The Phuket News 27 April 2018

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

thephuketnews thephuketnews1 thephuketnews.com Friday, April 27 – Thursday, May 3, 2018

Since 2011 / Volume VIII / No. 17

GOVERNOR BLASTS POLLUTION PLAGUE > PAGE 3

LICENSED TO KILL POLICE TARGET RENTAL OPERATORS OVER RIDERS’ LICENCES

20 Baht

NEWS

PAGE 2

Road safety shattered in just 24 hours

LIFE

PAGE 13

Unesco declares huge Satun area ‘Global Geopark’

People and businesses renting motorbikes to tourists will now be held accountable for making sure the tourist has the appropriate driving licence. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

P

olice this week confirmed they are ramping up efforts targeting vehicle rental operators for renting out motorbikes to tourists who do not have the appropriate licence as a key strategy to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on Phuket’s roads.

As usual, any person – including tourists – found operating a car or motorbike without the correct licence will be fined, explained Phuket Pro-

vincial Police Commander Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen.

However, under the campaign the person or business who rented out the vehicle to the unlicensed tourist will also be fined B2,000 per instance, he told The Phuket News.

Further, rental operators caught repeatedly renting out motorbikes to people who do not have motorbike licences stand to have their permit to operate as a rental vehicle business revoked, Gen Teeraphol warned.

The campaign will be specifically focussed on motorbike rental shops,

Maj Gen Teeraphol said.

“There are three criteria that motorbike rental operators must abide by under the campaign. The motorbike must be in good condition, the person renting the motorbike must have the right licence and the rental shop must provide a helmet to the person renting the motorbike and the person who will be riding as passenger,” he said.

Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Sermpan Sirikong told The Phuket News by phone on Monday (April 23), “We are taking this campaign seriously. Rental shops will

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

@thephuketnews

not be able to claim they did not know about not being allowed to rent out a motorbike to a tourist who doesn’t have a licence. We have published this campaign in every district and I have a list of all rental shops and their locations.”

In explaining the punishment on offer for repeat-offender motorbike renal shops, Col Sermpan said, “If rental shops are caught repeatedly allowing unlicensed people – including tourists – to rent motorbikes, the police will send a formal request to the Phuket Governor, and he will...

SPORT

PAGE 30

Tripathi take home Cup from Thalang 7s

News 2

PHUKET NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

US Navy joins maritime security exercises off Phuket > page 5

In just 24 hours

Two accidents leave nine injured, leg amputated Eakkapop Thongtub editor@classactmedia.co.th

Payak ‘Tum’ Samniangmai, 29, told police that he was responsible for splashing paint on cars at Nai Yang Beach during the Songkran festivities. Photo: Sakoo Police

Paint-splasher caught for Songkran antics OFFICERS FROM T H E Phuket Tourist Police have confirmed that Sakoo Police have arrested a man who was alleged to have splashed paint on numerous cars during the Songkran festivities at Nai Yang Beach on the main Songkran holiday (April 13).

Lt Col Urumporn Koondy­ sumrit of the Phuket Tourist Police explained that on April 14 Sakoo Police received nine complaints about acrylic paint being splashed onto cars at Nai Yang Beach on the Songkran Friday (April 13).

“After making investigations police believed that the man responsible was 29-yearold Payak ‘Tum’ Samniangmai. He was apprehended today (April 18),” he said.

Payak told police that he was a painter and decorator and that when he joined

the Songkran festivities at Nai Yang Beach he splashed acrylic paint on some cars.

Most of the victims said that their cars had been splashed with blue paint while they passed the front of a hotel just before Nai Yang Beach. They also said that they believed it was a group of men that had carried out the act.

Payak told Sakoo Police officers, “I apologise, I did this because I was drunk. It understand that this affects people and Phuket’s tourism image. I will try to find a way to clean these paint splashes if I can. I have learned a serious lesson and I will not do this again next year.”

Payak has been charged with damaging other peoples’ assets.

The Phuket News

E

ight people were injured when a truck slammed head-on into a van in Chalong on Wednesday (April 25), as the truck driver swerved to avoid hitting a car that had cut across in front of it – marking the second horrific accident on the same Phuket road in 24 hours.

The head-on collision occurred at about midday on Chao Fa West Rd near the Tesco Lotus shopping centre.

Re s c ue worke r s a nd Chalong Police arrived at the scene to find an six-wheeled laundry delivery truck on its side, along with a minivan carrying four Chinese tourists, including a 4-year-old boy.

The minivan was also on its side in the middle of the road, but with its entire front demolished by the impact.

Rescue workers were forced to use hydraulic cutters to recover the minivan driver, Chotikon Bongsunan, from the wreck.

Mr Chotikon had suffered serious injuries, but the 4-year-old escaped with only minor injuries, explained Lt Chanat Hongsitthichaikul of

MAIN: The remains of the truck in Wednesday’s accident.

INSET: Ms Joy had her left leg amputated after the accident on Tuesday. Photos: Suppawattakan Kunnaluck the Chalong Police.

Police did not name the 4-year-old, but named the other injured Chinese tourists as Fan Zhiyuan, 34, who suffered a gash to his left leg; Tang Hong, 32, whose left leg was broken; and Liu Ling 63, who suffered a broken right leg.

The driver of the truck, Suchet Sukkatham, and his two passengers also suffered injuries, but the extent of their injuries were not reported.

All eight injured in the accident were taken to the Accident and Emergency Department of the Chalong Hospital then later transferred to Vachira Phuket

Hospital in Phuket Town.

CCTV footage released since the accident showed the truck heading towards Chalong Circle when a car cut across it to turn right.

The driver of the truck swerved sharply to avoid hitting the car, but ended up tipping the truck onto two wheels as it veered into the oncoming lane and slamming head-on into the minivan.

Police have yet to press charges against any of the drivers involved in the accident as they are still continuing their investigation, Lt Chanat confirmed on Wednesday.

At that stage, no mention was made of tracking down the driver of the car that cut across in front of the truck.

On Tuesday, a woman had her leg amputated by doctors after the motorbike she was riding collided into the back of a pickup truck just a few hundred metres down the road.

Rescue workers arrived at the scene at about midday to find a Mitsubishi pickup truck stopped by the side of the road with a Honda Click motorbike still rammed into the back, and a woman with her left leg enmeshed with the pickup’s rear bumper.

The woman, identified at the scene only as “Joy”, aged about 30, was still conscious and rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital.

According to police, Ms Joy was heading north on Chao Fa West Rd when the pickup truck, driven by a foreign expat, cut across her to turn right. Ms Joy was unable to avoid the collision.

The driver of the pickup truck, who police have yet to name, was taken to Chalong Police Station for further investigation.

Additional reporting by Chutharat Plerin.

Road safety push targets rental motorbikes Continued from page 1 ...send his own request to the Phuket office of the Department of Business Development asking them to revoke the shop’s permit to operate as a vehicle rental business.”

However, Col Sermpan noted that some reprieve is coming for tourists being stopped and fined for not having an International Driving Permit in addition to their regular licence issued in their home country, a practice that has long been required of tourists wanting to avoid being fined but widely perceived as nothing more than money-spinner for local police.

Instead, Traffic Police will now recognise licences held by tourists if the licences are issued by any of the 134 countries that already recognise International Driving Permits, Col Sermpan explained.

A note of caution, however, is that Col Sermpan made clear, “Police will check that the licence is appropriate for the vehicle that the tourist is operating.

If the tourist has only a car licence and has been caught riding a rental motorbike in Phuket, the tourist will be fined.

“But if they do have the right licence we will not be so strict on the size of the engine of the motorbike they are renting here,” he said.

Col Sermpan pointed out that the campaign to target motorbike rental operators was actually launched earlier this year, in February.

However, he admitted that after the February launch Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong was forced to plainly order police to pay more attention to motorbike rental operators. Governor Norraphat publicly, specifically and clearly gave the order earlier this month after it came to light that road-accident deaths in Phuket in 2017 jumped by more than 30% compared with 2016.

In handing down his pre-Songkran order to target motorbike rental shops on the island, Governor Norraphat noted, “Officials must work hard to save tourists and reduce the number of accidents.

“I am very concerned about this issue, tourists need to learn Thai road laws and how to safely drive on roads in Phuket.

This knowledge can protect them from accidents, which is vital,” he said.

That message was repeated by Vice Governor Prakob Wongmaneerung just days later, following the death of 29-year-old Chinese tourist Li Jing in a motorbike accident on April 14 – Phuket’s only fatality during this year’s Songkran Seven Days of Danger roadsafety campaign.

Again, Col Sermpan maintained that the death of Mr Li was not a factor in the move to ramp up the rental motorbike crackdown. “It is not because the Chinese tourist died, it’s because lots of tourists rent motorbikes in Phuket,” he said.

Col Sermpan said he had yet to confirm whether or not Mr Li had a motorbike licence, or whether the rental operator in Phuket had checked that Mr Li had any such licence before renting the motorbike out to him. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Governor opens fire over pollution plague The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

P

huket’s Governor has blasted officials for the state of pollution in Phuket and ordered uniformed officers to take action to remedy situation, from untreated wastewater being dumped into public waterways to litter-blocked drains causing roads to flood.

Governor Norraphat Plodthong delivered his order for action at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall last Thursday (April 19) held to address key issues affecting the island’s critical tourism industry.

“You must figure this out.

Businesses are still releasing untreated wastewater; this means that officials must go out and check and strictly enforce the law,” Governor Norraphat said.

That message came while untreated wastewater is still flowing into Patong Bay, while a open pool of black wastewater remains on Surin Beach and after a canal in Rawai emptying into Chalong Bay started to run black again.

Volunteers and officials clear the Tha Kraeng Canal in Phuket Town on Monday. Photo: Phuket City Municipality

Looking towards next month, when the southwest monsoon and the annual heavy rains return, Gov Norraphat ordered officials to clear their respective areas of rubbish clogging roadside drains.

“Lots of rubbish gets stuck in the drains. Every official has to fix this in their area before the rains come, and this will help stop the problem of clogged drains causing floods across the roads,” he said.

Regarding overcrowding and other ongoing issues at Phuket International Airport, Gov Norraphat held out the hope that the completion of

the ongoing renovations will solve problems there.

“Phuket airport is too busy because some areas are under renovation. This coupled with the increasing number of passengers using the airport is the main cause of the problems.

After the renovations are finished, the problems will be solved,” he said.

Of note, airport officials at the meeting said that the renovations would be complete

by June.

Also present at the meeting was Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) Vice President Sarayuth Mallam, who told

Ms San Thidar New, from Myanmar, points to her belongings at Wichit Police Station as arrested suspect Saranyu Sae Jang (left), 18, from Chiang Mai, looks on.

Police hunt down teen for violent mugging of cleaner P OL IC E T R AC K E D dow n a nd a r rested a n 18-year-old man last Saturday (April 21) within two hours of him punching, kicking and robbing a Myanmar woman working as a housekeeper at an apartment block in Wichit.

San Thidar New, from Myanmar, was cleaning on the second floor of the Pro Mansion Apartment at about 1pm when Saranyu Sae Jang, 18, from Chiang Mai, appeared and attacked her, explained police.

Saranyu punched the @thephuketnews

maid in the face several times and robbed her of her gold necklace, her gold bracelet and about B1,000 in cash.

Ms San, face bloodied and bruised, picked herself up off the floor and chased Saranyu as he ran down to the first floor, where he punched and kicked her to the ground before speeding off on his motorbike.

Ms San went to call for help and by chance saw a Wichit Police officer on patrol passing by. She explained her ordeal and gave a

description of the motorbike and its licence plate number to the officer, who alerted other police to be on the lookout for Saranyu.

Within two hours police had tracked Saranyu to a house on Soi Prachauthit, where he was placed under arrested.

Police confirmed that Saranyu has been charged for the attack and robbery, and that Ms San was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the attack.

Eakkapop Thongtub

The Phuket News that while the goal of keeping Phuket clean was the main desire of all parties involved, a key obstacle was access to the budget required for officials to properly address the issues.

“Many people from all the different industries in Phuket joined this meeting to ask the Phuket Governor for help with these issues. One of the most important things to happen at the meeting was that the Governor was asked to request budgets that are realistic and suitable for what needs to be done to fix the problems,” Mr Sarayuth said.

PHUKET NEWS

3

Cars scratched at airport over ‘VIP parking’ furore POLICE ARE INVESTIgating complaints of cars being scratched in the multistorey car park at Phuket International Airport over what appears to be a vindictive spat over parking in a “selfdeclared VIP” parking spot.

The issue came to light last weekend when Facebook user “Jingabell Thunramon” last Saturday (April 21) posted photos online showing the parking spot and the damage done to her friend’s car, which was parked on the fifth floor of the car park, near the pedestrian bridge to the International Terminal.

A team of Sakoo Police officers now tasked with investigating the complaints inspected the scene on Monday (April 23), led by no less than Sakoo Police Deputy Chief Lt Col Uramporn Kundetsamrit and Lt Col Tatit Noorit together with Lt Col Purimpat Tanapansiri.

The officers met three victims involved in the case at the scene at 10am: Chaiwut Matbut, 24, and Wipatsana Fuk-in, both staff of the “Bags” company, and Nattanan Areerob, a staffer with Bangkok Airways.

“Mr Chaiwut told us that he parked his Krabi-registered black Mazda 2 on the fifth floor

Police on Monday began investigating the acts of car vandalism at the Phuket Airport car park. of the car park every day. On April 19, at about midday, he found scratches on both of the car’s left-side doors,” he explained.

“Ms Wipatsana told us that her car was scratched on both of the doors on the driver’s side.

She parked over two spaces, A11-A12, on the second floor on Feb 8. When she came back at 11pm she found that her car had been scratched. On Feb 9 she filed a complaint to the Sakoo Police,” Col Purimpat added.

Ms Nattanan parked her black Honda City on the same floor at 1pm last Friday (April 20) and returned after work at 10:40pm to find a note that said, “Thanks for the parking at the P’ VIP”. He car was not damaged.

Eakkapop Thongtub

4

PHUKET NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

PHUKET SEVEN DAY WEATHER FORECAST

The Phuket News offers flexible advertising options both online and in print.

www.foreca.com

FRI APR 27

SAT APR 28

SUN APR 29

MON APR 30

TUE MAY 1

WED MAY 2

THU MAY 3

High: +31° Low: +26°

High: +32° Low: +26°

High: +32° Low: +27°

High: +31° Low: +26°

High: +31° Low: +26°

High: +31° Low: +26°

High: +32° Low: +25°

Wind 1 m/s

Wind 3 m/s

Wind 3 m/s

‘LoRaWAN’ deployed for Smart City Wi-Fi GENERAL MANAGER

Jason Beavan 086 479 7471

gm@classactmedia.co.th

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

CAT TELECOM HAS ANnounced that they are now using “LoRaWAN” (LongRange Wide Area Network) media access control (MAC) protocol for the island’s 1,000 Wi-Fi hotpots.

The news was announced at a meeting led by Digital Economy and Society Minister Dr Pichet Durongkaveroj in Phuket Town last Friday (April 20).

CAT Telecom President Col Sappachai Huwanant said, “We saw a good opportunity to introduce LoRaWAN to Phuket as this will help develop the island into becoming a Smart City. And I am pleased to announce that this is now ready to use at all 1,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots across the island.

“LoRaWAN is a media access control (MAC) layer protocol designed for largescale public networks with

Wind 2 m/s

Wind 2 m/s

Wind 3 m/s

Wind 3 m/s

‘Boss, I’m borrowing your B6mn ATM card’ Eakkapop Thongtub editor@classactmedia.co.th

Digital Economy and Society Minister Dr Pichet Durongkaveroj. a single operator. A Smart City involves many parts for Phuket including Smart Metering, Smart Buildings, Lighting, Parking, Farming and Logistics and Tourism.

“CAT joins with other partners to create and show tourism attractions such as restaurant and other businesses. In the future these connections will envelop life and support a better quality of life and a City Data Platform,” he said.

Suthicha Sirirat

P

olice have ar rested a man who allegedly stole his ex-boss’s ATM card and somehow used it 248 times to withdraw more B6.5 million for himself.

