expat Hotel Soi Taipan Patong. See map at www.expathotel.com

1.2kg mussels served with french fries, your choice, your style: nature, marnière, provençale, garlic & cream or Thai style. Reservations recommended B295 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Lunch or dinner served from 2pm. Your choice of either roast beef, chicken, loin of pork or leg of lamb served with roast and boiled potatoes, three fresh vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Only B350 per person which includes a free glass of house red or white. Opposite Centara Karon Resort. See: otoolsphuket.com

Sunday Roast All Day All Night Come enjoy a Traditional Sunday Roast EVERY SUNDAY at Two Chefs Kata Beach, Kata Center, Karon and Patong! Indulge ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT for 395 Baht! Enjoy a Large ALL YOU CAN EAT selection of your favorites! Featuring: Roast Aussie Beef, Pork Loin and Chicken. Roasted or Mashed Potatoes.

Roasted Mixed Vegetables Flavored with Thyme and Garlic. Yorkshire Pudding and Red Wine Gravy. Enjoy Live Music from 8-Late Performed by Our Famous Two Chefs Band! Come for the FOOD - Stay for the FUN! www.twochefs.com Kata Beach 076-333-370 Kata Center 076-330-065 Karon 076-286-479 Patong 076-344-914.

Surf & Turf Night Come join us EVERY Wednesday for our Weekly Surf & Turf Night at ALL Two Chefs Locations for the Month of April. Indulge in All You Can Eat Surf & Turf for ONLY 495 BAHT! Enjoy Grilled Australian Rib Eye Steak, Grilled Prawns, Teriyaki Marinated Chicken, BBQ Sauce, Red Wine Sauce, Bearnaise Sauce, Caesar Salad and Herb Sauteed Potatoes. Join us nightly for Live Music from 8-Late Performed by Our Famous Two Chefs Band! www.twochefs.com Reservations, Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong, Kata Beach: 076-333-370, Kata Center: 076-330-065 Karon: 076-286-479 and Patong: 076-344-914.

All you can eat Sunday Roast Buffet Beef, Pork & Lamb – Cauliflower, Broccoli, Peas, Carrots, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes – Yorkshire pudding – roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes – gravy, mushroom sauce, mint sauce. Reservation recommended 350 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

All you can eat BBQ Ribs night 6PM – 11PM: All you can eat BBQ Ribs served with salad buffet, potato salad & choice of sauces. Reservation recommended. 350 baht P.P. shakersphuket@ gmail.com 081 891 4381.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

THU

EVENTS 25

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

20 APR

continues with a bike ride through Khao Phra Thaew National Park and with a run concluding at Thanyapura’s cushioned athletics track and grandstand. Entry fee is 700 THB/individual or 1,800 THB/team. Prizes are awarded to the top three male and female finishers for each age category and relay teams. Registration deadline is April 16, 2017. More info at: events@ thanyapura.com; call: +66 76 336 000; or visit: thanyapura.com/event/superkidz-triathlon-2017 Proudly sponsored by Live89.5 and Khao Phuket

TUE

25 APR Phuket FC VS Sungaipadee FC

Sexy Thursdays in Surin DeDos LeLounge is bringing sexy back on Thursday nights! Ladies grab your girlfriends because: Selected Beverages are only 150.- ++ all night (Sorry fellas!), DJ Not will be bringing down the house from 7:30pm onward! Make sure to bring your A-game because the sexiest dressed will win a bottle on the house! Who needs the weekend when there’s Sexy Thursdays? www.dedos-lelounge.com 076 621 692.

PIWC April Luncheon The April luncheon will be held at DeDos LeLounge in Surin on 20th April 2017. Registration starts at 11.30 am followed by Lunch at 12.15 pm. Please send reservations to info@piwc-phuket.com attn. Maggy Wigman. **We will cancel the coffee meet & greet at Starbucks on 13th April because of Songkran**

SAT

22 APR

‘The Sassy Chef’s Kitchen’ Charity Dinner From 6pm onward, B3,800 net/person with all proceed going to The Good Shepherd Phuket. Five of Phuket‘s finest female chefs from the island’s premier luxury resorts and restaurant are joining forces on Sat 22 Apr at Kata Rocks to benefit children at the BanYa Literacy Centre. Contact Donna, (The Good Shepherd), sassychefskitchen@gmail.com for tickets.Proudly sponsored by The Phuket News.

SUN

23 APR

ANZAC Day Dawn Service The Australian and New Zealand community is invited by the Australian Consulate-General Phuket to attend from 6:30am. Held at Phuket Yacht Club, Soi Phon Chalong (off Chao Fa East Road). Members of the public are welcome to lay a wreath (please notify us beforehand). A light breakfast will be served afterwards. Please register your attendance by Fri Apr 21, 2017 to RSVP.Phuket@dfat.gov.au

THU

Majesty – the 6th edition of Phuket UNESCO International Jazz Day. Free entry and open to the public at 6pm at Chanacharoen Road, Phuket Town. Main events featuring Phuket local, Int’l jazz and guests.

For more info please contact Jeffrey Sevilla 089 588 2347 or tiklado2005@yahoo.com. Proundly Supported by The Phuket News and Live 89.5.

Phuket FC VS Sungaipadee FC on Sunday 30th Apr. at Surakul Stadium, Phuket town. Kick off 6pm. Entrance fee is THB 50 and students are free with student ID. Proudly sponsored by The Phuket News and Khao Phuket.

SAT

6 MAY

27 APR Spain v Greece at Paresa Celebrity Mediterranean Dining Experience. Four hands dinner with UK TV celebrity and Master Chef finalist – Theo Michaels and Michelin experience Paresa Executive Chef – Jordi Valles. Five course taster menu including delicacies from Spain and Greece accompanied by a choice of drink parings. THB 3,500 ++ per person. 076 302 000 info@paresaresorts.com.

Phuket Pride 2017 Phuket Pride’s mission is to bring together the Phuket LGBTQ Communities through its many events during Pride, moneys raised during Pride supports initiatives created in HIV Prevention, Education and Treatment.

From 27-30 April 2017. More info visit phuket-pride. org. Proudly sponsored by Live89.5 and Khao Phuket.

Patong, Phuket, info@phuket-pride.org

FRI

28 APR

Boat Lagoon Weekend Beats & Bites & Music & Food & Fun. พบกันงานแสดงดนตรี อาหาร และความสนุกหลายรูปแบบ ทีง่ านโบ๊ทลากูนวีคเอนด์ From 6.00pm till 10.00pm at Lagoon Quay, Phuket Boat Lagoon.

SUN

30 APR

SUN

28 MAY

@thephuketnews

The 6th Edition of Phuket UNESCO International Jazz Day On behalf of Phuket City Municipality, Music Matters Collective presents – In Loving Memory of His

La Gritta’s Discovery Menu Take your taste buds on a culinary tour through some of the finest Italian flavours. Chef Patrizia has created a six-course discovery menu consisting of the appetiser, main course and dessert, priced at 1,590 THB++ per person. The terms and conditions are subject to change without prior notice. Reservations, lagritta@ amari.com 076 292 697.

Rotary Club of Phuket South Mini Marathon 2017 The second running of this annual family friendly event is expected to attract over 2,000 runners for its 10.5KM mini marathon and 3.5KM fun run. Entry fees are THB 350 per person for the mini marathon and THB 300 per person for the fun run. Entries now open, to register contact 097 267 5969 for ticket go to phuketticketmaster.com. Proudly sponsored by The Phuket News and Khao Phuket.

EVERY DAY

Superkidz Triathlon returns to Thanyapura Phuket On Sunday, April 23, Phuket’s long-running youth multisport event will feature fun and challenging age-appropriate race distances for youth aged 4-15 to compete in a safe environment. The triathlon starts with a swim at Thanyapura’s Olympic-sized 50-meter pool,

THB++, Thai & International Buffet @790 THB++, Seafood Night @980 THB++, Ribs, Wings & Rings @770 THB++, Butchers Night @market price, Surf & Turf @950 THB++,Thai Seafood Gala @980 THB++.

