16-12-2011

Friday, December 16 – Thursday, December 22, 2011

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olice in Phuket have issued an all-points bulletin for American Junie Allen Browning, 26, notorious in American cage fighting circles, where he is known as “The Lunatik”.

Browning is alleged to have trashed a bar in Karon, and thumped customers and staff in a brawl early on Sunday evening (December 11), putting several in hospital.

Owner of the Native Bar on Patak Road in Karon Sukanya Srisomboon filed a complaint with Chalong police over the damage caused by the fight, which involved the bar manager Simon Menzies, 32.

A witness who wishes to remain anonymous told The Phuket News that Browning had arrived at the bar with two American women. One of them was his girlfriend, another was Castro Mury, 32.

According to the witness, the three had an argument, then Browning punched Ms Mury in the face and beat his girlfriend. “I’ve never seen a man hit a girl so hard like that,” he said.

At this point, Mr Menzies asked Browning to leave the bar. Browning refused, attempting to punch Mr Menzies and other bystanders – four of whom later reported injuries sustained during the fight.

Some of the customers tried to intervene, which provoked a brawl that eventually left Browning unconscious.

Those involved were then sent to Patong Hospital, where Browning woke up and hit doctors, nurses, Ms Mury, a

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Former UFC fighter Junie ‘Lunatik’ Browning in a PR shot from his Bebo profile page.

68-year-old man, and the bar owner again. Then Browning fled from the scene.

Ms Mury was reported to have bruises and a broken jaw.

In a Facebook update, since deleted, Browning blamed others for starting the fight, saying that it seemed they wanted to test their skills against a pro fighter.

The American describes himself on his Facebook page as living in Thalang and having

worked for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a fighter for two years before coming to Thailand. According to Chalong police, he is currently training at Tiger Muay Thai camp in Rawai. However, when police went to the camp, he was not on the site.

Known in UFC circles as “The Lunatik”, Browning appeared in the TV reality show The Ultimate Fighter.

According to an entry on

In his comment (later removed) on his Facebook page he described the brawl this way: “Wow what a helluva weekend, Some *** and about 10 of his friends started a fight with me. I guess just to test a ‘UFC fighter guy’ at his *** little bar in Karon Thailand.

“Had a beer bottle and glass mug shattered on my head, then to make everything better, stabbed severely by some crazy Thai ***.

“On a positive note, I managed to break a few orbital bones, at least a couple jaws, and some unconscious bodies [were] laying on the ground before I blacked out from loss of blood and apparently had to be resuscitated in the ambulance. So how was your weekend?”

A second posting went as follows, “Apparently in the news they are saying there were women involved, that is 100% a croc of ****!

“The only woman involved was a Thai woman friend of theirs that sliced my forearm open with a 6-inch blade. At no point were any women involved.” The witness, however, insisted that no-one used a knife during the fight.

In a Facebook post yesterday morning, Browning said: “You all don’t understand [with] my name, people will use it against me. I acted like an idiot on a reality show for publicity so they are using that against me. I’m sorry and I care about people more than you [think].”

As The Phuket News went to press, the police confirmed that Browning is still at large.

Wikipedia, UFC dumped him after he was arrested for assaulting three nurses at a hospital in Nevada after an unsuccessful suicide attempt.

Police believe he is still in Phuket and have asked Immigration and checkpoint officers to look out for him.

It seems that Browning was not too badly injured and even had the leisure to get on the Internet while looking over his shoulder for the cops.

Distance and Walker fail to walk the distance

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Pakistani children rescued from chains

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

NEWS

Rescuers prevent death leap A Thai man attempted to commit suicide by leaping off a four-storey building in Patong on December 9 but was prevented from doing so by rescue volunteers.

After spending hours trying to calm him down, members of the Kusoldharm Foundation rescue team charged the 25-year-old at the edge of a rooftop before he could make the jump, and took him to Kathu Police Station.

The would-be jumper later told police that his attempted suicide was to convince other people of the truth of his story that a price of B25,000 had been put on his head and gunmen were stalking him. He had already been shot at, he said.

He insisted that he didn’t use narcotics, but police said they suspected his story of gunmen might be a result of paranoia brought on by drug use.

Have you seen her?

12-year-old girl missing for more than a week > 5

Slick vid boosts Phuket

A select gathering of about 50 people were given a taste on Monday (December 12) at the Royal Phuket Marina of Phuket: Luxury Living, a short “insight” video about the island’s high-end lifestyle.

Produced by Robin Block and his London-based digital production company Red Sky, the video featured a dozen or so of Phu ket’s movers and shakers.

They include hotel owners and developers Narong Pattamasaevi (Trisara), ML Tridosyuth Devakul (Baan Kata), Richard Pope (Kata Rocks), Allan Zeman (Andara) and Gulu Lalvani (Royal Phuket Marina), along with commentators such as Bill Barnett (C9 Hotelworks) and Jules Kaye of Property Report Asia magazine.

Many more, including the proprietor of The Phuket News and Live 89.5 radio, Simon Samaan, were consulted in the making of the video.

From right, front row, filmmaker Robin Block, Richard Pope of Kata Rocks and Gulu Lalvani (to his left) of Royal Phuket Marina watch the video. –Photo by Angel Eyes Image Mr Barnett sets the scene with his opening message; “You can walk into a restaurant and be sitting next to a multi-millionaire in flip-flops.”

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Footage of the participants talking about why they like the island are interspersed with shots of the high life in Phuket – beachfront villas,

glossy motor yachts and spa treatments – and local culture.

The movie emphasises Phuket’s absolutely fabulous high-end lifestyle – particu-

larly property – but also addresses some of the annoyances, such as land ownership, political instability, charges of overdevelopment and the 80-metre rule.

Tuk-tuk and taxi problems are not mentioned, though this is perhaps because the kind of people likely to be attracted to Phuket by the video will have their own car with driver.

The video was underwritten by Kata Rocks. Although tweaks will be made to the video following suggestions from Monday’s audience, Kata Rocks MD Richard Pope declared himself delighted with the result.

The video will be spread through the internet and social media, the hope being that it will go viral and attract many more high-end visitors to the island, who may in turn buy into the lifestyle.

Phuket: Luxury Living can be seen at phuketfuture.com.

Christmas fever hits Phuket Christmas events will be held around the island this week in preparation for the big day on December 25.

The annual Christmas market at Canal Village, Laguna will be held on December 17 and will feature jewellery, homeware, dresses, art, natural soaps, baked goods, face-painting, cookie decorating, and a visit

by Santa. It is the second market of its kind; the first was held in Nai Harn on December 10. The market

will run from 3pm to 6pm.

A Christmas Bash and Fun Day Sail will be held at the Phuket Yacht Club on December 18 from 9am to 5pm. Food will be served at 1pm. Organiser ask that you bring a small gift with your child’s name clearly labelled for Santa.

There will be games and activities on the beach for kids. If sailing, contact Andrew at andrew@leemarine. net on 081 894 1530.

Otherwise RSVP for ca-

tering purposes to phuketyachtclub@gmail.com, or visit www.phuketyachtclub.info.

Meanwhile, the Royal Phuket Marina are hosting a Christmas Eve Salsa Latin Party at the Les Anges cafe.

Reservations are recommended due to limited seating. B,1400++ per person.

For reservations contact Murat Can Sakarya on 076 360 811, 081 797 3364 or email muratc@royalphuketmarina.com

New Year countdown extravaganza planned The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (OrBorJor) plans to stage an extravagant event to mark the New Year’s Eve. OrBorJor president Paiboon Upatising made the announcement of plans for the “Colourful Phuket Countdown 2012” at a press conference held at the S31 Sukhumvit Hotel in Bangkok last Friday (December 9).

Executive Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Wiwatchai Boonyapak

and Managing Director of co-organiser Best Four Media Kumphon Mahanukul also attended the conference.

Mr Paiboon said a budget of B10 million had been allocated for the Countdown.

“This event, organised by the OrBorJor, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Best Four Media, will be a great event to promote tourism to Phuket,” Mr Paiboon said.

The Countdown will take place on three days, from

December 29 to 31, at Sanam Chai in Phuket Town, beginning each night at 6pm.

Top T hai per for mers booked for the extravaganza include Pong Lang Sa-on, Benz Pornchita na Songkhla, Ying Thitikarn, Tai Oratai and Pongpat Wachirabunjong.

“I believe that more than 50,000 tourists will enjoy the event, [and we expect them to spend] more than B200 million in Phuket as a result of the Countdown,” Mr Paiboon said.

ISLANDNEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Surin resort investigated By the time they reached 65km, Russell Distance Russell (left) and Jay ‘Le Shark’ Walker were struggling.

3-leg duo fail in record attempt Walking three-legged for 70 km for over 16 hours and 40 minutes isn’t a new world record but certainly an astonishing achievement by local heroes Jay “Le Shark” Walker and Russell “Sniffer” Russell.

The two were hoping to break the current Guinness World Record for the longest distance in 24 hours: 100.13 km, set back in 2008, but were forced to retire af ter 70k m with severe blisters making it impossible to walk on all three feet.

“Half of my foot has just peeled off and I walked the last few kilometres on raw

skin which I can tell you, is mighty painful...,” said Jay. Russell told The Phuket News, “I had blisters, too, but they weren’t as bad as Jay’s.

But because he was limping so badly, I couldn’t walk straight, and that affected my knees and hips.”

Despite not reaching the landmark on this attempt, the duo raised over B100,000 for t he Phu ket A n i m a l Welfare Society.

“It’s a kind of bitter-sweet feeling. We’re distraught that we missed the mark, but hugely proud of what we actually accomplished,” said Russell.

Local people on Wednesday (December 14) met with government officials at the newly reopened Chedi – now named The Surin – claiming that the resort encroached illegally on the beach.

Some of the local vendors and masseuses also voiced fears that after waiting six months for the resort to reopen, they would not be allowed to work on the beach in front of it.

These people were quickly assured by the hotel’s chief engineer Vachira Jairak, representing the resort at the meeting, that this was not the case – they were welcome to work on the beach, he said.

But the problem of encroach ment wa s not so easily resolved.

Vice-Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak inspected the site but would make no definitive comment on the legality or otherwise of the expansion built by the resort.

This expansion includes enlargement of the pool and construction of a bar and several new structures that appear to sit firmly and permanently on the sand of Pansea Beach.

The Chief of the Phuket Marine Office, Bhuripat Theerakulpisut, was more firm in

The new beach bar at The Surin appears to sit on the sand. his opinions than the Vice Governor. He said that in his view any structure built on a beach is illegal.

Mr Vachira countered that the deeds for the resort clearly showed the edges of the resort’s land extending out onto what is now beach.

He said that perhaps this was the result of the tsunami changing the local topography.

The headman of Mu 3, who gave his name as Chaiyong, said he wanted clarity about the boundaries of the hotel.

The head of the Cherng Talay Masseuses’ Club Pratana Sae Jiew, agreed.

She said that members were concerned that without clarity over the resort’s boundaries, there might be problems over the places where they set up their massage beds.

V/Gov Somkiet ordered the Thalang Land Office to check the land papers and survey the site as soon as possible.

In past decades, the shape of the beach has changed several times due to heavy weather.

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IN BRIEF Belgian rescued for fourth time A Belgian man in his early 40s was rescued by beach lifeguards at Nai Harn beach last Friday (December 9), during what seemed to be a suicide attempt.

The man arrived at the beach, dragged his kayak into the water, and paddled out to sea.

Beach lifeguards, who were familiar with the man’s repetitive behaviour, kept an eye on him and jumped into the water immediately they saw him overturn his kayak in the water.

A beach lifeguard said it was the fourth time they had rescued him and they believed he was attempting suicide. He claimed he saw the man deliberately overturn his kayak in the water.

The man declined to go to the hospital, and also refused to give his name to beach lifeguards.

Finn found dead in room A 51-year-old Finnish tourist, identified as Vallius Veijo Armas, was found dead in his room at the White Resort in Kamala on December 9.

Police suspected he had died 10 hours before his body was discovered. There was no signs of violence or traces of alcohol consumption in his room, so police suspect he died from a heart attack.

A big week for drug busts on the island On Friday (December 9), a Thai couple were arrested in Phang Nga after they confessed to acting as drug couriers. They were found in possession of 4,000 ya ba pills and 246.61 gms of ya ice, with a street value of B3 million, which they were supposed to take to Phuket, receiving B15,000 for their trouble.

Highway police in Phang Nga arrested Nikom Manop,

33, and his girlfriend Kanokwan U-yen at a police checkpoint at the Wat Tha Noon T-junction, in Kok Kloy.

After their arrest the couple confessed to the crime and were locked up Kok Kloy Police station.

This was the biggest Phuket-related drug bust of the week but by no means the only one; another six men were arrested for drug possession

or dealing. The arrests began last Monday and Tuesday (December 5 and 6) when two men were arrested for possession of ya ice (crystalmethamphetamine) worth around B200,000.

Pol Lt Col Jaran Bangprasert told The Phuket News that police followed alleged drug dealer Suttipong Chanalert, 26, and caught him with 21.9gm of ya ice in his pocket.

After questioning, police took Suttipong to his house in Rawai, where they found a further 18gm of the drug.

The following day police arrested Chanwut “Chan” Manopat, 30, after he tried to flee officers. Police found 30.7gm of ya ice in his pocket.

Both Suttipong and Chanwut confessed to dealing drugs and are now in lodged in Phuket Provincial Prison.

Col Jaran said, “I believe the men were involved in the same network, though they deny it. The ya ice we seized is worth about B200,000 on the street.”

On Saturday (December 10), 400 kratom plants (which, when the leaves are chewed, has a mild stimulant effect) were seized from 30-year-old Prasert Tongjan in Rawai.

On Sunday (December 11)

three drug dealers from Loei Province, in Thailand’s north east, were arrested in Patong.

Eight bags of ya ice and 200 ya ba (methamphetamine) pills were seized.

Utai Kansan, 26, Amnart Nayao, 40, and Somdetch Jampada, 40, told police that they had bought the drugs in Loei and brought them to Phuket with the intention of selling them to sell to users in Patong.

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

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

DANE HALPIN Sub Editor editor2@thephuketnews.com From Australia; Degree in Journalism, Charles Sturt University; Four years’ experience at: The Australian, The Central Western Daily, The Leader, The Canberra Times, The Vientiane Times.

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An elderly man weeps after his release. He was freed after one month of a six-month stretch for stealing electricity.

Prisoners walk free One hundred and fifty-five inmates of Phuket Prison walked free last week in the annual royal amnesty granted by His Majesty the King on the occasion of his 84th birthday.

The released prisoners were 145 Thais, three Laotians, four Burmese, one Afghani and two Iranians.

Released in this first batch were prisoners with less than a year remaining of their sentences, along with elderly, disabled or chronically ill prisoners who were serving first-time sentences.

Many of the freed prisoners said they plan to find jobs

related to the occupational training they received while in prison. Director of Phuket Prison, Rapin Nichanon said the prison gave training programmes to inmates who were expected be eligible for the royal amnesty this year to prepare for their return to society.

Training in skills such as massage, carpentry, construction, electronics and farming are offered to prisoners six months before they are expected to be released. Mr Rapin added that he plans to add music lessons soon to the training courses available.

He said that because the

amnesty decree was announced later than expected, he would try to arrange the release of other inmates as soon as he could. “No one wants to wait too long to be granted freedom,” he said.

More than 300 inmates will be released within the 90 days following the announcement of the names of people who were pardoned on December 4.

It is estimated that there will be about 1,200 convicts left in Phuket Prison after the release but Mr Rapin expects the extra places to be filled again soon.

The prison, built about 100

years ago, has become overcrowded, with new prisoners being added daily.

Plans to expand the prison have not received budgetary approval from the Government, and the likelihood of this happening soon has receded because of the government’s need to spend large amounts rehabilitating areas hit by this year’s flooding.

However, Mr Rapin said the dormitories have been improved by adding layers of beds built to international standards. Until recently, prisoners slept on the floor, packed in like sardines.

Drive for rare Police act to reduce blood types New Year casualties The Regional Blood Centre of Phuket and Rh Negative Club of Phuket plan to cooperate with local schools and shopping malls to organise mobile blood drives among residents and tourists in Phuket.

The mobile team will be asking for blood donations of all types, including specifically looking for donors who have Rh Negative system blood, at the British International School Phuket on December 14 between 10am to 3pm, and Central Festival Phuket on December 22 between 11am to 6pm.

Regional Blood Center of Phuket representative Vichot Buraphachanok told The Phuket News “Phuket’s Rh blood needs

increase on average 10 per cent a year, with AB being the rarest blood group.”

Mr Vichot added “We currently have around 100 members in the Rh Negative Club of Phuket, roughly 60 per cent men to 40 per cent women. The blood needed in hospitals in Phang-Nga, Trang, Krabi, Satoon, Ranong and Phuket averages 20 bags a month, and more will be need through high season.” About 15 per cent of Caucasians have Rh negative blood types but in Asia the proportion is much lower – only about 0.3 per cent. As a result Phuket, with its relatively high Caucasian population, is a hotspot for both demand and supply of negative blood.

Phuket authorities are preparing for casualties during the coming New Year festivities, a time of year when accident rates are higher than at any other time.

More than 20 police checkpoints will be set up on Phuket roads, while rescue teams and hospitals will be on high alert.

In addition, more than 280 Phuket City policemen and Thai civilian police volunteers are being put on the streets around Phuket in preparation for the holiday season.

Pol Col Chote Chitchai, superintendent of Phuket City Police Station, said the first group of 150 began their patrols on December 7.

Their aim is to fight crime and drugs, but also to help tourists and locals, similar to the role of the Tourist Police.

They have already made their mark. “After we sent out the first group on December 7 and 8, the police volunteers assisted in the

arrest of four people for drugrelated crimes,” he said.

A second group of 130 began on Monday (December 12), and a third group are planning to start patrols on December 24.

More checkpoints around the island will be set up in time for the New Year period.

This year, Phuket authorities have set a target of five per cent fewer road accidents, injuries and deaths than last year, trying to limit the carnage to 64 accidents, 71 injuries and four dead between December 29 and January 4.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has warned drivers to be extra-careful during the New Year, especially on the night of December 31-January 1, notorious for its high accident rate.

According to records, the hours between 1 am and 4 am on January 1 are the most dangerous time to be on the road in Phuket.

ISLANDNEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

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Missing 12yo found on Bangla Tourist Police Volunteers last week rescued a 12-year-old French girl who had been missing for four months.

The girl, Manel, whose surname has been withheld, was reported missing after she ran away from her father some four months ago.

On Saturday she appeared at a press conference held at the Royal Phawadee Village hotel in Patong to tell her remarkable story.

Manel and her 11-year-old sister Chaima were brought to Phuket by their father in July.

Although it was originally meant to be only a holiday, Manel says her father liked it here and wanted to settle down in Phuket, so he accepted a job offer from a friend who ran a tattoo shop in Patong.

However, not long after they arrived, Manel had an argument with her father that led to her running away.

“He often disappeared for days at a time, not telling us where he was going,” said Manel.

So Manel went to stay with a Thai teenager she had just met. During the day, she slept in her friend’s room in Kathu, or went to hang out with other friends on Patong Beach.

She was a r rested on several occasions for shoplif ting. However, Kathu police could not charge her because she is a minor.

Life on the streets was not only tough but dangerous.

“I was abused once,” said

Manel. “I was following by two Thai guys who took me to an isolated spot and bound my mouth.”

Fortunately for Manel, villagers passing by rescued her. The two men were taken to police station and were charged with attempted rape.

As for her missing father, it turned out that Kathu police had arrested him in November.

He was charged with possession of marijuana and sentenced to 45 days in jail.

After their father’s arrest, the whereabouts of Manel were unknown, while her younger sister Chima was watched over by a member of staff at the guesthouse where they had been staying. No relatives knew of their plight.

The girl’s disappearance only came to light after the arrest of a Belgian tourist, who was put in jail briefly following a bike crash.

In prison he met Manel’s father, who explained his story and asked him to contact the girl’s grandmother to tell her about his two missing daughters.

When the Belgian was released, he complied with the request, which led to the story of the two sisters being heard by the French Embassy in Bangkok.

Following a visit to Phuket by the French Consul, word spread about the missing girl and her photograph was distributed among authorities.

The information was then

Manel with the Tourist Police Volunteers who found her: Sergio Bongiovanni, Narada Hanks and Omar Al Quraiani. passed on to Phuket’s Tourist Police Volunteers who were sent a photo of Manel last Thursday (December 8) at 9pm.

Just two hours later, Manel was spotted walking along Soi Bangla, where the Tourist Police Volunteers have a routine patrol.

Phuket Tourist Police Foreign Volunteers Group Leader Frank Tomenson said, “Volunteers Narada Hanks, a Thai national, Omar Al Quraiani from Jordan, and Sergio Bongiovanni from Italy, saw the girl before they went on duty.

“At around 11pm, while

walking down Soi Crocodile, the volunteers spotted someone looking like the girl, talking to three men. They spoke to the girl to obtain positive identification, and once she was identified, the volunteers removed her from the area.”

“I tried not to scare her,” said tourist police volunteer Al

Quraiani, who was at the scene with Hanks and Bongiovanni.

“I didn’t want to miss this one chance of finding her.”

After her rescue, Manel discovered that her sister had already been sent back to France, while her father had been released and was also preparing to return home.

Manel was looked after at the Royal Pawadee Village, a hotel in Patong owned by Police Foreign Volunteer Vice President Claude de Crissey, until arrangements for her repatriation could be made.

The French Embassy put her on a plane back to France on Tuesday.

…but no sign of Thai girl There is still no sign of 12-year-old schoolgirl, Smatya “Pin” Yanpanya, missing for over a week since she disappeared on December 6.

The girl’s mother, Samruay Santhaweesuk told The Phuket News on Wednesday (December 14) that she had still not received any messages from her daughter Pin. “I asked my daughter’s friend to teach me how to use Facebook, but there have been no updates from her, nor any news from the police.”

She said she had checked Vachira, Phuket International and Bangkok hospitals but none of them had admitted patients matching Pin’s description.

Pin had been living with her grandparents since her parents split up. She disappeared after going to an internet café in Soi Loa Rong in Phuket Town on December 6.

CCTV camera footage from the internet café showed her entering and leaving a

A family photo of missing girl Smatya ‘Pin’ Yanpanya. couple of times. She then left the café a final time, apparently behaving perfectly normally, and has not been seen since.

Ms Samr uay said Pin was “addicted” to Facebook.

Her last Facebook post was at about noon of the day she disappeared.

The girl used the Facebook

name “Pinnee smile”. Her status shows her as being “married” to another girl in the same school, but none of her schoolfriends knows where she is, said her mother.

Anyone who has seen this girl or has knowledge of her whereabouts should immediately call Phuket City Police at 076 212 115.

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Sick green turtle rescued An exhausted Green Turtle was found washed ashore at the Yacht Haven Marina in Mai Khao on Tuesday afternoon (December 13).

The turtle, 60 centimetres long and weighing 20 kilograms, is estimated by a researcher from Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) to be about 10 years old.

It was discovered in poor condition, gaunt and pale, possibly as a result of swallowing a plastic bag. Turtles frequently swallow plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish, their main food.

The turtle was taken to the PMBC for care until it is strong enough to be returned to the sea.

It is the third turtle to have washed up on Phuket’s shores in the past six weeks.

2 owners, one plot.

Sparks fly Two local residents are disputing land ownership in Rassada Sub-district, both claiming to have identical official certificates acknowledging legal occupation of the same land.

Local villagers turned out to support one claimant and blocked land survey work by the Phuket Land Office (PLO) last Friday (December 9).

Authorities are investigating which of the two Sor Kor 1 certificates, issued to acknowledge legal occupation, is fake, and whether officials were involved in issuing the initial land title papers illegally.

Resident Adisak Pleekarn arranged a surveyor from the PLO last Friday to survey the 15 rai of land that he claimed was his.

