Voyageur January February 2017

Free Copy

January - February 2017

ISSUE

#01/2017

a publication of CanCham Thailand

Ron Livingston CanCham President

2016 - 2017 CANCHAM Thailand Board Members Patron:

H.E. Donica Pottie Ambassador of Canada to Thailand

Executive Board: President – Ron Livingston Treasurer – John Casella Secretary – John Stevens Vice President – Dean Outerson Vice President - Angus Mitchell Board of Directors:

Surachit (Art) Chanovan Joseph Henry Andrew Kloosterhuis Michael White Lloyd Wilson Sunny Patel Nitipong Boonsong Derek Van Pelt

Embassy Representative: Yvonne Chin

Advisors:

Sean Brady Peter van Haren Dan MacKay David A. F. Macdonald Stephen Janson Don Lavoie Ann Baines Picharn Sukparangsee

Executive Director Kelly Cailes

Thai-Canadian Chamber of Commerce 139 Pan Road, Sethiwan Tower 9th floor, Bangkok 10500 Tel: +66(0) 2266-6085-6 Fax: +66(0) 2266-6087 Email: info@tccc.or.th Website: www.tccc.or.th

The Voyageur is the monthly magazine of the Thai-Canadian Chamber of Commerce, covering all Thai-Canadian business, legal and social news of interest to the members and others who are active in expanding Thai-Canadian bilateral trade.

Dear CanCham Members and Friends,

C

We are coming to the end of 2016 and enjoying the Christmas season here in Thailand. It has been a busy year with many great events for our Canadian business community.

We recently staged our annual Christmas brunch at Bistro 33. Over 120 signed up for a fun day with Santa, kids and friends: a family event to bring friends and business associates together to relax and enjoy this special time of year of giving.

This was the time of year to give to those in need, and to share the successes that we have had.

We took the opportunity to recognize Sean Brady for his contributions to CanCham and the Canadian community. We inducted Sean into the CanCham Hall of Fame. Sean is a founding father of CanCham Thailand, and has been a driving force behind its growth and development for 27 years. He was the founding president of the then Thai-Canadian Chamber of Commerce (TCCC), the forerunner of CanCham. In those early years, as TCCC President, Sean could regularly be counted on for iconoclastic remarks from the podium in a successful effort to increase the profile and appeal of the business club and chamber.

Sean remains a passionate Canadian with a dedication to increasing Canada’s footprint in the ASEAN region. Sean, to this day, is still an advisor to CanCham.

Thank you, Sean, for your commitment, hard work and dedication to Canada’s efforts here in Thailand.

Looking ahead, we are starting 2017 with the Crystal Ball Business Luncheon on January 11 with business leaders and predictions of what 2017 will bring.

Later in the month, we will hold The Great Canadian BBQ on January 28th at the Ambassador of Canada’s Official Residence. Then on February 15th, CanCham is hosting its first “Women in Business” forum. Please save these dates and get involved with our Canadian business community.

Ron D. Livingston President CanCham Thailand.

Editor: CANCHAM Thailand Publisher: Scandinavian Publishing Co., Ltd. 211 Soi Prasert-Manukitch 29, Prasert-Manukitch Rd., Chorakeabua, Ladprao Bangkok 10230 Tel: +66(0) 2943-7166-8 Fax: +66(0) 2943-7169 Design: Disraporn Yatprom Email: disraporn@scandmedia.com Advertising Contact: Mr. Finn Balslev, Marketing Director Scandinavian Publishing Co., Ltd. Tel: +66(0) 2943-7166 ext.116 or 08-1866-2577 Email: finn@scandmedia.com

(Cover Caption: Sean Brady with wife Khun Premsiri “Tum” Brady (left), step-daughter Khun Pataravarin, “May” (right).

CanCham News

Thai Union buying Canadian Lobster Processor (Source: Undercurrent News)

T

Thai Union Group has announced it will acquire a majority stake in Canadian lobster processor Les Pecheries de Chez Nous.

of a similar relationship in North Atlantic lobster. The partnership between Thai Union and Chez Nous will bring additional expertise and transparency to our customers.”

Bangkok, Thailand-based Thai Union, owner of brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West and King Oscar, will take a majority stake in the business while Francois “Frankie” Benoit, the existing owner and CEO, will retain a minority share. The company recorded sales of approximately CAD 50 million in 2015.

In May, Rittirong Boonmechote, director and president of its global shrimp business, told Undercurrent News the company is looking to get closer to the resource in lobster.

Chez Nous, based in New Brunswick, Canada has direct relationships with fishermen in both Canada and Maine in the northeastern US, a processing facility strategically located on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and is investing in a live lobster holding facility.

Chez Nous employs a small full time office staff managing operations and accounting, and up to 200 seasonal workers during the lobster harvest.

The deal comes after Thai Union’s subsidiary Tri-Union Frozen Products, doing business as Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods (COSFF), acquired Orion Seafood International in 2015, making it one of the largest sellers of North Atlantic lobster in the US. “Thai Union’s vertical integration has been a key to our division’s success in the shrimp, tuna, and pasteurized crab categories,” said COSFF president and CEO Bryan Rosenberg. “We are excited about the growth possibilities

4

Voyageur

Chez Nous CEO Benoit said the new partnership with Thai Union “is an exciting next step for Les Pecheries de Chez Nous. We have recently expanded our facilities and look forward to further growing the business with the opportunities that Thai Union’s global network will provide". Benoit will remain as a partner with the company.

Canadian Education among the world’s finest EduCanada – A World of Possibilities

N

Nitchawan “Pan” Sriviboone is the Trade Commissioner dealing with education, life science and consumer products at the Canadian embassy in Bangkok. Recently, Voyageur spoke with her about her attempts to impress upon Thais the value of a Canadian education.

She has two key goals: one, promoting Canada as a study destination to Thai parents and students; and two, building partnerships between Canadian educational institutions and Thai educational institutions and Thai education agents. Her job in a nutshell is to help Thais realize that Canada has more to offer than just “snow, polar bears and maple syrup”.

“Since we do have had limited human resources and budget, I have to be more focused when promoting Canada as a study destination, e.g., attending key education events such as OCSC Expo, TIECA Fair and Success Canada Forum,” says Khun Nitchawan, “and building relationships with key local contacts including Thai education institutions, international schools in Thailand and education agents.”

Nitchawan took her MBA at St Mary’s University in Halifax, and then spent seven years in the finance sector in Bangkok working for a property de-

6

Voyageur

velopment company before joining the embassy in 2015. She has traveled throughout Canada and feels passionate about the education opportunities available to Thais in Canada.

