QUEER NEWS 6; AROUND THE IS-LAND 10; GOOD LIVING 13; HAP-PENINGS 16; LIFESTYLE 18;STOOL PIGEON 20; AMBROSIA'SSECRETS 21; TAKE A BREAK 23& 24; BOOKS, DIARY 25; EDI-TORIAL, LETTERS 26; PERSPEC-TIVES 27; HOROSCOPES 29; COM-PUTERS 30; BUSINESS AND MONEY

32 & 33; CLASSIFIEDS 40-51.

The Gazette is publishedin association with

NEWS: Ao Phuket informationlacking; ICEC site update.

Pages 2 & 3

INSIDE STORY: Drowningdeaths prompt fears overbeach safety. Pages 4 & 5

AROUND THE REGION: Are youan optimist or a pessimist?

Page 7

AROUND THE SOUTH: Emer-gency law extended in South.

Page 8

AROUND THE NATION: Newcyber laws; Teachers warned;Dengue fever outbreak.

Page 9

PEOPLE: A day in the life of aPhuket butler.

Pages 14 & 15

TSOWNDINGS: Confessions ofa karaoke convert. Page 17

LIFESTYLE: Hanging five withlocal beach bums. Page 19

MAKING TRACKS: Do you pre-fer dogs or monkeys?

Page 28

SPORTS: A kayak adventure;Phuket Raceweek; Interna-tional cricket; Darts.

Pages 34 & 35

PROPERTY: Gardening: Deeproots; Decor: Lighting up;Construction: Tah Chat Chai;Property Watch: Vacationtime. Pages 36-39

IN THIS ISSUE

July 28 - August 3, 2007Volume 14 Issue 30 News Desk - Tel: 076-236555 Daily news at www.phuketgazette.net 25 Baht

By Natcha Yuttaworawit

PLUS

PHUKET CITY: Phuket nowhas its first all-English radio sta-tion, 90.5 Phuket Gold FM,broadcasting from the RadioThailand office near PhuketRajabhat University.

The launch was announcedat a press conference at theChina Inn restaurant in down-town Phuket City July 18.

90.5 Phuket Gold FM ismanaged jointly by Bangkok-based KOOL...EST Co Ltd andmonthly lifestyle magazinePhuket Bulletin.

A press release distributedat the launch announced that pro-gramming would be positioned asa “touristainment radio”, also tar-geting the local expatriate com-munity.

Music segments will fea-ture Western music hits from the1970s, ’80s and ’90s, along withlocal tourism industry news andnational news by Radio Thailand.

Listeners can expect tohear songs by such artists as EricClapton, Elton John and TheEagles.

Speaking at the launchwere MR Rujayapa Abhakorn,Managing Director of Bangkok-based KOOL...EST, PhuketBulletin Managing DirectorChaiyot Pinpradab and RadioThailand acting Director Wee-rapong Waitayawongsakul.

While other radio stationson the island have had limitedsegments in English, 90.5 PhuketGold FM will be the island’s firstall-English radio service, broad-casting daily from 8 am until mid-night.

Listeners in parts of Krabiand Phang Nga will also be ableto receive broadcasts.

The service will start witha music-only format, with otherfeatures to be added graduallyover the next two months.

All-Englishradio stationlaunches inPhuket

Transport Officesets plans fornew bus stationRASSADA: The Phuket Provin-cial Transport Office (PPTO)has agreed to buy 10 rai of landnear Supercheap on Thepkras-attri Rd to build a new inter-pro-vincial bus station.

The existing bus station, onPhang Nga Rd in Phuket City, willbe used for only local buses, vansand songtaew, most of which nowleave from Ranong Rd.

PPTO chief ChatchawarnNgarmtup told the Gazette thathis office has a verbal agreementto buy the 10 rai at 80 million bahtfrom local businessman SinWongcharoen.

The site, now vacant, is nextto the Ford warehouse on the in-bound side of Thepkrasattri Rd,a few hundred meters south ofSupercheap.

The Department of LandTransport has ordered K. Chat-chawan to complete the purchaseby the end of this month, but hefears this may not be achievedas the PPTO is awaiting finalapproval from higher levels of theMinistry of Transport, K. Chat-chawarn explained.

“In the meantime, the bestI can do is finalize the sale con-tract and wait for final approvalfrom the ministry,” he said.

The location for the newbus station is appropriate becauseit is centrally located on a mainroad on the outskirts of the city,K. Chatchawarn said.

He added that Phuket CityMunicipality will be asked tomove local transport routes fromtheir current terminus near the

fresh market on Ranong Rd tothe existing bus station.

Moving the main bus ter-minal has been discussed foryears as a way of reducing traf-fic congestion in town caused bythe large buses needing to navi-gate the narrow streets of the citycenter.

One tour operator, who didnot want to give her name, saidshe has seen the number of busesand pollution steadily increaseover the past few years, but thenumber of tourists using the buseshas remained stable.

She said that she wouldcertainly move to the new busstation, but hopes that more

amenities will be provided fortourists, such as ATMs or a bankservice that the tourists oftenneed to access once they reachPhuket.

Kanokporn Petchmuang, atourist arriving in Phuket fromRoi-Et, said she wasn’t particu-larly pleased with the current busstation, but was concerned thatthe new station is further fromthe city center.

She makes three trips an-nually to Phuket and said shewants to be near downtownwhen she arrives.

“I don’t want to have tospend even more on transporta-tion once I’m here,” she said.

The bus station in downtown Phuket City will be used only for localbuses, vans and songtaew once the new station, near Supercheap,is completed.

N E W S2 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

By Janyaporn Morel

Locals ‘uninformed’of Ao Phuket project

NAI HARN: John Chatteris,founder of Atsumi Healing Cen-ter in Rawai, drowned whileswimming at Nai Harn BeachJuly 18.

Ian Lenton, who works atthe center, told the Gazette thatMr Chatteris, 61, went to thebeach with his family at about 5pm.

Although red flags wereposted at the beach, indicatingthat the surf was unsafe for swim-ming, Mr Chatteris entered thewater and soon began having dif-ficulty swimming in the strongwaves.

He was pulled from the surfand rushed to Vachira PhuketHospital, where he was pro-nounced dead.

No other members of MrChatteris’ family were injured.

An author, teacher andnatural therapist for 20 years, MrChatteris was a master shiatsutherapist. He cofounded theShiatsu Centre in South Austra-lia and opened the Atsumi Cen-ter five years ago.

Mr Chatteris, an English-born Australian, was also an ac-complished musician.

His funeral service was heldat Wat Chalong July 25.

John Chatteris drowned in heavysurf at Nai Harn Beach July 18.

PHUKET CITY: A public opin-ion survey conducted by research-ers from the Prince of SongklaUniversity (PSU) found that 86%of people who stand to be af-fected by the proposed AoPhuket development plan saidthey knew little or nothing aboutthe project, drawn up by the Of-fice of the National Economicand Social Development Board(NESDB).

After being brought up todate by researchers about thedetails, however, some 55% ofthose surveyed said they wouldprefer to scrap the plan, whichinvolves reclaiming land in PhuketBay to build facilities including ahotel, marina, shopping complex,trade exhibition center and10,000-seat arena.

The research team, led byDr Aree Tirasatayapitak andKamontorn Prompitak of thePSU Phuket Campus Faculty ofService Industries, presented

their findings to Phuket Vice-Governor Worapoj Ratthasima ata meeting at Phuket ProvincialHall on July 13.

The study of the potentialsocial impact of the 70-billion-bahtproject, commissioned and paidfor by the province, will be pre-sented to the NESDB along withother impact studies required bythe agency before it can put theproject before Cabinet for fund-ing approval.

The NESDB will commis-sion its own environmental impactstudy of the project, which wouldcomprise two islands, one for amarina and the other for meet-ings, incentives, conventions andexhibitions, or MICE, facilities.

The two islands would beconnected by three short bridgesto the mainland, one to the northat Rassada Harbor, one to thesouth onto what is now protectedmangrove forest at Laem Namborand the third off Saphan Hin.

The researchers surveyed1,500 people from three prov-

inces whom they thought wouldbe affected by the project: 900 inPhuket and 300 each from PhangNga and Krabi.

Target groups included gov-ernment officials, local politicians,tourism industry operators andmembers of the general public.

The survey canvassed opin-ion on possible social impacts ofthe project, including job creation,economic development, and theeffect on local culture, education,public health, safety and security.

Researcher K. Kamontornreported that 86% of those sur-veyed didn’t know enough aboutthe plan to make an informeddecision about it.

After being given an over-view of the plan, however, mostof those interviewed thought theproject could provide jobs, butmany were concerned about thepossibility of low-season unem-ployment.

Other concerns about theproject’s potential negative socialimpacts included a possible in-crease in the cost of living, dete-rioration of the local culture, in-sufficient public health servicesand public utilities, and increasesin traffic congestion, crime andother social problems.

Rawairesident

drowns atNai Harn

Local trumpsPhuket Perfectvideo competitionKARON: Danny Avison of Rawai has won the Phuket Perfectvideo competition, held by Phuket-based property developer C9Hotelworks as part of the launch of its PhuketPerfect.com website.

Entrants submitted videos of their concept of the perfect Phuketlifestyle to win a one-week stay in a Movenpick Residence.

From January to mid-June, the Phuket Perfect website gen-erated more than 2,500 hits, averaging more than 100 a day.

C9 Hotelworks Managing Director Bill Barnett said, “We alsowanted to do something more than just highlight the MovenpickResidences. We wanted to illustrate Phuket as an idyllic lifestyleand investment choice.

“It was not just about our products, C9 Hotelworks and oursupporters also wished to get more valuable international exposurefor Phuket as a destination.”

CHERNG TALAY: YRock’sSummer Music Camp, one ofHong Kong’s most popular youthevents, will make its way to La-guna Phuket from August 6 to 11.

The event will provide op-portunities for young people to ex-hibit their talents in a music campcomprising free daily workshopsbetween 3 pm and 5 pm. Work-shops will be open to any act, tal-ent or audio-visual crew.

Like-minded teens will beable to meet band members, cre-ate music and perform live, giv-ing budding musicians a glimpseof what it’s like to pursue a ca-reer in the music industry.

Classically trained musi-cians will have the chance toshowcase their skills through theClock workshop, focusing on afusion of classical music androck.

YRock will culminate witha concert from 7:30 pm to 9:30pm on August 11, featuring guestperformances by artists involvedin the workshops and 2006YRock Asia Pacific InternationalTeenage Music Challenge win-ners Ghost Souljah and Dani &Maren.

For more information emailBelinda Howard at belmike@netvigator.com or visit www.yrock.com.hk

Free YRockMusic Camp

at Laguna

Movenpick Residence Sales Manager Ann Hanson hands DannyAvison his award for winning the Phuket Perfect video contest.

July 28 - August 3, 2007 N E W S P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 3

Police bust Patongextortion racketBy Sompratch Saowakhon

PATONG: Kathu Police arrestedfour men on July 18 for allegedlyattempting to extort 100,000 bahtfrom the Thai-Nepalese owner ofa tailor shop.

The four suspects were pre-sented to the media at a pressconference at Kathu Police Sta-tion the following day.

They were identified as 40-year-old Burmese national Chom“Johnnie Lek” Bunyawej, theringleader, and his three accom-plices: Pansak “Bow” Poon-Noo, 24; Jareon “Chang” Ped-thong, 29; and Udon “Don”Jaiwang, 36.

All were listed as residentsof Nakhon Sri Thammarat Prov-ince except Udon, who is a resi-dent of Phuket’s Wichit District.

According to a press re-lease and statements by the in-tended victim, the extortion be-gan when Pansak called Jiwan“Jim” Raithai, Managing Direc-tor of the “G Armani” tailor shopon Soi Kebsup, on July 14 andthreatened to kill him if he did notpay 100,000 baht – or if he talkedto police.

Rather than give in to theextortionist, K. Jiwan notifiedKathu Police after the first phonecall and a plan was laid to snarethem.

Police Region 8 DeputyCommissioner Maj Gen SanthanChayanon and Kathu Police Su-perintendent Col Grissak Song-moonnark told the press that inthe first telephone call Pansak toldK. Jiwan that he had been hiredby a third party to shoot and killhim for a contract price of

The men arrested in the sting were identified as (from left): Pansak“Bow” Poon-Noo, Jareon “Chang” Pedthong, Udon “Don” Jaiwangand ringleader Chom “Johnnie Lek” Bunyawej.

200,000 baht, half of which he hadalready collected as a down pay-ment.

In subsequent calls K.Jiwan was told that if he paid the100,000 baht remaining on thecontract he would not be killed.

On July 17, the extortionistinstructed K. Jiwan to providehim with a new debit card thathe could use to withdraw 100,000baht.

At 1 pm on July 18, K.Jiwan and his wife deposited 3,000baht in the Siam CommercialBank branch at Jungceylon,where the new debit card wasissued.

About 5 pm, he was in-structed to drop the card with asecurity guard near the entranceto the parking lot at Supercheapand to tell the guard that some-one would be by soon to pick itup.

Chom waited at a distanceunder a tree in front of the nearbyGodzilla restaurant while Pansakand Udon went to pick up the debitcard.

After Pansak put the cardin his pocket, police moved in andarrested all four men without in-cident.

After the press conference,attended by some 50 members ofthe ethnic Nepalese communityin Phuket, K. Jiwan told the Ga-zette he was certain that all thethreats were issued by the same

man, K. Pansak.K. Jiwan also told police that

since the arrest of the four menhe has received more threaten-ing phone calls warning him notto speak to police about the case.

“I’m still afraid of this gangbecause I’m still getting threat-ening calls even after they werearrested. Police told me that if Ineed help I can call them anytime,” he said.

Pol Lt Col Boonlert Onklangtold the Gazette that all four sus-pects were charged with extor-tion.

Chom and Udon have de-nied all charges. Pansak admit-ted making threatening phonecalls to K. Jiwan, while Jareonadmitted only that he had earliertraveled with the other three fromKhao Lak to Phuket, but deniedknowledge of any extortionracket.

Jareon and Udon were re-leased on bail, but Pansak andChom were also charged withusing a fake ID and remain incustody.

It was too early to say howalleged extortion was related tothe results of the July 7 meeting,he added.

PHUKET: Three sites have beenproposed for Phuket’s Interna-tional Convention and ExhibitionCenter (ICEC), but none affordthe sea views long considered a‘must’ for the project.

Phuket Governor NiranKalayanamit, who heads thecommittee that will decide theproject site, heard the proposalson July 23.

Phummisak Hongsyok saidhis firm Anuphas & Sons Co Ltdwas prepared to allot 165 rai ofits 1,600-rai Chao Fa City projectoff Chao Fa West Rd. The area,which is already home to thecompany’s Honda dealershipshowroom, was offered as a sitefor the ICEC in July 2003.

K. Phummisak, a formerPhuket City mayor and currentmember of the National Legisla-tive Assembly, pointed out thatthe site is centrally located nearCentral Festival Phuket.

The newly-paved MuangChao Fa Rd ensures quick accessto Kathu and the site is in a “yel-low zone”, which allows struc-tures up to 23 meters tall, said K.Phummisak.

Anuphas & Sons is pre-pared to invest about 2 billion bahtto build the center and allow otherfirms to invest, either by rentingor through a joint venture, he said.

Bangkok-based ChonthichaProperty Co Ltd offered 150 raion Luck Kongsri Rd in Rassada,near the Phuket Provincial Juve-nile and Family Court.

The site is accessible fromThepkrasattri Rd and the Sapam-Samkong road.

The company is prepared toaccept all government conditionsand develop the land under a sale

ICEC site proposalsfail to hit pay dirt

or rental agreement, said its rep-resentatives.

Chonthicha is prepared toinvest in the project’s construc-tion, either alone or in a joint ven-ture. The company has 250 rai inthe area and is prepared to offermore land if needed, they said.

Tri Eagles Co Ltd, a subsid-iary of Three Dolphins Group,whose holdings include MomTri’s Boathouse and the Trisararesort, proposed a 30-year leaseof 155 rai near Thalang ChanasukMemorial Field in Thepkrasattri.

The site offers easy accessto the airport and luxury hotels,and independent water supplyfrom tin mines, the representativesaid.

The flat terrain would makeit easy to install infrastructure andutilities, she added.

Tri Eagles did not specifywhether the firm is prepared toinvest in construction.

In closing the meeting, GovNiran said that two plots of gov-ernment land at Mai Khao werestill being considered.

However, while both plotsoffer impressive views and easyaccess to the airport, critics haveargued that the sites are too farfrom the island’s major popula-tion centers.

As it has been ING Funds’willingness to fund the project inMai Khao that has sparked thelatest surge of interest in theproject, Gov Niran asked INGFunds’ representatives at themeeting to discuss with landhold-ers the possible joint developmentof the project and to submit de-tailed plans within 30 days.

The committee will then takeanother 30 days before recom-mending a site to the Ministry ofTourism and Sports for approval.

By Janyaporn Morel

Chalong Marina plans under reviewCHALONG: Plans for the second phase of con-struction of the Chalong Marina Project may berevised by the Marine Department’s Technical andPlanning division after a bitter dispute with localresidents and workers.

The first phase of construction of the con-troversial marina, which involves building 44 ofthe originally-planned 210 yacht slips, will be com-pleted by September 30 at a cost of 70 millionbaht, said Kitipong Waksukri from the MarineDepartment.

Three different construction plans for Phase2 were proposed at a public hearing at MuangPhuket School.