But the survey was blocked by villagers who supported the other claimant, Toenjai Toawong, who said the 8.5 rai belonging to her had been wrongfully included in the 15 rai being claimed by Mr Adisak.

Both Mr Adisak and Ms Toenjai could both produce land documents showing their possession rights, surprisingly holding the same Sor Kor 1 certificate of ownership.

The case will be further investigated by the Phuket Provincial Land Office.

IN BRIEF Koh Maphrao pier discussed Plans for a 317-metre pier off Koh Maphrao have been discussed by the Phuket Governor’s Special Committee on Environment.

The pier is part of a new hotel planned by Koh Maphrao Island Co, which owns Burasari in Patong.

The committee previously visited the site and concluded the pier would not damage the environment and would be good for Phuket’s marine tourism. A public hearing will be held.

E-trash recycling scheme ends

The exhausted turtle is loaded into the back of a Kusondharm Foundation ambulance.

Senators rap lack of action over migrants Phuket authorities were urged last Friday (December 9) by members of a Senate committee to try harder to establish how many foreign labourers there are on the island, and how to provide them with better services and facilities.

Without real numbers, the problems of people smuggling and illegal labour on the island will continue to elude a solution, said Jarupong Ruengsuwan, a member of the Senate Labor Committee and also of the Pheu Thai Party Secretariat.

Kritsada Tansakul, a Vice President of the Phuket Tourist Association, explained to the committee that there is local a mbivalence over migrant labour.

On the one hand, there

is discomfort over the large numbers of migrants, legal and illegal, flowing into Phuket.

On the other, despite the large numbers, demand for labour still outstrips supply.

“We have high demand for immigrant workers,” Mr Kritsada explained. “But we are also encountering growing social problems.”

According to police statistics, the number of crimes committed by migrant workers is growing. Last year 246 migrants were charged with crimes. This year the number was 356, an increase of 45 per cent.

The Phuket Labor Office (PLO) reported to the committee that 61,954 migrants are registered as labourers with

the PLO. Ninety-eight per cent of them are from Myanmar.

But, the PLO added, the total population of migrant workers is estimated to be 200,000 – in other words, illegal workers outnumber legal workers by more than 2:1.

Worker registration offers migrants security, insurance and access to facilities, but the PLO provided shocking figures that showed fewer workers each year are being registered or are extending their work permits.

“This shows there may be something wrong in our system,” said Sen Jarupong, stressing that no policy would be practicable if the authorities don’t know the exact number of migrant workers on the island.

Phuket short of 8,000 workers With the high season well under way, Phuket businesses are still short of nearly 8,000 employees.

There are just under 3,000 unfilled job vacancies in service industries, and despite there already being 60,000 migrant labourers already registered in Phuket, employers say they need another 5,000 to fill the gap between supply and demand.

“Hotels, restaurants, re-

tail businesses and others need more staff for the high season,” Noppadol Ployudee chief of Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PEO), told The Phuket News.

“We organised jobs fairs before the high season but still could not meet demand.”

The Phuket PEO looked far beyond the island, holding job fairs in Nakhon Ratchasima and Surin in the northeast, but neither was successful because

northeastern Thailand, too, is suffering labour shortages.

Other factors deterring potential employees, Mr Noppadol said, were Phuket’s high cost of living and fears of a recurrence of the 2004 Asian Tsunami.

Mr Noppadol said, “We are considering organising more job fairs, but we need to persuade business owners to go, too, so that they can interview potential candidates.”

“Weee Can Do”, the national recycling project to collect discarded electronic equipment, underway since late August, is ending.

Sompon Sakayawigrom from the Public Health and Environment Department of Phuket Town Municipality said the project has finished but people can still discard the equipment at the municipality.

“Although the project ended on December 5, people can still drop off electronic goods at the municipality or can contact us to collect, if there are many pieces.

“We plan to collect trash from all points and count the number soon.”

A spokeswoman of the Pollution Control Department (PCD) in Bangkok said the project had to be postponed because of the flooding in central Thailand, but hoped more e-trash could be collected until the end of January.

Teams to get disaster training The Phu ket Provincial Health Office, the Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have come together to organise training in Phuket for the Kingdom’s Disaster Medical Assistance Teams, or DMATs. The Advanced DMAT course will include instruction from the JICA on how they coped with the effects of the tsunami in Japan, while the Thai teams will discuss their practical experience with flooding.

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NATIONALNEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

7

Police question Abhisit To prison for lèse majesté Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva faced several hours of police questioning last Friday (December 9) over a deadly military crackdown on mass opposition protests in Bangkok last year.

Mr Abhisit, now Opposition leader, said he had been summoned to Bangkok Metropolitan Police headquarters as a witness to the events which left dozens of people dead in clashes between soldiers and demonstrators.

He said after about three hours of questioning that he had informed the police that his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban had been in charge of the security operations.

Mr Suthep, who was grilled by police on Thursday (December 8), was head of the Government’s Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situation (CRES), which was set up to deal with the unrest but has since been disbanded.

“I told the police about my role at the time as the prime minister who ordered the creation of the CRES. But as for the CRES’s operations, I was not the one in charge – CRES director Suthep was,” Mr Abhisit said.

About a dozen protesters gathered outside the Metropoli-

Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva was questioned over Bangkok crackdown deaths. tan Police headquarters with signs that read “Murderer” and “Whoever gave the kill order must face karma.”

More than 90 people, mostly civilians, were killed and nearly 1,900 were wounded during the April and May 2010 rallies, which drew about 100,000 Red Shirt demonstrators at their peak.

A militant leader of the Red Shirt protest movement surrendered to authorities on Wednesday (December 7) on terrorism charges over his role in opposition rallies last year,

after almost 20 months on the run. Arisman Pongruangrong, who narrowly avoided capture by police commandos in April 2010 by climbing out of the third-floor window of a Bangkok hotel, tur ned himself in to the Justice Ministry’s department of special investigation (DSI).

“I acknowledged and denied all the charges and will give more testimony in a written statement,” he said.

Mr Arisman is believed to have hidden in neighbouring Cambodia after fleeing

the capital in the wake of the bungled attempt to arrest him in connection with mass anti-government protests that turned deadly.

A Bangkok court denied his request to be released on bail.

On Tuesday (December 6) the hardliner turned himself in to a court in Pattaya to face separate charges related to the Red Shirts’ storming of an Asian summit in the resort city in 2009, forcing its cancellation as leaders were evacuated. He was granted bail in that case.

–AFP

A court on Thursday (December 8) jailed an American for two and a half years for insulting the King, drawing a protest from the United States, which said he was exercising his right to free speech.

The case of Thai-born Joe Wichai Commart Gordon – who appeared in court in shackles – is one of a series under the Kingdom’s strict lèse majesté laws, which rights campaigners say are used to stifle freedom of expression.

The Criminal Court sentenced Mr Gordon to five years in prison, but halved the term as the car salesman from Colorado pleaded guilty to publishing online a banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej that he translated into Thai.

“Joe decided not to appeal this case but will ask for a royal pardon,” his lawyer Arnon Nampa said in Bangkok.

Mr Gordon, 55, was arrested in May on a visit to the Kingdom and accused of posting the material deemed offensive while living in the United States.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark

Toner said the United States had raised its concerns with Thai authorities.

“T he Un ited St ates strongly supports freedom of expression around the world,” Mr Toner said.

In a conviction that dismayed activists, 61-year-old Ampon Tangnoppakul was jailed last month for 20 years on four counts of sending messages to the private secretary of then Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in May 2010.

The European Union said it was “deeply concerned” about the sentence.

Meanwhile the Government has set up a committee to clamp down on websites considered insulting to the monarchy, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubumr ung said on Wednesday (December 7).

“If these websites are based abroad and cannot be completely shut down, we will find a way to prevent them from opening here,” he said , add i ng t hat he would “take this matter seriously”, even if the country’s allies were affected.

–AFP

Three shot dead in Krabi Three men were shot dead when u n k now n g u n men sprayed bullets at worshippers at a mosque in the tourist tow n Ao Luek in K rabi Province on the southern Andaman coast, police said on Monday (December 12).

Nine Muslim men where sitting outside the building after evening prayers on Sunday when the attack happened, according to police.

Three men, including a newly-elected village headman, were also injured in the shooting, which police said was likely to be motivated by politics, rather than religion.

Colonel Somdet Sukkarn, the local police chief, said they were hunting two gunmen who jumped out of a car near the mosque and randomly shot at the worshippers.

“We believe that it’s related to local politics, one of the victims was the father of the new village headman,” he said.

Police said the attack had no connection to unrest in Thailand’s souther nmost provinces, where more than eight years of Muslim insurgency has left more than 4,800 people dead.

The insurgents are not thought to be part of a global jihad movement but are instead

rebelling against a long history of perceived discrimination against ethnic Malay Muslims by governments in this Buddhist-majority nation.

Krabi Province is a major tourist hub, known for its tropical islands, white-sand

beaches, diving sites and dramatic karst cliffs.

The province has so far escaped the religious violence that regularly claim lives in more troubled southern provinces such as Yala and Narathiwat.

–AFP

www.thephuketnews.com

8

INTERNATIONALNEWS

IN BRIEF Borneo pygmy elephant gores Australian to death A pygmy elephant gored an Australian woman to death last week in a remote wildlife park on Borneo island in Malaysia.

The woman in her 20s was trekking with a friend and a Malaysian guide in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Sabah state when they were attacked by the rare pygmy elephant.

While the guide and one woman managed to get away, the elephant’s tusk pierced the other woman’s body and she died instantly, he said.

French prosecutors seek 18 years jail for Carlos the Jackal Prosecutors on Tuesday urged a French court to impose an 18-year jail term on notorious Venezuelan militant Carlos the Jackal, on trial in Paris for a string of bombings in France in the 1980s.

I n f i nal a rg u me nt s earlier Tuesday prosecutor Olivier Bray urged the court to find Carlos, full name Carlos Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, guilty of the attacks that killed 11 people.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Children rescued from ‘torture’ cell’ inside Pakistani madrassa

Pakistani police said Tuesday they had rescued 53 students, including children as young as seven, who had been chained in the basement of a madrassa raided by security forces in the port city of Karachi.

Former students including an eight-year-old told AFP they were regularly beaten at the school, which was equipped with chains, hooks and a warren of basement rooms. The head of an education federation called it a “torture cell”.

Police said 21 teenagers were among those found during the raid on the self-styled seminary in Pakistan’s biggest city, used by the United States to ship supplies to troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Two children aged seven and another aged about eight were among those rescued, Naeem Akram, deputy inspector general of Karachi police, told AFP. Madrassas, which provide the poorest families with the only education they can afford, are not tightly regulated in Pakistan and have served as recruitment grounds for the Taliban and other Al-Qaedalinked terror groups.

Young Pakistani students, some seven and eight years old, sit in a room after being rescued following a police raid on Madrassa Zakarya in Karachi late on December 12.

–Photo AFP Police said the students were chained up because they were drug addicts whom the madrassa “wanted to rehabilitate”, but many details remain unclear.

The three-storey building is in northern Karachi, isolated from the city’s congested and densely populated areas, meaning there were no neighbours who could corroborate

details of the police raid or the conditions inside.

The basement was a maze of rooms, according to an AFP photographer, while an AFP reporter saw chains and hooks.

Accounts given to AFP by students and relatives indicated that impoverished families believed the madrassa could offer treatment to drug addicts and a religious education to

the youngest boys. Azmat Ulla, a 17-year-old student, said his father sent him there because he suffered fits and could be violent.

“My father pays 3,000 rupees (B1680) per month to the madrassa as a fee to make me a normal person, but I still suffer from fits and despite that they kept me chained and beat me with sticks ruthlessly,” Ullah

added. Police official Akram Khan told AFP it was a “complex situation” and there would be “no clear picture until police collect all the evidence”.

“Relatives of the elder boys and men say they had sent them for drug addiction rehabilitation, while younger children’s relatives say they were sent for religious studies,” he told AFP. –AFP

Romania hosted secret CIA detention centre: reports The CIA used a clandestine detention centre in Bucharest to interrogate Al-Qaeda suspects, including the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, according to an investigation revealed Thursday.

The prison, used between 2003 and 2006, was in the cellar of a government building in a northwestern residential neighbourhood of the Romanian capital, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper and ARD public television said.

The building housed the Office of the National Reg-

www.thephuketnews.com

ister for Secret State Information, or ORNISS, which stored confidential information and ensured only authorised people gained access to it, the reports said.

Contacted by AFP on Thursday, ORNISS denied once more having hosted a CIA clandestine detention centre in Bucharest.

“We strongly reject all media speculations alleging this location hosted a CIA prison”, it said in a statement.

“Starting with the end of 2002, the building situated

at 4 Mures street served exclusively as (our) headquarters,” it added.

According to the investigation, detainees included Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, a top Al-Qaeda operative and mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001, who was arrested in Pakistan in 2003.

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the alleged plotter of the USS Cole bombing in Yemen in 2000, was also held at the Romanian centre, ARD said.

–AFP

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Canada deals blow to climate talks drive Canada’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol marks a slap in the face for marathon efforts to bring all countries under one legal roof in the fight against climate change, but the impact may be limited.

Canada on Monday became the first country formally to quit the landmark 1997 treaty on global warming as it sought to avoid paying penalties of up to CAN$14 billion (B408 billion) for missing targets on cutting carbon emissions.

The decision by conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government came barely a day after UN talks in Durban, South Africa ended in a general agreement to put all nations eventually under one climate treaty.

Environmentalists say that binding action is vital to achieving the types of emission cuts that scientists warn are needed if the world is to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, including growing natural disasters.

Josh Laughren, director of WWF-Canada’s climate and energy program, said that the decision “really relegates Canada to the margins” of international climate diplomacy.

“On the heels of a fragile agreement in Durban, it doesn’t breed hope. But in the end, even legally binding international treaties and protocols are only as good as the will of governments to implement them,” he said.

Canada joins the United States as the only major industrialised nation to shun the Kyoto Protocol. Former president George W. Bush rejected the treaty after taking off ice in 2001, saying it was unfair by making no demands of emerging countries such as China and India.

UN climate chief Christiana Figueres voiced regret over Canada’s announcement and surprise about its timing. France called the announcement “bad news for the fight against climate change.”

China, which is the world’s largest emitter and has only reluctantly agreed to Western-led efforts to seek a global pact on climate change, urged Canada to “face up to its responsibilities and obligations” and “honour its commitments.”

–AFP

INTERNATIONALNEWS

Belgian killer known criminal, police say

Nordine Amrani, the lonewolf gunman who died after killing four people including a baby in a crowded Belgian square Tuesday, had a long criminal record but not one of mental instability.

The 33-year-old Amrani was well known to police before he went on the rampage in the eastern Belgian city of Liege, opening fire on families shopping for Christmas and youths leaving end-of-year school exams, also wounding more than 100 others before his own demise.

He had previously been convicted for drug dealing and illegal arms possession, as well as for holding stolen goods and other crimes, said Daniele Reynders, the public prosecutor for Liege.

All told, he had racked up around 20 brushes with Belgian law enforcement, an official source told AFP. In September 2008 he was thrown behind bars for 58 months when police uncovered a weapons arsenal in his home.

They found 10 firearms and 9,500 gun parts along

Place Saint-Lambert in Liege where the attack took place. with 2,800 cannabis plants, but a prison official said Amrani was granted parole in October last year.

A weapons aficionado, he was said to be able to dismantle, repair and put together all sorts of weapons but was never linked to any terrorist act or network.

Sources told AFP that the prison service, a national terror threat-assessment agency and the interior ministry had each been aware of his record.

However Reynders said there had never been the slightest hint that Amrani was

unbalanced.

“At no moment in any of the judicial proceedings against him was there a sign of unbalance,” she said Tuesday.

Amrani had been summoned by police in the morning but never showed up.

Instead he left his Liege home in the morning with his backpack and arms, a light automatic rifle, a hand-gun and several grenades.

He headed for the city’s central Saint-Lambert square, crammed with children and Christmas shoppers, and set up his gear on the roof of a

popular bakery chain, Le Point Chaud.

With a bird’s eye view of the square, he hurled three grenades into the crowd, the prosecutor said, before opening fire.

How exactly he died was not immediately clear, with discrepancies between witness claims he turned his revolver on himself and others suggesting one of his grenades appeared to explode prematurely.

“The inquiry will determine whether he acted deliberately or whether the equipment he was carrying caused his death,” Reynders said.

Some initial reports said the shooting, around noon on Saint-Lambert square, home to the courthouse and located near the busy Christmas market in the town of 196,000 people, was a foiled bid to rescue a suspect from the courthouse.

But an official with Belgium’s national crisis centre said any link with ongoing judicial investigations had been ruled out.

–AFP

Afghan rape victim still in jail despite pardon, lawyer says A n Afghan woman who was jailed for adultery after being raped remains in prison more than 10 days after President Hamid Karzai ordered her release, her lawyer said on Monday.

Gulnaz, 21, has already

IN BRIEF Australian charged over huge fraud An Australian health executive accused of embezzling millions in government funds was charged with theft on Tuesday.

Hohepa Morehu-Barlow, 36, appeared at Brisbane Magistrates Court on one count of stealing after being released from hospital, where he spent the night.

The offence, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail, relates to his alleged theft of up to A$16 million (B483 million) in government funds from Queensland state’s health department, where he was a senior executive.

Florence in mourning after racist killing spree Florence, in Italy, was in mourning on Wednesday after an Italian far-right author shot dead two Senegalese men and wounded three others before killing himself in a daylight shooting spree.

Witnesses said they saw the gunman calmly getting out of a car at a street market and firing three shots that instantly killed the two Senegalese vendors.

New Stoc k

served two years in prison after a relative raped her at her home.

She should have been released within 48 hours and there was “no good reason” for her to remain behind bars, Kimberley Motley said. –AFP

9

has

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10

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

OPINION

Ignorance about HIV

‘The number of people contracting HIV continues to increase” > 11

Editor’s Viewpoint

NORACHAI’S WORLD

EDUCATING PHUKET The Phuket News investigation on the prevalence of HIV and Aids within the Phuket community highlights a number of problems on the island in relation to the disease.

The feature, opposite, includes interviews with tireless ambassadors Urai Samakkarn of the Life Home Project, and Vickky Sittiwetch, two ladies who seem to have the odds against them when it comes to Aids and HIV education in Phuket.

They speak of programmes within schools, but say local educators refuse to let sex or homosexuality (the two most important topics regarding the disease) be spoken about in their classrooms, for the fear that discussion of either could lead to such ‘undesirable’ acts.

It is the year 2011 and simply unbelievable that attitudes like this still exist in a place like Phuket, which is so ahead of time in many aspects but so far behind in attitudes to these diseases.

In many other countries, the stigma surrounding HIV and Aids is long gone, particularly because gay people are

Lunatik behaviour.

Letters to the Editor Paying respects [Re. Phuket short of 8,000 employees] The problem is that most SME owners pay as little as possible to their employees while keeping the majority of profits for themselves.

Many come to Thailand just because of the ‘cheap labour’ (read: easy to exploit). With the cost of living soaring in Phuket, potential staff know they will end up with nothing in their pockets at the end of high season when they will very likely lose their jobs.

In the past 12 years here, I have had more than 100 small business owners ask me to give them some “miracle” cure to make their employees more productive, more enthusiastic and more reliable.

It always comes down to the same thing – the staff are underpaid, overworked and then expected to have the same dedication as the boss whose car costs more than they will earn in ten years.

If you treat staff with respect, pay them a wage which allows them to enjoy life outside of work and don’t try to get rich off their sweat.

Elliot Klein

Fight club

Trouble in paradise

Taken for a ride

[Re. Pensioners battle UK government] The Dec. 2 letter from Derek Priest highlights the problem facing British pensioners in Thailand.

With everyday costs rising and the state pensions frozen they are increasingly out of pocket.

Can I urge all British citizens, young and old, male and female, rich and poor, to go to the epetition and cast your vote. The link is: epetitions.direct.gov.uk/ petitions/16387 Peter Wyborn

[Re. Tourist stabbed by gang of boys] Short of the death penalty, there is no punishment too severe for these thugs. The Government needs to send out a message to potential criminals that if you brutally attack an innocent tourists, you will suffer for a long, long time.

This sort of thing didn’t seem to happen back in the 90s... What has changed?

Dave

[Re. Taken for a ride, Phuket’s worsening tour guide problem] No matter how hard people try to fix these problems, as long as there is corruption at the highest levels nothing will ever change.

I have lived here for five years and have seen many bad things happen and unfortunately it is not getting better, in fact just the opposite. The police seem to do a fairly good job at times but I’m sure they could be doing more, like enforcing the laws.

Philaboo3003

Just rewards

[Re. Soi dog protest missing strays] “We are Thai and most officers are Buddhists so killing is a great sin” Seriously? Neither one has any bearing on compassion for animals from what I’ve seen over the past 20 years. Why bother lying about this? We’re not that gullible. Be an adult and tell the truth, please.

Dave

[Re. 12 year-old French girl rescued on Soi Bangla] I think the French embassy should give the volunteer tourist police that found the young girl in Phuket an award – to my knowledge they haven’t even been contacted by the embassy.

Richard

The awful truth

Letters may be edited for clarity or length. Email managingeditor@thephuketnews.com or fax 076 612 553.

Please include your full name, address, phone number, and email address. This week, congratulations go to reader Elliot Klein, whose effort is ‘Letter of the Week’, and receives a B500 gift voucher from Asia Books.

www.thephuketnews.com

Raucous return [Re. Raucous restaurateur returns to Karon, removed again] Beach encroachment is everywhere and I wonder why only he was arrested. And it is the second time. Governor should take action in all of this matter and not just deal with this man.

Sudaves2002

not the only people affected anymore. Anyone who is sexually active is at risk of contracting the disease. And HIV and Aids are no longer the death sentence they used to be – with a healthy lifestyle and modern medication, those affected, as famously proven

by American basketball star ‘Magic’ Johnson, can go on to live healthy and long lives.

Sex education is a vital part in combating the spread of HIV among both gay and straight people. Turning a blind eye and refusing to accept that teenagers in Phuket are having sex does nothing to help the situation. By providing youth with all the information, it gives them the power to make their own decisions. In this case, it’s a simple message – always use a condom.

Phuket education representatives need to step up and take charge, and allow these sorts of talks in their schools. By doing so they will allow the disease to be talked about in full, and probably help their own students avoid being inflicted with the disease at some stage in their lives.

This week in history ■■ December 16, 1707: Date of the last recorded eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan.

■■ December 17, 1777: France formally recognises the United States of America as a country.

■■ December 18, 1898: Gaston de ChasseloupLaubat sets the first officially recognised land speed record of 63.159 kmh.

■■ December 19, 1946 : Start of the Indochina War between French forces and Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh.

■■ December 20, 1915: World War I: Last Australian troops are evacuated from Gallipoli, Turkey.

■■ December 21, 1968: Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, launches. The astronauts are the first to leave Earth’s gravity.

■■ December 22, 1965: In the UK, a 70 mph speed limit is applied to all rural roads including motorways for the first time. Previously, there had been no limit.

HOTTOPIC 11

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

HIV IGNORANCE Lack of solid official data and proper sex education puts Phuket youth at risk and increases prevalence

T

he slogan for international Aids Day on December 1 this year was “Getting to Zero”. But in Phuket that’s looking unlikely, with representatives of various non-government organisations saying that the number of people contracting HIV continues to increase every year.

Official reports from the Provincial Health Office (PHO), which are vague to the point of frustration, record 7,393 people confirmed as having contracted HIV between 1989 and November this year.

In that same period, 1,936 have died of Aids-related diseases.

According to the PHO numbers, the largest group of people contracting HIV are those aged between 25 and 39, but the numbers give no idea of how large this group is compared with the overall number of infections.

The Phuket News requested year-by-year figures for HIV/Aids in the 22 years since 1989.

The office provided figures showing that the number of people diagnosed with Aids declined from a high of 384 people in 2007 to 61 this year (first 11 months).

