The Phuket News September 20, 2019

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

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EASING OFF Immigration is no longer requiring foreigners staying on a variety of visas to report themselves under the TM28 requirement. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

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Patong beach guards go full time, all year

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Inside Phuket’s brand new zero waste shop

IMMIGRATION BUREAU LIFTS 24-HOUR REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR RANGE OF VISAS Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

T

he Immigration Bureau has buckled – if only a little – to rising pressure to no longer enforce the TM28 requirements, which demand that foreigners report their whereabouts within 24 hours of their relocation.

The bureau last Friday (Sept 13) posted an announcement waiving the TM28 requirement for foreigners staying in Thailand on a host of different visas.

The notice read, “During the visit to Thailand, for purposes of tourism

sports, business, investments, education, practicing of skilled craftsmen or specialists, aliens are not required to notify the competent official in case of moving their residence.”

Phuket Immigration Chief Col Kathathorn Kumthieng on Monday (Sept 16) admitted that the announcement may be confusing.

“The notice announces exceptions to the TM28 requirement for foreigners to report their whereabouts within 24 hours of arriving at their destination,” Col Kathathorn told The Phuket News.

“Specifically, it exempts any foreigners who enter Thailand for

tourism purposes (including “TR” visas and tourists entering Thailand on visa on arrival and visa exemptions), sports visas (S), business visas (B), investment visas (IM, IB), education visas (ED, RS) and skilled craftsmen or specialists visas (EX).

“These people are now exempt from having to file a TM28 reporting their whereabouts,” he said.

However, Col Kathathorn stressed that at this stage only people staying in the country on these types of visas are exempt.

“The TM28 requirement still applies to everyone else not covered by these visas,” he said. “Other for-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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eigners staying in the country for purposes not listed in the notice must still complete the 24-hour reporting (TM28).”

Col Kathathorn explained, “Filing a TM28 is no longer required by these people (staying on the visas listed above) because of the TM30 requirement, which mandates that owners of properties must report any foreigners staying there,” he explained.

“So the foreigner’s whereabouts will be recorded by the TM30,” he said.

The TM30 is the form for landlords to report to Immigration within 24 hours of the arrival of any foreign...

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Water-supply pipeline approved by Cabinet Bang Wad reservoir pictured earlier in April.

As of Wednesday (Sept 18), the reservoir was only 15% full. Photo: Supplied

Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

The notice posted by Immigration last Friday (Sept 13).

Image: Immigration Bureau

TM28 reprieve for a wide range of visas Continued from page 1 ...tenants, as required under Section 38 of the Thailand Immigration Act of 1979.

Col Kathathorn explained further that the rule change follows a meeting held on Sept 9.

Asked when the exemptions came into effect, he said, “they are active now.”

Col Kathathorn also noted that the 90-day reporting rule for all foreigners staying in the country remains in effect.

“This is still required.

Foreigners still have to report themselves to Immigration once every three months,” Col Kathathorn said.

The notice posted last Friday directed any enquiries about the rule change to the Immigration Hotline 1178.

The TM28 partial reprieve comes amid sustained pressure from expat residents and key business figures throughout the country to lift the TM28 and TM30 24-hour reporting requirements entirely.

Earlier this week, the European Association for Business and Commerce (EABC), which

represents the interests of the European business community in the Kingdom, proposed an immediate end to the TM30 reporting requirement.

The request was submitted to Kobsak Pootrakool, Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs to the Prime Minister, as well as Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paojinda and Immigration Bureau chief Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang.

“It is hard to see how security which relies on selfdisclosure can be a useful solution,” EABC President Jan Eriksson said.

Phuket Immigration under Col Kathathorn late last month made a clear statement that no foreigners in Phuket would be held liable for filing a TM30.

Phuket Immigration Deputy Chief Col Nareuwat Putthawiro confirmed, “We don’t hold foreigners responsible for filing the TM30. Foreigners just need to make sure that they fill in a TM28. The TM30 is the landlord’s job.”

No applications will be affected by a TM30 not being filed, Col Nareuwat said.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

T

he B3.5 billion proposal to have a water supply pipeline from Phang Nga dedicated to serving Phuket has been approved by Cabinet.

Deputy Government Spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek announced the news at the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday (Sept 17).

Cabinet had approved six projects proposed by the national Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA). One of the six was the B3.5bn plan to have a water pipeline from Phang Nga dedicated to supplying Phuket, Ms Ratchada said.

PWA Phuket branch Manager Graisorn Mahamad told The Phuket News that he learned of the Cabinet approval only on Wednesday (Sept 18).

“It is really good news that the government has approved this project.

People will have water supply in the future,” he said.

“The budget will be a little bit more than B3.5 billion, because the costs in the proposal will now be a little out of date,” he said.

Mr Graisorn admitted that there is still a long way to go before the project will see water acutally delivered to Phuket from Phang Nga. “I will know more details next week,” he said.

Under the plan explained by Mr Graisorn to The Phuket News earlier this year, the entire project is planned to be rolled out in two phases costing a budgeted B3,517,785,000, with Phase 1 alone costing B2.597bn.

Phase 1 will see a water-production station built to draw water from the Phang Nga Canal, which runs through Phang Nga Town.

“This will purify water and be able to supply Phuket about 3,000 cubic metres (m3) per hour,” Mr Graisorn noted, adding that the water will be dedicated to supplying Phuket only.

Phase 1A will see B846.266mn spent on building a water-producing station and a pump station in Phang Nga, and the beginning of water mains installation.

Phase 1B, costing B889.468mn, will see construction of a pump station building and pipe installation in Mai Khao, and Phase 1C will see B861.266mn spent on installing the water pump equipment, and more pipe installation, at the Mai Khao pump station.

The second phase of the project is expected to cost B920.785mn, with construction hoped to start in 2023, Mr Graisorn said.

Phase 2 will see water production in Phang Nga ramped up 5,000m3 per hour, he added.

The project will also require the PWA acquiring 100 rai for a new reservoir in Nop Pring in Phang Nga’s Muang District and five to 10 rai for each of three

water-distribution stations: one in Mai Khao; one in Pa Khlok; and one in Kalai in Phang Nga’s Takua Thung District.

The approval by Cabinet follows Phuket suffering widespread water shortages earlier this year as water levels at Phuket’s main reservoirs hit record lows.

Despite the Army rolling tanker trucks to deliver emergency water supplies in hard hit areas across Phuket, the Phuket Provincial Government refused to decalre the situation a crisis, which would have allowed the government to use the emergency disaster relief fund to help alleviate the suffering.

Meanwhile, despite Phuket now being five months into its annual six-month long rainy season, water levels at the islands main reservoirs remain very low.

As of Wednesday (Sept 18), the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR) reported that Bang Wad reservoir in Kathu – the island’s main reservoir – contained 1.56mn m 3 of water, about 15.25% of its 10.2mn m3 capacity.

Of that only 1.29mn m3 was usable water, the ONWR noted.

Pickup truck u-turn leaves Myanmar mother dead, partner and son in ICU A T H A I M A N H AS BEE N charged with reckless driving causing death after he made u-turn in his pickup truck on Chao Fa West Rd last Sunday night (Sept 15), leaving a Myanmar man on his motorbike with his partner and child unable to avoid slamming into the side of the pickup.

The Myanmar man, Thein Zaw, and his 5-year-old son “ Pla” are now in the intensive care unit at Vachira Phuket Hopsital, Lt Col Prasit Ra-ob of the Chalong Police told The Phuket News on Monday (Sept 16).

Mr Thein suffered head injuries and a broken left leg, while his

son Pla suffered serious injuries to his head and both legs, Col Prasit explained.

Pla’s mother, Poehnin Phyu, suffered severe neck and head injuries.

“They all suffered very serious injuries. All three were taken to the emergency centre at (the still-yetto-open) Chalong Hospital and later taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.

“Poehnin Phyu passed away at Vachira Hospital at about 10pm last night. Thein and Pla are still in the ICU at Vachira Hospital,” Col Prasit said on Monday.

Col Prasit said he was notified of the accident at 7:10pm.

Officers and Ruamjai rescue foundation workers arrived at the scene, near the entrance to Soi Pramote, near Chalong Circle, to find the remains of a grey Honda Click motorbike in the middle of the road.

A bronze Phang Nga-registered Toyota Hilux Vigo was nearby with damage to the driver’s door and right side mirror.

The driver, Adit Phusuwan, 39, was waiting for police at the scene.

Mr Adit told officers that he was driving towards Chalong Circle, when he pulled over to the left side of the road and then started making a u-turn.

As he pulled out to make the u-turn, Mr Thein and his family on the motorbike slammed into the side of the pickup.

Col Prasit noted that only Mr Thein was wearing a helmet.

“I took Mr Adit to Chalong Police Station to breath test him for alcohol. Mr Adit registered a a test result of zero,” Col Prasit confirmed.

Regardless, Adit now faces a charge of reckless driving causing death, Col Prasit confirmed “He has been released on bail pending the charge being heard against him in court,” he added.

“However, I have yet to conclude

The remains of the Honda Click motorbike that the Myanmar family was riding on. Photo: Chalong Police my investigation into the accident. I still need to talk with witnesses who were at the scene,” Col Prasit said.

The Phuket News Additional reporting by Eakkapop Thongtub thephuketnews

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

3

Surf safety gets a boost

Lifeguards at Patong go full time, return to Surin Beach Tanyaluk Sakoot reporter2@classactmedia.co.th

P

atong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup has confirmed that lifeguards at Patong Beach will be hired year round, full time from Oct 1.

The news came amid concerns that the contract with Phuket Lifeguard Service (PLS) to provide lifeguards on the beach is to expire on Sept 30, just before the deadly month of October, when rip currents and strong surf brought on by the southwest monsoon become especially dangerous.

“From Oct 1, we will hire each lifeguard individually. We will be hiring the same number of lifeguards, the same ones that are protecting tourists at our beach now,” she said.

“The lifeguards will be hired on a whole-year contract, from Oct 1, 2019 to Oct 1, 2020,” she added.

Although Ms Chalermluck did not elaborate on who will be responsible for providing the essential lifesaving equipment needed to carry out rescues, she explained, “It is much easier and faster to hire the lifeguards individually. The process for us to hire a company under a government contract is complicated and can take too much time.

“This way is faster and easier, and

Lifeguards render assistance to a tourist pulled from the strong surf at Patong Beach earlier this month. Photo: Patong Surf Life Saving makes sure we have lifeguards on our beach,” she said.

More details about how the lifeguards will be hired will be available later, Mayor Chalermluck added.

Samart Rattanamat, Deputy Chief of Patong Surf Life Saving, raised the alarm last week, saying that his team had not heard any updates on whether the contract to hire lifeguards would be extended.

Mr Samart told The Phuket News last Friday (Sept 13), “I feel good about this.”

“Next, I will talk about the details of lifeguards being hired individually

with my team,” he said.

Asked how important it was for lifeguards to be hired full time, without the need for lifeguards to find alternative work during the tourism high season, when the seas are calm, Mr Samart said, “It is very important to have lifeguards at Patong every day, not just during the low season, or even just October.

“Tourists need lifeguards in both the low and high (tourism) seasons.

When the seas are calm, we still help tourist children who become lost on the beach. We provide emergency assistance to tourists when they get

DMCR Phuket searching for dive boat for damaging corals THE PHUKET OFFICE of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) says it is trying to track down at least one dive boat wanted for using ropes tied around coral heads as mooring lines off Koh Racha Yai, south of Phuket.

DMCR Phuket office Director Watcharin Na Thalang told The Phuket News on Tuesday that the alarm was raised after photos and a video of a dive boat using one of the mooring lines at Khon Khae Bay, on the west side of the island, were posted online last Sunday (Sept 15).

The video showed one rope around a coral head damaging the corals.

Several coral heads measuring metres across in the bay have mooring lines tied around them, damaging the corals, Mr Watcharin said.

“We filed complaint at Chalong Police Station at 5:30pm yesterday (Sept 16),” Mr Watcharin confirmed.

The complaint was filed for breach of Section 16 (3) @thephuketnews

Photos and a video of a dive boat using one of the mooring lines around the coral heads were posted online last Sunday (Sept 15). Photo: Supplied of the National Park Act, which stipulates, “No person shall take out animals or do by any means whatsoever things endangering the animals”, Mr Watcharin confirmed.

However, while Section 24 of the same act stipulates that breach of Section 16(3) incurs a penalty of up to five years in jail, it also allows for only a fine of up to B20,000, or both.

Mr Watcharin said that at this stage he has no idea if the dive boat featured in the photos was based in Phuket.

“I have no clue right now. Chalong Police are now involved in finding this boat and the company that operates it. If we find this boat and identify the company, we will prosecute in accordance with the law,” he said.

Mr Watcharin urged any persons who believe they can identify the boat or its operating company to call the DMCR Phuket office at 076-393566 or contact them through their Facebook page.

(Facebook: dmcr9Phuket.)

The Phuket News

into jet-ski accidents, and we provide first aid to others in need.”

Meanwhile, trained, experienced lifeguards have returned to Surin Beach to patrol the sands to protect tourists from drowning. The lifeguards returned last Sunday (Sept 15), confirmed MaAnn Samran, Chief of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration (OrBorTor).

“There is one chief lifeguard and six lifeguards with lifeguard equipment, an AED (automated external defibrillator) and a jet-ski at their disposal,” he said on Tuesday (Sept 17).

The lifeguards are trained and experienced, Mr MaAnn said.

Daren Jenner, the International Surf Lifesaving Association (ISLA) Marine Safety Officer for Phuket, later confirmed that the Surin lifeguards have been trained by the ISLA, which also donated the rescue equipment used by the lifeguard team.

“They have the skills to look after tourists every day. They are on duty from 8:30am to 6pm,” Mr MaAnn said.

The lifeguards have currently been hired at a cost of “about B85,000” but only until Sept 30 – the end of the Thai fiscal budget year for government organisations, Mr MaAnn explained.

After Sept 30, the lifeguards will continue to be hired month by month, he added.

Maksym Polejaka at the Royal Thai Embassy in Paris on Sept 9. Photo: Royal Thai Embassy – Paris

Cave rescue role honoured PHUKET EXPAT DIVER and French national Maksym Polejaka has received a royal award for his role in the rescue of the 13 “Moo Pa” (“Wild Boar”) children footballers and their coach trapped in the flooded Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai last year.