The 130 attendees reacted coldly to the five-hour explanations delivered by consulting engineers,with great choruses of approval erupting wheneversomeone attacked the proposals.

Concerns raised about the marina were thatit will damage the environment, will not be able toaccommodate large yachts and will not benefit smalloperators.

I N S I D E S T O R Y4 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Recent drownings Since June 25, three tour-ists have drowned atPatong Beach, one atBang Tao Beach, and on

July 18, John Chatteris, founderof Atsumi Healing Center inRawai, drowned at Nai HarnBeach. Despite red flags, warn-ing signs and close surveillanceby lifeguards, swimmers continueto get into trouble when bravingthe currents along Phuket’s westcoast beaches.

Many of Phuket’s beacheshave temporary warning signs toalert tourists of dangerous ripcurrents. A rip current is a streamof water moving under the sur-face from the shoreline out to seathat forms when incoming wavespush water towards the shore andthe backwash is pushed sidewaysuntil it can find a channel backout.

The dangers to foreign tour-ists are usually a result of over-confidence. When beachgoerssee waves smaller than thosethey may have come across inplaces like Hawaii and Miami,they underestimate the power ofthe water. Although the waves inPhuket may be small, the beachesare prone to rip currents, saidPanu Maswongsa, Phuket Tour-ist Association (PTA) vice presi-dent and executive assistant gen-eral manager of Patong ResortHotel.

“The Tourism Authority ofThailand (TAT) should be in-volved when it comes to warningtourists of the dangers of Phuket’sbeaches,” he added.

Phuket Provincial Adminis-tration Organization (OrBorJor)has taken steps to increase beachsafety by funding a year-roundbeach guard project. PairojChandang, 34, is one of the beachguards from the OrBorJor pro-ject. He is responsible for thesouth end of Kata Beach.

K. Pairoj told the Gazettethat in his 10 years working atKata Beach, he has rescuednearly 300 people and seen threeswimmers drown.

Working from 9 am to 6 pm

Water safety hasbecome a major

talking point in Phuketafter a spate of fourdrownings over the pastfive weeks. Phuket Gov-ernor Niran Kalayanamitinsists that authorities aredoing the best they can,but Phuket LifeguardClub President Prath-aiyut Chuayuan saysmany members of thelocal beach guard areinsufficiently trained.Gazette Chief ReporterSangkhae Leelanapa-porn and trainee AnandSingh report on thedangers of Phuket’swaves and the lifeguardswho are charged withkeeping swimmers safein the low season.

every day, K. Pairoj arranges thewarning signs that tell swimmershow far they can safely swim outto sea and which areas are con-sidered “risk areas”, as denotedby red flags. During the monsoonseason, tourists need to be res-cued almost every day, said K.Pairoj.

K. Pairoj’s job is demand-ing and he risks his life daily. “Myfamily has asked me many timesto quit this job, but I still keep do-ing it because I was born hereand I love to rescue people. Thesalary of 8,000 baht a month isnot much at all for such a dan-gerous job, but doing it makes mehappy,” he said.

The three most dangerousbeaches in Phuket during mon-soon season, said K. Pairoj, areKata, Karon and Nai Harn.

“At Nai Harn Beach thehotels help with their own life-guards to look after the guests aswell as the beach guards ar-ranged by OrBorJor,” he added.

A bigger sign at Kata Beachwarning tourists about the dan-gers of rip currents would makeK. Pairoj’s job a lot easier be-cause the small sign currently inplace does not convey the mes-sage effectively enough, he said.

“We use whistles if we seetourists swimming in a rip current.At the beach, we help those who

have nearly drowned, but whenthey are out at sea we can’t gettoo close because they are still inshock and will often hug us andwe might drown together. We usethe rescue equipment and and tryto pull them back to shore,” saidK. Pairoj.

“If hotels and media wereto help together by announcing totheir guests about how danger-ous Phuket’s beaches can be,then that would help us and couldsave many lives. Local residentsdon’t swim during monsoon sea-son because they know that it isso dangerous,” he added.

Phuket Lifeguard Club is anNGO that was established in 2003

to provide information and mate-rial about beach and water safetyto the public. Prathaiyut Chua-yuan, club president and sportsmanager at Le Meridien PhuketBeach Resort, said, “We have aduty to inform people about life-saving techniques. We receivemost of our material from beachguard associations in Australia.

“We have around 20 highlyqualified beach guards all overPhuket. These individuals are theelite of trained beach guards.They have trained other beachguards in Phuket, Krabi, Phi PhiIslands and Phang Nga. We donot receive government funding,so we have to find sponsorship,”he added.

“We want to work with gov-ernment agencies to help trainbeach guards. We sent the gov-ernment department responsible[OrBorJor] a letter offering to

“My family has asked me many times to quit this job, but I still keep doing it because I was born hereand I love to rescue people,” says Kata lifeguard Pairoj Chandang.

I N S I D E S T O R YJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 5

raise safety concernstrain their beach guards in a four-week program. We even offeredto pay for all the expenses, butwe did not receive any responseso we had to drop the request,”said K. Prathaiyut.

“Phuket’s beach guardshave no recognizable standardsand are not properly trained inlifesaving techniques. We wereready to provide them with rec-ognized international qualifica-tions, but they would not acceptit. After that, most of our trainingprograms were concentratedaround Krabi and Phang Nga,”he added.

K. Prathaiyut said that thePTA should print pamphlets indifferent languages for placementin every hotel in Phuket.

Sometimes tourists are toblame when they do not pay at-tention to safety warnings, butoften it is the responsibility of thebeach guards to prohibit touristsfrom going swimming if theyknow the water is dangerous.Beach guards have to be stern inorder to uphold public safety, headded.

K. Prathaiyut also said thatthere have been no cases ofdrowning-related deaths at LeMeridien Phuket Beach Resort’sbeach.

K. Panu of the PTA be-lieves that the recent drowningscould have a negative impact ontourism in Phuket.

“We can put up all the signsand warnings we want, but if thetourists choose to ignore them andnot follow the safety rules therewill inevitably be some losses.With the arrival of the annualmonsoon season, all businessesand hotels in Phuket traditionallyassist in warning tourists of thedangers of Phuket’s beaches andinforming them about the signsand flags and what they mean,”said K. Panu.

Red flags at Kata Beachwarn tourists not to swim,but many holidaymakersignore the advice and enterthe surf regardless.

K. Pairoj, who works on thissection of beach, saidtourists need to be rescuedalmost every day.

“For example, if there arered flags up on beaches then it isstrongly recommended thatpeople avoid swimming in the sea.We also advise tour operators totake extra care when using seatransport during the monsoon sea-son and to check whether all thesafety procedures have been fol-lowed,” he said.

Hotels and tour operatorshave been very helpful in lookingafter the safety of tourists, headded.

Phuket Governor NiranKalayanamit told the Gazette thatauthorities have all the necessaryprecautions and warning systemsin place.

“We are not being lax withsafety standards. Tourists who

drown at beaches go swimmingdespite warnings against it, andin the most recent cases theywere swimming outside the swimzones. We have beach guards onduty all the time, but during themonsoon season the sea is veryrough. The authorities haveasked hotels to help inform theirguests about beach safety,” saidthe governor.

On July 11 to 13, the Ro-tary Club of Laguna Phuketteamed up with Avoca BeachSurf Life Saving Club from Aus-tralia for a free one-day courseof lifesaving training at Bang TaoBeach, near the Dusit LagunaResort.

The event was conducted bysix experienced Australian train-

ers and attended by local beachguards, hotel operators, govern-ment agencies and other organi-zations concerned with beachand water safety in Phuket.

Trainees learned basic firstaid, how to deal with differenttypes of injuries and dangerouscurrents in surf zones, such as ripcurrents. They also learned howto escape from a rip current.

In the event of a swimmerbecoming caught in a rip current,lifeguards advise against fightingit, as the powerful currents willeasily exhaust even the strongestswimmer. Instead, lifeguards ad-vise that a swimmer should try andconserve energy by trying to floatand waving for help if possible.

Rather than swimming back

to shore against the current,swimmers in trouble should swimout of a rip current in a directionparallel to the shoreline. When outof the current, they can thenswim at an angle back to theshore.

Rip currents often appear ascalm water, thus luring unsuspect-ing swimmers into them. Therelative calmness on the surfaceis the result of a fast moving flowbeneath. The color of the sea mayalso be different than surround-ing water, often appearing lightbrown and muddy from the sandthat has been churned up fromthe sea floor.

“The sea in Phuket is beau-tiful, but what is underwater iswhat scares me,” said K. Pairoj.

N E W S6 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Queer New s

Conmancaptured

at cockfight

TRASHING

Phuket

KAMALA: After a two-monthsearch, a local trickster who conneda 55-year-old woman out of a mil-lion baht in a land scam was finallyarrested – at an illegal cockfight inNakhon Sri Thammarat.

Lt Col Monsak Srisuwan fromKamala Police Station said thatPhuket City Resident Benja Wong-dara had been trying to sell a plot ofland.

K. Benja told police that on May13 a man introducing himself as Sit-thipong went to her house, saying thathe had a client interested in buyingthe property for 5 million baht.

K. Benja accepted the offerand on May 18 received a call fromSitthipong asking her to prepare onemillion baht, which he said was tocover the transaction fee for the saleof the land, said Col Monsak.

On the same day, Sitthipongdrove K. Benja, her friend Chuthar-at Sae-Tan and the million baht incash to a hotel in Kamala, where a

rendezvous with the supposed buyerhad been arranged.

The buyer, however, was no-where to be seen. Instead, K. Benjawas told to wait in a room where agroup of five men and women weregambling. The group lured K. Benjainto gambling with them and she lostall her money, she told police.

Police did not reveal what gameK. Benja had been duped with.

Annoyed at being swindled, K.Benja went to Kamala Police Sta-tion where she explained her ordeal.A warrant was issued for Sitthipong’sarrest and the 40-year-old schemerwas eventually caught by police at acockfight in Nakhon Sri ThammaratPolice and taken to Kamala PoliceStation on July 13.

Col Monsak warned that thereare other tricksters out there waitingto prey on unsuspecting victims. Cit-izens should report any suspicious be-havior to their local police station, hesaid. Source: Nation Channel

Soi Sri Sena, on the edge ofPhuket City, seems to be a fa-vorite place for dumping garbage

these days. This lovely pile of plastic, pa-pers and various unmentionables is justbehind the defunct Phya Thai hospital.

A R O U N D T H E R E G I O NJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 7

The cash register is half fullCOMING UP FOR AIR:Reid Ridgway (back, left)of the Ecotourism Train-ing Center in Khao Lakposes with the secondgroup of students tograduate from thecenter. The students helda graduation party onJuly 21. All of them havemade the PADI Dive-master grade and five areattending an InstructorDevelopment Course tomake a bid for OpenWater Scuba Instructor.

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K. Able

With three months togo before the highseason starts inNovember, at this

time of the year Khao Lak resi-dents usually split into two camps.

The optimists celebrate“halftime” by brushing up theirbusinesses for the coming highseason while the pessimists,with their glasses half empty,hang out in small groups in darkplaces, sulking and indulging inself-pity instead of gearing upfor action.

The funny part is that thesepessimists always find someoneor something to blame for theirmisery. The bad part is that theycan be very convincing. I try mybest to stay away from pessi-mists and their regular haunts, butas life goes, negativity can hit youwithout warning.

My latest encounter withMr Pessimist was at a local 7-Eleven with an endless rant aboutthe slow reconstruction on BangNiang Beach. He gave me suchnegative vibrations that I neededto go home and watch an episodeof Monty Python to drag myselfout of that hole.

A day or two later I receivedan email from a Singaporean cli-ent saying that a big feature aboutKhao Lak and the Tab Lamu golfcourse will be published in anupcoming issue of one of Sin-gapore’s leading golf magazines.That finally knocked me back intohappy mode again.

The good news is that theKhao Lak low-season pessimistsare becoming fewer year byyear. However, a few will al-ways remain and those are thepeople who will never be happy,regardless of how much theyhave – a segment of the speciesthat is unfortunately all over theworld.

School’s out: More good newsis that it is currently school sum-mer break in Europe and it ap-pears that attractive travel pack-ages to Khao Lak provided byleading European travel agentshave really done the job.

There are more tourists inKhao Lak this low season thanin previous years. Visitors fromGermany, Austria, Switzerlandand Scandinavia still make up thehighest number of visitors toKhao Lak, followed by Asian,British and American Khao Lak-lovers.

Although many of KhaoLak’s businessmen hope for aPhuket-like “Russian wave” toarrive in Khao Lak, I believe theyare hoping in vain as Khao Lak’srudimentary nightlife simply doesnot match their demands.

Blowing through: Strong windsand heavy rains caused minordamage and flooding in KhaoLak during the first two weeksof July. On Petchkasem Rd, closeto the Khao Lak Sunset Resort,a broken tree damaged a mainpower line. Thankfully, it was re-

paired as soon as the storm sub-sided.

A large branch fell onto aserpentine part of the highway,causing an accident. The driverof a pickup truck carrying bricksfor construction tried to steeraround the branch, lost control andwent into a ditch. Fortunately noone was hurt in the accident.

There are rumors that afishing boat sank in a storm offKoh Phra Thong, north of KhaoLak, but I was unable to confirmthis at the time of writing.

The weather has fortunatelyimproved, treating our truly ap-preciated low-season guests tosunny days, calm seas and stun-ning sunsets.

Redundant abundant: Theclearing of a huge tract of land

next to the new Home Pro onPetchkasem Rd led to muchspeculation about what was to bebuilt there. The most popular ru-mor was that a Big C or Tesco-Lotus store will take root.

This potential developmentwould have boosted Khao Lak toa never-before-seen high as it

would have attracted thousandsof visitors from neighboring ar-eas, including Takuapa and otherpopulated areas of Phang Nga.

But nothing more is plannedfor there than another typical hous-ing project, similar to the KhaoLak Center project that’s behindthe market and bus station at the

southern end of Khao Lak.While the Khao Lak

Center project seems tohave ground to a halt, withseveral units still unoccu-pied and up for sale, it isquestionable whether thenew project near HomePro, aiming at the samegroup of customers, is sucha good idea.

Cashing in: AlthoughKhao Lak is not getting asuperstore just yet, anoth-er 7-Eleven right in thecenter of Khao Lak hasjust opened, bringing the

total of “say-when” in the areato six. The new 7-Eleven is nextto Wet Zone Divers, on the westside of Petchkasem Rd.

With 7-Elevens shooting uplike bamboo, and several long-es-tablished minimarts, it seems un-likely that any of them will nowbe reeling in substantial profits.ANDAMAN

COASTINGB y F r a n k y G u n

Franky Gun is an expat writer, artist, designer, scuba diver andbusinessman who left Germany in 1991 to live in Thailand. Hemoved to Khao Lak in 2001 and now calls Khao Lak home. Frankycan be contacted via email: avalon@loxinfo.co.th

A R O U N D T H E S O U T H8 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

More than 100 widows have joined the Rotanbatu Project, a handicraft scheme set up in Narathiwatto help them financially after the deaths of their husbands in the Deep South.

Govt extends emergencyrule in the Deep South

On July 17 the Cabinetextended enforcementof emergency law inthe restive Deep

South for three more months fol-lowing the expiration of the pre-vious term on July 20.

The extension enables se-curity officials to contain violencein the region, said Deputy Gov-ernment Spokesman NatthawatSutthiyothin.

The emergency law, inforce since 2005, allows officialsto detain suspects without chargefor up to 30 days. About 350 sus-pects have been rounded up anddetained under the law during thepast few weeks.

Double trouble: A bomb at anintersection in Yala on July 17killed one police officer andwounded at least 20 people, in-cluding three journalists whowere at the scene to report ablast about 30 minutes earlier,police reported.

The second blast rippedthrough shophouses and conve-nience stores at a major intersec-tion outside the train station. Thebomb also destroyed severalmotorbikes that were parkednext to a taxi stand for passen-gers traveling on the Yala-Betongroute.

The second bomb was be-lieved to have been targeted atpolice and forensic officers whowere called to the scene after theearlier, much smaller bomb.

Reporters said that author-ities were ill prepared as theychecked the scene. No firefight-ers or medical personnel were onhand. The blaze from the bombset one officer from an ordinanceunit on fire.

The use of the “secondbomb” tactic by insurgents hasbecome common in the violence-plagued region, where more than2,300 people have been mur-dered since January 2004. Insur-gents often use one bomb to lurethe authorities to a scene, wherethey then trigger a second blast,police said.

The first bomb was hiddeninside a crash helmet and placedin a motorbike basket. The sec-ond, much more powerful bombappeared to have been set offremotely after officers arrived atthe scene.

Pol Sgt Subin Pruekmong-kol, who was caught in the blast,later died at Yala Hospital.

Two other police officerssuffered serious injuries, whilethree local reporters sufferedminor injuries. Some 13 passers-by also suffered minor injuries.

The double bomb attackshattered the upbeat mood ofofficials in Yala after there hadbeen no bomb attacks duringthe previous three weeks. Amonth-long sweep in two vio-lence-prone districts had result-ed in the detention of more than350 suspected insurgents andsympathizers.

Critics say the sweep waslargely for public consumption asall insurgents fled Banang Sataand Krong Pinang districts on thefirst day of the operation.

Waterfall warnings: Warningsystems that can detect flashfloods have been installed at twopopular waterfalls in Trang prov-ince where flash floods claimed38 lives earlier this year.

Banthad Wildlife SanctuaryChief Sanit Ongsadara saidwarning towers and a 45-metercentral tower had been built atSairung (Rainbow) and PraiSawan (Heaven Wilderness)waterfalls.

