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Gun violence in Phuket reaches new levels with week of shootings
Hilton Human Resources Director Jintana Mahattanapak was shot dead in what seems to have been a professional hit. Police believe the murder may have been job-related.
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Condo from hell: more revelations Resident details threats and damaged vehicles in ‘bully’ manager’s reign of terror > 6
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Aussie misses target, shoots German tourists
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A
n Australian tattoo parlour owner, angry with a Danish man who, he said, had not repaid a loan, shot at him on Tuesday night (January 22). He missed the Dane, hitting instead two German tourists passing by on Soi Sansabai in Patong. Joseph Woerner and Johann Baschegger were hit, one in the arm and the other in the shoulder. They were taken to Patong hospital for treatment to their wounds. An hour later police arrested the Australian, John Cohen, 32, believed to have fired the gun. He was charged with attempted murder and with hav-
John Cohen, in handcuffs, is brought into the police station in Patong after his arrest. Photo: Golf Thairath ing a gun in a public place. A Ruger .45 semiautomatic pistol was seized. They also arrested another Australian, Adam Shea, 26,
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
on a charge of conspiracy to murder. The two told police that the Dane had bought a motorbike from them for B380,000, but
had failed to pay the money. Despite a court judgement on Tuesday ordering him to repay the money, he had not done so. They said that with
interest, the Dane owed them B1.2 million. Police said that the two Australians, carrying a photo of the Dane, had gone from hotel to hotel looking for their “friend”. When they saw him in Soi Sansabai on the back of a motorbike taxi, Cohen opened fire. Police are trying to locate the Dane, believed to be hiding. In addition to owning the tattoo parlour, Mr Cohen is understood to own Johnny’s Bar in Patong and condo units south of the town. There have also been suggestions that he is a member of the Rebels Motorcycle Club, which Australian authorities have labelled as that country’s largest outlaw motorbike gang. When asked about this, a police officer in the case said, “That’s just a rumour.”
American held for shooting incident AN AMERICAN EXPAT living in Phuket was arrested on Saturday morning (January 19) on firearms charges, after saying the gun in his possession “went off by itself”. Eric Peter, 33, appeared in Phuket Provincial Court later that same day on charges of illegal possession of a weapon and discharging a firearm in a public place. People living near Chalong Circle called police after being woken at 5am by the sound of a gunshot. Half an hour later Pol Lt Wuthiwat Leangboonjinda, duty officer at Chalong Police Station, arrested Mr Peter. In his possession officers
American expat Eric Peter. Photo: Chalong Police found a revolver and 49 bullets. Mr Peter told police that he was not trying to shoot anyone; the gun “went off by itself”. He added that the gun belonged to a Thai who had given it to him as security against a loan of B50,000. After appearing in court, he was released on bail.
IN BRIEF Speedy taxi driver dies in smash A driver crashed his taxi near the infamous Khor Ane bend in Mai Khao at midday last Friday (January 18) and was killed instantly. Police said Phuket private taxi driver Warongsak Rungsawang, 28, lost control on the Mak Prok corner, which also has a dangerous reputation, and hit a power pole. Warongsak was driving south toward Phuket. Police say he was speeding and lost control on the bend.
Austrian tourist found dead in bed An elderly Austrian tourist was found dead in his Patong hotel room bed on Sunday (January 20), and is believed to have died from a medical condition. The body of Anton Wegnia, aged 74, was found naked in his bed at the Austria Garden hotel in Patong. Close by were an asthma inhaler and medicine to enhance sexual performance. Kathu Police detective Col Theerasak Boonsang said both items were seized by police. After questioning people, police said Mr Wegnia was a “good-tempered man”, and had been with many women. Mr Wegnia’s body was taken to Patong Hospital to determine the cause of death, but police believe Mr Wegnia died from a medical condition.
3 dogs die in labour camp fire Three dogs were killed when a temporary housing area for 20 construction workers in Mai Khao was destroyed by fire at 9 am last Friday (January 18). No one was inside the camp at the time when the fire started – workers were already at another construction site – however all their belongings were destroyed in the blaze. More than 20 firefighters from the the airport and Mai Khao were called to the fire, near the Centara Grand West Sands Resort and Villas. But by the time they arrived, the workers’ accommodation had already been destroyed.
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Hilton HR director shot dead Nattha Thepbamrung & Tanyaluk Sakoot editor@thephuketnews.com
J
intana Mahattanapak, 43, the human resources director of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort, was shot dead, execution-style, in her car last Friday night (January 18), near the Kwang Rd intersection on Chao Fa West Rd. Phuket Police Commander Maj Gen Choti Chavalviwat said on Wednesday (January 23) that footage from a CCTV camera about 200 metres past the Kwang Rd intersection showed the suspects, but the images were of very poor quality. The footage has been sent to the Forensics Centre in Bangkok where attempts will be made to enhance the images. Gen Choti added that so far 10 of her colleagues have been questioned about her work. Gen Choti, who has been following the investigation closely, said that the investigators were homing in on a theory that her murder was linked to her work as HR director, which sometimes involved firing incompetent or dishonest workers. “She was smar t, and
worked in a straightforward and orderly manner. She fired workers – both low and highlevel employees – because they cheated the company.” Mrs Jintana was driving a white Chevrolet SUV north at around 8.30pm on Friday evening. After she pulled away from the lights she was killed by a single shot, fired through her side window. Police believe she died instantly. Her car continued on until it hit a lampost beside the road. Crowds had already gathered when police from Wichit Police Station arrived at the scene, and the northbound lane of the road was blocked for several hours as the police searched for evidence linked to the shooting. Initially it was thought that the fatal shot came from a black SUV. Then police said they believed it was fired from the back seat of a new white or “blond” Toyota Vios. Finally, however, investigators said they thought she was shot from the back of a motorbike, raising the possibility that this was a paid-for professional murder. Police said CCTV footage showed Mrs Jintana driving from Chalong towards Phuket
A portrait of Mrs Jintana was displayed at her funeral held last Sunday (January 20). Town. She stopped at a red light at the Kwang Rd intersection and spoke to someone on her mobile phone. When the lights changed, Mrs Jintana moved off. The killers then drew alongside her car and fired the shot that killed her. Around 100 mourners attended Mrs Jintana’s funeral on Sunday (January 20) at the Tha-Kreang Christian Church on the outskirts of Phuket Town.
At the funeral, her husband Winyoo and two daughters aged 13 and 6, were joined by friends, fellow churchgoers and representatives from the Hilton, who came to say goodbye to the much-loved Phuket resident. Her husband said he was too upset to speak to media, but wanted to honour his beloved wife. Mrs Jintana’s brother, Suthep Keawpradit, said Mrs Jintana was the youngest of
seven siblings. She was educated at Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, and was married in 1997. Mr Suthep spoke of his sister’s strong Christian faith, and said she was involved in Christian churches while living in Bangkok, and was a valued member of the Hope of Phuket International Church on the bypass road. “She always taught her daughters to follow the Bible’s message. We are so sad she is
gone, but now she is in God’s embrace in Heaven,” he said, his voice breaking. Hilton co-worker Dawika Hor-oen said she had worked with Mrs Jintana for three years. “She was such a dedicated and committed worker, I feel so sad,” she said. Another colleague said Mrs Jintana was a nice person and a good person to work with. “She was a good Christian. She went to church very often, and was a very kind and helpful boss.” Hilton General Manager Andre Gomez issued a statement saying the company was “deeply saddened” by Mrs Jintana’s death. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and friends during this difficult period. She was a valued employee at our hotel and will be deeply missed by her team and colleagues. “We are reaching out to her family to offer assistance. The incident is currently under investigation with the local police, and we will cooperate fully with them. As the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further.”
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SIMON OSTHEIMER Managing Editor 076 612 550 managingeditor@thephuketnews.com From Hong Kong; a decade’s experience as editor of magazines and newspapers in Shanghai (City Weekend, that’s Shanghai), Beijing (tbjhome, Urbane), Hong Kong (Time Out Hong Kong), Kuala Lumpur (Vision KL), Bangkok (Bangkok 101) and Phuket. Journalist for Esquire, Fah Thai, Vacations & Travel, Travel & Leisure, CNN Travel, Surface and Dwell.
ALASDAIR FORBES Executive Editor 087 884 9964 execeditor@thephuketnews.com From the UK; 40 years as a journalist and editor on magazines and newspapers in the UK, Middle East, Hong Kong and Thailand: Cheshire Observer, Chester Chronicle, Saudi Gazette, Gulf Mirror, Gulf Construction, Gulf News, Hongkong Standard, Asian Business (Editor) and Phuket Gazette (Managing Editor for seven years).
CLAIRE CONNELL Sub Editor editor1@thephuketnews.com From New Zealand; BA (English) from University of Otago; Diploma in Journalism from the University of Canterbury. Five years’ experience at Gisborne Herald and Marlborough Express.
JODY HOUTON Sub Editor editor3@thephuketnews.com From the UK; Masters Degree in Journalism, Kingston University. Five years’ experience at Groove Magazine, Metropolis, The Western Telegraph, The Mirror and Phuket Post.
TOM METCALFE Sub Editor editor2@thephuketnews.com From New Zealand; 15 years as a print journalist and television news producer in the UK, NZ and Southeast Asia, including BBC World and Reuters in London, and Al Jazeera in Kuala Lumpur.
TANYALUK ‘MANGO’ SAKOOT
P
olice have found no more clues to shed light on the disappearance of American surfer Brett Bean, nearly two months after he was last heard from. Karon Police told The Phuket News on Tuesday (January 22) that the case remains open, but they have found no more clues about where Mr Bean is, nor have his motorbike or other belongings been found. They had contacted hospitals in Phuket but there was no record of anyone of his description being hospitalised, and they believe he is still alive somewhere. Mr Bean’s parents Patricia Lynne and Wayne arrived from California in December, and Mrs Bean will return to Phuket. “She said she will come back to Phuket soon, but she doesn’t know the exact date,” said Ananya Insamran, a Thai coordinator who has been helping with the case. Mr Bean, 43, arrived in Phuket in March last year to
THE PHUKET REGIONAL Blood Center (PRBC) still requires more O Rhesus-negative blood to restock its supplies for foreigners who have accidents on the island. O-negative blood is very rare among Asians, with only three in 1,000 Thai people having the blood type, which makes it especially important for foreigners to donate. Last week Vachira Hospital
no emails after that. On November 29 she went to meet him, as arranged, at Los Angeles International Airport but he never showed. She contacted staff of the airline, Cathay Pacific, who said that he had been booked on the flight but had not turned up for it. Since that last email, two
Phuket made an urgent call for donations of the blood type as a foreigner needed it urgently. “After the news was announced, there were a lot of people who came to the centre, but there is still a shortage” said Vathu O-art from the PRBC. The requirements for anyone who wants to donate is as follows: They must have lived
in Phuket for more than six months; They must have a minimum weight of 45kg; They must be between 17 to 60 years old (first time donors must be less than 55 years old); They must be healthy, and not taking any medication; They must not have had unprotected sex or have any sexually transmitted diseases;
They must not be addicted to any drug; They must not be menstruating, pregnant or lactating, and not have given birth or suffered a miscarriage within the past six months; They must not have drunk alcohol within the 24 hours before giving blood. For more information contact Ms Vathu on 081-958-8854 or 076-251-178, ext 2.
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spend time surfing in Phuket. He was due to fly back to the United States on November 29 but did not make the flight. His mother told reporters while in Phuket that in his most recent email to her, at 12.20 Thailand time on November 26, he told her that he was going out to join a friend for lunch. There were
Blood bank still needs O-neg blood
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NATTHA ‘KAMIN’ THEPBAMRUNG
Police believe American surfer Brett Bean is still alive.
withdrawals have been made from his bank account. CCTV footage of these withdrawals show a man wearing a motorcycle helmet, who his family believe is Mr Bean. Checks showed that Mr Bean left his bungalow, on Soi 10, Patak Rd, in Karon, on November 26. His surfboard and other belongings were found in the bungalow, but his wallet, mobile phone and notebook computer were not. Also missing, from outside the bungalow, was his grey Honda Wave 125 motorbike. Mr Bean is 180 cm tall, 82kg, and has an oval-shaped face, sometimes with a beard. He has shoulder-length hair and receding hairline. He has two tattoos – one of a small snake on his right thigh and another complex but indecipherable design on his left arm. Anyone with information should call Ms Ananya at 089646-4191 or Denny Bowman, US Embassy coordinator, at 089-973-3483.
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Taxi driver arrested for sexual assault on Chinese tourist Nattha Thepbamrung reporter2@thephuketnews.com
One of the buses to be used on the route, currently waiting in Bangkok.
Airport-Kata bus service to launch D espite the possibility of a violent reaction from taxi and tuk-tuk drivers, a new bus service linking Phuket International Airport to Kata via Patong will begin in March, the Chief of the Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO), Teerayut Prasertphol, has announced. The price for the new service will be B120 for the full airport-Kata route. The plan is to have six other stops in between, at Thalang, Koh Kaew, Tesco Lotus on the Bypass road, Thung Thong intersection (Kathu), Patong and Karon, with passengers able to get on or off at any of the stops. The buses will run from 6am to 8pm. The schedule has yet to be fixed, but the aim is to make it fit with airliner take-offs. “The target customer is local people. It is less expensive and more convenient for people than using an expensive taxi,”
Mr Teerayut explained. “The buses are all air-conditioned and have luggage space for travellers. “Also, it helps to reduce traffic problems, which have become a very big issue in Phuket. With this service, people do not have to drive their own cars into the crowded airport.” The people behind the service – the sole investor and the managers – have not been named, and are remaining wisely anonymous for now. . The investor has offered to invest in eight to 10 buses for the airport-Kata route, he said. “We are still looking for other [investors and] operators to run similar systems from the airport to Rawai and Kamala [each also requiring eight to 10 buses],” he added. Asked about the potential for conflict between the bus operators and local taxi groups, Mr Teerayut said that airport taxis and limos are not likely
to cause any problem but taxis in other part of the island may object. But he said that he did not believe the bus service would have much effect on local taxis because there are still a lot of tourists who prefer to use taxis. In the end, however, he added, “This is an important public service. Whether [taxi operators] agree or not, we must have it for local people.” Jaturong Kaewkasi, also of the PLTO, said, “Actually, taxis should be an alternative form of transport, with public transport such as this bus service being the main means. “We have tried for decades to have basic public transport. Phuket needs it. “If there is a group protest about this, the people of Phuket must show that they really want to use public transport. “People and tourists nowadays need more varied forms of transport, not just taxis everywhere.”
A METER TAXI DRIVER has been arrested on a charge of rape after a Chinese tourist told Phuket police on Saturday (January 19) he frightened her into performing sexual acts with him. Pol Col Sermpan Sirikong, Superintendent of Phuket Police told The Phuket News that the Chinese woman had left her room at the Cape Panwa Hotel, planning to go shopping at the outlet mall on the bypass road. She caught a meter taxi with the license number ทข70. When she got into it, she saw that there was another woman sitting next to the driver but thought nothing more of it. The taxi dropped the other woman off first and then drove along roads she did not recognise. “The taxi stopped at the Phuket Motel on Rattanakosin 200 Pi Rd in Phuket Town,” Pol Col Sermpan said. “She
followed the driver from the car to a room in the hotel. She said that initially she did not understand what he really wanted to do.” CCTV footage from inside the motel shows the woman voluntarily following the driver into the room. “However, we cannot see what happened in the room and there are some scratches on the woman’s arms and back,” Col Sermpan said. It was in the room, she alleged, that she was forced to perform sexual acts. Afterwards, however, she got back in the taxi and only jumped from it when the driver slowed to make a turn into Bang Yai Rd (behind Big C), several kilometres away. “She said the road did not look like the way to the bypass and she was very scared. So she opened the door when the taxi slowed down and ran away.” The driver was arrested at his home soon after the woman made her allega-
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tion. He admitted taking the woman to the hotel but denied raping her, saying that she had performed the sex acts voluntarily. He also gave her his telephone number and email before they left the room. The woman said she went along with the driver’s demands because she did not understand Thai, did not know where she was and was very scared. “We are still not clear about what happened and are waiting for the results of medical tests,” Col Sermpan said. Col Sermpan added that the other woman in the taxi was the taxi driver’s pregnant wife. She told officers that she had an inkling that her husband intended to have sex with the Chinese woman. She added that he had confessed to her (though not to rape) when the police arrived at the couple’s house to arrest him.
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wo foreigners living in Phuket and wanted for crimes in their home countries were arrested in Phuket last week. One was a Frenchman sought for alleged rape and the other was a Swede who allegedly owed his government B100 million in taxes. Phuket Tourist Police arrested French national Christopher Pierre Verdino, 28, on January 16 after he applied to the French embassy to get a new passport, requesting a name change at the same time. The embassy asked police to arrest him on an outstanding French warrant on a charge of raping a “vulnerable person” in France in 2004. In French law a vulnerable person may be a child, a handicapped person, or an elderly person. The Tourist Police did not seem sure which kind of vulnerable person was
Arrested Frenchman Christopher Verdino after his arrest. involved. After his arrest in France for the offence, he failed to
appear in court, escaping instead to Thailand in 2007 and setting up home in Patong, becoming a chef in a restaurant there. “I wanted to start a new life in Thailand,” he said at the Tourist Police Station. He was also charged with being in Thailand illegally – his permit to stay had expired on December 31. On January 14, police arrested Bernt Olov Inge Eriksson, aged 67, from Sweden, on the Patong beachfront. Mr Eriksson was wanted in his home town of Helsingborg, Sweden, for evading taxes totalling B100 million. He escaped to Thailand on June 1, 2010, and set up home here on a retirement basis. His permit to stay expired in November, and his attempts to extend it resulted in his arrest. Two days after his arrest he was handed over to Swedish officials for repatriation and legal action.
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SET PRICES HAVE BEEN announced for green-plate taxis, including those recently converted from their illegal “black plate” status. The list of fares covers several pages, but sample prices include: Airport to Patong, one way B800, return B1,500; Patong-Wat Chalong B500/900; Patong-Laguna B700/1,300; Airport-Phuket Town (one way) B500; and Kata-Patong (one way) B500. Announcing the prices on Monday (January 21) Vice-Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, said they would protect passengers from cheating.
Drivers have been urged to form a cooperative and will be taught to “give good service and follow the rules”, he said. “Anyone breaking the rules will be punished under the law. “A main benefit is that by converting to green plates, the taxis will be properly insured [in case of accident and injury to passengers]. “We are now in the process of educating the drivers. We expect this to bring results soon. If the education is successful then everything will go smoothly. “Ca ses of cheat i ng, which are often reported
in local media, will decrease. All of the cars have stickers on the doors in Thai and English. If the customer has a problem, he or she can call 1584, the hot line.” Jaturong Keawkasi of the Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) told The Phuket News, “I have told the [taxi group] to list and collect all the members together so that they can talk to the insurance companies about getting a good bloc rate for cover. He added, “I believe we will have 10 per cent more black taxis converting to green plates in February.”
We were cheated – tourist family THAI CONSUMER PROtection officials say they will examine the case of a visiting Dutch-Thai family in Phuket, who say a travel company in Bangkok scammed them out of more than B200,000. The family say the Bangkok firm charged the money for five return plane tickets between the Netherlands and Phuket, and for a hotel booking in Phuket for the five members of their family, amounting to
around B240,000. But the travel company never sent the tickets nor booked the hotel, and it has since been impossible to contact the company, they say. After buying new tickets, the family have arrived in Phuket with only B50,000 left between them. On Friday (January 18), the family – Peter Neberd and his wife Jiraporn Pajobchan, their son, and Mr Neberd’s parents – visited Phuket’s tour guide
registration office to get help with a claim against the travel company. Prapan Kanpraseng, head of the Consumer Protection Department in Phuket, said he would he present the case to Phuket Governor Maitree Intusut. He called on the company involved to respond to the case, which might otherwise damage Phuket’s reputation with foreign tourists.
Pornsawan Condo: a less than desirable residence.
Condo hell: More details emerge THE BULLYING DEVELoper and manager of Pornsawan Condominium on Chao Fa East Rd, Wichit, arrested after a years-long reign of terror over people living in the condo, is due to appear in court today (January 25) for a remand hearing. The occupants of the condo are praying he will not get bail. As reported in last week’s issue of The Phuket News, Pornsawan Reungsiriwarakul was arrested on January 15 on a variety of charges after power was cut to the condo. Condo owners and tenants had discovered that although they had been paying him for power, he had not been passing the money on, and the electricity company was owed B200,000. The occupants of the condo have requested the courts, the police and provincial authorities to ensure he does not get bail, as they fear he may try to take revenge on them for their actions leading to his arrest. They claim that they have had to put up with threats and, in some cases, beatings, whenever they disagreed with the manager, and that private vehicles were damaged as part of his terror tactics. Erik Olsson told The Phuket News, “As someone who is unfortunate enough to live in one of his managed units, I can tell you he has caused untold damage to everyone’s vehicles, both old and new, car and bike, including my own vehicle, which is brand new. “This, he thinks, will get us to drop all the charges against him. How naïve. “We meet every night in the communal areas now, to watch our property and vehicles, and watch out for his staff bullies, whom he uses when assaulting or threatening tenants.”
Mr Olsson said that in addition to not paying electricity bills, Pornsawan had also not paid the water company, which had cut off supplies. “Yet we still have water,” Mr Olsson said. “Following a mess of blue pipes today, it appears he is ripping-off the water company too (by putting in a new connecting pipe), which we will report. “Cable TV was cut off over a month ago, also due to nonpayment, though he has been sure to collect fees from us. “I’d also like to add the threats to kill he has made, intrusion into apartments by force, and bullying tenants out, so he can rent their apartments to others. “On the day of his arrest, he even threatened an old Thai lady with death, if she did not open the door so he could evade the police, and thus his arrest. “We are obviously delighted he is currently locked up. “The person who attempted to bail him out [of Wichit Police Station] was one of his members of staff, and he is watching us, even today. “Every night he speaks angrily to the tenants who are trying to organise correct supplies of water, electricity, cable TV, and common services. “We just want to pay fairly for normal services, not feel bullied, not be ripped-off, not be intimidated.” “Pornsawan should know that we, the tenants, are ready to stand up to him now. Whatever it may take.” But even without Pornsawan and his sinister henchmen, the owners of the condo units face more trials; after six years none has yet received a title deed, and it is understood that there are problems over the land paper underlying the condominium.
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Golden day for COFFEE ROBBERS pork vendor Danish duo wanted for drugging receptionist PORK VENDOR ATCHAraporn Weerakarn has bought tickets for the annual Red Cross lottery for as long as she can remember, and on Monday (January 21) she was rewarded when she finally won the grand prize – B500,000 worth of gold. The 47-year-old, who runs a small shop outside her house on Maeluan Road in Phuket Town, was delighted. “I am so happy, and my family are too,” she told The Phuket News with a big smile. Ms Atcharaporn said she had bought a book of lottery tickets every year because the money went to a good cause.
“Every year I buy a book of tickets to help the Red Cross, and now, the Red Cross have helped me. The winning ticket was the last one in the book.” She said the ticket seller came to her house every year. “She has my telephone number and she called me because she realised that someone who bought a ticket from her had won the big prize – and that someone was me.” Still in shock over her massive win, Ms Atcharaporn said she had not thought about how to spent the money, but said it would greatly improve her life and that of her two children.
Bottle slash deal A SETTLEMENT HAS BEEN reached in the case involving Iranian tourist Sina Khalilifard, his Peruvian fiancée, and a Thai man who had his face badly slashed in an nasty altercation in Patong on January 7. Mohamat Monot, 21, ended up with 36 stitches in his face after a fight started in the car park next to the Tai Pan bar when car park staff wanted to move Mr Khalilifard’s car,
which he had parked in an awkward place. After substantial negotiations, Mr Mohamat received B40,000 from Mr Khalilifard, who also apologised for the incident. Initially Mr Mohamat wanted B1 million in compensation, but his lawyer, Sarawut Sukban, said the couple could not afford this amount. The couple have since returned to Malaysia.
P
olice have issued an arrest warrant for the man who drugged a Karon hotel receptionist last week before ransacking security boxes behind the reception desk and making off with B3 million worth of hotel guests’ belongings. The man believed to have committed the robbery goes by various names including Tony, Robert, Michael and Philippe and holds a Danish passport. The belongings of 21 hotel guests, believed to worth as much as B3 million, were stolen from the Karon Place Hotel after the robber gave coffee to the receptionist, causing her to feel drowsy and then fall asleep. The thief also took away the recording from the hotel’s CCTV camera. Police are also looking for another person believed to know details of the crime – a Danish man named Mustafa Rahmi Bildirir, 197cm (6 ft 6in) tall and 48 years of age. Karon policeman and Deputy Phuket Provincial Commander Pol Col Arun Keawwati announced details
Loan shark enforcers beat up two women THREE ENFORCERS FOR a major loan shark were arrested on Tuesday (January 22) in Takuapa, Phang Nga, after beating up two women who did not in fact owe any money. The trio – Theera Ponkoh, 33, Wiroj Niyomchon, 33, and Jeerawut Homfung, 31 – arrived at the home shared by Lamom Santiparadon, 59, her daughter Tharathip, 40, and her nine-month-old baby. There, the gang encountered Mrs Lamom and demanded to see “Nok” – Ms Tharathip’s nickname. When Ms Tharathip came
out of the house carrying her baby, the gang demanded payment from her as guarantor for a B20,000 loan made to a grilled pork vendor. She denied being a guarantor for anyone, which made them angry. One of them punched her in the face, knocking her and her baby to the ground. Ms Tharathip’s mother tried to stop the attack and she too was punched to the floor. The men then left. Shortly after, Ms Tharathip’s younger sister Benjamas arrived. She ran to seek help. As luck would have it, Police
Officer Preecha Tancharoenrat was driving by. He pursued and caught the gang. The three admitted they had made a mistake, demanding payment from the wrong person. They explained that they had been hired by “a businessman in Krabi” to look after his affairs in Phang Nga. They said they would be happy to pay compensation. Ms Tharathip refused this, saying that she wanted this case to be an example, highlighting the plight of many innocents who are attacked by “mafia”.
HAPPY DAY AT THE BLUE HOUSE Ninety Burmese children from the Blue House (Good Shepherd Foundation) received their belated Children’s Day presents, snacks and furniture from the Indigo Pearl Resort on January 15.
Danish citizen ‘Tony’ is being sought for his alleged role in the robbery.
CCTV camera footage shows a man resembling ‘Tony’ (police sketch inset) carrying two cups of coffee to the Karon Place Hotel. of “Tony” and Mr Bildirir at a press conference in Karon. Col Arun said the man used the name “Tony” to try to check into a room at the
Lankans Hotel in Patong, but no rooms were available. He then used the name “Philippe” to rent a motorbike. Col Arun said details of
Tony and Mr Bildirir had been forwarded to all police stations and checkpoints around Phuket, and police were searching for both men.
