The Phuket News 20 July 2018

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The Italian art of Manzoni artisan gelato Royal Thai Police Deputy Commander Pol Gen Sriwara Rangsipramanakul inspects the shipyard where the ‘Phoenix’ was built. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

OFFICIAL SCRAMBLE TO PRESENT IMAGE OF SAFETY AS MASS CHINESE TOURIST CANCELLATIONS HIT The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

O

fficials were scrambling this past week to present Phuket as a safe destination for tourists in the aftermath of the Phoenix tour boat disaster on July 5, which has spurred a flood of booking cancellations by Chinese tourists that has sent occupancy at hotels across the island crashing down.

Top-ranking officials including Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn last Sat-

urday (July 14) began their campaign to limit fallout from the disaster, which killed 47 Chinese tourists.

“In the past year, 9.8 million Chinese tourists came to Thailand, generating B500 billion in tourism revenue, but now Chinese tourists are concerned about emergency rescue systems in place and there are now some cancellations into Thailand.

“We would like to ask all sectors to provide positive information about Phuket so that tourists know and help to create a positive tourism image,” Mr Yuthasak said.

Mr Yuthasak pointed out that social media in China – over which the Thai Government has no control – was where the damage was done.

“The urgent report we have received from China is that there is very little news in terms of communication, there is much more information on social media about the disaster,” he said.

“Next week will take the media from China to learn about the management of marine tourism in Thailand to build confidence and our tourism image,” Mr Yuthasak added.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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“In this situation, what we need to do is to ensure that tourists are confident and communicate information in the same direction, and I believe that tourism in Phuket will return and the tourists will come back to Phuket as they did before,” he said.

Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong called on the TAT to provide accurate information on how many room bookings and tours had been cancelled. He also called for better integration of the Thai Meteorological Department, which issues weather alerts, with radio media and television...

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FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Poll shows little faith among voting public for national election > page 4

Disaster hits tourism baht Continued from page 1 ...“Weather conditions must be reported hourly 24 hours a day. There must be a call centre available for updates at all times. All boats must pass inspection at checkpoints, and at Chalong Pier officials will check to ensure three aspects are covered: the boat, the captain and the passengers. The province will also carry out random inspections to make sure boats meet the prescribed standards,” he said.

“Now Phuket has set up a marine rescue centre at on Koh Yao (about 15 kilometres east of Phuket) to better respond to emergencies with speedboats, patrol boats and other vessels on call ready to help,” he added.

“All this is needed not only for the benefit of Phuket. This is an important national interest,” he added.

Governor Norraphat’s reference that the Phuket boat disaster is a national concern follows Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha issuing a statement calling for heightened regulation of safety standards in the marine industry specifically in response to the Phoenix disaster.

However, he also added clearly that following the investigation “all relevant parties must be prosecuted”.

“The key is to prevent this happening again. The order has been given for the relevant agencies to be more stringent in enforcing regulations. They will need to check tour boats as well as fishing boats,” he said.

Tourism and Sports Permanent Secretary Pongpanu Svetarundra explains the number of cancellations just seven days after the disaster.

“If any boat is found leaving port without passing (the standards required by law), the case must be resolved, including removing officials,” PM Prayut noted.

Following a flurry of meetings to softly pass the PM’s message on, Tourist Police Deputy Commander Surachet Hakpan pulled no punches.

After a closed-doors meeting in Phuket last Friday (July 13), he announced that all 400-plus tour boats registered as operating in the Andaman region are to be re-inspected for safety – and confirmed that the Commander of the Tourist Police had ordered the Marine Department to transfer the Chief of Marine Office Region 5 office pending further investigation.

“Officials are to be held responsible,” he said. “Any boats that fail

the inspection must be fixed before they can be allowed to provide tours.

The Marine Office will be held responsible for approving them,” he added.

Marine officials must work with Tourist Police in inspecting and approving boats, he added.

“We also need to know who approved for this boat (the Phoenix) to be built and operated. Officials who allowed this must be charged… and the Marine Department will take responsibility for any boat accidents,” he said.

The Marine Department will also be held responsible for any boats leaving port, he said.

Gen Surachet’s strong stance hot on the heels of Royal Thai Police Deputy Commissioner Pol Gen Sriwara Rangsipramanakul and a

team of investigators arriving in Phuket last Friday to announce the slew of arrest warrants issued for the disaster, including inspecting the boatyard where the Phoenix was built which was also found to be operating illegally.

On Monday, the registered owner of the Phoenix, Woralak Rerkchaikarn, 26, was refused bail by the Phuket Provincial Court and was being held in remand at the detention cells at the court, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen confirmed this week.

However, Chief construction engineer for the boat, Onchan Kanhayote, 56, was allowed to post bail.

Both face charges of negligence causing death for the disaster.

As such, Ms Woralak is the first Thai national to be incarcerated over the tragedy, while police have yet to even publicly name any officials under investigation for allowing the unsafe boat to put to sea at all – a fact confirmed on Tuesday by Capt Somkiat Sansithi, Chief of the Investigation Division at the Chalong Police, who is the leading investigator in the case.

The concerted effort to show the world that Thailand is taking the disaster very seriously comes as Chinese booking cancellations skyrocket, throwing into jeopardy a large sector of Thailand’s critical tourism industry.

Tourism and Sports Permanent Secretary Pongpanu Svetarundra in Phuket last Thursday (July 12), just

seven days after the disaster, revealed that Chinese tourist advance bookings in Phuket had been slammed with 10-15% cancellations.

As of Wednesday this week estimates of cancellations by Chinese tourists as high as 80-90% were being reported for the Patong area alone, while fears spiralled over the lucrative Golden Week national holiday, this year from Oct 1-7, which traditionally brings hordes of tourists from Mianland China to Thailand, and Phuket.

Chaiya Rapuepon, President of the Andaman Tourism Business Association confirmed to the Bangkok Post that at least six Chinese carriers – Spring Airlines, China Eastern, Xiamen Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Sichuan and China Southern – had stopped providing flights between Phuket and China.

“We would like to call on the government to talk with those airlines to resume operations ahead of Golden Week,” he said. “If not, we will lose many tourists.”

Kongsak Koopongsakorn, Vice President of the Thai Hotels Association, on Wednesday told The Phuket News that occupancy rates across the island had already plunged.

“We are still gathering figures, but we already know that the figure is 30% down compared to last year.

“We understand this attitude, and it can be changed, but usually when tourists from China decide to cancel, they will not book again for a long time,” Mr Kongsak said.

Large arms cache seized, two arrested A TEAM OF MILITARY and police officers have arrested two men and seized a cache of firearms, ammunition and explosives.

Acting on an arrest warrant, Col Santi Sakuntanark, Commander of the 25th Infantry Regiment and the highest-ranking army officer stationed in Phuket, Sub Lt Wattanachai Klongpradit of the Royal Thai Army 25th Military together with officers from Phuket City Police led by Phuket City Police Chief Col Sompong Thiparpakul, Lt Col Rungrit Rattanapakdee of the Phuket City Police and other officers conducted a search of property 6/78 Moo 2 in Rassada at 7:30pm last Thursday (July 12).

During the search police

arrested Sanakorn Jirayut, 51, when he was found in possession of a cache of weapons including militaryissued weapons, ammunition including 7.62mm as well as .357, .45, .22-calibre bullets and even TNT, detonators and electronic circuits – reported police.

Sanakorn was taken to Phuket City Police Station where he told police some of the firearms belonged to his friend in the military.

Following the questioning of Sanakorn, officers went to raid another property in Moo 6 in Rassada, where they found Weera Euabanrung, 50, with some registered f irear ms and some unregistered firearms including a CZ semi-automatic handgun, one pistol,

Sanakorn Jirayut, 51, was arrested with various firearms, ammunition and even TNT. Photo: Phuket City Police one Sig Sauer handgun, a .22 rifle, two shotguns and assortment of matching ammunition.

Weera was also taken to Phuket City Police Station where he told police enjoyed shooting and had collected many firearms, he said.

Police have reported that

Sanakorn has been charged with illegal possession of military-issued weapons, illegal possession of explosives and illegal possession of ammunition.

Weera has been charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Eakkapop Thongtub thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

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Missing fisherman’s body found Rescue teams recover body of local missing since ‘Phoenix storm’ Eakkapop Thongtub editor@classactmedia.co.th

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body found floating off Koh Racha on Monday (July 16) has been confirmed as that of one of two Rawai fishermen missing since the same storm on July 5 that sank the Phoenix tour boat.

Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Third Area Command boat Tor 234 was dispatched from the pier at Cape Panwa with Kusoldharm rescue workers on board late Monday afternoon to recover the body.

The body, found floating in the sea northeast of Koh Racha by fisherman on board the fishing boat 111 Pornprasert, was identified as that of Saksri ‘Bangchuk’ Naopai, 42, by an official Thai ID card in a wallet that was found on the body.

Rescue officials from Rawai Municipality joined the search for the two fishermen. Photo: Rawai Municipality / Aroon Solos The body arrived at the pier at Cape Panwa at 7pm, where relatives were waiting, then transported to Vachira Phuket Hospital for examina-

tion as required by police due process.

Officials from Rawai Municipality, Navy vessels and other boats had been searching

Officials inert as fishing boat breaks apart at tourist beach OFFICIALS ON MONDAY (July 15) confirmed they would do nothing about the large pieces of wood being dangerously tossed about in the surf at Nai Yang Beach after a fishing boat foundering in strong winds and waves ran aground, broke apart and sank in the bay last Friday (July 13).

Marine officials confirmed last Saturday that the Chok Mong fishing boat with five people on board was pushed off its anchor and onto rocks after 11am.

The five on board put on life jackets and abandoned ship, jumping in to the relatively shallow water and making it safely to shore.

Marine officials issued a formal notice for the owner of the Chok Mong to recover the boat and move it to a safe locale.

However, following eyewitness reports of wood debris and fuel f loating on the water at Nai Yang last Saturday, officials at Sakoo Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor) said on Monday that they would take no action to clear the dangerous debris.

One eye-witness told The Phuket News, “The crew made it on land safely… after throwing tons of nets and old oil canisters and everything @thephuketnews

The ‘Chok Mong’ fishing boat continued to break apart at Nai Yang Beach, with fuel and large pieces of wood being dangerously tossed ashore. Photo: Supplied else over board to get the boat lighter… and straight onto our last coral banks.

“The boat is broken in half in the middle and with every wave moves over the coral banks. Winds are too strong though for us to do anything safely. Guess it is gonna stay there until it’s broken into smaller pieces.

“Same happened last year with a smaller boat and nobody cared. Not even after a tourist lost a toe cutting it off on the sharp metal in the water,” the eye-witness said.

An officer at the Sakoo OrBorTor who refused to be named told The Phuket News on Monday that the Chok Mong is a fishing boat based at one of the Koh Yao islands on the east side of Phuket.

“The boat broke due to strong currents which pushed it onto a reef two days ago,”

the officer said.

“Now we are waiting for the recovery team to come and recover the boat. There were no injuries,” the officer added, declining to answer any further questions.

The plight of the Chok Mong came while top-flight officials were publicising the ramping up of marine safety standards under orders from the Prime Minister as damage control after Chinese tour bookings started to plunge in the wake of the Phoenix tour boat disaster on July 5 that killed 47 Chinese tourists.

The Phuket News

the area and nearby islands since relatives reported Mr Saksri and his friend Prawit ‘Banglee’ Salee, 59, as missing on July 8.

The men were last seen fishing off Koh Racha on July 5 when the storm blew in.

Of note, the two men were missing while Navy and Air Force search-and-rescue teams were focussing their efforts on the areas northeast of Koh Hei (Coral Island), and extending past to include Phi Phi Island, to recover any survivors – and later bodies – from the Phoenix disaster, which claimed 47 lives.

The search for Mr Prawit was continuing, The Phuket News was told on Tuesday.

The discovery followed Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong, Vice Governor Snith Sriwihok and heads of government agencies in Rawai visiting the families of the two missing fishermen who were reported missing just days after the Phoenix tour boat disaster on July 5.

“The province has coordinated the search for the two missing fishermen and Chinese tourists and we have contacted neighbouring provinces since the day we were informed,” Gov Norraphat said.

Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos added, “The visit of the governor today is to track the progress on the search and encourage the families of Mr Prawit and Mr Saksri who disappeared on July 5 at Koh Racha.

“The province has searched since the first day of notification. We help by not stating whether they are Chinese or whoever.

“For the Rawai people that went missing the family understood that they were on land. Other people also thought the same. This was before locals and officials joined the search,” Mayor Aroon said.

Jet-ski rider missing in storm

R ESCUE TEAMS ON WEDNESDAY (July 18) resumed their search for 25-year-old Koset ‘Oat’ Deebukdam, who disappeared while riding a jet-ski off Naka Yai Island, off Phuket’s east coast, after he was caught in the storm that hit Phuket late Tuesday afternoon.

Rescue workers from Pa Khlok and members from Volunteer Defense Corps launched a search on Tuesday (July 17) and continued until 7:30pm before the search was suspended due to the conditions being deemed too dangerous.

The search resumed on Wednesday at 7am.

Rescue officials reported that the search team on Wednesday included 30 jet skis and one speedboat with five members from the Volunteer Defense Corps on board.

A ‘Rescue Centre’ has been established at Ao Por Pier, where emergency responders remain on standby, to co-ordinate the search effort.

A boat from the Phuket Marine Office was to join the search later that morning.

Mr Koset was last seen at about 3:30pm on Tuesday between Naka Yai Island and

Emergency response teams stand at the ready at Ao Por Pier in Pa Khlok as the search for 25-year-old Koset ‘Oat’ Deebukdam continued on Wednesday. Photo: PR Dept Naka Noi Island, Thalang Police Chief Lt Col Theerawat Liamsuwan confirmed on Tuesday.

“A team of about 10 to 15 jet-skis were sent out to find him, but so far we have not received any reports of success,” he said.

Mr Koset was not wearing a life jacket and cannot swim, Col Theerawat noted.

The Phuket News

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PHUKET NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM PHUKET SEVEN DAY WEATHER FORECAST

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FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018 www.foreca.com

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A vote in the wild

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SALES SUPPORT Siriporn (Nok) Seangmas 086 479 7470 sales@classactmedia.co.th

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The 29-year-old driver had no idea why his Mercedes went up in flames. Photo: Tha Chatchai Police

Mercedes up in flames THE DRIVER OF A MERcedes-Benz car is lost for a reason why his car went up in flames while driving along Thepkrasattri Rd in Tha Chatchai, at the northern end of the island, last Tuesday night (July 11).