Other devices will sendwarnings if groundwater levelsrise more than 30 centimetersabove average, K. Sanit said.

Meanwhile, relief teams

and doctors were brought in July20 to assist six villages affectedby flash floods in Surat Thani’sPhanom district.

Moo 8 villager SanongEiadphol, 43, said she had neverwitnessed floods like it in her 10years there. “Before the flood, itrained cats and dogs for threehours,” she said. “Luckily, myhusband and I took electrical ap-pliances off the floor and wemanaged to shut down the elec-tricity.

“Thank goodness the floodlasted only 10 minutes. We de-cided to stay in our house be-cause it was a strong flow – andwe were right.”

Phang Nga province wasalso hit by flooding July 20.

Senior Meteorological De-partment officer Mon Chaimoon-suk asked villagers to observerun-offs. If the run-off becomesreddish it could mean flash flood-ing from the hills.

Lucky find: Police in Satun in-vestigating the murder of a con-tractor found shot dead in hiscar early on July 21 made anunexpected discovery whenthey found another body from

an unrelated case in a passingcar.

Thung Wa District Policereceived a report of a body in acar by the side of the road inTambon Pa Kae Ba Hin. Police,led by Duty Officer Lt PairotWijitbanjong, rushed to the sceneand found the body of ThonsakOnsrikaew, 46. He had been shottwice in the neck in what policebelieve was a business-motivat-ed killing.

As they were taping off thescene, officers directing trafficnoticed that the driver of a blackMitsubishi car was acting suspi-ciously. An officer, thinking thecar may be stolen, indicated forthe driver to pull over.

The office questioned thedriver and passengers and no-ticed that the passengers spokeThai with a foreign accent so heasked to search the car. The driv-er was reluctant to open the carboot, but finally complied. In theboot officers found the body of aman bound hand and foot andstuffed into a fertilizer sack.

Police arrested the driver,Jatuphong Ngusatun, 45, and histhree Burmese passengers; Ong,40, Tek, 22 and Mong, 20. All fourwere then charged with murderand concealing a body.

Police said that the bodywas that of another Burmeseman, Bo, 40. He had been shotfive times in the back.

Lt Pairot said that one ofthe officers just happened to no-tice Ong acting nervous as heslowed down to pass the crimescene.

All four men confessed thatthey killed Bo after he got drunkand tried to rape a local divor-cee, Lt Pairot said.

They were on the way tohide the body when they werestopped, he added.

Bad Joke: A man in Nakhon SriThammarat’s Chaweng districtwas found shot dead early on July15.

Duty Inspector Lt Col Su-rachai Prasopjan from ChawengDistrict Police Station found thebody of Jaray Rungreuang at theside of the road outside a housenear Chaweng train station.

He had been shot threetimes, in the head, chest andstomach, with a .38-caliber pis-tol.

Police reported that beforethe shooting, K. Jaray had beentalking with a friend known as“Joke” after they had returnedfrom work. Witnesses reportedhearing a violent argument fol-lowed by three shots.

Police are now hunting forJoke.

Around the South news round-up is sourced from the pages ofThe Nation and Kom Chad Lueknewspapers.

A R O U N D T H E N A T I O NJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 9

Thai police get new Net powers

WHITE MEAT PROTEST: A Caucasian member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals(PETA) strips down in front of a KFC branch on Silom Rd in Bangkok, urging Thai consumers not tosupport companies that buy chickens raised under inhumane conditions.

Anew law effectivefrom July 18 allowspolice officers or gov-ernment inspectors to

seize computers on private pre-mises suspected of containingpornographic material or evi-dence in connection with eithergeneral criminal activities orcyber crimes.

The 2007 Computer-relatedCrimes Act also prevents unau-thorized applications and accessto other people’s computers, aswell as alteration, deletion or de-struction of the information ofothers.

Impostors using others’identities to send slanderous mes-sages, or those who flood infor-mation on discussion forums, arealso subject to criminal penaltiesunder the law, proposed anddrafted by the National Electron-ics and Computer TechnologyCenter (Nectec) and enforced bythe Information and Communica-tions Technology Ministry.

The Act subjects those cir-culating pornographic material orlibelous content through emails toheavy fines.

It also requires Internetservice providers (ISPs) to keeplog files of bandwidth consump-tion and Internet traffic andrecords of individual users for 90days.

Nectec Director PansakSiriruchatapong said the Act, intheory, would provide benefits tothe country as a whole.

However, he expressedconcern about the capability ofofficials, who are required tohave knowledge of computers.

Cheating teachers: State schoolteachers who have extramaritalaffairs will face increased disci-plinary punishments, EducationPermanent Secretary JaruaypornThoranin has announced.

Current disciplinary punish-ment is a salary cut, but the newruling would set up a fact-find-ing panel to look into allegedwrongdoings. If an allegation hadgrounds, a disciplinary investiga-tion would be carried out, K.Jaruayporn said.

If the inquiry deemed ateacher guilty, punishment couldvary from dismissal from the ser-vice – with or without pension –

to the revoking of the offender’steaching license, she said.

The Committee for Teach-ers and Education Personnelagreed in principle to the toughnew measures, but asked thatthey be compared with otheragencies’ regulations before be-ing re-submitted for final ap-proval.

Prime time: Most people sup-port the government’s plan toensure that television programscontaining sex and violence arebroadcast after children havegone to bed.

The Abac Poll ResearchCenter found a little more than43% of Bangkok residents feltthe move was appropriate, butalmost 24% opposed it, sayingparents should be the arbiters oftheir children’s viewing behavior.The other 33% responded “nocomment”.

The survey asked 1,141people aged between 18 and 60about the 8 pm starting time foradult programs.

“Most respondents wanttelevision dramas before 8 pm to

deliver positive content by pro-moting good deeds, generosity,family ties, children’s abilities andrelaxation,” poll director DrNoppadon Kannika said.

Bus crash: A German touristwas killed when a Bangkok-bound bus from Phetchabunoverturned in Ayudhya’s WangNoi District at 5 am July 17.

Police said the bus driver,Sanan Pongsiang, 35, told policethat he dozed off, leaving the busout of control.

The German tourist died atthe scene and 23 other passen-gers were injured, police said.

Epidemic proportions: A totalof 23,653 people have contracteddengue fever so far this year with21 of them killed by the disease,the Public Health Ministry hasannounced.

Deputy Public Health Min-ister Morakot Kornkasem saidthe 23,653 cases had been re-corded before July 7.

Of the cases, 8,177 werein central provinces, 6,816 innortheastern provinces, 5,282 in

southern provinces and 3,378 innorthern provinces.

Bilingual blues: Culture Minis-ter Khunying Khaisri Sri-aroonsaid the government is preparinga national plan that would haveteachers advise students on cor-rect language usage.

According to Associationof Thai-Language TeachersPresident Kanchana Naksakul,speaking Thai with a foreign ac-cent is a fashion, known as abbaew, or “abnormal and cute”.

K. Kanchana is concernedthat with the ab baew phenom-enon some children will embraceWestern values so much thatthey ignore Thai culture.

Some bilingual coursesnow put too much emphasis onEnglish and students do not caremuch about Thai, she said.

Death of an NGO: The Wildlife

Fund Thailand under the RoyalPatronage of HM the Queenannounced its closure becausethe fund set aside to administratethe organization has dried up.

Wildlife Fund Thailand Act-ing Secretary-General SirajitWaramontri informed the 40 na-tionwide officials that the Wild-life Fund Thailand board on July9 agreed to terminate the fund’soperations and the officials’ em-ployment effective July 27.

Schoolroom scourge: A total of1,141 children have caught hand,foot and mouth disease during thefirst six months this year, thePublic Health Ministry has an-nounced.

Dr Prat Boonyawongwiroj,permanent secretary for PublicHealth, said the number of den-gue victims was nearly twice thatof the same period last year.

Of the victims, 399 were insouthern provinces, 371 in cen-tral provinces, 187 in northeast-ern provinces and 184 in north-ern provinces.

The number included 191children in Bangkok, where oneschool in Lad Prao was closedon July 10 after the disease wasdiscovered there, he said.

Sugar surcharge: Public HealthMinister Dr Mongkol na Song-khla urged the government to in-crease taxes for fast food, car-bonated soft drinks and sweetsaccording to their sugar ratio.

Following a meeting to plana campaign against coronaryheart disease to mark WorldHeart Day on September 30, DrMongkol said about 38 millionThais are at risk of coronaryheart disease if this situation re-mains unchanged.

Around the Nation news round-up is sourced from the pages ofThe Nation and Kom Chad Lueknewspapers.

A R O U N D T H E I S L A N D10 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

WHAT’S UPWITH PEOPLE?

By Nick Davies

Up with People, a US-based NGO withroots back in theflower-power days of

the ’60s, has over the years broughttogether some 20,000 people fromnearly 90 different countries in itsenduring mission: to spread goodwill and strengthen bonds betweenpeople in their communities.

Despite its long history, Upwith People first came to Thai-land in an official capacity onlylast year.

Having successfully com-pleted several community pro-jects in Bangkok, Chiang Mai andLampang, the organization hasnow begun operating in Phuketand is currently meeting withsome of the island’s charitableorganizations to establish projectsfor the team of volunteers whowill be arriving next month.

Up with People’s main aimis to conduct community serviceprojects around the world, givingboth volunteers and participantsvaluable leadership experienceand the chance to discover anddevelop skills that will help themlater in life.

The group plans to be in-volved in several communityprojects in Phuket and membersare currently meeting with localcommunity project leaders, suchas the Lion’s Club of PhuketPearl, to organize activities for thegroup of young adults fromaround the world.

The volunteers, who willarrive on the island mid-August,will be assigned to work with thevarious charities.

Up with People will be fo-cusing its charitable efforts onhelping disadvantaged children onthe island.

Two groups they plan tocollaborate with are the PhuketSunshine Village Foundation,which provides a home and edu-cation for orphans, and ChildWatch, a charity that aims to pre-vent child abuse and raise aware-

ness of children’s rights by pro-viding child welfare and basiceducation.

The NGO will also beworking with Life Home Project,the shelter for mothers with HIVthat offers a safe and supportivecommunity for the women and

their children.While in Bangkok, Up with

People worked with World Vision,which focuses on helping impov-erished families. Another projecton the agenda is to work withchildren whose par-ents are in prison.

Satree PhuketSchool, where Upwith People’s Phuketoffice is located, willwelcome some 70-odd participants ar-riving by bus fromBangkok.

P r e p a r i n gthings ahead of themain group’s arrivalis a small team of vol-unteers who have al-ready taken part inone or more previousprojects.

Margaux Hovine, 19, agraduate from Sacre Coeur HighSchool in Amiens, France, is theyoungest on the team, but she al-ready has a great deal of experi-ence having, traveled around theworld with the NGO for the lastsix months.

She has been a vocal internand admissions assistant and vol-unteered at a hospital in Francefor a year, singing for sick chil-dren. She has also done some vol-unteer work with handicappedchildren and after spending timein Phuket she will be working forthree months as part of a Philip-

pines set-up team with Up withPeople.

“Before coming here Iknew very little about the coun-try and culture and I was wor-ried about my lack of English

skills, but everyonehas been so support-ive,” said Margaux.

“Soon after ar-riving, I was asked togo into classroomsand teach something,which was verydaunting, but beingthrown in the deepend like this has beena very rewarding andpositive experience,”she added.

Renée Rogers,20, a student at theUniversity of Arizo-

na in the US, has spent the pastsix months traveling with Up withPeople. Her responsibilities haveincluded being an alumni rela-tions/external relations intern.

“I’ve taken time out frommy studies to volunteer here andI think it’s the best thing I couldhave done.

“I’ve learned so much aboutmyself and other people from somany different cultures and theexperience will really help mewith my studies and my career,”said Renée.

Leading this team of enthu-siastic volunteers as communityrelations coordinator, with a de-

cade’s worth of experience onthe younger team members, isBrazillian Luis Petzhold.

Luis initially joined Up withPeople in 2006 and traveled forsix months with the organization,while also making a video docu-mentary about his experience.

Before coming to Phuket,Luis helped with operations inJapan and Bangkok. Comment-ing on what the participants gainfrom the Up with People experi-ence, Luis emphasizes the diver-sity of the benefits gained fromworking with people from somany different cultures.

“Each individual will devel-op life skills which they will cer-tainly use at some point in thefuture. Although everyone’s ex-perience is unique, things like re-sponsibility, leadership, organiza-tion and flexibility are skills theywill all learn and add to their ca-reer toolbox,” he said.

Last year Renée found her-self sloshing about in mud, saw-ing and laying floorboards to helpreconstruct facilities after theKatrina hurricane devastatedmuch of New Orleans.

In six months Margaux hasgone from being a shy girl withlimited English vocabulary to be-ing able to comfortably and en-thusiastically converse with themedia.

Once the students and grad-uates arrive, they need orienta-tion for their temporary home,somewhere to stay and projectsassigned to them.

Unlike many home-stayprograms where students mayspend several months with a sin-gle family, Up with People par-ticipants enjoy a travel itinerarythat most Lonely Plant-totingbackpackers would drool over,visiting several different countriesand staying with up to 20 differ-ent families over a six-month pe-riod.

Phuket is just a brief stopon the volunteers’ global itinerary,but while they are here they hopeto make a difference to those lessfortunate than themselves.

While helping out on theirvarious assignments in the com-munity, they’ll also be co-ordinat-ing and practicing for a stage per-formance put on for the familiesthey will stay with.

The song-and-dance showwill focus on international partic-ipation, global traditions and com-munity service. Whether the par-ticipants are experienced thespi-ans or have never been back-stage, everyone will have a role.

With the main party of vol-unteers arriving between the Au-gust 17 and 25, many are still inneed of homes to stay at whilethey are here.

Anyone interested in pro-viding accommodation for thevolunteers can contact Luis at theSchool Board Committee Room,Satree Phuket School on Dam-rong Rd in Phuket City.

Luis can also be contactedby phone at Tel: 089-4989750 orby email to: lpetzhold@upwithpeople.org

For more information about Upwith People visit www.upwithpeople.org

‘Being thrownin the deepend like thishas been a

very rewardingand positiveexperience.’

– MargauxHovine, Up with

People teammember

FIRST STEPS IN PHUKET: The three Up with People volunteers (from left): Luis Petzhold from Brazil, RenéeRogers from the US and Margaux Hovine from France.

July 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 11

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K. Ann

12 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

G O O D L I V I N GJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 13

A way with the chicksPhuket is certainly known

for its good food and va-riety of restaurants, butit’s not on every street

corner that you meet a chef pre-paring gourmet fusion English andItalian food.

Thus the Phukana restau-rant fills a niche that Phuket maynot even have known it was miss-ing.

Nattawut Kamenkij, 43,from Ayudhaya worked as a chefin the hospitality industry for morethan 20 years before he beganworking at Phukana restaurant inPhuket City.

“I started my career in Nor-thern Thailand, where I workedwith a Thai chef specializing inChinese cuisine.

“In 1989, I started workingat the Amari Don Muang AirportHotel in Bangkok. During theeight years I spent there, I gainedan extensive knowledge of bothEnglish and Italian cuisines,” saidNattawut.

“After taking the chef posi-tion at Phukana in April this year,I chose to enhance the menu bycreating dishes that were a fu-sion of the two types of cuisinesthat are my specialty.

“One such dish that I enjoypreparing is Chicken Valdostana,a delicious entrée rarely seen onmenus in Phuket. The dish fea-tures a pan-fried, lightly breadedchicken breast topped with deli-cately sliced prosciutto and a richblend of cheeses.

“It is complemented with aside of pasta and drizzled with aflavorful pesto sauce,” he said.

Chicken Valdostana

Ingredients200g chicken breast1 teaspoon plain flour1/2oz white wine1/2cup seeded and chopped to-

matoes (tomato concassé)30g pasta of your choiceBread crumbs, one egg, salt and

pepper, prosciutto slices,Parmesan cheese, mozza-rella cheese

MethodTrim any excess fat, skin andcartilage from the chickenbreasts. Tenderize the meat bygently beating it with a tenderiz-er or the flat edge of a knife untilit has a soft texture.

Mix the white wine with apinch or two of salt and pepper,and pour over the tenderizedchicken breasts. Dredge thechicken breasts in the all-pur-pose flour, then soak in a scram-bled egg and coat with breadcrumbs.

Lightly oil a pan over medi-um heat and place the breadedchicken breast in the pan. Fryeach side for approximately 3-4minutes or until lightly goldenbrown.

Remove from pan and slicehorizontally into two pieces. Topone piece with a slice of prosciut-

to and tomato concasse. Place theother piece on top and dress thelayers with the cheese sauce andmozzarella cheese. Serve with aportion of pasta. Lightly drizzlepesto sauce and sprinkle Parme-san cheese over the entire dish.

Cheese sauce150g milk30g all-purpose flour100g mozzarella cheese

MethodHeat the milk over low heat andgradually add in the flour and themozzarella cheese while stirringfrequently. Continue stirring untilthe cheese has melted and all in-gredients have become a thick,creamy sauce.

Pesto sauce200g chopped sweet basil100g parsley50g garlic100g parmesan cheese550g virgin or extra-virgin olive

oil

MethodBlend all ingredients until pureedinto a fine consistency. Portionsfor each ingredient can be alteredto suit your taste.

Sophitha Srilikul, 42, workswith K. Nattawut and has

been a chef in Phuket for 19years. While K. Nattawut fo-cuses on Western fare, she pos-sesses wide knowledge of Thaidelicacies.

