Hua Hin Today, September 2021

HUA HIN • CHA-AM • PRANBURI

ISSUE 230 • SEPTEMBER 2021

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SUMMARY OF COVID-19 REPORT

CITY CENTRE AND NONG KAE TO BE ‘FREEDOM ZONE’ FOR OCTOBER REOPENING

38 August deaths, 5 clusters named, Hospitals coping well with 900 beds still unused. p.8

Hua Hin has been making preparations 2 sub-districts of the city, but with reduced Zone and extra testing measures required. p.2

HUA HIN BIZTALK Much more work needed to have Hua Hin ready for the reopening. p.24

Majestic Creek Golf Club & Resort is one of the most unique golf courses in Thailand since there is a 27 -hole gem, lying in the beautiful undulating countryside close to the mountains separating Myanmar from Thailand and only 25 minutes outside the Royal town of Hua Hin. There will be a very warm welcome for you here at the Majestic Creek Golf Club and Resort and we look forward to seeing you soon.

MAJESTIC CREEK GOLF CLUB & RESORT 164 Moo 4,Tab Tai, Hua Hin 77110, Thailan Tel: +66 (0) 3251 0672 Mobile: +66 (0) 81 942 3619 Email: bookings@majesticcreekcc.com www.majesticcreekcc.com

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ISSUE 230 • SEPTEMBER 2021

Cover Story

HUA HIN & CHA AM

SET TO BE INCLUDED IN THAILAND’S OCTOBER REOPENING TO FOREIGN TOURISTS T

hailand’s tourism minister, Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, confirmed to business media that his ministry, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand were working on adding seven provinces in the Eastern seaboard and North-East Thailand to the reopening plans for foreign tourists. October is also slated for the reopening of Bangkok, Hua Hin and Cha-Am, according to the government’s timeline of “opening within 120 days”, that the Prime Minister previously announced. Hua Hin/Cha-am, ’Thailands Riviera’ is deemed of strategic importance to the nation and must be a central pillar of the governments policy on reopening.

Hua Hin newspaper had the opportunity to interview the new tourism director of Prachuap province, Mr Isra Stapanaseth, who was appointed on August 1st to replace Miss Soraya Homchuen who transfers to work in France, and he shared with us information on the measures that Hua Hin will take to open the city in October. He told us “Hua Hin has been making preparations to reopen 2 sub-districts of the city, Nong Kae & Hua Hin city centre, 86.36 sq. km with a population of 90,000. The principle of the plan is that 70% of the population of this area must be vaccinated first, currently 50% has been achieved but it is expected the target will be reached before the end of September. Tourism and tourists have changed and safety and health have become a new focus, Hua Hin must be prepared and manage the development of the city accordingly. We must provide more activities for tourists during their stay, such as golf, soft adventure, wellness programs, and food content programs focusing on local food.

In fact, tourists to our region are 75% Thai and 25% are high-value overseas visitors. TAT now has agencies in 29 countries to market and publicise the benefits of Hua Hin, and much will depend on how much our city is ready to adapt and welcome foreign tourists. With the PR done we must complete our readiness and produce the brochures and online marketing materials, D-Day is approaching and the plan must be to fully open the country in January 2022”.

Options being looked at include setting up a command centre, possibly managed by Hua Hin Municipality, or maybe Prachuap Provincial Disease Control Division, to advise and give information, and tourists should download and use Apps during their stay. There are already many safety measures in place, tourists entering the country have to pass through a system of many screening measures such as; 1. Gaining a Certificate of Entry to Thailand, (COE).

2. Obtaining a negative RT-PCR Covid-19 test result within 72 hours prior to travel.

3. Download and register in the ThailandPlus App.

4. Showing a Covid-19 vaccination record card.

5. Further RT- PCR testing after arrival at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The re-opening plans show that tourists to Hua Hin/Cha-am will take a further RT-PCR test on arrival at their hotel, and only after 3 hours assuming the result is negative can they leave the hotel, at this stage though they must remain within the designated territory of 86.36 sq. km previously mentioned for the next 14 days. There will be further tests on day 7 and day 13 and only after 3 negative tests are they allowed to travel outside the zone to wherever they like in Thailand.

Hua Hin is 1 of the 5 cities that generate tourism income for the country.

Hua Hin has long been a popular tourist destination among Thai’s, Bangkok residents love to visit for a long romantic weekend, but its popularity among foreign visitors is growing thus meriting its inclusion in the new ‘October scheme’. Mr Krot Rojanasathien, member of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and President of the Thai Spa Association recently revealed the expectation that during the 4th quarter, (October-December 2021), there will be about 100,000 foreign tourists coming in and they will generate an income for the area of more than 1,200 million baht. This would represent a great boost for local entrepreneurs, hotels, shopping malls, restaurants, shops and businesses in all sectors, and a potential lifesaver for the more than 89,000 employees and workers in the service sector.

Thailand is ramping up production of Covid-19 vaccines and hopes to have the capacity to produce between 1-5 million doses per month, 60 million doses per year.

From the Editor

HUA HIN TODAY

MANAGEMENT Honorary Chairman: Dr Thanachai Theerapattanavong Chairwoman: kittikorn Theerapattanavong CEO: Titikorn Theerapattanavong CFO: Duangsuda Pirompin EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief: Visa Chimdee Sub-Editor: Martin Cooke Art Director: SUWIT PODWARAPORN

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e are all looking forward to the easing of lockdown measures and to resuming our normal business operations, some are hopeful, some are disappointed that although the government has liberated some businesses they must still operate under strict rules.

Hua Hin is very busy planning and preparing for the re-opening of the city in October if there are no variables to make the launch impossible, Hua Hin and Cha-Am are part of the national strategy in the East Coast Riviera project which has been heavily promoted by the government. In addition, the gathering of business operators for the Hua Hin Recharge project looks to be succeeding in its aim to have 70% of the population vaccinated in order to welcome tourists without quarantine, which I have already reported in the cover page story of this issue.

After two years of living with Covid-19, the Thai people have learned many things through multiple lockdowns, increasing fatalities, tremendous misery and hardship, as Thai authorities battle to halt a tide of infections currently threatening. When Thailand reached the grim milestone of more than one million accumulated Covid-19 infection cases last month, and Prachuap Khiri Khan and Hua Hin city became a Dark Red Zone with the maximum control measure. We might have learnt some lessons and gained experience from the Covid crisis from the agency’s neglect and carelessness in lifestyle and no public r esponsibility. The world needs to accept the fact that we will have to live with this virus, it will never be eliminated, it is not going away no matter how many booster vaccinations there are, a healthy person is likely to not even notice they got it, and those vulnerable need to be protected with better protections in place.

The best way all of us must comply with government measures and principles in order to prevent spread for the good of the future of Hua Hin. Yours truly, Ms Visa Chimdee (Editor-in-Chief)

Letter to Editor Dear Editor I hope Hua Hin Today can draw to the attention of the local Municipality about the poor maintenance and complete lack of street lights across Hua Hin. There are now many locations throughout town where street lights either do not work, are in poor condition or simply do not exist!

I specifically refer to Soi 112. And while excellent work has been carried out to extend that road, the lack of street lighting makes driving at night really quite dangerous.

Yours faithfully Richard in Thap Thai

Dear Richard We hear you loud and clear!

You are not the first person to raise the issue of street lighting in Hua Hin. Indeed it is a problem throughout Thailand, particularly on major roads, which are often dimly lit.

We know officials at the Municipality read the newspaper and we will raise this matter with them.

Ultimately, the issue of street lighting comes down to budget constraints and with the town taking a hit to income due to the pandemic, it could be some time yet before we see new or improved street lighting in Hua Hin. Kind regards Editor

ADVERTISING Visa Chimdee Tel: 086 3693 604 e-mail: visa@huahintoday.com MARKETING Digital Marketing: Kayes Nihon PRODUCTION Production Manager: Lamai Wongwanakul JAYNALYN MEDIA Co Ltd (Hua Hin) Address: 87/3 Soi Hua Thanon 19, KhaoTakiab Road, Nong kae, Hua Hin, Prachuab Khiri Khan 77110 Website: huahintoday.com Facebook: facebook.com/huahintodaynews Twitter: twitter.com/huahintoday Tel: 086 3693 604, 032 900 150 Email: visa@huahintoday.com JAYNALYN MEDIA Co Ltd (Head Office) Address: 194 Soi Pridi Banomyong 46 (Soi Chit Wari), Sukhumvit 71 Road, Klong Tan Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Tel: 02 391 9595

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VILLAGERS OPPOSE NEW ELECTRIC WASTE DISPOSAL PLANT IN SAM ROI YOT

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illagers at Sam Roi Yot joined together to submit a letter to oppose the plans for an electric waste disposal plant in the area because they are afraid of the impact on the environment and the community.

On August 26th, in front of the Silaloi district office of Sam oi Yot, rachuap Khiri Khan, more than 50 villagers from 2 sub-districts went to submit a letter of complaint to the Damrongtham district centre to oppose the construction of an electric waste disposal plant, in fear that it will affect the livelihoods of villagers, the environment and also agricultural crops.

Mrs oppawan ankong, the representative of the villagers, said that locally they have heard reports of plans to construct a new waste disposal plant in the Rai Khao area of the Khao Noi Municipality, and they are strongly opposed to it. The mooted ‘Electric energy from waste’ project that has been discussed as

the solution for the Hua Hin waste problem needs a site for its home but clearly nobody wants it in their back garden . The villagers have valid concerns that it would certainly have a negative impact on the quality of their lives and damage their physical health and their local environment and ecosystem.

They came to submit a letter to the Damrongtham centre in an attempt to verify the facts of whether or not plans have been submitted, and if so at what stage the plans have reached. If it is true and the construction is planned they want their voices to be heard that they are strongly against it and wish to block the plan. They feel their lives will be ruined and the negative impacts on mental health and livelihoods cannot be measured in financial terms, the impact will not only be felt in a small area but in fact by the whole district. “This will have a severe effect on everything, the pollution impacts people, animals and the environment”. If the construction is completed, the factory will receive up to 400 tons of waste per day from all areas of the province, this means heavy volumes of large trucks transporting garbage into the area, about 0 trips per day, which will cause pollution, and toxic fumes and substances affecting the daily life of the people in the region.

