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Eco officials admit huge backlog of inspections

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OLD LOGO An astonishing 4,000 properties on Phuket, ranging from single homes to hotels, have never been inspected for their adherence to the environmental aspects of their building permits.

As a result, environment officials on the island have no idea how many of the 4,000 structures – built since environmental regulations were brought in eight years ago – adhere to the rules, and how many break them.

That will soon change, the 11-month-old Phuket Environmental Monitoring Committee (PEMC) heard on Wednesday.

In any given month, approximately 10 small development projects ask for construction permission from the Phuket Natural Resources and Environmental Office (PNRE), reported its new director, Sumet Aumporn.

“Since 2003, more than 4,000 projects have been given approval to begin construction. None of them have been inspected following those approvals,” Mr Sumet said.

He ex pla i ne d t h at checking was previously the job of a variety of officials acting together – from the Natural Resources Department, the Marine Office and local authorities. This was an inefficient system, because it was impossible to get everyone together at the right place and time.

To solve this, the PEMC was set up last November.

But still inspections could not be made because no budget had been allocated Continued page 2

Phuket to be test site for new drugs policy.

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Recent graduates of the Prince of Songkhla University get their pictures taken with Bang Wad reservoir as the scenic backdrop. It’s not so pretty when the water runs out in the dry season.

11 dead, 212 hurt in Argentina crash.

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RUNNING DRY

Phuket’s population will soon outgrow water supplies

I

t may be hard to believe with all the recent rain, but Phuket is slowly running out of water.

A team of water supply consultants from independent Dutch consulting company Span met with local authorities on Wednesday to discuss some of the island’s water woes.

The team’s findings indicate that there is presently enough water in Phuket to meet demand, but within the next decade, demand will outstrip supply.

About 20 million cubic metres of water is stored on Phuket in three main reservoirs – Bang Wad, Bang Niew Dam

By Sukunya Phoonpong (Beau) REPORTER

and Klong Kra Ta. But with an expected rise in both the number of residents and tourists on the island, the reservoirs will simply not be enough.

Growing amounts of waste water as a result of population increase will also put pressure on Phuket’s far from complete infrastructure, they said.

Though the annual rainfall of 2.5 metres on the island is theoretically more than enough to meet future population increases, there is currently no

adequate means of catching and storing that rainwater.

Nor is there any plan to do so.

The consultants suggested the small reservoir at Khok Tanod be developed as the main water source for Phuket, with Bang Niew Dam and Bang Wad reservoirs feeding into it.

They also said the island’s lakes (all former tin mines) need to be developed to feed water into the existing reservoirs.

But it was not only the future availability of water that attracted concern, but also the quality. A Phuket Provincial Public Health officer revealed

that the water supply in many parts of Thalang was found to be infected by Escherichia Coli (E. Coli) bacteria – usually found in human or animal faeces – and traces of rust.

Rampant and poorly regulated development has also meant flooding has become a direct threat to the island, particularly in areas such as Tambon Kamala, Patong, Thepkrasattri, Chalong and Karon where concrete buildings have taken the place of canals and forests.

Span will now study the problems and come back with suggestions of ways to solve them.

Rooney and Aguero star.

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ISLAND NEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

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The debate over transport continues to heat up. Here are the latest developments this week.

New bus routes proposed Phuket needs good public transportation to prevent tourists being cheated by high fares charged by private taxis and tuk-tuks, Teerayoot Prasertphol, Director of the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), said during a recent meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall.

He suggested that new public bus routes be established from Phuket International Airport to the west coast and the south of the island.

Currently, there is only one airport bus service – a privately-owned service that runs from the airport to the bus station in Phuket Town.

Mr Teerayoot said three more routes are needed: From the airport via Kamala to Patong, another via Patong and Karon to Kata, and a third via Chalong to Rawai.

“This will help save tourists from having to pay unreasonably high fares,” he said.

He did acknowledge, however, that there might be some difficulties.

“Introducing public transportation may give the Phuket authorities problems with local taxis and tuk-tuks, as it will affect their incomes,” he said.

Two arrested for taxi attack, both bailed Two taxi operators who allegedly attacked a driver from the Kok Chang elephant trekking company on September 4 and smashed the windscreen of his car were arrested on Tuesday (September 13).

Kamala police said they arrested Sitthikorn Boonsri, 31, and Thanawut Poksakul, 25, two drivers who park in front of the Cape Sienna Hotel, where the attack took place.

The two were charged with assault causing bodily harm and damaging private property. Police said the drivers denied the charges but said they would give testimony only in the court.

The two were released the same day after an official from the Kamala OrBorTor stood bail.

“This incident does severe damage to Phuket’s image, especially as it happened in

front of tourists,” said the Superintendent of Kamala Police Station, Pol Col Natthaphakin Kwanchaipruk.

“However, according to the law, the offenses are not regarded as very serious.” He admitted that because of the lack of heavy legal punishment for these offences, “I’ve realised that [legal penalties alone] can’t fix the problems of taxi violence.”

Pol Col Natthaphakin

added that the swiftness with which the arrest warrants were issued showed that police were trying to expedite the case. Usually, it takes around a month to issue a warrant.

If the judge hearing the case decides the two are guilty they face fines or jail terms of up to three years.

Kamala police are trying to identify two more drivers involved in the attack.

Island’s transport problems are simple white and black White tuk-tuk are the solution to Phuket’s tuk-tuk problems, the Governor’s advisers suggested on Monday (September 12).

Bhuritt Maswongssa, a vice president of the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) said at a meeting with Governor Tri Augkaradacha that the idea of white tuk-tuks had come from a vice president of the Pacific Asia Travel Association whom he had met during a tourism road show to New Delhi the

previous week. White tuk-tuks would, naturally, be painted white and would have a large list of fares attached to the outside of the vehicle, so as to prevent arguments over prices.

White tuk-tuks would be promoted to tourists as a being reliable. Seminars would have to be arranged for tuk-tuk drivers to understand that tourism needs cooperation from everyone, he added.

Sarayuth Mallam, another vice president of the PTA and

also an adviser, said he was concerned about a different colour – black taxis.

The name black taxis denotes private car used as taxis but not registered for commercial use with the Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO).

Not being registered means that a black taxi driver can run away from trouble easily, as there is no record of his details.

“A lot of black taxis come from other parts of Thailand,”

Mr Sarayuth said.

“They can commit crimes and then disappear.”

He suggested the PLTO arrange a seminar for all tuk-tuk and taxi drivers before they get a licence. At the seminar it would be drummed into them that everyone is affected by tourism problems, including tuk-tuk and taxi violence.

He also urged steps to be taken to control the number of unregistered vehicles used for transport.

Evason bows to Eco officials tackle taxi blockade massive backlog About 20 unregistered “black” taxi drivers used three vehicles to block the entrance to the Evason Phuket Resort in Rawai on September 8.

The blockade began after local drivers saw a legal, registered taxi from elsewhere had been called by staff at the front desk of the hotel to pick up hotel guests.

Hotel executives and Chalong police spent two

hours negotiating with the drivers, who also complained about a shortage of parking space for their cars inside the hotel grounds.

Despite the fact that all the drivers operate outside the law, the hotel caved in to their demands, agreeing to provide parking space for another two cars, and promising to instruct hotel staff to give priority to local black taxis.

From page 1 to cover its costs. That money has now finally come through.

“To bring transparency to the process of protecting Phuket’s environment, we want to inspect all those 4,000 projects,” Mr Sumet said, though he admitted, “It will take a long time.”

Projects on the island’s coast are the first priority, and before the meeting, the members of the committee went on a quick site inspection of a disputed property development on the southeast coast.

Mr Sumet said Phuket’s environment has been under pressure for years. The biggest concerns are landslides and the loss of coastal resources.

(Mr Sumet was backed up in this opinion by a Phuket geologist, Amnart Tantitamsopon, who told a meeting with Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha

on Monday, “Many people want to exploit 100 per cent of their land, but only a few have true knowledge of geology.”

He explained that Phuket was heavily excavated during the tin mining era, leaving some areas unstable even today.

Many development projects have been sprouting from the ground with no concern for their environmental impact, he said.)

The PEMC meeting on Wednesday also heard that multiple and conflicting regulations have allowed less scrupulous operators to build in places where they should not.

For example, according to environmental laws announced by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in 2003, buildings in Zone 1, from 20 to 50 metres from the high tide line, may be no more than six metres high.

“However, the high tide delineating Zone 1 is not clearly defined,” Natthawan Jamlongkad, a member of the PEMC, said.

Muddying the waters, noted PEMC member Suta Prateep na Talang, is the fact that another line around Phuket’s coast has been drawn by the OrBorJor. This line, the mid-point between high and low tides, is used to measure whether a piece of land is above or below the famed 80-metre mark.

“You can’t use the mid- tide level as a basis for defining Zone 1,” he said.

But apparently, some developers do, because this allows them to build higher structures closer to the sea than they are in fact allowed to.

“Many things in Phuket are simply about taking advantage,” Mr Sumet said.

– Paritta Wangkiat

ISLAND NEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

3

FC Phuket staffer beaten over bottles

Is this really necessary? This colourful sign, erected by OrBorTor Koh Kaew, thanks the Governor for the traffic lights installed many months ago.

Road sign clutter clean-up goes on Attempts are under way to clean up the clutter of signage lining Phuket’s roads, though not without some opposition.

At a meeting with Governor Tri Augkaradacha on Monday (September 13), Surin Bamrungphol, one of Phuket Governor’s local advisers, pointed out that signs must be completely cleared up if Phuket wants to conform to its ambition to become an “International Island City” by 2015.

Most of clutter consists of advertising, Mr Surin reported, some of it installed without permission. In addition there are many signs put up by local authorities

advertising events that happened months ago.

Some signs, especially on Thepkrasattri Rd, have been cleared up since the beginning of this month, but there are still a lot of them remaining, he said.

Ter mpan Noksang, a Deputy Director of Phuket Highway District (PHD), said many of the signs’ owners had complained to OrBorTor after their signs were removed.

In some cases, there had been arguments with officials sent to remove the signs, and threats of legal action for theft.

Part of the problem was simple misunderstanding.

“They paid the sign tax to the local OrBorTor,” Mr Termpan said, “when in fact, if a sign is installed on Highways Department property, permission must be sought from the PHD.” Mr Surin said that since regulations governing signage were apparently confusing, Gov Tri and the PHD should reconsider rewriting many of the clauses.

The governor said that officials, in collaboration with the police, will continue clearing up signs, removing some and fixing others that block drivers’ view of the road or that are misspelled.

A member of FC Phuket’s promotion staff, Charit Homnarn, was beaten and robbed in the early hours of Saturday (September 10) by four armed men who said they blamed him for the child of one being hit by a bottle at the team’s home ground, Surakul Stadium.

Mr Charit, better known as “Lung Noy Muang Thong” (Uncle Noy United) or “Lung Noy Roy Krapong” (Uncle Noy 100 cans) was in the Phoonpol area of Phuket Town at about 3 am, handing out flyers to promote the upcoming match between FC Phuket and Bangkok United.

After the beating Lung Noy explained what had happened.

Four men drinking in a bar accosted him, he said. They were FC Phuket fans, they told him, but one said that his child had been hit with a thrown bottle while watching a match at Surakul. They had decided that Lung Noy should be held responsible.

Lung Noy pointed out that he was just a member of staff, and had no authority whatsoever in the matter. This just upset the men further. The four men were upset with this

Lung Noy shows the damage done to his lip by his attackers. answer. One flashed an ID card at him that purported to show he was a corporal in the police.

At gunpoint they took Lung Noy to their car, drove him to the top of Toh Sae hill and brutally beat him. He suffered cut lips, bruises, and bloody wounds to his left knee.

The men left him at the top of the hill, though not before relieving him of his phone and camera.

He managed to walk down the hill to Provincial Hall where he managed to hitch a ride in a pick-up truck to

Phuket Police Station to file a report.

FC Phuket management later contacted Pol Maj Gen Pisan Chuladilok, Deputy Commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8, who is a member of FC Phuket’s board of directors and a consultant to the team.

He issued an immediate order to Pol Col Chote Chidchai, Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station telling him to hunt down the four men.

–Kazira Hanshanasattru

UK embassy seeks views The British Embassy in Bangkok has launched a survey to learn more about the issues affecting retired British nationals living in Thailand.

The anonymous survey can be completed online at ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk between September 9 and October 2.

The results from the survey will be used by the embassy “to better understand the needs of retired British nationals in Thailand, to identify ways to improve consular services, to help people prepare for moving to Thailand, and to try to improve awareness of services provided by local organisations throughout Thailand”.

A summary of the analysis of the survey results is expected to be published in late October.

The embassy estimates that 50,000 British people live in Thailand or spend much of the year here. Many are retirees. www.thephuketnews.com

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ISLAND NEWS

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Phuket to be test site for new drugs policy Phuket has been chosen by the new Thai government as a trial province for the solution of drug-related problems.

The plan is a part of new government policy to reduce drug addiction across Thailand, Governor Tri Augkaradacha explained during a meeting with Phuket police on Tuesday (September 13).

About 1.3 million from Thailand’s total population of 65 million – or one in every 50 people – are estimated to be addicted to drugs.

Their baleful influence is widespread: around 65,000 villages, from a total of 85,000 in the country, have faced problems related to drugs.

In Phuket, 2,501 people were arrested this year up to the end of August on possession charges. More than 120,000 pills of yaba (methamphetamine) and 7,000 grams of ya-ice (crystal methamphetamine) were seized.

Gov Tri said the government believes the main barrier to solving drug abuse is the lack of understanding.

“Without knowledge of drug issues, drug problems won’t be solved, no matter how hard we try,” he said.

He said the government was urging local authorities to educate people in drug awareness, as well as urging Phuket police to get serious

Michael Sand Andersen.

Family of dead Dane appeal for help to find where he lived

Suchat Polmuen, 30, and Apichat Polmuen, 24, were arrested with 28 pills of ya-ba.

They are pictured with some of the drug paraphernalia seized, as well as urine samples taken from them to test for drug use. about solving drug problems.

The government has set itself a target of reducing the number of drug addicts in Thailand to 900,000 by the end of this year, and to 250,000 in the coming four years.

On the same day that the new government drive was being discussed, eight drug users and dealers were arrested in Phuket by officers from Crime Suppression Division 5 (CSD), responsible for the 15

provinces from lower Central Thailand to upper Southern Thailand.

Deputy Superintendent of of CSD 5, Pol Lt Col Bhukarawik Chotikstian, said the raids came as a result of information gathered from arrests of drug dealers in Surat Thani and Nakorn Sri Thammarat provinces. Although eight people were arrested, the amount of drugs seized was disappointing: 48 ya ba pills, six grams of ya ice

and a pile of kratom leaves.

Also seized were 21 pieces of drug paraphernalia, two motorbikes and B2,300 in cash.

The CSD officers raided three night clubs in Phuket Town on Monday night (September 12), but no drugs were found.

Five places were raided the following day, including homes and a garage where the eight were arrested in possession of the drugs.

–Paritta Wangkiat

Bomber fails to rob bank

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Bank manager Auttaporn Thitirangsee tells reporters about the attempted robbery.

A man who claimed to be carrying a bomb attempted to rob the Kasikorn Bank branch in Tilok Utis Rd, Phuket Town, on Monday afternoon.

Sadly for him, the branch had already closed for the day.

Bank manager Auttaporn Thitirangsee told The Phuket News that the man, who looked to be about 40 years old, came up to the upper floor of the branch and, finding the glass door locked, attempted to kick it in.

When the door refused to yield, he opened his jacket to show staff still inside what appeared to be a bomb – a

bar of some substance with wires coming out of it.

Surprisingly, staff refused to open the door.

The man then went down to the ground floor where he attempted to steal a car. But there was someone in the car, who swiftly locked it.

Finally, he ran out into the road and shoved Konulai Luanwin off her motorbike and rode off, without the loot he presumably came for.

Police said on Wednesday they had identified the wouldbe bomber and have issued a warrant for arrest. They added that the suspect may have mental problems.

The family of a Danish expat who was killed in a motorcycle accident last month are appealing for information about where the Dane was living at the time.

Michael Sand Andersen, a resident of Phuket and Khao Lak for more than a decade, was killed in a motorcycle accident in Chalong as he rode home late at night during heavy rains that lashed the island late last month. He was 39.

Michael was an avid fisherman and a familiar face around the island’s sportsfishing community. In recent years he specialised in web development.

So far, Michael’s family have been unable to locate where he was living at the time of his death, but wish to recover some of his belongings.

The only clue they have is a key with ‘A41’ written on it.

Anyone who might have information of use to Michael’s family can pass it on the The Phuket News at editor2@ thephuketnews.com.

Oldest monk to get degree One of Phuket’s most respected monks – and possibly the world’s oldest person – Luang Pu Supha, will be awarded an honorary university degree on September 16.

Luang Pu Supha, the head monk at Wat Luang Pu Supha in Chalong, will be presented with the degree by representatives of Maha Chulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya University, Bangkok, recognising his community work.

Now aged 116 – a claim which cannot be officially verified, but if true, would put him ahead of the oldest verified person currently alive – Luang Pu Supha has been a monk since he was nine years old.

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ISLAND NEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

5

Aldhouse appeals against extradition British kickboxer Lee Aldhouse has appealed the decision to extradite him to Thailand to face trial for the murder of American Dashawn Longfellow in Phuket last year.

Those cou nting on a speedy extradition will have to exercise patience, with the British Home Office confirming that Aldhouse has lodged an appeal.

On August 24 the British Home Secretary (Interior Minister) signed an order for Aldhouse’s extradition to face trial in Thailand.

Aldhouse waited until the final day of his two-week appeal window – September 7 – to lodge an appeal against that decision.

There is no indication yet on what grounds Aldhouse is appealing the decision.

Nor is there any indication as to when the appeal will

be heard, or when a decision could be made.

To succeed in the appeal, Aldhouse will have to bring forward new evidence not presented at the original extradition hearing, or argue successfully that the judge in the original hearing made a wrong decision on a point in the case.

If Aldhouse is unsuccessful in his appeal, he will still be able to take his appeal to the Supreme Court, whose decision would be final.

If all avenues of appeal are exhausted, police will have 28 days to extradite Aldhouse. If that were to happen, it will be the first time a British citizen has been extradited to face trial in Thailand.

Aldhouse and Longfellow both came to Phuket to study Muay Thai. After a drunken altercation in Rawai’s Freedom

Bar last August, Aldhouse allegedly followed Longfellow home and stabbed him to death in front of his horrified girlfriend.

Police put together a case against Aldhouse which included CCTV footage of someone closely resembling him storming into a 7-Eleven and stealing two knives from the shocked staff.

However he was able to flee the country before Thai police could get to him, flying out to the UK where he was arrested at Heathrow Airport when records showed that he was wanted on an outstanding, unrelated warrant.

After serving the remainder of his outstanding UK sentence, Aldhouse was rearrested for the murder of Longfellow, a US Marine who served with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan and

Lee Aldhouse was in Phuket learning Thai boxing when the murder took place. was taking time out in Phuket to recover from a shrapnel wound sustained while on

active duty.

The US government has let it be known that it wants to

see Aldhouse extradited and put on trial for the murder in Thailand.

Former Royal Marine in Phuket top in mid-South coma after bike crash for thefts of vehicles A former British Royal Marine is in a coma in a Phuket hospital after being involved in a motorcycle accident last Tuesday (September 6).

Steven ‘Tommo’ Thomas, 39, has had surgery to fix a broken jaw and cheekbone, but as of press time Wednesday was still unconscious as doctors tried to remove fluid from his brain. He remained in ICU at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, with doctors keeping tight-lipped about his condition and recovery prospects.

The father-of-two had been on the island just three weeks studying Muay Thai when he was involved in the accident, not far from Wat Chalong.

The exact details of the crash are unclear.

Mr Thomas’ insurance company has said it will not fund his treatment, leaving

Vegetarian blood drive The Phuket Blood Centre, part of the Thai Red Cross, is asking blood donors to give blood before the upcoming Vegetarian Festival on the island.

The Vegetarian Festival is scheduled from September 27 to October 5, and the blood bank needs reserve blood in case of injuries to ‘Ma Song’ – the spirit mediums who perform body piercing rituals during the festival – and to cover any accidents that may occur during the festival.

Steve Thomas: Friends are trying to raise money to cover his hospital bills. his family to cover the costs.

A Facebook group called “For Steve ‘Tommo’ Thomas” has been set up with links to a donation page. The site has already raised US$2,240 (B672,000), but is still well short of meeting the mounting treatment costs.

Angie McCulley from the

Royal Marines Association Phuket posted Tuesday: “Steven is looking loads better than when I saw him on Sunday.

The swelling from the operation on his face is reducing.

“He is still in a coma, but still reacting to [his mother] Linda speaking with him, and playing his favourite music.”

Despite its small size, Phuket province has more vehicle thefts than in the nearby, much bigger provinces of Surat Thani, Ranong, Chumporn and Phang Nga. The Director of the Phuket Investigation Division, Pol Col Ekkawut Sanehporn reported in a press conference at Muang Phuket Police station on September 7, that so far this year, 26 cars and 95 motorbikes had been stolen.

A total of 62 people were arrested for vehicle theft in the same period.

In July, Patong police accepted the surrender of a woman responsible for more than half the car thefts. Cherry Piwsa-ard rented 14 cars, one after the other, then sold them to buyers in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces.

Arrest warrants have also been issued for Thanawut Khunmeun and Naruthai Klinnin on charges of stealing cars in much the same way as Cherry.

Cars that are rented and then sold are usually bought by people who know they are stolen, and who modify or repaint them before selling them on.

Police believe that cars stolen in Phuket are sold not only within Thailand but

also to buyers in neighbouring countries, particularly Myanmar.

Motorbikes tend to be stolen by teenagers for their own use or to be broken down into components that are resold.

The Deputy Commander of Royal Thai Police Pol Lt Gen Rapeepat Palawong said police need to focus on preventing car thefts. They must also keep a closer look-out for smuggled cars on which import tax has not been paid.

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ISLAND NEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

A busy week for island events I

t’s been a busy week for events of one kind or another in Phuket. Here’s a sampling: Top: A bikini fashion show was staged at Jungceylon last Friday (September 9), featuring the 10 finalists of the Miss Thailand Beach International 2011 (MTBI), which was held in late May this year.

At the Jungceylon event Arapapas Jantarasaka (fifth from left), first runner-up in the MTBI, won the Miss Phuket Popular vote.

The focus of attention, however, was Miss Thailand Beach International herself, Patcharawaram-orn Singsomboon (seventh from left).

Left: Sailors from the USS Ford and the Royal Thai Navy spent a day at the Home & Life Foundation for orphans in Phang Nga moving 15 tons of rock to make a gabion wall to protect the orphanage land from erosion by the swollen river next to it.

The sailors were also hosted by the US Navy League Southern Seaboard Council at the

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Irish Times pub in Jungceylon.

During the party, which took place on September 11, a minute of silence was observed to mark the 10th anniversary of the Al Qaedah attacks of September 9, 2001.

Bottom left: Thirty children from the SOS Children’s Village Phuket were invited to Courtyard by Marriott Phuket at Surin Beach recently for a day of games and other activities. It was fun, fun and more fun in the sun.

In the picture with the kids are Courtyard by Marriott (Resorts) Cluster General Manager Theera Kanjana (far left), Cluster Director of Human Resources Suwan Suwanmalee (far right) and resort staff.

Above right: On Saturday Jade Lama and Martin Lind of Taste Restaurant on Surin Beach donated a whole fun evening including food to The Good Shepherd Charity, with a party titled “Pimps and Tarts”.

Eighty people joined in the fun, including, from left, Muzza Nordstrand, Jade Lama, Vicky Coburn (party organizer), Peter Reis, Leon Coburn, Martin Ostlind, Vivienne Reis and Chantal Fernandes. The party raised at least B200,000.

Centre right: Central Festival celebrated its seventh anniversary with a concert starring popular singers Christina Aguilar (left) and Golf Pitchaya.

Bottom right: Dancers from the Indonesian province of Sabah entertained the throngs at the launch party for the first Sabang Regatta, on Tuesday at The Watermark restaurant in Boat Lagoon. Nine crews from Phuket will be competing in the regatta which has drawn some 30 boats from around the region.

NATIONAL NEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

New ‘war on drugs’ launched The Government is moving to crack down on illegal drugs as a UN agency report reveals a massive increase in the production and use of amphetamines across Asia.

The suppression comes after a 2007 “war on drugs”, overseen by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s older brother Thaksin, during which almost 3,000 suspects involved with drugs were killed by still unidentified assassins, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

“As a mother, I do not want to see children fall victim to drugs,” Ms Yingluck said.

But this time the Prime Minister said drug addicts would be treated as patients so they can later return to society.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, who is creating a one-year drug suppression unit, said the effort will focus on blocking drug shipments into Thailand.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Regional Centre for East Asia and the Pacific warned yesterday that amphetamine-type substances are now outstripping the use of heroin and cocaine, as organised crime groups have become involved in their manufacture and distribution.

The agency said organised crime groups are involved in trafficking drugs from Burma, a major source of the region’s methamphetamine pills.

The number of methamphetamine pills seized in Southeast Asia grew from 32 million in 2008 to 133 million last year.

7

IN BRIEF Banning party pills

A woman sits on the roof of her house amid floodwaters in Ayutthaya on Tuesday. Rising waters have left over 70 people dead and affected the homes and livelihoods of 4.3 million people, officials said.

–Photo AFP

Thaksin visits Cambodia

Fugitive former Premier Thaksin Shinawatra will visit Phnom Penh today (September 16) for the first time since his sister took power, Cambodian Premier Hun Sen said on Monday.

Thaksin will arrive in Cambodia today, Mr Hun Sen said, following Yingluck Shinawatra’s one-day official visit yesterday (September 15). A meeting between the siblings would risk inflaming Thailand’s political divisions.

The controversial former Prime Minister, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup,

is due to play golf with the Cambodian leader and address the Asian Economic Future Conference during his trip.

“Apart from being a friend, I will officially host Thaksin as a guest speaker,” Mr Hun Sen said at a graduation ceremony.

Thai-Cambodian relations have appeared to stabilise since Ms Yingluck took power, after an eruption of deadly military clashes on their shared border earlier this year.

Mr Hun Sen, who has described Mr Thaksin as his “eternal friend”, said last month

that the “nightmare” of strained ties with Thailand was over and vowed to work with Bangkok to resolve the row, which centres on a 900-year-old temple.

The Hague-based International Court of Justice in July asked both nations to withdraw military personnel from around the Preah Vihear temple complex, although neither side has pulled out yet.

