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FRIDAY, ARRIL 17, 2015
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THE ISLAND’S
WORST
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The black water is back in Bangtao
LIFE
A
s this issue of The Phuket News went to press, and not counting the Songkran’s figures for this year, 12 people had died in traffic accidents on the island since January 1, with a total of 617 traffic injuries requiring hospitalisation. As the “seven days of danger”
culminates, these numbers will inevitable have swollen by the time you read this. According to data collected by Thai Road Safety Culture (TRSC) since 2010, up to the present (five years and three months) there have been nearly 20,000 traffic-related injuries on Phuket roads, with 310 deaths. This doesn’t necessarily account
for all undocumented migrant worker deaths or victims who succumbed to their injuries later in hospital. Still, it confirms that every year on the island’s roads, no fewer than 5,000 people get reported as injured, with an average of about 75 deaths reported annually. To shed more light on this issue, The Phuket News scrutinised available data from TRSC, the police and the
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National Statisics office, and here’s what we found:
Bad driving: Statistics from the Royal Thai Police (RTP) confirm that plain bad driving is officially to blame for more than 93 per cent of accidents reported in Phuket during a recent eight-year period. According to RTP traffic incident records covering 2006-2013 – as
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Journalism is not dead in Phuket
SPORT Steven Layne editor@classactmedia.co.th
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DANGEROUS ROADS Continued from page 1 compiled by the government’s Statistical Forecasting Bureau – a total of 2,558 of 2,753 accidents reported on the island came as a direct result of dangerous and/or unlawful driving. This compares with only 7pc (195 crashes) blamed on defective roads or vehicles, or the weather (142 and 53 cases, respectively). In other words, Phuket drivers were 13 times more likely than the roads, weather or vehicles to be the cause of accidents.
Speed kills: Here’s a number that will come as no great surprise: the top cause of Phuket accidents was speeding, which resulted in 384 accidents, or 14 per cent of the total. This is followed by drunk driving with 284 cases (10pc), dangerous lane changing (220 or 8pc), and tailgating (88 or 3pc). The numbers may seem a little lower than you might
expect over eight years. One reason for under-reporting is that the causes of 1,315 of the accidents reported (48pc), were not given in police reports. A handful of other “less frequent” reasons were also sited, including violating traffic lights or signals (34 cases); driving in the wrong lane (23); not yielding right of way (23); driving across the divide (22); failing to use signals (12); and falling asleep at the wheel (12).
Blame it on the rain? Only 5pc, or 142 crashes, were blamed on environmental factors – slippery roads (34 cases), rain (32), dark streets (15), narrow roads (13) and only one case reported as caused by damaged roads (1). 53 cases (2pc) were blamed on faulty vehicles. According to a different set of RTP records identifying the types of vehicles, persons and property affected in Phuket accidents from 2006 to 2013, there were in fact 2,904 accidents reported here.
FRIDAY, ARRIL 17, 2015
Of these, only 1,858 cases gave the type of “road user” involved. Nearly half of all accidents (843 – 45pc) involved motorbikes. This was followed by private cars (499 accidents or 26.8pc); pick-up trucks (216 or 11.6pc); pedestrians (103 or 5.5pc); vans (58 or 3.1pc); 10-wheeler trucks (39 or 2pc); six-wheeler trucks (35 or 1.8pc). A handful of other road users involved in accidents included taxis (8); buses (7), bicycles (7); tuk tuks (3) and 40 cases labelled “other”. These statistics don’t apportion blame, and the earlier figures given on the causes of accidents don’t distinguish between bikes speeding, for instance, or trucks speeding. But it would be fair to say that together they contrast with the perceptions of a majority of respondents in a recent Phuket News Poll, who perceived trucks, tour buses and vans as the “biggest hazards on Phuket’s roads”.
Reported deaths on Phuket roads from January 1, 2010, to March 31, 2015
Map compiled by Thailand Road Safety Culture. Base map by Google.
Talad Yai: Around Tor Sae Hill, along Suthat-Montri Rds, as well as Thung Ka-Mae Luan Rd, and behind To Sae Hill to WorKor Junction (near Mission Hospital) and Rassadanusorn Rd; Chao Fa West: From Kajonkiet School to Wat Chalong Temple, and along Luang Po Chaem Rd to Chao Fa East; South: From Chalong along Wiset Rd to Rawai, and in adjoining sois (Saiyuan, Khok Makham, Nam Jai); Kathu: along Phra Phuket Kaew Rd, through Thung Thong into and over Patong Hill; Bypass Rd: upper part to Bang Ku junction and on to Koh Kaew traffic lights; Srisoonthon: From Heroines Monument to Cherng Talay, along both Routes 4023 and 4025; Northcentral: Along Thepkrasattri Rd, from Heroines Monument to Thalang intersection; Northwest: Mai Khao, north of airport, along route 3033 and 3034; West coast: Laguna to Kamala, to Kalim, Patong, Kata and Karon
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A Thai youngester plays a game in an Internet shop. Photo Nina Bruja
Clampdown on internet game shops PHUKET OFFICIALS ARE CONsidering revoking the licences of 21 existing internet game shops after concerns have been raised that they could be operating illegally and letting youngsters have access to inappropriate content. Three shops have already had their licences revoked. The announcement was made at a provincial committee meeting chaired by Vice-Governor Panlop Singhasanee on April 8. Speaking at the meeting, V/Gov Panlop said, “Governor [Nisit Jansomwong]] is very concerned about this matter. He has stressed that the committee must check each shop strictly before approving a licence. “It is now the school holidays, and children like to use cyber cafés and game shops during this time. “Some children may spend a whole day in these places, and we̕ re aware that some of them allow the kids to view inappropriate content and also sell alcohol. “They also try to hide what they are doing inside shops by closing the windows with curtains or covering them with thick black film.” Among stipulations of the Motion Pictures and Video Act of 2008 are that: The interior must be visible from the exterior. Noise levels must be controlled as per the law. Alcohol, cigarettes and drugs may not be sold or consumed in the shop and gambling is prohibited. Pornography, videos not approved by the NCPO and films not suitable for those under 20, are not allowed. It was revealed that three game shops, Games Internet, PK Net and T & L Computer, have had their licenses revoked because the interiors were not visible from the outside.
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FRIDAY, ARRIL 17, 2015
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Police mull special driver licences for big bikes Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th
P
olice are considering a change to existing laws governing motorbike licences; specifically licences to drive big bikes. If the draft currently being discussed comes into force, a special licence will be required for anyone wanting to ride a bike of 400cc or more, and they may get one of these licences only when they reach the age of 30. Pol Col Ekkarak Limsunggas, Deputy Commander of the Traffic Division of the Royal Thai Police in Bangkok, is behind the drive to change. He told The Phuket News today (April 9), “I was thinking about ways to improve safe driving on roads. That’s when I had this idea. “Big bikes are heavy and have more power than normal motorbikes. We think that older people are more responsible on the road. “We considered the engine size and are thinking of 400cc. But we are open to people’s opinions. Some have said the minimum age [for a big bike licence] should be 20 or 25 rather than 30. “Once the new rules come into force anyone who qualifies to drive a
Excuse me ladies... Do you have licences to ride that big bike? big bike can come and upgrade their licence by redoing the driving test to show that they can handle a big bike safely and correctly.”
But he stressed that the details are by no means set in concrete yet. He added, however, that whatever shape the new rules take, anyone
caught riding a big bike on an ordinary bike licence is liable to be charged with driving without a licence. “Police officers will be part of a committee to consider the idea with officials from the Ministry of Transport and others. We have just presented the concept to them. “We expect the discussions to go ahead soon, with any changes to be brought into law by the end of this year. They will then apply to the whole country.” His comments came as the annual Phuket Bike Week, which features many big bikes, wass about to launch. The managing director of the Bike Week organisers, Wittaya “Sumon” Singkalah, told The Phuket News, “If we had a special licence for big bikes that would be very good. We have to follow the law, anyway, and [many countries] abroad have licencing laws for big bikes.” However, he disagreed about a minimum age limit being set. “I think it would be better for people to have an ordinary bike licence for two years before they can apply for an upgrade to a big bike licence.” Thai law currently allows people over the age of 15 to ride bikes up to 110cc. When they reach 18 they are allowed to ride any size of bike.
Brit, Aussie caught using skimmed cards TWO MEN, A BRITON AND an Australian, were arrested for involvement in a skimming gang on the night of April 8. They were caught withdrawing B20,000 from a Siam Commercial Bank ATM machine on the Karon beachfront. Phuket Immigration Police, tipped off to skimming activity, swooped on Jamie Steven McKee, 31, from the UK and Darrin John Williams, 48, at the ATM. They searched them and seized three cloned ATM cards with handwritten numbers, along with the B20,000 that the duo had just withdrawn, two mobile phones, a wallet and two pairs of gloves.
Williams, left, and McKee admitted using skimmed cards to get cash. Police then checked McKee’s room in Soi Kon Yang, and Williams’s apartment in Pisitkoranee Rd, Patong, where they found a machine used for programming cloned electronic cards, another 37
cards with handwritten numbers, a laptop computer, and a packet of marijuana. The two confessed, adding that this was the first time they had used the phony cards. Police, however,
noted that McKee has been in Thailand since March 14 and Williams had been to Thailand several times before. They told the police that a person from Bangkok whose name they did not know sent the information for skimming to McKee and McKee later invited Williams to join him. McKee said he bought the card programming machine in Bangkok. The two were sent to Phuket City Police Station for further questioning. Bank officers will check the details on the cloned cards to see which banks in which countries issued the original cards and how great the losses have been.
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The stink is back in Klong Bangtao
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n May 17 last year authorities declared that the reeking filth in the klong at the south end of Bangtao Bay was well on its way to being cleaned up. Almost one year on, it seems they may have spoken too soon. On April 5 Bangtao Longtail Boat Club members met with their village head, Gaycha Kohleg, to demand yet again that Cherng Talay OrBorTor solve, once and for all, the pollution in Klong Bangtao, and do it fast. Residents of Moo 3 Baan Bangtao complained that the water in the klong is almost black, and it reeks. They told The Phuket News that no one can swim or play on the beach near where the klong spills across the beach and into the sea, because touching the filthy water results in skin
Klong Bangtao in April 2013 (left) and last week. The water colour is unchanged. rashes and infections. Both locals and some tourists have had allergic skin reactions. For the boatmen it is a particular problem; this is where they moor their boats and wade out to them. A spokesman for the local boatmen said the water pollution problem is not new. Phuket
has struggled to come up with a solution for a long time. The Phuket News called Thalang District Chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol, who said that he had ordered Cherng Talay OrBorTor to find a solution, and had contacted Heath Department officials to investigate the contaminated water. The recurrence of the prob-
lem is somewhat surprising since Cherng Talay OrBorTor received a B320 million budget early last year from the central government to build a waste water treatment system. The first phase of the water treatment project was scheduled to break ground on February 15 this year, with sewers being completed by the end of March.
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TOMORROW (SATURDAY, APRIL 18), the Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) will stage its second mobile adoptions event at the Makro store in Thalang. Puppies and kittens, all vaccinated and sterilised, will be available for adoption between 11am and 3pm. SDF adoption staff will be on hand to answer any questions regarding adoptions and SDF in general on the day.
The foundation aims to increase the local adoption rate in 2015 with more mobile adoption events in Phuket and Bangkok. “At the moment the Soi Dog Foundation shelter is overflowing with more than 400 cats and kittens, dogs and puppies that are waiting for new homes,” said Katherine Polak, Director of Animal Welfare.
“To try to alleviate this over-crowding, mobile adoption events are one way Soi Dog is working on this. The aim is to free up some spare space for the constant flow of abandoned and sick animals that are always coming in.” If you are considering adopting a new dog or cat, email nidnoi@soidog-foundation. org for more details or call 093 709 9622.