Khun Nitchawan says that as a study destination, Thais consider Canada safe, friendly with a high quality of life and education. However, Thai students and their parents are less aware of the competitive value for money that Canadian educational institutions offer as well as the work and immigration opportunities offered by the Canadian government. In addition, most universities across Canada offer numerous (entry/ merit) scholarships and opportunities for cooperative education and internship to international students. Students are encouraged to have their own research as these opportunities vary from one to another.

“According to the HSBC, Value of Education: Springboard for success, September 2014, the research shows that Canada offered the competitive average annual cost (university fee (based on bachelor degrees)+ cost of living) which is lower than other top English speaking countries around 14%-29%,” says Khun Nitchiwan. “Also, HSBC (2015) also pointed out that Canada is a more cost-effective option for universities

studies than competing destinations.”

Sixty percent of Thai students studying in Canada are there on a short-term basis (less than six months) and most of those are studying at the high-school level. The favoured destination is British Columbia (60%), followed by Ontario.

Nitchawan tries to impress upon Thai parents the opportunity to truly immerse their children in a foreign culture, enabling them to learn English quicker, if they choose to study at a Canadian school. When many Thai students go aboard they do so with dozens of other Thai students and easily fall back into speaking Thai, instead of forcing themselves to speak English.

Nitchawan and the embassy work with Surachit (Art) Chanovan’s “Success Canada Forum” educational fair, held every March at Bangkok’s Renaissance Hotel. Khun Art, a CanCham board member, used to run the Canadian Educational Centre out of the embassy, so he is very well versed on the benefits Canadian education. Khun Art also takes his “Success Canada” program on the road to major provinces in Thailand.

The Thai government is now turning the economy toward a new economic model known as “Thailand 4.0”. This model

CanCham News seeks to dramatically change Thailand from a “heavy-industry economy” to a "value-added economy" through innovation, technology and services. New engines of growth include a) food agriculture & bio-tech. b) health, wellness & bio-med, c) smart devices, robotics & mechatronics, d) digital, IT & embedded technology and e) creative, culture & high value services.

This will allow Thailand to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage in the world marketplace. All stakeholders such as the private sector, financial institutions, local and global leading university/research institutions and the government will play important roles to support such changes. Thailand 4.0 will also change the Thai education framework including teachers, curriculum, pedagogy, family and community to enhance innovative and strategic thinking in students and align their capabilities with economic changes.

Leading global universities may be one of the key groups of stakeholders playing an important role in the economic transformation. Canada has a reputation for excellence in research and development. As such, education institutions can likely find areas of collaboration with leading Thai universities. And many Thai universities seek international collaboration to enhance their reputation and competitiveness, with the number of dual programs increasing.

Even though student enrollment in Thailand has declined since 2011, growth can be seen in certain education levels (e.g., private elementary, public upper secondary and private higher education). Affluent parents invest heavily in their children's education for higher quality instruction. Therefore, international education offered by international schools, international programs and English programs have become increasingly popular in Thailand. Those studying in these programs need to be made aware of the benefits accrued from studying in Canadian institutions.

Canada has been a long time pioneer achiever in science, technology and innovation. The BlackBerry, flat-screen technology, SMART boards, and IMAX are among the many revolutionary technologies invented and developed

by men and women who studied in Canada Canadian institutions are innovation leaders in numerous fields, including health, nanotechnology, biotechnology, high performance computing, environmental technologies, nutraceutical and renewable fuels.

Canadian academic credentials are valued worldwide and are internationally recognized for their competency-based teaching approach, which prepares students to be productive in the workplace immediately after graduation. Whatever students’ choice – a major researchoriented university in a bustling urban center or a small liberal arts institution in quiet rural setting, a variety field of studies from business or engineering to film, multimedia, aviation and more – the quality of a Canadian university education is assured by provincial and

territorial government charters. As such, Canada is ranked first of 16 countries from alumni employment, followed by the US, Singapore, UK, and Australia (HSBC, 2015).

Two Major Education Fairs in Thailand The Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) Education Expo: (www.ocsc.go.th/ocsc/th/files/2557/ Guide-to-OCSC/Guide-to-OCSC2014-Office-of-the-Civil-Service-Commission.pdf) The OCSC is a government agency under the Thai Prime Minister’s Office, headed by the Secretary General and directly accountable to the Prime Minister. Every November, they hold the country’s biggest education fair at Siam Paragon with over 30 countries attending. The OCSC is the central agency in charge of managing civil service human resource management under a merit performance system. The Commission’s responsibility includes the development

of a public-sector manpower planning system for the country’s strategy. The responsibilities involve the development of civil service government officers to enhance professional performance and quality of life. Key responsibilities of the OCSC involving international education are a) carrying out the administration of government scholarships and the King’ scholarships according to the Civil Service Act and b) providing oversight of government officials and government scholarship students in accordance with the conditions and regulations set in the Civil Service Act. Thai International Education Consultants Association (TIECA) Education Fair: (www.tieca.com/about.php) was founded in 1990 by a group of 12 educational consultants under the name “The Educational Consultants Group of Thailand (ETC)”. The main objectives are sharing the group’s expertise in the field of international education and raising standards of practices and services in the industry. The group became a legal entity as an association by the Registrar of the Ministry of Commerce in 1997 and became known as TIECA. Currently, there are more than 70 active members working and promoting international education. Their fair is usually held at the Westin Grande Sukhumvit, a week after the OCSC’s event.

Useful resources For additional information about studying in Canada, consult these helpful online resources EduCanada: www.educanada.ca Official study in Canada portal where you will find information on education in Canada. The site includes a program finder, cost calculator, study permit information and links to provincial, territorial and individual school information.

Immigration and Citizenship: www.cic.gc.ca Offers information for international students considering Canada as a study destination, including study permits, visa details and work permits.

Nitchawan Sriviboone, Trade Commissioner Embassy of Canada to Thailand Nitchawan.sriviboone@international. gc.ca

January - February 2017

7

CanCham News

Remembering those

O

On November 10th, members and friends of the Canadian community in Thailand gathered at the Canadian Ambassador’s residence to pay tribute to the Canadian Forces who have fought so bravely for our country.

Counsellor Stephen Stebelsky was the Master of Ceremonies for this event, which started at 11am sharp. After his opening remarks he introduced Ambassador Donica Pottie to do the invocation.

The Thai Royal Anthem and Canadian National Anthem were then played after which Ayesha Rekhi read “In Flanders Fields”.

The “Last Post” was performed next followed by two minutes of silence, then the “Turn to Busan”, whereby those in attendance turned in the direction of Busan, South Korea, honouring Canadian soldiers who were killed or wounded in the Korean War. Then came Reveille and the “Act of Remembrance” read by veteran Don English.

The lament and the laying of three wreaths followed: Ambassador Pottie and Lt Colonel Jean Jobin laid a wreath on behalf of the Canadian government; Lt Col Jobin and Petty Officer First Class Bryan Grass laid a wreath on behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces; Ron Livingston did so for CanCham; Don English laid a wreath on behalf of the Canadian Legion: and members of Club Canada laid a wreath on behalf of their organization.