Ms Yingluck’s rapid rise to victory in July 3 election marks a comeback for her brother, who lives abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption and

also faces terrorism charges over last year’s political unrest in Bangkok.

The former telecoms tycoon is widely believed to wield influence over his sister’s fledgling government, which has already drawn fire over opposition claims it helped him travel to Japan recently.

The Government denies intervening.

Mr Thaksin is due to fly to the northwestern city of Siem Reap, Cambodia’s popular tourist hub, next Tuesday (September 20).

–AFP

The Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday warned that people found with so-called “party pills” – a popular tranquiliser among teens and the rich and also used as a date rape drug – could face jail or even a death sentence.

Deputy Public Health Minister Torpong Chaiyasarn said the Medical Science Department and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would categorise the pills as a class 1 narcotic (along with heroin and cocaine) in a Royal Decree soon.

He said the FDA had the power to conduct random checks of pharmacy shops, including unlicensed ones, for dangerous medicines being sold without a pharmacist’s supervision or doctor’s prescription.

Eight die in mudslide Eight people were killed and two were missing after a mudslide engulfed several villages in a mountainous region of the north, officials said last Friday.

The landslide swept across three villages in Nam Pat district of Uttaradit Province in the early hours of last Friday morning, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said.

Around 900 people are thought to be affected, with damage to their homes or businesses, but rescue efforts were hampered by the destruction of a concrete bridge that links the villages to the main road.

South state of emergency stays The new Government on Tuesday extended a state of emergency across the restive Muslim-majority deep south, an official said, amid ongoing near-daily attacks in the insurgency-prone region.

Emergency rule, which was first introduced in 2005 and covers most of the three southernmost provinces, was renewed for another three

months by Cabinet, Deputy Gover n ment Spokesman Anusorn Eiamsa-ard said.

Ministers were told during a meeting that the situation in the region was improving, he said, but added the Government needed more time to assess the situation.

A round 4,800 people have been killed since rebels launched an uprising in early

2004, according to the latest figures from Deep South Watch, an independent research group that monitors the conflict in the region.

Rights groups say the militants are rebelling against a long history of perceived discrimination against ethnic Malay Muslims in the deep south by authorities in the Buddhist-majority nation,

including alleged abuses by the Army. However the militants keep a low profile and have not publicly stated their goals.

The Government, which came to power last month, proposed some degree of autonomy for the region during campaigning for the country’s July election, but no further policy has been announced.

–AFP

Court helps katoeys Crocs break out The Defence Ministry’s conscription records that described transvestites as people with a “permanent mental disorder” were revoked by the Administrative Court on Tuesday.

The courts also urged the ministry to improve the ministerial regulation statement specifying that transvestites had “a sexuality that doesn’t match the inborn gender”, to

make it more accurate. The Nation newspaper reported that transvestite Samart Meecharoen had filed a petition in court against the Defence Minister, Army Reserve Command and Lop Buri Registrar to revoke the conscription records, which described him as “psychotic”.

Mr Samart claimed the label was a violation of human integrity.

An urgent hunt was underway near the popular beach resort of Pattaya on Tuesday after at least 20 crocodiles escaped from a flooded farm, a spokesman said.

The crocodiles at Million Years Stone Park, a zoo and reptile farm, are thought to have made a break for freedom on Sunday when heavy rains caused a mudslide around an

enclosure containing thousands of the creatures, said a spokesman for the farm, Suthawuth Temthab.

Farm workers and locals had joined in the search for the missing reptiles, and Mr Suthawuth said over 20 crocodiles had already been found, but a few more were still on the loose.

– AFP www.thephuketnews.com

8

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

IN BRIEF Australian FM back to work Roving Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd returned to work on Wednesday after a six-week break for heart surgery amid reports he has set a new benchmark for international travel.

Rudd, who was ousted as the country’s leader by his Labor Party deputy Julia Gillard just over a year ago, underwent a four-hour operation to replace an aortic valve at the beginning of August.

He was expected to be off work for two months but jetted out early Wednesday for ministerial-level talks in San Francisco with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

He will also commence his first official visit to Mexico.

New Russian space flight Russia on Tuesday set its next manned space flight to the International Space Station for November and said it will not let the orbiter be abandoned despite a recent accident involving its workhorse Soyuz rocket.

A Soyuz-U rocket carrying an unmanned cargo ship to the International Space Station failed to reach orbit on August 24.

Instead it crashed in Siberia shortly after blast-off.

Obama to host S. Korea’s Lee US President Barack Obama will host talks and lay on the official pageantry of a state dinner for South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak on October 13, the White House said Tuesday.

The meeting will showcase the solidarity between Washington and Seoul on confronting the nuclear threat posed by communist North Korea, and also a US-South Korea free trade agreement that is awaiting congressional approval.

US to test beef for E.coli The US government said on Tuesday it will begin testing next year for six more kinds of E.coli bacteria in raw ground beef and tenderised steaks in order to boost protection of US consumers.

The US currently tests for one strain of E.coli in beef, but beginning in March 2012, if raw beef tests positive for six other E.coli serogroups, it will be banned from the market. www.thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

9/11 terror threat ‘ongoing’ The United States remains on alert for a possible terror attack, even though the 9/11 anniversary has come and gone without incident, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Tuesday.

“We consider it an ongoing threat,” Napolitano said, testifying before a congressional panel.

Napolitano and FBI director Robert Mueller appeared before the US Senate Homeland Security panel to discuss US vulnerability to terror threats 10 years after the September 11 attacks by Al-Qaeda.

Officials had feared that Sunday’s 10th anniversary might provoke terrorists to try to make a statement by launching a fresh attack on US targets, but no such event materialised on the day, which was marked by national ceremonies and tributes.

Mueller echoed Napolitano’s view that the terror threat to the United States has not disappeared, and said continued vigilance was needed.

“It is a standing threat that we are following up on,” Mueller told the committee.

“Even though September 11 has now passed, we do not believe that it necessarily means that we should have backed down” on US security efforts meant to thwart acts of terror, Mueller said.

The FBI is working with the Department of Homeland Security, the National Counter Shauna Camp and Anthony Camp, who lost their uncle, Faustino Apostol Jr. in the 9/11 attacks, look Terrorism Center, and other federal agencies at the panel containing his name during the first day that the 911 Memorial was opened to the public “and we’ll continue to do so” to keep fresh acts –AFP at the World Trade Centre.

– Photo AFP of terror at bay, Mueller said.

BRICS nations to discuss aid to Europe The emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – known as the BRICS nations, from their initials – will discuss possible aid to the European Union to help it out of its debt crisis, Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said on Tuesday.

Mantega and his counterparts from around the world will be in the US capital next week for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

“The BRICS nations will meet next week in Washington and we will discuss how to help the European Union get out of this situation,” Mantega said of the five-strong bloc, whose meeting is set for September 22.

In what would be a reversal of roles, the leading emerging economies, which in recent years have been growing faster than the major industrialised nations, were expected to propose a plan to help stabilise the global economy and markets, according to the Brazilian financial daily Valor.

The report said one idea being floated is to increase the reserves of their assets in euros, in an effort to ease the debt crisis in the eurozone.

According to Valor, the BRICS would be keen to show their importance in worldwide economic stability while improving returns on their reserves with the European securities.

The news came with markets roiled by the debt crisis in

Greece and other eurozone nations and EU officials pushing a second bailout for Athens.

At the same time, China and some other emerging nations are sitting on huge international reserves.

Valor said the BRICS nations at this point would be prepared to boost holdings in only the most solid eurozone nations such as Germany, and could also invest in bonds issued by Britain, a noneurozone country.

T he proposal for the BRICS to help during the crisis “makes a lot of sense,” although it would have limited impact, said Alex Agostini, chief economist at Brazilian risk analysis firm Austin Rating.

“Everyone has to be in-

volved in looking for solutions because the economy is globalised and the crisis has negative effects in all countries,” Agostini said.

The proposal “could help to temporarily reduce this moment of volatility but it won’t resolve the problem,” he added.

The BRICS could also help Europe by using their sovereign funds to invest in European financial or production sectors, Agostini suggested.

Separately on Tuesday, Germany, France and debtmired Greece agreed to hold a fresh round of talks on the euro crisis after US President Barack Obama urged Europeans to make greater efforts to calm volatile markets.

Italy, meanwhile, admitted that its finance minister met with the head of China’s largest sovereign wealth fund CIC last week as Rome tries to bring down soaring interest rates on its borrowings.

According to the Financial Times, the talks addressed the possibility of China buying Italian bonds, a move Rome hopes will reassure skittish markets.

Italy denied the report but indicated it was discussing possible investments with China, particularly in the industrial sector.

Italy has tried to reassure investors by announcing a new austerity package last month, aimed at seeing the country balance its budget by 2013.

–AFP

‘Collar bomb’ accused set to return to Australia A man who allegedly attached a fake collar bomb to a Sydney schoolgirl’s neck in a failed extortion attempt and was later arrested in the US could be back in Australia in days, reports said Wednesday.

Investment banker Paul Douglas Peters is not expected to fight his extradition to Australia at a hearing at the District Court in Louisville, in the United States, on Wednesday.

A spokesman at the US Attorney’s office said that “if the authorities from Australia are in Louisville then they could go ahead and take him into custody”.

Peters, 50, has been held at Kentucky’s Oldham County Jail since he was arrested at the home of his ex-wife near Louisville on August 15.

While he will not contest the extradition, his lawyers have said he will

fight the charges against him of kidnapping, extortion and aggravated break and entry, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph said.

New South Wales police allege a bat-wielding, balaclava-wearing Peters broke into the luxury home of a wealthy Sydney family on August 3 and attached a fake bomb around the neck of 18-year-old Madeleine Pulver.

In a drawn-out drama

that riveted Australia, a note attached to the device read: “Powerful new technology plastic explosives are located inside the small black combination case delivered to you.

“T he case is booby trapped. It can only be opened safely if you follow the instructions and comply with its terms and conditions.”

Despite warnings not to alert authorities, the terrified

schoolgirl notified her family and police were called.

She then endured a 10hour wait for bomb squad officers to confirm the device did not contain explosives and remove it from her neck.

Australian police have said they were able to track Peters to the United States, where he had business and family connections, via an email address attached to the fake bomb.

–AFP

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

11 dead, 212 hurt in Argentina bus-train smash

The site of the crash of two passenger trains and a bus, whose driver drove around barriers in an attempt to cross the tracks, at Flores railroad station in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.

–Photo AFP

An Argentine train slammed into a bus and was then struck by another train Tuesday in a huge rush-hour crash at a suburban station that killed at least 11 people and injured 212, police said.

Firefighters worked frantically to pull people out of the wreckage and rush the injured to hospitals, officials said.

Police said they have confirmed the deaths of 11 victims.

Officials said as many as 30 of the injured were very badly hurt, suggesting the death toll could climb substantially.

Argentina’s Transportation Secretary Juan Pablo Schiavi said most of the fatalities were among people who had been aboard the bus, including the driver.

The crash occurred at 7:00 am as thousands of commuters were pouring into the Flores district station in southwestern Buenos Aires on their way to work.

“A train entering Flores

station hits a bus from the 92 Line, drags it and smashes it against the platform,” said Gustavo Gago, a spokesman for the Buenos Aires train operator.

“At that point, the train goes off the track, invading other tracks in its path and is struck laterally by a train that was entering Flores,” from another direction, he said.

Newspaper seller Lucas Sanz, 31, whose stand is 10 metres away, said he heard “a deafening noise and I saw the bus smashed into the train.”

“Terrified people began exiting the cars in all directions,” he said. “The police arrived quickly and began taking charge of the crowds that came in waves.”

Fire chief Omar Bravo said firefighters “rescued people who were in the bus, in the train and on the platform,” including a two-year-old toddler who was found under the platform.

Rescuers succeeded after two hours in freeing two people whose legs were trapped in the wreckage, one of whom was a conductor on one of the trains.

Authorities were investigating reports that the bus driver failed to heed a train crossing signal and breached the lowered barriers meant to signal that it is dangerous to cross the tracks.

“It was one of the saddest, most serious accidents in recent years,” said Mr Bravo.

In March 2008, 18 people were killed and 47 injured when a bus was hit by a train in Dolores, 212 kilometres south of Buenos Aires.

In February, a long distance train struck a suburban passenger train, leaving four dead and 120 injured.

Argentina’s deadliest train tragedy was in 1970, an accident that killed 200 people on Buenos Aires’ north end.

–AFP

Seven dead after US embassy hit Taliban gunmen with suicide vests and rockets on Tuesday launched coordinated attacks in Kabul targeting the US embassy and NATO’s headquarters, killing at least seven people and sparking gunbattles.

At least seven loud explosions shook the usually secure diplomatic neighbourhood accompanied by waves of automatic gunfire over about five hours.

The US embassy blared out warnings for staff to take cover as insurgents struck from a high-rise building being constructed a few hundred metres from the embassy and International Security As-

sistance Force (ISAF) headquarters.

Seven hours after the attacks started, Afghan and coalition forces were still trying to clear the site of insurgents, three of whom have already been killed. Officials say a couple remain inside.

The attacks again highlighted poor security in Kabul, where insurgents have staged a string of increasingly brazen commando-style raids on Western and Afghan targets in recent months.

Interior ministry spokesman Siddiq Siddiqui said four civilians and three police had been killed in the attack and three coordinated, smaller

incidents, while 10 civilians and nine police were hurt.

A journalist from Afghan state broadcaster RTA was also shot and wounded while covering the standoff, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

US embassy spokeswoman Kerri Hannan said that there no deaths or injuries among the hundreds of staff there.

But in a later statement the embassy confirmed the attack involved “RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and small arms fire” and that four Afghans had been injured – three who were applying for visas and a local security guard.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed that the

Americans who work at the embassy would not be put off by such attacks.

“They will not be intimidated by this kind of cowardly attack,” she said.

“We will take all necessary steps not only to ensure the safety of our people but to secure the area and to ensure that those who perpetrated this attack are dealt with.”

The giant, high security US embassy compound borders the ISAF compound where thousands of foreign troops live and work.

ISAF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings said that there had been no casualties among its personnel,

who are trying to support the Afghan government in efforts to reverse Taliban momentum.

“We have a few rounds from small arms and some indirect fire that landed in our compound,” Cummings said.

“There was minor damage but no casualties.”

–AFP

9

IN BRIEF Xayaburi dam may begin this year Conservationists expressed surprise on Sunday at the announcement that construction of the Xayaburi dam, on the Mekong River in northern Laos, could begin before the end of this year.

Viraphonh Viravong, director-general of the Ministry of Energy and Mines’ Electricity Department, made the unexpected statement during an interview in Hanoi last Thursday, according to a Bloomberg report.

The announcement casts doubt on a planned meeting of Mekong-region countries in November on the ongoing debate over the controversial dam’s construction.

Kenya rescuers search for bodie Rescue teams on Tuesday searched through the smoking ashes of a Kenyan slum razed when a fuel pipeline burst into flames, with 92 charred bodies already found and the death toll still rising.

On Monday, a city council official estimated the number of victims at 120 after the blazing fuel pipeline torched Nairobi’s Sinai slum and police said Tuesday that 92 bodies had already been recovered.

Rescue officials returned to the site to search for more bodies from the rubble and help survivors.

Many of the victims were burnt beyond recognition, The government declared two days of mourning on Wednesday and Thursday.

Swedish doctor in dock over baby death A doctor at a Swedish children’s hospital went on trial on Tuesday accused of an infant euthanasia killing in a case which has caused deep unease among the country’s medical profession.

The case, which has received significant media coverage since the baby’s death in 2009, is exceptional because legal procedures against doctors are very rare in Sweden, where malpractice cases usually go before the National Board of Health and Welfare

with no criminal ramifications.

The case has raised concerns in medical circles, leaving doctors uncertain and wary of performing certain operations for fear of legal consequences.

The 57-year-old doctor, a woman whose name has not been disclosed, has been charged with manslaughter or alternatively attempted manslaughter for allegedly administering excessive doses of thiopental, an anaesthetic, to a very sick three-month-old

baby that was born prematurely and was expected to die shortly of brain damage.

The doctor had removed the child from a life support system after consulting with the family and concluding that the baby’s life could not be saved.

But an autopsy ordered by the family later found that the infant had received abnormally high doses of thiopental, and the family then had charges pressed against the doctor.

On Tuesday the doctor

denied having administered thiopental and entered a plea of not guilty, her lawyer Bjoern Hurtig said, Swedish news agency TT reported.

She faces six to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Marta Christensen, the deputy head of Stockholm’s Association of Medical Practitioners, said the case has left many doctors rattled.

“To question yourself is part of the job but now maybe they think things over a bit more,” she said.

–AFP www.thephuketnews.com

10 OPINIONS & VOICES

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

NORACHAI’S WORLD

Editor’s viewpoint

Check the bill, please?

One of Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha’s local advisers, Surin Bamrungphol, has suggested the mishmash of billboards and signs lining Phuket’s roads be cleared up.

He said during a meeting with Gov Tri on Monday that the signs should be completely cleared up if Phuket wants to conform to its ambition to become an “International Island City” by 2015.

He’s got a point.

Not only are many of the signs illegal, but many obstruct views while driving, many are unnecessary, and almost all are distracting and unsightly.

For example, the sign shown on page 2 in this edition was installed on Thepkrassattri Rd by the Koh Kaew OrBorTor. The sign is posted next to a set of traffic lights that were installed several months ago, and gives thanks the Governor for installing the lights.

Not only is the large colourful sign a distraction when coming up to the busy intersection, it’s a completely unnecessary display of public grovelling. Perhaps a personal letter to the Governor himself would be more appropriate (and cheaper)?

The signs and billboards are also guilty of block-

ing some of Phuket’s most stunning views, particularly along the west coast. Driving from Patong to Surin, (and likewise from Phuket Town to Patong) many of the great lookout spots are obscured by large billboards displaying property for sale, new restaurants or cabaret shows.

They are unsightly and only mar Phuket’s image further as an overly commercialised uber-tourist destination.

Perhaps the only exception could be the road safety awareness signs being erected in practical places to encourage drivers to wear safety helmets, or drive safely.

Gov Tri said that officials, in collaboration with police, will continue clearing up signs, removing some and fixing others that block drivers’ view of the road or that are misspelled.

The announced clean-up of Phuket’s road signs is a good one, and will certainly help improve the aesthetics when driving around the island. After all, wouldn’t it be nice, instead of seeing an image of tropical paradise on a billboard, to simply remove the billboard and see it for yourself?

Of course, this is only talk at the moment, and we all know the difference between talk and action on Phuket.

Letters to the editor Forewarned As someone visiting Phuket for a holiday in October 2011, I can tell you now I won’t be taking a tuk-tuk ride at all.

I would rather pay more to drive a rental car and avoid the intimidation.

So the more these tuk-tuk drivers act like gangsters the more business they are going to lose.

“Oz”

Ao Phuket megaproject Phuket is constantly teetering on the brink of disaster as far as development and infrastructure go.

The drive to bring in new revenues always seems to overshadow the fact that each time something massive is built, it brings new infrastructure problems that

Congratulations Congratulations on your efforts of highlighting the problem of tuk-tuks and taxis in the past two issues.

I’m very glad to see it on the front page.

Until more serious action is taken by government officials, I hope you guys will continue highlighting the impact on Phuket tourism caused by the taxi and tuk-tuk mafia.

We operate a guesthouse and restaurant business here in Patong. We pay our rent and staff to run this business for the past six years.

It has been peaceful here along the art district, until the taxi and tuk-tuk mafia shows up and claims territory along the Prachanukroh Rd in front of the Blue Ocean Resort.

Since Blue Ocean Resort opens its door about a year ago, more and more of these taxis and tuk-tuks like to park their vehicles outside.

And this mob likes to hassle tourists whenever they walk pass our restaurant. This caused much inconvetake years to correct.

It would be better for the island and its residents if there were a moratorium on any

new construction to give the local authorities the time and resources to fix the problems of rubbish collection and re-

nience for whoever wants to stop by and read our dining menu located in front.

I would say that this is one place on earth that taxis are stationary.

Taxis are supposed to be moving and picking up passengers along the way.

However, they basically sit along the side street, shouting and screaming and some even drink alcohol and play cards, giving a very negative image of Phuket.

There are so many taxis and tuk-tuks that you can see basically taking up all the street parking here in Patong. This is just a little part of the whole taxi-mob problem here in Phuket.

I hope The Phuket News will continue following up on the progress of this problem. And hopefully, one day in the near future, police and local government will take this problem seriously.

Daniel Club One Seven Phuket and Home Dining Cafe and Lounge cycling; roads, traffic lights and CCTV; police equipment and training; constant and dependable electricity; and

licensing for tuk-tuks, jet skis and bars.

Once these messes are straightened ou,t and free

from corruption, then and only then should more building projects be considered for the island.

Eliot

Time to address the issues

Getting official background checks for all taxi and tuk-tuk drivers is essential in order for Phuket to grow and develop.

Even going as far as an advanced driving test, including for mini-bus drivers, would help bring the island up to scratch on the world stage.

Phuket is at the phase two stage of its growth and now its very important to get things right, so Phuket grows strong and straight.

It’s great to see this issue being addressed finally.

“Bush”

Have your say We welcome letters to the editor. Letters must be under 250 words.

You can email editor@thephuket news.com or fax your contribution to 076 612 553. Please include your name, address and contact telephone number. www.thephuketnews.com

HOT TOPIC 11

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

A scar on Phuket’s name

What is causing the island’s transport issues?

I

t is an often cited cause of angst among both tourists and residents in Phuket – what to do about the rising instances of violence involving the island’s taxis and tuk-tuks.

Last month alone, there were two reported blockades by drivers, and three separate incidents of people being beaten by mobs of drivers.

A very small percentage of taxi and tuk-tuk drivers are responsible for the trouble, according to Pol Maj Gen Pekad Tantiwong, Commander of Phuket Police.

However, the reputation of Phuket as an international destination rests on those few, as tuk-tuk issues continue to garner negative publicity for the island.

But how has it come to this, when even the island’s top officials are unable – or unwilling – to step in and make a change?

Taxi and tuk-tuk violence is an issue that has been around for some time, but has become more intense in recent years, according to Vice Governor Niwit Aroonrat.

Problems involving taxis and tuk-tuks have risen slowly as Phuket’s tourism industry grows more prosperous.

“We’ve allowed them to continue [their misbehaviour] for too long, and now they are too strong and hold far too much influence,” V/Gov Niwit said.

The drivers are, in effect a law unto themselves. They operate their own set of rules for dealing with disputes, and are often beyond the reproach of the police.

The long and tumultuous history of Phuket’s taxi and tuk-tuk rules began about 30 years ago, when older tuktuk and taxi drivers formed a verbal agreement on how they would divide the island and operate without conflict.

The rules were devised to prevent conflict among the drivers, as well as retain a positive reputation for the tourism industry.

A zoning system was created to outline the particular territory of each “group” of local drivers. Drivers would not be allowed to pick up within a zone that was not theirs.

Certain standards of behaviour were also agreed upon, such as not abusing passengers, and not drink-driving.

“However, the spoken rules are not laws. It works based on common sense,” Pathum Yodkaew, the secretary of the

Rows of tuk-tuks parked along the road in Patong is a common sight.

Where would you like to go today? taxi and tuk-tuk drivers group in Kata and Karon, said.

In 1996, as Mr Pathum recalled, the Kata and Karon tuk-tuk and taxi drivers wrote an introduction manual for local drivers in their area – probably the first such manual to be put in writing on Phuket.

The manual states violence is strictly forbidden against passengers, or against other people while carrying passengers. Copies of the manual were given to local drivers in Kata and Karon area, as well as distributed to drivers in other areas.

The leaders of each respective group were chosen, and they were deemed responsible for their members’ behaviour.

About 100 radio scanners were given to drivers, so they would be contacted if any guests close to their ranks needed a taxi service.

The idea was reasonable in principle, but failed to take into account the corrupting influence that money can have.

“The system hasn’t worked

very well in the past decade,” Mr Pathum said. “Many drivers don’t follow the rules.

Scanners were left damaged and unused. You can’t perfectly control different people who come from different places with different levels of education.”

He said the real start of the problems with taxis and tuktuks began about 10 years ago, when Phuket tourism began its boom and drivers cared less about maintaining the unity of the group and more about cashing in.

That sudden inf lux of wealth also brought with it new drivers looking to cash in – many from outside provinces – and the number of drivers grew uncontrollably in a short period of time.

“It’s become totally out of control since then,” Mr Pathum said. “It’s not like in the past where senior drivers could instruct younger ones, or a compromise could be reached between groups.”

He’s not the only one who

Tuk-tuk drivers wait for tourists in Patong. is frustrated by the shortsightedness of that mentality.

“Today, the problems are not just about greedy drivers and drivers breaking the rules,” a Patong tuk-tuk driver, who preferred to remain anonymous, said. “It’s complicated, as personal benefit and politics has become so closely embroiled in how the system operates.”

He said hundreds of taxis and tuk-tuks on the island are not registered, and more than half of them are from other provinces.

“If you are not registered, you can escape from trouble you’ve made easily,” he said.

“As many drivers are not local, they can easily flee Phuket after they cause problems and wait until everything settles down before they return.”

The zoning system, originally designed to prevent conflict, has also evolved into an ugly source of ongoing turf wars that is fuelling violence.

The most recent example is a driver from Kok Chang el-

ephant trekking company, who was attacked by drivers from a taxi rank in front of Cape Sienna on September 4. The attackers claimed the zone as “theirs”, and blamed the victim for breaking the “rules”.

The response to boundary protection varies by group, Silapachai Choosen, the manager of Kok Chang, said.

“It can involve simply asking a driver from another zone to identify himself, or can be as aggressive as beating others,” he said.

The aggressive reaction of drivers to the zoning system, though, has been contagious, and quickly spread from one rank to another, Mr Silapachai noticed.

“Laws are not being enforced. So [drivers think to themselves] ‘if one rank can beat people, why can’t another?’” he said. “Now the situation is progressing like a cancer.”

The situation has become so dire, and violence so ingrained into driver culture, that

even government intervention is looked at with hesitancy for fear of reprisal.

“The island will be set on fire if extreme measures are taken to crack down on taxis and tuk-tuks,” said V/Gov Niwit. “Like I said, their groups are too influential now.”

A new quality system, however, will soon be implemented in Kata and Karon to improve the situation of taxis and tuk-tuks.

With collaboration from local administrators, lead by V/ Gov Niwit, police and drivers themselves, each taxi ranks’ vehicles, drivers’ behaviour and fare range will be inspected.

Quality stickers and certificates will be given if ranks pass the inspection, making it easier for passengers to make informed choices.