But the construction company was unable to start on time. The project is now in progress, OrBorTor officials said. As for the polluters, they were warned by Vice-Governor Somkiet Sangkhaosutthirak in April last year, “Whoever is still draining sewage into the canal, please stop it. This is the last chance – we will knock on your door and follow the law.” On May 17 last year, inspecting the klong at high tide after heavy rain, he again warned, “If anyone is caught releasing untreated waste into the canal or the sea they risk arrest and the closure of their business.” Yet despite being identified as polluters and being told they will be prosecuted and closed down, the local businesses appear not to think they need to do anything differently. Eakkapop Thongtub
Missing girl’s body found near sunk ferry THE BODY OF A 12year-old girl, missing since the ferry Ao Nang Princess 5 bur ned and sank on the afternoon of April 8 was found the following morning. Four divers were sent down at 8am on April 9 to the sunken vessel and just before 11am located the body of Shani Maril, from Israel, about 100 metres from the wreck, said Suwatchara Worapradit from the Krabi Department for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. Shani was the only victim of the disaster on the ferry, which was carrying 115 passengers – 107 adults and 8 children – on a oneday cruise from Phi Phi to Phuket via Nopparatthara Beach in Krabi. Apart from Shani, everyone was rescued unharmed. The vessel caught fire and sank close to Nopparatthara Beach. The captain, Wirat Jittraporn, 51, said the fire started in the engine room. An electrical shortcircuit is suspected but this has yet to be confirmed. thephuketnews
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FRIDAY, ARRIL 17, 2015
Bonanza owner to face legal action THE OWNER OF BONANZA Golf and Country Club operating a golf course and racetrack in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district will face legal action as authorities suspect parts of its land were illegally acquired. Phaiwong Techanarong, owner of Bonanza Golf and Country Club, will face legal action after authorities found he paid local maintenance tax on the lands that had been illegally gained. Thanawat Sanitsakdee, an investigator of special cases with the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) said only six plots of land on which the Bonanza Golf and Country Club operates have land documents issued by authorities. He said a team of PACC authorities are working with the Department of Lands in Nakhon Ratchasima to check whether the documents were issued lawfully. The rest of the land plots are suspected of being illegally acquired as they en-
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Soldiers have power to protect forests
Bonanza Golf and Country Club in Nakhon Ratchasasima. Photo: Tawatchai Kemgumnerd croached upon the forest lands, he added. The golf course and racetrack sit on a total area of about 4,000 rai of land. The Royal Forest Department (RFD) lodged complaints with police to take legal action against the owner of the land that carried out the encroachment, Mr Thanawat said. Authorities are expected to tear down buildings on the land in the next few weeks, he added. A team of officials from the PACC, the Department
of Special Investigation, the Royal Forest Department and 2nd Army Region soldiers recently inspected the golf course and racetrack lands. Mr Thanawat said the PACC had examined Nor Sor 3 Kor documents and title deeds to check the status of the land. The land had been inspected by a team of authorities in 1976 for the purpose of Nor Sor 3 Kor documents and title deeds were issued in 2006, Mr Thanawat said. A report on the golf club’s
Too many women in jail, government told THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS to amend laws and review conditions of imprisonment to reduce the number of women in jail, in keeping with the UN’s Bangkok Rules, said Vitaya Suriyawong, director-general of the Corrections Department. The Bangkok Rules, formerly known as the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders, were adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. The rules were created because prisons are designed
THAILAND NEWS
Thailand has a particularly high number of female inmates. with the majority male prison population in mind. They are intended to guide parties, from policy-makers to prison authorities, on ways to reduce the number of women in prison and to meet the specific needs
of women in cases of imprisonment. They take their name from HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha’s role in drafting and presenting the rules to the the UN. Bangkok Post
encroachment will be given to Justice Minister Paiboon Khumchaya, said the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary Dusadee Arayawut. Pol Col Dusadee added that the crackdown on forest encroachment is proving successful and the ministry is considering pursuing a private company accused of encroaching on land near Khao Kradong Forest Park in Buri Ram province. The land is owned by the State Railway of Thailand. Bangkok Post
SOLDIERS HAVE BEEN given authority to enforce laws under the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedures Code to tackle encroachment on national parks, forests and public land under an executive order signed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. He issued the order in his capacity as the chief of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), exercising his power under Section 44 of the interim constitution. He cited inefficient law enforcement and leniency in the past as justification. Under the executive order, ministers can seek the military’s assistance by filing a request with the NCPO chief through the defence minister. Officials conventionally tasked with law enforcement in that area must cooperate
with the military or will be seen as committing serious disciplinary offences. Gen Prayut said that the order was aimed at allowing soldiers to team up with police to take legal action when there were not enough police to carry out forest protection tasks. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said the measure would be only temporary and many ministries were seeking such military assistance to carry out their tasks. “Inf luential persons in Thailand are more afraid of soldiers than police, possibly because soldiers show up after long intervals. There may be familiarity and interdependence with police and respect disappears,” Mr Wissanu said. Bangkok Post
WORLD/ASIA NEWS
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Islamic State militants pose threat to Asean he Islamic State (IS) group poses various threats across the world, especially in the United States and among its allies including nations in Southeast Asia, a professor from Thailand’s Thammasat University says. “It is not too much to say a radical movement operating in the Middle East is one of the products of the US invasion and it is unpredictable how the crisis will end,” the expert on Islam, Jaran Maluleem, said, referring to the IS. Citizens from many countries, including nations in Southeast Asia, have travelled to Syria via Turkey to join the IS. Some were stopped by authorities as they made their way to Syria but many have succeeded in joining the militant group. Mr Jaran said a key tool the IS uses to recruit youngsters is the idea of a caliphate, which is a form of Islamic government. The group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has declared himself to be the spiritual successor to Mohammed, also known as a caliph. The caliph is empowered to run the territory’s administrative and religious affairs. The idea of a caliphate was abolished after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. According to Mr Jaran, the
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He admitted the number of people joining the radical group is on the rise, particularly youngsters. He said militant groups in Asean, such as Jemaah Islamiah (JI), have offered moral support to IS in their fight against the US, but there is no proof to suggest any JI members have joined the IS. “Most of the people who join IS are likely to be anxious, depressed and lonely. “They are more likely to be socially isolated and many are fond of the IS ideology but hesitate to express their feelings in public,” Mr Jaran said. A senior Asean diplomat told the Islamic State propaganda ranges from crude to sophisticated, and is Bangkok Post that dozens of people mostly internet based, like this monthly magazine. from her country were stopped from joining the IS in the Middle East last influence of the militant group among in the deep South or other countries year but she could not estimate how young people also poses a threat to in Asean is still low, Mr Jaran said. many had successfully joined the group. However, due to the large Muslim the Association of Southeast Asia The IS threatens security in the population in the region, authorities region and Asean members should Nations (Asean). The regional grouping’s members should look out for IS propaganda used discuss ways to stop the possibility of need to address the recruitment of to attract young Muslims to the group. conflict, she said, adding the actions “We cannot rule out the prospect of the group are unacceptable under youngsters, he said. Mr Jaran said there are uncon- that the IS has its eyes on Southeast Islamic practice. firmed reports that a Thai student who Asia, especially in Indonesia which “Talking about IS, it is about terstudied in the Middle East recently has the highest number of Muslims rorism, it is about people who claim joined the IS. in the world,’’ he said. they are Muslims but they are not. Even though the student is from “But the overall situation in the “They might be Muslims, we don’t southern Thailand, the possibility of Asean area is a long way off from de- know, but we do not recognise them,” the IS getting involved in the fighting scending into violence,” Mr Jaran said. the diplomat said. Bangkok Post
Australia knew of child sex abuse at Nauru camp: workers STAFF AT AN IMMIGRAtion camp on Nauru claim the Australian government was aware of the alleged sexual abuse of asylum seekers on the island for more than a year, but failed to act. In an open letter, current and former employees said the immigration department had been aware “of the sexual and physical assault of women and children on Nauru for at least 17 months”. But Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said his predecessor was only made aware of the allegations in late 2014,
An aerial view of Naura Island. Photo by U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program and ordered a review. The review revealed allegations of sex crimes, including against a minor, and found that assaults had been under-reported and many detainees were anxious about
their personal safety. Investigations are underway into some allegations, and some Nauru staff have been sacked. “The review reported back to the department with 19
recommendations and those recommendations are being acted upon now,” Dutton told Sky News. “And if there are further allegations then people should make those to the appropriate
authorities and they will be investigated.” The letter is signed by 24 former and current staff including psychiatrists, youth workers and teachers, and calls for all asylum-seekers to be removed from Nauru. It also wants a Royal Commission – a major formal public inquiry – into the abuse allegations and the government’s response. Since 2013 Australia has sent all asylum-seekers arriving by boat into detention on Nauru and Papua New Guinea. AFP
FRIDAY, ARRIL 17, 2015
In 2011 this 15-year-old girl named Kulwa had her arm hacked above the elbow.
Tanzanian albinos terrified after attacks THEIR LIMBS HACKED off and babies and children abducted or killed, albinos in Tanzania live in fear of more horrific attacks against them ahead of elections in October. Albino body parts are boiled up in foul human potions for witchcraft in the east African nation, and reports of killings have increased as local politicians order their spells in the belief that the expensive brews will secure poll victory. "Local political leaders believe in the power of witchdoctors and think it could help them to win elections," said Vicky Ntetema, director of Under The Same Sun, an organisation defending the rights of albinos in Tanzania. With an entire corpse selling for as much as $75,000 (B2,440,387), Ntetema claims the high price is an indication that "some political and economic elites" could be involved in albino murders. In one recent attack, a sixyear-old albino boy's hand was chopped off with a machete and his mother assaulted as she tried to protect him. At least 76 albinos have been murdered since 2000 with their body parts selling for hundreds of dollars, according to United Nations experts. A further 34 albinos have survived after having parts of their bodies hacked off, and grave robbers have dug up at least 15 more albinos, seeking buried limbs and bodies. Bangkok Post
HUGE REDUCTIONS on exclusive properties in Phuket, details on page 17
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BUSINESS NEWS
FRIDAY, ARRIL 17, 2015
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1,178 new hotel rooms coming online by 2018 5,000 visit successful P ConsTech exhibition SPONSORED THE EIGHTH EDITION OF CONsTech, the Thailand International Construction Machinery, Equipment and Technology Exhibition, 2015, took place from March 27 to 29 at the Impact Exhibition & Convention Centre in Bangkok. ConsTech is billed as one of the most comprehensive events and sourcing hubs for the construction and building industry. ConsTech gathered 315 companies and brands including construction vehicles, machinery, equipment and tools, mining machinery, raw materials for mining, concrete machinery and equipment, and tools and much more from around the world. Apart from the local participants, ConsTech 2015 also attracted participation from 31 other countries including Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, South Korea, the USA, Italy and Germany. Spanning 21,000 sqm, indoor and outdoor, ConsTech 2015 attracted more than 5,000 trade visitors both from Thailand and abroad, including contractors, developers, engineers, builders, building owners and building consultants. Visitors had the opportunity
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to take part in on-site activities such as seminars and conferences, product showcases, and even a sexy truck wash. Joseph SH Lim, Secretary of the American Concrete Institute Singapore Chapter, remarked, “This is our first time at a convention like this at Bangkok. I have also been meeting exhibitors and discussing technical issues with them. “This event is very interesting and useful. I have been able to find a lot of useful information. I will attend ConsTech again.” John Son of the Sales Department, Export Section, of Sinotruk Liuzhou Yunli Special Vehicle Co, said, “I came here to find new technologies and data about the Thai market. I came specially for this event and I am sure that next year I will visit ConsTech again.” ConsTech 2015 expressed gratitude to all attendants, exhibitors, seminar speakers and delegate, press and supporting organisations for their strong support and participation. The next edition of ConsTech will be from March 2 to 4, 2016, also at Impact Exhibition & Convention Centre. For more information , visit www.thailandConsTech.com, email pasinc@Impact.co.th, or call +66 (0) 2-833-5315 Class Act Media was a media partner of the event.
huket will continue to see a solid growth in new hotel supply this year with 1,778 new rooms planned for completion by the year end, international hotel and real estate consultancy JLL predicts. “The growth in demand is expected to keep pace, and as a result, the market outlook remains positive, although challenging in the short term,” a JLL report states optimistically. The total stock of branded hotels and resorts in Phuket, it says, currently stands at around 47,000 rooms with 1,420 new rooms being added last year. An additional 1,780 and 1,750 rooms are scheduled for completion in 2015 and 2016, respectively. “Over 1,700 new rooms may sound significant. However, we feel that demand will absorb this new supply as the
Major hotels planned for completion between 2015 and 2018 HOTEL
No. of keys
Completion
Nikki Beach Hotel & Spa
174
2015
Park Hyatt Phuket
85
2016
Hilton Hotel Patong
300
2017
Sheraton Phuket Kalim Beach
230
2018
Source: Hotels and Hospitality Group, JLL
tourism industry in Phuket is likely to improve and expand over the next few years,” said Andrew Langdon, Executive Vice President at JLL’s Hotels and Hospitality Group. “Increased political stability should help attract more international visitors to Thailand’s key resort destinations including Phuket, although a softening in Russian [numbers] is being felt due to the depreciation of the Russian ruble,” he explained.
While Thailand suffered a 6.4pc decline in international visitor arrivals, from 26.5 million in 2013 to 24.8 million in 2014, Phuket was largely unaffected, JLL said, with international arrivals continuing to grow, though the growth rate was marginal at 0.3pc. But with a significant amount of new hotel supply and flat demand in 2014, the average hotel occupancy rate on the island declined from 73.1pc in 2013 to 69pc in 2014.
“The Phuket hotel market in 2014 was in a much better shape than expected, particularly when compared with Bangkok, where occupancy fell by 13.2pc and 15.1pc in the four-star and five-star segments respectively,” Mr Langdon said. He added that adequate airport infrastructure and good international connectivity are among major factors that protected Phuket’s tourism and hotel industry from a market slump in 2014.
Car show sales reflect low confidence T H E C ROW DS W E R E there, but the buyers weren’t at this year’s Bangkok International Motor Show, which missed its target of 40,000 vehicle bookings. Chaturon Komolmit, deputy organiser for the show at Impact Arena in Nonthaburi, said that car and truck orders during the show’s March 25 to April 5 run came in at 37,027. That was a decrease of 6pc from last year’s 39,415 book-
ings and 7.5pc short of the show’s target of 40,000 sales. The number of visitors, however, held steady at 1.7 million, the same as in 2014. Krissada Uttamote, communication director for BMW Group Thailand, said purchasing power has not recovered and consumer confidence is still declining. Somphop Patiphanthada, marketing manager for Honda Automobile Thailand, agreed
that buying power was slowing as people wait for the government to implement projects to stimulate the economy.
Those who did buy were mostly of working age and were interested in vehicles priced at B700,000 or more. Medium-size passenger cars, family vehicles and pickup trucks were most popular, Mr Chaturon said. Toyota took the sales crown at the motor show with 6,144 sales, followed by 5,069 for Honda, 4,584 for Mazda, 4,485 for Isuzu, and 4,042 for Nissan. Bangkok Post
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KODCHANAT THINSEPON Editor
STEVEN LAYNE Managing Editor editor@classactmedia.co.th From the USA; BA in Communication Arts from Bangkok University International College; six years’ experience at Nation Junior Magazine, Bangkok Recorder, Phuket. net, Farangs.com and Phuket Gazette.
ALASDAIR FORBES Executive Editor 087 884 9964 execeditor@classactmedia.co.th From the UK; 40 years as a journalist and editor on magazines and newspapers in the UK, Middle East, Hong Kong and Thailand: Cheshire Observer, Chester Chronicle, Saudi Gazette, Gulf Mirror, Gulf Construction, Gulf News, Hongkong Standard, Asian Business (Editor) and Phuket Gazette (Managing Editor for seven years).
J.P. MESTANZA Sport Editor
EDITORIAL
Another problem? Here’s a sign!
