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DEATH BEND Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak (left with megaphone) discusses the problem with locals. By blocking the road, they held all the aces.

Mob of 400 block main road after two die in smash on killer curve Temporary barriers were installed this week down the centre of the southbound lane of Phuket’s main artery, Thepkrasattree Rd, where it passes the village of Baan Khor Ane. T he action follows a blockade of the southbound carriageway by Khor Ane villagers on Sunday night (November 20) in protest at the high number of accidents on the bend, in which, they say, many villagers have died or been injured. Their frustration boiled over when a crash between

a motorbike and a pickup truck on the bend late Sunday afternoon left Malai Kaewkleuan, 47, dead and another woman and her small son critically injured. Three-year-old son Anupong Sae’oo, died of his injuries on Monday. His mother, Saijai Boontang, 31, remains in Thalang hospital with severe injuries. In addition to erecting the barrier to separate the fast lane from the small road which emerges from the village and from village homes along the

edge of Thepkrasattree Rd, the authorities will also set up a police checkpoint just to the north of the bend by today (November 25), in an effort to slow the traffic. The villagers, however, have not been easy to satisfy, especially after another accident occurred in the same place on Monday morning between a 10-wheel truck and a car. Fortunately, no one was injured that time. Debate continues to rage as to the most effective solution – an attempt three years ago

in which the entire bend was moved away from the village at a cost of B15 million, failed to make it any safer. Vice-Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak and the Deputy Director of Phuket Department of Highways (DoH) Pramote Pirat warned that the temporary fix demanded by the villagers would not necessarily make things any less dangerous. The authorities promised to meet the demands of the furious villagers, who threatened to block the road

again, possibly in both directions, if there was no action from authorities. At an emergency meeting on Monday morning at Provincial Hall, Mr Pramote proposed that, as a temporary solution, a concrete-and-cones barrier be installed between the two lanes of the southbound carriageway, and the barrier around the outside of the bend be extended, in order to keep traffic from ploughing into the village. Continued page 2

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

NEWS IN BRIEF

Dutchman dies of ‘overexertion’

Checkpoint clean-up Tha Chat Chai police call for help to tidy up the area > 4

Riotous restaurateur returns

A 52-year-old Dutch tourist was found dead in his room P.S2 Bungalow on Rat-U-Tit 200 Pi Road, Patong, on the afternoon of November 17. Michael Heldt, 52, died of an apparent heart attack, according to Kathu police. Police found three used condoms in a rubbish bin in his room, which they said suggested his heart attack may have been triggered by sexual overexertion.

Swedish tourist dies

A 63-year-old Swedish tourist was found dead on Tuesday afternoon (November 22) off Racha Yai island. The dead man, named by police as Martin-Anders Christer Nilsson, was on the island, and went out fishing in the morning, alone in a dinghy. The empty dinghy was later noticed from the shore. A boat was sent out to check and Mr Nilsson’s body was found floating close by.

FLASHBACK: Suwit Pongkratin is restrained by officials after he tried to stop them demolishing his restaurant on September 18. He since reopened his restaurant, which was demolished again by officers last Friday. –Photo by Phuket Anti-Narcotics Task Force

One of the owners of an illegal restaurant on Karon beach that was demolished by police in September suffered a bout of déjà vu last Friday morning (November 18). Authorities once again swept in to pull down his restaurant, after he had resumed operations illegally. Suwit Pongkratin, 45, reopened his makeshift restaurant on a 16-square-metre plot of sand in front of Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket. After receiving a complaint about the beach encroachment, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Phuket Police Commander Pekad Tantipong led 30 officers on a morning raid to remove the new structure. However, Friday’s raid by Chalong police lacked the fire of the previous demolition, which saw Suwit and his older brother Nawin Pongkratin battling with police. The Pongkratin family claim the original demolition was unfair, as they had run their restaurant on Karon beach for more than 30 years.

The building of any structure on a beach is illegal in Thailand. Before the original September 18 raid, local authorities had issued a formal request for the family to move their business to an area designated by Karon Municipality, as a part of a clean-up of businesses on Karon beach. However, the family ignored the request. After the demolition, the eldest brother of the family, Nawin Pongkratin, was charged with running an illegal business and obstructing a police operation. He was also prevented from re-establishing his business on Karon Beach. But not long after, Suwit reopened the eatery on the same spot. According to an officer from the Phuket Anti-Narcotics Task Force who joined the demolition this morning, Suwit earned between B30,000 and B40,000 a month from running the beachfront restaurant. Suwit has now also been charged for operating an illegal business.

Mob demands bend fix Continued from page 1 The long-term solution will be to redesign and rebuild the bend yet again, and the DoH will finish drafting an initial design, also by today. The aim of the design will be to adjust the degree of bend, possibly by building an entirely new stretch of road that would be straight where it passes the fringes of the village. This is likely to take some time, however; expropriating private land would be just the first hurdle. The last time www.thephuketnews.com

the bend was rebuilt, it took more than two years to complete. And funding to buy the land and rebuild the road must be found. Another hurdle will be getting villagers to agree to the design. They claim that all the problems have been caused by the fact that they were never consulted when the bend was first built, and have demanded a public hearing on any new design. The villagers of Khor Ane have, over the years, garnered a reputation for robust de-

fence of what they see as their rights, without necessarily involving the law. In addition to campaigning en masse for changes to the road, they have also been involved in a number of incidents in which drivers deemed to have driven through the village too fast were beaten up. In one case, at the Yacht Haven marina, the driver escaped by jumping into the water, so the mob of local people chasing him destroyed his vehicle instead. –Paritta Wangkiat

ISLANDNEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

Back in Wales, ‘Tommo’ makes rapid recovery Steve ‘Tommo’ Thomas, the former British Royal Marine who spent more than two months in a coma after a motorcycle accident in Phuket, appears to be recovering well in a Welsh hospital. The 39-year-old father-oftwo was involved in a crash on the evening of September 6, on a stretch of road not far from Wat Chalong. He had been in Phuket for three weeks studying Muay Thai. After almost two months

in a coma at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Mr Thomas returned home to Wales on October 19. Since then, his recovery appears to have made solid progress. His mum, Linda Gardiner, wrote on the For Steve ‘Tommo’ Thomas Facebook page on November 10: “Steven was on his feet for the first time. The physiotherapist was holding him and had him standing for a few minutes. It was brilliant to see the look on his face.”

She said he was “also talking and doing his fair share of swearing”. But while the signs are promising, the recovery process still has a long way to go. Fr iend Tony Cha rles posted on Fr id ay: “T he few words he says are slow and take great effort. He is strong down his left side and keeps trying to pull himself up or out of bed.” Mr Thomas still does not have movement down his right side.

Steve ‘Tommo’ Thomas is recovering well in a Welsh hospital, seen here with friends. –Photo by Tony Charles on the For Steve ‘Tommo’ Thomas Facebook page

Voters boot out two ‘kamnan’ Two incumbent chairmen of tambon administration organisations, colloquially known as kamnan, were soundly beaten in elections that took place in Kamala and Cherng Talay last Saturday (November 19). Apart from Kamala and Cherng Talay, local polls also took place in four other tambon. According to as yet unconfirmed poll results, in Cherng Talay Ma-an Samran won

with 2,530 votes (around 80 per cent), beating incumbent Manop Panchalat, while in Kamala incumbent Juta Doomlak was ejected by Karun Sriden who polled 1,521 votes – 86 per cent of the votes cast. In the other four tambon, the incumbents were re-elected with sound majorities: in Koh Kaew Keukiat Jitkua scored 3,853 votes (around 70 per cent); in Thepkrasattri, Som-

phop Konkaew polled 4,209 votes (around 60pc); in Sakoo, Surapong Panyawai received 1,424 votes (percentage unreported); and in Mai Khao Sarawut Srisakukarm scored 3,803 votes (around 90pc). The Phuket News understands that there have been no complaints of vote buying or other electoral naughtiness, so results are expected to be formalised soon.

Five of the seven people arrested last weekend by Phuket City Police for drug crimes. –Photo by Phuket City Police.

Big weekend for busts Two foreigners were among 13 people arrested for drugs offences in different parts of the island last weekend. Phuket Town Police arrested seven Thais at the weekend in connection with drug offences, while two were nabbed in Chalong and another two – both chefs – in Tungthong, Kathu. The biggest busts were in Phuket Town, with 555 ya ba (methamphetamine) pills, 40.78 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and two homemade guns being seized. Police also impounded a Honda Jazz car and B8,000 in cash. Police said five are users while two, Kriangkrai Kwanmuang, 36, and Natee Boonchuay, 24, are drug dealers. Those two were arrested on Sunday (November 20) after police interrogated two women drug users they caught the night before. Three more drug users connected to the two were arrested the same day. Over the same weekend, the other arrests went as follows: IN THUNGTONG, KATHU:

Songsak Ruangtho, 33, a chef

at the Novotel Phuket Resort in Patong, was arrested at his home on Saturday night (November 19). Officers found 2.74 grams of ya ice in his pockets. A search of his home turned up another 3.54 grams, plus drug paraphernalia, B21,100 in cash, a bank account book showing a balance of more than B1 million, and a list of clients for drugs. After questioning Songsak, the following day police also arrested Wiroj Jit-aksorn, 35, a former chef in the same hotel, who allegedly acted as a drug runner for Songsak, but who also – police say – dealt drugs on his own account. From him they seized 32 pills of ya ba, 5.57 grams of ya ice, a semi-automatic pistol and 110 bullets. The two men are now detained in Phuket Provincial Prison awaiting trial. IN CHALONG: Pol Lt Col Jaral Bangprasert, investigation inspector of Chalong Police Station, said that a tip-off led police to a construction camp in Soi Nakok near the Luang Poo Supa temple in Chalong.

On Friday (November 18) police arrested Somkiat Nuanui, 24, from Krabi, after finding 150 ya ba pills in his jeans pocket. At his home they found a jacket hanging on a clothes line In the pocket was 7.5 grams of ya ice. The following day (November 19) after another tipoff, police stopped Arm Phirom, 21, from Songkhla, and found a plastic bag containing 6.5 grams of ya ice in one of his pockets. He was charged with possession. IN KALIM: Two tourists were arrested by police on Thursday (November 17) at around 11pm for possession of marijuana. The drug was found when the two – named by police as Kevin Baukens, 24, from Belgium, and Sebastian Jbiloo, 30, from France – were arrested after they were pulled over on their motorbike at a routine police checkpoint at Kalim Beach and 10 grams of marijuana was found under the seat. Both denied they had the ganja for sale, and they were arrested for possession. www.thephuketnews.com

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ALASDAIR FORBES Executive Editor 08 7884 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).

DANE HALPIN Sub Editor editor2@thephuketnews.com From Australia; Degree in Journalism, Charles Sturt University; Four years’ experience at: The Australian, The Central Western Daily, The Leader, The Canberra Times, The Vientiane Times.

CLAIRE CONNELL Sub Editor editor1@thephuketnews.com From New Zealand; BA (English), University of Otago; Diploma in Journalism, University of Canterbury; Five years’ experience at Gisborne Herald, and the Marlborough Express.

NORACHAI THAVISIN Sub Editor editor3@thephuketnews.com From Thailand: BA, BFA and Master of Fine Art and Design, University of Tasmania, where he worked as a painter and illustrator. Six years’ experience with the Bangkok Post, Pattaya Mail and Fine Art magazine.

DANIEL OGUNSHAKIN Sports Editor editor@thephuketnews.com From the UK; Sport and Sociology degree from Sheffield Hallam University; Three years’ experience at The Phuket Gazette, Phuket Tatler, Business Traveler Asia Pacific, www.footballworldcupbrazil2014.com

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

Rotarian drive aims to stave off polio The Rotary Club of Phuket and the Phuket Provincial Public Heath Office are to launch a drive to keep the island free of polio by vaccinating 13,000 children against the deadly disease. Health volunteers will visit risk areas such as construction camps, rubber plantations, Sea Gypsy communities and slums in Phuket Town and nearby, where they will administer oral vaccines on two dates, December 14 and January 18 next year. In addition, Thai children under the age of five and Burmese children under 15 years old may be taken by their parents for vaccination at any government hospital on the island. No cases of polio have been reported in Thailand in recent years, but immigration from neighbouring countries, such as Burma, has caused concern that it may make a reappearance. Meanwhile, the island’s six Rotary Clubs continue their drive to help flood victims in Bangkok. A shipment of 40,000 bottles of drinking water, part of the clubs’ One Million Bottles For Thai Flood Victims, were sent off to the capital on November 18. T he money f rom t he water was raised through benefit performances at Simon Cabaret, Aphrodite and Phuket FantaSea.

Phuket ‘now 90pc ready’ for national Youth Games

Organisation of the 28th Thai National Youth Games, to be held in Phuket between May 26 and June 5, is almost complete, a meeting at Provincial Hall heard on November 17. Paiboon Upatising, President of Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation, chairing the meeting, said that arrangements are now 90 per cent complete. “We have allocated a budget of B7 million to the Phuket Sports Association,” he added. Another B10 million has been transferred to the provincial authorities to fund organising the competition, and preparation of the various venues such as Surakul Stadium and the provincial tennis courts is 90 per cent complete

A member of the Phuket Happiness Development Club prepares to plant a hardwood tree.

Happy Club helps trees under siege Phuket Happiness Development Club organised a treeplanting event on Sunday (November 20) on land at Bang Kanoon Forest in Thalang. The land, which belongs to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, had been encroached upon by local people who had planted it with rubber and oil palms. The encroachers were recently expelled. Ten Happiness Develop-

ment Club members planted a total of 28 hardwood trees, including teak. Sorakrit Singkham, the chief of Bang Kanoon Forest, said, “Bang Kanoon Forest covers 4,850 rai, of which 20 per cent was encroached on by local people to plant plan rubber and palm trees. Our official team is constantly checking because of the encroachment situation is still fluid.” He added, “We try to

protect the area from new encroachment and also from people coming back into areas encroached on in the past, to make use of the trees they planted then. In the past we have made some arrests for encroachment. “We organise tree planting events two or tree times a year to try to restore the forest. We also have plans to develop the forest for ecotourism in the future.”

Boat people flow ‘to slow this year’ The Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Area Command believes the number of refugee boats entering Thai waters in the coming year will be lower than last year, thanks to greater cooperation with Myanmar. Rear Admiral Tarakorn Kajitsuwan said today, “We have a policy for handling the refugee boat problem. This year we are focusing on the waters off Phang Nga, Ranong and Satul. We are also gathering information about the problem as it relates to Phuket, so that we can make plans for that, too.” R/Adm Tarakorn added,

“We are very serious about patrolling Thai waters to protect the country from refugees and drug smugglers. We discuss the problems with neighbouring countries such as Myanmar at a regional meeting once a year. “Whenever we find a boat full of refugees we are obliged to arrest them. We get good cooperation from Thai fishing boats who let us know when they see refugee boats.” Over the past three years, Thailand has seen a steady flow of people, mainly from Myanmar’s repressed Rohingya minority, taking terrible risks to escape repression and get to Malaysia. Most Rohingya

are Muslim and see Malaysia as a potential haven. In this they are mistaken as Malaysia views illegal immigrants as undesirable. The Thai Navy was severely criticised for its treatment of the passengers on the first few boats it stopped, and has since attempted to treat them in a more humane way. Repatriating them has proved diff icult because Myanmar border guards have often refused to let them back into that country. R/Adm Tarakorn did not clarify precisely how greater cooperation with Myanmar will result in fewer refugee boats.

ISLANDNEWS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

IN BRIEF ‘Inappropriate’ officials appeal’ Local authorities arranged a private meeting last Monday (November 21) at Phuket Provincial Hall to consider an appeal made by officials from two Tessaban, whose conduct was previously found to be ‘inappropriate’. A government spokesperson said the particulars of the case couldn’t be released as of yet, because the the appeal is still under consideration. However, it was revealed that the case involved officials whose poor performance, which allegedly involved corrupt practices, had led to a bad reputation being created for authorities. An investigation committee had reprimanded them, however, the officials had subsequently appealed. Full details of the case will be announced once the appeal has been heard.

Phuket firms target Phang Nga

Keeping up appearances: Weeds grow around a sagging, fading billboard showing police success in stopping guns coming onto the island.

Police call for clean-up of scruffy checkpoint Tha Chat Chai police have called for Phuket authorities to help improve the look of the scruffy Tha Chat Chai checkpoint. They point out that, apart from being Phuket’s first defence against the import of drugs, guns and other illegal items, the checkpoint is also the first thing many visitors to the island see, and they believe it does not create a good first impression. The checkpoint opened

in February 2008, with an agreement among various local authorities to take collective responsibility for keeping it tidy. The reality, Tha Chat Chai police claim, is that responsibility seems to fall solely on the police, and their budget is “very tight”. The Superintendent of Tha Chat Chai police station, Pol Col Sakchai Limjareun, said many complaints were heard from visitors after they had

passed through or stopped at the checkpoint. Among the complaints were a lack of good facilities, broken toilets, neglected surroundings, and unattractive and disorganised billboards, most of them erected by local authorities. At a meeting on November 18, the police met with the Phuket Office of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, the Phuket Health Office, the Phuket Land Transport Office and the Thalang

We believe that the success of a project is essentially based on a serious management

District Office, at which they appealed for more support. The response from all sides was “We have no money either”. Besides, beautifying the checkpoint is not high on anyone’s list of priorities. The Phuket News understands that improvements to the Tha Chat Chai check point are supposed to be included in the 2013 provincial budget. But this is by no means set in stone; the budget might be allocated to other matters

if they are considered more urgent or important. The only results to come out of the meeting were a promise that billboards will be rearranged less haphazardly, and that someone will be sent round from time to time to mow the weeds. “We hope that all the authorities will understand that the checkpoint does need cooperation to achieve our goal [of making a good impression],” Col Sakchai said.

Several Phuket-based resort and hotel groups have invested B2 billion in establishing branches of their hotels in Phang Nga. Investors include the Graceland group, Kata Thani group, Kata group, Arcadia group, Sunwing group, and Ocean group, with the new properties due to be finished by the 2013 high season. P r a p r ut K ho r p e t ch president of Phang-Nga Tourism Association said, “Hotel investment in PhangNga is increasing all the time. Investors from other provinces are interested in our area, particularly Khao Lak, because of the high number of tourists from Europe and Scandinavia.” The hotels will range between three and five stars, with 150 rooms upward. Accommodation in the area will climb from 6,000 rooms to 7,000 once the hotels open.

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

Timeshare company counters complaints Laguna Holiday Club (LHC) has been forced to defend itself against accusations of misleading its members after several complaints were received by the Phuket Consumer Protection Centre (PCPC) about its timeshare operations. The Damrongtham Centre (DC) and PCPC have received 12 complaints from LHC Thais members since 2006, saying they had been treated unfairly by LHC. LHC refunded ten of them, at a cost of about B5 million, while the other two complainants weren’t refunded. Fifteen more complaints have been reported to Phuket Provincial Police. Most of the complaints are from LHC members who found it was very hard, or impossible, to get rooms from the Phuket Laguna group. Authorities claimed they had also acknowledged similar stories from foreigners who had made their complaints through embassies or online sources. Some people mentioned they couldn’t get a room during high season, despite, they say, being promised they could. The inspection committee also said some petitioners claimed the LHC membership contract may aim to take advantage of customers. Phuket authorities convened last Tuesday (November 22) in a meeting chaired by Phuket Vice-Governor Somkiat Sangkaosutthirak, agreeing to set up an inspection committee to further investigate the operations of the LHC. Initially, the investigation will focus on the contract the club offers to customers, which some customers have said contains inconsistencies and vagaries. However, the meeting went ahead without LHC representatives present. Assistant Vice-President of LHC, Gerard van Paassen, later said they were given no notification of the meeting from authorities. However, Mr Paassen explained to The Phuket News that most of the complaints had arisen from members

Some members complain they can’t lie next to the resort’s pool on the dates they want. failing to understand what level their membership is. He said there were three levels of membership: low season, high season and peak season. Peak season members can book units as much as a year in advance for the peak season (Christmas/New Year and Songkran). Others may book in peak season only 90 days ahead, and there are no guarantees. Similarly, low season members can book in low season up to a year ahead, but in high or peak season only 90 days ahead, and with no guarantee they will get what they want. Many of the complaints, though, also centred on the contract offered by LHC. They said the 36 page document contained a lot of fine print, and was designed to favour LHC. T he p et it ione r s a l so claimed they had found conflicts between the English and Thai versions of the contracts. However, Mr Paassen dismissed those concerns. “Members can choose between

Thai or English contracts, and the agreement will be enforced in the language they choose. Interestingly, we find that a lot of Thai members prefer to have the contract in English,” he said. Mr Paassen explained LHC had a cooling-off period of seven days for people to decide if they definitely want to go ahead with the membership. If not, LHC offer a full refund. The inspection committee also discussed complaints that LHC did not have enough rooms to meet demand from their members. Mr Paassen, though, explained to The Phuket News: “We sell timeshares by the week. We have 175 units. Multiply those by 52 weeks and you get 9,100 unit-weeks. We have 6,500 members, so there is a buffer of about 30 per cent, which gives us quiet a lot of flexibility to meet people’s needs. We try to be as open as possible to people’s needs but it’s not always possible. “Twelve complaints from 6,000-plus members over five

years: even a hotel would be happy to have that low a rate of complaints,” Mr Paassen said. “We settle case-by-case based on the facts. If we are sure that we have done nothing wrong, then we have to defend ourselves.” The inspection committee led by V/Gov Somkiat will now require a copy of the contracts from LHC in both Thai and English for further investigation. They said they will consider this a case study of how to handle time share operations in the future. They will also write a letter to the central PCPC office in Bangkok to consider creating specific laws to control timeshare businesses in Thailand. About 140 timeshare companies on the island will be soon invited to a seminar arranged by the Department of Business Development, to clearly outline the legal conduct required of them. “I only hope that if they investigate us they will also investigate other companies – there are good ones and bad ones,” Mr Paassen said. –Paritta Wangkiat

IN BRIEF Music for HM at Saphan Hin A free live music festival will be held at the Saphan Hin Centre Stage from December 2 in honour of HM King Bhumibol’s 84th birthday. It will be the first time the Phuket World Musiq Festival will be held, and it will run daily from 5.30pm until midnight, until December 5. The festival will feature music from Thailand including Lanna Commins, Ko Kai and Nai Son, Na Yong & Team, Nga Caravan, Khun Inn, as well as Sea Gypsy music from Phuket. I nter national acts include Americana, the Batucada drums of Brazil, Hassan Hakmoun from the Middle East, and Todd Tongdee’s World Musiq and Dance show. The festival comes to a climax on December 5, with Thailand artist Naowarat Pongpaiboon performing “Father of Love”. For more information visit www.phuketworldmusiq.com

Hospitality Show draws crowds More than 50 exhibitors set out their wares for the opening of the 2nd Asian Hospitality and Travel Show last Friday (November 18). Most were firms based in Phuket. However, there were also exhibits from other parts of Thailand such as Krabi, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The show attracted dozens of travel industry buyers from countries including Sin gapore, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, India, Australia and the US. The Asian Hospitality and Travel Show provided a platform for Asian-based travel agents to come and meet with local hoteliers and discover first-hand what the island’s hospitality industry has to offer. The show also provided a networking platform for suppliers of products and services to meet with buyersfrom the hospitality and travel industry. The Phuket News was a media sponsor of the event, which ended on Sunday (November 20). See also pages 22 and 23.