“I hope these problems will soon be over,” said V/ Gov Niwit. “Laws need to be seriously enforced on drivers.”

Until that time comes, the violence continues.

–Paritta Wangkiat www.thephuketnews.com

12 ART & CULTURE

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Random View “Trees are good. The different species, appearances and sizes can co-exist to beautify our world and even benefit humans. Quite different from humankind, with our incompatibility, arguments, competition and conflict.

We destroy trees and forests when we should really be learning from their ability to live and grow together.”

So says Narudom Rungrojsatongit, Phuket amateur photographer whose day job is that of an accountant, of his close-up photo entitled “Orange tree”.

Narudom was experimenting with the depth of field in focusing, always a problem in macro photography, to see how much blurring was acceptable in the photo.

So the viewer is now almost walking in this forest of lovely lichens and feeling the humidity and the moisture that the moss thrives in.

MAKING Thongchai Srisukprasert

ART

Seven Thai artists had the chance to travel from Venice of the East to Venice of the West to attend La Beinnale di Venezia, the biennial international art exhibition being held on the historic Italian island.

They have collected 30 photographs together, entitled “Once in Venice”, for a future show.

Painter and photographer Thongchai went for a walk through the maze of narrow winding streets and snapped away. He was probably interested in the shuffling walk of the two old men in the distance as they made their way through this long road, as they did successfully in their own long journeys through life.

Born in 1963, Thongchai has a masters degree from Silpakorn University in Bangkok, the place that has launched the career of many Thai artists of note.

The painter works in the traditional way, continuing the tradition of detailed drawing and painting of mythical creatures and angelic beings that retain a permanent place in the Thai cultural imagination, even through the current changes being experienced in society.

ARTEYE

A shop on Rasada Rd in old Phuket Town, not far from the fountain circle, is a treasure trove for locals and tourists looking for Thai souvenirs of textile and handicraft.

The two long rooms in the shop are packed from floor to ceiling with the results of thousands of hours of patient work by many artisans and weavers around the country.

This large wall-hanging, occupying an entire wall, is a beautiful example of artwork that time, patience and skill can create.

The beauty of this quilt, by an unknown stitcher, is the way that leftover bits of cloth have been used so well. Firstly the eye absorbs the overrall combition of colours, all subdued from age and perhaps natural dyes were used. Then it enjoys the composition of the different shapes of materials that have been sewn together.

Then comes the treat of following the different elaborate designs and patterns, leading from one set to another.

Embroidery art at its best.. www.thephuketnews.com

PHUKET PEOPLE 13

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Safety on Phuket is high priority: US Ambassador U

S Ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney arrived in Phuket last Friday for a lightning tour of the island, one of a series of provincial visits she has been making around Thailand since taking up her post in January.

One of the stops for the slim, energetic 56-year-old was at the Software Park on Chao Fa West Rd, where she expressed her hope that the Park was doing what it could to counter theft of intellectual property – a major US concern – and where she also took the time to speak with members of the local press.

Asked about the current debate over tourist safety on the island, particularly after the recent taxi and tuk-tuk violence, she commented, “One of our prime roles is to look after the safety and security of US citizens. We have a lot of US citizens who visit here and also a lot of US ships that put into port here and have done so happily.

“But of course, I’ll be rais-

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney. ing those issues [with local police] and thanking them for their cooperation.”

She said that ascertaining the number of Americans in Thailand was “almost an impossible question to answer.

We know from tourist records that about half a million come through here in any given year.

We don’t require them to tell

us if they are here, though we would love to hear from them if they are.”

Asked why consular wardens – volunteer Americans who help the embassy to help citizens – are not part of the forceful debates between the provincial governor and honorary consuls of other countries, she said, “Our consular officials

are down here often and they raise these matters, and I will raise them today. We definitely do raise these issues, just not in the honorary consul framework.

“We recognise that tourists want to have tuk-tuks and taxis and want them to be safe. It does seem to us that those two can be balanced. Hopefully that will be the case.”

Amb Kenney has a very different style from her predecessors – open, chatty, informal, fizzing with energy, her conversation sprinkled with “Wow” and “Amazing”.

She is also an avid tweeter (@kristiekenney), posting dozens of tweets a day, most of which seem to be about what she’s going to eat, the weather, and her favourite sports.

“I like social media. It’s fascinating and it doesn’t take much time – maybe 30-40 minutes a day and most of that’s in the car or waiting for a meeting. I find it an amazing way to connect with people I might not get a chance to see.

“There are people I feel I

know in Phuket though I may never meet them in person.”

But isn’t it rather a public way to carry on one’s social life? “It is a little public. I am a public figure and I have a public job. There are people who ask me questions [via Twitter], and I can’t be the information service for the embassy, so I direct them to the web site or the help desk.”

The US Embassy in Bangkok has its own Twitter feed, she points out. In fact it has the largest number of followers of any US embassy in the world.

She has come in for some flak over her Twitter habits, particularly a vicious piece of satire on notthenation.com, but this doesn’t really bother her. “Everybody has different ways of talking to others and I do all the traditional things to – making speeches and so on.”

But if her tweets seem banal, it would be a big mistake to think of her as lightweight.

She’s spent 30 years in the US diplomatic corps. In 1998 at the age of just 43, she was ap-

pointed Executive Secretary of the State Department in charge of a staff of 185 people.

Four years later she got her first ambassadorial appointment, to Ecuador. This was followed by the Philippines, as the first woman ambassador to that country, and then Thailand.

Plainly this is a person with a lot of brains and superior people skills.

One thing she definitely does not like is Wikileaks. “It’s a violation of privacy. Imagine if I steal your journalist’s notebook and give it to someone else who publishes it.”

She won’t comment on the leaked cables from the embassy in Thailand to Foggy Bottom, or on Andrew Marshall’s reiteration of them in his part-completed Thai Story, which draws heavily on the leaked cables.

But she says relations with Thailand have not been affected. “We’ve been very fortunate in our ties with Thailand. They are long and strong.”

–Alasdair Forbes

Been there, done that. Lots.

Exposed Graham Doven Asia Job Consultant for aerospace manufacturer Primus International.

How long have you lived on the island and why did you move here?

I came here 20 years ago. I lived in Bangkok for 10 years and still work mainly in Bangkok, but my house and office are in Phuket.

What is best thing about living here?

There are no parking policemen, few breathalysers, good massages, pretty girls and almost no Jehovahs’ Witnesses and Mormons on bicycles.

What do you do to relax?

Go to good pubs, restaurants, beaches and islands. Park where I want, drink too much and drive home, have a massage, take the pretty girl out for dinner, play the piano and watch the History of WWII in colour and other brilliant documentaries that nobody else cares about. I look for old laws that prove that politicians do nothing about reforming laws. Any politicians.

Graham Doven with pals Sopa Srivipak, left, and Iddy Chutima.

What hobbies or sports are you interested in?

Watching rugby and anything else in the pub. A bit of golf when it’s not too hot.

Favourite food or dish?

You must be joking. I travel all over the world, live in one of the greatest cities on earth for food and you want a favourite dish. Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer.

A sausage sandwich.

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

Stay away from motorcycles and jetskis. Talk to me if you want to buy a house.

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

Getting a letter from the British Embassy asking what I

meant when I told the BBC that if they continued to misrepresent the situation in Phuket after the tsunami, they might not be safe here.

I told them that it meant whatever they thought it meant.

The person you admire the most and why?

Me. Stupid sometimes, brilliant sometimes.

If you could come back as any other person who would it be and why?

Me with a lot of money.

Is there anything you don’t like about living here?

Whinging foreigners.

Favourite place on the island, and why?

The pub, Joe’s Downstairs and the Black Cat. Why? I like eating and drinking, watching football and telling lies. www.thephuketnews.com

14

www.thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

VILLAGE OF THE WEEK 15

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Baan Pa Khlok villagers launch the boat, which they believe will take their misfortunes away with it.

Steamed sticky rice wrapped in palm leaves.

Monks lead the procession as the holy boat is taken to the water.

Baan Pa Khlok: More like a big family than a village T

he east coast of Phuket, just near the Heroines’ Monument, is littered with prominent developments – the luxury villas, the golf course, the marina.

But how many people would notice the small village down the small road leading to the waterfront of Baan Pa Khlok?

Probably not many as it’s very easy to miss – this small village has just 781 households, and with a population of just 1,870, Baan Pa Khlok is the only Buddhist village of the seven villages that fall under the Pa Khlok Tambon Administration Office.

Nestled among the imposing development projects around it, this small village remains a tight-knit community and residents continue living as they have been for generations.

Mana Sammuang, a local teacher, has been studying the history of Baan Pa Khlok since 1992. He said his job has been made difficult due to a distinct lack of documentation on the area, much of which has been destroyed or was simply never recorded.

But Baan Pa Khlok takes its place in the annals of Phuket’s history for a less than glorious reason. In 1809, after the Heroines (Thao Thepkrasattri and Thao Srisoonthorn) successfully defended against the invading Burmese, another

Village

of the week

army from Burma marched on Phuket. This time, they won.

The Burmese rounded up able bodied prisoners to take back to their country, while the young and elderly, considered a burden, were locked up in cages.

When the Burmese left, they set fire to the village, and the caged prisoners perished in the blaze.

There is also another version of this story. When the Burmese attacked, the Pa Khlok villagers fled into the nearby forest to escape. Rather than enter the forest and risk ambush, the Burmese simply set fire to the entire forest, killing everyone who sought refuge there.

It was not until years later that the village adopted its present name of Baan Pa Khlok – pa meaning forest and khlok meaning consumed by fire.

Mr Mana said there is no specific document that indicates where the original village was that was destroyed by the Burmese, but historical documents mentioned surrounding landmarks like Koh Yao, Koh Naka, the nearby mountain and the seafront. A few remaining historical sites such as the remains of the village walls also lend to the conclusion that

Village headman Chokechai Suebsak watches villagers making cocoons out of coconut leaves.

These will be used to protect young jackfruit from insects. location of this tragic story was indeed the location of the modern day Baan Pa Khlok.

The afternoon I went to the village, the residents were having their annual merit making ceremony where the monks will bless the village and its inhabitants.

The ceremony has been held at Weerasatree Anusorn School for 25 consecutive years, where villagers come together for a day and build a small boat for the loy kroah ceremony.

Here, each villager will fill the holy boat with a small amount of dry food to make merit to the sea, and a small pouch contains their nails and hair, and anything else they believe to have brought bad luck. The boat is then pushed

Grandma Arun Jantawong works on a clay pot. out to sea, carrying with it the this area is a Muslim village, bad luck of the entire village. but we are the only Buddhists I arrived there late after- here, so it’s more like one big noon and was greeted by Vil- family than a village,” he said. lage Head Chokechai Suebsak “Our ceremony today is and Weerasatree Anusorn symbolic and spiritual at the School Director Wichote Chai- same time. Villagers believe chana. that they will be blessed and They showed me to the the boat will carry their bad beautiful boat which was al- luck away to the sea, and in a most completed. The male vil- symbolic way, this ceremony lagers were busy helping with represent us and our village.” the boat while many women, Mr Chokechai also introin their beautiful traditional duced me to Grandma Arun clothes, set up small tables Jantawong, who showed the to demonstrate traditional children how to make a clay handicraft and cooking. pot from only a ball of clay Mr Chokechai told me that and a small stick. being the only Buddhist village Meanwhile, Grandma Prain the area makes them very kiang Muenpan and Aunt tight-knit, and villagers often Ratree Petcharat steamed tracome together to celebrate ditional sweets from sticky rice wrapped in a palm leaf.

Buddhist ceremonies.

Other village elders also “Most people often think

gathered to teach school children how to make brooms, a rose from pandanus leaves, and everyone got stuck into free food and snacks prepared by the local women.

In the evening, the children from Phuket Panyanukul School for handicapped children performed a traditional dance on stage.

After the merit-making and alms offering ceremonies, the villagers carry the holy boat off to Ta Lah Beach, only a few hundred metres away from the school. The monks lead the parade, blessing the pathway where they pass while the villagers follow.

The boat floats away, and so too does the villagers’ anxiety about the coming year.

But for me, I believe they are already very lucky to be living in such a friendly community where everyone stands together as one, while the world, just a few minutes drive away, is full of individuals who lack the sense of social cohesion of the Baan Pa Khlok villagers.

– Kazira Hanshanasattru Getting there: From Phuket Town head towards the airport, turn right at the Heroines’ Monument. Follow the road for approximately 15 minutes until you reach the Pa Klok Tambon Administration Office. The village is in the surrounding area. www.thephuketnews.com

16 BUSINESS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Get those tasty pizza toppings ready Attention all professional pizza makers – now is your chance to enter Thailand’s first pizzamaking competition.

Organised by Bellini owner and three time world pizza champion Danilo Sangrigoli, the competition will be run as part of the Asian Hospitality & Travel Show in November.

The competition will be held in two parts. The first part will be speed, and the second, taste.

Mr Sangrigoli said: “I hope many pizza creators will be part of the competition. It’s a great window to show people how good they are, and it is great that the first competition will be held in Phuket.”

Mr Sangrigoli said judges will include several influential people from the food industry

in Phuket, as well as consumers.

Competitors must bring their own pre-made dough, sauce, cheese and toppings for two 14-inch pizzas. On-site refrigeration will be provided and contestants will have access to dough-making equipment if necessary.

Judges will grade the pizza according to speed, then in the second section will judge on taste, appearance and commercial viability.

Contestants must be at least 18 years old, may be any

nationality, and must work in or own a restaurant that makes pizza or is involved in the pizza industry.

The speed contest will be held on November 19 at 4pm at Royal Phuket Marina, while the taste contest and prize-giving will be held on November 20 at 5pm.

Entry is B5,000 and all competitors must register before October 31. Registration forms are available on the Events Thailand website, eventsthailand.net, where a full explanation of terms and conditions may also be seen.

IT’S ALL HAPPENING

World pizza champion Danilo Sangrigoli: Can you beat his pizza-making speed?.

at the Asian Hospitality & Travel Show 2011

T

he Asian Hospitality and Travel Show 2011 is rapidly taking shape as one of Asia’s biggest hospitality and travel exhibitions and the major event of the year in the south of Thailand.

The organisers, Events Thailand, say that the show at the Royal Phuket Marina, which runs from November 18 to 20, will feature only the crème de la crème promoting and exhibiting their products and services, especially to buyers who will be flown in by the organisers for professional business appointments with sellers.

Already, with two months to go, 70 per cent of the booths have been booked.

Partners and sponsors for the show include: Bellini: Bellini is a pasta and food producer in Phuket, specialising in pasta, pasta sauces, and ready to use products like pizzas. Established in April this year, chief executive officer Danilo Sangrigoli says he is proud of the fact the company does not use any chemical additives.

“It’s original Italian, made in Thailand,” he says. “Our taste is very original, the same as you would find hundreds of years ago.”

The company services many five star hotels and restaurants around the island.

It is based in Kathu, but Mr Sangrigoli will soon be opening a restaurant and supply store opposite Makro, Phuket Town.

Bangkok Beer & Beverages: BB&B opened in 2003 with www.thephuketnews.com

a core of dedicated staff and a modest offering of quality imported wines. Bart Duykers, Phuket branch manager of BB&B, explains, “We have listened intently to suggestions from our customers and responded with an ever increasing level of products and service.

“Our customer partnerships have been a major factor driving the expansion of our business throughout the entire country. Our international wine portfolio is now second to none.

“Our expanding line of spirits and liqueurs plus our award winning confections, coffees, glass- and bar-ware allows us to provide our customers with a greater selection of high quality yet reasonablypriced products that grows with each passing year.

“We are proud of the fact that our sales team, backed by our state-of-the-art storage and delivery system, has positioned BB&B as one of Thailand’s foremost suppliers to the hospitality industry.”

BB&B will organise the Sobieska Bartender & Cocktail Mixing contest on the final day of the exhibition.

Farang Food Paradise has been the fastest growing food and beverage importer and distributor over the past few years, becoming the biggest and most professional independent food company in the south of Thailand. Farang Food Paradise will sponsor the product and ingredients for the first Pizza Championship in Phuket.

The Andaman Wine Club

Food Paradise are partners in the show.

Be there! Hospitality girls at last year’s AH&T show. was founded by Ron Batori and Bart Duykers in 2009, with the aim of promoting wine consumption and education. The Club is funded and supported

by BB&B. The wine club organises monthly activities for its 160-plus members, who pay a nominal fee to join and enjoy a host of benefits, from free admission to the monthly tastings to discounts on wine retail and wine dinners.

The Club operates a retail store at Wana Park in Cherng Talay, where it stocks over 400 different wine labels, along with Vittoria coffee from Australia and an expanding line of premium spirits.

The Andaman Wine Club

will organise the BB&B Wine Wizard competition at the show on November 20.

Julio F&B: Patinya “Joon” Srisuk, Co-owner and General Manager of Julio F&B, explains, “The Spanish art of living is our inspiration and our passion. Julio F&B takes great pains to bring together the delightful experience of easy fine dining and good service at great value.

“We love to source all those lesser known and wonderful flavours of this easy-living country, Spain, which are rarely seen abroad. With us you can experience the true taste of Spain. Julio F&B, in collaboration with Farang

Island Technology this year celebrates its 10th anniversary in Phuket. During the past decade it has become a major IT and communications provider for businesses and private users on the island.

“We have an extensive range of products and services and pride ourselves on our customer service and technical support which is considered the best available in Phuket.

“From small home users through to large multinational organisations, we have the knowledge and skills to integrate a range of IT, security, communication and entertainment technologies into a seamless system to enhance business efficiency and effectiveness.

Island Technology is the official Internet provider during the Show.

Bliss Beach Club: Set beneath swaying casuarina trees along 160 metres of pristine Bang Tao Beach, Bliss Beach Club takes Phuket’s club scene to a new dimension with its innovative grass amphitheatre, yellow pool, unique stairway entrance and unparalleled views across the sea to nearby Coconut Island.

The beach club is a subtle blend of ultra modern fused with the rustic that captures the peaceful, serene location away from the madding crowd.

General Manager Giuseppe “Pepe” Viva says the Club fitout, by Stem Design of Bangkok, offers a unique, completely different, multi-functional

experience for all ages within a beautifully landscaped and designed space. “You come to this place for pure Bliss,” he explains.

On 19 November, Bliss Beach Club will host the Thanks Party for the Asian Hospitality & Travel Show.

Cape Sienna is a chic, modern resort that “brings the sophisticated style of city living to the tropical beauty of Phuket.”

The resort has 98 studio rooms, 44 deluxe rooms, two suites and two penthouses all offering stylish, architectural interiors and stunning sea views from private terraces.

Designed as a retreat for the urban cosmopolitan, the sleek hotel and villa accommodates restaurants, bars and amenities, all positioned to command stunning sea views from a dramatic west coast headland.

The resort has four restaurants. The cuisine of Plum Fine Dining is best described as “Mediterranean Fine Dining experience – down to earth” with emphasis strictly on fresh and organic products.

Vanilla Sky Bar & Lounge, serves distinctive cocktails and trendy tapas with a breathtaking view of Kamala Bay. Sienna Rocks – the place to be by the sea – has a stunning infinity-edge pool, comfortable sunbeds, innovative drinks and snacks.

Cape Sienna will host the buyers for the Asian Hospitality & Travel Show 2011.

The Phuket News is the media sponsor for the event.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

BUSINESS & TOURISM 17

Mega cruise ship aims for Phuket The mega-cruise ship Voyager of the Seas is set to bring nearly 4,000 passengers to Phuket per trip when Royal Caribbean International launches the ship’s maiden Asian season in May next year.

Fourteen decks high and able to carry a total of 3,840 guests, the Singapore-based liner is described by the company as “one of the largest and most innovative ships ever to home-port in Asia”.

The short cruises from Singapore to Phuket from May to June coincide with Singapore’s school holiday period, allowing Singaporeans to spend three to five days in Phuket at a time.

Short cruises from Singa-

pore to Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh and Hong Kong will also be available.

“With Voyager of the Seas and [sister ship] Legend of the Seas operating in Asia next year, Royal Caribbean International’s capacity in the region will be more than double as measured by total guest count,” said Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Executive Vice President, International.

Onboard activities and entertainment include: iceskating and in-line skating; a boulevard of shops and cafés along a promenade; full-sized sports court; water slide; rockclimbing; mini-golf; a threetier theatre, themed bars and

Cheers and jeers greet ‘polluters pay’ tax bill Cheers and jeers erupted in Australia’s Parliament House on Tuesday after Prime Minister Julia Gillard presented a bill for a contentious new pollution tax to combat climate change.

The bill, if passed, will mean the nation’s biggest producers of carbon emissions will be forced to pay to pollute from July 1, 2012 – initially at a fixed price before moving to a market-based trading scheme.

“It’s time to deliver the action on climate change we need,” Gillard told the House of Representatives. “To act on climate change. To cut carbon pollution.”

Gillard was cheered by the public after making her statement on the first of 18 carbon tax bills, but during Question Time shortly afterwards faced angry shouts of “No carbon tax” from protesters in the gallery.

Australia, per capita one of the world’s worst polluters and a major exporter of coal, has long grappled with how to combat climate change, and previous bills to introduce emissions trading schemes have been defeated.

Gillard has the numbers to get her Clean Energy Bill 2011 through parliament, but it is bitterly opposed by the conservative opposition, which argues it will be ineffective, affect jobs and increase the cost of living.

Thousands of people have protested at rallies nationwide against the levy, accusing Gillard of lying when she said ahead of her narrow August

2010 election win there would be no carbon tax under a government she led.

Gillard acknowledged that there had been years of heated debate but said most Australians now agreed carbon pollution was changing the climate and harming the environment and economy in the process.

“Today we move from words to deeds. This parliament is going to get this done,” she said.

The government hopes the tax will, by 2050, help lower emissions by 80 per cent of 2000 levels, thereby helping slow global warming and save natural treasures such as the Great Barrier Reef.

The bill, due to go to vote on October 12, provides for a fixed carbon price for three years, starting at A$23 (B714) per tonne of carbon pollution, before moving to a cap and trade emissions scheme in 2015.

T he gove r n me nt ha s pledged to use much of the money raised to provide tax cuts, increase family payments and invest in clean energy.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott said the government had no mandate for the tax and again vowed to repeal it if he can get into office.

“It’s never disruptive to get rid of a bad tax,” he told the ABC. “It’s always advantageous to reduce business costs. [Manufacturers] don’t want this tax, and if they get it they will want to be rid of it as quickly as they possibly can.”

–AFP

lounges as well as a split-level nightclub.

Accommodation ranges from royal suites to promenade staterooms, and dining options include a three-tier restaurant.

“Deploying this … ship here is a huge milestone for Royal Caribbean in Asia, which underscores our heightened confidence in the region’s potential,” said Bayley.

“We hope that the arrival of a ship of her size and amenities will create a new level of awareness and interest for cruising amongst travellers, and in turn, a historic momentum that will help push the infrastructure development for larger cruise ships across Asia,” said Mr Bayley.

Govt ready to launch cards for farmers Traditionally cash-strapped farmers will be able to apply for credit cards from November 1 with the launch of the Yingluck government’s programme to offer credit cards to farmers, fulfilling one of the major campaign promises the Pheu Thai Party pledged to grassroots voters before the July election.

Implementation of the credit card system is being overseen by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operatives (BAAC).

BAAC manager Luck Wajananawat said the bank had agreed to set up an initial B1 billion three-year contract with a credit card provider. Of that budget, B360 million will be spent on issuing three million credit cards.

The cards will offer a maximum loan limit of 70 per cent of the value of each farmer-debtor’s product for sale. They will carry a seven per cent interest rate, or zero per cent in cases where a subsidy is provided by the government.

Other benefits touted to the farmers include: no annual fee; a 30-day interest-free period; free life insurance of up to B100,000; emergency cash loans of B10,000 and special interest rates for cash deposits.

Mr Luck said some B20 billion turnover is expected in the credit system in the first year, B45 billion in the second year, and about B70 billion in the third year.

–MCOT

The Voyager of the Seas can carry 3,480 guests in royal suites and promenade rooms in its 14 passenger decks.

Economists against Wealth Fund plan

Most economists disagree with the government’s plan to set up a National Wealth Fund, fearing income losses and corruption, according to a Bangkok poll.

The survey was conducted earlier this month by Bangkok University and polled the opinions of 67 economists from 29 leading economic research and analysis bodies.

The majority of the respondents or 53.7 per cent opposed the idea of having the fund for investment in energy sources, such as oil fields. On the other hand, 50.8 per cent supported the use of the fund for infrastructure development in the country.

When asked whether they agreed with the plan to bring the fund into existence immediately, 50.7 per cent said no, pointing out that the global economy was still volatile and there were high risks of investment losses.

Another main reason cited is persistent corruption in the

Thai political system which could affect the efficiency of the fund.

That said, 44.8 percent were confident that Thailand already had adequate personnel with the capability and readiness to manage the National Wealth Fund should it be set up.

Finance Minister Thira­ chai Phuvanatnaranubala has pledged to press on with the establishment of the national wealth fund, and has pledged that the process will be transparent.

The minister explained that the fund will be set up by separating a small amount from the international reserves.

The money and gold donated by disciples of the Abbot Phra Dharmavisuddhimongkhol, also known as Luangta Maha Bua, will not be touched, he added.

Mr Thirachai stated that he wants the Bank of Thailand (BoT) to study the pros and cons of the establishment of the National Wealth Fund

and bring the various parties together “in order to draw conclusions” before pressing ahead with the operation.

The minister noted that if the fund is profitable, the BoT will be allowed to deduct expenses on interest costs by issuing bonds to reduce cash flow and liquidity in the market; however, if the fund faces a loss, the government will have a budget to cover the burden.

Mr Thirachai admitted that investment comes with risks and profits.

He said that so far the BoT has been investing in bonds in the US and European markets and faced a loss of B260 billion last year, plus an additional loss of B100 billion on exchange rates.

The minister said the total loss now stands at over B400 billion, but the BoT has not yet asked the government to cover the loss because it is considered the bank’s internal responsibility. –NNT

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Office 3.L.H & I.C.P. Manufactory 3.L.H & I.C.P.

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18 BUSINESS & PROPERTY

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Jasmine rice for Brunei

Left: It’s a short step from the house to the pool. Right: the master suite covers a generous 69 sqm.

Quiet life in a cul-de-sac

T

his three bedroom villa with private pool on a small estate near Rawai and Nai Harn beaches is all set up and ready to move into.

The villa has an airy living room, European kitchen, utility room and two bathrooms (one en suite). There are air conditioners in all bedrooms and

A new

Home fans in two of the bedrooms and the living room.

