The Phuket News October 18, 2019

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CALL FOR CHANGE INTERNATIONAL LIFESAVING CHIEF SPEAKS OUT ON PHUKET LIFEGUARDS

NEWS

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Governor order clears trash at Chalong Pier

LIFE

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The life of a news photojournalist in sharp focus

International Life Saving Federation President Graham Ford AM speaks at the World Conference on Drowning Prevention in Durban, South Africa, earlier this month. Photo: Anthony Grote

Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

I

nternational Life Saving Federation President Graham Ford AM has called for Phuket’s lifeguards to be trained to international standard, for more to be done to ensure tourists are aware of the danger of drowning at Phuket’s beaches and for local authorities to make the provision of trained, qualified lifeguards a priority.

As ILS President, Mr Ford heads an organisation which represents 130 countries and has 30 million lifesaving members worldwide.

Speaking to The Phuket News at the World Conference on Drowning Prevention held in Durban, South Africa, earlier this month, Mr Ford

explained that the role of professional lifeguards encompassed more than most people appreciated.

“For Phuket lifeguards, it is not just about sitting on the beach, they have to be proactive,” he said.

“Real lifeguards, professional lifeguards, are always looking over the water to see what is going on. They must scan all the time. They must make sure no one is in trouble – and if any are, go rescue them.

“Further, they need international lifeguard training and to be certified.

This is because they must be trained in a variety of skills, including administering CPR, among others,” he added.

Mr Ford, who was already aware of Phuket’s current lifeguard situation, also pointed out that making

sure tourists know where to swim safely was vital.

“You must have clear messages for tourists to know where it is safe to swim. You must make sure they understand the safety messages presented to them,” he said.

“In aircraft flying into the country they should have some messages for tourists about where to actually swim where it is safe. I think that is a very important safety message that needs to happen,’ he added.

Mr Ford, who last year was reelected for a fifth two-year term as President Elected Director of Surf Life Saving Australia, pointed out that Phuket in particular needed the government to make having international-standard lifeguards on

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the beaches a priority.

“The government must make this a priority, lifeguards must be on duty at tourist hotspots. Tourists need lifeguards,” he said plainly.

“Governments and local authorities, they need the will, they need to have laws in place to mandate that in tourist spots they have lifeguard services,” he added.

“Then we have to ensure those lifeguards have competency and skill required to be an international lifeguard so they can actually look after the beach and do the rescue.

Lifeguards also need to continual retraining to maintain their skills.

“And then on the ground, we need to have education for local communities, particularly with our youth with...

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Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana leads an official event to pay homage to King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in front of Phuket Provincial Hall last year. Photo: PR Dept

Government offices to close for Chulalongkorn Day MANY GOVERNMENT offices will be closed this coming Wednesday (Oct 23) as Thais in Phuket as elsewhere throughout the country celebrate the Chulalongkorn Day national holiday.

Every year on October 23, Thai people celebrate the life and reign of King Chulalongkorn on the anniversary of his death in 1910, the day known to Thais as Chulalongkorn Day or Piyamararaj Day. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) is a much-loved king and was the fifth king of the Chakri Dynasty.

King Chulalongkorn is considered one of the greatest Kings of Siam as he led several major reforms in Thailand from the Thai educational system, military affairs, state railway to the abolition of slavery in Thailand.

To commemorate this spe-

cial day, throughout Thailand many Thais show their respect for the great monarch by placing wreaths and flowers at Rama V Statue in their hometown.

Most gover n ment offices will be closed, including Phuket Immigration, all three District offices in Phuket and local municipalities and administration offices.

Main bank branches will be closed, but bank branches inside shopping malls will be open as usual.

There is no ban on the sale of alcohol by law for this public holiday.

Officials will lead a variety of formal activities for the Chulalongkorn Day holiday, including volunteers joining a campaign to help tidy up tangles of cables from utility poles along main streets.

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Phuket lifesaving needs on show at global event Continued from page 1 ...learn to swim programmes and also for the community a simple thing like a CPR programme. A CPR programme is not just for the water. It is a simple skill that we can all learn. It is not difficult to do,” he said.

Mr Ford’s understanding of the need to cater to the safety of tourists is well founded.

His career in surf lifesaving administration began at Bronte Surf Life Saving Club in Sydney in 1986 when he took up the position as Chairman of the Nippers, young surf lifesavers aged between 5 and 14 years.

Bronte Beach is the next beach south of world-famous Bondi Beach.

Further, in honour of Mr Ford’s unwavering dedication service to surf lifesaving, he has also been awarded the Order of Australia (AM).

Also speaking to The Phuket News at the World Conference on Drowning Prevention held in South Africa, Justin Scarr, the chair of the ILS Drowning Prevention Commission, pointed out the vital role of fostering a community-driven awareness of surf safety.

“Life-saving training is important to provide in Phuket

A drone to help lifeguards patrol large areas of beaches on show at the conference in South Africa. Photo: Anthony Grote province, but building up a drowning prevention group by local people and making public information available in several local areas are also crucial,” he said.

“It is not only drowning at the beach but also it can happen at swimming pools in hotels or homes and at lakes.

“I expect that people learn, focus on and build up drowning prevention groups in their communities. Also people are being trained in drowning prevention by Phuket Life Saving which is only one in Thailand, which has the experience and skills from the International Life Saving Federation,” he added.

More than 200 presenters from 50 nations took part in the World Conference on Drowning Prevention in South Africa. The conference has brought together the world’s foremost experts, researchers and policy-makers in drowning prevention, rescue, lifesaving and water safety to exchange, debate and review the latest progress on preventing drowning.

Thailand was given clear prominence at the conference following confirmation in August that the country is still “number one” for child drowning deaths among Asean countries, and the World Health Organisation (WHO)

notes that the rate of drownings in Thailand is twice as high as the world’s average.

In a report released by the National Institute for Child and Family Development (NICFD) in March, it was revealed that between the years 2000 to 2018, there were more than 22,700 drownings involving children under 15 in Thailand, an average of 1,262 children per year or a shocking five kids per day.

At the highest point, drowning caused about 56% of child deaths, followed by road accidents at 25% and falling from heights at 8%.

The World Conference on Drowning Prevention came as the latest WHO estimates report 320,000 people dying from drowning worldwide each year. Drowning is among the 10 leading causes of death for children and young people in every region of the world.

Over half of all drowning deaths are among those aged under 25 years.

Chief Reporter Tanyaluk Sakoot was selected to attend the World Conference on Drowning Prevention (WCDP2019) through a Reporting Fellowship provided by the International Center for Journalists.

AoT to spend more than B980mn over noise pollution

AIRPORTS OF THAILAND (AOT) at Phuket International Airport this year has paid more than B9 million to local residents as compensation for noise pollution and will spend a further B976.5mn to acquire land that is home to 82 houses where noise levels from passing aircraft exceed residential limits.

Phuket International Airport General Manager Thanee Chuangchoo announced the news at an event held at Phuket Airport’s X-Terminal on Oct 8 to mark the 31st anniversary of AoT, and its precursor Airports Authority of Thailand, operating Phuket Airport.

Operation of Phuket International Airport was transferred from the Department of Commercial Aviation to the Airports Authority of Thailand on Oct 8, 1988.

Mr Thanee explained that this year “Phuket AoT” has already paid B9,116,576 to people living in 64 households in three villages near the airport

Phuket International Airport General Manager Thanee Chuangchoo announced the news earlier this month. Photo: PR Dept as compensation for noise pollution.

A total of 277 households have been identified as affected by noise pollution, and compensation to occupants of the remaining 213 households will be paid before the end of the year, Mr Thanee said.

How much compensation is to be paid to the occupants of the remaining

213 households was not explained.

In addition, “Phuket AoT” has already bought land from three of 29 people on whose land are 82 households affected by noise pollution with a “NEF” reading of more than 40, Mr Thanee said.

Mr Thanee said that in total a current estimate of B976,540,369 will be spent on buying the land from all 29 landowners before the end of 2020.

An “NEF”, or Noise Exposure Forecast, is an internationally recognised measurement of the noise impact arising from aircraft operation which factors in the duration of flyover, the peak noise level, the tonal characteristics and the number of aircraft movements in both the daytime and at night.

A reading of 40 or higher is deemed appropriate for industrial or recreational use only.

NEF readings are used in airport noise pollution evaluations by the ICAO. The Phuket News

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Chalong Pier garbage cleared by Gov order The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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halong Municipal workers moved and cleared mounds of garbage piling up on along Chalong Pier on Tuesday (Oct 15) after Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana gave a clear order for the trash to be removed from the busy tourism facility immediately.

Chalong Pier is a major departure point for thousands of tourists boarding day-trips to nearby islands each day.

Although located within the Chalong Municipality area, Chalong Pier is operated by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor), which collects fees from all operators using the pier for garbage collection and maintenance.

Governor Phakaphong ordered Muang Phuket District Chief Wikrom Jaktee to investigate why the trash was piling up along the pier after he received a tip-off informing him of the situation, reported the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department.

The piles of garbage, reeking of rotting waste, were in open sight to thousands of tourists boarding and disembarking tour boats using the pier.

The PPAO usually collects the garbage from along the pier between 4-5am each day. However, the garbage had not been cleared for three days as the PPAO garbage truck for Chalong Pier had broken down,

The piles of garbage along Chalong Pier were cleared by Chalong Municipality workers in just two hours. Photo: PR Dept said the report.

The Governor ordered Muang Phuket District Chief Wikrom to take urgent action to inspect the pier and to order Chalong Municipality to dispatch workers to clear the mess up, the report added.

Chalong Mayor Samran Jindaphol acted quickly, ordering officers from the Chalong Municipality Public Health and Environment Division to remove the trash. All of the trash was removed within two hours.

Officials at the PPAO have now had a meeting about the issue, the Phuket PR

Dept office reported.

The PPAO has about 20 staff to look after Chalong Pier, including garbage collectors. “But some positions are paid low salaries – about B9,000 a month – which has resulted in people leaving their jobs, including garbage collectors,” the report said.

The PPAO will now collect the trash from 5-6am every day, including public holidays, the PR Dept noted.

In the long term, the PPAO plans to buy some more garbage trucks to serve the pier, the agency said.

Indian tourist killed, another injured in motorbike accident AN INDIAN WOMAN died and her male companion was injured in a motorbike accident on the coastal road at the northern end of Kalim Bay, north of Patong, last Wednesday night (Oct 9).

Lt Col Somnuek Damkaew of the Kamala Police was called to the scene, on a curve along the PatongKamala Rd, at 8:20pm.

When police arrived, two injured Indian tourists were still pinned under a black Phuket-registered Chevrolet Captiva stopped on the northbound side of road, Col Somnuek noted in his report.

The driver of the Chevrolet, 23-year-old Phuket native Worachat Thapachetri, was waiting at the scene.

Col Somnuek identified the Indian tourists as Nitish Mishra, 27, from Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, and Ms Pragya Paliwal, 29, Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh.

Rescue workers soon arrived and recovered both @thephuketnews

The accident occurred on the wet slippery coastal road at the northern end of Kalim Bay. Photo: Kamala Police tourists from under the car and rushed them to Patong Hospital. However, Ms Paliwal was pronounced dead on arrival.

Col Somnuek reported that police were told by witnesses at the scene that Mr Mishra was driving the motorbike with Ms Paliwal riding as passenger from Kamala Beach. The two were travelling southbound to the hotel where they were staying in Patong.

It was raining at the

time, and Mr Mishra lost control of the motorbike on the slippery road, sending the two tourist sliding across the road into the path of the oncoming car.

Col Somnuek’s report made no mention of whether the tourists were wearing helmets, or of the extent of Mr Mishra’s injuries.

The report also made no mention of whether any charges would be pressed over the accident.

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Patong carnival to host Cosplay Beach Run A “PATONG COSPLAY Beach Run” will be held as one of the highlights of this year’s Phuket Carnival, Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup has announced.

The carnival this year will be held from Nov 1-5 under the theme “Cheerful Beach Variety Phuket”, explained Mayor Chalermluck.

The carnival is held each year in Patong to welcome the arrival of tourism high season. This year marks the 33rd edition of the annual festivities.

On Nov 1 will be the opening ceremony attended by many of Phuket’s key officials as well as the traditional parade and many live music and dance performances live on stage, Mayor Chalermluck said.

On Nov 2 will be the annual underwater cleanup held in the waters off Patong Beach, usually joined by many of Phuket’s leading dive tour operators, as well as activities including making fashion accessories from marine trash.

The Patong Cosplay Beach Run 2019 will be held on Nov 3, Mayor Chalermluck noted.

Entry to the 5km Fun Run costs B400 while entry to the 10km Mini Marathon costs

This year the carnival will be held from Nov 1-5. Image: Patong Municipality B450. Entry to the “VIP” category costs B1,000.

To enter the event, participants must register before Oct 27. For more information about the Cosplay Beach Run, visit the Facebook event page or call Khun Wandee at 0896505873.

On Nov 4 will be a cooking demonstration by chefs from restaurants recommended in the Michelin Guide Thailand.

On Nov 5, will be a photo exhibition under the theme “Patong where I love”.

As usual, food and drinks will be sold along the beach for the duration of the carnival, Mayor Chalermluck added.

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PHUKET NEWS

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

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Confession of masturbating cable thief too much to handle Eakkapop Thongtub editor@classactmedia.co.th

GENERAL MANAGER

Jason Beavan 086 479 7471

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

A

woman who owns a buildi ng u nder renovation in Phuket Town where a man was caught stealing electrical cables last Wednesday (Oct 9) lost her temper in front of police after the thief revealed that he masturbated after watching her walk by.

Wassana Songsri-in kicked the thief, Somchai Jiummuanthia, 30, twice on hearing the confession.

She picked up a steel bar to hit Somchai, but police stopped her before more harm was done.

Ms Wassana called the police at 10am to report that a thief was in her building, located on Soi Surin on the

Building owner Wassana Songsri-in kicks thief Somchai Jiummuanthia, 30, after he confessed to masturbating after watching her walk past. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub east side of Phuket Town.

Patrol officers led by Capt Wetchasak Jun-Adung of the Phuket City Police arrived quickly as she told them that the thief may be still in the building, a four-storey commercial townhouse under renovation to become a hotel.

The officers noticed a Honda Click motorbike without a licence plate parked in the car park in front of the building, Capt Wetchasak explained.

On entering the building the officers found many electrical cables that had been cut and found Somchai walking down

the stairs inside the building.

The officers took Somchai for questioning and confirmed that he was the man caught on CCTV stealing the electrical cables.

Confronted with the evidence, Somchai confessed to stealing the cables.

He also explained that while he was stealing the cable, he saw a woman walk past the building, so he masturbated and then went out to sell the cable.

The woman that walked by was Ms Wassana.

Ms Wassana explained to police, “I used the building as an apartment block, then a laundry shop, and now I am renovating it to be a hotel. The front door to the building was locked, so the thief must have entered the building by walking

past my house.”

Ms Wassana also explained that the cables had been stolen from her building for some time.

“I have CCTV footage showing Somchai walking out of the building carrying a sack filled with cables. I tried to find this thief for a long time, and today he came back again and was finally caught,” she said.

However, police have yet to confirm whether Somchai was involved in the theft of electrical cables and six airconditioning units from a townhouse under renovation off the bypass road north of Phuket Town just one day earlier.

