20-01-2017

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

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Friday, January 20, 2017 – Thursday, January 26, 2017

Since 2011 / Volume VII / No. 3

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VISA-RUN VANS EXEMPT FROM SAFETY BLITZ > PAGE 6

BANNED

ON SAND APPEAL TO ALLOW SUN LOUNGERS TORPEDOED

NEWS

PAGE 3

World lifeguard chief urges PM

LIFE

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Swedish duo work medical mircales

Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup’s call to repeal the sun lounger ban has been sunk by provincial authorities. Photo: The Phuket News / file

Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

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he appeal by Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup to allow sun loungers in a restricted area on Patong Beach was torpedoed by provincial authorities this week with a resounding, “No”.

“They are banned. Sun loungers are not allowed on any beach in Phuket,” a resolute Phuket Vice Governor Snith Sriwihok told The

Phuket News on Tuesday (Jan 17).

Mayor Chalermluck called for provincial authorities to provide a ‘10 per cent zone’ dedicated to allowing sun loungers with umbrellas back on Phuket’s most popular tourist beach after the Royal Thai Navy on Dec 23 ordered vendors on Patong Beach to remove “sand loungers” – sun beds sculpted from the beach sand itself – as the Navy had deemed the creative sun beds to be in breach of the Phuket’s famed “beach-management rules”.

“If the authorities will not allow sun or sand loungers, then they should at least clearly write the beach rules denoting what is – and what isn’t allowed – in the 10% zones at all Phuket beaches,” Mayor Chalermluck told a meeting at Provincial Hall last Thursday (Jan 12).

“The vendors created these ‘sand loungers’ for the tourists. If the tourists did not ask for them, the operators would not have made them,” she said.

“I request that the provincial au-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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thorities give 10% (of the beach area) to allow operators to provide beach chairs and umbrellas,” she added.

“If this is not allowed, then I request that operators be allowed to do so inside the 10% zones, and the Provincial Office needs to make the rules clear exactly what is and what is not allowed inside the 10% zones so that whatever is done inside the zones, is done so in an orderly fashion,” she said.

Yet V/Gov Snith and the Navy...

SPORT

PAGE 40

Yachties surge on at Langkawi

News 2

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DNA tests to stem elephant trafficking OFFICIALS FROM THE National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (DNP) on Wednesday (Jan 18) took DNA samples from 67 elephants, including those that perform at the popular Phuket FantaSea tourist attraction in Kamala, as part of a drive to crackdown on elephants trafficked onto the island.

There are currently 222 elephants registered at 23 camps in Phuket, said Supot Praedpring, Director of the DNP regional office in Nakhon Sri Thammarat.

“Today we checked four elephant camps with 32 elephants all used by Phuket FantaSea as well as 20 elephants at Pang Chang Hai elephant camp, 13 elephants at Kalim elephant camp, and two elephants at Tritrang elephant camp,” Mr Supot said.

The DNA tests, along with inspections of registration certificates and microchip implants

Immigration chief declares Phuket Airport queues resolved > page 5

A shot in the arm Vaccine for dengue arrives on the island Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

Any elephants not correctly registered by Jan 26 will be seized and the owner will face legal action. are part of a five-day campaign that began on Wednesday to confirm the identity of all registered elephants on the island, he explained.

Elephant owners have until next Thursday (Jan 26) to register their pachyderms with the DNP. “The deadline is Jan 26.

After this day, any elephants not correctly registered with the DNP will be seized and the owner will face legal action,” Mr Supot warned.

Eakkapop Thongtub

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

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he long-awaited dengue vaccine Dengvaxia, developed by Sanofi Pasteur over 20 years at a cost of US$1.6 billion (B56.4bn), arrived in Phuket last week, but doctors at public hospitals are hoping the Health Ministry will make the vaccine freely – or at least cheaply – available to the public.

The Phuket launch of Dengvaxia was held at Phuket International Hospital last Wednesday (Jan 11), where the vaccine – administered by three injections six months apart – is available for B9,990.

Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Jirapan Taepan welcomed the arrival of the vaccine, whether through a private hospital or not.

“Whether to make this

Dengue vaccine Dengvaxia became available to the public at the Phuket International Hospital launch last week. vaccine available at public hospitals is still being considered by the Health Ministry.

I have no idea at what stage this issue is at now,” he said.

Already in the first three weeks of this year, eight confirmed cases of 69 suspected infections had been diagnosed at hospitals in Phuket.

One 10-year-old in Phuket Town has died from the disease, Dr Weerasak Lawtongkum of Vachira Phuket Hospital told a PPHO Disease Control conference on Chikungunya, Zika and dengue at the Pearl Hotel in Phuket Town on Tuesday (Jan 17).

Dr Weerasak declined to

name the young victim.

Last year Phuket suffered 486 confirmed cases of dengue treated at Phuket hospitals: 225 in Muang District; 115 in Kathu and 146 in Thalang, he added.

“The dengue vaccine is a good option for decreasing the risk of infection,” Dr Weerasak told The Phuket News.

However, he noted, “This vaccine does not cover all forms of dengue. A good vaccine must be able to offer up to 90% protection from infection, but this one at this stage of development covers only 65% – so there is a gap.

Regardless, Dr Weerasak added, “Although this vaccine is not freely available yet, Vachira Phuket Hospital would welcome the opportunity to provide such a vaccine to the people, even if they have to pay for it.”

Patong sun lounger appeal sunk Continued from page 1 ...presence in Phuket are holding fast to the rules of the “10% zones”, which are the last bastions where vendors may work on beaches in Phuket.

The 10% zones were introduced by Phuket’s previous Governor, Chamroen Tipayapongtada, and apply only in Phuket. The 10% rule does not apply anywhere else in Thailand, not even in Khao Lak, just one hour’s drive north of Phuket, or

Sun loungers on the beach in their heyday, in 2014. even on Phi Phi Island or elsewhere across the bay in Krabi.

Fol low i ng t he sa nd lounger debacle just before Christmas, the Navy issued an order for all beaches in

Phuket to be brought into line and observe the beachmanagement rules by last Sunday (Jan 15).

Any transgressions would invoke a response, the Navy warned.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

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Czech Interpol World lifeguard chief HIV fugitive arrested appeals to PM Prayut The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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he President of the International Surf Lifesaving Association (ISLA) has appealed directly to Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha to take urgent action to support Phuket’s lifeguards in order to stem the growing tide of drownings at the island’s beaches.

Citing hundreds of drownings in Phuket in recent years and little improvement over the past 10 years, ISLA President Henry Reyes in a formal letter to PM Prayut dated Jan 10 called the ongoing deaths at the beaches an “epidemic”.

Mr Reyes also pointed out that many of the victims were tourists from Australia, China, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, United Kingdom, the United States and other countries.

“Since 2010, hundreds of international visitors and Thai citizens have drowned in the ocean waters surrounding Phuket. According to the Thai Ministry of Public Health, drowning is the leading cause

Phuket lifeguards attempt to revive a Chinese tourist on the beach after rescuing him from strong surf. Photo: The Phuket News / file

of death of Thai children under 16 years old… It is also a leading cause of death among tourists in Phuket,” he added.

Mr Reyes called on PM Prayut to intervene in the impending budget cuts by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO) to reduce lifeguard funding by 10%, citing The Phuket News page one story last month “Slashed budget puts Phuket lifeguard patrols in danger”.

“The International Surf Lifesaving Association (ISLA)

is aware of PPAO Acting Chief Watcharin Patomwatthanapong’s plan to reduce funding for ocean lifesaving by 10% for each of the next three years…

“ISLA respectfully requests that you take urgent action to improve Phuket’s lifeguard service, and prevent lapses in lifesaving coverage, by implementing an improvement plan supported by the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand,” he urged.

“The ISLA is aware that

Floods affecting supplies to shops REPRESENTATIVES FRom the island’s mini-marts and also some local retailers have confirmed that floods across Southern Thailand are now having some impact of the supply of some goods to the island.

Shelves in some Family Mart outlets are now becoming bare and some shops have stated they are having to wait up to three days for supplies to arrive.

Tim Soongsom, Manager of one of the Family Mart stores on Soi Ta-iad, Chalong, told The Phuket News, “The

@thephuketnews

Shelves are starting to run empty in Phuket mini-marts as supplies of fresh produce and short shelf-life items. floods have started to have some affect on deliveries to our store.

“We are now having to wait three to four days for deliveries and this is now

leaving some shelves empty.

“The main items that we are now running short of is fresh produce and items with a short shelf-life, such as milk,” she said.

“Our main depot is located in Pathum Thani province (outside Bangkok), but items are relayed from there to a depot in Surat Thani and are then distributed throughout the southern provinces.

“It appears that the delays are with the deliveries between Pathum Thani and Surat Thani,” she added.

The Phuket News

the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO) has, for the last 14 years, provided money for lifesaving services at many of Phuket’s beaches. However, our initial review indicates the services delivered do NOT meet international standards.

“In addition, the private tender model for providing this essential public safety service has resulted in numerous gaps of lifeguard coverage over the last seven years,” he added.

AMID A NATIONWIDE manhunt, Czech fugitive Zdenek Pfeifer, 49, was arrested in Phuket’s popular west coast beachfront neighbourhood of Bang Tao on Tuesday night (Jan 17).

Pfeifer was wanted under a red notice by Interpol. He was wanted in the Czech Republic for sexual offences with minors, including intentionally passing his HIV infection.

A nationwide manhunt for Pfeifer was launched on Tuesday after deputy national police chief Pol Gen Wuthi Liptapallop issued an order for all police to be on the lookout for him. Police in Thailand believe Pfeifer may have infected up to 10 people in the Kingdom.

The alarm was raised in Phuket when Pfeifer was spotted at the Tesco Thalang shopping mall on Tuesday evening and a police officer on duty there was notified.

The officer responded and questioned Pfeifer, who denied he was the man police were looking for.

“The officer took Pfeifer’s motorbike key while he called for backup to make sure this was the man we were look-

Czech fugitive Zdenek Pfeifer (seated, front right) was taken into custody in Phuket on Tuesday night (Jan 17). ing for, but he (Pfeifer) had a spare motorbike key on him and took off,” Thalang Police Chief Col Sompong Thiparpaku told The Phuket News.

Che r ng Talay Pol ice tracked down Pfeifer to his rented room at Sila Apartment in Soi Bang Tao 3, where his motorbike was parked outside.

Pfeifer was taken into custody, then taken to the Phuket Immigration Office detention centre in Phuket Town, where he remained overnight.

Pfeifer was be flown to Bangkok to be handed over to authorities there later Wednesday.

Eakkapop Thongtub Additional reporting by Tanyaluk Sakoot

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The dolphin was rescued off the shore of Bon Island.

Unable to save dolphin OFFICIALS WERE UNAble to save a striped dolphin that was rescued from the shore of Bon Island, off Rawai, last Tuesday (Jan 10).

The dolphin, a mature male striped dolphin aged 7-12 years old and weighing 30-40 kilograms, was exhausted.

“He did not respond to us and could not swim. We found several wounds on his body, but the worst were on his tail,” one coastal resources official said.

“It appeared that the dolphin was already suffering from an infection,” he added.

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UK couple say drugged, raped, robbed in Patong Yutthawat Lekmak reporter1@classactmedia.co.th

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atong Police confirmed to The Phuket News this week they were investigating reports that a British couple were raped and robbed while on New Year’s holiday in Phuket.

The news broke last Saturday (Jan 14), when the BelfastLive reported that Gerald Drumgoole and his husband Michael Burnett were attacked on a night out in Phuket after their drinks were spiked.

T he couple, both 33, ret u r ned to Belfast last Wednesday (Jan 11) before undergoing medical tests with their own doctor, who confirmed they had been raped, said the report.

Patong Police Chief Col Chaiwat Uikam assured that his officers were investigating the British couple’s claims.

The couple, both 33, also had their iPhones and more than £400 in cash stolen during the attack, said the report.

On Monday (Jan 16), Patong Police Chief Col Chaiwat Uikam said he had not received from his officers any official

reports of the men’s rape or robbery. “But of course I have heard the news. After the news came out, every police station in Phuket started checking,” he said.

“Rest assured, I am looking into it,” he added.

The pair said they had tried to report the incident to police, but told BelfastLive, “The police in Phuket just laughed when we reported our attack. It seems that kind of thing happens regularly.”

However, Col Chaiwat said that his officers had so far confirmed that the two men were staying at the Blue Sky Resort Patong.

“They checked out of the hotel on Jan 7,” he said.

“However, the staff at hotel said they were not informed by anyone that any of their guests had reported being raped and robbed, or even assaulted,” he added.

“We are still investigating this and we will continue to do so until we find out the truth,” he assured.

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A witness points to the scene of the shooting.

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Woman hit by a stray bullet as teen meth deal heads south POLICE ARE HUNTING for two teenagers who accidentally shot a woman while trying to persuade a Burmese man to buy drugs from them.

Capt Kraisorn Boonprasop of Thalang Police was informed at 10:45am last Saturday (Jan 14) that a Burmese woman with a gunshot wound was taken to hospital from a workers camp at Baan Na Nuea, in Thepkrasattri sub-district.

At the scene, Capt Kraisorn and Lt Winit Chearplam questioned Mongkon Wongpradit, the person overlooking the camp, and a Burmese worker named Chan who was a direct participant of the incident.

Mr Chan told officers that two teenagers approached him and tried to talk into buying two methamphetamine pills from them. When he rejected the offer, one of the young men took out a pen gun and tried to shoot Mr Chan, but missed.

The stray bullet hit Ms Waisin, a Burmese woman who was also present at the scene. Then both teenagers fled.

Ms Waisin was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound of the right side of her waste.

The wound turned out to be not severe and having received medical treatment the woman came back to the camp.

Police are now hunting for the attackers.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Immigration chief says Airport queues solved

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Police made no mention of the speed the taxi was doing at the time of impact, about 1:50am Monday (Jan 16).

Speed not queried in deadly collision “This has resulted in longer queues of passengers waiting to clear immigration. Immigration officers are doing their job as quickly and effectively as possible right now, but security remains their top priority.

“You must understand that immigration officers must check clearly every passenger’s details, and it takes two to three minutes to clear 10 persons,” he added.

Gen Nathathorn confirmed that there are now enough computer terminals for im-

migration officers to serve the influx of tourists arriving and departing Phuket, which has been a key factor even recognised by Immigration officers at the airport.

He also pointed out that markers had been placed along the queue channels to indicate to travellers how much longer they should expect to wait, from 10 minutes to 20 minutes to 30 minutes.

On Dec 2, Gen Nathathorn visited Phuket to warn immigration officers to brace for the

Phuket tourists enjoy a day at Surin Beach while the pool of wastewater festers in the foreground.

Wastewater returns to Surin

BLACK WASTEWATER returned to Surin Beach last Sunday (Jan 15), angering local residents and receiving no response from local officials – while tourists enjoyed the beach and played in the beach water nearby.

The dark pool, flowing from a public drain that empties onto the beach, extended some 30 metres long and carried the stench of wasterwater into the air.

“This has been happening for years and the problem just gets keeps getting worse,” said one of many local residents on the beach.

“We’re fed up with it, and we’re considering fixing the problem ourselves,” the @thephuketnews

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Immigration Bureau Chief Lt Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn declared the long queues at Phuket Airport to clear immigration were over.

Yutthawat Lekmak reporter1@classactmedia.co.th

he chief of the Immigration Bureau of Thailand, Pol Lt Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn, on Tuesday (Jan 17) declared there will be no more long queues to clear immigration at Phuket International Airport.

However, he called for patience and understanding as immigration officers had to check each travellers details very carefully for security reasons.

Gen Nathathorn landed at Phuket Airport on Tuesdaymorning to be welcomed by Immigration Division 6 Chief Maj Gen Jessada Yaisuin and Deputy Chief Col Nattapakin Kwanchaiyapruk and Phuket Immigration Chief Col Kantawat Pongsathabodi.

“As you know, Immigration officers have been slow in checking passports of foreigners. This is because they are solving the problem of people using fake passports or using other people’s passports as they have similar facial features,” Gen Nathathorn said.

PHUKET NEWS

woman, who asked not to be named, told The Phuket News.

In late November, MaAnn Samran, Chief of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor), vowed to “fix the problem” by ordering a backhoe to clear the rank pool.

However, calls to Mr MaAnn on Monday went unanswered.

Cherng Talay OrBorTor Deputy Chief Siri Yokthong declined to comment by truncating the call.

Cherng Talay OrBorTor Chief Administrative Office (Palad) Krichanut Suphantakij, who as recently as Dec 30 was willing to explain extensively about the ongoing project

to upgrade the wastewatertreatment facilities for Bang Tao and Surin beaches after a contractor’s backhoe was seized, on Monday dismissed any role in the project.

“The problem of wastewater management in Surin is not my responsibility. It is the (responsibility of the) Division of Public Works,” he said.

However, Worawat Soonthonsanor, chief of the Cherng Talay OrBorTor Public Works Division, said he was not empowered to comment.

“Please talk with Deputy Chief Siri Yokthong. By order, I am not authorised to speak to the media,” he said.

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busy peak tourism period, but no mention of more computer terminals or extra officers to make their work easier.

By Dec 11, waits of 2.5 hours were consistent for tourists to clear immigration.

At that time Capt Watchawuth Kitiatsawong of Phuket Airport Immigration reported that enough officers had been moved to Phuket Airport to cope with the heavy peak periods, but that the key problem was that there were not enough computer terminals available.

A 43-Y EA R-OLD T H A I man died early Monday morning (Jan 16) after the motorbike he was riding was struck by a taxi in Cherng Talay.

Lt Col Rassada Kluengwong of the Cherng Talay Police station was notified of the accident at 1:50am, which occurred near the 7-Eleven about 30 metres from the entrance to Cherng Talay Police Station.

“When we arrived at the scene, we saw one man dead, face down on the road,” Lt Col Rassada said.

The body was that of Sarayut Duangjang, he confirmed, adding that no helmet was found at the scene.

“About 15 meters away was a Toyota Camry taxi. The driver, Jarun Kritsan, said he was heading toward Surin Beach when a motorbike cut across in front of his car and that he could not avoid the collision,” Lt Col Rassada said.

Despite the obvious heavy damage to the front of the taxi, Lt Col Rassada said made no mention of the speed the taxi may have been travelling at, at the time time of the collision.