Mr Polejaka received the royal honour, the Fifth Class of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn, during a presentation ceremony held in Paris, at the official residence of Royal Thai Ambassador to France Sarun Charoensuwan, on Sept 9.

Present for the occasion, organised by the Royal Thai Embassy in Paris, were Head of the office of the Team Thailand in Paris, Embassy’s officials, representatives from the Thai community and a representative from the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France.

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Norwegian on the run Police bumble hunt for killer of British tourist in Phuket The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

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K

aron Chief Police Col Prawit Sutthirueangarun has refused to explain why his officers ignored serving an arrest warrant for Norwegian national Roger Bullman after he failed to present himself in court over the killing of British tourist Amiptal Bajaj at a Phuket resort late last month.

The Phuket Provincial Court issued a warrant for Bullman’s arrest after he failed to present himself in court on Sept 2.

Bullman faces charges of manslaughter over the death of Mr Bajaj at the Centara Grand Resort on Aug 21.

The now-fugitive Bullman, 53, admitted to choking Mr Bajaj with a restraint hold amid a fight that started over Bullman making too much noise at his hotel room, but he maintained that killing Mr Bajaj was accidental.

“We are looking for him. We are doing our job now,” Karon Chief Police Col Prawit Sutthirueangarun told The Phuket News.

“We know that he is no longer staying at the hotel, but we have no

MAIN: Police investigate the hotel rooms where the fight occurred on Aug 21. INSET: Bullman shows a stab wound sustained in the fight. clue where he is,” he added.

The hunt for Bullman now includes all local police and immigration officers, explained Maj Techin Deethongon of the Karon Police.

“We have also requested the assistance of Region 8 Police as we do not have enough officers,” he said.

Maj Techin told The Phuket News that the search for Bullman began on

Sept 3, the same day that he told The Phuket News that he was not worried that the Norwegian would skip bail and flee the island.

Asked whether he thought Bullman would flee before trial, Maj Techin on Sept 3 said, “I don’t think so. He is still around Phuket. His passport is still being held. The Phuket Provincial Court is now the authority

responsible for him.”

Asked to clarify how both statements could be true, Maj Techin today said, “Yes, I said that. I didn’t think that he would run away.”

Of note, Bullman was released on bail by the Phuket Provincial Court after he was arraigned, despite a formal request by Karon Police to deny him the opportunity to be freed on bail.

Although the bail amount has not been made public, Norwegian media in their initial reports noted that the amount was 60,000 kroner (about B200,000).

At the time of his disappearance, Bullman faced a charge of trespass by an act of violence, which if he is found guilty of will incur a sentence of up to five years in jail or a fine of up to B10,000, or both.

He had also been charged with manslaughter, defined under the Thai Criminal Code as causing the death of a person by inflicting injury upon the body of such person without intent to cause death.

If apprehended, and guilty of manslaughter, Mr Bullman is to face a punishment of three to 15 years imprisonment.

tourists injured Blood stocks get a shot in the arm Chinese in Patong jet-ski collision MORE THAN 2,000 PEOPLE WHO took part in a mass blood-donation drive at Phuket Rajabhat University last weekend together donated a total of 659,200cc of blood to be used for emergencies and other uses, including the upcoming Phuket Vegetarian Festival.

The Phuket Regional Blood Center confirmed that a total of 2,281 donors took part in the blood drive, donating 1,648 units of blood over three days from last Friday through Sunday (Sept 13-15).

The campaign was co-ordinated by the Phuket Rajabhat University’s Division of Student Development under the name “Sharing love by blood donation”.

More than 1,000 students took part, donating more than 400,000cc of blood, said University President Asst Prof Hiran Prasankan.

“That blood can help a lot of people,” he said.

“The activity was a cooperation between Phuket Rajabhat University and the Phuket Regional Blood Center to honour Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn,” Asst Prof Hiran explained.

“Our university pays much attention to activities to serve the local community.

We hope to make quality citizens who are

The blood-donation drive held at Phuket Rajabhat University saw more than 2,000 people take part, donating 659,200cc of much-needed blood. Photo: Phuket Rajabhat University responsible for their local area. Additionally, the blood centre also needs spare blood for unexpected situations,” he added.

Vathu Ouoad of the Phuket Regional Blood Center told The Phuket News that the extra blood stocks are much needed.

“The aim of this particular donation drive was to increase our blood stocks for use during the university break,” Ms Vathu said.

“The blood will also be used for the coming Vegetarian Festival (when spirit mediums often need blood transfusions) and the school holidays in September and October,” Ms Vathu added.

The Phuket News

TWO CHI N ESE TOU Rists were injured in a jet-ski collision at Patong Beach last Wednesday (Sept 11). Both men escaped serious injury, but compensation for damages to the jet-skis the men were riding has yet to be agreed.

Hu Meng, 28, was riding the jet-ski registered under the name “Star” which he rented at the southern end of Patong Beach, reported Maj Teerasak Boonsaeng of the Patong Police, who was notified of the incident at 3:50pm.

Yang Ming, 26, was riding the jet-ski named “Thanathip 2”, which he rented from near Loma Circle, at the far northern end of the beach.

Both men are from Hubei, a landlocked province in Central China, though Mr Hu’s passport was issued in Los Angeles.

Both men were taken to Patong Hospital, where Mr Hu received treatment for a broken left leg, while Mr Yang was diagnosed with a minor back

Chinese tourist Yang Ming (left), 26, at Patong Police Station on Sept 11. Photo: Patong Police injury, but discharged from hospital care.

But before being allowed to return to the hotel in Karon where he was staying, Mr Yang was called to Patong Police Station to discuss compensation for the damages to the two jet-skis and payment for the hospital treatment, Maj Teerasak confirmed in his report.

However, the agreement has yet to be reached, he added.

Negotiations and discussions were to continue, he noted.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Navy seizes IUU boat, Thai crew off Phuket

PHUKET NEWS

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Eakkapop Thongtub editor@classactmedia.co.th

A

n illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) boat with eight Thais on board has been seized in Thai waters off Phuket.

Vice Admiral Ronnapop Karnjanapan of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, who also serves as the Director of Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center (Thai-MECC), announced the seizure at a press conference held at the Third Area Command at Cape Panwa last Sunday (Sept 15).

Also present for the announcement were Sakorn Poodam of the Phuket Marine Office and Wichit Police Chief Col Nikorn Somsuk.

V/Adm Ronnapop explained that a boat was reported as entering Thai waters last Thursday (Sept 12), but the Phuket Marine Office had not been informed of the boat’s arrival and its Automatic Identification System (AIS), as required

by Thai law, was turned off, leaving Fisheries Monitoring Center (FMC) officers unable to identify it.

Thai-MECC ordered the Third Naval Area Command to inform relevant officers to follow the suspected boat, V/Adm Ronnapop said.

On Friday (Sept 13), the boat turned on its AIS, allowing officers at the Phuket Port in-Port out Control Center (PIPO)

@thephuketnews

The extra B1.15 million is to finish installing the electrical and water systems at the secondary building at the new Provincial Hall site. Photo: PR Dept

Provincial Hall needs another B1.15mn The ship was seized early last Saturday morning (Sept 14) and now sits offshore at the Phuket Deep Sea Port. to identify it as the “Uthaiwan”.

“At 9:45pm, FMC officers informed Thai-MECC to follow the suspected boat which was previously named ‘Wisdom Sea Reefer’, but on the AIS the boat was under the name ‘Uthaiwan’,” V/Adm Ronnapop explained.

“On Sept 14 (Saturday), at 1:30am, Thai-MECC and relevant officials seized the boat seven miles offshore, he said.

According to MarineTraffic.com, the Wisdom Sea Reefer measures 102 metres long and 14m across. It was registered in 1977 and was last officially registered in Cameroon.

Navy and relevant officers together examined the boat – all eight people on the boat were arrested, all eight were Thai, V/Adm Ronnapop said.

He added that the international illegal fishing monitoring organisation OceanMind had informed the Marine Department that the boat had been declared as an IUU vessel by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC).

The boat is now anchored off the Phuket Deep Sea Port at Cape Panwa while the Navy, Thai-MECC and other officials continue their investigation, V/Adm Ronnapop explained.

PH U K ET G OV E R NOR Phakaphong Tavipatana has revealed that he has submitted a special request for B1.159 million from the Ministry of Interior in order to complete a secondary building at the new Provincial Hall construction site.

The request – specifically for B1,105,750.96 – is for the installation of the electrical system along with B53,590.23 to expand the water supply system throughout the building, Gov Phakaphong told a meeting at the century-old current Provincial Hall last Friday (Sept 13).

The request for B38mn

highlighted just five days earlier, on Monday last week (Sept 9) is for completion of the main building, designated as “Phase 1” of the project, he explained.

The secondary building, complete with an impressive high-set pillared entrance, is to be used as a meeting hall-cumauditorium, Gov Phakaphong explained.

However, no explanation was forthcoming as to why the extra B1.15mn needed to complete the secondary “Phase 2” building was not included in the initial request to the Ministry of Interior for the B38mn.

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Opinion 6

OPINION

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EDITORIAL

Where there’s a will...

atong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsap this week announcing that she had found a way to hire lifeguards to patrol Patong Beach year round, full time deserves high praise.

By having Patong Municipality hire the lifeguards directly month by month, Mayor Chalermluck managed to navigate around the official processes enforced by the Thai Government Procurement Department under the Ministry of Finance.

The requirements are in place for any government office to follow when offering a government contract. They were rightly instituted for transparency in the country’s never-ending fight against corruption, but nonetheless are onerous and time consuming.

Even MaAnn Samran, Chief of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Or-

ganisation (OrBorTor), deserves some credit for following in Mayor Chalermluck’s footsteps and no longer being forced to wait for a legal dispute to be resolved in order to provide lifeguards at Surin Beach.

That said, it would of course have been much better not having the Surin Beach debacle see no lifeguards present during a severe weather warning last month, or resulting in the death of a tourist in July.

Bang Tao Beach is a different story. The need to get lifeguards back on that beach is paramount, especially considering the thousands of hotel guest rooms and residential estate homes in the immediate area.

Hope there rests with the talks Mr MaAnn is having with hotel GMs in them stepping up to protect their own guests from drowning at the very same beach promoted as “on their doorstep”.

Mai Khao also needs serious attention. Mai Khao OrBorTor is a small administration and has limited resources to match, but is home to the longest beach on the island.

As with Bang Tao, the people with the most resources collectively at their disposal are the managers of hotels and major property developments along Phuket’s northwest coast.

Without any formal support from our Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation, which still collects a room tax on the pretense of providing lifeguards, and with the Phuket office of the national Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation considering the drowning deaths of tourists not their area of concern, there are very few options available.

But as Mayor Chalermluck has shown, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

TOP 10 STORIES ON thephuketnews.com

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Australian tourist found dead in Phuket resort pool Phuket Immigration clarifies TM28, 24-hour reporting ‘exceptions’ Phuket police bumble hunt for Norwegian killer Karon Police identify body of foreign man found floating off Phuket Russian tourist drowns at Karon Beach Thai Navy seize IUU boat off Phuket Brit rescue volunteer in Patong snares two-metre cobra beside 7-Eleven Krabi ex-mayor loses legal fight in claim for tourist hotspot island Phuket health office exonerates tourist store of overloaded preservatives in curry paste Chinese tourists injured in Patong jet-ski collision

Visit thephuketnews.com for all the latest news

HAVE YOUR SAY Best laid plans...

Re: Phuket Opinion: Dangling the carrot [Huawei and Roland Berger release report, are serious about Phuket Smart City services] I have seen these projects in Phuket over the last 20 years. I think one was called Smart Island. Let’s face the present situation. Power and water shortages every year, along with several other problems. Learn to walk first before you try to run.

Jeroen Tak Why does the level of detail in a report by a second rate “international consultancy” prove “how serious” a major corporation is about anything? If you’ve ever been in a boardroom, “do a report” is tantamount to “don’t bother me again about this.”

John Otoole Guess the dangling carrot of Huawei and Berger is hanging too high in the air for Phuket officialdom to catch and understand. When these foreign giants create a Phuket smart island, they need to remain present to keep it smart. As long as the Thai of-

ficials stick with the figure of 300,000 Thai inhabitants on Phuket, they will be unable to handle real smart processes.

Kurt

Tides turning?

Re: Patong lifeguards to be hired year round, full time I think our Mayoress is doing a grand job.

Dave Wilson Don’t get too excited! What officials say and what they do are entirely different things!

Geoffrey Morris I thought about making the same comment [as Geoffrey Morris]. So many broken promises by officials at all levels re: supporting the lifeguards. I hope it’s actually true. Time well tell.

Daren Jenner Re: Lifeguards return to Phuket’s Surin Beach – to stay, says MaAnn Good news. So happy to see lifeguards again at Surin Beach. I’ll be bringing a cooler with goodies to these guys. They are too important to take for granted.

Arcadia HK

Smoke & mirrors

Re: US to ban flavoured vaping products as lung disease cases surge These cases have been linked to specific, and illegal, THC atomisers. The NHS in the UK confirmed that normal vaping products were not affected by this. Yes, the long term effects of vaping are unknown, but the general consensus is that vaping is less harmful than cigarettes. As for Thailand, well you have to ask yourself why there is zero incentive to quit smoking and no effort by the government to do so. Tobacco companies have huge leverage, both in Thailand and in the US, not to mention the big pharm industries who have invested heavily in quitsmoking solutions.

Followtheboat

Good guys in, bad guys… somewhere

Re: Phuket police bumble hunt for Norwegian killer At best, this is bumbling incompetence of the highest order. At worst, it is corruption in its lowest form. Allowing a known killer to just kinda “slip away”, perhaps for just the right price. This killer thug

had nothing to lose, and the Major’s statement “I didn’t think that he would run away” is just utter ignorance. I feel very bad for the injustice to Mr Bajaj’s family.

BenPendejo Great example of how useless the TM-28/30 is. “Bad guys” don’t bother to make repeated address notifications.

Christy Sweet The message seemed clear to me right from the start. “It was mutual combat, we have no room in our packed jails, here’s your passport, get out and never ever come back.”

Looks like he did what he was told.