In those thefts three pairs of women’s underwear were found at the scene.

Fatal asthma attack suspected in crash SALES REPRESENTATIVE Kanokwan (Meo) Rungseang 088 754 1371 sales1@classactmedia.co.th

A FATA L SEI Z U R Einducing asthma attack is believed to have killed a man whose pickup truck ran off Thepkrasattri Rd in Thalang early Tuesday morning (Oct 15), Thalang Police have reported.

Thalang Police Deputy Chief Lt Col Phichai Phupommin was notified at 4am that a pickup truck had run off the road near the Toyota Next Center on Thepkrasattri Rd just north of the intersection with Route 4031, which leads to Nai Yang and the airport.

At the scene, police and rescue workers found a Phuket-registered Isuzu pickup truck with 40-yearold Pichet Santipongpaiboon, originally from Nakhon Ratchasima, dead in the driver’s seat.

Police believe that the man suffered a fatal epileptic asthma attack while driving southward from his home to Thalang Hospital, Lt Col Phichai reported.

“The attack caused him to lose control of the car, first hitting a traffic sign

Police believe that Pichet Santipongpaiboon suffered a fatal asthma attack while driving. on the central reservation and then veering off the road,” he said.

The man had received emergency treatment for a severe asthma attack at Thalang Hospital at about 8pm Monday night (Oct 14), Col Phichai noted.

A test found no traces of alcohol in the man’s blood, Col Phichai added.

Mr Pichet Santipongpaiboon’s body was being held at Thalang Hospital while police attempt to contact the man’s relatives in Nakhon Ratchasima, Col Phichai noted in his report.

“It appears the man had no relatives in Phuket,” he added.

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

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Multi-tier hospital prices begin New law allows state hospitals to charge foreigners different rates Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

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he multi-tier prices for government hospitals to charge foreigners higher fees are now in effect in Phuket, the Chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has confirmed.

“The new pricing regulation came into effect on Sept 29 at all three government hospitals in Phuket – Vachira, Thalang and Patong,” PPHO Chief Thanit Sermkaew told The Phuket News.

“They can now charge different fees for the three groups of foreigners – migrant labourers (from Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam), foreigners staying on nonimmigrant visas, and tourists,” he added.

The new rates were initially issued in a Ministry of Public Health regulation in June, and were publicly published in the Government Gazette in August.

The new regulation lists the maximum prices to be charged for standard medical services and stipulates that government hospitals are now individually

@thephuketnews

People wait at the dispensary at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town. Photo; Tanyaluk Sakoot empowered to charge different rates for Thais and foreign nationals, with foreigners classified into three groups.

Group 1 comprises Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam nationals as well as stateless migrant workers and migrants permitted to enter and work in Thailand under a special bilateral agreement.

Group 2 comprises foreigners legally working or studying in Thailand, specifically those who have been granted a host of non-immigrant visas, namely Business (B), Media

(M), Religion (R), Research and Science (RS) and Expert (EX), referring to the practice of skilled craftsmen or experts, as well as Education (ED), including for the purpose of observation and training.

Also included in Group 2 are foreigners staying in the country on non-immigrant visas for investment promotion, namely Investment Through BOI (IB visa), Investment Through Ministry (IM visa) and the Smart visa programme.

Group 3 comprises all tourists, visitors staying on visa on

arrival, visa exemption, sport and transit visas, captains and crews, and all foreigners staying in the country on NonImmigrant O visas.

PPHO Chief Thanit explained that government hospitals can now charge different rates for the different groups of foreigners, but are not permitted to charge more than the “ceiling” prices for the services listed in the regulation.

For services not listed in the regulation, each hospital must first set its own price and then apply to the Office of the

Ministry of Public Health Permanent Secretary for approval to start charging the proposed maximum rate.

Under the new regulation, the maximum rates must be posted for the public to see, Chief Thanit added.

“Right now the directors of the government hospitals in Phuket are looking for ways to show the pricing information in a public area at the hospitals,” he said.

Vachira Phuket Hospital Director Dr Chalermpong Sukontapol explained that his staff are looking for an appropriate place to let people at the hospital know about the news rates and where to find the full list.

“We don’t have a notice in our public area yet. Right now we just have a link to the regulation on our [website] home page. We are finding extra ways to share this information to the public,” he said.

“Meanwhile, people can ask about prices at any time at the cashier. We don’t mind explaining this information to patients.

“We don’t have any docu-

ments in English, but we have staff available who can explain the details to foreigners,” he added.

PPHO Chief Thanit explained that the purpose of the regulation was to set standard prices for services at all government hospitals.

“This law focuses on foreigners who do not have any health and accident insurance.

Even though the rates might be different (for different groups of people), the prices are now regulated by the government, so foreigners do not need to worry about being overcharged,” he said.

“The prices charged by government hospitals are certainly cheaper than those charged by private hospitals. Government hospitals will not overcharge for their services.

“If people want to check the prices, they can ask hospital staff and the cashier.

If you believe that you have been overcharged, first file a complaint with the director of that hospital. If the problem is ignored, then you can report it to the Phuket Provincial Health Office,” Chief Thanit said.

Opinion 6

OPINION

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

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EDITORIAL

Failing to take out the trash

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

Degree in business management.

Spare time spent sailing or with family.

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H

ow angry should tour boat operators using Chalong Pier be after this week’s debacle that saw Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana having to give a direct order for council workers to collect all the garbage that was piling up along the pier?

Collecting garbage is about as simple as a function gets for a local administration, and yet so many in Phuket fail to be able to do it. With Chalong Pier, it is not even a local administration entrusted with this – it is the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor), the administration technically responsible for overseeing key local government operations across the island where local administrations are unable to or do not have the resources to perform their duties.

Keep in mind that the PPAO fought for the right to operate

Chalong Pier when it officially opened in 2001. We could have guessed it might have been about the money, especially after a private operator had its concession to operate the pier revoked after allegations of overcharging boat owners B2,000 a month instead of B100 overnight for mooring fees – if receiving a receipt wasn’t an issue.

Yet even when the pier opened, the PPAO President at the time, Wisut Santikun, pointed out that the annual cost of running the pier was expected to be about B3 million, while revenue was expected to be about B4mn. Part of the million-baht surplus was to be used for renovation of the pier.

With that much surplus even at the outset, it begs the question: where does the money go?

Also let’s remember that the PPAO collects a room rate

tax of 1% of rates charged of every room on the island rented out to tourists. That tax was introduced on the condition that the PPAO funds the provision of lifeguards at Phuket’s key tourism beaches. But that responsibility no longer rests with the PPAO. It was removed from their clutches by former Governor Norraphat Plodthong in his final order to “resolve” the lifeguard crisis as the PPAO had repeatedly failed to do so. And now we have no idea where the B20mn a year that was spent on lifeguards goes.

Apparently it all just disappears into the PPAO’s annual budgeting, which is seemingly not enough to ensure garbage is collected at a key Phuket tourism facility where thousands of tourists each day get to see firsthand exactly how good the PPAO is at carrying out one of the most basic local government functions. Go figure.

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Emergency services on standby as weather warning issued Woman building owner loses temper as masturbating cable thief caught Indian tourist killed, another injured in Phuket motorbike accident Arrival, departure slots: Use them or lose them, Phuket airport chief warns airlines Phuket Opinion: Making waves, making money Immigration to enforce mandatory health insurance for one-year O-A stays Cabinet OKs new perks for tourism Four-metre king cobra wrestled from sewer in Krabi Patong Cosplay Beach Run to highlight Phuket Carnival Man shot at Phuket rubber plantation

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HAVE YOUR SAY Infamous island

Re: Lifesaving training, community support needed to tackle drownings in Phuket: ILS Chair Do Thai government officials who are responsible for beach safety now not feel embarrassed that Phuket’s beach safety was a point of international discussion abroad in Durban?

Kurt Another shameful statistic for Thailand, being #1 for child drowning deaths among Asean countries. Like the pathetic road safety and environmental mismanagement reputation, government officials appear to be completely baffled as to what they need to do, so they end up doing nothing except come up with all kinds of foolish ideas that yield zero results. No change in sight.

BenPendejo

SpyFi

Re: Digital Economy and Society Ministry's WiFi demand [to keep data] draws flak In principle, a good idea.

The internet does need regu-

lating at the moment. It’s a massive vehicle of fraud and all other kinds of crimes.

But I feel sorry for the hosts that have to foot the bill for server time in storing the information.

Ronald Warren Disbury So basically all the little coffee shops, bars and restaurants will either ignore the law or switch off public WiFi. There is zero chance they will invest in the kit to do this.

Roger Killick Log files are actually very small. String text of few bites.

90 days of logs could be, more or less, 100 gigabytes of information stored on a hard disk.

It’s easy to find free software to store this kind of data.

Dario Parodi

Fresh perspectives

Re: Cabinet OKs new perks for tourism I just don’t see [why expats feel they are unwelcome]. I am surrounded by wonderful, helpful and caring people who are always good to me. I don’t get hassled by police or other agencies. Visas are a breeze.

Even the taxman is fairer than in the west. People are helpful and fair. I get discounts if I ask. When I go to buy fruit or fish, I ask the salesperson to choose for me and they give me the best they have. What have [these people] done to miss the smiles that Thais are named after?

[In terms of mandatory healthcare] It’s not about getting rid of anyone, it’s about the cost in billions each year which is lost to visitors and expats who are not covered.

Who do you think pays for all the greatly reduced hospital costs and the autopsies for every foreigner who dies here, the body repatriation, the damages to public and private property in case of accidents...? Why should Thailand have to cover the thousands who are abusing the system?

Geoffrey Arnold

Animals in the Kingdom

Re: Soi Dog leads free sterilisation and vaccinations for cats and dogs in Thepkrasattri Soi Dog does so much good work. An incredible

organisation. Worthy of support. Great story Phuket News!

Daren Jenner Although a nice gesture, the Soi Dog Foundation need more funds so they can make this service permanent.

Geoffrey Morris Re: Four-metre king cobra wrestled from sewer in Krabi The story even made BBC World News.

Patrick Campbell An amazing snake hunter.

The bigger they are, the more likely they are to flee and not attack unless [threatened].

Shawn Stangeland

RIP TV

Re: Fuzzy outlook for digital TV channels Ads, ads, ads. Does it not occur to anyone that people choose to watch other media because these free-to-view channels already have so many adverts? The purely ad-funded business model for TV channels is a thing of the past. Plus there are too many of these channels anyway.

CaptainJack69

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

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

THAILAND NEWS

7

Families given wrong corpses Dead body mix-up cleared up just in time, hospital apologises BURI RAM Bangkok Post

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etter check the body wrapped in white clothes before holding a religious ceremony.

The family and friends of Um Taoteethong were perplexed last Thursday night (Oct 10) when they saw an ambulance rushing to the chanting ceremony for the 47-year-old at her house at Ban Non Malai in Khu Muang district.

Volunteers from the rescue unit of the tambon Wang Nuea Administration Organisation emerged from the ambulance with some unexpected news: the body lying in the coffin was not Um – and they had come to deliver the real one.

The family members of Um and other mourners went to the ambulance to check, and recognised Um’s body lying in a casket.

“The ambulance of the tambon Wang Nuea Administration Organisation came to the house around 7pm and told me that they wanted to

Sakda Taoteethong holds a picture of his late sister, Um, after he almost cremated the wrong body. Photo: Bangkok Post swap the bodies,” said Sakda Taoteethong, the elder brother of the dead woman. “I was shocked. I opened the coffin at the ceremony and found that the body was not my sister’s.”

The body at the house turned out to be Lamom Insamran, 75, a resident of Ban Alang in Ban Dan district, who died on the same day at

Buri Ram Hospital in Muang district.

Um’s real body was moved from the ambulance to replace Lanom’s, which the ambulance then delivered to a chanting ceremony at Wat Palad Pook in Ban Dan. Um and Lamom both died on Thursday, and their bodies were moved to the hospital

Lottery gamble fails to pay off for drug gang CHIANG MAI POLICE IN CHIANG MAI on Tuesday (Oct 15) arrested two suspects wanted for alleged drug smuggling and money laundering by purchasing top lottery prizes at inflated rates.

Suphap Saeleng, 33, and Wirat Rotchanakhirisanti, 20, were arrested at a house in tambon Nameng in San Sai district.

Police also confiscated assets including a house worth B10 million in the

@thephuketnews

A Chiang Mai man allegedly used lottery tickets to launder money from a drug gang. Photo: Bangkok Post same district.

Police said Mr Suphap confessed to handling moneylaundering activities for a drug smuggling ring. One of his methods was to purchase winning lottery tickets at a

higher rate than the value of the prize.

He purchased one prizewinning ticket worth B30 million for B35 million, and made similar purchases three to four times.

He also bought properties, and traded in fighting cocks, all funded by the money supplied by the same gang, he said.

The two suspects were among a group of eight who were wanted by police in connection with a crackdown last year in Chiang Rai province.

Bangkok Post

morgue. Staff then cleaned them, injected them with formalin and wrapped them in sheets of white cloth in preparation for collection by their families for religious ceremonies.

Deputy hospital director Rakkiat Prasongdee explained on Sunday (Oct 13) that his staff had made a careless

mistake. They failed to open the white cloth wrapping the bodies for the family members of Um and Lamom to verify when they came to sign the documents for the bodies’ release from the hospital.

They later put the corpses in coffins and sent them out of the hospital.

The mistake was not discovered until Lamom’s body reached Wat Palad Pook. The undertakers at the temple opened the wrapped cloth to prepare a bathing rite for Lamom – and realised that the body was not hers.

Phisit Insamran, a son of Lamom, then called the hospital to request the correct body.

“I am lucky,” Mr Phisit said on Saturday (Oct 12).

“Had the undertakers not opened the cloth wrapped around the body, I would have cremated a woman who was not my mother.”

Mr Phisit said that he had been contacted by the hospital on Thursday to pick up his mother’s body. When he and other family members arrived at the hospital morgue, they

were told all verification processes had been completed for the release, he recalled.

After realising the mistake, Dr Rakkiat said the hospital hastily contacted the rescue unit to swap the bodies.

Hospital director Somchai Assawasudsakorn offered an apology for what happened.

The hospital will rehearse the correct procedures with staff to prevent the same mistake from happening again, Dr Somchai added.

Mr Phisit and Mr Sakda blamed the staff at the hospital morgue for the error, and both suggested that the hospital place name tags on all bodies.

Suwit Seetha, a nephew of Um, said he had a hunch that something was wrong during the chanting ceremony for his aunt before the ambulance arrived.

“Two big candles in front of the coffin suddenly fell down, even though there was no wind blowing in,” he recalled.

The two families finally cremated their loved ones – their real loved ones – on Saturday.

8

THAILAND NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Reporting the danger zones

Volunteers shed light on harassment hot spots in Thai capital BANGKOK Bangkok Post

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ongluck Chao got the shock of her life when her daughter made a frantic phone call saying she was molested. At that time, her daughter was just 12 years old.

It was 3pm. Her daughter was walking home from school, taking her usual route – an empty walkway alongside a Bangkok canal. A man was walking from the other direction, and when they crossed paths, he began to put his hand on the front part of her body. The young girl resisted, hitting him with her bag.

Fortunately, she got away.

