21-04-2017

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

thephuketnews thephuketnews1 thephuketnews.com

Friday, April 21, 2017 – Thursday, April 27, 2017

Since 2011 / Volume VIl / No. 16

20 Baht

PHI PHI PARK OFFICER CHARGED FOR FRAUD > PAGE 3

WA’TER RELIEF

NEWS

PAGE 2

Songkran road accidents toll spurs action

LIFE

PAGE 16

The Black Prince rides again

Main: The Chalong dam is expected to be completed by July. Inset: Gov Norraphat raises water supply concerns at Bang Niew Dum in Thalang. Photos: Pichet Pakkasat / PR Dept

LONG-AWAITED CHALONG RESERVOIR TO SERVE 100,000 RESIDENTS ACROSS SOUTHERN PHUKET Shela Riva reporter1@classactmedia.co.th

A

fter more than a decade in planning and construction, the long-awaited Khlong Katha Reservoir is expected to be complete in July, and to start collecting heaven-sent rainwater when the rainy season begins in the coming weeks.

Also locally called the “Chalong Dam”, the B480-million project is

located near Srisupharam temple among the foothills at the end of Chao Fa West Rd Soi 69 and funded by the Royal Irrigation Department (RID).

The reservoir will be used to supply tap water to homes in Chalong, Rawai, Kata and Karon, and Pichet Pakkasat, Director of the RID’s Construction Division’s regional office, confirmed to The Phuket News this week.

“It will take not more than one year to fill up the reservoir and use it

to begin supplying water,” Mr Pichet confirmed.

“Currently, it is 87% complete.”

The reservoir is up to 927 metres long and in parts up to 23m deep, with a maximum water storage capacity of 4.3 million cubic metres, Mr Pichet explained.

When ready for use, the reservoir water will be treated by the Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority (PPWA), which supplies and distributes 70% of water in Phuket, he added.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

@thephuketnews

“Water to be distributed will be treated by filtration installed alongside the reservoir and managed by the PPWA, and then the water will be distributed from there to the target areas, by PPWA pipelines,” Mr Pichet said.

“The filtration system is already installed at the same site, right beside the reservoir.”

In case of any danger of water levels breaching the dam wall, overflow will be drained into an emergency...

SPORT

PAGE 38

F1 shifts gears as season heads off to Europe

News 2

PHUKET NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Phuket Airport gets top-shelf inspection from Bangkok > page 6

Raging against the machines

Four dead in road accidents over Songkran holidays spurs action Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

G

overnor Norraphat Plodthong has vowed to take action to correct Phuket motorists’ wild driving habits in the hope of reducing the death and carnage on the island’s roads.

The announcement came on Tuesday (Apr 18) after it was reported that Phuket had suffered four deaths and 70 injuries in 67 accidents during the Songkran “Seven Days of Danger” road-safety campaign, which ran from midnight at the beginning of last Thursday (Apr 11) through to midnight at the close of Monday (Apr 17).

The first death during the campaign came last Sunday (Apr 16), when Bussaba Phanwiset, 37, died from serious head injuries sustained in a fall from a samlor (motorcycle

fitted with a tray sidecar) near Wat Thepwanaram in Baan Manik, Cherng Talay, on the afternoon of the preceding day.

The other three deaths all came on Monday (Apr 17).

Peerapon Namsupo, 21, lost control of his motorbike at high speed and slammed into the roadside guardrails on Wichit Songkram Rd between Makro and Baan Ketho in Kathu at 4:29am. He died of his injuries later at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.

At about 1pm, Phanudet Wongsiwong, 22, died in hospital after being thrown from his motorbike at high speed when it mounted the central divide on Thepsrisin Bridge near Phuket Town and slammed a palm tree.

Later that same day across town in Rassada, Adirek Suetrong, 39, died from head

A nurse loads a motorbike accident victim into an ambulance during the Songkran Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign. Photo: Kathu Municipality injuries after he was thrown from the motorbike taxi he was riding as a passenger when the motorbike was struck by a garbage truck. The garbage truck driver, Wirasak Boonlah, 35, was charged for reckless driving causing death.

“All these deaths and in-

juries happened because of driving at high speed, driving recklessly and not wearing helmets,” Gov Norraphat pointed out.

“I will bring all the road accident statistics and other relevant information to discuss with the Phuket Provincial

Committee to come up with ways to solve this problem and create a campaign that will make driving safer in Phuket,” he said.

Despite the death and injury toll over the holidays, Gov Norraphat also thanked all police and officials who took part in the Songkran road-safety campaign, noting that without their efforts the death and injury toll could have been much higher.

“Thank you to every official who worked hard during the Songkran holidays this year,” he said.

The report stated that 29 of the accidents were in Muang District, which encompasses Phuket Town, Kata-Karon, Wichit, Chalong, Rawai and Nai Harn; 17 were in Kathu District, which includes Patong; and the remaining 21 accidents were in Thalang

District, which covers the northern half of the island.

According to the police, the total number of people fined and arrested in Phuket throughout the Seven Days of Danger were: • 5,628 people fined for not wearing helmets • 3,075 fined for driving without a licence • 665 fined for not wearing a seat belt • 322 fined for speeding • 267 arrested for drunk driving • 245 fined for running a red light • 342 fined for ghost driving (driving opposite traffic flow) • 282 fined for using mobile phones while driving • 185 fined for reckless/ dangerous driving • 166 fined for dangerously cutting off other motorists in traffic.

Chalong dam rises to serve the south Continued from page 1 ...spillway and reserve, which will store a further 200,000 cubic metres of water.

“The highest water capacity is 4.5 million cubic metres with emergency storage.” Mr Pichet explained.

The Chalong Dam capacity is nearly 3 million cubic metres less than that of Bang Wad Dam, Phuket’s main reservoir supplying tap water, which holds about 7.3 million cubic metres.

“Comparably, it will supply less water than the other dams in Phuket. It is expected to supply only about 14,000 to 15,000 cubic metres of water per day, as it is the smallest of the reservoirs,” the PPWA Chief Pisak Choyalut told The Phuket News.

Nonetheless, the reservoir is expected to greatly alleviate the ongoing problem of water-supply outages for “about 100,000” people in the Chalong, Rawai and KataKaron areas, said Mr Pisak.

“We have finished setting up the water-treatment facility. It is now only a matter of waiting for the Royal Irrigation Department to complete the drilling process to connect the water supply,” he said.

“Once that is done, the long

Governor Norraphat Plodthong has called for a review of how Phuket’s water resources are managed. Photo: PR Dept problem of water shortages in these areas will finally be improved.”

Although actual construction of the reservoir has been ongoing since 2010, talks of building it had begun around 2003 in a bid to resolve major issues of water shortages.

Initially intended to open in 2015, several architectural, logistical and financial setbacks arose, prolonging the project into a nearly 15-year-long endeavour.

“There were many delays over the years. The three main ones were that firstly, the design of the dam was flawed – it did not work practically and had to be redesigned,” explained Mr Pichet.

“Secondly, some of the required equipment was lacking or inadequate – and, finally,

the budget itself was insufficient. The whole budget for the project was miscalculated and had to be increased,” he added.

The deadline was moved many times, most recently to April 20 of this year, but reported floods due to rain became another obstacle to completion.

Phuket Irrigation Department’s Head of Engineering, Narong Natevongsa, told The Phuket News, “Klong Katha Dam was not finished on this deadline because of some problems in the construction process. As Klong Katha Dam is in a residential area, it is not easy to carry on with construction when excavating the rock.

“The rainy reason also makes this more difficult and delays it further,” he added. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

PHUKET NEWS

Patong bars left in the dark over 4am closing

3

The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

P

rovincial officials and leading nightlife operators in Patong have reported that they have no idea on how the formal request by former Governor Chockchai Dejamornthan to allow entertainment venues along Bangla Rd to stay open until 4am is progressing.

Ex-Governor Chockchai dispatched the initial request to Bangkok before Feb 16, and later requested to extend the later trading times to venues in the entertainment zone in Karon as well.

Phuket Provincial Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Thawornwat Kongkaew told The Phuket News on Tuesday (Apr 18) that Ministry of Tourism & Sports officials made enquiries related to the request just before the Songkran holidays (Apr 13-15).

“They just asked some details about Patong from the Phuket Provincial Office before Songkran,” he said.

Asked whether the Phuket Provincial Office, which is headed by the new Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong, will follow up, Mr Thawornwat replied, “We

Chanarong Pantan, 44, has confessed to the charge of fraud, said Ao Nang Police. Photo: Hat Noppharat Thara– Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park

Phi Phi park officer charged for fraud Revellers on Bangla Rd in Patong. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot have done our job.”

Asked, how long processing the request – whether approved or denied – was expected to take, Mr Thawornwat said, “I have no idea.

They just asked for information from us. They need time to work on the official process.”

Asked specifically what the ministry officials enquired about, Mr Thawornwat said, “They just asked for numbers of tourists and expats (in Phuket), and feedback from public hearings about entertainment zones. There’s no need for you to ask so many questions.”

Meanwhile, Weerawit Krueasombat, President of the Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA), told The Phuket News on Tuesday that he has received no updates at all about the request.

The PEBA instigated the late-trading request from Governor Chockchai after a crackdown on bar and nightclubs along Bangla Rd saw hordes of revellers evicted onto the streets at 1am in late January.

“I have not heard any updates about the 4am closing,” he told The Phuket News.

“Also, now that former

Phuket Governor Chockchai has been transferred (effective immediately on April 4 at the order of Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha), he is no longer in Phuket – and he was the main man taking care of this issue,” Mr Weerawit explained.

“We have done everything we can. I have tried many ways to follow up on this, and now there is nothing but silence,” he noted.

“This conflicts with some people’s interest, even at the national level, I am honest to say out loud, but hopefully the 4am closing will be considered soon,” Mr Weerawit said.

A NATIONAL PARK OFficer stationed near Phi Phi Island has been charged for fraud and – according to police – confessed to pocketing cash payments by reusing already paid entry tickets to the park.

Chanarong Pantan, 44, the park official stationed at Koh Poda, off the coast of Krabi confessed to the charge, Ao Nang Police investigator Lt Songpon Boonchai told The Phuket News on Tuesday (Apr 18).

Chanarong’s arrest followed Sarayut Tantien, Chief of the Hat Noppharat Thara– Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, receiving a complaint from a longtail boat operator who took four tourists into the park at 5:30pm last Sunday (April 16).

The longtail boatman said he was handed two tickets for B200 (numbered 099-100) and two tickets for B400 (numbered 033-034) – but was asked to pay B1,600 to allow all four into the park.

“Hat Noppharat Thara Phi Phi Island National Park investigated this claim. It is defrauding tourists, which damages the state,” Chief Sarayut said in his complaint that was filed at Ao Nang Police on Sunday (Apr 16).

“This official has been arrested and charged with fraud causing damage to the state,” confirmed Lt Songpon on Tuesday afternoon.

“The official has confessed to the offence,” Lt Songpon said.

The Phuket News

Firefighters douse Patong massage parlour blaze

Firefighters were quickly at the scene, a massage parlour on the Patong beach road. Photo: Patong Police

@thephuketnews

SI X F I R E T RUC K S W E R E called to contain a fire that broke out at a massage parlour along the Patong beach road on Wednesday (Apr 19).

No injuries were reported from the blaze.

Officers at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Patong office responded to a call at about 8am reporting that a fire had broken out at Refresh Massage on Thaweewong Rd.

Smoke was billowing from the building when firefighters arrived.

Rescue teams entered the building, but found no persons trapped inside.

Firefighters took one hour to bring the situation under control.

Soon to arrive at the scene were Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup and Deputy Mayor Weerasak Khaminthong as well as Lt Col Saksan Khomsakhorn and Lt Col Jongserm Preecha of the Patong Police.

“Wannee Thapphra-in, who is

the massage shop manager, told police that she woke up to find that there was a fire in the kitchen,” Lt Col Jongserm said “She informed security guards of a hotel nearby. They tried to stop the fire with two fire extinguishers but were unsuccessful and the fire spread to other parts of the shop,” he added.

However, firefighters were on the scene quickly enough and adjoining buildings were only affected by the

smoke, Col Jongserm said.

“We cannot estimate the cost of damage yet but we believe that it will be around many hundreds of thousands of baht,” Col Jongserm noted.

“The fire seems to have started from an electrical short as we found scorch marks on a plug in the kitchen. However, forensic police are still investigating the incident,” Col Jongserm added.

Eakkapop Thongtub

NEED UPDATE 4

PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM Phuket Seven Day Weather Forecast

The Phuket News offers flexible advertising options both online and in print.

FRI APRIL 21

SAT APRIL 22

SUN APRIL 23

MON APRIL 24

TUE APRIL 25

WED APRIL 26

THU APRIL 27

High: +32° Low: +27°

High: +32° Low: +27°

High: +32° Low: +27°

High: +32° Low: +26°

High: +32° Low: +26°

High: +32° Low: +26°

High: +32° Low: +26°

Wind 3 km/h

Wind 1 km/h

Wind 3 km/h

gm@classactmedia.co.th

Rescue workers took more than 20 minutes to snare the roughneck monitor lizard.

Roughneck wrangled SALES MANAGER Jittiya (Tiya) Rakdej 088 754 1371

salesmgr@classactmedia.co.th

SALES SUPPORT Siriporn (Nok) Seangmas 086 479 7470

Wind 2 km/h

Wind 2 km/h

Wind 2 km/h

Wind 3 km/h

Saved by seat belts

GENERAL MANAGER

Jason Beavan 086 479 7471

www.foreca.com

THE CHIEF OF PHUKET’S key wildlife preservation centre has called for tourists to keep clear of monitor lizards and to call for help after a roughneck monitor lizard was found roaming the grounds of a resort in Nai Yang last week.

“This kind of animal is usually at home in the wild and rarely finds its way into builtup areas, but if it is cornered it may bite to defend itself,” said Piyawat Sukhon, Director of the Khao Phra Thaeo Non-hunting Area office in Thalang.

The Phuket News

Young couple spared in high-speed crash The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

T

wo people in a car survived a high-speed impact into a power pole after reportedly swerving to avoid hitting a bus on Thepkrasattri Rd in central Phuket early last Saturday morning (Apr 15).

Lt Col Sanit Nukong of the Thalang Police was informed of the accident at 4:30am.

Police and rescue workers arrived at the scene, in Baan Lipon, Srisoonthorn, to find a black Toyota Vios on its roof with heavy damage on the footpath.

The two people inside the car had already pulled themselves clear of the wreck: Driver Thitipan Saisawat,

Both the young man and his female companion passenger managed to pull themselves clear of the wreck.

22, had suffered injuries to his right arm and one of his legs, and his passenger Suriyu Ratthanarak, 21, had suffered minor wounds to her face and both arms.

Both were taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.

“We were told they were

heading home from an entertainment venue near the Heroines Monument,” Lt Col Sanit said.

“They were driving at high speed when a white bus pulled out from the national housing estate at Ban Lipon,” he added.

In avoiding hitting the

bus, the car flipped and slid into a power pole and then spun and slid into and struck a streetlight and a communications pole.

Thitipan and Suriyu were both wearing seat belts, Col Sanit confirmed.

Police have yet to confirm whether Thitipan tested positive for drunk driving. The Phuket News was told that police were waiting on doctors to confirm Thitipan’s bloodalcohol concentration (BAC).

However, police have so far made no mention of any attempt to track down and identify the driver of the bus allegedly involved in the accident.

Initial report by Eakkapop Thongtub

sales@classactmedia.co.th

Tour bus in ‘brake fail’ rams cars in Patong PR MANAGER Natchaya (Nat) Sittiprasert 088 765 5881 pr@classactmedia.co.th

SALES REPRESENTATIVE Kansirinphat (Pommy) Poolsiri 088 765 5883 sales1@classactmedia.co.th

A PH UK ET TOUR BUS carrying 30 Chinese tourists back to their hotel in Patong suffered a reported brake failure at the bottom of Patong Hill on Songrkan evening (Apr 13), causing a five-car pile-up and a huge traffic tailback extending all the way back into Kathu, on the east side of the hills.

The driver told police the brakes failed as the bus made the steep descent into Patong.

Lt Col Maj Pattapee Srichai and fellow officers from the Patong Police arrived at the scene, in front of Wat Suwankhiriwong (Wat Patong), at 7:36pm.

The white Mercedes-Benz bus, registered in Nakhon Ratchasima, rammed into the back of a white Toyota Fortuner, reported Col Pattapee.

The Fortuner was then pummelled into a bronze Isuzu, causing an end-to-end chain reaction of one car being shunted into the back of another, he explained.

Among the other cars damaged in the accident were another Isuzu pickup, a Toyota Altis and a Honda Jazz, he added.

Rescue workers and ambulances from Patong Hospital

The tour bus was carrying 30 Chinese tourists when it rammed the cars on the hill. also quickly arrived at the scene, and reported that only five people had sustained minor injuries in the pile-up.

Officers took an hour to clear the vehicles from the scene amid heavy traffic, which included long tailbacks all the way back over the hills to Kathu.

The bus, operated by Ningbo Yonglin Travel Co Ltd, was carrying 30 Chinese tourists and three guides from a restaurant near Chalong Bay Pier back to the Bauman Residence Hotel when the accident happened, reported police.

Officers have yet to conclude their investigation and have yet to press any charges against the bus driver for the accident.

Eakkapop Thongtub thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Scam heads south

PHUKET NEWS

5

Gang uses hotel-buying ploy in Krabi Eakkapop Thongtub editor@classactmedia.co.th

K

rabi Police have arrested a Thai woman, two South Koreans and two Mongolian nationals for attempting to buy hotels in the tourist-popular Ao Nang area, across Phang Nga Bay from Phuket, with “fake” ATM slips in a bid to prove they had made payments to complete their purchase.

The gang is believed to have entered into deals to buy several hotels in the area for an amount totalling an estimated B5 billion, said police.

The five were arrested last Thursday (Apr 13) after a warrant was issued by the Krabi Provincial Court.

Police identified those arrested as Thai national Thanakorn Chevitrungrueng, 44; South Koreans Jonj In Lee, 46, and Myoungseok Cho, 49; and Mongolian nationals Ansagan Amamtai, 36, and Jargalnemekh Tsedendamba, 35.

Ms Thanakorn and Mrs Jargalnemekh denied the charges, but the other three confessed, reported police.

The alarm was raised by

Rescue workers at the bungalow resort in Rawai where French tourist Pedro Da Costa was found unconscious and unresponsive on the bathroom floor.

Frenchman dead in resort bathroom The gang of five were arrested last Thursday after bank staff became suspicious of the midnight online transactions totalling B60 million. Photos: Krabi Police Bangkok Bank staff in Krabi province after they became suspicious of 65 credit card transactions totalling B60 million made between 10pm from last Monday night through to 1am Tuesday morning (Apr 10-11).