Gat Huckle Norway has no extradition agreement with Thailand so if he goes to Norway, case closed. This happened before.

Nasa12

Big loss of big cats

Re: 86 temple tigers died from prior diseases, reports DNP And the name of this disease is neglect.

David Allen

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

THAILAND NEWS

7

Disease wipes out big cats

Over half of seized tigers from infamous Tiger Temple now dead KANCHANABURI AFP

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ore than half of the 147 tigers confiscated from a controversial Thai temple have died, park officials said Monday (Sept 16), blaming genetic problems linked to in-breeding at the once money-spinning tourist attraction.

For years, the Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua temple in the western province of Kanchanaburi pulled tourist hordes who could be photographed – for a fee – next to scores of tigers.

But in 2016 park officials began a lengthy operation to remove the big cats amid allegations of mismanagement, and claims the creatures were being exploited.

Dozens of dead cubs were found kept in freezers, sparking claims the carcasses were being sold by a temple rumoured to have raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars each year from visitors.

Tiger parts can fetch enormous sums in China and Vietnam, where they are falsely

More than half the 147 tigers removed from a Thai temple since 2016 over fears of mistreatment have died, officials say. Photo: AFP believed to have medicinal properties.

The surviving adults were taken to two breeding stations in nearby Ratchaburi province but only 61 of the 147 have survived so far, parks officials told reporters.

“It could be linked to inbreeding,” Pattarapol Maneeon, of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said.

“They had genetic problems which posed risks to body and immune system.”

Many suffered from tongue paralysis, breathing problems and lack of appetite that led to fatal seizures.

Legal cases ongoing “Most of the tigers were already in distressed states stemming from the transportation and change of location… later their

Four to face charges over Billy’s death PETCHABURI AT LEAST FOUR PEOPLE, including senior civil servants, will likely be summoned soon to face charges in connection with the murder of Karen rights activist Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen, a source on the investigation team probing the case said on Monday (Sept 16).

The charges include murder, robbery and illegal detention, according to the source.

The summonses are likely to be issued after the investigation team, led by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), meets today (Sept 20), said the source.

The investigation team believes it has sufficient evidence to seek arrest warrants for the four people.

“However, since some of the suspects are state officials, they will be called in to answer the charges,” said the source.

Investigators are preparing the documents needed to press charges against the four, the source added.

“One of the four, who played a crucial role in the case, cannot be located at this time,” the source said.

Authorities have solid evi@thephuketnews

Pictures of Billy at a memorial in Petchaburi Province. Photo: Bangkok Post

dence from months of investigation, which raised their chances of getting the suspects prosecuted on those charges, said the source.

Thanya Netithammakul, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), meanwhile, said he has ordered the transfer of officials involved in detaining Porlajee prior to him going missing.

Porlajee was last seen on April 17, 2014, in the custody of park officials in Kaeng Krachan National Park.

It was officially a missing persons case until the DSI earlier this month ruled it to be a murder, following the discovery of several fragments of his skull found in an oil barrel retrieved from the bottom of a local reservoir.

Pinnapa Pruksapan and DSI dep. chief Korrawat Panprapakorn. Photo: Bangkok Post The Public Sector AntiCorruption Commission last week forwarded findings from its investigation into the case against the former chief of Kaeng Krachan National Park to the DSI. The DSI recently linked the former park chief, Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn, to Porlajee’s murder.

Bangkok Post

health problems emerged,” Sunthorn Chaiwattana, another department official said.

Legal cases against the temple are ongoing.

Conservationists questioned whether authorities had looked after the seized animals appropriately, with small, cramped cages enabling the spread of disease.

“To be very honest who would be ready to take in so

Most of the tigers seized from the temple were Siberian tigers. Photo: AFP many tigers at once?” said Edwin Wiek, founder of the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand.

Conditions at the enclosures were “not good enough to house so many tigers and the set up was wrong”, he added.

Tens of millions visit Thailand every year, and a lucrative wildlife tourism industry has grown in-step with visitor numbers.

But critics say cash often trumps animal welfare at many attractions.

For a price, visitors can ride and bathe with elephants, hold monkeys and pose for selfies with tigers.

Animal rights groups have long criticised the industry, with chained up animals kept in small quarters with inadequate veterinary care, or forced to perform tricks for tourists.

8

THAILAND NEWS

Thailand’s sex-shy giant panda found dead at 19 CHIANG MAI A BELOVED MALE GIant panda on loan to Thailand from China has died aged 19 in Chiang Mai, leaving Thais on Tuesday (Sept 17) to mourn the death of a mammal whose sex life captivated the kingdom.

Chuang Chuang, a resident of the northern city’s zoo since October 2003, arrived with female Lin Hui, where the pair lived in an air-conditioned enclosure.

The pair’s mating habits – or lack of – became a source of relentless public intrigue, with Chuang Chuang put on a low-carb diet and shown video clips of pandas coupling in an attempt to spice up their sex drive.

After struggles to conceive, Lin Hui finally gave birth thanks to artificial insemination to Linping in 2009, spurring a widely watched live 24-hour Panda Channel.

Dismayed Thais woke up Tuesday to the news of Chuang Chuang’s death.

“He was so lovely,” said Twitter user @Janekwb. “Rest in peace, little bear.”

Chiang Mai Zoo Director Wutthichai Muangmun

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Monorail link planned for Don Mueang airport BANGKOK Bangkok Post

Chuang Chuang had been part of Chiang Mai Zoo since October 2003. Photo: AFP said before his death, Chuang Chuang was doing what he liked best – eating bamboo.

“He was walking around, but staggered and fell to the ground,” he told reporters.

Each panda was insured for up to B15 million under the agreement with China, he added.

On loan from Chengdu, the pair were a part of China’s socalled “panda diplomacy”, and were supposed to be returned in 2023.

Giant pandas are notorious for their low sex drive, and are among the world’s most endangered animals.

Their average life expectancy ranges from 15 to 20 years in the wild, but they can live up to 30 years in captivity, according to WWF. AFP

A

irports of Thailand Plc plans to build a 3-kilometre monorail electric train route to link Don Mueang international airport with the Bangkok Transit System (BTS) Green Line on the Mor Chit-Saphan Mai-Khu Khot route in Bangkok’s northern suburb, Don Mueang airport Deputy Director Flying Officer Sumpun Khutranon said.

F/O Sumpun said the monorail system, which will cost about B3,000 million, is to complement a plan to make Don Mueang airport a transport hub to link China with Bangkok and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

The 3km monorail route will be built from a point on the BTS Green Line into the airport. There are two possible spots on the line for the monorail to start – the Saphan Mai and Air Force Museum stations. Both stations are slated to open by the end of 2020.

Apart from the BTS Green Line, Don Mueang airport will also be connected to the high speed train linking U Taphao, Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, the Bangkok-Nong Khai-Laos-Kunming (China) high speed train and the State Railway of Thailand’s Red Line.

F/O Sumpun said Don Mueang airport’s B39 billion phase 3 development

Don Mueang airport is seen next to Vibhavadi Rangsit Road and the Red Line electric railway. Airport authorities plan to add another public transit link with a B3bn monorail. Photo: Bangkok Post project to be carried out from 2020 to 2025 is currently in the design stage.

An environmental impact assessment is being considered and a budget proposal is in the works.

The Transport Ministry is preparing to submit a project proposal to the cabinet for approval. If approved, bidding for construction is expected to be called in late 2019 or early 2020. After the completion of the project, Don Mueang will be capable of handling up to 40 million passengers per year.

The work will include the demolition of the old domestic passenger terminal building and construction of a new facility, to be called Terminal 3, to take up to 18 million international passengers per year.

Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 will be improved to facilitate 22 million domestic passengers per year.

The road system around the airport will also be improved to meet the increasing numbers of vehicles. More car park buildings will be erected, aprons expanded and public utilities improved.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

BUSINESS NEWS

9

Experts rail Phuket MICE tourism development held back by regulations MICE

Burgess Asia Chairman Jean-Marc Poullet and Boat Lagoon Yachting Managing Director Vrit Yongsakul officially announced the partnership at an exclusive press conference late last month.

Burgess arrives at Boat Lagoon MICE

The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th

P

huket-based premier yacht charter brokerage Boat Lagoon Yachting has announced its official partnership with world-leading superyacht brokerage Burgess.

The move will see world-class superyacht services provided to customers in Southeast Asia.

At an exclusive press conference late last month, Vrit Yongsakul, managing director of Boat Lagoon Yachting, and Jean-Marc Poullet, Burgess’ Asia chairman, shared their plans for developing the superyacht and megayacht market in the region.

“We very much look forward to bringing Burgess’ unparalleled global expertise to our clients and contacts in Thailand and to working with Burgess to develop the yacht market here,” said Vrit Yongsakul.

“We see great potential in the region and want every one of our customers to benefit from the best possible expertise and advice when embarking

@thephuketnews

on their superyacht journey. A partnership with Burgess is the ideal approach to achieve this.”

In celebration, the new partners held an intimate evening party at the St Regis Bangkok Hotel, where around 100 prestigious guests enjoyed a piano performance, four-piece jazz band, tastings and food prepared by award-winning chef Christopher Miller.

Amongst the guests were yacht owners, boat enthusiasts and Vice-Minister for Tourism and Sports Napintorn Srisunpang. In his speech, he mentioned that the partnership between Boat Lagoon Yachting and Burgess will help Thailand develop the emerging superyacht market which will in turn boost luxury tourism for the country.

Established for more than 25 years, Boat Lagoon Yachting has gained a reputation as one of Asia’s largest and most reputable yacht importation, distribution and after-sales service organisations, representing some of the world’s most prestigious yacht brands including Princess, Sacs, Jeanneau and Prestige.

The company has suc-

cessfully expanded from its core Thai market into neighbouring countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Maldives, to become a full-service yachting firm employing 80 staff across the Asia region.

With 40 years at the forefront of the superyacht market and 14 offices worldwide, Burgess is a market-leading full-service superyacht company – by many industry specialists ranked the global number one in brokerage, charter, operational management and new-build advisory services for yachts over 30 metres (100ft).

This partnership will help build Thailand and Phuket as the epicentre of yachting in Asia, said Poullet, Burgess’ Asia chairman Mr Poullet.

“We both truly believe that Phuket and its surrounding cruising grounds are absolutely world class and can provide all the facets of a fabulous yachting experience: amazing seascapes, great restaurants, world-class resorts, diverse land activities, and all with very convenient access from across Asia,” he said.

THE GOVERNMENT’S plan to push Phuket province as a world-class Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions) destination has been obstructed by numerous impediments, especially inefficient town planning and poor transport systems.

Phuket Vice Governor Thanyawat Chanpinit said the province has a blueprint to build an exhibition hall to host international events with a capacity of 5,000.

But town planning rules prohibit building a hall larger than 6,000 square metres and higher than 23 metres.

“The city needs to amend the existing town planning regulations to allow this construction,” V/Gov Thanyawat told a press conference held in Phuket Town last Thursday (Sept 12).

The likely destination for the convention hall is Thalang District, it was explained. Mr Thanyawat said that he hoped it would be built in a few years and

The concerns were raised at a small press event held in Phuket Town on Sept 12. Photo: PR Dept thus be able to bid for international events such as world expos.

Patong Mayor Chalerm­ luck Kebsup said the private sector, namely Central Group and Jungceylon, have shown interest in building a convention hall in the Patong area. The discussion with the companies took place over the course of a few years but was delayed by town planning rules, she explained.

Ms Chalermluck suggested the government speed

up construction of the Patong tunnel project to ease traffic. Safe transport is needed to and from Patong, as the district has mountains on three sides, she said.

The government should improve mass transport from the airport to Patong and other western coast districts in Phuket, namely Karon, to facilitate large groups such as Mice travellers that require more than buses and vans, Ms Chalermluck added.

Bangkok Post

10 BUSINESS NEWS

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Dodging trade disputes

46 nations sign Singapore Convention for mediation LAW Jerrold Kippen

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Tax & Law Expert Duensing Kippen

s many are aware, international arbitration is a popular dispute resolution device for international business disputes. This is in no small part because international arbitration awards are readily enforceable in practically every jurisdiction in the world, which is not the case if parties take their dispute to state court. This advantage of international arbitration is due to the success of the United Nations New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (1958) (“NY Convention”).

The NY Convention is a multilateral treaty which, among other things, requires the courts of the contracting states to recognise and enforce arbitration awards made by tribunals seated in other states. With 160 contracting states – including Thailand as one of its earliest contracting states – and the ever-increasing popularity of international arbitration around the world, the NY Convention is widely viewed as one of, if not the most, successful international treaties.

As of August 2019, a new international convention – the United Nations Singapore Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (“Singapore Convention”) – is seeking to replicate the success of the NY Convention and create a system for the universal recognition

United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Stephen Mathias speaks at the Signing Convention in Singapore last month. Photo: SingaporeConvention.com and enforcement of foreign court judgments and mediated settlement agreements.

On August 7, 2019 in Singapore, 46 states signed up to the Singapore Convention. While still in its infancy, the Singapore Convention is worth watching and, in some ways, may affect the manner in which international business parties approach dispute resolution in the future. This is because, like international arbitration awards were prior to the NY Convention, mediated international dispute settlement agreements are very difficult if not impossible to enforce in most jurisdictions.

Business parties generally prefer a mutually agreed settlement to any dispute with a contract party if any such settlement agreement would be enforceable. It is less costly, less

time consuming, and may maintain a valued business relationship. All of this is generally not the case once such a dispute goes to arbitration or state court litigation for final resolution.

However, if the Singapore Convention can gain similar global traction to that of the NY Convention, then mediated settlement may quickly become a much more favoured means of dispute resolution between international parties than it currently is. And, if so, then jurisdictions that become contracting states to the Singapore Convention will become more attractive locations to international parties in which to do business than non-contracting states.

The purpose of the Singapore Convention is to provide a general framework for the streamlined en-

forcement of mediated dispute settlement agreements between international parties. What does mediation mean in this context?

The Singapore Convention casts a wide net by defining mediation as: a process, irrespective of the expression used or the basis upon which the process is carried out, whereby parties attempt to reach an amicable settlement of their dispute with the assistance of a third person or persons (“the mediator”) lacking the authority to impose a solution upon the parties to the dispute An agreement in writing between two international parties that is also signed by the mediator qualifies for enforcement in the courts of a Singapore Convention contracting state. Grounds for objection to enforcement are provided in Article 5

of the Singapore Convention, which are very similar to those of the NY Convention.