“When I returned home, my daughter was frightened. She held me tight. Then, she asked me to take her to the police, saying she didn’t want her friends to experience it. And if the bad guy is still around, my daughter was afraid he’d come back. If we tell the police, maybe they can lock him up,” said Nongluck to a room of 50 volunteers who recently gathered to make streets safer as part of the Safe Cities for Women initiative.

Eventually, the police were able to apprehend the perpetrator, and it was found out that he has a record

Volunteers inspect different areas around the neighbourhood. Photo: Bangkok Post of a similar crime against a 10-yearold child in another province. He is now in jail.

Nongluck’s daughter is not the first victim of street harassment, nor is she the last. ActionAid, an international NGO against poverty and injustice, has found that 86% of women in Thailand have experienced street harassment.

In an attempt to make city streets safer, the Safe Cities for Women network, made up of at least 10

organisations, recently launched the First Pin campaign to acquire public help in identifying unsafe areas on our streets.

They asked the public to pueak – colloquially, to “butt in”, or to keep an eye out for one another and to step in when they witness sexual harassment.

The First Pin campaign utilised crowdsourcing through the official account Traffy Fondue on Line. Using #teampueak, people can send

photos and report locations of unsafe spots around Thailand through the account’s chatbot, where data will be collected and passed on to the relevant authorities for improvement.

“Harassment comes in many forms: ogling, touching, catcalling, stalking, showing one’s genitals,” said Varaporn Chamsanit, from the Women Wellbeing programme.

“These incidents make people paranoid and feel unsafe in their own cities.”

With this campaign, Varaporn said they’re trying to get the public involved as much as possible, adding that the state doesn’t have enough manpower to deal with the issue.

For the campaign’s pilot run, Safe Cities brought its group of volunteers through the Ruamrudee community and on the skywalk that connects Lumpini and Benjakitti parks. They all had their phones out, ready to identify and snap unsafe spots along the way.

Sonthaya Piangpol, former head of the Ruamrudee community, was there to guide volunteers through his neighbourhood. He shared with the group how there have been many incidents reported around the area.

“We only have a few surveillance cameras around here. And the ones that are installed, we don’t even know if they work,” Sonthaya said, pointing around as we walked along.

While it was a good initiative, Sonthaya said he hopes this is just the beginning.

“We need to know the people who are mistreating our daughters.

Sometimes, it’s not just molesting, too, but rape. We need to increase their punishment to scare the bad guys away. If we do nothing, then women will continue to be unsafe,” he said.

Large king cobra wrestled in Krabi KRABI A FEISTY FOUR-METRE (13-foot) king cobra was pulled from a sewer in Krabi province in an hour-long operation, a rescue foundation said Tuesday (Oct 15), describing the reptile as one of the largest they had ever captured.

Footage of the daring capture showed a man chasing the cobra – the world’s longest venomous snake – into a dark and cramped drainage pipe.

The cobra splashed around in water and tried to slither back into the pipe but was pulled out by the tail after multiple attempts.

A security guard on the housing estate where it was found first alerted the rescue group on Sunday (Oct 13).

“Seven rescue workers, including me, went there,” said Kritkamon Kanghae, 26, adding that the estate was built on a plot that was once jungle.

K r itkamon said the snake was more than four metres long, weighed 15 kilos (33 pounds) and was

A Krabi Pitakpracha Foundation snake handler holds the four-metre (13-foot) king cobra he pulled from a sewer. Photo: AFP the third-largest they had found.

It was later released into the wild.

Thailand is teeming with reptiles, and several species of cobra are native to the country.

References to the deadly snake fill folklore.

The main international airport was built on an area that used to be called “Cobra’s Swamp”.

Snakes have increasingly become a headache for residents in Bangkok, where the fire department is sent out to respond to calls from alarmed residents.

Authorities are reluctant

A rescuer caught the snake as it tried to flee into a drainage pipe. Photo: AFP to get rid of the reptiles because they help to control a rat population that could otherwise threaten crops and food stocks.

King cobras, however, mainly feed on other snakes – particularly the rat snake.

AFP thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

BUSINESS NEWS

9

Use them or lose them Phuket airport chief warns airlines over unused arrival, departure slots TRANSPORT The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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irlines have been warned to make use of their dedicated arrival and departure slots at Phuket International Airport or face having them reallocated to potential competitors.

Phuket International Airport General Manager Thanee Chuangchoo announced the news last week during an event held to mark the 31st anniversary of Airports of Thailand (AoT), and its precursor Airports Authority of Thailand, operating Phuket Airport.

Mr Thanee explained that Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam had ordered the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and Airports of Thailand (AoT) to review the dedicated arrival-departure slots at all airports to make room for new airlines.

Mr Taworn conducted an inspection of Phuket Airport late last month, during which he noted that among the problems that needed addressing was that “Phuket Airport needs to increase the frequency of hourly flights to accommodate the increase in the number of flights and tourists”.

Airlines not using their allotted arrival-departure slots stand to lose them. Photo: AoT “Slots where operators are no longer operating flights will be reclaimed, and those airlines will be subjected to penalties as well,” Mr Thanee announced earlier this week, reported ManagerOnline.

Mr Thanee pointed out that many operators were no longer using their dedicated arrival-departure slots. As an example, he explained that one airline had discontinued flights after the Phoenix tour boat disaster last year that killed 37 Chinese tourists.

“They stopped operating flights here and did not file for cancellation of their dedicated slot,” he said.

Airlines that have ceased using their dedicated slots but wanted to keep them for future flights could file a request with the CAAT, Mr Thanee explained.

Reclaiming unused slots will be beneficial for the island’s tourism industry and economy by making room for new airlines to start flights to Phuket, he added.

Cabinet OKs new tourism stimulus TOURISM THE ECONOMIC CABINET LAST FRIday (Oct 11) approved a new round of tourism measures, aiming for the number of foreign visitors to reach 39.8 million and generate B2.04 trillion this year.

Kobsak Pootrakool, Deputy SecretaryGeneral to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha for Political Affairs, said the new tourism stimulus measures cover both short-term measures for this year and some for 2020. They will be submitted for Cabinet approval next week.

The government also set a target to attract 41.8 million foreign visitors and generate B2.2trn in tourism revenue next year.

Mr Kobsak said the short-term measures include free re-entry visas for foreign tourists who visit neighbouring countries by land, increased value-added tax (VAT) refund agents, more downturn VAT refund venues and VAT refunds in cash on the spot.

A measure to make it easier for the 150,000 expatriates in the country to travel nationwide without reporting to the authorities as required

by Section 37 of the 1979 Immigration Act, also known as TM30, will also be introduced.

The rule requires foreigners who receive long-term visas to report within 24 hours to authorities when they travel to other provinces that are not their residence.

Expats are also required to report their whereabouts every 90 days to the authorities.

Thailand charges B2,000 for single-entry visas lasting three months.

Companies will also be allowed to claim deductions of up to two times expenses if they organise seminars in the country. @thephuketnews

Tourists visit Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. Photo: AFP / file Mr Kobsak said the government will open checkpoints with Laos and Malaysia around the clock during weekends and long holidays.

This measure is to last three months.

The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale is planned for three months – from Nov 1 to January – with discounts of up to 70%, Mr Kobsak said. Some 400 shops are expected to participate, up from 200 last year.

The event helped raise the spending of foreign visitors to B2,800 per day per person last year from normal spending of B1,250 per day.

For medium- and long-term measures, Mr Kobsak said the government aims to improve the standards of accommodation and safety, as well as increase the number of world heritage tourism spots.

Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said his agency and related agencies will introduce mega events to lure foreign visitors and increase their spending.

These events include the Ultra-Trail, Amazing Thailand Marathon Series, MotoGP and Super GT races.

Concert events will include Tomorrow Land, Electric Daisy Carnival and the Ultra Music Festival.

Bangkok Post

Airlines from India, Siberia and Europe that have already filed requests for arrival-departure slots will be considered and allocated slots where possible, he said.

Mr Thanee pointed out that time was running out for the slots to be allocated.

“From Oct 27, Phuket airport will start operating according to its tourism high season schedule, and we are looking to help bring more tourists to Phuket,” he said.

Phuket International Airport General Manager Thanee Chuangchoo announced the news last week. Photo: PR Dept

10 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort will open its new Similan Ballroom meetings and events centre in January.

Outrigger Laguna Phuket to open new MICE venue MICE OUTR IGGER LAGU NA Phuket Beach Resort will open its new Similan Ballroom meetings and events centre in January.

The flexible options that the new facility provides are set to transform the awardwinning beachfront resort into “the complete meeting venue”, said General Manager Tony Pedroni.

The Similan Ballroom will offer 640 square metres of flexible meeting and exhibition space, including a pillarless ballroom with six-metre high ceilings with movable partition walls. The new venue features audio-visual technical excellence with complimentary high-speed WiFi throughout, said a release announcing the new venue.

The main ballroom – at 448sqm – can be easily separated into three multi-purpose function spaces to create six dedicated meetings rooms.

The new complex has been designed to target the meeting sector across Asia-Pacific, local business gatherings in

Phuket and major weddings.

The new set-up features a large pre-function area, a VIP lounge, space for 350 guests theatre-style, and includes the resort’s existing three meeting rooms totalling 320sqm.

“The magnificent new Similan event space compliments the ever-expanding range of services and visitor experiences offered in Laguna Phuket and the immediate neighbourhood,” said Mr Pedroni.

“The whole area is now defined by superlative shopping, entertainment, dining and active lifestyle options for sport, ecotourism and responsible event hosting.”

On environmental innovation for the meetings sector, the 255-key Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort is very proactive in the campaign against single-use plastics, noted the release. “The resort’s green commitment addresses the key issues of plastic bags, food containers, straws, capped water bottles and utensils. Responsible ‘green’ events will be central to Outrigger’s MICE offering,” it added.

The Phuket News

The land and buildings tax will replace outdated taxation schemes from Jan 1, 2020. Residences with appraisal prices of up to B50 million will be tax-exempt. Photo: Pawat Laopaisarntaksin / Bangkok Post

Panel woes delay land appraisal price regime PROPERTY Bangkok Post

T

he Treasury Department has pushed back implementation of a new appraisal price for land by one year to 2021 after a hiccup in the formation of a new committee.

The delay in enforcement of the four-year land appraisal price, originally scheduled to start on Jan 1, 2020, will be a boon to landlords. The average new land appraisal price is 11% higher than the previous version, said Wilawan Veerakun, Deputy Director-General of the Treasury Department.

To comply with a new act on asset appraisal, which will take effect from Nov 22, a new land appraisal committee chaired by the finance permanent secretary must be established to enforce the new appraisal prices, but the panel has not been formed.

With the postponement, the current

version of land appraisal price, meant to be in effect from 2016 to 2019, will be applied next year when the land and building tax takes effect, Ms Wilawan said.

The higher land appraisal price, which is used to compute property tax, typically leads to larger tax liability.

The land and buildings tax, scheduled to come into force from Jan 1, 2020, will replace the house and land tax and the local development tax, which have drawn criticism for being outdated.

For instance, land and buildings tax used for residences with appraisal prices of up to B50mn will be tax-exempt for principal homes, while those valued at B50-75mn will be taxed at 0.03%, B75-100mn at 0.05% and B100mn or above at 0.1%.

If owners have more than one home, the second and subsequent residences will be subject to 0.02% tax for those with an appraisal price of up to B50mn.

Tax rates will be applied the same as for principal homes for appraisal

prices above B50mn. Principal homes are defined as residences for which the owners’ names are listed on the household registration.

Ms Wilawan said farmland will be tax-exempt for the first three years to comply with a measure to alleviate tax burden for low-income rural landowners, while owners of land for other uses who are subject to higher property tax bills will be allowed to gradually phase in the increase each year, rising 25% each year over four years.

For example, a landlord liable for an additional tax payment of B1,000 after the land and buildings tax is enforced will be subject to a B250 incremental tax for the first year, B500 the second year, B750 the third and B1,000 from the fourth year.

With the tax alleviation measure, 99.96% of farmers nationwide will be free from the tax burden, leaving those who own 2,700 plots of farmland subject to the tax, Ms Wilawan said.

Kata Rocks announces new General Manager HOSPITALITY KATA ROCKS HAS ANnounced the appointment of Gordon Aeria as its new General Manager. Mr Aeria has over 30 years of diverse international hotelier experience and 15 years of General Manager experience in seven countries in Asia Pacific, said a release announcing the appointment.

“For three decades Gordon was single-minded in his pursuit of luxury hospitality with an impressive track record within the Accor hotel group, Shangri-La Hotels and more recently Dusit Thani in addition to many award-winning independent hotels,” it said.

Mr Aeria is passionate about enhancing guest experiences and nurturing his talented team. He will fur-

Gordon Aeria, new General Manager at Kata Rocks. ther drive the resort’s critical business requirements, with a focus on operational efficiency and revenue management, while delivering unique guest experiences, it added.

“With his outstanding track record both with international management companies and independent resorts, I strongly believe that Gordon will be able to bring Kata Rocks Resort and Residences to new heights of success,” said Richard Pope, CEO of Infinite Luxury and Kata Rocks.

The Phuket News thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Temples and beyond in charming Siem Reap

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

14

Why the British took Penang, not Phuket

16

BEHIND THE LENS A devotee at the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Photo: Mladen Antonov / AFP

Rawai Beach seen through an aquarium. Photo: Mladen Antonov / AFP

Life through the eyes of a news agency photojournalist

Amy Bryant editor1@classactmedia.co.th

I

can spot a Mladen Antonov photograph a mile off.

Whether it’s a cat in sunglasses at a pet expo in Bangkok or figure skaters at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, before I hover my cursor over the caption, I know the man behind the lens.

There’s just something about his work.

Mladen has worked as a photojournalist for Agence France-Presse (AFP), the world’s oldest news agency, for almost 30 years. The agency, renowned for bringing global stories to life through world-class photo and videojournalism, publishes up to 3,000 images a day thanks to its global network of 500 photographers. Its archive of 36 million shots dates back to the very beginning of photography. Yet, amongst all of this, Mladen’s work always stands out to me. So when I saw he was in town to cover the Vegetarian Festival, an interview was a must.

We meet at The Memory at the On On Hotel in Phuket Town, just moments away from the colourful chaos of the festival’s street processions. My interest in him comes as something of a surprise, but he’s warm and gracious throughout, despite ringing ears and a sore rib from a rogue firecracker.

Mladen tells me that he’s been fortunate enough to be posted all over the world: to the Balkans during the Yugoslav Wars; to Paris, where AFP is headquartered; to Washington DC; to Moscow; and, most recently, to Bangkok where he takes on the role of chief photographer for Southeast Asia.

Nowadays, photographers looking to land an international posting like this, which typically lasts between two and six years, are up against a world of competition. But when Mladen was hired back in the ’90s, times were different. And there was another force at play.

“Chance. Most of the things in my life came by chance. Really,” says Mladen. “It was after the collapse of Communism in [my home country of] Bulgaria, and they were burning the headquarters of the Communists. I was on the street and a reporter came @thephuketnews

to me and said, ‘Did you photograph that?’ and I said, ‘Yes’ and he said, ‘Come with me.’ He was a Reuters journalist. The next morning, my photo was in The Guardian! I wasn’t even a photographer then. I was studying cinema.”