Bank staff became suspicious the next day when they realised the code presented for each of the transactions remained the same, whereas any online transactions are issued a unique code.

Regardless, Ms Thana-

korn and Mrs Jargalnemekh maintained the transaction slips were issued by the bank, noted police.

Bank staff told police that members of the group had previously contacted the bank to buy the Krabi Heritage Hotel for B700mn. Apparently a deal had been reached to buy the resort for B300mn – to be paid for by credit card.

Police said the group had also contacted to buy the Pavilion Queen’s Bay resort in Ao Nang for B550mn.

Funeral held long-term expat F R I EN DS A N D COLleagues turned out at Wat Latthiwanaram (“Wat Tai”) in Chalong last Saturday (Apr 15) to remember longterm Phuket resident David Ratcliffe.

Mr Ratcliffe passed away on April 6. He was 74.

Joining his wife, Cindy, to celebrate his memory were family who travelled from the US and Australia.

The funeral services started at 11:45am.

“David will be sorely missed by his loving wife, Cindy, his three daughters, Sian, Claire and Sarah, and his 10 grandchildren. David is survived by his two older sisters, Ann and Elizabeth,” wrote friend and fellow long-term Phuket expat Bruce Stanley.

Mr Ratcliffe was born in Cardiff on October 18, 1942 during a World War II air raid.

“He worked his way up from an apprenticeship in Manchester to then study metallurgy at a university in London. At university, David met Cindy and they married nearly 50 years @thephuketnews

David Simon Ratcliffe: October 18, 1942 – April 6, 2017. ago in 1967, relocated to Australia in 1969 and moved around the world, living in Australia, the Netherlands, Brazil and Thailand,” wrote Mr Stanley.

“David had a long career in the metallurgy industry, concluding his career here in Phuket as Managing Director of Thaisarco,” he added.

Thaisarco, whose facility is based on Cape Panwa,

on Phuket’s east coast, at one time was home to the largest tin-smelting refinery on the island.

“David will always be known by his friends in Phuket for his love of sailing: as Commodore of the Phuket Yacht Club for 15 years and for organising many of the King’s Cup Regattas here on the island,” Mr Stanley noted.

The Phuket News

In that attempted swindle, the group had presented slips apparently affirming that B118mn had been paid by the group as a “deposit”.

The slips presented for those alleged transactions were again for the midnight hours – from 10pm on Tuesday (Apr 11) through to about 2am on Wednesday (Apr 12) – when the bank would not be able to confirm the transactions until the next working day.

Krabi Police are continuing their investigation.

A F R E N C H T O U R I ST died after being found by family members collapsed on the bathroom floor at a bungalow resort in southern Phuket last Friday (Apr 14).

Police were notified of the incident at 8am.

Officers led by Chalong Police Chief Inspector Lt Col Thada Sodarat and Rawai Municipality rescue workers arrived at the resort to find Pedro Manuel Da Costa, 43, unconscious and unresponsive on the bathroom floor.

Mr Da Costa reportedly had a mild pulse, but efforts to revive him at the scene failed. He was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town, but was later pronounced dead, The Phuket News was told.

Mr Da Costa’s wife, Na-

dege Sandy Marie Bragantiep Da Costa, 39, told police that she, her husband and their three sons checked in to two bunglows at the resort on Tuesday, April 11.

Mr Da Costa was staying in one bungalow with his eldest son, who raised the alarm after his father failed to respond to shouts through the bathroom door.

Police have yet to give any reason for the cause of death.

Regardless, they reported they had “investigated the scene and investigated all the relevant persons” and noted that the French embassy representatives had been notified and were assisting with the arrangements to repatriate Mr Da Costa’s body to France.

Eakkapop Thongtub

6

PHUKET NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Transport chiefs tour airport, bus terminal The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

Rescue workers at the scene of the horrific accident at the entrance to Soi Palai on April 10.

Students crushed under wheels of garbage truck THE DRIVER OF A PRIvate garbage truck has been charged for the deaths of two teenagers who were crushed under the wheels of the juggernaut on April 10 after the truck hit their motorbike from behind in Chalong.

Sumon Pimchangmai, 35, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat was charged with reckless driving causing death after police confirmed that his truck hit the youngsters’ motorbike from behind at the intersection of Soi Palai and Chao Fa East Rd at about 5:47pm, confirmed Lt Chanat Hongsitthichaikun of the Chalong Police.

“We checked CCTV at the intersection and could see that the motorbike was heading north. When the motorbike arrived at the junction, the traffic lights were green but most of vehicles slowed down, and

so did the motorbike,” Lt Chanat said.

“The truck hit them from behind and ran over the two youths,” he added.

When police and rescue workers arrived at the scene, the head of Potsathorn Chaijaroensup, 19, was still pinned under the wheels of the truck.

The body of Panitcha Mingkanitkul, 18, lay strewn on the road some 20 metres behind.

Mr Potsathorn was a first-year student at the Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus, while Ms Panitcha had just graduated high school and was enrolled to study at the Prince of Songkla University Trang Campus.

Mr Potsathorn and Ms Panitcha’s bodies were taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.

Eakkapop Thongtub

P

huket was graced with personal inspections of two key transport facilities by two key transport officials over last weekend.

Transport Deputy Minister Pichit Akrathit arrived at Phuket International Airport at 3pm on the Friday (April 14) to inspect improvements to services there.

Accompanied by Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan, Mr Pichit specifically inspected the new “In-line” baggage security screening system that was brought online on April 1 to alleviate long queues of tourists waiting to enter the International Terminal to ensure the system was coping with the surge in passenger traffic through the airport during the Songkran holidays.

That inspection was followed by another by national Department of Land Transport (DLT) Director-General Sanith Phromwong, who visited Phuket Bus Terminal in person last Sunday (April 16) to review Songkran safety measures in effect there.

Accompanied by Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) Chief Banyat Kantha, Mr Sanith toured the bus terminal and handed out souvenirs to travellers and gave food and drink to officers for working during

Transport Deputy Minister Pichit Akrathit (right) with Director of Phuket Airport Monrudee Getthuphan. Photo: AoT the Songkran holidays.

“The Department of Land Transport is strict on law enforcement for bus safety during the Songkran holidays, especially on driver alcohol tests – and there are to be no bus accidents and no claims from passengers that there are not enough buses, especially over April 16-17,” Mr Sanith said.

“Buses must be ready to travel on time and the drivers must test zero for alcohol.

Any drivers who fail the zero alcohol test must be face the highest legal action,” he vowed.

However, no bus drivers were found to have alcohol in the systems last Sunday.

“Buses must be checked before they depart and while en route to their destination so passengers will be more

confident about their safety,” Mr Sanith said.

“Passengers should download the Department of Land Transport mobile phone app to use while they are travelling on the bus,” he added.

The “DLT GPS” app developed by the Department of Land Transport and the Road Safe Fund allows passengers – and anyone else – to enter the bus or van’s licence plate number in the app and check where the vehicle is and how fast it is going.

“People can file a complaint directly through the app which will send the complaint immediately and directly to our control centre,” Sommai Sudkaow, who was PLTO Chief in January, explained to The Phuket News earlier this year.

“Complaints can include

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

“People can use the app to also inform us of any problems with the van, such as a flat tyre or they’re stuck in a traffic jam. They can even use it to find the nearest DLT office. If need be, we can contact emergency services to provide assistance.”

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

As part of his visit, Mr Sanith also inspected several road-safety checkpoints in Phuket Town.

Parked tour bus rolls off, crunches shop A RU NAWAY PH U K ET tour bus that was left parked and unattended after dropping off Chinese tourists at a jewellery store rolled some 80 metres before crashing into a parked pickup truck, which shunted a motorbike and then crunched into tables set up in front of a merit-making supplies shop in Chalong on Tuesday afternoon (April 18).

No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred on the road to Wat Luang Pu Supha, Chaofa Rd Soi 69, at about 2:30pm confirmed Lt Col Kanan Somrak of the Chalong Police.

Bus driver Ar nat Luangammart, 37, from Buriram, told officers, “I dropped off Chinese tourists at the Royal Paragon jewellery complex and parked the bus. I switched off the engine and put it in gear

The tour bus rolled some 80 metres before crunching to a halt into the temple meritmaking supplies shop. to prevent the bus from rolling, but I did not put chocks under the wheels because it is not steep where the bus was parked.

“Some Chinese tourists were still on the bus, so I left the bus to go talk with some bus-driver friends nearby,” he added.

“I think someone played with the gears and that made the bus roll,” Mr Arnat said.

Eakkapop Thongtub thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Healthcare rising

PHUKET NEWS

7

Chalong Hospital construction hits halfway Sameeroh Mayee editor@classactmedia.co.th

T

he new Chalong Hospital, which has been under constr uction since mid-2016, is now “5060%” complete, Dr Lersak Leenanithikul, the head of emergency department at Vachira Phuket Hospital, has confirmed.

The hospital is slated to open before the end of next year.

However, the new facility, located opposite Chalong Home Pro village on Chao Fa West Rd just north of Chalong Circle, will initially be able to hold only 90 beds, not 200 as previously anticipated, he told The Phuket News.

“It will not be able to hold as many beds as planned upon opening. Perhaps about five years down the line, the number of beds can be gradually increased to 200,” Dr Lersak said.

“The four-storey, reinforced-steel building will accept both emergencies and admissions, and will include one emergency room and

The bridge is complete but yet to open due to roadworks on one part of the street. Photo: Aroon Solos

Nai Harn bridge to re-open April’s end Construction of the new Chalong Hospital is past halfway and the facility is on target to open before the end of next year. Photo: Shela Riva four operating rooms,” Dr Lersak said.

The hospital currently has a functioning two-storey Accident & Emergency (A&E) Department, which provides care for minor emergency cases and incidents. It offers checks, prescriptions and wound dressing.

Open since December 2015, the A&E Dept does not offer operations.

“The new building will have the facilities for operations on the stomach and appendix area, bones and the female reproductive system,” Dr Lersak explained.

“Operations outside of this, such as heart and brain surgery, will not be offered due to limited medical equipment and staff,” he added.

However, hospital staff, ambulances and aid at the

Kamlai Jantra, 52, lay motionless in the middle of the road, unable to move.

Woman left paralysed in accident A 52-YEAR-OLD WOMan was left paralysed at the scene of a motorbike collision that involved a 17-year-old youth in Chalong last Wednesday morning (April 12).

Chalong Police and rescue workers were called to the scene, on Chao Fa West Rd about 100 metres from Soi Bangrae, at 8:15am.

Officers arrived to find two motorbikes strewn across the road.

Local resident Kamlai Jantra, 52, lay motionless @thephuketnews

in the middle of the road, unable to move, reported Lt Col Sakkarin Sangjaroen of the Chalong Police.

“She injured her lower back and was unable to move.

She couldn’t even move her right arm,” he said.

The rider of the other motorbike, Romadon Songmuang, 17, suffered an injured left elbow and right thigh.

Both Ms Kamlai and Romadon were taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.

“So far our investigation has revealed that Ms Kamlai was heading home and pulled out from the side of the road before the entrance to Wat LuangPhu Supha when she was struck,” Col Sakkarin told The Phuket News.

“At that time, Mr Romadon was riding home from Wat Chalong,” he added.

“No charges had been filed yet as we still have to conclude our investigation to determine who was at fault,” Col Sakkarin said.

Eakkapop Thongtub

Chalong A&E Dept were on extra hours duty to provide emergency medical care throughout the Songkran holidays, Dr Lersak highlighted.

Major emergency cases were attended to and then transferred to the better-staffed and better-equipped Vachira Hospital in Phuket Town, which serves as the main government hospital for the province, he noted.

THE TWO-MONTH LONG reconstruction of a collapsed bridge near Nai Harn Lake is complete and set to open for use before the end of April, Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos has told The Phuket News..

Although the B1.3 million bridge is no longer under construction, there are ongoing roadworks on the street leading to the bridge.

The previous bridge collapsed in February, due to “structural steel corrosion from prolonged use”, Mayor Aroon explained.

“The new design has a three-way drain system. It has an expected usage of over 30 years,” he assured.

Mayor Aroon said he was

unable to track down which government agency or organisation was responsible for the bridge.

“So Rawai Municipality hired an architect to redesign the bridge and allocated B1.3mn to the construction company (Phuket Systems Co Ltd) back in February,” he said.

“If we want to be able to use the bridge for a long time into the future, we must take the time and care to do it right,” Mayor Aroon added.

“Otherwise it can be a hazard to both life and property for Thais and tourists. This is Rawai Municipality’s main concern.”

Shela Riva

Opinion 8

OPINION

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

editor@classactmedia.co.th

CONTACT US

editor@classactmedia.co.th 076 612 550 KODCHANAT THINSEPON Editor

CHRIS HUSTED

Executive Editor

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

MATTHEW POND

News & Sports Editor

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

MARK KNOWLES

Lifestyle Editor

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

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

TANYALUK ‘MANGO’ SAKOOT Reporter 091 165 0260 reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

SHELA RIVA Reporter

062 672 6456 reporter1@classactmedia.co.th

RAPIPAN ‘GOONGNANG’ SUKSAWAT Translator 095 004 0497 translate@classactmedia.co.th

KRITSANAT ‘M’ JANTARATSOPIN NIRAVIT ‘MOS’ VORAVANITCHA NITAD ‘TAE’ MANEE THANAPONG ‘OAK’ KHAO-AMPHAIPHAN Graphic designers

Dam growth

T

his week brings a double-whammy of good news for residents in the south of Phuket: Chalong Hospital is more than halfway complete and the Khlong Katha “Chalong” Dam is on track to be complete by the end of July.

The hospital alone will become a major bounty for saving lives. The faster victims receive emergency medical treatment the greater their chance of survival.

Officials at least deserve credit for recognising this and for opening the hospital’s Accident & Emergency Department long before construction of the hospital proper even began.

The completion of the facility will only add to the provision of those essential services and greatly reduce the time taken to get victims to emergency care well within the “golden hour” which is so critical to emergency-patient survival.

ADVERTISING

076 612 550-2 ext. 605 Fax: 076 612 553 info@classactmedia.co.th thephuketnews.com

99/7 Moo 1 (Billion Plaza), T. Kathu, A. Kathu, Phuket 83120

Meanwhile, the dam will bring relief to water-shortage sufferers not only in Chalong, Rawai and Nai Harn, but also to the key tourist areas of Kata and Karon. Those two areas in particular today rely on supply from Bang Wad Dam. The only water-production facility currently directly serving Kata-Karon is the lone reverse-osmosis plant north of Karon, whose production is more at the project level than a genuine water supply source.

Yet both the dam the hospital, although being addressed now, together highlight another key shortage in Phuket: forward-thinking by town planners. Both projects come only after the demand was recognised – a sick thought when considering emergency medical care is one of the demands to be met.

Waiting for demand to create the need for such infrastruc-

ture development ensures that Phuket lags behind the “world tourism destination” officials claim it to be and forces residents – and tourists – to suffer for the sake of nothing more than poor forethought.

Officials create 20-year “National Strategy” plans down to five-year and even three-year plans – but no evidence of these so-called plans can be found in any major development on the island regardless of how much revenue Phuket has generated for the country over the years.

The roads became jammed because no secondary road network was ever developed until it was too late, “coincidentally” while the lucrative underpasses costing billions to build are coming to fruition. Now traffic on major roads is becoming lighter, and the underpasses are given the credit. Coincidence? We’ll let you decide.

TOP 10 STORIES ON thephuketnews.com

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

French tourist, 44, dies after bathroom collapse at Phuket resort Expedia lifts lid on Thai tourism Phuket Opinion: Sheltered from reality South Koreans, Mongolians caught up in credit card scam to buy Krabi hotels Woman left paralysed in Phuket motorbike accident Phuket suffers first death for Songkran holidays Seatbelts save two in Phuket high-speed crash Phuket motorbike speedster hits palm tree at high speed, dies Phuket offices shut down for Songkran Phuket garbage truck kills another, driver charged

Visit thephuketnews.com for all the latest news

HAVE YOUR SAY Fond farewell Phuket to remember longterm expat David Ratcliffe Very fond memories of David.

Very sad to hear the news.

Our condolences to his wife, children and family.

Yvonne ...................................................

Read about it

Many thanks for printing the feature with Baz Daniel with me recently (On the Menu... with Baz Daniel). I want you to know how many many people commented, called me that they had read it. I am now firmly convinced everyone reads The Phuket News. I couldn’t leave the house for a few days without being approached.

Bruce Stanley ...................................................

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

EDITORIAL

Changing lanes

Phuket Opinion: Sheltered from reality I’ll admit that I have no idea what goes on in “Thai Town”– but to assert that farangs aren’t targeted disproportionately and fleeced on the spot is ridiculous. I spend lots of time in Kamala, and I’ll tell

you that I never see police doing anything to Thais OR farangs. I do see them standing around intersections watching motorbikes ridden by three stupid kids with no helmets, and all kinds of dumb behaviour… but no action. Go watch the Kamala checkpoint near Nakalay... it is a farang bonanza… sometimes seeing five or six farangs stopped and getting fleeced. But... I am glad to learn that the police target drugged up Thais more than I’m aware of.

BenPendejo I’ve lived in Phuket on and off for 24 years, I’ve been riding bikes since I was 16, I’ve taken the Thai bike test and the UK test. I wear a full-face European crash helmet, I also have full medical insurance from the UK if I’m involved in a bike accident in Thailand. I have never been fined by the police in Phuket – stopped, yes; but never fined.

My advice to expats is stop listening to bar talk, learn the law of the land, respect it and wear a properly certified crash helmet at ALL times.

Please don’t forget to carry

your licence and make sure the bike your riding is taxed, insured and well maintained.

Ron Disbury You are 100% correct Phuket News. The problem is a complete lack of “situational awareness” by people in general. People have become so one-sighted and wrapped up in themselves that they rarely pay attention to who and what is happening outside of their tiny little bubble they live in.

Sad… so sad.

Kris Hronowski ...................................................

Phuket offices shut down for Songkran

Looks like a giant wet T-shirt contest in Bangla Rd. Sam Hayman ...................................................

Learning curve

Transport chiefs inspect Phuket airport, bus terminal I hope all these nice people know that they have made a perfect target for people with bad intention like we had in Brussels last year. There they now put the scanners

outside and it is colder there than here. I am sure that they are proud about there decision. These scanners are outside, the perfect place to avoid problems, but probably the security staff preferred to work in the aircon than outside!

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

Greed in motion

Phi Phi national park officer charged for fraud So, I’ll be curious to see what kind of nonsense punishment will be doled out to this greedy little thief. I’m guessing that since he confessed (only because he was pretty much caught red-handed) he will get a petty fine and forced to throw a few empty wais, then he can go back to work. Who knows how long this creep has been doing this, and how many clueless tourists he has ripped off. He should be fired, fined B25,000 and banned from stepping foot in any State Parks. This is a great opportunity to send a strong message to State Park employees.

