18-03-2016

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FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

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FREEDOM BEACH LAND TO BE SEIZED > PAGE 3

KIDS STAY FREE?

LIFE

Yankee Dragon lands on Phuket

A parent carries her child into the Phuket Immigration Office in Phuket Town. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

Immigration ponders children on overstay blacklist ban The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

fficers at Phuket Immigration next week will publicly announce whether they will include foreign children in the blacklist ban on re-entry on all “aliens” who overstay in the country, which comes into effect on Sunday (March 20).

The news follows a notice – circulated via a Line group directly linked to Phuket Immigration – plainly stat-

O

ing: “it is not acceptable for children under 14 years old not to have a visa.

If your child is under 14 years old and has no visa, you must apply for a visa by 20th Of March 2016.

“If they get caught without a visa, they will be banned from Thailand for a minimum of 1 year,” the notice read.

Phuket Immigration’s Col Sunchai Chokkajaykij on Tuesday and Wednesday (Mar 15-16) was unavailable for comment on the issue.

A senior-ranking officer at Phuket

Immigration, who specifically asked not to be publicly identified in this report, would not confirm or deny whether the notice was issued by Phuket Immigration staff.

“The Immigration Bureau wants all foreigners to have the right documents while staying in the country and expects all foreigners and their children to have valid permits-to-stay without any exception – unlike in the past,” the officer told The Phuket News on Wednesday (Mar 16).

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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PAGE 16

“The announcement that we will enforce the new overstay rules came three months ago [see page 10], BUT the issue that is still being discussed is how these rules will apply to children and whether they will need a valid permit-to-stay by March 20 or be blacklisted.

“It is a very sensitive issue and covers many criteria. The Immigration Bureau will have a press conference sometime next week to announce more details on this issue,” the officer added…

SPORT

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Sir Nick Faldo whips swinger into shape

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FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Army denies heavyhanded tactics in resolving tenants’ dispute > page 6

Blacklist bans begin Immigration imposes re-entry bans on foreigners on overstays

Driver dead, tourists hurt in taxi crash A TAXI DRIVER WAS KILled and three Chinese tourists injured when their taxi crashed into a crane truck on the bypass road on March 11.

Crane driver Suttipong Promthong, 32, told police that he exited the Kittichai Yota Co site to head north when he heard a loud bang behind his truck.

Tourist Zhao Chunyan, 26, suffered a broken right leg, while Yang Yulia, 25, suffered a broken left leg. Zhu Ting, 26, suffered minor injuries.

Pol Lt Col Sakchai Chunyong said no charges had been filed. “We will conclude our investigation first,” he said.

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...Continued from page 1 The officer urged concerned parents not to confuse the issue with whether or not children were required to leave the country specifically to obtain “education visas” in order to stay in the country and attend schools. “This is not the case,” he said.

There have been no changes to the requirements, which apply equally to all children under the age of 20, he explained.

“If parents know their child will be attending school in Phuket before they arrive here, they should get an education visa before they leave their home country. This is not necessary, but certainly makes the process simpler,” the officer said.

Regardless, the parents or guardian of the child must

obtain a non-immigrant visa – not a tourist visa – before arriving, he added. “This has caused a few issues recently,” he said.

“Another issue is parents presenting themselves at the main Immigration office in Phuket Town and asking

for ‘education visas’. We (immigration) don’t do that.

Visas are issued by Royal Thai Embassies and you must exit the country to get one, and this has caused some confusion.”

The officer repeated that parents with children attend-

ing school in Phuket should be seeking for their child a “permit-to-stay for education”.

To apply, the parent or guardian and the child must appear in person at the Immigration office, and bring with them a completed application form, the original plus copies

of the passports of the child and the parent or guardian, an official letter from child’s school confirming enrollment and an official written request from the school asking Immigration to grant the child the permit-to-stay.

The fee for the extension to stay is B1,900.

However, fines for overstay will apply only to children aged 15 or older if their permits-to-stay are not renewed in time, the officer added.

“Some parents have been late in renewing their children’s permit-to-stay, and this has caused some other problems,” he said.

“This rule is not new and the fine of B500 per day overstay will be levied on all children over 15 who have not had their permits-to-stay renewed in time,” he said.

Finances blamed for suicide POLICE BELIEVE THAT EStonian national Andres Podra, 38, dramatically took his own life at a Phuket gun range on March 9 due to stress over his lack of finances.

Mr Podra shot himself in the head with a high-powered handgun at the Patong Hill Shooting Range after firing seven rounds at a target.

He left behind two handwritten letters: one to his sister written in Estonian, and another in English instructing police to contact his wife, Rachaneewan Punkoon, at a hotel in Patong.

Police believe Estonian national Andres Podra shot himself in the head at the gun range due to financial problems. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub “We contacted Ms Ratchaneewan and she told us that Mr Podra had been unemployed for months and that he was under tremendous stress due to his finances,” said Lt Sawanya Eidsong of the Thung Thong Police.

“She said that Mr Podra told her often that he wanted

to kill himself. He wanted to stay in Thailand and live in Phuket, but he could not find a job that he liked,” Lt Sawanya added.

“She also said that all his friends that were helping him to find work never contacted him back.”

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Freedom under fire Graft-buster AMLO to seize B4bn of land south of Patong The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

T

he Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) is preparing to seize 64 rai of land near Freedom Beach, south of Patong, believed to be worth B4 billion after it was found to be part of a forest reserve.

The land, claimed by Panthong Na Ranong, is covered by two title deeds. One plot has direct access to Freedom Beach while the other plot is further inland.

AMLO’s transaction committee made the decision to seize the land on March 9 as it was part of the Nak Kerd range, which is within a forest reserve, AMLO SecretaryGeneral Seehanat Prayoonrat said.

He also stated that the title deeds were clearly illegal and that government officials had been bribed to issue them.

One of the deeds investigated covers 45 rai of land and the other 19 rai.

Prompong Nopparit, National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Vice President at the time, inspects the Freedom Beach land in 2012.

It was reported that Mr Panthong applied for the title deeds in 1989, but at that time

officials rejected the request because the land was part of the forest reserve.

About 20 years later he successfully reapplied for the deeds as land officials reinterpreted aerial photographs and concluded that people had used the land before the declaration of the forest reserve.

The Public Sector AntiCor r uption Commission (PACC) investigated the titles in 2012 after allegations that the land title had been

obtained through “corrupt processes” involving 11 officials.

They found suspected false statements and irregular processes in the issuing of the title deed. They later submitted the names of 10 officials from the Land Office and the Forestry Office who were allegedly involve in issuing the title deed, along with that of former Phuket gover nor Wichai Praisa’ngob, who also later served as Phuket Senator, to the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for further investigation.

The spokesman of the ruling Pheu Thai Party (PTP), Prompong Nopparit, in 2012 inspected the controversial plots of land.

At the time a Vice Preside nt of t he NACC, M r Prompong said that he and his team had found many suspicious aspects to the issuing of the land title, which might indicate corruption and illegal processes.

Crewman dead after Russian superyacht accident A BULGARIAN CREWman severely injured in an anchor chain accident on board the 140-metre superyacht Ocean Victory last Sunday afternoon (Mar 13) has died from his injuries.

Toni Hristov Kolev, 33, died after he was taken to Bangkok Hospital Phuket.

He had sustained critical injuries to his legs in an accident involving the anchor chain, police said.

Mr Kolev was a crewman on board Russian billionaire Victor Rashnikov’s

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superyacht Ocean Victory.

The yacht was lifting its anchor off Koh Tachai, within Similan Islands National Park, when the incident happened.

Lt Jetsada Vichieng of the Phuket Tourist Police confirmed to The Phuket News that police have concluded their investigation and deemed the incident to have been an accident.

The yacht, sporting a Cayman Islands f lag, at the time of its launch in 2014 was the largest yacht

Bulgarian crewman Toni Hristov Kolev, 33, died after sustaining fatal injuries while the Russian billionaire superyacht Ocean Victory was raising anchor off Koh Tachai, north of Phuket. ever built in Italy and the ninth-largest superyacht in the world.

Mr Rashnikov, 67, is a

self-made billionaire in the Russian steel business. Forbes lists him as having personal wealth of US$4.3 billion

(B150.61 billion), making him the 23rd richest man in Russia and the 403rd richest man in the world.

3

Kamala faces ‘virgin status’ if beach rules not followed PHUKET VICE GOVERnor Chokdee Amornwat has warned Kamala beach vendors that if they do not follow the rules set out in the Phuket Beach Model they will have no place to carry out their business as the beach will be declared a “virgin beach” where no business is allowed.

After visiting Kamala beach on March 10, V/Gov Chokdee said that during his visit he re-informed vendors of the beach rules and regulations and stressed that they must follow the Phuket Beach Model guidelines and only trade within the designated zones.

“Kamala Beach has not yet had its ‘10 per cent zone’ marked out, but officials are going to mark out the zone soon. They will also put up new signs along the beach stating what the rules and regulations are. If these are not followed, the beach will be declared a natural or virgin beach.

“The start of our ‘One Beach, One Rule, One Map and One Organisation’ beach model started with us setting out the beach rules and regulations, guidelines and procedures, we are now entering the final phase of the model which will see the introduction of Beach Watch Associations,” he said.

“Each Beach Watch Association will put signs in four languages: Thai, Chinese, English and Russian close to the 10 per cent zones and it will be their responsibility to inform beach goers about the rules and enforce them,” he added.

However, V/Gov Chokdee added that all departments including the Land Transport Office, Hotel Association and Professional Guide Association will all be responsible for helping to promote the beach rules.

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P

olice are looking for a group of teens last seen talking to a 29-year-old man whose body was found under a municipal water tower in Phuket Town on March 11.

Suthorn Thamta, 59, of the Phuket City waterworks division at 9:10am reported finding the body under one of two water towers, each 25 metres tall, on Damrong Rd. At the scene, police found one flip-flop in a bush seven metres away from the body and a matching flip-flop on a cross-bream third level of a tower, 12 metres off the ground.

“There are three distinct wounds on the man’s head and a long scrape on the left side

Police are looking to question a group of teens last seen speaking to Mr Sompong, found dead on March 11. of his torso,” said Lt Somchai Nooboon of the Phuket City Police. “We found B200 inside his pants’ pocket, but no identification.”

However, the man was soon identified as 29-year-old local resident Sompong Wijit.

He was identified by his own father, Somchai Wijit, 50, who arrived at the scene after being

told that a body had been found under the nearby water towers.

“Mr Somchai said he did not think his son fell off the tower because the body was found with several wounds on the head, and believes that someone might have attacked Mr Sompong on the tower and dumped his body over the side,” Lt Somchai said.

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Man, 19, arrested with meth, gun POLICE ARRESTED A 19-year-old man at a rented room in Phuket Town when he was found to be in possession of crystal meth (ya ice), a gun and bullets.

Anti Narcotics Police led by Phuket City Police’s Maj Rittichai Chumchuy arrested Patiphan Kaewmeeboon on March 9 and seized from him of 121.47 grams of ya ice, a .22 Astra pistol registered to another person, 31 .22 shotgun cartridges, digital scales and drug taking paraphernalia.

Maj Rittichai explained: “The arrest came after we received a tip-off from undercover officers that Patiphan had been selling ya ice to people in the area.

“On Monday (Mar 7) at 6pm, we were told that he had just picked up some drugs from the Chalong area and returned to his room. I took my team over there and searched his room where we discovered seven bags of ya ice containing 49.96g and another two containing 61.51g along with other items including a gun and ammunition,” he said.

Patiphan had in his possession 121.47 grams of ya ice and a .22 Astra pistol with ammunition.

“Patiphan told us that he got the drugs from Sothon Sangkhao whom he contacted by phone. Sothon dropped the drugs off to him in Soi Nayai in Chalong on March 3.

“The arrest of Patiphan also led us to another two dealers named Sothon and Kamthon Taweekam,” added Maj Rittichai.

Patiphan was taken to Phuket City Police Station where he was charged with illegal possession of Category 1 drug with intent to sell and illegal possession of firearm and ammunition.”

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FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Street racers wanted for assault on tourist

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Darawan Naknakhon editor@classactmedia.co.th

P

olice are looking for a group of teenage street racers who allegedly crashed into a German tourist, leaving him with minor injuries, smashed up his pickup truck and assaulted one of his friends in Rawai in the early hours of March 10.

Maj Thada Sodarat of Chalong Police was called to investigate an incident on Wiset Rd in Rawai just after midnight.

Mr Kiesl Stegfried, 59, and three of his friends, including two Thai women, were waiting for an ambulance to arrive. Mr Stegfried suffered scratches on his right arm and leg and bruises all over his body after being knocked down by one of the street racers.

“The teenagers surrounded my truck, and kicked and smacked the driver’s door, the back of the vehicle and broke the side mirror,” he told police.

He explained to police that he and his friends had walked across the street in front of a restaurant on Rawai Beach

The Sam Kong Underpass is on target to open to traffic on April 9, says the project’s engineer. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

Underpass ‘on target to open on April 9’ German tourist Kiesl Stegfried was knocked down by a teenage street racer in Rawai. road going back to his truck when they came across a group of seven to 10 street racers.

“One of them rode his bike into me causing me to fall over. I knew that they were all teenagers, and as I’m only a tourist here I did not try to confront them. An official from Rawai Municipality showed up to question us but I wanted the matter left alone,” he said.

The group followed him to the resort where he was staying, about three kilomteres from the first incident.

“They started yelling at

us and banging on the door of the truck, others from the group then started to smash my truck,” he said.

“One of my Thai friends got out of the vehicle and tried to talk to them, but one teen kicked her. Staff from the resort ran out to help and the group dispersed,” he added.

Maj Thada said, “The hotel staff told us that they had CCTV footage of the group damaging the vehicle and assaulting the Thai woman.

“Mr Stegfried said that at first he wanted to forget about

Heroin seized in backyard raid POLICE ARRESTED FOUR men on March 10 after a raid on a shack behind a house in Phuket’s Pa Khlok subdistrict netted 40.2 grams of heroin.

Police estimate the drugs had a street value of about B100,000.

Capt Suchart Luecha of the Thalang Police led the raid, carried out at 6:40pm, after a tip off from undercover officers.

“Before the raid, we learned that the house belonged to Sanong Ngankhang 46,” Capt Suchart said.

“Mr Sanong was arrested on drug charges and released

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The heroin raid followed a tip-off by undercover officers.

Photo: Thalang Police from prison three years ago,” he added.

When police raided the site, they found Sanong along with Somchai Chuanchit, 51, Wisarut Dujpajack, 28, and Jaturong Naksarn, 25, on the

premises.

“We found in total 40.2 grams of heroin in small containers as well as drug-taking paraphernalia,” Capt Suchart said.

Police also seized other items such as bamboo bongs, straws and plastic bags.

“After they all tested positive for the drug, they admitted that the drugs found belonged to Sanong,” Capt Suchart said.

All four were charged with illegal possession of a Category 1 drug (heroin) with intent to sell.

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the incident because he only suffered minor injuries. But the fact that the group followed him to the resort, damaged his truck and assaulted his friend is unacceptable,” he said.

“I ordered officers to look for the group after they had checked CCTV footage, but they could not find them on the street.

“We will check CCTV from along Wiset Rd with the aim of finding out their licence plates. I believe they are local teenagers and officers already have some of their names.”

MOR E T H A N A Y EA R behind its original deadline for completion, the Sam Kong Underpass on the bypass road is on schedule to open to traffic on April 9, the project’s lead engineer told The Phuket News this week “Construction is going well. We have not encountered any more major obstacles to completion, and the tunnel itself is now done,” said Chalermpon Wongkietkun, Project Engineer from the Highways Department Phuket office.

“Workers are now paving the ramps at both ends of the tunnel, which we will be able to open to traffic on April 9,” he said.

After the tunnel work is complete, work will begin on paving the ground-level lanes

that pass the project site.

“We will pave new road surfaces in front of Tesco Lotus (southbound), then we will pave the lanes in front of Aphrodite (northbound),’ Mr Chalermpon said.

“We will issue notices soon announcing when we will begin those road works,” he added.

The project has suffered a slew of delays since work began, resulting in repeated extended deadlines for the contractor, Vivat Construction Co Ltd, to complete the underpass.

The latest hurdles came in January, when a section of the southbound lanes dangerously collapsed, forcing police to close the road intersection until emergency repairs were made.

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Busaba Wongyai was not tested for alcohol or drugs.

Woman, 29, posts bail after fatal hit-and-run A 29-YEAR-OLD THAI woman driver who turned herself in to the police following a hit-and-run incident that left a 48-year-old man dead has been released on bail on the grounds that she was covered by first-class insurance.

Busaba Wongnoi, charged with reckless driving causing death, told police that she fled the scene, on Thepkrasattri Rd southbound about 200 metres north of the turnoff for Laem Hin, amid fears of retaliation by the relatives of Solae Nonsri, who died from injuries in the collision.

At the scene of the accident last Satuday night (Mar 13), police found a wrecked Chevrolet Captiva on its side entagled with the roadside barrier. About five metres away in a roadside ditch was a Honda Dream modified trailer motorbike (rot saleng) with a damaged rear end. The rot saleng driver, Mr Solae, was pronounced dead at hospital.

Police did not test Ms Busaba for alcohol or drugs as she “did not show any signs of being under the influence.”

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FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Army denies camp threat in tenants’ dispute tangle SPECIAL REPORT The Phuket News exeditor@classactmedia.co.th

T

he Royal Thai Army officer who took dispute resolution into his own hands earlier this month at The Aspasia Phuket in Kata has told The Phuket News that he was “only trying to help”.

Col Kitipong Kwanmuang, who heads the Royal Thai Army’s 41st Military Circle Phuket office, told The Phuket News on Tuesday (Mar 15) that he and two other Army personnel arrived at Aspasia on March 4 to “discuss” the tenant’s dispute with the apartment complex’s management.

“We went because we received complaints from the tenants. We get a lot of complaints like this, and Aspasia is just one of them,” Col Kitipong said.

“I have orders to do what we can to resolve any such disputes in our area, which is only two provinces: Nakhon Sri Thammarat and Phuket.

We tried to resolve this conflict, but the talks failed.”

Col Kitipong denied that he warned anyone at the meeting on March 4 that the Army could detain any persons and take them to an Army camp in Nakhon Sri Thammarat for “attitude adjustment”.

“I did not say or threaten anyone like that,” he said.

Col Kitipong Kwanmuang, who heads the Royal Thai Army’s 41st Military Circle Phuket office. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot However, Col Kitipong did not clarify whether any of the other Army personnel in the room made the threat, as attested in the signed witness report given to The Phuket News.

Col Kitipong said that he has been ordered to pass on details of all cases that fail to be resolved to his commander, Maj Gen Teenachat Jinda-Ngern.