There’s an element of chance in the way Mladen works, too. Unlike many of his peers, Mladen isn’t weighed down by kit to cover all bases for the perfect capture. For the Vegetarian Festival, he’s carrying only his trusted Nikon D5 and Z6. No extra lenses, no spare battery packs or memory cards. And he doesn’t check a shot the moment he’s taken it either. Often, the first time he sees the fruits of his labour is after the event.

This confidence comes, of course, from years of practice, but also from his time shooting using limited rolls of film, manual focus and no motor drive – precision was key and there was little room for error.

“I still make mistakes because of how I shoot. Big mistakes. Underexposed, shaky, out of focus. But that’s how I work,” explains Mladen. “Younger photographers are often unsure of what shots to take so they shoot a lot and then can’t choose after because they have so many photos. They waste a lot of time editing.”

Case in point: I meet Mladen a mere half an hour after the procession has passed through town, and his images are already uploaded, edited, captioned and with his editor.

Mladen’s often unorthodox approach is the key to his creativity, too. During his time in Paris, he made a change that sent ripples through AFP and the wider industry. He scrapped the second sentence. Perhaps this needs some context. As standard at the time, AFP captions described the photograph in the first sentence – “A model takes to the catwalk at London Fashion Week” – and the wider context in the second – “The event has come under scrutiny for its use of fur and for promoting fast fashion”. But this process was stifling creativity. Editors were killing beautiful images just because they didn’t fit into a wider story, and photojournalists were bending over backwards to find meaning in every image. Mladen saw his role as reporting the world as it is; using photography to create news rather than using news to create photography.

Mladen in action.

“That second sentence put chains on agency photographers. When we scrapped it, it changed the perspective of AFP and how we looked at the world.

It broke the chains.”explains Mladen. “The fish photo [above] would have been difficult to pass back then,” he says, leaving a heavy pause as he think of a possible context for the photo. “Nope, I genuinely don’t know how I would have sold it!” he laughs.

Now, that same photo has been shared far and wide online and inspired an entire column about surrealism in American magazine Wired. Photography creating news.

But I’m still at a loss as to exactly what it is that makes his work stand out. Is it that, by chance, he’s always in the right place at the right time when he shoots? Is it nearly three decades of experience? Is it the magic of the single-sentence caption? Well, I have the man in front of me and so I ask him directly.

“If tomorrow I’m fired, I will stop taking photos.

I don’t have an internal need or urge to take photos I’m using the camera as a tool as you use your pen to write a story. Maybe this frees me to do whatever I like, to be more strange. I’m not framed by the clichés or principles of photography.”

If it’s strange that Mladen’s looking for, he’s certainly been posted to the right place, and I for one can’t wait to see how he captures the quirks of this corner of the world.

12 CULTURE

Procession for the ages The Phuket News editor1@classactmedia.co.th

T

he royal barge procession, marking the conclusion of the royal coronation ceremony, is fast approaching. But what does this auspicious event symbolise, and what can spectators expect?

The procession, scheduled for Thursday, October 24 at 3:30pm, will see His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, accompanied by Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana, travel along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok in a flotilla of 52 ceremonial barges and boats, including four royal barges: the Suphannahong, or golden swan; the Anantanakkharat, or multi-headed naga; the Anekkachatphutchong, or innumerable naga figures; and the Narai Song Suban King Rama IX. The procession will begin at Wasukri Pier and end at Wat Arun Ratchawararam, a journey covering approximately 3.4 kilometres that will take around 45 minutes.

Rehearsals have been underway for months to ensure everything runs smoothly on the day. About 2,300 oarsmen have been prepared to row the barges that are arranged into five groupings. Rhythmic barge-rowing songs are part of this ceremonial water-borne procession, which is a rare spectacle, arranged on special occasions only.

Six temples on both sides of the Chao Phraya River will hold a Buddhist chanting ceremony in honour of Their Majesties; each will begin the chanting ceremony when the royal barge is approaching the waterfront of the temple and conclude when the procession has passed the temple. Various sites accommodating up to 10,700 people will be set up along the river for spectators. The event will also be televised.

The royal barge procession can be traced back to the Ayutthaya period more than 300 years ago. A piece of literature known as lilit phayuha yattra phetphuang, penned by Chao Phraya Phrakang Hon in 1887 during the reign of King Chulalongkorn of the Rattanakosin period, mentioned the launch of the phetphuang royal barge procession, modelled on a similar ceremony in the

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Rehearsals have been underway for months to ensure everything runs smoothly on the day. Photo: TAT

Ayutthaya period, joined by boats whose masthead figures were elaborately carved into mythical animals.

In the past, other processions by boats served either royal functions or river festivals enjoyed by ordinary people. In peacetime, men were called to take up positions on the barges and boats in an exercise to prepare them for armed conflicts with rival kingdoms.

The processions also provided a means of transport for the monarch during important occasions, such as the coronation, the relocation of principal Buddha images from the provinces to Bangkok and the reception of foreign envoys.

The tradition was revived by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1960 after a lapse of several decades and

takes place at the end of Buddhist Lent, with robes presented to Buddhist monks as part of the event. However, there will be no presentation of kathin robes in the Royal Kathin Ceremony at Wat Arun this time.

Royal processions, both by land and by water, exhibit the glory and great power of the monarch, in accordance with the traditional beliefs and court traditions handed down through generations. This procession also marks the conclusion of the royal coronation ceremony, one of the most important events for all Thai kings.

This article combines information from the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Bangkok Post.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

PEOPLE 13

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Captaining The Boathouse GM Eric Weber guides the iconic boutique hotel into a new era Chris Watson chriswatsonth@gmail.com

W

hen I look back on my working life, which began for real some 35-plus years ago, I have been truly fortunate to hold a variety of both interesting and ultimately rewarding hospitality positions in some of Asia’s extra special destinations.

In addition to my former inspector role for the celebrated Red Guide and corporate human resources functions for several international chains, I also spent time as a hotel general manager. Firstly, and proudly, of a super luxe Relais Chateaux in Singapore and, following this, a few years posted as general manager of a couple of hotels in south China in cities I had previously never heard of and would undoubtedly struggle to find someone in our readership who would also know where they are located.

However, working experience in Phuket has eluded me, as has running an iconic landmark property such as The Boathouse.

When I heard that hospitality veteran Eric Weber had recently taken over the reins of this boutique hotel, I was looking forward to the opportunity of catching up over a coffee and croissant to seek his vision for this recently refurbished and relaunched Phuket gem.

For many of us, The Boathouse has been a part of our lives since it opened in 1988. It is where we have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries and graduations, and I know of several residents who have proposed during a perfectly planned candlelit soirée.

Designed by renowned architect, artist and hotelier Mom Tri, it has been owned by – unusually for hotel businesses – a very small and select group of individuals and is now part of the Singapore group HPL and its Boutique Collection division, which includes such exclusive properties as Casa Del Mar in Langkawi and Gili Lankanfushi in the Maldives.

Eric is Swiss, multilingual and has worked in the hotel business for upwards of 25 years. We meet on the restaurant terrace on one of those Phuket mornings that have earned the island its reputation of being a true paradise. Latte and croissant slathered with French butter and looking out over spectacular ocean views, I am instantly envious!

Back to reality, I ask him, how do you improve on The Boathouse whilst at the same time preserving its heritage? Eric begins by telling me that the changes will be small and will begin with service.

“Return guests account for a large and incredibly important part of the business; however, the younger generation are now looking for more. They want memorable and transformational experiences that come from the heart.

“In a property of this size with only 39 rooms, there exists an opportunity to create genuine experiences, designed to cater specifically for each guest’s wishes.” @thephuketnews

The Boathouse: an iconic landmark property.

In fact, Eric assures me that he usually meets every single guest who stays at the hotel, either on arrival, during their stay or on departure where he seeks direct feedback to his question of “how did you enjoy your stay and what could we do better?”

“Candid guest feedback is a gift which not only should be treasured but also acted on, immediately! Occasionally staff slip up, perhaps due to miscommunication, and when this happens, we must recover, apologise and rectify, ensuring our guest walks away happy.

Many of our staff have been at The Boathouse for many years, and I encourage them to engage the guests at every opportunity, without being a nuisance.”

The art of service, as Eric knows from the renowned Lausanne school, is knowing when to talk to a guest and equally when not to.

An integral part of the Boathouse experience revolves around the restaurant, presided over by Executive Chef Jonathan Bruell, ably assisted by Executive Sous Chef Sonthaya Nithan (Jimmy).

Continuing Eric’s vision for tailored experiences, he intends to fine-tune the culinary experience to, where possible, what the guest actually wants – be it comfort food, a treasured dish, whether Western or Thai.

Examples abound, “Guests who having stayed several days seek a simple taste of home – a shepherd’s pie or fish and chips. Jonathan will engage the guests at breakfast and, with advance notice, deliver the requested favourite.

This also applies to Thai cuisine where overseas visitors sometimes just want an authentic Southern dish which may not be on our menu, spice adjusted ever so slightly! We must also embrace the dining trends which dominate today such as various kinds of dietary restrictions and the move to sustainability whilst also being agile enough to provide diners just a perfectly cooked steak.”

Eric continues, “Delighting both existing and first-time guests is a delicate balance. We must also always recognise the importance of our local community and continue to run our Friday lunch for both local residents and guests who happen to be with us.

Jimmy, Eric and Jonathan.

We offer a quality product at a value for money price point.”

Eric, I am confident that all your patrons look forward to you maintaining the legacy of this important part of Phuket’s heritage and experiencing your revitalisation of The Boathouse.

And, yes, I definitely plan to call Jonathan when I long for a garlic and herb

butter chicken kiev with mashed potatoes and a few green leaves!

Chris is a former Michelin Guide Inspector who, following an international career in hospitality spanning 30 years in both the Middle East and Asia, has now settled in Thailand and contributes a monthly column.

14 TRAVEL

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Vibrant street scenes in the Old French Quarter. Photo: Ketil

Solace in Siem Reap Hundreds of serene faces adorn Angkor Thom. Photo: Gulnara Salieva

A journey into the wonders of Cambodia MUSING IN THE MIRE

David Jacklin david@littleloud.com

E

very few months or so, I get hot flushes followed by extreme agitation. I’m fairly sure it’s not male menopause. My guess is it’s the traveller’s blues. Phuket, for all its beauty, is a pressure cooker. The nagging urge to get off the island and release the valve with a few days’ travel is much better heeded to.

Even more so as we’re blessed in this part of the world with myriad places and cultures to reinvigorate the senses.

And this month’s cure from Grumpy Expat Syndrome… Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The town of Siem Reap is nestled in the countryside of northwestern Cambodia. It’s a short-hop 90-minute direct flight from Phuket. But in terms of its people, culture and architecture it’s a world away.

Cultural stories delight at the performance venue of Bambu Stage. Photo: Gulnara Salieva The town is best known as the gateway to visit the neighbouring ruins of Angkor. A Unesco World Heritage Site, Angkor, literally meaning “city” in Sanskrit, was the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to 15th centuries.

The ruined city displays a vast network of spectacular Hindu and Buddhist temples hidden amongst the surrounding forests and farmland. Most notably the main temple, Angkor Wat is said to be the world’s largest single religious monument.

And boy is it impressive. It’ll bring out the temple-bounding Indiana Jones in the most OCD-confined shrinking violets.

Equally stunning are both Angkor Thom, with its vast gateways and towers adorned by hundreds of giant, serene faces carved into the rock, and Ta Prohm, the silk cotton tree and jungle-covered ruins made internationally renowned by the 2001 action-adventure film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

There’s a tome written about these stunning memorials to a time otherwise forgotten, so I shall instead move on to other experiences in this delightful land. My only advice: haul yourself up for a sunrise visit. Not only are the temples otherworldly baked in the first-light red hues, but you’ll also escape the stampede of a thousand camera-

wielding holidaymakers.

This was my first visit to Cambodia, and I profess to know little of this country, other than its painful recent history due to the communist leader Pol Pot, and the mass genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge regime.

Little prepared me for the incredible warmth and generosity of the Cambodian people.

The first thing that hits you as you enter the small town of Siem Reap is the pace of life. From the tourist-intensive environment back home, Siem Reap is a welcome teleportation into the Asia of old.

The town sits on a slow and winding river, and life ambles along around its Parisian style tree-lined banks.

This is cha cha for real. The gentle traffic moves at a snail’s pace, with its tuk-tuk and taxi drivers cheerfully going with the leisurely flow. And no extortionate meter prices here. Ninety baht will comfortably get you from one end of the town to the other. They wouldn’t start the motor for that back home.

The architecture is a treat to behold. There’s a crucible of style, from the local markets and Chinese shophouses, to the grand boulevards and opulent French influence that gives a distinct and enriched flavour of the town’s colonial his-

Enter the temple of doom, dodge the arrows, leap the pit of snakes, and there you’ll find the Ta Prohm gift shop. Photo: Gulnara Salieva tory. It’s all very quaint.

But before you doze off in this idyllic, snoozy setting, a short stroll will land you in every Asian destination’s obligatory bar-laden and neon nightlife backpacker haven, helpfully called Pub Street.

The choice of quality restaurants and bars across the town is diverse, from local hangout and street cafes to eloquent dining experiences. And the prices and level of service will have you beaming.

For those searching for a spot of authentic cultural art to embellish the trip, check out the fantastic performance venue of Bambu Stage.

This social enterprise and collaboration project is a welcome platform for performing arts in the town with daily shows, workshops with Cambodian puppeteers and a gathering space for artists and art lovers.

But after all the wonders you will experience across this town, the real jewel in the crown that is Siem Reap is its people. My overriding memory will always be the inherent and sincere friendliness displayed in every engagement with these welcoming and gentle Khmer locals.

As soon as the blood pressure starts to rise, may I advise you take a little trip north and reap the rewards of this charming and seductive Cambodian hideaway. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

EVENTS 15

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

A race day to remember

Celebrate the Melbourne Cup in style at the Angsana Ballroom The Phuket News editor1@classactmedia.co.th

T

he Melbourne Cup hosted

by The Good Shepherd and Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation is back and is odds-on to be your favourite fundraiser this year!

On this stylish, fun-filled day, guests will be treated to free-flow food and beverages, including bubbles, white, pink, red and more at Angsana Laguna Phuket’s Ballroom on Tuesday, November 5.

Don your best racewear attire to participate in The Pavilions’ “Fashions on the Field” competition. Prizes will be awarded for the Best Hat, Best Dressed Lady, Gentleman and Couple, and the table with the most stylishly dressed guests.

At 11am, after the atmosphere has built, the famous thoroughbred horse race will be screened. When the last horse is past the post, the dance party begins in earnest. For guests wishing to find amazing deals for their next holidays, there will also be fabulous prizes to bid on, raffles and lucky door prizes.

With amazing food, prizes and dancing, this will be a thrilling event for horse racing novices as well as for vet-

Race day ready. eran Melbourne Cup enthusiasts.

The Melbourne Cup is organised by The Good Shepherd and Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation as a fundraiser to benefit both charities.

The Good Shepherd has many projects around the island that help those in need through support, counselling and education in local camps and poor villages. The Good Shepherd’s school in Phuket Town caters to over 240 students, while the BanYa Learning Centre in Thalang caters to over 100 children from Myanmar and aims to prepare

UWCT to shine light on anxiety with community screening of Angst

I

ndieFlix, along with its non-profit arm the IndieFlix Foundation, intends to spark a global conversation about anxiety through the screening of its brand-new documentary Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety at UWC Thailand International School (UWCT) in Thalang on Wednesday, November 6 at 7:15pm.

