Volume 16 Issue 13 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555 March 28 - April 3, 2009 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 25 Baht

The Gazette is published Paiboon gets in association with British man killed in ‘yellow card’ Andaman pirate attack from EC By Kamol Pirat INSIDE By Khunakorn Terdkiatkhachorn SATUN: Three Burmese men were arrested by police on Tues- day, March 24 in Satun province for suspected piracy and the al- leged murder of a British man on board a private yacht when it was anchored off a remote island about 75km southwest of the mainland. On the night of Monday, March 23, British couple Malcolm Stuart Robertson, 64, and his wife Mrs Linda Anne PHUKET CITY: The Election Robertson, 60, were resting be- Mrs Robertson is helped ashore by Satun Police after a horrific ordeal at sea in which pirates attcked her and her husband on their yacht. Commission (EC) in Bangkok has ‘Mr Football’ low deck in separate compart- ‘yellow-carded’ Phuket Provin- ESPN STAR Sports presenter ments of their £3-million, 13.32- floating about 2km north of Khao registered their arrival in Phuket cial Administration Organization John Dykes talks exclusively meter yacht Mr Bean, which Yai Island, Satun Province. on January 12 and then left the President Paiboon Upatising and to the Gazette ahead of the was anchored off Dong Island in Mrs Robertson is said to province on March 9. It is not a fellow PPAO member for elec- Laguna-ESPN charity event. Satun Province, when they were have suffered minor injuries af- known whether they stayed on toral fraud in Thalang and has See page 23. attacked by pirates, La-Ngu ter being beaten and tied to the their boat or in rented accommo- recommended that new elections Ampur Police Sergeant, Captain mast of the yacht by the pirates dation during their stay in Phuket. be held to fill both seats. NEWS: New Phuket Suppaluk Chatayaporn, told the and was taken to La-Ngu Hospi- However, the couple had stayed According to a press re- Governor’s plan for the Gazette. tal. The semi-retired couple were at Royal Phuket Marina on a pre- lease on the EC website, the rul- province; Brit sentenced Mr Robertson is believed to seasoned sailors and had sailed vious visit in 2007. ing was handed down during a for ATM fraud. have been killed in the attack and in the region at least once before. After leaving Phuket, the March 19 meeting of the EC, in Pages 2 & 3 his body thrown overboard. Mrs This time, they were sailing to couple headed for Phi Phi island which verdicts were reached in LIFESTYLE: Phuket Robertson was rescued by Satun Malaysia after leaving Phuket and were making their way to a number of electoral fraud cases joins over 1 billion people Police and National Park rang- earlier this month. Lankawi, Malaysia, where they from around the country. world wide for Earth Hour. ers the following day when they According to Phuket City planned to leave their yacht and The EC ruled in favor of a Page 16 discovered the couple’s yacht Immigration records, the couple Continued on Page 2 complaint lodged by Thalang Dis- trict 3 candidate Apinan Wongna, GARDENING: Patrick who lost out to rival candidate Campbell ponders Thai- Canadian condo owner claims false arrest Sawat Muchawej for the seat. land’s ‘flowers of fortune’. By Kamol Pirat PHUKET CITY: A Canadian gration and Labor Department The press release did not Page 32 man who has lived in Phuket for officials, he was escorted by Im- say what evidence was provided over a decade has been arrested migration police to Tah Chat Chai by Mr Apinan. ENVIRONMENT 4 & 5; ARO- for working illegally in Thailand, Police Station, where he was for- Ruling that both Mr Paiboon UND THE NATION 6; ARO- a charge he claims stems from a mally charged at around 1pm. and Mr Sawat had been involved UND THE SOUTH 7; ARO- dispute over maintenance fees Mr Nixon, from Toronto, in vote-buying, the EC ordered UND THE REGION 8; GOOD with one of the co-owners of a was detained in a cell for about by-elections to fill both seats. LIVING 10; PEOPLE 12 & condominium complex in which three hours while his lawyer and Under the EC rules, candi- 13; HAPPENINGS 14; AF- he owns five units. police disputed the validity of the dates given ‘yellow cards’ can TER DARK 15; LIFESTYLE 17; Phuket Immigration Police, condominium Chanote title deed run again in the by-election, while WHAT’S ON 19; MO-NEY led by Investigations Inspector he had brought with him to post those issued ‘red cards’ cannot. TALKS 20; TAKE A BREAK Suparerk Pankosol, on March 24 police bail. The document was Mr Paiboon, who has held 21 & 22; EDITORIAL 24; arrested 49-year-old Canadian eventually accepted and Mr the office for almost a year, de- FIRST PERSON 25; HORO- national James “Jimmy” Nixon. Nixon was released around 9pm. nied any wrongdoing. SCOPES, HUMOR 26; MOTOR- Mr Nixon was earlier this Speaking to the Gazette He said that he had always ING 27; SPORTS 28; DESIGN month asked by Immigration of- from inside his jail cell, Mr Nixon carried out his duties as PPAO 30; DECOR 31; PROPERTY ficials to present himself for ques- explained that he started spend- president in a fair and transpar- WATCH 34; CLASSIFIED ADS tioning on March 23. ing winters in Thailand about 20 ent manner. “If I had bought 36-48. After questioning by Immi- Continued on Page 2 Continued on page 2 2 PHUKET GAZETTE NEWS March 28 - April 3, 2009

EC ruling on Paiboon Pirate attack Continued from page 1 Continued from page 1 Man arrested votes, I would have to get my in- fly back to the UK. vestment back,” he said. Mrs Robertson told police for money- He will be allowed to con- that on the night of the attack, she tinue in his duties as normal until and her husband were sleeping lender murder the Appeals Court makes its rul- in separate compartments down TUNG TONG: Tung Tong Police ing on the case. below when she heard a commo- have arrested a man suspected “I’m a little disappointed tion on deck. of the fatal stabbing of a 62-year- with the EC, but I’m confident There are conflicting re- old moneylender almost two that the judicial process will give ports in British and local media years ago. me justice,” he said. as to whether Mrs Robertson Manop Khobwet, 33, was In addition, the commission was discovered by the pirates drinking with friends at his house reached a majority decision to below deck or whether she came in tambon Maifard in Trang prov- press for criminal charges against up on her own accord. The Ga- ince when police arrived and took Mr Thawee Phanthip, Mr So- zette has been unable to contact him into custody at around 6pm msak Torthip, Mrs Lamai Maiso Mrs Robertson directly to hear on March 23. and Miss Siriwan Santisukthirakul her version of the events. Kajorn “Ko Jorn” Somnam for distributing cash to eligible vot- According to police, Mrs La-Ngu Police display the three Burmese men suspected of piracy and died in his home in May 2007 af- ers. Robertson said she was set upon murder, along with items seized upon their arrest. ter being stabbed twice, once in All four are understood to by the pirates and tied to the the neck and once in the torso. be canvassers based in tambon yacht’s mast. The pirates then The three Burmese arrested Koh Dong but had run out of A statement released to the Pa Khlok. sailed the yacht towards the main- claimed to be fishermen who had food. When they spotted Mr and press by Tung Tong Police said The EC ruling did not land. been working on a trawler named Mrs Robertson’s yacht anchored that Mr Manop told them he had specify the date of the by-elec- On Tuesday March 24, fish- Vichai 6. The suspects have been near the island, Mr X said they worked for Mr Kajorn as a rub- tion, which is to be organized by ermen in the Tarutao Marine named by police as Mr Ao, 19, swam out to the yacht with the ber cutter. Phuket Election Committee Di- National Park area, about 60km Mr Go, 20, and Mr X, 18, who intention of stealing the inflatable, It said that Mr Manop con- rector Supap Akkam. from Satun mainland, noticed the was born and lived on Phi Phi Is- when they saw that the lights on fessed to carrying out the killing in Despite the ruling’s appear- Mr Bean and suspected some- land, and is the only one of the board had been dimmed. a fit of jealous rage, after he found ance on the EC website, Mr thing strange was happening suspects who has been able to When the suspects were his wife at Mr Kajorn’s house, Supap told the Gazette on March aboard the yacht. They reported converse with investigators, as he brought ashore at Pakbara Pier wearing nothing but a towel. 23 that he had yet to receive any what they saw to Tarutao Na- speaks Thai and English, said in Satun Province, a crowd of lo- Mr Manop also confessed official confirmation of the ruling tional Park rangers, who alerted Captain Suppaluk. cals attempted to assault the sus- to trying to steal a land title deed or instructions from the EC, Satun Police. The rangers and Captain Suppaluk said that pects. They were reportedly an- he had used as collateral to se- though he said he had received police approached the yacht Mr X admitted to killing Mr gry at the negative impact on tour- cure a loan from Mr Kajorn, ac- numerous phone calls from re- about 2km north of Khao Yai Is- Robertson with the hammer ism as a result of media cover- cording to the statement. porters about it. land at about 10.30am. At that found in the inflatable. However, age of the attacks. Mr Kajorn’s fourth son told The EC will now forward point, the pirates fled in an inflat- Mr X claims that the trio did not At the time of this edition the Gazette he believed the mur- its findings to the Court of Ap- able dingy belonging to the yacht. intend to kill Mr Robertson, only going to print, the search for Mr der was about the money Mr peals to render a final decision in Police chased down and in- that they wanted to steal the in- Robertson’s body was still under- Manop owed to his father and not the case in accordance with Sec- tercepted the inflatable and ar- flatable dingy so they could get way. However, efforts were ham- about jealousy. tion 239 of the Constitution. rested the three Burmese nation- to the mainland. pered by bad weather. “I don’t believe a love tri- Former PPAO President als in it. Police also discovered in Mr X told police that the Mrs Robertson was said to angle was the motive.Instead I Anchalee Vanich Tephabutra, the pirates’ possession a bag, bin- three of them had previously es- be recovering in La-Ngu Hospi- believe he killed my dad because who lost to Mr Paiboon by more oculars, a large knife, a hammer caped from harsh and abusive tal and the couple’s relatives were he wanted to get the title deed than 20,000 votes in the April and two laptops belonging to the conditions on board Vichai 6 and on their way to Thailand from the back to clear his debt,” he said. 2008 contest, told the Gazette British couple. that they had been hiding out on UK to be with Mrs Robertson. -Atchaa Khamlo she has no intention of running in the by-election because she is currently serving in the national Canadian arrested was not working in Phuket, but son, he said. There are often resting Mr Nixon, but told the government as deputy secretary Continued from page 1 had merely been elected by fel- cases in which ‘aliens’ are ar- Gazette they could not give more to Prime Minister Abhisit years ago to escape the Cana- low condo owners as their ‘juris- rested in Thailand for doing work details about the case until Lt Col Vejjajiva. dian climate, and now owns five tic person’ representative at an which would not be considered Suparerk returns from a seminar However, Mrs Anchalee units at Blue Canyon. He has also annual meeting. Serving as a illegal for foreigners without in Bangkok. Today, Mr Nixon said that she was reviewing EC been a member of the Blue Can- condo owners’ representative is work permits in other countries. spent all morning in a holding law to see if there were any stat- yon Country Club since its incep- an unpaid position and does not Mr Nixon concedes that room at Phuket Provincial Court. utes that would require her to run tion in 1992. constitute work, he maintains. Thai labor law as it applies to for- He was finally allowed to leave for the seat again. He told the Gazette that he “I just serve as a safety net eigners is vague about what ac- the court at about 5pm, after he to protect the common interests tually constitutes ‘work’, but he was formally charged for work- of all the co-owners in our condo feels the authorities are selec- ing without a work permit and his estate,” he said. There are many tively enforcing the law in his lawyer posted court bail. foreigners on the island in similar case at the behest of one of the “Does the local government positions, and to his knowledge condo co-owners, who is in ar- really want to ask us to keep in- none have ever been accused of rears on his maintenance fees. vesting in properties and not al- working here illegally for this rea- Phuket Immigration admit to ar- low us to sit on management com- mittees? There is something strange about this,” he said. “If Thai authorities don’t want foreign investors, they should just tell us clearly, as op- posed to arresting us,” he added. March 28 - April 3, 2009 NEWS PHUKET GAZETTE 3 Brit gets almost 20 New governor unveils years for ATM scam PHUKET CITY: Despite con- plans for Phuket fessing to the charges against him, a British man has been sen- PHUKET CITY: New Phuket tenced to 18 years and 9 months Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop in prison for ATM fraud. presented his plans for Phuket to Mark Hubert Veerasawmy, more than 200 government offic- 45, received the sentence at ers at the Royal Phuket City Ho- Phuket Provincial Court several tel on Wednesday March 18. weeks ago, British Honorary As Phuket is a tourist desti- Consul Martin Carpenter said. nation and a gateway to Thailand, Mr Veerasawmy was ar- Gov Wichai said he will focus on rested in February last year to- solving problems related to land, gether with his son Sonny, aged traffic, flooding, entertainment 20 years old. venues, business and drugs. Phuket City Police arrested Mark Hubert Veerasawmy after his arrest in February, 2008. File photo. “Phuket’s environment the pair after receiving a report needs to be improved, and we that two men were acting suspi- Petchkul of Phuket City Police need to stop the destruction of ciously in front of the said. natural resources by construction Kasikornbank branch on When police searched the projects for resorts, hotels and Chanacharoen Road, near the men’s hotel rooms they found industry. Also the problem of pub- Robinson department store. more than 100,000 baht in lic land encroachment should be When the police came to bundles separated by rubber solved. I will talk with local lead- investigate, they found the pair in bands, Capt Supachai added. ers about the licensing of resort Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop (left) and his wife Mrs Thaisika possession of 15 ATM withdrawal The son, still in Phuket Pro- and hotel construction,” he said. outside the Thai Hua Museum on Krabi Road on March 21. slips, 10,000 baht in cash and 35 vincial Prison awaiting trial, de- “Besides that, I plan to fake ATM cards, Capt Supachai nies the charges against him. beautify the route from Phuket jor problem, he suggested intro- should rightfully be ours,” he said. International Airport to Phuket ducing sniffer dogs at the Tah Gov Wichai pledged to con- City. We’ll clean it up and plant Chat Chai checkpoint and other tinue pursuing initiatives of former Annual English essay more trees, generating lots of key locations in order to intercept governor Preecha Ruangjan, in- benefits without great expendi- narcotic shipments. cluding any projects under Royal ture,” he added. Gov Wichai said he intends Patronage and the decades-old awards announced Gov Wichai also addressed to talk to the relevant authorities dream of building an international about the longstanding issue of conference center on the island. BANGKOK: A student from the flooding of Thepkrasattri Road in front of the Boat Lagoon foreign tour companies that don’t The speech closed with a Yothinburana School in Bangkok employ Thai staff. promise to personally visit ev- has been named as the national in Koh Kaew, saying he would speak to local leaders to try and “Some tours bring their own ery government department in winner of the Fifth Annual Junior guides and staff to the island while the province to meet staff and IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards find a solution to the chronic prob- lem. staying and traveling here. It learn about the issues facing the for Thailand. means we lose benefits that province. Paphawi Leksakundilok, Fixing the lack of water in 16, came top from about 900 en- Kamala, Srisoonthorn and other tries in the nationwide contest drought-stricken areas is also on under the theme “Once Upon a his agenda. Time...” The problem of traffic con- Pawida Krachai of Phuket gestion in Phuket should also be Wittayalai School represented taken seriously, he said. Thailand’s Southern region at the Gov Wichai singled out the route from Sarasin Bridge to the final of the awards after being Alasdair Forbes (right), head of the selected as the regional winner Tah Chat Chai checkpoint, as well Phuket Gazette judging panel for as the Heroines Monument, by the Phuket Gazette judging the Southern Region, congratu- panel. Tesco-Lotus and Darasamuth lates Pawida Krachai of Phuket School intersections as particu- Also attending the final Wittayalai School. Ms Pawida were regional winners from the received 10,000 baht for her story larly problematic. One solution North, Central and Northeast. and attended the awards cere- might be to ban trucks from cer- The contest is jointly orga- mony in Bangkok. tain areas during rush hour, he nized by The Nation, Nation suggested. Junior and affiliated publications Khon Kaen, and Kanyakrit Thick concrete barriers will Citylife Chiang Mai in the North Vongkiatkajorn of Nakorn Payap be placed alongside some roads and Phuket Gazette in the South. International School, Chiang Mai, to prevent vehicles from hitting The event is sponsored by inter- won the Northeastern and the electricity poles, though he did not national productivity consultant Northern regions respectively. specify where or when this would IMPAC, the Embassy of Ireland, The winner in each region happen. Property Care Services and received 10,000 baht in cash with Entertainment venues such Kerry Group. a certificate. as bars, pubs and clubs should fol- Mr Paphawi, as national Next year’s essay theme low regulations strictly, he said. champion, was rewarded with a will be “So near, yet so far”. Identifying drugs as a ma- trip together with one parent to Dublin, where they will attend the senior international IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards cer- emony, the world’s richest liter- ary prize. “This year’s contest re- ceived more quality essays – both in terms of written skill and cre- ativity – compared to the past. The national contest was very close between Bangkok and Chiang Mai,” said Pana Janviroj, chief operating officer of The Nation. Mr Paphawi was repre- senting the Central region, while Yothin Chinsaen from Srikranuanwittayakom School, 4 PHUKET GAZETTE ENVIRONMENT March 28 - April 3, 2009

