Pattaya Mail - FRIDAY JULY 20 - JULY 26, 2018 (Vol. XXVI No. 29)

Established in 1993

VOL.XXVI No. 29

Pattaya’s First English Language Newspaper

FRIDAY JULY 20 - JULY 26, 2018

26th Year

30 BAHT

Pattaya Mail Strikes Silver!

This edition marks the 25th anniversary of the first Pattaya Mail, Vol. I No. 1 that hit the newsstands on July 23, 2018. In today’s day and age, it’s remarkable for any business to last this long, but we did, and do not plan on stopping anytime soon. Spread throughout the following pages of this anniversary edition, we take a look back at the past 25 years. We hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we did researching and publishing it. It is with heartfelt thanks that we salute you the reader, you the advertiser, and you the contributor, for without you we wouldn’t have been able to last this long. We hope we may continue to live up to your expectations for many years to come.

2 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

Pattaya eyes ‘split’ sewage Chonburi marks King Narai Day pipe system to end spills Jetsada Homklin Pattaya is planning to revamp its entire sewage-transport system to split condos and large commercial buildings from small homes and businesses to prevent the types of overflows that have fouled local beaches this year.

Speaking at the July 11 Pattaya Business & Tourism Association meeting, Sewage Management Department Director Sompope Wandee said a budget will be requested for the system overhaul that should prevent spills like those this year on both Pattaya and Najomtien beaches.

The lingering Najomtien sewage overflow affecting the beach from Soi 17 to the Pupen restaurant has been blamed on the Sattahip sub-district’s lack of a waste-treatment plant and broken pumps.

The Pattaya Sanitation Department offered to funnel the sewage to its Soi Wat Boonsamphan sewage-treatment plant if Najomtien linked its pipes to the city’s. But sub-district officials dragged their feet, prolonging the pollution and smell.

Sompope said the connection has now been completed and will continue until Najomtien fixes its pumps.

South Pattaya Beach also has been fouled with sewage twice this year due to flooding overflows and broken pumps.

The long-term solution, Sompope said, is to separate major sewage producers from smaller ones. Engineers already are drafting plans to have waste from large commercial

Sewage Management Department Director Sompope Wandee said a budget will be requested for a sewage system overhaul that should prevent spills like those this year on both Pattaya and Najomtien beaches. buildings, hotels and condominium towers travel via different pipes than those to residential homes and small businesses. In addition, storm runoff will have its own dedicated drainage pipes.

The result, Sompope said, would be that flooding no longer would result in sewage backing up on to the streets and onto beaches.

However, he added that Pattaya is also considering requiring hotels, large condos and major polluters to install their own sewagetreatment equipment to ease the burden on city infrastructure.

At this stage the new sewage system is just plans on paper. Nothing will happen without government funding, which Pattaya hopes to secure sometime in the future.

Sukhawadee House closed for failing to remove encroachments Boonlua Chatree Pattaya has shut down tourist attraction Sukhawadee House after its operator ignored earlier demands to demolish a staircase encroaching on public property.

Deputy Mayor Vichien Pongpanit brought public works and other city workers to the ostentatious Sukhumvit Road mansion July 12 where they erected a sign informing visitors the attraction will be closed until its many encroachment problems are resolved.

Officials gave its owner Panya Chotitawan, the head of poultry giant Saha Farms, 45 days to comply or the city would do the demolition itself and bill Panya.

In January, 11 of Sukhawadee House’s 80 rai of land were deemed to be public land, including landfill reclaimed from the sea. The land included gardens and salas and was encircled by a fence as

Chonburi marked the 329th anniversary of the passing of Thailand’s greatest king of Ayutthaya with a garland-laying ceremony at the provincial hall.

Gov. Pakarathorn Thienchai presided over the July 11 ceremony, which saw a presentation of flowers to mark the date of King Narai Maharat’s – or King Ramathibodi III – death in 1688.

The date was set as an official holiday by the Cabinet in 2010.

Narai the Great was the king of Ayutthaya from 1656 to 1688 and arguably was the most famous Ayutthayan monarch. His reign marked the kingdom’s greatest era of prosperity but, more importantly, opened the thenSiam to the west by forming close relations with France and giving other foreigners significant influence at the royal court.

Gov. Pakarathorn Thienchai presided over the July 11 ceremony honoring King Narai Maharat, King Ramathibodi III. The period was also marked with turmoil, as England declared war against Siam after Narai ordered the slaughter of every English settler in the city of Mergui – now part of Myanmar – and invaded Burmese Lanna in 1662. The king’s willingness to give foreigners

power at court also laid the foundation of the revolution of 1688.

Historians say the mostremarkable aspects of Narai’s reign were his diplomatic missions sent to France, England, and the Vatican, as well as Persia, India and China closer to home. (CPRD)

Koh Larn pier shoreline cleaned Pattaya has cleaned up the beachfront in front of Koh Larn’s fishing pier to prevent damage to small boats.

Island sanitation chief Itthiphol Nethiyakub Singkornkaew led the July 12 operation to remove rocks and gravel from the sandy base of the pier following complaints from local fishermen.

Large vehicles scooped up and filtered the sand before carrying away the rocky mixture.

Fisherman said the debris washed ashore over time created a hazard to the hulls of their small boats. (PPRD)

Pattaya cleaned up the beachfront in front of Koh Larn’s fishing pier to prevent damage to small boats.

Pattaya dusts off marine safety checks following Phuket boat tragedy Pattaya has shut down tourist attraction Sukhawadee House after its operator ignored earlier demands to demolish a staircase encroaching on public property. well as the takeover of a waterfront footpath where tour buses were allowed to park.

Until this month, Sukhawadee management had cooperated with the city and was allowed to operate normally. However, on July 5, Pattaya officials discovered a staircase had been built that encroached on a public footpath. In addition, the mansion had laid down artificial grass and put out tables and chairs.

They also determined that a large building near the area exceeded the boundaries of the tourist attraction’s property line.

Managers said in early July that they would remove all the newly found encroachments, but Vichien said it was just lip service and nothing had been started a week later. Out of patience, he ordered the attraction shut until remedial action is taken.

Jetsada Homklin Right on cue, Pattaya officials ordered renewed safety checks following the tragic sinking of two tourist boats in Phuket.

As happens after every serious marine accident nationwide, the Marine Department and municipal police checked licenses, boat seaworthiness and life-jacket use at Bali Hai Pier.

The checks follow the July 6 sinking of the Phoenix and Serenita in heavy seas between Koh Racha and

Pattaya Municipal Police check up on boats and sea operators along the shores of Pattaya and the pier after the Phuket tragedy.

Phuket’s Chalong Pier.

Forty-five passengers – nearly all Chinese tourists – died and two remain missing.

Such accidents routinely are followed by much-ballyhooed “crackdowns” on marine safety in Pattaya and elsewhere. But the crackdowns are soon forgotten and then it becomes business

as usual again until the next tourist dies.

Following the tried-andtrue script, Pattaya officials ordered life guard and searescue squads to remain vigilant, municipal police to check all boats leaving port, and Marine Department inspectors to check speedboat and ferry licenses.

Read more news at pattayamail.com

VOL. XXVI No. 29

PATTAYA MAIL

Pattaya Beach rebuild months behind schedule Jetsada Homklin The much-delayed restoration of Pattaya Beach is running badly behind schedule with little chance of an August completion as promised by Mayor Anan Charoenchasri.

Speaking to the July 11 meeting of the Pattaya Business & Tourism Association meeting at the Green Park Resort, Marine Department Director Ekaraj Kantaro said that contractors have rebuilt only the 400 northernmost meters of the erosion-worn beachfront since work began in earnest in April.

With 2.3 kilometers of beach left to go, there’s virtually no chance it will be completed by the end of next month, as promised April 23 by the mayor.

Kantaro updated the business leaders on the tormented history of the 500-million-bahtplus project first begun in

The much-delayed restoration of Pattaya Beach is running badly behind schedule with little chance of an August completion.

2011 after a warning by environmental experts that Pattaya’s sandy shoreline could be wiped away within five years.

The project has been halted several times because of the city’s inability to acquire a source of appropriate sand.

Finally in early March following a 15-month suspension, the sand-refill project halted March 20 when the Marine Department decreed that the sand brought in from Koh Rang, a small island south of Koh Chang, didn’t match Pattaya’s

beachfront well enough.

The entire project plan was sent back to consultants at Chulalongkorn University who twice before had recommended the wrong sand. This time, however, they maintain they made the right call.

Kantaro said the sand was “good enough” and, after a few days in the sun, bleached to a color close enough to Pattaya’s native sand.

The first 400 meters already have reopened to tourists and beach vendors.

Sellers further down the beach, meanwhile, have been told they will have to relocate as contractors move southward.

Rain, flooding and renewed erosion also has slowed the rebuild, Kantaro said, refusing to rule out further work stoppages due to rainy season flooding.

Social workers, students trained to spot human trafficking Jetsada Homklin Pattaya taught social workers, community leaders and students how to spot and report human traffickers at a July 12 seminar.

Deputy Mayor Vichien Pongpanit opened the training session for 150 government workers and members of private-sector organizations and schools.

Pol. Col. Chaowalit Ketsrimek related his experiences in investigating human-trafficking and missing-persons cases and explained how traffickers work and indicators to look for.

Speakers also briefed the crowd on the human-trafficking problem across the country and efforts to combat it.

They also educated attendees on relevant laws and penalties.

Deputy Mayor Vichien Pongpanit opened a training session for social workers, community leaders and students on how to spot and report human traffickers.

SEALs return from cave to hero’s welcome in Sattahip

Thai Navy SEALs received a hero’s welcome as they returned to their Sattahip base after the successful rescue of a youth football team from a cave near Chiang Rai.

Patcharapol Panrak Thai Navy SEALs received a hero’s welcome as they returned to their Sattahip base after the successful rescue of a youth football team from a cave near Chiang Rai. Adm. Rangsalit Sattayakul joined sailors, civil servants and residents July 12 in welcoming back the divers who

helped bring out the 12 boys and their coach from the flooded Tham Luang cave.

The massive crowd praised the heroes and shouted the SEALs trademark “hooyah” slogan.

The navy dispatched 159 personnel to Tham Luang, including 127 SEAL team members, with the rest being medical and support

officers. They were active for 15 days and saw one of their former enlisted comrades die in the rescue effort.

The admiral thanked all the team members individually and praised them as heroes. They were brave, strong and saw things to the end, with a successful result in helping all of the trapped safely.

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 3

4 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

Woman’s body found in Pong Underage driver, toddler injured Boonlua Chatree Nongprue police are trying to identify the body of a woman found in a Pong tapioca field.

The fully dressed woman in a red and white sleeveless

shirt and short jeans had been dead for about three weeks, making an immediate determination of how she was killed impossible. Not far from the corpse was a bundle of hair that was collected as evidence.

Sawang Boriboon foundation personnel took the body to Police Hospital for a forensic examination. Police have been canvassing people in the area to seek clues as to who the woman was and what happened.

in Sattahip motorbike wreck

Patcharapol Panrak

Bang Saray restaurateur investigated for floor collapse that hurt 29

Umarin Chumchai suffered a broken leg while her 3-year-old brother escaped with only scrapes and bruises after Umarin lost control of her motorbike and collided with a power pole.

Two children too young to be driving were hurt when their motorbike slammed into a utility pole during heavy rain in Sattahip.

Umarin Chumchai, 15, suffered a broken leg July 10 while her 3-year-old brother Thanakorn Charoenwong escaped with only scrapes and bruises. Both were transported to Queen Sirikit Naval Medical Center.

Umarin said she was taking the toddler to preschool, but strong wind blew her raincoat over her face as she drove the bike. She lost control and collided with the power pole.

Sattahip drug sting nets under half-gram of meth The owner of a Bang Saray restaurant where 29 people were hurt when its wooden floor collapsed may face charges for poorly maintaining the eatery sitting three meters above the water.

Patcharapol Panrak The owner of a Bang Saray restaurant where 29 people were hurt when its wooden floor collapsed may face charges for poorly maintaining the eatery sitting three meters above the water.

Patcharin Osataphan, owner of Ruantalay Bangsaray, met with police investigators July 13, a few hours after 70 guests fell through the

6-by-11-meter hole that opened up in the restaurants main concourse. Of the 70, 41 fell 2.6 meters to a sandy beach while 29 ended up in the water.

Sawang Rojana Thammasathan Foundation rescuers spent 30 minutes pulling all the victims to safety and transporting them to three area hospitals. Injuries ranged from cuts to broken bones.

The victims were part of a

group of 200 workers from Buriram Sugar PLC who had come to the Sattahip subdistrict for a day at the beach and a seafood lunch.

Witnesses said the group was making its way to their tables when some stopped to look at a large aquarium.

Suddenly the floor caved in.

Bang Saray officials said the restaurant’s wooden floors and beams were old and poorly maintained.

Fire damages Pattaya apartment house

Patcharapol Panrak Sattahip authorities arrested a couple for selling less than a half-gram of crystal methamphetamine.

Jittima Aimaum, 20, and Jakkrit Souanchid, 27, were apprehended in a July 7 sting operation on Sukhumvit Road in front of a PTT gas station.

Jittima had 0.43 grams of crystal meth in her purse along with the marked five 100-baht notes used by a former customer who was cooperating with police. Jakkrit was arrested as an accomplice, as he was driving.

Squid trader nabbed for selling drugs as side dish

Boonlua Chatree

Patcharapol Panrak

Fire damaged three units in a Pattaya apartment house, causing hundreds of thousands of baht in damage, but no injuries.

Firefighters took about 20 minutes July 11 to extinguish the flames on the second floor of the Sapawadee Apartment on Sukhumvit Soi 85.

The resident who reported the fire, identified only as Sab, 47, said he was pulling into the parking lot when he saw smoke pouring out of apartment 5. He immediately shut off the 12-unit building’s main power breaker.

The fire spread from apartment 5 to the two adjoining

A Samae San squid wholesaler was arrested for allegedly selling drugs with his seafood.

Wirat Sukdamran, 31, was taken into custody at his stall at the Samae San Market July 12. A search of his person and shop uncovered 52 methamphetamine tablets and 1.7 grams of crystal meth.

He was ratted out by Prawat Preamsri, 23, who had been arrested earlier for both consuming and selling drugs.

Fire damaged three units in a 12-unit Pattaya apartment house, causing hundreds of thousands of baht in damage, but no injuries. units. Police speculated an electrical short started the fire, but were waiting for an actual investigation.

Apartment 5 resident Kajorn Nindee, 29, said no one was

home at the time of the fire.

The entire room was destroyed, including 10,000 baht and cosmetic products she sold online for extra revenue.

Jittima had 0.43 grams of crystal meth in her purse along with the marked five 100-baht notes used by a former customer who was cooperating with police.

A Samae San squid wholesaler was arrested for allegedly selling drugs with his seafood.

Prawat told police that the squid vendor was his supplier.

Sattahip District officials said Wirat confessed and

named “Aod Nongkrajong” as his supplier, but the larger drug dealer has already fled the area.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 5

PATTAYA MAIL

Chonburi exhibit celebrates Pattaya to test heralded mosquito trap to curb dengue cases HRH Princess Chulabhorn Warapun Jaikusol

Deputy Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Culture Chai Nakronchai opens the HRH Princess Chulabhorn birthday exhibition at provincial hall.

Chonburi illustrated the life and works of HRH Princess Chulabhorn to celebrate her 61st birthday.

Deputy Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Culture Chai Nakronchai opened the July 9 exhibition at the provincial hall.

The exhibit contained her biography, works, and examples of her kindness toward Thai people, as well as exhibitions of arts and

culture, and sales of cultural products by community networks adhering to the HM the late King Rama IX’s “sufficiency economy” philosophy.

Chai said the princess has worked to reinforce scientific knowledge and environmental conservation and to raise the skill level of Thai workers.

Apart from being accepted internationally for her abilities

in science, she has applied these to science and technology for the country’s development of education, health and sanitation.

Princess Chulabhorn was born July 4, 1957, the youngest daughter of HM the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. Her full Thai title is Somdet Phrachao Luk Thoe Chaofa Chulabhorn Valayalaksana Agrarajakumari. (CPRD)

‘Forgetful’ cabbie leaves passenger at gas station Keng Na Songkhla A Pattaya taxi driver claims it was simply an “accident” that he left a South Korean tourist at a gas station, leaving with his belongings.

Driver Sutthiphong Aunion, 47, contacted police July 11 to alert them that he’d forgotten the man when he filled up in Nongmai Daeng, Chonburi.

He said he was taking the man to Bangkok and stopped to get gas. When he did, the tourist went inside to use the restroom. Once Sutthiphong filled up, he jumped back in the cab, glanced to see his bags were in the car and drove off.

Pattaya Tourist Police Division commander Pol. Lt. Col. Piyapong Ensarn

Taxi driver Sutthiphong Aunion claims it was simply an “accident” that he left a South Korean tourist at a gas station. quickly dispatched officers to the station where they found the bewildered tourist waiting.

Piyapong said the man wasn’t angry, just worried,

and accepted an apology from the cabbie once he returned. He then got in his cab again and – checking that the tourist was on board – headed back off to Bangkok.

4 split 108,600 baht for top fireworks photos Jetsada Homklin Four amateur photographers split more than 100,000 baht in prize money for capturing the best shots of the Pattaya International Fireworks Festival.

Tithipong Sukpaiboonwat took first place and 42,500 baht. Pratheep Suwannawong won 34,000 baht for second place. Vichan Srisanegnil took home 17,800 baht for third and Akapope Suthamno won 14,300 baht for the best view of the June 9 festival from Central Festival Pattaya Beach, which sponsored the photo contest.

The contest was a bit unusual as rules prohibited any editing or post-processing

This photo won Tithipong Sukpaiboonwat first place in the Pattaya International Fireworks Festival contest. of the photos; they had to be submitted straight from

the camera, a difficult feat for shooting fireworks.

Pattaya will begin distributing an award-winning mosquito-trap to try and bring the city’s stubborn dengue fever-infection rate down.

Disease control chief Kanrapa Mukdasanit said July 4 that schools, temples and community offices would begin testing the LeO-Trap, a modified mosquito trap developed by the Health Ministry’s Department of Medical Sciences.

The device, which lures mosquitos to lay their eggs inside and then kills the bugs when they hatch, won the Platinum award at the National Research Center ’s Platinum National Research Award.

Users add about 2.5 centimeters of water to a black box with a hole in the back, and then a quarter teaspoon of Zeolite pesticide. Users then close the lid and place it in a spot where mosquitos tend to breed, such as dark spots, under a clothesline, in a bathroom or bushes. Mosquitos fly into the hole in the box and lay eggs in the water.

When the eggs hatch in one or two days, they are poisoned by the Zerolite and die within hours.

Advocates say the box is small and inconspicuous and easy to maintain, with

Disease control chief Kanrapa Mukdasanit said that schools, temples and community offices would begin testing the award-winning LeO-Trap mosquito-trap to try and bring the city’s stubborn dengue feverinfection rate down. water added periodically and Zeolite only every three months.

The box has been shown to reduce mosquito populations in the areas around them.

The schools and temples will test the effectiveness of the device and the Public Health Department will monitor the rate of dengue infections in Pattaya. If the devices are shown to be effective, they will

be distributed widely with every house advised to have one inside and one outside.

Health officials said the new traps are necessary as Pattaya’s anti-dengue campaign – which has included frequent pesticide sprayings, distribution of abate and concerted educational efforts – has failed to reduce the number of new dengue cases reported.

6 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

L.A.O.s meet in Pattaya for environmental health accreditation

A Health Ministry symposium at the Ambassador City Hotel July 10-12 saw sub-district level civil servants exchange knowledge and learn the standards needed to achieve Environmental Health Accreditation (EHA).

Warapun Jaikusol Local administrators from across Thailand met in Pattaya for training to win Environ-

mental Health Accreditation.

The Health Ministry symposium at the Ambassador City Hotel July 10-12 saw sub-district level civil

servants exchange knowledge and learn the standards needed to achieve Environmental Health Accreditation (EHA).

Danai Teewanda, deputy director-general at the Department of Health, explained that EHA is part of the second National Environmental Health Strategic Plan jointly developed by the Health, Natural Resources and Environment, and Interior ministries.

From 2014 to 2017, 2,680 local administration organizations attained Environmental Health Accreditation, as well as 1,032 municipalities. 392 local administration organizations achieved a certified level while 576 local administration organizations achieved the basic level.

Many more municipalities have yet to apply.

China joins 20 most innovative economies, Thailand makes comeback Edith M. Lederer New York (AP) - China joined the world’s top 20 most innovative economies for the first time, while Thailand made a comeback to the achievers list this year, according to a report released last week by one of its cosponsors, the U.N. intellectual property agency.

The Global Innovation Index 2018 keeps Switzerland in the No. 1 spot, followed by the Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom and Singapore. The United States fell from fourth place in 2017 to sixth this year, while China jumped from 22nd to 17th in the rankings.

Francis Gurry, director general of the U.N. World Intellectual Property Organization, said China’s ranking represents a breakthrough for its economy, which is rapidly transforming and prioritizing research and ingenuity.

“China’s rapid rise reflects a strategic direction set from the top leadership to developing world-class capacity in innovation and to moving the structural basis of the economy to more knowledgeintensive industries that rely on innovation to maintain competitive advantage,” Gurry said. “It heralds the arrival of multipolar innovation.”

Now in its 11th edition, the index ranks 126 economies based on 80 indicators ranging from the creation of mobile applications to education spending, scientific and technical publications, and intellectual property filing rates.

The index is sponsored by the WIPO, Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business and INSEAD, the graduate school of business with campuses in France, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

They say it gives global decision makers a better understanding of how to stimulate innovation, which “drives economic and human development.”

The report said “China’s innovation prowess becomes evident in various areas,” with some of its greatest improvements in global research and development companies, high technology imports, the quality of its publications, and enrollment in graduate education.

“In absolute values, and in areas such as R&D expenditures and the number of researchers, patents and publications, China is now first or second in the world, with volumes that overshadow most high income economies,” it said.

The report said that China’s rapid rise in the rankings over the last few years has been spectacular and that it shows the way for other middle-income economies, though only Malaysia, currently 35th in the rankings, continues to edge closer to the top 25.

According to the index, 20 middle and lower-income economies that perform “significantly better” than their level of development would predict made this year’s list of “innovation achievers,” including three for the first time - South Africa, Tunisia and Colombia.

Six of the achievers come from sub-Sahara Africa, the most for any region. In addition to South Africa, they are Kenya, Rwanda, Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar.

There were five achievers from Eastern Europe Moldova, Armenia, Ukraine, Montenegro and Serbia.

The report singles out three countries that made a comeback to the achievers list this year - Mongolia, Thailand and Montenegro.

In addition to Kenya, three other countries have been on the achievers list for eight years - Moldova, Vietnam and India.

PATTAYA MAIL PUBLISHING CO., LTD. 62/284-286 Moo 12, Thepprasit Road, Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20150.

Administration, Advertising and Editorial Offices: Tel: 038 411 240-1, 038 413 240-1 • Fax: 038 427 596 E-mail: ptymail@pattayamail.com • Website: http://www.pattayamail.com Managing Director Pratheep S. Malhotra e-mail: pratheep@pattayamail.com Executive Editor Daniel M. Dorothy e-mail: dan@pattayamail.com Kamolthep Malhotra e-mail: prince@pattayamail.com Deputy Managing Director Director-Business Development Suwanthep Malhotra e-mail: tony@pattayamail.com Editor Nopniwat Krailerg e-mail: editor@pattayamail.com Sports Editor Martin Bilsborrow e-mail: martin@pattayamail.com Executive Editor-Pattaya Blatt Elfi Seitz e-mail: elfi@pattayablatt.com Director of Communications Supa Kukarja e-mail: sue@pattayamail.com Senior Special Correspondent Peter Cummins e-mail: npetercummins@hotmail.com Newsroom Manager Marcus Souksi e-mail: marcus@pattayamail.com Advertising Department Nutsara Duangsri e-mail: nutsara@pattayamail.com News Department: Boonlua Chatree, Jetsada Homklin, Urasin Khantaraphan, Patcharapol Panrak, Tanachot Anuwan, Theerarak Suthathiwong (e-mail: newsdesk@pattayamail.com) © Copyright Pattaya Mail Publishing Co., Ltd.

At the bottom of the innovation rankings are Bolivia, Nigeria, Guinea, Zambia, Benin, Niger, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Togo and Yemen.

The list of 126 nations includes three countries that climbed 10 places in the rankings: Iran from 75th to 65th, Albania from 93rd to 83rd, and Egypt from 105th to 95th. Macedonia, meanwhile, fell more than 10 spots, from 61st to 84th.

Accounting firm PKF opens Pattaya office

Global CEO of PKF International John Sim (right) congratulates CEO of PKF Holding Ltd. Thailand Andrew McBean (left) on the launch of PKF’s first office in Pattaya.

Seaboard, operated by exJetsada Homklin pert staff that live locally who Global accounting firm PKF understand the unique and International has opened its specific requirements of first office in Pattaya, offer- businesses and individuals ing bookkeeping, taxation who are based in the eastern region of Thailand. and investment advice.

The PKF Pattaya office is PKF Holding Thailand chief Andrew McBean welcomed located between Big C South guests and local business Pattaya and The Glass conowners to the company’s dominium on South Road launch at the InterContinental and provides accounting, taxation, investment laws Pattaya Resort July 6.

Suwatana Kmolwatananisa, consultations to both Thai deputy governor for strat- and foreign clients. It’s headegy and development of the quartered in Bangkok.

PKF has more than 400 ofIndustrial Estate Authority of Thailand, opened the session fices worldwide and operwith a briefing on the Eastern ates in 150 countries across Economic Corridor before five regions. Global CEO of PKF International John Sim McBeam took the podium.

PKF is a major global ac- also joined the launch to counting firm with an ac- convey his congratulations tive branch in the Eastern to the regional team.

