The Phuket News 18 May 2018

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FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

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CONSTRUCTION RUBBLE DUMPED ON BEACH > PAGE 2

HOLDING THE LINE

NEWS

20 Baht

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Global petition launched over lifeguard crisis

LIFE

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Street artists want justice for wild animals Corals break through the waterline off Koh Hei, in Ao Kung Bay off Phuket’s east coast.

Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

FIELD OF CORAL OFF PHUKET’S EAST COAST IN DANGER FROM MARINA CHANNEL EXCAVATION Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

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he planned dredging of an eight-metre deep channel for boats to access a marina project on Phuket’s east coast – that is still under consideration by Natural Resources and Environment officials – is now also under investigation for the damage the project may cause to a field of coral only a few hundred metres away.

Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong on Wednesday morning (May

16) ordered Phuket Marine Office Chief Surat Sirisaiyat to investigate the issue and report in detail about the project, which has been identified as the new B450 million Ao Kung Marina and sports complex in Pa Khlok.

“Also, the Phuket Marine Office must make sure a public hearing is announced for people to join,” Gov Norraphat said on Wednesday morning (May 16), before heading off later that afternoon to inspect the site in person.

A date and venue for the public

hearing has yet to be announced.

The alarm was raised weeks ago by the Ao Kung Bay Conservation Group led by Pradit Puangket, who since its inception, has campaigned to prevent the environmental destruction expected to result from the marina project. Nevertheless, Mr Pradit, who is also the Phu Yai Baan (Village Chief) of Ban Ao Kung, has consistently clarified that he is not against the project itself – if the environmental concerns are addressed.

His main arguments have consistently been that the entire coast in the

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area is thicketed with mangroves and the area is blanketed with corals – so much so that the small island in the bay that will be directly affected is called Koh Hei, literally “Coral Island”.

The Phuket News on Tuesday joined an inspection expedition to the coral site by local officials from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Phuket Office.

Phatpong Romyen, who led the DMCR expedition declined to comment in detail on the project. “We came here to verify the location of the corals and report that back to…

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Fight to protect local corals gains support Continued from page 1 ...headquarters. We can’t explain more detail right now,” was all he would say.

However, Pichet Pandan of the Ao Kung Conservation Group, explained, “We want to show this coral reef to the public. Also, we confirm that we don’t disagree with projects for Phuket’s growth. We know that such projects help to improve the standard of living of local residents, but this project really should be in another location.”

Mr Pichet noted that awareness of the project and its likely impact on the environment had been building for weeks with social media posts going viral.

“However, we still have no clear answer what the next step for the project will be. We are afraid that the project will ruin the marine environment. It is very possible that part of the mangrove forest along the

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Thai Navy silent on stopping Rohingya relief ship arriving in Phuket > page 5

Construction rubble dumped on beach Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter@classactmedia.co.th

Governor Norraphat (right) inspects the corals. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub coast will be cut down, and many corals in the shallow waters here will die off,” he added.

Meanwhile, Village Chief Pradit has had the field of corals roped off to prevent visitors from walking into the area.

“We have hope that the Phuket Governor will realise the need to preserve this area, or that the DMCR will find a way to protect these corals as quickly as possible,” he said.

“We are just local residents here. We want to save it. Honestly, we don’t want to watch as these corals are destroyed,” he said.

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pile of construction rubble dumped along the Kalim beachfront, north of Patong, will remain there for up to a month, despite the debris including rusty steel rods protruding out of the sand.

The rubble has not been dumped illegally, it has actually been dumped with permission from Patong Municipality, Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kepsub, who was away in China, told The Phuket News last week.

“We know who dumped it there, and they are allowed to leave it there for a while, but it will be removed,” she said.

At first reluctant to admit who had been given special permission to dump rubble along the public beachfront, Mayor Chalermluck admitted that the rubble was from the demolition of a nearby mosque.

The demolition crew started dumping the rubble along the Kalim beachfront, north of Patong , earlier this month. Photo: Supplied “The building was old and had to be knocked down, and they are building a new one,” she said.

“We have been promised that the rubble will be removed within a month,” she added.

The rubble was initially dumped on the area beside the beach, known locally as

Suan Nok (bird field), but has now spilled onto the sand to be battered by strong waves brought on by the southwest monsoon.

Mayor Chalermluck noted that dumping rubble or any other form of refuse on public land was usually deemed illegal.

“Generally people can’t dump any trash or anything else on public areas. If they do that, they will be charged for doing so,” Mayor Chalermluck said.

Regarding the dangerous steel rods in the sand, Mayor Chalermluck said, “I will arrange to have signs posted to warn people about it.”

Overheated phone smoke forces Phuket landing A KLM FLIGHT FROM AMsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was forced to divert to Phuket to make an unscheduled landing last Wednesday (May 9) after a passenger’s mobile phone overheated and started emitting smoke.

“We cleared the runway for this aeroplane to land,” Phuket International Airport General Manager Petch Chancharoen told The Phuket News last Thursday (May 10).

“The captain asked to make an urgent landing due to smoke in the

passenger cabin at 12:41pm after the crew found a passenger’s phone heating up, causing the phone to emit smoke. There were no flames,” he added.

The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200, was carrying a total of 214 passengers and crew, landed safely, Mr Petch noted.

“The airline took good care of their passengers and had them transferred to a hotel. They will board their flight to depart at about 11am today,” Mr Petch explained.

“For other details about safety procedures and the situation, you will have to talk with the airline,” Mr Petch said.

KLM reported in a statement on its website that Flight KL 809 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur made a “stopover” in Phuket.

“Smoke accumulated in the cabin when a passenger’s mobile phone overheated,” confirmed the statement.

“The crew handled the situation well and the captain opted to

land the aircraft as a precautionary measure. The aircraft landed safely and at no time were passengers or crew in danger.

“A safety check has since been carried out in the cabin and the aircraft has been released for departure.

Owing to compulsory crew work and rest times, the flight to Kuala Lumpur cannot continue immediately and passengers and crew are being accommodated in hotels in Phuket.

“As a result, the flight has incurred an 18-hour delay. The onward

The phone started smoking on a KLM Boeing 777-200 bound for Kuala Lumpur. Photo: KLM flight to Kuala Lumpur-JakartaKuala Lumpur has been cancelled.

KLM regrets the inconvenience this is causing our passengers.”

The Phuket News

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ISLA petition launched for US travel safety warning The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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he International Surf Lifesaving Association (ISLA) this week posted online its petition calling for people to support its call for the US State Department to issue a “Level Three Travel Advisory” for Phuket.

The advisory, if issued, would warn travellers about the dangerous surf conditions along Phuket’s west coast during the southwest monsoon and the current state of lifeguard coverage at Phuket’s beaches.

The launch comes as Daren Jenner, the ISLA Marine Safety Warrant Officer for Phuket, visited officials at the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok on Tuesday (May 15).

“They are considering our request for a travel warning,” Mr Jenner told The Phuket News.

The request follows a delegation of officials from the Chinese embassy visiting Phuket last week to raise safety issues with provincial officials, and specifically to inspect first-hand, and thank,

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Chinnarat Kajutroka, 12, a student at Tessaban 2 Kathu School, died after he was crushed by the tour bus.

Student rider, 12, crushed by tour bus

Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong (right) during his beach inspection of lifeguards last Saturday (May 12). Photo: PR Dept the lifeguards posted at Patong Beach.

In speaking with Phuket’s top-ranking officials last Thursday, the Chinese delegation specifically called for trained, experienced lifeguards to patrol Phuket’s beaches.

“The formal request has also been sent to the US Embassy in Bangkok by mail. I will be going to US Embassy personally tomorrow to follow up with them,” Mr Jenner told The Phuket News late Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Jenner has also been called back to meet with Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong on his return to Phuket.

Mr Jenner was called to the Governor’s House on Monday morning (May 14) to explain in person his understanding of the current situation regarding lifeguards on Phuket’s beaches.

That meeting was called after Governor Norraphat personally inspected the lifeguard coverage at beaches on Phuket’s northwest coast

Moto-taxi driver robs Aussie tourist POLICE A R R EST ED A local motorbike taxi driver last week just 24 hours after he snatched a bag belonging to an Australian tourist and made off with AUS$200 and more than B1,600 in cash in Rawai early the previous morning.

Officers tracked down and arrested Thanapon Sukjam, 48, at an unreported location in Phuket Town at 4am Wednesday last week (May 9), Chalong Police Chief Col Pakayot Tanongsak explained to the press during a re-enactment of the crime by the suspect the next day.

Present for the re-enactment with Col Pakayot was Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos.

“Thanapon is a motorbike taxi driver usually based at Chalong Circle. He picked up 39-year-old Australian Stephen Kennedy from a nightclub in Rawai and took him back to the Rawai Palm Beach Resort at 3:55am Tuesday (May 8),” Col Pakayot said.

Mr Kennedy gave Thanapon one Australian $100 banknote (worth about B2,400) for the fare and asked Thanapon for the change.

Thanapon refused, and that’s how the fight started, Col Pakayot explained.

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Motorbike taxi driver Thanapon Sukjam retraces his steps for police during the re-enactment on May 10.

While they were fighting, Thanapon managed to grab Mr Kennedy’s bag and sped off, making off with another AUS$100, B1,280 in cash, credit cards and an iPhone 6 worth about B20,0000, Col Pakayot said.

“We tracked him down and found him in Phuket Town with the same motorbike he used in committing the crime,” Col Pakayot explained.

In placing Thanapon under arrest, police also seized the motorbike used in committing the crime, as well as the helmet and red motorbike taxi vest Thanapon wore during the robbery.

Thanapon confessed to police that he committed the crime, Col Pakayot said.

However, Col Pakayot noted, “He said that he had already sold the mobile phone and spent all the money,” Thanapon has been charged for committing the robbery, Col Pakayot confirmed.

However, Col Pakayot made no mention which night venue was open in Rawai well past 3am or if authorities were even interested in investigating the venue for illegal late trading, as Rawai is within Chalong Police jurisdiction.

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last Saturday (May 12).

During that visit, Tourism and Sports Phuket Office Chief Sirawee Waloh herself called for better support for Phuket’s lifeguards, especially in the provision of essential lifesaving equipment, with her comments openly directed at the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor).

The PPAO failed in securing a new provider of lifeguard services in October last year, spurring the start of Phuket’s still ongoing lifeguard crisis.

A 12-Y E A R- OL D B OY has died after his head was crushed by a tour bus in a motorbike accident south of Phuket Town on Monday afternoon (May 14).

Officers from the Wichit Police were called to the scene of the accident, on the unnamed road near the Naka Shrine in Wichit, at 2:20pm.

At the scene officers arrived to find a Honda Scoopy motorbike in the middle of the road and the body of Chinnarat Kajutroka, 12, a student at Tessaban 2 Kathu School.

Nearby parked by the side of the road was a white tour bus marked as a vehicle of Jiraphat Transport Co. The bus driver, Sorrawit Langu, 42, was not at the scene, though he presented himself at Wichit Police Station soon after the accident.

Aphisit Konlee, also 12, told police that he and Chin-

narat were riding on a motorbike from Saphan Hin. Chinnarat was operating the motorbike, while Aphisit rode pillion. Both were not wearing a helmet.

Three other youths all on one other motorbike had pulled alongside and the drivers of the two motorbikes started speeding, Aphisit said.

Chinnarat was riding close to the central reservation, then something happened, was the best Aphisit could explain to police.

The motorbike fell, spilling Chinnarat and Aphisit onto the road. Chinnarat was thrown into the left lane, into the path of the tour bus, which ran over him, killing him instantly.

Police said they had yet to determine whether to press any charges related to the death as they were still investigating the accident.

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NEED UPDATE 4

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Brit in taxi crash The taxi was engulfed by flames and gutted by the fire.

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Tourists escape as taxi burns POLICE HAVE YET TO confirm the cause of a fire that engulfed a taxi as it was carrying tourists from Phuket International Airport to their hotel in Cherng Talay last Friday (May 11).

Driver Watcharachai Paka, 28, told police he picked up a Chinese family to take them to the Laguna resort complex.

During the journey he could smell burning and then saw flames. All four occupants got out of the taxi, with no-one injured. Eakkapop Thongtub

Medical bills paid by online fundraising The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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campaign to raise funds for a British woman who suffered a broken back and multiple serious internal injuries when a truck slammed head-on into the Phuket taxi she and her partner were travelling in has rallied to provide the funds needed to pay her medical bills in just one day.

Abigail Sontag, a travel agent from Essex, England, and her partner Pete Brudenell had been on holiday in Phuket only a couple of days before they were involved in a serious road accident.

The couple were travelling in a local taxi from Phuket to Khao Lak on May 1 when a truck struck their taxi head-on after hitting another car travelling in front of them.

Ms Sontag suffered a broken back, three broken ribs and a ruptured spleen and bowel. She was brought to Bangkok

British tourist Abigail Sontag suffered a broken back, three broken ribs and a ruptured spleen and bowel. Photo: via EssexLive Hospital Phuket, where she received medical treatment.

“Abbie’s mother Natalie, step dad Russell Brooks and sister Ellis immediately got the first available flight

to Thailand on Tuesday (May 8) and have remained at Abbie’s bedside ever since,” reported EssexLive, the couple’s local newspaper back home.