Lt Col Sarit Budnongsang, Deputy Superintendent of the Tha Chatchai Police, was notified of the fire at 11:30pm.

Tha Chatchai Police Inspector Lt Col Preecha Komgchu soon arrived at the scene, at the Na Som Poi U-turn point on Thepkrasattri Rd northbound in Mai Khao, to find the Mercedes parked, and being engulfed by flames.

Two fire trucks and disaster officials were on site within minutes and took 20 minutes to douse the blaze.

Police said they would investigate further to determine the cause of the fire.

Eakkapop Thongtub

Poll shows lack of confidence in elections PM Prayut has announced that a national election is likely to be held in February next year, but a local poll indicates that most people are wary whether it will actually change anything. Photo: AFP

PHUKET POLL The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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n online poll has shown a “first past the post” majority of people believe that Thailand is ready to hold national elections, but are overshadowed by a combined majority who believe that Thailand is either not ready or that national elections will not make any difference to the political landscape of the country.

The poll, which ran for two weeks, was launched after Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha announced late last month that national elections were expected to be held early next year, likely in February.

To this The Phuket News asked readers the simple snapshot question, “Is Thailand ready for elections?”

Overall, 29% of the respondents voted “No, Thailand is not yet ready for elections, which should be delayed until the political climate is ready for them to be held.”

A further 25% voted “It doesn’t matter whether Thailand holds elections or not.”

However, 46% of all respondents voted “Yes, Thailand is ready and elections should be held as soon as practicably possible.”

A look at the general demographics of those taking part in the poll showed

that overall 35% of respondents were Thai nationals. Local expatriate residents comprised 56% of all respondents, with only 8% of those who took part in the poll identifying themselves as a “Foreign visitor to Phuket”.

In a breakdown by demographic 47.06% of the Thai nationals who took part voted “Yes, Thailand is ready and elections should be held as soon as practicably possible.”

Nearly one-third (29.41%) voted “No, Thailand is not yet ready for elections” while 23.53% voted that elections did not matter.

In comparison, 40.74% of the local expatriate residents said “Yes. Thailand is ready for elections”, but 33.33% said “No. Thailand is not ready” while a further 25.93% said that elections didn’t matter.

Foreign visitors to Phuket were the most optimistic, with 75% of those taking part saying “Yes. Thailand is ready to hold elections”. None voted that Thailand is not ready, while 25% voted that it did not matter if elections were held or not.

For the full results of the poll, visit ThePhuketNews.com and select ‘Poll’ from the ‘News’ menu.

Kiattisak (Rudy) Deamer 088 754 1371 sales2@classactmedia.co.th

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PHUKET NEWS

GrabTaxi hikes ‘surcharge’ to highest in the country The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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rabTaxi, the island’s only form of a public ‘taxi company’, has launched a new booking fee for Phuket customers only that ramps up the surcharge to B150 – a fee that GrabTaxi itself admits is the highest in the country.

GrabTaxi remains the only form of a taxi company in Phuket with all other taxis geared – or dedicated – to serving tourists as “privately hired taxi vehicles”.

A customer service representative at GrabTaxi’s call centre explained to The Phuket News, “We increased the surcharge in November from B50 to B150, but on the meter the surcharge will start from B50.

“Everything we show in the app for customers to see,” the representative added.

Asked why the increase in the “booking fee” applied only to Phuket, the representative explained, “In Phuket there are many hills, (and because of) the fuel costs, including the long distances between each

@thephuketnews

GrabTaxi has hiked its ‘booking fee’ surcharge in Phuket to make it the most expensive in the country, where Phuket already by law has the most expensive metered-taxi rates in Thailand. Images: GrabTaxi / Supplied (pickup and drop-off) point.”

Prapai Suankul, Senior Policy Specialist at the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), confirmed that the “surcharge” hike was legal, and that there was nothing his office could do about it.

Indeed, he said he was unaware of the booking fee hike until he was informed of it by The Phuket News.

“They are not charging any more than the legal amount set by law as the rates. This is a surcharge, which is a matter

between the customer and the company,” Mr Prapai said.

Mr Prapai thanked The Phuket News for bringing this to his attention. “I will arrange to discuss this matter with the company,” he said.

Mr Prapai admitted that Phuket has – as well known for many years – the most expensive taxi rates in the country.

“Taxi (meter) prices in Phuket are the highest in Thailand, and there are about 350 metered taxis in Phuket,” he confirmed.

Metered taxis in Phuket charge B50 for the first two kilometres, then B12/km for the next 13km (up to the 15km journey mark), then B10/km thereafter.

The current rates were introduced in 2014. By law, all taxi rates in the country are set by a national committee at the Land Transport Department headquarters in Bangkok.

Also set by law in 2014 was that metered taxis were also entitled to charge an additional B100 surcharge in addition to the B50 for those taking a taxi from Phuket International Airport.

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Wedding brawl leaves teen seriously injured T H R E E T E E N AG E R S were injured, one of them seriously, when a fight erupted between two gangs of teenagers attending a wedding at Koh Siray, east of Phuket Town, early on Tuesday (July 17).

Officers from Phuket City Police reported at 2am that a fight had broken out at a multipurpose hall in Ban Laem Tukkae, Moo 4, Rassada, with three people injured, one seriously.

Lt Anuwat Raksayot, a sub-inspector from Phuket City Police reported to his commander before going to the scene together with deputy chief of the Phuket City Police Lt Col Kaken Nikrahatchai and officers from Phuket City and Rassada police stations.

Upon arrival at the scene, a large group of residents had gathered in front of the hall. They told police that Ao Pramongkit and another man named only as Panya had already been taken to the Phuket Provincial Hospital.

It was reported that Ao had sustained four wounds from a sharp object while Panya had wounds across his body.

However, both were said to be safe.

A third man, who has not

Police at the scene of the brawl, a multi-purpose hall at Laem Tukkae, Rassada.

Photo: Phuket City Police been named, was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town by Kusoldharm rescue workers. He was also reported as safe.

Upon inspecting the scene, police found three .38 bullet casings which were taken away as evidence.

According to police, a wedding had taken place at the hall and everyone was drinking and enjoying music. Suddenly a fight broke out between two gangs of youths – Thai Mai and Koh Siray – and this is when the three men sustained their injuries.

Officers from Phuket City Police led by deputy chief Lt Col Rungrit Rattanapakdee questioned a number of witnesses and said they were hoping to bring those responsible in for questioning as soon as possible.

Eakkapop Thongtub

Opinion 6

OPINION

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

editor@classactmedia.co.th

EDITORIAL

It’s what they call karma!

CONTACT US

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CHRIS HUSTED

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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.

MATTHEW POND

News & Sports Editor

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

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ll of the promises made

by Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong to envoys from various countries that their tourists are safe while in Phuket are worthless following the July 5 Phoenix tour boat disaster in which 47 (so we are told) tourists lost their lives.

In the weeks and months leading up to July 5, Governor Norraphat had not only assured Chinese government officials that their tourists were safe – this being on more than one occasion – but also government officials from the Netherlands and Pakistan.

Sadly, Governor Norraphat’s comments came back to haunt him.

For Governor Norraphat to make such bold statements regarding tourists’ safety is a dangerous move.

Perhaps it would have been better for Gov Norraphat just to

editor1@classactmedia.co.th Twenty years experience in the I n t e r n a t i o n a l m e d i a m a r ke t , creating content for Paramount Pictures, Mar vel and the BBC. Having previously lived on the island, David returned to cover regional lifestyle and cultural stories.

He originates from the UK.

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and in the large part it pretty much did.

Another issue which has been skirted around was the ages of those who lost their lives.

Despite several attempts, The Phuket News has been unsuccessful in obtaining a list of even the ages of those who perished in the Phoenix disaster.

There have been rumours that some 13 children lost their lives, and one local English media company even claimed on its Facebook page that the number was 16.

However, what we do hope is that what was reported by government officials throughout this tragic event was the truth, as if not, and as Governor Norraphat has learned himself, that lies will come back and haunt you one way or another.

That we believe is what they call karma.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Chinese tour cancellations for Phuket ’worse than estimated’ Phuket Opinion: The deadly face of shame Phuket tour boat disaster: Wave of cancellations spurs damage-control offensive Thai boys sedated, stretchered from cave in dramatic rescue Phuket tour boat disaster: Phoenix salvage starts as Chinese tourism cancellations hit The hammer falls: Raids unveil money laundering, safety lapses Isolated heavy rain forecast for South, Phuket Search for Phoenix dead is over: last body found near Phi Phi Island Mission underway to recover last body from Phuket boat disaster National police deputy announces arrest warrants for Phoenix tour boat disaster, Phuket owner identified

Visit thephuketnews.com for all the latest news

HAVE YOUR SAY

DAVID JACKLIN

Lifestyle Editor

have simply told these officials that Phuket tries its utmost to keep all tourists safe but that sometimes there are incidents which cause death that are well beyond his and others’ control.

Surely it is better to play it safe rather than tell bare-faced lies?

So now we turn our attention to the July 5 Phoenix boat disaster and how truthful officials have been in their reporting of it.

For days the initial total number of people reported as being on the Phoenix was consistently reported as being 105.

However, on July 9, some four days after the tragic incident, that number was brought down to 89, a difference of some 16 people.

At that time Royal Thai Police Deputy Commander Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul gave absolutely no reason for the reduction in numbers, perhaps hoping it would go unnoticed,

TOP 10 STORIES ON thephuketnews.com

Personal safety?

Re: Phuket search launched for jet-ski rider missing in storm Another rocket scientist here...

Can’t swim and wears no life vest while heading out in stormy weather. Baffling disregard for personal safety.

It is no wonder that most Thais cannot be trusted to look after tourist safety, as they can’t even look out for themselves. This really says a lot about why this place is so dangerous. Safety is simply not part of Thai culture, on land or sea.

BenPendejo

Concerns on seamanship

Re: Isolated heavy rain forecast for South, Phuket And we will see again, small boats (like the 2 disaster boats) still will sail out. More disasters coming up. No seamanship, just greed and being dumb. And authorities? No learning curve, no authority, just warn/suggest. ‘Job’ done.

Kurt Re: Phuket police refuse to confirm or deny bail for Phoenix boat owner

Interesting to know what these concrete steps will be and for how long! There are enough empty rooms at the control center to make a school for would be Captains and Engineers and ONLY with a licence from this SCHOOL you are permitted to navigate in Phuket waters. This would be the only realistic start and noting else,Gentleman show some common sense Phuket need a school.

BigA

Life jacket quality

Re: Phuket marine safety goes on show, efforts to recover last Phoenix disaster body continue Look like Thai Ind. Standards Marine ‘Work Vests’, the type that will not give one a clear airway when floating unconscious in the water. They certainly do not look like SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) Approved Life Jackets that will keep one f loating upright if unconscious. Where are the lights & whistles that the Marine D should check every year to ensure vessel owner have replaced batteries?

Capt B

Respect due

Re: Last body from Phuket tour boat disaster recovered, brought ashore Huge respect to all those involved in the rescue and recovery operation, must be horrendous for everyone. I am proud to call at least two of the divers my friends. Great job guys, you are all amazing.

Discover Thainess I will anytime take a tour boat again. We visited Phuket recently and we received excellent service from the tour boat company that took us to sea...I’m just in love with Phuket and the people.

Braam Laubscher

Chinese tourist awareness

Re: Chinese tour cancellations for Phuket ‘worse than estimated’ If this publication was distributed to prospective Chinese tourists, the cancellations would be 100%. They would see all the unresolved problems in Phuket then choose another destination - raw sewage in sea, tour bus and tour boat deaths, coral destruc-

tion, taxi and jet-ski scams, violent crimes, corruption, no lifeguards on beaches, illegal products. What a shame… vegasbaby

Crack down on illegal tourism

Re: The hammer falls: Raids unveil money laundering, safety lapses Amazing investigation by Thai officials... we have to expect, after Friday meeting, powerful decisions to crack down Thai nominees, illegal guides and illegal tourism businesses in the tourism industry in Thailand.

Asterix

Patong Hill crash

Re: A crane truck has overturned on the hill behind the Nakalay Point Always something crashing on Patong hill it’s a weekly occurrence.

Mike Rosser

A pat on the back Re: Phuket Opinion: The deadly face of shame

6 star article. Very very good PN. Nasa12

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

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

THAILAND NEWS

7

Khao San vendors banned Move comes after slew of complaints about encroachment BANGKOK Bangkok Post

S

treet vendors will be banned from pavements and roads on Khao San Rd, Bangkok’s top tourist destination, and two other locations in the city, starting from Aug 1, Bangkok deputy governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul said on Tuesday (July 17).

The other two sites are Lao market, or Talat Laos, in the Klong Toey area and a flower market in front of Wat Hua Lamphong in Bang Rak district.

For Khao San Rd, Mr Sakoltee said vendors would be relocated to a temporary area designated for vending close by.

Their stalls would be set up in an orderly way without any encroachment on pavements and the road surface, he said.

Mr Sakoltee said a City Hall inspection earlier found pavements along Khao San Rd were packed with vending stalls both day and night.

The inspection was launched in response to Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang’s order after the agency received public complaints about vendors encroaching on paths.

Mr Sakoltee said the congestion

A seafood vendor sells her wares on Khao San Rd. Photo: Alex Xela / Flickr could also be dangerous in the event of a fire.

After vendors relocate, a parking space for ambulances and a security checkpoint will be built to provide health services and safety for tourists.

“The reclamation will not ruin the image of the tourist spot as vending stalls will be regulated in an orderly fashion to create a more

scenic area,” said Mr Sakoltee admitting that some vendors are still resisting the relocation.

Khao San Rd is the third bustling location where the scheme has been implemented this year following a market outside Central Lat Phrao in Chatuchak district and Bang Kapi market in Bang Kapi district.

As for Talat Laos, which currently serves as a temporary vending area,

Embezzlement probe complicated BANGKOK THE ANTI-MONEY LAUNdering Office (Amlo) claimed last Thursday (July 12) that the ongoing probe into assets linked to alleged embezzlement of state funds by Puttipat Lertchaowasit, the late former permanent secretary for social development and human security, was complicated.

Speaking after a meeting of the police Counter-Corruption Division (CCD) and the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) last Tuesday, Amlo department secretary, Witthaya Neetitham, said Amlo found that the money linked to alleged embezzlement committed by Puttipat had changed hands and turned – from cash – into some other types of assets, which makes it more difficult to track.

It is believed that all assets remain in the country as no evidence has been found to suggest movement abroad, he said.

At this stage, Amlo believes more than 19 people to be involved in the attempt to conceal the embezzled money.