8
THAILAND NEWS
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
Missing UK man’s bank touched
M
oney has been withdrawn from t he home ba n k account of a British man missing in Thailand for more than two weeks, UK police said on Tuesday. Tom Armstrong, 22, of Suffolk, disappeared after finishing a dive master course at Koh Tao earlier this month. He was supposed to leave Thailand for home on January 8, but never showed up in Britain. Authorities in Britain said they believed Mr Armstrong was still in Thailand, but are increasingly concerned for his welfare, according to an online report by the East Anglican Daily Times. Police found that money
had been withdrawn from Mr Armstrong’s British bank account by someone in Bangkok a week ago. It quoted a local policeman, detective chief inspector Neil Luckett, as saying police “remain concerned about his welfare and we are urging anyone with information about Tom, in the UK or Thailand, to come forward. “If Tom is reading this I would urge him to contact us and let us know he is safe,” the policeman added.” The newspaper quoted his mother as saying Mr Armstrong kept in regular touch after he arrived in Thailand last April for the diving course, but has not been in contact since January 8. Bangkok Post
Traumatised Thai tries fiery escape from stress
Sattahip brothel with Laotians raided by cops A recent photo of Briton Tom Armstrong, who has been missing for two weeks.
Thailand join hands to fight crime
Phuket police with Rohingya refugees when they arrived in Rawai earlier this month. National Security Council secretary general Paradorn Pattanathabutr said the army was investigating the claims, which first appeared in local media, but up to now had found no evidence of wrongdoing. “If we found somebody guilty, they will be punished,” he added. Described by the UN as among the most persecuted minority groups in the world, Rohingya have for years trickled abroad to neighbouring Bangladesh and, increasingly,
IN BRIEF
A 45-year-old man in Pattaya poured petrol over his body and ignited it in a suicide attempt under a banana tree on January 22. The severely burned man, who was rushed to hospital, was believed to be stressed out over a recent traffic accident and having to pay for severe damages to the other vehicle. Pattaya Daily News
Thai army officials ‘involved’ in people smuggling Taiwan and THAI AUTHORITIES SAID on January 21 they were investigating allegations that army officials were involved in the trafficking of Rohingya boat people fleeing deadly sectarian violence in Myanmar. Rohingya arriving in Thailand risk falling into the hands of people smugglers who demand large sums of money to transport them to Malaysia, while those unable to pay are believed to be forced into labour to pay the fees. “There were army officials involved – some local unit heads,” a senior Thai intelligence official who did not want to be named said. Normally Rohingya come ashore on Thailand’s southwestern Andaman coast but recently they have been found in the province of Songkhla bordering Malaysia on the other side of the peninsula, he said. “They could not be there if there were no government officials involved. The trafficking will involve brokers. They could have paid B40,00060,000 to travel to Malaysia overland,” the official added.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
to Muslim-majority Malaysia. Myanmar views its population of roughly 800,000 Rohingya as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship. A explosion of tensions between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine since June 2012 has triggered a huge exodus of Rohingya, mostly heading for Malaysia. The UN estimates that about 13,000 boat people fled Myanmar and Bangladesh in 2012 with some dying dur-
ing the perilous sea voyage. Hundreds have been detained in Thailand in recent weeks. Buddhist-Muslim clashes have left at least 180 people dead in Rakhine since June. More than 110,000 people, mostly Rohingya, have been displaced. A spokesman for Thailand’s Internal Security Operation Command, whose officers have been accused by local media of involvement in the people smuggling, said he was aware of the allegations but could not confirm or deny them. “We have to investigate but up to now we don’t have any information,” he said. AFP
TAIWAN AND THAILAND last week signed a crimefighting agreement aimed at curbing a growing number of cross-border scams and other crimes, Taipei officials said. “This is a milestone in police cooperation. We can achieve better results in intelligence exchange, investigation, coordinated operations and extradition,” said Taiwan’s police chief Wang Cho-chiun. Since 2009, a total of 417 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in cross-border fraud. Taiwan has also teamed up with other Southeast Asian police forces to bust fraud, with a record 827 people arrested in 2011 for allegedly running operations in seven countries in the region. Taiwanese fraud rings have relocated to Southeast Asia in recent years after the island’s police joined forces with Chinese authorities to wipe out their operations. Taiwanese police have said that the crime-fighting agreement it inked with China in 2009 helped lower the island’s fraud cases by 26 per cent in the following year. AFP
A brother and sister from Kalasin province were arrested by Pattaya police for operating a brothel with Laotian prostitutes on January 21. The Laotian woman were between the ages of 19-24, and had entered Thailand legally on tourist visas. PDN
Scamming African couple seized at Pattaya bank An African couple was arrested at a Kasikorn Bank branch in Pattaya on January 20 after the woman tried to open a bank account using a fake passport, in order to receive and send illegal money to foreign countries. Her husband’s passport also showed that his Thai visa had expired. PDN
Lost German lady located in Koh Phangan jungle More than 30 searchers took about an hour to find a lost German tourist in a Koh Phangan forest on January 19. After sunset, it became too dark for her to find her way out. After calling for help with her cell phone, she was later found by the rescue party that included high-powered tourism officials. PDN
Chiang Mai man in attempted rape of Aussie jogger A 26-year-old Chiang Mai man convicted of exposing himself in public was arrested for trying to rape a 26-year-old Australian tourist on January 19. He was trying to rape her in the forest, but her screams attracted villagers and scared him off. However, locals later recognised the man and notified police. PDN
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
Brit grandmother sentenced to death for drug smuggling A 56-year-old British grandmother was sentenced to death Tuesday for smuggling cocaine into the Indonesian island of Bali, in a shock verdict after prosecutors recommended 15 years imprisonment. Lindsay Sandiford sobbed as the court in Bali’s capital Denpasar handed down the sentence, over a drugs haul worth US$2.4 million (B71.3m) found in her suitcase as she arrived on a flight from Bangkok last May. “We found Lindsay Sandiford convincingly and legally guilty for importing narcotics... and sentenced the defendant to death,” judge Amser Simanjuntak told Denpasar district court. Indonesian police said she was at the centre of a drugs importing ring involving three other Britons and an Indian who have also been arrested. Sandiford argued that she was forced into transporting the 4.79 kilos of cocaine in order to protect her children whose safety was at stake, and the prosecution had recommended a lenient sentence. But the court ruled that she had not admitted her crime
and had damaged Indonesia’s hardline stance on drugs as well as Bali’s reputation as a tourism destination. As she was led back to jail, hiding her face behind a sarong, her stunned lawyers said she would likely launch an appeal. “We object to the sentence. We never expected that our client would get the death penalty,” said counsel Esra Karokaro. “We will discuss it first with her, most likely we will appeal.” Sandiford, in spectacles and with her hair tied back, hung her head low, turned pale and cried as the verdict was read out, while her sister Hillary Parson who attended the trial also sobbed. The court rejected the argument that Sandiford had acted to protect her children, and said there were “no mitigating circumstances” to allow for leniency. “Her action was against the government’s effort to combat drug use in the country and she insisted that she never committed the crime,” said another judge, Amser Simanjuntak. British human rights charity
In this photo taken in 2012 Lindsay June Sandiford is escorted by armed customs personnel at a customs office in Denpasar on Bali island. Photo: Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP Reprieve said last month that Sandiford “was exploited by drug traffickers, who targeted her because of her vulnerability and her fear for the safety of her children”. Britain’s junior foreign minister Hugo Swire said Tuesday: “We strongly object to the death penalty and continue to
provide consular assistance to Lindsay and her family during this difficult time.” He told parliament it was his understanding that Sandiford has at least two further avenues of appeal and an opportunity to apply for presidential clemency if those failed. Two other Britons arrested
in connection with the case received light sentences last month. Rachel Dougall was sentenced to 12 months for failing to report Sandiford’s crime and Paul Beales received four years for possession of 3.6 grams of hashish but was cleared of drug trafficking. A fourth Briton, Julian Ponder, is expected to hear his sentence at the end of this month after prosecutors recommended a seven-year jail term. Indonesia enforces stiff penalties for drug trafficking, but death penalty sentences are commonly commuted to long jail sentences. Two members of an Australian drug smuggling gang known as the “Bali Nine” who were arrested in 2005 are currently on death row, while the seven others face lengthy jail terms. A French man has also been on death row since May 2007. Executions in Indonesia are carried out by firing squad, usually at night in isolated and undisclosed locations. The last one was in June 2008, when two Nigerian drug traffickers were shot. AFP
ASIA NEWS
9
IN BRIEF Second Khmer Rouge suspect hospitalised Former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan was admitted to hospital in Cambodia on Wednesday, becoming the second ageing war crimes suspect taken ill within days. Khieu Samphan, Khmer Rouge “Brother Number Two” Nuon Chea, and the regime’s foreign minister Ieng Sary are currently on trial for alleged atrocities during the 1975-1979 regime’s murderous rule, which killed more than a million of the population.
Ruling postponed on Delhi rape trial India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday postponed a ruling on whether the trial of five suspects for the fatal gang-rape of a student on a New Delhi bus should be moved out of the capital, officials said. The five suspects, whose trial started on Monday, face murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping and other charges, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty. A sixth suspect is being tried in a juvenile court.
10 WORLD NEWS
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
Years after quake, Haitian homeless feel abandoned
T
hree years after Haiti was devastated by a massive earthquake, hundreds of thousands of homeless people are still at risk from crime, disease and the elements in crowded makeshift camps. The 2010 disaster triggered a global outpouring of sympathetic rhetoric and pledges of aid for the already impoverished Caribbean nation, but residents and aid agencies complain that rebuilding and re-development has been too slow. Around 358,000 people are still living rough in scores of camps scattered around the capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding districts, exposed to a crime wave, a cholera outbreak and – from time to time – hurricanes. “We are without support,” complained Wisly Decimus, a former teacher who has given up trying to run classes in a tent in the Marassa camp, just outside the capital, where 5,000 people cling to life beside a dangerous river. Global aid agency Oxfam, one of several foreign development bodies engaged in the reconstruction effort, say progress has been made, but it is often seen as piecemeal and uncoordinated, lacking in central government direction. “What continues to be needed is a comprehensive, realistic long-term resettlement plan led by Haitians for Haitians,” said Andrew Pugh, head of the Oxfam program in Haiti, in a statement to mark the three-year anniversary.
A woman walks past the cathedral of Port-au-Prince destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. Three years after Haiti was devastated by a massive earthquake, hundreds of thousands of homeless people are still at risk. Photo: Thony Belizaire/AFP While Pugh hailed the “determination” of the Haitian people and the generosity of international donors, he said Haiti was let down by “decades of collective neglect and weak governance.” “Basically, it’s three steps forward and two steps back,” he said. Rubble has been cleared since the 2010 quake, in which around a quarter-of-a-million people were killed as concrete buildings in the capital and surrounding towns shattered and slammed down on terrified residents. At the peak of the subsequent humanitarian crisis, around 1.5 million people were homeless, so progress has been made in repairing and rebuilding thousands of homes, although much remains to be done.
And the dangers have been underlined by a series of follow-up tragedies, such as the cholera outbreak apparently triggered by sewage from a UN military base and that claimed 8,000 lives and sickened more than 635,000 people. Many of the camps have become semi-permanent settlements, resembling the shanty towns many Haitians had already inhabited in what was already the Western hemisphere’s poorest country, and life there is grim. “We have no choice but to live here, but it’s the worst place to bring up children. There are many rapes in the tents, and there’s child prostitution in the camps,” complained Marassa resident Danielle Orniamise. The alleys between the tents are beaten earth, mud
when tropical storms pass, churning up the earth and spreading raw sewage. Dozens of children in tattered clothes play to pass the time. There is no school. “You can’t imagine how we live here. There are things you cannot speak of. Talking of misery, and actually seeing it, are different things,” complained Adonik Osse, a wedding photographer living in Marassa. On January 14, camp residents plan a roadside demonstration to draw the weak Haitian state’s attention to their plight, without much hope of success. “Vehicles drive past us and back again a few metres away, but no one notices us. But if nothing is done, one day we’ll take to the streets,” warned Jacky Narcisse said. AFP
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
British establishment alarmed over royal succession change PRINCE WILLIAM AND his wife Catherine’s baby will not be born until the summer, but changes to the rules of succession that would fundamentally affect its life are causing disquiet in the British establishment. Prince Charles has led the warnings this week, echoed by senior clergy and peers, that the forthcoming legislation could have farreaching consequences for the monarchy and the Church of England. Ministers are pushing through a law to end male precedence in the line of succession, ensuring that if William and Catherine’s first child is a girl, she would become queen even if she has a younger brother. The change, which has strong public support, was agreed by Commonwealth leaders in October 2011, well before Catherine’s pregnancy was revealed when she was forced to go to hospital in December last year. With it, the monarchy moves into the 21st century, a direction reinforced by the palace’s announcement on Wednesday that all William and Catherine’s children would be titled Prince or Princess, not just their firstborn son. But now the law has reached the parliament, with a debate and vote due in the House of Commons on January 22, many in the establishment have openly expressed their concerns.
The law will also remove the ban on royal heirs marrying Roman Catholics, a specific provision that dates back to the split in Christianity – there is no such prohibition on heirs marrying into Islam, Hinduism or other faiths. This presents potential problems when allied with the continuing ban on Catholics taking the throne, which is designed to protect the monarch’s position as head of the Church of England, the so-called ‘defender of the faith’. It raises the possibility that an heir and their Catholic spouse would bring up Catholic children who would then be in line to inherit the throne – but be barred from taking it. Friends of Charles, the heir to the throne and William’s father, told a newspaper this week that he feared the government had overlooked the “unintended consequences” of the new law. He is reportedly concerned about how the change would affect the delicate relationship between church and state, and how the rest of the aristocracy would be affected by ending male primogeniture. Prime Minister David Cameron has denied there was any problem, telling lawmakers that the issue had been “settled and agreed” during “thorough contact” with Buckingham Palace. AFP
Protests mark 40th anniversary of abortion ruling SUPPORTERS AND OPponents of abortion sounded off Tuesday outside the US Supreme Court on the 40th anniversary of the Roe versus Wade ruling that legalised abortion across the United States. Several dozen people, in equal numbers, from the pro-choice and pro-life camps waved sometimes graphic placards and shouted slogans alongside each other, testifying to how decisive the abortion issue remains for Americans. “We’re here today not to celebrate 40 years of Roe versus Wade. We’re here to recommit to the fight, to expand this right, to defend this right,” activist Sunsara Taylor of StopPatriarchy. org said. Forty years on, access to abortion services remain difficult for many women,
said Taylor, who also argued that women who choose to terminate a pregnancy still find themselves stigmatised. For their part, the pro-life demonstrators laid carnations along the Supreme Court steps to represent what they called the 50 million unborn children “that have been killed since 1973”. “We have not given up,” said Mark Harrington, executive director of the antiabortion group Created Equal. “We are going to continue to fight until Roe versus Wade is reversed an until abortion is made illegal across the United States” and the Constitution is amended to enshrine the right to life, he said. From the White House, a day after the public inauguration of his second term, President Barack Obama reiterated his view that “women should be able to make their own
choices about their bodies and their health care.” “Today and every day, my administration continues our efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies, support maternal and child health and minimise the need for abortion,” Obama said in a statement. “On this anniversary, we recommit ourselves to supporting women and families in the choices they make and redouble our efforts to promote safe and healthy communities.” The delicate question over whether a woman has the right to choose to terminate a pregnancy – and thus, critics argue, end a life – has long caused deep and bitter divisions in the very fabric of American society. Polls lay bare the stark divide between the pro-life and pro-choice camps. A Pew poll showed that more than six out of 10 Ameri-
cans would not like to see Roe versus Wade overturned, against 29 per cent who would like to see it struck down. In May, Gallup said there had never been so few prochoice supporters – at 41 per cent, against 56 per cent in 1995 – while 50 per cent said they were pro-life, compared to 33 per cent 16 years ago. A flurry of abortion-related laws have nonetheless been passed at the state level, often at the behest of pro-life campaigners. The Guttmacher Institute on sexual and reproductive health counted a record number of 92 abortion-related laws passed in 2011, and 43 in 2012. They ranged from measures limiting late-stage abortions to barring health care insurance reimbursements for the operation and a requirement for the pregnant woman to get a sonogram. AFP
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
BUSINESS NEWS 11
Small capacity ‘crimps deep port potential’
Govt plan for tourism ‘lacking in direction’ THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS worried over the government’s “directionless” plan to raise the country’s tourism revenue to B2 trillion, saying that it lacks coordination, a concrete action plan and accountability. “I fear the plan has no direction,” said Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn. Atta has joined with the Thai Hotel Association (THA) in organising a seminar on January 31 on the government’s plan to promote tourism and economic policy. Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na Ranong, who is also Finance Minister, has been invited to speak. The feasibility of the government’s B2 trillion goal will also be discussed at the seminar, Mr Sisdivachr said. Atta is asking the government to reassure tourists by addressing Thailand’s negative image on safety. Businesses must also be informed how they will be affected by the advent of the AEC, and how to prepare accordingly, he said. Bangkok Post
Minister dies
Chumpol Silpa-archa collapsed five weeks ago at Government House.
C
humpol Silpa-archa, the Minister of Tourism & Sports, and leader of the Chartthaipattana Party, died of kidney failure on Monday morning (January 21) exactly five weeks after he collapsed while at Government House. Mr Chumpol, aged 72, who was also a deputy premier, was pronounced dead at 9.39am at Ramathibodi Hospital on Monday. On December 17 last year the veteran politician from Suphan Buri province
was rushed to hospital from Government House after he developed breathing difficulty and later passed out. He was the younger brother of former prime minister and Chartthaipattana chief adviser Banharn Silpa-archa. Mr Chumpol served as education minister in the Chuan Leekpai administration in 1997. He became leader of the Chartthaipattana Party after the Chart Thai Party was ordered dissolved by the Constitution Court for electoral fraud
in 2008 and Mr Banharn was barred from holding political office. The party then sided with the Democrat Party and Mr Chumpol was appointed Tourism & Sports Minister under the Abhisit Vejjajiva government. In 2011, Chartthaipattana changed sides after the Pheu Thai Party won the general election. Mr Chumpol remained Minister of Tourism & Sports and was later appointed a deputy prime minister in the Yingluck Shinawatra government. Bangkok Post
IF PHUKET IS TO PROSPER as a cruise site, and not be forgotten amid a booming regional cruise scene, then it needs to seriously bolster local facilities, a recent Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) fact-finding panel was told, according to SeaShipNews. The main problem, the panel was told, is that the port needs to be able to handle two large ships calling at the same time. Right now, it can handle only one large liner at a time. The Deep Sea Port at Cape Panwa handled around 300,000 cruise liner passengers last year. With improved facilities that number could soar. The panel was told that without the expansion, Phuket risks losing cruise ship trade to the likes of Bali, Singapore, Hainan or many other fast-developing cruise sites in the region. The problem is well recognised by the port’s operators, Chaophraya Pier International, which put forward a B176 million plan in October 2011. This would include an extension of
the wharf to allow two ships to dock at once. The project envisages the addition of two berthing dolphins (concrete structures just offshore) with access bridges, increasing total quay length to 420 metres, and the addition of a single-storey 900-squaremetre passenger terminal that would have a duty free store, toilets, an Immigration, Customs and Quarantine area, restaurants and shops. The plan also includes improvement of the road into the port, enlargement of the car park to accommodate 45 cars and 40 buses, and dredging to deepen the water around the dolphins. The expansion of the quayside would increase the port’s capacity to potentially 500,000 passengers a year. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project has been submitted to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment but was returned with a demand for further information. It was resubmitted a month ago.
12 BUSINESS NEWS
Resort gets change of manager HOT EL CONSU LT I NG company Mai-BS (Thailand) took over the management of the Dewa Karon Resort with effect from January 1. It was previously managed by Swedish entrepreneur Lars Ydmark’s Tri-Asia, which also runs the successful Dewa Resort at Nai Yang Beach. The resort is currently going through a re-branding and re-positioning period from which is will emerge as the Karon Sovereign All Suites Resort. The resort has a mixture of one- and two-bedroom suites and penthouses between 63 to 140 square metres in area. About 20 per cent of the suites will be offered for vacation club ownership, a press release stated. Stefan Hermansson, Authorised Director of Sovereign Co Ltd, owner of Karon Sovereign Resort, said, “We are very happy to have found an enthusiastic, straight-forwardthinking partner in Mai-BS (Thailand) to manage and develop our resort even further for the benefit of all guests and stakeholders. “It’s the perfect time to re-position our property,” he added.
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
Learning old-school lessons could end in a cold old age EXPAT MONEY
Jerry Dingley editor@thephuketnews.com
H
ow many times have we all heard it said that stocks outperform bonds, which outperform cash deposits, which get eaten up by inflation, so you’re losing money just by doing nothing? So, the experts say, “If you want a healthy retirement then you absolutely have to put your money into the stock market and leave it there. An oft-repeated piece of advice is that if you don’t keep up with annual inflation by saving huge amounts of your income every month into a contractual offshore savings plan for at least the next 25 years, then you will almost certainly spend your golden years in abject poverty and despair. The fact that between now and then you will have a miserable quarter of a century with no spare cash at all to spend and enjoy life doesn’t seem to figure in this equation. Unfortunately life is not
an exact science. It is true that some stocks do well over the long term and it is true that we should all be saving for retirement. But it is equally true that many stocks do not do so well and the percentage return (plus or minus!) depends entirely on events that absolutely no one can foresee or predict. To make things even more difficult, it is human nature for people to make decisions about money based on fear and greed, and thus do the complete opposite of the ‘buy low sell high’ mantra when things get volatile. As a result, they end up getting locked into a loss. Some historical facts: In December 1989, the Japanese stock market index stood at 39,000 points. Some 24 years later it a tad over 10,000 – a nauseating drop of 74 per cent. You may think that’s an extreme example but even the S&P 500 index, a broad measure of the top 500 US companies, reached 1,498 points in January 2000 and currently stands at 1,460, a fall of 2.5 per cent 12 years later. That’s horrifying if you were invested in it in retire-
ment, (or on the final approach to retirement) thinking it was a safe blue chip investment index. You have been watching your pension pot evaporate – not so slowly – ever since. Even gold, which has been many people’s favourite investment, especially this year and last, stood at an inflationadjusted price of US$1,843 an ounce at the end of the 1970s and then took more than 30 years to reach that sort of level again. In between, the price fell more than 80 per cent to US$322. It is still underwater compared with the ’70s – US$1,650 an ounce today. If you start with US$100 and your investment falls 30 per cent, you now need a gain of 43 per cent just to get back to where you started, and gains of 43 per cent do not come easily or quickly in any asset class. It is true that, in some ways, risk is relevant to the investment time frame available to you, but even if you were a sprightly 58 years old and cruising into your retirement when you placed the bulk of your money in blue chip US stocks via the S&P Index, fast
forward 12 years and you are now 70 and showing a big loss. Imagine what that does to your income not to mention your peace of mind. Of course, investing in equities whether for growth and/or income through dividend yields (so that one at least receives the income from the dividend whilst the stock price goes up and down) can be rewarding, but it is also, as we have seen so often over the years, inherently risky and dependent on market timing. Equally risky however can be many “model-based” commercial property asset funds where a return is calculated manually by the funds themselves, based on valuations of a physical assets, buildings or commercial property, and the income that is being generated from that asset at the time of valuation. Such property funds are often offered as a viable alternative to traditional investments. In some cases they are certainly worth considering, but you should be well aware of their possible drawbacks. Liquidity – being able to sell fast and get your money
back – is key nowadays, and most investment vehicles based on this ‘model’ are considered ‘illiquid’ as the fund may own the actual properties and would have to sell them to repay investors who wanted out. If a large proportion of the funds investors were to redeem their investments at the same time the funds could go into a “lock up” phase, with no one getting anything until the property has been sold. More on investment property and commercial property funds in future articles. Jerry Dingley of Property Portfolio Services and business partner Tim Whiteley have been advising expatriates in the Asia Pacific region for more than 20 years. They can be reached by email to info@ ifainternationalgroup.com I M P O R TA N T N O T E : This ar ticle contains general information only and is not intended to be taken as specific financial advisory, investment, or tax advice. A personal analysis should be obtained before acting or refraining from acting upon any information given.
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PROPERTY NEWS 13
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
Property show ‘is the best so far’
Able Architects Managing Director Pakhin Aunggulsant: 19 million reasons to smile.
THE PHUKET PROPERTY Show 2013, held at Central Festival Phuket from January 17 to Wednesday (January 23) has been the most successful yet. Thanusak Phungdet, the President of Phuket Real Estate Association (P-REA), which organised the show, said on Tuesday (January 22), “Thousands of people visited the booths every day and sales have already reached hundreds of millions of baht.”
Local architects celebrate five years of success Sansiri targets uni market PHUKET ARCHITECTURE firm Able Architects celebrated its fifth anniversary with a “white corporate” event at the Blue Elephant Restaurant in Phuket Town last week. The event attracted more than 100 industry suppliers and specialists from around the country. Many executives flew in from Bangkok specially for the gathering, which focused on promoting transparency and collaboration. Able Architects has made a significant impact as a local architecture and design firm, building a portfolio of 98
bespoke projects, including hotels, condominiums, offices and community projects, with a combined construction value of B19 billion and a total floor area of 787,108 sqm. “We have already embarked on nine new projects since the beginning of the year in five provinces in Thailand as well as the Philippines. “That equates to 2,410 key rooms covering a gross floor area of 153,343 sqm and a total construction value of B4.7 billion,” said Able Architects Managing Director Pakhin Aunggulsant.
L&H launches Inizio project LAND AND HOUSE PARK Phuket launched a new housing project, Inizio Koh Kaew last Friday (January 18) on 26 rai of land in a quiet soi behind the Isuzu showroom on Thepkrassattri Rd, aimed, like so many new developments in Phuket, at first-home buyers at the lower end of the Thai market. Raksapong Kamkuanjam, General Manager of LH Muang Mai, explained that Inizio is Spanish for “beginning”, the idea of the project being that it will consist of homes ready-made to sup-
port the lifestyle of working people who are settling down in their lives. The homes are identical, with prices beginning at B3.94 million for the twostory single house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms and parking for two cars. Total living space is 125 square metres. “We have only 128 houses in this project which I think is the proper number – it is easy to take care of them,” said Pittaya Tantipiriyakij, Managing Director of LH Muang Mai.
