The Brief 03-2013

Magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand Issue 3/2013

www.bccthai.com

Education insight

In the future, 2013 will be remembered as the year of the renminbi.

In the Chinese calendar, 2013 is the year of the snake. For businesses around the world it is set to be the year of the renminbi.

If you’re already doing business with China, or considering it in the future, there could be real advantages in being renminbi ready. A recent HSBC poll of Chinese companies estimated that 33% of China’s international trade will be RMB denominated by 2015.* HSBC is the leading international bank for RMB. When you are ready to embrace the renminbi, talk to HSBC. A new global currency is emerging. Be part of it.

To find out more visit www.hsbc.com/rmb

*Base: 692 HSBC China corporate customers; RMB users and non-users; August 2012. Issued by HSBC Holdings plc. on behalf of the HSBC Group members which are regulated in the jurisdictions where permitted.

AC26147

Contents BCCT

Board of Directors 2013 11

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Chairman Simon Landy Colliers International Thailand T: 02 656 7000 simon.landy@colliers.com Vice Chairman & Treasurer John Sim PKF Tax and Consulting Services (Thailand) Ltd. T: 02 679-5100 john.sim@pkfthailand.asia Vice Chairmen Viriya (Boyd) Chongphaisal GlaxoSmithKline T: 02 659 3000 viriya.x.chongphaisal@gsk.com Simon Matthews ManpowerGroup Thailand T: 02 634 7273 matthews@manpower.th.com Chris Thatcher Anglo-Thai Legal Co., Ltd. T: 081 803 7377 christhatcher1@gmail.com Directors Joe Barker-Bennett Jmbb Consulting Co., Ltd T: 085 099 2625 Gary Biesty South Asia Law Co., Ltd T: 02 636 0585 garyb@southasia-law.com

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David Cumming Onyx Hospitality Group (Amari Orchid Pattaya) T: 02 255 3767 david.cumming@onyx-hospitality.com Stephen Frost Bangkok International Associates T: 02 231 6201/6455 sfrost@bia.co.th Andrew McBean Grant Thornton T: 02 205 8222 Email: andrew.mcbean@th.gt.com Rituraj Mohan Boots Retail (Thailand) Ltd T: 02 694 5900 Ritu.Mohan@bootsri.com Sriram Narayan British Airways PLC T: 02 784 8130 sriram.narayan@ba.com Siew Meng Tan HSBC T: 02 614 4040 siewmengtan@hsbc.com Thana Thiramanus Property Care Services (Thailand) Ltd. T: 02 741-8800 thana@pcs.co.th

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Academic bonds grow stronger

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UKTI backs education opportunies in Thailand

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Thailand bidding for health leadership role

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GSK pioneers research on communicable diseases of the developing world

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A memorable day at Buckingham Palace

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New foreign investment regulations in Myanmar

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Bangkok on track to host F1 Grand Prix

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No surprises in latest condo market forecast The Brief

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Exceptional people Outstanding opportunities Academic excellence Shrewsbury International School offers outstanding IGCSE and A Level exam courses, the unique Reading The World humanities programme for Y12 and Y13 students, as well as unparalleled and personalised careers advice for entry into the world’s leading universities.

For an Admissions pack, call Ilka Hodapp on 02 675 1888 ext 1110 or email admissions@shrewsbury.ac.th Scholarships are available.

Be part of the Shrewsbury success story.

www.shrewsbury.ac.th

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Contents

The Brief is published by British Chamber of Commerce Thailand. For advertising and editorial enquiries, please contact Greg Watkins, Executive Director - BCCT Editor: Dale Lawrence Email: dalelawrence2008@gmail.com Advertisement: Email: sarinthorn@bccthai.com Production: Scand-Media Corp., Ltd The views expressed by individual authors are not necessarily those of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand or of the publisher. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand is strictly prohibited.

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Chairman’s Message

British Chamber of Commerce Thailand 7th Floor, 208 Wireless Road Bangkok 10330, Thailand Tel: 02-651 5350/3 Fax: 02-651 5354 Website: www.bccthai.com Email: greg@bccthai.com Greg Watkins, Executive Director

Executive Director’s Message Seminar set to inspire social enterprise Strategic talks pave way for new defence links

Member News By the Numbers Chamber events Final Word

Front cover: The Thai government has allocated substantial funds for education in the budget presented to Parliament. PM Yingluck Shinawatra told MPs that some 849,861.9 million Baht is being allocated to the government’s ‘4th strategy’ embracing education, virtue, ethics, quality of life and equality in society.

Of this, some 395,787.3 million Baht is earmarked for what the PM described as ‘Increase of education opportunity and development’. A further 91,721.5 million Baht has been allocated to the ‘provision of support to the arrangement of basic education’. See page 12 for our special focus upon international schools in Thailand. Photo courtesy of the Asia Society The Brief

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Chairman’s Message

W

hat’s the difference between ignorance and apathy? As the old joke goes, “I don’t know and I don’t care”. But when it comes to the woes of Thailand’s education system, ignorance – or, more correctly, an ineffective education system – is the direct result of apathy that has left the system out of tune with the times.

Simon Landy Corporate Partners

For the business community, the deficiencies of Thailand’s education system are manifest in the problems we all face in hiring qualified and capable staff. Not that Thailand’s problems are unique. But the fact that they are coupled with almost full employment makes the situation particularly severe.

Of course, BCCT is in no position to bring about the kind of systemic changes required in Thailand. However, as this is a critical issue for many of members, we cannot ignore it either. This issue of The Brief focuses upon education and includes a paper from BCCT vice chairman and chairman of our Education Group, Chris Thatcher. While the Group naturally includes many members with direct interests in education it would be good to see members from outside the sector join as well. I am particularly keen to get more input from members on our efforts to link Thai graduates of UK universities with potential employment opportunities in Thailand.

Another area where members can play a concrete role is in helping schools, colleges and universities develop curricula that are relevant and focused on practical business requirements. This can be coupled with on-the-job training opportunities for interns as part of their curriculum to help develop vocational and professional skills.

Annual Airline Partners

Supporting Partners

BCCT’s charity efforts are all focused upon support for children in Thailand, usually through donations to education-related charities.

It was great to see one of these donations help in bringing about the creation of The Beaumont Foundation’s new school for underprivileged children in Chaiyaphum, which officially opened in May. The school opens with a level of facilities generously donated by corporate sponsors and has gratifyingly already attracted over 100 pupils from the neighbourhood. The education issue was also one of the topics touched upon in the first UK-Thailand Strategic Dialogue that took place during the visit of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hugo Swire and his Thai counterpart.

That visit also saw an important event take place for the BCCT: the signing of an MOU between UKTI and Thailand’s Office for SME Promotion. Under the MOU, BCCT is the partner to deliver promotion activities in association with OSMEP which will directly benefit our members, 80 percent of whom are SMEs. This programme fits in well with the broader role that BCCT will be taking on as provider of services formerly offered by UKTI to British exporters and others which kicked off in June during the visit of Minister for Business Lord Stephen Green.

These are important initiatives for BCCT and our members, but as this edition emphasises, the long term potential of the Thai business environment in part depends on the country’s ability to upgrade its education system. That’s why we focus here on education. And that’s also why we’d like to hear from any members who have concrete ideas on educational development that BCCT can help put into action.

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St. Andrews International School Sathorn • Sukhumvit 107 • Green Valley

Nurture St. Andrews International School Early Years curriculum provides a rich experience combining play, culture and the roots of structured learning.

Challenge Our Primary School curriculum challenges students to think independently, helping them develop into adaptive, thoughtful and active global citizens.

Excel Graduating our Secondary School with IGSCE’s and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, students achieve their absolute best academically and socially.

Accepting applications now! www.standrews-schools.com

admissions@standrews-schools.com

Executive Director’s Message

I GREG WATKINS

am delighted to announce that UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has approved BCCT’s participation in the Overseas Business Networks project that I described in my message in the last issue of The Brief. It is a great source of pride for the whole BCCT team that we are regarded by the British government as one of the leading overseas British Chambers of Commerce. The project will be officially launched, and the contract signed, by Trade and Investment Minister Lord Green at the Special BCCT Luncheon on Thursday 13th June at the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit.

In order to accommodate new project staff BCCT will be moving to a new larger ‘fit-for-purpose’ office next door to our current premises on the 7th Floor at 208 Wireless Road. Towards the end of this year and in the first quarter of 2014 BCCT will start to take on some of the work currently performed by the Trade and Investment section of the British Embassy under the Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS). If members would like further information on this project please feel free to contact me.

June is a busy month for major BCCT events. In addition to the luncheon with Lord Green the BCCT-Tesco Lotus Bangkok Masters took place on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd June and the 2013 BCCT Annual Lecture and Dinner will be on Monday 17th June at the Dusit Thani Bangkok with H.E. Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand as guest speaker on ‘The Government’s Anti-Corruption Campaign’. BCCT is partnering with key Thai business organisations such as the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand, Board of Trade of Thailand/Thai Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Thai Industries, Institute of Directors and the Board of Investment. Lastly, on events, BCCT has linked up with the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) at Chulalongkorn University in order to give members access to ISIS’ regular public forums.

Since the last issue of The Brief the BCCT board has appointed three Honorary Advisers: Khun Kitti Wasinondh, Thai Ambassador to the UK from 2007 to 2012; David Armstrong, past Editor of the South China Morning Post and The Australian; and Dr Wimonkan Kosumas, Deputy Director-General of the Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion (OSMEP). Their roles include offering informal (and confidential) advice from a Thai perspective on matters of importance to the BCCT e.g. the Foreign Business Act, specific ‘doing business’ issues, the investment climate, and so on.

One of the key issues affecting British passport holders is the time taken to renew their passports. Currently the stated maximum renewal time is four weeks which effectively grounds busy executives for this length of time. Responsibility for issuing passports is being transferred from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to the new Identity and Passport Service (IPS). Over the past nine months I have met officials from both organisations. At the most recent meeting in March with IPS I was informed that the transfer process is behind schedule and will not be completed for another 12-18 months.

However, I learnt that November is the lightest month for applications and Christmas/New Year, Easter and summer months are the busiest. Therefore, if you are able to plan your renewal your best bet for a quick turnaround is to apply in November.

Sadly, on 8th May, Philip Adkins passed away. Phil was a good supporter of BCCT and a regular at major events such as the Annual Christmas Luncheon and golf days. He was a member in his various corporate appointments in Thailand, most notably with Standard Chartered, Seamico, Mermaid Maritime and Horizon Communications. I remember well his kind words of encouragement when things were not going well for me in 2009 and 2010. I will greatly miss him.

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Academic bonds grow stronger

By Dale Lawrence

Education is a sector where the links between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Thailand have been forged over many decades. The opportunities for strengthening the considerable academic ties between the two nations were recognised and discussed during the visit to Great Britain in autumn 2012 by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The arrival in Thailand of the first printing presses in the mid-19th century did much to boost the quality of education which, for centuries, had relied upon the teaching of monks in temples.

The visionary monarch King Rama V continued the work of his predecessor by establishing a department of education with the aid of a team of mainly British advisors. Private schools were becoming established and English was by this stage the lingua franca across the region.

British and French colonial powers had seen Thailand (then Siam) as a buffer during their respective rules of neighbouring nations. This meant that the development of formal and structured education in Thailand had not been influenced by an extended period of colonial rule.

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att Mills, Head of School at Bangkok Patana, says, “All parents want a school that supports their child in reaching their full potential, whatever their nationality. Prospective parents look to the British style of education to provide academic rigour alongside the support offered by our pastoral programme and for their child to be happy and foster good peer relationships. Parents choosing a private school within Thailand want a high standard of facilities and extensive opportunities for their child to partake in co-curricular areas such as Arts and Sports. They want their child to have the maximum opportu-

It was left to the remarkable commitment and undertakings of the ruling monarchs to lay the foundations for the modern education system in Thailand.

Fittingly the country’s first university is named after King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), established by his son and successor King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) in 1917. In 1921, the Compulsory Primary Education Act was proclaimed.

Almost one hundred years later, the demand for places at British public (independent) schools and universities from students across Asia has never been greater and this is doing much to maintain and even increase the demand for places at the many well-established and reputable international schools in Thailand.

The private school market in Thailand is also becoming increasingly competitive with so many choices now available but what are the main values sought by parents when choosing a private school for their child in Thailand? This was the first of several questions posed to international schools as we surveyed a broad cross-section of this dynamic and successful business sector.

nity to get into the best universities of their choice when the time arrives.”

Shrewsbury International School’s Principal is Stephen Holroyd. He explains, “Parents want to feel that their children are being cared for, supported and nurtured by outstanding teachers. Systems, curricula, facilities and resources all come up in conversations with prospective parents but ultimately a shared vision for students between the school, its teachers and its parents is the first priority.

“Shrewsbury is a selective school and parents understand this. We do focus upon the world’s top universities

and college placement/university admission is a priority. However, both the school and the parents realise that for students to thrive when they leave school they need to be able to communicate really well (and this involves much more than language aptitude) and contribute fully to the academic and social communities in which they will be living.”

Harrow School Head Master Michael Farley put it succinctly when he states, “Overwhelmingly, parents are seeking high academic standards.

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decision making, independence and resilience.”

Simon Leslie, headmaster at NIST, observes, “The primary selection criterion for most parents is the curriculum offered at a school and its academic reputation. Many parents select NIST because it offers all three of the International Baccalaureate Programmes, a recognised leader in the field of international education.

“For many parents the extensive Extra-Curricular Activities (ECA) programme at a school is an important factor. The extensive World Languages Programme offered at international schools allows students to continue studying mother tongue languages as well as acquiring new foreign language skills.”

What about the main challenges facing the private school sector in Thailand?

Michael Gohde is Headmaster at Berkeley International School where teaching is based upon an American curriculum. “The number one challenge in the recruitment of new students is the large number of international school in Bangkok. Competition is fierce. Berkeley is one of the few school based on an American curriculum, so we are able to distinguish ourselves.”

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“By their very nature, internationals school face issues of retention. Expats come and go with employment and posting contracts. We expect a number of our students to leave each year as they move home or to another posting,” he says.

limited in the number of universities that they can apply to. However, if your graduating students are taking well-recognised, externally moderated, examinations (such as the IB Diploma), universities in the UK are very welcoming.”

This reality is shared by Sally Holloway, KIS International School’s Head.

She explains, “There are many international schools to choose from in Thailand, so choosing a school can be quite overwhelming for families who are moving here. From a school’s perspective, it’s a competitive market.”

Simon Leslie at NIST adds, “Thailand offers a number of truly world class international schools. Parents seeking an international school have the challenging task of choosing the school that is right for their family.

The expatriate population in Thailand is fairly transient and a fair number of students do leave schools each year due to their family’s relocation.

“The good news is that schools are all quite different and cater to different students so it’s important to communicate well to parents about what type of school you are. For good schools, retention is not a big issue.

Every international school with expat families expects a good number of these students to move on after a few years and usually their places are filled again quite quickly.”

Sally stresses the importance of ensuring that a school’s graduating qualification is well-recognised. “The UK expects to see an externally moderated (marked) qualification from a recognised establishment. Applying to universities in the UK can be quite competitive and students are

Peter McMurray is Head at the St Andrews International group of Schools in Sathorn, Bang Na and Green Valley Rayong. He says, “As long as schools in Thailand continue to strive for high standards in academic achievement and performance within a stimulating and varied curriculum, pupils and families will always be attracted to them. Being a British-based based educational system operating with approximate 90 percent British teaching staff we are in an excellent position to leverage relationships with universities in the UK.” There is general acceptance in business, commerce and academia that

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lum. Mandarin is one of the key languages to learn for success in Asia and the world. Kindergarten to high school parents have expressed interest in having their children learn Mandarin.”

At KIS, for example, pupils are offered basic Mandarin tuition once a week in years G1-5 and then as a second or third language choice four times a week as part of their secondary education. “By the time students graduate from school they can certainly be fluent in Mandarin,” says Sally Holloway.

standards of English language proficiency in Thailand must improve.

The EF English Proficiency Index is a report which ranks countries by the average level of English skills amongst adults. The most recent rankings, published last October, covered 54 countries. Thailand was placed 53rd.

Gordon Espley-Jones, Principal at Traill International School, says that English must be spoken in all classes and organised activities. “English is encouraged in all buildings but there is no rule for outside areas. Thai is offered throughout the school in accordance with the MoE requirements. English is taught throughout.

Mandarin, French and Japanese is compulsory up to Year 9 and then optional after that.”

Michael Farley at Harrow adds, “We insist upon English being spoken as the common language outside of the classroom. We explain to our students that we are an inclusive school and would not want anyone to feel excluded because they can’t understand the language being used by the peer group. We also explain that the acquisition of a language takes practice and what better way to practice English than with your classmates.

Mike Walton is Principal at The Regent’s School in Pattaya. He says, “English is the spoken and written 14

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language of the campus. Only about 27 percent of our student population are Thai. British nationals make up the largest group but we have almost 50 nationalities on roll.

With that level of diversity, English acts as a unifying force.”

At Bangkok Patana School, where British nationals make up the largest percentage of pupils, the most popular languages being studies are Thai, French, Spanish, Mandarin and German. Matt Mills says, “Whilst we have no policy regarding the spoken language on campus, the main language spoken is English. Students study Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) within the curriculum from Year 3 (age 7) upwards.”

“We believe it is important to provide support to develop home languages for all children. This programme strives to provide multilingual students with the opportunity to validate and reinforce their existing fluency in their home language.”

The growing influence of China in markets such as travel and tourism is certainly driving demand amongst pupils to learn Mandarin Chinese.

Michael Gohde at Berkeley International School recognises the importance of students learning to communicate with this massive market.

“We see Mandarin as a natural part of an international school curricu-

Students in Year 9 at Harrow travelled to Beijing earlier for an exchange visit with their sister school in the Chinese capital city. “We plan to expand opportunities for our students to visit Beijing in order to expand their Mandarin skills,” says Michael Farley. Harrow also now plans to offer exchange visits to the UK to develop and promote English language skills.

Interestingly, Mandarin is the most popular language for study at Shrewsbury (almost 50 percent of the 1,500plus pupils). “We recruit exceptional teachers fluent in Mandarin, English and Thai but there is no naïveté about how much hard work goes into achieving full proficiency. Many students complement their in-school study with out of school support and we encourage the development of an interest in Chinese literature, history, calligraphy and culture alongside the linguistic technique,” says Stephen Holroyd.

IT skills are essential for all students preparing for university but teachers are also applying these skills to improve teaching methods. Michael Gohde at Berkeley explains, “We view technology integration as a key part of our curriculum. Technology is no longer an added component to schools. It must be integrated to instruction throughout the curriculum.

Our goal is to get technology into the hands of the student and to accelerate this we will be encouraging students to bring laptops to school and eventually moving to a one-to-one environment where all students will be required to have a computer.”

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At The Regent’s School, Bangkok the pupils are being encouraged to use their own ‘platforms’ as a learning tool. “Our focus is to develop an ‘integrated IT’ approach which we feel will bring far more relevance to how and why we use technology in any particular subject area,” explains Principal Martin Kneath. “A large majority of students from Year 3 upwards own a suitable platform. What better way to enable them to develop good practice in using them effectively in their learning than to use them as learning tools in school and then for homework.”

Simon Leslie at NIST adds, “Our information and communications technology (ICT) programme has matured since we first started our one to one tablet programme in 2005. We use a variety of tools for teachers, from systems for classroom monitoring, course material management and web-based administrative systems to devices such as interactive whiteboards, iPads, laptops, tablets and audio systems.

“As an example, the elementary school recently introduced a one-toone iPad programme. ICT skills are taught within all courses at NIST in a way where the emphasis is on the bigger concepts of communication, collaboration, creativity, organisation, being responsible and being safe.”

At Harrow, ICT is recognised as core to the school’s curriculum. “In order to prepare our students for success in the 21st century we are ensuring a wide range of ICT hardware is available for all age groups. We use iPods and video recording to record pupil attainment in our Early Years Centre and our Pre Prep and Prep Schools make extensive use of iPads and Apple TV. Senior students bring their own devices to school,” says Michael Farley.

“Much material is made available to our students through our virtual learning platform, FROG. Its parent portal will shortly be launched to give mums and dads access to homework tasks, assessment data and event lesson plans. We are also now using specialist teachers as ‘ICT integrators’, 16

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ensuring that teachers are planning effectively to incorporate ICT into the learning experiences of all pupils.”

Finally, we asked schools for ideas on how BCCT members can do more to provide work experience opportunities for senior school students as they prepare for university?

Matt Mills at Bangkok Patana emphasises the importance of schools establishing their own work experience programme. “Our programme organises placements for our Year 11 and older students, both for a set week during the academic year or on a more ad-hoc basis. If BCCT members work within an organisation that can offer work experience opportunities, then building links with schools that run such programmes will help to ensure more and more opportunities can be offered to senior students.”