She recommended the Phu-kana Chicken Wings appetizer toaccompany the Chicken Val-dostana. The appetizer is a well-known dish from Phukana and afavorite with guests.

Phukana ChickenWings

Ingredients6 chicken wings1 tablespoon white soy sauce50g red Thai chilies2 teaspoons paprika powder

MethodCrush the fresh chilies and blendwith the white soy sauce and thepaprika powder. Let the mixturesit at room temperature for 10minutes to thicken.

After that, lightly coat thechicken wings with the season-ing sauce and then pan fry incooking oil for about 10 minuteson medium heat.

Serve immediately aftercooking and garnish the dish withlettuce and tomatoes.

– Semacote Suganya

ABOVE: Phukana chicken wings make a delightfulhors d’oeuvre and are a Phukana trademark.

RIGHT: Chicken Valdostana blends English andItalian cuisine to create a savory dish that has

been pleasing Phukana guests since it debuted.

P H U K E T P E O P L E14 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Happily Ever AfterRecently married in Phuket

It’s a life bordering on the glamorous, brushingshoulders with the super-rich, but always on the

sidelines. Being a butler allows people to glimpse andlive alongside the upper crust, but also demands hard

work and a sharp attention to detail to keep clientshappy. For a good butler that can mean having

everything ready before the client asks.Gazette chief reporter Sangkhae Leelanapapornspoke to Ekalak ‘Aey’ Banthap, a butler in Phuket,

about the life and trials of being an attendant to the richand, sometimes, famous.

Reading LEFT: Yukiko and KoichiInoue from Japancelebrated their wedding atthe Evason Phuket and SixSenses Spa on May 25

RIGHT: Kelly Bett andChristopher Craig from Scotlandwere married at the Indigo Pearl

Resort on June 28

AV

3x4

The key to being a goodbutler is a form of mind-reading, according toEkalak “Aey” Banthap,

a butler at the Banyan TreeDouble Pool Villas in Phuket.

To effectively cater to theneeds of the wealthy clients thatstay in the villa he manages, hemust watch them closely and pre-pare whatever they may needbefore they can open theirmouths.

Ordering food with their fa-vorite seasonings, preparing thetable and hotel room to their lik-ing and overseeing the house staffis no easy task for one man. Infact, as Aey discovered, it canchange a butler’s life.

Aey began his service in-dustry experience during his timeat Rajabhat University Petch-aburi where he studied manage-ment and worked as a front of-fice trainee at the SheratonGrande Laguna Phuket.

“I was lucky that they gaveme the chance to work there. Istarted as a villa attendant look-ing after VIP guests at the swim-ming pool for six months and waspromoted to be a guest serviceagent for a year, and then pro-moted to be the guest servicemanager, which I did for threeyears,” Aey said.

After four years, he wasstarting to feel bored and applied

to be a butler, a role in which hecould do a bit of everything, fromhousekeeping and food and bev-erage, to front office work andmuch more. “Butlers have to doeverything and work hard to giveguests that ‘Wow!’ feeling.Guests should not have to requestanything,” he said.

Many people want to workas a butler, Aey said, because itis an interesting job and and theguests often tip very well. But itis not a job just anyone can do.

“You don’t just apply to bea butler and start working – but-lers are chosen after training andattitude is the most important fac-tor. Qualifications for the job in-clude good English skills, an ex-ceptional attitude, a service mind– and you have be willing to keeplearning,” he added.

Aey’s most prestigioustraining came after he transferredto the Banyan Tree. There hetrained in a six-month course, in-cluding time with Josephine Ive,founder of Magnum Butlers.

Ms Ive is a world-renownedbutler trainer and worked for Brit-ain’s royal family before taking hertraining on the road, teaching but-lers at famous super-luxury yachtsand Asia’s most prestigious hotels.

“We got a lot of great train-ing from K. Josephine. She hadso many things to teach us be-cause she had experience work-

Do Not DrinkTap Water!

P H U K E T P E O P L EJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 15

the minds of the rich

ing in Buckingham Palace andmany other extraordinary set-tings.

“She taught us how faraway from a guest one shouldstand, how to present and servewine, how to conduct a propertea service, how to fold nap-kins and many other skills,” Aeysaid.

“I can’t say that being abutler is an easy or difficult job,but it is challenging because Iwant to give the guests a favor-able impression so they will re-turn and stay with us again.”

To be a successful butlerAey had to become a Jack of alltrades and move seamlessly be-tween jobs.

“I learned how to serve foodto guests and even to arrange flow-ers, but in my experience the mostdifficult part of the job is being ababysitter. I don’t always under-stand children’s emotions, but Iguess I do okay because guestskeep sending emails from theirkids once they are back in theirhome countries,” he said.

Aey said that everyday hemust carefully check that his fin-gernails, hands, ears and breathare clean and that his shoes andclothing are perfect.

“Right now I have to use lipbalm, hair gel and face foam, andmake sure I look 100% clean. If

a butler looks good and is cleanthat means guests can feel com-fortable that their villa and foodare kept clean too,” he said.

“I think being a butler is in-teresting as you are always learn-ing the habits and behavior ofeach guest. I have to know whata guest likes or doesn’t like. Somelike to be treated very formallyand others like a more relaxedrelationship.”

Aey added that the first daynew guests arrive at the villa isthe day he begins learning andnoticing their behavior. “I have toremember even what food theylike or dislike as I will order theirfood the next day.

“If guests talk about a golfmatch, I search the Internet to seeif there is a tournament in Phuket,so I can let them know.

“On average I take care ofabout four or five families permonth and most of them stayabout five to seven days at atime.”

Butlers care for one one vil-la, but they don’t work alone, Aeysaid. Each villa has a maid, gar-dener, a swimming pool mainte-nance person and an engineer tomake sure everything is workingcorrectly. The butler oversees itall to make sure the guests getexactly what they want.

“If guests order a meal, it is

the guests.“When guests are away

from the villa, I call the maid toclean and if I have nothing to doI help out. I also double check thework before guests return,” headded.

Aey relates an experiencewhere a guest once called him at4 am to order a pool table be-cause he felt like playing a fewgames.

“I had to order it from Bang-kok and get a fast delivery forhim. He was verysurprised that wecould get it done.”

One ofAey’s favorite ex-periences waslooking after a fa-mous internationalmusician. Discre-tion is an impor-tant part of a but-ler’s job – so hewon’t tell exactlywho it was – buthe said he wasimpressed by theperson’s lifestyle.

“He lived simply, ate saladsand even dressed simply. At thebeginning I was nervous becausehe is so famous, but after I wasassigned to the villa, I had to domy best.

“I was very impressed withhim because I took him to the lob-by in the buggy once and he in-troduced himself to me in Thaiand even praised the King inThai.”

Butlers have to look afterlittle things that are very impor-tant, Aey says. “I have to remem-ber guests’ birthdays and anniver-saries. Once I know, I let all theother staff know and when theguest walks on the grounds ev-

eryone will say “Happy Birthday”to them. We even have the staffline up in the lobby and sing “Hap-py Birthday”.

Aey’s work life is not easyas he has to arrive at the villabefore the guests wake up anddoesn’t leave until after they areasleep.

Time passes so quickly. Abutler must think ahead and an-ticipate what the guests want sothat it will be ready and they don’thave to ask,” he added.

The job hasalso affected Aeyaway from work.“I now have thehabit when I an-swer the telephoneat home of saying,‘Sawasdee krap,Aey speaking.May I help you?’My friends laughwhen I do that, butit is all in good hu-mor.

“After mytraining I went

home and put everything in or-der. I dusted, got rid of finger-marks, put everything exactlywhere it should be,” he laughed

“The best benefit of the jobis that I now have friends all overthe world,” Aey said. “Some ofthe guests have offered me aplane ticket, car and even ac-commodation in the event that Ihave a chance to visit their coun-tries.

Guests even send me pic-tures of their kids who I caredfor while they were here.”

So far Aey hasn’t takenany of his former guests up ontheir offers, but he’s not dis-counting the possibility of be-coming a world-wide butler.

‘Butler training wasgood for me – after

training I wenthome and put

everything in order.I dusted, got rid offingermarks, put

everything exactlywhere it should be.’

prepared at the villa’s dining fa-cility and I have to make sure itgets to the villa and is transferredto the villa’s dishes, that the tableis prepared, and that the dishesand food are warm and ready for

SPECIAL SERVICE: ‘I have to know what a guest likes or doesn’t like. Some like to be treated veryformally and others like a more relaxed relationship,’ says Ekalak ‘Aey’ Banthap.

H A P P E N I N G S16 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

T his week

FLOYD ON PHUKET: Internationally-renowned TV chef Keith Floyd gives a thumbs upas he celebrates with staff the launch of Sunday brunches at Floyd’s Brasserie at theBurasari Resort in Patong.

PHILANTHROPIC YOUTH: Phuket’s own Amelia Jacobs, Miss Teen Thailand 2006,accompanies Suthat Pochagorn (left), director of the Social Welfare DevelopmentCenter for the Elderly of Phuket, Anthony Loh (standing, 2nd from right), generalmanager of Laguna Service Co Ltd, and Suthasinee Rukmit, director of CommunityRelations at Laguna Phuket, at Laguna’s ninth annual dinner for Phuket’s elderlycitizens.

ARBOR AWARENESS: Dr Kongkiat Kespechara (3rd from left), director of Bangkok HospitalPhuket, joins his staff in their mangrove restoration project at Thung Maphrao in Phang Nga.The group will carry out similar projects in Phuket and Krabi.

MERCI BEAUCOUP: Phuket Vice-Governor Smith Palawatvichai accepts a gift fromBlandine Cressard, general manager of Novotel Beach Resort Panwa Phuket, duringBastille Day celebrations.

MATERNAL MUNCHIES: Dr Jessada Chungpaibulpatana (2nd from right), director ofVachira Phuket Hospital, joins his staff in celebrating the opening of the food court on thesecond floor of the maternity ward at the hospital.

FILIPINA FEMMES: Lia Andrea Ramos (left) and Gionna Cabrera (right),Philippines representative for Miss Universe 2006 and 2005, respectively,receive spa vouchers from Onphilat Oines, sales and marketing manager forThe Mangosteen Resort and Spa, during their visit to Phuket. Both ladiesreceived the fans’ Miss Photogenic accolade in their respective beautypageants.

F E A T U R E SJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 17

TSOWNDINGSBy S. TSOW

THEKARAOKECODGER

Iused to think that karaokewas the worst atrocity theJapanese had inflicted uponhumankind since the Rape

of Nanking. But that was in myfeckless and misspent youth.

Since then, the sun has ris-en, I have been to the mountain-top, I’ve been born again, I haveseen the light, I stand redeemedand dazzled by the brilliance of anew dawn. I now know with ad-amant certainty that karaoke isthe greatest gift from the Japa-nese to humanity since the inven-tion of the sushi bar.

What transcendent cathar-sis wrought this transformation?Ah, dear reader, let me share withyou a wondrous truth. Whetheryou regard karaoke as a curse ora blessing depends entirely onwho’s singing – you or those hid-eous other people in the bar.

Most people who sing kara-oke are boorish clods, oafishdrunks clowning at the micro-phone, caterwauling off key in aremorseless display of ongoingcacophony. Utterly talentless, yetwrapped in delusions of musicalgenius, they have no idea howpathetic a spectacle they are mak-ing of themselves.

But when you yourself aresinging, dear reader, the situationchanges dramatically. Then youbecome a dashing, world-classsuperstar, radiating charisma, pul-sating with talent – and singinglike Pavarotti.

The audience, which for-merly consisted of drunken rab-

ble, hooting and jeering at thesinger’s ineptness, now becomestransformed into screaming le-gions of ardent fans and gorgeousgroupies. Where before theyhurled empty bottles and plates ofsom tam at the hapless perform-er; now they sit tamed, enthralled,rapt in wonder, as angels benddown from heaven to savor thegolden sounds.

Indeed, it is quite likely thatagents of Grammy and BEC Terowill besiege the stage wavingmultimillion-baht contracts.

Yes, dear reader, this insighthas transformed me, as indeed itwill transform you, if you will onlydeign to pick up the microphone.

In my case, the transforma-tion has been facilitated by thediscovery that karaoke machinesare not limited to the degeneratehip-hop and rap music that afflict

the contemporary music scene.Some of them are programmedto play immortal classics of yes-teryear like TellLaura I LoveHer, Sh-boomSh-boom, TuttiFrutti, and Be-Bop-A-Lula. It isheartening tolearn that, despiteall appearances tothe contrary, qual-ity music is notyet dead in Thai-land.

This epiph-any has causedme to morph from a karaoke-phobe into a karaokephile. Infact, you can now call me theKaraoke Kid. No, wait a minute,there is the delicate issue of age,which in my case is…old. So let

me curb my ardor and sacrificethe lamb of fantasy on the altarof accuracy. You can call me the

Karaoke Codger.Karaoke is

OK, as is signi-fied by its name,which is Japa-nese for “Kara isOK.” Don’t askme what “kara”means – I don’tspeak Japanese.I know the Japa-nese misspell“OK” as “oke,”but that’s not theirfault. English is

not their native language. You trywriting “OK” in hirakana or har-akiri or whatever it is they writein and see how far you get.

But just as every sunbeamhas its shadow, every mango has

its maggot, every plate of som tamhas its little black crabs, and thereis one exception I must make inmy glowing endorsement of thiscelestial art form. Throughout his-tory, billions of songs have beenwritten. Whether the singer isyourself or somebody else, out ofall this entire stupendous reper-toire there is one song that mustnever, under any circumstances,be sung by anyone. And that isthe abominable My Way.

This boastful, preening, pre-tentious ditty has been warbledby generations of boozed-up fat-cat CEOs who made billions bydownsizing their corporations,destroying the lives of thousandsof employees, and casting theminto the gutters to beg. When KingHerod completed the Slaughter ofthe Innocents and the last Jew-ish infant had been impaled uponthe last Roman sword, I bet hecelebrated by crooning, “I did itmyyyyyyy way!”

Any time a karaoke singergets up and starts crooning MyWay, the audience is fully justi-fied if it rises en masse, rips outthe microphone, kicks the bejesusout of the amplifier, pulls the sing-er down from the stage and tearshim asunder like a pack of rabidhyenas.

Aside from that one littleproblem, karaoke really is OK.

S. Tsow can be flamed at stsow@yahoo.com, except when he’strying to exterminate somebodywho’s singing My Way.

L I F E S T Y L E18 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

HIDE ’N’ CHIC

By Janyaporn Morel

AV

2x5

We’ve been wrappingand strapping leath-er around our bod-ies since our cave-

dwelling days when we hunted forfood with clubs and sticks, turn-ing what was left over from thekill into clothes and shoes.

Although there is fierce de-bate among experts on when man“came down from the trees”, oreven whether we were in thetrees in the first place, archeolo-gists and anthropologists rarelydebate on when we actuallyevolved into fashion consciouscitizens sporting the latest leath-er accessories.

Leather is probably the

world’s most enduring naturaltextile. It has gone from necessi-ty to fashion accessory the longlife of anything made from it, plusits versatility, has been provedagain and again over the millen-nia it has been used.

An example of leather’sendurance was found with “Tol-lund Man”, a 2,000-year old bodydiscovered in 1950 by peat cut-ters in Denmark. The remainswere amazingly well-preserved inthe bog, along with a hide belt,skin cap and two leather thongs.

At Jungceylong in Patongyou’ll find a wide range of leath-er accessories from bracelets,bangles and bags to necklacesand rings, some with coloredstones and shells intertwined with

the leather, making each piecenaturally unique. Turquoisestones are a favorite for that WildWest, Native American look withpieces ranging from 59 to 259baht.

At the viewpoint betweenNai Harn and Nui Beach, you cansometimes find local islander“Mack” draped in long dread-locks and some of the jewelryhe’s selling from the back of hisbeaten up pickup truck, whichlooks as if it’s been around as longas Jack’s hair has been growing.

When he’s not welcomingnewcomers like old friends, Mackhunts for and collects uniquestones and shells to use in mak-ing his leather-bound jewelry. Hisjewelry is a little more expensive

than some of the mass-producedleather accessories but eachpiece is unique and as Mackprides himself on knowing the dif-ferent kinds of semi-preciousstones by touch and sight, anystones used should be genuine.

Leather accessories are notjust for fashion-conscious hippiesthough; whatever your age, it’seasy enough to choose a leatherdesign or color that suits yourneeds and personality, whetheryou are young or old, or of clas-sical or modern taste.

If you’re looking for luxuri-ous leather accessories in a moreclassic style, such as key ringfobs, coin bags or bangles, thenyou need something Italian. Ital-ian leather accessories by Raga-

zze, also in Jungceylon, come inmany styles and colors with ahigh-class look and feel. Hip flaskholders, thermos sleeves andmobile phone cases are just a fewof the protective leather cover-ings on sale.

Other leather products thatdon’t spring to mind but help adda touch of style are card tags,eyeshades and even a leathercooler bag. For a really poshleather product, how about aleather wine bottle bag?

Veuve Clicquot Champagnerecently brought out a striking andstylish zip-up leather wine bottlesleeve that hugs the bottle in thecompany’s familiar bold orange,but for a price that matches theirexpensive brand. There are muchcheaper leather bottle sleevesaround, but if you can afford theChampagne, you can probablyafford the bag, too.

If your leather is to last along time, it needs a little care andattention. Most leather shops willbe able to sell you special leath-er-care cream, but other thingscan be done to ensure the leath-er lasts longer.