“She has had the operation to repair her spleen, bowel and broken ribs and is awaiting her operation on her spine which is due in the next few days,” the family reported on May 9.

The family were hit with the devastating news the following day that they will be forced to pay B1.5 million in medical costs for her treatment and operations, not covered by insurance that Ms Sontag believed she had.

Ms Sontag believed she had travel insurance with her bank, but she doesn’t, the family explained on a GoFundMe page set up to raise the £35,000 needed.

As of last Friday (May 11), the campaign had raised £6,000, but donations continued to flow in, raising £32,500 from 1,147 people in just 24 hours.

Woman spared from ‘lover’s leap’ on road SALES REPRESENTATIVE Kiattisak (Rudy) Deamer 088 754 1371 sales2@classactmedia.co.th

A WOM A N I N EMO tional distress threatened to jump from a pedestrian bridge onto Thepkrasattri Rd in Thalang on Monday night (May 14). She was finally talked down to safety after nearly an hour and a half of police and rescue workers talking the woman through her heartbreak.

Police and rescue workers were called to the scene, in front of the Thalang Health Care Centre, at 11:50pm.

The woman, a 38-yearold resident of Cherng Talay, stood on the edge of the pedestrian bridge and threatened to jump, although the span is just 5.5 metres above the main road.

Police had traffic along the road blocked while rescue workers talked to the woman, tearful and despondent, hoping for her to return to safety.

Their attempts failed, leading police to step in and spend another 50 minutes talking to the woman, finally getting her to come down from the bridge.

The woman threatened to jump from the pedestrian bridge onto Thepkrsattri Rd. The woman explained to police that she was heartbroken, jealous that her female partner for the past year had found a new lover.

She had been fighting with her partner, which led her to climbing the bridge in the thought of jumping onto the road.

Police made no mention of any legal action against the woman, though The Phuket News notes that there is a “One Stop Crisis Centre” at each government hospital on the island that can help people cope with emotional distress.

Thai speakers can call the 1300 help hotline.

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FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

PHUKET NEWS

5

Silent treatment on ‘Phoenix’

Thai Navy quiet on stopping Rohingya relief ship entering Phuket The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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he Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command has yet to respond to queries as to why a Rohingya relief ship operated by an internationally recognised aid agency was informed that arriving in Phuket would be “problematic” to the extent that the aid workers would not be able to perform their duties.

The issue came to the fore when the relief ship M/Y Phoenix, operated by the MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) project, posted its update report on its activities west of Phuket on May 4.

MOAS, founded in 2013 in response to the wave of Africato-Europe migrants risking their lives and dying at sea in Mediterranean, was heavily involved in the migrant crisis in the Aegean Sea from December 2015 to March 2016 that made international headlines.

The M/Y Phoenix was dispatched to the Andaman in response to the Rohingya refugee crisis last year, and returned to continue its searchand-rescue (SAR) operations in April this year.

In its dispatch posted last Friday, the M/Y Phoenix reported,

A crewman on the M/Y Phoenix keeps watch for Rohingya refugees afloat on the Andaman Sea. Photo: Courtesy of MOAS “Having departed Sri Lanka on April 23rd, M/Y Phoenix has now covered 1,643 nautical miles (over 3,000km). During this time, MOAS has traversed four national SAR (Search and Rescue) regions, namely those of Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and Thailand.

“Our crew is on round-the-clock lookout for objects appearing on radar without an AIS (Automatic Information System) signal. All contacts, or unidentified objects, have been thoroughly investigated, both using high-powered binoculars and by altering the ship’s route as required.

“So far, MOAS has investigated 135 contacts in total, mostly small fishing vessels.

“Although observation is the main aim of this mission, MOAS is fully prepared to carry out rescue operations, should an emergency arise. M/Y Phoenix is travelling with an experienced SAR team on board, which includes medical personnel.

In order to maintain readiness, our crew has been using specialised RHIBs (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats) to conduct rescue drills.”

However, the report added, “Given that our mission aims to increase transparency in SAR

Jilted Facebook ‘friend’ stabs rival

A M A N H AS BEEN stabbed to death east of Phuket Town after his female partner snubbed another man by refusing his advances and “unfriending” him on Facebook.

Police were called to the scene, in Soi Maliphan on Koh Siray, early last Saturday morning (May 12).

Maj Nucharee Longkeaw and other officers of the Phuket City Police responding to the call arrived to find the body of delivery-company worker Teerasit Sae-lim, 29, lying in the middle of a dirt street.

A knife was still protruding from his left armpit. Beside his body in the dirt was a 70cm-long steel rod.

Nearby, his escape curtailed by local residents, was Watchara Wichaikul, a 31-yearold service staffer at a Phuket seafood restaurant. He too was face down in the dirt, and his body bore multiple wounds from a sharp implement.

Anupong Raksamee, 35, a close friend of Mr Teerasit, told police that Watchara had been making advances towards Teerasit’s girlfriend for a long time, advances that she had ignored.

He said that Watchara had turned up at the street, drunk and carrying a long knife. @thephuketnews

The fatal stabbing happened in the middle of the poor neighbourhood. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Mr Anupong asked Watchara what he was doing, and Watchara replied that he was there to see Mr Teerasit’s “wife”.

To this, Anupong told Watchara to leave as Mr Teerasit’s “wife” already had a ‘husband”.

Watchara refused to leave, and then Mr Teerasit arrived home in the street on his motorbike, Mr Anupong told police.

“Watchara got angry and then chased to stab Mr Teerasit,” he said. “Mr Teerasit tried to escape, but ran into a blind alley, where Watchara attacked him.”

Mr Teerasit collapsed in front of his own rented unit, while Watchara’s attempt to flee was thwarted.

“Me and other neighbours caught him and held him here until the police arrived.

Rescue workers tried to save Mr Teerasit, but couldn’t,” Mr Anupong said.

Mr Teerasit’s “wife”, who police declined to name, explained to officers that she first met Watchara through Facebook and they chatted quite often earlier this year.

She asked that they be good friends only, but Watchara started arriving at her and Teerasit’s place on unannounced visits.

He did this many times, and the woman “unfriended” him on Facebook.

Angered by the online snub, Watchara continued to call her and sent threatening messages, the woman explained.

At times, things were damaged while no one was home, including one time a tyre was slashed, the woman said.

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operations in this region, we have been pleased to note that our work as an independent NGO has drawn the attention of national maritime authorities, both at sea and in the air.

“Unfortunately, MOAS has also been subjected to intimidation tactics which have obliged us to make changes to our schedule.

“On May 3rd, M/Y Phoenix received a call from a corvette belonging to the Thai navy, which had been shadowing us for several hours, to inform us that we would not be allowed to anchor without express permission from Thai authorities.

“Given that we were in contiguous waters, where commercial vessels are entitled to anchor freely under international maritime law, this communication was highly irregular.

“Our plan for the coming week had been to enter Phuket port on the afternoon of May 4th, in order to spend six days monitoring the seas between Phuket and Ranong, on the border with Myanmar.

“However, we were informed that our movements would be severely restricted if we entered Phuket, preventing us from carrying out our intended observation work. Given the impossibility of

conducting monitoring operations in this area, we have decided to cancel our intended ports of call in Phuket and Ranong.”

Very experienced in dealing with international interference, the crew took the setback professionally, noting, “These challenges are not new to MOAS. We encountered a very similar situation during our first exploration mission to the Andaman Sea, in February 2016.

“Nonetheless, we have been disappointed to face this level of intimidation, particularly given our extended efforts to foster a positive relationship with Thai authorities, both before and during this mission.

“Despite attempts to disrupt our work, MOAS’ mission continues.

Over the next two weeks, we will continue to scan international waters and gather information on boat departures.”

The Phuket News informed the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command of the report the following Monday (May 7), and asked for an explanation of what issues had arisen with the international relief boat.

Despite assurances that formal comment on the issue was forthcoming, The Phuket News has yet to receive a response.

Opinion 6

OPINION

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FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

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EDITORIAL

Make them pay for plastic

CONTACT US

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CHRIS HUSTED

Executive Editor

084 307 7408 execeditor@classactmedia.co.th Fifteen years working in news and covering local issues and events in Phuket, with 18-month hiatus spent working for the Brunei Times on Borneo. From Queensland, Australia; 10 years living in the UK before moving to Phuket in 2000. Degree in business management. Spare time spent sailing or with family.

MATTHEW POND

News & Sports Editor

editor3@classactmedia.co.th Originally from the UK; Has over six years experience as editor and reporter for Phuketindex.com magazine and website, and InPhuket magazine.

N

ews this past week that the Finance Ministry is seriously considering introducing a levy on plastic bags is long overdue. The fact that Thailand is “drowning in plastic” is obvious, and even the government can no longer ignore it. Plastic bag waste accounted for 13% of marine litter in 2015, well above food packaging waste at 8% and straws at 10%.

In 2016, in a report to the UN, the Thai government admitted that the total amount of garbage finding its way into the sea was estimated at 2.83 million tons, of which it said 12% was plastic. Those figures can be taken with a pinch of salt, but last year Thailand recognised that the nation generated 27.4mn tons of waste, of which 2mn tons was plastic.

The effect is damming – as are the giant garbage patches

editor1@classactmedia.co.th From Melbourne, Australia, Mark holds a BA from La Trobe University where he completed a double major in Anthropology and Media Studies.

He has over eight years experience as a journalist, photographer and editor for several magazines and newspapers.

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based, caused by inefficient waste management and poor handling of plastic wastes, there are no prizes for guessing where the bulk of the plastic in the oceans is coming from: look for your nearest densely populated area. According to data from the Environmental Quality Promotion Department, the average Bangkokian uses a mind-boggling 8.7 bags a day.

Major retailers have agreed to join in the campaign to encourage customers to bring their own re-usable bags but so far the effect has been negligible.

We need financial incentives for major industries to reduce plastic use. Last year the Thai government told the UN that it has established a 20-year strategy to tackle the problem, including developing financial incentives reducing plastic use and encouraging eco-friendly substitutes for plastics. So bring it on!

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Brit tourist in Phuket taxi accident rescued from B1.5mn medical bills Smoke on plane from overheated phone forces Phuket landing Construction rubble dumped on beach Thai Navy silent on preventing Rohingya relief ship arriving in Phuket Swedish man, 58, dies in eight-storey plunge Nigerian arrested for cocaine Phuket Opinion: Many eyes make light work Phuket condo mogul Sawit posts bail on fraud charges Phuket tourists escape as taxi burns Taxi driver arrested for robbing Aussie tourist

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HAVE YOUR SAY

MARK KNOWLES

Lifestyle Editor

accumulating in the world’s ocean’s. National Geographic reported four years ago that so much plastic was flowing into the oceans that 90% of seabirds were eating plastic and that virtually every seabird will be eating it by 2050. If seabirds are not your concern, what do you think fish are eating?

Staggering as the numbers are, reporting them – and they have been reported everywhere, and often – has done little to achieve the great anti-plastic revolution everyone is waiting for. The truth of the matter is that a change in the mentality that widespread consumption of single-use plastics is acceptable must go – and that is where the great challenge lies, people do not want to change.

For now, plastic bags are just too convenient.

If even the Thai government recognises that most marine plastic debris is land-

TOP 10 STORIES ON thephuketnews.com

How many more?

Re: Phuket student, 12, crushed by tour bus

It is a tragedy that the 12-yearold boy died in this accident.

However, is he allowed to ride a motorcycle in the first place?

We can see very often, young kids under the legal age to ride motorcycles are allowed on the streets. How many more such underaged kids have to die before the government officials, especially the police, enforce the law vigorously?

Robin Lee ...................................................

Monkey business

Re: Public to decide fate of Phuket’s trouble-making monkeys There are many mangroves in Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi without monkeys because the monkeys were killed for meat; so why not catch them and send them to where they belong: Mangroves.

Instead of isolated islands with limited food and water especially during the dry season and where they will have problems of inbreeding in the long term.

Asterix

Prince of Songkhla University Phuket has a small troupe of about 20 individuals. They do not seem to cause much trouble, in fact they are surprisingly well behaved. Maybe it is the academic environment.

Aj Raymond Ritchie Look what happened with the tuk-tuk drivers. Nothing was done to control their numbers, now they are everywhere.

Peeing in bushes, harassing tourists.

They have total control over all parking and block sidewalks. They become aggressive without warning and are a detriment to the island.

Why not relocate them?

Timothy ...................................................

Who cares?

Re: Uproar over Pattaya Beach wastewater Every beach has sewage running into it. Go to the National Marine Reserve Park at Layan and sniff the air. Then visit the 1,000+ workers’ camp on Soi 7 and observe the lack of sanitation. They even redirected a stream. No matter, the Chinese won’t care.

Christy Sweet

Throwing good money after bad

Re: Phuket Tourism chief calls for better support for lifeguards as international warning imminent “Support for lifeguards”, what lifeguards? Millions of baht have already been paid to that random Bangkok firm to provide lifeguards and all the “support” they need.

Now the suggestion is more of our money should be wasted? How about getting the services we’ve already paid for first, before we go donating more Mercedes Benz’s to Bangkok businessmen.

Captain Jack 69 ...................................................