“I have already personally reported this particular case to Gen Teenachat in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, and I have not received any orders for any further action,” he said.

“The General has told me to conduct any investigations informally. We did not have any warrants or documents

for the cases we reviewed,” Col Kitipong added.

“Everything we do is for keeping the peace in Phuket province,” he said.

This is not the first time that soldiers from the 41st Military Circle have had to publicly defend their actions in Phuket. In late 2014, five soldiers were released without charges after allegations they had “abducted” a Russian couple.

At last report, Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul urged the tenants and the management at the Aspasia complex to do their utmost to resolve the dispute through mediation, with the Phuket office of the Consumer Protection Board to assist the

tenants through the legalities of their dispute.

The involvement of the Thai military and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) in the Aspasia dispute came into question after evidenced allegations that their officers were involved in heavy-handed attempts to resolve the dispute.

The authorised lawyers representing The Breakers Co Ltd, Duensing Kippen, lifted the lid on suspected heavy-handed tactics in a letter issued to tenants last week.

According to the letter, two men presented themselves as military personnel, while in a different episode one man claimed to be an officer with the DSI, Thailand’s equivalent

to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The lawyers provided The Phuket News with CCTV video evidence and voice recordings to support the claims.

DSI Deputy Spokesman Pol Maj Col Worranan Srilum, who is also Director of the Special Cases Management Centre in Bangkok, on Tuesday declined to comment at all on the case.

The letter also explained that power supply was discontinued to only two units at the development, and that was only after the leases had been terminated.

One unit had undergone unapproved constr uction work, by enclosing the balcony at the property, despite a cease and desist notice issued by the company. The other unit had power supply cut off after breach-of-contract subletting continued, again despite a cease and desist notice.

The letter also urged all tenants to seek legal advice before taking any further action.

“Please rest assured that if there is no breach of the rental agreement, there will be no action taken against a lessee.

“In case of the on-going dispute all parties involved should rely on the decision of the Thai court to resolve such matter as also advised by the Vice-Governor,” it said.

Two arrested, B500,000 of counterfeit goods seized

The two men were arrested and items seized when police raided four shops along Patong’s Bangla Rd. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

TWO MEN WER E ARrested and B500,000 of counterfeit goods seized when police from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) carried out raids in Patong on Monday night (Mar 14).

More than 12 officers from ECD and Kathu police led by Maj Apichart Amornpradit carried out raids on shops on Bangla Rd resulting in the seizure of counterfeit goods

valued at over B500,000.

Items seized included sunglasses, purses, watches and others products.

Maj Apichart said, “Officers raided four locations and arrested two men. The two men were taken to Kathu Police Station to face charges of possession of counterfeit items with intent to sell. If found guilty they will be sentenced to up to four years

in prison or face a fine of no more than B400,000.”

He explained, “The raids came after Royal Thai Police in Bangkok were notified that shops along Bangla Rd have been selling fake goods to tourists, so we contacted Kathu police and visited the area.

“When we came to the area on Monday afternoon we were surprised to find that most of the shops were

closed. We suspect that the vendors were alerted of our visit so they closed their shops and fled the area,” he said.

“We returned that night and discovered the shops were open. Officers searched four locations known to sell fake goods to tourists and discovered that two of the four shops were full of counterfeit items,” he added.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

7

Soi Dog Foundation ramps up adoptions campaign

S

oi Dog Fou nd at ion will hold an adoptions event at its shelter in Mai Khao, northern Phuket, from 9am until midday this coming Saturday (Mar 19).

Soi Dog Foundation is the leading street dog and cat welfare organisation in Asia, helping around 100,000 homeless animals a year to live better lives. Soi Dog Foundation sterilises, vaccinates, administers medical treatment, shelters and promotes adoption of street dogs and cats in Thailand, and runs a comprehensive education programme in schools on animal welfare.

Soi Dog Foundation is also leading the fight to end Thailand’s illegal dog meat trade, and is currently setting up operations in Vietnam.

Re-homing dogs and cats is a major part of Soi Dog’s work. The Foundation rehomed around 500 dogs and cats in 2015, both locally and overseas. All animals are sterilised and vaccinated prior to adoption. The adoptions event will focus on puppies, kittens and cats.

Dog Kate receives a hug from her new adopted carer, Sophia, in Washington state in the U.S. Kate is one of thousands of dogs rescued through efforts by the Soi Dog Foundation from torture and being slaughtered for their meat. Photo: Soi Dog Foundation / Facebook Teresa Colman, Adoptions Manager, said, “Right now the shelter is bursting at the seams with puppies and cats.

There are so many animals

who would make great pets, and we’re really keen to find them safe and loving homes.”

Potential adopters need to complete a short interview

DDPM holds sea rescue exercise THE PHUKET OFFICE OF Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) held a sea rescue exercise at the Deep Sea Port in Ao Makham on March 9.

Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat together with Phuket DDPM Office Chief Sirisak Sakulsoratja presided over the drill which was held with the aim of increasing rescue worker’s skills and provide them with up-to-date training.

V/Gov Chokdee said, “The island is growing rapidly in terms of economy and transportation both on land and at sea. Now more items such as chemicals, other hazardous materials and oil are being transported by sea more frequently and if such materials leak into the sea it will damage the environment.

“The exercise held today is part of rescue worker’s annual training which usually focus on incidents such as earthquakes, landslides or floods,” he said.

“This year, Phuket DDPM worked together with Wichit Municipality and local officials to conducted a sea drill to rescue victims from the water at Phuket’s Deep Sea Port. The mission of the exercise was to test our emergency equipment @thephuketnews

The rescue exercise was held at Phuket’s Deep Sea Port. Photo: PR Dept and train rescue workers to be quick when saving lives,” added V/Gov Chokdee.

Mr Sirisak said, “The Ministry of Interior ordered Phuket Governor to have an emergency drill according to the island’s environment and demographics because Phuket is considered to be a high-risk area for natural disaster.

“Phuket Deep Sea Port is

the best place to set up such a drill, and we want our rescue team to be provided with more knowledge and to gain more experience,” he said.

“Emergency responders must understand about natural disasters and they must act quickly to prevent loss of lives and damage to property,” he added.

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on the day with a member of the Adoptions Team, which includes a Thai speaker.

“The interview is to ensure we match the right pet with the right home,” explained Ms Colman.

“The interview includes questions about the adopters’ home and any existing pets.

There are also some other things that potential adopters need to consider when adopting a soi dog or cat. For example, our dogs can only go to homes where the garden has a fully enclosed fence, so it would be really helpful if adopters could bring along some photos of their garden on the day.”

Where possible, adopters will be able to take their chosen pet home on the day.

However, some adoptions may require a follow up visit to the shelter to collect their pet.

Adopters need to plan for their new pet’s arrival, by bringing a suitable harness and lead (for puppies) or travel basket (for kittens and cats) when they pick up their pet.

For more information about the event, contact teresa@ soidog.org

Water reserves are expected to last until the annual rains arrive in May. Photo: The Phuket News / file

Phuket hotter, drier – but no drought, says TMD SCATTERED SHOWERS that were expected to dampen the dust across Phuket last weekend never arrived, and was likely to be some of the last rain the island will see before the Thai New Year Songkran festival.

“We expect the weather to get hotter during this time of the year, which is normal especially in April with the average temperature around 36-37ºC,” Phuket Meteorologist Department Director Wiwat Intarapanich told The Phuket News last week.

“Phuket will get some thunder showers this weekend, followed by more heat after that. We won’t see rain again maybe until the end of April,” he said.

However, the rain never came.

Despite little rainfall replenishing natural water

reserves since the start of the year, Mr Wiwat was confident current reserves will be enough to see residents and tourists through until the seasonal rains arrive in May. “I don’t think Phuket officials will ban splashing water during the Songkran Festival, but be mindful about it, use water wisely during this time of year,” Mr Wiwat continued.

“People should not worry too much about wildfires just because the weather is getting hotter,” he added.

“Wildfires starting naturally are rare on Phuket.

The real culprit is human activity, such as people throwing still-lit cigarette butts or other combustible materials into dry grass areas,” he warned.

The Phuket News

Opinion 8

OPINION

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

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EDITORIAL

Another day in paradise?

O

ne of the most typical promises regularly flouted by Phuket officials is to “prioritise the safety and security of tourists”. Alltoo-often such reassurances turn out to be mere lip service.

The death on March 11 of taxi driver Teerawat Phetdam underlines just how dangerous it can be for unsuspecting tourists travelling through Phuket.

Teer wat died after he crashed his vehicle into the back of a crane truck on the bypass road, and though his Chinese passengers were “lucky” to have escaped the same fate, the incident is yet another firm reminder that the safety of tourists on Phuket roads is not, and has not been, a priority.

Are all the officials who claim to be concerned with the well-being of tourists oblivious to the fact that most taxi, minivan and coach drivers chauffeuring tourists around

are driving recklessly, fearless of the law, never mind their own demise.

Perhaps officials have simply overlooked, or underestimated, the number of accidents caused by those who are supposed to safeguard the passage of the island’s lifeblood Surely these officials use the same roads in Phuket, particularly of Thepkasattri Rd, the main artery to and from the airport, along which many of the reckless-driving accidents happen.

Any driver who has travelled on this route can attest to how nerve-wracking it can be to share the roads with these reckless transport operators, particularly those either going to or coming from the airport.

If the island’s policy makers and enforcers are unconvinced, surely it would take no more than a 10-minute inspection – along Chao Fa West, Chalerm-

prakiet Ror IX or Thepkrasattri roads, near the airport turn-off.

We are confident that in that short space of time, on any given day, they’d see first-hand just how reckless these tourist chauffeurs can be, and then perhaps they might understand why more and more foreign visitors are starting to have reservations about returning to Phuket.

Or perhaps we’re just being “alarmist” and such accidents represent “just another day in paradise”, as stated by a number of The Phuket News readers commenting on these recurring news stories.

Still, unless something is done to remove the “speed demons” from our roads, and safer, dependable transport alternatives are offered, then more reckless-driving tragedies will continue to add nails to the coffin of Phuket’s already badly-tarnished safety record.

TOP 10 STORIES ON thephuketnews.com

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Foreign man shoots self dead at Phuket gun range Crewman dead after Russian superyacht accident off Phuket New overstay rules to take effect soon Phuket woman, 29, posts bail after fatal late-night hit-and-run Crash on bypass road leaves Phuket taxi driver dead, three tourists injured Bulgarian man, 33, severely injured in superyacht anchor chain accident off Phuket Kamala to be declared virgin beach if rules not followed AMLO set to seize 64 rai of Phuket Land ‘Financial stress’ blamed for Phuket gun range suicide Booked Out: Tax laws lined up to target Phuket Airbnb rentals, unregistered hotels

Visit thephuketnews.com for all the latest news

HAVE YOUR SAY Virgin beaches are my paradise!

Rich suppressing the poor

Re: Phuket’s beach order I want to congratulate the Phuket authorities for what they did for the beaches.

Two years ago when I left, I told myself that I would not come back for holidays here because all the beaches where spoiled by dirty plastic chairs, commercial umbrellas, beach restaurants and other vendors. I used to go to Kata Noi for my daily swim, but almost could not access the beach, just getting down the stairs it was almost impossible to cross the row of chairs and umbrellas, to access the sand and the ocean! I stayed away last year, but followed the decisions of authorities to clean up the beaches. And now the beaches have become a paradise again – sand you can access, lay anywhere in the sun. The tourists there are beach lovers, sand lovers, sun lovers and sea lovers.

The only negative point is that you can now find much more cigarette butts in the sand. It’s time that smoking gets forbidden on those beaches.

Christian, European tourist

Re: Booked Out: Tax laws lined up to target Phuket Airbnb rentals, unregistered hotels In my opinion, this is another case of wealthy Thais putting on pressure in order to keep poorer Thais poor.

Deny them any opportunity of making money and ensure that the wealthy hotel owners take even more business. The other side of the coin is the accommodations owned by non-Thais who wish to rent their properties when not in use by themselves. What effect will this have on the property market? “Cost cutting price wars” It is known as healthy competition in many countries! Registration for hotels (not individual properties) is a must for health and safety reasons (of which there has been no mention) but not for commercial greed purposes.

CT Resident

You could be next Re: Phuket woman, 29, posts bail after fatal latenight hit-and-run Flabbergasted that the woman was not checked for alcohol

or drugs by police initiative.

When I was her car insurance company I would also demand an alcohol and drugs test before covering her bail. Why police and car insurance company are so relaxed and sloppy in these matters? A man did die! After deadly accidents at least do alcohol and drugs tests. It makes it easier and stronger to charge the person who is responsible for the ‘accident’ and the car insurance company can refuse to pay anything. Fled the scene, leaving a man alone in critical condition. Again a ‘hit and run’ affair. Just for that, up to a 1 year jail time is justified (like in Singapore). Tourists, be careful on the Phuket roads, this can happen to you too, just left alone dying.

Kurt

Re: Phuket woman, 29, posts bail after fatal latenight hit-and-run Kurt ... Police and insurance ‘relaxed and sloppy’? I take it you arrived at that conclusion on the basis of the understanding ... that police did not check the woman for alcohol or drugs. You didn’t consider that police may have concluded that she was not exhibiting signs of having taken alcohol or drugs, given

the time frame from when the accident occurred and her report to police later. This was confirmed in the latest update.

You should also consider what is the law in relation to the euphemism ‘hit and run’ and what is needed to prove such offense... There were some facts missing in the article so you cannot justify your comments ... Any comparison to Singapore is irrelevant. There are fines, imprisonment and loss of license in Thailand or possible deportation if a foreign national is convicted of drink-driving. You should bear in mind – and be prepared to accept – that enforcement of law in a just and fair society means enforcement of law equally, without prejudice, and with the same application of law to any infringements.

Joe12

Help the Soi Dogs!

Re: Soi Dog Foundation ramps up adoptions campaign in Phuket These people at Soi Dog do wonderful work, we adopted a dog called Burin years ago from them. The best dog I have ever had! Please support them in any way you can.

Ted Black

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

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

THAILAND NEWS

9

Strict curbs on driving

Measures added to control influx of foreign vehicles NATIONWIDE

F

oreign tourists driving motorcycles and motor homes into Thailand will be more tightly restricted as part of measures to control an influx of foreign vehicles onto Thai roads, particularly in the North.

The vehicles present problems in terms of frequent accidents and ecological harm, Land Transport Department chief Sanit Phromwong said on Monday (Mar 14), adding the ban is meant to enforce order and allow only some types of vehicles to travel in certain areas for particular periods of time.

The order will also prohibit people who have not made prior agreements on car usage abroad from driving cars into Thailand from China, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, according to transport officials.

Many Chinese tourists like to drive their cars into Thailand but that will not happen in the future, Mr Sanit said.

@thephuketnews

The tighter restrictions on foreign vehicles entering Thailand is meant to enforce order and allow only some types of vehicles to travel in certain areas for particular periods of time, particularly in northern provinces.

Only vehicles with a total of nine seats and pickup trucks with a maximum weight of 3,500kg will be allowed to travel in Thailand. Motorists also need to seek permission and have their vehicles

checked by authorities, he said.

They are required to make requests to drive in Thailand through Thai tourism operators at least 10 days prior to their their trips, Mr Sanit said.

Transport officials over-

seeing provinces bordering their countries will consider whether to grant them permission cards.

The cards must be displayed inside the vehicles where they can easily be spot-

ted by Thai officials, Mr Sanit said. The cards will cost B500 and there will be a B500 fee.

Vehicles will be allowed to travel only in those provinces through which they enter and they will be allowed on Thai

roads for 30 days each trip.

The total permitted period cannot exceed 60 days in one year, Mr Sanit added. The controls will be imposed via ministerial regulations.

In its bid to regulate foreign vehicles more strictly, the Land Transport Department is also sharing information about them with other state agencies through a computer network.

This will allow customs officials to keep checks on the vehicles, especially to determine whether the drivers overstay the permitted driving period, Mr Sanit said.

If foreign visitors are found to have broken any law, whether or not they are related to transport, the mistakes will be recorded and sent to transport officials to consider if they should be allowed to re-enter Thailand in the future, he added.

The regulations will not be applied to vehicles from Laos, Malaysia and Singapore with which Thailand has pacts on car usage.

Bangkok Post

10 THAILAND NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

More arrests in SCB deaths say police BANGKOK

Immigration Bureau chief Nathathorn Prousoontorn said the stricter punishments will take effect from March 20.

New overstay rules take effect Mar 20 STRICTER PUNISHMents for those overstaying their visas will take effect from March 20 as part of government efforts to crack down on transnational crime.

Under new Interior Ministry regulations, foreign travellers who overstay more than 90 days will be banned from re-entering the country for one year, Immigration Bureau chief Nathathorn Prousoontorn said.

People who overstay more than one year, will face a re-entry ban of three years.

Those found to have overstayed more than three years will be subject to a re-entry ban of five years.

People found guilty of overstaying more than five years will be barred from re-entering the country for 10 years, Pol Lt Gen Nathathorn said.

Foreigners caught in criminal cases and who also overstay will be barred from re-entering the country for five years, he said.

The bureau is now in the process of informing hotels, educational institutions and private companies that em-

ploy or deal with foreigners about the new measures, Pol Lt Gen Nathathorn said.

He said almost all overstayers who have been apprehended were found to have links to transnational crime.

The new regulations are expected to reduce the number of transnational criminals using this country, he said.

Scores of overstayers have now surrendered to authorities, he added, without elaborating.

Pol Col Pakkapong Saiubol, head of Immigration Division 6, which oversees the southern region, said Pol Lt Gen Nathathorn and his deputy, Pol Maj Gen Pakpoom Sajjapan, have instructed relevant agencies to make sure foreigners are made aware of the new rules.

The measures are part of a national security policy to which Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda give weight, he said.

He also called on the public to inform the Immigration Bureau about offences committed by foreigners.

Bangkok Post

P

olice probing the tragedy at Siam Commercial Bank’s (SCB) head office have vowed to seek more arrest warrants after questioning two company executives charged with carelessness that led to eight deaths in the accident.

However, Napong Suksanugan, managing director of Mega Planet Co, the contractor for fire extinguisher system improvements at SCB, and Adisorn Poda, another director of the company, were released on bail of B500,000 by the Criminal Court on Tuesday evening (Mar 15).

The police had asked the court for permission to detain the men through March 26 on the grounds that the executives may flee given that the case is considered severe and carries a punishment of up to 10 years in jail.

In the request, officers accused Mr Napong and Mr Adisorn of violating contractual commitments on hiring experts and experienced workers to conduct maintenance of the fire protection equipment.

Investigators believe their testimonies, along with those from witnesses, could lead to more arrests.

City police chief Lt Gen Sanit Mahathaworn said “another two to four suspects, or more” will be sought for arrest.