THE GRAY AREA Clean up the bay Phuket ports’ fishermen and the tourism trade, and we could elimi- I can’t just pass floating nate Phuket’s devastating and rubbish, and always pick-up embarrassing open cesspool. one or two black plastic I promised my high profile rubbish bags. guests I would write about it, but I also questioned whether this effort would do any good. I’ve walked the coastlines and paddled the waters of Puerto Princesa since 1995 without ever finding even one small piece of rubbish; but Phuket just doesn’t seem to grasp this issue. By John ‘Caveman’ Gray When a pygmy sperm wh- ale beached and died on a Phuket n a “Khunying” private beach, Dr Sonthaya of the Phuket charter from Cape Marine Biology Center dissected Panwa to Phang Nga the victim, only to find its stom- OBay, we came across ach was a mass of marine rub- a two-kilometer wide rubbish slick bish, including 25 black plastic – one so thick you could walk on rubbish bags. This whale had the it. Caught between Ao Makham, strength to make it to shore. Most Koh Sireh and the Phi-Phi speed- don’t. It’s a given that all South boat route, the amount of float- Thailand’s cetaceans – plus ing rubbish was shocking. many more forms of sea life – or two black plastic rubbish bags. open sewer. While Thai rubbish visitors than the meager Park Certainly not as bad as the are swimming the seas with Over 20 years, the conservative is a contributor, international ma- staff can handle, so we decided three ‘Great Mid-Pacific Rubbish plenty of man-made ‘excess bag- estimate is about 8,000 bags. It’s rine rubbish is overwhelming. to give them a hand with a smile Slicks’ that run from halfway be- gage’ in their guts. getting old. Poor Tarutao doesn’t stand a and spirit of cooperation. tween California and Hawaii al- I paddle the waters of Tarutao is even worse. Sit- chance. Every November, the More importantly, we most reaching Japan, Phuket’s Phang Nga Bay about three days ting at the mouth of the Straits of National Park cleans its beaches wanted to create an atmosphere own ‘open sewer in the sea’ is a week. I can’t just pass floating Malacca, the heavily trafficked with heavy equipment. Within a of awareness about this serious far more preventable. Educate the rubbish, and always pick-up one international shipping lane is an month, it’s back to normal. problem, if only to give Dr All this is preventable with Sonthaya some rest. I had ex- awareness, so I invited my Prince pected just my class of 16 stu- of Songkla students to help me dents on a one-day effort, but clean the Bay on my 64th birth- thanks to Dr Rick Kramer’s en- day. I don’t care about birthdays, thusiasm, the number swelled to but the date does point out that 84 over a five-day schedule. I’m not getting any younger, and Complete with TV, radio, print one day, I won’t be pulling rub- media, and other travel industry bish out of Thailand’s most beau- professionals, we took 20-25 rub- tiful natural spot. The Park was bish collectors each day. The a bit nervous about the clean-up, media was vital. They spread the but we embraced them in a spirit message to the masses. Thanks of ‘helpfulness’ and the Park guys! joined in with the program – be- High winds prevented col- sides, how could they turn away lecting floating rubbish. For 84 students cleaning their own safety reasons I kept participants country? in the lee of islands, and we Although the Park’s official cleaned up beaches. Even with website claims around 48,000 this limitation, we still collected 74 visitors a year, a survey by bags of rubbish – a mere drop in Thailand’s major tour operators the bucket. Media was crucial to puts the figure somewhere be- the effort, creating awareness of tween three and five million. Who the marine rubbish problem and knows for certain? One thing is other forms of man-made pollu- for sure; there are definitely more tion with the emphasis on switch- March 28 - April 3, 2009 ENVIRONMENT PHUKET GAZETTE 5 ing from 2-stroke to 4-stroke out- An effective yet inexpen- boards engines. Our eventual goal We discovered a years-old sive TAT public education pro- was to develop larger wide-rang- impromptu rubbish dump. In gram could solve 75% of the ing clean-up festivals that enlist an hour we collected 24 bags problem. Multi-lingual signage, every government department, of rubbish without making a such as the humorous cartoons school, scouts and youth program dent. we produced at a cost of 3,000 in the Phuket-Phang Nga-Krabi baht each (total cost of 36,000 triangle. Clean-up and educate in baht), show tourists how to be- the morning, then party in the af- have in the Park – not only stop- ternoon. If we want the masses ping marine rubbish but being to participate, it has to be fun. quiet in the caves and hongs, and Critics may say it’s a lofty not feeding the monkeys. We pro- and grandiose ambition, but that’s duced them not only for our own exactly what happens in my case guests – most speak English any- study in the Philippines, detailed way – but to donate to other tour in my environmental activist companies, and for the National video, Taking Back Your Own Park to place at every Phang Nga Environment: The Puerto bay entry point. Princesa Model. If a Filipino The new wave of environ- town of 200,000 can become mentally destructive group tours 100% rubbish and crime free, we are not Chinese, but Russian – can certainly employ our far they have no more sense of en- greater resources to do even bet- vironment than the Chinese group ter. All it takes is commitment. I tours that trashed Phuket in years challenge government officials to past. It isn’t their fault – Russia answer the call. has no history of environmental Our first stop was the lee awareness. Just ask their former directly across from James Bond satellite states about the destruc- Island. I expected picnic rubbish tion that surfaced once the Rus- on the small sandy beach. What sians pulled out of Eastern Eu- we discovered was a years-old rope. Whatever the nationality, all impromptu rubbish dump. We that counts is learning the mes- barely scratched the surface be- sage. cause the stratified layers of bro- A Phang Nga Bay clean-up ken glass bottles were simply to highlights the fact that citizens of dangerous to risk a complete the planet must all take responsi- clean-up. bility for our own home, rather Even so, in an hour we col- than expect others to do it for us lected 24 bags of rubbish without – even when those programs are making a dent. Excuse me for I had expected just my class of 16 students on a one-day effort, but the number swelled to 84 over a five-day funded with our taxes. Action assuming the James Bond rubbish schedule. really starts with not dropping could go back to the mainland by up, they were shocked. Khun Jai James Bond Island and water mitment. The same folks talk of rubbish in the sea. boat, especially thousands of bro- took plenty of pictures, and his containers from tour boats don’t their disdain for tour companies Let’s start an annual mega- ken beer bottles. National Park staff were surprised by the mess. stop at Park boundaries, so all the that make bogus environmental clean up festival, complete with boats on their way back to Park Jai is always telling us he’s islands in the Bay are trashed. claims. Just saying “Keep the an afternoon festival as a rew- Headquarters can haul out rub- spread too thin to implement my We are light years away Bay clean” without any actual ard. Aside from the waters and bish at no extra cost – it’s not many suggestions. We under- from the perfection of well orga- substance is counterproductive – coastline of South Thailand, we rocket science. We train guides stand their under-staffing prob- nized, corruption-free Puerto and I’m so tired of picking up have about 500 islands and a va- from the villages around the Bay lem, so we hope to have an even Princesa, but so is draconian plastic water bottles bearing the riety of marine life that needs our so they can get jobs working on bigger clean-up to start the high Singapore. We must use Princesa logos of companies that make help. I challenge our new tour- their own islands, the same as season – a great promotion for a as our standard and not rest until these claims, I might start dump- ism oriented Governor Wichai Phuket-based guides. These guys clean, environmental Phuket. marine life is protected from ma- ing them at the Phuket Tourism Phraisa-ngop, the National Parks are still ‘diamonds in the rough’ We can’t ask the under- rine rubbish. And the same goes Authority of Thailand (TAT) of- and the TAT to join with us in but they got it right away. staffed Park to do it all on their for our tourism industry. If we fice. For decades, the TAT has cleaning up our most precious On day two, they validated own, and marine rubbish knows want high-quality tourists to re- claimed its role is only one of pro- resource – our own home. the concept by suggesting a no boundaries. I see rubbish in the turn, we must clean up our house. motion, and for decades, critics The Prince of Songkla stu- beach near their village that’s depths of caves and crevasses so In on-board surveys 95% of have complained that the TAT dents certainly got the message. carpeted in styrofoam and plas- deep and narrow I cannot pro- my guests say they book us be- must also manage the conse- Now we have to take it to the tic. When the Rangers showed ceed. The plastic bags from cause of our environmental com- quences of its promotional power. masses. 6 PHUKET GAZETTE AROUND THE NATION March 28 - April 3, 2009 Ministry calls for action against young addicts