However, Lt Col Rassada added, “We are continuing our investigation. We have yet to question more witnesses and check any CCTV footage available.”

Eakkapop Thongtub

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Passenger vans run free

Transport Office exonerates Phuket visa-run service in fatal crash Premkamon Ketsara editor@classactmedia.co.th

A

legal loophole in vehicle registration allows visa-run companies in Phuket to freely continue their business unimpeded and excludes them from the ongoing transport-safety crackdown ordered by Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the chief of the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) has revealed.

Key to the concerns is that PLTO Chief Sommai Sudkaow claims that his office is powerless to take action against visa-run companies for offering passenger transport to visa-run destinations as he claims his office has no evidence that foreigners using the service individually pay “fares” to be transported.

The news comes as the Phang Nga Land Transport Office reports they are investigating whether the KBV Visa Run van that crashed on Dec 21 – killing three foreigners and seriously injuring eight others – was carrying the correct registration for its purpose.

The van in the accident was registered as a private passenger van, not a commercial passenger vehicle.

To distinguish the two, private passenger vans are issued licence plates with blue writing on a white background, while commercial passenger vehicles, such as taxis, buses and many of the vans operating at Phuket International Airport, are fitted with yellow licence plates with black writing.

An AoT van with yellow license plates waits at Phuket Airport. Photo: Yutthawat Lekmak “After the accident, we went to investigate. The sign in front of the (KBV) office didn’t say that they have a transportation service for visa runs, it says ‘visa renewing service’, which perhaps means arranging documents,” PLTO Chief Sommai told The Phuket News.

“It doesn’t say obviously that the service is for ‘transporting people to go for visa run business’, so we cannot accuse them of that,” he said.

“The customers can leave the country by their own vehicles or maybe with the public transportation vans, so the operators can deny that the vans are for this service,” Mr Sommai said.

“So there’s no right for us for investigate this because to accuse them of transporting people illegally needs evidence that the passengers actually pay the drivers individually.

“The fare might be included in the visa fee, so we can’t prosecute them unless the

passengers confirm that they need to pay the van fare, which would mean the company uses the van for visa runs.”

Worse, Phuket visa-run vans that are registered as private vehicles are exempt from the transport safety crackdown ordered by PM Prayut after the horrific collision in Chonburi on Jan 2 that cost 25 lives.

After the accident, Acting President of the state-owned Transport Co Ltd Gen Amnat Unardngam ordered that all commercial passenger vans (with yellow plates) be fitted with GPS as a safety measure

by Mar 31.

However, Mr Sommai confirmed that private vans, such as those used by Phuket visa-run companies, are excluded from the order.

“There is nothing we can do about this,” Mr Sommai said. “We cannot enforce the GPS regulation on them because they are registered as private vehicles and the GPS

law does not cover them.”

The Mar 31 deadline handed down for all yellow-plate vans to be fitted with GPS applies only to commercial passenger vans registered in Bangkok, Mr Sommai said.

Also, the ramped-up deadline is nothing more than an enforcement of a law introduced over a year ago, he added.

“Depar tment of Land Transportation introduced a regulation early last year for every commercial passenger van to have GPS installed,” Mr Sommai explained.

Under the new regulation, commercial passenger vans registered after Jan 1, 2016 must be fitted with GPS at the time of registration, while those registered before Jan 1, 2016 must have GPS installed before the end of 2017, he explained.

“Today there are more than 4,600 of these vans in Phuket that already have GPS installed. The same with buses.

More than 1,000 of the 2,000 buses registered in Phuket already have GPS installed,” he said.

The penalty for being caught without a functioning GPS unit installed is a fine of up to B50,000, Mr Sommai noted.

Regardless, Mr Sommai supported the GPS drive, saying it would improve road safety and reduce accidents.

“The GPS can be tracked by our control room here in Phuket. Actually, every province has one,” he said.

“We have three officers each working eight-hour shifts, making sure there is someone on duty 24 hours a day. We can see where each van is, what course they have travelled and how fast they are going,” he added.

To Mr Sommai, the GPS units fitted in the yellow-plate vans, many of which pick up tourists arriving at Phuket International Airport, can be used to regulate the driver’s speed – but admitted the option was self-regulating.

“The van-service operators can set at which speed the GPS will sound an alarm, which will sound inside the van so the driver and the passengers know and it will send an alert to our control room,” he said.

Any incidents or complaints received by the PLTO officers in the control room are passed on to their supervisor at the end of each shift, Mr Sommai said.

However, the greatest pressure for passenger van drivers to reduce speed and drive safely might come from

the passengers themselves.

“There is a new app developed by the Department of Land Transport (DLT) and the Road Safe Fund that allows passengers – and anyone else – to enter the van’s licence plate number in the app and check where the van is and how fast it is going,” he explained.

“People can file a complaint directly through the app which will send the complaint immediately and directly to our control centre,” Mr Sommai said.

“Complaints can include speeding, not travelling along the correct route, dangerous driving, overloading and overcharging. For example, if people complain the driver is driving too fast – we can then inform the driver to slow down – or take more serious action,” he added.

“People can use the app to also inform us of any problems with the van, such as a flat tyre or they’re stuck in a traffic jam. They can even use it to find the nearest DLT office.

If need be, we can contact emergency services to provide assistance.”

The app, called “DLT GPS”, is Thai language only, and available for download from iTunes and Google Play.

“People without smartphones can still file complaints directly to us by calling the 1584 hotline,” Mr Sommai added.

“The hotline has officers on standby 24 hours to receive complaints, answer questions and to provide information,” he said.

Three caught on Phuket-bound drug bus, driver drunk POLICE LAST WEEK SEIZED 11,485 methamphetamine (ya bah) pills and 25 kratom leaves from three passengers of a bus heading from Nong Khai to Phuket.

Tha Chatchai Police led by Col Prawit Sutthiruangarun stopped and searched the bus at the Tha Chatchai Checkpoint at 4:30pm on Jan 13.

One of the men on the bus,

later identified as Sowan Lawan, 41, from Phuket, was found to be acting suspiciously, so officers searched his luggage and found 20 bags containing 11,454 ya bah pills in total.

Sowan confessed that he received the drugs from a man in Nong Khai who he named only as “Mr Thong”.

Sowan was to deliver pills to

Phuket and hide them in Pa Khlok for another person to pick up.

“I would receive B40,000 for doing this,” he said Proceeding with the search, police officers found two more people on the bus in possession of drugs: Kachain Sunon, 31, had 31 ya bah pills on him, while Adirek Phoomgard, 33, had 25 kratom

leaves. Both said they bought the drugs for personal use.

The driver of the bus, Weera Suriyasakunchai, age 51, had no drugs on him, but tested positive to alcohol and failed to produce a valid driving license.

Police officers say all four will be charged accordingly.

Eakkapop Thongtub

Even the driver of the Phuketbound bus was tested and found to be drunk driving.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

7

Call for true blue, safe Aussie Day

HRH Princess Ubolratana sings on stage as part of a To Be Number One concert at the school. Photo: PR Dept

TO BE NUMBER ONE The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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RH Princess Ubolra­ tana Rajakanya vis­ ited Satree Phuket School on Monday (Jan 16) to uphold the popular To Be Number One campaign, which under her patronage, aims to encourage young people to excel in any field they choose and avoid drug use.

After arriving at 5pm, Her Royal Highness gave Royal commemorative pins to 44 people who donated funds to the To Be Number One campaign.

The Princess also officially opened the To Be Number One Club and the To Be Number One Club Friend Corner at the school.

HRH Princess Ubolratana then joined a concert held in her honour, at which she also sang.

Present for the occasion were Phuket Governor Chock­ chai Dejamornthan and other high-ranking officials, as well as students and others.

“To protect against and solve the drug problem in Thai society cannot be completed by one organisation, but everyone must take responsibility for

this issue,” Her Royal High­ ness said.

“Unity makes us stronger against drugs,” she added.

Governor Chockchai made plain his appreciation. “All of us very much appreciate her royal grace Princess Ubol­ ratana visiting us for the To Be Number One campaign today,” he said.

“For the past 14 years we have seen the campaign help to develop youths and help them to avoid drugs,” he added.

“Each year more and more people and organisations join the campaign. To Be Number One members range from 6 to

US Ambassador visits Phuket UNITED STATES AMBAS­ sador to Thailand Glyn T. Davies paid Phuket an official visit last Friday (Jan 13).

Amb Davies was welcomed on arrival by Phuket Interna­ tional Airport Deputy Director Wutthisorn Rojanaburanon, who talked about the newly open international terminal.

Checking out the brandnew facility was one of the purposes of the visit, Amb Davies admitted. “I am visiting Phuket to see the new build­ ing that will support growing tourist arrivals,” he said. The ambassador praised the new

@thephuketnews

US Ambassador Glyn T. Davies (right) with Phuket Governor Chockchai Dejamornthan. Photo: PR Dept building and found it “very comfortable”.

Amb Davies later met Gov­ ernor Chockchai to discuss bilateral investment and also

visited Vachira Phuket Hospi­ tal, where he thanked staff for “treating foreign patients well”.

Amb Davies also expressed his condolences and sympathy to the people of Thailand for the loss of life and damage caused by the floods in South­ ern Thailand.

“The United States do­ nated B3.5 million to help the victims. The funds, through the United States Agency for International Development, will be used to support Save the Children Foundation,” he said.

The Phuket News

24 years old, totalling 113,197 people.

“There are 477 To Be Num­ ber One clubs and 34 To Be Number One Friend Corners.

The campaign has been very successful, with many young­ sters receiving awards,” Gov Chockchai said.

School Director Satian Po­ nyiam noted, “Our school aims to support students for a better life, to be a good, smart and happy person without drugs, so we use the To Be Number One campaign as a model for us to try to achieve this, and we hope that student will grow up to be responsible adults.

AUSTRALIAN CONSULGeneral for Phuket, Craig Ferguson, has called for Aus­ sies to celebrate Australia Day this Thursday (Jan 26) in “true blue” Aussie fashion, but also to exercise some common sense to ensure a safe national holiday.

In his Australia Day mes­ sage issued to The Phuket News, Mr Ferguson wrote: “As Australians, January 26 is the day when we celebrate and reflect on what is great about our country. Many people spend the day with friends or family, often with some snags (sausages) on the BBQ and a game of backyard cricket.

“Here in Phuket we can feel far from home, but we’ve got beaches and beautiful weather to enjoy. It’s timely to remind all Australians to exercise com­ mon sense when travelling or living overseas.

“Wherever you travel, re­ search your destination, read our country-specific advice at smartraveller.gov.au and know that local laws and penalties apply to you even if they are dif­ ferent from those in Australia.

“Thailand continues to be the Australian government’s busiest consular assistance

Australian Consul-General for Phuket, Craig Ferguson. location overseas. In 2015/16 in Thailand alone, 107 Austral­ ians were arrested, 176 were hospitalised, 205 passed away and 25 are currently serving a sentence in prison.

“But with the right prepa­ ration, travel insurance and a good dose of common sense, the majority of travellers can look after themselves, without needing to seek the govern­ ment’s consular services.

“The Australian ConsulateGeneral Phuket opened in 2016 and provides full passport services to Australian citizens, document notarial services and consular assistance in line with the Consular Charter. It’s no longer required to travel to Bangkok for these services.

“Happy Australia Day!” The Phuket News

Opinion 8

OPINION

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

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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.

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EDITORIAL

Is GPS really the solution?

A

t last action is going to be taken in a bid to reduce road accidents caused by and involving the countries numerous minivans.

However, is the action – the installation of a Global Positioning Systems (GPS) – really going to be enough to counter the problem?

Firstly, as you will see from The Phuket New’s Special Report on page 6, it is clear that the GPS law being rolled out will not apply to all minivans on Phuket’s roads, or to those used to provide visa runs.

Amazingly, and for reasons known only by lawmakers, vans that are registered as private vehicles are exempt from the crackdown, meaning only vehicles registered as commercial passenger vehicles will be required to install GPS. To clarify, private passenger vans are issued licence plates with blue writing on a white

background, while commercial passenger vehicles are fitted with yellow plates with black writing.

Next time you’re on the road, see how many vans you see with the different plates, you will then be able to see roughly what percentage of mini­vans are affected by this crackdown.

Secondly, according to officials, there are already more than 4,600 vans and more than 1,000 buses in Phuket that already have GPS installed.

But has this seen any reduction in the number of vans and buses from Phuket involved in accidents?

Finally, and probably most importantly, the GPS units fitted in the crackdown-affected vans and buses can be used to regulate the driver’s speed.

However, again amazingly, and for reasons known only by lawmakers, this option is self-regulated.

To clarify, the GPS can be used as an alarm when a driver is driving faster than the speed set in the system. However, that system can be set at the desired speed either by the driver or his employer. Are we really to believe that these speeds will be set by what “normal” road users here in Phuket see as a safe speed?

Yes, it is great news that the issue of the safety of minivans is finally being looked at.

However, what they seem to miss is the fact that it is not in fact the vans themselves that cause these accidents, but the people behind the wheel.

Surely a more simple and beneficial way to stop these accidents would be to install a speed limiter. And not only to vehicles registered as commercial passenger vehicles, but all vehicles that are responsible for carrying any member of the general public.

TOP 10 STORIES ON thephuketnews.com

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Patong Mayor pushes for sun loungers, calls for clarity over beach rules Gripen jet crashes during air show, pilot killed Patong Police investigate British couple raped and robbed reports Chinese tourist dies in Phuket motorbike crash Malaysian fatal heart attack forces Turkish Airlines emergency landing in Phuket World lifeguard chief appeals to PM Prayut over Phuket drownings Chinese tourist drowns at Phuket beach South braces for new chaos Southern road repair costs to exceed B1bn Back in black: Wastewater returns to Phuket’s Surin Beach

Visit thephuketnews.com for all the latest news

HAVE YOUR SAY Migrant workers’ needs ignored

Re: Department eyes lift to migrants’ living areas So... the do-nothing Thai authorities will “take aim at areas where the number of foreign workers exceeds 50,000”.

That pretty well means that nothing will happen. Nothing but more “Do-good” lip service, with nothing behind it. Hell... there is nothing but inadequate sewage treatment for the Thai population... Why would they do anything different for the Burmese?

Ben Pendejo Please come to Layan Soi 7 (lower spur) and inspect where approximately 1,000 workers are living in enormous tin warehouses with no windows while a copious amount of sewage is channeled into the wetland about 500 metres from north Bang Tao Bay. Christy Sweet ...................................................

Wilful ignorance

Re: Immigration chief declares Phuket Airport queues are ‘no more’ Garbage! I waited over two hours to depart Phuket on

Jan 13.

Over three months ago they stated the new computers would arrive within three months. After three months they still haven’t arrived.

I do not trust what Gen Nathathorn or any other immigration police say as they are generally very unreliable and everyone knows they’re corrupt to the core.

Phuket Airport The computer story is already a few months old and not solved yet, is this such an issue? I know that my customers wait average 1½ to two hours to clear immigration on arrival.

With three officers on duty at international arrivals in the peak season the chief must be joking when telling this to the newspapers. He never came to see when he should be, many taxis refuse to pick up guests at the international terminal as they have to wait so long before the guests start coming out.

Eric Dekegel ....................................................

Bubble set to burst Re: Phuket property prices not just about the beach

What absolute nonsense. Rapidly pushing up in value?

Come on, man. The condo market is absolutely dead.

Most are empty, overpriced and unsellable.

There is an enormous bubble in unsold condos that gets worse by the day. The developers should all be run off the island before they cover every square inch of the place in empty, overpriced and unsellable additional condos.

Pinot ...................................................

Beach kleptocracy

Re: Patong Mayor pushes for sun loungers, calls for clarity over beach rules The problem is not the sun lounges. The problem is the beach mafia who want to control and make money from the beach. They will intimidate anyone who doesn’t pay, take up all the best spots on the beach and never respect the 10% rule.

Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. Tourists should buy umbrellas and mats then take them to the beach rather than rent them from the beach mafia. They are already moving people’s towels who don’t pay when

they go swimming and replacing them with mats and umbrellas for tourists who do pay. They are already using more than 10% of the beach.

You’ll see the beach bars come back also, as they’ll want to make more money and never respect the laws.

Beach Mafia ..................................................

Lifeguards worth rescue attention

Re: World lifeguard chief appeals to PM Prayut over Phuket drownings Exactly what is needed, and coming from a professional lifeguard that knows what is lacking and what is needed to put things on track.

We also have the unfortunate and shameful drowning records which demonstrate the need for what the ISLA President Henry Reyes lays out.

And... it is in the hands of the PM... not some deadbeat local official that is clueless of the importance of these measures.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out... or fades out. Non-action on this issue will shout volumes on how serious Thailand is about the welfare of tourists.

Ben Pendejo

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

10 THAILAND NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CCTVs get new brief as police widen net BANGKOK CAMERAS WILL BE REpositioned around the city to help curb a wider range of traffic violations and cut the rate of arguments between police and motorists, a senior officer says.

Jirapat Phumjit, Deputy Chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) who oversees traffic regulations in the city, said on Tuesday (Jan 17) that he had ordered 88 stations in the city to prepare cameras and other devices for monitoring traffic violations more broadly.

At the moment most cameras are positioned at intersections to catch motorists who run red lights.

Under the new measure, traffic police also hope to catch motorists driving in the wrong lane, for example. However, they have been told to avoid setting up checkpoints on main roads as a way to monitor traffic violations.

Maj Gen Jirapat said he hopes the new measure would help reduce arguments between police and people who disobey the traffic rules.

The measure came after a video clip went viral online, drawing criticism from the

Flooded Bang Saphan residents strike gold PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN

Cameras will be repositioned around the city to help curb a wider range of traffic violations. Photo: via Bangkok Post internet users.

The clip showed a traffic police officer arguing with a driver at a checkpoint.

Maj Gen Jirapat said police are allowed to take photos of people who are breaking the rules when they are on patrol or at spots where violations frequently takes place.

However, police must get approval to do so from a deputy superintendent, he added.

By law, police officers have authority to use a camera or other electronic devices to help control traffic violations, Maj Gen Jirapat said.

He did not say exactly where the cameras will be positioned or how many are involved.

A ticket will be issued to people who break the rules on camera and will be sent to violators in the post, he said.