T
hough reading is fundamental, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone in Thailand following any of the signs posted around the country. In Phuket, the handling of signs (postings predicament?) has become a joke. Whether it be mis-translations of critical information or the flat-out lack of enforcement concerning traffic posts, only two words come to mind when talking about signs in Thailand: “ha ha”. It’s got so bad, there are Facebook groups dedicated to the laughable nature of these signs (the “Just in Thailand” group is one of our favourites). But the issue can quickly
turn dangerous. In case anyone hasn’t noticed, there are no lifeguards on Phuket’s beaches as contract negotiations continue with the local government. There have always been signs at the beaches, but ask yourself when was the last time you’ve actually looked at one? The warning signs tell tourists (and locals) – in seven languages – not to swim in parts of the ocean marked off by red flags. Still, how many people will actually heed this warning? Many people simply bypass it without a glare. The problem comes down to two things, accountability and compliance. It’s the job of
the police, lifeguards, government officials, etc.to enforce the laws and rules – especially those concerning public safety. Similarly, it’s up to everyone else to respect the rules and laws and comply with the warnings and alerts posted on these signs. But one hand washes the other. If there is no enforcement, then there is little to no compliance. Nothing signifies this better than the “mandatory” speed limit signs that were posted from the bypass road to the end of Rawai Beach. The signs alerts drivers that the speed limit is 50km/hr. With 70,000 vehicles driving on that 22km stretch of
road everyday (according to figures from the Director of the Phuket Highways Department), the signs were installed to ensure safe driving. Still, both Samak Liedwonghat, the Director the Phuket Highways Department, and Pol Lt Col Teerawat Liamsukan, Chief Superintendent of Phuket City Police, both say that the 50km/hr signs are suggestions (actual speed limit is 80km/hr in municipal areas and 90km/hr in other parts). It seems as though whenever there is a problem in Phuket, another sign is erected. It’s time for enforcement and compliance to finally take hold and to do more than just put up a sign.
editor2@classactmedia.co.th From USA; Degree in Journalism and Media Studies, from Rutgers University. Three years experience at The Jersey Journal, Sports Page Magazine, and My9 News.
DALIA HILMI Life Editor editor1@classactmedia.co.th Originally from Canada; BA in Sociology from the University of Birmingham in the UK and an MA in Online/Print Journalism from the University of the Arts in London. Three years experience for Britain’s third-biggest publisher, Immediate Media, as well as Bauer Media and InStyle magazine.
MATTHEW POND News Editor editor3@classactmedia.co.th Originally from the UK; Has four years experience as editor and reporter for Phuketindex.com magazine and website, and InPhuket magazine.
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HAVE YOUR SAY A little bit of common sense will do Re: Phuket underpass opens – but doesn’t “Delayed by problems such as rain”. Was the rainy season not expected? Leaving aside the fact that an overpass would have been less than half the price – e.g. no need for drainage pumps or ventilation systems – and take less than half the time to build the fact that this is public works means they should be compelled to publish the original Gantt chart and critical path analysis together with a full explanation of where it went wrong. It appears to be 15 months late or having taken more than twice as long as planned. I am English but my experience is the people who are the most efficient organisers of road building projects are the French and Germans, I suggest their help is sought next time. Andy Is anyone else still wondering why an expensive tunnel was built instead of a cheaper overhead bridge. An overhead bridge would have allowed four lanes to be added to the congested road, plus at least two more lanes underneath. No flooding problems during the wet season. Half the time
to build and at least 50 per cent cheaper to build. So we now have a 3-lane tunnel, no wonder I am confused. ConfusedKevin Come on Kevin and Andy, without the crappy tunnel, Phuket officials wouldn’t have had access to nearly as many chummy favors, and would have much less baht in their pockets. Common sense does not enter into consideration here, and rather than take advantage of information that would make for much more efficiency, local officials will never take the advice from farang for fear of losing face. Just sit back, and wait for the next stupid decision to surface... I guarantee that we won’t have to wait long. Ed Sanders
Phuket’s stinky issue prevails Re: The stink is back in Phuket’s Klong Bangtao: VIDEO The stinking black water klong never went anywhere... it has always been there, and, I might add, will never go anywhere. It is disgusting what Thai officials will put up with in their communities. And I love how you have turned to a “boatman” for his expert opinion..”The noxious effluent was caused
by a combination of no rain, ..., and “The on-going problem of the people, restaurants and bar-beers dumping rubbish into the klong”. He just failed to mention the filth that the boatmen also discharge into the klong...oil and gas and anything else they want. And the ViceGovernor sure sent more shocking news...”Whoever is still draining sewage into the canal, please stop it. This is the last chance – the third step for those who continue to ignore our requests will be prosecution. We will knock on your door and follow the law.” Blah blah blah. This festering problem will not change since there is not the brain power nor the desire to do anything meaningful. After all, it’s mostly stupid farangs that play at filthy BangTao beach, not Thais. BangTao is a disgusting place...from the khlong to Bliss... sewage city. And just wait until this silly sewer project is done, then there will be even more sewage for the guests at Bliss and southern BangTao. Hopeless. Ed Sanders The Orbortor is interested in one thing...making money. He’s not going to do a thing about the clean-up, till he has to. He knows all about the problem, there is just absolutely no incentive for
him to clean it up. He’s got a far bigger problems with all the money he no longer makes renting out the beach to encroaching vendors then some pollution issues. This is the person who was suppose to be protecting the beach, but instead was selling it off. The exact same problem as on Kamala Beach. Phuket beaches are polluted. Pinot The problem of klongs and black water discharging into the ocean is a HUGE issue at all towns and beaches. With every tide change comes a major flush of the klong, including all the sewage and wastewater generated throughout the community every 12 hours or so. It has been my experience that Thai officials just don’t care, regardless of how filthy and unacceptable this daily discharge is. It is a complete disgrace. Evidently, hotels in the area couldn’t care less either, even though it is their guests that are swimming in sewage, restaurant wastewater, oil and gas from boat operators, and everything else that gets thrown into the klong every day. This story will go over very good on Trip Advisor, and that is maybe what it will take to bring change. Richard Vickers
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FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
WHY
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
How to explore the island with B300
10
Why Panama hats are fashionable
6
PHUKET?
13 years, 64,000 miles, and finally settling down in ‘paradise’ > Page 2
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Always half-full
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
Expat tells of her 13-year trip ‘round the world prior to finally settling in Phuket Steven Layne editor@classactmedia.co.th
If you are worried about something bad happening, the energy you emit will make you more prone to what you are worried about.
GiGi’s trip covered 64,000 nautical miles and more than 200 islands along the way, and of all those places, she was ultimately drawn back to Phuket, like so many others.
T
ruly an “international hub”, our lovely island attracts all walks of life, from nearly every corner of the globe. Poor, rich, tall, short, fat, thin, old, young, dark, light, cruel, kind, ugly, beautiful, intelligent, ignorant – most of the millions of visitors that touch down in Phuket year after year are just passers by. But for a multitude of motivations, many end up staying on. A treasure-chest full of interesting experiences and stories can be found in the marine community, with many o’ sailor who has been to “edge of the planet” and back, yet for some reason – or perhaps many – end up settling down on this small yet fruitful rock of 543 square kilometres. The Phuket News recently sat down with one such seasoned-traveller-turned-islander, Ghislaine “GiGi” Bovy, who shared her interesting story. GiGi – an active member of the Ao Chalong Yacht Club who has crewed and will crew any and all boats in any one of the island’s regattas and casual outings – did what many of us only fantasise about. Mid-career, she opted out of the mundane and predictable live-to-work life, and set out to travel the world on a sail boat with a friend, Benoit Kaisin. “I’m 59 years old, I’ve never been part of the rat race, otherwise I would have never sailed around the world. I don’t have a SUV, big house with a swimming pool – and I don’t want any of it,” she exclaimed. But unlike those who squeeze such an experience into a single summer or year, racing against the clock,
only to return to a 9-to-5 in some cubicle, Gigi was in no particular rush. “I’ve been working in marketing ‘forever’. I wanted to have a change in career, but not only that, I wanted to sail around the world. That was a dream I’ve had since I was a child.” Having formally learned sailing when she was 15, she complemented a lifelong of practical boating experience with formal navigation courses to become a Yachtmaster when was 37. “I finally met someone who said ‘yea, let’s go for it!’ Benoit was a Belgian guy I met at a diving school in Brussels. “But of course it was not going to be the kind of ‘one year off from work’ around the world the trip – we wanted to go for at least 10 years.” It ultimately took 13 years, covering a total of 64,000 nautical miles and more than 200 islands along the way. “We’re not rich, so every couple of months, we’d anchor the boat somewhere safe, and go back to Europe to work a couple of months to earn some money and then resume where we left off.” Finding temp work in Europe was not a problem for GiGi, whose mother tongue is French, and has also mastered Dutch, German and English, having even picked up Italian and Spanish for fun. “Most of my initial Spanish came
from Texas as an exchange student when I was 16,” notes GiGi, who grew up in Belgium, with a Dutch-speaking mother and French-speaking father. Her father, Ferdinand Bovy, was coach for famous Belgian football club, Standard de Liège, a major feeder team for the National Team. Gigi played football since the age of 4, and played for and coached her college team at the Université de Mons. But language and the ocean have long been her true calling. “On the weekends, while many of my friends were playing, I was studying languages and sailing,” she recalls. And though she is thankful for work opportunities, she has always made sure not to let it take over her life. “If anyone tries to call me after 8pm, they will be disappointed,” she laughs. GiGi went on to tell her globe-trotting route, which was often dictated by the seasons, weather and winds. Taking their time, they got to visit many more destinations then the typical “race around the world” adventure. GiGi and Benoit in 1996 bought their boat in Granville, France for $100,000 and then brought her to Brussels. Minuit was a 44-foot monohull, with its retractable keel being a huge advantage, allowing them to cruise, mast down, on rivers like the Midi Canal. The vessel was already 20 years old, but sturdy. As with any used boat, one has to allocate for maintenance, which Gigi reckons was about B200,000 a year. “Of course it’s a lot more when you have something major, like engine repairs or replacing sails, whereas a new sail might cost B150,000; change the rigging, that’s half a million baht, and a new engine, even more. You have to take into account that something may and will go wrong along the way.” Minuit was energy-autonomous, com-
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plete with solar panels, a wind generator and alternator on the shaft. When they weren’t sailing, the Perkins 50-horsepower inboard engine proved to be valuable necessity. They finally left Belgium in 1997, with their bearings south and east, through France via the Canal du Midi. In that initial year, they visited many Greek and Turkish Islands, taking the Corinth Canal, and down to Israel, before coming round to Egypt to take the Suez Canal through to the Red Sea. “At that time, the Red Sea was already starting to become dangerous but we didn’t have any problem. We stopped in Yemen and were welcome there.” They spent anywhere from a couple of days to weeks at each destination. Every few months they would have to stop at a major port to do a big job for the boat – whether a major hull cleaning, replace some parts or order new sails, and “We’d get stuck there till the job was done. But it didn’t matter... What matters when sailing around the world is taking the time to visit land.” By 2002, they made it to Thailand their first time around, and explored all along the Andaman coast, and Malaysia. Though she was impressed with
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PEOPLE 3
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Phuket, the trip was far from over. Meanwhile, they left the boat in Yacht Haven, flew back to Europe and worked a few months to raise funds for the next part of their trip. From Phuket, they set their bearings west. “We met some South Africans in the Seychelles, who were shocked we weren’t going to see their country. I didn’t initially have any desire to go. As a young girl, I heard about Apartheid and it didn’t appeal to me.” But she decided to take up the suggestion and ended up staying in South Africa 18 months, setting up base in a marina in Richards Bay near Durban, for some maintenance and a new deck. They departed South Africa by 2003, and over the next seven years would gradually cross two of the world’s biggest oceans. They crossed the Atlantic to the Caribbean islands, before continuing on to Colombia, and through the Panama Canal to access the Pacific. From there, they continued on to the Galapagos and French Polynesia, Fiji, New Caledonia, and ultimately back to Thailand by 2010. Asked about any special places, she recalled a three-month stop in the Chagos archipelago. “It was a sort of “Robinson Crusoe” archipelago where no one lives, it’s a British Indian Ocean Territory, south of the Maldives.” Indeed, Southeast Asia was an ideal place to finally settle. “We ended up selling the boat to a Canadian couple who wanted to do the exact same thing. With boats, you never get your money back. In fact, we probably put another $50,000 in it over the years. But we got the time, memories and experience out of it, which is priceless.” In between Europe breaks, Gigi made her base in Bangkok for an initial 1.5 years in Thailand, but says she missed the sea and marine community so much that she decided to move to Phuket. Last year, she took part in her 7th Kings Cup Regatta over the years Asked about what she thought separates Phuket, Thailand and Southeast Asia from the rest of the world, she said
that security tops the list. “Here we could leave our boat open with dinghy on the beach for several days, come back and everything would still be there. You couldn’t do this in the Red Sea or Africa, for example.” She recalled how once in Madagascar, when she and her partner decided to paddle to shore to go grocery shopping for an hour, some thieves boarded their boat and stole their dinghy’s outboard engine, a computer, some navigation instruments and guitar, among other things. That was their worst loss in 13 years. And despite reports of rampant piracy in Southeast Asia, Gigi is not phased. “Sure, there’re some cases in the Celeb Sea or even Malacca Straits but we found from talking to local authorities that many reports of incidents in this region have been tied to fraudulent insurance claims. But it’s nothing like the Red Sea, which in the last 10 years has gotten a lot worse. “Piracy used to be a boarding party who might seize some goods – tobacco or alcohol, for example, but it was something you could deal with.
“Then, more recently, pirates realised they could get a lot more easy money from kidnapping ransoms”. But luckily, she and her partner never had any serious incidents. “A lot of it is also about your own perception. If you are worried about something bad happening, the energy you emit will make you more prone to what you are worried about. “But if you are more spontaneous and trust people in general, chances are nothing bad will happen. We had an old rifle on our boat, but never had to use it.” An optimist, GiGi always views the “glass as half-full”. Next, GiGi says she wants to benefit the local community and environment, and volunteer to protect the ocean. “I just received confirmation of my volunteer crew application having been registered ... so fingers crossed that I can join one of their ships soon.” With that, The Phuket News would like to wish GiGi good luck with this and all future endeavours and and look forward to catching up again soon – at sea or on shore!