BANGKOK: The age of youths 13 and 18 years of age. at risk of ya bah (methamphet- The youngest addict found amine) addiction dropped to as low is a 10-year-old boy, who was as 10 years old, due mainly to a forced by his neighbor to take failure in control measures that has drugs and became a drug dealer. made drugs more cheaply available, “If we seriously control the drug the Public Health Ministry revealed trade, the price of the narcotics will recently. rise and become unaffordable for Medical Services deputy most youths,” he said. chief Dr Boonreun Triruen- Deputy Prime Minister worarat said that ya bah, a mix- Suthep Thaugsuban has called on ture of methamphetamine and relevant agencies to jointly find so- caffeine in tablet form was the lutions to control ya bah traff- drug of choice among youths. icking. Mr Suthep told reporters Dr Boonreun blamed the after a one-hour meeting on the failure on a lack of strict controls issue with police, army and other and lax punishments for drug deal- agencies, that he had issued policy ers as the main cause of the wide- instructions with regard to drug spread usage and the rising num- prevention and suppression. The ber of new, younger addicts. Internal Security Operations Com- The situation was getting mand (ISOC) would be coordinat- WALK ON BY: Forty four contestants in the Miss Thailand Universe 2009 pageant strut their stuff in the worse and more people were get- ing the operation, he said. lead-up to the event, to be held in Bangkok on March 28. ting addicted, especially women Results of their operations and teenagers, because the nar- would be evaluated on a monthly cotics were now available online basis and after the first six months, Gasohol and at a cheap price, he said. all reports would be made public. More housing for the Citing past records that Everything would proceed showed the age of addicts as be- according to law and there would cancer linked ing between 18 and 24, he said there be no killings of suspected BANGKOK: The Environmental poor needed: seminar addicts nowadays were between drug traffickers, he pledged. Research and Training Center (ERTC) expressed concern on BANGKOK: Greedy real estate organizations involved in working March 20 that gasohol might have developers and a muddled gov- out the national housing policy. been pushing up the level of car- ernment is leaving poor families Mr Pree said that the aver- Crispy critters can bonyl compounds along busy out in the cold, say experts. age size of a Thai home was 32 roads. The compounds, which in- The economic downturn square meters, dropping to just clude formaldehyde and acetal- has resulted in a 50% drop in eight sqm in the case of a low- dehyde, are known to increase home sales in Thailand compared income family of four. give you the jitters cancer risk. The Thai government to the peak volume before the Somchai Jitsuchon of the has promoted the use of gasohol 1997 crisis, a recent Bangkok Thailand Development Research SURAT THANI : A Public Health to be admitted, he added. Fried since 2006, making its selling housing seminar was told. Institute said that the widening Ministry spokesman has warned silkworms from Surat Thani were price significantly lower than die- Somchao Tantherdtha, chair- income gap meant more homes allergy and asthma sufferers to found to contain 875 milligrams of sel oil and benzene. Citing re- man of the Thai Real Estate Asso- for low-income earners were avoid eating fried silkworms, histamine per kilogram, far above search conducted along 49 roads ciation, said the drop was mainly needed as more people migrated grasshoppers and other insects as the standard maximum of 50. in Bangkok between 2006 and due to tighter loan policies by banks, to Bangkok to seek work. they have been found to contain a A ministry study at a market 2008, researcher Daisy Morknoy and home buyers being unable to He also expressed worries higher-than-standard level of his- in Sa Kaew province revealed that said levels of formaldehyde and meet installment payments. about the mental health of chil- tamine that could trigger a fatal vendors are re-using oil to fry vari- acetaldehyde on some roads Clear and consistent gov- dren living in low-cost NHA allergic reaction in some patients. ous insects over some four-and- have been much higher than the ernment policies on housing are apartments. Dr Supan Srithamma cited a-half hours, possibly causing toxic safe level prescribed by the US vital for economic growth and Incumbent NHA governor a ministry report of 118 people accumulation, said Dr Khamnuan Office of Environmental Health employment, he told the seminar Suchart Siriyophan brought some hospitalized with food-poisoning Ungchusak, spokesman of the Hazard Assessment. of more than 300 real estate de- good news, telling the seminar symptoms after eating fried in- Disease Control Department. Orapin Wongchumpit, di- velopers, government officials that 120,000 homes would be built sects from December 24, 2007, As bacterial contamination rector of the Department of En- and academics from around the next year if a 30 billion baht bud- to January 7, 2008, in Singburi, during storage and transportation vironmental Quality Promotion, world. get is approved. Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Trang, could also cause histamine build- said her office would recheck the Professor Pree Buranasiri, a Dutch analyst Cor Dijkgraaf Songkhla, Surat Thani, Chainat, up, he urged vendors to store the the initial findings and conduct a former National Housing Associa- drew parallels between the US and Nakhon Ratchasima prov- insects below 4.4 degrees Celsius study in collaboration with the tion (NHA) governor, said govern- subprime crisis and the collapse of inces. Seventy-eight of them had before frying. Pollution Control Department. ment support and soft loans were the Thai economy in 1997. needed so that low-income earn- Over-investment in real es- ers could buy homes more easily. tate was a big factor in both cri- He attacked the govern- ses. Developers sank their money ment’s lack of coordination, saying into niche-market housing while there were 28 departments under ignoring low-income earners, he 14 ministries and six independent said. March 28 - April 3, 2009 AROUND THE SOUTH PHUKET GAZETTE 7

Vegetable vendor Photo by Pares Lohasan shot by loan sharks

SURAT THANI: A vegetable When Mrs Nantha stood up to go seller and her son were seriously to her son, the gunmen shot her injured after being shot in their as well. Muang District home on March Mrs Nantha’s daughter 19. Police believe the shooting identified the gunmen as loan was connected to a debt that one sharks whom she knew only as of the victims owed to a loan shark. “Keng” and “Sae”. Nantha Wongkul, 52, and her Her mother had borrowed son Natthaphon Wongkul, 35, were 10,000 baht from the men to fund shot in the head with a .38 caliber her business selling vegetables, pistol. but had been struggling to make Volunteer rescue workers repayments due to the poor state took them to Surat Thani Hospi- of the economy, she told police. tal, where at last report they re- On the day of the incident, mained in serious condition. Keng and Sae had come to the Mrs Nantha’s daughter and house to collect the 200 baht daily grandchild were also at home at payment, but Mrs Nantha did not the time of the shooting. have the money. They told police that just Saying that that they are after 11pm, two men jumped over quite sure the debt was the mo- Police inspect the wreckage of a pick-up destroyed in an insurgent’s bomb attack in Yala province on the fence and ran into the house. tive for the shooting, police said March 19. All four soldiers in the vehicle were killed. One of the men then shot Mr they are now hunting for the loan Natthaphon two or three times. sharks. Family of murdered Imam Bombs defused in Surat Thani SURAT THANI: Prime Minis- mobile phone were found in the light on the cylinders and called ter Abhisit Vejjajiva believes the cloth bag. the police. calls for compensation planting of four bombs in A robotic device was used DPM Suthep Thaugsuban Kanchanadit and Muang Dis- to spray it with high-pressure said he was told the device, NARATHIWAT: Lawyers repre- The Cross Cultural Foundation, a tricts was politically motivated. water and destroy the circuitry. planted near the Democrat Party senting family members of an leading Thai human rights orga- Deputy Inspector Thanan A second device, compris- office in Kanchadit District, was Imam who was beaten to death nization working in the Deep Chuaynoo said that on March 18 ing two black metal fire-extin- the work of people planning po- while in Army custody last year South, expressed hope that the police were tipped off that a sus- guisher cylinders, was found a litical turmoil. PM Abhisit said filed a civil suit against the Min- civil law suit against the Ministry picious bag was hidden behind day earlier next to a high-voltage they wanted to discredit his gov- istry of Defence on March 19, de- would serve as a deterrent for a cutout campaign picture show- electricity pole opposite a restau- ernment. manding 10 million baht in com- future abuses. ing Prime Minister Abhisit rant on Chanakasem Road, which Sompol Wichaidit, chairman pensation. Following the December Vejjajiva together with former leads to Surat Thani’s Muang of Pheu Thai Party’s southern After an inquest, a Nara- court ruling, New York-based Hu- PM Chuan Leekpai, Democrat District. The road was closed to branches, refuted these assertions. thiwat court last December ruled man Rights Watch urged the Thai Party Deputy Chief Adviser traffic until the device was re- He said he suspected the bomb that 56-year-old Yapa Koseng government to indict the soldiers Banyat Bantadtan and Deputy trieved. plantings resulted from internal was tortured and killed by soldiers responsible. Prime Minister Suthep Tha- A security guard from South fighting in the Democrat Party. while being interrogated at an No action has yet been ugsuban. Land Rubber first noticed the Noting that the bomb mak- Army base in March last year. taken against individual officers. Two PVC pipes filed with bombs that morning, but did not ers were well-trained, police said powergel dynamite connected to realize what they were until af- they would keep up their surveil- Songs For Life star dies an electric circuit board and a ter dark, when he saw a blinking lance around the clock. in motorcycle accident Land encroachers caught NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT: genre of music is a form of folk- TRANG: Forestry officials in officials told police that the men The men confessed to A well-known phleng pheua rock which developed in the Wang Wiset District on March 19 had cleared over six rai in the Pa clearing the land in order to plant chiwit (Songs For Life) singer was 1970s and was originally inspired detained three men for destroy- Sai Pa Kae forest reserve. rubber trees. They also admitted killed in a motorcycle accident in by left wing political thoughts ing protected forest land. Officials confiscated two to having cleared other patches Khanom District on March 16. popular at the time. The men, 38-year-old Samruat machetes and a saw from the trio. of national park land in the past. Around 10am, 40-year-old The lyrics typically deal with Ramsong, 18-year-old Praphan Decha “De” Chantha-amphon lost adversities faced by the poor. Khumrat and a 17-year-old youth control of his Honda Wave motor- Fans can often be identified by who cannot be named for legal cycle on a bend in tambon Khanom their distinctive dress style, which reasons, were handed over to Village 3, crashing into a roadside often includes a bandana as Wang Wiset Police by the for- berm. He died at the scene. sported by singer Aed Carabao. estry officials to be charged. The Police said that Mr Decha was driving from a khao tom (rice porridge) restaurant in Bang Phaeng Market to a relative’s house when he lost control. Police believe that he was drunk at the time of the crash. Mr Decha was the lead singer of the popular Nakhon band. He was well-known among Songs For Life fans in the South as “De Nakhon”. Khanom Police Inspector for Investigations Wachiraphan Keuakaow said that at the time of his death, Mr Decha was un- der investigation for domestic vio- lence following a claim by his wife that he beat her. The phleng pheua chiwit 8 PHUKET GAZETTE AROUND THE REGION March 28 - April 3, 2009 Fishing ban imposed in gulf Protests block road in Na Thon group, stating that this issue has been faced by many other prov- inces around the country that were in a similar position. He urged protesters to try to come to a solution that would benefit the local businesses. A repre- sentative from the Consumer Protection Agency told the gathering that if further plans The fishing embargo has provoked strong opposition with many fishing boats still being seen in the were not stopped, the group waters around the islands. would seek to raise the issue at a national level in a bid to stop fishing ban has been regions are calling on the govern- area have suggested that fish development on Samui. imposed in the waters ment to reverse the order, which stocks could be completely wiped The Tesco Lotus group off Prachuap Khiri they claim is posing a threat to out in the coming decades if pro- FROM THE has responded to the group’s de- Khan, Surat Thani and their livelihoods. cedures are not put in place to mands by issuing a statement on A The government has re- their website in which it defends Chumphon provinces. The mora- arrest the current trend. GULF OF torium, which came into effect in sponded to the pleas by stating If the sea is to recover, ma- the need for further shops mid February, was issued by the that the ban had been ordered for rine-protected areas (MPAs) THAILAND around the island, claiming it Fish Game Department of Thai- the good of the fishing industry, must be established, such as the By Max Rogers provides jobs, generates rev- land and covers the sea around as the Gulf of Thailand has been ones in Koh Similan and Koh enue for the island and is ben- the islands of Koh Samui, Koh over-fished for many years, re- Surin. The further tightening of rotests against Anglo eficial to tourism. The statement Phangan and Koh Tao. sulting in lower fish stocks. restrictions around the Ang supermarket giant goes on to say that it also of- Department head Somying The Fishery Department is Thong National Marine park and Tesco caused three fers consumers cheaply priced Piumsombun said that certain particularly concerned with more other MPAs is planned. Pdays of havoc in the quality products. Branches of methods of fishing were causing harmful means of fishing that in- Violators of the ban risk a port town of Na Thon, Ko Tesco Lotus currently provides damage to marine life. clude bottom trawling. This fine of between 5,000 and 10,000 Samui. Small business owners jobs for 500 island residents, the He said the ban, which is to method is very damaging to the baht and/or one year impris- and local residents set up a company added, also pointing remain in effect until May 15, reefs and marine life and the onment. The embargo has prov- blockade in front of the local out that taxes paid to the gov- should give fish a chance to group is looking to have this tech- oked strong opposition with many district office and the Na Thon ernment exceeded 14 million spawn and reproduce undis- nique outlawed for another year. fishing boats still being seen in the branch of the supermarket to baht for 2008. turbed. Fishermen in the affected Studies carried out in the waters around the islands. protest against more branches The retail group said that being opened around the island. with the opening of the new Koh Samui already has branch in Lamai, a further 200 two Tesco stores – one mega- jobs would be created and tax store near Chaweng and a revenues of around 10 million smaller ‘Express’ branch serv- baht would be generated. More- ing Na Thon. A branch has also over, the new shop would allow recently opened on Koh Pha- for some 50 local retailers to op- ngan, while the chain has be- erate out of the facility. gun construction on an addi- The Anti-International tional branch in the Lamai area. Hypermarket Association has Protesters have set out to spearheaded the protests, call- stop any further plans for ex- ing for an immediate ban on the pansion of the chain, express- construction or opening of large ing their concern that it is bad stores such as Tesco Lotus, Big for local businesses and shop- C and Makro, which all cur- keepers. In February, Surat rently operate on the island. Thani Governor Pracha Taerat Other shops like the popular 7- reportedly sent a letter to the Eleven chain, which presently managing director of Ek-Chai has over 50 branches on Koh Distribution System Co Ltd, Samui alone, is also a bone of which operates the Tesco Lo- contention for the group. Fol- tus supermarkets, seeking a lowing the protests, activists halt to the construction of the have admitted that the mega new branch. corporation is very difficult to The group has been lob- go up against legally. bying since the beginning of last The retail giant has ex- year to have its demands met, panded all over the country and holding a series of protests urg- many local businesses are suf- ing the government to refuse fering but the company seems building permission. A govern- not to care about the protests, ment official addressed the while construction continues. March 28 - April 3, 2009 PHUKET GAZETTE 9 10 PHUKET GAZETTE GOOD LIVING March 28 - April 3, 2009 Flavors on the Hill - Onwards, Upwards menuOn the WITH Sam Wilko Into the Med