Amlo has lodged a complaint with police against two of these 19 suspects. @thephuketnews

Puttipat Lertchaowasit (above) apparently committed suicide last month while under investigation for massive embezzlement and money laundering of state welfare funds when he was permanent secretary of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. Photo: Bangkok Post / File Mr Witthaya said one was Puttipat who was the most senior government official facing investigation over the embezzlement scandal in which 95 officials including his exdeputy, Narong Kongkam, were implicated.

He was found dead at his home in Pathum Thani’s Muang district on June 29 in what appeared to be a suicide.

His common-law wife, Wassana Tapaopong, 49, was also found unconscious at the scene.

The other suspect facing a formal complaint in this investigation is Ms Wassana, said Mr Witthaya, adding that police aren’t really convinced that Puttipat’s death was a murder aimed at silencing him.

More complaints are expected to be lodged against the remaining suspects later, he said. Amlo has resolved to seize 41 items linked to Puttipat and 11 other suspects, he added.

Bangkok Post

the City Law Enforcement Department will submit a letter to reclaim the area to Mr Sakoltee for approval by this week.

Mr Sakoltee said the relocation would also be applied to vendors at the market outside Wat Hua Lamphong, which was previously designated for temporary vending after 7pm in an agreement between vendors and the Bang Rak district office.

However, they later breached the agreement and would be moved to Phong Phra Ram market, a much quieter area, he said.

Mr Sakoltee insisted new vending locations must be prepared for all vendors, adding that the scheme initiated by Gen Asawin had received positive feedback from the public.

Earlier, City Hall also reclaimed pavements and road surfaces in the Saphan Lek and Pak Klong markets.

In another development, the BMA’s deputy permanent secretary Chakkraphan Phewngam said on Tuesday that three more houses on Klong Prem Prachakorn in Laksi district were to be demolished soon to pave the way for the construction of an 891-metre shortcut linking the Government Complex to Kamphaeng Phet 6 Rd. The three are among the 12 houses awaiting demolition, of which six lie along Klong Prem Prachakorn and the remaining along Klong Bang Talat.

According to Mr Chakkraphan, the project has been delayed due to a number of residents’ houses encroaching on public canals where the road would pass.

The construction will be completed by October.

THAILAND NEWS

8

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Gang are no petty criminals

Axe Gang’s criminal pattern serious and shocking, say police BANGKOK Bangkok Post

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or some, the arrest of some members of the criminal group the ‘Axe Gang’ might be just another minor case of street robbery in Bangkok.

But for the police, the criminal pattern adopted by this gang is serious and shocking enough for them to treat it as a major case.

The Axe Gang comprises juvenile delinquents suspected of a series of brutal robberies recently.

Unlike other thieves that use guns or knives to force victims to give them money and valuable items, members of this group use an axe as their weapon of choice. The victims are mostly pedestrians on footpaths and bridges.

Police suspect that the group might refer to themselves as the Axe Gang because they are trying to emulate the other infamous Axe Gang, a criminal triad which operated in Shanghai in 1921.

The gang had control over other gangs in Shanghai and used an axe as a weapon. They usually dressed in black suits and sometimes top hats. The Chinese gang’s story has been

Crime Suppression Division police arrest ‘axe gang’ suspect Narakon Yaemsutchai, 19.

Photo: Royal Thai Police told in several films popular among Thai teenagers when they were screened here years ago.

However, the axe group of Bangkok does not have signature dress codes. They roamed the city on the back of motorcycles, hunting for victims. And when they found one, they attacked him or her with an axe before stealing the victim’s valuables.

Most of these attacks took place on a pedestrian bridge or by the roadside, especially on Sukhumvit Rd and Thong Lor, an area popular with shopping

and dining in Bangkok.

Earlier on June 6, the Thong Lor Police tracked two suspects and arrested one, Natthaphat Khanchan, 19, in Soi Sukhumvit 55, or Soi Thong Lor. The other suspect, named Narakon Yaemsutchai, also 19, managed to escape arrest. He was later located by police at a different location, in Soi Yen Akat 2 Community near the Khlong Toey area.

Lt Col Sitthisak Nakhamat, deputy chief of the Thong Lor police station’s investigation section, said the arrest was

made after a report was filed by a victim, who had been robbed by the gang on June 1 in the Klong Toey district.

Banluerit Bunthara, 31, the victim, told police that two young men followed him on to the pedestrian bridge. One then had him in a headlock, while the other man attempted to chop him with an axe but it mistakenly hit an arm of the criminal holding the victim in a headlock instead.

Shocked and wounded by their own mistake, the two criminals then grabbed the victim’s smartphone and

wallet before running away to four other men who were waiting downstairs.

Police said they tracked down Narakhon and Natthaphat by checking the footage from June 1 and sought help from police in Yannawa – believed to be the area where both suspects lived.

Apart from Natthapat and Narakon, police also arrested two others, aged 17 and 18, who they suspect might have been involved in the June 1 robbery. Both suspects lived in the neighbouring area of Yannawa district. Police refused to provide names of the suspects.

A breakthrough came over a month later.

Narakon, who was now robbing victims in the Asoke area with fellow gang members, was caught last Tuesday (July 10) by the Crime Suppression Division (CSD).

Other members of the group fled the scene and remain at large.

Police have now arrested four suspects: Narakon, Natthaphat and two other unnamed suspects.

Contrary to police theory, the suspects insisted that they neither heard of the legendary Axe Gang of Shanghai, nor were they inspired by any

movies. They chose the axe as a weapon simply out of practicality. The axe, they told police, looks threatening and is easy to find.

Now, police are expanding their investigation into the criminal history of this gang.

Police believe that there must be more victims who probably haven’t reported the crime or that the gang might be possibly linked to other cases filed previously elsewhere.

Those who have been attacked or robbed in this manner are being encouraged to contact the Thong Lor Police immediately. Thong Lor district – the main target of the Axe Gang – has a higher rate of crime because it is a rich neighbourhood with many popular entertainment sites.

People always come to bars or restaurants at night and get drunk, making it easy for criminals to strike. Many of the restaurants and bars also set up tables near the road, making it more easy for criminals to pick their targets, said Lt Col Sitthisak.

To curb crime, more police have been assigned to patrol the area, he said. “The fact that this axe gang was busted quickly is proof of sufficient security to deal with crime that may occur in Thong Lor,” he said.

British caver considers legal action after Musk’s ‘pedo’ tweet BANGKOK A BRITISH CAVER WHO helped rescue the 12 boys from Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai said on Monday (July 16) that he may take legal action against Elon Musk after the entrepreneur called him a “pedo”.

Tesla CEO Musk launched the extraordinar y tirade

against Vernon Unsworth without providing any justification or explanation, after the cave expert slammed his offer of a miniature submarine to extract the footballers from the Tham Luang cave as a “PR stunt”.

The ‘Wild Boar’ team were rescued last week by an international team of divers through a narrow network of twisting, flooded tunnels.

Unsworth, who provided mapping knowledge of the cave to rescuers, said Musk’s prototype would have had “absolutely no chance of working”.

Musk responded last Sunday (July 15) in a bizarre series of tweets referring to Unsworth, without using his name, as “pedo guy”. “Pedo” is short for paedophile.

The entrepreneur doubled

down on his claim, tweeting from his official account to more than 22 million followers: “Bet ya a signed dollar it’s true”.

Musk later deleted the tweets and did not immediately respond to a request for comment through Tesla.

Unsworth said on Monday that he had not reviewed the tweets in full and had only heard about them.

But asked if he would take legal action against Musk over the allegation, Unsworth said: “If it’s what I think it is, yes.”

The caver said he would make a decision when he flies back to the UK this week, but added that the episode with Musk “ain’t finished”.

Unsworth, who lives part of the year in Thailand, took part in the gargantuan 18-day effort to retrieve the 12 boys and their coach, a mission that ended on July 10 when the last five members were extracted.

The boys are all in good health and were expected to be released from the hospital yesterday (July 19).

The unprecedented opera-

Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Photo: AFP

tion to haul them out involved sedating the footballers and swimming and carrying them through tight, waterlogged passages.

Musk had proposed using “a tiny, kid-size submarine” featuring technology from his space exploration firm to evacuate the boys, and travelled to Thailand with a prototype last Tuesday (July 10).

Musk’s tweets attacking Unsworth prompted condemnation from those who took part in the mission to save the boys.

Claus Rasmussen, a Danish national and instructor at Blue

Label diving in Phuket, called the allegations “inappropriate” and praised Unsworth’s role in the rescue.

“He was one of the driving forces in getting everything done and clarifying for us divers what was going on,” he said.

Musk had earlier triggered controversy after tweeting that the Thai rescue chief, who had declined the submarine prototype offer, was not really in charge of the operation.

“He’s just a PR stunt merchant – that’s all he is,” Unsworth said.

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

ASIA NEWS

The cliff-carved Buddha that took on Taliban

9

Restored Buddha of Swat a symbol of tolerance in traumatised Pakistani valley PAKISTAN Amélie Herenstein

T

he Buddha of Swat, carved on a cliff in the seventh century, was dynamited by the Pakistani Taliban in 2007. Now it has been restored, a powerful symbol of tolerance in the traumatised Pakistani valley.

The holy figure, depicted in a lotus position at the base of a granite cliff in northern Pakistan, was severely damaged by Islamist insurgents in an echo of the Afghan Taliban’s complete destruction of its more imposing counterparts at Bamiyan in 2001.

For some, it was a wanton act of vandalism that struck at the heart of the area’s unique history and identity.

It felt “like they killed my father”, says Parvesh Shaheen, a 79-year-old expert on Buddhism in Swat. “They attack... my culture, my history.”

The Buddha sits in Jahanabad, the epicentre of Swat’s Buddhist heritage, a beautiful valley in the foothills of the Himalayas.

There the Italian government has been helping to preserve hundreds of archaeological sites, working with local authorities who hope to turn it into a place of pilgrimage once more and pull in sorely needed tourist dollars.

A decade ago, the militants climbed the six-metre effigy to lay the explosives, but only part of them were triggered, demolishing the top of the Buddha’s face. Another,

smaller fresco nearby was torn to pieces.

For Shaheen, the statue is “a symbol of peace, symbol of love, symbol of brotherhood”.

“We don’t hate anybody, any religion – what is this nonsense to hate somebody?” he says.

But other Swatis, less familiar with history and in 2007 not yet traumatised by the full brutality of the Taliban, applauded the attack and took up the argument that the sculpture was “anti-Islamic”.

Like their counterparts in neighbouring Afghanistan, the Pakistani Taliban are extremist insurgents who terrorised the population in the name of a fundamentalist version of Islam, banning all representation in art and for whom the idea of a nonIslamic past is taboo.

The episode became a marker for the beginning of the Taliban’s violent occupation of Swat, which would only end in 2009 with heavy intervention by the Pakistan army. By then, several thousand people had been killed and more than 1.5 million displaced.

The population of Swat has not always been as it is today, mostly conservative Muslim, where cultural norms dictate that women wear burqas.

Instead, it was for centuries a pilgrimage site for the Buddhist faithful, especially from the Himalayas. The Vaj­ rayana school even consider it a “holy land”, from where their faith originated.

They continued to visit

Pakistani visitors walking past a centuries-old stupa, a dome-shaped Buddhist monument, in the town of Amluk Dara near Mingora, Swat Valley. Photo: AFP @thephuketnews

right up until the 20th century, when borders hardened with the independence of British India and creation of Pakistan in 1947.

Now the vast majority of Pakistan’s population are Muslim, and its religious minorities – mainly Christians and Hindus – are often subject to discrimination or violence.

Buddhism for its part disappeared from the region around the 10th century AD, driven out by Islam and Hinduism.

Its golden age in Swat lasted from the second to the fourth centuries, when more than 1,000 monasteries, sanctuaries and stupas spread out in constellations across the valley.

“The landscape was worshipped in itself,” says Luca Maria Olivieri, an Italian archaeologist who oversaw the restoration of the Buddha.

“The pilgrims were welcomed by these protective images, sculptures and inscriptions, arranged along the last kilometres before arriving,” Olivieri explains.

Rehabilitation of the site has not been easy, he says.

Carried out in phases, it began in 2012 with the application of a coating to protect the damaged part of the sculpture.

The reconstruction of the face itself was first prepared virtually in the laboratory, in 3D, using laser surveys and old photos.

The last phase, the actual restoration, ended in 2016.

Olivieri says the reconstruction is not identical, but that is deliberate, as “the idea of damage should remain visible”.

The Italian archaeological mission in Swat, which he directs, has been there since 1955 – though it was briefly forced from the valley during Taliban rule.

It manages other excavation sites and supervised the restoration of the archaeological museum in Mingora, the main city of Swat, damaged in an attack in 2008.

A visitor walks past a restored seventh-century rock sculpture of a seated Buddha carved into a mountain in Jahanabad town in northwestern Pakistan’s Swat Valley. Photo: Jiji / AFP The Italian government has invested 2.5 million euros (B96.39mn) in five years for the preservation of Swat’s cultural heritage, striving to involve the local population as much as possible.

Now authorities are counting on the Buddha’s recovered smile and iconic status to boost religious tourism from places such as China and Thailand.

Years after the Taliban

were ousted, the valley is largely rejuvenated, though at times security is still tense, with an attack killing 11 soldiers in February this year.

Some people in Swat also see the Buddha as a tool for promoting religious tolerance.

Fazal Khaliq, a journalist and author living in Mingora, thinks the threat to cultural heritage has been “minimised” through education and the use of social networks to

spread a “soft, good” image.

However, “the majority of people who are not young, educated – they still do not understand” its importance, he admits.

Meanwhile the museum in Mingora now welcomes mullahs “who like Buddhism”, says its curator, Faiz-urRehman.

“Before Islam, this was our religion,” he says.

AFP

10 WORLD NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Keeping protest torch lit Femi Kuti carries forward the legacy of his legendary father CANADA Shaun Tandon

F

emi Kuti has spent his life railing in song against the ills holding back Africa. But these days he is feeling some optimism.

The 56-year-old carries forward the legacy of his legendary father, Afrobeat music pioneer Fela Kuti, whose searing attacks on government corruption and incompetence made him a scourge of Nigeria’s former military leaders.

Fela’s nightclub, the New Afrika Shrine, became a visible target of authorities eager to suppress dissent but earlier this month it received a very established guest, French President Emmanuel Macron, who took off his jacket and tie to party.

Macron’s visit is “a very big political statement – more a political than cultural or social statement. The Shrine, even during my father’s time, battled the stigma of the government always attacking the place, saying they were criminals, dopeheads and so many negative things,” he said.