Fine the noisy bikers on Sois VC and Yensabai Editor: Why are Pattaya City Police only targeting Thai and Farangs for failing to wear crash helmets, but not charging visitors from the Middle East?

Dozens of these visitors race up and down Soi VC and Soi Yensabai 24 hours a day on high speed motorbikes, but not one rider wears a helmet!

Pattaya City Police make no effort to stop and fine them! Is it because they never

pay the fines? If so there is a simple solution. Bring along a mobile fines desk and have them pay on the spot, or lose their motorbike!

If the Pattaya City Police visited this area every two or three days at different times of the day and night, they could raise large sums through fines for no helmets, speeding and excessive noise and keep local residents happy!

Robert Valentine

Better than winning the lottery Dear Editor; Watching the news for the past two plus weeks and praying fervently for the safe rescue of the cave boys, I was totally gladdened to learn on Tuesday evening of the rescue of the final four plus their asst. coach. They were in my thoughts and prayers every single day and a special prayer said to Lord Buddha to watch over and protect them. Special prayers for their rescue also at Mass last week when the whole congregation prayed for them.

Seeing their smiles on the news when the first divers found them was incredible. Living as they did on drops of water coming off the ceilings in the cave, they appeared in good spirits and the ‘V’ sign one of the boys gave was wonderful.

I should wish to congratulate every single person involved in the rescue Write to the Editor:

E-mail: mailbag@pattayamail.com

operation and my prayers and thanks go out to them for their incredible teamwork and efforts. The whole world was watching with bated breath and now all we can do is await the boys leaving hospital and returning to their families and loved ones.

I had to smile when I heard that FIFA had offered them special seats at the World Cup Final but they will not be strong enough; however, terrific news to learn that Manchester United has offered them a visit to Old Trafford and watch one of their games and meet the players. Well done United for this totally incredibly magnificent gesture.

God bless them all and recover quickly.

My thoughts and prayers are still with you and your families.

A Delighted Farang

Note: Letters printed herein in no way reflect the opinions of the editors or writers for Pattaya Mail, but are unsolicited letters from our readers, expressing their own opinions. No anonymous letters or those without genuine addresses are printed, and, whilst we do not object to the use of a nom de plume, preference will be given to those signed.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 7

PATTAYA MAIL

Pattaya Mail marks 25 years of dedicated service and commitment to the community Pratheep S. Malhotra A little over twenty-fiveyears ago when I decided to step into the world of newspaper publishing, everyone, especially my family wondered whether I had lost my mind.

But I had already decided that the newspaper would be published and I was not about to change my mind.

In the weeks that it took to produce that first issue, Chuck Pringle had filled the gap as Editor and a young American, Dan Dorothy, had been asked to step in to cover the Sports Writer’s position, as the original writer had been posted overseas. An even younger Austrian, Andy Gombaez, who was on his way to Hollywood to be a cartoonist stumbled into our office where he became a part of our family for many years.

That the first issue, dated 23rd July 1993, ever made the streets is a wonder on its own. More amazingly, every week there was a Pattaya Mail. Dan Dorothy would ask Chuck as he brought in his sports articles, “Do you think you’ll still need anything next week?” But he did, and Dan kept on supplying.

Chuck still smiles and says, “We can look back and laugh at some of our agonies. But of this we can be proud; we maintained our stance and told the truth. There were times when that became very difficult. Pressure was brought to bear by corrupt policemen, influential persons on whose toes we had trod, disgruntled local politicians whose inefficiency or wrong doings we exposed, but we followed the principle of that great publisher Hearst, ‘Publish and be damned’.”

It has not just been the power-brokers who have been sometimes upset. In 1995, after publishing stories on the local ‘mafia’ I was the subject of a serious assault and battery. Pattaya Mail had enough growing pains without giving me physical pains as well!

Eventually the weekly work load became too much for Chuck and he needed out.

This was the next major change in the paper. Dan Dorothy dropped his copy in one evening and I dropped the question, “Hey Dan, do you want to be the Editor?”

Dan agreed he would try it for two weeks, and that was 23 years ago.

Dan believes, “There’s no paper like us in the world. It is unique in the fact that it is all locally written but with international appeal. We are not restricted like the ‘big boys’. We are restricted only by our conscience.”

The opportunity the staff have been given here is such that it breeds loyalty. As he said with a grin, “After all, I’m a lobster fisherman from

Peter Malhotra (1993).

Harpswell, Maine - where else could I be an Editor?” Where else indeed, but there is also another saying, that Talent Will Out! Dan has overseen growth and consolidation which has continued through to today. Our priority of presenting readable editorial material has helped maintain the quality of the paper. Our commitment has made people realise the fact that we have a precious jewel here and we must guard and nurture it.

In our continuing effort to explore new ways to upgrade our newspaper, on Friday, November 23, 2001 the Pattaya Mail joined the Associated Press family. Thus began yet another new chapter in Pattaya Mail history. Then bureau chief of AP Bangkok Denis D. Gray said, “The

not letting up even if sometimes never being able to accomplish it. But it has also taught me to persevere and keep trying, again and again.

Pattaya Mail does business with the highest levels of integrity and honesty. We believe in keeping the economy rolling. Let the people have an opportunity to trade their unwanted articles through the pages of our paper. This in turn encourages others to do the same. The economy thrives.

Pattaya Mail is always at the forefront when it comes to serving the community, in any way or form. Our newspaper is made available to be of use if it will help in any way, directly or indirectly, to alleviate the hardships of others. This has been one of my greatest satisfactions.

We are aware that the print media is going through some tough challenges, but those of us who persevere are proving that the print media still has a steady and bright future.

We are much more advanced and have taken giant leaps into the world of digital media. Everything that we publish in the paper is reproduced on our websites and linked to our Daily Newsletter and all our Facebook pages. Yes we are joining the must flow with the times, innovate and ‘get on the bandwagon’ times.

Denis D. Gray, Chief of Bureau, Associated Press, Bangkok (left) and Pattaya Mail Managing Director Peter Malhotra sign an agreement, making Pattaya Mail the first newspaper in Thailand outside of Bangkok to join the AP family.

The first page of the first issue of Pattaya Mail comes off the printer back in 1993.

The Eastern Mass Media Association awarded the Pattaya Mail Media Group with the “Best in the East” recognition for 18 straight years. On presenting the most recent award, the former governor of Chonburi commended us for “ethics and morality” providing news and updates that “bring the world to Pattaya”. We were also cited for excellence in our online news portals including all our websites and the various social media available online.

Another milestone of note is that after 20 years in our old premises on Pattaya Second Road we moved to our very own brand new ultra-modern 5 story office building on Thepprasit Road in 2012.

I thank my closest confidantes, Dan Dorothy our Executive Editor, who not only looks after the paper but has also become a world renowned author having published a novel called Mango Rains. Martin Bilsborrow our untiring Assistant Editor in charge of sports, classifieds and entertainment, and Bob James our sub-editor.

Associated Press has been around since 1848, has enjoyed a very strong presence in Bangkok for decades, but not until we signed a contract last Friday with the Pattaya Mail did the world’s largest news organization enjoy exposure in Thailand’s provincial areas. That day we were proud to offer our news and photo services to this key and expanding news outlet on the Eastern Seaboard.”

In 2002 we launched the Pattaya Blatt newspaper in the German language and also the Chiang Mai Mail to serve the north of Thailand. At this point we transformed into the Pattaya Mail Media Group.

Asked, why am I doing this, my answer is still the same today as it was 25 years ago.

I have a passion for information. I have a passion for learning, and I have a desire that others have an opportunity to learn too. It has taught me to strive for perfection,

The thriving golf scene has also attracted the professional game here and Pattaya has been host to the world’s best female golfers on the LPGA Tour for the past 12 years. More professional events are still signing up here every year as the standards of the golf courses, hotels and facilities continue to increase.

But it’s not just golf that dominates the Pattaya sporting scene; sailing has always been an integral part of life here going way back to the city’s origins as a peaceful fishing village, and now it plays host to major international sailing festivals such as the annual Top of the Gulf Regatta (Asia’s largest regatta by numbers) and last year the World Optimist Championships at

Dr Iain Corness, who writes about anything and everything, not to mention two bestsellers on Expats in Thailand, claims he is not a cardiologist, but I believe that he knows more about matters of the heart than he lets us believe.

Peter Cummins, our evergreen yachting scribe, always has his nose to the grindstone and the perfect tack into the wind. PC is a gentleman and scholar extraordinaire. He is a person who has my highest respect and endearment.

Elfi Seitz is our charming Austrian executive editor of the Pattaya Blatt. My sister Sue, the sweet “girl” of PMTV, can “hard talk” the toughest interviewees into submission.

Nopniwat Krailerg, the chief of our editorial staff for all three newspapers, keeps a watchful eye over our reporters and their work.

Paul Strachan, our wee Scottish brother handled production of the PMTV for more than 10 years.

My heartfelt thanks also go to our contributors throughout the years, Mike Baird, Peter Marinacci, Graham Macdonald, Lewis ‘Woody’

Underwood and Dr. Colin Kirkpatrick.

Shana Kongmun, the brave and tenacious Managing Editor of the Chiang Mai Mail refuses to give in to all odds.

Thanawat ‘King’ Suansuk and his extremely talented team of graphic designers who week after week create masterpieces in our newspapers and special publications.

Boonlue Chatree and his team of reporters, our delivery boys, our accounting department and all our staff past and present without whom we would not have achieved this milestone.

I thank my immediate family, my brothers Marlowe and Bill for initially trying to stop me, and when that failed, supported me throughout. I thank my sons Prince, Tony and Dave who inspired me to work hard and do everything in my power to give them a decent education. I thank God for blessing them and granting them the same passions for learning, teaching and giving as He did for their father.

I couldn’t have done it without all of you, our readers, our advertisers, our supporters, our critics and our friends.

Thank you for giving all of us here at Pattaya Mail the opportunity to serve you.

As we venture into our 26th year, the commitment to excellence is even stronger than it ever was. While noone is ever perfect, nor is any newspaper without its detractors, the Pattaya Mail Media Group, now from a secure base, reinforces our commitment to serve the Eastern Seaboard with truth, honour and integrity.

I bow in humble gratitude to all that is sacred for giving us the strength and courage to carry out our noble work thus far. We pray that we are granted even more strength in our resolve to continue to serve our community for as long as we possibly can.

A quarter century in a city of sport Martin Bilsborrow As the Pattaya Mail hits 25 years of age this month it is perhaps easy forget the huge changes that have taken place in the seaside resort of Pattaya and its environs since that very first edition hit the newsagents’ shelves in 1993.

An increasing influx of foreign tourists has meant that the city has had to rapidly expand, adapt and try to keep pace with a growing list of demands for first class amenities and leisure attractions.

One of the most popular tourist draws in the past two and a half decades has been Pattaya’s enviable proximity to an ever-growing number of top class golf resorts on the Eastern Seaboard, with over 20 courses within an hour’s drive from the city.

Martin Bilsborrow.

Royal Varuna Yacht Club, where close to 300 young sailors from 62 nations worldwide came to compete.

The city was also home to the popular WTA sanctioned Pattaya Women’s Tennis Open championships, which were staged here at the Dusit Thani Resort from 1991 until 2015 and featured

many of the biggest names in the game, including former world number 1 Martina Hingis and Russia’s Anna Kournikova.

Pattaya certainly offers a plethora of sporting opportunity and events for both tourists and residents to enjoy; be it golf, sailing, tennis, windsurfing, water-skiing, football, cricket, rugby, athletics, softball and more, and wherever and whenever sports events have taken place in the city the Pattaya Mail has been there to report on it. This publication has been the goto source for sports news here for the past 25 years and aims to continue that trend long into the future. Pattaya Mail remains your home for local and international sports news.

8 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

Photo Philters

Should you have some filters for your photography?

Simple answer: Yes, BUT not all filters are suitable for use by amateurs.

Photographic filters are the quickest and easiest ways to produce startlingly different images. They are also the quickest and easiest ways to produce hackneyed clichés and totally nauseating ‘chocolate box’ photographs. However, there is a fine line and with some careful consideration you can very successfully use a limited selection of filters to

give some additional sparkle and depth to your photographs.

I used to carry a very small selection of filters in the bag and three of them were exactly the same. Like to guess what they were? Polarizers!

And why three of them? The answer is simple. I used to carry three lenses in the bag - a 24 mm, a 50 mm and a 135 mm. Each of those lenses was fitted with an adaptor ring to bring them all to 62 mm at the filter end. At any time I had all three carrying a polarizing filter. There was no need to waste time screwing and unscrewing - each lens had its own dedicated polarizer. You may consider this to be a little over the top but that is the importance that I gave to polarizing filters and always being kitted up ready to shoot. By the way, most autofocus cameras require a special type of polarizer

Dear Hillary, What do you feel about the ‘crack downs’ on the bars the BIB are running at present? Are they really trying to make Pattaya squeaky clean or is it some Thailand-wide money generating scheme? Or perhaps money laundering? I find it difficult to understand the logic (?) when they could stand on any street corner and fine all the riders with no helmets.

800 riders per hour at B. 400 per head is a tidy sum and it could go to saving somebody’s life.

Amazed Dear Amazed, Don’t be amazed my Petal, Thailand society works in some strange ways which farangs do not understand. By stopping the motorcycles means less fuel is used, so the petrogiants will begin to hurt. And we don’t want that, do we?

Dear Hillary, I notice that most of the letters you get are from farang males who are complaining about what has happened to them in the bar scene. Surely they must see that there is a big difference between that side of Pattaya and the other side? If they were only to look past the end of their noses they would appreciate that there are some truly wonderful girls out there. I have been married to my Thai wife for four

called a circular polarizer, so do not get the wrong type if you are an AF shooter.

If you take shots in the bright sunshine of Thailand, then you need a polarizer. If you shoot in color then you need a polarizer. If any of your shots has sky in them then you need a polarizer. This filter will give a richness to the colors as well as deepening the sky. It will allow you to “see” through water and windows and if you are only going to have two filters on

board, this is the second one.

So what is the first one?

Again, I had three of them and they were permanent fixtures on all three lenses.

These are called UV filters and are used as insurance against scratching the end lens element. You must get one of these, because without it you will eventually scratch, pit and irreparably damage an expensive lens.

The third filter that was kept in the camera bag is called a Diffuser. There is

years now and there has never been a “bad moment” in all that time. She is beautiful, intelligent (a qualified accountant) and caring. I do not have to change the locks on my doors or worry that my suits will be cut up. She does not need ropes of gold to hold her in the marriage, or motorcycles, or houses. We have a partnership and mutual trust.

Why don’t some of these men look for the “good” girls?

Gregor Dear Gregor, There may be lots of reasons. One may be that the supply of “wonderful girls” is much less than the demand, so the single males gravitate to the good-time girls, of which there is a more than adequate supply. Look after your wonderful wife and buy her plenty of chocolates (you can send the champagne to me, Hillary, c/o Pattaya Mail) and continue to build on your mutual trust. Bar scene farangs generally are not looking past the end of their noses - it is some other part of the anatomy.

Dear Hillary, I have been to Thailand 6 times, but unfortunately on my last visit, I actually got a “knock back” from a bar girl. As I have been so many times, and have a lot of Thai friends, I have picked up quite a bit of the Thai language. The reason for my “KB” was that I was a farang who spoke, not Thai very well, but Thai too much. Although my ego was shattered for all of twenty seconds, I pulled myself together and continued to enjoy my night out, and the rest of my stay. I have my next visit planned for Xmas/New Year, and you are very welcome to join me and my friends for an evening out, with guaranteed Champagne and unlimited chocolate. I love to read the Pattaya Mail from here in the UK, and maybe if you decide to accept my invitation, you could go to the bar in question, and politely tell the pretty young lady that she made a big mistake. I have a very good heart, but life is full of ups and downs.

Rocker and knocker

only one of these as it is a special effect filter that is used for particular special effects. This is sometimes called a “Beauty” filter by those who specialize in photographing women. As you know, photography is the art of telling lies with a camera, and the diffuser just takes the razor sharp edge off an image. In particular it softens lines, wrinkles and crows feet, to produce a flattering photograph of a woman. Teenagers never need it. Any woman over the age of forty does! And what is more, she will love you for it.

A fourth filter which I use frequently, though not as much as the first two are called Warming filters. A gentle pale brown color added to an image gives a more pleasing effect than stark “bluish” cast to the shot.

This is why photographers go out in the late afternoon

to get that “golden glow”.

The warming filter goes a long way towards producing that, no matter what time of day. These are called 81 A, 81 B and 81 C, where A is the mildest and C is the strongest. For most images the 81 B seems to give the most pleasing result. One other trap with these filters is that with European women they will impart a “healthy” tanned look, but with Asian females it can deepen the natural skin color, which they do not like in the final shot. You have been warned.

So those are the filters that I used to use very regularly, and without a doubt, after the “insurance” UV filter, the next most important is the polarizer. If you have not got one for your SLR, then go and get one this weekend and see the difference its use will make to your shots.

Dear Rocker and knocker, Ooooh what a lovely man you are. Champagne and unlimited chocolates! What a shame it wasn’t chocolates and unlimited Champagne (French, vintage, of course) and I would have come immediately, my precious Petal.

However, since you have been here 6 times already, you will no doubt realize that the chances of the pretty young lady still being in that particular bar are not high. Come to think of it, the chances of the ‘bar’ still being there are probably not all that good either. Just remember that there are plenty of other pebbles on the beach, and Hillary is sure you will have another wonderful time this year too. Keep learning Thai - as you have already found out, you can be surprised at what you can pick up - or how you can be dropped.

Dear Hillary, The shopping for tourists is very good in Pattaya, with some excellent shopping centers and malls, but where do you go to find the true authentic local markets? While we are here for three months every year we would like to experience life from the Thai side, rather than from the tourist angle. Where do you suggest we go?

Marj Dear Marj, You are correct, Pattaya is a shoppers paradise, but it is becoming difficult if you are only looking from the Thai shoppers point of view. The next ‘big thing’ in Pattaya is the Terminus 21 center. This place is so big they even have a couple of planes sitting on the forecourt. Not small runabouts either, but planes like a 777 for example. I am not sure if they will fly you home, but you can always ask. In the meantime, the Thepprasit market might be your best bet.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 9

PATTAYA MAIL

We’ve come a long way baby

Daniel M. Dorothy Twenty five years is a long time. A lot can happen in a quarter century, and usually does. It’s amazing sometimes to think how many changes occur over that time, and perhaps even more so how much has remained the same.

The front page of our first edition, Vol. 1 No. 1 which came out on 23 July 1993 featured a Kenyan winning the Pattaya Marathon. Once again this year, as it has happened for almost every year since, a Kenyan man has won the Pattaya Marathon.

The back page of that very issue featured William E. Heinecke topping out the brand new Royal Garden Plaza. Pattaya’s first big shopping mall is still there and thriving.

However, when Pattaya Mail came into existence, our offices were on Soi Diana next door to Cafe Kronborg, which celebrated its first anniversary in 1993. Our offices have moved several times since then, but the Kronborg is still there, and has even expanded.

From our humble beginnings 25 years ago in that small two-storey shophouse, a few years ago we moved into our very own brand new ultra-modern 5 story office building on Thepprasit Road.

This particular change has been as welcome as it was dramatic.

After starting with a spread of sometimes hard to fill 16 pages, we now put out 40 pages each week filled to the brim. Oftentimes we have too much news to fit it all in.

We started out using new Intel 386 computers running Windows 3.0 with 8MB of Ram and 20MB hard discs.

Yes, that’s megabytes, not gigabytes. Digital cameras hadn’t been invented yet.

Email was still a rumor. There was no Wifi. Electronic scanning was in its infancy, at least for us. Our newspaper layouts needed to be printed on A4 paper, two horizontal

Nowadays - well, let’s just say computers have come a long way. Even moderately new computers have 8 gigabytes of RAM and 1 or 2 terabyte hard drives. We can now put the entire week’s newspaper on a disc or portable hard drive and take it to a local printer. No more bus rides to Bangkok at the crack of dawn.

Remember faxes? They were the main form of written telecommunication in the early days. When big international events happened in Pattaya, we were the only newspaper in town.

book and even a calculator but no email, Bluetooth or text messaging.

Back in 1993 at our little offices on Soi Diana, Chuck Pringle was our jack-of-alltrades. He was editor, writer, graphics designer and layout, all for a mere fifteen thousand baht a month.

John Scotchmer was our photographer, and I was the sports and features writer.

We had Meow the receptionist, one reporter named Somkuan (who got slapped by a city councilor for asking a question), while most of the news, all in Thai, came from the police reports or city hall. Peter ’s cousin Amorn translated from Thai into English.

Today we have a handful of stringer reporters and photographers, two translators, a full office staff, deliv-

Dan (left) and Andy (right) hamming it up in the Pattaya Mail office on Second Road back in the early days. ery people and we use a local print shop.

Over the past 25 years there have been some amazing events, some of which you may find on other pages of this newspaper. Other, behind the scenes stories - well, I suppose they need to remain behind the scenes for now.

Finally, it is with heartfelt thanks that we salute you the reader, you the advertiser, and you the contributor, for without you we wouldn’t have been able to last this long. We hope we may continue to live up to your expectations for the years to come.

Times have changed

Dan and Peter cut the cake at Pattaya Mail’s 15th anniversary. sheets for each page. Pages were put up on a big layered shelf. Photos were taped into place. When all pages were full, they were put in a box and carried by hand, on a bus, to the print shop in Bangkok.

Andy Gombaez’s memories of those early days included, “Getting up early and catching the bus to Bangkok to take the art-work to the printers. This was sometimes after working all night.”

International reporters would come to our office to use our modern equipment and fax their copy to their editors in London, New York and other exotic places.

Cellular phones were still new and relatively expensive, and existed almost entirely to make and receive telephone calls. The first PDA was invented by IBM and Bellsouth in 1993. It had all kinds of amazing new things, like calendar, address

It was fun!

Chuck Pringle Five years ago and 5 years before that I wrote a congratulatory piece for the Pattaya Mail on their 15th and 20th anniversaries. Now, five years later, I find little to add.

Yes, it was exciting and challenging to be the first, virgin, untutored editor of the first English Language Newspaper in Pattaya (the Eastern Seaboard) and it remains an achievement of which I am proud.

What I said at that time stands and I don’t wish to repeat it, though the memory of the excitement remains, as does the valuable assistance of the able first team, notably Dan Dorothy, the sports writer and now, deservedly and for many years, the editor, all of whom I remember fondly. My main emotion on recall is IT WAS FUN! Would I do it again, at my current age of 80? Perhaps not, but I am haunted by the wish that I had the opportunity to try!

May I sincerely, on their 25th anniversary, congratulate Peter Malhotra, Dan Dorothy and all the others on their splendid

Chuck Pringle, now living relatively quietly but still working in Chiang Mai. achievement for not only keeping the paper alive all these many years but turning it one of which anyone can be proud.

Dear Pattaya Mail, It came as quite a surprise to hear that you are celebrating your 25th anniversary. Is it really a quarter of a century ago that I was there to help and get this paper off the ground? Well, it feels like yesterday and I fondly remember the time spent in your editorial offices.

I feel very honored to contribute with these words to your celebratory issue.

Times have changed, the media world has transformed tremendously, which only proves that you have kept up with the changes, as you are still there and keep bringing the news to Pattaya’s community.

The editorial team back then consisted of very interesting characters, truly passionate to their cause, often with conflicting ideas, but nonetheless in the best interest of us all. I remember the arguments between our first editor Chuck Pringle and the investigative reporter Amorn Malhotra, or the vicious attack that Peter Malhotra, our fearless leader, had to take when he was attacked by a couple of thugs - all in the name of journalism.

After a few years, when Chuck was ready to pass on the baton to the next editor, Dan Dorothy, back then the sports editor, stepped up to take the reign and brought some order and structure into our hectic world. I can only imagine the stories Dan can tell after still being there. I also remember John, our English photographer with BBC experience shaping the paper in his own way through his pictures, sometimes in black and white, as full colour was only for the front page.

When it was time for me to leave, I handed my duties to a bright young man, Kue Sungwanlek, who performed the tasks of laying out the pages, graphic design and Website updates to raise it to a new level.

Elfie Seitz was there to support Peter and the paper whenever needed and played a vital role in establishing Pattaya Mail’s German language sister publication, the Pattaya Blatt.

Over the first few years, the different departments that a company needs to properly function were filled with talented people, from accounting to Peter’s chief secretary, P. Poo, not to mention all the delivery guys who were there sitting with us and waiting until the “hot-off-the-presses” paper came in from the printer in Naklua.

Once it got the nod, it was quickly distributed throughout the city in no time.

How much of this is still going on, I don’t know. As far as I know a new generation of the Malhotra family is taking over and will keep Peter’s dream of an independent English language newspaper for Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard alive.

My sincerest best wishes to all of you, if you are still there or left for whatever reason as faith would have it.

Andy Gombaez

10

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

Odds and Ends The Associated Press

Building dispute leads to mural of crowned mayor on a toilet North Providence, R.I. (AP) - A Rhode Island mayor says he’s not bothered by an unflattering public mural of him wearing a crown and sitting on a toilet that stems from a long-simmering dispute over a building he has called unsafe. North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi has been involved in a dispute with building owner Anthony Farina over the building, described by the mayor as a “health hazard.” Lombardi tells WPRI-TV the painting doesn’t bother him but Farina should question how he’s representing himself to the community. Mural artist Paul Morse says he has nothing against the mayor but was hired specifically to paint him on a toilet and wearing a crown. Farina hasn’t responded to a request seeking comment.

Driver tells police: Just a jogger, not connected to wreck Madison, Wis. (AP) - Police say a 19-year-old man flipped his car in Madison, Wisconsin, then fled the scene, removed some clothes and pretended to be a jogger unconnected to the wreck. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that the unidentified man made a lane change Tuesday evening at the same time as another car. He overcorrected, hit the shoulder and his car overturned. Police Chief Mike Koval says the suspect fled and removed some clothing. When officers caught up with him, he told them he was an “uninvolved jogger.” Officers ticketed the man for failure to have control, hit and run and operating after revocation. Police say tests showed the man wasn’t impaired.

