11-11-2011

Friday, November 11 – Thursday, November 17, 2011

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

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

Here’s the situation:

Revenge of the Horseshoe crabs.

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■■ Singha, which is made by

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

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

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

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

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

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

Flood deaths top 500.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We cannot control the

price at which these people sell our beer.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

■■ Heineken and Tiger: These beers are brewed in the

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same brewery in Nonthaburi.

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

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

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

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

Chinese win volleyball.

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

NEWS

Shelves restocked

Imports help plug gaps on supermarket shelves >4

Phuket Town for Unesco food title The Thai Peranakan Association (TPA) and Phuket Rajabhat University have invited more than 50 local cooks and food producers to attend a brainstorming session tomorrow (Saturday November 12).

At the session they will be asked to come up with ideas to submit to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) as part of Phuket’s bid to officially-recognised as a City of Gastronomy.

If the bid is successful, Phuket will be only the fourth city in the world to receive the title. The other three are Popayan in Colombia, Chengdu in China and Östersund in Sweden.

The bid already has the blessing of the Ministry of Culture, which signed an MOU with Phuket City Municipality

Thai Peranakan Association President Dr. Kosol Tang-Utai: ‘A high possibility of getting City of Gastronomy title.’ to this effect on May 25.

TPA president Dr Kosol Tang-Utai said, “There is a high possibility that Phuket

will get on the list of Cities of Gastronomy because we have had a distinctive food culture for a long time.

The character of the food in Phuket is unique.”

He added, “Now, we are of collecting information from expert in experts in local cuisine. We expect it will take about six months to put together the documents to submit to Unesco.

Recently representatives from Phuket attended a food festival in China and received advice from Chengdu on how it won its bid to be named a City of Gastronomy.

Already some unique local “Baba” dishes have been chosen for the list that will be presented to Unesco, he said. They include Phuket chili sauce, dried food such as Mee Sua and soy powder, desserts and snacks such as Tao Sor cake and Oh Aew, and local seasonings such as dark soy sauce.

Foreigner’s body pulled from sea The body of an unidentif ied Wester ner was found floating between Koh Racha Yai and Koh Hay (Coral Island) on Sunday (November 6).

The man was found wearing a black singlet and grey shorts, with no identification on him. He is a large man, aged about 45, with red hair and a tattoo on his right arm.

Pol ice b el ieve he may have died up to five days before his body was discovered. There were no wounds on the body, leading police to theorise that he drowned.

His body is being kept at Vachira Hospital for further investigation.

Horseshoe crabs may not be very good for the stomach.

Horseshoe crabs take late revenge Seven Koreans were taken to hospital on November 3 with food poisoning after eating horseshoe crabs.

The seven Koreans, named as Bohwa Choi, 29, Song Min Joo, 27, Lee Jung Sun, 29, Choi Jung Sun, 28, Eunjoo Kwak, 30, Joo Seung Hyo, 31 and Anh Yong Soo, 31, were all staying at the Baan Thai Hotel in Patong when they came down with bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea.

They were sent to Patong

Hospital, then transferred to Phuket International Hospital to be treated.

Deputy Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, Pol Lt Col Kittipong Klykeaw, said the seven were on a tour and stopped for lunch at a seafood restaurant in Phang Nga Province.

There they tucked into a hearty feast of the prehistoric sea creatures. By evening all were ill. Treatment at Phuket International Hospital fairly quickly put them right.

‘Mad Yank’ gets 10 years Professional poker player and former US Navy officer Ronald Fanelli, 38, has been sentenced to 10 years and three months in prison for the murder of a bar hostess in July last year.

In July last year, Fanelli admitted he had stabbed a Karon bar hostess, Wanpen Pienjai, to death and stuffed her naked body in a suitcase, then dumped it outside Phuket Town.

Fanelli explained he was drunk on the night of the murder and depressed over a recent split with his Thai wife, who had taken their young children back to her home province of Maha Sarakham in Northeast Thailand. He was also reported to have financial problems.

He told police the murder was an accident; he had

snapped, he said, and killed Ms Wanpen after she had suggested they have sex.

Fanelli is still entitled to appeal the sentence, and the US embassy is helping him to look at this possibility.

Fanelli had returned from Suan Saranrom Hospital in Surat Thani Province just a few days before the court’s decision was announced.

He is reported to have had psychological problems since last year. He spent four months in treatment in Surat Thani then, before being returned to Phuket and then back to Surat Thani again last month.

As a professional poker player, Fanelli was known as “Mad Yank” for his often tumultuous behaviour.

Floods dry up Phuket beer stocks Continued from page 1 which par ts of Bangkok are f looded, and how this affects road transport. The brewery, he added, is sending updates on the situation on a daily basis.

In Patong, Ms Somjai reported on Friday that Heineken

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“has been out of stock for a week, though 200 bottles just came into our store today.”

Meanwhile, some wholesalers and retailers have been getting around the imbalance in supply by trucking Chang beer – of which there is plenty in Phuket – to Surat Thani or

Phang Nga and coming back with Heineken and Tiger, which are still available in those provinces.

Mr Manop, Ms Somjai and Mr Jumphol all stressed that the prices they charge retailers for alcohol have not gone up despite the shortages.

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

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Tourist Look out! It’s the booby Google Street car trap alert Kissing the breasts of sex workers in Phuket might be less enjoyable than you’d expect, Kathu Police have warned: You could wake up feeling rather dizzy and very light in the pocket.

The police confirmed, in broad terms, stories that appeared recently in Malaysia’s Chinese-language China Press newspaper and Hong Kong’s Apple Daily that male tou r ists visiting Phu ket for sex had become unconscious after kissing the breasts of sex workers.

Upon waking up they found their money and valuables missing.

Lt Col Kittipong Klykaew of Kathu police said that seven sex workers have been arrested in the Patong area over the past several months after victims reported their belongings stolen in this fashion.

Some of the women arrested were found to have a coating of chemical, possibly the short-acting sedative Dormicum, on their breasts.

However, Col Kittipong said that there was no gang as such; police had found no connection between the women arrested in their crime.

They did not rule out the possibility, however, of teamwork in luring tourists.

They also said that the arrested sex workers had targeted anyone drunk enough to fall for the trick, whatever their nationality.

Behave yourselves, everyone. The Google Street View car is in Phuket.

Don’t take your clothes off in public. Don’t fight with the wife in public. Don’t be seen walking out of a naughty bar in public. In fact, don’t do anything in public that you would not want to see pop up on the internet.

A quick explanation for anyone who has been living in a cave for the past five years: As an extension of its Google Earth and Google Maps applications, Google has been gradually taking 360-degree photos of streets

all over the world.

Those photos are then assembled in Google Street View, a seamless walk-through of anywhere the Google cars have been, with people who just happened to be there at the time frozen forever for the world to see.

In the early days, back in 2007, protests about infringement on privacy resulted in Google inventing face-recognition software that automatically blurred out the faces of people caught on camera. Presumably that precaution will also be applied in Phuket. Presumably.

Snapped you back: the raoming Google Street View car gets stuck in traffic in Kathu.

Gov’s no-plastic-bag drive gathers steam Vichit Municipality has given 1,000 cotton bags to Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha to support his campaign to rid the island of plastic bags. Part of the initiative involves giving away 840,000 cotton bags to mark HM the King’s 84th birthday.

Krita Saetan, Mayor of Vichit, handed over the highquality bags – each costing B100 – to the governor and to Jirasak Thummawet, head of the Phuket Energy office.

Mr Jirasak told The Phuket News, “Vichit Municipality is the first organisation to donate cotton bags to the project but Thepkrasattri Municipality have told us they will pay for 200 bags and Tesco-Lotus will be the first of the supermarket companies to contribute; they

will donate B1.2 million for cotton bags this week.”

Others chipping in will include two hotels that will fund the Cherng Talay Municipality to produce bags, while 7-Eleven has requested a copy of the project logo so that it can produce cotton bags that it will distribute through its stores around the island.

The new SEEK Phuket Foundation (SEEK stands for Society, Environment, Economy, Knowledge) has been talking with giant businesses such as Siam Cement, Boonrawd Brewery, Kasikorn Bank and others to try to persuade them to contribute.

Mr Jirasak said, “We estimate that making 840,000 bags will cost between B30

to B40 million. We will start handing out bags on December 5. People who want to get a cotton bag (one per person) can go to Phuket Provincial Hall with their ID card or passport and 20 plastic bags to make the exchange.”

Starting from February 27 next year, large stores such

as Central, Big C, Robinson, Jungceylon and Tesco will begin weaning the people of Phuket off plastic bags, by reserving one day a week on which no plastic bags will be handed out to shoppers.

Full details of how this will work will be announced closer to the time.

Chinese tourist found dead A 30-year-old Chinese tourist from Laioning Provice was found dead in her room in the Suan Luang Park boarding house in Phuket City on Thursday (November 3).

Police, who named the dead woman as Hou Juan, found an empty pill container and a bottle of medicine in her room. There were no traces of violence.

Her body was sent to Surat Thani Province for autopsy, but police believe she may have died from an overdose.

Bowling for flood victims The Lions of Phuket Pearl organised a charity bowling match on Saturday (November 5) to raise funds for flood victims in Bangkok and central Thailand. The event raised around

B85,000. The overall winners were the trio from The Lions Club of Phuket. The Phuket News team won a trophy, but are still trying to figure out what they did to deserve it.

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ALASDAIR FORBES Executive Editor 08 7884 9964 execeditor@thephuketnews.com From the UK; 40 years as a journalist and editor on magazines and newspapers in the UK, Middle East, Hong Kong and Thailand: Cheshire Observer, Chester Chronicle, Saudi Gazette, Gulf Mirror, Gulf Construction, Gulf News, Hongkong Standard, Asian Business (Editor) and Phuket Gazette (Managing Editor for seven years).

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Supermarket shelves refilled with imports Major supe r ma rket s on the island have been catching up over the past week with shortages caused on the island by the f looding in central Thailand.

The floods have caused partial paralysis in the country’s transport network and led recently to some items being rationed by large stores.

Now, however, supplies brought in from neighbouring countries including Malaysia, China and Vietnam are finding their way onto supermarkets shelves Tesco-Lotus has been importing supplies from all three countries, and rather than use trucks has had Thai Airways flying the products around the country.

Up to 10 flights a day are taking off from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Phuket and Haad Yai, carrying canned fish, noodles and toilet tissue, with nearly 500 tonnes of essential goods being transported in this way.

The company’s sister business in Malaysia is providing 3 million litres of water and 8 million packets of noodles,

Drinking water imported from Malaysia, on sale in Big C. which have started to arrive in stores around the country.

Tesco-Lotus is also using its global supplier contacts to secure water, noodles, canned fish, eggs and UHT milk from China and Vietnam.

A Tesco-Lotus manager in Phuket, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The

Tuk-tuk project sputtering out The provincial government’s plan to improve taxi and tuktuk standards in Kata and Karon has apparently stalled after the retirement of Vice Governor Niwit Aroonrat at the end of September.

The plan called for taxi ranks and individual vehicles to be inspected, with those who met specified standards being issued with certificates.

That would, in theory, enable tourists to distinguish between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ drivers.

An inspection committee comprising members of Chalong police, Karon Municipality and Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) agreed in a meeting on August 29 they would select the best three vehicle ranks to be a model of how to control taxis and tuk-tuks on the island.

But since the retirement of V/Gov Niwit, the plan has sputtered to a near standstill, with the director of PLTO Theerayut Prasertpol telling media that neither local authorities nor the drivers were ready to implement it.

Deputy Director of the PLTO, Wanta Phummararossukon, put that statement into plainer language, saying taxi

and tuk-tuk drivers in Kata and Karon had not cooperated with authorities during the inspections.

Mayor of Karon Municipality, Thawee Tongcham, this week said only 10 of the total 40 ranks in KataKaron had been inspected in the past two months.

He claimed more time was needed to explain the plan to drivers in each rank.

“There is currently no deadline set for the plan to be completed,” he added.

In the meantime, the situation appears to be worsening, with ambassadors now considering appealing to the Prime Minister to push law enforcement in Phuket after yet another driver dispute last Tuesday (November 8) involving tourists.

“If Phuket authorities continue making slow progress, it will be a shame of us as we have to ask outsiders to fix our own problems,” Mr Bhuritt, a Vice President of the Phuket Tourist Association, said.

However, Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak said that local authorities and police had to step up and take responsibility.

Phuket News, “The water and mineral water was imported from Malaysia and came to our store a few days ago.

“The prices are similar to those of local products, but we need to limit sales to 12 bottles per customer.

“Some brands of sugar and condensed milk are now

back in stock after we ran out last week. Customers can buy as much condensed milk and sugar as they want.

“Rice will also be rationed at times, depending on the amount we have in stock.”

Big C, too is importing goods. Prapruet Saiwattansuk, the supermarket manager, said, “Eggs, drinking water and instant noodles have been ordered by head office from other countries.

“We still don’t have enough eggs to meet demand, so we are rationing them to three 30 egg trays per person.

Last Friday Big C received a consignments of drinking water, which is enough to meet current demand. Imported eggs and instant noodles, also from Malaysia, were expected to be on the shelves by yesterday (November 10).

Supplies of rice, sugar and condensed milk are still available, but rationed.

Big C has almost completed a new distribution centre in Krabi to supply the South. It is expected to begin delivering products such as water, rice and cooking oil next week.

Paiboon: ‘Continuing complaints about rising prices.’

Committee looks at price gouging Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), the Provincial Internal Trade Office (ITO) and the Provincial Commercial Office met last Monday (November 7) to discuss complaints of price gouging in Phuket.

OrBorJor president Paiboon Upatising said, “We have called this meeting because of continuing complaints about rising prices of food and construction materials. In the coming week we will inspect places people have complained about.”

Supadcha Boonpalit, chief of the ITO, said, “Every day we send officials to check prices after people complain. If we find a shop overcharging, we warn them. If they continue to overcharge, we fine them.’

Ms Supadcha said that Super Cheap was one retailer that had been found at fault.

“We fined Super Cheap because some items had no price tag.

Other items had price tags but the price charged at the checkout counter was higher than the price on the tag.”

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Meeting to tackle tour guide rip-offs Following multiple complaints from tourists about rip-offs by tour guides, 455 local tour companies are to be invited to a conference at the end of November, arranged by the Phuket Tourism and Sports Office (TSO).

The aim of the meeting will be to explain to the tour companies the laws for setting up companies, and the need for ethics.

TSO boss Buayan Suwanmanee said it is impossible to keep every tour company in line, so the authorities will start trying to solve problems “through compromise”.

In a meeting on July 20, chaired by then-Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat, an inspection committee agreed to crackdown on suspect tour companies within two months, checking whether the companies were set up illegally with nominee shareholders, or were using foreigners to work as tour guides, some of them without work permits.

But at a meet i ng on November 8 at Provincial Hall, Mr Buayan said that this crackdown would take a long time, so the authorities felt that a conference might help solve some problems in the meantime.

Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak, chairing the meeting, said that he had received reports of tourists being ripped off by both registered and unregistered guides.

After the proposed conference, the TSO will report back to the inspection committee with suggestions for ways to combat the rip-offs.

Booze ban during elections Six Tambon Administrative Organisations (OrBorTor) in Phuket – Koh Kaew, Thepkrasattri, Sakoo, Kamala, Mai Khao and Cherng Talay – are now in the throes of campaigning for local elections that will take place on November 19. This will also mean a ban on alcohol sales in Phuket for 30 hours.

During the election period, from 6pm on November 18 until midnight at the end of the 19th, alcohol sales are banned.

The penalty for selling alcohol during this period is a maximum of six months in prison or a fine of up to B10,000, or both.

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Live 89.5 opens up to northern Phuket

Phuket’s newest radio station, Live 89.5, will now be transmitting with 100 per cent coverage in the north of the island after the installation of a transmitter in Cherng Talay.

Simon Samaan, the Managing Director of Class Act Media, the company which runs Live 89.5, prints The Phuket News, The Southern Sun Samui, and co-owns Events Thailand, said the antennae was installed this week, meaning coverage was now 100 per cent north of the Heroines’ Monument, including all previously known ‘dead spots’ around Bang Tao and Surin.

“This means 100 per cent clarity from the Heroines’ Monument all the way north to Khao Lak, including Mai Khao, Nai Yang, and Laguna,” said Mr Samaan.

Live 89.5 Station Manager Glenn Johns said good coverage was vital to allow the station to help everyone on the island to contribute and interact with the channel.

“The station is in its infan-

Going north: Simon Samaan (back row, left) with the Phuket Live 89.5 Radio crew. cy, and will grow along with the audience on the island.”

The establishment of the radio station means advertisers and event organisers can benefit from combined advertising and sponsorship packages, across print, web, radio as well as events (through Events Thailand), Mr Samaan said.

“We are the only media

company in Phuket that actually owns and offers all these media channels under the one umbrella.”

Having a variety of media channels to offer event organisers will go a long way in ensuring the success of events, as undoubtedly more people will be reached, Mr Samaan said.

“This will also give advertisers a wider choice and the ability to combine any of our channels when promoting their products and services. Being able to offer a variety of channels will also mean the ability to leverage that and offer our customers cheaper rates.

“We also wanted to give the expatriates on the island

the chance to have a voice on topical issues. We are aiming to achieve that through our talk-back radio, lots of phone ins, competitions and regular guest speakers, all of which are unique to Live 89.5 and Phuket in general.

“Writing letters to the editors in our paper is obviously great, but being able to really express your feelings and thoughts vocally through radio, I believe, is even more powerful and will go a long way in helping the general expatriate and Thai communities to get their message across.” Mr Samaan said.

“Over the next couple of weeks we will be introducing more content, and continuing to develop the station. We will continue to offer, just like we did with the newspaper, the local community something that is substantially different, that really appeals to our listeners and readers.”

■■ Listen to Live 89.5 on the radio, or stream online at www.phuketliveradio.com

OrBorJor Gold bandit bailed Dates set for Carnival to tackle teacher shortage The Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (OrBorJor) plans to launch new training programmes for local Thai teachers, especially those who can teach the English language, to redress the expected shortfall of teachers in the province within the next five years.

OrBorJor President Pai­ boon Upatising said on Monday (November 7), “As Phuket is get ready to be part of the new ASEAN Community, we face a shortage of English teachers at schools and universities.”

The OrBorJor plans to develop better training programmes in schools under its control, to train more English teachers this year.

One plan being considered is to bring back into service some 100 retired school teachers to train new ones.

“We need to train enough English teachers to be able to teach our students to be bilingual to the same level as in neighbouring countries,” Mr Paiboon said.

Confessed gold shop robber Taechin Gongsinon, 22, was bailed this week following his arrest on October 29, despite police objections.

Taechin and an accomplice, who is still on the run, snatched 11 gold necklaces

worth B850,000 from the Tanet One gold shop on Dilok U-Thit 2 Road in Phuket Town.

Taechin admitted his part in the robbery but claimed he didn’t know his partner in crime before they committed the theft.

This year’s annual Phuket Carnival, arguably the island’s most colourful event, will run from December 15 to 20 in Patong, to officially open Phuket’s tourism season.

The carnival will begin with a huge parade winding through the streets and along

the beach road. There will also a concerts, food festivals and sports events during the six days of the carnival.

An officer of Patong Municipality said that some events had not been confirmed yet.

All would be revealed at the end of this month, he said.

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Hells Angels’ bar venture downsized The Hells Angels’ business foray into Phuket appears to be in a state of purgatory – at least from afar.

The notorious international biker gang ventured onto the island last year, opening a bar in Patong – The Other Place – in May 2010.

It attracted the attention of the Brisbane-based Courier Mail newspaper, which recently published an article about Australian biker gangs spreading their operations to Thailand.

However, t he stor y’s claims of the Patong bar becoming “popular with bikies worldwide” appear to be somewhat sensationalised.

Indeed, instead of being the “unique” concept and “spacious biker bar” described on

the Hells Angels website, The Other Place has been forced to downgrade its venue due to a lack of clientele, according to a source.

The bar’s original premises, in JJ Plaza near Jungceylon, have been closed for several months. Instead, the bar is now in a much smaller venue in Soi Easy, one of the many avenues of sleaze found off Soi Bangla, and is capable of seating just a few patrons. There’s not even drive-up access for Harleys.

The Phuket News visited the bar last week, but the two owners were in Australia and unavailable for comment.

Repeated emails to the Hells Angels Brisbane chapter, with which The Other Place is affiliated, were also met with no response.

Regardless of the size of the bar, it’s no secret the Hell’s Angels carry with them a very particular reputation – for drug trafficking, extortion and acts of extreme violence.

The Brisbane chapter alone, since 1995, has had 14 members arrested, 30 charged with criminal offences, and 19 convictions (including murder, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, and drug trafficking) for a total jail time of 68 years.

A Queensland-based police officer reportedly told the Courier Mail that Thailand was significant as a source of chemicals for drug manufacture and trafficking, adding that scrutiny of Gold Coast bikers’ travel would show “a lot of trips” here.

“A lot of them [bikers] are looking into Thailand – it gives them the opportunity to source pharmaceuticals,” the source was quoted as saying.

So far though, police in Phuket are aware of no such problems arising, with Deputy Superintendent of Kathu Police Station Pol Lt Col Kittipong Klykaew saying he had received “no reports of violence or illegal activity”.

He was not even aware of who the Hells Angels were.

While there is no evidence to suggest any illegal activity occurring at the bar or from any Hells Angels members based in Phuket, the opening of The Other Place has raised eyebrows amongst the local biker community.

One individual, who wanted

Phuket sends medics and boats to flood areas Phuket Provincial Public Health Off ice yesterday (November 8) sent a fourth disaster medical assistance team (DMAT) of 10 people to help flood victims in Bangkok.

The island also sent 200 glass fibre boats to the capital.

Dr Sak Tanchaikul, head of Phuket Public Health Office said “The team, from Patong Hospital and Thalang Hospital, consists of two doctors, five nurses, two emergency medical technicians and one other officer. They also took medical equipment and supplies with them.

“The Provincial Public Health Office earlier sent three DMAT teams of personnel from government and privates hospital to Ayutthaya after floods there forced the closure of the hospital. Our DMATs – about 100 people in all – have been helping out there since October 6.”

In addition to the DMATs, the Public Health office will also send a village health volunteer team, a mental health team and others to visit flood victims in mid-November. The teams will assist by treating minor health problems, helping those with

One of the several convoy trucks is loaded up outside the TAT offices in Phuket Town. mental problems arising from the floods, and work to control disease after the floods recede.

While the DMAT team flew to Bangkok, the 200 boats from Phuket went the hard way, in a convoy of 16 trucks.

The boats were made by students at the Technical College to a special super-stable design ideal for first-time boat

users, under the Donate Boats for Flood Victims project.

The convoy, which was seen off by Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Education Ministry Adviser Sophon Phetsawang, included trucks that had come from Songkhla, Phattalung and Trang.

Each boat went equipped with a pair of paddles, two

life jackets and a “life support box” containing a flashlight and batteries, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, sanitary napkins, rice and instant food.

■■ The Donate Boats for Flood Victims project is still receiving donations. For information call 08 1891 3498, 08 1693 5509, 08 6683 0772 or 08 1719 2979.

to remain anonymous, said: “The local biker community are aware of Hells Angels being here. They are not the kind of guys who you can mess around with.

“So far though they haven’t caused any trouble with local bikers. By setting boundaries, local bikers avoid getting involved with them.”

Thailand’s biker groups generally have a reputation for being very peaceful.

The Hells Angels are not the only ones on the move – the Bandidos have a prospect chapter in Phuket and a full fledged chapter in Bangkok, and about five years ago hit the news when members were arrested over illegal land dealings on Koh Samui. The charges were eventually dropped.

3 held for ice and ya ba deals Three men were arrested in Chalong this week and more than 100 grams of crystalmethamphetamine (ya ice) and 1,585 pills of methamphetamine (ya ba) were seized.

Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent Pol Lt Col Narong Laksanawimon said the arrests started with a report that many teenagers in Soi Amphan, near Chalong Circle, were using drugs.

On Monday evening they arrested 19-year-old Narongrit “Keng” Metoola there, after finding 0.2 grams of ya ice in his possession.

Narongrit confessed that he had bought the drug from Bua-lin “Kiet” Pananchai, 40. The same evening police raided Bua-lin’s rented house at Karon and found 1.34 grams of ya ice and 185 ya ba pills.

Bua-lin in turn confessed that his supplier was Seksan Srithamma, 25. Police told him to call Seksan to order some more. When Seksan arrived to deliver, he, too, was arrested. In his underwear police found 111.6 grams of ya ice and 1,400 ya ba pills.

Police are still questioning Seksan about his supplier.

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NATIONALNEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

7

Flood deaths now 506 The death toll from Thailand’s worst f loods in decades jumped above 500 on Sunday (November 6) as the seemingly unstoppable waters crept deeper into Bangkok, swamping main roads and threatening the city centre.

The Gover nment said the disaster has now killed 506 people nationwide – an increase of 60 from the figure reported a day earlier. So far no deaths in Bangkok have been reported in the official toll.

At least 20 per cent of the capital is already submerged in floodwater, contaminated by rubbish, dead animals and industrial waste, raising fears about outbreaks of disease in the densely-populated metropolis of 12 million people.

The slow-moving water is now just a few kilometres away from business and tourist districts, and authorities are desperately seeking to push the floods through waterways in the east and west of the city and out to sea.

Amid mounting concern over the advancing waters, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday said Bangkok’s economic and

People stand on a bus as it drives through floodwaters in Lat Phrao in Bangkok on Monday (November 7).

–Photo AFP political heartland risked only “minor and brief” flooding at most.

“If all measures are implemented as planned we can save the economic zone of Bangkok,” she said in a weekly radio and television address to the nation.

She added that a six ki-

lometre flood wall of huge sandbags had been erected in northern Bangkok and more wat e r pu mps h a d been installed in other parts of the city to keep the downtown area dry.