The final reading “We will Remember” was made by Lt Colonel Jean Jobin of the Canadian Forces. Eric Mitchell, as usual, did a superb job on the bagpipes

8

Voyageur

and after the ceremony those in attendance adjourned for light snacks and refreshments in the residence..

The three flag bearers were: Thai Flag – Christopher Ankersen Chris Ankersen, CD is a retired Infantry Captain who served 12 Years with the 3rd and 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. In that time Chris deployed to Croatia and Kosovo; earning the UNPROFOR, KFOR Medal and for his dedicated and loyal service earned the Canadian Forces Decoration (CD). Chris is currently the Security Advisor, United Nations Department of Safety and Security in Bangkok.

DND Flag - Raymond Forte Ray Forte is a retired Infantry Private who served 4 Years with the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. In that time Ray deployed to Cyprus and Germany; earning the UN Service Medal, UN Peacekeepers Medal and Germany NATO Service Medal. Ray is now a civilian member of the RCMP, where he has since earned the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal for outstanding service.

Canadian Flag - Don Ferguson The Canadian flag bearer was Don Ferguson. He is the son of decorated retired RCMP Staff Sgt (Ron Ferguson) and proud Canadian living in Thailand for almost 20 years. His professional background is as an actor in multiple movies as a fighter (Ong Ba to name one) and is the founder/owner of Asia Pacific Taekwondo Academy@Ekkamai (7th Degree Black Belt). Don was selected as he embodies the spirit of what a Canadian stands for in Thailand and it was a pleasure having him present representing our country on Remembrance Day.

CanCham News

who have fallen

January - February 2017

9

Member News

Chamber History - Watching the Baby Grow No one person has played a more significant role in the growth of CanCham than Sean Brady, who was granted Hall of Fame status by the Chamber in late December. In this issue, we take a look back at the birth and development of CanCham through Sean’s eyes in an interview that first appeared in this magazine nine years ago.

F

First, a little bit about Sean though: from 1970-84, he served overseas in diplomatic missions as a Foreign Service Officer in Hong Kong, New York and Bangkok in addition to assignments in Ottawa in the Departments of External Affairs and Industry, Trade and Commerce. Then from 1984-86, he was the official spokesman for External Affairs and International Trade serving under External Affairs Minister Joe Clark. From August 1986-July 1989, he was the Canadian High Commissioner to Singapore and then he moved to Bangkok in July of 1989, to become President of Pac Rim International, a consulting firm he ran for 23 years.

In 2007, CanCham (then known as the Thai-Canadian Chamber of Commerce aka the TCCC) celebrated its 16th birthday, Nan Jacques Zilberdik on behalf of Voyageur interviewed Sean, one of the Chamber’s co-founders.

The forerunner of the TCCC was the Thai-Canadian Business Club.

That Club was established in November 1988 to “bring together individuals and companies with a shared interest in the development of commerce between Canada and Thailand and to encourage, facilitate and nurture communication and trade between Canada and Thailand”. The Thai-Canadian Business Club was the first step towards the ultimate objective - the creation of a Thai-Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Forming a Business Club Voyageur: Why was the Thai -Canadian Business Club started?

12

Voyageur

Sean with his wife Premsiri

Sean Brady: The common front that brought people together was the feeling that Canada had far too low a profile for a country its size and for its

pretensions to do international trade.

I say pretensions because most of Canada’s international trade was (and is) with the US and I personally don’t consider that international trade. The

Club was formed by a significant group of Canadians and friends of Canada in November 1988. The founding President was David Solloway, then General Manager of Canadian Airlines International. Other founders included Vice-President Khun Norarit Komalarajun, Executive Director of Sunflower Group of Companies, and Robert Rayner, Senior Representative of the Bank of Nova Scotia, among others, and several people who are still here today: Sam Cohen, Sage Trading Ltd., Jim Gulkin, Managing Director of Siam Canadian Trading Co Ltd., Barry Shea, then Managing Director of PepsiCola (Thai) Trading Co., Ltd., and Don Lavoie, then Lavalin International.

Robert Vanderloo, then Commercial Counsellor at the Canadian Embassy in Thailand was a major force in forming

Member News the Club, together with the Embassy’s First Secretary (Commercial), Rory McAlpine, as a lot of the initial meetings were held at the Canadian Embassy.

When I came to Thailand in 1989 I joined the Club straight away and quickly jumped onto the board. It was a good group of people and it had a very casual existence then. We were only a business club, but we were actually much bigger than most of the chambers - we had around 160 members.

Back then the Canadian official profile wasn’t all that hot in Thailand and it depended mostly on individuals. The goal of the Club was to raise Canada’s profile, raise trade, and to encourage Canadian investors to come here.

Thailand was nowhere near as well known in Canada as it is now, in terms of tourism and other sorts of activities.

Canada was not particularly well known here either. There was a feeling that we needed to encourage more Canadian ministers to come here and visit, and to encourage more senior Canadian business people to come and make presentations, so that we could differentiate ourselves from the States and others that the Thais were dealing with.

We did not stick out from the pack. At the Club we wanted to move in and say, “We are Canadian. Here is what we stand for. We want to work with you guys.”

In 1990, President David Solloway left and I was asked to replace him. At that time we made a real effort to make the Club 50% Thai. We attracted Thai members by pointing out the need for them to have a higher profile and to become more aware of what was going on overseas and maybe through organizations like ours raise Thailand’s profile. It was a conscious choice to call our organization the Thai-Canadian Business Club (and later Chamber of Commerce), not the Canadian-Thai Business Club.

Sean (left) with External Affairs Minister Joe Clark (middle) and Sean s succssor Paul Frazer

V: Why was the change from Club to Chamber necessary?

Sean addressing the Canadian Business Association in welcoming External Affairs Minister Joe Clark to Singapore.

Sean (sitting) with Canada's External Affairs Joe Clark (at the podium) during a meeting in Manila

Sean (second from right) with Joe Clark Canadaง's External Affairs minister (far right) and then Australian Foreign Minister Bill Hayden at an ASEAN meeting

SB: We had gone past the stage of just being a business club and needed to become a chamber. We wanted to participate in the broader international chamber of commerce network, but we were never invited to the meetings of the presidents of the other foreign chambers because we were only a business club. Being a chamber would signal that “this is serious!” A business club sounds like you can quit any time.

A chamber sounds more serious. So we fulfilled the requirements and were constituted as the Thai-Canadian Chamber of Commerce in 1991.

V: How was the Club affected by the change into Chamber?

SB: The change from Club to Chamber resulted in a higher profile, which made us able to attract higher profile Thai speakers. I think we were already developing a higher profile at the time because of some of our personal backgrounds. The people in the Club had a certain level of profile in the community already. That buttressed the profile of the Club and later of the Chamber. We started getting ministerial level speakers from Canada as well, and trade patterns gradually increased.