The terms and conditions are subject to change without prior notice. For reservations, rimtalay@amari.com or 076 340106-14 #8027.

7 Nights 7 Themed Dinners at Rim Talay Make each night unique! Enjoy our themed dinners with the cool sea breeze. World of Curries @790

All Day Breakfast at Cafe Siam Aussie bacon & egg rolls NOW at Cafe Siam. All day breakfast, just like mum makes. Lavazza Coffee, healthy snacks & salads. Find us at the Entrance of The Royal Paradise Complex, Patong. Mon - Sat 8.30am - 4.00pm. Facebook: CafeSiamGuesthousePhuket 081 676 9411.

26 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York 1. What, located in the center of Beijing, was the imperial palace from 1420 to 1912?

2. British military hero, The Duke of Wellington, was born in which capital city?

3. What is the real last name of will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas?

4. What is the capital of Bermuda?

5. How many days did Jonah spend in the stomach of a large whale-like fish?

Answers below, centre

SUDOKU

Across 1. Questions 5. Facebook button 9. Putdown 14. Fuel 15. Once more 16. The pinball wizard from The Who 17. Ocean bird 18. Cake with a kick 19. Wake up 20. Spring season concept 23. Initiation, e.g.

24. Fail miserably 25. Vatican vestment 28. Rope fiber 31. Letter writer 33. Dilly-dally 36. French soldier 39. Second word of many limericks 40. Spring beauties 44. Creole vegetable 45. It may be bid 46. Long-eared beast 47. “Me, ___ and I” Beyonce 50. Portable shelter 52. Short order?

53. Contents of Pandora’s box 56. Vitamin tablet supplement

(sl.)

22. Sitter’s handful 25. Sleep problem 26. Ties 27. Sanctify 29. Farm remark 30. Cotton fabric 32. Neighbor of Swed.

33. Cold war threat 34. Ethyl and propyl 35. Defeat 37. Top 38. Dwelling Down 41. Postal abbr.

1. Genus of maples 42. “You don’t say!”

2. More tender 43. Frock 3. Japanese style 48. Sung with cheer writing 4. Sherlock Holmes 49. Cold, sort of was one of these 51. Walk laboriously 54. Persona non 5. Brain area grata 6. Author Turgenev 55. Teatime treat 7. Meat on a stick 57. Willow twig 8. Muse of love 58. At no point poetry 59. Spirit 9. Flash light?

60. European 10. “High” time freshwater fish 11. Australian runner 12. Rescue squad, 61. Once in a while 62. Insolence for short 63. Relative 13. Highball 64. Explosive letters ingredient 21. Vice presidents 65. Big fuss 59. Spring flowers 63. Get off the ground 66. Decant 67. Opera star 68. Privately owned (business) 69. Goals 70. Group with Bee 71. __ up to 72. Word processor command 73. Miscalculates

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1) The Forbidden City; 2) Dublin; 3) Adams; 4) Hamilton; 5) Three

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

This week in history April 14, 1986 The heaviest hailstones ever recorded (1kg, or 2.2lb) fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92.

7

miles an hour is the average speed of a raindrop on reaching the ground.

19

April 15, 1912 The RMS Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic at 2:20am, two hours and 40 minutes after hitting an iceberg. Only 710 of 2,227 passengers and crew on board survive.

per cent of Millennials in the UK don’t drink, and 66% do not feel alcohol is important to their social lives.

100

April 16, 1943 Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later.

per cent is the probability of a person drinking a glass of water today that contains a water molecule that also passed through a dinosaur.

April 17, 1946 Syria obtains its independence from the French occupation.

11,356

April 18, 1949 Ireland leaves the British Commonwealth and becomes the Republic of Ireland.

litres of water will be wasted in one year by a leaky tap that drips once per second - enough water to take 180 showers.

1.6 million

people in the US live in an abode without indoor plumbing.

Source: Uberfacts

April 19, 1984 Advance Australia Fair is proclaimed as Australia’s national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours.

A youngster celebrates Songkran in Phuket Town. Photo by ‘Zion Gallery’ Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket?

Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

April 20, 1918 Manfred von Richthofen, a.k.a. The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims before his death the following day.

Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

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MOVING SERVICES

MARINE SERVICES

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

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ACTIVITIES, GROUPS Sign up today for a discount code

The new website for Tiya’s hammocks is ready! Visit now at: native-habitat.com and subscribe for a discount code to use for online shopping. Tiya: hammockphuket@yahoo.com 076 631 841.

AUTOPARTS, TIRES Used 4 Wheel & Tire for sale

For 4 pcs. (Wheel & Tire) Size 235/40 ZR 18” Used only 6,000 KM. 18,000 Baht, Near Panwa Beach , Phuket, marnskjold@ gmail.com 083 635 1440.

BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE CAPELLI TEMPEST TE 800

Year 2016. Engine Yamaha 300 HP, Special hypalon tubes, Refigerator, Shower, Electric Toilet, Sink, Teak floor, Navigation, Water thank 60 L. 2,900,000, Owner, 093 575 2304.

Long Tail Boat For Sale

Ready to go “Long Tail Boat” with or Without Captain (Thai) Get special price, please call 085 781 9167 (English) Bangtao Beach, Phuket, B275,000, giorgionaef@aol.com 085 781 9167.

Boating deal of the year: 7.5m baht (reduced from 10m baht)

Due to serious health reasons, the owner must part with his beloved 80’ tour boat. New wiring throughout, power outlets, transformer and voltage meters. New upholstery throughout bar and entertainment area. Engines & generator fully reconditioned & serviced. All maintained to European standards. Ideal boat for quality day trip business. beachsando1@gmail.com 080 695 3933.

Steel boat for sale

CABLE TV PULSE TV. ASIA’S No.1 EXPAT TV

140 channels (HD & SD) in English, French, German & Thai. All Premiership & Euro Leagues live plus all your favorite Soaps & Series from back home. ON-Demand Movie/TV Series library with over 700 of the latest titles, more added daily & with our CATCH-UP Facility (Records all Channels for instant Playback) you’ll never miss a show. This is not kodi – Our high quality set-top boxes come pre-loaded with our own in-house developed App backed up by our own high-speed Asia based Servers & Online Support Network. PULSE TV, sales@ pulse-tv.net +66(0) 99 316 6212.

32 metre steel boat for sale. Built 2012, 2 x Cummings engines, 10hrs work only. International REG. Excellent for live-aboard or ferry. Price 6MB. Contact: call Joe 087 8918912 or email joe@similan-divers.com

CAR FOR SALE Convertible

Mercedes CLK 200 Cabriolet W-209 Brabus Package - seat 4. Excellent condition and fun to drive. 37,400km.

1,199,000 Bht. Eng - Thai 094 695 3536 / 063 992 3226.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Beauty Salon with Equipment

t ge n

s al

e

Honda Jazz 2009

For Sale, Nai Harn Beauty Salon with r 1500cc Auto U Equipment & lease, B290,000. Salon 57,000km. One owner since new.

Equipment replacement cost is more than B300,000. All Regularly serviced by Honda. Tax and equipment shown as new. Must view to see excellent Insurance until the end of June and available now at right opportunity to purchase Salon for extremely good price offer. Reduced by 40,000 bht, REDUCED to 330,000bht in prime location. Call Nok for details 098 017 8818. o.n.o, Andy +66846909144, andysmalster@gmail.com

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Restaurant set up for sale

A fully equipped restaurant in the highly sought after Boat Avenue mall in Laguna.

Stainless steel kitchen, Wi-Fi, bar counter, service area. Ready to go in days. Email: jukeboxphuket@gmail.com 081 090 1608.

Looking for investor / partner

Looking for investor / partnership for Patong beach front location to start with Japanese and Indian restaurant.

Narin, narinpga@gmail.com 081 826 9390. @thephuketnews

Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8G VVTI

2013 - 35,000km - Automatic White - CD Radio, Air-con, Alloys Excellent Condition, Only used for school runs. 525,000, Duang, Royal Phuket Marina, gavinmullins@hotmail.com 083 093 9724.