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

No pardon for Thaksin The Government on Monday (November 21) has ruled out a royal pardon for fugitive ex-Premier Thaksin Shinawatra, according to the Justice Minister, after strong criticism from opponents to a reported draft decree. Thaksin lives abroad to escape a jail term for corruption, but a Cabinet meeting last week reportedly endorsed a royal pardon that could allow him to return without serving

time, prompting an angry response from his rivals. “[Mr Thaksin] will not receive any benefit,” from this year’s royal pardon, Justice Minister Pracha Promnok said on Sunday. Royal pardons, which usually exclude convicts found guilty of drug offences and corruption and those who have not spent time in prison, are granted each year on His Majesty King Bhumibol

Adulyadej’s birthday on December 5. Local media reported last week that this year’s decree – which needs to be approved by the King – would be expanded to apply to “convicts who are at least 60 years old and are sentenced to under three years in jail”. Mr Thaksin, who was ousted by the Army in a 2006 coup, is 62 and lives in selfimposed exile in Dubai to

avoid a two-year sentence for graft. His potential pardon had threatened to inflame existing tensions in Thailand, with rallies both for and against the decree held in recent days. The anti-Thaksin “Yellow Shirt” movement cancelled a planned demonstration in the capital on Monday “after the Justice Minister said the royal pardon will stick with the (standard) conditions,”

spokesman Parnthep Pourpongpan told AFP. Reports of the pardon came at a delicate time for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who is Thaksin’s younger sister and widely considered his political proxy, as she faces criticism for her handling of devastating floods. Mr Thaksin himself played down suggestions that he would get special treatment from his government allies

in a letter to his fellow Thais sent on Sunday. “I trust in the principle that the Government will not do anything that will benefit me or any individual specifically,” he wrote. Mr Thaksin said any action now taken should be “to bring national reconciliation to our country and to overcome the crisis” of Thailand’s floods, which have killed more than 600 people. –AFP

Fears for Ayutthaya

Thai ingenuity at work: A tuk-tuk tricycle is the perfect way to negotiate floodwaters in Bangkok.

–Photo AFP

The ruined temples of Ayutthaya have survived centuries of tropical heat and rain, but experts fear some have been servely weakened by the devastating floods and may be at risk of collapse. The city, around 80 kilometres north of Bangkok, was in one of the worst-hit parts of the country, and dramatic aerial images last month showed its temples as islands in a vast lake of floodwater. T he st r uct u res spent weeks swamped by the murky waters and now fresh cracks have appeared in some of the pagodas that dominate the

Graft probe after robbery The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) on Tuesday froze about B15 million in cash stolen from the house of Permanent Secretary of the Transport Department Supoj Saplom, and later recovered from burglary suspects by police. The commission considered whether to further investigate suspicions that the official was unusually wealthy and had falsely declared his assets, reported the Bangkok Post. One suspect in the robbery arrested last week told police that he had seen hundreds of millions of baht in cash stashed away in bags in Mr Supoj’s house when the gang broke in on November 11. A NACC p a nel w i l l investigate past assets declarations of Mr Supoj, who was last week transferred to an inactive post pending investigations into his alleged unusual wealth. Acting Bangkok police chief Pol Maj Gen Winai Thongsong says evidence to hand suggests that Mr Supoj lost about B26 million in cash kept in his house to robbers. He said that B16 million in cash had been seized from arrested suspects and about

B10 million more was believed to be with another suspect still at large. He said Mr Supoj would be to clarify exactly how much money was taken. The police chief said he did not really believe that the

historic capital, a major tourist attraction and UNESCO World Heritage site. Chaiyanand Busayarat, director of Ayutthaya Historical Park, estimated at least B650 million worth of damage had been done, but said the full consequences of the f loods were not yet known. Ay u t t h a y a , fo u n d e d around 1350, was one of the capitals of the old kingdom of Siam and at its peak had three palaces and more than 400 temples. Many of the remaining ruins have been painstakingly restored. –AFP

New Stoc k

arrested suspects’ accounts about B200 million in cash being horded in the house. The son of Mr Supoj’s former personal secretary reportedly had told the robbers there were large amounts of cash kept at the house.

has

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INTERNATIONALNEWS

IN BRIEF Aung San Suu Kyi to run in Myanmar by-election Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will run in an upcoming by-election, a senior official in her party said on Monday, three days after her National League for Democracy ended its boycott of the country’s political system. It will be the first time the Nobel Peace Prize laureate has competed in an election since 1990, when her landslide electoral victory was voided by generals intent on maintaining power.

Egypt Cabinet offers to resign but protests go on

Egypt’s civilian Cabinet offered to resign after three days of violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces in Tahrir Square, but the action failed to satisfy protesters frustrated with the new military rulers. At le a st 26 p e ople have been killed and 1,750 wounded in the latest violence as activists sought to fill the streets for a “second revolution” to force out the generals who have failed to establish stability.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

Khmer Rouge chief defends atrocities A top Khmer Rouge leader on trial at Cambodia’s war crimes tribunal was on Tuesday confronted with dramatic footage in which he defends the regime’s bloody purges and calls the victims “traitors”. Nuon Chea, regarded as the regime’s chief ideologue, showed no emotion as the short video clip, dating from 2001 or later, was shown on the second day of opening statements at his long-awaited trial alongside two co-defendants. International co-prosecutor Andrew Cayley told the UN-backed court in Phnom Penh that the trio – the three most senior surviving Khmer Rouge members – were “thieves of time” and “common murderers” of a whole generation of Cambodians. “Brother Number Two” Nuon Chea, former head of state Khieu Samphan and ex-foreign minister Ieng Sary all deny charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide over the deaths of up to two million people during the Khmer Rouge’s 1975-79 reign of terror. Prosecutors showed the packed court the footage of Nuon Chea, taken from the 2009 documentary “Enemies of the People”, to support their claim that the movement had a

Nuon Chea, regarded as the Khmer Rouge regime’s chief ideologue, is on trial in Cambodia for his involvement in the mass murders policy of killing enemies and those it regarded as disloyal. “If these traitors were alive, the Khmers as a people would have been finished so I dare to suggest our decision was the right one,” Nuon Chea calmly tells a Cambodian journalist in the clip. The footage was shot at some point between 2001, when the journalist began interviewing Nuon Chea, and his arrest in 2007. The defendants knew about and participated in five main accusations against them, Cayley said, including

forced evacuations into rural areas, enslavement of the population in labour camps and the widespread practice of forced marriages. Led by “Brother Number One” Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied cities, abolished money and religion and wiped out nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population in a bid to create an agrarian utopia. Nuon Chea on Tuesday dismissed the allegations against him in a lengthy speech to the court that at times slipped into a history of the communist party. “Whatever has been indicated in the opening statements is not true. My position in the revolution was to serve the interest of the nation and the people,” the 85-year-old said. He blamed Vietnam, which he said wanted to “annex” Cambodia, the carpet-bombing of his country by the United States in the early 1970s and the admittance of “bad elements” into Khmer Rouge ranks for the suffering of his countrymen. Owing to fears that not all of the accused, who are in their 80s and suffer from various medical ailments, will live to see a verdict, the court recently split their complex case into a series of smaller trials. –AFP

Pepper spray attack in US Two college police officers have been put on administrative leave after a California university launched a probe into the “chilling” use of pepper spray on protesters, a spokeswoman said Sunday. In a video that has gone viral online, a University of California, Davis police officer in riot gear sprayed a yelloworange mist on protesters seated on the ground in a sweeping motion as he walked back and forth. Several protesters, who were demonstrating against tuition hikes and were part of a group that had erected more than a dozen tents on campus, were sprayed directly in the face. A crowd surrounded them and chanted “Shame on you” as they were dragged and pushed away. University officials said two were sent to hospital and later released. Nine of the students were treated on site. Amid a growing outcry, UC Davis chancellor Linda Katehi said Saturday she was forming a task force to investigate the police’s “sad and very inappropriate” use of pepper spray. But the Davis Faculty Association Board called for the “immediate resignation” of Katehi, saying she had demonstrated a “gross failure of leadership”. A new college statement Sunday said two of the policemen involved had been put on administrative leave, and that Katehi had ordered that the investigation be completed within 30 days, –AFP

HOSPITALITY ASIA PLATINUM AWARDS (HAPA) recognizes and rewards the crème de la crème of the hospitality industry at all levels. Focusing on the people who strive ceaselessly to give guests a hospitality experience bar none, this signature soiree has become a much-anticipated event for hoteliers as well as businesses who work with the hospitality industry. Dedicated to recognizing and rewarding personalities and establishments who have shown drive, dedication and passion for the hospitality industry, HAPA award categories are as diverse as the industry it serves, with Personality awards dedicated to service excellence and leadership, to categories ranging from the best experiences to be had in travel, golf, spa, food and entertainment. The Oscars of Hospitality is held annually, with Malaysia and Singapore taking it in turn to host the event.

Major Awards (PLATINUM) HAPA CHEF OF THE YEAR – Alessandro Frau HAPA RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR – Acqua Phuket

Personality Awards (PLATINUM)

HAPA KING OF KITCHENS – Alessandro Frau HAPA MASTER CHEF – WESTERN CUISINE – Alessandro Frau HAPA MOST INNOVATIVE F&B PERSONALITY – Alessandro Frau

Culinary Awards (PLATINUM)

HAPA MOST EXQUISITE DINING EXPERIENCE – WESTERN CUISINE – Acqua Phuket HAPA MOST TRENDY CASUAL DINING – Acqua Phuket HAPA MOST UNIQUE F&B CONCEPT – Acqua Phuket

www.thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

INTERNATIONALNEWS

Spain faces winter of discontent: analysts

Spain appears to be entering a bitter winter of mass protests, analysts warn, as the conservative Popular Party assumes power and takes an even bigger axe to spending. The Popular Party won a huge parliamentary majority in Sunday’s vote as voters punished the ruling Socialists for an economic boom that went bust and left Spain with a 21.5-per-cent jobless rate. The grey-bearded 56-yearold leader of the right, Mariano Rajoy, has given few details of his economic programme except to promise cuts “everywhere” except in pensions. But Popular Party secretary general Maria Dolores de Cospedal herself warned of swelling protests when

the new government has to implement harsher austerity measures. “Some people who have not complained up to now are going to protest a lot when the government [announces] all that has to be done to get this country on its feet,” Cospedal said five days before the election. “Most Spaniards will understand,” she added. Tens of thousands of protesters had poured into Spain’s streets after the previous government’s budget cuts helped to unleash an “Indignant” movement that spread worldwide, morphing into action such as Occupy Wall St. A detailed look at Sunday’s election result shows growing

Prime Minister-elect Mariano Rajoy has promised cuts to every type of government spending, apart from pensions. voter frustration with both political parties. Although the Popular Party won 186 seats in the 350-mem-

ber lower house of parliament, the total number of votes increased by only 550,000 when compared with the previous election three years ago. The Popular Party benefited most from the collapse of the Socialists, who were left with just 110 seats. United Left, a coalition of greens and leftists, and the third biggest political force in terms of votes, also gained from the crumbling support for the Socialists. The result sent United Left’s parliamentary representation surging from two seats to 11 despite a complex electoral system that favours the big two parties and regional groupings. Cayo Lara, leader of the

United Left, vowed not to be absorbed into the political establishment, despite now having enough seats as a group to propose legislative amendments. “We are not going to become an institution,” he said. “We are going to carry on in the streets.” Political analyst Anton Losada predicted mass demonstrations ahead for Spain. “The centrepiece of the United Left’s political message is a head-to-head opposition to government policy and the budget cuts to come,” Losada said. “We are going to see unions and leftist political parties playing a very active role,” he said. –AFP

Arrest over New York terror plot Police are still trying to piece together missing elements in an alleged plot by a man described as a ‘lone wolf’ Al-Qaeda sympathiser, charged with building three pipe bombs to attack US troops. Jose Pimentel, a 27-yearold native of the Dominican Republic who became a US citizen and converted to Islam, was in police custody on charges of plotting to build home-made explosives to kill government workers and returning US troops. Pimentel was unshaven and wore a black T-shirt when

he was arraigned Sunday and ordered held without bail. He faces up to 25 years in prison on charges related to possessing a bomb. Manhattan assistant district attorney Brian Fields said Pimentel, who has been under police observation since 2009, was only an hour away from completing his pipe bombs when he was arrested. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Pimentel was targeting police, postal facilities and others and said he was a “lone wolf” without affiliation to foreign terrorist organisations. “He was not part of a

larger conspiracy,” Bloomberg said Sunday. New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said, however, that Pimentel was a follower of US-born radical cleric Anwar alAwlaqi, killed in a US raid in Yemen in September. “He talked about changing his name to Osama Hussein, to celebrate his heroes, Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein,” Kelly said. City officials said that Pimentel had gleaned his bombmaking knowledge from Inspire, an online magazine

published by Awlaqi, which ran articles on making explosives. How solid is the case against Pimentel? “I don’t believe that this case is nearly as strong as the people be-

lieve,” said Pimentel’s attorney Joseph Zablocki. Neighbours described Pimentel as lonely and penniless and not someone who appeared particularly religious. –AFP

IN BRIEF Pakistan’s US envoy resigns over scandal Pakistan’s envoy to Washington lost a battle with the country’s powerful generals to keep his job Tuesday over allegations he wrote a memo seeking US help in stopping a supposed coup in the aftermath of the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The resignation of Hussain Haqqani highlighted tensions between the country’s nominal civilian government and the army, which has ruled Pakistan for most of its history.

Strauss-Kahn and wife sue media Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was tipped as France’s next president before a US sex assault scandal spelled his downfall, is suing a top French newspaper, several magazines and a government adviser over reports about him. Lawyers acting on behalf of Strauss-Kahn and his wife Anne Sinclair said they were pursuing the daily Le Figaro, four weekly magazines and Henri Guaino, a senior adviser to President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Indian train fire kills 7 Seven people including a fouryear-old girl and an Australian woman died when a fire swept through an overnight train in eastern India early on Tuesday, officials said. Four female researchers from Australia were travelling to the Buddhist holy city of Bodh Gaya. One died in the blaze and the three others were being treated for burns in hospital, rail divisional manager Sudhir Kumar said. “Seven persons were charred to death and more than 12 injured after the fire broke out in an air-conditioned coach and then spread to another coach,” Kumar said. Police said the cause of the blaze was not known. Accidents are frequent on the state-owned Indian railways, still the main form of long-distance travel. – AFP www.thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

OPINION

Not so beachy

“What space there is needs to be shared” > 11

Editor’s Viewpoint

NORACHAI’S WORLD

Arrested development Though it might not sound like it, the news that 13 people were arrested for drugs offences in different parts of the island last weekend is very good news for Phuket. Phuket, and Thailand at large, has a global reputation for having strict anti-drugs punishments, but with an alltoo-often low chance of lawbreakers being caught. The events over the weekend involved two foreign tourists arrested in Kalim for possession of marijuana, and several big busts in Phuket Town, with police recovering 555 ya ba (methamphetamine) pills, and 40.78 grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) there alone. The seven who have been arrested are all linked, police have said. Five are users, while two, Kriangkrai Kwanmuang, 36, and Natee Boonchuay, 24, are drug dealers. Large drug busts such as these go a long way to changing attitudes about drugs in Phuket. It shows local residents that the police are taking a hard line (although this may be debated) about drugs.

The alternative Phuket triathlon.

Letters to the Editor Good Riddence [Re. ‘De spicable] Whereas I agree that the departure of Mr Ridden is good news, let us not forget that there are many more like him who still operate in Phuket on a much larger scale and with impunity. I and my family have had our wealth adversely affected by liars and con-artists, going under the guise of estate agents, who have cheated us out of millions of baht. We took one company to court, but being the types that they are, they knew exactly how to exploit the legal system, including bent lawyers and those prepared to commit perjury. It comes as quite a surprise therefore that Mr Ridden was arrested, since scamming appears to be pretty normal around these parts. Maybe you just need to know the going rate for non-interference. Whistleblower

Senseless waste [Re. Teenage girl dies in motorbike crash] Just another senseless fatality. The Thai drivers do not have any respect for the road safety rules and commonly disregard the red lights and stop signs. It is the responsibility of the government to administer policy and police the offenders, otherwise this will never end. Tony Belasco

Say no to plastic [Re. Developers blamed for Phuket flooding] The flooding in Phuket Town, Kamala, and Karon is also caused by blocked drains, the December 5 single use plastic bag ban that is being implemented will reduce waste volumes into klongs and reduce flooding. Bangladesh stopped plastic bags in 2002 which eased floods, Bombay stopped in 2005 and Burma stopped in 2010 both for flooding reasons. With IUCN, new Phuket NGO SEEK (Society,

Environment, Economy, Knowledge) is working to start a plastic bag ban in 2012 across the country as an additional flood prevention measure. Nick Anthony

Time to bail [Re. Brits battle frozen pensions policy] Quite right – this is a UK national disgrace – do sign the petition and follow up the leads given – your pension will lose about 25 per cent of its real term value every 10 years as it stands... you paid in under the same terms as everyone, you should be allowed to withdraw under the same terms. Would like to say more but feet rather wet here in Bangkok... must keep bailing! Robthefox

True hospitality [Re. Asian Hospitality and Travel Show kicks off] A fantastic show, I am sure that this type of event will see Phuket-based

Letters may be edited for clarity or length. Email editor@thephuketnews.com or fax 076 612 553. Please be sure to include your full name, address, phone number, and email address. Congratulations go to reader Stuff5000, who was the Nov 18 winner of ‘Letter of the Week’, and receives a gift voucher from Asia Books worth B500.

www.thephuketnews.com

This week in history

businesses gaining great opportunities throughout the Southeast Asia region. The event was quite prestigious and showcased some amazing and innovative businesses based in the region and in Phuket. I am eager to see the next event and wish the exhibitors and organisers the best success from the event.

They should be commended for this, because rather than turning a blind eye, which some could argue often happens with other crimes, they seem to be making a genuine effort to combat the issue. It is all-too-easy to sit back and rely on tip-offs from random members of the public, who are possibly using the police as a way to seek revenge for a drugs dispute gone wrong. What is harder – but infinitely more rewarding in the longterm – is taking a proactive approach to solving crime. Perhaps what was most noteworthy about the weekend’s arrest, was the news of the two foreigners who were arrested with marijuana. Probably viewed as one of the most harmless drugs on the island, it is, of course, still illegal. News such as this has the ability to change the Western world’s view of Phuket as being an easy place to sell and use recreational drugs, and that can only be good thing. In the meantime we should give the Phuket Police our full support in their endeavour to combat the island’s drug trade.

I M Impressed

Guide-lines [Re. Taken for a ride] “The guide problem has occurred due to the lack of law enforcement,” How surprising on this island. “According to government figures, some B460 million has been spent in the past year to ‘improve’ the tourism industry in Phuket, and bring it up to an international standard”. Not one mention of tuk-tuks, jet skis, motor bike rental companies etc, who are the ones really damaging tourism and the tourists, literally! I would love to see where all that money went to. Sandy Shores

■■ November 25, 1952: Agatha Christie’s murdermystery play The Mousetrap opens at the Ambassadors Theatre in London. ■■ November 26, 1922: Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon become the first to enter the tomb of Tutankhamun in 3,000 years. ■■ November 27, 1701: Anders Celsius was born in Sweden. He would invent the Celsius thermometer. ■■ November 28, 1895: The first American car race takes place. Frank Duryea won the 90km race in 10 hours. ■■ November 29, 1910: The first US patent for inventing the traffic lights system is issued to Ernest E. Sirrine. ■■ November 30, 1982: Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, is released. ■■ December 1, 1952: The New York Daily News reports on Christine Jorgenson, the world’s first notable sexual reassignment surgery.

HOTTOPIC 11

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

PATONG PARKING PAIN

The area marked on the left is reserved for rental cars.

atong Beach is one of the biggest tourist drawcards on Phuket. Tourists flock from around the world to be there, and people f rom arou nd the island drive there to access the hub of shopping, nightlife and entertainment. But visitors to this bustling stretch of coastline are faced with a rather problematic challenge – where to park their car. Thaweewong Rd (beach road) in particular has ample spaces, but the majority are taken up by tuk-tuks and rental car operators. There is almost none left for visitors or locals. It has been a problem for years. But with Phuket’s growing popularity on the world tourism stage, it only seems to be getting worse.

SEEKING SOLUTIONS The solution so far has been to establish specific zones for car rental operators and tuktuk to use as parking. Last year, Patong Mayor Pian Keesin said he wanted to find specific places for rental vehicle and tuk-tuk drivers away from the main drag. Unfortunately, there was no place suitable, and reception to the idea was less than lukewarm from those who were going to be affected. As a result, the zoning system was born, and, at least in theory, 74 per cent or car spaces are reserved for public use, and 26 per cent are for rental cars, with clear signs to indicate which is which. A local rental car operator in Patong, who preferred to remain nameless, said he parks his vehicles in the zoned areas on Thaweewong Rd, but believes the problem is being caused because more people are coming to the area, and bringing more cars with them. Parking infrastructure has not kept up with the increase in cars on Phuket. “The number of tourists and people have increased, so there are more vehicles driving around. But the parking area

is the same. “Patong is just a small town. Local authorities can develop it to have more facilities, but there is no more area here to expand for special parking places. What space there is needs to be shared.”

The orange cone was put in place to reserve this unused space for Patong’s many taxis and tuk-tuks.

TUK-TUK TROUBLES

The zoning system has been in place since December last year, but its effectiveness is questionable at best. Many foreigners and locals continue to complain about not being able to find a parking spot, and if you do manage to find a park, your vehicle will not necessarily be safe. Swedish tourist Rolf Peterzon, who visits Phuket every year, said the main problem was that while Patong Municipality had established the zones, too many spaces were reserved exclusively by rental companies and taxi and tuk-tuk drivers. “I think this is a problem. There must be more people than me who want to park on this beach road. “Taxi drivers, tuk-tuk drivers and renters are parking along the whole of Thaweewong Road. If there is an empty space they put orange plastic cones in them,” Mr Peterzon said. One Belgian expat, who has been on Phuket for several years, told The Phuket News he left his car parked outside Jungceylon back in 2007. The area was not marked as a no parking zone. When he returned, all four tyres had been slashed. He had parked in an area claimed by Patong’s tuk-tuk drivers, who obviously took offence to his intrusion. A nearby security guard had turned a blind eye to proceedings. “The biggest problem though is the beach road. There is no parking, it’s just thousands of tuk-tuks waiting to pick up customers,” the expat said. Local woman Daoroong Sommut also complains that

Taxi and tuk-tuk drivers claim valuable parking spots while waiting for customers on Thaweewong Rd.

Rental cars are allowed to park in certain spots from 7am to 5pm – the time most people would park and go to the beach. the available parking spaces around the beach road are too far away, and says she has to pay for a space if she wants to park close to the beach. “My office is not far from Soi Bangla, but I have to park my car near Patong football field which means I often take a motorbike taxi to my office after I park my car. “Sometimes I can find a parking space near my office, but I am forced to pay at least B50 per day to do so,” Ms Daoroong said. Patong Public Purpose Department head, Juleeporn Sangkhow, said people have to pay a parking fee to municipal

officers, and that money is then used to develop Patong. She did not specify whether or not that “development” includes parking facilities. “The fee will be paid to a municipal officer, who wear khaki uniforms, then he/she will give you a ticket. Motorbike parking is two baht per hour and cars is five baht an hour, but there are currently very few staff doing this job. “Parking in any private road such as Soi Sansabai, business owners may also charge a fee for parking in front of their shops,” Ms Juleeporn said.

A LONG WAY TO GO

Pornsak Kam-iead Head of Public Utilities of Patong Municipality said that while the zoning system has helped, he conceded it had not alleviated the problem. “We try to manage all signs and lines clearly so that tourists can see which areas are for rental cars or public parking,” Mr Pornsak said. “In the past, many rental cars and taxis parked at the same place in a big group [along the beach road], meaning the whole area could not be used by members of the public. Now, we have set zones for them to make sure they

are more spread out to make sure the area can be shared.” Under this zoning system, rental cars can only park along the road from 7am to 5pm. “We cannot set zones for rental cars on other roads in Patong at the moment because we are still planning to reverse the one way system in Patong,” Mr Pornsak added. That idea of reversing the one way system was first floated at the start of this year. With such lengthy periods for these ideas to come to fruition, it could be a long time yet before there is adequate parking in Patong. –Sukunya Phoonpong www.thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

BUSINESS

Mall fills up in two weeks Phuket’s first mall with water park rents out all 250 retail units > 14

Property awards organisers Fast release shortlist of winners Judging is now completed for the inaugural South East Asia Property Awards 2011, with a shortlist of winners in many categories, including many companies from Thailand, ready to be announced on November 30 in Singapore. Ensign Media, publisher of Property Report South East Asia Magazine, launched the first of these awards to recognise the best of the region’s residential real estate industry and had received thousands of nominations from across the region. Leong Chi Meng, managing director of CBRE Global Investors, headed a team of judges to select in categories including best developer, best development, best condo and best villa development as well as best architectural and interior design and a green development award. “The shortlist demonstrates how amazingly diverse and exciting real estate in

South East Asia is right now,” Terry Blackburn, CEO of Ensign Media, said. “ T he prop e r t ie s a nd companies the judges have chosen stand equal to those in the industry anywhere in the world and we hope that the recognition they will receive will raise the profile of real estate in our region to even greater heights internationally.” The shortlisted companies and projects will all receive either highly-commended or winner recognition at the gala dinner and presentation ceremony to be held on November 30 at Hotel Fort Canning in Singapore. From Thailand the shortlisted companies are:

Best developer: Asian Property Development, Kalara, Laguna Resorts & Hotels, Minor International and the Nova Group.

