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THAILAND NOT PUSHING ROHINGYAS OUT: MINISTER > PAGE 4

THEY’RE BACK AT LAST

T

he island’s beach lifeguards finally went back on duty at 13 beaches around the island on Wednesday (May 20) after Phuket Life Guard Service Co Ltd (PLGS) signed a contract with the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (OrBorJor) on Friday (May 15).

The OrBorJor pays for the service.

PLGS consultant Prathaiyut Chuayuan told The Phuket News today (May 20), “After I signed the contract, we put the three managers and 92 lifeguards through a refresher course in lifesaving and the rules.

“Everyone has to follow the rules which include no drinking alcohol, no fighting with tourists or other people while on duty, no ignoring people

in trouble in the sea, and always do your job well.

“If they break the rules they will be examined by the committee and either warned or punished. Plus, if anyone of them use drugs, they will be fired immediately.

“We have two lifeguards on Yanui Beach, six at Naiharn, five at Kata Noi, seven on Kata Beach, 15 on Karon Beach, 17 on Patong Beach,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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PAGE 6

Free shuttle bus choice for air passengers?

LIFE

PAGE 16

Headstart school looks into the future

AFTER A GAP OF TWO MONTHS, PHUKET’S LIFEGUARDS ARE BACK ON THE ISLAND’S BEACHES Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

NEWS

seven on Kamala Beach, two at Leam Sing, six on Surin Beach, 11 on Bang Tao Beach, six on Naithon Beach, six on Naiyang Beach and five at Mai Khao.

“The number at each beach will be adjusted depending on tourist numbers. During the low season we will have 13 jetskis for rescuing tourists. But for now we have two at Kata and three at Karon.”

SPORT

PAGE 40

Legal battles create cloud over Monaco GP

News 4

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FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

Smartphone app lets taxi passengers rate their ride > page 7

‘We’re not pushing’ Deputy PM denies Thailand is forcing Rohingyas back out to sea Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

D

EFENCE Minister and Deputy PM Gen Prawit Wongsuwan in Phuket on Monday (May 18) denied emphatically that Thailand is pushing Rohingya refugee boats away from its shores.

“They [the Rohingya] are demanding to go to a third country,” he told journalists after flying in from Bangkok with national police chief Gen Somyot Poompanmuang for a meeting at the Royal Thai Navy 3rd Fleet HQ at Cape Panwa.

“So please be careful in your choice of words. What we are doing cannot be called ‘pushing’. We are giving them humanitarian assistance but we also have to follow the immigration laws of Thailand.

“I came here to talk with local officials. They have a

good understanding of how to handle the situation. They are following the law and upholding human rights.

“We are not pushing them away. So please, use the correct words and don’t damage the reputation of our country.

“When they arrive in Thai waters we will warn them that it is illegal for them to come into these waters.

“If their boat engine is broken, we will repair it and we will give them medical treatment, food and water as a humanitarian duty. [The Navy] are already doing this.

“But anyone attempting to come into Thailand illegally will be arrested immediately.

“Today, I came to stress to [naval officers] and local officials that human trafficking is illegal, and there will be no more human trafficking from now on.”

Asked whether there were

Deputy PM Prawit: Government is preparing to open a transit area where Rohingyas can receive humanitarian aid. any plans to set up a refugee camp in Ranong province, he replied, “We don’t have any places, either on the islands or on the mainland for [a camp].

“But [any who comes on land] will be looked after by Immigration Police. There are about 1,000 Rohingya currently being looked after.”

Although Gen Prawit on Monday ruled out Ranong as a place to keep any Rohingya who land in Thailand, the Bangkok Post reported earlier the same day that he said, before flying to Phuket, that Thailand is preparing to open a “transit area” where Rohingya migrants will be provided

humanitarian assistance.

It would not be an area where the illegal migrants would be confined or held under control, he said. It would be a transit area only.

Asked whether he was concerned that the existence of a transit area might attract more Rohingya to the country, Gen Prawit replied: “Don’t think too much. We will do everything the Rohingya need.

We have done this in the past, not only with the Rohingya but also with Lao and Cambodian migrants.”

Gen Prawit said that no location has yet been chosen for the transit area. The matter would have to be discussed with several agencies and there would have to be effective measures to prevent local residents from being affected.

He added that Thailand had noted the concerns expressed by organisations such as the

United Nations, which has been in contact with Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-Ocha.

Turning to the crackdown on trafficking, he said, “Sixtyfive arrest warrants have now been issued [for people involved in trafficking], including some officials.

“Some have surrendered while others have fled.” (see National News on page 9) He added, “In fact, the Rohingya issue is not an intractable problem but we do have to figure out solutions. They are human beings and we are following international rules.”.

Asked whether the proposed special international meeting to discuss the Rohingya crisis would go ahead as scheduled on May 29, he said it would.

“But I have no idea whether Myanmar will join the meeting.

That is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

City ‘running short of water’ PHUKET CITY MUNICIpality has warned residents of the city that supplies of fresh water are running short and pressure is to be reduced.

Announcing the looming shortage, Deputy Mayor Thaworn Jirapattanasopon urged city dwellers to use water sparingly.

Rainfall so far has been patchy and not enough has been collected to continue supplying the whole city, he said.

From now until the rainy season sets in, water pressure

will be reduced from 10am to 5pm and from 10pm to 5am, he said, adding that some areas higher up will experience low pressure or no supply at all during those periods.

He urged residents to store water in buckets or similar containers so that they have some water when their taps run dry.

Residents should also check water pipes in their area and, if they find any broken or leaking pipes, they should report them immediately.

They can call 076-211-130 or 099-487-4038 at any time of day or night.

The shortages are limited to households only within the city limits, “because our water sources are insufficient,” a municipal official told The Phuket News.

The Thailand Meteorological Department said that rain was unlikely for the coming few days, but more rain was expected from May 24. as the southwest monsoon takes hold.

Tanyaluk Sakoot

The panel, front, from left: Dr Pakorn Preeyakorn, Prof Dr Bowornsak Uwanno, Pracha Tearat (Council for Constitution Reformation), Kanjana Siriroj, Chuchai Supawong, Prasan Mareukapitak (Council for Const Reformation). Back row, from left: Supatra Nakapiw, Thawinwadee Bureekul, Kamnoon Sittisaman, Wichai Tikotpakdee, Gen Lertrat Ratanavanich, Cherdchai Wongsaeree (Phuket CDC), Preecha Wacharapai.

Phuket residents learn about draft constitution ABOUT 1,000 residents attended a public hearing at Rajabhat University on May 11 to learn more about the purpose, content and changes to the government’s new draft constitution.

The hearing, organised by the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) and the Council for Democratic Reform, was also an opportunity for locals to give their opinions and exchange ideas on the new constitution.

“We completed the first draft of the constituation at the end of last month and the documents have been sent to Council for Democratic Reform

for consideration.

“We are now waiting to be told of any changes the council, cabinet and National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) wish to make.

“Once we have received the proposed changes, the final draft should be complete by May 25. However, we must be sure that the proposed changes are beneficial to the general public,” Gen Lertrat Ratanavanich, Advisory Chairman to the CDC told The Phuket News during the meeting.

“Meetings like the one being held here in Phuket today, at which people can exchange ideas with people

from other provinces, will make the drafting process more effective.

“Phuket is the forth province we have visited, after Songkhla, Nakorn Sawan and Ayutthaya, where locals were very interested in joining the meeting with us.

“There were always thousands of people in attendance because they feel this is an important issue which will affect their lives.

“From here we will visit 13 other provinces. Locals and people from nearby provinces are welcome to attend and give their input,” he added.

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FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

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5

Developer ordered to fix wall of fear Nattha Thepbamrung reporter3@classactmedia.co.th

Ampon Wongsiri (center) of the Consumer Protetction Board: We must have something on paper.

Deadline laid down for Ace 1 condo resolution Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

THE CONSUMER PROtection Board (CPB) in Bangkok were in Phuket on Tuesday (May 19) to push for an urgent solution to problems between the developers of the Ace 1 condominium project and buyers.

The buyers had complained that they had paid monthly as per the purchase contract, but work had not even started on the condo building. The company, The Nine Property (Patong) Co, last week blamed the situation on an “internal problem” in the company.

At the meeting, CPB secretary-general Ampon Wongsiri said repeatedly, “We don’t want just verbal promises.

We need something on paper.”

Both sides in the “internal

problem” at The Nine came to the meeting and both stressed that they were not refusing to repay the buyers, but that repayment had been blocked by the internal problem, which is now the subject of civil action in the Thai courts.

Governor Nisit Jansomwong told the meeting, “I want this solved… Some want their money back but others still want a condo so I don’t think the company will have a money problem.”

Gov Nisit also called for CPB officials to draft specific rules about property, condominiums and timeshares to protect customers.

At the meeting, The Nine was given until May 26 to file a formal pledge stating when and how the buyers’ money would be repaid.

B

angkok developer Phanason is scrambling to shore up a huge retaining wall at its The Park Condominium project on Nanai Road in Patong before heavy downpours spell disaster for residents living below.

The site has already seen homes flooded by runoff that poured through drainage holes in the wall. Last year, rainwater that massed inside the wall broke off concrete panels that plunged 12 meters and crashed through a villa patio roof below.

Luckily, no one was injured in the incident, though the rainwater followed, again flooding the houses below.

“I have ordered the developer to excavate the hill-side of the wall to relieve pressure on the structure as quickly as possible,” Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup said on Tuesday (May 19).

“They have also half-finished installing two retaining ponds to catch runoff. They already had three retaining

Villagers plea to block march of power pylons through community MORE THAN 200 RESIdents from Thepkrasattri massed at Provincial Hall last Friday (May 15) to plead with the Governor to block a plan to run high-voltage power lines over their neighbourhood.

The residents learned of the plan to install pylons and high-tension cables when Phuket Electricity Authority (PEA) workers arrived to locate suitable sites for the pylons, explained lawyer Natcha Ungamnauypon.

“The officers inspected the area for several days, but didn’t explain to anyone what they were doing,” he said.

“Then we got a letter asking us to join a meeting about this, but we felt [at the meeting] that the decision had already been made.”

The villagers’ plea, filed as a formal request to Governor Nisit Jansomwong, questioned the PEA’s process in carrying out its high-power project.

“Did the PEA give us a choice?” Mr Natcha asked.

“Couldn’t the PEA install these pylons elsewhere?”

An official at Provincial Hall received the request on behalf of Gov Nisit, and assured that he would receive it.

The US National Cancer @thephuketnews

Institute notes that several early studies raised the issue of electromagnetic fields created by high-voltage power cables causing certain cancers, but most subsequent studies have failed to proved this true.

Natcha Ungamnauypon

Phanason has been ordered to ensure that heavy rainfalls do not result send deluges of runoff or chunks of concrete wall crashing onto residents’ homes below. ponds completed.”

The contractor has also been ordered to install a storm drain along the inside of the wall to catch and redirect runoff away from the top of the steep slope.

Mayor Chalermluck pointed out that the developer was “inches away” from legal action, after she ordered construction to a halt in July last year.

She also confirmed that Patong Municipality had not issued a building permit for the project. “We issued one only for a site office. The condo project itself has not even passed its EIA [Environmental Impact

Assessment],” she said, adding that on the EIAs alone, Phanason has failed twice to gain approval for the project.

“They are permitted only to make these safety improvements. No other construction is allowed for now. If they break this ban, they will face legal action,” she warned.

Kasem Sukwaree, director of the Phuket Environment Office, explained that Phanason may yet gain EIA approval, if the required standards were met.

“Then they could be issued a building permit,” he said.

However, two of the buildings have already been completed, despite the contractor not being issued a valid building permit.

Mayor Chalemluck and Mr Kasem both did not elaborate on whether or not Phanason would face any legal action over the illegal construction.

After at least six calls by The Phuket News, Phanason declined to comment, stating that a formal letter was required in order for the project manager to respond. The letter has been sent, but the project manager is currently on vacation.

6

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Free shuttle idea aired

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FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

new free shuttle bus service, provided by Airports of Thailand (AoT) and running from the airport to Saphan Hin, Karon and Rawai was discussed a meeting held on Tuesday (May 12) to update on management progress at Phuket International Airport. Airport parking was also on the agenda.

At the meeting, chaired by governor Nisit Jansomwong, lawyer and political adviser Sarayuth Mallam proposed that there should be three lines; from the airport to Karon via Bang Tao, Kamala and Patong; from the airport to Rawai via the bypass and Chaofa West Rd; and from the airport to Saphan Hin. However, the President of Phuket Tourism Association, Sathirapong Na Takuatung

The committee were emphatic that the free shuttle bus should not affect meter taxis. said, “If we want to do the shuttle bus it shouldn’t affect the earnings of other people.

“We might focus on the waiting time – if you want to travel cheap then you have to wait maybe half an hour for a bus to be available. That will not damage the business of the meter taxis.”

The Deputy Director of the Airport, 2nd Lt Thani Chuangchoo, explained, “There would be two types of airport bus, one is a shuttle bus and the another is the [privately run] airport buses [to Phuket Town and Kata].

“With the shuttle bus, when passengers take the route to

or from the airport the bus will stop only at designated points, whereas the airport bus will stop anywhere along the route to pick up or drop off passengers.

“Passengers on the shuttle will need to show their boarding pass before using the bus, because it will be free.”

Lt Thani added, “The [privately owned] airport bus can remain in operation because it provides another option for locals.”

Turning to the issue of parking for public transport and tour buses, a new parking area with spaces for up to 300 cars and 10 buses was proposed.

However, Gov Nisit and committee staff suggested that the space in front of the old airport terminal should be used as a parking area for tour buses and public transport so that it will ease congestion inside the new multi-storey airport car park.

Mr Sathirapong said, “The airport might launch a yearly or quarterly parking promotion package for tour bus operators so that they don̕ t park along the road outside the Airport.”

Lt Thani replied that any plans can be adjusted to fit the committee’s suggestion.

Man arrested for shooting his aunt THE OWNER OF A FRUIT shop near the Nimit Circle in Phuket Town died hours after being shot in the face while in her shop on Monday afternoon (May 18).

Sirung Kosuk, 46, was working in her shop when a lone man on a red and black Honda Dream motorbike stopped and fired at her. He hit her in the right eye, the bullet exiting through her right cheek.

Mrs Sirung was taken to the Phuket Provincial Hospital and died about 7pm.

An hour before her death police had already arrested her nephew, Suntiparb Kosuk, 29.

The nephew, Santiparb Kosuk, with his homemade gun.

Police said he told them that Ms Sirung had been involved in a dispute with his side of the family. He was charged with murder.

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IN BRIEF Swiss expat dies in head-on crash KARON: A Swiss expatriate died in a car crash in the early hours of Monday (May 18) when his pick-up truck crashed head-on into a water truck on Patak Hill in Karon.

Arriving at the scene, police and rescuers found the body of Gaetano Pensovecchio trapped inside his bronze Toyota Vigo.

Finnish man killed crossing road CHALONG: A Finnish man was killed instantly on Saturday morning (May 16) when a Honda CRV smashed into him as he crossed Patak Rd. Witnesses said Joonas Hotti, 26, ran across the road in front of the Honda, which was coming at high speed from Chalong Circle.

The Honda driver was charged with reckless driving causing death.

One woman killed when bus flips KRABI: One passenger was killed and 28 injured when the tour bus they were travelling in from Phuket flipped and crashed into a ditch in Ao Luek, Krabi, last Friday night (May 15).

Pol ic e a nd r e s c ue workers arrived at the scene where they found the tour bus lying on its side with many injured passengers still trapped inside and the body of a woman passenger u nde r t he w r e ck age.

Reporter dies in Surat smash SURAT THANI: A reporter who worked for the Phuket Daily News and Siengtai newspaper died in a car crash on Tuesday night (May 19) in Surat Thani.

