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fter more than two years of stuttering progress in Phuket’s beach-clearing campaign, two large excavators on Wednesday (Apr 20) demolished all the buildings along the Surin beachfront, under the watchful protection of Navy military personnel and scores of police. The demolition crews began work
SPORT know what exactly happened here. We just wanted to get it done,” Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat said. “After the demolition [at Surin] is finished, work will begin on the photography museum to honour HM The King and Queen,” he added. V/Gov Chokdee said it was important for foreigners to understand what was happening at Surin Beach. “We are not destroying Phuket. We are doing the right things as decided must
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PAGE 18
Jazz festival to strike a chord
Navy security personnel look on as the buildings fall. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot
on the stroke of 9am, starting at the southern end of the beach and quickly working their way north. Fast to fall were Catch and Bimi beach clubs, which held farewell parties last Saturday night (Apr 16), as well as Pradab and Red’s Tablecloth restaurants. Work on deconstructing Zazada, at the northern end of Surin Beach, quickly continued while the diggers made short work of destroying everything that stood in their path. “The Phuket Governor and I well
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Street art sets Old Town abuzz
LIFE
Surin Beach buildings razed as business owners capitulate
Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th
NEWS
be done in 2014,” he said, alluding to the National Council for Peace and Order’s mandate that year for officials to remove all illegal businesses from public land in Phuket. V/Gov Chokdee on Tuesday (Apr 19) noted that Phuket has 50 beaches, and that Surin Beach was to become a beach honouring HM The King and Queen. “At present, the land adjoining Surin Beach has been encroached by beach operators both Thai and...
PAGE 40
Nong May takes the world by storm
News 2
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Lifeguards take Patong kids’ surf survival, rescue to heart > page 7
Three dead in Songkran road-safety campaign Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th
The blaze engulfed six speedboats. Photo: Amnoy Supawatkan
Arson not ruled out in tour boat blaze POLICE ARE INVESTIgating a fire that broke out at Chalong Pier early Tuesday (Apr 19), causing an estimated B25 million in damage to six tour speedboats. Phuket Marine Police Chief Lt Col Panya Chaichana was called to the beach beside Chalong Pier, a popular departure point for dive tours and tour boats heading to nearby islands, at 3am. Police arrived with 10 fire trucks from Rawai, Chalong and Wichit municipalities. “Firemen took two hours to put the fire out,” said Col Panya. All six speedboats damaged by the blaze belonged to Phuket tour company Nikorn Marine. “It is unfortunate that there were no witnesses to the incident because it happened at
night and one crew member, Mr Don, 50, who guards the boats, was taken to hospital with injuries caused by the fire,” said Chalong Police Chief Col Nopadon Thiraprawat. “Mr Don cannot give us any statement at the moment so we have to wait for him to recover. “We are waiting for forensic police to determine the cause of the fire,” he added. Lt Col Kittisak Noophueng of the Forensic Police told The Phuket News, “We believe that the fire started at the centre of the third boat and then escalated to the other boats nearby. “However, we cannot pinpoint the source of the fire just yet, but at this stage we believe the fire was started by either a short circuit or arson.” Eakkapop Thongtub
Boontan Sonthon, 34, died after losing control of his motorbike and crashing into a roadside pylon in Cherng Talay last Saturday (Apr 16). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub April 11 and saw the government introduce measures in a attempt to reduce road fatalities, the province had one of the lowest fatalities rates in the country, three. The first Phuket fatality during the campaign was Swedish national Johnny Daniel Soderstrom, 41, in Phuket for Phuket Bike Week, who died after he crashed his motorbike on Thepkrasattri Bridge last Thursday night (Apr 14). Narong Jarat, 44, became the second victim after he was fatally injured by Russian national Ruslan Gainutdinov in Rawai last Thursday night
(Apr 14) (see page 3). The third victim, Boontan Sonthon, 34, died after losing control of his motorbike and crashing into a pylon in Cherng Talay on Saturday morning (Apr 15). In addition to the three deaths, 62 people in Phuket suffered injuries in a total of 57 reported road accidents. Last year there were 57 reported accidents leaving 58 people with injuries – but zero deaths. Of the 57 reported accidents this year, 26 occurred in Muang district, 24 in Thalang and seven in Kathu. In terms of police action, during this year’s campaign
4,871 people were fined for not wearing a helmet, 245 people charged with drunk driving, and 2,422 for driving without a licence. There were 132 people fined for using a phone while driving, 55 for running red lights, and 486 more for not wearing a seat belt. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation also reported that 46 people were charged with reckless driving (all motorbikes), and 93 for illegally riding/driving against traffic flow. However, not a single person was recorded as charged for speeding.
Crunch time as Surin Beach buildings razed
G
overnor of Phuket, Chamroen Tipayapongtada, this week lamented the three deaths during the Seven days of Danger Songkran road-safety campaign, which officially ended at midnight last Sunday night (Apr 17). The news comes as Thailand experienced its worst road-fatality rate during a “Seven Days” campaign for Songkran in national history. (See page 10.) “The th ree deaths in Phuket are very sad news,” Gov Chamroen said. “We did the best we could, but many of the accidents were not related to regular traffic. “The main causes of accidents, and the resulting deaths and injuries, were drunk driving, motorcyclists not wearing helmets, and reckless driving to the point that there were single-vehicle accidents. “We are looking deeper into this and hopefully we can reduce the number of people killed on Phuket’s roads to zero,” Gov Chamroen said. During the Seven Days of Danger campaign in Phuket, which started at midnight on
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Continued from page 1 ...foreign, however, on April 20 officials will visit the area and demolish all illegal structures, and in one year Phuket must transform it into Rajabhakti Park, a place of education for the future,” he said. “Surin Beach is only a part of the whole beach project,” V/Gov Chokdee warned. “Next will be demolitions at Leypang and Layan beaches on April 27.” The demolitions followed repeated attempts by the business owners who occupied the beachfront premises to prevent the wrecking crews from levelling their rented structures, despite being granted months-long reprieves time and again. E a rl ie r t h is mont h , Walailuck Buasri, coordi-
An excavator crunches through the roof of one of the Surin Beach buildings destroyed. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot nator of the Surin beach business operators club, said the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor) and the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (OrBorJor) had instructed them to dismantle their shops by April 15. They had asked for a grace period for the demo-
lition of the structures, but the two local bodies refused and instead filed a police complaint accusing them of encroaching on public land, said Ms Walailuck. There were a total of 40 shops along the beach. Of these, 20 were built by the OrBorJor in 1995 and offered for rent. The other 20 were
built in 2005 by the Cherng Talay OrBorTor. According to reports, each business paid only B5,000 in rent a year. As recently as Monday (Apr 18), about 36 tenants who occupied the Surin beachfront buildings urged Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada to delay the deadline – or reconsider the demolitions altogether. However, Gov Chamroen only assured the tenants that officials will act in full accordance of the law. Regardless, Channonphipak Prachumsrisakul, said, “We don’t agree with the charges of trespassing on public land,” he said. “We have filed an appeal with regional Administrative Court (in Nakhon Sri Thammarat) to consider our right to making a living on this land.” thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Officials undeterred in Patong water tests
PHUKET NEWS
3
Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th
fficials from Environmental Department’s Region 15 office in Phuket collected samples of wastewater from Pak Bang Canal on Monday (Apr 18) in the hope of determining what caused the beach water in Patong Bay to turn brown this past week. Samples were collected from about 100m downstream from the Patong Municipality wastewater treatment plant and at several points along the waterway to where the canal empties into Patong Bay at the southern end of the beach. Samples were also collected from along the Patong beachfront, said environmental officer Khanchit Soontrakorn. “We especially inspected the water released by the Patong wastewater treatment plant,” Mr Khanchit told The Phuket News. “We know that Patong Municipality has its own individual company hired to test water quality of the water it releases, but we want to know
O
Russian national Ruslan Gainutdinov, 37, admitted to driving the Toyota Yaris down the wrong side of the street, said police. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon
Russian faces charges for fatal head-on collision
The Patong Municipality wastewater treatment plant reportedly collects wastewater from throughout about 80 per cent of the Patong area. Photo: Environmental Department’s Region 15 office the volume of nutrients that is in the water released by the plant, which could which affect plankton in the bay,” he said. However, Mr Khanchit said his officers will have to wait 10 days for the water-quality test results. “Then we can figure out what caused the water at Patong Beach to change colour and how to solve the problem,” he added.
“The Patong Municipality wastewater treatment plant receives wastewater from an area covering about 12.4 square kilometres – about 80 per cent of the Patong area,” Mr Khanchit explained. “We know that Patong Municipality is working on expanding its wastewater treatment coverage to include the remaining 20% of the Patong area... and we know they are
Flight aborted after co-pilot
has heart attack in cockpit, dies A SOUTH KOREAN COpilot died after suffering a heart attack in the cockpit while preparing for takeoff at Phuket International Airport early on April 15. The 40-year-old co-pilot, Hyunsoo Lim, was conducting his preflight check on Eastar Jet Flight ZE532 when he started experiencing breathing difficulty and fell unconscious, said Lt Suporn Muangkhai of the Thalang Police. The Boeing 737-800, scheduled for takeoff at 3:20am, was carrying 180 passengers and six crew, bound for Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea. “Airport emergency responders transported Mr Lim to Thalang Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead,” said Lt Suporn. “Staff at the hospital emergency room reported the death at 8:20am,” he added. “Doctors at Thalang Hospital confirmed that he died of heart attack. No signs of assault or injury were found on the body.” The flight was rescheduled and took off soon after 1:40pm @thephuketnews
The Boeing 737-800 departed the next day, carrying 180 passengers and six crew, bound for Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Toshiro Aoki (www. jp-spotters.com) later that day. A tour handler in Phuket for Eastar Jet confirmed to The Phuket News that the passengers, who were taken to Phuket Town after the incident, had been returned to the airport and were boarding the aircraft at 1:20pm. “The are no issues with the aircraft. The flight is about to take off now,” she said. The South Korean Embassy in Bangkok was notified, said police. South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it had launched an investigation to see if the
low-cost carrier was adhering to rules regarding working conditions, and allowing its pilots to take enough rest between flights. Mr Lim had logged 2,980 hours of flight since he joined Eastar Jet in September 2011. His regular medical checkups last year showed he didn’t have any particular illnesses, the ministry said. Eastar Jet declined to comment on what steps would be taken after Mr Lim’s family brought his body home to South Korea. Eakkapop Thongtub
looking at doing this soon... but at this stage that is all we know.” he said. The samples collected on Monday f ly in the face of officials last Saturday assuring that wastewater released by the Patong Municipality wastewater plant did not contribute to the problem of the Patong beachfront water turning brown from excessive “nutrient content”.
A RUSSI A N M A N IS facing a charge of reckless driving causing death after he drove his car down the wrong side of a street in Rawai last week, fatally injuring a Thai man riding his motorbike in the opposite direction. Police were notified of the accident at 11:45pm on April 14. “We were called to Soi Samakkee 4, off Sai Yuan Rd, where a Toyota Yaris had collided with a Honda Click motorbike,” explained Lt Chanat Hongsitchaikul of the Chalong Police. The impact left the motorbike driver, Narong Jarat, 44, unconscious with head injuries. He was taken to
Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town for treatment. He died the next day. The Toyota driver, named by police as Russian national Ruslan Gainutdinov, 37, was unharmed in the collision. Mr Ruslan admitted to driving down the wrong side of the street, Lt Chanat said “Other drivers on the street at the time also confirmed this,” he added. “We breath-tested Mr Ruslan for alcohol, but he tested negative. We have asked doctors to conduct a blood test on Mr Narong for alcohol. We have yet to get those results back,” Lt Chanat noted. Darawan Naknakhon
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he stern Thailand immigration re-entry bans for foreigners who illegally overstay in the country has received strong support from Phuket’s expat community. Two-thirds of voters in an online poll by The Phuket News that asked, “How harsh should the immigration overstay re-entry ban be?” voiced their support for the bans. The new regulations stipulating the bans came into force late February. Under the new rules, bans for foreigners who “surrender themselves” to immigration for overstays range from one year for overstays of 90 days or more to 10 years for overstays of five years or more. The penalties for those “caught” overstaying in the country are even harsher.
Immigration Chief Lt Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn has received broad support from Phuket’s expat community for the overstay re-entry bans. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon A total of 36 per cent of respondents to the poll voted, “The ban is understandable against adults, but should not apply to children under 18 years of age.” At the time the poll was launched (Mar 18), the Immigration Bureau had yet to confirm whether or not children would be banned under the new rules.
Truck flips as shoes prevent brake action A 30-YEAR-OLD MAN has been charged with r e ck le s s d r iv i n g a n d causing damage to government property after admitting to taking off his shoes while driving a delivery truck last Sunday night (Apr 18), which police said caused the man to crash into a road sign and smash into a roadside milestone before the truck rolled over. Cherng Talay Police were called to the scene, near the Heroines' Monument, en route to Cherng Talay, at about 11.50pm. Officers found the truck on its side blocking eastbound traffic. The driver, Subin Kulmuangon, was in a “conf u se d st at e” a nd soon transported to hospital. Mr Subin explained he had just returned from deliv-
Driver Subin Kulmuangon escaped serious injury. ering mushrooms in Patong and had removed his shoes while driving. As he neared the Heroines Monument, h e wa s u n a ble t o d e press t he bra ke ped al, which was jammed by his shoes, police said. He swerved to avoid hit ting the monu ment roundabout, but took down a road sign and smashed into a milestone before the truck flipped. Eakkapop Thongtub
But by the following Friday (Mar 25), Immigration Chief Lt Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn visited Phuket to confirm in person that children would be exempt for the re-entry bans. “Officers will strictly enforce the rules and crack down on all overstayers in the Kingdom. However, I must reiterate that these rules do
not apply to children under the age of 18,” he said. However, just under one third (30%) of respondents to the poll called for even harsher measures, voting for the bans to apply to foreign children. “The ban is entirely appropriate. It should apply equally to all foreigners, both adults and children,” was their choice.
Despite the strong support for the bans, healthy support was also present for abolishing the new re-entry bans altogether, with 34% of respondents voting: “The ban is too severe for overstays. For this, there should be no ban, just fines and deportation, as Immigration used to do for years.” Of key importance in this particular poll was that 72% of all respondents had classified themselves as “Local expatriate resident”. Only 18% of respondents identified themselves a s “ T hai nat ional” a nd a further 11% of respondents to the poll identified themselves as “Foreign visitor to Phuket”. For the full poll results, visit ThePhuketNews.com and select “Poll” from the “News” menu.
Immigration ‘personal details’ form not required in Phuket N E W I M M IG R AT ION forms asking for personal information such as identities used for social media accounts, email addresses, bank account details and details of venues regularly visited by the foreigner, are not being used at Phuket Immigration, The Phuket News has been told. T he new for ms were brought into use at the Immigration Division 1 office in Chaengwattana and One-Stop Service Center at Chamchuri Square in Bangkok on April 4, reported Khaosod English. Pol Maj Gen Chatchawan Wachirapaneekhun, the Immigration Bureau deputy commissioner who designed the form, said on Monday (Apr 19) that it would help solve problems, such as the difficulty in tracking down foreigners who commit crimes. However, he insisted providing the information was not mandatory. “We want to collect as
Part of a three-page Immigration Bureau form seeking personal information from foreign nationals residing in the kingdom. Photo: Khaosod English much information as we can. And it actually increases the work for the Immigration Bureau,” Gen Chatchawan said. “But it will benefit the country.” A senior-ranking officer at Phuket Immigration yesterday confirmed to The Phuket News that the new forms were not in use in Phuket. However, the officer specifically asked not to be publicly identified in this report. “Immigration offices in other provinces, including
Phuket, have not received these new forms or been told to use such forms, so foreigners on the island need not worry about this,” the officer said. “However, if the Immigration Bureau orders us to use these form, we will use them,” he added. “R ig ht now, we st ill use the same form we have been directed to use and it does not require personal details like that,” he assured. The Phuket News thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
PHUKET NEWS
5
Street art mural spurs stir
Public hearing to decide whether iconic art to stay on museum walls Darawan Naknakhon editor@classactmedia.co.th
A
Phuket City Deputy Mayor handed in his resignation last week following outrage over a mural painted on the Standard Chartered building in Phuket Town. The mural, painted by Pattcharapon ‘Alex Face’ Tangreun, was completed on April 9, and following its completion local residents took to social media to either severely criticise or praise the design. Following posts about the painting going viral, Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana held a meeting on April 12 as local residents demanded its immediate removal. “We will hold a public hearing on April 22 to reach
Phuket City Deputy Mayor Dr Kosol Tang-utai (centre). Photo: Darawan Naknakhon The mural depicts Alex Face’s signature imaginary character, a toddler-rabbit hybrid, holding a lunch box and wearing a traditional Baba (Peranakan, or “Straits Chinese”) broach, contrasting Phuket Old Town’s architecture and modern artwork. a decision as to whether the painting stays or goes,” Mayor Somjai told the meeting, where
it was revealed that the painting is part of project entitled “F.A.T. Phuket” (Food Art
Old Town). The project is by a group called “So Phuket” and is aimed at inspiring more
people to visit Phuket Town. Deputy Mayor Dr Kosol Tang-utai said, “I apologise for any miscommunication there has been between the artist and myself. “A representative from the group sent me a message via Line application which included a draft of the mural. I replied to the message with a Line sticker saying ʻOKʼ. This led the representative to think that I had approved the project,” he said. Dr Kosol said that he later learned, once the mural was complete, that the artist had been arrested for painting it without permission. “I told the artist to inform policeman that I approved the work and that I am a member of The Peranakan Association of Phuket,” he said. “I think there has been a
problem because of the issue surrounding whether he had permission to do the painting, but this can be resolved…I also heard that the artist received permission from the owner of building, but the problems all stem from miscommunication. “Also, if the painting does need to be removed it can just be painted over… The fact is, I don’t have the right to make decisions such as approving the mural. But I must say that I like it and want it to stay. But whether it stays or goes is down to the local people,” he said. Meanwhile, a senior councilor told The Phuket News on Tuesday (Apr 19) that Mayor Somjai had yet to formally accept his resignation, pending the meeting to be held on Friday (Apr 22).
Hero neighbours praised for dousing condo fire HEROIC NEIGHBOURS have been praised for preventing a small fire from spreading throughout Supalai Condominium Park building in Phuket Town on April 13. More than 100 people fled the 15-story condominium block on Montri Rd after black smoke was seen billowing out of a window on the 10th floor at about 10:30pm. Lt Chatree Wetcharangsri, at Phuket City Police Station
The two northbound lanes through the Sam Kong Underpass opened to traffic today (Apr 10). Photo: Supatra Sutham
Sam Kong Underpass northbound lanes open HIGHWAYS OFFICIALS opened two lanes northbound through the long-awaited Sam Kong Underpass on April 10 in a pre-emptive move to alleviate traffic at the busy site during Songkran holidays (April 13-15). “Lights and temporary water pumps have already been installed in the tunnel and the northbound lanes in the tunnel are open for the public to use while workers finish the southbound lanes,” explained Samak Lueduanghad, Director of the Highways Department Phuket office. “Northbound traffic can still use the above ground road to pass through the intersection,” he added. Motorcycles, for the time @thephuketnews
being, are allowed through the underpass as a temporary measure in order to ease heavy traffic at the site, Mr Samak said. After April 15, however, workers closed the outside northbound lane of the bypass road from Soi Bangyai (next to Index Shopping Mall) to Sam Kong Intersection (at Phra Phuket KaewRd). “This section of the bypass road will be closed so workers can resurface the road,” Mr Samak said. Since April 15, in order to access areas along or immediately west of the closed section of the bypass road, motorists now need to detour via Kathu, he added. The Phuket News
was informed of the fire and quickly called the Phuket Town fire brigade, which dispatched two fire trucks to the scene. However, quick action by neighbours had already seen the fire safely put out. The neighbours said they smelled something burning and broke open the door to find on a small altar mounted high on a wall in the living room on fire, said Lt Chatree.
“They quickly got the hose from the nearest fire box on that level and put the fire out within minutes,” he said. Wilasinee Songrak, 30, told police that she lit incense on the altar and went out for dinner with friends. “But she forgot to put out the incense before she left,” Lt Chatree said. Police marked the incident as fire caused by recklessness. Darawan Naknakhon
Wilasinee Songrak told police that she forgot to extinguish a stick of incense that she had set alight, before heading out to dinner with friends.