“So him coming to the place neutralises all the naysayers,” Kuti, soft-spoken when not singing, said as he sat meditatively in his dressing

Nigerian musician Femi Kuti performs at the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos on July 3. Photo: Ludovic Marin / AFP room before playing at Quebec City’s citywide summer music festival.

Kuti said he was certain Macron knew of the Shrine’s troubled relationship with power, seeing as the president-to-be spent time in Nigeria in 2002 as an intern at the French Embassy.

The artist said he has heard criticism about embracing Macron in light of France’s history in Africa.

Fela had assailed the lingering effects of European rule on songs such as ‘Colonial Mentality’.

Kuti said that Macron, in power for little more than a year, could not

be held responsible for colonialism and added: “Let’s look at it from the point of view of the crimes France has committed in Africa. How do you get them to talk about these issues if you don’t bring them to the table?”

Bringing his show to a public square in Quebec City, Kuti – backed up by a brassy nine-piece band – alternated between joyous riffs on his saxophone and politically loaded verse as a trio of female dancers twerked their behinds.

Kuti this year released his first studio album in five years, One People One World, in which he takes aim anew at strongmen and graft on songs such as ‘Dem Militarize Democracy’ and ‘Corruption Na Stealing’.

But he also turns sanguine for the future on songs including the album’s title track and ‘Africa Will Be Great Again’. (He scoffs at the suggestion that the latter song has anything to do with US President Donald Trump’s slogan, saying he wrote it well before the real estate mogul’s political ascent.)

“I think the album is very optimistic from my past albums.

It probably has to do with being a father and having to come up with

solutions for my children,” he said.

“When they ask me questions, I think I have to look for positive answers. Or why then would I have children if the future is bleak for them?”

He said that Africans were not alone in needing a political awakening. He criticised Westerners’ attitudes on the migrant crisis, saying they too quickly forgot the impact of wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

“It was so easy for people to just sit at home, not give a damn, that bombs are being thrown in these countries, innocent people were killed, as long as you had your breakfast, had sex, you had a good life,” he said. “And then suddenly you say it’s none of your business.”

Kuti voiced hope that Africans can find greater inspiration at home.

He would love to be able to travel between cultural capitals Lagos and Johannesburg by high-speed train.

“I try to show the beauty of Africa through my music,” he said.

“Given the opportunity, the Af r ican will excel – beyond reasonable doubt. I strongly believe Africa can and should be the envy of the world.”

AFP

Sale of guillotine divides France FRANCE A 150-YEAR-OLD GUILLOTINE WITH “a few dents on the blade” was sold in Paris last Wednesday (July 11) despite protests from auction regulators.

The 10-foot tall instrument of execution which was used to dispatch criminals in France until 1977 was bought by a French millionaire for 8,008 euros (B311,791).

The Drouot auction house insisted that the model was built as a replica and has never been used to behead anyone, although it did once feature in a museum of torture in the French capital.

The sale of guillotines has been highly controversial in France where the death penalty was abolished only in 1981, with the French auction watchdog already objecting to the sale.

“They should not be selling this guillotine,” a spokesman told the Parisien newspaper.

“Objects like the clothes of people who were deported to the (Nazi death) camps and instruments of torture are sensitive.”

That did not, however, stop another going for 220,000 euros (B8.56 million) in the same saleroom in 2011 when US pop star Lady Gaga was reportedly among the bidders.

Nor did the watchdog have the power to stop the auction because the guillotine – which previously graced a Paris jazz club – is part of a bankruptcy sale.

The replica apparatus, which dates from the mid-19th century, went after two minutes of bidding last Wednesday to Christophe Fevrier, a maverick French industrialist.

But not all guillotines that have come to market have been sold. Another one valued

A guillotine is pictured in its auction room in Nantes, western France, in 2014. Photo: Damien Meyer / AFP at 40,000 euros (B1.55mn) failed to sell in the western city of Nantes four years ago.

And in 2012 the French culture ministry stepped in to stop the sale of 812 objects belonging to the last French executioner in Algiers.

Fernand Meyssonnier had executed 200 people there when it was part of France, most of them fighters for Algerian independence.

Guillotines, sometimes known as ‘The National Razor’ (Le Rasoir National) or ‘The Patriotic Shortener’ (La Raccourcisseuse Patriotique) in French, were first adopted as a “humane” alternative to hanging, when many of the condemned had long, lingering deaths on the scaffold.

They became notorious in the Terror that followed the French Revolution when more than 16,000 people were beheaded between the summers of 1793 and 1794.

The last person to die on the guillotine in France was Tunisian Hamida Djandoubi, who was executed in a Marseille prison in September 1977 after being convicted of the torture and murder of a young woman.

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

BUSINESS NEWS 11

Awards to honour the best

Dot Property Thailand Awards 2018 To Showcase The Kingdom’s Best Real Estate PROPERTY Advertorial

T

he Dot Proper t y Thailand Awards 2018 returns for its third edition bigger and better than ever before. This year will see Thailand’s premier real estate developers, projects and agents honoured during an exclusive ceremony at Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok on 16 August.

This year will see the awards expanded to include not only a ceremony, but also the awarding of Thailand’s Best Developer as voted on by the public. This is one of the only real estate awards in the country to be voted on by the public and the winner won’t be revealed until the big event.

“We are very excited to announce the expanded Dot Property Thailand Awards for 2018. This continues the upward trajectory of our awards programme and allows us to celebrate the country’s best real estate developers, projects and agents in style,” Natt Ford, Dot Property Business

Anchor Land Holdings, Inc. president Elizabeth Ventura (left) accepts an award from Dot Property Group founder Ben Neve (right). This was one of 100 awards handed out by Dot Property in 2017. general manager, explains.

Another addition for 2018 is the launch of Thailand’s Best Real Estate Agencies presented by Leading Real Estate Companies of the

World®. This special section of the awards will showcase the country’s leading real estate agencies.

Winners from Phuket, Samui, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai

Pavilions steps up key appointments HOSPITALITY THE PAVILIONS HOTELS & RESORTS has made two strategic appointments as it continues to expand its portfolio and strengthen its management team. Scot Toon takes on a new role as the company’s Managing Director, Asia while Tim Sargeant becomes the Director of Marketing for The Pavilions Phuket.

“I am delighted to welcome Scot and Tim to The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts as we continue to build an outstanding team of talented individuals. We are committed to recruiting the industry’s brightest professionals and I’m certain that both gentlemen will be great assets to our team,” said Gordon Oldham, Founder and CEO of The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts.

“Scot is a seasoned hospitality leader and international GM with a proven track record, while Tim is a rising star who is ready to take the next step in his impressive career. I look forward to working closely with both of them,” Mr Oldham added.

A New Zealand national, Scot Toon had started at The Pavilions in January 2018 under a project capacity as Director Operations, responsible for a new PMS, Finance and POS system roll out across the entire group (Asia and Europe) before being appointed MD Asia.

Scot moved to Thailand in 2009 to become GM of the five-star Paresa Resort in Phuket, before joining Kata Rocks Resort in 2014, serving as resort GM and Operations Director for its management company, Infinite Luxury.

He now embarks on a new phase in his distinguished career as MD Asia for Pavilions Hotels & Resorts.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for me to manage @thephuketnews

Scot Toon (left) has taken the reins as Managing Director Asia, while Tim Sargeant has become The Pavilions Phuket’s new Director of Marketing. and work with the talented team at The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts as we develop and grow the brand in Asia to complement the company’s parallel expansion in Europe,” Mr Toon said.

Tim Sargeant is an exciting young hospitality professional with 15 years of experience.

Having commenced his career in the restaurant trade in his native New Zealand, he moved to Thailand in 2013 to oversee the pre-opening of Novotel Phuket Kamala Beach as Marketing & Events Manager. He joined Kata Rocks in 2016, becoming Marketing & Events Manager for the resort and organising exclusive events.

As Director of Marketing for The Pavilions Phuket he plans to introduce his fresh, dynamic approach to the resort.

“I’m thrilled to join the team as Director of Marketing and take on this new chapter of leadership. Now is an exciting time for The Pavilions Phuket and The Pavilions Group as we continue to expand globally and I look forward to delivering on our mission with the team, along with creating memorable experiences for our guests,” he said.

The Phuket News

and Pattaya were presented with Dot Property Thailand Awards in 2017. Phuket’s Blue Horizon collected a total of three awards last year, the most by a single developer.

“We are honoured to have received these awards and have worked very hard to get here. We feel extremely pr ivileged to have been considered. We strive for

excellence and are thrilled t o k now we h ave b e e n recognised as the leaders in the industry,” Mr. Andres Pira, CEO and founder of Blue Horizon, says.

In Samui, Horizon Homes was named as Best Developer Samui with its Horizon Residences and Horizon Villas developments propelling it to victory. A pair of projects from highly-respected Thai designer Bodin Sritrakul, Pool Villa 18 Samui and Sky Dream Villa, were also honoured last year.

The Dot Property Thailand Awards 2018 are organised by Thailand Property, the country’s largest property portal, and Dot Property Group. The Dot Property Awards series spans Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines and more than 100 winners were honoured in 2017.

The Dot Property Thailand Awards 2018 presentation ceremony will take place at Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok on 16 August. For more information, please visit www. dotpropertyawards.com

12 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Wanted: Legal foreign labour

Hotels deny worker crackdown brings pressure HOSPITALITY Siripisit Bunchoocheep

L

e a d i ng f ig u re s i n Phuket’s tourism hospitality industry have played down the impact of the new regulations on migrant labour ordering employers to hire one Thai for every four foreign workers employed, saying that it will have little to no effect on the island’s hotel, resort and restaurant sectors.

The calm position espoused in Phuket directly contradicts the strong opposition to the new law voiced late last month by national figures who said that the new laws would devastate smaller businesses.

Earlier this year, Supant Mongkolsuthree, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), said the private sector does not understand why the government has to regulate the share of migrant workers in each company, because there has been a labour shortage for several years.

Low-skilled immigrant workers are ‘vital contributors’ to the country’s economy, said Mr Supant.

“The labour shortage is widespread across the country, pressuring operators to hire migrant workers from neighbouring countries,” he said.

M r Supant said local SMEs will be most affected by the labour shortage.

There are 3 million SMEs in the country, accounting for 99.7% of businesses, and they employ 11mn people.

SMEs are estimated to hire roughly 10mn migrant workers, both legally and illegally.

“It is very hard for SMEs to seek local labour because

Local prospective job candidates walk away after checking the Job Vacancies board at the Phuket Employment Office: Photo: Siripisit Bunchoocheep most jobs require physical labour, such as waiters, cleaners, construction workers and fishery workers, and migrant workers accept these jobs,” he told the Bangkok Post.

Impact on Hotels Supawan Tanomkieatipume, President of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), said that if the new labour law is enforced, hotel businesses will be affected severely, especially small and independent hotels, as well as hotels located near borders that hire many foreigners.

The Act is also expected to hurt many restaurants and small businesses as many use migrant workers.

“The new law will not impact five-star hotels because most workers are local people. But restaurants and food stores will suffer as they depend on migrant labour,” Ms Supawan said.

She added that restaurants that hire many foreigners may need to reduce staff to

avoid violating the law, but that will be reflected in lower quality service.

In order to protect smalland medium-sized businesses and save registered labourers, THA will soon ask the government to revise the foreign worker cap from 20% to 30% of total staff.

Local perspective Long-respected Phuket tourism figure Bhuritt Maswongssa, who now holds a position on the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Board, told The Phuket News plainly that foreign workers are very much in demand in the service sector in Phuket.

“Thai people do not want to work in bottom-position jobs, such as stewards, bus boys, gardeners, cleaning staff, and so on, and certainly do not want to work as waiters,” he said.

“When there is this kind of labour shortage we have to hire foreign workers instead.

These kinds of jobs Thai peo-

ple do not want to do. This is because of the Thai education system and social norms.

Thai youths want to graduate, and have a high salary. As a result, lower-level work is not sought by undergraduates,” he explained.

“In the hospitality industry most of employers hire foreign workers to do this kind of work. At the same time, higher positions such as reception staff are now also being taken by foreign workers as they build up their language skills in order to communicate with customers. Thai staff may not be as competent,” Mr Bhuritt said.

Phuket Takeaway Daecha Tangsin, owner of the 525-room Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside Bangkok Hotel, earlier this year said the negative impact from the new law will be larger for hotels in tourist destinations.

“Foreign labourers working at hotels in Bangkok are lower in proportion than those

in major tourist destinations, like Phuket, where up to half of staff are foreign,” he said.

Yet hotel representative organisations for Phuket outright disagree that major hotels will be affected.

Rangsiman Kingkaew, who serves as a Vice President of Phuket Tourist Association, told The Phuket News, “Most employers who are members of the association always follow the law, so it is not worrisome.

“Previously, we may have been concerned, but the cooperation of members is very good. It is not likely to be an issue. However, it may affect some related businesses.

Regardless, all parties should comply with the law,” he said.

Mr Rangsiman also acknowledged the role foreign workers play in Phuket’s labour market.

“There are quite a few in Phuket, especially working in the hospitality industry, and working in both labourintensive jobs and as skilled workers,” he admitted.

He also later a dded , “There may be some impact (from the law), but in terms of the supply of foreign workers, it is the businesses that need to adapt to the law.”

The Push While local hotels are downplaying the impact of the new foreign-worker ratio, Phuket Employment Office Director Kattiya Pandech confirmed that there are at least 47,239 migrant workers in Phuket – and that’s just the ones his office has registered.

“How many illegal workers are in Phuket we just don’t know,” he said.

The updated figure became known after a crackdown on migrant workers ordered nationwide saw the

period for migrant workers to register close on June 30.

As the deadline passed, Labour Minister Pol Gen Adul Sangsingkeo said that more than 14,000 migrant workers who had still not completed the process faced deportation.

Just days earlier he pointed out, “The operation is focusing on migrants without those working documents first. There is no leniency because the registration deadline was extended twice [March 31 and June 30] to have the workers legalised. Therefore, legal action and repatriation must be brought against undocumented migrants,” he said.

Yet no such crackdown is happening in Phuket, confirmed Phuket Employment Chief Kattiya.

“We are just conducting random checks, and checking with the police in the Kathu and Wichit areas,” he said.

However, Mr Kattiya also confirmed that any employers found to be illegally hiring migrant workers faced heavy penalties under the new law.

Employers face fines of B5,000 to B50,000 per illegal foreign worker, with repeat offences invoking fines of B50,000 to B200,000, or up to one-year imprisonment, per illegal foreign worker found in their employment, Mr Kittiya explained “And the employer will be banned from hiring any foreign workers for three years,” he said.

