The Phuket News 21 September 2018

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

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CORRUPTED CONTRACT

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LIFE Lt Col Monsak Srisuwan of the Region 8 Police shows part of the case file last Wednesday (Sept 12).

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LIFEGUARD CONTRACT CORRUPTION PROBE FINDS ‘IRREGULARITIES’, CASE SENT TO NACC IN BANGKOK The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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egion 8 Police have confirmed by an investigation into alleged corruption that they have discovered irregularities in the provision of a government contract to a private company to provide lifeguards on Phuket’s beaches.

The results of the investigation have now been forwarded to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) in Bangkok for review.

Region 8 Police Deputy Commander of Investigation Col Arnon Dashrugsa announced the news at a press conference at Region 8 Police

headquarters, at the northern end of the island, on Tuesday afternoon (Sept 18), noting that a police investigation had confirmed irregularities in the execution of the contract.

Present for the announcement were members of the ‘Khon Rak Thong Tin’ (People who love this place) group, who initially filed the complaint with Region 8 Police in May. “All information concerning the Phuket lifeguard corruption allegation was sent to the National AntiCorruption Commission (NACC) at 4:20pm on Sept 13,” Col Arnon confirmed.

An official at the Office of the Secretary General of the NACC

confirmed to The Phuket News on Wednesday (Sept 19) that the office received the case from police on Monday (Sept 17).

“All information is now with the NACC. Next, NACC officials will continue this investigation, as we have found that the corruption allegations do have merit,” Col Arnon said on Tuesday.

At the press conference, the Khon Rak Thong Tin group presented a hefty collection of photos and statements to support their claim that a company had managed to be awarded a government contract to provide lifeguards at Phuket beaches despite the company not having the

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resources to provide what the government tender required.

The complaint also pointed out that the company had also failed to deliver on the services provided after the contract period began, but yet the contract was not annulled by officials, which itself serves as another breach of government procurement regulations.

Lt Col Monsak Srisuwan, who conducted the initial Region 8 Police investigation, on Tuesday would only re-confirm the same information he was willing to reveal when questioning people at Kamala Police Station last Wednesday (Sept 12), and as reported

by The Phuket News the next day...

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Lifeguard contract probed for corruption Continued from page 1 …“So far by the evidence we have obtained during our investigation it appears that the accusations against the parties are true,” he said.

Col Monsak also repeated that at this stage, by law, he was unable to publicly reveal the parties under investigation from the complaint.

However, The Phuket News understands that one of the parties under investigation is an official who was a key figure in awarding the contract.

Of note, Col Monsak on Tuesday did volunteer, “The accusations have led to the discovery that officials have been found not upholding their duties and avoiding following the regulations.”

The regulations governing how government officials a re allowed to cont ract were overhauled last year with the introduction of the Government Procurement and Supplies Management Act of 1997, which replaced procurement regulations of the Office of the Prime Minister in 1992.

The new law became effective on Aug 23 last year and is regulated by the Thai Government Procurement Department under the Ministry of Finance.

The law allows the public

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Underwater cleanup nets a ton of garbage at Coral Island > page 5

Lashed by wind, rain Storm spurs blackouts, tourists stranded Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

Region 8 Police Deputy Commander of Investigation Col Arnon Dashrugsa wants qualified lifeguards. to participate as observers every step of the process, from drafting the terms of reference to completing the procurement process, as well as setting penalties for authorities, officials or the accomplices who take bribes or fail to perform their duties in goodwill.

Un d e r t h e n e w l aw, offenders are subject to one to 10 years imprisonment and/ or a fine of B20,000-200,000.

Col Arnon concluded the conference on Tuesday, saying, “I definitely hope to see qualified lifeguards working and saving people, and I expect to see professional and skilled lifeguards on Phuket’s beaches.

“If anyone wants to follow up on the case and find out more information, they can call the NACC at 02-5284800 ext 4993,” he said.

When calling, cite the NACC case number for the investigation: 28558.

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he island was battered by strong winds and driving rain last Sunday (Sept 16), with wind speeds in and around Phuket Town exceeding 46km/h and more than 54mm of rainfall recorded as drenching the island in one three-hour period.

Before the storm arrived, the DDPM national office in Bangkok issued a ‘yellow warning’ for many areas across the country, including Phuket Phang Nga and Krabi.

Yet DDPM-Phuket Chief Prapan Kanprasang told The Phuket News on Monday, “We have not yet had any reports from people suffering from the effects of the heavy rain and wind from yesterday.

“Also there are not reports about landslides or accidents from flooding,” he said.

However, the strong winds blew in large window panes on the catwalk over Wichit Songkhram Rd joining the newly opened Central Floresta building and the long-standing Central Festival building.

Videos of the damage done, with large panes of glass broken and wind and rain driving into the catwalk,

MAIN: Emergency workers clear a felled tree in Patong.

INSET: Howling winds blew in large windows on the Central Phuket catwalk. Images: Patong Municipality / Aroon Solos were posted online by Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos, gaining more than 17,000 views and hundreds of shares overnight.

Of note, any glass that did not fall into the catwalk would have fallen down onto the footpath below.

Central Phuket management in a statement apologised for the incident. “We are investigating the details immediately and are trying to fix it urgently.

“The walkway between the two buildings is exposed, so it is necessary for us to have glass installed into the spaces (where previous panes broke)

to prevent the wind and rain from coming into the walkway.

“An engineer has been assig ned to inspect this urgently. The structure of the walkway is still strong and safe, and did not suffer any damage from this storm,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, blackouts struck areas across the island.

Staff at the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) Patong office told The Phuket News that winds had brought down power cables at 17 locations throughout the busy tourism town. “Today we still have seven of those power outages

to fix,” one staffer said on Monday morning.

Calls by The Phuket News to the main PEA office for Phuket for an update on which areas were affected or still without power went unanswered.

While Phuket was being pummelled, Ministry of Tourism & Sports (MoTs) Permanent Secretary Pongpanu Svetarundra ordered the Tourist Assistance Centre (TAC) in Phuket to provide him daily updates on the flight situation at Phuket International Airport after 19 flights were cancelled last Sunday.

“There was no need to provide any meals, and the tourists who needed to stay over night were taken to nearby hotels. None of the affected tourists had to sleep overnight at the airport,” a TAC Phuket official told The Phuket News.

A public relations staffer at Phuket International Airport, who also declined to be named, later confirmed that a further 10 flights were cancelled on Monday due to the weather in Phuket.

“And 23 flights were cancelled due to the weather at their point of origin,” the staffer said.

Beach-touring croc a ‘saltie’, DNA tests confirm THE CROCODILE CAUGHT AT Layan Beach in July has been confirmed

by DNA tests to be a saltwater species, Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong announced on Tuesday (Sept 18).

The crocodile, a female now being kept in an enclosure at the marine life research centre at Baan Laem Sai in Mai Khao, Thalang, was caught on July 29 near the rocks off Koh Kata, just offshore from Layan Beach, after it eluded capture for 11 days.

The confirmation that the crocodile is a saltwater species now allows the Department of Fisheries to decide where the crocodile is to be relocated to, Gov Norraphat explained at the Governor Meets the Press conference at Phuket Provincial Hall.

“DNA tests have confirmed that the crocodile is a saltwater species (Crocodylus porosus). Now the Department of Fisheries will set up a committee to decide what to do with the crocodile.

“This is not in the power of the province to decide,” Gov Norraphat said.

Phuket Fisheries Chief Kowit Kao-ian

The crocodile, now confirmed to be a saltwater speciies, also now has a microchip implanted just before its tail. Photo; PR Dept noted at the meeting, “Phuket people want the crocodile to be released back into the wild, but it will not be in Phuket. We need to keep people safe from crocodiles and we don’t want to go chasing crocodiles again.”

Mr Kowit said that experts believed the crocodile was likely to a ‘saltie’ when it was caught, but had the DNA tests conducted to be sure.

“There was a variation of the scales common with cross-species, or crocodile freshwater hybrids (C.porosus x

C.siamensis), which meant that further genetic tests were required to confirm precisely which species the crocodile is,” he explained.

A team of experts from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Mahidol University took blood and tissue samples from the crocodile on Aug 15 in order to conduct the DNA tests, he said.

The team noted that the crocodile measures 256cm long from its snout to the tip of its tail. Its torso measures 123cm long and its tail 80cm long, with its jaws measuring 56cm long.

“The crocodile is healthy, strong and responsive when prompted,” Mr Kowit said.

“It has minor wounds which occurred during the capture and transport, and some fresh abrasions from the concrete enclosure (where it is now being kept),” he added.

“Overall they (the Mahidol experts) give the crocodile a body condition score of 3/5. We are now administering vitamins to the crocodile in order to build up its muscles,” he said.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Papke gets eight years jail for slaying Pischa

PHUKET NEWS

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The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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erman national Nico Papke, a 36-year-old former fitness instructor in Phuket, has been sentenced to serve more than eight years in jail for the murder of his girlfriend Pischa ‘Lek’ Nampadung, for stealing her ATM card and for a drugs-related charge.

Papke, from Altdöbern, Germany, was arrested for the murder Ms Pischa, 35, on July 11 last year after her body was found dumped in the jungle in Wichit two days earlier.

Ms Pischa’s body was found wrapped in blankets and bound with sticking tape beside the road about 600 metres along the newly graded track leading into the jungle north of the cement factory on Muang Chaofa Rd. She had been reported as missing on July 1.

The charge was read to Papke as he lay at Vachira Phuket Hospital recovering from an attempt to slash his own throat with a box cutter as police moved in to arrest him at his rented home in Soi Sai Yuan, Rawai, at 7pm on July 9.

Piravut Bumrung of the Phuket Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, and who was prosecutor for the case, confirmed to The Phuket News last Friday (Sept 14) that the sentence handed down totalled “16

The bus came to a halt at the bottom of Patong Hill.

Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

German national Nico Papke, a former fitness instructor in Rawai, explains to police his actions in disposing the body of his ex-girlfriend Pischa ’Lek’ Nampadung, last year. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub years and 16 months” in prison.

“The decision by the judge to sentence (Papke to) 16 years and 16 months in prison was for murder, theft and drugs,” Mr Piravut said.

Mr Piravut declined to confirm exactly what charges were finally pressed against Papke in court, saying that he “could not reveal the details” of the trial.

However, he did add, “But Mr Nico confessed to all charges, so his sentence was halved (on all charges).”

A clerk at Phuket Provincial Court who was willing to answer queries, but unwilling to be named, confirmed to The Phuket News that the trial concluded on

June 27 this year, lasting only two months since it began on April 30.

At that time police confirmed that Papke was facing an additional charge involving a Category 1 narcotic. Under the Narcotics Act, Category 1 drugs include heroin; amphetamine; methamphetamine; MDMA (Ecstasy) and LSD. However, no officers or prosecutors The Phuket News has interviewed has ever revealed any details of the drugs charge.

Regardless, the court official The Phuket News spoke to did confirm the sentence and trial dates for the case, and that Papke is serving his sentence at Phuket Provincial Prison.

Armed man shot dead by police

A 29-Y EA R- OLD M A N shot dead by police early Tuesday morning (Sept 18) had jumped a police checkpoint in Phuket Town and was later found to have two weapons and ammunition inside his vehicle.

The man, Chitnupong Kherjan from Karon, was shot dead in his vehicle near the Tonhorm Restaurant on Srisoonthorn Rd in Cherng Talay at around 1:30am.

On being notif ied of the man’s death, Col Serm Krannumit of the Cherng Talay Police together with other officers and a doctor from Thalang Hospital arrived at the scene to find a grey Phu ket-registered Isu z u D-Max pickup truck crashed into the curb.

Inside the vehicle was the body of Chitnupong who was registered as living on Soi Patak 12 in Karon. He was bleeding heavily from the nose.

Inside the vehicle on the driver’s seat police found a fully loaded .357 revolver.

They also found a homemade gun loaded with a .38-calibre bullet, five .45-calibre bullets and a further six .357 bullets.

Police took all evidence away while Kusoldhar m @thephuketnews

Chitnupong Kherjan was shot dead in his vehicle near the Tonhorm Restaurant on Srisoonthon Rd in Thalang. rescue workers took the body of Chitnupong to Thalang Hospital.

Accord i ng to police, at around 12:30am police officers in Phuket Town set up a checkpoint near Soi Siangtai on Thepkrasattri Rd in Rassada.

When Chitnupong arrived at the checkpoint he was asked to stop. However, Chitnupong ran the checkpoint and sped off towards Thalang while police gave chase.

Chitnupong then hit a vehicle close to the main SuperCheap store on Thepkrasattri Rd but did not stop.

Police who were chasing Chitnupong then fired shots

at his vehicle hoping he would stop but he continued to drive towards Heroines Monument.

W hen he reached the monument he turned left towards Cherng Talay so chasing officers radioed to Cherng Talay Police to stop him.

At t h e s c e n e w h e r e Chitnupong was shot, a patrol vehicle overtook and managed to force Chitnupong off the road and into the curb.

Police then ran f rom their vehicle and ordered Chitnupong to leave his car.

However, Chitnupong raised his gun at the officers.

Off icers then f ired at Chitnupong killing him.

Eakkapop Thongtub

Tour bus brakes fail on Patong Hill T H E DR I V ER OF A tour bus was forced to veer off the road while descending Patong Hill just after 9am last Sunday (Sept 16) in order to bring the bus to a stop after the brakes failed.

No people were injured in the incident.

The bus, registered in Phuket and operated by Piyachoke Sakorn Co Ltd, came to a halt near the Kathu Shooting Range at the bottom of the steep

descent on the Kathu side of the hill.

Lt Amphon Wattanang­ ruang of the Kathu Police reported that the bus was carrying 23 Vietnamese tourists from a hotel in the Patong area to go to the airport.

The driver of the bus was taken to Kathu Police Station for further questioning while officials arranged for the bus to be safely recovered from the scene.

Eakkapop Thongtub

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PHUKET NEWS

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

PHUKET SEVEN DAY WEATHER FORECAST

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Splashing out on roads

Govt to spend B151mn to prevent arterial flooding Chutharat Plerin thai@classactmedia.co.th

GENERAL MANAGER

Jason Beavan 086 479 7471

gm@classactmedia.co.th

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

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

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he Depa r t ment of Highways will spend B151 m i l l i o n o n projects to prevent major Phuket roads from f lash f lo o d i ng d u r i ng he av y dow np ou r s, t he Phu ket Gover nor an nounced on Tuesday (Sept 18).