Mr atakorn Temchayakul, Senior ermanent Secretary of Sam oi Yot district, has received the villagers’ complaints, and he has promised them that he will investigate the matter with the relevant authorities and report back to them with details of any plans and how far they have reached.

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SUPPLYING ‘MINERAL LICK’ FOR WILDLIFE WELFARE

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hai ational arks have moved to replenish their inventory for the supply of Mineral ick for the prevention and treatment of umpy Skin Infection at the aeng rachan World Heritage orest. Mr. Wichai Watcharawongpaiboon, irector of Conservation Area Administration Office , hetchaburi, revealed that from studies of the case of a Gaur carcass found infected with lumpy Skin infection in the uiburi ational ark area, the team has surveyed and followed up methods in order to prevent further infection in the region. Local government organisations, such as the Department of ational arks Wildlife and lant Species, have emphasised the surveillance of emerging diseases in wildlife in the aeng rachan World Heritage orest, Huai ha haeng World Heritage orest, hao Yai, ong haya Yen World Heritage orest and the oint forest area of five provinces in other areas where animals are at risk of umpy Skin Infection and other emerging infectious diseases, and are determined to do everything to protect the livestock. In the past, outbreaks of umpy Skin disease have been reported in countries where the disease was carried by blood sucking insects, and 2 months ago one infected Gaur and several suspected animals were found in uiburi ational ark.

Accordingly, the ational arks have increased proactive measures and prepared a veterinary team of staff and medical supplies for immediate treatment if severely ill animals are found in the forest. This includes the making of a Mineral ick treatment that contain various minerals deemed appropriate for herbivores, with added vitamins A, D, & E to enhance the immunity of wild animals and Selenium to aid wound healing. In the event of an outbreak it will still be difficult to control because of the large open areas in question and it is not possible to quarantine all of the wildlife there, however the supply of 2 tons of minerals and vitamins from hat arm Co., Ltd. will greatly aid the situation.

After applying the Mineral ick it was found that many ulls and ed ulls, including wild Elephants, came down to eat, and in the aeng rachan ational ark area, supplies of the medicine have been replenished at Huai Kom Krit protection unit and two areas beside water sources, 12 further points have been set up in the ui uri ational ark. rom pictures captured, it can be detected that some wildlife have mild lesions on both hips but the disease has not yet spread, of course some animals have other natural defence factors against insect-borne disease, every Gaur can be seen with a bird standing on their back like a guard against the swarm of insects because the birds love to peck the insects for their food. The incubation period of umpy

Skin disease is 2 days, and so far, there have been no reports of wildlife dying from it, but those officers who are involved in closely monitoring the severity of lesions in wildlife herds are waiting to see if the number of infections has increased.

As for the ecological protection, where the Gaur and uffalo are in the open grassland and an insect bites or sticks to them, they will be startled and move, this can prevent too much troubling from the insects and reduce the chances of repeatedly being struck by any disease carried by biting insects. Another protective factor within the anatomy of many hoofed animals such as, Gaur, Cattle, uffalo, and ed ulls, they have muscles that constantly tremble and twitch as soon as an insect attaches to their bodies, the twitching of the muscles repels the insect and it is protected physiologically.

It has long been known that animals have an innate sense of their own wellness and how to treat themselves when they self-diagnose a problem, they will admit themselves to a local Hospital to supplement their salt intake as they know the salt contains many minerals that will aid the recovery of wounds and also repel insects and parasites. Then they will visit the neighbourhood ‘Healing Spa’, a muddy place with a water source in the forest where they can apply lovely moisturising mud to themselves, this will also aid in the prevention of insect bites. Animals that are in ured or sick will regularly visit the nearest harmacy to find the variety of wild plants that are medicinal to them and feed on them to heal

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HUA HIN TO SINGAPORE FLIGHTS COULD BE OPERATIONAL BY YEAR END lights connecting Hua Hin and Singapore could be operational before the end of this year, Hua Hin Today understands. Jetstar Asia are in discussions to operate the service between Hua Hin and Changi Airport in Singapore.

A source familiar with the matter said the service could be operational by October 2021 but that would be dependent on the re-opening of borders in both Thailand and Singapore and the removal of quarantine requirements in both countries.

However, Hua Hin Today understands that it is more likely that the ights will be running by the end of the year and initially would be charter ights for the first six months after launch. etails on the proposed route are set to be finalised at a meeting due to be held in early September between key stakeholders, including representatives from the Hua Hin Recharge project. In April, exciting plans were announced to increase the number of international ights to and from Hua Hin Airport, the plans for the airport, dubbed the hoenix lan, are part of a collaboration between Hong ong based hoenix Group and hoenix Aviation International Limited.

At the time, rovincial Governor, r ullop Singhaseni called the plans “the single most important initiative for Hua Hin International Airport since its inception more than 30 years ago.” The plans aim for the airport to service destinations within a hour radius of Hua Hin, such as India, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia, as well as the Middle East. The initial target is for Hua Hin Airport to operate two international ights per day in 2022 and 5 international ights per day by 2025. y 2025, the goal is to have one million passengers arriving at Hua Hin Airport annually. re pandemic, etstar Asia was operating ights between Singapore, angkok and huket.

GOUT IS A RISK, MORE THAN YOU THINK

Gout is a disease of both metabolism and inflammation caused by prolonged high level of uric acid in the blood, so long that it causes inflammation in the joint(s) and other tissues.

It may also cause crystallization of urate in various organs such as kidneys and fibrous tissues. The symptoms may be acute such as joint pain or rather chronic such as the collection of crystals so-called tophus which can damage bone surfaces, or stones in the kidneys.

The preventable risk factors of gout include obesity, certain types of food and beverages which increase uric acid production such as red meat (beef, pork, ham, sausages, bacon), seafood (fish, shrimps, oysters, scallops), offal, high sugar foods and alcoholic beverages.

D r. N a r a v a d e e K o s i t p e s a t , o u r rheumatologist at Bangkok Hospital Hua Hin shares that the risks of having the diseases increase with more occurrence in men than women in general, however the risks become higher for postmenopausal women. The presenting symptom of gout is mostly joint inflammation which usually starts from joints of the lower body.

50% patients start their first gout attack in the joint of the base of big toe. Other joints involved include the ankle or knee joints. The inflammation normally persists for the 24 - 48 hours. This gouty arthritis should be treated immediately, if delayed, it may leave a permanent damage causing joint surface destruction, tophus which can happen anywhere and also kidney stones.

The diagnosis of gouty arthritis includes history taking and physical examination. If the joint inflammation is present, tapping of joint fluid for a visual confirmation using a microscope will provide a definite diagnosis with the presence of urate crystals, even more definite than blood uric acid testing.

The recommendation to avoid having gout in the future is to control the consumption of food and beverages which contribute to uric acid production.As mentioned before, the risky types you should avoid include red meat, seafood, offal, high-sugar food and alcoholic beverages. Regular exercises and weight control to prevent obesity are recommended.

Gout also tends to associate with other metabolic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity so controlling these conditions are also as important.

“When the level of blood uric acid exceeds the normal range, we will see the situations into 2 categories, one with the joint pain and the one without. When there is no pain involved regular exercises and diet control is the strategy. If the blood uric acid is high along with joint pain, the consultation is required to provide necessary treatments to the individual.

Moreover, patients with gout tends to have associating diseases and require overall approach” Dr. Naravadee concluded.

Dr. Naravadee Kositpesat Rheumatologist

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Out-Patient Department, Bangkok Hospital Hua Hin Tel. 032-616-880 | Email: huahin@bangkokhospital.com

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SUMMARY OF AUGUST COVID-19 SITUATION REPORT; PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN

ccording to the latest data released on August 31st, rachuap province has accumulated a total of , 2 positive cases and 55 deaths, elderly people accounted for 5 .2% of deaths and those with underlying diseases accounted for 25.5%, in August alone, there were deaths.

Of the , 2 cumulative total cases in the province, 1, 0 are currently receiving treatment in hospital or are staying in quarantine, while a total of , have made a full recovery and have already been discharged. Health officials reported a total of 25 ,5 5 vaccine doses have been administered in the province, of those, 1 , people have received one dose, while , 0 people have received two doses.

At present, there are 00 available beds left in the province to accommodate patients, (including hospital and field hospitals). The clusters that must be closely monitored are as follows: rachuap hiri khan rison which has accumulated 2 5 patients. obby illage in ala , which has a cumulative total of 1 cases.

Canned fruit industrial factory at uiburi which has accumulated 255 patients.

Myanmar s cluster at Singkhon border with 2 confirmed cases. it uechai Camp, which has found 1 cases.

The whole province has had 1 ,522 people who have received the first dose of the vaccine, ( 1.22%), of which 2, 51 are aged 0 and over, ( . 1%). 2 , 2 people with Chronic iseases have received the first dose of vaccination, (55.22%). 21 women more than 12 weeks pregnant received the 1st dose, ( . %) and 1 .55% received the second dose. ublic Health has also informed that the province still has 1 , tablets of favipiravir in its inventory. In the new wave of outbreaks since April, the death toll has tended to be higher. The risk factors data for those infected that later died, found of them contracted through contact with relatives family members, 1 has physical contact with friends at work, and 1 traveled to high risk areas. of the deaths had congenital disease and were not vaccinated, while 5 were infected and died after vaccination, (3 had received 1 dose of Astra Zeneca, 1 had received 1 dose of Sinovac, and 1 had received 2 doses of Sinovac.

MASSAGE BUSINESS OPERATORS SUBMIT LETTER OF COMPLAINT AT DAMRONGTHAM CENTRE A

Group of Hua Hin Thai massage and spa operators took a petition to the amrongtham Centre, rachuap province, requesting that the restrictive measures applied to their industry be relieved, they say they need to reopen their business in order to alleviate the problems that they are experiencing at this time. The delivery of the letter took place on August 1st and involved a group of 2 massage and spa operators and a further 1 0 health massage entrepreneurs led by Miss oonprasert Mahinchai, irector of the Thai Traditional Medicine evelopment Centre at Grand Massage Hua Hin. They delivered their letter of complaint to Mr anlop Singhaseni, the governor of rachuap hiri han province, and asked the government to help those entrepreneurs affected by the provincial order that forced closure of their premises to control the risk of the spread of Covid 1 . They further asked the provincial governor to consider ending the shutdown order and requested compensation grants of TH 0,000 per shop and TH 5,000 per employee, they say this is now vital to alleviate their suffering caused by a long period of lack of income.