ife, many claim, is an imitation of art. There’s a pivotal scene in the L2007 movie Ratatouille where the much feared, snooty- nosed restaurant reviewer tastes the rat-chef’s signature dish – ratatouille. As soon as his taste buds are caressed by the ambrosial- like harmony of flavors, he’s in- stantly transported back to his childhood and his mother’s ver- sion of the dish. Last night I had a similarly sublime experience when I sampled Chef Akorn’s renderings at Flavors on the Hill, above Patong. To carry on the theme of art intertwining with life, the Phuket history of Loi Et-born Chef Akorn and his French wife Cathy reads a bit like a picaresque novel. Starting at The Wall – a colorful, cushion-filled venue in what was then a leafy backwa- The Phuket history of Loi Et-born Chef Akorn (above) and his French wife Cathy reads a bit like a picaresque novel. ter soi in Rawai (should see it now…) – diners appreciated the the Hill is open sided and over- Maybe I’m already preach- rot with salad (290 baht) while are factored in, but definitely fresh-from-the-garden herbs, looks the crest of the Patong- ing to the converted, but for those Carlos Santana twangs away on achievable with Santana and easy culinary innovation and the Karon Road. Set back a little, the who have not yet sampled his the in-house stereo. The Earth Wind and Fire, plus a pretty friendly service; naturally the car park acts as a buffer zone dishes I strongly suggest that you evening’s musical entertainment girl serving drinks. place flourished. between the restaurant and the do. The reason being is that this had started a bit inauspiciously This is top stuff, make no Moving near to Kamala, the buzz of traffic laboring up and guy is simply amazing in the with boy bands desperately try- mistake – the man is a master of couple opened the poolside Naka swishing down the hill. kitchen and can make a humble ing to sound sincerely sexy so his art, the restaurant unpreten- Flavors, that attracted a new The design is predominantly spud taste like caviar; just imag- things immediately fall ‘N Sync tious and the atmosphere wel- clientèle – the faithful duly fol- wood-based and as rustic as you ine what he can do with fresh (groan) once the music is sorted coming. lowed as well. can get in upwardly mobile market material and a free range out. For an evening out in a rus- Then they upped sticks and Phuket, where a couple of bags in his kitchen. And that’s exactly The foie gras is followed tic setting with top-of-the-range settled in the grounds of the of cement and sliding full-length what he does in his Flavors on the by a luscious beef fillet with three cuisine at reasonable rates, you’ll Banthai Beach Resort on windows seem to be construc- Hill outlet. His cooking is… well, sauces (480 baht) and a tuna fil- have a long search to beat this Patong’s Beach Road for a while tors’ answer to any aesthetic adjectives fail me – just go along let with orange butter and pota- place. Top of the hill, indeed, and before opening Flavors on the Hill challenge. This wooden arrange- and sample it. toes (320 baht) – both main highly recommended. some time ago. By any interpre- ment suits Akorn right down to We kick off with a juicy foie dishes accompanied by that mar- tation, they have enjoyed an the ground – the man is happy gras that contrasts nicely with velous, incredible, hallucinatory, eventful few years. Flavors on here; you can sense it. crisp toast slices and grated car- juicy and unforgettable rata- Flavors on the Hill – On the touille of Akorn. Sipping on an Patong-Karon Hill, left-hand Italian Merlot house red (130 baht side of the road coming out a glass), we slip into what can of Patong after Simon Caba- only be described as a culinary ret and before Safari Disco. state of euphoria which to be hon- Tel: 087-2663220 Open 3pm est is a physical impossibility if onwards. Closed Sundays. Boyzone and Back Street Boys March 28 - April 3, 2009 PHUKET GAZETTE 11 12 PHUKET GAZETTE PEOPLE March 28 - April 3, 2009 Riding a mercurial wave nlike Bali and the Phil- ippines, Thailand is a part of South East Asia Uthat is not synonymous with surfing and surf culture. When one thinks of water sports in Thailand, it is scuba diving that first springs to mind. Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thai- land and the Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea are Thailand’s div- ing hotspots, attracting thousands of visitors per year. With an abun- dance of coral reef surrounding Thailand’s coastline, you’d be forgiven for thinking that surfing in the Kingdom is practically non- existent. A small group of Phuket- based surf enthusiasts are trying to change this perception. In 2002, the Phuket Board Riders Club staged the inaugural Thai- The 2009 Thailand Surf land Surf Series, in a bid to ex- Series promises to be bigger and better than pose the sport to a wider audi- ever, with surf apparel ence. giant Quiksilver agreeing Since its inception, the an- to sponsor the three- nual competition has grown in size pronged surf series ev- and stature and has attracted in- ent for the next three creasing numbers of participants years. year after year. The 2009 event promises to be bigger and better than ever. agreed to sponsor the three- next three years, hoping to bring public at large. is a great place to holiday with Surf apparel giant Quiksilver has pronged surf series event for the the sport to the attention of the On a visit to Phuket to help the family and to be given the promote the event, the CEO of chance to combine it with some Quiksilver SE Asia Paul Hutson good waves is brilliant. and Quiksilver’s sports marketer That’s where Phuket will and ex-pro surfer Jake Paterson find its market. joined Chanin “Joob” Aiyarak, the Gazette: What are the tan- president of the Phuket Board gible benefits that will be felt by Riders Club, to talk to the Ga- the local community through zette about the 2009 Quiksilver Quiksilver’s association with the Thailand Surf Series. Thailand Surf Series? Gazette: What is the history Paul: We’d like to get a of the Phuket Board Riders Club? message across about environ- Joob: The club was formed mental awareness. It’s true in 2002 by a small group of surf- we’re a business, but it’s not just ers who hung out on the beach. about taking. We’re starting with We decided that we had to do a three-year sponsorship of the something to promote surfing in series and then as we go forward Thailand, to let people know that we’d like to start projects with we have good surf in Phuket. the schools and the beach com- We started out with just 15 munity about keeping the members, but our membership beaches clean. has grown each year. In 2008 we I think it starts with supply- totaled 100 – 60% Thai, 40% ing rubbish bins so rubbish doesn’t expat. end up in the ocean. It has to start Gazette: Thailand’s not at a young age through the known for its surf culture. Why schools and with the help of the did Quiksilver – a brand synony- local government. We’ve met mous with surfing – decide to get with them quite a bit and they’re involved in Thailand? very supportive of our initiative. Paul: For core surfers, I Gazette: What are you look- think that Thailand has always ing forward to most about work- been on the map as a surf desti- ing alongside Quiksilver? nation. From our point of view, Joob: It’s a great opportu- there’s great potential here. nity for local surfing and we’re From a local surf commu- glad to have Quiksilver on board. nity point of view, we’d like to It’s a big competition and assist in the development of surf- Quiksilver can help us with ad- ing in Thailand and promote some vertising, supply us with equip- of the issues that are important ment and keep the locals surfing. to us as a company, namely keep- Gazette: Finally, what for- ing the beaches and the water in mat will the surf series take and pristine condition so we as surf- how will it help put Phuket on the ers can enjoy them for many surfing map? years to come. Jake: Three events, with Gazette: Do you believe four categories: long boards, open that surf tourists from hotspots men’s, juniors and women and it’s like Australia and the US are open to everyone. likely to choose Phuket over, say, It’s going to be a great time Bali or the Philippines? for people to get together, with Jake: Its a tough question, big wrap up parties, and it will and it all depends on what people show the world that Phuket has want from their holidays. Phuket some great waves and lifestyle. March 28 - April 3, 2009 PEOPLE PHUKET GAZETTE 13 EXPAT GALLERY came a feeder school for what is now the British International School. By late 1998, he was back Blair Speers at his computer creating pro- grams for a local online hotel lair Speers is probably one of the top online travel agency in the booking company. Then a local BPhuket’s most successful en- world. entrepreneur, Stephen Baxter, of- trepreneurs. His HotelTravel.com “I always wanted to have my fered to set Blair up with a group covers, he says, 95 per cent of own business and have it make an of investors who could fund his the world’s destinations. impact on a global level,” he says. own online start-up. “We are a pioneer in multi- Such ambition comes from “Stephen is my mentor. Af- lingual online content. We have family values instilled while grow- ter I pitched my ideas to his in- dozens of native speakers in eight ing up in Edmonton, Canada. Blair vestor, they showed a lot of inter- languages working on our site. received his first computer at age est. I had other offers but decided While Thailand is our largest desti- eight, and spent two years pro- to self fund HotelTravel.com in nation, growth really took off when gramming on a pre-Internet Bul- partnership with Stephen. we went global and began to tar- letin Board System. He used his HotelTravel received its first get Asian Languages,” Blair says. neighbor’s computer lab to de- bookings in mid-2000 and over the HotelTravel.com currently velop and create applications for next two years worked primarily has over 50,000 hotels in its in- data communications. with wholesalers in Asia. At the end ventory and adds more by the day. When not on the computer, of 2002, its bookings surged after

“The site’s service and selection Blair became a championship tapping into the Japanese market AZETTE makes it one of the world’s lead- wrestler in Canada in the 48-52 using their native language. By G ing online providers of hospital- kilogram class. He traveled 2006, the company had a global HUKET P

ity,” Blair says, adding that, “We around the globe and eventually presence selling hotel rooms in ev- THE

have developed a technology that was invited to compete in the FOR ery major destination in the world

enables our customers to choose world wrestling championships. – in eight key languages: Chinese, HILD from hundreds of wholesalers and During college, he decided Korean, Japanese, French, Ger- C ETER

tens of thousands of hotels. to get a degree in education with man, Italian, Spanish and English. P Y “We are in constant contact a focus on athletics. He suddenly “There’s an enormous, on- B with our supply chains, advising realized early in his educational going learning curve to harness them to update the inventory on career that he would not be able new technology that can adapt to ABOUT EXPAT GALLERY a real time basis. This includes to reach his ambition on a global new market conditions. Holiday he individuals profiled in the Gazette’s ‘Expat Gallery’ series the latest special rates, niche level, so in 1994 he flew to Thai- behavior is very much affected by Thave been chosen on the basis of their contributions to Phuket, market opportunities, and the best land to visit a relative in Phuket the global economy. We can see and, as foreigners, for having made those contributions in deals on the Internet. Hotels need and discover his life’s calling. the trends very quickly by both successful partnerships with Thais. For many, the contributions to look at new distribution chan- Blair spent the next four geographic region and by lan- have entailed significant investment, often at a time (mid-80s to nels like HotelTravel.com, and years running his own English lan- guage. We are currently incorpo- mid-90s) when the rules of business were, ahh, not entirely clear. marketing directors need to ‘step guage schools, primarily for the rated in 11 countries, managing Some of our subjects are not business people at all, but have up their game’ in the current eco- expatriate Korean community. almost 300 staff with a rapidly added real value to Phuket as English teachers, journalists, artists, nomic environment.” He worked seven days a week expanding site of over 500,000 engineers, fund raisers, etc. But all have one thing in common: if Blair’s inherited work ethic at his popular House of Harmo- web pages,” Blair concluded. there were a Who’s Who in Phuket, they’d be in it. drives him to make HotelTravel nious Learning school, which be- – Bruce Stanley 14 PHUKET GAZETTE HAPPENINGS March 28 - April 3, 2009

KIWI CAMELOT: Mr John Kidd, General Manager of Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, welcomed former New Zealand prime minister the Rt Hon James B. Bolger, during his stay as Chairman of the World Agricultural Forum 2009 Asia Roundtable meeting on March 7. STAR POWER: Korean superstar Lee Min Ji is welcomed by the management team at the Pictured: Mr John Kidd (left); Ms Saisamon Sithipluk, Assistant Front Office Manager, Hilton Millenium Resort at Patong Beach. The singer and actress is in Phuket to promote her Arcadia (2nd from left); Mrs Joan Bolger (4th from left); Rt Hon James B. Bolger (5th from latest album and movie, which are due for release in the Kingdom shortly. Pictured in the left); Mr Shafar Jamaludin, Director of Sales and Marketing, Hilton Arcadia (sixth from left). photo from right to left: Mr Peter D. Gibbons, General Manager, Millenium Resort; Ms Lee Also pictured is the secretary of the former PM. Min Ji, Ms Patasa Satthacharoen, Marketing Communications Manager, Millenium.