The suspect, Witoon “Be” Buamdee, 37, was placed under arrest in Moo 4, Koh Kaew, at about 9pm on last Tuesday (April 17).

In making the arrest, police seized at the home a shotgun, a home-made firearm and a factory-made pistol.

The hunt for Witoon began last month after Chalong Police received a complaint on March 1, police noted in their report of the arrest.

That complaint reported that someone had stolen an

Police place Witoon Buamdee, 37, under arrest in Koh Kaew on Tuesday night (April 17). Photo: Phuket Provincial Police ATM card from a house in Moo 7, Chalong, and used it to illegally withdraw money from a victim’s bank account.

The ensuing police investigation after the complaint was received was taken over

by Col Akanit Danpitaksarn of the Phuket Provincial Police, who discovered through ATM CCTV footage that Witoon

had made at least one of the withdrawals. Witoon was later identified as a former employee of the victim, who police did not name in their report.

The victim told police the ATM card went missing on Dec 16, 2017, though no explanation was given as to why the card was not cancelled at that time.

Phuket woman arrested with haul of ya bah pills, 100g of ice

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

THALANG POLICE LAST Wednesday (April 18) arrested Phuket native Saowarak “Ta” Aomsin, 24, at a house in Pa Khlok. She was found in with 4,548 methamphetamine pills (ya bah) and and 136.55 grams of crystal meth (ya ice).

Other assets seized in-

S aowar ak under arrest. cluded a red Honda MSX125 motorbike and B8,820 in cash.

Eakkapop thongtub

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

US, Thai Navy join for sub-hunting exercises

PHUKET NEWS

5

Eakkapop Thongtub editor@classactmedia.co.th

T

he Commander of the Royal Thai Navy, Admiral Naris Prathumsuwan, was in Phuket on Tuesday (April 24) to review joint maritime security exercises conducted with the US Navy off the island’s west coast.

The five-day anti-submarine and maritime domain awareness exercise involved cooperative evolutions designed to enhance mutual capabilities in anti-submarine warfare while also improving information sharing between the two navies.

Participating from the US Navy were the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG-97), a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine and a P-8 Poseidon aircraft specially developed by Boeing for the US Navy for conducting anti-submarine warfare (ASW).

At 10am, Adm Naris observed the exercises from on board the helicopter carrier HTMS Chakri Naruebet, the flagship of the Royal Thai Navy.

The exercises included co-ordinated responses by Royal Thai Navy forces and the Royal Thai Air Force and assault and defence weapons firing.

Four Gripen fighters and a SAAB 340 early warning and control aircraft (AEW&C) also took part in the training to provide air support.

@thephuketnews

Midnight runway closures in February caused huge delays at Phuket airport. Photo: Supplied / file

Airport to close runway, taxiway for maintenance Royal Thai Navy vessels plied the waters off Phuket on Tuesday (April 24). Photo: RTN Third Area Command Playing the role of submarine hunter in the exercise was the frigate HTMS Chao Phraya.

At 11:40am, Adm Naris and his entourage of high-powered Naval officers took to the flight deck of the HTMS Chakri Naruebet to observe a 19 gun-salute.

In the afternoon, Adm Naris and fellow Navy superiors fly by helicopter to observe air force and coastal battle exercises at Thai Muang, Phang Nga. “Guardian Sea is an increasingly sophisticated and robust exercise that enables the US Navy and Royal Thai Navy to continue working closely together and learning from each other,” said Capt

Lex Walker, commodore of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7.

“Each year, as allies, our two nations are becoming increasingly capable in mutually conducting anti-submarine warfare that ensures security and stability in the maritime domain,” he said.

Through the exercises the US and Royal Thai Navy conducted subject matter expert exchanges in every aspect of anti-submarine warfare focusing on tracking submarines in a variety of conditions and concludes with evolutions designed to incorporate learned techniques shared throughout Guardian Sea, the US Navy reported.

PH U K ET I N T ER NAtional Airport will close its runway and one taxiway for more than six hours each day for 12 days starting today (April 27) so that cleaning and maintenance can be carried out.

Airport General Manager Petch Chancharoen announced last week that the closures will be in effect each day until May 8.

The runway and taxiway will be closed from midnight until 6:30am each day of the repair days, he said.

The cleaning and maintenance is being carried out so that Phuket International Airport complies with safety

standards set down by the ICAO, Mr Petch explained.

“We understand that these works inconvenience passengers at the airport.

We apologise for this. We have met with airline representatives to make sure disruptions are kept to a minimum,” Mr Petch said.

The next maintenance period will be in July and September, Mr Petch added.

Repairs were most recently carried out to the runway in February.

Those repairs and closures resulted in disrupted flights and huge delays at the airport.

The Phuket News

Opinion 6

OPINION

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

editor@classactmedia.co.th

CONTACT US

editor@classactmedia.co.th 076 612 550

KODCHANAT THINSEPON Editor

CHRIS HUSTED

Executive Editor

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

MATTHEW POND

News & Sports Editor

editor3@classactmedia.co.th Originally from the UK; Has over six years experience as editor and reporter for Phuketindex.com magazine and website, and InPhuket magazine.

MARK KNOWLES

Lifestyle Editor

editor1@classactmedia.co.th From Melbourne, Australia, Mark holds a BA from La Trobe University where he completed a double major in Anthropology and Media Studies.

He has over eight years experience as a journalist, photographer and editor for several magazines and newspapers.

TANYALUK ‘MANGO’ SAKOOT Reporter 091 165 0260 reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

RAPIPAN ‘GOONGNANG’ SUKSAWAT Translator 095 004 0497 translate@classactmedia.co.th

NITAD ‘TAE’ MANEE THANAPONG ‘OAK’ KHAO-AMPHAIPHAN NIRAVIT ‘MOS’ VORAVANITCHA Graphic designers

The Phuket News @thephuketnews ADVERTISING

076 612 550 ext. 605 Fax: 076 612 553 info@classactmedia.co.th thephuketnews.com

99/7 Moo 1 (Billion Plaza), T. Kathu, A. Kathu, Phuket 83120

T

EDITORIAL

Behind closed doors

he recent police raid on a sex orgy at a hotel in Pattaya has accidentally highlighted a critical issue with sloppy Thai lawmaking.

Specifically in the Pattaya case, the question is exactly which laws were broken?

Profiting from sex in Thailand is illegal, as is receiving any benefit from the proceeds of prostitution. Bar owners take note.

But in this instance, all police can prove so far is that people paid B1,500 per head to join the party. But if that money simply paid for the venue, drinks and food (and who is to say that it wasn’t?), then any sex that took place was “not for profit” as it were – just as it is with normal couples. So under these circumstances if these people are guilty of Thailand’s sex laws, then so are everyone else, even married couples who enjoy a weekend away

to rekindle their romance – a fact that gives s light chuckle towards the government promoting honeymoon holidays to the Land of Smiles.

People may or may not agree with it, but unless harm is done such activities behind closed doors are a private affair between consenting adults.

And on this issue, trying to leverage prostitution laws to regulate what is nothing more than an “adult-entertainment event”, would be hilarious if it weren’t for the existence of Thailand’s notorious sextourism destinations such as Patong and Pattaya.

Worse, with the General Manager of the hotel in Pattaya facing charges of providing a venue for the activity, and reports of some B18 million in fines in the air, GMs in Phuket should be shaking in their boots considering that the understanding of the law

just shown in Pattaya delivers Phuket’s keen honeymoon holiday market a swift kick between the legs.

Cases such as this demonstrate how laws are picked up and used willy-nilly by lawenforcers. This is often aided by the fact that most laws in Thailand are so vaguely worded they allow for idiotically wide interpretation by those enforcing it. Bad laws encourage bad enforcement. The law cannot vaguely say “you know what I mean” and leave police to do the rest. The raid in Pattaya may look official, but a simple shakedown by cops is no different.

As for the Pattaya raid, whether it was motivated by a sense of moral outrage or simply to make a quick buck, it was not lawful – and only serves to reinforce one of the root causes of corruption in Thailand.

TOP 10 STORIES ON thephuketnews.com

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Dengue danger: Phuket hits highest infection rate in the country Phuket police arrest teen for violent mugging Myanmar fast tracks e-Visa approval Shark bites confirmed for Norwegian in Hua Hin Model claiming Trump secrets blames US for Thai prosecution Phuket Governor opens fire over pollution Phuket Airport to close runway for maintenance Cars parked at Phuket Airport scratched in the name of VIPs Phuket Marine chief blasts Paradise Beach ‘black water’ claim as fake, other beaches still suffer Myanmar killers sentenced for slaying Thai female student

Visit thephuketnews.com for all the latest news

HAVE YOUR SAY World of delusion

Re: Phuket Opinion: Road safety doesn’t happen by accident I thought last week’s excellent editorial hit the nail on the head, especially the reference to the “blather about preserving Phuket’s image as a worldclass tourism destination.”

Preserving? Monaco, the Maldives, New Zealand and France may be world-class… but Phuket? No proper lifeguard system, stray dogs, possible rabies, traffic jams, no rail system, seas full of sewerage, carnage on the roads, airport queues, sidewalks full of trash, vendors or motorbikes, trashed coral reefs and now rampant dengue fever.

Who are they kidding?

Phuket never had such an image in the first place.

Andy Phillips ...................................................

Pointless praise

Re: Phuket Town canals cleared to prevent record flooding repeat Why is there always media coverage when the local council do anything that is normally their job. They like to notify the media to

give themselves a pat on the back, self praise isn’t worth jack s**t, especially when you are only starting the job.

Praise is supposed to be given when the job is finished and by someone else. It just highlights the fact that they don’t normally do what should be done.

Chris 007 ...................................................

to put such punks in a prison working regime? Something like daily cleaning of road ditches, drains, canals and streams? There must be something to make good use of them in return for a prison roof above their head, medical care and food.

Kurt ...................................................

Pot, meet kettle

Re: Four police chiefs flunk Songkran ‘road safety test’ Why not demoted in pay and rank… or even sacked for not doing their job? I will never understand the mere shuffling of the losers. It’s like stepping in dog crap and getting it on your shoe, but instead of washing the shoe, you just scrape it off on someone else’s property.

Ben Pendejo

Re: Gambling den bust nets 17 card punters Hypocrisy and stupidity from the government; banning all private gambling and at the same time promoting it by the use of their lottery.

Marcher ...................................................

Cold comfort for the courageous

Re: Phuket police arrest teen for violent mugging Way to fight back and glad she is safe. Why is she covered in blood some two hours later? Is there no comfort to be offered to a victim?

Christy Sweet After being trialed and convicted is there not a possibility

Policeman’s polka

It has been said that many of those police paid dearly for their jobs. When they are transferred it takes them off of the gravy train they worked so hard to join and probably costs them more than any fine.

These transfers could just be a tacit acknowledgement of that reality.

Bronco Fan

Dodging dengue

Re: Dengue danger: Phuket hits highest infection rate in the country Asian tiger mosquitos have a roaming range of about 100 metres. Dengue fever is contracted when a mosquito bites an infected person and then a second person. Most countries track outbreaks by tracking the locations of reported cases.

Our estate in Thalang has 17 reported cases of dengue fever!

Which Thai organisation is doing the tracking job?

RBS47 I hope government do regular mosquito fumigations. There are lots of mosquitos around my house in recent years.

Some days I catch more than 20 mosquitos near my house.

I am terrified that my little baby may get bitten.

Yuna Im Yes, but which population figures are we using here? It’s well known that Phuket’s real population far exceeds official figures as so many people are here transiently and are not registered as residents.

Captain Jack 69

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

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

THAILAND NEWS

Man who beat partner on FB ‘swindled B6mn’ BANGKOK

Bangkok Post

P

olice suspect a man who broadcast his brutal assaults on his girlfriend live on Facebook committed another wrongdoing by cheating people out of B6 million through his bogus online forex trading courses, police have found.

A group of victims complained to deputy police chief Wirachai Songmetta on Tuesday (Apr 24) against Chaichana Sirichart for luring them into paying money to attend courses he claimed would train them in how to reap profits by trading currencies on the foreign exchange markets.

The 25-year-old already faces several charges including attempted murder, physical assault, detention of a person and defamation by broadcasting a person’s image across the internet, after he live streamed his attack on his girlfriend.

Viewers reported it to police to help the woman.

One of the group, who asked not to be named, said he

Chaichana Sirichart, already under arrest and charged with the savage beating of his girlfriend on Facebook Live, has been accused of running a B6-million scam promising forex profits. Photo: Post Today and his friends paid B15,000 each to Chaichana after seeing an advertisement on his Facebook page, Global Fx Investment, for private one-onone training courses including video clips offering insights in the currency market.

Chaichana offered to be a mentor for his trainees for a period of one year, but the victim claimed there had been no training.

An investigation found that about 500 victims had paid money to Chaichana, Gen Wirachai said.

Damages were initially

estimated at B6 million.

A search of Chaichana turned up no assets of unusually high value but the officers spotted documents and books about stocks and forex trading.

The books did not show Chaichana to be an investment guru, as he claimed on his Facebook page, Gen Wirachai said.

The investigators suspect he committed fraud and posted false information on the social network.

“We encourage other victims to also lodge complaints,” Gen Wirachai said.

“If there are many victims

Four police chiefs flunk Songkran BANGKOK FOUR PROVINCIAL POLICE CHIEFS have been moved to work at the Royal Thai Police’s (RTP) operation centre as a form of punishment due to the high number of road accidents and fatalities witnessed in their provinces over the Songkran festival.

The transfer orders were signed by national police chief Gen Chakthip Chaijinda. It came into effect last Thursday (Apr 19) and was leaked to the public last Friday (Apr 20).

The four senior officers are Bung Kan police chief Maj Gen Thiwa Bundamnern, Phetchabun police commander Maj Gen Sant Phoraksa, Amnat Charoen police chief Maj Gen Tawai Buranarak, and Saraburi police commander Maj Gen Chairat Thipayachan.

Gen Chakthip said more transfers should be expected.

Road safety was a top priority during the holiday and those who are not up to the job knew they would face severe consequences, he said.

Their transfers were prompted by poor road safety records in their provinces during previous Songkran holidays, he added.

Gen Chakthip did not go into details of how many accidents or fatalities were recorded in their respective provinces during the so-called “seven dangerous days of Songkran”. The festival ran from April 11-17.

“There will be a wave of transfers if we find they failed to ensure adequate road safety.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has stressed the importance of this throughout the year,” he said.

He said he informed senior police officers personally that road safety must be considered @thephuketnews

The four senior officers are Bung Kan police chief Maj Gen Thiwa Bundamnern, Phetchabun police commander Maj Gen Sant Phoraksa, Amnat Charoen police chief Maj Gen Tawai Buranarak, and Saraburi police commander Maj Gen Chairat Thipayachan.

Photo: via Bangkok Post a top priority during Songkran.

“I’ve looked at the road accident figures and they are two or three times higher [than we expected],” he said.

Asked whether he thought the transfer orders would demoralise other officers, he said it is part of the job.

Some of those facing transfers were classmates of his at the police academy, he added.

Some 418 people died on the roads or later in hospital over the seven dangerous days of Songkran, up 7% from 2017, according to the Road Safety Centre.

Bangkok Post

across the country we will ask the national police chief to forward the case to the Crime Suppression Division,” he added.

Meanwhile, Chaichana, who is being detained by the police, denied charges of attempted murder, detention of a person and defamation by broadcasting a person’s image across the internet, police said yesterday.

He admitted to physical assault and one drug offence.

The man was also found to have been taking methamphetamine pills (ya bah).

Chaichana said earlier he had been quarrelling with his girlfriend, 21-year-old Kuldara Yeesaman, over the whereabouts of B6 million he gained from the course fees.

Ms Kuldara, who suffered a broken nose, cuts to her throat and burns on her body, is being treated in hospital.

She told the police her boyfriend regularly beat her during their eight-month relationship.

Her family expressed concern he may try to escape punishment by blaming her for alleged infidelity.