Best villa development: Azaya Villas, Banyan Tree Residences Phuket, Malaiwana, Soneva Kiri, Residences at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai. Best condo development: Alanna Yamu, Aequa Residence Sukhumvit 49, Panu, Siamese Gioia, The Residences at The St Regis Bangkok. Best architectural design: Soneva Kiri. Best interior design: Residences at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai and The Residences at The St Regis Bangkok. Green development award: Soneva Kiri. Best shared ownership development: The Village, Coconut Island; The Residences at Beach Republic. For more details about the awards, visit southeasta siapropertyawards.com.

comeback in tourism expected Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) believes tourism will comeback fast and play a vital role in getting the country’s economy back on track. On the sidelines of the Tourism Authority of Thailand flood briefing on Wednesday November 16, TCT Vice President Pornthip Hirunkate said she was confident that tourism could earn the kind of revenue to fast track economic recovery. “Thailand will need at least eight billion baht to restore infrastructure,” said Ms Pornthip, noting tourism could earn as much as one trillion baht if the Government ensures the business environment was stable. All association representatives attending the update agreed tourism would recover quickly as the country was dealing with a natural disaster rather than political or security

flood zone, the picture was positive. Hotels in Pattaya and Hua Hin were enjoying occupancies of 90 per cent as city residents evacuated from their homes. TCT believes tourist arrival in 2011 will decline by 10 per cent to around 18.5 million, down one million from the original target set by Ministry of Tourism and Sports. TAT said it was forecasting a fall-off of 300,000 tourists arriving through Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport if the capital remained flooded in December. According to the data provided by the Department of Tourism for the first 10 months of this year, Thailand welcomed 15,799,037 tourist arrivals, up 25 per cent from 12,637,793 last year. Kasikorn Bank not so optimistic: See facing page

money B1bn repair bill More sought for to for Don Muang repairs infrastructure Airports of Thailand (AoT) says an estimated B1 billion is needed to restore submerged Don Muang Airport. AoT President Anirut Thanomkulbutra said the airport authority will begin restoration of the western part of the flooded runway first as it will be used for flight services to facilitate the operation of officials in the area. The rehabilitation work will later be expanded to other parts of the airport, including the commercial use zone, according to the president. Mr Anirut said that the Government had allocated a budget of B489 million for AoT to reopen the airport, while

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related crisis that undermined confidence in stability. “But we have to make sure flood updates are accurate so overseas markets will have confidence to support our tourism industry,” said Ms Pornthip. “Public health is a major issue after a national disaster of this magnitude,” she added, warning the industry to be aware of the challenges and ensure it had the facts to forward to business partners. Thai Hotels Association reported that for the first half of November, occupancy rates in Bangkok hotels had dropped dramatically. “For four to five-star hotels the average is around 30 per cent for international guests in the inner city,” said THA representative Opas Netraumpai. However in the three-star and below categories, particularly for hotels outside of the

added budget will be provided by AoT itself for the operation, altogether estimated at one billion baht, to restore Don Muang Airport to a condition where it can resume flight services. He said AoT is also launching a campaign to inform foreign tourists about the flood situation and reassuring them that the flooding at Don Muang has nothing to do with flight services at Suvarnabhumi. Suvarnabhumi Acting Director Somchai Sawasdipol said the airport has prepared a video presentation on its ongoing f light services which it is distributing to embassies and tour agencies around the world. – MCOT

The Sub-committee on Transportation Assistance for Flood Victims is seeking additional budget of B4.2 billion for canal dredging, restoration of railroads and repairs of electrical equipment and air navigation systems. Permanent Secretary for Transport Supoj Saplom said three more government agencies have requested budget worth a total of B4.2 billion for flood recovery. Of the amount, B1.5 billion was requested by the Marine Department for canal and river dredging, B2.6 billion for restoration of damaged railroad tracks and signal systems, and B67.7 million by Aeronautical Radio of Thailand for repairs to navigation systems. Mr Supoj added that the floods have also damaged 8,540 roads under supervision of the Department of Local Administration, and 175 bridges in 40 provinces. Damage is assessed at B6.25 billion. As for the budget for restoration of highways already approved by the Cabinet, he said the work will start as soon as the Lower House endorses the draft budget bill.

BUSINESS/TOURISM 13

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

iPhone apps launched

The apps team, from left, Chaluckkamol Fuengchan, MD of Phebe5 and Boonsoong Technology; Vissarut Vibhavianthat, MD of Innuo Co; Panat Pookpho, GM of Central Festival; Naiyanart Fakthongphol MD of Fakthong Transport; Montavee Hongsyok, Assistant Development MD of the Anuphas Group; and Jirapat Suwannate of Two Villas Holiday Phuket. –Photo by PhuketBestEvent.com

Phuket has climbed on the iPhone applications bandwagon with two apps devised by local software companies. The two apps, which run on any iPhone, iPad or iPod with ios 5.0 or later, help users find the nearest Tiny Coffee outlet, or access discounts from a variety of local business through the Check in 4 Good Deals app. The software companies, Boonsong Technology Co and Phebe5 Co, held a press conference at Tiny Coffee on Thepkrasattri Rd, Phuket Town, to launch the two apps, which were devised in partnership with Tiny Coffee, the Anuphas Group, Two Villas Holiday, Scandinavian Liv-

ing, Fakthong Transportation, Central Festival Phuket and Pornthip Sea Store. Chaluckkamol Fuengchan, m a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r of Boonsong Technology and Phebe5, explained, “The Check in 4 Good Deals application will have various special discount and promotions of diverse business partnerships for users. “People will be able connect to products and services which meet their needs faster and better through this technology.” The apps also have a realtime navigation system to allow users to find the businesses involved, along with direct calling.

The Tiny Coffee app will also include Augmented Reality, or AR, games, the first time an AR-enabled app has been launched in Thailand. The Tiny Coffee app allows users not only to find the nearest company coffee shop but also other businesses in the Anuphas group in Phuket such as the Mazda, Honda and Ford showrooms, Shell gas stations, and Anuphas Autoplus. “User will also be able to check food and beverages menus [at Tiny Coffee] with exclusive promotions,” said Ms Chaluckkamol. The apps are available for free download from iTunes.

APEC to open Floods ‘will knock B35bn up all borders off home tourism income’ Travel across the Asia-Pacific region is set to become faster, easier and safer following the signing of the APEC Travel Facilitation Initiative by US President Barack Obama and the 21 leaders of the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping. Launched in Hawaii at the recent annual APEC Summit, the plan aims primarily to expedite movement within the Asia-Pacific region by fostering improvements in passenger security screening, immigration and customs processing, and by promoting adoption of best practices across the region. As well as lending his signature to the APEC initiative, Mr Obama signed a bill giving eligible US travellers access to the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC), described by the President as an “APEC business gold card”. Qualified cardholders receive expedited visa processing and are given access to express lanes at airport immigration

in APEC’s 21 economies. The Obama administration also announced that the US would be entering into trusted-traveller partnerships with South Korea, in January 2012, and later Singapore. The bilateral arrangements, part of a long-term goal of the APEC Travel Facilitation Initiative to create a regional network of trusted-traveller programmes, will allow eligible, pre-screened citizens to clear customs and immigration using automated kiosks when travelling between the US and the two Asian nations. US travel president and chief executive Roger Dow commended the Obama administration on the partnerships, as well as on bringing the US into the ABTC scheme. “Global Entry has been a major success for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and we are excited to offer expedited and secure travel to Asian visitors,” Mr Dow said. – e-Travel Blackboard

Airline planning new hub in Ubon Thai AirAsia will promote the airport in the northeastern city of Ubon Ratchathani as its aviation hub in the region, the airline’s chief executive Tassapol Bijleveld says. The project aims to link new domestic routes in Thailand’s north, northeast and south using Ubon as the centre. Thai AirAsia currently has direct flights between Phuket

The Kasikorn Research Centre (KRC) says flooding in the capital city has had a severe effect on domestic tourism, which has traditionally been largely supported by highspending Bangkok residents. Based on previous forecasts, KRC expects the floods to cost domestic tourism 8.7 million visits and earnings of as much as B35 billion. However, KRC is also predicting that the south of Thailand, including Phuket, will see a rise in domestic tourism because other parts of the country such as Ayutthaya, which traditionally attract large numbers of Bangkok holidaymakers, are now unattractive after being hit by the flooding. Generally, however, in contrast to the optimism of tourism associations, KRC is warning that domestic tourism could take until the second quarter of next year to recover. The speed of recovery will depend, it says, on the pace of repairs to flood-hit tourist attractions that will need to be completed before the next

rainy season sets in July 2012. KRC warned there would be a drop of 5 per cent, or 8.7 million domestic visits, reducing visits from the 105 million forecast earlier in the year to 96.3 million. Revenues generated by domestic tourists could decline by 6 per cent, or B35 billion, pulling the year’s figure down from the B415 billion forecast earlier to B380 billion. Before the flood, KRC was projecting domestic tourism would grow 3.6 per cent. Bangkok residents are the largest market for domestic

tourism, providing 29 per cent in terms of numbers and 51 per cent of receipts. Excursions to the south, KRC predicts, will increase

5 per cent in excursions from 8.63 million to 8.88 million and 6 per cent in revenue from B50 billion to B51.4 billion. –TTR Weekly

THE TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

and Ubon, as well as between Ubon and Chiang Mai. Ubon is close to the the Chong Mek border crossing with Laos and flying economically with AirAsia would help boost the economy and investment in the area as it would be a good option for people travelling to the northeast corner of Thailand or into Laos. – MCOT

www.thephuketnews.com

14 BUSINESS/PROPERTY

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

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Phuket’s first community mall to contain a water park is scheduled to open in July next year on Wirat Hongsyok Rd, opposite the Suan Luang Park. Already all the rented retail units in it have been booked. Wiphas Patarapoomtawon, CEO of the Benzy Mall Co, told The Phuket News: “We believe the area along Wirat Hongsyok Rd has great potential as a new business quarter. “Our project also supports families and young people who can join in various activities. In the future a new international school is planned for an area close to our project.” B100 million is being spent on the complex, which covers 15 rai of land. The mall and water park will cover 10 rai, with the remaining space set aside for parking. There will be one twostorey and five single storey buildings containing a total of 250 retail units. In the

Wiphas Patarapoomtawon, vice-president of the Benzy Mall Co: the mall with water park will open in July next year. middle will be the 60 by 20metre water park. Mr Wiphas said, “The water park is now about 20 per cent complete. It will be finished around the beginning of next year. Everything will be ready next July.” Bookings for renting space in Benzy Mall opened on October 15 and space was fully- booked within two weeks by a wide variety of retail businesses, from fashion and beauty shops to insurance firms and

gardening equipment shops. Mr Wiphas said about 70 per cent of the shoppers using the mall are expected to be Thais, with the remainder being foreigners. Benzy Mall will open from 9 am to 10 pm from Monday to Friday and from 9 am to midnight at the weekend. Free concerts or music shows will be staged in the mall on weekends. ■■ For more information on the mall visit benzymall.com or call 08 8530 9559.

Sixth shopping arcade now open for business

The Sixth Phuket, part of the Patong Promenade project, held its soft opening on Friday (November 18). The B50-million, onerai Sixth features Sino-Portuguese architecture borrowed from old Phuket Town, with shop-houses that will eventually contain spas, beauty salons, restaurants, art galleries, currency exchange shops and so on. The three-storey buildings contain 3,150 square metres of floor space, with 2,350 sqm rental space and 800 sqm of common area. Sarawee Bodharojtham, General Manager of Lux’s Manor Co, the project de-

Sarawee Bodharojtham: 70 per cent of rentable space has already been reserved. veloper, said: “We have 42 customisable retail outlets for rent in various categories. “The shop-houses are now open for any kind of chic or hip lifestyle businesses.

Already signed up are Gloss Phuket Nail Spa, Popular Salon Hair Studio, Sovrana Spa, Sovrana Lounge and Bar and others. Some of the outlets are the first in Phuket – they are nowhere else on the island.” She added, “About 70 percent of the retail space has been reserved, so we are still open for approaches from more businesses to join us.” The Sixth is named after Mrs Sarawee’s husband Aphiwat, CEO of the Sixth. His nickname is Hok, or “Six”. ■■ For more information call 076 342 554, e-mail info@thesixthphuket.com, or visit thesixthphuket.com

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

CULTURE

The spice is right The fragrant flavour of pak chee > 18

A matter of perspective Random View’s photographers’ fascination with the perspective of piers continues this week. For islander Wang Meiyun, who dabbles in photography, evening is a good time to take a slow-shutter-speed shot of the pier at Chalong Bay. The reflected purple light, adds a different dimension to the iron railings, lending them a strong sculptural quality

RANDOM view

and standing them out from the green sea. “Some people photograph nostalgic scenes of times past, but I am more interested in seeing Phuket as it is with its present buildings and structures, to help accept the fact that they are here,” says Wang.

Each month the best image wins a B500 gift voucher courtesy of Photo Hut (see www.photohutgroup.com). At the end of 2011, The Phuket News and Photo Hut’s ‘Photo of the Year’, chosen from all the entrants, receives a grand voucher for B5,000. os must have a Phuket theme, and be at least 1MB and 300dpi in size. Email to: editor@thephuketnews.com

Rural splendour GALLERY

Ceramics of Phuket:

71/3 Vichitsongkram Rd, Kathu; 185/6-7 Srisoonthorn Rd, Cherng Talay, 076 326 870, info@ceramicsofphuket.com; ceramicsofphuket.com.

Chatriya Gallery:

2/18 Limelight Ave, Dibuk Rd, Phuket Town, 076 225 284, chatriyagallery@gmail.com.

focus

Montien Yangthong of the I-Mon Gallery and studio, in Phang Nga Rd in old Phuket Town, is absorbed in painting a tall blue canvas with an elaborate golden tree in the middle of it. A couple of Russianspeaking women tourists call in to browse the many elaborate paintings on show in the spacious and cool shophouse, drifting back out into the hot afternoon after a while. One of his young children cries out back as she wakes from her siesta – her mother is soon with her. Montien graduated in fine art from Pattani University, although he was bor n in nearby Songkla Province. He has been painting in Phuket for six years now. He ha s be e n able t o make a living from his art, selling his distinctive and thoughtful paintings for about B10,000 for a larger one. As the demand for his work is up and down, he welcomes the job to paint a decorative mural or two in resorts, to help make ends meet. He showed me catalogues of recent group exhibitions in Haad Yai and at the National Art Gallery in Bangkok, where his art blends well into the mainstream Thai scene. “Artists are entirely on their own here with no as-

Phuket galleries

Baan Wana Park, 177/22 Moo.4, Srisoonthorn Road, Thalang, 076 620 071, designedbywoulfe.com.

I Mon Art Gallery:

29/2 Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town, montien_29@live.com. Open daily 8am-7.30pm.

King Art Studio:

21 & 50 Soi Bangla, Patong, 086 682 9130, info@kingartstudio.com; kingartstudio.com. Open daily 10am-midnight.

Lat Design and Art Garden:

95/33 Sai Yuan Rd, Naiharn, 086 294 3971, ja_rassri@hotmail.com.

Little Monk Gallery:

95/33 Saiyuan Rd, Naiharn, 086 294 3971.

99 Art Studio:

23 Lagoon Rd, 076 270 845, s.niamkhuntod99@gmail.com.

Phuket Modern Art:

5/28 Haad Patong Rd, Patong, 089 646 8838, phuketmodernart.com.

Above: Montien Yangthong of the I-Mon Gallery. Below: His carefully crafted artwork.

Red Gallery:

Phuket Art Village, Soi Naya 2, Rawai, 087 323 321, redgallerythai@yahoo.com; phuketredgallery.com.

Sarasil Art Galllery:

121 Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town, 076 224 532, somkiatkaewnok@yahoo.com; oilpaintingsphuket.com. Open daily 8pm-9pm.

Soul of Asia:

5/50, 2/F, The Plaza Surin, Surin, info@soulofasia.com; soulofasia.com.

The Love Art Studio:

28/13 Soi Naya 2, Naiharn, 089 471 5653, pui.t.l.a.s.@hotmail.com; theloveartstudio.com.

The One Gallery:

53 Srisoonthorn Rd, Cherng Talay, 083 634 6840, inone_111@yahoo.com. Open daily 11am-9pm.

Veerachan Usahanun: sistance whatever from the provincial government. There is not even a suitable large public place to hold an art exhibition,” he says. Montien talks, fondly and respectfully, about his father Somsak who, on his

retirement, turned from a builder into a travelling poet who now also carves wood and organises funeral arrangements. “My father taught me that to have something done successfully, there is no other

way than to do it yourself,” Montien says. “And that has always stuck with me.” The artist’s own wonderful vision that celebrates Thailand’s rural ways and virtues, permeates all his work. –Norachai Thavisin

110/34 Cherng Talay, Bang Tao Beach Rd, 081 490 4359, usahanun@live.com; veerachanusahanun.com.

Watcharin Art Studio:

27 Yaowaraj Rd, Phuket Town, 088 386 1449, watcharintinorodnit@hotmail.com, rindamagicalart.com.

Wua Gallery and Studio:

1 Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town, 076 258 208, wua.artgallery@gmail.com; wua-artgallery.blogspot.com.

www.thephuketnews.com

16 PEOPLE

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

Making a positive change Paul Gibson Hotelier

Paul Gibson is the owner of the Yorkshire Hotel & Spa (yorkshireinn.com/patonghotel), in central Patong Beach, a 68-room hotel and leisure centre. He also owns and operates Phuket Catering, which is a high end external catering business, mainly providing for weddings, parties and charter boats. What were you doing 35 years ago? I was the youngest PGA professional in the UK. After five years qualifying for the European tour, I realised that I was not good enough as a player and long-term saw no real future as a golf pro. I therefore applied for my amateur status again, and embarked on a career in the world of business. I started a golf club manufacturing and repair customising business, based in Leeds. This quickly snowballed and I was invited by The Royal & Ancient to repair and customise at the annual Open Championship. This brought me in close contact with many of the world’s top players, which

www.thephuketnews.com www.thephuketnews.com

Soul, blues, and jazz, but the new British singer-songwriter Adele has really caught my attention.

Exposed resulted in me doing work and making clubs for many of them. I specialised in making persimmon (wooden) drivers. I had the pleasure and honour of meeting and working with some of the greats, including Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Seve Ballesteros, Ben Crenshaw and many more. Why did you move here? I moved to Phuket seven years ago. The first reason was a bad divorce. The second was the land of the smiling face and the small bottom. I just love beautiful women. What is the best thing about living here? The humbleness of the people, the weather, the beaches and the smiling faces. What do you do to relax? I play golf, but to be truthful as I get older this sometimes becomes frustrating. My favourite for relaxation must be sitting on my 17th floor balcony overlooking Patong bay with a glass of Chilean red wine and a crossword, which I normally do not finish as I cannot spell.

Paul Gibson at the L’Orphelinat Du Cambodge EnphaceDeveloppment orphanage in Cambodia. He is in the middle of raising $100,000 to buy land and build a new orphanage as the government is about to withdraw the lease and build a sports stadium instead. What is your favourite childhood memory? Leaving school, which I hated. Also the first time I beat my dad at golf, who was a three handicap at the time.

for. Favourite food has to be Spanish, so a good paella has to be way up on the list, followed by a great fish casserole. Fruity new world red wines are my favourite.

Favourite food? Food and wine are what I live

What kind of music are you into?

Best tip you have for people moving to Phuket? Stay away from Bangla, don’t get into a tuk-tuk, and take the time to see the whole island. I have been here seven years and am still finding hidden gems like Laem Singh beach. Living in Thailand has changed my life completely. In the UK, I had big houses, big cars and top holidays. Phuket has humbled me and changed my outlook on life. Now I have very few material things. I have realised that it is far better to give than receive. I now spend a lot of my time raising money for children. I sponsor various children through the Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation in Kamala, as well as helping a small orphanage in Cambodia with 50 children. If children in Thailand get a proper education and learn to speak English this impacts on their entire family. Funniest thing that has happened to you while living on the island? This happened shortly after my arrival in Phuket. I bought

a house in Anapus golf villas in Kathu. Inside the development there is a large common grassed area, for children to play and parents to walk their dogs. The Thai manager erected a large sign and wrote on it: “Please do not let you dog Chit on the glass.”

The person you admire the most and why? Peter Hamilton, the co-developer of The Yamu on the east coast. He has helped me greatly and is a very kind and generous man. He one of a handful that have inspired me throughout life’s short journey. Where in Phuket would you choose to take someone on a first date? It depends who this would be, but a favorite place is the El Natural Restaurant in Phuket Town. If you could come back as any other person who would it be and why? Frank Sinatra, as I love to live life to the full. Favourite place to be on the island? Laem Singh beach next to Surin Beach. Why? It’s peaceful, quiet and I love Papa’s seafood restaurant.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

www.thephuketnews.com

18 HEALTH

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

The road to good health ADVERTORIAL How do you know if the vitamin you’re taking is helping you? The answer is that you don’t know for sure unless you know exactly what’s going on with your body’s physiology. The best way to find out is to do a comprehensive blood chemistry panel. There is no general screening test that is more efficient, effective and affordable. A comprehensive blood chemistry panel, also known as a chemical screen, allows a healthcare provider to quickly assess the degree of health or disease in a patient. It is the ultimate tool in biomedical laboratory sciences to evaluate new patients. It allows the healthcare provider to establish a baseline of bio-markers that can be used to track the patient’s health immediately, and over a period of time. Blood chemistry is a very effective tool for any healthcare provider to screen and identify imbalances in the body’s metabolism. It serves as an inexpensive way to assess major bodily functions. A blood chemistry test analysis should be considered by everyone, especially if you

www.thephuketnews.com

A comprehensive blood chemistry panel is good place to start on the road to good health. –Photo by David_Jones have not had a comprehensive evaluation in years. Many health problems can be prevented and managed effectively with early detection. Today’s current health model is focused on disease management, not early detection and management. Gone are the days when patients were given comprehensive detailed annual examinations and laboratory assessments. There is no better example of the diminished quality and comprehensiveness of annual physical examinations than the

blood chemistry panel. A decade ago, the average annual lab work ordered in a physical exam included a Chem-24 (comprehensive blood chemistry panel), CBC (Complete Blood Count) with differential, TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test, and a lipid panel. However, the healthcare model today customarily performs a simple Chem-7 (a basic blood chemistry panel) and lipid panel. The addition of a TSH, a CBC, or other tests is no longer routine. In the current healthcare

model, physicians are evaluated on a regular basis to assess their so called “effectiveness” as a medical provider. Physicians who order extra tests are considered unqualified providers. I understand that many of us have given up on the current healthcare model and are sick and tired of being overmedicated. Many of us are now looking for a more natural approach. A comprehensive healthcare evaluation and blood chemistry panel is good place to start to get you back on the road to good health. Dr Anthony Kell Chiropractic Health Consultant ■■ Dr Kell’s chiropractic clinic is at 27/14 Moo 4 Chao Fa Rd, just south of the Central Festival intersection. To contact him call 08 0530 3376 or email contactus@ phuket-chiropractic.com. For more information visit phuket-chiropractic.com. The opinions and advice contained in this column are those of the author only. The Phuket News is not responsible for the outcome or results of following any advice in any given situation.