Simple bracelets, necklac-es or rings made from untreatedleather need to be kept awayfrom water, but if you do get thiskind of leather wet, you can dryit off in the sun or with a hairdryer on a gentle heat setting.

If you’re going to be get-ting your leather wet frequently,then it’s better to waterproof itwith a protective spray.

Cleaning your leather itemscan be done by using a softbrush, clearing any dirt or dustoff, then applying leather-clean-ing cream.

Leather waxing cream canalso be used to revive colors andkeep the leather supple. Keep-ing leather in a dry place and notcreasing it will also help it last.

WRIST ACTION: Bangles from Jung-ceylon. CHANGE OF PACE: Colorful coin purses from Ragazze. HOT AND COLD: Viera vacuum flasks from Ragazze.

L I F E S T Y L EJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 19

While the strongwaves aroundPhuket spell dan-ger for swimmers,

the curls and whitecaps meanexcitement and allure for the surf-ing crowd.

From the northern edges ofNai Yang down to the tip of NaiHarn, the waves crashing overPhuket’s beaches aren’t as largeas at surfing hotspots around theworld, but they do have a devot-ed following of local surfers.

From August 31 to Sep-tember 2 the Phuket SurfingContest will be held off KataBeach and some 120 amateursurfers are expected to take partin the event.

There are several placesalong the western shores ofPhuket to practice or to learnsurfing.

Nopphasit “Kho” Bunchuai,a 27-year-old surf instructor, hasbeen surfing for seven years inPhuket.

“There are about 80 surf-ers in Phuket. We find greatwaves to surf every day togeth-er, especially our group, the KataKrew. We always surf for abouttwo hours if there are normalwaves and three to four hours ifwe get two-meter waves,” hesaid.

The Kata Krew, a group offriends who meet at Kata Beach,surf together for the company andto watch each other’s backs.They said the best time to surf isfrom May to November, but anytime of year can be good.

“For safe surfing, you haveto wait for a suitable time andpaddle through the water withfriends, because friends will al-ways watch closely and be readyto help if needed,” K. Kho ex-plained.

The Kata Krew hook upwith other surfers for parties andeven plan traveling surfing adven-tures together. “We plan to surfoutside of Phuket, so we are go-ing to the Philippines or Bali nextyear. We always drive aroundPhuket to find the best waves andstop to surf wherever we seethem,” K. Kho said.

K. Kho also works as a in-structor at the Phuketsurf.com

shop, where new surfers or tour-ists can rent boards for 150 bahtan hour.

Phuket’s waves, he said,don’t attract many professionalsurfers because they’re not verychallenging, but the small wavesare good to teach beginners.

To begin, the most obviouspiece of equipment is the board.“There are three kinds of surfboards,” Kho explains. “Thereare short boards, about five toeight feet long, that are used forstyle; ‘minimal’ boards, about sev-en to eight feet long; and longboards, eight to 10 feet long andused for smoother surfing.”

The board, however, is notthe only thing surfers have toworry about. Surfers should alsouse leashes or leg ropes – longflexible ties that are attached tothe surfer’s ankle and the board– so the board isn’t lost anddoesn’t fly into unsuspectingswimmers.

Rash guard shirts are alsorecommended apparel. These

lightweight lycra shirts are de-signed to reflect UV rays whilekeeping surfers safe from jelly-fish stings and coral scratches.

Photographer Caleb Hen-derson regularly comes downfrom Bangkok to surf in Phuket.He said the dangers are appar-ent, but nowhere near enough tostop them from surfing.

“We realize how dangerousit is but we never surf alone.There many different kinds ofsurfing dangers, like at KalimBeach there are great waves, butthere’s also sharp coral.

“Even rash guards, the thinT-shirts with inside-out seams thatkeep us safe from jellyfish andboard scrapes, can’t quite keepus safe from that,” he explained.

Boy, 24, another member ofKata Krew, said Phuket surfersare easy to identify by their Quick-silver, Billabong and Rip Curlboard shorts, which, along withboards, can be bought in Jung-ceylon, Central Festival Phuketand sports equipment stores on

the island.The best equipment and

advice, however, can be found atthe surf shops on beaches alongthe west coast, including Cobranear Chalong Pier and KataBeach Surf Shop.

Wallop Nadon, the 32-year-old owner of Kata Beach SurfShop, told the Gazette, “We havebodyboards, shortboards, ‘mini-mal’ boards and longboards forrent. Sale prices range from16,000 to 26,000 baht, dependingon the size, composition andbrand.”

Boards were originally verylarge, heavy affairs made fromsolid wood, but more recent tech-nology has allowed board weightto drop as they are made withfoam coated with fiberglass.“NSP and Watercooled are the

most durable surfboard brands,”he said, while tropical-style surf-board wax is best for Phuket’swarm temperatures.

K. Kho, who won thirdplace in last year’s surf competi-tion in Kamala, said he is prepar-ing for this year’s competition andis busy practicing with his friends.

The competition has alreadyattracted surfers from Japan,South Africa, Sweden, Singapore,Australia and Malaysia registeredfor the event. Registration clos-es August 31.

Despite the stiff competi-tion, K. Kho said he will not missout, because, as he says, “Thewave is like a pretty girl that Iwill go meet, and it’s the samefeeling as getting to know her.”

For more information on the surfcompetition see the bulletin onthe Gazette website or visitwww.karoncity.com (Thai lan-guage only), or call PhuketBoardriders Club K. Wallop atTel: 086-9521393.

WAVE HELLOKoh, who finished second in last year’s Kata Surfing Contest,practices for this year’s contest, to be held from August 31to September 2. Photo by Caleb Henderson. The Kata Krew pose with their boards and rashguards at Kata Beach.

By Pathomporn Kaenkrachang

F E A T U R E S20 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Where fictionbites real hard

LOW SEASON? WHAT LOW SEASON? Englishman Terry (2nd from left) and the staff of the El Tel’s speedboat charter service celebratetheir launch with a trip to Koh Kai Nai with Angus O’Tool’s Irish Pub GM John Young (in white shirt) and his family, and other friends.

The state of the environ-ment has been verymuch on my mind. A re-cent news article in the

Nation referred to it simply as“the global environmental crisis”.

That got me thinking about– and I may be dating myself abit here – Supertramp’s fourthalbum, Crisis? What Crisis?

The cover of that albumpretty much sums it up: some self-pleased chap happily sunning him-self under a parasol in his back-yard amidst smoke-belchingmounds and industrial waste.

So is all this talk about glo-bal warming really anything new?Has the “global environmentalcrisis” finally arrived – or was italready here back in 1975 whenthat album was released?

One of the movies current-ly playing on local cable networksis the 2006 science fiction come-dy Idiocracy by Mike Judge, thesame man who gave the worldthe animated series Beavis andButthead and King of the Hill,as well as the excellent film Of-fice Space.

As in his previous works,the target of Judge’s dark come-dy is American society – moreprecisely, a dumbed-down ver-sion 500 years in the future, afterintelligence levels have taken aterrible turn for the worse overnumerous generations when onlythe feeble-minded bothered toprocreate.

Not surprisingly, the Englishlanguage has also been dumbeddown, to hilarious effect, and themost popular TV show is Ass, afull-feature film that consists ofnothing more than a close-upview of man’s buttocks farting.

Remarkably, the anteced-ents of some of the events thattranspire in Judge’s cynical visionof the future bear some resem-blance to Phuket in 2007.

For a start, just about every-one in 2505 – including the USPresident – is decked out in roundoversized pendants hanging by achains from their necks. While itwas more likely intended as a shot

at rappers like Public Enemyhype-man Flavor Flav, the styleisn’t too far from what is beingseen a lot in these parts recentlywith the explosion in the trade ofJatukarm Ramathep amulets.

A major historical event re-ferred to in Idiocracy is theGreat Garbage Avalanche of2505. Given the continual pile-upof garbage around the hopeless-ly overburdened incinerator at

Saphan Hin – and the failure ofthe government to take any stepsto fund a second burner – onewonders how long we will haveto wait for the same type of thingto happen here. Then again if youare someone trying to make a liv-ing raising fish down that way,perhaps it already has.

Yet another problem con-fronting humanity 500 yearsdown the road is that energydrinks – instead of water – arebeing used to irrigate crops, withpredictable results. It may be abit of a stretch, but the ludicrousinefficiency ofdoing that re-minds me of thed e s a l i n a t i o nplant in Karonthat is designedto use millions ofbaht of electric-ity to pump wa-ter up out of thesea, up a hill, treat it to drinkingwater quality – and then mix it inwith non-potable water from tinmines before piping it to the pub-lic for consumptions. And all thisis during the monsoon season,when hundreds of thousands ofcubic meters of naturally purifiedwater falls on the island every dayand into the sea.

Of course, at last report thepeople running the desal planthadn’t figured out how to keepthe plant running continuouslyenough to produce all the seawa-ter they were contracted to treat.It seems to me that if they aregoing to go through all that effort

why stop with just pure water.Maybe they should open up abrewery there as well. The mindboggles.

El Tel afloat: With tourism, thesole key industry in Phuket thereare still lots of places where youcan get back to nature. Terry,former owner of UK Bar on Pa-tong’s Soi Dongtal, has fully re-furbished a 38-foot fiberglassSEAT speedboat, equipped it withtwin 225-hp Honda outboardsand launched the El Tel’s charterboat operation out of Ao Por.

C h a r t e rrates are rea-sonable, thecrew is courte-ous and capable,and we had apleasant after-noon trip out toKor Kai Nai inPhang Nga Bay,

where a buffet spread was setup on the tiny beach.

The scene was such that Ialmost expected to see HerveVillechaize (aka Nick Nack)walk around the corner of the tinyisland with a bottle of champagneon a serving tray and a towel onhis arm, as he did in the Man withthe Golden Gun.

Fortunately, the El Telspeedboat has an enormous cool-er filled with drinks of every de-scription, including Heineken forme, Spy for the ladies and softdrinks for the kids. Prices arevery reasonable, at 70 baht forall small beers and 130 baht for a

can of Strongbow cider.As I snorkeled around tiny

Kor Kai Nai, a small bird kept div-ing down on me, threatening topeck me – maybe he thought I wasMoby Dick, the great white whale.After a few swoops he would re-treat to his tree back on the island.What the hell is his problem? Iwondered. I thought menacingbirds only appeared in AlfredHitchcock movies, not real life.

Later I realized it wasprobably a swiftlet, sick of peo-ple clamoring up the rock andstealing its nest to make bird’snest soup – can’t say I blamehim.

El Tel’s service is well setup with life preservers and it isideal for everything from familyoutings to booze cruises. Pricesfor a full day out – 9:30 am toabout 5:30 pm – start somewherein the vicinity of 25,000 baht,though the actual cost dependson where you want to go andhow much fuel it will take to getthere.

The El Tel boat has enoughfuel capacity and fresh water(200 liters) to go all the way outto the Similan Islands for a fullday of snorkeling, though at thistime of year it might be best tostick to Phang Nga Bay.

For more information, con-tact affable Englishman Terry atTel: 081-0868141 or emaileltelsboat@yahoo.com

Send queries, comments andcriticisms to stoolpigeon@phuketgazette.net

F E A T U R E SJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 21

THANKS FOR ALLTHE COMPLIMENTS

Acouple of weeks ago Iwent to a swankyparty in London in agreat dress I had

bought for the occasion. Proudlyholding my own among the beau-tiful people, I was faring quitewell until someone told me that Ilooked stunning and I cracked, “Ido? It must be the dress – it’s aflattering shape.”

I always do this. Wheneveranyone pays me a compliment Isquirm and respond with some-thing far from a gracious accep-tance. Over the years I haveturned this into a fine art, perfect-ing three types of rebuttal.

I sometimes fob it off witha self-deprecating comment – “Ilove your coat.” “What? This oldthing? It was a tenner at a sec-ondhand shop.”

Or I may question its accu-racy – “I like your haircut.” “Youdo? Don’t you think it makes melook severe?”

I may also quietly take of-fense – “You look like you’ve lostweight.” “So are you saying thatI’m usually fat?”

It’s not confined to my ap-pearance either. I can shrug offa well-meaning comment aboutanything from my work to a newlydecorated room in the house.When my boss told me the otherday that he thought I’d done agood job on something, I appar-ently just snarled at him.

None of this, of course, isfair on the person paying the com-pliment. Boyfriends or partnersusually enter a danger zonewhenever they say somethingnice.

Most of us complimentdodgers don’t try to just rebuff itwith “That’s as may be,” but willusually try to produce evidenceagainst it. How many times haveyou had something like, “You lookgorgeous,” said to you and you’veeither slapped your belly or triedto find traces of cellulite to trumphim?

I don’t think I’m alone inthis. My friend’s artist husbandgave her a Valentine’s card witha portrait he’d drawn of her morethan 15 years ago.

Inside he had written, “Athing of beauty is a joy forever”.She told him he needed his eyestested.

Why are we like this? It’spartly a lack of confidence. Wefeel we are not worthy, which canset off a knee-jerk response – abit like apologizing after bumpinginto a lamppost. There is an ele-

ment of false modesty as well.We think that there’s some vir-tue in being humble and don’t liketo be seen blowing our own trum-pets.

It’s just not British (or Greekfor that matter) that are self-ef-facing and suspicious, but it isunlike the Americans who aremasters at receiving – and pay-ing – compliments.

One girl I know who re-cently moved to New York washorrified when her three-year-olddaughter came home from nurs-ery school carrying a banner thatdeclared, “I am a beautiful per-son”.

It does seem that compli-ment awkwardness is a peculiarlyfemale trait. In my experience,

there are a lot of men who don’tseem to suffer from the sameaffliction. Not only do they en-courage compliments, but theyalso do a pretty good job at flat-tering themselves while they’reat it.

How many times have youbeen stuck in a conversation witha man who, by the end of it, hasleft you in no doubt about howgreat he is (but has hardly askedanything about you)?

Saying that, there is a rarebreed of woman who can acceptcompliments graciously. I’m sureHelen of Troy didn’t tell the troopsto stop being daft and go back toGreece. Nor did Cleopatra scoff

when Mark Antony told her shelooked beautiful.

My friend Julia smiles se-renely when anyone tells her sheis gorgeous, but this is also awoman who admits that the onlypart of her body she doesn’t likeis her eyebrows.

Sadly, like most other wo-men I know, I find it easier tobelieve the bad reviews ratherthan the good ones. I collect in-sults like trophies.

I’m still smarting about the“jokey” comparison my friend’shusband made between the bustyBritish model Jordan and me inmy Baywatch-style swimsuit lastyear. And the truck driver whoshouted out, “You could feed theThird World with those,” mayhave made me laugh, but I’venever forgiven him.

Then there’s the back-handed compliment. A friend ofmine, Jo, was once the recipientof a spectacular one when shewas traveling in Mexico as a stu-dent with a leggy blonde friendof hers named Kristen.

One night they were ser-enaded by two waiters they hadmet. Every song was aboutKristen and what a dream wo-man she was, with a line tackedon to the end of each verse like,“And Jo, you’re not bad either”.It has taken her 10 years to seethe funny side.

I know, though, that how-ever much I dismiss them, I wouldmiss compliments if they weren’tthere. After all, why else wouldone spend ages getting ready togo out? Which is why I’ve decidedto change my ways. Next timesomeone says I look great, I won’traise a quizzical eyebrow or curlup my lip. Instead, I’ll just flash awinning smile and say “Thankyou,” politely.

Ambrosia Sakkadas, a UK-bornGreek Cypriot and graduate ofCentral St Martins College ofArt & Design in London, is anartist, designer and newspapercolumnist. Her first novel, GreekGirls Don’t Cry, is available fromamazon.com

AMBROSIA’S

SECRETSamb

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Photo by Peter Duhon

22 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

T A K E A B R E A KJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 23

The Cryptic Crossword

Compiled by Tortuus. © 2007

PPPPPUZZLESUZZLESUZZLESUZZLESUZZLES

Solution, tips andcomputer program at

www.sudoku.com

Sudoku is very simple: each row, each column and each “box” ofnine squares within the puzzle must contain all the numbers from1 to 9 with, naturally, no repetitions. Beware: there is only onesolution to this puzzle, which is on the next page.

EZ TRIVIA QUIZ

RhymeTime

ACROSS

1. On the beach, star flyerbelonging to girl? (10)

6. Ache, seemingly, for pieceof glass. (4)

9. Clubs prisoner's restraints.(5)

10. Manner sounds self-important. (4)

12. Relaxing places inmountainous passes. (4)

13. Look at center of storm.(3)

15. Are as acres, perhaps. (5)16. In net, Tony confused

insignificant person. (9)17. Jug is for lamb's dam.

Right? (4)19. Mystify, stupid! Located.

(9)22. Part-time workers dead in

patterns. (9)24. Exemplary little protest.

(4)27. Relax, Dane replaced

great chap. (9)29. Beach in Nebraska? (5)31. Appendage that can be

lent. (3)32. Almost smote tiny speck.

(4)33. God! O what a noise! (4)34. Moved carefully -

approval in two directions.(5)

35. Crooked line of river. (4)36. Evangelist's position. (10)

Down

1. Bad risks to eat inprovince. (8)

2. Look back soon to theeast. (5)

3. Put a value on donkeys atthe bend. (6)

4. Have indefinite number inharbor. (5)

5. Wickedness, in part. (3)

Hidden in the grid below are the traditional names of 20stars. The words may read vertically, horizontally or

diagonally. They may also read right-to-left or down-to-up. Score: 10 or more, good; 15 or more, very good; 20,

excellent.