7

Officials from the Marine and Coastal Resources Department check the area where Norwegian national Werner Danielsen was bitten by a shark during a swim Sunday April 15. Photo: Chaiwat Satyaem

Shark bites confirmed for Norwegian in Hua Hin PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN A NORWEGIAN TOURIST was bitten by a shark, officials confirmed for the first time last week, as they planned more safety measures for swimmers.

Sophon Thongdee, the deputy chief of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, and provincial governor Pallop Singhaseni said last Wednesday (Apr 18) that Werner Danielsen had been bitten by a bull shark while swimming at Sai Noi Beach in Hua Hin district on April 15.

Judging from the wound on his left leg, marine experts said the shark was about one year old and about one metre long, the governor said.

Mr Werner, 54, is still at Bangkok Hua Hin Hospital but his condition is stable, the governor added.

He suffered tendon damage and received 19 stitches.

The beach has been sealed off for at least 20 days due to safety concerns for tourists, by which time the department plans to install long, floating nets to demarcate swimming zones.

The governor said a drone would be used to fly patrols over the area to alert officials about any dangers for swimmers.

The sea near Wat Tham Khao Tao where the Norwegian was attacked is a declared no-fishing zone, and is rich in fish and other marine life.

Bangkok Post

8

THAILAND NEWS

Hmong chief’s wife and daughter slain CHIANG RAI T H E CH I EF OF T H E Hmong Club in Thailand and his family were ambushed on Tuesday. The attackers killed his wife and daughter, while the ethnic leader and his son were gravely wounded.

Local authorities were informed of the incident at about 5pm on Tuesday (Apr 24).

The ambush happened late Tuesday afternoon on the Ban Rom Fa Thong-Ban Pha Tang Rd in Ban Rom Fa Thong village in tambon Por of Wiang Kaen district.

Police responding to the emergency found a silver Toyota pickup truck registered in Chiang Rai with licence plate number Phor Khor 4115. There were numerous bullet holes through the windscreen, both sides and the rear of the pickup.

The driver was identified as Thaweesak Yodmaneebanphot, 54, kamnan of tambon Por and chairman of the Hmong Club in Thailand.

His passengers were his

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Police force tops list of heard corruption cases NATIONWIDE

Bangkok Post

Bullet holes on the right side and the back of the cab. Photo: Chinapat Chaiyamol wife Maiyia Wongnapapaisal, 40, their five-year-old daughter Thanyaporn Yodmaneebanphot and their three-year-old son Chaimongkol Yodmaneebanphot.

The wife and daughter were both killed at the scene.

Mr Thaweesak and his son, severely wounded, were taken to a local hospital.

The ambush took place on a curve of the road that passes through a forested mountainous terrain.

Police believe the family were on their way home.

No motive for the attack has been determined, but police said they were investigating a possible business conflict.

Bangkok Post

T

he police force has topped the list of defendants involved in corruption and malfeasance cases that are heard by the specialised Corruption Court with a total of 402 policemen facing lawsuits.

The findings were revealed in a report released by the Office of Courts of Justice to mark the 136th anniversary of the judiciary in April.

The Corruption Court was launched in October 2016 to speed up trials for corruption cases.

Currently, there are nine regional courts and one central one in Bangkok.

Among state officials, police officers face the highest number of corruption and malfeasance lawsuits, followed by the Interior Ministry where 368 officials have been slapped with lawsuits.

Tambon administrative organisations (TAOs) are ranked third with 351 staff facing corruption and malfeasance

Police officers face the highest number of corruption and malfeasance lawsuits. Photo: Mike Behnken / Flickr lawsuits, followed by the Education Ministry with 348 officials indicted with graft and malfeasance.

Municipal administrations come at 5th place with 195 workers tried for corruption and malfeasance.

Based on the report, the top five charges heard by corruption courts in 2017 are malfeasance in office or omission of duty by state officials (Section 157 of the Criminal Code); embezzlement by state officials (Section 147 of the Criminal Code), abuse of positions by state officials (Section 151); endorsement of

falsified documents by state officials (Section 162); and bribery involving individuals.

The Corruption Court was launched in line with legislation setting it up which was passed by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) in June 2016 to fast-track corruption and malfeasance cases.

When it first started work, there were 70 cases pending.

According to the report, a total of 1,178 criminal lawsuits involving graft and corruption were lodged with courts nationwide in 2017. Of those, 762 cases were finalised, ac-

counting for 64.69%.

There were only four civil corruption lawsuits brought before the court but none were finalised.

About 34.78% of the cases (265) were finalised within three months and about 19.82% (151) were settled between six months and one year.

Of all cases, only 33 initially entered an out-of-court settlement process and eight of them were cancelled.

Eight cases were settled through this process and 14 failed and the remaining cases were still ongoing.

Premchai faces additional charge BANGKOK PROSEC U TOR S H AV E decided to indict construction tycoon and accused wildlife poacher Premchai Karnasuta on an additional charge of illegal possession of firearms.

Police investigators briefed deputy national police chief Gen Srivara Rangsibhammanakul on the latest developments in the case on Tuesday (Apr 24).

Gen Srivara said later that prosecutors from Region 8 have decided to indict Premchai in the Criminal Court for illegal possession of firearms in violation of the Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Fireworks Act, NCPO order No 44 and the Criminal Code.

Investigators from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division reportedly found 43 firearms and a quantity of ammunition during a search of Premchai’s residence on Soi Sun Wichai 3 in Huai Khwang district, Bangkok, in February. Six of the guns were not licensed.

The president of ItalianThai Development and three employees were arrested on the night of Feb 4 for alleged

Police and wildlife conservation officials seize firearms during a search of the residence of Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development Plc, on Soi Sun Wichai 3 in Bangkok on Feb 7. Photo: Patipat Janthong illegal hunting in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, a Unesco World Heritage site, in Kanchanaburi province.

They were found in possession of dead protected animals, including a rare black leopard and its pelt.

After police submitted their investigation report recommending indictment on 11 charges, prosecutors decided to press six charges against Premchai.

These are carrying firearms in public without permission, colluding to hunt wildlife in a wildlife sanctuary without permission, hunting protected wildlife without permission, possessing protected wildlife carcasses without permission, concealing wildlife carcasses

obtained illegally, and collecting wildlife items in a national forest reserve without permission.

The five charges dropped were entering a wildlife sanctuary without permission, possessing wildlife-hunting tools, attempting to hunt wildlife in a wildlife sanctuary without permission, committing cruelty to animals, and possessing firearms and ammunition without permission.

Premchai now also faces arraignment on the additional, seventh, charge of illegal possession of firearms.

He and his three co-accused – employees Yong Dodkhruea, Nathee Riamsaen and Thanee Thummat – remain free on bail.

Bangkok Post thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

ASIA NEWS

9

India’s Hindu-Muslim divide Is recent child rape part of a plot to drive nomad community out?

INDIA Alexandre Marchand

T

he internet is being cut for hours on end in Jammu as authorities try to halt protests that have grown in the Kashmir winter capital since the rape-murder of an 8-year-old girl opened a new front in India’s HinduMuslim divide.

With near daily protests held across the country over the brutal killing, Jammu police say the digital clampdown is to halt the spread of “rumours” that inflame tensions.

Much damage has already been done in the city. Eight Hindu men are on trial for the rape and murder of the Muslim girl, or for trying to destroy evidence.

On the streets, Muslims are demanding justice while Hindu radicals say the inquiry is biased. Threats have been made and state politicians forced to resign.

“Hang the real guilty,” read banners carried by about 100 mainly Hindu protesters

@thephuketnews

Kashmiri girls shout slogans during a protest calling for justice following the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on April 19. Photo: Sajjad Qayyum / AFP on a Jammu road last Friday (April 20). The group were demanding a new investigation into the events in Kathua district about 60 kilometres from Jammu.

According to police the girl was drugged, held captive in a Hindu temple for five days, repeatedly raped and then killed.

They say the killing in

January was part of a plot to drive the girl’s Muslim nomad community, the Bakarwal, out of the region.

Activists for the girl “have made a big fuss so that innocent men are put behind bars”, said Rajimder Abrol, a lawyer who took part in the Jammu protest by Hindus.

In an illustration of the communal distrust that per-

meates the region, Deepak Kamora, an insurance company employee who was among the protesters, accused Muslims of taking part in drug dealing and “terrorist” activities.

Hindu radicals see the murder charges as part of a conspiracy against them.

Muslim activists say the murder is new proof of their

persecution in the Hindumajority region.

While Jammu and Kashmir as a whole is Muslim majority, the Jammu region in the south is Hindu-dominated.

“They call Jammu the ‘City of Temples’ but they are changing it, they are replacing temples with mosques,” said Kamora.

Before the eight were charged, a group of Hindu lawyers tried to stop police entering a court in Kathua to register charges in the rape case.

Kirty Bhushan Mahajan, head of the lawyers group in the district, said the events had been twisted.

The controversy over the protest was “a conspiracy aimed at upsetting community harmony in the region”.

“We do not support the rapists. We do not know who the guilty people are,” he added, criticising the police investigation.

The Jammu powder keg is so primed however that India’s Supreme Court ordered police protection for the family of the girl, who have taken their

cattle into the Kashmir hills.

Their lawyer says he has received death threats and their house is also under armed guard.

Talib Hussain, a lawyer and activist for the Muslim nomads who has led protests to demand faster action in the rape case, said Hindu-Muslim relations are at their lowest point since the deadly 1948 partition of India.

Hussain accuses Hindu nationalists, particularly the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – the powerful ideological group behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government – of manipulating the Hindu protests.

Two BJP ministers in the Kashmir state government resigned after they took part in protests in support of the accused rapists.

Muslims in Jammu say they have no reason to trust the national government.

“The Hindu fundamentalists are putting people against Muslims,” said Hussain.

AFP

10 WORLD NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Nuggets of contention Tension, violence rises as Chinese mine for gold in Cameroon CAMEROON Reinnier Kaze

K

illings, land grabs, corruption... tensions and violence a re rising in eastern Cameroon as Chinese firms take advantage of a regulatory twilight zone to mine gold. “ T he r e a r e c on s t a nt conf licts between Cameroonians and the Chinese” over gold mining, said Narma Ndoyama, a farmer in Longa Mali, a small village in the middle of the mining area.

At t he b eg i n n i ng of April, four companies were banned from mining in East Cameroon, according to Foder, a group that campaigns for protecting the environment and rural development.

One of them was the Chinese firm Lu and Lang, which is notorious in the r eg ion a f t e r one of it s employees allegedly killed a Cameroonian who was looking for gold on land claimed by the company, according to Foder.

“Villagers rioted and killed the Chinese man” by stoning him, said Ndoyama.

The mining company resumed its activities at Longa Mali after a brief halt.

The Chinese “killed my son, but they did nothing” for me, said Philippe Balla, the victim’s father. “They are working and no one bothers them.”

Anger still simmers among

Employees of a Chinese mining company operate machinery at a mining site in the Cameroon town of Longa Mali. Photo: Reinnier Kaze / AFP locals over companies buying agricultural land “for crumbs”, said Michel Pilo, who is the village elder for Mali, the area which encompasses Longa Mali.

“They devastate our fields,” he said, saying a patch of land worth 500,000 CFA francs (B29,391) was purchased for 80,000 (B4,702).

Farmers feel they have no choice but to sell, said a local official.

“You can’t refuse because if you do your land will be dug up without the payment of any compensation,” said the official

on condition of anonymity.

Ndoyama is one of the few farmers to still have cultivable land.

He sees the encroachment of Chinese miners as a threat to his cassava farm.

“They are already alongside my field” where they are digging up the earth looking for gold.

“They haven’t trampled on my land, but I am afraid they will,” said Ndoyama.

Locals have repeatedly called, in vain, for authorities to properly set property boundaries.

“I am waiting for my land to be surveyed to launch a case to save my farm,” said Ndoyama.

Several Chinese miners in the region contacted declined to discuss the complaints of locals against them.

“It is easy to vent anger against the Chinese, but who brought them in” to the region? said Gabriel Yadji, a representative of the eastern region in the mining ministry.

“It is Cameroonians that have led them to behave like they do,” he added.

The process of gaining

a mining permit is labyrinthine and none has ever been awarded for industrial mining. All mining is small scale.

The individuals who receive permits, Cameroonians mostly, rent or sell them to foreign companies.

“There is no transparency on the procedures to obtain mining permits,” said Foder, which says it tried in vain to gain access to the register of issued permits.

The local press says the Cameroonian elite – including generals, colonels, lawmak-

ers, ministers and a nephew of President Paul Biya – hold mining permits, but it is impossible to confirm the information.

The suspicions of corruption do not only surround the obtention of mining permits.

“The army protects the Chinese at all their mining sites to the detriment of nearby communities and it participates in intimidating them and racketeering,” said one activist, who asked not to be named.

There is no official data on the amount of land being mined in eastern Cameroon, which is believed to be rich in mineral resources, but remains underdeveloped and mired in poverty.

While the government has created an agency to monitor the small-scale mining industry, it does not have sufficient resources to monitor all production, an employee acknowledged.

“In many cases we are happy with Chinese companies declaring their production volumes themselves,” said the employee.

Cameroon’s legislation stipulates that 25% of gold production should be handed over to the government.

In 2017, Capam said it received 255 kilograms of gold from miners across the entire country. That puts the value of nation’s gold output at roughly $41 million (B1.288 billion).

AFP

A Syrian dancer’s journey from hell to the Paris stage FRANCE YA R A A L-H ASBA N I WAS putting the finishing touches to her make-up for a performance of Romeo and Juliet in Damascus when she found out her father had been tortured to death.

It was the moment the dancer’s world turned upside down.

“The little girl in me died at that moment,” says the 24-year-old, who had protested alongside her family against Syria’s regime in 2011 at the start of the brutal civil war.

Six years on, Hasbani may be living a new life in Paris, but her feelings on the war at home spill onto the stage through her poignant contemporary choreography.

Her first Parisian performances,

in the public squares at Republique and Trocadero, right by the Eiffel Tower, were tributes to the hundreds of Syrian children killed in a chemical weapons attack in 2013.

“I took inspiration from the photos,” Hasbani says. “I imitated the positions of the children’s curled-up bodies.”

She is just kicking off perfor ma nces of Un stoppable, a 12-minute solo retracing her journey to exile, at a dance festival organised by the Arab World Institute in Paris, running until June 23.

Hasbani, who sports a bleachblonde pixie haircut and a nose piercing, has slowly rebuilt her life through dance after it fell apart with her father’s death.

His body was returned to the

Syrian dancer and choreographer Yara al-Hasbani. Photo: AFP family 23 days after he was arrested

by Syrian authorities. They claimed he had died of a heart attack.

When she began receiving threats herself, she knew she couldn’t stay in Damascus.

“Don’t you know who’s talking to you? Watch yourself,” said a

voice over the phone.

Hasbani, her mother and two siblings came to France three years ago after they were granted refugee visas in Europe.

In Rochefort, a scenic port town in the southwest, she finally started classes again after breaking off the professional dance training she had begun in Damascus.

She was happy to use anywhere as a stage.

“In Rochefort I’d dance in the parks,” she smiles.

In 2016 she moved to Paris, a city where she found it difficult to settle at first.

But her first visit to the famous Palais Garnier theatre opened the emotional floodgates.

“When the curtain went up, I started sobbing,” she remembers.

T he s e d ay s she i s bu s y preparing for her audition to study choreography at France’s National Centre for Contemporary Dance in the western city of Angers.

She’s dreaming of one day working with her idol, the Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman.

But she’d also like to travel to the massive Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, home to tens of thousands of Syrians, to spread a little joy with dance classes and costumes for the children.

And she has no plans to stop drawing inspiration from the horrific events at home for her choreography.

Her dance may be silent, she says, but she’ll carry on “raising her voice so people don’t forget”.

AFP

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

BUSINESS NEWS 11

Meliá resort at Mai Khao slated to open in 2021 HOSPITALITY

The islands of Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park off Samui are a natural drawcard to the area. Photo: via TTR Weekly

The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

L

eading Spanish hotel group Meliá Hotels I nt e r n at io n a l h a s announced it will open the Meliá Phuket Mai Khao, with a scheduled due date to open in 2021.

The Meliá Phuket Mai Khao will be the group’s fifth property in Thailand, continuing their dedication in providing exceptional hospitality with a Spanish touch to this thriving market, noted a release announcing the news.