There is a remote-controlled gate giving access to the car port and the property is wired for security cameras. It has a landline telephone, cable

TV and internet connections.

There are TV points in all bedrooms and the living room.

Manually operated sun blinds protect the living room and master suite, which is very large at 69 square metres. All bedrooms have direct access to the pool.

This was the show house for the small estate of which

it forms part of, and benefits from much thicker walls and deeper foundations than in the houses built subsequently.

There are no estate common charges. The garden is small but nevertheless has a wide variety of colourful trees and shrubs. The house, which is built on 388 sqm of land is held in a company so title can

be easily transferred without incurring taxes.

It is available freehold for B7.5 million.

For further information contact Patrick Lusted at Siam Real Estate Tel: 076 288 908 or email: patrick@siamrealestate.com. Visit the website at www.siamrealestate.com

The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, has expressed interest in importing more of Thailand’s branded jasmine rice, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said upon returning from an official one-day visit to the Sultan at his palace in Brunei.

Saturday’s Brunei visit was the first official overseas trip for Ms Yingluck since assuming office in August.

The Premier told reporters the Sultan had expressed interest in Thai jasmine rice, and said Brunei was ready to import more of Thailand’s signature commodity.

Brunei is also willing to work with the Thai Government and has agreed to exchange knowledge, technology and other cooperation in education, medical services and agriculture, Ms Yingluck said.

The Premier said Brunei was willing to increase employment of Thai workers.

Ms Yingluck denied a report in Brunei media that fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra had entered the sultanate before Ms Yingluck arrived.

Brunei was first on the list of ASEAN countries Ms Yingluck plans to visit, as the rounds are being conducted in alphabetical order. In the past week she was due to visit Cambodia, Indonesia and Laos.

–MCOT

THAI launches Brussels route

More awards for Shangri-La The Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok was awarded the ‘Best Business Hotel’ title in Business Traveller Asia-Pacific magazine’s 2011 readers’ poll.

The award is one of eight to the Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts group, which has been

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voted Best Business Hotel Brand in Asia Pacific for the 11th consecutive year.

The poll results were announced at a luncheon in Hong Kong on September 9 and will be published in the October issue of the magazine.

Thai Airways International is set to launch flights from Bangkok to Brussels on November 17, offering “I fly THAI” promotional fares from now until the end of February next year.

Economy-class return fares start at B35,095 and business class at B98,915.

Passengers may add other European destinations to their trip with tickets valid for up to 21 days.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

BUSINESS & PROPERTY 19

Brewery dives into property market Patong Beach: Tourist arrivals continue to climb.

August sees big jump in arrivals Tourist arrivals to Thailand in August were 35 per cent higher than the same period last year, Tourism Department data has revealed.

More than 1.7 million tourist arrivals were recorded throughout Thailand in August, compared to the approximately 1.3 million arrivals in 2010, marking a 35.4 per cent rise since last year.

Over the past eight months Thailand has welcomed a total of 12.9 million tourists, representing a growth of 27.6 per cent year-on-year.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports aims to welcome another 6.3 million visitors over the next four months, for a total of more than 19 million.

More tourists have come from China, Japan and Korea in August this year due to it being the peak holiday season in those countries, the report indicated.

Tourist arrivals to Thailand comprise Malaysian tourists at the top with 181,461 arrivals, closely followed by China, just 1,519 arrivals behind, representing almost a 50 per cent increase since last year.

Phuket is now the top gateway to Thailand from Malaysia, replacing the Sadao checkpoint at the ThailandMalaysia border in Songkhla province.

China is expected to contribute about 100 million outbound tourists to the Asian region by 2020.

With an improvement in ties with neighbouring Cambodia since the Pheu Thai

www.ayudhya.net Tel: 0 7 6 3 8 4 6 6 4 -

Party-led government took office, arrivals from Cambodia grew more than 150 per cent from 12,436 to 31,124.

Tourist arrivals in August from other countries in East Asia rose by more than 40 per cent, while European visitors increased by just over 21 per cent.

Russia recorded the highest growth rate in tourist arrivals to Thailand at 92.4 per cent (41,191 visitors), followed by Spain at 78.5 per cent (17,826), but UK visitors still rank as the largest supplier of European tourists with 78,571 British visitors recorded in August.

The Americas and Oceania reported similar percentage growth rates in arrivals to Thailand: 32.7 per cent (71,159) and 31.7 per cent (81,549) respectively.

Visitors from the United States, Canada, Argentina and Brazil showed steady improvement, increasing between 26.7 and 39 per cent. Arrivals from Australia rose just over 34 per cent while New Zealand arrivals increased 16 per cent.

Arrivals from the Middle East increased slightly at 9.8 per cent. Israel was the biggest single supplier from that region in August with 22.8 per cent growth. Africa saw a slight growth of 6.7 per cent with the majority of this being visitors from South Africa.

The number of Thais travelling abroad dropped about five per cent compared with last August with 522,494 making overseas trips in the month this year.

Boon Rawd Brewery Co – the company behind Singha Beer – recently invested B2 billion in commercial real estate with the purchase of the nine-rai former Japanese Embassy site on New Petchburi Rd in Bangkok, which it intends to develop into a mixed use development.

The move by the brewery to enter the commercial property market is due to increased demand for income-producing properties in Thailand, according to the

Asia Pacific Capital Markets Market View report for Q2 2011 by CB Richard Ellis (CBRE).

“This increase in demand was also seen with the recent sale of the Sofitel Silom Hotel to an owned associate of The Pioneer Global Group,” senior CBRE economist Eilidh Callum wrote in the report.

“The same 49.5-per-centowned associate that holds the Pullman Pattaya Aisawan Resort purchased the 469room hotel for B2.01 billion,

or B4.3 million per key.

“Current market interest goes beyond income-producing assets, with strategically located sites also sought after.

So far this year City Virtue Ltd bought a three-rai site on Sathorn Rd from the French government and developers LPN and Supali have both bought land for residential development,” said Ms Callum.

The property deals in the capital mark show steady investment activity for Thailand

despite a general lull in the Asian market in the second quarter.

A quarter-on-quarter decline of 39 per cent came as investors in Asia turned more cautious following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan and with the worsening economic picture in the United States and Eurozone, the CBRE report indicated.

However, Ms Callum said the lull was temporary and the market fundamentals remain firm.

Motorbike sales set to hit 2m this year The government’s policies to boost public spending could push motorcycle sales up to two million units this year, according to the Kasikorn Reseach Centre (KRC).

As many as 1.2 million motorcycles have been sold over the past seven months, representing a 15.5-per-cent increase over the same period last year.

July, however, saw a sharp drop of 19.7 per cent in sales from June, a fall thought to be the result of the heavy flooding in many provinces of Thailand.

While natural disasters have affected the motorcycle industry, KRC is positive that the new government’s plans to raise the incomes of poorer people cut prices of fuel and give farmers credit cards and in other ways promote spending among grassroots communities should help improve sales.

KRC speculates that the market could see a growth of 11 to 16 per cent this year, leading sales to top the two million mark.

–NNT

Dr Chaiyuth Sutheerayongprasert, left, a spinal surgeon and orthopaedic specialist at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, made a presentation about his new minimally-invasive treatment for the back condition sciatica, at last Friday’s meeting of the International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP), held at the Full Moon Brew Works in Jungceylon. He is pictured above with James Firth, the President of IBAP.

info@ayudhya.net Mob: 087 898 8647

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20 WEIRD WORLD

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Italian town going it alone A small town in central Italy has declared its independence from Rome and has started to print its own banknotes.

The authorities in Filettino, 100km east of Rome, are protesting against the government’s austerity measures.

Filettino has only 550 inhabitants, and under new rules aimed at cutting local administration costs it is slated to be merge – against its will – with neighbouring Trevi.

Town mayor Luca Sellari, who stands to lose his job because of the Eurozone crisis, came up with the idea.

He created his own currency, called the Fiorito.

Banknotes have his head on the back, and they are already being used in local shops and being bought as souvenirs by tourists who have started to throng the normally quiet streets.

Freedom! Town mayor Luca Sellari has his own face printed on the new money, the Fiorito, which is actually kind of creepy.

The mayor says there is enormous enthusiasm about declaring the independence of the new principality.

There has been such an outcry by small towns across Italy at government moves to abolish local councils and

merge them with larger towns, that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s coalition may be forced to backtrack.

In the meantime the new Principality of Filettino – complete with its own coat of arms and website – is suddenly

enjoying international fame.

After all, the mayor says, Italy was once made up of dozens of principalities and dukedoms. And, he points out, the landlocked republic of San Marino manages to survive, so why not Filettino?

The attacking prowess of Danny Boy the donkey will be put to the test when the Animal All Blacks take on England this month. simple: “You get them in the right way and tell them to kick it.”

The animals all kick the rugby ball backwards. Now she’s working on getting them to move in the same direction.

And training’s also under way

for a haka – although it’s not quite clear what exactly that will involve.

Although her final lineup for the four-aside teams is undecided, an undoubted star of the Animal All Blacks will be Danny Boy.

The five-year-old Welsh pony’s kicking skills have won him the number 10 black jersey – the one worn by his human counterpart Dan Carter.

Danny Boy’s younger brother Merlin, aged two, loves kicking the ball too but his position and team isn’t set yet. “I want to see who does what together and will then work out the team,” Lynn said.

The farm’s arena has been set up with a mock rugby field complete with goalposts and tiered seating.

The players will know it’s a rugby match rather than their normal farm shows when they run on to the field through a special tunnel.

There are even cheerleaders – three miniature ponies decked out in ruffles.

Boozed moose gets Paying price caught in apple tree for low libido A heavily intoxicated Swedish moose had to be cut free from an apple tree after an boozy evening foraging for fermented fruit.

Police believe the inebriated elk got into a state after eating fermented apples, and got stuck while trying to reach fruit higher up the tree.

The binge-drinking beast somehow managed to wedge itself into the branches of the tree with all four legs off the ground.

Fire crews had to chop branches off the tree to free the animal.

Once free, it staggered off into nearby woods, presumably to sleep off the effects of its big night out.

The moose was left physically unMany of Phuket’s expats have probably harmed by the incident but probably had found themselves in more compromis- a cracking hangover to nurse, along with ing situations than this. the embarrassing memory. www.thephuketnews.com

Bizarre Protests Hook, line and silver: Alice Newstead likes sharks. In fact she loves sharks. At least that’s what we’re assuming, because in a campaign against shark extinction, she pierced her skin with oversized fish hooks and hung from the ceiling of a Paris boutique. Alice painted her body silver to resemble a shark, before being hoisted into the air with the fishing hooks. The painful stunt went on for 15 minutes.

Horseplay at the World Cup There will be plenty of horsing around when New Zealand takes the rugby field against England later this month.

To clarify, we’re not talking about the World Cup. Players on this rugby field have four legs and tend to lack the ball handling skills of their national heroes.

All the players are ponies and donkeys from Clevedon Animal Farm, south of Auckland. Lynn Colecutt came up with the idea for the match when Clevedon adopted England as its second team.

“It’s supposed to be a laugh,” she said. Laugh indeed.

The animals have been training fortnightly for several months and she has now upped that to five days a week.

Her coaching tactics are

THE BIG LIST

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?

The wrong answer to that question has cost one Frenchman more than B400,000.

The 51-year-old man was successfully sued by his ex-wife, who claimed he did not have sex with her often enough during their 21 years of marriage.

The couple divorced two years ago, with the wife blaming her husband’s low libido for the split.

In a rare legal decision, the judge in the south of France’s highest court in Aix-en-Provence said, “Sexual relations must form part of a marriage”.

But the judge said: “A sexual relationship between husband and wife is the expression of affection they have for each other, and in this case it was absent.

“By getting married, couples agree to sharing their life and this clearly implies they will have sex with each other.”

Dedicated to the cause: In May 2009, an Egyptian man made probably the most dedicated protest in history, cutting off his own penis to express his displeasure at his parents’ choice of bride. The 25-year-old labourer from the village of Sheikh Eissa in southern Egypt, who also mutilated his testicles, was taken to hospital in a stable condition, but doctors were unable to reattach the severed member.

Got milk? Some 2,500 farmers from across the European Union gathered in Brussels in October 2009, to protest at collapsing milk prices, spraying riot police with milk straight from cow udders and then coating them in hay fired from a silo. Milk supply in Europe exceeds demand and farmers claimed they were forced to sell their milk at prices below cost.

Barking mad: In March 2007, a former South Korean army commando held a protest in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul to mark the anniversary of peaceful mass demonstrations against Japanese colonial rule that took place in 1919. Apparently he got the brilliant idea of bringing along five dog heads, which were taken from some of the dog meat markets in the city, and placing them on the pavement to symbolise Koreans who supported Japanese colonial rule.

Name of the game: In late 2008, a 19-year-old woman from Virginia in the USA reportedly changed her name to a website address protesting animal dissection. The former Jennifer Thornburg – whose driver’s licence read Cutout Dissection.com after the name change – wanted to do something to protest animal dissections in schools.

Her parents still call her Jennifer.

Black swan: Controversial “artist” Mark McGowan took his dislike of the Queen to an extreme level – by eating a swan. McGowan was attempting to challenge “the upper classes who shoot game, but never eat it”. In similarly ridiculous and oddly targeted protests, Mr McGowan has sat in a bathtub full of baked beans with chips up his nose and sausages around his head while claiming to be the “defender of the full English breakfast”, and eaten chunks of a Corgi dog in protest against Prince Philip for hunting foxes.

Bricks and mortar: Late last year, property developer Cameron Hope bricked up the front door of a Barclays branch in the UK after being turned down for a business loan. Mr Hope was supported by other local business owners as he built a 2.4m by 1.2m wall in front of the bank.

Faecal point: Yes, this is indeed about a protest that involved hurling poo. The protesters were a group of South Korean cattle farmers, who were enraged that Korea’s Lotte supermarkets had decided to sell US beef. The photo opposite pretty much says it all – they’re throwing poo at a supermarket.

ON CAMERA 21

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Going places: A young Thai surfer catches a wave.

Groms have a swell day out at Kata Beach

S

ome 30 young surfers competed in the Rip Curl Grom Fest 2011 last Saturday (September 10) at Kata Beach.

Thirteen-year-old Panu Visedsombut braved the heavy winds, rain and storm-surf conditions to win the competition for the second year in a row. He won

every heat he surfed in on his way to the final, and also netted the highest heat total of the day.

He took home a Thailand GromSearch record B10,000 for the victory.

Visedsombut edged out his close friend and fellow Kata Beach boy, Banjo Schlider, 11, in the final. Finishing third was Pumin

Chamnan, 12, also from Kata.

Apart from the surfing, a three-legged race and a paddling race were arranged to keep the surfers and spectators amused.

Pro surfers Jammie Smith, from Thailand, and Garut Widiarta, from Bali, were also there to show their surfing skills to young competitors.

Above, Hannah Diamond poses with her board. Below, Gotta face it – he’s looking good in warpaint.

Above: Whew. That’ll do for now, says Jonty Mclean-Hith. Below, BM, left, and Annissa Flynn.

Come on dad! Do it faster! www.thephuketnews.com

22 DOWN TIME BOOK REVIEW

We the Animals

Justin Torres Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 144 pages We The Animals, Justin Torres’ sparse debut novel, is brimming with delicate stories of family, of growing up, of facing reality, and of delaying it.

Narrated by the youngest son of a Puerto Rican father and white mother from Brooklyn who are raising their three young sons in upstate New York, the novel comprises vignettes detailing moments spent in “the eye of the ferocious bubble of home”.

Tor res pai nts a la rge picture through diminutive strokes, evoking envy for the couple’s passion and fear for just how easily that passion turns to rage.

The brothers w restle, fight, cry, and laugh as their family is torn and repaired over and over again, ultimately creating a haunting story of a boy scrabbling toward wisdom about the adult world and his place in it.

MUSIC REVIEW

In the Grace of Your Love The Rapture DFA records

The five-year gap since the band’s last full-length Pieces of the People We Love has subversively encouraged a lot of people to write off their scene-defining presence as something ready for the history books, but In the Grace of Your Love serves as a fullon reminder of all the ways The Rapture can be great.

The album makes the last five years without The Rapture seem a lot more empty; sometimes you don’t know what you’re missing until it returns. It's probably not going to redefine the dance rock scene in the same way, but it's fun nonetheless.

Not every song succeeds, and the best moments tend to be the danciest. Songs like the trumpet-laden Never gonna die again, the MGMTesque Children, and the disjointed melody-packed Can you find a way are, in fact, what this band is all about.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

FILM REVIEW Zookeeper

Run time: 102 minutes Rating: G Kevin James and talking animals – that really doesn’t seem like a particularly laborious screenwriting challenge.

Apparently though, even with five writers, it was. The result is that Zookeeper is a confused and directionless film that struggles to present itself as either the family comedy it promotes itself as, or the rom-com it so desperately tries to be.

More amusing than funny, the movie drags unnecessarily, trying to convince viewers that the human elements of the script have value when all anyone really wants to see is a talking gorilla in a polo shirt.

In Zookeeper, James is – no big surprise – a zookeeper. Also not surprisingly, he plays his trademark role of the lovable teddy bear with a big heart.

His character (Griffin) is stuck hopelessly in love with his former flame, Stephanie (Leslie Bibb). A pretentious woman with expensive tastes, Stephanie looks to change Griffin to suit her needs, urging the zookeeper to rethink his vocation.

The animals at the zoo, unwilling to let their favourite keeper go, let Griffin in on a little secret – they can talk.

They then proceed to offer him various species-specific courting advice.

It’s at precisely that point where any sense of normality or logic ends, as we embark on a series of bizarre and out-

landish sketches that provide some flirting moments of entertainment, but ultimately fall into the flat and/or derivative basket, thanks to some mediocre scriptwriting.

Try picturing images of dancing while suspended from silk ribbons, or a trip to a bar with a depressed gorilla disguised as a man dressed in a gorilla suit, and you’ve got just a small taste.

In fact, some of these sketches are mildly amusing for their sheer quirkiness, and if the writers had really honed in on this, it might have fulfilled a little more of its potential.

Instead, Zookeeper aspires to be nothing more than a family film diversion. That in itself is no crime, but the tepid screenplay somehow forgets its target audience, wrongfully assuming that people would rather spend time with the character’s pathetic romantic fixations than with his daily work with the yappy animals.

And it is those yappy animals that are the only saving grace, voiced by some big name

talent including Adam Sandler (as a monkey obsessed with poo slinging), Sylvester Stallone and Cher (married lions), Judd Apatow (as an elephant), Jon Favreau (a bear), and last but not least, Nick Nolte (as the depressed gorilla).

All the animals look real, because, with the exception of Nick Nolte’s gorilla, they are. While Nolte’s character really is just a man in a gorilla suit (making the aforementioned bar scene more plausible, though no less weird), the rest are real animals that have had their mouths CGI animated.

In the end the only ones who will really appreciate this bizarre, frenetic and confused slapstick romcom are 8-12 year-olds – but that’s exactly who this movie has been made for.

As for adults, it will probably make you wish you’d stayed in the car, talking to the dog instead.

–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: Phuket 076 209 000 and Patong 076 600 555.

AT SFX COLLISEUM PHUKET THIS WEEK Bad Teacher (E) [18+]: 12:00, 14:00, 16:05, 18:05, 20:10 Bangkok Kung Fu (T/E.SUB): 11:20, 13:30, 15:45, 17:55, 20:05, 22:15 Colombiana (E) [18+]: 12:10, 17:00, 21:50 Cowboys & Aliens (E) [13+]: 14:30, 19:20, 22:20 Fright Night (E/3D) [18+]: 12:15, 14:45, 17:15, 19:45, 22:10 U-Mong Pa Muang (T/E.SUB): 11:15, 13:20, 15:40, 18:00, 20:15, 22:35 Zookeeper (E) [G]: 11:40, 13:50, 16:00, 18:10, 20:20, 22:30

AT SFC JUNGCEYLON PHUKET Bad Teacher (E) [18+]: 11:45, 13:45, 15:45, 17:45, 19:45, 21:45 Colombiana (E) [18+]: 12:50, 15:10, 17:35, 19:50, 22:10 Conan the Barbarian (E) [15+]: 14:45 Cowboys & Aliens (E) [13+]: 12:15, 17:15, 22:00 Fright Night (E) [18+]: 11:30, 14:00, 16:30, 19:00, 21:30 Rise of the Planet of the Apes (E) [G]: 19:45 U-Mong Pa Muang (T/E.SUB) [15+]: 12:20, 14:40, 17:00, 19:20, 21:40

STRETCH YOUR BRAIN Across

21. Company support snake. (5) 22. Only a small lake.

1. Tour trio lenient (4) about dangerous stuff.

23. A tidy way to drink.

(15) (4) 9. Ideal country for 25. Stitched seed out you to go with Pia. (6) 11. Initial bit of acid. (8) West. (5) 27. Equation for 12. Shoe cleaner very courtyard with rat in dark after kick. (9) 14. Get bored of rubber charge? (9) 29. Send king, maybe, items. (5) from vacation. (8) 16. Final piece of 31. Inherent pub cobbler’s gear. (4) 18. Negative? Ah! Ham, consumed. (6) sire. (4) 34. Need for glasses 19. Sorceress is almost spotted in proximity. round. (5) (15)

Solutions to last week’s puzzles

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Down

8. I take nose out to make a sound. (5) 2. Nonsense decay. (3) 9. 49 and 99 in 3. Sleep at card game? hesitation, and transport navel. (9) (3) 4. Falling behind and a 10. Open up doors to bit ill, I’m in Trang. (8) admit smells. (5) 5. Even truncated, fowl 13. Hat for fellow on French water. (7) is still a bird. (3) 15. Half glasses – quite 6. Eject nothing, you a sight. (9) saint! (4) 7. British weather after 17. Odysseus’s counselor on rock? He Ian becomes another nationality. (9) gives one hell. (9)

20. Time limit expired at boundary. (8) 24. Not entirely extraordinary actor. (5) 26. Ragged eastern flower. (5) 28. I take little Labrador back to Phuket rival. (4) 30. Had up code dash.

(3) 32. Zero in convent? (3) 33. Sit-up? It’s archaic!

(3)

THE ENVIRONMENT 23

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Vegetables can also be ornamental. Here, lettuce is planted alongside pansies and daisies in the ephemeral gardens planted in 2009 in Nancy, France, to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Louis Majorelle, one of the great creators of Art Nouveau.

Food shortages?

Grow your own In its July issue , the National Geographic magazine estimated that world population will reach nine billion people by 2045.

To supply enough food to those people, some experts say we will have to double global food production.

Developing countries will need an additional 120 million hectares for planting crops to feed the world.

Where will we find such vast areas, especially when supercities continue to gobble up the countryside around them? One suggestion is that we may need to clear forest – but the costs of that to the atmosphere are already well established.

So perhaps, to stave off a grim future of famine and environmental deterioration,

GREEN thumb it is the time each of us started creating our own food supplies.

If we do not, many places may end up like Phuket where food prices continue to soar because the island’s agricultural land has been taken over for tourism or second homes, leaving Phuket people to depend mostly on food imported from other provinces.

Charlie Sitthibutt, a researcher at the Phuket Department of Agriculture, estimates that if Phuket were cut off from the rest of the world today, the food stocks on the island would last about a week. Then we’d all begin to starve.

One great option for those who want to do something

about this perilous situation is the food garden or vegetable garden.

It can be created in any leftover space such as a backyard, community garden or rooftop; you just need to make sure there is enough light and water to grow plants.

Other countries have already started doing this – in the US, residential landscape architects are replacing part or all of traditional lawns with food gardens. Some landscape architects even propose food gardens as a tool in public parks, to be a communal space for everyone to grow and share food supplies.

When you start, study the characteristics of the vegetables and fruits you want to grow.

For example, cabbage can grow at room temperature and

The Victory Garden in front of San Francisco City Hall during Food Nation 2008 was planted to encourage sustainable growing of food. In World War II victory gardens played a big part in feeding countries such as the US and Britain, cut off from traditional food imports. needs sunshine all day; tomatoes produce most fruit during the winter season; morning glory loves wet soil. Some vegetables, such as beans and lettuce, must be started from seed – so you’ll need boxes to do this in.

Food gardens can be integrated in ornamental gardens; for example, sweet basil and

aloe vera can be use to decorate your garden because of their nice form.

Perennial plants such as pea and asparagus grow back year after year, so are lower in maintenance than annuals which have to be grown from scratch every year.

The important key is to bring variety into your food

gardens, as it offers various nutrition.

And if you are really creative, you can make your food garden a delight to look at, too. After all, there is a wide variety of colours in vegetable leaves and flowers. So you can have food for the belly and the soul, all in one place.

–Paritta Wangkiat

Roselle juice for Meet the natives nice rosy cheeks Healthy

Herbs The bright magenta fruit Roselle (hibiscus sabdariffa), or kajeap daeng in Thai, introduces The Phuket News’ new section on Thai medicinal plants.

Starting from the more commonly-found and moving on to more obscure plants, these weekly introductions will include the traditional Thai usage of the plants as remedies that can often be just picked fresh from the garden.

Nam kajeap (Roselle juice) is a popular, refreshing, healthy

drink, available from most drink and food stalls.

The bright-red cordial standing on supermarket shelves, often next to the tamarind cordial, is made from these useful fruits. Sweetened, the

taste is fresh and flavoursome and, as it’s packed with Vitamin C, you can feel it doing you good as you drink it.

Thais use it to help with digestion and the passing of urine. In Western folk medicine it is also used as a diuretic, mild laxative and even as treatment for cardiac and nervous diseases, and cancer.

Native to the tropics, this perennial herb can grow to 2.5 metres tall. Each fleshy flower turns into these bright-red fruits, that can also be used as natural food colouring.

Thailand is one of the world’s biggest growers.

–Norachai Thavisin

E

ach week The Phuket News introduces an animal or plant that is found on the island of Phuket.

The only time that most people meet this native, the freshwater eel (aquilla), is when it is served to you in a Japanese restaurant, split in half, marinated in soya sauce and grilled. And you then enjoy its good taste and wonder why it is not eaten more often.

It is also popular and delicious smoked whole, and eaten in Europe and elsewhere around the world.

You don’t see the eel in your pond as it is mostly nocturnal and spends much of its time feeding on fish and

other food in the mud at the bottom of canals and lakes.

The eel has a fascinating and mysterious life.

It is called catadromous as it lives in freshwater places and goes to sea to spawn.

When the right time comes, mature eels follow a mysterious and little-understood call of nature to all slip into the sea, changing their metabolism en route to enable them to survive in salt water.

Incredibly, European and American eels swim for thousands of kilometres through

the ocean to the warm and still water of the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, where they spawn and die en masse.