Hidden Words

P R J E A W G W J S I B S C B

L G W S Z C E P M U U T F F Q

A E M U I S P I C A Z N B S L

X J G E U R Z V B F A S U M W

C O E G B D A C R R R L E R L

A O G L G N P L A V U R W E C

U U L E Q G J B O G O X G A W

U K G T R U E V E P E I N Y X

U Q L E X D C R E F R O A J G

L X G B L A Y A J G P J S X I

A L A A L P A C S U A I A Q Z

S A J R G V D L S T C Z R N L

V D T B P A K I C Y O K C O A

K C O C A E P S A Y B R D Y R

L O G L A O L E C V O E O C P

O L Q A R C T U R U S N Y O A

T A C Z I A B R K X A Y E R O

B P V L D N R U Y Z M K A P D

E O G X T T R R S I R I U S Q

N L L B O A S J N F A I V A P

E L V Z W R E A Z F O J T C N

D U B G Y E B I L E H C K P I

C X B A G S C D P T B E N S H

D A P Q E V O W I B A C B R N

L B Z Y I E R E A C X T R Z W

Solution on next page

The words or phrasesdescribed below allrhyme with “once”.

What are they?

1. Chases.2. Opposes head-on.3. Takes the edge

off.4. Gruff noises.5. Insults.6. Kicks.7. Stupid student.8. Dangerous stuff

in movies.9. Undersized

piglets.10. Revolutionary

groups.

Answers on next page

1. Outside which city arethe Pyramids?

2. In which country is theancient abandoned cityof Petra?

3. How many yards arethere in a mile?

4. What kind of creatureshave compound eyes?

5. Which creatures arebelieved to bedescended fromdinosaurs?

Answers on next page

Solution on next page

6. What is the capital ofEthiopia?

7. Which is the odd oneout: rat, weasel,capybara, beaver.

8. Which Thai city isfamed for its birdpark?

9. Which country lies tothe east of Lithuania?

10. Which countryformerly had the ticalas its currency?

7. A very quiet fastenerreturned to middle of icermachine. (9)

8. Attempts scholarlyexercises. (6)

11. To make lion beg is mean-spirited. (7)

14. In mess of data… (4)18. …find direction for the

French type of patient -it's natural. (9)

20. Without backup, UnitedNations helped. (7)

21. Faint-hearted, yet firmwith sick-room student?

Yes. (8)23. Sounds like two-of-a-kind

fruit. (4)25. Little Sarah gets my

French fish. (6)26. Carried nothing to the

country. (6)28. Leases damaged, to a

point. (5)30. A drink keeps cardinal on

board. (2, 3)33. Resistance? Oh my!

Almost. (3)

Scribble Space

T A K E A B R E A K24 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Puzzle

Solutions

ACROSS

1. Silk fabric.5. Ale.7. Extinct bird.8. Phang Nga Bay

transport.9. Tracking

device.12. Rhyme writers.15. Id counterpart.16. “Finish your

food!”19. Restaurant lists.23. Eighth month.

Get your brainin gear with

The Monster Quiz

Quick Crossword

Solution to this

week’s CrypticCrossword

Solution to this

week’s Sudoku

puzzle

Solution to this

week’s QuickCrossword

EZ Trivia Answers1. Cairo; 2. Jordan; 3. 1,760; 4. Insects and crusta-ceans; 5. Birds; 6. Addis Ababa. 7. Weasel - theothers are rodents; 8. Chai Nat; 9. Belarus; 10.Thailand.

Monster Quiz Answers1. About 700 kilograms; 2. Last year; 3. ThePassenger Pigeon; 4. Up to 20 centimeters; 5.About 1.5 metres. 6. Mauritius; 7. 80 years; 8.Khao Nor Chu Chi, Krabi; 9. Up to 200 centi-meters at the shoulder; 10. About 200 kilograms;11. Indefatigable Island in the Galapagos Islands;12. Up to 3 meters; 13. Up to 84 millimeters; 14.The zebra; 15. Gecko; 16. Terrible beast; 17. 1.8million years; 18. They no longer exist in the wild,but only in captivity; 19. Off the Chalumna River,South Africa; 20. The dragonfly.

Rhyme Time Answers1. Hunts; 2. Confronts; 3. Blunts; 4. Grunts; 5.Affronts; 6. Punts; 7. Dunce; 8. Stunts; 9. Runts;10. Fronts.

Puzzle

Solutions

1. The largest rodent everwas Phoberomys patter-soni, which lived about 8million years ago. Howmuch did it weigh?

2. When was the Biaji, orYangtze River Dolphin,declared extinct?

3. It was once probably themost common bird inNorth America. By 1914it was extinct. What wasit?

4. How long were the teethof saber-toothed cats?

5. Percrocuta was the larg-est hyena ever. How longwas it?

6. The dodo, the ultimatesymbol of man’s ability toexting-uish species, livedon which island?

7. How many years separat-ed the dodo’s discoveryfrom its extinction?

Solution below right

DOWN

2. Hawaiiangreeting.

3. Good smell.4. Boot the ball.5. Strummable

instrument.

Hidden WordsSOLUTION

+ + + E + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + S + + + + + + + + + + ++ + + U I S P I C A + N + S ++ + + E + R + + + + A + U M ++ + + G + + A + + R + L E + L+ + + L + + + L A + U R + E C+ + + E + + + B O G O + G A ++ + + T + + E V E P + I N + ++ + + E + D C R E + R O + + ++ + + B L + + A + G P + + + ++ + + A + + A + S U A + + + ++ + + + + + + L S T + + + N ++ + + + + + + + C + O + + O +K C O C A E P + + Y + R + Y +L O G L A + + + + + O + + C ++ + + A R C T U R U S N + O ++ + + + + A + + + + + + E R +B P + + + N + + + + + + + P +E O + + + T + + S I R I U S +N L + + + A S + + + + + + + +E L + + + R + A + + + + + + +D U + + + E + + L + + + + + ++ X + + + S + + + T + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + A + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

8. Gurney’s Pitta wasthought to be extinct in1952, but was rediscover-ed in 1986. Where?

9. The pygmy mammoth,which lived on an islandoff what is now California,died out about 12,000 yearsago. How tall was it?

10. The Cyprus dwarf ele-phant, which died outabout 11,000 years ago,weighed how much?

11. The Darwin’s Rice Ratdied out about 1930.Where did it live?

12. The largest bird of preyever is thought to havebeen Haast’s Eagle inNew Zealand. What wasits wingspan?

13. The largest earwig everwas the St Helena ear-wig. How long was it?

14. The quagga is an extinctsub-species of whichAfrican animal?

15. At 40 centimeters long,the extinct Phelsuma wasthe largest type of what?

16. The largest land mammalknown to have existedwas the Deinotherium, akind of elephant. Whatdoes the name mean?

17. Roughly how long ago didman’s probable ancestor,homo habilis, die out?

18. What do the Scimitar Or-yx and the Egyptian Bar-bary Sheep have in com-mon?

19. Living examples of theCoelacanth, believed tohave died out 300,000years ago, were discover-ed in 1938. Where?

20. Meganeura, which thriv-ed 300 million years ago,had a wingspan of about75 centimeters. What isits modern relative?

Answers below, left

24. Make pictureswith acid.

25. Internetlanguage.

26. Old Faithful,eg.

6. Throw out.9. Fish eggs.10. Part of

Morse code.11. Sales agent.12. Little dog, in

short.13. A long time.14. Help!17. Grown-up.18. Normal.20. Foe.21. Mother’s

brother.22. Male deer.

F E A T U R E SJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 25

Off theSHELFBy James Eckardt

A tale of lightning-fast heroism

EVENTS CALENDAR www.phuketgazette.net/calendar

Hampton Sides has produced acleverly plotted, deeply re-searched, brilliantly written ac-count of a once-famous raid

during World War II that has long beenforgotten.

Ghost Soldiers (Anchor Books,New York, 2002, 344pp) is the story of aJanuary 1945 rescue mission by 121 ArmyRangers of 513 American prisoners of warin the Philippines, emaciated survivors ofthe Bataan Death March who weresnatched to freedom from right under thenoses of thousands of Japanese troops.

A prologue tells of the grim fate ofanother group of prisoners of war, 150slave laborers on an airstrip in Palawanwho were herded by their Japanese cap-tors into air raid shelters, doused with gas-oline and set alight.

Survivors were hunted down andshot but a few managed to escape toAmerican lines. Fears that another mas-sacre would happen at Cabanatuan Campin Luzon led to the launch of the comman-do raid to free them.

Based on a host of interviews, Sidesalternates the accounts of the three-yearordeal of the prisoners of war with thepreparations and flawless execution of therescue mission by the Rangers and theirFilipino guerrilla allies.

The Filipinos were essential to thesuccess of the mission, providing food,transport, intelligence and firepower.

While the Americans entered thecamp to free the prisoners, the guerrillasblocked Japanese reinforcements from

coming from both approaches of a nearbyhighway. They killed hundreds. Despite the“Asia for Asians” propaganda, they hadsuffered bitterly under Japanese occupa-tion and entered the battle against the Im-perial Army with vengeful glee.

“They fired with a hatred and a ven-geance that had steeped in three years ofmostly unexceptional resentments,” Sideswrites.

“For the Rangers, the killing was anecessary and perhaps momentarily en-joyable but not especially gratifying aspectof the mission; for the Filipinos it was per-sonal, tribal, national; they considered it ablessing of fate, long overdue, to strikeback at the invaders with all they couldbring to bear.”

On the other side of the wire, Sidescarefully chronicles the boredom, starva-tion, disease, random killings and psycho-logical torment of the POWs.

“Rumormongering was an assidu-ously practised sport around camp,” he

reports. “The rumors spread even fasterthan disease. At times it seemed that Ca-banatuan was composed of 50 percentpathological liars and 50 percent naifswho’d believe anything. People made stuffup for the fun of it – just to see what wouldhappen, just to track the stories and mar-vel at how they would warp and twist andevolve.”

Many prisoners owed their lives toan unlikely savior. Code-named “HighPockets”, American Claire Philips passedherself off as a Filipina of Italian extrac-tion named Dorothy Clara Fluentes.

She ran a racy Manila nightclub for

Japanese officers called the Tsubaki Club.Here she ran a Mata Hari-type spy ringand smuggled lifesaving medicine and oth-er supplies to the POW camp. Even thoughshe was captured and tortured by the Jap-anese secret police, she managed to sur-vive the war.

The plot rises in suspense to themoment the Rangers open fire on the Jap-anese barracks, pillboxes and guard tow-ers of Cabanatuan Camp. Sides describesthe moment brilliantly:

“If the slaughter could have beenviewed without sound, one might havebeen disposed to call it beautiful. In an in-stant, the entire fence line lit up in a coro-na of frenetic glitters soon numbering inthe thousands, each burst crisp and dis-crete against the black night. The orangeflashes came in pleasingly random and in-scrutable patterns like the semaphore offireflies in a dense forest. Occasionallygold stars streaked across the field andended abruptly in warm blooms of yellowand vermilion, leaving the sky trails ofsmoke.

“Yet the sounds, shrill and fulminant,were at odds with the majestic visuals –splintering bamboo, the whine of strayslugs, glass fracturing into shards, splat-ters of pulversized dirt. The blunt soundbullets make when they enter flesh, send-ing up aerosol clouds of blood.”

And the prisoners were suddenly offon a Life March rather than a DeathMarch, 30 miles to the American lines andfreedom. This is a rousing tale of heroismgone right.

July 28. Wine ConnectionWine Tasting.

Enjoy a pleasant Saturdayevening with six different wines,tapas buffet and live band in agreat atmosphere at BangtaoPlace from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm.Only 350 baht. The wine bar andbistro will also host an open lunchand dinner every Sunday fromAugust 5 and can accommodateany party. For further informationcontact Pascal (Tel: 087-889-6074; Email: fb.phuket@wineconnection.co.th).

Until August 4. Phuket Flow-er Show.

Don’t miss the final days ofthis year’s bloomin’ marvelousPhuket Flower Show, hosted bythe Phuket Provincial AgricultureOffice. The show is taking placeat Saphan Hin, open daily from8:30 am to 10:30 pm.

Visitors will also be able tolearn everything there is to knowabout hydroponics (gardeningwithout soil) and there will be anexhibition about sufficiency econ-omy as well as exhibitions show-ing how to arrange flowers andplants. Tel: 076-216565 or 076-221602.

Until July 31. Third HalalFood Hilal Town.

The third Halal Food HilalTown festival is again being heldat the field, about one kilometerwest of the Heroines’ Monument,where Phuket’s Heroines led lo-cals to victory over an invadingBurmese army.

Highlights of the festival in-clude a variety of food stalls, allprepared to Halal requirements;local Muslim gourmet cookingcontests and a spectacular lightand sound show telling the tragicstory of the legendary PrincessMahsuri at 8 pm every evening.

For details, visit www.phuketcity.org or www.tourismthailand.org, or call 076-354204or 076-212213. For package tourswith transfers, call 076-377773.

Every Sunday. Brunch at theMangosteen Resort and Spa.

Specialty brunches everySunday from 11 am to 3 pm, witha continental brunch on July 29.Only 499 baht net, with the first20 bookings each week payingjust 399 baht net. With a half-bottleof wine, the charge is 950 bahtnet. For more information callChristophe Lopez at 076-289399or email: info@mangosteen-phuket.com

July 29. Asarnha Bucha Day– Public Holiday.

This full-moon day of theeighth lunar month commemo-rates the Buddha’s first sermonto his first five disciples after at-taining Enlightenment more than2,500 years ago.

July 30. Buddhist Lent Day(Khao Pansa) – Public Holi-day.

Khao Pansa marks the be-ginning of the annual three-monthRains Retreat during which Bud-dhist monks customarily stay at

a particular temple to study andmeditate.

August 3. Weekly party atBYD Lofts, Soi Andaman, Pa-tong.

DJ Eddie plays his music asusual, scores of gorgeous ladiesand passable dudes strut theirstuff. Heineken draft beers at 90baht net. All other libations soldat net prices. Exquisite free tapas,free occasional shooters. Firsttwo groups of three to six ladiesqualify for the usual free bottleof wine or scotch and mixers.Prize for most weirdly decked-out personality.

Great for networking, meet-ing cool people, old friends, newfriends and so on. 8 pm to 11:30pm.

For further information con-tact Stephan (Tel: 076-3430247;Email: manager@bydlofts.com)or visit www.bydlofts.com

August 6-11. Laguna PhuketSummer Music Camp.

The Laguna Phuket MusicCamp will feature free work-shops open to any act, talent oraudio-visual crew. Talent will in-clude musicians, bands, vocalists,soloists, dancers, DJs and mediajocks. Music genres will rangefrom rock to rap.

There will be live perfor-mances on August 11 from 7:30pm to 9:30 pm at the LagunaHoliday Club Resort by talent in-volved in the workshops andYRock Pop winners Ghost Soul-jah and Dani & Maren from

Hong Kong. For details, emailbelmike@netvigator.com

August 12. HM The Queen’sBirthday – Public Holiday.

HM The Queen’s Birthdayis also known as Thailand’s“Mother’s Day.” Since this fallson a Sunday this year, MondayAugust 13 will be a substitutepublic holiday.

August 19. Meditation re-treat.

Free monthly meditation re-treats on the third Sunday of ev-ery month from 1:30 pm to 3 pmat Wang Kung restaurant, locat-

ed behind Suan Luang Park inPhuket City.

The sessions will include anintroduction to meditation, relax-ation exercises and meditationpractice, as well as a questionand answer period.

Instruction is provided byEnglish-speaking Thai monks andpeople of all nationalities and re-ligions are welcome to attend.

For more information call081-3704005, 089-6476424 or087-2838185; email: mananya@hotmail.com or poolsuk@asianpremier.com; or visit www.meditationthai.org

E D I T O R I A L & L E T T E R S26 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

- Since 1994 -

367/2 Yaowarat Rd, AmphurMuang, Phuket 83000Tel: 076-236555Fax: 076-213971Email: info@phuketgazette.net

The Gazette is pleased to receive mail from read-ers. Please write to us at 367/2 Yaowarat Rd,Amphur Muang, Phuket 83000, fax to 076-213971or send an email to editor@phuketgazette.net

with your views for publication in our next issue.We reserve the right to edit all letters. Pseud-onyms are acceptable only if your full name andaddress are supplied.

Letters

Letters conveying views and suggestions are published here. Those seeking comment from governmentofficials and/or business owners are published in Issues & Answers on the facing page.

Editor: Parichat UtintuManaging Editor: Chris Husted

Editorial Consultant: Alasdair ForbesNews Editor: Stephen Fein

Chief Reporter: Sangkhae LeelanapapornEditorial Team: Natcha Yuttaworawit, Janyaporn Morel,

Sompratch Saowakhon, Supanun Supawong, Semacote Suganya,Zach Fridell, Ryan Nerone, Matt Crook.

Managing Director: Oranee PienprasertkulGeneral Manager: Niladaa Mastanawattanakul

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The views expressed in the Phuket Gazette are those of the writers and contributorsand do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher, the editor, the shareholders, or thedirectors of The Phuket Gazette Co Ltd.

The rise in the bahtis gonna hurt…

New bus stationoffers opportunity

Market ceiling worthshouting about

– The Editor

The announcement from the Phuket Provincial Transport Office(PPTO) that the agency is one step closer to moving Phuket’s mainbus terminal outside Phuket City is long-overdue good news for theisland’s public transport network.