The floodwaters have already swamped the busy Lat Phrao intersection on the

northern edge of the city centre, forcing the closure of the Central Plaza shopping mall and of several nearby roads, including sections of main traffic arteries.

Nearby Chatuchak weekend market – a popular tourist attraction – was open for busi ness on Su nday

but many traders stayed away after warnings from officials to be on alert for possible inundations.

Authorities are also closely watching several at-risk underground rail stations that might have to be shut down if the water level rises in the area, although the service was

Bangkok slowly sinks The capital, built on swampland, is slowly sinking and the floods currently besieging Bangkok could be merely a foretaste of a grim future as climate change makes its impact felt, experts say.

The low-lying metropolis lies just 30 kilometres north of the Gulf of Thailand, where various experts forecast sea level will rise by 19 to 29 centimetres by 2050 as a result of global warming.

Water levels would also increase in Bangkok’s main Chao Phraya river, which already overflows regularly.

If no action is taken to protect the city, “in 50 years... most of Bangkok will be below sea level,” said Anond Snidvongs, a climate change expert at the capital’s Chulalongkorn

University. But global warming is not the only threat. The capital’s gradual sinking has also been blamed on years of aggressive groundwater extraction to meet the growing needs of the city’s factories and its 12 million inhabitants.

As a result Bangkok was sinking by 10 centimetres a year in the late 1970s, according to a study published last year by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

That rate has since dropped to less than one centimetre annually, they said, thanks to government measures to control groundwater pumping.

If those efforts continued, the report authors said, they hoped the subsidence

operating normally on Sunday.

The floods, triggered by unusually heavy monsoon rains that began three months ago, have damaged the homes and livelihoods of millions across the kingdom.

In Bangkok, more than a million people have been told to evacuate 10 districts out of a total of 50 in the capital, and a partial evacuation order has been issued in five others.

But many have chosen to stay in their homes despite risks including electrocution, disease and lack of food and drinking water, complicating relief efforts.

Worst-hit residents have complained that their neighbourhoods are being sacrificed to save downtown Bangkok’s shopping malls, luxury hotels and the houses of the wealthy elite, triggering protests and the destruction of some flood barriers.

The waters have also swamped Bangkok’s number two airport Don Mueang, which usually serves mostly domestic destinations, but the kingdom’s main air gateway Suvarnabhumi east of the city centre is operating as usual.

–AFP

New Stoc k

rate could slow by another 10 per cent each year.

But Mr Anond disputed their projections, saying Bangkok was still sinking at “an alarming rate” of one to three centimetres per year.

While scientists may argue over the exact figures, they agree about what lies in store for the sprawling megacity.

“There is no going back.

The city is not going to rise again,” said the ADB’s lead climate change specialist David McCauley.

Faced with the combined threats of land subsidence and rising temperatures and sea levels, the World Bank has predicted that Bangkok’s flood risk will increase fourfold from now by 2050.

– AFP

has

arriv ed!!

Flood-relief payment The Cabinet on Tuesday (November 8) approved B3.1 billion in compensation payment for Bangkok residents affected by flooding.

The Government instructed the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to look into residents’ eligibility for compensation within two weeks, with each eligible family

entitled to B5,000.

“Within 45 days, compensation should reach the eligible people,” deputy government spokeswoman Anuttama Amornwiwat said on Tuesday.

She added that preliminary information shows that 621,355 families in Bangkok had suffered from the floods.

Only families whose hous-

es have been submerged by flash floods or left swamped for at least seven consecutive days, which has damaged their properties, are eligible for compensation.

“Only residents in disaster-hit areas, as declared by the BMA, can claim compensation from the Government,” she said.

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8

INTERNATIONALNEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

China supporters raise one third of Ai’s tax bill

Thousands of people have donated 5.29 million yuan ($830,000) to help Ai Weiwei pay a huge tax fine, with some throwing money wrapped in paper planes into his garden, the Chinese artist said Monday.

The drive to donate to Ai, who disappeared into secret police custody for 81 days this year and has since been ordered to pay a 15 million yuan tax bill, began Friday and has gathered momentum mainly from the internet.

“The postal bureau has just notified me that there are 776 cash remittances that we need to go and pick up,” Ai – also a vocal rights activist – told AFP Monday morning, adding more than four million yuan had already been donated.

By early afternoon, that sum had risen to 5.29 million yuan with 18,829 people contributing towards the bill, Liu Yanping – who works with Ai – told AFP. But the state-run Global Times newspaper suggested Monday in an editorial that experts could charge Ai with “illegal fundraising” for ac-

Outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, pictured here in June at his Beijing home, has received donations from Chinese supports to help him pay a huge tax fine. –Photo AFP cepting contributions for the crippling tax bill he has to pay by November 15.

The 54-year-old, who had a prominent exhibition at London’s Tate Modern earlier this year, has denied any wrongdoing and insists authorities are trying to silence his rights activism by accusing him of

tax evasion.

His mother has offered to sell the house left to the family by Ai’s father, the late Ai Qing, a well known poet praised by the Communist Party but who also suffered political persecution.

Supporters have been sending Ai money through internet

and bank transfers, while some have even resorted to throwing cash over the walls into his courtyard home, he said.

“Every morning we have to pick up the money thrown into the courtyard. Sometimes they are folding it into planes or boats,” he said.

Ai was detained in April

to a global outcry, at the same time as scores of activists were rounded up amid anonymous calls on the internet for street protests in China similar to those that toppled governments in the Arab world.

He had earlier incensed the government by organising independent investigations into the collapse of school houses in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and into a 2010 fire at a Shanghai high-rise that killed dozens.

He says police beat him when he tried to testify on behalf of another activist in 2009.

But Ai, whose art works have sold worldwide – some reportedly for hundreds of thousands of dollars – said that he does not need the financial support.

“What I need is the ethical support of everybody. I don’t need the money,” he said.

He has vowed to pay back the money to his donors.

Last month Ai was named the world’s most powerful art figure by influential British magazine Art Review. –AFP

Prostitutes, drugs found in prison Mexican police discovered 19 prostitutes, two sacks of marijuana and 100 roosters for cock fighting in a surprise inspection of a jail in the resort city of Acapulco, authorities said on Monday.

The discovery came as 500 federal officers prepared to transfer some 60 inmates to maximum security prisons overnight Sunday to Monday, said Arturo Martinez, spokesman for federal anti-drug operations in the western state of Guerrero.

Pol ice a l so fou nd six female prisoners in the men’s section of the jail, as well as shar p weapons, two peacocks, and luxury items such as plasma TVs, he said.

“We’re investigating the probable culprits,” said Martinez, spokesman for the federal operation which is working to stem a wave of violence blamed on organised crime in the region.

Guerrero state has the third highest rate of murders in Mexico. –AFP

Sarkozy complained to Obama of ‘liar’ Netanyahu, report says French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “liar” in talks with US President Barack Obama, who then complained of

www.thephuketnews.com

having to deal with him daily, a report said Tuesday.

The private conversation, held during the G20 summit in the French city of Cannes last week, was overheard by a

number of journalists after it was inadvertently transmitted over a system used for translation, media website Arret sur Images reported.

“I can’t stand him anymore, he’s a liar,” Sarkozy said in French during the talks.

“You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day,” Obama replied in comments that were translated into French.

A number of journalists contacted by AFP confirmed hearing the remarks.

White House spokesman Jay Carney dodged questions about the incident.

“I don’t have any comment on a reported conversation that apparently took place in a bilateral (meeting),” Carey said.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe insisted that France and Sarkozy had a balanced position on the Middle East conflict, but he did not mention the incident in Cannes.

France confirmed last week it would abstain from a Security Council vote on full Palestinian membership of the United Nations, calling instead for Palestine to be given non-member observer status.

–AFP

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

INTERNATIONALNEWS

9

Jackson family and fans hail doctor’s conviction

Fans rejoiced after Michael Jackson’s doctor Conrad Murray was found guilty over the King of Pop’s 2009 death, closing a trial that provided a troubling look at the star’s demise.

Crowds of supporters outside erupted as the verdict was announced on Monday, while minutes later judge Michael Pastor ordered the 58-yearold medic handcuffed and remanded in custody, pending sentencing later this month.

Jackson’s mother Katherine cried and was hugged by one of his brothers after the jury convicted Murray of involuntary manslaughter for giving him an overdose of the anaesthetic propofol on June 25, 2009.

Murray admitted to giving Jackson a small amount of propofol to help him sleep, but not the massive amount of the drug – which is normally only used as an inhospital anaesthetic – was found in his body.

“Justice was served,” his brother Jermaine said as he

Dr Conrad Murray remained expressionless as the jury returned with a guilty verdict in his involuntary manslaughter trial on Monday (November 7) in a Los Angeles courtroom. Murray was convicted in the death of Michael Jackson.

–Photo AFP and the rest of the family braved huge crowds to leave the building, while sister Rebbie added: “Nothing will bring him back, but I’m happy

[Murray] was found guilty.”

A grim-faced Mur ray gave no reaction when the verdict was announced and judge Pastor ordered him held

pending a sentencing hearing on November 29.

Murray faces up to four years in jail for his role in Jackson’s death, but there is

speculation he could end up serving his sentence with an electronic tag because of California’s chronic jail overcrowding.

He could also be banned from practicing medicine – California has already suspended his medical licence, while Nevada and Texas said they would consider similar action once the trial was over.

LA District Attorney Steve Cooley praised his deputy David Walgren, who was widely praised for his masterful prosecution of the case, against a defence which some observers thought ended the trial in tatters.

The trial had aired troubling new details about the pop star’s death, including a picture of his dead body on a hospital gurney, an audiorecording of an apparently heavily-drugged Jackson slurring his words weeks before his death, and testimony about the panicked moments after he stopped breathing.

In his closing arguments last week, Walgren said Murray caused the star’s death through negligence and greed, depriving Jackson’s children of their father and the world of a “genius. –AFP

IN BRIEF Tibet deaths due to ‘genocide’ The Dalai Lama has said the desperate conditions Tibetans face under Beijing’s rigid controls, in what amounted to “cultural genocide”, were behind a spate of self-immolations in southwestern China.

At least 11 Tibetans have set themselves ablaze this year in a heavily Tibetan part of Sichuan province.

Nicaragua’s Ortega wins re-election The incumbent Nicaraguan President and one-time Sandinista revolutionary, Daniel Ortega, was re-elected by a convincing margin, overcoming a constitutional limit on re-election and reports of voting irregularities.

Mr Ortega had 63 per cent support compared to 31 per cent for his nearest challenger, Fabio Gadea.

Aussie senate passes carbon tax The Gillard government declared victory for a “historic economic reform” on Tuesday after the Australian senate finally passed contentious carbon tax laws that have

created political havoc for four years and have been debated for more than a decade. The government won the historic vote in the upper house 36 to 32.

17 US workers exposed to lowlevel radiation At least 17 laboratory workers have been exposed to lowlevel radiation from plutonium while carrying out clean up work at a Idaho nuclear research site in the US. There was no evidence that radiation was released outside the facility, and there is no risk to the public or the environment, the laboratory said in a statement.

Rogue soldier shoots three Australians A rogue Afghan soldier who opened fire on Australian and Afghan troops with a grenade launcher and automatic rifle, wounding five including three diggers, is on the run after escaping shortly after the unprovoked attack.

Au st r a l ia’s D efe nc e Force chief General David Hurley announced an Aus-

tralian operation involving unmanned aerial vehicles had been launched to hunt down the soldier.

Fog strands 2000 Mount Everest trekkers About 2000 foreign hikers have been trapped in bad weather on the slopes of a mountain near Mount Everest in a remote corner of Nepal for more than four days last week, officials say.

A brief respite on Sunday allowed 18 hikers to be rescued before skies clouded over again.

Girl, 3, left alone after mother dies A three-year-old girl, alone for two days after her mother died unexpectedly in their New Zealand home, lived on cheese, leftover lasagna and milk and comforted herself with her teddy bear.

Authorities are awaiting the results of an autopsy, but at this stage do not believe the death of the mother of toddler Shylah Silbery was suspicious, Wellington police spokesman Victoria Davis said.

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10

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

OPINION

Greying of Phuket: “One can only assume [they] wanted an extra parking space” >11

Editor’s Viewpoint

NORACHAI’S WORLD

The island with no beer “But there’s-a nothing so lonesome, morbid or drear Than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer.”

If we are to believe the late Australian musician Slim Dusty, Phuket – an island with (almost) no beer – must be a pretty dreary place right now.

No doubt Patong, the epicentre of all beer-related activities, will be moaning a collective cry of despair.

Just what are we to do without our amber nectar?

However, looking around at the clear sunny skies and beautiful beaches, it’s difficult to complain about, well, anything at all really.

While millions are fighting to save their livelihoods and indeed their lives not far to our north, the inconvenience of a few nights of sobriety seems little cause for widespread angst.

And besides, instead of complaining, perhaps we could all simply relish the opportunity to revel in what brought most of us to Phuket in the first place – the sun, sand, scenery and Thai culture that surrounds us every day.

Yes, that does mean getting up off your bar stool and becoming active. Yes, that might

Where the streets have no beer.

Letters to the Editor Holiday goes up in smoke Phuket has always had lots to offer visitors – and so when in Hong Kong, flying Qantas to Australia and finding that airline was grounded in late October, we booked a week’s trip to Patong. Our first in many years.

At first we were delighted with the sea, sand, islands and friendly people, all kinds of people. But as the days wore on a sour note started to ring ever louder – it was the lack of consideration for others by some of those tourists who choose to smoke – it was never a local.

We had to experience smoking on the non-smoking floor of our hotel, smoking in queues waiting for buses, boats and ferries, smoking in boats on tours of lovely islands, smoking on the non-smoking floor of our hotel – and all by foreigners – westerners mostly.

We tried the Thai food in one of the beach front restaurants that advertises in your newspaper – first class food. But we ate there only once. While eating there we noticed a family with two children leave that restaurant early – something we wanted to do to escape the smoke.

It seems to us that Phuket and Patong could offer a better experience. And that would start with better signage and employers empowering their employees to discourage smoking near others.

James and Atchara Rodgers Hong Kong

Put the brakes on

[Re. How safe are Phuket’s buses?]

I think your question in last week’s ‘Hot Topic’, “How safe are Phuket’s buses?” has been answered by Director Teerayuth. His underling Chanchai Chardsiri goes on to relate what appears to be an advertorial for Rungkit Tour. Is he a shareholder of the company?

As always, his story asks more questions than it answers.

My feeling is that most of these “accidents” are caused by a loose nut on the steering wheel.

Many bus and truck drivers don’t have a clue about safe operation of heavy vehicles and until there are improvements in the training and licensing system and the enforcement thereof, these “accidents” will continue to happen.

Concerned

[Re. Tourist warned not to fall into booby trap] I think that everything possible should be done by the authorities to get abreast of this suspected problem and nip the scam in the bud.

Please let us not lose the Chinese and other Asian tourists. It’s possibly all we will have left, apart from the Aussie Bogans.

Another Sucker

Travel trouble

Out of time

[Re. Pata in row over London junket] The newly-minted CEO has no business representing an association he joined a week ago in an industry he is a stranger to. And the same huckster encouraged people to come to Bangkok for a holiday just last week.

The PR adviser has had

Letters should be limited to 250 words, and may be edited for clarity or length. Email editor@thephuketnews.com or fax your contribution to 076 612 553. Please be sure to include your name, address and contact phone number.

The winner of The Phuket News’ ‘Best Letter of the Week’ receives a gift voucher from Asia Books worth B500.

www.thephuketnews.com

This week in history to leave the city because of flooding, and there is no replacement in the outsourcing mess. The chairman, who is responsible for the associatin’s decay, is still swanning around dispensing advice on matters he knows nothing about.

It is one of the biggest cons in travel, akin to the zerodollar tours and on the same intellectual plain as Bangkok tuk-tuk scams.

Atticus

Tit for tat

even involve learning a thing or two. But, seemingly unbeknown to many of Phuket’s professional beer aficionados, there is much more to this island than Patong and a few bars down Chalong Circle.

Maybe try venturing into Phuket Town, or to Koh Sirae, or Cape Panwa, or any of the other dozens of wonderfully unexplored pockets of the island you call home but haven’t taken the time to see.

And besides, it turns out it’s probably a pretty good time to steer clear of Soi Bangla or any other establishments of questionable moral values – the Google Street car is in town, no doubt catching more than a couple of oblivious expats with their pants down (quite literally).

Okay, so in fairness, it’s really only Singha, Heineken and Tiger that are affected by the beer shortage.

But if the headline on the front page of this newspaper even remotely shocked you, it may be about time to rethink your priorities.

[Re. Review: In Time] It was such a terribly predictable movie. Timberlake’s all in? I’m sure he’s got the winning hand. Twenty minutes left, they’ll live. Someone made an off hand comment stating the implausibility of something happening? Something’s gonna happen.

Peyman Askari

■■ November 11, 1880: Australian outlaw and bank robber Ned Kelly was hanged at the Melbourne jail , aged 25.

■■ November 12, 1927: Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party, and Joseph Stalin became ruler of the Soviet Union.

■■ November 13, 1947: Russia completes development of the AK-47, one of the first proper assault rifles.

■■ November 14, 1922: The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) began domestic radio service.

■■ November 15, 1920: The League of Nations met for the first time in Geneva, Switzerland.

■■ November 16, 1938: LSD was first synthesised

by Swiss chemist Dr Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Switzerland.

■■ November 17, 1869: The Suez Canal opened in Egypt, linking the Mediterranean and the Red Seas.

HOTTOPIC 11

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

– Photo by www.helistock.com

THE GREYING OF PHUKET

By Dr Patrick Campbell

N

ear my villa is a new shop house development, almost completed. In front of the construction site, a venerable and magnificent tamarind tree.

Probably there for a hundred years, its fruit an ingredient in local curries, chutney and drinks, its leafy boughs a source of shade and shelter to countless birds and insects.

Now the tree has been hacked down. Why? Who knows.

It was not directly in anyone’s way, and one can only assume the developer wanted an extra parking space or two. Just one small example of what is happening all over Phuket, a mindless, greeddriven philistinism on the rampage, as though trees have infinitely less value than concrete altars to Mammon.

True, of course, when your values are entirely mercenary, and when virgin land only has value if it can be built upon and exploited for profit.

Sadly that commercial emphasis is everywhere in evidence in Phuket, where ground-eating condos, apartments, and shop-houses [now euphemistically called ‘home-offices’] are piling up, monuments to the remorseless graying of a green and pleasant island.

True, there has been a construction boom here for years, but when I first came here to live, there was an emphasis on up-scale resorts which, if they did frequently flout local by-laws about land encroachment, at least paid attention to the natural environment by landscaping

– Photo by www.helistock.com gardens, planting new trees and preserving, where possible, local natural features.

Furthermore, there was an emphasis on building privately-owned, low-rise, villas, set in grounds which the owners often transformed into lush tropical gardens, and where the existing mature trees were allowed to flourish.

In my part of Rawai, there was not a single high-rise apartment block when I arrived seven years ago.

How money talks. Now the whole of south Phuket is littered with high-density concrete blocks, three, four or five storeys high, built to maximise profit, and in ignorance of any principles related to the preservation of the natural environment, or to the creation of something aes-

thetically pleasant to look at.

And it’s not just what the eye can see, or not see, as the case may be. Many of these blocks are situated in prime locations, many near to the sea. Already Phuket’s beaches, once the envy of the world, are becoming too polluted to swim in. Patong’s sea water contains dangerous levels of bacteria and pollutants. Even the long stretches of golden sand in Karon and Kata are stained by effluent that sometimes pours unchecked into the ultramarine seas. Hardly surprising. If you build a two hundred unit condo or hotel, you impose an enormous strain on facilities for the disposal of waste water. And proper facilities are very expensive to install, both at the private and public levels. Recently

a German magazine ran an article with photographs showing raw sewage pouring into Phuket’s seas. When taxed, the authorities blamed an electrical fault.

On account of its topography, Phuket has mercifully circumvented the recent horrendous flooding which has engulfed huge areas of central Thailand – the worst in fifty years. Much of this inundation is a direct consequence of the deforestation of Thailand, and the degradation of its woodlands.

A whole new story. But Phuket has not escaped entirely unscathed. The siting of high-rise buildings on the verdant hillsides of the island has not only left huge ugly scars, many well above the permitted eighty meter limit,

but has resulted in landslides and localised flooding. The damage to infrastructure is already estimated at well over a hundred million baht... and much of this construction was illegal anyway.

Geology professor Amnart Tantitatamsipon, recently asked to offer his expert advice, commented in The Phuket News: ‘The landslide is a case-study in the impact of random excavation without law-enforcement to control earth grading and cutting’.

He added that ‘landslides will continue to occur’, and expressed concern in relation to many construction projects on slopes around the island that have never been inspected for compliance with environmental laws.

One long term solution he proposed was to plant trees with strong roots capable of holding the soil together.

A sensible idea. But even more important is the role of these roots in acting as a sponge by absorbing surplus moisture, and then recycling it back into the atmosphere.

In some regions of northern China, people who remove trees are obliged by law to replace them with at least two new saplings. Nothing aesthetic about the initiative.

Just a belated attempt to help prevent massive silt erosion and annual flooding by the Yellow River – ‘China’s Sorrow’ – much further south.

The only comparable project I can recall in Phuket involved planting mangroves, after the tsunami, unchecked by any natural barriers, had wreaked its havoc on the western coastline. All too

little and too late for an island that has systematically permitted the eradication of mature mangrove swamps in the name of ‘development’.

Paradoxically, Thais do revere certain trees, for example the banyan and the bohdi, both varieties of fig associated with the Buddhist religion. Or the ironwood, believed to be inhabited by a female spirit.

And locals would think twice about uprooting useful fruiting varieties such as mangoes or cashews. But once money enters the picture, there is, despite some lip-service being paid to ecological issues in schools, an evident lack of concern for trees, and for the multifarious benefits they bestow on the planet. Grey rather than green…. We are back to the sad tale of our tamarind tree.

Please take note. And remember what has happened elsewhere, for example in the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain. As long as greedy developers carry on unchecked – as they have done here with relative impunity for the last decade – Phuket’s image as a tropical paradise will vanish, never to return.

■■ Dr Patrick Campbell is a former English and Performing Arts Professor in UK and USA universities, and now is retired and lives in Rawai. He has also written five books. He welcomes correspondence on this article at drpaccampbell@gmail.com The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Phuket News.

www.thephuketnews.com

12

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

BUSINESS

the blame game Suvarnabhumi boss irritated by ‘misleading pictures >13

Special delivery An unusual cargo docked at Phuket Deep Sea Port on October 28 when the transport vessel Combi Dock 1 arrived with four superyachts and a catamaran on its deck.

The 162-metre transport left Genoa, Italy, three weeks earlier carrying the yachts, all more than 30 metres in length, and the 29-metre catamaran.

The voyage was organised

by Dockwise Yacht Transport ( DYT) of Fort Lauderdale in the US, which specialises in yacht deliveries.

DYT has its own fleet of transport vessels, mostly semisubmersible “float-on/float-off”

yacht carriers that eliminate the need for cranes and hoists, but in this case it contracted Combi Lift of Denmark to make the voyage.

“We have organised many successful lift-on/lift-off voyages but this is the first time DYT has overseen a full load of this magnitude,” said DYT Loading Master Jonathan Zier.

He explained that with pirate attacks off Somali, ship­ ping was a safer option for yacht owners who were concerned about passing through risky cruising zones on their own. As an added precautionary measure, Combi Dock 1

Thai credit ratings ‘steady’ – Moody’s Moody’s Investors Service says the ongoing f looding in the country will not have any impact on the ratings of Thai corporations, or of the Thai government.

Moody’s Associate Managing Director Philipp Lotter revealed on Saturday that the nine corporations it rates in Thailand have all been hit by the floods to varying degrees.

However, he gave assurances that the crisis will not affect their ratings.

The nine corporations include six energy and utilities companies, one beverage company, and two telecommunications companies.

Lotter was speaking about

the release of a Moody’s report evaluating the impact of the floods on Thai businesses.

It estimates the damage from the disaster will exceed B200 billion, or the equivalent of 2 per cent of GDP. He pointed out that the government’s rating is unlikely to be affected as it is supported by a robust economic recovery over the past three years,.

According to the report, the flooding is unlikely to directly affect the ratings of companies in the energy sector as their power plants, refineries and petrochemical plants are located in areas that so far have been free from flooding.

– TAN

A tug nudges the Combi Dock 1 and its expensive cargo towards the quay at the Deep Sea Port. –Photo Helicam joined a convoy to pass through the Gulf of Aden.

“By using the lift-on/liftoff procedure we have been able to use other third-party cargo vessels and can ship our customers’ yachts to the Far East for one-off voyages,” said Zier. “It’s a way for us to

be more flexible and service more of the world’s ports.”

Zier added that lifting yachts on and off a transport is a nerve-racking operation.

“It’s a very involved and delicate process, and in order to make sure everything runs smoothly you need to have

people who specialise in handling these types of yachts.”

With Southeast Asia growing rapidly as a market for European yacht builders and as a cruising destination for yacht owners, DYT says it will be offering several yacht transport voyages a year between

Thailand’s inflation rate in October rose to 113.07, a 4.19-per cent increase year-on-year due to Thailand’s flood problem, Yanyong Puangrach, permanent secretary for commerce said Tuesday. Prices of eggs and vegetables rose 20.13 per cent and 12.7 per cent respectively, as poultry and vegetable farms have been damaged by flood.

The food and drink price index increased 9.86 per cent.

Meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables, ingredients and instant food rose 17.48 per cent.

Inflation from January to

October stood at 3.79 per cent on average, said the permanent secretary.

Prices of other commodities increased 0.75 per cent.

Construction materials, garments and shoes also rose.