“Due to the rapid economic expansion in Phuket, the construction of buildings, notably condominium housing, has been quickly done without urban planning,” Governor Norraphat Plodthong admitted at the Governor Meets the Press conference held at Phuket Provincial Hall.

“Floods in many areas have happened, which results in a bad image of Phuket. Tourists lack confidence, traffic jams become a major problem for the province,” he said, not noting that years of Patong and other areas across the island repeatedly flooding prompted the Thai media last year to

Repeated flooding across the island prompted the Thai media to call Phuket ’Waterworld’. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub / file denote Phuket the honourable nickname “Waterworld” in their headline stories.

“Following recent problems, Phuket provincial authorities have been meeting with relevant departments to speed up the solution (to repeated flooding), targetting three areas,” the Governor added.

The three areas are in front of Thalang School, for which the province has allocated a budget of B15mn; at Baan

Pakrongship, with a budget of B15mn; and in front of the Thai Watsadu store on Thepkrasattri Rd, with a budget of B30mn, Gov Norraphat explained.

“In addition, a support budget f rom the Phu ket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor) through its accumulated budget for 2016 has been dedicated to solve the problem at three other locations: in front of SuperCheap

(B48.75mn); in front of Baan Suan Pa (B12.3mn); and in front of the Susco petrol station in Muang Mai (B30mn),” he added.

Phichak Sornchana, Deputy Director of Phuket Highways Office explained at the meeting, “The Department of Highways is responsible for the first three projects, which need to be resolved urgently.

“We expect to start the contracts by mid-October,” he said.

"We concluded the e-bidding yesterday (Sept 17) and submitted a list of contractors to the department head office for approval,” Mr Phichak explained.

“The next step is waiting for the department to deliver the budget to the Phuket provincial treasury,” he said.

“We expect to have this by Oct 8, then by Oct 15 we will call the selected contractors in to finalise arrangements and sign the contracts. After that, we can start the projects,” Mr Phichak told The Phuket News

after the meeting.

“We will stress to all contractors that the work must be done quickly and that the effect on motorists must be as little as possible.

“During the construction period of all three projects, which each will have to be completed within 120 days, the contractors must set up lights and signs to be seen clearly to prevent accidents.

“During the night, the work will continue with two lanes open at the same time to be flexible for traffic, and must have four lanes open in the morning (during rush hour),” Mr Phichak said.

“Also, drains will be installed on both sides of the road and then once completed the footpath must be beautiful,” he added.

“In addition, we will start the work after the rainy season has ended because in the past we have found that heavy rains are a major difficulty that only causes projects to be delayed,” Mr Phichak said.

Mules busted with 780kg of kratom Man found hanged POLICE AND MILITARY PERSONNEL arrested a man at the Phuket Checkpoint last Sunday (Sept 16) as he tried to smuggle onto the island more than half a ton of kratom leaves jammed into a Toyota Fortuner.

Noticing the odd load jammed into the car, officers stopped and searched the vehicle. On opening one of the bags, the officers realised that it was packed solid with kratom leaves, as were the rest of the bags.

In all, officers counted that the bright pink bags in total contained 530kg of kratom leaves.

The driver of the vehicle, Wichan Kaikew, 38, from Songkhla, told the officers that he was hired by his brother-in-law, Rungtawan Srijumpa, to pick up the kratom leaves from Bang Klam District in Songkhla and deliver them to “a customer” in Patong.

He was paid B6,000 to make the delivery.

He has now been charged with possession of a Category 5 drug with intent to sell.

Officers at the checkpoint arrested two more men early the next morning (Sept 17) while they were attempting to bring a further 250kg of kratom packed into a white pickup truck onto the island.

Officers arrested the driver Prachuab Rinrat, 40, and his passenger Yamin Toadol, 26, both from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, at

beside busiest road

Wichan Kaikew, 38, from Songkhla, told police that he was paid B6,000 to bring the kratom to Phuket. Photo: Tha Chatchai Police 2:20am, Tha Chatchai Police Chief Col Prawit Suttiruangarun told The Phuket News.

The two men told police that they were to deliver the kratom to a man in Sakoo, near Phuket International Airport, Col Prawit added.

“Prachuab confirmed that they brought the kratom from Nakhon Sri Thammarat,” he said.

“He said he was hired by a ‘Mr Bao’ to deliver the kratom for B5,000 to a ‘Mr Gaet’ in Sakoo, in Phuket,” Col Prawit explained.

“Prachuab said he does not know the men’s real names, but said that he was to share the money with Yamin and give him B1,000,” he added.

The Phuket News

POLICE ARE HOPING TO identify the body of a man found hanged in a sala beside a sweet shop on Thepkrasattri Rd before dawn on Monday (Sept 17).

Lt Sopanut Nayaw of the Thalang Police was notified of the death at 5:30am after a man riding home saw a body hanging in a pavilion beside a roti sai mai shop just north of the Toyota dealership on Thepkrasattri Rd northbound, in Tambon Thepkrasattri, Thalang.

Lt Sopanut arrived with rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation to find the body still hanged by the neck by an electrical cable which was tied to a roof beam of the pavilion.

Police estimate the man was 45-50 years old. He was dressed in a blue shirt and blue jeans.

Police found no lesions on the body to indicate that he

Rescue workers recover the man’s body early Monday morning (Sept 16). might have been involved in a struggle, and officers estimated that he had died only one to two hours before his body was found. Police found no identification documents on the body.

Bunterm Wongbunmee, 22, told police that he saw the body while riding his motorcycle back from Layan Beach back home to Mai Khao.

He quickly informed the security guard at the Toyota dealership nearby, who came to confirm that Mr Bunterm was telling the truth, before calling the police.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

PHUKET NEWS

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Diving deep to keep clean Go Eco Phuket clean-up nets a ton of rubbish at Coral Island The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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mass u nder water a nd beach clean-up by Go Eco Phuket, local tour operators, students and officials last Saturday (Sept 15) saw literally a ton of rubbish removed from the popular dive sites around Koh Hei (Coral Island) alone.

The cleanup, which started at 7am and involved cooperation from the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command and officials from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Phuket office, focussed solely on Koh Hei. The island, which lies just southeast of Phuket, has suffered heavy environmental pressure from mass tourism in recent years as a popular day-trip destination to 800-1,000 tourists a day arriving from Phuket.

Ittiput Schadt, Secretary of Go Eco Phuket, explained that originally 500 people had signed up to help with the clean-up, which was to target three sites; Koh Hei, and Koh Racha Yai and Koh Racha Noi to the south of Phuket.

“But there was heavy wind and rain in the morning, and due to the weather several boat operators

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The Go Eco Phuket underwater clean-up at Koh Hei (Coral Island) on Saturday (Sept 15) netted more than 1,000kg of garbage.

Photo: Go Eco Phuket decided not to go out for safety reasons,” Mr Ittiput said.

Accordingly, the plan was changed to hold the cleanup at Koh Hei only.

“In the end a total of 300 people took part, with 100 divers carrying out the underwater clean-up and the remaining 200 helping to clean up the beach,” Mr Ittiput said.

The beach clean-up netted 15kg of rubbish alone.

“The rubbish collected under­

water at Koh Hei alone totalled a ton. Most of it was glass bottles, plastic bottles, fishing nets, fishing line and even smart phones, iPhones and Samsung models, which were likely dropped by tourists,” Mr Ittiput explained.

Gracing the official opening of the event were DMCR Region 9 Director Watcharin Thinthalang and Phuket Vice Governor Prakob Wongmaneerung.

“This event has been organised

because Thailand ranks sixth worst in the world for trash in the sea, and also today (Sept 15) is International Coastal Cleanup Day 2018,” Mr Watcharin noted.

“It is also being held to honour the 66th birthday of His Majesty The King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun on July 28,” he said.

“We urge people to be conscious of the environmental damage and pollution they cause – please do not drop any trash into the ocean, and stop using plastic or foam, use recyclable products instead,” Mr Watcharin added.

“We have received a lot of support to carry out the cleanup on the beach and underwater, and there is a special presence from Walailak University in Nakhon Sri Thammarat and the Prince of Songkla University (PSU) Phuket campus, as well as Haad Thip (CocaCola distrubutors in Thailand) and CP All Co Ltd (the main operating company for the Charoen Pokphand Group).

“We will keep suppor ting projects that help clean the beaches and underwater sites so that Thais and tourists learn to be more environmentally conscious,” he said.

V/Gov Prakob said, “I am very

pleased to be present for this event.

The corals at Koh Hei, Koh Racha Yai and Koh Racha Noi are all major tourist attractions, especially for tourists who come here to scuba dive and for green tourism.

“But underwater garbage is becoming a big problem, including rubbish from the tourists ending up in the sea, along with waste left in the water by the fishing industry.

“This activity can inspire others to hold their own clean-ups,” he said.

“I would like to thank and support all the people who came together to organise this event and take part in it in order to clean up our oceans,” V/Gov Prakob added.

Meanwhile, Mr Ittiput noted that Go Eco Phuket was already lining up for another underwater clean-up to be held later this year.

“My plan is to hold another garbage-collecting activity in November,” he said.

“We are also thinking about having a new underwater sculpture of a sea dragon installed at Koh Racha Yai as a new dive attraction,” Mr Ittiput added.

“Some divers have said they would like an old car or another motorbike wreck instead. We need to talk about it with others before we go ahead with this,” he concluded.

Opinion 6

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

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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.

A

Just passing through

new global survey of the people actually living and working in major tourism destinations is asking one of the most important questions of the decade.

As its founders openly point out, with over 1.33 billion visitor movements across borders in 2017, world-popular destinations in the past few years have found themselves facing a new dilemma: overtourism – a word that resonates so well here in Phuket that even Thai authorities are leaving world-famous Maya Bay closed for one extra month for good measure.

Yet the big question, ‘What is tourism doing for local people, not just the tourists?’ screams to be answered.

It is painfully obvious in Phuket, the focus remains on serving tourists, not locals.

That the PEA and PWA are blaming storms for power

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

He originates from the UK.

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blackouts, when every second day they are announcing electricity and water supply outages for ‘maintenance’ affecting only heavy residential areas says enough.

Onto Phuket’s traffic woes.

All we have heard and seen are patchwork ‘fixes’ and the B39.4bn light-rail project being railroaded through. On that note, who exactly is that for? Certainly not tourists as it won’t be going to Patong.

Meanwhile, tourists don’t commute, tourists don’t make school runs, the two main causes of traffic on the island.

The sole focus on that front has been making sure tourists can get to and from the airport. Period. For evidence, just look at the importance given to finishing the Chalong Underpass.

Then there’s the wastewater and other pollution, and the appalling state of

our lifeguards. So far all that seems evident on those issues is the attitude ‘as long as not too many tourists are affected, it just doesn’t matter.’ You have to kill 47 tourists in one hit to get the attention needed to fix those problems.

Then there’s the individual financial pressures. For nigh two decades Phuket has been the most expensive province in the country to live in, and there is no sign of that changing.

If any officials feel that this editorial is taking a onesided view of the situation, perhaps they should consider the phenomenal rise in drug use on the island that even Phuket’s own police have admitted. Rising drug use is an openly recognised indicator of a population’s ‘lack of happiness’ anywhere in the world. Let’s just hope our discontented citizens aren’t just passing through too.

TOP 10 STORIES ON thephuketnews.com

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

German expat gets eight years jail for slaying Phuket girlfriend Phuket weather warning as Mangkhut to bring heavy rain, floods Nation warned of more downpours Phuket lifeguard deal probed for corruption Phuket mops up after storm lashes island, plunges businesses into darkness It’s the money: Tour operator commissions key factor undermining Phuket marine tourism safety Tour bus brakes fail on Patong Hill Tourists stranded as Phuket weather, Typhoon Mangkhut affects flights Maya Bay to re-open to tourists, but closed to boats Phuket man, 29, shot dead while fleeing police

Visit thephuketnews.com for all the latest news

HAVE YOUR SAY

DAVID JACKLIN

Lifestyle Editor

EDITORIAL

Splash the cash

Re: Govt to splash B151mn to prevent Phuket road flooding Nonsense and jibberish.

This is just the next mega budget burner. The governor laments the lack of urban planning (duh), then presses on with these piecemeal and fragmented projects that will just push the problem down to the next bottleneck. No regional plan. And we will also likely see drains placed too high to work or so low they create traffic hazards and cause accidents. Hopeless case.

BenPendejo Ahh - so it’s all about ‘image’ then. No mention about addressing the root causes of this ongoing issue.

Fascinated

Backlash

Re: Phuket mops up after storm lashes island, plunges businesses into darkness Wow. Poor design, construction? No inspections by engineers? First storm after grand opening. Winds only 46km/h and the windows blow in. Wonder how those crumbling columns at Jungceylon

are doing. I can guarantee you that if the same defect were found in a building in other countries it would have been closed for many months, perhaps permanently.

Timothy A large area of Kathu, at least from the market by the Caltex intersection north and west all the way to Kathu temple, including all the adjoining sois were without power from just after 1:30pm to well after 6pm. Five and a half hours without power. Meanwhile I didn’t see any problems in Patong. Why does it get all the headlines?

CaptainJack69 Winds about 46km/h are not seen as ‘heavy storm’ meteowise. Windspeed 39-49km/h is just Force 6 on the Beaufort scale, defined as ‘Strong Breeze’ only. Thai exaggerate wind speed to cover up the poorness of their constructions that cannot even stand a ‘Strong Breeze’.

Discover Thainess

Soul Sisters

Re: Phuket Opinion: Our

Gold Coast soul sister Golf Coast Mayor himself half-Thai? That explains a lot. So, he can overcome the Thai thinking … “we do it our way”… while becoming ‘sister cities’. And contribute much to improve Phuket tourist safety at beaches, bus rides, minivans, and boat trips. Teach the way they do it at Gold Coast, great, fantastic! That Australian Mayor is the man Phuket needs to push Phuket forward! Right?

Kurt

each time to listen what will be forgotten the next day... it is not a win story for the marine safety in Thailand.

Asterix

“… Phuket has the opportunity to learn directly from some of the best in the world”.

I agree with everything in the story. Unfortunately, Phuket doesn’t truly desire to be a real world class tourist destination.