Dangerous to do the right thing

Re: Phuket Opinion: Many eyes make light work Many times I see pickup trucks dumping rubbish around the island and tanker trucks emptying who knows what into the waters at Kalim Beach.

I think I should stop and take a photo and send it to the proper authority, but I hesitate. What if the illegal dumpers become angry and violent and decide they don’t

want me taking their photo and reporting them? It it worth getting a beating or worse?

Island Man ...................................................

Who is guarding the golden goose?

Re: On Guard: Grave doubts raised over Phuket’s fragmented lifeguard coverage A tourism failure, disaster and disgrace. The Thai government obviously cannot manage its hospitality sector infrastructure.

Maybe they should lease it out to another country and learn how to protect and service a major source of income, not drown it.

Vegasbaby Follow the money… oops it’s already gone. A dog-and-pony show for the Chinese visit and lives continue to be at risk.

As for the Kamala “surplus” one doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out what will happen to it. Given the state of the water though I’m surprised anyone wants to enter it.

Fascinated

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

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

THAILAND NEWS

7

Defending government reform PM says reform well under way but could take years to kick in BANGKOK Bangkok Post

P

rime Minister Prayut Chano-cha defended the government’s national reform efforts on Wednesday (May 16), following criticism that the regime was handing over the job to bureaucrats.

He was responding to remarks by former charter drafter Borwornsak Uwanno that national reforms may not materialise as the government had handed the task to bureaucrats.

Gen Prayut said the bureaucratic system was instrumental in driving the government’s reform efforts which would take some time to bear fruit.

“A lot of people do not understand reform but I’d like to point out that the government has been doing it. The first phase is to engage every sector in resolving conflicts, improving laws, facilitating the conducting of business,” he said.

Last Sunday (May 13), Mr Borwornsak, chairman of the law reform committee, expressed doubts at a press conference about how the reform plans would be turned into action.

Gen Prayut rejected the Pheu

@thephuketnews

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha told reporters on Wednesday (May 16), ‘A lot of people do not understand reform.’ Photo: AFP

Thai Party’s accusation that his government had failed to implement reforms and should be held responsible for the waste of resources.

He also shot back at political parties for criticising the regime over national reform.

“Don’t say the government didn’t do anything. How could it do nothing in these four years? And I want to ask those politicians who

attack the government about this.

What reforms will they institute if they come to power?” he said.

Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda said on Wednesday that the government was proceeding with reforms on all fronts but pointed out that getting results is no easy job.

He suggested that media outlets could contribute by raising public awareness.

Suthep Thaugsuban, chairman of the Muan Maha Prachachon Foundation, also came out in defence of Gen Prayut over the government’s reform drive.

During a live-streaming, the former protest leader said the government had some achievements in the area of national reform.

“The constitution which is currently in force has a framework for

reform while the previous ones didn’t,” he said.

He called on the government not to be discouraged by criticism and to proceed with police reform, saying that would be proof of the prime minister’s commitment.

“I and a group of people believe it is not a waste of time and resources. If you can finish just one or two, it’s okay and the public can help push for the rest,” he said.

Mr Suthep also said he was pinning his hopes on police reforms on a new committee chaired by chief charter writer Meechai Ruchupan.

The panel was recently set up by the cabinet out of a need to make changes to a previous police reform plan which was written by another committee led by former supreme commander Boonsrang Niumpradit.

Criticism over the regime’s reform plans is mounting ahead of May 22 when the National Council for Peace and Order will mark its fourth anniversary in power.

Two major reform bodies have been set up over the past four years – the National Reform Council, which initiated 37 reform proposals, and the National Reform Steering Assembly which has pushed forward 190 issues for national reform.

8

THAILAND NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Physical assault egged on by officers and abusing corporal punishment has caused the deaths of inductees during basic training in recent years. Photo: Bangkok Post / file

Army orders end to conscript deaths during military training BANGKOK CASES OF CONSCRIPTS dying under unusual circumstances during military training must not happen, the Royal Thai Army (RTA) has ordered.

The directive was part of a military training order signed by Weerachai Inthusophon, assistant to the army chief, which was issued by the RTA recently shortly before new con-

scripts reported for military service earlier this month.

In recent years, conscript deaths have come under public scrutiny amid rumours of physical assault and corporal punishment at military bases.

According to the order, army instructors must closely monitor the health of those they are in charge of and will face severe disciplinary action in the event of any deaths, Gen Weerachai said.

Medical staff from Phramongkutklao Hospital and other military hospitals were also deployed to military bases nationwide to provide healthcare and first-aid training for soldiers.

According to the order, all punishments must be conducted strictly in compliance with Ministry of Defence regulations to avoid accusations of physical abuse against conscripts Bangkok Post.

Instead of prison, people convicted of non-violent crimes but unable to pay a fine could be allowed to work off their sentence without ever going to jail. Photo: Bangkok Post / file

‘Fines should be replaced for the poor’, says Prinya NATIONWIDE Bangkok Post

P

eople who break the law for minor offences but cannot afford to pay the resulting fine should be allowed to perform community service as an alternative means of compensating the state, a legal expert from Thammasat University said on Wednesday (May 16) as he led a campaign to amend the charter.

Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, who also serves as vice rector of the university, made

the proposal to the national reform committee for the justice system in a bid to ease the plight of the impoverished, who are seen as being unfairly treated vis-a-vis their more affluent peers.

“Using detention in lieu of fine payment is part of the problem of inequality,” he said.

“Automatically detaining the impoverished in this way not only goes against Section 30/1 of the Penal Code, which allows defendants to tell the court they want to do community service, but

also shows how people are treated unfairly with a strong economic bias,” he added.

Having already launched a campaign to this effect called Change.org, Mr Prinya led a group of students armed with a petition featuring more than 2,300 signatures to officially propose the amendment today.

Currently, those who fail to pay their fines are put in detention, with one days detention equivalent to a B500 fine. As such, a destitute perpetrator given a B3,000 fine would have to spend six days behind bars.

Mr Prinya’s campaign seems to align with an ambitious target the regime set for itself at the end of last year when Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak told the media in December that new measures would be introduced to eradicate “extreme poverty” by the end of 2018.

Mr Prinya said Thai judges rarely dish out community service, while many people barely know their rights, including the right to make such a request.

One of the by-products of this is the massive overcrowding at many Thai jails, he added.

Department of Corrections director-general Naras Savestanan said he supported the idea.

“The fines can get very big, so if the wrongdoer can’t pay he can be locked up for over 100 days,” he said, adding it was unrealistic to expect a fisherman from Cambodia to pay a B1-million fine if busted for working here illegally. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

ASIA NEWS

9

India’s sea turtle warriors

Fishing communities protecting threatened species from harm INDIA Abhaya Srivastava

S

ince he was a boy, Soumyaranjan Biswal has kept a night vigil at the beach near his coastal Indian village where tens of thousands of olive ridley turtles gather to lay their eggs.

Fishing communities in Odisha protect this threatened species from harm as they return year after year to nest, a unique ritual for both turtles and their custodians that stretches back decades.

Olive ridley turtles navigate thousands of miles of open ocean to reach the eastern state, where they come ashore in numbers not seen anywhere else in the world.

It is familiar territory for the females, who hatched on these same sands many years ago.

“We have seen them coming to these beaches right from our childhood,” Biswal said as tiny white ocean crabs wriggled across his feet.

“The turtles are just like our friends now.”

The turtles arrive under the cover of darkness, trudging ashore to dig shallow pits with their flippers where they deposit dozens of eggs.

Their work done, they return to the ocean.

But their eggs are vulnerable to predators like dogs and vultures during the 50-odd day incubation period beneath the sand, and high tides can wash away an entire nest.

Fisher men along this stretch of east Indian coastline have been intervening to give the unborn turtles a shot at life.

Biswal, equipped with a torch and a bamboo pole, identifies nests at risk and carefully digs up the spongy eggs.

They are relocated to

@thephuketnews

Volunteers for the group Action for Protection of Wild Animals demonstrate how to look for turtle eggs in the nest and how rescue vulnerable turtles on Daluakani beach, around 80 kilometers from Bhubaneswar in India’s eastern Odisha state. Photo: AFP

freshly dug hatcheries a safe distance away, ringed with fencing and marked with a flag – an arduous process that can be repeated hundreds of times in a single nesting season.

Keeping a watchful eye over the brood is no easy task.

The job is unpaid, usually following a long day at work.

There is the added danger of scorpion bites and nipping crabs in the sand.

But Biswal knows safe passage for the turtle hatchlings to the sea is crucial for their survival.

“Their journey back to the sea is very important. The females come back to this same beach to lay eggs, helped by the alignment of moon and stars,” he said.

There was a time when two million turtles would emerge from the sea at Odisha for the mass nesting phenomenon known as “arribada”, or arrival.

But their numbers have sharply declined, with environmental pressures, coastal development and overfishing

meaning many do not survive the journey to their ancestral nesting ground.

Hundreds can wash ashore dead every year.

In 2014 and 2016, for reasons still unknown, no turtles arrived at all, spooking villagers who consider their fate intertwined with their ocean visitors.

“For us, turtles are an incarnation of (Hindu God) Vishnu. If they die or don’t come we feel we have missed out on their blessing,” said one volunteer, Bichitranal Biswal.

However, the union between fishermen and turtles has not always been peaceful.

In 1997, the coastal regions off Odisha were declared a marine wildlife sanctuary and fishing was barred in shallow waters for more than half the year – slashing incomes in one of India’s poorest regions.

“For seven months a year the fishermen are left jobless,” said Sumanth Bindumadhav, wildlife campaign manager with Humane Society International, an NGO.

“It’s natural for them to feel that it’s because of the turtles.”

Bindumadhav said it had been a “Herculean task” motivating fishermen to protect the turtles during lean times when other work was scarce.

One approach is to remind them that the turtles eat jellyfish, which prey on the sealife

the villagers eat and sell.

Ultimately, conservation efforts have succeeded in Odisha in large part due to the special relationship between turtles and locals.

“People here feel a personal connection with the turtles and have developed a sense of ownership. This has helped

in our conservation effort,” Bindumadhav said.

The state government provides 25 kilograms of subsidised rice every month to families affected by fishing laws under the World Bankfunded Integrated Coastal Zone Management Program.

But the villagers say they would rather learn new skills than depend on handouts.

Bijaya Kumar Kavi is director of the local Action for Protection of Wild Animals, which has been helping women set up self-help groups where each member contributes 60 rupees (B28.33) a month.

“We teach them how each olive ridley lays around 100 eggs, but of more than 10 million eggs laid in an arribada, only around 0.2% survive,” he said.

“We also tell them how to handle eggs. If done the wrong way the embryo will drown in its own yolk.

“When the f isher men learn about these fascinating characteristics, their attitude changes and they become turtle-friendly.”

AFP

10 WORLD NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Getting under the skin Microchip implants, a welcome reality for growing number of Swedes SWEDEN Camille Bas-Wholert

I

t’s the size of a grain of rice but could hold the key to many aspects of your life.

A tiny microchip inserted under the skin can replace the need to carry keys, credit cards and train tickets.

That might sound like an Orwellian nightmare to some but in Sweden it is a welcome reality for a growing number who favours convenience over concerns of potential personal data violations.

The small implants were first used in 2015 in Sweden – initially confidentially – and several other countries.

Swedes have gone on to be very active in microchipping, with scant debate about issues surrounding its use, in a country keen on new technology and where the sharing of personal information is held up as a sign of a transparent society.

Twenty-eight year-old Ulrika Celsing is one of 3,000

A man implants a chip with a help of a syringe during a chip implant event in Epicenter, a technological hub in Stockholm. Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP Swedes to have injected a microchip into her hand to try out a new way of life.

To enter her workplace, the media agency Mindshare, she simply waves her hand on a small box and types in a code before the doors open.

“It was fun to try some-

thing new and to see what one could use it for to make life easier in the future,” she said.

In the past year, the chip has turned into a kind of electronic handbag and has even replaced her gym card, she said.

If she wanted to, she could

also use it to book train tickets.

Sweden’s SJ national railway company has won over some 130 users to its microchip reservation service in a year.

Conductors scan passengers’ hands after they book tickets online and register them on their chip.

Sweden has a track record on the sharing of personal information, which may have helped ease the microchip’s acceptance among the Nordic country’s 10 million-strong population.

Citizens have long accepted the sharing of their personal details, registered by the social security system, with other administrative bodies, while people can find out each others’ salaries through a quick phone call to the tax authority.

The implants use Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, also used in credit cards, and are “passive”, which means they hold data that can be read by other devices but cannot read information themselves.

Although still small, they have the capacity to hold train tickets, entry pass codes as well as access certain vending machines and printers, promoters say.

When Celsing’s innovatively minded media company organised an event where employees could get the implants, she followed the crowd.

She said she felt nothing but a slight sting when the syringe inserted the chip into her left hand, which she now uses on an almost daily basis and does not fear hacking or possible surveillance.

“I don’t think our current technology is enough to get the chip hacked,” she says.

“But I may think about this again in the future. I could always take it out then,” she adds.

However, for Ben Libberton, a microbiologist working for MAX IV Laboratory in the southern city of Lund which provides X-rays for research, the danger is real.