The Commerce Ministry assessed that the flood problem will have an impact on inflation by 0.38 per cent in the last quarter, and inflation rate this year is likely to rise by 0.1 per cent to 3.8 per cent from an earlier projection of 3.2-3.7 per cent.

Flooding and post-flood rehabilitation remain risk factors as well as global economic problems and income losses, incurred from flood damage.

Regarding the shortage of

some commodities, the commerce ministry has cooperated with the private sector to produce more and import some items.

More than one million bottles of drinking water have been carried from the provinces to the capital daily, while two leading retailers have imported more than 5.4 million bottles so far.

The private sector and retailers imported 3.2 million eggs and 600,000 eggs respectively. More than 300,000 packs of instant noodles have been imported and over 3.6 million cans of fish have been ordered and will be imported into the country in mid November. –MCOT

Floods push up inflation rate

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Europe and the Far East. On Friday a party was held at Yacht Haven marina to welcome the yachts and crews, hosted by founding members of the Asia Pacific Suoeryacht Association, Northrop & Johnson and Helm magazine. Around 100 people from the industry attended.

New Naka GM Erich Friedl.

New manager for Naka resort Starwood Hotels and Resorts recently announced the appointment of seasoned hotelier Erich Friedl as general manager of the newest Luxury Collection property in Asia, the all-villa Naka Island, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa. Mr Friedl brings more than 20 years of hospitality experience to his new position, with several of them spent in Asia, most recently as hotel manager of the Westin Kuala Lumpur, and director of food and beverage at the Westin Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok.

Prior positions include posting at an international hotel in Australia, where he led his culinary team to win the “most outstanding threecourse Australian-themed menu” in the Salon Culinaire in Cairns; executive chef at the former Sheraton Sydney Airport; and executive chef in charge of food and beverage at Four Points by Sheraton Darling Harbour.

BUSINESS/TOURISM 13

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Fingers pointing in all directions over floods The tourism industry is strongly criticising the Government’s poor communication to the public regarding the current flood situation, TAN agency reports, claiming that it has affected foreign tourists’ confidence and forced many countries to warn their citizens against travelling to Thailand.

Consequently, the number of tourists entering Thailand in the month of October was down almost 50 per cent from the previous month.

Permanent Secretary of the Tourism and Sports Industries, Suwat Sithilor, reported that the number of tourists entering Thailand on October 31 was around 22,000, a 43.35 per cent drop from October 1, when there were more than 40,000.

The permanent secretary said that many countries have issued warnings to their citizens against traveling to Thailand.

“The Government will now have to inform them of the actual situation in order to regain their confidence,” Mr Suwat said.

“The foreign tourists must be told that they can still travel to many prime destinations such as Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Phuket and Cha-am, with Ayutthaya Province being the only exception.

Mr Suwat added that he believes Thailand could still accept up to three million tourists during the last two months of the year.

This would bring the total number of the tourists for the year to 19 million, slightly lower than the earlier projection of 19.5 million.

The President of the ThaiJapan Tourism Association (TJTA), Anek Sricheewachart. has indicated that the Government’s poor communication about the disaster has severely affected foreigners’ confidence.

Naughty, naughty: Press cameramen were slammed by the boss of Suvarnabhumi Airport for taking pictures of aircraft landing over a reservoir, without mentioning that it’s a reservoir, not flooding.

–Photo AFP The association asserted that some announcements from the Government claiming that all parts of the capital will be under water for up to three months have put off people who were planning to travel to the country.

The TJTA is asking the Government to avoid making any more “potentially damaging statements”.

Mr Anek said that while the private sector is trying to attract tourists, the government is failing to address tourists’ concerns.

Due to this lack of coordination, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has been been given the job of coordinating with the private sector to come up with ways the government should present information concerning the flood situation.

Other developments relating to floods and tourism: Martin Craigs, recently appointed CEO of travel organisation Pata (Pacific Asia Travel Assocation), has recorded a video message for the TAT, aimed at tourists, urging them not to “punish”

Thai people by canceling plans to come to Bangkok for a holiday.

In it, Mr Craigs says, “I sympathise with the people who have been affected by this and lives have been lost.

But if you, as a tourist, decide not to come to Bangkok, you are punishing the people in Thailand more.

“If you’ve been thinking of coming but were put off by media repor ts, thin k again. The worst would appear to be over and that is a consensus view.”

The respected TTR magazine reported on Monday that the TAT’s latest situation update advises tourists to look at alternative destinations in Thailand and check with multiple sources of information before visiting the capital Bangkok.

“The update was released shortly before the government confirmed 50 per cent of the capital was flooded.” TTR reported. “What the TAT is not telling travellers is that staff, who work in inner city hotels and restaurants, cannot reach offices and work places from

their suburban residences.

“Despite the efforts to support city hotels sales, TAT has to acknowledge now that floods are still advancing and were on Monday morning just five to six km north of tourist districts and showing no signs of letting up.

“The TAT says that three tourist attractions were forced to close due to the f lood: Central Plaza Lad Phrao; Chatuchak Weekend Market and Safari World.

“The weekend market remained open for trade, but very few residents or tourists bothered to travel to Mor Chit and brave the threat of flooding in the immediate area.”

It said t he TAT wa s recommending that travellers visit Pattaya, Koh Chang in Trat, Hua Hin and Kanchanaburi, despite that fact that roads to the west are subject to some flooding.

“It also suggested travellers head for South of Thailand – Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani, Samui Island, Haad Yai and Phang-Nga,” the magazine reported.

The Bangkok Post reported

on Monday that airlines and the management of Suvarnabhumi Airport were frustrated at “misleading” media coverage of the floods.

Somchai Sawasdeepon, senior executive vice-president of Airports of Thailand Plc fumed at the work of journalists who were taken to inspect the flood prevention facilities at Suvarnabhumi on Friday.

Many photographers, he said, chose positions that resulted in images of aircraft approaching and taking off above the reservoir next to the airport. Those pictures were widely circulated over the weekend, the Post reported.

Absolute wins major OPP award The Absolute World Group has won Developer of the Year Worldwide at the recent OPP Awards for Excellence 2011.

A r e c or d nu mb e r of entries from 50 leading companies were received for the coveted award, which was judged by industry leaders from around the world.

“Absolute World Group’s entry, and the focus and forward thinking that the company is bringing to its new mixed use resorts, is excellent, and, coupled with the 60 per cent growth that Absolute has created over the past two years, is evidence of its strong internal systems, creative thinking and excellent management structure,” said the judges.

Bryan Lunt, chairman of the Group, said, “We are proud to receive such a high honour from the Overseas Property Professional in recognition of the hard work carried out by our Group. 2011 has been a good year for the Absolute World Group bringing to market two new unique resort developments in Thailand, and we strive to continue delivering vacation experiences and ownership opportunities … in 2012 and beyond.”

The Group was recently ranked third best real estate developer in Thailand by Euromoney. Founded in 1998, it employs 1,300 staff across China, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, Russia and Thailand.

The Overseas Property Professional (OPP) is a dedicated trade magazine based in the UK.

SET roadshows delayed Thailand’s flood crisis has prompted the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) to postpone overseas roadshows to the year-end, President of the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Charamporn Jotikasthira said on Friday.

The exchange is awaiting clarification from the government on its post-flood rehabilitation plans, Thai economic conditions, and future flood prevention measures, before the

bourse will attempt to explain the country’s investment scene to foreign investors.

This is so that they wiunderstand the situation and regain confidence in Thailand, he said.

I m p a c t f r o m f lo o d ing caused the Thai bourse to delay its plan to attract leading foreign investors, including from Australia, China and Italy, to invest in the Thai stock market. www.thephuketnews.com

14 BUSINESS/PROPERTY

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Hot water heaters and Rising how to survive them Electricity and you

by David Robertson

This is the first in a series of articles about electrical safety in your home.

The reader may be surprised to know that there are electricity regulations in Thailand: the Engineering Institute of Thailand Standards for Electrical Installations 2551.

The regs are not easy to get hold of; I ordered our copy from the Chulalongkorn University Bookshop and I have yet to find another electrician on the island who has a copy.

Contrary to popular opinion, water is not a particularly good conductor of electricity.

In fact, totally pure water is a pretty good insulator. However, the wet human body is an excellent conductor.

Dry skin is a good insulator, but, when wet, the skin’s resistance becomes very low.

This is why there are special regulations for bathrooms that do not apply, for example, in kitchens. (I don’t know about you, but I tend not to be naked and dripping wet when I’m in the kitchen.)

Properly equipped water heaters have a cut-out that detects electricity leakage and turns off the power. The cut-out can be checked by pressing the test button.

Water heaters can present a serious hazard. Over time, the insulation of wires inside deteriorates. Eventually, if a fault develops, we need to ensure that the electricity supply is disconnected quickly.

In Thailand, further protection is required by the EIT code which, in this instance, is more rigorous than European regulations. The code requires that heaters must have a special circuit breaker called an RCD (residual current device, also known as an ELCB or RCBO) which provides protection even if there is no ground connection.

In layman’s terms, electricity flows down the live wire, returns through the neutral wire and reverses direction 50 times a second. The current in the live and neutral wires should be exactly the same. An RCD checks this is the case.

If the currents are not the same, then some current has been lost, possibly through you. In this case the RCD disconnects the supply very quickly indeed and saves your life.

When buying a heater, make sure it has one of these devices – some imported heaters don’t. Water heaters or shower units have built-in RCDs. These can usually be tested by pressing a button and resetting.

In conclusion, ensure your water heater has integrated or external RCD/ELCB protection and test its operation regularly. In addition, the heater should be connected to ground.

David Robertson is Managing Director & Chief Engineer of Phuket-based Electrical Safety Consultants Co Ltd. For more information visit elec-safety.com. To ask David any questions, email: info@elec-safety.com.

demand in Bangkok for temp offices

Almost 30 major office buildings in the Vibhavadi-Rangsit and Phaholyothin areas of Bangkok have been hit by floods, but the whole impact of the flooding on the Bangkok office market has yet to unfold, property agency Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) has warned.

Suphin Mechuchep, JLL’s Managing Director, said “Most office buildings in the city are located in downtown areas which have remained dry.

“But a typical office lease term of three years does not tenants the flexibility to move out before the lease expires. As the floods continue to spread, it may be too early to tell how the Bangkok office market will be affected by the flooding.

“We have seen companies becoming less keen to make leasing decisions; they are waiting to see if or how their business operations will be impacted by the floods.

“We expect this to be only temporary and leasing activity should recover once the floods

recede,” said Mrs Suphin.

One immediate effect, JLL noted, is that the flooding in the northern corridor of Bangkok has generated demand for temporary substitute offices in the inner areas of the city which are at less risk of flooding.

Yupa Sathienpabayut, Director of Office Agency at JLL, reported, “We have received an increasing number of enquiries from companies for temporary offices in the inner locations of Bangkok.

These companies are those whose offices are in areas that are affected by floods or that are at risk of floods.

“These enquiries require fully or partly fitted office units between 50 and 300 sqm, that are available for immediate occupation for one to two months.

“There are a number of office buildings that can cater to these temporary requirements as they have office units that became vacant after some

tenants moved out. Basic office facilities including chairs, tables, phone lines and internet are provided,” she added.

“While rentals vary greatly, some building owners are charging more generous rents as part of flood relief efforts. But generally, short term rents are 20 per cent higher than rental rates offered on a long lease term.”

“We have also seen some big corporations looking for temporary offices in locations outside Bangkok such as Pattaya, Sriracha and Laemchabang,” Ms Yupa noted.

Mrs Suphin predicted that the f looding in the major industrial estates north of Bangkok may have some impact on the Bangkok office market at a later stage. “Many companies that operate in industrial estates affected by the floods have corporate offices in Bangkok. More firms may opt to set up a separate office in Bangkok to diversify operational risks,” she explained.

Security with a view There is a fine line between ensuring your home is secure and turning it into a prison.

Phuket company Pailin Smiley manages to walk that line, guaranteeing top class protection from intruders without affecting the aesthetics of the home.

Pailin Smiley are the sole Phuket agents for Majestec, an Australian company that manufactures premium security doors and windows.

The security screens, made from high tensile stainless steel, are designed to complement the design of

www.thephuketnews.com

ADVERTORIAL a modern home, appearing more like screen doors than security shutters.

Andy Payne, Managing Director of Pailin Smiley, said: “It is the best deterrent available on Phuket. It’s designed to deter the would-be opportunists and get them to b***er off somewhere else.”

And the product is already receiving a lot of positive feedback. One ‘relieved and secure customer’ reported that an intruder had attempted to gain entry through his

Majestec doors. “It appeared that a thief had tried to force the frame near the lock with a metal spike. He failed.

“I realised early on that the screens were expensive, but I would like to say that this product, combined with the exemplary service provided by Pailin Smiley... is extremely good value for money.”

■■ For more information, visit the Pailin Smiley showroom at Homepro Chalong (near Banana IT); call 08 7470 9149 (English) or 08 6942 2672 (Thai and English); or email: andy@pailinsmiley.com.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

www.thephuketnews.com

16

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

CULTURE

Top of the world: BIS student comes first in iGCSEs > 20

It’s on the level

The Tao of Zen

It’s blazing hot as I stand under the noonday sun on quaint Phang Nga Road. I’m in the middle of Phuket Old Town, not far from the clock tower, and there is no shade to be found anywhere.

Thank goodness, then, that I happened upon the cool and open Wua Studio of painter Mr Zen. With his hair tied back in a ponytail, an affliction of many local male visual artists, Mr Zen says that he prefers to be called by that nickname, so much so he has practically forgotten his real name.

He speaks easily and eloquently about the work that fills this studio – which means ‘cow’ in Thai – and another that he also owns some 100 metres up the road in the same row of SinoColonial shophouses.

“I didn’t finish art school, because art teaching institutions here are too limiting. They tell you a lot about what you can’t do artistically, so much so that many graduates fail to become viable practising artists, becoming too tied up with theory, and afraid to put their art into the marketplace,” says Zen. “It’s like these schools regard themselves as the sole keepers of magical vials of art potion, which you have to drink in order to become enlightened artists.”

Zen has always painted, except for a necessary short www.thephuketnews.com

This week’s Random View was taken by The Phuket News reader Ou Runyi, a locallybased amateur photographer.

His photo was taken on Koh Naka Yai, a small island off the north-east coast of Phuket.

The pier pictured belongs to newly opened hotel, The Naka Island, Phuket, with the shot taken from the perspective of a guest looking out towards the hills of the mainland.

The low angle puts us closer to the board-walk than normal, creating the perception of a longer length of pier, and stretching the focal point off into the far distance.

According to Ou, “Using different angles and taking shots from unusual positions helps make your photo more interesting than it might oth-

Random view

erwise be. However, when this image was taken, the sun was so bright I had no way of telling if my idea had actually been a success! Your readers can be the judge of that.”

Each month the best image wins a B500 gift voucher courtesy of Photo Hut (see www. photohutgroup.com).

At the end of 2011, The Phuket News and Photo Hut’s ‘Photo of the Year’, chosen from all the entrants, receives a grand voucher for B5,000.

Photos must have a Phuket theme, and be at least 1MB and 300dpi in size. Email to: editor@thephuketnews.com

Phuket Galleries Art Space Gallery

Near Saiyuan village, on Route 4033 going over the hill to Kata Beach, 081 289 6415.

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Ceramics of Phuket

71/3 Vichitsongkram Rd, Kathu; 185/6-7 Srisoonthorn Rd, Cherng Talay, 076 326 870, ceramicsofphuket.com.

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Chatriya Gallery

2/18 Limelight Ave, Dibuk Rd, Phuket Town, 076 225 284, chariyagallery@gmail.com.

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Designed by Woulfe

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

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I Mon Art Gallery

29/2 Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town, montien_29@live.com. Open daily 8am-7.30pm.

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King Art Studio

21 & 50 Soi Bangla, Patong, 086 682 9130, info@kingsartstudio.com; kingartstudio.com.

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Little Monk Gallery

95/33 Sai Yuan Rd, Naiharn, 086 294 3971.

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Phuket Modern Art Phuket artist Mr Zen in one of his studios on Phang Nga Road in Phuket Old Town.

5/28 Haad Patong Rd, Patong, 089 646 8838, info@phuketmodernart; comphuketmodernart.com.

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Red Gallery

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

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Sarasil Art Galllery

121 Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town, 076 224 532, somkiatkaewnok@yahoo.com; oilpaintingsphuket.com. Open daily 8pm-9pm.

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Siam Gallery

73/66 Kamala-Patong Rd, Kamala, 089 586 4133, siamgallery.phuket@hotmail.co.th.

--------------------------------------------------------------stint working in the advertising industry in order to keep his studio going. He paints what he sees around him – faces, bodies, animals, musical instruments, his coffee cup.

Usually working minimally in acrylic paint with free-drawn lines on empty background, he can finish a

large canvas in an hour. These canvases are then sold directly from the two shops, priced between B10,000-B15,000 for a canvas about a metre wide.

He sells at least one a day to foreign buyers who come to browse in the shops and take the work with them back home.

Zen says it has been a good

experience for him to learn to balance pure art with art that people want. Meanwhile, more work accumulates upstairs for local exhibitions the busy artist has lined up.

For the prolific Zen, there is no magical potion required.

–Norachai Thavisin See gallery listings.

Soul of Asia

5/50, 2/F, The Plaza Surin, Surin, info@soulofasia.com; soulofasia.com.

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The Miracles of Ganesha Gallery and Studio 110/34 Cherg Talay, Bang Tao Beach, 081 490 4359, usahanun@live.com; veerachanusahanun.com

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Wua Gallery and Studio

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

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PEOPLE 17

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Empowering island women Sharon Biddell

Founder and Director of SHE (Self Help and Empowerment) What were you doing 10 years ago?

Myself, my husband Mark and our four children were volunteers working for Mercy Ships, a hospital ship that serves the poorest of the poor in West Africa. As a family we would live in an African community and host volunteer teams from overseas to build orphanages, schools, and medical clinics.

Mark was head of the community development department, and I was the women’s programmes manager. I would put together programmes that would enable families to have a sustainable food and income resource so that they would not need to be dependent upon others for their survival and health. We worked with Mercy Ships for nearly seven years before coming to Thailand.

Why did you move here?

We have lived in Phuket for six years now. We originally came to help with building up communities after the tsunami hit Thailand, and

then during our stay we visited Patong. We started asking the young women in the bars questions about what their work involved and we were shocked by their answers.

Repeatedly we were told how they travelled from the poorer communities of northern Thailand so they cou ld prov ide for t hei r families. They could not get decent jobs as they were pulled out of school at a young age to help their parents work on the farms and so had very little education.

In the end, via one way or another, they eventually ended up selling their bodies to Thai and foreign men. This was a sacrifice they were willing to make for their family’s welfare.

Is that when you founded the SHE foundation.

After hearing their stories, my husband and I then decided to offer women alternative employment making jewellery which we would then sell

Exposed overseas to pay their salaries.

We named our foundation SHE, which stands for Self Help and Empower ment and has now grown into giving free bakery lessons, English classes and hotel training. This is all part of our prevention programme.

If an uneducated Thai woman travels to Phuket looking for work in the hotels, only to be told she needs a higher education or work experience, then instead of them being turned away and seeking work in bars, we tell hotels to send them to us. The women then receive free accommodation, food and hotel training and when ready, they are sent back to the hotel.

What is the best tip you have for people considering moving to Phuket?

Don’t expect anything to happen in a hurry, whether it’s setting up your home with things like internet and cable, or for your new environment to feel like home.

Sharon in Benin, West Africa, with three of her four children: Jake, Sophie and Josh.

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you while living on the island?

Language learning. I spent my first week of language learning being sniggered at by staff at coffee shops as (unknown to me) I was asking for coffee with breast milk. I only found out when a Thai lady replied whilst squeezing her breast, “one squirt or two”?

What is the best thing about living here?

Thai people and Thai food.

What do you do to relax?

Oil painting, I find it’s the only way to switch off from my busy family and work life.

it be and why?

Myself as I am perfectly content with the hand that God has dealt me.

Favourite food?

UK-style fish and chips – because I can’t get it here I am yearning for it.

Favourite place in Phuket?

The SHE centre in Kathu as it has my family there.

What kind of music are you into?

I like Paul Baloche, an American Christian song writer.

If you could come back as any other person who would

Favourite night out?

Date night with my husband at a nice restaurant.

Where you take someone on a first date?

Friendship Beach is a nice place to go on a date.

STREET PEOPLE

Cooking on the beach in northern Khao Lak Kwan wears a constant big sm ile a nd a wh ite cook’s head scarf, while her sister Pu serves the food that the cook has just fried up for their many customers this evening.

The sun has just set blazingly off Khuk Khuck (meaning busy in Thai) beach, in north Khao Lak in Phang Nga Province, and the residents of the many resorts along this long white beach are hungry.

Kwan greets regular customers who take their usual seats on the sand in her little restaurant, not far from the washing waves.

Kwan and Pu are natives of this stretch of the beach, here long before the resorts, such as the nearby JW Marriott Khao Lak and Spa, were built.

For some six years now, the sisters and their families, who are also helping out tonight, have been benefiting from the arrival of tourism

Pu (left) and her sister Kwan, in their restaurant. at their front door.

The big woks in their open bamboo-and-thatch kitchen turn out chilli squid and pepper prawns in a flash and foreign diners pay good prices that are still cheaper than those charged in the

nearby resort restaurants.

In the long afternoons in the sea breeze, Kwan earns more money massaging tourists coming off the beach to be pampered a bit.

Life looks good for all.

–Norachai Thavisin www.thephuketnews.com

18 HEALTH

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Taking the weight off ADVERTORIAL

Between the beer, the fried foods, and the lazy days on the beach, nutrition and exercise probably factor low on the priority list of most Phuketians.

For Michael Edwards, who runs Thailand Weight Loss Phuket, it’s a concerning trend.

He says he looks around and sees overweight people consuming meals with extremely low nutritional value, who are “k illi ng themselves slowly”.

In an effort to curb this, Thailand Weight Loss Phuket offers a number of weight loss and weight management programmes, specifically focused on nutrition.

The introductory course is a seven-day nutritional weight loss detox programme. It involves cutting all solid foods out of your diet, replacing them with five pre-prepared shakes each day.

The shakes are made from fresh organic fruit and vegetables every morning on site at Thailand Weight Loss, and are “full of minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, protein and omega six and nine oils. It’s everything the body requires on a daily basis that we don’t get from our highly processed foods today,” according to Mr Edwards.

It also includes regular one and a half hour personal training sessions.

But Mr Edwards says while the training is important, proper nutrition is integral to winning the weight loss battle.

From left: Michael Edwards with Sukhy, Kyo, Pia, and The Phuket News’ lighter General Manager Jason Beavan.

“The reason most people are fat is that they are constantly grazing for food, and it’s the wrong type of food. You think your body is telling you you’re hungry, but it’s actually screaming out for nutrition.

“Even without training; just the juices and with the correct nutrition, you will still lose three kilos [during the one week course].”

The exercise obviously

helps though, and part of the beauty of the programme is that by being in a small group, it also takes out some of the intimidation factor of approaching a gym. “[The course] is a social thing as well, so we can change the way the mind thinks about food and exercise.”

Mr Edwards guarantees people will lose at least three kilos over the week, but says it is often higher.

But, he concedes, “The biggest question is how to keep the weight off ”. To help d o t h at , T h a i l a nd Weight Loss also offer a 30day nutritional weight management programme.

But even after the one week course, he says people are unlikely to revert back to their old habits, simply because they will realise how horrible it makes them feel.

To put his claims to the

Krachai herbs

www.thephuketnews.com

For more information, visit thailandweightloss.com; call Michael on 08 7897 8997; or email him at info@ thailandweightloss.com.

World class yoga programme comes to Thanyapura

HEALTHY Krachai, or Fingerroot (Boe senberg ia p undurata), also known as Ginger Key, can readily be bought at fresh-vegetable markets, displayed alongside ginger, turmeric or galangal roots, which it resembles.

The root is commonly used in Thai cooking, especially in fish and vegetable curries, and as a component in curry paste.

It has a very strong medicinal taste, according to some.

Krachai is a rhizome in the ginger family, native to southern China and Southeast Asia, and is an attractive garden plant with beautiful light purple and white flowers, almost like an orchid.

test, The Phuket News kept tabs on six people who recently went through the course, including our own General Manager, Jason Beavan.

Together, they lost a combined 38kg.

After the week long programme was over, Mr Beavan was, as he says, “the biggest loser”, shedding a whopping 6.6kg in total.

“Everything they said was going to happen happened,”

he said. “I started getting headaches as I was detoxing, but they told me that would happen. By the second half of the week, I had a lot more energy.

“I didn’t crave food, but missed the sensation of eating.

But I was really surprised that I wasn’t hungry at all.”

He said after going back to solid foods again, he realised how much junk he was putting into his body before, and says he is now keen to keep the weight off.

“I just lost 6.6kg in a week.

I don’t want to put it back on.”

Mr Edwards says the equation is simple: “They’ve got one now [a routine] that doesn’t work. We give them one that does work.

“We have a set routine, and if people follow it, it’s impossible not to lose weight.”

But there are a lot of different weight loss programmes on the market these days, each making bold claims.

So what sets Thailand Weight Loss apart? “Very simply, nutrition,” Mr Edwards says. “The others don’t supply it and probably don’t understand it, but it’s so vital.

“After-care as well. It’s not just about getting the money and then out. It’s about making people understand what they’re doing and why they’re getting the results. It’s about making it true value for money.”

In traditional medicine it is used for expelling gas and relieving colic, plus also for treating diarrhoea and dysentery.

In Thailand it is used especially as a tonic to help older patients.

Essential oil from the root is used in western alternative

medicine to treat nausea, car and sea sickness. With strong anti-fungal effects, it is also used for sinus and lung issues, and joint pain.

The Thanyapura Mind Centre will hold its inaugural weekend yoga retreat between November 18 and 20.