4 ENVIRONMENT
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
Phuket’s plastic pollution problem Every little piece of plastic we consume, even the ones we assume get recycled, has a chance of making it to the ocean. Photo: epSOS.de Steven Layne editor@classactmedia.co.th
A
s you sip your iced coffee in its single-use plastic cup, which you carried in with that cute little pink plastic handle, you delve into your hot breakfast from your polystyrene container. Fried rice is a little bland today, perhaps you’ll go for something with a little more kick at lunch. You don’t really have time to go out, but luckily “grandma” has you covered for takeaway. Finished, you toss the remnants into the bin, away and out of sight, out of mind. But consider this. A study published last month in Science Magazine about sources of plastic in the ocean has dire implications about the planet’s coastal populations, especially Southeast Asia, Thailand and Phuket. According to “Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean”, Thailand contributes as much as 410,000 metric tonnes of plastic to the ocean in a single year – that’s 410 million kilogrammes! The research, which was conducted by a Scientific working group at UC Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), with support from the Washington, D.C.-based Ocean Conservancy, is quite alarming when put into perspective. Much of the initial media spotlight was on the world’s biggest plastic waste contributor to oceans – China – and even though Thailand, in number six on the list, seems like an angel in comparison, lets try to fathom the statistical reality. On average, each one of the 26 million people liv-
This global map shows the estimated mass of mismanaged plastic from each coastal country. The darker the color, the larger the amount. Countries shaded in white were not included. ing within 50 kilometres of the ocean in Thailand contributes 15.7 kg of plastic to the ocean every year! From this figure, we can extrapolate that Phuket’s annual plastic contribution to the ocean is as much as 15.7 million kilogrammes! That’s the weight of about one billion single-use “disposable” plastic cups for iced-coffee, or three billion plastic bags! And that’s just Phuket. According to the study, some 275 million metric tons (MT) of plastic waste was generated in 192 coastal countries in 2010, with no less than 4.8 million MT, but possibly as much as 12.7 million MT making its way into the ocean. “We estimate that 2.5 billion MT of municipal solid waste was generated in 2010 by 6.4 billion people living in 192 coastal countries (93 per cent of the global population). This estimate is broadly consistent with an estimated 1.3 billion MT of waste generated by 3 billion people in urban centers globally (5). Approximately 11 per cent (275 million MT) of the waste generated by the total population of these 192 countries is plastic,” the report revealed. In Thailand, an estimated 26 million people living within 50km of the coast generate some 1.2 kilogrammes of waste per person per day, 12 per cent of which is plastic waste.
The study estimated that 75pc of this waste was “mismanaged”, which equates to 1.03 million MT. At best case, that’s just under 2pc of the total amount of plastic leached into the ocean worldwide in a single year, but as much as 3pc. Keep in mind, Thailand doesn’t even make up 1pc of the planet’s population – 0.9 pc to be precise. In sum, the study estimates that Thailand’s annual contribution of plastic waste to the ocean is between 150,000 to 410,000 tonnes. Don’t let the tonnes fool you – that’s 150 to 410 million kilogrammes of our society’s unchecked petrochemical convenience! The waste that doesn’t end up in the ocean is either burned to a crisp, if not buried in a landfill, where it will take hundreds if not thousands of years to break down. But don’t worry, there’s no real incentive to change your habits in Phuket – the taxpayers have you covered with half a billion baht budget having just been approved to bring the old incinerator online. This will allow the city municipality to burn even more of your consumer convenience for maybe up to five more years before critical mass is reached again. So please, give all this a thought next time you enjoy that iced-coffee and lunch in a single-use plastic container.
One of many roadside landfills found on the island. It is estimated that 3 per cent of the island’s plastic waste ends up the ocean every year. thephuketnews
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HEALTH 5
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
How to shed those pounds: part 2 of 2 Chef Barry editor@classactmedia.co.th
It’s important to remember that each person is different, so you must plan your transition to your own comfort and timing.
L
ast month we listed the first part of Chef Barry’s culinary guidelines which lists the best ways to drop your excess weight. Read on for the second part...
7. What is the weight loss diet plan? To put it simple, it is a food plan based on an organic selection of foods direct from nature. It is a farmer’s good earth diet that Holistic Chef Barry used in order to drop his 100 pounds of excess body fat. The more raw organic and vegan foods you include in your diet, the more weight you will lose. You can start off by slowly incorporating raw and vegan food into your diet and then gradually introduce more until you feel you can sustain the diet and achieve your desired weight loss. It’s important to remember that each person is different, so you must plan your transition to your own comfort and timing. Shocking your body will only set you up for failure. 8. What does your new weight loss kitchen look like? To put it straight, it should be much simpler than a standard American style kitchen.
Essential tools
A- A good blender for making your green smoothies, a milling cup for grinding down seeds into a powder, and a food processor for making your own salad dressings. B- The most efficient juicer machine that you can afford, plus a citrus juicer aswell. C- A few cutting boards with all the essential cutlery: including a grater and mixing bowls. D- Strainer baskets of different sizes, and some sprout bags and flat trays used for growing your essential micro greens and sprouts. E- A whole range of different size mason jars for pickling and making your own probiotic cultured foods. F- A good size refrigerator! Your new weight loss diet will need more storage space for all the good earth foods. 9. Shopping for your weight loss ingredients: First, sit down and think about what foods you plan to eliminate from the left side forbidden list of
ABOUT THE AUTHOR HOLISTIC CHEF BARRY AKA BARRY ANDERSON Barry is an American living in Phuket. Having suffered from obesity in the past, Chef Barry has learned the culinary arts of working with foods from nature and has dropped more than 100 pounds of excess weight. Over 20 years Barry conducted extensive research about the weight loss industry. Barry lives with his Thai Family at the Garden Villa Phuket Good Earth Health Residence. Visit https://flic.kr/ps/QgogH to see more original delicious health recipes.
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foods. Remember that you will be crossing out your selection of foods before you go food shopping, so it can be in your controlled steps and not all at one time. Next, simply write down your favourite whole foods, fruits, and vegetables on the right side of your list replacing your chosen forbidden foods. Take the list with you while you shop. Next time double up your elimination and replacement food choices, and keep doing this until the entire right side of your list has been crossed out. Pace yourself and stick to it as this will challenge your mind. Buy foods that you know are easy to work with in your kitchen. 10. How and why you must prepare your own foods to lose weight? This is where it gets challenging because most people today seem to think buying a weight loss product will be their easy way out and answer to their problem. The weight loss industry never addresses the fact that most people regain the weight they lost after the initial weight is lost. 11. Keep the meals simple. Make them in around 7 to 10 minutes per serving if you can. Anything longer than 15 minutes is bordering on over processed and complicated. 12. How to implement your new plan: When you first wake up, you are seriously dehydrated so you need fluid in your
body right away. I recommend a glass of fresh lemon lime water. You can also opt to put in a little bit of raw unfiltered honey. In the tropics like Phuket, I would use coconut water. Give yourself half an hour and then eat breakfast. Some fresh healthy examples would be, fruit salad with leafy greens and lemon zest, a green smoothie, porridge with presoaked oats and non-gluten grains with root vegetables lightly cooked, and blanched with miso and natto added at the end with raw salsa sauce. Add some fresh leafy greens and sprouts. During the morning, drink some herbal loose leaf organic teas, or lemon coconut water. Make lunch your largest meal plan. Some examples include raw or steamed hummus with raw sprouts salsa sauce and pineapple wrapped in a raw kale leaf. You can also make your green smoothie into a raw pudding by mixing in some predigested seed paste, some leafy greens, and psyllium husk to thicken it. Throughout the day, you can munch on raw fruits, sprouted nuts and seeds, or a fresh melon. Dinner can be a smaller version of your breakfast. We understand that an efficient weight loss plan is not enough, so be sure to balance out the plan with sufficient exercise. It’s important to note that after desired weight loss has been achieved, there is a latency time of weeks before your new metabolism has settled into your new lifestyle.
6 FASHION
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
PANAMA HATS Photo: Maelis Alasdair Forbes exeditor@classactmedia.co.th
The hats were exported via Panama to the US, gaining popularity during the California gold rush in the mid19th Century.
P
find a home in Asia
rime minister Winston Churchill wore one when painting his watercolours. President Harry Truman liked his. So did an awful lot more people, ranging from Humphrey Bogart to Greta Garbo. Author Peter Mayle, in Acquired Tastes, his trot through the world of the rich and the things they like to buy, described it
thus: “I could have carried my ignorance to the grave if a friend – knowing of my interest in anything preposterously extravagant – hadn’t told me about a hat that cost $1,000. But not a solid, indestructible, waterproof, lifetime investment of a hat. This was a mere straw hat. “Who would be lunatic enough to pay out four figures for less than three ounces which you hardly knew you had on your head?” He was referring to the Panama hat. White, lightweight, breathable, the perfect headgear for the tropics – and not necessarily as expensive as the one Mayle referred to. This world being the contradictory place it is,
Photo: Flowcomm Panama hats did not originate in Panama. They come from Ecuador, where people have been plaiting them from the leaves of the touqilla palm for some 400 years. The hats were exported via Panama (hence the name) to the US, gaining popularity during the California gold rush in the mid-19th Century. When the Panama Canal was being built some 100 years ago the hat received a big boost to its international reputation. Workers and managers on the massive project discovered that this was the most comfortable shield from the tropical sun. From the lowliest worker with a spade to US President Teddy Roosevelt driving a massive steam shovel during a visit in 1904, if you were at the Panama Canal, that’s what you wore. Although Panama-style hats are made elsewhere (China in particular), Ecuador is still the only place to get the genuine item. Price varies with quality, the best being the rare Montecristi Superfino, which supposedly can be rolled up
tight enough to pass through a wedding ring. Why anyone would want to do that is a mystery. Panamas can be rolled up and slipped into a pocket, though frequent rolling doesn’t do an awful lot of good for the shape. That said, if it starts to rain while you’re wearing your Panama, it’s probably better to roll it up and stuff it into a dry pocket. A wet Panama is, frankly, a dead Panama. The good news for Phuket is that you don’t have to go to Ecuador or Panama to get one of these classy tropical essentials. In a variety of styles they can now be bought from Thailand Panama Hats. The company is run by long-time Phuket resident Jorge Dela Torre Koch – who is himself from Ecuador. Of course. Prices are a lot more reasonable than the one Peter Mayle bought for himself – they range from B2,500 for girls’ hats to B3,500 for a traditional Fedora or Gambler style. See thailandpanamahats.com
Photo: Lizzy Soldana
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BEAUTY 7
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
Weather and beauty changes Dalia Hilmi editor1@classactmedia.co.th
This palette is perfect for experimenting and having a little fun on the go.
B
ack where I’m from, April is a time when the weather usually transitions from frigid to pleasant, the skies open and bring us those lovely Spring showers.
So where I would usually pull out my lighter layers, and perhaps an umbrella, well seeing as it’s gloriously sunny (what rainy season?), I am just going to revamp my beauty routine instead. April calls for brighter makeup, hydrating hair products and a few of the exciting must have new launches in the market right now. Take a look at some of the selected products we have rounded up for you this month.
Urban Decay Shadow Box:
This all-in-one eye shadow palette offers a dozen shades that range from pale and deep, to matte and sparkly hues. Inspired by Urban Decay’s longrunning Ammo Palette, but with a completely updated, exciting shade range. The palette includes nine bestselling eye shades and three neverbefore-seen hues that can be layered together. Each shade contains a velvety texture, rich colour, long-lasting wear and blendability. You can thanks Urban Decay’s Pigment Infusion System for that! So whether you’re looking to smoulder and create sultry eyes at a cocktail party with a smoky or shimmery eye, or just play with the rich purple and green shades, this palette is perfect for experimenting and having a little fun on the go.
Marc Jacobs
Beauty Limited Edition Enamoured Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer
A limited-edition, modern and chic nail polish with a perfect wet finish. These high-shine polishes are formulated with patented bonding agents that coat on a plasticised, wet finish. This fabulous line of polishes were first debuted at the Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring 2015 runway show. These limited-edition runway polishes perfectly complement even the most adventurous of outfits.
Dolce & Gabbana Matte Nail Coat
Too Faced
Cocoa Contour Chiseled to Perfection
This is a must have face contouring and highlighting kit, to enhance and minimise facial features with only a few simple steps. Have the option to look slimmer, lift those cheekbones, or sculpt your features like an A-list celebrity with the Too Faced Cocoa Contour Kit. The kit provides two essential sculpting shades, a matte highlighter, and a luminous light shade for a contoured look that stands out. It it infused with the antioxidant-rich, cocoa complex, these powders blend and layer together allowing you to indulge in the delicious chocolate scent. The kit also comes with Too Faced’s Contour Buki Brush, as well as a signature Glamour Guide with three contour looks to get you started.
This is a powerful nail strengthening, top coat with a smooth velvety matte finish that protects colour and wear. The modern matte finish is the perfect way to preserve your favourite shade while also highlight its colour and texture. This is a strong and feminine product, branded by pure sophistication: Dolce & Gabbana.
DiorRouge
Brilliant Lipgloss
A fabulous long-wearing, couture lip balm gloss that is enriched with a blend of three lip care oils. It comes with a handy little pen-like applicator so you can subtly shape and brighten lips all day long. Formulated like a liquid balm, this beautiful gloss is infused with Dior’s exclusive trio of lip care oils and a complex that pairs vitamin E with a plumping active ingredient known for supporting reactivated collagen synthesis. Once you try this, you will want to explore the diversity of colours on offer, each providing flawless definition.
Live entertainment
Beverages Specials
Free access to Water Park and Kids Club
COVER FX
Custom Cover Drops
Welcome to the future. Here we have a cover up which allows you to control your own desired level of coverage. A dropper with concentrated pigments for convenient customisation of any of the products in your beauty regime. You can pick and choose how much you want to use, from a sheer tint to total coverage. Blend it with anything liquid, including moisturisers, serums, oils, primers, foundations and even tinted moisturisers that are water, oil or silicone-based. These revolutionary drops feature Flash Fusion Technology™, so as soon as you drop, it leaves behind pigment that weightlessly transforms your favourite beauty product into the sheerest tint or a total coverage foundation. Simply adjust your coverage by the number of drops you add. The pigments are coated with lecithin, which is biochemically similar to the skin. @thephuketnews
Fun Beach activities
BBQ Grill, Salad and Dessert Buffet
THB 790++ per person 12.00pm to 4.00pm Free for Children below 12 years old 683 Karon Beach, Patak Road, Tambol Karon, Amphur Muang, Phuket 83100, Thailand Tel : +66 (0) 7620 1234 Fax : +66 (0) 7620 1235 Email : fbscpbr@chr.co.th www.centarahotelsresorts.com/centaragrand/cpbr
8 EDUCATION
In the making
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
Young writers proving that journalism isn’t dead Dalia Hilmi editor1@classactmedia.co.th
Even with the rise in technological gadgets, there continues to be an inspiring number of people who are interested in a career in journalism.