The accident took place at 9:50 pm on the Baan Hoyrein bridge on Highway 44, in Saptawee subdistrict.

Police and rescue workers arrived where to find Amnoy Kupkum’s Toyota Camry jammed into the back of an 18-wheel truck.

Jet-ski operator found hanged A Patong jet-ski operator was found by neighbours hanged at his house early on Saturday morning (May 16).

Neighbours said Suradit Taweeratsarnti, 40, had been living by himself since his girlfriend had left him. “He was deeply depressed,” one neighbour said. @thephuketnews

PHUKET NEWS

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

7

Taxi service phone app puts drivers in hot seat Tanyaluk Sakoot reportor2@classactmedia.co.th

I

n a bid to improve taxi ser vices in Thailand, the Department of Land Transportation (DLT) has launched a smartphone application that will allow taxi passengers to lodge complaints.

Passengers can also praise taxi drivers using the same app.

So far the service is available only in Bangkok, but it will be extended to Phuket “soon”, Jaturong Kaewkasi, Chief Adviser to the Phuket DLT office, told The Phuket News on Tuesday (May 19).

The app, called “DLT Check In”, can be downloaded for iPhones or for Android phones.

The opening screen of the new Land Transportation Department app for smart phones.

Already 20,000 people have downloaded the app and registered to answer a questionnaire and make comments – which can be lodged in either Thai or

English – and upload photos.

Of the 20,000 people registered, 2,653 have made suggestions as to how taxi services could be improved, 543 said

they enjoyed their ride and 986 complained about taxis refusing to take them, charging excessive fares, driving too fast or having smelly cars.

Jirut Wisanjit, deputy director of the DLT said, “We have also received comments about one taxi driver twice refusing to pick up passengers. He has been sent to join classes on proper behaviour.”

He explained that passengers can enter the registration number of the taxi, which will appear in the system’s central database with all comments about the driver. Corrective action can then be taken if necessary.

In Phuket, Mr Jaturong said, “We are discussing and preparing to use this application here. But if we do it immediately, the information will be mixed up with the Bangkok database. We need to set up our own database first. But it is coming soon.”

Phi Phi shark-petting pix spark Internet outrage PHOTOS OF SUPER-EXCIted Thai tourists ignorant enough to pet a baby shark pulled from the waters of Koh Phi Phi this week enraged the online community after a marine activist helped spread the word.

Following viral photos of tourists touching star fish – not to mention former beauty queens mugging with kidnapped babies – marine activist Thon Thamrongnawasawat condemned the tour group and its operator online on Monday (MAy 18) and encouraged of-

ficials to intervene.

“So now they catch baby sharks for tourists?” he wrote.

“They let her suffocate on the land while humans rubbed and

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took selfies with her. I don’t even know what to say.”

The post was shared nearly 2,000 times. The source of the photos was not included, but

a caption read, “Nothing is more exciting than getting to pet an alive shark during Koh Phi Phi trip. The boat operator caught it for us.”

Thon encouraged netizens to share the photos as an example of what people should not do when visiting an island.

Coconuts Bangkok

Opinion 8

OPINION

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

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DALIA HILMI Life Editor

Another day in ‘paradise’

J

ust over the last week, there have been two fatal accidents on the road involving foreigners (See page 7 for full stories).

On May 16, a Finnish man was killed instantly when a Honda CRV smashed into him while he was crossing a road in Rawai.

Witnesses said the victim had visited a friend in the area and when he ran across the road a car came at a high speed from Chalong circle, heading towards Karon, and slammed into him.

Similarly just two days later (May 18) a Swiss expat was killed in a car crash in the early hours when he crashed his pick-up truck into a water truck on Patak Hill in Karon.

Both incidents raise the all important questions about just how safe our roads are and what should be done to prevent so many fatalities

MATTHEW POND News Editor editor3@classactmedia.co.th Originally from the UK; Has four years experience as editor and reporter for Phuketindex.com magazine and website, and InPhuket magazine.

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and accidents on the road.

Thailand is renowned for its dangerous roads, and has consistently been ranked in the top five for having the highest number of fatalities (per capita) on the road in the world.

There are a number of problems that contribute to the high number of road accidents in Thailand: namely, poor roads and traffic engineering, the motorists themselves, and a lack of traffic law enforcement.

There have been a few high-profile cases, which also include a number of cyclists being bumped on the road. In February, a Chilean cross-continental cyclist who planned to complete a world record this year was killed when he was hit by a pickup truck in Northeastern Thailand.

In addition, two years

ago, two world-famous British cyclists died after being struck by a pick-up truck in a province east of Bangkok.

But these are just two fatal examples of the many accidents that happen on Thailand’s roads every day.

Environment is certainly one factor which could change the motorists’ behaviour, however.

If we had more of a police presence on the roads, perhaps people would start to follow the rules and, eventually, their bad driving habits will change. If firmer punishments are put in place, then perhaps motorists’ will think twice about driving dangerously.

Motorcyclists can also help the situation, perhaps if they protect themselves by choosing to wear a helmet, then maybe some lives will be saved, and not lost.

TOP 10 STORIES ON thephuketnews.com

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Finnish man killed crossing Phuket road Popular Phuket teacher dies suddenly China, Thailand ink MOU for Kra Canal Tourists pay 8,840 baht for a meal OPINION: Phuket needs to prepare for imminent disaster mitigation Phuket jet-ski operator found hanging at his home Fire break s out at Phuket Fantasea Four-metre king cobra caught in Phuket resort Navy supplies food, sends 300 Rohingyas on their way Swiss expat killed in early morning Phuket crash

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HAVE YOUR SAY

editor1@classactmedia.co.th Originally from Canada; BA in Sociology from the University of Birmingham in the UK and an MA in Online/Print Journalism from the University of the Arts in London. Three years experience for Britain’s third-biggest publisher, Immediate Media, as well as Bauer Media and InStyle magazine.

EDITORIAL

Here’s how to handle these guys Re: Unlicenced Phuket tuk tuk operators finally get their way The problem with tuk tuks is not in Phuket town, it’s on the west coast. Why don’t the officials restrict so that all tuk tuks driving in Phuket drive with LPG, maintain the same address on Phuket for a minimum the last five years in a row. After that see how many is left. Then limited the numbers of with each year by the standard of the tuk tuk (safety, driving skills, behaviour). Any tuk tuk or taxi (black or not) driver being checked at a police check point, who is found with any kind of weapon will lose their license on the spot ... When the driver gets three marks in their driving license he/she loses the license on the spot. t.flindt

More mooring wanted Re: Hundreds attend Phuket superyacht chartering hearing Look at Chalong bay, Rawai Beach and Rassada Port at Phuket town, all speedboats &

tour boats do not have decent marinas to cater customers for sea tours. We are waiting the Marine Department to plan public marinas for local sailors and professional tour operators at reasonable prices.

Charlie

I have a dream!

Re: Free Phuket airport shuttle bus in the pipeline Very good news, I expect the next one (news) to be that there are only taxis with meters on the island, and ones that charge the same rate as Bangkok. Then it would be perfect.

Petermach

Do these cops have anything better to do?

Re: Five Phuket gang members arrested for drug possession Ridiculous! Small quantities of Khatom and marijuana from the poorest people in Thailand. This is a waste of police time and unworthy of being reported upon.

Pinot

Enough excuses already!

Re: One woman killed when Phuket tour bus flips in Krabi Let me guess, the brakes failed? It was raining or the road was wet? Usual excuses for irresponsible drivers who do not understand how to drive & adapt to road & weather conditions? Yesterday I avoided a head on collision from a minibus overtaking on a blind bend? Only by my quick reactions!

Bjay

Passengers have no other choice!

Re: Phuket local bus operators in tussle for passengers The problem with the Chalong songtaew is it is so unreliable, I’ve waited at the stop near the pier for nearly two hours and none came, I thought they should be every half hour?

Maybe that is why people go to the other stops where the Kata Karon buses operate – to get a more reliable service!

Malczx7r Why don’t they all just run

phuket-kata/karon and provide a more regular service throughout the day!? Sending an empty bus from Phuket to Chalong does not seem in keeping with a ‘sufficiency economy’!! stegee

Same old story, different victim Re: Finnish man killed crossing Phuket road

Very sad to hear about the guy, “… came at high speed from chalong circle”, Always!!! Drivers in Phuket have no road manners and drive like only they are on the road, foreigners and Thais, there needs to be traffic police enforcing the speed limit!

Malczx7r Re: Phuket speed boat captain dies in motorbike crash Cars & vans in Thailand have blacked out windows not allowing vision through the vehicle. This must add to the number of similar incidents.

Although not wearing a helmet is crazy..RIP Phuketdon

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

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

Police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang, sitting second left, shows Patchuban “Ko Tong” Angchotipan (in white t-shirt) in Bang Khen district, Bangkok, on Monday.

Photo: Royal Thai Police

People smuggling ‘kingpin’ hands himself in to police T H E FOR M ER T H A I regional official accused of being a major people trafficking kingpin turned himself in Monday (May 18), police said, as the kingdom continues a belated blitz against the lucrative trade.

Pajjuban Aungkachotephan, better known as Ko Tong (Big Brother Tong), had been sought by police for the last week on human trafficking charges.

“He surrendered to police this morning in Bangkok,” national police spokesman Lieutenant General Prawut Thavornsiri told AFP. “Police are now taking him to the south for questioning and more investigation,” he added.

Ko Tong was until recently an influential official in Thailand’s southern province of Satun, a region long known to be a major transit point for people smugglers and traffickers.

Thai police had previously suggested he might have fled to Malaysia, but Prawut said there was no evidence he had left the country.

Television showed pictures of Ko Tong, balding and dressed in a white tshirt, appearing at a brief press conference flanked

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by police officers, some of whom were armed.

Local media reported that he denied all the charges against him and said he would only testify in court.

Regional police official Major General Puthichart Ekachant told AFP that 65 arrest warrants have now been issued against people suspected of involvement in people trafficking or smuggling.

So far 31 have been arrested or surrendered, including Ko Tong, he added.

More than 50 police have been transferred from their positions for failing to stop the trade. No military officials have been caught up in the current crackdown.

If convicted, Ko Tong faces between four to 15 years in jail and a fine up to B1 million.

AFP

THAILAND NEWS

9

Dad trying to grab money says charity T

he Australian biological father of Gammy, the Thai-born Down syndrome baby who sparked a global debate over surrogacy was on Tuesday (May 19) accused of trying to access money donated to help the boy.

David Farnell, a convicted sex offender, and his wife Wendy Li made international headlines last year when they were accused of abandoning baby Gammy in Thailand with his surrogate mother because of his condition.

They took his healthy twin sister Pipah back with them to their home in Perth.

The scandal led to an outpouring of support for Gammy, with more than Aus$235,000 (B6,241,790) donated from well-wishers worldwide.

Gammy lives with his Thai surrogate mother Pattaramon Chanbua outside Bangkok and the charity Hands Across the Water, which handles the donated money, said Farnell was trying to access it.

"Hands Across the Water was made aware several weeks ago that the Farnells were taking action in relation to accessing the Baby Gammy Special Appeal Fund," the group's founder and chairman Peter Baines said in a statement.

"We have no information as to the justification the Farnells, or their legal team, are making to support the application for access to the funds."

He added that the charity would do all it could to defend the action "to ensure the money donated remains for the care of baby Gammy, which we believe was the intent of those who so generously donated the funds".

In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Pattaramon, who

Pattaramon Chanbua holds baby Gammy. was paid to carry the twins, said she was shocked by the attempt to access the money.

"He does not deserve or have any rights to the fund as he abandoned Gammy in the first place," she said.

"People donated money for Gammy and not for anyone else. Even though I am Gammy's mother, I don't have any right to take it. I want to ask him: 'Who do you think you are? What made you think you have the right to take it?'"

The Farnells were not

available for comment.

They previously denied abandoning the boy, claiming they had wanted to bring him home and left Thailand fearing the surrogate mother would also seize their daughter.

Since the scandal erupted, Gammy, who turned one in December and has been granted Australian citizenship, has moved into a new home in Chon Buri province about 90 kilometres (55 miles) southeast of Bangkok, using money donated by Hands

Across the Water. The charity also makes monthly payments to cover his ongoing medical and welfare needs.

Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Australia, prompting growing numbers of infertile couples to head overseas to fulfil their dreams of having a family.

Debate over the legal and moral issues raised by Gammy saw Thailand pass a law this year banning foreign couples from using Thai women as surrogates.

AFP

10 THAILAND NEWS

Yingluck Shinawatra and husband arrive at Court.

Photo: Patipat Janthong

Yingluck pleads not guilty to all charges FORMER PRIME MINISTER Yingluck Shinawatra entered pleas of not guilty to charges of dereliction of duty and abuse of authority in administering her government’s controversial rice-pledging scheme when she appeared before the Supreme Court on Tuesday morning (May 19).

She was granted temporary release on the condition she does not leave the country without the court’s permission.

After hearing the charges and entering pleas of not guilty, Ms Yingluck said she would submit a written defence statement to the court on July 3.

Norawit Lahlaeng, Ms Yingluck’s lawyer, said the court set bail at B30 million.

The defendant placed a bank account as surety.

Bangkok Post

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

Action urged against overcharging eatery T

hai travel agents want authorities to take decisive action against a Bangkok seafood restaurant reported to have overcharged four Chinese tourists for a meal.

The restaurant charged them B8,840 for a meal, including 17 per cent value-added tax and a “mandatory” B800 tip.

The legal VAT is 7pc.

A image of the restaurant bill and receipt has circulated widely on chat forums. It was posted by one of the four Chinese tourists who dined at the Sriayudhya seafood restaurant in the Ratchathewi area on the recommendation of their taxi driver.

The receipt shows the four were charged very high prices, which included B1,800 for a snapper fish, B1,750 for shrimps, and B1,600 for crab, with 17pc VAT and an B800 service charge - for a total of B8,840.

Charoen Wangananont, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, said that particular incident would not directly affect the number of Chinese tourists coming to

Thailand because the country had many impressive features to please visitors.

“But if similar incidents keep occurring without any response from the authorities there will surely be repercussions on the Chinese market,” he said.

Although the restaurant incident was relatively trivial, the government should react quickly and take action against any business operators who take unfair advantage of tourists, he said.

“If the government reacts and informs the media of its actions, including the Revenue Department checking on the restaurant management charging 17pc VAT and a compulsory 10pc service charge, then tourism will not be affected,” Mr Charoen said.

Mr Charoen said similar things happened to tourists in China, especially in areas where seafood was served, but Chinese authorities took quick and decisive action against the businesses.

Boonyarit Kalanamit, director–general of Internal Trade

Department, said restaurant diners who feel they have been treated unfairly should keep the receipt and report it to the department.

The department would send officials to inspect the restaurant, and examine their charges and determine if they were excessive.

If found to be so, the restaurant operator might face legal action under the Price of Goods and Services Act, which has a maximum penalty of a B140,000 fine and/or a seven-year jail term.

Mr Boonyarit said the department had penalised several seafood restaurants in tourist locations for such behaviours in the past, and for charging different prices for Thais and foreigners.

The restaurant could not be reached for comment despite several phone calls.

In travel ratings website TripAdvisor, many people gave poor ratings for this restaurant.

Many of them wrote that they were ripped off and encouraged others not to go there.

Bangkok Post

The photo of the receipt from the Sriayudhya seafood restaurant which has gone viral.

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THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

Buddhist monks in front of the reflection pool at Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Photo: Sam Garza

New rules planned for Angkor Wat tourists AFTER SEVERAL INcidents in which tourists bared it all among the ruins of Angkor Wat, the Cambodian agency responsible for the UNESCO World Heritage site is putting the final touches on a visitor “code of conduct”.