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PHUKET NEWS
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Tour bus drivers protest
Call for single united ‘club’, protection from off-island competition Ekkapop Thongtub reporter2@classactmedia.co.th
M
ore than 50 people from the Andaman Tour Bus Association (ATBA) gathered at Chai Field, across from Phuket Provincial Hall, on Tuesday (Apr 19) to urge officials to protect the island’s tour bus industry. The group called for all factions of the industry to join the association in order to resolve disputes, especially the employment of off-island buses and drivers by tour companies. ATBA President Chonnawee-ek Taewsakul presented the group’s formal complaint to Phuket Vice Governor Khajornkiet Rakpanichmanee and Phuket Land Transport Office, Jaturong Kaewkasi “Local people in Phuket have been working in tour bus businesses for many years
Buses from the Andaman Tour Bus Association (ATBA) were parked across from Phuket Provincial Hall as part of the protest on Apr 19. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Each person in our association owns two to three buses,” said Mr Chonnawee-ek. “The number of tourists has been increasing since Thailand entered AEC (Asean Economic Community), and as a result the island has attracted more independent
agencies working with local tour companies and they prov ide bu ses a nd t a ke tourists out of Phuket,” he said. “To make matter worse,” Mr Chonnawee-ek added, “one local group set up the Andaman Business Tourism
“auditor” of the 250-member social club. He was known within that community for organising demands to the Swedish government to give its expatriates the same state hospital care insurance rights Norwegians have. The campaign called for retired Swedish-national pensioners to be covered by the Swedish state health and hospital care insurance wherever their permanent residence may be, but especially for those living in Thailand. Mr DiMeo is survived by
in debt. We want officials to intervene and solve this issue.” Mr Chonnawee-ek added that the group would like to see all factions united in resolving the matter, including government officials and people from the private sector. “This includes the Royal
Beach Watch Associations still being discussed, says V/Gov
Swedish expat Renato DiMeo passes away FRIENDS AND FAMILY gathered in Rawai on Sunday (Apr 17) in remembrance of Renato DiMeo, a Swedish resident of Phuket for 13 years. The remembrance was held at House 6 in Samakkea Village, Rawai, starting at 4pm. Mr DiMeo passed away from heart failure at age 76 in his home in Surin province on April 7. An active member of the “Scandinavians of Phuket” expatiate community in Phuket (Skandinaver på Phuket), Mr DiMeo was
Association and brought buses from Isarn (Northeast Thailand) to join their association and work on the island. “They have robbed us of our jobs. Now we have lost our source of income, we have no money to support our families and most of us are
Thai Navy Third Area Command, the Tourism and Sports Office, the Land Transport Office, the Andaman Tour Bus Association, tour agencies and tour companies in Phuket – we must all come together,” he said. “All buses that serve tourists on the island must be a member of ATBA, so we can set standards as rules and regulations that everyone must follow,” he added. Jaturong Kaewkasi of the Phuket Land Transport Office assured that his office would investigate the complaint. “The Phuket Land Transport Office will look into the issue. We will present our proposals to ABTA before the complaint is handed to the Phuket Governor, who must sign the complaint and endorse any proposals before we can send this letter to the Department of Land Transport in Bangkok to consider further action,” he said.
Renato DiMeo was known as a pillar of the Scandinavian community in Phuket. his wife Narinkorn and two sons in Sweden. The Phuket News
DISCUSSIONS ARE STILL ongoing with regards to setting up Beach Watch Associations (BWA), which will be responsible for helping enforce beach rules for Karon, Karon Noi, Kata, Kata Noi, Nai Harn, Patong, Kamala, Layan-Laypang and Bang Tao beaches. Meanwhile, the area of Surin Beach where all the illegal structures currently stand, is to be transformed into a park in honour of the King and Queen. Both of these issues were discussed at a meeting held by Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat at Provincial Hall on Monday (Apr 18) and attended by local officials including Karon Mayor Tawee Thongcham and acting Chief Administrative Officer for Karon Municipality Wanchai Saetan. V/Gov Chokdee explained “Karon has four beaches; Karon, Karon Noi, Kata and Kata Noi which have already had their 10 per cent zones set up under the banner ‘Phuket Beach Model: One Beach, One Rule, One Map and One Organisation.’ “Phuket’s beaches are public property, and seizing or encroaching on them is against the law. The 10% zone is the government’s solution to help local residents still have a place to work. “There are nine beaches that will have the zones;
Karon, Karon Noi, Kata, Kata Noi, Nai Harn, Patong, Kamala, Layan-Laypang and Bang Tao, and each of these will be monitored by a BWA that will allow check to ensure beach rules and regulations are not being broken. If they are broken vendors will loose the 10% zone and the beach will be turned to natural beach,” he said. “The remaining 40 beaches will be natural beaches with no umbrellas and sunbeds allowed. If we not do this,our natural resources and marine environment will deteriorate and soon it will deplete and effect future tourism,” he added. He continued, “Each BWA will have four groups each comprising of 12 people. Each of these groups will have four of local officials who have the power to enforce the law, four local residents, two beach vendors and two others who have yet to be decided. “The BWAs will support, collaborate and take care of the beaches including promoting beach conservation to locals and tourists. BWAs will not be involved in politics, but will focus on preserving our natural resources and environment,” he said. “They will have had no involvement in the setting up of the 10% zones, that has already been done by government officials. They are there
Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat. to operate and help enforce beach rules in the 10% zones. Their mission is to make Phuket’s beaches the most beautiful in the Andaman. “Most importantly, they will never allow foreigners to work in the 10% zone” V/G Chokdee added. He went on to say that Phuket has 50 beaches, and one of those, Surin Beach, will honour the King and Queen. “At present, the land adjoining Surin Beach has been encroached by beach operators both Thai and foreigner. However, on April 20 officials will visit the area and demolish all illegal structures, and in one year Phuket must use this land and transform it into Rajabhakti Park, a place of education for the future,” he added. The Phuket News thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Surf survival skills become a priority
PHUKET NEWS
7
Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th
People at Nai Harn beach look on as rescue workers attempt to revive Maneewan Mutthong, from Bangkok.
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ifeguards held a free surf survival and rescue training session for 40 children at Patong Beach on Tuesday (Apr 19) to raise surf danger awareness and help prevent further drownings. T he t rai n i ng session was held in front of Loma Park in Patong was the third such workshop conducted by Phuket lifeguards this year, as Phuket is about to enter the dangerous rainy season, when lethal rip tides plagued the island’s west coast. “The workshop, held from 9am to 2pm, is part of our ‘Kids Water Safety Project’ for 2016. Forty children took part. All of them live near Patong Beach and are 7 to 13 years of age,” Ms Witanya explained. “This workshop was a good opportunity for them to learn basic survival and rescue techniques, such as how to use a surf or rescue board and to swim confidently even when pushed underwater by waves. “They also get to learn about sea animals and what the surf warning flags mean. They must be confident in the water and know when and
Tourist, 20, drowns at Nai Harn Beach The 40 children learned surf survival and rescue skills. Photos: Phuket Lifeguard Service how to signal for help from lifeguards if they need it.” Andaman Sea Surf provided equipment to be used in this latest training session and for the first training session of the year. Ms Witanya said she expected the children to grow up with life-saving skills and recognise safety concerns when they are at the beach. The children were taught how to recognise rip currents, “And they will share what such as this one at Nai Harn Beach, easily seen by the they have learned with their clear area in the surf, which pulls swimmers out to sea. friends and family, so they too can be careful when 2014, about 600 participants to join.” The date and location swimming at the beach. We have taken part in our surf for the ‘Family Water Safety’ don’t want any more children survival and rescue training,” session have yet to be set. to drown. she said. “This is a long-term projMs Witanya added, “Our For details call Ms Witanya ect for children and about next project will be a ‘Family at 081-7974775 or visit the 170 children have already Water Safety’ training ses- Phuket Lifeguard Service taken part this year. Since sion, which also will be free Facebook page.
Missing Bryde’s whale carcass washes ashore at Thai Meuang THE MISSING BRYDE’S whale carcass spotted by tourists north of Phuket last week was found washed ashore two days later (Apr 15) at Thai Meuang Beach, in Phang Nga province. Marine life experts from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) launched a search for the 20-metre-long whale carcass after it was spotted by tourists about 12 nautical miles from Tab Lamu Pier, near the Similans National Park, on April 13. The carcass was expected to reach the Sarasin Bridge, at the northern tip of Phuket, late that afternoon. “At first we thought it would turn up somewhere on a Phuket beach, or maybe near the Sarasin Bridge,” Dr Rachawadee Jantra of the PMBC told The Phuket News. “But our team spotted the carcass at Thai Mueang @thephuketnews
Beach, about 1.5 kilometres from the Khao Lampi National Park, at about 6pm (Apr 14).” PMBC experts confirmed that the Bryde’s whale was female, Dr Rachawadee said. “Tissue and bone samples have been collected to take to our laboratory so we can determine the cause of death of the mammal,” she added. “We are not sure what the caused the death, but we are certain that it
was not from a fishing net. Our team did not find any food or obstruction in its digest system either,” Dr Rachawadee said. The whale’s remains have been buried on site at the beach. “We brought in a backhoe to bury the body deep under the sand and covered it with lime to prevent any contamination,” Dr Rachawadee said. Tanyaluk Sakoot
The carcass was buried at the beach. Photo: PMBC
PHUKET MARKED ITS first drowning death since the start of the Thai New Year last Sunday (Apr 17) with the death of Maneewan Mutthong, 20, from Bangkok. Ms Maneewan was pronounced dead at Vachira Phuket Hospital on Monday morning (Apr 18), Witanya Chuayuan, Deputy Director of Phuket Life Guard Service told The Phuket News. “Hospital staff told me that Ms Maneewan had died when I called to follow up on her condition,” Ms Witanya said. Ms Maneewan was in Phuket on holiday with about six or seven people. “The group ignored red flags and were caught in a rip current at Nai Harn Beach on Sunday. Ms Maneewan was the last one pulled from the water. She disappeared for about five minutes,” Ms Wianya said. Lifeguards attempted to revive Ms Maneewan before
she was rushed still unconscious to the new Accident and Emergency Department of the yet-to-be-built Chalong Hospital, then transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town, where better treatment could be provided. “It is very sad for such a young person to lose her life. It shouldn’t have happened, but they played in the water where red warning flags were posted,” Ms Wianya said. Rawai Mayor Arun Solos urged all beachgoers to beware of strong rip currents, which can drag swimmers out to sea. “Nai Harn can particularly be a dangerous beach with rip currents, yet many continue to ignore the red flags posted there warning not to go swimming… Everyone needs to heed to these warnings, because every life is valuable,” he said. Tanyaluk Sakoot and Darawan Naknakhon
Experts from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) collected bone and tissue samples in the hope of determining what caused the death of the B r yde’s whale. Photo: PMBC
Opinion 8
OPINION
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FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
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EDITORIAL
B500 – too little, too late
D
espite serious campaigning efforts by the government over Songkran to reduce road accidents and casualties caused by drink-driving, this year’s holiday period saw the largest amount of traffic fatalities in memory – 442 in total nationwide, a new official record. The Phuket News has often pointed out the lack of law enforcement as one key factor; however, what the above statistic highlights is that even with a heavy police presence during the Seven Days of Danger, there remains a large number of fearless motorists on Thai roads who have total disregard for the law. Despite having plenty of warning about increased enforcement, many motorists were still willing to forgo helmets or seatbelts, and demonstrate little hesitation to drink-drive, resulting in 277,055 people booked.
As it stands, the fine for not wearing a helmet is a mere B500, likewise for not wearing a seatbelt. Worth noting is that in Thailand, the seat-belt law does not apply to all passengers in a car. In fact, there are no safety laws regarding children riding in or on vehicles, unlike in more developed countries. Of the 277,055 people charged for drink-driving, 153,626 were drivers of motorcycles and 123,429 of cars and public-transport vehicles. Only 4,963 motorcycles, in addition to 1,650 of other types of vehicles, were seized, the respective owners allowed to reclaim their vehicles right after the festival period. Though the penalty for drink-driving can be up to three months in jail or a fine of up to B60,000, or both, it is very rare for penalties this severe to be issued. Compare this to the laws
in most western countries, where a drink-driving charge can easily result in a license being revoked for up to two years, with the severity of the penalty increased upon subsequent violations. Which begs the question: are Thailand’s traffic laws tough enough to deter potential violators? Based on the new record, one would have to reason they are not. Nonetheless, the government earlier this week said its latest efforts have proved “productive” in raising awareness of the problem. They also reassured us that campaigning will continue throughout the year, beyond the “seven days of danger”. If authorities are really serious about changing the status quo, then surely it’s time to consider tougher penalties – ones that will ensure potential violators think twice about the consequences.
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Songkran death toll sets a record Swedish biker dies after crash on Phuket bridge Songkran road fatalities nearly double 2015 after 2 days Patong beach water turns brown, again Catch Beach Club to close in push to clear Phuket’s Surin Beach Tourists escape injury in ‘Welcome to Phuket’ head-on crash Phuket flight aborted after co-pilot has heart attack in cockpit, dies Mayor pleads for swimmers to heed ‘Red Flag’ warnings after rescue of six caught in rip tide off Nai Harn Beach
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HAVE YOUR SAY Let us drink-drive in peace Re: Phuket Governor laments three dead during Songkran road-safety campaign So not wearing a helmet causes accidents? The majority of road users in Thailand are reckless, irresponsible, inconsiderate and lawless. This is due to a lack of education and selfish attitude which is instilled from an early age. As an outsider it’s really quite breathtaking just how bad it is, but of course the locals know no different and the authorities think that more police and more roadblocks for a week each year will put a stop the carnage and chaos. It’s laughable, really. Pauly44 With speedsters and cut-off artists endangering us all on the roads, it seems to make no sense for the police to bunch up at checkpoints while the dangerous drivers have free range all over the highways. Checkpoints do snare many a good driver who has had a few nips but can still drive perfectly well. How much were they each “street-fined” anyway? My advice is: get out on the roads and take the dangerous drivers off it. If you are driving in a
well mannered way, you should be left alone. All those police could have been freed up to observe driving behaviour and save lives, not harass folks by wielding a breathalyser. Rich 44
Off with their beds! Re: With Phuket’s Surin beach demolitions pending, tenants plea for stay of execution These cry babies have been milking this for nearly two years and never have they made any changes in the way they do business. They have continued to disregard all the rules, and whenever the Army or police came to clear things away, they just waited until official backs were turned before they went back to business as usual. Renting sunbeds on the public beach in front of their businesses, putting tables out on the sand when they were told not to, and these people have done nothing to contribute much to the community.… just provide bare-minimum-wage jobs to employees that are essentially slaves to the business owners. Catch and Bimi and a few others are following the rules.… make it fair to all and kick these over-entitled whiners off the beach. They had their free
bonanza, and the government is under no obligation to help resettle them... they’ve had two years to plan for it. Richard Vickers Re: With Phuket’s Surin beach demolitions pending, tenants plea for stay of execution April 20! Any bets they’ll be there on the 21st? Let’s see how much guts the army really has. Horst Yes, of course they will be there on 21st. It is just a big Thai catand-mouse game. The cat is the teapot and the mouse is the money. This will go on as long as the teapot doesn’t become empty. Don’t forget, in Thai schools drama lessons are more important than English lessons. Kurt Dear Horst and Kurt, clearly you have underestimated authorities on this one. As of morning April 20, all respective establishments on Surin Beach were demolished. See page one for more info. Editor
Education needed more than flags Re: Mayor pleads for swimmers to heed ‘Red Flag’ warnings after
rescue of six caught in rip tide off Nai Harn Beach All the warning flags to not swim are going to be ignored like every other rule and law in Thailand. Maybe better to have signs instructing how to swim parallel to the beach to get out of the rip current, maybe even how to spot one – no breaking wave is a sure sign. Christy Sweet
Private hospitals could save more lives Re: Phuket kids gain surf survival, rescue skills after first drowning death of Thai New Year Vachira wasn’t chosen because of its better treatment. During emergencies and accidents, victims need the best, closest and fastest treatment. Nobody should be forced across an island or a town to a participating hospital… The hospital with hundreds of people waiting each day. The question may be asked, whether the government medical coverage and private hospitals’ ability to refuse care is resulting in the unnecessary deaths of Thai people? Use this incident to force private hospitals to treat emergency victims. Sean Ulvihill
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THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
THAILAND NEWS
9
Facing nepotism claims BANGKOK
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ermanent secretary for defence Gen Preecha Chan-o-cha, the younger brother of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, is facing a probe over allegations of malfeasance and nepotism in the appointment of his son as an army officer. Srisuwan Janya, secretarygeneral of the Association for the Protection of the Constitution, on Monday (Apr 18) petitioned the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the Office of the Ombudsman to look into Gen Preecha’s appointment of his son, Patipat, as an officer in the 3rd Army. Mr Patipat has been made an acting sub-lieutenant handling civil affairs in the 3rd Army, with a salary of B15,000. Mr Srisuwan accused Gen Preecha of malfeasance for approving the appointment of his son as an army officer. He alleged the appointment was an abuse of authority for personal benefit in violation of the 1999 Anti-Corruption Act, the 1996 Administrative
Gen Preecha Chan-ocha. Right: Brother of the prime minister and father of the controversial new Ministry of Defence employee, takes his sacred oath to serve honestly at the ministry last September. Photo: Apichart Jinakul Procedure Act, and the ethics code set out by the Defence Ministry. As a member of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), Gen Preecha has also breached the NLA’s code of ethics prohibiting its members from becoming involved in conflicts of interest and abusing their positions for personal gain, Mr Sriwusan alleged. “Gen Preecha’s action not only breaks the law, but it
also goes against intentions announced by the National Council for Peace and Order [NCPO] when it seized power to deal with politicians’ bad behaviour. The NCPO should not repeat what politicians did,” Mr Srisuwan said. He added that he will ask an NLA ethics committee to investigate the matter. Mr Srisuwan also called on Mr Patipat to quit his job in a show of responsibility and
for Gen Preecha to apologise to the public over the matter. Since Gen Preecha is a high-ranking officer as well as a political-office holder, he should maintain a higher moral standard and act as a role model for the public, Mr Srisuwan said. Defending his son’s appointment, Gen Preecha said on Monday that his son had been properly recruited by the 3rd Army to fill a vacancy as
a civil affairs officer. Gen Preecha said his son had the right qualifications for the job as he had experience working in public relations with the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) and holds a degree in communications. Applications for military positions are usually screened by a committee and it was his job as the permanent secretary for defence to approve proposals made by the committee, as assigned by the defence minister, he said. Gen Preecha said his son did not want to be a soldier, but he had advised him to take up a military position because it was more secure than being a PTT employee. He said he asked his son to apply when a vacancy became available. He said Gen Prayut had no objections as long as the process was legitimate. “Probably it is because our family name is Chan-o-cha and it has drawn public attention. Many other children of high-ranking military officers also join the military when there are openings available. I don’t want to say that the matter has been politicised,” Gen Preecha said.