With 48 properties in seven countries in Asia, both in operation and in the pipeline, Meliá Hotels International continues to put a focus on robust momentum and growth for the region, the release added.

The new Meliá Phuket Mai Khao is owned by local company Phuket Villa Group, well known for its popular Phu ket Villa residential property developments across the island.

Marina planned for Samui MARINE

The Melia group will enter the Phuket market with an exclusive luxury resort located at Mai Khao Beach slated to open in 2021.

Established in 1985 by Phuket’s Upatising family, Phuket Villa Group has more than 25 years of experience in real estate investment a nd developme nt s. T he Group is a privately held company with more than 10 residential projects, 6,000 houses, two hotels and various condominium buildings both in Phuket and Bangkok already in its portfolio.

“It’s absolutely thrilling news that we are expanding our footprint into Phuket with Meliá Hotels & Resorts

brand,” said Bernardo Cabot Estarellas, Senior Vice President Asia Pacific of Meliá Hotels International.

“Partnering with Phuket Villa Group, who we share similar ethos and passion with, will assure us to achieve robust and sustainable growth and deliver an unparalleled experience to meet the seasoned guests’ desires.”

Maetapong Upatising, Managing Director of the Phuket Villa Group, agreed.

“We’re excited to embark on this partnership with Meliá

Songkran brings tourism boost TOURISM A R ECOR DED 506,136 foreigners visited Thailand during the Songkran holidays, generating B24.65 billion in tourism revenue, up 6.2% and 16% respectively from the year-earlier period, repor ts the Ministr y of Tourism and Sports (MoTS).

The festival, which ran April 12-16, spur red as many as 3.1 million trips by local people that helped contribute B10.4bn in tourism income, up 12.4% and 20.5% from last year’s holiday, according to MoTS Permanent Secretary Pongpanu Svetarundra, reported the Bangkok Post.

Total income from foreigners and local people was B35.1bn, up 12.1% from the same period last year, Mr Pongpanu said.

Some 1.16mn trips were to secondary provinces, with B2.4bn in tourism expenditure, up 8.4% and 17% respectively.

The ministry said an increase was also noted in average spending per person per trip by foreigners. @thephuketnews

Songkran water fights on Bangla Rd. Photo: Patong PR Major source markets for foreign tourists included Southeast Asia countries and China.

Mr Pongpanu noted that the Songkran push added to growth in Thailand’s tourism revenues this year.

Mr Pongpanu reported that in March approximately 3.5mn foreigners visited Thailand, generating income of over B189bn for the country, reported the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT).

More than 2.2mn of the tourists came from East Asia, followed by Europe, the Americas, South Asia, Oceania, the Middle East

and Africa. Chinese tourists continued to account for the record number.

Over the first quarter of this year, Thailand saw 10.6mn foreign tourist arrivals, up 15.4% on the same period last year, while revenue generated from the foreign visitors surpassed B573bn, up 19%, Mr Pongpanu said.

As for domestic tourism, the Permanent Secretary said more than 12mn trips were made within the country by Thai travellers in February, generating over B89bn in revenue, 15% higher year-on-year.

The Phuket News

Hotels International, one of the world’s largest resort hotel companies, to capture the flourishing tourism market in Phuket,” she said.

“Looking ahead, together with Meliá Hotels International, we have every confidence in bringing the best of hospitality to Phuket and setting the benchmark for hospitality on this beautiful island.”

The Meliá Phuket Mai Khao will boast 101 private villas, each with a private pool and well-appointed amenities.

SAMUI IS ATTRACTING the attention of investors interested in building the island’s first marina, according to a report by Asia Pacific Superyachts.

Once a backpackers’ haven, Samui has succeeded in attracting international five-star brands, a strong luxury villas market for rentals and sale as well as golf courses.

Superyacht sailors are venturing from Phuket to Samui, and now plans are underway for the island’s first marina, thanks to growing government and private support, says Capt Charlie Dwyer, who heads Asia Pacific Superyachts.

In the meantime, Samui has been offering professional yacht support since 2002.

Samui caught the attention of international tourists in the early 1970s mainly backpack-

ers who travelled by train to Surat Thani and crossed to the island by a daily ferry.

In the 1980s an airport opened and that prompted hundreds of family-run resorts to open, plus a golf course. In 2007 Four Seasons unveiled the first high-end villa resort on the island.

Others followed including high-end hotels Le Méridien, the W Retreat, Conrad Koh Samui and in 2017 the Ritz Carlton.

“The construction of at least one luxury yacht marina on Samui in the near future is driving more interest from superyachts”, said Mr Dwyer.

With the steady increase in demand for villa rentals, Samui has also become popular among investors seeking a strong return on investment, or a second holiday home in a quieter location than Phuket, he noted.

TTR Weekly

12 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Making the right moves Alibaba’s B11bn move aligned to redefine Chinese-Thai trade TRADE Andrew J Wood

A

libaba Group CoFounder and Executive Chairman of the Chinese Digital Conglomerate, Jack Ma this week signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) outlining a plan to invest B11 billion (US$350.3 million) in Thailand aimed primarily at helping farm exports to China – and that figure could grow to B93bn.

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese multinational e-commerce, retail, Internet, AI and technology conglomerate founded in 1999 with a hugely successful e-commerce and on-line shopping business via web portals, as well as electronic payment services, shopping search engines and cloud computing services.

The group owns and operates a diverse array of businesses around the world in numerous sectors, and is named as one of the world’s most admired companies by Fortune.

Alibaba plans for a new digital free-trade zone in Thailand advocating global free trade. It would be Thailand’s third such free-trade zone.

During his meeting in Thailand, Mr Ma met Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and the rest of the Thai government’s economic team to discuss their future cooperation and the group’s investments in the country.

The Chinese e-commerce giant agreed to help SMEs, startups and farmers in Thailand by getting them more digitally connected through

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha (right) greets Alibaba’s Jack Ma. Photo: Government House its platforms.

The Bangkok Post reported that they also discussed plans for a smart digital hub that will be developed in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

Alibaba Group’s investment in Thailand’s EEC zone will facilitate increased agricultural exports from Thailand to China.

Groundbreaking is expected this year and the zone will be fully operational next year.

The Thai trade zone follows similar “e-hubs” in Hangzhou – Alibaba’s home city – and Malaysia.

Alibaba hopes to set up hubs across the world that will together make up an electronic world trade platform (eWTP) complementing the World Trade Organisation framework. Users of the hubs enjoy minimal tariffs,

speedy customs clearance as well as state-of-the-art logistical support.

“With the eWTP our vision is to make the world more inclusive, sustainable and to support developing countries, small and medium sized companies as well as young people,” Ma said.

Also speak ing at the event, Deputy PM Somkid said the Chinese e-commerce giant’s latest foray in Thailand would be a major shot in the arm for the country’s US$45bn eastern economic corridor.

The Thai government has said it hopes the vast project will help lift annual economic growth to 5% by 2020 from its 2017 growth rate of 3.9%.

Investors in the economic corridor enjoy tax breaks and can rent land parcels for up to 99 years.

The four memoranda of

understanding were signed covering cooperation in four areas: 1. Using e-commerce to boost local farm product exports to China 2. Developing human resources for Thai e-commerce operations and startups 3. Running a digital tourism platform in Thailand 4. Alibaba’s B11bn investment in a smart digital hub in the EEC. “China is on its way to becoming the world’s largest consumer, driven by rising income and a growing middle class of 300 million. There is no better time than now for trade-oriented countries to seize this opportunity to export to China as the country continues to open its doors wider for global trade,” Ma said after the meeting.

He also praised Thai agriculture products and its digital prospects.

“Quality Thai agricultural products such as fragrant rice, durian and other tropical fruits in particular are sought after by the Chinese consumer,” he said.

“Given Thailand’s unique strengths in people and culture, we are confident of its future and growth potential.

“We are committed to being a long-term partner of Thailand to help enable its digital transformation,” the Alibaba co-founder added.

Gen Prayut said cooperation with the Alibaba Group will enhance the country’s e-commerce development and would be good for growth.

“The group believes Thailand has the potential to become an e-commerce centre in the region, which conforms to government policy. This also helps to develop the economies of neighbouring countries,” he said.

“This cooperation will assist local community businesses and help farmers increase their income as logistics will be much improved and farm products will be able to be shipped within 24 hours,” Gen Prayut noted.

The prime minister said Thailand and China can also generate income through a digital platform for tourism that Alibaba and the Thai government have agreed to develop.

Mr Somkid said Alibaba’s investment in the smart digital hub will be an important platform to link Thai SMEs, Otop (One Tambon, One Product) items and far m products to China and the global market.

The EEC Office signed two of the four MoUs on April 19, according to Kanit Sangsubhan, the agency’s secretary-general.

The f irst MoU covers cooperation with Alibaba’s

e-commerce subsidiary in Singapore to drive exports of Thai farm products and other goods to the global market, starting with rice and durian.

To mark the deal, the Thai Rice Flagship Store was launched on Tmall.com to promote Thai rice to Chinese customers. Tmall.com, formerly known as Taobao Mall, is Alibaba’s businessto-consumer marketplace.

The Commerce Ministry expects up to 45,000 tons of high-quality rice will be exported via e-commerce channels this year, rising to 120,000 tons in 2019.

The second MoU was signed with Alibaba Group’s Cainiao Smar t Logistics Network Hong Kong Ltd and focuses on the smart digital hub in the EEC. This will utilise Alibaba and Cainiao’s world-class data and logistics technologies to boost cross-border trade not only between Thailand and China, but also other markets, the group said.

“The cooperation will open a great opportunity for Thailand and enhance trading in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia,” Mr Kanit said.

Alibaba Group inked the other two MoUs with three Thai agencies.

The f irst concer ns an agreement between the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Zhejiang Fliggy Network Technology Co. They will create a Thailand Tourism Platform to facilitate travel bookings and room reservations in the country to give hotels, shops and restaurants a wider audience of Chinese travellers.

The final MoU was bet ween Alibaba Business School and two Thai authorities – the Industrial Promotion Department and the International Trade Promotion Department – to help develop more suitable human resources for SMEs including “smart” farmers.

The MoU aims to have an estimated 30,000 entrepreneurs trained each year.

Andrew J. Wood is a freelance travel writer and longtime resident of Thailand. A seasoned hotelier and former General Manager of some of the country’s leading hotels including the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Pattaya.

Mr Wood is a former Board member and Director of Skal International’s (SI) Exec Committee, National President of SI Thailand and is currently President of SI Bangkok and Acting Vice President Southeast Asia of Skal’s Asian Area. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

It’s crucial to get kids active early and often

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

15

Roll the dice at Phuket’s board gaming cafe

SATUN ROCKS THE WORLD

16

Unesco designates huge area of Satun as a ‘Global Geopark’ for its abundance and diversity of fossil species

Prasat Hin Panyod, within the newly designated Geopark, boasts outstanding geological features characterised by a spectacular pinnacle karst landscape, including a stunning sea cave which tourist can visit by kayak. Photo: Unesco/Rath Jitrattana

The Phuket News editor1@classactmedia.co.th

U

nesco has dedicated a huge area of Satun province, south of Phuket on the Andaman coast, as a “Global Geopark”.

The Geopark covers four districts – Thungwa, Langu, Manang and part of Muang Satun – and includes two national parks and one wildlife sanctuary.

The dedication of the “Unesco Satun Global Geopark” came last week (Apr 17) in a release posted on the Unesco website, along the 12 other candidate areas also being granted “Global Geopark” status.

“Unesco’s Executive Board today gave the Unesco Global Geopark label to 13 sites demonstrating the diversity of the planet’s geology. These inscriptions were recommended by the Unesco Global Geoparks Council,” said the release.

Unesco Global Geoparks are territories that promote geo-diversity through community-led initiatives to enhance regional sustainable development, notably through @thephuketnews

sustainable tourism. They help monitor and promote awareness of climate change and natural disasters, and many help local communities prepare disaster mitigation strategies, the international agency explained.

As such, Unesco described the Satun area as, “A peaceful place with renowned natural beauty”.

“Mountains and foothills characterise the eastern and northern areas, while beaches and coastal islands dominate the Andaman Sea part of the Geopark,” Unesco said in its detailed description of the Geopark.

“Famously referred to as the ‘Land of Palaeozoic fossils’, the area is renowned, in both Thailand and the whole of Southeast Asia, for its abundance and high diversity of fossil species as well as for the oldest succession of fossils including trilobites, brachiopods, stromatolites, conodonts, graptolites, tentaculites and nautiloids.

“The Cambrian trilobite fossils of Tarutao Island are the oldest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and the volcanic ash layers allow for absolute dating of the late Cambrian trilobite biostratigraphy. One new genus and

five species of Cambrian trilobites were discovered here, as well as the fascinating red stromatolites,” noted the release.

“A significant amount of evidence in the area supports the evolution theory of the Old-World Realm in which Shan-Thai formed as a part of periGondwana terranes.

“Prasat Hin Panyod is probably the most important geo-site of the Geopark. The outstanding geological features of this site are characterised by a spectacular pinnacle karst landscape, including a stunning sea cave and hidden lagoon, which tourist can visit by kayak,” the release added.

In terms of sustaining local communities, Unesco noted, “The area of Satun Unesco Global Geopark has a population of about 113,110 inhabitants of mainly Thai origin. It is known as a peaceful place with renowned natural beauty, where several cultures and religious groups, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian, as well as minority groups, i.e. Semung or Maniq and Urak Lawoi, live together in harmony.

“Economic activities are primarily based on agriculture, fishery, tourism, and small local businesses. The

Geopark supports strong collaboration and networking between local people, communities and governments, especially concerning geo-conservation, geo-tourism and education, the latter of which has received particular attention since the discovery of abundant fossil records in 2007.”

The Geopark is to promote the sale of local products from communities through different activities, such as the Satun Fossil Festival and other related fairs.

“Geo-tourism offers many advantages to both the local community and the sites themselves.

By generating job opportunities and new income streams and providing funds for the protection of the geo-sites and upgrading of facilities, the quality of life for local people has improved significantly.

“Besides its socio-economic importance, geo-tourism practised both sustainably and ethically in this area, also improves levels of appreciation, understanding and respect for the surroundings, which in turn may lead to the protection and conservation of geo-, bio- and cultural diversity,” Unesco explained.

14 EXPLORE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Swallowed by the jungle

Mystery and even superstition surround these abandoned buildings in the hills above Kata Pakin Intajak

They have almost been swallowed up by the trees and vines which wind their way through doorways and windows – echoing the appearance of an ancient temple overgrown for centuries.

I

f you have ever visited Kata Beach, you might have glanced upwards and caught a glimpse of the four eerie abandoned buildings that stand as silent sentinels on the jungle covered hills overlooking the swathes of sunseeking tourists below. Only the top-most parts of the buildings appear above the jungle canopy but nevertheless, the buildings can bee seen from quite a distance. They have almost been swallowed up by the trees and vines which wind their way through doorways and windows – echoing the appearance of an ancient temple overgrown for centuries.

What are these buildings? Why have they been abandoned in the jungle for decades? The Phuket News’ Pakin Intajak recently investigated these very questions by speaking to the perhaps best placed to answer them; Wanchai Saetan the Chief of Public Works for Karon Municipality, who has been in the role since 1997.

“I have heard that the buildings have been at the hill about twenty six years,” he said.

“I believe their construction commenced in 1992, but I am uncertain about when the project was abandoned,” he said.

While they are certainly not the only failed building project on the island, it seems that in the quarter of a century since the project was abandoned, the identity of the company, or the individuals, that set out to build them are long forgotten – perhaps not surprising given the breakneck pace of development across the island over that time. Mr Wanchai admitted he did not even know the proposed name of the abandoned project. So it seems as though even the officials tasked with overseeing development in the district know little about the place, adding to the mystery.

Despite the buildings having been deserted for around 26 years, it appears that they were well constructed, given that they seem largely intact and solidly built – if the undergrowth were cleared they might look as though they were currently under construction.