While Phuket’s tourism and real estate sectors have surgedahead in recent decades and swelled the island’s population, retardeddevelopment in public transport over the same period has left thepublic bus system woefully inadequate to meet the needs of Phuketresidents – let alone the millions of tourists who travel here fromaround the globe.

Thai and foreign tourists consistently name the island’s trans-port syndicates and the unsafe, overpriced services they offer aschief complaints about their holidays in Phuket. Some tourists be-come so fed up with the situation that they end their holidays herevowing never to return. This hurts the island’s image and its entiretourism industry, including the transport sector itself.

Local residents also suffer. With no other option, they are forcedto buy motorcycles or cars, thus creating traffic, noise and road dan-gers. Our collective failure to establish a good public transport sys-tem also results in a waste of fuel and unnecessarily high greenhousegas emissions for the size of the population.

If the PPTO gets the required funding from the Transport Min-istry – a big if given the current political situation – the provincialgovernment should take the opportunity to help break the strangle-hold these syndicates continue to have on public transport.

This needs to be done even though it will fly in the face of thespeculators who are no doubt rubbing their palms together in greedyanticipation of how they will use the new station to their own benefit,legally or otherwise.

It is clear that although the plan to retain the old bus station asthe main depot for local buses, vans and songtaew will no doubtbenefit many Phuket City residents, it will do nothing for people whowant to reach west coast destinations by public transport from otherparts of the island.

The new station needs a bus service linking it to the west coastfrom the outset, before the syndicates have a chance to muscle theirway in and prevent it from happening.

The weekend market is great...ifyou’re not taller than a broom-stick. I’m all for saunteringaround doing a bit of late-nightshopping, grabbing a bite to eatand watching all the cute girlsstrut by, but who came up withthe idea of covered walkways formidgets?

If I’m not being chased byangry poodles or colliding withother confused shoppers, I’m bentover double trying to crawl myway through the maze of stalls.

It’s like a full-scale tacticalmaneuver, when all I want to dois buy is a T-shirt and a pair offlip-flops.

Someone, please, raise theroof!

Borris StringfellowPhuket

The rising baht is going to hurtThailand in many areas.

Thailand’s economy de-pends on tourism and it is obvi-ous that as the baht rises, manypotential visitors will decide to goelsewhere.

Expats retired here on fixedincomes will also be hurt andmany will have to cut back onpurchases, while some will not beable to meet the retirement visafees and be forced to leave.

I have been coming to Thai-land for six years now, staying forperiods of five to eight months. Itis costing me 20% more to stayin Thailand now and I cannot af-ford it.

I had plans to buy a condoor house, plans that I have nowbeen forced to abandon. In thesix months I will stay this year Iwill contribute 500,000 baht to theThai economy.

If the baht keeps rising I willnot be back next year and thereare many like myself consideringthe same.

All of these factors are go-ing to pull money out of Thailand’seconomy. Prices in Thailand havenot gone down relative to the ris-ing baht. My rent remains thesame; the price of food remainsthe same; and the motorcycle Iwas going to purchase has re-mained at the same price too.

All these factors, along withthe import/export problems, willbegin to have detrimental effectson Thailand as a whole. Ofcourse some individuals will ben-efit, but Thailand will see itseconomy slip away.

Thailand cannot survive onthe few wealthy tourists or expatswho come here. Adjustments

Do you have an opinion you want to share?Email editor@phuketgazette.net

have to be made in visa and com-modity pricing and baht controlsneed to be implemented.

MarkPatong

In defence of a friendAfter reading the story aboutFrank Witzel (Gazette, p. 1, July14), I felt compelled to write thisletter. Frank is a good person, andso say many Thai people whoknow him.

After I retired, he hired Thaiarchitect Pytoon Tongcheed, whohad previously worked for me,and gave the engineering work toK. Pytoon’s brother, K. Ban-therng. They worked from hissketches and drew the plans andsigned for the building permit.

Frank did provide sketchesof the project, but every clientprovides the architect withsketches of some sort, otherwise

the architect would not have a cluewhat to design. Every architectand engineer must sign the planshe draws up, and this is forbid-den to a foreigner – but Frank didnot sign off on the plans, so he isnot the architect.

When he was arrested theauthorities said he was “working”because he was showing whereto lay PVC pipes, but as an in-vestor, surely he is allowed topoint where he wants the pipes.Otherwise not a single investorwould be able to even visit thesite of their investment – becausethis would be called work.

I wonder how the officersknew exactly when and whereFrank would be at the site? I hada work permit for five years andI was never visited at work.

Frank’s work permit wasrevoked because the accountantwas late in filing the renewal ap-plication, which was due on theFriday because the Labor Officewas closed on the bank holidayMonday.

I visited Frank in jail. Mywife and I brought him some de-cent food. Frank told me that hislawyer suggested pleading guiltyso he could get out of prisonquickly and that the fine wouldbe about 3,000 baht. I told Franknot to do so, but he said that hewould reach out for any straw toclimb out of that prison hole.

When I visited him againtwo days later, three lawyers,each from a different firm, werethere for Frank to sign over whatmoney he had left in Thailand –and to pay lawyers’ bills. It musthave been the most humiliatingexperience of his life.

Please tell the press to printthis in Thai as well. Many Thaisknow Frank is a nice guy.

Innocent bystander,Phuket

P E R S P E C T I V E SJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 27

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

In his seventh in a series ofmonthly letters to Phuket

residents, Phuket Governor NiranKalayanamit talks about his

recent trip to Japan, an idea thatwould allow British technology totackle the island’s waste disposal

problem, tourism developmentplans and beach safety.

Compiled by Gazette Chiefreporter Sangkhae

Leelanapaporn and traineeAnand Singh.

One of the main reasonsfor our visit to Japanwas to promote tour-ism to Phuket. This

time we visited Fukuoka, Tokyoand Osaka.

We are trying to open a di-rect flight route between Fukuo-ka and Phuket. Thai Airways hadbeen asked to serve this route, butafter the tsunami the plan was puton hold.

At the moment, Thai Air-ways is not ready to serve thisroute because of a shortage ofaircraft, so we have suggestedthat Bangkok Airways take upthis route instead and they willstart from May next year.

This new development willprove very beneficial to tourismbecause Japanese tourists havevery high purchasing power – oneof the top five by nationalityamong tourists who visit Phuket.

What they need is for us tomake it easy for them to comehere. There have never been di-rect flights from Japanese citiesto Phuket before.

Despite the fact that theywant to come to Phuket, the tran-sits make it inconvenient withthem. Usually Japanese peopleare very efficient with their time,so this development has beenvery satisfactory.

The overall number of tour-ists coming to Phuket is project-ed to rise at the end of this yearand again next year. From whatI have heard from hotel owners,bookings for this coming high sea-son have been quite good, so ifwe do not have any unforeseennegative developments, this highseason should be very good.

We got some very positivefeedbacks from the road shows.We held them in the big cities inJapan and in each city the turn-out was very good. Fukuoka, be-ing the smallest of the three cit-

ies, still drew more than a hun-dred people, so we can say thatit was very successful.

During the road show wepresented the Japanese audiencewith the image of Phuket, includ-ing all the developments current-ly underway and planned, alongwith facts and figures. After eachseminar, we opened the forum forquestions and discussion.

Apart from the Phuket gov-ernment officials who attended,there were a number of privatecompanies who sent representa-tives to travel with us to promotetheir companies.

These included many golfclubs in Phuket, as well as inPhang Nga, Krabi and evenChiang Mai. Many large hotelsin Bangkok also sent representa-tives, so there were a lot of peo-ple out there doing good, profes-sional marketing work.

Another reason we had forvisiting Japan this time was to

strengthen Thai-Japanese rela-tions. As we had a lot of gener-ous donations from Japan afterthe tsunami, one purpose was toshow them how their aid moneyhad been spent.

We distributed copies of vid-eos documenting the success ofpost-tsunami reconstruction anddevelopment projects.

Trash incinerator at Saphan

Hin: Initially we were waiting forthe central government to autho-rize a budget to build a new in-cinerator to serve Phuket. Wehave been waiting for some time,since the previous government.

The situation has changedsignificantly since this govern-ment stepped in because therehas been no clear assignment ofthe state budget and the politicalsituation is still somewhat unclear.

We are not sure whetherthere will be an election soon ornot. At this point, I can clearlystate that there is no budget avail-able to carry out this project orany other megaprojects, so wehave to help ourselves for themoment. One way to solve thismay be to invite the private sec-tor to invest in this project.

There were recently somerepresentatives from a Britishcompany that expressed interestin investing in an incinerator inPhuket.

Instead of building some-thing like what we already havehere in Phuket, they are preparedto invest in an incinerator withnewer, more advanced Britishtechnology that could turn someof the rubbish into useful prod-ucts – such as tiles and fertilizer– while at the same time gener-ating electricity.

This is among the most re-cent plans that I have receivedfrom investors and is a possibleway forward. We asked him thecompany to present their ideas tolocal municipality authorities sothat they can assess the feasibil-ity of the project.

The advantage of this type

of incinerator is that it does notcost much and requires very lit-tle space to build, yet has a largeincineration capacity. It could bevery helpful in curbing the grow-ing waste disposal problem on thisisland, which is already on theverge of crisis.

Convention center saga: Wehave been discussing plans for aninternational convention facility inPhuket for a long time. We shouldsoon be able to finalize the loca-tion where this facility will bebuilt. We have two options con-cerning the land to be used: gov-ernment-owned land or privateland. Most of our choices are inthe northern part of the island,near Mai Khao Beach.

I think there is a good pos-sibility that we will be using gov-ernment-owned land because itprovides everything we need andthe size of the plot is also just right.The sea views from the plot arealso very impressive.

The reason we are planningto build this center in the north-ern part of the island is so that itwill be easier for people fromneighboring provinces such asKrabi and Phang Nga to reachthe facility.

There are also plans that areunderway for a TAT-managedsports complex built on 300 rai ofland situated very close to theconvention center, so all thesefacilities will be very closely linkedto each other for convenience.

The location we have plan-ned at the moment is quite good,but we still must hold a meetingwith the private sector to see ifthey can come up with a betterplan or location. We will givethem a chance to present alter-native locations and then we willmake a comparison.

After we have all the sug-gestions at hand, we will inviteprivate investors to come and in-vest in this project. If they wouldlike to use government-ownedland we are more than happy toprovide them with it, however if

they want to use private land thatis fine as well.

Using private land plots mayincrease the overall cost of thisproject because land prices inPhuket are very high, but it is upto the private investors to decide.This may not be a problem.

For example, one of the pri-vate enterprises that have showninterest in investing in this facilityis ING Funds. Being a multina-tional corporation, it will not be aproblem for them to raise thefunds necessary for the project.

Other investment plans: Thereare other investors that I have metwho want to invest in projectsacross Phuket. For example, Ri-pley Entertainment, Inc., havemade plans to build an aquariumhere. There have also been plansfrom foreign investors to buildcable cars, perhaps linking Karonto Patong.

Most investment projectsare directed towards tourism,however sometimes I have to in-form investors who come to mewith their plans that environmen-tal protection laws here are quitecomplicated and stringent.

It may be hard to realizemany of the projects here be-cause there are many laws inplace and many governmentagencies involved. There are lawsprotecting forests and nationalparks, even those governing howcities need to be planned, includ-ing height limitations for buildings.

They may have to gather alltheir information and resourcesand present their projects to thecentral government and see ifthey will accept it.

Beach safety: This morning[July 16] I attended a press con-ference on the recent spate ofdrownings. The department incharge say that they have all thenecessary precautions and warn-ing systems in place. We are notbeing lax on our safety standards.

Tourists who drown atbeaches go swimming despitewarnings against it and in the mostrecent cases, they were swim-ming outside designated swimzones as well.

We also have beach guardson duty all the time, but during themonsoon season the sea is veryrough and accidents happen.

The authorities have askedhotels to help inform their guestsabout beach safety and the rulesand regulations as well.

It is not just safety onbeaches that we are worriedabout. Phuket’s roads are alsoquite dangerous with accidentshappening on a regular basis.Most accidents are related tomotorbikes. Law enforcementhas to be tightened here.

Niran Kalayanamit,Governor of Phuket

Governor’sThe

Letter

A group of 10 friends will visit Phuket in September and we wouldlike to rent an 11-seater minibus totour around in. Is it legal for a for-eigner to drive a rental minibus? Ormust they hire a Thai driver?

I asked a well-known rentalcompany and they said that a for-eigner is allowed to drive a rentalminibus, but I remember reading afew years ago about a Europeanbeing fined by police when he tried to drive off Phuket in similarcircumstances.

Stuart HooperPatong

Chatchawarn Ngarmtup, chief of the Phuket Provincial Trans-port Office, replies:

Foreigners are allowed to drive rental minibuses in Thailand, ifthey have the appropriate driving license, which is different from anormal car license.

The PPTO will not issue a foreigner a full Thai bus drivinglicense, but we will issue a permit that will allow them temporarily todrive a rental minibus if they can prove to us that they have beenissued a bus driving license in their home country.

To receive the permit the foreigner must bring a current, home-country bus-driving license to the PPTO office in Saphan Hin. If noone in the group has such a license, you will have to hire a driver.

Can I drive a minibus in Thailand?

ANSWERSIssues&www.phuketgazette.net/issuesanswers/index.asp

F E A T U R E S28 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Why killing dogs is a bad idea

MAKING TRACKSBy Top Dog

Acouple of weeks ago Ireceived an inquiryfrom a Taiwan-basedReuters reporter

about stray dog control practicesin different parts of Asia.

His question was why, de-spite Taiwan capturing scores ofstrays and euthanizing them af-ter seven days (often by meth-ods such as electrocution anddrowning), there were still asmany, if not more, dogs than ever.

He wanted to know whatother methods were used in Asiaand whether any were success-ful.

The fact is that until the dogsare recognized as an ecologicalphenomenon, and the relevantecological principles are under-stood, no eradication effort of thetype used in Taiwan will ever suc-ceed.

First of all, the term “stray”is incorrect. A “stray” dog is adog that once had a home butstrayed, or was dumped.

Most of the dogs at large inAsian cities are street dogs. Theywere born on the streets and willlive their whole lives on thestreets. They may not have hadan ancestor who was a pet in4,000 years.

They often interbreed withthe pet population and cast-offex-pets augment their gene pool,but the basic population reservoirare well-habituated, quasi-feralanimals, who mostly understandhow to live among humans, yetwere never and will never be partof a human household.

Second, street dogs have arole as the largest scavenger andopportunistic predator that cancoexist with humans in an urbanhabitat. Predators larger thanstreet dogs might eat people.Street dogs are just big enoughto eat rats, chase monkeys andbe major consumers of humanfood waste.

Rival species include pigs,monkeys and feral cats. Dogsusually win out because pigs don’tdo well on paved streets, mon-keys are afraid of dogs and feral

cats tend to thrive in placeswhere the habitat no longer sup-ports dogs, but can supportsmaller, more agile rodent preda-tors in equivalent biomass.

Remove dogs from an ur-ban habitat without changing thehabitat to support fewer animalsand you get feral cats replacingthe dogs at a ratio of about threecats to one dog, as happened inthe US and Hong Kong; or in-cursions of monkeys, as has rou-tinely occurred in India and CostaRica, parts of Malaysia, and evenPhuket, among other places; orpigs, if the roads are mostly dirt.

On the whole, dogs are theeasiest species for humans to livewith.

Dogs breed at about half the

rate of feral cats and pigs, albeitfaster than monkeys. They willalso breed back up to the carry-ing capacity of the habitat (likemost mammals) within a singlereproductive cycle if at least athird of the population remain tobreed, which is why the traditionalmethods of “control” don’t work.

Thailand has tried manymethods in the past and all havefailed. Poisoning used to be wide-spread in Bangkok before HMThe King requested that the prac-tice cease, though it still goes onunofficially in some areas, includ-ing parts of Phuket.

Large dog pounds were setup around Bangkok and otherplaces including here. No officialeuthanasia policy exists at thesepounds, though with little food andno medical treatment the dogs stilldie through injury and disease.

Despite all this, the numberof street dogs never changes.

India is the only country inAsia to have achieved success atstreet dog control through its ABCprogram, which is basically thesame “capture, neuter, release”that is used here in Phuket by theSoi Dog Foundation.

Not every Indian city has anABC program, but those that do,such as Chennai, Jaipur, Visakha-patnam and Ahmedabad, areachieving excellent results.

Phuket too is starting to seethe results of the Soi Dog Foun-dation’s program. Censuses insome parts of the island indicatethat the street dog population hasfallen by more than half, and any-body who has lived here for threeyears or more should be able tonotice that there are fewer dogs

around, and those that are hereare in better condition.

The reason is quite simplythat more than 16,000 have nowbeen sterilized by the Soi DogFoundation alone.

The only way to effectivelyreduce a dog population is there-fore:

1) Reduce the reproduc-tive capacity of the dogs by ster-ilizing at least 70% of them. Youwon’t see any reduction what-soever until you cross the 70%threshold. Then you will see thenumbers suddenly start falling,and falling ever faster as yoursterilization percentage rises to80%. That is what is happeningin Phuket.

Hardly anyone ever goesbeyond 80%, not because it isn’tpossible, but be-cause people be-gin to realize thatthey’d much ra-ther have somestreet dogs thanhave pigs, feralcats and mon-keys, or worse – a plague of rats.

If the habitat is changedenough to eliminate the foodsources, the dogs disappear any-way, typically receding to just themarket areas before disappear-ing altogether.