V: What was the relationship between the Canadian Embassy and the Chamber?

Becoming a Chamber In the 1991 Handbook & Directory, optimism and joy over the Club’s success is evident: “We’re off the starting blocks and sprinting ahead.”

Paralleling the trend in two-way trade between Thailand and Canada, the TCBC experienced rapid expansion since its inception in November 1988.

Membership has grown from the 20 or so founding members to a roster of over 280, made up of business people of all nationalities joined together by one common thread: an enthusiastic interest in the expansion of commercial links between Thailand and Canada.

Thanks to the generous support from the Canadian Federal Government, the TCBC got off to a very good start.” So good, that the next step, becoming a chamber, was obvious. Moreover, the change also constituted an act of branding in terms of sending a clearer signal of seriousness.

Sean signing in as he takes office as the Canadian High Commissioner to Singapore

SB: There was always a very symbiotic relationship between the Club/the Chamber and the Canadian Embassy and we have been lucky always to have had very strong trade commissioners there. In fact, my personal feeling is that there are no foreign trade commissionJanuary - February 2017

13

Member News ers that are better than the Canadian trade commissioners. They really focus on helping business people.

The most active support has always been from the trade section. They were instrumental in starting the Chamber in the first place. In the beginning, the Embassy provided some financial support, which was later phased out.

It happened gradually over three years and it worked well. The Embassy cut back their expenses and we gained more ground.

The financial support was extremely helpful until we got ourselves established. The Embassy saw its role as a catalyst for the Club and we saw our role as a catalyst for the Canadian business community, helping it to grow and to get more confidence and a bigger presence. It was a good development.

However, although we appreciated the assistance from the Canadian Embassy, we didn’t think that it was a good thing to be too dependent on it.

If the Chamber had been continuously dependent on it, we wouldn’t have had our own viable existence.

We’ve always had strong support from the Ambassadors too, who have been willing to be active patrons and have been good at persuading Canadian ministers to include the TCCC in their programs. Over time, the Club and then the Chamber had a mutually reinforcing relationship with the Embassy.

V: How did you become the first President? What did you think you could offer the Chamber?

SB: Initially David Solloway asked me to replace him, and since the others agreed, I accepted. I didn’t lobby to be President. I guess it was just kind of assumed by people, that because I had been an Ambassador, I could probably handle it. It wasn’t because I had a big company. I had received a lot of support over the years from Canadians during my career as a public servant, so I felt it was time to give back. I never thought it was going to do any good to my own company in particular. Maybe it did, subliminally, but I didn’t join our association because I thought I could sell more helicopters! My real feeling was that my whole career had been devoted to trying to enhance Canada’s profile wherever I was. One of the best ways

14

Voyageur

Sean with ACM Siddhi Savetsila Thai Foreign Mnister 1980-1990

of doing it was to continue in the Club.

Visions and Plans One of the Thai Canadian Business Club’s goals was to “… take the mystery out of doing business in Thailand,” says the 1991 Handbook & Directory.

Feeling a bit like pioneers, the founders of the Club and later the Chamber set to work for a stronger Canadian business presence in Thailand.

V: Founding the Chamber, what were your and your co-founders visions for it?

We wanted to identify ourselves more clearly: what we were as Canadians and what Canadians had to do, especially in areas of technology because we’ve always sold ourselves a little short there. My feeling was that as Canadians we weren’t aggressive enough. I think that’s still true, by the way. Canadians tend to be happy if they came second or third. They did not put that extra work in to win gold medals. Sam Cohen and I always had this motto: Patience, Perseverance, and Presence! Basically it means that you can’t expect overnight success.

You have to be patient and hard working. You have to do all the little things that count. Perseverance means that you never quit! At that time, I felt that Canadians had to struggle harder to survive. To me, it was a bit of a challenge to try to get a group of Canadians to persevere, to be successful together.

I felt we had to work harder and that we had to do our best to get our head up out of the pack, so that people would want to join the Thai-Canadian

Business Club. We were around 250 members then and at our height we were over 300. Now it’s back around 170. However, this drop in membership numbers primarily reflects the impact of the severe economic crisis in Thailand and this region in mid-1997 and the devaluation of the baht. People suddenly had to cut back and could not be members of more than two chambers.

That had an impact on middle-ranking chambers like ours. However, on the positive side, people who stayed in ’97 were generally more interested, more likely to contribute, and keener on getting things done.

V: How did you envision the development of the chamber? What were your wishes for it? Did you plan, say, ten years ahead?

SB: We did not look ten years ahead.

I think we thought that we were building for the future, but we didn’t say to ourselves, “This is where we want to be in ten years.” But we did say that it was long overdue for us to have some kind of viable and visible Canadian presence here. Let’s set it up and let’s build it for future Canadian businessmen. We thought that this country is going to be more and more open to Canadians to position themselves better. We also thought that we should wean ourselves off Canadian government support, so that the Chamber would be selfsustainable.

Development From fulfilling the Canadian community’s need for a feeling of unity in the late

Member News ’80s and the early ’90’s, the Chamber now focuses much more on providing information to its members.

V: Characterize the Chamber then and now.

SB: The Chamber then was friendly and convivial. Furthermore, it gave us a sense of identity as Canadians. It gave us a feeling of not being alone and a real sense of community. Back then, there was very much a pioneering feeling. Thailand was relatively new as a business market for Canadians and vice versa.

Now people are more aware and there is less the feeling of being at the forefront. It is a highly positive development that a lot more young Canadians now come to do business here. However, I also think that Thailand is becoming more of a niche. Now business people focus on China and some of the upcoming surrounding countries.

Thailand is losing its newness. The TCCC seems to me to be characterized by a strong continuity. I see stability in the Executive Director as a huge plus.

The relationship between the President and the Executive Director is crucial to the success of the Chamber. If you don’t have two strong individuals in both positions, you lose. There has to be a good chemistry between the President and the Executive Director.

As President you have to count on that person to foresee problems and opportunities. You want somebody with an independent mindset. Yet at the same time it must also be someone who is ego-free, in the sense that they shouldn’t be seeing themselves as the sole face of the Chamber. You need a professional who realizes that his or her job is to present the Chamber, and not to present themselves. At the same time you want a strong-minded but flexible Executive Director who is ambitious for the Chamber. You don’t want someone who is going to be pushing himself or herself forward all the time, but at the same time you definitely don’t want a sycophant. You want someone with his or her own ideas and opinions, one who does not just say, “yes, Mr. President”.

Another good thing characterizing the Chamber today is the melding together of the young and the old. You have

experienced people like Sam who have stayed on as advisors, lending their huge experience to the young. There are far more young people now than during the first years of the Chamber.