The chip implants could

cause “infections or reactions of the immune system”, he warned.

But the biggest risk, he added, was around the data contained in the chip.

“At the moment, the data collected and shared by implants is small, but it’s likely that this will increase,” the researcher said.

The real question, he added, is what data is collected and who shares it. “If a chip can one day detect a medical problem, who finds out and when?” he asked.

Libberton worried that “the more data is stored in a single place as could happen with a chip, the more risk it could be used against us.”

But Jowan Osterlund, a piercing specialist and selfproclaimed champion of chip implantation, brushes off fears of data misuse and conspiracy theories.

He advocates the opposite view, arguing that if we carried all our personal data on us, we would have better control of their use.

Despite unanswered questions, however, about how the technology will progress, the appeal of being part of a futuristic experience is a strong draw for some users.

“In Sweden, people are very comfortable with technology and I would say there is less resistance to new technology here than in most other places,” Libberton said.

At an “implant party” organised by Osterlund in Stockholm, 59-year-old Anders Brannfors stands out with his salt-and-pepper hair among the curious 30-something hipsters.

Delighted to have become a 2.0 version of himself, he has yet however to find a use for his chip several weeks after the implant.

AFP

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

BUSINESS NEWS 11

Opening branches in Thailand

Foreign Business License for regional offices no longer required LAW Jerrold Kippen

A

Tax & Law Expert Duensing Kippen

Representative Office allows the foreign investor to evaluate potential market opportunities without the need to establish a subsidiary in Thailand. Thus, it provides an interesting “vehicle” for foreign investors who may be considering entering the Thai market.

Thailand has recently made the set-up process of such an office more investor friendly.

Previously, prior to operating, the Representative Office was required to obtain a “Foreign Business Licence” because, under the Foreign Business Act (1999) (the “FBA”), its permitted activities were considered a “service” reserved for Thais and prohibited to foreigners without such exemption.

This requirement has been abolished.

Under Ministerial Regulation No. 3 “Prescribing Service Businesses Which Do Not

Opening a branch office in Thailand just got easier. Photo: Spencer Wing Require a Foreign Business Licence” (2017) of the FBA the operation of a Representative Office is no longer considered such a service. Thus, a Representative Office is now permitted to provide its specified services without the need to apply for a Foreign Business Licence. This is good news for foreign investors who would like to open a Representative Office because the exclusion will now allow for an expedited and more efficient set-up procedure.

The purpose of a Representative Office is to provide services solely to its foreign head office, affiliates, or companies in the same group.

The services it can provide are limited. For example: a Representative Office is not allowed to accept purchase orders; make sales offers; or engage in business negotiations with any person. And it is not allowed to generate any profit.

The limited business activities the Representative Office is allowed to operate are as

Group photo of the MICE award winners in Bangkok. Photo: TCEB

Phuket hotels step up in MICE awards MICE AT LEAST FOUR PROMInent Phuket hotels have been bestowed the prestigious “Thailand MICE Venue Standard Award 2018 -2020” award by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).

Representatives from the four resorts – the JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, Angsana Laguna Phuket, Kata Sea Breeze Resort and Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort – received the award from Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat during the award ceremony held recently at the BITEC Bangna event centre in Bangkok.

The award recognises that each hotel has meeting rooms that have passed TCEB assessments and criteria among 107 @thephuketnews

MICE venues and 332 meeting rooms across the country.

The JW Marriott Phuket’s meeting venues Mai Khao Salon A, Mai Khao Salon D, Layan 1 and Layan 2 were accredited, as was the Sea Sky Conference Room at the Kata Sea Breeze Resort.

Angsana Laguna Phuket’s Angsana Ballroom 1 and 2 had first been given TMVS accreditation in 2015, and this recognition has now been renewed for another two-year period. Three additional meeting rooms – Anchan, Orchid and Tabak – were also certified by the same organisation in 2017, for a period lasting until 2019.

The Outrigger’s Area Director for Sales and Marketing for Thailand, Rory Campbell, received the accreditation on behalf of the resort, saying “With TMVS accreditation, our

sophisticated Similan Ballroom MICE set up at the Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort has been officially recognised as among the best in Thailand.

“We will now proudly take that message to event organisers who are seeking to create meaningful and rewarding corporate events in Phuket,” he said.

The criteria for the venue standards contain elements with three indicators for physical, technological and service requirements. The focus is the development of a basic standard that will be built on in order to meet the international standard.

Moreover, entrepreneurs certified by Thailand MICE Venue Standards (TMVS) also appear on the “Approved List” and will be publicised worldwide as good venues that meet international standards.

The Phuket News

follows: 1. Procurement of supply sources for goods and services in Thailand for the head office or affiliated company; 2. Inspection and control of the quality and volume of goods by the head office or affiliated company or that was hired by the head office or affiliated company for production in Thailand; 3. Consultation on various aspects pertaining to goods distributed by the head office or affiliated company to a

distributing agent; 4. Dissemination of information pertaining to new goods or services offered by the head office or affiliated company; and 5. Reporting on business movements in Thailand to the head office or affiliated company.

However, among other constraints, a Representative Office cannot engage in the: 1. Purchase goods on behalf of the head office or its affiliated company or any activity concerning such a purchase; 2. Checking and control of the quality and quantity of goods for any company that is not the head office or its affiliate company; 3. Giving of after sale service concerning the installation and maintenance of goods; 4. Giving of advice concerning goods that are not produced or sold by the head office or its affiliated company; 5. Receiving of any purchase order or service on behalf of the head office or its affiliated company; 6. Coordination of any purchase or sale on behalf of

the head office or its affiliated company; 7. Propagation of information concerning goods or services that were sold in Thailand prior to the Representative Office beginning operations; 8. Carrying out of activities as a “middleman” or “agent” between customers in Thailand and the head office or its affiliated company.

It should also be noted that since a Representative Office is not allowed to generate any income, the operation of the Representative Office must be completely financed by the foreign head office.

However, financing of the operation received by the head office is not considered to be taxable income.

Nevertheless, a Representative Office is still required to apply for a tax ID and submit annul tax returns.

DUENSING KIPPEN is an international law firm specialising in business transaction and dispute resolution, with offices in Bangkok and Phuket, and in over 50 other countries. Visit duensingkippen.com

12 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Digital decree pushes buttons Firms scramble to comply with new digital asset regulations FINANCE Bangkok Post

W

it h a Royal Decree governing digital asset transactions taking effect Monday (May 14), companies and digital exchanges are preparing themselves to comply with the registration process, with an executive requesting the government establish an official digital exchange platform.

All market participants, including initial coin offering (ICO) issuers, digital exchanges and other relevant parties related to digital asset transactions, are required to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) within 90 days from the effective date.

Digital asset transactions will also be subject to a 15% withholding tax on capital gains if there is a profit.

Sellers of digital tokens unauthorised by the SEC will be fined no more than twice the value of the digital transaction or at least B500,000.

They could also face a jail term of up to two years.

The Finance Ministry and the SEC will now work on organic laws requiring all digital asset transactions, including those of digital asset exchanges, brokers and dealers, to be

All partiies intending to engage in digital trading the Securities & Exchange Commission of Thailand (SEC) within 90 days. registered with relevant authorities.

The process is expected to take one month to complete.

J Ventures, a subsidiary of SETlisted Jay Mart Plc and issuer of JFin coins, will meet the SEC today (May 18) to discuss its compliance with the new regulations.

According to the company’s

internal analysis, there are four to five sections that the company should clarify with the regulator, such as filing the white paper and a section about insider trading, which is a criminal offence, said J Ventures Chief Executive Thanawat Lertwattanarak.

“If digital coins are considered to be similar to stocks, I will not give

any figure or say something that could be deemed insider trading,” said Mr Thanawat.

He will also talk to the SEC about the 100 million “JFin” tokens that have already been sold, as well as the 200 million tokens that could be sold in the future.

“If the government has the legal authority to curb digital fund-raising, they should have an organisation to help trading – whether the country has an official digital exchange with high standards like the Stock Exchange of Thailand or Market for Alternative Investment or not,” he said.

This could help token issuers and traders comply with the new regulations, said Mr Thanawat.

The company has already complied with the law by paying the value-added tax worth around B40 million in line with Revenue Department’s interpretation, together with paying corporate income tax, he said.

Mr Thanawat said he wants JFin coins to be classified as securities to qualify for tax-free status.

According to the digital asset decree, digital exchanges are required to impose a 15% withholding tax on capital gains generated from digital asset transactions, but there are doubts whether such a tax will

be imposed if a trader purchases a digital token from an overseas digital exchange and transfers it into a local one for sale, he said.

SEC technology adviser Bhume Bhumiratana said the SEC will provide a definition for some business activities included in this regulatory framework, such as points accumulated from credit card spending and mileage received from air travel.

“For ICO issuers which are currently raising funds in the domestic market, they have to be regulated under the new law, but for those raising funds in the global markets, they can continue the process,” said Mr Bhume.

Concerns will be eased after everything becomes clearer, while the Revenue Department will provide greater details on the government tax policy, he said.

Regarding the 15% withholding tax, blockchain expert Jirayut Srupsrisopa said such a tax will increase the financial burden among traders, who may move to trade via online foreign exchanges and park their money in overseas bank accounts for a certain period before transferring their earnings to Thailand.

Additional reporting by Somruedi Banchongduang

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Street artists call for ‘black panther’ justice

14

Intensive brain training course coming to UWCT

15

TIME TRAVEL

A bicycle ride in Hat Thai Mueang National Park is like stepping back into the past

Baz’s trusty best friend Polar in Thai Mueang Town eagerly awaiting his chance to hit the road on two wheels.

BLAZING SADDLES

I

Baz Daniel

am by no means original in my thoughts regarding the ability to travel through time on a bicycle. The Victorian novelist HG Wells was a tremendous bicycle lover to whom the quote, “Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race” is often attributed. He is the only major author who has written a cycling novel and bicycles appear in many of his other works, most notably in his first novel The Time Machine, published in 1895, in which the time-travelling machine is oddly reminiscent of a bicycle, with a saddle that the rider straddles and controls with handlebars.

Like most of us in Phuket these days I was feeling time-stressed and frazzled and in need of a gentler pace of life where time expands to facilitate some safe, relaxing cycling. I drove off the island with my road bike on the bike rack and my little dog “Polar” for company. Just 25 kilometres north from the Sarasin Bridge we came to the Hat Thai Mueang National Park and discovered the wonderful time travelling possibilities that a simple bicycle can create in such a quiet location as this.

The park is best known for its large waterfalls located in the mountainous eastern section, but for the gentler, time-slowing cycling that I was after, I chose to concentrate on the pristine 14km white sand Andaman Sea beach section fringed by mangrove forest just off the main Highway 4 north (Phetkasem Rd) @thephuketnews

Baz and Polar on the vast stretch of beach the forms part of the park. where it runs through the unprepossessing town of Thai Mueang.

A distinguishing feature of this stunning beach, and a prime reason for its protected status, is that it is a sea turtle nesting area. Between November and February Leatherback, Green, and Hawksbill turtles come to this stretch of beach to lay their eggs.

In March, a local festival marks the joyous occasion when many of the newly-hatched baby turtles make their way to the sea.

I unloaded my bike, packed Polar into a backpack and set off cycling north along the quiet beachside road towards the park’s entrance. This six-kilometre stretch of quiet tree-lined road with separate cycling track represents an immediate step back in time to a gentler, more traditional Thai experience, of a sort

which has virtually disappeared from Phuket itself these days.

Birds twittered in the tall Casuarina trees that lined the road; the air was clean and well-oxygenated and the locals waved and sang out “hello” as we cycled past. On my left was the stunning beach and turquoise Andaman Sea crashing onto the sands, while to my right, in the distance, the mountainous spine of the Isthmus of Kra rose dramatically skyward.

At the barrier into the National Park itself I paid my B100 entrance fee (dogs and bicycles enter free!) and cycled past the visitor centre and the rental cottages and camp tents all set enticingly among the verdant greenery. Another six kilometres of flat, shaded riding, during which we saw not a single vehicle, brought us to the northernmost extremity of the ride. Here a fabulous viewpoint looks north along the stunning beachscape toward Tap Lamu – with treeclad headlands rearing up in the distance above the crashing ocean spume.

Silently brooding and massive, tin-mining machinery stands ghostly sentinel in the forest here, by an old tin-dredging lagoon. This ancient reminder of the region’s history quietly rusting through the passing aeon, underlined the way in which our cycling trip had slowed down time for Polar and I. That night we camped in one of the park’s tents for the princely sum of B160 (plus B60 for a sleeping bag for me, while Polar made do with his natural fur coat).

After supper we sat out under the stars, with a full moon slowly starting to glow over the Andaman Sea, and counted our blessings. The madness of Phuket seemed a long way away and lost in another time.

14 ART

Phuket street art group calls for true justice Kamin Nattha

I

n recent times, street art and graffiti have become an increasingly important instrument to publicly denounce social injustice in Thailand. This was highlighted most recently by the spate of graffiti in Bangkok denouncing construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta for the alleged killing of a protected black panther in a world heritage sanctuary.

The incident that sparked the outrage occurred in February this year, when the skin of an endangered black panther was discovered by rangers at the Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Thong Pha Phum district of Kanchanaburi province.