Foot

Men at work

Training day

Re: Phuket marine safety sessions fully booked Unfortunately, the Harbour Department in Thailand does not have enough qualified Instructors to train properly all levels of merchant marine diplomas. It is thousands of boat crews which need training and with 60 participants

Monkeying around

Re: Phuket monkey mass sterilisation Round 2 begins!

What about doing something about the 1,312,492 stray dogs in Phuket? The little green rubber rings they use on male lambs would go a long way in improving Phuket.

Aj Raymond Ritchie

Re: Hope floats for Chalong Underpass opening by April Not defending the construction company, but, there were some legitimate reasons for some of the delays. Land not purchased. Slow re-positioning of power poles. Water pipes being moved. Waterpipes found when digging that no one was aware of. Removal of building.

All factors beyond the contractor’s control.

Sir Burr It’s a big risk that this will be the biggest fishing pond in Phuket when it’s raining.

Nasa12

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

8

THAILAND NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

B2bn worth of drugs seized in three busts BANGKOK

Bangkok Post

Laksi district chief Khajeerat Jaynakhom (right) hands a written warning to Dueanchai Pengpreecha, 70, to stop feeding pigeons at her house on Kosum Ruamjai road last Thursday (Sept 13). Photo: Chanat Katanyu

‘Auntie Pigeon’ warned that health comes first BANGKOK OFFICIALS FROM THE Laksi district of Bangkok last Thursday (Sept 13) sanitised the house of an old woman who for decades had been feeding a large flock of wild pigeons and ignoring neighbours’ complaints about the mess they caused and the risk of disease.

‘Auntie Pigeon’, as she is known in the area, was also warned to stop doing it or face fines or even imprisonment.

L a k s i d i s t r i c t c h ief Khajeerat Jaynakhom led a team to clean up the bird droppings and left over food that begrimed the two-story terrace house and its surroundings on Kosum Ruamjai road after a neighbour finally made an official complaint.

They also disinfected the area.

Ms Khajeerat told 70-yearold Dueanchai Pengpreecha to

stop feeding the birds because she was in violation of public health and cleanliness laws.

She would be liable to a fine of up to B25,000 or even a jail term of up to three months if she persisted.

The law prohibits people from feeding animals in public places in a way that would trouble neighbours, the district chief said.

Ms Dueanchai agreed to cease and desist. The district chief had her sign a written promise to do so.

‘Auntie Pigeon’ said she loved animals and had fed dogs and pigeons at her house for decades. She had not known that she was breaking the law.

The number of visiting pigeons had soared dramatically in the past few years and she had to increase the amount of feed she provided, and scatter it on both the ground and upper levels of her house, she said.

Bangkok Post

T

hirteen drug suspects have been detained and drugs with a combined street value of over B2 billion seized in three crackdowns carried out this month, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) revealed on Tuesday (Sept 18).

Ten million methamphetamine pills (ya bah), 37 kilograms of heroin, 2kg of crystal meth (ya ice) and 917kg of cannabis were seized in total, police said.

One crackdown was carried out in Sukhothai last Sunday (Sept 16) in a joint operation conducted by the NSB and officials from Mae Sot customs checkpoint in Mae Sot district of Tak, police said.

The ya bah pills and heroin were found hidden in a pickup truck. They were found to have come from Chiang Rai province and were destined for Ayutthaya, police said.

The detained suspects included 67-year-old Prawit Saema, 54-year-old Ying Saema, Napha Kitphanitsakun, 33, and 49-year-old Kue Saema, police said. They were all related.

Prior to the crackdown, police said they had received an intelligence report supplied by a police informant that a large drugs haul would be transported from Chiang Rai to Ayutthaya on this route.

In a prior seizure last Sat-

Drugs worth billions, seized in just three busts, were displayed at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau outside the Government Complex. Photo: Apichit Jinakul urday (Sept 15), two foreign men and a Thai woman were detained with 2kg of ya ice at a hotel in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok, police said.

The suspects were 41-yearold Emeka John Obimma from Nigeria, Isidor Rein Reyn, 61, from New Zealand, and 37-year-old Wararat Chansot, police said.

Police said they had received a tip-off that someone would be coming to Thailand to pick up the drugs, which were allegedly supplied by an African trafficking network operating in Thailand. The drugs were destined for New Zealand, police said.

Obimma and Wararat were found to have been staying at the hotel. They had already

delivered a suitcase containing the narcotics to the other suspect when the police pounced.

The man claimed he did not know what was inside the suitcase that he had taken possession of, police said.

T h e Ne w Z e a l a n d e r claimed he had been tricked into taking the suitcase to a person in his home country, police said. He said he was visiting Thailand on a sponsored three-day trip after having won it as a prize in a contest, police said.

In a third case on Sept 13, six suspects were detained with 917kg of cannabis in Muang district of the northeastern province of Udon Thani, police said.

T h i rasa k Saensa noh,

Thirasak Toli, Rungthiwa Thabunma, Romli Rakrit, Kusulai Kulong and Anuson Ahman were the detained suspects, police said.

The bust was preceded by another tip-off about a plot to smuggle the drug from a border area of Bung Kan in the Northeast to Satun in the South, police said.

A number of drug dealers and producers linked to the latest crackdowns were implicated in previous cases, said Sommai Kongvisaisuk, chief of the NSB. In an earlier joint effort by the NSB and its Malaysian counterpart, two factories in Penang were raided and a large amount of ya bah seized, he said.

Beaten conscript dies after 24-days in coma LOPBURI A N A R M Y CONSC R I P T W HO sustained injuries and fell into a coma allegedly from a disciplinary session ordered by three senior conscripts 24 days ago died last Friday morning (Sept 14).

Private Kacha Pacha, 22, attached to an infantry battalion in Lopburi, died at 5:40am at Anandamahidol Hospital in Lopburi province after seeking treatment for serious injuries.

The private was sent to the hospital on the night of Aug 21 and his family was informed that he had suffered a cardiac arrest.

His family later learned that Pvt Kacha’s condition might have been the result of injuries following a disciplinary session in which three senior conscripts had allegedly beaten him.

His father Khomchan Pacha said the family had already come to terms with the loss of his son and was willing to forgive the three conscripts involved in the physical assault. If possible, he

Private Kacha Pacha, 22, plays with his daughter, 3, during a break from the military training in this undated photo posted on Boy Krungkao Facebook last Friday (Sept 14). Photo: Boy Krungkao / Facebook wanted them to apologise to his late son to end it all. He and his wife would forgive them so that Pvt Kacha’s soul would rest in peace.

The death of Pvt Kacha left orphaned his three-year-old daughter and a yet-tobe-born baby. His wife was five months pregnant.

Ms Runruedee said her son had served the army as a conscript for more than one

year and he had another seven months to complete his service.

The family had talked to the three senior conscripts and they admitted they had assaulted him during the so-called ‘disciplinary session’, said the mother.

Capt Wichai Saenbut, deputy investigation chief at Muang Police Station in Lopburi, said he would go to a military prison at the Army Circle 13 to press charges of colluding in a murder against the three conscripts who were being jailed there. They were previously charged with colluding in an attempted murder.

The Military Court is handling the case.

Army spokesman Col Winthai Suvaree said the army deeply regretted Pvt Kacha’s death. He also reassured that the army would not protect the three conscripts involved in the assault. They would face punishment like wrongdoers in other criminal cases.

Col Winthai said the three conscripts, now being detained in a military unit, would stand trial in the military court as the suspects and victim were soldiers.

Bangkok Post thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

ASIA NEWS

9

The solo Aussie outback cop

Snr Cst Pursell the only policeman in an area the size of Britain AUSTRALIA Glenda Kwek

B

eing the only policeman in an area the size of Britain might be daunting for some, but not for Senior Constable Stephan Pursell.

The easy-going 53-year-old runs a modest police station in the equally modest town of Birdsville, making him the law across a vast swathe of outback Australia.

In this isolated, arid, ferrous-redand-orange moonscape fringing the Simpson Desert, dust, pesky flies, feral camels, wild dogs and deadly snakes are your main companions.

Pursell acknowledges that his patch – which takes four days to drive across – is “quite big”. But he relishes the challenge.

“This ( job) came up and I thought, ‘what an iconic location in Australia’,” he said, “so I put an application in.”

He got the gig, and so two years ago hauled himself and his wife Sharon away from Queensland’s gleaming surf, 1,600 kilometres to the east, and into this sandy cauldron.

It is not a place for everyone.

Daytime temperatures can soar above 40ºC and strong winds can whip up dust storms that blot out the sun and turn the skies dark.

“You’ve got to experience it to enjoy it. It’s an amazing place,” said Pursell, who became an internet sensation last year after shots of him frying an egg in the withering heat on the bonnet of his Toyota Land Cruiser went viral.

Birdsville itself is home to just over 100 people. There’s one hotel that doubles as the watering hole. A roadhouse allows people to stock up on fuel and life-saving essentials.

But the highlight may be a bakery selling curried camel pies.

The tiny township is a relief from the barren landscape. Surrounding Birdsville are endless sandy plains and rolling dunes that merge into the distant horizon, a nothingness that’s both mesmerising and isolating.

So what’s the workload like?

@thephuketnews

Australian police Snr Cst Stephan Pursell watching traffic approaching from South Australia at the remote Queensland border out side Birdsville. Photo: Saeed Khan / AFP

“Crime’s not an issue,” Pursell admits, adding that much of his job is that of a first responder.

“The type of jobs that we do is mainly just making sure that people get here safely, get home safely.

Breakdowns, medical issues, accidents – we’ve got to be ready to respond to those sorts of things.”

The most common type of accident is vehicles rolling over, but the station has also had to deal with a pilot whose plane lost a wheel in the air after colliding with a pelican.

Because he has to monitor an area of 240,000 square kilometres – where you can go for hours or days before someone passes – the involvement of the local community is essential.

A nurse, mechanic, Aboriginal ranger or community members may join him on rescue missions.

Police officers at other stations hundreds of kilometres away also work with Pursell and nearby cattle stations to track travellers as they pass through.

Twice a year the pace picks up a bit, for the century-old Birdsville horse races, which are known across Australia, and for the Big Red Bash music festival.

Both annual events attract more than 6,000 tourists who travel for up to several days in four-wheel drives or in small planes from across the vast continent.

Pursell’s predecessor, Snr Cst Neale McShane, who retired in 2015 after a decade in Birdsville, says there was “never a dull moment”.

Each rescue of a stranded or injured traveller requires an epic drive across long dirt roads or countless sand dunes in the Land Cruiser for hours and sometimes days.

Sometimes what is required is a helicopter big enough to carry a police officer, a nurse and a stretcher, so a call is put out for any aircraft in the vicinity that can help out.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service also plays a crucial role, ferrying patients in remote regions to the nearest hospitals.

In 2009, during a desperate search for helicopters to rescue an injured motorcyclist stuck on a sand dune, an army Chinook – possibly the only one to ever land at Birdsville – touched down at the airport, looking to refuel. The man was quickly rescued and made a full recovery.

There are definite upsides to the

job, McShane said. “When you are out sleeping in the desert looking up at the stars, and they (feel) so close you can touch them.”

But in a small, remote community, talking about sensitive personal issues can be difficult, he says.

And the job is non-stop, with calls coming in at any time of the day on any day of the week, each of them possibly involving someone you know well who is in peril or has died.

Perhaps surprisingly, one problem the policemen don’t complain about is loneliness.

Pursell realised more people were popping into his station to talk to him after he was described in the local media as having the loneliest job in the country.

“People came in just to have a chat, because they thought I was lonely,” he says.

“We’ve have never felt isolated or lonely out here. It’s a great little town.”

Meanwhile, the 134-year-old Birdsville Hotel – the sole watering hole for the town – is on the market for the first time in decades and attracting local and international interest.

Having a drink at the Birdsville has become a must-do for the tourists who make the trek to the town for the annual horse race and music festival.

Owner David Brook – whose family has lived in Birdsville since the late 1880s – said the property agents told him there had been “interest from afar” by people wanting to invest in or manage the pub, which is more than 600km from the nearest big town.

For Brook, who bought the pub in 1979, and whose grandmother owned the hotel between 1920-46, the pub’s isolation is its chief selling point.

“When you explain to them that you can have a (race) meeting and get 6,000 and have a music festival... and get 9,000 for the weekend in a town where there’s only one pub, you can work out that it’s not a bad business,” he said.

The pub, with its sandstone walls, dusty cowboy hats hanging from the ceiling and country music blasting from speakers, is being marketed as ‘a true Aussie icon’ where ‘everyone wants to say they’ve had a beer’.

The tavern has 27 guest rooms, and includes an aviation fuel supply business with small planes and helicopters carrying tourists taking off and landing just across the road.

While other pubs around Australia have modernised and added gambling machines to boost income, Brook has kept the decor simple and focused on offering good service and food.

More recently, Birdsville has been boosted by the Big Red Bash, a three-day music festival held annually since 2013 and known as the ‘most remote concert on the planet’.

“I hope that it can be kept as just a modest, good business,” Brook said. “An investor who is prepared to spend money and make sure that it provides good service, sometimes at the expense – a little bit – of profit.

“You can have a big, shiny (pub) in the city that makes a lot of money, or you can have something special out here that you’re proud to own.”

AFP

10 WORLD NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Pygmies, masters of the forest

Feeling at home in a place where many Gabonese fear to tread GABON

There are as many as 75,000 indigenous Baka, Bagyeli, Bedzang and Bakola huntergatherer Pygmy peoples living in the rainforest areas of Cameroon.

Photo: Nabilaq El Hadad / AFP

Amaury Hauchard

J

ust back from the hunt with a choice selection of plants, Ebona feels at home in the endless forest where many Gabonese fear to tread.

“Townsfolk paid me to find these leaves,” the Pygmy says, setting the heap down outside his wooden hut, 500 metres from the rest of Doumassi village in north Gabon.

Ebona’s people, the Baka, are held in folklore to be Africa’s oldest inhabitants, living today in forests stretching from Gabon and Cameroon inland to the Congos and the Central African Republic.

The dense woods where national borders cease to exist hold no mysteries for the Baka.

“This is our first home,” says another villager, who introduces himself as Jean, declining, like the other Pygmies, to divulge their Baka names, used only within the community.

“We sleep in it, we hunt in it, we live in it,” he adds.

The ethnic Baka Pygmies often have a difficult relationship with their Fang neighbours, the main ethnic group in the area, who tend to treat them like children, leading to complaints by the Baka.