Foreign workers caught working illegally in the country face a fine of B5,000 to B50,000, and deportation, he added.

“But since the crackdown was launched, we have found no offences in Phuket,” Mr Kittiya said.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Join the beat generation

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

15

Thailand’s epic dance drama

16

HEAVEN FREEZES OVER

The epiphany of Manzoni artisan gelato

Natural stuffed fruit.

David Jacklin editor1@classactmedia.co.th

I

f Willy Wonka had been smart enough to open an ice cream production company on Phuket Island...this would have been it.

Tucked away in an unassuming soi in Kamala, Flavio Manzoni and his mystical workers cheerfully beaver away at turning simple, natural ingredients into wonderment.

Manzoni produces artisan ice cream and sorbets in the Italian gelato tradition. The set up is a small family factory, producing a stunning range of flavours and products which are purchased by and distributed to five-star hotels from Phuket to Krabi.

Goods are created to order for the absolute freshness it deserves, with clients ordering daily and receiving delivery the next.

I was handed the golden ticket to meet with the owner and company namesake, Flavio Manzoni, in the hope of gaining a peek into the secrets of his artisan gelato emporium, and with my foot in the door, plead to sample the delights.

But let’s not be too hasty to race straight for the dessert. Flavio is a man of surprises, and some opening questions into his previous history rather underestimate this claim.

Flavio Manzoni is an Italian born chef of significant note, who has also opened restaurants everywhere from America to South Africa, Seychelles, to name a few. Bangkok residents will know him from Il Tartufo (meaning The Truffle), a highly acclaimed and @thephuketnews

award-winning restaurant in the capital. More recently he was Executive Chef at Cape Sienna in Kamala.

I asked Flavio why he had decided to focus his considerable talents on creating gelato?

“The sky’s the limit,” Flavio emphatically responded. “You can make anything. I love the preparation. The smell of the fresh fruit and ingredients.”

Flavio’s passion for creating seasonal products demands that he researches and sources the very finest ingredients from around the world.

“For the best flavours you have to go by season,” he added. “I love to combine ingredients which are currently available. Whatever is there, if it’s good, you can use it.”

His attention to detail in choosing premium goods are evident in his stories of finding unique sources. As an example, there is a farm in Lom Sak that grows melon near to a chilli crop.

The resulting fruit is infused with the spice from sharing the soil, a one-off combination that inspires our gelato guru to manifest a worthy iced sibling.

These explorations into unusual, winning formulas have also given birth to such popular gelato flavours as Mojito for those wishing to start the party early, liquorice and sea salt for Swedish palates, and for our Japanese friends... wasabi and seaweed sorbet.

However, it’s not just about the exotic. All the old favourites are on the menu, but be prepared to re-define your current experience of tasting ice cream.

Judging by Flavio’s passion and skill, I knew I was in for a treat. But I truly wasn’t quite prepared for this.

Firstly I was offered a Passion Fruit

Lollipop. The gelato is set in a circular mould and presented on a stick. Looks enticing, time for a taste. Hmm, nice sour note...and then...BAM! A powerful burst of real, fresh fruit knocks my taste buds out of the park. I’m not kidding, I physically jolted in surprise. The intensity of flavour left me grinning like a big kid. On top of this, the seeds of the fruit are, of course, left in. It’s all about keeping it au naturel, and it certainly adds a pleasant crunch to the texture.

Flowing out of the churning machine is a batch of Caramel gelato, and then I’m tasting it. It’s an incredibly creamy, smooth texture with a hint of ocean salt to round off the light brown scoop of delight.

It won’t surprise you to learn that all the machinery here is specialist, traditional equipment from Italy. Made the old way, where Flavio can experiment, adapt and deliver personal mixes of his cool creations.

The Natural Stuffed Fruit is delivered in the rustic shell that God intended. If you like sour, the Lemon Stuffed Fruit will give you a lasting face lift.

And you’ll be delighted with the results.

Coconut Sorbet uses a young coconut, and it’s milky, paste-like texture contains the full qualities of the nut, including flesh pieces deliberately left where it belongs.

Manzoni’s Pistachio gelato has complex flavours. The nutty taste comes through first, followed by a delicate long note of the pistachio’s creamy finish which lingers on the palate.

The popular Belgian Chocolate gelato is richly intense and chewy due to the natural fat in the cocoa. And you

Flavio Manzoni - The master of cool. won’t believe that the Chocolate Sorbet is milk free. This is what individual’s with lactose allergies have only dreamt of.

And this neatly brings me on to Flavio’s commitment to provide this artisan experience to all people. All the products are gluten free, and made without adding colourant or chemicals.

Soya and rice milk batches are also made on-demand. Even egg-less and sugar-free versions are available.

I’m pleased about that, because the gelato and sorbet experiences that Manzoni brings should be available to all by human right. Like Grandpa Joe in Roald Dahl’s tale about Mr Wonka, I would readily leap out of bed for a chance to taste it all again.

If ice cream is your idea of Heaven, welcome to the Pearly Gates.

Manzoni Ice Cream is located at 32/30 Moo 5 Kamala, Kathu. Telephone - 066085-6693149, email - leonardaspen@ hotmail.com, web site - www.icecreamanzoni.co

14 ENVIRONMENT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

The growing problem of waste products. Photo: Noel Celis / AFP

Plastic…not so fantastic Business booming for plastic giants as change beckons Simon Boehm

I

t’s the worst enemy of environmental campaigners, but people around the world use mountains of plastic every day and business is booming for manufacturers.

Much to the chagrin of activists, an increasingly restrictive regulatory environment appears

to have put little dent in the industry’s power so far. That is changing, however, and plastic giants are starting to adapt.

From 2006 to 2016, global plastic output rose from 245 million to 348mn tons, according to the PlasticsEurope trade association. Production rose by 3.9% in 2017. In 2016 the growth rate stood at 4.0%, and in 2015 at 3.5%.

Demand for thermoplastics alone which includes the most common kinds

of plastic, such as PET used in water bottles, polypropylene, polyethylene and PVC – has soared by 4.7% yearly from 1990 to 2017.

“Is this going to continue in the coming years? We can assume it will,” said Herve Millet, technical and regulatory affairs manager at PlasticsEurope. “The reasons why plastic (production is) growing worldwide are not just going to go away all at once,” he added.

“The growth of the plastics industry goes hand-in-hand with economic development,” Millet said.

The more an economy grows, the more plastic is used in construction, infrastructural development, electrical and electronic industries, and transport.

Single-use plastic packaging – the nemesis of environmental activists – is also in strong demand in developing countries.

Even in Europe, where anti-plastics campaigning has been especially vigorous, packaging accounts for 40% of consumption. But the world’s leading producer of plastic is China. Today it holds a whopping 29% of the market share, up from 15% just a decade ago.

European, US and Japanese plastic manufacturers have meanwhile seen their market share shrink.

Where Western producers are doing especially well is in the development of so-called speciality plastics used in the construction, automobile, medical and other industries. New polymers are also being used in the aviation and space industry, as well as in the creation of speciality athletic footwear.

Pierre Gadrat, who heads the chemicals and materials division of Francebased consulting firm Alcimed, said this sector “is just as dynamic, if not more, than before”.

The growth of the plastic industry defies concerted efforts from activists around the world, as well as an increasingly hostile regulatory environment.

Under pressure from campaigners, the European Union, Britain, India and even fast food giants like McDonald’s have all made some headway towards bringing the use of disposable plastic straws to an end.

Plastic bags are also being phased

The end for disposable plastic straws. Photo: Patrick Pleul / AFP out in countries around the world, while France is set to introduce a ban on plastic plates, cups and cutlery in 2020.

Emmanuel Guichard of French plastic packaging federation Elipso said the drive to end the use of single-use plastic “does not weigh massively on growth in the sector”.

However, “with all these regulatory measures coming into force, we can’t imagine that they won’t have an impact at some stage”, he added.

As public awareness grows about the terrible harm plastic pollution causes to the world’s oceans and seas, manufacturing giants are starting to worry about their image.

“Plastic as a whole is becoming stigmatised,” Millet of PlasticsEurope said.

In a bid to keep their names clean, plastic industry leaders are recycling more, following the lead of product manufacturers.

“Under regulatory pressure, plastic waste could potentially become... less seen as waste and more as a valuable raw material,” Gadrat said.

Producers of other raw materials such as metals, glass and cardboard have already fully integrated waste into their production cycles.

“This is the future of plastic: a scenario where the industry manages its raw materials and its recycled resources,” said Paris-based waste management company Citeo’s chief scientist Carlos de Los Llanos.

“It will probably take a few years,” he said, adding: “It takes learning how to do it.”

AFP thephuketnews

Anatomy of Magic THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

The 6th Anniversary of the Phuket Drum Circle Marco Monti marcomonti@yahoo.com

Entrainment is both a physical and organic phenomenon.

The Phuket Drum Circle at Nai Harn Beach. Photo: PDC

I

f you are like most people you may wonder how on earth drum circles work, and why they’re popular around the world. After all, isn’t a drum circle just a group of people who sit around in a circle and hit on drums with no particular training? The fact of the matter is that drum circles are not a random or anarchic ensemble. They have an underlying ‘pulse’. The pulse is the rhythmical corner stone of any drum circle, or song. In musical settings it is usually played by the low frequency instruments such as the bass drum and the electric bass. The pulse allows all players to play to an underlying guide post. It can be considered the heartbeat of the drum circle, which provides a common thread that all participants connect to, drummers and dancers.

As the pulse occurs in rhythmical intervals, drum circles promote brainwave ‘entrainment’. This is when our brainwave frequencies attune to external rhythms we hear, usually engendering relaxation, wellbeing, and also euphoria. Entrainment is a term that was first coined by physicist Christiaan Huygens. After placing pendulum clocks on a wall that were out of phase with one another, he noticed that a few hours later all pendulums would swing in perfect synchronisation. Entrainment is both a physical and organic phenomenon. Fireflies entrain at night as they shine their lights on and off together in rhythm, providing spectacular views.

A public drum circle is not just about meeting your future husband/wife or dancing with abandon.

It is like a public library. You can check in or leave at any time, and you don’t have to do anything in particular once you’re there. You can also enjoy it from a distance, no questions are asked. An interesting aspect of a drum circle is that it is both a social phenomenon and a place for inward reflection.

Once the pulse takes hold everyone’s contribution is in harmony, and every instrument can be heard as a unique voice of expression. The connection between the rhythm players and the dancers is like a rhythmical and visual biofeedback loop. One gives more energy to the other, and it grows.

The PDC is free and open to all ages. The 6th anniversary party is on Sunday July 29 at Nai Harn Beach, in case of rain at Yoonique Stone Cafe, from

Getting the low down. Photo: PDC @thephuketnews

ENTERTAINMENT 15

4:30pm to sunset and beyond. For more information and to join the event on Facebook see: Phuket Drum Circle.

Marco Monti, M.A. is the founder of the Phuket Drum Circle and drum circle facilitator with SYNERGY EVENTS

Co., Ltd. For more information visit https://phuketdrumcircle.weebly.com, https://www.facebook.com/groups/ phuketdrumcircle/, www.synergydrum. com email: marcomonti@yahoo.com or call 087-895-7284.

16 CULTURE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Hanuman, the monkey god, plays a key role. Photo: TAT

The masked dance of the ‘Khon’

Exploring the complex characters within Thailand’s epic drama SIRINYA’S WORLD Dr Sirinya Pakditawan pakditawan@googlemail.com

In the Khon, comic relief was most often physical and bawdy and done in more common language.

T

he Khon is a traditional Thai dance drama which includes part masked dance and part play. Originally the Khon was only performed at the royal court. Traditionally, similar to Shakespearean dramas, the roles were played merely by men wearing masks and by narrators who told the Ramakien story on which the Khon is mainly based.

The Thai Ramakien can be considered as Thailand’s National Epic in which Hindu and Buddhist mythology combine with local Thai traditions. What is more, traditional Thai puppet theatre is also similar to Khon performances, since it is also based on the Ramakien.

In short, the Ramakian is about Rama who fights against a demon that has abducted his wife. In addition, there are many side stories and characters in the Ramakien and thus also in the Khon. This dance drama is always accompanied by musicians playing traditional Thai instruments. This ensemble of classical Thai music is called Piphat.

In fact, traditional Khon shows are similar to early Shakespearean productions because not only were all roles played by men but there was also comic relief included. Comic relief are humorous scenes or characters that contribute to relieve the tension of the dramatic action. In the Khon, comic relief was most often physical and bawdy and done in more common language. In modern Khon performances there are also female actors for female characters. When perfor-

mances are staged with both male and female actors the performance uses the term Khon Phu Ying.

In addition, only the monkey characters and the ogre wear masks, whereas most of the human-shape entities do not. Thus, the Khon always consists of four categories of people namely the performers, the chorus, the singers and the orchestra. The performers play either a human male or female character, a demon or a monkey. Surprisingly the Khon has numerous characters, there are 311 in total.

However, there are six main characters in the Khon that I’d like to introduce here: Phra Ram is the incarnation of the god Phra Narai (this is the Thai incarnation of Vishnu). He is Rama, the King of Ayutthaya and wants to extinguish evil. Hence, the demon king Tosakanth (Ravana) is his greatest opponent.

Phra Lak is the loyal brother of Phra Ram. He helps his brother to fight against the enemies and what is more, Phra Lak has special powers because he is the incarnation of a serpent.

Sita is Phra Ram’s loyal consort. She is the incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi. However, she is also the daughter of Tosakanth.

Tosakanth (Ravana) is the demon King of Longka who is the incarnation of the demon gate keeper Nontuk. Tosakanth has ten faces and twenty arms.

He destroys everything that displeases him.

Performance of the Ramakien. Photo: TAT Hanuman is the monkey god, he is Phra Ram’s monkey general who defeats Tosakanth. Hanuman is loyal and funny but he is also wanton and lascivious.

Phipek is Tosakanth’s brother and a prophet. Since he predicts that Tosakanth will be defeated by Rama’s army, he is expelled from the city. However, after Tosakanth’s death Phipek becomes king of Longka.

The Khon also extends to and influences Thai art forms like the visual arts. For instance, Thai National Artist Chrakrabhand Posayakrit painted many pictures with scenes from the Khon. Finally we can say that Khon is a classical Thai dance drama that expresses Thailand’s most elaborate tradition.

Sirinya Pakditawan is half-Thai and holds a PhD from Hamburg University.

She enjoys writing about Thai culture.