It is not clear whether these buildings were in-

The four large buildings have sat abandoned for over a quarter of a century. Photos: Rune Holm Clausen

tended to be hotels or private residences according to Mr Wanchai, who said that he believed that Somprasong Group, which ran a condominium construction business, owned or were contracted to carry out the project.

So why have these buildings been abandoned in the hill for so long?

“The main structures of the buildings were completed, but the project was ruined before the buildings were fully fitted out for use. Following the collapse of the project people scavenged any material from the site that was of value,” Mr Wanchai said.

When asked if Karon Municipality has any plans for the site, Mr Wanchai explained, “The area has a land title deed (chanote) and this is why Karon Municipality can do nothing but to leave these four buildings on the hill in peace.”

According to Mr Wanchai, when the project went belly up, the chanote was seized by a bank but he did not know which bank. Unfortunately, he said that he had no further information to provide as Karon Municipality did not have any documents or evidence to further illuminate the origin and subsequent abandonment of the buildings.

Mr Wichai, did however, reveal that the buildings were not granted the

Certain parts of the buildings still look almost new. correct permissions by Karon Municipality, as at that time, the municipality was not even completely set up.

Therefore, he said, legal permission for the project to begin construction was granted directly by Phuket Province and the Governor who was in office at the time.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there were rumours or tales of ghosts and spirits inhabiting the area, not to mention the dangers of exploring an abandoned structure that could be unstable, or it being a place that attracts undesirable or even dangerous people: So it is not recommended that you visit the site, which along with its beauty and mystery, could spell danger for the unwary. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

EDUCATION 15

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Phys-Ed begins early at BISP Building young students’ coordination, control and physical confidence Alexandra Gates

Students are given opportunities to develop confidence in moving in a range of ways and in a range of different environments.

Alexandra Gates.

H

ere at BISP our specialist Physical Education provision begins at the Early Years Foundation Stage. Students are provided with opportunities to develop their physical literacy in semi-structured, free-play environments in the Early Years setting, but also have two structured PE lessons with our PE specialist teacher, Maggie Walby and one swimming lesson led by our Learn to Swim Coordinator, Luke Curtis and his team of coaches each week.

Through their PE and swimming lessons students are given opportunities to develop confidence in moving in a range of ways and in a range of environments. They learn to show coordination and control in large and small movements and to negotiate space safely. They explore object control, learning how to handle equipment effectively.

Students learn how to interact with their peers in a socially acceptable way.

The benefits of implementing specialist instruction and guidance at this stage of development are many and will be seen long into the future of the child’s overall development. They include:

•Providing a foundation upon which to add different skills and ensuring developmental pathways are followed sequentially to ensure children are able to progress to the next level.

•Checking that age appropriate physical developmental milestones are reached.

•Building confidence in movement.

•Building water confidence.

BISP’s Thanadon Tantivit beams following his win at the Thailand Grand Final. Photo: Supplied

London calling for Thanadon

B

ritish International School Year 12 student Thanadon Tantivit is preparing to head to London after being named as the winner at the Thailand Grand Final of the English Speaking Union’s International Public Speaking Competition on March 30. After delivering a prepared speech, an impromptu speech, and answering questions from the judging panel, judges praised Thanadon for his confident presentation style, knowledge of national and international news and his ability to handle difficult questions under pressure.

He will now represent Thailand at the international round held in London in May where he will compete against more than 50 other 16- to

@thephuketnews

20-year-olds from around the world.

During the week long program, which also marks the centenary celebrations for the English Speaking Union, Thanadon will also have the opportunity to engage in both cultural and educational opportunities including workshops at the Globe Theatre and the opportunity to enjoy a West End performance.

Miss Leica Burley, Thanadon’s coach and KS3 Coordinator at BISP said, “Thanadon is certainly ready to compete on the world stage. He is a very mature and articulate young man with a bright future ahead of him.”

This is the second year in a row that the Thailand winner has been a BISP student with Rebecca Preen representing Thailand last year.

The benefits of specialist instruction and guidance will be seen long into the future.

•Early detection of cognitive processing and motor development needs of indi- vidual children.

•Early intervention – extra support for those in need.

•Shaping future students into healthy, active people who develop life-long habits.

At BISP we believe parental involvement in the development of their child is vitally important.

Students have the opportunity to share their learning with parents through a number of avenues. Nursery and Reception students recently took part

in an Early Years Sports Day event, whereby parents were invited to watch their child participate in physical activities and challenges, and students had the opportunity to showcase their learning and physical development.

Later on in the year parents will be invited to attend a swimming lesson where they can observe the variety of skills their child has acquired during the year in swimming classes.

BISP Alexandra Gates is the Head of Physical Education at the British International School, Phuket

16 COMMUNITY

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

What the Box: Board Games Cafe has over 200 different board games available for customers to rent from just B20 per hour. Photos: Facebook/Whattheboxhkt

Get your game face on!

This cafe is a hub for the island’s growing community of board gamers Jirarat Rakjamroon

In the recent years, despite of, or perhaps even because of, the rise of the internet and computer-based games, the humble board game is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance.

W

hen you think of the words board game, you might think of some of the classics like Monopoly, Scrabble, Risk or even the ancient games of chess and backgammon. But in the recent years, despite of, or perhaps even because of, the rise of the internet and computer-based games, the humble board game is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance.

It’s a global phenomenon and a new breed of board games are now selling millions of copies around the world. Games like Settlers of Catan, in which players compete to settle a fictional wilderness have sold more than 27 million copies since the first edition of 5,000 was released in Germany in 1995. Dominion, a medieval-flavoured card game, released in 2008, has sold 2.5mn copies.

To serve this growing community many board game cafes have also sprung up around the world to provide a comfortable shared space for board gamers of all ages and backgrounds to gather and enjoy their hobby. In August last year, Sahaspol “Le” Tantipornsawad decided to open What the Box: Board Games Cafe to accommodate the burgeoning community on the island.

The Phuket News’ Jirarat Rakjamroon recently sat down with Le to talk about how the idea for the cafe came about and what is it that is attracting a growing number of people to take up board gaming.

What inspired you to open the cafe?

I like playing games. We have a big group in Phuket that has played board games for many years.

My friends and I often went to play board games at McDonald’s but later we were not allowed to play there. So we moved to Tom n Toms Coffee but it was very crowded. We tried to think what we should do.

We didn’t want to play board games in our group only, we wanted to meet new people and let them know what board games are, so we decided to open a board games café.

What can people experience and enjoy when playing board games?

Nowadays people almost always play games on their smart phones, but board games will give them a different experience. They can meet their friends in the flesh and it’s more fun to play games with lots of friends rather than playing alone at home. It’s like joining a community.

Enjoy yummy hot and cold drinks.

Who are your customers and what do they have in common?

Everyone can play. In foreign countries, board games are often considered a family activity. But in Thailand, many people don’t understand board games and think they are a bit nonsensical. In fact, board gaming is an activity that can help people build and strengthen relationships. The games are more fun when you play with your close friends or family. Moreover, if the players come to the café, they can meet

Members of Phuket’s board gaming community regularly gather at the cafe for friendly competitions. new people who like the same thing and get to know each other while playing together.

Is it okay to go to the café alone?

It’s fine. The number doesn’t matter because you can always join in a game and make new friends here. The majority of board game players are open-minded and friendly. *It’s true. I joined a group of students playing Internal Affairs, a secret identity game where you have to crack each other’s codes and outsmart one another to discover their true identities.

It was great fun, even though I was a beginner, and everyone was joking and laughing together.

What about customers who don’t know how to play?

We have Game Masters (GM) that will explain the rules and teach the players how to play and give them advice while playing until they can play by themselves. And if they have any problem, they can ask the GM a question at any time. The games have many levels from easy to advanced and you can choose any game you like.

How does the cafe work and what does it cost to play?

We have board games for rent and customers can order snacks or drinks while they are playing. We charge per hour of playing time: B40 per hour for the general public and B20 for students.

You can spend as much time as you want.

Do you plan to expand the café or open branches in the future?

We don’t have a plan yet. Now we just want people to know about board games more. We have patrons but we want new people to come too, because there are many people who think our café is a computer café. So we are just focusing on helping people understand what our café is and what we do that makes it different.

What is the most popular board game here?

The most popular game at the moment is Survive. Normally, people often play a less-complicated game but our regular customers who have played board games for long time usually choose the games that have higher level of difficulty. Our café has all types of board games. [More than 200 in fact] What are the benefits of board gaming?

Board games can help the players develop social skills, along with strategic thinking, and logical thinking, as they have to find ways to achieve their goals. In addition, board games can build and strengthen relationships as people play the game face to face and share the experience.

They have to communicate with other players and sometimes they have to cooperate to win the game. So board games can also teach you how to work in team.

What the Box: Board Game Cafe is located at 98 Wichit Songkram Rd in Phuket Town. It’s open seven days a week (Mon-Fri: 2pm-12am and Sat-Sun: 12pm-12am). For more information call 095 423 8685, or visit their Facebook page at: facebook.com/whattheboxhkt thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

HISTORY 17

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Rough justice: Siamese style An Englishman’s account of his close call with the law courts of old Siam

C

Colin Mackay

aptain Alexander Hamilton leaves us a most colourful account of the workings of a Siamese law court in the 18th century. He first tells us the official punishment for rebellion in Siam at the time.

“Criminals are ripped up alive and their guts and entrails taken out and their carcasses then woven up in a twig-case and tied up to a stake for vultures and other voracious fowls or dogs to feed on. I saw eighteen one morning going to be so executed for mutiny.”

Whereas, for those found guilty of treasonable talk: “An elephant is the executioner. The condemned person is made fast to a stake driven into the ground for the purpose, the elephant is brought to view him and goes twice or thrice round him. When the elephant keeper speaks to the monstrous executioner, he twines his trunk round the person and stake and pulling the stake from the ground with great violence, tosses the man and the stake into the air and in coming down receives him on his teeth [tusks] and shaking him off again puts one foot on the carcass and squeezes it flat.”

In 1718 while visiting Ayutthaya, Hamilton found himself accused of treason and facing a Siamese court.

If it did not go well, he knew he would also end up facing a “Pachyderm executioner”.

Although the East India Company (EIC) had not reopened a factory since its spat with Siam in the 1680s, it had appointed a commercial representative in Siam, an Englishman, Mr Collet.

Hamilton tells us Collet had an assistant, “a Persian by birth who had come to Siam with his father when very young, and had remained about forty years in Siam.”

This Persian held the Siamese title of Okya Sennarat and was probably

A depiction of the decidedly unpleasant fate of being executed by an elephant. Photo: Gutenberg.org @thephuketnews

part of the Bunnag family. Mr Collet and Okya Sennarat did not like nonEIC “interlopers” trading in Siam and he claims they frequently obstructed the EIC’s ability to trade freely. Hamilton disparagingly called Okya Sennarat a “remora” (a smaller fish which attaches itself to sharks and feeds off the shark’s debris) and said of him, “He was as complete a rascal as Collet could have found for his villainous purposes, for by false information to the king he had brought many honest men into trouble and some treasure into the king’s coffers… This Persian and I were discoursing one day of my affairs in the Hindustan language which is the established language spoken in the Moguls’ large dominions [in India].”

Having been refused the right to trade, Hamilton stated he had a mind to see the king and offered Okya Sennarat 1,000 dollars, “if he could find means to introduce me. He answered that ‘the English had not good manners enough to be admitted into the presence of so great a king and therefore I ought not to expect to appear before him’… About a week after, I had a summons to appear before a tribunal to answer an indictment of speaking treason of the king.”

Hamilton was most surprised and understandably more than a tad apprehensive about maybe being found guilty. He then discovered that it was the Persian Okya Sennarat himself who had brought the indictment. However, as Captain Hamilton explains: “I knew myself innocent and appeared at the time appointed… the court was held in a large square oblong hall open on all sides. About nine the judge came with some thousands of attendants and as he passed by me to take his place he viewed me very narrowly, as I did him with much attention. He was a man of middle stature about fifty years of age of a pleasant but grave countenance and had a quick sparkling eye. He spoke to my interpreter and bid me have a care of my tongue lest I should prejudice myself in answering intricate questions. I thanked him for his admonition… he then ordered my indictment to be read… My impeachment was grounded only on my saying that ‘the king had been imposed upon’ and by the by, I found that saying the king of Siam was capable of being imposed on is rank treason… Had I been cast in my process my head would be a sacrifice to my adversaries’ resentment and my ship and cargo [would go] to the much injured king and all my ship’s company would become the king’s slaves.

“The judge chose out of the assembly two procurators for each of us… the judge put Okya Sennarat to prove what I was accused of and he produced two of his servants, who had stood at some distance when we were discoursing of my affairs. My advocates then challenged the laws of Siam for their insufficiency, for that law admits not of a servant’s testimony, either for or against his master.

Then he proffered to bring an undeniable witness against me, who was the only person with us when we discoursed and that was Mr Collet. The judge then interrogated him if he had heard me say in my discourse that the king had been im-

Justice in old Siam could be brutal once a sentence was handed down but even for a foreigner, a fair trial was still possible. Photo: Pixabay posed on. He affirmed he had, on which I perceived a cloud overspread the judge’s countenance and many others who had come to hear the trial seemed sorrowful… After a little pause, the judge by the interpreter, asked me what I had to say to Collet’s evidence. I answered that he might be an honest man or otherwise as his interest led him. All continued mute for a little space and I broke the silence by desiring the judge to ask Collet in what language I held that discourse with Okya Sennerat, which the judge did, and was answered that he believed it was in the Hindustan language. I begged the judge to ask him if he understood

that language and he did so. Collet, after some pause, answered “No,”… at which the whole crowd gave an Huzza! And clapped their hands and seemed joyful.

The judge reprimanded Okya Sennerat for putting him and the court to so much trouble and complimented me on my safe delivery and so departed seemingly well satisfied.”

Adapted with kind permission from the book ‘A History of Phuket and the Surrounding Region’ by Colin Mackay.

Available from good bookshops and Amazon.com. Order the softcover 2nd edition directly at: www.historyofphuket.com

18 ISLAND SCENE

Stargazer 2018 winners Daisy and Alvin.

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Mary Grace Miraflores came in second place.

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

The Andaman Dancers came in third place.

TERRIFIC TALENTS DAZZLE THE STARGAZER AUDIENCE AT CC’S HIDEAWAY The 4th annual “Stargazer” Phuket Talent Contest, proudly presented by CC’s Hideaway, dazzled the crowd with a series of sensational performances on stage last Saturday (April 21). But it was Daisy and Alvin Royo Tumulak who took home the top prize on the night with their fabulous singing and fire-dancing performance. Coming in second place was singer Mary Grace Miraflores and in third place were The Andaman Dancers with their energetic b-boy breakdance performance.

The visiting dentists with some of the local children they treated with the help of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach.

Hailey was one of the visiting dentists who generously donated her time and skill to children in Phuket.

ROTARY HOSTS AMERICAN DENTISTS TO PROVIDE FREE TREATMENT Rotary Club of Patong Beach organised and hosted 40 dentists from California to provide free dental care to Thai school children at Patong Hospital from Wednesday to Friday last week (April 18-20). This was the second time the dentists, from the University of Southern California Dental School, have visited Patong to provide this service.

Children from all around the Patong area were treated, some getting such dental care for the first time. Ayuda, the dental organisation behind the venture, plans to come back to Thailand every two years.

Maitai Suriyayunyong is crowned Miss Thailand Teen International for 2018.

MAITAI SURIYAYUNYONG CROWNED MISS THAILAND TEEN INTERNATIONAL 2018 Maitai Suriyayunyong, a Year 8 student from British International School, Phuket, has been crowned Miss Thailand Teen International 2018. Maitai will soon be representing Thailand at the Little Miss Universe 2018 in Antalya, Turkey. The contest judges contestants based on their talents, personality traits and public speaking skills.

Frank Grassmann, General Manager of The Nai Harn Phuket, cuts a special birthday cake with members of the Rock Salt culinary team and flanked by two ‘whispering angels’.