Bizarrely, however, we were told that the Phuket Health Office does not keep annual records of people diagnosed as having contracted HIV. People who work w it h H I V/A id s pat ient s worry about this lack of information in Phuket.

FACING THE FACTS Urai Samakkarn, a member of the board of the Life Home Project on Koh Sirae, a shelter for HIV-infected women and their children (some of whom also have the disease) points out, “Phuket currently ranks third in Thailand [in terms of the percentage of the population infected] and first in the South.”

Vickky Sitthiwetch, a volunteer with Andaman Power, which has been handing out free condoms and trying to educate high-risk male groups about HIV/Aids for the past seven years, believes that official figures do not reflect reality, at least insofar as they apply to the gay community, which is her special concern.

Among gay men, she says, the number of HIV in-

fections and the number of people progressing to Aids are both rising.

A part of the problem seems to be distaste, even revulsion, on the part of officials, which may have resulted in statistics that reflect emotional responses to HIV/Aids.

For example, PHO figures include not only a number for those who have Aids, but also a smaller figure covering the people who have visible external effects from Aids, such as skin diseases.

Why any of this is thought to be relevant to the fight to reduce HIV infections is not at all clear.

PUTTING PHUKET YOUTH AT RISK A bigger problem, say campaigners, is ignorance among Phuket’s educators. In most places in the world it is well understood that children with HIV are not a risk to others in school so long as sensible precautions are taken.

But i n Phu ket m a ny teachers appear terrified of being anywhere near someone with the disease.

Miss Urai says, “We have had a problem for the past six years with some of the schools in Phuket, who refuse to accept our children for study.

“Some of the school directors still don’t understand about HIV patients. We try to improve their understanding by inviting government health officials working with HIV patients to explain to them about how they interact with our children.”

But it’s hard going, she admits. Some teachers just will not be convinced.

The biggest problem, she says, is stout resistance by most schools to sex education.

While some have no objection to their students being taught about HIV/Aids, as soon as the topic swerves (as it inevitably does – and should do) towards sex education, almost all of the educators in the public sector call a halt to the lesson.

Their argument: educating young people about sex will encourage them to have sex.

A former public health official told The Phuket News that a scheme to put condom machines in major high schools colleges was rejected on similar grounds: giving students easy access to con-

Scanning electron micrograph of HIV-1 budding (in green) from cultured lymphocyte.

–Photo by C Goldsmith, Centers for Disease Control.

Left: Urai Samakkarn of Life Home Project: ‘We have had a problem with some schools who refuse to accept our children for study.’ Right: Vickky Sittiwetch of Andaman Power: ‘The new generation of homosexual men and ladyboys are the groups most at risk.’ doms would encourage them to have sex.

Miss Urai says, “We understand that talking about sex with teenagers in school may be a double-edged sword.

But at a time when society’s attitudes to sex seem to change every day we need to give [teenagers] the right information to protect them from ignorance or misunderstanding about sex, including HIV/Aids.”

The group at greatest risk, say campaigners, are teenagers, among whom there is a prevalent attitude that using a condom indicates a lack of trust or suspicion that one’s lover has a secret sexual history. This attitude discourages the use of condoms and lowers the chances of reducing the number of new HIV infections.

Some girl students take this attitude into much more

d a ngerous waters when they freelance as part-time prostitutes.

THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION Ms Vickky from Andaman Power told The Phuket News, “Our organisation campaigns through education, and keeps records of infections in risk groups such as homosexual men, ladyboys and male sex workers in Patong.

“We have been working in Patong for around seven years and recently received backing from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.”

She explains, “I take care of sex workers in Patong by talking with each of them three times in a month about protecting themselves from HIV. We believe that meeting them more than once per-

suades some of them to change behaviour that increases the risk of HIV infection.”

After the third meeting, Andaman Power volunteers advise the sex worker that he can get a check-up or a consultation about Aids at the Sabai Dee Clinic at Patong Hospital.

The clinic opened about four years ago and all the people working there have received special training so that they understand and are more sensitive to the needs of the various people who come to see them.

Sabai Dee Clinic is open from Monday to Friday between 4.30pm and 8.30pm. It is the only clinic that can handle the various gender groups in Phuket. It even has separate entrance and exit doors as a way to preserve the privacy of those who visit it.

In addition to testing for HIV it can also test for other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and give advice about all STDs. But, Ms Vickky says, “Even though we have this special clinic to handle the various gender groups, it’s not been as successful as we hoped because most people are afraid of having a check-up.

“Meanwhile, the new generation of homosexual men and ladyboys are the group most at risk.”

Again, it comes back to education, she says. And again, campaigners come up against that wall of prudery in the schools.

“We have been to schools around Phuket to try to educate students who accept they are homosexual about the dangers of HIV, but many schools refuse [to allow us] to talk about this.

Prejudice against homosexuality is also a problem.

“Some educators in Phuket give us an opportunity to talk with students but when the team bring up the topic of homosexuality, they stop us and will not allow us to talk with students any more.”

The one shining exception to all the stonewalling over sex education and discussion of homosexuality, she says, is Thalang Technical College.

TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION Every year a meeting is organised in Phuket between health officials specialising in HIV/ Aids, government and private hospitals, academics and other relevant organisations, to air problems and discuss solutions to the ongoing HIV/Aids epidemic.

The last time this took place, Andaman Power reported about its problems with the schools, but Ms Vickky says others at the meeting did not appear to take the matter seriously.

“We want to urge school administrators in Phuket to be more open-minded and to give us a chance to educate students properly about HIV protection – and that includes correct understanding about sex between males.

“This will be beneficial both to the students and to society in the future.”

In the meantime though, we’re getting no closer to zero. www.thephuketnews.com

12

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

BUSINESS

Record Breaker

East cost megavilla breaks price record for Phuket > 14

At the top table “Do you like the furniture?

I designed it myself.” These are words that signal, to most design professionals, that it is time to run away.

Many talented and creative people, who otherwise have good sense and good taste, have had a hand at furniture design and failed miserably.

The idea is of course appealing. The shops are full of look-alike furniture. Even the high-end Italian designs start all to seem the same after a while. Yes, there is beautifully designed and crafted furniture to be had – albeit at a price – but who wants something we have seen a million times before? (Plenty of people, apparently, but that is a subject for a different column.)

So we must forgive those who, in craving something unique, distinctive, and fresh, set out to create it themselves.

We might be less forgiving of the results.

What first seemed like a great idea – well thought out and carefully sketched, revised, and sketched again – looks clumsy and disjointed in the execution. What is it? Are the legs too short? The arms too long? Was the finish supposed to look like that?

Even the most talented of architects, artists, and designers, whose very lingua franca comprises the divination of perfect proportions, subtleties of scale, and sensuous shapes, have been defeated by the difficulties of furniture design.

No wonder that the average auteur or design dilettante

www.thephuketnews.com

By

Scott Gorsuch Design Matters

doesn’t stand a chance.

So let’s say you are one for whom design truly matters, and you are smart enough to know you’re not a furniture designer yourself. Still, you crave that unique, hand crafted, one of kind piece. Let’s further assume you have made the rounds to all of the local furniture workshops and returned home depressed. Maybe you’ve even made the obligatory pilgrimage to Chiang Mai, “where all the really good furniture is”... not.

What is one to do? One could visit the atelier of Pieter Compernol, aka Ptendercool.

Pieter crafts individual tables of exquisitely finished timber, hand rubbed bronze, and glass.

To say that Pieter is passionate about his work is an understatement. To suggest that he is deliberate and meticulous in design development redefines those concepts.

Blessed with the patience to pursue perfection and a keen eye for guild quality finishes, Pieter designs and fabricates some of the most beautiful tables I have ever seen.

Scouring Thailand, Lao, Cambodia, and Vietnam, he sources remarkable pieces of

old timber. These are thick slabs of solid hardwood of a size and quality that are no longer possible to harvest. They are then smoothed, shaped, rubbed, and caressed to a mirror finish. No polyurethane here – these are old world finishes, hand-applied treatments of lacquer and french polish, taking months to complete.

The bases upon which these planks are perched consist, by contrast, of modern sculptural forms. Hand-shaped in the studio from sand cast bronze or polished aluminum, they transform what would otherwise be a beautiful table into a work of art.

Pieter spent many years as a purveyor of museum quality antiques, and he is as knowledgeable about the aesthetics of good design, and the craft of exquisite workmanship, as anyone I have met in Southeast Asia.

He has put together a cross-cultural team of Italian and Thai artisans, and although the pairing may seem unlikely, the results are stunning.

A visit to Pieter’s workshop and gallery in Bangkok is an experience not to be missed. He is next to the river in Charoen Krung Soi 30, not far from River City. In Phuket, his tables can also be seen at the Brian Woulfe studio in Baan Manik.

Scott Gorsuch is Principal, Leisure Design Group, a Phuket-based design development and project management company. He can be reached at sg@leisuredesigngroup.com

The Rojana Industrial Park in Ayutthaya, home to Sanyo Semiconductor, at the height of the flooding in October. Production will be moved to other factories in Thailand.

Chip maker gets out of Ayutthaya Sanyo Semiconductor (Thailand), a subsidiary of ON Semiconductor Corp of the US, has announced that it would close its factory in Ayutthaya after the facility was severely damaged in the recent flooding, and shift production to other factories in the country.

The closure caused by the floods affected the semiconductor supply chain worldwide.

In the statement, Sanyo Semiconductor said the flood caused such extensive damage to the factory that the cost of repairs and replacement was

simply too high to be contemplated. The company occupies approximately 160,000 square feet of production space and employed some 2,000 people at its Rojana Industrial Park factory, operating wafer probe, assembly and test operations.

Most of the workers’ contracts will end on December 25 and all but a few will be paid off at that point. The remaining few will retrieve machinery and equipment, and clean up the factory site before its permanently closure.

Sanyo Semiconductor will

maintain a limited production line at the nearby Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate, where it has a much smaller operation – about 8,000 square feet of production space employing about 150 people.

Although most of the flooded industrial estates and parks in central Thailand have resumed operations, the closures of Sanyo Semiconductor and other chip makers have interrupted global supply chains and are expected to have an impact on computer sales next year.

– MCOT

THAI launches biofuel flights Thai Airways International is to become the first airline in Asia to fly a commercial passenger flight using biofuels.

Next Wednesday (December 21), THAI will operate its inaugural biofuels flight TG8421 using a Boeing 777-200 aircraft.

Then on Thursday (December 22), THAI will operate the first commercial (with passengers) biofuels flight in Asia, TG104 from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Revenue from this flight will go towards developing renewable

energy in Thailand. THAI is inviting a total of 100 students and professors to join in the special flight TG104.

The airline has received support from petroleum producers, research firms, educational institutions, aircraft and engine manufacturers, and different government bodies affiliated with the aviation industry to develop bio jet fuel for aviation in Thailand.

The first airline to use biofuels in one of its jets was Lufthansa, in July this year.

BUSINESS/TOURISM 13

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Flooding hits local tourism Domestic tourism has taken a huge hit from the flooding, the president of the Association of Domestic Travel (ADT) said recently.

Maiyarat Peerayankoses said temperatures, which started to drop Sunday morning gave hope to tour agencies that domestic tourism will see improvement after the flooding forced Thais to cancel some 90 per cent of room bookings.

Ms Maiyarat said the entrepreneurs hoped that domestic tourism would become lively again during the New Year due to the cooler weather.

She expressed concern, however, that hotel bookings increased by only ten per cent as people were forced to spend money on restoration of flood-damaged homes.

She urged flood-hit Thais, if they have enough money left over after paying for repairs, to treat themselves to a holiday to relax.

Ms Maiyarat said the ADT had also urged the government to increase the availability of loans for tourismrelated businesses and offer tax reductions for those who buy tour packages In contrast with the carnage in the domestic market, tourist

Confidence hits new lows Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand, in winter fog: Many Thais head north for a vacation in cold weather. arrivals overall have not suffered too badly from the floods.

The number of arrivals dropped to 1.2 million in November, almost 18 per cent down from the from 1.4 million a year before.

However, more than 17 million tourists entered the country in the first 11 months, a rise from the 15.9 million in the same period of 2010.

About 1.5 million travellers are expected to visit Thai-

land in December. Should this figure be achieved, the number of tourist arrivals this year will be around 18.5 million, which is still a 20-per-cent rise year-on-year.

TAT Governor Surapol Sawetseranee said the floods were a temporary phenomenon and should be compared to a “brownout situation”. The situation has returned to normal and entered the “rehabilitation period”, he said. –MCOT

of governments to resolve the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis.

“Such an outcome could lead to losses of over US$8 billion – the largest since the 2008 financial crisis,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s DirectorGeneral and CEO. Amid the gloom, Asia Pacific carriers fared better than most, seeing stronger, though varied, trading conditions.

Japan’s domestic market still has not fully recovered from the March earthquake and tsunami, and load factors

remain under pressure. By contrast, in China’s expanding domestic market, airlines have improved load factors and profitability.

Asia Pacific carriers are expected to deliver the largest absolute profit in 2012, at US$2.1 billion. This is weaker than 2011’s performance but the deterioration is limited by high load factors in markets such as China.

The big worry, however, is the possibility of the Eurozone crisis deteriorating.

The flooding crisis caused a steep drop in the consumer confidence index in November to the lowest level in a decade.

The Thai Chamber of Commerce Economic and Business Forecasting Center reported that the consumer confidence indices for the month of November have all declined.

The overall index was at 61, the lowest since September 2001, while the index for future employment opportunities was recorded at 62.5, the lowest since January 2002.

The index for future earnings came in at 89.5, the lowest in 28 months, and the first fall below 100 in four months.

The director of the center Thanawat Polvichai said the main issue affecting the indices is the flood crisis, which led many agencies to cut the GDP growth forecast for this year to less than 2 per cent

from an earlier estimate of 3 per cent growth.

However, Mr Thanawat says he is optimistic that the indices have fallen to their lowest and will now begin an uptrend.

Turbulence ahead – IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revised its industry outlook downwards for 2012.

For 2011, profitability remains weak but unchanged at US$6.9 billion for a net margin of 1.2 per cent. Looking ahead to 2012, IATA has downgraded its central forecast for airline profits from US$4.9 billion to US$3.5 billion for a net margin of 0.6 per cent.

The association noted with concern that the global GDP growth forecast by the OECD for 2012 has been revised downwards to 2.1 per cent.

Historically, the airline industry has seen profit turn into loss whenever global GDP growth falls below 2 per cent.

In a worst-case scenario, should the Eurozone crisis evolve into a full-blown banking crises and European recession, IATA estimates that the global aviation industry could suffer losses exceeding US$8 billion in 2012.

“The biggest risk facing airline profitability over the next year is the economic turmoil that would result from a failure

Based on the OECD’s view that this scenario would cut global GDP growth to 0.8 per cent, IATA estimates that this has the potential to cause airline losses of US$8.3 billion.

In this scenario, all regions would fall into losses. Europe would be expected to post the deepest losses at US$4.4 billion, followed by North America at US$1.8 billion and Asia Pacific at US$1.1 billion.

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14 BUSINESS/PROPERTY

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Andaman Bay lifts the lid

Caught by surprise by the visit to the site of the huge and long-delayed Andaman Bay project by Thai Trade Representative Pichet Sathirachawan, those behind the Andaman Bay project at first declined to comment on his opinion that this is a wonderful project that should go ahead as soon as possible.

Now, however, Jack Le Breton, Project Design Manager, has responded to inquiries from The Phuket News.

He wrote, “We welcome comments by Mr Pichet … during a recent visit to the site, supporting the project design and noting the development is environmentally responsible and will provide employment for several thousand local people.

“Khun Pichete said that ‘the project is especially concerned about the environment,’ and that ‘…the environment is the project’s selling point.

Having this project means it is good support for the tourism sector and a large investment.’

“Andaman Bay confirms that it has gone to great care

and expense to ensure the environmental sustainability of the site. For example, we are in the process of transplanting some 170 existing trees to a nursery on site for later replanting, throughout the destination. Many more will follow.

“Plans for the project are still in a conceptual stage, and we are in the process of obtaining necessary environmental and other approvals.

“As this is an ongoing requirement involving many different parties we are at present not in a position to roll out further information publicly.

“We believe Andaman Bay will, as Khun Pichet has said, be a valuable addition to Phang Nga’s tourism, and a strong boost to local resources and employment.

“Exceptional care is being taken to ensure the project is highly complementary to the region’s environment.

Mr Le Breton described Andaman Bay as “a multifaceted and sophisticated oceanfront community, de-

signed both to enjoy the natural benefits of its location, and to demonstrate the real ability of such communities to care for, and maintain the natural beauty of its setting.”

“This community [will be] built around a range of waterfront dining and lifestyle outlets set within a lowrise village context, and providing enhanced public interaction with the beaches of Thai Muang.

Apart from homes, Andaman Bay will include the existing Thai Muang golf course – which The Phuket News understands will undergo a complete redesign – swimming pools, tennis and squash courts, gymnasium and spa, sailing, golf, running/ walking paths, cycling paths, and indoor and outdoor playing areas.

Expected to be available to residents and the public will be a wellness clinic, a hospitality and culinary school, and a marine conservation facility for research into the health and population of local marine life, including turtles.

Villa Verai – Bay views, a secluded beach and the largest private pool on the island.

Villa price smashes Phuket price record T he largest villa i n the Cape Yamu development on Phuket’s east coast, Villa Verai, is on the market for B558 million, smashing all previous records for a luxury home on the island.

Designed by Jean-Michel Gathy, favoured architect of the Aman resorts chain, the enormous home stands on 10 rai of land, with a 100-metre beach frontage looking out across Phang Nga Bay. Living area, including the huge pool terrace, totals 4,500 sqm.

The de rigeur infinityedge pool is, at 40 metres long, claimed to be the largest

private pool in Phuket.

Inside, the interior by Hong Kong-based Designer Debbie Oppenheimer is minimalist, with white dominating thoughout. Artwork and fittings were privately commissioned by the owners while outside the landscaping is decorated with mature flora imported from northern Thailand The house has seven ensuite bedrooms, a gym with a bay view, state-of-the-art movie theatre, hotel-standard kitchen, and accommodation for three live-in staff and an estate manager.

With its price tag of B558

million, the house is by far the most expensive on the island.

The previous record holders were Villa Chan Grajang above Surin Beach and Vantage Villa at Sri Panwa, both on the market at B245 million, or just over US$8 million each.

Villa Verai does not, however, top Beyond Villa, on Natai Beach, Phang Nga, just north of Phuket, which was bought last year by a Russian investor for a whopping US$24 million (B720 million). But then, Beyond Villa does have 6,000 sqm of interior space, and a separate swimming pool inside the master bedroom.

Little to shout about There were slim pickings for Phuket in this year’s Thailand Property Awards, organised by Ensign Media.

The island came away with just two awards, neither of them in the national classes.

Malaiwana picked up yet another cup for its bulging trophy cabinet, for best villa development in Phuket; ironically, a week earlier Malaiwana was named Best Villa Development

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

www.thephuketnews.com

in Thailand at the Southeast Asia Property Awards (SEA Awards), also organised by Ensign Media.

Mandala Condominiums in Bangtao won the award for best condo development in Phuket.

CB Richard Ellis (Thailand) picked up three awards, for best residential agent for resorts, best residential agent in Bangkok and best commercial

info@ayudhya.net Mob: 087 898 8647

agent. Jones Lang LaSalle was named best property management company.

The Best Developer award went to Minor International, which owns the JW Marriott Resort and Anantara in Mai Khao.

“Over 1,300 nominations were received this year, and from those over 250 entries” said Terry Blackburn, CEO of Ensign Media, the organisers of the event.

“This is a clear reflection of both the success of the awards and the strength of the Kingdom’s real estate industry.”

In the SEA Awards, Ho Kwon Ping, Executive Chairman of Laguna Resorts & Hotels (LRH) was named Real Estate Personality of the Year.

LRH also received the award for Best Developer in Thailand.

The Village Coconut Island was named Best Shared Ownership Development.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

SPONSOREDFEATURE 15

Rawai-Nai Harn South Coast Experience

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Best of southern hospitality Not far from the sea at the southern end of Phuket island are a group of businesses that have joined together to form the Rawai-Nai Harn Business Association, all working to offer you the best in their areas of expertise.

For some luxurious, selfpampering days and nights, with the feel of a real Thai resort, you can simply go to The Vijitt Resort Phuket off Viset Rd on Friendship Beach.

The Vijitt Resort offers tempting menus at its Sunday lunch and Thai and western Visitors and islanders alike flock to enjoy the pristine beaches of Rawai and Naiharn. restaurants, along with the menus available at the 88 East Beach Lounge at the Serenity Resort Residences, with also a grand view of Chalong Bay. Likewise enjoy fine dining at Da Vinci Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria, one of the area’s most popular restaurants, located in bustling Naiharn village on Saiyuan Rd. Sea Bees Diving, on the other hand, will happily teach you to dive and take health transformations. software and the web-design ing companies, plus other Both offer world-standard and e-commerce services of participating businesses in you under the sea to see coral the area, all give a minimum reefs or meet a whale shark services and facilities to detox- Blue D Zine. ify and rejuvenate according Phuket Consult can also of 15 per cent discount to all face-to-face.

For a closer look at your to proven programmes, using help you with everything holders of a benefit card offrom insurance, accounting, fered by the association. health, Atmanjai Detox and also yoga and meditation.

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16

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

CULTURE

BIG LIST: Serious sideeffects > 22

Taking bullets GALLERY focus

This week’s Gallery Focus takes a look at ‘The Space’ at Thanyapura in Thalang.

Brand new like the rest of the facilities at the sports and leisure club, it is a generous white space to showcase art.

In it this week float large, disturbing black-and-white photographs taken by 34-year-old French photojournalist Agnes Dherbeys in her ‘Tibetans in exile’ exhibition. There was a violent crackdown on exiled Tibetans protesting in front of the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu in Nepal in 2009.

Working for international news agencies, Mlle Dherbeys covered the protest with her Rolleiflex camera.

The following year in 2010, she was in the streets of Bangkok, dodging M-16 bullets and capturing bloody photographs of Red Shirt protesters fallen in the violent crackdown by government soldiers. Fellow Italian and Japanese photojournalists were killed by gunfire on those streets.

For that brave work, last year she was awarded the prestigious Robert Capa Gold Medal Award for “Best published photographic reporting from abroad requiring excep-

Award-winning French photojournalist Agnes Dherbeys, pictured above left, is showcasing her work on the Nepalese police crackdown on protesting exiled Tibetans at ‘The Space’ at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club. tional courage and enterprise.”

In all her work, Mlle Dherbeys’s images simply show the victims of human conflicts close-up. Asked what she looks for when she rapidly clicks the camera’s shutter, the photographer says, “Nothing.” But strong maternal compassion

consistently shows though all her work, for the victims of man’s politics. The photographer, who is of Korean parentage and has been based in Thailand for the last 10 years, says she takes no sides. But she is quietly on the side of humanity. –Norachai Thavisin

‘Tibetans in exile’ exhibition by Agnes Dherbeys runs at ‘The Space’ in Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Centre until December 23, and is open from 10am to 6pm daily.

For more information, contact 076 336 000, info@thanyapura.co.th, thanyapura.co.th.

Phuket galleries Ceramics of Phuket:

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

Chang Art Gallery

12/25 Moo 1, Vised Rd, Rawai (on the way to Rawai Beach, continuing from Saiyuan Rd), 081 693 5021 and 086 691 8217. Open daily.

Designed by Woulfe Studio

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

I Mon Art Gallery:

29/2 Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town, 086 961 8968, montian_29@live.com. Open daily 8am-7.30pm.

King Art Studio:

21 & 50 Soi Bangla, Patong, 086 682 9130, info@kingartstudio.com; kingartstudio.com. Open daily 10am-midnight.