Bangkok Post

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Bangkok Post

A

waterway that has long attracted gold panners in Bang Saphan district is drawing new fortune seekers after the recent floods exposed fresh deposits of gold – which local residents see as a fitting return for the misery they suffered.

Klong Thong in tambon Ron Thong has been a good source of income for local people, who have panned for gold there for generations.

The gold found along this 5 kilometre long canal is known for its purity, and rated the best quality in the country.

Unfortunately, it has become very hard to find in recent years, and many gold miners have had to seek other work.

But panners suddenly discovered more gold in the bed of Klong Thong after the floodwaters receded recently.

Many people are panning gold worth B3,000-B4,000 a day. They believe it was uncovered by run-off from

Gold traders can now be seen waiting to buy the flakes and nuggets of gold from lucky people.

Photo: Chaiwat Satyaem

the Tanaosri Range following the torrential rain.

The water widened sections of the waterway, exposing gold long hidden from sight.

The news spread quickly and the place is now full of villagers trying to turn their fortunes around.

Curious tourists also join them, learning how to pan for gold and finding some will be a bonus.

Gold traders can now be seen waiting to buy the flakes

and nuggets of gold from lucky people.

Prayong Netsangsri, 43, a Ron Thong resident, said that a couple of days ago he spent a whole day panning for gold, but found just a little of it.

Then he found some nuggets on the canal bank, and gathered up 35 hoon, which could be sold for B35,000.

“At first I wasn’t sure, but after I washed them they turned to be real gold. This is the most Bang Saphan gold I’ve ever found. I’m very

happy,” Mr Prayong said.

A hoon is a Chinese unit of weight. Each hoon of small gold nuggets can fetch B1,000, while each hoon of gold flakes is worth B800 and a hoon of gold dust is B600.

Mr Prayong’s good fortune followed a 39-year-old Ron Thong woman’s discovery of more than two baht weight of gold nuggets in the canal on Dec 15. A goldshop owner offered her B100,000, but the woman decided to keep it for now and sell it later.

Flood damage could reach B120bn, tax break for repairs SOUTH ECONOMIC DAMAGE FROM southern floods could rise to B120 billion if there is more rain and the water does not drain from rubber and oil palm growing areas, the Thai Chamber of Commerce said on Tuesday (Jan 17).

Vichai Assarasakorn, Vice-Chairman of the chamber, said rubber trees die after 20 days in floodwater and oil palm trees after a month.

If the flooding, which began in the New Year and spread over 12 of

the 14 southern provinces, drains off in a few weeks, economic damage would be capped at B15bn, about 0.1 per cent of the GDP, he said.

If the flooding continues over the next few months, economic damage would rise to B85-120bn, equivalent to 0.5-0.7% of the gross domestic product as it would hit rubber and palm plantations.

The losses in the livestock sector were substantial, but only limited in the tourism sector as travellers could move from the Gulf area to southern destinations facing the Andaman Sea, Mr Vichai said.

The impact was greatest on hotels in the Gulf of Thailand area. He said 10-20% of room reservations at Gulf hotels were cancelled, but special events and promotions could draw tourists back there during the coming Songkran festival.

Meanwhile, the cabinet on Tuesday approved a personal income tax break for post-flood repair expenses – up to B100,000 for properties and B30,000 for vehicles.

The exemption, to be issued as a finance ministerial regulation, is applied to expenses incurred between Dec 1, 2016 and May 31, 2017 only.

Kobsak Phutrakul, Vice Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office, said the Finance Ministry had estimated the cost of the flooding in the South at around B15bn.

Most of the flood-ravaged areas were agricultural land, he said, and the deluge did not affect the country’s large industrial estates like the great floods of 2011.

The floods and storms have affected 1.6 million people and causing damage to 20 government installations, 1,172 roads and 191 bridges. The death toll as of last Sunday (Jan 15) was 41.

Bangkok Post

Officials inspect a flood-damaged bridge in tambon Khlong Sa of Kanchanadit district in the southern province of Surat Thani on Tuesday (Jan 17) to prepare for its repair.

Photo: Supapong Chaolan

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

ASIA NEWS 11

Prisoners turned artisan chefs Taiwanese food industry burgeons as ‘jail food’ starts to take off TAIWAN AFP

I

f it were not for the locked doors, knives chained to the table and uniformed staff, the food factory inside Taoyuan women’s prison would resemble any commercial kitchen.

Inmates wearing masks and hair nets mix cocoa powder to make chocolate, or chop cabbage to marinate for kimchi.

They are part of a burgeoning food industry in Taiwan – artisan snacks, made behind bars.

The additive-free delicacies made by prison inmates have gained a loyal public following, and generate hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Demand is driven by quality and affordability after a string of food safety scandals has made Taiwan consumers extra vigilant.

Last year sales revenue reached more than Tw$500 million (B558mn), with money going towards victim compen-

@thephuketnews

Prisoners pack candy at a correctional facility in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan.

Photo: Sam Yeh/AFP sation, improvement of facilities and a wage for inmates.

Some pr isoners, li ke 39-year-old Chen, had little culinary experience before joining the production line in Taoyuan, in the north of the island.

The prison rolls out a wide range of snacks, from sweets to fermented tofu.

“I’m happy to learn some useful skills,” Chen said.

“I didn’t know how to use a kitchen knife properly before as my mother always cooked for me and I didn’t need to go

into the kitchen.

“I’ve learnt that it looks simple to make food, but it’s actually quite complicated.”

Inmates near release or parole can apply for the programme and are prioritised.

Long-term prisoners who are judged to have behaved well or have relevant experience can also apply.

The range of jail-made food bought from prisons across Taiwan includes local favourites such as pineapple cake and peanut brittle, as well as soy sauce and free-range chicken.

What started in 2006 as a smaller programme designed to teach inmates practical skills and raise funds for prison facilities has now been rolled out to all of Taiwan’s adult jails.

More than 50 prisons make around 300 types of product which can be ordered by the public by phone, online or by fax, or bought direct from prison offices.

“We use good ingredients and we do not use additives or over-process food to make profits,” said Chiu Hung-chi,

Deputy Chief of the Agency of Corrections.

“Our foods are natural, high quality and inexpensive,” he added.

It is a winning sales pitch to a public wary after big-name companies were found to have adulterated their products with banned chemicals or recycled “gutter oil” to lower costs, which led to massive recalls of food items in recent years.

Shoppers at a food fair in central Taichung city organised by the agency were quick to vouch for made-in-prison food.

“I’ve been buying food made by inmates regularly for more than a year. They are organic, good quality and relatively cheap. I also rally my friends to place orders together,” said businesswoman Wang Lung-feng, who drove nearly two hours from southern Tainan city to the fair, which lasted four days and drew thousands of visitors.

Ms Wa ng spent over Tw$10,000 (B11,168) on noodles, chicken, soy sauce and snacks.

“I think the programme is

very meaningful. The inmates are learning some skills that can help them find work and readjust to society,” she said.

Inmates earn an average monthly “labour allowance” of around Tw$2,000-3,000 (B2,233-B3,350). Some responsible for top-selling items, such as soy sauce made in a prison in southern Pingtung county, can make 10 times the average pay during peak holiday seasons, according to Mr Chiu.

Besides producing their own brand of food, some prisons make soaps and handicrafts, or take orders from local factories to manufacture garments, paper bags and accessories.

Inmate Chen said she hopes to launch her own small food business after her release.

“My mother loves to cook and she cooks well. She said as long as I am not afraid of hard work she will work with me to start our small food business.

“I hope to combine my mother’s cooking with what I’ve learnt to create better food.”

12 WORLD NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Dreams of a university degree Refugees seek qualification that could spell an escape from stateless limbo RWANDA AFP

I

nside a red-brick building with a tin roof in western Rwanda, a group of young people are hard at work studying for a US-accredited university degree.

But these are no ordinary students: they are Congolese refugees for whom such a qualification could spell an escape from stateless limbo.

Over the past year, a Rwandan char it y called Kepler has been offering refugees in Kiziba camp the chance to take online degree courses from the Southern New Hampshire University in the United States.

Since the mid-1990s, Kiziba has housed thousands of refugees who have f led the conf lict in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. It is currently home to 17,000 people, some of whom were born and raised in the camp.

Until recently a university degree was an impossible dream with local fees at a Rwandan university costing

Refugee students attend a class at the Kiziba camp in western Rwanda. Photo: Stephani Aglietti/AFP up to $1,200 (B42,432) a year, well beyond the reach of young refugees.

And even if they did get the money, the country’s main universities are all in the capital Kigali, which is a three-hour drive from this isolated hilltop camp.

But this year, a group of 25 refugees all in their 20s began studying communications and management.

“Before finishing high school, I had no hope of going to university but now I see it’s possible!” enthuses Eugenie Manirafasha, who was just six months old when her family fled to Rwanda in 1996.

Now she is one step closer to realising her ambition of becoming a hospital director.

The refugees follow an online version of the US course but at a less demand-

ing pace, allowing them up to five years to complete the degree, with much of the first year devoted to getting their spoken and written English up to scratch.

Access to higher education “is very important for refugees all over the world,” says Nina Weaver, who runs Kepler’s educational programmes.

Even more so in Rwanda where refugees “have the right

to work and to move around freely which is not the case in many other countries,” she says.

Having a degree gives them “an opportunity to integrate better” into Rwandan society, as well as a way to “give back” to the country that has taken them in, Weaver explains.

A university education also offers them an escape route from dependence on charity handouts, says Mark Roeder of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. “Tertiary education is one way to make refugees independent,” he said. “It gives a boost to (the) refugee mentality and gives them hope they are not being forgotten by the international community.”

There are currently 74,000 Congolese refugees living in five camps in Rwanda. Most are Tutsi who have suffered during successive rounds of conflict over ethnicity, land ownership and regional influence in eastern Congo.

With some of them in Rwanda for more than two decades, few are eager to return to neighbouring Congo.

And their studies offer them the chance of a better life in Rwanda, or elsewhere, Roeder says.

But bringing the programme to life in a refugee camp is not without challenges.

The camp is not connected to the electricity grid meaning all the computers and the internet routers are powered by solar energy, which is not always reliable.

And students often have to balance their studies with the demands of supporting their families as well as dealing with other issues such as food insecurity.

For Manirafasha, this means holding down a job teaching the local Kinyarwanda language in the camp’s high school, which brings in around $30 (B1,060) a month.

“Difficult life conditions sometimes affect my studies, like on days when I haven’t had anything to eat or if I don’t have clothes to wear,” says this 20-year-old who lives with her parents and five brothers and sisters.

“It takes an effort not to give up.”

Job opening: part-time hermit AUSTRIA THERE ARE NO NEIGHbours and the views are stunning, and if you can live without heating, running water, electricity and internet, then why not apply for a job as a hermit?

Such is the position that Saalfelden near Salzburg in Austria is seeking to fill, inhabiting alone one of central Europe’s last hermitages, built into a cliff above the town.

“Since its creation 350 years ago, the Saalfelden hermitage was inhabited every year. But we don’t have a successor to the last hermit,” local priest Alois Moser said.

According to a job description, the successful candidate should have a “connection to Christian belief” and be “at peace with themselves” at 1,400 metres above sea level.

Don’t expect complete solitude, however. The hermitage gets a steady stream of visitors coming to “enjoy the view, to pray and to talk,” cautions the advert on

A cow grazes in a field in Saalfelden, near the Austrian city of Salzburg. Photo: Alexander Klein/AFP Saalfelden’s website.

“The applicants need to know that the Saalfelden hermit does not lead a lonely life. Many people come and want to confide in someone.

He has to be there for them,” Moser said.

The previous hermit, former priest and psychotherapist Thomas Fieglmueller, returned to Vienna after just one season – the hermitage is only open from April to November – to write.

“Life in the hermit’s cell is spartan but the nature is very beautiful. I met lots of nice people and had good

conversations,” he told the Salzburger Nachrichten daily.

“But there was also criticism from apparently arch-conservative Catholics because I didn’t have a cowl or a beard... Maybe I was the wrong person,” Fieglmueller said.

And another thing to bear in mind for those applying – by post only, no emails – in time for the March 15 deadline: the job is unpaid.

“We have already had several enquiries, but no formal candidates so far,” Moser said.

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

BUSINESS NEWS 13

Appreciating price bubbles

Where property markets around the world are ballooning PROPERTY Phuket Expat Finance

L

ike the tides, asset prices rise and fall, although these particular cycles of ebb and flow are based on demand and supply, and tend to play out over years, rather than hours. With personal wealth, as with the tides, we watch serenely while everything goes up, but then we stand flabbergasted staring at the refuse, conveniently forgetting the fact that all markets correct.

With no asset class is this selective amnesia more common than property. As property markets boom, we see an increase in building and development. When construction eventually reaches frenetic levels, property prices outpace average household incomes by increasing orders of magnitude, and producing a rental yield which will cover the mortgage becomes difficult.

Property is also affected by government policies, especially the setting of interest rates. Low interest rates make borrowing cheaper, and because depositors receive little (or nothing) for leaving their money in the bank, people begin to take risks they would have never considered if deposit and bond yields were still “normal”.

Per petually low rates stimulate additional demand (which may have never otherwise materialised), pushing property prices higher. Buyers are therefore encouraged to bite off considerably more than they can comfortably chew, with no consideration given to what happens when interest rates once again rise.

To compound the risks facing property investors today, the cheap borrowing environment has been accompanied by an unprecedented explosion

@thephuketnews

Property prices always rise with inflation, but they also correct themselves with bubble bursts. in global money supply, which has created bubbles all over the world: from Brazil to Spain to Dubai to China.

In 2008, the most infamous bubble burst in Dubai. Between 2002 and 2008, Dubai was the fastest growing city in the world, and property prices nearly quadrupled during that period. It became known as the epicenter of the global real estate frenzy. Not coincidentally, it was during this time that the world (following the U.S. lead) adopted its low interest rate policy.

Dubai is also a great example of oversupply leading to a massive fall in prices. No matter how attractive a market appears on the surface, there will always be a limit to the supply of houses, condos or offices that will ultimately be bought, and people will only be prepared to pay so much.

Between October 2008 and May 2009, property prices in Dubai fell by half in just 8 months. Although property prices have recovered since the bottom, a sluggish oil industry and a strong US dollar presented challenges for the UAE in 2016, and it is anyone’s

guess what 2017 holds.

The property casualties in the Eurozone – Spain, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Cyprus – likewise stemmed from low interest rates with too much money in circulation. Much of southern Europe historically controlled inflation by raising interest rates or, in extreme circumstances, devaluing their currencies. As members of the Eurozone, however, they no longer had control of their currencies or their interest rates, so as their property markets became increasingly overheated, they were powerless to do anything about it.

Other markets in Europe offer good buying opportunities, however. In countries such as France, Italy, Hungary and The Netherlands properties actually remain undervalued relative to incomes. That said, investors may be wary of buying in Euros. Brexit has emboldened populist movements in other E.U. countries, who are also in favour of pulling out of the union. If that were to happen, property owners would wind up with an asset in Cypriot Pounds, Greek Drachmas, Spain Pesetas, or

Portuguese Escudos, which may then depreciate in value.

The home currency of the buyer may also affect their decisions to jump into a property purchase. If a country’s currency takes a plunge, any overseas property becomes dearer. The drop in the ruble saw many Russians pull out of London property purchases, and even cancel overseas vacations. The subsequent fall in Sterling after Brexit saw Russians re-enter the London market, while purchases

by Brits in Spain, France or Portugal are expected fall off significantly.

Other property markets which have been on the rise, but not yet seen a correction, could be nearing that point.

Brazilian real estate prices have doubled in the last six years, as have Turkey’s. But investors there have also had to deal with currency risk, where gains can easily be nullified when converting back to their home currency. The percentage increases in Turkey and Brazil may look great, but the Lira and the Real have performed dreadfully against most major currencies.

The UK is another good example of a market that could be in the midst of a protracted downturn (again, precipitated by Brexit). At the start of 2017, UK real estate giant Savills reported that prices in London’s “posh” boroughs have fallen 12.5 per cent since December 2014. Jamie Oliver reportedly slashed £2 million – or 17% – off the price of the house he was selling in Primose Hill.

Other potentially overheated markets include China, Australia and Canada. In November 2016, Fortune warned that the property bubble in China could threaten the entire global economy.

Quoting Hu Shuli, Chief Editor of Caixin Media, “Indicators such as the ratio of mortgage payments to a buyer’s income indicate that on a relative basis, China’s current housing prices are now more expensive than those during Japan’s property bubble.”

Australia and Canada are “commodity countries” whose economies have benefited greatly from the surge in commodity prices since the

flow of easy money began.

Incredibly, both markets are still moving upwards, posting gains so far for 2016.

Because land is in finite supply, while the world’s fiat currencies can simply be printed at will, property prices will always go up over the long-term with inflation.

But when the coordinated monetary policy of countries around the world results in a climate where perpetually low interest rates result in rampant borrowing – which drives property prices exponentially skyward over a brief period of time – that is not a long-term trend. That is a bubble, and whether formed from soap, air, or bricks and mortar… bubbles burst.

Being on the right side of an upward trend in property prices is a sure-fire way to make a quick buck (or quid).

But buying into a bubble economy is equally likely to result in disaster.

Investors have a greater emotional attachment to their property than to any other part of their portfolio. It is generally the largest single investment a person owns, and more importantly, it is the roof over their head. But emotions are usually behind the worst financial decisions we make, whether it is buying tech stocks in 1999, or buying an investment property at the top of a price cycle.

Not every property investment is “as safe as houses”, and it is important to make sure that your total investment portfolio is diversified, and that you are not overexposed to any one sector.

To learn more about how you can effectively diversify your portfolio, and profit from cycles through investments, contact us at chatwithus@ phuketexpatfinance.com

14 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

PIMEX still breaking records Expo marks record numbers of visitors on opening two days MARINE The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

T

he 2017 Phuket International Boat Show presented by Thailand Elite impressed with an abundance of action in the marina and waterside Exhibition Hall, and a busy boardwalk at host venue Royal Phuket Marina over the four-day show from Jan 5-8.

Despite the never-beforeseen weather conditions on the last two days, visitor turnout was strong with a record over the opening days, and exhibitor feedback very positive.

“It was ver y much a Phuket International Boat Show of two halves this year.