Stephen Holroyd says that work experience and internships are highly prized by students and unquestionably can be deeply significant in preparing young people for life after school. “My hope is that companies offering work experience to students can assign experienced colleagues to oversee the programmes so that

genuinely valuable opportunities are opened up.

“International schools should invest equal time in preparing students so that they can contribute fully and give generously to the companies where they are assigned.”

Peter McMurray says, “It would be wonderful to see a pool of companies developed that British International Schools could draw on for work experience for our older students and have the BCCT support such an initiative.”

Gordon Espley-Jones at Traill is calling for a directory of possible placements. “We have had a rather erratic experience of work experience at Traill. Some years it has been very successful whilst other years there have been little or no activity.”

With thanks to all the international schools for their contributions.

BCCT member companies wishing to accept interns from BCCT member schools and/or Thai-UK alumni graduates please email BCCT Deputy Director at sarinthorn@bccthai. com to express your interest.

SECONDARY SCHOOL THROUGH OUT THE YEAR….

PREParing for University

At Bangkok Prep, students in the Secondary School progress through the Key Stages studying the IGSCE in Years 10 and 11 before advancing to the A Levels Programme in Years 12 and 13.

Subjects available for study include: Maths, Business Studies, English, Psychology, Accounting, Geography, Mandarin, Design Technology, Physics, History, French, Physical Education, Chemistry, Drama, Thai, Information Technology, Biology, Art & Design and Music With dedicated access to our experienced University & Careers Counselors and Mentoring Programme, Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School PREPares students for a smooth transition to prestigious universities around the world.

Science

Music

Art/ Design & Technology: Year 11: Underwater Pager and Point of Sale

Drama Production: West Side Story

Year 7: Aboriginal

at the studio

Sports& Competition: FOBISSEA& TISAC

Graduating Class of 2013 Bangkok Prep is proud of our talented and shining graduating students (Class of 2013) who have been offered places at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY, USA, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, USA, Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly), USA, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA, USA (full scholarship), Boston University, MA, USA, University of Exeter, UK, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, Mahidol University, College of Music, Thailand and more…

BANGKOK PREP – PREParing for Life...PREParing for University Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School (Bangkok Prep) is a leading private international school in the heart of Bangkok, internationally accredited by the Council of International Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Office of National Education Standards and Quality Assessment.

Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School (Bangkok Prep) Sukkhumvit 53 www.bkkprep.ac.th 02-260-7890 Adjacent to Thonglor BTS Skytrain The Brief

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A truly international education (IB) in the heart of Bangkok

Born out of the vision and commitment of internationallyminded parents at the United Nations in the late 1980s and early 1990s, becoming one of only six UN-related schools in the world, it was natural for NIST to become a truly international school delivering a challenging and academically excellent education.

The School emerged as the first in Thailand to offer the highly regarded International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary, Middle Years and Diploma programmes.

NIST’s rigorous curriculum not only prepares its students academically for placement in the top universities worldwide but also empowers them to be leaders and to enrich the world.

NIST International School – United Nations Related 36 Sukhumvit Soi 15, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand T. 02 651 2065 E. admissions@nist.ac.th www.nist.ac.th

Advertorial

Bringing Learning To Life We’ve probably all asked our children “what did you do at school today?”

Depending on their age, you may have heard everything from an enthusiastic play-by-play to mumbling indifference. *NIST International School has recently been recognized for its excellence in interdisciplinary work by being featured in IB World Magazine, and by being asked to be one of a handful of schools worldwide to pilot the new Interdisciplinary Guide and Criteria for the MYP’s Next Chapter Initiative in 2014.

NIST International School 36 Sukhumvit Soi 15, Wattana, Bangkok 10110 www.nist.ac.th

B

ut what if your 11 yearold child told you they were on a barge floating down the Chao Praya River looking at water quality and investigating how local communities struggle to access clean water? And what if your 13 year-old told you they were working with local artists to paint a mural on the 5th floor of the school inspired by urban issues and mathematical probability?

And what if your 15 year-old asked you to sign a permission form because they were going to Cambodia to perform a play to local students that they had written based on research into human trafficking?

We hope you’d be asking, “what didn’t you do at school today?”

NIST International School takes to heart the International Baccalaureate’s insistence on basing curriculum development and delivery on the very latest neurological and pedagogical research. It is this same research which tells us that adolescent minds are able to process, retain, and access information and concepts best when they can make meaningful connections between what they are learning in the classroom and what is happening around them. This is true from very local contexts all the way up to the very biggest of global issues.

And it is especially powerful when we can provide opportunities for students to see that the subjects they take are not islands upon which disconnected learning takes place but are instead vital pieces of an integrated whole.

Whether these opportunities come while bringing science and geography together on a Bangkok river, or when math and the arts combine in a very public space within the school, interdisciplinary teaching and learning will continue to be a pursuit for our Middle Years Programme*, for our practitioners and most importantly for our students.

Heads up on education for BCCT group

By Chris Thatcher

T

he BCCT Education Group has spent some time developing some specific guidelines regarding how the BCCT can contribute to educational matters in Thailand. These appear at the end of this article but a few points need to be made to accompany this.

Firstly, please accept these as work in progress. They are not, as yet, finalised or approved by the BCCT Board and are subject to change or improvement. If you have any comments regarding them (violent disagreement, additions, comments or suggestions) please let me know via email as soon as possible (christhatcher1@gmail. com).

Secondly, the BCCT is a business orientated organisation and we have tried to reflect that in the wording.

Whilst there are many additional points that could be made regarding education in Thailand, we have tried to keep a focus on business as it affects BCCT member companies and not the wider field of education in general.

Thirdly, any support you or anyone in your company might be able to offer to the Education Group in the future would be greatly appreciated.

The elements of education that are important to consider for BCCT are: 1) Education as it relates to business (making the future Thai workforce more “fit for purpose”).

This means vocational education, higher education (degree/diploma level) and in schools and other places of education, tackling the problems of preparing students for a modern business environment (creativity, willingness to 20

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question, challenge ideas, put forward new ideas etc.). Promoting Enterprise so that Thai students and adults are both capable of independent thought and actions and have the interest and ability to consider starting their own enterprises.This means tackling traditional cultural thinking in a way that retains the cultural aspects that are so important to Thailand and its people and yet promotes a modern and global perspective.

There should be work done to identify and fill skills shortages to ensure that schools, colleges and universities are focussing on areas where there is perceived need.

2) To provide support and services to develop Thailand’s basic educational needs (basic skills, skills based curriculum, vocational training, new technologies).

3) Linkage into the UK educational network and promotion of UK Educational services and best practice. Higher educational institutions in the UK should be encouraged to engage with the Thai education system. A common qualifications format should be developed and encouraged to ensure that the significant achievements in vocational education are seen to be as important (and recognised as such) alongside more traditional academically focused courses.

4) Education at school level - promoting the teaching of English as a language, encouraging the use of new technology in new and innovative ways, training teachers to be more accepting of modern ways of teaching (encouraging questioning and creativity, challenging students to think for themselves etc.)

5) Inclusivity - education as a right

and the development of an education system that is not exclusive but inclusive. This is the greatest long-term challenge and involves significant (and extra-political) commitment by all parties and stake-holders. It incorporates factors such as teacher recruitment and retention, teacher reeducation (more than training), salary levels for teachers and associated staff (to be a modern and effective education system, the highest quality of graduates need to see teaching as a route to success - countries with the very best education systems systems recruit only from the top graduates). All Thai students and workers should be encouraged to become fluent in reading and writing in their own language and businesses should be encouraged to promote this and to provide opportunities for their workforce.

6) Long-term commercial success in a global market place cannot come without addressing these issues in a sustainable and effective manner.

7) Encourage and support the development of leadership skills within the Thai workforce to increase the country’s ability to provide the necessary leaders in the future.

Chris Thatcher is BCCT Vice Chairman and heads the Chamber’s Education Group.

Email: christhatcher1@gmail.com

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21

21st Century education or 20th Century indoctrination

By Graeme Malcolm

A

s we move with dizzying speed into the digital age of the 21st century, educators face many new challenges in how we adapt learning to suit the needs of the so-called iGeneration.

Paul Gee of the National Academy of Education sums these challenges up as such: “Given that the digital age is enveloping our world, and its influence is not likely to decrease, educators need to meet the emerging challenges on two fronts.

Educators must determine the new learning styles of students and develop educational methodology and teaching strategies to meet the learning needs”.

There are two interesting points here which merit further consideration. First, as the influence of the digital age is likely to increase rather than decrease, the 21st century student will have unparalleled access to information. Secondly, as a consequence of the previous point, educational methodology and teaching strategies must adapt accordingly to cope with this.

Surely this implies that teachers must embrace the digital age and adapt their practice accordingly? The antiquated Victorian-era model of education that was exported to the world by the British Empire and subsequently set the standard for 20th century schooling has been rendered largely obsolete.

Common consensus now holds that the challenges of the 21st century can only be met by a rigorous education that promotes personal discipline, intellectual curiosity and independence of thought. However, if teachers in the 21st century are required to promote independence of thought then why is it that certain subjects on the curriculum are being taught as dogma in so many of our schools? Take climate change as the classic case in point. Sadly this is rarely taught objectively and instead we seem intent on conditioning a generation to believe in catastrophic anthropogenic global warming as an irrefutable fact.

On a daily basis there are teachers who are preaching the science of climate change as unquestionable fact and of22

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fering no forum for open debate in their classroom, as it is apparently now beyond denial. Yet in doing so they are falling victim to logical fallacy known as argumentum ad verecundiam (argument to respect), which is the grown up version of the debating technique used by 8 year olds in the playground: ‘Father Christmas does exist because my dad says he does’. There should be no place for such an approach to learning in the 21st century.

choices. As a consequence of this 21st century teachers can no longer afford to be dogmatic in the way they impart a fixed body of knowledge as students can now access information on the internet so readily. Instead, we should be encouraging independent enquiry and critical thinking, only then can we begin to look ahead and face the challenges of the 21st century with optimism. In short: what was relevant in Victorian-era education is no longer so today.

The 21st century global economy places a premium on the higher order skills of critical thinking and problem solving – these cannot be achieved through a dogmatic approach to teaching and learning.

Simply providing students with a fixed body of knowledge is no longer viable.

Attempts by some to teach certain topics on the curriculum as unquestionable fact is all too reminiscent of Nazi-style indoctrination, not innovative 21st century education and it could have disastrous consequences. Today’s students have a wealth of information at their fingertips so it is surely our responsibility to harness that and encourage their natural intellectual curiosity, not grind it into dust by insisting that something cannot be questioned as it’s scientifically proven, or a scientific fact? After all, doesn’t the very nature of science mean there is no such thing as a scientific fact?

It is somewhat ironic that the approach to teaching climate change which is endemic in so many schools does not promote the skills required to deal with 21st century challenges. It is a topic that has now become so deeply politicised that teachers would be wise to handle it with extreme care. There is absolutely no question that it deserves a place on the curriculum but teachers owe it to their professional conscience to approach it with an open mind, along with other similarly divisive topics taught predominantly in the sciences and humanities.

No doubt there will be those who believe this article to be a thinly veiled attack by a ‘climate change sceptic’, but that would be to miss the point entirely as climate change is merely the case in point. This is not the forum to digress into the scientific debate that now engulfs climate change, rather to focus on the evolving nature of 21st century education, its purpose and how to make it relevant to the iGeneration.

For thousands of years knowledge was restricted to the elites in society. That has changed beyond recognition in the last decade and knowledge is no longer power. Make no mistake; we are living at the forefront of the most powerful revolution in history. Power now lies in understanding and having the ability to process knowledge and make informed

“There is no such thing as consensus science. If it is consensus, it isn’t science. If it’s science, it isn’t consensus.” Michael Crichton, The Caltech Michelin Lecture, January 17th 2003.

With the future of learning in the 21st century shrouded in uncertainty, the only thing we can be sure about in the digital age of the iGeneration is that teachers will be increasingly less able to substitute education for dogma. Let us not forget that the Royal Society was founded upon the motto nullius in verba.

Graeme Malcolm is Head of Sixth Form at Traill International School.

Email:gma@traillschool.ac.th

TRAILL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

47 Years of Student Achievement in International Exams

Academic Success

Winner of Melbourne University Engineering Challenge gaining 4 scholarships for an engineering course.

Sporting Success 2012-2013 Boys/Girls Basketball BISAC Defending Champions U19 Varsity Girls Tennis BISAC Champions U15 Boys Football SISKY Champions U11 Girls FOBISSEA Football Champions Thailand Basketball National Championships – 3rd Place Also 2012-2013 Champions in Dragons Cup, Patana, NIST and SISKY Basketball Invitationals

Last 3 Years IGCSE/A-LEVEL Results:

Year 2009 Best in Thailand IGCSE Physics Best in Thailand IGCSE Biology 2nd place for 5 subjects overall

Year 2010

Best in Thailand AS-level Art and Design Best in Thailand AS-level Business Studies

Year 2011 Best in Thailand AS-level Business Studies Best in Thailand A-level Business Studies Best in Thailand across 4 A-level subjects 2nd place for 7 IGCSE subjects overall (all A* grades) High Achievement award Chemistry A-level High Achievement award Biology A-level

Traill International School

43, Soi 16 Ramkhamhaeng Road, Huamark, Bangkok, Thailand

Tel: +66 (0) 2718-8779, Fax: +66 (0) 2718-8546 www.TraillSchool.ac.th

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UKTI backs education opportunies in Thailand

By Asa Chotchakornpant

I

egy is currently being drafted for 2013-2015. According to Pearson’ Plc’s Index of Cognitive Skills and educational attainment 2012, Thailand’s education system is ranked 37th out of 40 countries.

There is growing interest in vocational skills training and continued respect and opportunities for UK universities, education and skills providers. Responsibility for education in Thailand falls to the Ministry of Education. Responsibilities are divided between three main offices:

Thai is the official language in Thailand and most schools conduct their classes in Thai. In state schools English is taught for only 2-3 periods per week. This results in low English language competency in Thai students. English language teaching is more prevalent in Thailand’s private schools.

mproving Thai students’ English language competency is high on the Thai government agenda as demand for English language skills are set to increase when the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) comes in effect in 2015.

1. The Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC) 2. The Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC) 3. The Office of Vocational Education Commission (OVEC) The Ministry of Education was allocated the highest budget of all Government Departments of £9,200 million for the fiscal year 2012-2013. The National Education Strat-

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There are 31,286 public, 3,679 private and 132 international schools in Thailand. Private and international schools are investing continuously in improved facilities and services. When the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) comes in effect on 31st December 2015, Thailand will have to open up to greater competitors within ASEAN. Thailand is geographically positioned to be the logis-

tics hub for ASEAN with land links to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma and Malaysia.

More international companies will want to set up in Thailand to serve the region, creating increased demand for employees who can communicate well in English. However, the AEC and the relatively low English language competency may reduce Thailand’s competitive advantage against countries like Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines where English is commonly used.

UK universities have a strong reputation in Thailand and more than 5,500 Thai students are studying at UK higher education establishments. Thai universities are popular among students in Laos, Cambodia and Burma. More Thai universities are offering international courses to attract these students. There are growing opportunities in working in collaboration with UK universities to develop courses to suits the increasing demand.

In 2012, the Thai government rolled out the One Tablet Per Child (OTPC) project. Some 900,000 tablets have been delivered to grade 1 students all around Thailand.

The government plans to procure an additional 1.6 million tablets in 2013, of which 800,000 tablets will be for grade 1 students and 800,000 tablets for grade 7 students.

Opportunities There are a number of exciting opportunities in Thailand for UK educators, including: • • • • •

Content on tablets for grade 1 and grade 7 students Teacher training for English language English language provision Education technology Vocation skills – especially linked to Thailand’s core development sectors such as automotive • Educational equipment • Consultancy services Although Thailand offers good business opportunities, this does not mean it is the right market for every company. Initial research is crucial to assessing your prospects.

Thais like to build relationships with potential business partners and may use feelings and emotions more than information when making decisions - certainly more than we do in the UK. While there are exceptions to every rule to succeed in doing business in Thailand it is necessary to have an in country presence.

Certainly most UK companies successfully doing business here have local representation either by establishing their own offices or appointing agents/distributors. Such a presence shows that companies are serious about the market and willing to provide local technical support to partners and their customers. Whilst the Thai market is price sensitive, technical support is the next most important issue after pricing.

Tips for potential investors: • When visiting, research the market and the companies you intend to contact. Many Thai companies have web sites - some in English and much information is readily available on both government and corporate web sites • Plan your visit - organise appointments before you depart the UK. Follow up with telephone calls on arrival to confirm availability. Meetings can be arranged over breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as normal office hours • Arrange a market discussion with the relevant Commercial Officer at the British Embassy in Bangkok • Take plenty of business cards and corporate literature.

If possible have the reverse of your business card translated into Thai. It usually creates a very good first impression • Follow up meetings by letter/e-mail on return to the UK. If possible keep the Embassy informed of progress • Do not expect to do business immediately or necessarily on the first visit • Think about intellectual property rights issues Asa Chotchakornpant is Trade & Investment Manager at the UKTI office in Bangkok.

Email: asa.chotchakornpant@fco.gov.uk

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25

Get SET for a health check Southe

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Thai banks, providing increased retail banking services to a much wider www.o Thai market remains mass affluent ecd.or /devinvestment /asia-p my preferred longer gterm acif play on Thai ‘gentrification’ followed ic closely by established retailers such as Central. However there are other themes that investors would do well to remember in a backdrop where consumption and investment will replace exports as the main drivers of growth.

The OECD’s south east Asian Economic Outlook for 2013 expects private consumption to be especially robust over the medium term and the main contributor to overall growth in many countries of Emerging Asia. It states that ‘a combination of cyclical factors, government policies, and longer-term shifts in economic structure that have supported consumption growth over the past several years are likely to continue underpinning its growth over the medium term in south east Asia, China and India. Government policies are becoming increasingly supportive of private consumption.

Furthermore, increasing government spending on health and social safety net programmes in much of emerging Asia will continue to encourage consumption spending by freeing up household resources and by reducing their need for precautionary saving. In many emerging Asian countries, investment growth should be as or more rapid over the next five years than over the five years leading up to the global financial crisis.”

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The report highlights that the growth of middle class consumers in SE Asia has been amongst the fastest within Asia and adds that ‘rapid growth in Southeast Asia, China and India over the past two decades has produced a remarkable expansion in the middle class. Strong consumption growth is also being favoured by the structural economic changes brought about by the rising middle classes in the region.

‘Middle class development is affecting the structure of demand in Emerging Asia. Middle class households, particularly those in the higher portion of the middle income range, tend to devote a larger portion of their income to purchases of automobiles and other major consumer durables than do poor households.

Increased demand for consumer durables and other consumer goods from the middle class is also help-

ing to spur innovations. Middle class households also tend to spend a higher portion of their income on education and health services and to purchase more sophisticated health and education services’.

These trends will be reinforced by increasing longevity – ageing populations having exponentially increasing reliance on healthcare. Fund managers are waking up to this. At last year’s Singapore Expert Investor Forum, Credit Suisse’s luxury and asia consumer equity specialist Juan Manuel Mendoza highlighted the increasing demand and compelling outlook for Asian healthcare equities.

The dominant player in the sector is Invesco Asia Consumer Demand, run

by William Yuen and Mike Shiao, that invests almost five percent of the fund in the healthcare sector - around twice the level of UOB’s Asia Consumer fund.

ASEAN5’s shares of consumer expenditures, 2011 Unit: %

vestors opportunities to take advantage of ASEAN’s structural changes in healthcare via the SET, active and substantial pharma and medical devices sectors are really needed in their own right. Singapore certainly offers more readily identifiable investment opportunities in these areas and AEC is getting closer by the day.

The above graph shows that Singapore spending on services is roughly double the percentage of total spending compared to Thailand, suggesting huge growth potential for Thailand if and when Thailand escapes the middle income trap

Source: EIC Analysis based on Euro Monitor and Credit Suisse

In all cases the top holdings of these three funds do not include Thai-listed healthcare stocks. This no doubt largely reflects the narrow scope of liquid, well-covered diversified healthcare opportunities covered on the Thai main board where, in addition to several medical insurance providers, there is also a Healthcare

Services sub-index, ‘HELTH”, whose 15 current constituents comprise only private hospital businesses of varying sizes.

While these 15 stocks may offer solid long term plays, even without the further consolidation that might be expected, in order to really offer in-

Paul Gambles may be reached at: info@mbmg-international.com or phone (66) 2 665 2534

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Seminar set to inspire social enterprise T

he British Council Thailand organised a seminar titled ‘A Socially Enterprising University’ in collaboration with the Knowledge Network Institute of Thailand (KNIT) and Thai Social Enterprise Office (TSEO) with support from Global Social Venture Competition, Ashoka, CSR Club, Change Fusion, CPF and the University of Northampton.