SAVING THE SEA: The Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) organized a training course TEE IT UP: Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort held its ninth annual golf tournament at the for Phuket College students from March 9-20. The aim of the course was to educate Phuket Country Club on Saturday, March 21. Following the sporting activities, guests and students about natural resources, the sea and coastal shore habitats, in a bid to help their participants returned to the resort for a grand dinner party which included a variety of protection in the future. musical entertainment acts.

PAWS FOR THOUGHT: The Phuket Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) organized a ‘Community I LIKE THE WAY YOU MOVE: The four-day Dance Festival 2009 held its grand opening at Day’ at Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa on March 22, to help raise money in support of Jungceylon on March 18. The festival had a truly international flavor, featuring artists such the society’s long-term objective of reducing the number of stray dogs and cats on Phuket. as Touch from Italy, Tango from Argentina and The Last Silver Crane from Israel. Jungceylon Attendees were entertained by a magic show, live DJs and bouncy castles. They also joined up with SF Cinema City and Phuket Government University to organize the festival. participated in six-a-side, lifesize ‘foosball’ matches. March 28 - April 3, 2009 A F T E R D A R K PHUKET GAZETTE 15 Viva Phukana

he fashionable Phukana punters are entertained by live Phuket’s best up and coming tal- pub, opposite the I-Pa- bands and DJs, playing a mixture ent. vilion Phuket Hotel on of indie-pop, acoustic jazz, easy The bar offers a good se- TMaeluan Road, opened listening and English language lection of cocktails, whiskeys, its doors to the public back on classics. Outside, the pub pro- beers and wines, as well as some January 16 of this year. vides customers with an area to tasty bar snacks – the Phukana Despite having been open chill out, relax and unwind. chicken wings and roti tuna salad for just a short period of time, the As well as staging perfor- are popular favorites among its new venue – which blends clas- mances by some of Thailand’s customers. sical colonial design with modern best-known artists, Phukana of- Phukana is open from music – has proven to be a huge fers its clientèle the opportunity 6.30pm to 1am, Tuesday through hit among Phuket’s young and to have a go themselves, hosting Sunday (closed Mondays), with trendy socialites. Phukana is an ‘open mic’ night every live acts taking the stage every separated into two areas. Inside, Wednesday in a bid to unearth night from 8.30pm until closing. 16 PHUKET GAZETTE LIFESTYLE March 28 - April 3, 2009

Ten ways for Vote Earth with your light switch businesses By Nick Davies to support ore than one billion Earth Hour people around the globe will be turning 1. Hold a contest among em- off their lights for an ployees with a prize for the best M ideas for reducing waste and hour this Saturday in support of the World Wide Fund for Nature cutting energy consumption in (WWF) and its global initiative to daily operations. tackle climate change. The Earth 2. Ask your business partners, Hour 2009 campaign will unite suppliers and industry peers to people in 1,000 cities around the support Earth Hour. Hang ban- world through an hour of dark- ners and posters so that your ness in what is being hailed as the support is visible. largest climate event in history. 3. Turn your website “black” dur- The organizers are calling ing the week leading up to Earth this year’s Earth Hour the Hour; make all white back- world’s first global election be- grounds black and all black text tween Earth and global warming white. (Google did this in 2008). with people of all ages, nationali- Make a link to the Earth Hour ties, race and background voting home page. with their light switches. “Switch- 4. Hold a company-wide event or ing off our lights is a vote for celebration for employees the Earth, leaving them on is a vote The official logo and poster campaign for Earth Hour 2009 – 8.30 to 9.30pm local time on March 28. week proceeding Earth Hour and for global warming.” official government policies to million people switching off their simply switching off lights for one serve “green-themed” refresh- The WWF say this is the take action against global warm- lights. Global landmarks such as hour on Saturday, March 28, ments. Host an Earth Hour chance for the people of the world ing and will replace the Kyoto the Golden Gate Bridge in San from 8.30 to 9.30pm local time. “lights out” party for your staff, to make their voice heard and is Protocol which has been in place Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, A number of resorts in customers and vendors on the urging the world to “Vote Earth” since 1997. the Sydney Opera House and the Phuket have pledged to add their night of the event. Be sure to turn and reach the target of 1 billion Earth Hour began in Sydney Coca Cola billboard in Times Earth votes on Saturday. out at 8:30 pm local time. votes. Those votes will be pre- in 2007 when 2.2 million homes Square all stood in darkness for The 470-room Le Méridien 5. Schedule a meeting or send sented to world leaders at the and businesses switched off their Earth Hour last year. Phuket Beach Resort will be an email to employees explain- Global Climate Change Confer- lights for one hour. By 2008, the Over 74 countries and ter- shutting down non-essential light- ing why the company is support- ence in Copenhagen 2009, which message had grown into a global ritories have pledged to ‘vote ing in its buildings and unoccupied ing Earth Hour and urge them to has been organized to determine sustainability movement, with 50 Earth’ during Earth Hour 2009 by guest rooms while encouraging “turn out” at home. guests to switch off non-essen- 6. Create an Earth Hour section tial lights in their rooms. on the company intranet where Guests dining at its restau- employees can post ideas for rants on that evening will also be celebrating Earth Hour and pho- requested to enjoy their dinner by tos following up the event. candlelight. All Six Senses-branded 7. Hold employee contests with properties and spas worldwide awards going to the staff mem- will be turning off their lights. In ber who recruits the most people Phuket, Six Senses guests can to sign a pledge to say they will join group meditation classes, edu- participate or who comes up with cational discussions or enjoy spa the most creative promotional treatments in the soft glow of lo- idea for Earth Hour. cally produced candles. 8. Ask the company cafeteria to The Sheraton Grande La- hold a special candlelight lunch guna Phuket will be turning off the week of Earth Hour, featur- exterior signage lighting, dimming ing dishes prepared using or- or turning off non-essential inte- ganic and sustainabe products rior lighting, using candlelight in to remind employees about the appropriate public areas, such as event. restaurants and bars and will be 9. Create special TV, radio and staging an Energy Saving Cock- newspaper ads to showcase tail event lit up by candlelight and your company’s participation in burning torches at poolside. Earth Hour and to urge others to Guests will also be encouraged join. to support Earth Hour with other 10. Issue a press release and energy-saving measures for one contact news media and radio full hour further. For more infor- stations and tell them what your mation, images and corporate company is doing to support tools to help promote the event Earth Hour and why. visit www.earth hour.org. March 28 - April 3, 2009 LIFESTYLE PHUKET GAZETTE 17

elcome to the fifth ing while you raise your hands in a series of Tai back towards the forehead. Chi Timeouts. Each Before beginning, release Wtimeout takes you the tension in the neck and shoul- through a single, easy-to-follow ders by slowly rolling the shoul- Tai Chi-Chi Gung exercise. Taipains from stiff limbs. PerformChithrough the nostrilsTimeout with slow, reached your forehead, slowly ders forward and backward. One of the aims of Tai Chi them whenever you wish to un- even, steady breaths while you pivot them outwards and begin to Next, roll your head in a circle, is to develop the intrinsic energy wind and loosen up, but they are raise both hands to head height. trace an arc along either side of keeping your neck loose, first to (Chi) within the body through particularly beneficial in the early While raising the hands, the body while you begin to slowly the right and then to the left. slow, rhythmical breathing exer- morning when the Chi is espe- place particular emphasis on re- exhale through the nostrils. Once you’ve completed cises known as Chi Gung. cially clean and light, relaxing and laxing the neck and shoulder Maintain a slow, even ex- five of these rotations, place your These ancient martial art energizing the mind and body for muscles, as well as keeping the halation until your hands reach hands over your center (Tan exercises naturally relieve tension the start of a new day. In this arms and hands relaxed and free waist level. At that point, begin Tien) and relax into a comfort- from stress, as well as aches and simple and easy exercise, inhale of tension. Once your hands have the cycle again by slowly inhal- able, forward-facing posture. Sequence

Step 1: Place your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, with your hips tucked gently underneath the spine (back straight). Relax your shoulders and hold Step 2: Begin the exercise by slowly Step 4: When your hands are level with your head up, but keep your neck relaxed. inhaling through the nostrils, relaxing your Step 3: Continue to inhale while allowing your forehead, slowly pivot them outwards Place your hands over your Tan Tien and abdomen and slowly raising your hands your hands to rise without engaging the and begin to exhale through the nostrils, breathe calmly through your nose. toward your head. shoulder and neck muscles. allowing your abdomen to slowly contract.

Step 7: When your hands reach waist level, slowly turn them over and repeat the cycle, inhaling and raising your hands toward your head once again. Allow the abdomen Step 5: Continue to exhale while tracing Step 6: Continue to exhale while to relax and slowly expand as you begin to Step 8: To complete the exercise, cross an arc with your hands, releasing any maintaining a sense of calm and inhale. Continue this exercise for fifteen your hands over your Tan Tien and gather tension in your neck and shoulders. relaxation. minutes to begin a calm, relaxed morning. the Chi within.

Rick Attix has been practicing Tai Chi for over twenty years with masters from China, Malaysia and the US. Rick holds regular Tai Chi classes at his Kamala garden residence. Starting on April 16th, after Songkran festival, classes will be held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 9am. All levels are welcome. Please refer to his website for further information: www.taichiphuket.com. T: 081-728-9980, E: [email protected].

THE ORIGINAL. HANDWOVEN FROM WEATHER-RESISTANT DEDON FIBER.

DEDON Collection SLIM LINE. Design by Jean-Marie Massaud.