BenPendejo

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

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

THAILAND NEWS

9

Govt delays pickup ban Transport Ministry, RTP at odds over new vehicle regulations BANGKOK Bangkok Post

T

he Transport Ministry plans to ask the Royal Thai Police (RTP) to come up with a traffic regulation that will allow people to sit in the rear space, or tray, of pickup trucks, after the government suffered fierce criticism over its vow to stop the practice.

Speaking after a meeting with Deputy Transport Minister Pichit Akrathit on Tuesday (Apr 18), Department of Land Transport (DLT) DirectorGeneral Sanit Promwong said the discussion touched on how they could enact the restriction, which is stipulated in the 1979 Land Traffic Act. The government agreed that the traffic law dictating the ban must be imposed carefully to avoid upsetting people who travel in the back of trucks for work purposes and as a way of life, said Mr Sanit.

With this in mind, the ministry will propose to the

@thephuketnews

Sleeping or just riding in the back of pickups will remain legal indefinitely under the government’s plans to ‘ask’ police to halt attempts to enforce a ban. Photo: Bangkok Post RTP, which handles traffic law enforcement, that it should roll out its regulation to offer the reprieve, he said.

“The Transport Ministry is set to ask the RTP to roll

out additional regulations to ease the restriction so as to allow people to ride in the tray and the rear space of pickup trucks,” said Mr Sanit said.

Such regulations issued

by the RTP can be enforced right away, he noted.

Police can also address other safety concerns by setting a speed limit for pickup trucks along with a limit on

how many people are allowed to travel in a tray, the DLT chief said.

He added that the RTP can decide whether these regulations would be temporary or permanent as well as when they would be enforced.

A DLT source said the representatives from the RTP and the DLT held talks over the issue Tuesday, but still failed to reach a conclusion.

The DLT officers told the RTP that police have the authority to issue the reprieve; for example, police can designate zones where people are allowed to ride in pickup truck trays, such as on minor or community roads as well as what a vehicle’s speed limit should be, according to the source.

The DLT will be responsible for making sure that the condition of pickup trucks is in line with safety standards, the source noted.

The ban on people travelling in the tray of a pickup truck was enforced on April 5 in the lead-up to the Songkran holiday, a time when danger-

ous driving is rampant and road deaths are high.

But the government decided to roll back its ban in the evening of the same day following fierce criticism.

Some people said many residents in rural areas do not have enough money to pay for public transport so they travel together in a pickup as a group to save on transportation costs.

The ministry’s move appears to be at odds with the RTP, which earlier this month also requested the DLT come up with new regulations under the 1979 Motor Vehicle Act to give options to people so that they can travel in the back of pickup trucks.

Based on the RTP’s suggestion on the regulations, safety belts could be installed in the rear space of a pickup, which is large enough, while the total number of people travelling in the vehicle’s tray must not exceed six.

The final official road toll from the week-long Songkran holiday period was 390 deaths, down 12% on last year.

10 THAILAND NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Finding it hard to abstain Thailand’s ‘Sin City’ predicted to survive despite tame attempt PATTAYA Bangkok Post

I

n a daring nautical themed outfit, sex worker May confidently predicts the survival of Thai sleaze town Pattaya despite a junta attempt to tame the Kingdom’s “Sin City”.

She is bullish because she, like tens of thousands of others in the industry, have no plans to give up their jobs. And there are no signs the hordes of foreign sex tourists are abating.

Two hours east of Bangkok, Pattaya’s bawdy reputation hails from the Vietnam War era when American GIs partied in their downtime.

Today it spins money off its no-holds-barred reputation and its most successful sex workers earn up to B150,000 a month, as much as ten times the national average wage.

“I make good money here, for me and my family,” May said as she touted for clients near ‘Walking Street’ – a mile-long drag festooned with bars and clubs pouring out earcrushing EDM music.

But concerns about the impact on Thailand’s reputation have spurred authorities to act, while frequent reports of underage sex workers, drug abuse and mafia operations further muddy Pattaya’s name.

May, who is transgender, said the strip has felt more subdued in recent weeks as

Go-go dancers performing on a stage at a dance bar in Walking Street in Pattaya.

Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP police and soldiers conduct frequent patrols as part of a clean-up ordered by the censorious ruling junta.

Lt Col Sulasak Kalokwilas is one of those tasked with what many might deem the ultimate Sisyphean task: weaning Pattaya off sex.

“We are suppressing obscene and dirty shows. We’re trying to make those bars disappear,” he explained.

As he spoke, lines of women stood behind him in revealing outfits enticing punters into bars with names like Taboo and G-Spot as well as Fahrenheit – a nightspot boasting “The Hottest Girls in Pattaya”.

“The ladyboys and women working there, they are not involved in the sex trade,” said Pattaya’s Police Chief Col Apichai Kroppeth, echoing the kind of Thai police rhetoric commonly divorced from reality.

“They work as waitresses, sit and chat with customers, some dance in shows,” he said.

For many residents of the city the latest moral outrage fits a familiar pattern: negative overseas headlines prompt authorities to launch highvisibility – yet limited – crackdowns on an industry that pays the bills for everyone.

“You’re expecting the poachers to be the gamekeep-

ers?” said one westerner who has made Pattaya his home, when asked if the latest cleanup will work.

The sex trade is a cash cow for the bar owners, girls, massage parlours, hotels, taxis, mafia and, many have long alleged, the cops charged with policing.

Thais call it “pon prayote”, says British journalist Andrew Drummond who reported on crime in Thailand for two decades.

“It means everyone benefits... it brings in massive amounts of money and simply couldn’t happen without police connivance.”

Col Apichai insisted there

was “no bribery for sure” in his force.

Prostitution is illegal in conservative Thailand. Yet it remains ubiquitous for local and foreign customers alike.

Businesses use a well worn loophole to avoid prosecution, hiring sex workers inside the bars merely to entertain and talk to patrons.

A small “bar fine”, usually around B500, secures private “short time” away from the bar where any deal struck for sex is purely between the punter and prostitute.

While authorities have vowed to shutter the trade, there is little discussion on what happens to the sex workers – who often support large families with their earnings.

There are no exact numbers, but a 2014 UNAIDS report suggested some 140,000 females are employed by sex work across Thailand. Tens of thousands are thought to operate in Pattaya alone.

Tourism officials are optimistic for change, citing the increasing number of families coming to the town’s resorts and its popularity for sports, such as jet-skiing and golf.

“In terms of facilities I think we are already there,” said Suladda Sarutilavan, Pattaya’s Director of Tourism.

Last year some 12 million tourists – 70% foreigners – visited a city which now boasts over 100,000 rooms across 2,000 hotels, from

cheap backpackers to swanky golf courses and family apartments.

While not everyone who comes is a sex tourist, she admits the city’s seedy image and crime headlines are a problem.

“It makes us feel a little bit uncomfortable,” she said.

Two recent killings have renewed the spotlight on the city’s reputation as a bolthole for foreign criminals.

In January, British businessman Tony Kenway was gunned down as he left the gym, a hit police linked to “boiler room” scams.

In 2015 an Australian former Hells Angel was kidnapped in broad daylight and murdered.

Foreigners who have made Pattaya home lament the killings, but say they fail to tell the wider picture of a largely safe, affordable city.

“Every night I went out in Coventry there was always one or two fights. I feel completely safe here,” said Briton Bryan Flowers, who moved to Pattaya a decade ago and now owns a dozen bars.

Others argue fancy hotels, malls and golf courses can flourish in step with the town’s party reputation.

“It's why a lot of people come here,” Simon Peatfield, another Brit who owns restaurants and sports bars, said.

“There’s only so much golf you can play.”

Helicopter pilot dropped bear KHAO YAI THE PILOT OF A HELICopter taking an Asian black bear back to the jungle at Khao Yai National Park had unhooked the net and let the animal fall to its death because he feared the load was too heavy and he would crash, according to a report on Wednesday (Apr 19).

Adisorn Nuchdamrong, an inspector of the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, said this after questioning the chief of Khao Yai Flight Operation Centre, the news report said.

The black bear, weighing 80-90 kilograms, was captured by wildlife officials after it disturbed villagers living near the park.

Mr Adisorn said the chief

of the Khao Yai Flight Operation Centre said he decided to use a helicopter to move the bear back to the wild without seeking prior permission from the national park office, because he believed it was an emergency task.

The flight operation chief said the helicopter pilot made the decision to unhook the net carrying the bear and let it fall to the ground as he was passing by a cliff, because he feared the heavy weight would cause the craft to crash, Mr Adisorn said.

He did not name of the flight operation chief or the pilot.

Mr Adisorn said some of his questions had been left unanswered. One of the questions was how the flight operation chief justified the use of the helicopter.

Bangkok Post thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

ASIA NEWS 11

One of China’s richest men The illegal deliveryman turned multi-billionaire courier boss CHINA AFP

F

rom making illegal cross-border deliveries to China in a minivan to buying a fleet of Boeing aircraft, the boss of SF Express has ridden a wave of online shopping to become one of the country’s richest men.

Though secretive and media-shy, founder Wang Wei has found himself thrust into the spotlight after the listing of his SF Express courier service on the Shenzhen stock exchange made him a billionaire some 20 times over.

He is now the four th wealthiest man in China, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, with $23.3 billion (B801.05bn) on March 29, just behind Pony Ma, founder of internet giant Tencent.

A maverick who boasted in his only public interview that the business began as a “black” – or illegal – delivery service, the 46-year-old has built his company into the top courier in China’s booming and cut-throat e-commerce market.

SF Express has an 80,000-strong staff – using three-dozen aircraft and thousands of vehicles – delivering throughout China’s huge cities. Photo: Greg Baker/AFP While he stubbornly avoids the media, his SF Express is now inescapable, with an 80,000-strong staff – using three-dozen aircraft and thousands of vehicles – delivering throughout China’s huge cities.

Wang, the son of a Chinese army interpreter and raised in Hong Kong, launched SF Express in 1993 as a way to shuttle packages across the border between the then-Brit-

ish colony and the Communistruled mainland.

It was a risky but lucrative job carried out by a handful of employees in a minivan.

“When SF started delivering packages in the 1990s, it was still an illegal business called ‘black delivery’,” Wang said in a 2011 interview with the Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily. At the time, China’s postal service

Goa minister bans all-night raves INDIA INDIA’S TOURIST MAGnet Goa is pulling the plug on its legendary all-night dance parties as the local government tries to clean up its image as a drug and rave hotspot.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said the government would start enforcing a long-ignored ban on loud music after 10pm – bad news for bars and clubs blasting out tunes into the early hours on the state’s famous beaches.

“There is a legal ban on holding parties after 10pm.

The ban will be upheld by the state government,” he told reporters last week.

The former Portuguese enclave lures millions of tourists every year with its night life, sandy beaches and laid-back coastal atmosphere.

But its reputation as a tropical paradise has been mar red by high-prof ile crimes involving foreigners.

Last month the naked body of a 28-year-old Irish woman was found dumped near a tourist hotspot. @thephuketnews

Tourists pictured on Goa’s Mandrem Beach. Photo: Pedro Ugarte/AFP She had been spotted at a late night party with a local man who was later arrested for her rape and murder.

In 2008, 15-year-old British schoolgirl Scarlett Keeling was drugged, raped and murdered in a case that made global headlines. Her semi-naked body was found in shallow waters near a popular party beach.

Other foreigners have also died in suspicious circumstances, while drug and alcohol-related mishaps are common.

The Goa crackdown

came days after a top minister from Parrikar’s administration called for the late-night party ban to be enforced. “ T he s e p a r t ie s a r e against our culture. We need to stop them immediately,” Goa’s Water Resources Minister Vinod Palyekar said last week.

Parrikar said his government had also instructed police to commence a crackdown on drugs, prostitution and illegal gambling in the state.

AFP

enjoyed a monopoly over deliveries.

“We would be fined if caught by postal officers, so we had to handle packages sneakily.”

His business grew on the back of so-called “parallel trading”, where shoppers buy goods such as baby formula and medicines in Hong Kong and smuggle them to China for sale with a hefty markup.

In 2005, he reportedly staked the company as collateral for a half-a-milliondollar loan, according to Hong Kong’s Next magazine.

It was a bet that paid off.

Today, SF Express is the nation’s largest parcel delivery company by revenue – with sales of $7.4bn in 2015, according to Bloomberg – riding a booming domestic e-commerce industry that is led by Alibaba.

Wang realised his dream of joining the stock exchange after navigating a so-called “backdoor listing” this year, which allowed it to skip a waiting list of 700 firms looking to launch initial public offerings.

He was given a government green light for a complex transaction that allowed it to merge with a small rare earth company already listed in Shenzhen, then taking its place.

The transaction was finalised on February 24, when SF Holding replaced Maanshan Dingtai’s shares. Its price ballooned about 70% in eight sessions, massively inflating Wang’s fortunes.

Analyst Xu Yong said the

surge was no surprise, as “sales reflect the general confidence” in the business prospects of SF Express, which saw profits rise 112% last year.

For SF Express, the listing is crucial to finance infrastructure investments that could make Wang richer yet, particularly in smaller cities and air freight, Xu added.

Wang’s elusiveness has driven both media and investors to unusual lengths to learn about him and his company’s operations.

Hong Kong’s Next magazine sent a reporter to work undercover as a deliveryman at SF Express for three months in 2010, and private equity investors reportedly offered a 500,000 yuan (B2.49 million) bounty to anyone who could arrange a dinner with him.

But as the company has grown, it has become more difficult for Wang to avoid the spotlight.

In 2010, he found himself in the papers when he spent a then-record HK$350mn (B1.55bn) on land in Hong Kong, where he built a luxury four-storey trophy home.

12 WORLD NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

World overdue for ‘shake-up’

For Sex Pistol Lydon, Trump ‘kick up the arse that people needed’ UNITED SATES AFP

P

olitical events lately had been unimaginable to many – Britain is leaving the European Union and Donald Trump is president of the United States. One person less surprised is John Lydon.

For the frontman of the Sex Pistols, whose thumb-nosing punk revolution rocked the establishment in the 1970s, the tumult shows just how complacent the intervening generations had become.

“I think every now and again the world needs a shakeup. Apathetic attitudes always get what they deserve,” the sneering singer formerly known as Johnny Rotten said.

Trump, he said, is “kind of the kick up the arse that people needed”.

The punk rocker doesn’t count himself as a supporter.

He has criticized Brexit and faulted Trump in particular for his opposition to legal abortion – a subject Lydon tackled 40 years ago in the song “Bodies”.

But Lydon, born in London to working-class Irish immigrants, said he understood economic “desperation” and shared a deep disdain for politicians.

Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon said he understood economic ‘desperation’ and shared a deep disdain for politicians. Photo: AFP “The issue of dealing with politics as usual, I think, is now dead,” he said in a telephone interview.

Lydon faulted the postPistols music world for failing to agitate in the same way.

“We’ve had a couple of generations now that loved to wallow in apathy and silly beards and daft grey tea-cozy hats. They all look the same, they all talk the same,” he said.

“There is no energy in it and so it ends up being incredibly negative and so it left the door open for The Donald.”

The Sex Pistols, selftrained and brutally direct, shocked Britain and were banned from the radio with blister ing anthems such as “Anarchy in the U.K.” and “God Save the Queen”, which the band blared from the Thames in a mockery of Queen Elizabeth II’s river procession.

But Lydon said true political anarchy was never his goal.

“I’ve always seen anarchy as mind-games of the middle classes – the spoiled, privileged few who can indulge

in such nonsensical philosophies,” he said.

“Somebody’s got to build the roads and it certainly won’t be the anarchists,” he said before a lengthy laugh.

Lydon was speaking before the release on March 31 of his latest book, which brings together lyrics to all 127 of his songs with the Sex Pistols and his successor band Public Image Ltd. Entitled “Mr. Rotten’s Songbook”, the volume features Lydon’s handwritten lyrics alongside his own draw-

ings and is limited to 1,000 copies, a run that Lydon said was intended to ensure top-end publishing quality.

The book idea emerged after Lydon was forced to collect all of his lyrics before he played China for the first time in 2013 with Public Image Ltd. “The government insisted that they read every single lyric I’ve ever written. We naturally presumed that would be a negative. It wasn’t – it was a glowing positive, which came as some surprise to me.”

China tightened screening of foreign stars for politically sensitive messages after Bjork at a 2008 concert shouted a slogan for Tibetan independence.

Lydon, however, hailed China as a “wonderful place” and the audience as “fantastic”.

“I’m sorry, I’m not one of those left-wing student body idiots that gets myself banned for silly reasons. I get banned for very good ones,” he said.

Lydon said he was constantly drawing and that his book was a sort of “jigsaw puzzle” as he paired images to words. He voiced admiration for Ezra Pound, whose poetry took on a visual dimension through symbols.

“For want of a better word, I suppose it is poetry,” he said of his book when asked. “But I have problems with certain words.” “‘Poet’ is appalling. It reminds me of some poncy old fart. The British ruined poetry with the affectations.”

He said he was not tying his book to Britain’s festivities last year for the 40th anniversary of punk, saying he had no time for such celebrations.

“There was the Pistols and then there was an awful lot of rubbish. And why do I want to dwell on the rubbish?”

‘Dance diplomats’ take to the stage in Ethiopia ETHIOPIA THERE’S A NEW WAY OF doing diplomacy in Ethiopia’s capital, one that forsakes communiques and speeches in favour of music, sweat and bare feet.

A troupe of New Yorkbased dancers arrived in the capital Addis Ababa early last month to boogie their way to

closer ties between the United States and Ethiopia, a major East African economy and counterterrorism partner for Washington.

The nine dancers from Keigwin & Company are professionals used to working in one of the world’s most competitive showbiz markets, but that didn’t prepare them for the frenetic and traditional manner of Ethiopian movement.

“It’s like learning how to dance again,” said Keigwin dancer Kacie Boblitt after the Americans participated in an hours-long dance workshop with their Ethiopian counterparts.

Keigwin’s visit to Ethiopia was part of a three-country tour with stops in Ivory Coast and Tunisia organised by DanceMotion USA, a US Department of State project

that sends American dancers around the world to build cultural ties.

“They connect with their colleagues in dance and that brings the countries together in a way diplomats can’t,” said David Kennedy, counsellor for public affairs at the US embassy in Addis Ababa.

Dance is an integral part not just of nightlife in Ethiopia, but also traditional gatherings and religious festivals.

Ethiopians are known for their unique movement style called Eskista, which involves gyrations and sharp upperbody movements to the beat of a drum.

“Culturally, here, they dance everywhere. They’re just not at all precious about it,” said Keigwin production manager Randi Rivera.