Regarding Mr Srisuwan’s petitions against the appointment, Gen Preecha said he was ready to clarify the issue. He insisted he had followed regulations. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Prawit Wongsuwon told reporters on Monday that the appointment of Gen Preecha’s son was perfectly normal and he saw nothing wrong with it. He said recruitment and an appointment can take place immediately if there is a vacancy, especially in a specialist field. Gen Prawit avoided directly answering if the appointment of Gen Preecha’s son amounted to nepotism. “Do you want to be soldiers?” he said. He also wondered why military documents were often leaked to the media, saying some of them were classified. M i n ist r y of Defence spokesman K hongcheep Tantravanich said that each year the army recruits new personnel to replace retired officers in line with regulations and qualifications laid down by the ministry. Bangkok Post
Victims’ families target Benz driver AYUTTHAYA THE PARENTS OF TWO POSTgraduate students killed in a deadly high-speed car crash in Ayutthaya last month want police to file a premeditated murder charge against the Mercedes-Benz driver. Thivakorn Horsaengchai, father of Thanthaphat Horsaengchai, and Thongthip Thaworn, mother of Kritsana Thaworn, met on Tuesday (Apr 19) with Col Pitsanu Tapinta, chief of the Inquiry Division of Ayutthaya provincial police at Bang Pa-in police station to demand police file a premeditated murder charge against Janepob Veeraporn, Wichean Chupthaisong, a lawyer for the Horsaengchai family said. Mr Wichean accompanied the victim’s parents who met with police to discuss the investigation
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into their children’s case. On March 13, Janepob was driving at a very high speed when he rammed his Mercedes-Benz into the rear of a Ford containing the post-graduate students who were travelling on Phahon Yothin Road in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pa-in district. Thanthaphat, 34, and Kritsana, 32, were killed in the crash after their car was engulfed in flames. Both were pursuing master’s degrees at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University. Mr Wichean said the victims’ parents want police to file a premeditated murder charge against Janepob as the suspect was travelling at an extremely high speed and so he could foresee that the speeding car could cause deaths if it crashed into other vehicles. Janepob was travelling at speeds of 215-257km per hour at the time of
the collision, according to police. In Thailand, the maximum speed limit in cities and towns is 60km per hour and it varies between 90 and 120km per hour on main and country roads outside city centres. Police also found anti-depressant medication in Janepob’s vehicle which can cause drowsiness when taken. Janepob is now facing seven charges including reckless driving causing death, property damage, driving without regard for safety causing death, driving while unfit to do so, drink-driving causing death, driving under the influence of drugs, and speeding. Col Pitsanu said investigators will look at the request by the victims’ families, adding that talks between the police commander and a prosecutor will take place to
Janepob Veeraporn (inset left) was driving the Mercedes-Benz that smashed into a car in Ayutthaya on March 13. Photo: Bangkok Post determine whether to press ahead with a premeditated murder charge. Considerable progress in the investigation has been made, with 90 per cent of witnesses having completed their interviews in addition to the victims’ parents, Col Pitsanu said. A group of investigators on
Tuesday interviewed Janepob at his home, he said. The suspect sustained a knee injury in the deadly road accident. Col Pitsanu said that investigators will forward the case to prosecutors for indictment by Tuesday (Apr 26). Bangkok Post
10 THAILAND NEWS
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
‘Seven dangerous days’ claim 442 lives NATIONWIDE
R Forensic officers collect evidence and examine the body of an unknown woman found dead at the stairs to Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park in Phetchaburi’s Muang district on Tuesday (Apr 19). Photo: Chaiwat Satyaem
Bound woman found dead in Phetchaburi PHETCHBURI THE BODY OF AN UNIdentified woman was found dead with her hands and feet bound outside a hilltop historical park in Muang district on Tuesday (Apr 19). The woman, aged around 25-30, was lying face up at the stairs to Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park in tambon Khlong Krasaeng, said Capt Akkharamet Singsang, a duty officer at Muang police station who was alerted around 7:30am. Wearing only a blue tshirt, the woman had both hands tied behind her back with a bra and her feet tied with black pants, said police. A pair of sandals, a bottle of
drinking water, a cosmetic bag and two train tickets issued on April 17 were found near her body. Prathuaeng Em-od, 50, told police that she went to the park to pick flowers to sell and found the body. She immediately alerted monks at a nearby temple. A source said police had not yet determined if the woman had been raped before she was killed. Her body was sent to a forensic institute for autopsy. From April 13-17, the temple near the park had held a fair which the woman might have attended, police said, as residents said she did not live in the area. Authorities were investigating. Bangkok Post
oad accidents during Songkran claimed 442 lives over seven days, 78 more than last year, with drink driving being the number one cause of crashes. There were a total of 3,447 road accidents during the so-called “seven dangerous days” of Songkran, which ended at midnight on Sunday (Apr 17), Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, chairman of the Road Safety Directing Centre, said Monday. A total of 3,656 people were injured. On the last day alone, there were 343 accidents which left 45 dead and a further 385 people injured. Chiang Mai saw the most accidents over the seven days, with 168 crashes, and recorded the highest number of serious injuries with 175 people admitted to hospitals. Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima both had the highest number of deaths at 19 each. Four provinces – Trat, Yala, Ranong and Nong Bua Lam Phu – reported no road fatalities at all. Drink driving was the single biggest cause of road accidents accounting for 34 per cent, followed by speeding which was responsible for 33% of accidents. Most of the crashes – about 81% – involved motorcycles while pick up trucks took second place at just under 9%. According to last year's
Rescue workers help injured passengers from the wreckage of an inter-provincial passenger bus travelling from Yala to Bangkok after it crashed into a roadside ditch in Chumphon. Photo: Amnart Thongdee data for the seven-day period, a total of 3,373 road accidents were reported with 364 deaths and 3,559 injuries. Drink driving also topped the causes of road accidents last year. Gen Anupong said, due to the increased number of fatalities and road accidents this year, officers in each province have been ordered to study the statistics and forward their recommendations to the Road Safety Directing Centre to formulate methods of dealing with the problem. T he a sse ssment w il l be wrapped up within five months, the minister said. Stricter laws to ensure road safety will then be adopted, including the process of issuing driver’s licences, while other measures to boost road safety awareness among motorists will be laid out.
Another study will be carried out to determine whether the blood-alcohol limit should be brought down from the current 50mg per 100ml to 20mg, in line with international standards. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has supported making the measure to seize vehicles and driver’s licences from drink drivers a permanent law. The measure, introduced by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), was temporarily imposed during both the New Year and Songkran holidays. Gen Prawit said he would consult the transport minister and cabinet members about the move. NCPO deputy spokeswoman deputy Sirichan Ngathong
said 6,613 vehicles, including 4,963 motorcycles, were seized from drink drivers from April 9-17 under the campaign called “Seizure of vehicles if drink driving”. The campaign was implemented by the NCPO’s peace-keeping force, police and administration officers to ensure road safety over the Songkran holidays. She said the NCPO has been asked to continue this campaign throughout the year in a bid to reduce fatal road accidents which result from drink driving. She added the campaign can also yield indirect benefits since the checkpoints could help stop a lot of crime, including trafficking of drugs, weapons, untaxed goods and illegal migrant workers. Bangkok Post
Malaysian arrested with 520 kilos of weed SONGKHLA A MALAYSIAN HAS BEEN arrested for trying to smuggle more than half a tonne of cannabis into his country across the southern border, police said on Tuesday (Apr 19). It was the latest major bust on a well-worn smuggling route. Mohd Nizam Bin Ishak, 34, was stopped on Monday (Apr 18) while driving a truck with fake Malaysian licence plates at a border checkpoint at Sadao in Songkhla province. Investigators said they found 520 kilogrammes of marijuana wor th around US$440,000 (B15,337,740) hidden under furniture in the back of the truck. “The suspect confessed to the trafficking charge and
said he was hired for 1,000 ringgit (B9,000) to transport marijuana from Hat Yai to a warehouse in Kuala Lumpur,” Lt Gen Rawat Klinkasorn said in a statement. The suspect also allegedly confessed to taking drugs along the same route on previous occasions. Maj Gen Chartee Paisarnsilp, divisional commander of the narcotics suppression police, said the cannabis came from a neighbouring country but declined to say which one. Police last month announced a major bust involving a Malaysian gang allegedly smuggling millions of dollars worth of heroin and methamphetamine between the two countries by train. So far, 21 Malaysians have been arrested for links to that operation.
Investigators said they found 520 kilogrammes of marijuana worth around US$440,000 (B15,337,740) hidden under furniture in the back of the truck. Photo: deviat_ed/Flickr Police forces in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Malaysia often announce drug smuggling busts that usually catch mules or low-paid members of criminal gangs.
But arrests of cartel leaders and kingpins are much rarer, with many of the region’s biggest players staying in business for decades. Bangkok Post thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
ASIA NEWS 11
Big dreams, little action Manila’s middle-class grinds traffic to standstill PHILIPPINES
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eb designer Maria Zurbano kisses her three-year-old daughter goodbye and sets out in the pre-dawn darkness for a torturous commute through the Philippine capital. Her ordeal, a return trip of up to six hours every weekday, is expected to get even worse as the number of cars explodes in the chaotic Asian mega-city of more than 12 million people. Dubbed “carmaggedon” by locals, business leaders are warning Manila could come to a total standstill despite grand government plans to tackle its traffic. “Physically, during these trips, I feel ill. My back is always hurting. It affects my health to have to sit down for so long,” said Zurbano, 36, as she waited for a bus outside her home at 5am. After finally ending a cramped mini-bus trip of just 17 kilometres to the financial district of Makati, Zurbano despaired of being trapped
Decades of infrastructure neglect has left Manila with just a few major roads and their gridlock ‘peak hours’ often last for three or four hours. Photo: Jay Directo/AFP in a traffic hell. “Traffic just gets worse and worse. I just get more stressed and stressed but it doesn’t look like anything will change. “I will just have to learn to bear with it,” she said. Traffic in the capital and its surroundings is already costing the country about three billion pesos (B2.23 billion) a day, or about 0.8 per cent of gross
domestic product, according to government figures. And it is steadily worsening as an emerging middle class fuels an auto boom – car sales rose 23% last year with nearly 300,000 new vehicles hitting the roads. Compounding the problem, decades of infrastructure neglect has left Manila with just a few major roads across the
Afghan child casualties soar as urban warfare escalates: UN AFGHANISTAN C H I L D C A S UA LT I E S have soared in Afghanistan this year as the Taliban stepped up attacks in urban areas, the United Nations has reported, branding the figures “appalling”. Between Januar y and March, 161 children were killed and 449 others injured – a 29 per cent increase from a year earlier – the UN’s mission in Afghanistan said in a report. Danielle Bell, the mission’s human rights director, said women and children have suffered the most as the insurgents have started to launched more bomb attacks in populated areas. “In the first quarter of 2016, almost one third of civilian casualties were children,” said Bell in the report. “If the fighting persists near schools, playgrounds, homes and clinics, and parties continue to use explosive weapons in those areas... these appalling numbers of children killed and maimed will continue. @thephuketnews
An Afghan woman and children walk near the gate of Ministry of Defence in Kabul as security personnel cordon off the scene of a suicide bombing. Photo: Wakil Kohsar/AFP “Increased fighting in populated areas continues to kill and injure women and children at higher rates that the general population.” The figures come days after the Taliban launched its spring offensive by trying to retake control of Kunduz, the north-eastern provincial capital they briefly captured last year. The militants have intensified their insurgency since the end of NATO’s combat mission in 2014, launching brazen attacks on urban areas that saw last year become the bloodiest
for civilians on record. In the first three months of 2016, 600 civilians were killed and 1,343 were injured, the report said. The number of deaths fell 13% from a year ago, while the number of injuries rose by 11%. The Taliban were responsible for six out of every 10 casualties, according to the UN’s report. Last year, there were 11,002 civilian casualties, including 3,545 deaths, according to UN figures released recently. AFP
city and their gridlock “peak hours” often last for three or four hours. Com muters have few other options with Manila’s dilapidated rail network tiny in comparison with neighbouring Southeast Asian capitals such as Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. A chaotic private bus and mini-bus network with drivers
who regularly flout traffic laws by, for instance, stopping in the middle of roads to pick up passengers, is widely perceived as adding to the problem. “This is going to be the most critical problem the next administration faces,” John Forbes, a senior adviser at the American Chamber of Commerce in Manila, said. Forbes warned Manila risked becoming “uninhabitable” in the next three to five years – meaning people would simply be unable to get around the city – if urgent action was not taken to build roads and rail lines. Elections for a successor to President Benigno Aquino, who is required by the constitution to stand down after a single six-year term, will be held in May. Aquino has proved a generally popular president but he has been the target of fierce public criticism for a perceived lack of urgency in updating the nation’s creaking infrastructure. He earnt widespread condemnation mid-way through his term with comments that
worsening traffic was merely a sign of a growing economy. His aides have since sought to project a sense of empathy and urgency, pointing to new expressways and an extension of a train line as planned projects that will ease the congestion. They have also emphasised the adoption in 2014 of a “Dream Plan” to fix the urban chaos, which outlines $65 billion (B2.268 trillion) of infrastructure spending by 2030. The plan envisages a wide range of massive and unprecedented projects for the Philippines, such as a subway, satellite cities linked to Manila by high-speed rail, relocating air and sea ports, as well as many new roads. Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran, an economist who has studied the traffic problem, said the plan’s huge price tag is within the government’s reach. “Financing should not be a problem because the funders are ready,” Beltran said. But many experts believe there is little chance of many projects going ahead. AFP
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THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Enemies on every side Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood members torn by divisions EGYPT
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n the night of August 13, 2013, Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad Haddad sat in a stairwell of a building next to Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque, and said: “We need a miracle.” Police moved in to disperse a sprawling Islamist protest camp in the mosque and an adjacent square the next morning, and within 12 hours about 700 demonstrators had been shot dead. Gunmen among the crowds killed around 10 policemen. Thousands of Islamists, including Haddad and much of the Brotherhood leadership, have been arrested since. No one in what remains of the organisation, now torn by internal rifts, seems to know how it can recover. Only five years ago, the Brotherhood was in a very different position. Its nemesis, the autocratic president Hosni Mubarak, had been overthrown on February 11 in a popular uprising. The group went from being banned by the regime to winning a presidential election that brought Mohamed Morsi to power in 2012. A year later Morsi was
A supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi shows his blood-stained hand while holding a placard bearing hand prints made with the blood of victims who were shot during a gun battle. Photo: Mahmoud Khaled/AFP overthrown by the military after millions demonstrated against his divisive rule. Islamists staged a sit-in at the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque to support him, setting off the countdown to the carnage. Morsi was subsequently sentenced to death after a trial. He has filed an appeal and is now in prison. “The youths can’t see a horizon, nor a leadership that can achieve anything for them in the face of regime repression,” said Amr Darrag, a
senior Brotherhood member exiled in Turkey, and a leader of a faction that opposes the group’s old guard. “Were we ready to confront the government after Morsi? No. The sit-in should have been disbanded to save lives. We could have held sit-ins in other places,” said Ali, a seasoned Brotherhood member in Cairo. Ali – not his real name – has been protesting ever since. He helps organise small, quick demonstrations in the dusty alleys of a working class Cairo
neighbourhood, with lookouts spread across the area to warn them of police movements. “You have to send a message that the revolution is continuing. As long as the body has a pulse, it can still live,” he said. Not everyone in the group shares his equanimity. In his Brotherhood cell, known as an usra (family), which comprises about 10 people, some despair. “Some are depressed. But if someone is depressed, he can talk to someone else who
raises his morale.” Ali has escaped the crackdown by keeping a low profile. His priority is to maintain a semblance of the Brotherhood’s organisation, even as its members are caught in a confusing struggle between leaders in prison, in exile or in hiding. The disorganisation has opened the Brotherhood to charges that it is participating in a militant insurgency that has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since Morsi’s ouster, in attacks often claimed by jihadists who also oppose the group. It has been banned as a terrorist organisation by Egypt and its allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. “In this atmosphere it is plausible that things [attacks] get attributed to you. It’s also plausible that it is you and you don’t know it. Communications on administrative levels are very hard now,” Ali said. Darrag, whose faction has been accused by the group’s traditional leaders of leaning towards violence, says the struggle is really over having a more representative leadership than the old guard, now mainly represented by the London branch. “The real reason [for the divisions] is failure,” said
Wael Haddara, a former senior adviser to Morsi who is now in Canada. “People have failed to resolve the situation, to win. The country is lost, circling the drain. No one has been able to put forward a realistic path.” President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who as army chief led Morsi’s overthrow, signalled a zero-sum war with the Brotherhood when he suggested the group would be eradicated. The government has lobbied other countries, especially Britain, to ban the group. Britain ordered a review of the group’s alleged links to violence in Egypt, but apparently uncovered no hard evidence. Police say there is evidence to suggest Brotherhood members – current and former – have taken up arms against policemen, and bomb electricity towers. But it is unclear whether these are local initiatives by Islamists who have given up on protests and want revenge. “Those who are inclined to engage in armed violence are by definition not a constituency that is going to wait for a green light from the leadership,” said Mokhtar Awad, a research fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. AFP
How long a virgin? The anwer’s ‘in your genes’ FRANCE A DNA STUDY OF MORE than 380,000 people has uncovered a rather surprising role for human genes: helping to determine the age at which you first have sex. Factors such as family
stability, peer pressure and personality type are all known to influence whether teenagers choose to engage in sex young, or abstain until adulthood. Now a huge gene trawl has revealed that “genes have a substantial influence” too, according to study co-author Ken Ong of the Institute of
Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge. Genetic factors, he said, “explain around 25 per cent of the differences in the age when people start to have sex”. The genes likely influence such factors as the age at which puberty hits, and whether or not you posses a risk-taking
personality. The average age of sexual maturity for both genders has decreased from about 18 years in 1880, to 12.5 in 1980, according to the study authors. Scientists have blamed changes in nutrition and the larger physical size of children today, as well as exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals. Ong and a team analysed the genes of more than 125,000 participants in a British health study, and noted an association between 38 gene variants and the age at which they first had intercourse. They cross-checked this with gene datasets for 241,000 people in Iceland and 20,000 in the United States, for a total sample size of over 380,000 people. “We found that the size of the influence of genetic factors remained constant across decades of growing up, from the 1950s to the 1980s – this shows that genetic factors are relevant across a wide range of
Genes have a “substantial influence” on the age at which a person first has sex, a recent DNA study suggests. Photo: Christophe Simon/AFP cultures and social attitudes,” Ong said. Many of the gene variants were also linked to other reproductive traits, such as age at birth of one’s first child, and the number of children born, they found. The research was published in the journal Nature Genetics. Previous research had shown that people who start having sex at a young age are more likely to underperform at
school and have poorer physical and mental health. Early onset puberty has been linked to a higher risk for diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. But most research so far has focused on the sociocultural causes for teenage sex. The team said it hoped the findings will help identify and help children more prone, genetically and otherwise, to engage in bad behaviour. AFP thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
BUSINESS NEWS 13
Phuket scores major awards MARINE The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th
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he Phuket King’s Cup Regatta and Phuketfounded Yacht Solutions (Thailand) have both scooped major prizes at the 2016 Asia Boating Awards, held at the Singapore Boat Show last week. “The award recognises the extraordinary efforts of the organisers of Asia’s premier regatta this past year, in terms of its exceptional organisation, promotion, course quality, entry size, competitiveness and social aspects,” said a release issued by the Phuket King’s Cup Organising Committee. “It is the third time the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta has won this highly coveted award,” the release added. “We are very pleased to have received this award from such a prestigious organisa-
Simon James (centre), Race Director of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta receives the award for Best Asian Regatta; joined by Glen Watson (left), Editor-in-Chief of Asia-Pacific Boating magazine, and Foong Seong Khong, Managing Director of Blu Inc Media (HK) Ltd. tion,” said Simon James, Race Director of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. “The commitment of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta’s supporters, participants, media and sponsors really show as the event keeps growing year after year for almost
th ree decades. We were pleased to have had a record year last year of 168 boats and we fully expect this year’s 30th Anniversary (to be organised from December 3-10) will be another phenomenal year,” he said. Yacht Solutions, founded
in Phuket in 15 years ago, won the “Best Asian Yacht Refit” prize for the work done on the 208-foot (63m)-long global explorer superyacht SuRi, at the company’s facilities in Bangkok. “Since establishing Yacht Solutions in 2001 in Phuket,
the team has grown considerably starting with small refits on locally based yachts to large international superyachts in the dry docks of Bangkok,” said Gareth Twist, Managing Director of Yacht Solutions (Thailand). “To have now received industry recognition for our achievements not only has thoroughly delighted us, but has also given affirmation to Thailand’s technical skill base, facilities and competitive edge within the larger yachting community,” he added. The 12th Asia Boating Awards, organised by AsiaPacific Boating and China Boating magazines, were presented at the ONE°15 Marina Club, Singapore on the opening night of the Singapore Yacht Show (April 7-10). Other key award-winners were Simpson Marine, who won “Best Brand Presence in Asia”, with international boatbuilders Sunseeker, Princess,
Ferretti and Gulf Craft also lifting major awards. Of note, Northrop & Johnson, with offices in Hong Kong and Phuket, was named Best Asia-based charter company for the second year running. “We were delighted to win this award for a second year in a row,” said Charter Broker Lies Sol. “Northrop & Johnson is the only international charter company with a ground presence throughout the Asia region. The Northrop & Johnson now extends all the way to Australia,” added Charter Broker Sytske Kimman. Northrop & Johnson Asia Managing Director Bar t Kimman praised his team. “Clearly, a good thing got better. Northrop and Johnson’s charter team won the coveted best Charter Company Award in Asia for the second time in a row,” he said. “We have a great team. Well done, Sytske, Lies, Khun Fon and Juliette.”