Youth is extremely important, but a Chamber should not consist entirely of young people. Experience is just as important. I must say that I’m very impressed with the entrepreneurial spirit of young Canadians today. I don’t know if the Canadian generation that I see out here is remotely similar to the Canadian generation back home or whether the people I see here are really the cream of the cream, but I’m proud of young Canadians. They have a more imaginative approach than my generation.

to seek information. I have never seen Thailand more politically confused and unstable. This creates a very important role for the Chamber: Keeping its members informed of what’s going on and providing advice and guidance to potential investors.

Canadian Business Presence in Thailand During the Chamber’s existence there has been a change in the nature of the Canadian companies present in Thailand. Today many more individuals and SMEs are represented here than large companies. The Canadian business presence is less significant than

Sean with former Singaporean President Wee Kim Wee during his tenure as Canada's High Commissioner to Singapore.

V: What are the Chamber’s main responsibilities and concerns today compared to when the Chamber was founded?

SB: Now there is a much greater need to get information to the members. I think the publications are very informative and whenever it’s necessary, like recently with the changes in the FBA, the Chamber does a really good job of keeping members fully informed, also in between publications.

Back when the Chamber started we needed more of a sense of community and friendship. We had a greater need of an internal Canadian community and encouragement to make a commitment to make business here.

Now the need is for information. Thai society is going through a transition right now and people don’t know where

the founders of the Chamber dreamed it to be.

V: How do you see the development of the Canadian business presence in Thailand?

SB: I think that at the time of the inception of the Chamber, we were attracting larger companies like Lavalin International, the Royal Bank of Canada, Bombardier, etc.

However, if a number of things, had been done differently, we could have had a strong critical mass here of large Canadian companies. But Canadians lost certain opportunities. Unfortunately, Lavalin International and Bombardier got shafted on the mass transit project.

They had actually won the contract to construct the skytrain and then they lost it. We also had a realistic concrete opportunity to have a premium CanaJanuary - February 2017

15

Member News dian beer here as the market leader…

Now we have Heineken instead…that would have been good for the Canadian image. Certain things didn’t quite make it and I think that had an impact on the visibility of the Canadian presence. Had the Skytrain been built by Canadians and had the Canadian beer group come in, it would have had an effect at home and more people would have thought that there were prospects out here. We missed that. I don’t see a distinctly Canadian presence here, to be honest. I think there were prospects in the late ’80s and early ’90s that could have led to it, but we missed the boat.

Consulting engineers, for example, had much more of a presence in this region then, than they do now. I haven’t really seen any sectors which have flourished. Perhaps we are too SME in Canada to mount enduring major market campaigns in distant markets.

There are more Canadian individuals now, but in terms of a potential large visible presence.

of cheapening of society. On the other hand, up-country people got a bit of a chance too, because a lot of them had had land before. The Business Club was created in the atmosphere of the boom. There was a feeling that there was enough of a Canadian business practice to justify having something like a Business Club and something like a Chamber. But it was never quite as big or quite as active as we would have liked it to be. In 1997, a lot of people left the country. Businesses closed down and people could not afford multiple chamber memberships.

The Foreign Business Act also existed then but we just accepted it as being there. However, there is a change and it’s bad timing particularly now when Thailand’s neighbours are becoming so much more active in attracting investment. They are very active rivals, and for some of the things happening in Thailand now, the timing couldn’t be worse in terms of positioning itself in the region. China is exploding and Vietnam as well. Malaysia is making it attractive to invest there, and the Singaporeans have always been geared to that.

Just think what a difference it would have made had Lavalin International and Bombardier done the Skytrain or if we had been going out to drink Labatt’s 50 instead of Heineken?

Then Canada was also more relevant at the aid level than it is now. We didn’t quite make it in the business sector and we purposely decided to opt out of the aid sector, so what does that leave us?

It’s difficult to carve out a leadership role based on preaching about good governance.

Ups and Downs What is the role of a chamber of commerce in times of instability? During the Chamber’s lifetime there have been some turbulent years.

V: In the 1980s and 1990s, Thailand experienced an economic boom, and later, in 1997 an economic breakdown. How did it affect the Chamber?

SB: In the 1980s people were more optimistic and enthusiastic. The good times just kept rolling and people benefited from them, especially people in real estate. There was a tacky quality to it as well. You had people becoming instant millionaires, because of land that they owned, and there was a kind

16

Voyageur

Sean with John Crosbie (middle) then Minister of Transport meeting his counterpart in the Singaporean government in Jan of 1987.

V: What is the role of the Chamber in times of instability?

SB: The Chamber’s roles are to represent the members’ interests and to make sure that policy deciders here are aware of the legitimate concerns of the international chambers, and to make sure that those are reflected properly.

Not just negatively, because you can really spark an anti-foreign atmosphere if it looks like you are just sitting there criticizing all the time without offering any constructive alternatives. I think the TCCC is doing a decent job in representing the members’ interests and also in terms of informing its members of what’s going on and what the current administration thinks is relevant and not, and encouraging others in the organization to be more active themselves. There is probably much more focus on that in the Chamber now, than when I was head of the Chamber. Then we didn’t see so many government policies with a potential negative impact on foreigners doing business here.

Competition and Magic Nights At the height of the Chamber it had almost 300 members. Today the existence and influence of other chambers has created tough competition.

However, members who do decide to join the TCCC are served well and may even experience a magic night or two that reminds them why it is special to support the TCCC. V: How much has the Chamber developed itself and how much has it been shaped by external influence?

SB: I think the Chamber has been shaped by the fact that there are so many more choices for people now.

There are more than 20 chambers now.

When the Chamber was formed, it was the elite. Now it is being shaped by competition. People are very conscious about which and how many chambers they join. The fact that the Chamber is communicating so much better with its members will make people feel

Member News that there is value in being a member of the TCCC. I also think it’s good to cooperate with other foreign chambers, because it makes you feel that you are part of a broader international chamber community.

V: Looking back, knowing what the Chamber is today, is there something you think you should have done differently when laying the foundations?

SB: I think we should have laid down rules for a more regular change of President and greater turnover at the board level. It encourages more people to be active, to think more actively.

More change leads to more thinking.

You don’t necessarily need a contested election, but when more people run than there are seats, the best ones and the most committed ones get elected.

Personally, I would like to see board elections with enough interested candidates and not barely 12 people willing to fill the seats. In the beginning, we used to get around 20 people running for the board and we got big turnouts at the elections.

V: What have been the most remarkable events for you during the Chamber’s 16 years of history?