The Foundations of Ashtanga Yoga workshop will be run by Kimberly Roberts, a seasoned teacher with extensive knowledge and exper ience of the Ashtanga system.

According to Thanyapura: “The retreat will explore the foundational practices of Ashtanga yoga, leading students at their own pace to revitalise and prepare the body to experience its deeper essence in meditation.” No prior experience is necessary and all levels

of students are welcome.

Residential rates, which include all yoga, three meals, fitness and pool access in the adjacent Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club (TSLC), plus one-hour complimentary massage, start at B11,600 for single occupancy and B20,200 for double occupancy.

A non-residential option is also available at B3,300 per person per day.

For more information and reservations, contact Khun Napapen on 076 336 000 ext 3354, or email napapen.k@thanyapura. co.th. see thanyapura.com

ENVIRONMENT 19

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Plants with wet feet GREEN thumb

Fishers’ favourites Blue swimmer crabs (Portunus pelagicus), also known as flower crabs, unwillingly contribute a lot to the wellbeing of most fishermen, fishsellers, seafood restaurants and diners in Phuket.

They can be seen at the Rawai fish market, for example, being kept alive for sale in large bins bubbling with aerated water, their nippy claws already tied together with handy rubber bands.

Their fate? Being grilled on the barbecue or steamed for the dining table, turning their beautiful blue-green patterned shells into bright pink and red, with their delicious white flesh a soughtafter gourmet delicacy.

The poor crabs are also caught when they discard one set of shells so that the

MEET

the natives skin around their larger bodies can harden into new protective shells.

They become deep-fried soft-shelled crabs on the menu, and eaten whole.

The prolific crabs are distributed across Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, where they are commercially a very important seafood.

Estuaries and mangrove areas are important breeding grounds where female blue crabs lay the vast number of eggs that each carry.

The young crabs grow in the shallows then move into their sea habitat proper and try to avoid fishermen there.

The country is flooded and people’s lives have been affected. But some home gardens will survive, if the right selection of flood-tolerant plants has been made by astute gardeners.

The capital Bangkok sits in a swamp at sea level, a geographic position that has always presented a challenge for flood protection.

But the rapid and unplanned spread of the metropolis, blocking canals and natural drainage into the Chao Phraya River, has made that challenge much more difficult.

From your small patch of green garden in the large city, you as a gardener can at least grow the right plants that can stand having wet roots for awhile.

More city gardeners now prefer exotic plants to imitate western gardens. But these plants, grown mostly for aesthetic value and little else, usually do not survive prolonged flooding.

A more sustainable option is to grow plants that can adapt and endure being swamped without their roots drowning, such as these flood-tolerant

A man sits on a raft in front of a flooded house in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok.

Behind him are examples of flood-tolerant plants such as banana, weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) and tan wattle (Acacia auriculaeformis).

–Photo by VOA

The hardy Queen’s Flower (Lagerstroemia Pandan is a flood-tolerant shrub that has a sweet smell and can be used in cooking. speciosa) provides bright-pink flowers. plants native to Thailand: Trees: Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina), tembusu (Fagraea fragrans), crateva (Crateva magna) and Queen’s Flower (Lagerstroemia speciosa).

Shrubs: Heliconia, canna, pandan (Pandanus pacificus and Pandanus sanderi).

Ground cover: Aglaonema

(Aglaonema commutatum), Asiatic pennywort (Centella asistica).

Creeper: Window leaf (Monstera oblique expilata).

Some of the plants on the list produce fragrant flowers, creating liveable gardens filled with colour.

Flood-tolerant plants can

also shelter and protect some of the garden’s soil from being washed away.

After the current floods recede, it might pay to consider replanting more suitable gardens for future floods that no doubt will come, especially for homes in the central lowlands.

–Paritta Wangkiat

EXCLUSIVE BEACHSIDE CHARITY EVENT

HELP US SAVE THE MARINE LIFE SATUR DAY 19TH NOVEMBER 2011 ALEENTA RESORT & SPA PHUKET-PHANG NGA

Guest Chef Laurent Révéillac specialises in molecular cuisine and will showcase some of his renowned creations using liquid nitrogen in the name of charity to raise funds for the Pure Blue Foundation (www.purebluefoundation.com) that is committed to the regeneration and sustainability of marine environments.

Live cooking stations will be set up on Aleenta Phuket-Phang Nga's beach where guests will savour some of Chef Révéillac’s specialties.

The evening will commence with the release of leatherback turtles back into the sea, followed by an exclusive cocktail dinner, which will be accompanied by entertainment and music spun by DJ Jamie O'Rourke.

Lucky Draw

with several Hotel Stay Vouchers to win.

Starting at 19:00, the charity evening costs THB2,900 net per person and includes the dining experience and free flow of drinks.

To reserve email: help@purebluefoundation.com or call 07 6580 333

Silent Auction

with 2 superb prizes to win.

Radio

by

www.thephuketnews.com

20 EDUCATION

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

BIS student on top of the world

Isabelle Becker’s father had some advice for his daughter: nobody remembers the person who finishes second.

She obviously took it to heart, as it was announced recently that the Year 12 student at British International School Phuket (BIS) had been named ‘Top of the World’ for iGSCE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) Art and Design.

The budding young artist, who turned 17 this week, comes from a multicultural background – she is half German, half Filipino, grew up in Hong Kong and has now lived in Phuket for a little over two years.

She says she’s not sure if that’s influenced her work, but looking at some of her detailed portraits, it certainly couldn’t have hurt. And despite her selfconfessed interest in business, she says she has always had a talent and a passion for art.

“W hen someone says something, I paint a picture in my head. I picture things.

It’s how it’s always been.”

But she says she never expected to be named ‘top in

From left: ‘Top of the World’ Isabelle Becker, BIS Headmaster Neill Richards, and Popthum ‘Kidd’ Lawtongkum. the world’, and the news came as quite a shock. “They took me out of class. I thought I was in trouble.”

The award itself was not based on one work, but rather a whole body of coursework as well as the product of a grueling eight hour practical examination.

Isabelle said it was the support of the BIS teaching staff that made her result possible.

“My art teacher really pushed me and I always wanted to impress her because of the time she invested in me.

I already knew before going into the exam that I wouldn’t finish it, but the planning

beforehand and the confidence instilled in me by my teacher was priceless.”

That teacher is Claire Lester, who has taught at BIS for 10 years. And she’s obviously doing something right – it’s the second time in two years one of her students has taken out the Top of the World prize.

“This is a very big deal, not only for Isabelle, but for the whole school,” she said.

So is Isabelle considering a career as an artist? “I’m not sure yet. This award has made me think about because I really want to do it. My main goal is just obviously to be successful.”

Isabelle was not the only

The inspiration for Isabelle’s winning work was an unknown woman from a Bangkok market, and her own gardener in Phuket (who is actually yet to see the painting).

BIS student to perform well in the iGSCE though. Popthum ‘Kidd’ Lawtongkum received one of 38 Cambridge International Examinations ‘Top in Thailand’ awards for iGSCE Environmental Management.

That despite it not even being his favourite subject (for the record, it’s Biology).

So what was the secret to Kidd’s success? “I tended to answer in a positive way, as

in we still have hope.”

He makes it sound so easy, but then Kidd is obviously a pretty bright kid – he ranked in the top percentile in four of his subjects.

He also offered some words of wisdom for Phuket.

“In terms of Phuket, I think the biggest problem is pollution.

“We’re already facing resource shortages. [The world’s

population] reaching seven billion people [last week] was a big step. We will have to be more efficient with our resources.”

But a f ut ure in environmental management for Kidd at this stage seems unlikely, given that his grandparents are doctors, and his father is a doctor.

After graduation, he plans to study medicine in the UK.

Coming out of Africa Visiting South African she has become a master Montessori educator Barpractitioner and life coach. bara O’Hagan says her “In the next two weeks specialty is communication.

I am presenting a workshop at the school espeShe loves to run workshops for students, teachers and cially for students studying Montessori. In this parents, teaching them how workshop I will present to communicate with each other more effectively. the materials to students, Ms O’Hagan’s backcombining NLP skills with ground is in pre- and the magic of the Montespr imar y education, sori methods, which have specialising in Montesbeen around for over 100 sori. She successfully years,” Ms O’Hagan says. ran a Montessori school The workshop was i n Jo h a n n e s b u r g i n conducted at the Rawai South Africa, called the school in October.

Maria Montessori House, She has blended NLP f o r s o m e 10 y e a r s , and Montessori into a teaching some 200 chil- Barbara O’Hagan at the Rawai staff development prodren aged 2-12. gramme for teachers on Progressive International School.

Our discussion group, how to com mu nicate which also includes two par- century ago is alive and well more effectively with chilent volunteers, teacher and and thriving in Phuket. dren, each other, parents and The classrooms of this also in their daily life.

Managing Director of the Rawai Progressive Interna- pleasant school, located She also runs workshops tional School Suvimol Stit- right by the shore of the for women on self-developsuksanoh, sit in a cool open brilliant Chalong Bay, are ment. Indeed, these days Ms meeting room at the Rawai well-equipped for some 28 O’Hagan says she is increascampus, discussing the benefits students, who are guided to ingly using hypnotherapy. of this method of education. learn at their own pace and to Looking into her large friendly The wise and kindly face independently find solutions hypnotic eyes, it is easy to of founder Maria Montessori to their learning tasks, right see that she is likely to be an looks at us from the cover of from kindergarten years. effective practitioner.

In addition to her stanan information booklet. The –Norachai Thavisin sepia image is faded with age, dard Montessori training, Ms ■■ For more information but the innovative system O’Hagan has branched into on her hypnotherapy prothat the educator pioneered the field of neuro-linguistic grammes, contact Barbara in faraway Italy more than a programming (NLP), in which at bjohagan@yahoo.com

www.thephuketnews.com

21

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

LIFE&STYLE street fashion

Khwanchanok Moosika

City of kings: Inside

the Malaysian city of Putrajaya > 24

ACCESSORISE 1

2

Architect.

Her dress (B80) and leggings (B200) were bought at Krabi market, the shoes (B450) are from The Mall Bangkapi, the bag (B650) is from Ladkrabang market in Bangkok.

Her glasses (B3,800) are from Samkong Tesco Lotus.

Lilac 1. Bag B1,000 2. Silk scarf B2,300 3. Sparkly bag B1,300 4. Leather sandals B1,200

3

Prakaidao Duangrak Assistant Sales Manager.

Her matching top and shorts (B1,500) are from EPS in Central Festival, as is her Emporio Armani watch (B1,500). The butterfly belt (B250) and shoes (B250), meanwhile, were bought from a no-name shop in Nai Harn.

4 19 Yaowarat Road, Phuket Town, 076 226 187. Open Mon-Sat 10am-7pm.

www.thephuketnews.com

22 DINING

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Moulding the molecular T

he Pure Blue Foundation is hosting its prestigious “Help Save Marine Life” dinner event on Saturday November 19, with a star turn from the king of molecular-cooking, Frenchborn Chef Laurent Révéillac.

Chef Laurent promises to wow the assembled guests with his nitrogen-based cooking at live kitchen stations.

When did you k now you wanted to cook?

I have always loved cooking but I began to cook seriously from the age of 14, which means I now have more than 30 years experience in creating international dishes.

I ventured into molecular gastronomy about 10 years ago and have never looked back.

Explain to us how using molecular gastronomy in cooking works?

The basics of molecular gastronomy is understanding the food chemical process, which ingredients and flavours allow for the best tastes and textures; it’s a science in itself.

Tell us about your company Spacecooking?

Spacecooking is an inter-

to discover new taste sensations. It’s a true journey of discovery and, along the way, you will find a more fun and playful way to create meals.

Food should be as much about pleasure as sustenance.

Te l l u s a b o u t yo u r involvement in other charity events around the world.

Participating in charity events is close to my heart and I currently work with the worldrenowned Cirque du Soleil for the ONE DROP foundation, which helps people in developing countries have access to clean, safe water, as well as some others charities such as Canada’s Jeunesse au Soleil (Sun Youth Organisation).

The Aleenta Phuket-Phang Nga Resort and Spa. national company specialising in cryogenic gastronomy made with liquid nitrogen.

We host VIP events where we showcase the culinary and artistic interaction of the food chemical process. Excitingly, we now have a research and development department that is looking into tomorrow’s cooking trends.

What dishes will you be cooking for guests on November 19, and how will the meals be prepared in line with your signature molecular cooking style?

Guests at the Pure Blue Foundation event will be treated to foie gras prepared with liquid nitrogen, fluorescent shooters, a flying drink and many more interesting concoctions! In

addition, we will offer some live cooking stations where bouchées – gourmet mouthfuls of food – will be prepared in front of guests, so they can see exactly for themselves how molecular cuisine works.

How easy is it to try molecular cooking at home and do you have any tips for readers who want to try it?

It’s definitely easy to try molecular cooking at home, we sell a starting kit on our website that will tell you all about how to create amazing food.

Have you visited Phuket before? If so, what do you like about it, and if not, what are you looking forward to about visiting?

This is my first time in Phuket although I visited Bangkok

Help Save Marine Life French Chef Laurent Révéillac, the 'molecular king'.

Where: Aleenta Phuket-

in 2008 to participate in an event creating the world’s most expensive meal, which raised money for an elephant preservation village.

While I will also be running training workshops on molecular gastronomy during my stay in Phuket, I’m hoping to have enough time to visit the fantastic local food markets,

Phang Nga Resort and Spa When: Saturday November 19 Price: Tickets for the evening cost B2,900 net per person and include dinner and free flowing drinks Email: help@purebluefoundation.com for tickets Tel: 076 580 333

the historical sights and, of course, the beautiful beaches.

What are the benefits of molecular cooking?

The health benefits are clear – with this kind of cooking you can create much lighter dishes, using less fat than in traditional cooking. From a pleasure point of view, molecular cooking allows you

Miele Awards gala dinner On November 2, a special Miele Awards event was held in Singapore attended by 540 people from 18 Asian nations, representing some of the 500 restaurants listed in the 2011 Miele Guide.

The lavish event was held at the new Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore, where a champagne cocktail reception was followed by a four course dinner prepared by some of the winning chefs.

During the evening it was announced that more than 2000 restaurants had been voted for inclusion

www.thephuketnews.com

in the Guide. However, the publisher has suggested that 500 would be the maximum number they want to list to keep the quality of the publication high.

To be part of this Guide, restaurant guests, other restaurant owners, chefs and media independently vote for the restaurants. Restaurants listed have received more votes than others.

There is no paid advertising or paid promotion, which makes the Miele Guide more credible than some.

The highlight of the eve-

ning were the awards for the top 20 chefs. Unfortunately, no chef from Thailand joined this prestigious group, but the top three were, in first place Chef Ignatius Chan from Iggy’s in Singapore followed

by Chef Andre Chiang from Restaurant Andre in Singapore and thirdly Chef Michel del Burgo of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon from Hong Kong.

Although Thailand has 45 restaurants listed, only four are based in Phuket: Baan Rim Pa, Joe’s Downstairs, Da Maurizio Bar Ristorante and Acqua.

DINING 23

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

How to make raw chocolate brownies

The newly-opened Ryu Sushi Bar and Steak House at the Best Western Allamanda Laguna Phuket.

Simple bare complexities Simple complexity – that is the best way to describe the cooking style of French guest chef Antoine Fouchard, who will be at the Best Western Allamanda Laguna Phuket until November 18, to celebrate the opening of the hotel’s Ryu Sushi Bar and Steak House.

Based in Courchevel in southeastern France, Chef Antoine has more than 15 years cooking experience in the West and Asia, including the UK, Canada, Hong Kong and Thailand.

Cauliflower soup cooked with truffle oil, seafood and balanced with the sour taste of green apple pieces

Last year, he was the head chef for the Cannes International Film Festival, a position he has also filled for the Toronto Film Festival.

Chef Antoine believes si mple i s b e s t whe n it comes to cooking. His cooking style focusses on creating a good taste and high quality food, rather than mixing up different styles.

“If we make sure our food is good, people will not forget us,” he said.

However, being a chef in Phuket is a different story to being a chef in the west.

During the four times he has been i n Phu ket, Chef Antoine has worked to create a new form of classical French food on the island, adjusting the amount of fat and cream used to suit the tropical climate.

He also uses fresh local vegetables and seafood to create his French dishes, which end up looking simple but are in fact complex taste

extravaganzas. For example, the cauliflower soup he makes from fresh local ingredients and truffle oil, seafood and balanced with the sour taste of green apple pieces. Or a special seafood dish that mixes crab meat with herbs, asparagus, avocado and a special spicy sauce.

It could possibly take an entire day to explain the detailed ingredients of his food, because Chef Antoine’s menu is changed every two days to keep his menu snappy and his guests from getting bored.

The newly-opened Ryu Sushi Bar and Steak House is built in a modern-tropical style with an outdoor terrace under the trees. It is open daily from 11am to 10pm.

Chef Antoine Fouchard will be at Allamanda Laguna Phuket until November 18.

Ingredients: • 1 cup organic cocoa powder • 1 cup raw honey • ¾ to1/2 cup virgin cold press coconut oil • 1 cup sprouted wheat berries • 1 cup ground flax seed • 1 handful of raisins • 1 handful of nuts Recipe: 1. Mix the cocoa, honey and coconut oil in bowl or blender (my staff have burned out two blenders making chocolate – now they mix by hand in a large bowl).

2. Grind the flax and sprouted wheat berries in a dry grinder (every blender has

this attachment).

3. Pour the ground f lax and wheat berries into bowl containing cocoa, honey and coconut oil.

Mix thoroughly.

4. When mixed completely, throw in and mix a handful of cashew nuts and a handful of raisins.

5. P o u r m i x t u r e i n t o square cake pan, put in refrigerator to harden.

It’ll be ready to eat in about two hours – deelish!

■■ Dr Richard Pa t rick Cracknell ND, PhD runs the Living Food Cafe, Nai Harn Beach, Rawai, 076 388 638; livingfoodcafe.com

■■ Best Western Allamanda Laguna Phuket, 29 Moo 4 , Sr i s oon t horn Roa d , Cherng Talay, Thalang.

076 362 700. reservations@ a l l a ma nd a phuk e t .c om . allamandaphuket.c

www.thephuketnews.com

24 TRAVEL

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

CITY OF

KINGS V

isit Malaysia’s federal administrative centre, Putrajaya, on a Sunday, and you are reminded of Shelley’s poem Ozymandias: “My name is Oz y mandias, k ing of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

The irony in the poem is that this is the inscription on a plinth for a giant, broken statue in a city that has long si nce d isappea red under the sands.

Unlike most cities that grew from villages to towns and then kept on going, Putrajaya is on the list of instant government centres that includes Brazilia, Canberra and, most

recently, Naypyidaw, which is currently under construction in Myanmar.

Practical reasons are always cited for these places, that the old capital suffers from gridlock, floods, earthquakes, lack of room to expand and so on – but almost always the driving force is a politician with grandiose ideas and a desire to leave large physical reminders of his time in power.

Enter Malaysia’s former PM Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, the force behind the building of the Sepang F1 course, the Petronas Towers (still the tallest twin towers in the world), and Putrajaya, 25km outside the capital, Kuala

From left to right: Malaysian flags flying; the beautiful pink Masjid Putra; ornate gateway to the Palace of Justice.

Lumpur. While KL serves as the capital city, Putrajaya is the administrative capital.

Putrajaya is big. It covers 45 square km and officially came into being 10 years ago when the land was ceded by the State of Selangor to the federal government.

As part of the deal, the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, was built a palace in Putrajaya.

The city was carefully planned, with the local river being dammed to create artificial lakes. The largest of these, Putrajaya Lake, was the 2004 venue of a race in the F1 Powerboat Championships.

Around the edges of the city are homes for Malaysia’s thousands of civil servants who work in the area, ranging from modest blocks of apar t ments to rather grand mansions.

Closer in are giant hotels, banks and the offices of Malaysia’s major corporations.

But even these seem insignificant when one takes a ride down Persiaran Perdana, the city’s main throughfare.

The road itself is vast: it’s 100 metres wide (as wide as a football pitch is long) and four kilometres long, as straight as

an arrow, with the UFO-shaped International Convention Centre at one end and the huge Islamic-Palladian-Neoclassical Perdana Putra, the PM’s office complex at the other.

It’s worth taking it slow along the boulevard. Stop to admire the Masjid Putra, the large but beautiful pink mosque; feel the weight of Malaysian justice outside the Palace of Justice with its five onion-shaped domes; but above all, admire the nine bridges in Putrajaya.

The brief to the designers was to go out on a limb and come up with original designs. Hence, they range from the massive three-deck Putra Bridge, with one deck apiece for monorail, cars and pedestrians, to the delicate cable-stayed Seri Wasawan

Bridge, resembling a yacht with spinnaker flying.

Putrajaya not only projects the power of the Malaysian government and Dr Mahathir, but also Islam. There are no churches, Indian or Chinese temples in this federal capital of a multicultural and multiracial nation. Nevertheless, it is rather serene, and very grand.

Go at the weekend when the government offices are all closed, and it resembles a vast lost city, the only people in evidence being rubberneckers like yourself – hopefully not a portent of some distant future.

Getting there: A taxi from central KL costs about RM50 (about B500). Alternatively, the KLIA light rail goes through Putrajaya on its way to KL International Airport.

Thai Airways suspends Athens service Thai Airways International will suspend its three weekly service to Athens from mid-November due to poor performance.

After flying to Athens for 35 years since 1976, the airline will withdraw the service 17 November. The airline is offering alternatives such as code-share with alliance partners, but it ends the nonstop option from Athens.

Greece’s economy, in recession since 2009, has seen a drop in consumer spending on travel.

In 2010, the Thai Imm ig r at ion Bu r e au r e corded 18,483 G reek s travelling to Thailand, dow n 3 per cent f rom 2009. However, the statistics of the Immigration Bureau on Thai outbound tourists has not individual data for travel to Greece alone. –TTG Weekly www.thephuketnews.com

TRAVEL 25

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Loy Krathong fest cancelled by TAT Three major venues that were selected for special Loy Krathong festival celebrations have been cancelled.

National celebrations of one of Thailand’s oldest festivals will continue particularly at the traditional venue of Sukhothai some 400 km north of the capital, where it is believed the festival originated.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand announced on Nvember 3 cancellation of celebrations in Bangkok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Suphan Buri provinces.

Loy Krathong festival 2011 will take place from November 8 to 12 nationwide.

However, there are still five main destinations that will host national event. They are: • Yee Peng Festival Chiang Mai province from November 8 to 11 in Chang Klan Road, Chiang Mai Night Bazaar and Muang district; • Sukhothai Loy Krathong & Candle Festival 2011 Sukhothai province from November 8 to 10 in Muang district; • L oy K r a t ho ng Sa i Festival and Krathong Sai

TRAVEL NEWS

Brussels muscles in As from October 29, Belgian airline Jetairfly is flying direct from Br ussels to Phuket and Bangkok. The flights will be weekly, every Saturday. See www.jetairfly. com for more information.

HotelTravel launch new mobile site

Lanterns are released into the night sky above Chiang Mai. for the Kings Cup Contest 2011 in Tak province from November 9 to 12; • Loy Krathong festival Mae Klong in Samut Songkram province on November 10 at King Rama 2 Royal

Garden, Amphawa district; • Lantern Festival, The Colourful of Southern Cities in Songkla province from November 1 to February 28 at Park of Hat Yai, Hat Yai district.

– Photo by Takeaway

For more details visit the website at: loikrathong.net/ en/Activities_Thailand.php.

Visitors can also contact the TAT Call Centre via 1672.

–TTG Weekly

HotelTravel.com is launching a mobile website, m.HotelTravel. com, allowing customers to make hotel bookings on the go using mobile devices.

The company’s Chief Technology Officer, Graham Johnson, said m.HotelTravel. com enhances the best features of the company’s website both in terms of design and functionality while offering on-the-move flexibility.

“Launching a mobile optimised version of HotelTravel. com is part of the company’s goal of providing hotel booking services to more people on a wider variety of platforms. Our new mobile site offers a clean, simple option

for searching, locating and booking hotels on all mobile platforms,” Mr Johnson said.

HotelTravel.com’s full site has grown so rapidly the last few years, adding massive amounts of original and user generated travel content, that it became a challenge to navigate on small-screen hand-held devices, he added.

Customers accessing m.HotelTravel.com can use location-based services to view maps that highlights HotelTravel.com’s ‘Real Close’ function and helps them find hotels nearby. They can make a reservation for same-day check-in by arriving at a given destination and then deciding where to stay.

According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), worldwide Internet users surpassed the two billion mark in 2010, but high speed Internet remains out of reach for many people in low-income countries.

However mobile phone use is spreading rapidly with mobile networks now available to over 90 per cent of the world’s population, with the largest growth of new Internet users being from developing countries with 143 countries now offering 3G services.

www.thephuketnews.com

www.thephuketnews.com

ONCAMERA 27

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Some of Phuket’s best jazz musicians strike up a tune.

IN THE NAME OF THE KING It was a joyous afternoon at the In Memory of our King 1959 press conference, held at the Royal Phuket Marina on November 4. The press conference was to announce the jazz event held on November 9 to celebrate the 84th birthday of HM King Bhumibol.

The 84th year is important

Above: The band is ready to play.

Left: Enjoying the day. Photos courtesy of Phuketbestevent.com.

in Thai culture as it marks the seventh round of a person’s life circle. The event also commemorated the first time the King played jazz music in Phuket, some 52 years ago.

The event featured musicians Mr Saxman, Khun Fang Khao, the Takeshi Band and Ajarn Tanit Sriklindee.

It’s party time for these guests at the anniversary.

ALL PHUKET'S BEST EVENTS ARE HERE

Having a great night celebrating the grand occasion.

FIREWORKS AT CENTARA GRAND

T he C e nt a r a G r a nd Phuket Resort & Spa celebrated its first anniversary on November 3 with a posh party for supporting businesses.