The first two days were exceptional. Visitor traffic was higher than in any of the past 13 editions and exhibitor feedback was excellent,” said Andy Dowden, Managing Director of Andaman Marine Consultants, organiser of the Phuket International Boat Show.

“We welcomed close to

Phuket International Boat Show impressed with record visitor numbers on the opening two days.

3,000 audited visitors over the first two days and despite the heavy rain on the last two days brokers were still hosting qualified visitors on tours, and exhibitors in the Hall were transacting business,” he added.

“In addition to the excellent exhibitor feedback, it was

encouraging to see the large number of international visitors – approximately 50 per cent of the total. This is the reason we host the show during the island’s peak season, when most wealthy visitors come to Phuket, as these are a key target market for the majority of our exhibitors,”

Mr Dowden pointed out.

In the water the show heralded a grand display of 40 boats including representation of top international brands from around the world. From small day boats up to large luxurious powerboats and everything in between, one of the standout features this

year was the growth in the number of sailing yachts on display – approximately 20% of the total.

One hundred businesses exhibited and in addition to the impressive boats on display, a mix of marine products and ancillary services, luxury properties, super bikes and

more showed their wares in the exhibition hall, including a new addition this year, the “Mariners Market”.

“One of our goals has always been to ensure that the show provides a sales and marketing platform for everyone, and after discussing with many in the industry we launched the first Mariner’s Market with 10 trailer boats including everything from entry-level RIBs and small day boats, up to some very high-end RIBs and superyacht tenders,” added Mr Dowden.

Phuket International Boat Show’s successful format provided not only a sales and marketing platform for the marine and lifestyle industries, but also a unique opportunity to meet and network with trade and HNWI consumers through a series of social events during the show, the highlight of which was an exclusive cocktail party hosted by Thailand Elite which brought together many international guests, VIPs and card-holders who enjoyed an evening of fine wines and curated canapés.

Experts to host hotel analytics course HOSPITALITY GLOBAL HOSPITALITY data provider STR is teaming up with the Phuket Hotels Association for a two-day workshop at the Trisara Resort on Jan 26-27.

The “Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics” (CHIA) training session and Trainthe-Trainer workshop will be held all day on Jan 26 and half day on Jan 27.

The training is free for professors and instructors.

Industry professionals are

invited to attend.

“Grad students and senior level undergrads are also invited if space allows,” reported Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9Hotelworks.

The session introduces the CHIA content, which includes: • Hotel Industry Analytical Foundations

• Hotel Math Fundamentals, the metrics used by the Hotel Industry • Property Level Benchmarking • Hotel Industry Performance Reports The session also prepares instructors to be able to present the CHIA training to their students at their own schools.

Attendees will have the opportunity to take the CHIA exam online at their earliest convenience, the release added.

Email Phyllis Lamar at plamar@ahla.co for details

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Have some colourful fun for a good cause

17

A family friendly brunch to make kids smile

18

GOING OUT ON A LIMB

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Dr Teddy Fagerstrom and Bengt Sรถderberg from the Scandinavian Orthopaedic Laboratory at Bangkok Hospital Phuket. Photo: Mark Knowles @thephuketnews

Two Swedes in Phuket are changing lives with their custom-made prosthetics > P19

16 EXPLORE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Samet Nangshe viewpoint in Phang Nga province.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

A man unloads ice from a longtail boat at Koh Hong. Photos: Jamie Monk

Viewpoints, waterfalls and longtails

Jamie takes a look back at his 2016 adventures in Phuket and beyond JAMIE’S PHUKET Jamie Monk editor1@classactmedia.co.th

T

he general consensus seems to be that 2016 was a bad year, but I just blog about Phuket, so I don’t want to talk politics or get all sentimental. Instead I’ll ask: How was 2016 here?

Well, pretty good really... life goes on.

At this time last year we were out exploring and taking advantage of the very nice weather. It hardly rained for a couple of months in January and February. We went looking for a viewpoint in Phang Nga, in between Phuket and Khao Lak. We found Khao Kai Nui and still plan to go back, but

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2016.

The author at the Phuket Trickeye Museum.

the drive up was a bit scary!

Also in January we did a more “touristy” thing and visited the Trickeye Museum in Phuket Town. No idea why it’s called a museum. I think someone just got mixed up between museum and gallery. These places have become quite popular in Thailand in recent years.

Lots of 3D art where you can pose and take a photo. Lots of photos... well, it was a bit of family fun!

I did quite a lot of restaurant posts on the blog in 2016, which I hope will continue in 2017. There should be more, but we do tend to have a few favourites and I admit we don’t try new restaurants often enough. We ate a few times at Rum Jungle which is in the Naiharn area, and is a bit above our normal budget, but is very good!

We had a very nice weekend trip at the end of April to Koh Yao Yai, stopping off at other islands on the way. We have been to Koh Yao Noi several times, but this was our first trip the bigger of the Koh Yao islands.

We also did more exploring in May. I’d seen a new viewpoint on Instagram, so we went looking for it – Samet Nangshe Viewpoint has quickly become very popular and I hope will not be spoiled.

The view is amazing and we do intend to visit again soon for a sunrise.

More restaurants! First was Zaab Tae Tae, just outside Phuket Town, next to the Index mall. We have eaten there quite a few times. Not a place for Western food. They mostly do Isaan food, and plenty of spicy stuff. Guaranteed to tickle the taste buds!

Into the low season. In June we went looking at all the new street art that had appeared around old Phuket Town.

This section needs updating again, the town is getting arty!

I found time to revisit Laem Ka Beach, close to Rawai Beach. I had not been for many years. I hear that it gets busy in high season, but in June it was almost deserted! Also in low season, I managed to blog about Mosques in

Phuket. I had meant to do this for a while, and took several drives around the island to take photos of mosques.

There were more than I realised!

We finally tried the very good One Chun restaurant in Phuket Town – very good local Thai food. We ate there a couple of times including our daughter’s birthday. It got very popular and the next couple of times we thought about eating there, it looked too full for us. I don’t like getting shoehorned into a restaurant no matter how good the food is!

More exploring in July – we had seen the Little Amazon tour before.

It’s north of Phuket, near the town of Takua Pa in Phang Nga Province. A boat ride down a tiny, jungly river, onto a bigger river... I guess you can imagine that it’s the Amazon (on a smaller scale!) We enjoyed the trip.

Another new restaurant was Maireab Zaap Ver in Kathu. The owners used to have a smaller place on the road to Kathu waterfall, but it closed years ago. We were happy to see them back. We have been eating there quite often. There is a new market in Phuket too. The new Chillva Market opened in April 2016 and is the current trendy place to hang out! Lots of food, a few bars, lots of clothes and random stalls.

We keep on finding new places in Phang Nga province just over the bridge from Phuket. Phang Nga is way bigger and we like to explore. This year we found a “new” waterfall, and only 10 kilometres from the bridge. Wat Khao Waterfall is not the biggest, but very pretty in the rainy season, and not so big as to prevent swimming.

Later in the year I had another trip to the UK to see Dad and got back to Phuket just in time for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. I did my usual 9-day diet and attended several of the street processions, although not as much as previous years. Still got lots of good photos!

As the year grew older... more exploring! We headed to the same area of Phang Nga as the Samet Nangshe

Wat Khao Waterfall, 10km north of Sarasin Bridge.

Viewpoint where we’d seen a small fishing village back in 2015. Now this village has started a tour operation with longtail boats heading out to nearby islands, some with caves. We weren’t quite sure what to expect, but it turned out to be one the best days of the year.

As mentioned before, I have friends with a tour company – Easy Day Thailand – who you can contact for all kinds of trips around Phuket (Google them!).

The trip we did in Phang Nga Bay was something they plan to turn into a tour and indeed we travelled with these guys to Koh Yao Yai earlier in the year. So with a bit of help from them I wrote a Top 10 Phuket Tours page on the blog and it will be in an upcoming issue of The Phuket News – so keep an eye out for it.

It is a slightly uncertain time in Thailand with the new King, and no exact date for new elections. Yet tourism seems to be unaffected. Phuket is not a perfect paradise, but I have no plans to leave, we are very much enjoy living here and exploring the area.

Any questions about Phuket, please do ask on Facebook at: facebook.com/ PhuketBlog, and please do follow on Twitter, Instagram and Flickr as well!

Here’s to a happy 2017!

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

COMMUNITY 17

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

A colourful family challenge The Phuket News editor1@classactmedia.co.th

I

f you want a to take part in a fun family event, make sure you go to Royal Phuket Marina on Saturday February 4, from 3pm for the “Family Colour Obstacle Challenge” in support of Phuket Has Been Good To Us. The Family Coloured Obstacle (FCO) Challenge is an activity-filled afternoon out for the young and young at heart.

There will be an exciting obstacle course constructed with recycled materials and designed by Royal Phuket Marina, and there will also be brain teasers and games set up by local International schools. Throughout the course participants will find themselves dodging handfuls of child-safe, brightly coloured flour – making this a kaleidoscopic and thrilling course.

All the participants will receive a

Local school kids will benefit from the money raised.

medal and certificate upon completing the course, as well as a goody bag and cool stickers for the children. At the end of the course there will be a fantastic chill-out area with a carnival atmosphere where food and beverages can be purchased. DJ Tommy the Tank will provide fun music perfect for all ages with tasty food from Dusit Thani, Mr Moo and the Tuk Tuk Diner, and drinks from Horeca, Beervana and Brand Connect.

This entire course will be risk assessed by Mr Barrie Buck of Siam Guardian Services (SGS) who has also kindly agreed to provide security, traffic control and a first aid tent as extra precautions to ensure everyone has a safe and fun afternoon.

Entry fee for the FCO Challenge is B500 per adult (parents are encouraged to join the challenge with their kids to make it a real family team effort and share the fun and the colour!) and B300 per child (5-16 years). In addition, Kidsmania @ RPM will take care of children under 5-years for B250 per child. Book your tickets now to get the time-slot you want or come to RPM from 3pm on February 4.

All proceeds from this event will go to Phuket Has Been Good To Us – a Thai registered charity established in the aftermath of the 2004 Asian tsunami. The money raised will enable Phuket Has Been Good To Us to continue to fund their much needed

Rotary donates books to Kalim schoolkids

C

lowns, teachers, an Assistant Governor, severa l suppor ting Rotarians and lots of happy children featured at the handover on January 3 of three cartons of books from Rotary Club of Patong Beach (RCoPB) to the Kalim School in Patong.

The books were a gift from Rotary District 3330 to celebrate 100 years of The Rotary Foundation in 2017.

District 3330 contributed B30,000 and RC of Patong Beach contributed B10,000 towards the books. The Kalim school was chosen as it is in Patong and relatively poor. Local charity Phuket Has Been Good to Us also helps support the school.

Assistant District Governor of Rotary 3330 Worawan Onguilokam, addressed the assembled children as did RCoPB President Richard Jones, Director Surawati the school director, Sue Ultmann from Phuket Has Been Good to Us and Jason Perkins of the British International School, Phuket.

Debra Mierczak, a teacher and supporter, led the children in a round of book learning, encouraging them @thephuketnews

to read the books donated.

The ceremony was a credit to Dr Peter Harris who organised the donation.

Children were encouraged to read as many books as possible.

Make sure you wear clothes that you are willing to let get a little bit more colourful!

English education program that provides free English lessons to more than 1,200 underprivileged Thai children, from ages 3 to 18, in three government schools in Phuket.

Contact Phuket Has Been Good To Us at 076-278-146 or email info@phukethasbeengoodtous.org to reserve your start number. For more information, please visit phukethasbeengoodtous. org or “like” the Foundation’s Facebook page at facebook.com/phukethasbeengoodtous

Child-safe coloured flour will be thrown at participants.

18 DINING

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Family fun-day Brunch The Hilton’s Sunday brunch is a great way to get the whole family together for food and fun Mark Knowles editor1@classactmedia.co.th

H

ilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa’s first-ever Sunday Family Brunch kicked off last Sunday (Jan 15), taking full advantage of the perfect sunny weather which has come on in fits and starts this high season.

The name says it all... kids are not an afterthought at this brunch, they are the stars! There are fun-filled activities aplenty for your children to enjoy including face painting, a bouncy castle, fish feeding, pool games and adorable baby goats to feed as well.

Fussy eaters won’t be a problem with lots of kid’s favourite foods like spaghetti and meatballs, mini hot dogs and hamburgers, and of course, chicken nuggets and chips.

But let’s not forget the adults!

While the kids are busy tiring themselves out romping around the bouncy castle, parents can kick back by the pool and graze from a selection of seafood, grilled meats, Thai dishes, sushi, salad and much more.

The brunch is incredible value too, at B999++ for adults, half price for kids

There is no shortage of fresh seafood.

Photo: Mark Knowles aged 6 to 16, and free for kids under 6, it is an affordable Sunday even for the largest family.

Don’t be fooled by the low price though, the buffet is one of the most extensive on the island. There are several bamboo salas around the pool specialising in Thai favourites like pad Thai, sweet roti, noodle soup, chicken and rice, and there is even a tandoori oven churning out deliciously juicy chicken and fish smothered in Indian spices and served with piping hot naan bread.

For the traditionalists there is a full Sunday roast selection available with

crackling pork, roast beef and lamb and plenty of side dishes. If you want something a little lighter there are mixed salads – my favourite was the smoked duck salad with cranberries – or you can make your own and choose your favourite dressing. There is also a huge fruit platter and a gourmet cheese board. Be sure to ask for a custom made fruit smoothie with any fruit you like, they are amazing!

Seafood lovers get the royal treatment as well, with freshly shucked oysters by the dozen and steamed prawns and crabs on ice inside.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Kids can feed the baby goats. Photo: Mark Knowles If you head outside to the grill you can get spanking fresh flathead lobsters (also known in Australia as Moreton Bay Bugs), grilled squid and a selection of fish. While you’re at the grill you can order up some fillet steak, lamb chops, tuna steaks, spiced chevapchichi sausages and more.

Finally, you can round off your afternoon with some sumptuous desserts such as chewy macaroons, mango tarts, crème brulee, chocolate covered fruits and a variety of Thai sweets. I also recommend a visit to the ice cream bar, where you can pick your favourite flavours (for my money, the lemon gelato is the hands down winner) and then top it with one of a dozen indulgent toppings like caramel or chocolate fudge sauce.

The buffet is open from 12pm to 3pm and includes use of the swimming pool (and water slide!), so there is no need to rush, in fact, I found it is definitely better to graze slowly – that way you can fit more in. So bring the sunscreen and book and you can lounge by the pool, let the kids play, and enjoy a totally relaxing Sunday brunch experience.

For more information or bookings call +66 76 396 433 or hkthi.fb@hilton.com

Angsana appoints new head chef

A

ngsana Laguna Phuket has announced the arrival of new Executive Chef Michael Kratz to the resort. Chef Michael brings over 30 years of knowledge and experience in the food and hospitality industry to the dining table. With his passion for classical French, and modern Western cuisine as well as a profound love of Thai cooking, Chef Michael will enhance the menu offerings for all four restaurants at Angsana Laguna Phuket and develop a new range of signature food and wine pairings.

Describing his management style as “empowering and flexible”, Chef Michael cultivates a level of trust in his staff in the knowledge that they are capable of achieving their tasks.

According to Chef Michael, this supportive and hands-off approach to the kitchen dynamic engages the people working for him and empowers them to work independently. Some of the chefs who have worked under him have gone on to run their own kitchens in hotels and resorts, and some have become part of the food team for the Australian Olympic Team.

His former apprentices Jodie Gentle and Robert do Carmo went on to win “Best National Apprentice Chef Australia” and Robert himself came second in “Chef of the Year” in Western Australia in 2005/2006.

Born in Germany, Chef Michael moved to Australia in 1982 when he was just 17 years old to embark on a

Angsana Laguna Phuket Executive Chef Michael Kratz. career in the restaurant industry. He enjoyed working in the kitchen immensely and marked his development as a chef with every passing year. His work ethic, leadership style and approach to cooking earned him the respect of his peers and the admiration of his staff from very early on. He previously worked as the executive chef and food operations manager for Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH) where he was in charge of four states in Australia. At ALH, he was involved in many acquisitions and the transformation of struggling food outlets to profitable and exciting food destinations. He has also worked for the Disney Cruise Line. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

HEALTH 19

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Changing lives step by step Mark Knowles editor1@classactmedia.co.th

W

hen I met Dr Teddy Fagerstrom at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, the crisp white medical scrubs he was wearing didn’t quite match up with his scruffy grey beard, earrings and tattoos. This incongruence made more sense when I found out that in his spare time he rides a Harley and plays bass in a rock ’n’ roll band. When he is at work though, Dr Teddy, along with his colleague Bengt Söderburg, runs one of the leading prosthetic limb clinics in Asia, helping hundreds of people regain their ability to walk, work, play sport and live their lives to the fullest.

When Teddy moved to Thailand about 13 years ago, he had plans to stop practising in his field of orthopaedic surgery and open a wellness centre for people who were “lost in our Western medical system,” as he puts it. But the 2004 tsunami soon changed those plans and it was a chance meeting years later “probably in a bar” with Bengt, himself a certified practising orthotist, that ultimately led them to combine their energy and expertise and set up the Scandinavian Orthopaedic Laboratory Clinic here in Phuket.

As Teddy and Bengt show me around their small clinic inside the hospital, I learn that despite its small

Dr Teddy Fagerstrom with a metal prosthetic leg.

@thephuketnews

size, it is leading the field in Asia, with patients from around the region coming to receive treatment and be fitted with cutting-edge prosthetic limbs.

“We basically have three parts to our service, one is the prosthetics arms and legs, the second is braces for various conditions like knee braces, scoliosis braces, fracture braces, ankle braces or for Achilles tendons, and also orthotics for children with birth defects,” says Teddy.

“The third thing we do is motion analysis – running analysis, walking analysis, and we check people’s feet and knees, because depending on how they run and they’re configured we may need to compensate to support their ankles and foot arches. We do a lot of analysis for sports too, especially for endurance sports like marathon running, triathlon, hiking – these athletes can really benefit from a proper insert in their shoe.

Teddy and Bengt’s chance meeting must be some sort of cosmic karma, as their different areas of expertise overlap perfectly to make them a two-man powerhouse in the world of prosthetics. Within their small clinic they can custom make everything from a simple corrective insole to extremely advanced prosthetics for people who are severely disabled.