From clockwise: The Scribble magazine students at BISP; and Ashley, Jackson and Jack from Gecko Community.
W
hile the news industry has undoubtedly gone through seismic changes over the past decade or so, one thing has remained the same: there continues to be a rise in young journalists eager to push their way through the challenging and pressuring industry. Despite the inevitable transition into the digital age and competitiveness of jobs worldwide, aspiring journalists and their passion for writing, reporting, photography, etc never ceases to amaze me, and to be honest, it’s inspiring. It reassures me that while the print numbers continue to decline, journalism and media will continue to be one of the most powerful masterminds of the world. With regards to Phuket, there are a number of international schools scattered across all the island, each with their own English departments and young rising writers. I recently paid a visit to the British International School, Phuket, where I got to see first-hand a magazine in the making. The Scribble
is a monthly magazine that has been put together by the primary students, along with Miss Colson. All of the articles were written by students from Yr 3, 4 and 5, and edited by Ms Colson, but only in terms of punctuation etc, no content was changed. So it’s a pretty special genuine piece of work. The magazine features various sections, including book reviews, food recipes, pets, fiction stories, jokes, sports, films, and even a section called “Meet your teachers”, an interesting section focusing on a different teacher each issue, giving the readers an engaging insight into their personal life. Ms Colson said, “I thought it would be quite nice to start a student magazine. It allows the children to write something else outside the classroom. “The children can choose what subjects they want to write. They sometimes get inspiration from the stuff they’re working on, or anything that may be going on at school. “For example, if a child had a pet at home, they would probably do a feature on the animal and how they are as a pet.” Katelyn from Yr 5, said that one of the positives about the magazine, was having the option to try writing about different subjects, within reason. “If you don’t like what you’re doing, then change it and write something different. Bento from Yr 3 said that he enjoyed reading the magazine after publication, to see what everyone had done as well. Many of the children agreed that the magazine was a useful way of finding out what events and news was going on around the school. The magazine is emailed to all of the parents each month, printed in school, as well as being featured on the school’s blog and Facebook. Indeed the children are of a young
age and will without doubt reconsider their career options at a later stage, over and over again. However, putting age aside, it was an enlightening experience seeing the children so passionate about the magazine. They had many bright ideas and were eager to write the next sections of future issues. Having the determination and passion for writing is a key attribute for any inspiring journo, whether that may be print, online, television or radio. They’re not the only aspiring writers on the island however, some of the children at Gecko Community School recently had an open learning week at their school. The children had the opportunity to learn about different subjects, and ultimately pick their favourite one. Three children that showed an interest in journalism were Ashley, 11, Jackson, 10, and Jack, 10. The children were keen to find out tips on how to put an article together, where to research and how feature and news stories differed. Ashley said she had an interest in writing ever since she was little. She hopes to develop her writing and plans to start writing her own blog; a smart idea to start early especially for those serious writers out there. Overall, it was evident how much children these days still love to write. Even with the rise in technological gadgets, there continues to be an inspiring number of people who are interested in a career in journalism. It’s a field that is wide open, with many avenues and opportunities for careers in print journalism, broadcasting, online journalism, industry and corporate communications and beyond. It’s astonishing the quantity and quality of the material being produced today, in some of the most unlikely places. This could probably be the greatest era for journalism that the world has ever seen.
thephuketnews
10 EXPLORE
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
A day in Phuket with only B300 Nattha Thepbamrung reporter3@classactmedia.co.th
The traditional food, beverages and outfits available in the century-old shops along the road, make it a unique and impressive place to take a stroll.
A
fter a crazy night on Bangla Rd you may find yourself holding a empty wallet, and with pay day still a number of days away you’re probably starting to panic about how you will fill your days. Well don’t worry, we have put together a programme of the different ways you can enjoy this beautiful island with a limited budget, a maximum of B300 (or US$10). Let’s start the journey in Phuket downtown market, locally known as Talad Sod. Forget about air-conditioned supermarkets where products are sealed in nice packages and sold at high prices. This local market offers various products, especially fresh and dry food. Products like meat, seafood, vegetables and fruits are freshly presented in the morning ready for the early-bird shoppers looking for affordable, quality produce. Aside from specialising in fresh products, Talad Sod is also the bus station where the local non-air-conditioned bus or sawng taeos are located. These can take you to various impressive destinations around the island. The bus routes mainly go to beaches such as Patong, Kamala, Surin, Rawai, Kata and Karon where you can find other connecting fascinating spots in the area. The price per trip costs only B20-B40 max. However, before taking the bus anywhere else, it must be noted that the neighbouring area of Talad Sod should not be missed. Ensure you take a little walk and get
some memorable photos in Phuket Old Town. Thalang Rd and Dibuk Rd are close to the market. The Sino-Portugese shop houses in the area are well preserved by the local community and display a traditional, yet lively vibe that mixes the Chinese and Muslim cultures. Not only is the geography of the area attractive but the traditional food, beverages and outfits available in the century-old shops along the road, make it a unique and impressive place to take a stroll. Your lunch can be filled with traditional Phuketian dishes in Khru Wilai or Kopitiam by Wilai where prices range from B60 to B150. If you are interested in Buddhism, the sawng taeos can take you to some famous and respectful temples on the island, such
as Wat Chalong and Wat Phra Yai (Big Buddha Temple). Both of these temples are situated in the Chalong district area, on the way to Rawai Beach. After seeing the gorgeous architecture of these Buddhist temples and getting blessed by a monk, be sure to check out the most beautiful sunset viewpoint: Phrom Thep Cape, which a local bus can also take you to for as little as B20. After a long day, you will most likely feel tired and hungry. Seafood is a must in Phuket, and you can find affordable tasty dishes in the local area of Rawai sea gypsy village in the south of the island. Though seafood prices have increased with the increase in tourism to Phuket, the freshness of the food still remains and it will definitely be worth all the money you have left after the trip!
thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
TECHNOLOGY 11
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
The Future of Video Games
Oculus Rift. Photo: AFP
Galaxy S6 comes to Thailand on April 20
CHADDERBOX Chad Nolan Meyers chadnolanmeyers@gmail.com
A
s my little bio says, I have been at this whole videogame business for a long time. I still own the Nintendo in which I played the original Zelda on, with all the cartridges I’ve blown over the years, usually at night when my parents were asleep. Ah, the 90s were a special time. With every generation of systems, the new possibilities were endless. However, we have plateaued. The PlayStation 4 will not change the way you play games in your living room as it will only incrementally improve upon the existing experience. We have pushed the hardware to the maximum limit. In order for video games to move forward and take it to the next level, there is only one logical solution: We are all going virtual. Facebook sees it, buying out Oculus, a virtual reality (VR) company and makers of the Oculus Rift – per-
Sony’s Morpheus project. Photo: AFP haps the most advanced system in the VR-gaming space – for a cool US$2.3 Billion. Sony too with its Morpheus project. Google, Valve, Samsung, and even Microsoft have subscribed to the notion that the future of gaming will eventually rely on virtual reality. Strap on the high tech goggles and enter the world you, until recently were only able to watch on your TV. BE Mario and save the Princess. Actually KICK the ball into the net. You ARE the hero, not simply controlling them. Now, this technology is still in its infancy. Demo games where the user’s character is stationary, such as a pilot, have been a success. When the headsets are paired with a VR gaming platform, the excitement is evident. The headset puts the gamer into the
Thailand to get 4G by early
T
he National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is set to auction off 4G licenses in November and December, in order for mobile phone service providers to start offering 4G services within the first quarter of 2016. Takorn Tantasit, the secretary-general of the NBTC, said on Monday that, according to a Cabinet resolution, the process to auction off 4 G licenses will begin on July 17, whereas the tender for the 1800 MHz band is expected to begin on September 30. Two licenses, each for a 12.5 MHz slot of the mobile spectrum, will be auctioned off on November 11. The NBTC will start receiving bids for the 900 MHz band on October 30, and the auctions of the two licenses,
@thephuketnews
2016
each for a 10 MHz slot of this spectrum, will take place on December 15. The licenses themselves are expected to be issued within January, 2016. According to Mr Takorn, the NBTC is expecting to generate roughly B65 billion from the auctioning of the four licenses. 4G services are expected to become available to mobile device users within the first quarter of 2016. NNT
Arcades have become a thing of the past. world mentally, the platform under your feet puts you in the game physically, allowing you to run, jump, crouch and more in your new virtual world. While VR gaming is still a few years away from being a household staple, there is a lot of promise, and not just in the video game world. The medicinal world, engineering and even the military could benefit from the rise of VR. The only worry is, if we can create the perfect world, would we ever leave it? Chad Nolan Meyers is a product of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. After falling in love with Princess Zelda at age 4, Chad has been running, jumping and fighting his way through the video game world ever since.
D
roidlovers in Thailand will be able to get their hands on Samsung’s Galaxy S6 smartphone April 20. The Galaxy S6 and S6 “Edge” feature 5.1-inch displays with screen resolutions of 2560 x 1440, 16 megapixel/5 megapixel rear/front cameras and 64-bit Octa-core processors. While the Galaxy S5 innovated little over 2013’s well-received S4, Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone sees a little more confidence in Seoul’s step with innovative features such as the Edge model’s wrap-around display that is visible from the sides of the phone as well. The Galaxy S6 can also be charged wirelessly, with a fast-charge ability that it says will provide four hours of life in just 10 minutes of charging. The Galaxy S6 will launch at a retail price of THB23,900, while the Edge version will cost B27,900, according to Samsung Thailand. Now all you need is universal 4G service. Coconuts Bangkok
12 FILM
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
Paris holds film festival for the blind
I
n most movie theatres the lights go dark and the feature begins, but for an audience attending a Paris film festival under way this month, the whole world is dark and stays that way. The Audiovision Film Festival, which ran until April 14, is unusual in that it caters to the blind and visually impaired. Movies are screened as normal on the big screen. But in the theatre in a southern Paris district hosting the festival, the audience is wearing headphones hooked into a local network to hear blow-by-blow synchronised descriptions of the action happening before their un- or poor-seeing eyes. “A pterodactyl swoops from the sky and pecks Edouard on the head,” narrates a voice in echo of a scene from the opening film on Wednesday (April 1): a new French animation comedy making light of prehistoric evolution, titled Pourquoi j’ai pas mangé mon père (Why I didn’t eat my father).
For the crowd of blind and partially blind school children in the theatre, the movie – and its added soundtrack – elicited laughs and giggles. Fabio, a nine-and-a-half-year-old who lined up to get popcorn for the feature, said that the Audiovision description augmented his experience of the movie. “I imagine the film and I try to ‘see’ the description,” he said. A blind-from-birth radio presenter who led an audience debate after the
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
IN BRIEF
Star Wars movies go online
movie, Benjamin Mauro, ventured that “if there wasn’t Audiovision, it would have been impossible to follow this film”. Many of the children agreed it helped greatly, but one or two said they had adapted to piecing together movies from the dialogue and sounds that having a narrated description wasn’t indispensable. “I’ve always been used to ‘watching’ series and films that it (Audiovision) handicapped me, in fact,” said one adolescent, Benita, during the debate. Mauro, too, admitted that the system wasn’t perfect, and he had to turn up the volume on his headphones to make the audio description audible above the movie’s Dolby-boosted soundtrack. Audio-description systems started out in the United States and spread to France in the 1990s, where government subsidies since 2012 have incited theatre networks to take take them on. Still, said Olivier Jaud de La Jousseliniere, of the Valentin Huy association organising the film festival and promoting access to culture for visually impaired people, “unfortunately it is still not developed enough”. In 2014, just 16 per cent of films in France came with an audio-description soundtrack, and less than 2 per cent of theatres were equipped. In an effort to minimise the theatres’ outlay for hardware, the German audio company Sennheiser supplying the headsets for the festival presented a smartphone app that allows the audiodescription soundtrack to be beamed in over a wifi network. The efforts were appreciated by the students at the opening day screening. One young visually impaired girl, Margot, encouraged those behind the festival – and the technology – by saying: “Keep going and, again, bravo!” AFP
The six original Star Wars movies are being released online in digital form for the first time, the studios behind the iconic franchise has announced. The films – Star Wars: a New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith, will be available from April 10 on outlets like iTunes, Google Play and Amazon. A new episode in the franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is due for release on December 18 this year in the US.
No US theatres for Grace of Monaco
One of the worst things that could happen to any Hollywood film is for it to go straight to TV. That’s exactly what’s going to happen for Grace of Monaco, which stars Nicole Kidman as Hollywood actress turned European princess Grace Kelly. The film was panned by the Monegasque royal family as well as critics at Cannes Film Festival. The American cable channel, Lifetime, bought the US rights to the film and will broadcast it in May. A statement from the Monegasque royal family, said: “[The film] recounts one rewritten, needlessly glamorised page in the history of Monaco and its family with both major historical inaccuracies and a series of purely fictional scenes.”
Rights sold on Russian oligarchs book
Ben Mezrich’s Once upon a time in Russia, a book about Russian billionaires after the fall of the Soviet Union, hasn’t even been released yet (June 2!) yet the film rights have already been bought. Wa r ner Bros. a nRatPac Entertainment are developing a film based on the book. Mezrich’s books Accidental Billionaires and Bringing Down the House were turned into the films The Social Network and 21, respectively, by Sony Entertainment. thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
ENTERTAINMENT 13
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
Babies, reunions, and engagements AMIGOVIA Whitney Mitha whitneymitha@yahoo.com
50 Shades of Great
The movie version of the popular erotica book trilogy which was released on Valentine’s Day has picked up speed internationally. The movie production cost was a mere US$40 million with profits already reaching US$566 million! The two main characters will return for the sequel but not the writer or director of the first film. I am hoping it will be better as I was not impressed with the first film.
the way FKA Twigs is a British singersongwriter.
MIA
Canadian singer Avril Lavigne has just revealed where she has been. Musically, she kind of dropped off the radar and unfortunately it was due to serious illness. The star is now discussing her battle with Lyme disease. Many celebrities have battled the disease which, with proper care, is usually manageable.
Twilight Wedding
Whitney is an American living in Phuket, writing about the latest gossip and trends in pop culture. Read more from Whitney onWordpress and Facebook (search: “amigovia”) and follow her on Instagram @Amigovia.