Party-goers were entertained with dancers, a luscious buffet and a draw

with attractive prizes. GM Denis Thouvard thanked the guests and reminded them about Centara’s most recent coup – taking on management of West Sands – before counting down to the finale: fireworks, of course.

Denis Thouvard, GM, thanks guests for their support.

CHEF DANIEL ISBERG OPEN AT ADVENTURE GOLF Chef Daniel Isberg and his team catered to guests of Phuket Adventure Golf Club in Bang Tao last Saturday (November 5). Guests were invited to join in a mini golf game, and enjoy extravagant food, at the fun evening out.

Right: Chef Daniel Isberg with Thomas and Pia Holns, owners of Phuket Adventure Golf Club. Left: From left, Peter Hencz, Daniel Isberg and Jorge Rubino Roberts. www.thephuketnews.com

28 WEIRDWORLD

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

The search for the king of corduroy

T

he most important date in the history of New York’s Corduroy Appreciation Club is here, and the club is still searching for its “messiah”.

The band of fabric fans were seeking a child who turns 11 today – or 11/11/11 – the date the club says most closely resembles the ribs of its favorite ridged textile.

“That child is the messiah of corduroy,” Miles Rohan, founder of the club, told the New York Daily News.

“We liken it to finding the Dalai Lama.”

The New York-based club said this week it had already been contacted by twins from Wisconsin who will turn 11 on

November 11, but were looking for a locally based child to attend their “grandest meeting” in Manhattan on that date.

The child was to be inst alled on a th rone and generally treated like textile royalty after being carried into the meeting.

Members who attend the meeting were also required to wear three items of clothing made of corduroy, instead of the regular two.

The club celebrates twice yearly, on January 1 – or 1/1 – and November 11, and has about 250 members.

Mr Rohan said he first created the club as a joke and a way of poking fun at secret societies, but his brother – a

Mr Peepee goes on a mission of self love You have to admire a man with ambition. Although, with a name like Mr Peepee, that ambition was probably never going to translate into something G-rated.

Instead, Mr Peepee is going on a one man masturbating mission – to ‘relieve himself’ in every Starbucks restaurant in New York. That’s 298 in total.

Perhaps more disturbingly, he then photographs the ‘results’ and posts a rating online.

In a podcast that’s since been removed, he explained that bathrooms lose points if they are unclean or if a person knocks on the door and interrupts him.

Think about it next time you go for a coffee.

M r Pee pee ha s been tweeting his progress since he started in December last year: “Today’s Starbucks visit is rated as a 4 Boner. Spacious, clean, excellent coffee, strong wifi, no interruptions & 1 hot chick,” read one recent post.

Club members must wear at least three corduroy items.

Massachusetts professor – has given lectures about the “relationship between corduroy and art history”. “[He] is keen on historical figures who have worn corduroy. It’s the fabric of intellectuals, poets, and Woody Allen.”

According to its website, the CAC “wishes to cultivate good fellowship by the advancement of corduroy awareness, as well as, understanding, celebration, and commemoration of the fabric and all related items”.

Husband feeds wife steroids to ‘fatten her up’ For most men, the idea of you r wife becoming fat and hairy is not exactly a desirable outcome.

However, Dalwara Singh, 41, is not most men.

Instead, he secretly fed his wife dangerous steroids so she would get fat and stay at home to cook for him.

Singh ground up highstrength anabolic steroid tablets before slipping them into meals and wine for his wife Jaspreet Singh Gill, a British court heard.

T he p owe r f u l d r u g s caused the 37-year-old mother-of-two to break out in spots, and she began to grow hair on her face and back.

Singh was caught when the couple’s teenage daughter heard him using a mortar and pestle and his wife found the drugs in a locked cupboard.

He admitted administering a poison or noxious substance with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy. But he escaped prison and was instead given a suspended jail sentence.

Nonagenarian refused booze – for having no ID Irish Pubs • Restaurant • Guest Houses

Draft Beer Great Food Cool Rooms Good Music Live Sport

www.thephuketnews.com

It might have been flattering, if the guy wasn’t actually being serious.

A bottle shop attendant in the UK refused to sell alcohol to a woman of 92 – because she could not prove she was over 18. Actually.

Great-grandmother Diane Taylor wanted to buy a bottle of whiskey for her son, but was surprised when she was asked for photo ID. She said: “It seemed so stupid I thought the cashier was complimenting me.

“But then I realised that she was being serious so I pulled out my bus pass, my blood donor’s card but it was no good.

“She said she wanted proof of age. I was so taken aback I didn’t know what to do.”

She added: “No one can convince me I look under 25

Dianne Taylor turned 18 before the outbreak of WWII. – I’d only take 78 at a push.”

Ms Taylor, of Harlow, Essex, eventually bought her booze from another shop.

She added: “I am 101 per cent with them for checking young people but carrying it to that length is just ridiculous.”

THE BIG LIST Eccentric Eateries Buns and Guns – Beirut, Lebanon: Everything here is military themed – from the camouflage décor and weaponadorned names of dishes to the helicopter sounds that play constantly in the background.

It apparently reflects the under siege mood of the city during Lebanon’s 2006 war with Israel – because that’s the kind of thing people want to remember.

You can order yourself an M16 Carbine meat sandwich, a Mortar burger, or, our particular favourite, a Terrorist meal (which, ironically, is vegetarian).

Nyotaimori – Tokyo, Japan: ‘Nyotaimori’ in Japanese literally means ‘female body plate’ – you can pretty much guess where this is going, right?

Guess again. Picture an edible body, with dough ‘skin’ and sauce ‘blood’ wheeled into the room on a hospital gurney and placed upon a table. The hostess then cuts into the body with a scalpel and hungry patrons dig in, operating on the body to reveal the edible ‘organs’ inside. Bon appetit.

Cabbages and Condoms – Bangkok, Thailand: The only restaurant in the world dedicated to birth control, Cabbages and Condoms offers not mints on your way out the door, but condoms and a ‘Wheel of Fortune’ with various STDs. Their slogan, emblazoned on T-shirts in the gift shop, is “Our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy”.

Modern Toilet – Taipei, Taiwan: At Modern Toilet, yup, you guessed it, hungry customers take a seat on a toilet (Western style, not Asian squat, for the record) and enjoy faeces-shaped chocolate soft serve in miniature toilet bowls (among other more conventional dishes). Toilet rolls are hung over the tables for use as napkins, and drinks come served in miniature urinals. We hesitate to think what the actual toilet is like in this place.

Maid Cafes – Tokyo, Japan: Japan (surprise) scores another mention on this list with any of the many maid-themed cafes in the Tokyo area. Giggling women in cartoonish maid costumes call patrons ‘master’ and pat them on the heads like babies. Unsurprisingly, it’s not about the food here – which is usually overpriced and less than appetising (think spaghetti topped with ketchup). It’s about the service, which often includes playing games like Barrel of Monkeys (for a fee, of course) and, uh, complimentary ear cleaning.

Pitch Black Restaurant – Beijing, China: It’s often said that if you take away one or more of your senses, the remaining ones become stronger.

That’s the idea behind Pitch Black, a Beijing restaurant where patrons eat in complete darkness. Illuminating devices like cell phones and watches are strictly forbidden, and it’s so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face – you’ll just have to assume the meals are amazingly presented.

Don’t think you can get away with any funny business, either – the waiters all wear night-vision goggles.

New Lucky Restaurant – Ahmadabad, India: The name of this place is more than a little deceptive. There’s probably nothing lucky at all about being surrounded by coffins while you eat. It’s probably even less lucky when those coffins are occupied. The New Lucky Restaurant began as a tea stall outside a centuries-old Muslim cemetery, and grew to encompass it over the years. Business is brisk, and the owners say that the graves bring good luck.

Eternity Restaurant – Truskavets, Ukraine: When a group of undertakers set out to open a restaurant, you know things are going to get a little weird. Eternity Restaurant in Ukraine is a windowless building shaped like a giant coffin, for that real homely feel. Inside you’ll find funeral wreaths, black shrouded walls and human-sized coffins. Menu items include dishes with names like “Let’s meet in paradise”. Ummm, let’s not?

DOWNTIME 29

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011 BOOK

Thailand Travel Atlas

MUSIC

Ceremonials

Tuttle Publishing, 96 pages Whether you are an intrepid traveller, or just geographically-challenged, never again will you get lost with Tuttle’s new Thailand Travel Atlas.

The 96 pages of maps are organised into nine chapters: Bangkok, Central Thailand, Southeastern Thailand, Northern Thailand, Northeastern Thailand, Upper Gulf Coasts, Lower Gulf and Andaman Coasts and Far South.

It’s been compiled with the tourist in mind, taking in everywhere you would ever want to go in Thailand, and highlighting relevant amenities like banks, supermarkets, hotels, post offices, and so on.

All streets and landmarks are clearly labelled in English, though not in Thai, which might make it difficult to stop and ask for directions in more back-country areas. For most people though that shouldn’t be a problem, and there are few Thailand maps on the market as all-encompassing.

Florence + the Machine Island It’s almost impossible to imagine Florence Welch’s new album catapulting her any higher than her 2009 album Lungs already did.

Yet the British singer’s follow-up, Ceremonials, manages to be even more aggressively effusive, which will please fans who respond to Welch’s hyper-romantic aesthetic, and further annoy those who dismiss her as a wailing Kate Bush wannabe.

The songs on Ceremonials are anthems, not indulgences, meant to induce communal exaltation rather than show off Welch’s vocals, which are as showy as ever, but in a manner that compliments the even-showier instrumentation rather than fighting it.

The opening track ‘Only If For A Night’ is lushly and intelligently pieced together, and new single ‘Shake It Out’ is brilliant; a truly glorious see-saw of dynamics. In short, this is a good Florence fix.

FILM Killer Elite

116 minutes Rating: 18+ Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert DeNiro – it’s a formidable acting lineup that should translate into breakneck, head-cracking, fast-paced action.

But if you’re expecting the standard Statham fare, you may be un/pleasantly surprised by what can only be described as a gentle change of formula.

Unfortunately, the formula is missing a few ingredients.

Killer Elite is branded as being ‘based on a true story’. That is probably a little misleading – it is very loosely based on the Ranulph Fiennes book The Feather Men, which in itself was rather controversial in its claim of being non-fiction (it was later released as fiction).

Danny Bryce (Statham) is a mercenary, and the protege of veteran soldier-of-fortune Hunter (De Niro). After retiring, Bryce is pulled back

into the game when Hunter is kidnapped by an Arabian sheik. His demand: that Bryce hunt down and kill the three former SAS soldiers that killed the Sheik’s sons.

Accepting the assignment, Bryce ends up in the cross hairs of Spike (Clive Owen), a former SAS officer who’s now the point man for a secret organisation called ‘The Feather Men’, dedicated to protecting former SAS officers from violent retaliation. We can all pretty much picture how it pans out.

But the film’s pacing is actually surprisingly slow and very deliberate, which is

refreshing when mixed with the regular injections of explosive and we l l - c h o r e o graphed action.

At almost two hours though, it is probably a little too slow to win over the hardcore action fan, and the story feels like it drags about 40 minutes or so longer than it should considering how little substance there is to it.

The film itself feels dark and gritty. It is set in the 1980s, and does a fair job of recreating the environment of the time, without overstating it. The plot though strays into some very murky moral territory, and one of the main problems with Killer Elite is the fact that there is no discernible person to root for.

Both Statham and Owen’s characters are working against each other, and instead of having a hero to follow the entire story through, it’s easy

to identify with both sides being in the right.

Boasting three such enormous names in the action genre, it is also disappointing how little time DeNiro, Statham and Owen actually spend together on screen. Their three character arcs develop largely independently of each other, and we get only glimpses of what could have been.

The surprising scenestealer though is Dominic Purcell as one of Statham’s cronies; an Aussie hard-man sporting a glorious handlebar moustache (there is some fine moustachery in this film) and has a major axe to grind with the Special Air Service.

In the end, this is a film that, with a little more care, could have pleased both lovers and haters of the standard Jason Statham violence-fest.

In the end, it does little to win over either side, though remains a passable, if forgettable, action flick.

–Dane Halpin

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

SFX COLISEUM PHUKET (CENTRAL FESTIVAL)

SFC JUNGCEYLON PHUKET (PATONG)

1911 (T) [15+]: 12:40, 14:50, 17:00, 19:10, 21:20 30 Gum Lang Jaew (T) [15+]: 11:45, 14:15, 16:45, 19:15, 21:45 30+ Sode on Sale (T/E.SUB) [G]: 11:15, 15:40, 20:05, 22:30 In Time (E) [13+]: 12:00, 14:20, 16:40, 19:00, 21:25 Killer Elite (E) [18+]: 11:15, 13:45, 16:15, 18:45, 21:15 Spy Kids 4 (E) [G]: 13:40, 18:05 Top Secret Wai Roon Pun Laan (T/E.SUB) [15+]: 12:00, 14:35, 17:10,

19:45, 22:20

30 Gum Lang Jaew (T) [15+]: 11:30, 14:00, 16:30, 19:00, 21:30 Dream House (E) [15+]: 15:40, 18:40, 22:15 In Time (E) [13+]: 11:15, 13:30, 15:45, 18:00, 20:15, 22:30 Killer Elite (E) [18+]: 12:30, 15:00, 17:30, 20:00, 22:25 Spy Kids 4 (E) [G]: 11:40, 13:40, 16:40, 20:15 Top Secret Wai Roon Pun Laan (T/E.SUB) [15+]: 11:15, 14:00, 17:40, 20:40

STRETCH YOUR BRAIN Across 1. Greed for love god with it? Yes. (8) 5. Pica manager may make relief. (6) 10. Pelt unpleasant tongue covering. (3) 11. Ban trouser opening in boozer! (6) 12. Missile shelter in disturbed soil. (4) 14. With pot, rip our mess. (6) 15. Two chaps – or one arriving from space. (7) 17. Pierce writer, and French score. (9)

Solutions to last week’s puzzles

20. Very steep cut. (5) 21. Attend to wants of cat and queen. (5) 23. Informed by experiment, I clap Emir terribly. (9) 25. Carry plum cases.

(7) 27. Made restitution for agent’s help. (6) 30. Swarm meet back.

(4) 31. Public Relations is onto it, immediately. (6) 32. Air we heard before. (3) 34. Leave dry area. (6) 35. In transport, yearn for appendage. (8) 7. Opening on the other hand, if coolant…

(7) 1. Slap part of 8. …mixed with cold sphygmomanometer. nurses and rogues. (10) (4) 9. Styptic bit of metal.

2. Steal nothing in (4) roof part. (7) 3. Forbid place to get 13. Rubber time direction to queen. (6) de booze. (5) 4. Xylophage in North 16. Cardinal embezzled and took a gamble. (10) America? Kill! (9) 18. Tooth deposit for a 6. May stand, or run couple of sailors. (6) for seat. (1,1) Down

19. Seep around, and ran to language. (9) 22. Cat ringlet takes normal gravity. (7) 24. Bit of ceramic takes him to monster. (7) 26. Almost hears with them. (4) 28. Point to right in stink. (5) 29. We all, almost, have wellbeing. (4) 33. Hesitant queen? (2) www.thephuketnews.com

30 ENTERTAINMENT

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Wild thing Jason Wilder was “born in a crossfire hurricane of love, comedy, dance and rock ‘n’ roll”.

Essentially, he was born for radio.

Jason’s father was a musician and professional comedian, while his mother was a professional dancer. Entertaining, as he says, “is in the blood”.

With that in mind, it’s fair to say he doesn’t take life too seriously. He has used his overly active imagination “to get through the more serious bits”, and found himself in the wonderful realm of radio, where he can now be heard “twistin’ his melon” on Live 89.5FM, Phuket’s newest radio station.

Jason first ventured to the shores of Thailand some 17 years ago, and has had a hard time staying away.

In between visits, he worked as a groupie – wait, sorry, roadie – for The Zutons, Lamb and Badly Drawn Boy, among others.

Continuing that nomadic lifestyle, he arrived in Phuket some three and a half years ago aboard the RV Heraclitus (be careful how you pronounce that one), a research vessel which sailed from Australia.

After a lengthy stint on the island’s airwaves, he returned to the miserable weather of his native UK, drawn back by the music festival scene, where he worked with The Bimble Inn, a travelling solar powered stage and bar.

But, with entertaining in his blood, it was the lure of radio that drew him back to our sunny shores.

“I love Phuket. I love Phuket Town.

[But] I’m not a beachy person – I actually hate the heat,” he says.

“I like radio. Radio is very important. A lot of people forget it’s free. It’s completely free to just turn it on and tune in.

“And if it’s used right, radio can be a little bit magic.”

Wilder’s mellow, laidback persona contrasts with the energy he sends over the airwaves though. As he says: “When I’m on air, I like to let people know I’m there.

“Life can be quite serious, so I like to keep it fun and just keep people up to date with what’s going on. I like to present stories on the island in a way that’s understandable and entertaining.”

When he’s not sending out his magic across the airwaves or terrorising local Phuket Town bars at odd hours of the morning, Jason is searching for local musical talent. He believes it is out there, but musicians aren’t being pushed to create something original.

The aim is to slowly build his drive time show into something special, and says he is looking to bring some live local acts into the studio to showcase some of their original work.

“And as an old school working class hero called Shakespeare once said, ‘If music be the food of love, turn yer radio on’…Well something like that anyway.”

■■ If you want to listen some of Jason’s magical stream of consciousness, you can tune in weekdays to Live 89.5FM from 3pm-7pm. Alternatively, you can stream him live at phuketliveradio.com.

Jason Wilder is ready to meet you halfway in a radio party liaison, tune in to him daily.

Phuket musos jam for a worthy cause

Every Friday Thai BBQ – 230 baht – 6 to 10 pm Starting November 11

Free! Karaoke – 7 to 10 pm

An American Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet – 250 baht – 6 to 10 pm ating – reservations suggested Limited Se

November 26

Cabaret Show from

Kiss Bar

Fundraiser for the Soi Dog Foundation Raffling off – 2 day/3 night stay at

CC Bloom’s Hotel,

November 29 Mexican Fiesta Night – 400

Bottles of Wine, Trips to Phi Phi Island and James Bond Island, Dinner at Beaches Café, etc.

baht – 7 to 10 pm.

Limited Seating

– reservations suggested

CC Bloom's Hotel 84/21 Patak Road Soi 10 sales@ccbloomshotel.com

www.ccbloomshotel.com www.thephuketnews.com

076-333-222

Musicians, both casual and professional, donated their time and talent over the last two weekends to help raise money for f lood victims throughout Thailand.

At the quaint and atmospheric Rockin Angels bar, long time resident and venue owner Patrick and his house band, featuring the most excellent Thai female bass player Jerri, invited anyone and everyone to join them on the very small stage.

Excellent music was mostly made up on the spot, and improvised to an excellent level by all and sundry.

From youth bands to casual players to serious pros, the event brought all these people together under one roof, united for one cause.

Indeed, everyone involved put on a good show, from the public who put their hard earned money in the oft-passed around charity box, to the staff of the bar, and of course the musos who provided the entertainment at no charge of course.

Both Friday and Saturday nights were well attended, with the crowd spilling out

Sound Check

by Fender Bender

onto the street when it became standing room only.

The highlight was when the Rockin’ Angels band were joined by US soul singer Pjae Stanley, long time resident muso George Cadiero, legend studio house musician Rob Cooke, multiinstrumentalist Pat “Doc” Savage, guitar hero Colin Hill, and keyboard genius “Chris”, all somehow fitting on to a stage no larger than a king-size bed.

The songs ranged in tastes from original songs to jazz fusion by Chick Corea, to some James Brown blues soul to forgotten gems like ‘Can’t you see’ by the Marshall Tucker band, and some standards such as ‘Sweet Home Chicago’.

Rockin Angels bar intends to continue the benefit jams each weekend to support Thailand’s flood victims.

Rockin Angels, 54 Yaowarat Road, Phuket Town. Open daily 7pm-midnight.

IN BRIEF Kim’s divorce drama will not be aired in public Reality star Kim Kardashian is reportedly banning her divorce drama from television screens.

The TV beauty is famed for documenting the ups and downs of her life on the E! reality series’ Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and Kourtney and Kim Take New York.

Kim recently filed for d ivorce f rom husba nd Kris Humphries after just 72 days, leading to speculation that the nuptials were a publicity stunt.

Justin Bieber says baby claims are ‘untrue’ Canadian singer Justin Bieber, 17, has spent the past week trying to promote his new Christmas album while denying claims that he fathered a baby after a brief backstage encounter last year with a young California fan.

“They (the allegations) are definitely, 100 per cent not true,” he said. “It is the first time something like this has happened. So it’s kind of like, really crazy.”

EVENTS 31

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

WHAT’S ON IN PHUKET UNTIL DECEMBER

an exclusive cocktail dinner which will be accompanied by entertainment and music spun by DJ Me. Starting at 7pm, the charity evening costs B2,900 net per person and includes the dining experience and free flow of drinks.

To reserve email : help@purebluefounda tion.com or call 076 580 333.

NOVEMBER 19-20 TSLC Ironkids TSLC Ironkids Phuket Triathlon after- school training sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3.45pm to 4.45pm. Open to all children from six to 15 years old. Priced at B350 per person.

Tuesdays: Swim and bike and Thursdays: Bike and run. Pre-book sessions by email activities@thanyapura.co.th. Bikes available for rent at B100 per session.

More info at www.ironkidsphuket.com.

NOVEMBER 11 Amcham Event: David Keen At Anantara Resort in Mai Khao. Guest speakers will be brand guru David Keen of Quo Global and marketing communications expert David Johnson of Delivering Asia.

This event is a “must attend” for those in the hospitality, travel, property and hotel sectors. As Phuket makes the transition into a mass tourism and hotel market, what is the future of the island’s brand?

Camp Quest Adventure A 2 days/1 night camp at Quest Laguna Phuket Adventure in our “Go Green” series of camps for children aged 8-12.



IGCSE and IB students please stop by and talk to us about your future. Parents and staff very welcome. From 12pm to 4.30pm.

Venue: MTB Foyer. For more information contact 076 335 555 ext. 1103. See www.  Nuffic NESO Thailand Netherlands Education Support Office  Northumbria Stamford University bisphuket.ac.th.

CP International Education Chulalongkorn U – BBA  Art and Design Academy Italy  Glion and Les Roches Dusit Thani College Success Canada   Sino-British College      IDP – Australia Rangsit University   HOC Info AVSS Studywiz    Blue Mountain School of Hospitality 

NOVEMBER 19

Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality

Mahidol University, Dept of Math

Radio TM

by

NOVEMBER 18-20 Foundations of Ashtanga Yoga Weekend Workshop at Thanyapura with Kimberly Roberts

The Thailand Property Awards 2011 Now in their sixth year, The Thailand Property Awards are widely recognised as a benchmark for excellence in Thailand’s residential real estate industry.

The Gala Award ceremony will take place at the Grand Hyatt Erawan in Bangkok on November 5, and with many of the tables already reserved, the event is expected to attract more than 600 leading figures from the Kingdom’s property sector.

 

King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi

:

DECEMBER 6

Limited to 25 children - B2,500 (incl. VAT) per child. Price includes absolutely everything.

First-come, first-served basis.

NOVEMBER 26-27

SHML/ Swiss College of Hospitality Management Lenk

A public holiday celebrating the birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). Also observed as National Day and National Father’s Day.

Two full days of fun, adventure and environmental awareness with offsite excursions, evening campfires, BBQ parties and Quest\’s famous adventure activities. Children sleep in large tents in our very own private jungle.

University & Higher Education Fair

University of San Francisco Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology Academy of Art, Thailand

™

5,117.27

HM the King’s Birthday

NOVEMBER 17



Championship is on December 4.

Hundreds of athletes from around the world will arrive for a week-long Tri-Fest of training and social events with top triathlon professionals, in the lush surroundings of the beachfront Laguna Phuket resort.

LPT involves a 1.8km swim; 55km bike ride and 12km run; Ironman 70.3 AsiaPacific Championship has a 1.9km swim; 90.1km bike ride and 21.1km run.

Laguna Phuket is using the events to raise funds for its community project to give survival swim lessons to local youngsters.

Online registrations at lagunaphuket triathlon.com and ironmanphuket.com.

DECEMBER 5

Visit www.facebook.com/questadventurephuket to download information, view photos, contact us directly and download the registration form; e-mail sales@questlagunaphuket.com; or contact 082 423 0578 (Jazz). Remember....Quest rocks!!

To register visit amchamthailand.com or contact Sheree - sheree@amchamthailand. com, Tel 02 254 1041.

List your events here for as low as B99 per line, or online at www.thephuketnews.com

Learn or deepen your practice of Ashtanga yoga with Kimberly Roberts. The practice will be adjusted to the appropriate level for each student. No prior experience necessary. All levels of students are welcome. Non-residential: B3,300 per day. Residential 3 day/2 night packages include yoga, meals, access to fitness club, pool, and a complimentary spa massage.

For reservations, please contact Khun Napapen, 076 336 000, ext. 3354. Email: napapen.k@thanyapura.co.th; thanyapura. co.th/yoga-retreat.

Asian Hospitality & Travel Show Be seen...

18TH - 20TH NOVEMBER 2011 @

9th Phuket International Soccer 7s 2011 The one and only Phuket Soccer 7s will celebrate its ninth anniversary this year.

Also with the 6th Andaman International Soccer 7s on December 3-4 there is a lot to look forward to this year.

Register your team now by emailing info@Thai7s.com, www.Thai7s.com.

NOVEMBER 27 Help Us Save The Marine Life Guest Chef Laurent Révéillac specialises in molecular cuisine and will showcase some of his renowned creations using liquid nitrogen in the name of charity to raise funds for the Pure Blue Foundation (www.purebluefoundation.com), which is committed to the regeneration and sustainability of marine environments.