Equally incredibly, like salmon, huge tides of elvers (young eels) try to retrace the route of their parents back up the streams and rivers to the lakes where their ancestors lived.

Pay respect to this remarkable traveller and survivor next time you meet it, hopefully not only in a Japanese or German restaurant. www.thephuketnews.com

24 PET PAGE

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Pets of the Week

This gorgeous chihuahua, named Star, belongs to Maggie Wedge from Rawai.

Star is nearly one year old.

This delightful combination are, from left, An, Ony, and Mous.

Email us a photo of you and your pet to: editor@thephuketnews.com *Each month one winner who submitted the best Pet of the Week photo will win a B500 voucher from the Chao-Fa Andaman Pet Hospital.

The Chao-Fa Andaman Pet Hospital is located at 8/28--29 M.9 chaofah (East) Rd., T Chalong, A. Muang Phuket 83130.

Tel: 076 283 365 or fax: 076 384 524. Mob: 083 501 8488 or email urenium333@hotmail.com.

www.thephuketnews.com

FASHION 25

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Street Fashion

1

Must haves 2

Accessories from Island Bliss, on the left side of the road from Cherng Talay to Surin Beach, just before Plaza Surin.

4

Arissara Sanesuk, A businesswoman.

Arissara bought her Fly Now shirt (B525) from an outlet shop in Nakhon Ratchasima province. Her Chap skirt (B729) was bought at Central Festival. She bought her second-hand shoes (B200) from JJ Market in Bangkok and her bracelets (B525 for the set) came from Merci Beaucoup on Yaowarat Rd in Phuket town.

Patricia-Ann Que,

Hotel senior assistant manager.

Patricia-Ann bought her dress (B499) and her bracelet (B390) from an online shop, Sammi-Joe.com. Her Lacoste watch (B4,000) came from Central Festival and she bought the shoes (B2,000) in Italy.

3 1: Necklace: B16,200 2: Necklace: B1,300 3: Bag: B2,850 4: Bag: B2,280

ISLAND WEDDINGS

Alison and Johann Strydom, from Johannesburg, South Africa, were married at Hat Ya Nui on August 30. –Photos by Coral Seekers.

www.thephuketnews.com

26 ON CAMERA

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Holiday Inn goes north I

Photo above: From left, Nathee Nithivasin, Simon Morley, Pichet Nithivisin and Nithida Nithivasin. Below: Representatives from Tez Tour Thailand Co., Ltd.

nterContinental Hotels Group opened the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Mai Khao Beach on September 9, making it the latest international hotel to open in northwest Phuket.

The hotel has 246 guestrooms decked out according to InterContinental’s US$1 billion (B30 billion) worldwide rebranding campaign, which includes in-room features such as ‘crisp bedding’ of soft and firm pillows, a large walk-in rain shower and wireless internet, said General Manager Simon Morley.

“We also offer a wide range of holistic Thai and Western massages and treatments at the signature Tea Tree Spa, and dining choices span a wide selection of local specialties and international cuisine in its three restaurants and bars,” Mr Morley said.

“We have gone to great lengths to ensure that the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Mai Khao Beach hits a sweet spot for a wide range of target customers and we are confident that our efforts will pay off.”

Marketing operations for the resort are overseen by the Narai Group, which carries a portfolio of several hotels and serviced apartments in and around Bangkok.

Narai Group Vice president Nathee Nithivasin said they chose Holiday Inn due to the brand being widely recognised around the world.

Phuket’s latest addition is just one of 28 hotels planned to open in Asia and Australia in the next three years.

Photo above: From left, Pichet Nithivasin and Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Pekad Tantipong. Below: Julia Razgon, Information Manager of Tez Tour Thailnad.

Oliver Jones, Auget Bernard and Lauzon Jean-Paul.

Phuket beer is back Choices for Phuket’s beer drinkers just got better with the official return of Phuket Beer last Friday night after almost a decade of absence.

Thirsty punters flocked to Brush Restaurant and Lounge in Kalim where 500 bottles of the beer disappeared without complaint.

www.thephuketnews.com

Staying true to its roots, the only major thing to change about Phuket Beer is the packaging, with a remodeled Hornbill on the label. The rest is pretty much the same, brewed with Australian malt and Thai jasmine rice.

The beer itself is fairly light – it’s not particularly full-bodied

and sits somewhere between Leo and Singha on the bitterness scale, making it suitable for a sunny day on the beach or a night out on the town.

Phuket Beer is being sold in the ‘upper premium’ price range, and will be distributed across the island by Bangkok Beer & Beverage.

Definitely up to par All winners: The Hotel Travel.Com team celebrate in the Irish Times Pub on Friday after their performance in the pub’s fundraiser for the Life Home Project. From left. Dale Smith, Takashi Hirakawa, Irish

honorary consul Helene Fallon-Wood , MC David Brooke (in green cap), Daniel Darcy, Joojee of Life Home project and Blair Speers of HotelTravel.com.

–Photo by Dan Miles

FEATURE PLUS 27

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Not for the fainthearted Phuket makes a name as top cage fighting training ground

T

hai boxing camps and competitions have always attracted hundreds of visitors to Phuket every year, but gaining popularity rapidly in the past few years is mixed martial arts (MMA) – a full-contact sport that borrows techniques from boxing, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate and judo.

Since the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – the famous American mixed martial arts competition – began in 1993, the sport has taken the world, and lately Phuket, by storm.

During matches, the audience will get to see fighters using moves such as kicking, punching, kneeing, takedowns and ground fighting to beat their opponent. These fights are run under the supervision of qualified referees and officials, with medical assistance at the ready, and normally take place in purpose-built cages – no throwing your opponent out of the ring.

Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Phuket training camp in Chalong has a fine reputation not only in Phuket but also Thailand. Fight!Magazine.com even listed Tiger as one of its top five international training hotspots in their August edition, and the camp has helped put Thailand on the world map for MMA. World class fighters such as UFC veteran Phil Baroni, along with UFC fighters JJ Ambrose and Jake Shield, Mark Hunt (who competes in both MMA and K-1, the kickboxing contest) and Brian “Bad Boy” Ebersole, are among the big names in MMA to have trained at Tiger.

Tiger Head Coach Ray Elbe has witnessed the spectacular growth of MMA’s popularity in Thailand. Also known as Magical Ray, he is one of two Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt fighters in Thailand.

He has fought in more than 30 professional MMA fights, as well as competing in muay Thai and submission grappling competitions in 10 countries around the world. He moved to Phuket and became the head coach at Tiger four years ago.

Submission grappling is a strategy used by a fighter to take down the opponent and get into a dominant position.

From there the fighter can apply a submission hold or choke hold. This means that you don’t have to be stronger or bigger to get your opponent to submit. You just need to

Above: UFC and PRIDE fighter Phil Baroni of the New York Bad Ass camp trains with Yod Wilek at Tiger in Phuket.

Right: Phuket-trained Wiktor Svensson is odds-on favourite to win his next bout. learn the right moves.

Ray explains that there is more to the sport than what meets the eye. It takes more than just sheer strength to win, he says. Skills, technique and strategies are critical to fighters when it comes to winning or losing a fight.

Tiger has become a household name in Phuket for its MMA training camps and welcomes a large number of MMA students every year.

Most of the students at Tiger are foreigners, from all over the world.

In addition, professional fighters visit Phuket and train at Tiger Muay Thai to refine their MMA techniques, as well as learning muay Thai fighting skills.

Every last Saturday of the month, Tiger hosts a BBQ Beat Down. Here, amateur fighters or students at Tiger can enter a fight while their friends watch. The Beat Down has evolved into a breeding ground for future fighters and also a good place to showcase one’s MMA skills.

It is helpful to students because they are able to determine what grade they should belong in, and also get practice by taking part in serious, supervised fights.

Female students also take an interest and learn skills in

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) for fitness and self-defence. BBJ is a skill that teaches people to defend themselves successfully against stronger attackers, using superior technique.

I joined Ray Elbe’s BJJ class one morning to see what it was like. Two hours later, I felt equipped to take on any attacker.

I was taught to use simple pushing and bumping moves.

I used my hands and legs to do a takedown, and used locking positions and choking to defeat my training partner, or “attacker”.

After a few awkward moves, I gradually learned that BJJ is all about maneuvering your body and limbs to give leverage. Taking advantage of that, I had to use barely any strength to fight off my attacker. All it took was a few bumping moves, a few pushes, and before I knew it I had her them in a hold position.

This has to be one of the best ways to protect oneself from an attacker.

Many female students takes BJJ classes for fitness and self-protection. But some take it more seriously. One of those is Kitty Teppo, who has been doing BJJ submission grappling for three and a half years in Finland.

This is Kitty’s passion, and

when she moved to Phuket for work, she began training muay Thai at Sing Patong gym. But her passion for BJJ submission grappling never stopped, and after six months in Phuket she made her first trip to Tiger.

She’s been a constant visitor ever since.

Kitty said it is difficult to find other girls to train with regularly, and over a long period of time. She hopes that one day the sport will be more popular among women.

For the men, it is easier.

Swede Wiktor Svensson trained in BJJ for four years under Ray and is now a Purple Belt BJJ fighter. A former office administrator, he has been training full time while working as Ray’s training assistant.

Wiktor has fought in MMA and muay Thai, and competed in submission grappling competitions. Since he started training under Ray at Tiger, he has amassed an impressive three wins within the first round, using submission

techniques or choking his opponent into unconsciousness.

On September 24, he will step into the cage for his fourth fight, at the Dare Fighting Championship in Bangkok.

This time things may not be so easy; his opponent from Poland has an equally impressive three-wins record.

“I’m excited but still comfortable and confident about fighting in my own style. I’ve been training very hard for this tournament. I hope I’ll win and land a big contract,” Wiktor says.

“If you look closely, what we do is not just a brawl. We don’t just go into the cage and throw punches and beat the other person down.

“You need to work hard, learn how your opponent fights, and work out how you will stop him from taking you down.

You need to have strategies.

When you fight, you have to have a Plan A. If Plan A doesn’t work, you need a Plan B. It’s like a chess game – you have to visualise the moves even before your opponent makes them.”

–Kazira Hanshanasattru For more information on Tiger Muay Thai and MMA visit www.tigermuaythai.com and www.mmaphuket.com For information and tickets on the Dare Fighting Championship in Bangkok, visit www.darefightsports. com. Tickets are also available through Tiger. www.thephuketnews.com

28 EAT PHUKET

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Italian feasting by the ocean A

Executive Chef and owner of Acqua, Alessandro Frau.

full restaurant of about a hundred happy diners on Monday night savoured a delicate fivecourse Mediterranean feast, prepared by cooking maestro Alessandro Frau, Executive Chef and owner of the Acqua Restaurant in Kalim.

Competing with the good food for attention, while also complementing it, was a selection of rather extraordinary Italian wines, imported by Tommasi Wine (tommasiwine.it).

The company’s ebullient Elena Bortoletto took care to tell diners about the origins of the five different wines, smooth and filled with subtle characters, that they were savouring with each course of the meal.

She rattled off names of grape varieties, native to the northern part of Italy, that perhaps not many of the diners had heard of. After at least three years of aging, there were the wines in our big glasses, golden, deep-red,

Slow-cooked beef short rib on the bone.

Getting started on the five courses.

www.thephuketnews.com

The busy open kitchen.

and wonderful.

Chef Alessandro in the meantime was enveloped in steam as he and a large team of Thai cooks prepared the first course, which actually did not require cooking at all: Black Angus beef tartar, overlaid with strachino cheese and olives.

Now, a medallion of raw mince, even if Angus, and topped with a layer of tasty cheese, was an unusual intro.

The golden Le Rosse Pinot Grigio helped to smoothly ease this down.

The piping hot and delicious ravioli agnolotti restored some balance with its rich osso buco sauce.

From the huge stainless steel pot that the chef was stirring came this reviewer’s highlight of the meal: Risotto Carnaroli with quail ragout, duck liver and fresh black truffle from Norcia.

The al dente rice was coated with a sauce in which the slightly gamey flavours blended so well. The tastes of

the tiny leg of fried quail and thin slices of truffles, with its always elusive je-ne-sais-quoi flavour, transported you to the north of Italy, near the Alps.

Breaking bread from the basket of homemade varieties, dipping it in aged balsamic vinegar and fruity green virgin olive oil and eating it with wine of the deepest red possible, is to partake in the basics of an age-old cuisine of the shores of the European sea.

With a touch of whimsical Italian humour, the chunk of slow-cooked beef short rib, in Amarone wine infused with Italian herbs, was presented on the large white plate balanced, with a row of little vegetables, on a piece of flat rib bone from which the meat came.

As the different wines flowed and flowed, the diners were becoming more and more loud and expansive. Chef Alessandro surveyed the scene and smiled. He knew that his diners would go home happy and satisfied.

– Norachai Thavisin

EAT PHUKET 29

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

A moon with extra sparkle Toop-tap, the perfectly nutty accompaniment to a cup of fresh tea or coffee.

Vipada “Kee” Tongpinyochai, one of the few people in Phuket who make their own toop-tap.

Standing around watching toop-tap being made, it’s not difficult to hear where the name comes from.

Toop-tap, toop-tap, goes the sound of the men’s heavy wooden hammer, being used to crush the peanuts and syrup together, and spread out the mixture.

The snack originates from China, where it is called gongtueng, but like so many other local delicacies, made its way to Phuket some generations ago.

To create it, the cook will boil peanuts and sugar together, and then mix it together with sweet syrup. Two strong people will then stand around the hot, sweet, peanut mixture and beat

snack themselves – the oldest shop of which is Kengtin, on Phuket Rd, Phuket Town. This store has been open since 1942.

Vipada “Kee” Tongpinyochai, has been running this store for the last three years, after taking over from her father. She said that toop-tap is very difficult to make so not many shops will make it themselves.

“This snack needs someone with strong skills to make it, and not everyone can do it. I sometimes make it myself but it is not good as the experts,” she said.

“We are still using the bamboo leaf to cover, though it’s very hard to find. I need

Phuket’s nutty treat Street eats it using heavy wooden hammers, until all the mixture is crushed and flattened.

Later, the mixture is rolled, cut into bite-sized pieces and wrapped with dried bamboo leaf, then covered in greaseproof paper or plastic.

Toop-tap is quite popular in Phuket, and it is a perfect complement to a cup of tea or coffee. You can find it in any grocery shop, convenience store or supermarket around the island.

But there are only a few stores in Phuket that make the

to keep everything the same as my father, grandfather, and great- grandfather did. Our snacks are fresh and there are no preservatives,” Ms Vipada said.

Kengtin’s recipe for tooptap also includes adding some sweet crushed peanut inside the roll, making it more crunchy than other varieties. A pack of toop-tap from Ms Vipada’s shop is B25 (five pieces per pack).

Kengtin is open daily except Sunday from 8am to 6.30pm.

For more information about Phuket local snacks or to make an order, phone Ms Vipada on 076 212 185.

One of Phuket’s resorts has come up with a rather unique, albeit extravagant, way to celebrate the Chinese Lunar Festival, with gold and diamond encrusted mooncakes available for sale.

Paresa resort, in Kamala, is selling these yellow bean and yolk centred mooncakes topped with gold and a one carat diamond for the humble sum of US$8,888 (B267,000).

The mooncakes are on sale from Paresa until Sunday (September 18) to celebrate the Chinese Lunar Festival.

Paresa General Manager Scot Toon said the resort had many couples get married, honeymoon or holiday at Paresa, and he believed the mooncake created a special present to share with each other.

While no one had purchased a mooncake yet, other – no doubt less expensive – mooncakes on the resort’s restaurant menu were proving popular.

Paresa’s mooncakes are presented in a Thai silk box with a bottle of Bottega Gold Prosecco from Italy.

Do you love your partner enough to buy a mooncake worth B267,000?

www.thephuketnews.com

30 EVENTS-MAIN

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

WHAT’S ON IN PHUKET THIS WEEKEND SEPTEMBER 12-18 Mademoiselle Coco @ Lunar Bar Party

For a week in September indulge yourself with a Malibu event at Luna Bar at the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, where you can enjoy exclusive cocktails featuring Malibu liqueur at favourable prices.

To kick off this promotion we will arrange a special “Mademooiselle Coco Party” in September at Luna Bar on the full moon with live entertainment and DJ. For more information please contact 076 201 234. Email: asstprcpbr@chr.co.th.

SEPTEMBERDECEMBER 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. Price 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.

IN COMING MONTHS OCTOBER 23 Chulalongkorn Day A public holiday in remembrance of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1910. Thai people lay flower wreaths at his statue in Bangkok and in the provinces. Piya Maharat is the nickname for the King, meaning the beloved great king.

OCTOBER 30 TSLC Ironkids Training Race

ing Race. A practice triathlon race for children ages six to 15 years old. Registration is at www.ironkidsphuket.com.

NOVEMBER 10 Loi Krathong Festival Loi Krathong is one of the most beautiful festivals in Thailand. The event occurs on the full-moon night of the 12th lunar month. The festival originates from Sukhothai Province. Loy means to float and Krathong is a lotus-shaped boat made from banana leaves.The festival is of Brahmin origin to honour Mae Khongkha, the Mother Goddess of the Waters.

People float krathongs in rivers, canals, lakes and the sea, all over Thailand. The krathongs are made from banana leaves and contain a candle, a coin, incense and flowers.

TSLC IronKids Phuket Train-

Before people float their

List your events on our website for free and here as low as B49 per line www.thephuketnews.com

THIS MONTH SEPTEMBER 25 Thanyapura Arts & Organic Farmer’s Market

Turn Sunday into something special for the family at the Thanyapura Arts & Organic Farmer's Market.

Activities: • Art Exhibition • Open House to Sports Club (Free access to Fitness Centre, Kids’ Club, Tennis Courts, Club Memberships information available) • Balanced Naturally Beauty Products, Jewellery, Kids Swimwear, Local Crafts, Baan San Fan • Live Music.

Brunch at DiVine Restaurant. B650 per person. B350 for kids. Brunch with free flow sparkling wine: B1,100 per person. www.thanyapura.com.

“Organic food this good deserves Organic Wine to match” Join us for a taste of our first organic wines from:

flavourful dishes such as organic beetroot and feta cheese ravioli salad with green pistachio sauce, roasted pumpkin and pine nut tortellini, butter mushroom truffle sauce and more exciting dishes.

Mike Jansz Estate, Yarra Valley, Australia, paired with

At Divine Restaurant 7 pm, B1,500 person (All in-

krathong, they make a wish.

It is believed that the krathongs carry away sins and bad luck. If the candle stays alight, the wishes will come true. Today it is simply also a time to have fun.

ninth anniversary this year.This tournament has developed into one of the largest 7s tournament in Asia with over 80 teams from 20 countries that will compete during two weekends.

SEPTEMBER 21 Splash Wine Dinner

NOVEMBER 26-27 9th Phuket Intern.

Soccer 7s The one and only Phuket Soccer 7s will celebrate its

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 on info@Thai7s.com, www.

Thai7s.com.

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making.

Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as “Ma Song”. clusive). For reservations, please contact 076 336 000, divine@thanyapura. co.th, www.thanyapura.com.

SEPTEMBER 24 Twinpalms 7th Anniversary Party Complimentary access.

Featuring by Dome Pakorn Lam, Taiko Drums: Ongsasilp,

Saxophone Man(Jaturong Rungjareun) Num by T-Bone (Pirasuth Pattanajindarak), Dj Sammii (Samuel Robert) Jay Leshark and Dj Joey (Kiattisak Martwanna).

Time: 8 pm-2 am. Dress code: White (Latex welcome) Complimentary cocktails and food from 8pm-10pm. Catch Beach Club call 076 316 567, catchbeachclub.com.

DECEMBER 3 TSLC Ironkids Phuket

Triathlon for kids six – 15 years old. Registration open until November 27. More information and registration forms on www.ironkidsphuket.com.

Asian Hospitality & Travel Show Be seen...

NOVEMBER 05 The Thailand Property Awards 2011

18TH - 20TH NOVEMBER 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 5th, 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.

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. www. thailandpropertyawards.com. Contact 02 662 5195.

www.thephuketnews.com

SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 05 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

Phuket’s biggest ‘trade show’ for organisations whithin the Hospitality & Travel industry Hosted Buyer programme - 100 buyers from Asia, Australia, India and more.

For Exhibiting opportunities Contact: info@eventsthailand.net Mobile: 089 725 6994 BOOKINGS CLOSE 1 OCTOBER 2011

www.eventsthailand.net

D IL IR NT R B U E B LY NT EM R U T A E CO EP IS S D 15

EVENTS-REGULAR 31

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

List your events on our website for free and here as low as B49 per line www.thephuketnews.com

Happy Hour?

Special promo?

Live Music?

Live Sport?

Brunch?

Dinner?

Spa Promo?

List here for

FREE! thephuketnews.com

FRIDAY BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat Only B295 per person at Shakers. Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim. Reservations call on 081 891 4381.

TapasTree Near Peppers Bar Laguna. Buy one get one free cocktails. Resident DJ, ’70s to now. Great tapas.

088 443 4166.

Indian Night At RPM Enjoy authentic Indian cuisine from 7-10pm. This authentic home-made Indian buffet will be prepared and served by in-house Indian Chef Padum Kahtri.

Only B495++ per person.

Please call Les Anges on 076 360 803

Tapas & Wine Night Order tapas, as much as you like, plus one bottle of wine. B1,200 net per person. 6-11pm at White Box Kalim. Call 076 346 271.

Curry Fridays at Navrang Mahal Alternate Fridays, all-you -can-eat authentic Indian curry buffet, B449 net per person. Draught beer B50.

7pm-11.30pm. Call 076 286 464.

50% Off All Drinks From 10pm to midnight with live music, Roaring Bhoys. Every Friday. Irish Times Irish pub, Jungceylon, Patong.

Beach BBQ Enjoy a beach BBQ at Catch Beach Club, Surin (from B1,190++ per person). 7-10pm. Call 076 316 567.

SATURDAY Colin Hill Colin Hill performs (duo) now every second Saturday at Legends Bar in Kamala, with local guitarist Florian. Call 081 079 1069.

Half-Chicken Spit Roast Only B225 per person at Shakers. Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim area.

Reservations call 081 891 4381.

TapasTree TapasTree (Near Peppers Bar Laguna). Resident DJ, ’70s to date. Great tapas.

Contact 088 443 4166.

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 081 895 4763.

11am to 3pm. B795++ Adults, include one glass of house wine, 50 per cent discount. Children under 12 eat for free. Call 076 360 803.

tong and Kalim. Reservations 081 891 4381.

tong and Kalim. Reservatins 081 891 4381.

TUESDAY

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM

Half-Chicken Spit Roast

Best Sunday Carvery in Phuket

Only B225 per person at Shakers. Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim area.

Reservations call 081 891 4381.

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.

Roast beef, BBQ ham, chicken, pork and Yorkshire pudding. All you can eat B399. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

Sunday Brunch Enjoy the original Sunday brunch in Phuket at Twinpalms. 12-3pm (from B1,190++ per person). Call 076 316 577.

Champagne Brunch at Trisara

All Major Sports Live On the big screen. F1, MotoGP, Tennis, Golf, AFL, NRL. Irish Times Irish Pub, Jungceylon, Patong.

20% off all Pizzas At Shakers. Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim areas. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

SUNDAY Family Brunch on The Boardwalk Les Anges at RPM. From

Ever y Sunday, the beachfront bar becomes a celebration of f ine wines, exquisite tapas, live cooking stations and Phuket’s best dessert, featuring the cool sounds of a jazz trio.

Come and indulge in Roederer Champagne or a wide variety of wines.

Kids club welcome all children with complimentary snacks. Advance reser vations rec om mended on 076 310 100 or guest@trisara.com.

Half-Chicken Spit Roast Only B225 per person at Shakers. 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 Roaring Bhoys Live Music every Monday night. The largest selection of draught beer in Phuket. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

Book & DVD Exchange at Duke’s Duke’s at Kata is happy to sponsor the ChickyNet monthly book and DVD exchange. We meet every second Monday of the month. Visit ChickyNet. com or w w w.dukesbig board.com for details.

Beach BBQ

DAILY Brew Great Beer

Enjoy a beach BBQ at Catch Beach Club (from B1,190++ per person).

7pm-10pm. Contact 076 316 567.

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. 081 895 4763.

Salsa Dance With Didier and Anna in their Dance Studio at The Green Man Pub. Dance continues in the pub after class. Happy hour 6-7 pm.

Call for more details on 084 437 0233.

Rotary Club of Patong Beach Weekly meeting of the only English-speaking Rotary Club on Phuket at the Aloha Villa Hotel (Dinner out on first Tuesday of the month). rotarypatong.org.

WEDNESDAY Interactive Pub Quiz night. Starts from 8pm every Wednesday night. The largest se lection of draught beer in Phuket. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

Chef’s Dinner at Surin Gate Kitchen Star t at 7.30 pm, four courses for B750 with award-winning Chef Daniel Isberg. Call 086 047 1474, www.suringate.com.

Salsa Class At RPM Salsa c lass at Royal Phuket Marina from 7.309pm. For more info on www.phuket-dance.com.

BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat Only B295 per person at Shakers. Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim. Reservations call on 081 891 4381.

THURSDAY

BBQ Buffet All You Can Eat

BBQ Buffet All You Can Eat

Only B325 per person at Shakers. Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pickup Pa-

Only B325 per person at Shakers. Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pickup Pa-

Happy hour daily from 4pm to 7pm. Draft beer B110/pint, cocktail two for B220. Behind the ship at Jungceylon Call 076 3667 753.

Currie Cup Rugby Live games shown at Australia Bar & Grill, Kata Beach. For more info visit www.australiabargrill.com or call 089 226 2878.

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 Resort. 076 201 234.

GAA Football & Hurling Live games shown at Australia Bar & Grill, Kata Beach. For more info visit www.australiabargrill.com or call 089 226 2878.

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 Watc h your favour ite sports and enjoy a cold beer at the best little spor ts bar in Phuket.

Special “drink of the day” B110, all day - every day. 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.

Australia Bar & Grill at Kata Projector screen plus 50” TV’s. TrueVisions and Astro systems. All live sport include AFL, NRL, rugby, F1, football. Call 089 226 2878. www.thephuketnews.com

32 ENTERTAINMENT

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Illegal foreign musicians are playing with fire P

huket has many great Thai bands who play regularly all over the island in pubs, clubs, restaurants, resorts and other venues.

We also have many excellent Filipino bands and acts who grace us with their talents as well as a very talented “western” expat group of musicians who add their collective talents to the Phuket musical gene pool.

However, after some recent events in Chiang Mai and more recently right here in Phuket, the music scene may be starting to contract somewhat due to the illegality of musicians here who continue to work without a work permit.