SB: There have been a lot… I think initially, what I consider most important were the kind of membership criteria we set up for ourselves and what we wanted to do. It’s probably one of the best documents I’ve ever seen any organization come up with. It was drafted by John Kelly. It was really cleverly drafted in terms of its criteria and in terms of what we should offer to our members so that they would join the Chamber. It had a nice combination of self-interest and very practical common sense guidance of how we had to promote ourselves as an organization so that people would think we were worth joining. We had to do things that were relevant to people who were actually here doing business. I think this document had a significant impact on us. Another thing which probably cut through in the long haul is that we made a conscious effort to make our organization attractive to young people.

There were young people among the founders, but we could see that there was a new Canadian generation coming out and we wanted to sink roots,

so that younger people would feel relevant. I think that we have been very successful in that, now there are many young people. That’s what we wanted to have.

In terms of individual achievements, the most special moment for me was when then Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun gave a speech at a TCCC luncheon. It was probably one of the best speeches I have ever heard in my life.

He spoke to us about the importance of people committing themselves to the future and making a contribution to the society they live in and the importance of education – all the things we thought were important, but I had never heard it presented quite so articulately. I think we had just become a Chamber, and I still remember that I was proud that we could attract someone like Khun Anand to come and speak to us and that he was prepared to give us his time.

We also arranged a number of international chamber functions and I think we came of age as one of the key international chambers. Now we have Peter van Haren (later Ron Livingston) as the Chairman of the Joint Foreign Chambers and that also gives a certain cachet to the Chamber.

I also remember once at the Business Excellence Awards, in ’92 or ’93, when John Manley, then Canadian Minister of Industry, gave a great speech to the people who received the awards. He made them feel that it was really important. It was one of the best speeches I have heard by a Canadian Minister and it was a special night because people felt that they had really achieved something. It made it even better having a senior Canadian minister giving the speech. I think the BEA is a great tradition. It’s a good way to reward its own members. There have been nights when it was kind of magic.

networking and on the committees. It is important to ensure that there are appropriate committees that focus on their area of business. Monthly speakers are one thing that’s interesting and a way of getting together, but I think the important thing is to get active function-oriented committees that are relevant and that focus on things that can be useful to the members.

V: How do you think the Chamber can grow?

SB: Maybe it can’t grow. Maybe it just has to aim at keeping the current level and providing quality service, because I don’t think there is an increasing Canadian community, nor is there a dramatically increasing number of people doing business with Canada.

I’m not criticizing, maybe this is already the case, but the Chamber shouldn’t worry about the number of members, but focus on the quality of service that it provides so that they will stay.

V: What has it been like to watch the Chamber develop?

SB: I guess I’m sort of like a grandfather who doesn’t live near his kids.

I’m happy I was involved in the forming stages. I think all of us who were involved then are quite proud of what the Chamber has become. You can sit back and say “It’s going well, but I don’t have to be a part of it.” It’s kind of like watching your kids and your kids’ kids grow up. You’re not around them that much, but you hear other people say that they’re good kids, so you must have done something right. That’s the way I feel about the Chamber. I never hear negative things about it. That’s nice. I never hear people complaining about it or saying that it’s not what it used to be…on the contrary, people say they like the organization. So my feeling is that it’s gone in the right direction.

Watching the Baby Grow Whether the Chamber reached the size its founders imagined or not, they do have reason to sit back and be proud of what they created.

V: What is the ideal way for a member to make use of the Chamber?

SB: To make the most of the Chamber I think members ought to focus on

(Postscript : After the article originally appeared, Sean continued to work with Pac Rim until 2012. Then he formed a another consulting firm with Peter van Haren and Kobsak Duangdee called XPC Cross Pacific Connections. Last year he retired, but he still keeps very busy, remaining a Chamber advisor and doing a lot of good work at his chapter of the Rotary Club).

January - February 2017

17

education

Why inclusion is important within international education

W

When Charlotte and Dave had their son, Alex, they knew life would be more challenging. Alex has Down Syndrome.

They knew raising a child with special needs wouldn’t be easy, and it wasn’t, but things got much more challenging when Alex reached school age.

“Because my husband is a diplomat, our family relocates every two to four years,” Charlotte explained. “We had never run into any problems getting our other three children into international schools. It was at this point in my life as a foreign service spouse that I realized how incredibly difficult it is to travel around the globe and find a family fit with a child with special needs. Although Alex was high functioning, had no behavioral issues and received high marks during NY-based cognitive and physical evaluations, I could not find a single family fit anywhere on the worldwide list of my husband’s bidding possibilities.

International schools from New Delhi to Tbilisi to Cambodia to locations in South America to various posts across Africa would simply not accept Alex.”

In the United States, “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a federal law that requires schools to serve

the educational needs of eligible students with disabilities…eligible disabilities include autism, visual-impairment, deaf, Down Syndrome…and intellectual disabilities” (Understood, 2014).

So, one can imagine Charlotte’s surprise when no school would accept Alex. Charlotte had schools tell her they couldn’t support students with needs.

Some even said that she should con-

sider staying in her home country rather than trying to find a fit for Alex. Charlotte received a letter from a school in Morocco saying, “We can certainly accept your other children, but there’s nothing in this country for your son.”

Charlotte is not the only person with a story like this. In an international setting, it is not unusual for schools to have very little, if any, support for students with learning needs. Finding appropriate special education related services and therapies in the local community can also present many challenges. International School Bangkok (ISB) is one of a growing network of international schools who believe that families should have access to an education that meets the needs of all of their children. They believe in the philosophy of inclusion.

Charlotte was looking for a school similar to one from her home country. She wanted a classroom where students with special needs were given the opportunity to learn alongside peers without disabilities. In an inclusive school, classrooms are set up both physically and educationally to support

18

Voyageur

education all learners. Every child has a right to an education, to belong, and to be accepted into a school community.

Inclusive schools are beneficial for all students. Students with special learning needs learn alongside their peers and benefit from peer models and an appropriately challenging instructional level. Typically developing students learn that we live in a diverse world and learn how to get along with all people. They develop empathy as they appreciate and accept others into their classroom community. As students graduate and enter the workforce, they find themselves in an environment where people accomplish tasks differently than themselves. With inclusion, students get a head start on this skill.

developmental needs and be full and valued members of our community.

Our experienced, school-based multidisciplinary team targets functional academics and life skills, and facilitates opportunities for students to learn alongside typically developing peers to the maximum extent appropriate.”

Serving a managed number of the full range of learning needs (mild, moderate, intensive and the exceptionally able) within a school takes talented, committed individuals and a community who believe that all children have this educational right, as it is a collective endeavor. Inclusive schools encourage students to show their learning through their strengths while building upon their challenges.

ISB will join a small number of international schools around the world who serve the full range of learning needs when they accept their first cohort of students with intellectual and developmental disorders in August 2017.

“Our approach is unique in Bangkok,” explains Cindy Warner-Dobrowski,

Director of Student Services. “Students will receive highly individualized support to address their unique learning and

ISB is a member of Next Frontier Inclusion, an organization that promotes and protects the interests of children who learn in different ways or at different rates by supporting international schools working towards inclusion.