SPICE IS RIGHT HEALTHY herbs

The marvelous fragrance of this herb is as common and welcoming as that of crushed garlic in a Thai kitchen. Indeed, the seeds, roots and leaves of pak chee, or coriander (Coriandrum sativum), have become just about indispensable in all Asian cooking, especially Thai and Indian cuisines. Native to southern Europe, North America and Southwestern Asia, this herb has been used for thousands of years all over the world. The herb is used in traditional medicine for anxiety,

as a diuretic (to help with urine), and as a digestive aid. It is being researched also for its properties to reduce cholesterol levels. Powdered coriander seeds are an essential ingredient in Indian curries. Its aromatic roots also flavour many Thai soups, and when crushed with garlic, help make a marinade for delicious grilled chickens. Its leaves garnish everything from fried rice to sour seafood yum salads. Like many spices, coriander also contains antioxidants that can delay and prevent the spoilage of food that has been seasoned with it.

ENVIRONMENT 19

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

EM water to help flood victims

From left to right: Chief Accountant Sopar Thongkhonta, Director of Human Resources Annop Petcharoen, Official Clerk of Regional Environmental Office 15 Phuket Utsawin Ma-Inn, General Manager Simon Morley, Executive Assistant Manager Phusit Phruksarat and Human Resources Training Officer Surasit Tangman.

Endangered giants As Director of the Phang Nga Coastal Fisheries and Development Centre, Suparp Pripanapong, will readily tell you, it’s almost impossible to raise babies of the endangered Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) in captivity anywhere in the world. Whereas the centre successfully raises 500 endangered Green sea turtles every year, to be freed into the Andaman Sea, problems arise from the baby Leatherbacks’ exclusive preference for a jellyfish diet. Unless the centre is able to breed jellyfish for them, it’s a difficult task to raise the young turtles to the optimal nine month age for release. The magnificent Leatherback is the largest of all sea turtles. Unlike other

Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Mai Khao Beach, led by General Manager Simon Morley and the management team, contributed 500 litres of Effective Microorganism (EM) water to Regional Environmental Office 15 Phuket recently. This project has been developed by Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to support “Effective Microorganism for flood victims, 84,000 EM balls 84,000 litre of EM water”. The objective of this project is to use Effective Microorganism water to treat contaminated flood water in central Thailand.

MEET

the natives

Baby leatherback turtles prefer a diet of jellyfish. sea turtles, Leatherbacks do not not have a hard bony carapace but instead thick leathery skin. Ranging far and wide all over the world from the polar regions to the tropics, mostly eating jellyfish, they have been declared critically endangered because their eggs buried in beach sand are considered

a delicacy and are widely eaten in Thailand, almost completely wiping out the species locally. Ma ny a du lt t u r tles die after ingesting floating plastic bags littered in the sea, mistaking them for jellyfish, while others are caught in fishing nets and drowned. –Norachai Thavisin

Above left: Tropical green garden dotted with coloured foliage –Photo: HGTV.com. Above right: Simply placing red chairs on a green lawn can change the aesthetic of a garden.

Colour me red (or green) GREEN thumb

For anyone who may have a limited budget to decorate a garden, using colour is an inexpensive option that should be considered. In many ways superior to decorated ornaments, colour changes the aesthetic in profound ways, affecting visitors’ moods and emotions. Using colourful plants also helps save the environment, in that it doesn’t create waste like expensive furniture that will eventually need to be thrown out and replaced. For a true rainbow effect, consider planting flowers or trees with variegated foliage. Thailand is home to many tropical plants of colour, such as red flame tree (delonix regia), pink tabebuia (tabebuia rosea), purple wreath (petrea volubilis), yellow allamanda (allamanda cathartica) and white plumeria.

Deciduous plants that have variegated foliage during their “autumnal” shedding period, such as bengal almond (terminalia catappa), also provide charming seasonal colours for any garden. Before selecting colours for your garden, take time to consider the psychological impact of each. Usually the main colour found in a garden, green is considered the most restful; red and orange stir up energy and excitement; pink shows gentleness and delicacy; blue brings calmness and serenity; yellow gives a welcoming feeling; purple is associated with luxury, and can be tranquil if its hue is light; and white conveys a sense of sterility. The ideal approach is to achieve a balance of hues, either through contrast or harmony. For instance, cool

colours, mainly green, purple or blue, should play a main role in relaxing visitors’ eyes, while 0 to 15 per cent of the space should be set aside for so-called ‘hot’ colours: red, yellow and orange. For a modern chic garden, contrast a green lawn with red seats to bring more attraction in a garden. Hot colours attract people’s eyes, and so should be applied to furniture, pool tiles, and focal-point ornaments such as pots and planting beds. However, avoid placing too many “hot” items in a garden. To harmonise a garden, incorporate plants with green foliage punctuated by plants with hot-coloured flowers. Balance these by using earth-coloured sandstone or brick to line your patio. –Paritta Wangkiat

www.thephuketnews.com

20 EDUCATION

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

Kids art winners This week, The Phuket News is happy to publish the work of this month’s four winners of the Kids Art Competition. In no particular order, the names are: Sine Pohlman, 13, from QSI International School of Phuket; Cindy Shin, from Kajonkietsuksa School; Josh Biddell, 11, from HeadStart International School and Jareun, 11, from Kamala School. Very well done one and all, and thank you everyone also for the increasing number of entries that we are receiving. The newspaper will have a difficult job next month to choose the grand winner, from all the monthly winners already chosen during this year, who will receive a surprise annual Kids Art Prize.

Josh, HeadStart International School.

Cindy, Kajonkietsuksa School.

Jareun, Kamala School.

Sine, QIS International School.

Slam dunk Former LA Laker player Ike Nwankwo, from Topf light Basketball Academy Bangkok, recently gave a special basketball clinic to students from Kajonkiet International School Phuket (KISP) and students from Kajonkiet’s Mathayom basketball tea Students were shown new techniques by the pro and a real slam-dunking session at the end of the clinic resulted in plenty of excitement.

Montessori workshop Visiting South African Montessori education Barbara O’Hagan (standing) gave a “Montessori Practical Workshop” last month at the Rawai

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Progressive International School on Viset Rd in Rawai. Parents and teachers were shown how to use materials in the Montessori education

of children aged three to six years. For more information on the workshops, contact 076 289 200 or training@ montessori-thailand.com.

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

LIFE&STYLE Artittaya Kiattiwut Cafe owner

Her funky printed t-shirt (B350) is from the Indy Market in Phuket Town.

She found her golden bracelet (B120) at a shop in the Platinum Mall, Bangkok.

Her denim shorts (B2,900) were bought at Central Festival.

Her black and brown sandals (B290) are f r o m B a n g ko kâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jatujak market.

Holiday in ruins

Going walkabout in Angkor Wat > 26

ACCESSORIES

street fashion Samantha Proyrungtong

Online-fashion business owner Her earrings (B290) are from her online shop, sammi-joe.com

Her white rose shirt (B750) is from Patong.

Denim shorts (B100) also from Patong.

Her blue peeptoe shoes (B1,500) were bought on a shopping trip to France.

FUNKY SCARFS

1. Patterned shawl B520 each. 2. Funky scarf B399. 3. Handmade bag B490. 4. Handmade bag B350. 5. Handmade hair scrunchy B180 each.

Items from Phu-Thalang shop at 74, Thalang Rd in Phuket Town. Open 10am-6pm. Phone 076 258 388.

www.thephuketnews.com

22 DOWNTIME

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

From left, Managing Director of Events Thailand Jorge De La Torre, Suthep Satitburana from the Prime Minister's Office, the Director of Phuket Provincial Health Office Sak Thaenchikul, Phuket Police Commander Maj Gen Pekad Tantipong and Managing Director of Events Thailand Simon Samaan.

Jirasak Saenart prepares pizza dough in the Speed Pizza Contest.

EVENTS THAILAND WOULD LIKE TO THANK ITS PARTNERS AND SPONSORS FOR MAKING

Frederic Tartour, Export and Key Account Manager of Vittoria Coffee, distributed in Phuket by BB&B, presents Kritsana Leaungpramuan from Holiday Inn Phuket with the winners trophy.

ASIAN HOSPITALITY

THE

NOVEMBER 18-20 AT

& TRAVEL SHOW 2011

A GREAT SUCCESS.

CO-SPONSORS

EVENT BY

MEDIA-SPONSORS

PARTNERS

Danilo from Bellini shows how to make dough for pizza. www.thephuketnews.com

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24 DINING

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

For the love of latte Phu ket bar ista K r itsana Leaungpramuan was thrown into the spotlight on Saturday when he won the first prize in the Vittoria Barista Challenge, held during the Asian Hospitality Show. Mr Kritsana won B5,000 cash, plus a return trip to Australia to take part in a coffee making workshop. This is not the first industry prize for the talented 25-year-old, who has already earned numerous awards on his mission to become the island’s top barista. Mr Kritsana started making coffee in 2009 when he began his job at the Holiday Inn Patong. He was also a bartender for the hotel’s bar and restaurant. With his easy-going personality, his talent in entertaining people and his love for making coffee, Mr Kritsana has turned into a major barista talent by producing top-quality coffee, that also looks the part.

The winning latte made by Kritsana Leaungpramuan.

Mr Kritsana prepares to make his winning latte for the judges. “I believe making coffee is an art,” said Mr Kritsana. “It is not just about creating a good taste, coffee must also satisfy people’s eyes.”

He was inspired by his colleagues, after he saw them practicing making coffee on a free barista training course offered by the hotel.

He then paid for a barista course himself, and later won the Indy Barista Southern Championship 2009 after just three months of experimenting.

“I didn’t like coffee at the beginning, but then I joined the course and found how captivating being a barista is. Since then, I have loved making coffee,” said Mr Kritsana. He also won the Latte Art section of the Indy Barista Championship 2011, impressing the judges with his designs and flavour. Mr Kritsana’s dream is to create a signature design on the top of frothed milk in the

cup, similar to the popular leaf design used by many. He says it is very difficult to create patterns in the milk. He also would love to inspire up and coming Phuket baristas, and leave a legacy in top coffee making. You can taste Mr Kritsana’s coffee daily at the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket, 52 Thaweewong Road, Patong, 076 370 200; phuket.holiday-inn.com

A second look at wine and health Phuket

Tur ning water into wine doesn’t sound like a bad idea given the excess aqua Thailand has had to deal with during the past two months. Then again we’re talking about billions of litres which would only add to the existing lake of surplus wine that has recently driven many small producers out of business. As previously reported there has been a positive trickle-down effect in terms of quality in lower price categories including box or cask wines. There’s even a major annual convention of bulk wine producers meeting in Amsterdam this month. With increased quality at moderate prices it’s worth reviewing some of the much hyped health benefits associated with moderate wine consumption, and considering adding a glass or two of

www.thephuketnews.com

FINE WINE

better-than-plonk wine to our daily routines. The health mantra many in the wine industry now chant received a major boost in 1991 with the broadcast on US television show 60 Minutes of a segment called the French Paradox. It revealed the apparently low rate of cardiovascular disease among the French, whose diets have included notorious amounts of saturated fats. Doctors from Bordeaux University concluded that regular consumption of red wine played a significant role in reducing heart related problems compared to US citizens with nearly equal saturated fat intake, bolstered by beer but very little red wine.

Later analysis revealed discrepancies in data indicating the differences may not have been that significant, but the study did highlight the positive effects polyphenols and flavinoids in red wine had on degenerative diseases. Prominent among these compounds is resveratrol, an antioxidant occurring in the skins and seeds of grapes. Reds have it over whites in antioxidant content because of extended contact during fermentation with skins and seeds which is essential for extraction of colour and flavors. In 2006, a Harvard study showed that high calorie diets accompanied by high resveratrol intake in mice resulted in lower weight, fewer cardiovascular issues and longer life. A 2009 study at University of Texas Medical Center indicated higher resveratrol

intake helped lower patient’s blood sugar levels. How much is required remains a question. One glass of red wine contains about 2.0mg of resveratrol whereas the tests utilized resveratrol supplements in doses of 100mg to 500mg or the dizzying equivalent of about 50 glasses of wine a day. The good news remains that antioxidants in red wine – more in pinot noir and tannat than cabernet or syrah – continue being viewed as helpful for healthy aging. Garlic, onions, tea and chocolate also contain antioxidants but don’t exactly have the panache of say a bottle of Romanee-Conti. Skip the water, please!

For more information call the Andaman Wine Club on 076 620 101 or visit andaman-wine-club.com

tops HAPA awards Phuket’s restaurants took top honours in the annual Hospitality Asia Platinum awards (HAPA), held last week. Acqua Restaurant’s executive chef/owner Alessandro Frau picked up awards for Chef of the Year (platinum), King of Kitchens (platinum), Master Chef – Western Cuisine (platinum), and Most Innovative F&B Personality (platinum). Acqua Restaurant won Restaurant of the Year (platinum), Most Exquisite Dining Experience – Western Cuisine (platinum), Most Trendy Casual Dining (platinum) and Most Unique F&B Concept (platinum). Da Maurizio Bar Ristorante chef Paolo Fadda won Chef of the Year (platinum), King

of Kitchens (platinum) and Master Chef – Western Cuisine (platinum). The restaurant won Restaurant of the Year (platinum), Most Exquisite Dining Experience – Western Cuisine (platinum), Most Trendy Casual Dining (platinum), Most Unique F&B Concept (gold), and Most Cosmopolitan Bar and Restaurant (gold). Baan Rim Pa and Joe’s Downstairs both won Most Trendy Casual Dining (gold) and Most Cosmopolitan Bar and Restaurant (gold). Randy Chinn, from the Baan Rim Pa group, won Master of Wine (platinum). IndoChine’s Michael Ma won the Hospitality Entrepreneur of the Year (platinum) and Most Innovative F&B personality (platinum).

DINING 25

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

Say chai to gui chai STREET EATS

Newly-opened Ocean Beach Club will introduce its evening menu from December 15.

Moving on up W h e n Hu n g a r i a n - b o r n Joseph Nagy wanted to get into the food industry as a teenager, he began by sending out 52 handwritten letters to hotels and restaurants asking for a chance to train as a chef apprentice. Who would have thought he would end up being the executive chef at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa in Karon, overseeing the operation of five restaurants plus event catering, and in charge of around 130 kitchen staff. At age 14 he landed his first job as a kitchen hand. Then, wanting more, he sent out the multiple letters and landed his first job at the Ramada Grand Hotel, in Glenelg, South Australia, where he moved to at the age of 16. From there, Joseph slowly worked his way up through the ranks before landing a job as executive sous chef for the famous Jordan’s Seafood restaurant in Sydney’s Darling Harbour, just in time for the Olympics in 2000 when the a la carte restaurant served a staggering 21,000 meals in 18 days. He then spent time in Fiji working at the Turtle Island Resort, as well as working for two years at the Hilton hotel in the Maldives, before transferring to the Hilton in

Joseph Nagy with his Sea Bass Kokonda dish – lemon cured fish with coconut milk. Karon this August. “Once you’ve worked at the six or seven star hotels and got them under your belt, it’s time to show that you can handle doing the volume,” says Joseph. Being the executive chef at the Hilton in Karon provided the perfect challenge. It has 664 rooms and more than 1,200 guests at full capacity – all eager to try the restaurants available at the resort. The island lifestyle, which has allowed him to do all the sports he loves, including regular cycling, mountain biking and playing cricket, has also been a big plus. “For five years I was working on islands [Fiji and the

Maldives] which I also lived on, and were pretty inaccessible. It felt like you were at work all the time. Here I have a real sense of freedom.” Since his arrival he has adapted many of the menus in the resort’s five restaurants – Caffe Cino, (western) Thai Thai (Thai), Buon Appetito (Italian), Sails Restaurant (international) and the newlyopened Ocean Beach Club. Although no drastic changes have yet been made, according to Nagy the restaurant menus will see a gradual overhaul over the coming months. His main cooking motto is to keep recipes simple, and not to destroy the natural f lavours by adding strong sauces or seasoning. He has introduced more local products (imported ingredients, mainly beef and lamb, make up only 10 to 15 per cent of imports), and a broader variety of seafood, because it is his favourite meal to cook. “I’m introducing things that showcase the hotel but also show off Phuket’s unique and fresh food – its produce and seafood.”

Chinese chives in a ball, also known as gui chai, is a Chinese specialty snack found on street corners throughout Thailand. Gui chai is the name of the dish, but also that of the main ingredient, chives. It is made from rice flour and vegetables and can be either fried or steamed. Ingredients include chives, bamboo shoots, yam beans, carrot and taro. For fried gui chai, a vendor will mix rice flour with sliced chives, then add a little bit of salt. They will leave it in a tray until it turns hard and dry. After that the snack will be fried until it is cooked. To make steamed gui chai, the vendor will mix chives, yam beans, taro, carrot or bamboo shoots together, then cover with rice f lour and steam. Sometimes, it is then also fried to give it a better taste. The vendor cooks it at their cart, and serves the gui chai with sweet and sour sauce and ground dried chilli. Chok-anan Gui Chai has been open in Phuket for more than 10 years, with many

Above: Nor Yanee, from, Chok-anan Gui Chai prepares the gui chai for hungry customers. Right: How to find the popular street vendor. branches around the island. One of the more popular is located in Down Town Market on Ranong Rd, Phuket Town. This vendor is open daily from 3pm to 9pm. The price is B20 for six pieces of delicious gui chai.

Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, 333 Patak Rd, Karon Beach, 076 396 433; hilton.com

www.thephuketnews.com

26 TRAVEL

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

TRAVEL DEALS

Qantas launches new AustraliaThai promotion

A HOLIDAY IN RUINS Left: One of the many Angkor Thom temples. Right: The steep climb at Angkor Wat.

“I

know why you don’t have a boyfriend,” the 12-year-old souvenir seller tells me as she follows me down the road. I’m dreading the answer, knowing it surely won’t be good for my self-esteem. “Why?” I ask her with a degree of caution. “It’s because you don’t buy my bracelets,” she says, running away laughing. I’ve been in Siem Reap for less than 24 hours, and already have been pestered by what seems like several hundred street kids, holding onto my hand and trying to drag me toward one shop or other. It’s heartbreaking, but sadly seems to be the norm in Cambodia, particularly around the famous Angkor Wat temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia’s pride and joy. Built in the early 12th century, these temples attract

thousands of tourists every year, eager to see the ancient masterpieces. Day passes are $20 (B600), but cheaper multi-day passes are also available. Most people seem to get around the temples on tuk-tuks or motorbikes, with a few tourists braving the scorching midday heat on pedal power alone. I spent one day visiting Angkor Wat (the main one), Angkor Thom (famous for its face carvings) and Ta P roh m (feat u red i n t he movie Tomb Raider and surrounded by trees). With its hu nd reds of carved faces, the statues look majestic at Angkor Thom. Due to its height, there is some climbing of ladders involved, though you’re rewarded by an awesome view from the top. Later in the day I visited Angkor Wat, which, while still impressive, had been some-

King’s Cup Regatta Beach Party On Kata Beach December 05, 2011

ome join the hundreds of Regatta sail masters. Enjoy the music, great food and drinks and dance on the sandy beach at sunset in front of the legendary Boathouse. Party between 6-9pm, tickets @ 800 Baht at the gates or call 076-330-015. Complimentary entry for all ticket holders to the after party from 9pm onwards at RE KÁ TA, the most classy and newest beach club on the island (next to Boathouse).

www.thephuketnews.com

what over-hyped – though its sheer size makes it worth the trip. One downside was that during my visit refurbishment was under way, meaning much of the temple was covered in green plastic sheeting. A two and a half hour tuktuk drive out of Siem Reap sits Beng Mealea temple. Built in the same style as Angkor Wat, over the years it has been heavily destroyed by landmines set during the Khmer Rouge regime. Because the temple is in ruins, fewer tourists visit – making it one of the most pleasant to visit. Every group is given a guide (free, but you’re expected to tip) who shows you through the temple. This is where the fun begins. Every visitor faces an epic scramble through fallen concrete ruins, up and over the large boulders that block many entrances and exits,

Above: One of the majestic Angkor Thom face carvings. Below: The tree jungle at Ta Prohm, featured in Tomb Raider.

with only enough space left to squeeze through. On our three hour tour, we even passed through a gallery which our guide said used to be home to several tigers during the Angkor period, though I remained somewhat sceptical of his tale.

While I only spent two days at the temple, history enthusiasts could easily spend a week here. If you are heading to Cambodia these UNESCO world heritage sites are definitely worth making the five or so hour trip north from Phnom Penh – even if you’re hassled by 12-year-olds querying your dating status. –Claire Connell ■■ Getting there: Bangkok Airways offers flights from Phuket to Siem Reap, with a 2-3 hour layover in Bangkok. Alternatively you can fly into Phnom Penh, and take the bus north for under $10. ■■ Where to stay: High-end: Pavillon d'Orient Boutique-Hotel (pavillon-orient-hotel.com), rooms from $100 (B3,000 per night). Mid-range: Golden Orange Hotel (goldenorangehotel.com), rooms from $16 (B480 per night). ■■ Where to eat: Le Tigre de Papier (letigredepapier.com), a great Italian restaurant and hotel in Siem Reap central, serves meals from $4 (B120). The Blue Pumpkin Cafe (tbpumpkin.com) is an upmarket western cafe with delicious desserts and other treats. ■■ More information: Visit the official website at siemreap-town.gov.kh

Qantas Airways Thailand has launched a ‘Qantas 91st Birthday Sale’ promotion offering customers departing Thailand reduced airfares until November 30, 2011. Under the promotion, return air tickets between Bangkok and Australia (Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne or Adelaide) are from B16,000 excluding airport taxes, service fees, insurance, fuel and other surcharges. Customers are eligible to travel from February 1, 2012 to March 31, 2012, and the air tickets are for a maximum of 12 months stay. Moreover, travellers can have one free stopover and an additional stopover at a charge of B2,000. Date changes are not permitted, and other terms and conditions apply. From Thailand, Qantas operates daily services to Sydney and passengers are able to connect their preferred flights to domestic routes throughout Australia. Additionally, the airline operates daily services to London from Bangkok. See qantas.com.au

Tiger Airways promotion fares Tiger Airways has launched a new promotion offering reduced fares to cities across the Asia Pacific region. The promotion includes flights to all of Tiger Airways’ destinations from Singapore, including to Phuket (from B1,152 oneway), Ho Chi Minh (from B1,632 one-way), Thiruvananthapuram (from B3,072 one-way) and Guangzhou (from B3,312 one-way), inclusive of taxes and charges. The travel period is from November 17, 2011 to July 31, 2012, varying for each specific route. “Many Singaporeans love travelling. However, due to work commitments or budget constraints, they don’t take holidays as frequently as they would like to,” said Stewart Adams, Managing Director of Tiger Airways Singapore. “We all work very hard and deserve regular short breaks to rejuvenate ourselves. Tiger Airways’ greatvalue fares and list of exciting leisure destinations provide two additional reasons for Singaporeans to take more short vacations overseas, even if it’s just for a weekend.”

TRAVEL 27

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

CARNIVAL TO BOOST CHIANG MAI TOURISM Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is counting on a northern festival, Chiang Mai Family Carnival 2011, to spur recovery in the domestic tourism market. The event is scheduled from December 3 to January 3, 2012 at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province. “It’s a new event and it should help to restore the mood to travel in the country once more,” said TAT deputy governor for domestic marketing, Thawatchai Arunyik. Floods hit Thailand recently and Chiang Mai was one of the first northern provinces to suffer with 16 districts inundated resulting in an estimated damage of B8 billion. However, the water receded quickly and

had little impact on tourist arrivals since. Hosted by Keng Karj Kijjakam Company, the family event will feature nine activity zones: Doraemon House, kid theatre, play zone, tunnel of fun, kite show, food zone, kid house, game zone and stage. “We a re t a rget i ng 600,000 domestic visitors,” said Keng Karj Kijjakam managing director, Passara Kasemsuwan, who said it would probably attract the most visitors from surrounding districts and provinces. Very little publicity has been given to the event and it is unlikely to have an impact on Bangkok residents who still face a serious flood threat to their homes and livelihoods. –TTR Weekly

Andaman Travel Trade 2011:From left, Praprut Khorpetch, President of the Phang Nga Tourist Association, Somboon Jirayus, President of PTA, Jutaporn Rerngronasa, Deputy Governor of Marketing Communications of TAT, Bangornrat Shinaprayoon, Phuket TAT Director, and Bhuritt Maswongssa, Vice-President of PTA.