In Chiang Mai a few months ago, there was big crackdown on foreign musicians working or even just jamming in pubs up there.

The premise was that you could jam occasionally but not frequently and no one was to

www.thephuketnews.com

SoundCheck

by Fender Bender

be making any money out the activity. Musicians continued to jam and perform, clubs made money and the powersthat-be shut them all down.

More recently in Phuket, the local authorities seem to be getting ever more vigilant about foreigners working as musicians and took steps to close one live music venue down mid-song and, in a separate instance, deported a well-known expat muso who just happened to be jamming.

The message is clear. No work permit equals no music, unless you are Thai.

Fair enough you might say.

Expats should not be taking work off Thai nationals and expats should have a work permit if they are earning money.

It is a clearly stated fact that unless you are legal here,

you cannot do employed work (or in some cases even volunteer work) of any kind without a proper work permit.

Expat musicians who work here legally could be counted on one hand and it is pretty obvious who they are as they have high profiles, advertise and are usually the very professional-level ones.

But there is a legion of foreign musicians who perform here who are not legal and are now entering uncharted territory. It is also a known fact that it’s not just the musicians who will go down in this situation but the venue owner will also suffer greatly too.

As with most contentious topics, there are two – or five – sides to every argument. Foreign musicians do add talent and variety to the existing Thai musicians. But earning money while being illegal is an activity that is going to become more and more fraught with danger.

IN BRIEF Little Britain star’s marathon swim

Spartacus star Whitfield dies, age 37 Friends and family have paid tribute to former Spartacus: Blood and Sand star Andy Whitfield, who died last Sunday (September 11) after a battle with cancer.

Whitfield’s manager Sam Maydew said the 37-year-old actor died of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Sydney, Australia.

Whitfield – who was born in Wales and lived in Australia – was a virtual unknown when he was cast as the title hero in the New Zealand-filmed series Spartacus, a hit original series that made waves with its graphic violence and sexuality.

Comedian David Walliams crossed the finish line on Monday (September 12) after a marathon swim down the Thames, fighting illness and strong currents to raise more than a million pounds for charity.

T he eig ht- d ay sw i m stretched 225km from the source of the river in Gloucestershire to London’s Big Ben. The star of TV comedy series Little Britain was met by a shower of tickertape and crowds of well-wishers.

SpongeBob in hot water from study

The cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants is in hot water from a study suggesting that watching just nine

minutes of that program can cause short-term attention and learning problems in four-year-olds. The problems were seen in a study of 60 children randomly assigned to watch either SpongeBob, or the slower-paced PBS cartoon Caillou, or assigned to draw pictures. Immediately after these nine-minute assignments, the kids took mental function tests; those who had watched SpongeBob did worse than the others, the study claimed.

Timberlake bags two Emmys

Singer Justin Timberlake took home two more Emmys in his burgeoning career as a comedic actor, while Gwyneth Paltrow added a TV honour to a life spent mostly in movies.

Timberlake, 30, won the guest comedy actor Emmy for hosting the season finale of Saturday Night Live in May, and shared another for co-writing the original song in his opening musical monologue for the sketch show. He already has two Emmys for previous work.

Paltrow won an Emmy for playing sexy substitute teacher Holly Holliday in the hit Fox musical comedy Glee.

JOBS 33

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

To advertise in our classifieds visit www.thephuketnews.com Hotel Receptionist Required English speaking Thai national with good computer skills required for reception, restaurant and bar work in Kamala.

Salary and hours negotable based on experience. To apply phone 086 941 8880 or send CV to phil@royalembassyresortphuket.com.

Staff Required for New Hotel Five receptions staff, waitress and waiter, four bartenders and bartendy, two cashiers, three accountants.

Contact Victor on 088 819 1976 (Thai). Send your CV to admin@hemingwayshotel.com or Fax. 076 366 204.

Thai Staff Wanted Four Thai staff wanted for new sandwich shop “Delicious” in Patong. B8,500 per month. Contact rambomuis@hotmail.com or call 083 738 7139.

Dog Lover Couple Needed Thai couple, aged no more than 45, no smoking. Take care villa and 5 dogs. Husband to work as driver and handyman, wife to work as housekeeper. B20,000/per month Call 0881689455.

Sale/Recruiter in Bangkok ICPA has long been helping Japanese clients to recruit top professionals.

We are look for a salesperson or recruiter with qa drive for success, solution sales experience, excellent telephone skills, fluent in English and/or Japanese.

Call 02 632 1536, 086 577 8356. Fax 02 632 1539.

Send CV to hr4@icpa.com for further details, please see our website at www. icpa.com.

Driver PEXGO Courier requires driver for pick up 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.

PA to GM Wanted

apartment and transportation provided. Flexible hours and liberal time off.

Swimming pool, health club and tennis cour ts steps away. Send CV to bggvirgo@gmail.com.

Personal assistant to general manager of trading company in Kamala. Only Thai national, must speak English 100% and have driving license. Salary start at B25,000 per month.

Send resume to email only giovanni@skgf.asia.

Good English, positive attitude, good in sales, outgoing personality. Salary B12,000 plus commission.

Please contact Phuket Pool Tables 085 782 1200.

Travelling Salesperson

Native English Speaking Teacher

Sales representative available to travel around Thailand for our range of fast moving consumer products. Must be Thai national, have a driving license and proven experience of sales to minimart, supermarket.

We already have more than 500 customer in Thailand. Contact via email skgf@skgf.asia.

Need native English speaking teacher with ability to speak, read and wr ite Thai. Call Robin on 081 803 7189.

Driver Wanted My car, part-time, good English. Contact Mr Brian.

089 054 4354.

Personal Assistant Wanted Personal Assistant wanted full-time. This is a long-term position with growth opportunity. Lady between 25-35 years old. Able to work in the morning and evening, be able to speak, read, and write English and Thai.Must have own vehicle Good computer skills College graduate, good salary. Please reply with resume(CV) to hr@newyorkcasual.com.

Health Consultant www.atsumihealing.com is seeking a Thai national to join our detox team. Excellent English required. shell@atsumihealing.com.

Homemaker/PA Needed Single, attractive female under 32 years. College graduate with good English, live in. Own luxury

Sales Staff for Cherng Talay

Nanny/Babysitter/ Maid We are looking for experienced staff to work for us as a nanny/maid or babysitter. Basic English is a plus.

Candidates must have their own transportation. For interview please contact 089 648 2408.

Accountant Needed Phuket Fish Boat Company and its director seek an accounting graduate for general accounting work and database management.

Can be without experience but require a degree in accounting. Full-time position with salary starting at B15,000. Please send applications to martin@phuketfishboat.com.

Secretary Required Female, bachelor degree.

Speaking, writing and reading English well. Must have at least two or three years work experience.

Please your send CV: daragh@techworx-projects.com or call 084 449 3863.

Charity Manager The Phuket Community Foundation has a full-time opening for a manager.

The job: Working with the Board to implement

the board’s policies and decisions; Implementation of projects, including fundraising activities; Serving as spokesperson for the foundation, Developing and managing budgets, taking day-to-day responsibility for financial management.

The candidate: Thai, age up to 35, degree, computer literate, Thai/English literate. Email resume to apply. manager@phuketcharity.org.

Help Wanted Food Services are looking to fill several positions within the business: One account and marketing manager (Thai or expat).

Two kitchen helpers (female). One cleaner.

For more information or to apply call 076 390 977 or 082 816 0126, or email info@foodservicesth.com.

Sales / Recruiter for Japanese Market 50K up to 100K+ based on success High energy attitude and drive for success Must have strong sales experience/track record  Recruiting experience preferred but not required  Ability to speak with and technical managers  Excellent telephone skills  Good people skills  Excellent English and/or Japanese  

We Offer:

Training, work permit, medical insurance, fitness club, special 15% tax rate for expat employees

Send CV to: hr1@icpa.com

Accountant Wanted Accountant wanted for cooking school and food services business. Thai national. For more information call 082 816 0126 or info@ foodservicesth.com.

The Phuket News is looking to add to its ever growing team of professionals and seeks:

Secretary

- 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 a r e l o o k i n g f o r a Thai secretary to work in a placement agency in Kathu. The candidate must speak English and have basic computer skills.

Hours of work are from Monday to Friday 9am to 6 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. Salary starts at B10,000 plus commission. 089 648 2408.

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 result-oriented.

Experience in interior design will be advantage.

Good compensation to the right candidate. Send CV to abfabsales@gmail.com.

Sales Representatives Qualifications:

Tele Sale Executives (Thai Nationals) - Able to meet deadlines.

- Experience in sales or telesales would be an advantage.

- Must have good command of both English and Thai.

Reporter (Thai National)

- Curiosity about the world and a delight in telling stories.

- Good team player.

- Good English speaker and communicator.

- Above-average English writing skills.

- Proficient photographer.

- Must be able to work unsupervised and be a self starter.

- Must be willing to work after hours to cover events; some weekend work will also be required.

- Applicants must have their own transport and driver licence.

We offer:  Competitive

salary, bonuses and travel expenses. friendly work environment.  Social security paid by the company.  Excellent career progress opportunities. A

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.

www.thephuketnews.com

34 CLASSIFIED ADS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

To advertise in our classifieds visit www.thephuketnews.com CONTENTS Animal Care...............34 Boats & Yachts..........34 Business Opportunities............34 Business Services....................34 Cars for Sale..............34 Child Care Servies.....34 Computer Sales & Repair......................34 Clubs & Associations.............34 Computer- Sales-Repairs............34 Diving Services.........34 Education Services...........................34-35 Miscellaneous Items Wanted.......................35 Miscellaneous Items for Sale.............................35 Motorbikes for Rent...35 Motorbikes for Sale.....35 Personal Services........35 Pets for Sale...............35 P o o l Ta b l e S a l e s & Repair......................35 Property & Concierge Services.....................36 Property for Rent......36 Property for Sale...36-37 Trade Directory..........38

ANIMAL CARE Chaofah Pet Hospital 8/28–29 Moo 9, Chaofah East Road. 076 283 365, 083 501 8488.

BOATS & YACHTS Fishing Boat for Sale

18’ fibreglass, 60hp Mercury, GPS/fish-finder, bi-

mini, trailer, nice tidy boat with blue book, ready to go. Presently moored in Rawai, for viewing and test. B99,000. Call for more details on 084 844 5868.

CARS FOR RENT

11 Units Apartment-House for Sale

A1 Car Rentals

Tile It

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Patong, off Nanai Road, newly renovated, secure income with little work, long term rentals, Chanote title, sale by owner, detailed sales folder available. Only B 7.9 million. 087 265 0652, gisbert1@gmx.net.

BUSINESS SERVICES

Laundry For Lease For lease in Patong. Furnished laundry with two bedrooms. Call Khun Nata on 086 115 2184.

Shop for Rent Prime potential shop for rent in prime commercial location. Also has franchise opportunity for Bellini. For more information call 082 816 0126 or email info@foodservicesth.com.

Laundry To Let Lease B2 20,0 0 0 plus B 8,5 0 0 monthly rent.

Pisitkoranee Road, Patong. Fully-fur nished.

Contact Khun Lek, call 089 232 9807.

Phuket Consult Services Insurance, personal as sist anc e, le gal as sistance, police and emergency assistance, p r o p et y manag em ent sales and rentals, company registration, visa adn work permit and accouning. Call 081 691 9679.

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. 076 381 895.

Thalang. Wana Park on Sr isoonthor n Rd. Phuket ’s Quality Tile Boutique. Tiles for interior, exterior, residential, commercial. Contact 076 620 168 or 081 424 2828. Email info@tileasia.com.

Alarms & CCTV Services Protect your home or office with an alarm system and CCTV cameras. Call 085 798 9469 or email contact@alarms-phuketservices.com.

Green House

Farang Food Paradise Your specialist of im ported 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.

Body ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......

50% discount until 30 September 2011 ONLY 49 Baht per line.

Add picture, box or coloured background for only 100 Baht.

Please hand this form to our office or Fax to: 076 612 553

Toyota Fortuner 2005

www.phuketdeli.com best selection of imported food and drinks with low prices! online shop&delivery импортные продукты русская кухня низкие цены онлайн магазин и доставка 08 2427 0154 (eng/thai) 08 2427 0155 (рус)

COMPUTER SALES-REPAIRS English Computerman Sales, service and repair. Hardware/software.

WLAN a speciality. Free telephone advice. Call for more details on 084 625 7744.

CLUBS & ASSOCIATIONS SKAL International Phuket Skål is a professional organisation of leaders from all branches of the travel and tourism industry. See www.skalphuket.org.

Singapore Club Phuket

52,000 KM black colour.

Excellent condition, like new.Pr ic e B870,0 0 0.

Cherngtalay (near Laguna) Russian and English speaking. Call 083 636 1435.

Car for Sale As New 2010 Nissan Traveller, top model as new. Only 18,000km cost B1,625,000. SELL B1,325,000. Please call 087 276 0529.

Rawai Progressive School

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Tu r b o D i e s e l a u t o .

148,130 km, year 1992.

Price B195,000. Call 089 822 7547(Thai and English).

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. MonFri 8am-5pm. Bus service available. 076 282 232.

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Toyota Pickup 4 Doors for Sale

Buds Nursery Kindergarten

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CARS FOR SALE

CHILD CARE SERVICES

Heading

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Fully insure d st ar t B12,000 to B18,000 per month. Please call 089 831 4703. Email for more info: a1carrent@gmail. com.

Construction, renovation, electric, metal work, wood work, shop fitting.

Please contact 085 654 2244.

Write your classified advertisement

www.thephuketnews.com

International Kindegarten International Kindergarten. Native English teachers, UK and Singapore curriculum, small class sizes. The best choice.

Call for info on 082 323 1188.

Wonderful Chaparral Boat

22FT, year 2009, wonderful chaparral boat 215 SSI Cuddy, 35 hours engine usage only, amazing prize for quick sale.

Contact 087 515 7064.

lum. For more details call 089 971 1813.

International private sc ho o l fo r age s 3 -12 years, offering Montessori education. For more informationtin see our website montessori-thailand.com.

ABC International Nursery Education for children 18 months to six years old with experienced native English teachers following the UK EYFS curricu-

Calling all Singaporeans in Phuket to join “Singapore Club Phuket”. Contact Robin 081 803 7189, 076 303 500.

DIVING SERVICES Phuket Scuba Club PA D I 5 S t a r C e n t r e.

Half day, daytrips, liveaboards 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.

Paradise Diving Asia All courses and diving trips. Boat charter and individual tours. See more information at www.diveparadise.com.

EDUCATION SERVICES Yoga Teacher Training Course Yoga teacher training i nte r nat i o na l t r ai ni n g course certificate, 250 hours. October 16-November 13. www.ayuryoga.ch. Call Khun Noi 080 533 2202.

Cooking School Fire up your creative flare with Food Services Cooking School. Italian, Western and Thai cuisine. Try our famous pizza school. Call 082 816 0126 or email info@foodservicesth.com.

CLASSIFIED ADS 35

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

To advertise in our classifieds visit www.thephuketnews.com EDUCATION SERVICES Dos & Don’ts of Thai Culture

(near Laguna). Russian and English speaking 083 636 1435 or Email for pictures: natadubai@inbox. ru.

Brand New “TYLO” Sauna Inside 1.40mx1.40m, 2m height. Price B150,000.

Call for details on 082 271 4487.

bike and heaps better street cred than a Phantom! Special price now 40k (never ride, have too many bikes). Contact 080 038 7599.

PERSONAL SERVICES

Honda Click for Rent

MOTORBIKES FOR SALE

Guitar/bass lessons beginner to advanced. Personal one-on-one or by DVD. Diploma of Teaching (Aust) Degree. Call 089 777 3063.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS WANTED Carpet for Luxury Condo Wanted

2006 with 46,600km.

Farang owned. Perfect condition and serviced

by BMW. Silver colour with leather side bags and cover. Selling price: B550,000. Call 089 814 1458, lucdayot@gmail. com.

Leaving Items for Sale Whole body vibration workout machine. Flabelos FL-3000. The fast track to great abs (for press). DH Fitness running track.LG digital TV 47’ LH50. LG DVD receiver system home theater. Philips DVD player.

Frosen camera “Sandem Intercool”. Cherngtalay

A producer of premium coffee blends and powdered mixes as well as selling, maintaining, servicing and repairing all major brands. 076 355 600-1.

Southern Big Bike Chopper Shop

Havana Cigar 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 or Khun Bang on 087 382 2494.

Opposite HomePro Village Chalong. Khun Vasanh 081 956 2024. vinoltds@hotmail.com.

Honda CB 750 Chopper for Sale

Get maximum exp osure on our top ranked website. Call 080 143 2929 or visit realestate.phuket.net.

Secluded Pool Villa for Rent

First time in Thailand. www.rhodesian-ridgeback.name. Rhodesian r i dg e bac k pup p i e s.

Ver y play ful nature.

Most faithful friend for life from “Top Pedigree World Champion Parents” Please contact l enysikuv@ h ot mail. com or call 089 871 2744.

POOL TABLE SALES & REPAIRS Phuket Pool Tables www.phuketpooltables. com. Your number one billiard and snooker supplier in Phuket. Sales, rent and profit sharing. All

Chalong, four bedroom, two bathroom, lounge, dinner, big T V ro om, great location, five minutes to Chalong Circle, 5 x 10 metre pool, approx 700m2 block, partly furnished. B35K per month.

Contact 081 082 5707 for more details.

Terrace House Phuket for Rent At Phuket City Home, three storeys, good for home office. B12,000 per month plus bond. Call 081 978 6700.

Studio Condo Kata for Rent At Kata Plaza, near beach, two minutes walk.

Semi furnished, fridge, air-con. bed. B12,000 per month plus bond. Please call 081 978 6700.

Happy Home Apartment (Rawai) Apar tment for rent at Saiyuan 15, Rawai. Fullyfurnished, swimming pool, WiFi. Start B6,800 per month. 081 956 1218.

Houses for Rent Long Term

Chalong, ver y private with mountain views, two bedrooms, kitchen, fully furnished, SAT TV, ADSL, UBC and common swimming pool.

Contact 089 724 3669.

Orchid Kathu Heights Stylish Ser vice Apar tments Studio. One bed t wo bed, t wo baths.

Roof top swimming pool free WiFi en suite room from B6,000 per month.

Please see www.orchidkathuheights-phuket.com or 076 203 208.

Saiyuan House For Rent Two bedrooms, one bathroom with a big garden in Saiyuan near Naiharn Beach. Good price for long term. Call owner on 087 883 0105.

Apartment for Rent in Patong New 1 bedroom fully furnished apartment aircon.

WiFi, on hill & good view of Patong Town & beach.

Quiet location, gate lock at night. Tam 082 2714 487.

Visa run B1,100 A completely new visa run company. Only B1,100.

Leave 5am, return 5am.

No crazy driver, no boats, no bull. Please call 083 390 4924.

Live Music

By Colin Hill

Four large approximately 9’x12’ high-end carpets.

Call on 089 054 4354.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS FOR SALE

Of fers consulting and ser vic es on c ompany registration, work permit, visa, accounting, auditor, legal advice. Please call 081 892 9960.

Bon Café Phuket

PROPERTY & CONCIERGE

PROPERTY FOR RENT

Phuket Visa

The most popular Yoga for men and women in Phuket. Four c lasses every day. Kata yoga, it works! www.katahotyoga. com, Contact 076 605 950.

Learning Tagalog

Guitar Lesson By Pro Player

For Sale 13 Pedigree Puppies

Kata Hot Yoga

We o r g a ni s e En g li s h courses and lessons for Prathom and Matayom students at their home.

Books provided. 087 282 2699.

Study English or German at home with experienced TEFL certified teacher.

089 886 8576.

Selling Your Property?

Motorbike for Rent Honda PCX, Honda Airblade, cheap price and free delivery. Call now.

087 075 2166.

BMW R1200 GS US

English or German Lessons

Atmanjai

PETS FOR SALE

Shor t- and long -ter m available, no scams, honest good value. Free delivery for hires over one week. Call 087 188 9047.

Teaching English

Want to learn Basic Tagalog? We can help. Please contact patong.peter@ gmail.com.

accessories and services. Please call for more infomation on 081 823 4627.

Wo r l d ’s b e s t n a t u r a l health programs to increase health, reduce stress, weight loss, detox, rejuvenation, vitality and overcome disease. www. atmanjai.com.

MOTORBIKES FOR RENT 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 September 20, 2011. The Genius Language School 089 203 9270 (Aooddy). www.thegeniuslanguageschool.net.

tion Professional service and support. Premium service: home cinema, home automation, marine AV and IT, lighting control and multi-room audio-video. 084 443 9863, www. techworx-projects.com.

Recently had major overhaul and re-spray black, kick and electric start. This bike is a real head turner. Nice and loud. Has green book so all legal. Get ready for Bike Week 2012. Only B95,000. Call 087 267 8602.

Honda Rebel Classic 23 years old, hand built, go for ever, nice looking

Popular expat pro musician (guitar/vocals) with work permit. Can perform solo, duo or band. www. play-guitar.net, please call on 089 777 3063.

American Health Clinic Chiropractic spinal adjustment with an experienced chiropractor can take away the pain almost as quickly as it began.

Call 076 612 707, 080 530 3376.

Techworx Custom Design & Installawww.thephuketnews.com

36 CLASSIFIED ADS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

To advertise in our classifieds visit www.thephuketnews.com PROPERTY FOR RENT CONT Beach Frontage One bedroom selfcontained holiday villa Rawai. Rental Day/Week Call 081 677 1641.

Comfortable Private and Quiet Townhouse three bedrooms, just a few minutes to Karon Beach. B25,000 per month, long term rent requires. 081 396 0880.

Kata - Office for Rent

Luxury Villa

By Laguna, luxur y villa, jacuzzi, etc. Special rate lease. B15,000 per month. Contact 089 594 4067 (English).

Nice Apartments in Kata Beach Nice clean safe, one bedrooms all with aircon. kitchen, cable TV, fast internet and jacuzzi. B500 a day. Call Ari at 086 595 8512.

New renovated town house, three bedrooms and parking, without furniture B10,000 per month.

Or with furniture B12,000 per month, minimum one year. 081 788 8280.

Fully furnished with three bedrooms. Near Lotus Rawai, in quiet and secure area. Call 086 940 0379.

Sea View Apartments

House for Sale or Rent Large house in Chalong, three beds, four bathrooms, swimming pool.

Well worth a look. Offers over B6 million or B30,000 a month. Contact 076 374 562.

One Bedroom House, Kata Fully-Furnished, one bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, terrace, WiFi and cable T V. Price B9,0 0 0 per month. Located in Kata.

Call 081 606 2827.

House Rental Phuket Town

3 Steps to Re-sale 1.Valuation.

2.List your property.

3.Sale.

Cape house, Cape Yamu. A luxurious fourbedroom villa at a remarkable destination.

In a hillside estate with amazing ocean views.

Features include marble finishes throughout, pool and lush tropical gardens. Close to BIS/ PIA schools. B60,000/ month. Call 086 279 6283.

Beautiful Office for Rent Nic e and quiet of f ic e

Great little house, four minutes walk to Ao Yon Beach, Cape Panwa. Call 083 390 4924.

Three Bedroom House in Chalong Near Palia Beach. Fully furnished, t wo aircon. carpark, washing machine, WiFi, free cable TV. No pets. Please contact 086 944 4885.

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Sunset Plaza in Kata Two Bedroom with Seaview

Modern furnished two bedroom apartment in Kata. Western kitchen, balcony with seaview.

Two big common pools.

Price B8.3 million. Contact 086 952 2444. www.

PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

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Central Phuket. One bedroom kitchenette and living room opening on to balcony. Fully serviced accommodation 6 minutes from Patong and all amenities.

This property is due for completion in December 2011 offering pre build discounts from the vendor. List at B1.3 million.

Contact 086 95 22 444.

See www.PhuketParadiseProperty.com.

Villa in Kata

Phuket Paradise Property A Step In The Right Re-sale Direction.

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Condominium in Katu

One Bedroom Apartment With Seaview in Rawai

Phuket Paradise Property

Spectacular Panoramas

One Bedroom House Seaview Modern furnished one and two-bedroom apartments in Kata. Available for long and short term rent. From B20,000 per month. Contact 081 326 2542.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

House for rent with furniture. In Phuket Villa Dowrung, B8,500-B9,500 per month. 086 470 2468.

For Rent: Villa in Chalong

Pool Villa for Rent Kata beach in front of hotel Alpina resort. Good condition, with air-con 1 unit, pantry, Well-decorated. B16,700 per month only. Contact for more details on 081 956 1077.

space for rent, includes kitchen, server room and toilets. Perfect for property, IT, legal business.

076 521 873.

Modern furnished two bedroom. Apartment in Kata. Western kitchen.

Balcony on 21sq metre with sea-view.

Two big common pools.

Price B9.9 million. Contact 086 95 22 444. www.

PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

Fantastic opportunity in the heart of Kata Phuket, Detached family home set on its own plot offering convenient access to Kata beach 300 metres away and all surrounding facilities.

Built by the owners this house allows both families and investors the chance to access the property market at this incredible price. Price B9.9 million. Contact 086 95 22 444. www.

PhuketParadiseProp erty.com.

Seaview Pool Villa

Detached luxury villa in Ao Yon set on the east coast of Phuket at Cape Panwa. 250 sq metre offering both executive and family living has four bedrooms, living room and 9 metre x 3.5 metre infinity pool all positioned with panoramic ocean views of the famous Phuket Deep Sea port.

The property has a fully fitted kitchen with appliances. Total land area 600 sq metre with private walled perimeter and gated security. Price B23 million. Contact 086 95 22 444. www.PhuketParadiseProperty.com.

Modern one bedroom apartment with pool. New kitchen. Bathroom with spa. Big living room and balcony. Fully furnished.

Price B3.5 million. Contact 086 95 22 444. See w w w. Phuket Paradis eProperty.com.

NEW PRICE 3 million for 180 Sqm. With Seaview

Big living room and kitchen. Two bedroom and bathroom, two minutes walk to the beach. Common pool. Contact 086 95 22 444. See www.

PhuketParadiseProp erty.com.

Private Pool Villa In Centre of Nai Harn “Reserved”

Stunning two bedrooms villa with big pool. Big modern kitchen and living room. Two separate bedrooms w bathroom, two minutes walk from Tesco Lotus Express. B10.4 million. Contact 086 95 22 444. www.PhuketParadiseProperty.com.

One Bedroom Apartment With Seaview in Rawai

Modern one bedroom apartment with pool. New kitchen. Bathroom With Spa. Big living room and balcony. Fully-furnished.