Pol Lt Gen Sanit met the two men after they turned themselves in to police following arrest warrants issued on Monday night (Mar 14).

Yet, they denied allegations of

Security guards stand outside Siam Commercial Bank’s headquarters following the incident last Sunday (Mar 13). Photo: Thai PBS via AP Video being involved in the accident.

Investigators suspect the two executives probably hired “unqualified workers” to work in the basement security room, calling it a “careless act” that ended in tragedy late on Sunday night (Mar 13), according to the request submitted to the Criminal Court.

All the victims worked with a company subcontracted by Mega Planet, according to an initial investigation.

The officers cited accounts of some survivors who believed the company had the workers drill into a ceiling in order to install a new fire protection system.

Their work allegedly caused dust which activated the fire extinguisher system’s smoke detection sensors, unleashing pyrogen aerosol retardant which depleted the oxygen in the room, believed to have caused the deaths.

The eight victims – seven workers and one security guard

– failed to escape when the chemical turned into gas, depleting the oxygen in the room.

However, a worker who was in the room when the incident occurred insisted there was no drilling at the time.

Somchit Samyo, 28, one of the injured workers who narrowly escaped death, said that he and other workers did not perform any drilling or welding work at the time.

“I heard an explosion over my head. Gas suddenly flowed out of chemical containers,” he said in an interview with Channel 3 while being admitted to a hospital.

At that time, he managed to help his older sister and brother-in-law leave the room but failed to help his 24-year-old niece and her boyfriend. Both of them died in the accident.

He fled in time as he remembered that there was a trolley left by the door, helping guide him to the exit. One week earlier the man had been hired

to work in the SCB basement and he invited his “cousins” to help with the job, he recalled.

Saran Danthong, an SCB staff member hospitalised at another hospital after the incident, said he heard an alarming sound while he was inspecting the area. He ran into the room where the sound came from.

Then he heard an explosion before smoke covered the area.

“Luckily I was near to the door so I managed to get out before I lost consciousness and woke up in a rescue vehicle,” he said.

The incident was the second in two years at the SCB head office, also known as SCB Park, after a fire on Feb 7, 2015, that caused severe damage to the 10th floor of the 37-storey building and claimed the life of one firefighter.

SCB and Mega Planet Co representatives confirmed victims and families will receive compensation.

Bangkok Post

Unprosecutable ‘influencers’ to sign good-behavior pacts AUTHORITIES WHO CANnot muster enough evidence to prosecute “influential” police, military and local officials will require they sign pledges to end their dubious activities, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said last Friday (Mar 11).

The “memorandums of understanding” would also be signed with criminal figures

who had halted their illicit businesses for a long time, he added.

Gen Prawit, who also is defence minister, said he had the heads of the army and Royal Thai Police compile lists of “dark influences” in the military and the police force, while that the interior minister did the same at the provincial and local admin-

istrative levels.

About 6,000 people have been accused of being influential criminal figures. They include incumbent and retired police and military officers who will face disciplinary and criminal prosecution if enough evidence can be collected, Gen Prawit said.

The Justice Minist r y recently stated that it had

gathered the names of forest encroachers, loan sharks, drug traffickers, tax evaders and tourist-scamming gangs. People suspected of loan sharking alone number about 3,000.

National police chief Chakthip Chaijinda said yesterday that about 200 police officers were suspected of being dark influences. He also said that

he convened some police generals for talks and investigations were underway. If officers are found to have done wrong they would be transferred and subjected to disciplinary and criminal hearings, Pol Gen Chakthip said.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha earlier said that the crackdown on influential criminal figures was not po-

Deputy Prime Minister and defence minister Prawit Wongsuwon.. litically motivated and those who broke the law must be punished.

Bangkok Post

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

ASIA NEWS 11

Migration dilemma

Vietnam’s bulging cities and empty villages VIETNAM

W

Shorts come off some hardline Indian Hindus INDIA

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Traffic congestion has become a major issue, while schools and hospitals are overloaded, experts say.

In Ho Chi Minh City, some 85,000 new pupils enter the schooling system each year and, in some areas, up to half of these may be from other provinces.

Vietnam has a household registration system which makes it more difficult for new arrivals to access free schooling and healthcare in the cities – although widespread corruption means there are ways around this.

Authorities make “no effort to minimise the number of migrants,” Hanoi official Thanh said.

But this is also hurting rural areas. Whole swathes of the countryside are now made up of the elderly and the very young – with all the working-age adults heading to major cities or industrial zones.

Sociologist Anh said the changes are entirely understandable. “If you find a good job, you will not want to return to your former homeland,” he said.

AFP

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a major – and rapid – change.

“There are more wellpaying jobs and opportunities than in the countryside,” said Dang Nguyen Anh, director of Vietnam’s Institute of Sociology in Hanoi.

Moreover, younger generations have turned their back on the traditional rural lifestyle.

“It is difficult to resist the attraction of city life,” Anh said.

Of f icials say a rou nd 100,000 people move to the capital every year and some 130,000 move to southern business hub Ho Chi Minh City.

For a country where the phrase “go home” translates literally to “go back to the countryside”, this is a major transformation.

The new arrivals – mostly students and unskilled workers – bring benefits, but also put “pressure on culture, education, traffic, health care,” said Hanoi city official Pham Van Thanh.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have been struggling to build enough infrastructure – roads, water supplies and drainage can hardly keep pace with the city’s growth.

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than what she would make in her village.

Le Van Mung moved to Hanoi a decade ago and has few regrets.

“Life in the countryside is too hard. We cannot make much money and we have to work really hard in the fields,” he said.

Originally from northern Ha Nam province, Mung now works as an electrician and his wife runs a small restaurant.

Together they earn some $600 (B21,643) a month – enough to pay for rent and schooling for their two children.

“Life is also not easy here in Hanoi. But we’re trying to earn money for our children.

I think they will have better lives than we do,” he said.

Some 7.5 million people moved to Vietnam’s cities between 2000 and 2010, according to World Bank figures, an urbanisation rate of 4.1%.

Among the 14 countries the World Bank refers to as East Asia, only neighbouring Laos and Cambodia have higher rates, it said.

Vietnam now has 23 million people living in cities, making it the sixth most urbanised country in East Asia,

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A migrant worker carries collected items for recycling along a road in downtown Hanoi.

Photo: Hoang Dinh Nam/AFP

A H A R DLI NE I N DI AN Hindu movement recently announced it was abandoning its trademark khaki shorts to try to modernise the dress code, 91 years after adopting the austere military-style uniform. Foot soldiers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are often seen after dawn across India engaged in physical drills and uttering religious chants – dressed in pleated shorts, white shirts and black hats.

But RSS general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi acknowledged that the organisation, the ideological fountainhead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party, must keep in step with a modern, changing world.

“We have decided to replace khaki half-pants with brown pants. We are not rigid and take decisions according to the times,” Joshi told reporters at a three-day meeting of the group’s top decision-making body.

The RSS announced late last year that it was consider-

ing the decision.

The rare sartorial tweak made headline news in India where the RSS says it has several million members, including at one stage Modi himself.

The RSS styles itself as a cultural organisation devoted to protecting India’s Hindu culture. But critics accuse it of being an anti-Muslim pseudo-fascist organisation with a history of fuelling religious tensions.

RSS members carrying bamboo sticks often carry out daily “shakhas” – a combination of physical training, yoga and religious chanting.

The RSS has been banned three times since its inception in 1925, including after a former member assassinated Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.

It was also banned after the 1992 demolition of a mosque in Ayodhya, which led to nationwide riots.

Members have spoken out against concessions to religious minorities. They also oppose homosexuality and the special constitutional status of Muslim-majority Kashmir.

AFP

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@thephuketnews

Foot soldiers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are often seen dressed in pleated shorts, white shirts and black hats. Photo: Manjunath Kiran/AFP

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hen Vu Thi Linh moved her family from their spacious rural home to a tiny rented room in Hanoi, she hoped her children would be able to get the education she never had.

The Linhs are among hundreds of thousands of people moving to Vietnam’s bulging capital and southern Ho Chi Minh City every year, part of what the World Bank says is one of the fastest rates of urbanisation in Asia.

But as economic growth accelerates, Vietnam’s cities are struggling to cope with the huge numbers of people abandoning the grind of country life, while only the elderly and the young are left in the villages.

Linh moved to Hanoi in June after her two daughters won a place at a university in the capital.

“I didn’t think life in the city was exciting, but because of my children’s future, I’ve had to change my opinion,” she said.

“They have become more educated and now they don’t want to come back to live in the countryside.”

Since decades of war ended in 1975, Vietnam has developed rapidly from an impoverished nation plagued by food shortages to a middleincome country and World Trade Organization member.

Despite lingering issues in the banking and state-run sector, gross domestic product (GDP) is growing faster than expected this year and analysts say Vietnam is one of the only countries in Southeast Asian with swiftly rising exports.

Some 70 per cent of the 90 million-strong population still lives off farming in rural areas, but top party leaders have said they want a “modern and industrialised nation by 2035”.

Many move to the cities to work in export-orientated manufacturing – often in industrial zones on the outskirts of big urban centres – construction and services.

For many of these new arrivals, life is not easy.

Linh has swapped 500 square metres of garden and fruit trees and a vegetable plot in northern Thai Binh province for a 20-square-metre rented room she shares with her two daughters.

But the 300,000 dong (B469) she brings in each day as a cleaner and scrap metal collector is considerably more

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12 WORLD NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

On the edge of a war

Israelis ski kilometres away from Syria conflict SYRIA

T

he snowy ridge of Mount Hermon separates two worlds. In one, Syria’s war rages. In the other, Israeli tourists slalom down ski slopes or drink mulled wine to the sound of techno music.

On a clear day Damascus is visible from the top of the ski lift 2,200 metres above sea level in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights where tourists reapply their sunscreen.

The Syrian capital is only 40 kilometres away but there is no access to it as Israel and Syria are still officially at war.

Israel seized most of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed the territory in a move never recognised by the international community.

For Israelis, the Hermon range, straddling Lebanon and the Syrian and Israeliheld sectors of the Golan, is a highly strategic area under close surveillance.

But every year when the snowflakes fall, Mount Hermon becomes a ski resort unlike perhaps any other in the world.

year’s first snow and feel “like I am on holiday abroad”.

“We have not stopped taking the bus because it could be blown up, or stopped surfing because there could be another war, like the French didn’t stop going to concerts because there were attacks,” he said, reflecting a widespread mindset among Israelis accustomed to violent conflict.

“There is not much snow in Israel. So coming here is an attraction. We just want to have fun,” said Amir Cohen, who brought his children sledging.

On the slopes a cross section of society includes veiled Muslim women, ultra-Orthodox Jews and UN soldiers on leave from monitoring duties nearby. The most dangerous projectiles traded here are Israeli soldiers of the alpine unit prepare for a patrol at the Mount usually snowballs.

Hermon ski resort in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Photo: Jiji/AFP “Anyway the bombings, you hear them far louder in the Skiers thinking of ventur- Israeli military bases. Soldiers the army, the police and we villages below than here,” said ing off-piste are discouraged are everywhere. are in complete coordination Fayad Abu Saleh, who is, like by the large signs warning Chair lifts are close to with them,” says Mills, who the majority of other employof landmines, while in the military outposts where sol- is also a ski instructor with ees at the site, from one of the distance antennas mark vast diers scan the horizon with reservists for the Israeli army. neighbouring Druze villages. binoculars.

In his spare time, he inDruze Arabs, who belong “If Syrians want to infil- troduces young conscripts to an offshoot of Shiite Islam, trate here then they should deployed to the area to ski are divided between Syria, be very good skiers,” jokes basics.

Lebanon and Israel.

Nabir Abu Saleh, head of the Despite their white cam“Our dream is that one day ski patrol station, pointing ouflage dress, soldiers are this region will be safer and at to the steep slope forming a easily identified on the slopes, the turn of a piste you can end natural buffer adjacent to the rifles strapped around their up in Syria, and then back to Syrian side. necks as they carefully prac- the station to get the Lebanon “And if it is summer, they tice manoeuvres amid more chairlift,” sighed Nabir Abu would have to be motocross skilled skiers.

Saleh, the ski patrol chief. champions.”

Israel, more known for “Every day when you go The Israeli army is less its southern desert, is not a up here, we think of what is fearful of infiltration than of country famed for its expertise happening in Syria – children stray shells fired by the Syrian in winter sports. and refugees who sleep in military or rebels.

But the country’s only re- tents in the cold. We come “We have already had to sort and its 14 slopes – which with our equipment, our suits, evacuate the site on several range from green to black – are and you can still feel the cold. occasions. We’re very well able to accommodate up to But them? organised,” Liron Mills, the 8,000 visitors a day.

“Yet we cannot do much Itay, 28, took a day off from here. We just want it to director of the site, said.

“We do not feel the war from Tel Aviv and made the end as soon as possible.” here. It is protected. There is three-hour journey to test the AFP

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

BUSINESS NEWS 13

Phuket’s B900m facelift Chris Husted execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

B

angkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS) has consolidated its facilities dedicated to serving Phuket’s booming medical tourism trade to create a B900 million facility in a new building at Phuket International Hospital.

The brand-new facility which includes the Phuket Plastic Surger y Institute (PPSI), which opened this month, is a merger of Phuket’s two premier plastic surgery centres: Phuket International Aesthetic Center (PIAC) and Bangkok Phuket Institute of Cosmetic Surgery (BPICS).

The PPSI features 10 stateof-the-art operation theatres and hotel-style client residences over two floors for overnight stays. In staffing, the centre includes 110 clinical and administrative staff for the medical tourism building, which comprises the PPSI itself, the Rejuvenation & Longevity Institute and the Skin Center.

The creation of the PPSI also means that no more cosmetic surgeries are to be performed at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, explained PPSI Director Dr Sanguan Kunaporn.

“Medical tourism in Phuket

The new building, which includes the brand-new Phuket Plastic Surgery Institute (PPSI), is slated to cost B900 million in total. Photo: Phuket International Hospital actually started before the turn of the century. The first website of its kind in Thailand is www.phuket-plasticsurgery. com, that was launched in 1998 and the first client came to Phuket six months later,” Dr Sanguan explained.

“Nowadays, almost 20 years later, Phuket International Hospital plus Bangkok Phuket Hospital are enjoying more than 3,000 cosmeticsurgery clients a year, not including other minimal or non-invasive aesthetic procedures.”

As recently reported by C9 Hotelworks, Australians represent 70% of cosmetic surgery clients, who mainly come with all inclusive packages that provide treatment, transportation and hotel ac-

commodation.

“The industry caters primarily to female patients which comprise almost 93% of the market,” highlighted C9 Hotelworks CEO Bill Barnett in the report.

“Also, medical tourists between 18 to 25 and 45 to 55 years old are the two largest age categories at 33% and 31%, respectively,” he said.

The report noted that the average hospital/clinic spend for cosmetic surgery is nearly twice that for anti-aging patients, with median costs of B150,000 and B80,000 respectively.

“The report appears to reflect accurately on the current market and trends,” noted Lotte Dietrich, PPSI Senior Foreign Coordinator.

“Our main markets are Australia, New Zealand and Asia and our most requested procedure is breast augmentation,” she said.

“But our biggest competitors are the larger hospitals in Bangkok, and to some extent Kuala Lumpur and Korea. We have clients coming from all over the globe, but medical tourists tend to stay in their home region, so the number of clients from North America and Europe is still limited – but growing, as airfares are becoming cheaper and Phuket is becoming an international hub.” Ms Dietrich added.

Dr Sanguan explained further, “Due to the trend and life style of new generation of people, facial and body image is very important. People see

each other through social media minute by minute. Aesthetic/Cosmetic Plastic surgery is the solution to change and enhance their facial profile, breast size or hourglass figure.

“In one way, inexpensive airfare and the significant difference of medical/healthcare cost but with good quality between Western countries like Australia and developing countries like Thailand are among the key factors to insure the growing of this industry.

“On the other way, thousands of elite and rich people from under developed countries like Myanmar or Cambodia fly to Thailand seeking for better quality medical care.”

The new Phuket International Hospital PPSI building is designed to serve the medical tourists who come for aesthetic plastic surgery, longevity and wellness treatment, and skin treatment especially as a “One stop service facility”, he added.

“Our vision is ‘Always one step ahead’,” Dr Sanguan said.

“To achieve this, our goals are 1) Being a centre of excellence for plastic surgery; 2) Growing internationally and regionally; and 3) Becoming a one-stop total service centre for beauty and aesthetics,” he added.

Cefalu’ closes at Surin THE POPULAR RESTAUrant Cefalu’ at Surin Beach has closed its doors, citing the pressure by the government for beachfront venues at the tourist locale as its primary reason for shutting down.

“In view of the controversial decisions taken by the Phuket authorities to close down all businesses on Surin beach, and furthermore forbidding chairs and umbrellas on the beach, the number of tourists has dramatically decreased in this last high season,” restaurant management said in a notice issued this week.

“The coming long low season, has therefore convinced us that it is no longer worthwhile to continue running a business on Surin beach, especially for the uncertainty created by the authorities who intimate us monthly to leave without further delay.”

The company will now focus its efforts on the Cefalu’ restaurant in Soi Banzaan, Patong.

The Phuket News

E-tax to help boost state coffers by B100bn in VAT THE ELECTRONIC TAX (e-tax) and single financial account scheme are expected to boost value-added tax (VAT) by at least B100 billion a year, Revenue Department DirectorGeneral Prasong Poontaneat announced this week.

VAT from domestic purchases and services will increase by at least 30% once the e-tax and single financial account scheme are enforced, said Mr Prasong, who incidentally also serves as the Chair-

@thephuketnews

man of the Board of Directors for Airports of Thailand Plc. The department in fiscal 2015 gathered B708 billion in revenue from VAT, of which B350 billion came from domestic consumption.

And while tax incentives to encourage small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) to maintain a single financial account will cost the government more than B20 billion in lost revenue, the department will gain from indirect taxes

Revenue Deparment Director General Prasong Poontaneat. such as VAT after those SMEs enter the formal tax system, Mr Prasong said.

Under the single financial account scheme, registration

with the department is required for SME operators who plan to take part in the programme.

The registration period ended on Tuesday (Mar 14).

Those with annual sales of up to B500 million that register with the department will be exempt from backdated tax scrutiny.

Registered SME operators with registered capital not exceeding B5 million and revenue of B30 million or less for the 2015 accounting

year will have no tax burden for the 2016 accounting year, only 10% corporate tax for net profits exceeding B300,000 for the 2017 accounting year and tax exemption for net profits of no more than B150,000.

They will resume paying normal tax rates from 2018. SMEs are currently exempt from corporate taxes for net profits of no more than B300,000, but pay 15% tax for net profits of B300,000 to B3 million baht and 20%

for net profits of more than B3 million.