To date these massage premises have strictly followed the measures prescribed by the rachuap rovincial Health Service. The Social Development and Human Security of rachuap hiri han province was the recipient of the complaint, and will present it to the rovincial Communicable isease Committee meeting for consideration. With regard to the the compensation request, it would have to wait for the government’s measures later.

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SEPTEMBER 1ST 1983 orean Air ines light 00 was shot down by a ussian fighter et while on route from ew York to Seoul, killing all 2 people on board. The oeing reportedly strayed 100 miles off course over secret Soviet ussian military installations on the amchatka eninsula and Sakhalin Island. It crashed in the Sea of apan.

SEPTEMBER 7TH 1999 or the first time since World War II, Germany s parliament, the undestag, returned to erlin, former capital of Imperial Germany as well as Hitler s eich. The undestag held its first session in the fully restored Reichstag building, attended by parliamentarians from around the world. The session also marked the 50th anniversary of the undestag s first post war session, held in onn, the former capital of West Germany.

SEPTEMBER 11TH 2001 The worst terrorist attack in .S. history occurred as four large passenger ets were hi acked then crashed, killing nearly ,000 people. our separate teams of Mideast terrorists, operating from inside the .S., boarded the morning ights posing as passengers, then forcibly commandeered the aircraft.

Two fully fueled umbo ets, American Airlines light 11 carrying 2 people and nited Airlines light 1 5 carrying 5 people, had departed oston for os Angeles. oth ets were diverted by the hi ackers to ew York City where they were piloted into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The impact and subse uent fire caused both 110 story towers to collapse, killing 2, 52 people including hundreds of rescue workers and people employed in the towers. In addition, nited Airlines light , which had departed ewark for San rancisco, and American Airlines light , which had departed ulles ( irginia) for os Angeles, were hi acked. light with people on board was diverted to Washington, .C., then piloted into the entagon building, killing everyone on board and 125 military personnel inside the building. light with people on board was also diverted toward Washington but crashed into a field in ennsylvania after passengers attempted to overpower the terrorists on board.

SEPTEMBER 26TH 1960 The first ever televised presidential debate occurred between presidential candidates ohn . ennedy and Richard M. Nixon. Many who watched were inclined to say Kennedy ‘won’ the debate, while those who listened only to the radio thought Nixon did better. Nixon, who declined to use makeup, appeared somewhat haggard looking on T in contrast to Kennedy.

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MOVENPICK ASARA RESORT & SPA HUA HIN JOINS ‘KILO OF KINDNESS’ GLOBAL CHARITABLE CAMPAIGN FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER WITH A CALL TO ACTION FOR GUESTS

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hroughout September, M venpick hotels around the world aim to collect 25,000 kilos of kindness to help people and families in need M venpick Asara esort Spa Hua Hin has announced the return of the ilo of indness campaign inviting guests to donate at least one kilo of food, clothing and educational supplies throughout the month of September. The collected items will be shared with local communities in need, with a focus on underprivileged children. The hotel oins more than 5 M venpick hotels across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East who are similarly collecting items, with a global goal to gather some 25,000 kilos of donations. Guests and visitors are invited to drop off at least one kilo of supplies at the lobby of the M venpick M venpick Asara esort Spa Hua Hin from September 1-30.

M venpick believes that sustainability isn t only about the environment it is about caring for our employees, our neighbours, and our community here in Hua Hin rachuap iri han, said Mr.Sven Walter, General Manager. ast year our efforts were focused on supporting people through the pandemic crisis and we are now pleased to be able to return to our annual ‘Kilo of Kindness’ campaign which provides food, clothing and educational supplies to those in need – especially young people who deserve our attention and care.”

While guests and local neighbours are invited to donate a ‘Kilo of Kindness’, all contributions are welcome and gratefully received. High-priority items include books, notebooks and stationery such as pens, pencils, rulers and erasers; canned foods such as tuna, soup, fruit, vegetables and concentrated milk dry foods like rice, beans, oats, pasta, cereals, our, powdered milk, baby formula, tea and coffee and clothing for adults and children.

Now in its sixth year, the ‘Kilo of Kindness’ campaign is timed to honour the nited ations International ay of Charity on September 5th. In 201 , a record 21, 21 kilograms of supplies were donated via the participating hotels a figure M venpick hopes to surpass with its September 2021 campaign.

While each guest is encouraged to donate a ilo of indness , generosity knows no ideal weight. Every gram counts and all contributions are welcome and gratefully received, added Mr. Steven Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer, Accor.

M venpick Asara esort Spa Hua Hin encourages acts of kindness by sharing stories of donations, philanthropy and community service. Throughout September, guests, fans and followers are invited to spread the word about the ‘Kilo of Kindness’ campaign, using iloOf indness and InternationalCharity ay to tweet on Twitter, post on acebook or share on Instagram.

ROTARY CLUB OF ROYAL HUA HIN DONATES LAPTOPS TO STUDENTS IN NEED

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he otary Club of oyal Hua Hin provided assistance to Mercy House oundation. ecently Wichai ongkhunkaew, Chairman of the oard at Mercy House reached out to friends of Mercy House and other supporters who in the past have helped sponsor projects at the home.

Wichai re uested funding to provide 5 new or used laptop computers that were needed for students forced to study online due to Covid 1 . reviously, the children were only able to study online using smartphones, which made learning more difficult, Wichai explained.

The otary Club of oyal Hua Hin were happy to purchase two new H laptop computers, and two sets of headsets to improve the on-line learning experience.

Another supporter of the home has also purchased a laptop.

However two more laptops are still required.

On Monday th August, resident hil awrence and ast resident apa eawtem were pleased to handover the computers to the Mercy oundation. As there had been a number of Covid 1 cases locally Wichai stated that the home was closed and re uested that no more than three otary Club members attend the event. ollowing the handing over of the computers Wichai resented hil and apa with a onation certificate thanking the support of otary Club of oyal Hua Hin.

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BHAKTAPUR IS UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE LOCATED IN THE KATHMANDU VALLEY, NEPAL UZBEKISTAN KHIVA - MOSQUES AND MINARETS ON THE MAIN SQUARE IN KHIVA UZBEKISTAN 1st September: Uzbekistan. Independence Day in Uzbekistan marks the declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Independence Day is an official national holiday in bekistan, celebrated with fireworks, concerts, competitions, military parades, and wreath laying ceremonies, held mostly in the capital Tashkent.

19th September: Nepal. Republic Day. Modern Nepal came into existence in 1768 but the 1951 revolution ended the Rana oligarchy. The country was a constitutional monarchy after the end of the Rana rule, but in 1960 King Mahendra suspended the constitution and assumed absolute power under the Panchayat regime. In 1990 a peoples movement brought an end to the Panchayat rule and a constitutional monarchy was reestablished and King Birendra brought about several democratic reforms. In 1991 an elected government was formed for the f irst time in 2 years, however, the new government s policy led to an economic crisis and the Maoist revolution that began in the early 1 0 s eventually transformed into a full-scale civil war. The Democracy movement in 2006, resulting from the seven party alliance, brought the civil war to an end and spearheaded the Maoists into mainstream politics. The Constituent Assembly was elected in 2008, ending the monarchy and successively, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal was declared as a parliamentary republic.

SUN LIGHT ON TERRACES RICE FIELDS. RICE FIELDS IN NORTHWEST OF VIETNAM 2nd September: Vietnam. The National Day of Vietnam marks the declaration of independence from France and Japan in 1945 and commemorates President Ho Chi Minh reading aloud the declaration at Ba Dinh Square. World War ll had ended and Nationalists capitalised on the power vacuum that was left in the August Revolution, Emperor Bao Dai abdicated anding the Nguyen dynasty and the Communist party seized control.

MARSAXLOKK VILLAGE HARBOR OF MALTA, ILLUMINATED BY SUNSET LIGHT 21st September: Malta. Independence Day of Malta celebrates independence from the United Kingdom in 1964.

Throughout its existence, Malta strategic location, an island in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, had a long and complex history which resulted in being ruled by a plethora of foreign rulers including the Phoenicians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Sicilians, Swabians, Aragonese, Hospitallers, French, and the British.

Malta s final ruler, ritain, granted Malta self governance after Malta s brave resistance to the Axis powers and loyalty to Britain during World War II, which did allow for the movement for independence to grow more in popularity. Malta attained independence from the British Empire and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1964 and declared itself a republic a decade later, known as Republic Day.

PALACIO DE BELLAS ARTES MEXICO CITY 16 September: Mexico. In the 1810s, what would become Mexico was still New Spain, part of the Spanish crown. The independence movement began to take shape when José Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara went to the small town of Dolores, (now known as Dolores Hidalgo), and asked the local Roman Catholic priest, Miguel Hidalgo, to help initiate an effort to free New Spain from Spanish control. Gutiérrez de Lara went to Washington, D.C. while Hidalgo remained in Dolores waiting for Gutiérrez de Lara to return with US military support. However, fearing arrest, Hidalgo told his brother Mauricio to make the sheriff free the pro-independence prison inmates there, Mauricio and several armed men set 80 inmates free in the early morning of 16th September 1810. At 02:30 Hidalgo ordered the church bells to be rung and gathered his congregation, anked by Ignacio Allende and uan Aldama, he addressed the people in front of his church, urging them to revolt. His speech became known as the “Cry of Dolores”.