Price B3.9 million. Contact 086 952 2444. Seew w w. Phuket Paradis eProperty.com.

CLASSIFIED ADS 37

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

To advertise in our classifieds visit www.thephuketnews.com PROPERTY FOR SALE CONT

Prime Land for sale in Rawai

House for Sale Three beds, four bathrooms in Chalong, small estate, end of road, fitted wardrobes, swimming pool, garden, big kitchen, fully fur nished. Pr ic ed B6,250,000. Call 076 374 562 to view property.

Rawai-Sai Yuan Villa

Bali Style Pool Villa for Sale

Two bed with en-suite in Naiharn, 480sq metre, fully furnished, internet etc, freehold. Priced at B9.7 million. Contact anohoa@gmail.com.

Soi Saiyuan13. Sale at reduced price. 640 sq.m.

B4.2 million. Elevated, walled, views and Chanote.

085 782 7551.

House for Sale in L&H Phuket One-Three Rai with private access. Nice quiet country area. For sale by owner B6 million per Rai ono. Call 081 477 4792.

850 SQM Land Plot for Sale

For sale or rent. Twostorey villa on 620sqm land. Living spac e: 220sqm. In quiet area.

Three-bed, office, open living area, Western-style kitchen, bathroom, cable TV, telephone, ADSL, balcony, car parking, beautiful garden, swimming pool and jacuzzi.

Must see. Original price: B12.5 million. Now B9.9 million. 089 731 0283 or harrij@loxinfo.co.th.

Rawai-Naiharn Land for Sale

Two storey house, 134 sq.m, land 225 sq.m, three bedroom, two bath room, in Chaiyapruek, Land&House Park Phuket. 086 470 2468.

House Near Laguna 2.1 MB

In Soi King Saliga, front 22mx42m long. Walled and about 100m from Rawai Beach. Full chanote title.

Contact 080 530 6880.

Private Pool Villas, from B4.9M

Detached house in Baandon, 55 sq wah Chanote, two bed with aircon.

2two bath (one en-suite), phone/ADSL, fully furnished, nic e garden.

Price B2.1 million. Call Tay 086 280 4734.

Saiyuan-House for Sale

Intira Villas is a development of 15 boutique villas in the hear t of Rawai. Second phase open now! Only few villas available. www.in tiravillas.com, call 083 594 9279.

180 Degree Seaview Land Sale Great 180 degree elevated seaview land for sale in Leelawadee Hill behind Toyota on Bypass Rd. 1080sqm for B18.9 Million.

081 823 4627.

Eight rooms, internet cafe and an apartment. Rent B52,000 per month. Asking price B1.75 million. Call 085 794 6530.

Two bedrooms, two bathrooms in Soi Samakee 2, Saiyuan. Near Naiharn beach. 100 sq.wah, B5.5 million. Contact owner on 087 883 0105.

Land for Sale One rai with Chanote title.

Five minutes from Rawai Beach in secure area. Call owner on 086 940 0379.

Land up Patong Hill, Sea View Various sizes of land with sea view overlooking Patong Bay. znresidence@ gmail.com, Please see www.znresidence.com.

metres walk to Bangtao Beach. B11.5 million, plus furniture. phuketbbgc31@ gmail.com.

House for Sale or Rent

Nice One Rai For Sale B7.0M

Rawai Land for Sale One Rai plus 77 Tarangwah in Soi Saliga, close to Eva beach and Palm House School. Clean and ready to build. Sale by owner. Call 084 745 4132.

Land and House Park Phuket For sale. 82 sq metre, three bedroom, two bathroom, Chalong, B4.3m.

Call details on 087 907 4004.

Land at Anuphas 40 sq.wah of land behind weekend market at Naka Temple, on Wirathongyok 3/1 Road. Call 089 668 3639.

Guesthouse for Sale

11th Fairway LochPalm For Sale

In Chalong area, 200 metre off main road. In great location. Full Chanote title. Contact 089 651 3479.

The Sands Condominium 150sq metre foreign freehold, two bedroom, swimming pool, GRG FLR, lake view, 150 metres to Naiharn Beach. Price B9.8million.

Call 089 875 4173.

Rawai Beachfront Land for Single or Double House for Sale Villa with three bed, two bath, open living, fully furnished, sala, pool and jacuz zi. Fair way and mountain views. Urgent sale B10.8 million. Contact 089 731 0283.

Kathu: Serviced Land for Sale NS3K land plot of 50 0 square metres, includin g inf r ast r uc ture an d construction permit for a 220 m2 villa. Price at B2,900,000. Call: 089 724 7211.

20 metres to beach. 900 sq metre. Sale B14 million. Call 081 259 6052.

Rawai Beachfront Pool Villa with High Rental Income for Sale

Land for sale Rawai Four Rai, two Ngan, 64sq Wah (7,456sqm), near shell museum, 80m road frontage. Price at B7.5 million per Rai. Call for more details on 089 731 0283

Penthouse for Sale Two-bedroom, two bathr o o m p e n t h o u s e. 2 0 0

20 metres to beach, 260 sq metre. Three bedroom, three bathroom.

Land 1,000 sq metre.

B22 million. Call 081 259 6052.

Three bed two bath, full furnished, four aircon. European kitchen. B15,000 per month. Convenient to all beaches, shop ping centre and Phuket City. Special price for long-term rental. For sale B3 million. For more details call John 086 940 4267.

JINDARIN BEACH CLUB & RESORT

Eco Resort on Coconut Island: Private Pier - Spa - Grass-roofed Village - Lap Pool - Resort lots start at B1 million. Cottage and lot start at B2.5 million. w w w.jindarin. com. Email eam1008@ me.com or call 081 396 6060.

Rawai-New Thai/ Bali Villa

Soi Suksan, Newly constructed private pool villa. Three bedroom/ three bathroom. Land 1/4 Rai, built area 180sq metre. Open plan living dining with western kitchen. Mountain views in a nice green area.

Fully furnished. Asking B8.5 million, but negotiable on this price. Call 089 973 1180.

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www.thephuketnews.com

38 CLASSIFIED ADS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

To advertise in our classifieds visit www.thephuketnews.com

TRADE DIRECTORY AIR CONDITIONING Siam Cooling System Marine air-conditioning, Koh Kaew. Contact 081 891 9442, or scspkt@loxinfo.co.th.

Phuket Home Services Installing, servicing commercial and residential aircon systems since 2001.

All brands. Call 076 324 400, or www.phukethomeservices.com.

BOAT REPAIRS Asia Marine Ltd. Parts supply, refits, repairs, project management yacht delivery. Call 076 239 111.

C & C Marine (Thai) Marine Engineering Services. Call 076 273 247. www.candc-marine.com.

Dan Marine Limited Koh Kaew. Yacht interiors, maintenance and management. Call for more info on 081 271 742.

BUILDING SUPPLIERS Casa Nine Co.,Ltd Mosaics, tiles, stones, wall plaques, hand-made, c er ami c s, de c o r at ive items. Call 081 514 8547.

Island Curtains For all your windows furnishings. Made to order in our factory. Workmanship is guaranteed, our service is second to none. Call 076 262 0245.

Phuket Pro-Built Construction, renovation, electrics and shop fitting.

Call 089 909 8604.

Just Sofas Premier supplier of leather sofas. Is your sofa looking old and tired?Give it a new life for less than half the cost of a new one. Call 076 262 024-5

Water Proof Phuket Waterproof, water stop and water swell. Design, construction for factory and home structure roof.

See www.itrthailand.com.

Lucky Awning For the best pr ic e in phuket for retractable/verticals/roll ups with acrylic fabric direct from the importer and save. Call 087 276 0529.

KV Southern

Waterproof flooring. Engineering, product architectural, product repair system. 081 828 2457.

ELECTRICAL SERVICES J-SAT Communication The leader of a communication system in Phuket.

Service fire alarm, CCTV system, PABX system, TV system. Call for more details on 076 258 200.

Mono Sun Technology Phuket solar, tomorrow’s technology, working today. Wind and solar at down-to-earth prices. 076 263 717.

AVC Engineering Mechanical, electrical and

plumbing to international standards. 076 615 810.

Raksa Electric Service Electric, airconditioning, lighting services and water systems. Call 084 849 8204 for details.

Cooling Technician All commercial, kitchen needs, fridges and cooling systems. Good, reliable and honest. Service all over Phuket. 086 310 3870.

AAA Phuket Electrician UK-approved electricians available to advise on all electrical issues. Contact for 081 691 9907.

Phuket Home Services Specialise in domestic and commercial electrical wiring installations, telephone, internet and security systems. 076 324 400.

E.C. PHUKET SATELLITE Professional Satellite Provider. Astro and Thai Satellite and Cable Services.

For quotation call for Thai: Lek on 081 535 9936. For English call: Mel on 086 687 8806. Shop number 076 215 081.

HARDWARE STORES Phaisan Makita Paint All types of paints, colours for home and more.

Find us at MaeLuan Road, Phuket Town, entrance to Rang Hill. 076 355 664.

HOME IMPROVEMENT Canvas Creations Boat Lagoon. Deluxe awnings and covers for your boat. 076 238 946.

Phuket Home Maintenance Renovations,house repairs, painters, electricians, plumbers, construction workers. Fluent English speaking. Free quotes given. Please contact 084 193 5124.

Contex Phuket Co. Bang Tao area. High-end teak doors and windows with German technology.

Call us on 086 281 1264.

Chem-Dry Cleaning Service The carpet and furniture exper ts. Also of fering full cleaning services for stone, marble, terrazzo, granite and more. Contact 076 261 513.

Phuket Home Maintenance Renovations, house repairs, painters, electricians, plumbers and construction workers. Fluent English-speaking manager. Free quotes. Call 084 139 5124.

Phuket Home Solutions Providing a solution for all your home requirements.

076 270 854.

The Stone Doctor Co.,Ltd Expert cleaning and protective sealing of all stone types including sandwash, Terrazzo, marble, ceramic etc. Operating in

Thailand nine years under European Management.

Call 087 282 4930.

Adisak Trading Bypass Road. We have the largest selection of TOA paint. 076 261 420.

Phuket Awnings Service Making an alliance with the sun. Contact 076 612 870 for more details.

Phuket Home Services High-quality building, contracting and refurbishment work in Phuket and the surrounding region. 076 324 400.

Bigmove Phuket One-stop service for all your removal and shipping needs. 076 263 987.

Global Logistics Asia Thalang area. We have the knowledge, networks and technology to answer your needs. 081 797 2753.

Advance Interfreight Express Chaofah (East) Road.

Moving and shipping. Better services, better prices.

076 376 677.

WATER SYSTEMS Phuket Home Services

Buildersmart Public Treated pine, Thai gypsum, Shera, Weber, and Watty. Contact for more information 076 275 221.

LANDSCAPING SERVICES Chateau Sabai Villa Cherng Talay area. Professional landscape design and care. Call 076 318 266

Since 2001. Offer a range of qualif ied in - house plumbing engineers, p lum b in g inst allat i o n teams and plumbers. Call 076 324 400.

The Mobile Pool Doctor Srisoonthorn Road, all areas of Phuket. Contact 076 620 193 or www.mobilepooldoctor.com.

Environmental Solutions

Phuket Home Services Design and build salas, pergolas and decks. Offer custom design and build water features and ponds.

076 324 400, www.phuket homeservices.com.

REMOVAL SERVICES

Chalermphrakiat Road, Rassada. 076 304 278.

Phuket Water Supply Water filtration systems for home and pool. Thepkrasattri Road, Rassada area. Call 076 215 681.

Siam Pickpack

Chai Choochuay Hot Water

B oat L ag o o n. G l o bal transportation services.

076 238 791, www.siam pickpack.com.

Air- con and solar water heating sales and ser vice. 076 321 562. www.phuketaircon.com.

Reserve Your Storage Space

Call: 076 29 29 09 or visit:

mystorageasia.com

Wana Park, Srisoonthron Road, Thalang, Phuket 83110 Tel 076 620168 info@tile-asia.com

Secure, Clean & Cost Effective Self Storage Mon to Sat 9am-6pm, Sun & Holidays 10am-4pm Jungceylon Shopping Center, Patong, Phuket

Worldwide household removal services.

Warehousing and packing services.

You’ll find flexible, enthusiastic and professional, committed to getting you the most effective logistics for the project at the best price.

www.phukettransport.com www.thephuketnews.com

PHUKET SPORT 39

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Promotion dream still alive FOOTBALL

Phuket midfielder Sarach Yooyen scored the only goal of the game in Saturday’s narrow victory against Bangkok United at Surakul Stadium to keep the home side’s dream of playing in the Thai Premier League next season alive.

With two minutes gone on the clock the teenage midfield star picked up the ball on the FC Phuket right, jinked into the penalty area past two defenders and hit a curling shot which looped up off the outstretched leg of a defender and over the goalkeeper and in.

Both teams had penalty appeals waved away by the referee on a night of few clear cut goal scoring opportunities.

The win sees FC Phuket move up one position in the league to eighth with 32 points from their 22 matches. The Southern Sea Kirin trail thirdplaced Chainat FC by 10 points with 12 games remaining.

Despite having no league football in Phuket for more than two months, the return of FC Phuket did little to stir the passion of Phuket residents as a small crowd filed into Surakul for the match.

Coach Somphong Wattana restored Ivorian Abdoul

Thai Division 1

Kone Adama (right) missed a golden opportunity to double FC Phuket’s lead just before half time.

–Photo by Pongpisit Raksaket Coulibaly to the starting lineup in place of Seksit Srisai, who was relegated to the bench.

Those that had made the journey to Surakul were rewarded almost immediately when Sarach picked up the ball from a throw in, beat two defenders and curled the ball past the United goalkeeper.

United rallied quickly from the early set back and twice went close to scoring in a 10-minute spell after the first goal.

A shot from distance that went narrowly over had Jonathan Matijas beaten and then a wicked cross from the right, which bounced between defence and goalkeeper, wasn’t converted by the attacker sliding in at the far post.

Midway through the first half both sides had decent penalty appeals waved away by the referee before Kone Adama – who predicted a 3-1 win before the match – missed a glorious opportunity to put

FC Phuket two goals clear when he fired wide after being put clean through on goal.

Winger Niran Panthong also missed a good chance in first half injury time after he and Adama had combined well down the FC Phuket left, only for to blaze wastefully over.

After the restart the game seemed to wander aimlessly to a conclusion as neither side really took the game by the scruff of the neck.

The home side had the

Young heading to Singapore Phuket’s Formula One hopeful Dylan Young has confirmed his place in Singapore next weekend for rounds 11 and 12 of the JK Racing Asia Series which will take place at the same time as the Singtel Singapore Formula One Grand Prix.

Young, who has been out of the cockpit since appearing in Malaysia five months ago due to a lack of funds, told The Phuket News that he had secured the money he needed to race in Singapore thanks to some new sponsors and that he is to act as an ambassador for the Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation.

The 22-year-old Australian, who one day hopes to compete alongside the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton at the pinnacle of motorsport, has seen his chances of success significantly increase thanks to the generosity of three brand new sponsors.

Since his first races in Malaysia at the famous Sepang circuit, Young’s bid for success has been joined by Energy Watch, a rising prominent Australian company; Wilson Security, another Australian company that is currently involved in Australia’s V8

MOTORSPORT Supercar Championship; and Phuket’s branch of Auto Express, where people can purchase quality imported cars.

These three sponsors have enabled Young to take his place on the streets of Singapore for the JK Racing Asia Series which acts as the premier open-wheeled support category to Formula One. While in Singapore Young will also spread the message of the Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation which is a Thai registered charity which aims to foster vocational opportunities for Thai children through English.

He will also participate in some activities with the children when her returns from racing in Singapore.

In order to compete with the other drivers on the starting grid, some of which are supported by the likes of Red Bull Racing, Young needs to generate as much money as he possibly can and to help him achieve that he has a fantastic offer for readers of The Phuket News.

Keen motorsport enthusiasts will have the opportunity

Team

P

W

D

L

GF GA Points

Buriram FC BBCU Chainat Songkhla Bangkok United Raj Pracha PTT Rayong Phuket Saraburi Air Force United Suphanburi Chanthaburi Customs United Rangsit JW Bangkok Thai Honda Chiangmai

22 22 22 21 23 22 22 22 22 21 22 22 22 22 22 22 23 22

15 15 13 10 11 11 9 8 7 7 5 6 6 4 6 5 4 2

6 5 3 8 4 4 8 8 10 6 11 7 4 9 1 2 5 7

1 2 6 3 8 7 5 6 5 8 6 9 12 9 15 15 14 13

48 33 38 37 37 27 29 33 23 27 23 23 26 19 27 25 20 12

RBAC Mittraphap

better of the opportunities to score with Sarach orchestrating much of FC Phuket’s best work.

The diminutive midfielder tested the goalkeeper with an excellent free kick, which was pushed wide, and then crossed invitingly for Adama whose header bounced into the ground and into the arms of the grateful United stopper.

Matijas was least busy of the two goalkeepers but showed that he had remained focused throughout when he made a smart save from his fellow countryman Romain Gasmi midway through the second half.

By the time the game drew to a conclusion the game had a pre-season friendly feel to it but the crowd were given a lift first when a streaker ran onto the field – a dog – and

13 14 24 19 30 25 16 24 17 33 23 28 37 28 45 54 39 38

51 50 42 38 37 37 35 32 31 27 26 25 22 21 19 17 17 13

secondly when the referee blew his whistle for full time.

FC Phuket club captain Suphat Ontthong who missed the game through injury told The Phuket News: “I thought we played a good game. We were lucky that Sarach [Yooyen] scored early, as it took the pressure off us.”

“My pick for man of the match would without a doubt be Sarach; he played superbly.

It proved that he has the ability to make SEA Games national team (under-23s).”

FC Phuket’s next match is this Sunday (September 18) when the Southern Sea Kirin make the journey south to face fourth-placed Songkhla in another must-win clash.

The Phuket News’ Star Man: Sarach Yooyen. Scored the winning goal and ran the midfield for FC Phuket.

Phuket-based Australian Dylan Young will be back behind the wheel in Singapore after a five-month absence. to get up close and personal to the action in Singapre next weekend as Young has four corporate hospitality passes available to the highest bidder.

These passes include: access to the JK Racing Asia Series Corporate Suite for four people inclusive of food and beverages over the three days of action; access to the Formula One pit lane; access to the starting grid on track prior to the JK Racing Asia Series races, including a photo with Dylan on the grid before his race start; and access to the JK Racing Asia Series Pits where you can sit in the cockpit and see what goes on behind the scenes.

Corporate Hospitality Passes start at around B160,000 for one person but this exclusive offer has bidding starting at B160,000 for four people.

The highest bidder will also receive logo space on Young’s car as an official sponsor.

Logo placement on Young’s car is still available for the Singapore F1 event and the inaugural Indian Formula One Grand Prix in October but people will need to get in fast over the weekend if they wish to jump on board and support him.

To find out more on the benefits of a sponsorship E: dylan@dylanyoungracing. com or T: 082 804 8081.

30/9/2011

www.thephuketnews.com

40 PHUKET SPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Jaray flies the flag

New world champions confirm plans to race at Laguna TRIATHLON Laguna Holiday Club marketing executive Jaray Jearanai flew the flag for Laguna Phuket and Thailand at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas last Sunday (September 11), setting a time of just over five hours to finish 97th in his age group (30-34) out of around 200 competitors and 608th overall in a field of 1,550.

Jaray was hoping to achieve 4:40 on the hilly Las Vegas course, but was slowed by the scorching sun, with no shade to be found on the tough bike and run courses. The Ironman 70.3 consists of a 1.9 km swim, 90km bike ride and 21km run. His splits for the three disciplines were: swim 38:02; bike 2:45:44; and run 1:40:22, for an overall 5:09:38.

Jaray is the first Thai ever to compete at both the Ironman 70.3 World Championship and the forthcoming full Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, which takes place on October 9, where he will be competing against the world’s best professional and age group triathletes.

Jaray Jearanai: Vegas was ‘a really tough course’.

A regular competitor in the Laguna Phuket Triathlon but a relative newcomer to overseas triathlons, Jaray was sponsored

by Laguna Phuket to compete in the recent Ironman 70.3 Philippines, where he produced

a storming performance to win the coveted Las Vegas and Kona slots.

Speaking after finishing in Las Vegas on Sunday, Jaray said: “It was a really tough course with about 90 per cent

hills on the bike and run – constantly up and down, up and down.

“I’m now looking forward to taking on Kona, which will be another tough course, and I’m very grateful to Laguna for providing me with the financial support and time off which has enabled me to pursue this amazing opportunity.”

In another major coup for Laguna Phuket, the newly crowned male and female Ironman 70.3 World Champions – Australians Craig Alexander and Melissa Rollison – confirmed their intentions to be in Phuket to compete in the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship Race on December 4.

Alexander, now a two-time Ironman 70.3 world champion, completed the tough Vegas course in 3:54:48 to finish ahead of Chris Lieto of the USA and Jeff Symonds of Canada.

Rollison, who only competed in her first Ironman 70.3 race last year, trailed Julie Dibens at the end of the bike but her superior running ability put her out in front after five of the 21km run.

Thanyapura hosts first ITF event TENNIS

Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club (TSLC) will host one round of the prestigious Chang International Tennis Federation (ITF) Thailand Pro Circuit 2011 from October 29 to November 12.

It will be the first time an ITF event has taken place in Phuket.

In the lead up to the ITF tournament, TSLC will also hold its first tennis tournament, the ‘Thanyapura Tennis Challenge 2011’. The event, held on October 14-16, will grant the winner a wildcard entry into the ITF tournament.

By granting this tournament, the ITF gives TSLC’s newly opened facilities a resounding vote of confidence, confirming its position as a leading sports facility in Asia.

The challenging men’s ITF competition will award prize money of US$10,000 (B302,000) and is set to attract leading international and Thai professional players who play on the satellite circuit.

Both the Thanyapu ra Tennis Challenge and ITF tournaments will be played

on TSLC’s state-of-the-art Plexicushion tennis courts – the same court surface is used for the Australian Open.

TSLC Vice-President David Roberts said that being granted an internationallyrated tournament so soon after opening was testament to the club’s commitment to developing world-class facilities for both professional and amateur sports people.

“It is an honour to host Phuket’s first ITF event and it is a great indication for the future of the sport at the Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club,” Mr Roberts said.

“These satellite tournaments are a fantastic breeding ground for young tennis players to learn about the ardours of life on the tennis circuit and I am sure it will be the start of a long relationship between the ITF and TSLC to promote the sport in Phuket and attract more players onto their circuit.”

Mr Roberts added the upcoming event was part of a long-term plan by the TSLC to attract more tournaments to the club as it is equipped with grandstands big enough for 600 spectators.

New ‘ambassador’ for PCC GOLF Young local golfing prodigy Pariwat ‘Progress’ Pinsawat has continued his successful run to the top of his game, recently becoming the youngest ever brand ambassador for Phuket Country Club (PCC).

The 14-year-old, who took second place at this year’s Callaway Junior World Golf Championships in the US, was officially welcomed as the PCC’s brand ambassador last Saturday (September 10).

Deputy Managing Director of the PCC, Keat Lau, said he was honoured to have the young golfer on board, adding that the PCC has been instrumental in his junior development.

Pariwat started playing golf in 2004, aged just eight, as part of the PCC’s Junior Golf Programme.

Since then his progress has been remarkable, winning a number of local tournaments before taking his place on the podium at the Junior World Championships in August. He is also a member of the Thai national team.

The PCC Junior Golf Programme was first launched in 2001, the brainchild of PCC committee member and former www.thephuketnews.com

Local golfer Pariwat Pinsawat has become the youngest ever brand ambassador of the Phuket Country Club.

Phuket Mayor Phummisak Hongsyok.

The programme has since uncovered a wealth of local talent, but none have reached the heights of success that Pariwat has so far achieved.

“I hope that Pariwat will achieve his ultimate aim of turning professional not just within the Asian Professional Golf Association (APGA), but also eventually join the European Tour PGA,” Mr Keat said.

“It has always been a dream of mine to actually be able to stand side-by-side with a top rated PGA golfer, rather than just being part of the crowd.

Now it seems is the first step in that becoming reality, as I can now say I am proud to know a Thailand national team golfer and a foreseeable future rated PGA player.”

Pariwat’s grandfather, Prachuab Subcharoen, acknowledged his grandson’s success, but was quick not to get too carried away, saying Pariwat still needs more intensive practice to become a professional golfer.

“I’m pleased that he has been so successful, but this is just the first step for him.

He needs more experience and practice, but I’m sure he can do it.”

INTERNATONAL SPORT 41

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Rooney and Aguero star

This month's competition is supported by:

B3,000 voucher at Pepper’s is still up for grabs this month Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero grabbed the headlines in round four of the 2011/12 Barclay’s Premier League as the two Manchester-based strikers netted hat tricks to keep their side’s perfect starts to the season going for another week.

Rooney scored three of United’s five goals as the defending champions made light work of Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium, while Aguero netted all of City’s as they made it four wins from four in front of their own fans at Eastlands.

Elsewhere there were wins for Arsenal, West Brom and Spurs, who all picked up three points for the first time this season; Stoke and Chelsea, while the matches involving Everton-Aston Villa, FulhamBlackburn, and QPR-Newcastle all finished as draws.

Last weekend The Phuket News’ football ‘expert’ Daniel Ogunshakin, whose faith in his knowledge of football is diminishing with every passing week after yet another poor performance, scored just nine points, correctly judging the outcomes of the games involving Manchester United, Man City, Arsenal and Everton to stand on 39 points overall.

After four rounds of results the top ranked players are

FOOTBALL ‘chasman’ and ‘MRB’ who have 73 points. As things stand the pair of them are leading the race to scoop the prize given to the top points scorer in August and September: a 3,000 baht voucher to be used at Peppers Bar and Restaurant, Phuket’s premier sports bar, located outside of Laguna.

There’s still all to play for in September, however, and the B3,000 Peppers voucher is still up for grabs.

This weekend sees some choice fixtures with the biggest coming at Old Trafford where United take on Chelsea. The Red Devil’s early form will mean they start as favourites but they can expect a thorough examination from the Blues.

Liverpool have a tough fixture against Spurs at White Hart Lane on Sunday, while Man City are also in London to take on Fulham.

Elsewhere Arsenal travel to Blackburn, Aston Villa host surprise fourth-placed Newcastle, Bolton are at home against Norwich, Everton face Wigan at Goodison, West Brom travel to Swansea, Wolves face QPR and Sunderland are at home against Stoke.

You can now enter your predictions for round five.