Mr Prasong said the Revenue Department may not raise the current 7% rate of VAT if it brings in more revenue from the e-tax and the single financial account scheme.

As of Tuesday, 430,000 SMEs – the vast majority of those eligible to join the single financial account scheme – had registered with the Revenue Department.

Bangkok Post

14 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Room rates hit downturn Raw data from Hotels.com reveal slide in real booking rates earned HOSPITALITY The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

A

verage prices paid per night for hotel accommodation in Thailand fell 8 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, according to the latest annual Hotel Price Index (HPI) report from Hotels.com.

The HPI is a regular report on hotel prices in major destinations across the world, tracking the movement in prices that people actually paid for their accommodation and providing valuable insight into the reasons behind the changes.

The data is drawn from bookings made on the hundreds of thousands of hotels on the Hotels.com websites worldwide.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the number of travellers to Thailand surged in 2015. Visitor arrivals increased by 20.4% over 2014, totalling 29.8 million, driven by demand from

the Chinese market.

However, travellers paid less in 95% of Thai destinations, including Phuket, said the HPI report.

Travellers to and within Thailand paid on average B2,968 per night (including taxes and fees), down from B3,226 in 2014. Among Thai cities analysed in the HPI, Kanchanaburi and Koh Samet

saw the highest declines at 39%.

Top destinations for foreign visitors also saw a drop, as seen in Phuket by 14% to B2,754, while Pattaya and Chiang Mai dropped by 9% to B2,110 and 8% to B2,170, respectively.

The only destinations where travellers experienced an increase were Pranburi and

Koh Ngai, by 7% to B5,529 and 5% to B3,473, respectively.

Hotel accommodation in popular destinations such as Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Songkhla and Surat Thani proved to be competitively affordable with average prices paid ranging from B810 to B1,720 per room per night.

“The global index sat at 114 for 2015 and is closing the

gap on the previous peak of 117 in 2007, the year before the global economic crisis,” noted the report.

Specifically, Thailand’s low inflation rate and lower global oil prices were both cited as partial reasons for the slump.

Yet, the report added that, “The 8% fall in hotel prices paid in Thailand was good news for travellers who found

even more affordable rates at most destinations.

“Travellers to cities outside of Thailand also saw a decrease in prices per room, per night, such as in Kuala Lumpur by 20% to B2,087, Seoul by 19% to B3,232, Bali by 19% to B2,790, Singapore by 18% to B4,527 and Taipei by 13% to B3,279.”

The fall in average room rates comes as Phuket experiences a surge in branded hotel room supply, accounting for 90 per cent of incoming Phuket pipeline projects, reports Bill Barnett, Managing Director of consultancy C9 Hotelworks.

The latest C9 Hotelworks hotel pipeline report forecast an increase of 5,216 rooms between 2016 and 2019 in Phuket, with 30% opening in 2016 and 23% in 2017.

The incoming pipeline of 32 properties will include 28 branded hotels (4,677 keys) and four independent hotels (539 keys). Approximately 71% and 75% of the branded and independent hotels, respectively, are sized 100 keys or more, noted the report.

Andrew Turner appointed MD at Rosewood Phuket Quality Schools International Phuket Quality Schools International is a well-established worldwide network of successful schools.

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ULTRA-LUXURY RESORT brand Rosewood Hotels & Resorts will mark the brand’s entry into Thailand – and Asia – in the first quarter

of 2017 with the opening the Rosewood Phuket, with Andrew Turner at the helm as Managing Director.

Australian-born Mr Turner has 22 years’ experience managing both city hotels and resorts in Thailand, Australia, China, Egypt, Ireland, Qatar and the United States.

For 10 years before joining Rosewood, he held hotel general manager positions, most recently at Baccarat Hotel & Residences in New York, as well as at Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas; Anantara Sanya Resort; Lough Eske Castle of Capella Hotel Group; and The Ritz-Carlton, Sharm El Sheikh.

Previously, he worked in a number of The Ritz-Carlton hotels as hotel manager and executive assistant manager of rooms.

The Rosewood Phuket has been a long time coming, with the initial announcement dating back to 2012. Located on 600 metres of beachfront at Tri Trang Beach (referred to by Rosewood as “Emerald Bay”), just north of the Merlin Beach Resort, the resort will feature 71 villas and 32 residences.

The Phuket News thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Metzo’s menu is all Mediterranean

18

PIA gets ready for Hairspray show.

21

ON THE

FRONTIER

Two tour itineraries that traverse the heart of Laos, northern Vietnam > Page 19

Exploring one of the most beautiful and bombed regions of the world is now safely possible with new tours.

@thephuketnews

16 BOOKS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Chasing the Dragon Phuket-based Hollywood screenwriter Jim Newport on his seventh novel

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ong-time Phuket resident Jim “James” Newport has just had his seventh novel Yankee Dragon published by California Times Press. Former Executive Editor of The Phuket News Alasdair Forbes once described Jim as: “…one of those enviable people who’s had several lives, all of them immensely enjoyable.” He was a rock photographer, on the road in the seventies with the likes of Eric Burdon of The Animals, and Robben Ford, later living in Laurel Canyon, California, alongside legends such as John Mayall and John Densmore of The Doors. He moved from photography into movies, becoming a highly successful Production Designer. He’s been nominated for an Emmy award and has been responsible for the “look” of TV series such as LOST and The Shield and movies such as Bangkok Dangerous.

In 2003, Asia Books published the first of his four Vampire Of Siam novels. This led to a novel on the life of “Rock God” Jimi Hendrix Chasing Jimi and his first Hollywood novel: Tinsel Town – Another Rotten Day In Paradise.

Newport’s latest novel, Yankee Dragon, continues to take the reader behind the scenes.

The Phuket News sat down with Newport in his home at Kamala Beach to discuss his latest literary adventure.

You have been coming to Phuket since 1989. Why? I’ve been coming right here – this spot in Kamala – for almost 25 years.

For the first 15 years I rented a little house across the street – right where Andara is. It was truly magical. There was nothing else here. The cries of the gibbons in the jungle filled the night. I knew the first time I saw it that I had found the spot where I would spend the rest of my days.”

Photos By Dan Miles Media

Were you writing then?

I wanted to. I was well in my film design career and I was experimenting writing scripts when I was between films. I was arrogant enough to think I could do that. Eventually I turned

to novel writing, simply because it allowed me to put more descriptions in.

How did Yankee Dragon come about?

In 1990 I went to Japan to design Mr Baseball. The experience was so incredible (think of Lost In Translation on steroids) that I started keeping a journal. When it was over I started turning it into a novel. I finished a rough draft and showed it to Asia Books. They liked it but were not going to publish a novel set in Japan. So I set it aside and wrote The Vampire Of Siam.

What happened to Yankee Dragon?

I forgot about it. And I assumed it was lost. I didn’t have a copy. And then, last year, my wife and I went to Japan.

We were meeting an old friend, a Japanese artist I’ve known for a long time, and I casually asked if she happened to have a copy. She did. I started reading it on the plane back to Bangkok and fell in love with it. I rewrote it and gave it to California Times, who I just signed a publishing deal with.

It’s well known in Phuket that you have a musical alter ego. What’s he up to?

Jimmy Fame. He’s been joining the Jazz Band at the Siam Supper Club on Mondays. We did a whole set of jazz standards – Le Jazz Hot – at HOME restaurant in Kalim in November.

We’ve talked about recording a jazz CD. But whenever Colin Hill calls, it’s great fun to ‘shout the blues’ for an evening where ever he’s playing.”

Any films on the horizon?

I’ve been trying to get my own project made (Barefoot.) It’s set entirely on Phuket and I’ve gotten a lot of support from the community, but it’s like rolling a boulder up a steep hill. In the meantime, Mechanic II: Resurrection with Jason Statham opens everywhere August 26.

Yankee Dragon by Jim Newport is available in all formats (ePub, paperback, hardcover) exclusively from Amazon.com/books

In 1990 Hollywood is reeling from the effects of a long-term strike by the Writer’s Guild that virtually shut down the industry, Sam Grannit (a special effects man) becomes a ‘Gentleman Bandit’ taking advantage of the loose cash and lax security in the motion picture industry.

Just as Sam is settling into his life of crime, he gets a call to go to Japan to supervise a huge special effect gag.

Back to work. Sam leaves Los Angeles at just the right time as L.A.P.D. detective Wayne Morris is hot on his trail.

In Japan, Sam and the other Hollywood filmmakers experience a culture shock they were never prepared for as they try and deal with the mysterious ways of their Japanese counterparts.

Soon Sam is caught up in the temptation of the multi-million-dollar cash payroll that will be sitting in an unguarded safe during the first day of shooting. The enticement to return to his recent life of crime weighs heavily on him as he becomes more and more enamored of his host country and its culture.

“A terrific insight into the desperation that is embedded in making a film overseas.” Rod Holcomb - Producer/ Director for Moonlighting, The Pentagon Papers and ER.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

ENVIRONMENT 17

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Soap For Hope CSR campaign to clean up hotels’ eco record

T

he regionally-renowned “Soap for Hope” project was officially launched on the island on March 5 at the Credit Union branch in Rassada, on the outskirts of Phuket Town. This unique project – enacted locally through a partnership among the Phuket Community Foundation, Diversey/Sealed Air, AccorHotels Southern Thailand and the Credit Union Phuket Branch – involves recycling old hotel soap from hotels while providing livelihood for local communities.

The programme’s objective is three-fold: to save lives by promoting a cleaner and healthier environment through proper hand-washing with soap; to provide a means of livelihood for local communities through learning a new skill; and to help hotels reduce waste by recycling used or discarded soap. Once used soap is collected from the hotels, it is transported to local communities and the local people re-process the soap using a specially customized cold-press method that requires no running water or electricity. The reconstituted soap bars are then distributed to communities that have limited access to basic hygiene amenities.

A typical 400-room hotel generates 3.5 metric tonnes of solid soap waste per year,” said Stefan Phang, Sealed Air’s Director of Sustainability and CSR. “Handwashing with soap is among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent diarrheal and respiratory diseases in developing

@thephuketnews

The Racha, DMCR install artificial reefs

A

regions. Soap for Hope addresses waste reduction and hygiene enhancement at the same time, while also generating livelihoods for local communities.”

Soap for Hope was first launched in Cambodia in 2013.

Since then, it has been implemented in multiple Asian countries and expanded beyond the region. Soap for Hope is now in 17 cities across 11 countries including Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, China, United Arab Emirates, Kenya and South Africa. Currently, 120 hotels are supporting the programme and more than 160,000 beneficiaries gain free access to soap every year.

The Accor Hotels Southern Thailand have been gathering left over soap from both Krabi and Khao Lak as well as Phuket in preparation for the official launch in Phuket on March 5. A total of nine hotels are supporting this venture and will continue to supply the soap on a monthly basis. The equipment and expertise for making the reconstituted soap are supplied

by Sealed Air. The local people to make and distribute the soap have been brought together by The Phuket Community Foundation and the Credit Union branch in Rassada.

After the opening ceremony, a demonstration of the soap making process intrigued the audience and enticed Deputy Governor Chokdee Amornwat

to have a go at making a bar of soap. The process involves several steps: - 1) scraping and cleaning the used bars of soap, 2) chopping it into small cubes, 3) weighing 150 grammes for the small press or 500g for the larger press, 4) dipping the cubes into the sanitising solution in a strainer, 5) mixing the cubes with natural products such as lime zest, galangal, butterf ly pea f lower for colour, 6) placing the mix into the cold-press machine. The pressed soap is then extracted from the mould of the press and dried. The larger soap bars are then cut into smaller bars for packaging.

Some of the soap will be bought back by the hotels for souvenirs for their guests. A portion of the soap will be given out to communities and schools and some will be sold at local markets. The housewives occupation group came to the launch at the Credit Union branch to be trained in the soap-making process and the equipment will be kept at the bank for the ladies to make the soap on a regular basis. They will be able to make a small income from the soap to help support their families. The income for the Community Foundation will go to support the various community projects of the foundation.

For more information on the Phuket Community Foundation visit www.phuketcharity.org or http://globalpr.net/pcf-home

s part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) inititives, The Racha Resort recently joined hands and hearts with the coral reef restoration unit of the Phuket Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) to install artificial reefs in Plab Pla bay (adjacent to Batok Bay) off Racha Yai island, south of Phuket.

Led by DMCR Director, Khun Pitoon Panchaipum, the private-public dive collaborative installed the reefs on February 27 and 28, with an aim of increasing the coral life off this island that is endangered according to recent surveys pointing to various global-scale threats, including ocean acidification and warming, and stronger and more frequent storms that are thought to be brought on as a result of climate change.

In hopes of enabling the reefs to better withstand such global pres-

sures, the team is also hoping to tackle the issue at the local scale, by working with the locals to address additional human threats such as water pollution, destructive fishing and unsustainable tourism.

In areas with highvolume tourism, repeated direct contact with the reef poses an immediate threat. Hundreds of boat groundings and thousands of tourist interactions each year reduce sections of coral reef to rubble. Human contact also reduces coral colonies’ ability to cope with rising sea temperatures and diseases.

18 DINING

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Mediterranean Matinee

Metzo’s Sunday Brunch is a rich culinary affair like no other Jason Beavan gm@classactmedia.co.th

G

ot the T-shirts from all the other great Sunday Brunches on the island and looking for something different cuisine wise? Then head over to Metzo’s at Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort for their Mediterranean inspired Sunday Brunch, on weekly from 11:30am – 3:30pm.

Word of warning, come hungry, real hungry. As soon as you walk into Metzo’s, your

taste buds start to quiver as you see and smell the chefs preparing the dishes from the open plan kitchen. Acclaimed Lebanese Chef Mustapha Haj Omar, along with his team, send to your table a range of tapas style Middle Eastern favourites, 19 in total, ranging from dips of Hummus, Moutabal and my pick, Mouhamara – mixed crushed nuts, tomato, chilli paste and spices.

Also among the tapas selection is Moroccan chicken salad, Lebanese cauliflower salad, zucchini and tomato Frittata, Beef Carpaccio and Serrando

ham and Chorizo, to name just a few. Best part is you get to order more of your favourites, dare you try and finish all and order more, especially when you still have mains and desserts to come.

Five mains await. Get one per person and share. The selection of the day was the meat mixed grill, which includes Shish Taouk (chicken), Shish Kebab (beef), Lamb Kofta, Grilled Pork Neck, Royal Couscous, roasted new potatoes and the seafood mixed grill, which includes tiger prawn, rock lobster, Andaman tuna, squid,

royal couscous and roasted new potatoes.

Other mains are Chicken Shawarma, Surf & Turf and the Vegetable Tajine, which is baked in traditional Moroccan clay pot known as ‘Tajine’.

The whole family is happy, free Wi-Fi (to upload those food and selfie pics), kids food corner with free access to Koh Kids Club, and free flow beverages for the grown-ups.

Oh, and not to mention free access to the pool and 55-metre slide after brunch is done and dusted.

Can’t wait till next Sunday!

Metzo’s Sunday Brunch, every Sunday at Metzo’s Bistro & Bar, Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort from 11.30 am to 3.30 pm.

B990++ per person including the first drink.

B2,290++ per person (includes free flow selected beverages).

Half price for children aged 4 to 12.

Reservations are recommended, get in touch with the Food and Beverage team at 076 360 600 or email Metzo’ss@outrigger.co.tha

Marinating your meat ‘muck’?

SEASONED

CHEF

Steven Layne editor@classactmedia.co.th

P

reparation for the barbecue in the west may typically start in the moments, if not hours leading up to grill time: thaw the meat, season and spice it on the spot and off to the grill...

But a seasoned Thai chef typically likes to get a head start in preparing, flavouring and tenderizing their meat before putting it on the heat, by marinating it, a process which might start a day

in advance, if not the night before. The longer you marinate, the more flavourful the meat, but careful when using ingredients that can spoil if left exposed too long. A fridge will slow down the spoil-

ing process.

The meat marinating process in Thai is called “muck” หมัก and in use, the word precedes the type of meat being marinated. So for marinated chicken, we say “muck gai” หมักไก่ marinated pork, “muck moo” หมักหม ;ู and marinated beef “muck neua” หมักเน ื อ้ . As for the actual contents of the “muck”, various types of spices and sauces can be used, and depend on the chef, each of who will have their own secrets he/she may guard to their grave!

As for the home chefs without grandma’s cook book, don’t be afraid to get creative with the spice and sauce rack. So how do you like to muck your meat? thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Trailing Ho Chi Minh ‘Back Roads’ border crossings through the heart of Laos and North Vietnam Joseph Conrad called it a journey into the ‘heart of darkness’.

I see it more as a heritage trip through Indochina’s mountains of light and hope...

ABOVE: Mountain biking on way to Field of Jars (above right).

ABOVE: Jack Bartholomew; BELOW: Vieng Xai war caves.

@thephuketnews

K

hiri Travel has launched some exciting new tours ideal for adventurers wanting to get an authentic introduction of Thailand’s northeastern neighbours.

The two new tours being offered by Khiri Travel provide a perfect opportunity to explore Laos with Vietnam. One of them features an eight-day, seven-night trip that takes in the rural charms of Laos, crossing into Vietnam at Nam Can border crossing, connecting to Ninh Binh and onwards to Hanoi.

The second tour option is a highly evocative 11-day, 10-night trip following a similar route but including visits to Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area, and Xam Neua, home to Laos’ revolution-era caves. The trip connects with Mai Chau and later Hanoi via the Na Meo border crossing.

Both journeys traverse iconic Indochinese mountain landscapes that played an important role in the Indochinese wars between the 1950s and 1975. Organized tour groups do not often visit the area.

“Traveling the back roads through the mountains is the best way to admire the beauty and the breathtaking landscapes,” remarks Jack Bartholomew, Regional Director Indochina, Khiri Travel.

Bartholomew adds the trips are “balanced” so that travelers still get to experience major highlights such as Luang Prabang and Phonsavan’s Plain of Jars. They can also participate in rare experiences such as the Nam Nern night safari by boat.

Another highlight is the visit to the hidden cave city

of Laos. This was where the Pathet Lao built hospitals, schools, shops and theatres in mountain caves to avoid relentless American aerial bombing during the conflict’s “secret war”.

The trip includes visits to the mysterious Plain of Jars and the Lone Buffalo community foundation in Phonsavan.

“The Nam Nern night safari along the river is an incredible experience,” says Bartholomew. “It brings travelers right up close with nature. The trip is designed to support local communities as well as protecting endangered wildlife.”

At Mai Chau in Vietnam, travelers then explore the Pu Luong Nature Reserve, taking paths through various landscapes including mountains, jungles and valleys. The ‘hidden’ local villages in

TRAVEL 19

Welcome to Laos; the scenery is breathtaking.

the mountains belong to Tai and Hmong ethnic groups.