A Member of Chanintr Living Bangkok G Floor · The Promenade Décor · Wireless Road · Bangkok 10330 · Tel +66 2655 5188 Phuket Unit M6 · The Plaza Surin · Cherngthalay · Thalang · Phuket 83110 · Tel +66 7627 1626 18 PHUKET GAZETTE March 28 - April 3, 2009 March 28 - April 3, 2009 WHAT’ S ON PHUKET GAZETTE 19

EVENTS CALENDAR Upcoming events on the island

novices most welcome. Bring May 1. National Labor Day - Bangkok. The ceremony has your questions. Bring your com- Public Holiday been performed since ancient puter. Bring your lucky rabbit’s Public holiday for all commercial times and is designed to give an foot. Sponsored by the Phuket workers, but government offices auspicious beginning to the new Gazette and Khun Woody’s will remain open. planting season, amid hopes and Sandwich Shoppes. For further wishes for an abundant harvest. information contact Woody May 5. Coronation Day - Pub- Leonhard. T: 089-1960940. E: lic Holiday May 29 - Jun 29. The Second [email protected]. W: Coronation Day commemorates “Absolutely Aesthetics” Art www.KhunWoody.com. the ascension to the throne of HM Exhibition King Bhumibol Adulyadej on May The second “Absolutely Aes- April 6. Chakri Memorial Day 5, 1950. thetics” will feature mixed tech- Chakri Day commemorates the niques on board and vinyl tiles origins of the Chakri dynasty, May 8. Visakha Bucha Day - by talented young Thai artist, founded by Rama I, who estab- Public Holiday Kritsana Chaikitwattana. lished Bangkok as the nation’s Visakha Bucha Day is observed This series presents the contrast- capital. HM King Bhumibol on the day of the full moon dur- ing beauty between classic and Adulyadej is the ninth monarch ing the 6th lunar month, which failed sculpture and poses the of the Chakri dynasty. usually falls in either May or question “What is the true value early June. It is a day to com- behind them?” April 13-15. Songkran Festi- memorate three important inci- Kritsana has participated in sev- Phuket Oilfield Classic val dents: the birth, the enlighten- eral exhibitions in Thailand, as Songkran (Thai New Year), also ment and the passing away of well as in Korea in 2003, Spain known as the Water Festival. the Buddha. Miraculously, these in 2005 and Taiwan in 2006. Golf Tournament 2009 Held during the driest months in events fell in the same month and His exhibition at D Gallery runs Thailand, Songkran is celebrated on the same date in the Buddhist from May 29 through to June 30. A golfing event for oil and gas executives and by Thais throughout the country era. Exhibition hours are: Tuesday- supporting companies to raise funds for by pouring traditionally only a Saturday: 11am to 7pm; Sun- little, but these days a lot of wa- May 11. Royal Ploughing Cer- days: noon to 6pm. At D Gallery, Phuket Sunshine Village. This new fixture will ter on other people to wish them emony Day - Public Holiday Royal Phuket Marina, Phuket. be held at Loch Palm and Red Mountain golf good luck for the New Year. The annual Royal Ploughing Cer- For further information contact emony usually takes place in D Gallery. T: 076-360867 E: courses from April 2-5. Play takes place from Apr 30-May 1. Symposium: May every year at Sanam [email protected] W: www. 9am to 2pm. For further information contact SWIMMING POOL Manage- Luang, near the Grand Palace in dgallery.co.th. Mark Cameron. ment & Design First ever independent informa- tion event conducted for swim- T: 081-7882843. ming pool owners and all profes- sionals involved in pool design, E: [email protected] construction, supply and mainte- W: www.phuketoilfieldclassic.com nance in Thailand. Fourteen Eu- ropean and local experts will speak on: March 28-29. ESPN STAR and free use of kayaks. Member- - Why damage to pools oc- Sports Presenters at Laguna ships available only 3,000 baht a curs, and how to prevent it. Phuket year plus a one-time 500-baht - For owners: how to cut Meet ESPN STAR Sports Pre- joining fee. From 8am to 4.30pm down running costs. senters at Laguna Phuket’s at Ao Yon, Cape Panwa, Phuket. - For designers: how to help Charity Golf Tournament and For further information contact owners save costs and add more Dinner on Saturday, March 28 Katy Gooch. T: 085-215 9185. E: value to the pool set-up. and Football Fun Day at British [email protected] W: - How to provide the “luxury International School on Sunday, www.phuketyachtclub.info. of privacy”. This is what owners March 29. want! - Golf team entry from March 29. FREE Mac and PC Pool suppliers and engineer- 28,000 baht, inclusive of dinner Clinic – Laguna ing companies will promote ways - Charity Dinner at Sheraton From 10am to noon, at Sandwich to utilize state-of-the-art tech- Grande Laguna 2,500 baht per Shoppe Laguna. Is your com- nologies. person, inclusive of wine and puter driving you NUTS? Look- 40 newcomer pool compa- beer ing for a decent Internet connec- nies are seeking dealers in Thai- - Football Fun Day at Brit- tion? Need to get a new computer, land! Starts from 9am to 9pm at ish International School or fix the one you have now? Join Bangkok, Miracle Grand From 8am to 11pm at La- “For Dummies” author Woody Convention Center. For further guna Phuket. For further infor- Leonhard at his weekly Computer information contact Khun mation contact Walaiporn Clinic: help, news, tips, explana- Amornrat. T: 082-5627494. E: Pattamavichitvong. T: 076- tions and more, all in plain English, [email protected]. W: 270991. E: golf@lagunaphu and absolutely free. Computer www.poolasia.com. ket.com. W: www.lagunaphuket. com/espn.

March 29. Phuket Yacht Club Dinghy Sailing Regatta & Club BBQ This event is an open regatta. Boats that regularly take part in- clude Trimarans, Hobie 16s, Nacra, 59ER, Tasars, Topaz Omega, Topaz Race, Topaz Uno, Lasers, Byte and Optimists. Come and join in the fun. Bring you own boat or come and crew. PYC is located in one of the saf- est and most picturesque bays in Phuket. The club is open every Sunday and some Saturdays, of- fering recreational sailing, club racing, supervised boat rentals 20 PHUKET GAZETTE B U S I N E S S & MONEY March 28 - April 3, 2009 ON THE MOVE Mr Sahapoom Dokkaew has Police Captain Rassarin Mr Julian Thevenot has been been appointed Assistant “Mon” Teerapattanakul has appointed Executive Pastry Executive Director/Project been appointed as the Sub- Chef at Indigo Pearl, Nai Yang. Manager of Djinnah Santi Inspector at Phuket Immi- His culinary career began at the Luxury Villa Development. Mr gration Office. Capt Rassarin age of 15 and he has worked in Sahapoom will be responsible for will be responsible for all visa numerous three-star Michelin the scheduling of project extension applications and restaurants including ‘Le construction and management related matters.Capt Rassarin Buheriesel’ in Strasbourg, and processes in order to meet target has served with Phuket the ‘Petit Nice’ in Marseilles. In completion dates as well as Immigration for three years. 2005, he moved to Asia where supervising all professional Her last position was as a vessel he worked in various high-end sections of the project team. He inspector. She is a graduate establishments. Before joining previously worked with Indo- from Rajabhat University from Indigo Pearl, he was Consultant chine Resort & Villas as the Faculty of Management Executive Pastry Chef at assistant to executive director. Sciences. Caprice Holdings in Singapore. Light at the end of the tunnel? lished following the merger of ernment to control the bank. The only; they intended to bundle loans cases. Another phenomena that Lloyds, a long established UK CEO of Lloyds Banking Group together and sell them at a good has accompanied the rise in Bank, and the Trustee Savings states that 80% of their losses market price. strange financial products has Bank, once a quasi-government were caused by HBOS and with- For them to raise the highest been the move from science and bank. At that time, the govern- out the merger they would have prices for this debt, it was neces- mathematics to finance by aca- ment was not in a political corner been able to continue indepen- sary to have a very high invest- demics. and the merger went smoothly. dently. The moral of the story: ment-grade credit rating. Consid- Previously, top graduates in In 2008, they were asked to beware of politicians bearing gifts ering that the entities paying the the first two disciplines went on ONEY rescue Halifax/Bank of Scotland and spouting patriotism. credit rating agencies were the to have predictable careers. For M (HBOS). Lloyds was only too A similar situation exists in banks, it was simply the old story the past 20 years a substantial aware of how long their competi- the US with the Bank of America of, ‘whoever pays the piper calls percentage have moved to fi- TALKS tors had been in business. The takeover of Merrill Lynch and the tune’. nance and banking. Research By Richard Watson Bank of Scotland was formed in Wells Fargo’s takeover of ailing With the credit rating agen- shows that money was the prime 1695, only a year after the cre- Wachovia. Politicians in the UK cies applying the rubber stamp, the factor. The majority, it appears, he global crisis shows just ation of the Bank of England. No are still trying to divert attention banks were in a serious new mar- would have preferred to stay in how lacking in substance doubt a lot of patriotic statements away from the facts. The recent ket. However, this was an ex- their original professions. Tmany institutions are in re- were made to the then Lloyds announcement that Hedge Funds tremely sophisticated ‘scam’, so In an unprecedented inter- ality. Other institutions were ef- TSB. Lloyds TSB did not carry will be more closely regulated is complex that most bank CEOs view with the media for the ben- fectively preyed upon by politi- out their normally protracted due a prime example. Certainly, and CFOs did not actually under- efit of the public, the Chairman cians, the Lloyds Banking Group diligence. This was an emer- Hedge Funds can be regulated stand what they were dealing with. of the US Federal Reserve Ben previously known as Lloyds TSB gency situation, HBOS was go- more, but the benefits are doubt- This, to a great extent, also applied Bernanke stated that the US is a prime example of this. ing to collapse and be taken over ful. It was not Hedge Funds that to the credit-rating agencies. War- economy will end its recession This was a bank that was by the British government. lent money like drunken sailors. ren Buffett, the legendary inves- in late 2009, albeit with a few in relatively good shape and it Now, losses in Lloyds The credit crunch was cre- tor, put it this way: “Beware of caveats. Recovery will start dur- looked as though it would be able Banking Group – as the combined ated by short-term greed. It had geeks carrying formulas”. ing 2010 and a few green shoots to ride out the credit crisis. entity is now known – have its origins in America, spread to Alan Greenspan, former of economic upturn can be seen Lloyds TSB was estab- forced the Gordon Brown gov- the balance of the Anglo Saxon Chairman of the US Federal Re- already. Certainly, it’s not all bad world and now the fallout is be- serve, admitted that he never be- news. Paul Donovan, Senior In- ing felt by the rest. People wanted lieved that banks would act against ternational Economist at UBS, to have a higher standard of liv- their own interests. Greenspan said a year ago, “We will not be ing than they could actually af- was right but he didn’t think the spiraling downwards forever”. ford. This is nothing new, but the matter through. The best interests In a public phone-in inter- old stigma about hire purchase of a bank became the best inter- view with CNBC,Warren Buf- and debt had disappeared. ests of the executives who col- fet pointed out that many banks Having spent years lending lected huge bonuses for usually were enjoying a pleasant position money for financial institutions, opaque, but highly profitable parts this year. The reason: cost of collecting it and even acting as a of the bank’s business. funds for banks are very low and bank advances inspector, I am The whole culture of bank- they can lend with high margins. aware of how closely banks can ing had moved from bonuses be- An internal memo from regulate bad debt. ing a 13th cheque, to one where Citigroup sent by its CEO The credit crunch is actu- millions of pounds or dollars could Vikram Pandit was ‘leaked’ to ally quite simple; banks chose to be awarded to a small number of the media. It revealed that he had ignore some of the risks in their insiders. stated that business was good in lending policy that they would The actual true owners of January and February. Bank of normally have rejected. They took any bank are its shareholders and America, Barclays and others on this extra risk for one reason they were truly defrauded in many have concurred. There is that small problem of what to do with all that ‘toxic stuff’ on the balance sheet. From a banker’s perspective, if they can ruin their own shareholders, why worry about taxpayers?

Richard G Watson runs Global Portfolios Co Ltd, a Phuket-based personal fi- nancial-planning service and has over 25 years ex- perience in this field. He can be reached at Tel: 076-381997, Mobile: 081- 0814611. Email: imm@ loxinfo.co.th Website: www.global-portfolios.com March 28 - April 3, 2009 TAKE A BREAK PHUKET GAZETTE 21

SpotSpot thethe DifferenceDifference

Can you find the ten differences between the two cartoons below? And can you find them faster than the rest of the family?