Microchipped debit, ATM cards mandatory from May 16 BANKING
David Scowsill, President & CEO of the WTTC.
Bangkok to host summit TOURISM BANGKOK WILL BE THE host venue for the 2017 WTTC Global Summit, scheduled to be held on April 26-27, 2017. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) announced its decision at the closing of the 16th WTTC Global Summit in Dallas, Texas, on April 7. WTTC President and CEO David Scowsill said, “The WTTC Global Summit is the most influential travel and tourism event of the year, bringing together hundreds of leaders from public sector organisations and private sector companies to discuss and tackle the most important issues in our sector. “Travel and tourism is one of the most important generators of jobs and wealth in the world, contributing to over US$7.2 trillion in GDP to the world economy and supporting 284 million jobs, which is 1 in 11 jobs on the planet.” TTR Weekly @thephuketnews
MICROCHIPS WILL BEcome mandatory for debit and ATM cards mandatory nationwide on May 16 in a move aimed at enhancing financial security, says a senior Bank of Thailand official. “Debit cards issued by commercial banks must be chip-embedded starting from May 16, [while] ATMs will support chip cards as well,” said Nisarat Trairatvorakul, senior director of the payment systems policy department. The main aim of the move is to boost financial security since chip-embedded cards are currently the most effective mechanism to prevent ATM skimming, she said. As chip-integrated plastic cards are much less susceptible to skimming and other types of fraud, banks are urging customers to switch from
magnetic-stripe cards even though chip-embedded cards can only be used with the ATMs of issuing banks at present. Bangkok Bank is the only bank currently offering chipembedded ATM and debit cards. Mrs Nisarat said the implementation of chip-embedded cards is in accordance with the central bank’s Payment Systems Committee’s mandate since it has been holding several rounds of talks with the Thai Bankers’ Association and commercial banks have been tasked with preparing for their roll-out for several years. It is estimated that 80 per cent of ATMs nationwide should be able to support chipembedded cards by May 16, but these machines still have to support magnetic-strip cards in order to facilitate people with magnetic-strip cards accessing ATM services, she said.
All debit and ATM cards issued by Thai banks after May 16 must be fitted with microchips. Photo: Tim Moffat Most ATMs across the country are expected to support chip-embedded cards by the end of this year, said Mrs Nisarat. Certain specialised financial institutions (SFIs) are also preparing to issue chip-embedded cards, but the budget for their implementation will have to be
evaluated by each SFI, she said. SFIs cannot remain idle about implementing chipembedded cards because the financial system has to be integrated and people want to ensure financial security when using ATM services, said Mrs Nisarat, without elaborating on the implementation deadline.
Phanporn Kongyingyong, first executive vice-president of Siam Commercial Bank (SCB), said 87% of the bank’s 9,863 ATMs nationwide are able to handle transactions involving chip-embedded ATM cards. The bank has 10.3 million ATM and debit cards in total, of which some 10 million are magnetic-strip ones. The magnetic-strip cards will gradually be replaced by chip-embedded ones by 2020 under an agreement between the Bank of Thailand and the banking industry. “SCB has worked hard on the transition to chip-embedded cards and we expect the installation of the new technology will be completed according to the central bank’s schedule,” she said. Bangkok Post
14 BUSINESS NEWS
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Facebook Live eyes broadcast market SOCIAL MEDIA
At the launch (2nd from left): ML Bovornovadep Devakula, Santisuk Klongchaiya and Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia, with Kingphokeo Phomahaxay, of Lao People’s Democratic Republic embassy in Thailand.
Thai AirAsia sets sights on Vientiane in July TOURISM THAI AIRASIA (TAA) will become the first nofrills airline to fly BangkokVientiane when it launches daily flights in July. The Vientiane start-up follows TAA’s successful entry to Luang Prabang. The airline commenced a daily service from Bangkok on March 24, becoming the first LCC to serve the old royal city. ML Bovornovadep Devakula, director of business development at SET-listed Asia Aviation Plc, the major shareholder of TAA, has confirmed securing the rights to start the Vientiane flight from Laotian authorities. “There is greater understanding among [Laotian] officials now about the role
of airlines in driving tourism and economic activities, which Laos now seriously wants to promote,” said ML Bovornovadep. “Serving the capital cities of Asean states has been the main strategy for network expansion in the region for TAA. When it comes to flying to a country, we normally make sure that we descend on the capital city and then to another tourist spot,” he said. An initial schedule listing on air route websites is for a TAA flight leaving Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport at 12.05pm, arriving at Vientiane’s Wattay airport 1.25pm. The return flight departs Wattay at 2.15pm and arrives at Don Mueang at 3.35pm. The Phuket News
Suchit Leesa-Nguansuk Bangkok Post
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ollowing Facebook Inc recently rolling out a live-streaming video feature to all of its users worldwide, the social media giant is looking to take on YouTube’s video-sharing service as well as live TV broadcasts. After previously limiting Facebook Live to celebrities and public figures, the move is aimed at capitalising on the growing digital video advertising market. Facebook users now watch 100 million hours of video daily on the social networking service. Japan’s Line Corporation also offers a live video-sharing service on its own social media platform, which is widely used in Thailand. Both Facebook and Line seek to overtake YouTube’s video-sharing service and traditional television as the primary destination to view visual media. “Facebook Live will enable people to connect with friends, family and fans in a way that’s more lively,” said, Will Cathcart, vice-president for product management at Facebook, during a recent
Facebook Live is now targeting the broadcast market, as the global social media company lines up to take on the Google video giant YouTube. Photo: Facebook live video conference with Southeast Asian news media. Facebook users watch live videos three times longer than normal videos, he added. Mr Cathcart said Facebook was working closely with content creators to help them monetise and build their businesses on Facebook. In the long term, the company envisions a video ecosystem that is supported by a revenuesharing model. Ariya Bhanomyong, managing director of Line Thailand, said the company rolled out its video-sharing feature by broadcasting live concerts.
It is also helping venue owners use digital marketing to reach concertgoers via the Line platform. Burin Kledmanee, chief operating officer of Ready Planet, a local digital media agency, said social media players had jumped onto the live broadcasting bandwagon, potentially threatening the fate of TV broadcasters. Siwat Chawareewong, president of Digital Advertising Association (Thailand), said live streaming was one of social media users’ favourite features. Content creators can use
new alternative channels, Facebook Live and Line Live, to reach audiences and generate ad revenue, he said. A report conducted by the Digital Advertising Association said Facebook’s ad revenue in Thailand had surpassed that of YouTube for 2014-15. Facebook’s ad revenue increased to B1.9 billion in 2015, up from B980 million in 2014. YouTube’s ad revenue was B1.59 billion in 2015, up from B854 million in 2014. By contrast, Facebook’s ad revenue was B255 million in 2013, while YouTube generated B472 million.
MontAzure impresses at Asia Pacific Property Awards PROPERTY MONTA ZU R E, AN EXclusive mixed-use community project in Kamala, has scooped all three property awards at the Asia Pacific Property Awards in its Thailand categories and nominated for a regional award during a gala dinner held at the Shangri La Kuala Lumpur.
In a sensational triumph for the luxury development, MontAzure swept two Five Star awards, winning first place in each for Best MixedUse Development Thailand for MontAzure and Best Condominium for Twinpalms Residences MontAzure, as well as a Highly Recommended award for Property Single Unit Property Thailand for
The Estates at MontAzure. Twinpalms Residences MontAzure was also nominated for the Best Condominium Asia Pacific Awards on a night of excitement and celebrations for the property developer. MontAzure’s Managing Director, Roland Bleszynski said, “We are absolutely thrilled to have received these
awards. It is testament to the whole team and the vision of the investors to establish a truly integrated, exclusive development in Phuket.” MontAz ure is a joint venture of three of the most prestigious property and hotel investment groups in Asia – ARCH Capital Management (Hong Kong & Shanghai), The Narai Group (Thailand), and Philean Capital (Singapore) part of Pontiac Land Group – which have teamed up to launch Asia’s most exceptional resort residential development. The first phase is the Twinpalms Residences MontAzure that occupies 100 metres of absolute beach frontage. It will be operated and managed by Twinpalms when it is completed offering one and two-bedroom units with penthouses having access to a private roof top and pool with prices ranging from B8 million to B93 million. Twinpalms Residences MontAzure consists of 75 upscale branded beachfront condominiums designed by
(from left): MontAzure Director of Marketing Henri Young; International Property Awards President Stuart Shield; and MontAzure Managing Director Roland Bleszynski. Martin Palleros of Tierra Design which will be completed in 2018. Pre-sales have been brisk with over 37 per cent of the units sold supported by the recent opening of the Sales Gallery and Show Suite. Investors are invited to join in the management pool and benefits of a well-managed hospitality operation with attractive yields and owner usage up to 45 nights per year. Facilities include a resi-
dents’ lobby, beach front restaurant and bar, gym/yoga studio, pool bar, spa pavilions, library and lounge, outdoor event spaces and on-site management office. Other key components of a project includes 13 ultraluxury private hillside estate villas called The Estates at MontAzure, with interiors designed by the legendary Jaya Ibrahim and architecture by Lek Bunnag. The Phuket News thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
An all-natural bug trap for your garden
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This course will make you fit and fertile
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JEFFREY LOVES
JAZZ Music lovers get ready for Phuket’s 5th UNESCO International Jazz Festival > Page 18
@thephuketnews
16 ENVIRONMENT
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Coal for water: crisis incoming
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reenpeace International’s first global plant-by-plant study of the coal industry’s current and future water demand is a warning to Thailand. The world’s rapidly dwindling freshwater resources could be further depleted if plans for hundreds of new coal power plants worldwide go ahead, threatening severe drought and competition, according to a new Greenpeace International report. “If all the proposed coal plants would be built, the water consumed by coal power plants around the world would almost double. We now know that coal not only pollutes our skies and fuels climate change, it also deprives us of our most precious resources: water,” said Harri Lammi, a Greenpeace senior global campaigner on coal. Thailand is in the grip of its worst drought for more than 20 years, with water levels in the country’s biggest dams lower than 10 per cent. Phuket’s authority have given assurance that there is enough water for Phuket, but already, some in Phuket are having difficulties getting an adequate amount of water from the public water service. Phuket wise, Thailand’s Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is moving ahead with a planned coal fired electricity plant for Phuket, to keep up with future electricity needs. In Phuket, there has been some activity against the EGAT’s plan.
The Great Water Grab: How the coal industry is deepening the global water crisis. The Greenpeace report is the first global plant-by-plant study of the coal industry’s current and future water demand. The research also identifies the regions that are already in water deficit, where existing and proposed coal plants would speed up the depletion of water resources. Globally, 8,359 existing coal power plant units already consume enough water to meet the basic water needs of 1 billion people. A quarter of the proposed new coal plants are planned in regions already running a freshwater deficit, where water is used faster than it is nat-
urally replenishing, which Greenpeace calls red-list areas. The top countries with proposed additional coal plant capacity in red-list areas are China (237 GW), India (52 GW) and Turkey (7 GW). Almost half of the proposed Chinese coal fleet is in red-list areas. In India and Turkey this figure is 13%. Coal is one of the most water-intensive methods of generating electricity. According to the International Energy Agency, coal could account for 50% of the growth in global water consumption for power generation over the next 20 years.
Greenpeace research shows that if the proposed coal plants come online, their consumption of water will increase by 90%. Given the deepening water crisis in the major coal power bases, it is unbelievable that plans for hundreds of new coal plants are even being considered. “Governments must recognise that replacing coal with renewable energy will not only help them deliver on their climate agreements, but also deliver huge water savings. It’s more urgent than ever that we move towards a 100% renewable future,” said Iris Cheng, lead author of the Greenpeace International report.
Monkey cups with deadly catch MEET THE NATIVES Supatra Sutham translate@classactmedia.co.th
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itcher plants found hanging in front of many homes around the island may look pretty but they are a deadly trap for many insects. The pitcher plant has many different species throughout the world and the most common one found on the island is the tropical pitcher plants known as Nepenthes species or monkey cups; in Thai: Moh Khaw Moh Kang Ling. Many are plants of hot, humid, lowland areas, but the majority are tropical plants, receiving warm days but cool to cold, humid nights year round. Nepenthes are tropical pitcher plants native to parts of South East Asia, India, Madagascar and Australia. Pitcher plant are insectivorous plants with leaves adapted for trapping insects. Each leaf forms a “pitcher,” or a trumpet-shaped enclosure, usually containing a liquid. Pitcher plant species may look pretty, but they are carnivorous. The deadly trap pitcher plant lure insects with a sweet-smelling nectar and sometimes by brilliant colouration. When the insects arrive to feast, they slide into the pitcher’s deadly pool. The sides of the pitcher are slippery and may be grooved in such a way so as to ensure that the insects cannot climb out, even flying insects rarely escape the deadly pool. If a bug doesn’t drown immediate-
Insects and other prey get trapped inside the pitcher plant’s cup. Photo: Supatra Sutham ly, the sugars and digestive juices give the liquid a tackiness that makes flying with wet wings very difficult. In order to digest the insects they trap, pitcher plants must produce enzymes to break down their insect prey. The trapped insects are apparently digested by plant enzymes and perhaps by bacteria present in the collected rainwater solution. Pitcher plant’s prey usually consists of insects, but the largest species may occasionally catch big prey like rats, birds or lizards. The next time you come across these strange looking plants, peek inside for a surprise catch. thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
COMMUNITY 17
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Beating the moving blues Local, expat ladies join the club, make a big difference
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The Phuket International Women’s Club was founded in 1989 by a small group of women to foster friendship. Since then it has morphed into a much bigger entity where members get together to meet other women and also to raise funds for scholarships. The club currently has 125 members from 27 different countries. For enquiries on how to join or our activities please visit our website www. piwc-phuket.com
esearch has shown that moving can be one of the most stressful times in people’s lives, up there with death and divorce. Newcomers to Phuket may find it difficult at first to settle in, and athletic activities are a great way to meet likeminded people. It’s easy to strike up a conversation while empathising that you both can’t keep up with the young Zumba instructor! Even if you are a shy or reserved person, you have to remember that all people need friends and they might be just as shy as you. Shyness is often mistaken for rudeness, so don’t let mutual timidity prevent you from reaching out to someone else. Most of us don’t have family here so good friends are the next best thing. Having had a bit of experience in moving around, I knew when arriving here there would be a women’s association of some sort that I could join to make the transition to life on the island easier, and so I joined the Phuket International Women’s Club. They have a number of activities that you can join in with as little or as much activity as you want. The first activity I joined was a Thai cooking class – what better way to get into life here? The food we made was amazing and I met a few friends
Catch and release: sea turtles set free
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n Saturday April 3, 50 sea turtles were released into the sunset waters of the Andaman Sea to begin their lives in the ocean at Laguna Phuket’s 22nd annual Sea Turtle Release, at Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC), Thailand. Hundreds of donors and animal philanthropists joined an afternoon of educational sea turtle conservation activities that included a Sea Turtle Nursery Pond Handover Ceremony. Laguna Phuket has funded a
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total of B6.8 million for Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) since 1994. Providing temporary shelter to juvenile, injured and disabled sea turtles before returning them to sea, PMBC’s nursery ponds are also a permanent home – and fighting chance – to many turtles that lost their ability to survive in nature and must be raised in captivity. To date, 2,020 sea turtles have been released by Laguna Phuket, with over 4,000 people participating in the initiative over two decades.
PIWC members gathered for a talk on plant propagation at member Joan Watson’s home. straight away. Besides golf, tennis, gardening, bridge, mahjong and crafts groups, the club also carries out numerous charity events and activities, raising scholarship money for some of the island’s under-privileged children. Since inception the club has sponsored over 1,000 students who have gone on to careers in the medical field, tourism, secretarial and education. All membership fees and any money raised by the club go towards this laudable cause.
Ladies, if you’re feeling lonesome, why not sign up for the next Meet and Greet Coffee morning or monthly luncheon? We’d love to meet you. Meet and Greet Coffee mornings are held every second Thursday of the month at Starbucks in Central Festival. Monthly luncheons are held every third Thursday of the month at various venues around the island. For more information please see our website: www. piwc-phuket.com
18 ENTERTAINMENT
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Phuket Jazz Day's Unsung Hero: Jeffrey Sevilla Marque A. Rome demianquarles@gmail.com
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ur world is encompassed by heroic narrative: your children's books, your Hollywood movies, your textbooks, and when you pause for refreshment on a hot day, heroes on the bills with which you pay for your Coke. Heroes are ubiquitous while we tumble through our salad days, and continue so through the decades that we ourselves wither and finally perish into oblivion. Until I considered what makes a hero, I wouldn't have said I had met any heroes. Now I realise that
maybe I have, and he's right here in Phuket: Jeffrey Sevilla, pianist, band leader, creator of Music Matter jazz club in Phuket town and founder of the Phuket UNESCO International Jazz Day Festival. He comes from Catarman on Samar, a large island of surpassing beauty in the Philippines, but frequent prey to the ravages of typhoons. Jeffrey studied piano there, did well, got a job in desperation playing at a lunch-time karaoke joint where he fine-tuned his ear comping to the requests of people whose songs he didn't know, but which he might follow if they hummed a few bars. Then he got jobs in Malaysia, and finally, in 1996, in Phuket, where he remained. It was in Phuket he caught the jazz bug. After watching those about him, he concluded that being a good jazz musician requires complete concentration, so he eschewed every job that wasn't jazz. At first it was hard, but he has gradually become the go-to man for jazz on the island. In 2000, almost accidentally, he created Music Matter on Chana Charoen Rd in Phuket town. It started as a bare shop. Jeffrey was out of work and had no place to live, so he put his keyboard on the main floor while he and his girlfriend slept up in the attic. Friends began to come by to jam. He acquired drums, sound equipment, other instruments, all cheap or free. He decorated the place himself (and still does). Over the years, Music Matter has grown famous for its Wednesday night jams, when jazz players crawl out of the woodwork to join him. Jeffrey, however, has never been financially comfortable. His money doesn't come from the club, which is more avocation than business, but from gigs at such places as the Siam Supper Club in Cherng Thalay (where he has a regular Monday date). He is rarely able to find gigs more than three nights a week. The life of a jazz musician on Phuket is one of constant struggle. He lives in a single room, has no car, and most money he's made over the last 20
years went to support and educate his son in the Philippines. The rest he puts into Music Matter, from which he earns nada. Stupid, no? Perhaps not. As writer David Icke famously said: "Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut, that held its ground." Jeffrey is not what one would expect for the organiser of an international music festival. But five years ago, seeing that UNESCO and the United Nations had declared April 30 International Jazz Day, he poured what little cash he had into creating a street festival so that Phuket could join the celebration, which takes place in 196 countries. He's done it every year since, with help from the city of Phuket, but he still goes to work to purchase airline tickets and hotel rooms for musicians from abroad whose incomes are vast compared to Jeff's. The work of a hero, I think, may be identified thus: first, he does what no human normally can, and, faced with circumstances from which others all flee, he stands fast. This, I believe is the essence, but by no means the whole, of the hero. For there is a second component, one I believe more important, which is that his motives are unsullied by desire for gain or selfaggrandizement. Phuket is home to many whose finances, connections and experience are far better suited to organising, promoting and maintaining such an event – but they either don't do it or don't persevere in the endeavour. Only Jeffrey does; and that's what makes me think he's the only hero I ever met. To get a better idea of what I mean, come see the show on Jazz Day, Saturday April 30. Dozens of great players from around the world will be there, many flown in only for this event. The show begins at 6.00 PM. Chana Charoen Rd is off Phuket Rd in Phuket town, about 100 metres south of the Clocktower roundabout, opposite the Crystal Inn. Telephone 089-588-2347 for more information, find them on Facebook: phuketmusicmatters thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
ENTERTAINMENT 19
Shakespeare loving
Re-enacting Romeo & Juliet with a local spin
Local theatre groups come together to perform literary classic on April 29 Joel Adams jadams@headstartphuket.com
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heatrix and Joel Adams, in partnership with HeadStart International School, are proud to bring the classic Romeo and Juliet in a not-tobe-missed event to be staged in the HeadStart Sports Hall Theatre, at 6pm, April 29. This is the second presentation in the Outta the Box Classics series, and is a fitting offering of two Shakespeareinspired plays this year, exactly 400 years after William Shakespeare passed
away. His stories and characters remain as relevant today as when they were first written and his words some of the most beautiful ever written in the English language. Romeo and Juliet has something for everybody: a story of passionate love leading two lovers from feuding families down the path to ultimate tragedy, a tale of reconciliation and the righting of wrongs, action, colourful characters, and even moments of comedy. The show will be an abridged version of the play with some adaptations for clarity, with a cast made up of teens and adults from different walks of life from
Hard Rock takes on Phuket Bike Week
H
ard Rock Cafe was very happy to be a part of Phuket Bike Week 2016, the biggest motorcycle event in Southeast Asia. “We will definitely join the future events to make it bigger and more successful by using our channels to expand awareness,” said Sales & Marketing Coordinator Nutticha “First” Mahapitatanatorn. “During the event, our band Naqita did a great job by rocking on the stage every evening both in Patong and Phuket Town. Our limited edition Tshirts which were created for Phuket Bike Week 2016 were very popular, selling out with motorcycle aficionados,” Ms Nutticha added. @thephuketnews
Limited edition Hard Rock Cafe T-shirts were a huge hit with the crowd.
students to volunteer police. They all have one thing in common, a love of theatre and performance and the desire to see more of it performed in Phuket. The cast members are doing a wonderful job at very challenging roles and getting to know the Bard and his work in the most intimate, organic way: by experiencing first-hand the beauty, depth and grandeur of the writings of a master. I invite you to experience the same by attending this production and finding out just how accessible and enjoyable Shakespeare really is. Theatrix is very thankful for those businesses, individuals. institutions and
organisations that have lent their encouragement, support and sponsorship to our efforts. HeadStart has been our enthusiastic partner and home base while The Phuket News and Live 89.5 have been a tremendous help in publicising all our events. Two Chefs, the Green Man Pub and Restaurant, and Oasis Ed, have helped immensely in making this possible and look forward to more sponsors hopping on the bandwagon in the future. For more information, email theatrixphuket@gmail.com or call 093 649 0066. Visit the Facebook page at Theatrix Group. See you on April 29!