Although the two largest economies in the world, the United States and China, have signed the Singapore Convention, so far, no European state has joined. It is unclear why this is the case. It may be because enforceable settlement agreements are part of a mature European dispute resolution regimen and court order or arbitration settlement awards are widely recognised and implemented.

However, in both cases the parties must commit to formal dispute resolution before mediating, which can create hostility and undermine the very goals of a mediation – to reduce costs and maintain the valued business relationship.

Thus, it remains to be seen whether Europe will sign up to the Singapore Convention and to what extent its scope will be expanded beyond the current 46 signatories.

However, and in any case, 46 states is about one quarter of all the countries in the world – not a bad start at all. And among these 46 are half of Thailand’s Asean neighbours – who are also its most significant economic competitors.

If it wishes to reap the benefits of increased international business and investment, Thailand would be wise to very seriously consider joining the Singapore Convention soon.

Duensing Kippen is an international law firm specialising in business transaction and dispute resolution matters, with offices in Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand and affiliated offices in over 50 other countries.

Visit them at duensingkippen.com

BoT blames easy loans for household debt woes FINANCE Z ERO -I N T ER EST U Nsecured loans and online shopping are blamed for the country’s swelling household debt, says the Bank of Thailand’s chief.

Previous administrations’ tax rebates for first-time car buyers, financial institutions’ promotional campaigns, and changing consumer behaviour in the digital era are also factors spurring retail loan demand and debt accumulation, said central bank Governor Veerathai Santiprabhob.

“Previously, we thought competition between financial institutions for consumer loans would give consumers access to funding sources, attracting them to formal lending and away from loan sharks. But it has led to high

Youngsters walk past a large sign promoting zero interest rates for installment payments outside the Siam Center in central Bangkok. Photo: Thanarak Khunton / Bangkok Post household debt,” he said.

Changing lifestyles and consumer financial behaviour, especially for younger segments, has increased the family debt load at a rapid pace. For

instance, first-time workers are offered credit cards with no interest charges for the first six months for overseas travel, leading to high levels of debt, said Mr Veerathai.

Online shopping is another factor leading to higher use of inessential loans, exacerbated by easiness and convenience, he said.

Mr Veerathai’s comments underscored the central bank’s concern about high household leverage.

The Bank of Thailand has implemented a series of measures to reduce household debt, starting from tightening regulations for credit card and personal loans in 2017, new loan-to-value regulations supervising mortgage lending in April 2019, and the latest measures for car title loans.

Thailand has one of the highest household debt loads in Asia. The ratio ticked up to 78.7% of GDP at the end of March from 78.6% at the end of last year and 53.5% in early 2009.

Bangkok Post thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Escaping to a verdant oasis at Villa Angelica

14

Phuket’s new mascot Nong Joong unveiled

15

STEPS FORWARD

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

The zero waste shop doing more than saving the environment

Amy Bryant editor1@classactmedia.co.th

Z

ero Waste Shop Phuket needs little introduction. The eco-shop in Cherng Talay, which opened its doors last week, does very much what it says on the tin: stocking a range of plastic substitutes and featuring stations where conscious customers can refill their beauty and cleaning products in reusable containers. Not a single plastic bag or scrap of excess packaging in sight. A welcome addition to our plastic polluted island But there’s more to this worthy venture than meets the eye. Zero Waste Shop Phuket also offers on-the-job training for teenagers and adults with learning differences through the “Steps With Theera” vocational training centre, located next door. Steps uses social enterprises to demonstrate that people with learning differences can add value to any business.

The launch of both shop and centre passed without the fanfare they seemed to deserve. Intrigued, I make my way north to while away a rainy afternoon with Stacey Patterson-Wulff, who heads up the centre, and Jack and Nakita, two of the centre’s three trainees.

We meet at the shop at Blue Tree Phuket, a family entertainment destination taking shape on Srisoonthorn Rd. There’s a recycling station, ready for waste paper, plastic bags, wax crayons and bottle caps, in one corner, and a stack of secondhand books in another. Rows of glass jars, and a whole host of products to fill them with, are neatly arranged on upcycled tables and shelves.

Trainees were instrumental in the shop’s design and construction, from building furniture to laying out stock. What they’ve created is a vibrantly coloured and welcoming space for the Phuket community.

This style of on-site, hands-on learning is at the core of the centre’s UK-accredited programmes which they offer in hospitality and catering, administration, art and design, and ICT. Each programme is geared towards improving communication skills, encouraging independence and enhancing employability. Trainees receive certification for the modules they complete and can even build up credits that are recognised by colleges and universities.

“We also tailor courses to particular interests,” explains Stacey. “At the moment, Jack is taking a short course in expressive arts, looking at mythology in particular, and our new trainee Jordan is interested in hospitality and working with children so we’re exploring that with her.”

Nakita, on the other hand, is on the brink of transitioning from the Steps With Theera programme to full-time work in her very own coffee shop “Steps With Nakita”, due to open in Blue Tree late next month.

Two years training under the Steps programme in Bangkok and working at a nearby coffee shop have prepared her well for this transition, and she’s looking forward to getting stuck in behind the bar where I’m reliably informed she makes a mean fruit soda.

Alongside Nakita, Steps With Theera in Bangkok has transformed the lives of 24 trainees, with 100% of graduates now in paid employment. The social enterprise is the brainchild of Uang “Theeta” Hokrakitya and Max Simpson who met in 2016. Max, then a @thephuketnews

Trainees Nakita, Jordan and Jack.

Local teas and plastic substitutes on sale at the shop.

All furniture in the shop is upcycled. deputy head teacher at an international special needs school, and Theeta, whose son attended the school, saw the lack of opportunities the students had beyond school. (Of the two million people with disabilities in Thailand, less than 2% have received vocational training and less than 25% are employed.) Max started taking small groups of students to Theeta’s bakery for work experience and the pair saw them flourish almost immediately. From this, Steps With Theera, the first centre of its kind in Thailand, was born.

The Steps model struck a chord with Stacey, an occupational therapist who worked in neurorehabilitation in her native South Africa, helping adults with brain injuries return to work.

“Helping people to go into the community and live life to the fullest – that’s where my passion is as an occupational therapist and as a person,” says Stacey.

“Steps is taking a group that’s often overlooked and giving them the skills to harness opportunities.”

Although Steps With Theera is new to Phuket, the impact of Stacey’s work with the trainees is already evident. Before I leave, Stacey sets up a role-playing exercise to allow Jack to practice his newfound cus-

tomer service skills. After a warm welcome and a complimentary drink, Jack shows me around the shop, confidently explaining the refill process and pointing out their sustainably sourced teas, handmade soaps, cotton grocery bags and wooden cutlery. Impressed, I purchase some SuperBee wax wraps – an alternative to clingfilm – and some bamboo cotton buds, inadvertently becoming the shop’s very first customer.

I could wax lyrical about Zero Waste Shop Phuket and the Steps With Theera vocational training centre, but the trainees speak for their transformative impact better than I ever could.

“Steps is popping the bubble and getting me out there,” says Jack. “Now, I see myself having a future.”

Zero Waste Shop Phuket is located at Unit 13, Blue Tree Community Mall, 4/2 Srisoonthorn, Cherng Talay, 83110. Open every day from 9am-6pm except Wednesday when it’s open from 9am-2:30pm. Follow the shop at www.facebook.com/zerowasteshopphuket For more information about the Steps With Theera vocational training centre, visit www.facebook.com/ stepsphuket or email phuket@stepswiththeera.com

12 HISTORY

In dire straits Siam’s conflict with Portugal HISTORY OF PHUKET Colin Mackay

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ortugal and Siam had generally got along well at first, but the Portuguese, especially after they united with the Spanish crown (1580-1640) grew increasingly arrogant and overbearing towards the Siamese kings Ekathotsarot and Songtham. In 1613, for ex­ample, a Portuguese fleet on its way from Goa to Ayutthaya attacked and sacked Ked­dah without the Siamese king’s permission. Then in 1617, with Holland and the united Catholic Iberian kingdom at war in Europe, a Portuguese ship

in Ayutthaya attacked a Dutch frigate in the Chao Phraya River right in King Songtham’s backyard. This was too much for him and the offending Portuguese ship was surrounded by hundreds of Siamese war boats and captured. The Spanish captain Don Fernando de Silva was gruesomely executed and his sailors cast into prison.

In retaliation, the Spanish authorities in Manila captured, sacked and burnt a Sia­mese junk carrying a cargo belonging to King Songtham on its way home from China. The Siamese king then “put an embargo upon all Portuguese ships which were found in the ports of Lygoar and Tannasary [Ligor and Tenasserim]”– that is, in all the peninsular ports such as Phuket. All the Portuguese in Siam, including the Jesuit priest and the few Portuguese tin

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

A Dutch and Portuguese fleet in a sea battle in the Malacca Straits south of Phuket. traders in Phuket, were arrested and imprisoned, “out of which they were not set at liberty till two years later”.

This Portuguese dispute with King Songtham lasted for 15 years until his death in 1628 and it allowed the Dutch and the Japanese to gain the upper hand over the Portuguese in the Siamese and peninsular trade.

The Dutch muscle the Portuguese out of Phuket and the Peninsula The better-armed VOC [Dutch East India Company] ships continued to harass and attack any Iberian shipping in the region at every opportunity they had.

“The Dutch”, venomously noted one Portuguese writer in Malacca, “are only good cannoneers. For everything else they are only worthy of being burnt as reprobate heretics.”

As early as 1606 the Dutch allied with the sultan of Johore and jointly attacked the Por­tuguese stronghold of Malacca, but with its stout walls, the city’s fortress was adjudged to be “not a cat to be handled without gloves”. The Portuguese withstood the siege, as they had withstood the 14 previous sieges of the city by the Acehnese and Johorese Malays and other Muslims. The Dutch mounted two more unsuccessful attacks on Malacca, in 1608 and 1615.

In 1618 the VOC came under the leadership of its fourth governor general, the ambi­tious and cruel Jan Pieterszoon Cohen, and it became much more aggressive. Over the next 30 years the Dutch brutally evicted the Portuguese from most of their eastern bas­tions. In 1618 the VOC captured the Portuguese bases in the Moluccan Spice Islands. In 1619 they attacked and captured Jakarta, which they fortified, renamed Batavia and made their main base in the East. Operating from there, VOC warships raided Por­tuguese shipping in the Malacca Straits and right up the peninsular west coast.

One VOC report in 1620 tells of two Portuguese ships encountered leaving Phuket “heading for Trang” which were attacked just off the island by a VOC patrol ship. “One was wrecked and the other taken.”

In 1640 a huge Acehnese fleet of 236 boats and 20,000 men launched yet another attack on Portuguese Malacca which weakened the city’s defences.

Then, just a few months later, in January 1641, the VOC, in alliance with some 1,500 Johorese Malays, followed up and attacked the weakened city once again. The attack and siege went on for over a year. Inside the city the defenders starved, the inhabitants being forced to eat cats, dogs, snakes, rats and leather, and mothers were even forced to eat

their dead babies. Ma­laria, typhoid and cholera also took a huge toll on both sides. The Dutch siege general reported he had lost half his force, “a little under 1,000 men killed in action and dead through epidemics”. He estimated that over 7,000 of the roughly 10,000 people inside the besieged city had died. Eventually the Dutch broke through the fort walls and the Portuguese defenders still fought them street by street, putting up a heroic defence and only surrendering after their commander was killed.

The Dutch general, awed at their gallantry, buried the dead Portuguese with full honours and, out of respect, let the defenders leave the city with their possessions and sail off to Goa. This general was later reprimanded for this compassion by VOC shareholders in Holland, who complained that, “The vanquished enemy was quite thoughtlessly al­lowed full liberty against all customs of war … In this way they carried off more than 100,000 reals worth of gold and jewelry, besides the most valuable slaves of both sexes … This foolish act robbed the Company of at least four to five tons of gold”.

After 130 years’ dominance around the peninsula’s coasts, the Portuguese had been over­thrown. Malacca was almost completely destroyed, as one Dutch official in Batavia complained. “From a well built city, cultivated land and more than 20,000 inhabitants, it has been reduced to a heap of ruins, a desert with few inhabitants.”

In Phuket, at the same time, in 1641, the Portuguese mestizo community and the Francis­cans had just been building a new and bigger mission in Tharua to support their growing colony there, but just after its completion, a Dutch patrol ship and its marines chased out the Portuguese residents. These Portuguese refugees, under Siamese law, were forced to leave their half-breed children and Catholicised wives behind. Most of them continued to live in Tharua near the mission, practicing a strange form of homegrown Catholicism. They and their mestizo Christian descendants became the choice local partners, mistress­es and wives for later Christian sailors visiting the island. The male mestizo Portuguese of the island, we are told later, specialised in fishing and obtaining forest products from the interior regions and bringing them to Tharua to trade with foreigners.

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 thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

EDUCATION 13

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

A world of opportunity

BISP to host 100 universities from 19 countries at Phuket University Fair Casey Nolen Jackson

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ome people spend their entire lives hoping they might get to visit Phuket’s world-famous beaches for a relaxing vacation.

But for the younger generation on the island, especially the ones between 16 and 18 years old, there tends to be more thinking and wondering about where they might go after high school graduation.

On September 23, 100 universities from 19 different countries will make the trip to Phuket for the annual Phuket University Fair. Here, admission representatives from universities all over the world will come to meet the students of our island, sharing 100 incredible university destinations in Thailand and beyond!

So what brings universities from Japan, the UK, Holland, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Canada, Thailand, the US and more to a small island of 300,000 people? Possibly it’s the extraordinary scenery; more likely it’s the diverse, energetic and well-educated young people met here on previous trips.

While September may not be the high season for island tourists, it is the high season for higher education recruitment in Southeast Asia. The

The fair, now in its fourth year, is open to all high school students on the island. Photo: BISP

counselling team at British International School, Phuket (BISP), together with counsellors throughout Phuket, coordinate with counselling teams in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to ensure Phuket has a place on the fair calendar. The fair, hosted by BISP, is now in its fourth year and is open to all high school students on the island.