Budget surplus results in $68 checks for thousands in town Langhorne, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania township with more money than it anticipated from increased property tax collection has decided to give the dividends to residents. Middletown Township in Langhorne sent 14,361 checks for $68 each to all owners of properties with structures on them. Efforts to keep town expenses down while increasing delinquent-tax collection led to more money than anticipated in the general fund. The township board of supervisors decided to divide a $1 million portion of the surplus evenly among property owners. Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Amy Strouse tells the Bucks County Courier Times it’s irresponsible for a township to hang on to that level of funding when it has “the opportunity to help people out a little bit.” Strouse says residents feel as though they pay too much in taxes.

Artist eying record for world’s largest paper airplane Fitchburg, Mass. (AP) - Residents of a Massachusetts city are hoping to set a world record for the largest paper airplane. The Revolving Museum of Fitchburg revealed a 64-foot-long (19.5-meter-long) plane at the Fitchburg Municipal Airport on Tuesday. There was no plan to fly the nearly 1-ton (0.9-metric ton) contraption. Fitchburg artist Jerry Beck tells the Sentinel & Enterprise he wanted to break the world record for the largest paper airplane to take flight but the hangar it was built in was too small to accommodate a wide enough wing span to support the glue-shallacked plane. A construction crane held the plane aloft. Two people measured the plane at 64 feet and 6 inches long, which Beck says makes it is the largest of its kind. He’s asking Guinness World Records to add a new category.

Crossword No 1303

sponsored by

Massic Travel

Across 1 Breathe (7) 5 Slumber (5) 8 Odour (5) 9 Item of clothing (7) 10 Vertical (7) 11 Fatigued (5) 12 Impetuously (6) 14 Unpowered aircraft (6) 18 Bestow (5) 20 Open-handed (7) 22 Talk very quietly (7) 23 Taut (5) 24 Heavenly bodies (5) 25 Mocked (7)

Down 1 Saviour (7) 2 Take an oath (5) 3 Unlawful (7) 4 Fourscore (6) 5 Scolding woman (5) 6 Green gem (7) 7 Trifling (5) 13 Endurance, staying power (8) 15 Large crustacean (7) 16 Akin (7) 17 Cake-burning king (6) 18 Dresses (5) 19 Sorts, varieties (5) 21 Inflexible (5)

Last week’s answers Across: 1 Shrubs, 4 Ceased, 8 Radio, 9 Cabbage, 10 Freedom, 11 Repel, 12 Sackcloth, 17 Arson, 19 Embrace, 21 Sporran, 22 Grimm, 23 Dwells, 24 Knight.

Down: 1 Strife, 2 Redress, 3 Brood, 5 Embargo, 6 Scamp, 7 Deeply, 9 Come clean, 13 Central, 14 Heading, 15 Paused, 16 Kermit, 18 Scope, 20 Begin.

Ten-Minute Sudoku An easy Sudoku puzzle that should not take long to complete.

The rules of Sudoku are simple. Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Each row must contain one of each digit. So must each column and each 3x3 box.

Answer next week.

Last week’s answers:

No. 206

Man takes a naked stroll through the city Burlington, Vt. (AP) - A man decided to take a stroll in the buff through a Vermont downtown on a simmering day. The Burlington Free Press reports the man wearing nothing but a hat, sneakers and a lime green tote bag walked around Burlington on Thursday afternoon. When asked why he decided to go outdoors underdressed, the man said, “It’s very hot.” He declined to identify himself. Vermont was under a heat advisory that day, with the National Weather Service predicting a heat index of 102 degrees. The man says he’s doing nothing but enjoying himself.

Wife credited with returning husband to jail following error Grand Junction, Colo. (AP) - Court records say a Colorado inmate, mistakenly released from jail, enjoyed less than two hours of freedom before his wife realized the error and made him turn himself in. The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports James Rynerson was in custody late last month at the Mesa County Jail on a $2,000 cash bond while awaiting prosecution on menacing, disorderly conduct and trespass charges.

Rynerson, 38, was released after Mesa County sheriff’s deputies at the Jail mistook him for another inmate, Marvin March.

Mesa County Sheriff’s Sgt. Henry Stoffel said Wednesday that jail employees broke procedure when they failed to check Rynerson’s wristband and picture, and that an investigation is ongoing to determine whether jail policy around the housing list needs to be updated. He credited Rynerson’s wife for returning her husband to custody.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

Answers next week.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

11

Sore throat – is it tonsillitis?

The crying child, tugging at its ear and running a high temperature is a common occurrence, and can be the signs of tonsillitis. Add to that a change in the child’s voice and you have almost a 100 percent chance that this is tonsillitis.

It is such a common complaint that most of us got our tonsils yanked when we were about three years old. However, adults can get tonsillitis too.

The tonsils are interesting little (or in some cases, not so little) glands. They live in the back of the throat and can become acutely infected which we call Acute Tonsillitis, or can carry a low grade infection for many months or even years, known as Chronic Tonsillitis.

The infecting organism is also of interest and can be a Virus, or Chlamydia, or bacteria such a Streptococcus or Staphylococcus, Mycoplasma, Fungi or Parasites. Another interesting snippet is that the most likely organism varies with the age of the owner of the rotten tonsils. In the 2-7 year olds it is Haemophilus influenzae which is the culprit, while in the 8-14 year olds it is Staphylococcus aureus and after that it becomes a mixed bag.

With an acute tonsillitis, when you look inside the mouth there will be two “strawberry” shaped masses in the back

of the throat. They may even have little white follicles on them, like strawberries. They can get so big that they will even meet in the midline, displacing the uvula, the little ‘clapper’ that hangs down in the center of your throat. Pain radiating up to the ears is another frequent symptom, and the younger ones can run temperatures over 40 degrees C which is a worry for most Mums. Another symptom of an acute attack is bad breath, so if Junior can knock over the cat with one breath, have a look at his tonsils!

An appropriate antibiotic settles the acute attack fairly quickly, but it is very necessary to make sure the child takes the full course of medicine. With the more chronic attacks, the pain is less, the temperature is less, but the patient does not feel well, and antibiotic treatment is usual. Of course, it is necessary to identify the causative organism, and a tonsilar swab is usually taken to identify the nasty little blighter. It is also important to treat the other symptoms, such as pain and the elevated temperature, and paracetamol is the drug of choice for this.

When I was a child (in the days of hardship before ballpoint pens and cellophane paper) one good attack of tonsillitis was enough to have you prostrate under the surgeon’s

knife, but these days we are a little more circumspect.

The US Center for Disease control recommends if there have been fewer than seven episodes of recurrent throat infection in the past year or fewer than five episodes per year in the past 2 years or fewer than three episodes per year in the past 3 years, watchful waiting is preferred over tonsillectomy.

Tonsillectomy is indicated for recurrent throat infection of at least seven episodes in the past year or at least five episodes per year for 2 years or at least three episodes per year for 3 years with documentation of one or more of the following: temperature above 38.3°C, cervical glands enlarged, tonsillar exudate, and/or positive test for Group A â-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS).

Tonsillectomy may be considered in children who do not meet the above criteria but have multiple antibiotic allergies/intolerances, (periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and adenitis), or a history of peritonsillar abscess.

So despite all our advances in pediatric medicine, tonsillitis is still with us, and will be for many years to come yet.

Health official who urged abstinence says views have changed said he wanted 90 days to learn about the agency but is now prepared to become more of a national spokesman on health issues, as some earlier CDC officials have been.

Redfield told the AP his priorities for the agency include work to identify and stop infectious disease epidemics around the world, with a keen eye on newly emerging forms of flu and on germs that develop resistance to existing medications.

Another priority will be ending AIDS. He told CDC employees in late March that it’s possible to end the U.S. AIDS epidemic in less than seven years.

Asked about it this week, he backed off a specific

Mike Stobbe New York (AP) - The head of the nation’s top public health agency once opposed condoms and needle exchange programs as ways to stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

This week, in one of his first media interviews since taking office, Dr. Robert Redfield Jr. said his views have changed.

“I think the data is just clear that these strategies work.

When you see evidence that these strategies work, you need to embrace them,” said Redfield, director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Redfield, 66, rose to prominence as a top researcher into the emerging AIDS epidemic. He has earned praise for his extensive experience treating HIV patients as well as drug addicts.

But he also made headlines more than two decades ago when he was scrutinized for overstating the effectiveness of an experimental AIDS vaccine. And he was criticized for being out of step with the public health community on some issues.

In a 1987 booklet on AIDS aimed at young people, Redfield and his co-author offered no advice on condoms or other preventive measures, preaching that the best way to avoid AIDS was to avoid sex until marriage.

Dr. Robert Redfield Jr., director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is photographed at the agency’s headquarters in Atlanta, Thursday, June 28, 2018. Redfield, 66, rose to prominence as a top researcher into the emerging AIDS epidemic. He has earned praise for his extensive experience treating HIV patients as well as drug addicts. (AP Photo/David Goldman) They wrote, in all caps: “DON’T ENGAGE IN INTIMATE CONTACT AT ALL. IF YOU HAVE HAD THAT KIND OF CONTACT IN THE PAST, STOP NOW.” The booklet came out at a time when prominent public health leaders, including U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, endorsed condoms as one way of preventing the spread of

the AIDS virus.

In a foreword to a 1990 book entitled “Christians in the Age of AIDS,” Redfield wrote: “It is time to reject the temptation of denial of the AIDS/HIV crisis; to reject false prophets who preach the quick-fix strategies of condoms and free needles; to reject those who preach prejudice; and to reject those who try to replace God as judge.”

Research showing needleexchange programs work emerged in the 1990s. “Science evolves,” Redfield said.

Until this year, Redfield sat on the board of Children’s AIDS Fund International, an organization that has long prioritized abstinence before marriage in preventing the spread of HIV.

Redfield told The Associated Press this week that it has become clear to him that condoms and needle exchanges work as part of comprehensive programs to stop the spread of certain infectious diseases.

“One thing I can commit to is CDC is not an opinion organization. It’s a sciencebased, data-driven organization,” he said.

The CDC investigates disease outbreaks, researches the cause and frequency of health problems, and promotes prevention. It has nearly 12,000 employees and 10,000 contractors worldwide.

Redfield was appointed in March. Like his predecessor, Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, Redfield had been avoiding contact with the media. He

timetable, saying his earlier statement was “an aspirational goal” and “no one can predict how long it will take.”

But he said he is encouraged that the number of HIV cases diagnosed in the U.S. was down in recent years, to just under 40,000 in 2016. If more people can be diagnosed and put on virus-suppressing medications, that will cut down the number of people who can spread the disease.

Condoms, clean needles and a pill that can protect a patient from developing an infection are also important, he said.

“We do have the tools to end this epidemic. Let’s use them,” he said.

12 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

Psychology museum explores what makes us human Mitch Stacy Akron, Ohio (AP) - Wonder Woman’s striking visage on large, bright screens just inside the new National Museum of Psychology tells visitors there’s more here than dusty books and esoteric curiosities.

The world’s most famous female superhero gets a place of distinction because she was created by a psychologist, William Moulton Marston, as a symbol of what he saw as the emerging power of women in the 1940s.

Once past Wonder Woman, the 8,500-square-foot museum on the edge of the University of Akron’s downtown campus takes a deep dive into the study of why people do what they do. The technical stuff - treatment of mental illness, the rise of talk therapy, etc. - is keenly balanced with the kind of interactive exhibits that are a requirement for any modern family museum.

Dennis Barrie, who developed it with his wife, Kathleen, already knew what it took to get people in the front door

of a museum. He was co-creator of Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a former executive director there. In recent years he worked on the International Spy Museum in Washington and the Mob Museum in Las Vegas.

He acknowledged the challenges in making psychology palatable to a mass audience.

“When I first met the team there and looked at their archives, which are extensive and for most of us probably too sophisticated in terms of knowledge and background, I did have those concerns,” Barrie said.

But the subject matter also gave him plenty of options.

“There were things in everything we did that were indicators of a bigger story but allowed you to have fun and participate in the process,” he said.

Visitors can put together a puzzle that was used as an intelligence test - known in the early 20th century as a “moron test” - to assess the intellect of immigrants arriving in the U.S.

In this June, 29, 2018, photo, a cage for humans known as the Utica Crib is displayed at the National Museum of Psychology in Akron, Ohio. It was used in early asylums to restrain mental patients in their beds. (AP Photo/Mitch Stacy) They can measure their reaction time against that of legendary slugger Babe Ruth. They can test their ability to multitask.

Displays tell the stories of

how psychology has been used in everything from workplace efficiency to determining the level of caffeine in Coca-Cola and marketing handguns to women.

“Psychology is literally everywhere in our world, and applied everywhere,” Barrie

said. “It’s not just lying on a couch a la Freud, talking about your childhood memories.”

Speaking of Sigmund Freud, there is a replica of the Vienna office where he pioneered psychoanalysis, along with some of his letters and rare home movies.

Oddities include a medieval-looking skullcap from the 19th century that measured the bumps on a person’s head to determine intellectual traits. (Like many early psychological theories, that process, called phrenology, was later proved to be worthless.)

One of the most macabre items is a wooden cage known as a Utica Crib that was used in 19th-century asylums to keep patients from leaving their beds. Displayed nearby are gleaming medical picks that belonged to Dr. Walter J. Freeman, a physician who specialized in lobotomies and botched the procedure on Rosemary Kennedy, the sister of President John F. Kennedy.

Barrie’s favorite exhibit includes memorabilia from the 1971 “Stanford prison experiment.” The famous social psychology exercise involved breaking groups of students into guards and inmates in a mock prison scenario and claimed to show that each group adapted to its role in dramatic ways.

“We hope,” coordinator Dorothy Gruich said, “that people will come in and learn a little bit about themselves.”

Ethiopia’s new prime minister meets with humanoid robot Google says Google Documents

(AP Photo/Elias Meseret)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (AP) - In one of the world’s more unusual diplomatic encounters, Ethiopia’s new prime minister has met with a humanoid robot. The chief of staff for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has shared online a photo of Monday’s meeting with Sophia, who has gained global attention for using facial and speech recognition to help engage in conversation.

The robot, made in Hong Kong by Hanson Robotics, is fitted with software in part developed by Ethiopians and has been programmed to speak the country’s official language, Amharic, as well as English. “We need to maximize the benefit of this technology and also prepare to deal with its downsides,” the prime minister said. The robot came to the East African country for an information technology expo.

Facebook: 800K users may have had bug unblock blocked people New York (AP) - Facebook says more than 800,000 users may have been affected by a bug that unblocked people they previously had blocked.

The company said Monday that the bug was active between May 29 and June 5.

While the person who was

unblocked by this bug could not see content users shared with their friends, they could have seen things that were posted to a wider audience.

Facebook says the problem has been fixed.

It’s the second software bug in less than a month that

the company has notified users about. In June, Facebook disclosed that a software bug led some users to post publicly by default regardless of their previous settings. That bug affected as many as 14 million users over several days in May.

is secure despite Russian issue

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) Moscow (AP) - Google said last week that its document writing tool Google Documents was secure even as Russian internet users discovered scores of files that appeared to be intended for private use.

The Russian internet company Yandex said in a statement that some users contacted the company Wednesday to say that its public search engine was yielding what looked like personal Google Documents files, suggesting there may have been a data breach.

On Wednesday night, Russian social media users started posting scores of such documents, including an internal memo from a Russian bank, press summaries and company business plans. The veracity of those documents could not be independently confirmed.

Google said in a statement that search engines can only turn up Google documents that had either been deliberately made public by its authors or when a user publishes a link to a document

and makes it available for public access and search.

“Saving and protecting users’ personal data is our main priority,” the company said. “Google Documents is a highly protected tool for joint work and it is working correctly.”

It did not elaborate.

Ilya Grabovsky, a spokesman for Yandex, said its search only yields files that don’t require logins or passwords. He added that the files were also turning up in other search engines.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 13

PATTAYA MAIL

On being an “Old Hand” Dr. Iain Corness The Executive Editor of Pattaya Mail asked me to write something about being an ‘Old Hand’ and I must say it took me aback. I have never thought of myself as an ‘old hand’. On downer days I will admit to ‘old’ but those are few and far between.

However, for the sake of history, I have lived and worked in Pattaya for 20 years, leaving Australia which had been my abode for 40 years, though I never became an Australian citizen (wrong move), I thought my British Passport was all I needed. After all, I had been called up for National Service, so I was Aussie enough to die for the country.

Towards the end of the 40 years with the Kangaroos I became increasingly disenchanted with life in Australia, describing the country as over-taxed, over-regulated, and over-policed. So I began to look outside Australia’s borders.

I had spent a few holidays in Thailand and increasingly began to think of Pattaya as being my next home – after

all there was a race track 30 minutes away and for a dyedin-the-wool motor racer, that was all I needed.

My intention was to sell my medical practice and leave.

However, after two years and no takers, my only way was to stay and moan a lot, or just close the surgery and go.

And that’s what I did.

For interest’s sake I have only been back to Australia once – to pick up my cat.

One of the biggest problems with landing in a new country is what to do to while the time away between dinner dates.

There is a limit to how many books you can read, and the beach deck chairs began to become boring with the endless parade of people wanting to sell me something.

Anything! And the ice cold beers were very attractive.

Items such as places to stay, laundry, water bills, electricity bills, a car, are exciting – the first time. Being able to buy items at the market and actually get the vendor to understand my Thai language assisted by mime that was like something Marcel Marceau would have envied. Shopping went from

Old hand Dr. Iain Corness. being an adventure to being a chore. The first gloss in being an ex-pat was wearing thin.

It was then I enrolled for a Thai language class. That went south very quickly as even when I tried to show my mastery of the lingo, the Thais all laughed at me. Beaten by the tones once again.

Very early I was fortunate to make contact with the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya who could see there would be an advantage to having a native English speaker with medical credentials on staff.

I am happy here.

At about the same time I was introduced to Peter Malhotra

of the Pattaya Mail, a mutually beneficial association which still carries on today.

Like all ex-pats who morph into being a ‘hand’, old or otherwise, the bar scene becomes the central part of life, where one meets other hands, until you can see that the bar has become an essential. It isn’t, but can be such a trap for the older players. In jest I say that there are only two reasons for the ex-pat to stay to become an old hand – the first is the glorious weather and the second is about 5’ 2" tall with dark brown eyes and long black hair.

My apprenticeship on the way to old handedness has taken 20 years, but in that time, Thailand and Pattaya has changed just so much.

No longer do you just pay someone to get your driver license, you actually have to have a medical and (horrors) be seen by the doctor.

No more exciting bus rides to Cambodia to renew visas (if they are ever going to

give the world an enema, they’ll start at Poi Pet). As Pattaya has become engulfed in the global headlong rush to nowhere, you can see that it is not the ordinary person who gains, but a lot of intermediaries get rich (some with more than one expensive watch to ensure punctuality). The famous Thai smile must be no longer taught in schools as the smile turns into a snarl very quickly. And finally, with so many ex-pats leaving, you have fewer old hands with whom to complain.

The journey to becoming an old hand is fraught with danger, a major one being the aforementioned 5’2".

ATM jokes are not without substance. But on the other hand, Half-Thai children (Luk Kreung) are noteworthy for their pleasant nature and I remain delighted with mine.

Mr. Editor, I will finish this after the next 20 years. Please remind me.

25 is quarter of a 100 Dr. Iain Corness There are all kinds of significance given to numbers. Numerology, for example, is the study of occult meanings of numbers and their supposed influence on human life (American Heritage Dictionary). Don’t scoff. It is true.

How do I know this? I am aware of the importance of 25.

Are you? 25 has a well-known influence on human life, not just a “supposed” influence, but I will come to that later.

In life, the magic number is 100. Live long enough and all the Brits get a telegram from Queen Elizabeth, though the way she is going, I think the Brits will be sending the Queen a telegram.

But you don’t have to wait for royalty for a life changing 100, just go to any cricket match and everyone applauds a batsman who gets to the triple figures, who in turn waves his bat around and doffs his hat. At least this wakes the spectators up, if nothing else.

There are also other ways to get yourself recognized by those high up. Getting married is one of those special days. We even give names to these anniversaries. 5th Wooden, 10th Tin, 15th Crystal, 20th China, 25th Silver, 30th Pearl, 40th Ruby, 50th Gold, 60th Diamond, and 70th Platinum. I could mention at this point, do you know why husbands always die before their wives? Because they want to! So it is

no wonder marriages that last beyond the first year become celebrated. (Don’t write in – it’s a joke!)

While waiting for your celestial clock to strike 25, you can play games. The name of the national board game of India (Pachisi - Hindi for 25) and the name of an Irish card game, is 25 begorrah.

According to the numerologists, the number 25 denotes wisdom with a touch of diplomacy and curiosity.

People with 25 in their numerology charts should use their wisdom, analyzing ability, wit, and unique perception to communicate (and compare) their viewpoints with those of others.

So you can see, 25 is pretty special, and also special for the Pattaya Mail, celebrating its 25 year anniversary with this issue. Pattaya Mail has influenced human lives, just look at the number of people who read Aunt Hillary’s column if you don’t believe me.

No, the Pattaya Mail, under the stewardship of guru Peter Malhotra, by using his wisdom and analytical ability, started this newspaper 25 years ago. Some of those who started with him are still there today, showing an amazing dedication, or perhaps forgot where their homes were.

No, 25 is indeed a magic number. Put this edition somewhere safe, because in another 25 years, when it is 50 years old, you probably will have forgotten the significance.

Pattaya Blatt likes to join the many felicitators’ and sends it’s heartfelt wishes to Pattaya Mail’s 25th anniversary, the Silver-Jubilee! May success be furthermore at its side for the coming 25 years.

Pattaya Blatt celebrated recently on July 7th its 16th anniversary.

Elfi Seitz, Executive Editor Pattaya Blatt

14 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

With V-for-Victory sign, rescued Thai boys celebrate freedom Stephen Wright & Kaweewit Kaewjinda Mae Sai, Thailand (AP) As ecstatic relatives watched and waved from behind a glass barrier, the 12 boys and their soccer coach rescued from deep within a flooded

cave in Thailand made the V-for-Victory sign from their beds in a hospital isolation ward where they were recovering from the 18-day ordeal.

The boys, their faces covered by green surgical masks, flashed the V-for-Victory sign as they sat up in bed

In this image made from video, released by the Thailand Government Spokesman Bureau, three of the 12 boys are seen recovering in their hospital beds after being rescued along with their coach from a flooded cave in Mae Sai, Northern Thailand. (Thailand Government Spokesman Bureau via AP) Students pray at Maesaiprasitsart School where six out of the rescued 12 boys study as they cheer the successful rescue July 11. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)

Satit Udomseuksa Little Chefs

and chatted with their nurses, at times responding with the customary wai sign of respect.

“Don’t need to worry about their physical health and even more so for their mental health,” said Chaiwetch Thanapaisal, director of Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital.

“Everyone is strong in mind and heart,” he said at a news conference of officials

involved in the rescue.

The SEALs commander, Rear Adm. Apakorn Youkongkae, said the soccer coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, determined the order the boys from the Wild Boars soccer team should be rescued in. “The coach was the one to choose,” he said.

The group had entered the sprawling Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand to go exploring after soccer practice

on June 23 when monsoon rains filled the tight passageways, blocking their escape. They were found by a pair of British divers nearly 10 days later, huddled on a small, dry shelf just above the water, smiling with relief but visibly skinny.

Chiang Rai province acting Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn, who oversaw the rescue operation, said the boys should not be blamed for their near

tr a g e d y. H e l a u d e d t h e cooperation between Thai and international rescuers.

“The situation went beyond just being a rescue mission and became a symbol of unity among mankind,” he said. “Everyone worked together without discrimination of race or religion as the ultimate goal was to save the youth football team.”

Each of the boys, with no diving experience, was guided out by divers though rocky, muddy and waterfilled passages that in places were just a crawl space.

The method was extremely risky, but dwindling oxygen levels in the cave and fears of more monsoon rains to come made a decision urgent.

Thongchai Lertwilairatanapong, a public health inspector, said the boys lost an average of 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) while they were trapped. Before their discovery, they survived by drinking water dripping into their cramped refuge.

“To not receive food, we can still survive for many months, but what’s necessary is water, which the cave has, and around this time there’s a lot in the cave, and they chose clean water to drink,” he said.

Photisampan School marks 58 years

Jasmine, Prudence and Waraphat were awarded with a commendation certificate for their skills.

Siriluk khumwong Local students took the “Cooking Competition - Cocktail Flair Pattaya Open 2018” by storm as they chopped, sautéed and cooked ‘Pad Thai’ against six other adult teams.

The students: Ms. Jasmine Johnson, Ms. Prudence Walden and Ms. Waraphat Trirasakworakul were awarded

with a commendation certificate for their skills.

The audience was amazed by their level of culinary skills and confidence against adult chefs that have been cooking for many more years than them.

We congratulate the three young students and their coach Ms. Leizel Abenir for all the extra hours of practice they put in after school.

Satit Udomseuksa took the “Cooking Competition - Cocktail Flair Pattaya Open 2018” by storm as they chopped, sautéed and cooked ‘Pad Thai’ against six other adult teams.

Students light candles and incense to pay homage to school founder Luang Pho Boonmee Akkaboonyo.

Warapun Jaikusol Photisampan Pittayakarn School celebrated its 58th anniversary in Naklua with prayers and games.

Former Pattaya Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and Pairoj Prawatlert-Udom, chairman of the local Basic Education Commission office, participated in the July 10 festivities for the school started on the grounds of Photisampan Temple.

Pairoj lit candles and incense to pay homage to school founder Luang Pho Boonmee Akkaboonyo. Nine monks from the temple chanted holy stanzas and partook in a morning meal.

In the afternoon, school officials handed out 185 scholarships and kicked off

sports competitions and hosted a school-wide party.

In 1956, Naklua locals Prong a n d Yi n P h a n s a m n i a n g donated five rai of land to Boonmee to build a temple.