The Phnom Penh Post reported Monday (May 19) that the Apsara Authority, which runs the Angkor Archaeological Park will next month send its draft rules to the International Criminal Court to review their legality.

But Sok Sangvar, head of Apsara’s tourism-management group, said most the rules are common sense: Keep your clothes on and don’t touch the artefacts.

This year has been an embarrassing one for the authority, which has endured several incidents of tourists and models taking nude photographs among the Angkor monuments.

Racy photos depicting a topless Apsara dancer reclining amid Angkorian ruins went viral on Facebook in late January. The photos turned out to be the work of a Chinese company.

A week later, three male French tourists were arrested after they were caught taking naked photos at the Banteay Kdei temple inside the park.

A week after that, Cambodia deported two American sisters for taking photos of each

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other’s bare buttocks there.

And on February 11 an investigation began into an online photo by a 25-year-old German photographer which depicted a couple naked at the ancient temple, posing with monkey masks, it was captioned “Hakuna Matata” (“no worries”).

Officials with the Angkor Tourism Management Plan working group insist, however, that the code of conduct was not inspired by this year’s nude-photo spree.

The plan, in fact, has been in the works since December 2013 when the group was founded.

The panel was set up by the Apsara Authority, UNESCO and the Cambodian and Australian governments in response to concerns about the growing numbers of tourists – more than 2 million a year – visiting Angkor Wat. Issues under study by the working group are damage to monuments, environmental degradation, littering, traffic congestion, degraded pathways, visitor behaviour and a lack in benefit-sharing with nearby residents.

When finalised, the code of conduct will be distributed in book form to tour guides, agencies, hotels, and others in the tourism industry, an Apsara spokesman told the Post. If successful, it will be applied to other sites in the kingdom. Bangkok Post

ASIA NEWS 11

Nepal appeals for US$2bn to rebuild N

epal’s prime minister on Sunday (May 17) appealed for US$2 billion to rebuild his country, shattered by two massive earthquakes in three weeks that have killed thousands and devastated the impoverished nation’s infrastructure.

On April 25, a 7.8-magnitude quake, the deadliest to hit the country in more than 80 years, killed more than 8,500 people and destroyed half a million homes.

That was followed weeks later by a second massive tremor that triggered landslides and brought down houses, triggering fresh misery for people still traumatised by the earlier quake.

The disasters have also left their mark on the impoverished Himalayan nation’s infrastructure and development.

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, whose year-old government has faced criticism over the speed of its response to the quakes, said on Sunday that the administration has set up a national rehabilitation and reconstruction fund, and urged donors to help.

“Our target is to raise $2 billion. The government has earmarked $200 million as seed money for the fund with a request to donors, communities and the private sector to make necessary contributions,” Koirala said.

“Rehabilitation and reconstruction is very important for us and we hope our friends will come with a large heart to assist.”

Earlier this month the UN said it had received just $22 million of the $415 million it had appealed for following the disasters.

Aid agencies have warned of a race against time to provide shelter and bring relief to

A man tries to salvage useful articles from the ruins of his damaged home in Paslang in Nepal. Photo: AFP victims before the approaching monsoon season triggers more landslides and blocks access to quake-hit villages located along the Himalayan nation’s hills and mountains.

Koirala’s government has said it was overwhelmed by the scale of the April 25 earthquake, and that the country was unprepared for the second tremor.

Meanwhile, officials on Monday (May 18) imposed a two-month moratorium on the

start of new building projects and limited current construction to two storeys, stating that it would give authorities time to review building standards in the wake of the quake on April 25, which reduced much of the Kathmandu to rubble.

Other rural areas were also left in ruins by the two quakes.

“We have halted permits for new buildings, and put a pause on approved buildings that have not begun construction,” said Purna Chandra

Bhattarai, joint secretary at the ministry of federal affairs and local development.

“We need to revisit our building norms and standards and this pause will give us that time,” he said.

Buildings already under construction will be restricted to two storeys until a new government committee comes up with recommendations to revise the current building code by mid-July, Bhattarai said.

AFP

12 WORLD NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

New Japan volcano island is a ‘natural lab’ for life A

brand-new island emerging off the coast of Japan offers scientists a rare opportunity to study how life begins to colonise barren land – helped by rotting bird poo and hatchling vomit.

Researchers say bird waste will be the secret ingredient to kickstart Mother Nature’s grand experiment on what is a still active volcano that only poked its head above the waves in November 2013.

That speck of land, some 1,000 kilometres south of Tokyo, has grown to engulf its once larger neighbour, Nishinoshima, a part of Japan’s Ogasawara island chain known for the wealth and variety of its ecosystem.

The new Nishinoshima, which the Japan Coast Guard noted in February covers a respectable 2.46 square kilometre roughly the size of 345 football pitches – is currently almost all bare rock, formed from cooling lava.

But scientists say it will one day be humming with

The Nishinoshima new island which has emerged off the coast of Japan. Photo: AFP plant – and possibly animal – life, as nature moves in to what is being called a “natural laboratory” on one of the latest bits of real estate in the Pacific Ocean.

“We biologists are very much focusing on the new island because we’ll be able to observe the starting point of an evolutionary processes,”

said Naoki Kachi, professor and leader of the Tokyo Metropolitan University’s Ogasawara Research Committee.

After the volcanic activity calms down, “what will probably happen first will be the arrival of plants brought by ocean currents and attached to birds’ feet,” he said.

Those seabirds, who could

use the remote rock as a temporary resting place, could eventually set up home there.

Their excreta – along with their dropped feathers, regurgitated bits of food and rotting corpses – will eventually form a nutrient-rich soil that offers fertile ground for seeds carried by the wind, or brought in the digestive systems of overflying birds.

“I am most interested in the effects of birds on the plants’ ecosystem – how their bodily wastes-turned-organic fertilisers enrich the vegetation and how their activities disturb it,” Kachi told AFP. The old Nishinoshima, measuring just 0.22 square kilometres, was home to bird colonies until the eruptions scared the creatures away.

A small number have clung on to the only patch of the

old island that is still visible, making their nests among ash-covered plants.

Japan, which sits at the junction of several tectonic plates, is home to more than 100 active volcanoes.

Scientists have no idea when Nishinoshima will stop spewing lava, but its expansion is being offset by erosion around the edges.

The island is expected to follow a route laid out by Surtsey, an island that emerged from the sea in 1963, around 30 kilometres from the coast of Iceland.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage spot is known globally as an outstanding example of a pristine natural laboratory where researchers have been able to trace the evolution of a habitat.

“Since they began studying the island in 1964, scientists have observed the arrival of seeds carried by ocean currents, the appearance of moulds, bacteria and fungi, followed in 1965 by the first vascular plant,” UNESCO says on its website. “ By 20 0 4, (va s c u la r plants) numbered 60, together with 75 bryophytes, 71 lichens and 24 fungi. Eightynine species of birds have been recorded on Surtsey, 57 of which breed elsewhere in Iceland. The 141 hectare island is also home to 335 species of invertebrates.”

Not bad for somewhere that has only existed for half

a century.

Nishinoshima might not be quite as quick as Surtsey to establish itself as a teeming wildlife haven – it is a long way from mainland Japan and not too close to its neighbours in the Ogasawara island chain, which limits the number of species of birds and seeds that will make it that far.

Nonetheless, it is an exciting blank canvas, said Kachi, and needs to be treated with respect – which means keeping out foreign invaders that would not naturally drift or fly in.

“I’d like to call on anyone who lands on the island to pay special attention to keeping it the way it is – not to take external species there,” he warned.

He said when he conducted a field study on another island in the chain in 2007, his team prepared a fumigated clean room where they packed all research equipment, after making sure everything they had was either brand-new or scrupulously clean.

While Nishinoshima is currently only being monitored from the air, the first field researchers will need to take similar precautions.

“Biologists know the business, but probably the first batch of scientists who will land on the island will be geologists and vulcanologists – who may not be familiar with the problems,” he said.

“I’d be pleased to offer advice on this to scientists in other fields.”

AFP

Japan aquariums rely on controversial dolphin hunt IT HAS BEEN REPORTED that nearly half the dolphins in Japan’s aquariums are caught using a controversial fishing method that sees dozens more slaughtered every year.

At least 18 of 33 Japanese aquariums that are home to dolphins say their stock were caught using the divisive “drive fishing” method, while eight declined to comment due to concerns over “negative reactions,” the Yomiuri Shimbun said.

Of 352 kept at the 33 facilities, 158 dolphins were caught after being corralled into a bay or beach and then snatched by fisherman to be sold later, the top-selling newspaper added,

while others from their pods were killed for meat.

The southern whaling town of Taiji is known for the practice and came to worldwide attention after the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove” showed pods of the animals forced into a bay and then butchered with knives, in a mass-killing that turned the water red with blood.

The Yomiuri Shimbun report did not specify whether the dolphins came from Taiji.

Townsfolk say the hunt is for dolphin meat, which they say is a traditional part of their diet.

But critics of the practice say there is insufficient demand

to justify the slaughter of hundreds of animals a year and say the hunt is only profitable because of the high prices live dolphins can fetch when sold to aquariums and dolphin shows.

Last month, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) voted to suspend its Japanese chapter (JAZA), saying it had refused to stop taking dolphins caught in Taiji.

WAZA “requires all members to adhere to policies that prohibit participating in cruel and non-selective methods of taking animals from the wild,” the organisation said, adding JAZA refused a proposed twoyear moratorium on using the Taiji hunt.

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

Commerce ministry joins drive to rein in private hospital fees THE COMMERCE MINIStry is adding its weight to the new drive to keep an eye on overcharging by private hospitals, particularly of foreign patients.

The Director General of the Department of Internal Trade, Boonyarit Kalayanamit, said the measures came after he met with counterparts at the Ministry of Public Health last Friday, following a deluge of complaints about the overcharging.

On May 13, Health minister Dr Rajata Rajatanavin said that he had received a petition from the Thai Medical Error Network, giving evidence of instances of unfair charges for medical treatment.

The petition called for the appointment of a new committee to control all charges by private hospitals and to inspect any miscalculation of medical fees.

Currently, the only law that exists to deal with the issue is the 1999 Consumer Protection law, which only requires business operators

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to display the prices of their products and services clearly.

The meeting also agreed on the establishment of a committee to set median prices for medication.

Also under consideration are ways to set median prices for medical service fees (doctors’ fees, fees for nursing care, etc), Mr Boonyarit said, adding that the ministry has the power to issue such a policy.

Both measures are expected to be discussed and decisions made in the coming month.

Prices at private hospitals vary enormously.

For example, The Phuket News has learned that the semi-private Provincial Administration Organisation (OrBorJor) Hospital charges Thai people B65,000 for a knee replacement.

But it charges foreigners (who are assumed to have good insurance) B300,000.

Other private hospitals in Phuket charge as much as B700,000. NNT

BUSINESS NEWS 13

Senior tax officers ‘ripped off B3.2bn’

A

senior government off icial has been sacked for allegedly falsifying tax refund claim documents causing the state to lose B3.2 billion in tax refunds and another is under investigation on allegations of ripping B2 billion out of teachers’ savings fund.

Finance Minister Sommai Phasee said that the civil service subcommittee of the ministry had recommended the dismissal of Siripong Reeyakarnthirachote, a C-9 level revenue official, after finding him guilty of gross violation of discipline for falsifying tax refund claim documents, resulting in losses to the state of B3,209 million.

Apart from Mr Siripong, Minister Sommai said that three other C-9 level officials and 14 lower-ranking officials were also involved in the scam and are under investigation.

Besides disciplinary action, the minister said that the dismissed officials would face criminal and civil litigation.

The case would be passed on

Finance Minister Sommai Phasee: 18 officials involved. to the Department of Special Investigation and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for further action.

The NACC will meanwhile investigate former secretarygeneral to the Office of the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Education Personnel (Otep), Somsak Tachai, over his alleged embezzlement of more than B2 billion from a national teachers’ fund.

The NACC made the decision on May 14 after the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) forwarded

the case to the graft watchdog early this month.

The DSI began investigating alleged corruption by education officials on the orders of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-Ocha.

According to the NACC, Mr Somsak authorised the purchase of promissory notes from Billion InNovatech Group Ltd for B2.1 billion, before approving another purchase for B400 million.

NACC member Vicha Mahakun said the Otep secretary-general had rushed the purchase authorisation grant-

ing process and transferred the money to bank accounts owned by Billion Innovatech Group before the promissory notes were verified.

Investigations showed there was no verification process for the B2.1 billion in promissory notes, he added.

Despite this, Mr Somsak authorised a new B400 million purchase soon after.

“More than 700,000 Thai teachers have placed money in this teachers’ fund and they are suffering from this,” Mr Vicha said.

“I believe Otep is involved in many other corruption scandals, but this is the biggest,” he added.

The NACC had earlier found Otep invested money in a solar-fuelled power plant project in Phetchaburi province, deemed an “unworthy investment” by NACC chairman Panthep Klanarongran.

According to the NACC, B1 billion worth of Croatian kuna currency was found in the safes of two former Otep executives. Bangkok Post

14 SAFETY

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

IN BRIEF Transport Min unveils progress in tackling aviation safety issue Minister of Transport ACM Prajin Juntong has revealed that his ministry has submitted to the Prime Minister a progress report on its work related to the improvement of aviation safety in Thailand.

Following the expression of concerns by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over Thailand’s aviation safety standards, ACM Prajin affirmed that the restructuring of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) is underway, and that the manual used as reference in the process has been updated in accordance with ICAO’s guideline and it will be put to use on June 1.

Four Thai carriers, namely Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia and Nok Scoot, will begin to be evaluated on June 20 for approximately 20 days. The security checks on all other airlines will soon follow and are expected to be completed within early August.

Cycling safety hot on BKK agenda The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has held a meeting on cycling safety and the progress of developing bicycle lanes in the Thai capital.

BMA Deputy Permanent Secretary Adisak Kantee presided over a meeting on cycling safety regulations, and the process of developing bicycle lanes along the Nongbon Lake and Khlong Saen Saeb Canal at the Bangkok City Hall.

The meeting discussed the safety measures for both cyclists and road users, and looked into the types of bicycle lanes appropriate for different road material. Bicycle lanes will be required to be illuminated at night, have lane barriers, and municipal officials should be deployed to keep orderliness at each route. –National News Bureau of Thailand

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

The roof, it’s on fire!

Island gets new fire fighting training facility

G

alileo Maritime Crew Academy, who provides world class training for luxury yacht crews, recently commissioned the building of a customised MCA (Maritime & Coastguard Agency) standard Fire Fighting Facility in Phuket.

The new facility, situated on the SGS Training Centre Base, in Thalang, was designed to simulate actual conditions on board ships, giving their fire fighting & prevention course participants a realistic environment for their STCW (Standards of Training and Certification of Watchkeepers) training courses.

The facility, which was contracted by Phuket’s own, Safeway company, will allow the two training schools to team together to provide the most comprehensive public Fire Fighting & Prevention training courses in Asia.

Recently the teams initiated the facility with a 3-day intensive Instructor Training and Development program with Mr. Paul Fear, the Maritime School Manager for the Devon & Somerset Fire

Rescue Service.

Paul comments “Phuket is an ideal location for Asia based training courses, and for completing the MCA (Maritime & Coastguard Agency) required STCW Courses which allow successful students to legally work around the world on super yachts and luxury boats.

“The STCW will now be renewable every 5 years, and with the Galileo Fire Fighting course, large vessel crew & yachting crew members will no longer have to travel back to the UK to complete the refresher courses, with the facilities and training now

available in Phuket.”

Paul, with 27 years experience in the Fire Fighting & Training industry, currently works for the Fire Rescue Service in the UK and their commercial department, RedOne. His brief trip to Phuket was to ensure that the Galileo and SGS fire instructors are up to date with training and teaching practices, preparing them to pass intensive audit checks and provide the high quality training expected from international clients.