Finnish teaching methods boost learning potential in Thailand

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any teachers are shedding their pedagogue approach as Thailand seeks to emulate education methods in Finland that focus on creating a happy atmosphere in schools.

“They’re increasingly acting as coaches or facilitators of learning,” Sutthiphong Chuncharoen, directorgeneral of the Department of Local Administration (DLA) under the Ministry of Interior, told a workshop on Finnish teaching methods last week.

The workshop was attended by teachers from 14 southern provinces.

They were among public school teachers nationwide taking part in a series of workshops organised by the DLA to improve their teaching style by applying Finnish principles.

The Interior Ministry and Office of the Education Council introduced the workshops late last year. In the fourth, three teachers from Vihti in Finland shared techniques with counterparts from the South.

Mr Sutthipong said he has already seen positive changes in local schools.

Students are becoming happier and more inquisitive as their teachers emerge from workshops with a less strict and intimidating approach focused more on coaching.

“Without making themselves the centre of attention by lecturing and barking instructions, teachers are able to increase their pupils’ learning potential,” he said.

Students are happier, less pressured, and have more courage to ask questions @thephuketnews

Photo: Bangkok Post

and express opinions, which are rare traits in Thai classrooms, Mr Sutthiphong added.

“The key to Finnish teaching is it’s quite flexible,” he observed, saying local schools are adjusting their teaching to suit different groups of students.

Finland went through a period of educational reform in 1968. Now, school days are much shorter compared to the rest of the world, teachers assign very little homework and there are no mandated exams or tests.

Children learn several subjects at the same time in a group setting, with the teacher as a guide. There are no rankings of schools and regions and no competition or comparison between students. Instead, there is a focus on children developing 21st Century skills, such as co-operation, communication and creativity, which help prepare them for the world.

Bangkok Post

Families often wonder exactly which universities will be at the fair. This is a good question, but perhaps a better question is, what can I learn about the global university scene? For parents who may have been to university, the fair is useful for finding out how the application process has changed.

At BISP, some students will consider attending universities in multiple

countries. Others will look at living in their citizenship country for the first time in their lives. University fairs are a great opportunity to compare and contrast locations, types of education, admission requirements and courses on offer. In addition to encouraging a more thorough understanding of modern higher education, students and parents will find new answers to all those university Google searches, and new confidence too.

One very important thing to know about university fairs is that they are great places to learn more about costs and scholarship programmes. If a scholarship is on your list of “must-haves”, then a face-to-face conversation with a university representative is critical. Not only will students get better, more complete information, but they will always get a business card along with an invitation to follow-up and stay in touch.

The Phuket University Fair will be held at BISP on Monday, September 23. Non-BISP students and parents are invited to attend from 12:45-2pm. For more information, visit www.bisphuket. ac.th or email jbrelsford@bisphuket.ac.th Casey Nolen Jackson is one of two University Counsellors at British International School, Phuket.

14 TRAVEL

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

A heavenly stay Villa Angelica is a verdant oasis.

Rooms are luxe and full of character.

Thai tradition meets Finnish hospitality at Villa Angelica Chris Watson chriswatsonth@gmail.com

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ast month marked 12 months of my writing for The Phuket News, a small, yet for me, significant milestone which unsurprisingly passed uncelebrated by all but myself.

Anyway, here’s to another 12 months of my unwavering yet perhaps misguided belief that all of this newspaper’s readership await with high anticipation my monthly musings and on receiving their copy turn immediately to my column!

As you all know, Phuket hospitality happenings are frequently the topic of conversation amongst those of us who live here as we continually seek out new establishments to experience and equally to recommend to our friends who visit. Villa Angelica falls into the latter category and came to my attention having recently won an award of Travellers’ Choice Best Bed and Breakfast in Thailand from an internationally renowned travel website.

Having received an invitation to stay from the Finnish proprietrix Sirpa, via a mutual friend, I find myself navigating the quaint meandering country lanes that lead from Laguna to Bang Tao on a rather overcast afternoon. Located within the heart of this unspoilt maze of narrow, winding byroads, GPS is obligatory, although in truth it is a mere 10 minutes from bustling Boat Avenue.

I take a few moments to gaze at the passing landscape of a side of Phuket which we rarely see – small roadside mom-and-pop food stalls and artisan restaurants in which their outward simplicity belies local gourmet gems.

This is a step back in time and one which reminds me of the true treasures of Phuket, rather than the more frenetic hustle of Phuket Town or indeed the neon lights and predictable nighttime brashness of Patong.

Arriving and entering the courtyard of this traditional Thai-style villa, it exudes a tranquil ambience as I am warmly welcomed by my host. Following a global career in banking, and a

lengthy time in the region, her love for Thailand persuaded her to share her passion for hospitality by purchasing this delightful six-room property. The rooms, named after local fruits, look out over a decidedly tempting pool where one may pass a lazy afternoon.

Shown to my room, I am immediately both surprised and impressed with the balance of character and luxury. My room is spacious and comfortably furnished. I notice a generous fruit basket, a slightly concealed safe, an extremely well-equipped mini bar, tea and coffee for the morning, and for those of us who can’t ever truly disconnect, of which I am one, a smart TV enabled with Netflix. Free WiFi is of course available.

The bathroom is as large as the bedroom, with a jacuzzi and a rainforest shower, and is jam-packed with useful knick-knacks one often forgets alongside a variety of amenities to ensure you shower in comfort. As I unpack, I notice a focus on attention to detail with flower petals tastefully scattered, a refreshing fruit juice and a cold towel to complete my welcome.

I have a dinner engagement outside as sadly I was unaware that, on advance request, Sirpa can arrange for an impromptu evening meal on the terrace should one wish. I take a few moments before departing to chat about the other services they offer. A complimentary shuttle service takes one to Laguna in the evening and also to a choice of beaches following breakfast. For those inclined, bicycles are available, also at no charge. Having owned the guesthouse for only a year, I am pleasantly surprised at the research Sirpa has undertaken of the locale to ensure guests have lots to do, should they wish.

Staff are always available on site for late arrivals, but in the event of any unforeseen circumstances, I am given a front door key and advised that the door is locked around 10pm. I return late and, whilst I make my way to my room,

Breakfast is served.

I can hear nothing but the calming sounds of nature.

Having enjoyed an undisturbed slumber, and following morning ablutions, I make my way to the dining area overlooking the pool. Breakfast is buffet-style with a wide variety of charcuterie, breads and healthy options, somewhat intriguingly displayed in the converted rear of a polished tuk-tuk.

Freshly prepared eggs are available as are hot and crispy pancakes.

Having extolled the virtues of this chic guesthouse, you will be unsurprised when I tell you that it has won many awards from numerous travel websites and past guest reviews are without exception hugely positive. So for those of you who have friends visiting Phuket, either from Bangkok or further afield, this is incredibly good value and well worth recommending. And for those of you in the South of the island who find yourselves seeking a few nights away, I can wholeheartedly recommend. Finnish hospitality perfectly blended with Thai character. villaangelicaphuket.com +66 87 893 4636 / +66 90 240 2118 info@bedandbreakfastinphuket.com 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. thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Phuket gets a new mascot

CULTURE 15

Welcome “Nong Joong” the spiny lobster The Phuket News editor1@classactmedia.co.th

Nong Joong will be an important representative to welcome guests and tourists who come to experience things in Phuket,” said Governor Phakaphaong.

P

huket has a new mascot named “Nong Joong”, a gender-neutral child spiny lobster without claws, Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana announced on September 15.

The news was delivered at an event held at Limelight Avenue Phuket shopping mall in Phuket Town, often selected by local government officials to hold press conferences and make public announcements.

In announcing the winner of the Phuket Mascot Design competition, Governor Phakaphong was joined

by Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor) Acting Chief Watcharin Patomwattanapong, President of the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, Tourism and Sports Phuket Provincial Office Chief Sirawee Waloh and Tourism of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office Deputy Director Montri Manator.

Governor Phakaphong explained that the competition was arranged by the “Phuket Government” and the Phuket Tourist Association.

“The mascot is the icon of Phuket and expresses the local uniqueness to the world’s eyes,” he said, according to a report by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department.

The competition was open from July 22 to August 25, with over 200 designed works from every part of the country submitted for consideration, he said.

“On August 30, a committee comprising PTA members and relevant officials chose the 10 finalists, and on September 14 at Sino House Phuket Hotel the creators of those works were each interviewed by the committee,” he added.

The top prize of B100,000 went to Jin Sathapornsathitsuk for “Nong Joong”, a deep-blue infant spiny lobster. The B20,000 prize for second place, or “first runner-up”, went to Phanatrada Sae-ung for her “Nong Ang Lai”, a cartoon character of a 12-yearold girl in a traditional Chinese qipao with a yanut Phuket pineapple as her head.

Nong Ang Lai also received the “Popular Vote” award, for which Ms Phanatrada received a BangkokPhuket round-trip flight with Bangkok Airways, including a two-night room package at the Baba House Hotel in Phuket Town.

The B10,000 prize for third place, or “second runner-up”, went to Thani Muennoot for his “Andaman Boy” cartoon character of a light-blue boy dragon with corals as his horns. The creators of the remaining seven entries were given certificates for their efforts.

Mr Jin explained in submitting Nong Joong for consideration that Nong Joong is a little naughty spiny lobster. He likes to explore new things, foods, places and beautiful views. He has a sea urchin named “Uni” as a friend. Uni has a problem with pronouncing the word “Goong” (shrimp/lobster in Thai), and he pronounces it “Joong” instead. So other people also call him “Nong Joong”.

Phanatrada Sae-ung speaks with the Phuket Governor. Photo: PR Dept @thephuketnews

“Phuket is a multicultural province, so the mascot should not be identified as any particular race. Phuket has a good reputation for seafood. I chose a spiny lobster because it has a unique shape and can easily be developed in the future.

“Food has never been used as mascot. I chose the child to represent their enthusiasm and excitement in learning new things. I designed Nong Joong to be cute by simplifying the details of the lobster and using an attractive colour,” Mr Jin explained.

“After this, Nong Joong will be an important representative to welcome guests and tourists who come to experience things in Phuket,” Governor Phakaphaong added.

The report of the prize-giving made no references to any previous mascots created for Phuket, such as “Hai Leng” the cutesie sea dragon holding a torch

Jin Sathapornsathitsuk claims his prize. Photo: PR Dept which was created for the 28th National Youth Games held in Phuket in 2012.

Hai Leng was reminiscent of the statue in Queen Sirikit Park and was chosen after the previous winner, a blue starfish-headed man, was ousted due to local public reaction, prompting games organisers to seek new designs.

16 EVENTS

Run for turtles

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

These runners are ready and raring to go.

15th marine turtle fun run and half marathon set to be best yet The Phuket News editor1@classactmedia.co.th

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he Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, in collaboration with JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa and its foundation partners, will host its annual fundraising sports event, the 15th Mai Khao Marine Turtle Fun Run and Half Marathon 2019, on Sunday, October 20 from 4-7am at the Phuket Gateway.

The event is set to be even bigger and better than ever; a fun fitness and family-oriented affair that’s open for all ages and abilities. The 14th event, held on October 21 last year, was a huge success, with some 4,500 runners taking part. Organisers are hoping to attract even more runners this year.

There will be a 3-kilometre family run, a 5km fun run, a 10.5km mini marathon, a 21.1km half marathon, a virtual

run and a VIP run for all distances.

The event will kick off with the 21.1km half marathon. The race will start at 5am at the Phuket Gateway and head northwest along Haad Sai Kaew Beach towards Thao Thep Krasatti Bridge, pass the rural road No. 3006 and along the Pi Lai Viewpoint area before looping back in front of the beach club and returning along the Baan Tha Nun to the iconic Sarasin Bridge before finishing where it started.

The entry fee is B490 per person for the 5km fun run, B590 for the 10.5km mini marathon, B760 for the 21.1km half marathon, B1,590 for the VIP run for all distances (which includes a trophy) and B1,590 per family (two adults and maximum two children under 12 years old) for the 3km family run.

Runners who are unable to attend the event can sign up for the virtual race, a flexible event that allows runners to participate from any location, at

any pace. Virtual runners can choose from four distances: 3km, 5km, 10.5km (registration fee B399 per person) or 21.1km (B550). Runners should submit their finish time and race result photos to the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation and 15th Turtle Fun Run 2019 Facebook pages from October 12-20.

Online registration is available from now until September 30 at www.runlah.com/events/turtle19 The money raised from the event will go towards the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, a non-profit committed to protecting the marine and coastal environment and ecosystems for the wellbeing of the sea turtles that nest on Mai Khao Beach and the surrounding areas.

Running shirts and bibs will be available to collect on October 13 from 10am to 7pm at Decathlon (near Central Festival Phuket) and on October 19 from 10am to 7pm at the Phuket Gateway.

All registered runners will receive a running shirt and medal, and there will be numerous trophies for the hotel and running club with the most participants and the best fancy outfit.

Trophies will be awarded based on chip time for each age group category, for the top five finishers for males and females in each of the three races (5km fun run, 10.5km mini marathon and 21.1km half marathon). Runners who place 1st–5th in the 5km, 10.5km and 21.1km will also receive trophies and gift vouchers.

To be part of the event sponsorship, email info@maikhaomarineturtlefoundation.org or maikhaoturtlefoundation@ gmail.com, or call +66 076 338040 or +66 076 338 000 ext. 3309. For more information about the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, visit www.facebook. com/maikhaomarineturtlefoundation The Phuket News is a proud media sponsor of this event.

Laugh it up with live comedy at the Marriott on October 1

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tandUp Asia is proud to bring yet another rapturous night of live comedy to the Marriott Resort, Merlin Beach on Tuesday, October 1. Sit tight and enjoy as self-styled “heavy metal comedian” Steve Hughes delivers his hard-hitting satire, confronting social commentary and astute observations. Hughes

will be supported by Ireland’s very own Aidan Killian and hosted by Comedy Masala founder and regular host in Phuket Umar Rana.

Steve Hughes “Outstanding. Hughes is gold!” – Metro UK “Intelligent, provocative, profound … see him while it’s still legal”. – Chortle Internationally renowned standup comedian Steve Hughes is not one to shy away from the issues. A “convict wizard”, Hughes brings his worldly insights into the bleeding obvious and always tells it like it is. Known as an erudite, philosophical and highly opinionated comic, he seamlessly, or paradoxically, weaves together a laid-back Aussie charm and acutely caustic antiestablishment rage. Distinctive and thought-provoking, Hughes is renowned for his honesty, openness and invaluable insight.