Alumni hand out scholarships to celebrate the occasion.

He had only 40 baht to spend, but built the temple with donations from the community.

In 1960, he applied to the government to open a

Prathom-level school at the temple and, a year later, opened the Mattayom-level classrooms and the school took the name Photisampan Pittayakarn School.

Former Pattaya Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and Pairoj Prawatlert-Udom, chairman of the local Basic Education Commission office, participate in the festivities.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

PATTAYA MAIL

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 15

16 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

Suvarnabhumi Airport director Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park expedites exploration of caves denies charge being sought for use of Premium Lanes Executives of Suvarnabhumi Airport have assured the public that no special payments have been demanded for Premium Lane passes, from those who want to bypass long immigration queues.

Deputy Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport Maj Kamol Wongsomboon, who is currently acting director of the airport on behalf of Airports of Thailand (AoT), has confirmed no extra payments have been requested in the sale of Premium Lane passes, explaining that AoT is only responsible for inspecting the sales, which are handled by Airline Operators Committee (AOC). He indicated that all travelers with proper passports can use the Premium Lane, which is available in zones 2 and 3 on the fourth floor of the passenger terminal.

Maj Kamol acknowledged that travelers are sometimes subjected to long lines as Suvarnabhumi Airport, which is currently only able to handle 45 million people a year, sees 60 million arriving on average. More officials and facilities have been added to alleviate the situation.

Premium Lanes were created under an agreement between AOC and Immigration

Destination LONDON

Deputy Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport Maj Kamol Wongsomboon.

Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province has accelerated the exploration of four caves to gather information on current cave conditions as a database to determine safety measures for tourists.

Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park chief, Rungroj Assawakultharin, said the four caves include Phraya Nakhon cave, Kaew cave, Sai cave and Men cave. They are open to visitors from 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.

Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park has provided staff to ensure safety at the caves.

However, a preliminary survey of Kaew cave found no water flowing through it but the path is quite twisted, thus tourists will need the help of officials to visit it. (NNT)

Police in line with tourism policy. First and business class passengers are provided with access to the lanes when traveling out of Thailand. AOC produces and manages the sale of Premium Lane passes. (NNT)

A preliminary survey of Kaew cave found no water flowing through it but the path is quite twisted.

ECONOMY PRICE FROM VALID .

EVA HEATHROW EVA AIR ELITE ECONOMY TURKISH HEATHROW/GATWICK BRITISH LON EDI MAN NCL GLA EMIRATES FINN AIR THAI AIRWATS QATAR AIRWAYS QATAR (CARDIFF) 7D ADV PURCH

19000 41000 17000 14000 19500 11000 24000 11000 14000

++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++

3M 3M 12M 12M 2M 1M 21D TILL 25JUL 12M 2M

BUSINESS PRICE FROM VALID .

91000 ++ 82000 29000 89500 68000 147000 86200

++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++

www.massictravel.net

3M

CHINA VISA ASSISTANCE SERVICE

12M 2M 12M 6M 2M

ECO PREMIUM

DUBLIN/GENEVA /FRANKFURT FINN AIR (GVA DUB) FINNAIR (FRA) GULF AIR (FRA)

13000 ++ 14500 ++ 7500 ++

1M 1M 6M

75000 ++ 12M 72000 ++ 12M 44000 ++ 5D/2M

SYDNEY MELBOURE BRISBANE THAI EMIRATES

16599 ++ 21000 ++

21D BY 25JUL

94000 ++ 90000 ++

6M 6M

7D 7D 1M 14D

13500 ++

1M

14000 ++ 19000 ++

1M 3M

7500 ++ 14D 6000 ++ 12M 15500 ++ 14 D BY 25 JUL

28000 ++

1M

SINGAPORE/HONGKONG CATHAY (SINGAPORE) ROYAL JORDANIAN (HKG) EMIRATES (HONGKONG) SINGAPORE AIRLINES

4700 5900 6500 5800

++ ++ ++ ++

Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park chief, Rungroj Assawakultharin, has accelerated the exploration of the park’s four caves to gather information on current conditions.

THAI PASSPORT HOLDERS 5 WORKING DAYS 3,600.EUROPEAN PASSPORT HOLDERS 5 WORKING DAYS 6,400.Need: Passport, 2”x2” photos Permanent residence permit/Work Permit/Retirement visa ALSO. Assist with Vietnam.

Myanmar,India visas.

Application assistance for US, UK, Schengan visa ADVISE ON ALL THAI LEGAL MATTERS BUSINESS REGRISTRATION WORK PERMIT EXTENSION OF VISA ETC

JAPAN/KOREA HONGKONG AIRLINES (NRT) JEJU AIR(ICN) THAI (NRT OSA FUK NGO

USA ALL NIPPON AIRLINES (LAX) CATHAY PACIFIC (LAX) EVA AIR (LAX/SFO) EVA LAX/SFO PREMIUM ECO EMIRATES AIRLINES (JFK)

22000 22000 26500 56000 13500

EGYPT AIR (JNB) EGYPT AIR (CPT) KENYA AIRWAYS (LOS)

9000 ++ 14000 ++ 14000 ++

AFRICA

++3D/1M ++ 3M ++ 3M ++ 3M ++ 2M INST.PUR

12M 12M 6M

117000 ++ 59000 ++

3M 3M PREMIUM

120000 ++

2M

43000 ++

12M

64000 ++

12M

FARES SHOWN ARE INFORMATIONAL AND SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. " ++ " DENOTES TAXES & SURCHARGES AND NOT INCLUDED IN THE FARES. VISIT US FORLATEST ALL INCLUSIVE OPTIONS. FARES AND CONDITIONS MAY CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTOCE

ALLFARES ROUND TRIP UNLESS STATED WE OPEN : MON-FRI 09:30 - 18:30 | SAT 09:30 - 16:30 | SUNDAY CLOSED. |

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 17

PATTAYA MAIL

In ‘Skyscraper,’ the Rock towers over action tropes

Jake Coyle New York (AP) — I like to imagine what King Kong, as a popcorn-chomping moviegoer, might make of “Skyscraper,” the latest summer actioner staring Dwayne Johnson.

Would he, watching a goliath ascend the exterior of a high-rise with helicopters and klieg lights swirling, woundedly mumble, “Hey, that’s my gig.”

But in Rawson Marshall Thurber’s thriller, there is Johnson steadily — and without too much trouble, really — swinging up a 100story-high crane to then leap across a mammoth chasm and land in an open window on the burning 220-story tower where his wife and twin kids are trapped.

It goes without saying that if you’re the sort to scoff at a tale’s implausibility, “Skyscraper” may not be the movie you’re looking for. Experts in fields including physics, thermodynamics and screenwriting should proceed cautiously. But then again, few go to a movie starring the Rock and a tall building (they do have great chemistry)

for sensible and realistic rescue methods. They go for the dumb fun, the crazy stunts and, above all, the Kong-sized appeal of Johnson, the towering movie star whose on-screen powers easily exceed those of any other action star today, superhero or not.

The Hong Kong-set “Skyscraper” is a kind of West-meets-East “Die Hard,” but without the gritty flair of John McTiernan’s film, nor anything like the villainous heights of Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber.

Johnson’s protagonist, too, is a polished family man, the inverse of Bruce Willis’ unshaven divorcee.

Johnson plays Will Sawyer, a former military man who, after a haunting hostage encounter, has become a security systems consultant. “I put my sword down,” says Sawyer, who has a prosthetic leg from the incident — a welcome touch in a movie world where disabilities are seldom represented.

Along with his former combat surgeon wife (the niceto-see-again Neve Campbell, whose part exceeds the stereotypical spouse role) and their two kids (McKenna Roberts, Noah Cottrell), Sawyer is in Hong Kong to ready the security for “The

This image shows Dwayne Johnson in a scene from “Skyscraper.” (Universal Pictures via AP) Pearl,” a state-of-the-art skyscraper promoted as three times the size of the Empire State Building. With a swirling turbine midway up and a tennis ball-like sphere at the top, it looks a little like a giant World Cup trophy.

The building is the pride of billionaire developer Zhao Long Ji (Chin Han), who has filled it with extravagant attractions, like a kind of digital hall-of-mirrors that will inevitably serve as the setting for a “Lady From Shanghai”-like shootout. He presides over it from the penthouse, more than 100 floors above anyone else in the unfinished high rise.

The Singaporean star Han

is one of the many Asian actors who populate the film, clearly fashioned to appeal as much to Chinese filmgoers as American ones, though their roles are largely peripheral.

Sawyer’s family is installed on floor 96, a precarious spot when, just below them, a band of terrorists led by Kores Botha (a ho-hum Roland Moller) sets a floor on fire, blazing a crimson line across the night skyline. (“Skyscraper” is lensed by Robert Elswit and it regularly looks better than you’d expect it to.)

Their aim, like countless bandits before them, is to smoke out Zhao. It’s an

Producers plan movie about Thai cave rescue Jake Coyle New York (AP) — The boys are out of the cave.

Now Hollywood wants in.

The producers behind Christian films like “God’s Not Dead” are already in Thailand with plans to develop a movie about the 18-day saga of the soccer team trapped in a flooded cave. Though the drama of headline-grabbing rescues often doesn’t carry over the big screen, Pure Flix Entertainment co-founder Michael Scott believes the story about the 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach is ripe for movie adaptation.

“We realized that this would make an incredibly inspiring movie,” Scott said. “Like a lot of people, we know there’s not a lot of positive news in the world today.”

Scott said he feels a personal connection with the story. His wife is Thai and he said he was spending the summer in Bangkok when the soccer team went missing.

Scott and fellow producer Adam Smith recently traveled to the area around the cave in northern Thailand, and they have begun talking to some of the participants about their “life rights.”

But they also stressed that they haven’t yet pursued most of the families of the

Thai rescue team members walk inside the cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach were trapped for 18 days. (Royal Thai Navy via AP) boys, who remained recuperating in a hospital.

“For us it’s not a huge race,” said Smith. “It’s about making sure we get the authenticity right.”

Many hurdles await. Most films that enter development never get produced, and the producers are just beginning to seek a screenwriter. Other film productions companies will surely show interest, and they could leapfrog ahead with a larger production. But Pure Flix hopes they can beat any fiction-film rush.

“I don’t think this is a religious film,” said Scott. “I think this is an inspirational film.”

There’s also some reason to doubt the box-office appeal of the tale. Rippedfrom-headlines movies have not been setting the world on fire. Though Clint Eastwood’s “Sully” was a success, his 2018 docudrama about the 2015 Thalys train attack, “The 15:17 to Paris,” disappointed. Michael Bay’s “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” (2016)

was the director ’s worst performing release. Peter Berg’s 2016 big-budget drama about the 2010 oil rig explosion “Deepwater Horizon” likewise fizzled.

The best comparison would be 2015’s “The 33,” about the 2010 mining disaster in Chile that trapped 33 miners for two months.

Though boasting a starry cast of Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin and Juliette Binoche, it made barely a blip at the box office, with $24.9 million worldwide.

overly elaborate plan considering they mostly desire the flash drive Zhao carries with him. But what bloodthirsty international mercenary isn’t a big fan of “The Towering Inferno”?

That the timing felt right to Thurber and Johnson (who previously teamed for “Central Intelligence”) for a film about a skyscraper under terrorist assault is itself noteworthy. Such a movie would have been unthinkable in the years after Sept. 11, and for some, still is. But this year, for whatever reason, seems to close a chapter in the post-9/11 disaster movie. In April, “Rampage” (also with Johnson) didn’t hesitate to topple urban towers in clouds of dust.

“Skyscraper” doesn’t have

any such thoughts — or, really, any thoughts, period — in mind. It’s counting on your amnesia to the past, on screen and off, and it will readily supply you with two hours of mindless escape.

It does the job better than most, thanks largely to its hulking hero. When Johnson makes his crane leap — the movie’s much-promoted central set piece — throngs surrounding the building ooh and aah. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s the Rock.

“Skyscraper,” a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for “sequences of gun violence and action, and for brief strong language.” Running time: 102 minutes. Two and half stars out of four.

Release of 5th ‘Indiana Jones’ movie pushed to 2021 New York (AP) — Indiana Jones won’t be swinging back into movie theaters until at least 2021.

The Walt Disney Co. has announced that the planned fifth installment in the “Indiana Jones” franchise will be released in July 2021 instead of July 2020. The film was originally scheduled for release in the summer of 2019.

Script issues are reportedly behind the delay. Last month, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” co-screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan was brought on to help write the film.

Steven Spielberg is set to direct the latest “Indiana Jones” film, with Harrison Ford also reprising his role.

Ford turns 79 years old in July 2021.

Actor Harrison Ford is shown in this Jan. 10, 2016 file photo. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/ AP) Spielberg also has a number of films in front of “Indiana Jones,” including a remake of “West Side Story.”

18 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

A Midsummer Night’s Scream

Krzysztof Penderecki.

(Photo/ Schott Music) Do you recall that supernatural horror movie entitled The Exorcist from 1973? It was directed by William Friedkin and the plot was adapted from the novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty. That in turn was based on a factual book entitled Possessed by the American historian and author Thomas B. Allen. It described a series of bizarre events which took place in Maryland during the late 1940s surrounding an anonymous fourteen-year-old boy who became the alleged

victim of demonic possession.

The author gave the boy the pseudonym Robbie Mannheim, though various contemporary newspaper reports use the pseudonym Roland Doe. He was an only child and became attached to his Aunt Harriet who was a spiritualist. She introduced the boy to the Ouija board in which he evidently took a considerable interest.

According to Thomas B. Allen, after Aunt Harriet’s death the family experienced strange noises in the house, furniture moving by itself

and objects such as vases flying or levitating when the boy was nearby. The devout parents turned to their Lutheran pastor for help who advised them to seek the advice of a Catholic priest. The boy eventually underwent a number of exorcisms, during which several unexpected and disturbing events became a serious cause of alarm. If these things interest you, I shall leave you to investigate the entire creepy matter for yourself. As the song DoRe-Me suggests “start at the very beginning.” Begin your search into the world of the paranormal by typing into your search application the name “Roland Doe”.

The movie The Exorcist was notable for its use of extraordinary music. Lalo Schifrin was originally hired to compose the score but the director eventually chose music by Mike Oldfield along with excerpts from modern classical works by Krzysztof Penderecki, Anton Webern, Hans Werner Henze and the American composer George Crumb.

composer described as an “electric string quartet” whose members are also required to play a variety of other instruments including two suspended gongs, small percussion instruments and sets of crystal glasses, tuned by filling them with different amounts of water. The music often uses extreme registers of the instruments as well as extended bowing techniques such as bowing on the fingerboard or tapping the strings with a thimble.

The players are also required to add vocal sounds during the performance.

The work has thirteen movements beginning and ending with a movement chillingly entitled Night of the Electric Insects. It was used with terrifying effect in The Exorcist.

By any standards this is extraordinary music, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. Be prepared for long periods of relative silence contrasted with sudden and devastating bursts of energy.

Krzysztof Penderecki (b. 1933): Polymorphia.

AUKSO Chamber Orchestra of Tychy cond. Krzysztof Black Angels is subtitled Penderecki (Duration: Thirteen Images from the 06:16; Video: 1080p HD)

George Crumb (b.

1929): Black Angels.

Abraxas Quartet (Duration: 22:22; Video: 1080p HD)

Dark Land and dates from 1970. It’s scored for what the

The title of this work is derived from the Greek word

poly meaning “many” and morph meaning “shape” or “form”. Another Greek word - aukso (“growth”) was borrowed by the orchestra, one of Europe’s most progressive ensembles.

The composer Krzysztof Penderecki (kur-ZIHSH-tahf pen-deh-RETS-kee) has won numerous international awards and has been described by the UK’s The Guardian newspaper as “Poland’s greatest living composer”.

Polymorphia dates from 1961 and it’s scored for fortyeight stringed instruments.

It’s also probably one of the most scary-sounding works ever written. It was used both in The Exorcist and in Stanley Kubrick’s movie The Shining.

Polymorphia is conducted in this video by the composer himself and takes us on a journey into a dark pulsating sound world where there’s no conventional melody, harmony and rhythm. As Mr. Spock might have said to Captain Kirk, “It’s music Jim, but not as we know it”.

The composer sometimes calls for unusual playing techniques for which he devised his own form of notation.

Parts of the work are based on sound interpretations of electroencephalograms, which as you may recall, detect electrical activity in the brain and record it the form of wavy lines. They were recorded at Kraków Medical Center while vo l u n t e e r p a t i e n t s listened to Penderecki’s own piece, Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, thus creating a pleasing symmetry which must have brought the composer considerable satisfaction. You’d never have guessed that the music was inspired by brain waves, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s the thought that counts.

You need a good audio system to appreciate these two works at their best. The most satisfying way to hear them is to turn off the video and listen to the music in darkness. Be sure to keep an y a n i m a l s a n d s m a l l children out of the room and don’t blame me if the experience freaks you out.

To watch these YouTube videos, either use your Smartphone to read the QR codes or go to this article online, click on the “live” links and go direct to the videos. If you have a laptop, sound quality can be improved significantly by using headphones or external speakers.

Read more news at pattayamail.com

‘A Terrible Country’ is a wonderful novel Ann Levin With the United States in an uproar about Russian meddling in its election, it’s a good time to brush up on the country’s former Cold War enemy.

Here to help is Russian-born emigre Keith Gessen, whose hilarious, heartbreaking second novel, “A Terrible Country,” may be one of the best books you’ll read this year.

The novel is narrated by 33-year-old Andrei, who, like the author, is a Soviet Jew who came to the United States at age 6, and it recounts the year he spent in Moscow taking care of his aging grandmother.

He moved back on the eve of the 2008 financial meltdown at the behest of his businessman brother, Dima, who had to flee the country suddenly after getting on the wrong side of the oligarchs.

While Andrei is initially put out by Dima’s request, he isn’t unhappy to leave New York. His girlfriend has just dumped him, and he’s hoping the change of scenery might jump-start his stalled academic career.

But unbeknownst to Andrei, Baba Seva has dementia and is hard of hearing.

And since Dima has already sublet his

apartment across the hall, Andrei has to move into their old bedroom. Oh, the humiliation!

One of the pleasures of the novel is listening to Andrei’s hyper-intelligent, wry and ironic voice. At times he can be petty and arrogant, self-righteous and ingratiating, not to mention slightly clueless about women. Here he is, noticing

all the gorgeous blond women in black pencil skirts on Moscow’s streets. “I don’t know why I liked the fact that they all looked alike, but I did.”

But basically Andrei is a good guy who feels guilty when he gets impatient with his grandmother and offers up incisive, politically charged commentary on the sweeping changes under way in Putin’s Russia.

The other unforgettable character is Andrei’s grandmother, an indomitable force of nature. Gessen’s portrait of her is tender, and readers will be hardpressed to find a more nuanced and poignant depiction of what it means to lose your memory.

Indeed, Baba Seva is the one who lends the novel its title. Early on, she can’t remember who Andrei is or why he’s in Moscow. When he reminds her, she gets upset. “This is a terrible country,” she says to him. “My (daughter) took you to America. Why did you come back?”

Gessen’s genius is in showing us how and why Russia is and isn’t a terrible country. And how, in its ruthless devotion to market capitalism, the former socialist state bears a striking resemblance to America and other Western nations. (AP)

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 19

PATTAYA MAIL

Red Rock: ‘Set In Stone’ mott@pattayamail.com The Liverpool scene has always been a burgeoning music ground. Perhaps most noticeably in the Sixties with bands such as The Beatles, The Scaffold, and The Searchers breaking though, plus solo acts such as Cilla Black, Frankie Vaughan etc., but the tradition still carries on today with the Sugarbabes recently topping the charts.

In the late Seventies and early Eighties, when the music became a lot heavier, Liverpool was not to be left behind with its multitude of talent and live venues. Playing in Liverpool and all over the world were such bands as Montana, containing one Ian ‘Bam’ Bamford on lead guitar and vocals, Nutz/ Rage, who released seven wonderful studio albums with Keith Mulholland on bass and backing vocals, whilst the infamous Macc Lads had Howard ‘Howie’ Minns on drums and vocals.

These three performers have been friends for more than 40 years, and now gig around

Liverpool and the surrounding cosmos as Red Rock, and with the addition of supplementary musicians they also morph into other bands such as Cheap Purple, or with the addition of Ozzie Yue (famous for being in Father Ted) to Yue Who and with just Bam and Keith to the duo, Double Trouble. If you are in Liverpool and like your rock ‘n’ roll, look up the gig guide and go and see these guys. They do the word “Amazing” proud. (Fun for that matter too!)

At long last they have finally popped into the studios and laid down some of their own and the customers’ favourite covers and put them out as

Original Winnie-the-Pooh map breaks auction record London (AP) — The original hand-drawn map of Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred Acre Woods has sold at auction for 430,000 pounds (US$571,000), a record price for a book illustration.

E.H. Shepard’s drawing sold at Sotheby’s in London last week for almost threetimes its pre-sale estimate.

Shepard’s 1926 sketch features beloved characters including Pooh and

Philip W. Errington holds the original map of Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood by E H Shepard at Sotheby’s auction house in London.

(Yui Mok/PA via AP)

Elvis Costello cancels tour dates after cancer surgery London (AP) — Elvis Costello has canceled the rest of his European summer tour after undergoing surgery for a “small but very aggressive” cancerous tumor.

The post-punk singersongwriter says he needs time to recover after the operation.

The 63-year-old musician said in a statement that he initially thought “normal service had been resumed” but now realized he needed more rest. He said “therefore, I must reluctantly cancel all the remaining engagements of this tour.”

He vowed to “return at the soonest opportunity.”

The canceled concerts were in Britain, Croatia, Austria, Norway and Sweden.

Costello, whose hits include

Musician Elvis Costello is shown in this Nov. 12, 2017 file photo. (Photo

by Richard Shotwell/ Invision/AP) “Alison” and “Oliver’s Army,” urged men to go to their doctors if they had symptoms they were worried about.

Christopher Robin, and landmarks including “Bee Tree” and “Eeyore’s Gloomy Place.”

It was last sold in 1970 for 1,700 pounds.

Shepard’s illustrations helped cement the popularity of A.A. Milne’s “bear of very little brain” and his woodland friends. In 2014, an ink drawing of the characters playing the game poohsticks sold for a thenrecord 314,500 pounds.

The map and four other Shepard Winnie-the-Pooh illustrations sold for a total of 917,500 pounds at the auction.

Red Rock in concert. (Photo/You Tube) this amazing CD. Simply called “Set in Stone” it is a pure joy to listen to.

First song up is “Dakota”, the Stereophonics song and Red Rock have taken it, given it a huge shake and put some rock into it. The results are wonderful and it’s a perfect opener to get your feet tapping. Then we get “Gimmie All Your Lovin’” with Bam giving it his best southern fried boogie.

Thin Lizzy’s standard “Still In Love With You” is next in line for some Red Rock treatment and is the album’s first, but not only highlight. The track starts off in beautiful style with Bam eloquently pleading his love, following this up with some scorching guitar solos. But it is at six minutes twenty seven seconds that Red Rock pull a great trick missed by Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy, where the band change gear and rock out the last section of

the song, turning the whole thing into an epic.

We are then treated to Red Rock’s interpretation of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” and instrumentally the band then put themselves through their paces on a fine version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Red House”, plus romps through AC/DC’s “Long Way To The Top” and The Doobie Brothers’ “China Grove” with maximum Red Rock panache.

To finish the album we have a complete reworking of the Talking Heads “Psycho Killer”, and stretched out to nearly eight minutes long this version really carries some venom with it. Keith’s pounding bass guitar opens the track until Bam and Howie

come roaring in, the vocals are crystal clear and are spat out with genuine venom.

Red Rock finish their live sets with this song and have most of the audience cowering against the back wall by the time they finish.

I would forego seeing many name bands for the chance to see Red Rock again. Using all their experience and natural talent they put on a great show.

Hopefully within a year they will release a second volume of their own songs.

But for now this will do very nicely, and at only eight English pounds, well worth it.

Mott the Dog Rating: 5 Stars.

Red Rock: Ian ‘Bam’ Banford – lead guitar and lead vocals Keith Mulholland – bass guitar and vocals Howard ‘Howie’ Minns drums and vocals Track List: Dakota Gimmie All Your Lovin’ Still In Love With You Wish You Were Here China Grove Red House Long Way To The Top Psycho Killer Note: Written By Mott The Dog and Hells Bells, who can be found at Jameson’s The Irish Pub. Soi AR, North Pattaya.

The B-52s are touring on their 40th anniversary - sort of John Carucci New York (AP) — The B-52s are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. But they also may celebrate it next year. That is, if they haven’t already hit the milestone.

There’s no fuzzy math here — it’s a just matter of which date adequately represents the origin of the band, which began in Athens, Georgia.

Vocalist Fred Schneider considers 2018 as their ruby anniversary. “This is 40 years since our first single came out,” Schneider said. That was the year they released the song, “Rock Lobster.”

The band’s other vocalist, Kate Pierson, interprets their anniversary a bit more liberally.

“We started in 1976 jamming and we played our first show on Valentine’s Day 1977, so we can mark 40 from there or we can mark 40 from 1979 when we did our first record,” Pierson said, referring to their eponymous album.

Then she added: “It’s flexible. We’re milking the 40 anniversary because it’s flexible.”

In this June 21, 2018 photo, Kate Pierson (left) and Fred Schneider, of The B-52s, pose for a portrait in New York to promote the band’s 40th anniversary.

(Photo by Christopher Smith/Invision/AP) While the actual date may be a “Cosmic Thing” — just as the title of their fifth album and hit song — there’s no discrepancy that their reputation as “the world’s greatest party band” has thrived since the late 1970s.

Yet, while their sound remained upbeat, the band had some dark days, most notably the death of founding member Ricky Wilson,

who succumbed to AIDS in 1985. He is the older brother of vocalist Cindy Wilson.

“There’s always ups and downs in 40 years. And Ricky’s death in 1985 was definitely a point where we thought we wouldn’t go on.