The liberated country adopted Mexico as its official name but Mexico s independence from Spain took a decade of war in which Gutiérrez de Lara commanded and led Mexico to victory. Independence was achieved by the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire on 28th September 1821. th

THE ELEPHANT ROCK - OLA - SAUDI ARABIA 23 September: Saudi Arabia. Saudi National Day is celebrated in Saudi Arabia on every 23rd September to commemorate the renaming of the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by a royal decree from King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud in 1932. It was made a national holiday by King Abdullah in 2005. The number of lunar, not solar, years are commemorated. King Abdulaziz was able to con uer the oases of iyadh in 1 02 and al Hasa in 1 1 , and by 1 25, he unified both Nejd Ziyan king from Hejaz after defeating the forces of Sharif Hussein. On 23rd September 1932, King Abdulaziz changed the name of his realm to his family name, the House of Saud. rd

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GLOBAL WARMING CURRENT STATUS

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hen looking at information involving global warming, many might find the data misleading or inaccurate. The internet is a vessel for the sharing of incorrect information, including global warming. This revelation can make people entirely disregard information that is accurate and truthful.

With that being said, our extensive amount of research on this topic has led us to formulate this article containing valuable notes that are worthwhile reading. In this article, you re guaranteed to find all the essential information regarding our current status of global warming.

Additionally, sharing this article is exceptionally worthwhile and highly encouraged. This is because sharing such an article with your acquaintances, friends, and family is going to offer them valuable information to warn them about the dangers of increasing greenhouse gases and the effects that are caused by global warming. Thus, it also helps others make a conscious effect of preventing global warming from getting even worse.

HOW CRITICAL IS GLOBAL WARMING NOW? At this point, global warming is critical. There is no doubt about that. How do we know this There s more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today than at any point in time in the last 00,000 years. This might not sound too alarming, but this signifies some disturbing facts.

The biggest misconception is that global warming and climate change are terms that can be used interchangeably. However, this isn t the case. The ma ority of scientists classify global warming as the increase in the Earth s surface temperature. This temperature rise is what causes climate change. rom the increase in the Earth s surface temperature, there are several impacts this has on the entire planet. These include the rise in water temperature, rise in sea levels, and the change in animal population and habitats. However, there are many other significant impacts global warming has on our planet, which we re going to discuss later in this article.

With that being said, it s very telling that there is more carbon dioxide in the world than in any other given point in the last 800,000 years. The effects of climate change have also played a role in causing extreme weather conditions. Mass deforestation has taken place, which has left our planet with fewer trees and less oxygen production. This only reiterates that global warming is negatively changing the way our world is functioning.

Thus, it s clear that global warming is critical, as climate change is leaving our planet with less oxygen and more carbon dioxide. This, as you can tell, isn t something we want occurring on Earth as we need oxygen to live, not carbon dioxide.

CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES It s no secret that global climate change has had many observable effects on our environment. Animals have become extinct, sea levels have risen, and glaciers

have shrunk. After discovering the effect humans were having on the planet, scientists have since predicted that climate change would result in what we re now experiencing. These include more intense heat waves that last for more extended periods, accelerated seal levels rising, as well as the loss of sea ice.

When looking at the range of published evidence, all of this information indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are incredibly significant and likely to increase as time goes on. Experienced and knowledgeable scientists are entirely confident that global temperatures are going to continue to rise for many decades to come. This is resulting from greenhouse gases that are produced by human activities.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) comprises of more than 1,300 scientists from many different countries, including the U.S. The knowledge shared among these scientists has led the IPCC to believe that future temperatures are likely to rise by up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the coming century.

Additionally, the scientists making up the IPCC also believe that the extent of conse uences brought on by climate change on specific regions is going to vary over time. Not to mention, these increased temperatures are said to produce beneficial impacts in a variety of areas while also causing many harmful effects in other regions from this increased temperature. Even with the beneficial effects of these increased temperatures in some areas, the net annual costs of climate change are still likely to increase over time due to global temperatures rising.

With everything mentioned above, there are many long-term effects of global warming and climate change. Some of these effects have been identified through the Third and Fourth National Climate Assessment Reports and are detailed below: GLOBAL TEMPERATURE AND SEA LEVEL RISE A global rise in temperatures is being experienced and has led to many different elements changing. One of the things that have been affected by a worldwide warming climate is seawater. As a result of increasing temperatures, oceans have become warmer. This has led to ice in colder regions in the ocean melting.

Glaciers have shrunk in size while ice sheets have also diminished. However, this ice doesn t evaporate into the air. Instead, it becomes water and adds to the ocean. As a result, more water collects in the seas, which increases the sea level.

Coastal regions are expected to be most affected by this rise in sea level.

Scientists believe these rising sea levels to have a potentially massive impact on many different areas. Additionally, the city of Venice in Italy is expected to be completely underwater within the next 50 years due to increasing sea levels.

Scientists have determined that the world s sea level has continuously been rising since as far back as 1900. During this time, sea levels have been increasing at a rate of no less than 0,04 inches each year.

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However, this rising level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is also driving up the ocean s surface temperatures. Thus, ocean warming is taking place and leading to harmful environments for marine life to survive in. As the ocean s waters are rapidly becoming warmer, the marine wildlife isn t getting the opportunity to adapt fast enough to these changes.

One example of this occurring is the coral reefs along many coastlines in the world. Coral reefs are susceptible mechanisms, which means that adaptability to changes in specific environments isn t prevalent. ue to this, many diseases can spread exceptionally quickly and cause bleaching to occur. All of these threats can kill many coral reefs in the world while others have already suffered.

Scientists have recorded that ocean acidification has played a significant role in the world s largest body of water. Surface waters making up the ocean are now known to be more than 30 percent more acidic than at the beginning of the industrial era. ot to mention, ocean acidification is currently happening at an even faster rate than any other point in time. In addition to this, research has led many scientists to believe that ocean surface waters are likely to be more than double as acidic as these waters were in the last century if we don t put plans in place to reduce our carbon emissions.

SHRINKING ICE SHEETS There s no doubt that shrinking ice sheets are a problem for the world. Scientists have found that these ice sheets have shrunk by more than 4,000 gigatons since 1 . It s believed that the primary reason for these ice sheets shrinking is the warming ocean that s present under these ice sheets.

With that being said, one of the biggest concerns that come from these ice sheets shrinking is the global rise of sea levels. However, this isn t the only problem expected. The melting of ice sheets might also change the circulation of oceans and the global temperature patterns. Not to mention, this shrinking of ice sheets also holds the potential to drive extreme weather events across the world.

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Additionally, the melting ice sheets in Greenland might cause currents to slow down. As a result, heat transport can become more sluggish, which can negatively impact the climate patterns throughout the orth Atlantic. What s worse is that many scientists believe this process to have already started.

The research collected indicates that ice sheets located in polar regions have a crucial role in the world s climate in the future. This can cause extreme weather conditions to occur while entirely disrupting the mechanisms making up the ocean.

This is because the shrinking of ice sheets produces large in uxes of fresh water into the ocean, and its failure to mix with the rest of the sea can cause catastrophic problems. This in ux of freshwater forms a layer on the surface of the water. This layer traps heat beneath the ocean, which leads to the ocean s deeper layers warming up.

As a result, warm ocean currents are created. These warm ocean currents pose a threat to more structures in the world s ocean. These currents are known to melt glaciers on many parts of the ice sheet increasingly. This information indicates that this shrinking of ice sheets can change the climate system, making it more variable and prone to disturbances and uctuations, such as extreme weather events.

TO BE CONTINUED ON OCTOBER EDITION

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TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE FOR OPTIMAL HEALTH -

SUPPORTING YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM Dr. Kate Boonyakiat DAOM, LAc. – Terra Acupuncture

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raditional Chinese Medicine metods to support immunomodulation.

Let me explain easily. Immunomodulation is like deciding to take better care of your car, with this mindset, you would change the oil filter regularly, choose better quality gas, and get timely tune-ups, then, when you are going on a long road trip, you know your car can achieve peak performance. The key here is harmony: you don’t want an immune system that is overactive or under active.

So, how can traditional Chinese medicine support your immune system? According to Wei Qi, (pronounced “way chee”), there are ways to encourage the immune system to react in the same way as it does within conventional medicine, that is to act as the first line of defence when the body is under attack from external pathogens. If the Wei Qi is strong, then the body is capable of fighting off bacteria and viruses.

Extreme stress, lack of sleep, and a poor diet can affect how strong the body’s Wei Qi is and how well it performs.

There are a few simple strategies to fortify and reinforce Wei Qi: 1) Optimize your nutrition: Choose nutrient-dense organic food, such as various fruits and veggies, healthy proteins, and beneficial fats. Eat what you can digest, absorb and eliminate well.

2) Sleep like your life depends on it: Many studies show that a good nights’ sleep can enhance specialised immune cells.

3) Be aware of your emotional wellness: TCM has come to appreciate the closely linked relationship of mind and body. A wide variety of maladies, including stomach upset, hives, and even heart disease, are connected to the effects of emotional stress.

All the modalities in TCM are to restore the body to balance and heal itself, and the immune system is part of that healing. We can use herbs like Astragalus, Cordyceps, and Ginseng to boost the respiratory function and keep the lungs working effectively and to keep pathogens out, and to keep the blood circulating well in case something does get in.

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WHAT IS THE AVAILABILITY OF COVID-19 TESTING NOW?

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esting for SARS-CoV-2 Infection 1) The Covid-19 RT-PCR Test detects SARS-CoV-2 genetic material, at present, this is the ‘gold standard’ test that is considered the most accurate and reliable - The test has a specific step of causing a reaction that makes millions of copies of a small portion of the SARS-CoV-2 virus’s genetic material until the virus is detectable. The number of CT level or rounds of PCR process ran would determine the result. The lower the CT level, the more virus there is, nonetheless, this test could detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus even in minimal amounts.

The test could detect infection after being infected for 3-5 days, even though it is asymptomatic. The process of Nasopharyngeal Swab or Throat Swab, which is more complicated, prefers a technician/specialist to collect the specimen. Takes a long time to process. Another concern is that remains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be detected up to 50 days (according to studies) after recovery still. It is thought to be a remain because it cannot be cultured or propagated.

Same as growing a tree, but it neither grows nor sprouts.

2) Rapid Antigen testing - This test has a limitation because it can detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus within a specific period only, which is 5-7 days after being infected when there are many viruses to be detected. This test differs from the RT-PCR test that can detect viruses within 3-5 days after being infected, up to 14 days, or even longer. Therefore, the Rapid Antigen test could give a ‘false negative’ result, meaning there is a virus, but the quantity is too small to detect. Again the process of collecting a Nasopharyngeal Swab or Throat Swab, which is

more complicated, prefers a technician/specialist in collecting the specimen. Can be processed faster, approximately within 15-20 minutes. It is imperative to provide comprehensive information to the service recipient when using this type of testing.

3) SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing - The objective of this test is to check the Covid-19 immunity level. However, it needs to be understood that our body would create antibodies only when there is an infection requiring the body to build an antibody/immunity to fight that virus.

Therefore, a positive test result could be assumed that a person previously or recently had COVID-19 at least 7-10 days before. So, why 7-10 days? The answer is that our body requires time to build immunity, exactly around 7-10 days.

However, it could be 10-14 days for the immunity to reach a detectable level. Currently, we still do not know how long COVID-19 immunity would last.

4) Rapid test Antibody testing is a quantitative test that can only tell if you have the SARSCoV-2 antibody or not.

5) Spike Protein testing is a quantitative test that can tell the overall SARS-CoV-2 antibody level. It is commonly used to detect antibody/ immunity after vaccination. However, this type of testing is currently limited to a few hospitals only.

6) Neutralising Antibody testing is a test for SARS-CoV-2 inhibiting factors effectiveness, which would be calculated into a percentage. The higher the percentage, the higher the effectiveness. Nonetheless, antibody testing results cannot distinguish between immunity from infection and vaccination.

Now that we know more about COVID-19 testing. Let’s choose the most appropriate one for ourselves.

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ALL STAFF AND CADDIES AT THE MAJESTIC CREEK HAVE BEEN FULLY VACCINATED WITH 2 JABS OF COVID 19 VACCINE.ARE REGULARLY CHECKED WITH ATK ( ANTINGENT TEST KITS ) EVERY WEEK.

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ll our Staff and Caddies have had two vaccinations the first one being the Sinovac, second one Astra Zenica, so when the course re-opens you can feel safe when dealing with all our employees.

During the time of this closure, our Ground Staff will continue working on the course to ensure that it will be in excellent condition when we are able to resume playing The course was closed on Tuesday 3rd August for an initial period of 14 days, this closure was extended for another 14 days on Tuesday 17th August by order the Government and the Governor of Prachuabkhirikhan. This instruction applied to all the Golf Courses within the province.

WE WERE ABLE TO PLAY 2 COMPETITIONS PRIOR TO THE CLOSURE, RESULTS AS FOLLOWS, Thursday 22nd July Texas Scramble, teams of 2 players, 36 players taking part 1st, Jim and Cecilia Harvey with a net score of 66, gross score 73, handicap allowance 7.

2nd Dana Lilja and Richard Gaskell with a net score of 67, gross score 71, handicap allowance 4.

3rd, Tony Southgate and Sam Burns with a net score of 68, gross score 76, handicap allowance 8 Losing on a countback with same net result, were David and Pau Morris.

Nearest the pin Prizes Hole A4, Tony Southgate Hole A6, Alan Harris Hole B12, Angie Southgate B17, Paul Unthank

Thursday 29th July, Stableford Competition, 32 players taking part This competition took place on courses C and B 1st David Morris, 40 points, handicap 23 2nd Maem Marungrong, 38 points, handicap 17 3rd Xavier Diana, 38 points, handicap 13 Guest Prize Naniyom Sidaras, 39 points, handicap 26 Nearest The Pins.

Hole C 2 Frank Ullrich Hole C6 Brian Callihoo Hole B12 David Morris Hole B17 Olivier Pinard At the time of writing the course is still closed and we hope it will be open when this report is published.

We wish to inform you that any person, members or guests are very welcome to come and play in our weekly competition which is held each Thursday. You can either register at the Pro-shop or by email to, bookings@majesticcreekcc.com All the results can be seen on Masterscoreboard, by logging on to, Societies, password, putter. The results are also displayed on the large scoreboard which is situated on the patio in front of the clubhouse.

David Morris

Jim and Cecilia

Jean Berruyer

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FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ‘HOUSE REGISTRATION’

SIVANA HIDEAWAY VILLAS HUA HIN: Soi HuaHin 126, Phetkasem Road, Nongkae, HuaHin, Prachuapkhirikhan. www.sivanavillas.com

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he house registration or “Tabien Bann” is a registration of each house that shows various information regarding the house numbers and details of all persons dwelling in a house. It is a document of evidence of a persons official residence. Thus, Hua Hin Today newspaper would like to provide our readers five things regarding house registration which house owners should know.

1. What is the difference between the head of household and the landlord?

The head of the household, or householder, is the person who lives in a house as an owner, a tenant or in any other status. In case there is no householder, or the householder passed away or is unable to perform his duties, a person who is responsible for looking after the house at that period of time shall be deemed the householder. Whereas, the landlord refers to the person who owns the area of land that is leased or rented to another. The duties of the householder and the landlord include: Under the Civil Registration Act B.E. 2534 (1991), the householder shall perform duties related to acknowledging of births, deaths, relocation, building a new house, house demolition and prescribing a house number.

Meanwhile, under the Civil and Commercial Code, the landlord who has a right to possess, sell, and transfer the property, could transfer the rights of the property to their children.

2. What should you do with house registration if you own many houses?

This point is significant for those who run real estate businesses as they have to hold many house registrations. However, in Thai law, there must be only one name as the householder in house registration since it affects the list of a person who has the right to vote for the elections. Therefore, those investors are advised to use the names of their relatives as the householders.

3. Can the name list in a house registration be left blank?

According to the previous question, in case the investors are unable to find names of their relatives, it is legal to leave the name list in a house registration blank. However, if the investors have not processed the property for five years and would like to sell that property, they will then pay for specific business tax. Therefore, it would be far better if you can have your relatives names on a house registration.

4. How to report relocations When a person moves out of the house, the householder shall report to the egistrar of Acknowledgment within fifteen days. eporting later than the prescribed time shall be liable to a fine not exceeding one thousand baht. The householder shall file the documents which must be approved and stamped by the official. Then, the official will give the householder the official document regarding moving out of the house. Here are the re uired documents: • a copy of the house registration; the identification card of the householder

• the power of attorney (in case the person who moves out is not the householder); the identification card of the appointed person the identification card of a person who moves out in case of reporting by oneself.

However, when a person already moved out of the previous house and will move into the new house, the householder shall report to the Registrar of Acknowledgment within fifteen days. eporting over the prescribed time shall be liable to a fine not exceeding one thousand baht. The householder shall file the documents which must be approved and stamped by the official. Then, the official will add the name of the new resident in the house registration.

The required documents include: • a copy of the house registration; the identification card of the householder • the power of attorney form (in case the person who moves in is not the householder); the identification card of the appointed person • Thor.Ror. 6 form with the signature of the householder.

5. What should you do if the house registration is lost?

If the house registration is lost, the householders shall file an application and required documents with the District or Local Registrar for a new copy of house registration with a fee of 20 baht. The required documents include: the identification card of the householder the identification card of the appointed person and the power of attorney (in case the householder appoints a person to file the application).

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BANYAN GOLF CLUB The award-winning Banyan Golf Club, Hua Hin is at your service. The golf course is in fantastic condition – not a divot in sight!

Terrace restaurant is open serving you a variety of great food & beverages with a great atmosphere around the club, and they look forward to see all of you. anyan Golf Club is SHA certified (Safety and Health Administration) by TAT & MOPH BOOK NOW on 032616200 email reservations@ banyanthailand.com or visit our website to book online www.banyanthailand.com

BLACK MOUNTAIN Black Mountain re-open with a great offer with Green Fee promotion: Still 1,950 THB, and the Golf Course in championship condition!

Book a tee time - Call: 032 618 666 Green Fees: 1,950 THB (50% Off) Stay & Play from: 2,450 THB : proshop@bmghuahin.com : 032-618-666 or 032-618-667 : www.blackmountainhuahin.com - Book online.

MAJESTIC GREEK GOLF & RESORT Majestic Greek Golf & resort had informed to all the members and guests, that all their staff and caddies have been fully vaccinated with 2 jabs of COVID 19 vaccine, and for your additional safety and comfort, every week all the staff and caddies are regularly checked with ATK ( Antingent Test Kits ) .

CHARITY GOLF AT THE TRISKELE TROPHY 2021!

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he 2021 Edition of THE TRISKELE TROPHY, Hua Hin’s premier two-day open invitation Charity Golf Tournament is back!

The Triskele Trophy Charity Golf Tournament 2021 Saturday, 23rd - Sunday, 24th October 2021 Inline with “Hua Hin Recharge” The 2021 Triskele Trophy will begin late October at Black

Mountain and Banyan Golf Courses.

Played over two days on two of Hua Hin’s premier golf courses, the event raises money, grows awareness and provides support for the outstanding work carried out by the Good Shepherd Sisters and their home for disadvantaged girls. ast year s inaugural event with a full field of golfers relishing the opportunity to take that time off and to play on two of Hua Hin’s premier golf courses was well attended and welcomed H.E. Tony Cotter, the Irish Ambassador of Thailand with his team partner and good friend, H.E. Taha Macpherson, the New Zealand Ambassador.

The perpetual “Triskele Trophy” is a genuine piece of Ireland s finest workmanship, genuine crystal both hand-blown and cut by craftspeople in Ireland at the House of Waterford Crystal.

Black Mountain Golf Course will play host to Day 1 of the tournament on Saturday, October 23rd, played over Black Mountain’s “North” and “East” courses.

A 9am one-tee start allows for a nice afternoon break ahead of Saturday evening s free ow dinner buffet at the Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa at 7pm!

Day 2 participants head over to Banyan Golf Club on Sunday, October 24th and following completion of the 18 holes by all players the Gala Lunch and Award Ceremony will be held at Banyan’s “The Terrace” restaurant.

The 2021 event is fully supported by the Embassy

of Ireland in Thailand, and the Ambassador H.E. Tony Cotter. The Ambassador will be fielding a team on behalf of the Embassy.

The Organising Committee are also very pleased to introduce Hilton Hua Hin Resort and Spa as The Triskele Trophy 2021 Exclusive Hotel Partner.