Read her blog at: sirinyas-thailand.de thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

HEALTH 17

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Getting past the plateau Human lifespan may not have peaked after all Kerry Sheridan

researchers found the risk of death slows, and even plateaus, above age 105.

It’s never too late to enjoy your childhood. Photo: AFP

@thephuketnews

H

as the maximum lifespan for a human already been reached? Maybe not, said a study of Italian centenarians published earlier this month that found that human longevity is slowly increasing.

Scientists have long debated whether or not the ultimate lifespan in people has been attained. A 2016 study in the journal Nature argued that it has, in 1997, when Frenchwoman Jeanne Calmant died at the record-breaking age of 122.

But the new findings in the journal Science point to the possibility for extended human longevity, and that our species’ lifespans may increase over time.

Based on data from more than 3,800 centenarians in Italy, researchers found the risk of death slows, and even plateaus, above age 105.

“As we age, our health and risks of death get worse faster and faster. But at extreme ages, they stop getting worse,” said co-author Kenneth Wachter, a professor of statistics at the University of California, Berkeley.

“They don’t get better, but they stop getting worse.

They level out – it’s called a plateau,” he said.

Researchers studied data on all inhabitants of Italy aged 105 and older between 2009 and 2015, those born between 1896 and 1910, for a total of 3,836 documented cases, said the study.

Focusing on mortality among people born in the same years, over time they found slight declines in mortality rate. This suggests as time went on, people were living a bit longer than those born in prior years.

“The slow but distinct improvements over time that we see in the level of the plateau beyond age 105

Could we all become centenarians? Photo: Random Scientific Papers give hope that a fixed limit to lifespan is not currently in view,” explained Wachter.

Socioeconomic factors and improved medical care could be factors in the lengthening of the human lifespan.

But “similar mortality plateau patterns in extreme age are observed in other species, hinting at common structural and evolutionary explanations,” said the report.

If the research is confirmed by other studies, that could mean the limit of the human lifespan has yet to be reached.

Life expectancy globally has risen almost continuously since the 19th century, but has levelled off in recent decades. Babies born in the United States today, for example, can expect

to live to nearly 79 compared to 47 for Americans born in 1900.

But people who live to extreme old age are rare. Since Calmant’s death, the general trend for the oldest person in the world has been to reach about 115 years old.

Wachter said the findings do not point to a new potential lifespan limit.

“Our findings do not say anything about ages beyond about 113,” he said, “But they do provide some hope that increased understanding of interactions between genetic variants and medical and behavioural factors may contribute to better health and survival for people in their 80s and 90s, 10 or 15 years from now.”

AFP

18 ISLAND SCENE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

A happy gathering for the Francois Lurton Dinner.

Paitoon Arunrat, Tobias Lauinger and Gabriel Cardona.

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Erich Friedl (left) and Oliver Constant.

Tobias explains the beverage pairing to the attentive crowd.

NAKA ISLAND RESORT & SPA HOST THE FRANCOIS LURTON PAIRING DINNER The Naka Island Resort & Spa, part of The Luxury Collection group, hosted an evening of fine dining paired with quality beverages from the Francois Lurton estate. Last Thursday night (July 12) foodies and drink lovers traversed land and sea to attend a fantastic evening hosted by Mr Tobias Lauinger, Managing Director Global Wines, and the resort General Manager, Erich Friedl. The five course dinner with an accompanying presentation of each beverage pairing by Tobias was a great success, judging from the attentive crowd.

Mr Petch Chancharoen (3rd from left) leads the ceremony.

Followed by a clean up at Nai Yang beach.

RAMA X CELEBRATION AND CONSERVATION OF NORTHERN BEACHES Petch Chancharoen, General Manager at Phuket International Airport, holds a celebratory event on Monday (July 16) to honour the occasion of the birthday of Rama X on July 28. After officially opening the event at the X-Terminal, Mr Petch and staff then walked to Sirinat National Park for a well-needed clear-up at Nai Yang and Mai Khao beaches.

And the winner is...

Spot the gate crasher.

LOCAL BEAUTY BEATS THAI TALENT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE Miss Grand Thailand 2018 competition was held this week (July 15) on Phuket at the SIS Kata. University student and island local, Ms Nam-oi Chanapan, was crowned the winner on Saturday night and will go on to represent the Kingdom on the international stage in October. AKSARA Collection were the main sponsors of the event. thephuketnews

20 EVENTS

FRI

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

20 JUL

vation recommended. 295 baht P.P. shakersphuket@ gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

21st featuring two famous local authors and artists presenting excerpts from their most recent works. Doctor Patrick Campbell retired, acclaimed academic and author now retired in Phuket reading excerpts from his recent scurrilous semi-autobiographical book “Phuket Days”. Bangkok-based former Creative Director, Rolling Stone and Playboy columnist and New York nightclub owner Alan Platt presenting his new book “Foreign Fool” recording his hilarious mis-adventures around the globe. Please contact us at +66 76 330015-7, +66 76 363200, Fax: +66 76 330561 Email: info@ boathouse-phuket.com

SUN

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

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

22 JUL

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

An Italian Evening

ALL YOU CAN EAT BBQ RIBS

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

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

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

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

SAT

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

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

Featuring: Roast Aussie Beef, Pork Loin and Chicken.

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

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

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

21 JUL Go Live Sunday Seafood Brunch - Only July and August

All you can eat BBQ Ribs night

Writers Night at The Boathouse Phuket

6PM – 11PM: All you can eat BBQ Ribs served with salad buffet, potato salad & choice of sauces. Reser-

A romantic evening of food (canapés), drink and creativity at The Boathouse, Kata Beach. On Saturday July

The Banyan Tree Brunch experience offers a generous selection of live fresh, local and imported seafood with exceptional Lobsters dishes, Japaneses starters, mouth-watering meats, Asian wok and Western grill treats. Gourmet cuisine, exceptional service, Live Jazz and tranquil surroundings, The Banyan Tree Brunch has something for everyone! Every Sunday 12.00 - 15.30, Prices start from THB 2,800 net per person. **Come 4 pay 2 so 50% off or come 2 and get 25% off. Reservations, Banyan Tree Phuket, fb-phuket@banyantree.com

Sala Sunday Night Steak & Seafood Premium barbecue main course, including imported Australian Rib Eye, full rack of Lamp or whole Phuket Lobster accompanied by buffet of delicious appetizers.

Live music from 6.30pm. Premium BBQ. 1,700*Baht.

Reservations, Sala Phuket, events@salaphuket.com 076 338 888.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

EVENTS 21

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

MON

23 JUL

ONLY B95. Sit back and enjoy one of our drink specials as you listen to the famous Two Chefs band performing all your favorite retro hits and more! Live music starts from 8pm and goes late at all of our Two Chefs locations. Reservations are highly recommended. You can book on our website at www.

TwoChefs.com or find us on Facebook at Facebook/ TwoChefsThailand. Come for the food, stay for the fun! Reservations: Call us directly at Two Chefs Kata Center 076 330 065, Kata Beach 076 333 370, Karon 076 286 479 or Patong 076 344 914.

SUN

29 JUL

The Scotsman wrote, ‘Brilliant... inspired nonsense, utterly fresh, utterly hilarious’ Now he comes to Phuket at Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach as part of Stand Up Asia’s monthly comedy tour. They brought Doug Stanhope and Bill Bailey to Thailand and promise to bring the best international comedian to Phuket every month. Do not miss this fascinating, Australia comedy genius with special guests Matt Wharf (Australia) and Dusty Moore (South Africa). Sunday, 29 July Buffet 6pm. Doors 7pm and Show 8pm. Early bird tickets from only 500 baht or with buffet for only 1,200 baht. For more information to book your tickets, contact: Magic Rock, Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach.

Website: http://www.ticketflap.com/gregfleet-puk18

THU

route takes its runners along steep hilly terrain and past beautiful waterfalls within the Khao Phra National Park that surrounds Thanyapura. With a choice of 3 distances (4km fun run, 8km trail and 15km trail), there is something for everyone at this event. Please contact for more details. events@thanyapura.com, 076 336 000.

EVERY DAY

16 AUG

Simmer & Spice Curry buffet, great variety, vibrant flavours. Every Monday from 18.30 - 21.30. Reservations, SALA Phuket, events@salaphuket.com, 076 338 888.

The Phuket Drum Circle 6th year anniversary The Phuket Drum Circle will celebrate the 6th year anniversary on Sunday July 29 in Nai Harn Beach from 4:30pm to midnight. This event is free and open to the public. Participants can drum, dance, or enjoy the scenery and good vibes. Experience the magic of community drumming and dancing! For updates and videos visit the Facebook page: Phuket Drum Circle.

All you can eat Thai Tapas menu

Dot Property Thailand Awards 2018 All you can eat BBQ night

The Dot Property Thailand Awards 2018 ceremony will be announcing the first ever People’s Choice Award for “Best Developer Thailand 2018” and this is the first award to be voted by the public! The special People’s Choice Award winner along with winners from other categories will be revealed at the big event on August 16th, 2018. Another addition for 2018 is the launch of Thailand’s Best Real Estate Agencies presented by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®. The Dot Property Thailand Awards 2018 are organised by Dot Property Group, Southeast Asia’s largest property portal network. For more information, please visit www. dotpropertyawards.com

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

THU

26 JUL

SUN RETRO NIGHT – BACK TO THE 70S & 80S Don’t miss out on our newest, exciting weekly event at Two Chefs. Come and join us for our special Flambé 300g Australian grass-fed rib eye steak served with a creamy peppercorn sauce, roasted vegetable medley and potato gratin for ONLY B495.

Have a sweet tooth? Treat yourself to the Two Chefs banana flambé served with vanilla ice cream for

@thephuketnews

2 SEP

GREG FLEET - AUSTRALIA’S FUNNIEST COMEDIAN ‘One of the best comedians in the world ever’ - Stewart Lee. Greg Fleet is one of Australia’s most highly respected stand-up comedians. He has performed in 26 Melbourne International Comedy festivals. He became infamous when his character Dave Summers was involved in the killing of Daphne in Australia’s popular soap-opera Neighbours. He has been on screen with Nicole Kidman, made Netflix shows with Jim Jeffries and toured all over the world getting 5-star reviews.

2018 King of the Mountain Phuket Trail Run The King of the Mountain Trial Run is hugely popular amongst both locals and visitors to the island. The

An array of unlimited tapas-size table serving of travelers’ and locals’ favorite Thai dishes, Kantok is the perfect place to devour the best of the best Thai cuisine at once, from mouth-watering appetizers and savor soup of Phuket specialties and soul satisfying desserts. Only THB 750-net per person. Serving daily from 11am-11pm. Reservations, Kantok Restaurant, Burasari Phuket, 076 292 929.

DAILY EVENT UPDATES ON

22 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York 1. What nickname was given to the Shinkansen high-speed trains of Japan because of their appearance and speed?

2. The main types of which form of transport are non-rigid, semirigid, and rigid?

3. Acer is a genus of trees commonly known by what name?

4. Which number President is Donald John Trump? And who is the First Lady?

5. If Billy Yank was a Union soldier during the Civil War, what nickname was given to a Confederate soldier?

Answers below, centre

SUDOKU

Hard

Across 1. Croupier’s tool 5. Impress clearly 9. Add color to 14. The America’s Cup trophy, e.g.

15. Place to be picked up?

16. Accustom (to) 17. Group of circus performers (with “The”) 20. Word with drum or wax 21. “___ the glad waters of the dark blue sea”: Byron 22. Clock std.

23. Blotter letters 26. Relative worth of a currency 29. Come clean, with “up” 30. Equestrian 32. Kind of flour 34. Cathedral recess 35. Greek god of death 39. Author of “A Modest Proposal” 42. From first to last 43. Newbie 45. Big bird 46. Windshield device 49. Utter 52. Even chance

54. Old name for Tokyo 55. Elvis Presley’s “___ Lost You” 56. It’s a scream 57. Majors in acting 59. Hanna-Barbera horse 66. Long bones 67. Vicinage 68. Dirt 69. Compass points 70. Swami 71. Make content

28. Lets go of 29. Honoring 31. Recipient 33. Pilot’s problem 36. Peruvian peaks 37. “Coming ___” (TV series) 38. In a pen 40. You can bank on it 41. Vaunted 44. Not to 47. Short-tailed polar bird 48.

Gp. with Down Indonesia and 1. Officiate Algeria as 2. Saddler’s tool 3. ___ West members 4. Pelee Island’s lake 49. Nettle 5. Memory trace 50. Throat dangler 6. Shooting marble 51. Checks 7. Fin. adviser 53. Gumbo 8. Serf vegetables 9. Echelon 56. Barely budgets 10. Hampton ___ 11. Elbow 58. Support 12. Jampacks 60. Cool ___ 13. Lab work 61. Don’t just seem 18. Church section 62. Like a Burnsian 19. Gets smart mouse 23. “Gotcha!”

24. Small hill in Africa 63. Cellular stuff 25. Unlawful firing? 64. Hinder 65. Tribulation 27. Wood shaper

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1) Bullet trains; 2) Airships; 3) Maple; 4) Forty Five (45th). Melania.; 5) Jonny Rebel

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

6.5

times a year on average Jupiter is hit by impacting meteors big enough to generate fireballs visible from Earth.

40

percent of the US box office is how much Disney would control if it buys Fox.

20,000 one-litre bottles of air every day is how much humans need to breathe.

160,000 US dollars is the value of the diamond Arizona man Walter Earl Morrison stole and then traded for $20 worth of marijuana.

1 billion

US dollars is the offer ABBA turned down to reunite in 2000.

Source: Uberfacts

Beachside palms. Photo: Blair Horgan Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket? Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

This week in history July 20, 1960 Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) elects Sirimavo Bandaranaike Prime Minister, the world’s first elected female head of government.

upon by commissioners from the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, leading to the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain.

July 21, 1983 The world’s lowest temperature in an inhabited location is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica, at −89.2°C (−128.6°F).

July 23, 1980 Phạm Tuân becomes the first Vietnamese, and the first Asian, in space on board Soyuz 37 as an Intercosmos Research Cosmonaut.

July 22, 1706 The Acts of Union 1707 are agreed

July 24, 2001 Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the

political power through democratic election to a different office.

Viktor Gorbatko with Phạm Tuân.