Barrie Buck, Managing Director of Siam Guardian Services, has always included

professional training courses as an integral part of the SGS staff development, instilling valuable life skills for all of his employees. He now intends to put all of the SGS management team through the intensive fire fighting course over the next few months.

Barrie states “The training not only teaches important safety skills, it keeps the team motivated and working well together, encouraging respect and responsibility for each other in the workplace. It is important to keep these skills current, and with the facility now on our property, the team will refresh their skills yearly in both fire fighting and First Aid” Fire Management and Prevention is one of the many available safety courses available through the SGS Training Centre, and can be booked for groups or individuals at sgsphuket.com or training@ sgsphuket.com Sources for further information: www.sgsphuket.com/ training, www.galileoyachting. com, http://www.red1ltd.com/

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

Exploring Bangkok’s most trendy market

18

The men who rode torpedoes

20

LE PROGRAMME EXTRAORDINAIRE

Local school shines with unique French programme > Page 17

LOOKING FOR THE BEST

PROPERTY DEALS IN PHUKET *FIND THEM ON PAGE 27 @thephuketnews

16 EDUCATION

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

An exciting time ahead HeadStart school kids step into the future

H

eadStart International School and its Year 11 students are stepping into the future.

The school will make its long-awaited and much prepared for move into its brand new, state-of-the-art campus on the August 24, 2015.

This will be the next exciting chapter in the development of HeadStart and alongside them; these students are now making their first steps into their own futures.

Students are currently being assessed in their IGCSE examinations. These are set by the University of Cambridge International Examinations Centre.

They are used to test student’s ability at the end of Year 11 (the equivalent of the American grade 10 and Thai Mathayom 4).

Most HeadStart students will aim to achieve IGCSE passes in 9-10 subjects. The high level of academic rigour in these exams means that the Thai ministry of Education recognises a pass in just five of these subjects as the equivalent of passing Mathayom six.

Some students may choose to make direct entry to Thai Universities at this level. The students are striving towards the next step which are the AS and A Levels. HeadStart is the only school in the region that offers these qualifications.

The esteem in which A Levels are held mean they will allow access to many top universities, including Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Yale to name but a few.

This will give them the opportunity to choose their own career pathway, be it medicine, engineering, veterinary science, business, computer programming or any of the many exciting careers our students aspire to reach.

Immediately after completing their IGCSE examinations in June, HeadStart students will begin four weeks of ‘taster lessons’ in the A Level subjects before starting the full course on the August 24.

This will be the first year that HeadStart fully opens a Year 12 (Sixth-Form) programme, which will lead into Year 13 the following year. The sixth-form programme will enable students to choose from nine A Level Qualifications and in the future even more.

SEIZE THE DAY: Headstart’s future Year 12 students, stepping forward; the students commence with Year 11 courses in August.

The first of these courses will be completed in June 2017 with HeadStart’s first group of students entering prestigious universities all around the world in the autumn of the same year.

The students have also helped to design a professional-looking uniform which they have already started wearing with pride. In the new school they will, of course, have greater freedoms, access to their own private ‘Common Room’ where they can both relax and study, a wide range of extra curricula and enrichment activities and the chance to participate in the world renowned ‘Duke of Edinburgh International Award’.

HeadStart aims to be the future of education within the region for students of any age. Year 11 students

truly are part of this future and the schools wishes them all well on the journey they will be making over the next two years.

HeadStart students achieved outstanding results in last year’s IGCSEs exams. HeadStart firmly believe these students will surpass that benchmark set and have confidence in them as they make the transition to young adults.

To be part of the exciting journey that the Year 11 students will begin in August, head to the school to discuss the opportunities that they will have available for Year 12 students next year.

For more information calll 076-612-876 Ext: 23, or fax: 076-612-877

thephuketnews

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EDUCATION 17

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

International kids go French Local school offers unique language programme

Dalia Hilmi editor1@classactmedia.co.th

The teachers are on a minimum three year contract, to give the students some stability at school. You don’t want a teacher who’s just here to teach and party.

Clockwise from top left: Laurent and Yann Roure; large green outdoor space; the library; Laurent with Becky Suchner and administrative staff; kids in action in the classroom.

@thephuketnews

P

huket International Ecole Francaise Jules Verne School, otherwise known as the International School of Phuket (ISP), is the first and only school in Phuket to offer a French programme. The programme itself has been accredited by the Thai Ministry of Education.

Located in Chalong, the school originally started up in 2009 and has around 200 students of 16 different nationalities. They offer English Cambridge, Thai and now the French programme. The Phuket News recently sat down with the school staff to find out more about this unique school.

The school concentrates on making the children happy, focused and comfortable. As Laurent Minguely, director and shareholder of the school says, “The classes never go over 15 students. This allows the students to have proper care and attention.”

Even the teachers are not just your typical expat. They are “teachers who really love to teach”, says Becky Suchner, school manager.

“It is important that they are in love with what they do, so that they can transmit the knowledge onto the kids.

“The teachers are on a minimum three year contract, to give the students some stability at school. You don’t want a teacher who’s just here to teach and party.

“The teachers are all special,” Becky added. Indeed that is especially true, as one teacher for exmaple, Yann Roure, formally taught for the royal family, making him even more attractive and unique.

“Phuket is not only attractive for the teacher, however, if there’s fewer students in the classroom then they are more motivated as well.

“Once you fall in love with the school, that’s it.”

It was very evident throughout the school how peaceful and concentrated the students are. They sat in their classes motivated and were not disruptive at all, which is a huge testament to the nature of the school and the teacher’s ethic with them.

In addition, Becky explained how important it was for the students to keep their own identities, particularly as so many come from different countries.

One of the school’s best assets was the beautiful large green outside area, where the kids can relax and play. The garden has various birds, chickens, a basketball court, football pitch and even an attractive skatepark. There are certainly plenty of ways the students can have fun and they’re strongly encouraged to use the areas as many of them will most likely live in apartments, with less outdoor space.

Becky said it was important for the kids to enjoy where they are and particularly enjoy the environment they are in.

“There has to be a good balance however. There is structure obviously, but if the staff and children are relaxed, yet focused, they’re happier and it works perfectly.”

Previously, the school solely relied on word of mouth, which is a reflection on how successful the school has been at providing an all round decent education and environ-

ment for the students.

However, Laurent explained that the school continues to develop. More and more children are interested in joining the school because of it’s unique and attractive French programme. It was evident how much the school cares for the students. The school’s sole priority is to give opportunities for both the teachers and the students and to ensure they are content.

“Kids can learn French, and they can also learn English. Both the Thai children and foreigners have the opportunity to take on the French programme.

“My dream is for children to join the school, for even just one or two years. Then they can be a part of the wonderful programme that we are offering,” he said.

For more information or to find out more contact +66 (0) 972767360 or email info@ ecolejulesverne-phuket.com

18 TRAVEL

JJ GREEN:

Where Bangkok goes to chill JP Mestanza JP.Mestanza@gmail.com

Though JJ Green is a retail space, its vibe is very much alternative, as if the place is screaming to be Iggy Pop to Chatuchak’s Beethoven.

“C

hill” seems to be the cool word of the year and conjures images of beaches and coconut trees – all in the name of leisure.

But in Bangkok, the absence of such things puts more emphasis on the “relaxation” and “trendy” meaning of the word.

This is the best way to describe the JJ Green market in the capital city, located next to the famous Chatuchak Weekend market.

JJ Green is one of the best kept secrets of Bangkok where tourists can lose themselves in a sea of hipster

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

bars, unique shirt shops, colourful interior design stores and the trendy Thai youth that walk back and forth between each.

In short, this is where Bangkok comes to “chill”.

With an open Saturday evening, I rode the BTS down to the final stop (Mo Chit) and walked through Chatuchak Park which is between the sky train and JJ Green. It’s a perfect place for couples, families and friends to have a picnic.

When I get to JJ Green, it’s almost sunset and the shops are just coming alive after setting up just an hour before.

JJ Green is actually the child of several once-trendy markets whose shopkeepers were forced to move: the Rot Fai Market and Siam Gypsy Market. Those vendors have come together in this space to create a giant temporary commercial hub that includes several live music bars and even a TV studio at the north end (where the Full Metal Dojo fights take place!).

The first thing you notice are the colours: the shirts of the shopkeepers and passers-by, the products sold at each stand, the hues of the setting sun as its remaining shine hits everyone as they walk. Though JJ Green is a retail space, its vibe is very much alternative, as if the place is screaming to be Iggy Pop to Chatuchak’s Beethoven.

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

And it’s cheap!

T-shirts with colourful patterns and prints go for B100 while other stands sell eight pairs of socks for the same price. You can get a Henna tattoo one minute and then find yourself digging for secondhand tennis shoes or oldschool concert posters the next – all of which can cost just B200 each.

JJ Green is the type of place that doesn’t care what you sell or buy – browsing is the experience. Everywhere you walk, people are taking pictures of the art displays outside of shops, artists creating new pieces next to their wares as well as the antique items that dot the market every few metres.

Old-school Americana dominates the décor, and it seems that all of the shopkeepers have bought into this which creates a uniformly funky atmosphere.

Your next chill Bangkok moment has to take place at JJ Green.

JJ Green is located at Kampaeng Phet 3 road in Bangkok, near the Mo Chit BTS station. It is open every Saturday and Sunday, from 5pm – 12 am.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

BEAUTY 19

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

This month’s top beauty secret

Dalia Hilmi editor1@classactmedia.co.th

Introducing Nail Bar 188

N

ail Bar 188 is a new mani-pedi beauty salon in Thalang that opened up in April.

Nail Bar 188 is not your standard Thai Salon, however. At Nail Bar 188, customer care and com- f o r t a r e the top concern in every aspect of your experience. Cozy chairs and relaxing music are a part of each manicure and pedicure, and you can also enjoy facial treatments with Galvanic Spa products and cosmetics.

The fully licenced Nail Bar 188 Lounge Bar offers a selection of beverages including coffee, tea, fruit juices, smoothies and more. The real advantage of the salon is the upscale Drill Machine manicure and pedicure. These top-level machines are commonplace in North America and Europe, but Nail Bar 188 is the first to offer this

service to their clients in Phuket.

Drill Machine manicure and pedicures have a lot of advantages over classic ones; cuticles grow back more slowly and evenly, reducing the likelihood of burrs, rough skin stays softer longer, etc. Drill Machine procedures are also perfect for the men clientele, as the machine copes with tougher skin and calluses very well.

Each week Nail Bar 188 arranges promotions and great discounts; including all Monday to Friday 10:30am manicure appointments receiving a 50 per cent discount, as well as 50 per cent discounts on manicures and pedicures on your birthday.

Dalia Hilmi editor1@classactmedia.co.th

It contains 50 percent of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin E.

For more information or to make a booking please call: 095-421-8118 or visit http://www.manicurephuket. com

Enhance your unique skin

T

he fashion and beauty industries are inseparable with chic clothing complemented by makeup and hair for a polished head-to-toe look.

Instead of dramatic and wild, runway looks have become more practical for translating into streetwear.

The make-up even leans towards minimalism bringing out the beauty of skin as seen from the Christopher Kane spring/summer 2015 show.

Since 2012, the British label has collaborated with Nars for London Fashion Week’s backstage makeup, with the rapport built upon their passion for vivid colours amplified by unconventional creativity.

When Nars invited the fashion designer to create a make-up wardrobe, Kane didn’t fail to deliver a readyto-wear palette for women to easily primp themselves.

Kane’s iridescent pairing of pink lilac and soft violet appears on the Parallel Universe eyeshadow, with the lighter lilac used as a base and the darker violet as a liner. Pinks pump up more colour on the face, with Starscape Blush in neon pink containing micronised @thephuketnews

powder allowing a soft blendable wash of colour. What’s more important than cheek colour, advised Francois Nars, is where the blush is applied.

Besides the apples of

the cheeks, blend a little of the blush into the hairline, jawbone.

Lip glosses come in three pinks: seashell, neon and fuchsia.

Bangkok Post

A

fter a recent trip to Villa Market, I stumbled across a product which I had been eyeing up for the last couple of months. Almond milk.

And no not just to go in my cereal.

Over the years almond milk has been gaining popularity not only due to its distinct, nutty, refreshing flavour but also due to its many touted benefits. So I decided to purchase it so I could see it for myself.

Derived from

almonds, a nutrient-dense food, almond milk shares the same nutritional content.

It contains 50 per cent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin E, which contains antioxidant properties essential to your skin’s health.

Common skin problems, such as acne, blackheads and whiteheads, are caused by dirt and oil trapped in the pores of the skin.

Almond milk contains essential fatty acids which are important in controlling the amount of oil secreted by the sebaceous glands.

Everyone knows sun exposure can be harmful to the skin, but vitamin E acts as a shield by protecting the skin from these harsh elements. Daily skin application of vitamin E-enriched almond milk lotions and creams before sun exposure can help minimise skin damage.

You can purchase almond milk in a few places around the island, most people purchase it for beverage purposes, but regardless of how it is consumed, almond milk is beneficial in so many ways.

20 HISTORY

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

The men who rode torpedoes

O

n May 7 this year, Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper ran an obituary for Tony “Lofty” Eldridge, who had died three weeks earlier, aged 91.

Eldridge, then a newly promoted Sub-Lieutenant, led the last human torpedo attack of World War II by the British Royal Navy, sinking two Japanese ships off Phuket.

In late 1944, the British received intelligence reports that the Japanese, now critically short of ships, had re-floated two Italian ships that had been scuttled in Ao Makam Bay in Phuket at the beginning of the war.

They were about to sail them to Singapore to refit them as troop transports.

The British decided to go in and blow them up.

The submarine HMS Trenchant crossed from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and moored off Koh Dok Mai. Strapped to the Trenchant were two undersea “Chariots”

Adapted with permission from A History of Phuket and the Surrounding Region by Colin Mackay. Available from bookshops or from Amazon. com. See also historyofphuket. com

– modified torpedoes steered by two-man frogman crews. That night, four British naval frogmen under the command of Sub Lt Eldridge, mounted the two Chariots, left the submarine and approached the Italian ships underwater to fix huge explosive charges to their hulls.

One of the mines would not attach, so one of the divers, Stewart Brown, daringly climbed aboard the ship carrying

the mine after the timer had been set.

He was later awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his bravery.

He rushed back to his Chariot and the four men then hurriedly attempted to get back to the open sea and the Trenchant, but the breathing apparatus on one of the Chariots broke down; two of the men had to come up and travel on the surface out of the guarded harbour.

They were just clear of the harbour at 5:30 am, when the explosives went off, blowing great holes in the two ships’ hulls and re-sinking them.

In the ensuing confusion, all four divers made it back to the submarine.

Worried that a Japanese destroyer was nearby, the submarine captain ordered the Chariots to be dumped, the divers were taken aboard and the Trenchant made good its escape.

These two discarded Chariots have been located on the sea floor near Koh Dok Mai, but the British government – which still officially owns them – refuses to allow them to be salvaged.

This was the last time these underwater Chariots were used in the war.

The British navy prohibited their use after the Japanese high command sent a specific warning to the British that anyone captured using a Chariot in the future “would lose both eyes and their testicles.”

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

BB King: The thrill is gone forever

B

B King, “the King of the Blues” died on May 14 at the age of 89. With his ever-present guitar Lucille, King rose from sharecropper poverty in deep Mississippi to become the face of the American blues worldwide and an inspiration for generations of rock guitarists everywhere.

“The King of the Blues,” as he was universally known, led a life of non-stop touring, electrifying audiences in some 100 countries with his biting guitar licks and soulful songs of love and angst such as The Thrill is Gone and How Blue Can You Get. He died in Las Vegas, which was the blues legend’s primary residence amid years of incessant travel, his daughter said.