“We’re pretty unique actually,” says Teddy, “It’s a lot of teamwork, because Bengt’s background is as an orthopaedic engineer and my background is as an orthopaedic and spinal surgeon.

“As an orthopaedic surgeon I know the anatomy and function, but not how to apply the bio-mechanics to prosthetics to get the alignments correct and enable people to walk correctly. Whereas Bengt has worked in many countries around the world in bio-mechanics, so he is much more experienced with that than I am,” Teddy explains.

Over the years they have helped many people, rich and poor, to regain their mobility and therefore their ability to lead normal lives. You may have heard of some of their more prominent patients such as local wakeboarder Mac Rosen, who lost his lower left leg after a severe injury, or Soi Dog co-founder Gill Dalley, who lost both of her legs below the knee to a freak infection after rescuing a dog from a flooded field (they have even made prosthetic legs for some of Gill’s rescued dogs).

Both Teddy and Bengt agree that

The team help adjust the fitment of a patient’s prosthetic leg. helping people to walk and work again is one of the most satisfying aspects of their work. But their passion goes beyond Phuket – Bengt is closely involved in an orthotist training clinic in conjunction with Mahidol University and Siriraj Hospital, both in Bangkok.

The clinic, the Sirindhorn School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (SSPO) at Siriraj Hospital, is the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia and students from around the region can train there and bring essential skills back to their home countries.

Bengt also assists the World Health Organisation with their efforts to lobby governments to include orthotics and prosthetics as part of universal essential medical care across the world.

“We have been working for a couple of years to set up a clinic like this one in conjunction with the school and we are just about to finish that – it’s a collaboration with Mahidol and our private company – the first ever collaboration like that in the world. The clinic is almost finished and it’s 10 times bigger then this one (in Phuket),” says Bengt.

“So we are trying to raise the standard in Thailand and the clinic in Bangkok, along with the university, will set the benchmark and that will eventually raise the standard for everybody in Thailand,” he adds.

“So we are keeping ourselves busy in many directions, but it’s loads of fun and extremely rewarding. It is just so much fun to go to work, and plus for me personally, I’m learning something new

as I go along,” adds Teddy.

The heart-warming story of one of their patients is just a small example of the life-changing work the clinic does.

One day, after hearing about the clinic, a group of people brought in a Burmese fisherman who had lost his leg after a wire had wrapped around it and severed it.

After three years without walking, or working, the man had almost given up hope. But within hours they had fitted him with a prosthesis and he was up and walking again. There was just one problem, he couldn’t even afford a pair of shoes.

“He only had one flip-flop,” says Bengt. “Then our technician, who is Thai, went to his locker and got out his own shoes and gave them to him, and then he was off and out fishing again.

When he came in for a checkup one week later, he was walking without crutches, it was incredible.”

The pair are certainly not resting on their laurels either.

Bengt has recently established a company to import and distribute highquality components for prosthetics into Thailand and the region – in an effort to break a monopoly that currently charges top dollar for these essential pieces of medical equipment.

Teddy continues to collaborate with local government hospitals to treat some of their poorest patients with high quality prosthetics and provide essential preventative treatment to reduce the number of amputations needed.

20 TRAVEL

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Cruising Laos’ ancient wonders Exploring the Mekong and UNESCO World Heritage Site Vat Phou Andrew J Wood

My friends and I joined the boat for the first time – it would be our home for the next three days.

Photo opportunities abound.

R

iver boat cruises are such a convenient and comfortable way to travel. My journey this trip would take me to the Mekong basin, an area which has held a special fascination for me. I never tire from exploring this region where there are new discoveries aplenty. I was to travel aboard Mekong Cruise’s river vessel Vat Phou for a three-day, two-night journey on the mighty Mekong River.

After a short 65-minute flight to Ubon Rachathani, my voyage continued overland for two hours to the Thai-Laos border at Chong Mek, near Pakse, where my friends and I joined the boat for the first time – it would be our home for the next three days.

Originally a working boat that carried teak wood between Vientiane and the south of Laos, in 1993 the Vat Phou was converted into a luxury floating hotel to cruise the Mekong river.

The Vat Phou is 34 metres long, and powered by diesel engine, with 12 cabins (each with air conditioning and private bathroom) and 15 staff aboard.

Oriental in style, I particularly enjoyed relaxing on a comfy chair on one of the two open decks – one forward and one astern. The forward upper deck with rattan armchairs, sofas and loungers, was perfect for me to lie back and read a book or check my emails (there is Wi-Fi onboard), take photographs of life along the river or just catching 40-winks.

I so enjoyed the ever changing river scenery and taking a peak at life as we passed leisurely by, cold drink in hand. After years of isolation, Laos is now one of the most laid back SE Asian destinations. With a well-preserved culture, stunning natural environment and friendly people. Life in Laos still revolves

Inside the Hindu temple a stone linga is bathed in water from a mountain spring. around tradition and we experienced river-front life that has remained virtually unchanged over generations.

The Mekong opens up at Si Phan Don (meaning literally ‘four thousand islands’). It’s an archipelago of tranquil islands popular with travellers for cycling, swimming, boat cruises, kayaking, and dolphin spotting.

The Mekong is truly one of the great rivers of the world, stretching 4,352 kilometres from Tibet to the South China Sea. The meandering Mekong links Indochina’s rich cultures as it flows through six nations – China; Myanmar; Laos; Thailand; Cambodia and Vietnam.

One of the highlights of my trip was a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Vat Phou temple at Champasak. Vat Phou (Temple-Mountain) is a ruined Khmer Hindu temple complex in southern Laos. It is located at the base of mount Phu Kao, some 6km from the Mekong river in Champasak province.

Vat Phou is considered one of the oldest archaeological sites in Laos.

One temple in the site was constructed around the 5th century but most buildings found in the complex are from the 11th to 13th centuries. Like other notable Khmer architecture in SE Asia, it was constructed using sandstone, laterite and bricks.

The temple has an ancient and direct link to another famous landmark and UNESCO site – Angkor Wat to the southwest. Vat Phou has been an active

The roots of trees invade the ancient stone steps.

The intricate stonework retains its beauty. temple for more than 1000 years. Buddhism replaced Hinduism in Laos, in the mid 13th century.

The temple has a unique structure, in which the elements lead to a shrine where a linga dedicated to Lord Shiva (the linga is seen as a symbol of the energy and potential of Shiva himself) was bathed in water from a mountain spring, believed by many to be holy water. During our visit there I saw local women collecting the water in plastic bottles.

The site later became a centre of Theravada Buddhist worship, which it remains today. Off the main walkway a path leads up to smaller temples and stone carvings on the rocky outcrops and boulders. An elephant and crocodile carving are very distinct.

The crocodile stone has acquired some notoriety as being possibly the site of an annual human sacrifice described in a 6th-century Chinese text in pre-Angkorian times. The story is lent some plausibility by the similarity of the crocodiles dimensions to those of a human.

Andrew J Wood has been a long time resident of Thailand for two decades. A lecturer, writer and former hotel General Manager, Andrew is a Director of Thailand by Design a division of Worldwide Destinations Asia Co Ltd, and past President of Skal International Thailand. thephuketnews

22 ISLAND SCENE

From left: Sriram Kailasam, Chef Andrea Asoli, Oscar Cavallera and Fernando Enrique Garcia Velasco.

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Members of the local media with their certificates for completing the masterclass.

BANYAN TREE HOSTS COOKING MASTERCLASS BY CHEF ANDREA ASOLI Banyan Tree's fine dining Tré restaurant welcomed Chef Andrea Asoli into the kitchen last Friday (Jan 13), to conduct a masterclass on his award-winning Italian cuisine for selected guests and media. Chef Andrea prepared three recipes from scratch for the masterclass, featuring a deceptively simple list of ingredients, which with skilled technique and know-how, Chef Andrea turned into a symphony of delightful traditional Italian flavours.

The Centara team pose for a photo after making their donation on January 11.

Tiwaporn Mahaprom (centre) and the Centara team at Phuket Rajabhat University.

CENTARA GRAND MAKES A DONATION FOR NATIONAL DAY OF DISABLED PERSONS Tiwaporn Mahaprom, Area Director of Human Resources at Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, led a team of Centara staff to make a donation marking the National Day of Disabled Persons at the Phuket Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office at Phuket Rajabhat University, on January 11.

Doctors are presented with a gift to celebrate the arrival of the new dengue vaccine.

Doctors and staff of Phuket international hospital at the event.

PHUKET INTERNATIONAL HOSPITAL HERALDS NEW DENGUE FEVER VACCINE Phuket International Hospital held a “Talk to the Expert” event highlighting dengue fever prevention and a breakthrough vaccine for the disease. Taking part were doctors, nurses and staff led by Dr Dhun Damrongsak, Deputy CEO Group 6 and Hospital Director; Dr Weerawat Yorsaengrat, Medical Director of Phuket International Hospital and Dr Rati Boonrueng, a leading physician. The hospital is the first to provide the vaccination in Phuket, For more information please call: 076 361 888 ext. 3318-9.

Chutharat Plerin (right) brought copies of Class Act Media's new Thai-language newspaper to show the PIWC ladies.

PIWC MONTHLY SIP AND CHAT WELCOMES KHAO PHUKET EDITOR The Phuket International Women's club hosted their monthly communal coffee meet and greet at Starbucks at Central Festival last Thursday (Jan 12). The editor of Class Act Media's new Thai-language newspaper Khao Phuket, Chutharat Plerin (right), brought copies to show the PIWC ladies.

RCoPB President Richard Jones shakes hands with Governor Chockchai.

GOVERNOR CHOCKCHAI BECOMES AN HONARARY MEMBER OF THE RCOPB Rotary Club of Patong Beach (RCoPB) President Richard Jones presented Governor Chockchai with an Honorary Membership of the club, a club pin, and a gift basket on Jan 13. Governor Chockchai Dejamornthan outlaid his plans for Phuket over his term involving the three Ms: maritime, medical and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, events). thephuketnews

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ISLAND SCENE 23

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa GM Markus Kaliss is interviewed by Live 89.5’s Jason Wilder.

The Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa team had a busy day for their first Sunday brunch of the season.

HILTON PHUKET ARCADIA RESORT HOSTS ITS FIRST SUNDAY FAMILY BRUNCH Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa in Karon launched its Sunday Family Brunch last Sunday (Jan 15). The family friendly affair featured lots of activities to entertain the kids while parents enjoyed a sumptuous buffet with seafood, grill stations and dozens of other fantastic dishes (see page 18 for more details).

HILTON PHUKET ARCADIA RESORT & SPA

From left: Jason, Sofia, Aor and Nok at the Class Act Media Offices.

BANYAN TREE, ANGSANA AND XANA

PULLMAN ARCADIA

Bella from the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach (centre) presents a gift basket to Class Act Media GM Jason Beavan and PR Manager Nat.

LOOKING FORWARD TO A FANTASTIC 2017 AT THE CLASS ACT MEDIA OFFICES Well-wishers from across Phuket continued to drop by the Class Act Media (CAM) office this past week to present more lovely gifts to the CAM team. Thank you to all our clients for their support throughout 2016 and we hope all our readers and clients have a wonderful and successful 2017.

LAGUNA PHUKET

The marketing teams from Banyan Tree, Angsana and Xana dropped by the Live 89.5 studio to drop of some New Year’s gifts.

DUSIT THANI The team from Laguna Phuket present a gift basket to Class Act Medai GM Jason Beavan (centre).

NOVOTEL PHUKET PHOKEETHRA From left: Nok and Chris from Class Act Media were presented with a gift basket and calenders by Rabbit from Dusit Thani.

@thephuketnews

Nancy (left) and Anmai (right) from the Novotel Phuket present CAM PR Manager Nat with a gift.

24 EVENTS

FRI

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

20 JAN

SAT

21 JAN

ther roast beef, chicken, loin of pork or leg of lamb served with roast and boiled potatoes, three fresh vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Only B350 per person which includes a free glass of house red or white. Opposite Centara Karon Resort. See: otoolsphuket.com.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

menu of mezze and tapas served family style at your table, live cooking station, kids’ corner and dessert buffet. After brunch, why not relax and take in the view of the Andaman Sea with complimentary access to the resort swimming pool. Starting from THB 990++ per person. Reservations, Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort, metzos@outrigger.co.th, 076 360 600.

WEEKLY BBQ EVERY FRIDAY Come join us for our WEEKLY BBQ EVERY FRIDAY at Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong from 12-6pm! Indulge in All You Can Eat BBQ Pork Ribs, Cajun Chicken and Sides for ONLY 395 BAHT! Our BBQ is famous at Two Chefs! Come try us out and enjoy our mouthwatering pork ribs, flavorbursting chicken and more! Come for the FOOD Stay for the FUN at Two Chefs!!! www.twochefs.com.

Kata Beach 076-333-370 Kata Center 076-330-065 Karon 076-286-479 Patong 076-344-914.

Fire & Ice Annual Fundraising 2017 Fire & Ice Annual Fundraising 2017 by Phuket International Women’s Club (PIWC). Firefly at The Pavilions, Cherngtatey. Ticket THB 2,500 includes grand buffet and one beverage. Ticket and info at info@piwcphuket.com

Sunday Fun Brunch Phuket’s most popular brunch experience. Seafood, live station, entertainment, kid’s corner and massage corner. From 1,650++ THB. 12.00 - 15.30. Reservation: info@xanabeachclub.com 076 358 500.

Go Live Sunday Seafood Brunch Pool Competition at Expat Sports Bar The competition at 9pm - Expat Sports Bar at the Expat Hotel Soi Taipan Patong.

See map at www.expathotel.com.

Saturday Live Music Every Saturday live music by the Soulcoustics, 9pm til late. Cariocas Bistro & Lounge Phuket Town, near BKK Hospital.

All you can eat Sunday Roast Buffet Beef, Pork & Lamb – Cauliflower, Broccoli, Peas, Carrots, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes – Yorkshire pudding – roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes – gravy, mushroom sauce, mint sauce. Reservation recommended 350 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

The Banyan Tree Seafood Brunch experience returns with a generous selection of live fresh, local and imported seafood with exception Lobster dished, Japanese starters, mouth-watering meats, Asia wok and Western grill treats. Gourmet cuisine, exceptional service, Live Jazz and tranquil surroundings, The Banyan Tree has something for everyone! Every Sunday 12.00-15.30, price start from 2,800net per person.

Reservations, Banyan Tree Phuket, fb-phuket@banyantree.com, 076 372 400.

MON

23 JAN

Mussels night @ Shakers 1.2kg mussels served with french fries, your choice, your style: nature, marnière, provençale, garlic & cream or Thai style. Reservations recommended B295 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

Live Sports at Expat Hotel NRL, AFL, Soccer, Rugby Union. Any live sport, we will show it. Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www.expatsportsbar.com.

SUN

22 JAN

Sunday Roast EVERY SUNDAY Come enjoy a Traditional Sunday Roast EVERY SUNDAY at Two Chefs Kata Beach, Kata Center, Karon and Patong for Only 395 Baht! Enjoy a Large ALL YOU CAN EAT selection of your favorites from 12-6pm! Featuring: Roast Aussie Beef, Pork Loin and Chicken. Roasted or Mashed Potatoes. Roasted Mixed Vegetables Flavoured with Thyme and Garlic.

Yorkshire Pudding and Red Wine Gravy. Come for the FOOD - Stay for the FUN! www.twochefs.com. Kata Beach 076-333-370 Kata Center 076-330-065 Karon 076-286-479 Patong 076-344-914

All you can eat BBQ night 6PM – 11PM: Beef, Pork, Chicken, Burgers, Sausages, Prawns & Squids, salad buffet, Choice of potatoes and sauces, bread, buns and garlic bread. Reservation recommended. 395 baht P.P. shakersphuket@gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

Fridays Wine & Tapas night All you can eat Tapas with one bottle of Regular White or Red: Baht 1,490 net per person. Premium White, Red, Rose and Bubbly: Baht 1,790 net per person.

Tapas starts: 19:00 – 22:00. Located Vanilla Sky Bar, Cape Sienna Hotel, Kamala. 076 337 300.

Traditional Sunday Roast Angus O’Tool’s Karon Beach

Mediterranean Sunday Brunch at Metzo’s

Lunch or dinner served from 2pm. Your choice of ei-

Feast to your heart’s content on our Mediterranean

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THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

EVENTS 25

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

WED

25 JAN

Dine 4 Pay 3 Oriental Buffet Dinner Extravaganza Embark on a journey to the four corners of Asia and enjoy a lavish array of Thai, Chinese, Japanese and other Oriental recipes. Develop your taste buds and experience new flavours; ranging from spicy curries to barbecued meats and local noodle plates, while watching our Chefs work their magic in the lively kitchen every Wednesday from 18:00 – 22:00 for THB 999 per person at Bubbles Restaurant, Grand Mercure Phuket Patong Resort & Villas. Reservations, Bubbles Restaurant, Grand Mercure Phuket Patong Resort & Villas, h8109@accor.com, 076 231 999.

the first major sporting event for the new year! The exciting and competitive race takes riders on two different distances: the 45km and the advanced 106km.

Cycle through Northern Phuket’s lush jungles, mountains, scenic roads, and exotic coastlines. Registration: (1) Purchase tickets online at: https://www. eventbrite.com/e/thanyapura-phuket-classic-cyclingrace-tickets-26478598200 (2) At the reception desk (Thanyapura Club Services). For contact information see: events@thanyapura.com. Proudly sponsored by Live89.5 Radio.

MON

30 JAN

All you can eat BBQ Ribs night

SAT

28 JAN

WED

22 FEB

STEVE AOKI Live at Illuzion

Michael Jackson Tribute

6PM – 11PM: All you can eat BBQ Ribs served with salad buffet, potato salad & choice of sauces. Reservation recommended. 350 baht P.P. shakersphuket@ gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

and goody bags! Everyone can enjoy the fantastic carnival atmosphere with food and drink stalls and music from DJ Tank! Sat. 4th February, 3 pm Royal Phuket Marina Adults 500 THB; Children (5-16) 300 THB; <5 KidsMania entrance for 250 THB. Book at 076-278146 or info@phukethasbeengoodtous.org

Do you love all of the famous King of Pop’s hits? Don’t miss out at Two Chefs Karon on January 30th 2017 for a Michael Jackson Tribute to remember! Our Famous House Band will be performing from 9pm until late.