The Americans, by contrast, are used to spacious, well-demarcated practice spaces and meticulous choreography.

When four Keigwin dancers convened with a group of more than two dozen Ethiopian professionals for

Ethiopians are known for their unique movement style called ‘eskista’, which involves gyrations and sharp upperbody movements to the beat of a drum. Photo: screengrab a workshop held in a warehouse-turned-dance studio, the participants had little more in common than their shared love of dance.

Addisu Demissie, a founder of Destino, the studio where the workshop was held, is himself a contemporary dancer and said the styles used by the Americans weren’t new or unfamiliar to him.

But watching the newcomers struggle to master Eskista was a learning experience, even for someone who knows it well, Addisu said.

“We always like to fuse contemporary dance with traditional,” he said. “For us, what’s nice is to see one type of movement like in (a)

different way.”

Mastering the local dance style wasn’t all the visitors struggled with.

The capital’s altitude at 2,400 metres above sea level frequently left them out of breath, and English wasn’t widely known among the Amharic-speaking Ethiopians.

The two groups instead relied on a more simple form of communication.

“Even though we don’t speak the same language, we speak the same language,” said Keigwin co-founder Nicole Wolcott as she stood handin-hand with the dancers at the close of their workshop.

“Dance”.

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

BUSINESS NEWS 13

Young tourists blaze new trails

Seismic shift predicted for Asia-Pacific tourism demographics TOURISM The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

T

he travel industry is seeing a new convergence between young Asian and Western tourists’ travel expectations and consumption patterns. Digital and mobile technologies are creating a shared generational experience, most notably in Generation Z, people born in the late ’90s in both the East and the West.

These days young Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Indian travellers share as much in common with their Western counterparts as they do with their parents, reports Carolyn Childs, tourism strategist and co-founder of MyTravelResearch.com.

“The internet’s ability to deliver engaging content is impacting East and West in similar ways – as are some of the broad macro-trends,” she says, citing her new white paper in the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) “Connected Visitor Economy”

Upcoming generational changes: should tourism marketers change with their audience, or focus on the next generation? series called The Changing of the (Generational) Guard.

The digital natives of Generation Z are “technoholics”, entirely dependent on IT, with limited grasp of alternatives, says the report. They are career multi-taskers often in part time “portfolio” jobs.

They aspire to security and

stability. They crowd-source solutions to tasks. They want to make a difference. They are relatively dependent on their parents – and quite happy to be so. They have had a smartphone in their hands since they can remember, Ms Childs points out.

“They tend to see the in-

Banyan Tree Phuket names Lang as new Hotel Manager HOSPITALITY BANYAN TREE PHUKET has announced the appointment of Manuel Lang as Hotel Manager. He will be reporting to the Area General Manager Sriram Kailasam and will support the team to achieve greater success, said a release issued this week.

Bringing over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Mr Lang joins the well-known Phuket golf resort with a wealth of regional knowledge from his years of managing luxury hotels in Thailand and across Asia.

A German native, Mr Lang is also fluent in both English and French. His journey into the world of luxury hotels started in 1993 and has brought him to Europe, America and finally Asia, seven years ago.

Mr Lang was appointed General Manager at Cham’s House on Koh Kood island, where he oversaw the op@thephuketnews

Manuel Lang is the new Hotel Manager for the award-winning resort. erations for pre-opening. He then became the successful General Manager of the Putahracsa Hua Hin, directing all operations including a full renovation and expansion of the resort.

On joining Banyan Tree Phuket, Mr Lang expressed great enthusiasm for his new role, mentioning he was “pleased to join the flagship

of the flourishing Banyan Tree brand, and is happy to discover Phuket which continues to deliver the dream to quality travellers.”

The appointment comes as the Phuket pool villa resort was recently rated in the top five resorts in Thailand by Travel and Leisure readers.

The Phuket News

ternet as an extension of their self,” says Ms Childs. “Their expectation is that all interactions both online and offline will be smooth, quick and easy. Their attention span is shaped by Snapchat. Whereas Generation Y (Millennials; born 1981-1995) seek constant feedback, Generation Z seeks

constant dialogue – think instant messaging, WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Kik,” she says.

Even more than the Millennials, Generation Z feels a sense of responsibility for the planet and a strong sense of ethics.

“They expect to understand what you stand for and how you do things,” Ms Childs notes. “Growing up for many means living with their parents. They share ideas for holidays with their parents as well as their friends.”

There are strong lifestyle generational changes across all demographics and identifiable life stages, she adds.

This creates opportunities and challenges for tourism businesses, especially those that target specific generations.

Do they change with their audience or do they focus on the next generation?” Ms Childs poses.

“For example, Baby Boomers [born 1945-60] in the West is a large, affluent and timerich demographic. They expect the world to change around them and will embrace it as it

does. What they won’t put up with is stereotyping or out of date images. They want to see themselves as they feel, not as we see them. Marketers who fail to appreciate this will be punished,” argues Ms Childs.

Another key change to understand is the blurring of the boundaries between generations. “There is a growing recognition that demographics are not destiny. Many destinations now look at their target audiences through psychographic or needs-based profiling, rather than demographics,” she adds.

“There are major demographic challenges facing destination marketing organisations. They need to be fully informed on the demographic nuances and rapid lifestyle changes underway across the generations,” she says.

A fuller analysis of the many demographic changes impacting tourism marketing and operations are available in the free ‘Changing of the (Demographic) Guard’ report that Ms Childs compiled for PATA. See MyTravelResearch.com

14 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Looking good still gets ahead How physical attractiveness influences financial forecast performance FINANCE Fang Ying

R

esearch in sociology and psychology tells us that beauty can have a significant impact on people’s earning, job opportunities and career success and that attractive individuals generally receive better treatments in the workplace and other social settings.

In the working paper “More than Skin-deep? Analysts’ Beauty and Their Performance”, Prof George Yang, Associate Profssor at the School of Accountancy of CUHK Business School, extends the study to information acquisition and forecast performance in China’s capital market. It reveals that the attractiveness of financial analysts is positively associated with their earnings forecast accuracy and stock recommendation informativeness.

“Our study aims to look at whether a predetermined attribute of a financial analyst, namely, their physical attractiveness, affects his or her success in information acquisition and job performance,” says Prof Yang who works on the study in collaboration with Prof Cao Ying, Associate Profssor of the School of Accountancy of CUHK Business School, Prof Guan Feng of Shanghai Lixin University of Commerce, as well as Prof Li Zengquan, Dean of the School of Accountancy at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

In capital markets, sellside financial analysts who are generally employed by broker-dealers and investment banks, play an important role in disseminating the information on particular securities or stocks, giving investors the necessary information they need to judge the attractive-

In the financial industry, good looks can bring easier access to critical information and more accurate forecast performance, as a study by CUHK Business School reveals. ness of certain investments.

“In China, the influence of financial analysts on the stock market is even greater because the market is dominated by retail investors who are more likely to be influenced by the so-called expert opinions than institutional investors,” says Prof Yang.

Therefore, the financial analysts would actively seek out information from various sources, and the private communication with firm management is one of the critical sources, being viewed as more useful to their earnings forecasts and stock recommendations than firms’ public disclosure and even their own primary research.

Prior research already reveals that analysts who cater to the interests of managers enjoy an information advantage and exhibit superior forecast performance, according to researchers.

The Study In the study, the researchers studied a sample of 89,056 earnings forecasts made by 2,328 analysts from 2005 to 2014. The analysts in their sample come from 102 unique brokerages, which cover all the largest brokerages in China.

At the same time, they downloaded the head-to-shoulder ID photos of all sell-side financial analysts in the sample from the website of the Securities Association of China and asked 63 raters with different education background, occupation, income, and social experience to score them on a five-point scale: 1 for homely or not good looking; 2 for below average; 3 for average; 4 for above average and; 5 for strikingly beautiful or handsome.

The 63 raters were from different settings including a Big Four accounting firm, a brokerage firm, a large private company, as well as university faculty members and students. Of the group, 27 of them are males while the rest are females.

All the raters were reminded to use the common people in the Chinese population, not the sample analysts, as the benchmark for rating and that age should not be considered in rating. Hence, the rating score would be solely based on attractiveness, not depending on how young or old he or she looks.

Lookism Matters As expected, the study reveals that the beauty ratings of finan-

cial analysts are significantly negatively associated with their forecast errors. That is to say, more attractive analysts make more accurate forecasts.

The research team points out that their evidence suggests that more attractive financial analysts possess an advantage in acquiring information from firm management.

“Compared with other analysts, attractive analysts are more likely to gain advance access to information about pending significant corporate events, and they are more likely to issue a stock recommendation in the quarter prior to the public announcement of three types of corporate news, including restructuring, signing of important business contracts and earning warning. Accordingly, they can produce more informative stock recommendations,” says Prof Yang.

When it comes to information access, it is important to go to the right people. Again, attractive analysts have better access to them.

“Attractive analysts are more likely to get more information from corporate site visits when they can directly interact with firm management. Our results show that

firm managers are more likely to disclose information to those attractive analysts,” he says.

Taste-Driven Discrimination However, what’s interesting is that the study also shows that the beauty effect disappears when managers are allowed to trade their shares in the open market or when their firm is under a share pledge agreement.

To explore the reason behind, Prof Yang went on to find out if the effect was attributed to managers’ tastebased discrimination on the attractiveness of the analysts or on the notion that attractive people possess superior jobrelated skills and can better serve the interests of the firm.

If managers believe that more attractive analysts are more capable and valuable to firms, the beauty effect would persist when there is a strong incentive for managers to boost the firm performance and increase the stock value.

But, the researchers didn’t find such evidence in the study.

“In other words, it suggests that managers’ discrimination among financial analysts is just taste-driven,” Prof Yang

comments.

“When managers need to rely more on analysts to inform and guide the market, they are less likely to allow their taste for beauty to sway the decision about which analysts to rely on for disseminating firm information,” he explains.

Apart from the relation between analysts’ attractiveness level and their forecast performance, the study also demonstrates the impact of analysts’ attractiveness on their career opportunities.

Specifically, it finds that a more attractive analyst is more likely to be voted as a star analyst who is more likely to be hired by top-notch brokerage firms even if, for some reason, he or she could only get into a smaller firm initially.

A New Challenge While social science has documented and extensively studied the beauty effect, this study provides a new perspective into the practice by financial analysts in capital markets.

Unlike in previous research suggesting that analysts who issue favourable opinions would obtain more information from firm management, the current study documents a different incentive – the indulgence of managers’ taste for beauty, which affects the interaction between managers and financial analysts.

“Since this form of discrimination originates from psychological and social bias and is difficult to regulate, it brings new challenges to regulators and practitioners in the industry,” Prof Yang says.

This article was first published in the China Business Knowledge (CBK) by CUHK Business School with contributions from ProfGeorge Yang and ProfCao Ying, School of Accountancy, CUHK Business School. Visit bschool.cuhk.edu.hk

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

The Black Prince and his epic elephant battle

16

Bicycling Baz explores a different island

THE HEART OF JAPAN

Insatiable traveller Andrew Wood explores some of Japan’s lesser-known attractions > P17 The small fishing village of Ine north of Osaka is not often visited by foreign tourists. Photo: H Kaneko @thephuketnews

18

16 CULTURE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

A depiction of the battle between the Siamese and Burmese armies.

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

A statue of King Naresuan in Ayutthaya. Photo: Adam Carr

The story of the Black Prince SIRINYA’S WORLD

Dr Sirinya Pakditawan pakditawan@googlemail.com

Roosters guard Naresuan’s tomb.

Photo: Sweetred

T

he story of the Black Prince dates back to the historical Ayutthaya period. The Black Prince was another name for Prince Naresuan (in Thai – Ong Dam) who was born in Phitsanlunok in 1555. His brother Ekathotsarot was called the White Prince. In contrast to his brother, Prince Naresuan was more lenient and less rigid. He was captured by the Burmese and thus raised alongside the Burmese royalty, among them Crown Prince Mingyi Swa. Naresuan was an intelligent boy who was educated in the style of early modern warfare by the Burmese.

When the Black Prince was a young man, the Burmese King trusted him to such an extent that he gave him permission to train an army of captured Thai soldiers. The Prince affectionately called his men Naresuan’s Wild Tigers.

Thus, the Wild Tigers became increasingly powerful and one day they turned on their Burmese captors and defeated them before returning triumphantly back to Siam. Soon after this event, the Black Prince was crowned King Nar-

esuan of Siam and reclaimed the sovereignty of Siam.

His first major challenge was with his former hosts and guardians. A giant enemy force of Burmese soldiers amassed near the border between Siam and Burma. Naresuan ordered his people in the north to withdraw and burn their rice fields. The farmers thus fled to Ayutthaya and the new king drafted every able-bodied man into his army.

For both Siam and Burma, the war was very painful, however, neither army would give in to the other. One day, King Naresuan’s war elephant was startled and ran madly into the enemy lines. When the dust from the elephant’s tracks cleared, the king realised that he was facing his enemy, the Burmese crown prince.

The king was surrounded by a large force of enemy soldiers. The Burmese prince could have ordered his death but instead accepted Naresuan’s challenge to a duel. This was the legendary Elephant Battle in which the two opponents fought with swords and spears from the back of their war elephants.

The legend tells that when the Burmese

A statue of King Naresuan. Photo: Satthavut Onla prince urged his elephant forward, Naresuan swung his sword and mortally wounded the prince.

King Naresuan thus declared an armistice while the Burmese soldiers removed the body of their slain prince from the battlefield. It seemed that the king still admired his opponent whom he had been forced to kill.

Thus, on their battleground he built a memorial chedi to honour the Burmese prince Mingyi Swa, his childhood friend. The famous Elephant Battle took place on January 25, 1592, at Nong Sarai field in Suphan Buri.

With their crown prince dead, the Burmese had no one to lead them and they lost heart for the battle. In consequence, they withdrew their forces and for a time the Burmese people and the people of Siam enjoyed a time of peace. King Naresuan died in 1605 at age 49.

Finally, I must confess that I’m not such a great fan of historical movies because I often find them too strenuous. But the legend of King Naresuan has been portrayed on film and was directed by HSH Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol. It was made in six parts and stars Wanchana Sawatdee as Naresuan. So dispite my usual dislike of the genre, I found this movie quite interesting and useful for my research. I urge you to track down a copy and watch it to learn more about the legendary Black Prince.

Sirinya Pakditawan is a ‘luk kreung’, or half-Thai, born and raised in Hamburg, Germany. She enjoys writing about Thailand, with a focus is on culture, art, history, tradition and on the people, as well as a mix of topics concerning Thai popular culture, travelogues and articles about Thai food.

Sirinya’s aim is not only to entertain you but to provide you with information and facts about Thailand, its culture and history that may not be generally known, in particular to the Western world. She has a PhD in American Studies from the University of Hamburg.

To read the original story, and many more, be sure to check out Sirinya’s blog: www.sirinyas-thailand.de thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

TRAVEL 17

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Sake, sushi and strawberries Exploring from Osaka to Kyoto and discovering Japan’s hidden gems Andrew J Wood

T

he Kansai region is known as the cultural and historical heart of Japan. Located on Honshu, the largest island in Japan, the region encompases Osaka and the ancient captial Kyoto.

With great architecture, cuisine, an abundance of natural beauty, and unique world-class attractions, it offers endless opportunities for exploration and discovery.

We arrived at Kansai Airport and were processed with the great precision and efficiency that is Japan’s hallmark.

After retrieving our luggage and passing through customs we were met by our guides from Karaksa Tours.

We boarded a brand-new 42-seater coach, with built-in WiFi and mobile charging sockets, that would take us to Naramachi or “Nara town”, just 74km from the airport. Nara is an old merchant town with 1,300 years of history.

From here we took a walking tour and later after lunch, we would go to our hotel by train. First stop: a sake distillery!

We tasted six varieties of locally produced Harushika sake. They were all served ice cold and in small coloured sake glasses – which were presented to us as a souvenir at the end of the tasting. We tried traditional-style sake (extra dry) and also sweeter fruit-flavoured varietals including strawberry and a cloudy fizzy variety that was second fermented in the bottle to give the bubbles. Next stop was a tour of the old town on foot, which included stops at various small museums. The toy museum was hands down favourite. After a brisk walk to the main shopping area, traditional architecture was replaced with modern malls and arcades. Here we stopped for lunch at a tonkatsu pork cutlet restaurant, it was lovely and warm, and busy. Delicious and freshly made fried bread-crumbed pork cutlets were offered in a variety of ways.

We arrived at our hotel and after a quick wash and brush up we walked to the nearby Mibu-dera temple, a famous temple known for Shinsengumi and a guardian deity for children, it was established in 991.

We had an early dinner at Sakura Suisan Restaurant. A delicious dinner of Japanese favourites; sushi, sashimi,

Delicious fresh-picked strawberries. @thephuketnews

The doll shrine is a unique sight in Japan.

Dotonburi district in Osaka is full of energy and lit up with countless neon signs. Photo: Yeowatzup grilled yakatori (eel, beef, chicken), various hot pots, grilled fish, ice cream, cheese cake and a few hot sakes.

After a comfortable night’s sleep we met for breakfast at 8am, before taking the 1h 45m coach trip 115km to North Kyoto and Amanohashidate. The Amanohashidate Sandbar is a beautiful, 3km long isthmus that spans the mouth of Miyazu Bay in the north of Kyoto Prefecture.

We arrived at the Nariaiji temple at the base of the mountain and headed up via cable car to the summit to view the famous sandbar. Amanohashidate roughly translates to “bridge in heaven” and it is said that the sandbar resembles a meandering pathway connecting heaven and earth when it is viewed from the mountains at either end of the bay. This famous view has been admired for centuries, and is counted among Japan’s three most scenic views alongside Miyajima and Matsushima.

The narrow sandbar, which measures as little as 20 metres across at its narrowest point, is lined with nearly 8,000 pine trees. At the base once more we stopped for lunch and had Buri Shabu (fish hotpot), a winter delicacy that was delicious and warming.

Ine is located around the Ine Bay in northern Kyoto Prefecture, about 15km north of Amanohashidate. This working town has a long and rich history as a fishing village and is regarded as one of the most beautiful villages in Japan. A unique aspect of Ine is its funaya. Literally meaning “boat houses”, these traditional waterfront buildings contain garages for boats on their first floors and residential space on the upper floors.

Here is a lifestyle which is centred on fishing and farming little changed over the years.

The scenery of the these 230 funaya standing in a row is unique and can only be found in Ine, little visited by tourists. It’s a wonderful travel secret.

The next day we stopped at a most famous temple – Nagaoka Tenman-gu Shrine – which is located in Nagaokakyo-city, Kyoto Prefecture. We all rubbed the lucky animal nose for good luck and paid our respects at the shrine.