@thephuketnews
The male star from the Twilight movies, Robert Pattinson is engaged to his girlfriend of only a few months FKA Twigs. He famously dated his Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart for years. Rumour has it Kristen is perturbed to say the least to learn of the quick engagement and I don’t blame her as they had one of the most scrutinised relationships ever. By
Reunion in the works
Royal Baby Watch
Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton are expecting their second child as soon as mid-April. The royal couple will also celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary on April 29. Their second baby, which is on the way, will be fourth in line for the throne.
Rumours are buzzing of a Destiny’s Child reunion! Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams recently reunited for a performance in Las Vegas. They are said to be planning a ten year reunion tour, however, it might not be not under their original group name Destiny’s Child as Beyonce’s father and the group’s former manager still has significant monetary interest in the group. He and Beyonce became estranged when she no longer wanted to have him as a manager. Hopefully they will work it out and we can all enjoy some old and new music from the talented trio.
14 ISLAND SCENE
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
INTERNATIONAL DAY 2015 AT HEADSTART Students, teachers and families of Headstart Int’l School took part in the International Day 2015 festivities at Fun Start on March 27.
LAGUNA MARKET ON FIRST On April 1, expats and locals enjoyed the various market vendors, food stalls and entertainments at the Laguna Market on First at Laguna Grove, located in Cherng Talay. The next Laguna Market on First will be on May 1 and the fun will take place between 5pm–9 pm.
HOOTERS HELPS KIDS ORPHANAGE FOR EASTER Hooters Phuket held a very special Easter
Sunday Brunch on April 5 as they hosted kids from a Baan Dek Holland orphanage to paint Easter eggs and enjoy food. The restaurant presented with orphanage with B28,700 they raised from selling wristbands.
thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
ISLAND SCENE 15
Governor Nisit Jansomwong (centre) with local officials and sponsors of Phuket Bike Week 2015.
VROOM: PHUKET BIKE WEEK 2015 PRESS CONFERENCE
We’re half-way through the annual Phuket Bike Week 2015 and the the island is still being taken over by motorcycle clubs from all over Thailand and Asia. Events like the Miss Phuket Bike Week 2015 beauty pageant as well as parades, culture and stunt shows, festivals and live concerts have and still are taking place where locals, tourists and expats enjoy the big bike fun! Organiser Wittaya Singkalah says there will be over 10,000 motorbikes from all over the region, making it one of the biggest ever!
(From left) Rear Admiral Tiensiri Montrivet, Chief Commander of the Royal Thai Navy’s Third Naval Area (on bike); and Senior Cap. Thammawat Malaisukarin.
Contestants for the Miss Phuket Bike Week 2015 pageant. @thephuketnews
16 EVENTS
FRI
17 APR
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
SAT
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
18 APR BBQ at Expat Hotel Time 8pm, Expat Sports Bar, Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www.expatsportsbar.com
SUN
Happy Fridays on the Boardwalk at RPM
19 APR
Traditional Sunday Roast Angus O’Tool’s Karon Beach Lunch or dinner served from 2pm. Your choice of either roast beef, chicken, loin of pork or leg of lamb served with roast and boiled potatoes, three fresh vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Only B320 per person which includes a free glass of house red or white. Opposite Centara Karon Resort. See otools-phuket.com
Contact Jay Address : The Boardwalk Royal Phuket Marina Phone : 076 360 811.
Suk Singpatong + Sitnumnoi
Pool Competition at Expat Sports Bar The competition at 9pm Expat Sports Bar at the Expat Hotel Soi Taipan Patong. See map at www.expathotel.com
Every Saturday night, Num Noi Singpatong, the head trainer and owner of Singpatong + Sitnumnoi gym in Patong Beach, hosts an elite fight series “Suk Singpatong + Sitnumnoi Saturday fight night” at Patong Boxing Stadium (Sai Nam Yen Road), where top international and Thai fighters compete. Visit pattongboxingstadium.com for more info. Contact 087 628 2719. Proudly supported by Class Act Media. Remark: Free transportation in Patong, Karon, Kata areas when requested in advance. Proudly supported by Class Act Media.
Live Seafood & Jazz Sunday Brunch at Banyan Tree Join Banyan Tree’s indulgent LIVE Seafood Sunday brunch featuring lots of LIVE Canadian Lobsters, Tiger prawns, freshly shucked Oysters, Wagyu rump and Foie Gras. Meander from one live cooking station to the next, and don’t forget to leave room for cheese and dessert. With live Jazz music and a kids club, starting at B2,800++ per person including free flow of selected beverages. Advance bookings are highly recommended, Contact 076 372 400, fb-phuket@banyantree.com
Phuket Pride Week 2015 Phuket Pride Week April 19 –26.This event was started in 1999 and is the only Gay Pride Festival still being held in Thailand. “Freedom To Live” is the theme for the week of FUN & Celebration with over 12 events being held around Phuket. All are welcome: LGBT community, straights & the undecided, to join in celebrating Pride week and raising monies to help fight HIV infections in Phuket. , Contact Phil Crown, Ban Patong, Phuket, Thailand 83150 , phil. thailand@googlemail.com. Proudly supported by Class Act Media.
FRIDAYS WINE & TAPAS Imagine yourself sitting 50 metres above sea level and gazing out over an amazing sunset while sipping on a Ginger & Lemongrass Martini and enjoying the unique sophisticated city lifestyle ambiance of Phuket. Every Friday ‘All you can Eat’ Tapas, with free flow of selected beverages at B1,390 net from 7 – 10pm. Get 30 per cent discount on selected beverages from 5.30-6.30pm everyday. Located at Vanilla Sky Bar, Cape Sienna Hotel, Kamala 076-337300.
For THB 499/-nett. All you can eat
Indian Curry Night on Fridays Come to Navrang Mahal in Karon Sea Sands Resort & Spa for an authentic Indian Feast every Friday in Karon Beach. Try out our delicious naans, mutton vindaloo, chicken tandoori, dal makhini, butter chicken, samosas, lassis and many more mouthwatering dishes. For only B499 and special reduced prices on drinks, 076-286464 Ext 4.
Phuket Bike Week 2015
CASUAL BBQ SUNDAY BRUNCH AT THE POOL BAR
PHUKET BIKE WEEK 2015 - The biggest motorcycle event in Asia. Celebrating the 21st anniversary. This event expects to gather over 10,000 motorcyclists and 50,000 visitors from 30 countries, which will take place in Patong Beach on 11th -13th April 2015 and in Phuket Town on 17th-19th April 2015. Visit our website http://www. phuketbikeweek.com/ or call 076 352 069, sumon@ridethailand.com, 081-6919346, Proudly supported by Class Act Media.
Enjoy our sumptuous brunch featuring a lavish spread of international delicacies with a variety of live stations, roasts, a casual seafood BBQ, freshly shucked Fin de Claire oysters, a pasta station, wood-fired pizzas and a children’s food corner plus our free flow selected beverage stations. With pool access and a Camp Hyatt kids club, starting at 1,500++ THB per person. For more details and reservations, call 076 231 516 fnb.phuhp@hyatt.com
Sunday Poolside Chill Out Brunch at Kata Rocks Chill out by the poolside every Sunday for brunch, with our shared table family style dining along with live chill out music. Chef serves modern Mediterranean inspired plates and platters with an Australasian accent. Relax the afternoon away enjoy the brunch then cool off in our stunning 35 metre oceanfront infinity pool Chilled live beats will set the tone and backdrop to the perfect Sunday session 12 noon till 4 pm every Sunday 1500++ per person for brunch and 2500++ including free flow of selected beverages.Reservations required.
thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
SUN
EVENTS 17
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015 NOON and every Saturday from 9am to NOON. We have a wide and wonderful selection of handicrafts such as educational toys, dolls, puppets, paper art, greeting cards for all occasions, Novelties like tooth fairy pillow, and many more. All proceeds go directly to The Good Shepherd mission. More info visit www.thegoodshepherd.info/shop/ reginatudor@gmail.com, 083 104 0788.
19 APR
Aqua Fitness
Phuket Walking Street Phuket Walking Street, “Laad Yai” is a Village & Community Development Potential Project (SML) of the “Old Phuket Town Community” in Laad Yai, Phuket Town. The visitors can enjoy the Old Phuket Town atmosphere which benefit to the local economic growth in the Old Phuket Town community. Open every Sunday from 4pm - 10om. For more info visit facebook.com/phuketwalkingstreet or contact: 089 474 5253. Proudly supported by Class Act Media - The Phuket News, Novosti Phuketa, Live 89.5 & The Phuket News TV.
MON
20 APR
Aqua Fitness classes offer you something different to “high impact” sport but the results, however, will amaze you! Aqua fitness can increase muscle tone and improve your breathing, circulation and heart rate as well as help you to reshape your body: slimming your waist, toning your chest, firming your buttocks and strengthening your back. It’s also an excellent weapon against cellulite! Aqua Fitness classes are held on Mondays at 5:00pm and Wednesdays at 11:00am. Please go to www.santosaphuket.com ot find us on facebook, Santosa Wellness Center, 076 330 600.
TUE
SAT
25 APR
Jazz Day Celebration at Music Matter. Open to the public at 8pm at Chanacharoen Road near Ocean Mall Phuket City. Main events featuring Music Matter Collective, Phuket local, Intl jazz, blues group & artists. For more info please call 089 588 2347.
21 APR
Remember ANZAC - Aussies in Phuket
Zumba in the Jungle We do not consider Zumba a class, it is a fitness party! Making exercising fun, the dynamic Latin-based dance workout has taken the fitness world by storm. Vibrant and energetic, an hour of serious cardio passes by in such a flurry of colourful smiles, that it doesn’t feel like exercise at all! Join us at Santosa, where the formidable Geti Pici transforms our fitness pavilion into a fit-party! To book this class, or to find out the other Zumba class times, please go to www.santosaphuket.com or find us on facebook, Santosa Wellness Center. 076 330 600. Patak Rd, Kata.
Thanyapura Songkran Sports Camps Join us for a fun-filled Songkran Camp running for 2 weeks from April 13-17 and April 20-24. Enjoy a variety of skill improving sports sessions led by professional coaches from Swimming, Tennis, Triathlon to Multi-sports for all levels in a safe and friendly environment. Choose your convenient timing by the hour, half day or full day schedules. Rates range from B2,000 – 6,000 per week, depending on the sport, skill level and hours. For more information, please contact reservations@thanyapura. com or call 076 336 000.
@thephuketnews
WED
All welcome. Lady Pie - Cherng Talay. 5:308:30pm. Members - B100. Non-members B200. Includes an Aussie Pie and 2 drinks. Discounted Aussie food and beverages. Contact Nadine on 090 869 5735.
THU
30 APR
22 APR
The Good Shepherd Craft Shop Opens every Wednesday from 10am to
SAT
2 MAY
Phuket Unesco International Jazz Day 4th Edition 2015 On behalf of Phuket City Municipality. MMC presents Phuket UNESCO International
Battle of The Young Bands 2015 at Hard Rock Cafe’ Legend Music host’s their annual Battle of the Young Bands at the Hard Rock Café in Phuket on May 2 at 3pm. Young bands with members aged between 8 and 17 years old can enter. Winners walk off with B25,000 in cash, 2nd place takes B15,000 and 3rd place snags B10,000. Cash prizes sponsored by Phuket International Academy. Venue hosts are Hard Rock Café Phuket. More information, Please contact at +66 (0) 84 304 2587 or e-mail : studio@legendmusic.net. Proundly supported by Class Act Media.
daily event updates on
18 TIME OUT
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York Across 1. ‘Every good boy deserves fruit’ is a mnemonic for what? 2. Which playing card is known as ‘the devil’s four poster bed’? 3. Who lost twice to Bjorn Borg in the Wimbledon finals? 4. Name the four countries along the west coast of S. America. 5. In The Wacky Races what was the number of Dick Dastardly’s car? Answers below, centre.
SUDOKU
abdominal cavity 59. Save from sin 1. Code word 63. Declaim 4. Prevention 64. Combat zone measure? 65. Capt.’s prediction 9. Olfactory perception 66. Mythical creature 14. Farm female 67. Group of 13 15. Hound’s trail 68. Work on a doily 16. Student getting one-on-one help Down 17. Bailed out 20. Ancestry 1. Designer’s 21. Eyes concern 22. Circulating enzyme 2. Informed 23. Serving trolley 3. Restrict 27. House of the Seven 4. Repeated musical Gables site phrase 31. More loved 5. At the time of 32. First-class 6. “___ a chance” 35. Burdens 7. Small salmon 37. When repeated, 8. At attention like some shows 9. Funeral slabs 38. Get out of trouble 10. Some plays or 42. Nine inches films 43. Small part 11. Abbr. after a 44. Congeal comma 45. Noted traitor 12. Moldovan moolah 48. Didn’t participate 13. Attorney F. ___ 50. Interpreted Bailey incorrectly 52. Profit 18. Auspices 56. Craze 19. Felt bad about 58. Relating to the 24. Strong liquors,
var. 25. Adjust, as laces 26. 1545 council site 28. PC linkup 29. Prez, e.g. 30. Tablelands 32. Indian state 33. Bay of Naples isle 34. Olympic swimmer Janet 36. “Brave New World” drug 39. Vastness 40. Dewy 41. Titled peer 46. One who goes 47. Hamlet, e.g. 49. Christmas season 51. Theoretical physicist 53. Catlike critter 54. New Delhi salad 55. Pomp 57. Bushy do 58. Construction site sight 59. John ___ Passos 60. Generation 61. Midback muscle, for short 62. Minister: Abbr.
Solutions to last week’s puzzles:
Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz:
1. In music, the lines of the treble clef; 2. 4 of clubs; 3. Jimmy Connors; 4. Chile, Peru, Colombia and Equador; 5. 00.
GOT YOUR NUMBER
ISLAND VIEW
49
Percentage of the population of Uganda who are under the age of 15.
19 million Number of pigs in Denmark. (Humans, 5.6 million.)
90
Percentage of IT employees who are men.
1981
The last year in which there were no school shootings in the USA.
40
Recorded births of people born with tails.