Photo: famille.sebile / Flickr CC

July 25, 1609 The English ship Sea Venture, en route to Virginia, is deliberately driven ashore during a storm at Bermuda to prevent its sinking; the survivors found a new colony there.

last Tsar of Bulgaria when he was a child, is sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, becoming the first monarch in history to regain

July 26, 1951 Walt Disney’s 13th animated film, Alice in Wonderland, premieres in London. Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Jobs

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CLASSIFIEDS 23 The Phuket News @thephuketnews

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CLASSIFIEDS 25

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Trades & Services

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

ADVERTISING SERVICES

CLEANING SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

MARINE SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

MARINE SERVICES

MARINE SERVICES

MARINE SERVICES

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Trades & Services

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

classifieds@thephuketnews.com

MARINE SERVICES

MOVING SERVICES

POOL SERVICES

PROPERTY SERVICES

OTHER

ADVERTISE HERE

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 27

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Buy & Sell

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

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

GE UR

NT

Bar staff wanted

Blondie Bar 2 at Otop Market Patong requires Bar Staff. Thai nationals only.

Good salary and room provided. Phone Mick: 081 087 6114.

BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE FOR SALE AIR BERTH M320

250,000THB INC.VAT FOR BOAT UP TO 32 FEET/ 9.5 METRES. CONTACT: ASIA YACHT AGENCY CO.,LTD VIA CONTACT@ASIAYACHTAGENCY.COM, 081-894 -3234- FRENCH / ENGLISH — 086-269-0808 THAI / ENGLISH. GE

S NT

AL

E

Boat For Sale

72’(22m) Thai Trawler partially-converted as Tour Boat Business. Rebuilt from top to bottom 3 years ago (spent just over 1MB) including engine as was planned to use for a tour business, owner had to return to the UK unable to return (very ill son).

Some weather damage and need some repairs. Engine has only done only 6 hours, has new 12 kua generator. Currently in Hua Hin. Viewing can be arrange. Must sell within the next few months. Offers over THB 500,000. Contact Shayne on 0934 189 529 or shayne.inbox@gmail.com

UR

BUSINESS FOR SALE UR

GE

N

A TS

LE

SURIN: LUXURIOUS BAR-RESTAURANT SALE

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

CARS, TRUCKS FOR SALE

Hyundai Veloster TURBO

Hyundai Veloster Turbo 39,000km, Price from new 1,749,000 THB, full service book, 4 original rims with tyres with only 6,000km, all options. m.arnskjold@gmail.com, 0836351440 ENG / 084-3058363 TH.

Amazing Deal!

2016 Toyota Vios Model E with only 35,000 Km on it. Is an automatic, with fog lights, windows are tinted already, has the plastic insert for the trunk, rubber floor mats for all seats, rain shields on all windows. Only driven locally in Phuket. It is kept in great condition and is available to view in Chalong.

Only 495,000 THB. Adam 091 016 1167.

UR

N GE

TS

AL

E

2012 Ford Ranger 2.2 Open Cab

78,000km. Six-gear manual transmission.

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

CARS, TRUCKS FOR RENT G UR

EN

T

N RE

T

CARS FOR RENT

We offer car rental at affordable prices.

Monthly from B10,000. Daily from B400.

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

HOME IMPROVEMENT Flat roof waterproofing

We do flat roof waterproofing with 20 year warranty by installing quality four layer slate spotted bitumen torch foil + crack repair! Andreas Ruthe, 22/5 Moo1 Kamala Kathu, office@tcm-asia.com, 086-9439834,076-385081.

MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE For Sale

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

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

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

OTHER Accountancy,Bookkeeping,Tax

Accountancy, Bookkeeping, Australian Taxation, GST, VAT, Business Advisory Anabel Da Silva, PO Box 161, Palmyra, Western Australia, 6957, anabel@dasilva-accounting.com, +61 40 400 6236.

POOL TABLES AMAZING DEAL NOT TO BE MISSED!

Like new English Riley Pool Table for sale. Measures 320cm long by 170cm, comes with six pool cues and cue rack as well as game counter. Pick up in Chalong no delivery.

Only 50,000 THB. Adam 091 016 1167.

Rasson Victory 2 Pro Tounament

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

REAL ESTATE SERVICES CHATTHA Property and Rental Management Service in Phuket

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

Chattha Management.

28 CLASSIFIEDS

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Buy & Sell

PROPERTY FOR SALE 4 Pool villas - 1 Rai for sale

Reduced price from 32.9 MB to 24MB (only 6 MB for 1 villa). Bali-Thai Style pool villa 3 bed, 3 bath. Located Pasak, Bangtao beach, Phuket. More info: (+66) 96-8956392,(+66) 94-282-2893 or Umaphorn.fg@gmail.com

Luxury Villa

With private boat morning and jacuzzi.

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

Land & House for sale

Villa 155sqm, on Land 1 to 6 rai. Freehold Chanote on Sukorn Island, Trang province. Price THB 7,150,000 - THB 15,250,000.Owner, 081 537 1957.

New Modern Villa – 5 Mins to Ao Po Grand Marina

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

80m2 freehold condo in Patong

Freehold 80m2, 2-bedroom apartment in quiet condo with swimming pool in Patong. Ideal investment in most active tourist area in Phuket. B5.9 million. Contact Michel GUILLIEN, Andaman Beach Suites, Unit 1604, Patong, Phuket. Email: mguillien@gmail.com or call 097 920 2339.

RPM owner direct

Unique luxury condo 2 bed, 2 bath, 155sqm.

Foreign FREEHOLD. Architect remodel.

New Jacuzzi. Views to lake, mountain, marina, pool, etc. Completely furnished to a high standard, toothbrush only required. Owner leaving Thailand. Priced at 16MB for quick sale. Contact Brian (Owner): 089 054 4354, 076 360 943. bggvirgo@gmail.com RoyalPhuketMarina Condos.com

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

PROPERTY FOR SALE Chalong Office, Workshop/ Store

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

Chanote 0.5rai. B12,000,000, Simon Jupe, 29/4 Soi Nayai, Chalong, Phuket 83130. Email: simonj@ cscoms.com or call +66 (0)87 883 2542

5-bed pool villa, 1.2 Rai

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

Unique Investment Opportunity

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

COMMUNITY

PROPERTY FOR SALE

PROPERTY FOR RENT

Kamala Condo

Modern fully furnished 2B/R, 2 bathroom condo , 90 SM, min 3 months. Quite & secure. Wifi&cable TV included. 4 condos in this building. Small garden.12,000, bkeenan2010@hotmail.com, 084 716 0502.

Ready 01/07/2018

Rent. The Heritages Suites, nice 2 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, Jacuzzi, 160sqm. Modern furnished. Lease long term (minimum 1 year). Parking, pool, fitness. Close KIS, Lotus. 39,000 per month, Owner, Kathu, Thai 089 552 9303 / Eng 093 717 9343.

Pool Villa For Rent PhangNga

Penthouse for Sale

432.44 SQM Penthouse for sale: 320 Degree view of Patong bay and city.

Private pool. 22nd floor (top floor) at the Andaman Beach Condominium, Patong, Phuket, Thailand.

Condo Facilities: Two tennis courts, 10 x 24-metre swimming pool, fitness & game room, restaurant, parking. 60 Million Baht O.N.O., Songpan, songpanpirom@hotmail.com, 081 737 8662.

4-Bed Pool villa nearby Natai beach. Surrounded by nature. North of Phuket, 25 mins from airport. Idea for retired/long term stay family. Yupadee: miakcg@yahoo.com, 081 926 3286.

PROPERTY WANTED Looking for property in Laguna

Willing to sell or rent your property in the Laguna area? Please contact me: raisa@ rl-property.com or +66(0) 81 737 1687 (you can use Viber, Whats App or Line) raisa@rl-property.com

thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

SPORT 29

Stuck at a crossroad

Is German GP destined to drop off the Formula One calendar?

BOX OF NEUTRALS Michael Lamonato michael@boxofneutrals.com

T

he Ger man G rand Prix’s return to the F1 calendar after a year’s absence this Sunday (July 22), could prove the historic race’s last.

Unlocking the viability of the Grosser Preis von Deutschland has proved a riddle undecipherable by Formula One and the German race promoter alike.

The raucous crowds emblematic of the days of Michael Schumacher stand in stark contrast with the current era of Sebastian Vettel, who idolised his great predecessor but who for reasons undetermined has been unable to enthuse local crowds in the same way.

Reigning four-time constructors champion Mercedes has similarly failed to elicit any feelings of national pride sufficient to stimulate ticket sales.

Some suggest that the German audience was willing to

The raucous crowds emblematic of the days of Michael Schumacher stand in stark contrast with the current era of Sebastian Vettel. Photo: Patrik Stollarz / AFP buy into the sport only once, when Michael Schumacher became the nation’s first successful Formula One driver.

German tennis experienced a similar boom with Boris Becker, for example.

Others point to the fact that Mercedes is only nominally German given it’s based in England and run by Austrians, while Vettel’s ferocious guardianship of his life away

from the racetrack makes him difficult to relate to.

W hatever the reason, crowds have dwindled while hosting costs have escalated – indeed the F1 sanctioning fee is so significant that Nürburgring and Hockenheimring began alternating hosting duties from 2007 until the former finally succumbed to a lack of finance in 2014. The German Grand Prix has since

Bolt poised for trial with Aussie club FOOTBALL USAIN BOLT IS ON THE VERGE OF sealing a deal to trial with the A-League’s Central Coast Mariners, the Australian club said on Tuesday (July 17), as the sprint legend pursues his dream of playing professional football.

Eight-time Olympic champion Bolt, 31, who retired from athletics after August’s World Championships in London, is an avid Manchester United fan who has long dreamt of playing top-flight football.

The 100m and 200m world record-holder trained with Norwegian club Stromsgodset last month and Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in March.

The planned arrangement will see him take part in a six-week trial starting next month at the Mariners’ base in Gosford, some 75 kilometres north of Sydney, chief executive Shaun Mielekamp said.

A season-long deal could follow if it goes well, he told commercial broadcaster Channel Seven.

Football agent Tony Rallis, who has been working on the deal, told Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast on Tuesday that it has been agreed “in principle... subject to a couple of benchmarks”.

“Mainly, a trial, and of course marquee funds support from (governing body Football Federation Australia),” he said, adding that the arrangement was not a gimmick.

“Once the FFA comes back and says that they’ll be part of the process, we’re going to the trial... This bloke’s an ambitious athlete. The A-League needed a hero, and we got superman.” @thephuketnews

Retired Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt controls the ball during an exhibition football match. Photo: Thomas Samson / AFP Mielekamp said his club had been working on the agreement for four to five months, and there was still “some work to do”.

“But fingers crossed things might play out, but the most important thing is we wait to find out and see how good a footballer he is first.

“If all goes well, who knows? He may be playing in the A-League this season.”

Mielekamp said reports of Bolt’s performance at the European clubs he has trialled with have been “pretty good”, and that “every time he trains, he improves significantly”.

“He has a very good left foot, and time will tell at what level he is at and if it fits the A-League... it would only be big if he could play and go really well,” he said.

“If he comes in and he is not up to the level, it could have a detrimental effect.”

Bolt has dominated sprinting since taking double individual gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The charismatic sportsman went on to win a further six Olympic golds and pick up 11 world titles.

The A-League season starts in October.

AFP

been a biennial affair, with the Hockenheimring unwilling to foot the bill for the missing 2015 and 2017 years.

But now the owners of the last circuit standing have reached the end of their fiscal tether, and with no contract yet agreed to extend the race beyond this year’s running, the historic German Grand Prix seems destined to drop off the calendar from 2019.

The race’s expiration comes at a testing moment for Formula One Management, which is attempting to balance the desire to dip into the sport’s pockets to fund start-up races that offer potential long-term benefits while continuing to profit from more established events, which are an important income stream constituting reported revenues worth US$1.5 billion (B49.883bn) last year.

This is aptly demonstrated by concurrent negotiations for a Miami street race next October, for which Formula One is prepared to shoulder some of the financial burden, and for an extension to the British Grand Prix contract beyond 2019 after the Silverstone Circuit’s owners gave notice that the sport was no longer sustainable.

“We do want to grow globally, particularly in some of the markets where there are opportunities,” F1 CEO Chase Carey told Sky Sports last year, “But the foundation of the sport is western Europe and we want to make the races in western Europe as strong as

they can be.”

The meaning of “as strong as they can be” is key, and the German Grand Prix organisers said earlier this year that they’re seeking a risk-free deal like that on offer for Miami.

“We cannot prolong under current conditions,” Hockenheimring marketing director Jorn Teske said in May. “We would like to have a contract which will take the risk away from us… this could be track rental, but it could be also sharing of ticket income and sharing of costs.”

In offering Miami favourable terms Formula One has opened the floodgates to similarly beneficial claims from its bevy of long-standing races.

On the one hand it can’t afford to slash race hosting fees across the board, but it cannot afford to drive away the backbone of the calendar.

The solution to this billiondollar problem will be crucial.

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

30 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Caddy Shack show their form

League leaders ease to 9-2 win over Wombat, extend lead in table POOL

Kiki Sports Bar’s owner Kiki finishing the beerleg in style.

Photo: Supplied

Matt Pond editor3@thephuketnews.com

T

he seventh round of the Patong Pool League (PPL), sponsored by Thailand Pool Tables, Genius 2 Garden and Restaurant and Tualek Whisky, was played last Thursday (July 12) with league leaders Caddy Shack once again showing their form and again extending their lead at the top of the table.

In last Thursday’s action it was Wombat Bar’s turn to host league leaders Caddy Shack, and given Caddy Shack’s recent performances it was a game Wombat must not have been looking forward to.

Caddy Shack started as they meant to go on with Davy, Mark and Justin all winning their singles and doubles games, and with the final score being 9-2 in Caddy Shack’s favour they proved that this season they are in a class all of their own.

Reports have come back to The Phuket News that somewhat elated by their victory, the Caddy Shack limo took a detour home via Ting Tong Bar, Natalie Bar and Kwan’s Birdie Bar where they sat outside for quite some time with ‘We are

the Champions’ blasting out of the stereo.

Talk about rubbing salt in the wounds!

Meanwhile, Red Light Bar played away to Genius with Red Light eager to pull themselves away from the bottom spot in the league table by showing some strong fighting spirit.

Tum, Brett and Gwen all won their singles and doubles games for Red Light while Jenny from Genius also did the same.

The beerleg was a three-setter

and after losing the first set Genius took the next two sets and won the beerleg. However, Red Light went home after pulling off a 7-5 victory over Genius and getting themselves two spots off the bottom in the league standings.

Elsewhere, Kiki Sports Bar played at home against Happy End Bar. William from Kiki Sports Bar just had an exhausting trip to Laos and this showed in his games. This was not helped with Andy from Happy End winning his first ever

LEAGUE STANDINGS Caddy Shack

54

Natalie

49

Kwans Birdie Club

45

Simon Oil

39

Genius

34

Kiki Sports

34

Wombat

33

Happy End

30

Red Light

30

Martin Swiss

28

Ting Tong

28

singles and doubles games in the PPL. Tak and Oye from Happy End didn’t miss out on any chances and also won their singles and doubles games.