B
angkok giant Sansiri is set to launch its fifth dcondo project on the island, on a site near Phuket Rajabhat University. It will be called dcondo Campus Resort Kuku. Suriya Wannabuit, Sansiri’s Executive Vice President – Project Management and Marketing Department, who is in charge of all dcondo developments, said the project will be a “campus development”. It will be built at a cost of B810 million on six rai of land. He said on Saturday (January 19) the idea was inspired by what he had seen in the vicinities of Oxford and Cambridge universities in the UK. Sansir i has al ready launched a similar, highly successful project in Chiang Mai. “It sold out in 95 minutes. We opened the queue officially on
Phuket Real Estate Association president Thanusak Phungdet (right) tours the show with Vice-Governor Somkiet Sangkhaosutthirak (second from left) and Simon Samaan (left) and Jason Beavan of The Phuket News, which was media sponsor for the event.
a Saturday at 6am, but people started queuing the previous Wednesday.” The Kuku development will have two eight-story buildings containing a total of 449 29sqm studios, and 22 60-sqm two-bedroom apartments. Prices will start from B1.29 million for the studios and B3.9 million for the apartments. Although the project will be aimed primarily at students and their parents, teachers and others attached to the university, there will be no restrictions on who can buy, Mr Suriya said. The development will have a 2,000-sqm green area for outdoor activities, with a 30-metre pool, club house and fitness centre, wifi Internet and 24-hour security with CCTV cameras. The Kuku development is
Sansiri’s fifth dcondo development on the island, and more are to follow. The company is already preparing for the launch of phase two of dcondo Base near Central Festival, Burasiri Koh Kaew – an “upper-market” resort-style project with prices between B5 and 8 million, and another higher-end project on land bought recently on Mai Khao Beach. Asked how many more dcondo projects the island can take, Mr Suriya said, “Unlimited – it depends on the opportunities. We always research demand before making a decision.” He is proud of the research done into lifestyles, behaviour, design and raw materials. Using focus groups and indepth interviews, the research includes people’s attitudes,
style, brands, what fabrics they like, what watches and cars they own, and what they aspire to own. “Other developers don’t do this. For example, most don’t bother to build in beautiful kitchens. But we found that although most Phuket people don’t want to cook, they do want to have a beautiful kitchen or pantry. We also found that most people want en-suite bathrooms.” Each condo development is different, he explained, but the company’s Germanequipped prefabrication plant near Bangkok can handle with ease short runs and changes in designs. The pre-sales launch of dcondo Campus Resort Kuku will take place on January 26 and 27 at the sales gallery on Rassadanusorn Rd.
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14 OPINION
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Gerry’s View
Editorial
On the buses
I
You may think this bicycle is in the Netherlands or Denmark where the bicycle is king, but you’d be wrong. The local authorities responsible for Phrom Thep Cape showed some great imagination last year and spruced up the place with beds of flowers, ornaments and props such as this old bike, which was one of six or seven painted in different colours and decorated with flowers. Unfortunately, like most things done on the island, there wasn’t any follow-up maintenance and the flowers withered away and the bikes disappeared before the end of the season. Gerry Cummings
If you have a Phuket photo to share, email it with a caption to editor@thephuketnews.com
t’s a brave outfit that dares to run a bus service through Patong. While buses link the airport in the north of the island to Phuket Town, and some local shuttles operate around the east of the island, Patong and its neighbouring beach towns remain the “Wild West” in terms of transport – there are no stage-coaches, but someone “riding shotgun” may not be a bad idea. Previous attempts to run a bus service linking Patong with the rest of the island have run smack into opposition from the tuk-tuk and taxidriver gangs, who seek to stop anyone but themselves providing transport in the town – and at the prices they determine, no matter how unfair or exorbitant. A fledgling attempt a few years ago to start a private bus service between Patong, Karon and Kata was forced to stop just a few weeks later, after a driver was beaten up by thugs and one of the vehicles was set on fire. Similar efforts have been met with protests and road-
Comments, Facebook & Twitter Waste not, want not [Re. Are we all just wasting our Phuket time?] I’ve never heard of Martin Hauke before, but if he has something to gain, let him gain! Large scale composting is not very profitable, but it is extremely beneficial. This isn’t rocket science. It should be common sense to start an official large scale composting programme. After all, this is a island! So much stuff gets imported to this island, but just how much of that is exported. And the refuse is simply burned? I don’t think it’s a good plan to just keep on doing what we do without alternatives being seriously considered and promoted. Until the matter gets sorted out, it is possible to do this stuff on your own. It’s not as difficult as some make it out to be. Aaauuuoooo
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
Banking the truth [Re. ‘I was scammed’] I also was scammed about three years ago from the Taveewong Rd, Patong Branch of Siam City Bank. Only three small amounts, with B9,500 each cashed in France. I suggest that the guy should change his bank as mine reimbursed me the three amounts scammed, and the bank were the ones that alerted me. Brian Adamson
So-called Russians [Re. Looking after Phuket’s Russians] Mr Santi made a very important point saying that many “Russians” coming, living and/or working in Phuket are actually not Russians, but people who simply speak
Russian in order to be able to communicate with each other, such as citizens of former Soviet Union countries. You can see this when you go on a visa run. None of the Russianspeaking people actually carry Russian passports. So, we should all relax and work less with stereotypes. Johny
Living in terror [Re. Phuket condo bully’s reign of fear ends in arrest] As someone who is unfortunate to live in one of his managed units, I can tell you he has caused untold damage to everyone’s vehicles, both old and new, car and bike. And my own vehicle, which is brand new also. This, he thinks will get us to ‘drop all the charges against him’.
How naive. We meet every night in the communal areas now, to watch our property and vehicles, and watch out for his criminal staff (bullies) whom he uses when assaulting/threatening tenants. We just want to pay fairly for normal services, not feel bullied, be ripped-off, nor intimidated. A number of tenants have yet to return at all, due to his threats of violence. We, the tenants, are ready to stand up to him now. Whatever it may take. erik olsson
Cameras needed [Re. B100,000 reward offered for Phuket bank robber info] Phuket is increasingly crawling with violent criminals from all over Thailand, as well as from other countries,
drawn here by Phuket’s unique combination of wealthy tourists and expats with weak or absent policing. Anywhere else with so many rich people already has strong policing. More police cameras are urgently needed so that the police can identify the criminals, arrest them, and hence save lives. This is not England (and if it was, there would be 50,000 cameras on Phuket already). cleardawn
Cleaning up the streets [Re. Fugitive Phuket expats arrested for rape, tax evasion] So many scumbag expats in Thailand, I hope a lot more of them get cleaned out. Good work! Tina Maria
Have a question about Phuket you want answered? Email editor@thephuketnews.com
blocks in Patong, and capitulation to the the town’s “transport mafia” has inevitably followed. Hopefully this time it will be different. A company has now picked up the gauntlet – in the form of a licence to operate a hop-on hop-off bus service between the airport, Patong, Karon and Kata – but its backers want to stay anonymous at this time, for fear of retribution. While the new bus service can only make a small dent in traffic levels on Phuket, it would be a welcome start towards the development of a modern – and affordable – network of transport options, both in Patong and elsewhere, much needed by islanders and tourists alike. Tuk-tuk and taxi drivers deserve to make a living - but that doesn’t justify mob rule of Patong’s roadways. Hopefully the new bus operators will find the resources and fortitude they need – along with full assistance from the police and other authorities – to endure what’s likely to be tough opposition to their plan.
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
POWERED BY
LIFE BENEATH THE WAVES Jody Houton meets Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre > 4
Tourist police volunteer Braddy Bailey
Snopp Dogg and Rita Ora take a Phuket beach break
03
21
2 ARTS
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FRIDAY, 25,2013 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY JANUARY 25,
PHUKET GALLERIES
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Red Gallery
Giving life the brush off
Asian artists are inspired by a quiet Krabi retreat
Jody Houton editor3@thephuketnews.com
Some men say to me, wow women want it all! And I say, sure why not? You’ve had it for long enough! My work is concerned with a lot of genderbased issues. I was the first artist in my family
Above: Phuket artist Somrak ‘Yen’ Maneemai’s Krabi-inspired piece. Top: artists came from 20 countries all around Asia.
F
orty artists from around Asia have combined creative forces for the 27th Annual Arts Exhibition, being held – for the first time in Thailand – at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre until March 22. Pieces were created by artists from 20 countries around Asia during a week-long art workshop at the Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort, from January 11-17. As part of the workshop, and for inspiration, the artists explored the beautiful province by making various trips to Raya island, the dense jungles of Krabi and the serene Emerald Pool. For Vimolluck Chuchat, Art Centre Director of the Ministry of Culture, the decision to choose Krabi over Phuket was, quite literally, natural. “[The Ministry of Culture] chose Krabi because it has nice nature and is very peaceful, [whereas] Phuket is very ‘exciting,’” adding, “This is the first time the Annual Arts Exhibition has been held in Thailand, so we are very honoured.” As well as artistic representation from as far afield as Iran and Mongolia, there were also 20 Thai artists in attendance, including four Phuket-based artists and friends of the paper Aree Kongpol, Apinan Sarochanong, Romadon ‘Silver Statue’ Kosanae and Somrak Maneemai. Speaking to The Phuket News ahead of the workshop, resident artist at the Phuket Art Village, Somrak ‘Yen’ Maneemai said, “I’ve been to see the different sights and I will see what inspires me and do what I feel, but it will be in my style.” Yen certainly delivered ’Krabi’ in his own inimitable way (see left). The great thing about the event was its ability to bring people from completely different cultures together, strengthening the bond between Asian countries through art. Afghanistan-born but New York resident Mariam Ghani told The Phuket News how at times her installations and films often inadvertently cause controversy. “All art is political I suppose. Sometimes I don’t intend it to be, but you can’t always control how your
work is received and perhaps politicised.” She added that because she was based in America, the kinds of documentaries and films she produced weren’t susceptible to the same level of scrutiny and censorship there would have been had she produced it in her homeland. “Sure there are restrictions, but it doesn’t affect you if you are doing work about Afghanistan from outside of Afghanistan. [Still, the situation today is] a lot, lot better than during the Taliban era.” Another female artist, Pakistani Ayesha Durrani said that quite often her work takes on a political edge, even if she is actively attempting to not give it one. “People in Pakistan call me a feminist, but I don’t think I am. I think men and women are different creatures and should be treated differently, but equally. “Some men say to me, wow women want it all! And I say, sure why not? You’ve had it for long enough! My work is concerned with a lot of gender-based issues. I was the first artist in my family.” She also adds that her work is first and foremost colourful, something with which she sees as a great kinship between Pakistan and Thailand. “My work is very colourful, you know for Pakistanis – and this is true for Thailand as well – the Western phrase ‘less is more’ does not apply. “We like colour, and what you would call gaudy. For example, I never thought I would ever get in a turquoise tuk tuk, but I did in Bangkok. “Could you imagine that in New York? We keep our colourfulness, this is who we are, we don’t want to lose it by becoming Westernised.” For Art Centre Director Mrs Vimolluk, the differences of the cultures and how it affects the way that Krabi, and by extension Thailand, is represented is priceless. “The artists and their artwork will act as ambassadors for Krabi when they return to their home countries and when the exhibition travels around the world.” For more information, visit bacc.or.th
Phuket Art Village, Soi Naya 2, Rawai 087 323 321 redgallerythai@yahoo.com phuketredgallery.com Open daily
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COMMUNITY 3
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
Hitting the books and streets
Nattha Thepbamrung meets student Braddy Bailey, equally at home on the streets of Patong as in Prince of Songkla University Nattha Thepbamrung reporter2@thephuketnews.com
As well as my studies, I also work for the Region 8 police under the Royal Thai Police, as an International Liaison Volunteer. We help tourists and look out for their safety, and tell them what is right and wrong – a lot of tourists do not know about Thai laws
A
ustralian Braddy Bailey has only been in Phuket for one and a half years, but is already making a valuable contribution to life on the island. When he’s not studying for a Bachelor of International Studies at Phuket’s Prince of Songkla University (PSU) campus, Braddy, 24, also works as a volunteer with the Region 8 police based in Patong, the youngest of 25 foreign volunteers in the team. He is also a volunteer with the Asia Centre Foundation, a charity that engages and works with underprivileged, impoverished and children-at-risk in Phuket. After he graduated from Balgowlah Heights School in northern Sydney, Braddy travelled to Japan and lived there for around four years, but moved to Phuket to escape the busy lifestyle. “I realised I had no time for myself. I came to Phuket because I love the beach, and I grew up with the beach. I worked on boats as a part time job during school, and I sailed a lot and also did lifesaving.” He decided to study for a Bachelor of International Studies at PSU, majoring in Thai studies (both language and culture). He spent time studying in Indonesia last year as part of the programme, and also will spend next semester in Chiang Mai as part of an exchange. Braddy said PSU is a good place to study, and said teachers were very helpful and friendly, taking good care of students. His reason to study Thai language came from his passion for Thailand, he says. “I like Japan and Thailand – that is why I chose to study these languages. Thai is not really a popular language but Thailand is a very good place to stay. I still have a long way to go. I can speak and read now [at a beginner level] and I am starting to learn to write. “It is a difficult language compared to Japanese. There are many people speaking
English so it is harder to practise, unlike in Japan where I [had to] speak Japanese to survive. “As well as my studies, I also work for the
Region 8 police under the Royal Thai Police, as an International Liaison Volunteer. We help tourists and look out for their safety, and tell them what is right and wrong – a lot of tourists do not know about the Thai laws.” When Braddy first arrived on the island he wanted to get involved, so approached Wal Brown, the co-ordinator and founder of Region 8. Braddy now volunteers once a week. Volunteers are taught about safety and first aid, how to diffuse heated situations and stop violence escalating. Being a police volunteer helps him gain skills relating to the cause and effects behind the scenes, and understanding how situations happen. “Region 8 police volunteers don’t work only in Patong, but everywhere in Phuket including Kamala, Kata and Karon. Though my group focuses on the Patong area, I can work in other areas if something happens.” Braddy now has his eye on a career in foreign affairs, describing it as a career where he can learn many things, have interesting experiences, and help people at the same time. “My father always says that Asia will boom at one point. Foreign affairs in Asia is where I want to work as well, so I want to learn another language. I think Thailand is a good place to be because of the religion and the way of life.” He has no plans to return to Australia, preferring to gain experience in the area of foreign affairs. “The whole reason why I went to Japan was because I wanted to do something by myself, choose my own direction, and be independent. I do not want to get things for free or be spoiled, so I have tried to make my own life, and I will see how it goes.”
4 ENVIRONMENT
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, 25,2013 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY JANUARY 25,
Left: Staff at the PMBC swim with a dolphin who would later die at sea. Above: Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong.
Saving Phuket’s marine life
Jody Houton meets a man on a mission to protect our seas We rescued a young dolphin from Karon who couldn’t follow his pod because he was sick. He stayed with us for a few weeks and then we released him, but we then found out that he had been caught in a net and had died
J
udging by the seemingly constant string of turtle release programmes hosted by hotels, resorts and charities on the island, one may be easily forgiven for thinking that the cute, high-profile sea creatures are the only animals in peril in the waters around Phuket. Sea turtles are indeed in a precarious state, with around 40 to 50 becoming stranded in local waters in the past year alone. However, though turtles hog the limelight, there are many other species in need of constant help, including dolphins, whales and the oft-overlooked unfortunate-looking dugongs.
Balancing the field
The unequal spotlight on such animals does not escape Dr Kongkiat Kittiwat-
tanawong from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC). “Everybody focuses on the sea turtles, I think because there’s breeding and release programmes and things like that, and perhaps it’s seen as easier.” In his role as the Chief of the Marine Endangered Species Unit at the PMBC, Dr Kongkiat rescues, rehabilitates and takes care of all at-risk animals, in particular those that are endangered in the Andaman region. Dr Kongkiat was instrumental in the setting up of the sub-department 15 years ago, just two short years after graduating and starting work at the PMBC, which sits at the tip of Phuket’s Cape Panwa. A hive of activity, there are around 150 full time members of staff working in the five different sections of the
PMBC. Namely, the Marine Endangered Species Unit; Phuket Aquarium; Reference Collection; Ecological Unit; and Oceanography Centre. In his role as the chief of the Marine Endangered Species Unit, Dr Kongkiat and his team are responsible for conserving endangered animals, and at the heart of their efforts is research. Turtles, dolphins, whales and dugongs are highly migratory species, so the PMBC has treaties and memorandums of understanding with neighbouring Asian countries that help scientists share findings. Rather depressingly though, Dr Kongkiat says that investigation and scientific exploration are unlikely to make any significant change to the devastation befalling sea creatures in the Andaman region. “Around 70 per cent of the causes of death are from [trash and equipment used by] fishermen.”
Stopping the slaughter
“It used to be fishing trawlers that were the problem, but since the 1982 Fisheries Act prohibited trawlers fishing in waters up to 3km from shore this is not so much the case. Now it’s nets, lines and traps.”
ENVIRONMENT 5
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013 It is for this reason that a large part of Dr Kongkiat’s job is to educate the fishing communities on the island and attempt to raise awareness of how destructive they are to large endangered animals. “Every year we go to different fishing villages to remind them that these are endangered animals. This [message] is also spread through the media.” “We tell them to use certain sizes of nets, with bigger holes so that young fish, crabs and sea turtles aren’t caught in the haul.” Sea turtles in particular also run the risk of being caught and eaten by members of the Sea Gypsy community, Dr Kongkiat says. “We know for a fact that at least two sea gypsies have died from eating them in the last year. This is because the sea turtles ingest various toxins from eating sea snakes and trash, which they pass on to those who eat them.” On the dugongs, Dr Kongkiat says that their number has fallen quite rapidly, to the point that there are only around 200 dugongs left in the Andaman region, most located in the waters of Trang province. “The natural order dictates that there should be on average a 5 per cent increase in population each year. But this year we have found and retrieved 12 dugong carcasses, where normally we only recover around 4 or 5. There has been a huge increase in the numbers of deaths. “I suspect that the dramatic increase in the numbers of dead dugongs is due to an increasing number of fishing boats and tour boats,” said Dr Kongkiat. On average 80 per cent of the dugongs die from becoming entangled in nets and long lines, and around 15 per cent die from contracting diseases and parasites from eating trash and pollution.
Dealing with death
While they are always on call to rescue injured or stranded animals, the PMBC’s Marine Endangered Species Unit are also called in if an animal has already died – they pick up the carcass and carry out an autopsy to ascertain the cause of death. A recent incident involving a baby dolphin still clearly causes distress when Dr Kongkiat recounts it to The Phuket News. “Last November we rescued a young dolphin from Karon who couldn’t follow his pod because he was sick. He stayed with us for a few weeks and then we re-
Left: A staff member at the PMBC swims with a friend. Above: A sea turtle fights to live another day, thanks to the help of the PMBC staff. leased him, but we then found out that he had been caught in a net and had died a few weeks after we released him in Phi Phi.” Although the PMBC didn’t give the baby dolphin a name, a bond was clearly formed with the amiable marine mammal. “We loved him, he was very friendly. Every time we dived in he came close to us for our warmth.” Dr Kongkiat’s says that his 17 years in the industry often leave him feeling ‘tired’ and emotionally drained, “My staff and I are never satisfied with the number of animals that die.” “We always feel happy when we release them and they live, but sometimes when we put all that effort in and then they still die, we feel like crying. We want to save them all.”
Focusing on the future
Dr Kongkiat displays a range of emotions while showing The Phuket News around the PMBC, but never anger. Somehow he manages to stay calm and patient when fishermen continue to fish in protected areas or use fishing apparatus that kills or wounds the endangered animals. “The majority of the fishing apparatus is not necessarily illegal, meaning
Left: Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong and trash found at sea. Above: Staff at PMBC hard at work. Right: Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong keeps an eye on the sea turtles.
new regulation wouldn’t necessarily help,” says Dr Kongkiat. “We try to minimise marine animal deaths by raising awareness of the possible dangers of doing what they’re doing,” he says about the fishermen. “They don’t mean to kill them... We keep on talking to the fishermen, but don’t get angry.” “In fact in Thailand, we have good regulations to take care of the animals but not their natural habitat, plus there are few people who actually enforce the regulations.” In an ideal world, he says there would be more government officials to enforce environmental laws, and the PMBC would have a bigger budget in order to buy better equipment and hire more staff. However, Dr Kongkiat believes that the future state of Phuket’s marine life lies with those who are currently doing the most harm – tourists and fishermen.
A local solution
“Local people must be made more aware of the environment. It would be good to introduce an income-based reward programme and incentive, perhaps through eco-tourism.” The Phuket News raises the point
that the majority of Phuket drivers who hurtle down the road at 120km/h also probably don’t mean to kill people. We suggest that drivers and fishermen must recognise the responsibility of their actions: that driving at such a speed or fishing in such a way increases the likelihood of such consequences. Dr Kongkiat nods his head in agreement, “This is why education and awareness is very important, and why we are involved with local people in the area who deal with and can take care of the animals. Giving the fishermen a reason to protect marine life would thus create a sustainable environment. “If these communities had a fisheries or were working in marine conservation then the people in the area wouldn’t need to leave to find work elsewhere. “They would stay in the village, feel responsible for their village and come to respect and value what makes it – and its waters – beautiful and priceless.” Despite the constant obstacles and heartache, Dr Kongkiat and his team press on; continuing to rescue, rehabilitate and release animals in what must seem to them like an endless cycle of life and death.
6 EDUCATION
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, 25,2013 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY JANUARY 25,
HEADSTART T E AC H E R J OY AT N AT I O N A L TEACHER’S DAY
Teachers Joy (left) and Nee (right), from HeadStart International School Phuket par ticipated in a National Teacher’s Day ceremony on Wednesday (January 16) at the island’s Rajabhat University. In recognition of her work at HeadStart, Kru Joy has been nominated for ‘Thai Teacher of the Year’ award by the Teacher Council of Thailand.
Kajonkiet holds art auction for charity Jody Houton editor3@thephuketnews.com
LEARNING ABOUT BELIEF Forty-five children from Year 5 of the British International School, Phuket visited the Dubai mosque in Koh Khaew on January 15 to learn more about Islam as part of the school’s ‘Why do people believe?’ studies.
A
total of B40,000 was raised for Ban Lung Pitak – a centre that takes care of children with imprisoned parents – in an art auction with a difference, held at the Kajonkietsuksa School Phuket on January 11. The Paintings for Charity art auction, now in its third year, was the brainchild of April ‘Josh’ Jonel Rojas, a Kajonkiet art teacher hailing from the Philippines. “About three years ago, I was visiting an orphanage with a friend and I was so saddened. I wanted to do something to help. “I didn’t have money to give these children myself, so I came up with this idea of an art auction to gather donations,” he recounts. For the art auction, pieces created by his students are auctioned off to parents of the school’s students. “When I first proposed this idea to the director of my department, he said that he didn’t have the budget to cover the cost of the utensils, paints and canvases. “But after the auction, he said that he was proud of the children and glad
to see the parents so happy. One parent even spent B15,000 on a single painting.” Money that year was donated to the Holland House Foundation, the orphanage that had inspired him to launch the programme. He told The Phuket News that he hopes that the Kajonkietsuksa Art Auction will hopefully inspire other schools to launch similar charitable programmes. “I hope we have inspired ordinary people like me that they can do something extraordinary for the less fortunate.”
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info@foodhygieneasia.com 076 617 692, 081 862 4439 www.foodhygieneasia.com
HEALTH 7
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
It’s time to get personal ONE ON ONE
Nathalie Emelianova info@fit-lab.net
The aim of a personal trainer is to enhance the components of fitness for the general healthy population, help individuals through their goals, and tailor a programme to suit
Originally from St Petersburg in Russia, Nathalie Emelianova is a personal trainer at the recently opened Fit Lab Personal Training Centre in Chalong. More information: fit-lab.net
I
n recent years Phuket has exploded with health and fitness programmes: from Detox to Zumba, it’s all here for both holiday visitors and residents living all year round. For over two decades, professional trainers have been guiding individuals to their goals by providing tailored personal training, but what should you be looking out for when selecting a trainer? In this new regular column, we will highlight some of the benefits a personal trainer can bring to your exercise routine, and some things to consider in selecting the right trainer for you. The aim of a personal trainer is to enhance the components of fitness for the general healthy population, help individuals through their goals, and tailor a programme to suit. Proper exercise conducted with proper techniques and guidance results in improved body composition, physical performance, heart conditioning and weight management. The above combined with a specifically engineered nutrition plan can achieve long term success in helping you maintain a healthy, fitter life. Here, our advice on what to consider when choosing a personal trainer to achieve your fitness goals: After training hundreds of clients it’s clear to me that a key factor in selecting your trainer is a match in personality and the trainer having a positive attitude that
you find inspiring and motivating. You will spend lengthy periods of time on a weekly basis with your trainer so make sure you both get along makes the whole experience a great one. Your trainer should keep your workouts fresh and interesting, if he or she regularly attends fitness workshops and training seminars they will be able to bring the latest techniques and information to your workouts. It goes without saying that they should be recognised by a professional body and have completed a recognised qualification in advanced personal training and maintain an up-to date status to stay current in their practices. They should get results, but remember
Adopt a dog
it takes two to tango and requires equal commitment from the client to ensure they stick to the plan. You should also learn to love your workouts. Health and fitness is a lifestyle choice and your trainer should set realistic targets and asses your progress regularly, and most of all be honest with you. If you have already begun 2013 with a resolution to become a fitter, healthier you, it’s important to note that statistically most individuals fail within the first two months. Employing a personal trainer to push you to your target and give a feeling of responsibility and commitment along with all the correct advise and training techniques will help you achieve the goals you long for.
Pet
Every month, the best pet wins a B500 voucher from:
LOVE DOGS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP OUR NEWLY ADOPTED DOGS TRAVEL TO THEIR NEW HOMES?
Soi Dog Foundation is looking for Flight Volunteers to help take dogs to Europe and USA/Canada. ALL pre flight arrangements are handled by Soi Dog, you may be required to phone your airline & book the animal onto your flight. A Soi Dog representative will bring the animal to the airport and meet you there prior to your flight. Upon arriving at the destination you will be met by the adopter. In other words no work or expense involved on your part. Imagine the satisfaction when you see the animal first meet his or her new family! For more details on how you can help please email chris@soidog-foundation.org for more details. If you are interested in adopting a dog please do not buy from the markets. Soi Dog Foundation has over 200 dogs and puppies available for adoption at any time. For more information on how to adopt visit soidog.org. All animals are fully vaccinated and desexed. Young puppies will be desexed free of charge as soon as old enough.
This beautiful Shetland Sheep Dog is named Bear. He belongs to Kelly Lewis, the General Manager of Indigo Pearl. Bear loves having cocktails by the poolside.
Want to see your pet here? Email your photo to editor1@thephuketnews.com
8 DINING
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, 25,2013 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY JANUARY 25,
Chiang Rai man crafts Phuket’s perfect khao soy STREET EATS Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter4@thephuketnews.com
The spicy noodle dish is hard to find in Phuket, but this small shack in Thalang serves up perhaps the best version of khao soy found on the island
P
huketians originally from Thailand’s far north will be delighted to discover this exceptional restaurant in Thalang that specialises in the northern delicacy khao soy. The spicy noodle dish is hard to find in Phuket, but this small shack in the middle of the island offers perhaps the best version of khao soy found on the island. ‘Baan Kwaytiew’, meaning noodle soup house, is located opposite the entrance to Soi Pasak 7, which comes off the main road connecting Laguna with Thalang. It’s a humble wooden building, with a traditional Thai roof made from grass. Shop owner Chatee Tawongchai, 40, moved from Chiang Rai to Phuket four years ago, and his shop has been open for three years. He follows his parents’ traditional khao soy recipe, which has been passed down from generation to generation. “Khao soy is the most popular dish on the menu here,” Mr Chatee says with pride. “I make the curry first, then I serve it in a bowl to customers, along with the noodles. Then I put crispy noodles on top, and add fried garlic and chopped parsley.” His khao soy is well known in the area and is available in both chicken and pork. Just as it should be, it is creamy and topped with crispy noodles – though it’s also, somewhat non-traditionally, spicy. Mr Chatee said he has adapted the flavour to suit the palettes of Southern Thai people, who generally prefer spicier dishes than those living in the north.