King kept up a gruelling touring schedule even in his 80s, despite living with Type II diabetes for more than two decades.

But King’s fans noticed last year that some performances were increasingly erratic, and he cancelled remaining dates in October after falling ill at a show in Chicago.

A consummate entertainer with a booming, husky baritone who made a successful crossover from traditional African American audiences to rock and pop fans, King for decades gave upwards of 300 concerts a year and racked up 15 Grammy awards for his recorded work.

“I have a disease which I believe might be contagious,” he said in an interview in 2007. “It’s called ‘need more.’”

Almost as well known was his “woman,” the Gibson ES-355 guitar he named Lucille, after a woman who was the focus of a fight between two men in Arkansas that led to a house being set on fire and King nearly being burned to death as he tried to rescue his instrument.

Through Lucille he delivered an unmistakable mix of slow but sharp bites and long, moaning bends that influenced other guitar legends such as Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

@thephuketnews

In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him the third greatest guitar legend after Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman and one ahead of Clapton. But his influence probably eclipsed all of theirs.

Riley B King was born September 16, 1925, on a cotton plantation in Itta Bena, Mississippi. His father left home when he was five, he was working in the fields at seven, and his mother died when he was nine.

A kindly white plantation owner bought him a red guitar when he was 12, and, as he moved up to driving a tractor on the farm, he spent his spare time singing in local Gospel groups and on street corners for spare change.

Eventually he made his way north to Memphis, Tennessee, a music capital which was to become his base for a long time.

Blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson put King on his radio show, where he made such an impression the young musician soon got his own program, Sepia Swing Club.

On the radio he took the nickname Beal Street Blues Boy, then shortened it to Blues Boy King, and then BB King.

In 1949 he made his first six singles, and two years later hit paydirt with Three O’Clock Blues. It held the number one slot on the national R&B charts for 15 weeks.

He told interviewers he had always wanted to sing Gospel music, but it was blues that brought in money.

He developed his distinct style in the 1950s as he toured incessantly with his band. Charismatic, a natural entertainer, he wove stories from the poor south with tales and jokes from his love life, in between crackling blues numbers backed by a phalanx of Memphis horns.

His guitar-playing focused not on speedy riffs, not on sweeping chords, but well-chosen, sharp single notes and long, aching bends. He never took up the slide guitar like most Delta bluesmen, but substituted with a vibrato from his left hand on the neck that rounded out his unique sound.

“By bending the strings, by trilling

ENTERTAINMENT 21

Latest tales in the celeb world AMIGOVIA Whitney Mitha whitneymitha@yahoo.com

Good Sportsmanship

Golfer Tiger Woods and Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn have called it quits after three years together. The couple stated the split is mutual and due to hectic schedules keeping them apart.

BB King. Photo AFP my hand – and I have big, fat hands – I could achieve something that approximated a vocal vibrato,” King wrote in his 1996 autobiography.

It made King’s blues, and for many fans it became the essential sound of all blues.

By the early 1960s King’s music lost its popularity with the rise of more slick R&B styles. But within a few years he would have a new audience: young, white and hip.

In 1968 he was invited to perform at San Francisco’s Fillmore West, the summit of hippie folk and acid rock.

“It was the first time I ever got a standing ovation in my life. It was so touching that I cried. Big grown man crying,” he later said.

The same year British guitar star Clapton told Rolling Stone magazine: “I still don’t think there is a better blues guitarist in the world than BB King.”

In 1969 the Rolling Stones invited King to open 18 US concerts, and his new career was launched.

“When you mention the Rolling Stones, I get on my knees,” King told the Los Angeles Times in 2005. “Because before them, we didn’t get the (recognition) that we do now.”

In 1970 he had his biggest-ever hit, the slow-moving, minor-key The Thrill is Gone, which took him for the first time onto the well-monied pop charts. It became one of his two signature songs. The other was the show-stopping How Blue Can You Get. His family life, as biographer Charles Sawyer wrote, was “never normal by ordinary standards.” He told people that when his regular dates with Lucille came between him and a woman, the guitar always won.

He was married and divorced twice, and liked to say he had 15 children by 15 women, but was very closed-mouth about any details. At least two of his children worked with his band, one as a backup singer.

King made his 42nd and last studio album in 2008, One Kind Favour, that also brought him his final Grammy.

AFP

Royal Welcome

Duchess Kate has given birth to a little girl named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Her official name will be “Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.” She is the second child for the royal couple.

American Idol no more

Television network Fox has announced that the fourth coming season of popular singing contest show American Idol will be the last. The show has been on the air for fifteen years and has launched many careers. The judges, contestants, host, and guest performers alike have benefitted from the huge platform that has become American Idol. I must say the concept of the show is tired, but most watch for the funny banter of judges and to see what star judge Jennifer Lopez is wearing. Farewell American Idol.

Random

Madonna was out pa r t y i n g with her eighteen year old daughter Lourdes. The pictures look like two friends or sisters. Obviously Madge has done something interesting to stay so youthful, and I must say, it doesn’t look so bad.

Tennis Legend

R odger Federer will have his very own hologram at the newly renovated International Tennis Hall of Fame museum.

Whitney is an American living in Phuket, writing about the latest gossip and trends in pop culture. Read more from Whitney onWordpress and Facebook (search: “amigovia”) and follow her on Instagram @Amigovia.

22 ISLAND SCENE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

(Second from right) Jason Wilder and Adam Goodman (far right), COO of Two Chefs Group

GRAND OPENING OF TWO CHEFS BEACH BAR IN RAWAI The grand opening of Two Chefs restaurant at Serenity Resort in Rawai, took place on Saturday May 16, where many enjoyed the fantastic food on offer, live entertainment as well as the fabulous fashion show. There was also a lucky draw where guests had the opportunity to win free tickets to the cinema. Many members of the media attended.

PHUKET UNITED FANS GET BEHIND THEIR CLUB FOR FANTASTIC FOOTY

Loyal fans from throughout Phuket and beyond came out to support the island’s pro five-a-side club, Phuket United in their league match with Ayuthaya City last Saturday. See page 37 for report.

Front middle: Laurent Minguely, Director of the school

LOCAL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL LEADS THE FRENCH WAY Phuket International Ecole Francaise Jules Verne School, located in Chalong, is welcoming new students and applications for the coming school year. The school is the first to offer a French programme, which has been accredited by the Thai Ministry of Education. See Life Page 17 for the full story.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

ISLAND SCENE 23

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

CENTRAL FESTIVAL GETS READY AND HOLDS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DRILL Provincial emergency services, including police, fire fighters and ambulance crews along with about 1,000 employees at Central Festival Phuket took part in a fire drill at the department store and shopping mall last Friday (May 15).

LAGUNA PHUKET LAUNCHES “2015 SUMMER FAMILY PROMOTION” The popular “Kids Stay, Play, and Eat Free” campaign returns as Laguna Phuket launches its 2015 Summer Family Promotion. Kids and families can take advantage of the resort-wide fun activities for kids and cost-saving benefits for parents. Available now until October 31 2015.

YOUNG STARS PERFORM WEEKEND RECITAL AT ROYAL PHUKET MARINA Budding young musicians from local international schools and students at the Phuket Academy of Performing Arts and Siobhan’s Music Studio put on a recital on Saturday (May 16) at the Royal Phuket Marina Exhibition Centre. Fourteen solo artists and five bands performed a variety of popular hits for the crowd. Among the bands on stage were: Tropical Strings; Simplicity; Legends of Siam; Silhouette Street and Inflatable Dates. @thephuketnews

24 EVENTS

FRI

22 MAY

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Pool Competition at Expat Sports Bar

7pm till late. Dress to impress - Cuban Way. 2,500 Baht per person inclusive of buffet dinner and free flow. Contact Lilian on 080 690 5248. Class Act Media and Live 89.5FM are proud sponsors of this event.

Tickets: phuketticketmaster.com

The competition at 9pm Expat Sports Bar at the Expat Hotel Soi Taipan Patong.

See map at www.expathotel.com

Bangkok Hilarious is coming to Royal Phuket Marina 3 comics. 1 venue. 1000’s of funny words and 100’s of sentences, put together to make jokes. And they are bringing their own sunbeds and umbrellas. The Invasion is coming. Graham Wooding UK, Garrett Jamieson CANADA, Leandro Soares BRAZIL. Tickets 500 THB includes 1 drink (limited tickets available). Doors open at 7pm.

For tickets info@royalphuketmarina.com or 086 943 7840. Live 89.5 and Class Act media are proud sponsors of this event. Tickets: phuketticketmaster.com

Stereo BBQ at White Orchid Kamala White Orchid Restaurant is located just steps away from the Kamala beach on Kamala’s “Millionaires Mile” Road. Authentic Thai taste since 1989, White Orchid would like to welcome everyone to join “Stereo BBQ” which happens every Friday for B350. Here you can enjoy the little things in life with great food, good music & a fashion market from 5 pm - 10 pm. For table reservations please call 081- 8929757 And visit our Facebook page: White Orchid Kamala.

FRIDAYS WINE & TAPAS

Traditional Muay Thai Training at Sumalee Boxing Gym Join Team Sumalee in Thalang for group Muay Thai training twice a day, six days a week. Whether you want to start your journey to fitness, prepare for a fight, or simply want to try something new, our team can help you achieve your goals. The camp features a fully equipped outdoor Muay Thai gym, air-conditioned fitness studio, 14 luxurious rooms, swimming pool, Ringside restaurant, all on-site. info@sumaleeboxinggym.com, 088-017-3020.

Imagine yourself sitting 50 metres above sea level and gazing out over an amazing sunset while sipping on a Ginger & Lemongrass Martini and enjoying the unique sophisticated city lifestyle ambiance of Phuket.

Every Friday ‘All you can Eat’ Tapas, with free flow of selected beverages at B1,390 net from 7 – 10pm. Get 30 per cent discount on selected beverages from 5.30-6.30pm everyday. Located at Vanilla Sky Bar, Cape Sienna Hotel, Kamala 076-337300.

Indian Curry Night on Fridays

Happy Fridays on the Boardwalk at RPM Contact Jay Address : The Boardwalk Royal Phuket Marina, 076 360 811.

Come to Navrang Mahal in Karon Sea Sands Resort & Spa for an authentic Indian Feast every Friday in Karon Beach.

Try out our delicious naans, mutton vindaloo, chicken tandoori, dal makhini, butter chicken, samosas, lassis and many more mouth-watering dishes. For only B499 and special reduced prices on drinks, 076-286464 Ext 4.

SAT

23 MAY

Mussels night @ Shaker 1.2 Kg mussels served with French Fries Your choice, Your style: Nature, mariniere, provencale, garlic & cream or Thai style Reservation recommended 295 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

Cubana Havana Soi Dog Fundraiser Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, from

All you can eat Sunday Roast Buffet Beef, Pork & Lamb – Cauliflower, Broccoli, Peas, Carrots, Fried mushrooms, Grilled Tomatoes – Yorkshire pudding – Roasted Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes – Gravey, Mushroom sauce, Mint Sauce. Reservation Recommended 350 baht P.P., shakersphuket@gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

Suk Singpatong + Sitnumnoi Every Saturday night, Num Noi Singpatong, the head trainer and owner of Singpatong + Sitnumnoi gym in Patong Beach, hosts an elite fight series “Suk Singpatong + Sitnumnoi Saturday fight night” at Patong Boxing Stadium (Sai Nam Yen Road), where top international and Thai fighters compete. Visit pattongboxingstadium.com for more info.

Contact 087 628 2719. Proudly supported

by Class Act Media. Remark: Free transportation in Patong, Karon, Kata areas when requested in advance. Proudly supported by Class Act Media.

Sunday Roast at Gallery Cafe by Pinky Every Sunday. Follow and #pinkygallerycafe on instagram to get 10% off. More info contact Pinky at 089 103 700.

BBQ at Expat Hotel Time 8pm, Expat Sports Bar, Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www.expatsportsbar.com

SUN

24 MAY

CASUAL BBQ SUNDAY BRUNCH AT THE POOL BAR AT HYATT REGENCY For THB 499/- nett.

All you can eat

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

Enjoy our sumptuous brunch featuring a lavish spread of international delicacies with a variety of live stations, roasts, a casual seafood BBQ, freshly shucked Fin de Claire oysters, a pasta station, wood-fired pizzas and a children’s food corner plus our free flow selected beverage stations. With pool access and a Camp Hyatt kids club, starting at 1,500++ THB per person. For more details and reservations, call 076 231 516 fnb. phuhp@hyatt.com

Thai Sunday Brunch at DoubleTree Phuket Every Sunday enjoy a wide selection of Thai delicacies during the Thai Sunday Brunch at DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Phuket - Surin Beach. Various action stations, extensive salad bar, tropical fresh fruits, plenty of desserts and unlimited soft drinks, coffee and tea for only THB 350 net per person. Children aged 7-12 at THB 175 net. This includes free access to our swimming facilities! 076 303 300.

MON

25 MAY

Monthly Pub Quiz 2015 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 B320 per person which includes a free glass of house red or white. Opposite Centara Karon Resort. See otools-phuket.com

Monthly Pub Quiz by Phuket Has Been Good To Us is back!!! On last Monday of every month from 7pm. till late at Aussie Pub, Kamala. Entry fee 100THB per person (teams of up to 4). Join a special round every month with amazing raffle prizes.

And the winners will get a 1000THB bar tab! Entry fee goes directly towards making a difference to underprivileged local children. 10THB from every drink goes to charity. More info. visit phukethasbeengoodtous.org or call 076 278 146.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

EVENTS 25

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

MON

25 MAY

by inspirational captain Darryn Mathee will field a strong side and will look to win for the first time in what is the clubs 21st anniversary year. Come down and support International rugby on the island.Email : phuketrugby@ gmail.com Proudly supported by Class Act Media & Live 89.5FM.

SUN

7 JUNE

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.

TUE

26 MAY

Sexy Foam Party at Centra Ashlee 18.00 - midnight. 500THB include 2 drinks.

Book now at saleschp@chr.co.th or call 076 349 800 / 081 171 0143.

SAT

30 MAY

All you can eat BBQ Ribs night 6PM – 11PM: All you can eat BBQ Ribs served with salad buffet, potato Salad & Choice of Sauces Reservation recommended 295 baht P.P., shakersphuket@ gmail.com, 081 891 4381.

THU

28 MAY

THE BLACK EYED PEAS’ TABOO AT XANA BEACH CLUB’S NAKED FEET BEACH PARTY Taboo, from the six-time Grammy awardwinning American hip-hop group, The Black Eyed Peas will be performing at XANA Beach Club with Attica in Laguna Phuket, launching XANA’s first annual Naked Feet Beach Party. The event kicks off at 8pm with entry FROM THB 900 for advance purchases including limited edition LED bracelet and stylish XANA flip-flops or THB 1,200 including free transportation from Patong, Kamala and Surin. More info at XANABEACHCLUB.COM Proudly supported by Class Act Media & Live 89.5FM.

FRI

29 MAY

Stand Up Comedy Night Tom Rhodes - Comedy Central, Jay Leno, The New York Times, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, MTV’s Comedy Half Hour, opened for Ray Charles, Hudson Theater, NYC, now on a world tour. LIVE in Phuket @ SpiceBox. The New York Times-“A mostly natural intellect with a knack for reporting the harsh realities of life with a dark and absurdly optimistic cynicism.” Tickets 700B, includes a drink free! 0913260276.

SUN

Welcome to the 10th Laguna Phuket International Marathon™ that will take place on Sunday, 7 June 2015. The ninth event was another great success with more than 6,000 participants from over 50 countries. In 2015, over 7,000 runners and walkers are expected to join the race with start and finish at Laguna Phuket. The Laguna Phuket International Marathon is the largest destination marathon in South East Asia. For more information about the race visit www.phuketmarathon.com Sign up online here: www.goadventureasia.com/PIM/pim.htm This event is proudly sponsored by Class Act Media.