MEMBERSHIPS Life Time Family Membership

Blue Canyon: 750,000 THB includes 140,000 transfer fee.

Loch Palms: 425,000 THB includes 72,000 transfer fee.

Tanita, 094 695 3536 / 063 992 3226.

MEMBERSHIPS Phuket Country Club Golf Membership

Individual membership for sale.

THB 390,000 plus the transfer fee of THB 60,000. Contact David 087 881 7545, dsgrabham@yahoo.co.uk 390,000 plus transfer fee, David, dsgrabham@yahoo. co.uk 087 881 7545.

Blue canyon Golf membership

For sale at 250,000 baht, buyer pays transfer cost. 2017 dues not paid.

Contact Ian Lancaster on 083 263 4590 or ilancast@ me.com

Phuket Country Club Golf Membership

Golf membership for sale, includes transfer fee of 60,000 THB. 450,000, David, dsgrabham@yahoo.co.uk 087 881 7545.

Loch Palm Golf Membership

Lifetime Loch Palm Golf membership for sale. ฿485,000, the Loch Palm transfer fee of ฿72,000 will be shared equally between the buyer and seller. Contact J. Trenton Early, jtrenton.early@gmail.com

MOVING SERVICES Looking for a Moving Company?

With over 15 years of experience Bigmove Phuket is the number 1 provider of moving and shipping in and out of Phuket Thailand. We provide storage in a state of the art clean, secure, storage facility located centrally in Phuket. www. bigmovephuket.com 081 797 5377.

OTHER SALE YAMAHA ENGINE F150 FETX

YAMAHA ENGINE F150 FETX FOR SALE NEW NEVER USE !!! at THB 520,000 NET Come with full set of spare parts. 520,000.00, Mr. Glen, Lee Marine Co., Ltd. 199/111 Moo 6, T. Paklok, A. Thalang, Phuket 83110 Thailand, glen@ leemarine.com +66 (0)84 443 5050.

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REAL ESTATE SERVICES Phuket real estate tour

Real estate investment tours are specially designed to help you to achieve your investment goals with the right property in the right location. You will get advice on the multitude of lucrative investment opportunities in Phuket. md@tourasian.com 080 826 4665.

WEBSITES, IT For Sale: hoteldealsphuket.com

PHD has 125,000 pages indexed in Google and an average of 22,000 page views per month! See stats image. Also see the selling points on the link below. Quick sale: 33.000B!, Mark, mr.m.hopkins@gmail.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE NO1 LAND FOR SALE, LAYAN BEACH

PRIME LOCATION LAND FOR SALE: 26 Rai + 2 Rai of picturesque land 5 minutes walk to Layan beach, Phuket. Reduced to THB13m per Rai! A MUST SEE land plot perfect for a large Villa or a Hotel / Resort type development, and is a TRULY valued investment for anyone looking to invest in Phuket’s most exclusive property market. Call Porida (Por)(Owners representative) NOW on +66 (0) 954296655 for viewing, or visit: www.hoteldealsphuket. com 13,000,000 Per Rai, Porida (Por), Layan Beach, Phuket, +66 (0) 954296655.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

LAND FOR SALE IN RAWAI

4 Rai, 2ngn, 64tlw, total 7.456sq. meter. chanotte title. Near Shell Museum, 3 minute to Rawai Beach. Great for project. already have electric and road. Email: harrij@loxinfo. co.th 36 MB, Harrij@loxinfo.co.th 089 731 0283.

HOUSE FOR SALE/ RENT IN RAWAI

Land 620 sqm. 2 story with 4 bed & 2 Bathroom, fully equipped kitchen, 4 Air-con, big tropical garden with swimming pool, car park, Wi-Fi. In a very quiet area. For long lease 70,000 Baht/month. Email: harrij@loxinfo.co.th 11.9 MB Negotiable, Harrij@loxinfo.co.th 089 731 0283.

5 BED LUX SURIN VILLA FOR SALE

URGENT sale by owner. Reduced from 28.9m to just THB 16.9m this luxury lake-side 5 bedroom pool villa within a secure gated community (sale direct by owner} and is only 5 minutes walk to Surin beach. A MUST SEE Villa requiring a little upgrade is a TRUE bargain for anyone looking to enter one of Phuket’s most exclusive property markets, Call NOW on 0925 710 770 for viewing, or visit the below website. www.hoteldealsphuket.com 16.900.000, Cass, 0925 710 770.

New Sea View Villa

Premium villa 8B in the prestiques Sunrise Ocean Villas development is now for sale.

Being built on the highest point in the estate, only 80 meter from the ocean and located 3 mins away from Grand Ao Po Marina, 10 mins from golf course, 20 mins from the airport, shopping centers, schools and hospitals, this villa is a perfect place to live with no traffic, no polution and no mass tourism.

Over 600 Sqm usable building area, 3 bedrooms, guest apartment, maid quater, games room, 10 metre infinity swimming pool, roof terrace and breath taking views. Can be ready to move in within 8 weeks and still can be customized to the wishes of new owner. For sale at only 27.9 mill baht.

For viewing or more information please contact our sales director, Khun Montha on: 081 343 0777 or email: montha_phuket@yahoo.com

Penthouse for quick sale

265 sqm, sea and mountain view in Kamala. Foreign freehold. Reduced to 9.9mn, fully furnished!! info@sunny-property.com 083 105 2707.

Beautiful Land in Rawai For Sale

Beautiful mountain view with option of sea view land of 742m2 for sale in Rawai with chanote title. For more information contact 085 790 2021.

COMMUNITY

LAND NEAR WATERFALL FOR SALE

Prime Kathu land with panoramic views and quiet location. Starts from 400sqm. Perfect for private Villa.

Close waterfall with more land plots and different beach!!!

Start from 2.5 MB, K. Pam, Phuketmyhouse@gmail.com +66 (0) 94 829 3619.

House for sale

Private pool villa with lovely garden half a rai. Quite and safe area. 3 bedroom 2 bathroom open kitchen. 160 m2 Situated in Ban Pahra. 12 minutes to PIA, Phuket Airport, Nay Yang beach, and Blue Canyon Golf course. 2 min to Mission Hill Golf course. 7.5 million baht, bergsstigen@telia.com 090 701 4204. thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Buy&Sell

PROPERTY FOR SALE Foreign freehold corner unit

76 sqm, sea and mountain view in Patong Tower, Patong. Reduced to 8.8mn. Special deal with car, info@ sunny-property.com 083 105 2707.

House for sale

Good location in Chalong area. 3 Bedroom 2 Bathroom, 200 sqm.

House on 800 sqm plot. Including furniture, 084 745 5546.

Apartment

1.65mill. 60qm 2bed 2bath + 30qm balcony, liv-kitchen, 3 a/c, quality doors/wind., Dream Village near mission hill golf, tel: 087 383 8709.

HERE IS THE FUTURE. 17 RAI FOR SALE

Between Kok Loi and Thai Muang, 38 km from the airport, we are selling a beautiful peice of land with 2 new houses. A perfect place for artists or a sport resort.

The land is more than 17 Rai, full of old trees, with a big private lake and located directly behind the river. Chanote title. With a canoe it takes 20 min to paddle to the sea.

A great opportunity for a fair price. Price 9.5M, Yupin, residler@gmail.com 081 817 4805 Thai, Eng, Deutsch.

Land for sale in Saku - Phuket

1 to 5 Rai. Chanote. 10 mins south to the airport. Nice quiet location near Naiyang - Naithon Beach. Fixed price only 2.6Mil Baht per Rai. Kanchana, kanchanajit09@gmail.com 087 076 6016.

Outstanding Beach Front Pool Villa

A rare opportunity to purchase a 4 bedroom beachfront villa in a 5* resort at The Village Coconut Island.

A “snip” at 22m THB. Somjit, aadmo@btinternet.com 081 979 1945.