Lat Design and Art Garden:

95/33 Sai Yuan Rd, Naiharn, 086 294 3971, ja_rassri@hotmail.com.

Little Monk Gallery:

95/33 Saiyuan Rd, Naiharn, 086 294 3971.

99 Art Studio:

23 Lagoon Rd, 076 270 845, s.niamkhuntod99@gmail.com.

Phuket Modern Art:

5/28 Haad Patong Rd, Patong, 089 646 8838, phuketmodernart.com.

Red Gallery:

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

Sarasil Art Galllery:

121 Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town, 076 224 532, somkiatkaewnok@yahoo.com; oilpaintingsphuket.com.

Open daily 8pm-9pm.

Soul of Asia:

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

The Love Art Studio:

28/13 Soi Naya 2, Naiharn, 089 471 5653, pui.t.l.a.s.@hotmail.com; theloveartstudio.com.

The One Gallery:

53 Srisoonthorn Rd, Cherng Talay, 083 634 6840, inone_111@yahoo.com. Open daily 11am-9pm.

Veerachan Usahanun:

110/34 Cherng Talay, Bang Tao Beach Rd, 081 490 4359, usahanun@live.com; veerachanusahanun.com.

Suppliers of Gandia Blasco outdoor furniture studio@designedbywoulfe.com | designedbywoulfe.com | Studio +66 (0) 7662 0071 Baan Wana Park, 177/22 Moo.4, Srisoonthorn Road, Thalang, Phuket, 83110, Thailand www.thephuketnews.com

Watcharin Art Studio:

27 Yaowaraj Rd, Phuket Town, 088 386 1449, watcharintinorodnit@hotmail.com, rindamagicalart.com.

Wua Gallery and Studio:

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

PEOPLE 17

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

From Big Chilli to balmy islands Sue Ultmann

Executive Assistant Manager and Director of Marketing and Communications for Baan Rim Pa Restaurant Group How long have you lived on the island and why did you move here?

My husband Tom and I came to Phuket in 1998 for three months after living and working in other parts of Asia. We loved it and decided to base ourselves here and basically forgot to leave.

We both did other contracts both overseas and in Thailand, but kept Phuket as our base.

Almost eight years ago we bought our house in Rawai and made Phuket home.

What were you doing before you moved here?

Tom was a hotel GM, which took him to different places in Asia including Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines.

I was fortunate enough be able to freelance for several international travel publications around Asia and helped launch the now famous Bangkok magazine The Big Chilli, mainly on the advertising and marketing side.

So where he went I went and I still jumped on planes and travelled for work. Just over 10 years ago I joined

Baan Rim Pa to handle the sales, marketing and PR and have been there ever since.

What is best thing about living in Phuket?

I would have to say the weather plays a big part. I hate the cold. Let’s be honest, people come from all over the world for a couple of weeks holiday and some of us are fortunate enough to make our home.

Phuket is now an international hub and you can jump on a plane and get to many places quickly and cheaply. It really is a pretty good place to live.

What do you do to relax?

When I get home from work there is nothing nicer than sitting in our pool with a glass of wine and chatting with Tom about the day’s events. Must admit, we do like to chill out in front of “his” big screen TV. We also enjoy eating in local restaurants and I cook quite a lot.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Christmas Day with the family, singing and dancing with my

Dad, who is now 85 and lives in Phuket, though his dancing days are over.

I loved spending school holidays with my Nana Vera who was one of the sweetest people I ever met.

Favourite food or dish?

A ny thing that’s bad for me. I would love to be able to eat rich chocolate cake, expensive chocolates and creamy sauces. But, I am pretty careful with my diet and rarely eat those things.

Probably my favourite cuisine is Italian, but I enjoy food in general. We are pretty lucky in Thailand we have a huge variety of great restaurants, not to mention Thai food.

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

Never put your money in someone else’s name. Don’t buy a bar or a restaurant unless you know what you are doing.

Be respectful to people in authority as you are only a guest in this country.

These are common sense

Exposed and things you would do at home.

It’s no different here.

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

I’ll never forget my 50th birthday when I went to play golf early in the morning and Tom had flown my son in as a surprise.

John was waiting at the golf course and when I saw him I screamed loudly and jumped into his arms wrapping my legs around his waist.

The caddies who knew me well, all came running to see what had happened. At first they were shocked to see me in the position I was with this young guy!

Another amusing instance was when I did not have time to go to my usual hairdresser so decided to race into one at Jungceylon. Quick colour I thought!

Five hours later and six attempts at different colours including bright yellow which then became a rather bright pink and orange mixture, I came out looking semi-normal.

Sue Ultmann has been in Phuket for nearly eight years.

The person you admire the most and why?

I admire a lot of people for different reasons, some famous some not.

I admire my husband for putting up with me for 24 years. I admire people who

make a difference in the world and who do it from their heart, not for recognition. There are many of them.

Favourite place on the island, and why?

That’s easy... my home. Because it’s my oasis.

www.thephuketnews.com

18 HEALTH

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Varicose veins

Varicose veins are a disease in which occurs most commonly in the legs; the veins become distended, bulging, lengthened and convoluted.

The underlying cause of varicose veins is a lack of tone (collagen and elastin) in the tissues supporting the vein and subsequent failure in the valves further up (usually) the leg.

This decrease in circulation and flaccidity of the valves to return blood flow to the heart means that blood pools in the extremities (gravity only worsening the situation) and contributes to the development of varicose veins.

Varicose veins can be a debilitating condition, and prevention in this case is the best cure.

What are the causes of varicose veins?

The main cause of varicose veins is the break down of collagen and the decrease of blood flow.

Usually caused by long term • Cholesterol levels • Embolisms • Injury or trauma to the area which results in damage to the walls, inf lammation, excessive deposits of fibrin (clotting factor) and reduced circulation.

www.thephuketnews.com

RAW TRUTH

Dr Richard Cracknell

• Standing on hard surfaces for a long period of time in shoes with little or no support.

• Hemorrhoids due to stagnation of blood circulation and a build up of toxins • Edema (especially in the ankles and calves), this occurs from the weakening of the walls of veins and capillaries resulting in increased permeability of blood vessels and allowing the leakage of fluids into surrounding tissue).

Supplements and herbs which help to improve circulation:

• Bilberry, Gotu Kola and Horse Chestnut may help reduce symptoms of venous insufficiency (including edema, pain, tiredness, heaviness, tension, cramps and numbness).

• The herb, Butcher’s Broom, may help to prevent and alleviate venous insufficiency by inhibiting the excessive activity of the enzyme Elastase which is implicated in Venous Insufficiency.

• Gotu Kola, Gingko and Ba-

copa, Grape Seed are all herbs which support circulation to the peripheries, strengthen the capillaries, decrease venous congestion, have a diuretic effect and increase venous circulation.

• Silica and Calcium Fluoride tissue salt (available from Martin & Pleasance in most health food stores) may help to reinforce the integrity of the walls of the veins and minimize further damage to the area.

• Fish oil supplement to improve circulation • Zinc, Vitamin C and bioflavonoids as these strengthen the walls of the capillaries and veins to decrease the pooling of blood in the lower extremities.

Support circulation and reduce varicose veins:

• Wear supportive compression stockings if you do need to stand for long periods of time.

• Exercise helps the return of blood circulation to the heart and a healthy lifestyle which includes an exercise regime of at least 4 times of aerobic exercise a week is a great way to ensure cardiovascular health.

• At the end of the day, support

Turn away now if you don’t want the Raw Truth: the gory anatomy of the varicose vein. the back flow of blood by lying with your legs raised above the level of the heart for at least 20 minutes a day.

• Increase foods which contain Oligomeric Procyanidins (OPCs) such as blueberries, grapes, bilberrys, cranberries, pine bark, dark chocolate and red wine.

• Increase foods to improve circulation such as anti-oxidant rich foods – blueberries, green tea, grapes, berries,

pineapples, chilies, dark chocolate, garlic, turmeric, fish, ginger and olive oil.

• Ensure that you are drinking sufficient amounts of water (at least 2 litres/ day) as dehydration can cause the tissues to hold onto excessive amounts of fluids.

• Stop smoking, as cigarettes dramatically decrease blood circulation and contribute to Vitamin C and Bioflavinoid deficiencies.

■■ Dr Richard Patrick Cracknell ND, PhD is a traditional naturopath. He also runs the Living Food Cafe raw vegan restaurant in Rawai: 076 388 638; livingfoodcafe.com The opinions and advice contained in this column are those of the author only. The Phuket News is not responsible for the outcome or results of following any advice in any given situation.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

ENVIRONMENT 19

Lovable beast This week’s native, the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), is a remarkable animal.

The kwai is a creature of endearment for all Thais. The now rare image of them being led back home after a long hard day’s work ploughing rice paddies, gives all Thais – yes, even residents of Bangkok – the most comforting of childhood memories.

For them though, the kwai is unkindly a symbol of stupidity as well as being undemanding and placid – much-desired Thai qualities. When the buffaloes are blissfully up to their necks in mud, very little can go wrong with the rural world.

Descended from wild buf-

MEET

the natives faloes, which are now endangered, there are about 158 million domesticated water buffaloes in the world, mostly in Asia, used as livestock for both hard work and food.

In some places like northern Australia, the domestic stock is able to run wild again and is game-hunted by outback shooters for their favourite tasty “buff steaks”.

Close to home, there are water buffalo races held in Chon Buri and where this native is given free rein.

–Norachai Thavisin

On December 6, the staff of The Panwa Beach Resort, Phuket, carried out a hotel and beach clean ing day, sprucing up the local environment of this boutique resort in Chalong. Visit www.facebook.com/ thepanwabeachresort for more information on the property.

Adopt a dog

Pet of the Week

FLAKE NEEDS A FAMILY!

Flake’s been living at the Soi Dog shelter since 2008. She’s approx 4 1/2 years old. She’s a little bit shy but very friendly and loves to be with people. She’d make a wonderful addition to a family and would love to be placed in a caring home. She enjoys going for walks, gets on well with other dogs and has the most beautiful smile. If you can give her a good home please call Soi Dog today on 081 788 4222. For more info. regarding adoptions please email cindy@ soidog.org. You can also visit www.soidog.org or follow them on Facebook.

If you are interested in adopting a dog please do not buy from the markets. Soi Dog Foundation has over 200 dogs and puppies available for adoption at any time. For more information on how to adopt visit soidog.org. All animals are fully vaccinated and desexed. Young puppies will be desexed free of charge as soon as old enough.

Jim Newport, who lives by Kamala Beach, sent in this cute photo of his three month old kitten Snooker.

Want to see your pet here? Email your photos to: editor1@thephuketnews.com www.thephuketnews.com

20 EDUCATION

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

The spirit of Christmas

The school’s Press Gang enjoys the BIS Christmas fair.

QSI students gather at the Compliment Tree where students and staff can write compliments about each other.

Aiming for quality Quality International School (QSI) is the only school licensed by an American institution in Phuket, being recognised by the Middle States Association in the US, says its Director Patrick Buckley.

The non-profit school is part of a network of 35 associated QSI international schools around the world using the same curriculum, so that students can move from one to

the other without interruption.

Mr Buckley says the school stresses individualised education, based on specific levels of needs and abilities, promoting the method of successful orientations for healthy character development.

The international school, located off the bypass road in Kathu, has 88 students from 22 nationalities (aged 3-18) and prides itself for having small classes of about seven students each. The school also aims for a friendly, familyoriented environment.

With the calendar year coming to an end, it’s a busy time at the school. Students performed dances in honour of the birthday of His Majesty the King last week, with Christmas activities already underway.

The Christmas fair held at the British Inter national School Phuket on Monday night (December 12) was a roaring success, raising B150,000 for various school departments that require Parent and Teacher Association (PTA) support.

There was standing

room only as more than 350 guests saw singers, dancers, musicians, and even teachers perform on stage.

The school’s music department kept the entertainment going while the Press Gang was kept busy at Santa’s Grotto and the “family and friends” photo opportunities.

Kajonkietsuksa science students seen hard at work.

Scientists in the making Bang Pae Waterfall and the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project in Thalang were productive locations for a field trip recently for Year 1, 2 and 3 students from Kajonkietsuksa School.

For their science class, the students learned about plants and animals native to the area, before rounding off this unit by going on a hunt to identify more species.

The children enthusiastically became scientists for the day, carrying clipboards and pens and combing Bang Pae nature reserve for natural subjects to study.They also hypothesised why certain flora and fauna are found only in certain locations.

After a picnic lunch by the waterfall, the students had a friendly game of “stuck in the mud” before returning to school.

www.thephuketnews.com

TIMEOUT 21

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 BOOK

MUSIC

FILM Puss in Boots

90 minutes Rating: G Starring: Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy Sedaris

420 Characters

Radioactive

Most of us find it difficult to reduce the day’s events or our current emotional state to just 420 characters with spaces and punctuation, yet Lou Beach manages to tell entire stories within these strict confines without losing anything you’d expect from a story with no character limit.

These micro-stories range from funny to tragic to absurd, illustrated by Beach’s original artwork and collages.

Taken separately, they’re the stories of dreams, both broken and realised; of relationships healthy and strange; of disillusionment and contentment. Taken together, they’re the story of life – or lives.

Though there aren’t any overtly recurring characters, the stories still combine into a powerful cohesive whole that’s just as fun to read straight through as it is to read in chunks of 420 characters or less.

With his working-class Alabama heritage, unflattering quasi-mullet, and mumhonouring tattoos, Michael “Yelawolf” Atha is no one’s idea of a rap phenomenon.

However, In Radioactive, Yelawolf’s debut, things come out of the gate quickly with the bare-bones intro and ‘Get Away’. On both tracks, Yela blitzes through the beats with stunning technicality. The best moment here is the Killer Mike-abetted “Slumerican Shitizen”, in which both MCs deliver mouth-foaming verses over crunching electric-guitar.

Somewhat predictably, things go awry when the radio-ready, guest-provided hooks (mostly from upstarts including Mona Moua and Priscilla Renea) show up.

Still, the peaks overshadow the valleys, leaving the talent of a guy who should be taken more seriously than his looks and background warrants.

by Lou Beach Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 176 pages

Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) started life at a poor orphanage in San Ricardo.

It was there that he was taken in by the kindhearted, motherly Imelda (Constance Marie) and befriended by Humpty Alexander Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), a forwardthinking, inventive dreamer with wild ideas of locating magical beans that could raise an enormous beanstalk to transport them to the castle of a giant. Awaiting them would be peril, glory, and a golden goose that lays solid gold eggs. Their childhood quest was fruitless, however, and instead they both started down a path of petty thievery – until a tragic night separated them for more than a decade.

Yelawolf Interscope

During the Festival of the Fire celebration, Puss in Boots is approached by Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), a highly skilled burglar, swordswoman, dancer and seducer, to aid in the recovery of the genuine magic beans. Her boss is Humpty Dumpty, and although Puss reluctantly agrees to join the group, he refuses to forgive the over-sized egg for the past events that split them up.

You’d think that Puss’ clunky boots would interfere with his ability to always land on his feet, scale buildings, and engage in all sorts of swashbuckling activities, but instead

they’re a significant part of the visual comedy and character design that makes the film such a striking work.

There are also plenty of cute cat jokes and gags that contrast Puss’ ferociousness with his diminutive frame and preference for gently lapping leche with his tiny tongue (along with his signature eyeswelling, hypnotic negotiating).

A particularly funny dance fight, inspired editing to mimic live action movie-making, Dumpty’s hilariously awkward image and background cats with strange voices are all elements that showcase the

creators’ clever artistry.

The laughs are mostly derived from situational comedy that makes Puss in Boots more universal than Shrek’s pop-culture-heavy referential skits. The script edges in adult content too, subtly hinting at sexual innuendo, inappropriate tattoos, drugs, egg genitalia and nudity (completely inconspicuous to children), as well as darker themes of betrayal, imprisonment and death.

But its overt adorableness subdues any negativity.

The animation itself is of a superlative quality and the level of fast-paced action is superior to the last couple of Shrek sequels, with aweinspiring visuals, complex stunts and truly suspenseful adventure, smartly utilizing a supporting role that never once hinted at the irritating nature of Donkey. Puss in Boots definitely deserved a film of his own and the lack of Shrek doesn’t diminish the entertainment value.

As some movies and movie times change every Thursday morning, after The Phuket News has gone to press, the accuracy of the following information cannot be guaranteed. For up-to-date information, visit sfcinemacity.com, or phone the cinemas directly: SFX Coliseum Phuket 076 209 000 and SFC Jungceylon Phuket 076 600 555.

SFX COLISEUM PHUKET (CENTRAL FESTIVAL) Happy Feet 2 (E) [G]

11:50, 14:00, 16:10, 18:20, 20:30, 22:35

Immortals (E/3D) [15+]

11:15, 13:20, 15:40, 18:00, 20:20, 22:35

Puss In Boots (E) [G]

11:15, 13:15, 15:15, 17:15, 19:15, 21:15

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (E) [15+]

11:40, 14:10, 16:40, 19:10, 21:40

SFC JUNGCEYLON PHUKET (PATONG) 50/50 (E) [18+] 12:40, 14:50, 17:00, 19:10, 21:20 Immortals (E) [15+] 11:15, 13:30, 15:45, 18:00, 20:15, 22:30 In Time (E) [13+] 15:35, 22:15 Texas Killing Fields (E) [18+] 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15 The Thing(E) [15+] 20:05 Tower Heist (E) [13+] 13:25, 17:50 Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (E) [15+] 11:15, 12:30, 15:00,

17:30, 20:00, 22:25

BRAIN TEASERS Across 1. With up, pays hacks. (6) 4. USSR ripe for strange wonder. (8) 7. A 50-to-one boxer.

(3) 8. Expose – a thousand ask after world body. (6) 9. Away from the center, not in hospital rooms. (8) 12. Number and French doctrine. (5) 14. Disentangle from tangle of exit trace. (9) 18. First of 17 has measure of feelings.

Solutions to last week’s puzzles

(1,1) 19. Think or mirror. (9) 20. Get an officer. (3) 22. Card game in toilet? (3) 23. Accepts a texture and sleeps. (5,1,3) 24. Belonging to no note. (2) 26. Flimsily oddly lousy tune. (9) 30. Take back lane, to the right, in area of kidneys. (5) 32. Effect a split in arctic vision, it’s said.

(8) 34. Ambiguous fluid.

(6) 35. Goop for hair and back limb. (3) 36. Phuket, perhaps, is in parade. (8) 37. Allowed van in eastern Mediterranean.

(6) Down 1. Anti-stratagem stratagem for kitchen surface on land. (11) 2. Inattentive, confuses nun with dim flu. (9) 3. Drink benefit. (4) 4. Tribe to take to

court? (5) 5. Father’s foot. (3) 6. Said “8 slow.” (6) 10. Sailor’s pipe residue. (3) 11. Starting letters.

(1,1,1) 13. Lot more bad vibrato. (7) 14. ’E says, ‘Lots of land.’ (7) 15. Lock or unlock jailer. (7) 16. Con Iris out of tooth, (7) 17. Furnish no fifty –

loaned equivalent. (11) 21. Prominence Al returns to writer in south Uruguay initially.

(9) 25. Gave food to - or a hat! (6) 27. Us with a country.

(1,1,1) 28. Gun is leaky, we hear. (3) 29. French city’s lord.

(5) 31. See 33dn.

33 & 31. Commie optimist makes drink. (3,4) www.thephuketnews.com

22 WEIRDWORLD

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

THE BIG LIST Serious side-effects Modern medicine must rank with internet porn and the George Foreman grill as one of the greatest achievements of mankind. But there are drawbacks in the form of bad side effects, some of which are far more offputting than the inability to operate heavy machinery.

Requip is a medication that helps manage Restless Leg Syndrome. And thankfully, most people can take it without incident. Mind you, there’s always a chance you’ll be one of the ‘lucky’ ones who, inexplicably, is struck with “an unusual urge to gamble or increased sexual urges and/or behaviours”. It’s not enough that in your quest for stationary legs you’ll get horny, but apparently you could find yourself actually doing things. Sexual things. Against your will. Not to be forgotten, however, are the visual, aural and tactile hallucinations that Requip can potentially cause.

It doesn't matter whether you've been naughty or nice, the most important thing is to always be heavily armed.

‘Santa’s back with his bag of [semi-automatic] goodies’ Santa Claus is usually seen as the symbol of Christmas cheer, and in the Arizona town of Scottsdale, that means he will happily pose for you and your kids with enough weapons to fill a small arsenal.

The Scottsdale Gun Club said it welcomed more than 500 people to an armed photoop with Santa last month and expected even more gun lovers

to turn up when it repeated the special occasion on December 10.

The special event costs US$5 for members and US$20 for non-members and allows them to pose for a picture with Santa holding a gun of their choice.

“Santa’s back with his bag of goodies,” the club’s promotional flier reads. “Get

your holiday picture with Santa and his machine guns!”

Photos posted on the gun club’s website showed a jolly looking Santa and a variety of visitors, including children, happily toting rifles, machine guns and pistols.

The weapons available included a grenade launcher, an AK-47 and a Garwood heavy machine gun.

The gun club justified the event as a way to promote people’s right to bear arms.

“We’re trying to promote and push out a message, give people an opportunity to express their passion,” Ron Kennedy, manager of the Scottsdale Gun Club, was quoted as saying.

“We don’t see it as a bad thing at all.”

Deaf couple ‘too noisy’ A noisy couple are moving out of the apartment in Germany after receiving numerous complaints from their neighbours.

The catch? The couple are both completely deaf.

Mike Dumrose and Natascha Neitzel, deaf from birth, have lived together in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia for around six months.

The couple, aged 34 and 25, communicate through sign language but also enjoy turning music up full blast to feel the vibrations in the walls and floor of their home.

“They’re too loud. The other renters have constantly complained,” the couple’s landlord, Achim Hengesbach, told a German news source. www.thephuketnews.com

Robbers keep it close to home The couple were apparently so upset when they found out about their neighbours’ complaints that they packed up their belongings and set up a tent in a local park.

City officials apparently then moved them to a hotel while they found a new home.

It’s good to have a short commute – so long as you aren’t a bank robber.

A pair of siblings in Maryland, USA, apparently couldn’t make this distinction, holding up an M&T bank on the same block as their home.

Brother and sister Shakir and Kadija Taylor entered the bank on the 3700 block of Donnell Drive in Forestville on November 8, passed a note to a teller demanding cash, grabbed their loot and fled on foot. It

wasn’t a long getaway, police said. The siblings also live on the 3700 block of Donnell Drive.

Kadija Taylor, 20, was arrested on the day of the stick-up.

Thanks to information received via a tip line, detectives located Shakir Taylor, 19, and took him into custody in his home on Monday, according to a police statement.

The pair are also being investigated for their possible involvement in several other bank robberies in the area.

Propecia is a drug designed to treat prostate problems that also messes with the testosterone in your body enough to help you hang on to your hair. What could possibly go wrong?

It’s called “gynecomastia”, the first four letters of which should make any man feel wary. And with good cause, as gynecomastia means boobs. Boobs that can make milk. No, seriously. Still, the odds on the manboob thing are extremely small, which probably doesn’t make the few lactating bald dudes out there feel any better.

Treating bacterial infections has been close to the hearts of sailors, businessmen and dad for decades. Knowing this, the medical world wouldn’t stop at just penicillin, it had to go out and create many drugs, such as Levaquin, to help battle the nasty souvenirs we get from rusty nails. The only problem: This drug can turn you into a vampire. Seriously.

We mean, it can’t make you immortal or bloodthirsty, but it can kill your ability to handle sunlight. It’s called “phototoxicity” which is characterised by rapid, second-degree sunburns. So, basically a poor man’s vampirism. Also, the possibility of “ruptured tendons”, just for good measure.