Far top, clockwise, the famous khao soy, khanom jean namn-ngeow, and Mr Chatees. “I collect good quality chilli because this is the most important part for customers. If the chilli is not good, the smell and taste of the curry is not so good. And if the chilli is good quality, it is better value for money be-
cause customers use less when they want to add more spice.” As well as khao soy, Mr Chatee also specialises in two other dishes. The first, is tamyam moo, also known as spicy pork noodles. But perhaps more interestingly is the other dish Mr Chatee makes – khanom jean namn-ngeow. This is a curry made with pig’s blood, pork, noodles, tomato and a traditional flower of the north – ngeow. It has a smooth but strong flavour. Mr Chatee’s noodles are priced from B35, with his famous khao soy costing B40. His restaurant is open from Saturday to Thursdays from 9am to 5pm. Tel. 084-839-3450.
DINING 9
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
Bavaria by the beach
I
Tom Metcalfe editor2@thephuketnews.com
Kokosnuss has a range of delicatessen foods for very reasonable prices.
t’s Ko-ko-snuss” remarks Thomas Moog, passing our table in the forecourt of his restaurant as I struggle vocally with the German word for “coconut.” Mr Moog, a Phuket resident for more than 15 years, started Kokosnuss after the 2004 tsunami wiped out his jewellery shop near Kamala Beach. As the township picked itself up after the disaster, Mr Moog opened a small restaurant in a neighbouring building, which has expanded into a second shop space and a sheltered garden forecourt near the footpath that runs between Kamala’s beachfront road and the town. Southern German food like Wienerschnitzel (breaded Vienna-style beef) is associated with the tavern culture of Austria and neighbouring Bavaria, where Mr Moog hails from. But it’s just one part of the schnitzel spectrum on the menu; from further afield there are smoked pork chops, Kasseler Rippchen, and a selection from the distinguished national catalog of German sausages: spicy Thueringer bratwürste, white Muenchner weisswuerste, smoked Debriziner Hungarian sausage, and herbed Nürnberger bratwürste from Mr Moog’s home region – maybe the most popular German sausage of them all, documented in 1313 and served for centuries with bread,
A beachy breakfast
S
ure, we all have our favourite brunch places, but how often do you go out for breakfast? We’re betting not that often. That’s why the tempting breakfast offering at the Palm Beach Club in Bangtao, managed by Mövenpick Resort Bangtao Beach Phuket, is such a smart idea. There’s a huge attraction of enjoying your first meal of the day directly on the beach, and it would make a great option if you have guests in town and don’t want to crowd around the dining table. Located beachside of the Mövenpick, you have a choice of tables either set in the sand or a spacious covered patio. With adu lts pay ing B 6 5 0 + + a nd c h i ld r en B320++ (aged between 4 and 11), it’s priced competitively especially when compared to the surrounding hotels and resorts that dot the Bangtao area. So what exactly does your money buy you? Diners enjoy a full, five-star hotel buffet spread, which includes an array of pastries, fresh fruit, waffles, cereals and muesli, juices and smoothies, cold cuts, and sandwiches. On
Nothing like breakfast by the beach. Photo: Kiri Heald top of that there is a hot food selection, which ranges from Thai to Western. Thoughtfully, if you’re not in the mood for a big breakfast, you can instead order fresh orange juice with some delicious pastries from their a la carte menu.
Executive Assistant Manager Michael Wenk says this is being expanded in the near future, along with the addition of a new crepe station. For more information phone 076 310 400 or visit moevenpick-hotels.com
The most active club in Phuket with monthly events. Retail outlet at Wana Park, Cherng Talay (Manik). To join the club or see our products visit andaman-wine-club.com
mustard, sauerkraut, and beer. The restaurant is family run and family-friendly – with unfussy food (at unfussy prices) that young children will enjoy sharing, including an adventurous range of salads: potato, eggplant, long beans and winged beans, coleslaws, sauerkraut and a lightly-spiced papaya somtam. Five nights of the week Kokosnuss offers a buffet. On Thursdays when we visited, there was roast pork and roast chicken served with gravy and knödel (bread dumplings) for B190, on Mondays there’s schnitzel, Tuesdays beef roulade, Friday is pizza night and on Sundays there’s a Bavarian brotzeit buffet of cold meats and sausages, cheeses, breads and salads. And for
desert there’s Apfelstrudel, the AustroHungarian Emperor of apple pies. In the mornings Kokosnuss is a popular breakfast spot, bakery and delicatessen, serving cold meats, bacon, hams and sausages – including bludwurst, (black pudding), and cooked meats jellied in aspic – home-made pickles, salads, cheeses, mueslis and fresh fruit smoothies, and a dozen varieties of bread, pretzels, and pastries. Kokosnuss is already a fixture with discerning German tourists and expats, and Mr Moog says the delicatessen meats and sausages in particular have become popular with other nationalities on the island. For more information visit phuket kokosnuss.com or call 081 5385285.
10 DINING GUIDE
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, 25,2013 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY JANUARY 25, List your restaurant here: call 076 612 550 or email sales@thephuketnews.com
EUROPEAN
INTERNATIONAL
ITALIAN
SEAFOOD
Bodega & Grill
Weaves Restaurant
Acqua
Trisara Seafood
Bodega & Grill is situated on a picturesque patio by the lagoon. The restaurant serves premium char-grilled steaks and seafood from a wood-fired oven, as well as authentic homemade pastas, risottos and paellas. Bodega’s generous steaks are available in portions of up to 1.2 kilogram. Angsana Laguna Phuket, Cherngtalay; 076 324 101
Watch the evening sunlit ocean in the lavish and contemporary ambient atmosphere that is the Weaves restaurant. With its intimate low lit private dining, Weaves serves a variety of delectable Asian and International fusion cuisine, rich enticing desserts and tropical blended refreshments. Manathai Resort Phuket, Surin Beach, 076 270 900
Connoisseurs of fine cuisine can revel in Acqua’s experiential concept. The Acqua restaurant experience promises to deliver only the freshest of ingredients, sourced from only the best producers both local and international. Taste explosions from the portfolio of Chef Alessandro Frau, of both traditional & contemporary are offered. Kalim Bay-Patong, 076 618 127
The first truly world-class destination seafood dining experience on Phuket. A private entrance leads guests either to an outdoor, beachfront deck or to the cool, relaxed interior. The menu is a balance between local and imported seafood prepared and served in a Mediterranean way. Lunch 12.30pm-3pm, Dinner 7pm-10.30pm (Closed Sundays). Trisara, 076 310 100
Mom Tri’s Villa Royale
Irish Times
Art Caffè
RE KÁ TA Beach Club
Enjoy fine dining with panoramic sea views in sensually indulgent setting. Delicious Thai and European creations are served on the open-air terrace. Mom Tri’s Villa Royale is the winner of the Wine Spectators Award of Excellence. Situated on the only road into to Kata Noi Beach. Reservations recommended. momtriphuket .com; 076 333 568
The only Irish owned and managed Irish Pub in Phuket. A real Irish Pub at the heart of Phuket’s world famous nightlife. In this traditionally styled Irish pub you will find a very warm welcome from the Management and their fantastic staff. All your favourite Irish food and beverages. Jungceylon, Patong Beach; irishtimespub-phuket.com
The idea of Art Caffè comes from the need to have a place to stop and enjoy something different. Meet friends, exchange ideas, propose initiatives, organizing events or reflect only reading, watching and perhaps enjoying a good cup of coffee. The exhibition space is an affront to the repetitiveness of the artistic culture of the island. Naiharn-Saiyuan Road, 076 388 546
The beachfront restaurant offers modern innovative cuisine with a strong focus on seafood. In the evening RE KÁ TA transforms with Kata’s magical sunsets and cool sounds along with the delicious drinks and tapas, right on the beach. Open daily 6.30am-11pm; Kata Beach (next to Boathouse); info@rekataphuket.com, rekata phuket.com, 076 330 421
Tablespoon Salad & Grill
Super Natural
DaVinci
Baan Kalim Restaurant & Seafood
Discover newest stylish restaurant in modern vintage setting. Creative and unique salad and grill menus are served while you experience a delectable dining in romantic and intimate atmosphere with a reasonable price tag. Open 11am-10pm. 2nd Floor, HomePro Village, Chalong; 076 383 244
Super Food deserves a Super Location. SuperNatural and more. The only waterfront restaurant in Phuket serving exciting raw vegetarian cuisine in addition to our delicious seafood, Thai and International menu. Great selection of fresh to order juices & smoothies, as well as great wines and chilled beers. Open 365 days a year. Facebook Supernatural -Phuket, 2.5km south of Chalong Circle.
Great food and people you know! Authentic Italian cuisine in Nai Harn area. Three different dining areas, cocktail lounge, children’s play area, Delicatessen, live music....DaVinci is not just a meal, it is an experience of taste, atmosphere and more. Restaurant open daily 5pm-11.30pm; Deli open 11am-6pm; Sunday close; Naiharn 076 289 574. davinciphuket.com
Start your evening with delicious food and fine wine. Pick the perfect spot to take in stunning views of Patong bay, as the evening breeze surrounds you. Relax and enjoy live music to make your evening into that truly wonderful and unforgettable dining experience. Open daily 11am-Midnight. Patong; baankalim.com; baankalimrestaurant@hotmail.com, 076 618 125
FRENCH
Gallery Cafe by Pinky
Diavolo
THAI
Breeze Restaurant
Baan Vijitt Restaurant
Phuket’s most exciting new restaurant is situated on the waterfront at Cape Yamu. Chef Cheryl Johnson is providing diners with her innovative modern French interpretations of local ingredients. Open from Tuesday to Saturday for dinner, and from Wednesday to Saturday for lunch. Our menus change frequently. Cape Yamu, Paklok, 081 271 2320
Gallery Cafe by Pinky proudly present to you cafe food at its best. Whether you’re looking for an excellent breakfast or a quick light lunch or dinner plus an outstanding range of fine wines or cocktails. A homemade cake or freshly roasted premium coffee. Open everyday from 8am - 10pm. Rassada Road, Phuket Town. Facebook page ‘Gallery cafe by Pinky‘. www.gallerycafe-phuket.com, 089 103 7000
Tre by DoublePool Villas
Sala Bua Restaurant
An array of culinary experiences is offered to tempt and intrigue in Tre - the exclusive contemporary French Vietnamese restaurant set among the superb surroundings of the DoublePool Villas. Tre’s signatures dishes include scallops and green apples and tartar with pan-fried foie gras. Banyan Tree Phuket, Cherngtalay; banyantree.com
Sit alfresco to embrace the view of Andaman Sea and enjoy an elegant dining experience, where the art of cooking is personally steered by the newly arrived Executive Chef, Hans Engerer. There are many great dishes to whet your appetite, ranging from the East to the West. Open daily 6am to 12 midnight. Patong Beach, www.impiana.com; 076 340 138
A menu of modern Mediterranean influences created by Chef Ryan to tantalize the senses in a modern ambience. Offering everything from fresh seafood pastas to simple good pizzas. An impressive selection of well priced beverages and stunning sea views complete the experience. Open daily for lunch or dinner. Paresa Resort, Kamala Beach; 076 302 000
JAPANESE Tamarind Restaurant
To complement an already distinctive cuisine, Tamarind is bringing to the island high quality authentic Japanese cuisine, courtesy of Master Chef Shiraishi. Gracing our Japanese menu will be fresh sushi, sashimi, healthy salads, yakitori and tempura and much more. Tamarind is your ultimate destination to savour the best Japanese cuisine in Phuket. Cherngtalay; banyantree.com
A half-century old Sino-Portuguese style house at The Vijitt Resort Phuket offers a unique authentic experience of Thai cuisine with a focus on regional specialties. Thai Select Premium Award certifies the quality and standard of product and service here. The Vijitt Resort Phuket, Rawai; fb@vijittresort.com, 076 363 600
Talung Thai
The restaurant has a stunning sunset location, offering views of the Andaman Sea. The menu of southern Thai specialties and true local dishes, are not seen on many other restaurant menus in Phuket. Chill with a cocktail from our award wining mixologist at sunset and then relax with authentic Thai cuisine. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Paresa Resort, Kamala; 076 302 000
WEIRD WORLD 11
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
THE BIG LIST
Weird weapons of war Someone once said ‘war is hell’. And if the weapons on the following list were ever deployed, it would likely have been much worse. Here, some of the weirder proposals for weapons that fortunately never made it onto the battlefield.
The Nazi Sound Cannon: In the early 1940s, German engineers developed a sonic cannon desig ned to shake the enemy apart. The weapon consisted of a combustion chamber to explode methane gas and two parabolic dishes to beam low-frequency sound from the explosion towards enemy forces. At very close range the effects were seriously debilitating, and at a range of between 200 and 400 metres the sonic cannon caused vertigo and nausea by vibrating the bones of the inner ear. But the huge device was vulnerable to enemy fire, which could easily damage the dishes, so the Nazi sound cannon was never put into action. The Stink Spray: A stench weapon dubbed the “Who Me?” was developed by American spies during World War Two. “Who Me?” was issued in pocket atomisers, to be used by French resistance fighters against German occupiers: the idea was that the stinky substance could be sprayed on unsuspecting German officers to humiliate them, and thereby demoralise the German forces. But the stink spray was too powerful to be effective – often the person who did the spraying ended up smelling as bad as the person they sprayed. One scientist described the smell as the “worst garbage dumpster left in the street for a long time in the middle of the hottest summer ever.” (Photo: Sergei S. Scurfield) The Pigeon-Guided Missile: Famed animal behaviour scientist BF Skinner worked on a pigeon-guided missile during World War II. Skinner had experience in training pigeons for his scientific work, and suggested that a team of three birds could be encased in a chamber in the front of a missile and trained to peck at a screen where the enemy target was displayed during the missile flight. If the missile flew off target, the pigeons would peck at the sides of the screen, which could direct the missile to change course. But Skinner had trouble convincing the military to take him seriously and the project was cancelled in 1944. The Puke Ray: Modern defence researchers are working to develop a flashlight-sized device that can make an enemy soldier vomit on command. Formally known as an “LED incapacitor”, the device beams multi-coloured light pulses at the targets eyes: the effects range from “disorientation to vertigo to nausea,” say the researchers, who have found that one particular wavelength of light, dubbed the “Evil Colour”, is especially effective. The LED puke ray is being funded by the US Department of Homeland Security, and the US Navy is funding a puke ray gun that uses radio waves instead of light pulses. There’s also talk of a bazooka-sized version that could be used on mobs. The Gay Bomb: In the mid-1990s, US Air Force scientists suggested dropping bombs filled with powerful aphrodisiacs on enemy troops – ideally, a drug that would cause impromptu “homosexual behaviour,” which would presumably keep the enemy too busy to fight. The proposed weapon was described in official documents as “distasteful, but completely non-lethal.” But the researchers acknowledged that no such aphrodisiac was known to exist. Undeterred, they next suggested using a chemical weapon that would give the enemy bad breath.
White House shoots down Death Star plan
W
ith the US national debt standing at more than US$16 trillion, the White House says it absolutely cannot spend US$850 quadrillion to build a Death Star – the planet-busting super weapon seen featured in the movie Star Wars. The Obama administration paid tribute to legions of Star Wars fans with its playful rejection of the Death Star proposal, which was submitted on its “We the People” This is not the national security solution you’re looking for: the Obama White House petitions website and ‘does not support blowing-up planets,’ said presidential space adviser Paul Shawcross. gathered the 25,000 sigHe also noted that the classic Death Star was poornatures needed for an official response. “The administration does not support blowing up ly designed: “Why would we spend countless taxpayer planets,” wrote Paul Shawcross, an adviser on science dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that and space to President Barack Obama, rebuffing the can be exploited by a one-man starship?” he quipped. request to start building a Death Star by 2016. Although he conceded that “the United States “The administration shares your desire for job credoesn’t have anything that can do the Kessel Run in ation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star less than 12 parsecs,” – as Han Solo boasted about the isn’t on the horizon.” Millennium Falcon – Shawcross highlighted other US Shawcross estimated that building a moonachievements in space. sized super-weapon capable of destroying a planet “We’ve got two spacecraft leaving the Solar System with one energy blast would likely cost more than and we’re building a probe that will fly to the exterior US$850,000,000,000,000,000. layers of the Sun,” he wrote. “We’re working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it,” he said. “We are living in the future! Enjoy it.” AFP
Faithful dog attends Italian church
S
Good shepherd: the 12-year-old dog hasn’t missed a church service in two months.
ince his owner died two months ago, Tommy the dog has not missed a single mass in the small church in southern Italy where his mistress’ funeral was held. When the bells of the Santa Maria Assunta church begin to toll each afternoon in San Donaci near Brindisi, the 12-year-old German Shepherd sets off from the village to get himself a front row seat next to the altar, Il Messaggero newspaper said. His owner, who was known
in local dialect as “Maria tu lu campu” – “Maria of the fields” – had lived alone with Tommy and three other rescue dogs, who used to follow her faithfully on her daily rounds and have now been adopted by the village. After following his mistress’ coffin up to the church on the day of her funeral, Tommy has returned daily, sitting quietly throughout masses, baptisms and funerals, according to local priest Donato Panna, who now wouldn’t do without him. AFP
Swedish train-jacker cleans out apartment block
A
Swedish cleaning lady commandeered an empty Stockholm commuter train last Tuesday, which careered off the tracks when it reached the end of the line and smashed into a block of flats, police said. The train badly damaged the a three-storey building in the upscale Saltsjoebaden neighbourhood but the only the erstwhile driver was injured. The woman’s condition was “serious but stable” after the crash,
said a Stockholm police spokesman. She was initially detained on suspicion of destroying public property, a crime punishable by up to eight years in jail. But the police decided not to charge the her with an offence, after investigators concluded there was no reason to believe that she drove off in the train intentionally. Instead, a number of “unfortunate circumstances” had allowed
her to put the train in motion. Travelling at 80 kilometres (per hour, the train bolted off the tracks when it reached the end of the line and hurtled 25 metres across the snow before crashing to a final halt. “The train was wrecked,” said Stockholm Public Transport spokesman Jesper Pettersson. The train operating company, Arriva, said that driving a train was “doable” for most people, as long as they had the key. AFP
THE PHUKET NEWS
Australia Day in Sydney Harbour
From T he First Fleet A
ustralia Day this year commemorates the 225th anniversary since the first fleet of British convict ships, under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, landed in Sydney Cove on January 26, 1788. It was on that day they ran the Union Jack up a makeshift flagpole to claim New South Wales for Britain. Australia might never have been settled, at least not by the British, had it not been for the loss of Britain’s colonies on the east coast of North America in the American Revolutionary War that ended in 1783 with their independence.
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This deprived Britain of a place to dump all its unwanted citizens – petty criminals, criminals reprieved from death sentences, and political prisoners. Instead, London decided to send them to New South Wales, discovered by Capt James Cook some 18 years before. The arrival of the First Fleet saw 11 ships sail into Sydney Cove with 1,487 people on board, including 778 convicts, of whom 192 were women. The flotilla took eight months to reach Australia. The first records of celebrations of the landing date back to 1808, but in 1818 it
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became the official celebration of the founding of New South Wales, though not of Australia as a whole. That change came 100 years after the First Fleet’s arrival, in 1888, when all colonial capitals apart from Adelaide adopted it as Anniversary Day. Gradually the six states and two territories of the Australian Federation adopted it as Australia Day, though it was not until 1946 that the whole of Australia agreed to celebrate the day as Australia Day. In 1988, the bicentenary, huge celebrations were held
that included the arrival of a replica First Fleet that had set sail from Britain a year before. Not everyone celebrates. Many of Australia’s indigenous people call it Invasion Day, a reference to the fact that many hundreds of thousands of the original people of Australia were wiped out in the decades that followed the First Fleet’s landing. For those who do celebrate, Australia Day is marked with concerts and other mass events and the quintessential Australian celebration, the barbecue, or “barbie”.
M O R F E G MESSA
d o a s r s a b m A T h e A u st ra l i a n
T
oday, Australia Day 2013 is an opportunity for Australians everywhere to reflect on our nation’s achievements and future. Australia is an economically prosperous country filled with talented people, optimism and ideas. We are the birthplace of some of the world’s greatest inventions. We produce some of the world’s finest food. We are home to the world’s oldest continuing culture. We are a great sporting nation. To all Australians holidaying, living and working in Thailand, I wish you a happy and safe Australia Day. Australia Day is also a time for us to reflect on Australia in the global community and our important relationships, including with Thailand. Australia and Thailand have a relationship as broad as it is deep. Our shared geopolitical location in the Asia-Pacific provides the basis for our mutual interests and shared goals. Last year we marked the 60th anniversary of our diplomatic ties. In particular, our trade and investment relationship is strong and continues to prosper, underpinned by the Thailand – Australia Free Trade Agreement and the ASEAN-AustraliaNew Zealand Free Trade Agreement. Australia is now Thailand’s 8th largest trading partner and Thailand is Australia’s 9th largest partner. In 2011-12, two-way trade was valued at over A$17 million. Thai investment in Australia has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years and now stands at over A$13 billion. We are working to encourage more Australian investment in Thailand, currently valued at just over A$2 billion. In education, Australians continue to welcome warmly approximately 20,000 Thais who choose to study in Australia each year. This is helping to build our Australian alumni community in Thailand. The Embassy is proud to support the alumni umbrella group, AustralianAlumni, led by the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (www.australianalumni.com). Australians continue to value the
Australian Ambassador James Wise. warm and generous hospitality of Thais, with over 950,000 Australians arriving in Thailand in 2012. Broad ranging cooperation in defence, law enforcement, customs, agriculture, transport as well as in the arts and culture shows that Australians and Thais work well together. We value working with Thailand as a member of ASEAN in the East Asia Summit and in APEC. On this special day, the Australian Embassy in Thailand invites everyone
www.shadesasia.com
to participate in our latest initiative to share Australia and Australian culture with Thai people. Please visit and ‘like’ our new ‘Australia in Thailand’ Facebook page. We also encourage all Australians in Thailand to register at www.smarttraveller.gov.au.
076 367 566
Mr James Wise, Australian Ambassador to Thailand
info@shadesasia.com
14 TRAVEL
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, 25,2013 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY JANUARY 25,
So near and yet so far Gerry Cummings remarks on the differences between Phuket and Penang Malaysian airline Firefly flies direct from Phuket to Penang four times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), with return ticket prices costing approx. B5,900. For more information on flights, routes and special promotions, call 076 351 477 or visit fireflyz.com.my
I
’d been wanting to go to Penang Island for a long time, primarily because I am a history buff of sorts and knew that the island with its capital, George Town, was steeped in history dating back several hundreds of years. So really, I was killing two birds with one stone when I flew the short one and a quarter hour flight from Phuket to Penang only 650 kilometres away; getting my visa stamped for the next three months, and having the chance to soak in some history and culture. Penang Island is about half the size of Phuket and located along the same coast of the Andaman Sea,
with similar topography and vegetation, but the similarities start to blur after that. Landing at Penang’s newly renovated terminal building, with its smell of fresh paint and cleanliness, was in stark contrast to Phuket’s aging relic that cries out for enlargement and modernisation. Clearing immigration and customs I stepped out not into a frenzied mob of taxi hawkers, but a dignified taxi queue where, like at Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok, I had to purchase my taxi ticket prior to embarking a taxi from the queue. And instead of being ripped off for B600 to B800 for a 45-minute journey as in Phuket, I paid the equivalent of B450 for my ride to the hotel, and any taxis I took thereafter were very reasonably priced. Even though Penang’s roads and highways system is modern and impressive, it is facing the same problems as those in Thailand; too many vehicles. But at least Penang appeared to have a modern bus fleet plying the urbanised area of the island. It was the next day that I learned about, and used the free shuttle bus service that takes tourists and locals alike from the island’s main shopping mall, Komtar, into the core of George Town. What smart, progressive thinking on the part of the city’s elected representatives.
As aforementioned, I was looking for historical and architectural remnants from the past in Penang, and I was not disappointed. Three of the world’s major religions had made sure that their missionaries and merchants from years gone by staked out their claim to as many souls as possible, and this is now reflected in the sheer number of mosques, Christian houses of worship of every denomination, and temples that cater to the kaleidoscope of races from India, China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Europe just to name a few. These houses of worship, from St George’s Church built in 1817, Kapitan Keling Mosque built in 1801, the Goddess of Mercy Temple completed in 1800, or the Indian Mahamariamman Temple with its distinctive gopuram built in 1883, exude feelings of stability and solidness that will perpetuate into the ever and ever. Of course it is not only the religions that have left their mark on Penang; one has only to walk up or down Kapitan Keling or Jalan Penang to experience the diversity of architecture, foods, smells, clothing, hair styles, height and weight of respective races to know that this place may not be unique in the world, but certainly a frontal attack on all our senses of smell, sight and hearing. To get an idea of the variation of gastronomic delights in George Town,
TRAVEL 15
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
Georgetown is a mecca for the cruise ships that dock and disgorge their cargos of humanity onto the streets of the city. It’s easy to see why: There is just so much to see depending upon the appetite; whether art galleries, old mansions, places of worship, points of interest such as the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, restaurants, and shopping and that is only scratching the surface
Clockwise from top left: Pedal rickshaws waiting; Jalan Penang in the evening; Queen Victoria Memorial clock tower; cannons at Fort Cornwallis; St George’s Church, built in 1817; the Snake Temple.
a meal at the upper Penang Road outdoor food emporium is worth the experience as the smells and sounds blitz patrons from 360 degrees. Although there had been small pre-European settlements on the island, it wasn’t until 1786 that Europe made its permanent mark on the island when Captain Francis Light of the British East India company landed and named the island Prince of Wales Island on behalf of the British Regent of the time. Interestingly, prior to settling Penang, Captain Light lived on Phuket and was instrumental in warning the Phuket “heroines” of a planned Burmese attack on the island – the rest is history. Captain Light built Penang’s Fort Cornwallis, originally out of bamboo, but later replaced with bricks and mortar, and this was all part of an agreement he had made with the Sultan of Kebah to protect his Sultanate from both the Siamese and Burmese. If you don’t have the inclination to take all this in by walking the streets in the blazing sun and high humidity, the Penang State Museum on Lebuh Farquhar Road is the place to experience the full monty of Penang from the beginnings and through the centuries. For about B30 (all entry fees in Penang are under B50) you have two floors of historical artifacts to set the head spinning as you try to remember dates, names, places and the use of different instruments. The large emblem of the British East India Company stands out as one of the major features of this island’s development, and a reminder of the long reach of the British Empire worldwide. If you like wandering around old cemeteries as much as I do, then a visit to the Protestant and Catholic cemeteries (separated by a solid stone wall a la Belfast) is a must. Captain Light was the first to test the ground in 1794, and thereafter many of the noble and not-sonoble “whites” who came to Penang to make their
fortunes found themselves buried here many years before they had planned to due to malaria and other diseases; no small reason Penang earned the epithet at that time as “the white man’s grave”. Georgetown is a mecca for the cruise ships that dock and disgorge their cargos of humanity onto the streets of the city. It’s easy to see why: There is just so much to see depending upon the appetite; whether art galleries, old mansions, places of worship, points of interest such as the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, restaurants, and shopping centres and that is only scratching the surface. Outside of Georgetown, which is only a pimple on the surface of the island, there are beaches; Penang Hill, which gives a panoramic view of the island at 830 metres; the Penang National Park for nature lovers; a butterfly farm, bird park, fishing villages, a firefly sanctuary and so much more. I especially recommend a trip to the Botanic Gardens, 30 hectares of beauty with a Japanese garden and troops of monkeys that try so desperately to in-
veigle food from the visitors. Time works against you from the moment you arrive, but as I really did want to see the Snake Temple, conveniently located on the way back to the airport, I asked my driver to take a small detour and arrived in front of the temple along with several large tour buses and dozens of curious tourists. While entrance is free, a very weather worn Burmese python was being used for photo opportunities at a small charge, which I skipped around and found the pit vipers inside and outside of the temple. In the small garden behind the temple, several dozen vipers were relaxing on the branches, oblivious to the surge of humanity around them, and perhaps waiting for the next feeding time. Departing Penang, there was still a lot I hadn’t seen, and if my wanderlust to see new places finally diminishes, I may return to the island. But right now, my thoughts and compass are pointing me in another direction entirely.