Their goal: an inclusive school in every city in the world. With close to 100 member schools across the globe, the momentum of inclusion is growing.

“Having collaborated with many international school leaders over the years, I have clearly seen a shift in the thinking in regard to accepting and supporting students who learn differently. For a growing number of schools the shift has been from ‘Should we?’ to ‘How should we?’” (Pelletier, 2014) This is encouraging news for families such as Charlotte’s. Her family is no longer living in Bangkok, however she is excited about the progress at schools such as ISB. “I can’t help but look at the program being created at ISB and feel a tremendous sense of longing.

For parents who have the opportunity to send their children to an incredible school like ISB where both typical children and those with special needs will be welcomed and will thrive, it is a gift like no other. Those families have truly won the lottery.”

January - February 2017

19

CanCham News

Hang on to your seats, We’re in for a bumpy ride!

S

So it really happened. From next January, Donald Trump will actually be in charge south of Canada’s border.

Whatever your instinctive reaction when the US election results started to filter out, Trump’s victory certainly comes as a surprise to many; particularly because of his vagueness on policy. Even before the win was confirmed, Canada’s immigration website crashed under the weight of internet traffic – presumed to be Americans looking to move over the border.

Sadly it’s become accepted that politicians regularly renege on their election promises; the only difference this time may be that Trump barely had any – except building a wall. The Mexican border wall wasn’t originally Trump’s idea anyway – it was even listed as a key campaign pledge of Trump’s main rival for the Republican nomination, Ted Cruz. Another Republican rival, Scott Walker, had even suggested walling off the Canadian-US border!

Not only is there an absence of a concrete policy manifesto, there’s also a severe shortage of any kind of perspective, with markets reduced to drawing inferences from every utterance from the President-elect and his inner circle (i.e. his family) as well as speculating even more than usual about the various key appointments. What seems to have been widely overlooked is that, while the new president will enjoy control in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, he’ll start his mandate with a slender 54% majority in the lower house and a majority of just 3 seats in the upper house – i.e. lacking the supermajority required to make the major fiscal policy changes that the market is taking as read. Not only that, the incumbent president’s party often loses seats two years later in the mid-terms, and many Republicans have whispered loudly that they won’t support Trump on certain issues.

Having alluded to a US$1 trillion spend-

20

Voyageur

ing package, Trump faces a mammoth challenge. Some of this may get past Congress, but it’s unlikely the whole lot would.

One thing that seems likely is that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), will be halted. However, these agreements were essentially political constructs that were primarily designed to benefit the US – and those nations which allied themselves to the US – at the expense of others. The TPP has already started to divide Asia into those who benefit most from it (e.g.

Vietnam) and those who don’t (e.g.

China and Thailand). Trump is basically moving those battle lines but I don’t see these fractures as being worse. In fact, a better outcome for China may even delay global and regional instability.

Campaign rhetoric suggested that President Trump is keen to fight a trade war with China. In reality any measures are likely to be far less damaging and less effective than the TPP would have been. Ultimately this may be a zero-sum game which China can’t afford to lose without there being potentially serious consequences for the its own and the global economy.

For this reason, Trump barging noisily through the front door may prove less of an immediate trigger to a Chinese depression than TPP more subtly attacking China via the backdoor. This makes the Federal Reserve’s FOMC meeting next month even more crucial.

Unless policy decisions then also result in a relatively stronger US Dollar, China would almost certainly need to take drastic remedial action because, unless the USD appreciates, RMB may still need to fall a further 20-25% to head off Chinese depression.

Whilst the Dollar has been generally stronger since the election and sentiment about the US economy has been on balance more positive, the US econ-

omy still looks as though it may struggle to attain escape velocity from the strong pull of pent-up recessionary forces.

This ultimately implies a weaker dollar (or at least a headwind to further Dollar strength). Taken alongside Trump’s imaginative campaign rhetoric about opposing perceived Chinese currency manipulation it’s not clear that a major upturn against the RMB is inevitable.

Any sizeable delay could likely trigger RMB devaluation. This isn’t a new danger but it is now in much sharper focus.

A drastic devaluation makes global debt deflation almost inevitable.

As debt deflation is a pre-cursor to economic depression, it’s a case of ‘heads you lose, tails you get slaughtered’.

Looking at issues more directly affecting Canada, Trump has stated that he would renegotiate NAFTA and potentially withdraw the US from the agreement if consensus with other members could not been found. The legislative hurdles that he would need to clear make this somewhat unlikely.

Trump has given some, though little, detail to date. His plans for individuals may send tremors, as they look like Speaker Paul Ryan’s 33% tax cut, simplifying the filing process and restructuring the international tax code. Again, the specifics, and what it means for FATCA, are unclear. Trump’s corporate tax plan is very much like that of the Congressional Republicans’ 20% rate. Reform of both individual and corporate taxation is a priority of Congressional Republicans; however, even with control of the House, it will likely face several obstacles, especially without a supermajority.

It's a distinct possibility that large parts of the post-GFC Dodd-Frank financial reform act could be retracted. It could also mean the end of the Department of Labour’s Fiduciary Rule, requiring higher standards of all financial professionals working in retirement planning. News that Steve Mnuchin, formerly of Gold-

CanCham News man Sachs and Indy Mac, will become US Treasury Secretary, has caused many to expect an easing of financial regulations (what could possibly go wrong with that???).

Therefore, while a Trump Presidency may well be nowhere as extreme as the campaigning suggested, the greatest discrepancy right now may well be in American capital markets which seem to be taking every utterance as fait accompli. US equities to the upside and US Treasuries to the downside appear to have (to misquote the previous Republican President) misoverreacted badly to the result.

The new administration may, however, trigger some unintended consequences simply by its perceived challenge to the political establishment. As Europe is so fragile, it’s unclear whether actions such as delaying the TTIP will prolong the agony or bring matters to a head.

The biggest immediate risk of a Trump presidency may be that the result itself and the ongoing rhetoric combine to

set off a populist reaction in Europe.

The single currency has now moved from ‘under threat’ to ‘almost certainly terminal and probably within the next 12 months.’ This is the most immediate major danger of today’s result and the sheer scale of issues also piling up in Europe and China.

I’m not worried about an American recession – we’re beyond that: I’m worried that with this level of private debt, there will be a depression and the Canadian economy will suffer severe collateral damage. I think the jury is out as to whether Trump will bring forward America’s next great depression or not – I guess we’ll never know the counterfactual but we seem to be getting closer to being trapped between rocks and hard places anyway with nowhere to hide from the inevitable, especially in China and in Europe whose depressions may well precede and be the catalysts for America’s next Great Depression form which there may well be nowhere to hide. Not even emigration to Canada.