Hilton Hua Hin Resort and Spa is the perfect place to indulge in urban life and relaxed seaside living. Set in the Hua Hin town centre with direct access to the beach, you’re invited to soak up the culture, vibrant scenes and rays from your lounger. Their spacious guest rooms come with a private balcony to enjoy sunrises over the Gulf of Thailand.

In Support the Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa have kindly provided Special Rates for guests of The Triskele Trophy 2021 Charity Golf Event.

Apart from the quality of the golf courses, the Triskele Trophy event is at the forefront of the future direction for golf in the region. That’s about enhanced levels of quality, service, value and safety; to enhance the experiences of travellers and golfers from the local community.

The aim is to have over one hundred golfers participate and to make The Triskele Trophy a great Autumn social event for expatriates and Thais alike.

For further information and Player registration, please visit: www.thetriskeletrophy.com

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At Black Mountain Golf Club, a very special and exciting new dining experience has arrived. Hua Hin town’s renowned Prime Steakhouse restaurant has come to Black Mountain, serving probably the best steaks in Thailand.

Everything from Wagyu rib eye, fresh fish, pasta, salad, desserts & European specialty dishes are exquisitly prepared by Anders and his master team.

A warm welcome to Prime Steakhouse awaits you at Black Mountain.

Restaurant open from 6am to 9pm

To book a table: Email: restaurant@bmghuahin.com Phone: 032 618 620 Mobile: 089 028 3547

Free shuttle from Hua Hin for groups Tel: 089 028 3547

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HUA HIN BIZTALK

By R ich ard Meh r

HUA HIN OUTLOOK:

In this monthly column we will deal with subjects related to business in Hua Hin, the pros and the con’s, interview small and middle-sized entrepreneurs about the impact of COVID on their business and how they envision the reopening of our beautiful region.

To many, Hua Hin is a great destination. There has been numerous editorials, videos and reports highlighting the merits of the destination but digging deeper, let’s look into opportunities to position Hua Hin under the spotlight of the international market once and for all. In spite of its strong positioning with the local market, Hua Hin is subject to uctuations, weekend versus weekdays, changes in seasonality which impact the arrivals in the region. Hence the importance of having an international presence which is crucial in filling up the gaps and drive financial in ux to the region and local businesses.

Now more than ever, we need international arrivals to secure the survival of the entire region. The past 18-months have been bad for businesses, driven to the ground, struggling daily to survive, some relocated and sadly some closed indefinitely, leaving empty spaces scattered in the center of town. Time has come for the local authorities

to conduct a market study to reevaluate the destination’s offering versus what it could offer and look into new investment opportunities to secure the future of Hua Hin and strengthen its positioning globally.

One question needs to be asked; is Hua Hin ready to reopen, once the time has come? Or are we expecting business to slowly resume and be conducted as it was before COVID? The probabilities are high that many destinations within the Kingdom and in South East Asia will reopen at the same time, harshening the competitiveness between destinations to a perhaps unprecedented level. Undoubtedly, tourism will not be running back, the recovery will take longer than expected, but surely if a destination took the time during the pandemic to review its positioning, its offering and unite all business owners to look into one direction, that destination multiplied exponentially its chances of success over the years to come.

There are a few initiatives promoting Hua Hin launched over the course of the past few-months, unfortunately not one that unites all businesses in the region to act as one hand. There is a need for more clarity as to what exactly these initiatives aspire to achieve on a long-term basis, an action plan must be drafted and driven by the local authorities. Ideally webinars targeting different business sectors would be a good start. Phuket, Samui and Pattaya have done it, why not Hua Hin? One of the initiatives is the development of Hua Hin airport, which is an excellent start and will profit the entire region not to mention the exposure gained on the international level.

However, there are no initiatives tackling the empty shops and restaurants boarded-up, the demolished sites by the railway and San Paulo hospital, the dusty roads and overgrown verges, the lack of garbage bins and the litter on the sidewalks, the mess left by the trash collecting trucks, leaving smell and filth behind and the uncleaned beaches and more… Now it’s time to act and move forward if we hope to be ready when the time comes. We’ve been talking for far too long and nothing has been done.

Resting on laurels and pretending all is well will not help the destination grow, we need to take action, adapt and adopt a forward outlook in order to y above rising expectations. Companies continuously reinvent themselves and diversify in order to survive, destinations should adopt the same principle if they aspire to remain in the big boy’s league and strive over emerging destinations.

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OLYMPIC SUMMER GAMES 2021 IN JAPAN ORIGINALLY THE OLYMPIC SUMMER GAMES WERE SCHEDULED FOR 2020 BUT WERE POSTPONED TO JULY 2021.

Jerry Mosselman ex APPROACH MAGAZINE EDITOR

The Olympic Games, which originated in ancient Greece as many as 3,000 years ago, were revived in the late 19th century and have become the world’s preeminent sporting competition.

From the 8th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D., the Games were held every four years in Olympia, located in the western Peloponnese peninsula, in honour of the god eus. The first modern Olympics took place in 1 in Athens, and featured 280 participants from 12 nations, competing in 43 events.

Since 1994, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games have been held separately and have alternated every two years.

Tokyo is the first city in Asia to hold the Summer Games twice (1 2021), following the others being the2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and preceding the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

This year s Tokyo 2020 was the most e ual and well represented games ever. According to the International Olympic Committee, almost 49 percent of all athletes who are competing are women.

The 2020 Games introduced new competitions. ew ones include x basketball, freestyle M and mixed gender team events in a number of existing sports.

They also re introduced competitions that once were held but were subse uently removed.

Madison cycling for men returned and introducing the same event for women. New IOC policies also allow the host organizing committee to add new sports to the Olympic program for just one Games.

The disciplines added by the Japanese Olympic Committee are baseball and softball, karate, sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding, The last four made their Olympic debuts.

A cultural programme known as ippon estival was scheduled to coincide with the Olympics and Paralympics, running from April to September 2021.

Unfortunately, the programme had to be downsized due to the COVID dilemma and the postponement of the Games to a later date.

A special two day exhibition sumo tournament shortly after the Olympics

would feature special commentary in English and Japanese to help explain to the spectators the customs and traditions of professional sumo, which are deeply rooted in the Shinto religion.

The opening ceremony by Emperor Naruhito was held on 23 July 2021 in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. The Emperor formally opened the Games, and at the end of the torch relay the Olympic cauldron was lit by Japanese tennis player aomi Osaka who now ranks number 2 in the world.

11.090 Athletes from 205 nations participated in 339 events.

Team SA participated with over 1 athletes. apan 552 Athletes, Australia , Germany 25,, China 0 , rance , Great ritain , Italy 2, Canada 0, ussia 2 , Spain 20 etherlands 2 , kraine 155Sweden 1 Swit erland 10 , Thailand 1, Malaysia 0 , Singapore 22, aos , Cambodia and Myanmar 2 .

THE RESULTS OF THE MAIN CONTENDERS ARE AS FOLLOWS: Olympic medal count 2021 POS. COUNTRY GOLD 1 United States 39 2 China 38 3 Japan 27 Great ritain 22 5 ROC 20 Australia 1 etherlands 10 8 France 10 Germany 10 10 Italy 10 59 Thailand 1 Total 93 teams 339

SILVER 41 32 14 21 28 12 12 11 10 0 337

BRONZE 33 18 17 22 23 22 1 11 1 20 1 402

TOTAL 113 88 58 5 71

33 40 2 1078

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THE THAI TEAM CONSISTED OF 41 ATHLETES, PARTAKING IN 15 DIFFERENT SPORTS. 15 MEN AND 26 WOMEN REPRESENTED OUR COUNTRY. In athletics, the two athletes participating in the athletics category were Kieran Tuntivate ( 10,000 m. race) and Subenrat Insaeng ( iscus Throwing).

CYCLING Chutikan itwanitsathian and utatip Maneephan. oth women are cycling in two different categories. Kitwanitsathian in the M category and Maneephan ualified for the Olympics through the top 100 individual finish for women in the CI world ranking. oxing TEAKWONDO Thailand s taekwondo legend, anipak Wongpattanakit or ong Tennis has made headlines as Thailand s first Olympic gold medallist at Tokyo , after her victory against Spain in the Women s kg event.

Tennis definitely shot to fame, however she was not the only one to ualify for Thailand s taekwondo team. amnarong Sawekwiharee is another Thai olympian we have had the pleasure of watching in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Sawekwiharee ended up ranking th in the competition.

BOXING The men’s featherweight, Chatchai utdee was the only ualifier for boxing. utmas itpong in the women s yweight, Sudaporn Seesondee in the lightweight and aison Manikon the women s welterweight. Sudaporn won a bronze medal against ellie Harrington in the women s 0 kg semi final.

Other teams include Sailing, Badminton, Cycling, Canoeing, E uestrian, udo , Rowing, Shooting, Swimming and Table tennis.

WHAT THE OLYMPICS ARE ALL ABOUT

There’s always a reason to celebrate women, but women at the Olympics are another level onto themselves.

On the big stage that is the Olympics, we are continuously wowed by their talents.

Not only did “Nong Tennis” win her gold medal in overwhelming style and spirit, but other women like the utch Sifan Hassan who stumbled, fell, got up and won a gold medal over the 1,500m. race and again that afternoon won the 5,000m finals. atie edecky is not a name we are unfamiliar with. epresenting the SA, edecky became the first female to win a 1,500m freestyle swim race. edecky is decorated with ten medals, only three of which are silver. She currently holds the record for the women’s 400m, 800m, and now the 1,500m.

After Tokyo 2020, edecky will remain the most decorated female swimmer of all time.

Elaine Thompson Herah After years, Elaine Thompson Herah has broken the world record set by lorence Griffith oyner in the 100m sprint.

The runner landed herself at the top of the podium by setting a record of 10. 1 seconds a place no woman has been before.

No reason not to celebrate the male athletes as Olympic and world records are broken.

Caeleb ressel (Swimming) This male Olympian has recently set a new Olympics record for his unbeatable time in the 100m freestyle. o l van t End ( udo) We re not new to o l van t End. This Olympian represented the etherlands in the io Olympics four years prior. Holding multiple gold medals for udo, we know this male Olympian is up to so much more. enis etrashov ( Swimming) This yrgystan Olympian is part of the swim team. Currently holding the yrgy stani records in all breaststroke events, he has taken part in io 201 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics events. Coming from a swimming family, it’s safe to say that it’s in his blood.