16 GAMING
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, 25,2013 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY JANUARY 25,
IN BRIEF ‘SimCity’ beta launches today The reboot of the world’s most popular city simulation game, SimCity, will be available to the public starting today until Monday, January 28. Maxis, the makers of SimCity, are allowing people to sign up at SimCity.com. The beta test is PC only and gamers will only have one hour to play the beta version. The game is scheduled for a full release on March 15.
No Dual Shock controller for PS4 Sony is retiring the Dual Shock design it has used since the first PlayStation, in favor of a controller that will incorporate its Sony Vita design for the PS4, say online reports. The company’s next-generation console, which has yet to be released, is rumored to feature a controller that uses biometric sensors that measure a gamer’s heart rate, a screen in the center of the device, and even a built-in camera. The design would be similar to Wii U’s controller, which has a screen in the center and is used as a mobile device as well.
Duck Hunt BLAST FROM THE PAST
DmC: Devil May Cry
The crying game
Jean-Pierre Mestanza editor@thephuketnews.com
Maker: Capcom and Ninja Theory Released: January 15 Platform: (PS3, Xbox 360)
‘Diablo III’ game boss steps down Jay Wilson’s seven-year run as Game Director of Diablo III has come to an end after he stepped down from the post in order to work on different projects at Blizzard. “While (working on Diablo III) it’s been one of the most challenging and rewarding periods of my life, I’ve reached a point creatively where I’m looking forward to working on something new,” Wilson said in a blog post. The game launched in May 2012 and sold over 10 million copies to date. It is not yet known which project Wilson will work on next.
Jean-Pierre Mestanza editor@thephuketnews.com
A
s a reboot of the popular game series originally developed by Capcom, this version of the franchise is a stellar example of how far games have come in terms of both story and gameplay since then. Released last week for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, DmC: Devil May Cry is a slasher game where the user, controlling the main character Dante, slays demons in the city of Limbo. Dante lives in a universe not a million miles away from ours, by which it is controlled by fat cats who hold power over people through debt and media. He begins working with a group called ‘The Order’, an underground outfit that aims to set things right with the world. Dante is able to see through the
Game devs freed from Greek jail for “spying”
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wo Czech game developers who have spent almost six months in a Greek jail facing spying charges have been freed after posting €5,000 (B200,000) bail last week. Ivan Bucht and Martin Pezlar, of Bohemia Interactive were in jail for 128 days after they were arrested in September 2012 on the island of Lemnos. Authorities charged them with spying after they were found to have videos and photos of Greek military compounds.
The men say they were doing research on the delayed shooter Arma III, which takes place in a military compound on a Greek island. DayZ creator Dean Hall sent out a photo of the pair at the airport in Europe, saying “They’re home! And smiling!”
cloaks of fake humans and figure out who are the true demons in Limbo. However, the universe seems to move against him, even during fights scenes where escape routes are cut off and corruption has even overtaken inanimate objects. The game allows users to juggle weapons during group attacks, causing more damage and increasing the weapon’s effectiveness. The moves are all done with an air of smoothness, which makes it more than just a button-smasher: gamers are rewarded for using innovative killing combinations. It’s easy to see why DmC: Devil May Cry, only released just two weeks ago, has already gained a noted following from people other than fans of the previous version of the game. And as a reboot, it keeps the legacy alive while also pulling in a story that is both interesting and “out there”.
Six games join running for Writers Guild award
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games from 2012 are: Halo 4, Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, A ss a ssin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, Un c h a r t e d : Golden Abyss, and 007 Legends. The orig inal Assassin’s Creed won the award in 2011 and the Uncharted series has won the award twice.
ix game titles have been nominated for a Writers Guild of America award. This is the sixth-year that the WGA - a labour union for w r it e r s w h o work in the US entertainment industry, mainly in film and television has given an award for video-game writing. The six nominated
TOP VIDEO GAMES THIS WEEK
TOP MOBILE GAMES
1
Fifa 13
Xbox 360, PS3, Wii
6
Just Dance 4
Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U
1
Hundreds
2
Far Cry 3 (18+)
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
7
Halo 4
Xbox 360
2
Anomaly Korea
3
Call Of Duty: Black Ops II (18+)
Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U
8
Football Manager 2013
PC, PSP
3
Pudding Monsters
4
Hitman Absolution (18+)
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
9
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
4
The Grading Game
5
Need For Speed Most Wanted
Xbox 360, PS3, VITA, PC
10 Lego The Lord Of The Rings
Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS
5
Deepworld
D
o you remember Duck Hunt? If you were lucky enou g h t o h ave purchased the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), you probably also had the opportunity to play one of the first great video games in Duck Hunt. This classic shooting game allowed gamers to use a the NES Zapper, a controller shaped like a gun that was largely used only in this title. T he game was as straightforward as it could get: shoot down moving targets in ducks that are f lying across the sky. A gamer has a minimum number of ducks to shoot down each round before they can move on. The difficulty then increases with each round. As well as the simple but highly addictive game play, Duck Hunt is also remembered for the hunting dog character that would laugh at the gamer if they failed to shoot down the ducks. In fact, the character has made several “Top 10 Video Game Dogs” lists, as well as taking the prize for “most annoying video game character ever” in reviews. He’s also inspired hunting dog characters in later games. Though gamers could not actually shoot the dog in the original version, the arcade version of the game did allow it. Rumours continue to circulate of a secret hack or cheat that can allow console players the same guilty pleasure. Duck Hunt was the f irst game that buyers of the NES console would get in 1985, and later made Nintendo Power’s list of the “Top 200” Nintendo games of all time.
Do you have a Blast from the Past? Let us know at editor@ thephuketnews.com
FILM 17
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
IN BRIEF Ang Lee mulls Angelina Jolie as ‘Cleopatra’
The Last Stand
Is that you, John Wayne? FILM REVIEW Tom Metcalfe editor2@thephuketnews.com
Director: Kim Jee-Woon Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger Forest Whitaker Johnny Knoxville Luis Guzmán Eduardo Noriega Running time: 107 minutes
I
n The Last Stand, which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first lead role in a decade, Korean-born director Kim Jee-woon delivers a 21st Century take on the “High Noon” movie genre – specifically, 1959’s Rio Bravo, the Howard Hawks film where John Wayne and his rag-tag deputies prepare to defend a small town against oncoming villains. So here we have ‘Ahnuld’ as John Wayne, which might be the apotheosis of his American Dream, even after two terms as the Governator of California. Wayne’s Texas-by-way-of-Iowa drawl became the Voice of the Old West – today, there’s no need to waste any back-story on why the lead character here, small-town Sheriff Ray Owens, has such a distinctive Austrian accent. Arnold is now a treasured piece of Americana in his own right: he has become self-evident. They say Sheriff Ray came to the sleepy New Mexico border town of Sommerton Junction after fighting crime in Los Angeles, where a bungled drug sting killed his buddies. But instead of a quiet semi-retirement policing cats in trees, he’s the man-on-thespot when escaped drug lord Gabriel Sanchez (Eduardo Noriega) – the baddest criminal in
all of Mexico – heads south for the border. Sanchez is driving a souped-up Chevrolet Corvette that can outrun helicopters, and has a band of brutal mercenaries clearing his way. They’ve also fooled FBI agent Agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker) and his team into thinking Sanchez will go elsewhere. But they haven’t fooled Sheriff Ray, who rounds up his deputies (Luis Guzman, Zach Gilford, Jaimie Alexander) and local gun-nut Lewis Dinkum, played by Jackass’ Johnny Knoxville. Dinkum provides the better comic moments in the movie, while his “artillery museum” provides the arsenal of heavy weapons required as the moment of High Noon approaches. “I’ve seen enough blood and death,” says Sheriff Ahnuld: “I know what’s coming.” And so do you, dear viewer. Like most classic Schwarzenegger movies (Junior doesn’t count), The Last Stand is tailored closely to its lead actor’s strengths, which are in the familiar narrow range: he’s the immovable object to the bad guys’ unstoppable force. It’s a modern approximation of an oldstyle Western, this time with Miniguns – not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Iranian movie will counter Affleck’s ‘distorted’ Argo
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ran says it will make its own movie about the American hostage drama during the 1979 Islamic revolution to counter the “distorted” film Argo by Ben Affleck, which swept the Golden Globes awards, media said Tuesday. Iranian actor and filmmaker Ataollah Salmanian was quoted in the reports as saying the screenplay for the Iranian movie was ready. “The draft of the movie, Setad Moshtarak (The General Staff), has been approved by [Iran’s] art centre and it awaits budget to start shooting,” Salmanian said. “The movie is about 20 American hostages who were handed over to the US embassy by Iranian revolutionaries at the beginning of the (Islamic) revolution. This movie... can be an appropriate response to distorted movies such as Argo.” On November 4, 1979, Iranian Islamist students stormed the US
embassy in Tehran and took American diplomats hostage, holding them for 444 days in an action that caused the rupture of diplomatic ties between Washington and Tehran. Argo, produced by Warner Brothers, chronicles the hostage drama, with actor-director Affleck playing
SFX Coliseum Phuket (Central Festival) Gangster Squad (E) [18+] Jack Reacher (E) [15+] The Last Stand (E) [18+] The Last Stand (E/F) [18+] The Last Stand (T) [18+] Texas Chainsaw 3D (E) [18+] Upside Down (E) [G] Upside Down (E/F) [G]
12:15, 14:40, 19:10, 22:00 16:30, 19:20 11:00, 13:20, 15:40, 18:00, 20:20, 22:35 12:30, 17:10, 19:30, 21:45 11:50, 14:10, 16:30, 18:50, 21:10 11:30, 13:30, 17:20, 21:35 12:00, 16:50, 19:10, 21:30 14:50
a CIA agent who rescues six US diplomats from the Canadian ambassador’s residence in Tehran. The movie has been accused of taking liberties with history, notably by exaggerating the role of the CIA in getting the US diplomats out, at the expense of the Canadian envoy in Tehran at the time. Affleck won both Best Dramatic Film and Director awards at this month’s Golden Globes for the movie. Argo has been banned in Iran but pirated copies are being circulated in the country. Iranian media dismissed the movie’s success and criticised the Golden Globes as a “political ceremony.” “Argo is a sign of Ben Affleck’s attempt to recreate Tehran in 1980. While his attempt might be ridiculous for Iranians, it has delighted American experts and critics,” said the daily 7Sobh. AFP
Director Ang Lee says he will “probably” accept an offer to direct historical epic Cleopatra starring Angelina Jolie, after the Hollywood actress wrote to him asking him to come on board. Lee, whose 3D adventure Life of Pi has earned 11 Oscar nominations, said he would read the script before making a decision. “Sony has asked me to shoot the movie and Angelina Jolie wrote to me to express her wishes to collaborate. We admire each other... the project looks very attractive,” Lee told reporters in Taipei. “This is a rare opportunity and I will probably take it.” AFP
Sundance screens short films on YouTube YouTube on Friday began online screenings of a selection of short films being showcased at the Sundance Film Festival underway in an enclave in the mountains of Utah. The “Screening Room” YouTube channel hosted by the Sundance Institute features 12 of the 64 short films slated to debut at the festival. The Institute will continue to curate its Screening Room channel after the festival in Utah ends next week, said a statement from YouTube. AFP
‘Mama’ screams to US box office top spot Newly-released horror film Mama pushed the Oscar-tipped bin Laden manhunt movie Zero Dark Thirty out of the top slot at the North American weekend box office.
Mama, in which a shadowy being trails two young children rescued after being lost in the woods when their parents died, screamed into first place with US$28.1 million in ticket sales on its opening weekend. It stars Jessica Chastain, who won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of a CIA officer in Zero Dark Thirty, which took in US$17.6 million in its second weekend on national release. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new action flick, The Last Stand, earned US$6.3 million in its debut weekend (see Film Review).
US BOX OFFICE TOP 10 1
Mama
$28.1M
$28.1M
2
Zero Dark Thirty
$17.6M
$55.9M
3
Silver Linings Playbook
$11.4M
$55.3M
4
Gangster Squad
$9.11M
$32.2M
5
Broken City
$9M
$9M
6
A Haunted House
$8.33M
$30M
7
Django Unchained
$8.24M
$138M
8
Les Misérables
$7.81M
$130M
9
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
$6.45M
$287M
$6.3M
$6.3M
10 The Last Stand
SFC Jungceylon Phuket (Patong) The Guillotines (T) [18+] The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (E) [G] Jack Reacher (E) [15+] The Last Stand (E) [18+] Texas Chainsaw 3D (E) [18+] Upside Down (E) [G] Wreck-It Ralph (E/3D) [G]
Weekend Gross gross
Film
12:00, 14:20, 18:00 14:50, 20:30 12:00, 16:50, 21:45 11:15, 13:20, 15:40, 18:00, 20:20, 22:35 11:50, 13:50, 15:50, 17:50, 19:50, 21:50 12:30, 16:40, 19:00, 21:20 14:35, 19:30
As some movies and movie times change every Thursday morning, after The Phuket News has gone to press, the accuracy of the following information cannot be guaranteed. For up -to - date information, visit sfcinemacity.com, or call the cinemas directly: SFX Coliseum Phuket 076-209000 and SFC Jungceylon Phuket 076-600-555.
18 ISLAND SCENE
Natthakit Lertsakdadet and Chicha Posri of Advance Asia Furnitech, GM of Central Festival Wilaiporn Pitimana-aree, and Phuket News GM Jason Beavan.
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, 25,2013 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY JANUARY 25,
Able Architects Managing Director Pakhin Aunggulsant and Dr Theerathorn Tharachai of Project Planning & Service plc.
Monthathip Rattanaburi and Tassanee Thainua from Jotun Paint.
FIVE YEARS OF SUCCESS Charly Geser and Phudit Rungruang of H채fele.
Award-winning Phuket architectural firm Able Architects celebrated its fifth anniversary at the Blue Elephant in Phuket Town last Wednesday (January 16).
SAYING CHEESE FOR A GOOD CAUSE The Aussie Pub Club in Kamala holds regular monthly wine and cheese events to raise money for the Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation. Pictured here are guests at the recent January 15 get-together.
FESTIVAL FUN There was a great turnout for the annual Kamala Festival, a three-day event held last week on the Kamala beachfront.
ISLAND SCENE 19
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
Left, Phuket Real Estate Association Vice President, and Executive Vice President of Business Development for Anuphas Montawee “Tommy” Hongsyok.
PHUKET PROPERTY ON SHOW The Phuket Real Estate Association staged its seven-day Phuket Property Show 2013, ending on Wednesday, at Central Festival Phuket. The Phuket News and Live 89.5 were media sponsors.
From left, Phuket News MD Simon Samaan, Phuket Vice-Governor Somkiet Sangkhaosutthirak, Phuket News GM Jason Beavan, and Phuket Real Estate Association President Thanusak Phungdet.
GOLDIE BRINGS GLITZ
Famous British DJ Goldie was in Phuket last Saturday (January 19) to perform at Vinyl Cafe in Phuket Town along with DJ Kensho, Red Catz and Skiba. He is pictured far right with DJ Kensho, and above, with Phuket resident Tom Tabruyn.
Kasam Sriratt, Satchaphol Thongsom, Phuket Vice-Governor Somkiet Sangkhaosutthirak, Phuket Real Estate Association President Thanusak Phungdet, Boonkeng Srisansuchart and Pisarn Trangkasombat.
20 ISLAND SCENE
From left, Phudit Rungruang, Phuket Showroom Manager; Rewat Areerob, Phuket MP; and Rattana Poonsanga, Sales Director.
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, 25,2013 2013 FRIDAY, JANUARY JANUARY 25,
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS Hafele Design Center on the bypass road celebrated its second birthday on Saturday (January 19) with canapes and beverages for a glamorous crowd of guests.
Manassanan Tiensawangkun, Chief Executive Officer of V. S. Group Phuket.
ROYAL PLACE GROWS The Royal Place announced its new expansion plans during a press conference held at Central Festival on Saturday (January 19).
From left, Manassanan Tiensawangkun, Chief Executive Officer of V. S. Group Phuket; Chai-anan Soothikul, Mayor of Kathu; Phatcharasri “Kalamare” Benjamas, television presenter; and Anan Srikasem, Marketing Manager of Baan Thalang Phuket company.
ENTERTAINMENT 21
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 25,2013FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
Singers finally in spotlight at Sundance
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hey sang for the Rolling Stones, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, U2, Sting and Michael Jackson, but they stayed out of the spotlight – until a new documentary gave them a starring role at last. T wenty Feet From Stardom, which opened the Sundance Film Festival, showcases the lives of a series of mostly African American back-up singers whose voices are familiar but whose faces and names are barely known. They have sung on some of the most popular tunes of the modern era, but who knows the names of Darlene Love, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega, Claudia Lennear or The Waters Family? Or Merry Clayton, the female voice on the Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter, possibly one of the most iconic back-up vocals in rock and roll. “ Something that struck me instantly was that it’s not sex, drugs, and rock and roll – it’s a different side of the music industry,” director Morgan Neville told AFP, in the Utah ski resort of Park City, hosting Sundance until January 27. “These are people who have lived their lives making peace with the fact that they are there to disappear in the spotlight,” he added. “In a way, I was making a film about addicts. These are people who are addicted to music. “And it doesn’t matter if they don’t make a lot of money or don’t get any glory – they just care about the music.” AFP
Above, Rita Ora and Snoop Dogg relax on a Phuket beach. Right, Rita with Phuket make-up artist Lisa Allen, who said Rita was “just stunning”. Photos: Instagram
RITA ORA, SNOOP DOGG CHILL IN PHUKET
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ritish singer-songwriter Rita Ora was in Phuket last week, and filmed a video clip with rapper Snoop Dogg while staying at the Sri Panwa hotel. Both were featured in the Daily Mail, with details of their Phuket escapade based on photos from Rita Ora’s Instagram and Twitter accounts. The Hot Right Now singer had posted a photo of herself in costume heading to Phuket’s idyllic beaches. The 22-year old shared a candid snap of herself lying draped across a beach as the rapper crouched over her holding a stick. Rita Ora was born in 1990 in southern Yugoslavia (today, Kosovo) to KosovoAlbanian parents, and moved to the United Kingdom when she was one year old. She released her first album last year, which debuted at number one in the United Kingdom, and featured the three number-
one singles Hot Right Now, How We Do (Party), and R.I.P. “Never one to settle in the shade, Rita made sure she was the centre of attention by showing off her svelte body in a white two piece bikini,” the Daily Mail wrote. Rita and Snoop Dogg, who also goes by the name Snoop Lion, 41, have been collaborating on a track for her next album. Phuket makeup artist Lisa Allen was Rita’s personal make up artist for the duration of the Phuket shoot. She described the experience as “amazing and surreal.” “We shot at a number of private locations with Sri Panwa being the focus here in Phuket. Rita was just stunning and very down to earth, very easy to work with and kind-hearted. “Snoop was very relaxed and easy going, not what you expect from an A-list celeb. “Everyone was extremely appreciative of their mannerisms considering their hectic
schedule. They were both a pleasure to work with.” Snoop Dogg was in Phuket until January 19, when he left for his appearance at the Together Festival in Bangkok, of which The Phuket News was a media sponsor. During a press conference in Bangkok on January 19, Coconuts Bangkok news website reported that journalists presented their questions to Snoop through a translator. This was an arrangement Snoop himself was apparently unaware of, since he paused the conference at one point to ask of the translator, “Why you the only one asking motherf***ing questions?” Snoop gave a generally positive account of his time in Thailand, saying that he hadn’t had a chance to sample Bangkok’s street food, though he had snuck in some shopping, the website reported. “This is my first time coming to Thailand in general,” he said. “But it won’t be my last time.”
Snoop drops it like it’s hot in Bangkok CONCERT REVIEW Natasha Horrelt
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s a man who once quit being a bona fide pimp to “spend more time with his family,” Snoop Dogg – now officially known as Snoop Lion – put on a decidedly more subdued yet still enigmatic performance at Saturday night’s Together Festival in Bangkok. On the night the rapper, who knows a thing or two about the game, having 11 studio albums already on the books, showed he’s not ready to step aside for talent younger than his 41 years.
A hugely influential figure in the 1990s hip hop scene, along with luminaries like Dr Dre and Eminem, the star proved an older Dogg doesn’t always need to learn new tricks to stay on top. After a highly dramatic video intro featuring Snoop’s finest moments set to classic gangster movie scenes, the concert lagged with sound issues that left the audience less than impressed. Shortly into his first song a member of Snoop’s entourage ran out with a mic to replace his broken “blinged” out piece. When he realised that one was leaving the audience straining to hear as
well, he threw it down. The crowd exploded with appreciation giving Snoop a laugh as he said, “that’s the sugar I was looking for.” Aside from a stilted and stiff version of Katy Perry’s California Girls, the Doggfather had the entire stadium jumping, shaking and yes booty shaking, for the rest of the night. Replete with backup dancers, a rapping entourage and a mascot, Snoop took the crowd through classic old school beats including House of Pain’s Jump Around and his own Drop it Like it’s Hot. In a move that amped up the
volume inside the arena, Snoop brought local artists Thaitanium onstage to collaborate – a decision that seemed to leave both the group and the audience in appreciative awe. His hit Smoke Weed Everyday drew a few small puffs of smoke, but the Bangkok fans kept it to a minimum. Although Snoop once stated he would retire by opening up an icecream stand entitled Scoop Dogg, it appears calling an end to his career is far from his mind. Although he’s left the fur coats and pimping behind, Snoop left no doubt that he’s still the father of all Doggs.
22 EVENTS
FRIDAY JAN 25
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, 25,2013 2013 List your event for FREE at thephuketnews.com/events.php FRIDAY, JANUARY JANUARY 25,
Indian curry buffet, B449 net per person. 7pm-11.30pm. Call 076 286 464.
SATURDAY JAN 26
Live Music at Underwood Art Factory The home of Phuket’s finest performers, coming together to bring a night of entertainment, delicious food, and great fun. The Lost Legends: Colin (ILLY) Hill and Pjae Stanley. Every Friday. All performed on a unique built stage at the Underwood Art Factory. For booking call 091 034 3381.
8pm, Expat Sports Bar, Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www.expatsportsbar.com.
Live Music at Underwood Art Factory The home of Phuket’s finest performers, coming together to bring a night of entertainment, delicious food, and great fun. Every Saturday live music from The Blues Revival. All performed on a unique built stage at the Underwood Art Factory. For booking call 091 034 3381.
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on January 26, the date commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet of British settlers at Sydney Cove in 1788.
For more information call Kiwi on 083 640 1082.
Sunday Roast Pork
BBQ at Expat Hotel
Australia Day
Fish and Chips Friday Night
in need as well as empowering them. Place: Plaza Del Mar, Laguna (Behind Bake). Time: 9am to noon. See thegoodshepherd.info.
SUNDAY JAN 27
Sunday roast pork or beef dinner every Sunday 2pm onwards at Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. B290 per person. See www.expathotel.com.
MONDAY JAN 28
Schnitzel Day Kokosnuss Restaurant - Every Monday, Schnitzel, fried potatoes and salad buffet B190 per person. Starts 5.30pm. For more info please visit phuketkokosnuss.com.
B250 per person. At Irish Times Pub, Jungceylon Patong.
Sunday Carvery B399 per person all you can eat. Roast beef, BBQ ham, chicken, pork, fresh vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and a glass of selected beverage. At Irish Times Pub, Junceylon Patong.
Pool Competition at Expat Hotel Pool Competition at 9pm. Expat Sports Bar, Expat Hotel, Soi Taipan, Patong. www. expatsportsbar.com.
Curry Fridays at Navrang Mahal Every Friday, all-you-can-eat authentic
Saturday Shopping at The Good Shepherd Charity Shop
BBQ Night Buffet at Karon Phunaka Restaurant
We have a wide and creative range of handicrafts such as toys, greeting cards, ornaments, lanterns, bags, purses and many more. You can also find exquisite arts and craft made by local residents. Pre-loved items include books, clothes and toys. Handicraft items are handmade by the women from The Good Shepherd centres. All proceeds go directly to The Good Shepherd’s mission of helping those
Offers diverse and exquisite menus, served indoors open fresh air, or in the crisp open air on the terrace with an invigorating view of waterfall, Karon bay sunset and Andaman Sea. Every Monday enjoy BBQ Night Buffet by Swimming Pool at only B590 nett per person. Every Thursday, Pasta Night [Buffet] at B390 nett per person. Contact 076 337 800; secretary@karonphunaka. com.
Sunday Chillout at Sunsets Bar Sunday chillout every week. Live music, free BBQ or buffet, free karaoke, free pool table. Happy hour every day midday to 6pm, beverages from B60. Bar open every day midday until late. Farang hospitality, everybody welcome. Sunsets bar and guesthouse, 62 Hasip Pee Road, Patong.
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013 List your event for FREE at thephuketnews.com/events.php FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
EVENTS 23
Ao Chalong Yacht Club Everyone welcome
“Award winning chef from Airlie Beach, Australia. Fabulous breakfast, and authentic western Sunday roast from 12 - 4pm - just like home! Home made desserts eg. cheesecake, bread & butter pudding, apple pie made fresh every day.”