They also struggle to have a legal existence in Gabon, as

Ebona and a fellow a villager of the Baka Pygmy ethnic group, pose in front of their house in Doumassi, northern Gabon. Ebona comes back from a day in the forest, an old rifle on one shoulder, a load of plants on the other. Photo: Steve Jordan / AFP they find themselves without identity cards, which complicates their lives.

“I am Gabonese, 100%, but I don’t have an identity card. They promised us that we would have it, but we’re still waiting...,” says villager Christian, who, like other Baka, wants the same rights as other Gabonese citizens.

“How will I send my children to school?” he asks, in frustration. “How will I vote?

How do I get medical care?”

Just weeks before parliamentary elections, the first round of which is planned for Oct 6 with a second round later next month, electoral officials have made little effort to put Baka adults on the voters’ roll.

But many Baka steer well clear of national politics. They say they just want to “survive”.

Jean-Baptiste OndzaghaEwak works for the Association for Family Mediation (AMF) that seeks to bring

mutual understanding to the communities.

The NGO records Baka births to make them official so the children can go to school and receive healthcare.

For lack of access to health facilities, villager Norbert saw five of his seven children die prematurely, but he joyfully announces that his wife is pregnant once more.

For a long time, the ways of “city people” had a limited impact on communities of

hunter-gatherers.

The Baka are still reluctant to go where “cars make a noise”, except to buy goods such as “tobacco, soap, alcohol and petrol”, according to Christian.

But the need for money has raised problems for Pygmies whose profound knowledge of the forest is their sole source of income.

Seen as one way to help their children go to school, the Baka hire themselves out like “integrated GPS” devices, ready to guide outsiders hundreds of kilometres into the wild to find game.

Despite their poor relations, the Baka are nevertheless prepared to hunt for their Fang neighbours, too.

While they tend to treat the Pygmies as “subhuman” purely on account of their short stature, the Fang acknowledge that there is no equal to a Baka hunter’s skills.

“At close range, they never miss their shot,” said Rigobert, a Fang who sent two Baka off to hunt for him. He gave them a dozen shells and an ancient gun and they returned in the morning with three prey.

Jean was one of the huntsmen. “The army offered to enlist me, but I said ‘no’. I have my family, I’m a hunter.

That’s inside me, why should it change?”

“The only animal I fear is the gorilla, because he reacts like man,” Jean added. “He’s unpredictable.”

Inter national wildlife NGOs hire Baka guides, while urban residents pay them to

fetch bushmeat and valued plants. But the Baka are also employed by ivory poachers to track elephants.

“With one cartridge, I can kill him (an elephant). If I hit here, behind the ear, I kill him,” boasts Jean, who said he often goes into the forest with poachers from Cameroon.

“The gun and the shells belong to poachers,” Jean says, well aware that their activity is outlawed in Gabon.

At the same time, he is the official tracker for an NGO dedicated to protecting the endangered beasts, but Jean has no love of the law.

“I’ve always eaten elephant, this is our home and that is our meat,” he says.

Fur ther more, helping poachers is lucrative. He says a single kill can earn him “200,000 or even 300,000 (CFA) francs (B11,598 or B17,397), depending on the size of the tusks”.

None of the Baka interviewed approved of the ‘law of the city’ banning elephant hunting, despite the risk the animals may die out if nothing is done to stem the ivory trade.

In a single decade, 80% of the elephants have been slaughtered in the Minkebe National Park in northeast Gabon, the country’s main forest sanctuary for elephants, according to park officials.

Melvin, one of Doumassi’s most respected hunters, objects to what he terms “a bad law”, but adds “we’re obliged to respect it, we don’t want to go to prison”.

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

BUSINESS NEWS 11

Growth before Golden Week

Thailand tops list of tourism destinations for Chinese in H1 TOURISM Suchat Sritama

T

hailand remained the top destination for Chinese travelling abroad in the first half of the year, according to a joint report by the China Tourism Academy and online travel firm Ctrip.

The report said 71.3 million Chinese tourists departed from more than 200 Chinese cities en route to 130 countries in the first half, a 15% yearon-year increase – before the Chinese ‘Golden Week’ holidays, starting with the national day holiday on Oct 1.

Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said the most popular destinations were Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, the US and Cambodia, in that order.

New destinations with fast growth include Serbia, Laos, Belgium, Vietnam, Sweden, Turkey, Russia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Finland.

“Among popular locations, Thailand remained the hottest

Chinese tourists enjoy the sand and surf on Koh Lan. Photo: Jerdsak Sangthongcharoen destination for Chinese tourists in the first half of this year,” Mr Dai said.

Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry reported that 19.4mn foreigners travelled to the country in the first half, up 12% from the same period last year. Of the total, China topped the list with 5.9mn visitors, up 26% year-on-year.

The ministry believes that the number of Chinese tour-

ists will reach 10mn this year, despite the intense media coverage of the Phoenix tour boat disaster off Phuket in July that killed 47 Chinese tourists.

Last Monday (Sept 10), Tourism Minister Weerasak Kowsurat visited Phuket to follow up on the tourism situation and safety measures since the boat incident, which resulted in mass cancellations of Chinese bookings in the

Gold Coast moves for direct flights AIRLINES T H E M AYOR OF AUStralia’s renowned tourism destination the Gold Coast has met with Tourism and Sport Minister Weerasak Kowsurat, seeking direct flights between the Gold Coast and Phuket, or Bangkok.

“We presented the city’s capacity as a sports training and events destination, as well as our obvious shared tourism appeal,” Mayor Tate said.

“I’ve presented the idea of encouraging a direct flight link, from either Phuket or Bangkok, to the Gold Coast.

The feedback was positive and I’ve now left it with Paul Donovan to progress.”

Mr Donovan is chair of the tourism marketing organisation Destination Gold Coast.

Minister Weerasak agreed that a direct air link would boost outbound tourism for both destinations, reported the Gold Coast Council on its website.

Mr Donovan said a carrier such as Thai Air Asia was a perfect fit given its modern f leet and capacity to offer competitive fares.

“I hope Paul’s dual role with both Gold Coast Airport @thephuketnews

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate (centre, left) shakes hands with Tourism Minister Weerasak Kowsurat at a meeting in Bangkok last week. Photo: Supplied and Destination Gold Coast will help us secure a direct air link,” he said.

The move comes hot on the heels of Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate visiting Phuket last Monday (Sept 10) to sign an agreement to start work on a formal Sister Cities relationship between the Gold Coast and Phuket.

Mayor Tate said the Gold Coast could offer Phuket knowledge in lifeguard services, beach rubbish collection, sports training, sports event

management and tourism marketing.

Mr Donovan accompanied Mayor Tate to visits with Phuket Tourism Board and the Vice Governor of Phuket, Prakob Wongmaneerung, as well as the Thai Sport and Tourism Minister Mr Weerasak.

Other representatives present at the meetings were the Thai-Australia Business Council, Thai Sports Authority and key universities based in Phuket.

The Phuket News

following weeks.

Mr Weerasak said the government has ordered improvements in safety and security throughout the island and at other attractions to restore tourist confidence.

The plan is to draw tourists to Phuket year round to enjoy the beautiful beaches and unique culture, the minister said.

Mr Weerasak’s visit was

also aimed at encouraging bookings by foreign tourists ahead of the high season that runs from October to March.

According to Mr Dai, Chinese are moving on from a sole interest in shopping. Now they are enjoying the experience of local culture and exploring new attractions while in Thailand, he said.

The report said Russia gained Chinese visitors during this year’s World Cup, while Turkey is also rapidly climbing up the list.

Figures showed that Chinese outbound travellers are 53% female and 47% male.

Chinese tourists still prefer travelling in groups, but most young travellers are opting to travel by themselves.

Mr Dai said the growth of outbound tourism is due to an increase in disposable income, a greater marketing push by major tourist destinations, visa facilitation, tax-exemption policies that promote shopping, and innovative travel products such as island hopping, parent and child tours, and customised travel.

The top 20 departure cities

in the first half were Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Wuhan, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Kunming, Tianjin, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Nanchang, Guiyang, Jinan, Hefei, Nanning and Fuzhou.

The top 10 departure cities with the highest year-on-year growth were Xi’an (180%), Guiyang (175%), Nanchang (162%), Kunming (155%), Zhengzhou (146%), Taiyuan (123%), Chongqing (120%), Jinan (115%), Hefei (110%) and Changzhou (107%).

Average spending per person per trip for Chinese going overseas was 5,200 yuan (B24,960).

For Ctrip, Mr Dai said outbound tourists using the platform for group tours versus independent travel was 50:50. A new trend is booking customised trips and using local guides.

In the first half of the year, the number of tourists who signed up for Ctrip’s outbound private trips saw a 300% increase year-on-year, Mr Dai added.

Bangkok Post

12 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Is tourism making us happy?

Global survey questions happiness of residents in major destinations TOURISM The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

A

new global survey of local residents’ happiness in World Heritage sites has been launched to address the issue.

In an age of escalating overtourism, the initiative aims to show that measuring community wellbeing and happiness is, arguably, a more important metric than GDP, money, and perpetually growing visitor numbers.

The 15-minute online survey, called Planet Happiness, is available in 18 languages and is open for anyone to take part. The survey measures key indicators, such as satisfaction with life, access to nature and arts, community engagement, standard of living, life-long learning, and health.

“The purpose of tourism in destinations such as Barcelona, Brasilia, Kakadu, Luang Prabang, Kyoto, Yosemite, Mt Everest, Victoria Falls and other renowned places is to strengthen and support the happiness and wellbeing of local people,” says tourism consultant Dr Paul Rogers, co-founder of Planet Happiness.

“If tourism fails to do this, it is neither responsible nor sustainable,

Does living in a busy tourism destination make people happy, miserable or well adjusted? A new global survey aims to find out. and local policies should change accordingly.”

Planet Happiness has been launched at a time when overtourism is becoming a major concern in visitor hotspots around the world, especially World Heritage sites.

At the same time there is growing interest in happiness and wellbeing issues among individuals, communities, small and large businesses and nation states.

Mr Rogers admits that the survey

results may show that people in tourism destinations are happy and that no major changes are needed. Either way, he believes it will be highly useful to compare reactions and responses to tourism and wellbeing in different travel hotspots around the world.

“It’s more about finding where there are deficiencies – such as having meaningful access to community fulfilment and feeling valued,” says Rogers. “The survey will show people where they are doing well compared

to other tourism destinations, and possibly where they should seek to improve their lives.”

He added, “It’s a new, fresh, more responsible and holistic way of looking at tourism.”

The Planet Happiness survey is a response to the fact that travel and tourism is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing industries, with over 1.33 billion visitor movements across borders in 2017. Today more than one in 10 people are employed

in tourism globally.

“The more people who do the survey, the better,” says US-based Laura Musikanski, a lawyer, sustainability process expert and Executive Director of the Happiness Alliance at happycounts.org.

Ms Musikanski says that aggregated local and global data from the Planet Happiness Survey Index will be open source and accessible to everyone with an interest in sustainable tourism and community wellbeing.

The project will never share information that could personally identity any individuals, she assures.

The Planet Happiness project encourages all residents and workers in Unesco World Heritage destinations to take the 15-minute online survey.

The Planet Happiness website will post and regularly update results and share them with journalists, students, businesses, government officials and interested parties around the world.

Planet Happiness urges destination managers, universities and any sponsors who would like to support the initiative and help deploy the Happiness Survey in World Heritage sites around the world to contact them.

For more information and to see some of the initial pilot questionnaires, visit OurHeritageOurHappiness.org.

With the hotel ‘just a few steps away from Central Festival Phuket’, the property will provide guests with c onvenient access to shopping centres, attractions and entertainment in the area. Image: via Travel Daily Media

Travelodge to open in Phuket by 2020 HOSPITALITY UK-BASED HOTEL OPERator Travelodge has announced it will open a 159-room hotel in Phuket, opening in 2020.

The venue will provide rooms featuring ‘neutral tones, contemporary timber furniture and exclusive spaces to offer extra privacy for guests’, said a report by Travel Daily Media.

The hotel, branded as the ‘Travelodge Phuket Town’, will be the third property under the Travelodge brand in Thailand, the report noted.

With the hotel “just a few steps away from Central Festival Phuket”, the property will provide guests

with convenient access to shopping centres, attractions and entertainment in the area.

The hotel will also feature an all-day dining restaurant, gymnasium and a large swimming pool.

Jonathan Wigley, CEO of Travelodge, Thailand, noted, “Following the debut of the Travelodge brand in Thailand in mid-2017, Travelodge Phuket Town represents our continued commitment to expanding the brand’s footprint throughout Thailand.

“We are confident that Travelodge Phuket Town will offer guests a ‘value stay’ with the brand’s exceptional hospitality, fuss-free quality and trendy living ethos that is consistently provided across

all Travelodge properties,” he said, according to the Travel Daily Media report.

Stephen Burt, the chairman of Travelodge Asia, also commented, “Phuket is one of the most popular and quality beach destinations in Asia and we are very pleased that Travelodge is making a footprint in such a popular destination,” it added.

A report by Travel News Asia announcing the new hotel carried identical comments.

This year alone, Travelodge announced 20 new hotels in the UK, two hotels in Kuala Lumpur and has made its foray into Viet­nam, Travel Daily Media noted.

The Phuket News thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Explore the craft of Nitro Cold Brew

LIONHEART

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

15

Britain’s last Punk and style visionary

17

Gan in her gallery.

The world of a Pop Surrealism artist

David Jacklin editor1@classactmedia.co.th

I

t was on a stroll along Phang Nga Rd in Phuket Town on a particularly sun-blinding day that I realised just how surreal life is. Not more than a few months previous I was hauling my butt along Oxford Street, London, through the pouring rain in a failed attempt to get to a tedious media launch on time. In the blink of an eye I’m living in Southeast Asia as a Lifestyle Editor.

But I should have braced myself, it was about to get a whole lot weirder.

Suddenly there’s an audience of big eyes looking down at me. Not just big eyes, I mean great, vast cavernous peepers staring at me from some secret sisterhood, all living together amidst a swirl of vivid colour and bold patterned backdrops. My life just became one giant candy psychedelic dream.

Welcome to the inhabitants of Gantu Studio 88. The mother of these canvas-mounted beauties is the Pop Surrealism artist, Kanjana ‘Gan’ Khumcruth. This other-worldy studio space is shared with local artistic talents, Rittipong Nupan and Somkiat Kaewnow, but I’m already lost in Gan’s arcana.