Paul Gambles, co-founder of MBMG Group MBMG Group is an advisory firm that assists expatriates and locals within the South East Asia Region with services ranging from Investment Advisory, Personal Advisory, Tax Advisory, Corporate Advisory, Insurance Services, Accounting & Auditing Services, Legal Services, Estate Planning and Property Solutions.

For more information: Tel: +66 2665 2536 e-mail: info@mbmg-group.com Linkedin: MBMG Group Twitter: @MBMGIntl Facebook: /MBMGGroup

Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel: Sustainable Luxury in the Heart of Bangkok Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel has achieved the highest individual score in attaining GOLD Certification to the global sustainability certification standard for travel and tourism, Green Growth 2050. With a score of 86%, Anantara Siam has set the benchmark for all other Hotels to aspire to across all assessment elements including social, cultural, environmental and operational best practice.

As ethical tourism continues to grow, certifications such as this allow travellers to feel more confident that they are not only getting their money’s worth, but are leaving behind a better chance for younger generations to enjoy the same liberties.

In achieving GOLD Certification, Anantara Siam implemented a range of innovative sustainability initiatives including transitioning the hotel to glass water bottles in the rooms and related front of house areas, eliminating the use of PET plastic bottles. The hotel also used reclaimed, treated and filtered water in its air-conditioning cooling towers saving approximately 100 kilolitres of water each day.

Anantara Siam Green Growth Award Management team

“The team at Anantara Siam has worked tirelessly during the last six months to fully embrace the Green Growth 2050 Standard and ensure this outstanding result” said CEO of Green Growth 2050 Wayne McKinnon.

“Patrick and his teams took the unique approach of establishing multi-layered ‘Green Teams’ across the organisation and providing them with the tools and responsibility to own all aspects of the process. Taking the teams on field trips to garbage collection centres, recycling companies and environmental programs gave everyone involved a ‘reallife’ view of why areas of the Standard were important and helped to instil a unique sense of engagement.” added McKinnon.

Green Growth 2050 is the world’s most comprehensive GSTC recognized sustainability framework for the travel & tourism industry. It was designed and developed to meet the needs of hotels and travel businesses seeking today’s solutions to the issues driving social, cultural and environmental change.

Green Growth 2050 has been selected by the Minor Hotel Group to not only provide certification but also performance measurement, CSR impact analysis and business intelligence dashboard analytics across all aspects of sustainability reporting.

To learn more, visit www.greengrowth2050.com.

January - February 2017

21

CanCham News

Hong Kong wins Land of Smiles elite division

T

The 12th Land of Smiles Ice Hockey Classic saw a record number 41 teams from 19 countries competing in what has become the largest international ice hockey tourney in Asia.

Staged at two locations, "The Rink" at Central Grand Rama IX and the ice arena at Imperial Samrong, the competition was divided into five different divisions with teams grouped according to their skill level.

Hi-lights included the Singapore-Thailand mixed women's team (SWIHC) beating Jazura 3-0 to win the women’s division, led by ex-collegiate hockey player Canadian Sami Glockling, who while playing defense for the SWIHC team netted 8 points (4 goals and 4 assists). The overall women’s scoring leader was Johanna Juutilainen with16 goals and two assists while SWIHC’s Khun Pic was stellar in the net earning four shut-outs.

Finland Jetlags ran the table in the International Rec Tier I going 6-0 beating the Hong Kong Hitmen in the final 4-2 with Bentaleb (no first name) scoring seven goals and four assists to capture the scoring crown in this division. Salmela with three shut-outs played a big role in ensuring a Jetlags victory.

In the International Rec Tier II division, the Vancouver Bulls defeated the Rosshaupten Bulls 4-0 to defend their title as well with Kalev Jaaguste leading the way scoring 15 goals and adding our assists. George Coumbos had three shutouts minding Vancouver’s net.

Then in the International Competitive Open Division, the Nordic Vikings defended their crown by dumping the Singapore Manimals 2-0. Pattarapol "Dream" Ungkulpattanasuk, the Thai goalie for the Vikings, had a great tournament and recorded the shutout. The Vikings Patrik Ruiz led this division in scoring with seven goals and four assists with Dream recoding an amazing three shut-outs backstopping his team to victory.

In the International Open Elite final, the Hong Kong Tigers upset defending champs Totachi CCCP 4-1 with Lucas Eshleman having a big game scoring one goal and adding three assists. Early on, it looked like the Russian team’s speed was going to be too much for Hong Kong and Totachi did jump into a 1-0 lead, but Hong Kong, aided by some solid goaltending from keeper Liam MoorfieldYee, stormed back with four unanswered goals to capture the coveted elite division trophy. In round-robin play the Russian team had earlier defeated Hong Kong 4-2 and their player Evgeny Kislov lead the premier division with three goals and ten assists.

22

Voyageur

There were no current or former professional players in this tourney, but Hong Kong’s skilled forward Devin Welsh fought current NHLer Milan Lucic while both were playing junior hockey in Western Canada. Lucic is widely regarded as one of the toughest players in the NHL. Tourney organizer Scott Whitcomb, the CEO of Jogsports, said the tournament raised over THB70,000 for Father Joe Maier's Human Development Centre.

The tournament was staged only a couple weeks after the tragic passing of HE Bhumibol Adulyadej, so the players did their best to minimize celebrations and respect the mourning of the Thai people. www.jogsports.com

爀 甀 漀

漀 琀

搀 攀 琀 椀 瘀 渀 夀漀甀 愀爀攀 椀

㤀㨀 ⴀ ㄀ 㨀㌀ ᐠ 刀攀最椀猀琀爀愀琀椀漀渀Ⰰ 愀爀琀猀 愀渀搀 挀爀愀昀琀猀Ⰰ 最愀洀攀猀 愀渀搀 瀀爀椀稀攀猀 ㄀ 㨀㌀㔀 ᐠ 倀甀瀀瀀攀琀 猀栀漀眀 ㄀㄀㨀 ᐠ 䘀漀漀搀 愀渀搀 氀椀瘀攀 洀甀猀椀挀 ㄀㄀㨀㌀ ᐠ 吀爀攀愀猀甀爀攀 栀甀渀琀 ㄀㈀㨀 ᐠ 䔀渀搀 漀昀 瀀椀挀渀椀挀 愀渀搀 漀瀀琀椀漀渀愀氀 猀挀栀漀漀氀 琀漀甀爀 㤀㤀㤀⼀㄀㈀㐀 䬀攀猀椀渀攀攀 嘀椀氀氀攀Ⰰ 倀爀愀挀栀愀ⴀ唀琀椀琀 刀漀愀搀Ⰰ 䠀甀愀礀 䬀眀愀渀最Ⰰ 䈀愀渀最欀漀欀 ㄀ ㌀㈀ Ⰰ 吀栀愀椀氀愀渀搀