Khiri Travel says both trips are suitable for couples, groups and families. As with any frontier trip in the mountains, there is a limited choice of accommodation. The company says it has taken extra care to select eco-lodges and good quality accommodation where possible.

While many of the roads have recently been improved, the area is defined by what Bartholomew calls, “slow travel.”

“Joseph Conrad called it a journey into the ‘heart of darkness’. I see it more as a heritage trip through Indochina’s mountains of light and hope,” he says.

For more information about the tours, visit Khiri.com

20 ENTERTAINMENT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

The show must go on

T

ommy, 8, a student at Kajonkiet Suksa (EP) School in Kathu wasn’t going to let a stomach ache stop him from realising his first true taste of stardom on March 6 at a pageant held at the Anuban Phang Nga School.

“It must have been something I ate at the market earlier. My stomach was hurting on the way to Phang Nga, and I wasn’t feeling good all morning,” he recounts.

When it came time to do his strut down the cat walk, his parents asked if he was sure he wanted to go through with it, but there was no hesitation for young Tommy, whose mom is Thai and father English.

While many report having “butterflies” before going on stage, Tommy was a natural, and miraculously all the aches and pains he had been experiencing earlier in the car just disappeared.

The promising young talent took to the stage with confidence, an erect posture and a certain swagger about him. And the judges loved him; before the day was through, Tommy was chosen as top finalist in the 5-8 year old category, awarded two trophies, 1st place in his age category, as well as the “judges favourite” award, taking home a cash prize of B3,000 in addition to a voucher for free membership to the newly opened “Madame House South” acting school and acedemy.

“I never thought about being an

actor up to this point,” said Tommy, whose hobbies include running, swimming, golf and putting together model cars and ships with his dad.

“But it was easy for me to go up on stage, and I just used my head. Who knows what the future holds?”

Next up, in April Tommy is set to join other finalists for the filming of a movie “December Town” and has the opportunity to be trained in the showbusiness at Madame House South by popular ladyboy personality, “Madame Oot”.

Asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Tommy says his top choices would be pilot, ship captain, race car driver. The young lad’s already picked up a heart breaker’s habits of a superstar.

“When I was living in Samui up until I was six, I had four girlfriends at the same time. I haven’t had any in Phuket, but I think I just met my next girl. She’s Thai and also 8 and lived in Samui and we met at the Phang Nga pageant,” he laughs.

AsiaLIFE Radio fest “Funraise” for kids

T

he AsiaLIFE Radio Music Festival – an all-day open air carnival of music and familyfriendly entertainment – will be staged in the grassy surrounds of the park at Royal Phuket Marina on Saturday, April 2 to “funraise” charity funds for needy local children.

A hand-picked line-up of international and local bands is set to provide stellar rock & roll, while family entertainment, arts & crafts, gourmet fare, refreshments and assortments of wares will be available from a variety of local vendors.

Organiser Simon Primalaro of AsiaLIFE Radio.com said: “If music be the fruity elixir of life, then we are ripe to party!”

The spectacular al fresco celebration, set to run from early afternoon right through to late night, is aimed at benefiting The Children’s Fund of The Rotary Club of Patong Beach (rotarypatong.org) with donations from every ticket sold and the proceeds of a grand raffle held on the day.

The festival’s musical line-up includes: Cotton Mouth; Black & Blue; Legends of Siam; The Fuzztonez; Go Bai Bai; Happy Bastards; The Moody Band; Bangkok Travellers; Curious Itch; DTACH; Pjae Stanley Band; and Apple’s Bite Acoustic Duo - as well as an after party hosted by AsiaLIFE

Radio - with more acts and entertainment due to be added.

Tickets are just B800 pre-event “early bird” and then B1,200 on the day - with B100 from every ticket sold donated to the Rotary Club’s Children’s Fund.

“Early bird” tickets are available at: the Royal Phuket Marina Office in Koh Kaew; Lady Pie restaurant, Cherng Talay; PAPA @ Phuket International Academy in Thalang; The Rotary Club of Patong; DMG in Thalang, International Law Office on Choa Fa Rd; Lemongrass in Rawai and Chern Talay; Kid’s Mania at Royal Phuket Marina; Legend Music (near British International School) and online at phuketticketmaster.com The AsiaLIFE Radio Music Festival is proudly sponsored by The Phuket News, as well as Royal Phuket Marina; Development Management Group Co.Ltd. (DMG); Legend Music; Siam Guardian Services; Rotary Club of Patong Beach and The Village Coconut.

For more information visit the AsiaLife Radio Music Festival website at www.asialifearadio.com and Facebook page AsiaLIFE Radio Music Festival AsiaLIFE Radio Music Festival, or contact Simon Primalaro, Head Honcho, AsiaLIFE Radio.com: prim@ asialiferadio.com; Tel 08 5691 7250.

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ARTS 21

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Be yourself, Baltimore style

S

tudents at Phuket International Academy (PIA) have been practising hard for their latest musical: Hairspray Jr, which they will be performing on Thursday, March 24 and Friday, March 25.

Hairspray is an American musical set in 1960s Baltimore [in the US state of Maryland], and mixes ’60s dance music with rhythm and blues.

It tells the story of a plump teenager named Tracy Turnblad, whose dream it is to dance live on the Corny Collins Show. Once she succeeds she becomes an instant celebrity, and uses her fame to launch a campaign for inte-

gration. Hairspray is a fun, upbeat musical, but its undertones explore the very real racial and social injustices of 1960s American society.

A number of PIA students aged 9 to 17 are involved in the school’s version of this vibrant, energetic rendition, and have been tirelessly practicing after school and on weekends to perfect their parts. Isaac in Grade 9 is playing Link and says, “Hairspray is another way to get out of school mode and show your artistic side. People look at me as the ‘smart kid’, so singing, dancing, acting … it shows another side of me. The show itself has a good message: be yourself. Everyone is accepted. You shouldn’t run away from being who you really are.”

Eugene in Grade 10 is playing Tracy and says, “I have been involved

Tea time for the mad ones

B

ritish artist Goldie MBE will open ‘The Mad Artists Tea Party‘ on Monday, March 21 at 3pm in the main lobby at British International School Phuket (BISP). The Grand Opening is open to the general public, and the exhibition runs until 27 May 2016.

This year’s IB Year 13 Visual Art exhibition at BISP, entitled “The Mad Artists Tea Party” promises to be an exciting and eclectic mix of visual art, with 99 pieces of original artwork on display by nine very talented student artists.

“This is one of the biggest groups of artists we’ve had in recent years,” says BISP Art Coordinator, and Art & Design Academy Director Claire Lester, referring to the nine artists sitting the IB Art programme at BISP, who are collectively behind this year’s IB Year 13 Visual Art exhibition, ‘The Mad Artists Tea Party‘.

The 99 artworks in total now on display around the school – the public exhibition is a required part of the IB course – cover a diverse range of techniques and styles, including paintings, sculptures, installa@thephuketnews

tions and digital pieces.

“The standard this year is extremely high,” says Ms Lester, “with a truly eclectic mix of students, styles and approaches.”

For the IB exhibition, students must have a theme or style – for example, one student’s work evolved around fish, while another was inspired by manga.

“The work is all up to them,” adds Ms Lester, “as teachers we are there to help guide them through the process.”

Every year BISP has a guest artist open the

show – previous artists have included Phuket-based performance artist Romadon – and this year the school is honoured to have renowned British artist, DJ, musician and actor Goldie MBE open the exhibition.

As well as officiating the launch, Goldie has also kindly loaned some of his remarkable and valuable artworks from his art collection ‘Lostribes’ to be part of the ‘The Mad Artists Tea Party’ exhibition.

“This is an amazing mix of students, with most of

them having been at British International School, Phuket since P r imar y school,” says Ms Lester. “We are very proud of them, and of all our previous IB Art graduates , who have gone on to study at the world’s best art schools, including Central Saint Martins, Glasgow School of Art, and Parsons School of Design.”

For more information about visual art at BISP, please visit bisphuket.ac.th/visualarts or contact Claire Lester: clester@bisphuket.ac.th

in the past couple of musicals at the school. Taking part means I build new social relationships that I wouldn’t otherwise have a chance to. Although a lot of work, Hairspray is a good break from the stresses of school.”

Ticket prices for Hairspray are 150THB for Adults and 100THB for Students. Proceeds will go to Makhampom, a theatre charity group in Chiang Mai, along with funding activities for PIA’s upcoming Arts Week. The show will be held on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 March 2016, with doors opening at 18:30. To purchase tickets, please email natalie.weekes@pia.ac.th.

22 ISLAND SCENE

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Saturdays Serviced Residence of The Attitude Club

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Warm smiles from Phuket International Hospital staff.

SABAI SABAI @ PIH

Grab @ Phuket staff ready to lend a hand.

Chefs from Sin Jeong Korean restaurant.

The inaugural 'Live Sabai in Phuket' event was held at Phuket International Hospital on Saturday, March 12, to enhance the island's expats' living experience. Schools, restaurants, banking, real estate and telecommunications services, shopping, expat communities and sports clubs were represented at the event to the benefit of the island's diverse expat community.

CONDO CHARITY FOR KIDS

FROM LEFT: Suchada Thongkum (Team Member, Human Resources), Dr. Sirichai Silapa-archa (Patong Hospital Director); Richard Margo (Hotel Manager) and Chonnanan Prakarn (Director, Human Resources)

Sue Ultmann of PHBGTU, Andres Pira and Nadear Chansong of Phuket Condos & Homes and Blue Horizon Developments.

Phuket Condos & Homes in partnership with Blue Horizon Developments donated B320,000 from the proceeds of the sale of Best Western Himalai Oceanfront Condominiums to Phuket Has Been Good To Us. The developer is a major ongoing sponsor of the Foundation, annually sponsoring a teacher at Kamala School.

CANCER CONSCIOUS @ AMARI Representatives of Amari Phuket, Richard Marco, Hotel Manager (second from right), Chonnanan Prakarn, Director, Human Resources (right) and Suchada Thongkum, Team Member, Human Resources (left) recently visited Patong Hospital to donate the funds received from the World Cancer Day Project to Dr. Sirichai Silapa-archa, Patong Hospital Director (second from left). Amari Phuket’s entire team worked together to raise the project fund successfully. The fund will be used in hospital operations to help cancer patients.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY CLASS ACT Jason Wilder (left) of Live 89.5 exchanges a gift with Class Act Media Distribution messenger Monthep “Pe” Poolkasam

Class Act Media held a staff party on Friday, March 11 to mark the company's fifth year anniversery.

Lots of drink and food was had, as were prizes exchanged and won.

QSI International School of Phuket's Russell Page, School Director (2nd left), Tiramnas Kerdphol Teacher Assistant (centre), Supanan Suttipiryanon, staff (2nd right) with students.

QSI ANNUAL CARNIVAL A HIT It was all fun and games on March 12 at the annual QSI Carnival which featured lots of useful and entertaining booths and stations to keep family and friends entertained.

SWING LIKE SIR NICK

Sir Nick Faldo (centre) with friends and guests at Laguna.

The Exclusive Golf Weekend at Laguna Phuket hosted by world-renowned golf legend and six-time Major winner Sir Nick Faldo last weekend (March 11-12) concluded with great success with several exciting events.

For more information, see story in Sport.

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ISLAND SCENE 23

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Thousands were up early on Sunday for the start.

Runners of all ages and backgrounds took part.

2ND 10 MILE RUN @ THANYAPURA Ajarn Narong

DJ Roxy June of Thailand and DJ Soda of Korea

The 2nd annual 10 Mile Run by Thanyapura and Supersport saw a wonderful turnout from runners, sprinters (and walkers) from all over the world .

See Sport pages for special mentions.

But not before I take a group selfie!

DJ Soda sure knows how to rock the crowd.

SWEET AS SODA

XANA SWEETS: From left: Khun Jill - Assistant F&B Sales Manager; Khun Sompong – F&B Manager; Khun Sree – Director of F&B; DJ Soda; Khun Ryan – F&B Operation Manager; Khun Fern – Assistant PR Manager and Khun Wen – F&B Marketing Manager

Uangporn Goodhand and The Phuket News’ News and Sports Editor Matt Pond

EPL PREDICTIONS WINNER FOR FEBRUARY COMPETITION Congratulations go out to Chris Goodhand, who with 22 points was the February winner of The Phuket News EPL Predictions Competition. Chris’ wife Uangporn came to the Class Act Media office on March 10 to collect the prize on behalf of her lucky husband, who takes home a B3,000 voucher for Angus O’Tools in Karon. @thephuketnews

To celebrate its 4th year anniversery, XANA Beach Club at Bangtao Beach held a sensational Pink Party on Friday, March 11, featuring a much-anticipated, one-time-only performance

by Korean superstar DJ Soda. As headliners for the event, DJ Soda and DJ Roxy June brought a rush of sonic energy to rock the crowd long through the night.

Ian and Ross (in black, left and right standing) were pleased to provide techincal training to the local boys last week.

HAMMERS TIME PHUKET WITH WEST HAM UNITED West Ham United Youth Academy coaches were in town this past week to hold training camps and clinics in conjunction with Phuket Soccer Schools. On Sunday, March 6, the two organisations held a free one-hour clinic for local youths at Republic Phuket. See Sport pages for more details.

24 EVENTS

FRI

18 MAR

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SAT

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

19 MAR Traditional Sunday Roast Angus O’Tool’s Karon Beach

BBQ at Expat Hotel Time 8pm, Expat Sports Bar, Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www.expatsportsbar.com

Burgerfest 2016 - Who has Phukets Best Burger?

Friday BBQ Buffet at SKYE Beach Club

Price at 799++, RSVP, SKYE Beach Club at Naiyang Beach, 093 582 7700.

Phuket’s best-of-the-best restaurateurs and chefs are set to battle it out to see whose burger reigns supreme and is crowned “Phuket’s Best Burger 2016”. The inaugural 2015 “Phuket’s Best Burger” was won by Xana Beach Club who have worn the crown proudly for the past year. A panel of expert judges will blind judge, their scores will be combined with the new public vote. There will be live music and activities for the kids, plus special rates at Kids Mania at RPM. From 16:00 – 22:00, Town Square, Royal Phuket Marina.

SUN

20 MAR

Lunch or dinner served from 2pm. Your choice of either roast beef, chicken, loin of pork or leg of lamb served with roast and boiled potatoes, three fresh vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy.

Only B350 per person which includes a free glass of house red or white. Opposite Centara Karon Resort. See otools-phuket.com.

MON

21 MAR

All you can eat BBQ night

Lazy Sunday Brunch

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 Aloo Tikki, Samosas, Chicken Tandoori, Aloo Gobi, Navrang Korma, Butter Chicken, Lamb Vindaloo, Naan, Rice, Salads, Chutneys / Achars, Pistachio Ice Cream, Gulah Jamun, Fruits. For only 499/- nett and special reduced prices on drinks. Contact: : 076 286 464 Ext 4.

Weekends Special Lunch Menu at TEXTURE Café & Restaurant

We are a Western & fusion café & restaurant in the heart of Old Phuket Town, offering fine dining experiences in the relaxing contemporary Peranakan café atmosphere. The restaurant opens daily from 4:00–11:00 pm, closed every Wednesday. From November 2015 onwards, we are open for lunch during weekends from 11:00 am–11:00 pm with variety of new mouthwatering lunch menu. info@texturephuket. com, 081 916 1430.

Indulge yourself in a culinary experience like no other at DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Phuket Surin Beach; a wide selection of Thai delicacies alongside sushi platter, pasta, pizza, meat carving station and a variety of desserts you can’t miss! It also includes free flow of soft drinks! Only THB 399++ per person. Children aged 4-12 receive 50% discount off. This includes free access to our swimming pools, water slides and Kids Club.” RSVP 076 303 300.

All you can eat Sunday Roast Buffet

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.

Mussels night @ Shakers

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

Bollywood Phuket’s Weekend Special Indian Lunch Set

Come and enjoy the authentic flavour of India by indulging in our weekend ‘s special lunch set for only B399++ per person between 11am-3pm.

Menu includes 3 staters, 4 main course and dessert served with Gulab Jamun/Phirni Vanilla Custard/Ice Cream (choose 1). All for just B399++ per person. For more info please call 076 304 034.

Adoption Event - Soi Dog

Dogs & Cats Free to a good home. All animals are sterilised and vaccinated. For more info, please contact thaiadoptions@soidog-foundation.org or teresa@soidog.org. Soidog.org.

Beef, Pork & Lamb – Cauliflower, Broccoli, Peas, Carrots, Fried mushrooms, Grilled Tomatoes – Yorkshire pudding – Roasted Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes – Gravey, Mushroom sauce, Mint Sauce. Reservation Recommended 350 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

Sunday roast at Gallery Cafe By Pinky @ new Chalong branch

Every Sunday from 12pm and all-day brunch and dinner every day from 7am-10pm.

0891037000 FB : Gallerycafe by Pinky, thegallerycafe@yahoo.com, 089 103 7000.

6pm – 11pm: beef, pork, chicken, burgers, sausages, prawns & squids, salad buffet, choice of potatoes & sauces, bread, buns & garlic bread Reservation recommended 350 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

400 years ago this year William Shakespeare passed on, but his plays live on, as funny, exciting and spell-binding as ever! Theatrix and HeadStart are presenting The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at HeadStart on Mon., Mar. 21 at 4:30 p.m.! By popular demand this rollicking ride through all 37 plays in 97 minutes is back! Tickets are available at the HeadStart office or at the door. Don’t miss it! Recommended for all, 9 to 90. This first play in the Outta the Box Classics series is proudly sponsored by Phuket News, Live 89.5, Two Chefs, Oasis Ed. and Green Man.Theatrix, theatrixphuket@gmail.com

TUE

22 MAR

Toastmasters Phuket

Looking to develop your public speaking and leadership skills? Ignite your career? Join Toastmasters Phuket and start making yourself a leader today! Invitation only. Contact Jason on 086 479 7471 for more info..

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

EVENTS 25

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

WED

23 MAR

special brunch menu filled with a delectable assortment of traditional Easter dishes with a few culinary surprises enhanced with an incredible seaview over The Nai Harn beach and a live Jazz performance. Sunday, March 27th at Cosmo Restaurant • 2,700 THB net for Adults • 1,350 THB net for Kids under 12 year old Easter activities for our young guests: • Eggs coloring • Easter Egg Hunt • Photoshoot with Easter bunny Reservations, The Nai Harn Phuket, easter@thenaiharn.com, 076 380 200

THU

7 APR

Every Wednesday! All-you-caneat Pasta and Pizza Every Wednesday Eat all you can for Pizza and Pasta only for 500 Baht. Drink all you can Peroni & Belleville only for 450 Baht or Both EAT DRINK ALL YOU CAN ONLY FOR 890 Bath with DOUBLE EXPRESSIONS LIVE! Wednesdays 6pm to 11pm. info@pastabellini.com. Located at Chalong Circle, Chao-Fa East.