There is parking on site, cool breezes and a beautiful view. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 8.00am 7 days per week. Tel: 090 890 8993 email: amandaleehay@bigbond.com
buy 1 get 1 free. Quiz master Dj Doris, from 91.5FM. Bar Tabs: 1 Prize B1,500. 2 Prize B1,000. Every Wednesday Night From 8 pm. Free entry. Maximum 4 people per team. At Irish Times Pub, Jungceylon Patong.
BBQ All You Can Eat Mondays and Thursdays. BBQ all you can eat: Pork, Chicken, Beef, Prawns, Fish and Squid with salad buffet, cold and hot sauces, Garlic Bread, baked potatoes, potato salad and more for B325 per person. 7pm-11pm. Located in Patong on Rat-U-Tit 200 Pee Road next to Hotel Mercure.
TUESDAY JAN 29
BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat
Quiz Night at Grizzly’s Pork Roast and Roast Chicken Every Thursday. Buffet includes salads, soups, mashed potatoes, bread dumplings. ALL YOU CAN EAT B190. www.phuketko kosnuss.com.
meal. Listen to good music, enjoy sport on large TV. Play pool or dart games or just enjoy the unique surroundings. Selected beverages. At 4-8pm and midnight till late. Plus free pool sponsored by Komodo Bar. From 8-9.30pm. Come on everybody - Let’s party. Call 087 280 3282.
SUN FEB 3 - MON FEB 4
Wednesdays and Fridays. BBQ ribs all you can eat with salad buffet and potato salad for B295 per person. 7pm-11pm. Located in Patong on Rat-U-Tit 200 Pee Road next to Hotel Mercure.
THURSDAY JAN 31
Starting January 29, every Tuesday night. Snacks available. Registration 7.45pm. 1,000 Baht voucher to winners. Grizzly’s Sports Bar and Restaurant, located between Loch Palm Golf Course and Kathu waterfall. Contact 086 951 4962.
2013 from 12.30pm – 6.30pm at Old Town Phuket(Thalang Road). The Application date opens from now - January 27 at www. facebook.com/BabaLifePhotoAtPhuket. Further information, please contact AMTEC Faculty of Technology and Environment Print of Songkla University, Phuket Campus, call 076 276 471 or Canon Floor, Central Festival Phuket, call 076 307 044-5 e-mail: centralphuket_cmt@cmt.cnon.co.th.
The Unique One Rare Selection of Art by Khun Manop & Mike
Mom Tri's Baan Kata Arts Fest You are invited to join the Baan Kata Arts Fest 2013 at Mom Tri’s Villa Royale. Sunday February 3 and Monday February 4. On February 3 there will be an opening exhibition for paintings by Mom Tri Devakul at the VR Gallery and on February 4 ML Usni and his ensemble will perform a classical music concert at Villa Royale. Tickets for the concert are B500 each. Contact 076 333 568. See: http://momtriphuket.com/ baankata-artsfest.html.
Runs until January. 31, 2013. Born in 1982, Nakonsitumarat, Thailand. Monap (Boy) Srisawang graduated with a Bachelor of fine arts degree in 2004 from Rajamangala University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. He worked in Chiang Mai for two years after graduation. He moved to Phuket island in 2006. During this time, Khun Boy has proven himself as a very fine relief sculpturist and created many relief sculptures that can be seen all over Phuket. His work will be on display at Home-Pro Shopping cetre, Chalong, from 9am - 9pm daily and at Rawai Plaza, Rawai Beach all year round. Tel: 087 280 3282.
EVERY DAY Half Chicken Spit Roast Tuesdays and Saturdays: Half chicken spit roast with French Fries, Salad buffet, Potato Salad & Gravy sauce for B225 per person. 7pm-11pm. Located in Patong on Rat-U-Tit 200 Pee Road next to Hotel Mercure.
Karaoke Night Fever Enjoy Karaoke night every Thursday at Ao Chalong Yacht club. Starting at 7pm. Call 090 809 8993.
FRIDAY FEB 1
Pool Competition at Expat Guesthouse Pool Competition every Tuesday 9pm Expat Guesthouse Sports Bar, Patong. See map at www.expatguesthouse.com.
WEDNESDAY JAN 30
Phuket’s First Audio Video Interactive Pub Quiz B99 per drinks and selected beverages
Sugar Reef’s 1st Year Birthday Bash Live music by “Our Father ” band plus free buffet and free special jellies. 8pm start, opposite Tesco, Cherngtalay, 087 898 9160.
SUNDAY FEB 3
Photo Marathon Contest- Baba Life Photo @ Phuket Enjoy Colorful Baba Costume, retrospect the wave of nostalgia on Sunday March 3
Pool Competition: Meet The Best Players in Town Designed and built by a Thai-Canadian family in 2011, The Plaza is a very fine sculpture and walled relief garden and entertainment centre. Artist’s pictures can be seen at the plaza walls all year round. The art pieces are donated by “The Unique One,” a rare selection of art by Khun Manop and Mike. Pool competition is sponsored by Komodo Bar at 9pm. Entry fee B100 plus one free beverage. Come on everybodylet’s party. Call 087 280 3282.
Double Happy Hours At the end of the Rawai beach strip, Rawai Plaza is the best entertainment venue for those who seek a bit more fun after a good
Monday Party, Tue. Party, Wed, Party, Thur. Party, Fri. Party What the Puck Saturday Party, Sunday Party Come on everybody, let’s party At Rawai Plaza, cool atmosphere, unique setting. happy people. WILL PERFORM JUST FOR ASKING!!! POLE DANCE BY EMMY THAI DANCE BY NANCY & HIS FRIENDS SO, DON’T BE SHY!! Shows sponsored by Emmy & Joey Bar Nancy Ni Nancy Bar Rawai Plaza, Rawai Beach, Phuket 087 280 3282
daily event updates on
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
24 TIME OUT
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
This week in history
GOT YOUR NUMBER
■■ January 25, 1995 Russia’s nuclear forces go to their highest alert after an unexpected missile test launch in Norway triggers Cold War plans for nuclear retaliation. ■■ January 26, 1788 The British First Fleet arrives at Port Jackson to establish the city of Sydney, the first permanent European settlement in Australia. ■■ January 27, 661 The Rashidun Caliphate ends with the death of Ali, the son-in-law of the Muslim prophet. The disagreement over his successor split Islam into Sunnis and Shias. ■■ January 28, 1896 Englishman Walter Arnold becomes the first person convicted of speeding. He is fined one shilling for travelling at 8 miles an hour – four times the limit. ■■ January 29, 1819 British colonialist Stamford Raffles lands on the island of Singapore to found the “Lion City” as a counter to growing Dutch dominance of the region. ■■ January 30, 1703 A group of Samurai warriors led by Ōishi Kuranosuke avenge the murder of their master, then commit seppuku (ritual suicide) and enter Japanese folklore as “The Forty-Seven Ronin.” ■■ January 31, 1961 The first American “astrochimp”, who became known in the media as Ham, flies into space on a Mercury-Redstone rocket and returns safely.
20,000,000 Weight in tonnes of the average iceberg.
30,000
Number of quills (spines) on a porcupine.
200
Number of trees an efficient beaver can fell in a year.
17
Age at which Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded their first company, Traf-O-Data.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
January 31, 1961: ‘Ham’ the space chimp relaxes on his recovery ship after his historic rocket flight into space.
Crossword by Myles Mellor
1. Alekthophilia is the love of what? 2. If a human population suffers from an epidemic, what does an animal population suffer from? 3. Which was the top-grossing movie of 2012? 4. Benelli, Desert Toys and Sako all make what products? 5. Which football goalie has to wear special headgear because the bone in his skull is abormally weak?
Answers at the foot of the page.
SUDOKU
Across 1. 60s rock group, with Corner 5. Slight 9. Partition 14. Lion’s beard? 15. Type of insurance for owners 16. Pointed arch 17. Nose out 18. Tapi endings 19. Rich tapestry 20. Place for pessimists 23. Virgo mo. 24. Cries at a circus 25. Keen 28. Swimmer’s gear 30. Banned pesticide, for short 32. “Star-Spangled Banner” preposition 33. Tongue 35. Conundrum 37. Invest in a risky fashion 40. Witch 41. Bean 42. Greyhound, e.g. 43. Magazine revenue source 44. Come back again 48. Go up and down 51. Supporting 52. Grassy area
53. Investing term that came from poker 57. Salad oil holder 59. Old audio system 60. Horse course 61. Where to get a fast buck? 62. Fall locale 63. Anatomical network 64. Experiments 65. Used to be 66. Four’s inferior Down 1. Cells in the sea? 2. Improvised 3. Captivate 4. At no point in time, contraction 5. Native American people 6. Scottish water areas 7. Mosque V.I.P. 8. City in Arizona 9. Drenches 10. Wading bird 11. Great musicians 12. “Desperate Housewives” actress, first name 13. Court matter
21. A chemical salt 22. Deserter 26. Romeo or Juliet 27. Blunder 29. Distinctive flair 30. Beach sights 31. Angry outburst 34. Investor’s alternative 35. Inquisitive people 36. Look at flirtatiously 37. Constant 38. Flower starts 39. Belladonna poison 40. ABC’s rival 43. Amazement 45. Plant 46. Fertility goddess 47. American sharpshooter 49. Driving hazard 50. Common carriers 51. Flute player 54. Consider, with on 55. Cover up 56. Legal wrong 57. PC component, for short 58. Delicacy
Solutions to last week’s puzzles:
Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz:
1. Chickens; 2. An epizootic; 3. Marvel’s The Avengers; 4. Guns; 5. Petr Čech (Chelsea)
WEEKDAYS Breakfast The Power Hour Lifestyle Drive Non Stop Music
Sam & Natasha Live 89.5
SATURDAYS 7am - 11am 11am - 12pm
Live 89.5 Got Talent Weekend Brunch
Siobhan McGovern Kirsty Meyer
9am - 10am
Best Of Breakfast
10am - 1pm
Live 89.5 Dance Anthems
SUNDAYS Sam & Natasha
5pm - 7pm
Weekend Brunch
Kirsty Meyer
10am – 1pm
Steve
7pm - 10pm
The Spin
Tim Newton
1pm - 4pm
Jason Wilder
4pm - 7pm
Steve Johnston
12pm - 3pm
Phuket News Radio
Live 89.5
1pm - 2pm
Saturday Night Fever
Live 89.5
10pm – 12am
International Chart Show Top 40
Jason Wilder
3pm - 7pm
Box Of Neutrals
Live 89.5
2pm – 3pm
Non Stop Music
Live 89.5
12am – 10am
Sunday Night Chill
Live 89.5
7pm - 10pm
Live 89.5
7pm - 7am
Going Green
Nick Anthony
3pm – 5pm
Tel: 076 612 895 SMS: 090 490 7895
Non Stop Music
Live 89.5
10pm – 7am
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Jobs
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
White Nissan for sale Nissan Tida 2010 model, automatic > 22
classifieds@thephuketnews.com
Boomerang Village Resort: Job Opportunities at Boomerang Village Resort Cafe Del Sol Restaurant.
C & C M a r in e Urg ent Posi t ions: Store Supervisor: Good command in English/Responsible/Leadership/Problem solving skills. Please contact : 076 273247, 076 272049 or send resume by: info-phuket@candc-marine.com
Waiter / Waitress (4) Restaurant Captain (1) Bartender / Bartendy (1) Boomerang Village Resort Receptionist (2) Manager, Receptionist (1) Guest Relation (1). Contact: Email boomerangvillageresort@gmail. com, 085 692 3474.
Looking for people who love animals: And would like to do some volunteer work looking after sick, injured and homeless dogs in Thalang area. Contact: Sherin. peace@gmail.com.
Restaurant Manager Wa n t e d: Re st au r a nt manager / accounting with experience managing restaurant, accounting, managing staf f and ser ving customers. Please call 087 471 1351.
Webdeveloper: Knowl- We are looking for edge: HTML, CSS, JQuery, key members: Res-
Javascript, Photoshop, Thai taurant manager, execuWaiter/Waitress: Thai Sales Executive: 1-2 day, school holiday. Contact Content Management nationality and speak ba- tive chef, waiter / waitress, Nationality - Minimum 1-2 years experience in Sales 082 323 1188. /Marketing: Qualifica- sic English and good in- guest service agent (Engyears experience for same position - Good command of English - Friendly and outgoing be able to work in a team. Contact 076 314 345, email: manager@phuketad ventureminigolf.com.
Kiosk Attendee: Must be responsible - Good command of English - Service minded & flexible to welcome our guests, sell adventure mini golf tickets (fees), soft drinks and souvenirs etc. Contact 076 314 345, email: manager@ phuketadventureminigolf. com.
& Mrk - Good command of English & computer Friendly and outgoing able to work within and as part of a team - Have own motorbike or car with driving license. Contact 076 314 3 45, email: manager@ phuketadventureminigolf. com.
Sales Wanted: Sales woman wanted for smart home/AV company, Phuket area. Reasonable English skills. Salar y plus commision/expenses. Send CV with photo to info@techworx.asia.
tions: Thai Nationality and speak basic English and good interpersonal skills. Preference given to those with driver’s license. Please email: kritsanaphat@lepep group.com.
terpersonal skills. Develop and modify websites on detailed design specifications. Email: kritsanaphat@ lepepgroup.com.
Restaurant Manager Wanted: Thai National Japanese Teacher - English Speaking/Writ- Wanted: Looking for Na-
Thai Cook-Sous Chef ing - Managing Experience tive Japanese speaker to Wanted: Thai/Western Preferred. Contact 085 478 help me improve my Japa-
restaurant is looking for 8366. Art teacher - Thai or Philipino: International Draf tman Wanted: an experienced Thai cook. School in Phuket (Chalong) is looking for a Thai or Philipino national to join our team as an art-assistant teacher. We offer good salary, working Monday-Fri-
Thai, Draftsman with Autocad experience, basic English, can drive. Send resume at office-manager@ techworx.asia or call 081 080 3773 for more details.
WRITE YOUR CLASSIFIED PREMIUM: PAY ONCE UNTIL SOLD B2,799+VAT. PAY ONCE UNTIL SOLD WILL RUN ONLINE AND IN EVERY PRINT EDITION UNTIL YOU HAVE SOLD. INCLUDES ADDITIONAL 9 PICTURES ONLINE.
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Online upgrades:
Website link B199
Print upgrades:
Extra lines B99
Urgent banner B199 Box B199
Colour Background B199
Colour Headlines B199
INCLUDE NOVOSTI PHUKETA (FREE TRANSLATION TO RUSSIAN) B1,699+VAT.
DEADLINE: MONDAY 11.59PM (MIDNIGHT) FOR THAT WEEKS ISSUE Hand this in at agent shops, our office or fax: 076 612 553
lish speaking and writing, male preferred) room maid, room boy, cleaner, technical engineer. Email: care@ bydlofts.com.
Must work under pressure, team player and with good organisation skills. Working hours 11.00-22.00. Good tips. Please contact 086 940 4801.
Thai Chef Cook Wanted: Thai National. Experienced Chef for Thai Cooking. Please contact 085 478 8366.
nese skills. Need to study grammer and Kanji and have Intermediate level conversation. Willing to do English language exchange. Please email: ba sima_naser21@hotmail. com.
T
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
CLASSIFIEDS 17
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
JOBS IN PHUKET
List your ad for FREE at thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php waitress. Room, Social Security, Bonus. Come join our team. Please send CV and photo to altimthai@ yahoo.fr.
As Phuket’s most exciting and unique resort, nowhere else comes close to The Village Coconut Island. Phuket, The Village offers a range of beautifully designed luxury villas and suites to rent, superb leisure facilities, and fantastic dining options.
Sea Bees Diving is looking for a reliable and responsible person, Western or Thai, for our Head Office in Chalong. Applicants should be fluent in English and other languages (German preferred) with good communication, sales skills and willing to work in a highly professional & diverse team. Flexible, able to work under pressure and be service orientated is a must. This position is long-term & with a full-time contract. Please send your CV & recent photo to: office@sea-bees.com
Swedish/Finnish Sp eaking Guid e: Swedish/Finnish speaking tour guide wanted for cruise boat, for tours around Phuket and Krabi. Great customer service skills & knowledge of Phuket & Thailand. Email Lotta - lotta@lamoet.com.
-Purchasing Manager: 1 Position
Staff for Dive Center Office: Immediate start. 6 days/week. Good salary, adjusted to ability/ experience. Thai female with good English/computer/book-keeping skills required. In-house training possible. Chalong area. 088 380 9712.
-Waitress
-Chief Engineering: 1 Position -Spa Therapist: 4 Positions -Reservation Officer: 1 Position Contact 076 338 888. Email: pncphuket@sala phuket.com.
tionality only. Waitresses 2 positions, Bartender 1 position. Experience and good English will be an advantage. Good salary and benefits. Contact Khun Jana 086 947 5197, jana@davinciphuket. com.
area. 3 - 4 hours, 2 times weekly. Contact 089 972 3861.
Join Your Team: The C h a r o l a i s S te a k h o u s e Looking for staff waiter and
Office Manager Wanted : Female /Thai , fluent in speaking and writing English, good computer skills, Accounting and administration skills required. Preferably experience of at least two years. Please send your CV and photo to: monsoonpatong@gmail.com.
Housekeeper Surin Beach: Good base pay, conditions and tips. Working with high end clients. Live in or live out. Will consider couples as well as individuals. Call Todd for more details 089 005 0700.
Apprentice Chef: 6 Star resort on Natai Beach is looking for young Thai chef with positive attitude, motivation and creativeness to work with 3 Michelin star chef. Good English speaking is required. Email: hr@iniala.com.
• 2* Chinese Nationals or Fluent Chinese language skills • 2* Russian Nationals or Fluent in Russian language skills • 5* Thai Nationals
Salary B9,000. Service charge B4,000. If you worked in hotels before it will be an advantage. Contact 076 210 511. Send CV and photo to linkwanjai@me.com.
Responsibilities: The Guest Services Agent performs check-in / check-out of hotel guests
Nanny Wanted: Kamala area family with two young boys needs full time nanny for after school and weekends, good English required, prefer Thai national, Excellent salary, leave and meals provided. Please contct 081 270 2180.
Two Chefs Sales: Two Chefs are looking for a outgoing sales person. You should be speaking very good English and be used to work with computers. Thai national between 2535 Salary from B23,000 plus benefits. Email: jon@ twochefs.com.
Secretary Kindergar- S i t u a t i o n Va c a n t: A p p r e n t i c e C h e f : ten: Must have good Eng- Cleaner part time Patong Looking for a young Thai lish and computer skills Monday-Friday, 7.30am5pm, Chalong. Contact 0 8 0 6 24 70 6 0 . Em a i l: phuketpreschool@yahoo. com, www.buds-phuket. com.
We are currently recruiting for Guest Service Agents with the following language skills:
-Bartender
DaVinci Restaurant in Nai Harn: Thai na-
Sala Phuket Jobs Vacancy:
Chinese, Russian and Thai Guest Service Agent
Phuket Brasserie Jobs Recuitment:
chef for new restaurant in a villa complex in Phangnga. Successful candidate will be trained in Spain with three Michelin stars chef. Good command of English required. Email: hr@iniala. com.
established hotel requirements. He/She provides information to any guest or visitor enquiry. • Input and access data in system • Listen and respond to guest enquiries • Prom ote positive relations with all individuals who approach the Front Desk and by telephone • Focus on guests’ needs, remaining calm and courteous • Work with the required computer systems. • Develop and update the guest history • Handling guest complaints • Ensure security of guest room access • Comply with the grooming and uniform standards • that the highest level of service and communication in maintained • Comply with all Hotel Standards and Procedures • Actively promote a work environment, which cares for guests and as sociates alike • Perform any other duties that may be assigned to him/her Contact : The Village Coconut Island 51/7 Moo. 6 T.Kohkaew A.Muang Phuket 83200 Thailand Tel : 076-352153, 081-9686912 E-mail : Laddawan@thevillage-coconutisland.com, hr@thevillage-coconutisland.com
www.thevillage-coconutisland.com Reception/Account- ary start B12,000+benefits. cooking. Hours: Monday ing Wanted: Two Chefs Email: jon@twochefs.com. to Saturday. 8.30 am to are now looking for a reception staff that can speak very good English when a big part of the job is to speak with our customers both foreign and Thai. Sal-
See twochefs.com
Maids Wanted: I am looking for a maid to clean iron and do a little bit of
5.30pm. Salary according to experience. Please contact 084 851 9795, email: phuketproperties@gmail. com.
On Sale
NOW!
Class Act Media is southern Thailand's most comprehensive media company, incorporating Phuket’s leading English newspaper ‘The Phuket News’, Phuket’s leading English radio station ‘Live 89.5’, a host of publications & services including ‘The Phuket Colouring book’, ‘The Southern Sun Samui’ & ‘Phuket Ticket Master’. WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEKING
Administrative assistant Responsibilities :
● Answering/forwarding the incoming calls to relevant staff ● Welcoming guests/visitors of Phuket News & LIVE 89.5 FM ● Providing customer services via emails & face to face ● Managing inventory/stock of stationery including purchasing ● Providing administrative support to Admin including faxing, filing, copying etc. ● Assisting on translation from Thai to English & English to Thai
Qualifications:
● Thai nationality ● Bachelor Degree in related field ● Excellent communication in English ● Has excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to handle multi-tasks ● Proactive, detailed-oriented & work well in a fast-paced environment ● New graduated students with excellent English are welcomed to apply!
We offer:
Every book sold helps disadvantaged kids.
● Working 5 days a week/Monday-Friday (08.30 – 18.00 hrs.) ● Friendly work environment ● Social security (10%) paid by the company ● Excellent career progress opportunity
With 22 Island Scenes to colour in, it makes the perfect gift for your children, friends and family.
Interested candidates are invited to send application with full resume in English indicating qualifications, experience, expected salary with recent photo via email to adminmgr@thephuketnews.com or fax your resume to 076-612-553
Class Act Media Co., Ltd.
99/7 Moo 1 T. Kathu A. Kathu Phuket 83120 Tel: 076 612 550-2 ext 100 Fax: 076 612 553 adminmgr@thephuketnews.com
Free colouring crayons with every copy! For commercial inquiries, call Boo on 088 766 1615 or email pr@thephuketnews.com
POWERED BY
To order your copy today, call 076 612 550 or email info@thephuketnews.com
w w w. p h u k e t c o l o u r i n g b o o k . c o m
Thalang Road is one of the oldest streets in Phuket, with many hous
DID YOU KNOW? Every January, the whole street is closed for the
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Property
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
Naiharn townhouse
Boasts views over Nai Harn lake > 18
“More than just office space”
Phuket Cottages
Near British International School, pool-villas starting from THB 8,800,000.
For your private or virtual office
www.phuket-cottages.com
call Martin on 08 9874 9080 info@asiapacificoffices.com
Call: 089-724-7211
www.asiapacificoffices.com
PROPERTY FOR RENT
quiet nature for your relaxation. Massage, Tours, and Services. Start from only B599. Contact 083 173 9636. B.Jack, email: naiharnbeachresort@hotmail. com.
ศูนย์ธุรกิจปาล์มพลาซ่า
Laguna area, Cherngtalay From 8m2 to 120m2
PROPERTY FOR SALE
Condominium for Rent (RPM-C2): From
Sale Bar, Hotel + 1 Shop Rawai Beach: Land
B8,800 per night. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. Pets: Not allowed Ms.Laddawan - CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) 076 239 967/085 661 0623.
Suite Condo Patong Beach, Phuket, has kitchenette, terrace, TV, CD player, telephone, WiFi, has full use of hotel facilities, restaurant, room service, Swiming Pool, Tennis Courts, Gym. 120mt to beach 5 minutes to Patong. email penthouse2102@gmail.com, 089 972 3861, 089 570 1519.
Guesthouse for Lease in Patong: 12 rooms, good location Nanai Road. 9 years lease: very low rent, strong starting, easy to manage and good return on investment. Price 1.2MLN. Take this opportunity. Thamad17@yahoo. com. 089 728 4005.
Villa for Sale (PKS0857): B39,000,000.
Surin Beach Office For Rent: Prime location
To Let Penthouse Studio Apt: Andaman Beach
fully renovated sales office/ shop with initial lease of 6 years. Internal area 144 m2, walled back garden 60 m2, 4 parking spots, 3 phase, kitchen, internet, phone/ fax, TV, 5 AC. Contact 085 060 0033.
or 2 Bdrm, 2 Bathrm, Kitchen, large Balcony, Parking, 24 hrs Security, Gymnasium, Swimming Pool. Ph: 076 486 624 and 086 281 9311. Email: bao200@gmail.com.
Ocean Front Villa for rent: Luxury brand new vil-
on 5th floor of Patong Tower, close to beach, post office, Jungceylon. 69 sq.metre: B34,500 per month. 106 sq.metre: B53,000 per month. 126 sq.metre: B63,000 per month. 076 341 369-71.
3 bedrooms, Address: Rawai. Typical unit size: 485 sq.m. Land area: 224.4 sq.m.Ms Prakaipeth - CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) 076 239 967/081 538 6879.
plot 70 0 sqm+building+10 bed+10bath+2 restaurants. New renovated. Private financ ing by ow ner. D ow n 2MB+13yearly payment of 1MB. Own forever title land 100 metre to Rawai landing pier. 084 242 8914, rawai4@ yahoo.com.
Nai Harn Beach Townhouse: 3 story, 2 bed townhouse. Views over Nai Harn lake and only one minute walk to beach.Lease or free hold. Roof top BBQ/Sala. Buy of the Century. B6,500,000. Call 081 270 4291. See phuketpremi umrealestate.com.
Luxury Ocean View Apartments for Rent in Kata and Karon: 1
Happy Home Apartment for sale: Nice
Shop Front for Rent:
Office for rent Patong Tower: 3 Offices for rent
beautiful gardens, completly renovated new tiles, light, painting, new furniture, kitchen, shower and toilet. 2.5 B/T. Contact English 085 471 9246, Thai 087 621 3405.
la, fully furnished and ready to move in, 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms with infinity 10 metre long swimming pool and truly beautiful sea view. Located in a small development, only 50 metres from the sea and 3 mins from Ao Po Grand Marina. For sale B19.9 million or for long term rent B150,000 per month. Call 081 343 0777, email: montha_ phuket@yahoo. com.
NaiHarn Beach Lagoon Resort: on South end of Naiharn Beach, Phuket, just 10 minutes to Kata. Nice and
The Royal Phuket Yacht Club shop front space for rent 4.34 M. x 4.37 M. Located on the first floor of a great looking area for retail shop, boutique etc. Call 076 380 200 ext. 601 Khun Naphat.
apartment is fully furnished at Rawai. The apartment is set in a private compound with pool. It is located only 5 minutes from beach and convenient to Phuket Town. Only B15 million. Tel :081 893 2165 www.happyhomeapartmentphuket.webiz. co.th.