Participants had the opportunity to learn from one of the leading experts in this field in Professor Simon Denny, Social Enterprise Development Director at The University of Northampton. The seminar also allowed participants to look at ways in which social enterprises could be developed in Thailand through the academic sector.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Phongthep Thepkanjana presided over the event. In his opening address he outlined the support that the Thai Government is giving to social enterprises within Thailand. There are many opportunities for partnerships between universities in Thailand and the United Kingdom, as well as opportunities for student and staff exchanges.

The key objectives of this event are to raise awareness of social enterprises among young people, promote the idea of community and citizenship through the higher education system in Thailand, and develop the human resources that are needed to start up social enterprises within Thailand. The discussions evolved around the five pillars of the social enterprise ecosystem.

These are social challenges, research and knowledge, social innovation, social entrepreneurs and social en28

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and colleges around the world are discovering that their students and staff want to connect with this growing movement.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Phongthep Thepkanjana

terprise. All of them are necessary to create a strong third sector in Thailand, which is currently looking at ways to develop social enterprise within the country.

From his opening remarks Chris Gibson, Director of the British Council Thailand, added that universities

“Social entrepreneurship adds value to higher education. Social Entrepreneurship enhances teaching quality, research impact and staff development. Social ventures have helped students gain work experience in tough employment markets, and social entrepreneurship.

It enables them to demonstrate evidence of leadership alongside their academic studies, a vital component to securing a job. Moreover, it enhances the contribution of colleges and universities to their communities more generally”, he said.

The participants came from the major academic authorities, institutions and universities throughout the country. They had a valuable chance to learn from successful practices in the UK, attend workshops and network with potential business partners.

Chris Gibson, Director of British Council Thailand (second from left) took a photo with Professor Dr. Piyawat Boon-Long, Director of Knowledge Network Institute of Thailand (KNIT), Professor Simon Denny, holder of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion, Social Enterprise Development Director, The University of Northampton and Phongthep Thepkanjana, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Sukich Udindu, Vice President CSR, Minor International, and CSR Club Thailand.

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Thailand bidding for health leadership role

By Christopher Bruton

H

ealthcare without borders is fast becoming a worldwide boom industry with boundless growth prospects. While no analyst has yet produced a convincing calculation in either people or dollar terms the conventional wisdom in the industry suggests that, depending on definitions, some three to six million people travel internationally each year with the principal objective of receiving health treatment beyond their own borders - spending US$ 100 billion in direct health related costs plus at least one third more in travel related expenses.

That total is estimated to increase by 20 to 30 percent per year with a geometric growth progression that could make the international healthcare industry one of the biggest service sectors and, therefore, a major component of the tourism and travel industry.

Why medical tourism?

Why do healthcare seekers travel away from home base, often to some distant destination little known to them, whereas it might be supposed that staying close to home and loved ones would be the natural choice es-

pecially when confronted with often severe and even life-threatening conditions?

The usual reasoning is cost. Healthcare providers have been cautious about revealing exact costs since complications can escalate estimates. However, there is convincing evidence that the actual healthcare treatment costs for many operations can be as little as one third to one tenth of the costs of those same treatments in advanced countries. Even when travel costs are added the net saving is substantial. In fact, some curative treatments which would

International SOS in action.

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have been beyond the means of many sufferers become affordable in other countries.

However, surveys have indicated that cost alone need not be the main factor in what has become known as health tourism. This term was rejected as trivial a decade ago but is now generally accepted and even welcomed by healthcare professionals.

Many trans-border travellers seek healthcare in another country not only because of cost, but also and in particular because of renowned expertise, a reputation for warm, caring treatment and the avoidance of waiting periods extending into perhaps many months if undertaken at home.

There are also some medical treatments that may be illegal in a home jurisdiction that may be conducted in another such as stem-cell treatment, sex-change (euphemistically referred to as ‘gender reassignment’) and fertility facilitation, including gender selection.

Where do medical tourists go?

Where do the medical tourists go for their treatment? For north Americans, destinations in central and south America are often the choice for reasons of closeness and convenience. For Europeans, the ideal locations are the warm and sunny countries of south and south east Asia. For the affluent middle easterners, the choice is ASEAN, whether smiling Thailand, halal-oriented Malaysia or efficient if somewhat soulless Singapore. India is an upcoming alternative.

Some countries are gaining reputations for certain specialities. Brazil, for example, has become the place to go for women seeking to enhance their breasts (or bottoms) while Thailand is renowned worldwide for its ability to transform the most homely housewife into a Miss Universe lookalike. Moreover, for wouldbe women who did not quite make the grade, Thailand is also reputed to be the best gender reassignment location in the world - much to the

confusion of Immigration Officials who welcome documented males to Thai shores only to see them depart as females just a few days later.

Singapore’s ‘can do’ philosophy has attracted near impossible cases such as the adult Iranian conjoined twins and the tragically raped and abused Indian gang victim. Both cases ended in failure but Singapore medical practitioners retain a reputation for daring to attempt the virtually impossible.

Thailand as a medical tourism hub With the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) fast looming over the horizon, Thailand’s policy makers like to see the country as a hub for just about anything. So why not medical tourism? However, like most other things, Thailand has become a medical tourism hub largely in spite of the policy-makers. This is thanks to the unusually dynamic initiatives of the private medical sector where entrepreneurial medical doctors have also created and implemented successful business plans. These are the people who have developed Thailand’s major hospitals and hospital groups to become ASEAN, and latterly worldwide, leaders in medical tourism promotion.

There was a governmental promotional policy of sorts for medical tourism support from 2004 onwards but, yielding to criticism that servicing foreigners meant neglect of local healthcare seekers, the Democrat government ordered a reorientation of policy to give greater emphasis to local needs.

This policy direction was reversed with the more business-oriented Pheu Thai government of 2011.

Pheu Thai politicians re-emphasised the development of international healthcare to meet the needs of the AEC and retain Thailand’s position as the leading healthcare provider for the ASEAN region, for Asia and even as a major global healthcare player. This new plan, designed to cover the period 2012-2018, has four objectives: developing Thailand as

a centre of excellence for specialised world-class medicine; encouraging wellness activities such as spas and massage (to become healthcare centres rather than ‘entertainment’); promoting traditional Thai medicine and, finally, encouraging Thai herbal remedies.

The main emphasis will certainly remain upon promoting major medical facilities which are facing increasing competition from medical complexes in Malaysia, Singapore and India.

Source markets such as Dubai are now establishing medical ‘cities’ to cater for patients from their own and neighbouring countries.

Thailand does enjoy major geographical advantages as Saran Khanthamanee of International SOS Services explains. “Thailand is the natural hub for our total Indochina operations extending as far west as Bangladesh and east to Vietnam.”

Although a worldwide organisation, International SOS flies emergency cases throughout the region to Thailand using selected top-rated Bangkok hospitals for ongoing treatment.

Medical tourist arrivals in 2012 Thailand’s overall tourist arrivals have continued to increase strongly reaching some 22 million in 2012.

However the economic downturn in source markets has affected performance. This is not the case with medical tourism which has continued to experience strong growth year-byyear, irrespective of ‘boom’ or ‘bust’.

This is clearly one of the great advantages of the healthcare industry: people get sick and need to be cured irrespective of GDP growth or decline.

Medical tourists may even arrive in greater numbers when their personal budgets are more constrained and when home national healthcare budgetary allocations suffer cutbacks.

It is very difficult to estimate total numbers of medical tourist arrivals since their entry status does not specify medical treatment as an objective of travel. It has, however, been officially estimated by Thailand’s Minis-

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try of Public Health (Department of Health Service Support) that medical tourism has grown from under one million arrivals in 2003 to a number approaching two million in 2010 and reached some 2.5 million in 2012. Meanwhile, revenues derived from medical tourism have increased threefold over the past six years from 41 billion Baht in 2006 to 121.6 billion Baht in 2012.

These figures are, however, very imprecise. Of two leading hospital groups, Bumrungrad Hospital estimates foreign patients at half of all its 1.1 million annual patient volume with some 400,000 definable as medical tourists. The much larger Bangkok Dusit Medical Group, with 29 hospitals nationwide, estimates 25 per cent foreign patients. The 2011 Private Hospital Survey, covering 321 hospitals nationwide, identified three million foreign patients out of a total of 46.3 million patients (6.5 percent of the total). Of foreign nationals, 140,000 were classified as in-patients and 2,860,000 were classified as out-patients.

It has been estimated that of total foreign patients, some 40 percent are expatriate residents in Thailand with the remaining 60 per cent identified as foreign visitors. Some proportion of this latter group will be represent-

ed by those who fall ill or are injured while on holiday rather than being ‘medical tourists’, travelling with the specific objective of seeking treatment. These figures fail to take full account of multiple visits by the same patient. A typical expatriate resident of Thailand visits a hospital up to four times a year so gets counted as four patients rather than one.

Nevertheless, whatever the limitations of our knowledge on exact numbers, it is certain that those numbers are growing rapidly. Medical tourists, together with their accompanying relatives, will become an increasing business opportunity.

The additional advantages of hotel, restaurant and other tourism spending, as well as medical care, is an increasingly important feature and this is not lost on the Thai authorities. As an example, special visa privileges were recently granted for medical tourists from the Arabian Gulf area.

In addition to the medical patient, up to four accompanying travellers will be admitted by Thailand’s immigration authority. Thus all four wives can now accompany their husband, avoiding acrimonious selection arguments back home about who gets the overseas shopping trip. All four wives can ‘shop until they drop’, taking turns to baby-sit the suffering husband.

Medical establishments A total of 321 private hospitals were enumerated in the 2011 survey of the private hospital sector with 98 in Bangkok, 104 in the central region, 48 in the north, 40 in the north east and 31 in the south. However, the majority of foreign patients are hospitalised in Bangkok and on the Eastern Seaboard - including most of the truly ‘medical tourists’.

Furthermore, the great majority of medical tourists favour certain well-known hospitals within a limited number of corporate medical groups. The largest of these by far is the Bangkok Dusit Medical Services Group (BDMS). The Group has 29 hospitals offering 5,000 beds with establishments located not only in Bangkok but now also nationwide and in Cambodia. The BDMS Group has taken over a large number of previously independent hospitals, including Samitivej (four hospitals with 1,000 beds), Phyathai (four hospitals with 1,100 beds) and Paolo (four hospitals with 700 beds).

According to Dr. Chatree Duangnet, Chief Executive Officer of Bangkok Hospital Medical Centre, the BDMS Group is now the second largest hospital group in the world, well ahead of its largest ASEAN competitor -

At a Mahidol Healthcare Management Symposium on ‘Healthcare in Turbulent Times: What is the new role of healthcare professionals’, Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong endorsed strongly the current government policy of support for Thailand as a hub for international healthcare, not only for the ASEAN Economic Community, but on a world scale. While admitting that medical doctors were ‘conservative people’ Minister Pradit indicated that there were discussions under way with the Medical Council to admit exceptionally qualified foreign medical personnel to practice in Thailand without being required to pass professional examinations in Thai language.

Under present policy guidelines, while welcoming ASEAN nationals as doctors and nurses under the AEC rules to work in Thailand from 2016, the barrier of Thai language qualifications would still apply. The Minister further indicated that this special exemption might be on an experimental, transitional basis, as a step-by-step approach was desirable.

However this privilege would still not apply to medical professionals of non-ASEAN nationality.

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Other speakers at the Symposium had suggested that Thailand’s medical personnel resources would be adequate to meet future requirements, although healthcare industry management was in short supply. The newly established Mahidol University College of Management International Master of Management degree course on Healthcare and Wellness Management is designed to help to make up for this deficiency.

Expertise - the core value proposition of medical tourism According to the Medical Council of Thailand there are 43,000 registered physicians in Thailand, of which some 22,019 are employed in state service. The 2011 private hospital survey identified 22,438 physicians employed by private hospitals, of which 6,442 were full-time and 15,996 part-time. It is a feature of the Thai medical system that many public sector doctors ‘moonlight’ as specialist consultants for private hospitals while others have private clinics.

There has been much concern that private medical practice, especially for foreign medical tourists, takes physicians away from the public service because of higher potential earnings in the private sector. However in reality foreigners represent fewer than seven per cent of total patients, including locally resident expatriates, in private hospitals. Thus medical tourism cannot have a very large impact on physician migration from the public to the private sector.

According to Gavin Wadell, who manages international marketing for the Phyathai Hospital at Sriracha, medical tourism actually enhances the overall medical proficiency of Thailand’s healthcare system. Far from being subsidised by Thai tax payers Wadell believes that foreign medical tourists generate revenue that helps to pay for expert staff and facilities that are in fact mainly used

by Thai healthcare patients.

Bumrungrad: World’s biggest outpatients facility

International Hospital Holdings of Malaysia.

Bumrungrad Hospital, the first hospital in Thailand to gain accreditation by the Joint Commission International (in 2002), has over 550 beds and is in the process of constructing a large new hospital complex near its present establishment in Central Bangkok. Kenneth Mays, Bumrungrad’s Marketing Director, emphasises the uncompromising excellence of their facilities, having the largest outpatient capability in the world handling a vast range of specialist clients.

A further major and fast-growing group is Bangkok Chain Hospital, with Kasemrad hospitals (seven hospitals with 1,850 beds) including the brand new World Medical Centre (320 beds). This newest, state-ofthe art facility opened this year with special emphasis on international healthcare.

There are also a number of well-established independent hospitals catering for medical tourists, such as Piyavate, Bangkok Christian and Adventist Mission. All three hospitals enjoy solid, long-standing reputations.

There is a major shortage of physicians in Thailand because medical schools produce only 2,500 graduates per year. The Medical Council reports that 5,600 of its members are already over the age of 60. New intake has to replace retirees and only gradually increase the continuing stock.

Under the AEC, physicians trained in other advanced ASEAN countries will be eligible to work in Thailand from 2016. But these immigrant doctors will still need to pass medical certification in Thai language even if they were to serve foreign patients.

Therefore ,this dispensation will not reduce the physician shortage.

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The nursing profession is also shortstaffed. The Ministry of Public Health reports 129,000 registered and technical nurses in public service. The 2011 Private Hospital Survey reports 25,400 registered and technical nurses in private hospitals plus 21,000 assistant and other nurses, most of whom are full-time. Experts believe that an additional 50,000 nurses must be recruited in order to reach recommended staffing levels.

Registered nurses from other advanced ASEAN countries will also be eligible under AEC regulations to come to work in Thailand from 2016.

However the same rules of passing qualifying examinations in Thai language will apply, so very few nurses are likely to be eligible.

Ironically, one of the major problems facing medical tourism in Thailand is knowledge of foreign languages on the part of Thai medical personnel.

It would therefore be more beneficial for Thailand to welcome doctors and nurses qualified in other countries to work in Thailand to service exclusively foreign patients. This would not affect availability of staff to service Thai patients. However policy makers are beginning to recognize the logic in welcoming foreign doctors on easier terms, but there are still objections to be overcome from Thai medical practitioners.

Investment opportunities

cent foreign equity. Under current service industry rules, as part of the Foreign Business Act, foreign ownership is restricted to a maximum of 49 per cent but as part of AEC rules it will be permissible for ASEAN investors to hold up to 70 per cent of healthcare establishments from 2016. This will represent a major opportunity, especially for Malaysian and Singaporean investors such as International Hospital Holdings (IHH) or Sunway of Malaysia and their Singapore affiliates.

To confront this challenge, the major Thai groups are not standing idle.

Bumrungrad is developing a 4.7 billion Baht healthcare complex while Bangkok Dusit Medical Services is investing in expansion of existing hospitals and new locations, including Indochina countries. The Bangkok Chain Hospital Group has recently opened its new World Medical Centre that is designed for locally-resident expatriates and international medical tourists very much in mind.

The main challenges regarding Thailand’s competitiveness will not arise

Visitors from six Gulf Cooperation Council countries seeking medical services in Thailand will be granted a 90-day visa on entry. The decision is in line with the Government’s policy of developing Thailand into a medical hub. At the initial stage, the visa extension from 30 days to 90 days will be granted to nationals of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

There is high potential profitability arising from healthcare in Thailand but to date only 26 of 321 hospitals have any foreign equity. Of these hospitals, 22 have less than 10 per cent, and only four have more than 10 per

This privilege under the medical hub project would be extended to other ASEAN countries when the ASEAN Community is in place in 2015. ASEAN, with a combined population of

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Thailand can compete - but only if the policy and regulatory environment favours the effort and, as is usual, these factors could fall dangerously short of what is necessary.

Christopher Bruton Director for Thailand and Indochina Dataconsult Ltd. Email: chris@dataconsult.co.th Phone: +66 2233-5606/7 Fax: +66 2236-8143

Medical tourists from Gulf to get 90-day visas

Total revenues received by the 321 hospitals, as reported in the 2011 Private Hospital Survey, reached 122 billion Baht with medical fees accounting for 117 billion Baht. Receipts by private hospitals from government sources were under 22 billion Baht.

Over 56 per cent of this total revenue was received by the 98 hospitals in Bangkok. These hospitals account for 13,400 of the total 30,900 beds in private hospitals in Thailand, equivalent to 43 per cent.

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from expertise, equipment, general facilities or a welcoming environment but rather the availability of adequate staff, language competence and international marketing skills to compete with regional players such as Singapore, Malaysia and latterly India.

590 million, would become a major market for Thai health services.

The policy to develop Thailand into an international medical centre focuses on three areas: service hub for modern medicine, traditional Thai medical service, and alternative medicine, academic hub, and product hub.

Thailand is known to offer top-quality medical treatment at a reasonable cost. Modern facilities and equipment, as well as qualified medical doctors, nurses, and technical staff, are considered advantageous for Thailand. Traditional Thai and alternative medicine is also recognised widely.

Britain in South East Asia (BiSEA) Cambodia British Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia c/o Darren Conquest Hong Yang Corporation No. 11 Street 178, Sangkat Psar Thmey 3, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Tel: 855-12-219-802 Fax: 855-23-997-493 Email: chairman@britchamcambodia.org Website: www.britchamcambodia.org Chairman: Darren Conquest Executive Director: Abigail Gilbert

Indonesia British Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia Wisma Metropolitan 1, 15th Floor, Jl. Jend, Sudirman Kav 29-31 Jakarta, Indonesia 12920 Tel: 62-21-522-9453 Fax: 62-21-527-9135 Email: bisnis@britcham.or.id Website: www.britcham.or.id Chairman: Haslam Preeston Executive Director: Chris Wren

Malaysia British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce E04C1, 4th Floor East Block Wisma Selangor Dredging

142-B Jalan Ampang 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: 603-2163-1784 /1786 Fax: 603-2163-1781 Email: britcham@bmcc.org.my Website: www.bmcc.org.my Chairman: Dato Larry Gan Executive Director: Molly Jagpal

Philippines British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines c/o The British Embassy Manila 120 Upper McKinley Road McKinley hill, Taguig City 1634 Metro Manila, Philippines Tel: 632-858-2255/858-2372/ 858-2373 Fax: 632-858-2390 Email: chairman@bccphil.com Website: www.bccphil.com Chairman: Michael Whiting Executive Director: David Mascenon

Singapore British Chamber of Commerce in Singapore 138 Cecil Street, #11-01 Cecil Court Singapore 069538 Tel: 65-6222-3552 Fax: 65-6222-3556 Email: info@britcham.org.sg Website: www.britcham.org.sg President: Mr. Hugo Walkinshaw Executive Director: Brigitte Holtschneider

Thailand British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) 7th Floor, 208 Wireless Road Lumpini, Pathumwan Bangkok 10330 Tel: 66-2651-5350-3 Fax: 66-2651-5354 Email: greg@bccthai.com Website: www.bccthai.com Chairman: Simon Landy Executive Director: Greg Watkins

Vietnam British Business Group Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City G/F 25 Le Duan Blvd, District 1 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Tel: 84-8-3829-8430 Fax: 84-8-3822-5172 Email: execdirector@bbgv.org Website: www.bbgv.org Hanoi 67 Le Van Huu, Hai Ba Trung Hanoi, Vietnam Tel: 84 4 6674 0945 Chairman: Patrick Regis Executive Director: Jakki Lydall

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GSK pioneers research on communicable diseases of the developing world

By Viriya (Boyd) Chongphaisal and Dr Sunettra Chinapha

A

s a science-led global healthcare company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is committed to improving the health and well-being of millions of people around the world. GSK wants to help people enjoy healthy lives regardless of where they live or their ability to pay. The company is playing an important role in addressing the health challenges of the developing world through innovative partnerships in wide-ranging areas such as research & development (R&D), programmes to eliminate diseases, new business models, community partnerships, voluntary licensing and increasing the affordability of its products.

Over the past few years, GSK has been making fundamental changes to its business model, becoming more open to sharing its intellectual property and knowledge. The company is also forming partnerships to help stimulate more R&D into the diseases that most affect the world’s poorest people.

GSK has made major contributions to R&D on communicable diseases of the developing world (DDW), with a DDW drug discovery centre at its Tres Cantos R&D site in Spain and clinical development experts in the United Kingdom and United States.