House for Sale

3 bed, 2 bath, living/dining, Farang & Thai kitchens. Back/both sides under cover. Water fall/relax area.

BBQ area under cover/car port. 4 aircons/7 fans. Very private, close to all services, 500 meters from Heroines Monument. B4.9 mil. o.n.o. Contact Randy. randyalltime@gmail.com

Property for sale

Large building near airport and sea view land near Bang Pae Waterfall for sale or lease. Any reasonable offers accepted. Lana, Lana.phuket@gmail.com 080 271 6484.

Apartment Country Golf Club House

One room with kitchen in main house Country Club. 6th floor with balcony 75sqm. Membership in Country Club included. Price 3.3 Million THB. Contact pzw@gmx.at Per Dompert, 086 043 4315 (English and German) @thephuketnews

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

PROPERTY FOR SALE LAND NEAR WATERFALL FOR SALE

Beautiful, gently sloping land for sale near Bang Pae waterfall. Good road, 3-phase power. NS3 paper (upgrade applied for). 7 rai, B4m/rai. 087 884 9964 (En) or 087 272 5594 (Th). alasdair.phuket@gmail.com

Ten Room Villa for sale

With 5 Rai land. 5 sleeping rooms, 5 bathrooms, 5 balconies, 2 kitchens, big living room, play room, lobby, car port. Hillside Maikhao Beach sunset seaview. Asking price 24 MB. julius_schuster2001@ yahoo.de 087 267 1192.

House for Sale

House at Land and House for sale. 2-storey with 3 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, balcony, jacuzzi, library, laundry. Near kids’ playground, two swimming pools, sauna, gym. Enough land to build a second house on the same plot. Ekaterina Oseledets, 095 861 7571.

Land For Sale

Land for sale. Anuphas Golf Ville, Kathu. 81 sq wah. Golf course view of Phuket CC. Quiet village, convenient location. E-mail for details Contact David, d1jarvis@hotmail.com

PROPERTY FOR RENT Seaview apartment near Ao Po

Luxury 2-bedroom 137m2 furnished apar tment near Ao Po Marina.

Seaview, pool, Wi-Fi, TV, balcony, carport. B36,000/month lori@artandcultureasia.com +66(0)817207834.

Mai Khao new 4 bedroom luxury villa for rent

90,000 THB a month, very safe and quiet. Fullly furnished, 15min airport.

20min PIA, 7min beaches, 3min stores and restaurants. Real estates welcome. jyfievet@gmail. com, jassarabee@gmail.com, 089 470 8926, 081 719 7015.

Amazing 5 Bed/Bath Villa Rawai

Stunning 5 Bed Pool Villa quiet and private location. Quality furn and fully equipped. Beautiful lounge/kitchen, very spacious with great pool. 90000 Baht per month, bricothailand@hotmail.com 081 271 7092.

House for rent.

Nr Wat Chalong

3 Bed/4 baths house in quiet estate.

Available from April 1st to Oct 31st. email me or phone me, Paul, for photos and full details. 25,000 pcm, PAUL WHITTALL, Phuket Private Lagoon, Chao Faa West Road, Chalong, pwhittall@aol.com 093 793 4258.

PROPERTY FOR RENT House For sale or rent Baan Manik (Cherngtalay)

Attractive 3 bed, 2 bathroom detached house for sale or rent. Set in quiet surroundings but with easy access to Laguna, Boat avenue, PIA, airport, Surin, Bangtao and Layan beaches. The property boasts many additional features including, Auto-gate, Western-styled kitchen, security system, natural stone floors, imported ceiling fans, 12volt LED Garden Lighting and air-con throughout.

Asking B4.5 Million Negotiable Rent 25K Per Month Fully furnished or 20K per month unfurnished. 081 9686 051.

Kata Western Apartment

1 and 2 115sqm furnished apartments, full kitchen, huge covered terraces, mountain and seaview.

1 month minimum, 1 year lease starting B20,000/month. gordy240@hotmail.com 084 840 1262.

Office/Shop for Rent

Ground Floor space with excellent positioning on Chalong Pier Road.

For more information, please call 081 416 4177 or 076 381 341.

Two condos for sale/rent

2 condos for sale 48 sqm. - sale price $60,000 (developer’s price $116,000) & 54.5 sqm. - sale price $70,000 (developer’s price $128,000). Fully furnished, near Central, Big C, BIS, Lotus, hospitals, schools. Communal pool and gym. Short & long time rent available: 48 sqm – THB 10,000-15,000 per month; 54.5 sqm – THB 15,000-20,000 per month + electricity & water. Ekaterina Oseledets, 095 861 7571.

ROOM FOR RENT

Room for rent in attractive house Baan Manik (not far from Anthem wakeboard park). Convenient location for access to Laguna, Boat avenue, Airport and PIA. House is equipped with, Air-con, Internet, Expat-TV, foreign kitchen, washing machine, fridge etc. 8,000 Baht PCM + Share of Bills. Please email bluebeyond@me.com or call 081 968 6051 for a viewing.

Kamala Villa for rent

5 Bedrooms Villa available for long term, normally 10,000 Baht Nightly price Long lease 70,000 Baht monthly for 1 year minimum, Include pool, garden, courtyard maintenance. Suitable for large or two families.

Wanphen, kamalagym2@gmail.com 080 697 7729.

Villas & Apts Rent-Chalong

2- and 3-bedroom pool villas, 2-bedroom townhouses & studio apartments.

Special prices from 700/night or 8,000/ month. Rates include WiFi, maid service, cable TV, furnishings. Great location near Big Buddha. info@chalongapartment.com, 086 282 6221, www.chalongapartment.com

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

SPORT 35

Snow surfing for surf fitness

When you’re without waves, nothing beats POW to keep surf fit

Hayden hits the slopes in Hokkaido, Japan, with its deep powder snow being perfect for staying surf fit.

very similar reasons. However, to truly simulate surfing, you want to find powder – Lots of POW –and Hokkaido, Japan is one of my most favourite places to find it.

With many flights to Japan these days it may become yours too.

Surfing fitness in the gym can be monotonous and a drag for even the most enthusiastic surfer. If you are looking for a fun and functional fitness session that covers balance, core stability, strength, endurance and flexibility then look no more that hiking up and snow surfing down.

Hit the snow…

Hit the peaks…

It’s your surfing lifestyle – you can make it happen.

If you want help, hit me up.

heading to the snow for a surf fix while also bolstering your surfing fitness.

And Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, is the perfect location, and I’ve got to say, if you go at the right time Hokkaido will provide the snow – you just have to GO. I know some of you may be thinking, “but your ankles and feet are stuck in boots and bindings – it’s hardly like surfing where ankle strength and mobility is a crucial part of surfing fitness”.

However, in deep powder snow and utilizing the latest surf snowboards, the similarity to surfing is incredible. The turns and full body surfing

Hayden Rhodes (Club Manager of Phukets Finest Health Club - RPM Health Club) is the creator of Surf Training Secrets.com and is known for his enthusiasm and lifelong love of health, fitness, personal development and surfing. He has been helping people improve their surfing and snowboarding around the world for more then 20 years.

Hayden believes everyone has the ability to improve their lives and promotes health as much as he promotes fitness.

He continues to study, surf and snowboard around the world and looks forward to helping you up grade your lifestyle.

I

t is said that the best surfing workout on the planet is surfing and that any additional surfing fitness or training may provide slight advantages for competitive surfers or those who catch waves regularly.

However, if you cannot surf frequently due to career, living inland, kids, etc. surfing workouts and paddling fitness can pay off big time, with more waves, improved power and enhanced confidence every time you do paddle out and hit the surf.

Let’s face it though, ripping into some turns and having fun on a board is going to be better than the best ‘surfing workout’ out there, for many reasons.

Not least of all enjoyment, neuromuscular facilitation, sport specific surf training, and boosting endorphin’s... I could go on And one of the best sports that simulates surfing, is to find great POW (freshly fallen powder snow) and go snow surfing.