Restaurant / Guesthouse: Established restaurant covering two shop houses with private terrace and owners apartment or 8 room guesthouse. Freehold (no lease/rent). Includes all equipment and newly renovated kitchen. Contact for details. Projected ROI 4 years. Call 081 956 3166.
Nai Harn Baan Bua: When only the best will do! : 4bed/pool villa in Phukets best kept gated community.410 sq.mtr villa.812 sq.mtr land. Overlooking lagoon.Beautiful. Call 081 270 4291.Email: thailandmls@gmail.com, www. phuketpremiumrealestate. com.
Double your money in 5 years!: New Year special promotion: Studio in brand new, world class, east coast development. Never seen on Phuket; Amazing luxury at Real prices. Tel 080 882 1377 email: beachprojects1@gmail.com.
Near Beach 3 Bed Pool Villa: Fully equipped holiday home with private garden and pool. Within easy reach of Rawai and Nai Harn beach. For full details and pictures please contact me. 084 850 1340.
Patong Bangla Building for Sale: B28 mil-
lion, Chanote, 4 floors 6m x 14m. 1st & 2nd tenanted. Flr 3-staff accom, bath, kitchen. Separate office with access to lower floor. 4th flr private Penthouse one bed. 087 881 7600.
PATONG condos for sale: Beautiful, modern
Patong Free Hold Condo: Studio condo on 4th floor 50s/m. Huge swimming pool,
Condos/Apartements, furnished, best/quiet locations, garden, s-pool, from 3667sq metre, sea-city-mountian views, from B2,375. Call 087 819 2162 or caltirol@ hotmail.com.
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
CLASSIFIEDS 19
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
List your advert for FREE at thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php PROPERTY FOR SALE CONT.
for living + dining, 1 laundry, big kitchen + long island 1 front off + aircon. Nice view of club house: big garden, pool, tennis. 300 sqm, B5.9 Million. Call 089 925 5486.
PROPERTY IN PHUKET
with own well. Restaurant and bar with satellite TV and Adsl. Opened for 15 years, with lots of repeat customers, parking, quiet. 086 940 1860.
Absolute Beachfront - EVA: Set on the beach-
Pool Villa nex t to PIA: Brand new, luxury villa with 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 12 metre swimming pool, guest bungalow, ready to move in. Perfectly located in a development with underground electricity and security, only 800 metres from Mission Hills golf course, less then 10 mins to airport, Phuket International Academy and Ao Po Grand Marina. For sale B14.9 mil or long term rent 100,000 Baht/month. Tel 081 343 0777, Email : montha_ phuket@yahoo. com.
House for sale near Loch Palm: Three bedroom pool villa in Kathu close to international schools. Views over Loch Palm. All bedrooms with aircon and en suite bathrooms. Two car garage and secluded garden. Chanote title. Call 084 844 0991
Opportunity Knocks: B24,500,000. Deceased Estate - Absolute waterfront. Occupying a stunning location on the east coast of Phuket this five-level villa has panoramic sea views from every level. Renovation work required. 085 793 2667. See exotiqproperty. com. Ref AB-V453, email: dmuir@exotiq.com.
front, the ff villa offers uninterrupted sea and island views of the south east coast of Phuket. Situated between t wo 5 star resor ts: Vijitt and EVASON near Laem Kanoi. 081 480 3834, http:// www.facebook.com/Phuket. Beachfront.
Mission Heights: Land area 500m2, House area 164m2. 3 bed, 4 bath, fully furnished, aircon in all rooms, fans, Internet, satellite TV, swimming pool, independent water supply wells. Finish work December 2012. B10 million. Call 088 838 3242.
Rawai Great Buying: NEW Studio Apt in Kathu: 30 sqm, 1 bed-
Freehold House for sale: Freehold house for sale in Permsap Villa, Cherng Talay. Land 735 m2, original 4 bedroom house w it h 2 3 0 m 2 f l o o r are a modified to 3 bedroom, all windows and doors from SUNPARADISE, separate carport from Shades. Very quiet estate. First owner since 2009. Price B10.9 mln o.n.o. Call 083 509 8797 for information.
205/34 Soi Thamdee Nanai 6: House for sale in a very good location in the heart of Patong. The house has 3 floors, 3 sleeping rooms, 1 living room, 3 bathrooms and a roof terrace with jacuzzi, garage. Good rental return. Price on request. 084 188 4544.
room, kitchen, washing machine, aircon, balcony, fully furnished. Condo with gym, 24hr security, car park. 5 mins to Patong, Loch Palm golf. Good view. B1.25 million. Call 086 947 1273.
Lovely house with 2 bedrooms or separate SC flat downstairs.Well ventilated with natural light in pristine condition.Distant sea views. B5,500,000. Call 081 270 4291 or thailandmls@gmail. com. See phuketpremiumre alestate.com
secure estate close to beach. Enjoy the private salt water pool and undercover parking, 3 large bedrooms freehold investment. 081 719 4688.
Luxury Villa in Chalong: Perfect condi-
3 & 4 Bed Pool Villas:
Sea-View ChalongResidence: Dream pool
Rawai B eachf ront Pool Villa for Sale: Rawai Beach front pool villa for sale. 3 bedrooms, furnished. Contact Siriporn on 089 649 9939.
villa with 5 bedrooms all with ensuite on 1 rai of land. Big hall, office, maid’s room. Brand-new construction opposite Wat Chalong on the way up to the hill. A huge 685 sq.m of living area, fully furnished. Modern European- designed kitchen. Big sea view pool terraces incl sala and attractive bar area. Security alarm system. Selling price on request. By owner directly. Call 085 654 4011 or 089 404 0737. Email: schulz.th@gmx.de.
Laguna/Layan. Luxury private pool villas in secure development. Available now. All beds ensuite. Fully furnished. Rental programme available. B12-20 million. Contact owner: 085 549 7110.
Pa tong Towe r fo r Sale: And for rent. Sea view and mountain views. Freehold from 64 to 448 sq metres. Phone no: 080 692 6114. Email: orsoreal estate@hotmail.com.
aircon, warm water, 2 aircon
Resort for Sale: Resort 2 rai, with Chanote. 22 Double villas with kitchens, large pool and big coconut garden
waterfront townhome at the Boat Lagoon for sale. Rented out long term at 570,000 Baht/year. 3 bed/4bath, 2 balconies, terrace at canal, 6 m berth in front of house. 250 sqm living space. Top condition. Luxury finishings. Brokers welcome. B9.9 million. 086 747 9292 (English) or 081 970 5204 (Thai/English).
6x3m pool. Full aircon and funishings. Ready for occupation and rental. Secure estate, private parking. 6km from Heroines monument. Close to PIA , BCS and shops. 081 737 0722.
7.5 M House and Pool Bypass Rd: Very clean 5
Best Functional House for Sale: 3 bed + 4 bath,
Investment Property for sale!: New, modern
3 Bed Pool Villa Pa Khlok: 3 Beds, 2 Bath
BanYan Villa: 2 year-
bedroom, 3 bathroom house with 5 x 10 metre pool 10 minutes south of Central Festival, walking distance to Kajonkiet Bilingual School. To see: 083 301 3470, email: wpdrake@hotmail.com.
tion, 660 sqm on 3 levels, 1,600 sqm land, 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, swimming pool 12.5m x 6m with jacuzzi, large sala, double garage. Top quality construction. Reduced price: B25.5 million w w w.tamata-phuket.com crishausb@hotmail.com Tel. 086 271 3260 or 086 273 4149.
Beautiful Karon Villa: Modern open living villa has it all, fully furnished, private
old 3 -storey townhouse 31.5 s.q wah or about 126 s.q.m at BanYan Villa, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 aircon, fully f ur ni s h e d an d l o c ate d nearby Land and House park, Chalong. Price 3.2m. Contact owner tel 081 535 1252 Mr Krich.
House For Sale In Chalong By Owner: Chanote title. 412 sq.metre. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Extra penthouse with open k itc he n an d sto re r o o m. Lovely garden, very quiet and cosy place. Access to pool nearby. Price B3.9 mill. negotiable. Telephone 087 881 3062 (After 5/4-13 +47 4739 0581) email: kjellsy vertsen@hotmail.com.
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PROPERTY IN PHUKET
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
List your advert for FREE at thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php
House in Phuket Town / Samkong 3 bedroom, 3 bathrooms: Semi detached house with 3 large bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, large open living/dining area and entertainment deck outside. Large western kitchen with all appliances. Great area very conveniently located 5 minutes from all amenities including both international hospitals, Central Festival, international schools and the centre of town. Selling due to relocation. Priced to sell at B3.5M including 4 air cons and all modern style furniture. Nothing more to spend. Contact (English): 084 768 0536 or (Thai): 085 888 0502.
PROPERTY FOR SALE CONT.
20M Baht. Rent minimum 6 months. High season 90K per month.Twelve months or more 70K PM. 087 078 6379.
Busy Bar for sale: Very busy Mushroom bar for sale in Soi Bel Air. Wally Bar. All stock, TV sound system, beer boxes and fridges included in sale, rent B10,000 monthly, only 850,000 baht ono. Call
Rawai 6 Bedrooms:
086 725 0771.
House on The Corner for Sale: Quiet locaOne + Two Homes for Sale with AC, Rawai:
Main home: two bed, extended bungalow with outside kitchen, shower and seating salas set in mature, walled, private gardens. Own well, tanks and pumps. Sold, furnished. Will sleep 8+ can be sold with a 30-year land lease for non-Thai. Price B5.5 nego: Mobile: Eng 082 416 0150. 3BB WiFi internet also.
Golf View Villa For Sale: Near British International School, state-ofthe-art villa overlooking the Loch Palm Golf Course: 4 bedrooms + maid’s room; 485 m2 built on 1,860 m2 land. B28million. Contact owner 089 724 7211.
tion and only 500m from the main road. Thepkrasattri, Heroines Monument. 70sqw x 280sqm, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, big living room with open-plan kitchen (9x9m), 1 separated kitchen, carpark for 3 cars and a small storehouse, 2 aircons, cable TV, 1 phone line TT&T. Price: B3.5 million including furniture. Excl. furniture B2,995,000. Must see! Email: jochenschmitz16@gmail. com. Call 081 607 8000.
Lovely 6 bedroom/office.Inc: 2 bedroom SC disable flat. Pool, garden, garage, storage. Opp.Tesco in well established area.Priced to sell at B9,000,000. Ph:081 270 4291.Email:thailandmls@ gmail.com.
Seaview Townhouse Patong: Bet ween the city and the jungle at the northern edge of Patong. 70m alt., 10mn walk to the beach. 4 storey +/- 290 sqm, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 toilet. 4 aircon, par tly furnished. andamanhills@ gmail.com.
Ocean Front Villa for Sale: Luxury brand new vil-
Pool Villa For Sale Nai Harn: Modern, open design villa with a large 9x3 metre pool, 2 floors, nice garden, car park and mountain views, 6 years young, 120 sqm floor, 2 bedrooms, chanote, located close to center & beach. Call 085 473 7812.
la, fully furnished and ready to move in, 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms with infinity 10 metre long swimming pool and truly beautiful sea view. Located in a small development, only 50 metres from the sea and 3 mins from Ao Po Grand Marina. For sale B19.9 million or for long term rent B150,000 per month. Call 081 343 0777, email: montha_ phuket@yahoo. com.
Single House Special Price B9.5 million: Nice house fully furnished with teakwood furniture, ready to move in. 240 sqm. 4 bed 4 bath, close to Kathu waterfall and market. Near Loch Palm, major stores, BIS and KIS. Call Oranwan 086 883 3169.
Furnished House for Sale Phuket Villa 5: 3 bedroom house with furniture, close to Kajonkiet School. Secure area, Cul De Sac. Nice gardens, two b at h r o o m s. 3 . 5 M B a ht . Negotiable. 081 370 8114 (Thai) 087 889 3838 (Eng), e m a i l:d av i d g e m 9 8 @ h ot mail.com.
Patong Condo: Makes a
good condo deal now. 1-bedroom corner condo 56sqm, fully furnished. Only 1.99 mil. Normal price 2.6 mil. 10mins walk to beach and Bangla Road. Tel: 089 872 6895 or jospeder@live.no.
Seaview 1 BDRM New Condo Patong: Stunning seaview, city view 1 bdrm condo on hill 500m from Patong beach. Fitness centre, roof top pool, security,car park, freehold. Only B4,40 0,0 0 0. Keith 084 628 3430, keithb025@ gmail.com.
Allamanda (Laguna) Residences/Phuket Sale/Rent: One condo unit, half of a deluxe twin house, fully furnished and equipped, set direct on the picturesque lagoon with balcony right over it. 3 bedrooms each with shower/bathroom, roof terrace. Long term rent or sale. 0 9 0 487 8 08 4, utaipan@yahoo.com.
Sea-View Contemporary Pool Villla: Located near Phuket town. Land: 855sq.m. House: 650sq.m. Furnished. 3 beds, 2 offices, 2 staff quarters, 1 free room. 2 car parks. Price B54.9 mill. Tel: 081 895 3628 E-mail: jin_koy@yahoo.com.
Patong Lof t Condo: Pool Villa in Marina: Ready to move in, single storey pool villa with 3 bedroom situated in the impressive Park Residence sector of Boat Lagoon Marina. Impressively constructed along a modern Asian theme. 076 238 948, email: marketing@phuketproper tytrip.com.
Townhouse Chalong Bargain!: Town house on 3 levels with mezanine, 112 sqm, fully furnished, 3 BR, 3 bathrooms, 2 kitchens, 3 air con. Tasteful western decoration, MUST see, HP English 0854415115. Thai 081 555 1230.
Kathu- Pool Villa for sale: Hillside setting. Luxurious 6 bedroom, 5 bathroom pool villa for sale or rent. Sale
Makes a good condo deal now. 1-bedroom, fully furnished, 67 sqm living area. Only B2.99 million. Big swimming pool. Normal price B3.7 mil. Tel: 089 872 6895. Email: jospeder@ live.no.
Karon Hill Condo for sale! Foreign Freehold: Seaview over Karon B eac h. 10 0 sqm. Liv ing area. 1 bedroom, walk in closets, luxury bathroom, terrace, etc. Fully furnished. Many upgrades. Luxury furnishings. Only 6.9 million baht. Brokers welcome. Call 086 747 9292 (English) or 081 970 520 4 (English/ Thai). Email: claudstrey@ gmail.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS 21
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
List your advert for FREE at thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php rai. Full chanote, water, electrical, sea/mountain views. Call 087 797 8503 (Eng).
PROPERTY FOR SALE CONT.
New Condo “Phuket Villa Patong�: Prime location, deluxe 43sqm, 1 bed 1 bath apartment, freehold, modern full furnished, pool, gym, sauna, CCTV + security 24hrs, private park. 3.5MB. Call Jeab: 087 225 8311 (English/Thai) Email: nho j0512hotmail.com.
Rawai Condo Sale/ Rent: Sell 1.1MB, Full own-
Donsak Beachfront Land 3 Rai: 67 metres
ership forever-beyond the financing plan of 10 years. Rent 9,000B/Month. Studio room renovated with furniture. A/C, WiFi, kitchen, 200m to beach. 084 242 8914. Rawai4@yahoo.com.
absolute beach frontage, fully infrastructured, ready to build. Close to ferry going to Koh Samui. Chanote title. 6.6MB for all. Contact 087 225 8311 (English/Thai) Jeab. Email: nhoj0512@ hotmail.com.
Patong Apartment Reduced Price: Condo 4 years old. Swimming pool, security 24/7, cafeteria. Studio 46sqm fully furished. Freehold for foreigners. Price:2.6MLN. Urgent sale, no agent. tel.089 728 4005. Mail:thamad17@ yahoo.com.
Paklok L and O nly B7,999/Sqwah: Only B7,999/Sq wah at Paklok, Chanote, Mountain View, 200m from main road, 11 km from monument and 4 km to Mission Hill. Interested/ Wanted larger size, CALL 084 305 6667, email: mari sar1978@hotmail.com
Land Plot for Sale: Apartment for sale in Patong: Apar tment for SALE in Patong; 50 sqm of the living area, sea-view / mountain view, furnished, Po o l, 24 h r s e c u r i t y, f o r SALE B2.8M - B3.3M. Contact +66 (0) 83 103 3801, 081 415 7774.
3 gorgeous lots, clean titles: For sale or
Chanode title at Cherng Talay / Pasak7 (Phuket - Surin Beach aerea) Phone 090 487 8084. Email: utaipan@ yahoo.com.
long lease. 2 Lots on IslandBeachfront (Bungalow-/ Housing-Estate) and 1 big Mainland-Mountain property all in very quiet, safe, well maintained locations near Krabi. 089 291 4671.
Patong/Kalim sea view condo: Freehold, 2nd floor, corner unit, stunning sea view, pool, car park, security, best location, ca. 110sqm, 2 bedroom, German kitchen, all new, terrace, only a few metres to beach, B10.6 M 081 824 1385.
Urgent Sale - Make an Offer: Studio condo at The Point near Lotus, Big C, Central. All furniture and inventory include. Great views 6th floor. Cost over 2.8M Baht. Call 087 889 3838 or 081 370 8114. Email: davidgem98@ hot mail.com
Condominium in Patong for Sale: Less than 1 Km from the beach, large 2-bedroom apartment with communal swimming pool and balcony. FREEHOLD (can be foreign owned). B7.5M. Call owner 089 724 7211 or julien@phuket immo.com.
PROPERTY IN PHUKET
Land for Sale: Mission Heights. One rai. Very quiet and private, close to all services, 10 min to school, airport, beach, golf, Tesco. B3.4M. 087 276 0529 for info.
Ama zing Sea View Penthouse: Panoramic sea view, mountain view and Big Buddha. 310 sq metre, 2 beds, 2 baths with option to convert in 3 beds. Contact: Izzy +66(0)86 278 8300 or izzy.serenitygroup@gmail. com.
Ocean Front Land: 7 rai with 185 metres of sea frontage. Water, electricity, road and boat access, located 800 metres from Yacht Haven marina, perfect site for small beach front development. For quick sale only B5 million per rai. Tel 081 343 0777 Email: montha_phuket@yahoo.com.
for immediate sale located at Lotus Residence, a small 3-storey boutique condo of only 12 apartments total. It is located on a southern hillside above Patong Bay. Call 084 436 2540.
Beachfront land for sale: 2 rai absolute amazing
near new deep sea por t. 4.5 Rai divided into 7 Chanote plots. Reluctant sale. B4.9M the lot. Email: jmic chia@yahoo.c om or c all 087 276 0529.
Land For Sale: Mission Heights. 3/4 of rai in small community, very quiet and private, close to all services, 10 min to school, airport, beach, golf, Tesco B2.5M. 087 276 0529 for info.
Seaview Land Patong:
1 Rai Sea-View Land:
Two parcels of superior land 11 rai. Inc seaview. Main road frontage. Ideal for resort or condominiums. 150 mil baht. (Thai) 081 370 8114 or (Ger) 081 892 1108. Email: davidgem98@hotmail.com
metres (0.927 Rai). Chanote Title. New Survey. Public road, electric and good well water. 450m walk to Chalong Pier and all boat tours. Build your dive resort. 085 784 0209.
Hill Land for Sale: Very nice location hill land by the Bangwat Dam, total 60 rai, 96,000 square metre. Contact: Attapong 081 892 0610 (Thai), Jantiwa 081 890 8268 (Eng). e-mail: jantiwa_ j@hotmail.com.
beachfront, few min boat ride from Phuket, facing west to sunset and views of Phuket. B13 million per rai +66 (0) 86 278 8300 or izzy.serenitygroup@gmail.com.
G o l f Co u r s e L a n d For Sale: Near British Intl School, 17 rai with public road access. Suitable for resort or housing project. Can be divided. Price: B 4. 5 m p e r r ai. C o nt ac t owner 089 724 7211, email: julien@phuketimmo.com.
Absolute Beach Front Land: S o ngk la dist r ic t
land for sale. B4.2 million per
views over the lake and Loch Palm. Very quiet, secluded plot but with all facilities ready to go. 1551 sqm plot, freehold leasehold with full Chanote title. 081 273 6959.
Land for Sale - in Marina: Design and build Land At Kathu For Sale: Only 15 minutes to
6 Rai Hilltop Land for Sale: Mission hills 6 rai hilltop
Opposite Wat Chalong on the way up to the hill, Chanote, ca. 36 m x 45 m, sophisticated hillside project, proratable, B8.5 mil direct to owner: 085 65 44 0 11 or 089 40 40 737.
Prime Location 35M Lake Front: Fantastic 1 Rai Chalong Pier Land Sale: 1483 square
Patong Condo for Sale: My condo is ready
the land. Email: rawai.steen@ gmail.com, call 080 530 6880.
Patong and only 10 minutes to Phuket Town, located at Kathu, total 141 square wah or 564 square metre with ready public utility. Call 081 892 0610,081 472 0770, tan_ohio@hotmail.com.
Rawai Half Rai for Sale: Land plot 100 metres to Rawai Beach, about 850 sq.metre. Chanote title deed, private road with sewer, 3 phases electricity and wall around
your own home with good location and gated community. All the infrastructure you need is available such as water, underground cabling for power, telephone, ADSL internet etc. Contact 076 238 948, email: market ing@phuketproper ty trip. com.
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Buy&Sell
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
Cement production plant Ready mixed concrete factory
CHILDCARE
ping. Very stable. Please ring 084 858 1917.
Health Food: Online health
VALCUCINE for sale: VALCUCINE showroom kitchen for sale due to renovation. 3 years old / good condition / Walnut material with Stainless Steel worktop /hob / hood sink and tap. Please call English (084 240 6688) and Thai (081 484 2565).
BOATS & YACHTS
Charter Boat: 62ft Hat-
Lodestart RIB: 3.8m, Tohatsu 40hp, trailer, skis, tube, lifejackets. B140,000. Contact: 080 073 5371.
teras Style yacht, 35 + 4 crew, large upper deck includes website: www.char terboatsphuket.com, price B5,370,000 or best offer. email: eastcoastefi@aol. com or 087 889 8044.
Business for sale:
Ski Boat for Sale: Glastron Carlson design, Thai registered, 120ltr fuel tank, 200hp Yamaha engine in excellent condition. Includes trailer, boat cover, wakeboard pole, ropes and ski equipment. Call 081 894 5822, email: markbreitis@ gmail.com.
Business only or business & property. Est 2003. Repeat business from big data base, non tourist related soft furnising manufacturing & retail business. Genuine enquires only, no tyre kickers. For further info email samos1941@ gmail.com.
Speed boat for sale!: 6
Moonsoon for sale: 28Ft, registered for 15 passengers. 200Hp/ V6 Mercury motor, only 240 hours, totally restored 40 hours ago, perfect for snorkeling, diving trips, island hopping, water taxi navigation system + fishfinder, 5hp spare motor. Boat and motor in very good condition. Located at Boat Lagoon. Priced for quick sale at B330,000. Contact at : 086 747 9292 or claudstrey@gmail.com.
condition, 12.18m Fiberglass Bowrider, 12mm thick hull, 600ltr fuel tank, 150ltr water tank, licensed for 25 passengers, storage area, manual head, 5 years old, B1.4 million o.n.o, please contact 076 362 300 Ext.1801.
CAR FOR SALE
Lady Car for sale: Nissan Tida 2010 model, automatic, as new condition, white, mag wheels, air con, CD stereo controlled from steering wheel, 1 year 1st class insurance. B590,000 ONO, call 087 276 0529.
Backgammon: Players Wanted. Tel: 081 577 8443, email: phuketconnection@ yahoo.com
POOL TABLES
Cem ent Produc t ion Plant: Ready Mixed Con-
6.5M RIB: New Hypalon tubing and blue cover. On a fiber glass V shaped hull. 240HP Mercury Giving comfortable cruise at 25-30Kts and 40 Kts Max Ideal for family day trips to beach skiing etc. 081 273 6959.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
c rete C ompany ’s fac tor y. 446.92 Horse power. Output of workers in the production of 22 people per day at an average yield of about 100 Q / Day (B1,800 per Q) average revenue per day for about B180,000. Manufacture of ready-mixed concrete. Can continue immediately. Just buy a cement truck then start delivery. Ready water source to be used for production. Address: Moo. 4 T. Maikhao Thalang District. Phuket 83110. Land Size: 20 rai 2 Ngan and 56 talang wah. Price: B130 million. Contact: Mr. Lee, mobile: 081 803 7189.
BUSINESS SERVICES A Steal For A Quick Sale: 2007 Italian demo yacht Cranchi 47f t Hard Top. Fully loaded with Tropical air con, genset, Electrical winches, garage, roof, Raymarine Premium Navy, BBQ, Ice Maker, 3 Fridges, “Bose” Sound, Neon light, Twin 570HP with reliable shaft drive, under 300 hours, Brand New Condition. Euro385,000. Call: 089 971 0278, eddyelan@yahoo. com.
PERSONAL SERVICES
COOKING CLASS
metre body Bayliner, 200 HP (EFI) Mercury engine, Yamaha 5 HP back up engine. Blue book. Including: trailer, 2 anchors, and cover, Garmin deep sounder and fish finder brand new. Call 081 477 5637 THAI; 086 283 0082 ENG, RUS.
Speedboat for sale - Hull Only: Excellent
Buds Nursery: Phuket’s oldest international childcare facility. High-quality, timeproven schedule and curriculum. Now in brand-new purpose-built school. Experienced native English teachers to teach ages 1 1/2-8. Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. Bus service available from Patong, Karon, Kata, Phuket, Rawai and Chalong. Tel: 076 384 638, 080 624 7060. Website: www.budsphuket.com.
food in Thailand. Good karma, all natural, healthy, and organic products. Please contact 082 276 1675, www.good karmathailand.com.
Football Table for Sale:
Phuket Cooking Academy: Cooking and baking c lasses have never been more fun using our top-class professional facilities. With complimentary transport from around the island, head to the best Masterchef kitchen on the island. Learn the tricks of the trade from international award winning Chef, Lionel Raiffort. Learn how to cook, from Thai & European cuisines, to the art of baking. Get involved and make a day of it, groups are welcome. For more information, visit www. phuket- c ooking - ac ademy. com or call 081 821 4064.
Brand new “Heavy duty” Soccer/Football Table for rent and sell. Suitable for bars and hotels. Call us now at 081 823 4627, 085 782 1200.
SPORTING GOODS & EXERCISE Life Fitness Walking Machine: Brand new retail B150,000. Sell for B70,000. Call 0872760529.
Kite Surf Equipment for Sale: 2 new boards, never used. 2 Kites, used 2-3 times. New price was more then 200,000 Baht. Sell altogether for 100.000 B a h t . Fo r s i n g l e i t e m s please call. 086 747 9292 (English) or 081 970 520.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS FOR SALE Exceptional Yacht For Sale: Beautifully maintained Wauquiez Yacht 41FT. Specs and photos: w w w.w a u q u i e z f o r s a l e . blogspot.com. Robert: 087 632 8259 or email: camina ta40@hotmail.com. Priced to sell: $199K US. Can be seen in Phuket.