DDW projects are prioritised by their social and public health benefits rather than commercial return. GSK provides the clinical, regulatory and manufacturing expertise to advance compounds in clinical development.

The company also actively encourages investment in R&D across Asia.

GSK increased the number of clinical trials it is conducting while establishing research centres in Singapore and Shanghai. They focus on Asian 36

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research experience and systematic ethnosensitivity analysis at the early stage of development to develop medicines appropriate for Asian people. The GSK research centres also aim to facilitate open collaboration between the company and academia and other institutions. Partnerships are essential if health care needs are to be addressed effectively.

Our success depends on a vibrant and productive R&D function that encourages creativity and facilitates the discovery and development of new medicines, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. GSK focuses on the R&D of innovative medicines for better global healthcare. We have increased the externalisation of our research, allowing us to access new areas of science. Research is the upstream process that leads to the creation of quality medicines, so GSK encourages R&D aimed at developing medicines in line with the ultimate goal of good treatment for all people.

Drug research and collaboration in Thailand Building on over five decades in Thailand, GSK believes that research and development is essential for ensuring Thai people enjoy healthy and productive lives that contribute to the country’s progress. The company is committed to supporting and being actively involved in research & development in Thailand to help ensure a bright future for the Kingdom. GSK’s total R&D investment in Thailand was approximately 118 million baht in 2012. The company is involved in R&D for over 20 medicines and vaccines in research centres nationwide in locations such as Bangkok, Chiang

Mai, Tak, Khon Kaen, Nan, Phitsanulok and Songkhla.

GSK has worked together with institutions studying diseases that occur in Thailand including malaria, respiratory (asthma/COPD), urology, immuno-therapeutics (cancer vaccine), neurology (epilepsy), haematology, anti-viral (flu), cardiovascular disease, cancer and AIDS. To support our mission of researching and developing innovative medicines and vaccines to enhance the quality of human life, we are focused on preventing and curing diseases that the World Health Organization (WHO) defines as serious for the developing world, such as malaria, which kills about 20,000 people worldwide each day.

With a million deaths per year, malaria is one of the four WHO-defined serious diseases that needs to be resolved urgently. The majority of malaria deaths are children five and under. Thus, GSK, in partnership with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), an international non-profit organisation, and Mae Sod Hospital in Thailand’s Tak province, where the illness is found in the border area, launched a study program as a basis for research into malaria medicines.

The results of this study are expected to help reduce the impact of malaria for a better quality of human life around the globe.

GSK, also in collaboration with other research centres in Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Songkhla and Bangkok, has conducted studies on a new medicine for respiratory conditions (asthma/COPD). The company has also conducted studies on vaccines to

GSK, in collaboration with Mae Sod Hospital, has conducted a study on medicine for malaria.

prevent diseases such as HPV, H5N1, influenza and meningococcal disease.

Working in partnership GSK achieves more for patients through partnerships with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government, academic institutions and other parties than it can accomplish alone. The company works closely with all partners in delivering health care to foster the development of public health services and promote easier and more efficient access to medicines.

GSK has established over 360 research partnerships with universities and academic institutions worldwide, along with supporting science students through fellowships and other awards. This helps advance scientific understanding and capability while providing GSK with access to R&D expertise outside of the company. It also expands GSK’s potential recruitment pool of trained scientists while its academic partners benefit from having access to GSK’s research facilities, technology and expertise.

Building on that progress, today GSK is setting out new measures to help

develop new and faster-acting treatments for tuberculosis (TB), a huge global health need where R&D has been at an impasse, and to support independent research into diseases of the developing world.

The company is also making new commitments to sharing detailed clinical trial data to enable additional scientific inquiry and analyses to further scientific knowledge and help bring benefits to patients. More than 4,500 positive and negative clinical findings from GSK are available on its website, which sees almost 10,000 visits per month. Researchers, in general, are open to access to the unnamed patient level data used in GSK’s clinical studies with prior permission for data access by a board of independent specialists in support of their further scientific studies.

The company has extended its R&D initiatives worldwide by partnering with related parties under its more open measures. GSK is committed to investing more in research & development of medicines and vaccines in accordance with our global Access to Medicines mission. To provide everybody with greater access, we have

undertaken more clinical studies, conducted more R&D initiatives to create effective drugs and vaccines for Asian people, and expedited research initiatives for epidemic diseases in Asia and other developing countries.

In Thailand we have collaborated with specialised physicians in several medical schools and leading educational and research institutes to run R&D initiatives for medicines and vaccines for several tropical illnesses such as malaria and dengue fever.

Viriya Chongphaisal is General Manager. Dr Sunettra Chinapha is Medical Director.

You may contact the authors at GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Ltd. Email: viriya.x.chongphaisal@ gsk.com Email: sunettra.chinnapha@gsk. com

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Strategic talks pave way for new defence links

By Bradley Jones

Prime Ministers Yingluck Shinawatra and David Cameron pictured at 10, Downing Street.

O

Resident Defence Attaché to Thailand in recognition of the strong defence and security relationship between the two nations. The Attaché will, hopefully, be with us later this year.

goods exports to Thailand increased by an impressive 38% last year and by 26% in the first quarter of this year, compared to the first quarter of last year) and we will need a major change in strategy to hit this target.

The first of these Strategic Dialogues was held in Bangkok last month with Hugo Swire, Minister of State at the FCO representing the UK and Deputy Foreign Minister Jullapong Nonsrichai representing Thailand.

In addition, both sides announced the intention to double bilateral trade within five years. According to HMRC figures, bilateral trade in goods and services between the UK and Thailand currently stands at around £5.5 billion so we are looking at around £11 billion by 2018.

The event came with some big announcements attached to it. We announced that we would reinstate a

This is much more than what could achieve through normal, incremental growth, (despite the fact that the UK’s

The BCCT will be integral to our ambitions to double trade. It will become our delivery partner for many of the business support services that we at the Embassy currently provide to UK companies, especially SMEs, seeking opportunities in Thailand.

The Chamber will receive a grant from UK Trade and Investment that will enable them to recruit a small team specifically tasked to assisting British companies new to market.

ne of the outcomes of PM Yingluck’s visit to London last November was that she and David Cameron agreed to hold an annual Strategic Dialogue to discuss the whole spectrum of interests in the bilateral relationship between our two countries.

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This assistance will include conducting bespoke research, offering mentoring, providing ‘launchpad’ office services, and organising briefings for visiting trade missions. The BCCT is one of 20 British Chambers around the world to take part in this initiative but one of the first to contractually sign up to it in the presence of Lord Green during his visit to Bangkok on June 13th. Over the next few months the Embassy will be working with the Chamber on business planning for this new project and recruiting the key staff with the aim of going live early in 2014.

Most of the growth in bilateral trade over the next few years will come from SMEs. Over 99 percent of UK companies are SMEs and evidence suggests that it is when these companies take their first steps on the export ladder, and venture into high growth markets such as Thailand, that they have the best chance of making the transition to becoming high growth, profitable companies themselves.

With this in mind Hugo Swire and Industry Minister Prasert Boonchaisuk recently presided over the signing of an MOU between UKTI and the Office of SME Promotion in Thailand to commit both countries to facilitating SME collaboration and exchanges. Again, the BCCT will play an important role in this. Many of the BCCT’s own membership are SMEs and, having navigated through the regulatory and commercial challenges of doing business in Thailand themselves, they are best placed to advise newcomers to the market on how best to succeed here.

In the UK we will continue to encourage SMEs to ‘think ASEAN’ rather than focus their energies upon individual markets in this part of the world. As the markets of this region converge and intra-regional trade barriers diminish UK companies should think of Thailand as their entry point into a region of 300 million consumers and not merely as the end destination for their goods and services.

For the trade team at the Embassy our focus will shift to more strategic issues such as securing an ambi-

Foreign Office Minister of State Hugo Swire.

tious and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Thailand which does not shy away from pushing for substantive gains in areas that are perceived as sensitive by some in Thailand such as alcohol and pharmaceuticals. We will also continue to lobby for reform of the Foreign Business Act in order to make it easier for UK services companies to achieve their potential here.

Now that the first round of FTA talks has taken place we will hopefully see momentum building and the detail of the trade-offs between the EU and Thailand emerging.

Additionally, in recognition of the fact that there are a group of major Thai corporates that are cash rich and seeking to internationalise, we will put more resource into encouraging more substantial Thai investment into the UK. The UK remains an attractive destination for foreign direct investment - its proximity to the European and US markets, the ease of doing business there, the skilled and flexible labour force, and the Uk’s reputation for innovation and creativity, are all factors that will attract both large and medium sized Thai businesses as they seek to go global.

We will also continue our campaign to support British companies seeking to participate in Thailand’s £46 billion infrastructure programme. Lord Green’s visit focussed upon showcas-

ing UK capabilities in the railway engineering, flood defence and water management sectors as well as the UK’s experience in project financing and PPP. The UK has considerable expertise to offer but the competition will be tough. Projects such as Crossrail, the Olympics stadium and the forthcoming HS2 high speed rail project in the UK will reassure Thailand that we have the scale, knowhow and experience to help deliver such infrastructure mega projects.

The next few months will continue to be busy as we push ahead with these campaigns but with the BCCT now partnering us we will be able to significantly scale up the support we give to British businesses and help position them for success in Thailand.

Bradley Jones is Director – UK Trade & Investment in Thailand, based at the British Embassy, 14 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330. Tel: 02 305 8256 Fax: 02 255 8619 Email: bradley.jones@fco.gov.uk www.ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk

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A memorable day at Buckingham Palace

By Graham MacDonald

T

he day had finally arrived. It was almost five months since the British Ambassador had called me and asked if I would be prepared to accept my award (that took about one nanosecond to decide!).

We were given various dates to choose from and I went for the last one – Friday 10th May 2013. This was because I thought it would be the best time to go from the options given, i.e. a nice Spring day after the Easter holidays.

What a mistake! All I can say is that it did not rain. The wind was bitter, the temperature was barely above freezing and the sun just refused to come out for any length of time at all.

The day before was hectic in itself.

We had driven down from Scotland and there was a lot to do. I had to go to Moss Bros to get my morning suit.

We had to buy my wife Jay a posh new coat as it was more than a tad chilly and all of this in a couple of hours as your truly had forgotten that British shops do not stay open as long as the ones here in Bangkok.

Jay and I left the Hyatt Regency Churchill by taxi to No. 41 Buckingham Palace Road which is a lovely, small boutique hotel next to the Rubens Hotel. There we met with Paul and Anna Gambles and, after a nerve-calming glass or two of champagne, we set off for the Palace. You are told to arrive between 10 am and 10.15 am. On arrival you are asked to hand in your mobile telephones and cameras and are then split up. The guests go to the right and the award recipients to the left.

Paul explains later what happens from the guests’ perspective. I was led into a large ante-room where 40

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there were about 60 of us. It was then I discovered where half the world’s Canaletto paintings have gone.

There were no refreshments except for water so that banjo-ed my idea of having a relaxing G&T before the event. We were then herded together and a member of the Royal Household explained what would happen and what we had to do. It was all planned with military precision as you can imagine. It was at this point we discovered we would be receiving our honours from HRH The Prince of Wales. We were told how to address him: ‘Your Royal Highness’ in the first instance and ‘sir’ after that’.

There are TVs set up for you to watch the proceedings so you can see if anyone makes any gaffes that you should avoid. In the meantime, you chat with those people who are also waiting. Amongst others who lined up to get their awards on 10th May were some of the Olympic and Paralympic heroes from Great Britain including 11-times Paralympic gold medallist

Sarah Storey - who was made a Dame - and swimmer Ellie Simmonds was awarded an OBE for her services to Paralympic sport.

There was taekwondo gold medallist Jade Jones (MBE) and gold winner in the women’s rowing lightweight double sculls, Katherine Copeland.

When your name is announced you walk smartly forward, turn left, halt, bow your head and take three steps which brings you to the edge of the dais. Prince Charles shakes your hand, pins the medal on your chest and you talk for about 30 seconds.

He was very pleasant and we talked about the BCCT and the Royal British Legion Thailand.

He then shakes your hand again which is your signal to step back and let the person following you have his or her turn. You are led to the side of the room to watch the remainder of the ceremony. Throughout all of this, in the background, there is a military band playing classical music. I did see at least one head nodding!

already building. No photos were allowed until we had passed into the inner courtyard. Surprisingly friendly (considering the formality of the day) Palace staff directed us inside where phones and cameras had to be checked in at the cloakroom.

As Graham left us to join the other recipients Anna, Jay and myself were directed into the room where the investiture was to be held. The military band entertained us until an Equerry took to the podium and announced the pack drill. Attendees were not to cheer or applaud each recipient’s arrival or presentation (things had apparently been a little unseemly when Kylie Minogue had received her OBE from prince Charles in 2008). Shortly thereafter Prince Charles arrived in naval dress uniform, preceded by the Yeomen of the Guard. The audience dutifully stood and were bid to be seated before the heir to the crown uttered a few words and the investiture began.

Graham Macdonald pictured outside Buckingham Palace with his MBE.

The last recipients were arguably the most deserved. The Queen’s Police Medal was given to two policemen from the Midlands and a lady from Merseyside received the Queen’s Fire Medal. The final recipient was Corporal Sean Jones, of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, who received the Military Cross ‘for great courage in the face of the enemy’.

Once the final person has been given their award the national anthem is played and Prince Charles and his entourage leave. The rest of us are then allowed out into the courtyard so we can take photos with our retrieved cameras. Once you have stood in various poses and your smile has been almost permanently etched onto your face you leave for a well deserved lunch. But this was only after

I saw Paul Gambles gallantly running (well, Paul said it was running!) across the courtyard of Buckingham Palace chasing after my wife’s fascinator which had blown off whilst posing for a photo. Now there was a sight to behold!

Paul Gambles remembers...

Friday 10th May dawned like the two previous days. Cold, but dry. From our hotel in Buckingham Palace Road, I opened the curtains to see that activity had already begun in the Palace for what was to be an extraordinary day ahead. The briefest of taxi rides took us the elegant residence built as a town house in the 18th century by The Duke of Buckingham and the four of us walked through the South Gate. A good crowd was

The Equerry announced each recipient (120 in total) as an assistant whispered into Prince Charles’ ear what were presumably salient notes contained in a ledger book gripped tightly by the assistant throughout.

The medals were each prepared by two other members of the royal household who passed them to the Prince, who in turn presented them, knighting with the ceremonial sword, pinning medals on chests or handing over the boxed awards.

The ceremony was over in less than 90 minutes and Graham joined us as we made our way to the courtyard for photographs with colour added by the presence of the Yeomen of the Guard.

All too quickly it was time to walk back through the magnificent main building across the famous grounds and back out through the same South Gate through which we’d entered a few hours earlier. The difference now, other than the ever swollen cheering crowd and the bright sunlight was that my business partner and best friend had now received the MBE that I had been so proud to learn had recognised his achievements in the New Year’s Honours.

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New foreign investment regulations in Myanmar

By Clive Cook and Dr. Saw Yu Win

I

n this Part 2 of our analysis of the Myanmar Foreign Investment Law 2012 (FIL) rules we focus on Notification 11/2013 issued by the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development (the Rules) as it impacts: (i) the ongoing rights and obligations of investors in key areas during the life of an investment, (ii) the continuing reporting obligations with which foreign investors must comply, and (iii) the penalties and other actions that can be taken by the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) if an investor does not comply with its obligations.

In Part 1 of our analysis, we focused on the investment approval process for foreign investors seeking to invest in Myanmar through means of an MIC approved investment (FIL Company) and on the permitted and non-permitted investment activities and sectors described in the MIC Notification.

Since Part 1 was circulated the Myanmar Parliament (Union Assembly) has considered the percentage holding a foreign investor can take in a ‘restricted or prohibited business’ as defined in the FIL. In a recent vote the Union Assembly upheld the original provision in the Rules which states that a foreign investor can take no more than an 80 percent stake in such a joint venture. In addition to this alert, we have included a diagram showing the various bodies involved in foreign investment in Myanmar.

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Key observations on the Rules • MIC discretion: Under the Rules, significant powers and discretion are vested in the MIC, including the ability to impose strict sanctions on investors, stipulate areas of the country as Economic Zones, and prescribe construction and life-of-the-investment terms. Whether the Rules facilitate foreign investment will largely depend on how the MIC exercises these wide powers and discretion, including with respect to the issuance of new Notifications. This creates uncertainty • Investment period: Investors are committed to the investment period specified in their MIC approval. An earlier exit from the investment could prove problematic, as discussed below. Investors must commence business within a fixed period after completing construction • Land: The rules governing land and foreign exchange are fairly clear but the rules concerning land in particular require careful navigation • Scrutiny and ongoing obligations: The Rules provide the MIC with a framework to scrutinise and monitor investments. Unfortunately, they also lay down vague but significant ongoing obligations that will be challenging to interpret and apply • DICA consultation: Investors should secure a preliminary opinion from the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration as to whether the in-

vestment proposition is likely to be deemed a restricted or prohibited business. This determination is often as much about the impact the business may have (e.g. on the environment) as the type of business it is • Consultation of other stakeholders: For many projects, a wide body of stakeholders must be consulted before MIC approval is granted, including opinions sought from local residents who stand to be impacted by the business, as well as relevant social organisations • Equity limit: A foreign investor’s stake in a restricted or prohibited business will be capped at 80 percent of the equity Key investor rights and obligations Life of the investment Generally, an investor’s MIC approval will lay down a period during which the investment must be undertaken in Myanmar. MIC permission is required to extend the life of an investment. The specified life of the investment period should be coterminous with the length of the land lease granted to the FIL Company. At the end of the period, the investor may make an application to the MIC to extend the life of the investment.

Construction Periods If some form of construction is at the heart of the investment project,

it must be completed within the period specified in the MIC approval.

The MIC has discretion to extend the construction period on a “one off ” basis only, unless a force majeure event has occurred, in which case a further extension may be granted. If construction is not completed within the extended period, the approval may be revoked by the MIC without payment of compensation to the investor.

Generally, the Rules provide that commencement of business must occur within a fixed period after completion of the construction period, which is specified in the MIC approval.

Issues with respect to land

If engaging in an export business the date will be stipulated in the investor’s first bill of lading; if local sale, the date of receipt of first income.

•

Land issues can be problematic and complex in Myanmar. Some issues to note in addition to those highlighted in Part 1 of our Alert are:

Commencement of Business The tax benefits and exemptions provided under the FIL take effect upon commencement of the FIL company’s business. There is a formal process for establishing the commencement of business date, which involves an MIC filing and approval. Certain additional requirements exist, e.g. to begin exporting within 180 days after completion of construction; to begin local sale within 90 days after completion of construction.

•

• • Permission of the Union Government and comments from the Nay Pyi Taw Council or State/Regional Government are required to lease land but the MIC will seek such comments on behalf of the investor. An additional permission may be required from the ‘Central Management Committee of Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Land’ to lease vacant, fallow, and virgin land.

Such land will be leased for an initial period of 30 years, with MIC discretion to extend in accordance with the Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Land Management Law • Annual rents for leased land must

•

be approved by the MIC and the State may require a premium for the grant of a lease Any alteration or repair to the natural surface or elevation of the land requires permission of the relevant landlord If necessary to clear the land (i.e. removes dwellings, farms etc.), the investor is permitted to reach arrangements with local residents on compensation independent of the State All or a part of an investor’s leased land will be taken back if natural resources are discovered or it is required for infrastructure or other special projects deemed in the interest of the State. The investor will be paid compensation in such a scenario but it is not clear if such compensation would include lost profit or opportunity costs associated with the broader business, or merely the value of the land Lease agreements must be carefully drafted, examined, and negotiated to ensure an investor can realise some value in respect to buildings and facilities constructed on the land during the life of the Lease

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Foreign capital and foreign exchange • An investor must commit to bringing into Myanmar a minimum level of foreign investment in convertible currency, both in initial capital and subsequent appropriations. Investors must report to the MIC when bringing foreign currency into Myanmar to satisfy these subsequent appropriations • The MIC must be notified and grant approval to an investor if bringing foreign capital into Myanmar above or below the amount contemplated in the investment proposal or to a different timescale • Upon the liquidation of the investment, an investor may take out the original capital in foreign currency, plus net profit • An FIL Company/investor must set up a foreign exchange account in Myanmar for the purpose of making foreign currency payments in connection with the business locally.

Exiting the investment • Whilst exiting an investment is normally achieved by a sale of shares, there is nothing in the Rules to suggest that an investor could not also exit by selling the business. An investor may sell shares to another foreign investor or to a Myanmar-based investor, in either case only with approval of the MIC. In exiting, the existing MIC approval must be surrendered. If the transferee is a Myanmar Citizen he must obtain a permit under the Myanmar Citizens Investment Law; if a foreign investor, he must re-apply to the MIC for a new approval but may conduct the business through the existing or a new entity. The new investor benefits from the existing tax exemptions but does not enjoy the benefit of new tax holidays. The MIC may grant permission for a partial exit only • There has been some speculation that the FIL reflects or even

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brings about a change in the policy of the Myanmar government that prevents Myanmar Citizens from selling shares to foreigners.