Travel trade show to counter flood stories In a bid to get tourists in Phuket’s major markets to understand that the island has not been affected by the floods in Central Thailand, local tourist bodies are to bring tour operators and media from around the world to Phuket this weekend. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA), the

Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (OrBorJor) and the Phuket Department of Tourism and Sports will host the Andaman Travel Trade 2011 (ATT) today and Saturday (November 25-26) at Rajabhat Phuket University. More than 300 tourism operators and members of the media from 28 countries in

Europe, North America, Asia, Australasia, Africa and the Middle East will be brought in to meet more than 160 tourist agencies and hotels based in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang and Ranong. Jutaporn Rerngronasa, the TAT’s Deputy Governor of Marketing Communications, said she believes that the event,

which was first held in 2000, should help boost the number of tourists taking holidays in the five Andaman provinces. “Thailand tour agencies and hotels can offer special rates, discounts and activities to foreign agents so that tourism income can be distributed to all the Andaman provinces,” she added.

www.thephuketnews.com

28 SPONSOREDFEATURE

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

Discover Phuket...by helicopter

From ready-made sight-seeing tours, to private charters, aerial reconnaissance and photography, the experienced staff at Helithai are ready to make your dream come true; even your most extravagant (and romantic) wish, a wedding proposal in the air! Maximum safety procedures are guaranteed, made possible with their team’s Eurocopter training. The pilots of the stateof-the-art helicopters are selected for their experience, talent and dedication to aviation excellence. Tours include Magical Bays of Phuket (20min or 30min), as well as Phang Nga Bay sightseeing (approximately 40 mins). For more information contact: Miss Frederique Salti, 081 926 2102, info@helithaiandassociates.com; www.helithaiandassociates.com. Facebook page: Helithai & Associates.

LUXURY PHUKET

The dictionary defines luxury as “a material object, or service conducive to sumptuous living”, while Wikipedia states: “Luxury goods are products and services not considered essential but are associated with affluence. The concept of luxury has been present in various forms since the beginning of civilisation. Its role was just as important in ancient western and eastern empires as it is in modern societies.” On this new page, we’ll promote the very best in luxury living on Phuket, whether it be a yacht, jet, car, watch, fashion, or jewellery – so read on, and enjoy the Phuket luxe life.

Sail away in a truly stunning setting There can be no better way to appreciate the Andaman Sea, with its crystal clear waters and some of the most stunning scenery in the world than on a private charter yacht with Wahoo Luxury Yacht Charters. Wahoo, Phuket’s favourite private yacht charter company, offers an unforgettable cruising, gamewww.thephuketnews.com

fishing or diving experience in Phi Phi, Phang Nga, Krabi and beyond. Your magical day begins with a warm Thai welcome from their on-board service team, who will ensure you are pampered to the fullest extent throughout the day, leaving you to relax, enjoy a refreshing swim or explore on the Jet Ski and sea canoes.

Their sumptuous food menus are all freshly prepared on board, allowing you to dine al fresco in beautiful surroundings, with every possible luxury taken care of. For more information on cruises with Wahoo Luxury Yacht Charters, email info@wahoo.ws, visit wahoo. ws or call 076 281 510.

ONCAMERA 29

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

CELEBRATING THE SHOW A large crowd was in attendance for the final party of the the 2nd Asian Hospitality and Travel Show on Sunday evening (November 20). The event, which was held at White Box in Kalim, was a fun evening, with attendees impressed with the Above: Liliya Kenzina, a travel agent stunning White Box visiting from Dubai. Below: guests venue and delicious Uli and Hans Guelich. dining on offer.

Above: From left, Marc Antoine Audibert, GM White Box; Kyle Owen-Smith, English teacher; and Jay Carlile, from Blue Aje. Right: Jeab Limsakul and Tim Pearson, Marketing and Communications Executive at BIS.

Above: Jason and Gift from Live 89.5. Left: A from Phuket Villa and Homes and Su from Impiana in Kata.

TURTLE CHARITY NIGHT Above left: Aleenta Resorts founder Anchalika Kijkanakorn, centre, and Phang Nga Coastal Fisheries and Development Centre Director, Suparp Pripanapong, right. Above right: Ms Anchalika releases a rare young green sea turtle on the beach.

On a magical evening, guests help release young green sea turtles into the sea.

Twenty rare young green sea turtles were released during The Pure Blue Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Help Us Save the Marine Life charity event last Saturday (November 19) at the Aleenta Resort and

Spa Phuket-Phang Nga. The aim was to help raise funds for its continuing work to regrow a coral reef out from the Aleenta Resort and to breed more young turtles to be released into the wild.

Foundation director and Aleenta Resorts founder Anchalika Kijkanakorn, alongside resort manager Yann Gouriou, joined with more than 100 guests to release the turtles into the sea.

Above: Brunoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dog, Mia, was one of the most popular guests at the party.

The Blue Label team, from left, Nong, Alex Leeming, Ben Reymenants, Simone Reymenants, Hakan, and Benoit Capitaine.

Ben Reymenants, Alex Leeming, and Patrick Schindler.

DIVING RIGHT IN

Blue Label Diving held its official opening party last Thursday night (Nov 17) at its shop near Chalong

pier. The event included a raffle, barbecue, Thai food, drinks, music and a technical Alex Leeming, centre, and Simone Reydiving presentation. menants, right, give away raffle prizes. www.thephuketnews.com

30 WEIRDWORLD

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

THE BIG LIST Missing the mark In this day and age, someone is always trying to sell you something. In such a crowded market, it’s no wonder advertisers have tended toward increasingly “bolder” messages to break through the haze (see left). Whether through confusion or brazen stupidity, here are a few that didn’t quite pan out so well:

Where’s the love?

Pope Benedict kissing Egyptian cleric Sheikh el Tayeb, Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao locking lips, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy sharing a passionate exchange. If that all sounds a little too weird to be true, it’s because it is. Behold the power of Photoshop and the nerve of clothing label Benetton in its latest advertising campaign. The fashion label has been forced to pull some of the images after the Vatican threatened legal action, with spokesman Rev Federico Lombardi called the Benetton campaign a “grave disrespect”.

The campaign, which also sees Israeli prime minister Benjamin Nethanyahu getting up close and personal with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, has provoked a storm of reaction on social

networks and in blogs. The Benetton advertising campaign, called ‘Unhate’, was launched last Wednesday, with giant posters of the ‘kissing’ ads unveiled in Milan, Paris, Tel Aviv and New York.

However, Reuters reported that a poster of the Pope ‘kissing’ was removed from a bridge near the Vatican shortly after it was put up. “We reiterate that the meaning of this campaign is exclusively to combat the culture of hatred in all its forms,” a Benetton Group spokesman said in a statement, because the company is obviously in no way interested in profiting from their advertising campaign. It’s supposed to be inspired by the infamous embrace between the USSR’s Leonid Brezhnev and East Germany’s Erich Honecker in 1979. Images of Benetton clothing do not appear anywhere in the ads.

Pilot trapped in toilet mid-flight A jammed lock on a plane bathroom door caused anxious moments for pilots and passengers alike aboard a flight from North Carolina to New York City, in the US. It all started when a loud

banging noise was heard emanating from the Chautauqua Airlines flight’s restroom. The captain was locked inside. But when a passenger with an unfamiliar accent tried to alert the co-pilot in the cockpit,

Irish Pubs • Restaurant • Guest Houses

the co-pilot became alarmed and notified air traffic controllers, according to a recording of the radio exchange from the website LiveATC.net. “The captain has disappeared in the back and I have someone with a thick foreign accent trying to access the cockpit right now, and I’ve got to deal with this situation,” the co-pilot said in the exchange. A controller then tells him to consider declaring an emergency: “OK, Chautauqua, you guys ought to declare an emergency and get on the ground.” The captain eventually freed himself from the lavatory.

He then told controllers there was no threat. “The captain – myself – went back to the lavatory and the door latched...I had to fight my way out with my body to get the door open,” the captain said. “There is no issue, no threat.”

Woman keeps ‘alien’ in fridge for two years Draft Beer Great Food Cool Rooms Good Music Live Sport

www.thephuketnews.com

A Russian woman claims she has kept an alien in her freezer for two years after its module crash landed outside her house. M a r t a Ye g o r o v n a m wrapped the two-foot long body with a huge head and stick-like arms in plastic and hid it away. After finally revealing her “secret” to the authorities, the picture sparked an internet frenzy with stargazers claiming they are proof

there is other life out there. Marta told investigators she found the alien after hearing a crash outside her home at Petrozavodsk, Russia, in 2009. She claimed the body lay among the burning wreckage of a UFO. Paranormal writer Michael Cohen said: “Russia is a hotbed of UFO activity ... the possibility it might be an alien should not be discounted.”

Yo quiero Taco Bell? Created in 1997, the Taco Bell Chihuahua was the fast-food chain’s big attempt to establish a mascot for their brand. The dog skyrocketed in mainstream popularity, as irritating things have a habit of doing. When the Chihuahua was abruptly yanked off Taco Bell ads in 2000, people became suspicious. Many believed that the dog had died and was now being served in enchilada form to its adoring fanbase. In reality, the ads were cut because their presence led directly to a six per cent drop in Taco Bell sales. Bunny hop: The Energizer bunny was a marketing mascot created by Energizer in 1989 to one-up the already firmly established Duracell bunny in the highly lucrative rabbit/ battery market. The response to the Energizer ad was enormous, but let’s face it, it’s not like one brand of battery is radically different from another. It’s hard to even get a sense of which one lasts longer, unless you keep a running calendar of the battery-change dates on everything you own – in which case, you have bigger problems in life than which battery to use. Even after seeing the ads thousands of times, consumers had no idea which brand was which, and Duracell actually managed to extend their market share thanks to the Energizer campaign’s success. Stealing virginity: In 2009, Burger King spent millions of dollars travelling to Transylvania, Greenland, and Thailand to find hamburger illiterate people to try their Whopper in an on-the-spot comparative taste test with the Big Mac. The campaign was called the ‘Whopper Virgins’, which means the fast food company was pretty much raping innocent villagers of their burger virginity and exploiting that for commercial gain. Unsurprisingly, critics blasted Burger King, upset that the company didn’t acknowledge the hunger that exists in some of the areas where they filmed. Needless to say, the ad campaign was given a limited run, and the villagers were abandoned to their non-processed food diets. McLovin: The marketing folks at McDonald’s did not fully research their urban slang before making an ad that said: “Double Cheeseburger? I’d hit it.” It seems everyone except the company’s advertising executives understood it to mean that the new slogan advocated sex with sandwiches. While it’s pretty obvious they weren’t trying to promote man on meat action, it does show how out of touch large corporations can be with their target market. Raisin hell: The California Raisin Board created some ads in the 1980s that featured Claymation raisins singing and dancing to soul music. By 1990, the California Raisins had made more than US$200 million in media deals and secondary products. While raisin sales went up a small amount during the craze, after the ads were pulled, raisin sales fell lower than they had been before the campaign started. When you look back at the ad campaign, you see the problem: at no point did they actually make raisins seem like something you’d want to eat. They portrayed raisins as ugly sunglasses-wearing Claymation monstrosities. Picking the lock: LifeLock is an identity theft prevention company that detects fraudulent applications for credit cards, mortgages and car loans placed in their clients’ names. CEO Todd Davis was so confident in the company’s ability to protect sensitive information that he ran a brazen television advertisement revealing his own real social security number. Identity thieves not only took the dare, but used the information successfully. Multiple times. In two cases reported in the Phoenix New Times, a Texas man used the social security number to take out a US$500 loan and another used the CEO’s information to open an AT&T wireless account. Davis knew nothing about either instance until the collection agencies called him.

DOWNTIME 31

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011 BOOK

MUSIC

FILM Contagion 106 minutes Rating: G

kidsGo! Phuket

Hello Sadness

With the huge number of families flocking to Phuket over the high season, it seems like a reasonable concept to publish a travel guide to the province that specifically targets children. Enter kidsGo! Phuket, part of a worldwide series that spans New York, Bali, London, Hong Kong and Sydney. The useful interactive sections, such as trivia and blank fact-finding spaces – should give children a welcome distraction while travelling, and the fun accompanying website – designed to build an online community of families sharing advice and tips – makes for a smart addition to the series, extending the shelf-life of the book, and potentially creating an entirely new market for it. In sum, consider this the smaller, more portable companion to all the hefty guidebooks out there. A fun-looking work that, although light on content, gives kids a say in what they see and where they go.

Although last year’s Romance Is Boring found Los Campesinos! striking a sort of balance between their usual tightly-wound energy and some new-found emotional heft, the announcement that the new album would be called Hello Sadness came as a bit of a surprise. The stark album art also seemed to suggest there was little to no irony behind the title. As it turns out, there’s a lot more here than mere gloom and doom – you’ll need to look no further than the opener ‘By Your Hand’ to find a shot of the band’s usual playfulness, a catchy synth-pop track with the same colourful cheeriness of some of Architecture in Helsinki’s earlier work. Under most circumstances, it would be easy to say such a move represents a step toward blandness, but for Los Campesinos!, it comes off as a strong artistic statement, that in fact the band’s earlier output was actually their reined-in sound.

by Mio Debnam Haven Books, 44 pages

Los Campesinos! Wichita

The most lavishly feel-bad movie of the year, Contagion is Steven Soderbergh’s (Erin Brockovich, Traffic, Ocean’s 11) well-researched, convincing, and courageously bleak drama about a lethal virus threatening to wipe out humanity. Contagion, though, is not an action film, nor is it a romance, a heroic tale, or even a zombie flick. It’s more of a dramatised documentary, a filmic portrayal of how a viral epidemic would sweep the world, and an examination of just how interconnected and vulnerable the human race is. The film opens on day two of the soon-to-be-crisis, as Gwyneth Paltrow, returning from a trip to China, exhibits signs of illness. We montage around the world to see others suffering from similar symptoms.

Paltrow arrives home, hugs her son, and minutes later, both are dead. What follows is half an hour of gripping exposition and glorious cinematic expression of the most terrifying real world threat imaginable. Particularly disturbing are the virus POV shots - short closeups of human interaction that demonstrate just how ruthlessly and efficiently disease can spread in modern society. It’s legitimately frightening, and both the efforts to contain the spread

and the subsequent epidemic of fear presented in the film are scarily plausible. Unfortunately, in an effort to provide a fresh, realistic take, Soderbergh’s film never really finds a central character or hero. We instead follow eight, in a crammed, multiprotagonist storyline. In this sense, the script almost imitates the virus that drives its plot forward. The film moves from character to character, dispatching certain people with cruel efficiency before moving

on to new “hosts” for the story to follow. The characters combating the deadly virus are scientific minds trained to be as unflinching and efficient as their viral opponent, and so the actors playing them are cold and clinical (a stellar line-up that includes Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Lawrence Fishburne) even in the face of potential Armageddon. It’s all interesting intellectually, but hard to connect to any particular character on an emotional level. The result is two acts of buildup, but an aching absence of payoff. In the end, Contagion is a bleak yet realistic case study of a global pandemic, but its impact is lessened by having too many cast members and little attachment from the audience to their fate. Like a mundane flu, Contagion hits us like a hammer but it lacks a big finish, instead petering out with a sniffle. –Dane Halpin

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 phone the cinemas directly: SFX Coliseum Phuket 076 209 000 and SFC Jungceylon Phuket 076 600 555.

SFX COLISEUM PHUKET (CENTRAL FESTIVAL) 30 Gum Lang Jaew (T) [15+]: Contagion (E/D) [G]: In Time (E) [13+]: Killer Elite (E) [18+]: Mid Mile (T) [15+]: The Thing (E) [15+]: The Thing (E/F) [15+]: Tower Heist (E) [13+]:

12:30, 15:00, 17:35, 20:00, 22:25 12:30, 14:45, 17:00, 19:15, 21:30 11:35, 15:40, 18:15, 22:30 13:15, 15:50, 20:05 11:15, 13:50, 18:00, 20:30, 22:35 12:00, 14:15, 16:30, 18:45, 21:00 13:00, 15:15, 17:30, 19:45, 22:00 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15

SFC JUNGCEYLON PHUKET (PATONG) 30 Gum Lang Jaew (T) [15+]:

11:30, 14:10, 17:10, 21:10

In Time (E) [13+]:

14:00, 16:20, 18:40, 21:00

Killer Elite (E) [18+]:

12:40, 16:35, 19:35

Paranormal Activity 3 (E) [18+]: The Thing (E) [15+]:

12:00, 15:05, 19:00, 22:00

11:40, 13:50, 16:00, 18:10, 20:20, 22:30

Tower Heist (E) [13+]:

12:30, 14:45, 17:00, 19:15, 21:30

STRETCH YOUR BRAIN Across 1. What fish may do a little to the East. (4) 3. Green lacking taste. (10) 9. Confuse one aim for alienation. (6) 10. Little chap after letter ending - it’s you! (8) 12. “A limit”, I ordered citizens’ army. (7) 14. Island shorts. (7) 16. Reacting to shock beginning. (8) 19. Worker in charg

Solutions to last week’s puzzles

of caper. (5) 21. Follow the path. (5) 22. Final notice. (8) 25. Amputated drunk. (7) 27. Pair of cardinals attempts ways in. (7) 30. Despot’s car is, roughly, rodent. (8) 32. Fur, er, belongs to me. (6) 33. Spare bed transported around the French letter. (7,3) 34. Face part of launching pad. (4) Down 1. With Liszt, 25 ac. (6) 2. Mischievous dwarf fish. (5) 4. States of South Africa – yes, south! (4) 5. So let it be about cubic insightfulness. (6) 6. Nitrogen twice. Note direction. (1,1,1) 7. Resistance of the French groom-to-be.

(8) 8. Fired rocky outcrop. Al’s next to the sea. (8) 11. Add up the total. (3) 13. Am I no acid? (5) 15. Final say. (5) 17. There’s a sharpness about the right city. (5) 18. Complain about tight hold on cardinal. (5) 19. A sin for grown-

ups only? (8) 20. Resolute start about confusing law. (8) 23. Starry street in Aral? (6) 24. Backwards, like sea bird. (6) 26. Beer sign. (3) 28. Nationality air Ishmael holds. (5) 29. Attempt to pierce. (4) 31. Day hut is destroyed. (3) www.thephuketnews.com

32 EVENTS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

WHAT’S ON IN PHUKET UNTIL DECEMBER 3

TSLC Ironkids TSLC Ironkids Phuket Triathlon after- school training sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3.45pm to 4.45pm. Open to all children from six to 15 years old. Priced at B350 per person. Tuesdays: Swim and bike and Thursdays: Bike and run. Pre-book sessions by email activities@thanyapura.co.th. Bikes available for rent at B100 per session. More info at www.ironkidsphuket.com.

List your events here for as low as B99 per line, or online at www.thephuketnews.com

events with top triathlon professionals, in the lush surroundings of the beachfront Laguna Phuket resort. LPT involves a 1.8km swim; 55km bike ride and 12km run; Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship has a 1.9km swim; 90.1km bike ride and 21.1km run. Laguna Phuket is using the events to raise funds for its community project to give survival swim lessons to local youngsters. Online registrations at lagunaphuket triath lon.com and ironmanphuket.com.

Think Design Art Dinner at Centara Grand

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 NOVEMBER 30

The Think Design Art Dinner at the Centara Grand on Karon Beach will combine six pieces of art with a specifically designed dish and wine responding to and influenced by the art itself. The event promises to be culturally enriching as each individual piece and each artist will be discussed and reviewed as the dish is devoured. Come join us for a great evening of art. Price: THB 1,900 net per person. For more information or reservations please contact Mare Restaurant at 076 201 234 or email to fbscpbr@chr.co.th

Think Design Art Dinner

NOVEMBER 25

Erawan in Bangkok on December 6. The event is expected to attract more than 600 leading figures from the Kingdom’s property sector. Over a thousand developers, property agents, architects and real estate companies are represented on the submitted list of entries, including many of Bangkok’s top residential developers, plus stand-out projects and real estate firms based in Thailand’s most popular resort destinations, with Phuket well represented. See thailand propertyawards.com. Contact 02 662 5195.

DECEMBER 7

at Centara Grand

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

AUSTCHAM - Phuket Sundowners

Think Design Art Dinner at Centara Grand

Official Opening Of Blood Donor Drive

The Think Design Art dinner at the Centara Grand on Karon Beach will combine six pieces of art with a specifically designed dish and wine responding to and influenced by the art itself. The event promises to be culturally enriching as each individual piece and each artist will be discussed and reviewed as the dish is devoured. Come join us for a great evening of art. Price: B1,900 net per person. For more information or reservations please contact Mare Restaurant at 076 201 234 or email to fbscpbr@chr.co.th.

On the auspicious occasion of the 84th Royal Birthday of his Majesty the King of Thailand the Provincial Red Cross Chapter of Phuket, together with the Regional Bloodcenter, The Royal Thai Police Immigration, the Rh-negative Club of Phuket and the Lions Club Pearl of Andaman, the annual blood donor drive is officially open and we hope many people will attend. This year we hope to motivate a lot of people, both Thais and Foreigners, to donate blood to help Bangkok’s flood victims. For more info: phuketrbc@yahoo.com.

NOVEMBER 30

FEBUARY 2-4, 2012

centara art dinner.indd 1

Australia Thailand Chamber of Commerce invites members and friends to a special presentation on the opportunities and challenges of producing and using organic food products in Thailand. The presentation will be followed by our renowned Phuket Sundowners business networking event. Time 6- 9pm. B400 for members, B600 for non-members. Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club. www.austchamthailand.com.

NOVEMBER 26

centara art dinner.indd 1

11/22/2011 2:18:48 PM

NOVEMBER 26-27 Jazz & Ska Music Lovely Night @ Koh Yao Yai Village Koh Yao Yai Village is hosting a special night of jazz under the stars. A weekend island getaway close to Phuket where you will can appreciate dining on the best seafood from the Andaman Sea, while listening to the sounds of jazz and gentle rhythms of the sea. Book now! Only B4,500 per person. For further enquiries please contact Khun Yutthaya 076 363 700, email: yutthaya@kohyaoyaivillage.com, www.kohyaoyaivillage.com.

™

5,117.27

Amcham Event: David Keen

Fundraiser For The Soi Dog Foundation CC Bloom’s Hotel will hold a fundraiser to help the Soi Dog Foundation with their work helping dogs and cats stranded in the Bangkok floods. A raffle will be held where you could win a three day/two night stay at CC Bloom’s Hotel, trip to Phi Phi or James Bond Island, dinner for two at the CC Bloom’s Beaches Café, a bottle of wine from the wine collection, etc. All money raised through this fundraiser will be donated to the Soi Dog Foundation. Time: 5pm -10 pm. Contact 076 333 222, email: sales@ccbloomshotel.com.

The American Chamber of Commerce Thailand event, held at Anantara Resort. Guest speakers are Quo Global brand guru David Keen and Delivering Asia marketing communications expert David Johnson. This event is a must at tend for those in the hospitality, travel and property sectors. As Phuket transitions into a mass tourism and hotel market, what is the future of the island’s brand? To register contact sheree@amchamthailand.com, amchamthailand.com

DECEMBER 5

Radio TM

Thailand 2012 Sport Fishing Tournament (Phuket). This is Thailand’s largest-ever international sport fishing tournament. Prize money totalling over B3,000,000 ($100,000 USD). Boats and teams are filling fast. For further information, please contact Warren Crowe on 081 270 4291 or email: info@rawaibeachfishingclub.com.