Investors Resort project: Resort project. Situated by Laguna, develop a 44 or 60 room resort on a 2 rai plot. Sought after area, 25 year lease. Realistic ROI within 3 years. Lucrative & secure investment in ideal location. Offers may be considered for sale of lease. Contact 087 884 0644.
Tile It: Thalang. Wana Park on Srisoonthorn Rd. Phuket’s quality tile boutique. Tiles for interior, exterior, residential, commercial. Contact 076 620 168 or 081 424 2828. Email info@ tile-asia.com.
Motorbike Trailer with Tow bar: Professionally built motorbike trailer, with tow bar and coupling. Cost B45,000 to build, will sell for B25,000. Ideal for dog caring or shop-
Trek Road Bike B75,000 ono: Trek Madone 4.5 road bike. Ashima wheels. Carbon aero-bars. Profile design water bottle. Great condition plus travel case worth B20,000. Call 087 887 1292, email drew joy27@yahoo.com.
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
CLASSIFIEDS 23
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
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24 PHUKET SPORT
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
SUPER SIX SOCCER Division 1
Team
P
W
D
L
F
GD
Pts
1
Joy Dive FC
1
1
0
0
6
3
3
2
Phuket Condos & Homes
1
1
0
0
5
2
3
3
Morning Star
2
1
0
1
9
0
3
4
Pita Bar Phuketeers
2
1
0
1
7
0
3
5
Banana FC A
2
1
0
1
5
-1
3
6
Nanai Boys
2
0
2
0
6
0
2
7
Holiday Inn FC
2
0
1
1
5
-1
1
8
Shakers FC
2
0
1
1
6
-3
1
Division 2
The boys from Phuket Condo & Homes (above) beat Pita Bar Phuketeers 5-3 in a closely fought Division 1 match.
Super Six league shines FOOTBALL
ROU N D T WO OF TH E Phuket Super Six league showed just how tight this year’s competition will be across all divisions. For all involved, this will be no Sunday walk in the park.
Division 1 Phuket Condos & Homes – Pita Bar Phuketeers 5-3 The first match saw Division 1 new boys Pita Bar pitted against an ambitious Phuket Condo & Homes side. Pita Bar applied early pressure and soon found themselves up by two goals, but the never-die attitude from the skilled Burmese boys of PC&H brought them back into the game and
eventually saw them chisel out a deserved 5-3 win. Morning Star – Joy Dive FC 3-6 Joy Dive made a huge statement of intent against former champions Morning Star, with a solid 5-3 win. This season, Joy Dive are entirely Russian expatriates, including several ex-pros, and this has given them a solid team to work with. An intense and relatively even game, although Joy Dive showed the most will and skill to inch out their well-deserved 6-3 win. Shakers FC – Nanai Boys 3-3 Next up, Shakers vs Nanai Boys, and both teams looking to work their first win of the season. Shakers took the
reigns early on and found themselves up by 3-1 at the the break. Unfortunately, Shakers lost key player JJ Crockett mid-game, who limped off with a fractured foot. Nanai Boys fought back with intention, and managed to pull back two goals, making it 3-3. Banana FC A – Holiday Inn FC 3-2 A thrilling match in this allThai affair between newcomers Banana FC A and Holiday Inn. The game bobbed back and forth at a skilful pace, both teams going for all three points. It was however Banana FC who pulled the longest straw after some great goals and keeping their lead to the
Team
P
W
D
L
F
GD
Pts
1
Irish Times
2
2
0
0
9
5
6
2
Atmanjai
2
2
0
0
7
3
6
3
Phuket Serenity Villas
2
1
0
1
9
2
3
4
Seduction
2
1
0
1
6
-1
3
5
Mr. Moo
1
0
1
0
3
0
1
6
Blue D Zine PSU FC
2
0
1
1
7
-2
1
7
Bat Fire
1
0
0
1
3
-3
0
8
Big Apple & Pita
2
0
0
2
4
-4
0
Team
P
W
D
L 0
13
F
GD
Pts
2
Fruit Ninjas
2
2
0
0
14
8
6
3
Russia United
2
2
0
0
9
4
6
4
FC Raya Group Asia
2
1
0
1
14
7
3
5
Crown Plaza Panwa FC
2
0
1
1
4
-2
1
6
Gang Junior
2
0
1
1
6
-3
1
7
Banana FC B
2
0
0
2
4
-12
0
8
Two Chefs
2
0
0
2
3
-12
0
Division 3
very end.
Division 2 Seduction – Atmanjai 1-3 A revitalised Atmanjai team continue to impress in season 4 with two wins in as many games, after only three wins in all of last season. This time, it was a hard-fought battle against Seduction. Mr Moo – Blue D Zine PSU FC 3-3 Mr Moo and PSU shared the points in an intense match, both teams looking for their first win. Bat Fire – Phuket Serenity Villas 3-6 PSV back to winning ways with a 6-3 victory against Bat Fire FC.
1
Rose United
2
2
Division 3 Two Chefs – Rose United 2-5 Rose United continue to impress, this time against a much-improved Two Chefs team. Fruit Ninjas – Banana FC B 8-3 Fruit Ninjas had their second consecutive win, after a hard-fought game against Banana FC.
Thanyapura News Tigers flatten Village CT CRICKET
T
hanyapura News Tigers (TNT) and the Village Cricket Team (VCT) were both looking for their first victory of the year at the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG) on Sunday (January 20), in the latest game of the Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels Phuket Cricket League. But it was TNT who went home with the bragging rights. The Village won the toss and chose to bat first. Opening batsmen Craig Murphy and Martin Platts faced a
relentless attack from TNT’s opening bowlers, Barrie Buck and Anthony Dupont, but at the first break both openers were still at the crease. TNT debutant Andrew McMillan gave TNT their first scalp, dismissing Platts with the score on 60 in the 15th over. Murphy then found his rhythm and tormented the TNT attack with some distinguished strokes. He reached his half-century in the 20th over, by which time just one other Village batsmen had been sent back to the pavilion.
When the third wicket fell with the score on 94, TNT picked up the pace. They started plucking through the Village line up, with only Murphy showing any mentionable resistance. But Murphy’s innings did not end on a high note, and he lost his wicket only 8 runs short of a century. Bowlers Andrew McMillan (4 for 34) and Roshan Jayasuriya (2 for 25), helped restrict the Village to 164 by the time the 10th and final wicket fell. Simon Wetherell and An-
thony Dupont opened the TNT batting innings. Wetherell took a particular liking to the Village bowling, and scored 41 off 28 balls before his wicket fell. Andrew McMillan then joined Dupont with some noteworthy stroke play, but he was stumped after 49 runs. With the score on 123 for 3 in only the 18th over, it was clear that TNT wanted the match to end in a bonus victory. The bowling performance of Tom Gordon (2 for 30) and Mark Whetton (2 for
JLL Hotels Cricket League 2012/2013 Team
P
W
L Pts
Patong
3
2
0
13
Laguna
2
1
0
9
TNT
2
1
1
9
ICC
2
1
1
6
Village
3
0
2
4
39) slowed down the TNT scoring, but they secured the bonus point in the 25th over. The Village next take on Jabudays ICC at the ACG on Sunday, January 27.
0
10
6
Gang Junior – Crown Plaza Panwa FC 3-3 A thrilling draw between these two Thai teams, as goals were netted on both sides. Russia United – FC Raya Group Asia 6-4 Russia United showed their intent to climb the division ladder with a 6-4 win against strong opponents Raya Group.
Kajonkiet Phuket kids stump up for cricket coaching CRICKET THE PHUKET CRICKET Group (PCG) held a special cricket coaching session for 33 schoolchildren from the Kajonkiet International School on Friday (January 18), at the ACG. The cricket training is part of the PCG Youth Cricket Academy programme, to foster the development of cricketing skills among young people on the island. For more information, contact Mark Ashman: chairman@phuketcricketgroup.com
PHUKET SPORT 25
Phuket FC ready for 2013 season FOOTBALL
P
huket FC have unveiled their new line-up for the 2013 Thai football season, featuring a mix of familiar football heroes and new stars.
Phuket FC Chairman Pamuke Atchariyachay and Team Manager Jakkapob Su-Ngan have chosen players with the skills they hope will carry the Islanders to league victory in 2013 – and into the Thai Premier League in 2014.
The players range in experience from their youngest player, – 17-year-old local Wutichai Soksaen – to Thai stars like goalkeeper Ninuruddin “Spider Ming” Nide-ha, and seven international players: Brazilian Dudu, Cameroonian
Moise, the Boas twins from South Korea, Giorgi Tsimakuridze from Georgia, Ivorian Nene Bi, and Frenchman Geoffery Doumeng. The new lineup will be presented to the public at Central Festival, on Saturday, January 26.
MANAGERS AND COACHES
JAKKAPOB SU-NGAN
PANIPHOL KERDYAEM
Team Manager
HAGEN HUBNER
KAM ARTHUR PHILLIP
Fitness Coach/ Physical Therapist
Head Coach
CHOOCHAI ANGKABKEAW
Goalkeeping Coach
CHAIWAT SRIBANNMAUNG
Assistant Team Manager
Assistant Coach
FORWARDS
Shirt # 6
Shirt # 7
PORAMUT KRONGBORISUT
Shirt # 9
LUIZ EDUARDO “Dudu” PURCINO
Age 27
Shirt # 13
WATCHARAPONG JUN NGAM
Brazil, Age 25 Last club: Osotspa M150
CHANA SONWISET
Age 28
Age 23 Last club: Esan United
MIDFIELDERS
Shirt # 4
Shirt # 8
KRITSADA SAKAEW
Shirt # 10
KORNPROM JAROONPONG
Age 29 Last club: Thai Port FC
Age 24
Shirt # 21
South Korea, Age 24
Age 17
Shirt # 28
NARAKORN WISETTHANAKARN
Age 24
WUTICHAI SOKSAEN
South Korea, Age 24 Last club: PTT Rayong FC
Shirt # 25
BOAS CHUN
Shirt # 16
YA GIN CHUN
Georgia, Age 29 Last club: Bangkok Glass
Shirt # 22
NIRAN PHUNTHONG
Shirt # 11
GIORGI TSIMAKURIDZE
Shirt # 32
WORAWIT KHIUWONGNGAM
Age 24
GEOFFREY DOUMENG
Age 26 Last club: Prachinburi
France, Age 26 Last club: Chonburi FC
DEFENDERS
Shirt # 14
THANATHEP JIARADAB
Age 28 Last club: PTT Rayong FC
Shirt # 17
MOUDOUROU SWA MOISE
Cameroon, Age 28 Last club: Suphanburi FC
Shirt # 19
SUTEE SAKDIWONG Age 29
Shirt # 20
Shirt # 23
WUTTIPONG SITTITUNYAKIT
Shirt # 24
NONTAPHAN JIENSATHAWONG
Age 24
ARWUT NUCHET
Age 30
Age 24
Shirt # 26
SAKAREYA KOLAE
Age 26 Last club: Pattani FC
GOALKEEPERS
Shirt # 1
NINURUDDIN NIDE-HA
Age 30 Last club: Pattani FC
Shirt # 18
ADISAK DOUNGSRI
Age 26 Last club: PTT Rayong FC
Shirt # 27
KAMPON PHATOMAKKAKUL Age 20
Shirt # 30
BHAVID PHIMPARAT
Age 26 Last club: Lopburi FC
Shirt # 29
KITTITHAT KRAITHONG Age 23
Shirt # 31
NENEBI TRA SYLVES TRE
Ivory Coast, Age 26
26 WORLD SPORT
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
PREMIER LEAGUE PREDICTIONS: WEEK 25
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
THIS YEAR’S GRAND PRIZE IS SPONSORED BY:
Spurs draw trims Utd’s lead FOOTBALL
A
n equaliser by Tottenham Hotspur’s Clint Dempsey in the final minute denied Premier League leaders Manchester United a victory at a snowy White Hart Lane. The 1-1 draw meant United’s league table lead over Manchester City was cut to five points – they’d started the weekend seven points ahead. Robin van Persie’s 25thminute header was set to win the game for United until the third minute of stoppage time, when Dempsey rescued a point for the hosts. Spurs are now just four points adrift of Chelsea, who beat Arsenal 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. Juan Mata gave Chelsea the lead in the 6th minute, and Frank Lampard made it 2-0 from a penalty 10 minutes later. Theo Walcott scored for Arsenal in the 58th minute. David Silva scored both goals in Manchester City’s 2-0 win against Fulham, the first after just 96 seconds at the Etihad Stadium, and the next
A goal by Spurs’ Clint Dempsey in the final minute time denied Manchester United a win at White Hart Lane. with 21 minutes left to play. Luis Suarez’s burgeoning partnership with new Liverpool teammate Daniel Sturridge helped the Reds rout Norwich City 5-0 at Anfield. Jordan Henderson opened the scoring in the 26th-minute, before Sturridge’s clever dummy freed Suarez to score. Sturridge tapped in a goal in the 59th minute, followed by Steven Gerrard scoring from from 25 yards, and then Norwich’s Ryan Bennett put the ball through his own goal in the 74th minute. Southampton’s game at
home againt Everton ended in a goalless draw. The result moved Southampton four points clear of the bottom three in the League and left Everton three points adrift of the top four. Aston Villa climbed out of the relegation zone despite a 2-2 draw at West Bromwich. Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor put Villa 2-0 ahead, but Chris Brunt replied early in the second half and Peter Odemwingie scored an 83rd-minute equaliser. Villa’s draw kept Reading in the relegation zone, despite
their 2-1 win at Newcastle United. Yohan Cabaye’s free-kick put Newcastle in front 10 minutes before half-time, but Adam Le Fondre equalised 65 seconds after coming on in the 70th-minute, and then curled in a 77th-minute winner. West Ham United held Queens Park Rangers to a 1–1 draw at Upton Park. Loic Remy marked his QPR debut with a 14th-minute goal but Joe Cole equalised for West Ham in the 68th minute. Sunderland came back from a goal down to win 3-2 at Wigan Athletic, who slipped into the drop zone. David Vaughan’s own goal gave Wigan a 4th-minute lead, but the visitors stormed back through a Craig Gardner penalty and a Steven Fletcher brace before Angelo Henriquez hit back for Wigan. Swansea City beat Stoke City 3-1. Ben Davies opened the scoring in the second half, and Jonathan de Guzman added a pair of goals before Michael Owen replied for Stoke, his 150th Premier
TOM’S TIPS WEEK 26 Aston Villa v Newcastle Norwich v Tottenham QPR v Man City Stoke v Wigan Sunderland v Swansea Reading v Chelsea Arsenal v Liverpool Everton v West Brom Fulham v West Ham Man United v Southampton
lose lose lose win win lose win win lose win
MONTHLY STANDINGS 1. Keefers Kathu 2. suncat100 3. Damian 4. simonostheimer 4. diggersd 6. Campanil 7. Kathu Bandit 8. A1CR 9. dan1405 10. gafferworld
THIS MONTH'S COMPETITION IS SUPPORTED BY:
OVERALL STANDINGS 69 67 60 58 58 55 55 53 52 50
League goal. In The Phuket News Tipping Competition, Keefers Kathu stays at the top of the January table with 69 points, but second-placed suncat100 is now just two points behind, with Damian in third on 60, and The Phuket News’ Manag-
1. suncat100 2. diggersd 3. mickyleeds 4. scottkip 5. Blackrosebar 6. apollo131 7. bazerb 8. alanphuket 9. toptipster 10. Kathu Bandit
465 425 425 423 422 418 407 405 404 403
ing Editor Simon Ostheimer joint fourth on 58. In the overall standings, suncat100 with 465 points is now stretching ahead, already a full 40 points ahead of the nearest challengers, mickyleeds and diggersd, both on 425 points.
Fighters prepare to face off at Taekwondo comp MARTIAL ARTS
TAEKWONDO FIGHTERS from around the world will compete in Phuket this weekend in an international tournament hosted by Thai national coach, Choi Yong Seok. The 1st Phuket International Choi Yong Seok Taekwondo Championship 2013 will be held at the Saphan Hin Sports Centre on January 26 to 27. Up to 1,800 participants are expected to attend the
event, which has a budget of about B1 million. Mr Choi, from South Korea, has directed Thailand’s Taekwondo efforts since 2002, and has played a key role in the country’s rise to prominence in the Korean martial art. H e t r a i n e d Ya o a p a Boorapolchai to win Thailand’s first Olympic medal – a bronze at the 2004 games in Athens. The Phuket championship has been created by Mr Choi to support Taekwondo in
Thailand, in association with the Taekwondo Dragon Gym, the Phuket Taekwondo Club, the Phuket Sports Association, and the of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The event will include Taekwondo competitions in categories for beginners, experienced fighters, and three person teams. Taekwondo fighters who want to register can contact Mr Yoslak 089-874-3367, or visit the Thannam Taekwondo website at thannam.net
Over 90 Cities, One Perfect Gateway. SilkAir and Singapore Airlines Connecting you to Places.
A remarkable underwater view of Dutch swimmer Elise Bouwens training at TSLC.
International swim stars train at Thanyapura SLC SWIMMING ELISE BOUWENS OF THE Dutch Elite Swim Team, pictured above in the pool at Phuket’s Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC), is one of a group of international swimming champions training at the elite sport resort this month. Others include Pieter van den Hoogenband, widely ac-
Hash House Harriers
knowledged as one of the greatest swimmers of all time and a multiple Olympic gold medalist, his fellow Dutch Olympic gold medalists Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Femke Heemskerk, and two top Italian swimmers: freestyle worldchampion Filippo Magnini and Olympic gold medal winner Federica Pellegrini. The Dutch Elite Swim team are training at Thanyapura SLC over several weeks
as they embark on the start of a four-year training plan that will carry them to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The team’s management say they are so impressed with the facilities at TSLC that they have begun preparations to train there each year from now until Rio. The British and Hungarian national swim teams will also train at TSLC later in the year.
Run 1403: 3.30pm on Saturday, January 26 Hares: JC & King Klong Directions: Bang Wad Dam, above the Phuket Country Club in Kathu. More info: phuket-hhh.com
THEPHUKETNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013
WORLD SPORT 27
Sport
Swimming for success
Dutch and Italian world swim champions train in Phuket > 26
editor2@thephuketnews.com
Australian Open denies ‘Fed Carpet’ treatment TENNIS ustralian Open officials have denied any bias towards Roger Federer after he was allowed to play most of his matches in the same evening slot on the centre court, reports said Wednesday. Tournament director Craig Tiley dismissed notions of favouritism after British media reported disquiet in the camp of Andy Murray, who has played all his matches in the afternoon heat and switching courts each time. Federer has played four of his five matches in the primetime TV evening slot at Rod Laver Arena, the tournament’s centre court. The semi-finals and final will also be played in the evening. He has also been seen practising at Rod Laver Arena before his matches, with Mel-
A
Roger Federer in his Day 8 singles match against Milos Raonic. Photo: AFP/Paul Crock bourne’s Herald Sun tabloid saying officials had rolled out the “Fed Carpet” for the four-time champion. But Tiley denied the popular Swiss player was being given an easy ride. “The players know what goes in with scheduling, it isn’t a simple matter,” he said, according The Age. “I think we do a pretty good job of being fair. TV only have a
Live Sports TV Schedule *Times may be subject to change
START
STOP
SPORT
EVENT
CHANNEL GUIDE
Friday, January 25 1100
1630
Tennis
Australian Open
Women’s Doubles Final/ Mixed Doubles Final
1300
1500
Soccer
Africa Cup
Burkina Faso v Ethiopia
1530
1900
Tennis
Australian Open
Men’s Singles Semifinals
2000
2200
Basketball
Asean League
Chang Thailand Slammers v Singapore Slingers
Saturday, January 26 1030
1200
Soccer
Africa Cup
Cote D’Ivoire v Tunisia
1500
20:00
Tennis
Australian Open
Women’s Singles/ Men’s Doubles Final
1945
2200
Soccer
FA Cup round 4
Stoke v Man City
2200
0000
Soccer
FA Cup round 4
Brighton v Arsenal
Sunday, January 27 1230
1600
Tennis
Australian Open
Mixed Doubles Final
1500
1900
Tennis
Australian Open
Men’s Singles Final
1900
2100
Soccer
FA Cup round 4
Brentford v Chelsea
2100
2300
Soccer
FA Cup round 4
Leeds United v Tottenham
2300
0100
Soccer
FA Cup round 4
Oldham Athletic v Liverpool
Team
US and Canadian rugby chiefs welcomed the move. “The new-look PNC will provide the Eagles with consistent fixtures against some very competitive teams,” said USA Rugby Chief Executive Nigel Melville. Canada Rugby chief executive Graham Brown said it was a “fantastic opportunity” for Canadian players to experience high quality matches and lift their performances. Japan will host five of the 10 matches in the May 25-June 23 tournament, as it gears up to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Fixtures will also be played in Canada, Fiji and the United States. Defending champions Samoa will sit out this year’s tournament, making it a fiveway competition between Fiji, Tonga, Japan, Canada and the United States. Samoa will play a tournament in South Africa also featuring the Springboks, Scotland and Italy. AFP
RUGBY UNION THE PACIFIC NATIONS Cup has been expanded to include the United States and Canada as part of a drive to boost the level of competition for second-tier rugby union nations. The International Rugby Board said the tournament, also involving Japan and Pacific island nations, would give vital big-game experience to lower-ranked nations in the push to raise the competitiveness of the international game. IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset said the new-look competition was a compelling prospect: “This exciting enhancement to the IRB Pacific Nations Cup is good news for Japan, Canada, the USA and the Pacific islands.” “We now have in place an annual high-calibre competition that will deliver compelling matches, while also fulfilling the high-performance needs of our unions.”
Spanish Primera Liga
English Premier League
1XX- True Vision, 8XX - Astra; 8 - Setanta
TEAM/INFO
at all the variables, such as broadcast requests, the opponents they have had and Federer playing [Australian] Bernard Tomic last Saturday,” he said. Federer, who holds a record 17 Grand Slam titles, has been repeatedly rated as Australians’ most popular athlete, according to one survey. He is on target to meet Murray in the semi-finals. AFP
contributing voice.” Mur ray, targeting his second straight major title, has alternated between Rod Laver and secondary Hisense Arena, and has commented that changing courts can disrupt a player’s rhythm. But Tiley said Murray had been poorly treated “only if you look through a narrow looking glass. “But you have to look
North American top-up for Pacific Nations Cup
MP
W
D
L
F
A
Pts
MP
W
D
L
F
A
Pts
1
Manchester United
23
18
2
3
57
30
56
1
Barcelona
20
18
1
1
66
23
55
2
Manchester City
23
15
6
2
45
19
51
2
Atlético Madrid
20
15
2
3
42
18
47
3
Chelsea
23
13
6
4
47
22
45
3
Real Madrid
20
12
4
4
50
20
40
4
Tottenham Hotspur
23
12
5
6
40
28
41
4
Real Betis
20
11
2
7
31
30
35
5
Everton
23
9
11
3
35
26
38
5
Málaga
20
9
5
6
30
17
32
6
Arsenal
22
9
7
6
41
26
34
6
Rayo Vallecano
20
10
1
9
27
36
31
7
Liverpool
23
9
7
7
40
28
34
7
Valencia
20
9
3
8
27
32
30
8
West Bromwich Albion
23
10
4
9
33
32
34
8
Levante
20
9
3
8
24
29
30
9
Swansea City
23
8
9
6
34
27
33
9
Real Sociedad
20
8
5
7
31
27
29
10
Stoke City
23
6
11
6
22
27
29
10
Real Valladolid
20
8
4
8
29
25
28
11
Sunderland
23
7
7
9
27
31
28
11
Getafe
20
7
5
8
25
31
26
12
West Ham United
22
7
6
9
25
28
27
12
Sevilla
20
6
5
9
24
29
23
13
Norwich City
23
6
8
9
24
39
26
13
Real Zaragoza
20
7
1
12
21
30
22
14
Fulham
23
6
7
10
33
40
25
14
Athletic Club
20
6
4
10
24
40
22
15
Southampton
23
5
8
10
30
40
23
15
Espanyol
20
5
6
9
23
32
21
16
Newcastle United
23
5
6
12
28
41
21
16
Granada
20
5
5
10
18
29
20
17
Aston Villa
23
4
8
11
19
44
20
17
Celta de Vigo
20
5
4
11
20
25
19
18
Reading
23
4
7
12
28
43
19
18
Osasuna
20
4
6
10
16
21
18
19
Wigan Athletic
23
5
4
14
25
43
19
19
Mallorca
20
4
5
11
20
36
17
20
Queens Park Rangers
232
9
12
18
37
15
13
20
Deportivo La Coruña
20
3
7
10
24
42
16
RESULTS Liverpool Man City Newcastle Swansea West Ham
5 – 0 2 – 0 1 – 2 3 – 1 1 – 1
Norwich Fulham Reading Stoke QPR
Wigan West Brom Chelsea Tottenham Southampton
2 – 3 2 – 2 2 – 1 1 – 1 0 – 0
Sunderland Aston Villa Arsenal Man United Everton
Team
RESULTS Espanyol Granada Real Sociedad Getafe Málaga
3 – 2 2–0 3–2 1–1 1–1
Mallorca Rayo Vallecano Barcelona Sevilla Celta de Vigo
Osasuna Real Valladolid Atlético Madrid Valencia Real Betis
2–1 2–0 2–0 0–5 1–1
Deportivo Real Zaragoza Levante Real Madrid Athletic Club
CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR WITH A NEW HOLIDAY Fly on the SilkAir-Singapore Airlines network to over 90 destinations around the world. All-in return fare from
All-in return fare from
All-in return fare from
THB
THB
THB
Singapore
Bali, Bandung, Jakarta
Darwin, Perth
7,900
12,900
All-in return fare from
All-in return fare from
THB
THB
Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney
Frankfurt, London
30,900
23,900
42,900
Free Shopping Vouchers worth SGD40 at Changi Airport Transiting passengers on SilkAir and Singapore Airlines flights are entitled to redeem SGD40 worth of Changi Dollar Vouchers (CDV). CDV allows for one time use at all retail, food and service outlets in the transit and public areas of Changi Airport. CDV is also valid for one time access to the Ambassador Transit Lounge at Terminals 02 and 03. Terms and conditions apply. More journeys to treasure at silkair.com facebook.com/SilkAir
Fares quoted are for return trip on Economy Class per person, for flights originating out of Phuket only, Advertised fares are inclusive of associated taxes and surcharges only. Fare quoted are subject to change due to currency fluctuation. Bookings to be made online via silkair.com or through authorised SilkAir agents from 28 January to 14 February 2013 for travel between 28 January 2013 to 31 March 2013. Subject to seat availability. Tickets are strictly not refundable, and change of flight, date or passenger name is not permitted. Other terms and conditions apply. CDVs are redeemable at all information counters in the transit areas in Changi Airport. Electronic ticket and boarding pass of Singapore bound flight should be presented for collection of CDVs. Eligible tickets for CDVs redemptions should be issue from now to 30 June 2013 for travel from 1 January 2013 to 30 June 2013.