We do not believe that is the case and there is nothing in the Law to support such an assumption, although the Government’s policy may change in future.

• In order to wind up a business, apart from having to liquidate under an antiquated piece of legislation (the Companies Act of 1913), investors will need the permission of the MIC. If that permission is granted, the leased land must revert to whomever has rights over it and all rent for future years under the lease must be paid up in full. Winding up a venture before the end of its specified life is likely to prove timeconsuming and expensive.

Investor Obligations, Scrutiny and Penalties General Investor Obligations Rule 54 lays out broad-based requirements that an investor could easily infringe, which is of particular concern given the sanctions for non-compliance can be severe.

Apart from complying with “environmental conservation matters,” an investor must implement the business in a manner that is ‘undertaken for the benefit of the State and the citizens’ and take care that its products do not cause “damage to customers” through lack of quality or by failing to comply with “standard norms.” As the drafting of such provisions is vague, there is the potential for abuse. In addition, there exists a further obligation to comply with Ministry regulations and “norms.”

Scrutiny • Scrutiny is achieved in part by reporting requirements, which take various forms, but principally involve submission to the MIC of a quarterly business report, proof of payment of social security arrears every six months, and annual staff training plans. FIL

Companies are also required to conduct an annual audit and submit to inspections when required • The Departmental Coordination Body, which consists of officers from various ministries including Labour, Customs, Trade, Internal Revenue, and the Central Bank of Myanmar, is given the primary mission of monitoring FIL Companies and scrutinising their conduct and performance Investigations and Penalties The MIC may form a body to investigate any situation where the investor has failed to comply with the FIL or the many requirements of the Rules, or where an investor has obtained a permit in breach of laws or regulations.

Although it reports to the MIC, the Investigating Body has sole discretion to apply any one of the four administrative penalties set out in the FIL: (i) a warning, (ii) a temporary suspension of tax exemptions and reliefs, (iii) a revocation of the MIC permit, or (iv) putting of the investor on a blacklist that would prevent it from being granted a permit in the future.

Conclusion The Rules are comprehensive but offer the MIC broad discretion in many areas. In addition, there are ambiguities, difficulties of interpretation, and potentially severe penalties for non-compliance. Still, in considering the piece of legislation as whole, it has the potential to be very effective in attracting investment if the bureaucracy that facilitates it is run effectively and transparently.

You may contact the authors as follows.

Clive Cook, Tel: 0 2636-2000 ext. 4998 Email: clive.cook@bakermckenzie.com Dr. Saw Yu Win, Tel: 0 2636-2000 ext. 4556 Email: sawyu.win@bakermckenzie.com

Taxing issues facing global business leaders T

he vast majority of businesses would welcome more global cooperation and guidance from tax authorities on what is acceptable and unacceptable tax planning, even if this provided less opportunity to reduce tax liabilities across borders, according to the latest research from the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR), a quarterly survey of more than 3,000 businesses in 44 countries.

The IBR reveals that globally, some 68 percent of businesses would like more tax guidance. However, there was a marked divergence between regions with 75 percent of Eurozone businesses eager for more guidance compared to just 54 percent of their North American counterparts. Thailand (74%) gave a higher positive reaction reflecting the general ASEAN trend (86%). Similarly businesses in Latin America (85%) are more likely to look for advice compared with peers in Asia-Pacific (67%).

Edward Strauss, Partner of Grant Thornton Thailand’s Tax Consulting, said, “Reducing liabilities across borders can offer significant tax savings so it is interesting to see how open business leaders are to improving guidance and global cooperation. Very recently there have been high-profile cases involving Amazon, Google and Starbucks that have certainly sharpened public opinion as to what is acceptable tax planning.

As the AEC draws closer and regional supply chains mature this will become increasingly more and more relevant in our region.”

The IBR states that ‘Thailand business leaders also differed from the feedback of global bosses who were more critical of what the tax regimes in their economies are set up to achieve; just 31 percent globally said their local tax laws and policies were geared to stimulate economic growth. In Thailand that

figure was a more encouraging 58 percent but this is lower than the ASEAN average of 70 percent. Senior executives in Southern Europe (11%) and Latin America (23%) were particularly scathing of how their tax dollars were being invested.

‘Thai businesses were a little more comfortable with the breadth of the tax base here too. Globally some 49 percent of business leaders, and 46 percent in ASEAN, believe their current tax regime does not bring enough economic participants into the tax base. In Thailand that figure was 30 percent. Thailand is in the top 10 list of countries who believe their tax regimes are redistributing wealth efficiently in the country with only 10% of businesses disagreeing with that. This was very different from ASEAN (39%) and globally (41%) of businesses that believed their tax regimes were heavily weighted against the redistribution of wealth’.

44 economy survey, only businesses in Estonia (6%), Taiwan (9%) and Japan (10%) were lower.

Three percent of Thai business leaders expect to sell their companies over the next three years. Only in Lithuania (2%) are business leaders less likely to sell over the next three years. The ASEAN and global averages are higher at nine and eight percent respectively.

Ian Pascoe, Managing Partner at Grant Thornton Thailand, said, “M&A remains a key strategic tool to drive growth and build scale. With the growth in Thailand, ASEAN and Asia it is concerning that so few companies in Thailand are considering this as an option for driving strategic growth. Our neighbours certainly are.”

Mergers and acquisitions

The IBR from Grant Thornton International also states that, globally, M&A activity is holding relatively steady however cross-border activity looks set to increase showing its highest level since 2008, at the expense of domestic M&A. Of those businesses looking at M&A’s, 39 percent are planning an overseas M&A over the next three years, up from 33 percent a year ago. Many companies are now sitting on significant cash reserves which generate little or no return.

This coupled with moribund growth at home may well be leading business owners to look offshore, particularly to emerging markets, for growth opportunities.

Research from the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) finds 27.9 percent of businesses globally are planning growth through acquisition in the next three years, either domestically or cross-border. However just 11 percent of Thai businesses are planning to grow through acquisition over the same period. This is also well below the ASEAN average of 23 percent. In the

Ian Pascoe continued, “Whilst the overall outlook for M&A remains cautious due to the recent backdrop of the Eurozone crisis, the US fiscal cliff and political instability in the Middle East, what many of our M&A teams have been experiencing is the substantial interest and support for corporates of all sizes to look beyond their own borders for acquisition opportunities”.

Edward Strauss added, “Many mature economies around the world are undergoing severe fiscal retrenchment and business leaders are seeing taxes rise even as growth remains flat. The good news in Thailand is that businesses are broadly supportive of the way that taxes are distributed and spent. With the reduction in the corporate tax rate, coupled with reasonable growth, we are fortunately in a very different position.”

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Is LinkedIn killing the recruitment sector?

By Tom Sorensen

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You must bring unique selling points to the table, when you establish contact to the person you found on the internet and LinkedIn. We call these points for Employee Value Proposition in executive search. You must be good in selling the job opportunity, have a high influence factor, able to quickly establish a good rapport, a strong impact when you communicate and be full of confidence. These traits are hallmarks of a great sales manager and a top recruiter.

hey say that Curiosity Killed the Cat; a reference to the dangers of unnecessary experimentation. Here in lies perhaps the answer to the question if LinkedIn is in the process of killing and pushing the executive search and recruitment industry over the cliff. Many clients and candidates ask me how LinkedIn has impacted our executive search business the last few years.

LinkedIn reported that in January 2013 they passed the 200 million members in over 200 countries and territories. From the LinkedIn demographics and statistics 2012, I notice that Thailand has 300,000 registered members in LinkedIn. According to Thailand’s own National Statistical Office in December 2012, we have a labour force of 40 million people of which six million come with a higher education.

A higher level education is defined as holding a diploma, a bachelor or a master’s degree. In other words, the 300,000 Thailand registered LinkedIn members represent only five percent of the group of higher level trained people in Thailand.

Now, combine that with the research from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, that at any given time only 16 percent of us are actively looking for a new job. So how much or many is 16 percent of the five percent who by definition are active applicants and candidates?

If we take the liberty of assuming that all 300,000 Thailand based LinkedIn members are there because they are interested in a new job, I suppose one could argue that a call or mail to such individuals would easily yield a shortlist to your hiring manager or client. But honestly, is that assump46

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tion just even close to the actual fact?

No, I don’t think so.

What many forget is that just having someone’s name and contact details does not mean you have your next candidate victim. The search and recruitment process is by far over, probably just 2% into the long recruitment process. Finding a name in today’s wired and increasingly smaller and smaller world is obviously a piece of cake.

The biggest challenge is what happens next. I mean after you have that name and LinkedIn profile. Just reaching out, asking the person if she is interested in a new job, surely will not cut it. But then again, this is the question inexperienced recruiters, corporate or recruitment companies, gladly ask right after they have introduced themselves.

And don’t forget that HR managers are in HR and not in sales for a reason. Few in HR find it to their liking to cold call someone and sell a job opportunity. Yes, recruitment is for a big part Sales with a capital S.

Why else will the executive search and recruitment industry never be pushed aside? Remember when internet job boards came into our world? Remember when large multi-national organisations set up their own recruitment departments, often with staff from the recruitment industry? Some predicted it was the end for headhunters and the like. Despite these initiatives mentioned above, the recruitment industry is doing well, thank you.

In fact, with the expected contraction in the labour force, it’s not anyone’s guess what that brings to the industry. The best kept secret: golden days ahead for the professional headhunters; that is, if you can find the candidates for your clients.

Having said all that, I do believe that the recruitment companies who only sell resumes lifted from the internet job boards or their own data base, will find it tougher out there. Without any value added services in their product offering, their client companies will hesitate to pay for a pile of papers with names of people who have not been qualified to their requirements.

If you find it a challenge to identify applicants and candidates, ask yourself if your company is using technol-

ogy tools, internet job boards and tactics learned 20 years ago. You see, more and more people no longer hang out on job boards, participate in discussion forums, nor do they check Classified Jobs in the printed media. I know of some who have taken down their LinkedIn profile, or made the profile private, so to avoid being chased by desperate and hungry corporate and recruitment recruiters.

The reason? Just being fed up receiving calls or emails every day, asked if they want another job.

I should really laugh when I see now many HR and line managers blindly and clueless continue to post any managerial and top executive vacancy on the internet job boards.

In Thailand alone, there are many choices when it comes to where you can buy a small piece of internet real

estate for your announcement, which your company is looking for people.

But this is not a laughable matter. It’s nothing but mis-management and really a reason for dismissal. Ask your preferred internet job board provider for their candidate demographics.

One of the major job board players in Thailand will tell you that around 90 percent of their candidates are younger than 30 years of age, earn less than THB 100,000 a month, and have no bachelor or master’s degree. Now tell me if that looks like a really good place to find your next Finance Director or other senior executive positions?

Even worse and plain incredible is to see client companies use a recruitment company who in turn post the vacancy on the job board, harvest whatever applications reach the email

inbox, send the collected resumes to their client and if someone is hired finish their job with an invoice. Not sure who should be first in the line of fire, the client or the recruitment company. Oh well. If only such recruitment companies would stop calling themselves headhunters when all they do is shoplifting on the internet. I guess the first person to get fired would have to be the ignorant HR department.

You can find Tom Sorensen’s regular blog on LinkedIn. More details from: Lakpilai Worasaphya, Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications, Grant Thornton Tel: +66 2 205 8142 Email: lakpilai.worasaphya@ th.gt.com

New premium visa service to free-up appointments for genuine applicants A

new pre-payment system to help prevent the abuse and increase the efficiency of premium visa appointments has been launched by the British government.

The previous, free booking system had been repeatedly abused by individuals and organisations who had block booked appointments and hampered legitimate users from arranging appointments - Public Enquiry Offices (PEOs) reported that on average 20 to 30 percent of appointments were missed a week.

Visa applicants wanting to book premium in-country appointments at a PEO will pay the same £375 fee but £100 will now be payable in advance at the time of booking an appointment. The balance will be paid at the

appointment along with the standard application cost. If an applicant fails to attend, the £100 will not be refunded unless five working days notice was given. The advance fee has been introduced, as part of the immigration fees changes, to tackle the increasing amount of missed appointments at PEOs and its impact on both appointment availability for applicants and Home Office revenue and staff resources.

Immigration Minister Mark Harper said, “These changes will make it harder for unscrupulous agencies and individuals to abuse the prebooking system for premium visa appointments and exploit applicants by charging inflated fees for profit. We are determined to ensure that genu-

ine visa applicants receive the very best visa service possible, and this is just one of the changes that we will be introducing to make sure this is the case.”

The new system will help to make more appointments available for genuine applicants and help protect them from paying unnecessary and often unfair fees to agencies or individuals.

The Home Office also plans to launch an online application pre-payment service later in the year as its commitment to improving customer service.

Consular fees: More details about consulars may be found at: https:// www.gov.uk/government/uploads/ system/uploads/attachment_data/ file/182341/Consular_fees.pdf

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New Governor named at Tourism Authority T

he Tourism Authority of Thailand has named Thawatchai Arunyik as the agency’s new Governor.

Mr Thawatchai, currently deputy governor in charge of Thailand’s domestic tourism market, takes over later year this from Suraphon Svetasreni who is approaching the compulsory retirement age of 60 years.

According to the online travel industry news service TTR, the agency’s five-member selection committee was unanimous in its selection of Thawatchai Arunyik. Other candidates are thought to have included Mrs Juthaporn Rerngronasa, the TAT’s deputy governor for international marketing in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.

Suwat Sidthilaw, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, said the committee picked Mr Thawatchai due to his ‘confidence, leadership, risk management skills and proven ability to work with other tourism-related groups’.

Pensuda Praiaram, chairman of the TAT board, said Mr Thawatchai will bring prior knowledge of the corporate culture and organisational workflow to his new role. Mr Thawatchai, 57, holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the East in Manila.

He has served as TAT director of the Central Region 2 office (1995-2000), director of the TAT London office (2000-03), executive director of the Central region (2006-07), executive director for Europe, Africa and the Middle East (2007-10) and deputy governor for domestic marketing (2010-present). The TAT governor normally serves a four-year term.

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Thawatchai Arunyik

Suraphon Svetasreni

“I will promote Thai tourism and meet the government’s revenue target of two trillion baht by 2015,” said Mr Thawatchai. “To achieve the goal, I will focus on cooperation with other tourism groups, especially on the security issue.”

an online travel market for small and medium-sized enterprises as a new channel for them to promote themselves and sell their products.”

The new governor also plans to update the TAT website and launch web TV to promote Thai tourist destinations 24/7, according to TTR. “We have to upgrade both content and website to catch up with market trends,” he said. “The TAT will open

* TripAdvisor places Bangkok at the top of its latest Travellers’ Choice Asia Destinations list of 25 cities. Bangkok ranked first of all destinations in Asia while Chiang Mai was in sixth place. Paris led the top global listing, followed by New York, London, Rome, and Barcelona.

BOI news update Thailand is looking to become a hub for corporate regional operating headquarters as multinationals prepare for the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community, according to the country’s Board of Investment.

The Board is also promoting tax incentives for companies seeking to establish international procurement offices involving sourcing, quality control and packaging; international distribution centres; trade and investment support offices distribution centres, and operations conducting R&D. More details: www.boi.go.

Bangkok on track to host F1 Grand Prix D espite criticism in some quarters that the proposed F1 race circuit on Rajdamnoen Avenue will damage ancient properties and cause noise pollution in Bangkok’s historical district, Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports is sticking to its choice of race venue.

New Tourism Minister Somsak Phureesrisak said there was no intention to change the route from Rajdamnoen Avenue and it will be the first option presented to the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile - the governing body for many auto racing events.

The Minister said he was confident that the Sports Authority of Thai-

land (SAT) would have ‘a good plan to deal with social and environmental impact’. The route, which requires approval from the FIA, passes im-

portant attractions such as Sanam Luang, Bangkok National Museum and Victory Monument and will cover almost six kilometres.

China arrivals boost Thailand’s tourism numbers

T

hailand’s popularity as a destination for tourists, travellers and conference delegates continues unabated – with Chinese tourists leading the surge in visitor numbers. The country registered an increase in international arrivals of just over 19 percent for the first four months of 2013 compared to the same period last year.

Chinese arrivals increased by more than 91 percent to 410,173 whilst Russian visitors leapt 29.91 percent from 564,555 to 733,437.

There was also a welcome increase in arrivals from Japan, despite currency exchange rates mak-

ing their trips to Thailand more expensive, Japan arrivals rose by more than 19 percent to 520,415.

However, the numbers of visitors from Australian visitors fell slightly in the four months ending 30th April 290,042.

The country’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports has reported that Singapore was the top destination in 2012 for Thais taking flights overseas. Thai visitors to the United Kingdom rose by nearly five percent last year to 144,499, despite the UK government’s tough visa requirements for Thai nationals – including those married to British citizens.

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No surprises in latest condo market forecast T

he Bangkok condominium market continued to grow in the first quarter of 2013, according to Knight Frank Thailand.

The condominium supply in the peripheral area dominated the Bangkok condominium market, with new launches constituting around 73 percent of the total supply.

The agency says this is due to the peripheral area being a ‘hot commodity’, reflecting a rush by leading property developers to launch new projects in the area with the intent to tap strong demand from lower-income earners. Prices of new condos, especially in the CBD, will continue to edge upward because of rising land and construction costs.

These are the main barriers of entry for smaller developers, who will likely seek opportunities in the city fringe and the peripheral area of Bangkok. The appreciating baht is another concern, affecting raw material and land prices and the number of condo projects launched in the peripheral area subsided during the first quarter of this year.

Condominiums are considered the best choice for this segment, which displays the highest demand, as land prices along the planned routes have soared. On the whole, the average selling prices continuously grew at around six percent. In this quarter, we have seen the rise of new premium grade condominium projects, offering units with the price of over THB 150,000 per square metre in the city area.

In addition, the average selling price per square metre for condomini-

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um projects in the peripheral area has also increased to around THB 60,286 in this quarter - from just THB 53,916 per square metre at the end of 2012. Knight Frank Thailand is predicting a sharp increase in the cost of buying a condominium in the city as supply fails to keep in tune with rising demand.

Miss Risinee Sarikputra (pictured above), Director, Reseach and consultancy, Knight Frank Chartered (Thailand) Co., Ltd said the major-

ity of supply is expected to increase in the peripheral area, especially the areas that have recently benefited from the new mass transit routes, and there will be the high competition among condominiums in the peripheral area.

Meanwhile, Jones Lang LaSalle says that cooling measures are not needed in the field of mortgage lending.

As concerns of real estate bubbles escalate, the Bank of Thailand

asked commercial banks in Thailand earlier this year to become more cautious about mortgage lending, particularly to borrowers who are suspected of buying houses or condominiums for speculative purposes. While the BOT’s position is reasonable as easy lending can inflate real estate bubbles, cooling measures are not needed at this stage, according to Jones Lang LaSalle.

“As the Thai stock market has heated up and the baht continues to strengthen, some economists in both the public and private sectors have voiced their concerns over possible bubbles in Thailand’s real estate markets. This concern is probably based on an assumption that many people who have made profits from the stock market may invest in the housing or condominium market. However, there haven’t been any clear signs of a bubble in Bangkok’s condominium market to-date,” said Mrs. Suphin Mechuchep, Managing Director of Jones Lang LaSalle.

lative buyers and abundant liquidity through borrowing that drive property prices to levels well above their fundamental economic value. Bubble conditions can also be caused by developers themselves, undertaking development without proper market studies and planning, leading to overbuilding. However, our close monitoring of Bangkok’s core and central condominium market shows that the aforementioned conditions does not presently exist,” added Mrs. Suphin.

Risinee Sarikputra, Knight Frank Chartered (Thailand)

“A real estate bubble can occur when there is excess demand from specu-

“While the BOT’s request to commercial banks to become more cautious about mortgage lending is a sound initiative we don’t think any cooling measures to curb property transactions are necessary at this stage as there remains no clear sign of a real estate bubble. Any measures to curb property transactions could simply undermine real estate demand as the intervention could eventually result in added costs to buyers, for whom affordability is ultimately the key issue,” she concluded.

Silver screen T hailand is enjoying a cash windfall from local and international movie makers.

Figures released by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ Thailand Film Office Department report record revenues of THB 671.43 million from on-location film shoots in the first four months of 2013. These film shoots embrace documentaries, advertising, TV series, music videos and feature films.

Japan filmmakers top the list with 60 productions followed by 53 from India, 40 from Europe, 20 from Hong Kong, 18 from South Korea, 15 from the United States,

14 from China, nine from Australia and three from Taiwan. Some 51 shoots were from other source markets.

The Thailand Film Office Department sits within the tourism ministry because it is felt that such film productions help to create a positive image about the nation. It is not clear however whether that belief was felt quite so strongly in government circles after the Hollywood movie Hangover 2 was released – although this sequel, filmed extensively in Bangkok and Krabi, grossed over $581,464,305 in movie theatres worldwide.