Acne treatments are huge business. When the standard wipes and ointments have failed, there is the drug Accutane. This is the loose cannon cop of the acne drug world, the last resort when all other options have failed. Side effects can include crying spells, rectal bleeding and bone fractures. Though all of this could be kind of funny if it happened to a friend, somewhat less amusing, and well worth the description of “alarming”, are side effects like hepatitis, psychosis and hirsutism. That last one is, in fact, an overabundance of hair. Finally, and we’re unsure of the logistics on this one, but according to drugs.com, you can also, somehow, end up with herpes.

Viagra is enough of a household name that everyone knows what it’s used for.

And most also know that the medication may cause the dangerous side effect of a more than four-hour erection. What people may not know is that the drug may also cause “blue vision” in users. In February 2008, John Pettigrew, a 58-year-old plumber from England, experienced this unpleasant side effect, which Pfizer does warn of in the prescribing information that is given to users. In Pettigrew’s case, the man admitted that he probably took too many of the little blue pills but joked that he was having “too much fun” using them. “At least I’m a Chelsea fan,” he added.

In 2009, a cancer sufferer was detained at an airport in the United States when immigration officials were unable to take a print from his fingers, his doctor reported in the medical journal, the Annals of Oncology. The patient, only referred to as Mr S, was taking the drug capecitabine, which is sold under the brand name Xeloda and is used to treat several kinds of cancer. The drug carries side effects such as chronic inflammation of the palms or soles of the feet.

Known as hand-foot syndrome, it can result in peeling of the skin, bleeding and development of ulcers or blisters.

It also causes the very odd side effect of making your fingerprints completely disappear. Criminals take note.

23

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

LIFE&STYLE Fiona Leonis Student

1

Businesswoman

She picked up her brow n handbag (B200) at TescoLotus.

She got he r bag (B600) from Samui.

Her chic st rappy sandals (B16,500) were bought in Italy.

ACCESSORIES

Julaphorn Khorsantiwichai

She bought her black and white polka dot vintage dress (B350) from an online site.

She got her Zara black mini skirt (B1,900) from Central Festival.

Exploring Phuket with blogger Jamie Monk > 26

fashion file

Her top (B400) and her bracelets (B2,000) were both bought while in France.

Her necklace (B25) is from Singapore.

Sarasin Bridge

Her black and white f loral-themed belt (B650) was bought f r o m C h a t u ch a k Market in Bangkok.

Her earrings came free with her white shoes (B199), which she bought at the Lady Joojoop shop at Big C.

2

ENA

SHOP

3

1. Shoes Sandals 2. Handbag 3. Handmade bag

B1,100 B550 B850 B2,200

52, Yaowarat Road, Phuket Town.

Open Mon-Sat 10.30am-6.30pm. 076 215 643

www.thephuketnews.com

24 DINING

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

A worker at the Thanyamundra organic farm waters vegetables. The clean water comes from the Klong Sok river, which flows from the national park right next to the farm.

Organic origins P

ierre Larigaldie is a happy man. The former landscape designer from France has spent the past six years building up the only true organic farm in the Phuket area, in Khao Sok. Occupying 60 rai of a 70-rai area that is also home to the tiny (nine rooms) but delightful Thanyamundra Resort, the farm supplies vegetables to many of Phuket’s top restaurants, places where those who don’t care to eat food grown using synthetic fertilisers, chemical insecticides or, worse, genetic manipulation, go to eat.

It was hard work getting the farm up and running, Pierre says. Most of the land had lain fallow for at least five years.

One strip had not been farmed for 10, and the neighbouring jungle of the Khao Sok National Park had quietly but surely been taking over.

The land had to cleared.

Channels had to be dug to carry away the fierce rains of the area, and a concrete road laid to allow vehicles in.

But the site is ideal for organic farming. The valley in which it nestles is surrounded on three sides by the national

CHRISTMAS DAY 3 COURSE DINNER

Starter Prawn Cocktail / Tomato Soup Main Course

Turkey, Glazsed Honey Ham, Chestnut Stuffing, Brussells Sprouts, parsnip Glazsed Carrots, Baby Peas, Roast Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Turkey Gravy

Dessert

Christmas Pudding, Brady Sauce, Mince pies

895 BAHT+ Reservations Taken Tel 089-972-5122 PRICE

www.thephuketnews.com

park with its mature jungle.

No human pollution there (“though maybe some from wild elephants,” Pierre jokes).

The water comes from the Klong Sok river, which flows down from the park. “Our water is very clean,” says Pierre.

Within a year of establishment, the farm was accredited with Organic Agriculture Certification Thailand, Asia’s first organic farming accreditation body.

Farming organically means that all the potting soil has to be made on site, from coconut fibre, compost (also made on site) Dolomite lime and charcoal. The result is a rich and fragrant mix that plants thrive in.

Correction: most plants.

Pierre has yet to find a way of growing tomatoes at the farm.

“They grow and they flower but when the fruit starts, they die,” he says.

It’s the high humidity, he believes. No surprise when the area sees eight months of rain a year, and not just a gentle rain from heaven, but solid downpours.

He measured the rainfall over a five-week period recently. It came to 1,500 cm. “In France we have around 750 cm a year, so here in five weeks we had the same amount as we get in France in two years!”

But other vegetables thrive.

There’s a variety of lettuces and rockets, Chinese kale, cucumbers, morning glory, wing beans and long beans, wax gourds, sweet basil and many other vegetable delights.

Eating leaves straight off

Above, Pierre Larigaldie, who runs the organic farm.

Left, the organic chickens know when lunch is coming.

the plant, with no fear of pesticides, is a revelation. Superfresh, crunchy and tasty.

Like the soil and compost, fertiliser is made on site using any kind of vegetation and effective microbes (remember all those EM balls being sent to Bangkok these days?).

With the jungle nearby insects might be problem.

Most are fended off with liberal

plantings of fragrant citronella grass, while a spray made from various parts of the neem tree acts as a second line of defence.

About quarter of the land is given over to growing several varieties of rice, also protected by hedges of citronella grass, and at the top of the site are enclosures with some 400 chickens, fed mostly on corn also grown on site, along with a

vegetable-and-EM concoction that seems highly effective in staving off disease.

The farm produces close to half a tonne of vegetables a week, along with 100 eggs and 10 chickens for the pot, all organic.

The labour-intensive nature of the work makes the produce expensive. Items such as carrots and parsnips are as little as half the size of those produced on “conventional” farms, yet are more expensive. This limits the market to those who are really serious about keeping toxins out of their system.

Pierre admits it will be a couple more years before the farm is likely to break even.

But he is happy. “I like to be outdoors, with nature. It’s beautiful here.”

–Alasdair Forbes

DINING 25

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Chef Ryan with happy guests on the opening night of “Recipe” at Paresa Phuket.

With a large menu and great seaviews, Nikita’s is popular with families and couples.

A QUIET SPOT

BY THE SEA

T

wenty years ago, Nikita’s in Rawai was one of only two or so bars on the waterfront in the south of the island. These days the area is a bustling place full of restaurants, hotels, bars and shops.

However, by sticking to what it’s always done for the last two decades, Nikita’s has managed to remain one of the most popular hangouts on the water’s edge.

The venue is run by Thai national Nikita, who first set up the bar and restaurant, and her English husband Tony.

Nikita is very much the face of the restaurant while Tony is more behind the scene.

About two years ago they opened a kitchen and now the place is just as popular for its food as it is for drinks. The menu today has around 152 food options, impressive for a former small beach hangout.

“It’s only been in the last four years that the area has turned into a real tourist destination,” Tony says.

Their extensive Thai menu is popular with guests, especially the seafood including oysters and prawns. Tony says

All the right ingredients “Recipe” is a new dining experience at Paresa Phuket involving a six -course degustation menu in a live-cooking environment. Developed by Executive Chef Ryan Arboleda, the innovative concept was recently launched at the resort located on Millionaire’s Mile in Kamala.

■■ Recipe is open on Friday and Saturdays from 6pm to 10pm, and is priced at B3,000++ for food only and B4,500++ with wine pairing. For more information visit www.paresaresorts.com

Executive Chef Ryan Arboleda stands ready to impress.

Nikita and Tony have kept the bar as natural as possible. the wood fire pizza is also popular, and that the restaurant prides itself in offering family friend menu options, perfect for those with young children.

“We get a lot of families, as well as couples looking for a romantic dinner by candlelight,” Tony says.

W hat makes Ni k it a’s unique is the natural setting under large trees, only metres from the sea.

The bar is a grass-roof sala, and they have made an effort to keep the presence of concrete to a minimum.

“At night the pier is all lit up, that’s what sells us I think – the beachfront location,” says Tony.

“I love sitting down here on the water’s edge with my friends. People say leave it as it is. We have had people come back year after year and they say they can’t find anywhere else that’s beachside, with food at a reasonable price, and has a traditional thatched roof.”

■■ 44/1 Rawai Beach, Viset Rd, Rawai, 076 288 703; www.nikitas-phuket.com

www.thephuketnews.com

26 EXPLORE

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Jamie’s mum and dad check out the view of villages to the east, on the Phang Nga side of the Sarasin bridge.

The fantastic view from under the Sarasin bridge(s) just along the sand from the Thanoon Seafood restaurant.

A walk to the mainland JAMIE’S PHUKET

P

huket is an island, surrounded by water, true. Yes, we should say “Koh Phuket” and many holiday brochures and websites will make a lot of this “island” idea. An island is exotic, romantic, a place where magic happens, palm trees sway and smiling people serve you cocktails made of coconuts.

Yes, Phuket is really an island, but only just. It's less than 500 metres from the very north of Phuket across to Phang Nga province. We’re not really cut off by the sea here! Well, not at all. If you ignore the international airport, Phuket is connected to the mainland of Thailand by a bridge. Or two. Well, actually there are three bridges now.

The first was built in 1967 and called Sarasin Bridge, named after a now-forgotten politician. Before that, there was only the ferry (see photo).

T he f i rst br idge was enough for 1970s traff ic with little tourism yet hitting Phuket. A second bridge was built not so long ago (I can’t recall exactly when, but it was www.thephuketnews.com

in the last 12 years) to allow traffic to pass more easily in and out of Phuket with one bridge heading north and one to the south. And now... just a couple of months ago, a third bridge was completed.

The old bridge has been tarted up and turned into a pedestrian bridge with lots of lamps and steps and decorations. We took a walk over the bridge recently on a sunny low season day, planning to walk and then eat lunch at the Thanoon Seafood restaurant which sits by the water just 50 metres from the bridge on the Phang Nga side.

The best place to park if you want to walk (and close to the restaurant) – you have to drive over the new bridge, do a U-turn and turn off on a side road, back under the road bridge. The idea of the pedestrian bridge is to make a nice tourist attraction.

The bridge certainly looks nice and is a good chance to walk to Phuket from Phang Nga, or walk to Phang Nga from Phuket with a pretty seaview. But really? A tourist attraction? You going to take a taxi here 50km from Patong to walk over the bridge? Probably not, but if you are a more

An old photo on the wall of the Kopitiam cafe in Phuket Town shows the former ferry. independent traveller, rent a car, take a trip to the north of Phuket or to Phang Nga, then do stop here.

We got some good fresh sea air that day too! It was still low season with a strong breeze blowing in from the west. At the Phang Nga side (north side) of the bridge, to the east in the sheltered waters there is a fishing village.

Longtail boats come and go.

There were some larger fishing boats at the dockside too.

In Phuket, you don’t have to drive far to find the “old

Phuket” away from the hotels and tourism. The little fishing village above is a world away from Patong Beach, and I know where I’d rather live. We walked along the bridge back towards Phuket, stopping to pose for some pictures on the way.

It was a nice sunny day, no rush at all. In the centre of the bridge, you have a little view tower with steps up and down to the bridge. Good place to pose.

Actually, I admit, my wife and I stopped halfway. The kids chased after their Grandma who wanted to complete

the long walk back to Phuket.

As an aside.. we don’t actually use the word Grandma... our kids call my Mum “Nanny”, which is what I used to call my paternal grandmother. So, they chased after Nanny and she found something interesting to point out in the water.

They all reached terra firma on the Phuket side safely and headed back to the lazy portion of the family (that’s me, my dear wife and my Dad). We cross the bridge quite often for days out. We like heading to Phang Nga

to visit Phang Nga Bay or to eat at the Samchong Seafood restaurant or 360 Degree Cafe.

A nd on t h is d ay we ate lunch at the aforementioned Thanoon Seafood.

I reckon we’ll take a stroll over the Sarasin Br idge again sometime soon. I’d like to explore the area a bit more when there’s time.

Yes we enjoyed our little walk over the bridge! Many times I had driven over the old bridge and wished to stop and take a walk – not possible without blocking traffic!

Now that walk is possible.

To the west, the open ocean; to the east is Phang Nga Bay. I have always enjoyed the view from the Sarasin Bridge, it was nice to be able to get that view and take a leisurely stroll at the same time. Followed by a nice lunch at Thanoon Seafood.

Read more of Jamie’s posts at jamie-monk.blogspot.com.

When he’s not writing about his explorations across Phuket, Jamie can be found working at liveaboard dive specialists Sunrise Divers in Karon. More info: +66 84 626 4646, info@sunrise-divers. com; sunrise-divers.com

TRAVEL 27

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Nok Air sells fares to Andaman

Reach for the skies, and your credit cards, in this annual event.

–Photo by Colocho

Nok Air re-launches its flight and ferry fares for travel from 1 December through to 30 April 2012 to islands off the Andaman coast, South Thailand.

Joining hands with Tigerline Travel, a tour and ferry operator based in Ranong, Nok Air packages fares, airport-pier transfer and high speed ferry service for travel to seven islands in the Andaman Sea using its Trang service that operates twice daily flights during the winter schedule.

T he fa res st a r t f rom B4,580 to Lipe Island; B5,080 to Kradan Island; B4,280 to Mook Island; B4,380 to Ngai Island; B4,680 to Phi Phi Island.

Year round, Nok Air has a flight+ferry fare to Lanta

Yes! 1Malaysia Year-End Sale Air Australia launches promotion In Malaysia, the year is not complete without the 1Malaysia Year End Sale (1MYES). This year, the annual shopping event will be held from now until 1 January 2012.

Organised by the Ministry of Tourism, the 1MYES 2011 was launched at Bukit Bintang Dome in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, on November 18 by the Honorable Minister of Tourism, Malaysia, YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen. One of three major shop-

ping seasons in Malaysia, 1MYES is the end-of-year shopping event that wraps up the year with a bang.

Shopping holds the second biggest share of tourist expenditures after accommodation, with its contribution of RM16.2 billion in 2010 compared to RM15.1 billion in 2009, signifying an increase of 7.4 per cent.

It constituted about 28.7 per cent of total tourist expenditures in 2010 compared to 28.3 per cent in 2009.

In 2000, when the first Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival was organised, shopping only constituted 23.1 per cent of total tourist expenditures.

Beginning 1 January this year, the Malaysian government waived import duties on more than 300 goods in an effort to enhance Malaysia’s position as a duty-free shopping destination.

See www.tourismmalaysia. gov.my for more details.

Air Australia, Australia’s newest low-cost carrier, that evolved from full-service Strategic Airlines, has rolled out a sales performance across its network for booking until 24 December.

The campaign is available online until 24 December, while the travel periods vary according to the destination.

From Phuket, travel periods are 14 February to 25 March and 21 April to 21 June.

Journeys to treasure are always meant to be shared.

Fly like a bird with Nok Air’s new fares. –Photo by Timokl Island, starting from B4,580 (Tigerline ferry) and Samui and Phangan islands via Surat Thani and Nakhon SI Thammarat (Lomprayah High Speed

Ferries) with fares starting from B4,030 and B4,330 respectively.

Visit www.nokair.com for details.

–TTR Weekly

The all-in fare is A$359 or A$718, roundtrip including 7 kg carry-on luggage and 23 kg of checked baggage allowance.

Fees apply on in-flight meals and entertainment.

Air Australia operates two flights a week to Phuket from Brisbane and Melbourne.

Brisbane-bound f lights depart Tuesday and Friday at 1850 and arrive at 0640.

Meanwhile, the Phuket-bound flights depart Brisbane Thurs-

day and Sunday at 1205 and arrive at 1750.

Melbourne-bound flights depart Thursday and Sunday at 1930 and land at 0825.

Phuket-bound flights depart Tuesday and Friday at 1125 and arrive at 1620.

Other Air Australia’s international destinations are Bali (ex-Brisbane) and Honolulu (ex-Brisbane and Melbourne, due to commence 14 December). –TTR Weekly

All-in one-way fare from

THB

5,420

Singapore

All-in return fare from

THB

7,820

Singapore

All-in return fare from

THB Europe*

37,545

facebook.com/SilkAir

Exclusive MasterCard Privilege Book now and enjoy exclusive preview booking from 05 to 13 December 11. In addition, all MasterCard payments from 05 to 31 December 11 are eligible to enter a lucky draw to win Central Gift Vouchers worth THB 8,000, THB 5,000 and THB 3,000. Visit mcshopathon.com/silkair

Fares quoted are for one-way and return trip on Economy Class per person, for flights originating out of Phuket only. All advertised fares are inclusive of associated taxes and surcharges only. Fares quoted are subject to change due to currency fluctuation. Bookings are to be made online via mcshopathon.com/silkair from 05 to 31 December 11 for travel between 21 December 11 to 31 March 12.

(Black out date from Singapore to Phuket from 21 to 30 December 11 and from Phuket to Singapore from 01 to 15 January 12) Subject to seat availability. Tickets are strictly not refundable, and change of flight, date or passenger name is not permitted. Other terms and conditions apply. *Europe: Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London, Milan, Rome, Paris and Zurich. www.thephuketnews.com

28 ONCAMERA

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

BLISSFULLY TIPPLING: From left, Peter Tkac, Steven Gorsuch, Charn Wongstayanond and Michael Cowan enjoy the Andaman Wine Club tasting on December 8 at Bliss Beach Club.

SANTA’S LITTLE HELPERS: The annual end of year Christmas function for the International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP) was held at the Full Moon Brew Work in Jungceylon on December 9. Santa even made a special appearance.

DELISH FIRST BIRTHDAY: The first anniversary celebrations of popular cafe Delish in Chalong were held on December 10. Serving delicious home-cooked meals and cakes, plus excellent coffee, the venue is owned by Australians Greg and Liz Johnston and is a regular hangout for expats in the south of the island.

Pictured top from left are Sandy, Liz and Greg Johnston.

Bottom from left: Rachatiya, Liz Johnston and Goran.

KING’S CUP: Thousands of attendees enjoyed the final party and race prize-giving of the King’s Cup Regatta, at the Kata Beach Resort & Spa on December 10.

Left, Sidewinder. Right, Kathrin Borgwardt, winner of the women’s class in the kiteboarding competition. Bottom right, Da Vinci crew.

www.thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

ONCAMERA 29

A GREAT END TO RACE DAY THREE: It was a good turnout at the Phuket Orchid Resort in Karon to celebrate the end of the third day of racing for the annual King’s Cup Regatta. Hungry guests and thirsty competitors alike were impressed with the high standard of food and drink, and a large crowd gathered to watch the prize-giving. Above, Willy Kerv, Dave Barnes and Buapaveena Palai.

Right, the Royal Thai Navy picked up an award in the IRC 2 class.

DANCING UP A STORM: The Phuket Dance group held a very successful salsa dancing night at the Green Man

Pub in Chalong on Saturday, December 10. The large crowd gathered enjoyed the Latin music and danced the night away into the early hours. Pictured above are the Phuket Dance group owners Anna and Didier with assembled friends.

TIME FOR CAROLS: The Christmas fair at the Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Centre in Thalang last Friday (December 9) started the festive season early as the choir from the orphanage at Khao Lak in Phang Nga, dressed like the three wise men, sang stirring carols in English around a very creative Christmas tree, made from woven bamboo chicken coops painted silver.

www.thephuketnews.com

30 ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF Cruise fans ‘paid’ Fans gathering to greet Tom Cruise at Mumbai Airport were in fact paid extras who had never heard of the actor, it has been reported.

Firstpost Bollywood reported the about 200 people who gathered at the airport had been hired by a model coordinator at the rate of Rs 150, or B88 per person.

“Tom Kaun? I don’t know who he is or what he does,” one of the ‘fans’ told the magazine.

“We were told to come here by 1pm today and wait for a foreign VIP to come out of the airport gate and scream and shout when he came. None of us know who Tom is.”

Kirsten Dunst wins restraining order Spider-Man actress Kirsten Dunst has obtained a temporary restraining order against a Frenchman who is accused of stalking her, according to court documents.

In a declaration filed with the court, the actress’ mother, Inez Dunst, says that 51-year-old Jean Christophe Prudhon of Dijon, France, showed up at the doorstep of her California home asking to speak to Kirsten.

www.thephuketnews.com

According to the elder Dunst, Prudhon has left “dozens of letters at my home, describing his obsession with my daughter”. The letters, according to the actress’ mother, are “frightening and harassing”.

Jolie denies copying journalist Angelina Jolie has hit back at a journalist who alleges the storyline for her directorial debut is lifted from his book about the Bosnian Civil War, insisting she has never seen his work. The Hollywood beauty wrote, produced and directed In the Land of Blood and Honey, which chronicles a romance between a rape and kidnap victim and one of her captors during the 1990s war.

Nick Cave’s Grinderman split Nick Cave has announced his project Grinderman is over.

Cave used the band’s headline set at Meredith Music Festival in Victoria to declare that Grinderman are no more.

“That’s it for Grinderman.

It’s over,” Cave said.

Grinderman formed in 2006 and featured Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos alongside Cave.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Northern beaches are Phuket’s new music hub Trisara, Nai Thon: Six star resort offering an array of live music most nights of the week for guests and visitors in a private and secluded location. Mostly laid back soft soul and blues as well acoustic, unplugged music, in a high class setting.

SOUND CHECK

by Fender Bender

While many places offer live music, it’s very hard to find something that is of a little higher quality and not of the generic style that is found in most haunts in Phuket.

Although everyone, while somewhat inebriated, may enjoy ‘Simply the Best’, ‘Zombie’ or ‘Hotel California’ for the thousandth time in an evening, there are venues now offering an array of high quality live music using local and international professional musicians and bands.

In recent times there has been a proliferation of new venues in the beach club style venue rather than the usual ‘bamboo bar’ experience. The prices tend to be a little higher across the board but the level of entertainment, location, service, and menu selection is of a high standard indeed.

Most notable of these ‘new wave’ live music venues are the ones located north of Patong and up across the northern beach areas of Surin, Bang Tao, Mai Khao and Nai Yang.

Dewa Phuket, Nai Yang.

Close to the airport and on the beachfront national park area has live music Tuesday nights, classic rock blues and unplugged styles in a relaxed and informal setting with a view of the sunset to die for.

Is in a bar type setting but is actually in a five star resort but has public street access and welcomes everyone.

She’s in your head. The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan.

Bliss Beach Club, Bang Tao: superb beachfront location offering high quality blues/soul professional level live music on Thursday nights with excellent food and drink in a brand new

venue which promises a lot in the near future. Excellent sound system and ambiance although a little on the dark side until they finish the lighting arrangements.

SALA Phuket: Way up north almost off the island at Mai Khao is another superb absolute beachfront located live music venue. With a chill out session on late Sunday afternoon around sunset until about 10pm, this resort has excellent menu and comfy relaxed location catering for guests of the five star resort. It encourages locals and visitors alike to “come taste the band”.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

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32 EVENTS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

WHAT’S ON IN PHUKET DECEMBER 17

DECEMBER 16-17 Grand Opening - Bellini

List your events here for as low as B99 per line, or online at www.thephuketnews.com/events.php our new yachts that joined our private charter fleet! Complimentary welcome drinks and light snacks are served. Great cash bar and dance with professional DJs performing.

Dress smart casual (blue and/or white).

Lacated 20 minutes east from Heroine’s Monument. Contact for more information: 076 316 562, book@andamancruises. com.

DEC 17 - JAN 12

Bellini Restaurant’s Grand Opening.

- Pizza Day December 16 From 11am till 11pm, all Pizza B99.

- Pasta Day on 17 December from 5 to 11pm all Pasta B99.