Live cooking stations will be set up on Aleenta Phuket-Phang Nga beach where guests will savour some of Chef Révéillac’s specialties.

Laguna Phuket 2011 Double Triathlon Festival

The evening will start with the release of leatherback turtles into the sea, followed by

The Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) is on November 27 and Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific

Over a thousand developers, property agents, architects and real estate companies are represented on the submitted list of entries, including many of Bangkok’s top residential developers, plus stand-out projects and real estate firms based in Thailand’s most popular resort destinations, with Phuket well represented. For more information, see thailand propertyawards.com. Contact 02 662 5195.

DECEMBER 10 Constitution Day

NOW FULLY BOOKED! Phuket’s biggest ‘trade show’ for organisations whithin the Hospitality & Travel industry Hosted Buyer programme - buyers from Asia, Australia, India and more.

For more information Contact: info@eventsthailand.net Mobile: 089 725 6994 www.eventsthailand.net

Commemorates the anniversary of the first permanent constitution in 1932.

FEBRUARY 2-4 2012 Thailand 2012 Sport Fishing Tournament (Phuket).

This is Thailand's largest-ever international sport fishing tournament. Prize monies totalling over B3,000,000 ($100,000 USD).

Boats and teams are filling fast. For further information, please contact Warren Crowe on 081 270 4291 or email: info@ rawaibeachfishingclub.com.

DECEMBER 3 TSLC Ironkids Phuket Triathlon for kids 6-15 years old.

Registration is open until November 27.

More information and registration forms at ironkidsphuket.com. www.thephuketnews.com

32 EVENTS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

WHAT’S ON IN PHUKET

List your events here for as low as B99 per line, or online at www.thephuketnews.com

FRIDAY

IBAP - Networking November 11. Phang Nga Bay Conservancy, A Day In The Bay. A review with IBAP member John Gray. Full Moon Brewworks, JungCeylon, from 6:30pm, all welcome.

See ibap-phuket.org.

................................................................................

BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat O nly B29 5 per per son at Shaker s.

Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim. For reservations call on 081 891 4381.

................................................................................

Phuket Brasserie Eat, drink, look and party. Live band, Dj and dancers from 10pm till late. All welcome. Call 076 210 511 for more information or look on www.brasseriephuket.com

................................................................................

Tapas & Wine Night O rder t apas, as muc h as you like, plus one bottle of wine. B1,200 net per person. 6 -11pm at White Box Kalim.

Call 076 346 271. ................................................................................

Wednesday Quiz Night @ Peppers Quiz Night every Wednesday at Peppers Sports Bar near Laguna.

-Great food -Great music -Great beer.

Contact 081 728 1010. Facebook Peppers Sports Bar.

Curry Fridays at Navrang Mahal Star t November 2011-Januar y 2012.

Every Fridays, all-you-can-eat authentic Indian curry buffet, B449 net per person.

Draught beer B50. 7pm-11.30pm. Call 076 286 464.

After the overwhelming success of our popular “Salsa Night” events, once again we are delighted to invite you to Royal Phuket Marina for another breathtaking Salsa Night !

Dance A Cha-cha, Bachata, Samba & Rumba to the sounds of DJ’s. Live on the Boardwalk outside “Les Anges” Upon request from our customers a Snack Buffet is also available. Time 8pm onwards, free entrance. Dress colourful.

For all reservations & enquiries please contact Mr. Murat Can on 081 797 3364. muratc @royalphuketmarina.com.

www.thephuketnews.com

Family Brunch on The Boardwalk Les Anges at RPM. From 11am to 3pm.

B795++ adults, include one glass of house wine, 50 per cent discount. Children under 12 eat for free. Call for reservations on 076 360 803.

................................................................................

Best Sunday Carvery in Phuket Roast beef, BBQ ham, chicken, pork and Yorkshire pudding. All you can eat B399.

Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

................................................................................

BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat O nly B29 5 per per son at Shaker s.

Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim. Reservations call on 081 891 4381.

THURSDAY BBQ Buffet All You Can Eat Only B325 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. Free pickup Patong and Kalim. Reservations 081 891 4381.

................................................................................

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man Pub 82/15 Moo 4 Patak Road, one km from Chalong circle.

Contact for details on 081 895 4763.

DAILY

Sunday Brunch Enjoy the original Sunday brunch in Phuket at Twinpalms, Surin Beach. 123pm (from B1,190++ per person). Reservations please call 076 316 577.

................................................................................

Half-Chicken Spit Roast O nly B2 25 per per son at Shaker s.

Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim area. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

................................................................................

Sunday Family Brunch At Club Yamu by Twinpalms. Noon till 3pm.

Enjoy delicious pasta, BBQ, Thai home cooking. Call 076 310 557.

MONDAY

Colin Hill

Roaring Bhoys

Colin Hill performs (duo) now every second Saturday at Legends Bar in Kamala, with local guitarist Florian. 081 079 1069.

Live Music every Monday night. The largest selection of draught beer in Phuket.

Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

................................................................................

Brew Great Beer Phuket’s one and only small batch handcraft beer. Happy hour daily from 4pm to 7pm. Draft beer B110/pint, cocktails two for B220. Live music at 7.30pm onwards. Behind the ship, the port zone at Jungceylon. Call 076 3667 753.

................................................................................

Sam’s Steaks & Grill Patong’s finest steaks. Special offer: Caesar salad, fillet steak with you choice of sauce and a glass of Shiraz or Cabernet.

Only B999++ per person. Reservations pleasecall on 076 370 200.

................................................................................

Charm Thai

Half-Chicken Spit Roast

BBQ Buffet All You Can Eat

O nly B2 25 per per son at Shaker s.

Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim area. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

Only B325 per person at Shakers. RatU-Thit Road, Patong. Free pickup Patong and Kalim. Reservations 081 891 4381.

................................................................................

TUESDAY

Don’t leave Phuket before you’ve tried our lobster. We serve a daily selection of great value Thai sets for two.

From B599++ - B699 ++ per person or simply try the wonderful creations of amazing Thai cuisine by Chef Wisuth.

Call 076 370 200.

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM

Half-Chicken Spit Roast

................................................................................

All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man Pub, 82/15 Moo 4 Patak Road, one km from Chalong circle. Contact 081 895 4763.

O nly B2 25 per per son at Shaker s.

Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim area. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

Grizzly’s Sports Bar & Restaurant

All Major Sports Live

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM

................................................................................

On the big screen. F1, MotoGP, Tennis, Golf, AFL, NRL. Irish Times Irish Pub, Jungceylon, Patong.

All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man Pub, 82/15 Moo 4, Patak Road, one km from Chalong circle. Contact 081 895 4763.

................................................................................

................................................................................

................................................................................

20% off all Pizzas

................................................................................

At Shakers. Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road, Pa t o n g . Fr e e p i c k u p Pa t o n g a n d Kalim areas. Reservations please call 081 891 4381.

Enjoy a beach BBQ at Catch Beach Club (from B1,190++ per person). 7pm-10pm.

Call 076 316 567.

SUNDAY

Rotary Club of Patong Beach

Beach BBQ

................................................................................

Weekly meeting in English. Dinner out on first Tuesday of the month. rotarypatong. org.

Phuket Brasserie Eat, drink, look and party.

Every Friday and Saturday from 10pm till late live band, Dj and dancers. All welcome.

Call us on 076 210 511 for more information or visit our website: www.brasseriephuket.com.

New on Monday : Russian Night with Russian Dj, Saxophone player and a special shooter menu + Special surprise act.

................................................................................

SATURDAY

................................................................................

Salsa Night - November 26

Come and indulge in Roederer Champagne or a wide variety of wines. Kids club welcome all children with complimentary snacks. Advance reservations recommended on 076 310 100 or guest@ trisara.com.

WEDNESDAY Interactive Pub

Champagne Brunch at Trisara Every Sunday, the beachfront bar becomes a celebration of fine wines, exquisite tapas, live cooking stations and Phuket’s best dessert, featuring the cool sounds of a jazz trio.

Q uiz night. St ar ts from 8 pm ever y Wednesday night. The largest selection of draught beer in Phuket. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

................................................................................

Salsa Class At RPM Salsa c lass at Royal Phuket M ar i na from 7.30 -9pm. For more info on www.phuket-dance.com.

Watch all the sport that is on TV this weekend with us. Located bet ween Loc h Palm G olf C our se and Kathu Waterfall. Call 087 471 8747.

Sunset Happy Hours & Ninjazz Don’t miss the Sunset happy hours.

Between 5pm and 7pm. “Buy one get the same one free” promotion. The Luna Bar, Centara Grand Beach Resor t.

076 201 234.

................................................................................

3-Hour Happy Hour Three-hour Happy Hour Monday-Friday, 4pm-7pm. Beer from B50. House spirits B90. Australia Bar & Grill, Kata Beach.

089 226 2878.

................................................................................

Duke’s Sports Bar at Kata Watch your favourite sports and enjoy a cold beer at the best little sports bar in Phuket. Special “drink of the day” B110, all day - every day. Visit our website at www.dukesbigboard.com.

................................................................................

Peppers Quiz Night Peppers Sports Bar. Daily happy hour, great food, full English breakfast. Open from 8.30am. All sports shown. Laguna area. Please call 088 443 4166.

33

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

CLASSIFIEDS JOBS IN PHUKET Qualified Personal Assistant: We are looking for a personal assistant for the CEO of an important events company. Conditions : Must speak read and write French, English and Thai languages with administrative and computer skills.

We offer a salary of B20,000 plus accomodation included. CV and reference required. ynahabed@hotmail.com.

responsible. karita@mag palthailand.com.

Personal Assistant: Full-time. Western. Must have excellent organisational/negotiation/computer skills, self-motivated/good communicator.

Home-based. Send CV/ salary to admin@esxoasia.com.

interior design will be advantage. Good compensation to the right candidate.

Send CV to abfabsales@ gmail.com.

New Italian Bakery & Supermar t: New Italian bakery & supermarket in Surin Beach. Kitchen (basic English required): Pastry/baking kitchen sous chef, chef de partie/commis, steward service (good English required), waitress/ waiter, bartendy/bartender, supermarket assistant and cashier.

Send CV by email marcellamocci@gmail.com, by fax 076 618 130 or contact 087 270 5806 or 076 618 127.

Sales Job Available at MAGpal: MAGpal imports international magazines for rent. We provided rental service of 1,000++ titles of magazines from all over the world. Please visit our website w w w.mag palthailand.com.

Job available: Sales representative. English f l u e n c y, e n t h u s i a s m , sales skills, punctual,

Tr a v e l l i n g Salesman: Sale representative available to travel around Thailand for our range of fast-moving consumer products. Thai national, English-speaking, computer skills, driving licence and proven experience of sales to minimart, supermarket.

We already have more than 500 customers in Thailand. Salary B15K plus commission. Contact via email skgf@ skgf.asia.

Sales Assistant Urgently Needed: Fluent in spoken and written English,assist manager on a daily basis dealing with clients & office duties, effective interpersonal skills, creative and resultoriented. Experience in

driving licence for deliveries in Phuket, must speak some English. Only Thai national.

Salary B12,000 per month.

Call 076 322 663.

TechWorX are Recruiting Office manager/Administrator Purchase Manager Secretary/Receptionist Draftman (M/F) Electrical/AV design engineers. (M/F) Trainee draftsmen, IT technicians and Systems programmers.(M/F)

Health Consultant: www.atsumihealing.com is seeking a Thai national to join our detox team. Excellent English required. shell@atsumihealing.com.

Native EnglishDriver: PEXGO courier Speaking Teacher: and deliveries in Phuket.

Must be able to work at night. Must speak some English, basic use of computer. Contact Meaw on 076 322 663 or email phuket@pexgo.com.

Stunning two bedroom home > 36

To advertise here visit www.thephuketnews.com

Promotional Staf f: requires driver for pick up N e e d n a t i v e E n g l i s h English-speaking Thai, full training given, airport and Patong locations. Basic plus commission. 087 105 4566. Immediate start.

Private Pool Villa

-speaking teacher with ability to speak, read and write Thai. Call Robin on 081 803 7189.

Wai t ress N e ed ed: One position available.

Very good money. Patong area, night time work, good salar y,tips,c ommission and a m e a l d a i l y.

Dynamic and friendly team.

English necessary. Nice presence preferred. carlopatong@gmail.com.

Thai Staff Wanted: Two Thai staff wanted for new sandwich shop “Delicious” in Patong. B10,000 per month. Contact ram bomuis@hotmail.com or call 083 738 7139.

Waitress/ Waiter and Receptionist: Urgently required for Sensive Hill in Kathu. Similar background and experience required, excellent salary on offer. Please contact K.Rin at 076 203 012 or send CV to guy@sensivehill.com.

Office Boy: Office boy for company in Kamala with

CV with picture, references and expected salary to please.

CAD Technician : To work in new office Phuket. Proficient in AutoCAD (2004 or higher) for 2D drawing. Experience of 3D AutoCAD, Google SketchUp, Adobe Photoshop or Adobe InDesign would be a bonus. Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook.

Thai national, good s p o ke n a n d w r i t t e n English, send CV indicating qualifications and experience, expected salary and recent photo to: david@yes.co.th.

V i s i t w w w. s o u n d ideas.co.uk to see the type of work we do.

Accountant Wanted: Accountant wanted for cooking school and food ser vices business.

Thai national. Cont a c t 0 8 2 816 012 6 o r send CV to info @ fo o d servicesth.com.

Hotel Receptionist Required: English speaking Thai national with good computer skills required for reception, restaurant and bar work in Kamala. Salary and hours negotiable based on experience. To apply phone 086 941 8880 or send CV to phil@royalembas syresortphuket.com.

Sales Staff for Cherng Talay: Good English, positive attitude, good in sales, outgoing personality. Salary B12,000 plus commission.Contact Phuket Pool Tables 085 782 1200.

Staf f Required for New Hotel: Five reception staff, waitresses and waiters, four bartenders, two cashiers, three accountants. 088 819 1976 (Thai).

The Phuket News is looking to add to its ever growing team of professionals and seeks: Sales Representatives Qualifications:

WE'RE NOW AVAILABLE AT ALL OUTLETS IN PHUKET

- Thai or Expat.

- Excellent communication and negotiation skills in Thai and English.

- Highly motivated self-starter with a positive attitude.

- Works well under pressure and has a will to succeed.

We offer:  Competitive

salary, bonuses and travel expenses. friendly work environment.  Social security paid by the company.  Excellent career progress opportunities. A

This is in addition to 400+ locations including all 7-Eleven, Big One Supermarkets, Se-ed book store and all major shopping outlets.

For full list of outlets please visit www.thephuketnews.com/distributionlists.php

Tel: 076 612 550-2

Please email full resume in English indicating expected salary with recent photo to

adminmgr@thephuketnews.com or call 076 6212 550-2 for mor info.

Looking for a TeamMember: Sea Bees Diving is looking for a reliable and responsible person (Western or Thai) for our Office in Chalong.

Applicants need to be completely fluent in English and other languages (German preferred) with good communication, sales skills and willing to work in a highly-professional & diverse team.

Flexible, able to work under pressure and being service- orientated is a must.

This position is for a long-term & full-time contract.Please send your CV & photo to: of fice@sea-bees.com.

Sales Executive: -Male/Female, 25-35 years.

-Bachelor’s degree or higher in marketing or related field. Thai nationality with an excellent command of written and spoken in English. (Be ing able to speak French is an advantage).

-At least two years sales experience in Phuket’s real estate field.

-Detail-oriented, highly organised, multitasking capacity.

-Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point etc.)

-Requires an energetic strategically-focused and creative sales achiever who enjoys the latitude of working independently and effectively using their timemanagement skills.

-Highly-motivated and wellpresented.

-Having own car and valid driving licence.

Please send CV and expected salar y to kate@century21-andaman. com. 080 696 2064. www.thephuketnews.com

34 CLASSIFIEDS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

BUY & SELL IN PHUKET

To advertise in our classifieds visit www.thephuketnews.com rent. Pisitkoranee Road, Patong. Fully-furnished. Contact Khun Lek, call 089 232 9807.

35ft Bayliner Flagship: Twin 260 HP Mekcruisers, fully-loaded with aircon, sound system, T V/ DVD, vacuum toilet, premium navigation, coffee machine, full bimini enclosure, gas oven, blue hull. A bargain at B3.99 million. Contact eddyelan@ yahoo.com, 089 971 0278.

BUSINESSES FOR SALE Bar for Sale-Kamala: Chickys Bar on main road.

Has B/R with ensuite, pool table, stock furniture, fridges, motorbike. Good takings and ready for high season. Owner returning to Australia. Best offer accepted. Call Chompoo 084 844 3504.

BOATS & YACHTS SPEED BOAT FOR S A L E : N a m e:“ B & B BOAT ”.Building: Pattaya,Thailand. Length: 27 ft. Year: 2007. Hull GPR: Fiberglass. Max capacity: 10 persons. Max velocity: 35 knots.

Marine MP3 stereo player.

Shower. Two places for trol. ENGINE: Honda fourstroke. Power: 225 HP. Model: BF 225 A6.

PRICE: From B760,000.

CONTACT: Mobile 087 518 1347 Mr.Stan. E-mail: sss_ box01@yahoo.com.

Digifox Marine: Marine inboard engines, hydraulic and mechanical equipment service, repairs and spare parts. MAN, Arneson, ZF, Rolls Royce and others. Professional team of engineers, high quality, personal approach guaranteed. Contact 076 336 221, 083 171 4141.

Email info@digifoxmarine. com.

GROUND FLOOR MLM OPENING!: Wonderful opportunity...right place, right time. Looking for a motivated, energetic, experienced networker for a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Help me build USA #1 Nutritional MLM company opening in Thailand very soon.

Must speak English & Thai.

work, wood work, shop fitting.

Please contact 085 654 2244.

CARS FOR RENT A1 Car Rentals: Fully insured start B12,000 to B18,000 per month.

Please call 089 831 4703.

Email for more info: a1car rent@gmail.com.

BUSINESS SERVICES

Business Opportunities: Hong Kong based company able to assist transfer of money in, Euro or dollar, within Asia. Security and discretion guaranteed. Contact thailandall.tech.investment@gmail. com for more details or call 081 080 0265 Pascal.

Your specialist of imported food and drinks in Phuket. Visit our shop at the Billion Plaza, opposite Tesco Lotus. Contact 076 612 733, 076 248 900.

Fax 076 612 734. And now new branch in Samui. See our website phuketfood.com.

Phuket Consult Services: Insurance, personal assistance, legal assistance, police and emergency assistance, property management sales and rentals, company registration, visa and work permit and accounting. Call 081 691 9679.

Tile It: Thalang. Wana Park on Srisoonthorn Rd. Phuket’s Quality Tile Boutique. Tiles for interior, exterior, residential, commercial. Contact 076 620 168 or 081 424 2828.

Email info@tile-asia.com.

Indo Construction: 40 years experience of more than 20 years at your service in Thailand. Main contractor: study project, architecture design and construction and management. Contact 076 381 895.

Toursys: Tour operator software. Presented by Blue D Zine Co., Ltd. See bluedzine. com.

Green House: Construction, renovation, electric, metal

www.thephuketnews.com

All courses and diving trips.

Boat charter and individual tours. www.dive -paradise. com.

EDUCATION

PADI 5 Star Centre. Half day, daytrips, live-aboards and diver education. Phuket’s only dive club! Contact 076 284 026. All 4 Diving 5/4 Sawatdirak Road, Patong Beach. For more info call 076 344 611. only dive club!

and red. Call 083 456 2185.

Mazda Familia: Pick-up, manual, excellent condition, engine rebuilt, brakes, battery, body and paint excellent. Must see. Price B85,000. Mobile 086 270 5462.

Kiddies Home Nursery: Award for top Nursery Farang Food Paradise:

Paradise Diving Asia:

Toyo t a J e e p B150,000: 2 - Yellow

CHILDCARE

B220,000 plus B8,500 monthly

DIVING

Phuket Scuba Club:

Toyota Pickup 4: Turbo diesel auto. 148,130 km, year 1992. Price B195,000. Call 089 822 7547 (Thai and English).

Laundry To Let: Lease

Calling all Singaporeans in Phuket to join “Singapore Club Phuket”. Contact Robin on 081 803 7189, 076 303 500.

CARS FOR SALE

If you are interested in making money and improving your life, then please pay careful attention to this!

I have 25 years experience in mentoring and encouraging individuals for success.

Email: ronmac2810@gmail. com. Do IT!

Singapore Club Phuket:

for Phuket Province 2011.

Ages 3 months to 4 years.

Open 7 days a week and from 6.30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.

Rock Garden Village, call 076 528 862, mobile 082 539 8252 or kiddies home nursery@gmail.com.

Buds Nursery: Phuket’s oldest bi-lingual international child care facility. High quality time proven schedule and curriculum. Experienced native English teachers to teach ages 1½ -6. Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. Bus service available. 076 282 232.

ABC International Nursery: Education for children 18 months to six years old with experienced native English teachers following the UK EYFS curriculum. 089 971 1813.

COMPUTERS English Computer man: Sales (new and used), service and repairs, WLAN a speciality. Free telephone advice.

Dos & Don’ts of Thai Culture: Learn Thai and Thai culture that is necessary for enjoying life in Thailand. Group classes three days per week learning about the real dos and don’ts of Thailand.

Free English-Thai dictionary for the first 10 students for enrolments until October 20, 2011. The Genius Language School, c 089 203 9270 (Aooddy). Visit www. thegeniuslanguageschool. net.

Native German Teacher: Native German TEFL teacher is teaching German and English to single students at home or small groups in Chalong. Contact (German/ English) 080 778 1220, (Thai) 081 810 9115.

Learn Thai at Home: Thai woman teacher with 8-9 years’ experience gives Thai and English lessons for company/hotel staff and Thai cooking at your home.

Full course with conversation practise and home study material.

Both at beginner and more advanced levels. Call 081 797 1497 or Email teacherjoy_phuket@hotmail.com.

CLUBS

Guitar Lesson By Pro Player: Guitar/bass lessons

Phuket G ol f & C.C. M e m b e r s h i p: Fo u n d -

beginner to advanced. Personal one-on-one or by DVD. Diploma of Teaching (Aust) degree. Call 089 777 3063.

e r m e m b e r s h i p f o r s a l e.

B600,000 include transfer fee.

Call 084 839 4868.

Cooking School: Fire up SK A L I nt e r na t i onal Phuket: Skål is a professional organisation of leaders from all branches of the travel and tourism industry.

See www.skalphuket.org.

your creative flare with Food Services Cooking School. Italian, Western and Thai cuisine.

Try our famous pizza school.

Call 082 816 0126, info@food servicesth.com.

CLASSIFIEDS/PROPERTY 35

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

BUY & SELL IN PHUKET EDUCATION TTT Language School Chalong: Ministry of Edu-

pany formation, property transfer etc. Please telephone for advice. Contact for more info on 084 063 9223.

cation ED Visa - Learn Thai TEFL/TESOL Teacher Training. Stay in Thailand! FREE English test! Many languages with Native Teachers.

Teacher Training. Stay in Thailand! FREE English test! www.ttttefl.com, info@ttttefl.com Contact 076 280 869 087 467 8719

Call 083 456 2185.

Price B30,000 Each. Football Classic Game 1.5 x .76 x .97 High. Up to six players. Also little used cost new B55,000.

Price B25,000. Call English 080 409 1898 Thai 081 538 0685.

Phuket Visa: Offers consulting and services on company registration, work permit, visa, accounting, auditor, legal advice. 081 892 9960.

Phuket Pool Tables: www.phuketpooltables.com.

Your number one billiard and snooker supplier in Phuket.

Sales, rent and profit-sharing.

All accessories and services.

Call 081 823 4627.

PROPERTY CONCIERGE

popular Yoga for men and women in Phuket. Four classes every day. Kata yoga, it works! www.katahotyoga.com, Contact 076 605 950.

Selling Your Property?

Live Music By Colin Hill: Popular expat pro musi-

American Health Clinic:

had major overhaul and re-spray black, kick and electric start. This bike is a real head tur ne r. N i c e and loud. Has green book so all legal. Get ready for Bike Week 2012. Only B9 5,0 0 0. Call 0 87 267 8602.

H o n d a Cl i c k: H o n d a Click excellent condition only 8,000km B32,000. Patong, 088 440 9324.

MOTORBIKE SERVICES Dynamic Tire Balancing: Dynamically balance your motorcycle tires for a smoother ride with DYNA BEADS! Available at West Coast Service Center Phuket.

Your big bike specialist on the bypass road. Call for more info on 085 785 4440.

Southern Big Bike Chopper Shop: All your chopper needs. Located on the hill before Safari heading south from Patong. Get ready for Bike Week 2012. Please contact 076 292 079.

PERSONAL SERVICES English-Thai Law Office: Visa, work permit, com-

rent. Four bedrooms, four bathrooms, maid rooms, big swimming pool. B40,000 per month. Minimum one year.

Contact 081 397 1835.

Terrace House: At Phuket City Home, three storeys, good for home office. B12,000 per month plus bond. Contact owner on 081 978 6700.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Chiropractic spinal adjustment with an experienced chiropractor can take away the pain almost as quickly as it began.

Call 076 612 707, 080 530 3376.

Get maximum exposure on our top ranked website. Call 080 143 2929 or visit realestate.phuket.net.

PROPERTY FOR RENT

Techworx: Custom design & installation. Professional service and support. Premium service: home cinema, home automation, marine AV and IT, lighting control and multiroom audio-video. Call 084 443 9863.

Bon Café Phuket: A producer of premium coffee blends and powdered mixes as well as selling, maintaining, servicing and repairing all major brands. 076 355 600-1.

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Considering buying property in phuket?

We provide the following:

Property for your budget.

Luxur y Five Bedroom: Luxur y five bedrooms all with ensuite, pool villa set in large garden 1.2 rai huge 472 sq metre living area near Laguna.Fully-furnished from Island Furniture with modern European kitchen, movie room, kids room or office phone line and WiFi, cable TV and maid room.