Fantasy becomes reality as a woman dances in her modified tuk tuk at the Sunday Walking Street in Phuket Town. Photo by JP Mestanza Source: Uberfacts
Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket? Email it to editor1@classactmedia.co.th
This week in history ■■ April 17, 1397
Geoffrey Chaucer tells The Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II of England. ■■ April 18, 1930 The BBC reports that there is “no news today”, then plays out with music. ■■ April 19, 1770 Captain James Cook sights the easter n coast of what is now Australia. ■■ April 20, 1918 Manfred von R ic ht h ofe n – T he Red Baron – shoots down his 79th and 80th victims, his final victories before he himself is shot and dies the following day. ■■ April 21, 1782 The city of Rattanakosin, now known internationally as Bangkok, is founded on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River. ■■ April 22, 2005 Sixty years after the end of World War II, Japan’s Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologizes for Japan’s war record. ■■ April 23, 2005 The first YouTube video is uploaded, titled Me at the zoo. Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews
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HEALTH
MARINE SERVICES
HOME IMPROVEMENT
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GUARDIAN SERVICE
HOME IMPROVEMENT
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STORAGE Reserve Your Storage Space
Call 076 29 29 09
or visit mystorageasia.com
Sizes to Suit all Budgets Personal & Business Storage Motorcycle Storage Left Luggage Service We Sell Boxes Storage Insurance Inclusive
Secure, Clean & Cost Effective Self Storage Jungceylon Shopping Center, Patong, Phuket
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Jobs
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classifieds@thephuketnews.com
Vacancies for property sales reps
Housekeeper wanted- live in
1.Sale English,Chinese,Russia (Good commission)Have experience in line of Sale 2.staff at booth for Property(17,000 + Lunch + Commission) Can communicate Good English, Kaew, kaew@agtropical.com, 094 807 3434.
Housekeeper wanted to live in Kata. Must love dogs and have some knowledge of english. Ideal position for couple. Call on 080 690 5248 or email lil@ladolcevitare.com.au, Lillian Dinic , Address : 31/3 Soi Plakjae Kata Phuket.
The Terminal Phuket Phuket Sirinath Property & The Terminal Phuket Sales Staff 2 (2 years Experience) Marketing 1 (3 years Experience) Accounting 1 (5 years Experience) A & S Supervisor 1 (10 years Experience) M & E Engineer 1 (10 years Experience) HR, Naiyang Beach, k.taksakorn@gmail.com, 076 327 590.
Data Entry Administrator Data Entry Admin Staff required for Phukets leading property agent, LivePhuket the exclusive property partner to The Phuket News. Must have the following qualification for this position. - High vocational certificate or Bachelor’s degree graduate in any related field - Good command of MS Excel - Hard-working, self-disciplined, and positive working attitude - Ability to handle multiple priorities and meet deadlines - Can work from Monday to Saturday (every other Saturday) - Must have excellent English reading and writing skills. Contact Paul Trayman, Kamala, 092 474 6157, Email paul@livephuket.com
FRIDAY, ARRIL 17, 2015
Excellent THAI CHEF Looking for an excellent Thai Chef to work abroad. I am looking for an excellent Thai Chef to work overseas in Sri Lanka at a new Thai Restaurant. Would require to speak little bit of english but what I am looking for is a really good chef who can make Authentic Thai food. Will provide great salary and accomodation. Please contact me on suranga.sd@ gmail.com to discuss further.
TELE SALES WORK FROM HOME Earn up to 3,000 - 5,000 baht/day. International organization specialized in holiday rentals listing is expanding to new areas of interest. The ideal candidate is a responsible and diligent person with experience as a telemarketer or in sales. Good English and excel skills are essential. Thai or foreigners can both apply. We offer: full training, telephone and email support, high commissions, Email: recruitment@holiplanet.com
Animal caregiver WANTED Starting 1st March, full time, caring for sick animals, dog walking, grooming, medicating & running errands, some overnight & weekends expected, experience with animals a must, please send resume to : jellinecastro@ yahoo.com
Web Project Manager Senior DEV
Bitsiren is looking for a talented senior web developer with a positive and “can do” attitude to join us and work in a fun and creative working environment! BitSiren offers a competitive compensation package including: 5 day work week, work permit, paid vacation, health insurance and social insurance contribution. For more information please visit http://www.bitsiren.com/ about-bitsiren/career/senior-web-developer.html
Assistant Branch Manager 20 K
We are hiring!!!!! Both positions for our new branch in Phuket and to be part of our energetic team. Excellent commission & benefits. Email info@thailandpooltables. com, 20,000 THB per month, Ying.
Join an International Team, Princess Yachts Phuket is hiring 1 Position Urgently: Marketing Assistant; good English, good knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite, basic Photo and Video production and Website, Thai national Please call Rico Stapel at: 086 690 0444 and send resume to rico@princessyachtssea.com
Class Act Media is southern Thailand's most comprehensive media company, incorporating Phuket’s leading English newspaper ‘The Phuket News’, Russian language newspaper 'Novosti Phuketa', Phuket’s leading English radio station ‘Live 89.5’, Phuket English TV 'Phuket News TV' and a a host of publications & services including ‘The Phuket Colouring book’ & ‘Phuket Ticket Master’.
Full Time Public Relations/ Marketing manager Responsibilities :
● PR and marketing of our products & services ● Identifying sponsorship opportunities & liaising with event organizers ● Building relationships with local organizations, government & private companies
Qualifications:
● Thai National ● Excellent personal skills ● Good command of English ● Experience in PR/Marketing in print media or radio would be an advantage but not essential ● Existing relationships/network of contacts in Phuket an advantage ● Own car & ability to work flexible hours and attend events during non-work hours
We offer:
● Competitive salary & bonuses depending ● 5 day work week – (Monday – Friday 8.30 am – 6 pm) ● Friendly work environment & excellent progress opportunities ● Time in lieu policy for any overtime hours worked Interested candidates are invited to send application with full resume in English indicating qualifications, experience, expected salary with recent photo via email to hr@classactmedia.co.th or fax your resume to 076-612-553
Class Act Media Co., Ltd.
99/7 Moo 1 T. Kathu A. Kathu Phuket 83120 Tel: 076 612 550-2 ext 100 Fax: 076 612 553 www.thephuketnews.com
Are you looking for a Nanny? Job Wanted!!! If you are looking for someone who can look after your child, pets or house when you plan to get away at night or during the weekend, Pls contact Email : jj_icu@hotmail.com, 081 476 7570.
Class Act Media is southern Thailand's most comprehensive media company, incorporating Phuket’s leading English newspaper ‘The Phuket News’, Russian language newspaper 'Novosti Phuketa', Phuket’s leading English radio station ‘Live 89.5’, Phuket English TV 'Phuket News TV' and a host of publications & services including ‘The Phuket Colouring book’ & ‘Phuket Ticket Master’.
SALES REPRESENTATIVES Qualifications:
Class Act Media is southern Thailand's most comprehensive media company, incorporating Phuket’s leading English newspaper ‘The Phuket News’, Russian language newspaper 'Novosti Phuketa', Phuket’s leading English radio station ‘Live 89.5’, Phuket English TV 'Phuket News TV' and a a host of publications and services including ‘The Phuket Colouring book’ & ‘Phuket Ticket Master’.
RADIO/TV REPORTER
● Works well under pressure and has a will to succeed.
Class Act Media is looking for a writer/reporter for our radio and TV teams. They would need to have good English-speaking skills and will be writing and reporting news and information on Live 89.5 FM and Phuket News TV. We have a small team of local and international staff.
We offer:
Qualifications:
● Thai or Expat. ● Excellent communication and negotiation skills in Thai and English. ● Highly motivated self-starter with a positive attitude.
● Competitive salary, bonuses and travel expenses. ● A friendly work environment. ● Social security paid by the company. ● Excellent career progress opportunities. Interested candidates are invited to send application with full resume, in English, indicating qualifications, experience, recent photo and expected salary.
Apply online at thephuketnews.com/job.php
Class Act Media Co., Ltd.
99/7 Moo 1 T. Kathu A. Kathu Phuket 83120 Tel: 076 612 550-2 Fax: 076 612 553
● Good english writing and speaking skills ● Full time position with flexible working hours ● Presenting radio news and information ● Some TV news reporting
Interested candidates are invited to send application with full resume, in English, indicating qualifications, experience, recent photo and expected salary.
Apply online at thephuketnews.com/job.php
Class Act Media Co., Ltd. 99/7 Moo 1 T. Kathu A. Kathu Phuket 83120 Tel: 076 612 550-2 Fax: 076 612 553
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Buy&Sell
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BOATS & YACHTS 3.1 RIB Yacht tender dinghy
3.1m Stingray RIB with 9.9hp 4 stroke Suzuki outboard, storage cover, fuel tank etc. Great size yacht tender dinghy, as new 140,000b, Price : 140,000, sc@ acronautic.com, 0898734044.
33/F Gulf Craft W/A
Two suzuki 225 HP outboards - only 300 hours, custom made RIB-dinghy with small outboard, engine electronics and hydraulics, ray marine GPS/radar/depth sounder, many extras. 3,850,000. THB, 089 873 3713.
4.1M/40HP RIB, 09/2014 AS NEW! BOUG HT IN SEPT. 2014,14HRS ON LY! SUZU KI ENGINE+BOAT UNDER WARRANTY (SUZUKI PHUKET). BIMINI+TRAILER+TUBE COVERS. 0935840565 (RUS/ ENG) 0987086632 (FR/ENG, 350,000 THB,)
Silver Princess Yacht PC530
A 53 ft Power Catamaran by Silver Princess Yachts. Beautiful design, compact yacht with space & modern interior. Dimensions: 53 ft length, 21 ft beam, 4 ft draft, 50 passengers, 22,000,000 THB, Sonny, 669 8810 5024, www.silver-princess.com, sonny@silver-princess.com
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES German bakery & deli & snack
Main road, 8 years clientele, take over + incl. training complete equipment, staff room, 3 or 5 years leasing contract. Yearly volume 4 mio. hansibakery@ gmail.com, Price: 3.5 million, Contact Mr. Stark, ansibakery@gmail.com
Bar For Sale O Top Markets
Bar For Sale with full trading history showing increasing growth. Includes 4Mil Bht Thai company & 1 Work Permit. Great Location, good customer base, Price : 2,000,000, Person : charlie kenyon, charlie@paddymalones.com. au, 0841858719.
Bar Bangla Road for sale
Bangla Soi Crocodile - Good situation (n3) Fully furnished (alcohols,TV,fridge,Cash register...) Contract until 01-01-2016 Key money : 185 000 Baths 09 87 26 82 84 or arnaud270@ hotmail.fr
Restaurant Khao Lak for Sale
Large profitable restaurant. 1.6 mio THB, ONO Central location, high turnover, includes all furnishings, website. Extra income from shops on premises, good TripAdvisor reviews, Price 1.6 mio THB, anders@siamthaihouses. com, 0848470577.
Bangla bar for sale Newly refurbished and fully fitted out sports bar. Cheapest rent in Bangla road area. 3 year renewable contract. Great business opportunity, Contact Steve, stevepearcergj@ hotmail.co.uk, 089 587 0819 (EN) Patong Nightclub for Sale Newly developed
Nightclub in Patong on Bangla Road. A turnkey operation with a fully fitted light, sound system and bars. Long renewable contract available. Serious enquiries only. Brokers welcome. Contact Steve, stevepearcergj@hotmail.co.uk, 089 587 0819 (EN)
One of a kind retail space
One of a kind retail space for rent!! Road front building, 36-50 SQM price from 12 to 16,000 THB per month. Call now 085 797 0005. A long established fully equipped Restaurant with Bar for Rent in an excellent location on Nanai Rd, Patong. The 105 M2 premises includes a fully equipped Kitchen, Restaurant and Bar with ample seating for 50 customers and excellent parking facilities., Peter Wesche, info@phuket-besthomes.com, 081 892 8526.
Restaurant & Bar For Rent
FREEDOM BAR FOR SALE
Good situation (Middle Line 4) Fully Equiped chairs fridges TV alcohols 1 YEAR Contract (End February 2016) 1,4MB [Value 1,8MB] 093-575-1969 afternoon, 1400000 THB, thai-pascal@hotmail.com, 093 575 1969.
CAR FOR SALE Car For Sale
1996 Toyota Corolla Sedan, Silver Gray. Automatic power steering, good aircon, goo tyres. 173,00kms. New Stereo, tinted windows. Bargain at 175,000 Baht. Kamala. Call Norm 083 182 2797.
TOYOTA Fortune 2009
7 seats, Silver, GPS video, Family car Diesel 2,694cc, Blue book Service history Toyota Pearl 78,000kms. AUTOMATIC transmission, golfguru2005@yahoo. co.uk, 076 615 827.
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FRIDAY, ARRIL 17, 2015
BUY & SELL IN PHUKET
List your classified now at thephuketnews.com COMMUNITY
CALLING THE DOG LOVERS OF PHUKET
CAR FOR SALE Mitsubishi Pajero Sports
Mitsubishi Pajero Sports 2012, A1 condition, 14,000 KM, Silver Colour. 950,000THB Eng: Ph. 0993614582 Thai: Ph. 080 383 3060.
TOYOTA Fortune 2006
7 seats, Black, Family car, Petrol 2,982cc Blue book, Service history Toyota Pearl, 160,000kms. AUTOMATIC transmission, golfguru2005@yahoo.co.uk, 076 615 827.
Nissan Teana Special 6 cyl
Nissan Teana Special 6 cyl November 2013 17000 Km New price 1.700.000.THB Price NOW 1,100,000.THB, Maurice, Email: Maurice.phuket@gmail.com, 099 302 7071, Thai: 090 163 2140.
OTHER Best Deal
Rawai business for sale. Area approx 2Rai, can do restaurant or other business.Five mins from beach. Long term lease, yearly rent B200,000. 4 bedrooms house included. Reduce from B980,000 to B520,000. Contact Khun Asoke at 089 646 7176 / big_redchili@yahoo.com
2012 Toyota Fortuna 24,000km
2012 Pearl white Toyota Fortuna For Sale. 3.0 D4D VN Turbo Great condition- Baht Black leather interior. Tax / insurance till 2016, 900,000, Loch Palm, Kathu, Phuket, glawre123@gmail.com, 0898668825.
COMPANY FOR SALE
For Sale
Industrial over locker. Whitehouse Brand. 3 Thread. Brand new never used. Full tool kit. Bargain at 12,000 Baht. Call Sandi 087 264 0778.