People always ask, ‘Did you envision that you would have gone on for 40 years?’

You know, that seemed like the end,” Pierson said.

Instead, they rebounded with “Cosmic Thing,” and scored their most successful album, and biggest hit single, “Love Shack” in 1989. Pierson attributes their longevity to friendship above all else.

“We all maintained our connections and our friendships, which we’ve maintained over all these years.

We still like each other, love each other, and we realize that this was a way to heal and a way to really bring Ricky back into the mix. I think a lot of the songs recalled that time in Athens with Ricky,” Pierson said.

She jokes about what would happen if the band were to try to make it today. “We would go on ‘The Voice,’ and we’d get kicked off of the first episode, probably,” Pierson said.

As for the tour, the band said fans can expect more obscure stuff, like “Wig,” as well as the hits. “We’re not going to say, ‘Hey, tonight I’m sorry. I hope you understand. We’re not doing ‘Rock Lobster’ or ‘Love Shack’ or ‘Roam,’’” said Pierson. “No, we’re going to do those.”

20 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

A look back - 1993 vs 2018 Pattaya Beach 1993 & 2018. Fun City has grown over the years.

There was a groundswell to bring back the thatched roofs after they were replaced in 1993. Obviously it didn’t catch on.

1993 Premium gas was 9.05 per liter (3.36 tax) Diesel 7.87/L (2.31 tax) 2018 Diesel S28.79 Gasohol E85 S21.14 Gasohol E20 S26.74 Gasohol 91 S28.98 Gasohol 95 S29.25 Last Updated: 29/05/2018

by Bangchak.

1993 25 baht to 1 US dollar.

Thai Baht reached an alltime low of 55.50 to the USD in January of 1998 and a record high of 20.36 USD in July of 1981.

2018 +/- 33 baht to 1 US dollar.

1993Minimum wage 125 baht per day in Bangkok.

110 baht per day in other large cities / provinces.

102 baht per day in the other provinces.

2018Minimum wage – 308 baht for 3 provinces comprising Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.

– 310 baht for 22 provinces comprising Singburi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Mae Hong Son, Lampang, Lamphun, Chiang Rai, Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, Phichit, Uthai Thani, Si Sa Ket, Tak, Chaiyaphum, Amnart Charoen, Phrae, Ratchaburi, Ranong,

Maha Sarakham, Chumphon, Nong Bualampoo, and Satun.

– 315 baht for 21 provinces comprising Roi-et, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Nakhon Sawan, Srakaew, Phatthalung, Utaradit, Udon Thani, Nakhon Phanom, Buriram, Surin, Phetchaburi, Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Chainat, Loei, Yasothorn, Bung Kan, Phayao, Nan, Kanchanaburi, and Ang Thong.

– 318 baht for 7 provinces comprising Chanthaburi, Samut Songkram, Sakhon Nakhon, Mukdaharn, Nakhon Nayok, Kalasin and Prachinburi.

– 320 baht for 14 provinces comprising Ubon Ratchathani, Suphanburi, Saraburi, Ayutthaya, Nong Khai, Lopburi, Trat, Khon Kaen, Songkhla, Surat Thani, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Phang-nga.

– 325 baht for 7 provinces comprising Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathumthani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon and Chachoengsao.

– 330 baht for 3 provinces comprising Phuket, Chonburi and Rayong.

1993 Thai population 58.24 million 2018 (2016 census) Thai population 68.86 million

Walking Street old and new.

1993 (1990 census) Official Pattaya Population *50,000 2018 (2010 census) Official Pattaya Population *320,262 (*not including tourists or transient workers) 1993 Thailand tourism arrivals: 6 million 2017 Thailand tourism arrivals: 35,381,210 (16,456,470 Jan-May 2018) Year Accidents fatalities 1993 84,892 9,496 2018 N/A est. >*24,000 * Ranked #1 worst in the world 1993 Prime Minister: Democrat Chuan Leekpai.

1993 - Flooded out - again! Bjarne Nielsen clowns in front of his Café Kronborg restaurant. “Every year,” he said.

Including Chuan, there have been 11 Prime Ministers in Thailand since 1993 2018 Prime Minister: Retired Royal Thai Army general and head of the National Council for Peace and Order, Prayuth Chan-o-cha.

1993 Mayor: Anupong Udomrattanakulchai 2018 Mayor: Anan Charoenchasri 1993 Pattaya Hash House Harriers celebrated their 500thMonday run in October 2018 Pattaya Hash House Harriers will celebrate their 1800 th Monday run in September

1993 World News *

1997 - Stumper of the week? Why is this pole in the middle of the road?

In 1995 we ran this caption with the photo on the left - Safe to swim in Pattaya? Swimmers play in shallow water amongst speed boats and speeding water scooters - in the area where a swimmer was struck and killed. Good to see areas have since been cordoned off for swimmers.

Kim Campbell became Canada’s first female Prime Minister June 25, 1993 (she left office on November 4, 1993).

Bill Clinton, President of the United States.

Islamic Fundamentalists bomb World Trade Center.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake off Hokkaido, Japan launches a devastating tsunami, killing 202 on the small island of Okushiri, Hokkaido.

Earthquake centered on Killari, Maharashtra, India kills nearly 10,000 people.

The Oil tanker MV Braer carrying 85,000 tonnes of crude oil runs aground on January 5th in hurricane force winds off the Shetland Islands and large amounts of crude oil spill into the North Sea causing an ecological disaster in the area.

The Maastricht Treaty signed on February 7th takes effect, formally establishing the European Union.

EU Farmers protest the reduction in agricultural subsidies due to Maastricht Treaty.

Earthquake hits Flores, Indonesia - 2200 dead.

Space Shuttle Endeavour mission launched to repair an optical flaw in the Hubble Space Telescope.

Russian Nuclear Accident at Tomask 7.

The US and Soviet Union sign Start II reducing nuclear warheads by 3,500 each.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is signed into law by US President Bill Clinton.

Yitzhak Rabin (Israel) and Yasser Arafat (PLO) sign peace agreement on September 13th on White House lawn.

Tennis player Monica Seles is stabbed by a spectator during a quarter final tennis match in Hamburg by Günter Parche, an obsessed fan of Steffi Graf.

Slovakia Gains Independence when Czechoslovakia divides into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Two former police officers are convicted of violating the civil rights of beaten motorist Rodney King.

The Pentium microprocessor introduced by Intel.

Windows NT 3.1 released

by Microsoft.

The World Wide Web was born at CERN. World Health Organization W.H.O. estimates 14 million people worldwide infected with the AIDS Virus.

The first cloning of a Human Embryo by 2 American Scientists.

Popular Films: Jurassic Park, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Fugitive, The Firm, Sleepless in Seattle, Indecent Proposal, In the Line of Fire, The Pelican Brief, Schindler’s List, Cliffhanger, Philadelphia, Robin Hood: Men in Tights. * Info from http://www. t h e p e o p l e h i s t o r y. c o m / 1993.html

VOL. XXVI No. 29

PATTAYA MAIL Throughout successive years of the Pattaya Mail, our special correspondent Peter Cummins, Thailand’s leading yachting correspondent, has chronicled the incomparable contributions His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit have made with love and dedication to their subjects in every corner of the Kingdom. Written not only with the highest level of academic veracity, Peter also was able to draw upon his own personal experiences with the Royal Family to chronicle their lives and put pen to paper for a number of special publications with Pattaya Mail.

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 21

22 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

PCEC learns about currency, both monetary and educational

MC Roy Albiston presents the PCEC’s Certificate of Appreciation to Chris Akmakjian for his presentation on currency trading.

There were two diverse speakers for attendees to enjoy at the Pattaya City Expats Club meeting on Sunday, July 8. The first speaker was Chris Akmakjian who gave a presentation covering his background leading up to his currency trading business ... whilst Amirah Cummings gave an overview of the education project which she is busy expanding for children around the globe and described as her “Global Quest”.

Chris, originally from Australia, moved to Thailand for a new lease of life. He is a very passionate and dedicated family orientated person who started his presentation in lively fashion with the theme from Rocky; covering his early life as an entrepreneur, explaining that during his early days at school, he created toys which he sold to his classmates for pocket money. Chris also shared how he has fought and overcome adversity in life by recovering from two life threatening illnesses which have necessitated him taking a very healthy approach to dietary and personal lifestyle management. Through

this life journey, he fortunately found his supportive loving wife and family here in Thailand where he now lives and operates as a full-time currency market trader; trading his own funds whilst also managing private client funds as well as offering training options for select individuals who are interested in taking the plunge themselves.

Chris explained that typically 95% of amateur traders lose their whole account balance within a matter of months, whereas the majority concentrate on a myriad of indicators including charting patterns among many others, they do not recognize the awaiting pitfalls. Their losses, however, he attributes mainly to an incorrect mindset rather than strategy and or technique, stressing the importance of knowing the concept and understanding the risks involved. As an example, he cited Bitcoin as a high risk. A concept and hot topic which he admits to having little or no knowledge or experience in, and he therefore, as a caution, stays away from the unknown. Although advising that with

Member Ren Lexander interviews Almirah Cummings after her presentation to the PCEC. To see the video, visit https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=QDXXOiWjmCU&feature=youtu.be.

Almirah Cummings describes how she used her Annual Report to attract investors and others into helping her promote her “Cummings Method” approach to educating young children. the correct discipline and strict strategy, trading can be a very lucrative and rewarding way of managing your finances.

Next up, all the way from New Jersey in the USA, was a very unassuming and professional lady who shared her driving ambition to introduce a new concept of learning, mainly, although not limited to, the under-fives age group. Amirah Cummings is a multi-lingual speaker, who, three years ago gained her Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Educational Entrepreneurship. She is a strong believer in the power of communication which can broaden and expand people’s overall cultural outlook, tolerance and understanding.

Amirah has a mantra by which she applies her vision, drive and motivation with her very own quote, “If you want to change the world ~ you simply must dare to do so.”

In January 2017 she prepared an Annual Report in order to procure initial first round investment interest. She also undertook travelling the world for inspiration and new ideas. With her ability to communicate in English, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese and slightly “rusty” Italian,

she discovered by observation that children could learn much easier and quicker if their education is tailored to meet the child’s natural mental pathways. For example, a child with artistic ability would learn easier and quicker using art incorporated with words and numbers. Whereas, likewise a child with numerical interest could have colors, shapes and words combined with the numbers.

She has prepared a set Structured Cummings Method which experienced adults can use as a teaching framework (not just teachers) culminating in a unique assessment scheme based more on overall all round accomplishments, rather than just academia.

Who knows, she thinks this could be a great way to find new world leaders. To find out more, a new website is under construction titled, The Cummings School.org.

After the presentations, MC Roy Albiston brought everyone up to date on upcoming events which was followed by the Open Forum where members and guests can ask questions or make comments about Expat living in Thailand. For more on the PCEC and their activities or to subscribe to their weekly newsletter, visit www.pcec.club.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 23

PATTAYA MAIL

Articles For Sale/Rent

Articles/Services Wanted

As611/01-52/ Pattaya Mail Cartoonist Michael Baird (M.J.B.) has 3 brand new cartoon E-Books out. These and his other 10 cartoon E-Books can be bought from www. amazon.co.uk or www. booksmango.com. You will now be able to see all of Mike’s cartoons in FULL COLOUR. His 3 new Kindle E-Books are “Pattaya Cartoon Memories”, “Ladyboy Book 3” and “Pattaya Unforgettable Memories”. These cartoons are for grown-ups and would be unique gifts. You never know You might see yourself in them!

Aw01/01-52/ Missionary in Rayong sponsoring Little Duck Nursery needs help.

Please - Any unwanted items you have would be appreciated.

(Eng) Rev Stephen 086 600 5682, (Thai) 0875 381 586

Businesses for Sale or Rent Bop10/01-52/ House in Pratumnak, corner Soi 4, with 5 floors; 320sqm, 9 rooms, 8 bathrooms, entrance room, completely restored 2016, garage; 7,500,000 THB; (Ref. 259)WWW.GO PROPERTY THAILAND.COM, 093161-5995.

Bop04/01-52/ Exclusive Sale!

Hotel Resort in Koh Samui with 71 rooms; 10,700sqm of land, perfect investment; one of the best hotels with the most beautiful beach on the island; rare opportunity; Price extremely reduced, owner wants to retire; details: GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995 Bop03/01-52/ “Paradise for sale” on famous Phuket beach; breathtaking, beautiful resort on 1000-wah (4,000sqm) of land with 7 Thai- teak traditional style houses located directly on the beach; each house is a unique artwork with antique furniture & art; must see; only one of his kind in Thailand; very rare opportunity; details: GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995 Bop01/01-52/ Hotel with “Hotel license” located 50m from Jomtien Beach, 45 guest rooms, lobby, bar, massage room, maiden rooms; one of the best locations on Jomtien Beach: 75,000,000 THB. Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com

Notices No01/27-31/ Looking for a game of snooker with a retired ex-professional UK snooker player? Tel. Mike on 089 152 3202

Pets Pets04/29-30/ Looking for a good home for my loving 2year old neutered male cat, Charlie. Please contact by text message as sometimes cannot hear ring on phone. SMS to 086 160 5835 Pets03/01-52/ Homeless puppies available for adoption to warm and caring homes! All puppies are healthy, vaccinated and acclimated to people. If you are looking for a friend for life, just call 088 402 6772 or e-mail to karin@carefordogs.org.

Pets02/01-52/ **Free Cats and Kittens** We are still trying to find loving homes for over 40 cats and kittens. Please check the pictures on our website or ring Sandra. Call 085 287 5004 http:/ cats4youinpattaya.webs.com

Property for Rent Houses, Villas Prb176/29/ Guesthouse Jomtien Beach: Long Stay 12,000 per month, 1 month deposit, Mobile: 064-984-3618 Prb175/26-30/ Beautiful House for Rent: 3 bed, 3 baths, fully furnished, private Pool. Near Jomtien beach. Start from 30,000 baht/ month. Phone: 081-782-0206, 084362-5920, www.rimtalay.com

Prb174/26-30/ 2-storey townhouse in Soi Nernplubwan Sukhumvit 53, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, Fully furnished, 10 minutes from Pattaya Beach, Rent 7,000 baht/month. Free water, electric 5 baht/unit. More details call Wanida 081-653-1950 E- mail: juanitareed@hotmail. com or Line ID: 081-653-1950 Prb167/14-39/ HOUSES FOR RENT –Rattana Village and Udomsuk Village: 72-120m2, up to 7,000 Baht. Mr. Udom 082 2091452, Mr. Wirat 089 9354369

24 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

Pattaya Emergency Numbers Pattaya Call Center ................................ 1337 Police Station .......................................... 191 - Pattaya ................................................... 038 424 186 - Banglamung ......................................... 038 221 800-1 Highway Police ....................................... 038 392 001 Fire Brigade ............................................. 199 Pat. Int. Hopsital ..................................... 038 428 374-5 Bkk-Pat Hospital ..................................... 038 259 911 TAT Central Office: Region 3 Pattaya . 038 428 750 Tourist Police ......................................... 038 429 371, 1155 . .................................................................. 038 410 044 (FAX)

Prb173/25-29/ White House Villa: Choice of 3 Apartments, 1/2 bedrooms, Sukhumvit 15 on by-pass train road, rent 1 bedroom + Euro Kitchen (FullyLoaded), Private swimming pool under renovation 8,000 baht month. Tel: 062 945 6645, 065-487-4916 Eng. E-Mail: bangkoknok@hotmail.com Prb172/22-41/ House for Rent 7,500 baht: Soi Nernplabwan.

Contact 0619645253 / 0983477786

Condos, Apartments Prc207/19-38/ Royal Park Luxury Service Apartments and penthouse suite, Jomtien: starting at 15,000 baht/month.

56-70sqm, one bedroom, large living area with balcony and European kitchen, Free internet. Enjoy our rooftop swimming pool. Short walk to the beach. Monthly and daily rentals, Contact 086 111 7414 or check on our website www.royalparkjomtien.com to see why we are number 1 in Jomtien

Prc210/29-33/ Pattaya Beach Rd. Soi 13, Large furnished studio, safe, poolside + sea-view balcony, terrace, 12,500.Tel.091-504-1806 Prc208/22-41/ Condo for Rent 8,500 baht: Studio 32sqm, in the city, fully furnished, big swimming pool. Contact 0619645253 / 0983477786 Prc206/25-29/ Markland Studio 48sqm, beach front balcony, refurbished, furnished, pool, fitness, minimum 12 months @ 15,000B/month by owner ian.thailand@hotmail.com, 087 137 1529 Prc202/14-52/ Seaview Studio, View Talay 1A, high floor, Pattaya side, Living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, Flat TV, ceiling fan, clean & nice furnished, air-condition, security door, parking, big pool, located on “10 Baht Taxi route: 9,500 THB/ monthly. Tel. 092- 753 9309 (available from 1 May 2018) Prc201/14-39/ Apartments for rent: 46m2, air-con, hot water, kitchen, in Nongprue area4,500 Baht. Tel. Mr. Udom 082 2091452, Mr. Heinz 089 989 0567

VOL. XXVI No. 29

Prc199/14-52/ Seaview Studio, Jomtien Beach Road, between Soi 15 – 16: 43sqm, high floor, living-bedroom, kitchen, bath, terrace, office table, clean & nice furnished, air-condition, fitness gym, garage, 25m pool, direct on “10 Baht Taxi route”: 9,800 THB/ monthly. Tel. 092- 753 9309 Prc191/01-52/ Pratumnak Seaview Studio with private access to the beach; Ref: 2016139; located directly on the beach, 3rd floor, no public streets, no buses, no traffic; totally peaceful, sea views from the terrace; living space 51sqm; fully furnished; direct access to the beach; 1 living/bedroom, 1 bathroom, full kitchen; WiFi; security 7/24h; community pool on beachfront; restaurant on pool side, supermarket, laundry; For Rent at 13,500 THB/month; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com

Property for Sale Houses, Villas Psb33/27-30/ Wongamat Beach House for Sale: 3 bedroom 5.5 Million baht (O.N.O) Tel: 089-246-2146 Psb32/26-30/ For sale by owner: Two Townhouses side by side on Tepprasit Soi 5 (60 meters from Tepprasit Road), Fully furnished, two beds, one bath, 3 air-con, well water, land size 60tarangwha: Sale for 4.9 million.

More details call Wanida 081653-1950, E- mail: juanitareed

@hotmail.com or Line ID: 081653-1950 Psb29/13-52/ Semi-detached house in Central Park 2 (Sukkhumvit behind McDonald’s), 2 beds, 2 baths, office, living room, nicely furnished, terrace and “sala” (pergola) in the garden, end of cul-de-sac, nice little garden, quiet and and central location, reduced from 4.9 M Baht to only 3.5 M Baht. Heiner 081 861 19 07

Condos, Apartments Psc85/27-31/ New Price Down for my Condo Jomtien Porchland 2, 38m2, 1 bedroom 8 Floor, Foreign name, fully furnished, swimming pool, gym cable TV, internet, 5 Years old nice view, 1.50 MLN BHT. Rent: 8,500 baht per Month Tel: 087138-3523 Psc84/27-31/ Sale & Rent: Trust Residence Central Pattaya Condo: fully furnished wifi & swimming pool for sale: 1,290,000 (tax free) for rent: 8,000 per month.

Tel. 086-633-2948

VOL. XXVI No. 29

Psc81/25-29/ Markland Studios, Pattaya Beach Road, finance available: 48sqm, beachfront balcony, furnished, refurbished, pool, fitness, foreign ownership, by owner, 3 MIO baht, 20% deposit + 120 months @ 25000. Other bespoke available. ian.thailand@hotmail.com, 0871371529 Psc74/03-52/ Sea-View Condo Tropicana Pratumnak, modern 2 bedroom apartment, 81sqm, Pattaya City South, beautiful sea and island views; 1 living room with dining area, 1 bedroom, 1 office room, 1 bathroom, 1 shower room, fully equipped European kitchen, fully furnished, high Speed WLAN/WiFi connection, Safe Box, air-con, ceiling fans, 2 swimming pools (roof and ground floor), Fitness Gym, Garage; medical Clinic; ZEN Beauty Clinic; located at the “10 BahtTaxi route; For Sale at THB 4,500,000. Call 092- 753 9309 Psc59/01-52/ In the heart of Jomtien, 2 bedroom condo, (Ref: 2016- 259) 90sqm, 4th floor, big living room, 2 bathrooms, European kitchen, completely reformed, new furniture, 2 balconies, 3 aircons, 2 pools, garage, private access to Jomtien Beach; 3,950,000 THB; WWW.GOPROPERTY THAILAND.COM, 093- 161 5995.

Psc24/01-52/ Studio in Pattaya City; Ref: 2016- 136; located close to BIG C EXTRA, Pattaya Central Road; living space 28sqm; fully furnished;1 living/ bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchenette; WiFi; 2 community pools; restaurants, bars, supermarket, laundry; 699.000 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com Psc20/01-52/ Beachfront Jomtien, Pattaya; Ref: 2016106; located at Jomtien Beach Road with stunning sea views, 26thfloor; living space 45sqm; direct access to the beach; fully furnished;1 living/bedroom; 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen; terrace; WiFi; security 7/24h; fitness gym; big community pool; garage; supermarket, laundry; 1,850,000 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 25

PATTAYA MAIL

Psc18/01-52/ApartmentThappraya Road, Pattaya; Ref: 2016- 213; located on Thappraya Road with very nice sea and city views, 14th floor; living space 64sqm; 400m to the beach; fully furnished; living room with dining area, 1 bedroom/s, 1 bathroom/s, kitchen; terrace; internal blinds; 2 air-cons; ceiling fans; WiFi; security 7/ 24h; fitness gym; community pool; 10 Baht Taxi Route into City, free parking; restaurants, bars, 24hrs supermarket, laundry; 2,750,000 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com Psc17/01-52/ Studio directly on the beach from Ban Amphur; Ref: 2016-181; new Studio on the 6th floor with stunning sea views; living space 35sqm; 1bathroom; aircondition; infinity pool on roof top; very nice beach location with many small restaurants, windsurfing shops and much more; garage; security 7/24h; to Pattaya City 20 min; 2,998,000 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com Psc16/01-52/ LuxuryApartments in Pattaya City; Ref: 2016- 187; 1 or 2 bedrooms in a high rise condominium with 29 floors; living space 26-79sqm; community pools; fitness gym; massage, laundry, children playground; parking; cafe; restaurant; security 7/24h; construction end approx. 4/2018; prices are starting with 3.168,989 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com Psc15/01-52/ MARKLAND Studio, Pattaya Beach; Ref: 2016199; located on Pattaya Beach Road with very nice sea views, living space 45sqm; fully furnished; direct access to the beach; 1 living/ bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchenette; WiFi; security 7/24h; fitness gym; community pool; restaurants, bars, supermarket, laundry; 3,495,000 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com Psc14/01-52/ City Apartment, Central Road close BIG C EXTRA; Ref: 2016- 172; 2nd floor, living space 92,5sqm; fully furnished; city location; 1 living room, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms ensuite, 1 kitchen; terrace; WiFi; security 7/24h; fitness gym; community pool; parking; restaurants,

bars, supermarket, laundry; 3,500,000 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@ gopropertythailand.com Psc13/01-52/ Condo in Naklua; Ref: 2016- 224; new condo with 2 bedrooms, 3 rdfloor; living space 54sqm; fully furnished; living room with dining area, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 European kitchen; WiFi; security 7/24h; fitness gym; community pool; garage; parking; restaurants, bars, supermarket “BIG C Extra”, laundry, 10 bath taxi route; 3,890,000 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com Psc12/01-52/ Luxury Apartments in Pattaya Pratamnak; Ref: 2016- 188; 1 bedroom in a condominium with 5 floors; living space 33-77sqm; pool with jacuzzi; fitness gym; sauna, kids playground; parking; security 7/24h; prices are starting with 4,296,530 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com Psc10/01-52/ Beachfront Apartment Pattaya Beachroad; Ref: 2016- 193; 2 studios converted into a one bedroom apartment ; re-division anytime possible (2 titles /chanots); it is located directly on Pattaya Beach Road in the heart of Pattaya Beach; living space 90sqm; 1 living room, 1 bedroom, 2 bathrooms, open kitchen; totally refurbished; community pool; fitness gym; garage; security 7/24h; access to the beach; restaurants; coffee shops; 7,500,000 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com Psc7/01-52/ High floor condo at Jomtien Beach; Ref: 2016- 223; Sea view apartment with 3 bedrooms, located at Jomtien Beach Road with attached guest studio; breathtaking sea views, 22nd floor; living space 190sqm; short walking to the beach; fully furnished; 2 living rooms with dining areas, 3 bedroom/s, 3 bathrooms, 1 European kitchen; 1 kitchenette; terrace; WiFi; security 7/24h; fitness gym; sauna; spa; community pool; storage room; garage; parking; restaurants, bars, supermarket, laundry; located in the “Heart of Jomtien”; 9,950,000 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com Psc6/01-52/ High floor beachfront Apartment in Naklua; Ref: 2016192; Sea view apartment in a high rise condominium with 25 floors with direct access to the beach; living space 180sqm; fully furnished; community pool; fitness gym;

sauna; laundry; garage; security 7/ 24h; 13,500,000 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com Psc5/01-52/ BANGKOK Luxury high floor apartment; Ref: 2016- 201; Apartment in Bangkok; own mooring for speed boat; SKY TRAIN in front of the condo; breathtaking City views overlooking the royal Grand Palace; living space 350sqm; fully furnished with antique, Asian and European furniture; living room with dining area; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, jacuzzi; 1 European kitchen; laundry; huge terrace; WiFi; security 7/24h; fitness gym; sauna; spa; 3 garage parking; 40,860,000 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com Psc4/01-52/ Beachfront location, one of the very best luxury apartments in Pattaya in one of the best locations in Pattaya; Ref: 2016- 5995; breathtaking island and ocean views; living space 245sqm; fully furnished; living room with dining area; 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, guest toilet; full European kitchen; laundry; huge terrace; WiFi; security 7/24h; fitness gym; 2 garage parking; private access to the beach; 49,000,000 THB; Go Property Thailand; 093- 161 5995; jo@gopropertythailand.com

Land for Sale P22/14-52/ Bang Saray, close to GERMAN AUTO BMW, 10 Rai (1 Rai 2.8 mio): www.