This free screening is open to anyone in Phuket and is intended to open up a dialogue between local families, community leaders and experts. The event will include a viewing of the 56-minute film, followed by small group discussions led by UWCT’s Secondary School Peer Support Group.

Producers Scilla Andreen and Karin Gornick aim to start a global conversation and raise awareness around anxiety. Through candid interviews, they utilise the power of film to tell the stories of many kids and teens who discuss their anxiety and its impacts on their lives and relationships, as well as how they’ve found solutions and hope. @thephuketnews

The film also includes a special interview with Michael Phelps, a mental health advocate and one of the greatest athletes of all time. In addition, the documentary provides discussions with mental health experts about the causes of anxiety and its sociological effects, along with the help, resources and tools available to address the condition.

Part of the beauty of this film is the openness of the children and young adults featured; for some of them, the Angst project marks the first time they are publicly sharing their experiences with anxiety. The producers hope that this candidness and bravery will inspire communities to do the same.

Admission to the event is free with reservation as space is limited. To reserve a seat, visit tiny.cc/up29dz or email rsvp@uwcthailand.ac.th The screening is appropriate for viewers 10 years and older. For more information, and to watch the trailer, visit angstmovie.com The Phuket News

them for acceptance into Thai schools.

Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation works to improve the economic opportunities and life chances of disadvantaged youth by funding and implementing high-quality, practical English language education. The foundation teaches English for free to over 600 underprivileged Thai children in governmental schools on the island and runs an after school programme, Coconut Club, which works with 200 children who are orphans or whose families are unable to look after them.

Here come the girls.

Thanks to Angsana Laguna Phuket, Class Act Media, Creative Concept and many other sponsors, this year’s Melbourne Cup promises to be spectacular and we hope to see you there!

The event will be held on Tuesday, November 5 from 9am-2pm at Angsana Laguna Phuket’s Ballroom. Ticket donations are B3,000. Be first out of the gate to get yours! Contact Donna Toon at lunch@classactmedia.co.th or 0812 702 180, or Tina Hall at info@phukethasbeengoodtous.org or 0801 439 554.

16 HISTORY

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

A tale of two islands

Why Penang was colonised but Phuket was not HISTORY OF PHUKET Colin Mackay

A

fter 12 years of intrigues, Captain Francis Light [of the British East India Company (EIC)] and [his friend and business partner] James Scott had two islands potentially in their hands: Phuket and Penang – and an EIC in the mood to do something to obtain a base on the east side of the Bay of Bengal.

Light, seeing this open offer of a gift of Penang Island as a less troublesome and less expensive way to get his colony established, now changed tack and started extolling the virtues of Penang over Phuket to the EIC. He wrote to tell them it had an even better harbour than Phuket, and it was closer to the Malacca Straits.

The two men, however, continued to hedge their bets by proposing that the EIC take both ports as Scott wrote to the EIC: “In Pulao Penang you acquire the best and most convenient Marine port which the Malay coast affords whether you consider it a retreat for a

Penang’s colonial past is evident in George Town. Photo: Vnonymous war fleet or a port of economical commerce. In possessing Salang (Phuket) you enter into the receipt of a certain and rapidly increasing commerce on the premises pointed out.”

Light even wrote to Madras using an “economy of scale” argument, saying that Penang could be taken and held using the same ships and men that could be used to take and defend Phuket and the two birds could therefore be killed with one stone.

The EIC directors in India called for a report from one of their members, a Mr Joseph Price. He preferred Penang, as its harbour lay right on the route to China and nearer the Malacca Straits.

However, he felt Phuket would be a more viable commercial centre and agreed with Light and Scott that the same force could be used to occupy and defend both islands. Madras passed this dual colony scheme for the approval of the main board in London.

A statue of Francis Light stands inside Fort Cornwallis, Penang. Photo: Jpatokal Success In 1786, after many months’ wait, a ship arrived in Calcutta with a letter from the EIC directors approving that “Possession is to be taken of the ports and islands offered to us by the King of Cudda [Keddah] and especially Junkceylon which is occupied by a separate people to the number of 50,000 who have offered Captain Light the sovereign command amongst them.”

Clearly, Light’s somewhat liberal use

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

HISTORY 17

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

The christening ceremony for Penang in 1786.

British East India Company troops.

James Scott’s grave in Penang’s Protestant cemetery. Photo: Chris Nelson of statistics (Phuket’s population after the first Burmese invasion was around 8,000 at most) had worked. The reason the EIC gave for taking possession of these two islands was: “Not merely for the purpose of excluding the French, (though that is a capital object) but for the expectation of very valuable commercial acquisitions and shipping conveniences … and for extending our commerce amongst the eastern islands and indirectly by their means to China.”

Given that Penang was being offered willingly by the sultan of Keddah, and not want­ing to damage their trade prospects with Siam by having a war over Phuket, the EIC directors made the decision to take Penang Island first.

Taking Penang In late August 1786, Francis Light, supported by an armed EIC frigate and a contingent of Indian army sepoys from Madras, landed and raised the Union Jack on Penang Island, giving the British their first foothold in the central peninsula. A congratulatory letter soon came from the EIC in India, which also advised Light and Scott that, due to the current state of the com­pany’s finances, the directors felt it would be more prudent to operate just one colony first and see how it fared.

The obdurate Light and Scott, who both preferred the com­mercial possibilities offered by tin-rich Phuket, refused to give up on their plan for also taking Phuket. Scott tenaciously wrote back to Calcutta urging the EIC to continue the plan to take Phuket, as, he claimed, profits there “were more quickly to be gained and would be enough to defray the expenses of both colonies”.

But by early 1787, the next year, conditions changed on Phuket. The new king, Rama I, had taken firm control over the central peninsula and a new Siamese superintendent general with troops was positioned in the south. On Phuket itself, a new governor was put in place. Despite gaining great acclaim for her leadership and heroism against the Burmese and her sister Mook’s daughter being one of the king’s concubines, Lady Chan was no longer as powerful on the island as when her husband had been the governor. She wrote to Light, “At present the Chao Praya Thalang [new governor] and I are not on good terms. I am sending Nai Phet, Nai Kaoe and Nai Thit Phrom to let you know the details, please send a small gun of good make for my personal use.”

Light also clearly had a very low opinion of the new governor, who was probably the one referred to in the Annals of Thalang with the catchy name of Phaya Phetsirisiphji­chaisongkhram.

“The present governor styled Chau Praya Salang is one of the greatest @thephuketnews

villains who has raised himself by ingratitude, deceit, murder and rapine from a low and indigent state. He wrote me a letter expressing great esteem and friendship to which I did not answer.”

However, despite his obvious distaste for the man, Light – still dog­gedly in pursuit of his objectives – was not above dealing with him. He wrote a most private letter to this new governor and offered him the same seditious deal to make Phuket British, on terms similar to those Phaya Pimon and Lady Chan had agreed. Light reported back to India on the new governor’s quick and positive response, “A few days ago he sent me a messenger to assure me if I would next November send a vessel with some troops, he would deliver the island to the English and only required a small annual allowance for himself.”

The EIC directors, however, in a cautious mood, still wanted to see how Penang fared first. Scott and Light, now knighted as Sir Francis Light, continued their trade with Phuket.

Scott returned to Phuket regularly and appar­ently started a new family there.

Light, however, never did return, being too occupied with governing Penang.

The immediate financial success of Penang, just as Light and Scott had foretold, meant that the EIC directors in India probably felt it was more beneficial to keep Siam as a potential friend and trading partner and not to risk war. Light always regretted not ob­taining Phuket, which he later admitted he had always preferred to Penang.

He wrote rather frustratedly in his memoirs: “Had he [Phaya Pimon] lived, I would have secured possession of the island. His death, which happened in December 1785, altered the certainty of success to a dubious point. His widow, the only person of estimation, would willingly have given up her power. Her sons and nephews beseeched me to take the govern­ment of the island. Could I have had the assurance of support from [the British] government I should have embraced the offer and secured both these islands.”

One of the last letters Light received from Thalang was in 1793, from the son of Lady Chan, who had now become the governor of Thalang; he wrote, “Please spare a thought for Khun Munda [Lady Chan]. She has aged very much lately and is not in such good health as she used to be. Mae Prang her daughter has died. Please send some white cloth for ceremonial use [mourning].”

The fate of Light and Scott Light, now aged 53, was also not well.

He suffered from recurring bouts of malaria that were progressively sapping his health. But he had been knighted and had become rich running his colony, just as he had envisaged.

After freeing most of his slaves the day before, Sir Francis Light died in Penang in 1794, aged 54. He lies buried under some frangipani and raintrees in the old Protestant cemetery in Georgetown behind the grand Eastern and Oriental Hotel.

James Scott went on to become the richest man in Penang, with large property holdings and trading businesses.

He had a new family of six children there. One of his sons, Wil­liam, later became the harbourmaster and postmaster in Singapore and another, Robert, settled in Java. After Light’s death Scott made a grab for much of Light’s estate from his “widow”, the mother of his children, Martina Rozells.

Martina unsuccessfully fought Scott in the Penang courts and lost much of her wealth and land.

James Scott appears to have simply aban­doned his Siamese wife and children in Phuket. When the Burmese

again invaded Phuket in 1810, the victorious Burmese general wrote a letter to the governor of Penang, stating that the Burmese had “found there the wife and children of Cap­tain James Scott a servant of your company [the EIC].”

“Captain Scott,” continued the general, “not being a Siamese, nor a subject of the Siamese government, shall receive no hurt from us and is at lib­erty to come and carry away his wife and children who await him at any time he pleases.”

Unbeknownst to his abandoned wife and children in 1810, so anxiously awaiting their father’s return to Phuket, James Scott had died in Penang in 1808, some 18 months earlier.

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

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

18 ISLAND SCENE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Praewa and Jason.

Nong, Kat, Michael and Sulaiya.

David, Matt and Marshall.

Robert and James.

BCCT BUSINESS BRIEFING AND NETWORKING EVENT DRAWS A CROWD The British Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (BCCT) hosted its Multi-Chamber Phuket Briefing and Networking event at Mom Tri’s Villa Royale on Oct 10, with a broad cross section of the island’s business community in attendance. At the briefing, John Casella and Chutinun Wannapirun of PKF Thailand spoke about updates to Thai labour law, visas and work permits. At the networking afterwards, much of the conversation continued on the controversial topics, along with some fun banter and top tasty treats.

The booth is part of Soi Dog’s wider aim to end the suffering of dogs and cats in Asia.

Staff were on hand to share important information about animal rights and welfare.

SOI DOG FOUNDATION MAKE PUBLIC ‘PAWS’ FOR THOUGHT AT VEG FEST The education team at Soi Dog Foundation set up shop at Jui Tui Shrine during Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival between Sept 29 and Oct 7 to raise awareness of animal rights and welfare. Staff in the activity booth taught interested members of the public about the five principles of raising and treating animals – freedom from hunger and thirst, discomfort, pain injury and disease, fear and distress – as well as top pet care tips.

Aidan, Neil and Daragh.

Jason, Aidan, Yea, Steve and Umar.

STANDUP ASIA DELIVERS THE LAUGHS AT MARRIOTT COMEDY NIGHT StandUp Asia put on yet another fantastic night of live comedy on Oct 1 with a stellar line-up of international talent. Comedy Masala regular host Umar Rana, Ireland’s very own Aidan Killian and legendary truth-speaker Steve Hughes all performed to a packed room at the Marriott Resort, Merlin Beach and had audiences in fits of laughter. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

ISLAND SCENE 19

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Chef Tammasak ‘Noi’ Chootong.

Kiranee and Kerati.

Um, Katie, Chef Noi and Tatah.

Fon and Jay.

SUAY RESTAURANT CELEBRATES A DECADE OF CULINARY INNOVATION To mark 10 years since the opening of Suay, owner and celebrity Chef Tammasak “Noi” Chootong threw an exclusive invitation-only “10 out of Ten” party at the Cherng Talay branch. Live music set the scene as Chef Noi and his team served up 10 new dishes, one for each year of business and each with a creative twist. The event, much like the restaurant’s namesake, was Sassy, Unique, Authentic and Yummy.

Chef Mario and his team.

Ian Lancaster and Chef Mario.

MEET, GREET AND EAT AT CHAÎNE DES RÔTISSEURS PHUKET DINNER The team at the Sunset Grill at Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort put on a fantastic spread at the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs dinner on Oct 11, with a menu that featured highlights of the ’70s. Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, which unites professional chefs, hoteliers, food and beverage suppliers and non-professional gastronomes, meets at carefully selected establishments year-round, with the goal of creating an exceptional gastronomic experience among friends.

MAI KHAO MARINE TURTLE FUN RUN TEAM PICK UP THE PACE

Nok, George, Nok, Chris and Mio.

@thephuketnews

Members of the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation and the JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa team, including the resort’s new GM George Varughese, joined Chris Howson on Live 89.5 on Oct 11 to talk all about the upcoming Mai Khao Marine Turtle Fun Run and Half Marathon 2019 on Oct 20. The event is expected to attract over 4,000 runners and will raise vital funds to protect sea turtles that nest on and nearby Mai Khao Beach. The team came bearing gifts too. Thank you!

20 EVENTS

FRI

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

18 OCT L’Aperitivo Italiano

Mussels night @ Shakers

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

CAN EAT selection of your favorites! Featuring: Roast Aussie Beef, Pork Loin and Chicken.

Roasted or Mashed Potatoes. Roasted Mixed Vegetables Flavored with Thyme and Garlic.

Yorkshire Pudding and Gravy. Enjoy Live Music from 8-Late Performed by Our Famous Two Chefs Band! Come for the FOOD - Stay for the Fun. RESERVE Your Table Now Online at bit. ly/TwoChefsReservations Check out more details on our website at bit.ly/TwoChefsEvents Reservations, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong., Kata Beach 076-333-370 Karon 076-286-479 Patong 076-344-914.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

TUE

22 OCT

From 18.30 to 21.00 for Bath 490+. Free flow of Italian Sparking - red and white beverages with pass around Cicchettis (Italian Tapas).

L’Opera, Laguna Road, pnesi@loperagroup. com, 076 271 430/095 468 2248.

All you can eat Sunday Roast Buffet

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

ALL YOU CAN EAT BBQ RIBS

Come join us for our WEEKLY BBQ EVERY FRIDAY served ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT at Two Chefs Kata Center, Karon, Kata Beach and Patong. Indulge in All You Can Eat BBQ Pork Ribs, Chicken and Sides for ONLY 495 BAHT! Our BBQ is famous at Two Chefs! Come try us out and enjoy our mouthwatering pork ribs, flavor-bursting chicken and more! Join us for Live Music from 8-Late Performed by Our Famous Two Chefs Band! Come for the FOOD - Stay for the Fun. www.twochefs.com Kata Beach 076-333-370 Karon 076-286-479 Patong 076344-914.