Marcel acobs ( 100m. sprint in . .seconds) Marcell acobs becomes the new 100m king with glory for Italy. acobs was the first Italian to ever win the event.

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HUA HIN TODAY

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ason and aura enny Olympic champions (Indoor Cycling Track ) The first riton couple to win seven Olympic gold medals. aura is the first ritish woman to win gold at three successive Olympic games. Jason is now the most successful British male Olympian of all time. It is the latest chapter in the story of the couple, who captivated the nation with their romance and sporting success at London 2012.

Historical world records There are a few historical and exceptional Olympic records held by top athletes American swimming legend Michael helps has 2 gold medals, three silver and two bron e, taking him to a total of 2 . Going way back to an eight year stretch between 1 5 and 1 . arisa atynina. The Soviet nion gymnast has golds, five silvers and four bron e medals 1 in total. ongest ump Mike owell reached . 5m in 1 1. In the women s event it is Galina Chistyakova, with the Soviet nion athlete reaching .52m in 1 .

Highest ump ulgarian Setfka ostadinova is the world record holder for women, with 2.09m achieved in 1987. Cuban Javier Sotomayor holds the men s record with 2. 5m in 1 .

Moroccan Hicham El Guerrou is a world record holder in three events the 1,500m, the mile and 2000m races.

Griffith oyner ( emale) owns both the 100m and 200m records, but atie edecky holds the most with her swimming records in the 00m, 00, and 1500m freestyle events.

LEGENDS AT THE OLYMPICS:

Mark Andrew Spit (born ebruary 10, 1 50) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine time Olympic champion. He was the most successful athlete at the 1 2 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning seven gold medals, all in world record time. This was an achievement that lasted for years until it was surpassed by fellow American Michael helps, who won eight golds at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Carl ewis Track and ield, nited States. Carl ewis is the greatest track and field athlete in Olympic history. He was an Olympic mainstay from 1 to 1 . In 1 , he won gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long ump and 00 meter relay. In the 1 Olympics in Seoul, he took gold in the 100 meters and long ump, while taking a silver in the 200 meters. At the 1 2 Olympics, he won gold in the 00 meter relay and long ump, finishing out his career in the 1 Atlanta Olympics with a gold in the long ump. ever before has an athlete dominated for so long at so many events in Olympic track and field. Had it not been for the next two, he would be the greatest Olympic athlete of all time.

Wilma udolph Track and ield, nited States. Wilma udolph was a bron e medallist in the 1 5 Olympics in the 00 meter relay at 1 years old in track and field. At the 1 0 Olympics in ome, she won gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 00 meter relay, as she earned the nickname The Tornado. Other nicknames she was given included a Ga ella egra (The lack Ga elle) by the Italians and a erle oire (The lack earl) by the French. anny lankers oen Track and ield, The etherlands. anny lankers oen is best known for winning four gold medals at the 1 Olympics.

Her victories came in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 0 meter hurdles and 00 meter relay. aising two children, while training for the Olympics, earned her the nickname The lying Housewife. ater, it was found out (after giving birth to her third child in early 1949), she had won those four gold medals while pregnant.

Edwin Moses Track and ield, nited States . Edwin Moses is mostly known for having not lost a 00 meter hurdle race over the course of nine years, or 122 races. His Olympic record may not look as stunning as others, with two golds and one bronze, but he still has to be considered one of the best of all time. In 1 , in his first international competition, Moses won the gold medal and set a world record for the event at . seconds. As of today, he still holds 25 of the fastest 100 00 meter hurdle times ever. esse Owens Track and ield, nited States. esse Owens pulled off four gold medals under incredible pressure at the erlin Games in 1 . German leader Adolf Hitler saw the Games as a chance to show Aryans to be the master race. oy, did Owens show him. Owens took gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long ump and 00 meter relay. The long ump victory came on the heels of advice given to him by Luz Long, the German competitor he ultimately defeated.

Olympic Games like no other. In the face of a pandemic, an obstacle far beyond anything we have ever experienced, the Olympics gave us Incredible dominance. Superior strength. ight. Mettle. Grit. Courage. aughter and Joy, Grief and Pain.

But we did it. Together. This celebration is for all of us and proof that there is always hope.

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City B

VETS PERFORM MASS STERILISATION ON MACAQUES IN HUA HIN

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ua Hin Municipality has ordered the mass sterilisation of hundreds of maca ues in the city. The municipality hopes the accelerated sterilisation will control the maca ue population and reduce the problems the animals cause the local community.

On Monday August 1 th, Mr. eerawat rahmanee, ermanent Secretary of Hua Hin Municipality, along with other conservation officials, oversaw the removal of some of the maca ues from Hin ek ai. The maca ues were taken to Hua Hin og Conservation Centre to be sterilised, this is the fourth sterilisation pro ect of maca ues undertaken in Hua Hin with the final aim to sterilise 00 of the animals before the end of the year. Once sterilised, officers mark the maca ues so vets can easily tell which of the animals were captured and the sex of the animal.

According to a recent survey, there are now more than 3,000 maca ues in the area. Sadly, since the coronavirus pandemic arrived, and presumably due to the lack of tourists feeding them, local residents say the maca ues have become hungry and more aggressive and have even been wrestling food from frightened residents.

Since 2017 the municipality has sterilised more than a thousand male and female maca ues.

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DEPUTY MAYOR VISITS CHATCHAI MARKET TO INSPECT COVID-19 MEASURES

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r. Montree Chuphu, eputy Mayor of Hua Hin, along with ublic Health officials visited Chatchai Market to review the measures put in place to limit the spread of CO I 1 . Mr Montree said he wanted to get a better understanding of how the preventive measures can be improved to help both vendors and customers, on the visit he was told how screening points are in place at all entrances to the market and alcohol gel stations are located throughout so that people can easily clean their hands.

Signage has also been erected informing people on how they can protect themselves against CO I 1 and the precautions they should follow.

The inspection of the market coincided with the provincial health authority launching its own acronym aimed at helping people more easily follow three simple precautions. eople throughout the province are now advised to follow the H C guidelines H Hygiene People should ensure hygienic management of their homes and businesses. istancing Social distancing measures must be in place and followed in residential areas and business establishments.

C Clean Housing and businesses should be clean, this includes tools, appliances or any item people come into regular contact with.

HUA HIN VACCINATION DATA - FALLING SHORT OF TARGETS

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he vaccination rollout in Hua Hin has gathered pace but is still way short of its target. After a slow start, the rollout of Covid 1 vaccinations in Hua Hin appears to be finally gathering pace. Health officials in Hua Hin and throughout Prachuap Khiri Khan have made considerable progress in the number of vaccinations administered to people in recent days, on Tuesday and Wednesday, almost 20,000 people in the province received a Covid 1 ab, This was helped by Hua Hin Municipality receiving an allocation of the Sinopharm vaccine it had ordered from the Chulabhorn Royal Academy. On Wednesday morning, the first of these vaccines were administered, with one of the first abs being given to Mr. Montree Chuphu, eputy Mayor of Hua Hin. The ma ority of the vaccines were given to people in high risk groups and others registered as living in Hua Hin. Hua Hin Municipality purchased the vaccines after local mayor Mr opporn Wutthikul announced his intention to help with the vaccine rollout in the town. In total, 27,500 people will receive a Sinopharm vaccine courtesy of Hua Hin Municipality, these vaccines will be administered between 25th August – 4th September 2021 at Hua Hin Hospital, officials confirmed. espite the vaccination progress made this week, the province is still some way short of reaching its target of vaccinating 70% of the local population before October 1st, the date when it is hoped Hua Hin will open to vaccinated foreign tourists. According to provincial public health director, Dr. Suriya Kuharat, as of August 25th ust 1 .12% of the local population are fully vaccinated, having received two or more vaccine doses, and 34.54% of the population of the province, some 223,108 people, have received one jab.

PRACHUAP BUDGETS THB 2.1 MILLION FOR COVID-19 FIELD HOSPITALS

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n August 2 th Mr Sarawut imarunak, Head of the Provincial Administrative Organisation announced, that as a result of increasing infection rates Prachuap rovince will spend TH 2.1 million to set up and e uip field hospitals to treat Covid 1 patients. The rovincial Communicable Disease Committee has approved the establishment of the field hospitals as a necessity to support the treatment of infectious patients in each district and procurement of materials and e uipment is already under way, this includes medical gloves, AT kits, E kits, fingertip oxygen monitors, 5 masks, face shields and more.

The aim is to purchase good uality materials to ensure the safety of medical personnel and health volunteers in the villages and to complete the delivery of the e uipment within the month of August. Previously, Prachuap Provincial Administrative Organisation had supported the budget for renting a site to set up a special ward, (field hospital), at the rachuap Sam ay Hotel, in Mueang rachuap istrict. The establishment of the field Hospitals in other districts are under the responsibility of rachuap hiri han Hospital.

City B

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HUA HIN TODAY

SWIMMERS IN HUA HIN WARNED ABOUT DEADLY BOX JELLYFISH Mr. eerawat cited the construction of stinger nets in the water next to the aksasubha esort in Hua Hin and at Hua on each in hao Takiab, which after a recent inspection were found to be in good condition.

He added that if there has been heavy rain, then people should avoid swimming altogether.

Warning signs and bottles of vinegar have been placed at locations around the beach.

In the event someone is stung by a ellyfish, they are advised to pour vinegar on the sting for 0 seconds and then seek medical attention, Mr. eerawat said.

The warning comes after a nine year old Israeli boy died earlier this week after being stung by a box ellyfish while swimming of oh hangan in Surat Thani province.

The warning could also not have come at a worse time for Hua Hin and has been issued ust days before the first weekend of unrestricted domestic travel following the easing of some COVID-19 restrictions.

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wimmers in Hua Hin are being warned about potentially deadly ellyfish that may be present in the waters off the coast.

Hua Hin Municipality issued a warning on Tuesday about the risk to swimmers from ellyfish, including the dangerous box ellyfish.