For dinner that night we chose a very popular ramen house. We queued to get in (always a good sign). On the ground floor you pay and order your food first

using a ticket-vending machine. You feel a bit stressed at this point but persevere as the rewards are worth it. The staff excitedly shout and gesticulate to move the queue quickly on. The ramen noodles were great and the broth very tasty.

After dinner we took a walk through Dotonburi, it looked as though half the population of the city were here. A great walking street with lots of energy, people, noise, aromas, music, vendors, shops and food in abundance. It had a real buzz. As it was getting dark people were on the move. The area was alive.

The next day we drove to south Kansai, near Wakayama City, the home of Japan’s most unusual shrine.

Awashima-jinja or the “Doll Shrine”.

As Japanese believe that dolls have a soul and power to influence human lives they tend not to throw them in the garbage.

There is an old folklore in Japan that says that dolls contain spirits, and that these spirits will seek revenge if they’re discarded like common garbage. To properly dispose of an unwanted doll, the owner must take the doll to Awashima-jinja and offer it to the temple. The priests purify and pacify the spirits to keep them from returning to this world.

After the Doll Shrine we had an amazing pufferfish lunch at Ishiki No Aji Chihirot Restaurant, located in Wakayama. It was served raw, deep fried and shabu-style. It was delicious.

Chefs train for years before they are li-

Tonkatsu fried bread-crumbed pork cutlets. censed to prepare these fish for human consumption – skilfully removing the poisonous tract, which if eaten, can be deadly.

Afterwards we headed to a local railway station to travel on the Tama Den cat train from Idakiso to Kishi. The train station has a cat as the station master. The only one in Japan! All the hallmarks of Japanese cute; kitschy and wacky. The station receives thousands of visitors every day. Everyone jockeying to get a picture of this most famous cat.

The last stop of the day was strawberry picking at Sakura Farm. Wakayama prefecture is agriculturally rich, especially for fruits. It’s now the beginning of the strawberry season. They were good and it was fun. It was warm too in the plastic greenhouses.

It’s our last day and we set off for a unique cooking class at a local Japanese house “Uzu Makiko Decoration”. We learnt the art of maki sushi decoration – “maku”, which means to wrap and roll usually with seaweed. We all enjoyed the whole morning making these artistic maki sushi before we ate them for lunch.

Then, sadly, it was time to head back to the airport for the flight home.

Andrew J Wood is a travel writer and long-time resident of Thailand. Andrew is former hotel GM and Past President of Skal International Thailand. Andrew is also a Director of Worldwide Destinations Asia Co Ltd in Bangkok.

18 EXPLORE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

The breathtaking Singapore skyline. Photo: Binayak Dasgupta

Singapore’s shining example BLAZING SADDLES

Baz Daniel

Singapore offers superb cycling on well-maintained tracks, under huge shade trees and following beautiful coastal routes

F

or obvious reasons Thailand’s tourism marketers are only too keen to jump aboard the burgeoning global passion for all things cycling related. While avidly trumpeting Phuket’s cycle-friendly environment (did I recently read the clichéd phrase “cyclists’ paradise” in this context?) most of the claims at present are little more than commercial hype. The brutal reality is that Phuket remains one of the most dangerous places you could choose to ride a bike and a sad litany of cycling accidents bare grim testament to this.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way, as I recently discovered when I decided to sample our near neighbour Singapore’s cycling opportunities. I’d gone there to catch up with some friends who’ve lived there for many years, and with a spare day in my travelling schedule, they suggested I check out the cycling track that runs along the coast for a considerable part of the island.

Singapore is, like Phuket, an island connected to the mainland by a causeway and is of similar size to Phuket, with a population of 5.7 million and therefore the third highest density of human habitation on our lovely planet, with 7,988 people packed in per

The author poses at a particularly photogenic spot on the Esplanade. square kilometre.

By comparison Phuket has an official population of 386,000 (this is certainly understated because of tourists and migrant workers) and a population density estimated at 800 people per square kilometre.

Cycling in Singapore, on paper at least, did not sound like a very attractive proposition, but the reality is that Singapore offers superb cycling on wellmaintained tracks, under huge shade trees and following beautiful coastal routes boasting stunning scenery and clean sandy beaches from which to swim. Along the cycle routes are abundant cafes, restaurants, bike hire, massage and spa shops and even water parks, all contributing to the island’s tourism income and success.

My own day’s cycling commenced at East Coast Park, which my friends had recommended as my starting point. I took a taxi there and hired an excellent hybrid bike for 40 Singapore dollars (B1,000) for the day.

I first cycled east along the coastal path under the welcome shade of huge Casuarina trees with a cooling breeze wafting in off the ocean. Other cyclists shared the path with families, walkers and roller-skaters and it was noticeable how friendly and considerate everyone was of each other’s space. The path I followed then turned inland and ran alongside the runway of Changi airport where gigantic A380s were landing from all around the globe just over the wire fence. Eventually I crossed a couple of bridges over causeways that lead to an island with a wildlife sanctuary and a splendid café for lunch and a cold drink sitting outside under the trees.

In the afternoon I cycled back past East Coast Beach and headed southwest towards the heart of Singapore, where its huge architectural wonders such as Marina Bay Sands, Helix Bridge, the stunning vaulted glass

domes of Gardens by the Bay, and the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay all beckoned me. I cycled right through them all into the heart this wonderfully futuristic city which has over 4,500 high-rise structures providing the most spectacular backdrop imaginable for cycling.

Singapore’s environment is impressively pristine with not so much as a cigarette butt to spoil things and the ocean, despite hundreds of huge container ships anchored only a few hundred meters offshore, is clean, safe and perfect for a cooling swim after cycling, which is exactly what I did. As I sat at an outdoor café back at East Coast Beach watching the sunset and drinking a well-earned cold one, another statistic came to mind.

Singapore boasts an average life expectancy of 84.86 years compared with Thailand’s 74.9 years. There are no official stats on life expectancy for Phuket, but we can safely assume, I think, that it is well below the Thailand average, and of course, road accidents are the number one cause of death in Phuket.

Clearly, a dedicated recreational cycling and walking track around Phuket’s perimeter would not only boost tourism, but might also save lives and promote longevity. If Singapore can provide one with its far greater pressure on urban space, why not Phuket?

“Bicycling” Baz Daniel has been penning his Blazing Saddles column, chronicling his cycling adventures in Phuket and beyond, since 2013. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

TECHNOLOGY 19

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Global shopping on the go APPLICATION ABCs

Amy Bensema bensema.amy@gmail.com

G

rabr is a clever new app that is taking the shopping world by storm, it is essentially a peerto-peer marketplace that allows anyone become an international shopper. With the slogan, “Get anything in the world delivered to you by a trusted traveller,” the app allows shoppers to have access to items not sold where they live as well as items too expensive to ship. Grabr also puts the world at your fingertips and allows travellers the opportunity to own unique cultural items and souvenirs from around the world.

Grabr works like this: Shoppers who are having trouble finding a certain item or cannot afford to ship a certain item can put their order on Grabr’s marketplace. People travelling to a region where that specific item is sold can put bids on the order. The person who placed the original order then chooses their preferred price and traveller.

From there, the shopper then heads off on their trip and picks up the item, whether it be a Parisian handbag not sold in the states to a Thai silk scarf as a birthday gift. The shopper then brings the item back, hands it over to the person who placed the original order in a

Are you missing your favourite sweet treats from back home? Grabr might be the solution for you.

Grabr helps you enlist travellers as your personal courier to deliver goods from across the globe. pre-selected location and then gets paid.

It is important to note that a traveller bringing back an item for a shopper will not receive any money until that item is actually in the hands of the shopper, which means that the person travelling will have to first pay for the product.

Grabr connects the community with global commerce. Although the app may sound a bit suspicious to those not used to shopping like this, rest assured that Grabr is safe. The app has a semi-automatic system that flags keywords which in turn removes any posts that violate the law. To be honest, Grabr is just like

the apps most of us use on a daily basis.

However, it’s the outcome of the app that is just a bit different.

As a shopper, all you need to do is set up an account on Grabr and make a post for the specific item you are looking for. The post can be as detailed as you like. For example, if you want something from a specific store at a specific location, you can add links for the store and the product. You list the amount you are willing to pay for the item, as well as a “reward” amount that you are willing to pay someone to bring it you. The reward amount works the same as a delivery fee.

As a traveller, you sign up to do just that – travel and pick up the specified items for a shopper and earn “rewards” doing so. Basically, as a traveller you sign up to deliver items that you collect from your travels around the world.

Within the app, you are able to see the items being requested by shoppers and you can filter those requests by location and accept only what you are willing to pick up and bring back.

The benefits of Grabr are endless for both the shopper and the traveller.

As a shopper you might pay less for an item you really want and as a traveler you are making a bit of spare change to use towards your next trip. Available on both iOS and Android, Grabr might be the perfect solution for those tired of shipping fees and lusting after those hard to find items online.

Amy Bensema is a long-term Phuket expat with a keen interest in social media and technology.

Google adds ‘fact check’ to global search results

G

oogle is adding a fact-checking tag to search results globally, its latest initiative to help curb the spread of misinformation and “fake news” the company said recently. The new tags, to be used in all languages for users worldwide, will use third-party fact-checkers to indicate whether news items are true, false or somewhere inbetween.

“For the first time, when you conduct a search on Google that returns an authoritative result containing fact checks for one or more public claims, you will see that information clearly on the search results page,” Google said in a blog post.

“The snippet will display information on the claim, who made the claim, and the fact check of that particular claim.”

The information won’t be available for every search result, and there may be conflicting conclusions in some cases, Google said in the blog post, from researcher Cong Yu and Justin Kosslyn of Google’s sister company Jigsaw.

“These fact checks are not Google’s and are presented so people can make more informed judgments,” it said.

“Even though differing conclusions may be presented, we think it’s still helpful for people to understand the degree of consensus around a particular claim and have clear information on which sources agree.”

Google has worked with 115 factchecking groups worldwide for the initi@thephuketnews

Complimentary Salad buffet & Dessert

ce Prie p rr orde

Google is entering the fight against fake news. ative, which began last year. The move came a day after Facebook added a new tool in its news feeds to help users determine whether shared stories are real or bogus. Fake news became a serious issue in last year’s US election campaign, when clearly fraudulent stories circulated on social media, potentially swaying some voters.

Concerns have been raised since then about hoaxes and misinformation affecting elections in Europe this year, with investigations showing how “click farms” generate revenue from online advertising using made-up news stories. The moves by both firms aim to change the way news is ranked, diminishing the importance of how often a particular story is shared or clicked on.

AFP

5pm - 7pm Buy

1Get1

Live DJ

For more information and reservation please contact : 683 Karon Beach, Patak Road, Tambol Karon, Amphur Muang, Phuket 83100, Thailand Tel : +66 (0) 7620 1234 l Fax : +66 (0) 7620 1235 l Email : coastphuket@chr.co.th

20 EVENTS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Assuring an ecological future

The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation hold 8th Turtle Release Ceremony The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

Sea turtles represent longevity in Thai culture and releasing animals into nature is believed to bring good luck to all participants.

Homeward bound.

T

he Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation and its partners organised the 8th annual Mai Khao Marine Turtle Release Ceremony on Songkran day (Apr 13) with resort General Manager Oriol Montal welcoming some 500 hotel guests, Phuket residents, tourists and provincial dignitaries at JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa’s beachfront.

The ceremony, presided over by Phuket Vice Governor Siwaporn Chuasawad alongside guests of honour including Thalang District Chief, Acting Sub Lt Vigrom Charktee; Director of Phuket Marine Biological Centre, Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong; Director of the Department of Civil Affairs, Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, Captain Suthisak Cheu-MuangPak; Intendant of Sirinart National Park, Mr Vitoon Dechpramualpol; and Assistant Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket office, Mrs Juttarat Ninlahut.

“This is a fantastic day and phenomenal way to begin the Thai New Year by releasing 53 new batches of rehabilitated green turtles into the Andaman Sea. “This event has now become the resort’s traditional Songkran event as sea turtles represent longevity in Thai culture and releasing animals into nature is believed to bring good luck to all participants.

“The hotel guests were delighted to be part of this event as it is a distinctive experience of their Phuket holiday,” said Mr Montal.

All monies raised through donations during the event have gone towards supporting the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation and its partners; the Phuket Marine Biological Centre’s Injured Turtle Rehabilitation Program and the Royal Thai Navy 3rd Area Command’s Turtle Hatchery Program.

The ceremony was presided over by Vice Governor Siwaporn Chuasawad and joined by many leading officials.

Furthermore, the Mai Khao Turtle Foundation also organised an exclusive turtle release program on April 15 together with IUCN, an event supported by the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, Royal Thai Navy, Department of Marine & Coastal Resources and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

For more information about the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, please contact Mr Sean Panton, Co-Chairman and Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Marriott Thailand Business Council, email sean.panton@marriotthotels.com or Khun Kittipan, Mai Khao

JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa’s GM Oriol Montal (left) takes part in a water-blessing ceremony.

Marine Turtle Foundation Manager, via email info@maikhaoturtlefoundation. org or call 076 338 000 ext. 3383.

Lion Club members at Phuket Provincial Prison.

Lions bring clear vision to inmates

L

ions Club of Phuket Pearl, in collaboration with Phuket Provincial Hospital and Phuket Vision Centre, recently paid a visit to Phuket Provincial Prison, where they provided eye checks for 105 female inmates and provided free eye-glasses to 94 of them.

Two of the women needed eye surgery, which was also provided free of charge.

In carrying out the eye healthcare visit, eye-glass frames were provided by Lions Club Medico de France and Lions Club Fairlop, London.

The lenses in the glasses provided were ordered by Lions Club of Phuket Pearl and manufactured individually for each woman.

The Phuket Provincial Prison visit, conducted on April 10, followed an initial visit held over February 16-17 as part of the Lions Club of Phuket Pearl’s yearly program “Sight First”.

“Many inmates screened during that visit were found to have issues with their sight so we will produce glasses for them.

Big thanks to Khun Yothin and his Vision Centre team for their cooperation,” the club reported on its official Facebook page.

“On the second day of the February visit, our club visited the prison again for deep scanning and issuing of eye medication.

“One operation on an inmate’s eye was made right there. Big thanks for the support and professionalism of Dr Buddha and her team of nurses from the OrBorJor (Phuket Provincial) Hospital,” the club noted.

“Of course big thanks to Khun Patchara Kongsukjira, who was very helpful with the organisation of the activity. We Serve!” it added in its post.

Anton Makhrov thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

PEOPLE 21

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Alexey (L) and Igor Protasov (R), pictured with Deputy Prime Minister General Major Tanasak Patimapakorn during his visit to Phuket in March.

At Your Service Protasov brothers Igor and Alexey honoured as Tourist Police Assistant Volunteers

Marque A. Rome

D

o you weep for these times of ours and pray the gods send someone to restore order before it’s too late? Well, weeping and waiting are not enough: the gods help those who help themselves. In Phuket we have a small group of volunteers who, collectively, are doing just that – bringing order to a confusing social milieu, with its babble of tongues and myriad races, religions and genders constantly a-stew.

They are Phuket’s Tourist Police Volunteers, who labour without remuneration in hope of mitigating the clash of civilisations in Phuket. This year’s winner of the coveted Distinguished Tourist Police Volunteer award is 30-yearold Russian Igor Protasov, who came to Phuket eight years ago, got into business, married and is now president of the Lion’s Club of Phuket Pearl as well as CEO of the Thai Business Development Company Group (TBD), a major real estate developer in Phuket that is a member of Phuket Real Estate Association (P-REA) and Franco-Thai Chamber of Commerce (FTCC).

He was born in the historic city of Yaroslavl, about 250km northeast of Moscow, at the confluence of the Volga

@thephuketnews

and Kotorosl Rivers, a Unesco Heritage Site, but has lived abroad for the last 22 years. He speaks five languages: Czech, Russian, German, English and Thai, a result of the many places he lived while growing up. During his life journey he and his brother went to 13 different schools before settling in Thailand, where they joined their father’s engineering and construction company together with Igor’s Thai wife’s local family.

“My parents came here first,” he explains, “and I received a phone call in Germany where I lived with my brother at that time. They said it was nice here, a good place, and that Alexey and I should come check it out.”

Now, brother Alexey, also a Tourist Police Assistant Volunteer, is an architect for the firm; the three men in family have formed a working unit since Igor was 16, when he and his brother began working with his father’s large construction firm.

“Alexey and I have always been together. We started at the bottom, carrying heavy things around as simple workers, slowly climbing the career ladder.”

They thus learned business from the ground up.

It had always been their father’s policy, wherever they lived, to learn the

language, thus in Phuket they took up Thai. The family also believes it is important to become involved in local society, so when Igor was asked to translate for the Phuket Tourist Police he jumped at the chance and later accepted invitation to join the force. That was seven years ago.

Since then he met his beloved: “I met my wife at the Tourist Police office,” he explains. She was a Rajabhat University student who was interning with the police – but not ambitious of becoming an officer.

“Now she manages our hotel,” says Igor, who says he enjoys his work with police.

“It feels good to help other people,” he explains. By way of example tells the story of an accident that left a Russian woman in critical condition at hospital.

She was weak, too weak to talk much, and didn’t speak English. Staff at the hospital noticed she was trying to communicate something important, and kept repeating the same word, but they didn’t understand, so they called the Tourist Police for help.

“She had a very heavy accident,” Igor says, “and she was terribly injured. Her face was partly torn away. The staff said, ‘Just listen, maybe you will understand.’ I heard her say ‘Suprastine...

Suprastine’. Then I knew immediately what she was saying because Suprastine is a kind of medication in Russia that helps with allergy; she couldn’t breathe because the allergy had started, but in Thailand you don’t have this kind of medication.”

Igor told the doctors she needed an anti-allergenic and they immediately got a similar drug to treat her.

“When we came to the hospital, they said ‘You probably saved her life.’” She later sent him a thank-you letter from Russia.

Igor also does pro bono work translating for the provincial court and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and has thus has had opportunity to work directly on some of the most celebrated

cases including, recently, that of the diver lost to his chartered speedboat who spent 24 hours in the sea, and that of the woman arrested on criminal charges, incredibly, for feeding fish in a protected marine park.

In recognition of his manifold efforts to help both tourists and police, Igor was recently chosen as this year’s Tourist Police Distinguished Volunteer and decorated by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn: “He reached out his hand to mine and I shook it,” says Igor proudly.

In addition to his work as a Tourist Police assistant, Igor, after serving as the Lions Club of Phuket Pearl secretary, has now been elected president.

“Secretary,” he says wryly, “is the hardest job in the club.”

On the business side, he has opened a branch of the well-known French steakhouse La Boucherie, the only one in Thailand, and oversees sale of large TBD condominium projects underway at several sites. His family company is steadily moving forward on the giant ‘Phuket Eye’ Ferris wheel: projected to be as tall as 170 meters. “It will be a landmark project and magnet for tourists from the entire World,” Igor says.