SAT

Poolside Night Market At Angsana Laguna Phuket

Experience a traditional Phuket Night Market every Saturday from 17:00 – 22:00 hrs. The Angsana night market is a bustling gathering of vibrant food and beverage stalls comprised of local vendors and hotel catered stalls, providing a unique blend of Thai street food, BBQ and classic dishes from the resort’s restaurants with live entertainment. Enjoy yourself in the natural setting of the resort gardens every Saturday night. Starting from THB 150 net per item. Reservation, Angsana Laguna Phuke, fbreservation-lagunaphuket@angsana.com, +66 (0) 7635 8500.

19 OCT Two Chefs Reggae Night

High Tea@ChaoFah serves with free Day Pass to fitness and pool

High Tea @ChaoFah serves more than 10 options of selected teas, delightful cream sandwiches, home-made warm scones with all the trimmings and truly Peranakan specialties. in the surrounding décor of exquisite Sino-Portuguese architecture. Every Saturday and Sunday from 2-5pm and special on Sunday, nice music from Annie Guzheng. Free for children under 12yrs with complimentary day pass to fitness and swimming pool. RSVP +66 76 338 699. Ramada Plaza Chao Fah.

Have a night of no worries on October 19, 2019 at Two Chefs Kata beach! Let’s jam all night long at Two Chefs Reggae Night! Hear the Two Chefs house band play your favorite reggae hits and transport you to the Caribbean! Who doesn’t like that?! We also have our All You Can Eat Jamaican Inspired Mixed Grill for just THB495! Message us NOW to book your table! Live music starts from 8:30pm and goes late Reservations are highly recommended. You can book on our website at WWW. TWOCHEFS.COM or find us on Facebook at WWW.FACEBOOK/TWOCHEFSTHAILAND You may also call us directly at Two Chefs Kata Beach 076-333370 COME FOR THE FOOD STAY FOR THE FUN!

SUN

20 OCT

ANDAMAN CATCH TUESDAY

15th Turtle Fun Run 2019

The 15th Mai Khao Turtle Fun Run and Half Marathon 2019 will be taking place on Sunday October 20th, from 4.00 am – 7.00 am, at the Phuket Gateway. The money raised will go towards The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, which is committed to protecting the marine and coastal environment. Our online registration is available from now until September 30.

Call 076 338040 Email: maikhaoturtlefoundation@gmail.com

MON

21 OCT

Every Tuesday our culinary team prepare a special Andaman Catch menu featuring our fish of the day selection prepared in one of three ways, a special seafood appetiser and a sweet finish dessert. Pair your catch with one of our sommelier selections special offers, available Tuesday only. 950* Baht. 18.30 22.00 www.salaphuket.com Advance bookings are recommended - 076 33 8888. *Subject to 10% service charge and 7% value added tax.

Sala Phuket.

WED

23 OCT

XANA BAREFOOT BBQ

Experience barefoot dining with freshest seafood from the Andaman Sea while watching a fire performance and listening music from our DJ. Every Monday and Thursday from 18:00 – 22:00 hrs at XANA Beach Club. Price THB 1,450++ fbreservation-lagunaphuket@angsana.com +66 (0) 7635 8500.

Ribs, beats, brews Wednesday All you can eat BBQ Ribs night

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

Sunday Roast All Day, All Night

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

All you can eat BBQ night

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

Devour our succulent pork rib set complete with sweet corn chowder, blue cheese salad, moist cornbread and finished off with a bread and butter pudding. DJ Q will keep the soul flowing and your toes tapping as you wash down those tender ribs with a bucket of craft brews. Full Rack set 1,400 Baht, Half Rack set 1,100 Baht. Reservations, SALA Phuket, events@salaphuket.com, 076-338-888. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

EVENTS 21

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

THU

24 OCT

INDONESIAN FOOD FESTIVAL

WITH GUEST CHEFS IGEDE AND PARTAMADANA FROM LE MERIDIEN BALI, JIMBARAN. The exotic tastes and colours of Indonesian cuisine awaits! Explore regional Balinese and Indonesian specials including Bebek Betutu, Sate, Babi Guling, Jimbaran Seafood, and Otak Otak, coupled with live entertainment and shows at these venues: BUFFET DINNER AND BALINESE SHOW - 24 & 26 Oct at Pakarang Restaurant. THB 1,275++ Per Adult. BBQ BUFFET DINNER WITH FIRESHOW AND DJ MUSIC. 25 Oct at Beach BBQ. THB 1,500++ Per Adult. ‘AU SOLEIL’ BRUNCH BUFFET: BALINESE-STYLE SEAFOOD, LIVE ENTERTAINMENT. 27 Oct at Beach BBQ. THB 850++ Per Adult. *Prices are subject to 17.7% government tax and service charge. Reservation, Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort, Restaurant.Phuketbeach@lemeridien.com, 076 370 100 ext. 5307.

FRI

25 OCT

SpeakEasy Yacht Chub Indian Night

Do you want to try authentic exclusively Indian food? The best Indian chef in Phuket is inviting you to enjoy it on 25th of October at The Speakeasy Yacht Club, Royal Phuket Marina!

RSVP call: 081 971 2082, Email: catherinem@ royalphuketmarina.com

WED

30 OCT

FRI

1 NOV

TUE

5 NOV

The Exotic Fishing Thailand Melbourne Cup Brunch 2019 Ladies and Gentleman of Phuket, The Good 1.5 Million Baht Shepherd, Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation and Angsana Laguna Phuket are Tagged Fish Challenge

From Nov 1st to March 1st. Test your fishing skills Phuket and Catch a Monster fish and Monster Prize. 50 tagged fish with 50 prizes valued at over 1.5 Million baht. Anyone can enter for just 1,000 baht in addition to your daily fishing ticket ................. Exotic Fishing Thailand, Phang Nga, exoticfishingthailand@gmail. com, English 088 379 9377 and Thai 081 199 5922.

thrilled to be hosting the Melbourne Cup 2019 here on the island, Tuesday 5th November from 9 am to 2 pm. Dress code: At the Races Venue: Angsana Laguna Phuket FREE FLOW FOOD & BEVERAGES Donation: 3,000 Baht Reserve your ticket at tina@phukethasbeengoodtous.org

SAT

SAT

2 NOV

THE CLASSIC MIDDLE EASTERN DISH

Bodega & Grill brings you Lamb Tagine, vibrantly flavoured with colourful spices, authentically prepared with peppers and couscous.

Experience the rich traditions of the Middle East’s culinary showpiece. Available daily from 6:00 – 10:30 pm at Bodega & Grill Restaurant THB 1,050++ per set serving for 2 persons.

RESERVATION, fbreservation-lagunaphuket@ angsana.com, 076-358500.

23 NOV World Cup Rugby 2019! at Two Chefs

Grow Boating Networking Evening - November 2019

The Grow Boating Networking Evening for November 2019 will be held at the d’deck Bar, at the Ao Po Grand Marina on Friday the 1st of November from 5pm. We are pleased to announce that Yacht Shop at Yacht Haven marina have agreed to be our drinks sponsor. See https://www.facebook.com/YachtShopPhuket/ There will be a light buffet sponsored by the d’deck bar and special prices on your favourite beverages. Come and join in the fun, everyone is welcome. There is no entry fee, just drop your business card or register at the bar. We hope to see you there and if you know anyone you think would be interested in coming please invite them along. To join our mailing list please send an email to growboatingphuket@gmail.com Grow Boating is kindly supported by our media partner The Phuket News, Live 89.5 radio and Phuket News TV. See www.thephuketnews. com The Grow Boating Networking Evening is organised by the Thai Yachting Business Association. Find us on Facebook at https://www. facebook.com/groups/491098897758155/ or our Website https://www.thaiyachtingbusinessassociation.com/

EVERY DAY

Great Wines of Italy @ The Nai Harn

James Suckling will bring his successful event for a third time to Phuket’s iconic The Nai Harn Resort. More than 40 of the top Italian wine producers and winemakers of world-renowned estates will personally be present at the event.

Guests will be treated to a multi-course live cooking dining experience at the casual openair setting of Reflections rooftop terrace. For more information and bookings, please call +66 76 380 200 or fbsec@thenaiharn.com or check out https://www.thenaiharn.com/dining/ james-suckling/ ALCOHOL MAY BE A HEALTH HAZARD.

THU

30 JAN

Come and visit Two Chefs between 20 September until 2 November during the World Cup Rugby 2019! For only 295 Baht Two Chefs will prepare a delicious deep-fried chicken burger or a beautiful chicken parmigiana for you, while you watching the exciting World Cup Rugby Games all day and night! And if you do need some hydration, just order an ice-cold drink for just 99 Baht! Book your table now at twochefs. com/twochefsreservations or call our branch in Kata (076-333-370, opens 8am until 12am) Karon (076-286-479, opens 5pm until 12am) or Patong (076-344-914, opens 12pm until 12am.

And of course our Houseband will entertain you with some amazing live music starts from 8pm every day! Come for the FOOD, stay for the FUN!

Prime at Rock Salt

Prime at Rock Salt is the home of smoke and fire at Naiharn Beach. An exclusive eatery, Prime offers a collection of roasted, smoked and chargrilled creations from its custom-designed kitchen. The al fresco dining experience is completed with panoramic ocean views across Naiharn Beach. Open Daily 6.00 – 10.00pm. For more information and bookings, please call +66 76 380 200 or rocksalt@thenaiharn.com

Thailand Health & Fitness Expo 2020

Halloween Eve Texas Smokehouse

Make this year’s Halloween one to the remember at Firefly Pool & Restaurant. Fest on delicious Texas-style brisket, buffalo wings, smoked pork ribs, creole styke chicken, Halloween themed desserts and much more! From 6-9 pm and priced at THB 890++. Reservations are advised. Reservation, Firefly Pool & Restaurant at The Pavilions Phuket, restaurants. phuket@pavilionshotels.com, 076 317 600.

@thephuketnews

Saints & Sinners at 360 Bar

Saturday night Sinner or Sunday morning Saint? Find out at 360 Bar this year with creepy mixology concoctions, and spooky sweet and savoury snacks, prizes for best dressed and entertainment by resident DJ Gary. From 6 pm, entrance is costume and receive a complimentary’s creepy concoction welcome drink! Reservations are advised. Reservation, 360 Bar at The Pavilions Phuket, restaurants.phuket@ pavilionshotels.com, 076 317 600.

The inaugural Thailand Health & Fitness Expo from 30th January to 2nd February 2020 will showcase brands and services related to the health, fitness and wellness industry. A four-day extravaganza featuring an exhibition as well as workshops and networking events. Among scheduled events are a sportswear fashion show, healthy lifestyle seminars, healthy cooking workshops, group classes, dancing, DJs and live music. For more information please contact Munlika Boonyawong on +66 (0) 76 600 225 or email munlika.b@jandevents.com or info@thailandhealthandfitnessexpo.com

DAILY EVENT UPDATES ON

22 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York 1. “Honestly, it’s not for everyone” is the slogan of which American state?

2. Nigeria’s royal tortoise Alagba died this month. How old did the palace claim it was?

3. How long does it take sunlight to travel to Earth?

4. What is the name of the heat scale that measures the spiciness of chillis?

5. Which year did Suvarnabhumi Airport officially open?

Answers below, centre

SUDOKU

Medium

62. Mideast title Across 63. Shade of black 1. Scottish caps with 64. Island off round, flat top Venezuela 5. Big name in jewelry 8. Unusual, as of a breed 65. Skillful 66. Scottish slope 12. Certain exams 67. Peter and a Wolfe 14. Smooth 68. Joshes 15. Asteroid 16. Book before Nahum 69. Chicken of the ___ 70. Father’s 17. Observes sanctuaries 18. Fragrant ointment 19. Balcony alternative Down 21. Dining room item 1. Archaeological find 22. Attorneys’ org.

2. Met solo 23. French sea 3. “Fargo” actor Bill 24. Paddington 28. He became Darth 4. Southern American salad Vader 5. Cause to be 31. YMCA feature counted out 34. Past offender 6. From the beginning 36. Gershwin opera 7. Drapers’ meas. heroine 8. Concrete 37. Indian megastar reinforcement Aishwarya material 38. Dining room settings 9. Saudi or Iraqi 42. Soccer stadium 10. Casino action cheer 11. Salinger 43. Brake part dedicatee 44. In shock 13. Islamic division 45. Basketball 14. Many a family car scoreboard nos.

20. Where a Wizard 46. “Way to go!” might fear The 49. Mexican money Heat 50. Be my guest!

51. Spanish for month 21. Drawn taut 23. Of mixed 53. Night lights character, for 56. Bathroom items

short 24. Jazz style 25. Praise 26. Tops 27. Burgle 29. More competent 30. Mauna ___ Observatory 31. Nibble 32. English poet 33. Bungle 35. Chows down 39. Cries of surprise 40. Bichon-___ (dog hybrid) 41. Atlas entry 47. Mosey 48. Attention-getter 50. Belgian city in W.W. I fighting 52. White bird 53. Pipe problem 54. Both, as a beginning 55. Balmy 56. Yawn maker 57. Laser pointer battery 58. Burned up 59. Unadulterated 60. Black in color 61. Be disrespectful to, in a way 63. Major TV network

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 4) The Scoville scale; 5) 2006.

1) Nebraska; 2) 344 years old; 3) Eight minutes, 20 seconds;

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

1

year on Uranus is equal to a little more than 84 years on Earth.

46.9

percent of our waking hours are spent simply daydreaming, according to a Harvard University study.

7,000

is the estimated total population of both captive and wild elephants in Thailand.

154,965

Rainbow over King’s Park. Photo by Jeffrey Ephreim.

Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket? Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

is how many Post Offices India has, the most of any country in the world.

750 million

US dollars has been donated by the owners of Fiji Water to fund climate change research.

Source: Uberfacts

This week in history October 18, 1963 Félicette, a Parisian stray cat, becomes the first cat launched into space. She is recovered alive after a 15-minute flight and a parachute descent.

October 19, 2003 Mother Teresa is beatified (declared in heaven, the first step to sainthood) by Pope John Paul II. October 20, 1977 Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd’s

October 23, 425 Valentinian III is elevated as Roman emperor at the age of six.

His reign, which continued until 455, was marked by the ongoing collapse of the Western Empire.

airplane crashes. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines perish in the crash.

October 21, 1879 Thomas Edison applies for a patent for his design for an incandescent light bulb. His version outstrips earlier versions by other inventors at the time.

14.5mn copies of GTA III have been sold.

October 22, 2001 Grand Theft Auto III is released, popularising a genre of open-world,

action-adventure video games, as well as spurring controversy around violence in video games.

October 24, 1947 Famed animator Walt Disney testifies before the House Un-American Activities Committee, naming Disney employees he believes to be communists.