I want to encourage you, that, no matter your age, or where you are, you can achieve more with your surfing fitness and live the lifestyle you dream about.

If your starving for waves and have good mountains close by, I highly recommend

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS Run: #1628: Saturday April 15 Run Start Time: 4pm Hares: Who The F Is Alice, Kiss My Ring Location: Chalong - Baan Chalong School Directions: From Chalong roundabout, take Chao Fa West Rd towards Central Festival and after 3 kilometres (Baan Chalong School) turn left at the traffic lights (HHH). Follow the road for 1km to laager site. From Central Festival, take Chao Fa West Rd towards Chalong, then at the Baan Chalong School traffic lights, turn right (HHH). Follow the road for 1km to laager site.

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

@thephuketnews

movements far outweigh the need to have ‘free feet’ (such as in wake skating or skateboarding; other excellent surfing training options btw).

You can also snow-surf without bindings… but it just ain’t the same.

But also, please remember when travelling to support local people and local businesses. In Hokkaido, the staff at Moiwa Winter First are awesome and have quality boards and boots to select from.

Snow surfing is such a ‘trip’ in great powder, so if you have not experienced phenomenal snow I highly recommend exploring your world. After all, surfing is all about pushing

your limits and searching for more fun ways to ride.

Plus, this really is the ultimate surfers’ workout and leg training day. Here is how it works: Find exceptional powder, hike up the mountain and wail down it!

Seriously though, the pleasure, excitement, freedom, and sense of belonging to something, “bigger out there” is a fantastic way to live your life when the waves are nonexistent or you can’t get to the beach.

Plus, if you want strong legs and some enhanced cardio vascular fitness that will carry over to your surfing, then hiking in the snow, especially

up a mountain, will sort you out – big time.

And surfing on snow as you come down is an extremely functional surf training leg workout while also being exhilarating.

If you would like to join me next year in Japan (2018 Feb/ March) simply contact me at: info@surftrainingsecrets.com Fresh morning tracks – now this is living and you do have the power to physically prepare and enjoy the amazing lifestyle that surfing provides.

Sometimes we forget that skateboarding evolved from surfers wanting to surf when the waves went f lat. Well, snowboarding also evolved for

36 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Fern was so popular the first time around we thought we would bring her back again.

1Bar defeated but still top of league POOL 1BAR SUFFERED THEIR second defeat in a row in last Thursday’s edition of the Patong Pool League going down 6-5 away from home to Genius Bar. The result made very little difference to 1Bar’s (127) place at the top of the table, and they still have a good 14 point lead over nearest rivals Cool Hand Lukes and Ting Tong Bar (both on 113 points), and also kept Genius Bar at 8th (97 points).

The only big win of last week’s action came in the game between Caddyshack and Champs Bar with Caddyshack taking a comfortable 10-1 win at home. The result moved Caddyshack up one place in the league table to 6th (102 points) while Champs Bar remained at 10th (83 points).

Meanwhile, San Sabai Sport Bar joined Champs Bar at joint 10th in the league table following a good 3-8 win away from home at Simon and Oils. Sadly, the loss means that Simon and Oils sit firmly at the bottom of the table on 56 ponts.

Elsewhere, Ting Tong Bar picked up a 7-4 home win over Martin Swiss Guesthouse putting Ting Tong at joint 2nd in the table on 113 points, while

Martin Swiss remain at 9th on 87 points; Wet Dreams Sports Bar also won 7-4 at home to Dirty Nellies leaving Wet Dreams at 7th with 100 points and Dirty Nellies at 5th with 103 points; Green Mango lost 5-6 at home to Happy End Bar leaving the team at 12th and 11th on 63 and 74 points respectively; while Queen of Hearts also lost 5-6 at home to Cool Hand Lukes.

It should also be noted that following a disappointing 0-11 thrashing at home to Cool Hand Lukes the previous week, in a catch up game, Happy End Bar made amends for the big loss and came back with a good 3-8 win away from home at San Sabai Sports Bar. Well done Robert and team.

League Standings 1Bar

127

Cool Hand Lukes

113

Ting Tong

113

Queen of Hearts

107

Dirty Nellies

103

Caddyshack

102

Wet Dreams

100

Genius

97

Martin Swiss

87

Champs

83

San Sabai

83

Happy End Bar

74

Green Mango

63

Simon & Oils

56

Participants at the start line for the 2016 event.

Thousands expected to ‘Run Paradise’ MARATHON

The Phuket News editor@thephuketnews.com

T

he world-famous Laguna Phuket Marathon is set to celebrate its 12th year with a record turnout of more than 7,000 runners from over 40 countries. Sanctioned by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, the Laguna Phuket Marathon is held from sunset to sunrise over two days – June 3-4 – and is organised by leading sports management company Go Adventure Asia with professional timing and results by Sportstats Asia, ensuring the highest of international standards.

The leading destination marathon in South East Asia, and Phuket’s largest sports event, runners will compete across five distances – 2 kilometre Kids Run, 5km Run, 10.5km Run, Half Marathon (21.097km) and Marathon (42.195km) – with almost 2,000 people already signed

up for the iconic marathon distance.

Joining a team of Event Ambassadors throughout Asia, Patcharasri “Kalamare” Benjamas has been appointed as Thailand Ambassador to encourage more people to run through the #MyFirstTime campaign. Using the hashtag on social media, runners can share their new experiences with the community and inspire more people to enjoy the health benefits of running.

Kalamare will be running #MyFirstTime at Laguna Phuket Marathon in June.

“We are on track for a record turnout this year – registrations are already high and we expect more than 7,000 runners to take part. In addition to a strong domestic turnout, we will be welcoming more international runners than ever before.

“The attraction of Phuket, the beautiful course and facilities of Laguna Phuket make the event a true destination marathon,” said Mr Roman Floesser, General Manager

of the event’s organiser, Go Adventure Asia.

With Phuket as a drawcard, more than 60% of participants fly in specifically for the event and take advantage of Laguna Phuket’s facilities and beachfront location, to enjoy an extended holiday on the island.

“Laguna Phuket Marathon has been a pivotal destination event since the very beginning. It is in line with our own vision and philosophy to promote a positive healthy lifestyle, working with the local community and to develop long-term sustainable benefits for everyone. It is a platform to raise awareness and funds for charitable causes and projects operated by ‘Laguna Phuket Foundation’, and this year we will launch our ‘Children First Fund’ to support more than 400 orphans in seven orphanages in Phuket,” commented Mr Ravi Chandran, Managing Director of Laguna Phuket.

“Phuket is a MICE city that has a well-developed economy and infrastructure, and is capable of hosting incentives

and business meetings, as well as international festivals and mega events.

“Laguna Phuket Marathon has grown continuously over the years and is an excellent showcase of the city’s facilities and capability to host largescale events which attracts thousands of international visitors to the city each year,” said Ms Jaruwan Suwannasat, Director, Exhibition and Event, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau.

“Laguna Phuket Marathon is unique. The two day format allows more people to take part while ensuring a quality experience, and entire families can come and take part in Phuket’s largest sports event while enjoying a holiday at the same time. The event is an important revenue generator for Phuket during the island’s Green Season,” added Floesser.

For more information, visit www.phuketmarathon.com or www.facebook.com/phuketmarathon.

Andaman Trail run set to hit the hills of Kamala on June 18 TRAIL RUNNING THE ANDAMAN TR AIL IS set to return to Phuket for its 2nd edition. Seen by many people as one of Thailand’s most challenging running races, the Andaman Trail 2017 will take place on June 18 at Kamala Beach.

Step out of your comfort zone and discover the local lifestyle while running through the local communities of Kamala district.

Challenge yourself while crossing the steep ascents of the mountain

before reaching the finish line at the Bang Niao Dam barrage.

The Andaman Trail 2017 is open to only 800 runners, so make sure you don’t miss a chance to join this fantastic event!

The Andaman Trail 2017 divides runners into four groups with 200 people in each group. Runners joining the 10km Andaman Trail race will get the chance to explore a running trail that is off the usual tourist path in Phuket with gorgeous Andaman Sea views right through until the very end of the race.