The BIG Crossword © Lovatts Publications Pty Ltd Across 78. Commands 5. Dreadful 69. Lustfully looking 80. Volcanic particles 6. Mortgage, home… 74. Artillery fire 1. Tied 81. More feeble 7. Curved over 79. Actor,… Poitier 6. Proprietors 82. Landmark,… Tower 8. Folksinger, Bob… 81. Ran smoothly 12. Changed (hairdo) 85. Entourage 9. Greek fruit 83. Escaped 17. …mortis 88. Sat astride 10. Resided 84. Wined and dined 18. Lady 90. La Paz is there 11. Cleaning agent, 86. Artificial conception 19. Police vehicle (5,3) 93. Omission caustic… (1,1,1) 20. Praised 95. Bushranger,… Kelly 12. Skin eruption 87. Orderly 21. Flight attendants 96. Lingerie trim 13. Came in 89. Inflatable mattresses 22. French river 97. Brink 14. Foils (3,4) 24. Wood-turning ma- 99. Remote 15. Attracted 90. Rotten chine 100. Hankered 16. Dance club 91. Marine Solution, tips and 26. Precious fur 102. Conceal 23. Pubs 92. Peaceful computer program at 29. Thickest 104. Yes 25. Adds (up) 94. Angrily www.sudoku.com 33. Airwaves media 105. Leasehold 27. Cowgirl,… Oakley 96. Fuming 36. Silly 108. In vain, to no… 28. Drifting (into coma) 98. Perfume,… toilette 39. City roads 110. Cowboy show 30. Car motors (3,2) 41. Clips 112. Defame 31. Cheeky 101. Call up 42. Idle talker 114. Hoity-toity (2-2-2) 32. Recording period 103. Rubbish 43. Detected 117. Desexes 34. Normally (2,1,4) 106. Fragrant timber 44. Archfiend 118. Impaired 35. Potato variety 107. Practical joke 46. Early Peruvians 119. Timeless 37. Writer,… Fleming 109. Lyrical verse 48. Easy to read 120. Minimum 38. Black timber 111. Porridge ingredient 50. Author unknown 122. Shriek 39. Derisive smile 112. Animals that suckle 52. Wild goat 126. Stretchy material 40. Tyrannosaurus… young 54. Ill-used (3-4) 129. Female title 45. Mountainous 113. Heavy metal 56. Blunder, faux… 132. Yellow-brown pig- 47. Pacify 115. Irritate 58. Designer,… St ment 48. Laughably 116. Weapons cache Laurent 135. Of Middle Ages 49. Relieve 117. Rides quickly 60. Anchor (boat) 136. Pliable 51. Binge 120. Citrus fruit 61. Steal from 137. Approaching 53. Swamp 121. Confuse 62. Masks 138. Table lights 54. Garden pool 122. Break into pieces 66. Glimpsing 139. Tense incident 55. Basic facts of the 123. Head of state 67. Romantic (dinner) 140. Senseless matter (5-6) 124. Electronic message 70. Canvas shoe 141. Cull (applicants) 57. Aegean or Caspian (1-4) 71. Dish of melted 142. Most luxurious 59. Pageant 125. Detains The principle of Sudoku is very simple: each row, each col- cheese 60. Get into mischief 127. Serious offence umn and each “box” of nine squares within the puzzle must 72. Baby-minding centre Down 61. Sprinted 128. Acute anxiety contain all the numbers from 1 to 9 with, naturally, no repeti- 73. Junior Scout 63. Slim 130. Sadly tions. Guess if you will, but each Sudoku puzzle can be solved 75. Restaurant 1. Exams 64. Escorted (to seat) 131. Current units using logic alone. Beware: this puzzle has only one solution, 76. The C of CD 2. Hand digit 65. Scudded (of clouds) 133. Sure-fire thing which is on the next page. 77. Income cheats, 3. Inexhaustible 67. Amounts to (5,2) 134. Frisk tax… 4. Scratching out 68. Confederacies Solution on next page 22 PHUKET GAZETTE TAKE A BREAK March 28 - April 3, 2009 Get your brain in gear with the

1. Which sauce is 8. Between 1962 and 15. Which sport fea- named after a state in 1986, what was tures in the NATO Mexico? Glienicke bridge used phonetic alphabet? for? 2. What capital city 16. Who starred in the means Bay of Smoke 9. Spitsbergen belongs to movie Liar Liar? in the local language? which country? 17. Which African 3. In Japanese what 10. In “Sex in the City”, country has exactly word means “they what was Carrie’s the same name as who serve”? family name? its capital city?

4. What is the name of 11. In which book would 18. Whose law states Irvine Welsh’s sequel you find ‘J. Thaddeus that every action to Trainspotting? Toad’? has an equal and Quick Crossword opposite reaction? Across Down 5. Which is Australia’s 12. What was the name of 1. Rebel 2. Sullen largest Island? Inspector Morse’s 19. What is the name of 3. Wet 4. Unlock assistant? Punch and Judy’s 7. Sport channel 5. Metal 6. Which order of Dog? monks are famous 13. Where did the My Lai 9. Food 6. Alcohol for their silence? massacre take place? 20. What is the correct 10.Country 8. Kick name for larceny 12.Compass point 11.Happy 7. Operation Urgent 14. What was Charles from a consecrated 16.Seafood 13.Messy Fury was the US Lindberg’s plane building? 17.…and Eve 14.Affection invasion of where? called? Answers below 18.All 15.Song 19.Possibly 17.Insect

Solution below Puzzle Solutions Solution to Monster this week’s Sudoku puzzle Quiz Solution to this week’s Answers Quick crossword Solution to this week’s BIG Crossword 1. Tabasco; 2. Reykjavik; 3. Sa- Solution to this week’s murai; 4. Porno; 5. Tasmania; 6. Trap- Cartoon Puzzle pist; 7. Grenada; 8. Spy exchanges; 9. Norway; 10. Brad- shaw; 11. Wind in the Willows; 12. Lewis; 13. Viet Nam; 14. The Spirit of St. Louis; 15. Golf; 16. Jim Carey; 17. Djibouti; 18. Newton’s law of motion; 19. Toby; 20. Sacrilege. March 28 - April 3, 2009 FEATURES PHUKET GAZETTE 23 Asia’s face of football

By Dan Ogunshakin position as Asia’s ‘face of foot- ball’. n ever-present face on The arrival of ‘Mr Premier Singapore-based League’ on the island was to fi- ESPN Star Sports, nalize preparations for the forth- AJohn Dykes has fash- coming ESPN Star Sports char- ioned a highly successful career ity weekend, which will be held fronting the network’s football at Laguna Phuket Golf Club and coverage. the British International School on As well as anchoring all live March 28-29. games, John also hosts Football For the past two years, La- Up Close, First Edition and the guna and ESPN STAR have pugilistic pundit show Football joined forces to raise money to Focus, in which his prodigious help underprivileged people powers of equanimity are rou- around Phuket and its neighbor- tinely tested by the opinionated ing provinces. and combative panel of experts. The inaugural event in 2007 During a recent visit to raised funds for the Life Home Phuket, John sat down with me Project and last year, John and to talk exclusively about an up- the team returned to Phuket and coming ESPN Star Sports char- helped Laguna raise 750,000 baht ity at Laguna, as well as all mat- for the Baan Klongsai school in ters football, including how he Phang Nga. manages to prevent Steve Prior to the event, the school McMahon from throttling Shebby was in desperate need of repair. Singh, on the weekly Football Over 100 school children were Focus show. crammed into three small class- On meeting John, one thing rooms that flooded regularly. becomes immediately apparent: The roof and walls were here is a man who loves the game rotten and infested with termites, of football. while all the children and teach- His obvious passion for ‘the ers were forced to share just a beautiful game’, combined with single toilet. The children had few an extensive knowledge and in- audio-visual materials and most sight into the sport – rare at- of the school’s computers were John Dykes tributes for someone who has broken. never played professionally – has A year on, and the children seen this gifted presenter ascend of Baan Klongsai school now to the top of his profession. have a facility where they can be Born in Essex, England in educated safely, with the hope of 1964, John’s appetite for Asia a brighter future. was whetted early on in life when How did John feel about he accompanied his father on a being able to give so much back? posting to Hong Kong. “Tremendous. I work out of Back home, John enrolled in a little green virtual studio in an English literature degree Singapore and you have two or course but says it was a largely three cameras pointing at you on unrewarding experience. a Saturday night when everyone College did, however, mark is at home watching football. his baptism into the world of “It’s great, but you’re very broadcast media when he signed conscious that there’s a world out up to work for the university ra- there watching and it needs quan- dio station. tifying sometimes. When we go Leaving university after one out and visit Asian countries, year, John headed back to Hong people say, ‘oh we know you’. Kong, where he landed a job with “Maybe they don’t know the South China Morning Post your name but they’ll point and as a sports writer before branch- say ESPN Star Sports, that’s very ing out into entertainment and rewarding,” he says. feature writing. John’s work soon “If you then get beyond attracted the attention of a local that, ‘ooh they know me’, to, English language TV station, ‘what positive spin can we put which offered him a slot on a pro- onto that fact that there’s a vis- In 2008 John and the ESPN STAR Sports team returned to Phuket and helped Laguna raise 750,000 baht for gram as a film critic. ibility to who we are and what the Baan Klongsai school in Phang Nga. Before long, he was host- we do’, it takes us to what Asia of people who, for one rea- ing the show. we’ve been doing for the last son or another, we’ve crossed John’s love of sports, how- couple of years here at Laguna. paths with for sometime. ever, soon saw him abandon the It’s a tremendous initiative. “Whether it’s people who world of entertainment to work “It’s fantastic because worked as presenters or pundits as a freelancer for Rupert there’s a clear connection. You or people who’ve played football Murdoch’s Star Sports. feel that they say that I met the at the Hong Kong Football Club, The 1997 merger between guy from the TV and we’ve got there’s a corporate community Star Sports and ESPN Asia en- a new roof. Its exciting and posi- that works with us in terms of tailed a relocation to Singapore, tive in a way that’s practical and sponsoring our programs or where John had the opportunity works,” John adds. knows us from the work we do to present a number of memo- With so many destinations around the region. rable events, including the 2000 in close proximity to ESPN “It just so happens that and 2001 Champions League fi- STAR’s Singapore base, what Phuket is a tremendous melting nals. made the team decide on Phuket pot of all those people. The fact It was ESPN Star Sports’ ahead of others? that they cross the divide to the purchase of the Asian TV rights “One of the fascinating local community makes it as good to the English Premier League things about Phuket, is that there’s a place as you can find,” he con- that finally cemented John Dykes this incredible community around cludes. 24 PHUKET GAZETTE EDITORIAL & LETTERS March 28 - April 3, 2009

367/2 Yaowarat Rd, Amphur Muang, Phuket 83000 Tel: 076-236555 - Since 1994 - Fax: 076-213971 Email: [email protected] It’s time to take the Alien Employment Act out of the twilight zone The recent arrest of Canadian condominium owner James Nixon on charges of working in Thailand without a work permit once again highlights the need to revise the language in the Alien Employment Act to more accurately define what does – and does not – constitute work. Under the current Act, the word ‘work’ is broadly defined to cover any mental or physical exertion that results in ‘benefits’ to another person, regardless of whether or not the accrued ‘benefits’ are financial in nature – or even whether the foreigner who per- formed the so-called ‘work’ received remuneration for it. With such an expansive definition, one is limited only by the imagination in the number of ways that a foreigner could conceivably be charged with violating the Act. Consider if you will a person who jumps into the sea and suc- cessfully saves the life of a drowning child. Such an undertaking would certainly entail a great deal of physical and mental exertion on Letters that person’s part – and doing so would bring the maximum possible benefit to the person saved: the gift of life. The Gazette is pleased to receive mail from read- your views for publication in our next issue. As bizarre as it may seem, the Labor Ministry could reasonably ers. Please write to us at 367/2 Yaowarat Rd, We reserve the right to edit all letters. Pseudonyms argue that the hero or heroine in such a case should be arrested for Amphur Muang, Phuket 83000, fax to 076-213971 are acceptable only if your full name and address breaking the law, at least given its current wording. or send an email to [email protected] with are supplied. While such a scenario is of course extreme, a quick search of the Gazette’s Issues & Answers archives reveals the extent to which Lost camera back, but the tourist police really lasts for over a week, non-stop Labor Department officers can and do advise foreigners of the need made it happen. water, day and night! to obtain a work permit for a variety of quite marginal tasks. My friend and I came to Thank you Vinnie and I lived near the Royal Cliff One of the numerous examples came from a reader who, in Phuket for a short holiday. When Vince, we really appreciate Beach Resort, where the ASEAN July last year, was advised by the Phuket Employment Office that he it was time to leave, the recep- your work. We will visit Phuket meetings are being held. would need a permit to help his Thai wife prepare the coconut pud- tionist arranged a hotel taxi to again because we know that if Thappraya Road, the route ding she sells from a motorbike side-cart. take us to the airport. On the way we have any problems we can to the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, While current statutes of labor law are correctly intended to to the airport my friend took sev- always visit the Phuket tourist is lined on both sides by hooligans reserve most jobs for Thai people capable of doing them, the unnec- eral pictures with his camera. police. throwing water, not just from buck- essarily broad definition of what constitutes work in the current form Once we got to the airport Nicklas, ets, but from water trucks using of the Act creates too much scope for people to abuse the law in and got our stuff unloaded, we Finland hoses the size used by the fire de- order to settle personal scores or engage in extortion. noticed that his camera was still partment. There are of course two sides to every story, but the Gazette in the hotel taxi. I instantly Annoying hawkers Any sensible person avoids called the hotel and told them will follow with interest the case of Mr Nixon, who was imprisoned While walking in the Patong Pattaya during this time. what had happened. The recep- for serving on a condo owner’s management board while thousands or Karon shopping areas, it an- Additionally, the last thing tionist didn’t understand what I of other foreigners on the island are doing real work for real pay – noys me to see how the shop- we need is to turn beautiful was saying so I asked to speak under the table, but still in full view of the authorities. keepers are almost rude to the Phuket into another Pattaya by with an English-speaking mem- – The Editor tourists walking past. They try to adding a convention facility. ber of staff. guess where you come from and People come to Phuket I ended up leaving several then try to speak the correspond- because they want to avoid the messages requesting a call back ing language. The things they say very things that make Pattaya and sent them several emails, and the way they say them is just a “second class” destination. In association with The Nation Multimedia Group PCL but no action was taken by the so maddening. Tommy, hotel. Tourists who come all the Patong I worked hard on contact- Editor: Parichat Utintu way to Thailand do not want com- ing them because another friend Billionaires Managing Editor: Nick Davies ments in their own language or was visiting Phuket one week I am sure some people are Editorial Team: listen to someone trying to imi- after us and could have gone to very proud that a ‘bevy’ of bil- tate it. Atchaa Khamlo, Khunakorn Terdkiatkhachorn the hotel to pick up the camera. lionaires have chosen Phuket as The shopkeepers actually Passara Kaewbumroong, Thanasorn Chookate I was ready to give up on the place to build their mansions. chase away their potential cus- Tipwarintron Tannakarachod, Dale Nottingham the camera until I remembered In reality, these people do tomers by doing so. Tourists want Daniel Ogunshakin, Daniel Waites somebody telling me about the nothing for the area’s economy. to take their time looking at dif- Marc Mulloy, Stephen Fein tourist police and how they can Living in a gated commu- ferent things, not to be followed help with “problem” situations. nity, I am sure they rarely see like a thief or have someone prac- Managing Director: Oranee Hildebrand I googled the tourist police of Thais except for their housekeep- tically glued to you while making General Managers: Natthira Susangrat - Advertising Phuket and came across the ers and gardeners. silly remarks. Niladaa Thanakul - TV & Events website: www.phuket-tourist- They bring little business to Wake up shopkeepers, if Production Manager: Suchart Changate police-volunteers.com. the average Thai. you want our business! Publisher: The Phuket Gazette Co Ltd I contacted Mr Vijay Yet it is impossible to ignore Art Champagne, Kumar (Vinnie) and Mr Vince their wealth and the prestige they Phuket Contact us Stone by email. Vinnie and bring. Everyone wants to cater to them and hopes to benefit from it. Advertising Sales: [email protected] Vince told me that they would Pattaya not Phuket? start looking into my case. Af- I believe it is the multitude Classified Advertising: [email protected] ter only one day Vinnie informed Following the decision to of common visitors that actually Website Services: [email protected] me that he had visited the hotel hold the ASEAN meeting in go to the markets, attempt to Gazette Guide inquiries: [email protected] and that he had the camera in Pattaya rather than Phuket, you speak Thai, and buy khao pad Events Sponsorships: [email protected] his possession. Vinnie went as can safely say that the ASEAN gung who are more valuable than far as to deliver the camera to attendees will have a wild and the high-flying money men. Telephone: 076-236555 (10 lines) Fax: 076-213971 the other hotel where my friend WET meeting. But I know we all ‘kowtow’ was staying. Pattaya during Songkran is to money. The views expressed in the Phuket Gazette are those of the writers and contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher, the editor, At first I thought it would the worst place to be in all of Mark Robison, the shareholders, or the directors of The Phuket Gazette Co Ltd. be impossible to get our camera Thailand. Songkran in Pattaya Patong Copyright © 1994-2009 The Phuket Gazette Co Ltd Letters conveying views and suggestions are published here. Those seeking comment from government officials and/or business owners are published in Issues & Answers at www.phuketgazette.net. March 28 - April 3, 2009 PERSPECTIVES PHUKET GAZETTE 25 Sunshine Village offers ray of hope for children