The carcass was found at the camp of Italian-Thai Development Plc President Premchai Karnasuta, who along with two of his employees were arrested and now face an array of charges for allegedly hunting protected wildlife inside the park. At the jungle camp set up by

the trio, park rangers found an array of protected animal’s carcasses, including the rare black panther, a Khalij pheasant and a barking deer.

However, Mr Premchai has proclaimed his innocence, telling the press: “I believe I am innocent. I am sorry for tiring you reporters, I am sorry that the society has viewed me in this light. I can’t talk much because it concerns the case. But I reiterate my innocence.”

This contentious case has provoked Thai street artists, especially in the capital Bangkok, to express their anger and despair at their nation’s justice system and accuse it of giving favourable treatment to the wealthy. The resulting street art – which appeared on abandoned walls, bus stops, ItalianThai Development signs and at the company’s construction sites – quickly went viral across Thai social media.

But graffiti with a social conscience is not restricted to the capital, indeed here in Phuket street art of all kinds has become increasingly popular in

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Phuket street artists pose in front of their work calling for justice in the prominent ‘Black Panther’ case. recent years. Most recently, a group of Phuket graffiti artists has painted their thoughts on walls in the heart of Phuket Old Town.

The Drawing Room Phuket, an art gallery in Phuket Old Town, has also been covered with “black panther” street art. Agradeth “Amann” Tanhemnayoo, a professional graffiti artist who leads the group of local street artists, said that he and his friends decided to paint the “black panther” graffiti because they could no longer stand idle in the face of a corrupt justice system where rich people can buy their way out of trouble.

“I’m glad to be a part of this activity and to express our thoughts about this injustice. No matter if this piece will be famous or not, I’m happy to be a part of this… like many street artists who have also done this around the country. It was great. There were some other young people in town that joined us during the activity as well,” said Amann.

“At the beginning, we were not sure if we could finish it, because there were some people riding a motorcycle monitoring us, but in the end, it was well done,” he added.

“Freedom and justice is a matter that affects every person in this country. This case about the black panther shows us that, in the end, the poor will go to jail and the rich people can buy freedom with their money. No matter poor or rich, you have to be held responsible for what you have done.”

“It’s funny [that political graffiti is monitored and at times suppressed by authorities] while real crimes, like hunting protected animals, seem to be treated less seriously.”

After the street art session, the crew continued their activism with a charity event that evening at Seng Duan. The event featured an exhibi-

A call for donations to Thungyai Wildlife Sanctuaries.

An auction was held to raise funds for animal rights. tion and artworks were auctioned to raise money to be donated to the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, a Thai animals rights group.

The team have continued their activism on the black panther case by creating T-shirts featuring a black panther face below an image of a tilted scale of justice and the slogan “The loss is more than just a death”. The income generated from T-shirt sales will be also be donated to the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation.

If you would like to buy a T-shirt in support of this cause, you can contact KK Stadium Goods at 399/22 Yaowarat Rd, Talat Yai, Phuket or call 096 272 6620.

You can also order online through Instagram @kkstadiumgoods or Facebook at: facebook.com/HLOYJINGNGEA/ or facebook.com/KKStadiumgoods/

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

EDUCATION 15

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

UWCT to host brain training camp Arrowsmith Cognitive Intensive Summer Program debuts in Thailand

The Phuket News editor1@classactmedia.co.th

The Arrowsmith Program is based on the application of neuroscientific research and for over 35 years has worked to help both children and adults alike to strengthen weak cognitive capacities

Building targeted cognitive skills.

@thephuketnews

F

or the first time outside of North America, Banyapura will provide the Arrowsmith Program six-week Cognitive Intensive Summer Program in Phuket at United World College Thailand (UWCT) this July.

The Arrowsmith Program is based on the application of neuroscientific research and for over 35 years has worked to help both children and adults alike to strengthen weak cognitive capacities that underlie a range of learning difficulties.

The Arrowsmith Program aims to help everyone become effective, confident and self-directed learners.

For children and youth, this includes enabling them to return to a mainstream classroom with strengthened cognitive capacity.

The Cognitive Intensive Summer Program at the UWCT campus will target the Symbol Relations cognitive function that processes and understands ideas.

This is a very important cognitive function that is involved in processing concepts, understanding and quickly grasping what we read and hear, gaining insight, logical reasoning, seeing connections between ideas, cause and effect processing and mathematical reasoning.

UWCT is one of only three schools in all of Asia to offer the full Arrowsmith Program and is now the only school outside of North America to host the sixweek Cognitive Intensive Summer Program, provided

by Banyapura at the UWCT campus.

“We are privileged to be able to offer this program to Asia and Oceania,” said Hugo Moore, Arrowsmith Program Coordinator at UWCT. “Unlike our school-based program, the Cognitive Intensive Summer Program welcomes both youth

From left: UWCT Arrowsmith Program Coordinator Hugo Moore with Arrowsmith Program Founder Barbara Arrowsmith-Young and Arrowsmith Program Teacher Hayley Condron. and adults, and covers a year’s worth of content for the Symbol Relations cognitive function in just six weeks.

“Everyone can benefit from this program. Strengthening Symbol Relations cognitive function is integral to higher order thinking and its benefits include an improved capacity for understanding relationships between concepts – which is necessary for logical and mathematical reasoning as well as reading comprehension – skills that affect all aspects of curriculum and life,” he adds.

The Summer Cognitive Intensive

Program in Phuket will be provided by Banyapura at the UWCT campus and will feature between four to six sessions a day with a teacher-pupil ratio of one to 10. Only 20 spots are available.

The six-week program will run between June 25 and August 3, from 9am to 3pm Monday to Friday and is suitable for ages nine and above, including adults.

For more information and to enrol in the course please contact UWCT Arrowsmith Program Coordinator Hugo Moore at: hugo.moore@banyapura.com

18 ISLAND SCENE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

From left: Claude, Brian, Jurgen and Geoff.

From left: Richard, Jany and Greta.

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

From left: Veeru and Frederic.

From left: Dan, Heidi and Jimmy.

PHUKET BUSINESS SUNDOWNERS WELCOMES SCORES OF LOCAL EXPATS The first meeting of the Phuket Business Sundowners (PBS) was held at The Caddyshack in Kathu last Friday (May 11). This relaxed and informal networking meeting will be held the second Friday of every month. The small entry fee of B500 per person, includes the first two drinks and a light buffet. Make sure to bring lots of business cards, as getting to know each other is what PBS is all about.

From left: David, Brian and Gilbert.

Nai Harn GM Frank Grassmann (centre) with Chalong Police Superintendent Col Pakayot Tanongsak (left) and another guest.

From left: John Tim and Barrie.

James Suckling (centre) with representatives of one of the competition's winners.

THIRD ANNUAL JAMES SUCKING ROSÉ COMPETITION AT THE NAI HARN Last Friday (May 11) saw the third annual James Sucking Rosé Competition held at The Nai Harn. The competing selection included exceptional choices from France, Italy, Chile, Spain and Australia, as well as some homegrown bottles from Thailand. Guests enjoyed great music and an array of international delicacies with Nai Harn Beach as their backdrop. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

ISLAND SCENE 19

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Chaine Phuket members’ boats ‘MY Olympia’ and ‘Darling’ transported them to Paradise Resort on Koh Yao Noi.

CHAINE PHUKET MEMBERS AND GUESTS CRUISE TO PARADISE Last Saturday (May 12) 21 members and guests of the Phuket chapter of Confrerie de La Chaine des Rotisseurs boarded the boats MY Olympia and Darling for a cruise on Phang Nga Bay. The cruise took them to Koh Yao Noi to enjoy a delightful lunch organised by Marc Landgraf, General Manager, MD Joe Raess and their staff at the Paradise Resort.

Chaine Phuket’s Ian Lancaster (left) with Paradise Resort GM Marc Landgraf (second left) and guests.

Members and guests enjoyed drinks by the pool.

PHUKET AND PHANG NGA ADDED TO MICHELIN GUIDE THAILAND FOR 2019 Following the very first 2018 edition of The Michelin Guide dedicated to Bangkok, Michelin on Wednesday (May 15) announced the extension of The Michelin Guide’s reach to Phuket and Phang Nga, with a new 2019 edition. The guide’s reach to Phuket and Phang Nga is part of Michelin Group says is it’s commitment to contribute to the prestige of local Thai gastronomy and hospitality scenes on a worldwide scale and make travel more enjoyable for everyone. @thephuketnews

20 EVENTS

FRI

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM seafood, generous selections of BBQ items, tempting desserts and delicious drinks. At The Nai Harn Phuket’s Cosmo Restaurant from 6:30-10pm. Price: B1,950 for adults and B975 for children under 12. For further information and reservations please contact: 076 380 200 or fbreservation@thenaiharn.com

18 MAY Meeting - Rotary Club Patong

Mussels night @ Shakers 1.2kg mussels served with French fries, your choice, your style: natural, marnière, Provençale, garlic and cream or Thai style. Reservations recommended B295 P/P. shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

The Rotary Club of Patong Beach cordially invites guests and prospective members to attend its regular meetings. The cost for non-members is B500 and includes lunch. The meeting begins at 12pm at the Millennium Resort in Patong. For additional information please visit: www.rotarypatong.org

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

All you can eat Sunday Roast Buffet Beef, Pork and Lamb – Cauliflower, Broccoli, Peas, Carrots, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes – Yorkshire pudding – roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes – gravy, mushroom sauce, mint sauce. Reservations recommended. B350 P/P. shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

Jazz Night ALL YOU CAN EAT BBQ RIBS Come join us for our WEEKLY BBQ EVERY FRIDAY served ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT at Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong. Indulge in All You Can Eat BBQ Pork Ribs, Chicken and Sides for ONLY 445 BAHT! Our BBQ is famous at Two Chefs!

Come try us out and enjoy our mouthwatering pork ribs, flavor-bursting chicken and more! Join us for Live Music from 8-Late Performed by Our Famous Two Chefs Band! Come for the FOOD - Stay for the Fun. www.twochefs.com

Trash Fashion Show QSI Phuket’s annual Trash Fashion Show, were students create runway fashion from recycled materials.

All welcome. More info please contact: rob-peters@ qsi.org

SAT

Jazz Night at Mom Tri’s Wok Pagoda Kitchen, Every Saturday night from 18:00 - 20:00 with Canape & Cocktail. For more infomation & reservation please contact 076-333-568 or fb@villaroyalephuket.com THB 850 per person. Mom Tri’s Wok Pagoda, fb@villaroyalephuket.com, 076-333-568.

19 MAY

Go Live Sunday Seafood Brunch

An Italian Evening All you can eat BBQ Ribs night Healthy Vegan Buffet at DiLite Restaurant

6PM – 11PM: All you can eat BBQ Ribs served with salad buffet, potato salad & choice of sauces. Reservation recommended. 295 baht P.P. shakersphuket@ gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

Come to Thanyapura’s DiLite Restaurant to enjoy a healthy vegan buffet every Monday to Saturday. Lunch: 12pm to 3pm Dinner: 6pm to 8:30pm. Price: Lunch B350 and Dinner B550. Information and bookings call 076 336 000 or visit: thanyapura.com/hotel/dining/

Enjoy a selection of Italian antipasti, cold cuts, premium cheese, marinated olives, grill vegetables, homemade pickles, caprese skewers, bruschetta and homemade breads - all complemented by free-flow Italian beverages. B1,999 net per person for antipasti buffet and free-flow Italian beverages. Enjoy 25% OFF when you dine with four persons or more. Reservations at Dusit Thani, Laguna, Phuket: dtlpfb@dusit. com or call 076 362 999 ext.7303.

SUN

The Banyan Tree Brunch experience offers a generous selection of live fresh, local and imported seafood with exceptional lobster dishes, Japanese starters, mouth-watering meats, Asian wok and Western grill treats. Gourmet cuisine, exceptional service, live jazz and tranquil surroundings, The Banyan Tree Brunch has something for everyone! Every Sunday 12pm 3:30pm, Prices start from B2,800 net per person. For reservations email: fb-phuket@banyantree.com or call 076 372 400.

20 MAY Traditional Sunday Roast at O’Tool’s

BBQ Seafood Buffet BBQ Seafood Buffet at Sala Bua Restaurant - Only 870 THB Net Per Person, Children (4-11 Years Old) THB 435 Nett. Reservations, 41 Taweewonges Road, Patong Beach, Phuket, info.irp@impiana.com, 076340-138.

World Cup League @ BISP Term 3 Dates: May 12, May 19, May 26, June 2, June 9 and June 16, 2018. Age / Time U9: 9:30-10:30; U11: 10:3011:30; U15: 11:30-12:30 *Girls may play down one age group. Package Includes – World Cup Team Kit, Participation Medal and Seven Saturdays of Matches.

Price: B3,000 if you register and pay before April 8, B3,500 if you register any time after April 8, 2018. To register for the World Cup League please contact: infobisp@cruzeirothailand.com

Friday Lunch at The Boathouse Phuket Savor and enjoy a 3-course set menu with unlimited red and white at The Boathouse, Kata Beach, Phuket.