The race will start at the Ka-

mala Sub District Administration Organisation Office and runners will make their way through some charming local communities along a challenging route that takes in hills and rough ground. But there will always be the chance to enjoy a beautiful coastal view of Phuket.

You don’t need to worry about safety as a security guards will be standing every 1km along the trail route, and water stations are also available at the 2.5km, 4.5km, 7km distant marks and of course at the finish point.

The first group of 200 runners

will set off at 6am and others to follow at set intervals to ensure the race is comfortably spread out.

Applications for Andaman Trail 2017 are open from now until May 15 or until the tickets are sold out.

The event organisers are expecting close to the full 800 capacity participants to join this adventurous race, and registration fee is B800 per person, which includes a T-shirt, running kit, and a medal for all finishers.

For registration, go to http://www. teelakow.com/th/event/andaman-trail

Andaman Trail 2017 will take in a running trail that is well off the usual tourist areas with stunning Andaman Sea views throughout. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

SPORT 37

Why safety is crucial

Chinese Grand Prix highlights why guarding against injury is a priority EXCLUSIVE BOX OF NEUTRALS Michael Lamonato michael@boxofneutrals.com

T

he delighted Shanghai crowd cheered wildly for Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton as he crossed the line just six seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel to win a Chinese Grand Prix of plentiful overtaking and strategic tension. But it almost didn’t happen.

Inclement weather – lowlying cloud mingling with Shanghai smog – forced the suspension of all but around 20 minutes of last Friday’s (Apr 7) three hours of practice because visibility was too poor at the nearest F1approved hospital for the medical helicopter to land.

With last Sunday’s (Apr 9) forecast predicting similar conditions, the race found itself in jeopardy – but, as FIA deputy medical delegate Dr Ian Roberts explained to The

@thephuketnews

Dr Ian Roberts (left), FIA F1 deputy medical delegate and Dr Alain Chantegret (right), FIA F1 medical delegate. Photo: Jun Qian Phuket News, guarding against the chance of injury must be the sport’s first priority.

“I would say over all of this, whatever decisions are made, the primary concern is the health and safety of the driver,” he said. “Yes, it’s very difficult sometimes to decide, but the primary thing is always the driver.

“We know it disappoints

people that there’s no session, but, however unusual a major crash may be, there is always that probability, and we wish to cover all of that.”

A medical response to a crash comprises three stages: the first is reaching the scene of the accident on the track, the second is returning the affected driver to the medical centre, and the third is evacu-

ating him to a predetermined hospital in the case of a serious injury.

“When we’ve made that initial assessment [of seriousness], we get to the medical centre,” Dr Roberts said.

“If it’s not serious, then fine, the driver is cleared to return; if it’s very serious, there’s an ongoing resuscitation. Even before we’re there

there’ll be a decision as to the mode of transport to take the driver to the local hospital.

All of this is predetermined.”

The predetermined part proved the rub last Friday, with the Huashan Hospital, the closest with the requisite neurosurgical facilities, inaccessible by helicopter and too far away to satisfy regulations that would enable access by ambulance.

Given the advanced state of Formula One’s modern medical response and the rarity of serious injury, some punters called for the race to be run regardless – but this could never have been an option in the search for a solution.

“It looks like a small hospital; it’s not a small hospital,” Dr Roberts said of the trackside medical facilities. “There are limitations to what can be done, but we do the essential and move out.

“We insist on X-ray and ultrasound so that assessments can be made, and, if necessary, an intervention can be carried out. They’re the lifesaving and life-preserving techniques.

“[But] there’s always a danger of trying to do too much, and that’s not sensible.”

Dr Roberts and the FIA’s permanent medical delegate, Dr Alain Chantegret, soon found resolution by arranging for neurosurgical staff from the Huashan Hospital to be on standby at a closer medical facility just a 10-minute drive from the circuit, thereby satisfying the regulations and allowing the grand prix to go ahead.

“Circuits need to occupy a specific space in certain areas, and you won’t always have a hospital nearby,” Dr Roberts concluded. “There has to be a balance of risk, there has to be a balance of acceptability.”

That constant assessment of risk is the key function of Dr Roberts and Dr Chantegret, and though the pair rarely earn a mention when things are running smoothly, it’s their attentiveness that enables Formula One to continue racing even in unusual circumstances, like those that interrupted the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.

38 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Thais sweep three golds, overall title BOXING LOCAL FIGHTERS WON three gold medals and the country took the overall title at the Thailand Invitation boxing tournament held last Saturday (Apr 8).

With four men in the finals at BG Hall in Pathum Thani, the Thai winners were Tanes Ongjunta (52 kilogram), Chatchai Butdee (56kg) and Wuttichai Masuk (64kg).

Unfortunately, rising star Somchay Wongsuwan was knocked out in the opening round of the 60kg final by Mongolia’s Dorjnyambuu Otgondalai.

Defending champion Tanes defeated Cuba’s Frank Zaldivar 4-1 after three rounds.

In the bantamweight final, Chatchai proved too strong for North Korea’s Jo Hyo-Nam, winning 5-0 to be named the best boxer of the tournament.

In the light-welterweight showdown, Asian Games champion Wuttichai defeated Elnur Abduraimov 5-0 following a bloody contest during which both fighters suffer cuts.

In the other three bouts, India’s Shyam Kumar Kakara (49kg) and Akhmedov Sadriddin of Kazahkstan (69kg) won the titles by default, and

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

Right for the job?

Could Eriksson, Hiddink replace Zico?

FOOTBALL Bangkok Post

Thailand’s Wuttichai Masuk (left) in action against Uzbekistan’s Elnur Abduraimov.

Photo: Apichit Jinakul Madrimov Israil of Uzbekistan defeated Cuba’s Osley Iglesias in the 75kg class.

It was Cuba’s Julian Cedeno’s first tournament as coach of Thailand.

The Cuban arrived in Thailand last year after the country’s embarrassing campaign at the 2016 Olympics which ended without a single medal.

It was the first time that they failed to claim a podium finish at an Olympics since Payao Poontarat became the country’s first ever medallist in the Games in 1976.

Cedeno’s main task is guide Thailand to secure at least a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Thailand Boxing Association President Pichai Chunhavajira said after last Saturday’s finals: “Our boxers have made progress under the Cuban coaching team.”

Bangkok Post

W

hen Football Association of Thailand President Somyot Poompunmuang said he wanted the new national team coach to be one with World Cup experience, two names sprang to my mind.

One is Sven-Göran Eriksson, the other Guus Hiddink.

Eriksson, 69, guided England to two consecutive World Cup quarter-finals in 2002 and 2006.

He is one of the most successful coaches at club level in European football, having managed and won titles with top clubs including IFK Göteborg, Benfica, Roma and Lazio.

He has won league and cup titles in Sweden, Portugal and Italy.

He also won the Uefa Cup with IFK Göteborg and Cup Winners’ Cup with Lazio.

In 1983, he steered Benfica to the European Cup final only to lose 1-0 to AC Milan.

The Swede is familiar with Thailand, having worked at two Thai-owned English clubs and a Thai team.

Sven-Göran Eriksson is currently coach of Shenzhen after stints at two other Chinese clubs, Guangzhou R&F and Shanghai SIPG. Photo: Johannes Eisele/AFP He was manager of Manchester City from 2007-2008 when Thaksin Shinawatra was owner of the club, and manager of Leicester City in 2011-2012 after King Power’s Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha bought the club.

In 2012, he was technical director of Thai club BEC Tero Sasana.

At international level, Eriksson has coached Mexico and managed the Ivory Coast at the 2010 World Cup. The Swede is currently coach of Shenzhen.

Hiddink, 70, is more suc-

cessful than Eriksson at both club and international levels.

He has managed teams like PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea and Real Madrid, guiding PSV to six Dutch league titles and the European crown in 1988.

He also won the Intercontinental Cup with Real Madrid in 1998 and the English FA Cup with Chelsea in 2009.