FEBUARY 14, 2012

NOVEMBER 26-27

DECEMBER 1 Monsoon Valley Wine Dinner Where Authentic Thai Cuisine Meets Fine Wines. Discover a truly remarkable dining experience, featuring five courses of signature Thai cuisine, perfectly paired with impeccable Thai wines, all award-winning wines from Hua Hin Hills vineyard, Monsoon Valley. The sounds of Thai music will surely delight you throughout the evening. The wine dinner commences at 6.30pmPriced at B2,000++ per person. For reservations, please call 076 362 999 Ext. 7303, 7626 or E-mail: dtlpfb@dusit.com.

King’s Cup Regatta Beach Party Phuket International Soccer 7s 2011 The one and only Phuket Soccer 7s will celebrate its ninth anniversary this year. Also with the 6th Andaman International Soccer 7s on December 3-4 there is a lot to look forward to this year.Register your team now by emailing info@Thai7s.com, www.Thai7s.com.

NOVEMBER 27

Join the hundreds of Regatta sail masters. Enjoy the music, great food and drinks and dance on the sandy beach at sunset in front of the legendary Boathouse. Party between 6-9pm on December 5, 2011. Tickets at B800 at the gates or call 076 330 015. Complimentary entry for all ticket holders to the after party from 9pm onwards at RE KÁ TA, the most classy and newest beach club on the island (next to Boathouse).

DECEMBER 6

Laguna Phuket 2011 Double Triathlon Festival

The Thailand Property Awards 2011

The Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) is on November 27 and Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship is on December 4. Hundreds of athletes from around the world will arrive for a week-long Tri-Fest of training and social

Now in their sixth year, The Thailand Property Awards are widely recognised as a benchmark for excellence in Thailand’s residential real estate industry. The Gala Award ceremony will take place at the Grand Hyatt

www.thephuketnews.com

The Record Breaking Mass Wedding at Laem Promthep The island is aiming to break the national record for the biggest mass wedding on Valentine’s Day next year. The Thai traditional style mass wedding for 108 couples at Laem Promthep, the best sunset in Thailand. Other activities might include offering alms to 99 Buddhist monks and planting trees as part of a schedule running from February 12-15 next year. Contact Suanluang Inter Wedding 076 221 976, email: info@interweddingphuket. com. See interweddingphuket.com.

DECEMBER 3 TSLC Ironkids Phuket Triathlon for kids 6-15 years old. Registration is open until November 27. More information and registration forms at ironkidsphuket.com.

EVENTS 33

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

WHAT’S ON IN PHUKET

List your events here for as low as B99 per line, or online at www.thephuketnews.com

FRIDAY Thai BBQ B230 per person. 6-10pm, free Karaoke from 7-10pm. CC Bloom’s Hotel, 076 333 222, www.ccbloomshotel.com.

Salsa Night - November 26

................................................................................

After the overwhelming success of our popular “Salsa Night” events, once again we are delighted to invite you to Royal Phuket Marina for another breathtaking Salsa Night ! Dance A Cha-cha, Bachata, Samba & Rumba to the sounds of DJ’s. Live on the Boardwalk outside “Les Anges” Upon request from our customers a Snack Buffet is also available. Time: 8pm onwards, free entrance. Dress: colourful. For all reservations & enquiries please contact Mr Murat Can on 081 797 3364. muratc@royalphuketmarina.com.

BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat O nly B29 5 per per son at Shaker s. Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim. For reservations call on 081 891 4381.

................................................................................

Phuket Brasserie Eat, drink, look and party. Live band, Dj and dancers from 10pm till late. All welcome. Call 076 210 511 for more information or look on www.brasseriephuket.com

................................................................................ Tapas & Wine Night O rder t apas, as muc h as you like, plus one bottle of wine. B1,200 net per person. 6 -11pm at White Box Kalim. Call 076 346 271.

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Curry Fridays at Navrang Mahal Champagne Brunch at Trisara Every Sunday, the beachfront bar becomes a celebration of fine wines, exquisite tapas, live cooking stations and Phuket’s best dessert, featuring the cool sounds of a jazz trio. Come and indulge in Roederer Champagne or a wide variety of wines. Kids club welcome all children with complimentary snacks. Advance reservations recommended on 076 310 100 or guest@trisara.com.

Wednesday Quiz Night @ Peppers Quiz Night every Wednesday at Peppers Sports Bar near Laguna. -Great food -Great music -Great beer. Contact 081 728 1010. Facebook: Peppers Sports Bar.

Best Sunday Carvery in Phuket Roast beef, BBQ ham, chicken, pork and Yorkshire pudding. All you can eat B399. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

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Salsa Class At RPM Salsa class at Royal Phuket Marina from 7.30pm-9pm. www.phuket-dance.com.

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BBQ Ribs All You Can Eat

Sunday Brunch

O nly B29 5 per per son at Shaker s. Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim. Reservations call on 081 891 4381.

Enjoy the original Sunday brunch in Phuket at Twinpalms, Surin Beach. 123pm (from B1,190++ per person). Reservations please call 076 316 577.

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Half-Chicken Spit Roast

THURSDAY Lose Weight Now

O nly B2 25 per per son at Shaker s. Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim area. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

Ask Thai Weight Loss how! Take advantage of our free weight loss seminar from 7.15pm. Contact Michael 087 897 8997, 076 304 108, www.thailandweightloss. com.

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Sunday Family Brunch

BBQ Buffet All You Can Eat

At Club Yamu by Twinpalms. Noon till 3pm. Enjoy delicious pasta, BBQ, Thai home cooking. Call 076 310 557.

Only B325 per person at Shakers. Rat-UThit Road, Patong. Free pickup Patong and Kalim. Reservations 081 891 4381.

MONDAY

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM

................................................................................

Live Music every Monday night. The largest selection of draught beer in Phuket. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man Pub 82/15 Moo 4 Patak Road, one km from Chalong circle.Contact for details on 081 895 4763.

SATURDAY

BBQ Buffet All You Can Eat

DAILY

Colin Hill Colin Hill performs (duo) now every second Saturday at Legends Bar in Kamala, with local guitarist Florian. 081 079 1069.

Roaring Bhoys

................................................................................ Only B325 per person at Shakers. RatU-Thit Road, Patong. Free pickup Patong and Kalim. Reservations 081 891 4381.

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TUESDAY

Half-Chicken Spit Roast

Lose Weight Now

O nly B2 25 per per son at Shaker s. Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim area. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

................................................................................

Ask Thai Weight Loss how! Take advantage of our free weight loss seminar from 7.15pm. Contact Michael 087 897 8997, 076 304 108, www.thailand weightloss.com.

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM

................................................................................

All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man Pub, 82/15 Moo 4 Patak Road, one km from Chalong circle. Contact 081 895 4763.

Half-Chicken Spit Roast

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All Major Sports Live On the big screen. F1, MotoGP, Tennis, Golf, AFL, NRL. Irish Times Irish Pub, Jungceylon, Patong.

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20% off all Pizzas At Shakers. Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road, Pa t o n g . Fr e e p i c k u p Pa t o n g a n d Kalim areas. Reservations please call 081 891 4381.

Champagne Brunch at Trisara

Eat, drink, look and party. Every Friday and Saturday from 10pm till late live band, DJ and dancers. All welcome. Call us on 076 210 511 for more information or visit our website: www.brasseriephuket.com. New on Monday : Russian Night with Russian DJ, Saxophone player and a special shooter menu + Special surprise act.

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draught beer in Phuket. Irish Times, Jungceylon, Patong.

Star t November 2011-Januar y 2012. Every Fridays, all-you-can-eat authentic Indian curry buffet, B449 net per person. Draught beer B50. 7pm-11.30pm. Call 076 286 464.

SUNDAY

Phuket Brasserie

house wine, 50 per cent discount. Children under 12 eat for free. Call for reservations on 076 360 803.

Every Sunday, the beachfront bar becomes a celebration of fine wines, exquisite tapas, live cooking stations and Phuket’s best dessert, featuring the cool sounds of a jazz trio. Come and indulge in Roederer Champagne or a wide variety of wines. Kids club welcome all children with complimentary snacks. Advance reservations recommended on 076 310 100 or guest@ trisara.com.

O nly B2 25 per per son at Shaker s. Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong. Free pick up Patong and Kalim area. Reservations call 081 891 4381.

................................................................................

AA Phuket Meetings @ TGM All meetings are one hour long and held in English at The Green Man Pub, 82/15 Moo 4, Patak Road, one km from Chalong circle. Contact for more details on 081 895 4763.

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Beach BBQ Enjoy a beach BBQ at Catch Beach Club (from B1,190++ per person). 7pm-10pm. Call 076 316 567.

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Rotary Club of Patong Beach Weekly meeting in English. Dinner out on first Tuesday of the month. rotarypatong. org.

WEDNESDAY Quiz Night @ Peppers

................................................................................

Quiz Night every Wednesday at Peppers Sports Bar near Laguna. Great food, great music, great beer. Contact 081 728 1010. Facebook Peppers Sports Bar.

Family Brunch on The Boardwalk

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Interactive Pub

Les Anges at RPM. From 11am to 3pm. B795++ adults, includes one glass of

Q uiz night. St ar ts from 8 pm ever y Wednesday night. The largest selection of

Brew Great Beer Phuket’s one and only small batch handcraft beer. Happy hour daily from 4pm to 7pm. Draft beer B110/pint, cocktails two for B220. Live music at 7.30pm onwards. Behind the ship, the port zone at Jungceylon. Call 076 3667 753.

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Sam’s Steaks & Grill Patong’s finest steaks. Special offer: Caesar salad, fillet steak with you choice of sauce and a glass of Shiraz or Cabernet. Only B999++ per person. Holiday Inn Resort. Contact 076 370 200.

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Charm Thai Don’t leave Phuket before you’ve tried our lobster. We serve a daily selection of great value Thai sets for two.From B599++ - B699 ++ per person or simply try the wonderful creations of amazing Thai cuisine by Chef Wisuth. Holiday Inn Resort. Call 076 370 200.

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Grizzly’s Sports Bar & Restaurant Watch all the sport that is on TV this weekend with us. Located between Loch Palm Golf Course and Kathu Waterfall. Call 087 471 8747.

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Sunset Happy Hours & Ninjazz Don’t miss the Sunset happy hours. Between 5pm and 7pm. “Buy one get the same one free” promotion. The Luna Bar, Centara Grand Beach Resort. 076 201 234.

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3-Hour Happy Hour Three-hour Happy Hour Monday-Friday, 4pm-7pm. Beer from B50. House spirits B90. Australia Bar & Grill, Kata Beach. Contact 089 226 2878. www.thephuketnews.com

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

CLASSIFIEDS JOBS IN PHUKET

TechWorX are Recruiting Office manager/Administrator Purchase Manager Secretary/Receptionist Draftman (M/F) Electrical/AV design engineers. (M/F) Trainee draftsmen, IT technicians and Systems programmers.(M/F) CV with picture, references and expected salary to please. B20,000 plus accomodation included. CV and reference required. yna habed@hotmail.com.

Promotional Staf f: English-speaking Thai, full training given, airport and Patong locations. Basic plus commission. 087 105 4566. Immediate start.

Sales Genius Wanted: International operating company is building a Google-like street tour. Apply at max@panomat ics.com.

Qualified Personal Assistant: We are looking for a personal assistant for the CEO of an important events company. Conditions: Must speak read and write French, English and Thai languages with administrative and computer skills. We offer a salary of

Staff Wanted For Bellini Restaurant: - One person in the kitchen, Thai-speaking, no experience required, we will show you how! Salary B9,000 +Bonus+Service charge and insurance per month. - One person in service, speaks Thai and English. No experience needed. Salary B9,000 +bonus+service charge and insurance per month. - One person to make deliveries. Driving licence. Salar y B9,000 +bonus+service charge and insurance per month. Contact Jackye 085 749 9914. www.thephuketnews.com

With pool and garden > 35

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php computer. Contact Meaw on 076 322 663 or email phuket@pexgo.com.

Sales Executive: Experienced sales executive needed to join expanding public ation. Candidate must be focused, discip l i n e d a n d o r g a n i s e d. English fundamental. Please contact info@thinkdesign magazine.com or 087 281 0994.

Spacious 4 bed home for sale

Personal Assistant: Full-time. Western. Must have excellent organisational/negotiation/computer skills, self-motivated/good communicator. Home-based. Send CV/ salary to admin@esxoa sia.com.

Driver: PEXGO courier requires driver for pick up and deliveries in Phuket. Must be able to work at night. Must speak some English, basic use of

New Italian Bakery & Supermart: New Italian bakery & supermarket in Surin Beach. Kitchen (basic English required): Pastry/baking kitchen sous chef, chef de partie/commis, steward service (good English required), waitress/waiter, bartendy/bartender, supermarket assistant and cashier. Send CV by email marcellamocci@gmail. com, by fax 076 618 130 or contact 087 270 5806 or 076 618 127.

Tr a v e l l i n g Salesman: Sale representative available to travel around Thailand for our range of fast-moving consumer products. Thai national, English-speaking, computer skills, driving licence and proven experience of sales to minimart, supermarket. We already have more than 500 customers in Thailand. Salary B15K plus commission. Contact via email skgf@ skgf.asia.

The Phuket News is looking to add to its ever growing team of professionals and seeks: Sales Representatives Qualifications:

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

We offer:  Competitive

salary, bonuses and travel expenses. friendly work environment.  Social security paid by the company.  Excellent career progress opportunities. A

Please email full resume in English indicating expected salary with recent photo to

adminmgr@thephuketnews.com or call 076 6212 550-2 for mor info.

Looking for a Team- Urgently required for Sen- based on experience. To Member: Sea Bees Div- sive Hill in Kathu. Similar apply phone 086 941 8880 ing is looking for a reliable and responsible person (Western or Thai) for our office in Chalong. Applicants need to be completely fluent in English and other languages (German preferred) with good c ommunic ation, sales skills and willing to work in a highly-professional & diverse team. Flexible, able to work under pressure and being serviceorientated is a must. This position is for a long-term & full-time contract.Please send your CV & photo to: of fice@sea-bees.com.

Native EnglishSpeaking Teacher: Need native English-speaking teacher with ability to speak, read and write Thai. Call Robin on 081 803 7189.

Waitress/ Waiter and Receptionist:

background and experience required, excellent salary on offer. Please contact K. Rin at 076 203 012 or send CV to guy@sensivehill.com.

or send CV to phil@royalem bassyresort phuket.com.

Office Boy: Office boy for company in Kamala with driving licence for deliveries in Phuket, must speak some English. Only Thai national. Salary B12,000 per month. Call 076 322 663.

Sales Staff for Cherng Talay: Good English, positive attitude, good in sales, outgoing personality. Salary B12,000 plus commission. Contact Phuket Pool Tables 085 782 1200.

Hotel Receptionist Required: English-speaking Thai national with good computer skills required for reception, restaurant and bar work in Kamala. Salary and hours negotiable

CAD Technician : To work in new office Phuket. Proficient in AutoCAD (2004 or higher) for 2D drawing. Experience of 3D AutoCAD, Google SketchUp, Adobe Photoshop or Adobe InDesign would be a bonus. Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook. Thai national, good s p o ke n a n d w r i t t e n English, send CV indicating qualifications and experience, expected salary and recent photo to: david@yes.co.th. V i s i t w w w. s o u n d ideas.co.uk to see the type of work we do.

CLASSIFIEDS 35

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

BUY & SELL IN PHUKET

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php Phuket to join “Singapore Club Phuket”. Contact Robin on 081 803 7189, 076 303 500.

BOATS & YACHTS

COMPUTERS English Computer man:

Digifox Marine: Marine inboard engines, hydraulic and mechanical equipment service, repairs and spare parts. MAN, Arneson, ZF, Rolls Royce and others. Professional team of engineers, high quality, personal approach guaranteed. Contact 076 336 221, 083 171 4141. Email info@digifoxmarine. com.

Isuzu Dmax 4D For Sale: Rodeo LS 3.0L

Toursys: Tour operator software. Presented by Blue D Zine Co., Ltd. See bluedzine. com.

Green House: Construction, renovation, electric, metal work, wood work, shop fitting. Please contact 085 654 2244.

BUSINESSES FOR SALE

CARS FOR RENT

Bar for Sale-Kamala:

A1 Car Rentals: Fully insured start B12,000 to B18,000 per month. Please call 089 831 4703. Email for more info: a1car rent@gmail.com.

Chickys Bar on main road. Has B/R with ensuite, pool table, stock furniture, fridges, motorbike. Good takings and ready for high season. Owner returning to Australia. Best offer accepted. Call Chompoo 084 844 3504.

VGS Turbo , Has done 57,600 kilometres. Tax October 29, 2012 , Full service history Isuzu , Automatic gear box , 4x4, four door, Carry Boy windowed standard back with tail gate Silver metallic Isuzu Kor tor 3832 - year October 2008. B650,000 ONO, call 084 443 9863.

CARS FOR SALE

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Office For Rent: In middle

of Patong, new office for long term rent. Quiet area. 28 sq metre and 56 sq metre. Parking avail. For more info: con tact@roomsatthe9th.com.

BUSINESS SERVICES Farang Food Paradise:

Mazda 2000cc GT. Good condition, full service history, 17 inch wheels, remote alarm/locking, cloth interior, Kenwood 7 speakers, 2 amps system, Sony bluetooth hands free, only serviced by Mazda, 170,000 km and runs really well. B425,000-00. No money has ever been spared keeping this car in good condition. Call 081 747 3000.

Your specialist of imported food and drinks in Phuket. Visit our shop at the Billion Plaza, opposite Tesco Lotus. Contact 076 612 733, 076 248 900. Fax 076 612 734. See our website phuketfood.com.

Car for Sale: Teana top

Phuket Consult Services: Insurance, personal

model 2010. Travelled 22,000 km. Sell B1,240,000. Call 087 276 0529.

assistance, legal assistance, police and emergency assistance, property management sales and rentals, company registration, visa and work permit and accounting. Call 081 691 9679.

Indo Construction: 40 years experience of more than 20 years at your service in Thailand. Main contractor: study project, architecture design and construction and management. Contact 076 381 895.

All courses and diving trips. Boat charter and individual tours. w w w.dive-paradise. com.

Phuket Scuba Club:

PADI 5 Star Centre. Half day, daytrips, live-aboards and diver education. Phuket’s only dive club! Contact 076 284 026. All 4 Diving 5/4 Sawatdirak Road, Patong Beach. For more info call 076 344 611. only dive club!

Toyo t a J e e p B150,000: 2 - Yellow and red. Call 083 456 2185.

istry of Education ED Visa - Learn Thai TEFL/TESOL Teacher Training. Stay in Thailand! FREE English test! Many languages with Native Teachers. Teacher Training. Stay in Thailand! FREE English test! www. ttttefl.com, info@ttt-tefl. com Contact 076 280 869 087 467 8719

Learn Thai at Home:

Female Thai teacher with 8-9 years’ experience gives Thai and English lessons for company/hotel staff and Thai cooking at your home. Full course with conversation practise and home study material. Both at beginner and more advanced levels. Call 081 797 1497 or Email teacher joy_phuket@hotmail.com.

Native German Teacher: Native German TEFL

teacher is teaching German and English to single students at home or small groups in Chalong. Contact (German/ English) 080 778 1220, (Thai) 081 810 9115.

Guitar Lesson By Pro Player: Guitar/bass lessons

beginner to advanced. Personal one-on-one or by DVD. Diploma of Teaching (Aust) degree. Call 089 777 3063.

Cooking School: Fire up your creative flare with Food Services Cooking School. Italian, Western and Thai cuisine. Try our famous pizza school. Call 082 816 0126, info@food servicesth.com. International Kindegarten: International Kindergar-

ten. Native English teachers, UK and Singapore curriculum, small class sizes. The best choice. Call 082 323 1188.

Toyota Pickup 4: Turbo diesel auto. 148,130 km, year 1992. Price B195,000. Call 089 822 7547 (Thai and English).

CHILDCARE Kiddies Home Nursery: Award for top Nursery

for Phuket Province 2011. Ages 3 months to 4 years. Open 7 days a week and from 6.30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. Rock Garden Village, call 076 528 862, mobile 082 539 8252 or kiddies home nursery@gmail.com.

Buds Nursery: Phuket’s oldest bi-lingual international child care facility. High quality time proven schedule and curriculum. Experienced native English teachers to teach ages 1½ -6. Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. Bus service available. 076 282 232.

ABC International Nursery: Education for chil-

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.

Paradise Diving Asia:

TTT Language School Chalong: Min-

Mazda Familia: Pick-up, manual, excellent condition, engine rebuilt, brakes, battery, body and paint excellent. Must see. Price B85,000. Mobile 086 270 5462. Stunning Mazda 2.0 Litre Auto: Six year old

DIVING

EDUCATION

Laundry To Let: Lease B220,000 plus B8,500 monthly rent. Pisitkoranee Road, Patong. Fully-furnished. Contact Khun Lek, call 089 232 9807.

Sales (new and used), service and repairs, WLAN a speciality. Free telephone advice.

Isuzu Dmax 2D for Sale: Rodeo LS 3.0L

i-deq VGS Turbo , Full service history Izuzu, has done 43,870 kilometres. Tax September 18, 2012. Manual gearbox, 4x4, two door, Carry Boy high back closed with tailgate, white pearl, Kor tor 542 – year March 2009. B500,000 ONO, call 084 443 9863.

dren 18 months to six years old with experienced native English teachers following the UK EYFS curriculum. 089 971 1813.

CLUBS SK A L I nt er nat ional Phuket: Skål is a profes-

sional organisation of leaders from all branches of the travel and tourism industry. See www.skalphuket.org.

Singapore Club Phuket: Calling all Singaporeans in

www.thephuketnews.com

36 CLASSIFIEDS

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

BUY & SELL/HOMES IN PHUKET

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php

pany formation, property transfer etc. Please telephone for advice. Contact for more info on 084 063 9223.

EDUCATION

PROPERTY CONCIERGE Selling Your Property?

Live Music By Colin Hill: Popular expat pro musiHond a CB 75 0 Chopper for Sale:

Dos & Don’ts of Thai Culture: Learn Thai and Thai culture that is necessary for enjoying life in Thailand. Group classes three days per week learning about the real dos and don’ts of Thailand. Free English-Thai dictionary for the first 10 students for enrolments until October 20, 2011. The Genius Language School, c 089 203 9270 (Aooddy). Visit www.the geniuslanguageschool. net.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS FOR SALE Moving Sale: Sign frame and alluminium C slats size, 10m x3m. Air Cond. (1)40,000BTU, (2)20,000BTU. Shop glass front. A ll go ing cheap, please c all 0872760529.

Health Food Store: Online Health Food Store in Thailand Good Karma All Natural Healthy, natural and organic products. 0822761675

Recently had major overhaul and re-spray black, kick and electric start. This bike is a real head turner. Nice and loud. Has green book so all legal. Get ready for Bike Week 2012. Only B95,000. Call 087 267 8602.

MOTORBIKE SERVICES Dynamic Tire Balancing: Dynamically balance your motorcycle tires for a smoother ride with DYNA BEADS! Available at West Coast Service Center Phuket. Your big bike specialist on the bypass road. Call for more info on 085 785 4440.

cian (guitar/vocals) with work permit. Can perform solo, duo or band. www.play-guitar.net, please call on 089 777 3063.

Chiropractic spinal adjustment with an experienced chiropractor can take away the pain almost as quickly as it began. Call 076 612 707, 080 530 3376.

Get maximum exposure on our top ranked website. Call 080 143 2929 or visit realestate.phuket.net.

Techworx: Custom design

PROPERTY FOR RENT

Atmanjai: World’s best natural health programmes to improve health, reduce stress, weight loss, detox, rejuvenation, vitality and overcome disease. www.atmanjai.com.

Southern Big Bike Chopper Shop: All your

Bon Café Phuket: A

chopper needs. Located on the hill before Safari heading south from Patong. Get ready for Bike Week 2012. Please contact 076 292 079.

producer of premium coffee blends and powdered mixes as well as selling, maintaining, servicing and repairing all major brands. 076 355 600-1.

PERSONAL SERVICES

PET ADOPTION Why buy a pet?: Soi Dog

bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, terrace, WiFi and cable TV. Price B9,000 per month. Located in Kata. Contact 081 606 2827.

vate with mountain views, two bedrooms, kitchen, fully-furnished, Sat TV, ADSL, UBC and common swimming pool. Contact 089 724 3669.