Best deal before your weekend starts. Only B1,000 net per person. Bookings: 076 330 015-7 or email Pinyo.T@boathouse-phuket.com

Served from 2pm. Your Choice of either Roast Beef, Chicken, Loin of Pork or Leg of Lamb Served with Roast & Boiled Potatoes, 3 Fresh Vegetables, Yorkshire Pudding & Gravy. Only 350 Baht. Includes a Free Glass of House Red or White. See: www.otools-phuket.com

BBQ Buffet on Saturday Night Come and join us along the shores of the Andaman Sea for an unforgettable experience of freshest

Sunday Roast All Day, All Night Come enjoy a Traditional Sunday Roast EVERY SUNDAY at Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong. Indulge in our Traditional Sunday Roast ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT for ONLY 445 Baht! Enjoy a Large ALL YOU CAN EAT selection of your favorites!

Featuring: Roast Aussie Beef, Pork Loin and Chicken.

Roasted or Mashed Potatoes. Roasted Mixed Vegetables Flavored with Thyme and Garlic. Yorkshire Pudding and Red Wine Gravy. Enjoy Live Music from 8-Late Performed by Our Famous Two Chefs Band!

Come for the FOOD - RESERVE Your Table Now Online at bit.ly/TwoChefsReservations Check out more details on our website at bit.ly/TwoChefsEvents Reservation, Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong. Kata Beach 076-333-370 Kata Center 076330-065 Karon 076-286-479 Patong 076-344-914.

MON

21 MAY

All you can eat BBQ night 6pm – 11pm: Beef, Pork, Chicken, Burgers, Sausages, Prawns and Squid, Salad buffet, Choice of potatoes and sauces, bread, buns and garlic bread. Reservation recommended. B395 P/P. shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

WED

EVENTS 21

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

lots of your Filipino Favorites like Lechon Pork roll, Sisig and much more. Happy hours in the bar! And of course, our awesome Filipino house band will rock the house until the late hours. Price is ONLY B495 per person, so make your reservations now at: karon@ twochefs.com or 076 286 479.

23 MAY

Reboot and Maximize Your Energy Sala Wednesday nights ribs, beats, brews.

Devour our succulent pork rib set complete with sweet corn chowder, blue cheese salad, moist cornbread and finished it off with a bread and butter pudding.

DJQ will keep the soul flowing and your toes tapping as you wash down those tender ribs with a bucket of craft brews. Full Rack set B1,600, Half Rack set B1,200, bucket of craft brews B800. Reservations, SALA Phuket Resort and Spa. Email: events@sala phuket.com or call 076 338 888.

THU

Participants will learn new fitness & lifestyle facts and how they can reprogram their body with the practitioners including Hayden Rhodes, Kim White, Andrew Stannard and Susanna Eduini. THB 29,000 net per person. Day package and single class are available starting from THB 1,000 net per session. Bookings linda.overman@marriotthotels.com or +66 76 338 000 ext. 3750 - 3752. jwmarriottphuketresort.com - JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa

FRI

Quiz Night - Rotary Club Patong

Phuket Sundowners hosted by AustCham

Don’t miss out on our newest, exciting weekly event at Two Chefs. Come and join us for our special Flambé 300g Australian grass-fed rib eye steak served with a creamy peppercorn sauce, roasted vegetable medley and potato gratin for ONLY B495. Have a sweet tooth? Treat yourself to the Two Chefs banana flambé served with vanilla ice cream for ONLY B95. Sit back and enjoy one of our drink specials as you listen to the famous Two Chefs band performing all your favorite retro hits and more! Live music starts from 8pm and goes late at all of our Two Chefs locations. Reservations are highly recommended. You can book on our website at www.TwoChefs.com or find us on Facebook at Facebook/TwoChefsThailand. Come for the food, stay for the fun! Reservations: Call us directly at Two Chefs Kata Center 076 330 065, Kata Beach 076 333 370, Karon 076 286 479 or Patong 076 344 914.

MON

28 MAY

25 MAY

24 MAY

RETRO NIGHT – BACK TO THE 70S & 80S

Open House Jumping Xgames 10am jumping, 11am-12pm pony ride for kids, 3pm Cowboy Xgames, 4-5pm pony ride for kids and 5pm horse show. Food truck. Drinks for a fun family event.

Phuket Andaman Horse Riding, Soi Bang Niow Dam 2, Sri Sunthorn, Thalang, Phuket, 082 806 1695.

AustCham Thailand, in collaboration with British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT), FrancoThai Chamber of Commerce (FTCC) and Netherlands-Thai Chamber of Commerce (NTCC), is delighted to invite members and guests both from AustCham and partner chambers to join our Phuket Sundowners to be held at the Novotel Phuket Phokeethra, Phuket Town at the Estrela Sky Lounge, while networking with old and new friends in the business community. Time: 18.00 - 21.00 (Last drink served at 20.30) Cost: B400 for AustCham members, partner Chambers’ members, and Australian Alumni Members and B800 for non-members. Includes cocktail-style food, and freeflow selected drinks.

SUN

27 MAY

SOUTH EAST ASIA’S LEADING DESTINATION MARATHON Laguna Phuket Marathon was launched in 2006 and is owned and organised by Go Adventure Asia. Now in it’s 13th year, Laguna Phuket Marathon won GOLD for “Best Amateur Sports Event of the Year in Thailand” at the 2017 Asia Sports Industry Awards (SPIA Asia 2017), the race is sanctioned by AIMS. For more information please visit www.phuketmarathon.com

TUE

12 JUN

Our monthly Pub Quiz Night at the Aussie Pub Kamala has been a blast with over 60,000 THB raised so far!

Are you going to help us top 100,000 THB by the end of the year? Join us, it’s a great way to get to know your fellow Rotarians, bring your friends. All proceeds go to the charity “Rotary Club of Patong Beach” There is a lucky draw and a small participation fee so bring a little cash as well :-)

FRI

8 JUN

Ride 4 Kids Charity Quiz Night Don’t miss out on this super cool fundraising event.

Spaces are limited. THB 250 per person up to 6 people per team.Underwood Art Factory, ByPass road at 6:30pm. Raising money for PHBGTU, The Good Shepherd and Outrigger’s Share 4 Change programme. Book your spot donna.thethaiger@gmail. com

SAT

Celtic Comedy Legends PHIL KAY & AIDAN KILLIAN Celtic Comedy Legends which is a duo’s split show described by The Australia Times as “..nothing short of genius” Irishman, Aidan Killian teams up with the hyperactive Scotsman, Phil Kay. Both of them present individual material but they compliment each other wonderfully in this truly legendary mix. Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach. Time: 8pm (door 7:30pm, LAUGHTER INVESTMENT: B500 (advance booking), B700 (on the door), B1200 (including buffet) Tickets: ticketflap.com/celticlegends-phuket18.

FRI

15 JUN

9 JUN Hospitality Golf Challenge 2018

FFF Food For Foreigners Free BBQ day Live Organic Blues Rock Colin illy Hill Band, every Thursday from 9pm till midnight @ Expat Sports Bar. No cover charge, Car parking available. Visit: facebook.com/ExpatSportsBar

@thephuketnews

From 1pm to 5pm, Bars, Restaurants, Hotels and Everyone is welcome to try our range of Manston products for yourself and see why everyone is talking about us.

FFF Food For Foreigners all for free!!! For more info visit: facebook.com/FFFFoodForForeigners.

Filipino Fiesta WANNA TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT? Come on over to our Filipino Fiesta at Two chefs Karon On Saturday the June 9. There will be a large buffet with

The Third Laguna Phuket Hospitality Challenge charity golf tournament will take place on the June 15, with an amazing day of gourmet golf at Laguna Golf Phuket Course all in aid of The Children First Fund.

Why not come and join the event with some great local hole sponsors treating all the golfers to some fun challenges and exciting Food and Beverage service. We are proud to have Live 89.5FM and Phuket News TV as our Media Partner and Sponsor. Visit www.aseanevents.com or email mark@asean-events.com Laguna Golf Phuket Course, golf@lagunaphuket.com, 076 324350.

22 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York

1. What was the original name of the City of Phoenix, Arizona?

2. Jean-Claude Juncker is a former Prime Minister of which country?

3. Name the only British Isles freshwater fish that can swim backwards?

4. Who was William Shakespeare’s wife?

5. Jenson Button won the 2009 Formula One World Championship driving for which team?

Answers below, centre

SUDOKU

Easy

Across choice 1. Put down 57. Enthusiasm 5. Weaponry 58. Animal instinct 9. Down the ___!

59. Perfume bottle 14. Bygone time 60. Forearm bones 15. Dance 61. ‘’It’s __ real!’’

16. Hello at a luau 62. Off-the-wall 17. Space agency effect 18. “See ya!”

63. Carries on 19. Specifically slowly 20. Sunday morning 64. Place to play spread 65. Big loss 23. Hotel 24. Conducted Down 25. Adjust 1. Lip-___ 29. Veggie 2. Ham’s father 31. Egyptian cobra 3. Celestial bear 34. Gridiron move 4. Show pleasure 35. Sheep discussions 5. Mysterious 36. Adamantly 6. Have the throne against 7. Aim 37. Indian entree 8. Spiny shrub 40. As a result 9. Odium 41. Best with wine 10. Not silently 42. Found a new 11. Dot on a map tenant for 12. Dapper 43. Sandwich choice 13. Biblical verb 44. Debatable 21. Bean often 45. Users of “refried” clotheslines 22. Go red 46. Galley need 25. Pursuing 47. Pack animal 26. Visibly upset 48. Mexican breakfast 27. Tint

28. Free 29. Angel 30. Rate 31. Bracelet locale 32. Guide the course 33. Beer order 35. Esprit 36. Genus of maples 38. Frankincense and myrrh, but not gold 39. Galway native 44. Relatives of Tahitians 45. Mount 46. Not perfectly round 47. Choler 48. Kind of seal 49. Mountain range 50. Purplish tuber 51. The name for a Rolling Stones Tuesday 52. Pi r-squared 53. Penultimate fairy tale word 54. Act to eradicate organized crime 55. Home to Honolulu 56. Modern bandit

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1) Pumpkinville; 2); Luxembourg; 3) The eel; 4) Anne Hathaway (m. 1582–1616); 5) Brawn GP

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

1

California mansion, lush with green lawns and vegetation, can guzzle as much water as 90 average homes in one year.

15.4

percent higher risk of death have those with high-stress jobs with little control over their work than those with low-demand jobs.

1,000

years is how long Stephen Hawking believed was the limit of survival of the human race without escaping “beyond our fragile planet”.

117 million

American adults are in a facial recognition network used by US law enforcement agencies.

6.24 billion

dollars is the annual healthcare costs and lost earnings in the US from daily exposure to hazardous, common chemicals.

Source: Uberfacts

Laem Singh from ahigh. Photo by Marcos Manqueros Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket? Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

This week in history May 18, 1980 Mount St Helens erupts in Washington State, the most disastrous volcanic eruption in US history, killing 57 people and causing US$3 billion in damage.

May 19, 1962 A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe’s rendition of “Happy Birthday”.

May 20, 1570 Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas. (Image: US Library of Congress) May 21, 1998 President Suharto of Indonesia resigns following the killing of students from Trisakti University earlier that week by security forces and growing mass protests in Jakarta against his ongoing corrupt rule.

six months of political turmoil.

May 23, 1934 Infamous American bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed by police and killed in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

May 22, 2014 General Prayut Chan-o-cha becomes interim leader of Thailand in a military coup d’état, following

May 24, 1992 The ethnic cleansing in Kozarac, Bosnia and Herzegovina begins when Serbian militia and police forces enter the town.

Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Jobs

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24 CLASSIFIEDS

Jobs

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FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

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CLASSIFIEDS 25

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Trades & Services

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

ADVERTISING SERVICES

CLEANING SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

MARINE SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

MARINE SERVICES

MARINE SERVICES

MOVING SERVICES

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26 CLASSIFIEDS

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Trades & Services

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

classifieds@thephuketnews.com

POOL SERVICES

PROPERTY SERVICES

PROPERTY SERVICES

OTHER

OTHER

ADVERTISE HERE

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CLASSIFIEDS 27

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Buy & Sell

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

JOBS NT Live-in housekeeper wanted GE R ULive-in housekeep wanted for house in Kata. Must understand English and love dogs. Excellent conditions. 31/3 Soi Plukjae Kata Phuket. Contact: Lillian Dinic: lil@ladolcevitare. com.au or call 080 690 5248.

GE UR

NT

Bar staff wanted

Blondie Bar 2 at Otop Market Patong requires Bar Staff. Thai nationals only. Good salary and room provided.

Phone Mick: 081 087 6114.

BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE N GE

TS

AL

E

FOR SALE SILVERCRAFT 31

ALMOST NEW 35 HOURS ONLY, STILL UR UNDER WARRANTY EXTRAS GRAB RAILS COVERS. AVAILABLE NOW THAI REGISTERED AND TAX PAID SEA TRIAL AT SHORT NOTICE OK, new price inc reg & extras B4,863,000 offers over B4.6 million considered. Please contact William at: wfphelps@me.com or call 00 44 11 89 841 627.

6.2m Hypalon Stingray RIB

“Ready to go” w 175hp 4str Suzuki w 130hrs, 8hp aux, dble axle trailer, Garmin 521S, 160L fuel, & full set of gear.