To be involved as a Tourist Police volunteer or Lion’s Club member, Igor says, “You should be kind of successful.

If there is no harmony in your life or your business [you probably can’t easily become a volunteer] because these things don’t bring any money.” He recommends those interested be publicspirited, have a steady income, permanent visa and good knowledge of Thailand, Thai people and Thai language.

Then you, too, can fill your days, as Igor does, trying to sort out the confusion that naturally accompanies Phuket’s magnetic attraction to so many tourists from all quarters of the globe.

He tells me, by the way, that he sleeps quite soundly every night because he trusts that he and his family is on the right way.

22 ISLAND SCENE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Ladies get ready to give a Harley-Davidson a special soapy rub down.

Phuket Bike Week is not just for the boys.

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Danny and Lek leading the way.

Bike clubs from around the world arrived to take part.

PHUKET BIKE WEEK THUNDERS INTO TOWN, REVS UP SONGKRAN ATMOSPHERE The annual party for all machines on two wheels got well and truly underway at Loma Park, Patong, last Saturday night (Apr 15) drawing thousands of people to enjoy the gala VIP dinner, the dozens of extraordinary motorbikes on show and a concert by Southern Thai rockers Kang Keng. Thai rock legend "Add Carabao" is lined up to perform the finale at Saphan Hintomorrow night (Apr 22), while big bikes have been rolling all across the island for the past week. Class Act Media is a proud media partner of Phuket Bike Week.

Performers from Aphrodite cabaret pose with the Big C bear.

Kathu District Chief Sayan Chanachaiwong (centre, in black jacket) was guest of honour.

KATHU MUNICIPALITY PLACES SAFETY FIRST FOR SONGKRAN HOLIDAYS Kathu Municipality launched their Songkran Festival by staging an emergency rescue drill and a variety of other activities to highlight public safety during the holidays.

During the event, held in front of Billion Plaza on Phra Phuket Kaew Rd on April 11, municipality rescue workers held safety training sessions in conjunction with officers from the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM). thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

ISLAND SCENE 23

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

GM Brian Connelly takes part in a traditional water-blessing ceremony.

Dancers in traditional Thai costumes.

ANGSANA USHERS IN SONGKRAN IN TRUE TRADITIONAL STYLE Angsana Laguna Phuket took a traditional take on ushering in the Songkran Thai New Year this year with a variety of traditional celebrations. Staff donned traditional Thai costumes and performed traditional Thai dances as part of the festivities in the morning, and many staff and leading management figures conducted traditional water-blessing ceremonies to welcome in the New Year.

The Food & Beverage team at the resort’s Songkran Dinner.

CENTARA GRAND SPLASHES OUT Staff and management at the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket welcomed in the Songkran Thai New Year with a host of festivities, including water blessings and a festive Songkran dinner.

All smiles amid the water blessings.

Observing the the traditional ‘Rod Nam Dam Hua’ ceremony.

Handmade beauty.

AMARI AWASH IN BLESSINGS AMID THAI NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS The Amari Phuket team celebrated the Songkran Festival, or Thai New Year, 2017 with the traditional “Rod Nam Dam Hua” ceremony by pouring fragrant water onto the palms of the members of senior management as a gesture of humility and to ask for blessings. There was also a special activity for which the team members arranged a little market with small food stalls to present and sell their Thai handmade products.

Right tasty bubbles.

Gunning for glory.

Fun for the whole family.

XANA BUBBLES FORTH AS ‘GET WET’ PARTY TAKES WEST COAST BY STORM Songkran celebrants at the Xana Beach Club were treated to a party last Thursday (Apr 13) that delivered on its name ‘Get Wet’. The festivities, held from noon to midnight, included sets by headliner DJ Roxy June, ranked Asia’s No 2 hottest female DJ, and sexy resident DJ Viki Love, as well as lots of fun activities including a foam party, special shows and various food and beverages available. @thephuketnews

24 EVENTS

FRI

21 APR

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM about where to spend Friday evenings again! Join DeDos LeLounge for our Chill Out Fridays featuring cool beats from DJ Not from 7:30 until late! So grab your friends and start your weekend off right! www.dedoslelounge.com 076 621 692.

SAT

22 APR

pudding – roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes – gravy, mushroom sauce, mint sauce. Reservation recommended 350 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com 081 891 4381.

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

ALL YOU CAN EAT BBQ RIBS Come join us for our WEEKLY BBQ EVERY FRIDAY served ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT at Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong. Indulge in All You Can Eat BBQ Pork Ribs, Chicken and Sides for ONLY 395 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 at Two Chefs!!! www.twochefs.com Kata Beach 076333-370 Kata Center 076-330-065 Karon 076-286479 Patong 076-344-914.

Brunch To The Beat Spend a Sunday with us at The Pool House and The Pool Bar. Try our new style brunch. Price: THB 1,600++ buffet with free flow of soft drinks, THB 2,200++ buffet including premium beverages package. Reservations, fnb.phuhr@hyatt.com 076 231 234 #5106.

Phuket Bike Week 2017 Part B Part B of Phuket Bike Week 2017 will be held at Saphan Hin, Phuket Town. The event will include motorcycle festival and live music concert and runs from 4pm-midnight. For tickets and more information visit phuketbikeweek.com or email info@phuketbikeweek. com. This event is proudly sponsored by The Phuket News and Khao Phuket.

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

Superkidz Triathlon returns to Thanyapura Phuket

Pool Competition at Expat Sports Bar The competition at 9pm - Expat Sports Bar at the Expat Hotel Soi Taipan Patong. See map at www.expathotel.com

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

‘The Sassy Chef’s Kitchen’ Charity Dinner From 6pm onward, B3,800 net/person with all proceed going to The Good Shepherd Phuket. Five of Phuket‘s finest female chefs from the island’s premier luxury resorts and restaurant are joining forces on Sat 22 Apr at Kata Rocks to benefit children at the BanYa Literacy Centre. Contact Donna, (The Good Shepherd), sassychefskitchen@gmail.com for tickets.Proudly sponsored by The Phuket News.

Mussels night @ Shakers

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

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

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

On Sunday, April 23, Phuket’s long-running youth multisport event will feature fun and challenging age-appropriate race distances for youth aged 4-15 to compete in a safe environment. The triathlon starts with a swim at Thanyapura’s Olympic-sized 50-meter pool, continues with a bike ride through Khao Phra Thaew National Park and with a run concluding at Thanyapura’s cushioned athletics track and grandstand. Entry fee is 700 THB/individual or 1,800 THB/team. Prizes are awarded to the top three male and female finishers for each age category and relay teams. Registration deadline is April 16, 2017. More info at: events@ thanyapura.com; call: +66 76 336 000; or visit: thanyapura.com/event/superkidz-triathlon-2017 Proudly sponsored by Live89.5 and Khao Phuket

MON

24 APR

Live Sports at Expat Hotel Thai Seafood and Meat BBQ THB 999.-++ @Lobby Terrace (Weather permiting) from 19:00 – 22:00 hrs. The most amazing and delicious BBQ at Kata Beach Join us for this culinary extravaganza where ‘Authentic’ Thai dishes (and some western items) are served ‘buffet’ style. Our Chef will arrange truly 100% fresh seafood from our fisherman and also prime meats for this special event… We are very confident you will love this event. Reservations, Nook Dee - Kata Beach 076 688 888.

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

SUN

23 APR

Sunday Roast All Day All Night Come enjoy a Traditional Sunday Roast EVERY SUNDAY at Two Chefs Kata Beach, Kata Center, Karon and Patong! Indulge ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT for 395 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 - Stay for the FUN! www.twochefs.com Kata Beach 076-333-370 Kata Center 076-330-065 Karon 076-286-479 Patong 076-344-914.

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

Traditional Sunday Roast Angus O’Tool’s Karon Beach

Chill Out Fridays in Surin 5 Gourmet Tapas plus 2 drinks for just 690.- net!!! And French Oysters for just 50.- net/piece. Never worry

Lunch or dinner served from 2pm. Your choice of either roast beef, chicken, loin of pork or leg of lamb served with roast and boiled potatoes, three fresh vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Only B350 per person which includes a free glass of house red or white. Opposite Centara Karon Resort. See: otoolsphuket.com

All you can eat Sunday Roast Buffet Beef, Pork & Lamb – Cauliflower, Broccoli, Peas, Carrots, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes – Yorkshire

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

TUE

EVENTS 25

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

25 APR

Beverages are only 150.- ++ all night (Sorry fellas!), DJ Not will be bringing down the house from 7:30pm onward! Make sure to bring your A-game because the sexiest dressed will win a bottle on the house! Who needs the weekend when there’s Sexy Thursdays? www.dedos-lelounge.com 076 621 692.

ANZAC Day Dawn Service The Australian and New Zealand community is invited by the Australian Consulate-General Phuket to attend from 6:30am. Held at Phuket Yacht Club, Soi Phon Chalong (off Chao Fa East Road). Members of the public are welcome to lay a wreath (please notify us beforehand). A light breakfast will be served afterwards. Please register your attendance by Fri Apr 21, 2017 to RSVP.Phuket@dfat.gov.au

WED

26 APR

Phuket FC VS Sungaipadee FC

Phuket Pride 2017 Phuket Pride’s mission is to bring together the Phuket LGBTQ Communities through its many events during Pride, moneys raised during Pride supports initiatives created in HIV Prevention, Education and Treatment.

From 27-30 April 2017. More info visit phuket-pride. org. Proudly sponsored by Live89.5 and Khao Phuket.

Patong, Phuket, info@phuket-pride.org

FRI

Phuket FC VS Sungaipadee FC on Sunday 30th Apr. at Surakul Stadium, Phuket town. Kick off 6pm. Entrance fee is THB 50 and students are free with student ID. Proudly sponsored by The Phuket News and Khao Phuket.

SAT

6 MAY

28 APR

THB++, Thai & International Buffet @790 THB++, Seafood Night @980 THB++, Ribs, Wings & Rings @770 THB++, Butchers Night @market price, Surf & Turf @950 THB++,Thai Seafood Gala @980 THB++.

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

Spain v Greece at Paresa Celebrity Mediterranean Dining Experience. Four hands dinner with UK TV celebrity and Master Chef finalist – Theo Michaels and Michelin experience Paresa Executive Chef – Jordi Valles. Five course taster menu including delicacies from Spain and Greece accompanied by a choice of drink parings. THB 3,500 ++ per person. 076 302 000 info@paresaresorts.com.

Surf & Turf Night Come join us EVERY Wednesday for our Weekly Surf & Turf Night at ALL Two Chefs Locations for the Month of April. Indulge in All You Can Eat Surf & Turf for ONLY 495 BAHT! Enjoy Grilled Australian Rib Eye Steak, Grilled Prawns, Teriyaki Marinated Chicken, BBQ Sauce, Red Wine Sauce, Bearnaise Sauce, Caesar Salad and Herb Sauteed Potatoes. Join us nightly for Live Music from 8-Late Performed by Our Famous Two Chefs Band! www.twochefs.com Reservations, Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong, Kata Beach: 076-333-370, Kata Center: 076-330-065 Karon: 076-286-479 and Patong: 076-344-914.

SUN

28 MAY

Boat Lagoon Weekend

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

Beats & Bites & Music & Food & Fun. พบกันงานแสดงดนตรี อาหาร และความสนุกหลายรูปแบบ ทีง่ านโบ๊ทลากูนวีคเอนด์ From 6.00pm till 10.00pm at Lagoon Quay, Phuket Boat Lagoon.

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

THU

SUN

30 APR

27 APR

Rotary Club of Phuket South Mini Marathon 2017 The second running of this annual family friendly event is expected to attract over 2,000 runners for its 10.5KM mini-marathon and 3.5KM fun-run. Entry fees are B350 per person for the mini-marathon and B300 per person for the fun-run. Entries are now open, so to register contact 097 267 5969 or for tickets go to phuketticketmaster.com. This event is proudly sponsored by The Phuket News and Khao Phuket.

EVERY DAY

daily event updates on

The 6th Edition of Phuket UNESCO International Jazz Day

Sexy Thursdays in Surin DeDos LeLounge is bringing sexy back on Thursday nights! Ladies grab your girlfriends because: Selected

@thephuketnews

On behalf of Phuket City Municipality, Music Matters Collective presents – In Loving Memory of His Majesty – the 6th edition of Phuket UNESCO International Jazz Day. Free entry and open to the public at 6pm at Chanacharoen Road, Phuket Town. Main events featuring Phuket local, Int’l jazz and guests.

For more info please contact Jeffrey Sevilla 089 588 2347 or tiklado2005@yahoo.com. Proundly Supported by The Phuket News and Live 89.5.

All Day Breakfast at Cafe Siam Aussie bacon & egg rolls NOW at Cafe Siam. All day breakfast, just like mum makes. Lavazza Coffee, healthy snacks & salads. Find us at the Entrance of The Royal Paradise Complex, Patong. Mon - Sat 8.30am - 4.00pm. Facebook: CafeSiamGuesthousePhuket 081 676 9411.

7 Nights 7 Themed Dinners at Rim Talay Make each night unique! Enjoy our themed dinners with the cool sea breeze. World of Curries @790

26 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York 1. What is the capital of Kazakhstan?

2. Who is best known for her best-selling novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead?

3. Which country did Vietnam gain independence from in 1954?

4. The Rolling Stones’ song ‘Wild Horses’ is from which 1971 album?

5. What stage name is Peter Hernandez professionally known as?

Answers below, centre

SUDOKU

64. S-shaped molding Across 65. Make merry 1. Sunbathes 66. Saying nothing 5. Swindled 67. “___ Afraid of 10. Bollard Virginia Woolf?”

14. Plant with healing 68. Be wild about properties 69. Mineralogical 15. Upper crust deposits 16. Hodgepodge 17. Sidelong glance Down 18. Per ___ (yearly) 1. Perfumed powder 19. Jet part 2. Toward one side of 20. Festivities a ship 23. Bar order 3. Christmas song 24. Pirate outburst 4. Thirsty 28. Gyrocompass 5. So very much inventor 6. Long bones 32. First showing 7. Post-show bar order 35. Append 8. Small decorative 36. ___ bean case 37. Nod, maybe 9. Garage band tape, 38. Letting your hair perhaps down in Mont 10. Japanese mini Tremblant? trees 42. Detergent ingredient 43. Bad day for Caesar 11. Nobel Prizewinning U.N. 44. Type of salad workers’ grp.

45. Cirque du Soleil 12. Carol contraction troupe, e.g.

13. Little digit 48. Borgnine and 21. Farm buildings DeLuise roles 22. “China Beach” 49. Thingamajig setting 50. Babe 51. New Year’s Eve song 25. Nods again, at auction 59. Breathing organ 26. American in 62. Return Honduras 63. Fictional captain

27. Limits risk 28. War movie setting 29. Ancient writing materials 30. Marsh birds 31. Kind of deer 32. John, Paul and John Paul 33. Handwoven Scandinavian rugs 34. ___ muff 36. Faction 39. Outfit 40. Guitar sound 41. Still 46. iPhone pix 47. Former French coin 48. Touch gently 50. Fitter 52. Northern constellation 53. Went out, as a fire 54. Prefix meaning “on the left” 55. Foolish person 56. “___ Song” (Elton John song) 57. Mark down 58. Just makes, with “out” 59. Blue 60. Repugnance sound 61. Modern (Prefix)

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1) 1) Astana; 2) Ayn Rand; 3) France; 4) Sticky Fingers; 5) Bruno Mars

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

April 21, 1934 The “Surgeon’s Photograph”, the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1999, it is revealed to be a hoax).

2

hours of silence a day leads to the development of new cells in the hippocampus.

6

April 22, 1889 At noon, thousands rush to claim land in the Land Rush of 1889. Within hours the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed with populations of at least 10,000.

months of his life will the average man spend simply staring at women.

30

April 23, 1985 Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months.

per cent of American women think prostitution should be legal, compared to 51% of men, according to a YouGov poll.

52

April 24, 1184 BC Traditional date of the fall of Troy.

per cent of women say their husbands are not their soulmates, said a recent survey.

April 25, 2001 Michele Alboreto is killed while testing an Audi R8 at the Lausitzring in Germany.

69

per cent of marriages in Ethiopia occur through abduction.

April 26, 1584 William Shakespeare is baptised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England (date of actual birth is unknown).

981,000 people in the US were in gay or lesbian marriages in 2016, a rise of more than 30% than in 2015.

Source: Uberfacts

This week in history

Longtail off Kata Beach. Photo by Rick Nuffer (HDR 3x exposure) Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket?

Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

April 27, 1565 Cebu is established, becoming the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines.

Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Jobs

@thephuketnews

CLASSIFIEDS 27 The Phuket News @thephuketnews

28 CLASSIFIEDS

Jobs

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 29

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Trades & Services

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

ADVERTISING SERVICES

CLEANING SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

FISHING SERVICE

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

MARINE SERVICES

@thephuketnews

30 CLASSIFIEDS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Trades & Services

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

classifieds@thephuketnews.com

MOVING SERVICES

MARINE SERVICES

STORAGE Reserve Your Storage Space

Call 076 29 29 09

or visit mystorageasia.com

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

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

TRAINING

HOME DECORATION

ADVERTISE HERE

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 31

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Buy&Sell

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

ACTIVITIES, GROUPS Sign up today for a discount code

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

AUTOPARTS, TIRES Used 4 Wheel & Tire for sale

For 4 pcs. (Wheel & Tire) Size 235/40 ZR 18” Used only 6,000 KM. 18,000 Baht, Near Panwa Beach , Phuket, marnskjold@gmail.com 083 635 1440.

BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE Motorboat for sale

Superb “Bayliner 215” motorboat with trailer built in 2010 and fully maintained throughout. Full service record. 650,000 baht O.N.O 650000, Barry Daniel, Fisherman Way, Chalong, Phuket 83100, baz_gunner2000@ yahoo.com.au +66843053974.

CAPELLI TEMPEST TE 800

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Year 2016. Engine Yamaha 300 HP, Special hypalon tubes, Refigerator, Shower, Electric Toilet, Sink, Teak floor, Navigation, Water thank 60 L. 2,900,000, Owner, 093 575 2304.

Restaurant set up for sale

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

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

Long Tail Boat For Sale

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

Boating deal of the year: 7.5m baht (reduced from 10m baht)

Due to serious health reasons, the owner must part with his beloved 80’ tour boat.

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

Steel boat for sale

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

Looking for investor / partner

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

Narin, narinpga@gmail.com 081 826 9390.