All you can eat BBQ Ribs night

6pm – 11pm: All you can eat BBQ ribs served with salad buffet, potato salad & choice of sauces. Reservations recommended THB295 P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

FRI

25 MAR

2nd Laguna Phuket Junior Golf Tournament 2016 Laguna Golf Phuket and the British International School Phuket are teaming up again to organize the 2nd Laguna Phuket Junior Golf Tournament! Aimed at getting juniors to have fun while enjoying the game of golf, the event will be held on 27th March 2016 including an exciting 18 holes golf competition around the award winning golf course, plus goodie bags, on-course refreshments and prize giving presentation following play. Entry is just THB 1,750.

Open to juniors aged 6 – 18. For more information please contact 076 270 991 or golf@lagunaphuket.com. Proudly supported by Live 89.5.

SAT

This is an ideal opportunity for local companies to tap into a market segment (Oil and Gas Executives) not really catered for in Phuket. Now that this is a yearly fixture it is intended that a Phuket based Charity will be supported on an annual basis, for 2016 the children’s charity chosen is Barnhem. If you want to participate in this year’s event, please visit asiangolfevents. com. Proudly supported by The Phuket News, Live 89.5 and Phuket News TV.

MON

8 APR

2 APR

With the Professional open air beach SUPER PARTY production VS the International famous DJs. Come with us, taking a great music journey to Paradise together. Surprise guest DJs “Line UP coming SOON....”RSVP, Paradise Beach, Patong, beekwang@paradisebeachphuket.com, 076 609 609

Miss Hooters Swimsuit Pageant - 2016

Hooters Asia invites all to this FREE ENTRY event, to discover which one of the beautiful Hooters girls will win the opportunity to represent Thailand at the Miss Hooters International Pageant. For more information please call Hooters on 076 349 850.

PHUKET BIKE WEEK 2016 “ASEAN RIDE TOGETHER” The biggest motorcycle event in Asia.

Celebrating the 22nd anniversary. This event expects to gather over 10,000 motorcyclists and 50,000 visitors from 30 countries. Which will be held on 8-10 April 2016 at Loma Park in Patong and 15 -16 April 2016 at Anuphas courtyard, Phuket Town, Phuket province. Visit our website http://www.phuketbikeweek.com/ or call 076 352 069.Proudly supported by The Phuket News Khun Wittaya Singkalah, ridethailandtour@hotmail.com

FRI

29 APR

27 MAR InterBike Hash #4 Asialife Radio Music Festival

Easter Jazz Brunch at The Nai Harn Phuket Gather with friends and family and enjoy a

@thephuketnews

In the park at the Royal Phuket Marina, Phuket.

Earli-bird tickets B800 per adult or B1,200 at the gate. Students with ID get in at half price, Kids under 12 get in FREE. From 1pm. The Bands: The Pjae Stanley Band, Legends of Siam, Black & Blue, The Moody Band, Dtach, Curious Itch, The Fuzztones, Cotton Mouth, The Bangkok Travelers, Go Bai Bai, Happy Snappers. For more information visit AsiaLifeRadio.Com

SUN

30 APR

Free Football Trials PHUKET BIKE WEEK 2016 ‘ASEAN RIDE TOGETHER

Biggest and Coolest Full Moon Paradise on the island

SUN

8th Phuket Oilfield Classic Charity Golf Tournament

Phuket Mountain Bike Hash will be hosting the InterBike Hash #4 between 29 April & 1 May, drawing Hashers from all over SEA and beyond.

Enjoy the lush tropics of the Andaman Sea, with 3 days of guided off-road rides for strong-willed and meeker hearts. Indulge in Phuket’s history, folklore, and hash festivities. We promise COLD drinks, wet water, and hot weather….along with your favorite ‘forget-me-not’ souvenirs. Registration required and limited to 200. Special lodging arrangements, find all details on our website - http://phuketinterbikehash.com.

This is your chance to join The HeadStart Football Academy. Saturday, March 19th 10:30 - 12:00 pm. Open to player from 12-15 years of age.JR, jr@headstartphuket.com, 076 612 875-6

EVERY DAY Great Mexican, Thai and Flamegrilled Burgers in a beautiful setting!

If you have time this month get down to Sea Breeze located in Royal Phuket Marina. Open 9am to 10pm everyday serving home-made mexican specialties, flame grilled burgers and Thai specials! All sport available shown live, Contact: Reservations, info@seabreezerpm.com, 076 360 806.

26 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York Across 1. The first day of which battle was the worst day in the history of the British Army, which suffered 60,000 casualties?

2. Which book, first published in 1605, has sold more han 300 million copies worldwide?

3. Which European capital is located on the banks of the River Pedieos?

4. Which shirt number would you associate with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky?

5. Designed in 1940, which country has a red flag with a gold central star?

Answers below, centre.

SUDOKU

52. Ball 53. “___ we there 1. Cast-of-thousands yet?” film 55. Big top pair 5. Old weapon 61. Music genre 9. The “N” of U.S.N.A. 62. Magnet 14. “My ___” (Chuck 63. Perfume Berry hit) 64. “Hey, there!”

16. “Fear of Flying” 65. Practice in the author Jong ring 17. Biblical foes 19. Santa ___, Calif. Down 20. Compete 21. Red-white-and1. Mythology blue inits. anthology 22. Stonecrop plant 2. Elton John’s 24. Flabbergast medium 29. Expend 3. Fe/Ni alloy 30. Style 4. Special effects: 31. Caviar (abbr.)

32. Tally 5. “Seinfeld” pal 35. Eager 6. Durable wood 36. Prefix with graph 7. Conclusion 37. Grimm duo?

8. Pudding 40. Add to the pot ingredient 41. Slangy pronoun 9. Wrestling hold 42. Cobbler’s stock 10. Suffix with sect 43. Kind of approval 11. Through 44. Stridex target 12. Behave 45. Ford Explorer, e.g. 13. “Well, ___-di46. Fertilize dah!”

48. Finale 15. Heeder 51. Chit 18. Trip to a

museum, e.g.

23. Prize money 24. Ways 25. Beginnings 26. Angry 27. The New Yorker cartoonist Edward 28. Makes better 32. Mine passage 33. “No problem” 34. Coming up 35. Unstable mesons 36. Sore spot 38. Hall 39. Dances 44. Fire up 45. Cold dessert 47. Feasts 49. Lively dance 50. Concert site 52. Chances 54. Ogler 55. World Service provider 56. Bass, e.g.

57. Score 58. Mont Blanc, e.g.

59. Rebuffs 60. “___ magic!”

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1) Battle of the Somme; 2) Don Quixote; 3) Nicosia; 4) 99; 5) Vietnam

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

This week in history ■■ March 18, 1992

In a national referendum white South Africans vote overwhelmingly in favour of ending apartheid.

3

dates is all it takes for men to fall in love. Women tend to fall in love after 14.

30

■■ March 19, 1932

years it has been since most places on Earth had a cooler-than-average month.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is opened. (Photo: JJ Harrison)

96

■■ March 20, 1916

Invasion of Iraq: In the early hours of the morning, the United States and three other countries (the UK, Australia and Poland) begin military operations in Iraq.

kilometres of solar pavement built by the French Government is expected to provide up to 8 per cent of power supply to the country’s population.

■■ March 21, 1952

Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio.

10,600

■■ March 22, 1784

beaches have been mapped in Australia. Visiting one a day would take 29 years.

1.73 billion

The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current location in Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok.

■■ March 23, 1540

Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last religious community to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

bobby pins are lost by women every year.

Monkey shelters from the rain. Photo by Alan F Scully

Source: Uberfacts

Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket?

Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

■■ March 24, 1854

Slavery is abolished in Venezuela.

Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

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Buy&Sell BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE Dive boat for sale Dive boat Asian Adventure, Length–18m, Width– 4.6m, Depth–1.7m, 1 Eng–315 H.P. capasity 40 passengers +3 crew. Located in Chalong, sales@ joydive.asia, 084 182 8685.

1 engine speedboat for sale Honda 250 H.P. 15 passengers+3 crew, Length–8.10m, Width–2.40, Depth-1.6. Excellent conditions, sound system Located in Chalong. Vladimir, sales@joydive.asia, 0841828685.

Boston Whaler conquest 255 Immaculate condition, Mercury 150hp x 2 very low hours, Thai registered. This boat comes with full inventory. Lying AoPo marina Phuket. mikehigh1@gmail. com Mike, mikehigh1@gmail.com, 088 768 4701.

Yacht Chartering and Resort Big A Swan 55 Yacht Chartering and Resort in Phuket Thailand Sailing : Big A Swan 55, Accommodation: Big A Resort 076-383080 Email: bigasail@samart.co.th.

ACTIVITIES, GROUPS Roof top Patong Mini Golf

The best sea view 18 Holes, roof top Mini Golf. Located on the 4th floor of Banana Walk Plaza in Patong, 091 762 2628, http:// patongminigolf.com

Free Tiya’s Hammocks campaign Win Free hammock from Tiya’s Hammocks Phuket. Winner will get V Weave hammock, handmade from North of Thailand, weight capacity 250 kgs. Value 5,200 THB. More details visit Facebook: Tiya’s hammocks, Contact: Tiya, tiya@ tiyashammocks.com, 089 600 0041.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

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PETS

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Bangla agogo club for sale & snack

A newly refurbished bar/club with great returns is for sale. Fully fitted out over 2 floors. Very cheap and very low rent. Reliable landlord. Steve, stevepearcergj@hotmail.co.uk, 089 587 0819.

Unique Stretch Limo Business Only available Stretch Limo in Thailand. 9 meters long 8 pax, in good condition with all documents and green plates. Turn key business incl. website just to take over and start to make money! 2,500,000.-, Patitta Apichotjarus, Patong, phuketstretchlimo@gmail.com, 080 145 0082.

Horse and Dog Vet Hospital Open from 10am. – 8pm.*Service all types of animals. * Experienced professionals.Contact: 076 620 136 /084 210 6868 and contact@horsedogvet.com www.horsedogvet.com

Pets Magic Planet

Business for Sale

Open from 9am. - 7pm. *The best international brands. * The ultimate choice. * Luxury accessries & jewels.

Contact: 076 620 106 / 091 040 4000 and contact@petsmagicplanet.com

Non tourist/bar related business for sale, yearly turnover of 15MB. Call 087 276 0529 or 081 968 6051 for more details.

Newly renovated hotel for rent Newly renovated hotel/guest house in Patong’s heart for rent from owner. 12 rooms, 2 shops to busy street, many facilities. More details check thephuketnews.com, search Listing ID 55398 or call +66(0)81 538 1399.

Restaurant on Main Street Large, tastefully decorated restaurant in Cherngtalay. Fully fitted and equipped kitchen, 100 seats, bar. Walk in and start business. Now only B790,000, 089 400 5907.

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.

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

CAR FOR SALE TOYOTA CORALLA ALTIS TRD Sept. 2011. 57000 km. 1 farang owner no accident.

Toyota service. Top condition. Tel: 086 043 4315 (English and German). 440,000, Per Dompert, Phuket, perdompert@hotmail.com, 086 043 4315.

TOYOTA ALTIS 1.6G AT

2008. 62K kms. White. Usual G refinements.

Insurance, FSH, Lady driver 395K baht ono 395K, Clive Roberts, crob58@gmail.com, 081 087 9237 or 086 270 8727.

Chevy Captiva LT 2008 Chevrolet Captiva LT 2008, 499,000 Baht, 62.000 KM, 1 Owner, 2.0L Turbo Diesel, Full Chevy Service History, No Accidents, 1st Class Insurance. Tel. 082 804 1742.

TOYOTA Fortuner 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.

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.

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MEMBERSHIPS

CAR WASH DELIVERY Tired Of Waiting?

We clean your car at your place - at your time. No.1 car wash delivery in Phuket.

Call 076-355-042 or go to CleanCar.me for more details.

Blue Canyon Membership Blue Canyon Membership for sale. 1 corporate nominee for sale THB 630,000 inc transfer fee. grahamhaslam@hotmail.com.

PUBLIC NOTICES Notice

PERSONAL SERVICES

In June 2016, Bangkok Hospital Phuket will have to destroy patient records being inactive for over 10 years. For assistance & information, call 1719 or e-mail us at info@phukethospital.com.

De Laguna By Dr.JaQ International Clinic English Speaking Doctor By Appointment 095 0851188 FB: DrJaq Warnnissorn Providing Anti-Aging (Botox, Filler, Live Cell Therapy, Alternative Cancer Treatment, Chelation Medical, House Call).

Integrative and Advancement in Medicine for individualized treatment programs for patients of all ages and with various disorders, Email: tosawcute@gmail.com.

FURNITURE FOR SALE Swinging Sun Loungers For Sale Swinging, sun loungers, brand new, excellent quality- 6,000 baht only, Contact: Eddy, eddyelan@ yahoo.com, 0899710278.

MOVING SERVICES

OTHER 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.

RESORT FOR SALE/LEASE Resort for sale lease any offer consider! I want go sailing again!!, Address : 67/18 Soi Sermsuk Rawai Phuket, bigasail@samart.co.th, Contact +66 (0)86 9401860.

Office Space Laguna

Office Space Laguna - Plaza del Mar Fully Furnished offices 4 Office Suite plus boardroom Rent entire unit or individual office 080 045 4474.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Looking for Moving Company?

Sea View Land 265 Met. Pub.Rd.

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

PETS FOR ADOPTION

Great investment. 3/5 Rai Plots. NSG3 Titles.

Price start 4 M/Rai. Full infra. 265 Pub. Rd. Frontage. Located on Koh Yao Yai resort area, just 25 min. speed boat from Phuket. We can make easy half day trip 10am-2pm. Call Charlie /more info, Koh Yao Yai, charlieraines@hotmail. com, 062 069 1965.

Two cute Poodles

Patong Tower and Andaman Beach suite for sale

We are 2 cute Poodles, both under 5kgs & the best of friends & wish to find a new loving home together, both of us are sterilized, vaccinated & healthy. Please contact Sherin.peace@gmail. com for adoption enquires.

Mountains and Sea Views, Call David 080 692 6114, email: patongrealestate@gmail.com.

Luxury Apartment hotel in Kata

COMMUNITY

Luxury Apartment hotel for sale in Kata beach.

356sqm, 3 floors. 12 rooms, all have sea view, kitchen, Thai chanote or 90 years lease. 30 MB., Noi (Thai & EN), Kata Beach, t_senrum@live.

Honda Jazz 2009 1500cc Auto

57,000kms. One owner since new. Regularly U serviced by Honda. Tax and Insurance until the end of June and available now at right offer. Reduced by 40,000bht, REDUCED to 330,000bht o.n.o, Andy +66846909144, andysmalster@gmail.com.

CARS WANTED

com.au, 083 391 5525.

Karon Beach New House For Sale/Rent 80 Sqm. 2 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom, Terrace carport. Nice Sea view.

Sale 5.8 MB. Rent long term 18,000 per month. Gunter Kraus, Phuket, naruchai@gmx.de, 091 040 2471.

Urgent need Toyota hilux vigo Want to sell your Toyota hilux vigo Champ ? vigo4u is the best palace to sell your Toyota.

Vigo4u now in Phuket, Pataya and Bangkok also. 084 344 3444, 02 810 8117.

MOTORBIKES FOR SALE Kawasaki Versys 650 ABS 2012 Showroom condition, new from Kawasaki Phuket May 2012, 2,000km, Hepco & Becker Engine Bars & Rear-rack, Kawasaki Handguards and Pyramid Hugger., 220,000 THB, Paul, 084 1 303 234, Plongmore@hotmail.com.

Villa For Sale / Rent Located at Naiharn beach Soi Naya 3, Mountain view, Swimming pool, Balcony, 2 floor, 4 bed room. Total 92 sq.m. Thai 081 958 0542 ENG 081 956 6813.

Owner Sales Appartment “ The Pearl of Naithon “ Leasehold Total area 226,66 SQM including terrace 41,25 Sqm. 3 bedrooms with 3 bathrooms Price THB 13.5 million. MP: 089 814 1458.

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CLASSIFIEDS 33

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Buy&Sell

PROPERTY FOR SALE

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PROPERTY FOR SALE

House for sale Private pool villa with lovely garden half a rai.

Quite and safe area. 3 bedroom 2 bathroom open kitchen. 160 m2 Situated in Ban Pahra.

12 minutes to PIA, Phuket Airport, Nay Yang beach, and Blue Canyon Golf course. 2 min to Mission Hill Golf course.Price 8 million baht, 225 000 euro, bergsstigen@ telia.com, 090 701 4204.

Chalong Villa for sale

Living area 450 sq.m, Land 800 sq.m. 1st floor: Living room, Master bdr with en-suite bth, Kitchen, Seaview terrace, Pool, Carpark. 2nd floor: 4 bdr with bth, 2nd living room, Office. 19.5M, oliver@thurmanngroup.com, 087 877 2320.

New Sea View Villa Premium villa 8B in the prestiques Sunrise Ocean Villas developement is now for sale.

Being built on the highest point in the estate, only 80 meters from the ocean and located 3 mins away from Grand AoPor Marina, 10 mins from golf course, 20 mins from the airport,, shopping centers, schools and hospitals, this villa is a perfect place to live with no traffic, no pollution and no mass tourism..., Over than 600 Sqm usable building area, 3 bedrooms, guest apartment, maid quarters, games room, 10 meter infinity swimming pool, roof terrace and breath taking views. Can be ready to move in within 8 weeks and still can be customized to the wishes of new owner. For sale at only 24.9 mill Baht. For viewing or more information please contact our sales director, Khun Montha 081 343 0777 Email : montha_phuket@yahoo.com.

SPACIOUS 4-BED RAWAI VILLA Beautiful home in 1,038sqm gardens.Three en suite beds, guest house, 9x4m pool, maid’s room. Living space 320sqm. Private access.

Reduced to 12,000,000THB, alangath@ gmail.com, 087 273 0141.

@thephuketnews

Land for sale - Mission Height NICE LAND FOR SALE AT MISSION HEIGHT, JUST OVER ONE RAI. Phone 093 629 4400 English, 082 421 4842 Thai.

Alexander Kolesnikov 3 Bedroom Villa for sale. Building 320 s.m. Land 900 s.m. Nice garden, 2 cars garage, study. Just 3 minutes from BIS. 15 MB, Contact Alexander, alexkolinz@gmail.com, 089 651 3250.

36 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

The three Fs of my golf style GOLF ...Continued from page 40 During the golf clinic, Sir Nick described my golfing style just as the headline describes, but my journey leading up to the clinic was pretty much the same, fascinating, fantastic and frightening all at the same time.