Luxury Pool Villa: Has everything, low rates. Day/ week/month. Three bedroom. Near Laguna. 089 594 4067. Spacious Four Beds/ Four Bathrms Home in Private Estate: Four cars spaces, cool pool and gardens, 10 minutes to international schools, Central, five minutes to golf courses, price B15.9m fully furnished. Contact Jen 083 967 5777 English/Thai.

Daily, Monthly rates Sea views, Mountain views Sauna, Gym, Swimming pool Located in Kamala Beach Shuttle service to the beach Wi-fi available Surrounded by nature

Land for Sale Rawai: Soi Saliga, Rawai. 1,908 sqm, clean ready to build, Chanote Title. Sell by owner. 084 745 4132.

Contact ben at 084- 305 4953 benjamin@propertyasia.co.th www.propertyasia.co.th

Luxury Villa Rawai-Naiharn Beach: For long-term rent. Four bedrooms, four bathrooms, maid rooms, big swimming pool. B40,000 per month. Minimum one year. Contact 081 397 1835.

Foundation have over 300 beautiful dogs and puppies available for adoption. Fully-vaccinated and sterilised. Contact 087 050 8688, john@ soidog.org.

MOTORBIKES FOR SALE

One-Bedroom House, Kata: Fully-furnished, one

R AWAI BE ACHFRONT HOUSE: Please call for more info on 089 649 9939.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

PET HOSPITAL Chaofah Pet Hospital: 8/28–29 Moo 9, Chaofah East Road. Contact 076 283 365, 083 501 8488.

POOL TABLES Phuket Pool Tables: Harley Davidson Soft Tail for Sale: Call for more details on 083 456 2185.

English-Thai Law Office: Visa, work permit, com-

www.phuketpooltables.com. Your number one billiard and snooker supplier in Phuket. Sales, rent and profit-sharing. All accessories and services. Call 081 823 4627.

Luxur y Five Bedroom: Luxur y five bedrooms all with ensuite, pool villa set in large garden 1.2 rai huge 472 sq metre living area near Laguna.Fully-furnished from Island Furniture with modern European kitchen, movie room, kids room or office phone line and WiFi, cable TV and maid room. Asking B20 million for sale, or B9 0,000 per month re nt al. Pl e as e c all 0 81 597 6911. Email: niny@ electrical- marine.com.

Townhouse for Rent Ao Makham: Newly-renovated. 2 bedrooms, parking. B8,000 per month, minimum 6 months. Call 081 895 4318 (Thai). Email: wapeebow@ gmail.com.

Comfor table Private and Quiet: Three bedroom townhouse, just a few minutes to Karon Beach. B25,000 per month, long term rent required.

www.thephuketnews.com

for development. Only B5 million per rai. Contact Peter on 089 652 1951 or email phuket. pn@gmail.com.

Houses for Rent - Long Term: Chalong, very pri-

American Health Clinic:

& installation. Professional service and support. Premium service: home cinema, home automation, marine AV and IT, lighting control and multiroom audio-video. Call 084 443 9863.

Call 081 396 0880.

Considering buying property in phuket? We provide the following:

Property for your budget. complete overview of Phuket’s property market. Professional advice.

You should not buy property in Phuket without consulting with us first!

Boat Lagoon Pool Villa: Modern four-bedroom, four-bathroom villa with 8x4 metre pool for sale freehold with chanote title or leasehold. Newly-built, 316 sq metre internal area. In beautiful marina complex, just 5 minutes drive to British International School. Photos and price online: See www.thevillaphuket.com.Contact owners to view: 081 270 1970 (Josh) and 081 270 2070 (Michi). Agents welcome.

Contact ben at 084- 305 4953 to book an appointment.

5 Minutes From Laguna Nice Three Beds House for Sale: Three-bedroom house in Moobaan Tarn Thong Villa opposit Moobaan Chao fa California. B3.1 million. Contact Lee for more details on 081 803 7189.

Gorgeous Beachfront Land: With or without house in very quiet, well-maintained, safe bungalow-village on Ko Siboya, Krabi for sale. See picture at www.sackenheim.net.

Chalong Land: Land in Chalong. 15 rai of gently sloping land, with full chanote, near Chalong temple. Sea views from top of land. Good road access and electricity. Perfect

For sale or rent. Four bedroom. Family pool home. 1,000 sq metre land, 330sq metre builtup area. Agents welcome. Contact (Thai) 087 418 5924 (English) 089 875 9609.

JINDARIN BEACH CLUB & RESORT: Oceanfront Eco Resort on Coconut Island (three minutes off shore from Phuket). Private pier, private boat taxi, beach, beach pool, spa, sunset restaurant, elegant cottages. Coconut Island is only 20 minutes from Central Festival shopping. Plots start at B1.5 million, cottage and plot start at B3 million. Hurry, 26 plots already sold. Call 083 520 0020 or 076 238 732 Web: jindarin.com.

CLASSIFIEDS 37

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

HOMES IN PHUKET PROPERTY FOR SALE

Cozy Villa Near Kata Beach

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php Private Pool Villa In Centre of Nai Harn

Villa 300 metres from Kata Beach

Phuket Paradise Property

Sunset Plaza in Kata Two Bedroom with Seaview

Rawai Two bedroom on 180 Sqm. With Sea View now 3.0 million

PRICE: 8.3m. THB 3 Steps to Re-sale 1.Valuation. 2.List your property. 3.Sale. -Promotional booths with fully trained staff through out Phuket. -Five International offices supplying customers direct. -Nine sales staff all nationalities. “Phuket Paradise Property” A Step In The Right Resale Direction. Visit our website www. PhuketParadiseProperty. com. Please contact 083 595 6733.

Kata – Sea View Apartment

TYPE: Condo

Price : 5.7 m. THB

PRICE: 9.9m. THB

BEDROOM: 2

Bedroom : 2

TYPE: Villa

Ref. : MS-008

BEDROOMS: 2

BEDROOM: 2

PRICE: 3.0m. THB

REF.: JP-001

TYPE: Condo

REF.: AB-002 Modern furnished two bedroom. Apartment in Kata. Western kitchen. Balcony with sea view. Two big common pools. Call 083 595 673 3. V isit us at w w w. PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

Type: Villa

Cozy villa near Kata Beach. Huge living room with open kitchen. Extra outdoor kitchen. Two large bedrooms. The villa is located within walking distance from Kata Beach. Contact 083 595 6733. Visit us at www. PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

3 Bedroom Pool Villa in Rawai

REF.: MS-003 Stunning two bedrooms villa with big pool. Big modern kitchen and living room. 2 minutes walk from Tesco Lotus Express. Call 083 595 6733. Visit us at www. PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

3 Bedroom Pool Villa in Chalong

Price : 9.5 m. THB Bedroom : 3

TYPE: Condo BEDROOM: 2 REF.: AB-001 Modern furnished two bedroom apartment in Kata. Western kitchen. Balcony on 21 sq metre with sea view. Two big c ommon po ols. Please c all 0 83 595 6733. Visit us at www. PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

New Price 2.5 m Apartment With Seaview in Rawai

Ref. : JP-005

Price : 5.8 m. THB

Property is directly opposite Suksan Villa. Has electric gates to off road parking for one, possibly two, cars. The garden around the villa is mature and decorative. The house has a large lounge area directly overlooking the 8x4 metre pool. There are two large bedrooms. The master bedroom has a shower and large decor, bath, and both have pool view. Third bedroom is slightly smaller with a double bed and fitted wardrobes. This property has a European fitted kitchen and dining area . Please contact 083 595 6733. Visit us at www. PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

Type: Villa

New Apar tment for Sale Patong: Condo: swimming pool, security 24/7. Furnished, 46sqm, freehold: B2.9 million. Contact 089 728 4005, thamad17@yahoo. com.

BEDROOM: 1 REF.: MS-002 Modern one bedroom apartment. With pool. New kitchen. Bathroom with spa. Big living room and balcony. Fully-furnished. Contact 083 595 6733. See more information at www. PhuketParadiseProperty. com..

U RG E N T L a n d f o r Sale: By Mission Hills Golf Course. -1/2 rai of land (Chanote) B1.6 million. -6 r ai, s e a /m o unt ai n v i ew. B4.2 million per rai. Contact

road. In great location. Full chanote title. Contact for more details on 089 651 3479.

Two bedrooms with ensuite

Big living room and kitchen. Two bedroom and bathroom. Two minutes walk to the beach. Common pool. Call 083 595 6733. www. PhuketParadiseProperty. com. bathrooms. Guest toilet. Total 161-212sq metre. Very nice view, large balcony, common facilities pool/gym. 086 268 7901 (English), martin@per tinax.asia.

Two Rai Beachfront Land Khao Lak: Freehold Chanote land at Khao Lak Beach, 3,312m2, price only B5,500,000 a rai. Call 081 651 9687.

SEAVIEW LAND FOR SALE: Near Chalong pier, 150 metres from the sea. Three rai and one ngan plot. Chanote title. Price: B20 milli on p er r ai. N o agent. Call 087 278 7206

Bedroom : 3 Cozy pool villa near Chalong circle. The villa has a very large living room with view over the large garden. There is direct access from living room to the swimming pool. Three large bedrooms and bathrooms. The villa is situated on a closed road. Close to beach and Phuket Town. Call 083 595 6733. Visit us at www. PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

WRITE YOUR CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENT Heading ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......

Body

Perfect Land for Villa: Perfect land for villa. Approx three rai, with chanote title, 2 km south of Thai Muang town centre. Just 24 km north of Sarasin Bridge. Good road access and electricity. Very quiet, green area. Urgent sale for just B5 million total, nonnegotiable. Contact Peter on 089 652 1951 or email phuket. pn@gmail.com.

seaview Patong-Karon villa, four bedrooms, private pool. Sell for B22 million, and also available rental daily and monthy basis. Please check more info at www.awphuket.com.

Stan on 087 978 5804-3.

Nice One Rai Chalong B7m: 200 metre off main

Luxury Condo Central Kathu: For sale or rent.

BEDROOM: 2 REF.: MS-006

Ref. : MS-009

Sea view villa: Luxury

PRICE: 2.5m. THB TYPE: Condo

Pr i va t e Po o l V i l l a s from B4.9M: Intira Villas is a development of 15 boutique villas in the heart of Rawai. Second phase open now! Only a few villas available. 083 594 9279.

Type: Villa

PRICE: 9.9m. THB

Fantastic oppor tunity in the heart of Kata Phuket, Detached family home set on its own plot of fering convenient access to Kata beach 300 mtrs away and all surrounding facilities. Call 083 595 6733. www. PhuketParadiseProperty. com.

Seaview Land AoMakham for Sale: 33 rai land upon hill with seaview. Very easy access from road. B5 million per rai. Contact for details on 081 895 4318 (Thai). Email: wapeebow@gmail.com.

...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B99 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B198 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B297 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B396 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B495 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B594 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B693 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B792 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B891 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... B990

Box B200

Colour Background B200

Colour Headline B200

Colour Picture B395

Deadline: Monday 12pm (noon) for that Friday’s issue

Please hand in this form at our office or fax to: 076 612 553 www.thephuketnews.com

38 CLASSIFIEDS TRADES IN PHUKET

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

To advertise here visit: thephuketnews.com/classifieds.php

HOME IMPROVEMENT

COURIER

HOME IMPROVEMENT

STORAGE

Wana Park, Srisoonthron Road, Thalang, Phuket 83110 Tel 076 620168 info@tile-asia.com

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Reserve Your Storage Space

Call 076 29 29 09

or visit mystorageasia.com

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

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

HOME IMPROVEMENT

REMOVALS

ADVERTISE HERE!

AVAILABLE AT ALL THE FOLLOWING OUTLETS More than 600 locations, including all branches of 7-Eleven, Big One Supermarkets, Se-ed book stores and all major shopping outlets. For a full list of outlets visit www.thephuketnews.com/distributionlists.php www.thephuketnews.com

Tel: 076 612 550-2

ISLANDSPORT 39

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

Laguna set for 10-day Tri-fest The world-renowned Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) returns for the 18th time this Sunday (November 27) with a recordbreaking 1,078 athletes from 41 different countries travelling to Phuket to take part in the “Race of Legends”. Since its inception in 1994, the annual race has featured the likes of triathlon superstars Chrissie Wellington, Craig Alexander and Mirinda Carfrae – all Ironman world champions – to name but a few. Returning to defend the titles they won in 2010 are Australia’s Belinda Granger and Massimo Cigana of Italy – multiple LPT entrants – and they will be challenged by the likes of 2009 women’s champion Radka Vodickova, Italians Alberto Cassadei and Edith Niederfriniger, Swede Frederick Croneberg and Germany’s Katje Rabe. The LPT will be followed one week later (December 4) by the second running of the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific

TRIATHLON Championship Race, which was last year won by Tim O’Donnell of the USA and Switzerland’s Caroline Steffen. Adding to the prestige of the Ironman 70.3 – already, despite its infancy, considered the most important 70.3 race outside of the Las Vegas world championships – will be the tantalising prospect of securing a spot at next year’s Ford Ironman World Championship at Kona, Hawaii after it was announced that the race will carry 30 qualifying spots. A high-class field will line up for this year’s Ironman 70.3 race, with current world champion Melissa Rollison – a runner-up last year – confirmed to race, along with 2010 world champion Michael Raelert of Germany who missed this year’s race in Vegas through injury. Raelert will be joined by the likes of Chris Lieto, r unner-up to 2011 world

champion Craig Alexander in Vegas; Germany’s Faris Al-Sultan; Cigana, runner-up to O’Donnell in 2010; and former LPT champion Richie Cunningham of Australia in the men’s race. Among the women hoping to score an important win over Rollison will be Natascha Badmann – a six-time Ironman winner – Belinda Granger, multiple Ironman Champion, two-time LPT winner and Laguna darling; and EmmaKate Lidbury of Great Britain who has won three Ironman 70.3 races in 2011. The two races are the highlights of a 10-day ‘Tri-fest’ taking place in and around Laguna Phuket starting today (November 25) and concluding with a “black tie and boardshorts” awards party after the Ironman 70.3 race. The Tri-fest will include training sessions with former triathlon greats Scott Molina and Jürgen Zach; recovery and race preparation camps

Australian Belinda Granger (left) and Massimo Cigano of Italy celebrate with a local baby elephant after their respective victories in the 2010 Laguna Phuket Triathlon. with Ironguides, a Bangkokbased training company; fitness classes at RPM Health Club; pre-race pasta parties; a speed golf tournament; open water swimming competitions and much more.

As well as having the opportunity to be coached by triathlon legends, keen triathletes will also be able to buy all manner of equipment from the ‘Tri Trade Show’, which will be set up at the finish

area at the Y-junction near the Laguna Beach Resort. For more information on the triathlon visit: www.lagunaphukettriathlon.com or www.ironmanphuket.com.

Record fleet for King’s Cup Exciting climax SAILING

The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year with a record fleet of boats and more than 1,000 sailors from around the world, all competing in Asia’s largest regatta from December 3 to December 10 off Kata Beach. With strong representation from ASEAN plus a growing number of sailors from China taking part, more than 35 nationalities will participate in a diverse f leet of craft including Olympic classes, kiteboards and the high-tech ‘grand prix’ racing boats. The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta was founded in 1987 with a mixed fleet of dinghies, boards and keelboats and over the years, the regatta has grown in size and stature to become the jewel in the crown of the Asia yachting circuit, welcoming the best sailors from Asia and beyond. “The Regatta began as a special tribute to His Majesty the King’s Fifth Cycle, or 60th birthday,” said Kevin Whitcraft, President of the Organising Committee of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. “It has grown to become the most popular and hotly contested sailing event in Asia. “Phuket King’s Cup competitors enjoy champagne sailing conditions, the beautiful Andaman Sea backdrop, a series of exciting race locations, and the famous beachfront parties.”

to dinghy series

Sattahip-native Ananpat Ngarmdee and Tritat Manthong wrapped up the overall King’s Cup Regatta Phuket Dinghy Series titles in the Optimist and Laser classes respectively, as the three-event series came to an exciting conclusion last weekend. Anapat dominated proceedings in the Optimist class from the start, cruising to victory some 17 points clear of his nearest rival, Akapoj Kankaew. In the Laser class Tritat snuck home just ahead of Jittawat Boonrat by a mere two points as the latter enjoyed a fantastic two days out on the Spinnakers add to the spectacle of the 2010 King’s Cup. –Photo by Guy Nowell water but was unable to close This year should see up ing the Phuket King’s Cup dinghies and international the gap sufficiently on his rival to 50 dinghies take to the Regatta – which has gone from racing boats all competing to pip him for the title. The final weekend of the start line on December 3 for a strength to strength (see right). for honours across racing and Phuket Dinghy Series organthree-day series before more For the first time in the cruising categories. ised by the King’s Cup Regatta than 100 keelboats and multi- Cup’s history, the organisers, “It is a testament to the hulls, plus 20 kiteboards, join together with the Kiteboard extraordinary appeal of this was held off Cape Panwa on the field on Monday, December Tour Asia, have introduced classic race that we see such November 19 and 20. Five Lasers and 26 Opti5, taking the total sailing fleet a Kiteboard Class this year. a broad mix of entrants for the mists competed in the two-day to more than 170. An invitation-only class Phuket King’s Cup. event, which would decide the “The Regatta also connects The dinghies will race for 20 kiteboarders, the refrom December 3 to 5, while gatta welcomes professionals people from across the world, overall series winners. Six races over the two days the keelboats, multihulls and from the world tour as well as with representatives from every meant plenty of points were kiteboards will race over six a number of regional cham- continent taking part.” days – December 5 to 10 – with pions, including Thailand’s With the Royal Patronage still available and places could Thursday, December 8 serving two-time Asian Champion of His Majesty the King, the be lost or gained in the overall as a reserve day. Regatta is organised by the series standings. Narapichit ‘Yo’ Pudla. The pre-race briefing, given In 2009, dinghies were “Our quarter centenary Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Orre-introduced to the Regatta year sees the widest diversity ganising Committee under the by Phuket Dinghy Series Event in terms of registered vessels auspices of the Royal Varuna Manager Commander Pornline-up after a hiatus. This led the Organis- taking part in the regatta,” Yacht Club, in conjunction with prom Sakultem of the Royal the Yacht Racing Association of Thai Navy, outlined the sailing ing Committee to create the explained Kevin Whitcraft. Phuket Dinghy Series in 2010 “2011 will comprise cata- Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy area, courses and discussed – a three-event series preced- marans, keelboats, kiteboards, and the Province of Phuket. tactics. This has been a feature

SAILING of all events in the series. The training sessions provide a unique opportunity for the young sailors to learn more about competitive sailing, share their experiences and develop sailing skills further. Battle lines were drawn and the competition resumed between Optimist series leader and 2010 winner Anapat, and Phuket’s Akapoj, representing the Phuket Youth Sailing Club. Anapat secured wins in the first two races of the day, with Akapoj hot on his heels. The Phuketian then posted a first in the final race of the day to close the gap on his rival. After that rare defeat Anapat stepped up a gear on day two to register three wins from three to take the series and overall titles in style. Close racing in the Laser class saw positions swapped throughout the weekend before Jittawat finally came out on top, recording four wins from six races to take the series three title. Inconsistency let Chut Dawr uang down in the race for first place, but he eventually took second ahead of Marco Garambois in third. Despite an unsuccessful weekend, Tritat was still crowned overall champion by virtue of his earlier outstanding performances in the series. www.thephuketnews.com

40 ISLANDSPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

FC Phuket name new In the name assistant coach ‘Mo’ of the father Ahead of the resumption of TPL Division One football this weekend, following an extended break due to the flooding in Bangkok and central Thailand plus players’ international commitments, FC Phuket have announced the addition of a new assistant coach to their staff roster. Apichat Mosika, affectionately known as “Coach Mo”, has joined the Southern Sea Kirin who currently sit in sixth place in Division One with eight games of the 2011 season remaining. An experienced coach, Apichat led Rayong FC to the Division Two playoffs in the 2010 season and has been brought in to help FC Phuket gain promotion to the top flight. “We asked coach Mo to join us as coach Somphong Wattana’s assistant so he can use his experience to help FC Phuket get promoted to the Premier League,” said FC Phuket Director Narubet “Lek” Ayupong. “We have not done this to pressure coach Somphong, but every team needs an

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Apichat ‘Mo’ Mosika has joined the Southern Sea Kirin. experienced coach and assistant coach to train the footballers full time. “Coach Mo will be here to help Somphong and FC Phuket achieve our goal of reaching the Premier League.” Coach Mo took his first training session on Monday, November 21, at Surakul Stadium, ahead of this weekend’s

game against Gulf Saraburi FC. He expressed his delight at joining FC Phuket. “I’m very happy that FC Phuket and director Narubet have given me this opportunity to join coach Somphong and the club,” he said. “I will do my best, and bring my knowledge and experience to make sure the team

performs at its best for the remainder of the 2011 season.” Despite having had limited time with the squad ahead of this Saturday’s game, Apichat said he felt confident about their chances of success. “When I worked for PTT Rayong FC in Division One, we got to play Gulf Saraburi. I know their style and am quite confident that winning shouldn’t be too difficult. But we still have to work together as a team. “I can see that FC Phuket have potential. They have a good training camp and facilities, and they have a great stadium in Surakul,” he said. “The players seem determined and trained hard, and although I couldn’t tell what their fitness levels will be like for the game, I could see they were very eager to train and to play after a long break.” From what he has seen of the players at the club’s disposal, Apichat said that FC Phuket fans should be confident of picking up all three points this weekend. “I feel confident [they] will win this game. The players are ready, and we’ve got almost everyone back. “Sarach [Yooyen] is back from the SEA Games and [Boubaccar] Issoufou is also available. Kone Adama is recovering and we hope he will be able to play this weekend.” Captain Suphat Ontthong, Nithirot Sokuma, Thawin Butrasombat and Rapeepun Poolsawat are all unavailable for selection, however, because of injuries. Suphat has back trouble, Nithirot is still recovering from a broken collarbone, while Thawin is still trying to regain fitness after breaking his ankle in a match earlier in the season. He may return for the match against Thai Honda scheduled for December 17.

After FC Phuket’s disappointing first season in 2009, where the club failed to win a single game at home and only two all campaign, officials of the Southern Sea Kirin decided that things had to change. An agreement was signed with Premier League heavyweights Muang Thong Utd, which saw the arrival of coach Arjan Songngamsub and several top players such as Ali Diarra and Nene Bi. Another player who also joined the club in 2010 was rising teenage star Sarach Yooyen, who became a fixture in the first team despite being just 17 years old. This season, following the departure of Diarra,Sarach has graduated to the role of play maker-in-chief, and despite his age has become the key figure in the FC Phuket midfield. Born on May 30, 1992, Sarach began playing football at a very young age after being encouraged by his father. “My father loves sports. He taught me and played all kinds of sports with me when I was very young,” Sarach said. “He wanted me to play football because it requires strength, not only physical but mental strength, dedication, diligence and team mentality. Those assets make me stronger as a person.” Growing up, Sarach represented Thailand at under-12, under-14, under-17 and under-19 levels where he caught the eye of Muang Thong Utd, who signed him up. He joined FC Phuket on loan from United in 2010 and went straight into the first team, where he instantly shone. This November Sarach was called up to represent Thailand at under-23 level when he was selected for the SEA Games. His pride and joy at being called up by his country were tainted, however, following the sad news that his father

Manop Yooyen had been sick for over a month. Manop’s health has declined rapidly in the past month, which has left him weak and unable to move his arms and legs like he used to, leaving Sarach heartbroken. “I miss him very much and wish I could be around to care for him,” he said. “But I know that’s not what he wants me to do. He was very happy when I made the SEA Games team, and I know he wants me to train hard, play my best and make him proud.” Instead of letting his father’s condition interfere with his performances, Sarach is determined to use his father’s poor health to motivate himself to become a better footballer. “The best thing I can do for him right now is do my best on the field, save up all I can so I can pay his medical bills,” he said. Sarach had hoped to be part of a successful Thailand SEA side so he could give his medal to his father, but his dream suffered a blow when his Thailand team suffered a 2-1 defeat in their opening match against Malaysia. Thailand failed to progress from a group which also contained Singapore, Indonesia and Cambodia as a series of disappointing performances saw them only manage one win, beating Cambodia 4-0. Thailand’s loss, however, is Phuket’s gain as Sarach will take his place in the FC Phuket starting XI for their Division One game away against Gulf Saraburi FC tomorrow evening. “I will do my best,” he said. “I will play with all my heart for the team, for the fans and, most important of all, for my father, who I know is watching me play and is proud.”