20 HEALTH
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
War on the hips! Kim White kim@mindbodyyogasystem.com
21 Day Challenge
RPM’s latest health program has impressive results Matt Pond editor3@classactmedia.co.th
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or several years, Patcharee ‘Amy’ Vatcharawipakorn used exercise as her sole method of being healthy. Exercise did help her lose weight, but difficulties in conceiving a child with her husband had her questioning her lifestyle. As the Membership Manager at RPM Health Club at Royal Phuket Marina, Amy had spoken to Health Club Manager Hayden Rhodes about her issues, and Hayden recommended, back in December 2015, that she join a ‘21 Day Health Challenge’ he had already devised for close to 30 members of the club. The program is focused on bolstering energy, reclaiming health, and losing body fat. Hayden went onto say that the challenge consist of three parts; movement, food and sleep. And for 21 days, participants focus on how they move; what, where and how they eat, and whether they are sleeping on time. A key part of this challenge was being conscientious of food intake and showing Hayden their breakfasts so that he could monitor their progress. Each day, participants were to partake in 15 minutes of movement, broken down into five, three minute sessions, the directions for which Hayden posted daily
videos for. “There was specific times these movements had to be performed based on what times they were eating. This allows blood sugar and glucose levels to stabilise,” said Hayden. Sleep was also an important factor within the 21 Day Challenge, and although each individual’s sleep requirements differs from the next, Hayden explained that sleeping earlier helps synchronising the hormonal system, which also bolsters overall health and body fat reduction. Amy realised that the challenge had had positive results: significant improvements in her metabolism and she was pregnant with her first child, conceived on the last day of the challenge. She now knows the right things to eat, that movement is crucial, and that sleep augments health. Hayden believes that the challenge stabilised Amy’s blood sugar levels, causing a definite change in Amy’s insulin production and is most likely to have contributed to her conceiving. Following the success of the first 21 Day Challenge, RPM Health Club will be holding a second challenge which will start May 1. If you’re looking to boost your health, please contact the club on 076 360 885-6 or visit rpmhealthclub.com. RPM Health Club has also launched Anti-Aging Holidays: a personalised 30 day anti-ageing program, where proven techniques help participants re-energise mind and body. For more information visit antiagingholidays.com.
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here are some days when you actually do feel like you are going to war with your own body, when we should be feeling strong, confident and ready for life’s challenges. I would like to introduce to you Skandasana, the pose of the war god, named after the Hindu god Skanda, known for his graceful and handsome form and love of virtuous deeds. Energetically, this posture has the amazing ability to open the two lower chakras and really allow a deeper connection to the earth. Although this can be a challenging posture for the beginner, it comes with many great physical benefits, including an improvement of balance, core strength and stretching and toning the hamstrings and inner thigh muscles. Let’s look at how to practise this powerful pose: 1. Step your feet out to about three or four feet apart, hand on the hips and back straight. 2. Start to turn your left foot out 45 degrees, shifting your weight more into the left leg as you start to bend the left knee. 3. Place your hands on the floor for stability, as you rest into your bent left leg, left foot flat on the floor. Left knee is aligned on the top of the
ankle. 4. Right leg is extended out straight with the knee and ankle facing upward. The toes can be either also facing upward or flat towards the ground. 5. Roll the shoulders down the back and maintain a straight upright back. Pull the stomach inward to the spine and upward to the chest. 6. Beginner variation is to place your hands on blocks to assist with the back and the leg bend. If you are happy and would like to progress, take your hands into prayer hands at the chest, shoulders firm down the back, chin tucked and back straight. 7. Hold for 30 seconds to one minute, inhale to stand and repeat on the other side. With the start of a new Thai year, I thought it fitting to enter the new Thai year with a strong, powerful intention. This awesome position will go to war on the deep processes of the hips. Happy stretching! Kim White is the owner of Sala Samadhi. she offers authentic Hatha yoga instruction for private and group sessions. Contact: www. mindbodyyogasystem. com or 086 276 9174. The opinions and advice contained in this column are those of the author only. The Phuket News is not responsible for the outcome or results of following any advice in any situation.
Amy conceived on the very last day of the challenge.
Amy and her husband, Boy. thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
DINING 21
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Muay Thai road’s sweet little secret
Health nuts and dessert lovers can all satisfy their cravings at Nommy JP Mestanza sales3@classactmedia.co.th
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uesday night and a tiny shop along Chalong’s famed Muay Thai road is packed with people from all walks of life – fighters, fitness goers and tourists – as they chow-down on spoonfuls of the sweet stuff after a hard day’s training. They’re not eating mangoes here. Welcome to Nommy, a frozen yoghurt shop that has quickly become one of the most popular hangouts in Phuket’s fitness capital. The shop’s owner, Tom Kendall, said Soi Tad-ied, lined with several Muay Thai and fitness gyms that attract people from all over the world, was a clear location for the shop. “The fact that frozen yoghurt is many times healthier than ice-cream really made it perfect for the fitnessbased ‘Muay Thai Street’. Plus we love the area, it’s a friendly, health-focused community and that’s important to us as a young family,” Kendall says. Through word-of-mouth the business began to grow, especially with the variety of flavours that Kendall throws into the mix. All the flavours are made in-house with new ideas and concepts thanks to customer input.
Nommy serves creative flavoured frozen yoghurt with a multitude of toppings.
Nommy is located onthe Muay Thai famed Soi Tad-ied in Chalong. Photo: JP Mestanza “The two flavours we almost can’t stock fast enough are our Protein Peanut Butter and Protein Snickers. It’s really not unusual for some of our customers to come in 3-4 times per day for a cup of those ones! As for the toppings, we promote the healthier options and so there are a lot of 100 per
Pop Up Round Two Phuket Has Been Good to Us Foundation
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leven award winning chefs, one location, one night only! After the huge success of last year’s Pop Up at Bliss, the event will return on Saturday May 7 at Bliss Beach Club. Swing by and taste a wide range of culinary creations from the awardwinning chefs of Anantara Phuket Layan Resort & Spa, Angsana Laguna Phuket, Aziamendi at Iniala, Bampot, Bliss Beach Club, DoubleTree by Hilton, ENZO Japanese Restaurant, Higher, Kata Rocks, Metzo’s Bistro & Bar at Outrigger and Paresa Phuket. Andaman Wine Club and BB&B will be providing the free flowing beverages and will be joined by Two Tales and Chalong Bay who will have on offer a wide range @thephuketnews
of refreshing beverages. Entry is by donation of B2,500. Bookings are a must. Call 076 278 146 or email ruth@phukethasbeengoodtous.org to book your tickets. All of the money goes to Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation, a Thai registered charity providing free English education to over 1,200 underprivileged
Last year’s Pop Up @ Bliss was a winner, Awardwinning chefs will be back with more delights.
children in Phuket. For more information on the work Phuket Has Been Good To Us does and how to get involved please visit www. phukethasbeengoodtous.org or Like the Foundation’s Facebook page. Date: Saturday 7th May, 7pm Location: Bliss Beach Club, Bang Tao, Phukwet Dress Code: Summer Vibes
cent fruit purees or berries and nuts etc, but we find it’s the Oreos that we’re constantly topping up.” Aside from coming up with new flavours (bacon with maple syrup, anyone?), Kendall says plans are in place to have a mobile soft-serve van to deliver for special occasions and
corporate events. With three to four flavours of yoghurt and 18-20 toppings available, the future looks sweet for Nommy. “Many customers are looking for a healthy treat alternative for themselves and their families, Nommy ticks all the boxes,” he says. The yoghurt and toppings cost B65 per 100g. Nommy can be found at 10/90 Soi Ta-iad, Chalong, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83000
22 ISLAND SCENE
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Governer Chamroen opens the event. From left: Danupon Thodthing, Naphatsamon Suttikul, Thirapan "Bella" Narongkool, Saowalak Saibew (and a horse of course).
INAUGURAL PHUKET THAILAND BALLOON MUSIC FESTIVAL Spectators witness the rise of multiple balloons.
Kebab anyone?
From April 14 to 17, Phuket witnessed the exciting display of colourful hot air balloons and some got the chance to get a ride on one. The event was filled with local food trucks, musical acts as well as eye-popping balloon displays across Paradise Park in Koh Kaew.
Previous winners, sponsors and organisers kicked off the press conference in Bangkok.
MISS THAILAND WORLD 30TH ANNIVERSARY Miss Thailand World 30th Anniversary Press Conference took place in Bangkok on March 31. This year, Miss Thailand World will be selecting constants from all over Thailand. Constants will be put through grooming and etiquette training before heading over to Phuket for Miss Thailand colourful Andaman Campus which is sponsored by Angsana Laguna Phuket.
The Amari team take part in ancient Songkran traditions.
AMARI PHUKET MARKS SONGKRAN WITH CULTURE To mark Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year, Amari Phuket organised a 'Rod Nam Dam Hua' ceremony to allow team members to pay respect to their seniors and the management team.
Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kepsab (at podium) speaks at the opening of Phuket Bike Week 2016.
Bikers, babes made the crowd's hearts roar as usual.
PHUKET BIKE WEEK 2016 DRAWS BIG BIKES, ASEAN UNITY! Phuket Bike Week, this year celebrating its 22nd edition under the theme “Asean Ride Together”, was held in two parts: at Loma Park in Patong from April 8-10, and at the “Anuphas courtyard” in Phuket Town from April 15-16.
thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
ISLAND SCENE 23
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Right: Producer Tom Waller.
The gala brought together local sponsors and filmmakers.
PATONG GIRL PREMIERE GALA Vithaya Pansringarm and Aisawanya Areyawattana
Stage interview for the event.
To commemorate Patong Girl’s release in Thailand, a special Gala event was hosted at Jungceylon on Monday (Apr 18), with a reception in the Port Arena area followed by stage interviews with cast and the premiere screening of the film. Lead actress Aisawanya Areyawattana and actor Vithaya Pansringarm as well as producer Tom Waller were there to promote the film.
The event had an impressive turnout.
HÄFELE PHUKET BBQ CENTRE OPENS
WET N WILD SONGKRAN
Häfele, the global leader in the supply of top quality furniture fittings, architectural hardware home appliances, kitchen and sanitary fittings has opened Phuket’s largest barbecue and barbecue accessory showroom.
Xana’s Wet N Wild Songkran was held at Angsana Laguna Phuket in Bang Tao on Apr 13 with many locals and tourists turning up to have some really wet and wild fun.
Phuket Vice Governor Khajornkiet Rakpanichmanee (centre) was a guest of honour and participated.
Skytrek Adventure’s Managing Director Chanintat Pachantabutr (3rd right) welcomed guests.
TAKE TO THE TREE-TOPS AT HANUMAN WORLD Skyworld Adventure, the company behind Flying Hanuman, have launched Hanuman World, an aerial eco-tourism and zip-line adventure theme park located in Wichit. @thephuketnews
THE 7TH MAI KHAO MARINE TURTLE RELEASE The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation and its partners hosted the 7th annual Mai Khao Marine Turtle Release Ceremony during Songkran on April 13. On this occasion, rehabilitated green turtles stepped into the Andaman Sea, with Phuket residents and hotel guests cheering and waving them farewell.
24 EVENTS
FRI
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
SUN
22 APR
All You Can Eat BBQ Pork Ribs & Chicken Every Friday
Weekly all you can eat BBQ pork ribs & chicken every Friday in all Two Chefs. Restaurants 12:00 - 00:00. Only 395 B. Come for the food stay for the fun. Reservations.
Friday BBQ Buffet at SKYE Beach Club
Price at THB799++ RSVP, SKYE Beach Club at Naiyang Beach, 093 582 7700.
Live entertainment Friday and Saturday night at Ceramic Kitchen
Welcome to Ceramic Kitchen Bar and Restaurant, a charming Phuket restaurant serving Western and Thai food in the cozy atmosphere of a clay house. Open every day 12pm - 12am (except Tuesdays). Book your table for this weekend! Live entertainment Friday and Saturday evening. RSVP, 185/15 Moo 7, Srisoonthorn Rd., T. Srisoonthorn Thalang, Phuket, Thailand 83110, 099 410 0956, www.facebook.com/ceramickitchenphuket.
Indian Curry Night on Fridays Come to Navrang Mahal in Karon Sea Sands Resort & Spa for an authentic Indian Feast first and third Friday of the month, in Karon Beach. Try out our delicious Aloo Tikki, Samosas, Chicken Tandoori, Aloo Gobi, Navrang Korma, Butter Chicken, Lamb Vindaloo, Naan, Rice, Salads, Chutneys/Achars, Pistachio Ice Cream, Gulab Jamun, Fruits. Extra dishes on the menu: ONION BHAJI, BOMBAY ALOO, DAL MAKHINI, VANILLA ICE-CREAM. For only 499/- nett and special reduced prices on drinks.
Pool Competition at Expat Sports Bar The competition will be held at 9pm, Expat Sports Bar at the Expat Hotel Soi Taipan, Patong. See map at www.expathotel.com.
SAT
Full Moon Festival at Paradise Beach Phuket
The Biggest and Coolest Full Moon Festival on the island with the Professional open air beach SUPER PARTY production VS the International famous DJs. Come with us, taking a great music journey to Paradise together. RSVP, Paradise Beach, Patong, info@paradisebeachphuket. com, 076-609-609.
A CASUAL SUNDAY BRUNCH BY THE POOLSIDE
Relaxing afternoon by the poolside featuring a lavish spread of international delicacies and fresh seafood from the Ocean. Special Promotions: (1) A group of over 10 people receive 20% discount. (2) Birthday celebrations – birthday person receives a complimentary Brunch. The rest of the party, if over 10 people receive 20% discount. All prices are subject to a 7% government tax and a 10% service charge. Children’s prices are applicable to those aged from six to twelve. Children under the age of six dine with our compliments. RSVP, HYATT REGENCY PHUKET RESORT, fnb.phuhr@hyatt.com, 076 231 234.
Sunday Brunch at Novotel Phuket Surin Beach Resort
Weekends Special Lunch Menu at Café & Restaurant
We are a Western & fusion café & restaurant in the heart of Old Phuket Town, offering fine dining experiences in the relaxing contemporary Peranakan café atmosphere. The restaurant opens daily from 4:00 pm–11:00 pm, closed every Wednesday. We are open for lunch during weekends from 11:00 am–11:00 pm with variety of new mouthwatering lunch menu. info@texturephuket.com, 081 916 1430.
Indulge yourself in a culinary experience like no other: a wide selection of Thai delicacies alongside sushi platter, pasta, pizza, meat carving station and a variety of desserts. Only THB 399++ per person. Toddlers below 4 years old eat for free. Children aged 4-12 receive 50% discount. Advance booking recommended. RSVP, info@novotelphuketsurin.com
Beef, Pork & Lamb – Cauliflower, Broccoli, Peas, Carrots, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes – Yorkshire pudding – roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes – gravy, mushroom sauce, mint sauce. Reservation recommended 350 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com, 081 891 4381.
Come and enjoy authentic flavours of India by indulging in our special weekend lunch set for only B399++ per person between 11am-3pm. Menu includes 3 starters, 4 main course and dessert served with Gulab Jamun/Phirni Vanilla Custard/ Ice Cream (choose 1). All for just B399++ per person. For more info please call 076 304 034.
Sunday Roast at Gallery Cafe By Pinky @ new Chalong branch
BBQ at Expat Hotel Time 8pm, Expat Sports Bar, Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www.expatsportsbar.com
Traditional Sunday Roast Angus O’Tool’s Karon Beach
Lunch or dinner served from 2pm. Your choice of either roast beef, chicken, loin of pork or leg of lamb served with roast and boiled potatoes, three fresh vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Only B350 per person which includes a free glass of house red or white. Opposite Centara Karon Resort. See otools-phuket.com.
Thanyapura Superkidz Triathlon 2016
Exciting, challenging triathlon event for children aged 4 to 18. Participants will be divided into Categories Tri Tot (4-6 years). Junior (710 years). Intermediate (11-14years). Senior (15-18years). the triathlon event will give young athletes the chance to experience the world class sports facilities at Thanyapura including its 50m Olympic standard outdoor pool with biking and running routes set within the surrounding nature of Khao Phra Thaew National Park. Register online at http://www.thanyapura. com/ Proundly Supported by Live 89.5
Phuket Pride Week 2016
All you can eat Sunday Roast Buffet
Bollywood Phuket’s Weekend Special Indian Lunch Set
Sunday Roast
All you can eat: Roast Aussie beef, Pork loin, Chicken. Roast or mashed potatoes, Roast mixed veggies flavored with thyme and garlic, Yorkshire pudding, Res d wine gravy. All day all night only 395 Baht. Every Sunday. Come for the food Stay for the fun.Reservations, Two Chefs Karon.
British artist Goldie MBE will open ‘The Mad Artists Tea Party’ on Monday 21 March at 3pm in the main lobby at BISP. The Grand Opening is open to the general public, and the exhibition runs until 27 May 2016. For more information about visual art at BISP, please visit bisphuket. ac.th/visual-arts.
Mussels night @ Shakers
1.2kg mussels served with french fries, your choice, your style: nature, marnière, provençale, garlic & cream or Thai style. Reservations recommended B295 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com, 081 891 4381.
24 APR
BISP Art exhibition - The Mad Artists Tea Party
23 APR
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Every Sunday from 12pm and all-day brunch and dinner every day from 7am-10pm. 0891037000 FB : Gallerycafe by Pinky, thegallerycafe@yahoo.com, 089 103 7000.
Phuket Pride Week Sunday 24th April 2016 to 1st May 2016. This event was started in 1999 and is the only Gay Pride Festival still being held in Thailand. “Hand in Hand in Thailand” is the theme for the week of FUN & Celebration with over 12 events being held around Phuket. All are welcome: LGBT community, straights & the undecided, to join in celebrating Pride week and raising monies to help fight HIV infections in Phuket. More info please visit www.phuketpride.org Proudly supported by Class Act Media.