THE NAI HARN PHUKET CELEBRATES THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF ROCK SALT – ITS GOURMET BEACHSIDE BISTRO Guests enjoyed a bumper birthday celebration to mark two years of culinary creativity at The Nai Harn’s Rock Salt restaurant last Friday (Apr 20). The team at Phuket’s only member of Leading Hotels of the World celebrated the occasion with a “Whispering Angel Rosé Party” where guests enjoyed gourmet bites which showcased some of Rock Salt’s most popular menu items over the past two years. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Phuket Vice Governor Thawornwat Kongkaew (3rd from left) poses with organisers.

The winner of the charity auction hold his new his custom-painted fuel tank.

ISLAND SCENE 19

Yuenyong ‘Aed Carabao’ Opakul (4th from right), joins other VIPs on stage.

The final concert was packed with entertainment and a strong sense of camaraderie.

PHUKET BIKE WEEK 2018 GOES OUT WITH A BANG AT FINAL CONCERT A massive crowd turned out at Boat Lagoon last Saturday (April 21) to bring Phuket Bike Week 2018 to a stylish close with the event’s final Music Festival and Live concert, featuring Thai rockers Carabao. The final day’s activities included a huge convoy ride from Boat Lagoon to the Phuket Gateway as well as the crowning of Miss Phuket Bike Week 2018. Class Act Media’s The Phuket News, Khao Phuket and Novosti Phuketa are proud media sponsors of Phuket Bike Week.

From left: Bernard, Pond and Bow.

From left: Peter, Jonathon and Baz.

From left: Stewart, Jonathon, Alex and Paul.

Pattie (left) and a friend enjoyed an evening of conversation and degustation.

PHUKET GOURMANDS CELEBRATE WORLD CHAINE DAY AT THE BOATHOUSE The Boathouse in Kata was selected to host celebrations for World Chaîne Day by members of the Phuket Chapter of La Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Thailand last Saturday (April 21). The Chaîne is an international gastronomic society founded in Paris in 1950 and based on the traditions and practices of the old French Royal Guild of Goose Roasters. It was another great evening soiree with friends and great food and drinks. @thephuketnews

20 EVENTS

FRI

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

27 APR

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

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

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

SUN

meetings. The cost for non-members is B500 and includes lunch. The meeting begins at 12pm at the Millennium Resort in Patong. For additional information please visit: www.rotarypatong.org

Laguna Phuket Food & Music Festival 2018 Get your grub and groove on at Laguna Phuket Food & Music Festival 2018, April 27-29 at Laguna Grove.

Gate opens from 4pm. Entry is free to a wide range of food booths selling international and Peranakan cuisine from top restaurants, authentic Phuket fare by tourism community groups, dining garden and picnic area with culinary shows and musical performances that showcase the best of both worlds. Tickets available for Charity Concert on the Night. More info at: lagunaphuket.com/foodandmusicfestival or by calling 076 362 300. Tickets at: ticket@lagunaphuket.com

SAT

28 APR

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

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

29 APR

Go Live Sunday Seafood Brunch

World Cup League @ BISP Term 3 Dates: April 28, May 12, May 19, May 26, June 2, June 9 and June 16, 2018. Age/Time U9: 9:30-10:30 U11: 10:30-11:30 U15: 11:30-12:30 *Girls may play down one age group. Package Includes – World Cup Team Kit, Participation Medal and Seven Saturdays of Matches. Price: B3,000 if you register and pay before April 8, B3,500 if you register any time after April 8, 2018. To register for the World Cup League please contact: infobisp@cruzeirothailand.com

The Banyan Tree Brunch experience offers a generous selection of live fresh, local and imported seafood with exceptional lobster dishes, Japanese starters, mouth-watering meats, Asian wok and Western grill treats. Gourmet cuisine, exceptional service, live jazz and tranquil surroundings, The Banyan Tree Brunch has something for everyone! Every Sunday 12pm 3:30pm, Prices start from B2,800 net per person. For reservations email: fb-phuket@banyantree.com or call 076 372 400.

All you can eat Sunday Roast Buffet PHAB 2 – Glam, Glitz and Glitter The Phuket Hotels Association, a nonprofit organisation of hoteliers focused on promoting a positive image for Phuket while also supporting community-based projects, is hosting a benefit gala dinner on Saturday April 28 to raise funds for 20 hospitality scholarships and traineeships for local residents. The “Glam, Glitz and Glitter” event will take place the Latitude Marquee at Laguna Phuket from 7pm until midnight. Tickets available at: phuketticketmaster.com

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

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

Friday Lunch at The Boathouse Phuket

Sunday Roast All Day, All Night Blue Horizon World Corporate Golf Challenge Thailand 2018 – The National Final The Blue Horizon World Corporate Golf Challenge Thailand Tee’s off on February 10 at Laguna Golf Phuket. The WCGC Thailand Series has six qualifiers around Thailand culminating in Phuket on April 28 for the National Final. The winner of WCGC Thailand will travel to Portugal to represent Thailand in the WCGC World Final in June. For more information please email Laguna Golf Phuket at: events@foremanagement.com or call 095 075 0368.

Chef Kuruvita at Banyan Tree Discover a tea inspired menu by award-winning Chef and Dilmah Brand Ambassador Peter Kuruvita. April 28: 6:30pm, 5-course meal for B3,000 net pp. April 29: Brunch and afternoon tea from B2,800. Reservations: 076 372 400 or phuket@banyantree.com

Savor and enjoy a 3-course set menu with unlimited red and white at The Boathouse, Kata Beach, Phuket.

Best deal before your weekend starts. Only B1,000 net per person. Bookings: 076 330 015-7 or email Pinyo.T@boathouse-phuket.com.

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

Featuring: Roast Aussie Beef, Pork Loin and Chicken.

Roasted or Mashed Potatoes. Roasted Mixed Vegetables Flavored with Thyme and Garlic. Yorkshire Pudding and Red Wine Gravy. Enjoy Live Music from 8-Late Performed by Our Famous Two Chefs Band!

Come for the FOOD - RESERVE Your Table Now Online at bit.ly/TwoChefsReservations Check out more details on our website at bit.ly/TwoChefsEvents Reservation, Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong. Kata Beach 076-333-370 Kata Center 076330-065 Karon 076-286-479 Patong 076-344-914.

BBQ Buffet on Saturday Night

Meeting - Rotary Club Patong The Rotary Club of Patong Beach cordially invites guests and prospective members to attend its regular

Come and join us along the shores of the Andaman Sea for an unforgettable experience of freshest seafood, generous selections of BBQ items, tempting desserts and delicious drinks. At The Nai Harn Phuket’s Cosmo Restaurant from 6:30-10pm. Price: B1,950 for adults and B975 for children under 12. For further information and reservations please contact: 076 380 200 or fbreservation@thenaiharn.com.

XANA Beach Party with Celeste Siam Winner of Asia’s Top Female DJ Award 2014/2017. Saturday April 28, 8pm onward. Free entry. Enjoy special beverage prices all night long. Reservations, XANA Beach Club: info@xanabeachclub.com or 076 358 500.

Youth Talent Contest 2018 The 7th edition of the Youth Talent Contest for the island’s young singers and musicians is running again on April 29 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Patong. Awesome cash, recording and skating prizes for the winners! For full details visit the Phuket Academy of Performing Arts’ Facebook page or email: papa@legendmusic.net

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

SUN

EVENTS 21

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

29 APR

WED

2 MAY

contact 076-333-568 or fb@villaroyalephuket.com THB 850 per person. Mom Tri’s Wok Pagoda, fb@villaroyalephuket.com, 076-333-568.

MON

28 MAY

Quiz Night - Rotary Club Patong

Traditional Sunday Roast at O’Tool’s Served from 2pm. Your Choice of either Roast Beef, Chicken, Loin of Pork or Leg of Lamb Served with Roast & Boiled Potatoes, 3 Fresh Vegetables, Yorkshire Pudding & Gravy. Only 350 Baht. Includes a Free Glass of House Red or White. See: www.otools-phuket.com

MON

30 APR

Our monthly Pub Quiz Night at the Aussie Pub Kamala has been a blast with over 60,000 THB raised so far!

Are you going to help us top 100,000 THB by the end of the year? Join us, it’s a great way to get to know your fellow Rotarians, bring your friends. All proceeds go to the charity “Rotary Club of Patong Beach” There is a lucky draw and a small participation fee so bring a little cash as well :-)

Sala Wednesday nights ribs, beats, brews.

Devour our succulent pork rib set complete with sweet corn chowder, blue cheese salad, moist cornbread and finished it off with a bread and butter pudding.

DJQ will keep the soul flowing and your toes tapping as you wash down those tender ribs with a bucket of craft brews. Full Rack set B1,600, Half Rack set B1,200, bucket of craft brews B800. Reservations, SALA Phuket Resort and Spa. Email: events@sala phuket.com or call 076 338 888.

THU

3 MAY

TUE Bike Wash Come get your bike washed by our Hooters’ Girls.

Time: 11am - 7pm (public wash). Party time: 7pm 9am (Auction and party). Buy five wristbands to get a discount of 10%. May 1 to 5 at Hooters Phuket in Patong. More information: sale1@hootersphuket.com

THU

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

10 MAY

The 7th Phuket UNESCO International Jazz Day Visit Phuket Old Town and enjoy Modern Jazz on International Jazz Day, April 30. The cream of Phuket’s jazz players and exciting artists from the Americas, Europe, East Asia and beyond play from 7pm. Sponsored by Phuket Municipality, The Phuket News and Live 89.5, Southeast Asia’s largest Jazz Day event is great fun.

Free admission and seating. On Chana Charoen Road, opposite Music Matter Jazz Club. For more information contact Jeffrey Sevilla at: tiklado2005@yahoo.com

SAT

5 MAY

Stand-Up Comedy Tickets B600 in advance at Underwood Art Factory.

Tel: 095 721 9563 or visit comedyclubbangkok.com B800 at the door. Comedy Club Bangkok, Underwood Art Factory.

FRI

18 MAY

@thephuketnews

Meeting - Rotary Club Patong Jazz Night JJazz Night at Mom Tri’s Wok Pagoda Kitchen, Every Saturday night from 18:00 - 20:00 with Canape & Cocktail. For more infomation & reservation please

15 JUN

Hospitality Golf Challenge 2018

Quiz Night - Rotary Club Patong Our monthly Pub Quiz Night at the Aussie Pub Kamala has been a blast with over 60,000 THB raised so far!

Are you going to help us top 100,000 THB by the end of the year? Join us, it’s a great way to get to know your fellow Rotarians, bring your friends. All proceeds go to the charity “Rotary Club of Patong Beach” There is a lucky draw and a small participation fee so bring a little cash as well :-)

Dinner - Rotary Club Patong The Rotary Club of Patong Beach cordially invites guests and prospective members to enjoy dinner, drinks and a good time with the RCPB. The event starts at 6:30. Please visit www.rotarypatong.org for additional information.

FRI

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

5 JUN

The Rotary Club of Patong Beach cordially invites guests and prospective members to attend its regular meetings. The cost for non-members is B500 and includes lunch. The meeting begins at 12pm at the Millennium Resort in Patong. For additional information please visit: www.rotarypatong.org

The Third Laguna Phuket Hospitality Challenge charity golf tournament will take place on the 15th June, with an amazing day of gourmet golf at Laguna Golf Phuket Course all in aid of The Children First Fund.

Why not come and join the event with some great local hole sponsors treating all the golfers to some fun challenges and exciting Food and Beverage service.

We are proud to have 89.5FM and Phuket News TV as our Media Partner and Sponsor. Visit www.aseanevents.com or email mark@asean-events.com Laguna Golf Phuket Course, golf@lagunaphuket.com, 076 324350.

22 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York 1. How old was famous explorer Marco Polo when he set out for Asia?

2. Which is the largest salt flat in the world, which also contains half the world’s supply of lithium?

3. What is Nicolas Cage’s real name?

4. Which company owns the trademarks and products of board-game makers Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley?

5. Which bridge crosses the River Thames between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge?

Answers below, centre

SUDOKU

Easy

Across 1. Applies lightly 5. Become troublesome 10. Not many 14. Bermuda for one 15. Actor Claude ____ 16. Celebration 17. Colorado resort 18. Native American tents 19. Handicap 20. Fruity dessert 23. Pair 24. Nigerian monetary unit 28. Stretch out 32. Pub order 35. Proof you were elsewhere, in CSI 36. Pink Floyd song 37. Mo. 38. Fruity small nations 42. 18-wheeler 43. Physician and Vet, for example 44. Chinese fruit 45. Amusing tale 48. Moving engine part 49. Narrow ridge 50. Transgression 51. Chose only the preferred items 59. Bean type 62. Noted wine valley

63. Off __ the wild blue yonder 64. Overdue 65. Foreshadow 66. Shade 67. Trial 68. Tide types 69. Flight data, briefly

26. Resound 27. Inverse trig function 28. Native born Israelis 29. Lamentation 30. Impostor 31. Atty group 32. Checker Down 33. Troublemakers 1. Hot woman singer 34. Rumanian penny 2. As soon as 36. Quick pace possible 39. Tumult 3. Radar screen 40. Small pancakes image 41. Grafton’s “__ for 4. Persuade Lawless” 5. Cunning 46. Noisy insect 6. Capital near 47. ‘Doo’ follower Alexandria 48. ‘12 Days of 7. Native American Christmas’ tent musicians 8. Single component 50. Egg cream 9. “Hey you!” ingredient 10. Old Greek 52. Enthusiasm markets 53. Gigolo 11. Pet rocks, for 54. Latvia capital example 55. Quote as authority 12. Old word for old 56. Contract age 57. Mount ___ 13. Befell (volcano) 21. Astronomer 58. Go with I’s Hubble 59. Gasp while 22. Coast Guard weeping rank, for short 60. Be in hock 25. Criminally charge 61. Still

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1) 17; 2) Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia; 3) Nicolas Coppola (famed director Francis Ford Coppola is his uncle); 4) Hasbro; 5) Waterloo

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

1

in 10 Muslim doctors in the US has had a patient refuse care based on the doctor’s faith.

17

per cent of American teenagers are obese, according to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC).

93

per cent is how much students’ attendance increased after two California schools offered a free laundry service to low-income students.

7,000

US dollars in gift tax had to be paid by each member of the audience that Oprah gave a “free” car to.

4.75 million

US dollars (or about 10% of the yacht’s original cost) is how much it costs each year, on average, to maintain a superyacht, according to the US Superyacht Association.

Source: Uberfacts

The other face of Patong Bay. Photo by Jeffrey Ephreim Villanueva Villegas Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket? Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

This week in history April 27, 1667 John Milton, blind and impoverished, sells the copyright of Paradise Lost for £10.

April 28, 1986 High levels of radiation resulting from the Chernobyl disaster are detected at a nuclear power plant in Sweden, leading Soviet authorities to publicly announce the accident. In response to international reports, the city is evacuated six days later.

April 29, 1992 Riots in Los Angeles follow the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Over the next three days 63 people are killed and hundreds of buildings are destroyed. (Photo: Bryan Chan) April 30, 1975 Fall of Saigon: Communist forces gain control of Saigon. The Vietnam War formally ends with the unconditional surrender of South

in Ingolstadt (Upper Bavaria), by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt.

May 2, 2008 Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Myanmar, killing over 138,000 and leaving millions homeless.

Vietnamese president Dương Văn Min. May 1, 1776 Establishment of the Illuminati

May 3, 1921 The Government of Ireland Act 1920 is passed, dividing Ireland into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Jobs

@thephuketnews

CLASSIFIEDS 23 The Phuket News @thephuketnews

24 CLASSIFIEDS

Jobs

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 25

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Trades & Services

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

ADVERTISING SERVICES

CLEANING SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

EDUCATION

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

MARINE SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

MARINE SERVICES

MARINE SERVICES

@thephuketnews

26 CLASSIFIEDS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Trades & Services

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

classifieds@thephuketnews.com

MOVING SERVICES

POOL SERVICES

PROPERTY SERVICES

OTHER

OTHER

ADVERTISE HERE

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 27

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Buy & Sell

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

JOBS NT GE Live-in housekeeper wanted R U Live-in housekeep wanted for house in Kata. Must understand English and love dogs. Excellent conditions. 31/3 Soi Plukjae Kata Phuket. Contact: Lillian Dinic: lil@ladolcevitare. com.au or call 080 690 5248.