At international level, he took South Korea to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup. Four years later, Hiddink’s Australia were knocked out by eventual champions Italy in the last-16 round.

He also took his country to the 1998 World Cup semifinals and Russia to the 2008 Euro semi-finals.

Hiddink coached Turkey from 2011-2012 before being sacked.

Hiddink was also interim manager at Chelsea twice.

As Chelsea caretaker boss, he guided them to win the FA Cup in 2009 and took them to safety in the Premier League last year.

The Dutchman is currently unemployed and should be ready to consider offered from clubs and countries.

Ariya receives US golf writers’ award at Augusta GOLF THE AWA R DS J UST K EEP coming for Ariya Jutanugarn.

The 2015 rookie made history last season in becoming the first player from Thailand to capture one of golf’s major championships when she won the Women’s British Open.

It was one of the five tournaments won by the world No.3

who swept all of the three LPGA events in May. She took home the season’s top honours – the player of the year and US$1 million Race to CME Globe.

Ariya attended the annual dinner held by the Golf Writers Association of America on April 5 to receive the award for the female player of the year in recognition of her performance last season.

With speech in hand, the

21-year-old Thai took to the platform to recognise those who had made the most impact on her life and career.

First, she recognised the absence of Arnold Palmer, whose presence she believed could be felt in the room.

Then, she discussed the hardships she overcame in coping with a shoulder injury and her refusal to give up faith she would be able to make her dreams come true.

She promised to continue to play her best golf possible and thanked her instructor Gary Gilchrist for his help.

She also thanked her parents and her sister.

Ariya was joined by her sister and fellow LPGA professional, Moriya, as well as her mother.

The duo and their family then made their first visit to Augusta National Golf Club.

Bangkok Post

Ariya Jutanugarn (right) and her sister Moriya pose for a portrait during the KIA Classic at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort held last month. Photo: Donald Miralle/AFP

Ratiwatana twins guide Thais to final TENNIS THAILAND HAVE SET UP an Asia/Oceania Zone Group II final with Pakistan after finishing off the Philippines in the semi-finals.

Having led 2-0 after last Friday’s (Apr 7) opening singles matches, twins Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana had few problems against Jeson Patrombon and Patrik John Tierro in their doubles match.

The Thai duo won 6-1,

Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana. Photo: via Bangkok Post 6-4, 6-2 at the National Tennis Development Centre at Muang Thong Thani.

The 3-0 unassailable lead gained by the Thais rendered

last Sunday’s (Apr 9) reserve singles meaningless.

Last Friday, Wishaya Trongjaroenchaikul beat Alberto Lim 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-3 and Jirat Navasirisomboon rallied from a set down to defeat Patrombon 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 6-1 in the second singles.

Thailand will take on Pakistan in the final in September with the winners promoted to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I next year.

Bangkok Post thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

SPORT 39

PREMIER PREDICTIONS: ENTER NOW AT THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Five things we learned in the Premier League FOOTBALL AFP

I

n last weekend’s Premier League action, victories for leaders Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Manchester City and

Age is just a number for Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic compared himself to Benjamin Button, the film character played by Brad Pitt who ages in reverse, after his side’s 3-0 win at Sunderland – and with good reason. His opening goal was his 28th of the season in all competitions and, even more impressively, the 250th goal he has scored since turning 30. Now 35, Ibrahimovic is playing as well as he ever has and his goals are helping United keep in touch with the top four. With Juan Mata the only other United player in double figures this season, manager Jose Mourinho will

Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic gestures during their match against Sunderland.

Photo: Scott Heppell/AFP hope his talismanic Swede continues to resist the ravages of age over the season’s closing weeks.

Liverpool need Coutinho and Firmino to stay fresh

Liverpool were toiling at Stoke City, trailing 1-0 at half-time, when manager Jurgen Klopp sent on his pair of Brazilian forwards Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino. Coutinho, a pre-match doubt due to illness, equalised in the 70th minute. Two minutes later, Firmino – rested due to fatigue – crashed in a stunning winner. With Sadio Mane and Adam Lallana currently injured, Divock Origi inconsistent and Daniel Sturridge working his way back to full fitness, Klopp desperately needs Coutinho and Firmino fit

@thephuketnews

Chelsea are showing title grit

For the first time in their commanding campaign, Chelsea could feel a title challenger breathing down their necks when they kicked off at Bournemouth. Would the leaders crack under the pressure? On the evidence of a clinical 3-1 victory that restored their seven-point lead, the answer is a resounding no. Tottenham Hotspur’s 4-0 rout of Watford had trimmed the Blues’ lead to four points and with a trip to Manchester United looming next weekend, Antonio Conte’s side could not afford a snooze in the south-coast sunshine. Taking the lead through Adam Smith’s early own goal, Chelsea cruised through the gears, with Eden Hazard’s deftly taken second and Marcos Alonso’s sublime

The overall competition winner receives a two day/one night private fishing charter to Racha Island on board Wahoo Yacht Charters Phuket’s Reel Blue. Total prize value: B180,000 The monthly competition winner for April 2017 will receive a B3,000 voucher to spend at any of the island's Two Chefs outlets.

EPL PREDICTIONS MONTHLY STANDINGS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

OVERALL STANDINGS

fazza 21 stafsulaiman 19 AAY 18 Ajax Amsterdam 18 phils64 18

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

scottkip 181 Sidwell Guduka 181 The Red Card Gang 180 phils64 177 carst 176

English Premier League 2016 - 2017 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso celebrates scoring their third goal from a free kick against Bournemouth. Photo: Glyn Kirk/AFP free-kick wrapping up the points. With seven games to go and 15 points needed to be crowned champions, it’s advantage Chelsea again.

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Team

MP W

D

L

F

A

GD

Pts

Chelsea Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Arsenal Everton West Brom Southampton Watford Leicester City Burnley Stoke City West Ham United Bournemouth Crystal Palace Hull City Swansea City Middlesbrough Sunderland

31 31 32 31 30 30 32 32 30 31 31 32 32 32 32 31 32 32 31 31

3 8 9 7 12 6 9 8 7 7 6 6 9 6 8 4 6 4 12 5

4 3 5 6 3 8 8 12 12 14 15 16 14 16 15 17 18 20 15 21

65 64 68 60 46 61 57 39 37 36 39 32 34 42 45 42 33 37 22 24

25 22 40 35 24 39 36 41 37 52 51 44 47 57 59 50 64 67 37 56

40 42 28 25 22 22 21 -2 0 -16 -12 -12 -13 -15 -14 -8 -31 -30 -15 -32

75 68 63 61 57 54 54 44 40 37 36 36 36 36 35 34 30 28 24 20

24 20 18 18 15 16 15 12 11 10 10 10 9 10 9 10 8 8 4 5

Live Sports TV Schedule *Times may be subject to change

Spurs have champion quality

Liverpool’s Brazilian midfielders Roberto Firmino (left) and Philippe Coutinho. Photo: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP and firing if Liverpool are to hold onto their top-four place.

Everton face a fight to keep hold of Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku dropped a bombshell last month when he announced that Everton’s failure to attract top-quality players meant he would not sign a new contract. His performances since have left Everton’s fans thankful and rueful in roughly equal measure. The hulking Belgium striker scored twice last Sunday to inspire his side to a 4-2 win over Leicester and take his league-leading tally to 23 goals. But Ronald Koeman’s side lie seven points off the Champions League places and if Lukaku, 23, wants to play in Europe’s top

Manchester United preserved the status quo at the top of the Premier League table.

Here are five things we learned:

MONTHLY SPONSOR

MAIN SPONSOR

Everton’s Romelu Lukaku (centre) vies with Leicester City’s Danny Drinkwater (left) . Photo: Paul Ellis/AFP competition next season, it will have to be for another team.

Since the start of last season, Tottenham have won more points in the Premier League than any other team.

Their misfortune last season was to be swept away by the Leicester City miracle.