Near to Headstart International School.

Lots of parking. For more information please call 076 304 420 or 082 816 0126.

barbeque, Hamburgers, Chicken Burgers, Hot Wings. Time: 6 to 9pm. Located on Taina Road in Kata Centre with convenient off street parking.

Find us between Little Star restaurant and Rico’s Pizzeria & Steak House.

Duke’s @ Kata more than a neighbor sports bar. www.dukesbigboard.com.

DECEMBER 24 Be my Christmas Celebrate Your Festive Seasons at The Vijitt Resort. Be my Christmas on December 24. Price at B3,500 net per adult.

Information and reservation call 076 363 600, email: info@vijittresort.com.

DECEMBER 31 Pirates of The Vijitt Ac´s Phuket Fishing Park Fishing Competition

DECEMBER 25 Christmas Day Dinner @ Stan By The Lake

Pr izes: Most f ish (released) caught B20,000. Biggest fish (released) caught B5,000. “PROUDLY SPONSORED BY THE RBFC” (Rawai Beach Fishing Club).

To participate you only need to pay B2,000 where you will have access to the fishing rod, bait, free food and of course the chance to take home the big prizes!

The contest begins 10 am and runs until 5pm, after we hold a little party at our fine restaurant where you can stay and enjoy the rest of the evening.

Please contact us for more info and reservation: 081 459 0152. Address 48/3 Moo 4, Thepkrassatri Road, Tambon Koh Keaw, Ampur Muang 83000, opposite Isuzu show room. www.phuketfishpark. com, www.rawaibeachfishingclub.com.

DECEMBER 17

Book Now To Avoid Disppointment.

Starter : Prawn Cocktail -Roast Turkey & Stuffing -Gammon Ham -Roast Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes -Bacon & Sausage Rolls -Vegetables & Red Wine Gravy -Christmas Pudding with Brandy Sauce -Mince Pies & Coffee

Boats and teams are filling fast. For further information, please contact Warren Crowe on 081 270 4291 or email: info@rawaibeachfishingclub.com. www.thephuketnews.com

JANUARY TBC Old Phuket Festival This year’s event will be the 13th anniversary of the popular Old Phuket Town Festival, held in collaboration with Chinese New Year. Contact: TAT on 076 212 213

FEBRUARY 3 Chinese New Year Colourful dragon processions take place all over Phuket City, culminating in a popular and large fireworks display.

FEBRUARY 14

Christmas Bash and Fun Day Sail at the Phuket Yacht Club

Legends Bar Charity Night

This is Thailand’s largest-ever international sport fishing tournament. Prize money totalling over B3,000,000 ($100,000 USD).

Garbage is a major problem in Phuket and Thailand, as well as many other places in the world. Since the demand of consumption goods has increased, and without any good plans to manage garbage, rubbish increases daily until finally an enormous amount is present.

Every year a lot of garbage is dumped into the sea, causing problems for marine life including fish, crabs, shrimps and oysters, many of which find themselves unable to survive in such a polluted environment. Pollution in the sea has a direct impact on these animals and can also cause food poisoning if people eat the sick animals.

In this exhibition, garbage from the sea has been transformed into works of art.

This has the added benefit of the garbage no longer lying on the beach as well.

This exhibition is a great way to raise awareness of sea pollution to younger generations and to help them appreciate the value of the sea.

The event begins at 6 pm at “Nakonnai Art Music” 84/34 Saiyuan Soi 2, Visat Rd, T. Rawai, A. Muang, Phuket 83130.

Contact 086 683 2188.

DECEMBER 18

Price B750 Children (under 10 year old) B300. Start 3 pm. Stan By The Lake.

Please call Stan and Gail 087 978 5803-4.

FEBUARY 2-4, 2012 Wahoo Thailand 2012 Sport Fishing Tournament

Beach Clean Up Art Exhibitions Grand Opening

Celebrate Your Festive Seasons at The Vijitt Resort. Pirates of The Vijitt on December 31. Price at B7,000 net per adult.

Information and reservation call 076 363 600, email: info@vijittresort.com.

This one-off charity gig is to raise proceeds for the flood casualties in Bangkok.

It will be a line-up of the usual suspects who play at the bar on Saturdays, including Colin Hill, Flo Kramer, Zac and several amateur musicians.

Show runs from 9pm until 12 midnight.

The Legends Bar (Kamala Inn) is beside the German bakery (left at the Black Cat Bar off the main road). For more information contact Joe Pasieka at 080 963 0838.

DECEMBER 17-18

Food served at 1pm. Please bring a small gift with your child's name clearly labelled (Santa may arrive). Games and activities on the beach for kids. Fun race too. Time: 9am to 5pm.

Contact: If sailing contact Andrew at andrew@leemarine.net, RSVP for catering purposes at 081 894 1530 or phuketyachtclub@gmail.com, see www.phuketyachtclub.info.

DECEMBER 18

Record Breaking Mass Wedding at Promthep Cape The island is aiming to break the national record for the biggest mass wedding on Valentine’s Day next year. The Thai traditional style mass wedding for 108 couples at Laem Promthep, the best sunset in Thailand.

Other activities include offering alms to 99 Buddhist monks and planting trees as part of a schedule running from February 12-15, 2012.

Blue Party 2011

Duke’s @ Kata Two Year Anniversary Party

Andaman Cruises is proud to introduce

Please join us for the birthday party! Free

Contact Suanluang Inter Wedding 076 221 976, email: info@interwedding phuket.com. See interweddingphuket.com.

EVENTS 33

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

WHAT’S ON IN PHUKET FRIDAY

344 999 and +66(0) 76 680 666 or e-mail rsvn@b-laytong.com.

Exclusive Dining at Paresa

................................................................................

Recipe by Ryan is an innovative culinary dining venture, indulge in intricate dishes created by Paresa’s Executive Chef Ryan Arboleda, featuring a 6 course set menu prepared in a live cooking environment.

Time: 6pm to 10pm. Call 076 302 000.

Family Brunch on The Boardwalk

................................................................................

Thai BBQ B230 per person. 6-10pm, free Karaoke from 7-10pm. CC Bloom’s Hotel. Call 076 333 222, www.ccbloomshotel.com.

................................................................................

Les Anges at RPM. From 11am to 3pm.

B795++ adults, includes one glass of house wine, 50 per cent discount. Children under 12 eat for free. Call for reservations on 076 360 803.

Curry Fridays at Navrang Mahal

Q uiz ni ght . Star ts from 8pm ever y Wednesday night. The largest selection of draught beer in Phuket. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

................................................................................

Salsa class at Royal Phuket Marina from 7.30pm-9pm. www.phuket-dance.com.

Roast beef, BBQ ham, chicken, pork and Yorkshire pudding. All you can eat B399.

Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

................................................................................

Enjoy the original Sunday brunch in Phuket at Twinpalms, Surin Beach. 12-3pm (from B1,190++ per person). Reser vations please call 076 316 577.

................................................................................

Tapas & Wine Night O rder 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. ................................................................................

Interactive Pub

Best Sunday Carvery in Phuket

O nly B29 5 per person at Shakers.

Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. For reservations call on 081 891 4381.

Eat, drink, look and party. Live band, DJ and dancers from 10pm till late. All welcome. Call 076 210 511 for more information or look on www.brasseriephuket.com

................................................................................

Salsa Class At RPM

Sunday Brunch

Phuket Brasserie

music, great beer. Contact 081 728 1010.

Facebook Peppers Sports Bar.

................................................................................

BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat

................................................................................

List your events here for as low as B99 per line, or online at www.thephuketnews.com/events.php

................................................................................

Half-Chicken Spit Roast O nly B2 25 per person at Shakers.

Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

................................................................................

................................................................................

BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat O nly B29 5 per person at Shakers.

Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Reservations call on 081 891 4381.

THURSDAY Lose Weight Now Ask Thai Weight Loss how! Take advantage of our free weight loss seminar from 7.15pm. Contact Michael 087 897 8997, 076 304 108, www.thailandweightloss. com.

................................................................................

Sunday Family Brunch

BBQ Buffet All You Can Eat

At Club Yamu by Twinpalms. Noon till 3pm.

Enjoy delicious pasta, BBQ, Thai home cooking. Call 076 310 557.

Only B325 per person at Shakers. RatU-Thit Road, Patong. Reservations 081 891 4381.

MONDAY Roaring Bhoys

................................................................................

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM

Start November 2011-January 2012. Every Fridays, all-you-can-eat authentic Indian curry buffet, B449 net per person. Draught beer B50. 7pm-11.30pm. Call 076 286 464.

Live Music every Monday night. The largest selection of draught beer in Phuket. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man Pub 82/15 Moo 4 Patak Road, one km from Chalong circle.Contact for details on 081 895 4763.

SATURDAY

BBQ Buffet All You Can Eat

DAILY

Exclusive Dining at Paresa Recipe by Ryan is an innovative culinary dining venture, indulge in intricate dishes created by Paresa’s Executive Chef Ryan Arboleda, featuring a 6 course set menu prepared in a live cooking environment.

Time: 6pm to 10pm. Call 076 302 000.

................................................................................

Colin Hill Colin Hill performs (duo) now every second Saturday at Legends Bar in Kamala, with local guitarist Florian. 081 079 1069.

................................................................................

Only B325 per person at Shakers. RatU-Thit Road, Patong. Reservations 081 891 4381.

Ask Thai Weight Loss how! Take advantage of our free weight loss seminar from 7.15pm. Contact Michael 087 897 8997, 076 304 108, www.thailandweightloss. com.

................................................................................

Half-Chicken Spit Roast

Salsa Class in Green Man Studio from 6.30 to 9 pm, more information on phuketdance.com.

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.

................................................................................

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 Saturday Brunch The B-Lay Tong Saturday brunch will be held every Saturday starting from December 10, 2011 until January 7, 2012, from 11.30am to 3pm. B1,200 net per person.

Two people receive one bottle of house wine between them.

For reservations please contact +66(0) 76

Quiz Night every Wednesday at Peppers Sports Bar near Laguna.

-Great food -Great music -Great beer.

Contact 081 728 1010.

Facebook: Peppers Sports Bar.

Lose Weight Now

Salsa Class Rawai

................................................................................

Wednesday Quiz Night @ Peppers

TUESDAY

................................................................................

O nly B2 25 per person at Shakers.

Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

Saturday Brunch The B-Lay Tong Saturday brunch will be held every Saturday starting from December 10, 2011 until January 7, 2012, from 11.30am – 3pm. B1,200 net per person.

Two people receive one bottle of house wine. For reservations please contact +66(0) 76 344 999 and +66(0) 76 680 666 or e-mail rsvn@b-laytong.com.

................................................................................

Half-Chicken Spit Roast O nly B2 25 per person at Shakers.

Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

................................................................................

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man Pub, 82/15 Moo 4, Patak Road, one km from Chalong circle. Contact 081 895 4763.

................................................................................

Beach BBQ Enjoy a beach BBQ at Catch Beach Club (from B1,190++ per person). 7pm-10pm.

Call 076 316 567.

................................................................................

Rotary Club of Patong Beach Weekly meeting in English. Dinner out on first Tuesday of the month. rotarypatong. org.

WEDNESDAY Quiz Night @ Peppers Quiz Night every Wednesday at Peppers Sports Bar near Laguna. Great food, great

Brew Great Beer Phuket’s one and only small batch handcraft beer. Happy hour daily from 4pm to 7pm. Draft beer B110/pint, cocktails two for B220. Live music at 7.30pm onwards. Behind the ship, the port zone at Jungceylon. Call 076 3667 753.

................................................................................

December Promotion Discount 50% Hong Kong Beef Special promotion only B450 (normal price B900). At The Royal Kitchen, Chinese food (Cantonese) 25th floor. The Royal Paradise Hotel and Spa. Call 076 340 666 ext. 2406. www.royalparadise.com.

Special Friday @ Indian Feast Royal Phuket Marina is pleased to introduce you to our new “Special Friday for Indian Feast” We are delighted to offer 25% discount on the indian buffet and 10% on the listed menu from December 02 and other every Friday night from 7-10 pm. This Authentic Home-Made Indian Buffet will be prepared and served by our very own in-house Indian Chef Padum Kahtri.

Grizzly’s Sports Bar& Restaurant

Reservations are recommended, so please call “Les Anges” on 076-360-803 or call Mr. Murat (Events & Group Manager )on 081 797 3364. Only B495++ per person.

Watch all the sport that is on TV this weekend with us. Located between Loch Palm Golf Course and Kathu Waterfall.

Call 087 471 8747.

DECEMBER 24 X’mas Eve Menu & Salsa Party

................................................................................

................................................................................

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.

................................................................................

3-Hour Happy Hour Three-hour Happy Hour Monday-Friday, 4pm-7pm. Beer from B50. House spirits B90. Australia Bar & Grill, Kata Beach.

Contact 089 226 2878.

8pm onwards. Les Anges is delighted to invite you to our X’mas Eve & Salsa Party. Dance A Cha-cha, Bachata, Samba and Rumba to the sounds of DJ’sand enjoy your christmas eve on the boardwalk of Les Anges. Xmas Menu is B1400++ per person and reservation are recommended due to limited seats.

For all enquiries and reservations please contact : Murat Can Sakarya, Events & Group Manager: Call 076 360 811–2, 081 797 3364 or e-mail : muratc@roy alphuketmarina.com

www.thephuketnews.com

34

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

CLASSIFIEDS JOBS IN PHUKET

Native English Teacher: Chalong Kindergarten is looking for experienced teacher for class of 10-12 children ages 3-7 year old. Monday-Friday, 8am- 4pm. Star t January 4. Call 080 624 7060.

Resume to phuketpre school@yahoo.com.

Personal Assistant: Full-time. Western. Must have excellent organisational/negotiation/computer skills, self-motivated/good communicator.

Home-based. Send CV/ salary to admin@esxoa sia.com.

Sales Executive: Experienced sales executive needed to join expanding public ation. Candidate must be focused, discip l i n e d a n d o r g a n i s e d.

English fundamental.

Please contact info@thinkdesignmagazine.com or 087 281 0994.

Qualified Personal Assistant: We are looking for a personal assistant for the CEO of an important events company.

Conditions: Must speak read and write French, English and Thai languages with administrative and computer skills.

We of fer a salar y of B20,000 plus accomodation included. CV and reference required. ynahabed@ hotmail.com.

Waitress/ Waiter and Recept ionist: Urgently required for Sensive Hill in Kathu. Similar background and experience required, excellent salar y on of fer. Please contact K. Rin at 076 203 012 or send CV to guy@ sensivehill.com.

Sales Genius Wanted: International operating company is building a Google-like street tour.

Apply at max@panomat ics.com.

Promot ional St af f Wanted: English-speakwww.thephuketnews.com

ing Thai, full training given, airport and Patong locations. Basic plus commission. 087 105 4566. Immediate start.

good knowledge of English written and spoken, be able to work with Microsoft Office and know how to use the internet.

The candidate must have good social skills, be a team player and be able to work independant.

Interested in this job with growth potential?

Call 087 882 2856 or e-mail to luc@phukettropical-realestate.com.

Travelling Salesman: Sale representative available to travel around Thailand for our range of fast-moving consumer products. Thai national, English-speaking, computer skills, driving licence and proven experience of sales to minimart, supermarket.

Phase 2 priced at 17.9 million Baht > 36

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php We already have more than 500 customers in Thailand. Salar y B15K plus commission. Contact via email skgf@skgf.asia.

Beach. Small restaurant, six tables, family run, great tips. Please call Eed 076 342 378, 081 892 0796.

Driver: PEXGO courier

Rental Assistant & Listing: Must have

The Sunrise Ocean Villas

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.

Looking for a TeamMember: Sea Bees Diving is looking for a reliable and responsible person (Western or Thai) for our office in Chalong.

Applicants need to be completely fluent in English and other languages (German preferred) with good communication, sales skills and willing to work in a highly-professional & diverse team.

Flexible, able to work under pressure and being ser vice - orientated is a must. This position is for a long-term & fulltime contract.Please send your CV & photo to: of fice@sea-bees.com.

Wai t ress Want ed: Waitress wanted in Patong

CAD Technician : To work in new office Phuket. Proficient in AutoCAD (2004 or higher) for 2D drawing. Experience of 3D AutoCAD, Google SketchUp, Adobe Photoshop or Adobe InDesign would be a bonus. Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook.

Thai national, good s p o ke n a n d w r i t t e n English, send CV indicating qualifications and experience, expected salary and recent photo to: david@yes.co.th.

V i s i t w w w. s o u n d ideas.co.uk to see the type of work we do.

Bliss Boutique Hotel Staff Needed: Bliss Boutique hotel is looking for reception and kitchen staff. Are you interested or want to know more info?

Salary starting at B7,000 per month. Give us a call at 085 619 4963.

English Speaking Waitresses: Deepaval Restaurant/The Lounge bar in Bang Tao requires three English speaking waitresses. Call for more info 080 722 3377.

Hotel Receptionist Requir e d: Englishspeaking Thai national with good computer skills required for rec eption, restaurant and bar work in Kamala. Salar y and hours negotiable based on experience.

To apply phone 08 6 941 8880 or send CV to phil@royalembassyresort phuket.com.

Staff Wanted For Bellini Restaurant: - One person in the kitchen, Thai speaking, no experience required, we will show you how! Salary B9,000 +Bonus+Service charge and insurance per month.

- One person in service, speaks Thai and English. No experience needed. Salary B9,000 +bonus+service charge and insurance per month.

- One person to make deliveries. Driving licence. Salar y B9,000 +bonus+service charge and insurance per month.

Contact Jackye 082 424 1145.

CLASSIFIEDS 35

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

BUY & SELL IN PHUKET BOATS & YACHTS

Digifox Marine: Marine inboard engines, hydraulic and mechanical equipment service, repairs and spare parts. MAN, Arneson, ZF, Rolls Royce and others. Professional team of engineers, high quality, personal approach guaranteed. Contact 076 336 221, 083 171 4141.

Email info@digifoxmarine. com.

permit and accounting. Call 081 691 9679.

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php this car in good condition. Call 081 747 3000.

Indo Construction: 40 years experience of more than 20 years at your service in Thailand. Main contractor: study project, architecture design and construction and management. Contact 076 381 895.

Phuket G ol f & C.C. M e m b e r s h i p: Fo u n d e r m e m b e r s h i p f o r s a l e.

B600,000 include transfer fee.

Call 084 839 4868.

COMPUTERS Economical Car for Sale: Ford Aspire, female owner, manual runs very well and very economical. Power steering, new parts, for sale B120,000. Call: 084 188 8445.

Very profitable bar on main road. Owner returning to Australia in high season. Has 1 B/R with ensuite, three FS TV’s, pool table, stock, furniture. etc. Price negotiable.

Call Chompoo 084 844 3504.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Office For Rent: In middle

on Srisoonthorn Rd. Phuket’s Quality Tile Boutique. Tiles for interior, exterior, residential, commercial. Contact 076 620 168 or 081 424 2828.

Email info@tile-asia.com.

Farang Food Paradise: Your specialist of imported food and drinks in Phuket. Visit our shop at the Billion Plaza, opposite Tesco Lotus. Contact 076 612 733, 076 248 900. Fax 076 612 734. See our website phuketfood.com.

Toursys: Tour operator soft-

BUSINESS SERVICES

Green House: Construc-

ware. Presented by Blue D Zine Co., Ltd. See bluedzine. com.

CHILDCARE R a w a i P r o g r e s s i ve School: International private school for ages 3 -12 years, offering Montessori education. See our website

Stunning Mazda 2.0 Litre Auto: Six-year-old Mazda 20 0 0 c c GT. Good condition, full ser vice history, 17-inch wheels, remote alarm/locking, cloth interior, Kenwood 7 speakers, 2 amps system, Sony bluetooth hands free, only serviced by Mazda, 170,000 km and runs really well. B425,000-00. No money has ever been spared keeping

Paradise Diving Asia: All courses and diving trips.

Boat charter and individual tours. w w w.dive-paradise. com.

EDUCATION Native German Teacher: Native German TEFL

Phuket Scuba Club: PADI 5 Star Centre. Half-day, daytrips, live-aboards and diver education. Phuket’s only dive club! 076 284 026.

teacher is teaching German and English to single students at home or small groups in Chalong. Please contact (German/English) 080 778 1220,

Learn Thai at Home: Female Thai teacher with 8-9 years experience gives Thai and English lessons for company/hotel staff and Thai cooking at your home.

Full course with conversation practise and home study material. Both at beginner and more advanced levels. Call 081 797 1497 or Email teacher joy_phuket@hotmail.com.

International Kindegarten: International Kindergarten. Native English teachers, UK and Singapore curriculum, small class sizes. The best choice. Call 082 323 1188.

Kiddies Home Nursery: Award for top Nursery

Buds Nursery: Phuket’s

Car for Sale: Teana top model 2010. Travelled 22,000 km. Sell B1,240,000. Please call for more details on 087 276 0529.

Sony CX150 HD Vid.Camera with Equinox HD6 housing40,000bt. Optional Asus Lap Top with one Gig video card B20,000. 084 630 2165.

All 4 Diving: 5/4 Sawatdirak Road, Patong Beach. Call 076 344 611. only dive club!

montessori-thai land.com.

CARS FOR RENT

CARS FOR SALE

assistance, legal assistance, police and emergency assistance, property management sales and rentals, company registration, visa and work

automatic engine 400,000 thb 087 887 1292 or email : drewjoy27@yahoo.com.

tion, renovation, electric, metal work, wood work, shop fitting.

Please contact 085 654 2244.

A1 Ca r Re n t a l s:

Phuket Consult Services: Insurance, personal

Jeep Wrangler: 3-litre

for Phuket Province 2011. Ages 3 months to 4 years. Open 7 days a week and from 6.30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. Rock Garden Village, call 076 528 862, mobile 082 539 8252 or kiddies home nursery@gmail.com.

Fully-insured. Starts at B12,000 to B18,000 per month. Please call 089 831 4703. Email for more info: a1carrent@gmail.com.

Alarm Service, Protect your home with high quality CCTV Camera,and GSM Alarm. Free survey and quote. Please call 086 105 8144 or click w w w.huketechnology. com.

English Computer man:

Un d e r Wa t e r V i d e o P a c k a g e Fo r S a l e:

Tile It: Thalang. Wana Park

of Patong, new office for long term rent. Quiet area. 28 sq metre and 56 sq metre. Parking avail. For more info: con tact@roomsatthe9th.com.

Protect your home with CCTV: CCTV &

Apple Mac technical support needed to help with computer issues in Surin Area. Please email admin@esxoasia.com.

DIVING

B u s i n e s s f o r S a l e:

Kamala Bar for SALE!:

Apple Mac Suppor t:

Sales (new and used), service and repairs, WLAN a speciality. Free telephone advice.

Please contact for more info on 0846 257 744, computer manphuket@gmail.com.

BUSINESSES FOR SALE Phuket slingsshot, Thailand’s only and bumper cars. Call 082 419 0742.

Phuket to join “Singapore Club Phuket”. Contact Robin on 081 803 7189, 076 303 500.

oldest bi-lingual international child care facility. High quality time proven schedule and curriculum. Experienced native English teachers to teach ages 1½ -6. Monday to Friday, 8am5pm. Bus service available.

Contact 076 282 232.

ABC International Nursery: Education for children 18 months to six years old with experienced native English teachers following the UK EYFS curriculum. Contact 089 971 1813.

CLUBS SK A L I nt er nat ional Phuket: Skål is a professional organisation of leaders from all branches of the travel and tourism industry. Please see more info at www.skal phuket.org.

Singapore Club Phuket: Calling all Singaporeans in

www.thephuketnews.com

36 CLASSIFIEDS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

BUY & SELL/HOMES IN PHUKET EDUCATION

MOTORBIKES FOR SALE Phuket Motorbike

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php

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.

Repossessions sulting and services on company registration, work permit, visa, accounting, auditor, legal advice. Contact for details on 081 892 9960.