57-year-old Sunshine Village Director Nattisa FIRST Taebanpakoon graduated with a major in English PERSON language from Thaksin University in Songkhla, formally known as the College of Songkhla Education. After completing her studies, she began her teaching career at Protpittayapayat School, Ladkrabang in Bangkok where she worked for two years. In 1966 she moved to Phuket where she taught at Satreephuket School for 24 years. In March 2007, Nattisa joined the Phuket Sunshine Village Foundation as director and continued to operate in this role when the Phuket Sunshine Village opened its doors in June 2007.

fter the 2004 tsunami, closer than their real parents. lems, we sometimes ask psy- about 10 children At Sunshine Village we chologists to talk with them, which came to stay at Sun teach the older children to help is always helpful. If a child’s prob- Ashine Village after take care of the younger ones. lems are too severe or could pos- they had lost their parents or be- Many of the children find this dif- sibly bring harm to others within cause their parents could no ficult to begin with because the the village, we will ask him or her longer afford to look after them. younger children in their house are to leave, but this would only ever Since our inception, we have had not their real brothers and sisters. happen as an absolutely last re- children come to the village from After time, as they grow accus- sort. a number of different organiza- tomed to life here, the younger The village staff always tions, including the Child Watch ones begin to look upon the older keep an eye on children who are Association. We have also inde- children as their real family and being naughty or too loud. How- pendently sought out and pro- vice-versa. ever, I feel that it is important to vided refuge for children who It is often very hard for them know that with these children, it come from slums or drug-ridden when they first start living here is usually better to be too loud areas. especially the younger ones. They than too quiet. Although I love children, I don’t listen to their caretakers or If a child has a serious prob- have never actually had a family step-parents, which is understand- lem or is sick, I will always try to of my own. Without the respon- able, given the situation that they resolve the problem on my own sibility of raising a family, I am are in. Most of the children are first, before asking the board for able to devote my time and en- happy and lively but some, espe- help. As director, I am required ergy to the children at the village, cially when they are young, suf- to report to the village board who I have been taking care of fer personality and behavioral monthly. since March 2, 2007, just before problems. Some are perpetually The village board, in turn, it opened its doors in June of that gloomy or are constantly angry, has to coordinate with the Minis- year. which is again understandable. try of Social Development and IN GOOD HANDS: Director Nattisa with the youngest orphan There are currently 33 I, together with the house Human Security to ensure that Volunteers come in to teach boys and 47 girls living in nine step-mums, have to talk with them records remain up-to-date in ac- ter. them English or Chinese and they different houses with their step- and it is my responsibility as di- cordance with Thai regulations. We are always accepting can also study Buddhism, math- mums and dads. Because of the rector to ensure that the step- We provide many activities mums and dads to help look after ematics and go to camps. relationship we have, I am very mums are taking good care of for the children both inside and the children, the pre-requisite be- At Sunshine Village, we close to the children, probably them. If a child is having real prob- outside the village. ing that they love kids and have teach the children aged between the time to devote to the village. two and six years old in our own They must be single or have nursery. We have two primary no responsibilities to their own teachers and a babysitter to help families. Sadly, we are unable to More on preschool licensing care for them. Children living offer much in terms of salary to outside the village often come Issues In an update to our Issues & we don’t care and ‘just open’, our staff. However, we are never & Answers section in the March because our customers see us as here to study. short of volunteers. 14 issue the director of a nursery (as this is the name used When the children turn There are plans to extend ANSWERS childcare center has given us in western countries). I whole- seven they start going to the Ban our facilities and programs if we this reply: heartedly agree with all the checks Koh Sireh School, which is just have more than 120 children at that should be completed and five minutes away from the vil- the village, although money is al- I read with interest the Issues & would urge any parent to ask to lage. They are walked to school ways an issue. Expenses for food, Answers section in the March 14 see the License of the preschool, and picked up every day by at electricity and water total around issue of the Gazette regarding li- nursery or childcare center before least two village step-mums. 400,000 baht per year, so we have The village also supports the to teach the children to save wa- Submit your queries or censes and legislation for interna- allowing their child to attend. As tional nurseries and preschools. for Walter Goossens’ statement students with their education af- ter. suggestions to us and we’ll ter they finish high school by help- I did consider retiring but ask the appropriate people Mother and Child, Interna- regarding different scandals relat- tional Childcare Center (Rawai) ing to teachers in the past, the staff ing them with their college exams. instantly changed my mind when to respond to them. Three of the staff workers at the I thought about the children. It is Write to: is actually licensed as an Interna- that we employ are qualified, have tional Childcare Center. references and we trust them im- village completed Mathayom a very challenging job and some- We have the certificate plicitly. three (grade nine) and studied for times I want to give up, but I love from the government, who came I thank you for putting this a further six months of vocational these children, so it’s hard for me training at the Srisurat Protection to see them disappointed. The Phuket Gazette to size the classrooms and check right, and help keep our children the health and safety standards. safe and Occupational Development I enjoy working here and 367/2 Yaowarat Rd, Muang Center. The staff who started out plan to do so until I am not strong Phuket 83000. Fax 076- We also carry liability insurance Nan Chaisook, as residents at the Village are 213971, or submit your issue and have held this license for three Director, enough to do the job anymore. at www.phuketgazette.net years. Mother and Child proud to work here and because When I do retire I know some- The response given could International Childcare of what they achieved, they are one good will replace me and that mislead people into believing that Center (Rawai). the perfect role models for the the children of the Sunshine Vil- children who they now look af- lage will remain in good hands. 26 PHUKET GAZETTE FEATURES March 28 - April 3, 2009

half of the Chelsea - Aston Villa football’s a rich man’s game.” match the entire Villa team fell “Then I had the incredible The beautiful game? asleep on their feet as they waited idea of rounding up the richest to kick off,” he added. people from the 20 richest coun- “I think you’ll find that was tries in the world and have them ust last night, following a Super Premier League was good ously around the clock, every day, a unique meditation technique bid for a club, earning a fortune lengthy session drinking – far more exciting than the providing fans across the globe planned by the coach. Besides, for me and the FA, and making Sangsom and Chang, I had (yawn) Premier Elite Super- prime-time football,” the FA rep- that’s why we brought Viagra in the game truly global,” he added. Ja harrowing premonition re- dooper League, but we felt that resentative said, visualizing the as a sponsor to give the players a “The entire world clamored garding the state of football in the 99% of the global market share mountain of money piled up at the lift, although it was a tad embar- to see Man USA take on Arse- future. As a haze descended just wasn’t enough. We were ivory tower called Soho Square rassing when it was mistakenly nal Samurais at the Fort Knox upon me I felt myself transported aiming to attract a key demo- FA Headquarters, now the added to the half time isotonic Stadium in front of half a million to a TV studio in 2050.... graphic – the lost tribes of Papua world’s biggest building and ac- drinks,” Greenback stated. fans,” Greenback continued to “Welcome to a review of the New Guinea – huge football fans, tually made from ivory. “Yes, John Terry was like a eulogize. 2012/2013 FA Viagra Barclays big disposable income,” he added. “Weren’t the clubs initially rock at the back all season,” “Everyone remembers the Nike McDonalds Microsoft Sony “Of course we all remem- outraged by the constant sched- agreed the anchor somewhat famous gold kit worn by Man Super Premier Elite League,” the ber BSkyB, the BBC, ITV, uling times,” quizzed the host. wistfully. USA – albeit with disastrous con- perma-tanned presenter de- Setanta, ESPN Star Sports, “Surprised? Maybe. Out- Nodding in agreement with sequences. It was made from clared, flashing white teeth that Supersport and Fox Sports all raged? Hardly. If there’s one the host, Greenback continued, solid gold and they were unable even a Hollywood actor would be signing the first one trillion pound thing football clubs like, it’s the “There was, however, a simple to move, and once the Samurais embarrassed to own. “Which of contract for ‘exclusive’ rights to opportunity to play football. solution. Clubs needed more scored from the kick off USA course replaced the bog-standard show Premier League matches “Plus with so many games players to cope with the demand were unable to restart the Barclays Super Super Super Su- to the world. How has it impacted being played a week they were and I was instrumental – at a match,” he added, becoming a per Premier League with just a on the ‘beautiful game’?”, the having packed stadia day in day price of course – in persuading blur as my hangover kicked in and week of the season remaining,” host questioned, pausing briefly to out, earning them bags of cash, clubs to increase their first team the inevitable threat of vomiting he added, gesturing to a small check his appearance in the mir- which clearly is what football’s squads to 100 players. This did brought me back to the real weaselly character sitting close. ror. about,” Greenback retorted. have side effects as there world. Lying on my bed in a cold “That’s right,” said Lord “Well now the TV networks Shocked by what he was weren’t enough players in the sweat I realized that I had been Greenback, a representative of have the power to schedule hearing, the presenter countered, UK to meet the demand, and dreaming; after all, football’s not the Football Association. “We at matches whenever they want. “But surely the quality of play therefore, to pay the player’s a game overloaded with money, the FA felt we needed to market The result? 24-hour football – it’s suffered as a result. The players wages, prices were raised to en- driven by sponsorship and com- the competition to a wider audi- brilliant. One match now takes were exhausted. sure only the elite of the elite mercialism is it...? ence. The Super Super Super place every two hours continu- “At the start of the second could attend – as it should be – -Dan Ogunshakin

Horoscopes Isla Star Fun is on the agenda for birthday Arians

ARIES (March 21-April 20): has been preoccupying their part- a fool hopelessly in love, events LIBRA (September 24-October CAPRICORN (December 22- Most Arians should be feeling as ner. this week could show that a rela- 23): Librans have ample opportu- January 20): The month of April fresh as a daisy and ready to tionship is possible after all. nity to show that they’re nobody’s is forecast to be smooth sailing embrace what the month of April GEMINI (May 2