GOPROPERTYTHAILAND .com; Tel. 093-161 5995

P21/07-52/ Land on public, cozy beach, Pratumnak, with 850 Talang Wah (3,400sqm) at the bottom of Pratumnak Soi 5. The land is owned free and clear by a Thai company. Perfect for an exclusive residential development, serviced apartment or hotel project in the neighborhood of 5-star Centara Grand Pratumnak Hotel: 245,000,000 THB; GOPROPERTYTHAILAND; call Khun Jo: 093- 161 5995 P18/01-52/ 6,700sqm Land on Pratumnak Road, Soi 1, in front of UNIX Condominium; can be divided in 3 units; unit A: 815 T-wah 146,700,000 THB; unit B: 860 T-wah 155,010,000 THB; unit C (total): 1,675 T-wah 301,710,000 THB; WWW.GOPROPERTY THAILAND.COM; please call Jo: 093- 161 5995

P16/01-52/ Jomtien Beach, 50 Rai at “km 1”: www.

GOPROPERTYTHAILAND .com; Tel. 093-161 5995

Services Provided Sp02/29/ CONSTRUCTION: Condo Re-Fit, House, Shops, Additions, Tel. 094 927 6796 Sp01/29/ PLANS DRAWN Engineer designed 085-0834221

Staff Wanted Sw01/28-31/ Staff wanted: Receptionist, Female, Good English speaking, have driving license, Call for interview at Tel. 081-865-1011 or 081429-1482

26 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 27

PATTAYA MAIL

Rudy brings home the bacon PSC Golf from The Growling Swan Monday, July 9, Pleasant Valley Stableford 1 st Rudy Regenass (18) 40pts 2nd Takeshi Hakozaki (12) 39pts 3rd Gordon Clegg (24) 37pts Near Pins: Mashi Kaneta, Brendan Cope, Keith Buchanan, Mashi Kaneta.

Long Putts: Denis Steele, Brendan Cope.

Not a large field but an enthusiastic group of golfers made today’s trip to Pleasant Valley, one bus and 3 cars did the job of getting all punters to the course.

The course was in fine nick, fairways were clean and freshly mowed, the rough had been trimmed and it appeared that the greens were

playing true. Conditions were perfect with no sign of rain and a gentle breeze offering us some relief from sun.

We played one division and South African Rudy Regenass took the day’s honors with an excellent 40 points. Finishing second was Takeshi Hakozaki only one point behind our leader and third past the post was that man who has found the fountain of youth, Gordon Clegg.

Thursday, July 12, Eastern Star Stableford A-Flight (0-25) 1st Mashi Kaneta (13) 35pts 2nd Alex Field (19) 34pts 3rd Wan Makmul (25) 33pts B-Flight (26+) 1st Shane Young (26) 37pts 2nd Paul Rosbrook (32) 35pts

Rudy Regenass (left) with Takeshi Hakozaki.

3rd Patrick Poussier (29) 34pts Near Pins: Don Richardson, Brendan Cope, Brendan Cope, Denis Steele.

Watts wins the medal

Long Putts: Alex Field, Don Richardson.

Twenty golfers lined up to have a crack at Eastern Star Golf Course. Mixed reports have filtered back to us over the last month or so, as to how the course is, no better way to find out than to get there and try it out. Well they are doing a “reno job” on the club house, a little inconvenient but at the end of the day we are there to play golf and the rest is insurmountable.

Our 4 groups teed off earlier than schedule and we did not see any other golfers on the course till very late in our game.

We attacked from the yellow tees and invoked ‘lift, clean & place’ as rain was threatening, but fortunately it did not arrive.

The course was in tip top shape - fairways were great,

bunkers were raked (I noticed that in our 4 the caddies were right on to raking the bunkers) something that does not happen at every course, and the greens were true but deadly.

A lot of discussion after the game was the amount of 3 and 4 putts that were made.

Two flights today and the A-Flight (0-25) saw the ever-reliable and consistent Mashi Kaneta take first place on the podium with 35 points. Second past the post was Alex Field, with Wan Makmul filling the third spot.

Shane Young took out first place in B-Flight with a game high 37 points. In second was Paul Rosbrook and Patrick Poussier completed the podium in third.

McArdle gets the gong The Tara Court Golf Society

PSC Golf from The Bunker Boys

Sunday, July 8, return from yet another over- Green Valley seas jaunt by taking third one Medal

Monday, July 9, Bangpakong Riverside – Medal 1st Robbie Watts (10) net 67 2nd Les Cobban (9) net 68 3rd Neil Carter (11) net 69 A reasonable field of 11 participated in the first medal round of the month at Bangpakong Riverside. This is a course that elicits very polar opinions; some claim it is like playing in a large field, while others really like it. What is not in any doubt is the condition of the layout which is always presented in excellent condition. A fairly stiff breeze blew all day which helped keep temperatures down.

With everything in favor of low scores the boys didn’t disappoint, with the low handicappers dominating.

Robbie Watts was again to the fore with an excellent round of net sixty-seven and could have been a few strokes better except for some wayward putts. Hot on his tail was Les Cobban a stroke back whilst Neil Carter completed the podium with sixty-nine points net.

Near pins went to Gary Bright, Jimmy Carr, and Les Cobban.

Wednesday, July 11, Pattana – Stableford 1st Geoff Cox (19) 38pts 2nd Jimmy Carr (17) 38pts

stroke adrift.

Near pins went to Peter Allen and three to Chris Della-Mare who seems to be a bit of a dab hand with near pins.

Friday, July 13, Eastern Star – Stableford

Geoff Cox. 3 Tony Robbins (22) 37pts Due to the late finish of the World Cup semi-final, coupled with a bit of disappointment for English fans, numbers were lower than expected for today’s round at Pattana Sports and Country Club.

This is a quality and challenging course and one we rarely play except in the low season due to pricing.

The course was in fine condition, the weather pleasant but once again the wind which was strong at times played a part in the results.

Geoff Cox rose to the challenge, returning a card of thirty-eight points and obviously unaffected by the soccer result. Jimmy Carr also had a fine round but had to settle for second on count-back whilst Tony Robbins announced his rd

1st Jimmy Carr (17) 34pts 2nd Geoff Cox ((19) 30pts 3rd Takeshi Hakozaki (12) 30pts The week’s golf concluded with a round at the Eastern Star. As seems to be the case more often than not, this is a very difficult course on which to put together a decent score and so it was again today with results moderate at best. Danger lurks everywhere on the course with many fairways having O.B. on one side and water on the other. This coupled with a breeze meant that if you were not straight then you were in trouble.

Jimmy Carr was top of the podium today with a modest thirty-four points and second, went to Geoff Cox on thirty, edging out Takeshi Hakozaki on count-back.

Once again Chris DellaMare figured in the near pins, taking two while Geoff Parker and Geoff Cox took the remaining two.

It was monthly medal time again here for our game at Green Valley. We had two flights with the cut for the A flight coming in at thirteen.

Not too hot today and as the course was in beautiful condition it was a perfect day for golf but despite this, except for one notable exception, the scoring wasn’t great.

Joe McArdle (H/cap 18) has been handing out the medal to one of his friends every month for some time now, but never managing to win one for himself. However, all that changed today and he came out a very clear winner by four shots by shooting an excellent net 68.

Ken Hole (18) was the only other player to play to his handicap and he got second place in B flight with a net 72 and Donal McGuigan (17) took third with a net 73.

The scoring in the A flight wasn’t as good and we had two players with a net 77, Stuart Brown (8) winning the count-back here to get third place ahead of Shaun Merriman. Jerry Sweetnam (11) claimed second place with a net 76 and Paul Pavloff (5) was the winner with a net 75.

We had two ‘2’s today, coming from Bob St Aubin and Aonghus Gannon.

Joe McArdle.

Paul Bray.

Tuesday, July 10, Mt. Shadow - Stableford

muster 17 on the inward nine holes.

The 2’s took a hammering today with 5 players sharing the spoils: Shaun Merriman, Kevyn Wright, Russell Gilroy, Marc Brunner & Craig Hitchens.

We had 12 players for today’s comp at one of our regular venues. Overcast conditions soon turned sunny & humid but the course was in great condition considering the overnight rain. The front-nine seemed to play harder as noone played to handicap but once the turn had been made the scoring was a lot better.

In first place with 39 points (23 on the back) was Craig Hitchens (12), one ahead of Russell Gilroy (16) in second on 38. Third place was filled

by Ted Morris (20) with 35 points while fourth spot was decided on count-back, with Rik Evans (14) 33 points (back nine 20pts) taking the cash and edging Joe McArdle (18) off the podium after the latter could only

Thursday, July 12, Burapha - Stableford This was to be out last game at Burapha for a while and we played the A and B nines which were in magnificent condition.

Paul Bray (8) is back for a holiday and playing good golf and he won today with thirty seven points. Ken Hole (18) had a steady round and he came second with thirty four and Pete Seil (7) got the third and last podium place with thirty three.

Russell Gilroy had a very good payday as he had the only ‘2’ of the day.

Read more news at pattayamail.com

28 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

Joy has a day to remember PSC Golf from The Billabong Bar Monday, July 9, Treasure Hill Stableford Treasure Hill was our venue today for a rainbow event and what a day it was.

The course was virtually empty, with just a single

player in front of our 4 groups. The day was fine and sunny but not hot and the course was in great condition, although with a lot of work being done on the tee blocks.

Even playing a rainbow event this course is a true test of golf and with 6 from

Pratt pounces on final hole PSC Golf from Siam Country Resort Pattaya

the red you can still stuff up a hole as some of us found out to our cost - just as bad as if you played the hole from the whites or yellows.

Whatever happened, it was a fun day out and the scores showed that with Greig Ritchie taking third place with 32 points, and a count back was needed between Gerard Lambert and Chris Dodd, both on 34 points, with Chris taking the top spot with 22 points on the back nine to Gerard’s 18.

Wednesday, July 11, Green Valley Stableford It is difficult to remember when we witnessed more activity around the course than we did today. There were workers on the new entrance to the course, green staff with strimmers were all over the place, a lorry with staff spraying weed killer, trees being demolished and most amazing and never seen before, three fairway mowers being operated simultaneously on the same fairway.

The course was not the only place where activity

Stephen Ford and Daniel Oshiro.

Tuesday, July 10, Eastern Star Stableford

Thursday, July 12, Mt. Shadow Stableford

On Tuesday we went to Eastern Star and found the course to be in fine condition and the greens were also very good. We had nice weather a little bit cloudy and a good breeze.

It was an exciting round between Jonathan Pratt and Willem Lasonder; Jonathan had the best nerves on the last hole and won with 37 stableford points. Willem was second just one point back, beating Paul Davies on the count-back.

The near pins went to Neil Harvey and Willem Lasonder.

Mountain Shadow was our venue on Thursday and the course, as always, was in very good condition. We had nice weather, partly clouded and sometimes sun with a nice breeze.

The winner today was Stephen Ford with 34 points, in second came Daniel Oshiro with 33 and taking third place was Dave Smith with 32 points, beating Jonathan Pratt on count-back.

The near pins were claimed

by Dave Smith, Jonathan Pratt and Phill Waite.

Friday, July 13, Burapha - Stableford

Pin, Joy and Am. could be seen for there was plenty from the Billabong regulars, not least from Miss Joy. We have all had those days when all our shots appear to be straight out of the best coaching books and that certainly happened to Joy for she had a day never to be forgotten with 46 points, 25 of those on the back-nine. Any other day, Miss Am would have had a chance of top spot with 41 points but she was still managed to be 5 points up on Miss Pin in third place, let down by six 1-pointers.

Bill Collis had 3 disappointing holes on the front nine to occupy third place with 38 points, one behind Selwyn Wegner who hardly put a foot wrong on the first 9 holes for 23 points but his attack misfired thereafter with a blob and two 1 pointers for 39 points. Mickael Anderson also had 23 points on the outward half, copying Selwyn on the way home but without the blob for 40 points in total.

Three 2s today came from Tony Oaks, Glynn Davies and Peter Thomas.

Burapha A and B loops today and what condition the course was in, an absolute pleasure to play. The time we teed off the place was empty and the six groups playing were all on the course by 9.35.

The setup must have been easy today going by the scores, with 39 only getting a mention on count-back.

Out of the 6 groups there were only 3 that didn’t score better than 30 points, a feat in itself.

Coming in fourth place was Helmut Hebstriet with 39 points, him beating Glyn Davies on a count-back.

Taking third was Rick Culley with 40 points, second went to Glenn Smith with 41, and that could have been a good deal better, but the man on top with 42 points was Bill Collis after only 2 days playing with the Billabong and in both days he was in the prizes.

There were three ‘2’s, coming from Rick Culley, Ramsay Smith and Gerard Lambert.

Super Steve slays ‘em PSC Golf from the Pattaya Links Golf Society Monday, July 9, Green Valley Stableford A Flight 1st Phil Davies (12) 41pts 2nd Paul Bray (9) 40pts 3rd Wayne Peppernell (16) 39pts B Flight 1st Mick Coghlan (22) 42pts 2nd Steve Baker (20) 41pts 3rd Ian Corica (29) 39pts The society visited Green Valley on a beautifully fine day on Monday. The course was in excellent condition but was let down badly by some wooly, rough-cut greens which were patchy and inconsistent. Fairways were fully covered and bunkers were well prepared.

Thirty-two golfers filled the booking sheet and managed to get away on time. It soon became obvious that high scores would be the order of the day and at the turn a quarter of the field had collected scores of par or better.

The field was divided into two flights, cut at eighteen and under and ultimately a third of the golfers broke par or better.

In the top flight Wayne Peppernell’s crafty 39 points took third place, with Paul Bray recording 40 points for second, on his return to the group.

The flight winner was Phil Davies who is currently in top form at the moment, this time adding another forty-one point score to his already impressive CV with the group since his

Mick Coghlan.

Steve Truelove (left) with Phil Davies. return from Wales a month or 3rd Paul Smith (2) 40pts so ago.

4th Bob Britton (12) 39pts In the second flight Ian Bangpakong Riverside Corica recorded 39 points for lived up to its reputation of third place, with Steve Baker’s a high (stableford) scoring flattering 41 points in second course, with nineteen of the place. Leading the field off and twenty one starters having back in the clubhouse was 30 points or more on a golf Mick Coghlan whose 42 course presented in very points was enough to blow good condition. the field away in style.

But the most exhilarating Consolation prizes went to display came from Steve Toby Glass for his best front Truelove with a fantastic 46 nine of 20 points and Lachlan points to leave daylight beGotz for his similar score on tween him and the next two the back nine. places. Playing off handicap Near pins were won by Phil 9 makes it even more impresDavies (5), Paul Bray (8) and sive, with a gross of 71. We Dave Arataki (13) with the had to go back through the sixteenth retaining its mod- records for this calendar year esty throughout. to see if this was the highest.

Only Derek Phillips’ 47 at Wednesday, July 11, Phoenix was better, but Steve Bangpakong Riverjoins Colin Service on the side - Stableford second rung on 46 points.

Then the next two were no 1st Steve Truelove (9) 46pts 2nd Colm O’Donovan (20) 40pts less impressive with 40

points each, which needed a count-back between Colm O’Donovan (h/c 20) and Paul Smith (2) with Colm having the better back nine, to take second.

Paul Smith himself is no slouch around a golf course, and his score meant a gross 70, the best for the day, and he came third!

Bob Britton, in a rare appearance at Links (he lives up the road aways), came in with a very handy 39 points to fill the final place on the podium.

Once again one near pin went begging as no-one got onto the fourth green in regulation, but the other three were won by Jim Galendez (7), John Pierrel (13), and Bob Britton (16).

Consolation nines were won by Colin Smith (front, 21pts) and Steve Baker (back, 23pts).

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 29

PATTAYA MAIL

Gerd & Don get lucky on Friday 13th PSC Golf from Tropical Golf Group there would be no “low winner” surprises today.

In A-Flight (0-17), Gerd Riedler (c/h 10) was firing on all cylinders, err clubs, and shot the best score with a very impressive 40 points off his enviable handicap. Andre Van Dyk (17) was a couple steps behind with 38 points, followed by newcomer Mark

Tuesday, July 10, Greenwood – Stableford The drive up to Greenwood today saw a few drops of rain on the car but when we arrived we found that carts were allowed on the course, so off we went on A1, with the C nine to come next. It soon became obvious that the grass everywhere was long and that the fairways could have done with a shorter cut, as differentiating between the fairways and rough was difficult in places. It was also noted that the ball was picking up mud on the fairways leading to a ‘lift, clean and place’.

A & C is a difficult 18 holes at the best of times but with the fairways wet and the grass long, it also was soon noted that the greens were soft and a bit slow. This would be a day to buckle down and stick to the game plan.

We were back early in Pattaya and one of the points of interest was that we did not have anyone break their handicap. The winner on the day was Barry Elphick with 35 points and then we had a count-back with 6 players on 33 points. Fun indeed! In second place was Tom Herrington, with 20 on the

DATE:

Erickson (14) with 36.

Don Carmody (30) edged out B-Flight (18+) with a most excellent 39 points, followed

by Daryl Evans (25) over Mick Coghlan (24) on countback at the 38 point level.

Best 9 (non winning) scores went to Alex Rousselis with 20 points and Mashi Kaneta 17.

Don Carmody (left) with Andre Van Dyk. back nine, third was John Pierrel with 19 points and we then had two players on 18 points so it went to the last 6 holes with fourth place going to Daryl Evans and in fifth was Derek Brook. The two players with 33 points with a ‘less good’ back nine were Alan Sullivan and Andre Van Dyk. The best front nine of those remaining was by Steve Truelove with 18 points, on count-back over Andre Van Dyk and the best back nine was 19 points by Don Carmody.

FRI 20

SAT 21

Friday, July 13, Pattana B & C – Stableford It’s was the Friday before the British Open Championship and the Tropical golfers were getting in their last practice rounds while waiting for their last minute invitation. While Pattana is not quite so tough as Carnoustie, to the group today it was the most important course in the world, and it was Friday the 13th after all.

Twenty hopefuls signed up and headed out to the nonlinks style course.

SUN 22

There were conflicting reports as to which 9’s we were to play, and finally the B and C courses were on the agenda.

The course was in the usual very good to excellent condition. Searching for a criticism, some complained a few bunkers were not well filled, but that’s why it’s called a hazard. Others complained the water was too wet!

Playing from the yellow tees, which this day would have been 50% the same as playing white, the course length is manageable. Scores showed this to be the case and

MON 23

Apple’s Irish

PSC Monthly

Bunker Boys

PSC Monthly

Cafe Kronborg

PSC Monthly

Colin’s Golf

PSC Monthly

Growling Swan

PSC Monthly

Pattavia

Billabong Golf

PSC Monthly

Phoenix

Le Katai

PSC Monthly

King Naga

Lewiinski’s

PSC Monthly

The Links

PSC Monthly

I Rovers

PSC Monthly

Retox Game On

PSC Monthly

Siam Country

PSC Monthly

Sugar Shack

PSC Monthly

Soi Diana Sports

PSC Monthly

The Golf Club

PSC Monthly

The Players Lounge

PSC Monthly

Tropical Golf

PSC Monthly

Valley View Hackers

PSC Monthly

TUE 24

WED 25

Treasure Hill Treasure Hill

THU 26

FRI 27

Burapha Pleasant Valley

Mt. Shadow Greenwood

Green Valley

Silky Oak

Bangpra

Mt. Shadow Crystal Bay

Green Valley Eastern Star

Green Valley Bangpra

Treasure Hill

Burapha Plutaluang

Crystal Bay

Siam Old Course

Siam Old Course

Royal Lakeside

Pattavia

Eastern Star Greenwood

Pattaya C.C. Greenwood

Plutaluang The Emerald

Treasure Hill

Khao Kheow

Green Valley

Bangpra

Plutaluang Crystal Bay

Green Valley Bangpakong Green Valley

Crystal Bay Green Valley

The Bunker Boys meet at the M-Club off Pattaya 3rd Road for golf outings every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (www.bunkersociety.com). Transportation leaves from Cafe Kronborg on Soi Diana Inn at 8:15 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, (contact Dave on tel. 038 602 2117). Colin’s Bar plays golf Sun/Mon/Wed & Fri (www.colinsbar.com). The Growling Swan plays golf on Monday & Thursday (www.thegrowlingswan.com). Lewiinski’s departs from Soi Pattayaland One (Soi Pattaya 13/3) at 9:00 a.m. on its scheduled days. of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday/Wednesday and Friday. The Pattaya Links Hotel Golf Society departs from Soi Buakhao on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Call Phil on 0625 933 380 or visit www.thelinkshotelpattaya.com. The Golf Club is located on Soij LK Metro. Call Phil on 090 769 3778. Tropical Golf meets at BJ’s Holiday Lodge at 8am on Tuesday’ & Friday. Call Derek on 089 034 0629

30 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

Djokovic, Kerber, Williams each made a comeback at Wimbledon Howard Fendrich London (AP) — From champions Novak Djokovic and Angelique Kerber, to women’s runner-up Serena Williams, this edition of Wimbledon was all about comebacks of various sorts.

When Djokovic won his fourth title at the All England Club and first at a Grand Slam tournament in more than two years by beating Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (3) last Sunday, it was the culmination of what he called a “journey” and a “process” as he returned from surgery to his right elbow.

Kerber collected her first Wimbledon championship with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Williams on Saturday to mark a turnaround from a rough 2017 that saw her slip from No. 1 in the rankings and deal with two first-round exits at majors.

“I’m still sure,” said Kerber’s coach, Wim Fissette, “that we haven’t seen the best Angie.”

And while Williams didn’t win what would have been her eighth Wimbledon singles trophy, her run to the final just 10½ months after a difficult childbirth and complications involving blood clots served as, in Kerber’s words, “such an inspiration for everybody, for all of us, for every person watching you.”

Williams’ loss left her with 23 Grand Slam titles, the most in the half-century of professional tennis and only one short of Margaret Court’s record.

She can take a crack at that mark at the U.S. Open, which begins on Aug. 27 in New York.

“I didn’t know a couple of months ago where I was, where I would be, how I would do, how I would be able to come back. It was such a long way to see light at the end of the road, kind of,” Williams said. “So I think these two weeks have really showed me that, ‘OK, I can compete.’ Obviously I can

is a lot more room for trophy-collecting at the majors. Kerber’s victory ended a stretch in which seven players split the previous seven Grand Slam titles, including first-time champs Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens and Jelena Ostapenko. For the first time since

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns the ball to Kevin Anderson of South Africa during the men’s singles final match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday July 15. (Neil Hall/Pool via AP) compete for the long run in a Grand Slam.”

Here is what else we learned at Wimbledon in 2018: Tie Breaker Time?

Anderson’s 26-24 victory in the fifth set against John Isner in a semifinal that lasted more than 6½ hours was the second-longest Grand Slam match ever and renewed a debate about the rules: Should Wimbledon adopt a fifth-set tiebreaker? Currently, the U.S. Open is the only major that decides matches that way. “It absolutely needs to change,” said Anderson’s coach, Brad Stine.

WTA Depth There’s no question the depth in the women’s game is as great as ever and there

Wimbledon began seeding players in the 1920s, none of the top 10 seeds reached the quarterfinals. It was also the first time that happened at any Grand Slam tournament in the Open era.

Angelique Kerber of Germany (left) holds the winner’s trophy after defeating Serena Williams of the United States (right) in the women’s singles final match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday July 14. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland) The Big 3 Roger Federer’s at the AusWhat had gone from a Big tralian Open in January.

4 to a Big 2 is now back to a “It’s amazing,” Djokovic’s Big 3, with Novak Djokovic coach Marian Vajda said, “that rejoining Roger Federer and those three got back like this.”

Rafael Nadal at the top of Maybe the U.S. Open, men’s tennis. which starts in 1½ months, Each has been written off at will break the tie for season some point. And each has won supremacy. That trio has a major tournament in 2018: combined to win 10 of the Djokovic’s title at Wimbledon past 14 championships at last Sunday, Nadal’s at the Flushing Meadows: Five for French Open in June, and Federer, three for Nadal, two

for Djokovic. At least one, and sometimes two, appeared in 13 of the finals in that span.

Federer, who turns 37 on Aug. 8, won that event every year from 2004-08 but not since. Nadal, is the reigning champion.

Djokovic sat out the U.S. Open while missing the last half of 2017 because of an injured right elbow that he eventually had surgery on.

All can excel on hard courts, Djokovic’s best surface. So the next couple of months should be entertaining.

Old Guys Djokovic, 31, and Anderson, 32, made this Wimbledon final the first in the Open era with a pair of men older than 30. Add in Nadal, 32, and Isner, 33, and it was the first quartet of thirty-something semifinalists at any major in the past 50 years. Which means they all deserve kudos, but also raises the question: Where are all the young guys? No up-and-comers reached the quarterfinals.

One breakthrough did come from Stefanos Tsitsipas, a 19year-old from Greece who made it to the fourth round.

Pacquiao wins 60th career fight with seventh-round knockout Eileen Ng Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AP) — Manny Pacquiao won for the 60th time with his first stoppage in nine years, and made a proclamation.

“This is it. I am back in boxing,” the 39-year-old Pacquiao said after his seventh-round knockout of Lucas Matthysse for the World Boxing Association welterweight title last Sunday. “I am not done. I’m still there.”

It was Pacquiao’s first bout since a contentious loss last year to Jeff Horn in Australia, and since parting ways with longtime trainer Freddie Roach to work with Buboy Fernandes.

“It’s just a matter of time.

You have to rest and get it back and that’s what I did.”

Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) knocked Matthysse down onto one knee in the third and fifth rounds. He knocked the Argentine down again in the seventh, and Matthysse spat out his mouthpiece, causing a frenzy among Pacquiao fans in the stadium.

“I am not boasting but ... I think he’s hurting from my punches,” said Pacquiao, who hadn’t won by knockout since 2009. “Every punch that I throw, he’s hurt. I think he’s scared of my punches.”

Matthysse, who won 36 out of 39 matches by knockout, said Pacquiao was a “great fighter, a great legend,” adding that he planned to take a break.

Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines (right) fights Lucas Matthysse of Argentina during their WBA World welterweight title bout in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, July 15. (AP Photo/Yam G-Jun) Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad attended the fight, the biggest in the country since the 1975 heavyweight clash between Muhammad Ali and Australian Joe Bugner.

“I would like to congratulate Senator Manny Pacquiao for giving us pride and bringing the Filipino nation together once more,” said Duterte, who flew to Malaysia for the bout ahead of an official visit.

Duterte said in a statement that Pacquiao has proven himself again as “one of the greatest boxers of all time” and that the win will cement his legacy in the sport.

Scores of screaming Filipino fans in the stadium waved flags and chanted “Manny, Manny” throughout the match. Pacquiao’s rise to fame from an impoverished rural childhood to become one of the world’s wealthiest sportsmen over his 23-year career has made him a national hero.

Pacquaio said he will return to his work as a senator for now but won’t be hanging up the gloves just yet.

“I am addicted to boxing. I really love to fight and bring honor to my country,” he said.

“That’s my heart’s desire.”

Horn, who lost his WBO welterweight title to Terence Crawford in Las Vegas last

month, was quick to respond to Pacquiao’s victory.

“Congratulations Manny Pacquiao,” Horn posted on Instagram. “Rematch?”

In the other title fights, Filipino Jhack Tepora had a knockout win over Edivaldo Oretga of Mexico for the interim WBA featherweight title. Venezuela’s Carlos Canizales defended his WBA world light flyweight title against China’s Lu Bin, who had been aiming to become the first boxer to win a major world title in just two career fights.

South African Moruti Mthalane got a unanimous decision against Pakistan’s Muhammad Waseem to capture the IBF flyweight title.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 31

PATTAYA MAIL

Suwannapura gets first LPGA Tour win at Marathon Classic Sylvania, Ohio (AP) — Thailand’s Thidapa Suwannapura’s main focus going into the Marathon Classic was trying to put together four solid rounds that would help her keep her LPGA Tour card.

She doesn’t have to worry about that any longer.

Suwannapura picked up her first win last Sunday, closing with a 6-under 65 and birdieing the first playoff hole to defeat Brittany Lincicome at Highland Meadows.

In the playoff, Suwannapura converted a short birdie putt after Lincicome hit her second shot into a water hazard and scrambled for par.

“I never expect it was going to be today at all. I’ve just been struggling the whole year,” said Suwannapura, whose previous best finish was seventh at the 2014 Kingsmill Championship.

“Finally all my work I’ve been doing has come out

and shown up today. After I knocked that last putt in, it just felt like a dream come true.”

With the win, the 25-year-old Thai player has an exemption through the 2020 season.

She is also the sixth first-time winner on tour this year Suwannapura picked up three strokes over her final two holes, making eagle on the par-5 17th and closing with a birdie on the par-5 18th to finish at 14-under 270.

She then had to wait for the final seven groups to finish.

“I did not think or expect that 14 would be good enough, because I know there were two par-5s coming in on 17 and 18, and it’s a good opportunity for players to make birdie,” Suwannapura said.

“I was just chilling in the clubhouse, you know, being silly and stuff, trying to relax, and see what they’re doing. Now, like, ‘Oh, I have to go warm-up and try to win the tournament.’”

Thidapa Suwannapura kisses the trophy after winning the LPGA golf Marathon Classic, Sunday, July 15, at Highland Meadows in Sylvania, Ohio. (Kurt Steiss/ The Blade via AP) Besides the tour exemption, Suwannapura’s win came with another bonus.

Stone wins Scottish Open, misses 1st 59 on European Tour

She was one of five players to earn a spot in the Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

Lincicome shot 67. She had a chance to win in

regulation, but her birdie putt from about 10 feet did a nearly 360-degree turn around the edge of the cup and stayed out.

Despite having eight career

victories, including this season’s opener in the Bahamas, the 32-year-old Lincicome said she was extremely nervous standing over that putt.

“I was shaking so bad. I had to take so many deep breaths.

So it’s kind of cool to have those nerves, but learning how to play through them after 12 years of being a pro ... 14 years of being a pro, I still haven’t figured it out, so that’s a little disappointing,” she said. “(The putt) caught a lot of the hole, so I feel like I hit a pretty good putt for how nervous I was. I really haven’t seen one that aggressive in a long time, so that was just unfortunate, really.”

Third-round leader Brooke Henderson led by two shots after six holes, but struggled the rest of the way. Back-to-back bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes dropped her out of the lead.

The 20-year-old Canadian finished with a 2-under 69, one shot out of the playoff.

The 20th Annual Canadian Jackalope Open Entry Form Burapha Golf & Country Club Stableford Format

August 3rd 2018 Official Shotgun Start at 12:00

Entry Form Players’ Names (required)

Group Contact Phone / E-mail (required)

South Africa’s Brandon Stone (right) reacts after his putt for a 59 on the 18th came up just short during day four of the Scottish Open at Gullane Golf Club, East Lothian, Scotland, Sunday, July 15. (Kenny Smith/PA via AP)

Steve Douglas Gullane, Scotland (AP) — Brandon Stone sank to his haunches, clasped his face and dropped his putter in despair after coming within inches of being the first player to shoot a round of 59 on the European Tour.

It wasn’t all bad for the South African golfer.

Stone’s 10-under 60 secured a four-shot victory at the Scottish Open last Sunday, earning him a third professional title of his career — the first outside his native country — and the bonus prize of a qualifying spot in this week’s British Open just up the east coast at Carnoustie.

He left the Gullane links with a slight sense of regret, though.

Stone’s approach to the 18th green skipped on and came to rest about 8 feet from

the hole. As he walked up to the green, he looked at a scoreboard for the first time all day, totted up the birdies — and eagle — that he’d made and then looked at his caddy, Teagan Moore.

“He went, ‘Yeah, we’ve got a shot at a 59,’” Stone said.

He let his caddy read the line — “This is completely up to you,” Stone told him — and the putt looked like it was going to roll into the cup, only for it to curl just left. Stone slumped almost to his knees, put both hands to his face, then stared at the ball for some time.

“I rolled it over his mark,” Stone said of his caddy, “but he did criticize my pace so he is probably right. Didn’t hold its line, but we’ll take it.”

That elusive sub-60 round in 46 years of European Tour play will have to wait for another tournament. It was

officially the 19th round of 60 on the tour — 18 players have achieved the feat, with Darren Clarke doing so twice.

There have officially been nine sub-60 rounds on the PGA Tour, with one of them being a 58 — by Jim Furyk at the Travelers Championship in 2016.

For the No. 371-ranked Stone, it was a return to form after a disappointing season. He had missed the cut at nine of his previous 16 events and recorded only two finishes inside the top 60 in 20 starts since October.

His previous wins both came in South Africa, at the BMW SA Open in 2016 and Alfred Dunhill Championship in 2017.

“When that thing went home, the emotions came flooding,” said the 25-year-old Stone, who described his golf this week as “monumental.”

Handicaps (required) IPGC IPGC IPGC IPGC

PSC PSC PSC PSC

Entry Fee Entry fee(s) enclosed for _________ Player(s) at THB 3,500.00 Total _______________________ Date _________________ Entry fee includes: green fee, caddy fee, golf cart fee, 20th anniversary shirt, giveaways, and Canadian Caesars kick starters at sign up, on the course and the evening buffet. A limited open bar is once again offered this year, but BYOB is recommended, corkage and mixers are provided free of charge. For more photos and history of the tournament follow this link: www.jackalopeopen.com

General Information & Inquiries 1. Courses to be played are Augusta and Belfry with the field limited to 128 players 2. For handicap inquires and sign up details, contact John Emmerson at johnscotte@yahoo.com, Rob Kennedy at rkennedyconsulting@gmail.com or Mark Gorda marktgorda@gmail.com 3. Entry fee must be included with entry form unless prior arrangements have been made with one of the organizers. On completion of your entry form and fee, contact John Emerson at 089-095-8631 and one of the organizers will collect your entry; (payment on the day is acceptable).

4. Men and Rabbits play off WHITE tees, Ladies play off RED tees.

5. Local rules and technical prize hole details will be made available on the day.

6. Your spouse is welcome to attend the Buffet & Awards presentation, compliments of the Jackalope Open. Please inform the organizers when you sign up, so we can make sure of the numbers.

Email : marktgorda@gmail.com 7. Website: www.jackalopeopen.com Contact RobKennedy John Emmerson Mark Gorda Numbers 0871270790 089-095-8631 087-141-7878

32 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

France beat Croatia 4-2 to win 2018 FIFA World Cup Graham Dunbar Moscow (AP) — Taking turns sliding across the rainsoaked turf holding the World Cup trophy tight, teenager Kylian Mbappe and the rest of France’s players acted like the youthful bunch they are.

Nothing, not a Pussy Riot protest nor a postgame downpour that soaked Russian President Vladimir Putin, was going to stop the party.

government once jailed members of the activist group.

Charges were filed against the group Sunday, too.

Putin was later on the field to award medals to the players in a ceremony soon drenched in rain and joy.

As thunder pealed and lightning cracked, FIFA president Gianni Infantino handed France captain Hugo Lloris the gold World Cup trophy.

France’s Paul Pogba celebrates with the trophy after the World Cup final in Moscow, Sunday, July 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) It carried on long after a thrilling 4-2 win over Croatia last Sunday. In the locker room with French President Emmanuel Macron striking poses with players, then a champagne-spraying, watersplashing interruption of the coach Didier Deschamps’ news conference.

“Sorry! They’re young and they’re happy,” said Deschamps, like a proud father.

Deschamps had good reason to indulge them. His team is mostly aged 25 or under and can return almost intact to defend their title in 2022 in Qatar.

“Our children are going to be very proud,” forward Antoine Griezmann said.

“The World Cup, it’s a lot.”

The 19-year-old Mbappe became only the second teen after Pele to score in a World Cup final.

Mbappe had just shown his electrifying speed in the 52nd minute when play was held up by four protesters who ran onto the field. Russian punk band Pussy Riot later took credit for the incident — watched from the VIP seats by Putin, whose

Gold confetti stuck to the soaked Les Bleus as they paraded the trophy around the Luzhniki Stadium, a final act of an enthralling tournament in which Croatia reached their first final while powers Brazil, Germany and Argentina went home early.

About 12 minutes after a protester gave Mbappe a double high-five on the field, Mbappe sent a rightfooted shot from 25 yards past goalkeeper Danijel Subasic. The goal put France up 4-1, closing the door on Croatia who had been the better team until Mbappe took control.

The only other teen to score in a World Cup final was Pele, who was 17 when Brazil beat Sweden 5-2 in 1958.

Mbappe, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain in the French league, was born months after France won their only other World Cup title in 1998.

“I have a whole story to write,” Mbappe said. “This is just the beginning.”

Paul Pogba and Griezmann, France’s two other key creative players, also scored.

France’s Kylian Mbappe (left) fires in a shot on the Croatia goal during the second half of the FIFA World Cup final in Moscow. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

French players hold the FIFA World Cup trophy and celebrate after the final between France and Croatia in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, July 15. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Pogba played a disciplined role in Russia, but his natural joy was evident celebrating his 18-yard shot, and leading the champagne shower for Deschamps.

But it was Mbappe who put the match out of reach with a furious passage of play in the second half. In the 59th, a run from Mbappe started a play that ended up with Pogba on the edge of the penalty area. With his second attempt, the midfielder curled his shot beyond Subasic.

rose to meet Griezmann’s free kick with the top of his head.

He deflected it past his own goalkeeper.

Perisic and Mandzukic both scored for Croatia, first to equalize in the 28th minute and later as a consolation goal in the 69th, embarrassing Lloris with a flicked shot as the France goalkeeper tried to dribble the ball out of his goalmouth.

But the three-goal lead was too much for the red-andwhite-checkered squad that made a habit of coming back

Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic fails to stop France’s Antoine Griezmann from scoring from the penalty spot during the first half of the World Cup final. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) Griezmann scored from the penalty spot in the 38th minute fully four minutes after his corner kick was knocked out of play by Ivan Perisic’s arm. The referee ruled it handball only after a video review, just as the first thunders claps boomed around the stadium.

“In a World Cup final, you do not give such a penalty,” Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said.

France took the lead in the 18th when Croatia’s tallest outfield player, 1.90-meter forward Mario Mandzukic,

People react on the Champs Elysees in Paris after France defeated Croatia in the final match at the 2018 soccer World Cup, Sunday, July 15. (AP Photo/ Thibault Camus) at the World Cup — and played three straight 120minute games before the final.

“We were dominant, we had control,” Dalic said through a translator. “What we’ve had in terms of luck over the tournament, we lacked that today.”

Deschamps became only the third man to win the World Cup as a player and a coach. He joined Mario Zagallo of Brazil and Franz

French soccer fans react as they watch the FIFA World Cup final between France and Croatia live on a big screen in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, July 15. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)

Beckenbauer, who captained West Germany.

France’s captain 20 years ago, Deschamps was lifted up by his players on the field and flung into the air several teams and caught. The normally staid coach did a few skipping dance steps in the rain before stopping and laughing at himself.

It was that kind of unbridled evening for the French who won with an exuberance not often seen in a mostly efficient, controlled title run.

Back home in France, tens of thousands of fans headed to the Eiffel Tower to watch a broadcast on giant screens that Paris police closed the area more than two hours before kickoff.

Two years ago at home, France flopped in a European Championship final they were expected to win against Portugal.

“But maybe if we had been European champions we would not be champions today,” Deschamps said.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 33

PATTAYA MAIL

Wheel power on display at Pattaya Marathon

And they’re off!

Derek Franklin In past years the annual Pattaya Marathon included a full wheelchair race, 42kms in length, and each year it drew an impressive array of athletes from around the world.

Recently the full wheelchair marathon has been replaced with a 3.7km fun race, and this year thirty nine athletes took part.

The length of the race may not seem far, but for most of those who took part it was

One of the several female racers who took part. their first time they were racing. They raced down Beach Road, and then up towards Dolphin Roundabout; which may not seem steep but try wheeling yourself up there and it’s not as easy as you may think.

Then along Second Road, turning left on Pattaya Klang and over the finish line back on Beach Road in front of the Hard Rock Hotel.

Waiting at the finish line to welcome them back was Mayor of Pattaya, Pol. Maj.

Stars shine at Soi Dao

Pattaya Mayor, Pol. Maj. Gen. Anan Charoenchasri (right) congratulates race winner Sungkeek Sripraram (left).

PSC Golf from The Golf Club

Gen. Anan Charoenchasri, who congratulated them on completing the race.

The majority of those taking part are students at the Pattaya Redemptorist

Technological College for People with Disabilities, with the exception of the winner of the race, Sungkeek Sripraram from Bangkok, who took away the first prize of 8,000 Baht.

Always time for a midrace smile for the camera.

Royal Cup poised for July return on the Asian Tour Chatrium Soi Dao Golf Resort in Chantaburi.

Steve Ellison

Monday, July 9, Green Valley (white tees) – Stableford 1st Jim Dundon 40pts 2nd J.P. Thomas 38pts 3rd Butch Furneaux 37pts A respectable turnout of 24 golfers filled today’s signup sheet for R.G.V.’s weekly tournament. There has been a big swing of those leaving and others arriving and we are glad to say that some ideal weather has made for some great golf days this month.

One of those arrivals was Jimmy Dundon, and on this outing Jim racked up an outstanding 40 points to lead the field. Pete’s gal J.P. Thomas was ripping it up with the near pin as well as sole second, and that was playing off 18 now! Butch Furneaux finished off the podium with Imodium and 37 points for third place. Must have been the curry, mate.

Thursday, July 12, Chatrium Soi Dao (yellow tees) – Stableford 1st John McHugh 42pts 2nd Michael Olah 40pts 3rd Troy Haack 36pts With a full van and three cars, our four groups packed up and headed east to the mountains of Soi Dao Highlands. We have seen an amazing transformation here over the past two years and now the project is finally complete. The rooms are beautiful, the food was great and the golf course has never been better.

Travel time was 3 hours 20 minutes including a quick break so the new road really has made a difference.

We were laying our heads down for two nights here, and today was round one of our Stableford competition.

As we checked in and headed to the restaurant, the heavens opened and we had to

sit it out for 45 minutes. The good news was it was in a splendid setting, and the good fortune of a clubhouse lunch before the match. We got to the first tee right on time and with no one else on the course, got round in just about four hours.

Friday, July 13, Chatrium Soi Dao (yellow tees) – Stableford T1st Michael Olah 35pts T1st Gary Bright 35pts 3rd Jim Dundon 31pts The course was wet in patches for the first day, but day two was dry and cool. I am really coming around to the new course changes and although my scoring was mediocre, it was an excellent trip to one of the best golf courses in Thailand. It should be even better when we return in February for the 2019 Mulberry Ryder Cup!

The highly-acclaimed Royal Cup, held in honour of King Rama X is set to be held at Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club in Pattaya from July 26 to 29.

India’s Shiv Kapur, who won the 2017 edition for his record third title last season, is set to defend his title against a talented field.

The 2018 Royal Cup, which offers a prize purse of US$500,000, will be held in conjunction with the 66th birthday celebration of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, which falls on Saturday, July 28.

Man of the moment John Catlin of the United States, who became the first player to win twice on the Asian Tour in 2018 following his victory at the Sarawak Championship, will headline the 156-man field alongside countryman and one-time winner Paul Peterson.

A strong Thai contingent, featuring Pavit Tangkamolprasert, Prom Meesawat and Panuphol Pittayarat, will also take aim at recapturing the trophy on home soil in the prestigious event, which marks the Tour’s fourth stop in Thailand this season.

Chanya Swangchitr, President

Chanya Swangchitr, President of Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club (left) stands alongside 2017 Royal Cup winner Shiv Kapur of India. of Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club, said: “We are delighted to welcome back the Asian Tour stars and officials. It is a great opportunity for us to showcase our magnificent venue as we host some of the best players in the region. We look forward to another successful staging of the event.”

Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club was the host venue of the Queen’s Cup, where Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond claimed

his second Asian Tour title last month. The tournament was held on the Mountain Course (front-nine) and Ocean Course (back-nine).

The Royal Cup will play the front-nine on the Lake course and the back-nine being on the Mountain course. The par-70 set-up measures 6,716 yards in total.

A Monday-qualifier offering 10 spots for the Royal Cup will be held at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club on July 23.

34 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

Africans dominate once more as Pattaya Marathon hits 27

Pattaya Mayor, Pol. Maj. Gen. Anan Charoenchasri presents medals to the wheelchair competitors.

It was not just the Pattaya Mail celebrating its birthday this past week but also the always eagerly anticipated and popular Pattaya Marathon that last Sunday marked its 27th edition since the first running of the event way back in 1991.

Up to 10,000 road warriors, representing all age groups and levels off fitness, hit the

city’s streets early Sunday morning, July 15, all with their own personal goals and targets in mind. As usual, there was a large contingent of foreign runners, both from the city’s own expat community but also those arriving specifically for the race.

Representatives were seen flying the flag for Laos, China, Japan, Iran, Ethiopia

and Kenya among others.

In order to cater to a wide range of athletic abilities, the event was split into several categories including a full marathon (42.195km), half marathon (21.100km), quarter marathon (10.550km), a 3.7km wheelchair race and 3.7km “fun run”. A prize fund totaling some 275,000 baht was available to the winning athletes.

Bernard Kiplangat Kibilo of Kenya crosses the finish line to win the men’s marathon, Sunday July 15.

Hot work - this runner finds the best way to cool down.

Athletes line up at the start for the quarter-marathon race.

In the full marathon, the first runner across the line and taking the men’s overall title was Kenyan Bernard Kiplangat Kibilo in a time of 02:44:15, over a minute ahead of Thailand’s Natthawut Phrmphinan in second place.

Taking out the women’s marathon title was another Africa runner, Abtew Wubhareg Ayalew from Ethiopia in a time of 03.19.36. Both marathon winners were award 25,000 baht each and presented with trophies for their efforts.

A runner thanks spectators for their support on his way around the marathon course.

There were cheers from the Inthakoumman of neighhome crowd in the half mara- bouring Laos was the female thon as Thailand’s Nattawat winner in 00:39:23.

Innum took first place and Chonburi Governor Pakara10,000 baht in the men’s race thorn Thienchai and a numin a time of 01:16:12 while ber of Pattaya City officials Cynthia Chelangat from presided over the marathon’s Kenya crossed the finish opening ceremony while the line first in the women’s event itself was once again event in 01:25:35. well supported by large numRising from the day’s big- bers of local residents who gest field of competitors, lined the route and cheered Cherdchai Phootako from on the competitors.

Thailand won the men’s Note: For more news on the quarter marathon with a Pattaya Marathon wheeltime of 00:34:05 and Lodkeo chair race, turn to page 33.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 35

PATTAYA MAIL

Don’t crash your old car

German Grand Prix this weekend The 2018 German Grand Prix is due to be held on 22 July 2018. After a one-year absence from the championship, the race returned to the Hockenheim Ring near Hockenheim in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.

The circuit last held the race in 2016. It will be the eleventh round of the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship, and marks the seventy-eighth running of the German Grand Prix, and the sixty-third time the race has been run as a round of the World Championship

since the series’ inception in 1950.

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel enters the round as the leader of the World Drivers’ Championship.

Lewis Hamilton is in second place, eight points behind Vettel. In the World Constructors’ Championship, Ferrari hold a twenty-point lead over Mercedes.

Hamilton is getting hot under the collar once again, last meeting accusing the Ferrari team for deliberately crashing into the Mercedes team.

Replying to Hamilton’s

r e m a r k s , R a i k k o n e n ’s wife, Minttu, also took to Instagram, suggesting, in a post, now deleted, “If you cry like a girl when you lose... do ballet.”

In a subsequent response to a fan who defended Hamilton, she added, “Just to be clear, I was not talking about the driver but the team who was crying afterwards that someone did something on purpose... No he didn’t.

It’s called racing.”

There are definite signs that Hamilton is losing his cool.

Get your fuses in order Tesla is expanding, with China being the next country to get a Tesla manufacturing plant. So, courtesy of AP here are five things to know about Tesla’s China plans.

Beijing (AP) - Electric vehicle producer Tesla Inc. says it will build its first factory outside the United States in Shanghai.

The step is logical for a company that looks to China as its No. 2 market. But Tesla faces growing competition from Chinese and foreign brands that are developing dozens of electric models.

And its announcement said nothing about how it will pay for the venture.

Why now?

The announcement comes amid an increasingly bitter U.S.-Chinese tariff battle. But the Palo Alto, Californiabased company has been talking with the Shanghai city government since last year about a possible factory. The timing appears to be driven by Beijing’s April announcement that it would end restrictions that required foreign automakers to work through local partners. Other automakers including General Motors Co. and Nissan Motor Co. have been reluctant to bring electric car technology into China to avoid having to share it with potential future competitors in such joint ventures.

Why China?

China is the No. 1 electric vehicle market, with total 2017 sales of 468,000, or more than double the U.S. level of 200,000. Beijing is promoting the technology with subsidies and a requirement for every

Chinese Tesla. automaker to sell electrics starting next year or buy credits from rivals that do. China already is Tesla’s No. 2 market after the United States.

Producing cars in China would eliminate risks from tariffs and other import controls. It also would help to develop a network of parts suppliers to support service and make Tesla more appealing to mainstream buyers.

Who pays for this?

A make-or-break question for a startup in a capital-hungry industry. Tesla lost $710 million in its latest quarter, though it says it should turn profitable soon. The company’s $5 billion Nevada battery factory was financed with help from a $1.6 billion investment by battery maker Panasonic Corp.

Tesla has yet to give a price tag for the Shanghai factory, but the city government said it will be the biggest foreign investment there to date.

Plans call for annual production capacity to eventually reach 500,000 cars.

What are Tesla’s prospects in China?

Tesla’s estimated 2017 sales

of under 15,000 vehicles gave it a market share of under 3 percent. That gives it plenty of room to grow in a Chinese market that still is expanding, while U.S. and European demand is flat. Also, Tesla will vastly exceed Beijing’s requirement that electrics make up at least 10 percent of every brand’s sales next year.

That might mean it earns credits it can sell to automakers that fail to meet their quotas.

What about the competition?

Fierce and growing. Local brands including BYD Auto already sell tens of thousands of hybrid and pureelectric sedans and SUVs annually. BAIC Group’s EC line, starting at $22,000, sold 13,000 units in December, nearly matching Tesla’s 2017 total. GM, Volkswagen AG and other global automakers are plowing billions of dollars into developing low-cost models with local partners.

They are due to hit the market starting as early as this year, well before Tesla is up and running in Shanghai.

(I would still bet on Elon Musk coming out on top.)

An interesting and graphic crash test between a new and an old Toyota Corolla is being used in a new road safety campaign in Australia aimed to shock motorists into updating their cars. An interesting concept, but the psychologists will say the viewer just switches off, as accidents happen to other people.

The head-on crash between a used 2015 Toyota Corolla and a much older 1998 model indicates the driver of the older car would likely not survive, even though the test was done at 64 km/h.

The first road safety advertisement of its type was created by the independent, not-for-profit, crash-test authority ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program).

This new road safety advertisement aims to address the commonly held opinion that older cars are stronger in a crash.

While not everyone can afford a brand-new car, the test shows the benefits of updating to more recent models that can be bought for half their new-car price.

The safety body deliberately chose a used 2015

Toyota Corolla as the modern car in the test because many of these are beginning to appear on the secondhand-car market.