Enjoy mouthwatering dishes, food and fun all night long! Moonwalk over to Two Chefs Karon on the 30th and don’t forget to book your table now. RESERVE Now: Karon 076 286 479 Website www.twochefs.com

SAT

Steve Aoki debuts at ILLUZON Phuket The mostpopular EDM DJ will be spinning an EXCLUSIVE LIVE SET and of course throwing his popular CAKES! WEDNESDAY 22nd FEBRUARY -------------------------Standard pre save Ticket 1,000 THB. VIP RESERVATION: +66 98.024.6369 | rsvn@illuzionphuket.com

day breakfast, just like mum makes. Lavazza Coffee, healthy snacks & salads. Find us at the Entrance of The Royal Paradise Complex, Patong. Mon - Sat 8.30am - 4.00pm. Facebook: CafeSiamGuesthousePhuket 081 676 9411.

EVERY DAY

4 FEB

7 Nights 7 Themed Dinners at Rim Talay Make each night unique! Enjoy our themed dinners with the cool sea breeze. World of Curries @790 THB++, Thai & International Buffet @790 THB++, Seafood Night @980 THB++, Ribs, Wings & Rings @770 THB++, Butchers Night @market price, Surf & Turf @950 THB++,Thai Seafood Gala @980 THB++.

The terms and conditions are subject to change without prior notice. For reservations, email rimtalay@amari.com or call 076 340106-14 #8027

Two Chefs White: Water: Gala Night Run 2017 Try the unique experience of running through Phuket’s Old Town at night for charity. Phuket Night Run 2017 on January 28th, 2017, from 22:30-24:00 hrs at Limelight Avenue Phuket. Every 50 Bht from registration fees go to help bed-bound patients in Phuket City. The three running categories are 3.2km night walk, 5.8km fun run and 11.2km mini night marathon. Registration at: www.phuketnightrun.com or follow registration schedule posted in Facebook: Phuket Nightrun, call: 088-7574119. Proudly sponsored by The Phuket News and Khao Phuket.

SUN

Enhance the lives of poor Thai kids in Phuket. Put on your best white clothes and join the Gala. Funds raised will pay for 1000 Kohler Clarity clean water filters. Features: The Colin ‘illy’ Hill Band featuring Luisa Scarpa; numerous top restaurant food stalls, fabulous Nok Air ticket door prize; outstanding silent auction prizes. 7pm, Latitude, Laguna, 4 February. Tickets: http://www.rotarypatong.org/newevent/whitewatergala

Do you love flavourful, mouthwatering and innovative cuisine? Come try our wide array of international and local cuisine at Two Chefs! Enjoy our weekly specials and exciting daily Chef’s specials. They’re guaranteed to please! Every Monday Receive 50% Off All Desserts, Tuesday enjoy 20% Off All Tex Mex Dishes, Every Friday enjoy All You Can Eat BBQ Ribs & Chicken for 395 Baht from 12-6pm and Every Sunday enjoy All You Can Eat Sunday Roast for 395 Baht from 12-6pm. Don’t miss out! Come enjoy relaxing evening with our Two Chefs House Band nightly from 8pmlate. RESERVE Now: Kata Beach 076-333-370 Kata Center 076-330-065 Karon 076-286-479 Patong 076344-914. Website: www.twochefs.com

29 JAN

DAILY EVENT UPDATES ON Family Coloured Obstacle Challenge

Phuket Cycling Race The 3rd Thanyapura Phuket Classic Cycling Race is

@thephuketnews

La Gritta’s Discovery Menu Take your taste buds on a culinary tour through some of the finest Italian flavours. Chef Patrizia has created a six-course discovery menu consisting of the appetiser, main course and dessert, priced at 1,590 THB++ per person. The terms and conditions are subject to change without prior notice. Reservations, lagritta@ amari.com, 076 292 697.

An activity filled afternoon for the whole family in support of Phuket Has Been Good To Us! Have fun with all the family completing a course featuring physical obstacles and brain teasers. Participants receive medals

All Day Breakfast at Cafe Siam Aussie bacon & egg rolls NOW at Cafe Siam. All

26 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York 1. Which chemical element was discovered in 1801 and used in the chassis of Ford’s Model T? 2. Two dishes are named after Australian opera singer Helen Porter Mitchell. What are they?.

3. Manchester United won the first English Premier League title in 1992-3. Which team came second?

4. How many years are celebrated in a traditional ‘Pearl Wedding Anniversary’?

5. In 2004, who released her book Confessions of an Heiress?

Answers below, centre

SUDOKU

Across 65. Graduates 1. Yard sign 66. Afternoon 8. Instigation services?

15. Leaked, in a way 67. Some drums 16. ___ gun 68. Elongates 17. Fear of noise .

19. Trojan War figure Down 20. Small bands 1. Kind of approval 21. It can be cheap 2. Tolkien beast 24. Crude group?

3. Earth Summit 26. Sheet of stamps site 27. Lab eggs 4. Grit 28. Melody 5. Concha 30. Further 6. Answer to “Shall 32. Lysergic acid we?”

33. Blue-pencil 7. Copy ___ 35. Sharpener 8. Valentine figure 37. Fear of glass 9. Protestant 42. Like Swiss cheese denom.

43. Unruffled 10. Authentic 44. Moisten flax 11. Town in 47. Fix Wisconsin 48. McCarthy quarry 12. Relating to a 49. Denebola’s shinbone constellation 13. Negative 50. Arden and Plumb particles 52. ___ noir 14. Like some 54. Draw apartments 55. Move furtively 18. One with a beat 57. Plant native to 21. Twisting force South America 22. State 60. Fear of freedom categorically

23. Gaga intro 25. Body 28. Stage presence?

29. Leaning to the right 31. Marveled aloud 34. Volcanic fallout 35. On the ___ 36. Detachable container 38. Beneficiaries 39. Java neighbor 40. Particular 41. Interminable time 44. Move audience members 45. With malice 46. Ancient hymn 48. Slight 51. Drop-off 53. ___ instance 54. Baggy 56. Bunsen 58. Height 59. “Take ___!”

61. Chinese dynasty 62. Affleck or Stiller 63. Contraction 64. Bubblehead

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1) Vanadium; 2) Pêche Melba and Melba toast (Dame Nellie Melba was her stage name); 3) Aston Villa; 4) 30; 5) Paris Hilton

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

January 20, 1981 Twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated, Iran releases 52 American hostages.

1

in 10 dementia cases may be caused by living close to a busy road or highway, a new study has revealed.

January 21, 1911 The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place.

18

January 22, 1984 T he Apple Macintosh, the first computer to poplarise a mouse and graphical interface, is introduced during a Super Bowl XVIII television commercial.

years after Vietnamese man Ma Van Nhat had surgery for injuries sustained in a car crash, doctors found surgical scissors in his abdomen.

5,300

tons of plastic end up in Lake Michigan each year – the size of 100 Olympic-sized pools.

January 23, 1556 The deadliest earthquake in history hits Shaanxi province, China, killing as many as 830,000 people.

75,000

January 24, 41 AD Roman Emperor Caligula is assassinated by his disgruntled Praetorian Guards. The Guard then proclaims Caligula’s uncle Claudius as Emperor.

supporters have signed an online petition to make Princess Leia an official Disney Princess.

290 billion

US dollars is being spent by China between now and 2020 to fund a “toilet revolution” to improve public restrooms.

Source: Uberfacts

This week in history

January 25, 1995 Russia almost launches a nuclear attack after it mistakes Black Brant XII, a Norwegian research rocket, for a US Trident missile.

Iguana Beach Club. Photo by Paola Vignati Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket?

Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

January 26, 2004 A whale explodes in the town of Tainan, Taiwan. A build-up of gas in the decomposing sperm whale is suspected of causing the explosion.

Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

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Jobs

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Trades & Services

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ADVERTISING SERVICES

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LEGAL SERVICES

MARINE SERVICES

MOVING SERVICES

OTHER

STORAGE Reserve Your Storage Space

Call 076 29 29 09

or visit mystorageasia.com

 Sizes to Suit all Budgets  Personal & Business Storage  Motorcycle Storage  Left Luggage Service  We Sell Boxes  Storage Insurance Inclusive

Secure, Clean & Cost Effective Self Storage Jungceylon Shopping Center, Patong, Phuket

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FISHING SERVICE

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ADVERTISE HERE

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Buy&Sell

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LOST & FOUND Missing Person

Martin Perter Ingram (son of Roy Percival Ingram). Last known of in Thailand in 2010. Any person with knowledge of the current whereabouts of Mr Ingram is request to contact Title Research in the UK (info@titleresearch. com) or our local agent Spectrum Asia (02 626 0250).

ACTIVITIES, GROUPS Sign up today for a discount code

The new website for Tiya’s hammocks is ready! Visit now at: native-habitat.com and subscribe for a discount code to use for online shopping. Tiya: hammockphuket@yahoo.com, 076 631 841.

BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE 3-engine speedboat for sale

3-engine speedboat, Length 13.5 m., width 3.4 m, capacity 45 pax + 3 crew. Front seats. Good condition. Inc. 3 Honda engines. 1600000, Vladimir, 084 182 8685.

Long Tail Boat For Sale

Ready to go “Long Tail Boat” with or Without Captain (Thai) Get special price, please call 085 781 9167 (English) Bangtao Beach, Phuket, B275,000, giorgionaef@aol.com, 085 781 9167.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES REST-BAR-LOUNGE RAWAI BEACH

CAR FOR SALE n r ge

U

t sa

le

Honda Jazz 2009 1500cc Auto

Boating deal of the year: Beautiful decoration - Private terrace 57,000km. One owner since new.

7.5m baht (reduced - Seaview - Sound system - Led lights Regularly serviced by Honda. Tax and from 10m baht) - Air conditioned - Fully equipped - 400sqm - 2 lev- Insurance until the end of June and available now at right Due to serious health reasons,

the owner must part with his beloved 80’ tour boat. New wiring throughout, power outlets, transformer and voltage meters. New upholstery throughout bar and entertainment area. Engines & generator fully reconditioned & serviced. All maintained to European standards. Ideal boat for quality day trip business. beachsando1@gmail.com, 080 695 3933.

Steel boat for sale

32 metre steel boat for sale. Built 2012, 2 x Cummings engines, 10hrs work only. International REG. Excellent for live-aboard or ferry. Price 6MB. Contact: call Joe 087 8918912 or email joe@similan-divers.com.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Beauty Salon with Equipment

For Sale, Nai Harn Beauty Salon with Equipment & lease, B290,000. Salon Equipment replacement cost is more than B300,000. All equipment shown as new. Must view to see excellent opportunity to purchase Salon for extremely good price in prime location. Call Nok for details 098 017 8818.

Looking for investor / partner

Looking for investor / partnership for Patong beach front location to start with Japanese and Indian restaurant.

Narin, narinpga@gmail.com, 081 826 9390.

Price reduced for quick sale

No, not a bar or guesthouse, but a manufacturing business for wooden window blinds.

All the machinery and inventory of parts to be up and running in a matter of days. A very successful business in Phuket for over eight years. Price reduced to 2 mil Baht. Owner will partially finance. lamsden@phuketemail.com, 081 487 4812. @thephuketnews

els - Parking - Ready for work: superstaronthebeach@ hotmail.com, 092 526 0222.

Looking for a Partner Investor

I am looking for a Partner/Investor to expand my Dive business. Anyone interested please email me to discuss the proposal. rwhi690169@bigpond.com

Restaurant set up for sale

A fully equipped restaurant in the highly sought after Boat Avenue mall in Laguna.

Stainless steel kitchen, Wi-Fi, bar counter, service area. Ready to go in days. Email: jukeboxphuket@gmail.com, 081 090 1608.

CAR FOR SALE BMW 323i

323i. One owner since new. No accidents; excellent condition. 105,000km; cared for with BMW service. Full history available. 395,000THB, Thalang, Phuket, jrh1@me.com, 086 989 0919.

Convertible

Mercedes CLK 200 Cabriolet W-209 Brabus Package - seat 4.

Excellent condition and fun to drive.

37,400km. 1,199,000 Bht. Eng - Thai 094 695 3536 / 063 992 3226.

Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8G VVTI

2013 - 35,000km - Automatic White - CD Radio, Air-con, Alloys Excellent Condition, Only used for school runs. 525,000, Duang, Royal Phuket Marina, gavinmullins@hotmail. com, 083 093 9724.

offer. Reduced by 40,000 bht, REDUCED to 330,000bht o.n.o, Andy +66846909144, andysmalster@gmail.com

MEMBERSHIPS Life Time Family Membership

Blue Canyon: 750,000 THB includes 140,000 transfer fee.

Loch Palms: 425,000 THB includes 72,000 transfer fee.

Tanita, 094 695 3536 / 063 992 3226

Loch Palm Golf Membership

Lifetime Loch Palm Golf membership for sale. ฿485,000, the Loch Palm transfer fee of ฿72,000 will be shared equally between the buyer and seller. Contact J. Trenton Early, jtrenton.early@gmail.com

MOVING SERVICES Looking for Moving Company?

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

REAL ESTATE SERVICES Phuket real estate tour

Real estate investment tours are specially designed to help you to achieve your investment goals with the right property in the right location. You will get advice on the multitude of lucrative investment opportunities in Phuket. md@ tourasian.com, 080 826 4665.

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WEBSITES, IT For Sale: hoteldealsphuket.com

PHD has 125,000 pages indexed in Google and an average of 22,000 page views per month! See stats image. Also see the selling points on the link below. Quick sale: 33.000B!, Mark, mr.m.hopkins@gmail.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE House for sale

Private pool villa with lovely garden on half a rai. Quiet and safe area. 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, open kitchen.

160 m2. Situated in Ban Pahra. 12 minutes to PIA, Phuket Airport, Nay Yang Beach, and Blue Canyon Golf Course. 2 min to Mission Hill Golf course.

7 million baht, bergsstigen@telia.com, 090 701 4204.

Land near By Pass road

4 Rai, 3 Ngan, 45.1 Sq wah (1,945.10 Sq.wah) near Bypass Rd. Easy to go to downtown or Airport. On the main road, suitable for developments such as Townhome, Hotel, ect. Sarinthorn, phuket@plus. co.th, 076 681 188 or 084 555 3178.

Condominium for sale

Foreign Freehold 150 SQM Huge Ground Floor 2 Bed, 2 Bath condo. 150m to Nai Harn Beach. 7.7M THB. Owner, paulover@hotmail.com, 089 875 4173.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

House for sale

Rawai Samki 3 with Chonote. 2 Bed, 2 Bath, big living room, 1 storage, 1 laundry. House 160 sqm, land 280 sqm. 3MB. rico9963@hotmail.com, 083 640 9041.

House for sale

Good location in Chalong area. 3 Bedroom 2 Bathroom, 200 sqm.

House on 800 sqm plot. Including furniture, 084 745 5546.

PoolVilla Mission Heights

villa with salt pool, 330qm 3bed 3.5 bath, 900qm chanote, owner finance, near mission hill golf 2km.

6km PIA, 8km airport 087 060 8400.

16.900.000. picharly@gmail.com

New Sea View Villa

Premium villa 8B in the prestiques Sunrise Ocean Villas development is now for sale.

Being built on the highest point in the estate, only 80 meter from the ocean and located 3 mins away from Grand Ao Po Marina, 10 mins from golf course, 20 mins from the airport, shopping centers, schools and hospitals, this villa is a perfect place to live with no traffic, no polution and no mass tourism.

Over 600 Sqm usable building area, 3 bedrooms, guest apartment, maid quater, games room, 10 metre infinity swimming pool, roof terrace and breath taking views. Can be ready to move in within 8 weeks and still can be customized to the wishes of new owner. For sale at only 27.9 mill baht.

For viewing or more information please contact our sales director, Khun Montha on: 081 343 0777 or email: montha_phuket@yahoo.com

Beautiful Land in Rawai For Sale

Apartment

1.65mill. 60qm 2bed 2bath + 30qm balcony, liv-kitchen, 3 a/c, quality doors/wind., Dream Village near mission hill golf, tel: 087 383 8709.

Land for sale in Saku - Phuket

1 to 5 Rai. Chanote. 10 min south to the airport. Nice quiet location near Naiyang - Naithon Beach. Fixed price only 2.6Mil Baht per Rai. Kanchana, kanchanajit09@gmail.com, 087 076 6016.

Beautiful mountain view with option of sea view land of 742m2 for sale in Rawai with chanote title. For more information contact 085 790 2021.

Kay McDonnell

I have a number of FIRE SALE PROPERTIES from 1.5 MTB to 47MTB. Condos/Houses/Villas Please contact me if you are looking for bargains in the south of the island.080 124 1245, kay@pare.com

COMMUNITY

X2 Vibe Phuket Bangtao

Welcoming investor with high yield return 21%. X2 is a privately owned chain of design hotel based out of Thailand 4.59 m. Hot deal Pro, Full Fur, Irene, 139 Soi Cherngtalay 16, Srisoonthron Rd., Cherngtalay, Thalang, Phuket, sales@oceanstone phuket.com, 095 037 8150.

Apartment Country Golf Club House

One room with kitchen in main house Country Club. 6th floor with balcony 75sqm. Membership in Country Club included. Price 3.3 Million THB. Contact pzw@gmx.at Per Dompert, 086 043 4315 (English and German) thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Buy&Sell

PROPERTY FOR SALE HERE IS THE FUTURE. 17 RAI FOR SALE

Between Kok Loi and Thai Muang, 38 km from the airport, we are selling a beautiful peice of land with 2 new houses. A perfect place for artists or a sport resort. The land is more than 17 Rai, full of old trees, with a big private lake and located directly behind the river. Chanote title. With a canoe it takes 20 min to paddle to the sea. A great opportunity for a fair price. Price 9.5M, Yupin, residler@gmail.com, 081 817 4805 Thai, Eng, Deutsch.

Outstanding Beach Front Pool Villa

A rare opportunity to purchase a 4 bedroom beachfront villa in a 5* resort at The Village Coconut Island.

A “snip” at 22m THB. Contact email aadmo@btinternet. com, Somjit, aadmo@btinternet.com, 081 9791945.