Asking B20 million for sale, or B9 0,000 per month re nt al. Pl e as e c all 0 81 597 6911. Email: niny@ electrical- marine.com.

One Bedroom House, Kata: Fully-furnished, one bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, terrace, WiFi and cable TV. Price B9,000 per month. Located in Kata. Contact 081 606 2827.

cian (guitar/vocals) with work permit. Can perform solo, duo or band. www.play-guitar.net, please call on 089 777 3063.

Honda CB 750 Chopper for Sale: Recently

Contact 089 724 3669.

2.4 x 1.35 x .82 High. Both as new and little used. Cover, full set of cues, pool balls and snooker balls with each. Cost new B65,000.

Kata Hot Yoga: The most

Chopper for Sale:

Luxury Villa Rawai-Naiharn Beach: For long-term

Pool Tables and Classic Football: Two Pool Tables

Honda Click for Rent:

MOTORBIKES FOR SALE

Foundation have over 300 beautiful dogs and puppies available for adoption. Fully-vaccinated and sterilised.

Contact 087 050 8688, john@ soidog.org.

POOL TABLES

MOTORBIKES FOR RENT Short- and long-term available, no scams, honest good value.

Free delivery for hires over one week. Call 087 188 9047.

To advertise in our classifieds visit www.thephuketnews.com

complete overview of Phuket’s property market.

R AWAI BE ACHFRONT HOUSE: Please call for more info on 089 649 9939.

Professional advice.

You should not buy property in Phuket without consulting with us first!

Contact ben at 084- 305 4953 to book an appointment.

Beautiful New Condo in Patong: ART@patong. brand new fully-furnished, one bedroom, balcony, 200 metres to Jungceylon shopping. Huge pool and gym. 24-hour security. B22,000 per month, longterm required. Enquire to mark louisw@hotmail.com

Houses for Rent Long Term: Chalong, very private with mountain views, two bedrooms, kitchen, fully-furnished, Sat TV, ADSL, UBC and common swimming pool.

Gorgeous Beachfront Land: With or without House in very quiet, well maintained, safe Bungalow-Village on Ko Siboya, Krabi for sale. www. sackenheim.net.

Spacious Four Beds/ Four Baths Home in Private Estate: Four cars spaces, cool pool and gardens, 10 minutes to international schools, Central, five minutes to golf courses, B16.8m fully furnished. Contact Jen 083 967 5777 English/Thai.

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Daily, Monthly rates Sea views, Mountain views Sauna, Gym, Swimming pool Located in Kamala Beach Shuttle service to the beach Wi-fi available Surrounded by nature

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Havana Cigar Shop: Opposite HomePro Village Chalong. Contact 081 956 2024. vinoltds@hotmail.com.

Atmanjai: World’s best natural health programmes to improve health, reduce stress, weight loss, detox, rejuvenation, vitality and overcome disease. www.atmanjai.com.

PET HOSPITAL

Luxury Pool Villa: Has everything, low rates. Day/ week/month. Three bedroom.

Near Laguna. 089 594 4067.

Townhouse for Rent Ao Makham: Newly-renovated. 2 bedrooms, parking.

B8,000 per month, minimum 6 months. Call 081 895 4318 (Thai). Email: wapeebow@ gmail.com.

Chaofah Pet Hospital: 8/28–29 Moo 9, Chaofah East Road. Contact 076 283 365, 083 501 8488.

PETS FOR SALE Why buy a pet?: Soi Dog

Comfor table Private and Quiet: Three bedroom townhouse, just a few minutes to Karon Beach. B25,000 per month, long term rent required.

Call 081 396 0880.

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Box B200

Colour Background B200

Colour Headline B200

Colour Picture B395

Deadline: Monday 12Noon for that Friday’s issue

Please hand this form to our office or Fax to: 076 612 553 www.thephuketnews.com

36 PROPERTY HOMES IN PHUKET PROPERTY FOR SALE

metre built-up area. Agents welcome. Contact for details.

(Thai) 087 418 5924 (English) 089 875 9609, claudebaltes@ gmail.com.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

To advertise in our classifieds visit www.thephuketnews.com Phuket Paradise Property

Private Pool Villa In Centre of Nai Harn

Rawai Two bedroom on 180 Sqm. With Sea View now 3.0 million

New Price 2.5 m Apartment With Seaview in Rawai

3 Steps to Re-sale 1.Valuation.

2.List your property. 3.Sale.

SEAVIEW LAND FOR SALE: Near Chalong pier, 150 metres from the sea.

Three rai and one ngan plot. Chanote title. Price: B2 0 milli o n p e r r ai. N o agent. Call 087 278 7206

Nice One Rai Chalong B7m: 200 metre off main road. In great location. Full Chanote title. Contact for more details on 089 651 3479.

Boat Lagoon Pool Villa: Modern four bedroom, four bathroom villa with 8x4 metre pool for sale freehold with Chanote title or leasehold. Newly built, 316 sq metre internal area.

In beautiful marina complex, just 5 minutes drive to British Int School. Photos and price on-line: See www. thevillaphuket.com Contact owners to view: 081 270 1970 (Josh) and 081 270 2070 (Michi). Agents welcome.

Perfect Land for Villa: Perfect Land for Villa. Approx three rai, with Chanote title, 2 km south of Thai Muang town centre. Just 24 km north of Sarasin Bridge. Good road access and electricity. Very quiet, green area. Urgent sale for just B5 million total, non-negotiable. Contact Peter on 089 652 1951 or email phuket.pn@gmail.com.

Seaview Land AoMakham for Sale: 33 rai land upon hill with seaview. Very easy access from road. B5 million per rai. Contact for details on 081 895 4318 (Thai).

Email: wapeebow@gmail.com.

-Promotional booths with fully trained staff through out Phuket.

-Five International offices supplying customers direct.

-Nine sales staff all nationalities.

“Phuket Paradise Property” A Step In The Right Resale Direction.

Visit our website www.

PhuketParadiseProperty. com. Please contact 083 595 6733.

Private Pool Villas from B4.9M: Intira Villas is a development of 15 boutique villas in the heart of Rawai. Second phase open now! Only a few villas available. www.intiravillas.com, call 083 594 9279.

Two bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. Guest toilet. Total 161-212sq metre. Very nice view, large balcony, common facilities pool/gym. 086 268 7901 (English), martin@per tinax.asia.

Land for Sale Rawai: Soi Saliga, Rawai. 1,908 sqm, clean ready to build, Chanote Title. Next to Eva Beach and Palm House School. Sell by owner. 084 745 4132.

5 Minutes From Laguna! For sale or rent (short and long-term). Four bedroom. Family pool home.

1,000sq metre land, 330sq

www.thephuketnews.com

Two Rai Beachfront Land Khao Lak: Free-

JI NDA R I N BE ACH CLUB & R ESO RT: Oceanfront Eco Resort on Coconut Island (Three minutes off shore from Phuket).

Private Pier, Private Boat Taxi, Beach, Beach Pool, Spa, Sunset Restaurant, Elegant Cottages.

Coconut Island is only 20 minutes from Central Festival shopping. Plots start at B1.5 million, cottage and plot start at B3 million. Hurry... 26 Plots already sold.

Call 083 520 0020 or 076 238 732 Web: jindarin.com.

TYPE: Condo PRICE: 9.9m. THB

PRICE: 3.0m. THB

TYPE: Villa

TYPE: Condo

BEDROOMS: 2

BEDROOM: 2

REF.: MS-003 Stunning two bedrooms villa with big pool. Big modern kitchen and living room.

2 minutes walk from Tesco Lotus Express. Call 083 595 6733. Visit us at www.

PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

hold Chanote land at Khao Lak Beach, 3,312m2, price only B5,500,000 a rai. Call 081 651 9687.

REF.: MS-006 Big living room and kitchen.

Two bedroom and bathroom. Two minutes walk to the beach. Common pool.

Call 083 595 6733. www.

PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

Kata – Sea View Apartment

BEDROOM: 1 REF.: MS-002 Modern one bedroom apartment. With pool. New kitchen. Bathroom with spa. Big living room and balcony. Fully-furnished.

Contact 083 595 6733.

Visit us at www.PhuketParadiseProperty.com.

Villa 300 metres from Kata Beach

Sunset Plaza in Kata Two Bedroom with Seaview

PRICE: 9.9m. THB

Luxury Condo Central Kathu: For sale or rent.

Chalong Land: Land in Chalong. 15 rai of gently sloping land, with full Chanote, near Chalong temple. Sea views from top of land. Good road access and electricity. Perfect for development.

Only B5 million per rai. Contact Peter on 089 652 1951 or email phuket.pn@gmail.com.

PRICE: 2.5m. THB

TYPE: Condo

PRICE: 8.3m. THB TYPE: Condo BEDROOM: 2 REF.: AB-002 Modern furnished two bedroom. Apartment in Kata.

Western kitchen. Balcony with sea view. Two big common pools. Call 083 595 6733. Visit us at www.

PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

BEDROOM: 2

PRICE: 9.9m. THB

REF.: AB-001 Modern furnished two bedroom apartment in Kata.

Western kitchen. Balcony on 21 sq metre with sea view. Two big c ommon po ols. Please c all 083 595 6733. Visit us at www.

PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

TYPE: Villa

3 Bedroom Pool Villa in Chalong

3 Bedroom Pool Villa in Rawai

BEDROOM: 2 REF.: JP-001 Fantastic oppor tunity in the heart of Kata Phuket, Detached family home set on its own plot of fering convenient access to Kata beach 300 mtrs away and all surrounding facilities.

Call 083 595 6733. www.

PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

Cozy Villa Near Kata Beach

Nice Garden Villa in Nai Harn: Private sale. Must see. 1,600 sq metre land, 240sq metre living area. Located in a quiet area. Check out webpage at www.villa-sophiaphuket.com. Call Johny on 087 823 7371 (Deutsch and English).

Price : 5.8 m. THB Price : 9.5 m. THB

Type: Villa

Type: Villa

Bedroom : 3

Bedroom : 3

Ref. : MS-009

Ref. : JP-005

Cozy pool villa near Chalong circle. The villa has a very large living room with view over the large garden.

There is direct access from living room to the swimming pool. Three large bedrooms and bathrooms.

Property is directly opposite Suksan Villa. Has electric gates to off road parking for one, possibly two, cars. The garden around the villa is mature and decorative. The house has a large lounge area directly overlooking the 8x4 metre pool.

There are two large bedrooms. The master bedroom has a shower and large decor, bath, and both have pool view. Third bedroom is slightly smaller with a double bed and fitted wardrobes.

This property has a European fitted kitchen and dining area . Please contact 083 595 6733. Visit us at www.

PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

The villa is situated on a closed road. Close to beach and Phuket Town. Call 083 595 6733. www.PhuketParadiseProperty.com.

Singapore Property for Sale: Luxury property of Singapore for rent sale. Help with loan from 1% per year. Russian speaking. Call +65 9144 0268. www.sourceinvestsing.com.

Price : 5.7 m. THB Type: Villa Bedroom : 2 Ref. : MS-008 Cozy villa near Kata Beach.

Huge living room with open kitchen. Extra outdoor kitchen. Two large bedrooms.

The villa is located within walking distance from Kata Beach. Contact 083 595 6733. Visit us at www.

PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

PROPERTY WANTED Villa for Rent Wanted: 3 or 4 bedroom villa for rent in Cherng Talay area or near. With pool or without pool, furnished and garden preferred. Contact Nataliya on 083 645 5321.

SERVICES 37

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

TRADES IN PHUKET

To advertise in our classifieds visit www.thephuketnews.com

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

COURIER

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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

www.thephuketnews.com

38 LUXURY

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Ride in a Convertible

Take a ride in a fabulous convertible, or another sports car, for a truly unforgettable driving experience. Rent now from only B3,800 per day, delivery to any hotel in Phuket can be easily arranged.

Email phuketstretchlimo@gmail. com, visit phuketstretchlimo.com, or call 085 311 1211.

Phuket Stretch Limo

Phuket Stretch Limo has imported top of the range limousines, with all vehicles kept in tip top shape by a dedicated team of professional drivers and hostesses. Because they have more than one, reliability is assured. Travel in one today.

Email phuketstretchlimo@gmail. com, visit phuketstretchlimo.com, or call 085 311 1211.

LUXURY PHUKET

The dictionary defines luxury as “a material object, or service conducive to sumptuous living”, while Wikpedia states: “Luxury goods are products and services not considered essential but are associated with affluence. The concept of luxury has been present in various forms since the beginning of civilisation. Its role was just as important in ancient western and eastern empires as it is in modern societies.”

On this new page, we’ll promote the very best in luxury living on Phuket, whether it be a yacht, jet, car, watch, fashion, or jewellery – so read on, and enjoy the Phuket luxe life.

Wahoo Luxury Yacht Charters T her e i s no b et ter way to appreciate the Andaman Sea, with its crystal clear waters and some of the most stunning scenery in the world than on a private charter yacht with Wahoo Luxury Yacht Charters.

Wahoo - Phuket’s favorite private yacht charter company offers www.thephuketnews.com

an unforgettable cruising, game fishing or diving experience in Phi Phi, Phang Nga, Krabi and beyond Your magical day begins with a warm Thai welcome from their on-board service team, who will ensure you are pampered to the fullest extent throughout the day, leaving you to relax, enjoy a

refreshing swim or explore on the Jet Ski and Sea Canoes.

Their sumptuous food menus are all freshly prepared on board, allowing you to dine al fresco in beautiful surroundings, with every possible luxury taken care of.

Email info@wahoo.ws, visit www. wahoo.ws or call 076 281 510,

ISLANDSPORT 39

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Chinese regain Phuket title VOLLEYBALL

Despite one half of their pairing struggling with a knee injury, former champions Xue Chen and Zhang Xi of China overcame two-time former champions Jen Kessy and April Ross of the US to win the 2011 season-ending FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT in straight sets on Karon Beach.

The top seeds and 2006 champions took just 40 minutes to see off the challenge of Kessy and Ross, champions in 2008 and 2009, and walk away with the first-place prize of $30,000 (B900,000).

The American duo received $21,000 (B644,000) for finishing as runners-up, and the 2011 gold and silver medalists were joined on the podium by Italy’s Greta Cicolari and Marta Menegatti, who finished in the bronze medal position after overcoming Aussie duo Louise Bawden and Becchara Palmer, also in straight sets.

Xue and Zhang justified their position as number one seeds as they finished the tournament with an unblemished 6-0 record and didn’t drop a single set over the course of the six-day event, now in its sixth year.

T he Ch i nese pai r i ng went into the final under a cloud following a knee injury sustained by Zhang in their semi-final win the previous day but, despite Zhang struggling, Xue was able to pick up the slack as the pair secured their second gold of the season

2011 Phuket Open champions, Chinese pair Xue Xhen (left) and Zhang Xi. –Photos FIVB and increased their head-tohead record against Kess and Ross to 7-2.

In front of an expectant crowd in Karon the pairs shared the first four points before the Chinese duo pulled in front and twice had leads of seven points at 12-5 and 14-7.

Kessy and Ross responded like former champions and dragged themselves to within three points of Xue and Zhang, but were unable to complete

the comeback as Zhang scored the two points needed to take a one set lead.

The start of the second set was even closer and the scores were tied at six points apiece before some inspired offensive and defensive play

by Xue and Zhang established a healthy lead, effectively ending any resistance put up by the Americans.

“My teammate carried me on her shoulders to-

day and was always there when I wasn’t quite there; it was remarkable to experience,” said Zhang.

“We really didn’t make very many mistakes and by controlling the tempo like that we got what we really wanted, a happy ending.

“The Americans are a great team but somehow today we didn’t miss on very many sets, digs, kills and blocks.

“My knee hurts but obvi-

ously it feels a lot better now.”

Ref lecting on the title match, Xue said: “This was the last competition of the year and it’s very important to end it well, which we did this week.

“My teammate is injured, but it hardly showed during the match.

“She is tough and what showed was how all of our pract ice a nd ha rd work prepares you for different situations and we played extremely consistent this entire tournament.”

In the bronze medal match, Italy’s fifth-seeded Cicolari and Menegatti overwhelmed Australia’s 19th-seeds Bawden and Palmer in straight sets, 21-19, 21-15 in 47 minutes.

Because they lost in the second round of the tournament, the Italians were forced to fight back through the contender’s bracket and ended the

tournament having played nine matches, the most played by any team in the tournament.

The first set in the bronze medal match was very tight, w it h t he lead cha ng i ng hands on a couple of occasions and six tied scores.

The Italians overturned a three-point deficit to retake the lead at 18-17 and then, after a tie at 18-18, the Italians closed out the set with a Menegatti kill and a Cicolari ace.

In the second and final set, Australia scored first but after three early ties Cicolari and Menegatti took the lead for good at 4-3 and quickly built it up to six points at 12-6.

Towards the end of the set the Australians were forced to call a medical time out as Bawden was suffering with back spasms and after the five-minute time out, the Italians kept the Australians at bay to seal bronze.

Portrait FC retain AFL Cup FOOTBALL

Portrait FC made it back-toback Adult Futsal League (AFL) titles as they swept to victory with a round to spare in season eight of the AFL presented by Thanachart Bank, part of an ongoing competition held at Thanyapura Sport and Leisure Club (TSLC).

It was a similar story in Division One where Thalang Tigers were crowned champions, also with a game to spare.

In Division One TSLC and SGS could both still finish as runners-up; this saw both sides desperate for a win in their f inal matches against the Island Boys and Ultraman respectively.

SGS were up first and knew that only a win would given them any hope of snatching second and they started brightly against Ultra-

The AFL teams celebrate another enjoyable season. man, only to be repeatedly pegged back before snatching a slender 4-3 half time lead.

After the break they scored two unanswered goals to win the match 6-3 and put pressure on TSLC. The ‘home’ side responded well, however, and ran out 3-1 winners to secure second spot.

In the Premier League most of the places had already

been determined, but there was still pride and finishing the season on a high to play for.

Portrait FC and Thanachart Bank both secured comfortable victories over Subsidy (9-3) and Chevrolet (7-2) respectively, but the closest game of the night came in the last fixture where the result between Jitjongrut and Honda would determine who finished third.

Honda started the game on the front foot and just after half time had established a three-goal lead. Undeterred, Jitjongrut gradually worked their way into the match and scored three unanswered goals to level at 3-3.

Now with the momentum firmly behind them, the 2007 runners-up began to overwhelm Honda and found the back of the net twice more in the remaining 10 minutes to seal a 5-3 win and third place.

Premier League Champions: Portrait FC Premier League Runnersup: Thanachart Bank Division One Champions: Thalang Tigers Division One Runners-up: TSLC G ol de n B o ot W i n ner: Surapong (SGS – 16 goals) Thanachart Bank Fair Play Trophy: Ultraman

30/11/2011

www.thephuketnews.com

40 ISLANDSPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Charitable FC Phuket win

A total of B131,800 was raised last Thursday (November 3) as FC Phuket played host to the Thailand SEA Games under-23 national side, the second of two friendly matches in aid of supporting victims of the flooding in central Thailand.

Those who did go to support the cause found their generosity well rewarded as the home side made amends for Monday’s 6 -1 defeat with a narrow 2-1 win.

An own goal and a penalty from Pongsak Panicharoen either side of half time were enough for the home side, who restored a number of their first choice stars to the starting lineup after fielding a largely reserve side in last Monday’s outing.

A generous crowd filed into Surakul keen to support those suffering in these difficult times and to catch a rare glimpse of their side after a flood and national team enforced layoff.

Coach Somphong Wattana named his strongest side possible with the likes of captain Suphat Ontthong, Nene Bi, Nirun Panthong, Tameezee Hayeeyusoh, and Watcharapong Chan-ngam all returning to the side.

The only players absent

www.thephuketnews.com

Nene Bi (left) covers under-23 star Ronnachai Rangsiyo. –Photo by Pongpisit Raksaket. were fullback Ronnachai Jinaket, absent through injury, Kone Adama, who was still in Bangkok, and midfield star Sarach Yooyen, who was lining up for the opposition alongside former FC Phuket player Adisak Kraisorn as part of a full strength team for the

Thailand under-23s.

After Monday’s debacle, the Kirin were keen to make amends but were pegged back by the under-23s pressing tactics as the away side forced the pace of the match.

The high defensive line adopted by the visitors and guile

of Sarach in midfield proved to be too much to handle for the home side at the start, as the Thai under-23s created the early chances.

Luckily for the home side Jonathan Matijas was in top form and denied BEC Tero Sasana’s top scorer Ronnachai

Rangsiyo on a number of occasions before the defence slowly began to gain the upper hand, reducing the opposition to long range efforts.

Having withstood some early pressure from the visitors, FC Phuket gradually got themselves into the match and, against the run of play, scored with their first real attack.

Having been awarded a free kick, winger Nirun, playing at right back, drifted the ball into the Thai under-23s box; both Nene Bi and Tameezee tried to head the ball towards goal but the crucial touch came from an opposition defender, who headed the ball past his goalkeeper and into the back of his own net.

The under-23s rallied and Adisak went close to grabbing an equaliser but was denied by Nene Bi and Wirajot Janteng, before Suphat came close to being an unlikely scorer until he was denied by the assistant referee’s flag.

After the restart the visitors came out determined to grab an equaliser and forced the Kirin further into their own half where they were once again saved by Matijas’ efforts in goal and a combination of inspired and cynical defending, the latter of which earned

Pongsak a yellow card.

FC Phuket’s night seemed to take a turn for the worse when captain Suphat was forced off with a back injury, but his departure brought Montree Janseeharat onto the field which pushed Nirun forward into his natural wide midfield position.

The move paid instant dividends as the skilf ul wide man was sent sprawling in the box and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Pongsak made no mistake, sending the ball low into the bottom left corner, to give the home side some breathing space.

Now two goals down, the Thai under-23s lost some of their discipline and were lucky to finish the game with 11 men after some rather hefty challenges, with Nirun singled out for special treatment.

The under-23s were handed a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty against the run of play, which Ronnachai duly dispatched to give the away side hope of snatching a draw.

However, neither side managed troubled the scorers in the closing moments of the match as FC Phuket ran out winners.

ISLANDSPORT 41

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Youth Phuket teams dominate National Games postponed BIS soccer tournament FOOTBALL

Phuket football teams won six of the nine trophies on offer at the British International School (BIS) last weekend (November 4 and 5), as the island’s youth dominated the 10th staging of the annual international schools football tournament.

The Youth Football Home (YFH) over- and under-15 boys, BIS under-11, under-13 and over-15 girls; and the BIS under-nine boys were all winners on Saturday, while the remaining three tournaments were won by JSSL Arsenal (under-11 boys), Tanglin Trust School (under13 boys) and the International Soccer Academy (under-15 girls), who had all made the journey to Phuket from Singapore.

More than 700 footballers representing 19 schools from eight different countries gathered at BIS to take part in the two-day festival of football.

Group stage matches took place on the Friday in hot, humid conditions as the sun shone fiercely on those in the thick of the action.

Despite the sometimes blistering heat, the teams still managed to produce some excellent football and there were memorable performances by teams from Phuket’s YFH, JSSL Arsenal and the BIS under-nines on day one.

Fortunately for the teams the temperatures dropped slightly for the finals on Saturday,

The Regent’s School’s ‘keeper can only watch as a YFH free kick goes narrowly wide. and as a result the quality of the football increased.

The over-15s was hotly contested and both the final and the third/fourth place match went to penalties.

The YFH boys were by far and away the better side in the final but were unable to find their way past a resolute team from The Regent’s School in Pattaya, who were roared on at every opportunity by their excitable coach on the sidelines.

The match ended goalless after extra time, leaving penalties to decide the outcome. A big crowd gathered to watch the drama unfold as both sides scored their first penalties before Regent missed their second spot kick as the YFH goalkeeper saved to his right.

Both sides converted their next penalties before the YFH’s Ek smashed home his side’s third to take the title.

A penalty was needed to determine the winners of the over-15 girls final but it came during regular time in the match between BIS Phuket and Grace International School in Chiang Mai. A very evenly-matched contest saw both sides create a few chances without ever really stretching either goalkeeper, before a great effort from BIS was handled on the line leaving the referee no option but to award a penalty.

The resulting spot kick was smashed into the bottom left corner to send the BIS players, coaches and fans into rapture, and the BIS girls side held their opponents at bay until the final whistle, sparking jubilant scenes.

In the other age group tournaments, YFH beat Phuket’s Paklok Soccer School in the under-15 boys final, Singapore’s

International Soccer Academy overcame the International School of Kuala Lumpur in the under-15s girls, in the under13s boys final Tanglin Trust School of Singapore defeated local rivals International Soccer Academy, while Tanglin’s under-13 girls finished runners up to BIS Phuket.

In the younger age groups JSSL Arsenal of Singapore triumphed over Tanglin in the under-11 boys, while there were wins for BIS Phuket in the under-11 girls and under-nine boys finals also against Tanglin in both matches.

The 28th National Youth Games, set to be held in Phuket in 2012, have been postponed by 11 weeks because of the flooding in central Thailand and Bangkok.

The Games were due to take place from March 12 to 28 next year, but will now be held from May 26 to June 5.

Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha explained in the meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Wednesday (November 2) that the flooding had affected many provinces that were due to send teams to the Games.

“More than 23 provinces that are due to compete in the Games are now effected by the great flood of Thailand so it is hard for them to train.”

Looking on the bright side, he said, “We currently have a budget of about B10 million from local agencies, but with the games being postponed, we will have time to raise more funds.”

Phuket Director of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) Virat Patee said that the postponement can be handled, though any later in the year would be a problem.

“May 26 to June 5 is suitable for the Games. Later than

YOUTH GAMES

this, and we will have scheduling problems because Phuket athletes are due to compete in other events, including the Asian Beach Games, the Asian Youth Games and the Olympics,” Mr Virat said.