Phuket Pool Tables:

Kata Hot Yoga: The most

PROPERTY CONCIERGE

Group classes three days per week learning about the real dos and don’ts of Thailand.

081 125 1873

Hond a 25 0 D egre e: 250cc trail bike B62,000. Call 081 087 2560.

Free English-Thai dictionary for the first 10 students for enrolments until October 20, 2011.

Opposite HomePro Village Chalong. Contact 081 956 2024. Email: vinoltds@hotmail. com.

Harley Davidson Soft Tail for Sale: Guitar Lesson By Pro Player: Guitar/bass lessons

beginner to advanced. Personal one-on-one or by DVD. Diploma of Teaching (Aust) degree. Call for details on 089 777 3063.

Call for more details on 083 456 2185.

MOTORBIKE SERVICES Dynamic Tire Balancing: Dynamically balance

Cooking School: Fire up

your creative flare with Food Ser vices Cooking School.

Italian, Western and Thai cuisine. Try our famous pizza school. Call 082 816 0126, info@food servicesth.com.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS FOR SALE Moving Sale: Sign frame and alluminium C slats size, 10m x3m. Air Cond.

(1)40,000BTU, (2)20,000BTU. Shop glass front. All going cheap, call 087 276 0529.

Health Food Store: Online health food store in Thailand. Good karma, all natural healthy, natural and organic products. 0822761675.

www.thephuketnews.com

popular Yoga for men and women in Phuket. Four classes every day. Kata yoga, it works! www.katahotyoga.com, Contact 076 605 950.

your motorcycle tires for a smoother ride with DYNA BEADS! Available at West Coast Service Center Phuket.

Your big bike specialist on the bypass road. Call for more info on 085 785 4440.

PERSONAL SERVICES English-Thai Law Office: Visa, work permit, company formation, property transfer etc. Please telephone for advice. Contact 084 063 9223.

Live Music By Colin Hill: Popular expat pro musi-

cian (guitar/vocals) with work permit. Can perform solo, duo or band. www.play-guitar.net, please call on 089 777 3063.

Techworx: Custom design & installation. Professional service and support. Premium service: home cinema, home automation, marine AV and IT, lighting control and multiroom audio-video. Call 084 443 9863.

PET ADOPTION Adopt a Pet: I am a three -year-old dog; sterilised, vaccinated and healthy. I like to play. Call and visit me. Please take me home and care for me, contact 087 279 3477.

Why buy a pet?: Soi Dog Foundation have over 300 beautiful dogs and puppies available for adoption. Fully-vaccinated and sterilised.

Contact 087 050 8688, email: john@soidog.org.

,

,

Contact ben at 084- 305 4953 benjamin@propertyasia.co.th www.propertyasia.co.th

Apartment for Rent in Rawai: Business nine apartments, Fully-furnished with swimming pool & office. Contract 081 893 2165.

Rawai Beach Front House: Rawai beach front

Selling Your Property?

Get maximum exposure on our top ranked website. Call 080 143 2929 or visit realestate.phuket.net.

PROPERTY FOR RENT Beach Frontage: One

Atmanjai: World’s best natural health programmes to improve health, reduce stress, weight loss, detox, rejuvenation, vitality and overcome disease. See more info at www. atmanjai.com.

,

Sea views, Mountain views Sauna, Gym, Swimming pool Located in Kamala Beach Shuttle service to the beach Wi-fi available Surrounded by nature

www.phuketpooltables.com.

Your number one billiard and snooker supplier in Phuket.

Sales, rent and profit-sharing.

All accessories and services.

Call 081 823 4627.

Havana Cigar Shop:

The Genius Language School, call 089 203 9270 (Aooddy). Visit www.the geniuslanguageschool. net.

,

Daily, Monthly rates

POOL TABLES

* 2011 FINO---- 28,000 B

or

bedroom self-contained holiday villa Rawai. Rental Day/Week Call 081 677 1641.

8/28–29 Moo 9, Chaofah East Road. Contact 076 283 365.

Phuket Visa: Offers con-

081 892 4804

Thai and Thai culture that is necessary for enjoying life in Thailand.

Chaofah Pet Hospital:

* 2010 FINO---- 27,000 B * 2010 MIO ---- 26,500 B

Dos & Don’ts of Thai Culture: Learn

PET HOSPITAL

house for sale/long term rent. Three beds , three baths with three aircon.

Cable TV, ADSL on area 1600 sq metre. Call 089 649 9939.

Rent Kata One-Three Bed Apartments: Superb apartments and pool penthouses 115-375 sq metre, less than five minutes walk to two beaches (Kata and Kata Noi) Call 081 078 1246.

Apartment for Rent in Patong: New condo

with swimming pool, security 24/7. 46sq metre, furnished.

Daily/monthly. Please contact 089 728 4005 or email: t h a m a d17@ y a h o o . c o m .

CLASSIFIEDS 37

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

HOMES IN PHUKET PROPERTY FOR SALE

THE SUNRISE OCEAN VILLAS

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php Chanote Title. Sell by owner. Contact 084 745 4132.

Luxur y Villa, Phuket Loch Palm: Plot: 650 m², own Water, Solar, Living-A:280 m², furnished, Carport, 80 m² Pool, four bedrms, four bathrooms, 5 flat tv, ADSL, Cable TV. 19.5 million Thai Baht. +66 (0) 88 381 0012, office@palmbeach-entertainment.com.

,

,

,

We provide the following:

Property for your budget.

Phuket’s property market.

Professional advice.

Boat Lagoon Pool Villa: Modern four-bed-

Each villa has an living area of over 300 sqm, has 3 spacious bedrooms, all sea views, 5 bathrooms, a 10x4m infinity pool, maid's quarter and a covered 2 car-parking. The houses are specially designed to guarantee a complete privacy, with an open panoramic view of the sea.

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Kata House for Sale:

seaview Patong-Karon villa, four bedrooms, private pool.

Sell for B22 million, and also available rental daily and monthy basis. Please check more info at www.awphuket.com.

tact Stan on 087 978 5804-3.

Gorgeous Beachfront Land: With or without house in very quiet, well-maintained, safe bungalow-village on Ko Siboya, Krabi for sale. See picture at www.sackenheim.net.

New Apar tment for Sale Patong: Condo:

Nice One Rai Chalong B7m: 200 metre off main

swimming pool, security 24/7. Furnished, 46sq metre, freehold: B2.9 million. Contact 089 728 4005 or email: thamad17@yahoo.com.

road. In great location. Full chanote title. Call 089 651 3479.

Land for Sale Rawai: Soi Saliga, Rawai. 1,9 0 8 sqm, clean ready to build,

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PUBLIC NOTICE

Sale or Rent: Spacious

Nice Garden Villa in Nai Harn: Private sale. Must see.

four beds/ four baths home in secure estate, fully furnished inc 50” plasma TV. Pool & Sala, 10 minutes to BIS, HSI, central and three golf courses.

1,600 sq metre land, 240sq metre living area. Located in a quiet area. Check out webpage at www.villa-sophiaphuket.com. Call 087 823 7371 (Deutsch and English).

Private Pool Villas: Intira Villas is a development of 15 boutique villas in the heart of Rawai. Second phase open now! Only a few villas available. 083 594 9279.

Important Notice Mr. Rangsan Ruangnam (Nickname Boy) Has been terminated of his employment at Phuket Pool Tables.

Phuket Pool Tables is not responsible for any damage caused by this behaviour or actions.

Modern Pool Villa: Stunning three bedroom pool villa, five minutes from Laguna 600 sq metre plot in peaceful location. Finished to a very high specification “MUST SEE” Selling price B12.9 million. Please contact 084 994 9303 or email phuketpoolvilla.info@ gmail.com.

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URGENT Land for Sale:

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Photos and price online: See www.thevillaphuket.com.Contact owners to view: 081 270 1970 (Josh) and 081 270 2070 (Michi). Agents welcome.

Sale B15.9 million negotiable! Rent B75,000 per month, owner pays common area and garden. Minimum 12 months lease. Contact Jen 083 967 5777.

Nice Three Bed House for Sale: Three-bedroom house in Moobaan Tarn Thong Villa opposit Moobaan Chao fa California. B3.1 million. Contact Lee for more details on 081 803 7189.

You should not buy property in Phuket without consulting with us first!

Sea view villa: Luxury

Come visit the villas and you will be wonderfully surprised by the quality of the project as well as the quality of life you can find here.

For appointment or more details, contact the project director Khun Montra at 081 343 0777 (Thai, English & German) Email: thesunrise villas@yahoo.com.

room, four-bathroom villa with 8x4 metre pool for sale freehold with chanote title or leasehold. Newly-built, 316 sq metre internal area.

In beautiful marina complex, just 5 minutes drive to British International School.

SEAVIEW LAND FOR SALE: Near Chalong pier,

Stunning 3 Bedroom Pool Villa: in Kamala.

B5.7 million, five minutes to Kata Beach, three-storey,fully furnished,ready to move in.

Approx:160 sq metre land, 180 sq metre living area, garage with overhead storage, security on all doors/windows. Twothree bedrooms with aircon. two full bathrooms. Garden, covered patios. Spacious living room, television/water/electricity ready. B5.7million plus 1/2 land/transfer taxes. Call 081 131 5751, seadog5000@ yahoo.com.

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Considering buying property in phuket? complete overview of

After a great success of the first phase, the Sunrise Ocean Villas is now starting to build the 8 other villas of "Phase2". The price of 17.9 million Baht makes the project one of the most compettitive on the island for being only 60m from the beach.

Large living entertainment area. Western style kitchen, built in bar, airconditioning, laundr y. 20 metre resor t style pool, beautiful established garden additional land with garden suitable for another villa or units total land 2,264 sq metre. Five minutes to beach and main street well below replacement cost B24.6m. Call 086 269 5108 English or 080 744 7625 English/Thai.

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Box B200

Colour Background B200

Colour Headline B200

Colour Picture B395

Deadline: Monday 12pm (noon) for that Friday’s issue

Please hand in this form at our office or fax to: 076 612 553 www.thephuketnews.com

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

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ISLANDSPORT 39

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

ISLAND’S SAILORS WIN IN KING’S CUP

Blue skies, sunshine and good wind made for exciting sailing during the 2011 King’s Cup Regatta, which this year celebrated its 25th anniversary. – Photos by Rolien Photography

SAILING

Phuket-based boats Moto Inzi and Sidewinder took the honours in their respective classes at the 2011 King’s Cup to mark a successful week for the island’s sailors at the region’s premier regatta.

Moto Inzi, sk ippered

by Briton Roger Kingdon, finished top of the pile by just a single point in the Firefly 850 Sport class, while Alan Carwadine’s Sidewinder was the standout performer in the Multihulls, taking first place ahead of another Phuket craft Da Vinci.

There was also a third place finish for Phuket’s Linda skippered by Jack Christensen in the Cruising class and a win for Royal Thai Navy 1 in the IRC 2 class.

After four days of highclass sailing, there was still everything to play for on the final day of racing (December 10) with many classes still wide open. The strongest winds of the week were forecast for the final day and they turned up perfectly on cue.

The conditions played into Team Premier’s hands as skipper Hannes Weimer and crew took a win from the first race and a second in the final race to finish the series as IRC Zero Class champions with 13 points, ahead of Neil Pryde’s Hi Fi and Sam Chan’s Freefire in second and third respectively.

“We’ve raced in 10 King’s Cups now, but this is the first time we competed as our own team under the name of Team Premier,” Weimer said.

“I was feeling fairly com-

All crafts great and small took to the water as Kiteboards shared the sea with Multihulls.–Photos by Rolien Photography

fortable going into the last race because I believed we had the fastest boat; she is a good allround performer, so we get results whether the wind is light or 17 to 18 knots.”

“We won in 2003, but not as Team Premier, so it’s extremely satisfying to win after trying many times before.”

The IRC 1 Class was thrilling throughout the week with so many strong entries from around the world. Yasuo Nanamori and his all-Japanese Karasu team delivered consistent performances from start to finish to take first in

the class and make history by become the first all-Japanese team to win its class at the King’s Cup Regatta.

Thailand scored a magnificent victory in IRC 2 Class, as Chief Petty Officer First Class Wiwat Poonpat’s team on Royal Thai Navy 1 honoured His Majesty the King with a clear class win.

“We are very proud to be able to take overall victory for His Majesty the King’s birthday,” said Wiwat.

“I’m sure all Thai people will be very appreciative of this result and hopefully we

can encourage more people into the sport of sailing.

“I was quite confident coming into the last race, maybe 80 per cent confident, but until we crossed the finishing marker, we were never totally sure if we could do it.

“I’m very happy with our performance in this regatta; the team has trained hard and has been very welldisciplined.”

A first and second in the final two races were just enough to see Kingdon’s Moto Inzi home ahead of Hans Rachmann’s Voodoo in the Firefly 850 Sport class, while Carwadine’s Sidewinder was consistency personified, rounding off the regatta with another two wins, relegating Da Vinci and Miss Saigon into second and third respectively.

Titania of Cowes, a British team which delivered consistent wins throughout the week, performed strongly in the final stages to take the Premier class despite the best efforts of rivals Baby Tonga Strongbow, skippered

by Peter Sorrenson.

Venture, lead by Mike Crisp, dominated the Bareboat Charter class, the Modern Classic class was won by Bo Standergaard’s Patrice III, while Odin took the honours in the Cruising class with Phuket’s Linda in third.

In the Kiteboard class, an exciting new exhibition event at this year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, France’s Olivier Dansin won four out of five races in the series to finish up as a runaway winner. Thai star and two-time Asian Champion Narapichit

Pudla finished second overall with Turkey’s Salih Alexander in third.

This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.

The event attracted the largest fleet in the competition’s history with 91 keelboats and multihulls, 38 dinghies and 19 kiteboards, carrying more than 1,000 sailors from 33 countries across the globe.

Kevin Whitcraft, President of the Phuket King’s Cup Organising Committee, said, “This anniversary year has been an event of particular poignancy.

“The great number of

keelboats and multihulls, strong levels of ability in the International Dinghy class and the introduction of kiteboards has made this one of the most exciting regattas in years.

“Our sponsors have also supported us strongly each and every day, and everybody has had an enjoyable week.

“The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is renowned throughout Asia, and with good wind and beautiful conditions, the racing has not disappointed.

We continue to push the regatta, to innovate and to improve it, so it has lived up to its billing as the best Regatta in recent years.”

31/12/2011

www.thephuketnews.com

40 ISLANDSPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Humiliation for FC Phuket FOOTBALL

FC Phuket crashed to a humiliating 7-0 defeat away to champions-elect Buriram FC last Sunday, to end their hopes of playing in the Thai Premier League in 2012.

The Southern Sea Kirin needed to win the match but found themselves two goals down within the first 10 minutes, and although they managed to make it to half time without conceding any more goals, hosts Buriram hit five more after the break to condemn Somphong Wattana’s side to a record defeat.

The win all but seals the Division One title for Buriram who need just one more win from their remaining four matches, just one year after they were promoted along with FC Phuket and Chainat FC. The latter will join Buriram in the Premier League as they currently sit in second place, 13 points clear of fourth, as the two sides adapted to life in Division One much better than the Kirin who currently lie in seventh place.

The first encounter between the sides at Surakul Stadium earlier this year resulted in a 3-0 win for Buriram, so

Goalkeeper Jonathan Matijas was kept busy all night.

Division 1 1 2 3 4 5 6

Buriram looked dangerous everytime they attacked.

FC Phuket fans that travelled to the match expected a tough task ahead.

In addition, Buriram were able to field a full strength line up as they aimed to home in on their first ever Division One title, whereas FC Phuket were missing their captain Suphat Ontthong and key men like Thawin Butrasombat.

The Lava Warriors attacked right from the off, and

the scoreline only stayed level thanks to the crossbar and brilliance of Jonathan Matijas who saw shots rain down on his goal from all angles.

Having withstood the early onslaught, FC Phuket could, and perhaps should, have snatched the lead.

From a free kick on the right, the visitors found Tameezee Hayeeyusoh whose ball into the box was met by

–Photos by Karuna Chidchob Kone Adama. The big Ivorian nodded the ball down to his strike partner Watcharapong Jan-ngam who volleyed the ball straight at Buriram’s goalkeeper Umarin Yaodum.

Stung into action, the home side attacked once again and this time got the reward their endeavour deserved.

Supakit Jinajai sprayed a 30-yard pass to his team-mate Sumanya Purisay, who sped past Phuket’s static defence before slotting past Matijas to give Buriram the lead on seven minutes.

Two minutes later and things went from bad to worse for the Kirin as they found themselves trailing by two goals to nil with more than 80 minutes of the match remaining.

A mistake by hapless centre back Wirajrot Janteng gifted possession to Suriya Domtaisong who, like Sumanya moments before, finished with ease past the defenceless Matijas.

Already two goals to the good, Buriram kept up the pressure on FC Phuket, who struggled to get the ball out of their own half, and the home

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Team Buriram FC Chainat BBCU PTT Rayong Songkhla Bangkok United FC Phuket Raj Pracha Saraburi Rangsit JW Chanthaburi Suphanburi Air Force United Customs United Bangkok Chiangmai RBAC Mittraphap Thai Honda

P 30 30 31 30 28

W 22 20 17 14 12

D 7 3 9 8 9

L 1 7 5 8 7

F 69 63 37 44 43

A 15 31 19 25 29

Pts 73 63 60 50 45

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13

6

11

45

42

45

29 27 29 30 31 30

11 12 9 9 9 7

10 6 13 9 8 13

8 9 7 12 14 10

41 31 30 29 30 32

36 34 24 37 45 35

43 42 40 36 35 34

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8

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side almost grabbed a third before the interval, narrowly firing over the bar.

In the second half Buriram picked up where they left off, and only Matijas’ alertness stopped them from making it 3-0 straight away. The away side did fashion a couple of chances through Ossien Nissim but the midfielder could only shot over the bar and then straight at Umarin.

FC Phuket were left to rue those missed opportunities as Buriram made it 3-0 after 68 minutes with a second goal from Suriya, and then added a fourth 10 minutes later when Jirawat Makkanarom curled home a 25-yard free kick.

With just 10 minutes to go FC Phuket’s nightmare was only just beginning as

Douglas Gardoza grabbed his first goal and Buriram’s fifth, Sumanya made it six with his second of the night before Ekkachai Samrae wrapped up the scoring in the last moments of the match.

Buriram FC head coach Wisut Wichaya: “I am very satisfied. The boys played very well and their potential is outstanding. The three points today got us one step closer to the Division One title.”

FC Phuket coach Somphong Wattana: “We couldn’t measure up, I have to admit.

Our footballers were tired from travelling, plus we weren’t helped by the colder weather in the northeast. But I must give it to Buriram FC; they are very good.”

Rising star picked for US junior golf championship A girl from Phuket was picked by the Sport Authority of Thailand (SAT) to represent the Kingdom at the US Junior Masters, to be held from December 20 to 24 in Florida, USA. Jinjuta Tongton, 17, a student at Satree Phuket School, has won numerous SAT-organised golf tournaments, where she has competed against golfers nationwide.

Vice president of Phuket www.thephuketnews.com

Junior Golf Club Chamnan Phuttanabut said “Jinjuta aims to finish in the top three at the Florida tournament, out of some 40 golf juniors from around the world.”

You ng lo ca l gol f i ng prodigy Pariwat ‘Progress’ Pinsawat, 14, who took out second place at this year’s Callaway Junior World Golf Championships in the US, did not enter the competition.

Jinjuta is heading to Florida.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

INTERNATIONALSPORT 41

Wayward bowling costs TNT dear The Village Cricket Club made it back-to-back wins in the 2011-12 Island Furniture League as they notched up a comfortable 62-run victory over newcomers Thanyapura News Tigers (TNT) at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) last Sunday.

Batting first, the Village were aided by some wayward bowling from TNT who sent down a total of 79 wides in the first innings, a number which would ultimately seal their fate in this match and will need rectifying if they are to have any chance of success this season.

The Village made 185 in their innings with Martin Foster top scoring with 40 after extras (84) and TNT

skipper Barrie Buck taking a superb five wickets for 28 runs in eight overs to give his side a chance.

In reply, TNT could only post 123 all out from 25 overs as they slumped to defeat against a team they comfortably beat in their second preseason match.

On a bright and sunny morning at the ACG, TNT won the toss and decided to put the Village into bat. Hoping to capitalise on fielding when conditions were slightly cooler, TNT were hampered by poor control with the ball and were forced to bowl an additional 13 overs.

T he ext r a del ive r ie s brought about by failing to bowl a good line meant that

CRICKET TNT went over the allotted time to bowl their overs. This resulted in them being penalised for a slow over rate and subsequently only had 35 overs to face during their innings.

Openers Foster and captain James Firth (16) started positively and built a platform on which The Village could set a good total as they moved to 84 without loss after 15 overs.

At this point captain Buck decided that enough was enough and brought himself on to immediate effect, dismissing Firth with his first ball.

Paul Stamp (15) and Diwan Mydeen (11 not out) also made valuable contributions with the bat as the other seven

Village batsmen could only add a further 19 runs between them – but the damage had already been done.

Buck’s 5-28 saw him become the first player to take a five-wicket haul at the ACG, and he was well supported by newcomer Paul Lattimore who took one for 25 from his eight overs as the pair restricted The Village to just 36 runs from the final 10 overs.

After the lunch break, TNT opener Ryan Dunn (15), coming off the back of an unbeaten 80 not out against the Leopards in his previous match, looked confident dispatching Village opening bowler Tom Gordon for a towering six.

Gordon, however, had his revenge and clean bowled

Dunn with the very next ball.

Martin Hill (3) was next to fall and was dismissed in the cruelest fashion. Batting partner Daniel Smith hit a straight drive off the bowling of Foster, who managed to get a hand to the ball to deflect its path. With Hill out of his ground backing up, he could only watch on helplessly as the ball rolled onto the stumps, dislodging the bails.

Smith, himself, was the victim of another run out later on, a fate also suffered

by Garry Carrick (0).

The only resistance shown

by TNT was from Roshan Jayasuriya (24) and Smith (15) who put on a 52-run partnership but sadly for the newcomers no other batsmen

managed to reach double figures and Joseph Nagy, who was dismissed for a golden duck, will now join the others on the “wall of shame” at the ACG clubhouse.

T NT event ually succumbed for just 123 runs from 25 overs, with the pick of the bowlers for the Village being Tom Gordon (2-29), Craig Patterson (2-17) and Foster (2-33).

Speedster Diwan Mydeen (1-5) also found some form from his couple of overs, which should stand him in good stead for future matches.

Man of the match was Barry Buck, captain of the losing side, for his five wicket haul, with Foster and Jaysuriya being second and third pick respectively.

BSS hosts youth friendlies FOOTBALL

AFL nine begins in January FOOTBALL

T he n i nt h Adu lt Fut sal League (AFL) presented by Thanachart Bank will commence on January 19 at Thanyapura Sport and Leisure Club (TSLC).

A total of 11 teams took part in season eight, and organisers are hoping to attract more before the season gets underway.

The season takes about two months to complete and matches are played on Tuesday and Thursday evenings under floodlights at TSLC. All players must be 18 and over and teams can register a total of 12 players in their squads. Matches are five-a-side and are played to official Futsal rules.

The winners of the AFL Premier League and First Divisions will win the coveted AFL trophy (pictured above), with medals being awarded to the members of the winning squads plus the runners up.

A trophy will also be presented to the season’s top goal scorer and the team with the least infringements will win the Thanachart Bank Fair Play trophy.

■■ For more information on the AFL contact Martin Hill at football@thanyapura.co.th

Players from Krung Kao ATCC blocked the ball struck by Ornuma Sitthirak of KPVC .

Kathu makes winning start Kathu Phuket Volleyball Club (KPVC) made a winning start to the 2011-12 Volleyball Thai League (VTL) when they beat Krung Kao ATCC by three-sets-to-one in Phuket on Monday, December 12.