CABLE TV PULSE TV. ASIA’S No.1 EXPAT TV

140 channels (HD & SD) in English, French, German & Thai. All Premiership & Euro Leagues live plus all your favorite Soaps & Series from back home. ON-Demand Movie/TV Series library with over 700 of the latest titles, more added daily & with our CATCH-UP Facility (Records all Channels for instant Playback) you’ll never miss a show. This is not kodi – Our high quality set-top boxes come pre-loaded with our own in-house developed App backed up by our own high-speed Asia based Servers & Online Support Network. PULSE TV, sales@ pulse-tv.net +66(0) 99 316 6212.

CAR FOR SALE 2009 Ford Focus Ghia

Excellent condition, 63k miles, silver grey, beige leather interior.

Automatic, Ford serviced, 310,000 baht. Call 096-809-9350 (Eng).

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Beauty Salon with Equipment

t ge n

s al

e

Honda Jazz 2009

For Sale, Nai Harn Beauty Salon with Ur 1500cc Auto Equipment & lease, B290,000. Salon 57,000km. One owner since new.

Equipment replacement cost is more than B300,000. All Regularly serviced by Honda. Tax and equipment shown as new. Must view to see excellent Insurance until the end of June and available now at right opportunity to purchase Salon for extremely good price offer. Reduced by 40,000 bht, REDUCED to 330,000bht in prime location. Call Nok for details 098 017 8818. o.n.o, Andy +66846909144, andysmalster@gmail.com @thephuketnews

CAR FOR SALE Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8G VVTI

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

Convertible

Mercedes CLK 200 Cabriolet W-209 Brabus Package - seat 4. Excellent condition and fun to drive. 37,400km.

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

MEMBERSHIPS

Life Time Family Membership

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

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

Tanita, 094 695 3536 / 063 992 3226.

MEMBERSHIPS Phuket Country Club Golf Membership

Individual membership for sale.

THB 390,000 plus the transfer fee of THB 60,000. Contact David 087 881 7545, dsgrabham@yahoo.co.uk 390,000 plus transfer fee, David, dsgrabham@yahoo. co.uk 087 881 7545.

Blue canyon Golf membership

For sale at 250,000 baht, buyer pays transfer cost. 2017 dues not paid.

Contact Ian Lancaster on 083 263 4590 or ilancast@ me.com

Phuket Country Club Golf Membership

Golf membership for sale, includes transfer fee of 60,000 THB. 450,000, David, dsgrabham@yahoo.co.uk 087 881 7545.

Loch Palm Golf Membership

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

32 CLASSIFIEDS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Buy&Sell

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

MOVING SERVICES Looking for a Moving Company?

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

OTHER SALE YAMAHA ENGINE F150 FETX

YAMAHA ENGINE F150 FETX FOR SALE NEW NEVER USE !!! at THB 520,000 NET Come with full set of spare parts. 520,000.00, Mr. Glen, Lee Marine Co., Ltd. 199/111 Moo 6, T. Paklok, A. Thalang, Phuket 83110 Thailand, glen@leemarine.com +66 (0)84 443 5050.

REAL ESTATE SERVICES Phuket real estate tour

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

WEBSITES, IT For Sale: hoteldealsphuket.com

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

PROPERTY FOR SALE NO1 LAND FOR SALE, LAYAN BEACH

PRIME LOCATION LAND FOR SALE: 26 Rai + 2 Rai of picturesque land 5 minutes walk to Layan beach, Phuket. Reduced to THB13m per Rai! A MUST SEE land plot perfect for a large Villa or a Hotel / Resort type development, and is a TRULY valued investment for anyone looking to invest in Phuket’s most exclusive property market. Call Porida (Por)(Owners representative) NOW on +66 (0) 954296655 for viewing, or visit: www.hoteldealsphuket.com 13,000,000 Per Rai, Porida (Por), Layan Beach, Phuket, +66 (0) 954296655.

PROPERTY FOR SALE New Sea View Villa

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

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

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

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

LAND FOR SALE IN RAWAI

4 Rai, 2ngn, 64tlw, total 7.456sq. meter. chanotte title. Near Shell Museum, 3 minute to Rawai Beach. Great for project. already have electric and road. Email: harrij@loxinfo. co.th 36 MB, Harrij@loxinfo.co.th 089 731 0283.

HOUSE FOR SALE/ RENT IN RAWAI

Penthouse for quick sale

265 sqm, sea and mountain view in Kamala. Foreign freehold. Reduced to 9.9mn, fully furnished!! info@sunny-property.com 083 105 2707.

Beautiful Land in Rawai For Sale

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

COMMUNITY

Land 620 sqm. 2 story with 4 bed & 2 Bathroom, fully equipped kitchen, 4 Air-con, big tropical garden with swimming pool, car park, Wi-Fi. In a very quiet area. For long lease 70,000 Baht/month. Email: harrij@loxinfo.co.th 11.9 MB Negotiable, Harrij@loxinfo.co.th 089 731 0283.

5 BED LUX SURIN VILLA FOR SALE

URGENT sale by owner. Reduced from 28.9m to just THB 16.9m this luxury lake-side 5 bedroom pool villa within a secure gated community (sale direct by owner} and is only 5 minutes walk to Surin beach. A MUST SEE Villa requiring a little upgrade is a TRUE bargain for anyone looking to enter one of Phuket’s most exclusive property markets, Call NOW on 0925 710 770 for viewing, or visit the below website. www. hoteldealsphuket.com 16.900.000, Cass, 0925 710 770. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 33

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Buy&Sell

PROPERTY FOR SALE LAND NEAR WATERFALL FOR SALE

Prime Kathu land with panoramic views and quiet location. Starts from 400sqm. Perfect for private Villa.

Close waterfall with more land plots and different beach!!!

Start from 2.5 MB, K. Pam, Phuketmyhouse@gmail.com +66 (0) 94 829 3619.

House for sale

Private pool villa with lovely garden half a rai. Quite and safe area. 3 bedroom 2 bathroom open kitchen. 160 m2 Situated in Ban Pahra. 12 minutes to PIA, Phuket Airport, Nay Yang beach, and Blue Canyon Golf course. 2 min to Mission Hill Golf course. 7.5 million baht, bergsstigen@telia.com 090 701 4204.

Foreign freehold corner unit

76 sqm, sea and mountain view in Patong Tower, Patong. Reduced to 8.8mn. Special deal with car, info@ sunny-property.com 083 105 2707.

House for sale

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

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

Apartment

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

HERE IS THE FUTURE. 17 RAI FOR SALE

Between Kok Loi and Thai Muang, 38 km from the airport, we are selling a beautiful peice of land with 2 new houses. A perfect place for artists or a sport resort.

The land is more than 17 Rai, full of old trees, with a big private lake and located directly behind the river. Chanote title. With a canoe it takes 20 min to paddle to the sea.

A great opportunity for a fair price. Price 9.5M, Yupin, residler@gmail.com 081 817 4805 Thai, Eng, Deutsch.

Land for sale in Saku - Phuket

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

Property for sale

Large building near airport and sea view land near Bang Pae Waterfall for sale or lease. Any reasonable offers accepted. Lana, Lana.phuket@gmail.com 080 271 6484.

Apartment Country Golf Club House

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

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

PROPERTY FOR SALE LAND NEAR WATERFALL FOR SALE

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

Ten Room Villa for sale

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

House for Sale

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

Land For Sale

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

House for Sale

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

BBQ area under cover/car port. 4 aircons/7 fans. Very private, close to all services, 500 meters from Heroines Monument. B4.9 mil. o.n.o. Contact Randy. randyalltime@gmail.com

Outstanding Beach Front Pool Villa

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

A “snip” at 22m THB. Somjit, aadmo@btinternet.com 081 979 1945.

PROPERTY FOR RENT Seaview apartment near Ao Po

Luxury 2-bedroom 137m2 furnished apar tment near Ao Po Marina.

Seaview, pool, Wi-Fi, TV, balcony, carport. B36,000/month lori@artandcultureasia.com +66(0)817207834.

Mai Khao new 4 bedroom luxury villa for rent

90,000 THB a month, very safe and quiet. Fullly furnished, 15min airport.

20min PIA, 7min beaches, 3min stores and restaurants. Real estates welcome. jyfievet@gmail. com, jassarabee@gmail.com, 089 470 8926, 081 719 7015.

PROPERTY FOR RENT Amazing 5 Bed/Bath Villa Rawai

Stunning 5 Bed Pool Villa quiet and private location. Quality furn and fully equipped. Beautiful lounge/kitchen, very spacious with great pool. 90000 Baht per month, bricothailand@hotmail.com 081 271 7092.

House for rent.

Nr Wat Chalong

3 Bed/4 baths house in quiet estate.

Available from April 1st to Oct 31st. email me or phone me, Paul, for photos and full details. 25,000 pcm, PAUL WHITTALL, Phuket Private Lagoon, Chao Faa West Road, Chalong, pwhittall@aol.com 093 793 4258.

House For sale or rent Baan Manik (Cherngtalay)

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

Asking B4.5 Million Negotiable Rent 25K Per Month Fully furnished or 20K per month unfurnished. 081 9686 051.

Kata Western Apartment

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

1 month minimum, 1 year lease starting B20,000/month. gordy240@hotmail.com 084 840 1262.

Office/Shop for Rent

Ground Floor space with excellent positioning on Chalong Pier Road.

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

Two condos for sale/rent

2 condos for sale 48 sqm. - sale price $60,000 (developer’s price $116,000) & 54.5 sqm. - sale price $70,000 (developer’s price $128,000). Fully furnished, near Central, Big C, BIS, Lotus, hospitals, schools. Communal pool and gym. Short & long time rent available: 48 sqm – THB 10,000-15,000 per month; 54.5 sqm – THB 15,000-20,000 per month + electricity & water. Ekaterina Oseledets, 095 861 7571.

ROOM FOR RENT

Room for rent in attractive house Baan Manik (not far from Anthem wakeboard park). Convenient location for access to Laguna, Boat avenue, Airport and PIA. House is equipped with, Air-con, Internet, Expat-TV, foreign kitchen, washing machine, fridge etc. 8,000 Baht PCM + Share of Bills. Please email bluebeyond@me.com or call 081 968 6051 for a viewing.

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

SPORT 35

Striding out Rotarians to run for charity in May Mini-Marathon CHARITY The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

T

he Rotary Club of Phuket South, an outreach organisation for local and world society, invites participants to take part in their ‘Mini-Marathon’ event on Sunday, May 28, from 6:30am to 11am.

The competition will be held at avenues around Bang Wad reservoir in Kathu. Apart from the main 10.5 kilometre Mini-Marathon there will also be a 3.5km Fun Run. The entry fee is B350 per person for the Mini-Marathon, and B300

per person for the Fun Run. To keep runners on the right track, there will be eight signs posted at various landmarks. There will be two signs at Suan Luang, one at Saphan Hin, one at Bang Wad Dam, one at Surakul Stadium, one at Toh Sae Hill, one at the Prince of Songkla University Phuket campus and one at Phuket Rajabhat University.

The charitable organisation runs by the slogan “Service over Self” and is expected to attract over 900 participants for the Mini-Marathon and a total of over 2,000 participants for both the runs.

To register, call 097-2675969. To buy tickets, PhuketTicketmaster.com.

Over 2,000 participants for both the runs.

Mikhail Alexandrovich Zavalnyi with his gold medal. Photo: Phuket Top Team

Run: #1629: aturday April 22 Run Start Time: 4pm Hares: Dr F Jekyll, Murkury Location: Kathu - Red Mountain Golf Area Directions: Coming from Patong, go east past the CalTex gasoline station and head towards the main Tesco Lotus on bypass road. About 500 metres after the second set of traffic lights turn left onto the new road just before the Shell gasoline station. Follow the HHH signs to laager. Coming from the bypass road/Tesco Lotus intersection, head west toward Patong and just beyond the shell gasoline station turn right and continue on to laager.

Hash Bus Pickup Schedule: Kamala @ Black Cat’s Bar: 2:15pm Patong @ Expat Hotel: 2:45pm More info: phuket-hhh.com

Jiu jitsu boys bring home medals from Manila, Bangkok tourneys JIU JITSU ON M A RCH 26, N I N Eyear-old Andreas Mugu and eight-year-old Mikhail Alexandrovich Zavalnyy took part in the Pan Asian Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) tournament in Manilla, Philippines competing in the 25-30 kilogram weight category.

Despite hard competition, taking on 10 and 11 year @thephuketnews

olds, both Mugu and Zavalnyy showed excellent results with the latter taking home a bronze medal in his competition.

While on April 9, Mugu and Zavalnyy went on to take part in the Newasa (ground work) Division in the Traditional Japanese Jiu Jitsu Championship of Thailand held in Bangkok.

Mugu and Zavalnyy, who both train with Phuket Top Team, competed in the 28-29kg and 29-30kg weight divisions

respectively, showing the effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu techniques.

Sadly Mugu lost by a controversial judges’ decision in his weight category, but Zavalnyy won the gold medal and brought the championship title home to Phuket.

The boys now train in Phuket Top Team having received the bases of BJJ from coach Ngakau Spain.

Marc Gaba Dovi

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS

36 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Tripathi Group scoop Cup

Indian team take honours at 2017 Phuket International Cricket Sixes CRICKET The Phuket News editor@thephuketnews.com

T

ripathi Group of India were crowned as Cup winners of the 14th ACST Phuket International Cricket Sixes on a majestic day at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) to round off another highly successful event.

In a gripping final, Tripathi scored the winning runs from the final ball of the contest against the Dhaka Warriors of Bangladesh thanks in no small part to a fantastic innings of 33 not out from Vikas Rana.

Tripathi had earlier defeated Southern Stars of Victoria in the semi-final. Runners-up Warriors had defeated the excellent Etihad Challengers side after posting a commanding 69-3.

The second division Bowl competition was won by Yarraleen Lions in another thrilling final as their bowlers held their collective nerve against Etihad Flyers with Craig Grislingham’s over proving decisive.

The Plate was lifted by the Cricket Club of Dibrugarh from

Tripathi Group of India were crowned as Cup winners of the 14th ACST Phuket International Cricket Sixes.

Assam in India to add to their Bowl victory in 2016. After finishing 7th seed they defeated 8th placed Patong Cricket Club (PCC) who were playing on home turf in another fitting show-piece following victory against the same opponents

in a dress rehearsal earlier in the day.

Kamakhya Saikia laid the platform with an unbeaten 33, while team mate Salim Ahmed also had a stand out day.

Finals Day had begun with some excellently spir-

ited matches, the Postels Old Boys went down to Northern Territory BushRangers and then PCC before more serious stuff saw Southern Stars take down Yarraleen Lions and Tripathi Group overtake the Etihad Flyer’s total as teams

vied for Cup places.

Following play at the ACG the teams returned to the tournament hotel, the Arinara Bangtao Beach Resort for the Presentation Dinner and to continue making friendships through cricket by the pool,

and to see who won the coveted Player of the Tournament and Spirit of Cricket Awards.

ACST Chairman, Michael ‘Cat’ Maher, was an extremely happy man following Finals Day. “It has been an absolute pleasure to be amongst so many wonderful people and talented cricketers who have put on a magnificent display on the pitch as well as thanking our dedicated team of officials in trying conditions.

“I would like to thank the Phuket Cricket Group and the committee of the Alan Cooke Ground for their invaluable assistance with the event along with our valued sponsors and dedicated volunteers and officials who have worked tirelessly to make the event such a success. Here’s to 2018!”

The ACST return to the ACG this weekend to stage the annual Thalang International Cricket 7’s, from today (Apr 21) to Sunday (Apr 23).

For further details, please contact Mr Maher at mmaher. padmir@bigpond.com or by telephone on +61 407 385 481.

1Bar thrash Simon and Oils to go 16 points clear in PPL POOL 1BAR HAVE EXTENDED their lead in the Patong Pool League to 16 points following a 10-1 thrashing of Simon and Oils in last Thursday’s (Apr 13) action, week 18 of league play.

Simon and Oils loss meant that they are now well and truly stuck at the bottom of the table some 10 points adrift of their closest rivals Green Mango.

But the highlight of last week’s action came in the game between Cool Hand Lukes and Genius Bar. Khun Arm from Cool Hand Lukes got the black straight in from the break and no other balls went down. Nice one Khun Arm! Cool Hand Lukes went on to win the game 8-3 securing their place at 2nd in the league table now on 121 points.

There was little other movement in the table following last week’s games

Khun Arm from Cool Hand Lukes cues up a shot. except for Wet Dreams going joint 6th in the table with Caddyshack after they beat Champs Bar 3-8 away from home, while Caddyshack only managed a marginal 5-6 away win to Happy End Bar. Elsewhere, San Sabai Sports Bar suffered a 4-7 loss at home to the hands of Martin Swiss Guesthouse, Dirty Nellies managed to grab a narrow 6-5 home win over Ting Tong Bar, and Queen of Hearts beat Green Mango 7-4 on their home turf.

Matt Pond

League Standings 1Bar

137

Cool Hand Lukes

121

Ting Tong

118

Queen of Hearts

114

Dirty Nellies

109

Wet Dreams

108

Caddyshack

108

Genius

100

Martin Swiss

94

San Sabai

87

Champs Bar

86

Happy End

79

Green Mango

67

Simon & Oils

57

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

SPORT 37

Olympians in sight Thanyapura, FINA pair for scholarships SWIMMING Pim Yunyongkasamsuk

T

hanyapura Health & Spor ts Resor t and FINA are continuing their cooperation in awarding scholarships to aspiring Olympians in training for the 17th FINA World Championships Budapest in 2017 and the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

T his year, FI NA has awarded the scholarship to 36 young athletes. The Thailand program is currently hosting four athletes; Cherantha da Silva, Sri Lanka; Mohammad Mahfizur Rahman, Bangladesh; Sajan Prakash, India; and Ayman Klzie, Syria, but additional swimmers are expected to be inducted throughout the current year.

The FINA Scholarship Programme was officially launched in 2014 and offers financial and technical assistance to elite athletes selected by their national federation.

In 2015, FINA expanded the program to Thailand with Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort welcoming the first athletes in Phuket during the “Targeting Rio 2016” initiative, which coached eight swimmers for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio. Sajan from India qualified for OST/B (Olympic Standard Time) for the 200-metre butterfly.

Each nation will send their athletes to eat, sleep, swim and repeat at the high-level sporting complex including the world-class fitness facilities.

The scholarship includes first-class coaching from Miguel Angel Lopez Alvarado, Thanyapura’s Head Coach of Swimming, who propelled his students to record-breaking success during his two-decadelong career.

“We are committed to building the next generation of Olympians.

“Our partnership with FINA continues to solidify our standing as one of the top Aquatics training destinations in the world,” said Philipp Graf von Hardenberg, President and CEO of Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort.