Provincial Administrative Organisation (OrBorJor) President Paiboon Upatising said facilities for the Youth Games, such as stadiums and accommodation for athletes, are 80 per cent complete.

“There are 40 different sports involved. SAT Phuket has already prepared stadiums and venues for all but the shooting events – there is still uncertainty about the venues for those. But we expect to make a decision about this around the end of this month.

“Athletes will be accommodated in 24 schools and 12 hotels; between them, these can manage 10,000 people.

We are inspecting more schools and hotels in order to reserve more rooms.”

As for Phuket’s chances in the Games, he said, “We expect to win 20 gold medals, for Wushu, Karate, Pencak Silat, Judo, Taekwondo, golf and bowling.”

T20 marks ACG opening CRICKET The Singapore Cricket Club (SCC) inflicted a second straight defeat on the Phuket “All Stars” last Sunday (November 6) as the two sides met for a Twenty20 match to mark the soft opening of the Alan Cooke Ground in Thalang.

Asia’s oldest cricket club smashed an impressive 225 from their 20 overs for the loss of just four wickets before skittling the Phuket XI for just 112. PCG Chairman Patt Cotter presents Singapore Cricket Club captain Matthew Stretton with a PCG cap and shirt to thank After the thrilling encounter his team for participating in the soft opening of the ACG. between Phuket and SingaThe toss was won by Sin- in reply with Bill Stahmer, pore the previous day, another exiting encounter was antici- gapore and they elected to bat. Phuket’s oldest player at 62 The All Stars made a superb years young, top scoring with pated in the new short form of start when Best struck first ball 25 as Phuket were eventually cricket – Twenty20.

The Phuket Cricket Group to send A. Mahtani back to the bowled out for 112.

After the match Pat Cotter, (PCG) was represented by an- pavilion for a golden duck but other eleven “All Stars” from that was as good as it got as chairman of the PCG, thanked its ranks, and the team included Singapore batsmen T Larby the SCC for what is hoped to be three players from the Thai and A Moorthy smashed the a regular tour in years to come.

Singapore captain, Mathew youth team – Pow, Best and ball all over the ground for 54 First – to showcase the talent and 49 runs respectively. as the Streeton then thanked the PCG for their hospitality and a great being developed by PCG’s SCC compiled 225-4. youth development program.

The All Stars struggled weekend of cricket. www.thephuketnews.com

42 INTERNATIONALSPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

THE PHUKET NEWS TIPPING COMPETITION: 12

This month's competition is supported by:

Bolton exorcise cup demons

Back in April Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City faced each other in the second FA Cup semi-final at Wembley in a match many thought would be a tough one to call.

What transpired was one of the most one-sided FA Cup games in recent memory as Tony Pulis’s Stoke went on the rampage, smashing five goals past a stunned Wanderers side which sent them into an alarming decline which carried over into the start of this season.

Last Sunday Bolton were given the chance to exorcise their demons and did so in style in the most surprising result of round 11 of the 2011/12 Barclay’s Premier League season.

Before Sunday’s match the Trotters had failed to pick up a single point at home this season but returned to presemi-final form in style by scoring five unanswered goals past a Stoke side weary from its Thursday night Europa League exploits.

In the other matches Manchester City once again underlined their title credentials by coming from behind to snatch a win at QPR, while the league’s only other unbeaten side Newcastle United

WEEK 12 Home Team W D W Away Team

i r i

n a n w 19/11/2011 Norwich Everton Man City Stoke Sunderland West Brom Wigan Swansea 20/11/2011 Chelsea 21/11/2011 Tottenham

Arsenal Wolverhampton Newcastle QPR Fulham Bolton Blackburn Man Utd Liverpool Aston Villa

Please fax this form to 076 612 553 or hand it in at The Phuket News office before Friday 18 2pm. Alternatively, visit our website www.thephuketnews.com to enter the competition online.

October’s Tipping Competition winner Khun Uraiwan Voute – aka The Lunchroom Kathu – receives her B3,000 voucher from The Phuket News’ Managing Editor Simon Ostheimer to be used in Peppers Bar & Restaurant. stretched their run to 11 matches without defeat this season by beating Everton 2-1 at St. James’ Park.

Manchester United celebrated Sir Alex Ferguson’s 25 t h an niversar y with a narrow 1-0 win against Sunderland, as Chelsea got back to winning ways against struggling Blackburn to pile more pressure on their manager Steve Kean.

North London clubs Arsenal and Spurs continued their excellent recent form

with 3-0 and 3-1 wins against West Brom and Fulham respectively, while there was a long-awaited win for Wolves against Roberto Martinez’s Wigan who are rooted to the foot of the table.

Aston Villa came from behind to beat Norwich at Villa Park, and Liverpool once again failed to make their dominance at home count after the Reds were held to a goalless draw by Swansea at Anfield.

As was the case with the

beginning of October, before his form fell off alarmingly, The Phuket News’ tipster Dan Ogunshakin has started this month well picking up 14 points after correctly predicting the results of seven matches in round 11.

Top of the league after one round in November is ‘Jauntingjason’ who scored a rather impressive 23 points.

The top points scorer for the month of November will win themselves a B3,000 voucher to be spent at the Australia Bar & Grill in Kata where you can watch all the international sport on 50” plasma screen TVs or on the big screen.

The overall winner will

win a return flight to the UK come the end of the season.

Currently the overall lead belongs to ‘gafferworld’ who is still top with 176 points.

T here is no Premier League action this week as many of the players are away on international duty with their countries but will return to their clubs for the weekend of November 19 and 20 You can now enter your predictions for round 12.

Either enter them online by 11.59pm on November 18 at www.thephuketnews.com, fax them to the office on 076 612 553 or hand them to us personally here in Billion Plaza, opposite Tesco-Lotus before 2pm on the 18th.

ROUND 11 RESULTS: Newcastle 2-1 Everton Arsenal 3-0 West Brom Aston Villa 3-2 Norwich Blackburn 0-1 Chelsea Liverpool 0-0 Swansea Man Utd 1-0 Sunderland QPR 2-3 Man City Wolves 3-1 Wigan Bolton 5-0 Stoke Fulham 1-3 Tottenham ROUND 12 FIXTURES Norwich v Arsenal Everton v Wolves Man City v Newcastle Stoke v QPR Sunderland v Fulham West Brom v Bolton Wigan v Blackburn Swansea v Man Utd Chelsea v Liverpool Tottenham v Aston Villa TOP 10 PERFORMERS (NOVEMBER): 1. Jauntingjason 23 2. rutherman 22 3. Eak 21 3. scottkip 21 3. zestrealestate 21 3. TimBIS 21 7. phuketelectrician 20 8. A1CR 14 8. alanphuket 14 8. Allard 14 TOP 10 PERFORMERS (OVERALL): 1. gafferworld 176 2. alanphuket 172 3. MRB 164 4. dcoutts 163 5. Mal Kenyon 158 6. chasman 156 6. MAMCHAM 156 8. Allard 154 8. apollo131 154 10. rutherman 147

Los Pumas join new ‘Rugby Championship’ Beckham helps LA Southern Hemisphere rugby officials this week confirmed that the annual Tri-Nations contest bet ween the All Blacks, Australia and South

RUGBY Africa will be expanded to include Argentina, describing the new format as a top-level

Famous brands from home available at MBS Thailand Co., Ltd

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“best of the best” clash involving the world’s premier teams.

SA N Z A R , t h e b o d y operating South Africa, Australia and New Zealand’s rugby contests, said Argentina’s Los Pumas would join a new four-nations tie called “The Rugby Championship”, kicking off next August.

SA NZA R chief G reg Peters said the tournament, which replaces the 15-yearold Tri-Nations series, would be the “ultimate contest”, bringing together the world’s first, second, fourth and seventh-ranked teams.

“The Rugby Championship will be an annual contest between the ‘best-of-the-best’ in world rugby – nations who have won six of the seven World Cups,” Peters said.

“The invitation to Argentina to join the Championship is a defining moment for southern hemisphere rugby and significant for world rugby,” he added.

Previous semi-finalists, Los Pumas had a solid World Cup which saw them knocked out at the quarter-final stage by the All Blacks, who went on to win, and Peters said their

regular inclusion at elite level was “long overdue”.

Argentine rugby officials said it was a historic moment for the sport in their nation.

“For years Argentinean Rugby has been seeking to participate regularly in a tournament like this,” said Union Argentina de Rugby high performance chairman Manuel Galindo.

“Playing in The Rugby Championship makes us really proud and will compel us to work ha rder at what we a re doi ng. We must celebrate being part of this tournament,” he added.

South African Rugby Union chief Jurie Roux said it marked “the launching pad to a dramatically changed landscape” for souther n hemisphere rugby.

The 12-match Championship schedule kicks off on August 18, 2012 and will feature games across all four countries, with Australia taking on New Zealand in the first fixture in Sydney in a repeat of the last ever TriNations match between the two countries which finished 25-20 in favour of the Wallabies.

Galaxy reach final In what could be his final appearance for the club, David Beckham’s LA Galaxy will take on Houston Dynamo in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan star grabbed an assist as his side beat Real Salt Lake 3-1 in the Western Conference final with goals from Landon Donovan, Mike Magee and former Liverpool striker Robbie Keane.

In the other fixture Dynamo beat Sporting Kansas 2-0 to win the Eastern Conference title.

Beckham joined the Galaxy in 2006 after leaving Real Madrid and signed a lucrative five-year deal worth a reported $32.5 million (B996 million) and his contract is set to expire at the end of the current campaign.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future – the former England captain has been linked with a number of clubs including Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and big

Beckham will decide on his future after the final. spending French side Paris Saint Germain, who are now under Qatari ownership – Beckham says he is focused on bringing the MLS Cup to the Galaxy for the first time since he joined the club.

“I’m a Galaxy player right now. I’m 36 years old and I still enjoy soccer,” he said.

“Right now we’re focused on the Cup. We don’t want to get too carried away.

“We did that a couple of years ago [when Galaxy lost to Real in the MLS Cup] and paid for it.”

INTERNATIONALSPORT 43

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

English Premier Team Man City Man United Newcastle United Chelsea Tottenham Liverpool Arsenal Aston Villa Norwich City Swansea City QPR Stoke City Wolves West Brom Sunderland Fulham Everton Bolton Wanderers Blackburn Rovers Wigan Athletic

P 11 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 10 11 11 11

W 10 8 7 7 7 5 6 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 1 1

Ligue 1, France

D 1 2 4 1 1 4 1 6 4 4 3 3 2 2 4 4 1 0 3 2

L 0 1 0 3 2 2 4 2 4 4 5 5 6 6 5 5 6 8 7 8

F 39 28 17 24 21 14 23 16 16 12 10 8 12 9 14 14 11 18 13 7

A 10 12 8 15 15 10 21 15 18 15 20 19 18 16 13 15 15 27 24 20

Pts 31 26 25 22 22 19 19 15 13 13 12 12 11 11 10 10 10 9 6 5

Pts 28 23 23 23 22 19 18 18 17 16 16 13 13 12 12 10 10 8

Bundesliga, Germany Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

Bayern 12 Dortmund 12 Werder Bremen 12 B’sia M’gladbach 12 Schalke 12 Hannover 12 Stuttgart 12 Leverkusen 12 Hoffenheim 12 Hertha Berlin 12 Köln 12 Kaiserslautern 12 Wolfsburg 12 Mainz 12 Nuremberg 12 Hamburg 12 Freiburg 12 Augsburg 12

9 7 7 7 7 5 5 5 5 4 5 3 4 3 3 2 3 1

1 2 2 2 1 4 3 3 2 4 1 4 1 3 3 4 1 5

2 3 3 3 4 3 4 4 5 4 6 5 7 6 6 6 8 6

32 26 23 15 24 16 18 15 15 16 20 10 15 16 13 15 16 9

4 9 16 9 18 17 12 16 13 17 26 15 25 23 20 25 27 22

P

W

D

L

F

A

Pts

PSG

Team

13

9

3

1

26

11

30

Montpellier Lille Lyon

13 13 13

8 6 7

3 6 2

2 1 4

28 22 21

16 13 15

27 24 23

Rennes

13

6

4

3

22

16

22

Toulouse

13

6

4

3

13

12

22

Lorient

13

5

5

3

15

12

20

Marseille

13

4

6

3

17

14

18

Caen

13

5

3

5

20

19

18

Saint-Étienne

13

4

5

4

12

16

17

Sochaux

13

4

5

4

20

25

17

Auxerre

13

3

6

4

19

18

15

Evian

13

2

7

4

15

18

13

Bordeaux

13

2

7

4

15

19

13

Brest

13

1

9

3

Valenciennes Nice

13 13

2 2

5 5

6 6

13 13

14 14

12 11

12

14

11

Nancy

13

2

5

6

10

16

11

Dijon

13

3

2

8

13

28

11

Ajaccio

13

1

4

8

10

26

7

Coming up this week English Premier League Fixtures

Bundesliga Fixtures

(Times in Thailand)

(Times in Thailand)

Saturday November 12 Norwich v Arsenal 19:45 Everton v Wolves 22:00 Man City v Newcastle 22:00 Stoke v QPR 22:00 Sunderland v Fulham 22:00 West Brom v Bolton 2200 Wigan v Blackburn 2200

Saturday November 12 K’slautern v Leverkusen 01:30 M’gladbach v Bremen 20:30 Cologne v Mainz 20:30 Freiburg v Hertha Berlin 20:30 Schalke v Nuremberg 20:30 Wolfsburg v Hannover 20:30 Bayern v Dortmund, 23:30

Sunday November 13 Swansea v Man Utd 00:30 Chelsea v Liverpool 23:00 Tuesday November 15 Tottenham v Aston Villa 03:00

Sunday November 13 Stuttgart v Augsburg 20:30 Hamburg v Hoffenheim 22:30

Sport on TV: Times in Thailand Friday November 11

Serie A, Italy Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

Udinese

10

6

3

1

13

4

Pts 21

Lazio

10

6

3

1

16

8

21

Milan

10

6

2

2

23

14

20 19

EVENT TIME CHANNEL

Golf: Barclays Singapore Open 12:02 STAR Sports Tennis: Paris Masters 20:00 Astro Supersport 2

Saturday November 12

Juventus

9

5

4

0

15

7

Palermo

10

5

1

4

14

12

16

Napoli

9

4

2

3

13

7

14

Roma

10

4

2

4

13

11

14

Catania

10

3

5

2

12

16

14

Siena

10

3

4

3

12

8

13

Cagliari

10

3

4

3

9

10

13

Genoa

9

3

3

3

12

12

12

EuroQ: Turkey v Croatia 01:55 Astro Supersport 3 EuroQ: Bosnia v Portugal 01:55 Astro Supersport Rugby: Heineken Cup 03:00 Eurosport Golf: Australian Open 08:00 ESPN Golf: Barclays Singapore Open 10-:00 STAR Sports Football: FA Cup Round 1 19:30 TrueSport 1 Tennis: Paris Masters 20:00 Astro Supersport 2 Rugby: Heineken Cup 20:30 Eurosport F1: Abu Dhabi Qualifying 19:50 STAR Sports Rugby: Heineken Cup 22:40 Eurosport

Atalanta

10

5

3

2

13

12

12

Fiorentina

10

3

3

4

10

9

12

Sunday, November 13

Chievo

10

3

3

4

8

11

12

Parma

10

4

0

6

12

18

12

Bologna

10

3

1

6

9

16

10

Internazionale

9

2

2

5

11

16

8

Lecce

10

2

2

6

8

16

8

Novara

10

1

4

5

12

19

7

Cesena

10

0

3

7

3

13

3

Formula 1: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Football: England v Spain 00:15 TrueSport 1 Golf: Australian Open 08:00 ESPN Golf: Barclays Singapore Open 10-:00 STAR Sports F1: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 19:45 STAR Sports Football: FA Cup Round 1 19:30 TrueSport 1 Tennis: Paris Masters 20:00 Astro Supersport 2 Rugby: Heineken Cup 20:45 Eurosport

Williams and Woods used to be close. Photo James Phelps

Woods: Williams is not a racist

Tiger Woods defended his former caddie Steve Williams on Tuesday, saying he was not a racist and had apologised for a “hurtful” slur that triggered widespread condemnation.

Williams, who was Woods’s caddie for 13 of his 14 major titles before being sacked earlier this year, referred to the former world number one as a “black arsehole” during an awards dinner last Friday night (November 4) in Shanghai.

Williams and Woods came face to face at The Lakes course in Sydney on Tuesday.

Woods, 35, who has not won a tournament for two years – precipitating a slump in his world ranking to 58 – said that the pair shook hands and agreed to move on.

“We talked this morning, we met face to face and talked it through,” Woods said.

“Obviously, it was a wrong thing to say, something that we both acknowledged now and we’re moving forward.

“He did apologise. It was hurtful, certainly, but life goes forward,” Woods said.

“No, Steve’s certainly not a racist, there’s no doubt about that. I think it was a comment that shouldn’t have been made and certainly one that he wished he didn’t make.”

Despite outrage over Williams’s remarks, Scott has re-

GOLF fused to fire the New Zealander.

Greg Norman, also competing in Sydney, defended the caddie and said there was no racism in golf, while tournament chiefs said no action would be taken.

But Wood s’s f r ie nd , Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples, said he would have sacked Williams as his caddie over his remarks.

Williams, 47, posted an online statement apologising to Woods on Saturday and admitted his comments “could be construed as racist”, but the US and European Tours have declared the matter closed.

Woods said it had been a tough decision to split with Williams.

“For me, professionally, it was a tough decision to make.

“But as far as personally, I don’t know how it [the comment] happened, but it did.

Here we are, so life goes forward,” he said.

“This summer I wanted to go in a different direction.

I wasn’t playing, I was injured and I was trying to come back but I missed most of the major championships and he [Williams] didn’t want to miss them, which was understandable.

“I wish I could have played in them too.”

Hash House Harriers Run 1340: Saturday November 12 at 3:30pm.

Hares: Bullet Rash and J.C. Directions: Laager is 200m west of Heroines’ Monument (i.e. towards Cherng Talay). Park diagonally on the main road (NOT parallel or there won’t be enough spaces) or go through the barrier and park among the rubber trees on the right. We don’t trust the bridge if there’s lots of rain.

Bus: Bus will leave the Expat Hotel, Patong at 14:00 and Baan Rim Klong, Kamala at 14:30.

OPEN 2pm-2am

(Times in Thailand) Friday November 11 Practice 1 16:00 Practice 2 20:00 Saturday November 12 Practice 3 17:00

Saturday November 12 Qualifying 20:00 Sunday November 13 Race 20:00

Formula 1 Driver Standings after Indian GP 1. S. Vettel 374 (2011 champion); 2. J. Button 240; 3. F. Alonso 227; 4. M. Webber 221; 5. L. Hamilton 202; 6. F. Massa 98; 7.

N. Rosberg 75; 8. M. Schumacher 70; 9. V. Petrov 36; 10. N. Heidfeld 34; 11. A. Sutil 30; 12. K. Kobayashi 27; 13. J. Alguesuari 26; 14. P. di Resta 21; 15. S. Buemi 15; 16. S. Perez 14; 17. R. Barichello 4; 18. B. Senna 2; 19. P. Maldonado 1. All others 0.

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www.thephuketnews.com

44

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

SPORT

Williams not racist: Woods defends former caddie over slur > 43

Joe Frazier loses final fight Joe Frazier, the former undisputed heavyweight champ famed for his epic fights against Muhammad Ali, died on Tuesday (Thailand time) after a brief but brave battle with severe liver cancer. He was 67.

T he fa m ily issued a news release confirming Frazier’s death late Monday night in the US. The boxing icon won an Olympic gold medal in a brilliant career that spanned almost 20 years but he was best known for fighting Ali in a famed 1970s trilogy of bouts, including the “Thrilla in Manila”.

He had been under home care after being diagnosed a couple of weeks ago with the advanced liver cancer that took his life, a family friend said.

“I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration,” Ali said in a statement.

“My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones.”

Fr a z i e r, n i c k n a m e d “Smokin’ Joe,” captured two major heavyweight titles while taking on all comers, including Ali, George Foreman, Jerry

BOXING Quarry, Joe Bugner, Oscar Bonavena and George Chuvalo.

The boxing legend from Beaufort, South Carolina was a huge part of the heyday of boxing’s heavyweight division in the 1970s. He finished his storied career with 32 wins (27 knockouts), four losses and one draw.

His four losses came at the hands of two other legendary fighters from that era: Ali and Foreman.

The Philippines’s Manny Pacquiao heard the news after arriving in Las Vegas for his title fight against Juan Manuel Marquez this Sunday morning (Thailand time).

“Boxing lost a great champion, and the sport lost a great ambassador,” Pacquiao said. “My prayers go out to his family.”

Frazier was the first man to defeat Ali, with a unanimous 15-round decision in 1971 at Madison Square Garden, in what was dubbed the “Fight of the Century”.

Smokin’ Joe Frazier was world champion during heavyweight boxing’s golden era of the 1970s.

–AFP Photo An estimated 300 million people around the world watched the fight on television.

Frazier’s business manager Leslie Wolff said that fight has passed down through three generations and caused Frazier’s fan base to sky-rocket.

“If you look into the history of what took place, there is a

lot of emotion,” said Wolff.

“When you have a legend, people respond to a legend.”

Frazier and Ali went on to fight twice more.

Ali won a unanimous 12-round decision in a 1974 non-title rematch at the Garden and famously completed the trilogy, winning the “Thrilla

in Manila” in 1975 by stopping Frazier after 14 rounds in their epic fight in Quezon City, a district within the metropolitan area of Manila.

Frazier’s t rai ner Eddie Futch stepped in to halt the brutal slugfest after the 14th round.

Futch had to hold back Frazier who, despite being barely able to stand, wanted to continue the fight into the 15th round.

“Closest thing to dying that I know of,” said Ali after the fight.

For many years after they finished fighting each other in the ring, Frazier remained bitter towards Ali because of Ali’s repeated taunts and verbal jabs.

Ali would often use the words ‘Uncle Tom’ and ‘gorilla’ to describe Frazier.

Frazier always tried to take the high road and more recently said he had forgiven Ali. Frazier won the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association heavyweight titles in 1970 by stopping Jimmy Ellis in the fifth round of their fight

at Madison Square Garden.

He began his career with 29 consecutive wins before suffering his first loss, and losing his heavyweight title, when he was knocked down six times in two rounds by Foreman in 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica.

The two fought for the second time in 1976, with Foreman hitting Frazier so hard with one left hook that he lifted Frazier right off his feet. The fight was stopped in the fifth after a second knock-down.

Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, who worked with Ali, said it was a sad day for boxing.

“He was such an inspirational guy. A decent guy. A man of his word,” Arum said.

“I’m torn up by Joe dying at this relatively young age. I can’t say enough about Joe.” A member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Frazier was the only American fighter to win a gold medal at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.

In recent years, Frazier turned to singing, forming a back-up group called the Knockouts.

–AFP

Torch relay route unveiled Warne back

for Big Bash

OLYMPICS

The Olympic torch will visit famous sights such as Stonehenge on its journey around Britain before the 2012 Games.

The flame will also scale mountains, telescopes, take a ride on a train and endure a dash through a shopping centre on its 70-day, 8,000-mile (12,875-kilometre) journey.

Altogether, 8,000 runners will bear the torch for a mile each on its trip to the far reaches of the kingdom.

After being lit at Olympia in Greece, the flame will being its journey on May 18 at Land’s End and continue on until the opening ceremony of the Games on July 27.

Security will be ever-present, with an 11-strong convoy of vehicles likely to accompany the flame on its journey round Britain. Organisers say the policing levels will be “proportionate”.

The relay will go within an hour’s travel time of 95 per cent of the British population, taking in famous sports venues, historic sites and places of outstanding natural beauty. www.thephuketnews.com

CRICKET

London 2012 chairman Lord Sebastian Coe gazes at the Olympic Torch. –AFP Photo London 2012 chairman Lord Sebastian Coe said he wanted to see local communities organising events to celebrate as the flame comes to town.

“We saw the appetite around the royal wedding and that’s what we’re wanting to do,” the double Olympic champion said.

After setting off from Land’s End, the torch will go to the 1,085-metre summit of Mount Snowdon, the highest

peak in Wales, and then scale the giant telescope at the Jodrell Bank observatory in Cheshire in northwest England.

It will stop off for a ride in a TT sidecar on the Isle of Man en route to Northern Ireland, where it will visit the Giant’s Causeway.

On June 8 the torch moves to Scotland, risking an encounter with the Loch Ness Monster before reaching John

O’Groats, the northern most point of Britain.

The torch will visit the Stonehenge prehistoric monument on July 12.

When it arrives in the capital, it will spend the night in the Tower of London on July 20 before touring the city, heading down the River Thames from Hampton Court Palace to the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony.

Spin legend Shane Warne announced his return to cricket this week, joining Australia’s new Big Bash League Twenty20 competition with the Melbourne Stars for at least one season.

The 42-year-old ended his two-decade cricket career following the completion of the 2011 Indian Premier League in May, but said recently he had never felt fitter and speculation was rife he was in talks with several clubs. “ I ’m r e a l l y e x c i t e d about playing competitively again and delighted to be joining the Melbourne Stars,” he told a press conference at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

“I’m back in training next week turning my arm over.”

Warne, who retired from the Australian Test team in early 2007, said he wanted his three children, now aged 10, 12 and 14, to be able to see him at work and it was an “added bonus” his fiancée Liz

Shane Warne will return to T20 action in December.

Hurley would be there too.

He did not rule out possibly extending his contract with the Melbourne side if the 2011-2012 season went well.

“I’m a young 42 at the moment, so I’ll see how it goes this year,” he said.

“This is something fresh, this is something new and we’re all learning straight away. Let’s see how it goes this year and we’ll take it from there.”

Warne’s first game in the new competition will be against the Sydney Thunder at the MCG on December 17.