Mr. eerawat rahmanee, ermanent Secretary of Hua Hin Municipality, said swimmers should only swim inside the dedicated ‘safe zones’ where so called stinger nets have been erected to keep out the ellyfish.

Mr. eerawat said that during the rainy season, heavy rain, strong winds and stormy seas can result in an increase in ellyfish being brought closer to the shore.

THE NEW “Z’HEROES” OF COVID

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ou must have realized by now that LinkedIn is sadly following in the tracks of Facebook and it makes me wonder who’s monitoring some of the posts?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there is a surge of self-proclaimed egocentric experts, thought industry leaders, trendsetters or in uencers ‘wannabe’ telling people how successful they are but truth must be told they are fabulating.

I find that sort of self absorbed self promotion to be self serving, not to mention incredibly annoying and nauseating. It’s funny how people with little or no proven redeeming qualities feel the need to make themselves sound like the second coming in the first place. There are of course those who post anything possible, thanking the world, their team, some may do it because of pride but others doing it out of false modesty, to gain notoriety and promote how great a leader they are, we all know a few of them.

Recently, I followed a webinar of “hotel & travel industry key leaders” on overcoming the pandemic, and was surprised to hear one of them in particular, saying how well they were doing, when the majority is struggling.

The fact is we all know this is apocryphal, which leads me to the next question; Why not tell the truth? Isn’t the purpose of a webinar to share experiences with everyone The good and the bad ones, and what needs to be done to move forward successfully? Would it hurt so much to say: “Our strategy worked well before the pandemic, but post-Covid, we realized our strategy was not adapted at all and needed to be reviewed, so my team and I decided to refocus our efforts on That s leadership not to mention captivating. We’re listening…

Self promotion is by definition blowing your own horn; “I’m a serial entrepreneur, I’m the greatest, the best and have all the ideas, blah-blah… me, myself and I . The problem with such an attitude is that self-promotion is self-serving, two words that does not belong in the definition of a TEAM but depicts rather well selfishness, arrogance and a hint of narcissism. It s all about you and in a business relationship that’s the one side of the equation nobody cares about, besides we all know what you re spewing is absurd. Truth is, when it comes to business, nobody gives a damn about you personally. Most don t care what occupancy you are running, how many companies you overtook or how good you or your company are, what most care about, is what are you going to do or what have you done to secure a successful future for your stakeholders, your coworkers and most important your employees? Is it so hard to share the truth or is your ego so big that it overshadows your true persona? Nobody’s perfect, wake-up! We’re certainly not living in a perfect world, even the greatest world leaders made and still make mistakes, so why think you are different and above this?

Honestly, no one wants to work with a self-interested - self-absorbed – narcissist - self-serving and self-promoter, no one! If you think about it, neither would you.

Great leadership is about recognizing your mistakes, inspiring and guiding those around you to do better, it is also about mapping out where you need to go to "win" as a team or an organization; and it is dynamic, exciting, and inspiring and it’s certainly a lot bigger than just yourself.

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EXPLORING KHO RAM ISLAND AND NOM SAO ISLAND

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am Roi Yot District still has many tourist attractions that one must return to visit, last month I visited Sam Roi Yot District again because my foreign friends asked me about some of the Islands that I had never heard of before and that they would like to visit these islands when Thailand reopened the country.

This gave me inspiration to visit those islands and report on my findings, they are ho am Island and om Sao Island, I believe there are many people like me that have never heard of or visited these islands.

We made a one day trip leaving Hua Hin in the morning, and we used the usual route heading to Sam oi Yot ational ark located in ui uri and ranburi districts, about kms South of Hua Hin. When entering the beach area of Ao Sam Roi Yot we saw the villagers happy way of life, finding shellfish and crabs, and living at one with their environment, that made us very happy and provided the natural therapy for our journey, and when we hit the boat landing area there was such beautiful scenery, shady with lines of pine trees.

We took a boat from hao aeng sub district, and the boat man took us to visit various islands such as Koh Kho Ram, Koh Nom Sao, Koh Rawing and oh awang, where some of us en oyed fishing and some went off to explore the island. Kho Ram Island was the first, it is a medium small island that looks like a person lying on his side, with white sandy beaches and some rocky coves, it has so many maca ues that some locals refer to it as Monkey Island , the maca ues are smart and have found a way to look after themselves in their own portion of paradise. I saw them use stones to break the oyster shells off and then use their claws to carve out the oysters then eat them as a way of their life, and on

the islands mountains they also have wild fruits and leaves for them to feed on, they are most resourceful. The maca ues at ho am Island do not cause trouble for the villagers because they have abundant food for their way of living, so they do not starve like the maca ues on the shore in any way. The officer had publicised to operators and tourists that they are forbidden to bring any food to the monkeys because it will become a habit for them and they may cease to be self sufficient.

Nearby not far away is Koh Nom Sao, this is a smaller island and the origin of the name Koh Nom Sao is from its shape, that is round like a young woman s breast, (breast translates as om in the Thai language). On om Sao there is the Mae om Sao Shrine which is revered by sailors and the villagers, and at the North of Koh Nom Sao, there is a beautiful coral reef that is more than 500 meters long, excellent for snorkelling lovers to visit and

see the corals and the marine life within, the clear is shallow and a great place for tourists to swim.

Kho Ram Island and Nom Sao Island are among many natural tourist attractions of Prachuap Khiri han and they are popular among tourists that like to visit the beauty of the two adjacent islands. It is possible to kayak across to the islands, but it is rec ommended to visit only the beaches facing the shore as the water is shallow and the waves are not strong, they should not paddle around the back of the island because the beaches on that side are not beautiful, and there are big dangerous rocks and with strong waves that keep blowing the boat can be forced to hit the rocks, this is not fun at all.

Any friends who are interested in going to visit both islands, don t forget to check the weather first. especially during the rainy season, and don t forget to be prepared, sunglasses, hats, and sunscreen are essential, and maybe just a small treat for the little monkeys, bananas

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HUA HIN TODAY

METIS HOSPITALITY, A NEW GENERATION OF CONSULTANTS R ich ard Meh r Manag ing Director & C o- F ound er Metis H osp ital ity C o., Ltd

Swiss born raised in a family of hoteliers, Richard perpetuated the family tradition in South East Asia for the past 0 years. He is no stranger to Hua Hin, he opened and managed several properties since 200 , utahracsa esort and anyan esort Golf in Hua Hin as well as other properties in huket, Sam Son, ha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City in ietnam for different owning and management companies. He was also the resident of the Hua Hin Cha Am Skal Club from 2010 to 201 and in 201 . ichard holds a Management degree from the Hotel Management School ieux ois in Geneva, Swit erland. ecently, ichard and his wife opened METIS Hospitality Co., td. a consortium of intuitive, instinctive, independent, and like minded individuals, founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty ob ective To offer our clients our expertise at a reasonable price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses in a progressive manner. Our aim is to provide a one stop solution to independent hotel and resort owners. We believe in the continuity and longevity of bouti ue properties throughout Thailand. Our uni ueness is to provide our clients with robust expertise, we can audit, we can teach, we can develop, we can problem solve, we can walk into a hotel and fix it... be it service, financial, operational, or creative solutions in ways that others can t, we seek solutions for their hospitality needs. Our clients are Small luxury bouti ue hotels, hotel developers, hotel owning companies, golf private member clubs, top end operators of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and restaurant franchise organizations.

METIS Hospitality Co., td is also the umbrella company for METIS Housing evelopment with Mr. Carsten raun as managing partner, which consists of dedicated and experienced professionals within the construction, architectural, engineering, and design fields committed to meet their client s expectation through every step of building their homes. “Our principal objective is to deliver every pro ect on time and within the specified budget while abiding by the highest uality standards. METIS Housing evelopment is a game changing, innovative construction company that always aims to exceed its clients’ expectations” says ichard Mehr. We also offer CA ( roperty Condition Assessment) which allow clients to hire our expertise to evaluate the conditions of a property before they purchase it. ichard adds when purchasing an existing property in Thailand, old or new, due diligence does not simply begin and end with a review of the financial data. There are many steps, involving a series of in uiries. It is uintessential that multiple layers of screening are carried out to ensure that The uyer is making a properly informed decision, based on all information available.

HH Today How does Thailand s social, economic, environmental, legal and political environments impact your business? and especially the current coronavirus outbreak It s a rather hard uestion to answer as it involves many topics. We can all agree that the CO I 1 pandemic took us all by surprise and whether you like it or not we’ll just have to deal with it as we may not have seen the end of it. eading countries in the fight against Covid and who have succeeded at vaccinating swiftly a majority of their population, are facing today a variant of the pandemic and forced to implement stricter measures and introduce a third if not a fourth inoculation. What does that tell us? Thailand is not different. We’re facing an unprecedent situation and the only way out of this chaos is to ensure the inoculation of the entire population, the faster, the better. On a personal point of view, I believe more can be done, time is of essence. Many businesses are struggling, many families are left in dire straights and we haven’t seen yet the light at the end of the tunnel. The only way up is to vaccinate faster, lift the uarantine and open up the country as soon as possible before more businesses file for bankruptcy. The longer we wait, the more disastrous the outcome.

HH Today What advice would you give those businessmen how they need to prepared to deal with their business after the outbreak recover Survival is the priority today, it is difficult to predict the future when we re still in the midst of fighting the pandemic, I can hardly give any advice what will happen after, I can only speculate. International travelers and investors will eventually return slowly for sure but it will take longer than we might expect.

Undoubtedly, the aftermath of COVID will bring a fair amount of changes between how business was conducted before and how it will be conducted in the future, all of us will need to adapt to the new norms. Diversity, innovation, adaptability and moderni ation are key words that will define the future of business, more than ever. Once the switch is back on and travelling resumes, I can only assume that it will be chaos as many companies will be back in business all at the same time and competition will be fierce, it will certainly not be business as usual and as before, there will be a price war out there, a fight for survival. One other point is that I believe finding skilled employees will also prove to be a real challenge, especially in the hospitality industry. As for me, I am looking into a plan and C and circumnavigate the obstacles as they come, keeping the fingers on the pulse of trend may not be enough, we have to visuali e the future and be ready to tak when needed.

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