Influenced by comedy greats Bill (Now Creepy) Cosby, Richard Pryor and Woody Allen, Hughes began his foray into comedy in the 1990s. He took Australia by storm before moving to the UK, where he now lives. Hughes has toured the world, from Edinburgh to America and now Asia, and continues to sell out and receive critical acclaim wherever he goes. A former heavy metal drummer, Hughes is rarely seen without a leather jacket, band T-shirt and jeans.

See Steve Hughes while it’s still legal to…

Aidan Killian, Ireland’s most daring comedian.

On television, Hughes has performed stellar sets on Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow (BBC One), Stand Up for the Week (Channel 4) and One Night Stand (Dave), to name a few. His 2012 debut solo show Big Issues was a smash hit and saw Hughes adding an extra week of tour dates due to overwhelming demand. A year later, Hughes returned with While It’s Still Legal and played over 50 dates across the UK, receiving rave reviews.

ter about themselves and the world. “‘A masterclass in satire”, Killian has performed one-man shows at seven Edinburgh Fringe Festivals and was a highlight at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival and Best Comedian at The World Fringe, Australia in the same year.

Sharing laughter on stages across the globe, he is one of the world’s most travelled comedians, bringing his effortless delivery to over 30 countries and counting.

Aidan Killian “Hysterical ... passionate, driven intelligence”. – Chortle “Lyrical-political commentary became poetry”. – Broadway Baby Described as “Ireland’s most daring comedian”, Aidan Killian brings a uniquely passionate style of comedy which often leaves the audience thinking and feeling bet-

Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm. Tickets are on sale now from B350 (early bird), B650 (show only), B950 (burger, two Moosehead beverages and show), B1,200 (hotel buffet and show) or B1,450 (VIP, free-flow drinks from 7-10pm and meet-and-greet with the comedians). Get your tickets via the Phuket Ticketmaster website.

The Phuket News thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

ENVIRONMENT 17

Photo: Mladen Antonov / AFP

Photo: Sophie Deviller / AFP

Thailand’s Greta Thunberg

12-year-old trash hero Ralyn “Lilly” Satidtanasarn wages war on plastic Sophie Deviller

In June, Lilly won her first victory: persuading Central supermarket in Bangkok to stop giving out plastic bags in its stores once a week.

S

kipping school to glide through a dirty Bangkok canal on a paddleboard, Lilly fishes out rubbish in her mission to clean up Thailand, where the average person uses eight plastic bags every single day.

“I am a kid at war,” the bubbly 12-year-old says after a painstaking hour-long routine picking up cans, bags and bottles bobbing in the canal. “I try to stay optimistic but I am also angry.

Our world is disappearing.”

Thailand is the sixth largest global contributor to ocean pollution, and plastic is a scourge. Whether it’s for wrapping up street food, takeaway coffees or for groceries, Thais use 3,000 single use bags per year – 12 times more than someone in the European Union.

In June, Lilly won her first victory: she persuaded Central supermarket in Bangkok to stop giving out plastic bags in its stores once a week.

“I told myself that if the government did not listen to me, it would be necessary to speak directly to those who distribute plastic bags and convince them to stop,” she explains.

This month some of the biggest brands, including the operator of the ubiquitous 7-Eleven convenience stores, pledged to stop handing out single-use plastic bags by January next year.

Mindsets have started to shift this year with the deaths of several marine mammals whose stomachs were lined with plastic. The demise last month of young dugong Mariam was mourned on social media, reviving discussion in the government over a proposed ban on most single-use plastics by 2022.

But critics say along with new rules there need to be enforcement mechanisms such as fines. For now young activists like Lilly can help capture attention.

“You might be able to tune out all of the evidence and advocacy in the world, but it’s very hard to ignore a child when they ask why we’re trashing the planet that they have to live on,” says Kakuko Nagatani-Yoshida, regional coordinator for chemicals, waste and air quality with UN Environment.

“It’s up to us” Lilly is Ralyn Satidtanasarn’s nickname. The US-Thai youngster started campaigning at the age of eight after a seaside vacation in southern Thailand where she was horrified by a beach covered in rubbish.

“We cleaned up with my parents, but that was not helpful because other waste was thrown out by the sea the next day,” she recalls.

Then came the global movement initiated by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, who has become a key face in the battle against global warming. Inspired by the young Swede, Lilly did sit-ins in front of the Thai government buildings.

“Greta gave me confidence. When adults do not do anything, it’s up to us children to act,” she insists.

Though she often skips class to carry out her activism, she will not be in New York alongside Thunberg for a protest on September 20 just days before the United Nations climate conference.

@thephuketnews

“My place is here, the fight is also in Southeast Asia,” she says.

Even if she sometimes wants to take a break and “go play” like other kids, she also takes part in cleaning sessions organised by Trash Hero, a volunteerled movement that both cleans up and prevents plastic waste.

Activists praise her but say she is up against massive corporate interests.

The main obstacle is the petrochemical industry, one of the main markets for plastics, accounting for 5% of Thailand’s GDP and tens of thousands of jobs.

“Lilly is a very good voice for the youth of this country but the lobbies are very powerful and that makes any change difficult,” concedes Nattapong Nithiuthai, who set up a company turning discarded waste into flip flops.

She can also count on the support of her parents, who help her write speeches to the UN and government officials.

Her mother, Sasie, herself a former environmental activist, adds: “At first, I thought it was a child’s fad, but Lilly hung on, so I decided to support her.”

AFP

18 ISLAND SCENE

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Allan and Lyndon.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Alan, Gren and Pim.

Wicky, Su and Ken

Asa and Boon.

LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY OUT IN FORCE FOR SEPTEMBER SUNDOWNERS The Phuket Sundowners on Sept 13, hosted by AustCham Thailand, offered a great opportunity to network with like-minded people from the business community in the beautiful surroundings of Phuket Boat Lagoon. As always, organisers set up an informative and valuable panel discussion for attendees. This time, experts shared their thoughts on organising and participating in regattas throughout Asia in a discussion named “Asian Regattas – Highlights on Phuket, Towards Sustainability”.

PHUKET PAIR GLIDE TO SUCCESS AT MALAYSIAN ICE SKATING CONTEST “SKATE SELANGOR 2019” Phuket ice skaters 7-year-old Alexandra Myakinina and 11-year-old Sophie Teixeira represented Thailand in the Skate Selangor 2019 competition between Sept 6-8 at the Olympic-regulated Malaysia National Ice Skating Stadium.

The pair have been training at Phuket’s Ice Arena at Boat Lagoon, and their hard work paid off as they spun, twirled and jumped their way to 1 st place in Drama Sport, 2nd place in Freestyle, 3rd place in Artistic Freestyle and 4th place in Bronze Open Freestyle. Well done, girls!

Sophie and Alexandra did Thailand proud at the competition.

Alexandra, only 7 years old, wowed judges and spectators.

CHILDREN FROM ASIA CENTER FOUNDATION LEARN THE ROPES OF EXOTIC FISHING

Gone fishing.

On Aug 29, the team at Exotic Fishing Thailand up in Phang Nga hosted over 40 children and staff from non-profit organisation Asia Center Foundation. The eager 4- to 6-yearolds got the opportunity to feed the fish at the fish park, get a close-up look at the Amazon Redtail Catfish and Arapaima monster fish, and try freshwater fishing. It wasn't long before the children got the hang of it and were competing for who could catch the most silver fish. In the end, everyone was a winner as the children all went home with a certificate.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

ISLAND SCENE 19

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Tim, Nook, Yui and Graham.

Roland, Dao, Nikita and Isaac.

Yui, Eka, Nook and Um.

Lek, Mikki and Anisa.

CAFE DEL MAR’S PARTY WITH PURPOSE RAISES FUNDS FOR PHUKET NGOS Guests turned out in droves on Sept 14 for the “Now You See Me” event at Cafe del Mar. Billed as Phuket’s biggest charity event, the glamorous night raised vital funds for Phuket charities Oceans For All Foundation, Good Shepherd Phuket, Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation and the Life Home Project Foundation.

Artists dived into the helmet challenge headfirst.

Ready for the catwalk.

CREATIVITY REIGNS SUPREME AT ‘ART ON A HELMET’ EVENT IN KALIM Over 20 local and international artists came together on Sept 14 at the HOME Kitchen on Kalim Beach for the “Art on a Helmet” event, where painting and sculpture met fashion and dance. Artists paraded their designs down a catwalk before putting them on display. From the futuristic, to the floral, to the downright fantastical, the helmets were all sights to behold. The unique art pieces will be auctioned to raise funds for the Rotary Club of Patong Beach’s “Helmets for Kids” safety programme.

Faheem Ahmed, Developer Melia Phuket Karon Residences (centre) and Jo d’Hondt and Kanita from Diamond Resort Bang Tao.

The team behind the Melia Phuket Karon Residences.

MELIA PHUKET KARON RESIDENCES SET THE SCENE AT LAUNCH PARTY Close to 130 guests and VIPs celebrated the launch of the Melia Phuket Karon Residences – 73 nature-inspired luxury sea view residences, set between mountain and sea on Phuket’s sought-after west coast. Two Chefs catering worked hard to ensure all in attendance had beverages and fine canapes in hand while a local DJ spun chill-out tunes and set the scene for a very enjoyable evening between friends and colleagues on Sept 12. @thephuketnews

20 EVENTS

FRI

20 SEP

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM Flavourful Desserts and Seasonal Fruit. From THB 1,200 net per guest (Choice of Meat & Seafood grilled - Additional). Banyan Tree, The Watercourt,fb-phuket@banyantree.com, 076 372 400.

All you can eat Sunday Roast Buffet

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.

Back to The ’80s

We’re going back to the totally awesome times of the ‘80s with DJ Garry and mixology inspired by this groovy era. Every Saturday night at Firefly from 6 pm - late. Reservation, Firefly Pool & Restaurant at Pavilions Hotels, firefly.phuket@pavilionshotels.com, 076 371 600.

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.

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.

Architect & Hotelex 2019

SAT

MON

23 SEP

All you can eat BBQ night

TUE

Ribs, beats, brews Wednesday

FRI

27 SEP

24 SEP Faldo Series Championship Phuket 2019

ANDAMAN CATCH TUESDAY

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.

21 SEP

WED

25 SEP

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.

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.

Have a night of no worries on September 21, 2019 at Two Chefs Patong! 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. Y ou 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 Patong 076-344 915 COME FOR THE FOOD STAY FOR THE FUN!

Talay is feature a tempting selections of traditional Thai food and local Phuket delicacies.

Enjoy with a variety of live station; Thai papaya salad, spicy soup and much more to give a true taste of Thailand. THB 950++ per person.

Every Tuesday from 6 pm to 10 pm. Reservation, Angsana Laguna Phuket, fbreservationlagunaphuket@angsana.com, 076 358 500.

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 night

Two Chefs Reggae Night

19th Construction Materials Tools Hotel Restaurant Equipment Decorative items Exhibitions on 18 - 21 September 2019 at Novotel Phuket Phokeethra. Most of the investor, developer of real estates, resorts spa and hotels come from many countries and take this chance to arrange meeting with architect team to design, to plan and to build or renovate their properties and they must finish the construction before the next high season start in the following year. Don’t Miss.

SUN

22 SEP

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Faldo Series returns to Phuket this September 27th - 29th at Laguna Phuket Golf. All male and female juniors are welcome to compete to try qualify for the prestigious Asia Grand Final in March. Competing age groups include U21 to U11 (age on 1st January 2019). Full details and online entry: www.faldoseriesphuket2019.golfgenius.com. Contact fredrik@golfdevelopment asia.com

SAT

28 SEP

Children First Charity Event

Light and Fresh Buffet

The Watercourt is presenting a line of tasty Italian Cold Cut, Gourmet Salads, Hearty Soup,

A charity journey from day into night under the theme “Swing for Good” where you will enjoy a fun golf tournament throughout the day at Laguna Golf Phuket. As the sun sets, sit back and unwind in a unique “Battle of the Chefs” charity dinner gourmet experience, complete with delicious food, free-flow beverages and live entertainment – all to support children in Phuket.

Register your interest now at just THB18,000 per team of four and help to raise big bucks for children in need – golf@lagunaphuket.com

Blue Tree Family Fun Day

Thai Night Buffet

Experience Authentic Thai Food. Let’s take a tasteful journey through Thai cuisine, Baan

In support of ‘Phuket Has Been Good To Us’ Charity - join us at Blue Tree Lagoon for a full day of fun, a scrumptious All-You-Can-Eat BBQ Buffet and take part in our ‘Mini Olympics Games’ with unlimited access to Blue Tree Lagoon’s rides and activities! Entry donation: Adults (THB1,500nett), Kids 6-12 yrs (THB750nett) & Kids under 5 eat free. To RSVP email events@bluetree.fun

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

SUN

29 SEP

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride 2019

The world’s largest charitable motorcycle event for owners of classic and vintage styled bikes.

The goal for 2019 is to raise awareness and $7m USD for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health on behalf of charity partner the Movember Foundation. Registration and Donations can be made online at www. gentlemansride.com or at the event. Location at Anuphas Showroom, 200 meters from Heroines Monument on way to Cherng Talay. Free registration. Dress Code: Gentleman Style.

Start Time: 13:00 Ride Time: 15:00 from showroom to Layan beach and back. Unity After Party: 17:00 – 22:00.

TUE

EVENTS 21

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

1 OCT

SAT

5 OCT

towards to The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, which is committed to protecting the marine and coastal environment. or online registration is available from now until September 30. Call 076 338040 Email: maikhaoturtlefoundation@gmail.com

FRI

1 NOV

Oktoberfest - The German Festival

World Cup Rugby 2019! at Two Chefs

From 3pm - 10pm. Drinks + Food + Music Festival. Free Entry. Phuket Boat Lagoon, 095012-2442, 076-239-888 ext 618.