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Boom continues in commercial real estate investment D

irect commercial real estate investment globally reached a milestone in the first quarter of 2013 with the highest Q1 global transaction volume recorded since 2008, according to Jones Lang LaSalle’s recent Global Capital Flows report. Volumes came in at US$105 billion for Q1 2013 with all three regions witnessing growth year on year as the weight of money chasing real estate has increased significantly.

Some US$27 billion was invested directly in Asia Pacific commercial real estate in the first three months of this year - on a par with Q4 of last year - but up 26 percent on the first quarter of 2012. Asia Pacific was the only region not to see a decline in volumes transacted compared to Q4 of 2012. An increased proportion of transaction volumes in the Asia Pacific region in the first quarter was made up of domestic deals (US$20 billion), with cross border investment (US$7 billion) down 24 percent year on year and down 11 percent quarter on quarter.

Stuart Crow, head of Asia Pacific capital markets at Jones Lang LaSalle, said, “Continued quantitative easing globally is increasing liquidity and reducing the cost of debt in Asia Pacific, which is making real estate assets more accessible to investors within Asia Pacific.

We maintain our expectation of an increase in transaction volumes in Asia Pacific to US$110 billion for 2013, which will be about 12 percent up on last year, and we think that Japan is going to be the one to watch this year. We expect a lift in

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investment activity in the country, as positive signs are emerging following announcements about stimulus measures targeted at reflating the Japanese economy.”

Investors from Asia Pacific maintained their preference for European investment opportunities during the first quarter – in particular Paris and London, concentrating upon office and hotel assets. The US$2.6 billion spent outside the region is 45 percent higher than this time last year.

Alistair Meadows at Jones Lang LaSalle’s International Capital Group said, “New capital continues to emerge from Asia Pacific that is aggressively targeting global cities, especially London and New York.

The sources of this capital are increasingly Chinese sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) and insurance companies as well as pension funds from Korea and Malaysia. Core office assets in gateway cities remain the favoured targets, making up 50 percent of global cross-border activity.”

Country focus Four Asia Pacific countries featured in the ten largest markets globally in the first quarter of 2013: Japan, China, Hong Kong and Australia.

Domestic investors accounted for the lion’s share of investment in all except China, reflecting a trend seen across the region in the past quarter, as investment from investors within the region has increased.

Japan stood out at US$10.6 billion, up 32 percent year on year and up

38 percent quarter on quarter, reflecting a broad improvement in sentiment across the economy, with consumer confidence at a five year high and a weaker yen that will help to support the large export market. Hong Kong continued to see increased levels of transactions; US$3.3 billion in Q1 is on par with Q4 2012 and up 68 percent year on year. The doubling in stamp duty in late February may result in a slowing of transaction volumes over the next couple of quarters as buyers and sellers adjust expectations in the light of the additional tax.

China, with investment volumes of US$3.6 billion (up 62 percent quarter on quarter and flat year on year), was boosted by a number of cross-border deals pushing the share of cross border transactions to around 65 percent for 1Q 2013.

In Australia volumes were US$3.2 billion, down 18 percent quarter on quarter but up 23 percent year on year, with cross border deals down around a third both quarter on quarter and year on year with local buyers active. Yields are compressing due to the weight of capital.

There was a substantial increase in REIT purchasing activity as we see the impact of looser monetary policies in Japan coming into effect. This combined with the REIT sector in the US continuing to acquire assets and confidence slowly returning to the smaller European REIT sector pushed REITs to be the most active investor group this quarter – US$7.7 billion compared to US$0.7 billion a year ago.

Member News

New Head for St Andrews schools in Bangkok P eter McMurray has been appointed as the new Head of St Andrews K-12 schools at Sathorn and Sukhumvit 107 campuses in Bangkok. In this newly created position Peter McMurray will provide leadership and strategic oversight of both Bangkok campuses, managing the Sukhumvit 107 campus directly while working closely with Karen Pennock, the Head of Sathorn Campus.

Switzerland, and three years at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa.

“A good school education can transform a life. That’s why I have dedicated my life to education. While a focus on academic excellence is the foundation of any good school, a great school can also provide an ethical framework that sets a child up for a successful life,” he said.

Mr McMurray (pictured right) was chosen for his international school experience as well as his knowledge of both the IGCSE and International Baccalaureate programmes.

He has strong and proven track record of successfully heading international schools, including five

years at the American International School of Abu Dhabi, three years at the International School of Basel,

“I am looking forward to working with the excellent teaching staff at both campuses and ensuring they are given the support they need to bring out the best in each of their students.

I also welcome the engagement of parents as an essential part of the school’s community and to working with them to make our Bangkok schools a vibrant and supportive place of learning,” Mr McMurray added.

President and CEO of Standard Chartered Bank (Thai) Lyn Kok (third from right), joined Dr. Sorajak Kasemsuvan (third from left), President of Thai Airways International and company’s executives to celebrate the tenth anniversary of a business relationship that has enabled the country’s national carrier to acquire seven aircraft include a new A380 double decker airbus.

Standard Chartered has provided a wide array of financial services that have enabled Thai Airways to increase its financial stability as well as elevate the carrier’s position in the increasingly competitive airline industry.

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Member News

Centara Hotels reinforces green commitment C entara Hotels & Resorts has teamed up with EarthCheck, the specialist organisation that sets the benchmarks for environmental awareness and conservation for the international hospitality industry.

Throughout its 30-year history, Centara has believed in green and sustainable tourism, a policy that is at the heart of the company and which engages every property in its portfolio. With the company rapidly expanding, both in Thailand and overseas, this deeply embedded philosophy is more important now than ever, as CEO Thirayuth Chirathivat explains.

“Each of our hotels and resorts operates to strict environmental standards. This means involving staff and also, whenever possible, our guests with the result that there is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm with ev-

eryone believing that they have a personal contribution to make.”

for operations, a portfolio that embraces environmental issues.

Centara also strives to comply with regional and international environmental laws and legislation.

“The environmental performance of each property is monitored against policy, benchmarking the indicators against baseline and best practices.

The environmental and social impact is measured through the EarthCheck Online Self Assessment. All results are assessed and verified by third party auditors on an annual basis,” he added.

“Working with EarthCheck involves the use of its Environmental Management System, a series of practical tools for the benchmarking and certification of operations practices,” says David Good, Centara’s vice president

Former Manchester and England winger Steve Coppell (pictured in a blue shirt) was guest of honour at the MBMG Group charity event. The golf day raised over THB 70,000 which has been donated to the Good Shepherd Sisters in Bangkok, the Lotus Educational Fund, Jesters Care of Kids and The Queen Sirikit Centre for Breast Cancer.

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The 2013 Thailand Optimist National Championships, presented by Sansiri, were held over three days at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Pattaya and attracted competitors from Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Thailand.

Going green at NIST as students push for greater sustainability

By Jamie Sriya, Year 10 NIST student

I

The wood is recycled and free but soil and coconut husk is not cheap.

To overcome this vital hurdle, the NIST Development bank provided the team with 35,000 baht in funding, on the grounds that the project is a contribution to the entire school community. With these funds, the team aims to purchase the needed soil, as well as invest in the garden’s infrastructure, such as a permanent plant nursery and some shades to filter out the scorching Bangkok sun.

n the modern world and culture, the words eco-friendly and green are not only commonplace but also a necessity for any institution claiming to be sustainable or environmentally aware. Schools are not exempt from this principle, and many worldwide have taken steps to improve their connection to the environment. To this extent, many schools have set up garden plots and planted trees, and these steps do greatly contribute to the ambience of any school.

The GreeNIST team from the NIST International School in Bangkok has taken a further step. They have adapted the principles of gardening for the urban jungle and have set up a garden on top of their recently-constructed secondary building. This roof-top garden, also lovingly referred to as a ‘farm’, has since made steady progress on solid roots.

The project started with a rag-tag team of NIST students and the goal to invigorate an unused area with life, as well as to create healthy snacks for students attending the school. It is the school’s response to the sustainability crisis that the modern world must confront; a response some would argue as a responsibility for all to take.

In order to create a successful garden, one must start small. A few seeds and pots and one has the ‘roots’ of a garden.

With some sweat and spare wood one can create beds. Add soil and one has a platform to ‘plot’ his or her growth.

Plant the seedlings, rinse and repeat.

After a period of maintenance, one

may be able to enjoy the ‘fruits’ (or vegetables) of his or her creation. The GreeNIST team recommends morning glory and beans, but yields will vary from garden to garden.

Although the project is student-run, there was a lot of outside support that greatly assisted the team’s efforts. The green thumbs of Laksi Plaza gave the NIST team much needed advice on the intricacies of running a garden.

Meechai Viravaidya, a well-known advocate and contributor to family planning, runs a garden alongside his educational programme and school in Pattaya and a visit to him gave further insight into garden management, especially into the financial aspects of the matter. In March the team was visited by the people of Raitong Organics Farm, who arrived with more constructive feedback along with coveted heirloom seeds to kick-start the next batch.

Now the GreeNIST project has blossomed into a full-fledged operation, requiring daily maintenance and funds to maintain. Reception from the students has been very positive and there is no shortage of volunteers ready to tend to the garden leaves.

The entire operation now includes a nursery, several compost bins, a worm farm, a large hydroponics unit, toilet plant pots, as well as many rows of farm beds. Plant species include morning glory, kale, beans, carrots, tomatoes, lettuces, and chillies.

The team has also offered some of its produce for sale as well as donated healthy vegetables to the NIST staff rooms.

Looking to the future, the GreeNIST team hopes that the project will teach them important lessons not only in horticulture, but also in other fields such as design and finance, whilst also providing the school with a reliable and sustainable source of edible and organic plant matter to fuel the brains of ever-learning students.

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Member News

Bangkok Prep School’s ‘Read-a-Thon’ gives major cash boost to libraries S tudents at Bangkok International Preparatory and Secondary School (Bangkok Prep) raised THB 432,000 to support The Always Reading Caravan (ARC) and the Neilson Hays Library during the school’s annual read-a-thon event.

ARC is a non-profit organisation founded in 2010 by Yoshimi Horiuchi, a blind ‘bookaholic’ from Japan, that provides reading opportunities to Thai children in rural areas through various activities including mobile library services. ARC conducts activities in two provinces: Oothong district in Suphanburi and Phrao district in Chiang Mai.

The Neilson Hays Library is a private library in Bangkok offering a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. The read-a-thon’s goal is to help students to read as much as

possible and enjoy a variety of books.

This activity not only promotes literacy among the students but also helps them to become community minded by supporting these two libraries.

Global fund managers stay upbeat on equity holdings F ifty seven per cent of global fund managers covered in HSBC’s recent survey continued to favour with no one holding underweight views towards this asset class. A tenth of respondents (14%) turned overweight towards bonds and cash in 2Q13 from none in the previous quarter (0% for both in 1Q13). Over two in five fund managers (43%) hold an underweight view towards bonds and cash compared to 38% and 63% respectively in 1Q13.

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Vineet Vohra (pictured right), HSBC’s Regional Head of Wealth Development, Asia Pacific, said, “Global fund managers generally remain optimistic about the prospects of equities. Emerging markets equities including Asia equities continue to be attractive as a result of better fundamentals.

However, it is worth noting that some managers have turned cautious due to renewed concerns on the Eurozone debt crisis.”

Anantara appoints Worldwide Conservation Director

A

nantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas has promoted John Roberts (pictured right) to the new post of Worldwide Conservation Director. John has been Director of Elephants at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort since 2003.

In addition to managing the Elephant Camp, Anantara’s Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF) and research conducted by Think Elephants International John Roberts’ expertise and enthusiasm will now benefit all Anantara properties and guests Anantara Golden Triangle’s Elephant Camp works the GTAEF to perform street rescues, provide ongoing employment and a comfortable lifestyle for each elephant and its entire mahout family, as well as to participate in bigger picture projects. The Camp now supports more than 25 elephants and 60 people. All elephants receive the utmost care while each mahout and his family receive food, housing, medical insurance, schooling for their children and the profits gener-

ated from a traditional silk weaving business. Combining his academic background in science and engineering with his interest in the natural world, John spent many years travelling the globe in search of conservation volunteer roles. From fighting fires and making trails in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in the

desert of West Texas, his knowledge of fires was put to good use in the remote parks of Northern Australia.

At Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge in Chitwan National Park, Nepal he helped with the International Trust for Nature Conservation’s tiger research and other projects. Hearing of a new elephant camp being set up at a luxury resort in Thailand’s lush jungle, he was drawn to their ambition of creating unforgettable adventures for guests as well as becoming a role model for elephant welfare.

John’s skills in minimising environmental damage will play a role in developing new Anantara properties.

He will also draw upon his impressive knowledge of scientific conservation trends and technologies to recommend best sustainable practices and assist with Green Globe certification.

NIST’s graduation ceremony in May honoured the achievements of 98 students that have won places at prestigious universities such as Oxford, Cambridge and Princeton. The ceremony, which also concluded the school’s 20th anniversary celebrations, featured guest speaker ML Nattakorn Devakula – a news presenter on a terrestrial TV station in Thailand.

“Since 2001 Anantara has been committed to creating luxury travel experiences that emphasise the greater good of all, with properties across Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, the Maldives and Middle East immersing themselves in initiatives that give back to our precious planet and help people in need,” he said.

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Member News

New direction for Phuket’s residential property sector C

BRE Thailand is reporting a significant change of direction for Phuket’s residential property sector. The change, which CBRE says started late last year, is likely to be the most significant since the Asian crisis in 1997 and is driven by a number of factors including the entry of Bangkok-based and Thai public listed developers; the move towards smaller units resembling the Hua Hin and Pattaya developments and a significant increase in the number of Thai buyers in Phuket.

After a period of slowdown following the global crisis in 2008, the Phuket market is now enjoying a new wave of activity. By 2011, the stage was set for a change when Bangkok-based, Thai public listed developers such as Sansiri and Supalai entered the Phuket market in a significant manner. Their first projects focused on the mass entry level market and were met with instant success, selling out within days from launch to a predominantly local Thai buyer base.

The success of these projects has led a number of developers to consider the viability in Phuket of Pattaya and Hua Hin style developments which attract both Thai and foreign buyers.

This model is characterised by smaller unit sizes and significantly cheaper total unit prices. CBRE believe this is the beginning of a new and sustainable market for Phuket.

At the end of 2012, Laguna Resorts & Hotels Plc. launched Laguna

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locations overlooking Patong Bay. Backed by Italthai Plc, the development is fully managed and serviced by the existing Amari Phuket Resort, providing rental management and offering a sic percent guaranteed yield for the first three years.

Shores in an almost beachfront location overlooking a lagoon within the Laguna Phuket integrated resort development. This was followed in Q1 2013 by the launch of an absolute beachfront project, Baan Mai Khao by Sansiri Plc. which has attracted significant Thai demand for a Phuket project, due in part to the loyal following Sansiri has in the Thai market. The launch of Baan Mai Khao also marks the emergence of the Mai Khao area, already the location of several upscale hotels and an area with growth potential that can be compared to the development of Bang Tao in the early 1990s at the start of Laguna Phuket.

Another new project which recently began pre-sales is Amari Residences Phuket, a hotel-serviced residence located in one of Phuket’s most prime

The launch of these projects represents a significant change for the market as they are being built by credible Thai developers who are not dependent on immediate cash flow from sales to commence construction. These projects can therefore be delivered on a timely basis and give buyers greater confidence compared to projects built by first-time developers with limited funding. The presence of these developers has also resulted in a marked difference in the product being offered where developers bring their expertise from other markets to Phuket. This is shown in the level of professionalism, quality of show suites and marketing presentation which is setting a new benchmark for the market.

“Having been involved in the Phuket property market for the past 25 years, this is the most significant change we’ve seen in the market since 1997,” said David Simister, Chairman of CBRE Thailand. “The changes have led to renewed interest in the market by both developers and buyers, and the launch of new projects after several years of slowdown. The new Thai demand also reinforces the island’s position as Asia’s leading resort destination.”

SSR strikes right note H

igh demand for technical media training in the Asia/ Pacific region has seen SSR, a private UK educational institution, make its mark in the region over the past 12 months - setting new benchmarks for exporting UK education programmes to overseas markets.

Now, the company is formally offering franchise opportunities to potential investors and existing media training organisations - an opportunity that combines the UK’s excellent reputation for education and technical training with the company’s existing industry connections and educational partnerships.

The success of SSR’s Jakarta campus has enabled the company to further utilise their strong connections in the

Training at SSR Jakarta campus

education and music industries, attracting interest from their UK university partners and paving the way for SSR Jakarta to roll out Honours degree programmes in partnership with the UK’s University of Central

Lancashire (UCLan) from September 2013.

The company has already signed agreements for additional campuses in Singapore and Thailand.

Howzat! Top umpire is Centara VIP guest A

lexandre Glauser (far right), area general manager of Centara Hotels & Resorts Sri Lanka and Teddy Roland (2nd left), hotel manager of Centara Passikudah Resort & Spa Sri Lanka look on as Kumar Dharmasena (2nd right), former member of the Sri Lanka international cricket team that won the 1996 World Cup and now rated as the world’s best umpire, has the honour as the hotel’s first guest of lighting the oil lamp to mark the opening of the Centara property. This is a Sri Lankan tradition that signifies new life and prosperity and is

a blessing ceremony for the newly opened resort.

The newly opened Centara Passikudah Resort & Spa Sri Lanka is located at Passikudah Bay, on Sri Lanka’s north-eastern coast and offers 126 rooms and suites with each featuring a private balcony or terrace. The resort is accessed currently via Trincomalee Airport but flights to the more convenient Batticaloa Airport are scheduled to commence on July 1st. Centara Hotels & Resorts has 40 deluxe and first-class properties covering all Thailand’s major tourist destinations and a further 17 resorts in the Maldives, Vietnam, Bali Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Mauritius.

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Member News

BA in schedule switch for BKK departures B

ritish Airways’ daily departure from Bangkok to London Heathrow is set to be rescheduled when the winter timetable takes effect on 27th October. The new departure time for flight BA10 will be 10.55 hrs, arriving at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 at 16.55 hrs local. Inbound passengers on flight BA09, departing LHR at 15.05 hrs, will now have a scheduled arrival time of 09.20 hrs the following day. Services will operate using wide-bodied Boeing 777-200 aircraft in a three-class configuration.

Country Manager Sriram Narayan says, “British Airways has been flying to Bangkok for more than 80

years and we will continue to provide our customers with the high

quality travel experience that they have come to know so well.”

Leading Thailand hotelier receives prestigious Skal award

O

ne of Thailand’s most knowledgeable and experienced hoteliers, Eric Hallin, has been presented with the Malai Sakolviphak Award by the President of Skal International Bangkok.

The award is presented annually in memory of Malai Sakolviphak, a well-known and highly respected tourism industry figure in Thailand. He passed away in 2011 after many years of distinguished service to Skal - the world’s largest travel and tourism industry networking organisation.

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At the presentation to Eric Hallin, General Manager of The Rembrandt Hotel in Bangkok, Skal International Bangkok President Dale Lawrence said that Mr Hallin had showed tremendous support and commitment to Skal for many years. “Our organisation continues to thrive because of the selfless, enthusiastic support by Skal members such as Eric Hallin,” said Dale Lawrence. “Eric has served Skal in Thailand and the tourism industry with distinction for more than 20 years and it was with considerable pleasure that I nominated him for this very special award.”

Eric Hallin, right, receives the special Skal award.

Photo courtesy of Matt Burns, SEA Images.

GSK investigates A

s part of GSK’s drive to increase access to medicine and improve the quality of life for Thai people, GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Ltd. (GSK) held the 3rd GlaxoSmithKline Investigator Club (GIC) meeting ‘From Molecules to Medicine – Running Research; Running to AEC’.

Participants included medical doctors, researchers and investigators from leading medical institutions in Thailand. The meeting aimed to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing for a network of medical doctors, researchers and investigators with the ultimate goal of developing quality medicines and enhancing treatment outcome.

Dr. Pyatat Tasanavivat, Director of the Clinical Research Collaboration Network, Medical Science Institute of Thailand, said, “Thailand has advanced research standards but lacks research infrastructure, which has

Dr Pyatat Tatsanavivat (front row, second from left), Director of the Clinical Research Collaboration Network (CRCN), and Dr. Sunettra Chinnapha (front row, third from left), Medical Director, GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Ltd.

resulted in less research on new medicines compared to other countries.

Although the government recognises the importance of research work and is promoting research more, it still remains passive.

Leading Thailand hotelier Chanin Donavanik, pictured, gave the keynote address at the recent Asia Pacific Hotel Investment Conference in Bangkok.

Mr Donavanik, CEO of Dusit International, spoke on the subject ‘Seizing Opportunities in the Most Desirable Hotel Investment Markets’. Organisers Questex reported attendance at the conference by some 260 delegates from 24 countries. Recently appointed tourism minister Somsak Pureesrisak was guest of honour.