Pop Surrealism’s journey began in the late 1970s when the underground art movement termed ‘Lowbrow’ started to emerge on the West Coast of America, particularly in Los Angeles.

Lowbrow art was connected to modern imagery found in comics, tattoo parlours, experimental illustration, punk rock motifs and street art amongst other things. It certainly had its roots in movements such as Dadaism, Surrealism and Fauvism.

As the art form established, emerging artists produced increasingly sophisticated paintings and their style became known as Pop Surrealism.

Some consider the artist Kenny Scharf to be the ‘godfather’ of its name. Scharf describes his journey into Pop-dom as, “Surrealism is about the unconscious, and I feel my work is about the unconscious. The images come from the unconscious except that my unconscious is filled with pop imagery. My unconscious is pop, therefore the art would be Pop Surrealism”. One should have expected such a response.

Gan’s journey, however, is far removed from the confused glitz of West Coast America. But Gan had a plan to follow her creative passion from her ru@thephuketnews

Lionheart - Time to awaken.

Cat Boss - Who’s in control.

Butterfly - Spread your wings. ral home town in Ratchaburi.

She gained a place and graduated from the Product Design degree at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok. Throughout this time Gan worked in a local gallery, learning her skills from the resident artists. On graduating she became a highly skilled reproduction artist, creating like-forlike canvases of great works using a range of artistic techniques and styles.

After eight years reproducing art masterpieces both in Pattaya and in Kamala, Phuket, Gan became inspired to create her own original work and opened a gallery on the island.

“I love Pop Art and contemporary works. The influences from elements in my life when I was a young girl.

The cartoons, fantasy books, 60s and 70s retro magazines. They were all so colourful in my life. I loved them,” proclaimed Gan. “I realised when starting my own work that I must learn from

Twiggy - 60s influence. my own lifestyle. An artist has a long time to spend with and learn from themselves. My art is a release into my thoughts and childhood.”

Her influences are clearly identifiable within the strong themes and consistency which appear to haunt her solo work. Gan’s provocative oil paintings present a solitary girl as the key focus on the canvas. Each child-like entity has familial traits in their appearance, the mutant offspring from the marriage of the artist’s mind and method. Yet spirited styles and characterisation give the canvas a life of its own, adorned by prominent imagery and design details that provide insights into the subject’s deeper self.

Similarities in style of the facial features define the work as a neverending collection and study. Most notably, Gan’s exaggeration on her subject’s eyes as a focal point in the composition.

“She is the girl from my heart,” Gan reveals. “She has big eyes, and within them is a truth, everything is real. The character is a microscope. You cannot hide from the truth in someone’s eyes.”

The complex layers of the artist are to be found represented in her many characters. The girl is her younger self. She presents her dream world, fears and desires. She is her superstar.

Looking directly at Gan’s characters one can’t help but feel an uneasy contradiction. The innocence in those big eyes holding a deeper secret. And it keeps the observer transfixed in a vain attempt to make a connection, to fleetingly understand each starlet.

Perhaps it’s time the art world entered her surrealist dreamscape, and woke up to the fact that Gan herself just might be the superstar.

Enter Gan’s world at: www.gantustudio88.com

14 HEALTH

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Life Cycling P Navigating the River Shannon on two wheels in Ireland.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Queenstown, NZ, Baz clearly took a wrong turn at Sarasin Bridge.

The health benefits of a good pedalling BLAZING SADDLES

Baz Daniel baz_gunner2000@yahoo.com

huket is one of the globe’s most desirable retirement havens drawing thousands of retirees to its sandy shores. In addition, demographic data indicates that Thailand is now a rapidly ageing society with 23% of the populace already over the age of 55.

While many think that the effects of ageing are unavoidable, new research indicates that in fact the way and rate at which we age are

largely mutable by the lifestyle and behavioural choices we make.

In fact, if you want to slow down your ageing – all you have to do is move more and eat less. It’s as simple as that!

New research on the effects of exercise on ageing clearly shows that active older people resemble much younger people physiologically and mentally.

The findings suggest that many of our expectations about the inevitability of physical decline with advancing years are incorrect and that how we age is, to a large degree, up to us and the choices we make.

Ageing remains a surprisingly mysterious process. A wealth of scientific research shows that many bodily and cellular processes change in undesirable ways as we grow older. But science has not been able to establish definitively whether such changes result primarily from the passage of time – in which case they are inevitable for anyone who stubbornly keeps celebrating birthdays – or result, at least in part, from lifestyle… meaning that they are mutable.

This conundrum is particularly true in terms of activity. In Phuket older people generally tend to be quite sedentary, as they are all over the world.

The research, however, shows that being sedentary certainly affects health, making it difficult to separate the effects of not moving from those of simply getting older.

In new research, scientists at King’s College London removed inactivity as a factor in their study of ageing by looking at the health of a select group of older people who actively choose to exercise and move a lot.

“We wanted to understand what happens to the functioning of our bodies as we get older if we take the best-case scenario,” said Stephen Harridge, the senior author of the study.

To accomplish this, the scientists recruited men and women aged between 55 and 79 who bicycled regularly. The volunteers were all serious recreational riders, but not competitive athletes.

The scientists then ran each volunteer through an array of physical and cognitive tests determining each cyclist’s endurance capacity, muscular mass and

Bear, Baz’s dog, enjoys a workout too. strength, pedalling power, metabolic health, balance, memory function, bone density and reflexes.

The researchers compared the results of cyclists in the study against each other and also against standard benchmarks of supposedly normal ageing.

It turned out, the cyclists did not show their age. On almost all measures, their physical functioning remained fairly stable across the decades and was much closer to that of young adults than of people their age. As a group, even the oldest cyclists had younger people’s levels of balance, reflexes, metabolic health and memory.

Some aspects of ageing did, however, prove to be ineluctable. The oldest cyclists had less muscular power and mass than those in their 50s and early 60s and considerably lower overall aerobic capacities. Age does seem to reduce our endurance and strength to some extent, Dr Harridge said, even if we exercise.

Even so, both of those measures were higher among the oldest cyclists than would be considered average among people aged 70 or above.

All in all, the numbers strongly suggest that ageing’s effects are less dramatic in those who choose to keep active.

“If you gave this data to a clinician and asked him to predict the age of one of the cyclists based on his or her test results”, Dr Harridge said, “it would be impossible.” On paper, they all look young.

Dr Harridge, who is himself an avid cyclist, says, “being physically active makes your body function on the inside more like a young person’s.”

The evidence is clear and unequivocal that if you want to enjoy youthfulness with all its excellent mental and physical attributes for longer, simply get a bicycle and start pedaling around Phuket. But always take every precaution to remain safe and sound in our crazy island cycling environment. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

COMMUNITY 15

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

The gateway to great coffee.

The mighty Nitro Cold Brew.

A coffee lover’s good cold brew

Dou Brew Coffee & Craft CAFE

SOCIETY Amy Bensema bensema.amy@gmail.com

Dou Brew makes a point to use as many Thai coffee beans as they can, in order to highlight the rich coffee culture throughout the Kingdom.

@thephuketnews

A

stylish coffee shop located in the heart of Phuket Old Town, Dou Brew Coffee & Craft, is a fantastic find tucked away on Soi Rommanee. If you have been looking for a hip cafe to hang out in while having a drink, Dou Brew is definitely a good place to consider.

There are plenty of comfortable chairs, tables and vintage photos to pique your interest for an hour or two.

Dou Brew Coffee & Craft is owned and operated by a young Thai couple, Weerawat and Watinee Ngamreab. The cafe has been in existence for only just over a year, but it is without a doubt one of the coolest cafes on the island. Dou Brew features a wide range of affordable coffee drinks, speciality teas as well as a small selection of craft beers. For those looking to enjoy a full-on coffee break, there are a few homemade nibbles and cakes available.

The reason that Dou Brew Coffee & Craft originally caught my eye is because it has Nitro Cold Brew on tap. Often referred to as NCB, Nitro Cold Brew is still a new concept to Phuket. Essentially, it is a cold brew coffee charged with nitrogen which gives it a rich, creamy head. To put it into perspective, Nitro Cold Brew looks similar to Guinness, but obviously has a completely different taste. In an effort to highlight the flavour that the cold brewing process brings out in the coffee, Nitro Cold Brew at Dou Brew is served unsweetened, but the friendly staff are happy to put in a dollop of milk or cream for you.

Pond is the male half of the super duo that operates Dou Brew. Before opening the shop, he studied for two years and is now a trained barista. Extremely educated when it comes to coffee, he is quite skilled when it comes to latte art and extremely picky when it comes to coffee beans. The majority of the coffee beans used at the cafe are Arabica and sourced from Northern Thailand. Dou Brew makes a point to use as many Thai coffee beans as they can, in order to highlight the rich coffee culture throughout the Kingdom.

The lady in charge of The Rommanee Boutique Guesthouse, which has four rooms upstairs from the cafe, is Ann. She is the female half of the super duo and Pond’s wife. Opening a coffee shop was originally her idea, as she realised that her guests had no place to hang out in their Sino-Portuguese shophouse other than their rooms. These days, while the guesthouse sees its fair share of tourists, Dou Brew has become a favourite amongst locals. It is a young, creative crowd that hangs out here, so if you are looking for a bit of inspiration, chances are you will find it at Dou Brew Coffee & Craft.

In addition to the popularity of the Nitro Cold Brew, other menu best sellers include the traditional Thai Milk Tea and a Nitro Cold Brew Tea called ‘The Burgundy.’ A secret recipe tea blend made by Ann’s sister, The Burgundy is a fruity, fresh drink loaded with edible flowers and fruits. It is a deliciously re-

freshing choice to quench your thirst on one of Phuket’s hot, tropical days.

Dou Brew Coffee & Craft is open daily from 8am - 6pm. The cafe has a lot of charm, the staff are super friendly and the coffee drinks on offer are robust and affordable. Do stop in for a Nitro Cold Brew when you are in the neighbourhood.

Website: www.dou-brew-coffee-craft.business.site

The cafe has a vintage look and feel.

Cafe Facebook: DouBrewCoffee Guesthouse Facebook: TheRommanee Call: 091 825 2435 Written by Amy Bensema, Cafe Society is a monthly column which chronicles one girl’s search for the perfect cup of coffee.

Have a cafe to recommend? Contact Amy via email at bensema.amy@gmail.com or follow her caffeinated adventures as ‘Phuketstagram’ (www.instagram.com/ phuketstagram/).

16 PEOPLE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

PIWC 30 years,

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

keep on rocking

Interview with Maggy Wigman PEOPLE OF PHUKET Jill N. Wells

T

he day I met Maggy Wigman, the President of Phuket International Women’s Club (PIWC), her amiable smile, caring voice and elegant azure dress impressed me at first.

Only after getting to know her more did I realise just how superficial I was. She is everything more than how she looks.

Maggy was born and grew up in Luxembourg. To achieve her own dream and explore the world, she moved to Germany, France, Holland and Singapore, where she worked as a professional career woman. She speaks English, German, French and Dutch fluently, and with her language skills she has been able to know others and help out. After long years of working globally, Maggy and her husband chose Phuket to retire and intend to live in this beautiful island permanently.

Fourteen years ago when Maggy and her husband first moved here, her initiative to help others wouldn’t stop. She simply couldn’t let herself sit back relaxing and watch people around her suffer from the hardship of life. She wanted to get herself involved in the community and help out, to show her appreciation of this island and its people. So Maggy joined the PIWC. PIWC is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1989 by an Australian lady, Jill Crampton, and other expat ladies who lived in Phuket. As a local social network promoting friendship among women, whether new comers or residents, they can find support within this group from a strong and reliable sisterhood. Want to find some sisters with similar hobbies?

Try PIWC.

Maggy (front, left) with other members of the club.

Maggy Wigman, President of PIWC.

A PIWC recipient student graduation with scholarship committee members.

In addition to the monthly luncheon and coffee mornings there are subgroups like the book club, golf club, tennis club, bridge club, Mah-jong club, Needles & Pin and creative handcraft club. Honestly, once you join PIWC it’s more than friends you can find there, you might even find your life mission, just as Maggy did.

Margaret Thatcher once said, “If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.” There are now 135 registered members from 30 different nationalities. New members are always welcome and bring in new ideas.

PIWC is the oldest non-profit charity in Phuket, and for more than 22 years has been sponsoring needy Thai students with educational scholarships.

In all these years more than 1,400 scholarships have been awarded to girls and boys of different ages. In 2018 alone, 40 plus new students – from high school to university – received financial assistance from PIWC through their newly created International Women’s Foundation (IWF) in 2017. Currently, there are more than 200 students in the IWF/PIWC scholarship programme.

Students’ life quality has been profoundly improved by PIWC scholarships. PIWC members are more than proud of the students’ success. Maggy and all her fellow members believe this is a very rewarding thing to do. Many have been the first member of their family to graduate from high school or university, and have become doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, artists, and working in the hospitality business… with a more promising future ahead of them.

This list is still growing.

Ms Woranut Woranuj, with a four-year PIWC scholarship, graduated from Phuket Rajabhat University five years ago. Now she is an announcer on National Broadcast Thailand (NBT). Dr Wansida Chamason, with a six-year PIWC scholarship, now works in Vachira Phuket Hospital as a brilliant doctor.

Ms Woranuj said, “PIWC is our family, other recipients are brothers and sisters to each other. We love

this family. As honorable PIWC recipients, we always appreciate the generosity and support. We always bear in mind that we must return the mercy of love from all members.”

Dr Chamason commented, “PIWC provides me with educational opportunities. They’re my inspiration and supporter. I would like to offer scholarships to other people in need.”

Many of the scholarship recipients are now volunteering and fund-raising to make a difference for other unprivileged children. Maggy believes that one’s good, kind heart is like a magnet that attracts more kind hearts around them.

As the PIWC foundation becomes more wellknown, more generous donors and sponsors have joined. With the donations from PIWC members’ monthly luncheons and constant fund-raisings, their foundation has been able to offer more opportunity for the young people with talent and dreams.

Those students who received PIWC scholarships are very hard working and grateful for what they experienced in life, what help they received and what future they are embracing. For this, Maggy and her fellow members appreciate all the help and donations that they can get.

As a single individual, you probably can’t change much. But as a whole team, PIWC members believe that they can make the world a better place.

On knowing what they do and how they behave, it reminds me of another quote from Margaret Thatcher, “Where there is discord, may we bring harmony.

Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope.”

This is what the PIWC members believe. Commitment is an act, not just a word.

Phuket International Women’s Club: PO Box 407 – Phuket 83000 Thailand For general information: info@piwc-phuket.com Or you can find them via Facebook: Phuket International Women’s club (PIWC) thephuketnews

Last Punk Standing THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT 17

The new Vivienne Westwood documentary David Jacklin editor1@classactmedia.co.th

W

hat was the genesis of the Punk movement? Fashion or music? Certainly it caught the wider media and public attention from the anarchistic explosion onto the music scene of The Sex Pistols in 1976, and their only studio album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, in 1977.

But anyone with an interest in this genre knows that behind the band were two seminal individuals and an underground art movement, without which no-one of the above would ever have happened.

Vivienne Westwood met Malcolm McLaren in 1967. Vivienne made the clothes that Malcolm designed for his boutique clothing store in King’s Road, London, aptly and provocatively for its time named ‘SEX’. The styles they created included the whole safety-pin, torn T-shirt and S&M regalia that created the ‘look’ of Punk.

Their shop assistant, Glen Matlock, formed a band with various customers including Paul Cook and Steve Jones.

McLaren brought in the singer John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) and The Sex Pistols were unleashed onto an unsuspecting public. It was as creative as it was destructive on a naive pop culture of the era, and Malcolm McLaren, as the Pistols’ manager, pushed the boat of morality and social acceptance into unchartered waters. We’ve never looked back.

But it was Westwood’s chaotic mar-

@thephuketnews

riage of style and attitude which helped establish the essential shock value of Punk. In Westwood’s own words, “I was messianic about punk, seeing if one could put a spoke in the system in some way.”

Now somewhat contradictory to the strong anti-royal stance of the early movement, Dame Vivienne Westwood remains a significant force in the global fashion industry, with critically acclaimed clothing design and a brand with a worldwide shopping store and product empire.

At the heart of her work Westwood has always been and remains the fearless fashion heroine, pushing boundaries with not only her design, but forceful character. Her and Malcolm’s son, Joe Corré, who incidentally is the founder of Agent Provocateur, quite indisputably proclaimed her as “Britain’s last genuine punk”.

Lorna Tucker’s new documentary, Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist, is a highly entertaining glimpse behind the scenes into the character of this fashion one-off and her talent, which she defines in the film as ‘spatial intelligence’.

But it’s not an easy ride with the cantankerous Westwood. Frankly, we’d be disappointed with less.

If you’re after a detailed dissection of the beginnings of one of the defining genres of our time, look elsewhere in Julian Temple’s The Great Rock ’n’ Roll Swindle. Asked about the birth of Punk and the Sex Pistols, she takes a quick swing at Johnny Rotten and then denounces the entire topic with “It’s so boring.”

It’s going to be hard work from here.

Primarily the film chronicles her career as the subversive fashion designer.

But there is so much more behind this left-field and unlikely entrepreneur, that the bumpy ride is well worth the bruising. As is her commentary on a range of incidents across her career.

It shows the notorious UK TV interview from the ’80s where a studio audience laughed and mocked the models who appeared wearing her creations. Westwood was visibly wounded, but maintained an equanimity.

When Westwood surprised the world by accepting the OBE award from Queen Elizabeth II in 1992, she was filmed by the press photographer as being knicker-less. On being questioned

Britain’s last genuine punk. about her risqué choice of wardrobe for a royal occasion, Westwood instantly retorted, “I wished to show off my outfit by twirling the skirt. It did not occur to me that, as the photographers were practically on their knees, the result would be more glamorous than I expected.”

A valuable lesson to an intrusive press, don’t mess with the true originator of ‘Girl Power’.

It would be unfitting if I didn’t leave the last word of this review to Westwood’s own critique of the documentary, which ultimately heightens your desire to watch it even more.

“This film about me is mediocre. I am not.”

18 ISLAND SCENE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Pepe, Wicky, Jeniffer and Sam.

All indoors after rain stopped play on the terrace.

Tatiana, Ckori and Sofie.

Sam and Francesco explain the menu pairings.

CHEF FRANCESCO GRECO'S CULINERY TALES AT CAPE SIENNA DINNER Last Friday (Sept 14) Cape Sienna Hotel, Kamala, hosted a fine pairing dinner where Executive Chef Francesco Greco treated the guests to a sublime seven-course pairing dinner at the Plum Prime Steakhouse. The menu was presented as a narrative journey, from the opening Prologue course through to the finale dessert at Chapter Five.

There were plenty of rave reviews from the palates.

Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong attended the launch event.

The event organisers launch the Opening Ceremony.

GO ECO PHUKET ORGANISES A MAJOR CLEAN-UP ACROSS CORAL ISLAND Go Eco Phuket organised an opening ceremony and then a mass underwater and beach clean-up supported by local tour operators, students and officials last Saturday (Sept 15). The effort saw literally a ton of rubbish removed from popular dive sites around Koh Hei (Coral Island) alone. Gracing the official opening of the event were DMCR Region 9 Director Watcharin Thinthalang and Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong.

Bart, Jason, Christian, Lucas and James.

Thumbs up from David, Thomas and Stefan.

THE HOLE IN ONE BAR HOST TO NETWORK SCHMOOZING SUNDOWNERS Another excellent turnout for the Phuket Business Sundowners last Friday evening (Sept 14) at the Hole in One Bar in Kathu, where a wide crossover of Phuket businessfolk met for networking and exploring new business opportunities. thephuketnews

ISLAND SCENE 19

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Wicky, Jeniffer, Jason, Joel and Anisa.

Sam See takes to the stage.

Ashley, Christerine, Monody and Kim. The headlining act, Stephen Carlin, encaptures the crowd.

STAND UP ASIA ROLLS INTO TOWN FOR COMEDY NIGHT AT MERLIN BEACH So, once again, it was the monthly Stand Up Asia comedy night at the Marriott Resort and Spa, Merlin Beach. Monday’s (Sept 17) line-up included Stephen Carlin (Scotland), Sam See (Singapore) and Graham Whistler (England)… so quite the eclectic comedy mix. Sam See was recently interviewed by The Phuket News, so a risqué night was expected, and the crowd were far from disappointed.

The massive clean up effort gets underway.

The fantastic result of the Mai Khao haul and people’s contribution.

JW MARRIOTT SUPPORTS THE INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEAN UP 2018 Matthias Y. Sutter, General Manager of JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa welcomed guests, hotel’s associates and participants who all joined in on this global Annual International Coastal Clean Up 2018 campaign by cleaning up plastic and garbage around the Mai Khao Beach area.

Children and adults enjoy the cultural themed charity event.

Kirsten, Michelle, Deniz and Jennifer.

CAFÉ DEL MAR BRINGS ‘LATIN SPIRIT’ TO PHUKET HAS BEEN GOOD TO US On Saturday (Sept 8), Café del Mar partnered with children’s charity, Phuket Has Been Good To Us, on a Family Fun Fiesta fundraiser. The kids enjoyed a full afternoon of supervised cultural crafts: piñata making; Latin dancing workshop; face-painting; aerial ring circus artist and pool party, while parents had a chance to sit back, relax and catch up on their summer gossip or join in the fun with the kids. @thephuketnews

20 EVENTS

FRI

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

21 SEP

broiler with the unique sear and smokiness only charcoal could deliver. Starting from THB 1,200++. Reservations, Bodega & Grill, Angsana Laguna Phuket, fbreservation-lagunaphuket@angsana.com, 076 358 500.

SAT

22 SEP

Roasted or Mashed Potatoes. Roasted Mixed Vegetables Flavored with Thyme and Garlic. Yorkshire Pudding and Red Wine Gravy. Enjoy Live Music from 8-late performed by our famous Two Chefs Band! Come for the FOOD - RESERVE your table now online at bit.ly/ TwoChefsReservations Check out more details on our website at bit.ly/TwoChefsEvents Reservation, Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong.

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

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

& Boiled Potatoes, 3 Fresh Vegetables, Yorkshire Pudding & Gravy. Only 350 Baht. Includes a Free Glass of House Red or White. See: www.otools-phuket.com

MON

24 SEP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SUN

23 SEP

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

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

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

DAILY EVENT UPDATES ON

Sunday Roast All Day, All Night Charcoal Friday Charcoal BBQ at Bodega, featuring premium beef cuts, cooked live in the dining room on our charcoal

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

Featuring: Roast Aussie Beef, Pork Loin and Chicken.

Ocean Property, organisers of the Ocean Marina Pattaya Boat Show, invite you to join the inaugural Thailand Yachting Symposium from 16:00 - 18:00 at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel Bangkok.

The 2 hour conference will include panel sessions by speakers from the public and private sectors, with the aim to growing boating in Thailand. It is FREE to attend and followed by a networking cocktail party. Limited seats, register at www.oceanmarinapattayaboatshow.com/symposium.

Traditional Sunday Roast at O’Tool’s Served from 2pm. Your Choice of either Roast Beef, Chicken, Loin of Pork or Leg of Lamb Served with Roast

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

WED

EVENTS 21

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

26 SEP

THU

4 OCT

are a 3km family run, a 5km fun run, a 10km mini marathon, a 21km half marathon; and a VIP run for all distance. Walk-in registration at JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, October 1-10, from 10am to 5pm. Follow us on the social media channel https://www.facebook.com/maikhaomarineturtle­ foundation Contact Aorn Silla­pasathit­­wong at: info@ maikhaomarineturtlefoundation.org, Tel: 076 338 040.

TUE Sala Wednesday nights: Ribs, beats, brews Devour our succulent pork rib set complete with sweet corn chowder, blue cheese salad, moist cornbread and finish it off with a bread and butter pudding. DJ Q will keep the soul flowing and your toes tapping as you wash down those tender ribs with a bucket of craft brews. Full Rack set B1,600, Half Rack set B1,200, bucket of craft brews B800. Reservations, SALA Phuket Resort and Spa. Email: events@sala phuket. com or call 076 338 888.

THU

27 SEP

6 NOV

FRI

7 DEC

PHUKET BRIEFING & BUSINESS NETWORKING BCCT, in collaboration with AustCham, EABC, FTCC and NTCC, cordially invites you to Phuket Briefing on Thursday, 4th October 2018 at Thanyapura Health and Sports Resort. The Briefing, led by Hughes Krupica Consulting, will cover important information and updates on “Thai Company Nominees: What are they, allegedly?” with a panel discussion. After the briefing, join us for great food and drinks in a relaxing Thanyapura. Drop in to meet and network in Phuket! For booking, please email Khun Urosesri at urosesri@ bccthai.com or call 02-651-5350. Urosesri, Thanya­ pura Health and Sports Resort.

SAT

6 OCT

Melbourne Cup 2018 Brunch On Tuesday 6th November watch The Race That Stops The Nation at Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort. From 9am to 2pm enjoy this elegant fundraiser with five hours of free flow food and beverages, Fashions on the Field, amazing prizes and much more.

Book now with Donna Toon at lunch@classactmedia. co.th Tel: 0812 702 180. Donna Toon, Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort, lunch@classactmedia. co.th, 081-2702180.

SAT

Christmas Market

10 NOV

Date: 7th & 8th December 2018 from 6 pm - 10 pm.

“Booths available” rate 2 days/1,000 THB. Phuket Boat Lagoon, Phuket Boat Lagoon, event@phuketboatlagoon.com, 076 239 888 ext 318.

EVERY DAY

RETRO NIGHT – BACK TO THE 70S & 80S Don’t miss out on our newest, exciting weekly event at Two Chefs. Come and join us for our special Flambé 300g Australian grass-fed rib eye steak served with a creamy peppercorn sauce, roasted vegetable medley and potato gratin for ONLY B495. Have a sweet tooth? Treat yourself to the Two Chefs banana flambé served with vanilla ice cream for ONLY B95. Sit back and enjoy one of our drink specials as you listen to the famous Two Chefs band performing all your favorite retro hits and more! Live music starts from 8pm and goes late at all of our Two Chefs locations. Reservations are highly recommended. You can book on our website at www.TwoChefs.com or find us on Facebook at Facebook/TwoChefsThailand. Come for the food, stay for the fun! Reservations: Call us directly at Two Chefs Kata Center 076 330 065, Kata Beach 076 333 370, Karon 076 286 479 or Patong 076 344 914.

tiles. Hotel supplies and home decoration items.

See the latest breakthroughs in construction technology, interior design and building maintenance.

Learn how to design a smarthome for multi-milliondollar project IPTV, 4G Internet, IP Phone, Mobile phone, CCTV and other high-tech devices. PIC Phuket, 076 217199.

2018 Colour Fun Run

Oktoberfest 2018 The German Festival. Saturday, 6th October 2018, from 3 pm - 9 pm. Drinks + Food + Music Festival.

Free Entry. Phuket Boat Lagoon, Phuket Boat Lagoon, event@phuketboatlagoon.com, 076 239 888 ext. 318.

SUN

21 OCT

Gather up your friends or gear up solo for this vibrant race. The Colour Fun Run takes place annually and combines sport with family fun, encouraging people of all ages and abilities to join in on this fantastic and colourful day out. Tickets for this event sell very fast, so book now to avoid disappointment. Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort, events@thanyapura.com, 076 336 000.

WED

28 NOV

All you can eat Thai Tapas menu The 14th Mai Khao Marine Turtle Fun Run The 14th Mai Khao Marine Turtle Fun Run and Half Marathon 2018 The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation will host its annual fundraising sports event which will be taking place on Sunday, October 21, 5.30 am – 8.30 am, Phuket Gateway. There

@thephuketnews

18th Architect & Hotelex Construction Materials & Hotel Supplies Exhibition.

All types of construction materials from floors to roof

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

22 TIME OUT

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York

1. Who in 2016, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature ‘for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition’?