SAT

20 JUNE

31 MAY

EVERYDAY

KATA HOT YOGA FOR EVERYBODY Open every day, 3 classes daily: 9 a.m in the morning, then 5.15 p.m afternoon and 7.15 p.m evening. Men and women all ages, Just come, you will love it. work out and stretch.

Tone your muscles, lose fat, get in shape, and feel good.See you in yoga class soon, Address : 217 khoktanod road kata beach phuket 83100, 076 605 950.

Krabi Music Festival

Bollywood Phuket’s Summer Fest Bollywood Phuket Restaurant & Bar would like to invite you to our end of season Summer Fest event on Sunday 31st May starting at 5:30pm - 11pm. Enjoy an evening full of Indian charm and entertainment with delicious food & drinks, our buffet @ only 499 ThB net, dancers, beverages, Indian clothing & Souvenir stalls, market games, raffles prizes & more, info@bollywoodphuket. com, 076 304 034.

FRI

Laguna Phuket International Marathon

5 JUNE

Enjoy Krabi Music Festival on 20th June 2015 at Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort. Highlight will be a mini concert by J Jetrin and hot DJs spinning the latest tracks, and fun entertainment. Make the most of your party weekend with special rates at just THB 3,990 for 1-night stay and THB 6,980 for 2-night stay including breakfast, party entrance fee and a complimentary drink for 2 persons. For reservation place contact 075 627 800 or h6184-re@sofitel.com

THU

9 JULY

KATA HOT YOGA Now 3 classes daily. 9 A.M then 5.15 PM and 7.15 P.M classes are 90 minutes. Kata Yoga the most popular yoga in Phuket for Men and Women. It is the best work out ever, getting strong and flexible, full of vitality, It will make you very happy, and it shows, you will walk with a big smile on your face, feeling good. Open everyday, right at the beach, Kata Beach, You got to try, warning: very addictive, once you start you keep coming, you never want to stop, 217 khoktanod road kata beach phuket 83100, 076 605 950.

Phuket International Rugby 10 - 2015 The Thanyapura Sports Club will once again be the venue for the 17th edition of the annual Phuket International Rugby 10s. The tournament will kick off with the Athena Siam Coffin Dodgers Vets tournament. 16 teams will compete throughout the day for the chance to play in the finals on Sunday. Teams from Abu Dhabi,Australia, Dubai, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore & Thailand will compete for the prestigious trophy. In the Open Tournament which will kick off on Saturday 30th May previous champions the Moorabbin Rams from Australia & the Emirates Airlines Flying Muppets will look to add to their tally. Al Ain Amblers current UAE champions will field a strong side and will look to go a step further after being knocked out at the semi final stage last year. The Phuket Vagabonds led @thephuketnews

Friday Night Movie On The Terrace Kata Rocks is setting up a giant outdoor movie theatre on its poolside terrace - how cool is that? On every first Friday of every month at 7:00pm.There’s comfy seating under the stars from 250 baht (depending on seating tier, F&B not included), homemade cinema popcorns, gourmet hot dogs, nachos, ice cream and refreshing drinks. Kata Rocks ‘Movies on the Terrace’ will become a Phuket favourite that features classic cult films on the first Friday of every month. Contact dining@katarocks.com or 076 370 777 for complete details.

Multihull Solutions Regatta Phuket 2015 2015 is the second year that Multihull Solutions is naming rights and major sponsor of the Multihull Solutions Regatta in Phuket. This regatta is an Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) event. You too can join this “multihull only” event for three days of exciting racing and serious fun on and off the water. The fees to enter are modest, the scenery spectacular and the camaraderie is like no other! For registration and more information visit: http://www.multihullsolutions.com.au/events/multihull-solutions-regatta-phuket-2015/ This event is proudly sponsored by Class Act Media.

Adventure Golf Summer Package 299/499 Baht Day pass, all you can play! One main dish from our menu/kid menu. A drink from our selected drink menu. Cold towel after the game/s. Child 299 Baht (up to 11 years old) Adult 499 Baht. Book now and save 4050% (by phone or directly on our website).

Happy time 17:00-19:00; Brews 50 baht, a glass from our selected beverages and pour-up-drinks 99 baht. Our 18-hole course is fully floodlit, for twilight and night golfing.

-Welcome!

26 TIME OUT

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FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York Across 1. Which US presidents’ faces are carved into Mt Rushmore?

2. What come in the following forms: compound, simple and impacted?

3. Name the three African countries with names starting with Z. 4. How did Vincent Van Gogh die?

5. What is the average human body temperature?

Answers below, centre.

SUDOKU

57. Lives 61. Eight-time Norris Trophy winner 1. Strip 62. Schwarzenegger 5. Relevant fact comedy 10. Kind of game 65.

Kind of sax 14. Triangle part 66.

Dilute 16. Bubbly drink 17. One version starred 67. Source 68. Body of art?

Alastair Sim 69. Appraiser 19. Island ring?

20. Barely gets, with Down “out” 21. Chipmunk 22. Turner and others 1. Commandment word 24. Bad-mouth 2. Secondary school 25. Big pooch in France 28. Firms: Abbr.

3. Ladybug’s prey 31. Interruption 4. Lookout point 34. Death duties 5. Secretary, e.g.

39. Geologic time 6. Some chips, period maybe 40. Warner Brothers 7. Rolaids rival film with the voice 8. Olympics chant of Tom Hanks 9. Go well together 42. Cloak-and-dagger 10. Greenish yellow org.

11. Place for notes 43. Makes powerful 12. Balm ingredient 44. Do damage to 13. Where Bill met 46. Freshly painted Hillary 47. Mudhole 15. One up, e.g.

48. Drain 18. Heel 50. Barber’s motion 23. Certain hockey 54. Compadres shot

26. Looking down from 27. Not on deck 28. Sticking point?

29. Farm team 30. Canonical hours 32. Highlands tongue 33. Physics calculation 34. Fix firmly 35. Islam denomination 36. Blasts 37. Poet laureate of 1700 38. Kind of curl 41. Some stingers 45. Grub 49. Neighbor of Ger. 51. “Forget it!”

52. Angered 53. Nosy one 54. Cracked open 55. Venus de ___ 56. Backside 57. Picture problem 58. Pandora’s boxful 59. Dog in “Beetle Bailey” 60. Wolf or devil preceder 63. Mountain out of a molehill 64. ‘Fore

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln; 2. Bone fractures; 3. Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe; 4. He shot himself; 5. 37ºC/98.6ºF.

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

This week in history ■■ May 22, 1960

An earthquake measuring 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale, now known as the Great Chilean Earthquake, hits southern Chile. It is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded and kills an estimated 6,000 people.

■■ May 23, 1934 T he A mer ica n ban k robbers Bon nie Parker and Clyde Barrow are ambushed by police and killed in Black Lake, Louisiana.

■■ May 24, 1992 Coup leader General Suchinda Kraprayoon resigns following bloody pro-democracy protests in Bangkok.

■■ May 25, 1977 Star Wars is released in cinemas, inspiring the Jediism religion and the Geek Pride Day holiday.

■■ May 26, 1897 Dracula, a novel by the Irish author Bram Stoker, is published.

■■ May 27, 1703 Tsar Peter the Great of Russia founds the city of Saint Petersburg.

30

Maximum days’ imprisonment for launching a nuclear weapon within the City of Chicago. Plus a US$1,000 fine.

100

Average suicides a year in Aokigahara, the ‘Suicide Forest’ on the lower slopes of Mt Fuji in Japan.

28

Terabytes of data transferred worldwide in 2013. Every second.

15:1

Likelihood of someone serving in the US military being sexually assaulted by a compatriot, compared with chances of getting killed.

250

Percentage rise in dopamine levels caused by cocaine (sex, 100%, food 50%).

Source: Uberfacts

Low tide among the mangroves in Pa Khlok, on the east coast of Phuket. Photo by Alasdair Forbes Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket?

Email it to editor1@classactmedia.co.th

■■ May 28, 1937

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

PROPERTY 27

28 PROPERTY

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FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

PROPERTY 29

30 PROPERTY

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FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

PROPERTY 31

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CLASSIFIEDS 33

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

HEALTH

MARINE SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

PRODUCTION SERVICE

GUARDIAN SERVICE

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME DECORATION

STORAGE Reserve Your Storage Space

Call 076 29 29 09

or visit mystorageasia.com

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

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

ELECTRIC

STORAGE

MARINE SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

REMOVALS

ADVERTISE HERE

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Jobs

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/thephuketnews

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @thephuketnews

classifieds@thephuketnews.com

Junior Web Programmer (Thai) Sedna system is the worldwide leader in management & reservation software dedicated in the yachting industry. Our main office is based in France and we exist since 12 years. Check more info here: www.sednasystem.com We are opening an office in Phuket and we are looking to hire 2 to 4 web developers to start with. Sedna system has over 300 companies under contract license worldwide and we need to enforce our development capacities.

Job keys are the following; Profiles required: Junior & confirmed Web Developers Salary: 22.000 THB to 30.000 THB + Performance bonus, depending on profiles 5 days’ work week Start-up ambiance, pool table, Table Football, swimming pool during the breaks Flexible working hours. Office located at Chalong.

Career level: Not important, we match someone efficient, junior/beginners +++ can be accepted. Our leitmotiv is: In the best we trust and never do tomorrow what you can do today!

Requirements Classic ASP (or php)/Vbscript/XML/JSON/Javascript/ Jquery/html5/ASP MVC Database: SQL Server Server: IIS / Windows Responsibilities: To be in contact with an international clientele Interested candidates are invited to send their résumé along with their salary requirements to Eric Ahuir @ eric@sednasystem.com, Address : 32/16 Soi Phon Chalong Moo 9, Chaofa Rd East T.Chalong, A.Muang, Phuket, Phuket 83130. Tel: 098 671 84 66.

Worldwide Dive and Sail We offer diving safaris across

South East Asia and the Pacific and more destinations to come. To support our fast and dynamic expansion, we are recruiting for the following positions: - Reservations consultant - Local Operations Manager for Siren Fleet Please refer to our website for further details about the positions. Interested candidates can send a résumé and a cover letter at:employment@wwdas.com, Contact HR.

Web Project Manager Senior DEV Bitsiren

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

The Terminal Phuket Phuket Sirinath Property & The Terminal Phuket Sales Staff 2 (2 years Experience) Marketing 1 (3 years Experience) Accounting 1 (5 years Experience) A & S Supervisor 1 (10 years Experience) M & E Engineer 1 (10 years Experience) HR, Naiyang Beach, k.taksakorn@gmail.com, 076 327 590.

Excellent THAI CHEF Looking for an excellent Thai Chef to work abroad. I am looking for an excellent Thai Chef to work overseas in Sri Lanka at a new Thai Restaurant. Would require to speak little bit of english but what I am looking for is a really good chef who can make Authentic Thai food. Will provide great salary and accomodation. Please contact me on suranga.sd@gmail.com to discuss further.

TELE SALES WORK FROM HOME

Are you looking for a Nanny? Job Wanted!!! If you are looking

Earn up to 3,000 - 5,000 baht/day. International organization specialized in holiday rentals listing is expanding to new areas of interest. The ideal candidate is a responsible and diligent person with experience as a telemarketer or in sales. Good English and excel skills are essential.

Thai or foreigners can both apply. We offer: full training, telephone and email support, high commissions, Email: recruitment@holiplanet.com

Animal caregiver WANTED Starting 1st March, full time, caring for sick animals, dog walking, grooming, medicating & running errands, some overnight & weekends expected, experience with animals a must, please send resume to : jellinecastro@ yahoo.com

Join an International Team, Princess Yachts Phuket is hiring 1 Position Urgently: Marketing Assistant; good English, good knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite, basic Photo and Video production and Website, Thai national Please call Rico Stapel at: 086 690 0444 and send resume to rico@princessyachtssea.com

for someone who can look after your child, pets or house when you plan to get away at night or during the weekend, Pls contact Email : jj_icu@hotmail.com, 081 476 7570.

Data Entry Administrator Data Entry Admin Staff required for Phuket’s leading property agent, LivePhuket the exclusive property partner to The Phuket News. Must have the following qualification for this position. - High vocational certificate or Bachelor’s degree graduate in any related field - Good command of MS Excel - Hard-working, self-disciplined, and positive working attitude - Ability to handle multiple priorities and meet deadlines - Can work from Monday to Saturday (every other Saturday) - Must have excellent English reading and writing skills. Contact Paul Trayman, Kamala, 092 474 6157, Email paul@livephuket.com

Vacancies for property sales reps

1.Sale English,Chinese,Russia (Good commission)Have experience in line of Sale 2.staff at booth for Property(17,000 + Lunch + Commission) Can communicate Good English, Kaew, kaew@agtropical.com, 094 807 3434.

Assistant Branch Manager 20 K We are hiring!!!!! Both positions for our new branch in Phuket and to be part of our energetic team. Excellent commission & benefits. Email info@thailandpooltables. com, 20,000 THB per month, Ying.

is looking for a talented senior web developer with a positive and “can do” attitude to join us and work in a fun and creative working environment!

BitSiren offers a competitive compensation package including: 5 day work week, work permit, paid vacation, health insurance and social insurance contribution. For more information please visit http://www.bitsiren.com/ about-bitsiren/career/senior-web-developer.html

Housekeeper wanted to live in Kata. Must love dogs and have some knowledge of english. Ideal position for couple. Call on 080 690 5248 or email lil@ladolcevitare.com.au, Lillian Dinic , Address : 31/3 Soi Plakjae Kata Phuket.

Class Act Media is southern Thailand's most comprehensive media company, incorporating Phuket’s leading English newspaper ‘The Phuket News’, Russian language newspaper 'Novosti Phuketa', Phuket’s leading English radio station ‘Live 89.5’, Phuket English TV 'Phuket News TV' and a host of publications & services including ‘The Phuket Colouring book’ & ‘Phuket Ticket Master’.

Class Act Media Co., Ltd is Southern Thailand’s most comprehensive media company, incorporating Phuket’s leading English weekly newspaper The Phuket News, Russian Language newspaper Novosti Phuketa, English radio station Live 89.5, English TV Phuket News TV and a host of publications and services including The Phuket Colouring Book and PhuketTicket Master.

Class Act Media Co., Ltd is Southern Thailand’s most comprehensive media company, incorporating Phuket’s leading English weekly newspaper The Phuket News, Russian Language newspaper Novosti Phuketa, English radio station Live 89.5, English TV Phuket News TV and a host of publications and services including The Phuket Colouring Book and PhuketTicket Master.

SALES REPRESENTATIVES

Head Of Graphic Designer Department

Graphic Designer

Qualifications: ● Thai or Expat. ● Excellent communication and negotiation skills in Thai and English. ● Highly motivated self-starter with a positive attitude. ● Works well under pressure and has a will to succeed.

We offer: ● Competitive salary, bonuses and travel expenses. ● A friendly work environment. ● Social security paid by the company. ● Excellent career progress opportunities.

Interested candidates are invited to send application with full resume, in English, indicating qualifications, experience, recent photo and expected salary.

Apply online at thephuketnews.com/job.php

Class Act Media Co., Ltd.