Source: Wikipedia thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 23

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Jobs

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Wanted- Designer HTML Eflyers

Designer and creation of HTML responsive email marketing newsletters. Excellent written English, must be able to use Campaign Monitor . Please email CV - personalassistantphuket@gmail.com

@thephuketnews

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

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Admin assistant wanted - Part Time

Excellent and Writing and Computer skills. (English Mother tongue) Home based. Send CV -.personalassistantphuket@gmail.com , personalassistantphuket@gmail.com

Marketing Executive

Art House Real Estate is looking for Native Russian speaking, basic salary plus commission. info@arthouse.asia, 089 594 6888

Chinese Marketing Manager

Art House Real Estate is looking for Chinese speaking, basic salary plus commission. Art House Development Co., Ltd, info@arthouse.asia, 089 594 6888

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 25

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Trades & Services

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

ADVERTISING SERVICES

CLEANING SERVICES

CORPORATE SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

MARINE SERVICES

MARINE SERVICES

MARINE SERVICES

@thephuketnews

26 CLASSIFIEDS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Trades & Services

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

classifieds@thephuketnews.com

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

MARINE SERVICES

PERSONAL SERVICE

OTHER

TRAINING

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 27

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Buy & Sell BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE Speedboat for Sale

14.2 m Speedboat, named Rayao DD, is still in a good condition with 3 engines, four-stroke engine, Yamaha manufacture. The boat is owned by 1 owner for 1 year (2018) with well maintenance. 4,400,000, Jane, social@karonseasand.com, 062 842 486.

CARS, TRUCKS FOR RENT Toyota Fortuner 2007 for sale

200,000 km. Two owners. Smart TRD 3.0 Good condition! Great deal! Call now!! 590,000 THB, Nony, Kathu, Phuket, Thailand, Nony_ntp@hotmail.com, (Eng/Thai) 099 2650808.

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Car rental @fair prices

Low season prices Monthly from 10,000 Baht. Daily from 400 BHT. High Season from 12,000 monthly. All our cars are in very good conditions at affordable prices. From 10,000 BHT monthly, Stig Johansson, 110/78 Moo 2 T Pa­klok A Thalang 83110 Phuket, stigisaan@gmail.com, 0848474377.

7 seater for rent

We have a New top-model Sienta 7 seater for rent. Has reverse camera, mag wheels, leather and automatic sliding doors. Available from Sept 7. Price daily or per month.

0848474377. stigisaan@gmail.com

@thephuketnews

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

CARS, TRUCKS FOR SALE LIKE BRAND NEW

2014 Ford Focus S white w/ black leather interior, sunroof, full options, one owner, accident free. LED front, black roof, 9,400km.

Ted Blenkers, Chalong Phuket kapitanted@ gmail.com, 0899085199

Mitsubishi Mirage 10/2018

9 months old, 9,000km, first class insurance. Like new. THB 360,000. Andy, Call 082 281 5976 ENG/098 059 8714 THAI

COMPUTERS, LAPTOPS Lenovo Nova Notebook 530

Approx 2 months old. CPU Intel i3 - 7130V. 2.7 GHz Ram 8GB Storage 128G SSD Windows 10 14” screen Plus pen./ headphones and carrying case Cost approx 24k baht. Kevin Carter, Unit 5/ 220 The Base condo phuket 094 3146995, knc552015@gmail.com

COMMUNITY Lost dog in the Patong - Kalim - Kathu area.

Female by the name of Lola. If you see her, please contact 0620611191.

MEMBERSHIPS Blue Canyon Family Membership

Blue Canyon Country Club Family Membership For Sale 450,000 split transfer fee 092-801-9855

Loch Palm Membership

Individual full membership. Price includes transfer. Jeff, schendl@loxinfo.co.th 086 2688061.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

BABY GRAND w/ DISC PLAYER

“Classic” Baby Grand Piano with “Disc Player”. In perfect condition. 7 years old. Original price 428,000 THB. 170,000, Phuket Town, daryldavies9@gmail. com, 080 159 5239

PROPERTY WANTED Allamanda 2 Bed Freehold

Hi, Am looking for a 2 Bedroom Freehold Unit at the Allamanda in Laguna.

Budget is 8million baht. Can contact me on wandererthomas1@gmail.com Thanks in advance!

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3 Bedroom Condo Wanted

Looking for 3 Bed Condo/Apartment any area of Phuket for 3million Thai Baht or thereabouts. Please email mick11468@gmail.com. Thanks! B3,000,000, Mike

Willing to Sell / Rent Property in Laguna?

Willing to sell or rent your property in Laguna area?

Please contact me raisa@rl-property.com +66 (081) 737 1687 (Viber, WhatsApp, Line) Raisa Sheludkina, Railand Property International., 46., Lagoon Road.,Ch erngtalay.,Thalang.,Phuket 83110., raisa@rl-property. com, 0817371687, 076324448.

House Wanted in Chalong

4 Bedroom House Wanted in Chalong for under 10 million baht. Please email me at mick11468@gmail.com

PERSONAL SERVICES Tom Jones Of Philippines

Has been doing a show in different country here in Asia like Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Macau, China, Japan, Canada and here. He is now in Phuket, Thailand. For special occasion please call. Jun Alvarez (AKA), junalvarez331591@gmail. com, 096 592 6297 / 094 947 7712.

28 CLASSIFIEDS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Buy & Sell SERVICES

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Credit and investment in private section

With honesty, we are offering credit and investment in private section with excellent condition.

Please feel free to contact us for more information. Georgette, GEORGESVALLER@ financier.com

SPORTING GOODS, EXERCISE Oceanus Speargun for Sale

▪72cm speargun ▪2 new Dunlop bands with wishbones ▪1 stock steel spear ▪1 tempered-steel Salvimar spear ▪10m of multifiliment line Rawai, Phuket, 618921323.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

1 Bed Condo Sale Rawai

Saturdays Residence beautiful condo in Rawai. Tastefully decorated with class. Short drive to beach. All condo amenities. Looks so good that you do need to see to believe. You will fall in love at first sight. B6,300,000, Dimitry, phuket@thairesidential.com, 082 030 7199

PROPERTY FOR RENT

White sand beach

29 Rai with breathtaking views and 128 meter of white sand beach frontage on Koh Yao Yai , just 20 minutes from Phuket away , secure Chanote tittle , public concrete road , water, electricity and ready to build for sale direct from owner for only 5.5 mln per Rai. Montha, montha_phuket@yahoo.com, 095 0147888.

Casa Lagoon Phuket House 4 Rent

We have four houses with AmaZing Lagoon view Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, fully furnished available for short & long-term rental in a quiet area located in Koh Kaew area Phuket 0624236499.

OCEAN FRONT LAND

7 Rai with 185meter of ocean frontage, 800 meter from Yacht Haven Marina on Phangnga side, water, electricity, concrete road on the back of property, building permission for 12 two story pool villas. For sale direct by owner for only 6 mln Baht per Rai. + 66 95 0147888.

2-Bed Furnished Kathu House for Rent

2bd/2bth furnished house for rent in Kathu near Loch Palm Golf Course. See link for more photos and details. www.kathuhouseforrent.com B13,500, May or Wes, wes@pillarmarketing.com, 0899733276

OCEAN FRONT VILLA

3 Bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 10 meter infinity swimming pool , maid quarter ..., fully furnished and ready to move in .., usable area of over 330 sqm ....., very convenient located in a gated community at the south end of Aopor, 50 meter from the ocean , 150 meter from the new Sheraton Grand Bay Resort , 3 minutes from Grand Aopor Marina , 20 minutes from Airport and shopping centers..., for sale directly by owner 22.9 mln. + 66 95 0147888.

4BED 4BATH VILLA FOR SALE

Sale by owners! A secure 4-bed 4-bath with a swimming pool and beautiful garden in Baan Suan Loch Palm. 5 mins to BIS, 12 to 15 mins to Central, Patong and Phuket Town.

0873800065. jenjiramountford@gmail.com

Shophouse near Boat Lagoon

MUST SELL Nice shophouse near Boat Lagoon 30% below market. Bank financing optional. Buyer pays transfer fees. https:// bit.ly/31621Pb 30/12 Moo2 Thepkrasattri Rd, Koh-Khao, Phuket THA 83000, 0922537251, info@remxep.com

Seaview land Nai Harn Beach

2.5 rai of superb seaview land overlooking Nai Harn bay & the Andaman Sea, ideal for deluxe villa (s) or resort. Walking distance to beach. Email development@amsasean. com Henri.

Dream Village Phuket house

2bed 2bath 295sqm land 100sqm living + veranda, compl. renovated.: new water, electric., tiles, paint in/out, windows, 3A/C, built in kitchen. 0870608400 engl/deutsch, price is negotiable picharly@gmail.com, 66870608400

Villa in Patong prime location

Villa in center Patong , top condition.

Can generate 1.3 MB tourist rental income p.a. 3 bed, 3 bath, 160sqm living.

Furnished, garden. Ms. Manatchanok, 0800409411.

Villa Mission Heights Big Pool

3bed, 3 1/2 bath, 330sqm living, 900 sqm land, very quite aera, 2 km mission hill golf, 6km UWC, 8 km airport. owner finance. 0870608400 engl/ deutsch, price is negotiable. 10.9MB, picharly@gmail.com

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Absolute Beachfront Pool Villa

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Absolute Beachfront Pool Villa, 3 Bedroom, 3 Bathroom, fully serviced. Short Term Rental from 35‘000 THB/Week to 195‘000 Month depend on Season. Long Term on Agreement. sunparasol@ gmail.com, +66 91 040 8869

4-Bedroom House for rent

4 Bedrooms / 4 Bathrooms furnished house for rent. 7 minutes to BIS. Newly renovated. Swimming Pool and Garage. 65,000, Owner, Baan Suan Loch Plam, heitmann@hlbthai.com, 081-8996557 (Eng)/ 088-7602825 (Thai)

Thalang House for RENT

RPM by owner

Unique luxury condo 2 bed, 2 bath, 155sqm. Foreign FREE HOLD. Architect remodel in tropical white. Jacuzzi. All round beautiful views. Completely furnished to a high standard. Very motivated owner leaving Thailand. Available to agents. Priced just REDUCED to 15MB or offers. Contact Brian (Owner) 089 054 4354, 076 360 943. bggvirgo@gmail.com

2 Bedrooms, semi-furnished with next door gym and smiming pool. 199/167 Moo 9 Thepkasattri Rd. Thalang Phuket, 089 882 9246 sawasdeeka84@hotmail.com

Condo in Patong for Rent

Full-furnished studio with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, living room, kitchenette, mountain view, and free wifi. 2 Rooms available; 66 sq.m and 88 sq.m. Start from 25,000 THB/month, Jane, social@ karonseasand.com, 062 842 4861.

1 Bedroom Condo Kata For Sale

Lovely condo at Utopia Kata for Sale. Completed in 2017 and close to Kata Beach. Fully furnished. Close to restaurants and amenities. Great views. Rental programme. Full facilities. Dimtry, 082 030 7199. B7,100,000

2 Bed Condo Bangtao Phuket

Mandala Condominium - Wonderful spacious condo. Great location near Bangtao beach and Laguna. 184sqm with private pool and tropical gardens. B15,900,000, Andy, 083 800 1888

CONDO FOR SALE THE DECK PATONG

44 sqm Condo for sale at THB 5,200,000 – Parking space included – Quiet Unit – email: sale. hd.design@outlook.com - 66937198098.

PROPERTY FOR RENT

COMMUNITY

Super villa for sale

Super villa for sale. 4 bed, 4 bath, 450 sqm private pool villa, 500 sqm land, Heavily reduced price 14.9M. Call +66 (0) 92-6950329 15.000.000,-, +66 (0) 92-6950329.

Karon 1 Bed Condo for Sale

Karon Butterfly hillside condo for sale just 800m from beach. Amenities close by. Fully furnished and condo facilities. Great investment in great area of Phuket. Shuttle Bus to Beach and Rental Program. A must see!!!! B4,300,000, Dmitry , phuket@thairesidential.com

7 Bed Boutique Hotel for Sale

A unique opportunity to buy a beautiful, fully licensed and 100% legally compliant boutique hotel business in Cherng Talay.

The resort has full restaurant, alcohol and cigarette licenses. B30,000,000, Mike, phuket@thairesidential.com

1 story building for rent

150m2 - Located in Allamanda 1 Laguna Phuket is available for rent. Rent is negotiable especially for long term lease. 096 646 6287.

Stunning Ocean Views!

4 bed/bath large pool villa. Privately located in Cape Heights Cape Yamu.

Furnished. Gardens. Fiber WiFi. 80,000/rent long term or 30 million to sell. Richard, Cape Yamu, Phuket, richarddesmondcapeheights@yahoo. co.uk, +66824203270, WhatsApp

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

SPORT 29

Siam Yapp takes on the world

BISP Cruzeiro standout ready to take the next step FOOTBALL JP Mestanza tv@thephuketnews.com

E

nergised after a summer of travel and high-level football, it’s safe to say that BISP Cruzeiro Youth Academy standout Siam Yapp is almost ready for the next step.

It’s been a whirlwind year for the 15-year-old, having played across Asia and Europe with not just the BISP Cruzeiro team, but a special call-up from the Thailand national team.

“I think Siam is playing with great potential. He’s one that we are putting a lot in terms of becoming a pro player in the future. He’s got the attributes, he’s got everything to become a pro,” said BISP Cruzeiro Youth Academy Head Coach Jonathas Candido.

Yapp’s impressive play at the Nike Premier Cup in Bangkok back in May for the BISP Cruzeiro team was enough to earn a call from national team scouts who extended an offer to the young left-winger.

Scouts invited 40 of the best under-15 players from across the Kingdom for a try-out camp in Chiang Mai. After two weeks, only

@thephuketnews

23 players were left, including Yapp.

This was the Thailand U-15 side that would play in the 2019 AFF U-15 Championship in Chonburi.

“The day after, we went straight to the competition. It was all pretty fast,” he said. “It was a big shock, it was all a new experience for me.

In terms of football, everyone there is amazing.”

Teams from across Asia participated in the tournament, with stadiums seeing 1,000 fans for group stage matches to 5,000 fans for the final. Because of his size, coaches shifted Yapp to play as a lone striker. The tactical strategy helped propel Thailand to the final with Malaysia, which they lost 2-1.

“[National team coaches] said in terms of the future, they want to keep working with me because they feel like I can grow and understand their style of play better,” said Yapp.

The invitation to play for Thailand capped an exciting summer for the prodigy, which included a titlewinning run with his BISP Cruzeiro U19 squad and training stints with professional clubs in Portugal.

“I’ve had a busy year,” he said.

The opportunity to train for several days at the Sporting Clube de Portugal (Sporting CP) Youth Academy in Lisbon in April, renowned for producing Ballon d’Or recipients Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo, is an honour until itself.

Yapp credits the time spent at the club, playing alongside players on the cusp of the professional ranks, as invaluable experience that has helped him grow in the game.

Yapp followed that up with an impressive showing for the BISP Cruzeiro U19 team – the youngest player invited by coach Candido and Eder Diniz (Yapp was 14 at the time) – at the IBERCUP U19 tournament in Estoril, Portugal in early July. Yapp helped propel the team to a silver medal finish.

Behind every great player are great coaches, and BISP Cruzeiro’s stable of high-level instructors have prepared Yapp well for the future.

“It’s nice to see Siam play very

well, we could easily see that he could play with those guys, and he could be even better than most of those guys,” said assistant coach Eder.

The fact that Yapp’s profile is rising among scouts domestically and abroad puts a smile on coach Candido’s face, especially since Yapp has a full four years in the BISP Cruzeiro program. The academy’s first truly home-grown player, whose development is a testament to the program’s success.

“We’ve had more time to work towards [Yapp’s] weaknesses. I’m proud of him moving on, because he’s a player that we got in a certain level and have helped put him in a very good position right now. This achievement would not have been possible without help from BISP as well,” said Candido.