Top player Chris, also playing for Happy End, potted the black and another ball from the break and that was the end of his game.

Happy End won the first set in the beerleg but Teacher Tak wasn’t only able to screw up the second set but also the third. However, despite

their shortcomings in the beerleg Happy End still managed to take a 7-5 victory back to Soi Kepsub.

It was reported that Teacher Tak was so embarrassed by his beerleg shenanigans that he went home with his head hung in shame.

Martin Swiss played away to Kwan’s Birdie Team in Kathu and Goh, Riky and Mike E playing for the Birdie team each won their singles and doubles games.

Word has it that Kwan’s Birdie Team still have aspirations to challenge Caddy Shack for the league title and that their top player Goh is now giving one-on-one private lessons to their new player Staf every day.

Kwans Birdie Team took away an 8-3 victory against Martin Swiss taking them to third position in the PPL rankings.

Finally, Ting Tong Bar played at home against Natalie Bar with Natalie and Oh both winning their singles and doubles games.

The beerleg was also won by Natalie Bar in two sets and that resulted in a good 8-3 win.

Following the game, Ting Tong owner Paul said that his team had learned a great lesson in pool that night but promised that his team would come bouncing back.

Thai riders Suzuka-bound Anger at plan to curb surfing MOTORCYCLING

AP HONDA WILL SEND Thai riders to take part in the Suzuka 4 Hours endurance race in Japan for a second consecutive year, the company said on Tuesday (July 17).

The three racers are Warit Thongnoppakun, Piyawat Patoomyos and Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi, who competed in the recent Asia Talent Cup. The participation is aimed at providing them with experience on the international stage.

AP Honda president Yoichi

From left Kritchaporn Kaewsonthi, Warit Thongnoppakun and Piyawat Patoomyos.

Photo: via Bangkok Post Mizutani said that last year the company sent an all-Thai team to the event and would do the same this year.

“It was a challenge because the riders, coaches, mechanics

and other people in the team are Thais,” he told a press conference.

The team, featuring Muklada Salapeuch and Worapong Malahuan, finished fourth last year.

The Suzuka 4 Hours is part of the Endurance World Championships. The event, along with the Suzuka 8 Hours, will be held at the Suzuka International Circuit from July 27-29.

Mizutani said his ultimate aim was to produce Thai riders to compete in MotoGP by 2025.

Bangkok Post

on Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach SURFING

A PROPOSAL TO BAN SURFING ON most of Australia’s iconic Bondi Beach has triggered anger among the local boardriding community.

Current restrictions confine fibreglass boards to the southern end of the Sydney beach. Softer foam boards popular among novice surfers and children are allowed anywhere, other than inside the flags – a lifesaver-supervised area designated for swimmers.

But Waverley Council, the local government with authority over the beach, is canvassing feedback from residents on a plan to abolish the distinction between hard and soft boards, and instead categorise them as “simply fin or no fin”.

This would force all surfers to the southern end of the 900-metre-long beach, where waves are usually bigger and dangerous rip tides more frequent.

Between 50 and 300 people surf Bondi each day, according to the council, with 84% of people in the ocean using the beach outside the flagged area.

In the warmer months the iconic shoreline draws thousands of people.

The council says the change would reduce the risk of people swimming between the flags being hit by a surf craft with fins. But it notes the change would increase surfer

A surfer takes a wave on Bondi Beach in Sydney on September 11, 2017. Photo: Peter Parks / AFP congestion and heighten the risk of injury outside the flags.

Surfers slammed the proposal, saying it would crowd too many surfers as well as users of other craft into too small an area, notably creating hazards for novices.

“If they agree with the proposal, there will be nowhere for our kids to learn about the ocean other than sticking them with hundreds of surfers on glass boards with kooks mowing them down,” Bondi Boardriders posted on Facebook Tuesday (July 17).

Waverley council on Wednesday (July 18) called for calm, saying there were no plans to ban surfing on the beach.

“At this stage, we are only seeking feedback and no decision has been made,” it said in a statement.

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

SPORT 31

Patong humbled by ICC, again Attempt to improve on previous friendly loss fails miserably CRICKET Neil Quail

O

n a perfect sunny Sunday (July 15), Patong and ICC took to the ACG to fulfil a return friendly fixture, the first of which ended in a resounding victory for ICC the previous weekend.

Having suffered at the destructive hands of Prakash Jha’s batting, compounded by a less than convincing fielding display in their first encounter, Patong were in no doubt that an all-round improvement in performance would be required to level the series.

Deciding on a change in format from the previous week’s T20 to a 25 over match, and Patong’s captain subsequently winning the toss, Seemant Raju elected to bat first in order to exploit the extra overs in hope of posting a sizeable total for ICC to chase.

Continuing his role as Patong’s mainstay opener, Michael Flowers was joined

by Alex Runhaar to begin proceedings as both batsmen looked to spend productive time at the crease.

By the fifth over and with the score on 31, Manish Sadarangani’s bowling tempted Flowers (12) into a shot that found the hands of Balesh Dessai, sending the Kiwi back to the clubhouse and bringing Matthew Kohler to the crease.

The slimmed-down Kohler took no time in settling down to his usual no-holds-barred style of play blasting a six from only his second ball faced, while Runhaar’s (20) efforts helped bring the score to 41 by the seventh over before Sadarangani found a way past Runhaar’s bat to

ICC’s Prakash Jha hoists a delivery for victory and his team to a second defeat of Patong last Sunday (July 15) at the ACG. Photo: Michael Way

disturb the South African’s stumps.

In the very next over, Kohler (12) let loose on a delivery from Jha that on most occasions would have been rewarded with a six, but a larger than usual boundary for this game allowed Paresh Borkar to take a fine catch just inside the fence, ending the South African’s innings with Patong’s score on 56.

Heading into the drinks break, Neil Quail and Sajal Gaur had tentatively brought the score to three for 67, hoping to re-group and stem the recent flow of wickets.

Seemingly, any strategy discussed among the Patong players was quickly forgotten with Gaur (3) bowled by Ravi Mehra on the very first ball after resuming play, followed almost immediately by Quail (4) trying to capitalise on a Mehra full toss, but easily caught by Jha at mid-wicket.

Pressure now fell squarely on both Anthony Van Blerk and skipper Raju for a captain’s innings with an accom-

modating 11 overs and five wickets in hand. And while Van Blerk offered a measure of resistance scoring 26 off 29 balls, Patong collapsed to a meagre total of 100 runs, four overs short of the allotted 25, and only seven of those runs being added for the fall of the last three wickets.

As a result of Patong’s feeble batting exhibition, ICC can boast enviable bowling figures with Vijay claiming three wickets for four runs off his three overs, while Jha impressed with a single over, and a wicket-maiden.

Needing only four runs per over, Patong had to fire on all cylinders with the ball if ICC were to be contained, and a rousing Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday inspired speech from Van Blerk before taking to the pitch seemed to have motivated a vociferous Patong side as they found their fielding positions. Unfortunately, the first ball delivered by Shivam Bhattacharya landed short of a length and Ravi Naik clubbed a leg-side

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Follow as above.

Bus pick-up: Kamala @ Black Cat’s Bar: 2:30pm Patong @ Expat Hotel: 3pm More info: phuket-hhh.com

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boundary for four runs, with two more boundaries added by the unforgiving batsman by the over’s end.

A breakthrough finally came in the fourth over with the dismissal of Sarvesh Kandolkar (9) and the score on 26, when Kohler reached high to take a catch on the extended boundary, perhaps justice for his own earlier dismissal.

Dessai was next to the crease, and with Naik they eased to a 44-run partnership before Dessai edged a delivery from Kohler, allowing wicketkeeper, Van Blerk, to take the catch, making amends for two earlier uncharacteristic fumbles behind the stumps.

ICC’s victory was never in question, but attempting to end the game with a flourish and needing only one run to end Patong’s misery, Naik (41) holed out to a delivery from Quail, gathered again

by Kohler safeguarding the boundary.

Still with a single run to win, and emulating Jha’s bowling exploits, Van Blerk

removed his pads and turned his arm for a wicket-maiden overtaking the scalp of Sadarangani (17) with an enthusiastic stumping by replacement keeper, Raju.

Finally, in the 19th over and declining several opportunities to take a run, Jha ballooned a ball from Ike

Bekker for a single to seal a second decisive ICC triumph over Patong, this time by six wickets.

Patong’s Runhaar picked up his team’s best four-over figures with one wicket for 16 runs, while ICC’s Naik claimed Man-of-the-Match for his batting performance.

Live Sports TV Schedule *Times may be subject to change

SPORT START Friday 20th July Rugby Union 14:30 Golf 12:30 Cricket 11:15 Rugby League 15:00 Saturday 21st July Rugby Union 14:30 17:00 20:00 Rugby League 14:30 16:30 Soccer 21:00 Golf 12:30 Cricket 11:15 Motor Racing 19:45 Sunday 22nd July Golf 12:30 Cricket 11:15 Motor Racing 19:00 19:45

STOP

EVENT

TEAMS / INFO

16:30 01:00 19:30 17:00

Super XV - QF2 The Open Test 2, Colombo NRL

Hurricanes v. Chiefs Carnoustie, Day 2 Sri Lanka v. South Africa, Day 1 Broncos v. Panthers

16:30 Super XV - QF1 Crusaders v. Sharks 19:00 Super XV - QF3 Waratahs v. Highlanders 22:00 Super XV - QF4 Lions v. Jaguares 16:30 NRL Wests Tigers v. Rabbitohs 18:30 NRL Cowboys v. Dragons 23:00 Champions Cup, Austria Bayern Munich v. Paris St Germain 01:00 The Open Carnoustie, Day 3 19:30 Test 2, Colombo Sri Lanka v. South Africa, Day 2 21:30 Formula 1 Qualifying, Hockenheim 01:00 19:30 19:45 22:30

The Open Test 2, Colombo Formula 1 Formula 1

Carnoustie, Day 4 Sri Lanka v. South Africa, Day 3 Raceday, Hockenheim German Grand Prix

Sport

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor3@classactmedia.co.th

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

Empty seats at German GP could spell the end > p29

FLYING ‘FUGAZI’ Dan Fidock’s trimaran claims Racing Multihull division, wins six out of eight races it sailed in

Dan Fidock’s trimaran Fugazi claimed the Racing Multihull division winning six of the eight races it sailed in, finishing with 10 points. Photo: Scott Murray

SAILING Scott Murray

T

he 10th annual Multihull Solutions Regatta wrapped up last Sunday (July 15) with another good day of sailing. Principal Race Officer Simon James ran two races, a three-lap windward-leeward and then a triangle course for all classes except Cruising, which did a loop around nearby Koh Lon. Dan Fidock’s trimaran Fugazi claimed the Racing Multihull division winning six of the eight races it sailed in, finishing with 10 points.

Fugazi claimed line honours in every race and was a sight to behold in full throttle. Bob Garner’s Blade Runner claimed the other two victories on handicap, which along with their other finishes, gave them second place overall in Racing Multis with 21 points.

Peter Wilcox christened his new Stealth Cosmo with a third-place finish and 30 points. Mick Tilden’s Pixalux had the same amount of points but settled for fourth as Cosmo had a greater number of higher finishes. Andrew de Bruin’s Multihull Solutions H30 came in fifth

overall with 37 points while Glywn Rowlands’ Twister 2 rounded out the class with 40 points.

In the final race of the Firefly series, positions two and three overall were still undecided. As John Newnham’s Twin Sharks had won every race up until then it had already captured the division with eight points. After the first mark, Surf Patrol took a commanding lead with Blue Noze, Mamba and Twin Sharks trailing in that order.

Positions two through four changed throughout the next lap until the final run when Twin Sharks jumped into the lead and Blue Noze finished in third place to take second overall with 21 points to Surf Patrol’s 25.

Voodoo’s two DNS’s on day two hurt it and it slipped back to fourth overall with 36 points. Mamba, which also had two DNS’s on day two came fifth with 41 points, while Jonathan Kingdon’s Moto Inzi had to retire from the regatta after its mishap and finished with 50 points, including four DNS’s and a DNF. Mick Tilden and Derek Sheppard’s Pixalux defeated lead sponsor Andrew de Bruin and crewmate Zeam Bevan on their Multihull Solutions H30 in seven of the eight

races in the two-boat Pulse 600 division accumulating nine points to MS H30’s fifteen.

The Cruising Multihull threeboat class saw Rick Fielding’s Mojo beat Bill Kane’s The Sting on tie-break. Even though The Sting finished with fewer points (9 vs. 10) both were allowed a drop race, as they had both sailed five races. This allowed Mojo to drop its third-place finish, then tying it with The Sting at seven points each (The Sting never finished lower than second). Anthony Passmore’s DaVinci ended up in third spot with 15 points, including a DNF & DNS. Jonathon Kingdon’s Firefly Moto Inzi was the only casualty of the regatta when it nosedived during the second race of the second day.

Captain Brent McInnis of the Phuket Cruising Yacht Club’s preformed heroic work orchestrating the rescue.

Good sportsmanship was displayed when crew members from both Twin Sharks and Mamba jumped in the water to aid Moto Inzi. And Blue Noze and Surf Patrol both reefed during those winding conditions, demonstrating good seamanship, earning themselves podium positions.

Jonathon Kingdon’s Firefly Moto Inzi was the only casualty of the regatta nosediving during the second day of racing. Photo: Scott Murray Liz Schoch and her initiative Responsible Rubbish (www.facebook.com/ResponsibleRubbish) made a big impact in the event as many sailors used Liz’s refillable bottles during the regatta instead of disposable plastic ones, thereby saving 500 plastic bottles from being used during the event. Lizzy, by the way, sailed on Blue Noze in the regatta.

A big thank you must go to Andrew de Bruin and Multihull Solutions for being the principal sponsor; Phuket Boat Lagoon for sponsoring day one’s racing; Octopus Electrical Service for sponsoring the

second day of racing. East Marine, Java Yachting and Regattas Asia were generous support sponsors, while SEA Yachting was the media partner and Rainman Watermakers (Bob Mott) kindly supplying skipper bags. Kim Mitchell and his staff did a super job of keeping all the sailors fed and hydrated with delicious meals and drinks.

Kudos to Commodore Scott Duncanson of the Phuket Yacht Club for organising the regatta along with his two able lieutenants Tom Cracknell, the on-shore Manager, and Alfie Rowson, a driving force on the organising committee. thephuketnews