GE UR

NT

Bar staff wanted

Blondie Bar 2 at Otop Market Patong requires Bar Staff. Thai nationals only. Good salary and room provided.

Phone Mick: 081 087 6114.

BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE T EN

SA

LE

FOR SALE SILVERCRAFT 31

ALMOST NEW 35 HOURS ONLY, STILL UNDER WARRANTY EXTRAS GRAB RAILS COVERS. AVAILABLE NOW THAI REGISTERED AND TAX PAID SEA TRIAL AT SHORT NOTICE OK, new price inc reg & extras B4,863,000 offers over B4.6 million considered. Please contact William at: wfphelps@me.com or call 00 44 11 89 841 627.

G UR

6.2m Hypalon Stingray RIB

“Ready to go” w 175hp 4str Suzuki w 130hrs, 8hp aux, dble axle trailer, Garmin 521S, 160L fuel, & full set of gear.

Top condition.Harry, 081 273 1740.

G

T EN

SA

LE

Boat For Sale

72' (22m) Thai Trawler partially-converted as Tour Boat Business. Rebuilt from top to bottom three years ago (spent just over 1MB) including engine as was planned to use for a tour business, owner had to return to the UK unable to return (very ill son). Some weather damage and need some repairs. Engine has only done only 6 hours, has new 12 kua generator. Currently in Hua Hin. Viewing can be arrange. Must sell within the next few months. Open to all reasonable cash offers. Contact Shayne on 093 418 9529 or shayne.inbox@gmail.com

UR

BUSINESSES FOR SALE MINI RESORT - Near Laguna

Luxury Villas, 4- and 3-bedroom, pool, office/Apt, 1/2 Rai, well furnished – tropical garden setting. Now on vacation rentals, a money maker. Only B13.5mn - 089 594 4067.

Restaurant for sale

Thai food, seafood restaurant at Karon Beach for sale for B1,500,000. Contact George in Karon Beach: georgiospolyno@ gmail.com or 081 088 1451, or May on 082 283 3154.

SURIN: LUXURIOUS BAR-RESTAURANT SALE

Totally renovated, Italian design and furniture, all-new imported kitchen and bar equipment, ready to operate. Large Bar, DJ booth, garden lounge, rooftop. Seats 50 indoors, 50 in garden and 40 rooftop. Pablo: 080 143 5541.

CARS, TRUCKS FOR SALE G UR

T EN

SA

LE

2012 Ford Ranger 2.2 Open Cab

78,000km. Six-gear manual transmission.

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

HOME IMPROVEMENT Flat roof waterproofing

We do flat roof waterproofing with a 20year warranty by installing quality four layer slate spotted bitumen torch foil + crack repair! Andreas Ruthe, 22/5 Moo1 Kamala, Kathu. Contact: office@tcm-asia.com, 086 943 9834 or 076 385 081.

MOTORBIKES FOR SALE Kawasaki Z300 ABS for Sale

Kawasaki Z300 ABS for sale. Good condition, from owner. Year: 2015. Colour: yellow and black. Price: B150,000. Bo in Cherng Talay/Pasak. Email: cherngtalay@gmail.com or call 076 615 810 or 076 615 811.

POOL TABLES Rasson Victory 2 Pro Tounament

Style is forever! The Victory Tournament 9 ft. pool table is a tournament-style, highquality pool table designed with commercial and private use in mind, slate bed. B228,000.

REAL ESTATE SERVICES Property in Phuket!

Looking to buy property in Phuket?

International Property Advisory (IPA) can help! Give us a call today on 076 604 260/ 098 064 4408/ 080 886 9660 Email: info@ipa. black, utopia@ipa.black Website: www.ipaphuket.com

REAL ESTATE SERVICES Chatta Real Estate

REAL ESTATE & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT. Chattha Real Estate and Professional Rental Management in Phuket. SELL-BUY-RENTMANAGEMENT-MAINTENACE-GUARANTEED RENTAL. Inquire NOW! www.chattha.asia, 076 636 244 or 090 179 6635. Contact Chanapa at Chattha Real Estate Co., Ltd., Email: info@chattha.asia

PROPERTY FOR SALE Surin 2 BR & 3 BR for Sale

400m from beach. Duplex and pool access apartments in lowdensity, high-quality area. Fully furnished. Great rental yields.

Also for rent. B1.99mn to B5.5mn. Email for more info: jgstryker@gmail.com or call 083 645 0097.

Penthouse for Sale

432.44sqm penthouse for sale: 320 degree view of Patong Bay and city. Private pool. Top floor at Andaman Beach Condominium, Patong, Phuket, Thailand.

Condo Facilities: Two tennis courts, 10 x 24 metre swimming pool, fitness and game room, restaurant, parking.

NO BROKERS PLEASE! B60 million O.N.O. Contact Songpan: songpanpirom@hotmail.com, 081 737 8662.

OFFERED FOR SALE

OFFERED FOR SALE A profitable and intimate 20room garden resort situated on Koh Lanta, Krabi at the end of Long Beach just a 2-minute stroll to the sea. Set in lush gardens, the bungalows are tastefully finished each with their own full-length verandas. Ideally located in Phra Ae village, with many amenities in the immediate area. The resort benefits from: • A delightful swimming pool (guest use only) • Car-park • Free-WIFI throughout the resort • Room-service • A combined restaurant & bar adjacent to the pool with state of the art Western kitchen • A beautiful tropical garden • Private manager’s accommodation (screened from the resort) • staff quarters • Private electricity supply • Ample water supply & storage For further information, please Email gardenisland.pp@ gmail.com For the attention of Ms. Chorladda CHUANCHOM with the following details: 1. Full name of potential Buyer 2. Full contact details, i.e. , Mobile phone number 3. Brief explanation of experience (if any) in the service industry The Vendor is genuine & the price is opportunistic. Genuine inquiries only please.

28 CLASSIFIEDS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Buy & Sell

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

PROPERTY FOR SALE Nicklas Klodner

Two-storey villa in a gated community @ Pruksa The Plant, Kathu. Corner land plot 170 sqm, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Indoors 140 sqm. With furniture ready to move in B8,100,000, Nicklas Klodner, The Plant 144/15. Email: nicklas.klodner@gmail.com or call +66 80 519 7719.

RPM owner direct

Unique luxury condo 2 bed, 2 bath, 155sqm. Foreign FREEHOLD. Architect remodel. New Jacuzzi. Views to lake, mountain, marina, pool, etc. Completely furnished to a high standard, toothbrush only required.

Owner leaving Thailand. Priced at 16MB for quick sale. Contact Brian (Owner): 089 054 4354, 076 360 943. bggvirgo@gmail.com RoyalPhuketMarina Condos.com

Amazing 1-bedroom house in great area

Brand-new one bedroom house with full kitchen and car parking and ready to move in, right in the heart of Rawai. Perfectly priced home on the most desirable street of Rawai, so don’t miss out! B2.9M for quick sale. Contact Benni by email at: b_gholami@ hotmail.com or call 088 168 5032.

Building for Sale

One-unit building for sale in business area Boat Avenue near Villa Market Laguna. Three and a halfstorey, 24 square wah. Khun Mhee (owner), 49/23, Cherng Talay. Email: anmehee@hotmail.com or call 095 545 0017 or 086 346 2622.

Freehold studio at low price

Freehold 36m2 studio, opposite the Lotus Tesco hypermarket of Phuket Town, freehold condominium; perfect for long stay or for investment B1.9 million. Email: mguillien@ gmail.com or call 097 920 2339.

80m2 freehold condo in Patong

Freehold 80m2, 2-bedroom apartment in quiet condo with swimming pool in Patong. Ideal investment in most active tourist area in Phuket. B5.9 million. Contact Michel GUILLIEN, Andaman Beach Suites, Unit 1604, Patong, Phuket. Email: mguillien@gmail.com or call 097 920 2339.

Unique Investment Opportunity

Unique investment opportunity Not to be missed: 5 pool villas, big land, large entertaiment areas, parking garages and private gates.

More info www.thegardenkptphuket.com www.thegardenkptphuket.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE Single house for sale

Located the way to Yamu Pa Khlok, from the main road 500m, 55 SQW, 3 bedrooms, 2 restrooms, with modern kitchen, 2 cars parking, free space 140 SQM. 3.5 Million Baht, K. Suwit: suwitlap5@gmail.com, 081 895 6969.

New Modern Villa – 5 Mins to Ao Po Grand Marina

200 sqm, land 500 sqm, 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, swimming pool, close to UWCT school. Including: pool/garden/wifi/TV.SAT/services. Google map: tiny.cc/deltaho. Contact owner (Alain): mrdupouy@yahoo.fr. 65,000/ month, Alain, 57/3 Moo 3 Soi Ban Bang Pae, T. Pa Khlok, T. Thalang, Phuket 83110. Email: mrdupouy@yahoo.fr or call 081 893 5270.

PROPERTY FOR RENT New Rawai Villa Rent & Sale

PuriAnda Villa: 2 Bed, Furnished, Kitchen, Private Pool, Sala, Land 350m2, House 165m2, 2km to Nai Harn. Short or Long Term Rent Only B60,000, Sale: 8.9m. info@purimasproperty.com, 0815384588

COMMUNITY

PROPERTY FOR RENT

5-bed pool villa, 1.2 Rai

3 detached buildings, L-shaped open plan living, Western kitchen, guest suite, pool 11mx5m, quiet residential area. 1.2 rai plot. THB19,750,000. Contact Mrs Simpson by email: thaivillaonline@gmail.com or call 084 447 7248. More info at: thaivillaonline.com

Chalong Office, Workshop/Store

300sqm office on 2 floors with all services incl.3 phone lines + 300sqm undercover workshop/store with 4m ht & 3 phase. Chanote 0.5rai.

B12,000,000, Simon Jupe, 29/4 Soi Nayai, Chalong, Phuket 83130. Email: simonj@cscoms.com or call +66 (0)87 883 2542

Property 5 Mins to Ao Po Grand Marina

Very big house 750sqm, Land 4,000sqm, available 15 June, 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, swimming pool, jacuzzi, close to UWCT school, including pool, garden, service, wifi-tv/sat.

Google map: tiny.cc/deltaho, Contact owner (Alain): mrdupouy@yahoo.fr. Long term 145,000/Month, Email Alain: mrdupouy@yahoo.fr or call 081 893 5270.

PROPERTY FOR RENT 3-Bedroom Western Villa

Near Laguna, has all, full kitchen, quality furniture.

Live in tropical garden, good security, secluded.

6/M lease: B20,000/M. Call 089 594 4067.

For Rent Kata Beach

Nice one-bedroom apartment, modern furnished, 68sqm first floor close to indoor pool-sauna-elevator. B25,000 per month. Exclusive electric, minimum rental period 6 months. Tel: English 064 532 3637, Thai 094 803 5944. Email English: villaonroof@ gmail.com or Thai: maliwan_kaewmeesri@yahoo.com thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

SPORT 29

No fairy tale expected in Baku Williams made podium last year, but under no illusions in 2018 BOX OF NEUTRALS Michael Lamonato michael@boxofneutrals.com

L

ance Stroll made a sensational leap onto the podium at last year’s chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but the team is under no allusions that its 2018 car can live up to the expectations set by its predecessor.

Stroll’s shock podium was far from a representative result for the team last year, which finished more than 100 points behind Force India in the battle for fourth in the constructors standings.

It was the fourth year of steady decline since Williams’s 2014 resurgence, but even so its performance drop this season has been alarming.

Williams is the only team yet to score a championship point in 2018.

“Unfortunately we just don’t have the speed to really fight with the others the way we did last year, especially in the race,” Stroll said after finishing 14th in the Chinese

@thephuketnews

Williams’ Canadian driver Lance Stroll steers his car during the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on April 15. Photo: Johannes Eisele / AFP Grand Prix.

“Last year we’d get a good start and it would actually be a better race for us due to our straight-line speed … but the other teams have definitely caught up in that area and we don’t have that advantage any more.”

Williams revolutionised its design philosophy this season under the direction of chief technical officer Paddy Lowe, who joined the team from reigning champion Mercedes

in 2017.

Lowe identified the car’s lack of downforce – beneficial on long straights but detrimental in the corners – as a key failing of the previous car and sought to reverse the characteristic, but this season’s challenger left the factory slow in all areas.

Indeed, Williams set slower qualifying times at the Bahrain and Chinese Grands Prix this season compared to the same sessions last year,

when it was a regular top-10 contender.

Many have suggested part of the problem lies with the team’s driver line-up, comprising 19-year-old Lance Stroll and 22-year-old rookie Sergey Sirotkin, citing their lack of experience as hindrances in developing a problematic car.

“They are relatively inexperienced, but we are very happy with what they’re doing,” Lowe protested. “It’s not causing us any issues.”

But it’s difficult to ignore the presence of Robert Kubica in the Williams garage. The Pole is the team’s reserve driver and is widely viewed as the experienced reference with which the young drivers’ technical feedback is complemented to aid car development.

“In the end everything you do with cars is driven by real drivers – you have to factor in the quality of the driver, the effect of the driver, their particular interpretation of that car,” Lowe said.

“Every driver is different and we have two different drivers. We wouldn’t allow that to distract from the fact that we haven’t produced a car that’s performing correctly or as we intended.”

The only glimmer of hope for Williams is that the bottom half of the field has so far failed to score heavily, with the inconsistent sixth-placed Toro Rosso just 12 points ahead after three rounds.

If the team can solve the car’s more pressing problems by the start of the season’s European leg in May, the

ignominy of finishing last in the constructors standings for the first time in Williams’s history might be avoided.

“It’s about going away and analysing and understanding where you are and then understanding what you’ve got to do … which is exactly what we’re doing,” Lowe said.

“I think there’s a sense of optimism already that we can make solid progress, rapid progress, and we’ve already started down that road.”

But any major progress is unlikely to come in time for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday (Apr 29).

“We are not expecting a fairy tale going there, that’s for sure,” said Sirotkin, an Azerbaijan GP2 podiumgetter. “We will just continue working on the things we are working on now.”

It could be a long season yet for the once-great Williams team.

Don’t forget to listen to Live 89.5 each and every Saturday at 9am and 5pm for the Box of Neutrals radio show.

30 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

Tripathi reign supreme in Thalang 7s at ACG CRICKET

Organisers expect to attract a record-breaking 8,000 runners from more than 50 countries this year for the 13th edition of the Laguna Marathon. Photo: Supplied

The Phuket News editor3@thephuketnews.com

Laguna Marathon set for June 9-10 Best Marathon” in Thailand by Wingnaidee for the second year running, and as the event continues to grow organisers expect to attract a record-breaking 8,000 runners from more than 50 countries to “Run Paradise” this year.

Improvements have been made to the half-marathon and marathon courses. For the first time a new Marathon Team Relay has been introduced, with each team having four runners.

The Kids Run (2km), 5km and 10.5km start the running festival on June 9 in the late afternoon, while runners in the 21.097 kilometre (half-marathon), 42.195km (marathon) and Marathon Team Relay compete on June 10 in the early morning. All races categories are timed.

Prices start from B550 for the 5km distance. Registrations can be made online at www.phuketmarathon. com/registration

MARATHON

THE LAGUNA PHUKET Marathon was launched in 2006 and is owned and organised by Go Adventure Asia. Now in its 13th year, Laguna Phuket Marathon won Gold for “Best Amateur Sports Event of the Year in Thailand” at the 2017 Asia Sports Industry Awards (SPIA Asia 2017).

South East Asia’s leading destination marathon, the award-winning event will take place at the Laguna Phuket resort complex on Bang Tao Beach over June 9-10.

The Laguna Phuket Marathon has been certified by AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races) for the 13th consecutive year and remains a qualifying event for the Boston Marathon. The event’s online registration partner is GoToRace.com and professional timing and results are provided by Sportstats Asia.

The Phuket News is proud Now in its 13th year, the media sponsor of the Laguna event was voted a “Top 10 Phuket Marathon 2018.

T

ripathi Blue were crowned as the 2018 Thalang International Cricket 7s Cup winners after accumulating an amazing 112-1 from their five overs to eventually overcome spirited hosts Patong White by 46 runs.