The Exotic Fishing Thailand 1.5 Million Baht Tagged Fish Challenge

Collective Series 16 – Mamma Mia, The Party Edition

Kata Rocks’ Collective Series 16 - Phuket’s most talked about party is back. Featuring a Greek taverna, four signature handcrafted beverages, Mediterranean cuisine, engaging live musical entertainment and hits from supergroup ABBA. Set by the iconic infinity pool, the talented team of mixologists at Kata Rocks have teamed up with Dibuk House, to present four iconic “Mama Mia” inspired mixtures. Price THB 2,200 nett, includes Mediterranean tapas and Greek delicacies, and a selection of six beverages. Space is limited, advance reservation is required. Visit http://bit.ly/KRCS_16 or email dining@katarocks.com for enquiries.

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.

THU

30 JAN

FRI

4 OCT

Mr. Zen/djm It’s a party.... with art

DJ Tommy Innocent and Friends with special surprise guest performances. At WOK gallery kitchen Saturday 5th October, 2019. 18.30 20.30 hrs. Art & party with drinks & canape.

20.30 - 22.30 hrs. party with special price drinks and meals. Reservation, Mom Tri’s WOK gallery kitchen Kata Hill, gr@villaroyalephuket. com, 076 608 899.

SUN

20 OCT

@thephuketnews

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

Prime at Rock Salt

Thailand Health & Fitness Expo 2020

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

EVERY DAY

Grow Boating Networking Evening - October 2019

The Grow Boating Networking Evening for October 2019 will be held at Boat Lagoon Marina on Friday the 4th of October 2019 from 5pm onward. Sponsored by Derani Yachts - https:// www.derani-yachts.com 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.

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 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

Steve Hughes Live in Phuket!

Legendary truth-speaker comedians, Steve Hughes comes to Phuket on Tuesday the 1st of October. Sit tight as the self-styled ‘heavy metal comedian’ comes to the illustrious Marriott Resort, Merlin Beach. With hard-hitting satire, confronting social commentary and astute observations, Steve Hughes will be supported

by Ireland’s very own Aidan Killian and hosted

by Comedy Masala regular host Umar Rana.

Beginning at 8pm, doors to the venue open at 7pm. Magic Rock, Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Merlin Beach.

tically 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.

THE CLASSIC MIDDLE EASTERN DISH

Bodega & Grill brings you Lamb Tagine, vibrantly flavoured with colourful spices, authen-

Art @Chaofah introducing First Gallery Exhibition at Ramada Plaza Chaofah – CONTRASTS

Art @Chaofah is holding the first Gallery Exhibition of the work of the two artists of the Phuket Art Club; Mr. Monthian Yangthong and Mr. Mekphat Srinantaphan showcases the contrasts of their work from 27th August 2019 to 11th October 2019 on 2nd floor at Peranakan Courtyard. The Contrast is part of our ongoing Art @Chaofah exhibition series that is hopefully to create emotions, ideas and inspiration.

22 TIME OUT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Crossword by Myles Mellor & Sally York 1. What is the name of the exoplanet which scientists discovered water on last week?

2. Who said “I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best”?

3. What does “captcha” stand for?

4. What percent of the River Nile is located in Egypt?

5. Nicosia is the capital of which country in the Mediterranean?

Answers below, centre

SUDOKU

Easy

Across 1. Cambridge univ.

4. Auto efficiency gauge, abbr.

7. Tease 10. Single component 12. Cries of discovery 14. Commend 15. Camelot charger 17. Pink Floyd song 18. “Buddenbrooks” novelist 19. It’s often adorned with basil leaves 22. Like some arms 23. Publisher’s addenda 27. Digit number 28. Criminal charge 30. Record label and electronics manufacturer 31. Trifle 32. They have small white seeds 35. Tic-tac-toe win 37. Part of U.S.N.A. 38. Cloak-and-dagger figure 39. Assorted healthy vegetables 44. Find out 45. Hawaiian birds 46. Brazilian city with Paulo 47. Squirrel snack 50. Everest climber

Hillary 52. Rests 54. It could be Romaine 58. Night light 61. Little hoppers 62. Trouble 63. Florida city, informally 64. European artistic movement that flouted convention 65. Amount to make do with 66. “Now I see!”

67. Tangle 68. A.A.A. recommendation

24. Right away 25. Theater award 26. Vienna’s land, abbr.

29. Metallic sounds 30. Wanders 32. ___ polloi 33. Lexus or BMW 34. Suffix with lion 35. Opinion piece in a newspaper 36. Utah city 39. Compass point 40. Mini-golf course hole number 41. Film-maker, JeanLuc 42. Dexterity 43. “Cape Fear” star, Down Nick 1. Mideast capital 47. Like worker bees 2. Amount eaten 48. Ventilation in a 3. Ascot jewelry mine shaft 4. Chess ending 49. Feared fly 5. Greek letters 51. It parallels the 6. Explorer Vasco da radius ___ 53. Library catalog 7. ____ Spectra abbr.

8. BBC rival 55. Froth 9. Trophy locale 11. Agreement point 56. Star Wars Jedi 57. Future atty.’s 13. Choose hurdle 14. U.S.N. rank 16. Actress Winger 58. Wharton grad 59. “Sweet!”

20. Rise high 21. Kuwaiti 60. Root vegetable

Solutions to last week’s puzzles:

Answers to this week’s Pop Quiz: 1) K2-18b; 2) Oscar Wilde; 3) Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart; 4) 22%; 5) Cyprus.

GOT YOUR NUMBER

ISLAND VIEW

3

days is how long it took staff at the British Museum to notice a fake cave drawing installed by the artist Banksy as a hoax.

17

hours spent awake impairs your physical performance as much as being drunk.

3,000

is how many shows Bob Dylan has played. He has been touring nonstop since June 1988 on the Never Ending Tour.

180,000

Head in the clouds at Ao Yon. Photo by Ross Armstrong Got an unusual or particularly beautiful picture of Phuket? Email it to execeditor@classactmedia.co.th

bees live on the roof of the NotreDame in Paris. They all survived the fire earlier this year.

400 million

stars are born every day (4,800 every second).

Source: Uberfacts

This week in history September 20, 2001 In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people following 9/11, U.S. President George W. Bush declares a “War on Terror”.

September 22, 1823 Joseph Smith claims to have found the golden plates after being directed

by God through the Angel Moroni to the place where they were buried, the basis of Mormonism.

September 25, 1926 The international Convention to Suppress the Slave Trade and Slavery is first signed. 99 countries have since signed, ratified or otherwise committed to the Convention.

September 21, 1937 J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is published. It goes on to receive wide critical acclaim and is nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction.

September 23, 1980 Bob Marley plays what would be the last concert of his life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

September 26, 1580 Privateer, naval officer and explorer Sir Francis Drake finishes his circumnavigation of the Earth. He becomes the second person, and the first Englishman, to achieve this.

Source: Wikipedia

September 24, 2014 The Mars Orbiter Mission makes

The first edition of Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

India the first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit, and the first nation in the world to do so in its first attempt.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 23

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Jobs

Events Operations Manager

Phuket Weddings and Events successful Rental Supplies and Event Support Division is looking for an innovative and articulate Operations Manager to further develop the brand. Hotel experience is preferred within F&B and/or Operations with strong leadership and management skills. The role includes managing client enquiries; corporate inventory; logistics; staffing and on-site installations and support. Applicants should have a good knowledge of local venues and contractors, must have excellent communication skills in English and Thai and be passionate and focused. This is a great opportunity for the right applicant to expand their future prospects in an exciting and rewarding position where everything is possible. Full time position in Cherngtalay; excellent package and bonus scheme. Please contact us on 062 698 2426. Fern Chaiyaporn, fern@ phuketweddingsevents.com, 062 698 2426.

@thephuketnews

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

GE UR

NT

Urgent required

Asia Marine Ltd., a yacht managemet company in Phuket, is looking for Chief Accountant. Candidate must be graduated in accounting field, English speaking, min 5 years’ experience in management, extensive corporate and personal tax experience, expertise working with Quickbooks and financial statements. Interested candidates, please email your CV with photo to chatpassorn@asia-marine.net Mobile: +66 8 1823 4736 40,000-55,000, Chatpassorn, 20/99 Moo 2, Thepkassattri Rd., T. Kohkeaw, Muang, Phuket 83000, chatpassorn@asia-marine.net, 0818234736, 076238805.

GE UR

NT

Owners

Starting salary between 35,000 and 41,000 baht per month plus service charge. Must have strong experience in Western foods in a 4* or higher hotel or well-regarded restaurant and speak English. Must have experience in managing food costs and using Point of Sales systems. Thai nationals only. minimum 2 years Culinary degree, experience in managing a staff of 6 cooks.

Skills in baking, teaching cooking classes, vegan foods, breakfast buffets and overseeing staff meals are also desirable. Hands-on candidates preferred. Schedule: M-Sat: 12:30-8:30 - - Position available now - Send CV to kataphuketresort@gmail.com

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

CLASSIFIEDS 25

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 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, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

classifieds@thephuketnews.com

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

MARINE SERVICES

OTHER

TRAINING

ADVERTISE HERE

thephuketnews

CLASSIFIEDS 27

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Buy & Sell BOATS, YACHTS FOR SALE

Speedboat for Sale

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

Toyota Fortuner 2007 for sale

COMPUTERS, LAPTOPS

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.

T

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

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 Pa­ klok A Thalang 83110 Phuket, stigisaan@gmail. com, 0848474377.

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

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

MEMBERSHIPS

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

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

@thephuketnews

PROPERTY WANTED

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

CARS, TRUCKS FOR RENT

EN

@thephuketnews

CARS, TRUCKS 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.

G UR

The Phuket News

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!

U RG

ENT

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, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

Buy & Sell

The Phuket News @thephuketnews

SERVICES

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Credit and investment in private section

1 Bed Condo Sale Rawai

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

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

SPORTING GOODS, EXERCISE

2-Bed Furnished Kathu House for Rent

Oceanus Speargun for Sale

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

▪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 RENT

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Thalang House for RENT

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

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.

UR

GE

NT

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.

UR

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

Absolute Beachfront Pool Villa

NT

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

PROPERTY FOR SALE

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.

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Shop Space for Rent (31 SQM)

Sell your products at one of Phuket's most successful five-star Resorts! Le Meridien Phuket has one 31-sqm shop space for rent. Sumalee Intana, Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort 29 Soi Karon Nui, Karon, Muang 83100 Phuket Thailand, sumalee. intana@lemeridien.com, +6676370100.

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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

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

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)/ 0887602825 (Thai)

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.

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, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

SPORT 29

26 Laguna Phuket Triathlon th

Stars come out for Bangkok preview of famed Phuket event BANGKOK Press Release

O

n Wednesday, September 4, Asia’s premier destination resort Laguna Phuket hosted a press conference at Banyan Tree Bangkok for members of the press to preview its 26th annual Laguna Phuket Triathlon, coming up in November this year.

The 26th edition of Asia’s longest-standing triathlon race Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) is scheduled to take place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November at premier destination resort Laguna Phuket.

Comprising unique race distances of 1.8-kilometre swim, 50km bike and 12km run through the scenic backdrop of Phuket, world champions and elite pro triathletes from around the world will race against each other on Sunday vying for the USD 20,000 (B610,000) prize purse.

LPT also features a “25 For 25 Sprint” short-distance category (0.5km swim, 18.5km bike and 6km run) which was launched in 2018 in celebration

@thephuketnews

Ravi Chandran, Laguna Phuket MD (3rd left), Khemmapol Auitayakul, Sec. to Minister of Sports (4th left), Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana, Toon Bodyslam and others. of LPT’s 25th anniversary, and “LPT Charity Fun Run” (2km Kids Run, 5km and 10km Charity Run) which will take place in the late afternoon on Saturday prior to the triathlon races on Sunday.

The press conference was panelled by Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana, Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Sports Khemmapol Auitayakul, Managing Director, Laguna Phuket Ravi Chandran and Artiwara

Kongmalai (Toon Bodyslam) representing Kao Kon La Kao Foundation, LPT’s new charity partner.

Following last year’s success where the 25th LPT sold out the newly launched sprint category long before race day, saw record-breaking numbers of participants, and raised more than B250,000 for the Children First Fund (CFF) in support of more than 400 children at seven orphanages in Phuket, Laguna Phuket

Triathlon aims at doubling its charitable causes this year by also supporting Kao Kon La Kao, Thailand’s largest charity run series, in support of hospitals nationwide.

Mr Chandran said, “I’d like to thank all of the runners and triathletes who have participated in our annual sporting events, and our partners and sponsors whose support entitled Laguna Phuket Triathlon “Asia’s longest-standing triathlon race” to its 26th edi-

tion this year.

“With long-standing legacy, we realised that LPT’s value lies not only in being an award-winning triathlon race, but also in its success as a significant platform to raise funds and awareness for meaningful charitable causes. I am delighted to announce that, in addition to the Children First Fund, we have added the Kao Kon La Kao Foundation as charity partner this year. Every kilometre you run at LPT will become a B9 contribution to Kao,” he concluded.

When asked about Kao Kon La Kao’s partnership, Toon (Artiwara Kongmalai) said, “Laguna Phuket has been supporting Kao Kon La Kao since its first project in 2016. I am delighted that Kao Kon La Kao will be running in Phuket for the first time in October this year. Please join us in the last 10.8km at Laguna Phuket.

“It’s clear that Laguna Phuket and the Kao Kon La Kao Foundation share similar vision in developing sustainable community and improving

the quality of life.”

Other highlights at the press conference included a “Triathlon Tips for Beginners” session in which Thai celebrity Meiji (Anorma Cook) shared her experience training for the first Laguna Phuket Triathlon.

The session was joined by world champion and triathlon legend from Germany Jurgen Zack, who currently leads ZCoaching triathlon training camp in Phuket.

As in previous years, athletes and participants are encouraged to donate to the Laguna Phuket Foundation for its ongoing local charitable causes. This year, the foundation aims to raise funds for the CFF to continue its nutritional support towards more than 400 orphans at seven orphanages in Phuket.

Since 2017, the CFF has been delivering food to the seven orphanages in Phuket on a monthly basis.

Registration for the 26th Laguna Phuket Triathlon, 25 For 25 Sprint and LPT Charity Fun Run is open until November 17 at www.