Land For Sale

Land for sale. Anuphas Golf Ville, Kathu. 81 sq wah. Golf course view of Phuket CC. Quiet village, convenient location. E-mail for details Contact David, d1jarvis@hotmail.com

Prime Land near Natai Beach

13 Rai. Prime flat land, Full Chanote. 5 mins to beautiful Natai Beach, 5 mins to Khok Kloi, 20 mins from Phuket Airport. Close to temples, beach & mountain views, perfect for large property or subdivide for development.

B13,500,000, Antoine (Thai & English), 081 979 9307, dannyred@hotmail.com

Ten Room Villa for sale

With 5 Rai land. 5 sleeping rooms, 5 bathrooms, 5 balcony, 2 kitchens, big living room, play room, lobby, car port. Hillside Maikhao Beach sunset seaview. Asking price 24 MB. julius_schuster2001@ yahoo.de, 087 267 1192.

House for Sale

3 bed, 2 bath, living/dining, Farang & Thai kitchens. Back/both sides under cover. Water fall/relax area.

BBQ area under cover/car port. 4 aircons/7 fans. Very private, close to all services, 500 meters from Heroines Monument. 4.9 mil. o.n.o. Contact Randy. Email randyalltime@gmail.com

LAND NEAR WATERFALL FOR SALE

Beautiful, gently sloping land for sale near Bang Pae waterfall. Good road, 3-phase power. NS3 paper (upgrade applied for). 7 rai, B4m/rai. 087 884 9964 (En) or 087 272 5594 (Th). alasdair.phuket@gmail.com @thephuketnews

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PROPERTY FOR SALE House for Sale

House at Land and House for sale. 2-storey with 3 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, balcony, jacuzzi, library, laundry. Near to kid playground, two swimming pools, sauna, gym. Enough land to build a second house on the same plot. Ekaterina Oseledets, 095 861 7571.

Sale by owner Apartment ‘The Pearl of Naithon’ Leasehold

Total area 226,66 SQM including terrace 41,25 Sqm, 50 meters from the beach, 3 bedrooms with 3 bathrooms, Owner purchased at THB 22.5 million, now reduced to only THB 11.5 million for quick sales. MP + 66 (0) 89 814 1458.

MAI KHAO LAND

Beachfront land in Mai Khao. East coast. 3 rai 2 ngan 24sqw. For sale: 45 million baht. 45 million.

PROPERTY FOR RENT Karon Beach House for rent

96 sqm. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 40 sqm. living room. Only long lease.

18,000, Narumon, naruchai@gmx.de, 082 576 6162.

PRIME LAND+BLDG @CHALONG PIER

Seaview Building with land 50m to Chalong Pier for Rent/Long Term Lease.

1.5Rai+bldg. Ideal for Hotel, Community Mall, Restaurants Wirote, 081 931 5189.

House For sale or rent Baan Manik (Cherngtalay)

Attractive 3 bed, 2 bathroom detached house for sale or rent. Set in quiet surroundings but with easy access to Laguna, Boat avenue, PIA, airport, Surin, Bangtao and Layan beaches. The property boasts many additional features including, Auto-gate, Western styled kitchen, security system, natural stone floors, imported ceiling fans, 12volt LED Garden Lighting and air-con throughout.

Asking 4.5 Million Negotiable Rent 25K Per Month Fully furnished or 20K per month unfurnished. 081 9686 051.

CHALONG BEACH FRONT LAND

Beach Front 40m. Long and short term. 1 and half rai(600sq.m.) Mr. Narin, narinpga@gmail.com, 081 826 9390.

Family Pool Villa Rawai

4 Bedroom 4 bathroom 5,000 Baht per night/3 bedroom 3 bathroom 4,000 Baht per night. Quality Furnishings. Contact: rawaihillvillasphuket @gmail.com or 091 654 6249.

PROPERTY FOR RENT Vassana Residence. Rawai

Fully furnished 2 Bedroom 2 Bathroom. WiFi and cable TV included in price. 160M.S. in size. Jacuzzi in each Apartments. BBQ area on the roof. Contact vassana.residence@gmail.com Art, Rawai / NaiHarn, Eng.087 882 9604.

Kata Western Apartment

1 and 2 115M2 furnished apartments, full kitchen, huge covered terraces, mountain and seaview.

1 month minimum, 1 year lease starting 20,000/month. gordy240@hotmail.com, 084 840 1262.

Office/Shop for Rent

Ground Floor space with excellent positioning on Chalong Pier Road.

For more information, please call 081 416 4177 or 076 381 341.

Two condos for sale/rent

2 condos for sale 48 sqm. - sale price $60,000 (developer’s price $116,000) & 54,5 sqm. - sale price $70,000 (developer’s price $128,000). Fully furnished, near Central, Big C, BIS, Lotus, hospitals, schools. Communal pool and gym. Short & long time rent available 48 sqm. – THB 10000-15000 per month; 54,5 sqm. – THB 15000-20000 per month + electricity&water, Ekaterina Oseledets, 095 861 7571.

ROOM FOR RENT

Room for rent in attractive house Baan Manik (not far from Anthem wakeboard park). Convenient location for access to Laguna, Boat avenue, Airport and PIA. House is equipped with, Air-con, Internet, Expat-TV, foreign kitchen, washing machine, fridge ect ect. 8000 Baht PCM + Share of Bills. Please email bluebeyond@me.com or call 081 968 6051 for a viewing.

Kamala Villa for rent

5 Bedrooms Villa available for long term, normally 10,000 Baht Nightly price Long lease 70,000 Baht monthly for 1 year minimum, Include pool, garden, courtyard maintenance. Suitable for large or two families. Wanphen, kamalagym2@gmail. com, 080 697 7729.

Villas & Apts Rent-Chalong

2- and 3-bedroom pool villas, 2-bedroom townhouses & studio apartments. Special prices from 700/night or 8,000/month. Rates include WiFi, maid service, cable TV, furnishings. Great location near Big Buddha. info@chalongapartment.com, 086 282 6221, www.chalongapartment.com

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

R e Pr duc ic ed e

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

LAKEFRONT VILLA IN GREAT CONDITION, Laguna

4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 490 sqm

35,000,000 THB

Situated on a lakefront corner plot of 1200 sqm, this classic Laguna has recently undergone full cosmetic repair. Terrific location near Boat Avenue and the Bang Tao Bay. Must-See property!

FREEHOLD 3-BED DUPLEX, Bang Tao 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 232.8 sqm

9,800,000 THB

Unique opportunity to own a townhouse style condominium under a freehold title. Great location by between main shopping amenities and Bang Tao Beach with the new Catch Beach Club a few minutes away.

SPACIOUS VILLA WITH MOUNTAIN VIEW, Kathu 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 841 sqm

18,500,000 THB

A 2- story villa with spectacular panoramic view that will give you 841 sqm of generous space amongst lush vegetation.

LUXURY 3 BEDROOM VILLA WITH DIRECT BEACH ACCESS Bang Tao 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 167 sqm

14,000,000 THB

A luxury beach front estate set around a 20-meter private swimming pool and a large patio with garden view. Also conveniently located near international restaurants and a 5 minute drive to Laem Singh and Surin Beach.

WELL MAINTAINED POOL VILLA, Nai Harn 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 210 sqm

Well-appointed villa in a gated community. Ideal location near shops and restaurants and a 5 minute drive from Nai Harn Beach. Good potential for a high rental return.

7,400,000 THB

IMPRESSIVE SEA VIEW APARTMENT, Ao Po 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 110 sqm

Situated in a quiet 32 apartment complex. Large terrace with a spectacular sea view with surrounding islands as a calming backdrop. Well-managed estate.

7,500,000 THB

TOP FLOOR SPACIOUS APARTMENT, Kamala 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 115 sqm

Surrounded by jungle and a waterfall 100 meters away, this apartment features vaulted ceilings with skylight windows. Wonderful of the common area pool and mountains. Reduced from 4.5m THB to facilitate a quick sale.

3,200,000 THB

POOL VILLA OVERLOOKING THE ANDAMAN SEA, Kamala

4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 1,037 sqm

This exquisite ocean front property hangs from a cliff edge boasting iconic views of the Andaman Sea. With large indoor and outdoor living spaces featuring

84,000,000 THB

grand halls and several common and dining spaces.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

PROPERTY 35

Call us today to schedule a viewing or visit Thailand’s leading online marketplace to seach 1000’s of properties in Phuket and all other major locations across Thailand - go to FazWaz.com

HIGH QUALITY MOUNTAIN VIEW VILLA, Naithon 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 389 sqm

Nestled in the valley between Naithon and Nai Yang Beach, this high quality pool villa has a private pool on a sizeable land plot. Just a few minutes from Phuket International airport.

2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 117 sqm

This leasehold 2-bedroom offers a spacious terrace, open and bright. The colonial style development is very well maintained with lots of greenery, swimming pool, kid’s pool and outdoor seating areas. Must-see development.

6,900,000 THB

B e in st Su Va rin lue

15,900,000 THB

LEASEHOLD LAKE VIEW CONDO, LAYAN

2 BEDROOM CONDO 500 METERS FROM THE BEACH, Karon 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 112 sqm

12,500,000 THB

Situated hillside in Karon with beautiful sunset views across the beach. Good common area facilities. Serviced apartments in well managed estate.

FREEHOLD CONDO, Surin Studio, 1 bathroom, 27 sqm

Priced nearly 35% lower than other units, a motivated seller has 4 units on offer in this newly completed development. Beautiful communal rooftop with gym and views

2,700,000 THB

R e Pr duc ic ed e

over Bang Tao.

FREEHOLD STUDIO WITH SEA VIEW, Patong Studio, 1 bathroom, 38.4 sqm

3,900,000 THB

Located in Patong with it’s a wide array of local and international eateries.

Stunning view over the city and ocean. Excellent common areas facilities.

AFFORDABLE POOL VILLA, Kamala 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 169 sqm

7,000,000 THB

@thephuketnews

With stylish interior and large outdoor space, this freehold villa is nestled on a hill surrounded by lush plantations. Less than 5 minutes to the shops and restaurants of Kamala and 15 minutes to Patong.

FREEHOLD PENTHOUSE, Surin 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 262 sqm

Measuring 162 sqm internally with a wonderful roof terrace with Jacuzzi, BBQ and seating area. Just a short walk from Bang Tao and Surin Beach, the condominium has a proven track-record of netting 1.1m THB through rentals.

11,500,000 THB

FREEHOLD CONDO 800M FROM KAMALA BEACH, Kamala 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 99.9 sqm

Refurbished 2-bedroom apartment in walking distance to the beach. Corner unit maximizing privacy. Good common area facilities with 2 common pools and 2 fitness rooms.

4,900,000 THB

36 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Softball hits ACG

For one day only, cricket gets put aside SOFTBALL Jared Spindel

T

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS Run #1616 Saturday January 21 Run Start Time: 3:30pm Hares: No Hope, Singha Location: Baan Namuang area Directions: Head North on Thepkasattri Rd (Route 4002) towards the Airport and turn left at the Old Airport Rd traffic lights (Route 4031). Carry on West for 2.5 kilometres and turn left at the second left hand junction – Ban Namuang (HHH sign). After 1.1km turn right at the junction (HHH sign) then right again at the next junction (700 metres) (Hash Sign). Follow the road to the HHH sign and turn in or park to one side of the road. HHH Truck will be signed.

Bus pick-up: Patong @ Expat Hotel: 2pm Kamala @ Black Cat’s Bar: 2:30pm

Sam Wagner connects with a pitch from Casey Kilbane.

Photo: Michael Way

More info: phuket-hhh.com

1Bar still top PPL table POOL 1BAR SECURED A BIG 9-2 win over Simon and Oils in last Thursday’s (Jan 12) round of the Patong Pool League leaving them 13 points clear at the top of the league table.

Ting Tong Bar also had a good win at home over Dirty Nellies with the final score being 8-3.

It was Ian from Ting Tong Bar who had to make the walk of shame in the game after completely missing the black ball sat right over the pocket.

His miss gave Thai and Bruce an easy point for Dirty Nellies.

Ian was not a happy man to say the least. The win moved Ting Tong Bar up three places to joint 2nd in the league table, while Dirty Nellies dropped

Thai from Dirty Nellies always brings a bit of glamour to the league. three places to 6th.

Meanwhile, Bryan from Cool Hand Lukes was unlucky in his singles game against Genius Bar. He hit a perfect break and potted the 8 ball.

However, a small ball was also pocketed meaning he lost the game.

League Standings 1Bar

45

Cool Hand Lukes

32

Ting Tong

32

Queen of Hearts

30

Genius Bar

30

Wet Dreams

29

Dirty Nellies

27

Martin Swiss

27

San Sabai

26

Caddyshack

25

Champs Bar

24

Simon & Oils

20

Happy End Bar

20

Green Mango

18

Genius ended up walking away with a narrow 6-5 win.

Elsewhere, Martin Swiss won 7-4 at home to San Sabai Sports Bar, Wet Dreams beat Champs Bar 6-5, Caddyshack (Kathu) beat Happy End Bar 6-5, while Green Mango lost at home to Queen of Hearts 5-6.

his past Saturday (Jan 14, saw the Alan Cooke Ground in Phuket host its inaugural softball game.

In a captivating nine-inning affair, British baseball legend Nick Carter led the Bashing Bautistas to a hard fought 1511 victory over the Striking Stromans.

It was a back and forth battle and the tension was high until the very end, as the Stromans put the tying run at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

However, a comeback was not to be, as a pop up to the shortstop sealed the game for the Bautistas.

Asked for comment after the game, the Bautistas’ slugging first baseman, Brennan Campbell, said, “I intended to

put on a hitting display. I put on a hitting display. We won.

I’m not surprised.”

The Stromans had their moments, including an impressive inside the park home run by Casey Kilbane, a diving catch in the outfield by Jared Spindel and outstanding defence at second base by emerging star, Tiger.

The next game is on January 28th at midday at the Alan Cooke Ground. Players are encouraged to show up by 11:30am in order to warm up and take batting practice.

Everyone is welcome to play, regardless of age or experience. There are extra gloves at the ground, so players do not need to bring any equipment.

For more information about upcoming games, join the Phuket Softball Facebook page.

BISP hosts first LTAT rank event TENNIS BRITISH INTERNATIONal School, Phuket (BISP) was proud to host the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand (LTAT), Under His Majesty’s Patronage over the weekend of January 7-8.

This was the first LTAT ranking event hosted at BISP for boys and girls from 8 years through to 18 years. It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to take part in this tournament and for many to experience their first ranking event.

Tennis Head Coach Lee Austrin said, “Well done to all BISP players that competed in the weekend’s ranking event.

It was a real pleasure to see how far many have came in

BISP’s Jeff LaMantia with BISP Tennis academy players. such a short space of time.

“They all competed well, represented themselves and the school with class and showed great sportsmanship.

“BISP had many semifinalists but the highlights of the weekend were, Benjamin (Bigben) winning the 8 and Under event, Kevin runner up in the boys 16 and Under

event and Mila also runner up in the 8 and Under girls event” Austrin said.

“Well done to all players and we look forward to having many more events at our school,” he added.

To see more photos and videos from the event follow their Facebook page or Flickr.

thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

SPORT 37

Srisaket Leicester City take ‘golden Nawaphon, to vie for world titles boot’ boy under their wing BOXING

FOOTBALL Bangkok Post

A

child prodigy’s ambition to play for Thailand received a huge boost on Tuesday (Jan 17) when English Premier League champions Leicester City offered him support.

The seven-year-old boy, who is known only as Suvin (he is without a surname,) became a star after he demonstrated his skill on TV, kicking a ball to hit the crossbar three times in a row.

Since his appearance in a variety show aired on Jan 7, several clubs have expressed interest in signing Suvin, nicknamed Nong Pee. The video of him in action has more than 9.1 million views since being uploaded on the Facebook page of Workpoint Entertainment.

At Tuesday’s press conference to announce their support for the youngster’s bid to become a professional footballer, Leicester Vice-Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said the

@thephuketnews

Suvin poses with, from left, Sombat Leekumnerdthai, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha and Kiatisak Senamuang at Tuesday’s press conference. Photo: via Bangkok Post club would be responsible for Suvin’s education and training.

Aiyawatt was accompanied

by Thailand coach Kiatisak Senamuang, who is a brand ambassador for Leicester City International Academy, and Sombat Leekumnerdthai, who runs the Inter Thailand Academy where the boy currently trains.

Aiyawatt said the club would begin supporting Nong Pee’s studies at an appropriate school, either in Thailand or abroad.

While the boy is in Thailand, Leicester City will send a coach to help him, he said.

“As he is only seven, he is like a white cloth that will open fully to accept all input. We want him to grow

up in the right direction,” Aiyawatt said.

He said Suvin was likely to stay in Thailand for another year or two before going to England.

He estimated it would cost around B30-40 million to groom the boy to become a professional footballer, based on the cost of the club’s Fox Hunt project, which spends around B15mn to groom a 15-year-old.

The young lefty, whose idols are Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Thailand’s Chanathip ‘Messi Jay’ Songkrasin, wants to play for Thailand although he does not have Thai nationality.

The boy was born to parents of the Mon ethnic group who migrated to Thailand from Myanmar.

Suvin said briefly at the press conference: “I promise to pay attention during training. I want to play for the Thai national team.”

Kiatisak thanked Leicester City for providing opportunities for Thai children.

“It is a big opportunity for Nong Pee,” he said.

T WO TH A I FIGHTERS from the Sor Rungvisai training camp have been guaranteed cracks at WBC world titles this March.

Unbeaten Nawaphon Sor Rungvisai will take on Juan Hernandez of Mexico for the WBC f lyweight crown at Bangkok’s Nimibutr Stadium on March 4.

Two weeks later, Srisaket will face WBC super flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Nawaphon and Hernandez, ranked first and second in the f lyweight division respectively, have been lined up to fight for the 112-pound belt vacated by Nicaragua’s Gonzalez, who has moved up to the 115-pound division.

Nakhon Ratchasima-born Nawaphon, 25, will be vying for a world title for the first time. He has yet to lose a fight in his career, winning all of his 36 bouts including 28KOs. Hernandez, 29, has a 33-2 (24KOs) record. He challenged WBC minimumweight champion Kazuto Ioka of

Nawaphon Sor Rungvisai.

Photo: via Bangkok Post Japan for the title in 2011 but lost on points.