FOR QUICK SALE Sea-View Land & Luxury Villa project in Kamala including architect plans & building permit for 9 villas, 4000m2 sale only THB 30 MB, MIO, pupillopascal@gmail.com Call:088 768 0942.
Nissan Teana 2.5Lt
Model 2014 17,000km. New price 1.7Mln NOW 1,050,000Baht Eng: 081 788 8280 Thai: 090 163 2140, Contact Maurice, maurice.phuket@gmail.com , 090 163 2140.
Soi Dog are looking for dog lovers in Phuket to come and spend time with our 300+ street dogs in residence at our shelter in Mai Khao, North Phuket. We need volunteers to help socialise and walk our dogs - as this is fundamental in preparing our lovely dogs for adoption in Phuket and around the world. Whether you can spare one day a week or can come every day, we would love to have you help our dogs. Volunteering at Soi Dog is an amazing experience and may well change your life. For more details, please email Diana at volunteering@soidog-foundation.org
Ocean View Land Kamala
Half rai 797sq.m. cleared and leveled, power connected, sealed road, MUST SELL 6.75million. For ENG 090 492 3101 THA 093 768 6694, Contact Simon, simonbrutonclay@ yahoo.com.au, 090 492 3101.
Company for sale - Owner retiring Well known 12 year established company specializing in sales and rental of containers, site/sales offices, Porta Loos as well as Self Storage. Customer base includes Tesco Lotus, Laguna, Marriot, Boat Lagoon and many more. Enormous potential for expansion and export. A conservative value of company assets exceed 11MB which is included in the sale price of 14MB. Call Gordon 081 892 4804, www.safewayasia.com.
MEMBERSHIPS Blue Canyon Membership Blue Canyon Membership for sale. 1 corporate nominee for sale THB 630,000 inc transfer fee. grahamhaslam@hotmail.com
MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE CAMERA baby car seats for sale BAKLONG Car Seat - Very good condition, suitable for newborn to 25KG. Prices are THB 4,000 per seat, buy both for only THB 7,000. Call 086 479 7471.
PETS FOR ADOPTION Neo and Cookie We are 15 weeks
old. We are very sweet with people and can get along easy with other dogs too! We hope you are the one who can give us a home. We will protect your house and love to cuddle. We already got some basic training. If you are interested in us you will get 2 dog training lessons for free.A dog is often happier when they have a friend around. These are best friends, so it would be best if they can stay together, Diana Koster, info@phuket-dog-resort.com, 083 599 6017.
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FRIDAY, ARRIL 17, 2015
SPORT 19
Photo: Phuket FC
Photo: Phuket FC
Air Force bombs Phuket FC as Toyota Cup clash looms FOOTBALL JP Mestanza editor2@classactmedia.co.th
T
he Ronins slipped down to No. 8 in the Yamaha League-1 rankings after a 2-0 loss to Air Force Central FC at Thupatemee Stadium in Rangsit on Wednesday
(April 8). Phuket FC went into the match holding on to the 6th (10 points) position on the table after grinding out a 2-0 win over Pattaya United on April 4. But the Ronins couldn’t get much going at Air Force Central, conceding a goal in the 19th minute. It only took two touches for Air Force
stiriker Julius Oiboh to finish a beautiful play and score past Phuket FC goalkeeper Piyawat Intarapim. Oiboh received a great long-range pass from Kittikai Jantaraksa from across the field, that found the Nigerian striker perfectly. About 14 minutes later, Oiboh would come up big again as he darted past a
Tomorrow’s swimmers ready for next lap SWIMMING JP Mestanza editor2@classactmedia.co.th
THE NEXT GENERATION of British International School, Phuket swimmers have a lot to live up to. The legacy left behind by graduating swimmers like Roxanne Yu and Jethro Chua, both of whom broke records for their respective nations and turned heads on the international stage, will be carried on by homegrown talents. Both 15-year-old Syakirah Frost and 13-year-old Tanylle Ashenden spent considerable time in BISP before joining the school’s heralded High Performance Swim Team (HPST), a programme that began in August 2013 and includes top swimmers from Asia and Africa. Now, after a full year with the HPST, the girls believe they are ready to take it up a notch. “When I was in Flying Fish [the club swim team for BISP] we were a bit separated from HPST because of the size of the team and level of swimmers. I would watch [the HPST swimmers] from the other pool and hoping I would be able to move up,” said Ashenden, a native@thephuketnews
Australian who joined the team a year ago when she was 12. Since joining the squad, Ashended has skyrocketed to the top 10 of the Australian youth swimming rankings and recently qualified for the 2016 Australian National Championships in the 100m fly in addition to other achievements. Similarly, Frost has been at BISP for eight years and began competing at age 10. She moved up to HPST along with Ashenden. She came 2nd in Singapore Age Group Championships in the 100m and 50m backstroke in addition to 1st place in the South Thailand Championships two years in a row. “Those two girls are on the rise,” said Chris Gaffney, one of the coaches of the HPST. “Having swam in college myself and coach Simon [Jones] as well, we know the demands with academics. The school works with us and the kids because
it’s a demanding sport. These guys are up at 4:30am every morning. It is demanding but they do a great job.” The demands of competition is not lost on them as they take inspiration from teammates. “I was inspired by all the older swimmers,” said Frost. “The level of competition is so much higher that I was use to. It’s really changed my perspective on how I see swimming... the team is like a famliy, they help you get through everything. Still, if you ask Gaffney, growth comes with the territory. “Improvements are not just in the pool. We see how they’ve grown in maturity, their daily mental approach and handling academics. That’s our main goal, to not only get them through the year but help them remain lifelong learners and prepare them for life whether it’s swimming or in any of their other passions,” he said.
Phuket FC defender down the left sideline and passed the ball to No. 10 Sarayuth Chaikamdee who blasted a shot as he spun around towards the goal, giving his time a commanding 2-0 lead they would not relinquish. Still, Phuket FC wouldn’t relent and, in the 75th minute, Pipat Thongkanya shot past Air Force goalkeeper
Kritsakorn Kerpol only to have the ball hit the far post. “Tactical failures, I must say. Our team’s offensive skill is still weak, however, we did our best. This game, we did not have the main players,” said Phuket FC Coach Songyod “Daeng” Kinsrisook following the match. “But those players left in the field are strong
and f it. We did the best especially last half time of the game even though we failed to score. Next up, the Ronins play Lampang FC on April 18 in the first round of the Toyota League Cup 2015. The match will take place at Lampang Stadium in northern Thailand with a kick-off time set for 6pm.
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, ARRIL 17, 2015
SPORT 21
High drama as cup finals draw near Lazio booked their ticket to a June 7 clash against Juventus.
FOOTBALL
Fans of Chilean team Palestino cheer before the Libertadores Cup match against Uruguay’s Wanderers at Santa Laura stadium in Santiago, on March 19. Photo: AFP/ Claudio Reyes
Chile’s Palestino win Palestinian fans worldwide FOOTBALL PALESTINO, A CHILEAN football team long down on their luck, are playing for the first time in 36 years in the Copa Libertadores, the top club tournament in the Americas, cheered on by Palestinians worldwide. The Santiago-based club’s qualification for the tournament after more than a three-decade drought has sparked a football frenzy among Chile’s Palestinian community, one of the largest outside the Middle East. It has also won the club a rabid following among Palestinians worldwide as they see players take to the pitch in the red, green, black and white of their people’s flag. “Palestino triggers a lot of emotions. It represents a people without a voice,” said Anuar Majluf, director of the Palestinian Federation of Chile, which represents the country’s 300,000 Palestinians. Palestino was founded as a club for Palestinian immigrants who arrived in Chile in the early 20th century, and made its professional debut in 1952. Initially its players were all Arab, but over time its Palestinian identity has become more figurative than literal. Today none of the players come from an Arab background. Kilometers away, in Ra-
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mallah, Palestinian fans are following the Chilean club. Mounzer Zahran rearranges his schedule to follow the Copa Libertadores action in the West Bank. “Sometimes I stay up until 5am to watch matches,” he said. “To me, it’s important to support the team, because it carries the name of Palestine. And seeing the stands filled with Palestinian flags during the matches is priceless.” Palestino are the only professional team in the world to compete in FIFA-sanctioned matches wearing the colors of the Palestinian flag. The jersey has caused controversy. Two years ago, the club unveiled a jersey that featured a map of Palestine before the creation of Israel in 1948. That drew outrage from Chile’s Jewish community. The federation sanctioned the club, ruling that the map was a political statement. But the club has defiantly included the map in less visible form as it features on the sleeve. The club remains an important part of the Palestinian community’s identity. “The club was created because Chileans didn’t want Palestinians to play in their teams. So we created this team. Once we were able to play, little by little we were accepted and we managed to integrate into Chilean society,” he said. AFP
hether it’s the FA Cup or the Copa d e l R e y, f a n s across Europe are finally getting a glimpse of possible finals matchups in their respective nations. Let’s recap some of the biggest developments in club football and bring you up to speed on the latest.
W
GERMANY
Third-division Arminia Bielefeld produced a classic German Cup upset last Wednesday (April 8) when they knocked out Bundesliga high-f liers Borussia Moenchengladbach in a dramatic quarter-final penalty shoot-out to reach the last four. Lucien Favre’s Gladbach became the third Bundesliga side to lose to Arminia on their march to the semi-finals. Bielefeld held their nerve to win the penalty shoot-out 5-4 as it finished 1-1 after extra-time. The team will play in the semi-finals on April 28
ENGLAND
and 29 with the final in Berlin on May 30.
FRANCE
A Zlatan Ibrahimovic hat-trick fired Paris Saint-Germain to a 4-1 French Cup semi-final victory over Saint-Etienne at the Parc des Princes on April 8 as their epic quest for a fourtrophy sweep continued pace. Ibrahimovic’s opener from the penalty spot on the 21st minute was his 100th goal for the club, he then rounded the ‘keeper on 81 for the second, and the third in injury-time. PSG now face second divi-
ITALY
Philippe Coutinho produced a moment of magic to earn Liverpool a much-needed 1-0 victory at second-tier Blackburn Rovers in their FA Cup quarter-final replay on April 8. The Brazilian fired a low drive in the 70th minute at Ewood Park to earn Brendan Rodgers’s side an FA Cup semi-final date with Aston Villa at Wembley on April 19. Meanwhile, Arseal will take on Reading in the other semi-final on April 18, also at Wembley.
Lazio will be given the chance to land their first trophy since 2013 as they head to the Italian Cup final against Juventus after overcoming Napoli 1-0 in the semi-final second leg on April 8. With the first leg ending 1-1, Lazio had their work cut out for them against a Napoli team they hadn’t beaten in seven straight matches.
Barcelona eased into the Copa del Rey final as they completed a 6-2 aggregate win over Villarreal on March 5. Luis Enrique’s men will face Athletic Bilbao in the final for the third time in five years on May 30 after the Basques beat Espanyol 2-0 to progress 3-1 on aggregate.
sion Auxerre, who beat holders Guingamp 1-0 on April 7, in the Cup final at the Stade de France on May 30.
SPAIN
Huge hype as Schumacher Jnr starts F4 testing MOTORSPORT MICK SCHUMACHER GENERated huge amounts of media interest on Wednesday as the teenage son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher began official testing before his Formula Four Junior Series debut. Cameras followed the shy 16-year-
old wherever he went at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, between Hanover and Berlin, as he tested with Team
HASH HOUSE HARRIERS Run #1521: Saturday, April 18 at 4pm
Hares: Dr F*****g Jekyll & Murkury Locations: Kathu - Near British International School Directions: From Kathu Caltex station head toward Loch Palm Golf continuing past Kathu Waterfall light approximately 400 m then turn left [3030] toward British International School & Phuket Mining
Museum. Continue past Phuket Mining Museum approximately 1.7 km and turn LEFT HHH. Drive on 1 km to laager HHH. From Rt 402 turn RIGHT [3030] and continue past British International school 1.5 km and turn RIGHT HHH and drive on 1 km to laager HHH. Bus pick-up: Kamala (Baan Rim Klong) at 2:30pm; Patong (Expat Hotel) at 3pm More info: phuket-hhh.com
Van Amersfoort of the Netherlands. Schumacher Jnr is set to make his junior series debut in the opener to the eight-race season on April 26, also at Oschersleben. His father is still recovering from serious head injuries suffered in a skiing accident in December 2013 and Oschersleben is the same track where Michael Schumacher drove his first official motorbike race in 2008. AFP
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FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
Phuket FC stumble as Toyota Cup clash looms > page 19
Tiger’s charm offensive signals coming of age GOLF
T
Tiger Woods at the Augusta National Golf Club practice ground during a practice round prior to the start of the 2015 Masters Tournament. Photo: AFP
iger Woods was on a charm offensive at Augusta National, but the kinder, gentler and older version of the 14-time major champion sees success as nothing less than victory. The 39-year-old US golf legend made his 20th Masters start on April 9 after a two-month layoff to improve his game and following a year of nagging injuries, including back surgery that caused him to miss last year’s Masters. After shockingly horrid chipping, a career-worst 82 in January at the PGA Phoenix Open and withdrawing after 11 holes at Torrey Pines, Woods could hardly be blamed for seeing a ninth top-10 Masters finish in his past 10 starts
as a success even if he doesn’t collect a fifth green jacket. “I still feel the same way. I want to win. I feel like my game is finally ready to go and do that again,” Woods said. But his once-trademark intensity of manner has been replaced by openness, hugs to old friends and bringing girlfriend Lindsey Vonn and his children to the course. Augusta National was a tonic for Woods after his infamous sex scandal erupted in 2009, but his history of showing fans only what he wanted them to see was blown apart by revelations as multiple mistresses to the then-married star. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy, increasingly the new face of golf, admits the dominating days of Woods are likely done.
“It would have been a bad thing for the sport if he had not been able to come back,” McIlroy said. “And hopefully this is the start of a period where he can play continuously and have a good run at it, because he’s turning 40 this year. He’s got maybe a few years left where he can play at the top level and he’s going to give it his all.” World number one McIlroy is pushing Woods as the world’s most marketable golfer, and one survey out says he has surpassed Woods. SportsBusiness Daily released a poll of 40 industry marketers, tournament directors and media members on April 8 that saw McIlroy win the nod with 56 per cent of first-place votes to Woods with 30 per cent. AFP
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