DAN’S TIPS:

Blackburn v Arsenal: away win Aston Villa v Newcastle: home win Bolton v Norwich: home win Everton v Wigan: home win Swansea v West Brom: draw Wolverhampton v QPR: home win Tottenham v Liverpool: draw Fulham v Man City: away win Sunderland v Stoke: home win Man Utd v Chelsea: home win

ORCHARDSTUDIO’S TIPS:

New Manchester City signing Sergio Aguero scored three times as the Citizens cruised to victory against Wigan at Eastlands in round four.

–Photo by AFP Either enter them online by 23:59 next Friday (September 23) at 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 2 pm.

If you didn’t play in rounds one to four but still wish to take part you can; just register at thephuketnews.com and make your predictions.

WEEK 5 Home Team W D W Away Team

i r i

n a n w 17/09/2011 Blackburn Rovers Aston Villa Bolton Wanderers Everton FC Fulham FC Sunderland AFC Swansea City Wolverhampton Wanderers

Arsenal FC Newcastle United Norwich City Wigan Athletic Manchester City Stoke City West Bromwich Albion Queens Park Rangers

18/09/2011 Tottenham Hotspur Manchester United

Liverpool FC Chelsea FC

Please Fax this form to 076 612 553 or hand it in at the Phuket News office in before Friday 2.00 PM. Or visit our website www.thephuketnews.com to enter online.

Blackburn v Arsenal: away win Aston Villa v Newcastle: draw Bolton v Norwich: home win Everton v Wigan: home win Swansea v West Brom: draw Wolverhampton v QPR: away win Tottenham v Liverpool: away win Fulham v Man City: away win Sunderland v Stoke: draw Man Utd v Chelsea : away win

RESULTS FROM ROUND FOUR: Arsenal Bolton Everton Man City Stoke Sunderland Wolves Fulham Norwich QPR

1-0 0-5 2-2 3-0 1-0 1-2 0-2 1-1 0-1 0-0

Swansea Man Utd Aston Villa Wigan Liverpool Chelsea Tottenham Blackburn West Brom Newcastle

TOP 10 PERFORMERS: 1. Chasman 2. MRB 3. dcoutts 4. MAMCHAM 5. stefan 6. A1CR 7. Allard 8. alanphuket 9. BallBoy 10. gafferworld

73 73 67 66 66 65 65 64 64 64

Vettel homes in on second world crown FORMULA 1

Sebastian Vettel shed tears after moving to within sight of retaining his Formula One drivers’ world championship with a comprehensive victory for Red Bull in the Italian Grand Prix last Sunday.

The 24-year-old German now leads the title race by 112 points ahead of Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.

Vettel fought back his emotions as he stood atop the podium, elevated above the start-finish straight on which thousands of Italian fans packed together after the traditional post-race invasion.

Tears ran slowly down his cheeks during the anthems as, he said later, he reflected on his feelings three years on from his maiden victory at the same circuit and in the same event in 2008, when he took pole and won the race in torrential rain, for the Toro Rosso team.

“I was emotional and I was thinking of all those things, everything that happened,”

Sebastian Vettel celebrates after winning the Italian Formula One Grand Prix. –Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images admitted Vettel.

“Here, the podium is unbelievable. You feel so blessed.

The view is incredible with all the people below. There

is nowhere like it anywhere else and the emotions are so strong.

“The car was amazing in qualifying, and it was even

better today. It’s very special for me to win here again. It was such a race, too. I didn’t get the best start and I was on the grass, but it all worked out thanks to the team.”

Jenson Button finished second in the leading McLaren, the Englishman taking full advantage of a battle between his team-mate and compatriot Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, 42, of Mercedes, to finish on the podium after a typically well-judged drive.

Alonso took third to the delight of the tifosi who invaded the circuit at the finish to cheer their famous team’s colours on the elevated podium.

“Well done to the whole team. There was a lot of stress racing here in Italy, a lot of pressure for all of us, but we did the best job possible. It’s a great achievement to get on the podium here and a fantastic feeling,” the Spaniard said.

Hamilton, frustrated initially by Schumacher and ultimately by Alonso in the closing laps, came home

fourth, just a few metres behind Alonso, with Schumacher – a five-times winner at Monza – finishing fifth for Mercedes thanks to another performance that stirred memories of his halcyon days as a supreme champion.

Mercedes team chief Ross Brawn, who twice reminded Schumacher not to make defensive blocking moves during the race when he aggravated Hamilton with his tactics, defended his driver afterwards.

He said: “I think Michael drove a fantastic race. We know we haven’t got the fastest car, but we have seen everything we know about Michael Schumacher. The FIA were watching it [the incident with Hamilton] and asking us to be careful.

“It is a balance between racing and not overstepping the mark. They asked us to be careful, which we were.

It was great racing.”

Schumacher said: “It was a fun afternoon. I think so my racing was clean and fair.

As far as I was concerned there was no request to see the stewards, so I guess all is in order.”

Hamilton, clearly disappointed, wore large dark glasses and a low-peaked baseball cap during his postrace interviews.

Almost with a dismissive sense of irony, he said: “It was a good race. I got some points and I finished, so I can’t complain at all; it was racing.”

Vettel’s win was his eighth of the season and the 18th of his exceptional, if brief career, bringing him also his 31st podium finish in only his 75th race – a record that hoists him into the company of many of the sport’s greatest.

In the standings, Vettel now leads with 284 points ahead of Alonso on 172, Button and Mark Webber on 167 and Hamilton on 158.

“It’s all over now, isn’t it, mate?” said Vettel’s teammate Webber.

“I think the rest of us are just racing for second place now.”

–AFP

www.thephuketnews.com

42 INTERNATIONAL SPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Djokovic: I’m not invincible TENNIS Novak Djokovic, whose US Open triumph on Tuesday was his third Grand Slam title of the season and 64th win in 66 matches in 2011, insisted after another remarkable performance that he was not invincible.

But his modesty did not prevent the 24-year-old world number one from keenly anticipating his next big ambition in a sport which he is beginning to monopolise – a career Grand Slam.

Rafael Nadal, who he beat 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-1 in a gruelling, brutal final, was the last man to win all four Grand Slams when he triumphed at Flushing Meadows in 2010, to become only the seventh man to achieve the feat.

Djokovic missed out on a rare calendar Grand Slam this year when he lost in the French Open semi-finals to Roger Federer, a defeat which ended his 43-match winning streak.

But despite dominating 2011, winning three majors and 10 titles in all, including

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic has now won three of the four Grand Slam events this season and has set his sights on completing the set by winning the French Open. Photo AFP five Masters, Djokovic is desperate to keep predictions in check.

“I am not invincible,” said

Djokovic.

“I just think a positive attitude keeps you on top of your game, when you go

on court and when I had the start to the year that I had.

“Of course I want to win more majors and prove things

to myself. It would be unbelievable to complete the Grand Slam. I need to win the French Open, but I think it will take time.”

Despite Djokovic’s caution, he still has many backers including American legend John McEnroe whose all-time season-best record of 82 wins against just three defeats, set in 1984, is now well within the Serb’s sights.

“He has had the greatest year in the history of our spor t,” said McEnroe on Sunday.

The statistics back up McEnroe’s conclusion.

Fe a t u r i n g a m o n g s t Djokovic’s 64 wins are six in six matches against Nadal – all in finals – four wins against just one loss to Federer and two wins and one defeat against world number four Andy Murray.

Even that loss to the Scotsman in Cincinnati was due to an injury retirement when Djokovic damaged his shoulder.

Despite his heroics and the belief that leading Serbia to the Davis Cup last year was the catalyst to his suc-

cess, Djokovic also believes the seeds of his victory in New York were sown in the first round last year.

Then he had to come from a set down to defeat compatriot Victor Troicki in a duel which taught him many things about his game, lessons which became important when he saved two match points in the semifinals against Federer before finishing runner-up to Nadal.

“Last year I made the final but I could have easily lost in the first round. I overcame that. I needed those tough matches to get confidence and the belief that I could win the majors,” he said.

“Something just clicked.

In the previous years, I hadn’t changed my game in any big way and my strokes were still the same and was hitting the shots I wanted to hit.

“But I had difficulties approaching semi-finals and finals. I would wait for players to make mistakes. I didn’t have the positive attitude.

That has changed now – the 2010 US Open was the turning point.”

–AFP

Australians celebrate win by ‘twinkle toes’

“Twinkle toes” Sam Stosur was the toast of Australia on Monday after stunning Serena Williams to take the US Open title, with the country’s last female Grand Slam winner leading the plaudits.

The 27-year-old Stosur kept her composure to see off home favourite and three-time champion Williams 6-2, 6-3 and win the first Grand Slam title of her career in New York on Sunday.

In doing so she became the first Australian woman to claim the US Open since Margaret Court in 1973, and the first to win a Grand Slam title since Evonne Goolagong at Wimbledon in 1980.

“It’s a great thing for Australian tennis. She’s come a long way and I’m just very proud of her,” Goolagong told

TENNIS

reporters.

Goolagong, a former world number one who won seven Grand Slam singles titles, said that Stosur ending Australia’s Grand Slam drought was “absolutely wonderful”.

“I have never seen her look so fit, she was moving well on the court. I do actually call her ‘twinkle toes’ because a few years ago she was not moving that well.”

Goolagong said she believed the breakth rough could spark renewed interest in tennis in Australia, a sentiment echoed by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who phoned Stosur to personally congratulate her after the triumph.

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included a third-round victory over Nadia Petrova that lasted three hours and 16 minutes – a US Open women’s record.

“She has shown great determination and skill to win the US Open and everyone involved with tennis in Australia will be celebrating with her today,” said Gillard.

Stosur, playing her second career Grand Slam final after a runner-up finish in the French Open last year, quickly claimed the opening set and in the end completely out-played the 13-time Grand Slam champion.

Gillard said the victory boded well for the future of Australian tennis, which has struggled to produce a topquality women’s player since the Goolagong era.

“Her win will encourage the next generation of young Australian players to take to the court,” said the prime minister.

“This is a great achievement and shows the future of Australian tennis is on the rise following other Grand Slam successes earlier this year, with Ashleigh Barty and Luke Saville winning the junior titles at Wimbledon.”

Stosur’s family watched the match at home on Australia’s Gold Coast, with her father Tony telling ABC radio

Sam Stosur became the first Australian woman to win a Grand Slam in 31 years. he hopes it will be the start of even greater things.

“She’s just so focused on what she’s doing, and she loves it so much,” he said.

Her brother Daniel added that the victory would be life-changing.

“I think this is life-chang-

ing,” he said. “I think she’s going to be inspiring young kids to get out and play.”

Goolagong, who said that her hero when she was coming through was Court, Australia’s greatest female player, agreed that Stosur would be a new role model.

“She [Court] was the one who pushed me all the way and she beat me most of the time,” she said.

“There are going to be a lot of young kids looking up to Sam now, saying if she can do it, I can do it too.”

–AFP

INTERNATIONAL SPORT 43

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Coming up this week

English Premier Team Man Utd Man City Chelsea Newcastle Utd Stoke City Liverpool Wolves Aston Villa Wigan Everton QPR Arsenal West Brom Bolton Tottenham Sunderland Norwich City Fulham Swansea City Blackburn

P 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4

W 4 4 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

D 0 0 1 2 2 1 1 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 1

L 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 2 2 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 3

F 18 15 7 3 3 6 4 5 3 3 1 3 3 7 3 2 3 2 0 3

A 3 3 3 1 1 3 3 3 4 3 6 10 5 11 8 4 6 5 5 7

Bundesliga Fixtures

Pts 12 12 10 8 8 7 7 6 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1

(Times in Thailand)

Team

IRB Rugby World Cup

W

D

L

F

A

Pts

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

4 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0

0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 1 1 1 0 1 1 2 2 1

1 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4

16 11 7 6 9 11 5 6 6 7 6 7 6 9 7 4 2 6

1 5 3 3 4 8 5 5 7 3 4 10 9 16 14 10 8 16

12 12 10 10 9 9 9 8 8 7 7 7 6 4 4 2 2 1

D 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0

F 4 3 2 2 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 1 2

A 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 4 2 3 2 2 4 2

Pts 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -5

W 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Italian Serie A League Fixtures

(Times in Thailand)

(Times in Thailand)

Friday September 16 New Zealand v Japan 15:30

Saturday September 17 Cagliari v Novara 22:00

Saturday September 17 Argentina v Romania 10:30 South Africa v Fiji 13:00 Australia v Italy 15:30

Tuesday September 20 Italy v Russia 14:30

Sunday September 18 Inter Milan v Roma 00:45 Atalanta v Palermo 16:30 Bologna v Lecce 19:00 Catania v Cesena 19:00 Lazio v Genoa 19:00 Parma v Chievo 19:00 Siena v Juventus 19:00 Udinese v Fiorentina 19:00

AFL

NRL

Sunday September 18 Wales v Samoa 10:30 England Georgia 13:00 France v Canada 15:30

P

P 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Saturday September 17 Blackburn v Arsenal 18:45 Aston Villa v Newcastle 21:00 Bolton v Norwich 21:00 Everton v Wigan 21:00 Swansea v West Brom 21:00 Wolves v QPR 21:00 Sunday September 18 Tottenham v Liverpool 19:30 Fulham v Man City 21:00 Sunderland v Stoke 21:00 Man Utd v Chelsea 22:00

Sunday September 18 Hannover v Dortmund 19:30 Schalke v Bayern 21:30

Formula 1 Driver Standings after Monza 1. S. Vettel 284; 2. F. Alonso 172; 3. J. Button 167; M. Webber 167; L. Hamilton 158; F. Massa 82; N. Rosberg 56; M. Schumacher 52; V. Petrov 34; N. Heidfeld 34; K. Kobayashi 27; A. Sutil 24; J. Alguesuari 16; S. Buemi 13; P. di Resta 12; S. Perez 8; R. Barichello 4; B. Senna 2; P. Maldonado 1. All others 0.

Hash House Harriers Run 1332: Saturday, Sep 17 at 4pm.

Hares: Apeman, Singha and No Hope.

Directions: Head north on Thepkasattri Road towards the airport.

Turn left at the old airport road and carry on west for 2.5km, turning left at the second left-hand junction. After 1.1 km turn right at the junction then right again at the next junction. Drive to the end of the road where we have laagered before. Park to one side of the road to enable others to pass.

(Times in Thailand)

(Times in Thailand)

Friday September 16 Hawthorn v Sydney 16:45

Friday September 16 Tigers v Warriors 16:45

Saturday September 17 WC Eagles v Carlton 16:50

Saturday September 17 Broncos v Dragons 15:45

Ligue 1, France Team Montpellier Lyon Lille PSG Toulouse Rennes Sochaux Lorient Saint-Étienne Auxerre Bordeaux Evian Caen Dijon Ajaccio Brest Marseille Nancy Nice Valenciennes

Serie A, Italy Team Juventus Napoli Fiorentina Udinese Palermo Cagliari Chievo Genoa Lazio Milan Novara Catania Siena Inter Roma Cesena Bologna Lecce Parma Atalanta

(Times in Thailand)

Saturday September 17 Freiburg v Stuttgart 00:30 Leverkusen v Cologne 19:30 Hamburg v M’gladbach 19:30 Hertha v Augsburg 19:30 Nuremberg v Bremen 19:30 Hoffenheim v Wolfsburg 19:30 Kaiserslautern v Mainz 22:30

Bundesliga, Germany Bayern Bremen Bor M’bach Leverkusen Hoffenheim Schalke Nuremberg Hertha Hannover Stuttgart Dortmund Mainz Wolfsburg Freiburg Köln Augsburg K’slautern Hamburg

English Premier League Fixtures

P 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

W 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0

D 0 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 3 3 3 0 0 2 4 3 2 2 1

L 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 3 3 2 1 2 3 3 4

F 10 9 9 7 7 10 8 5 5 8 5 4 6 5 6 3 6 3 2 3

A 3 5 6 4 4 8 7 5 6 7 5 4 7 9 9 4 8 6 6 8

Pts 12 11 10 10 10 10 8 8 7 6 6 6 6 6 5 4 3 2 2 1

Sport on TV: Times in Thailand Friday, September 16 EVENT

AFL: Hawthorn v Sydney RWC: New Zealand v Japan MLB: Rays v Red Sox

TIME

CHANNEL

16:30 15:30 06:00

Australia Network Astro Supersport 3 ESPN

Saturday, September 17

AFL: WC Eagles v Carlton RWC: Argentina v Romania RWC: South Africa v Fiji RWC: Australia v Ireland EPL: Blackburn v Arsenal EPL: Everton v Wigan EPL: Bolton v Norwich MotoGP: GP de Aragon Qlf

16:30 10:15 12:45 15:15 18:45 21:00 21:00 18:55

Australia Network.

Astro Supersport 3 Astro Supersport 3 Astro Supersport 3 TrueSport HD TrueSport HD TrueSport 2 STAR Sports

MLB: Rangers v Mariners RWC: Wales v Samoa RWC: England v Georgia RWC: France v Canada MotoGP: GP de Aragon EPL: Sunderland v Stoke EPL: Tottenham v Liverpool EPL: Fulham v Man City EPL: Man Utd v Chelsea Serie A: Sienna v Juventus BDL: K’slautern v Mainz

06:02 10:15 12:45 15:30 15:57 19:00 19:30 21:00 22:00 19:55 20:25

ESPN Astro Supersport 3 Astro Supersport 3 Astro Supersport 3 STAR Sports TrueSport 5 TrueSport HD TrueSport 5 TrueSport HD Astro Supersport 2 Astro Supersport

Wallabies keen to face O’Driscoll The prospect of matching up game. He’s done everything, against Irish superstar centre he’s been around for a long Brian O’Driscoll this week- time and I guess that’s the end in the World Cup has the sign of a true great player of Wallaby contenders drooling this game – longevity and over winning consistency the nod for the – a n d h e ’s coveted number been exactly 13 jersey. that,” Wallaby Winger scrum-half Digby Ioane’s Will Genia atsidelining with tested. a fractured Crash-tackthumb has ling Fainga’a, opened up sevwho was seeral selection lected at 13 in Australia’s options at out32 - 6 o p e n side centre for the Wallabies ing win over in their definIt a ly b efor e ing pool game being replaced against Ireland

by James at Auckland’s O’Connor early Eden Park on in the second Saturday. half, is hoping A d a m he will get to Ashley-Coomark his idol.

Brian O’Driscoll. per, Anthony “It’s going Fa i n g a’a o r to be a fantaspossibly James O’Connor tic opportunity if I get the are all in the frame to earn chance to play against him,” selection against one of world Fainga’a said. rugby’s genuine stars, the “He’s been one of the inspirational Irish captain. standout players over the last “I’m sure whoever gets the 10 years and to get that oppor13 jersey this week will be tunity for myself at a World very excited to face Brian,” Cup would just be great. utility back Ashley-Cooper “Brian directs the play told reporters. and the defensive play, he’s “Because that’s what you someone that I really idolise want to do. If you want to be and someone who has been the best you’ve got to compete great for rugby. against the best and Brian has “Brian is just the kind of been on top of his game for so guy who slips out of tackles. long he’s regarded as one of I’ve been watching footage of the best centres in the world.” him over the last five years The talismanic 33-year- and it seems that even when old O’Driscoll has won two you think you’ve got him European Cups with Leinster, tackled he gets out of it.” captained Ireland to only O’Driscoll may have won their second Five/Six Nations everything in European rugby, Grand Slam in 2009 and three but he is determined to set other Triple Crowns, won a the record straight in the one record 114 caps and last March tournament where he and broke the 78-year-old Five/ Ireland have yet to make their Six Nations try record with mark – the World Cup. his 25th.

The winner of tomorrow’s He was also named World game is likely to win Pool Player of the Decade by Rugby C and play the runner-up of World magazine.

Pool D in the tournament “He’s a superstar of the quarter-finals.

Sunday, September 18

www.thephuketnews.com

44 INTERNATIONAL SPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Double blow for England RUGBY UNION

England have been dealt a double blow as prop Andrew Sheridan has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament, while lock Courtney Lawes has been banned for two World Cup matches for kneeing Argentina’s Mario Ledesma, but escaped a stiffer sanction that could have ended his tournament.

Sheridan injured his left shoulder in England’s opening match and after the game a scan was sent to his surgeon, who confirmed the loose-head prop’s worst fears.

It is the same shoulder that Sheridan had surgery on two years ago.

Under IRB laws England are able to call up another player so Paul Doran-Jones and Tim Payne are on standby.

Lawes, who pleaded not guilty to the offence committed during England’s hard-fought win in Dunedin, will miss England’s next two Pool B matches against Georgia and Romania but will be available for the last game against Scotland.

A disciplinary panel described the offence as “low end”, bur decided not to hand out a longer ban. Lawes has 48 hours to appeal the decision.

“With respect to the sanction, the offence was deemed to be low-end,” an International Rugby Board (IRB) statement said.

this season’s Six Nations with a knee injury and was taken to hospital on a stretcher after a clash at an England trial match two weeks before last month’s warm-up match against Wales in Cardiff.

Lawes, speaking before the Argentina match, emphasised the need to match the physicality of the Pumas.

“I don’t mind a scuffle every now and then. I just do it because I can and it gets under their skin,” said Lawes, who can also play as a flanker.

“They’re going to be big and they’re going to be physical, that’s what they pride themselves on, but physicality’s part of my game as well.”

The ban will come as a blow to Lawes’ England coach Martin Johnson who views the powerful lock as “the quickest and most athletic” he has ever seen.

Johnson’s resources in the forwards are already stretched thinner than he would like as captain Lewis Moody was forced to miss the narrow win Courtney Lawes: His offence was ‘deemed to be low-end’. over the Pumas.

Moody is likely to return “However, taking into had already been tackled to to the side against Georgia in account mitigating factors, the ground during England’s a move that might see James being his excellent disciplinary attritional 13-9 win on Sat- Haskell move to the number record and remorse, and the urday. eight position in place of Nick absence of aggravating factors, No immediate comment Easter. the player was suspended for was available from the England Tom Palmer, who came two weeks.” camp or Northampton’s Lawes, off the bench to replace Louis Video footage showed who won his 11th cap against Deacon in last Saturday’s match Lawes ploughing into Ledes- Argentina. should replace Lawes in the The 22-year-old missed second row. ma knee-first after the hooker

Storm, Sea Eagles into semis

The Melbourne Storm and the Manly Sea Eagles booked their places in the NRL playoff semi-finals next weekend with wins against the Newcastle Knights and the North Queensland Cowboys respectively.

The Storm, this season’s minor premiers, overcame a spirited Knights side 18-8 at AAMI Park on Sunday night to set up a semi-final clash with either Wests Tigers or the New Zealand Warriors who remain in contention for a final place despite a heavy defeat against the Brisbane Broncos.

Craig Bellamy’s side raced into a 16-0 lead at halftime thanks to some inspirational play by Kiwi Sika Manu. The Storm were pegged back by the www.thephuketnews.com

RUGBY LEAGUE

Knights in the second period, however, as the visitors took second half honours 8-2.

The Sea Eagles were in impressive form as they ruthlessly dispatched the Cowboys 42-8 at the Sydney Football Stadium.

The home side trailed the Cowboys 8-0 at half time but rallied after the restart to score 42 unanswered points in what was a very one-sided second 40 minutes.

Brett Stewart and William Hopoate starred for the Sydney side, scoring two tries apiece as the Cowboys were unable to contain the Sea Eagles.

In the other preliminary finals, the Broncos thrashed the New Zealand Warriors

40-10 in Queensland, while West Tigers beat defending champions St George Illawarra Dragons 21-12.

The 2010 champions still have a chance to defend their crown when they line up against the Broncos tomorrow (Saturday).

The winners will face the Sea Eagles in the semi-finals and, on current form, the Broncos will start as favourites.

The Queensland side will once again be led by inspirational captain Darren Lockyer in his final season as a professional player.

The six-time Premiership champions outscored their opponents by seven tries to two in front of an almost full house at Suncorp Stadium.

The vanquished Warriors

will have another shot at finals glory when they face Wests Tigers in Sydney this afternoon (Friday).

The Tigers trailed the Dragons by 12 points to six at halftime but a stirring second half saw them score 15 unanswered points to secure the win.

New Zealand’s only NRL side will have to perform significantly better than they did last weekend if they are to have any hope of progressing to the Grand Final.

The War riors and the Tigers were separated by just two points at the end of the regular season but 2005 champions Wests beat the Kiwi side in both previous clashes between the two sides this season.

Jonny Wilkinson? Actually, not.

Did you get the answer?

In our Rugby World Cup wallchart we ran the picture above of England’s Jonny Wilkinson and asked you, “What’s wrong with this picture?”

Although hard to spot, those with sharp eyesight will have noticed that Wilkinson looked a little waxier than he usually does.

In fact, it’s not a picture of Jonny; it’s a picture of a wax model of England’s rugby hero, in his classic

‘kicking stance’, which was placed in Trafalgar Square the day before the 2007 RWC final against South Africa.

Also on the subject of the wallchart, it’s been pointed out that some of the dates in the pool game schedule are inaccurate. Please note: “Thursday 01 October” should be Saturday 01 October, while “Friday 02 October” should be Sunday 02 October. The Phuket News regrets any confusion caused.

Pies and Cats safely through The AFL’s two best teams – Collingwood and Geelong – advanced to the AFL Preliminary finals courtesy of wins against the West Coast Eagles and Hawthorn respectively.

The Cats, who finished second behind Collingwood in the AFL ladder, overcame a determined Hawks outfit by 98 points to 67 last Friday to earn themselves a fortnight’s break and will face the winners of the Carlton-Eagles match which takes place this Saturday.

The Cats were under pressure from the Hawks in the third quarter but a stunning five-minute spell saw the 2009 champions score four goals and take the game away from their dogged opponents.

The Magpies were also tested by Perth’s West Coast Eagles who made a strong start and restricted the 2010 Premiers to a single goal in the first quarter.

The Eagles extended their lead to 14 points in the second period before the reigning champions kicked the next five goals.

AFL Collingwood’s 13 point halftime lead grew to 26 points in the third but a late charge from the Eagles drew them to within seven points.

The visitors had chances to pull to within a single point of Collingwood but were unable to do so before late goals from the ’Pies sealed the game.

The Eagles will get another shot at glory this weekend when they face the Blues of Carlton who go into the match on the back of a 149-87 thrashing of Essendon.

More than 90,000 people filed into the MCG to watch the match that was won in the second and third quarters where the Blues kicked 13 of their 23 goals to Essendon’s five.

In the other match the Sydney Swans eliminated St Kilda to complete a turbulent season for the Melbourne club.

The Swans, champions in 2005, will return to Melbourne to face Hawthorn for the right to play Collingwood in the Preliminary finals.