Yapp is half British, half Thai, and has a European passport. Coach Candido said this is a big help in terms of him potentially going pro sooner than later, as European nationals can sign with professional clubs at 16-years-old, if they choose to do so.

For now, however, Yapp is focused on improving and finishing his studies at British International School, Phuket.

30 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Silver Arrows point to title

Mercedes unstoppable on march to historic sixth BOX OF NEUTRALS Michael Lamonato michael@boxofneutrals.com

T

he rain thundered from the heavens and a gale thrashed Suzuka Circuit as Typhoon Hagibis plundered Japan, but no storm could prevent Mercedes fulfilling its destiny.

When the cyclone cleared Mercedes was still standing, and by the end of the weather-worn Japanese Grand Prix Formula One’s preeminent team emerged with a sixth world championship and another record broken.

The completion of the serial sextuple had been ordained from the team’s early-season domination, but anticipation makes the result no less remarkable – Mercedes, in only its 10th year of team ownership, had matched the benchmark for championship domination set

by Ferrari between 1999 and 2004.

What’s more, with Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton taking the chequered flag in one-three formation, they had scored enough points to eliminate all but themselves from drivers championship contention.

Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas takes the checkered flag to win during the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. Photo: AFP With Mercedes guaranteed the individual title, the Silver Arrows will have the outright record for consecutive team-driver championship doubles, smashing the previous record of five by that same Ferrari team with Michael Schumacher in 2000–04.

Even the strongest teams tend to wilt after too long at the top. Personnel change, enthusiasm declines after summiting the mountain so many times and key drivers retire.

But not so Mercedes, which

shows no such weaknesses – indeed it’s hard to imagine the end of the silver reign.

“If I were to sum it up, it’s the people,” team boss Toto Wolff said. “The group of people that are working on the project each giving it all, playing the best game in their respective position and the strength of the pack has made us win these championships.”

Wolff is quick to diffuse the credit, but the culture the racerturned-principal has instilled into

the team has been central to keeping personnel not only energised but untempted by offers to join rival teams, who entice to import expertise as much as to disrupt the opposition.

The proof isn’t in the races the team has dominated; the grands prix Mercedes haven’t won have been the most instructive.

Its comprehensive defeat at the hands of Ferrari at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix triggered substantial soul-searching just as the sport was asking whether the Italian team was at the dawn of a new dominant era.

Mercedes famously embarked on 10 days of 24/7 analysis to understand its problems and routed the competition at the following race in Canada.

Last year the team’s poor showing in Belgium, where title contender Sebastian Vettel comfortably dispatched Lewis Hamilton, looked like the turning point in the Ferrari driver’s campaign, but then too Mercedes worked to understand its problems and went on to win six of the remaining eight races.

“It’s about the marginal gains,” Wolff added. “It’s about putting everything together and not leaving one stone unturned; having a no

blame culture; empowering, even when it’s difficult sometimes, when you would rather control things.

“I think the strengths go very deep – values that are engrained in the teams that you can’t put on a power point and say now we are empowered. You need to live it in the difficult moments, and that has made the strengths of the team.

“We had many hiccups over the last years and we were always able to collect ourselves, understand why we haven’t performed well and come back even stronger.”

There are few territories left unventured by the all-conquering Mercedes team. Next season it has the chance to take the outright record for consecutive titles, while star driver Lewis Hamilton is well on track to be a reigning six-time champion in 2020 and gunning for Michael Schumacher’s record of seven crowns.

And then? Will Mercedes’s stranglehold on the sport ever end?

After six titles and almost 100 victories, the question isn’t whether Mercedes is beatable; it’s whether anyone is bold enough to think they could take on the best and win.

On current form, it’d be very bold to think indeed.

Joseph behind Japan’s Cinderella run at Cup

Continued from page 30 ...“The skill levels are higher than ever before but we’ve also got those miles in the bank.”

Fly-half Yu Tamura leads the World Cup with 48 points through four games, while winger Kotaro Matsushima is one of two players to have scored five tries.

However, Japan’s pugnacious defence has underpinned their fairytale run, notably in repelling Scotland’s second-half charge and frustrating an Ireland team who entered the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side.

Once pulverised 145-17 by New Zealand at the World Cup, Japan have defied logic to reach the quarter-finals, with bookmakers offering odds of 50-1 against them winning their pool. Their heroics have seen them climb to seventh in the world.

Japan celebrate their historic win. Photo: AFP But Joseph’s technicolour side – 16 of Japan’s 31-man squad were born overseas – are refusing to settle for the last eight.

“We’re not coming out next week to have a good time and lose,” warned Leitch.

“We’re coming to win.”

AFP

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

SPORT 31

Liverpool one step ahead of rest of Premier League FOOTBALL AFP

L

iverpool chief executive Peter Moore says a long-overdue Premier League title would sit alongside their Champions League triumph as a “barometer of success” for the club.

Jurgen Klopp’s side won a sixth European Cup in June, less than a month after they were pipped by Manchester City to the league title by a single point.

The league resumes on Saturday (Oct 19) with Liverpool eight points clear of City and favourites to win their first top-flight title for 30 years.

“I think that is what our fans want,” Moore told the Press Association. “We were so close last year, 97 points, and in any other year we would have won it.

“But the club goes on and I think that (a league title), for many of our fans, would sit alongside our Champions League triumph as the barometer of success.”

City have been the domestic benchmark for their rivals, with four Premier League titles, four League Cups and two FA Cups since 2011, but Moore said Liverpool were following their own path.

“What Liverpool had to do was bring in a world-class manager, which we have, bring in a world-class squad, which we have, play exciting football, bring in players that are going to draw crowds no matter where they go, we’ve done that, build financial security at the club, we’ve done that.”

Moore said the Champions League victory had had a huge impact on the club, lifting them back to the level of “European royalty”.

Team

MP

W

D

L

F

A

GD

Pts

1

Liverpool

8

8

0

0

20

6

+14

24

2

Manchester City

8

5

1

2

27

9

+18

16

3

Arsenal

8

4

3

1

13

11

+2

15

4

Leicester City

8

4

2

2

14

7

+7

14

5

Chelsea

8

4

2

2

18

14

+4

14

6

Crystal Palace

8

4

2

2

8

8

0

14

7

Burnley

8

3

3

2

11

9

+2

12

8

West Ham United

8

3

3

2

11

11

0

12

9

Tottenham Hotspur

8

3

2

3

14

12

+2

11

10 Bournemouth

8

3

2

3

13

13

0

11

11 Wolverhampton

8

2

4

2

11

11

0

10

12 Manchester United

8

2

3

3

9

8

+1

9

13 Sheffield United

8

2

3

3

7

7

0

9

14 Brighton

8

2

3

3

8

10

-2

9

15 Aston Villa

8

2

2

4

13

12

+1

8

16 Newcastle United

8

2

2

4

5

13

-8

8

17 Southampton

8

2

1

5

8

15

-7

7

18 Everton

8

2

1

5

6

13

-7

7

19 Norwich City

8

2

0

6

10

21

-11

6

20 Watford

8

0

3

5

4

20

-16

3

Live Sports TV Schedule Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold (L) vies with Leicester City's English midfielder James Maddison during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Leicester City at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on October 5. Photo: AFP Nine years ago Fenway Sports Group, then New England Sports Ventures, completed their £300 million ($380 million) purchase of the club.

They inherited a club languishing towards the foot of the Premier League with six points from their opening seven matches during the short-lived reign of Roy Hodgson.

“When we look at the health of the club, our revenues have doubled in the last five years and been reinvested back into the squad,” said Moore.

“We have steadied the ship from some dark days nine years ago.

“We take great pride in our business model: a selfsustaining football club.

“He (Klopp) has built the chemistry and these players are content, motivated and excited to win – not just for

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS

Run #1759: Saturday October 19 Run Start Time: 4pm Hares: Murkury, Plitmas Mussy, Bungle Jalls, CJ Location: Kathu – In front of J.C. house Directions: Coming from Patong, turn RIGHT HHH into the soi beside the Family Mart at the bottom of hill on the Kathu side, just before the divided roadway begins. Wind in about 500 m and reaching the T-junction, turn RIGHT HHH. Continue 300 m and turn LEFT HHH at the abandoned elephant camp on your right.

Coming from Chalong head toward Patong. Beyond the Kathu Go-Kart track make a LEFT HHH at the end of the divided roadway onto the soi beside the Family Mart. Continue as above.

Bus pick-up: Patong @ Expat Hotel: 15:00 | Kamala @ Aussie Pub: 14:30 More info: phuket-hhh.com

@thephuketnews

English Premier League 2019 - 2020

Jurgen and the coaching staff but for the people of Liverpool and broader global fanbase.”

Liverpool teen banned Teenage Liverpool winger Harvey Elliott has been banned for 14 days from domestic club football after an investigation into a social media video in which he appeared to mock Harry Kane.

The 16-year-old admitted breaching Football Association rules and must also complete a face-to-face education course and pay a £350 ($444) fine.

“Harvey Elliott has been suspended from playing in all domestic club football for a period of 14 days, running up to and including 24 October 2019, after admitting a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a video posted on social media and providing a public apology,” the FA said

in a statement.

It added that the incident constituted an “aggravated breach” of FA rules.

The Snapchat video, taken during the Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham in June, appeared to show Elliott performing an offensive impersonation of the England captain.

He later issued an apology on social media, saying he was “truly sorry”.

Elliott joined Liverpool from Fulham in July and has already made a first-team appearance, playing the full match in Liverpool’s League Cup clash with MK Dons last month.

He became the youngest debutant in Premier League history when he played for Fulham against Wolves in May at the age of 16 years and 30 days.

*Times may be subject to change

SPORT

START STOP

EVENT

TEAMS / INFO

Mitre 10 Cup

Bay of Plenty v. Manawatu

Rugby Union 13:00 15:00

Mitre 10 Cup

Wellington v. Canterbury

Rugby Union 14:15 16:15

RWC – QF1 - Oita

England v. Australia

Friday 18th Oct Rugby Union 13:30 15:30

Saturday 19th Oct

17:15 19:15 RWC – QF2 - Tokyo Gallagher Premiership

Saracens v. Northampton

18:30 20:30

EPL

Everton v, West Ham

21:00 23:00

EPL

Chelsea v. Newcastle

21:00 23:00

EPL

Tottenham v. Watford

21:00 23:00

EPL

Leicester v. Burnley

23:30 01:30

EPL

Crystal Palace v. Man City

11:00 19:00

Test Match 3: Ranchi

India v. South Africa - Day 1

RWC – QF3 - Oita

Wales v. France

Rugby Union 21:00 23:00 Soccer

Cricket

New Zealand v. Ireland

Sunday 20th Oct Rugby Union 14:15 16:15

17:15 19:15 RWC – QF4 - Tokyo Rugby Union 21:00 23:00

Japan v. South Africa

Gallagher Premiership

Wasps v. London Irish

Soccer

22:30 00:30

EPL

Man United v. Liverpool

Cricket

11:00 19:00

Test Match 3: Ranchi

India v. South Africa - Day 1

Sport

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor3@classactmedia.co.th

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

Phuketian gets national team chance > p29

RISING UP Thais one step closer to World Cup after win

Thailand’s Teerasil Dangda (right) in action against the UAE at Thammasat Stadium. Photo: Bangkok Post

FOOTBALL Bangkok Post

T

hailand secured one of the biggest wins in their football history on Tuesday night (Oct 15) when they beat the United Arab Emirates 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier.

Teerasil Dangda gave the home team the lead after 26 minutes and Ali Mabkhout equalised for the visitors in the 45th minute.

Teenager Ekanit Panya

made it 2-1 early in the second half.

In Tuesday’s other Group G game of Asia’s qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup, Vietnam won 3-1 against Indonesia, who are still looking for their first point of the campaign.

After three games, Thailand lead Group G with seven points and are ahead of Vietnam on goal difference.

The UAE, the top seeded team in the group, have six points and Malaysia three.

The eight group winners

Thai players celebrate after a 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates at Thammasat Stadium on Tuesday night (Oct 15). Photo: Bangkok Post and four best runners-up advance to the continent’s 12team final qualifying stage

for the Qatar World Cup. At Thammasat Stadium, Thailand were without their in-

fluential midfielder Chanathip Songkrasin but welcomed back defender Theerathon Bunmathan.

Akira Nishino’s men got off to a lively start and came close to opening the scoring inside the first five minutes as Teerasil saw his shot go over the bar.

Moments later Supachok’s shot was saved by UAE goalkeeper Khalid Elsa.

The War Elephants were the better side throughout the first half and deservedly went ahead when Ekanit’s cross perfectly found Teerasil, who

headed the ball past Elsa in the 26th minute.

As Thailand squandered several scoring chances, they were punished in the final moments before the interval

by Bert van Marwijk’s men.

Thailand’s defenders failed to clear a Saleh Easa cross and Ali Mabkhout’s header beat Thailand goalkeeper Siwarak Tedrungnoen.

Thailand returned strongly in the second half and restored the lead in the 52nd minute when Ekanit scored with a beautiful volley.

Japan heroes toast ‘massive’ Jamie Joseph RUGBY EDDI E JON ES ONCE DEscribed Japan as a “joke team” – before the Australian lit the fuse that sparked an outrageous victory over the mighty Springboks at the 2015 World Cup. Well, no one’s laughing now after his successor, former All Black Jamie Joseph, steered this year’s tournament hosts to the quarter-finals for the first time, creating history by beating Scotland 28-21 last weekend.

“Over these four weeks, make no mistake, Jamie Joseph’s impact has been huge,” said Japan’s totemic captain Michael Leitch.

One of sport’s greatest upsets, on

England’s south coast in 2015, was turned into a movie in the run-up to this year’s World Cup. However, Japan’s Brave Blossoms have topped the “Brighton Miracle” and are busy working on a sequel after finishing first in Pool A with four straight wins.

The title has been used already, but after beating Russia (30-10), Ireland (19-12), Samoa (38-19) and now Scotland – everybody’s talking about Jamie.

Victory over Scotland in Yokohama on Sunday (Oct 13) in the biggest game in Japan’s history saw Joseph emerge from the shadow of Jones, the man who put Japanese rugby on the map.

“With Jamie’s style the players

have a lot more responsibility and accountability for their actions,” said Leitch, who will lead Japan out against South Africa in Tokyo for the quarter-final.

Breaking point If that 34-32 shock over South Africa four years ago was a textbook example of giant-killing, victories over Ireland in Shizuoka and Scotland in Yokohama were even more ruthless in the Japanese team’s snarling tenacity and cold-blooded efficiency.

“Our rugby is built on the foundation Eddie gave us, but this team’s taken it another step. The standards are higher now,” said Centre Ryoto Nakamura.

Jones subjected the Japan players

Japan wing Kenki Fukuoka scores his team’s third try against Scotland. Photo: AFP to punishing boot camps, pushing them to breaking point in preparation for the last World Cup. Joseph reprised that tactic in the run-up to the 2019 tournament as the Japan side spent 240 days in camp this year honing their free-flowing rugby.

Joseph, who also carefully managed the Super Rugby schedules of

his players to avoid burnout before the World Cup, believes he has the tournament’s fittest side.

‘Never stop running’ “We never stop running in training,” said full-back Ryohei Yamanaka of Joseph’s lung-bursting workouts.

Continued on page 30 thephuketnews