2. Which rugby stadium, home of Ulster rugby, was formerly known as Ravenhill?

3. In which sort of building does Homer Simpson work?

4. Nessun dorma is an aria from which opera?

5. Which of New York City’s five boroughs is home to JFK International Airport and LaGuardia Airport?

Answers below, centre

SUDOKU

Hard

Across 1. Cord fibre 5. Self-addressed envelope 8. “The Hobbit” hero Baggins 13. Gray ___ 14. Farmer’s place, in song 15. ___ squash 16. Pebble Beaches, beaches 18. Magical wish granter 19. Bar offering 20. Leaks 22. Lizard, old-style 24. Drilling tool 25. PGA tournament 30. Part of a flight 32. “Study” in French 33. Bow wood 36. Cuban coin 37. Think the world of 38. Surfeit 39. “Wheel of Fortune” buy 40. Urban V.I.P. 41. Everybody’s opposite 42. Equivalence 45. Sis’s sib 46. ___, we have no bananas 47. Snake sounds

52. Demands 56. Open, in a way 57. Ace 60. Hiding place 61. Cut, maybe 62. Pelvic parts 63. Portion of Earth’s crust 64. Paranormal ability 65. Part of DOT Down 1. “The Eagle ___ Landed” 2. Baseball stats 3. Maître d’s offering 4. Stationer’s stock 5. Poseidon’s domain 6. “The Sound of Music” backdrop 7. “... or ___!”

8. Celtic aerophone 9. Cooling-off period 10. Lengthy 11. Camembert’s cousin 12. Individuals 14. Go with the flow 17. Not our 21. Chip away at 23. Psychedelic shirt art 25. No-frills 26. 1983 Duran

Duran song 27. Foot rest 28. ‘Hip hip ___!’

29. Thermoplastic silky material 30. Loser’s place?

31. Big ___ Conference 34. Forever and a day 35. Track arrangement 37. Hammerin’ Hank 38. Act amorously 40. What every women looks for 41. JapaneseAmerican 43. Haunt 44. Article of faith 47. “Pipe down!”

48. Dividing word 49. Box 50. Liquid butter 51. Lays down the lawn 53. OK city 54. Name in pineapples 55. Barber’s motion 58. Back talk 59. Grab a bite

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1) Bob Dylan; 2); Kingspan Stadium; 3) Nuclear Power Plant; 4) Turandot (by Giacomo Puccini); 5) Queens

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

4

times only in their lives, on average, do Europeans move residence.

45

Ironman triathlons has Sister Madonna Buder completed.

She ran her first Ironman at the age of 65.

71.4

years is the average global life expectancy of someone born in 2015.

433

pills per resident is how many prescription opiates drug firms shipped to the US state of West Virginia alone from 2007-2012.

144 billion

steps in only 30 days is how much activity levels in the US increased by when Pokémon Go first debuted.

Source: Uberfacts

Bang Tao sunset. Photo: Johnathan Sykes Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket? Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

This week in history Sept 21, 1934 The classic novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of AngloSaxon at Oxford, is published. The initial print run of 1,500 copies sells out by December.

Sept 22, 1979 A bright double-f lash, resembling the detonation of a nuclear weapon, is observed near the Prince Edward Islands by a satellite overhead. The cause of the

double-flash is never determined.

Sept 23, 1980 Bob Marley plays, what would be the last concert of his life, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma in 1977, Bob Marley died on May 11, 1981 in Miami at age 36.

Sept 24, 2007 Between 30,000 and 100,000 people take part in anti-government protests in Yangon, Burma, the

Balboa reaches what will become known as the Pacific Ocean.

Sept 26, 1973 Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in recordbreaking time.

Bob Marley. Photo: Wikicommons largest in 20 years.

Sept 25, 1513 Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de

Sept 27, 1066 William the Conqueror and his army set sail from the mouth of the River Somme, beginning the Norman conquest of England.

Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Jobs

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CLASSIFIEDS 23 The Phuket News @thephuketnews

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CLASSIFIEDS 25

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Trades & Services

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

ADVERTISING SERVICES

CLEANING SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

MARINE SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

MARINE SERVICES

MARINE SERVICES

MARINE SERVICES

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26 CLASSIFIEDS

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Trades & Services

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

classifieds@thephuketnews.com

MOVING SERVICES

POOL SERVICES

PROPERTY SERVICES

OTHER

TRAINING

ADVERTISE HERE

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THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 27

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Buy & Sell

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

JOBS

Website operator

Female website operator capable of building a shopping site and driving traffic to the site via Google, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, blogs and other systems. Will work a flexible 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. Fixed salary B20,000 + 5% commision on sales generated by the site.

20,000 + commision. Contact Ron via: Siam.serenity.th@gmail.com, 0874178715.

Teacher wanted for child

Native English qualified teacher needed for child 5yo with autism. Speech, ABA, occupational therapists will have priority.

High salary, flexible working hours. European nations only. ksenia, dcondosale@ gmail.com GE UR

NT

Live-in housekeeper wanted

Live-in housekeep wanted for house in Kata.

Must understand English and love dogs.

Excellent conditions. 31/3 Soi Plukjae Kata Phuket. Contact: Lillian Dinic: lil@ladolcevitare.com.au or call 080 690 5248.

G UR

Bar staff wanted

T EN

Blondie Bar 2 at Otop Market Patong requires Bar Staff.

Thai nationals only. Good salary and room provided.

Phone Mick: 081 087 6114.

BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE

Riviera sport fishing boat

Perfectly maintained and cared for, this boat is in excellent condition and will provide great enjoyment for the next owner. Powered by twin 660hp Caterpillar diesel engines and fitted with every conceivable optional extra including True Visions satellite connection through a 42’ Smart TV, Raymarine navigation system, Dive Compressor, powerful stereo system and extensive fishing equipment. Selling to upgrade to a larger vessel. 9,000,000, Phuket Yacht Haven, sc@crone.net.au

FOR SALE AIR BERTH M320

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

BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE UR

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BUSINESS FOR SALE

Boat For Sale

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

BUSINESS FOR SALE

Chalong Boatbuilding Business

Boatbuilding business with 300sqm Office + 300sqm Workshop/Store. Chanote 0.5rai.

30ft Speedboat plus moulds for more production. 16,000,000, Simon Jupe, 29/4 Soi Nayai, Chalong, Phuket 83130, simonj@ cscoms.com, +66878832542.

CARS, TRUCKS FOR SALE

Hyundai Veloster TURBO

Hyundai Veloster Turbo 39,000 km, Price from new RARE BUSINESS 1,749,000THB, full service OPPORTUNITY book, 4 original rims with tires, all options.

Working Shareholder req. for a Now just 850,000THB. m.arnskjold@gmail. unique Phuket Business Opp. com, 0836351440 ENG / 0843058363 TH USD$75,000 (12.50% Co. Shares). ZERO Debts/Leases/ Amazing Deal!

Loans etc. Low Overheads, Hi2016 Toyota Vios Model E Margins, Hi-Vol. Sales (7 Day Sales). Long with only 35,000 km on it. est. comp. industry. 4-Us: ZERO COMPEIs an automatic, with fog TITION … ROI: Monthly Mngmt Fee. (Job lights, windows are tinted already, has the Pymt 20-30hpw) + Monthly Royalty Pymt. + Twice-Yrly. Co. Profits Dist. Genuine + plastic insert for the trunk, rubber floor mats Rare business opp – serious enquiries only for all seats, rain shields on all windows. Only please. 2.5mTHB (USD$75,000), Phillip driven locally in Phuket. It is kept in great Frankston, PHUKET, MvJHKT@Gmail.com, condition and is available to view in Chalong.

Only 495,000 THB. Adam 091 016 1167. +61 8001-6402 (Anytime).

28 CLASSIFIEDS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Buy & Sell CARS, TRUCKS FOR SALE

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2012 Ford Ranger 2.2 Open Cab

78,000km.

Six-gear manual transmission.

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

CARS, TRUCKS FOR SALE UR

GE

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CARS FOR RENT

We offer car rental at affordable prices. Monthly from B10,000. Daily from B400. Call us and find out what we offer. B10,000 monthly. Stig Johansson, 110/78 Moo 2, T Paklok, A Thalang, 83110 Phuket. Contact: stigisaan@gmail.com, 084 847 4377.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Flat roof waterproofing

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

MOTORBIKES FOR SALE

Ducati Multistrada 2012

2012 Model Multistrada. Perfect condition. Only 23,000 kms. Faithfully maintained. Have panniers and 15 liter tank bag. Steve, ducphuket@ gmail.com, 081-734-8309.

OTHER

Hotel Laundry Sevices

Exceptional commercial laundry services in Patong. increased capabilities are allowing us to expand to support 500 additional rooms.

Competitive, Chonticha, Patong. candk servicespatong@gmail.com, 0991658538.

POOL TABLES

AMAZING DEAL NOT TO BE MISSED!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

SERVICES

Property Phuket Law

Hot deal for selling & buying properties, legal advisor & litigation nationwide, accounting, visa, work permit, 0835994514, 0870149736, 0953255654.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Dream Village Phuket house

2bed 2bath 295sqm land 100sqm living + veranda, compl. renovated.: new water, electric., tiles, paint in/out, windows, 3A/C, built in kitchen. contact only via email picharly@gmail.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Villa Mission Heights Big Pool

3 bed, 31/2 bath, 330 sqm living, 900 sqm land, very quite area, 2km Mission Hills golf, 6km UWC, 8km airport. owner finance. Only email please: picharly@gmail.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Unique Investment Opportunity

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

House for rent

A sea view house in the gar Land & House for sale den on the mountain at Ao Villa 225sqm. incl. 75sqm terracMakham. 2 bedrooms. Pornes on Freehold Chanote Land: tip, 086 996 7535.

1 to 6 rai on SUKORN ISLAND, Trang province. Price THB 7,150,000 - THB Penthouse for Sale 15,250,000. Owner, Koh Sukorn, Trang prov432.44 SQM Penthouse ince, ddsukorn@gmail.com, 081 537 1957. for sale: 320 Degree view of Patong bay and city. PriHouse Lots on Coconut Island! vate pool. 22nd floor (top 230-300 sq.m. 1.4-1.9 million baht. New Chafloor) at the Andaman Beach note titles. Government road. Electricity. 200 Condominium, Patong, Phuket, Thailand.

METRES TO OCEAN !! Financing available. Condo Facilities: Two tennis courts, 10 x Tel. 095-068-1672chrisfisherii@gmail.com 24-metre swimming pool, fitness & game room, restaurant, parking. 60 Million Baht COMMUNITY PROPERTY FOR O.N.O., Songpan, songpanpirom@hotmail.

SALE com, 081 737 8662.

PROPERTY WANTED

Looking for property in Laguna

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

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

Like new English Riley Pool Table for sale.

Measures 320cm long by 170cm, comes with six pool cues and cue rack as well as game counter. Pick up in Chalong no delivery. Only 50,000 THB. Adam 091 016 1167. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

SPORT 29

Turbulent times in PPL

Caddy Shack player suspended, Natalie Bar deducted points POOL Matt Pond editor3@thephuketnews.com

T

he seventeenth round of the Patong Pool League (PPL), sponsored by Thailand Pool Tables, Genius 2 Garden and Restaurant and

Tualek Whisky, was played last Thursday (Sept 13) with league leaders Caddy Shack’s game being brought to an abrupt end with just a single game played.

It was Martin Swiss who made their way over Patong Hill to take on Caddy Shack in what was expected to be,

Well-deserved recognition: On Tuesday (Sept 18) at the conference room of Phuket Provincial Hall, Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodtong awarded a certificate to 9-year-old Louise Landgraf in recognition of her achievements as a golf player.

Louise recently won the World Stars Of Junior Golf tournament in Las Vegas, United States, her first international tournament victory.

@thephuketnews

as the league is named – a friendly game.

However, misunderstandings and irritations caused a premature end to the game and it has been decided that a rematch should take place.

In addition, it was also decided that one member of Caddy Shack’s team, who organisers have decided not to name, receive a verbal warning and be suspended from league action until further notice due to his actions on the night.

Meanwhile, Natalie Bar played away to Wombat Bar and Natalie, looking to field the strongest side possible, took along a top player from another league as a replacement for someone in her own team. This goes against PPL rules and regulations and therefore a two point deduction was made.

This meant that what was a 10-2 win for Natalie in fact became an 8-2 win.

Elsewhere, Red Light Bar played away to Kwans Birdie Club with Ricky, Tony and Se playing for Birdie Club all winning their singles and

LEAGUE STANDINGS

Steve was born in Australia but lives in Phuket and enjoys a good game of pool. He plays every week with his mates from Kiki Sports Bar. Photo: Supplied doubles matches. The beerleg was a three-setter won by Birdie Club which made the final score 8–4 for the home team.

Happy End Bar played away to Genius Bar, now better known as Tommy and his five angels, and Oye, Jerry and Bruno playing for Happy

End won their singles and doubles games with Bruno seven-balling Nong Fern, who looked on in shock after he sunk the black ball with all her balls still on the table.

Bam Bam playing for Genius also won her singles and doubles games while the beerleg was again a three-

Natalie

113

Caddy Shack

109

Kwans Birdie Club

106

Simon & Oil’s

90

Happy End

87

Kiki Sports

84

Wombat

78

Genius

73

Martin Swiss

72

Red Light

71

Ting Tong

70

setter and the final score was a well-earned 8-4 win for Happy End. Simon & Oil’s were due to play away against Ting Tong, however, Ting Tong is currently being renovated and their pool table upgraded, so this match is postponed until a later date.

30 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

All blue on the horizon

Phuket developer once again WCGC Thailand Title Sponsor GOLF The Phuket News editor3@thephuketnews.com

F

ore Management Group is delighted to announce that Blue Horizon Developments have re-signed as the Title Sponsor for The Blue Horizon World Corporate Golf Challenge Thailand 2019.

Blue Horizon Developments are the leading property developer in Phuket.

In the last few years, they have become serial award winners recently winning awards for Best Developer in Phuket, Best Investment Project Phuket – Grand Himalai and Best Mixed-Use Project Phuket – Grand Himalai at the Dot Property Thailand Awards 2018.

This year The Blue Horizon World Corporate Golf Challenge Thailand will comprise of eight qualifiers all over Thailand, culminating with the grand final in Phuket on April 27 at Laguna Golf Phuket.

Blue Horizon Developments’ CEO Andres Pira

Chris Watson, Managing Director of Fore Management Group (right) and Blue Horizon Developments’ CEO Andres Pira. Photo: Supplied

Paul Judge and Pim Surintarangoul from Phuket’s Prime Real Estate were crowned champions of last year’s World Corporate Golf Challenge World Final. Photo: Supplied commented, “We at Blue Horizon are delighted once again to be a part of the World Corporate Golf Challenge Thailand 2019. Last year was a great success and with

Thailand winning the World Final it made it that much better.”

He added, “We are very much looking forward to working with the Fore Man-

agement Group again and delivering Thailand’s biggest and most prestigious amateur golf event in 2019.”