KPVC got off to an excellent start, taking the first two sets – 25-18 and 25-15 – to put themselves in prime position to win their opening match with ease.

VOLLEYBALL But as befits a former league runner up, their opponents bat tled back to take the third set 15-25 but KPVC were able to see out the match, winning a hardfought fourth set 25-22.

The VTL is made up of eight teams and will run until April 8 of next year.

KPVC is sponsored by

Kathu Municipality and the Phuket Sport Association, whose support has enable them to recruit players like current Thailand international Ornuma Sitthirak and former star Alisa Sengsane.

Former winners of the league, KPVC will play their second game on Christmas Day (December 25), when they travel to Nakornsawan to take on SCG Khon Kan.

Brazilian Soccer Schools Phuket (BSS) hosted another series of friendly football matches at Thanyapura Sport and Leisure Club (TSLC) on Sunday, December 11.

A total of 70 players across three different age categories were on show, as BSS invited teams from HeadStart, Thalang Tigers and Patong to participate in under-10, under-13 and under-15 matches on TSLC’s state-of-the-art football surface.

In the under-15s category just two teams took part this time, with BSS taking on HeadStart school in three highly competitive games.

BSS took the honours in the first two matches before HeadStart put in a muchimproved performance to

draw the final match.

The under-13s was the most competitive age group, with teams representing all four participating schools and groups.

The action was also tight on the field of play as every team registered a win, played fast, attacking football; scored some great goals, and all the games were played with exemplary levels of good sportsmanship as all the players shook hands with their opponents afterwards.

Patong proved to be too hot to handle in the under-10s as they beat the two teams representing BSS and the one from HeadStart to finish the day with three wins from three.

■■ For more information on BSS contact Martin Hill at bss@thanyapura.co.th

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42 INTERNATIONALSPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

THE PHUKET NEWS TIPPING COMPETITION: 16

This month's competition is supported by:

Blues end City’s unbeaten run FOOTBALL He may no longer be guaranteed a place in Chelsea’s starting line up under Andre Villas-Boas, but Frank Lampard proved that he can still be the man for the big occasion as he scored the goal that condemned Manchester City to a first league defeat of the season.

Lampard’s penalty secured a 2-1 come from behind win for the Blues after the England midfielder’s replacement Raul Meireles had earlier cancelled out Mario Balotelli’s goal after just 97 seconds.

The defeat sealed a miserable week for City who crashed out of the Champions League the previous Wednesday, but that didn’t prevent Mancini’s men from enjoying a traditional football Christmas fancy dress party in England’s capital a few hours after the match came to an end.

Rivals Man United were able to close the gap on City to just two points after a convincing 4-1 win against Wolves, and the Red Devils recaptured second place after Spurs were beaten 2-1 at Stoke.

Arsenal and Liverpool also clawed back some ground on leaders City with 1-0 home

WEEK 16 Home Team W D W Away Team

i r i

n a n w 17/12/2011 Blackburn West Brom Everton Norwich Fulham Bolton Newcastle Swansea Wolves Stoke Wigan Chelsea 18/12/2011 QPR Man Utd Aston Villa Liverpool Tottenham Sunderland Man City Arsenal

WEEK 17

Ivorian Didier Drogba embraces Portuguese team-mate Raul Meireles after the latter’s equaliser against Man City.

Chelsea went on to win the match 2-1.

–Photo AFP wins against Everton and QPR respectively.

Elsewhere in round 15, Sunderland began life under Martin O’Neill with a win over Blackburn, Wigan secured a surprise away win at West Brom, Aston Villa took all three points away at Bolton, while there were home wins for Norwich, who beat Newcastle 4-2, and for Swansea against Fulham In trying to be too clever

by half The Phuket News’ Dan Ogunshakin had another average week, scoring 10 points after correctly predicting the outcome of five matches.

The top points scorer for the month of December will win themselves a B3,000 voucher to be spent at the Peppers Bar & Restaurant, Phuket’s premier sports bar.

Currently topping December’s table is ‘Jauntingjason’, who has 36 points after two

20/12/2011 Wolves Norwich Blackburn Bolton 21/12/2011 Aston Villa Arsenal Man City Stoke Newcastle West Brom Everton Swansea Fulham Man Utd QPR Sunderland Wigan Liverpool 22/12/2011 Tottenham Chelsea

Please fax this form to 076 612 553 or hand it in at The Phuket News office before Friday 2pm. Alternatively, visit our website www.thephuketnews.com to enter the competition online.

rounds of matches this month.

The overall winner will win a return flight to the UK come the end of the season; currently the overall lead still belongs to ‘gafferworld’ who tops the table with 247 points.

The fixtures come thick and fast over the festive period, with rounds 16 and 17 all taking place within a couple

of days of each other.

You can now enter your tips for round 16 and 17.

Either enter them online by 23:59 on December 16 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 2pm on the 16th.

ROUND 15 RESULTS: Arsenal 1-0 Everton Bolton 1-2 Aston Villa Liverpool 1-0 QPR Man Utd 4-1 Wolves Norwich 4-2 Newcastle Swansea 2-0 Fulham West Brom 1-2 Wigan Sunderland 2-1 Blackburn Stoke 2-1 Tottenham Chelsea 2-1 Man City DAN’S TIPS ROUND 16 Blackburn v West Brom: home win Everton v Norwich: home win Fulham v Bolton: home win Newcastle v Swansea: home win Wolves v Stoke: home win Wigan v Chelsea: away win QPR v Man Utd: away win Aston Villa v Liverpool: away win Tottenham v Sunderland: home win Man City v Arsenal: home win DAN’S TIPS ROUND 17 Wolves v Norwich: home win Blackburn v Bolton: home win Aston Villa v Arsenal: draw Man City v Stoke: home win Newcastle v West Brom: home win Everton v Swansea: home win Fulham v Man Utd: draw QPR v Sunderland: home win Wigan v Liverpool: away win Tottenham v Chelsea: home win TOP 10 DECEMBER (OVERALL): 1. Jauntingjason 36 2. aom 34 2. gafferworld 34 2. zestrealestate 34 5. Chaochao 32 6. steegee 29 6. The Lunchroom Kathu 29 8. scottkip 28 9. apollo131 27 9. fazza 27

China embraces new era with Anelka China’s corruption-addled Super League once sank so low it was pulled from national TV but the signing of French star Nicolas Anelka highlights a gold rush that could finally drag Chinese soccer out of the mire.

The much-travelled marksman nicknamed “Le Sulk” is an unlikely poster-boy but China’s most high-profile recruit symbolises a new dawn for the country – and is the likely pioneer for an influx of well-known players.

Anelka’s two-year deal with Shanghai Shenhua, who finished in the lower half of

Anelka is the highest profile Super League signing so far. the table last season, comes just a year after the Super League’s nadir when a major match-fixing crackdown left senior officials facing jail.

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The corruption problems were so acute that when last season kicked off, state broadcaster CCTV refused to broadcast the matches and the league

was without a major sponsor.

But in the space of just a few months, the Super League has cast off its woes with a series of big-money signings – funded largely by profits from a breakneck property boom – helping draw record crowds.

“The potential of Chinese football is, and always has been, massive. This is why we are seeing names like Anelka come to China,” said Cameron Wilson, Chinabased founder of the wildeastfootball.net website.

“The long-term outlook for the sport here is bright.”

The 32-year-old striker, who will complete his transfer next month for an undisclosed sum, is expected to be followed to Shanghai by French coach Jean Tigana and, if the club has its way, Anelka’s Chelsea team-mate Didier Drogba.

But Anelka is not the first player lured by the megariches available in the Chinese league, with his weekly wages repor tedly in the region of $300,000 (B10 million) – although Shenhua dispute the figure.

In July, little-known Argentine Dario Conca smashed the Chinese record when he signed a $10 million (B300 million) contract for Guangzhou Evergrande, who also splashed out $7.5 million (B225 million) on Brazilian forwards Cleo and Muriqui.

The club, bankrolled by leading property firm Evergrande, were richly rewarded when they swept to the Super League title by 15 points – just two seasons after being relegated for match-fixing.

“The gold rush in Chinese football started in earnest in

the summer when Guangzhou Evergrande signed Conca,” Wilson told AFP. “It was a massive signing in terms of prestige and it really made all the other clubs sit up and take notice.”

Conca was the catalyst for a sudden revival in the Super League’s fortunes with a record 4.2 million fans clicking through turnstiles and the usual crowd trouble and scandal largely absent.

According to Titan Sports Weekly, the renaissance followed government orders for real estate companies to front up the money for football clubs to bring in more foreign players.

“The nation’s top leadership has ordered large-scale development for football, they have asked each company to invest at least $32 million (approximately B1 billion),” Titan quoted an unnamed real estate mogul as saying.

“No matter if it is a foreign player or foreign coach, now we can move forward with this, and raise the overall level of the Super League.” –AFP

INTERNATIONALSPORT 43

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Ligue 1, France

English Premier 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Team Man City Man Utd Chelsea Tottenham Arsenal Liverpool Newcastle Utd Stoke City Aston Villa Norwich City Swansea City Everton QPR Fulham West Brom Sunderland Wolves Wigan Blackburn Bolton

P 15 15 15 14 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 14 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15

W 12 11 10 10 9 7 7 6 4 5 4 5 4 3 4 3 4 3 2 3

D 2 3 1 1 2 5 5 3 7 4 5 1 4 6 3 5 2 3 4 0

L 1 1 4 3 4 3 3 6 4 6 6 8 7 6 8 7 9 9 9 12

F 49 35 33 30 31 18 21 16 18 24 16 15 15 16 14 18 16 14 22 20

A 15 14 18 18 23 13 19 24 19 28 20 18 26 18 23 18 28 29 34 36

Pts 38 36 31 31 29 26 26 21 19 19 17 16 16 15 15 14 14 12 10 9

Bundesliga, Germany 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Team Bayern Dortmund Schalke B’sia M’bach Bremen Leverkusen Stuttgart Hannover Hoffenheim Köln Hertha Hamburg Mainz Wolfsburg K‘serslautern Nuremberg Augsburg Freiburg

P 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 15 16 16 15 16 16 16 16 16

W 11 9 10 9 9 7 6 5 6 6 4 4 4 5 3 4 3 3

D 1 4 1 3 2 5 4 7 3 2 7 6 5 2 6 3 5 4

L 4 3 5 4 5 4 6 4 7 7 5 6 6 9 7 9 8 9

F 40 31 33 24 30 22 23 19 18 26 23 20 21 22 12 14 14 20

A 10 11 22 11 26 19 19 23 18 31 25 26 27 34 20 28 27 35

Pts 34 31 31 30 29 26 22 22 21 20 19 18 17 17 15 15 14 13

P

W

D

L

F

A

1

Montpellier

Team

17

11

3

3

36

18

Pts 36

2

PSG

17

11

3

3

30

17

36 34

3

Lille

17

9

7

1

29

15

4

Lyon

17

10

2

5

29

19

32

5

Rennes

17

8

5

4

28

22

29

6

Toulouse

17

8

5

4

19

16

29

7

Saint-Étienne

17

7

6

4

21

19

27

8

Marseille

17

6

7

4

22

16

25

9

Lorient

17

6

5

6

17

19

23

10

Bordeaux

17

4

8

5

19

21

20

11

Evian

17

4

7

6

22

25

19

12

Caen

17

5

4

8

23

27

19

13

Auxerre

17

4

6

7

24

27

18

14

Sochaux

17

4

6

7

21

31

18

15

Dijon

17

5

3

9

17

31

18

16

Brest

17

2

11

4

18

19

17

17

Valenciennes

17

4

5

8

17

19

17

18

Nancy

17

3

6

8

14

22

15

19

Nice

17

3

5

9

15

19

14

20

Ajaccio

17

1

6

10

17

36

9

Coming up this week English Premier League Fixtures

Bundesliga Fixtures

(Times in Thailand)

(Times in Thailand)

Saturday December 17 Blackburn v West Brom 22:00 Everton v Norwich 22:00 Fulham v Bolton 22:00 Newcastle v Swansea 22:00 Wolvesv Stoke 22:00

Saturday December 17 Bayern v Cologne 01:30 Leverkusen v Nu’berg 20:30 Hamburg v Augsburg 20:30 SC Freiburg v Dortmund 20:30 Hoffenheim v Hertha 20:30 Wolfsburg v Stuttgart 20:30 Schalke v Bremen 23:30

Sunday December 18 Wigan v Chelsea QPR v Man Utd Aston Villa v Liverpool Spurs v Sunderland Man City v Arsenal

00:30 19:00 20:05 22:00 23:10

Sunday December 18 K’slautern v Hannover 20:30 B’sia M’gbach v Mainz 22:30

Sport on TV: Times in Thailand Friday December 16 EVENT

Football: Fifa Club World Cup Football: Fifa Club World Cup

TIME

CHANNEL

14:25 17:25

Astro Supersport 3 Astro Supersport 3

Saturday December 17

Serie A, Italy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Team Juventus Udinese Milan Lazio Napoli Palermo Genoa Cagliari Roma Catania Inter Parma Atalanta Fiorentina Chievo Bologna Siena Cesena Novara Lecce

P 14 14 14 14 14 14 13 14 14 14 13 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14

W 8 9 8 8 5 6 5 4 5 4 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 2 2

D 6 3 4 4 6 2 3 6 3 6 2 2 7 4 4 3 5 3 5 2

L 0 2 2 2 3 6 5 4 6 4 6 7 2 6 6 7 6 8 7 10

F 25 18 31 22 22 16 16 12 16 15 16 15 17 13 11 13 14 7 15 13

A 11 7 16 11 14 16 16 13 18 20 18 20 16 13 18 20 14 15 25 26

Pts 30 30 28 28 21 20 18 18 18 18 7 17 16 16 16 15 14 12 11 8

Rugby: Heineken Cup 03:00 Eurosport Golf: Thailand Open C’ship 12:30 Golf Channel Golf: Dubai Ladies Masters 16:00 STAR Sports Skiing: World Cup 18:15 Eurosport Rugby: Heineken Cup 20:30 Eurosport Rugby: Heineken Cup 22:40 Eurosport TrueSport 1 Football: Newcastle v Swansea 22:00 Football: Fulham v Bolton 22:00 TrueSport 2 Football: Everton v Norwich 22:00 TrueSport 3 Football: Wolves v Stoke 22:00 TrueSport 5

Donald’s CV still lacks a Major win. –Photo by Keith Allison

Donald lands historic double English golfer Luke Donald created history in style when he made three birdies in his last three holes at the Dubai World Championship to win the European Tour’s Race to Dubai.

There were two ways the world number one could have won the honour and thus become the only player in history to win the Money Lists on both the US PGA and European Tours.

He either needed to finish inside the top-nine or hope that world No2 Rory McIlroy did not win the $7.5 million (B225 million) season-ending championship. In the end both outcomes came to pass.

The 34-year-old played bogey-free golf for his last 46 holes – his last bogey coming on the eighth hole in Friday’s second round – and successive rounds of six-under par 66 on Saturday and Sunday saw him finish third on 16-under par.

On the other hand, a third consecutive one-under par 71 round by McIlroy meant he

GOLF finished tied for the 11th place with a nine-under par 279.

While Donald walked away with the top share of the Race to Dubai Bonus Pool of $1.5 million (B45 million), the Dubai World Championship was won in emphatic style by Alvaro Quiros.

The Spaniard sank a 40foot eagle putt on the final hole to win the $1.25 million (B37.5 million) first prize with a 19-under par 269.

The rejuvenated Paul Lawrie matched Quiros’ final round of 67, but that left him two shots adrift of the champion. Donald was one shot further back at 272.

“It is difficult to sum up my emotions right now,” said Donald, whose final earning from the 2011 European Tour season was B219 million.

“I have wanted this for some months now and obviously, my come-from-behind win in Disney made this all possible.”

Sunday December 18 Rugby: Heineken Cup 00:55 Eurosport Football: Wigan v Chelsea 02:40 TrueSport 3 Golf: Thailand Open C’ship 12:30 Golf Channel Football: QPR v Man Utd 15:00 Football: Aston Villa v Liverpool 21:05

TrueSport 3 TrueSport 1

Football: Spurs v Sunderland Football: Man City v Arsenal

TrueSport 3 TrueSport 1

22:00 23:10

Hash House Harriers Run 1345: Saturday December 17 at 3:30pm.

“A drinking club with a running problem.”

Hares: Minnie Mouse, Pole Position and J.C. Directions: Meet at Soi Seekor in Kathu.

Bus: Expat Hotel, Patong: 14:00 and Baan Rim Klong, Kamala: 14:30.

www.thephuketnews.com

44

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

SPORT

Local Cup success

Phuket boats fly the flag at 25th King’s Cup > 39

WILKINSON CALLS IT A DAY England fly-half great Jonny Wilkinson retired from international rugby union this week and was hailed by former coaches and team-mates as the consumate professional and an all-time great.

“I would like to take this opportunity to announce my retirement from international rugby,” Wilkinson, said in a statement on his own website, www.jonnywilkinson.com.

“To do so fills me with great sadness, but I know I have been blessed in so many ways to have experienced what I have with the England rugby team,” Wilkinson, England’s record points scorer and second on the all-time list behind New Zealand’s Dan Carter, added.

Wilkinson assured himself of a place in rugby union history with the extra-time drop-goal that saw England, with just seconds remaining, win the 2003 World Cup f i nal against hosts Australia in Sydney.

But a succession of injuries meant it was almost four years before he played another Test but he returned to the sport as if he had never been away, scoring 27 points in a convincing win against Scotland at Twickenham.

Wilkinson often hit the heights but at the recent World Cup in New Zealand even his normally metronome-like goalkicking let him down as England, beset by off-field problems, crashed out in the quarter-finals to France.

RUGBY

Widely regarded as the best defensive fly-half Test rugby has seen, Wilkinson’s international retirement means just two of England’s 2003 world cup winning squad are still available for England selection – Simon Shaw, now Wilkinson’s team-mate at Toulon, and Mike Tindall.

The 32-year-old Wilkinson bowed out from Tests as England’s record points scorer with 1,179 points from 91 Test matches, a haul comprising six tries, 162 conversions, 239 penalties and a record 36 drop-goals.

He also scored 67 points in six Tests for the British and Irish Lions on tours of Australia (2001) and New Z e a l a n d (2 0 05 ) fo r a n overall tally of 1,246.

Despite his success, the deep-lying Wilkinson, in the view of some pundits, became symptomatic of all that was wrong with England’s attack, but his standing within the game meant that despite his numerous injury absences none of his possible successors were able to make the number 10 shirt truly their own.

Wilkinson’s statement added: “To say I have played through four World Cups, two Lions tours, 91 international games and a ridiculous number of injuries and other setbacks gives me an incredibly special feeling of fulfilment.

“But by now I k now myself well enough to know

Jonny Wilkinson will always be remembered for this moment against Australia in Sydney in the dying seconds of the 2003 world cup final which England won 20-17. –Photo AFP that I will never truly be satisfied,” he added.

“It goes without saying that I would like to wish Stuart Lancaster, his coaches and the England squad every bit of success available to them,” added Wilkinson, who also saluted the much-criticised England backroom staff at this year’s World Cup, of whom only scrum supremo Graham Rowntree will be working with interim boss Lancaster.

“I would also very much like to extend those wishes to Martin Johnson, Brian Smith,

Mike Ford, John Wells, Graham Rowntree and the rest of the England 2011 World Cup management team who have been fantastic and deserve people to know that.”

Despite calling time on his international career the former Newcastle stand-off Wilkinson has no intention of hanging up his boots just yet and said he would continue playing for Toulon, the French club he joined in 2009.

“For me now, I will continue to focus ever harder on my goal of being the very

best I can be with Toulon Rugby Club and continue to embrace and enjoy wherever that path takes me.”

Fellow World Cup winner Lewis Moody, England’s captain in New Zealand before announcing his own Test retirement in October, told Sky Sports he’d been “humbled” to have played alongside Wilkinson.

“I’m saddened but his contribution over the years, his work ethic, professionalism and commitment, has been immense,” the Bath flanker said.

“The fact he missed four years of international rugby but still amassed 97 caps is unimaginable,” Moody said.

“What he’s given to the sport, and a generation, is immense.”

And while Moody insisted Wilkinson could have continued at Test level, he understood his reasons for ending his England career.

“If he puts his mind to it he could keep doing it.

“But for him the decision is right and considering the amount of work he’s put in and the number of injuries he’s had in his career, he deserves to enjoy a long and restful retirement.”

England wing Ugo Monye said: “I went to school with Johnny. The way he trained then as a 16-year-old is just how he trains now.”

Lancaster, appoi nted E n g l a n d’s a c t i n g h e a d coach following the post World Cup resignation of team manager Johnson, the 2003 World Cup winning captain, paid tribute to Wilkinson.

“Jonny has had a fantastic international career which has spanned four World Cups and 91 caps and ranks as one of England’s greatest-ever players,” Lancaster said in a Rugby Football Union statement.

“He will of course be remembered for that drop-goal but he is more than that, a model sportsman – down-toearth and hard-working, who has never stopped trying to be the best that he can be.”

Lapasset elected again Packers suffer Jennings KO In a political fight to control the direction of global rugby for the next four years, Frenchman Bernard Lapasset edged former England captain Bill Beaumont this week to remain in charge.

Lapasset was elected for a second consecutive term as chairman of the International Rugby Board (IRB) in a 14-12 vote over vice-chairman Bill Beaumont by the IRB Council at a meeting near Los Angeles International Airport.

Lapasset, a former president of the French Rugby Federation, played a key role in France’s successful bid for the 2007 World Cup. “I’m honoured to accept the mandate of the council to serve as chairman for another term,” he said. www.thephuketnews.com

“Together we must work to ensure that our sport remains strong for all our unions and is able to continue its phenomenal worldwide growth.”

During the Frenchman’s tenure, rugby returned to the Olympics with sevens set for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, Argentina joined Southern Hemisphere rivals South Africa, New Zealand and Australia in the new Four Nations event, and Japan was named 2019 World Cup hosts, the first to be staged in Asia.

“We have fantastic opportunities to grow the game, to reach new markets and welcome new members to the rugby family,” Lapasset said.

Lapasset will begin a new four-year term on January 1,

2012, as a result of the firstballot triumph and he cast the deciding vote in another election that booted his challenger Beaumont out of the vice-chairman’s post.

South African Rugby Union chair man Oregan Hoskins was elected as the new IRB vice-chairman. After two rounds of voting were deadlocked at 13-13, chairman Lapasset cast his tie-breaking vote for Hoskins.

“I am looking forward to working with Bernard and my colleagues on the council to ensure rugby is best placed to thrive as a sport at both the elite and community levels as we continue to build the platform for sustainable growth in the decade ahead.” –AFP

NFL

Green Bay Packers receiver Greg Jennings will be sidelined for two to three weeks with a left knee sprain as his teammates try to complete a perfect run through the NFL regular season.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said that Jennings would be healthy to return in next month’s playoffs, when Green Bay will try to defend the Super Bowl title captured last February.

The unbeaten Packers are 13-0 and can clinch a homefield advantage throughout the National Conference playoffs with a victory this Sunday at Kansas City. The Packers have already secured a firstround playoff bye.

The Green Bay Packers will have to secure a perfect NFL regular season without Greg Jennings after he hurt his knee against the Oakland Raiders last weekend.

–Photo by Gabriel Cervantes If they win that game, the Packers will come home to Green Bay for the final two

games of the season – on December 25 against Chicago and January 1 against Detroit – with a shot at recording a perfect season.

The setback to those hopes came last Sunday against Oakland when Jennings hurt his left knee landing awkwardly after a third-quarter catch.

The last team to complete a perfect season were the 1972-73 Miami Dolphins, who won 17 games out of 17.

The only team to come close to matching that feat were the 2007-08 New England Patriots, who were just 35 seconds away from perfection before conceding a lastgasp touchdown to lose the 2008 Super Bowl to the New York Giants 17-14.