“This is the first campaign of its kind, where the vehicle is profiled as being the lifesaving factor in a crash,” said ANCAP Chief Executive, James Goodwin.

“Many road safety campaigns have tended to focus on behavioral aspects such as speed, fatigue, drink driving and enforcement. They remain vital, however this campaign highlights the importance of choosing a safer vehicle.”

Want to buy an F1 team? New shirt and tie goes with it in 24 hours The Pit Pass website has an item of interest for all the Force India fans. Dismissing continued speculation by energy drinks company Rich Energy, which according to its accounts simply doesn’t have the cash, Force India coowner Vijay Mallya admits that he is open to offers.

“People have been writing about the ownership of my team for years now,” said Mallya, who was making a rare trip to the F1 paddock as authorities in India seek his extradition on fraud charges.

“I’m proud that we finished our 200th Grand Prix in Austria,” he continued. “It’s a big milestone for me, since I owned this team.

“I’m sure you will not see anybody in Force India, or indeed myself, walk around with a For Sale sign,” he added. “And as far as all these rumors are concerned, and all the statements that keep appearing in the media, all I can say is if there is a credible offer with cash on the table, I will be the first one to discuss with my shareholders, see what they feel, and if, in the unlikely event we wish to sell the team, if there’s an offer that we cannot refuse, I will be the first one to announce it.

Until then, speculation remains speculation.”

In a subsequent interview with Reuters, though not hanging a “for sale” sign around his neck, he did appear to be setting out his stall.

“Sahara’s problems and my problems are not new

Vijay Mallya selling shares? problems,” he said, referring to the team’s co-owner.

“They have been going on for more than three years, and within that period we have finished twice in fourth position in the Constructors’ Championship.

“This team is independent,” he continued, “it’s professionally managed and it performs. So whatever difficulties the shareholders may or may not have, it doesn’t impact the team.

“When Liberty took over and everybody thought things would change, there

was serious interest, even from private equity,” he revealed, admitting that the proposed plans for 2021 which will see the prize pot more evenly divided will make his team even more attractive to potential buyers.

“If you go by what Liberty is saying, from 2021 the income distribution may be vastly different. And therefore the team may be entitled to a lot more of the share of the prize fund, which goes to the bottom line and makes the team that much more valuable.”

Autotrivia Quiz Last week I asked, what was different about the power train of a car called Gregory? What was different was instead of the usual front engine, rear wheel drive connected by a shaft, the Gregory had a rear engine connected to the front wheels by a shaft. I don’t know of any others with that configuration.

So to this week. Who described his gearbox as “c’est brutal mais ca marche.” And what year?

For a free beer at the next car Club meeting (August 13) at Jamesons Irish Pub, be the first correct answer to email automania@ pattayamail.com or viacars@gmail.com. And in addition, if you are a Pattaya resident, the closest correct answer will win a free voucher for Casa Pascal’s Breakfast BBQ. One local resident wrote back to say he has enjoyed the Casa Pascal BBQ brunch and went so far as to say it is the best breakfast in Thailand. Good luck!

36 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

was another turbulent year not only here in Pattaya, but throughout the kingdom. On 17 August terrorists bombed the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, killing 20, many of them foreign visitors. The suspects were rounded up and prosecuted, and within two months tourism council head Ittirit Kinglek said the bombing did “not significantly affect” the (tourism) industry. Closer to home, on 17 September tropical storm Vamco destroyed homes, cars and property with high tides, strong winds and massive flooding. There was better news earlier in the year as the “Big Dig” began when Pattaya’s tunnel construction got underway. It was finally opened two years later.

was the saddest in past century, as our beloved King Rama IX, HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej began his final journey to Nirvana at Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital at 3:52pm Thursday 13th of October with the entire Royal family by his side. The world’s longest reigning monarch lived until he was 88.

At times, tragedy eventually leads to elation, as it did on December 2. This is not to imply in any way that anyone, in any shape or form received joy from HM the late King’s passing, but on December 2 Thailand received a new King when Rama X formally took the throne to succeed his much-revered late father. The new monarch received the title His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayava-rangkun. “I would like to accept in order to fulfill His Majesty’s wishes and for the benefit of all Thais,” HM King Vajiralongkorn said.

might have been best known for two major tragedies, one resulting in the loss of six lives and the other an ecological disaster. On 27 July about 50 tons of crude oil spilled into the sea off Rayong province after a leak sprung in a pipeline operated by PTT Global Chemical Plc., a subsidiary of state-owned oil and gas company PTT Plc. PTT Global Chemical PCL kept their pledge and cleaned up the oil within a few weeks, but it took a lot longer for the beaches and ecology to recover. Four months later, on 3 November a captain high on methamphetamines was behind the wheel when a passenger ferry overloaded with 209 passengers flooded and sank about a half-kilometer from Nuan Beach off Koh Larn, killing six Thai and foreign tourists.

was a quiet, respectful year as the kingdom mourned the passing of Rama IX, HM the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The year culminated in the most elaborate royal funeral, fit for a king of his stature Oct. 25-29.

Royalty and heads of governments from around the world attended to pay their final respects. The once in a lifetime ceremonies exceeded all expectations, as the Kingdom and the world said a solemn final goodbye to this most revered monarch.

- While much attention was being given to the political unrest in the capital, and with anti-government protesters declaring a full Bangkok shutdown, for a short while Pattaya experienced a slow season surge in tourism created by people escaping the turmoil. The most eye-catching sight, however, might have been when an AV-8S Harrier jump was spotted rolling down Sukhumvit. From six people on a motorbike to pickups stacked twice their height with anything from full chicken cages to aluminum cans, we here in Thailand are used to seeing odd things on the roads, but the AV-8S Harrier jump jet rolling down Sukhumvit Road had everyone talking.

might go down in history as one of the most memorable, at least over the past few months when 12 young soccer players and their coach hiked into a cave in Northern Thailand for fun and exercise, but were trapped when a seasonal monsoon dropped buckets of rain on the mountain above, causing flash flooding and blocking their way out. 10 days later, while the world was watching and as thousands of people joined the search on site, British divers found them clinging to a small shelf above the water. The ensuing rescue might be one of those once in a lifetime events when everyone will remember where they were and what they were doing their heroic rescuers brought them out.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 37

PATTAYA MAIL

E-mail: comhaps@pattayamail.com

Events The next meeting of Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC) will be on Sunday, July 22.

PCEC will present another Words and Music morning featuring Australian singer, songwriter, dancer, choreographer, healer, spiritual life coach and filmmaker Maya McClean. The program starts at 10:30 a.m. with a buffet breakfast available from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. on the 4th floor of the Holiday Inn’s Executive Tower, located behind the Holiday Inn’s Bay Tower on Beach Road.

A Joint Chambers Eastern Seaboard networking evening will be held at the Hotel Baraquda Pattaya on Friday, July 20 from 6.30 p.m. – 9 p.m. (last drinks at 8.30 p.m.). Entrance cost is THB 500 on the door for members and THB 1000 for non-members. Admission includes free-flow drinks and finger food. For more information send email to office@austchamthailand.com.

Pattana Golf Club & Resort in Sriracha, Chonburi province will arrange a Kids Triathlon Training for children 7-14 years who are interested in developing their skills in triathlon. The course will take place on July 28-29. Leader coaches are Coach Sueng – Sawangjit Saengow and Coach Chang – Thanongsak Hongcharoensri, together with experienced coach assistants. For more information, call 038 318 999 ext.

11212 / 61015 or email: sale@pattana.co.th A Farmers’ Market takes place every 2nd Saturday of the month at the Holiday Inn hotel on Pattaya Beach Road from 10.30 am - 3.30 p.m. Products range from wellness items, jewelry, freshly prepared food, organic vegetables and fruits. The next market will be held August 11.

A stamp market is held every Sunday from 10.00 a.m. till 3.00 p.m.at Rahnpintang Moe Kata Restaurant, Panji Place, on Soi Ponphraphanimit 7 (200m from the Bangkok Highway underpass). Here can you exchange stamps from the whole world. Call 089 091 3418 for more information and directions.

Dining Hilton Pattaya introduces savory dishes from tea throughout July. Flare Restaurant offers ‘Unagi Ochazuke’, cooked Japanese rice topped with grilled Unagi in teriyaki sauce served with Japanese pickles and hot Sencha green tea at THB 550 net. Drift Lobby Lounge & Bar recommends an array of mouth-watering desserts and appetizer including ‘Yum Bai Cha’, crispy tea leaf with minced pork, chicken, shrimp and cashew nut in Thai spicy sauce at THB 350 net, and ‘Sunlight Pattaya Sundae’, Thai tea and cookie and cream ice-cream with banana and mango with mango-lime puree at THB 350 net. Horizon Rooftop Restaurant & Bar’ presents ‘Green Tea

Crusted Gindara with buckwheat noodles in miso cream sauce’ at THB 950 net. For dessert, do not miss a ‘Homemade Earl Grey ice-cream with chocolate mousse’ served with almond praline, poached cherries and mandarin at THB 450 net. For more information or reservation, please call +66(0)38 253 000 or bkkhp_fb@hilton.com or pattaya.hilton.com.

Hard Rock’s Pattaya’s World Burger Tour is back and ready to take guests’ taste buds on an international flavor experience. In July, enjoy a choice of English Breakfast Burger (England) – Schnitzel Burger (Germany) – Tango Salsa Burger (Argentina) – and Riviera Burger (France).

Hard Rock will also showcase the brand’s world-famous beverage menu made up of refreshing cocktails and non-alcoholic options.

For more information on World Burger Tour and to contact Hard Rock Cafe Pattaya for menu details, call 038 426 635 or visit www. hardrock.com/cafes/pattaya.

Special culinary nights at Persimmon restaurant, Pattana Golf Club & Resort: Pizza Pasta Night on Tuesday at only 299 Baht or 399 Baht including sangria or wine, customers can choose ingredients for their pasta and pizza. Seafood Night on Wednesday at only 399 Baht, customers can choose varieties of fresh seafood cooked to order in our open kitchen. Carnivore Night on Friday at only 499 Baht offers a free flow chicken, lamb, beef or pork BBQ direct from the charcoal grill. In addition, for only 100 Baht customers can choose or combine lots of ingredients and level of spiciness to create your own Som Tam, all day, every day. Call for reservation at 038 318 999 ext. 11212/11230 or email restaurant@pattana.co.th.

Oasis, the all-day restaurant at Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya, has launched a new Sunday brunch buffet, with a large selection of Thai, Asian and international food, and a combination of hot, cold, and live serving stations.

Served every Sunday between 12.30 and 15.30 hrs, the price is THB 1,250++ for adults and THB 625++ baht for children up to the age of 12 years. Children under six years eat free of charge. The buffet includes seafood on ice including tiger prawns, Australian black mussels, snow crab and oysters, with a selection of dipping sauces such as tartar, chilli, and wasabi mayo. The Japanese station includes sushi and sashimi, there is a choice of salads and garnishes, a live egg station, and a section devoted to European cheeses and cold cuts. For further information and reservations, call 038-714981.

The Bay Grill & Buffet at Dusit Thani Pattaya: Dine

Fax: 038-427596

with a sea view and enjoy seafood and meat barbecue accompanied by Thai and international items from soup, appetizers and main courses to dessert for only THB 1200++ per person. Free flowing beverage for additional THB 599++ per person. The Bay is open daily from 18:30 - 22:00. Call 038 425 611-7 ext. 2149 0r 2150 for more information and reservations.

Big Fish restaurant at Siam@Siam Design Hotel Pattaya enhances its seafood buffet with a Thai marketplace theme: live stations offer traditional Thai cuisine in a unique atmosphere and include Thai salad, papaya salad, lemongrass & shrimp salad, Thai noodle served with beef/chicken and meat ball, pad Thai, fishcake served with chili-pickled cucumber and Thai dessert of mango with sticky rice, luk chub, woon bai toey, tup tim krob and more. All you can eat only at THB 400 net per person and enjoy a special welcome drink from the antique jar. Promotion daily from 12pm – 2.30pm. For more information and reservations call 038 930 600 or email to fbsec@siamatpattaya.com.

The Thai Garden Terrace Restaurant offers nightly dining presentations with different themed “all you can eat” buffets at the resort poolside: Monday – Italian buffet; Tuesday – BBQ buffet; Wednesday – multi-cuisine buffet; Thursday – German buffet with roasted pig; Friday – Thai buffet; Saturday – international buffet; Sunday – steak & skewers buffet. The buffet starts from 6 p.m., runs until 9 p.m. All this for just 399 baht net per adult. What you

see is what you pay, no additional service charges or VAT. For reservations call 038 370 614 or make your booking at www.thaigarden .com under “buffet reservation”. Thai Garden Resort is located on North Pattaya Road, 200 meters from the Dolphin roundabout and 200 meters before Tesco Lotus.

Delicious menu options at Yupin’s Restaurant.

The happy BBQ chef at Thai Garden.

Yupin’s Restaurant in Jomtien Complex offers some fabulous culinary options including slow roast soft pork stuffed with garlic and coriander, and served with an onion and red wine sauce, vegetables and a choice of potato at only 395 baht or delicious fresh from the sea, jumbo tiger prawns served with a cream, parmesan and Malibu sauce, and vegetables or a choice of potato at only 495 baht.

Special promotions include two set menus plus a bottle of wine for only 1,295 baht or order a two course meal between 6-7 PM and get a free glass of red or white or rosé wine or 250 baht off a house bottle of wine at 545 baht. For more information or reservations, call 038 250394 or visit website: www.yupins.com.

New 7 savory chocolate recipes are now available at Pebbles Bar and Grill, Renaissance Pattaya Resort & Spa throughout July. The chefs at Pebbles have gathered the best chocolate recipes to make you see chocolate in a whole new light. Starting from THB425++ - try Cocoa rubbed baby back ribs with cinnamon and ginger; Rich pork ragout set on dark cocoa pasta; Chocolate ravioli filled with vanilla cream and fresh berries; Warm chocolate sponge with a hint of chili double chocolate ice cream and sauce; Trio of chocolate trifle with mascarpone and rich coffee chocolate soil and chocolate caviar; Rich dark chocolate tart mascarpone ice cream; or White chocolate mousse with cannoli espresso foam. For more information or reservations: Tel. 038 259 099 or visit website: www. renaissancepattaya.com.

Linda’s Restaurant is large with seating for 200 people, with a covered al fresco verandah outside for those who wish to smoke. Inside, in air-conditioned comfort, there are comfortable chairs and decent sized tables, with white starched napery. The menu is large and covers

northern European items, Scandinavian dishes and several pages covering Thai cuisine. Linda’s Restaurant, 315/177-180 Moo 12, opposite the Jomtien Complex.

Thappraya Road, Jomtien.

Open seven days from 7.30 a.m. until late. Tel: Reservations: 038 252 726, www. lindasrestaurant.com, streetside parking. Email linda@ lindasrestaurant.com . GPS 12.901655 N 100.869.

Jameson’s Irish Pub offers daily food specials from Mon-Sat as well as fabulous Sunday roast dinners with all the trimmings, priced from 340 baht – 400 baht. Jameson’s Irish Pub is located on Soi Sukrudee (Soi A.R.) in Central Pattaya. Call 038 361 874 for more information or visit website: www.jamesonspattaya.com.

Yamato Restaurant located on Soi Yamato has been around for more than 39 years and the soi was named after its oldest tenant. Just look for the Japanese characters on the blinds outside. You cannot miss it. The menu is pictorial, which is a must when trying a different cuisine/language. This is a restaurant to take a few people with you.

The prices are certainly not over the top, and the quality is superb. Yamato Japanese restaurant, 219/51 Soi Yamato (13/1), close to Beach Road end, telephone 038 429 685 or 038 421 618. Open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner. On street parking (or do some shopping in the Avenue or Royal Garden Plaza).

Continued on page 35

38 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

Dusit Thani Resort wields the tomahawk Dr. Iain Corness With so many good restaurants in Pattaya, it becomes easy to forget that we are also blessed with several top class resorts which have their own high quality outlets. One of these is the Dusit Thani Pattaya where we went to review their Cascade restaurant on the ground floor of the main building.

Being one of the top resort hotels, it is difficult to imagine that there might be people who don’t know where the Dusit Thani Pattaya is but in case, go to the Dolphin roundabout and take the well signed leg into the Dusit Thani grounds.

Acres of parking with security looking over the car parks.

The Cascade restaurant is situated on the right side after leaving the marble foyer and sits above part of the tropical gardens which dominate the ground floor. The acres of marble continue throughout this floor, giving Cascade an up-market feel to it. Along one wall is the glass wine cellar, with most of the wines, from many countries, both old and new world, under B. 2,000. We chose the Stonefish 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is an excellent wine from Australia with a wonderful nose, and great value at B. 1700, and incidentally served at the correct temperature.

It was a bonus that Food and Beverage Manager Thanapol “Pom” was also around that night and on hand to advise if required, and to supply me with the full menu and to gently suggest a few extra items so that

You won’t miss the sign.

The Tomahawk steak. Miss lunch first! we could experience a wide range of dishes from chef Pathma’s kitchen.

It is a heavy menu and covers more than a few different cuisines. It begins with a whole page of vegetarian dishes, most between B. 160 and B. 330. There is a page with a kids menu (most around B. 150) with real kid’s favorites such as super hot dog in sesame bun with French Fries. (Sometimes I wish I were a kid again!)

The next few pages introduce the diners to regional Thai cuisines starting with southern dishes, followed by northern dishes, Isaan and Central Thailand.

Most of these are around B. 200-300.

We certainly did sample much on the menu, beginning with a fairly bland mushroom soup followed by a Masaman which was excellent and a Khao Soy, the Burmese curry, which is

one of my favorites. The presentation was superb, with a long plate with the fried noodles, shallots and limes to add to the base soup. The menu has “chili” indicators, and this dish has but one; however, it is still spicy.

Another Northern dish was a Chiang Mai Sausage (Sai Oua), served with cucumber, long beans, pickled ginger, chili and garlic. This dish scored three chilies on the spicy register. You have been warned.

The main item of the evening,

The Khao Soy Burmese curry.

and the principal one for our review was a one kg Tomahawk steak. This is enough to feed three or four diners and was very tender. Make that very, very tender. We asked chef Pathma to do the honors with the carving and he did not even have to use one of his chef’s knives, but the ordinary side knife on the table cut the steak perfectly. The tomahawk promotion only runs to the end of the month, so go now! At B. 2,500 and feeding three to four, the Tomahawk Rangers is actually a bargain.

Exhibiting sheer gluttony, we managed to scoff a strawberry and Oreo cheesecake,

but I blame K. Pom for that one, as he insisted we should at least try. And try we did, with empty plates going back to the kitchen.

There is no doubt in my mind, but the Dusit Resort Pattaya is amongst the top dinner venues. Always a pleasure to relax amongst professional service staff.

Highly recommended.

Dusit Thani Pattaya, 240/ 2 Pattaya Beach Road, Pattaya City, open seven days 06.00 a.m. to 10.30 p.m., telephone 038 425 611-7, email thanapol.jy@dusit.com, secure parking in the resort’s grounds.

Esan sausage.

VOL. XXVI No. 29

PATTAYA MAIL

E-mail: comhaps@pattayamail.com From page 33

Yamato’s mixed sashimi plate which had octopus, salmon, tuna, crab sticks, sea bass, squid and mackerel.

The legendary Somsakdi Restaurant has been in operation in Pattaya for more than 40 years. Proprietor and Chef Somsakdi is still cooking and running his amazing restaurant at 78 years of age.

The menu is probably the largest in Pattaya, with 374 individual items. Each dish is in Thai with an English explanation underneath. Rather than be swamped by choices, let Somsakdi guide you. After all, who knows his dishes better than he? Somsakdi Restaurant, Pattaya Soi 1, tel. 038 428 987, 038 423 284, 038 429 869, limited parking plus on-street parking in the soi. Hours 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., seven days.

Spa & Hotel Promotions AVANI Spa offers a spa buffet package: 90-minute AVANI signature touch massage and International Buffet Dinner at Garden Cafe for one at only THB 2,700 net.

Advance reservations required, contact AVANI Spa at Tel. 038 412 120.

Entertainment In 6 short one-act plays, local theatrical troupe Pattaya

Players explores wedding day tribulations, a doctor’s office visit diagnosis, Land Transport Office headaches, a comedic take on divorce and break-ups and more in “Something Entirely Different”, being performed at the White Horse Pub, Eastern Grand Palace Hotel on Soi Khao Talo on Wednesday, July 25 at 7pm. Entry price is only Bt.200 (food & drinks separate).

For ticket reservations & further info, call or SMS Gary at 085 913 1827 or email pattayaplayerstake2gmail.com.

Baan Na Garden Restaurant & Bar in Hua Yai will host the FireFest music festival on Saturday, July 29 from 4pm. Two stages will feature live music from the likes of Goober Gun, The Blues Machine, The Riffs, Fiddlin’ Round and Gypsy Lou Blues.

Additional entertainment includes an adult bouncy castle, children’s zone, foot massage, face painting and more.

For more information call 081 865 9060.

Sport Point Pattaya off Sukhumvit Road offers free use of its outdoor 20-meter swimming pool on the first Saturday of each month from Saturday 07:00 – 22:00. All ages are welcome but any children under 12 must be supervised at all times. There is also a large seating area, a playground for young children and a café. For more information, directions and to sign up for free use of the pool, please call 0641 488 001.

Enjoy great music from Thomas Reimer, one of the most famous European Jazz guitarists, playing live every evening (except Tuesday) from 6.00 p.m. - 10 p.m. at the

Tenderizing local steak A discussion at a dinner table the other evening centered on how do you tenderize cheaper cuts of steak. No professional chefs at the table, but the consensus was that imported Wagyu was just too expensive for the family dinner, especially with non-professional weekend BBQ chefs.

The local cheaper meat is often called Thai-French.

Cooking Method To properly tenderize the steak, lay the steak out on a plate and cover each side with approximately 1 teaspoon of sea salt before cooking. Use your fingers to gently work the salt granules into the surface, breaking down the fibers of the meat. (For even more flavor, add crushed garlic to the salt.)

Let the steak sit with this covering of salt for 45 minutes to an hour. Longer for thicker cuts.

After the waiting period, rinse the salt off your steaks under cool running water.

Use some paper towels to pat your steaks until they are good and dry, so you can get the delicious, crispy sear you want. (If you don’t pat them dry, you’re basically steaming the meat, and steamed meat is bland and less flavorful.)

Season as desired, then grill until desired doneness.

Try to avoid ‘well done’ as steak done this way is always more tough.

Ingredients Steaks as needed for the number of dinner guests Sea Salt 2 tspns

FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018 39 Fax: 038-427596

Sugar Hut restaurant on Thappraya Road, call 038 364 186 for details.

Community Services The North Star Library on Sukhumvit Road, north Pattaya holds regular Thai language classes Mon - Fri from 10.30 a.m. till 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. Cost of admission is 100 baht per session for library members and 200 baht for non-members.

Private lessons are also available for 200 baht per hour. In addition, the library also holds Yoga training every Tuesday from 1 - 2 p.m. at the Father Ray Foundation. Cost is 1200 baht for 6 sessions (first session free). For more information, call 081 575 4854 or email wan_nujan@yahoo.com

Groups & Associations Post 12146 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States of America (Ban Chang – U-Tapao, Thailand) meets the second Saturday of each month at 13:00 on the second floor of the Camel Pub in Ban Chang. If you are interested, please contact Membership Chairman Dan Morgan at banchangvfw12146membership @gmail.com or visit website: www.banchangvfwpost12146.org.

The Royal British Legion Thailand meets the last Saturday of every month from 2 p.m. at the Tropical Bar on Soi Khao Noi (Watboonsampan near the Temple entrance) in East Pattaya. You do not need to have served in the Armed Forces to become a member and can join in the many social events arranged throughout the year. The Legion’s primary aim is the care and welfare of those who have served and/or their dependents. For general enquiries send email to secretary@rblthailand.org, www.rblthailand.org.

Alcoholics Anonymous: The Pattaya Group meets Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. All meetings are closed (alcoholics only) and are held at Soi Skaw Beach (off Pattaya 2nd Rd). Contact Carl 08-45631-671. The Good Morning Pattaya Group meets 9 a.m. every morning. All meetings are ‘open’: contact 084 564 8479. The Jomtien Group meets every day at noon at Jomtien Long Stay Hotel: Contact, Andrew 086 107 6631.

The Scandinavian Group meets on Tuesdays and Fridays 6 p.m. at the Norwegian Seaman’s Church, Thappraya Road Soi 7: contact Hans 085 135 7755 or Rune (Rayong) 089 754 9515. 10.30 a.m. meetings every day at Satree Pattana Centre on Soi Skaw Beach off Second Road. Call 084 564 8479.

The Samaritans of Thailand English Help Line operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide support to the expatriate community. Englishspeaking staff, trained in crisis intervention will provide active, non-judgmental and empathetic listening services on the phone. All calls will be handled on an anonymous basis and are free of charge.

(02) 713-6791.

Overeaters Anonymous The ‘Up to You’ group meets Wednesdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the housing area just behind Pan Pan Restaurant in Jomtien on Thappraya Road.

Call Steve at 038-364-207(h) or 089-250-1359 (cell) for directions or more information.

Narcotics Anonymous Hotline: 082 811 2686. 3 English speaking meetings in Pattaya near Central Festival and 2 in Jomtien each week.

Also regular Thai speaking meetings at 12 noon every Sunday, and Persian Farsi speaking meetings at 5.30 pm on Thursdays. Please call the Hotline for details.

40 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2018

PATTAYA MAIL

VOL. XXVI No. 29

PATTAYA MAIL is edited by Nopniwat Krailerg for Pattaya Mail Publishing Co., Ltd. Printer, publisher and owner Offices: 62/284-286 Moo 12, Thepprasit Road, Pattaya City 20150.

Advertising and Administration Office: Tel: 038 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax: 038 427 596, E-mail: ptymail@pattayamail.com www.pattayamail.com