It all started late afternoon on Feb 25 when an email arrived from Laguna Phuket’s Destination Marketing department inviting me to the Sir Nick Faldo Golf Clinic at Laguna Phuket to be held on Saturday, March 12.

The event was being held for Laguna Phuket to officially announce the appointment of Sir Nick as Laguna Golf’s Brand Ambassador.

I was excited, but also nervous as I’ve not played golf in over 15 years.

A quick call was made to Paul Wilson, PGA, Director of Golf at Laguna Golf Phuket. He put me in touch with Andy Combe, the PGA teaching pro at Laguna Golf (www. andycombe.com) who was happy to give me a bit of a tune-up.

However, Andy didn’t know what he had let himself in for, as 15 years ago I was slimmer and more athletic than I am now, not much, but enough.

I got to practice at around 4pm on the Tuesday before the event, a good time to be on the practice range, not so busy and not so hot.

Jason teeing off as Sir Nick looks on. Photo: Exotiq Thailand Magazine I had a few swings and hit a few balls, if you can call it hitting, and Andy suggested just four areas we should focus on before the big day so as not to overwhelm me.

First was targeting. Stand behind the ball and pick a targe: a flag, tree, basically anything in the distance to aim at, then bring the aiming point back to a spot on the grass about 2 metres from the ball, like the sight on a rifle.

Now address the ball and think about posture. Place the club aimed at your spot on the grass, knees slightly bent but pointing to the arches of your feet. No shuffling or taking 10 minutes to take your shot, it should only take about 10 seconds from addressing the ball to taking your shot.

Go on, hit it! Hit it as hard as you can. That’s the way I always

played golf and actually thought the back swing was what made you hit the ball harder.

Wrong! My fast back swing made my hips and knees go all over the place putting me off my target.

Time to slow down the swing, and Andy showed me a great way to do it. Place a ball around 15cm behind the ball to be hit, and, on the back swing, only have it roll 15cm backwards, impossible to do with a fast back swing.

After a few hundred balls I felt ready to hit for real. I hit well about 40 per cent of the time, not bad, but every time I made a bad shot I started to focus on what I did wrong. Not the right mind set, be it in golf or anything we do, it’s all about focusing on what you do right that sets you up for getting the next shot that little bit better.

As Sir Nick said on the day: “So much business gets done on a golf course because you have to get it out of the way so you can just concentrate on golf; if you want to play golf well you can’t be thinking about other things”.

The big day arrived, a golf clinic with Sir Nick Faldo.

A lot of what he taught was aimed at everyone else in the group, who had quite a bit more skill and experience than me, but his tip on how your body should finish at the end of your swing hit home. At the end of your swing your belt buckle needs to be pointing at where you want the ball to go. Wish I had worn a belt that day!

I was teamed with Angus MacLachlan from Exotic Thailand Magazine (thanks to his team for the great picture), and I was second to tee off. Everyone from the clinic, including Sir Nick, watched as I took three huge practice swings, some people call them air swings, but honest, they were practice swings. Fourth time lucky, I was finally off the tee.

Standing on the edge of the green, Sir Nick asked, after watching my second shot, if I played any other sport. When I mentioned that I had done a charity Muay Thai fight a few months ago he said that my swing was not that bad, while taking a few steps backwards.

I was happy to see all the golfers that day were wearing pretty standard golf attire and not the super loud clothes you sometimes see. When asked what he thought about the state of dress in golf, Sir Nick commented: “Some stuff’s ugly I agree, like what John Daily wears, I can say that because we’re friends and I can give him a little ribbing.”

And on his famous yellow Pringle sweaters: “Some people loved them, others hated them, can’t understand why, they were the finest cashmere in the world.”

Not surprisingly, once Sir Nick left our group to join the others my game improved slightly, and I’m happy to report that on the first nine holes I was in single digits on each hole and even made a par on the 3rd and 4th holes.

We will be seeing a lot more of Sir Nick Faldo this year, as he has just announced: “With the aim of developing youths and giving back to the game, I am delighted to partner with Laguna Golf Phuket in hosting Phuket’s first-ever Faldo Series Thailand Championship – South, in early September 2016.

Look out golfers of Phuket, I have been bitten by the golf bug again. Sir Nick says my style of golf is fascinating, fantastic and frightening, what more encouragement does a guy need?

BISP launches Golf Centre GOLF SIR NICK FALDO WAS also invited as Guest of Honour to officiate the Grand Opening of the new British International School, Phuket (BISP) Golf Centre, a specialist training area constructed on the school’s campus on Thursday (Mar 10).

Dozens of members of the BISP community witnessed the grand opening of the new BISP Golf Centre, which is located adjacent to the top football pitch behind the school’s Sport Hall. “[I’m] delighted to be here, hearing about your impressive school, and all the wonderful opportunities you have in so many different sports,” said Sir Nick, in his opening speech given to the rapt large audience of students, parents, staff and media.

Sir Nick then went on to christen the BISP Golf Centre by hitting several chip shots, followed by a four hole shootout with BISP Golf Academy player Mark Luangnitikul, which – although Mark took the first hole – Faldo won by a final margin of 3 to 1.

One of the talented young golfers at the BISP Golf

Academy, 14 year-old Mark – whose favourite player is Australian Adam Scott – is currently ranked third in the world in his age group, and first in Thailand.

Designed in collaboration with top designers and BISP Golf Academy Head Coach Oliver Bates, the BISP Golf Centre has been developed to allow the talented young golfers in the BISP Golf Academy to practice their full range of shots without needing to leave the school’s spacious 44 acre campus.

To this end, the BISP Golf Centre includes putting greens, chipping areas, bunkers, and a netted driving range.

Speaking to The Phuket News shortly before the opening, Coach Bates said, “We’re really honoured to have Sir Nick Faldo open this exciting new golf centre on the campus.

“We hope that by having this facility on-site we will develop the kids within the school and the elite players we have within our academy, who are already winning tournaments all around the world.

“We hope that we can do more with Sir Nick, who has already agreed to bring his Faldo Series tournament to the

Laguna Phuket Golf Course in September,” he said.

“It’s taken a lot to prepare for the opening of the new centre and we could not have done this without the help of Laguna, who we will co-host the 2nd Laguna Junior Golf Tournament with later this month, and also Loch Palm, who are located so close to BISP. “The centre allows us to teach all the required fundamental skills for golf on-site, supplemented on Thursdays and Fridays when we head to the island’s top golf courses to put those skills into practice,” he added.

Coach Bates went on to say that BISP’s golf programme, which started about one year ago, now has 35 students, which includes two talented scholarship players.

“Those elite players certainly have the ability to be successful golfers,” he said.

“However, we also have a number of students at the school who play for fun, which is also very important.

“It’s essential to bring new players into the game, and now that we have these amazing facilities on-site we hope that we will see this happen,” he added. thephuketnews

34 CLASSIFIEDS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Buy&Sell

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

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classifieds@thephuketnews.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE For Sale or Rent 4 bedroom 3 bath room excellent view Chalong bay 3 storage,Fully furnished all new swimming pool in quiet area Rawai beach. All inquires.

Tidarat, 087 466 5635.

Two-story house in Phuket City Land 400 sq. m, living area 344 sq.m, 6 rooms, 3 bathrooms, maid’s room with bath. Fully furnished. Very good for living and business.

15,000,000.-, Pauline Haldemann, haldemwa@ hotmail.com, 081 895 0038.

Alexander Kolesnikov

Land & 4 storey Commercial building for sell.Patong. Just 60 m from the beach. Guesthouse 6 luxury rooms + restaurant 40 seats. 17 MB, Contact Alexander, alexkolinz@gmail.com, 089 651 3250.

SMALL RESORT BY LAGUNA

4 Luxury villas, office, 2 pools, 1 Rai - Chanote. Secure investment, price below replacement cost, money maker. Owner 82 retiring. 30 Mil Baht.

Lets talk. Owner, 089 594 4067.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Fire sale 7 shop houses for sale, 20 meters from Chalong round about. On the way to pier for Sale. 25 Million, kieranpmadden@hotmail.com, 096 924 4661.

Brand new 3 bed villa Onyx Living area 160 sq.m. Land 200 sq.m. Fully luxury furnished. Open plan living room with kitchen, Private & Peaceful area, Security gate estate, Gym. 8.9M, oliver@thurmanngroup. com, 087 877 2320.

Villa for sale

Exclusive Villa with Pool and Garden In Phuket, Rawai/Nai Harn, Land size: 1’700 m2, build up area 400m2. Private sale, no agents please.

36 MB, JasminConsulting@gmx.net.

House For Rent at tennis club

House For Sale

2 bedrooms,1 en suite bedroom,2 bathroom, living area and big veranda. Idea for tennis Coach. Prefer long term rent. Viewing by appointment only. Patra, patbittersweet@gmail. com , 081 607 2805.

Located in Rawai soi Samaki3 2 bedroom 2 bathroom 1 Laundry room 1 storage room Living area 160 sq.m, Chanot title 280 sq.m. 3.2 MB., Rico9963@hotmail.com, 083 640 9041

Sale. Semi detached house

West coast Phuket Great Location, Spa, 7 Bedroom, 7 Bathroom, all with kitchens. Rent or live with good income. 5 minutes walk to Kata beach. ขายของได้ 9 MB or Offer, Khun Arreerat, kataari@ yahoo.com, 086 595 8512, 081 970 4638.

Beachfront House 4-Bedroom house on semiprivate beach available for sale and rent. Can easily be divided into two separate and identical properties. The rental/sale can also include a self-contained 1-bedroom bungalow, Price: 18.2 MB, Rent 110,000 THB, Alex Seago, home@thaivillaboutique.com, 087-8923876.

Vassana Residence. Rawai Fully furnished 2 Bedroom 2 Bathroom.

Swimming pool on ground. WiFi and cable TV included in price. 160M.S. in size. long term only. 35,000, Art, Rawai / NaiHarn, vassana. residence@gmail.com, Eng.087 882 9604.

Anuphas Golfville House- Kathu

Land 162 sqwa. Large Pool/Jacuzzi-3 Bed-4 Bath-Office-2 Storage Building-Alarm System and much more. Reduced 22MB to 18 MB for Quick Sale. mrgeoffcurry@yahoo.com, Si +6681 970 8896 TH/ENG, Geoff+6681 854 0061 ENG.

For Sale/Rent (5 Days - 6 Months) 4 Floors, 6 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms. Fully furnished. Kuku, Phuket Town. Contact Joy, 093 596 2757, joyfulphuket@gmail.com.

Land For Sale 3 Mil Baht

In Thalang area 2.5 Rai beautiful, flat land with access road, Chanote title, only 5 minutes from Thanyapura (PIA International school). sk.thanya@ gmail.com, 081 737 8624.

LUXURY POOL VILLA

BY LAGUNA Has everything, comfort, security, live in a small resort - lush tropical garden. 35,000 Baht per month. Long lease. Owner, 089 594 4067.

Kata Seaview Condo For Sale New 1 bedroom with great sea and sunset views! 44sqm. Leasehold with foriegn freehold available. Swimming pool, sauna and clubhouse. Flexible furniture options. Great management and rental program, 082 254 0760.

Townhouse for sale. Chalong.

Retail space for rent

Retail space available in the Ocean Plaza Patong for massage, beauty, coffee, souvenir shops etc. Low rent contracts for up to 12 yrs. For info call Natty at 086 281 8883 or 076 343 506. 3632, Nattida Thaboondee, g.cummings@hotmail.com, 086 281 8883.

Townhouse 150sq.m, 2 storey, 2 bedroom, living room, kitchen, 2 balcony, 2 bathroom, office, parking. Fully furnitured. Chalong circle, Price: 3700000, Contact: Mariya, mvs97@yandex.ru, 0822751146, Fax: 0918053725.

Chalong Villa for rent Living area 450 sq.m, Land: 800 sq.m. 1st floor: Living room, Master bdr with en-suite bth, Kitchen, Sea view terrace, Pool, 2nd floor: 4 bdr with bth, 2nd living room, Office.

90,000/month/year., oliver@thurmanngroup.

House in Karon for Sale. Hard

to find 3 bed room , 3 bath room house for sale in the perfect location near Kata & Karon beach, well maintained with a salt water pool, Price : 16,000,000, Narrisara (Tic), 7/8 Patak Soi 10, Karon, g-a-coates@ hotmail.com, 0991642991.

Sea view land in Patong The Last Piece of Sea View Land on Prime Location in Patong, just 500 m. from Patong beach, 1.3 KM. to Jungceylon Shopping Mall, Contact: Karuna, kpattarawalee@ gmail.com, 089 967 5373.

Waterfront Condominium Make money NOW - Kata Beach House for sale

D Condo Creek Short term offer

1-6 months offer. Free stay 2 week on conditions. Fully furnished w washing machine.

Mountains view, 5th fl. Bike rental. See room from Mar 12, move in from 15 Mar. Tiya, lodchong77th@yahoo.com, 089 600 0041.

Living room 2 double bedrooms 1 fitted furniture and en-suite fitted kitchen office bathroom carport garden Land 188sqm, house 75sqm.

2,000,000, Khun Peter, Baan Pleunjan 2, Paklok, Talang, lowprofile@mail.com, 086 905 1406.

The Base Downtown - Sale/Rent 1 Bed (35sqm) & 2 Bed (60sqm), fully furnished, pool view. Near Central, BIS, Big C, Lotus, Siriroj hospital, Darasamut School, Thai Hua School (Close to new Central Embassy- good investment). Swimming pool, fitness & library. Rent:15,000-25,000 THB/month and 35,000-45,000 THB/month. Panattaporn.c@gmail.com, 093 639 4654.

Partner for resort wanted

5 Rai. hillside Maikhao beach. Main buiding finished. Nice sunset seaview, 087 267 1192, Julius_schuster2001@yahoo.de

Phuket Beach Front Land 14 RAI Beach front Phuket,Phungnga Close 5-7*hote,Chanode title,90 meters of water frontage More than 100 m wide beach&small piece of land close to the beach 25MB/RAI, Ms.Pam, phuketmyhouse@gmail.com, 089 868 8668.

PROPERTY FOR RENT

The Cleat Condo, residence project in Krabi Boat Lagoon Marina. Price 3-9MB, size 37119 Sq.M., 1 or 2 bedroom, marina view. For rent/sale. marketing@phuketpropertytrip.com

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.

com, 087 877 2320.

Amazing Sea view Penthouse in Rawai FOR RENT Amazing Sea view Penthouse in Rawai. 360 p ํ anoramic breathtaking views of Chalong bay, mountain view and big Buddha.

Two bedrooms, 310 sq.m of spacious living area and balconies. Please contact Izzy 086-278 8300 or Danai 090 170 0429. propertysales@serenityphuket.com.

Surin Andaman Apt - 2 beds

100 sqm w 2 beds, close to Surin & Bangtao beaches. Common Pool.

Fully furnished with AC, fans, internet, cable TV. Short term possible.

24,000 THB, 081 273 1740.

House for rent - Near Pah-klok

Long term, quality furnishings, near Heroines Monument, 3 bed, 2 baths plus office. Good garden. THB35,000 per month. Call 087 878 5804.

PATONG: 1 and 2 Bed Apartments

2-Bed/2-Bath & Studio for rent. Balcony. Full A/C. Western Kitchen. Modern furnished. All Extras. Fast WIFI free. Ouiet Location & well maintained.

Email : khunrei@gmail.com, 084 185 8536.

Outstanding Villa for sale 3 bed/3 bath, Living area 370 sq.m, Land 600 sq.m. Located at the 4 Star Residence. Spacious living quarters, open plan living, dining areas, gourmet kitchen, private pool. 14.9M, oliver@thurmanngroup.com, +66 (0)87 877 2320.

CHALONG BEACH FRONT LAND Direct beach front land for rent. Long and short term. Area 2400 sq meter with beach front of 40 meter, Contact: Mr. Narin, narinpga@ gmail.com, 081 826 9390.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

SPORT 35

MaAnn makes things clear FOOTBALL Matt Pond editor@classactmedia.co.th

P

huket FC president MaAnn Samran held a closed-door meeting at the Katch meeting room, Limelight Avenue in Phuket Town on Tuesday evening (Mar 15) with heads of all the team’s fanclubs and The Phuket News to open up about his position and current situation of the club.

MaAnn said that Phuket FC had been left with no one to support it, so he came in to take over because he was asked to.

“Phuket still wanted to have a football team. Also, Phuket FC fanclub presidents, P’Jack, Phu Yai Um and Khun Suranan insisted that I should do it. I also love football so I volunteered to support the team,” he said.

He went on to say that the main objective of his taking over as President was to keep a football team for Phuket, and to be a supporter of the team.

“I do not bring a lot of help with me, so our work depends on small numbers of

@thephuketnews

Phuket FC’s captain for the last two seasons Yusuke Sato re-signed for the club on Wednesday (Mar 16). Photo: Phuket FC Facebook staff who have no experience.

With most legal documents we still have to rely on the former company that took care of the team before,” he said.

“There is so much information that we have to process which takes time. Our work has multiplied since the changing of the team management and we have not been as fast at solving problems as we hoped,” he added.

With regards to the club’s financial situation, MaAnn said funds are limited and

that most of the team he has working for him are either close friends or family.

“We did not set up a new company or hire new employees, and for now we ask Phuket FC fans to come and help manage the team,” MaAnn said.

He then said that he assigned Coach Pitaya ‘Odd’ Pimanman to take care of the team and he will decide when it comes to choosing players and game tactics.

“Players must play to win and bring maximum entertain-

ment to the crowd,” he said.

“If we lose it should be a knockout loss so we don’t need to play it safe.

“We only have a quota for four foreign players this season, and our latest addition is Yusuke Sato who will sign up with us tomorrow (Wednesday Mar 16).

“We still need to see if more adjustments are needed in the team, and if players do not perform well I will let them go and bring in someone new for the fans, but we can’t afford

to pay high prices for them.

“I want to focus on local players, and today we have seven Phuket descendants on the team. Coach Odd will find the best players for us I have no doubt,” he added.

MaAnn also said that he apologised for the club’s Facebook page being very slow at being updated.

“I know everyone follows news for the team and the updates on the page.

“Some people are upset that they have asked questions via the personal mail system many times but not received an answer,” he said.

“We have had no one to manage the page because we do not have enough budget to hire someone to do it. So the the only people who have been doing the updates on the page is me, MaAnn, and one of my helpers.

“With only two of us working, we cannot handle all the workload in the inbox. If you have spare time and want to help Phuket FC you can come in and help us manage the Facebook page.”

“Any volunteer?” he asked.

“Technology is not my best [skill], but if we get help now,

in the future we might consider hiring you,” he added..

With regards to the club shop, which has remained closed since the end of last season, MaAnn said that a new shop had not been set up because he believes that shirt and souvenirs are a challenge to sell.

“Right now we will sell them at the stadium, shirts will start from B599 up,” he said.