Deepak Khatri and Anuj Kumar thrilled the assembled crowds once again with the bat for the champions, with Matt Kohler retiring undefeated in the reply for Patong to collect the Man of the Match gong.

Special mention must go to Saju Abraham of Patong who bowled brilliantly throughout the tournament and restricted the big hitters to take one for nine from his over, after coming on with the scoreboard reading a staggering 63-0 after just two overs!

The win rounded off a magnificent display from the club based in New Delhi, containing young lady players from India and South Africa in their sides who exhibited exhilarating cricket throughout the tournament, playing the game in tremendous spirit.

The seventh staging of the 7s, was once again at the Alan Cooke Ground in Phuket and organised by the Asian Cricket Sixes Tour (ACST), forming part of the Phuket Cricket Week, established in 2004, and including the Phuket International Cricket Sixes.

The Cup semi-finals saw Tripathi destroy any hopes of Hong Kong side Discovery Bay Sea Eagles, with Patong White defeating UAE Falcons in dramatic style; chasing down their target off the final ball of the match.

Earlier in the day each of the top six sides played an extra game each to formulate the final standings and deciding which competition they’d compete

The Tripathi squad with the Cup trophy. Photo: Seals Sports Images in for honours. Those matches saw the eventual champions defeat Patong Blue, UAE Falcons beat Discovery Bay Sea Eagles, while Patong White saw off the challenge of Tripathi Orange.

The second tier Bowl was a similar tale to the premier final, as the sister clubs of the Cup finalists fought it out. A predominantly female Tripathi Orange team outgunned Patong Blue as Vikas Rana and Sudhir Tyagi bludgeoned the hosts attack to all parts before Karen Woest took two wickets to add to her excellent catching throughout the event to win the Player of the Match plaudits.

However, local cheer came in the final of the Plate as Village Cricket Team overcame the CBB Postels by eight runs in a fitting triumph that was dedicated to Village’s recently deceased clubmate George McCready and the desperately missed Tookta Supattra, who contributed so much to cricket in Phuket for many years.

Mark Whetton batted in fine style in the final to win the Man of the Match Award after Omer Cheema had taken three wickets in an over in an earlier Postels game. Gulshan Youth of Bangladesh had been eliminated following

the group stage.

The plaudits of Player of the Tournament went to outstanding quick bowler Lokender of Tripathi, with local umpire John King being awarded the prestigious ACST Spirit of Cricket Award.

ACST Chairman, Michael “Cat” Maher reflected on the previous three days while relaxing with the teams.

“What another wonderful Phuket Cricket Week we have enjoyed, with the Thalang 7s rounding off proceedings in fine style.

“The ACST is proud to have attracted such a great cross section of teams.

I’d like to thank all the participants as well as the committees of the ACG and PCG for their valuable assistance.

I would also like to thank our valued major sponsors, The Tourism Authority of Thailand, The Arinara Bangtao Resort, Tripathi Group and Asia Escape Holidays.

“This has been a truly brilliant event to round off another wonderful Phuket Cricket Week.”

The next ACST event will be the very special ACST 50th Anniversary Tournament. The details of the event, will be announced shortly.

Gonnet appointed as Thanyapura’s new Director of Sports and Events FITNESS THANYAPURA HEALTH and Sports Resort is getting ready to welcome Thibault

Gonnet, who will be joining the team as the organisation’s new Director of Sports and Events in April.

Gonnet has over 15 years experience in the fitness and

hospitality industry, and is a Provincial Council Member on Canada’s Fitness Industry Council, which represents over 5,000 fitness facilities and four million members nationwide,

What’s on at the ACG Date

Time

Activity

Fri April 27

4:30pm

Kids’ cricket coaching

Sun April 29

All Day

C & C Marine 8 by 20 Cricket League

Wed May 2

4:30pm

Kids’ cricket coaching

Thalang Tigers with Chris Swan, Imran Idrees and Neil Quail. Photo: Robin Plant

and aims to improve the industry for both consumers and operators.

Having studied and worked in France and Canada, Gonnet brings with him expertise in coaching, event planning, leadership and communications. Prior to his move to Phuket, Gonnet was the Program Director at Midtown Athletic Club in Montreal, where he worked to create the company’s business strategy for the fitness department and youth development and managed a team of 180 employees. Before becoming the company’s Program Director, Gonnet was Midtown Athletic Club’s MClinic Specialist and Youth Program Director.

He holds a Bachelor degree in Kinesiology from the University of Paris-Süd, along with certifications in Power

Thanyapura’s new Director of Sports and Events Thibault Gonnet. Photo: Supplied Plates, HACUMESE, Personal Training, Kinesis, Omnia, ViPR, 3D Movement Analysis and Performance System and Applied Functional Science.

Before moving to Montreal, he held positions as a Personal Trainer, Fitness Coach, Manager and Head Coach for companies based in Paris and

Saint-Maurice, France.

When asked why he decided to come to Thanyapura, Gonnet reflected, “I saw in Thanyapura more than a sports, resort and health facilities. I am excited to be part of such an incredible team of passionate and skilled people.

Thanyapura’s mission caught my attention immediately; inspiring you to optimise yourself. This is so powerful; to become a better version of yourself through the 3-dimensional approach: Mind, body and soul.

“I can’t wait to push the sports and events programming to the next level and make a difference in people’s lives. Juan Antonio Samaranch said it best, ‘Sport is friendship; sport is health; sport is education; sport is life; sport brings the world together’.” thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

SPORT 31

PREMIER PREDICTIONS: ENTER NOW AT THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Klopp’s expectations surpassed by Liverpool FOOTBALL

MAIN SPONSOR

The overall competition winner will receive a 3 day/2 night stay in a Sri Panwa one bedroom luxury private pool villa including daily breakfast plus a 120 minute spa treatment for two persons. Total prize value: B123,000 The monthly competition winner for April 2018 will receive a B3,000 voucher to spend at Islander Bar & Restaurant in Rawai.

AFP

EPL PREDICTIONS

J

urgen Klopp saluted Liverpool’s “fantastic” 5-2 demolition of Roma on Tuesday (Apr 24) as the Reds manager soaked up a Champions League semi-final first leg goal spree that was beyond his expectations.

Klopp’s side are within touching distance of the final after crushing Roma at Anfield.

Mohamed Salah’s brace was followed by goals from Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, who also struck twice to leave Liverpool five up by the 68th minute.

Liverpool let their guard down in the closing stages and Roma netted twice to give themselves a slender chance of a second-leg escape act in Italy.

But Klopp admitted he couldn’t have hoped for a more dynamic display from his team.

“It was the perfect performance for pretty much 80 minutes. We made defensively one mistake, then their penalty is not a penalty but that is the situation and now it is 5-2,” he said.

“Of course we would have been more happy with 5-0 or 5-1 but 5-2 is a fantastic result.

We go there and try again.

“It is absolutely better than I thought before the game.”

Following Klopp’s gameplan, Liverpool exploited Roma’s creaky defence as Salah and Mane ran them ragged with their pace and movement.

“We had all these runs behind, it changed the game completely and they couldn’t cope with that. We scored these goals and could have scored more,” Klopp said.

@thephuketnews

MONTHLY SPONSOR

MONTHLY STANDINGS

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

OVERALL STANDINGS

adamrosindale 16 MRB 16 SirBR 16 chook 15 poonchai 15

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

adamrosindale 187 TC 187 thailand express 186 diggersd 184 MRB 184

English Premier League 2017 - 2018 1 2

Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp reacts during the UEFA Champions League first leg semi-final football match between Liverpool and Roma at Anfield stadium in Liverpool. Photo: Oli Scarff / AFP “That is all positive, at this moment it doesn’t feel all positive because they scored these two goals but tomorrow I will see the really good part of the game.”

Aside from Roma’s late double, the only problem for Klopp on a memorable evening was the injury to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain that saw him carried off in the first half.

“Oxlade-Chamberlain is probably a really bad injury,” Klopp said.

“That is bad news for us.

The squad doesn’t get bigger at the moment so we need to be creative in the next few games.”

Although Liverpool fans will be dreaming of a final showdown with Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, their players are well aware Roma staged a stunning fightback to eliminate Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

The Italians lost the first leg 4-1, but won 3-0 in Rome to go through on away goals.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson admitted there was frustration at letting Roma back into it and he warned his

3 4 5 6 7

team-mates not to let down their guard in the return leg.

“It felt as though we were in full control but we basically gave them two goals, you can’t do that in the Champions League,” he said.

“At the same time we played well, we will go there

with a three-goal advantage.

“Overall we have got to stay positive. We knew it would not be easy here, we know it will not be easy there.

“It will be a challenge but one we will look forward to and one we will hopefully finish them off.”

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Live Sports TV Schedule *Times may be subject to change

SPORT START STOP Friday 27th April

Rugby Union 14:30 20:00 Aussie Rules 16:30 Saturday 28th April Rugby Union 12:00 14:30 16:40 22:10 Rugby Union 20:00 20:45 23:15 Aussie Rules 13:30 16:30 Soccer 18:30 21:00 23:30 Soccer 21:00 21:00 Motor Racing 14:55 19:30 Sunday 29th April Aussie Rules 13:30 Rugby Union 21:00 Soccer 17:30 Soccer 20:15 22:30 Motor Racing 16:05 Motor Racing 18:00 18:55

EVENT

TEAMS / INFO

16:30 22:00 19:30

Super XV Super XV AFL

Hurricanes v. Sunwolves Stormers v. Rebels Western Bulldogs v. Carlton

14:00 16:30 18:40 00:00 22:00 22:45 01:15 16:30 19:30 20:30 23:00 01:30 23:00 23:00 16:10 21:30

Super XV Super XV Super XV Super XV Guinness Pro 14 Guinness Pro 14 Guinness Pro 14 AFL AFL EPL EPL EPL EPL EPL Formula 2 Formula 1

Reds v. Lions Blues v. Jaguares Brumbies v. Crusaders Bulls v. Highlanders Kings v. Cheetahs Dragons v. Scarlets Munster v. Ulster GWS Giants v. Brisbane Lions Hawthorn v. St Kilda Liverpool v. Stoke Crystal Palace v. Leicester Swansea v. Chelsea Huddersfield v. Everton Newcastle v. West Bromwich Race 1 - Baku Qualifying, Baku

16:30 23:00 20:15 22:15 00:30 17:45 18:45 21:30

AFL Aviva Premiership SPFL EPL EPL Formula 2 Formula 1 Formula 1

Fremantle v. West Coast Eagles Wasps v. Northampton Celtic v. Rangers West Ham v. Man City Man United v. Arsenal Race 2 - Baku Raceday, Baku Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Team

MP

W

D

L

F

A

GD

Pts

Manchester City Manchester United Liverpool Tottenham Hotspur Chelsea Arsenal Burnley Everton Leicester City Newcastle United Bournemouth Watford Brighton Crystal Palace West Ham United Huddersfield Town Swansea City Southampton Stoke City West Brom

34 34 35 34 34 34 35 35 34 34 35 35 34 35 34 34 34 34 35 35

29 23 20 20 19 17 14 12 11 11 9 10 8 8 8 9 8 5 6 4

3 5 11 8 6 6 11 9 11 8 11 8 12 11 11 8 9 14 11 13

2 6 4 6 9 11 10 14 12 15 15 17 14 16 15 17 17 15 18 18

98 65 80 66 59 66 35 40 49 35 41 42 32 36 42 27 27 33 32 29

25 26 37 31 34 46 32 54 47 43 58 60 47 54 63 54 51 53 65 54

+73 +39 +43 +35 +25 +20 +3 -14 +2 -8 -17 -18 -15 -18 -21 -27 -24 -20 -33 -25

90 74 71 68 63 57 53 45 44 41 38 38 36 35 35 35 33 29 29 25

Premier League fixtures Saturday April 28 Match

Time in Thailand

Liverpool

vs

Stoke

Burnley

vs

Brighton

9pm

Crystal Palace

vs

Leicester

9pm

Huddersfield

vs

Everton

9pm

Newcastle

vs

West Brom

9pm

Southampton

vs

Bournemouth

9pm

Swansea

vs

Chelsea

6:30pm

11:30pm

Sunday April 29 Match

Time in Thailand

West Ham

vs

Man City

8:15pm

Man Utd

vs

Arsenal

10:30pm

Tuesday May 1 Match Spurs

vs

Time in Thailand Watford

2am

Sport

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor3@classactmedia.co.th

Struggling Williams need repeat of 2017 race in Baku > p29

CHAMPIONS The 2017/18 Patong Pool League winning team – Hole in One Bar. Photo: Supplied

Hole in One take Patong Pool League title following 9-2 win over Wet Dreams POOL Matt Pond editor3@classactmedia.co.th

T

he final round of the Patong Pool League (PPL), sponsored by Thailand Pool Tables, was played last Thursday (Apr 19) with Hole in One bar taking the title of champions following a good 9-2 win at home to Wet Dreams.

Going into last Thursday’s games, Hole in One were four points clear of second placed Natalie Bar who had sat comfortably at the top of the league table for an astonishing 16 weeks.

However, with Hole in One being placed against a lowly sitting Wet Dreams, and Natalie being placed against a very tight Happy End Bar team, Hole in One were favourites to take the title on the night.

In the game between Hole in One and Wet Dreams, Wet Dream’s, which if entering the

next league season will likely be known by a different name, new owner Kiki surprisingly won his singles and doubles games. But that was the only wins Wet Dreams could muster on the night and Hole in One picked up all the other nine points.

Meanwhile, in the game between Natalie and Happy End Bar, which was played at the latter’s venue, Leon from Natalie Bar had to face an on-form Teacher Tak in the singles and Tak certainly gave Leon a lesson in how to win.

However, in his doubles game the very same Teacher Tak, who was paired with Khun Oye, lost the plot shall we say and managed to pot the black ball when they still had four balls left on the table.

In another doubles game, Happy End’s captain Jerry and Jan from Belgium played a very tactical game and managed to pick up the points over Natalie.

However, the biggest sur-

Shaun Southon from Hole in One bar in action against Wet Dreams. prise of the night came in the beerleg. Happy End was playing very well as a team and were able to win the beerleg in two sets meaning the game ended in a 4-7 victory for Natalie.

Elsewhere, Red Light was playing at home against their Nanai Rd neighbours, Martin Swiss.

Khun Noi and Khun Kid from Martin Swiss played very good games and won both their singles and doubles.

However, Red Light was able to win one set in the beerleg

but still had to walk away suffering a 8-3 loss.

Caddy Shack were playing at home against the friendliest team in the PPL, Simon & Oils. When these two teams get together it becomes a real party and the pool is not top of the agenda for the evening.

It is all about having fun and a good laugh together.

However, reports coming in from Paul, one of Caddy Shack’s more talented players, state that there were some outrageous shots played by both teams on the night.

Somehow Caddy Shack managed to send Simon & Oils back with their tails between their legs following a heavy 10-1 loss.

Meanwhile, Ting Tong played at home against Wombat with both teams being made up of some good and experienced players.

However, Ting Tong took advantage of being at home, and their experience playing on their pool table which has the smallest pockets of all league tables, with Lollipop, Corry and Dilly all winning their singles and doubles for Ting Tong.

Somewhat confused and disappointed Wombat returned to OTOP feeling the effects of a disappointing 9-2 loss.

Congratulations go out to Hole in One, Natalie and Ting Tong finished first, second and third respectively in the PPL season 2017-2018.

A great end of season party was planned for yesterday (Apr 26) at Hole in

One bar. The party featured doubles knockout matches for eight couples, free drinks and buffet, award ceremony and an attractive raffle were the highlight of the evening’s program. All bar owners, team captains and players were invited to join.

Any new bars or people interested in playing in the PPL please follow their Facebook page Patong Friendly Pool League.

Preparations are now underway for the new PPL season which is likely to start in mid-May.

League Standings Hole in One

126

Natalie

120

Ting Tong

112

Caddy Shack

109

Wombat

99

Martin Swiss

98

Happy End

94

Red Light

86

Wet Dreams

83

Simon Oil

63

thephuketnews