“Over the past 12 years, the Clinical Research Collaboration Network of Thailand has put a great deal of effort into establishing a new structure for joint medicine research while also improving the system to be more efficient and up to standards. It is hoped that, within five years, we will see changes that push the development of the country’s clinical research up to the government level. This should result in greater co-operation among the agencies concerned, both government and private sector, which will increase the number of new medicine research projects, with greater potential for this research to benefit patients who will be more effectively treated and enjoy a better quality of life.”

GSK focuses upon the research and development of innovative medicines for better global healthcare.

The company conducts considerable research and development for communicable diseases that impact the developing world in line with WHO priorities such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

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Member News

Thai firms banking on cross-border expansion A

greater number of Thai companies are seeking opportunities in cross-border expansion, rather than trying to attract overseas investment, according to a senior figure at Standard Chartered Bank (Thai).

them require more financial support for their business expansion. Business loans were still prevalent but the financing models have become untraditional and diversified, such as syndicated loans and the capital market fund raising.

Plakorn Wanglee, Senior Executive Vice President for Origination and Client Coverage, said that these same companies are looking for diverse sources of funding that respond more to their business strategies and investment objectives.

“The more the companies’ businesses expand beyond the border, the more they require financial facilities to support their international transactions,” said Mr Wanglee. Customers served by the bank’s Origination and Client Coverage department are categorised into five sectors, namely energy, infrastructure and resources; agriculture, food and beverage; telecommunications and electronics; heavy industries and construction, and financial institutes.

“For the last five years I have seen more Thai companies with high liquidity and good fundamentals looking for options for growing their business through offshore outsourcing and access to global markets.

This has set the increasing trend of outward direct investment from Thai companies, thanks to the Bank of Thailand’s capital flows relaxation.

“Key reasons for overseas direct investment are routes to new markets or maintaining share in large or

Plakorn Wanglee

growing markets; companies also want to access to cheaper raw material and natural resources, and they also want to move up their efficiency,” said Plakorn Wanglee.

He said that companies are more visionary in doing business, making

“I believe we will see the change in Thai company’s investment trend for years to come. Their key objective of overseas investment will be the access to new innovations and technology as Thailand is moving from efficiencydriven economy to innovation-driven one.” concluded Plakorn Wanglee.

Boonma Moving and Storage Company is promoting its status as an eco-friendly business with its new ‘go green moving’ concept. To underscore this concept, the company handed staff distinctive green bags to encourage a more sensitive approach to the environment and to reduce the use of plastic bags by using recyclable materials. Boonma’s ‘Go Green Moving Solutions’ will soon extend to its fleet of trucks fuelled by EPA certified bio-diesel and the team members using recycled packing materials.

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Boeing 787 back on service for Qatar Airways Q atar Airways has resumed Boeing 787 Dreamliner services between Doha and London Heathrow after a worldwide grounding of the aircraft in January.

The Doha-based carrier was the first to launch Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights to the UK in December and the return to service means it remains the only airline in the world to operate scheduled 787 flights to and from the United Kingdom.

The first of the airline’s five Boeing 787 Dreamliners returned to service on the Doha – Dubai route on May 1.

The airline will be gradually phasing in Boeing 787 flights over the next few weeks on long-haul routes such as Munich, Frankfurt and Zurich.

UK Ambassador Mark Kent (right) was guest of honour at Shrewsbury International School’s recent Speech Day in Bangkok when he presented Year 12 student Zohar Shoshani (centre) with a Leadership Award, watched by Principal Stephen Holroyd.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said, “The Doha – Heathrow route is one of our most popular international services and so

I’m thrilled that our Dreamliners are back in the skies, providing our passengers with an unparalleled level of service and comfort to and from the UK.”

Fashion designer Julien MacDonald, renowned for his roles as Head Designer of Knitwear for Chanel and Creative Director of French fashion house Givenchy as well as for his own label designs worn by celebrities such as Beyonce, Kylie Minogue and Gwyneth Paltrow, was a guest at Oriental Residence Bangkok. Pictured, left to right, are Terrence Hart - Fashion Director at My Beautiful City, Hannah Filer – Director of Communications at ONYX Hospitality Group, Julien MacDonald and Paul Isaanan Siriroj - Executive Assistant Manager, Oriental Residence Bangkok.

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Dataconsult

Chamber Events

By the Numbers

Table 1: Public Sector Health Facilities Administrative Level Bangkok Metropolis

Facility

No

Medical school hospitals

5

General hospitals

Chris Bruton Director, Dataconsult Ltd.

26

MoPH

4

Royal Thai Police

1

Ministry of Justice

4

Ministry of Defence

5

BMA

8

State enterprises

4

Specialized hospitals / institutions

13

Public health centres / branches Regional level and branches

T

hailand’s healthcare system compares generally favourably with other ASEAN countries, but is behind its more advanced neighbours Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, while being generally well ahead of less developed countries in the region (see Table 3) There are 39 state hospitals of various sizes in Bangkok along with 144 health centres. At a regional level there are 127 hospitals. In the provinces there are 71 general hospitals and 60 military / police hospitals, while at a district and subdistrict level, there are 734 community hospitals and 61,360 health centres of various kinds (see Table 1) Healthcare personnel in the states system include 22,000 physicians, 9,000 dentists, 8,987 pharmacists, 120,000 nurses and 9,200 technical nurses (see Table 2) For private hospitals, of which there are 321 listed nationwide, total personnel number 137,600, of which 7,625 are general physicians and 4,519 specialised physicians.

There are also 2,107 dentists and 52,852 nurses of various categories (see Table 4) Private hospitals are concentrated in Bangkok and central provinces, with 202 of the total (62 per cent).

Most hospitals have been in operation for over 10 years, but only 26 hospitals have any foreign investment, all minority equity.

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75 provinces

68/76

Medical school hospitals

6

Regional hospitals

25

Specialized hospitals

48

Health promotion hospitals

12

Psychiatric hospitals

13

Other

23

General hospitals

71

General hospitals, under MoPH

69

General hospitals, under MoE

2

Military hospitals under the Minstry of Defence Hospital under the Royal Thai Police 878 districts

7,255 subdistricts 74,954 villages

59 1

Community hospitals

734

Municipal health centres (2009)

284

Health centres (2009)

9,768

Community health posts

151

Community PHC centres Rural (2007)

48,049

Urban (2003)

3,108

Source: Ministries of Public Health, Interior, Bangkok Municipal Administration

Table 2: Healthcare public employee in Thailand Catergory

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Physician

21,051

22,651

21,569

19,089

22,019

Dentist

4,187

4,653

4,808

4,278

4,807

Pharmacist

7,940

8,565

8,390

7,689

8,987

Nurse

101,143

105,398

n.a.

101,760

120,003

Technical nurse

12,882

13,146

9,369

8,270

9,229

Source: Bureau of Policy and Strategy, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health

In 2011, private hospital catered for 46,335,000 patients, of which 3 million, or 6.5 per cent were foreigners. Bed occupancy rates are around 55 per cent annual average.

Total revenues of private hospitals reached Baht 121.7 billion in 2011, of which Baht 101.1 billion was derived in Bangkok and central provinces (see Table 5).

Table 3: ASEAN Comparative Health Indicators Country

Brunei

Cambodia Indonesia

Laos

Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam

Health expenditure % of GDP

3.0

5.3

2.5

4.3

4.6

2.1

3.6

4.1

4.2

6.9

Government expenditure on health as % of total government expenditure

7.5

9.8

6.8

5.9

8.4

1

7.1

8.3

13.3

7.8

Health expenditure per capita (US$)

833

41

56

39

316

14

66

1531

160

77

15

49

41

51

33

82

54

55

15

58

Male

76

57

66

62

71

61

67

79

66

70

Female

77

65

71

64

76

67

73

84

74

75

Male

20

14

16

15

17

15

17

22

17

17

Female

20

17

19

17

19

18

20

26

20

20

Personal health expenditure (% of total) Life expectancy at birth (years)

Life expectancy at 60 (years remaining)

Infant mortalily (death by age 1, per 1,000 births)

6

43

27

42

5

50

23

2

11

19

Access to improved drinking water %

n.a.

64

82

67

100

83

92

100

96

95

Access to improved sanitation %

n.a.

31

54

63

96

76

74

100

96

76

Physicians (no. 000) No. per 10,000 population Nurses (no. 000) No. per 10,000 population Dentists (no. 000) No. per 10,000 population Pharmacists (no. 000) No. per 10,000 population Hospital beds per 10,000 population

0.6

3.4

65.7

1.6

25.1

23.7

n.a.

8.3

n.a.

107.1

14.2

2.3

2.9

2.7

9.4

4.6

n.a.

18.3

n.a.

12.2

1.9

11.7

465.7

5.7

72.8

41.4

n.a.

26.8

n.a.

88

48.8

7.9

20.4

9.7

27.3

8

n.a.

59

n.a.

10.1

0.1

0.0

13.7

n.a.

3.6

2.5

n.a.

1.5

n.a.

n.a.

2.1

0.2

0.6

n.a.

1.4

0.5

n.a.

3.2

n.a.

n.a.

0.1

0.1

31.2

n.a.

4.6

n.a.

n.a.

1.7

n.a.

28.4

1.1

0.4

1.4

n.a.

1.7

n.a.

n.a.

3.7

n.a.

3.2

26

n.a.

6

7

18

6

5

31

21

31

Source: World Health Organisation Statistics 2012

Table 4: Private Hospitals in Thailand: Hospital Personnel Hospital size (no. of beds)

1-10

Total personnel

907

11-30

(no. of personnel)

31-50

2,460

7,752

51-100 32,164

101-250 62,927

251+

Total

31,388

137,598

Directors

34

62

144

346

446

230

1,262

Senior Executives

48

196

493

2,137

3,413

1,339

7,625

General Doctor

75

117

319

1,316

2,318

374

4,519

Specialised doctor

30

184

659

3,165

8,429

5,452

17,919

Dentist

2

5

38

363

1,107

592

2,107

Professional Nurse

207

419

1,241

5,446

11,260

5,595

24,168

Technical Nurse

60

39

82

280

372

375

1,209

Auxiliary Nurse

74

69

332

1,489

2,725

1,859

6,550

Assistant Nurse

118

411

752

4,709

9,005

3,291

18,286

Midwife

1

9

21

150

42

124

349

Other Nurse

16

26

78

716

756

699

2,290

Radiologist

22

63

121

388

715

326

1,635

Physical therapist

5

26

52

279

487

419

1,269

Medical technician

21

91

177

474

837

362

1,961

Pharmacist

25

61

155

681

1,354

612

2,887

Nutritionist

11

13

91

131

284

83

514

Other medical

18

72

159

1,248

3,812

3,929

9,238

Service staff

138

595

2,839

8,847

15,564

5,728

33,712

Source: Private Hospital Survey 2012, National Statistical Office, Ministry of ICT

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Table 5: Private Hospitals in Thailand Hospital size (no. of beds)

Hospital size (no. of beds)

1-10

11-30

31-50

51-100

251+

Total

26

33

50

108

87

17

321

Bangkok

3

12

11

21

37

14

98

Central

10

9

North

6

5

10

48

27

-

104

6

19

12

-

48

Northeast

4

1

16

13

6

-

40

South

3

6

7

7

8

-

31

Less than 5 years

2

3

-

10

-

-

15

5-9 years

2

6

4

11

3

-

26

10-19 years

7

10

21

40

41

5

124

20-29 years

10

5

8

30

28

3

84

30+ years

5

10

17

18

14

9

73

Less than 10% share

-

-

-

4

14

3

22

10 - 50% share

-

-

-

-

2

2

4

No. of hospitals: total

101-250

Length of operations

Foreign investment (equity)

over 50% share No. of patients (2011)

-

-

-

-

-

-

0

246

579

1,847

11,661

22,534

9,468

46,335

242

532

1,713

11,401

21,209

8,230

43,326

(000 persons) Thai Foreign

5

47

135

260

1,325

1,238

3,009

16

30

117

579

1,072

362

2,177

Thai

16

26

110

565

1,014

304

2,034

Foreign

0

4

8

14

59

58

143

Inpatients (total)

Outpatients (total)

230

549

1,730

11,082

21,461

9,106

44,158

Thai

226

506

1,603

10,836

20,195

7,926

41,292

Foreign

4

42

127

246

1,266

1,180

2,866

240

887

2,170

8,224

13,001

6,358

30,880

No. of beds (total) Bangkok

23

327

417

1,472

5,869

5,296

13,404

Central

91

225

412

3,816

4,384

-

8,929

246

579

1,847

11,661

22,534

9,468

46,335

38.6

52.1

46.4

53.1

60.4

52.0

55.3

Hospital bed occupancy rate % Nationwide Bangkok

13.4

71.2

47.5

65.6

50.1

54.8

54.0

Central

56.9

50.8

52.6

50.5

56.1

-

53.5

907

2,460

7,752

32,164

62,927

31,388

137,598

Bangkok

83

874

1,781

6,035

31,269

28,407

68,450

Central

Personnel total

363

926

1,532

14,882

19,051

-

36,753

Full-time personnel total

637

1,854

6,180

25,368

48,755

25,250

108,019

Average per establishment

35

75

155

298

723

1,846

429

269

606

1,571

6,796

14,172

6,164

29,578

Part-time personnel total Average per establishment

10

18

31

63

163

363

92

179

1,257

3,334

22,100

55,486

39,320

121,677

Bangkok (bht.m.)

28

802

768

4,685

25,637

37,143

69,063

Central (bht.m.)

76

245

779

11,325

19,624

-

32,047

Total revenues (bht.m.)

Treatment expenses (bht.m.)

65

484

1,488

9,469

24,540

19,613

55,659

Bangkok

8

309

320

1,980

11,897

18,657

33,171

Central

23

98

311

4,844

8,370

-

13,646

Source: Private Hospital Survey 2012, National Statistical Office, Ministry of ICT

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Obituaries

Dacre Raikes

Philip Adkins

Dacre Francis Arthur Raikes was born on 20 December 1925. His father was ViceAdmiral Cecil Dacre Staveley Raikes. Dacre was educated at Radley College, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. He served in the Second World War between 1943 and 1946 in the Royal Navy. Dacre was Managing Director of the Borneo Company (Thailand) Ltd initially in Chiang Mai in 1951.

Of his early years in Chiang Mai Dacre remembered:-

Philip Adkins was born in Luton, Bedfordshire on the 6th of April 1952 but grew up in Cornwall from the age of three.

He was the youngest of three boys, Anthony the eldest and the late David. During his school years he had hoped to be a rugby player and appeared several times for his county. However, his father convinced him to change his mind and after school he ended up joining the Merchant Navy. Sadly Philip’s father died just before he was accepted. Philip became one of the youngest Chief Engineers at sea at the time he left the Navy.

“The train ran about three times a week in the early fifties and there were some flights but you had to move the cows and sheep off the runway before a plane could land.”

“You couldn’t stay late in your office in the mid to late fifties because of the lack of light, so we used to go and play tennis”.

Dacre was British Chamber of Commerce Chairman and Deputy President of the Board of Trade of Thailand from 1967 to 1969.

Dacre played a major role in the chamber’s development. During Dacre’s time as Chairman and with the increased activity the Chamber opened its first office in 1969 employing three staff. He fondly remembered these times:“Board of Trade meetings were ridiculous – there was this farang presiding over multi-millionaire Chinese businessmen, so I just sat back and allowed my aura to spread around the room….with our business usually discussed in private after the meeting” Following retirement Dacre was very much engrossed in the work of the Siam Society. He served on its council for many years and was elected an Honorary Member in 1992. Dacre’s interest in and knowledge of Thai history and archaeology was respected by academics and enthusiasts alike. He also had a great love of music both Western and Thai. He was President and an active supporter of the Bangkok Music Society for many years. He organised overseas visits for troupes of Thai dancers who performed in London, Edinburgh and elsewhere.

Until 2011 he was a regular attendee at the British Chamber Annual Christmas Luncheon and numerous other events during the year. He was kind and considerate with an infectious sense of humour. He was widely respected in Thai and non-Thai business circles and will be greatly missed. He was for many years a member of the British Club Bangkok.

Dacre was an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and a Member of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand. His memoirs would make great reading. Early in April a Morning Talk interview with Jaye Walton was posted on YouTube at the following link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkPjX5AVtuA

Philip had a son Luke, from a previous marriage, who lives in Australia and after was a grandfather to a little girl named Amelia. Philip met his wife Elizabeth and married her in March of 1985 and produced two wonderful children Oliver and Felicity, now 24 and 20 years of age. Oliver and Felicity just completed their Masters and Bachelor degrees which Philip took great pride in seeing them starting their careers.

The Adkins family arrived in Thailand in 1995, a country and people that Philip came to love very much considering his extensive travel in life. It was in Thailand where Philip discovered his passion for golf and later on organised the former group called Bags. With Bags, in addition to a fun loving golf game with friends, Bags raised funds for many charities at the tournaments. Philip had a very interesting career life from an engineering officer in the Merchant Navy to working in journalism, then oil and gas before going into banking and finance which he had a natural ability for.

During the time in Thailand, Philip arrived as Chief Representative and Head of Research with Standard Chartered Securities before joining Seamico as a Senior Vice President. The last 10 years saw Philip going back to his roots, working in finance and strategy with Mermaid Maritime and Horizon Communications and then setting up his own joint strategic and financial consulting practice with Central River Group and All Seasons Consulting.

More recently, he enjoyed weekends close to the sea in Bangsaray, Chonburi. Fortuitously, in April this year, Philip was in the UK visiting his wife and children and was able to celebrate his 61st birthday with them. Philip Adkins had a keen sense of humour, an outgoing personality larger than life and a kind word to many. He will be missed by family and friends.

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Make a date for Ploenchit Fair What is the Ploenchit Fair?

The Ploenchit Fair is quite simply Bangkok’s Big Day Out. Arguably the biggest Fair in Asia, it has been part of the social scene in Thailand since the first Fair was held at the British Embassy in 1957.

Everybody comes to the Ploenchit Fair – the theme is a traditional British fairground and it’s a day to meet all your friends, pick up some fabulous bargains, sample great international cuisine, exhaust the children with a variety of fun fair games and rides, or just knock back some champagne, cold beer or even Pimms while enjoying great bands who perform throughout the afternoon on the main stage.

When is it?

The Fair will be held on Saturday 23rd November from 10.00 am – 9.00 pm Where is the Fair being held?

This year the Fair will take place at Bangkok Patana School, 643 Soi La Salle, Sukhumvit 105 and there will be a free shuttle bus service from Bang Na skytrain to and from the Fair. There is also ample parking.

What will I find at the Ploenchit Fair?

There’s something for everyone at the Fair – games, rides and competitions for the kids and adults including a Ferris Wheel, Bungee Jump, Water Roller Ball, Hands Spin Boats, Giant Slide, Golf, Coconut Shy, Grand Raffle to name but a few. The main stage hosts a variety of excellent bands and performers through out the day while a genuinely mind boggling array of food and drink is available from some of the best bars and restaurants in Bangkok.

Get all your Christmas shopping done early at Petticoat Lane Bazaar where some 70 vendors sell beautiful handicrafts, home wares, clothes and accessories, books, jewellery and 68

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everything else you never knew you needed. Tesco and Boots, our high street giants have gift-sets, hampers and special prices for you.

Why is it called the Ploenchit Fair?

Prior to 2001 the Fair had been held in the gardens to the British Embassy for over four decades on Ploenchit Road. The Fair is held in such high affection and the name has become so

well known that it has stuck despite several subsequent relocations.

Is it only the British Community who helps or goes to the Fair?

Definitely not! You will find almost every nationality represented amongst the stallholders and visitors to the Fair. Whilst the Fair may have started as a way for the British Community to express their

appreciation to their Thai hosts and share a traditional bit of British fun, they are now enthusiastically joined by many nations.

Who runs the Ploenchit Fair?

The fair is planned, organized and managed by the BCTFN along with an army of over 2000 volunteers.

Many organisations assist the BCTFN hugely including private and public companies, businesses and the British Embassy.

What does the BCTFN stand for?

BCTFN stands for the British Community in Thailand Foundation for the Needy. The organisation has evolved from humble beginnings in 1946 as the simply titled ‘Charity Fair’, through to the 1950’s when it be-

came established as the United Kingdom Committee for Thai Charities (UKCTC) under the auspices of the British Embassy and in 1999 when the UKCTC became a fully authorised and recognised Thai Charity Foundation. The name changed to reflect Thai law which requires the name of the charitable foundation to clearly reflect the purpose of the charity.

What happens to the money that the Fair raises?

The BCTFN disburses funds to a wide range of projects (see below).

Since the year 2000 alone, the Fair has raised over 60 million baht which has benefited a diverse range of organisations. In recent years, priority has been given to self-help projects that benefit and enable a com-

munity to become self-sustaining.