In an attempt to win back the title he lost two years ago, Srisaket (41-4-1, 38KOs), whose real name is Wisaksil Wangek, faces a tough assignment in the mandatory fight.

The 30-year-old Thai, ranked second in the division, was handed a chance to face Gonzalez for the title after top challenger Carlos Cuadras of Mexico excused himself.

Srisaket capt ured the WBC’s 115-pound belt in May 2013 with a victory over Yota Sato in Thailand.

A year later in Mexico, he was stopped by Cuadras in the eighth round of his second title defence.

Gonzalez is unbeaten in his career winning all his 46 fights, including 38KOs. Bangkok Post

38 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Liberty Media moves closer to F1 acquisition David Weir won four gold medals at the London 2012 Olympics but failed to collect any in Rio. Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP

Angry Dave Weir ends Great Britain career PARALYMPICS SIX-TIME PARALYMPIC champion David Weir insisted Tuesday (Jan 17) that he would never wear a Great Britain vest again as he slammed British Athletics, the national governing body.

The 37-year-old wheelchair racer had, by his own admission, a “terrible” Paralympics in Rio in September, failing to win a medal after collecting four golds at London 2012.

Weir said in Brazil that he had competed in his last Paralympics and that he would end his career at April’s London Marathon rather than July’s IPC Athletics World Championships at the London

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Stadium.

He also indicated his unhappiness with British Athletics, but without detailing any specific complaints and he dropped further hints on Twitter on Tuesday.

“I have been let down again,” Weir wrote. “Today is the day I officially retire from GB I will never put a shirt on again.#thanksBritishAthletics what a joke.”

“I have just retired from GB I will still be at the London Marathon this year.”

Weir’s Paralympic career came to an unfortunate end with a crash in the marathon and afterwards he said: “Sometimes I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the back.”

AFP

FORMULA ONE AFP

L

iberty Media’s takeover of Formula One moved a further step forward on Tuesday (Jan 17) as stockholders green lighted a bid that values the world’s premier motor racing brand at $8 billion.

At the meeting in Englewood, Colorado, stockholders approved a proposal on issuing of shares related to the deal, which was announced in September, and approved the renaming of Liberty’s media group to “Liberty Formula One Group”.

The deal must still be approved by Formula One’s governing body, the International Automobile Federation, but Liberty said it expects it to be finalised by the end of March.

US bi l l io n a i r e Joh n Malone’s Liberty announced in September it had struck an agreement to buy out Formula One’s parent company from CVC Capital, and had already acquired a minority stake of 18.7 per cent.

Liberty has been in the race for F1 for three years. Photo: AFP

On Tuesday in a statement the company said stockholders approved a proposal relating to the issuance of shares in connection with the acquisition, and a proposal approving a name change from the “Media Group” to the “Formula One Group”.

The takeover will give the US firm control of a global and highly profitable sport that rakes in billions from advertisers and broadcasting rights.

Formula One-branded merchandise also brings in millions, but some F1 teams

are plagued by financial problems and the sport has limited activity in the social and digital media platforms crucial to courting the next generation of fans.

In September Liberty said it would keep long-time Formula One mastermind Bernie Ecclestone, 86, but it also said it would install 21st Century Fox vice chairman Chase Carey as the sport’s new chairman.

Carey – eased out of power by a change of succession at Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp – has a proven record in

expansive sport-media growth, and expertise in the value and exploitation of sports rights, notably in the US market.

The 20-race 2017 Formula One season gets underway in Australia on March 26 and ends in Abu Dhabi on November 26.

Carey said in September that he and Liberty were excited by the prospects in “developing markets” in the Americas and Asia, but stressed that the “established markets – the home and foundation of Formula One in Europe – are of critical importance.”

Olympic venue’s ‘sexist’ policy OLYMPICS A JAPANESE COUNTRY club set to host the 2020 Olympics golf competition said on Wednesday (Jan 18) that it would consider changing a policy not to admit women as full members after Tokyo’s female governor slammed the rule.

Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, north of Tokyo, came under fire last week as Yuriko Koike said she felt “very uncomfortable that women cannot become full members in the 21st century”.

“It should be a venue open to everyone,” the capital’s top official told reporters last Friday (Jan 13).

This week, Britain’s Telegraph newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying that the International Olympic Committee had serious concerns, and was in contact with the International Golf Federation (IGF) over the issue.

On Wednesday, the club’s General Manager, Hiroshi Imaizumi, said there would be a discussion about changing the long-standing policy if either international body requested it.

“I think we should keep

Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama came under fire last week as Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she felt ‘very uncomfortable that women cannot become full members in the 21st century’. Photo: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP up with the times,” Imaizumi said.

The club has 220 women on its roster but they are not allowed to become full members and they cannot play on certain Sundays – restrictions that do not apply to male members.

“We haven’t received any complaints from female members about the rules so we were surprised” by Koike’s criticism, he added.

Golf’s international body had already visited the club before it was chosen as the 2020 venue but Imaizumi said he was unsure if it was familiar with the policy.

Last year, historic Scottish golf course Muirfield lost its

status as a British Open venue after voting not to admit female members.

Tokyo Olympics organising committee head Yoshiro Mori expressed concerns about the Tokyo-area club, saying players would have a two to three hour daily commute from the athletes’ village, Japanese media reported.

Summertime temperatures in the area, which can soar as high as 40 degrees Celsius, have also been cited as a potential problem.

Plans for the Tokyo Games have been marred by problems, including a plagiarism scandal and huge cost overruns.

AFP thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

SPORT 39

PREMIER PREDICTIONS: ENTER NOW AT THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Five things we learnt in the Premier League I FOOTBALL

AFP

n last weekend’s Premier League action, week 21 of the season, Chelsea coped admirably without Diego Costa as the leaders battered

Size matters as City crash

As Pep Guardiola sunk deeper into his coat in the closing stages of Manchester City’s dismal 4-0 defeat at Everton last Sunday (Jan 15), the Spaniard might have been forgiven for wishing he was back in east London.

Just nine days previously Guardiola was being hailed for his managerial genius after City picked West Ham apart in a 5-0 demolition job at the London Stadium in the FA Cup third round.

After a spluttering spell, Guardiola felt City’s players had regained their confidence because West Ham’s large pitch suited their passing game. But, on the much tighter confines of Goodison Park – one of the league’s

Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during their game against Everton.

Photo: Paul Ellis/AFP smallest pitches – City found themselves hemmed in by Everton’s relentless pressing as goals from Romelu Lukaku, Kevin Mirallas, Tom Davies and Ademola Lookman left them 10 points adrift of leaders Chelsea following Guardiola’s biggest ever league defeat.

Hammers shine without Payet Michail Antonio’s superb show in West Ham’s 3-0 romp over Crystal Palace suggests life without Dimitri Payet won’t be all bad. Payet is reportedly refusing to play in an attempt to engineer a lucrative transfer to his former club Marseille.

But Payet wasn’t missed as Antonio created all three of the Hammers goals – the highlight of which was Andy Carroll’s sublime bicycle kick. Carroll’s form after an injury-blighted start to the campaign also offers some hope to manager Slaven

West Ham’ Andy Carroll scores their second goal against Crystal Palace with this bicycle kick.

Photo: Ian Kington/AFP Bilic that West Ham can enjoy a strong second half of the season regardless of whether Payet ends his selfimposed exile.

Spurs sharper than ever Tottenham Hotspur's sophisticated 4-0 dismantling of West Bromwich Albion left their rivals contemplating the unpalatable thought that Mauricio Pochettino's side might be even better than the team that chased Leicester City to the line in last season's title race. Harry Kane scored his first hat-trick of the season and Tottenham would have won even more comfortably had it not been for the reflexes of visiting goalkeeper Ben Foster, who was also beaten by a Gareth McAuley own goal. After a @thephuketnews

Tottenham’s Harry Kane celebrates scoring his first goal against West Brom last weekend.

Photo: Glyn Kirk/AFP return of two wins from eight league games between October and December, Spurs have now won six games on the trot.

Leicester, while Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola suffered one of the worst days of his career and Manchester United drew with bitter rivals

Liverpool.

Here we look at five things we learnt from last weekend’s Premier League matches:

No Costa? No problem

Without their leading scorer Diego Costa after a reported training ground row with boss Antonio Conte, Chelsea proved they can thrive in the absence of the Spain striker in a dynamic 3-0 win at Leicester last Saturday (Jan 14). Costa is said to have fallen out with Conte after a dispute over his fitness, amid reports he has been offered a lucrative move to China. Costa claimed he wasn’t fit to play and Conte disagreed, at one point reportedly shouting ‘go to China’ at his player.

In the end, Costa didn’t feature at the King Power Stadium and Conte coyly put his absence down to a back injury. It was a saga

The overall competition winner receives a two day/one night private fishing charter to Racha Island on board Wahoo Yacht Charters Phuket’s Reel Blue. Total prize value: B180,000 The monthly competition winner for January 2017 will receive a B3,000 voucher to spend at Angus O'Tools in Karon.

EPL PREDICTIONS MONTHLY STANDINGS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

OVERALL STANDINGS

Russell 13 toptipster 13 adamrosindale 12 lufc 12 mammar 12

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Sidwell Guduka 123 The Red Card Gang 123 carst 121 scottkip 121 chook 119

English Premier League 2016 - 2017

Costa was not involved in Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Leicester last weekend.

Photo AFP that could have damaged Chelsea’s morale but two goals from left-back Marcos Alonso and a further strike from Pedro ensured the west Londoners cemented their position in top of the table.

Team

MP W

D

L

F

A

GD

Pts

1

Chelsea

21

17

1

3

45

15

30

52

2

Tottenham Hotspur

21

13

6

2

43

14

29

45

3

Liverpool

21

13

6

2

49

24

25

45

4

Arsenal

21

13

5

3

48

22

26

44

5

Manchester City

21

13

3

5

41

26

15

42

6

Manchester United

21

11

7

3

32

20

12

40

7

Everton

21

9

6

6

32

23

9

33

8

West Brom

21

8

5

8

28

28

0

29

9

Stoke City

21

7

6

8

27

33

-6

27

10

Burnley

21

8

2

11

23

31

-8

26

11

Bournemouth

21

7

4

10

30

37

-7

25

12

West Ham United

21

7

4

10

26

35

-9

25

13

Southampton

21

6

6

9

19

26

-7

24

14

Watford

21

6

5

10

23

36

-13

23

15

Leicester City

21

5

6

10

24

34

-10

21

16

Middlesbrough

21

4

8

9

17

22

-5

20

17

Crystal Palace

21

4

4

13

30

40

-10

16

18

Hull City

21

4

4

13

20

45

-25

16

19

Sunderland

21

4

3

14

20

40

-20

15

20

Swansea City

21

4

3

14

23

49

-26

15

Pogba should let his football do the talking To great fanfare, Paul Pogba this week became the first footballer with his own Twitter emoji – a small image of the Manchester United midfielder’s head in profile that appears in a tweet whenever the hashtag #pogba is used. United seemed proud of their player’s achievement and flashed the image up on the advertising hoardings encircling Old Trafford’s pitch during Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool. But after several impressive performances in recent weeks, Pogba had a shocker, misplacing passes, running down blind alleys and committing a needless handball offence that allowed James

MONTHLY SPONSOR

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Live Sports TV Schedule *Times may be subject to change

SPORT

START STOP

EVENT

TEAMS / INFO

Friday January 20 Tennis

13:00

19:00

Australian Open

Day 5, Melbourne

Cricket

22:30

02:00

T20 - Centurion

South Africa v. Sri Lanka

Saturday January 21

The Paul Pogba Twitter emoji. Photo: Twitter Milner to give the visitors a first-half lead. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s late leveller got him off the hook, but United’s supporters will hope to see more from the France international on the pitch – and perhaps a little bit less from him on social media – in the weeks ahead.

Rugby Union 19:55

22:00

Champions Cup

Ulster v. Bordeaux

22:10

00:00

Champions Cup

Saracens v. Toulon

00:30

02:30

Champions Cup

Leicester v. Glasgow

19:30

21:30

EPL

Liverpool v. Swansea

22:00

00:00

EPL

Stoke v. Man United

22:00

00:00

EPL

Middlesbrough v. West Ham

22:00

00:00

EPL

Crystal Palace v. Everton

00:30

02:30

EPL

Man City v. Tottenham

13:00

19:00

Australian Open

Day 6, Melbourne

Rugby Union 19:55

22:00

Champions Cup

Stade Francais v. Harlequins

22:10

00:00

Champions Cup

Zebre v. Wasps

20:30

22:30

EPL

Arsenal v. Burnley

23:00

01:00

EPL

Chelsea v. Hull

Tennis

13:00

19:00

Australian Open

Day 7, Melbourne

Cricket

14:00

23:00

ODI 3 - Kolkata

India v. England

Cricket

14:00

23:00

ODI 1 - Pune

India v. England

Soccer

Tennis

Sunday January 22

Soccer

Sport

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor3@classactmedia.co.th

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

‘Golden Boot’ boy taken under Fox’s wings > page 37

PHUKET ‘BEST IN SAIL’

Island yachties perform well at Langkawi

Scott Bradley’s ‘Emagine’ came in 2nd overall in the top racing class division. Photo: Bob Mott

YACHTING Bob Mott

S

cott Bradley’s Sydney 40 Emagine, which was recently refurbished by Precision Shipwrights, led the way with a 2nd overall in the top racing class division at the recent Royal Langkawi International Regatta, putting on an impressive performance to split the much larger TP52s – Don Whitcraft’s THA72 from Royal Varuna Yacht Club Pattaya and Peter Ahern’s Langkawi-based TP52 Oi!.

Even Phuket’s Rolly Tasker Sails were represented down there this year with a French team on PhPlus gaining a 3rd

in IRC 1 race class.

In the IRC 2 class, Phuket sailor Nils Degenkolw’s Phoenix managed a solid win with seven bullets (first-place finishes), improving on last year’s 2nd place overall. Meanwhile, Liz Schoch’s all-lady team from the Phuket Yacht Club on Sailescapes Fargo Ladies vintage Farr 1104 ran in at 3rd.

Multihull Racing saw Robert Van Paridon’s French carbon trimaran Tantrum Too take out a convincing 1st with six bullets. New resident to Phuket Rick Fielding’s Mojo, a Fusion 40 cruising cat, took out 3rd overall. Rick’s team on Mojo were also presented the “Sportsman” award by fellow sailors for their perseverance

Liz Schoch’s all-lady team celebrate coming in 3rd. Photo: Bob Mott during their first regatta in the light wind conditions.

Rick said he will be back to do all the Phuket regattas starting with The Bay Regatta in February and participating in the Multihull Solutions

Multihull Regatta and Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek in July.

In the Whitesail class, which does not fly spinnakers while racing, Woodrow Jack Christianson’s Bavaria 49

Linda managed 2nd place – bringing smiles all around after battling the recent storms to get down there for the regatta.

For the Phuketians who braved the recent storms to get to Langkawi for the regatta it was a very good overall result in the classes they competed in.

Overall entries were 30 in eight divisions.

In addition, another piece of history for the Royal Langkawi International Regatta this year was the age of the skipper on THA72 – Don Whitcraft being the youngest ever to skipper a yacht in racing class at 21 years of age.

Light conditions made for tough going and some seriously tight competition

in the racing classes. Rarely did the wind strength get above six knots, which was just enough.

One day out of the five racing days was cancelled due to lack of wind.

Parties were impressive with excellent bands playing.

Charlie’s Place restaurant and bar absorbed up the competitors each afternoon and into the night with ease, and the newly opened 44-room hotel at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club made a huge difference accommodating media, staff and competitors on sight.

Free marina berthing during the regatta made for a very convenient and welcome addition for competitors.

AIS Division 2 renamed, Phuket to play Surat Thani in season opener FOOTBALL THE AIS DIVISION 2 IN WHICH Phuket FC played last season and were set to play in this year has now been renamed the AIS Thailand League 4, and this will now be the league the Andaman Dragon play in 2017.

However, Phuket will once again play in the league for the southern area, the same as last year.

Meanwhile, the draw for the season openers for all leagues was held last Thursday (Jan 12), and in their league – AIS Thai League 4 South Zone – Phuket were drawn to play away to Surat Thani FC. The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) announced its Roadmap for the new Thai League, starting in

2017, at the end of last year.

The FAT Executive Committee revealed new logos and leagues names.

As from this season onwards, under Thai League Co Ltd, Thai football will have five leagues in its pyramid with the Thai League (T1) being at the tip.

The top tier will be a league currently known as Thai League (T1).

The league will be 18 teams. (The 1st-15th ranked in Thai League 2016 will be joined by the top three teams from Division 1 last season).

Furthermore, in 2019, the top league will reduce from 18 to just 16 teams in an attempt to complement Thailand’s international fixtures in other competitions.

The second tier will be Thai League 2 (T2). The League will be

The FAT have re-branded the new structure with new logos that will be used from the next season.

18 teams. Same duration as the T1.

(The 16th-18th ranked teams that are relegated from Thai League 2016 and the 4th-15th ranked teams in 2016 Division 1, plus the three teams promoted from Division 2 last season.)

However, T2 will not cut the numbers of teams in 2019.

The third tier will be Thai League

3 (T3). The T3 will be played in 2017 for the first season. Teams in the 1st-4th ranked from eight zones of the 2016 Division 2 will participate in the league. T3 will consist of 32 teams. This will be divided to two zones, 16 teams per each.

Thai League 4 (T4) will be the fourth tier. The 2016 Division 2 teams that did not make the grade for T3, and reserve T1 teams will participate in T4. This level offers no promotion opportunity for T1 reserve teams but rewards achievement financially.

The last tier is Thai Amateur Tournament.

In addition to the league’s divisions, the FAT have re-branded the new structure with new logos that will be used from the next season on. The fresh new designs include a modern

take on the elephant icon that mix with the letter “T” (Thailand). All five leagues will use the same logo but with different colours.

Meanwhile, it has now been confirmed that Phuket FC will start their 2017 AIS Thailand League 4 campaign on February 11 when they will travel away to Surat Thani FC. Full details on this and the rest of the season games are not yet available.

In preparation for the coming season, Phuket are set to play a team from the Sports Association of Phuket in a friendly game on Sunday (Jan 22) at Surakul Stadium with kick-off set for 4pm. This precedes a further friendly game away from home against Ranong United in on January 28.

Matt Pond thephuketnews