MON
25 APR
All you can eat BBQ night
6pm – 11pm: beef, pork, chicken, burgers, sausages, prawns & squids, salad buffet, choice of potatoes & sauces, bread, buns & garlic bread Reservation recommended 350 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com, 081 891 4381.
thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
EVENTS 25
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
MON
25 APR
ANZAC Day at Lady Pie
Doors open at 5:30pm with Dusk service starting with a Reading/Prayer by Reg Macey at 6.15pm, followed by the Address by Geoff Tasker, wreath laying by a rep of the Australian Embassy, followed by the Ode, the Last Post, 1 mins silence, then the Rouse. Afterwards more food, including pavlovas and ANZAC biscuits, drinks and Aussie music. More details - 081 273 1740.
WED
27 APR
THU
28 APR
The Quintessential Wellness Workshop The inspirational 4 days 3 nights programme has selected the best nutritional specialists, Celebrity performance coaches & yoga enthusiasts to ensure you will receive the best education. Discover benefits of stress & sugar management, hormonal balancing & weight loss, by wellness practitioners; Hayden Rhodes, Craig Burton & Kim White. THB 25,000 per person for 4 days 3 nights program. A day package or single classes are available. Phuket residents get 15% off. For more infomation, log on to jwmarriottphuketresort.com Mandara Spa Director, Linda Overman, linda. overman@marriotthotels.com
6pm – 11pm: All you can eat BBQ ribs served with salad buffet, potato salad & choice of sauces. Reservations recommended THB295 P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com, 081 891 4381.
In Thailand, Felix falls in love with the mysterious Fai. He follows his heart…but things get complicated.“A touching intercultural story without any wrong notes..” - Hamburger MorgenpostAward-winning romance released in SF Cinema City Jungceylon from 21 April. Proudly supported by Phuket News TV.
FRI
29 APR
Weekly BBQ Every Wednesday
All you can eat Aussie BBQ only 495 Baht. Fresh off the BBQ Two Chefs famous ribs as well as great selection of mixed grill favorites. Enjoy also our selection of fresh salads, dips and canapes. Come for the food and stay for the fun.Reservations, Two Chefs Kata Beach.
Romeo and Juliet The world’s most famous love story by the world’s most popular author! Theatrix and HeadStart will present William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on the HeadStart stage on April 29 at 6 p.m. Outta the Box Classics part two is not to be missed! Romance! Action! and even comedy! It’s got everything! Proudly sponsored by Phuket News and Live 89.5, Two Chefs, Green Man, and Oasis Ed.Joel Adams, theatrixphuket@gmail.com
TUE
26 APR
On behalf of Phuket City Municipality. MMC presents the 5th edition of Phuket UNESCO International Jazz Day. Open to the public at 7 PM at Chanacharoen Road ,Phuket City. Main events featuring Phuket local,Int’l jazz and guest. For more info please call 089 588 2347.Proundly Supported by The Phuket News and Live 89.5 radio.
Free Football Trials
SUN
1 MAY
Phuket FC VS Pattalung FC Sunday 1 May Phuket FC vs Pattalung FC at Surakul Stadium. Kick-off 7pm. Admission B50 adults, Free for children with school ID Card.
SAT
InterBike Hash #4 Phuket Mountain Bike Hash will be hosting the InterBike Hash #4 between 29 April & 1 May, drawing Hashers from all over SEA and beyond. Enjoy the lush tropics of the Andaman Sea, with 3 days of guided off-road rides for strong-willed and meeker hearts. Indulge in Phuket’s history, folklore, and hash festivities. We promise COLD drinks, wet water, and hot weather….along with your favorite ‘forget-me-not’ souvenirs. Registration required and limited to 200. Special lodging arrangements, find all details on our website - http://phuketinterbikehash.com.
SAT
30 APR
14 MAY
Toastmasters Phuket Looking to develop your public speaking and leadership skills? Ignite your career? Join Toastmasters Phuket and start making yourself a leader today! Invitation only. Contact Jason on 086 479 7471 for more info.
@thephuketnews
15 Year Anniversary Andaman Sea Surf
SUP race, CPR training, surf rescue race,
SAT
4 JUN
11th LAGUNA PHUKET INTERNATIONAL MARATHON 2016
11 award winning chefs, one location, one night only! Phuket’s 11 hottest restaurants will Pop Up at Bliss Beach Club on Saturday 7th May in support of Phuket Has Been Good To Us! Pop by to taste delicacies from the chefs of Anantara Phuket Layan Resort & Spa, Angsana, Aziamendi at Iniala, Bampot, Bliss Beach Club, Novotel Phuket Surin Beach, ENZO, Higher, Kata Rocks, Metzo’s Bistro & Bar at Outrigger and Paresa. Andaman Wine Club, BB&B, Two Tales & Chalong Bay will provide free flow! More info - info@phukethasbeengoodtous.org or 076 278 146. Media sponsorship proudly provided by Live 89.5
THU
exhibition, an open house and big community party. This Open Day is the perfect opportunity to come along and check out exactly what Oasis ed. Phuket does. With live displays of art being made, including woodwork, sculpture, jewelry making and more, all the teachers will be on hand for you to chat with. Visitors are also encouraged to bring along musical instruments to join a drumming jam session later in the day. For further details please visit www.oasisedphuket. com or contact Kez via kez@oasisedphuket. com or call 0849462171 This event is generously sponsored by The Phuket News, The Kids Club, Phuketstagram and Negarta.com Khun Kerrily Jennings, kez@oasisedphuket.com.
7 MAY
POP UP AT BLISS - 7MAY 2016
Every Wednesday! All-you-caneat Pasta and Pizza
Every Wednesday eat all you can - pizza and pasta only for 500 Baht. Drink all you can Peroni & Belleville only for 450 Baht or both EAT DRINK ALL YOU CAN ONLY FOR 890 Bath with DOUBLE EXPRESSIONS LIVE! Wednesdays 6pm to 11pm. info@pastabellini.com. Located at Chalong Circle, Chao-Fa East.
The 5th Edition of Phuket UNESCO International Jazz Day.
This is your chance to join The HeadStart Football Academy. Saturday, March 19th 10:30 12:00 pm. Open to player from 12-15 years of age.JR, jr@headstartphuket.com, 076 612 8756.
Patong Girl All you can eat BBQ Ribs night
beach cleaning and live music. Registration 9am - 11 am. The race starts at 1am. Andaman Sea Surf, 076 296 071.
OeP Create Space Open Day #2 The Oasis ed. Phuket Create Space is back for round 2 with their next (bigger, better!) Open Day! Somewhere between a festival, an art
Asia’s largest destination marathon, the Laguna Phuket Marathon, will be taking place on 4-5 June 2016. More than 8,000 runners from around the world are expected to enjoy 2 days of races and fun. The 10.5km run, 5km Walk & Run, and 2km Kids’ Run will take place the afternoon of 4 June while the half marathon and marathon will start early morning on 5 June. For more info and to sign-up, visit www.phuketmarathon.com or www.gotorace.com Proundly Supported by Live 89.5
EVERY DAY Great Mexican, Thai and Flamegrilled Burgers in a beautiful setting! If you have time this month get down to Sea Breeze located in Royal Phuket Marina. Open 9am to 10pm everyday serving home-made mexican specialties, flame grilled burgers and Thai specials! All sport available shown live, Contact: Reservations, info@seabreezerpm.com, 076 360 806.
26 TIME OUT
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FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York Across
1. Which 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery, is considered a children’s novel? 2. Who is noted for his guitar solo on Stairway to Heaven? 3. What was the first name of Hyacinth Bucket’s husband in the British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances? 4. Who was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia? 5. In which city was escapologist Harry Houdini born? Answers below, centre.
SUDOKU
perfection 25. Exercise target 1. Formal accessory 26. Long sentence 5. Shillong was its 27. Dismounted capital 28. Einstein’s 10. Mosque chief preoccupation 14. Famous Amos 29. Bonehead 15. Hot spot 31. Feed 16. Bamako is its 32. Flight board capital abbr. 17. Taro variety 33. Hold back 18. Sots 34. Big copper 19. Barbershop exporter Down emblem 35. Sciences’ 20. Discourage partner 1. Dance 23. Old name for instructor’s call 37. Part of a nitrogen geisha’s attire 2. Foofaraw 24. Blue-pencils 3. Pakistani tongue 38. Hoisting 25. Roman priest machine 4. Landscape 28. Excellent 39. Cordial replicas 30. Flowering shrub 5. In a faint 43. Engenders 31. Greek cheese 44. Publicize 6. Artificial leg? 33. Soothing the body 7. Rocket 45. Channel and soul center 46. Conscious 8. Affirm 36. One in an 9. Flat-topped land 47. Chalice unfamiliar setting 48. Compensate formation 40. Jump into a pool? 10. Hold back 49. The out crowd 41. Laser light 50. Insider’s 11. Native New 42. Sluggish vocabulary Zealander 43. Empty a vessel 52. Gulf war ally 12. Dispense 45. Bad blood 53. Actress Miles 13. Appearances 46. Category of 54. Banish to Hades 21. Central arachnids 55. Nay sayer European 49. Some cops 56. Track event 22. Mark of 51. Past event 57. Natural balm 58. Combine 59. Color quality 60. Giving 61. Fire 62. Carry 63. Alimony receivers 64. Foul 65. Give out
Solutions to last week’s puzzles:
Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1) Anne of Green Gables; 2) Jimmy Page; 3) Richard; 4) Lady Godiva; 5) Budapest
GOT YOUR NUMBER
ISLAND VIEW
This week in history ■■ April 22, 1970
9
The first Earth Day is celebrated. ■■ April 23, 1927
Cardiff City defeat Arsenal in the FA Cup Final, the only time it has been won by a team not based in England.
kilometres is how deep the Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam runs, the world’s largest cave.
15
■■ April 24, 1184 BC
Traditional date of the fall of Troy.
degrees Celsius is the temperature an igloo can maintain in -45ºC weather.
90
Australian gunners during the Battle of Gallipoli, 1915.
per cent of dogs and 75% of cats that go missing in the US are returned safely.
■■ April 25, 1916
Anzac Day is commemorated for the first time on the first anniversary of the landing at Anzac Cove.
1,062
■■ April 26, 1986
A nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union (now Ukraine), the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
kilometres is the entire length of New York City’s subway tracks if they were laid out end to end – further than from Phuket to Singapore.
325 million
gallons of beer were consumed on Super Bowl Sunday 2015. Source: Uberfacts
■■ April 27, 1565
Cebu is established becoming the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. ■■ April 28, 1789
In the water. Photo by Akom Timglub Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket? Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th
Mutiny on the Bounty: Lieutenant William Bligh and 18 sailors are set adrift and the rebel crew returns to Tahiti briefly and then sets sail for Pitcairn Island. Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews
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Buy&Sell JOB OFFER Marketing & Sales Positions Seeking friendly Thais and Chinese who speak English and/or Mandarin. Full & part time needed. EXCELLENT salary+bonus. Work at office, or from home. Jim, Mai Khao Plaza, hello@ivacasia.com, 094 679 1182.
BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE Dual banana boat for sale Dual banana boat for water activities. 4.2 m long, 1.6 m wide. Up to 14 riders. This banana boat is brand new, packaging still intact. Stored in a warehouse in Chalong. 40000, Vladimir, sales@joydive.asia, 084 182 8685.
Dive boat for sale Dive boat Asian Adventure, Length–18m, Width– 4.6m, Depth–1.7m, 1 Eng–315 H.P. capasity 40 passengers +3 crew. Located in Chalong, sales@ joydive.asia, 084 182 8685.
1 engine speedboat for sale Honda 250 H.P. 15 passengers+3 crew, Length–8.10m, Width–2.40, Depth-1.6. Excellent conditions, sound system Located in Chalong. Vladimir, sales@joydive.asia, 0841828685.
Boston Whaler conquest 255 Immaculate condition, Mercury 150hp x 2 very low hours, Thai registered. This boat comes with full inventory. Lying AoPo marina Phuket. mikehigh1@gmail. com Mike, mikehigh1@gmail.com, 088 768 4701.
Yacht Chartering and Resort Big A Swan 55 Yacht Chartering and Resort in Phuket Thailand Sailing : Big A Swan 55, Accommodation: Big A Resort 076-383080 Email: bigasail@samart.co.th.
ACTIVITIES, GROUPS Roof top Patong Mini Golf
The best sea view 18 Holes, roof top Mini Golf. Located on the 4th floor of Banana Walk Plaza in Patong, 091 762 2628, http:// patongminigolf.com
ACTIVITIES, GROUPS Free Tiya’s Hammocks campaign Win Free hammock from Tiya’s Hammocks Phuket. Winner will get V Weave hammock, handmade from North of Thailand, weight capacity 250 kgs. Value 5,200 THB. More details visit Facebook: Tiya’s hammocks, Contact: Tiya, tiya@ tiyashammocks.com, 089 600 0041.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Restaurant for Take over Fully equipped restaurant in Rawai for Take over in a popular tourist spot. High density crowd. 10,000FT and air condition. June, Rawai, senajune@gmail.com, 081 978 5989.
Looking for a Partner Investor I am looking for a Partner/Investor to expand my Dive business Anyone interested please email me to discuss the proposal. rwhi690169@bigpond.com.
Bangla agogo club for sale
A newly refurbished bar/club with great returns is for sale. Fully fitted out over 2 floors. Very cheap and very low rent. Reliable landlord. Steve, stevepearcergj@hotmail.co.uk, 089 587 0819.
Unique Stretch Limo Business Only available Stretch Limo in Thailand. 9 meters long 8 pax, in good condition with all documents and green plates. Turn key business incl. website just to take over and start to make money! 2,500,000.-, Patitta Apichotjarus, Patong, phuketstretchlimo@gmail.com, 080 145 0082.
Business for Sale Non tourist/bar related business for sale, yearly turnover of 15MB. Call 087 276 0529 or 081 968 6051 for more details.
Newly renovated hotel for rent Newly renovated hotel/guest house in Patong’s heart for rent from owner. 12 rooms, 2 shops to busy street, many facilities. More details check thephuketnews.com, search Listing ID 55398 or call +66(0)81 538 1399.
Restaurant on Main Street
Large, tastefully decorated restaurant in Cherngtalay. Fully fitted and equipped kitchen, 100 seats, bar. Walk in and start business. Now only B790,000, 089 400 5907.
German bakery & deli & snack
Main road, 8 years clientele, take over + incl. training complete equipment, staff room, 3 or 5 years leasing contract. Yearly volume 4 mio. hansibakery@gmail.com, Price: 3.5 million, Contact Mr. Stark.
Best Deal Rawai business for sale. Area approx 2Rai, can do restaurant or other business.Five mins from beach. Long term lease, yearly rent B200,000. 4 bedrooms house included. Reduce from B980,000 to B520,000. Contact Khun Asoke at 089 646 7176 / big_redchili@yahoo.com
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PETS
CAR FOR SALE 2012 FORD RANGER Ford Ranger 2.2 Diesel Hi Rider 22 Inch wheels,tonne cover, sheep skin seat,cover, showroom condition, 24,000 Kms., by careful expat driver. 660,000, dougwatson@hotmail. com.au, 097 045 2788.
Horse and Dog Vet Hospital Open from 10am. – 8pm.*Service all types of animals. * Experienced professionals.Contact: 076 620 136 /084 210 6868 and contact@horsedogvet.com www.horsedogvet.com
TOYOTA CORALLA ALTIS TRD Sept. 2011. 57000 km. 1 farang owner no accident. Toyota service. Top condition. Tel: 086 043 4315 (English and German). 440,000, Per Dompert, Phuket, perdompert@hotmail.com, 086 043 4315.
Pets Magic Planet
TOYOTA ALTIS 1.6G AT
Open from 9am. - 7pm. *The best international brands. * The ultimate choice. * Luxury accessries & jewels. Contact: 076 620 106 / 091 040 4000 and contact@petsmagicplanet.com
2008. 62K kms. White. Usual G refinements. Insurance, FSH, Lady driver 395K baht ono 395K, Clive Roberts, crob58@gmail.com, 081 087 9237 or 086 270 8727.
Chevy Captiva LT 2008 Chevrolet Captiva LT 2008, 499,000 Baht, 62.000 KM, 1 Owner, 2.0L Turbo Diesel, Full Chevy Service History, No Accidents, 1st Class Insurance. Tel. 082 804 1742.
TOYOTA Fortuner 2009 7 seats, Silver, GPS video, Family car Diesel 2,694cc, Blue book Service history Toyota Pearl 78,000kms. AUTOMATIC transmission, golfguru2005@yahoo.co.uk, 076 615 827.
Nissan Teana 2.5Lt Model 2014 17,000km. New price 1.7Mln NOW 1,050,000Baht Eng: 081 788 8280 Thai: 090 163 2140, Contact Maurice, maurice.phuket@gmail. com , 090 163 2140.
n r ge
t sa
le
Honda Jazz 2009 1500cc Auto
57,000kms. One owner since new. Regularly U serviced by Honda. Tax and Insurance until the end of June and available now at right offer. Reduced by 40,000bht, REDUCED to 330,000bht o.n.o, Andy +66846909144, andysmalster@gmail.com.
CARS WANTED Urgent need Toyota hilux vigo Want to sell your Toyota hilux vigo Champ ? vigo4u is the best palace to sell your Toyota. Vigo4u now in Phuket, Pataya and Bangkok also. 084 344 3444, 02 810 8117.
CAR WASH DELIVERY Tired Of Waiting? We clean your car at your place - at your time. No.1 car wash delivery in Phuket. Call 076-355-042 or go to CleanCar.me for more details.
MOTORBIKES FOR SALE MAX SYM 400I Big comfortable 2012 scooter one expat owner. Only 2,600 Kms., has had 1st service a great bike, reason to sale leaving Thailand. 150,000, Doug Watson, Phuket, dougwatson@hotmail.com.au, 097 045 2788.
Kawasaki Versys 650 ABS 2012 Showroom condition, new from Kawasaki Phuket May 2012, 2,000km, Hepco & Becker Engine Bars & Rear-rack, Kawasaki Handguards and Pyramid Hugger., 220,000 THB, Paul, 084 1 303 234, Plongmore@hotmail.com.
PERSONAL SERVICES De Laguna By Dr.JaQ International Clinic English Speaking Doctor By Appointment 095 0851188 FB: DrJaq Warnnissorn Providing Anti-Aging (Botox, Filler, Live Cell Therapy, Alternative Cancer Treatment, Chelation Medical, House Call). Integrative and Advancement in Medicine for individualized treatment programs for patients of all ages and with various disorders, Email: tosawcute@gmail.com.
FURNITURE FOR SALE Swinging Sun Loungers For Sale Swinging, sun loungers, brand new, excellent quality- 6,000 baht only, Contact: Eddy, eddyelan@ yahoo.com, 0899710278.
MOVING SERVICES Looking for Moving Company? With over 15 years of experience Bigmove Phuket is the number 1 provider of moving and shipping in and out of Phuket Thailand. We provide storage in a state of the art clean, secure, storage facility located centrally in Phuket. www.bigmovephuket.com, 081-797-5377.
PETS FOR ADOPTION Two cute Poodles We are 2 cute Poodles, both under 5kgs & the best of friends & wish to find a new loving home together, both of us are sterilized, vaccinated & healthy. Please contact Sherin.peace@gmail.com for adoption enquires.
MEMBERSHIPS Blue Canyon Membership Blue Canyon Membership for sale. 1 corporate nominee for sale THB 630,000 inc transfer fee. grahamhaslam@hotmail.com.
PUBLIC NOTICES Notice In June 2016, Bangkok Hospital Phuket will have to destroy patient records being inactive for over 10 years. For assistance & information, call 1719 or e-mail us at info@phukethospital.com.
OTHER
PROPERTY FOR SALE 2 New Resale Condos 3.9 MB. 7%net ROI 1 bed condos on the market 7%net ROI for 14 years! Rare Pool access modern hilltop unit. Panoramic views of Andaman Bay & city lights of Patong. Also 1 bed city & ocean views, fully furnished & professionally managed. You just collect 7% net/year hassle free. Contact phuketjon@gmail.com, 084 842 2262.