Chris Watson, Managing Director of Fore Management

Group and WCGC Thailand Licence holder, commented, “We can’t thank Andres and Blue Horizon enough for their support last year and helping Thailand become World Corporate Golf Challenge World Champions.”

He continued, “Events of this magnitude cannot happen without great partners and to have Blue Horizon once again be the title sponsor of Thailand’s largest amateur golf event is a great privilege.”

About the World Corporate Golf Challenge The World Corporate Golf Challenge is the biggest corporate golf tournament in the world and since its inception 25 years ago, over one million

golfers have competed across the globe for the chance to represent their company and country at the World Finals.

Recent years have been a period of significant development for the WCGC, building on the success of the previous years and World Finals in Scotland, Sotogrande, Spain, and Cascais, Portugal. The World Final continues to be broadcast by Golfing World TV to over 50 broadcasters with an estimated home reach of 350 million globally. The World Final continues to also be covered by Time and Fortune magazines.

For more info please visit: https://www.worldcorporategolfchallenge.com/

Rawai Pool League mourns loss of Kevin Bayard POOL THE PLAYERS OF THE RAWAI Pool League are deeply saddened by the sudden death of Kevin Bayard.

Kevin, aged 30, was a long-term resident of Rawai and Phuket. His death was announced by his father Franck Bayard at 11:59am last Friday (Sept 14).

Kevin was a much-respected and well-loved member of the Rawai community. As the owner of The Black Bull restaurant and former owner of Baroque Bar, Kevin was widely

known and liked by Thais and expats alike. He will be remembered for his ever-present smile and infectious positivity. Kevin was a well-known DJ in his native France and continued to work in the entertainment industry upon his arrival in Phuket in 2011.

Kevin is survived by his father Franck, mother Marie-Pierre and sister Noémie. The players and committee of the Rawai Pool League extend our deepest condolences to Kevin’s family.

The Rawai Pool League will never forget Kevin, and his memory will stay with us all. Out of respect to Kevin, Franck and Kevin’s family

Members of the Rawai Pool League gather at The Black Bull on Monday (Sept 17) to remember Kevin Bayard. Photo: Michi von Hamberg the Rawai Pool League suspended the 14th season. Kevin was cremated at Rawai Temple at 5pm Wednesday (Sept 19).

Time slips by and life goes on, But from our hearts you’re never gone, We think about you always, we

Kevin Bayard, 1989-2018. Photo: Eric Colombo talk about you too, We have so many memories but we wish we still had you.

Richard Hearne

What’s on at the ACG

Date

Time

Fri Sept 21

4:30pm

Sun Sept 23

Wed September 26

10am 2pm 4:30pm

Activity

Senior Cricket Training Kids Cricket Academy C&C Marine League Grand Final Patong White v Kashmiri CC (semi-final) Goan Panthers v winner of morning semi-final Senior Cricket Training Kids Cricket Academy

You can’t beat the ACG for exc itement and fun for all the family!

Photo: Suthida Huadkham

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

SPORT 31

PREMIER PREDICTIONS: ENTER NOW AT THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Lewis unbeatable at Singapore GP BOX OF NEUTRALS

EPL PREDICTIONS OVERALL STANDINGS

Fitz 13 jaysinky 13 Pugwash 13 stegee 13 giggs 12

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Fitz 34 Smiley Bar 34 adamrosindale 32 fazza 31 giggs 31

English Premier League 2017 - 2018 Team 1 2 3

Lewis Hamilton reacts after lifting the Trophy at the F1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2018 last Sunday (Sept 16). Photo: Naratip Golf Srisupab / SEALs Sports Images

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principal culprit to be the team itself.

Expectations that Ferrari and Vettel would cruise to victory were not without foundation. Vettel has won four times at Marina Bay – the most of any driver before Hamilton’s victory at the weekend – Ferrari’s car is well matched with the slow and twisty nature of the circuit itself, and Mercedes’s Singapore form is patchier than victories in 2016 and 2017 suggest.

But despite the odds s t a c k e d i n t h e t e a m’s favour and despite practice demonstrating Ferrari’s car was indeed strong in Singapore, a combination of Vettel crashing during Friday practice, a disagreement between Vettel and his engineer about how to best prepare his qualifying tyres and some poorly timed releases onto the track for qualifying itself conspired to drop Vettel to third on the grid on a circuit where overtaking is extremely difficult.

But Ferrari and Vettel’s inability to grasp this race with both hands tells only half the story – Hamilton was the irresistible force to the Italian team’s easily movable object.

Lewis Hamilton put his car on pole with a 0.6-seconds margin over Vettel with a lap that surprised even his own engineers.

“That felt like magic!”

Hamilton exclaimed afterwards. “It felt like one of the best laps I remember feeling.”

Qualifying is half the job done at a street circuit, but even so the Briton left nothing to chance, acing the race start, safety car restart and sole pit stop to put the result well beyond doubt even before Ferrari and Vettel fumbled with its tyre strategy.

As much as the Singapore Grand Prix was another story of Ferrari failure as the championship hurtles towards an increasingly inevitable conclusion, so too was it yet another example of Hamilton

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More info: phuket-hhh.com

MONTHLY SPONSOR

MONTHLY STANDINGS

Michael Lamonato michael@boxofneutrals.com

he corks had been popped on the podium, and though Sebastian Vettel made a token effort to partake in the post-race celebrations, it was obvious his heart wasn’t in it.

This wasn’t the podium ceremony he’d expected ahead of the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix – in fact most of the Formula One paddock had long assumed the German would have been spraying the bubbly stuff from the top step come last Sunday night (Sept 16). Instead Vettel was a lowly third, and the man taking his spot at the highest point on the rostrum was title rival Lewis Hamilton.

Now, as the Ferrari driver was forced to half-heartedly shake the bottle for the throng of fans below him, perhaps he was considering exactly how his tilt to become a five-time world champion had come to a screeching, sudden halt.

Deep down he knew the answer.

“I think the biggest enemy is me, and I think we have a great car,” Vettel said before the race, talking about the string of driver errors that had left him 30 points off Hamilton with seven races remaining. “We will be our first enemy – not [Hamilton] as a person or [Mercedes] as a team.”

His words were prophetic, because a post-mortem of Ferrari’s must-win Singapore G r a nd P r i x reveals t he

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performing at a level above the rest. The Mercedes has been slower than the Ferrari, if only marginally, for much of the season, but Hamilton has made up the difference.

After July’s British Grand Prix Hamilton trailed Vettel by five points; now, just five races later, he commands a 40-point lead – a conversion of nine points per race.

A fifth championship is now well within his grasp – three more victories and a third-place finish in the final six races would be enough to put the title beyond doubt; Vettel, on the other hand, must win the lot just to keep his destiny in his own hands.

Surely the only question is whether it’ll be Hamilton who overwhelms the German or Vettel himself who will deal his own title chances the fatal blow.

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

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Chelsea Liverpool Manchester City Watford Bournemouth Tottenham Hotspur Arsenal Manchester United Wolverhampton Everton Leicester City Crystal Palace Southampton Brighton Fulham West Ham United Cardiff City Huddersfield Town Newcastle United Burnley

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5 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 2 2 1 0 2 2 1 1

0 0 0 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 3 3 2 2 3 4 3 3 4 4

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4 2 3 5 7 6 9 8 5 9 9 6 6 9 12 11 9 11 8 10

+10 +9 +11 +5 +3 +4 +1 0 0 -1 -1 -2 0 -2 -5 -6 -6 -9 -4 -7

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Premier League fixtures Saturday Sept 22 Match

Time in Thailand

Fulham

vs

Watford

Burnley

vs

Bournemouth

9pm

Cardiff

vs

Man City

9pm

Crystal Palace

vs

Newcastle

9pm

Leicester

vs

Huddersfield

9pm

Liverpool

vs

Southampton

9pm

Man Utd

vs

Wolves

9pm

Brighton

vs

Spurs

11:30pm

6:30pm

Sunday Sept 23 Match

Time in Thailand

West Ham

vs

Chelsea

7:30pm

Arsenal

vs

Everton

10pm

Sport PANTHERS POUNCE editor3@classactmedia.co.th

Upset in form sees Goans reach C&C Marine league Final CRICKET Neil Quail

I

n their inaugural Phuket cricket season, the newly formed Goan Panthers upset the form book and expectations with a dramatic victory over league leaders Patong Blue in last Sunday’s (Sept 16) C&C Marine league semi-final play-off at the ACG to set them up with a place in Sunday’s (Sept 23) Final.

Despite fears of inclement weather, perfect conditions greeted the players on arrival for the first semifinal, which pitted Patong Blue, who finished top of the table, against fourth-placed Goan Panthers.

Having claimed top spot for their consistent performances and boasting two previous wins against the Panthers, Patong Blue would certainly have felt confident of progressing to the final, but without their batting talisman Matthew Kohler, and starting the match a player short, a clear cut victory was never on the cards.

The Panthers, however, have seen steady improvement over the course of the season, and while their batting performances have been somewhat mixed, their bowling line-up has gathered respect among their opponents.

Batting first, the Blues opened with Shad Wahid and Rishi Sadarangani in facing the formidable strike attack of Arun Virdikar and Ravi Naik, with Rishi taking the lead in the partnership by cracking two 6s off Naik in the second over, pushing the score to 18 before being

dropped by Naik in the fourth over off Premkumar Salikinini’s bowling and the score reaching 29 for the Blues.

Rishi’s (30) reprieve inspired two more boundaries from the Blue’s batsman before attempting to punish a short delivery from Virdikar, but his lofted effort succeeded only in finding the safe hands of Pranesh Kinlekar. And with his very next delivery, Virdikar found a way through Wahid’s defences to flatten the stumps, with the score now on 40 for 2.

The swift loss of two wickets brought an all new partnership combining Muhammad Ahmed and Manish Sadarangani. A 6 from Ahmed’s first ball faced may have signalled a cause for concern from the Panthers, but both Naik and Salikinini steadied the ship with decent line and length to limit any further damage, before Naik struck again in the eighth over bowling Ahmed for an inexpensive 16 runs, bringing Roshan Jayasuriya to the middle and the score on 59 for 3.

Vijay Salikinini took over bowling responsibilities in the ninth over and with his third delivery caused the ball to swing back at Manish, who misread the movement allowing the ball to clip his off-stump, sending the bemused batsman back to the clubhouse.

Concern was certainly circulating in the Blue’s camp as Sameer Khan joined Jayasuriya, with the league leaders now losing wickets at a rate of one per over... and Jayasuriya did not let the statistics down edging a Naik delivery to keeper Balesh Des-

sai in the 10th over, before Virdikar claimed Khan as his third wicket in the 11th over, with Premkumar taking a straight forward catch.

Finally, it was left to Saju Abraham as last man standing to squeeze a few extra runs, but he too fell victim to the wicket per over stat, caught by Mayur Denskar in the 12th over off Vijay’s bowling, ending the blue’s innings on 72 all out.

Targeting 73 to win, the Panthers opened with Naik and Denskar knowing the loss of early wickets would give hope to the Blues in defending a particularly low total, while the Blues needed to ensure extras were kept to a minimum.

Unfortunately for the Blues, bowling too many wides proved instrumental to their eventual downfall, leaking 23 runs through wayward deliveries, with extras in fact claiming top scorer for Goa. Given that the Panthers scored only 47 runs off the bat, and the highest individual score coming from Naik (19), the Blues will no doubt lament their weak showing with the bat and such a loose performance with the ball.

As the Panther’s innings progressed to the sixth over without loss for 29 runs, achieving the target seemed only a matter of time, when a delivery from Khan caught Denskar LBW backing onto his wicket.

Naik was also to fall to Khan’s accurate bowling in the same fashion four overs later, but the addition of several more wides helped drive the Panther’s score to 58 for 2, and only 15 runs needed for victory.

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Against the odds Hamilton reigns at Singapore GP > p31

Goan Panthers secure the first C&C Marine Grand Final place and will face either Patong White or Kashmiri CC on Sunday (Sept 23) at the ACG. Photo: Suthida Huadkham Inset: The Goan Panthers celebrate their dramatic victory over Patong Blues. Photo: Michael Flowers

With the finishing line in sight, the Panthers began to unravel, but they were fortunate to have Lucky Singh (12) anchor the innings as the remainder of his team came and went in quick succession giving the Blues real hope that they could miraculously steal a finals berth away from the stuttering Panthers.

Virdikar was first to go with the score on 60, followed two runs later by Kinlekar. Manish then also claimed Dessai’s wicket before Premkumar suffered the same fate with the score on 69.

The winning runs eventually came in the 15th over, sending the Panthers into celebration, but with an element of relief also evident in their reactions in taking an anxious two wicket victory.

The Goan Panthers should also be commended on a decent sporting gesture in allowing Patong Blues to use Ike Bekker as a substitute fielder, ensuring the league leaders at least had a full complement of players for their fielding innings.

Arun Virdikar topped the Panther’s bowling figures with 3 for 24 off his four overs, while Muhammed Ahmed was awarded Man-of-theMatch.

Certainly, the day’s second semifinal had the hallmarks for another exciting match, with second placed Patong White taking on third place Kashmiri CC. Having also played each other twice in the league, Patong White had scraped a victory in their first encounter on June 24, but Kashmiri CC claimed their revenge with an

emphatic win from their second meeting on August 12.

Sadly, it was the rain that eventually won the day when after the eighth over both teams retreated to the clubhouse to escape a downpour that persisted for the afternoon, rendering the pitch unplayable and the match eventually being abandoned at 4:30pm.

However, another fine sporting gesture ensued, when the rules were consulted to determine the next course of action, and it was deemed that Patong White was to progress to the final given that they had finished ahead of Kashmiri CC in terms of league position and that the match had completed the necessary amount of eight overs to constitute a game before being abandoned.

Following a discussion of the situation with captains and match officials, Patong White captain, Anthony Van Blerk, offered to have the match rescheduled to next weekend in order to allow both teams a fair opportunity of reaching the final, knowing full well he was within his rights to claim the victory.

As such, Patong White will play Kashmiri CC in their rescheduled semi-final at 10am on Sunday (Sept 23), with the winner facing Goan Panthers immediately afterwards at 2pm in the Grand Final.

For more information on all at the ACG, please contact Jason Robertson via jason@acgphuket.com or visit our Facebook pages: Phuket Cricket Group or ACG Cricket and Sports Facility. thephuketnews