“Now in its fourth year, FINA granted over 50 scholarships from 2014 – 2017 and helped athletes in reaching

Team

P

W

D

L

F

A GD Pts

1

Satun United

7

4

3

0

6

2

4

15

2

Phuket FC

7

4

1

2

14

6

8

13

3

Phatthalung FC

7

3

4

0

6

2

4

13

4

Pattani FC

7

3

2

2

7

4

3

11

5

Hat Yai FC

7

2

3

2

7

7

0

9

6

Chumphon FC

7

1

5

1

3

5

-2

8

7

Yala United

7

1

3

3

9

10

-1

6

8

Sungaipadee FC

7

1

2

4

5

11

-6

5

9

Surathanee City

8

1

1

6

7

17 -10

4

Date

Time

Match

Stadium

Sun Apr 23

6pm

Phatthalung FC vs Phuket FC

Patthalung OrBorJor Stadium

Sun Apr 30

6pm

Phuket FC vs Sungaipadee FC

Surakul Stadium

Sat May 6

4pm

Yala United vs Phuket FC

Yala Municipality Stadium

Sat May 13

6pm

Phuket FC vs Pattani FC

Surakul Stadium

Please note that Phuket FC's home game fixtures have now all been reverted back to 6pm kick-offs. @thephuketnews

Some 1,000 cyclists took part in the second Cycling with Love event. Photo: Rawai Municipality

Thanyapura’s aquatics facilities include the 50 metre Olympic competition pool.

Phuket university cycles with love CYCLING

Sajan Prakash, India

Ayman Klzie, Syria

Mohammad Mahfizur Rahman, Bangladesh

Cherantha da Silva, Sri Lanka

the top levels of swimming.

“We are developing the sport throughout the globe while hoping to lead young athletes to build their legacies in more than 100 countries,” said Dr Julio C. Maglione, FINA President.

The property’s aquatics facilities include the 50 metre Olympic competition pool, the 25m training pool, Omega Track start blocks, a Daktronics timing system and scoreboard, ozone filtration and sports science services.

RAJABHAT UNIVERsity Phuket held its second Cycling with Love event on April 9 with some 1,000 cyclists taking part.

The community cycling event was organised by Phuket Rajabhat University together with Kathu Municipality and activities got under way under the watchful eyes of Phuket Vice Governor Teera Anantaseriwidhya, Phuket Rajabhat University President Asst Prof Dr Prapha Gayee, and President of the Alumni Association Mr Raewat Areerob.

Speaking ahead of the

event, Mr Raewat said, “This Cycling with Love Year 2 community cycling event is being held primarily to celebrate the 46th anniversary of Phuket Rajabhat University and also to to encourage people use cycling as a method of exercise as to improve their health and steer clear of sicknesses.

“However, it is also an opportunity for us to help to promote the island’s beautiful tourist attractions,” he said.

“We hope that this activity will make all the alumni get closer together and and make good things for Phuket,” he added.

The Phuket News

38 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Big things for Formula 1

Battle in Bahrain promises to up gears for sport’s return to Europe BOX OF NEUTRALS Michael Lamonato michael@boxofneutrals.com

F

ears for Formula One’s demise under 2017’s new regulations were proven premature by backto-back thrillers in China and Bahrain.

The spoils of the doubleheader were divided equally between Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel respectively, and the two races painted a picture of a championship on a knife’s edge.

Wins in Australia and Bahrain have Vettel leading Hamilton in the drivers title by seven points, and Ferrari holds a slender three-point advantage over Mercedes on the constructors championship table.

Though the Chinese Grand Prix on April 9 was enthralling courtesy of Friday practice’s cancellation in poor Shanghai visibility, conditions for the Bahrain Grand Prix

Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton leaves the pit lane during the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix. Photo: Andrej Isakovic/AFP on April 16 were perfect, and in the Sakhir International Circuit the teams had a representative track on which true performance could be tested.

Pleasingly the sport delivered. The Bahrain Grand Prix was replete with lights-to-flag wheel-to-wheel action, and though Vettel and Hamilton are yet to duel at close quarters, the high-speed strategising of their powerhouse teams to negotiate them to the front was engrossing nonetheless.

But a fascinating sidestory for Formula One’s new competitive narrative, refreshing after three consecutive seasons of single-team dominance, is the dynamic between Vettel and Hamilton’s teammates, who are fast casting themselves as mere supporting players in a bigger championship fight.

The grid’s oldest driver, Kimi Räikkönen, is yet to rediscover his 2007 championship-winning form in the

fourth year of his reunion with Ferrari, while Valtteri Bottas, replacing reigning champion Nico Rosberg after his shock retirement, is still finding his feet in the big leagues at Mercedes.

Though none laments a Vettel-Hamilton straight fight, the closeness of the unfolding championship battle has quickly written out these other drivers, who could have turned the season into a full-blooded four-way title battle.

Bottas, the better of the second drivers, is already 30 points – more than the 25 points awarded for a race win – behind Vettel, and Räikkönen is four points further back.

If Bahrain proves a template for the season, both men should be worried. Räikkönen was so far off the pace early in the race that Ferrari’s strategists appeared to neglect him while tending to Vettel’s lead, whereas Bottas, though he won his first F1 career pole last Saturday (Apr 15), was twice asked to move aside to help Hamilton’s victory chances last Sunday (Apr 16), so much faster was the Briton.

Ferrari has never been shy to prioritise the interests of one driver when the other is perceived to be a poorer performer, which in 2017 should ensure Vettel is guaranteed victory on the days his car is fastest.

Mercedes, however, is still grappling with its philosophy of equality between its drivers.

In Bahrain Bottas was allowed to hold Hamilton behind him until it became obvious his

pace wouldn’t improve, but those crucial laps arguably cost the Briton victory.

If the Mercedes pair continue to split points amongst themselves – or worse, lose points to Ferrari while they privately squabble – Mercedes will quickly find itself on the back foot in its pursuit for a fourth straight set of titles.

On the other hand, with Vettel and Hamilton trading wins, keeping the second drivers motivated to beat the other will be key to winning the constructors title, an equally important piece of silverware for the teams.

It begs the question: will management at Mercedes be willing to make the cruel but calculated call to back just one driver in the championship race?

It’s an excruciatingly difficult decision, but just three rounds in the clock is already ticking on the sport’s soon to be second-fiddle Finns.

Don’t forget to tune in to Live98.5 each and every Saturday from 9am for the Box of Neutrals show.

‘Shut up and get in the ring’ BOXING ANTHONY JOSHUA AND Tyson Fury exchanged jibes on Twitter on Tuesday (Apr 18) with Joshua challenging the former world champion and fellow British heavyweight to cut out the insults and step into the ring.

Joshua, the reigning International Boxing Federation title-holder, will face Wladimir Klitschko of the Ukraine in a world title fight at Wembley Stadium later this month in front of a British post-war record crowd for a boxing match of 90,000.

Fury labelled Joshua a “poor man’s Frank Bruno” on Twitter in a reference to the popular British heavyweight of the 1980s.

That in turn led the muscular Joshua, a year younger than Fury at 27, to reply: “Typical Tyson Fury, always talking BS around fight time.

Same offer as last time. Two ringside tickets, don’t bring a plus one, it’s for your fat ass.”

Fury, who transformed the world heavyweight picture when he became the first boxer in 11 years to defeat Klitschko in 2015, paving the way for

Fury became the first British heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in November 2015. Photo: AFP former Olympic champion Joshua’s shot at a title, countered by saying: “I might be fat, but you’re a paper champ and paper-chinned weightlifting rudeboy, wannabe badman.

“Know your place chump!

Or I’ll come back and (KO) you,” he wrote on Twitter.

Joshua shot back: “Shut up and give me a date when you’ll be back!

“You’re the only reason we haven’t had a fight yet!

Be about what you say. I ain’t going nowhere.”

Fury and Klitschko twice agreed a re-match but the bout was postponed initially because of Fury’s ankle injury and again due to the British fighter’s mental health problems.

With Fury out of action, Joshua has established himself as one of the world’s leading heavyweights.

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

SPORT 39

PREMIER PREDICTIONS: ENTER NOW AT THEPHUKETNEWS.COM MONTHLY SPONSOR

MAIN SPONSOR

The overall competition winner receives a two day/one night private fishing charter to Racha Island on board Wahoo Yacht Charters Phuket’s Reel Blue. Total prize value: B180,000 The monthly competition winner for April 2017 will receive a B3,000 voucher to spend at any of the island's Two Chefs outlets.

EPL PREDICTIONS MONTHLY STANDINGS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

OVERALL STANDINGS

fazza 28 phils64 27 AAY 25 Ajax Amsterdam 25 Griffsbar 25

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Sidwell Guduka 188 The Red Card Gang 188 scottkip 187 phils64 186 carst 182

English Premier League 2016 - 2017 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Leicester City’s stand-in manager Craig Shakespeare. Photo: AFP

11

Shakespeare savours taste of the big time FOOTBALL AFP

L

eicester City manager Craig Shakespeare said his side’s remarkable run to the Champions League quarter-finals left his players determined to return to Europe’s top table as soon as possible.

Appearing in the tournament for the first time Leicester cruised through the group phase and sank Europa League champions Sevilla in the last 16 before falling to Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals.

With Leicester 12th in the Premier League it may be some time before they rub shoulders with Europe’s elite again, but Shakespeare said that would now be the objective.

“I hope the benefit is they want some more of it,” he told reporters at the King Power Stadium after Tuesday’s (Apr 18) 1-1 draw with Atletico resulted in a 2-1 aggregate defeat.

“They’re very disappointed, but they can be proud of what they’ve achieved and we can be proud of how we’ve conducted ourselves. They should want more of this.

“All players want to play at the highest level and the Champions League is the highest level. We have to get back to winning ways in the @thephuketnews

Premier League now.”

Shakespeare, 53, has had a stunning impact since succeeding the sacked Claudio Ranieri, steering Leicester clear of the relegation zone and masterminding a 2-0 second-leg win over Sevilla.

He is only under contract until the end of the season and said he was looking forward to sitting down with the club’s Thai owners, the King Power travel retail group, to discuss his future.

“It’s not in my hands. It’s in the club’s hands,” he said.

“We’ll sit down at the end of the season. I’m more than happy to sit down before that if it arises. The contract says until the end of the season.

“I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed the Champions League.

You’re pitting your wits against one of the best managers and one of the best sides in the world. It’s been a really, really good experience.”

Atletico went 2-0 up on aggregate when Saul Niguez headed in Filipe Luis’s cross mid-way through the first half, but a half-time switch

by Shakespeare threatened to provide a route back into the tie for Leicester.

With Marc Albrighton and half-time substitute Ben Chilwell deployed as wing-backs, Leicester pinned Atletico back and drew level on the night when Jamie Vardy slammed in from close range.

Atletico had to weather heavy pressure to see the game out and victorious coach Diego Simeone was generous in his praise of his side’s opponents.

Shakespeare’s tactical change was “fantastic”, he said, and it had been “almost a pleasure to compete” against Leicester.

“They never gave up. They never let their heads drop,” he said. “We were living in fear all night. They pushed us all the way.”

Atletico have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the third time in four years, having fallen to city rivals Real Madrid in the 2014 and 2016 finals.

But Simeone said it was inaccurate to talk about his side as one of the great teams of Europe.

“When you talk about the greats of Europe, you have to put a financial slant on things,”

he said.

“The greats are Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barca.

But from a purely footballing point of view, we can compete.

We are competitive.

“Before you try to make headlines, we’re not one of the greats only in that sense. But we are a team that competes.”

Atletico were joined in the last four by Real, who beat Bayern Munich 4-2 for a 6-3 aggregate victory.

Atletico came within minutes of beating Real in the 2014 final, only to lose 4-1 after extra time, and went down on penalties in the 2016 decider.

They also lost the 1974 final against Bayern after a replay.

Asked what it will take for Atletico to finally win the tournament, Simeone replied: “We’re just going to keep trying and trying and trying and trying.”

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Team

MP W

D

L

F

A

GD

Pts

Chelsea Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Arsenal Everton West Brom Southampton Watford Stoke City Leicester City West Ham United Burnley Crystal Palace Bournemouth Hull City Swansea City Middlesbrough Sunderland

32 32 33 32 31 31 33 33 31 32 33 32 33 33 32 33 33 33 32 32

3 8 9 7 12 6 9 8 7 7 9 7 7 6 5 8 6 4 12 6

5 3 5 6 3 8 8 13 13 14 14 15 16 17 17 16 19 21 16 21

65 68 69 63 48 63 60 39 37 37 37 41 44 33 44 45 34 37 23 26

27 22 40 35 24 40 37 42 40 52 48 53 59 47 52 63 67 68 39 58

38 46 29 28 24 23 23 -3 -3 -15 -11 -12 -15 -14 -8 -18 -33 -31 -16 -32

75 71 66 64 60 57 57 44 40 40 39 37 37 36 35 35 30 28 24 21

24 21 19 19 16 17 16 12 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 9 8 8 4 5

Live Sports TV Schedule *Times may be subject to change

SPORT START STOP Friday April 21 Rugby Union 14:30 16:40 00:00 Rugby League 18:40 20:25 Aussie Rules 13:30 Cricket 21:20 Saturday April 22 Rugby Union 12:15 14:30 16:45 22:10 00:25 Rugby League 18:40 20:25 Football 21:00 21:00 21:00 21:00 Football 23:15 Cricket 17:20 Aussie Rules 10:30 13:30 16:30 Sunday April 23 Aussie Rules 12:00 Rugby League 13:00 Cricket 17:20 22:20 Football 20:15 22:30 Football 21:00

EVENT

TEAMS / INFO

16:35 1835 02:00 20:25 22:15 16:00 00:30

Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby NRL NRL AFL IPL

Hurricanes v. Brumbies Waratahs v. Kings Lions v. Jaguares Raiders v. Sea Eagles (D) Rabbitohs v. Broncos (D) Port Adelaide v. Carlton Kolkata KR v. Gujarat Lions

14:15 16:30 18:45 00:10 02:20 20:35 22:10 23:00 23:00 23:00 23:00 01:15 21:00 13:30 16:30 19:30

Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby NRL NRL EPL EPL EPL EPL FA Cup SF1 IPL AFL AFL AFL

Highlanders v. Sunwolves Crusaders v. Stormers Western Force v. Chiefs Bulls v. Cheetahs Sharks v. Rebels Eels v. Tigers (D) Cowboys v. Knights (D) West Ham v. Everton Bournemouth v. Middlesbrough Swansea v. Stoke Hull v. Watford Chelsea v. Tottenham, Wembley Mumbai Indians v. Delhi Daredevils Western Bulldogs v. Brisbane Lions Gold Coast SUNS v. Adelaide Crows Sydney Swans v. GWS Giants

15:00 15:00 21:20 00:20 20:15 00:30 23:00

AFL NRL IPL IPL EPL EPL FA Cup SF2

St Kilda v. Geelong Cats Tigers v. Bulldogs Gujurat Lions v. Kings XI Punjab Kolkata KR v. RC Bangalore Burnley v. Man United Liverpool v. Crystal Palace Arsenal v. Man City, Wembley

Sport

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor3@classactmedia.co.th

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

Rotarians to get running for charity in May > page 35

‘SUICIDAL’ SCHEDULE

England’s centre Ben Te’o has been tipped for a first Lions campaign that will see the combined side play three Tests against world champions New Zealand. Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP

Henry warns Lions’ confidence could be shot before facing All Blacks

RUGBY UNION AFP

W

orld Cup-winning coach Graham Henry blasted the British and Irish Lions’ “suicidal” New Zealand tour schedule on Tuesday (Apr 18), saying their confidence could be shot before they even face the All Blacks.

Henry, the only man to have ever coached both the Lions and the All Blacks, said the itinerary risked preventing the Lions building momentum in the June-July tour.

The tourists are set to face all five New Zealand Super Rugby teams and the Maori All Blacks, as well as three Test matches which are mostly loaded towards the back-end of the trip.

“I just wonder if the itinerary is suicidal, that’s my concern,” Henry told ESPN. He said the Lions’ Test build-up would be against highly-regarded opponents playing without pressure as they seek one of international rugby’s most prized scalps.

The New Zealander pointed to Wales’ morale-sapping 40-7 defeat against the Waikato Chiefs during a tour last year, when they lost the Test series 3-0.

Former All Blacks coach Graham Henry at a press conference in Buenos Aires in 2012. Photo: AFP “(The Lions) are remembered by the Test match results, but sides gain confidence and momentum through the games they play leading into those Test matches,” he said.

“If they don’t get success in those games, confidence is not going to be high and that is going to affect the way they play in the Test matches.”

Henry was in charge during the Lions tour to Australia in 2001, when they lost the Test series 2-1, and led the All Blacks to World Cup triumph on home soil in 2011.

The Lions’ coach for the upcoming tour, Warren Gatland, labelled

the schedule “crazy” in 2015, long before he was appointed to lead the campaign in New Zealand.

But New Zealand Rugby Chief Steve Tew defended it this month, saying it was what the Lions requested.

He said the Lions had asked for a tougher itinerary than they encountered during the 2013 tour to Australia, which was also led by Gatland and resulted in a 2-1 Test series win.

“They’ve actually got what they wanted,” Tew told reporters.

Meanwhile, at the time The

Phuket News went to press, it appeared that England could provide the bulk of the British and Irish Lions squad and its most notable absentee when Gatland unveils his tour party for the Test series against his native New Zealand.

Tuesday saw Gatland, on secondment from his role as Wales coach, and his Lions staff hold their final selection meeting ahead of Wednesday’s squad announcement in London.

While the likes of England’s Ben Te’o, Elliot Daly, Maro Itoje and Joe Marler have all been tipped for a first Lions campaign that will see the combined side play three Tests against world champions New Zealand, there are doubts over the prospects of several of their Red Rose colleagues.

Several British media organisations reported that centre Jonathan Joseph and lock Joe Launchbury, who both played important roles in England’s successful defence of their Six Nations title, would miss out.

Questions also remained over whether England captain Dylan Hartley, the New Zealand-born hooker who has missed more than a year of his career through suspension, will be chosen by Gatland.

Te’o, also New Zealand-born,

has made just one England start in eight Test appearances.

But he starred off the bench in the Six Nations and his physical power could pose problems for the All Blacks.

Launchbury had a brilliant season with England in the absence of George Kruis but the line-out specialist recently returned from injury with Saracens, the reigning English and European club champions.

England could have their largest Lions contingent since then coach Clive Woodward, their 2003 World Cup-winning boss, picked 20 of his compatriots for what turned out to be an ill-fated 2005 series whitewash

by New Zealand.

Whatever Gatland decides, the flak is unlikely to match that which greeted him when he left out Ireland great Brian O’Driscoll of the decisive and final Lions Test in Australia four years ago, a call vindicated by the tourists’ 41-16 win in Sydney.

History is against the Lions in New Zealand, however, with their lone series win against the All Blacks coming back in 1971.

The 2017 party begin their 10-match tour against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians in Whangarei on June 3. thephuketnews