Sea View Land 265 Met. Pub.Rd. Great investment. 3/5 Rai Plots. NS3G Titles. Price start 4 M/Rai. Full infra. 265 Met. Pub. Rd. Frontage. Located on Koh Yao Yai resort area, just 25 min. speed boat from Phuket. We can make easy half day trip 10am-2pm. Call Charlie /more info, charlesaraines@hotmail.com, 062 069 1965.
Laguna - Luxury 1 Bed & Golf Membership For Sale
Totally renovated: new kitchen, wood floors, furnished, sound system. Price includes Laguna Golf Membership and Privilege Card. THB 6.9M. Owner 084 247 1632 - E-Mail: phuket3203@gmail.com.
Patong Tower and Andaman Beach suite for sale Mountains and Sea Views, Call David 080 692 6114, email: patongrealestate@gmail.com.
Karon Beach New House For Sale/Rent
For Sale Industrial over locker. Whitehouse Brand. 3 Thread. Brand new never used. Full tool kit. Bargain at 12,000 Baht. Call Sandi 087 264 0778.
Office Space Laguna
Office Space Laguna - Plaza del Mar Fully Furnished offices 4 Office Suite plus boardroom Rent entire unit or individual office 080 045 4474.
PROPERTY FOR SALE Horst Lakits Resort for sale/lease long term, in Chalong/Rawai Area own big well 22 rooms 2 Rai land large pool Restaurant parking No Agents. lets talk, Horst Lakits, 67/18 Soi Sermsuk, bigasail@samart.co.th, 086 940 1860, 076 383 080.
COMMUNITY
80 Sqm. 2 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom, Terrace carport. Nice Sea view. Sale 5.8 MB. Rent long term 18,000 per month. Gunter Kraus, Phuket, naruchai@gmx.de, 091 040 2471.
Luxury Apartment hotel in Kata Luxury Apartment hotel for sale in Kata beach. 356sqm, 3 floors. 12 rooms, all have sea view, kitchen, Thai chanote or 90 years lease. 30 MB., Noi (Thai & EN), Kata Beach, t_senrum@live. com.au, 083 391 5525.
Villa For Sale / Rent Located at Naiharn beach Soi Naya 3, Mountain view, Swimming pool, Balcony, 2 floor, 4 bed room. Total 92 sq.m. Thai 081 958 0542 ENG 081 956 6813.
Owner Sales Appartment “ The Pearl of Naithon “ Leasehold Total area 226,66 SQM including terrace 41,25 Sqm. 3 bedrooms with 3 bathrooms Price THB 13.5 million. MP: 089 814 1458.
Chalong Villa for sale
Living area 450 sq.m, Land 800 sq.m. 1st floor: Living room, Master bdr with en-suite bth, Kitchen, Seaview terrace, Pool, Carpark. 2nd floor: 4 bdr with bth, 2nd living room, Office. 19.5M, oliver@thurmanngroup.com, 087 877 2320.
SPACIOUS 4-BED RAWAI VILLA Sale/rent. Beautiful, spacious home in 1,038sqm gardens.Three en suite beds, guest house, 9x4m pool, maid’s room. Living space 320sqm. Reduced to 12,000,000, alangath@gmail.com, 08727 30141.
Two-story house in Phuket City Land 400 sq. m, living area 344 sq.m, 6 rooms, 3 bathrooms, maid’s room with bath. Fully furnished. Very good for living and business. 15,000,000.-, Pauline Haldemann, haldemwa@hotmail.com, 081 895 0038.
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PROPERTY FOR SALE
PROPERTY FOR SALE
Alexander Kolesnikov
House for sale
Land & 4 storey Commercial building for sell.Patong. Just 60 m from the beach. Guesthouse 6 luxury rooms + restaurant 40 seats. 17 MB, Contact Alexander, alexkolinz@gmail.com, 089 651 3250.
Private pool villa with lovely garden half a rai. Quite and safe area. 3 bedroom 2 bathroom open kitchen. 160 m2 Situated in Ban Pahra. 12 minutes to PIA, Phuket Airport, Nay Yang beach, and Blue Canyon Golf course. 2 min to Mission Hill Golf course.Price 8 million baht, 225 000 euro, bergsstigen@ telia.com, 090 701 4204.
SMALL RESORT BY LAGUNA
4 Luxury villas, office, 2 pools, 1 Rai - Chanote. Secure investment, price below replacement cost, money maker. Owner 82 retiring. 30 Mil Baht. Lets talk. Owner, 089 594 4067.
Phuket Beach Front Land
House For Sale
14 RAI Beach front Phuket,Phungnga Close 5 -7*hote,Chanode title,90 meters of water frontage More than 100 m wide beach&small piece of land close to the beach 25MB/ RAI, Ms.Pam, phuketmyhouse@gmail.com, 089 868 8668.
Located in Rawai soi Samaki3 2 bedroom 2 bathroom 1 Laundry room 1 storage room Living area 160 sq.m, Chanot title 280 sq.m. 3.2 MB., Rico9963@hotmail.com, 083 640 9041
Fire sale 7 shop houses for sale, 20 meters from Chalong round about. On the way to pier for Sale. 25 Million, kieranpmadden@hotmail.com, 096 924 4661.
PROPERTY FOR SALE
Brand new 3 bed villa Onyx
Premium villa 8B in the prestiques Sunrise Ocean Villas developement is now for sale. Being built on the highest point in the estate, only 80 meters from the ocean and located 3 mins away from Grand AoPor Marina, 10 mins from golf course, 20 mins from the airport,, shopping centers, schools and hospitals, this villa is a perfect place to live with no traffic, no pollution and no mass tourism..., Over than 600 Sqm usable building area, 3 bedrooms, guest apartment, maid quarters, games room, 10 meter infinity swimming pool, roof terrace and breath taking views. Can be ready to move in within 8 weeks and still can be customized to the wishes of new owner. For sale at only 24.9 mill Baht. For viewing or more information please contact our sales director, Khun Montha 081 343 0777 Email : montha_phuket@yahoo.com.
Living area 160 sq.m. Land 200 sq.m. Fully luxury furnished. Open plan living room with kitchen, Private & Peaceful area, Security gate estate, Gym. 8.9M, oliver@thurmanngroup. com, 087 877 2320.
Villa for sale Exclusive Villa with Pool and Garden In Phuket, Rawai/Nai Harn, Land size: 1’700 m2, build up area 400m2. Private sale, no agents please. 36 MB, JasminConsulting@gmx.net.
New Sea View Villa
The Base Downtown - Sale/Rent 1 Bed (35sqm) & 2 Bed (60sqm), fully furnished, pool view. Near Central, BIS, Big C, Lotus, Siriroj hospital, Darasamut School, Thai Hua School (Close to new Central Embassy- good investment). Swimming pool, fitness & library. Rent:15,000-25,000 THB/month and 35,000-45,000 THB/month. Panattaporn.c@gmail.com, 093 639 4654.
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Land for sale - Mission Height NICE LAND FOR SALE AT MISSION HEIGHT, JUST OVER ONE RAI. Phone 093 629 4400 English, 082 421 4842 Thai.
Alexander Kolesnikov 3 Bedroom Villa for sale. Building 320 s.m. Land 900 s.m. Nice garden, 2 cars garage, study. Just 3 minutes from BIS. 15 MB, Contact Alexander, alexkolinz@gmail.com, 089 651 3250.
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PROPERTY FOR RENT 2 BDR Bungalow, Nai Harn Beach
For rent with “Free UBC Platinum cable TV”, Security, Air Con, Fridge, stove, quiet area, at end of cul-de-sac, 12,500 per month. Call 098 017 8818 or 087 884 8972.
Rawai Sea View Condominium For Rent
Short/long-term rental. 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, Stunning sea view, Fully furnished, Large swimming pool, Lift. reservation@ almaliresidence.com, 0935742533
Office/Shop for Rent
PROPERTY FOR SALE Make money NOW - Kata Beach House for sale
West coast Phuket Great Location, Spa, 7 Bedroom, 7 Bathroom, all with kitchens. Rent or live with good income. 5 minutes walk to Kata beach. ขายของได้ 9 MB or Offer, Khun Arreerat, kataari@ yahoo.com, 086 595 8512, 081 970 4638.
PROPERTY FOR SALE
Waterfront Condominium The Cleat Condo, residence project in Krabi Boat Lagoon Marina. Price 3-9MB, size 37119 Sq.M., 1 or 2 bedroom, marina view. For rent/sale. marketing@phuketpropertytrip.com
House For Rent at tennis club
For Sale or Rent
2 bedrooms,1 en suite bedroom,2 bathroom, living area and big veranda. Idea for tennis Coach. Prefer long term rent. Viewing by appointment only. Patra, patbittersweet@gmail.com , 081 607 2805.
4 bedroom 3 bath room excellent view Chalong bay 3 storage,Fully furnished all new swimming pool in quiet area Rawai beach. All inquires. Tidarat, 087 466 5635.
D Condo Creek Short term offer
Ocean View Land Kamala
1-6 months offer. Free stay 2 week on conditions. Fully furnished w washing machine. Mountains view, 5th fl. Bike rental. See room from Mar 12, move in from 15 Mar. Tiya, lodchong77th@yahoo. com, 089 600 0041.
Half rai 797sq.m. cleared and leveled, power connected, sealed road, MUST SELL 6.75million. For ENG 090 492 3101 THA 093 768 6694.
Beachfront House 4-Bedroom house on semiprivate beach available for sale and rent. Can easily be divided into two separate and identical properties. The rental/sale can also include a self-contained 1-bedroom bungalow, Price: 18.2 MB, Rent 110,000 THB, Alex Seago, home@thaivillaboutique.com, 087-8923876.
Ground Floor space with excellent positioning on Chalong Pier Road. For more information, please call 081 416 4177 or 076 381 341.
Partner for resort wanted
5 Rai. hillside Maikhao beach. Main buiding finished. Nice sunset seaview, 087 267 1192, Julius_schuster2001@yahoo.de
Anuphas Golfville House- Kathu
Land 162 sqwa. Large Pool/Jacuzzi-3 Bed-4 Bath-Office-2 Storage Building-Alarm System and much more. Reduced 22MB to 18 MB for Quick Sale. mrgeoffcurry@yahoo.com, Si +6681 970 8896 TH/ENG, Geoff+6681 854 0061 ENG.
Vassana Residence. Rawai Fully furnished 2 Bedroom 2 Bathroom. Swimming pool on ground. WiFi and cable TV included in price. 160M.S. in size. long term only. 35,000, Art, Rawai / NaiHarn, vassana.residence@gmail. com, Eng.087 882 9604.
For Sale/Rent (5 Days - 6 Months) 4 Floors, 6 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms. Fully furnished. Kuku, Phuket Town. Contact Joy, 093 596 2757, joyfulphuket@gmail.com.
Sale. Semi detached house
Living room 2 double bedrooms 1 fitted furniture and en-suite fitted kitchen office bathroom carport garden Land 188sqm, house 75sqm. 2,000,000, Khun Peter, Baan Pleunjan 2, Paklok, Talang, lowprofile@mail.com, 086 905 1406.
Land For Sale 3 Mil Baht
In Thalang area 2.5 Rai beautiful, flat land with access road, Chanote title, only 5 minutes from Thanyapura (PIA International school). sk.thanya@ gmail.com, 081 737 8624.
Kata Seaview Condo For Sale New 1 bedroom with great sea and sunset views! 44sqm. Leasehold with foriegn freehold available. Swimming pool, sauna and clubhouse. Flexible furniture options. Great management and rental program, 082 254 0760.
LUXURY POOL VILLA BY LAGUNA Has everything, comfort, security, live in a small resort - lush tropical garden. 35,000 Baht per month. Long lease. Owner, 089 594 4067.
Townhouse for sale. Chalong. Townhouse 150sq.m, 2 storey, 2 bedroom, living room, kitchen, 2 balcony, 2 bathroom, office, parking. Fully furnitured. Chalong circle, Price: 3700000, Contact: Mariya, mvs97@yandex.ru, 0822751146, Fax: 0918053725.
House in Karon for Sale. Hard
to find 3 bed room , 3 bath room house for sale in the perfect location near Kata & Karon beach, well maintained with a salt water pool, Price : 16,000,000, Narrisara (Tic), 7/8 Patak Soi 10, Karon, g-a-coates@ hotmail.com, 0991642991.
Chalong Villa for rent Living area 450 sq.m, Land: 800 sq.m. 1st floor: Living room, Master bdr with en-suite bth, Kitchen, Sea view terrace, Pool, 2nd floor: 4 bdr with bth, 2nd living room, Office. 90,000/month/ year., oliver@thurmanngroup.com, 087 877 2320.
Sea view land in Patong The Last Piece of Sea View Land on Prime Location in Patong, just 500 m. from Patong beach, 1.3 KM. to Jungceylon Shopping Mall, Contact: Karuna, kpattarawalee@ gmail.com, 089 967 5373.
Retail space for rent
Retail space available in the Ocean Plaza Patong for massage, beauty, coffee, souvenir shops etc. Low rent contracts for up to 12 yrs. For info call Natty at 086 281 8883 or 076 343 506. 3632, Nattida Thaboondee, g.cummings@hotmail.com, 086 281 8883.
Amazing Sea view Penthouse in Rawai FOR RENT Amazing Sea view Penthouse in Rawai. 360 p ํ anoramic breathtaking views of Chalong bay, mountain view and big Buddha. Two bedrooms, 310 sq.m of spacious living area and balconies. Please contact Izzy 086278 8300 or Danai 090 170 0429. propertysales@serenityphuket.com.
Outstanding Villa for sale
3 bed/3 bath, Living area 370 sq.m, Land 600 sq.m. Located at the 4 Star Residence. Spacious living quarters, open plan living, dining areas, gourmet kitchen, private pool. 14.9M, oliver@thurmanngroup.com, +66 (0)87 877 2320.
PROPERTY FOR RENT
Surin Andaman Apt - 2 beds
100 sqm w 2 beds, close to Surin & Bangtao beaches. Common Pool. Fully furnished with AC, fans, internet, cable TV. Short term possible. 24,000 THB, 081 273 1740.
House for rent - Near Pah-klok
Long term, quality furnishings, near Heroines Monument, 3 bed, 2 baths plus office. Good garden. THB35,000 per month. Call 087 878 5804.
RAWAI: MORE FOR LESS
Rent/sale. Beautiful, spacious family home. 3 en suite beds, guest house or office, maid’s room. Gardens 1,038sqm. Cut-price longterm. alangath@gmail.com, 087 273 0141.
Apartment for rent
Luxury 1 bedroom ground floor apartment. 65.s.q.m. Central Patong. Short or long term rental. For details email ianscondo21@ gmail.com.
PATONG: 1 and 2 Bed Apartments
2-Bed/2-Bath & Studio for rent. Balcony. Full A/C. Western Kitchen. Modern furnished. All Extras. Fast WIFI free. Ouiet Location & well maintained. Email : khunrei@gmail.com, 084 185 8536.
CHALONG BEACH FRONT LAND Direct beach front land for rent. Long and short term. Area 2400 sq meter with beach front of 40 meter, Contact: Mr. Narin, narinpga@ gmail.com, 081 826 9390.
thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
SPORT 35
Phuket back to league action FOOTBALL
Nakhon Si Heritage FC at the Nakorn Sri Stadium. The game, to be held on Sunday (Apr 24), will be the side’s first league outing since April 3, when Phuket got their first three points of the season after coming out 2-1 victors over Yala United at a game held at Surakul Stadium. Currently sitting at seventh in the table of 12, Phuket have so far managed to grab four points this season: three points against Yala and a point
Matt Pond editor3@classactmedia.co.th
C
oming off the back of a 1-4 loss to Thai Premier League side Bangkok United FC in the first round of the Toyota League Cup earlier this monh, the island’s Phuket FC return to league action this weekend when they travel to Nakhon Sri Thammarat to take on
AIS SOUTHERN REGION DIVISION 2 Team
MP W
D
L
GD Pts
1
Hatyai FC
3
3
0
0
3
9
2
Pattani FC
3
2
0
1
3
6
3
Ranong Utd
3
2
0
1
1
6
4
Satun Utd
3
1
2
0
2
5
5
Nara Utd
3
1
1
1
1
4
6
Phangnga FC
3
1
1
1
0
4
7
Phuket FC
3
1
1
1
0
4
8
Phatthalung FC
3
1
1
1
-1
4
9
Suratthani FC
2
1
0
1
-1
3
10
Nakhorn Si Heritage
3
0
1
2
-3
1
11
Trang FC
3
0
1
2
-3
0
12
Yala Utd
2
0
0
2
-3
0
@thephuketnews
in the season opener against Satun United. However, they will certainly be looking to add three points to their tally come Sunday over a team that currently sits three places below them in the table and have only managed to pick up a single point thus far. Despite the last official game being held close to two weeks ago, Phuket have not been slacking during the Songkran break. A number of players did return home for the festivities, but they were back to the island prior to Monday (Apr 18), when they took on Rajabhat University in a friendly game which saw the Andaman Dragon come away with a 4-0 win. The goals in that game came f rom Thai players Muhammadsorfie Waji (8), Akkarapol Meesawat (17), Nattapoom Maya (7) and South Korean striker Park Goen Yong (9). Phuket FC Coach Pittaya “Odd” Pimarnman only had praise for his team after the performance and said that they are certainly ready for the battle against the ‘The Saint of the South’ on Sunday. “I am totally satisfied with today’s result and I am really
Phuket FC’s captain Yusuke Sato seen here in action (sliding) against Bangkok United FC. Photo: Hari Jib proud of the team. They now really are ready as a team and every day I see more perfection from them. “Following Songkran, I don’t think we have any problem with players’ fitness or injuries, I think we are ready to go against Nakhon Si Heritage,” Coach Odd said. However, at the time The Phuket News went to press,
there was one uncertainty for the team, captain Yusuke Sato from Japan whose home prefecture was affected by the latest earthquake in Japan, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Sato and his family at this terrible time. The team return to Surakul Stadium next Sunday (May 1) when they are scheduled to take on Phatthalung FC,
who at the time of going to press sat just below Phuket at eighth in the table, also on four points. Kick off is set for 7pm and admission is just B50 for adults and free for kids with school ID card. See you at the game! The Phuket News is proud media sponsor of Phuket FC.
36 SPORT
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
8 POC a rip-roaring success th
be presented to Baan Dek Holland in the next couple of weeks once all the funds have been collected from the overseas participants who bid and won several very-muchsought-after memorabilia, such as signed Rolling Stones and Foo Fighters guitars, a Chelsea football shirt signed by all the team and a Formula One Grandstand three-day experience in Singapore. Thanks goes to all the supporters of the event and our main sponsors Desmond Teo of Gaylin and Khun Prasert Boonchu, the GM of the Novotel Bangna Bangkok. Tee Bale of Hooters and Bob and Darren of Tai Pan. Thanks also to Nick Redfern and Jim Lam for raising so much at Beat The Pro Holes.
GOLF
T
he 8th Annual Phuket Oilfield Classic 2016 – affectionately known as POC 2016 – was a riproaring success and despite the economic woes affecting the oil and gas industry, the event attracted 64 players this year, and quite a few locals from Phuket, too. It was just as well, as the winning pair for the Two Ball, Better Ball competition at Red Mountain on April 9 were Rob Cuddeford and Clint Shelly, both residents of Phuket, with a winning net score of 62 – winning only on countback from two other Phuket residents – Tommy and Ronny Corley of the Irish Times, who also recorded a net 62. The Texas Scramble winning team at Loch Palm on April 8 were the defending Scramble champions of POC 2015 Team NHO – Paul Henderson, Jim Stevenson, Scott Puzey and Richard Holt. They had a victorious net 53, closely
The next and 9th Annual POC will be held on the island from April 6-9, 2017. Please check www.asiangolfevents.com for more details or contact Mark Cameron (Organiser) on mark@asean-events.com Tel +66 (0) 614866736
Team members from Gaylin Group, Singapore, who participated in this year’s POC Classic 2016. followed in second place by the Thai Bandits – Peter Burnett, Graham Robertson, Khun
Nok Cameron, and the event organiser’s wife, Khun Laong Cameron – with a net 55.
The aim of POC is to raise vital funds for kid’s charities on the island and this year,
despite the low numbers a massive B250,000 was raised during the event, which will
Natalie takes 10-point lead in PPL
The teams from Dirty Nellies and Sports Bar.