“Tickets for the games will be set at B50 and students who can present a student card will get in free,” he added.

MaAnn concluded the meeting by saying that the club will provide one bus per match to take fans to away games and that the cost for each trip will be advised before each match via the Facebook page.

“The first match will be against Satun United at 4pm on Sunday (Mar 20), the cost to travel to the game will be B300 per seat and the price will include a fan shirt which will be given on the bus. It will also include the cost of a ticket for the game,” he said.

The Phuket News are proud media partners for Phuket FC.

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

A paddling success SUP

S

aturday, March 5 saw a memorable day at Bliss Beach Club when 70 competitors from all over Thailand and many different countries including Australia, Japan, Korea, Hungary, Canada, Singapore and even India arrived to Phuket to compete in Thailand’s biggest SUP festival, which was powered by Longtail Paddle Surf, SE Asia’s largest dedicated SUP shop.

Stand Up Projects, the festival organisers, have been developing this event to help promote and grow SUP in Thailand and Asia for the last 4 years.

Thailand is very special in the sense that some of the world’s leading SUP brands

Hungarian brothers Bruno & Daniel Husulyo were unstoppable in the elite 6km race. Photo: Brian Stamm including this year’s official board sponsor “Starboard” have their factories in Thailand.

So why has it taken this long for SUP to take off here, especially with its backyard playground of crystal water ways, archipelago of limestone islands and quaint white sandy beaches?

That doesn’t really matter,

all you need to know is that Thailand’s SUP community is very much alive and leading the charge in Asia, putting on an epic display of SUP race competition and SUP festival activities including SUP Polo

by Starboard, Electric Surfboards by Asia Marine and an outrageously entertaining Flyboard Show by two-time

World Champion Suksan Tongthai and Team Flyboard Thailand.

Now to the business end.

The elite 6km race also included a 100m soft sand beach sprint after each of the 3 laps, which tested most except the Hungarian brothers Bruno & Daniel Husulyo who were unstoppable taking first and

Kenyans top 10-mile intl run Super ATHLETICS A DIFFERENT CAST OF elite athletes toed the starting line at Thanyapura Phuket’s grandstand last Sunday morning (Mar 13), but Kenyans once again took the top two spots at the Supersports 10Mile Run, with Thai stars rounding out the podium.

David Kibet crossed the finish line in less than an hour, clocking in at 50.15. Compatriot Stephen Kipkosgei Chirchir crossed in second two minutes later. Sanchai Namkhet was hot on Chirchir’s heels with a two-second gap to complete the men’s podium.

Pa mela Che p chu mba ruled the women, clocking in at 59.15. Hannah Wabera Gathingi clinched the silver behind her. “Saifon” Nathaya Thanaronnawat claimed bronze, a touch slower than her second-place finish from last year.

@thephuketnews

David Kibet.

Other notable contenders include British ultramarathoner Harry Jones, who finished in 4th overall, and Michael Raelert, the 2009 and 2010 Ironman 70.3 world champion, who placed 7th overall and second in his age group.

“I never did a running race in Thailand before, and honestly compared to Europe it’s absolutely the same. It’s well-organised. I see running is developing in Thailand,” said Raelert, who has been training for triathlon at Thanyapura’s facilities for the past six weeks.

He added, “I’m quite

happy to be here getting the important training done and of course some little tests like today. With so many races on we can prove ourselves every weekend.”

In only its second year, the Supersports 10-Mile Run Phuket continues to draw top shelf talent and recreational runners to its serene and scenic course set among the rubber plantations in northern Phuket. 1,800 runners participated across the 10-mile, 5-mile, 2-mile, and kids’ 500-metre categories.

The event would not be a success without the support of Supersports, Thanyapura, Skechers, Johnson, D&P, 100 Plus, Thai Health Promotion Foundation, FBT, Tanita, Nestle Pure Life, Meiji Hight Protien, Centara Hotel & Resort, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Sports Authority of Thailand, Anda Focus Advertising Solution, LIVE 89.5FM and 89.75 radio trip.

#

TEAM

second respectively, as well as a gutsy effort by Ollie O’Reilly who scored himself 3rd place.

Kristy Morris from Australia took first place in the women’s division followed by Rachel Ng & Kate Johnson.

The festival also included a 200 metre sprint category, team relay race, under 16s sprint race and a family race involving two people on one board, which was a huge hit and allowed those who had never tried SUP or weren’t that competitive to give it a go.

Special thanks go out to other sponsors, the local Phuket government, Emedia Asia, The Phuket News, Island Tribe, GoPro & 69 Slam, whose support made the 2016 Thailand SUP Festival was a raging success.

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS Run #1572: Saturday 19 March, 2016 Run Start Time: 4PM Hares: WTFIA, Kiss My Ring, Tuk Tuk (VH) Location: Kata View Point Directions: From Kata drive the coast road toward Rawai.

Pass Kata View Point and after 300 metres turn right into laager. From Rawai & Nai Harn, at the 3-way intersection on Saiyuan drive along the mountain road toward Kata for 2.3km and turn left into the laager 300m before Kata viewpoint.

Hash Bus Pickup S c he d u l e : Kamala @ Black Cat’s Bar: 2:30pm Patong @ Expat Hotel: 3pm More info: phuket-hhh.com

Se7en

DIVISION 1 PLD

W

T

L

1 Pita Bar

14

10

3

1

70

50

33

2 Kanchana Flying

14

9

1

4

44

10

28

3 Daohang FC

14

8

1

5

49

8

25

4 Phuket Condos and Homes

14

6

3

5

37

10

21

5 Naraya United

14

5

5

4

33

-1

20

6 Blue Horizon

14

5

0

9

26

-23

15

7 Black Pearl FC

14

3

2

9

29

-26

11

14

2

1

11

23

-28

7

8 Dolphins Bay FC

SPORT 37

GOALS DIFF

PTS

Pita Bar

Jumbo United

DIVISION 2 #

TEAM

GOALS DIFF

RESULT

PLD

W

T

L

PTS

1 Jumbo United

15

15

0

0

79

63

45

Division 1

2 TEFL Campus

15

11

1

3

63

44

34

Naraya United – Daohang FC

0–3

3 Phuket Condos and Homes B

15

10

3

2

52

26

33

4 The Hulks by Power En

15

8

4

3

60

26

28

Black Pearl FC – Pita Bar

1–5

5 Samkong FC

15

7

3

5

42

9

24

Blue Horizon – Kanchana Flying

2–1

6 KB FC

15

7

1

7

43

-21

22

Dolphins Bay FC – Phuket Condos and Homes

0–3

7 PWK. 108

15

6

3

6

38

-8

21

Division 2

8 Thailand Weightloss

15

6

2

7

38

1

20

PWK. 108 – Almali FC

2–2

9 Shambala United

15

6

2

7

42

-4

20

Jumbo United – The Sky FC

3–2

10 The Routes FC

15

4

6

5

47

2

18

1–2

11 The Sky FC

15

4

5

6

28

-3

17

12 Almali FC

15

4

5

6

42

-13

17

13 RT Chalong Tower Condo

15

4

3

8

44

-21

15

TEFL Campus – Phuket Condos and Homes B RT Chalong Tower Condo – Thailand Weightloss The Hulks by Power En – Samkong FC

14 Charoenchai Foods FC

15

4

1

10

28

-22

13

Charoenchai Foods FC – Friends FC

2–0

15 KTEC FC

15

2

1

12

29

-31

7

The Routes FC – KTEC FC

3–0

16 Friends FC

15

1

2

12

22

-48

5

Shambala United – KB FC

0–1

3–0 2–2

38 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

lacked downforce on slower circuits. Concerning in 2015 was that its relative performance to Mercedes and Ferrari appeared to plateau as it struggled to with the smallest budget of the heavy-hitting teams.

Red Bull Racing undoubtedly took a step backwards with its Renault power unit, which equally looked less competitive than its 2014 iteration. Renowned for building giant-slaying chassis, the team’s aerodynamic wizards will again feel hamstrung by the vagaries Renault’s development schedule, knowing that the RB12 will be in with a shout when car and engine finally align again.

Force India, meanwhile, may be pound-for-pound the best team on the grid. Its Bspec 2015 car was an almost unbelievable step forward for the team that started the year with crippling cash flow issues, and its 2016 challenger promises to be evolutionary

in all the areas that matter. A consolidation of its best-ever fifth-place finish in the championship or better is its aim.

And what of the midfield – of Renault and Toro Rosso, Sauber and McLaren, and Manor and Haas? The wildcards of 2016 are difficult to read, but all of them nurse major ambitions as the sport hurtles towards round one.

But all these permutations, these hypothetical hypotheses, are guesswork. As the old motorsport adage goes, when the flag drops the bullshit stops – only in grand prix conditions will the true pecking order be revealed, and only then does the season truly begin.

That’s where Formula One is heading – to Melbourne, Australia, for round one of the 2016 Formula One world championship. Bring it on.

Tune in to Live89.5 each and every Saturday to hear Box of Neutrals talk everything F1 and a whole lot more.

Drivers at the ready BOX OF NEUTRALS

Michael Lamonato michael@boxofneutrals.com

T

he 2016 Formula One season is poised to burst into life at the yearopening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend.

Eight days of pre-season intrigue will give way to a flurry of facts, leaving the underperformers with nowhere to hide from those who have most completely done their off-season homework.

The most important question, the answer to which will only become clear come qualifying on tomorrow afternoon (Mar 19), will be whether anyone has caught Mercedes, the undisputed force of Formula One for the past two years.

Drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg logged an absurd 1294 laps between them during testing – almost 20 race distances – with scarcely and issue, setting a foreboding challenge.

Ferrari, the only realistic contender to steal Mercedes’s throne, looked to have stumbled

Nico Rosberg (right) will be looking to be clearly ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton in the 2016 F1 season. Photo: Thomas Kienzle/AFP during its ambitious European winter in the first half of the test, it came home strong to show impressive pace – pace sufficient to concern Mercedes 2016 may be an uncomfortably close affair.

Race pace is only half the battle – Ferrari already showed on three occasions last year that it had race pace to best the Silver Arrows – but the battle for single-lap performance in the battle for pole position is

another matter entirely.

Key to Mercedes’s ability to control races in 2015 was its unique qualifying settings for its class-leading power unit that delivered an additional speed boost for a limited time on Saturday. Ferrari’s power unit division is hoping to concoct a similar function for its power unit to negate its rivals Saturday (Mar 19)pace to start Sundays (Mar 20) with a crucial upper hand, but only running the silver and red cars in anger in round one will prove who has done the better job.

While the fight at the front will be the headline-grabber, the argument between those teams hoping for a look in will be equally fascinating.

Williams, Red Bull Racing and Force India will be contesting claims to the scraps in a fierce developmental battle.

Williams has long mastered its customer Mercedes power unit and made good use of an efficient chassis, but it has

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

SPORT 39

PREMIER PREDICTIONS: ENTER NOW AT THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Pellegrini banks on Man City experience FOOTBALL

@thephuketnews

MONTHLY SPONSOR

The overall competition winner receives 1 voucher staying 2 nights in a Prestige Suite including breakfast for 2 persons and a 30-minute spa treatment at Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort, overall value THB 90,000.

The monthly competition winner for March will receive a B3,000 voucher to spend at Walkabout Sports Bar Karon.

EPL PREDICTIONS

M

anuel Pellegrini backed his Manchester City team to make a mark on the Champions League’s latter stages after they overcame Dynamo Kiev to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.

City fell to Barcelona in the last 16 in both of the past two seasons, but they will take their place in today’s (Mar 18) draw for the last eight after Tuesday’s (Marc 15) drab 0-0 stalemate completed a 3-1 aggregate success.

City’s shaky domestic form suggests that they cannot be considered serious contenders for the Champions League, but having seen them top their group above last season’s beaten finalists Juventus before routinely eliminating Dynamo, Pellegrini is hopeful that more historic moments lie ahead.

“I think that as a team when you have a new achievement, it’s always important for your trust (confidence),” he told reporters at the Etihad Stadium.

“This season we had a very difficult group also, with Sevilla, with Juventus and with Borussia Moenchengladbach.

“We won the group, so I think this season, I don’t know if the word is better prepared, but we have more experience to arrive at this stage and I hope we can continue further.”

He added: “I’m very happy for the achievement because it’s important for this club to continue improving every season. I always said that the last two seasons we are very unlucky to have the draw in the round of 16.

“We were unlucky to play against Barcelona. This season we won the group and we now are [among] the best eight

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OVERALL STANDINGS celticpride 132 graeme64 132 phils64 132 hairynutbagz 130 chook 129

English Premier League 2015 - 2016

Manchester City’s manager Manuel Pellegrini said that of all the teams left in the competition Barcelona is the best. Photo: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP teams in Europe for the moment. We will see how far we can go in this competition.”

The bad news for City came in the form of injuries to captain Vincent Kompany and his fellow centre-back Nicolas Otamendi, both of whom were forced off in the first 23 minutes.

Pellegrini expressed hope that Otamendi will shake off his knock within “the next couple of days”, raising the possibility that he could be fit for Sunday’s (Mar 20) derby at home to Manchester United.

But Kompany is facing at least a month on the sidelines – and may therefore struggle to return before the end of the season – after sustaining his 14th calf injury since 2008.

While City have flattered to deceive domestically this season, slipping 12 points off the pace in the Premier League, right-back Pablo

Zabaleta said that their European breakthrough was a moment to savour.

“It was really satisfying to make history for this club,” said the Argentina international, who has played a part in all of City’s five Champions League campaigns to date.

“We are through to the quarter-finals for the first time. This group of players are working hard every day to make this club even bigger.”

City came closest to scoring when Jesus Navas rattled the post midway through the second half, but Dynamo might have claimed the spoils on the night in the latter stages, only for City goalkeeper Joe Hart to save smartly from Vitaliy Buyalskiy and then Olexandr Yakovenko.

“We had chances to score and Manchester had chances to score,” said Dynamo coach Sergiy Rebrov.

“The guys showed they deserved to be in the Champions League. This game was a good experience for our guys.

“I think we should say thank you to our guys and look to the future with optimism. We will be stronger.”

Asked whether there were any teams that he would prefer to avoid in the next round, Pellegrini revealed that memories of his side’s two eliminations at Barcelona’s hands remain fresh in his mind.

“When you are at this stage, all the teams are very difficult,” said the Chilean, who hands over the reins to Pep Guardiola at the end of the season.

“I keep having in my mind that the team that is better than all the other teams is Barcelona. I think all the other teams are similar confrontations.” AFP

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Team

Leicester Tottenham Arsenal Man City West Ham Man Utd Southampton Liverpool Stoke Chelsea West Brom Everton Bournemouth Watford Crystal Palace Swansea Sunderland Norwich Newcastle Aston Villa

MP W 30 30 29 29 29 29 30 28 30 29 29 28 30 29 29 30 29 30 29 30

18 16 15 15 13 13 12 12 12 10 10 9 10 10 9 8 6 6 6 3

D

9 10 7 6 10 8 8 8 7 10 9 11 8 7 6 9 7 7 6 7

L

3 4 7 8 6 8 10 8 11 9 10 8 12 12 14 13 16 17 17 20

F

A GD Pts

53 53 46 52 45 37 38 43 32 43 30 51 38 29 32 30 35 31 28 22

31 24 30 31 33 27 30 37 36 39 36 39 47 30 39 40 54 54 54 57

22 29 16 21 12 10 8 6 -4 4 -6 12 -9 -1 -7 -10 -19 -23 -26 -35

63 58 52 51 49 47 44 44 43 40 39 38 38 37 33 33 25 25 24 16

Live Sports TV Schedule *Times may be subject to change

SPORT

START STOP

Friday 18th March

EVENT

TEAMS / INFO

Rugby Union 13:30 18:00 23:55 Rugby League 16:00 Cricket 16:30 21:00

15:30 20:00 02:00 18:00 20:30 01:00

Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby NRL ICC World T20 ICC World T20

Hurricanes v. Western Force Waratahs v. Highlanders Bulls v. Sharks Bulldogs v. Eels Australia v. New Zealand South Africa v. England

Motor Racing 12:30 Rugby League 13:00 15:30 17:30 Rugby Union 11:10 13:40 15:40 22:00 00:10 Rugby Union 21:30 23:55 Soccer 19:45 22:00 22:00 22:00 00:30 Cricket 21:00

14:15 14:15 17:15 19:15 13:00 15:30 17:30 00:00 02:00 23:30 02:00 21:30 00:00 00:00 00:00 02:30 01:00

Formula 1 NRL NRL NRL Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby 6 Nations 6 Nations EPL EPL EPL EPL EPL ICC World T20

Qualifying, Melbourne Knights v. Raiders Panthers v. Broncos Titans v. Tigers Sunwolves v. Rebels Crusaders v. Kings Reds v. Blues Lions v. Cheetahs Stormers v. Brumbies Wales v. Italy Ireland v. Scotland Everton v. Arsenal Chelsea v. West Ham Crystal Palace v. Leicester Watford v. Stoke Swansea v. Aston Villa India v. Pakistan

Rugby Union 03:00 Rugby League 10:00 12:00 Rugby Union 19:55 Cricket 16:30 21:00 Soccer 20:25 20:25 23:00 Motor Racing 11:00 11:45

05:00 12:00 14:00 21:45 20:30 01:00 22:30 22:30 01:00 11:45 14:15

6 Nations NRL NRL Aviva Premiership ICC World T20 ICC World T20 EPL EPL EPL Formula 1 Formula 1

France v. England Warriors v. Storm Dragons v. Rabbitohs Exeter v. Northampton South Africa v. Afghanistan Sri Lanka v. West Indies Newcastle v. Sunderland Southampton v. Liverpool Man City v. Man United Raceday, Albert Park Australian Grand Prix

Saturday 19th March

Sunday 20th March

Sport

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor3@classactmedia.co.th

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Phuket FC president clears the air > page 35

SIR NICK SWINGS BY GOLF Jason Beavan gm@classactmedia.co.th

S

ix-time Major Chapionship winner Sir Nick Faldo was on the island last week taking part in a number of activities aimed at increasing the profile of golf on the island.

One of the activities was the Exclusive Golf Weekend held at Laguna Phuket which saw 26 golfers and media have the privilege of interacting closely with Sir Nick, who led a fun

thirty-minute golf clinic, in which he shared insightful golfing tips with all golfers before kick-starting an an exclusive game with all the eager golfers.

The exciting game saw Sir Nick play two holes, in which he got upclose and personal with each golfer, offering his keen guidance to improve their game.

I was lucky enough to be one of the select 26 golfers included on this fantastic weekend, and here I recount my story leading up to and including the game with the legend Sir Nick. ... Continued page 36

Sir Nick Faldo is seen here at the grand opening of the new British International School, Phuket Golf Centre. Photo: Matt Pond

thephuketnews