Their misfortune this term has been to have come up against a Chelsea team who have left everyone in their wake. But as last Saturday’s 4-0 demolition of Watford showed, they are a fine team: brilliantly well organised, tirelessly aggressive and blessed with richly talented individuals like Dele Alli and Harry Kane. In the short term, they have another opportunity to trim Chelsea’s lead when they host Bournemouth this weekend. In the long

Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli celebrates scoring his team’s first goal against Watford. Photo: Justin Tallis/AFP term, the club must keep this squad together if Spurs are to end their 56-year wait for the title.

SPORT START STOP Friday April 14 Rugby Union 14:30 Rugby League 16:45 22:30 Aussie Rules 13:30 Rugby League 20:15 Cricket 17:20 Saturday April 15 Rugby Union 12:00 14:30 16:45 20:05 22:15 00:30 Motor Racing 21:45 Soccer 18:30 21:00 23:30 21:00 21:00 Cricket 17:20 Aussie Rules 10:30 13:30 16:30 Sunday April 16 Aussie Rules 10:00 13:30 Motor Racing 21:00 21:45 Cricket 17:20 Soccer 19:30 22:00 Rugby Union 19:10 Rugby Union 20:55

EVENT

TEAMS / INFO

16:35 18:30 00:30 16:00 22:15 21:00

Super Rugby NRL NRL AFL Super League IPL

Crusaders v. Sunwolves Broncos v. Titans Bulldogs v. Rabbitohs N Melbourne v. Western Bulldogs Castleford v. Wakefield RC Bangalore v. Mumbai Indians

14:00 16:30 18:45 22:00 00:10 02:30 23:15 20:30 23:00 01:30 23:00 23:00 21:00 13:30 16:30 19:30

Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby Super rugby Formula 1 EPL EPL EPL EPL EPL IPL AFL AFL AFL

Reds v. Kings Blues v. Hurricanes Rebels v. Brumbies Cheetahs v. Chiefs Stormers v. Lions Bulls v. Jaguares Qualifying, Sakhir Tottenham v. Bournemouth Crystal Palace v. Leicester Southampton v. Man City Everton v. Burnley Sunderland v. West Ham Kolkata KR v. Sunrisers Melbourne v. Fremantle GWS Giants v. Port Adelaide Adelaide Crows v. Essendon

13:00 16:30 21:45 00:30 21:00 21:30 23:55 21:50 23:00

AFL AFL Formula 1 Formula 1 IPL EPL EPL Guinness Pro 12 Aviva Premiership

Collingwood v. St Kilda Gold Coast Suns v. Hawthorn Raceday, Sakhir Bahrain Grand Prix Mumbai Indians v. Gujarat Lions West Bromwich v. Liverpool Man United v. Chelsea Munster v. Ulster (D) Northampton v. Saracens

Sport BOUNCING BACK THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor3@classactmedia.co.th

Need for F1 driver safety highlighted in China > page 35

Phuket FC in comfortable 3-1 win over Surat Thani City FOOTBALL Matt Pond editor3@classactmedia.co.th

P

huket FC bounced back after suffering two defeats in a row with a comfortable 3-1 win over Surat Thani City FC at Surakul Stadium last Sunday evening (Apr 9), moving them back up to 2nd in the league table.

The Andaman Dragon opened the season with three straight successive wins before playing a goalless draw against Chumphon FC on March 19.

However, in their last two games they suffered defeats, first at the hands of Satun United on March 26 then to Hat Yai FC on April 2.

But i n last Su nd ay’s game, which was dominated

by Phuket, the team showed what they are really capable of, despite it being against the bottom-positioned team who have managed just one win and one draw thus far this season, and in all honesty, the scoreline should have read more like 7-1 had clear chances been put away by the hosts.

Phuket’s first chance came about 10 minutes into the game when a neat ball inside Surat’s

penalty box found Nattapoom Maya (7) whose attempted shot at goal was well palmed over the bar by Surat’s keeper Sornnarai Jumrurai (40).

But an easier chance fell just five minutes later to Phuket’s Ivorian striker Yannick Pairice Touguessong (29) whose simple header was put wide of Surat’s goal.

Sadly, and it has to be said, Yannick could have easily scored a hat-trick, at minimum, had he put away the chances that he had in last Sunday’s game.

But it was Nattapoom who opened the scoring for Phuket about 25 minutes into the first 45. A beautiful strike from about 15 yards outside of Surat’s penalty area floated over the head of Sornnarai and into the back of the net.

1-0 to the Dragon.

And it was only minutes later that Phuket extended their lead to two with a goal that Yannick may well have claimed for himself but was clearly an own goal.

Yannick’s shot from the six-yard box hit the post only to rebound back, deflect off a Surat defender and roll over the line. 2-0 to Phuket.

More chances fell to Yan-

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

nick in the remainder of the first half, and had he been in his usual form the score could well have been 4-0 by the halftime whistle. But Phuket went in at half-time content with a 2-0 lead.

It was pretty much more of the same in the second half, more wasted chances from Yannick, Phuket’s keeper Ratchanon Intharawisoot (3) barely being tested, and another two gaols, but this time with each team getting on the score sheet.

The first goal came about two thirds of the way through the second 45, and this time, making up for all his missed chances, Yannick finally got the goal he deserved.

A superb cross from the right flank found an unmarked Yannick on the edge of Surat’s six-yard box and this time he made no mistake heading the ball home. 3-0 to the Dragon.

The last goal of the game came about five minutes from time and was somewhat of a consolation goal for Surat Thani City.

A mistake in Phuket’s midfield left the field wide open and Surat Thani’s Pairat Kattiworng dealt well with pretty much the only clear chance

they had all of the game.

Final score 3-1 to Phuket FC. It should be noted that by scoring the opening goal for Phuket, Nattapoom has now taken his goal goal tally for the season to seven, still the Euro Cake Thai League 4’s highest scorer.

Yannick also getting on the score sheet now brings his tally to three, but had he scored all the chances he had last Sunday he could well have overtaken Nattapoom as the league’s highest scorer.

All teams are now on a two-week break for Songkran, but Phuket will return to the action on April 23 when they will once again travel deeper south, this time to Phatthalung FC with kick-off for that game set for 6pm. Phatthalung currently sit at 3rd in the league table on equal points with Phuket (13).

The following week, April 30, which will also mark the start of the second half of the season, Phuket return to Surakul Stadium when they take on Sungaipadee FC, currently sitting at 8th in the league on five points. Kick-off for that game is also scheduled for 6pm.

Had Yannick Pairice Touguessong (centre) put all his chances away against Surat Thani City FC he could well have taken over as the league’s highest scorer. Photo: Puvadon Kosol Klabpadung

Team

P

W

D

L

F

A GD Pts

1

Satun United

7

4

3

0

6

2

4

15

2

Phuket FC

7

3

1

2

14

6

8

13

3

Phatthalung FC

7

3

4

0

6

2

4

13

4

Pattani FC

7

3

2

2

7

4

3

11

5

Hat Yai FC

7

2

3

2

7

7

0

9

6

Chumphon FC

7

1

5

1

3

5

-2

8

7

Yala United

7

1

3

3

9

10

-1

6

8

Sungaipadee FC

7

1

2

4

5

11

-6

5

9

Surathanee City

8

1

1

6

7

17 -10

4

Full Weekend Results Sungaipadee FC Satun United Yala United Phuket FC

Saturday April 8 0-1 Pattani FC 0-0 Chumphon FC Sunday April 9 1-1 Phatthalung FC 3-1 Surat Thani City FC

Date

Time

Match

Stadium

Sun Apr 23

6pm

Phatthalung FC vs Phuket FC

Patthalung OrBorJor Stadium

Sun Apr 30

6pm

Phuket FC vs Sungaipadee FC

Surakul Stadium

Sat May 6

4pm

Yala United vs Phuket FC

Yala Municipality Stadium

Sat May 13

6pm

Phuket FC vs Pattani FC

Surakul Stadium

Please note that Phuket FC's home game fixtures have now all been reverted back to 6pm kick-offs. thephuketnews