L A ST W E E K I N T H E PAT ONG Pool League, Natalie Bar extended their lead over Ting Tong Bar to 10 points after taking a comfortable 8-3 win over Martin Swiss. Genius Bar managed to stop Ting Tong catching up with Natalie Bar with a win of 6-5 at home. Simon and Oils lost to Old Sailor at home 9-2, a big loss. This game also saw a black potted off the break, but,
unfortunately, another ball went in as well which resulted in a loss of that game for Old Sailor. Dirty Nellies played away at Sports Bar and got a good 8-3 win. Champs played away to Andaman Sea and took a 9-2 win, another big one. Friendlies are now being played on Mondays. Any bars interested in joining are asked to call Scott at 081-7289509.
League Standings Natalie
104
Ting Tong
94
Dirty Nellies
93
Genius
85
Champs
84
Old Sailor
74
Martin Swiss
69
Sports
63
Simon and Oils
48
Andaman Sea
45
Run: #1577: Saturday April 23, 2016 Run Start Time: 4pm Hares: What-A-Rat, GYW, Lucky Lek Location: Thepkrasattri - Near Laem Hin Directions: Southbound on Thepkrasattri Road [402] – continue 1.8km past the bypass road and turn left into the laager just below Sapam Temple. Northbound on Thepkrasattri
Road [402] from Phuket Town, continue past Phuket Town Bus Station lights 2.55km and make the U-turn (stay in right lane on the downhill section just before the U-turn). Drive south 150 metres and turn left into the laager site. Hash Bus Pickup Schedule: Kamala @ Black Cat’s Bar: 2:30pm Patong @ Expat Hotel: 3pm
thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
SPORT 37
The sky is the limit
Phuket hosts Thailand’s first trampoline competition TRAMPOLINE Anton Makhrov news@novostiphuketa.com
I
f you follow the gymnastic calender, then it is no news to you that on April 1 the 25th European Trampoline Championships took place in Valladolid, Spain. However, few people know that at nearly the same time the first ever trampoline competition took place in Thailand. Hosted by 50FLY! Club in Phuket, the event gathered dozens of participants of various ages, from both near and far. Trampolining is a new sport to Thailand, but the 50FLY! team are set to spread the message and promote this activity, especially since their field is modern freestyle jumping rather than what you can see in classic gymnastics. The first World Trampoline Championships took place over 50 years ago, and since 2000 the sport has became
part of the Olympic program. You will see gymnasts from over the world competing at the Games in Rio later this year, but frankly speaking this sport – as are all the disciplines under gymnastics – is little fun to watch if you are not into gymnastics yourself. Freestyle is different, incorporating the best from classic and extreme sports resulting in an exciting show. “We are a community of creative, talented, and yes, slightly insane people”, 50FLY! members admit. The inaugural 50FLY! JAM 2016 saw dozens of freestylers with different levels of skill. Those who have mastered basic elements up to a single 360 degree flip competed in the OPEN category, with separate divisions for Under-15s and Over-15s. Professionals were invited to join the PRO division with the same age groups. Each par ticipant had 60 seconds to perform as
Photo: Team 50FLY! many tricks as t hey could while referees evaluated their performance. The event culminated with freestyle duels where jumpers tried each other’s tricks. “Two main categories can be singled out in this sport. The first is classic acrobatics, where athletes have to
perform moves accurately. These are: 90 degree turns, straight body posture, landing on two feet only. Every deviation from classical style is considered to be a fault and leads to point losses”, 50FLY! Team explain. “The second is freestyle. It consists of a wider range
Kuwait Eagles win 2016 Phuket International Cricket Sixes CRICKET THE KUWAIT EAGLES were crowned as Cup winners of the 13th ACST Phuket International Cricket Sixes on a majestic day at the Alan Cooke Ground to round off another highly successful event. In a fitting final to match the previous matches throughout the four-day tournament, Mahmoud Abdullah’s brilliant all round side restricted Yarraleen Lions to 52-3 with 5 balls to spare to remain unbeaten at the ACG. The Eagles had earlier defeated Southern Stars of Victoria in the semi-final thanks to more superb batting from Murad Khan. Runners-up Lions had defeated previously unbeaten Warriors Qatar in their last four clash in probably the shock of the week thanks to a fine bowling display to take 5 Qatari wickets. The second division Bowl competition saw victory for debutante Cricket Club of Dibrugarh over Kuwait Hawks thanks to nerveless late over bowling. The side from Assam in India had progressed to the final following a semi-final win against CBB’s, while Hawks deflated the challenge of Gauhati Town in dramatic circumstances. With one ball remaining @thephuketnews
the Indian side required 5 runs, the ball was bludgeoned to the fence, where a Hawks fielder soared high to stop the ball crossing the rope on the full to secure a victory in one of the best games many spectators could remember. Finals Day had begun with one outstanding game to complete from Round Two, which saw locally based side Aussie Zen defeat Discovery Bay Silverbackz. This set up the victors with a place in the Plate Final, where they were defeated by Phuket rivals, Madras Curry House thanks to an excellent knock from Diwan Mydeen. The Shield was won by Discovery Bay who saw off the challenge of Katherine Bushrangers by 11 runs. ACST Chair man, Michael ‘Cat’ Maher summed u p t h e t o u r n a m e n t a fter play. “I am delighted to see so many players from across the world come together and put on a great exhibition of cricket that was played in brilliant spirit. “I would like to thank the Phuket Cricket Group and Alan Cooke for their invaluable assistance with the event as well as all our wonderful sponsors and amazing volunteers and officials who have formed a formidable team to ensure that we had yet another tournament to be proud of.”
The Kuwait Eagles, winners of the 13th ACST Phuket International Cricket Sixes.
of elements varying from basic ones that don’t even require any special physical training, up to professional tricks that defy gravity. What is crucial here is how complicated and complex the trick is, so athletes can perform even quadruple flips. In a sense, classical trampolining compared to freestyle is what ballroom dance is to modern dance, or ballet is to zumba.” One of the reasons 50FLY! JAM 2016 got to see such a big list of competitors is that trampolines are a must-have part of training in any extreme sport including skateboarding, wakeboarding, surfing, kiting, high-board diving and other sports based on acrobatic tricks. Some of the 50FLY!
JAM 2016 contestants compete in one of these sports, but the organisers highlight that trampolining is first and foremost a separate discipline, catering to various needs: some enjoy casual jumping, while others master crazy Tony Hawk-style tricks. A lot also depends on the coach, given their individual styles. Some jumpers f ind it easier to start jumping than the other, and according to 50FLY!, among the former there are lots of local youths, from Thai and expat families who attend classes which are held everyday. Though the club opened less t ha n a yea r ago, the place is well-k nown among Phuket-based sportsmen who can find all the equipment they need, including professional trampolines; a foam pit to practice difficult tricks; a parkour and acrobatics zone, safety harnesses; wall bars and even a special wakeboard designed for trampoline jumps. The next step for the club should be developing their team, already dubbed ‘Team 50FLY!’. The doors are open and your desire to fly is the only requirement. To learn more, please visit 50f ly.club or facebook. com/50flyclub. Some great videos can be found at vimeo. com/50flyclub
38 SPORT
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Ready to take on the world Continued from page 40 ...Ratchanok began her fairytale run with an impressive victory in the India Open final on April 3 and claimed the Malaysia Open crown a week later. Last Sunday’s triumph in the Singapore Open showdown gave her three consecutive top-flight titles. She also won at the Thailand Masters in Bangkok in February. Ratchanok, who became badminton’s youngest ever world champion in 2013, took over the No.1 spot from Carolina Marin of Spain when the world rankings were updated yesterday (Apr 21). Ratchanok declared on Monday: “Now that I have secured the No.1 spot, I am ready to take on anyone in the world.” She added: “I am really content with my form at the moment, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. “I am handling the on-court pressure in a far better way now and most importantly I have been injury-free for some time. “There are still some shortcomings in my game that need
Ratchanok Intanon is greeted by her parents at Don Mueang airport after returning from Singapore earlier this week. Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul to be addressed. “I am ready to put in extra efforts to make my fellow Thais prouder by bringing home a badminton medal [from the Rio Olympics].” Thailand have never won a medal in badminton at the Olympic Games. Before boarding the flight home at Singapore’s Changi airport on Monday, Ratchanok
said: “My target is gold medal at the Olympic Games... But I think that getting a medal would be like [becoming] superwoman.” Olympic success would mean redemption for Ratchanok, who was heartbroken after she was eliminated in the London 2012 quarter-finals. She won the first game against Wang Xin and built a
big lead in the second only for the Chinese to rally and claim the last two games. “After I lost, I felt bad and I couldn’t sleep. I’ve never felt that way before,” she said. “I wanted to close my eyes but I could not stop thinking about the loss.” Ratchanok added: “I don’t want to pressure myself but I think I have a chance to get an
Olympic medal for Thailand. “Now that I have become world No.1, I have reached a dream. I have completed one step but I still have one more step.” Ratchanok has also been quoted as saying that as a kid she never enjoyed playing badminton, the sport which has now generated a financial windfall along with stardom for her. Ratchanok picked up the sport at an early age, when she used to play in the grounds of Bangkok’s Banthongyord dessert factory where her parents worked. “I didn’t enjoy badminton at first and didn’t want to be an athlete. I just trained not to disturb my parents while they were working,” she said. ‘Ready to take on anyone’ Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha said on Monday that he was worried about the history-maker. Gen Prayut, who was among the first to congratulate the new world No.1, is worried that taking part in too many promotional events may take its toll on the young player
and affect her performance in upcoming events. Prayut said: “I have some words of encouragement and a small gift for her. “I don’t think Nong May is interested in receiving my gift. She is more likely to welcome encouragement from me.” Prayut added that Ratchanok above all else should “take it easy”. “I am worried that she may be exhausted by attending too many functions,” he said. “We should realise that she must have been very tired after taking part in three tournaments in a row in three different countries. “Such activities [receptions and promotional events] can lead to illnesses which would be an unfortunate development for the player.” Ratchanok is taking a break before defending her title at the Asian Championships in Wuhan, China later this month. She will then take part in the Uber Cup and the Superseries Premier Indonesia Open next month where she is also the reigning champion. Bangkok Post
King’s Cup teams confirmed Buriram up to second FOOTBALL FOOTBALL
AN INJURY-TIME STRIke by Korean winger Kim Seung-Yong gave Buriram United a 3-2 victory over Chonburi and lifted them to second place in the Thai League last Friday (Apr 15). The match was rescheduled owing to Buriram’s AFC Champions League commitments and it turned out to be an entertaining battle at the I-Mobile stadium. Buriram United had a good start and they dominated the Sharks for long periods
in the first half. Buriram’s unrelenting attacks led to skipper Suchao Nutnum netting their first goal in the 31st minute and Andres Tunez doubled the margin for the Thunder Castle early in the second half. Conceding two goals forced Chonburi coach Therdsak Chaiman to send in Brazilian Leandro Assumpcao in place of Worachit Kanitsribamphen and the move paid off in less than 10 minutes. Assumpcao kick-started Chonburi’s recovery by pulling one back in the 17th
minute of the second half.. Chonburi wrested the momentum from Buriram and Rodrigo Vergilio put them on par with their fancied opponent with a goal in the 80th minute. Chonburi’s hopes for stealing a point from the match suffered a blow when Kim produced the winner for hosts Buriram four minutes into the injury time. The victory has helped Buriram leapfrog Bangkok United, Muang Thong United, Ratchaburi and Chiang Rai into second place. Bangkok Post
THE FOOTBALL ASSOciation of Thailand (FAT) on Monday (Apr 18) announced that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan will take part in the 44th King’s Cup in June while a confirmation from Montenegro is expected soon. The annual event will be held in Bangkok from June 3-5. After a meeting of FAT executive members, secretarygeneral Lt Gen Pisan Jundilok said: “The executive committee has picked the UAE, Jordan and Montenegro for this year’s King’s Cup. “The UAE and Jordan have already confirmed their participation and we are expecting a positive answer from Montenegro in a few days time.” He added that Montenegro would replace Croatia who wanted to send their secondstring side for the King’s Cup. Pisan said that the tournament will be played in a knockout format with the winners of the first two games on June 3 clashing in the final. The FAT secretary-general also revealed that the association has accepted an invitation from Qatar to play a friendly in Doha on Aug 24.
Phuket national team coach Kiatisak Senamuang. Photo: Football Forward Thailand/Facebook Thailand coach Kiatisak Senamuang praised the FAT’s choice of teams for the King’s Cup. “It is a good thing. Even though UAE is in the same group a us we don’t mind. Both of us will gain benefit from this cup,” he said. “For Montenegro, they are European and they are good for the preparation we need for when we play against Australia.” Meanwhile, after the drawing of AFC World Cup Qualification Third-Round which saw Thailand placed to face Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Iraq, Kiatisuk gave confident words to the press. “No matter who the competitors are, this round should be a tough task as we are the
lowest ranking team. But I am confident that we also have something because we have been able to reach this stage. “The important thing is preparation. All of them are the best. This is our first time in more than a decade, but it is our chance. We will do our best,” he said. “One of our strengths is the home games. With our great supporters, we are ready to surprise all of the top teams, he added. Thailand had reached the final round of World Cup Asian Qualification in 2001 (World Cup 2002) when Kiatisuk was a player of the team. Now, he is ready to lead his War Elephant up the last hurdle to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Bangkok Post thephuketnews
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
SPORT 39
PREMIER PREDICTIONS: ENTER NOW AT THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
Benitez buoyant after City point
MAIN SPONSOR
The overall competition winner receives 1 voucher staying 2 nights in a Prestige Suite including breakfast for 2 persons and a 30-minute spa treatment at Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort, overall value THB 90,000. The monthly competition winner for April will receive a B5,000 voucher to spend at any Two Chefs outlet on the island.
EPL PREDICTIONS
FOOTBALL 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
N
ewcastle manager Rafael Benitez insists his side has the momentum going into the final four games in the fight for Premier League survival. Despite missing a chance to climb out of the bottom three following a 1-1 draw with Champions League semifinalists Manchester City, Benitez claims Newcastle have put themselves in with a good chance of staving-off a second relegation in seven seasons, after taking four points from their last two matches. They remain second-bottom, two points from safety going into the final month of the campaign as they bid to finish above Norwich and Sunderland to avoid the two remaining relegation places to accompany Aston Villa in the Championship next season. Benitez insists his side will fight to the end after predicting the battle to avoid the drop will go right down to the wire. “Everyone is doing everything they can to try to stay up,” he said. “Hopefully we have the momentum and we have to keep believing. “We have more belief now and you could see that the players will fight to the end. I’ve told the players not to look at the league table too much, and just to concentrate on the next game. If they are concentrating too much on doing the numbers, they’re wasting their time. “That’s two games in a row where we’ve had a great performance and had a great connection with the fans. To see the players perform like that with passion and commitment, hopefully we can keep that level in the final four
@thephuketnews
MONTHLY SPONSOR
MONTHLY STANDINGS thailand express 21 graeme64 20 matthew 20 diggersd 19 glory 19
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
OVERALL STANDINGS graeme64 156 celticpride 153 phils64 153 chook 151 sam3838 151
English Premier League 2015 - 2016 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Newcastle’s Spanish manager Rafa Benitez congratulates their Ivorian midfielder Cheick Tiote after the match against Manchester City on Tuesday (Apr 19). Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP games. We’ll keep going and see where we are going into the last game, but with this kind of fight you have to be optimistic for the remaining matches.” Newcastle travel to Liverpool, one of the Spaniard's former clubs, this weekend bidding to post a third game unbeaten. Benitez has won one of his six games in charge since replacing former England manager Steve McClaren last month, and he added: “Liverpool are doing well in the Europa League and I wish them well in that, but hopefully we can go there and come away with three points.” Sergio Aguero’s 100th Premier League goal put City ahead early on, but it was
cancelled out as Vurnon Anita grabbed his first goal for more than two years before half-time. Argentinian international Aguero became the second fastest player after Alan Shearer – who was watching the match – to reach a century of Premier League goals: in just 147 appearances. City manager Manuel Pellegrini said: “I’m happy for him because it’s not easy to score that amount of goals in such a short space of time. Hopefully he can keep scoring like that for the rest of the season. “We did well because it was difficult with the great atmosphere provided by the Newcastle fans and their players were playing for their lives because of their place in the league table,” he said.
Pellegrini made only three changes, but hinted at more sweeping alterations to his side for Saturday’s Premier League visit by Stoke City, which comes just three days before the last four Champions League clash with his former side Real Madrid. Pellegrini added: “It’s very important now that we make some rotations as we play this weekend and then against Real next Tuesday (Apr 26). We didn’t play as well as we did in the victory at Chelsea, and that’s maybe because we couldn’t recover after playing so well at Stamford Bridge. “Newcastle provided us with a tough test but we had chances to score a second goal to win the game.” AFP
Team
MP W
D
L
F
A GD Pts
Leicester Tottenham Man City Arsenal Man Utd West Ham Southampton Liverpool Stoke Chelsea Everton Watford Bournemouth West Brom Swansea Crystal Palace Norwich Sunderland Newcastle Aston Villa
34 34 34 33 33 33 34 32 34 33 33 33 34 33 34 34 34 33 34 34
10 11 7 9 8 14 9 9 8 11 14 8 8 10 10 9 7 9 8 7
3 4 9 7 9 6 11 9 13 11 10 14 15 13 14 15 19 17 19 24
59 64 62 56 40 54 45 52 37 49 53 32 41 31 34 36 35 39 36 23
33 25 34 34 30 42 35 43 47 45 44 37 57 40 45 43 60 57 62 65
21 19 18 17 16 13 14 14 13 11 9 11 11 10 10 10 8 7 7 3
26 39 28 22 10 12 10 9 -10 4 9 -5 -16 -9 -11 -7 -25 -18 -26 -42
73 68 61 60 56 53 51 51 47 44 41 41 41 40 40 39 31 30 29 16
Table and predictions correct at time of going to print.
Live Sports TV Schedule *Times may be subject to change
SPORT START STOP Friday 22nd Apr Rugby Union 14:30 16:30 16:40 18:40 Rugby League 16:40 18:40 Saturday 23rd Apr
EVENT
TEAMS / INFO
Super Rugby Super Rugby NRL
Highlanders v. Sharks Rebels v. Cheetahs Broncos v. Rabbitohs
Rugby League 12:00 14:40 16:30 Rugby Union 12:10 14:30 16:40 19:55 22:05 Soccer 18:45 21:00 21:00 21:00 Soccer 23:15 Sunday 24th Apr
14:00 16:30 18:30 14:00 16:30 18:30 21:50 00:00 20:30 23:00 23:00 23:00 01:15
NRL NRL NRL Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby Super Rugby EPL EPL EPL EPL FA Cup Semi Final
Bulldogs v. Titans Raiders v. Tigers Cowboys v. Eels Sunwolves v. Jaguares Hurricanes v. Chiefs Western Force v. Waratahs Stormers v. Reds Kings v. Lions Man City v. Stoke Bournemouth v. Chelsea Liverpool v. Newcastle Aston Villa v. Southampton Everton v. Man United
Rugby League Rugby Union Rugby Union Soccer
15:00 23:00 15:00 22:00 00:15 00:00
NRL Champions Cup Super Rugby EPL EPL FA Cup Semi Final
Sharks v. Panthers Leicester v. Racing Metro Brumbies v. Crusaders Sunderland v. Arsenal Leicester v. Swansea Crystal Palace v. Watford
Soccer
13:00 21:10 13:00 20:05 22:15 22:00
Sport editor3@classactmedia.co.th
BADMINTON
R
atchanok “Nong May” Intanon has already been embraced by the nation as its latest heroine, but the new world No.1 is anxious to chase an Olympic medal that would give her “superwoman” status in the country. Nong May, who completed an unprecedented hat-trick of women’s singles Superseries titles in Singapore last Sunday (Apr 17) and assured herself of an elevation to the top spot in the world rankings, was given a hero’s welcome when she landed in Bangkok on Monday. Hundreds of well-wishers and an army of reporters greeted the 21-year-old Yasothon native at Don Mueang airport. She received bouquets of flowers from a representative of HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha and HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, a former national team badminton player… continued page 38
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Team 50Fly! take trampolining a step higher > page 37
WORLD CLASS
Ratchanok Intanon was moved to World’s No.1 position yesterday (Apr 21). Photo: Mohd Fryol-AFP
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