99/7 Moo 1 T. Kathu A. Kathu Phuket 83120 Tel: 076 612 550-2 Fax: 076 612 553

Housekeeper wanted- live in

We offer:

● Competitive salary ● Social security (100%) paid by the company ● Excellent career progress opportunity ● Time in lieu for any overtime hours worked

Qualifications:

● Good communication skills both in Thai and English ● Excellent skills in using Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and other Graphic design software ● Experience in designing and layout of magazines & newspapers ● Ability to work after normal work hours and/or weekends (time in lieu will be given)

Responsibilities:

● Designing advertisements for our clients ● Layout of our publications ● All artwork and graphic design work related to production If you are a professional and enthusiastic person, this is an excellent opportunity to advance in a growing and innovative media company in Phuket. Interested candidates are invited to fill out an application and attach their full resumé in English indicating qualifications, experience and expected salary, with a recent photo on thephuketnews.com/job.php

We are currently recruiting for a graphic designer to join our team to handle the layout of our publications, including online.

The job: We require Full Time Graphic Designers to handle: ● Designing advertisements for clients ● Layout of The Phuket News and our other publications ● All artwork and graphic design work related to production

Applicants must have: ● Excellent skills with InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and other graphic design software

● Min. 1 year experience in design and layout of newspapers or magazines

● Good English (written and spoken)

We offer: ● Competitive salary ● Friendly work environment ● Excellent progress opportunity and job security Interested applicants are invited to apply in person or send application with full resume indicating qualifications and experience, expected salary and recent photo to: thephuketnews.com/job.php

Class Act Media Co., Ltd.

Class Act Media Co., Ltd.

99/7 Moo 1 T. Kathu A. Kathu Phuket 83120 Tel: 076 612 550-2 Fax: 076 612 553

99/7 Moo 1 T. Kathu A. Kathu Phuket 83120 Tel: 076 612 550-2 Fax: 076 612 553

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CLASSIFIEDS 35

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

Buy&Sell BOATS & YACHTS 3.1 RIB Yacht tender dinghy

3.1m Stingray RIB with 9.9hp 4 stroke Suzuki outboard, storage cover, fuel tank etc.

Great size yacht tender dinghy, as new 140,000b, Price : 140,000, sc@acronautic. com, 0898734044.

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Patong Nightclub for Sale

Newly developed Nightclub in Patong on Bangla Road. A turnkey operation with a fully fitted light, sound system and bars. Long renewable contract available. Serious enquiries only. Brokers welcome.

Contact Steve, stevepearcergj@hotmail.co.uk, 089 587 0819 (EN)

33/F Gulf Craft W/A

Two suzuki 225 HP outboards - only 300 hours, custom made RIB-dinghy with small outboard, engine electronics and hydraulics, ray marine GPS/ radar/depth sounder, many extras. 3,850,000. THB, 089 873 3713.

4.1M/40HP RIB, 09/2014 AS NEW! BOUGHT IN SEPT. 2014,14HRS ONLY! SUZUKI ENGINE+BOAT UNDER WARRANTY (SUZUKI PHUKET). BIMINI+TRAILER+TUBE COVERS. 0935840565 (RUS/ENG) 0987086632 (FR/ENG, 350,000 THB,)

Silver Princess Yacht PC530

A 53 ft Power Catamaran by Silver Princess Yachts. Beautiful design, compact yacht with space & modern interior. Dimensions: 53 ft length, 21 ft beam, 4 ft draft, 50 passengers, 22,000,000 THB, Sonny, 669 8810 5024, www. silver-princess.com, sonny@silver-princess.com

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Polynesian Beauty from NZ

CELESTE - Outcalls only. Polynesian Beauty from NZ. Limited time Book now. http://polynesiansceleste.com (computer/laptop only), Contact Celeste, polynesianceleste@gmail.com, 062 404 3273.

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, ansibakery@gmail.com

Bar For Sale O Top Markets

Bar For Sale with full trading history showing increasing growth. Includes 4Mil Bht Thai company & 1 Work Permit. Great Location, good customer base, Price : 2,000,000, Person : charlie kenyon, charlie@paddymalones.com.au, 0841858719.

FREEDOM BAR FOR SALE

Good situation (Middle Line 4) Fully Equiped chairs fridges TV alcohols 1 YEAR Contract (End February 2016) 1,4MB [Value 1,8MB] 093-575-1969 afternoon, 1400000 THB, thai-pascal@hotmail. com, 093 575 1969.

Restaurant & Bar For Rent A long established fully equipped Restaurant with Bar for Rent in an excellent location on Nanai Rd, Patong. The 105 M2 premises includes a fully equipped Kitchen, Restaurant and Bar with ample seating for 50 customers and excellent parking facilities., Peter Wesche, info@phuket-besthomes.com, 081 892 8526.

Mitsubishi Pajero Sports

Bangla bar for sale

Newly refurbished and fully fitted out sports bar.

Cheapest rent in Bangla road area. 3 year renewable contract. Great business opportunity, Contact Steve, stevepearcergj@hotmail.co.uk, 089 587 0819 (EN)

One of a kind retail space

One of a kind retail space for rent!! Road front building, 36-50 SQM price from 12 to 16,000 THB per month. Call now 085 797 0005.

CAR FOR SALE Car For Sale

1996 Toyota Corolla Sedan, Silver Gray. Automatic power steering, good aircon, goo tyres. 173,00kms. New Stereo, tinted windows. Bargain at 145,000 Baht. Kamala. Call Norm 083 182 2797.

TOYOTA Fortune 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.

2012 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid

Bar Bangla Road for sale

Bangla Soi Crocodile - Good situation (n3) Fully furnished (alcohols,TV,fridge,Cash register...) Contract until 01-01-2016 Key money : 185 000 Baths 09 87 26 82 84 or arnaud270@hotmail.fr

Powerful 380HP, Full Option: Bose Sound, Pano roof, Navigator Map. etc. Immaculate condition, no accident, low mileage, one owner, Price : 4,500,000 THB, Phone 086-2806526.

Subaru Forester XT Turbo for sale

Restaurant Khao Lak for Sale

Large profitable restaurant. 1.6 mio THB, ONO Central location, high turnover, includes all furnishings, website. Extra income from shops on premises, good TripAdvisor reviews, Price 1.6 mio THB, anders@siamthaihouses.com, 0848470577.

@thephuketnews

CAR FOR SALE

For sale Subaru Forester 2.0 XT AWD CVT. 240 hp, auto light control and wiper control (rainy). crossover. Push start, xenon, rain sensor, ABS, air bags, electro seats, reversing camera, TV / CD / MP3 / USB / AUĐĽ/ HDD/ DVD- VIDEO, ESP, separate climate control, cruise control, regulation steering, EBD, hatch, X-mode, acceleration to 100 km\h until 7 seconds, electric trunk, number plate for present)), kamila.sema@icloud.com, 0824133707.

Mitsubishi Pajero Sports 2012, A1 condition, 14,000 KM, Silver Colour. 950,000THB Eng: Ph. 0993614582 Thai: Ph. 080 383 3060.

TOYOTA Fortune 2006

7 seats, Black, Family car, Petrol 2,982cc Blue book, Service history Toyota Pearl, 160,000kms. AUTOMATIC transmission, golfguru2005@yahoo.co.uk, 076 615 827.

Nissan Teana Special 6 cyl

Nissan Teana Special 6 cyl November 17000 Km New price 1.700.000.THB NOW 1,100,000.THB, Maurice, Email: rice.phuket@gmail.com, 099 302 7071, 090 163 2140.

2013 Price MauThai:

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.

2012 Toyota Fortuna 24,000km

2012 Pearl white Toyota Fortuna For Sale. 3.0 D4D VN Turbo Great condition- Baht Black leather interior. Tax / insurance till 2016, 900,000, Loch Palm, Kathu, Phuket, glawre123@gmail.com, 0898668825.

MOTORBIKES FOR SALE 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

36 CLASSIFIEDS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

BUY & SELL IN PHUKET

List your classified now at thephuketnews.com MEMBERSHIPS

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

COMMUNITY

Blue Canyon Membership Blue Canyon Membership for sale. 1 corporate nominee for sale THB 630,000 inc transfer fee. grahamhaslam@hotmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE CAMERA baby car seats for sale BAKLONG Car Seat - Very good condition, suitable for newborn to 25KG. Prices are THB 4,000 per seat, buy both for only THB 7,000. Call 086 479 7471.

PERSONAL SERVICES Polynesian Beauty from NZ

CELESTE - Outcalls only. Polynesian Beauty from NZ. Limited time Book now. http://polynesiansceleste.com (computer/laptop only), Contact Celeste, Email : polynesianceleste@gmail.com, 062 404 3273.

PETS FOR ADOPTION

CALLING THE DOG LOVERS OF PHUKET

Neo and Cookie We are 15

weeks old. We are very sweet with people and can get along easy with other dogs too! We hope you are the one who can give us a home.

We will protect your house and love to cuddle. We already got some basic training. If you are interested in us you will get 2 dog training lessons for free.A dog is often happier when they have a friend around. These are best friends, so it would be best if they can stay together, Diana Koster, info@phuket-dog-resort. com, 083 599 6017.

OTHER RESORT FOR SALE/LEASE

Resort for sale lease any offer consider! I want go sailing again!!, Address : 67/18 Soi Sermsuk Rawai Phuket, bigasail@samart.co.th, Contact +66 (0)86 9401860.

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.

RESORT FOR SALE/LEASE

Resort for sale lease any offer consider! I want go sailing again!! bigasail@samart. co.th, +66 (0)86 9401860.

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.

OTHER 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.

Soi Dog are looking for dog lovers in Phuket to come and spend time with our 300+ street dogs in residence at our shelter in Mai Khao, North Phuket. We need volunteers to help socialise and walk our dogs - as this is fundamental in preparing our lovely dogs for adoption in Phuket and around the world. Whether you can spare one day a week or can come every day, we would love to have you help our dogs. Volunteering at Soi Dog is an amazing experience and may well change your life. For more details, please email Diana at volunteering@soidog-foundation.org

COMPANY FOR SALE

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

For Sale

Industrial over locker. Whitehouse Brand. 3 Thread.

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thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

SPORT 37

Pearl oust Warriors, brace for uphill fight FUTSAL Steven Layne editor@classactmedia.co.th

P

hu ket United have climbed up to 5th place in the 14-club Futsal Thailand Premier League (FTPL) following a 3-1 win at home over Ayuthaya City last Saturday night (May 16).

Played in front of some 2,000 energetic blue, black and gold-clad supporters at the Saphan Hin Sports Complex, the match was both side’s 8th of 26 fixtures in the FTPL 2015 season.

Going into the match, the Andaman Pearl sat in 9th place with 10 points, just one less than the Ancient Warriors in 8th place with 11 points.

It became apparent from the opening whistle that Phuket wasn’t going to have as easy a time with their opponents as they did at home last year when they won 8-2.

Both sides looked eager in the opening exchanges, with many chances at either goal, where the keepers earned their keep to ensure a tense,

and scoreless first half.

It was the visitors who enjoyed the first real shot of the match, when two minutes into the second half, Dechnithit (no 11) stole the ball in Phuket territory before making a run down the right flank, only to blast Phuket’s right goal-post with a right-footed missile.

But three minutes later, it would be the home team to finally break the ice, when Thanakorn Penpakul (no 9) with his right foot on the left flank beat Ayuthaya’s keeper with a fast ground strike on the near post.

Penpakul set up his shot seconds before when he played a dead ball in bounds to Thanakorn Piyaprichayut (no 10), who,

Thanakorn Penpakul celebrates after scoring his second goal for Phuket.

Photos: Steven Layne

@thephuketnews

marked closely by two defenders in the box, laid the ball off, back to an unmarked Penpakul, who without hesitation drove the ball home.

The celebrating crowd was hushed only seconds later, however, when Penpakul would be credited with the match’s second goal, but to the favour of Ayuthaya, when a pass into the Phuket box found the foot of Penpakul for an own goal.

But Penpakul made up for it two minutes later on a 1-2 combination play with Anuwat Panoppha, who from the box, laid it off, back to Penpakul, finding space deep in Ayuthaya territory near the left of side of the box, from where he beat the keeper on the far post.

Halfway through the half, Phuket went up one more with a long-range shot by Brazilian import Edson Gugu (no 4), whose shot from just behind

the half-pitch line soared towards his comrade Jackson Santos (no 5), boxed out near the goal post.

But seeing the destined trajectory of the shot, Jackson flicked his head in a clever fake at just the right moment to allow Gugu’s shot to find its way into the back of the net, uninterrupted.

Both keepers would not allow anything past them after that. In the waning minutes Ayuthaya employed a strategic power play formation, substituting an attacking keeper with each possession.

But it wasn’t to see any breach of Phuket’s solid zone defence, who nearly upped their side’s lead with a few long range misses on their opponent’s unguarded goal.

The score remained unchanged at the final whistle, in favour of the home team, 3-1.

As a result Phuket moved up four spots into 5th place, while Ayuthaya fell one spot into 9th.

The road ahead is steep, with the Andaman Pearl on the road for a May 23 match against 4th place Samut Sakhon ( 16 points).

After that, Phuket will return for their next home fixture against current 3rd place team, Bangkok FC on May 30.

Class Act Media are proud partners with Phuket United.

PHUKET SUPER SIX LEAGUE: SEASON X, ROUND XX

Naraya (pink) look set to be champions in division 03 after a narrow 4-3 win against Thailand Weightloss.

SUPER SIX SOCCER Division 1

Team

P

W

D

L

F

GD Pts

6 7 8

Phuket Condos & Homes Pita Bar Phuketeers Daohang Blue Horizon TT Boys Shakers FC Two Chefs Sam Kong FC

11 11 9 11 11 11 11 7

9 8 6 6 4 2 2 1

1 0 0 0 1 3 0 1

1 3 3 5 6 6 9 5

51 43 40 37 38 22 30 21

21 12 10 -2 -8 -1 -27 -5

28 24 18 18 13 9 6 4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Black Dragon FC TEFL Campus USSR Irish Times Phuket Condos & Homes B Vintage FC Zaleng FC Talon FC

13 12 12 12 11 13 14 11

8 8 7 5 4 3 4 2

4 3 1 2 1 3 0 2

1 1 4 5 6 7 10 7

34 32 37 34 22 30 27 26

18 11 6 15 -6 -19 -13 -12

28 27 22 17 13 12 12 8

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Naraya United ConF Thailand Weightloss Phuket Serenity Villas Shambala United Jugqrue FC Novotel Healthy FC

12 13 11 12 12 11 14 11

12 8 6 5 4 2 3 2

0 2 1 2 2 4 0 1

0 3 4 5 6 5 11 8

77 59 32 45 52 33 27 28

50 19 6 1 -4 -20 -25 -27

36 26 19 17 14 10 9 7

1 2 3 4 5

Division 2

Division 3

DIVISION 1

Irish Times 3 – 0 Phuket Condos & Homes B

TT Boys 2 – 2 Shakers FC

DIVISION 3

Daohang 9 – 4 Blue Horizon

Sam Kong FC 3 – 4 Pita Bar Phuketeers Sam Kong FC 8 – 4 Two Chefs

DIVISION 2

TEFL Campus 3 – 2 USSR

Thailand Weightloss 3 – 4 Naraya United Jugqrue FC 6 – 2 Healthy Phuket Serenity Villas 0 – 4 Naraya United Thailand Weightloss 3 – 3 Jugqrue FC

38 SPORT

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

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1. phils64 2. popcorn 3. zestrealestate 4. scottkip 5. diggersd 6. Gracie 7. celticpride 8. stegee 9. gamagan 10. Keefers Kathu

726 711 711 709 708 705 701 693 689 688

English Premier League 2014 - 2015

Manchester City’s Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure (L) shoots to score their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Swansea City and Manchester City at The Liberty Stadium in Swansea, south Wales on May 17.

Man City, Arsenal stroll into Europe FOOTBALL

M

anchester City assured themselves direct entry into the Champions League group stage on Sunday (May 17) as Arsenal stayed on course for a top-three finish as well.