Top condition.Harry, 081 273 1740.

N GE

TS

AL

E

Boat For Sale

72’(22m) Thai Trawler partially-converted as Tour Boat Business. Rebuilt from top to bottom 3 years ago (spent just over 1MB) including engine as was planned to use for a tour business, owner had to return to the UK unable to return (very ill son). Some weather damage and need some repairs. Engine has only done only 6 hours, has new 12 kua generator. Currently in Hua Hin. Viewing can be arrange. Must sell within the next few months. Offers over THB 500,000. Contact Shayne on 0934 189 529 or shayne. inbox@gmail.com

UR

BUSINESSES FOR SALE MINI RESORT - Near Laguna

Luxury Villas, 4- and 3-bedroom, pool, office/Apt, 1/2 Rai, well furnished – tropical garden setting. Now on vacation rentals, a money maker. Only B13.5mn - 089 594 4067.

SURIN: LUXURIOUS BAR-RESTAURANT SALE

Totally renovated, Italian design and furniture, all-new imported kitchen and bar equipment, ready to operate. Large Bar, DJ booth, garden lounge, rooftop. Seats 50 indoors, 50 in garden and 40 rooftop. Pablo: 080 143 5541.

CARS, TRUCKS FOR SALE G UR

EN

TS

E AL

2012 Ford Ranger 2.2 Open Cab

78,000km. Six-gear manual transmission.

Looks and feels like a new car, treated like a baby by its single owner. Engine clean as. Full set of new tyres. B500,000. Call 081 427 5168.

CARS, TRUCKS FOR RENT GE

N

E TR

NT

CARS FOR RENT

We offer car rental at affordable prices.

Monthly from B10,000. Daily from B400.

Call us and find out what we offer. B10,000 monthly. Stig Johansson, 110/78 Moo 2, T Paklok, A Thalang, 83110 Phuket. Contact: stigisaan@gmail.com, 084 847 4377.

UR

@thephuketnews

FURNITURE HOUSEHOLD ITEMS FOR SALE

Very nice furniture, different office materials, flowerpots and much more for sale. For an appointment please contact EVELYN DEGEN. Located at 119/17, Ban Suan Youcharoen 5, Moo 8, T. Pa Khlok, A. Thalang, Phuket. Contact: evelyndegen@yahoo.de or call 084 851 7950.

HOME IMPROVEMENT Flat roof waterproofing

We do flat roof waterproofing with a 20year warranty by installing quality four layer slate spotted bitumen torch foil + crack repair! Andreas Ruthe, 22/5 Moo1 Kamala, Kathu. Contact: office@tcm-asia.com, 086 943 9834 or 076 385 081.

MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE For Sale

New set of Kasco G7 golf clubs RH R FLEX. Driver 10.5°, 3 Wood 15°, U4 Hybrid 19°, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, P, S irons.

Milled head putter. 11 clubs, 4 head covers, graphite shafts except putter. B25,000. Bob Mather, Kathu.

Contact: bobmather_4@hotmail.com, 095 549 2748.

POOL TABLES Rasson Victory 2 Pro Tounament

Style is forever! The Victory Tournament 9 ft. pool table is a tournament-style, highquality pool table designed with commercial and private use in mind, slate bed. B228,000.

REAL ESTATE SERVICES CHATTHA Property and Rental Management Service in Phuket

Our services: Housekeeping, Garden, Swimming Pool, Maintenance and Repair. www.chatthamanagement. com office: 076 636 244 or mobile: 090 179 6635.

Chattha Management.

PROPERTY FOR SALE Boat Lagoon

With private boat morning and jacuzzi.

Email paradise11@mac.com for pictures, plans and price.

Penthouse for Sale

432.44sqm penthouse for sale: 320 degree view of Patong Bay and city. Private pool. Top floor at Andaman Beach Condominium, Patong, Phuket, Thailand.

Condo Facilities: Two tennis courts, 10 x 24 metre swimming pool, fitness and game room, restaurant, parking.

NO BROKERS PLEASE! B60 million O.N.O. Contact Songpan: songpanpirom@hotmail.com, 081 737 8662.

OFFERED FOR SALE

OFFERED FOR SALE A profitable and intimate 20room garden resort situated on Koh Lanta, Krabi at the end of Long Beach just a 2-minute stroll to the sea. Set in lush gardens, the bungalows are tastefully finished each with their own full-length verandas. Ideally located in Phra Ae village, with many amenities in the immediate area. The resort benefits from: • A delightful swimming pool (guest use only) • Car-park • Free-WIFI throughout the resort • Room-service • A combined restaurant & bar adjacent to the pool with state of the art Western kitchen • A beautiful tropical garden • Private manager’s accommodation (screened from the resort) • staff quarters • Private electricity supply • Ample water supply & storage For further information, please Email gardenisland.pp@ gmail.com For the attention of Ms. Chorladda CHUANCHOM with the following details: 1. Full name of potential Buyer 2. Full contact details, i.e. , Mobile phone number 3. Brief explanation of experience (if any) in the service industry The Vendor is genuine & the price is opportunistic. Genuine inquiries only please.

28 CLASSIFIEDS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Buy & Sell

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

PROPERTY FOR SALE Nicklas Klodner

Two-storey villa in a gated community @ Pruksa The Plant, Kathu. Corner land plot 170 sqm, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Indoors 140 sqm. With furniture ready to move in B8,100,000, Nicklas Klodner, The Plant 144/15. Email: nicklas.klodner@gmail.com or call +66 80 519 7719.

RPM owner direct

Unique luxury condo 2 bed, 2 bath, 155sqm. Foreign FREEHOLD. Architect remodel. New Jacuzzi. Views to lake, mountain, marina, pool, etc. Completely furnished to a high standard, toothbrush only required.

Owner leaving Thailand. Priced at 16MB for quick sale. Contact Brian (Owner): 089 054 4354, 076 360 943. bggvirgo@gmail.com RoyalPhuketMarina Condos.com

Amazing 1-bedroom house in great area

Brand-new one bedroom house with full kitchen and car parking and ready to move in, right in the heart of Rawai. Perfectly priced home on the most desirable street of Rawai, so don’t miss out! B2.9M for quick sale. Contact Benni by email at: b_gholami@ hotmail.com or call 088 168 5032.

80m2 freehold condo in Patong

Freehold 80m , 2-bedroom apartment in quiet condo with swimming pool in Patong. Ideal investment in most active tourist area in Phuket. B5.9 million. Contact Michel GUILLIEN, Andaman Beach Suites, Unit 1604, Patong, Phuket. Email: mguillien@gmail.com or call 097 920 2339.

2

Building for Sale

One-unit building for sale in business area Boat Avenue near Villa Market Laguna. Three and a halfstorey, 24 square wah. Khun Mhee (owner), 49/23, Cherng Talay. Email: anmehee@hotmail.com or call 095 545 0017 or 086 346 2622.

Freehold studio at low price

Freehold 36m2 studio, opposite the Lotus Tesco hypermarket of Phuket Town, freehold condominium; perfect for long stay or for investment B1.9 million. Email: mguillien@ gmail.com or call 097 920 2339.

Unique Investment Opportunity

Unique investment opportunity Not to be missed: 5 pool villas, big land, large entertaiment areas, parking garages and private gates.

More info www.thegardenkptphuket.com www.thegardenkptphuket.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE Single house for sale

Located the way to Yamu Pa Khlok, from the main road 500m, 55 SQW, 3 bedrooms, 2 restrooms, with modern kitchen, 2 cars parking, free space 140 SQM. 3.5 Million Baht, K. Suwit: suwitlap5@gmail.com, 081 895 6969.

New Modern Villa – 5 Mins to Ao Po Grand Marina

200 sqm, land 500 sqm, 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, swimming pool, close to UWCT school. Including: pool/garden/wifi/TV.SAT/services. Google map: tiny.cc/deltaho. Contact owner (Alain): mrdupouy@yahoo.fr. 65,000/ month, Alain, 57/3 Moo 3 Soi Ban Bang Pae, T. Pa Khlok, T. Thalang, Phuket 83110. Email: mrdupouy@yahoo.fr or call 081 893 5270.

PROPERTY FOR RENT New Rawai Villa Rent & Sale

PuriAnda Villa: 2 Bed, Furnished, Kitchen, Private Pool, Sala, Land 350m2, House 165m2, 2km to Nai Harn. Short or Long Term Rent Only B60,000, Sale: 8.9m. info@purimasproperty.com, 0815384588

COMMUNITY

PROPERTY FOR RENT

5-bed pool villa, 1.2 Rai

3 detached buildings, L-shaped open plan living, Western kitchen, guest suite, pool 11mx5m, quiet residential area. 1.2 rai plot. THB19,750,000. Contact Mrs Simpson by email: thaivillaonline@gmail.com or call 084 447 7248. More info at: thaivillaonline.com

Chalong Office, Workshop/Store

300sqm office on 2 floors with all services incl.3 phone lines + 300sqm undercover workshop/store with 4m ht & 3 phase. Chanote 0.5rai.

B12,000,000, Simon Jupe, 29/4 Soi Nayai, Chalong, Phuket 83130. Email: simonj@cscoms.com or call +66 (0)87 883 2542

Property 5 Mins to Ao Po Grand Marina

Very big house 750sqm, Land 4,000sqm, available 15 June, 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, swimming pool, jacuzzi, close to UWCT school, including pool, garden, service, wifi-tv/sat.

Google map: tiny.cc/deltaho, Contact owner (Alain): mrdupouy@yahoo.fr. Long term 145,000/Month, Email Alain: mrdupouy@yahoo.fr or call 081 893 5270.

PROPERTY FOR RENT 3-Bedroom Western Villa

Near Laguna, has all, full kitchen, quality furniture.

Live in tropical garden, good security, secluded.

6/M lease: B20,000/M. Call 089 594 4067.

For Rent Kata Beach

Nice one-bedroom apartment, modern furnished, 68sqm first floor close to indoor pool-sauna-elevator. B25,000 per month. Exclusive electric, minimum rental period 6 months. Tel: English 064 532 3637, Thai 094 803 5944. Email English: villaonroof@ gmail.com or Thai: maliwan_kaewmeesri@yahoo.com thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

SPORT 29

Rugby 10s back for 20th edition RUGBY

The Phuket News editor3@thephuketnews.com

T

he 20th anniversary Aussie Bar Phuket International Rugby 10s will kick off next Friday (May 25) at Thanyapura Sports Club with teams from Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, the Middle East and of course home town favourite the Phuket Viagrabonds hoping to take home the cup in the Athena Siam Coffin Dodgers Vets tournament for the over 35s.

As many of the regular teams have aged, the organisers have introduced the One Foot in the Grave tournament for the over 45s so they can continue playing in the tournament and enjoying the rugby with their silky skills and never-say-die attitudes.

Saturday May 26 will see the start of the main tournament with 16 teams battling it out in the men’s division for the Maria Memorial Trophy and four ladies teams bringing some hard hitting action and a touch of glamour to the event.

Reigning champions The Phuket Vagabonds are hoping to go back-to-back and again take the honours come the finals next Sunday (May 27).

There will be some tough opposition again this year with last year’s runners-up the Asian Japanese Dragons aiming to go a step further.

Serious challenges will also come from the

Date

Time 4:30pm

Sat May 19

3pm

Sun May 20

Wed May 23

Headhunter Sport Barbarians, Gold Coast Barbarians and Jakarta Komodo Dragons. The Bedok Kings, Old Man Mix, Beaver Nomads, Naughty Nuris Vagabonds, Prince of Songkla Rugby, Pattaya Panthers, Melanins RFC and the Singapore Wanderers will all have a say in the outcome come Sundays finals.

There will be some social events with the Aussie Bar on Bangla Rd the venue for the vets meet and great on Thursday (May 24) from 7:30pm, at Naughty Nuris in the Forest on Friday for the open tournament get together from 7:30pm and the Tour Virgin Beauty Pageant at Tai Pan from 8pm on Saturday.

Big thanks to Aussie Bar Phuket, Athena Siam Ltd, The Phuket News, Thanyapura, Naughty Nuris in the Forest Phuket, Tsunami Sports, PMA T-Shirts, Papa Rock & Asia Center Foundation Entry is free for spectators so come on down and support your teams and enjoying some quality international rugby 10s.

Activity Thalang Tigers – Kids’ cricket coaching Soft Ball – All Welcome!

C & C Marine 8 by 20 cricket league Goa Panthers v Kashmiri CC

2pm

Easy Living v Patong Blue Thalang Tigers - Kids’ cricket coaching

Don’t miss the C&C Marine ‘8 by 20’ Cricket League at the ACG every Sunday.

Photo: Michael Way

@thephuketnews

Brazil

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Argentina

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England

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The Phuket Vagabonds are hoping to again take the honours come the finals.

10am 4:30pm

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FIXTURES

Under 15

What’s on at the ACG Fri May 18

Under 9

Brazil

4-1

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7-7

England

May 19

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Brazil

1

1

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7

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0

1

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1

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PLAYERS OF THE MATCH

U9: Liam Massey - England Arkady Igolkin - Brazil

U11: Sean Corley- England Malaika Mann - Brazil

U15: Dante Caffaro - Brazil Siam Yapp - England

30 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Mercedes back on top Hamilton, Bottas claim first one-two finish of 2018 F1 season BOX OF NEUTRALS Michael Lamonato michael@boxofneutrals.com

L

ewis Hamilton didn’t just win the Spanish Grand Prix; he dominated it.