LagunaPhuketTri.com

30 SPORT

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Red Bull bucking for Singapore Downforce, handling to usurp Ferrari power in corner-fest race BOX OF NEUTRALS Michael Lamonato michael@boxofneutrals.com

A

ny Ferrari fans still revelling in Charles Leclerc’s droughtbreaking victory at Monza two weeks ago best prepare themselves for an inevitable return to earth ahead of what’s likely to be a painful weekend at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Scuderia resumed from the mid-season break with two back-to-back victories in Belgium and Italy to banish memories of 12 painfully fruitless races in the first half of the season.

The super-fast nature of these circuits handsomely rewarded Ferrari’s powerful engine and forgave its lack of downforce, allowing the Italian team to nose ahead of Mercedes at both, albeit only just.

But here the red resurgence ends. Formula One is embarking on its final run of seven races, and Singapore, the first among them, will only bring out the worst in Ferrari’s SF90.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x

Drivers gather at the start line of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix last year. Photo: AFP Whereas the preceding two races barely penalised Ferrari’s inefficient aerodynamic package, Singapore’s 23 corners will punish it heavily, and with less than half of the lap taken at full throttle, its engine has little opportunity to claw back any of the lost time.

The similarly slow Monaco and Hungarian grands prix make for a grim preview. In Monte Carlo the fastest Ferrari was 0.781 seconds off pole and behind both Mercedes and Red Bull Racing, and though in Budapest that margin had shrunk to half a second, both

drivers finished more than a minute behind race winner Lewis Hamilton.

“We need to stay realistic,” Leclerc admitted.

“We expected that Spa and Monza would be very good races for our car, but we also know that the next few races

will be a lot more difficult.

But whereas Ferrari has taken a step backwards since last season, when it started the Singapore weekend as favourite, Red Bull Racing remains a constant danger.

The Austrian team has sent at least one of its drivers to the Singapore podium in each of the last nine years, and in 2018 Max Verstappen was a race-long threat to Hamilton’s win, having run the Briton close in qualifying despite suffering engine problems.

“The track is very demanding… but it’s one of my favourites,” Verstappen said.

“We’re aiming for maximum points and I’m really looking forward to it.”

In the sister car Thai driver Alex Albon will make his debut Singapore appearance, but the 23-year-old is unfazed by his best opportunity yet to claim a maiden front row and podium finish.

“Singapore is also kind of a home race for me as it’s the closest grand prix to Thailand, so I’ll have extra family and sponsors coming to support me, which makes

it even more exciting.”

Only Mercedes stands in its way, but despite winning the last three Singapore grands prix, the German marque can’t expect an easy weekend.

The ever-present Southeast Asian heat and humidity make the Singapore Grand Prix the most physically demanding race on the calendar, and the seemingly endless string of corners and bumpy public roads taxes the drivers’ concentration to its limits over 61 laps, but it’s equally challenging for machine as for man.

With so few straights, engines and brakes have little opportunity to cool themselves, threatening technical failure.

This is a particular difficulty for Mercedes and its aggressively packaged bodywork. The Austrian Grand Prix, run in the height of the European heat wave, exposed the German marque’s inadequate cooling, leaving Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton to limp home third and fifth.

It’s all music to the ears of Red Bull Racing in its quest for a third win in 2019.

thephuketnews

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Norwich stun City as Reds stretch EPL lead FOOTBALL

AFP

M

anchester City succumbed to a first Premier League defeat since January in stunning fashion to newly-promoted Norwich 3-2 last Saturday (Sept 14), as Liverpool opened up a five-point lead at the top of the table by beating Newcastle 3-1.

Tottenham and Chelsea bounced back to form with comprehensive wins over Crystal Palace and Wolves respectively, while Manchester United held out for a muchneeded three points with a 1-0 victory over Leicester.

However, Liverpool were the big winners of the day as the gaps left in City’s defence by the injured Aymeric Laporte were exposed at Carrow Road.

“We had to be special in our plan for City because they are the best team in the world and we had setbacks too with our injuries, but we deserved the win today.

We were exceptional,” said Norwich boss Daniel Farke.

Kenny McLean showed up the champions’ struggles to defend set-pieces with a towering header to open the scoring and Teemu Pukki then squared for Todd Cantwell to make it 2-0 inside 28 minutes.

City regained their composure and got a foothold in the game before half-time when Sergio Aguero headed home Bernardo Silva’s cross.

However, with Laporte out till January at least with a serious knee injury, Pep Guardiola has problems to solve at the heart of his defence as John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi gifted Norwich a third at the start of the second-half.

Emiliano Buendia robbed

@thephuketnews

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero (2nd R) has his attempt blocked during the English Premier League match between Norwich City and Manchester City at Carrow Road in Norwich, eastern England on September 14. Norwich won the game 3-2. Photo: AFP Otamendi on the edge of his own box and set up Pukki to prod home.

City rallied late on, but Rodri’s first goal for the club two minutes from time was too little, too late.

“I know what we are as a team, what we have done, what we are going to do again, and I love my players. It is a pleasure and honour to be with them,” insisted Guardiola.

Liverpool turn up in time Liverpool also fell behind early on to Newcastle as Jetro Willems’ brilliant finish saw the Reds trailing at Anfield for the first time since March.

Sadio Mane fired into the top corner to start the revival, but it was the introduction of Roberto Firmino off the bench for the injured Divock Origi that truly turned the tide in Liverpool’s favour.

The Brazilian’s through ball was spilled by Martin Dubravka to allow Mane a simple task for his second just before half-time, and another

brilliant Firmino flick teed up Salah to seal the points 18 minutes from time.

Relief for Lampard Frank Lampard has endured a difficult start on his return to Stamford Bridge as manager, but he enjoyed his finest day so far in charge of Chelsea with his faith in youth fully vindicated in a 5-2 win at Wolves.

Tammy Abraham was the star of the show with a hattrick, but Fikayo Tomori also scored his first goal for the club and Mason Mount completed a perfect day for three graduates of Chelsea’s academy.

“All three goals were so different, it just shows what he can do,” said Lampard of Abraham, who now has seven goals in three games.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said David Beckham asked to play for his side so impressed was the former England captain with Spurs first-half demolition of Palace in a 4-0 win.

All four goals came before half-time with Son Heung-min scoring twice either side of Patrick van Aanholt's own goal before Erik Lamela rounded off the scoring.

United had to suffer far more for just a second win in 10 league matches.

Rashford shrugged off his recent miss from the spot in defeat to Palace to convert a penalty on eight minutes after he had been brought down by Caglar Soyuncu.

United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Leicester are all now level on eight points from five games behind the top two.

“We hung in there. It was the first time this season where we have had to defend for large periods,” said United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Jeff Hendrick struck a late equaliser for Burnley to secure a 1-1 draw at Brighton after Neil Maupay’s opener for the Seagulls. Southampton were 1-0 victors at Sheffield United courtesy of a brilliant strike from Moussa Djenepo.

SPORT 31 English Premier League 2019 - 2020 Team

MP

W

D

L

F

A

GD

Pts

0

0

15

4

+11

15

1

Liverpool

5

5

2

Manchester City

5

3

1

1

16

6

+10

10

3

Tottenham Hotspur

5

2

2

1

11

6

+5

8

4

Manchester United

5

2

2

1

8

4

+4

8

5

Leicester City

5

2

2

1

6

4

+2

8

6

Chelsea

5

2

2

1

11

11

0

8

7

Arsenal

5

2

2

1

8

8

0

8

8

West Ham United

5

2

2

1

6

7

-1

8

9

Bournemouth

5

2

1

2

8

9

-1

7

10 Southampton

5

2

1

2

5

6

-1

7

11 Everton

5

2

1

2

5

7

-2

7

12 Crystal Palace

5

2

1

2

3

6

-3

7

13 Norwich City

5

2

0

3

9

12

-3

6

14 Burnley

5

1

2

2

6

7

-1

5

15 Sheffield United

5

1

2

2

5

6

-1

5

16 Brighton

5

1

2

2

5

8

-3

5

17

Aston Villa

5

1

1

3

4

6

-2

4

18 Newcastle United

5

1

1

3

4

8

-4

4

19 Wolverhampton

5

0

3

2

6

10

-4

3

20 Watford

5

0

2

3

4

10

-6

2

Live Sports TV Schedule *Times may be subject to change

SPORT

START STOP

Friday 20 Sep

EVENT

TEAMS / INFO

Rugby World Cup, Japan RWC – Tokyo

Opening Ceremony

NRL

Rabbitohs v. Sea Eagles

AFL - SF1

Richmond v Geelong Cats

RWC - Sapporo

Australia v. Fiji

th

Rugby Union

16:30 17:30 17:45 19:45

Rugby League 16:50 18:50 Aussie Rules

16:30 19:30

Japan v. Russia

Saturday 21 Sep st

Rugby Union

Rugby Union

11:45 13:45 14:15 16:15

RWC - Tokyo

France v. Argentina

16:45 18:45

RWC - Yokohama

New Zealand v. South Africa

19:00 20:30 Oktoberfest Sevens 21:40 23:30 Oktoberfest Sevens

Rugby League 16:50 18:50 Soccer

18:30 20:30

Munich, Session 1 Munich, Session 2

NRL

Melb. Storm v Parramatta Eels

EPL

Leicester v. Tottenham

21:00 23:00

EPL

Everton v. Sheffield

21:00 23:00

EPL

Man City v. Watford

23:30 01:30

EPL

Newcastle v. Brighton

13:30 16:30

AFL - SF2

Collingwood v. GWS Giants

Motor Racing 18:30 20:30

Formula 1

Qualifying – Singapore

MotoGP

Qualifying, Aragon

12:15 14:15

RWC - Osaka

Italy v. Namibia

14:45 16:45

RWC - Yokohama

Ireland v. Scotland

17:15 19:15

RWC - Sapporo

England v. Tonga

Aussie Rules Motor Bikes

17:00 21:00

Sunday 22nd Sep Rugby Union

Rugby Union

16:00 17:30 Oktoberfest Sevens 18:40 20:30 Oktoberfest Sevens

Soccer

20:00 22:00 22:30 00:30

EPL

Munich, Session 4 Munich, Session 5 West Ham v. Man United

EPL

Chelsea v. Liverpool

Motor Racing 18:30 19:00

Formula 1

Raceday – Singapore

19:00 21:30

Formula 1

Singapore Grand Prix

15:30 20:30

MotoGP

Grand Prix of Aragon

Motor Bikes

Sport

THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

editor3@classactmedia.co.th

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Red Bull chase 10th podium in Lion City > p30

UP FOR GRABS Who will win the Rugby World Cup? South Africa Captain and hooker Schalk Brits receives the ball during their 2019 Rugby Union World Cup warm-up test match between South Africa against Argentina at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, on August 17, 2019. Photo: AFP

RUGBY AFP

T

he 2019 edition of the Rugby World Cup is being hailed as the most open ever, with several teams considered serious contenders. Here are the main challengers: New Zealand: three in a row?

Bookmakers’ favourites to win an unprecedented third straight title, the mighty All Blacks tuned up for their Cup defence with a 92-7 demolition of Tonga and with three former World Rugby Players of the Year in their ranks, they remain the team to beat in Japan.

Coach Steve Hansen has challenged his players to embrace the pressure and it will take a momentous performance to prie the trophy from the likes of Beauden Barrett, Brodie Retallick and Kieran Reid.

But some chinks in the armour have emerged. They relinquished

the Rugby Championship to South Africa after being held 16-16 at home, and slumped to a record loss to the Wallabies after Scott Barrett’s controversial red card.

The Pool B clash between the All Blacks and the Springboks promises to be the crunch match of the early stages and could have a huge bearing on who lifts the trophy on November 2.

Springboks: can history repeat itself?

South Africa waited 12 years between their two World Cup triumphs in 1995 and 2007 and are hoping the pattern repeats itself in 2019.

If Siya Kolisi, the first black player to captain the Springboks at a World Cup, lifts the Webb Ellis Cup, it would be an image to rival the famous picture of then skipper Francois Pienaar receiving the trophy from Nelson Mandela.

Coming off the back of their first southern hemisphere title in 10 years, the Springboks will fancy

their chances and the advantage of having the All Blacks in their pool is that they cannot face them again until the final.

Coach Rassie Erasmus has been lauded for a “miraculous” turnaround in South Africa, only two years after suffering a 57-0 humiliation at the hands of arch-rivals New Zealand the worst loss in their history.

Ireland: breaking the Q-F ceiling?

Desperate to overcome the jinx of never having won a World Cup knock-out match, Ireland come into the tournament ranked top after beating Wales home and away in warm-up games.

Much rests on the shoulders of current World Player of the Year Johnny Sexton, with the 34-year-old playmaker suffering a drop in form in recent months.

And the injuries that have blighted previous campaigns – an injuryravaged squad lost 43-20 to Argentina in the 2015 quarter-final – already

threaten to strike again, especially in the back line.

But Joe Schmidt’s Ireland have shown they can beat the best, with two historic wins over the All Blacks and the will to give their departing coach a World Cup to add to his three Six Nations titles.

England: the Jones effect?

Never has a host team failed to make the World Cup quarter-finals.

Yet that was the humiliating fate suffered by England in 2015 and they will be desperate to make amends in Japan.

Their not-so-secret weapon?

Australian coach Eddie Jones, who has extensive experience in Japan after leading the Brave Blossoms, who memorably beat the Springboks 34-32 in the 2015 World Cup’s “miracle of Brighton”.

This time, England boast enviable firepower up front with Billy Vunipola and Maro Itoje capable of making significant line breaks, and pace out wide with Jonny May and

Elliot Daly.

They have twin playmakers in Owen Farrell and George Ford and come into the tournament with confidence high after destroying the Irish 57-15 at Twickenham.

Wales: can the dragon roar?

The proud rugby nation will be hoping to send talismanic skipper Alun Wyn Jones and Kiwi coach Warren Gatland out on a high after a run of 11 home wins from 2017 that saw them briefly occupy the top of the world rankings.

But while Gatland has led Wales to three Grand Slams, limited success against the southern hemisphere powerhouses – including 11 straight losses against the All Blacks – has raised doubts about their World Cupwinning pedigree.

Injuries have also blighted Wales’ preparation, with Taulupe Faletau and Gareth Anscombe not making the plane to Japan, while assistant coach Rob Howley was sent home over an alleged gambling breach. thephuketnews