City won 4-2 away to Swansea City before thirdplaced Arsenal moved two points clear of Manchester United after coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

Ander Herrera’s volley gave United the lead on the half-hour mark. But the Gunners equalised eight minutes from time when Theo Walcott’s cross diverted

off defender Tyler Blackett and past debutee substitute goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

Earlier in the day, three goals came before half-time at the Liberty Stadium.

Yaya Toure and James Milner put Manchester City 2-0 up before Gylfi Sigurdsson pulled a goal back for Swansea on the stroke of half-time.

French striker Bafetimbi Gomis equalised for the Swans midway through the second half before Toure made it 3-2 to City.

Former Swansea forward Wilfried Bony completed the scoring with only his second goal since he moved in the mid-season transfer window.

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s

Steven Gerrard was denied a fairytale finish to his Anfield career when Crystal Palace won 3-1 in his final home game on Saturday (May 16).

Adam Lallana put the Re d s a he a d but Pa l a c e were level before the break through Jason Puncheon before Wilfried Zaha made it 2-1.

Then, in the 89 th minute, Palace won a penalty after Zaha was tripped on the edge of the box and Glenn Murray scored from the rebound after his spot-kick was saved by Simon Mignolet.

Elsewhere, Leicester ensured they would be playing in the Premier League next term after a goalless draw with fellow strugglers Sun-

derland.

Hull remained in the last drop spot after second-half goals from Nacer Chadli and Danny Rose secured a 2-0 victory for Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

Defeat lef t Hu l l t wo p oi nt s f rom safet y a nd needing to beat Manchester United on the final day of the season on Sunday (May 23), with other results also having to go their way, in order to stay up.

Sunderland, who have two games to play, are three points ahead of Hull but with an inferior goal difference.

Newcastle were left just two points in front of the Tigers after a 2-1 loss to QPR – their ninth defeat in

Team

MP W

D

L

F

1

Chelsea

36 25

9

2

70 28 42

84

2

Man City

36 22

7

7

77 36 41

73

3

Arsenal

35 21

7

7

66 34 32

70

4

Man Utd

36 20

8

8

61 36 25

68

5

Liverpool

36 18

8

10 50 39 11

62

6

Tottenham

36 17

7

12 55 53

2

58

7

Southampton

36 17

6

13 48 30 18

57

8

Swansea

36 16

8

12 44 44

0

56

9

Stoke

36 14

8

14 42 44

-2

50

10

West Ham

36 12 11 13 43 43

0

47

11

Everton

36 11 11 14 46 48

-2

44

12

Crystal Palace

36 11

-7

42

13

West Brom

36 10 11 15 34 47 -13

41

14

Aston Villa

36 10

8

18 30 50 -20

38

15

Leicester

36 10

7

19 41 54 -13

37

16

Sunderland

35

7

15 13 30 50 -20

36

17

Newcastle

36

9

9

18 37 61 -24

36

18

Hull

36

8

10 18 33 49 -16

34

19

Burnley

36

6

11 19 27 53 -26

29

20

QPR

36

7

6

27

10 games.

Aston Villa were thrashed 6-1 by Southampton, with Sadio Mane scoring the quickest hat-trick in Premier League history, but results elsewhere left them in the top flight.

Meanwhile, Everton beat West Ham 2-1, while Burn-

9

A GD Pts

16 43 50

23 39 67 -28

ley and Stoke played out a goalless draw at Turf Moor.

Whilst on Monday night (May 18) Chelsea suffered their first defeat in 19 matches as the Premier League champions crashed 3-0 at West Bromwich Albion.

AFP

HUGE REDUCTIONS on exclusive properties in Phuket, details on page 27

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

SPORT 39

Phuket kid wins tennis King’s Cup TENNIS PHUKET: LAST WEEKEND, a Phuket boy dominated his age group (12) in both singles and doubles categories at the Annual King’s Cup in Bangkok, a tournament held by the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand.

James Van Herzeele, who’s trained by both Phuket’s Thanyapura and Bangkok’s Spin & Slice, remarked: “When I played the championship point I felt so happy and relieved I could achieve my goal to win this most important tournament of the year.

“To be ready for this tournament I had very hard weeks of training session before at Thanyapura with my Coach Timo from Bangkok and Coach Ball from Thanyapura,” said James.”

When he is not travelling for competitions, James, who’s born of a Belgian father and Thai mother, lives and studies in Phuket.

His main training is conducted at Thanyapura, with his father, Dominique Van Herzeele, who oversees the coaching. James also receives instruction from Coach Timo Sivapruksa, the head of the prestigious Spin & Slice Tennis School in Bangkok.

“We are very happy and proud of James he could win the Thai National tennis championships. He worked very hard for this and nothing is for free. Many hours of training per week, suffering on the court, sometimes tears during a training session or satisfaction after a good training session.

“To achieve this mindset the environment he is working with is crucial. Is it at school or on the tennis court, you need to be surrounded by professionals, motivated and passionate people for the game to get the best out of you.

“With Timo and Ball he can find a good balance between hard work and having fun on the court,” commented James’

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father.

With these developments, Phuket is set to become the hotbed of tennis excellence.

James may just be the first of many budding tennis champions to come from the “Pearl of the Andaman Sea”.

Other tennis highlights include Maria Sharapova training at Thanyapura before the WTA Finals of 2014 and Mattu Kamara, age 15 from Sierra Leonean, another talented young athlete who trains at Thanyapura and is a boarding

student at Phuket International Academy, was the first student to receive a tennis scholarship from PIA and Thanyapura’s High Performance Sports Programme.

PIA and Thanyapura both emphasise the importance of a holistic approach to sports and education, where training, academics, Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness, all play key parts in each athlete’s development.

Whilst Thanyapura trains budding athletes for success in their sporting endeavours, PIA prepares them for a successful and fulfilling life after they have concluded their careers as athletes. The World Academy of Sport have recognise and support PIA’s philosophy, and the school was recently accredited as an official Athlete Friendly Education Centre – currently one of only 13 worldwide.

For further information, visit www.thanyapura.com

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS

Friday, May 22 834, 669

14:30

831, 669

16:30

Rugby Union

Super XV

Reds v. Rebels

669+

16:35

Rugby league

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Cowboys v. Broncos

NRL

Tigers v. Cowboys

Saturday, May 23 669+

669

818, 690

403, SS2

16:30

Rugby League

16:30

Rugby Union

Super XV

Waratahs v. Crusaders

18:30

Rugby Union

Super XV

Western Force v. Highlanders

22:00

Rugby Union

Super XV

Cheetahs v. Lions

00:05

Rugby Union

Super XV

Stormers v. Rebels

16:00

Motor Racing

Formula 1

Practice 3

18:30

Motor Racing

Formula 1

16:30

Cricket

Test Match 1, Lords

Qualifying, Monte Carlo England v. New Zealand, Day 3

Sunday, May 24 834, 669

13:00

Rugby League

NRL

Raiders v. Bulldogs

832, 680

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French Open

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Roland Garros, 1st Round

832, 680

18:00

Motor Racing

Formula 1

Raceday, Monte Carlo

18:45

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Monaco Grand Prix

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Soccer

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Chelsea v. Sunderland

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Hull v. Man United

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Stoke v. Liverpool England v. New Zealand, Day 4

@thephuketnews

Run #1526: Saturday 23 May, 2015 at 4pm Hares: Houdini & No Hope Location: Cherng Talay Soi 1 Directions: From Heroines Monument go west approx 6.3km towards Cherng Talay. Just beyond Lady Pie at the temple turn left into Soi 1. Continue approx 300 m, laager on left.

From Cherngtalay Police Station head east towards Heroines Monument for approx 1.6 km and at the temple turn right into Soi 1. Continue as above.

Bus pickup: Patong @ Expat Hotel at 2:45pm; Kamala @ Baan Rim Klong at 3:15pm

More info: phuket-hhh.com

Thalang Captain Bill Stamher (left) and his team 201415 League Champions Photo: Michael Way

Thalang take cricket championship title CRICKET Andrew MacMillan editor2@classactmedia.co.th

THE PHUKET CRICKET Group Championship Cup Final was played on Sunday (May 17) at the Alan Cooke Ground with Thalang Cricket Team (TCT) taking their second consecutive title with a 157 run win over Patong Cricket Club.

Patong’s captain Seemant Raju won the toss and elected to field first. Pace bowler Waseem Bhatt justified the decision by picking up the wicket of Justin Thomatos (6 runs), he then sent TCT captain Bill Stahmer’s stumps flying to have TCT 21-2 off 6.1 overs.

After the break TCT’s Neil Culpan and McMillan built a steady partnership until Culpan played a ball onto his stumps breaking the 64 run partnership.

Patong’s inaccurate bowling and the sundries helped TCT along to 102-3 at the 20 over break.

22 runs were added before TCT batsman Simon Wetherell had to be helped from the field with a suspected torn hamstring. Craig Murphy came out to replace him and saw just one delivery, neatly stumped down the leg side by Stuart Hamilton.

The final was then well in the balance with TCT 124-4.

Patong’s Justin Swart picked up the wicket of McMillan (59 runs) and Thai player Pao to have Patong in a strong position at the next break with TCT 146-6 and one man down.

Alex Runhaar (5*) and Garry Lane had the task of holding out the league’s two highest wicket takers Patong’s Bhatt and Mushtaq. The TCT all-rounders showed great poise at the crease and walked off at

the 40 over break with TCT 184-6.

Lane then charged the bowling of Mushtaq in the 44th over only to be cleaned bowled. Simon Wetherell replaced Lane in the middle and put on a further 22 runs with Runhaar before becoming Bhatt’s 3rd wicket.

TCT finished with 233-9.

Patong required 234 runs from 50 overs but started poorly with Seemant Raju caught behind for 0 in the first over and Mushtaq also caught in the 2nd over. Justin Swart and Stuart Hamilton had their defenses put to the test with hot spell of pace bowling from Neil Culpan TCT’s quick left arm.

Swart was hit in the head from a short pitched delivery but continued to bat on for his team. The match swayed in the favor of TCT when Hamilton was spectacularly caught behind by the diving McMillan in the 8th over. Things went from bad to worse for Patong when Culpan picked up the wickets of Morton and Bhatt in the 9th over to leave Patong languishing on 30-5 at the 10 over drink break.

It was slow going after the break for Patong. Anthony Van Blerk and Swart looked to have the TCT medium pacers measure before an edge to slip saw an end to Van Blerk’s fine season. Swart was adjudged LBW in the 18th over and it was only a matter of time before TCT could celebrate a second consecutive championship.

Neil Quail and Owen Pringle kept TCT out in the middle for another 13 overs before Patong’s last wicket fell into the hands of TCT’s captain Bill Stahmer. Patong all out 76 (Quail 18 runs, Swart 17 runs, Culpan 4-17, Runhaar 2-14).

Sport

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor2@classactmedia.co.th

Phuket United victory moves them to fifth in league > page 37

MONACO F1 PREVIEW BOX OF NEUTRALS

Michael Lamonato michael@boxofneutrals.com

I

n the wide and varied world of motorsport few words pair more naturally than “Formula One” and “Monte Carlo”.

Monaco is Formula One’s happy place. It is a race that would be laughed out of the FIA as too impractical and too unsafe were it proposed today, but so integral has it become to the sport’s sense of self that it is unconscionable that it should ever be excluded from the annual merry-goround of races.

But Formula One arrives at its spiritual Mediterranean

home under the threatening clouds of a political storm after a meeting of the powerful F1 strategy group on May 14 delivered its controversial outcomes.

The strategy group is charged with recommending regulation changes to the governing body. Sitting on the group is the FIA, the commercial rights holder, and six of the teams, including Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, McLaren, Mercedes, and Williams. Force India also has a seat this year as the highest-scoring non-member team of 2014, but all other small teams are excluded.

Last week the strategy group was tasked with making meaningful regulatory change for the short and medium term to address the sport’s

FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015

rapidly declining attendance and viewership figures.

Nonpartisan consensus suggested that the sport’s finances should have been agenda items one, two, and three – but alas, given the strategy group’s wealthy composition, the topic was given little ventilation.

Instead, almost exactly the opposite happened. The increasingly powerful pseudoregulatory body both actively ignored the advice of stakeholders in its quest to create “thrilling races” and raised costs.

Its f irst transgression comes with its intention to allow teams to choose their own two preferred tyre compounds at any given race weekend from next year.

Currently Pirelli provides

Lewis Hamilton Mercedes F1. Photo: Jake Archibald

all teams with the same two compounds to best suit the circuit’s characteristics.

The decision is just the latest sign of disrespect the sport has shown its sole tyre supplier: Pirelli said mere days before the strategy group met that it could never support such a regulation because it would empower teams to ignore safety advice and choose ill-suited tyres in pursuit of performance. Strike one for the strategy group.

In 2017 the sport will reintroduce refuelling, despite banning it in 2010 to cut costs and promote engine efficiency. Even ignoring that more pressure, not less, will be put on the small teams’ budget bottom lines, that the sport should wish to return to an era that featured historic

low overtaking defies logic.

Strike two.

In its noble but deeply misguided quest to “improve the show”, the strategy group stated its headline-grabbing intention to make cars five to six seconds faster per lap.

While there can be no faulting the will to ensure Formula One’s place at the pinnacle of motorsport, its express desire to reach this goal primarily by accelerating aerodynamic development, which is the single biggest contributor to in-season performance expenditure in the current era, simply baffles.

Moreover it is the current generation of aerodynamics that makes it difficult for one car to follow another closely enough to execute an overtaking manoeuvre.

Investing more money will only exacerbate the problem while simultaneously pushing the medium and low spending teams further away from the podium. Strike three.

So it is that Formula One enters its weekend of glitz and glamour with anything but the photogenic Monte Carlo seating into column inches.

Unrest is growing only stronger amongst the disenfranchised teams, and rumours are intensifying that they are poised to take the F1 strategy group to the European Commission to have it disbanded under competition laws.

Despite its alleged intention to restore the sport to health, all eyes remain firmly fixed on the backroom machinations tearing Formula One apart.

Messi hands Barca 23rd Liga title FOOTBALL

Barcelona’s players celebrate winning the 2015 Spanish liga championship and the Spanish league football match Club Atletico de Madrid vs FC Barcelona at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid on May 17, 2015. Photo: Cesar Manso AFP

BA RCELONA CLAIMED their fifth La Liga title in seven years and their 23rd overall as Lionel Messi scored the winner in a 1-0 victory at Atletico Madrid on Sunday (May 17).

The defeat means Atletico need just a point on the final day to secure their place in the group stages of the Champions League next season.

With temperatures at kickoff above 30 degrees celsius, a somewhat subdued start wasn’t surprising, but it was the hosts who had the better openings early on.

Claudio Bravo made a stunning save to palm Jose Maria Gimenez’s header from a corner and the Chilean produced another

fine stop moments later from Antoine Griezmann, although the Frenchman had already been flagged offside.

Barca grew into the game as the half wore on with Messi testing Jan Oblak with a drive from the edge of the area and then a headed effort that was easily held by the Slovenian.

The visitors were then left furious at referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco as he turned down two huge penalty claims.

Firstly, another goalbound Messi header was diverted off target by the arm of Juanfran before Dani Alves went down under pressure from Diego Godin.

Godin was booked for a foul outside the box despite contact continuing inside the area and Messi curled the resulting free-

kick off the crossbar.

Atletico threatened once more from a set-piece at the start of the second period but unlike his title winning strike last season, the unmarked Diego Godin couldn’t turn his header on target.

As so often this season, it was Messi who provided the moment of magic for Barca as he played a neat one-two with Pedro Rodriguez inside the area before prodding the ball into the far corner.

Messi then teed up Neymar with a great opportunity to seal the title, but the Brazilian failed to continue his seven-game scoring streak as he blasted over with just Oblak to beat.

That miss mattered little, though, as the visitors comfortably saw out the final few minutes.

AFP

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