In what was an unexpectedly emphatic return to racewinning form, Hamilton’s Mercedes team was unassailable all weekend, locking out the front row of the grid after qualifying and finishing in a one-two formation in the race, on both counts for the first time this season.

Hamilton was at his indomitable best from the off.

After four rounds of struggle and strategic error, the Briton wasn’t prepared to leave this race to chance. Once the lights went out he sprinted off into the distance so fast that no other driver was ever in contention to rob him of victory.

There was simply no stopping the reigning world champion in Barcelona, and by the time he took the chequered flag

Mercedes’ driver Lewis Hamilton takes part in the first practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo in the outskirts of Barcelona ahead of the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix last Sunday (May 11). Photo: Lluis Gene / AFP even his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, had fallen more than 20 seconds behind.

“Today, the car and myself, I felt that synergy today, which I hadn’t been feeling for the whole year,” he said after the race “I couldn’t have done it without this incredible team.”

Almost forgotten in the ticker tape of silver was Ferrari, hitherto the constructors championship leader but utterly anonymous for much of

the weekend.

Sebastian Vettel had valiantly qualified third for the race alongside teammate Kimi Raikkonen, but by the end of the grand prix the German had fallen to fourth behind Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and the Finn had retired with an engine problem.

Compounding the lackluster weekend was a new-found 27-point deficit to Mercedes in the constructors standings,

with Vettel falling to 17 points behind Hamilton on the drivers championship table.

Noteworthy was the sheer weight of Ferrari’s defeat at the hand of Mercedes, with its loss in Spain a major reversal of fortunes after it excelled in the opening leg of the season.

It will cause major consternation for the Scuderia, which has fielded the fastest car at the previous three grands prix, held on a variety of circuits

with differing demands.

“In many ways this is a weekend in which nothing went right,” Ferrari principal Maurizio Arrivabene said after the race. “Now calmly and with accuracy we need to analyse the reasons – and they are various – which prevented us from exploiting the potential we demonstrated in the previous races.”

Reliability issues aside, high on the list will be an inquiry into the SF71H’s use of the tyres, which were controversially tweaked by Pirelli ahead of the race to prevent them from overheating on the newly resurfaced circuit.

The control tyre manufacturer made the decision to reduce tread thickness by around 10% after preseason testing, which took place at the same circuit, and after Mercedes reportedly asked it to do something about the levels of blistering it was experiencing.

Pirelli, however, insists it made the change after its own internal decision-making process and after several other

teams experienced similar blistering during winter testing.

That the thinner tread will only make two more appearances this season – at the French and British grands prix in June and July – will be cause for optimism at Ferrari, but the tyre tweaks are unlikely to account for all the form swing, with Barcelona featuring sweeping performance updates to both Ferrari and Mercedes cars.

“Bottom line is we’re not quick enough to win,” Vettel conceded. “That’s what we have to address, not [whether] we have a disadvantage here.

“In the end we weren’t quick enough and our tyres didn’t last as long as others.”

The ball is in Ferrari’s court to hit back against Mercedes’s resurgence at the Monaco Grand Prix (May 27), but don’t expect the grumblings in Barcelona to be the last we’ll hear about tyres this season.

Don’t forget to listen to Live89.5 each and every Saturday at 9am and 5pm for the Box of Neutrals radio show.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

SPORT 31

PREMIER PREDICTIONS: ENTER NOW AT THEPHUKETNEWS.COM MAIN SPONSOR

MONTHLY SPONSOR

The overall competition winner will receive a 3 day/2 night stay in a Sri Panwa one bedroom luxury private pool villa including daily breakfast plus a 120 minute spa treatment for two persons. Total prize value: B123,000 The monthly competition winner for May 2018 will receive a B3,000 voucher to spend at Angus O'Tool's, Karon Beach.

EPL PREDICTIONS MONTHLY STANDINGS

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FOOTBALL AFP

J

ose Mourinho and Antonio Conte renew hostilities with the stakes heightened when Manchester United and Chelsea face off in tomorrow’s (May 19) FA Cup final needing silverware to mask this season’s flaws.

Conte’s need is the greater.

Having missed out on Champions League football for next season, many expect the Wembley showpiece to be the Italian’s final match in charge at Stamford Bridge, regardless of the outcome.

If it is, nothing will give Conte more joy than bowing out by winning a cup competition for the first time as a coach by beating the man with whom he has clashed most regularly and bitterly since arriving in England.

Conte labelled Mourinho a “little man” and “fake” at the peak of their spat in December.

Days earlier, Mourinho had appeared to allude to a

@thephuketnews

suspension given to Conte for allegedly failing to report match-fixing when coaching at Siena. Conte later won an appeal, clearing him of any wrongdoing in the case.

The root of their feud comes from Conte’s success in his first campaign at Chelsea, just a season after Mourinho’s second spell at Stamford Bridge ended in the Portuguese being sacked having won just four of Chelsea’s first 16 league games, in December 2015.

On his first return as a visiting manager, Mourinho protested at what he perceived as Conte’s “humiliating” celebrations in a 4-0 victory for the Blues over United.

Conte then warned his players at the start of this season not to let their standards slip to the levels of “the last season with Mourinho”.

In hindsight, the Italian was right to warn against complacency as Chelsea have fallen well short of the form they showed in storming to the title last season.

A fifth-placed finish in

the Premier League was confirmed when they capitulated 3-0 to Newcastle on the final day of the season last Sunday (May 13).

“To finish fifth is a big disappointment. How damaging is it not to be in the Champions League? You’ll have to ask the club about that,” Conte said, only intensifying speculation about his future.

“If we play like this in the FA Cup final, we don’t have a chance. We have six days to change our approach, our desire, our will to fight because we can do much better.”

Mourinho has at least ensured Champions League qualification for next season via a second-place finish in the Premier League.

However, a record 19-point gap to champions Manchester City and a deeply disappointing Champions League last16 exit to Sevilla means the Portuguese is also left hanging on until the final game of the season to deliver a trophy that would silence some of the critics of United’s often turgid

performances, lacking in the invention and flair displayed by rivals City and Champions League finalists Liverpool.

“Because I almost do that all the time (win a trophy), when I don’t do it, you (the media) kill me,” said Mourinho on the prospect of going without a trophy in his second season at Old Trafford. “Which is what you are all ready to do.”

To do so, Mourinho must shake United out of their own end-of-season slumber – the Red Devils have scored just once in their past three games.

Whether Mourinho can close the gap on City next season will depend on his ability to finally get the best out of his attacking talent, particularly marquee signings Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez.

Starting that process with a trophy tomorrow would be a strong statement of intent from United, and give Mourinho the extra satisfaction of showing Conte how short-lived life as Chelsea manager under ruthless Russian owner Roman Abramovich can be.

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English Premier League 2017 - 2018

Jose Mourinho (left) and Antonio Conte gesture on the touchline during Manchester United’s game against Chelsea at Old Trafford in February. Photo: Oli Scarff / AFP

Mourinho-Conte feud goes to FA Cup Final

OVERALL STANDINGS

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Pts

Manchester City Manchester United Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool Chelsea Arsenal Burnley Everton Leicester City Newcastle United Crystal Palace Bournemouth West Ham United Watford Brighton Huddersfield Town Southampton Swansea City Stoke City West Brom

38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38

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4 6 8 12 7 6 12 10 11 8 11 11 12 8 13 10 15 9 12 13

2 7 7 5 10 13 12 15 15 18 16 16 16 19 16 19 16 21 19 19

106 68 74 84 62 74 36 44 56 39 45 45 48 44 34 28 37 28 35 31

27 28 36 38 38 51 39 58 60 47 55 61 68 64 54 58 56 56 68 56

+79 +40 +38 +46 +24 +23 -3 -14 -4 -8 -10 -16 -20 -20 -20 -30 -19 -28 -33 -25

100 81 77 75 70 63 54 49 47 44 44 44 42 41 40 37 36 33 33 31

Live Sports TV Schedule *Times may be subject to change

SPORT

START STOP

EVENT

TEAMS / INFO

Friday 18 May th

Rugby Union 13:30

15:30

Super XV

Hurricanes v. Reds

Aussie Rules 16:30

19:30

AFL

Adelaide v. Western Bulldogs

14:00

Super XV

Sunwolves v. Stormers

14:30

16:30

Super XV

Blues v. Crusaders

16:40

18:40

Super XV

Waratahs v. Highlanders

20:00

22:00

Super XV

Sharks v. Chiefs

22:10

00:00

Super XV

Lions v. Brumbies

Saturday 19th May Rugby Union 12:10

21:00

23:30

Guinness Pro 14

Leinster v. Munster

Aussie Rules 12:00

Rugby Union

15:00

AFL

Gold Coast Suns v. Port Adelaide

17:00

20:00

AFL

Fremantle v. St Kilda

Soccer

23:15

01:30

FA Cup Final

Chelsea v. Man United

Soccer

20:00

23:30

Scottish Cup Final

Celtic v. Motherwell

Motor Bikes

17:00

21:30

MotoGP

Qualifying, France

Aussie Rules 13:30

16:30

AFL

West Coast Eagles v. Richmond

Motor Bikes

20:30

MotoGP

Main Races, France

Sunday 20 May th

15:30

Sport

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor3@classactmedia.co.th

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

Conte, Mourinho take their feud to FA Cup Final > p31

CRUISING TO VICTORY Varanyu, 21, claims first professional win at Singha Laguna Phuket Open

Varanyu traded two birdies against as many bogeys last Sunday (May 13) to secure his wire-to-wire Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory. Photos: Supplied

GOLF The Phuket News editor3@classactmedia.co.th

T

hailand’s Varany u Rattanaphiboon kij savoured his first professional victory in front of his family after closing with an even-par 70 to win by six shots in the final round of the Singha Laguna Phuket Open last Sunday (May 13).

The 21-year-old Thai displayed great form all week as he traded two birdies against as many bogeys last Sunday to secure his wire-to-wire Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory on an 18-under-par 262 total at Laguna Golf Phuket.

Compatriot Pawin Ingkhapradit returned with an impressive 66, but he was unable to overhaul Varanyu’s lead. He took second-place on his own at the B2 million event co-sanctioned by the ADT and the All Thailand Golf Tour.

South African Mathiam

Keyser signed for a 69 to take third place, marking his best finish on the ADT this season.

Nitithorn Thippong of Thailand, who started the final round in second, struggled with nerves and dropped two places after carding a 71 while Sweden’s Oscar Zetterwall (67) and Thailand’s Worrasorn Suwanpanang (68) shared fifth place on 272 at the Tour’s eighth leg of the season.

Playing in the final group for the first time in his professional career, Varanyu was surprised by his father and sister who flew down from his hometown of Phetchaburi, Thailand, to watch him play.

“It feels like a dream! I have worked so hard all year and to finally get a win and in Thailand is amazing. My mother has been following me all four days and I didn’t know my father was going to come.

It makes me so happy that they got to see my first win,” said the victorious Varanyu who also had his brother on his bag

for the event.

Varanyu dropped a shot on the first hole but would soon recover with a birdie on hole three. He maintained a steady momentum with nine pars, before dropping another shot on hole 13 due to an errant drive. He would finish out his last five holes with a birdie on 14 when he made an up-anddown from 15 yards followed by four more pars.

“After I made the bogey on hole one, my brother just told me to stay calm and not speed up my tempo. I was nervous but having my whole family there to support me helped.

He would distract me from the scores and I just stuck to the game plan of playing like I did the past three days,” added Varanyu.

Sticking to his tee-tofairway-to-green game plan, second placed Pawin fired four birdies in a bogey-free round to match his low round one score.

“The highlight of today’s

round would have to be hole 16 when I missed the green to the left and chipped-in for a birdie from 15-yards. I hit everything well today and my tempo was good. I am pretty happy with my second-place finish especially since I played all four rounds under par this week. I felt like I was really focused on my game plan and not thinking about other people today,” said the 26-year-old.

After this win, Varanyu took up membership on the ADT and is currently 10th on the merit rankings. He took home a winner’s prize purse of US$9,450 (B303,269) and six Official World Golf Ranking points while the top-six players and ties earned points on a sliding scale.

The leading five players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2019 season.

The Phuket News was proud media sponsor of this event.

Varanyu is doused in water by family and players following his victory.

LEADING ROUND FOUR SCORES 262 - Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij (THA) 62 61 69 70 268 - Pawin Ingkhapradit (THA) 66 69 67 66 270 - Mathiam Keyser (RSA) 66 67 68 69 271 - Nitithorn Thippong (THA) 64 66 70 71 272 - Oscar Zetterwall (SWE) 64 67 74 67, Worrasorn Suwanpanang (THA) 68 67 69 68 273 - Tawan Pjongphun (THA) 68 69 70 66, John Michael O’Toole (USA) 65 71 69 68 274 - Itthipat Buranatanyarat (THA) 73 68 68 65 thephuketnews