Assistance has also been given in the provision of basic necessities and equipment to improve healthcare, nutrition, education, agricultural projects and the disabled throughout Thailand Donations are never made in cash. Once a project is approved, building plans, estimates and invoices etc will be met by the BCTFN and payment made directly to contractors and suppliers. Details of projects are on the website www. bctfn.org and www.ploenchitfair.org To contact BCTFN: 591/17 Sukhumvit Road Soi Villa, between Soi 33 and 33/1 Bangkok 10110 Tel: 02 204 1587 Email: bctfn@loxinfo.co.th

Charities supported since Ploenchit Fair 2012 Organisation

Location

Donation

Project details

Camillian Home for Children living with Disabilities

Bangkok

240,000

Deejai Foundation

Bangkok

150,000

Rural Medical Aid Foundation

Bangkok

200,000

Christian Care Foundation for Children with Disabilities

Bangkok

62,000

Pattaya

158,000

Kanchanaburi

168,000

Water storage tanks, computer batteries and electric wheelchair.

Bangkok

120,000

Fund to enable the Church to support Shalem House which caters for families attending hospitals for specialist treatments from up-country.

Saeng Sawan Orphanage

Nakon Sawan

59,000

Drinking water facilities for this orphanage for children

Rajaphat University sponsored students Annual building programme

Nakon Sawan

208,400

St. Joseph's Home

Betong

175,000

Khom Loy Development Foundation

Mae Sot

176,250

Foundation for Disabled Persons

Chiang Mai

200,000

Rejoice Urban Development Fdn.

Chiang Mai

90,000

Tawan Chai Foundation

Chiang Mai

114,000

Baan Huay Khun School

Mae Sot

239,000

Good Shepherd Sisters

Din Daeng Bangkok

600,000

Baan Sabaai

Chiang Mai

100,000

Father Ray's Foundation Baan Unrak School Christchurch

Pumping system for the new aquatic-therapy pool for disabled children.

Approved books for 5 schools in Kanchanaburi, Prajeenburi, Petchburi and Prachuabkirikhan.

Drug expenses for their volunteer doctors weekend visits to rural upcountry sites - 8 trips - 2,500 patients treated to date.

Transportation costs for 350 children from 3 orphanages and special education schools to atttend up-country camp Cost of setting up a project with provides safe living and education for 850 underprivileged children and students with special needs which cannot be accessed in the Pattaya area.

Costs of building materials to build a multi-purpose school village building in Tambon Hadsung during their vacation.

Half-yearly payment for food and medicine for this old people's home and orphanage on the Malaysian border Set-up a training and the practice project of pig-rearing to assist the needy.

After a donation of 17,400 sets of lenses from Australia, cost to set up a project for the disabled to make frames and distribute free reading glasses to northern Thai rural persons.

Half yearly supply of palliative medicines and formula milk powder for this mobile clinic that treats HIV/Outreach patients.

Foundation for physically and mentally disabled individuals to enable elderly, physically disabled to be trained and have a satisfactory life to live in the community. Multi purpose learning centre, animal shelters and agricultural materials.

Cost of setting up 52 bunk beds, bedding and mosquito nets to enable this school for hilltribe children to accommodate and educate their students who otherwise would not be able to attend.

Annual supply of raw materials to enable abused and homeless women to be trained and produce garments for sale. Assistance towards the youth training scheme.

Emergency Shelter for HIV/Aids and homeless - vegetable growing and animal husbandry project.

3,059,650

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Chamber Events

Chamber Events BCCT/AustCham/NZTCC Professional Women’s Group

BCCT Boardroom Briefing on Burma

7 March 2013

13 March 2013

The joint BCCT/AustCham/NZTCC Professional Women’s Group Evening on 7th March at Le Méridien Bangkok Hotel was an enjoyable event with a theme of Fifty Shades of Grey – Staying Young and Healthy. Warm thanks to our sponsor Samitivej Hospital.

The British Ambassador to Burma Andrew Heyn was guest speaker at a BCCT Boardroom Briefing on 13th March at Sivatel Hotel.

From left to right: - Chris Thatcher, Anglo-Thai Legal/BCCT Vice Chairman - Simon Matthews, Manpower Group/BCCT Vice Chairman - Porntip Utsahaphan, Samitivej Hospital/PWG Committee - Dr. Wimlak Suadee, Samitivej Hospital - Dr. Tanom Bunaprasert/Samitivej Hospital - Nicolas Leloup, Samitivej Hospital

From left to right: - Simon Matthews, Manpower Group/BCCT Vice Chairman - Gary Biesty, South Asia Law/BCCT Board Director - Andrew Heyn, British Ambassador to Burma - Andrew McBean, Grant Thornton/BCCT Board Director - Chris Thatcher, Anglo-Thai Legal/BCCT Vice Chairman

St. Patrick’s Day Shindig

GTCC Joint Luncheon with PM Yingluck Shinawatra

14 March 2013

27 March 2013 BCCT joined with the Irish-Thai Chamber of Commerce (ITCC) for an excellent St. Patrick’s Day Shindig on 14th March at JW Marriott Bangkok Hotel.

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was guest speaker at a GTCC Joint Chambers Luncheon on 27th March at Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit.

From left to right: - Chris Thatcher, Anglo-Thai Legal/BCCT Vice Chairman - Paul Scales, ITCC President - Simon Matthews, Manpower Group/BCCT Vice Chairman

- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra

Thank you to our sponsors and partners.

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Chamber Events

Joint Eastern Seaboard Networking Evening

BCCT Half-Day Workshop 25 April 2013

29 March 2013 AMCHAM hosted the Joint Eastern Seaboard Networking Evening on 29th March at the Drift Lounge, Hilton Pattaya.

On 25th April the BCCT Management Development Group organised the Thai language Half-Day Workshop on Problem Solving & Decision Making at Sivatel Hotel.

From left to right: - George Stramp - Phillippe Krongberg, Hilton Pattaya - David Nardone, Hemaraj - Graham Macdonald, MBMG - Apichart Gulati, Grand Caribbean Condo Resort - Simon Matthews, Manpower Group/BCCT Vice Chairman

Facilitator Khun Norawach Comchaeon, Property Care Services Thailand Ltd (PCS) (standing second from right) with participants

T3 – Third Thursday Networking Evening

BCCT Site Visit to Wall’s Ice Cream Factory

25 April 2013

30 April 2013

The T3 – Third Thursday Networking Evening at Up & Above Restaurant and Bar on 25th April was an enjoyable evening.

A warm thanks to our sponsor The Okura Prestige Bangkok.

On 30th April Unilever Thai Holdings kindly hosted a visit

by BCCT members to the Wall’s Ice Cream factory at the Ladkrabang Industrial Estate.

From left to right: - Samir Wildemann, The Okura Prestige Bangkok - Michal Zitek, Imperial Queen’s Park

- BCCT members at the Wall’s Ice Cream factory

- Greg Watkins, BCCT - Chris Thatcher, Anglo-Thai Legal/BCCT Vice Chairman

C 100 M 0 Y 30.5 K 6

C 0 M 27.5 Y 100 K 0

C 47 M 94 Y 0 K 0

C 100 M0 Y 30.5 K 25

C 0 M 27.5 Y 100 K 0

Thank you to our sponsors and partners.

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Chamber Events

Joint BCCT/British Embassy Breakfast Briefing

BCCT Wine Evening 7 May 2013

2 May 2013 On 2nd May British Ambassador Mark Kent kindly hosted a breakfast briefing at The Residence for BCCT members.

On 7th May Cascade Club and Hugh Hamilton Wines kindly hosted and sponsored BCCT Wine Evening at Aldo’s.

British Ambassador Mark Kent (standing) updated members on political and economic developments in Thailand since his arrival eight months ago.

From left to right: - David Williamson, Cascade Club - Jyoti Sachavirawong, BCCT - Hugh Hamilton - Visarut Phadermchit, Guarantee Services Marketing Agency

BCCT/AustCham ICT Evening Presentation

Joint Eastern Seaboard Networking Evening

9 May 2013

10 May 2013

On 9th May Rob De Jonge, Venda Software Development and Tim Verouden, DTAC were guest speakers at a Joint BCCT/AustCham ICT Evening Presentation on Convergent Commerce Worldwide trends with a focus on “same same but different” Thailand.

On 10th May the Hard Rock Pattaya kindly hosted a Joint Eastern Seaboard Networking Evening at Soul Lounge.

A warm thanks to our sponsors Asian Tigers, MRI Worldwide Recruitment, Pattaya Property Auctions and Legacy of Legends.

(from left to right) - Chris Thatcher, Anglo-Thai Legal/ BCCT Vice Chairman - Robert Marchant - James William Helm, Venda Software Development

From left to right: - Pichada Rajavechpisal, Asian Tigers - Mark Hamill-Stewart, MRI Worldwide Recruitment - Kevin Fisher, Legacy of Legends - John Collingbourne, Pattaya Property Auctions - Joe Barker-Bennett, BCCT Board Director

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- Tim Verouden, DTAC - Nipapat Hamilton, British Embassy - Rob De Jonge, Venda Software Development - David Quine, Yes Technologies

Chamber Events

BCCT Boardroom Briefing (UKTI Head in Cambodia)

BCCT One-Day Workshop on ‘Effective Presentation Skills’

14 May 2013

16 & 17 May 2013

On Tuesday 14 May Head of UKTI at the British Embassy in Phnom Penh Jeffrey Lamb briefed BCCT members on economic and political issues on Cambodia.

On Thursday 16th & Friday 17th May BCCT organised a one-day workshop on Effective Presentation Skills.

- Jeffrey Lamb (second from right) with BCCT members

- The facilitator (standing) was Khun Pachara (Billy) Yongjiranon of Smart World Asia

T3 – Third Thursday Networking Evening 16 May 2013 Pathumwan Princess Hotel kindly sponsored the T3 networking evening on Thursday 16th May at their newly renovated Executive Function Room.

- General Manager of the Pathumwan Princess Christoph Knichel (left) with BCCT Vice Chairman Simon Matthews.

From left to right: - Ola Gergenkop, Best Western - Nathalie Post, Pachara Suites - Veronique Sirault, Park Plaza Sukhumvit Bangkok

Thank you to our sponsors and partners.

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Comings and Goings The British Chamber of Commerce Thailand welcomes the following new members: A&C Associates Ltd. 2, Broome Court, Broompark, Durham DH77SX United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 75 9048 5060, +44 (0) 19 1384 3438 Website: www.ancassociates.com Representative: Mr. Andy Skowronski, Director Business Activity: Two Strands to the business Consultants to the FMCG and Food Service Industry and Procurement Training Specialists running a cutting edge three days program.

Bridgewater Worldwide Ltd. Crossford Court, Dane Road, Sale, Cheshire M33 7BZ United Kingdom Tel: +44(0) 161 408 4272 Fax: +44 (0) 843 290 4480 Email: Info@teacherswealth.org Website: www.teacherswealth.org

Representatives: Mr. Phill Ridgway, Financial Planner / Director Mr. Christopher Wicks, Chartered Financial Planner / Director Business Activity: Specialist Independent Financial Advisers To The International Teacher Community For impartial advice on: Retirement planning, Tax efficient investment, Insurance (life, incapacity, travel and medical), Estate planning, International banking, UK Tax and National Insurance Our clients benefit from: Qualified and experienced advisers,

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Continued advice wherever they move, Regular face to face reviews, Targeted retirement funding, Structured investment process, Access to UK and EU regulated advice Cranes and Equipment Asia Co., Ltd. 41/13, Moo 1, T. Thungsukhla A. Sriracha, Chonburi 20230 Tel: +66 (0) 38-354-773 Fax: +66 (0) 38-354-019 Website: www.ceaprojects.com Representative: Mr. Kevin Fisher, Managing Director

HKR International (Thailand) Ltd. 18 Floor, Bangkok Insurance Building, 25 Sathorn Road, Thungmahamek, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120 Tel: +66 (0) 2344-2800 Fax: +66 (0) 2344-2833 Website: www.hkri.com

Representative: Ms. Vivian Sze, General Manager Business Activity: HKRI, a Hong Kong listed company, has developed The Sukhothai Residences which is an ultra-luxury freehold condominium adjacent to The Sukhothai Hotel, with wealth of professional management services.

Oxford Business Group 131, Great Titchfield St. London W1W5BB United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 20-7403-7213 Fax: +44 (0) 17-3026-0274 Website: www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com

Representative: Ms. Clementine Hazeran, Country Director Business Activity: Oxford Business Group, OBG is a global publisher and consultancy producing annual investment and economic reports on more than 34 countries. Every business intelligence yearly book is known as the most in-depth and updated source of information available on a country. The reports are based on in-country research and informative discussions led by local teams and experienced analysts.

Promech Resources Co., Ltd. B2/ Floor A3, KPN Tower 719 Rama 9 Road, Bangkapi Huay Kwang, Bangkok 10310 Tel: +66 (0) 2717-1406/7 Fax: +66 (0) 2717-1408 Website: www.manitouthai.com

Representative: Mr. Malcolm T. Williams Managing Director Business Activity: Promech is a specialised sales and rental provider of materials handling, lifting, warehousing and powered access equipment representing world class brands including Manitou (France), Gehl (USA), Kroll (Denmark), Raimondi (Italy) , GSR (Italy) . It is a solutions focused business offering full service, technical support and aftersales service across the full range of related products and services. Active in the construction, industrial, offshore, mining and agribusiness sectors and offering turnkey solutions to lifting and MHE projects.

Based in Thailand with operations also in Lao PDR and Myanmar.�

Sansiri PLC. Siripinyo Building, 475 Sri Ayutthaya Phayathai, Rajthavi Bangkok 10400 Tel: +66 (0) 2201-3322 Fax: +66 (0) 2201-3284 Website: www.sansiri.com/en/main Representative: Ms. Ob-oom Chutrakul, Social Director Ms. Sopida Chiewcharnvalijkit, Marketing Communications Manager Business Activity: With over 237 projects throughout Thailand, Sansiri is widely regarded as the country’s leading developer of quality houses, townhouses and condominiums. We provide homes with carefully designed spaces, where every detail is thoroughly considered in order to cater to families of all sizes.

Sansiri offers a total home and lifestyle package, complete with consistent after-sales services and Sansiri Family privileges, to ensure the perfect living experience for all residents. Sansiri Social Change is a concrete expression of our commitment to society at large.

The UNICEF-Sansiri partnership aims to promote the wellbeing of children in a sustainable manner, with our collaborative programmes striving to provide equal rights and opportunities for all children.

Sindicatum Carbon Capital (Thailand) Limited 79 Moo 8, Tungbua Kampangsaen Nakornpatom 73140 Tel: +66 (0) 34-352-278 Fax: +66 (0) 34-352-476 Website: www.sindicatum.com

Representative: Mrs. Michelle O’Hare Senior Vice President Business Activity: Renewable Energy

Representative: Mrs Clasine Clements, BD Manager Mr. Humphrey R. de Bell Managing Director

5. Heritage Estates Co., Ltd., changed from Mr. Wim Somers, to Mr. Gavin Vongkusolkit 6. Horseshoe Point Resort & Residence, changed from Khun Patanapong Anuman Rajadhon, to Ms. Girana AnumanRajadhon 7. MMD Asia Pacific Limited, changed from Mr. Graham Leivers, to Mr. Montree Pichayathana 8. Oriental Residence Bangkok, changed from Mr. Paul Siriroj, to Mr. Alexander R Blair 9. TI Automotive (Thailand) Limited., changed from Mr. David Murrell, to Mr. Simon Velvin

Business Activity: Energy savings in both new as well as existing buildings

Changes of company name:

Thermaflex Insulation Asia Co., Ltd 10 M. 12, Nong Prue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20260 Tel: +66 (0) 38-734-431 Fax: +66 (0) 38-249-003 Website: www.thermaflex.com

Resignations & Cancellation: 1.

2.

3.

4.

ATA Lifecoach Company Limited Concordian International School Ducati Motor (Thailand) Co., Ltd. G4S International Logistics (Thailand) Limited 5. Investigations Asia 6. Osotspa Co., Ltd. 7. Philips Electronics (Thailand) Ltd. 8. Portsmouth Mann International Ltd. 9. TNT Express Worldwide (Thailand) Co., Ltd. 10. Wragge & Co LLP

New Company Representatives: 1. AB Food & Beverages (Thailand) Ltd, changed from Mr. Alex King, to Mr. George Fatouros 2. Bromsgrove International School Thailand, changed from Mr. Jon Wingfield, to Mr. Steve Challoner 3. Ceva Logistics (Thailand) Ltd., changed from Mr. Dean Thorpe, to Mr. David Kemp 4. Dream Hotel (Thailand) Limited, changed from Mr. Ranjit Singh Ghura, to Mr. Tawatchai Hormchant

1. PageGroup, changed to Michael Page Members with new addresses: 1.

2.

3.

Asianet Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers Ltd. 59/199, M. 16, British Town, Srinakarin Road, Bangkaew, Bangplee Samut Prakan 10540 Tel: +66 (0) 2758-8482 Fax: +66 (0) 2758-8480 British Airways PLC 10 Floor, Unit 1007 Abdulrahim Place 990 Rama IV Road Bangkok 10500 Tel: 001 80 0441 5906 MMD Asia Pacific Limited 25th Floor, 1550 Thanapoom Building, New Petchaburi Road Makkasan, Ratchathawi Bangkok 10400 Tel: +66 (0) 2652-7994-6 Fax: +66 (0) 2652-7998

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FINAL WORD

Just plain crackers

By Dale Lawrence

T

added. “The police are using scare tactics on businesses because they can’t break the will of the locals.’

hey have been rolling cheese down Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire for hundreds of years.

But this age-old West Country tradition has fallen foul of the dreaded ‘elf and safety’ brigade.

Health and safety officials sought to stop the event in 2010 but a group of ‘rebel cheese rollers’ from Brockworth continue to defy the ban. The annual cheese rolling consists of five races – three for men, one for women and a safer uphill chase for children. Some injuries have occurred over the years, including various broken bones, but it has always been understood that competitors take part at their own risk.

The annual Whitsun Bank Holiday spectacle, which attracts hundreds of competitors and thousands of onlookers, was reduced to farce this year with a foam look-alike cheese replacing the usual home-made round Double Gloucester.

Diana Smart, 86, has been making cheese for the event since 1988 at her farm in Churcham. But this year she received a visit from three police officers who issued a warning that she could be held responsible if a competitor suffered an injury during one of the downhill races.

Mrs Smart, whose customers include luxury grocers Fortnum and Mason, told reporters, “It’s crackers

Diana Smart

the fact that the police warned me not to give the event some cheese.

It’s always brought me such joy and a smile. The police were so heavyhanded. They threatened me, saying I would be wholly responsible if anyone got injured. I’m 86 and I don’t have the will or the cash to fight any lawsuits. “It’s such a shame,” she

It remains unclear why three police officers were needed to deliver such a stern warning to Diana Smart but it is worth noting that figures revealed under the Freedom of Information Act show that Gloucestershire Police responded to 28,353 crimes in 2012 – but 73 percent were closed without any offender being brought to justice.

Taxman traps cricket clubs

W

hilst British taxpayers protest against tax avoidance schemes implemented by multi-nationals such as Google, Amazon and Starbucks, your friendly local taxman is targetting sports clubs across England’s green and pleasant land.

HMRC is targeting the tiny amounts community sports clubs pay to helpers in a bid to boost its coffers.

Tax inspectors pounced on Sawbridgeworth Cricket Club in Hertfordshire, spending several hours examining the accounts and scrutinising the small payments made to helpers. Inspectors also queried 76

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the club’s tradition of paying £125 to a few members for accommodating foreign players who coached the team during the cricket season.

The payments covered accommodation and meals for the visitors.

The club received a tax bill totalling more than £17,000 in penalties and interest.

HMRC did, eventually, waive some of the penalties. But the club, which celebrated its 150th anniversary last year, has been forced to take out a loan and ask its 350 members to help meet the crippling final bill of almost £15,500.

Chairman Val Waring said it was a ‘David versus Goliath’ battle for the club, which plays in Division 2 East in the Home Counties cricket league. She said, ‘It’s galling when you read day after day about these companies getting out of paying tax. £15,000 hurts us a lot more than a couple of million hurts them.”

The final word comes from Elaine Clarke of consultancy Cheapaccounting who said, “This is a tax on village life. HMRC is treating local community clubs in the same way as big business and it’s ludicrously unfair.” More than that, it’s simply not cricket.

ALGERIA, BAHRAIN, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, COLOMBIA, CÔTE D’IVOIRE, EGYPT, GABON, GHANA, INDONESIA, JORDAN, KUWAIT, LEBANON, LIBYA, MALAYSIA, MEXICO, MONGOLIA, MOROCCO, MYANMAR, NIGERIA, OMAN, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, PANAMA, PERU, QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA, SENEGAL, SOUTH AFRICA, THAILAND, THE PHILIPPINES, TUNISIA, TURKEY, UAE: ABU DHABI, UAE: DUBAI, UAE: RAS AL KHAIMAH

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