ISLANDSPORT 41

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

Goals galore in Brazilian soccer friendly matches Thanyapura Sport and Leisure Club (TSLC) was the venue for a morning of football action last Sunday (November 20) as Brazilian Soccer Schools (BSS) hosted a series of friendly matches. BSS, who have been coaching junior sides across the island, took on sides from Phuket’s football-based charity Youth Football Home and teams from Singapore’s Ango-Chinese School (ACS) on TSLC’s state-of-the-art artificial turf pitch. The first matches took place between under-10s sides from all three organisations, with the ACS fielding an ‘A’ and a ‘B’ side. The under-10 games were five-a-side and were played simultaneously on reduced-size pitches. All of the games were well contested and this reflected in the scorelines. ACS ‘B’ side found life tougher than the rest as they were beaten in all three of their fixtures, albeit narrowly, while the three remaining sides all won two

FOOTBALL matches and lost one, with the BSS under-10s team recording a particularly sweet 2-1 victory over their island rivals YFH. Once the under-10s had finished it was the turn of the under-12s, who played in six-a-side matches on slightly bigger pitches. T he older age category featured just three sides – BSS, ACS ‘A’ and ACS ‘B’ – and each team played against their opponents twice. The BSS under-12 team proved to be the strongest of the three sides, recording three wins and a draw from the four fixtures, with Liam Doherty top scoring for the home side thanks to some well-worked team goals and a rocket from outside the penalty area. After the matches were completed, the morning was concluded with a parents-and-coaches match between BSS and ACS which finished 2-2.

Narrow win for TNT CRICKET

A dazzling unbeaten 80 from Ryan Dunn, a DJ on Live 89.5 radio station, helped the newly formed Thanyapura News Tigers (TNT) Cricket Club make a winning start to their maiden Island Furniture League (IFL) campaign, as they narrowly overcame the Phuket Leopards – a team featuring the island’s best young Thai cricketing talent. TNT won the toss and elected to field as the Leopards were bowled out for 195 inside their allotted 40 overs, before TNT made hard work of chasing down the total until Dunn’s timely intervention helped them secure a three-wicket win with more than 12 overs to spare. The two teams gathered in Thalang for the second fixture of the 2011/12 IFL season at the brand new Alan Cooke Ground (ACG). Despite the reasonably early start, the sun was already shining br ightly in virt u ally cloud-f ree sk ies, which resulted in testing and hot conditions for both sets of players. TNT skipper Barrie Buck won the toss and elected to field, knowing that the weather would be cooler in the morning,

TNT’s Ryan Dunn smacks the ball for another boundary. making life easier for his bowling attack. Buck handed the ball to Dan Ogunshakin and new recruit South African Burger Marx to open the bowling, and it took the pair an over each to get into their rhythm, by which time the Leopards had already moved the scoreboard onto 24 without loss. TNT slowly began to tighten the screws and saw several stumping appeals turned down by the umpires, before a change of bowling at both ends brought the first couple of wickets. Taking two wickets apiece, Dunn and Sri Lankan Roshan Jayasuriya made some inroads but overall TNT were hampered by their own lack of discipline with the ball. The fielding side managed to cough up an alarming 54 runs in extras – equivalent

to nine complete overs – out of the Leopard’s total of 195, significantly lengthening the time they had to spend out in the increasingly hot field. Further wickets from Simon Samaan, Marx (two), Buck and two run-outs brought the Leopard’s innings to a conclusion. Extras top scored for the Leopards with 54, ably supported by WJ Legngoo with 30, while Dunn was the pick of the bowlers for TNT, taking 2-25 from eight overs. After a short interval play resumed on the ACG as David Roberts and Joseph Nagy were charged with getting TNT’s run chase off to a strong start. In his first ever competitive cricket match, Canadian Roberts got TNT’s reply off to a fantastic start, smashing the fourth ball of the innings and

for four before the batting team started to get bogged down, losing a couple of early wickets. Suffering somewhat in the heat, the TNT batsmen found running between the wickets hard going before Marx and Dane Halpin came together. With two slightly more spring-heeled players at the crease, TNT began to up the run rate and put pressure on the Leopards fielders until Marx showed a level of honesty so often lacking in sport these days, walking after edging one behind to the wicket keeper. Jayasuriya fell cheaply for just two, and all of a sudden TNT were five wickets down for less than 100 runs. Halpin was joined at the crease by eventual matchwinner Dunn, and the two set about resurrecting the TNT innings before Halpin was caught on the boundary for 15. Still some way short, Dunn and Ogunshakin reduced the deficit further still before the latter departed for 11 after being clean bowled attempting to launch a straight ball into outer space. Dunn, playing beautifully, pushed on to 80 not out before captain Buck hit the winning runs with a gentle paddle down to fine leg for three.

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42 INTERNATIONALSPORT

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

THE PHUKET NEWS TIPPING COMPETITION: 13

This month's competition is supported by:

Pressure builds on Villas-Boas Former Chelsea right back Glen Johnson struck a stunning winner at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening (Thai time) to hand Liverpool all three points in the Barclay’s Premier League’s match of the weekend and increase the pressure on new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas. Johnson’s goal three minutes from time gave Kenny Dalglish’s side the win after Daniel Sturridge had earlier cancelled out Maxi Rodriguez’s first half opener. The defeat means that Chelsea have now lost two straight games at home, something that would have been inconceivable a few years ago when the Blues went an astonishing 86 games without defeat at home between March 2004 and October 2008, before being beaten 1-0 by the same opponents. Manchester City are now the only team in the league with an unbeaten record after the Blues overcame Newcastle United – the only other side with an unbeaten at the time – 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium to maintain their five point lead at the top. Manchester United kept up their pursuit of their city

WEEK 13 Home Team W D W Away Team i r i n a n w 26/11/2011 Stoke Bolton Chelsea Man Utd Norwich Sunderland West Brom Arsenal 27/11/2011 Swansea Liverpool

Blackburn Everton Wolves Newcastle QPR Wigan Tottenham Fulham Aston Villa Man City

Please fax this form to 076 612 553 or hand it in at The Phuket News office before Friday 2pm. Alternatively, visit our website www.thephuketnews.com to enter the competition online.

Johnson (middle) scored against his old club to heap more pressure on Chelsea’s Andre Villas-Boas. –Photo AFP rivals with a 1-0 win at Swansea, while north London clubs Spurs and Arsenal both continued their excellent runs with wins at home against Aston Villa and away at Norwich respectively. Elsewhere there were wins for Everton, QPR and Stoke, while the matches between Sunderland and Fulham, and Wigan and Blackburn finished as draws. The Phuket News would like to apologise for any problems encountered with the tipping input system in Round 12; everything should

be running as normal for this weekend’s games. Sports Editor Dan Ogunshakin netted himself 11 points this week after predicting the results of five matches, but top of the league after two rounds in November is ‘rutherman’, who has a rather impressive 43 points. The top points scorer for the month of November will win themselves a B3,000 voucher to be spent at the Australia Bar & Grill in Kata where you can watch all the international sport on 50” plasma screen TVs

or on the big screen. The overall winner will win a return flight to the UK come the end of the season; currently the overall lead still belongs to ‘gafferworld’, who tops the table with 197 points. The big match in Round 13 takes place at Anfield, where the Reds will be hoping to build on their win at Stamford Bridge when they entertain league leaders Manchester City. The trip to Anfield will be another test of City’s title winning credentials, and any slip up is likely to be pounced on by Chelsea, Arsenal, United and Spurs who have fixtures against Wolves, Fulham, Newcastle

and West Brom respectively. In other matches Bolton host Everton, newcomers Norwich and QPR go headto-head at Carrow Road, Sunderland are at home to Wigan, Stoke face Blackburn in Saturday’s early kick off, and Swansea have another home game, this time against Aston Villa. You can now enter your predictions for round 13. Either enter them online by 23:59 on November 25 at www.thephuketnews.com/ match-user.php, fax them to the office on 076 612 553 or hand them to us personally here in Billion Plaza, opposite Tesco-Lotus before 2pm on the 25th.

ROUND 12 RESULTS: Norwich 1-2 Arsenal Everton 2-1 Wolves Man City 3-1 Newcastle Stoke 2-3 QPR Sunderland 0-0 Fulham West Brom 2-1 Bolton Wigan 3-3 Blackburn Swansea 0-1 Man Utd Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool Tottenham 2-0 Aston Villa DAN’S TIPS ROUND 13 Stoke v Blackburn: home win Bolton v Everton: draw Chelsea v Wolves: home win Man Utd v Newcastle: home win Norwich v QPR: draw Sunderland v Wigan: home win West Brom v Tottenham: away win Arsenal v Fulham: home win Swansea v Aston Villa: home win Liverpool v Man City: home win TOP 10 PERFORMERS (NOVEMBER): 1. rutherman 43 2. gafferworld 35 3. Jauntingjason 33 4. alanphuket 32 4. chasman 32 4. MAMCHAM 32 4. stegee 32 4. zestrealestate 32 9. Clare Bolzon 31 9. pickledliverbar 31 TOP 10 PERFORMERS (OVERALL): 1. gafferworld 197 2. alanphuket 190 3. MAMCHAM 176 4. chasman 174 4. dcoutts 174 6. MRB 172 7. Mal Kenyon 169 8. rutherman 168 9. Allard 165 9. apollo131 165

McLaren plan to be fast from the start McLaren’s Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton hope, and expect, to be fast from the first lap of next season’s Formula

FORMULA 1

One world championship in a bid to stop Sebastian Vet-

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tel and Red Bull reeling off a hat-trick of title triumphs. The title-winning duo of 2008 and 2009 are in Sao Paulo for this weekend’s season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix and the all-British pairing hope to end 2011 in a blaze of glory. Both drivers have shone at stages of the season without showing the same year-long consistency as Vettel. Button currently lies second in the drivers’ championship standings with 255 points, 28 clear of team-mate Hamilton, but sits a massive 119 points behind double world champion Vettel, while McLaren are 125 points adrift of Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. Both are aware of the importance of finishing the 2011 season with a win, but their real goal is to take over at the top again next year. This week the British duo received a boost to their title ambitions when McLaren’s team chiefs stressed that it was vital for them to begin the new season as they were ending the old.

McLaren’s 2012 Formula 1 car will re-use just six percent of the 2011 model (above) as they bid to beat Red Bull. Hamilton won the season’s penultimate race in Abu Dhabi to record his third win of the year while Button has only failed to finish in a podium position once in the last eight races. This run of consistency and speed has left the team happy with their developments, but frustrated at being unable to mount a serious bid to stop Vettel and Red Bull’s march to glory. As a result, McLaren have made clear that their focus is

on starting the next season much faster than they have done recent ones, when the team has been forced to play catch up to the flying Red Bull. Racing chief Jonathan Neale said: “We need to start next year quick. We’re showing that we can out-develop and stay close to everybody. “We’ve consistently won races, we’re consistently on the podium, but we don’t win championships enough and that’s a frustration.” Struggles in pre-season

testing this year highlighted a clear disparity between McLaren’s sleek MP4-26 and Red Bull’s lightning fast RB7, but McLaren have steadily reduced that deficit as the season has progressed. Neale added: “We love winning races, but we want to win some more championships. We’ve got to get out of the blocks.” He explained that only six per cent of the 2011 car will be re-used in the design for the 2012 machine. Neale said: “We’re running a high-speed research and development organisation, but it’s up to us to give the drivers something they can really get hold of and exploit. “And I think Lewis and Jenson, as back-to-back world champions, deserve the best. So that’s a clear target.” Team chief Martin Whitmarsh said: “It really is a team effort. There are hundreds of people here who enjoy these victories and contribute to them. Great drivers need great cars and that’s what we are here to develop and supply for them.”

INTERNATIONALSPORT 43

THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

English Premier Team Manchester City Man United Tottenham Newcastle United Chelsea Liverpool Arsenal Aston Villa QPR West Brom Norwich City Everton Swansea City Stoke City Sunderland Fulham Wolves Bolton Blackburn Wigan Athletic

P 12 12 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

W 11 9 8 7 7 6 7 3 4 4 3 4 3 3 2 2 3 3 1 1

Ligue 1, France

D 1 2 1 4 1 4 1 6 3 2 4 1 4 3 5 5 2 0 4 3

L 0 1 2 1 4 2 4 3 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 5 7 9 7 8

F 42 29 23 18 25 16 25 16 13 11 17 13 12 10 14 14 13 19 16 10

A 11 12 15 11 17 11 22 17 22 17 20 16 16 22 13 15 20 29 27 23

Pts 34 29 25 25 22 22 22 15 15 14 13 13 13 12 11 11 11 9 7 6

Bundesliga, Germany Team Bayern Munich Dortmund B’sia M’bach Schalke Bremen Stuttgart Leverkusen Hannover Hoffenheim Hertha Köln Wolfsburg Kaiserslautern Hamburg Mainz Nuremberg Freiburg Augsburg

13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 12 13 13 13 12 13 13 13

9 8 8 8 7 6 6 5 5 4 5 5 3 3 3 3 3 1

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

3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 6 4 6 7 6 6 6 7 8 7

32 27 20 28 23 20 17 17 15 18 20 19 10 17 16 13 18 10

5 9 9 18 21 13 16 21 15 19 26 26 17 25 23 24 29 24

Pts 28 26 26 25 23 21 21 19 17 17 16 16 13 13 12 12 11 8

Pts

Serie A, Italy Team

Juventus

Lazio

Milan

Udinese

Roma

Palermo

Napoli

Genoa

Chievo

Parma

Siena

Catania

Pts

PSG

Team

Montpellier Lille Rennes

14 14 14

9 6 7

3 7 4

2 1 3

29 22 24

16 13 17

30 25 25

Lyon

Toulouse

Lorient

Saint-Étienne

Caen

Marseille

Sochaux

Evian

Brest

Auxerre

Valenciennes

Nancy Dijon

14 14

3 4

5 2

6 8

15 11

15 16

14 14

Bordeaux

Nice

Ajaccio

South African Mickey Arthur signed a contract until 2015.

Australia pick foreign coach

South Africa’s Mickey Arthur was appointed Australia’s new head cricket coach this week, completing a sweeping revamp English Premier Bundesliga of the way the team is run. League Fixtures Fixtures The 43-year-old is the first non-Australian to take the job (Times in Thailand) (Times in Thailand) and will assume the reins in Saturday November 26 Saturday November 26 time for the first Test against Stoke v Blackburn 19:45 Cologne v M’gladbach 01:30 New Zealand in Brisbane on Bolton v Everton 22:00 Augsburg v Wolfsburg 20:30 December 1, promising to Chelsea v Wolves 22:00 Dortmund v Schalke 20:30 bring a “fresh, unblinkered Man Utd v Newcastle 22:00 Hertha v Leverkusen 20:30 eye” to the job. Norwich v QPR 22:00 Nuremberg v K’slautern 20:30 Sunderland v Wigan 22:00 “I am honoured and priviHoffenheim v Freiburg 20:30 WBA v Tottenham 22:00 leged to have another chance Hannover v Hamburg 23:30 to coach an international team, Sunday November 27 particularly a team of the ilk Sunday November 27 Arsenal v Fulham 00:30 Bremen v Stuttgart 20:30 Swansea v Aston Villa 20:30 of Australia,” said Arthur, who Liverpool v Man City 23:00 Mainz v Bayern 22:30 coached South Africa from 2005 until 2010. Since then he has worked Sport on TV: Times in Thailand with Western Australia. Friday November 25 “I think I bring a fresh, EVENT TIME CHANNEL unblinkered eye to the role Football: Asian Olympic Qlf 19:30 STAR Sports after plotting against Australia Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals 21:00 Astro Supersport 2 when coaching South Africa and having now worked within Saturday November 26 the Australian system with the Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals 03:00 Astro Supersport 2 Western Warriors,” he added. Golf: Australian PGA 08:02 STAR Sports “Australia has an abunGolf: USPGA World Cup 10:30 Golf Channel dance of cricket talent and I am Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals 21:00 Astro Supersport 2 confident the talent is there to F1: Brazilian GP qualifying 22:50 STAR Sports ensure Australia is successful." Football: Stoke v Blackburn 19:45 TrueSport 1 The announcement came Football: Man Utd v Newcastle 22:00 TrueSport 1 Football: Sunderland v Wigan 22:00 TrueSport 2 just hours after his new charges Football: Chelsea v Wolves 22:00 TrueSport 3 chased down a target of 310 in Football: WBA v Spurs 22:00 TrueSport 4 Johannesburg to beat South AfSunday November 27

Coming up this week

Atalanta

Fiorentina

Cagliari

Football: Arsenal v Fulham Golf: Australian PGA

Internazionale

Golf: USPGA World Cup 10:30 Golf Channel

Bologna

Lecce

STAR Sports F1: Brazilian GP 22:00 Football: Sienna v Inter Milan 20:55 Astro Supersport 2

Novara

Cesena

00:30 08:02

Football: Swansea v Aston Villa 20:30 Football: Chelsea v Liverpool 23:00

TrueSport 3 STAR Sports

TrueSport 1 TrueSport 1

CRICKET rica and share their two-match Test series, where Troy Cooley held the role of interim coach. Cooley had made clear he would not be applying for the head coach job, with former Test wicketkeeper and NSW coach Steve Rixon seen by many as the frontrunner. Arthur’s appointment follows recommendations by the Argus Review, sparked by the team’s humiliating 3-1 Ashes series defeat to England. Chief selector Andrew Hilditch and fellow selector Greg Chappell were highprofile casualties of the sevenmonth probe, headed by Don Argus, the former chief of mining giant BHP Billiton. Based on the findings, a new chairman of selectors, former Test batsman John Inverarity, was appointed on a full-time basis last month. Hilditch had been part-time. Ex-rugby union international Pat Howard was also picked as general manager for team performance – a new position recommended by the review, with Arthur to report to him and Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland.

Hash House Harriers

Run 1342: Saturday November 26 at 3:30pm. Hares: No Hope Directions: Hasip Pee Road, Patong. Turn up the hill at the southern junction of Hasip Pee and Nanai Roads (look out for the HHH sign). Follow the road for approx 1km up to the top and PARK ON THE ROAD as we’re only allowed to bring a couple of vehicles into the laager site. Bus: Bus will leave the Expat Hotel, Patong at 14:00 and Baan Rim Klong, Kamala at 14:30.

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THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011

SPORT

Bridge of sighs

Chelsea lose at home in EPL once again > 42

TWO DEAD IN STAMPEDE SEA GAMES The Southeast Asian Games was to close last Tuesday (November 22) with sporting success for Indonesia, but any celebrations were overshadowed by a stampede at the headline football final which left at least two people dead and a young boy in a coma. As final preparations for Tuesday night’s closing ceremony in Palembang were underway, the event was tarnished by the tragedy in co-host city Jakarta where the hosts played bitter rivals Malaysia for football gold on Monday night. Two victims died in a crush before the match when stadium gates were opened and the crowd surged to get in, Jakarta police told AFP, adding that a boy taken to hospital had slipped into a coma. Games organisers Inasoc had warned of the potential for flashpoints ahead of the highly anticipated final which defending champions Malaysia won 4-3 on penalties after the teams were deadlocked at 1-1 after extra time. Monday night’s events took the sheen off a glitter-

The Show Must Go On: Indonesian fans cheer on their team against Malaysia after an earlier stampede left two dead and one in a coma. Malaysia took gold on penalties after the game finished 1-1 after extra time. –Photo AFP ing Games for the hosts, who had collected 182 golds in an impressive total medal haul of 475 with only paragliding finals outstanding at that stage. It meant Indonesia topped the Games medals charts for the first time since 1997

– when they last hosted the competition – and left 2009 winners Thailand trailing behind with 107 golds, followed by Vietnam with 96. The gold most craved by the home fans was in the headline under-23 football, but

instead they endured heartbreak as Malaysia’s captain Baddrol Bakhtiar scored the winning penalty, following two missed spot-kicks by Indonesia. The visitors showed their mettle in coming back from

a goal down in front of the hostile home crowd, earning praise in their domestic media, with Malaysian newspaper The Star hailing their win as “the mother of all golds”. Chasing their first Games football gold for two decades,

Indonesia looked set to secure victory after centre-back Gunawan Dwi Cahyo headed in a corner after five minutes. But Malaysia fought back, silencing the crowd with an equaliser from Omar Muhammad Asraruddin around the half-hour mark, and then defending resolutely to take the game to penalties. Indonesian coach Rahmad Darmawan told the Jakarta Post that his players were reluctant to take the spot kicks. “Only three players said they were ready for the shootout, while others needed to be encouraged,” he was quoted as saying. “I express my apology to Indonesian fans for my failure to meet their highest expectations.” Indonesia has faced widespread criticism for a raft of problems that dogged the run-up to the Games, including building delays and shortages of accommodation and transport. The troubles prompted Myanmar’s chef-de-mission to vow his nation will do a better job when they host the next Games in 2013. –AFP

Nadal anger at Noah claims

Spanish sports stars including Rafael Nadal and Pep Guardiola have reacted with fury to comments from French tennis great Yannick Noah that doping was widespread in Spanish sport. Noah’s outspoken comments came in a column in Saturday’s edition of French newspaper Le Monde, in which the 51-year-old asked; “How can a nation come to dominate sport to such an extent overnight?” before accusing Spanish sport of having “a secret to keep.” “If you haven’t got the magic potion, it’s difficult to win,” he continued. “They appear to have stumbled across a whole potful of the stuff. Lucky devils. “Those that win are the ones who manage to slip through the net, that are quicker than the [doping] controllers and that use products that cannot yet be detected.” Spain has enjoyed stunning success in a variety of www.thephuketnews.com

TENNIS

sports in recent years, with their national football team winning Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. Their basketball team are the reigning European champions and took silver at the 2008 Olympics, while world number two tennis player Rafael Nadal, cycling star Alberto Contador and Formula One driver Fernando Alonso are all major sporting superstars. Noah’s comments come as the Court of Arbitration for Sport begins its study of an appeal by cycling’s governing body the UCI and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) into a decision by the Spanish Cycling Federation to clear Contador of charges of doping after he tested positive for clenbuterol at last year’s Tour de France. However, speaking in London, Nadal dismissed Noah’s comments as “stupid.” “This guy does not deserve

to write in newspapers anymore, was the 10-time Grand Slam champion’s response. “What he said is completely stupid. “He knows better than anybody that to say that today is a totally stupid thing because you know how many anti-doping controls we have during the season, year by year. “So in my opinion, the article that he wrote was from a kid and when one kid says something it’s not painful for us.” Guardiola, coach of defending Spanish and European champions Barcelona, also reacted angrily when asked for his thoughts on Noah’s comments. “This man can either show some proof or he can shut up,” Guardiola said following Barcelona’s 4-0 win over Zaragoza that maintained their unbeaten start to the season. Noah’s claims also drew sharp criticism within France, with two-time Olympic judo champion David Douillet

– now the country’s sports minister – describing them as “serious and irresponsible.” France’s number one tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said: “It would be nice to have some proof. For the moment, what he said is completely false because no proof exists.” Noah enjoys widespread popularity in France and is best remembered for being the last Frenchman to win the French Open at RolandGarros, in 1983. Since retiring from tennis, he has gone on to enjoy a successful career as a pop singer, while his son Joakim is a professional basketball player with the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. Just last week, a Spanish court ordered Le Monde to pay US$20,000 (B600,000) in compensation to Barcelona for reporting that they had links to Eufemanio Fuentes, a doctor under investigation for alleged doping in professional cycling.

Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal dismissed Yannick Noah’s comments as “stupid”. –Photo by Christopher Johnson