2) Reduce the carrying ca-pacity of the habitat, through bet-ter refuse containment and re-moval. You don’t need to read the“Trashing Phuket” column of theGazette to know that Phuket hasa waste problem. Not that manyyears ago Phuket had no garbageremoval and many rural areas ofThailand still don’t.

It is normal forpeople to dump garbagein unauthorized piles ifthey are living some-where where there isno garbage removal.Even where it is orga-nized, the majority ofThai dustbins are opencontainers that make iteven easier for scaven-gers to raid.

Barely a weekgoes by without me get-

EUTHANASIA IS NOTAN OPTION: Theseyoung dogs inPhuket’s dog pound, ifthey do not find newhomes, will live outtheir lives in relativelycomfortable captivity.Since all of them aresterilized as a matterof policy, none willadd to the island’sdog population.

ting at least one call from a resi-dent or hotel complaining aboutstreet dogs in their area and ask-ing for someone to remove them.

What they fail to realize, isthat if that dog is removed an-other will simply take its place aslong as a food source exists tosustain it.

What they need to do isclean up their street or hotel sothat there is no food for the ani-mals, which will then go away.

Some areas of Phuket stillround up dogs, but surveys showthat the number of street dogs inany area does not change. It isfar better to leave them there,sterilized, so they can protect theirterritory.

Another important stepPhuket authorities should consider

is banning theimportation of alldogs that are notpersonal pets.Even though weare connected tothe mainland itwould have a

large effect.The markets and temple

fairs are full of cute puppies thathave been brought here to sell.

If they don’t sell they aresimply dumped at the nearestwat, and many that are sold areallowed to breed or dumpedwhen the owner realizes thatpuppies don’t stay cute andsmall for long.

Phuket has the opportunityto set an example for the rest ofAsia in dog control, but has leftit to the charities to carry out theoperation. Financially they can-not carry on forever.

F E A T U R E SJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 29

In The Stars by Isla Star

LEO (July 24-August 22): If you’re celebrating a birthday this weekyou can look forward to a year filled with interesting events and afocus on the realization of long-term goals. Financial luck during thecoming days will be particularly strong and new business venturesare particularly well-starred. Personal relationships will benefit fromsome extra attention; a brewing disagreement threatens to disruptharmony in the home unless you nip it in the bud.

VIRGO (August 23-September 23): If you have started to believethat luck is passing you by, you should have cause to change yourmind this week. If you really want to get ahead, be prepared to takelarger strides to cross the stepping stones. If you are in a relationshipyou will find it difficult to accept your partner’s current need forindependence. The best way to deal with this situation is to developmore interests of your own.

LIBRA (September 24-October 23): Feeling off balance is difficult.Taking care of your health and wellbeing should be a primary focusas July ends. Treating yourself to a day at a spa this weekend shouldensure that you begin August with fresh energy. A Capricorn friendwould appreciate being invited to join you. The number 6 can bringgood luck next Monday.

SCORPIO (October 24-November 22): Travel is forecast to broadenyour horizons during early August. If you have been searching for anew direction in life you ought to know what you really want afterthis experience. Where love is concerned, wearing your heart onyour sleeve is not the best way to woo a shy Gemini. Lay founda-tions for friendship to grow before expecting anything more. Thecolor azure blue helps you to focus on the present.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23-December 21): The first week ofAugust is a good time for you to plant seeds for a new career. If youhave been doubting the wisdom of making changes in your workinglife, expect to receive positive encouragement that this is the rightthing to do. Someone born under the sign of Virgo has useful adviceto give regarding a romantic dilemma. Tuesday is the best day forbargain hunting.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 20): A social whirl keeps youoccupied this week and people could expect you to be in two placesat the same time. Obviously this won’t be possible and you shouldmake it clear that a rain check is welcome to avoid upsetting some-one. Inspiration strikes on Wednesday concerning a business ven-ture that has threatened to turn sour. A romantic reunion enhancesan emotional connection; commitment is on the cards for those ofyou who are single.

AQUARIUS (January 21-February 19): A sparkling month lies aheadfor you if you need a financial boost. Although events are due tomove slower than you would like, the overall outcome will be posi-tive. As money flows toward you, it would be advisable to repayoutstanding debts as soon as possible. This week, the focus is on apersonal relationship that you would like to develop into somethingcloser. Sunday is a good day to explain how you feel.

PISCES (February 20-March 20): A change of career remains high-lighted for many of you as July turns into August. You have a goldenopportunity to take the buffalo by the horns early next week whensomeone with great influence crosses your path. Domestic issuesrequire careful handling, particularly if you’re trying to negotiate anew contract. Buying property should be delayed until later in Au-gust. The number seven can bring some good fortune on Tuesday.

ARIES (March 21-April 20): Appointments made too casually canland you in hot water this week. An agreement that you took forgranted needs to be confirmed. Your talent for being active whileothers are lounging in their hammocks comes in useful this weekend.If you’re single you are advised to let love develop in slow motion;this advice is especially relevant if you would like to get to know aLibra better. Wear peppermint green to cool your approach.

TAURUS (April 21-May 21): “Fulfillment” is the key word for you asAugust approaches. If there is still an empty space in your life, thestars are about to show you a way to transform it. Your energy levelswill be higher as stress dissolves, but it’s still important to pace your-self. If you’re single and not looking for a relationship you might findone anyway, as Cupid is about to get busy on your behalf.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21): You are advised to remember that otherpeople are perfectly entitled to have their own opinions. Many of youtake too much for granted when it comes to making agreements andthis week could bring a small business shock when things don’t gothe way you expect. Eating a small piece of humble pie will do youthe world of good even if it doesn’t taste great at the time. Numberfive comes alive on Monday.

CANCER (June 22-July 23): A crabby mood doesn’t get your week-end off to a flying start. Friends, however, will be determined to forceyou out of your shell and you are certain to benefit from some social-izing. If you have been wondering whether a certain person is inter-ested in you, expect to receive confirmation this weekend. Romanceis forecast to bloom with Scorpio, although a jealous friend may try tomake waves.

C O M P U T E R S30 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Getting tacticalwith Google

When Bill Gates firstcoined the term“information atyour fingertips” at

the Comdex computer expo in1990, he was talking about docu-ment exchange and embeddedobjects.

I recently looked up the textof his prezo (that’s “presentation”in Microspeak) and now wonderwhat the hell he was talking about.

With the proliferation of theInternet and the excellent searchengines available, we can trulysay that we have information atour fingertips – with little thanksto the hundreds of millions of USdollars that Microsoft has invest-ed on search-related technolo-gies.

I’m going to give some verybasic tips on using search engineslike Google. The point I want topound into your head is to get intothe habit of using them; Internetsearch is an incredible problem-solving and productivity-enhanc-ing tool.

When I mentor junior soft-ware developers in SoutheastAsia, I am continuously blownaway by how so few of them in-stinctively use Internet searchengines as their primary problem-solving tool, preferring instead toannoy the guy sitting in the nextcubicle.

If there’s a problem or que-ry, there is a 99.9% chance thatsomeone has encountered thesame problem, come up with asolution and made it available forothers on the Internet. All youhave to do is look for it.

Here are a few examplesfrom the past week in which Iused a search engine to get in-formation I wanted:

1. A friend forwarded mean email message sent to him andasked me if it was legit. Withinminutes using Internet search Ifound out that it was a maliciousTrojan horse program that wouldinstall itself on his computer andtake it over if he clicked on thelink.

2. I talked to a friend who

was at hospital with his child whowas diagnosed with a certain ill-ness. Within minutes I deter-mined that the illness was conta-gious and that he needed to con-tact the daycare center and noti-fy them.

3. Watching a sportingevent, I wondered “who is thisdude?” and within minutes I hadthe take on his entire sportingcareer and life history.

4. My new mobile phonedidn’t function exactly the sameas the last one I had of the samemodel; within five minutes I haddownloaded the user manual andI had my answer.

5. Some Thai history: the1992 military coup and the 1997constitution.

6. Lyrics to a song playingin my head; in this case, "Day-dream Believer" by the Monkees(for you Gen-Yers and on-the-cusp Gen-Xers who don’t knowwho the Monkees were, I was inBaghdad when you were inDad’s bag).

7. I found out who did thevoices for the Little Mermaidmovie that my kids were watch-ing.

8. When I’m watching amovie on TV I often miss the ti-tle screen. If I’m curious aboutthe movie’s name I enter in thecharacter names, an actor’snames or even a particularly mem-orable line from the movie to getresults, usually from the InternetMovie Database (IMDB.com).On that website you can alsosearch for movies that two ac-tors appeared in together, further

limiting your search.9. Wondering the origin of

the phrase “dead ringer”, whichis worthy of an explanationhere:

Ingesting lead from pewtercaused a lengthy, unconsciousstate that was often mistaken fordeath... A bell above ground wasattached to a string which randown into the coffin and was at-tached to the wrist of the de-ceased.

Someone was hired to keepwatch on the bell to quickly digup the person if the bell rang. The“dead ringer” was “saved by thebell” by someone working the“graveyard shift” (http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_bizarre_mysterious/66394).

Of course, you can’t be-lieve everything you read on theInternet and you have to get asecond and third opinion whenappropriate.

I use Google to search in-stead of the other search enginesonly because when I started us-ing search engines Google washead and heels above the others.

Now there are other excel-lent search engines like Yahooand Altavista and even “super-search engines” like www.dogpile.com that incorporate allof the top search engines intoone.

The examples I am going touse are for Google search, but ifyou think that Google is the newEvil Empire or for some otherreason don’t want to use it, thesetips can generally be applied toany of the other popular searchengines.

Google Search Thailand(www.google.co. th) is the homepage for all of my Web brows-ers; if I want information specif-ic to Thailand, then I click on the

button to search “Pages fromThailand” instead of “The Web”to narrow the focus and improvethe quality of the search results.

First, configure your Pref-erences. The important ones are“Search results per page”. Tospeed things up Iuse 100 insteadof the defaultnumber of 10.Another impor-tant option is“Language pref-erence”. I amsemi-fluent in afew languages, so I choose En-glish and those languages; if yourbetter half is Thai and you aresearching together and searchingfor information in Thailand, thenchoosing English and Thai wouldbe your best bet.

Words entered in the searchengine subject box are case in-sensitive, meaning that "PHU-KET", "Phuket" and "pHuKeT"are all the same.

In math terms, the defaultis “logical AND”, meaning that ifyou enter "phuket gold shops", itwill return documents with all ofthose words in them.

Google and other search al-gorithms place the most impor-tance on the first word you en-ter. Those that follow are takento be of decreasing importance.So "phuket gold shops" will giveyou different results than "goldshops phuket".

Plus, there’s another factor:how close together the wordsyou’ve entered: the closer thewords are together in the docu-ment, the higher the search re-sult.

Common prepositions andpronouns such as “the”, “then”,“with”, “a”, “you” and “me” aredisregarded by default.

Words that you include to-ward the end of your entry mightnot be included in the search re-sults, so if you want to force Goo-gle to include a term, you need touse the plus sign before thatword: "phuket gold shops +kar-at".

If you want a logical “OR”,"phuket town OR city gold shops"will give you results that includeboth "Phuket Town" and "PhuketCity".

One of my oft-used tacticsis to exclude terms by using theminus sign. Suppose I want goldshops on Phuket Island but not inPhuket City (or Town): "phuketgold shops -town -city".

To force a search for anexact phrase, put double quotesaround it: “Manchester City Foot-ball Club”. This will help to ex-clude websites about the city ofManchester.

For all of the hints, tips anduses of such operators, check outhttp://www.google.co.th/intl/en/help/basics.html and the linksfrom there.

Google also caches its pag-es. This means that for a certainamount of time – I am guessingit’s in months or years – it keeps acopy of the Web sites that it hascrawled through and cataloged.

So, if you click on a link thatis a search result and you get a“Page not found” message orsomething like that, check thesearch result for the underlinedword “Cached”.

Click on that and if it’s yourlucky day you’ll still find whatyou are looking for.

This feature is particularlyuseful if a company has screwed

up and postedcontent that theylater pulled fromtheir website. Ifyou want to re-trieve that infor-mation manytimes it will havebeen cached and

thus still available.Google also has a section

for image searches that use thesame search functionality, only itreturns - duh – images and pho-tographs instead of words. Asthey say, a picture can be wortha thousand words.

For example, do you knowwhat a “gable” is? An online dic-tionary might tell you it's “the gen-erally triangular section of wall atthe end of a pitched roof”.

Confused? Just enter theword “gable” into the the subjectbox at www.images.google.co.thand see for yourself.

As I said at the beginningof this column, the biggest trickby far is getting into the habit ofusing Internet search engines –if you aren’t doing so already.

If you have the Internet atyour fingertips, there’s really noexcuse for not finding the answerto any query less cosmic than,“What is the meaning of life?”

Ignacio Evans is an informationsecurity consultant based in SEAsia who tries to be in Phuketwhenever he can. Email himwith questions, complaints, orany other comments at iggy69.e@gmail.com

The Internet is the world’s best friend. Need to find a snapshot ofVictory Monument in Bangkok? Google has you covered with itsimage search. No need to dig through multiple web pages to find theshot you’re looking for.

July 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 31

B U S I N E S S & M O N E Y32 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

TALKSMONEY

By Richard G.. Watson

The current weakness ofthe US dollar was ex-pected – it was reallyjust a case of when, not

if. The US currency is at a 16-year low against the Australiandollar, a 26-year low against thepound sterling and a record lowagainst the euro. The euro, hav-ing been introduced only in 1999,is still a relative newcomer.

All these currencies haveone thing in common – their do-mestic interest rates are expectedto rise further, whereas currentUS interest rates are firmly onhold.

The US Central Bank (theFederal Reserve) is currently ina position where it cannot raiseinterest rates without risking fu-ture economic growth, and it can-not reduce them without runninginto the possibility of fueling in-flation. Instead, the US CentralBank is taking the sensible routeand holding steady, waiting forfurther economic data to give anindication as to which directionthe economy is heading. This holdon interest rate movements maylast for a long time.

Thailand and many otherAsian countries found out in 1997that when current account defi-cits eventually become too largefor too long, a day of reckoningis imminent.

The US, however, is in anentirely different situation from theemerging Asian economies of thelate ’90s. The current accountdeficits are impacting the valueof the dollar and it is likely thatthe dollar will fall further. That isthe nature of markets – they havea natural tendency to exaggerateprice movements both when ris-ing and falling.

Speculators will play thesecurrency movements to the ab-solute limits; they are in the busi-

ness of making profits. This isneither evil nor a conspiracy – itis the free enterprise system atwork. The same speculators arejust as happy to profit from a ris-ing dollar. In reality, the majorityof currency-trading systems arecomputer-driven and use emo-tionless trading techniques.

The US dollar situation dif-fers from the Asian predicamentin 1997 in several other respects.The US is still the largesteconomy in the world and com-modities are almost all priced inUS dollars. This means that re-gardless of normal currency, sup-ply and demand, the world usesthe US dollar as a pricing mecha-nism and trading currency for ev-erything from oil to gold, lumberto corn.

Another important factor isthat the average American is com-pletely unconcerned about thevalue of his currency, and to agreat extent this applies to everyUS administration.

For global investors, this isa good example of the impor-tance of relating to a base cur-rency. For US dollar “thinking”investors, 2007 has been a verypleasant year, especially if they’vehad exposure to international as-sets. There was profit to be madein most US assets and interna-tional assets but the latter hasgiven an added bonus in the shapeof currency gains. The reversewas true where international in-vestors had exposure to US as-sets. However, as with all gener-alizations, there are always ex-ceptions and sometimes theycome from unexpected sources.

Earlier this year, this columnfeatured the AMT Futures IQSfund, which is denominated in USdollars. This fund has had an out-standing, if volatile, track record.Earlier in 2007, the fund experi-enced losses. Its targeted areasof investment, ranging from softcommodities to hard commoditiesand currencies, created a total of14 investment choices.

In June, the benefits of mov-ing-currency markets saw thefund gain 30.33% in a singlemonth followed by further gainsin July. This was one of those rare

funds that produces re-turns for investors inany currency. But re-gardless of their “home”currency, investors haveto be patient and able tolive with the volatility.

Although the fundis denominated in USdollars, the majority ofthe profits in 2007 wereachieved by selling theUS dollar short. In 2006,the majority of the prof-its were derived fromfalling oil prices in thesecond half of the year.Being an emotionlessand computer-driven-trading absolute-returnfund, the only things thatare unprofitable arestatic or trendless mar-kets.

There is often speculationon what would happen if the mainforeign holders of the US dollar– China, Japan, and so on – wereto suddenly shift their holdings toother currencies. The answer istwofold: The value of the dollarwould drop and long-term inter-est rates in the US would rise.The latter would certainly lead toa slowdown in the US economyand could even cause a recession.

Short of anextremely seriousdiplomatic spatbetween the USand China or Ja-pan, however, thisis unlikely to hap-pen. A slowingUS economy and,even worse, a USrecession, wouldsee a markedslowdown inChina and Japan’sprimary exportmarkets. China has no vested in-terest in hurting its largest cus-tomer; rather the reverse.

This does not mean thatthere will be a cessation of ver-bal sparring between the US andChina, and the American politi-

Fed plays a waiting gamecians saying that China is holdingits currency at artificially low lev-els have a valid point. China hasthe world’s largest foreign ex-change reverse which, whencombined with rising interestrates, should make its currencyrise substantially in value.

Since implementing a “man-aged float” of its currency froma fixed rate of 8.28 yuan/US dol-lar in August 2005 to the currentrange of around 7.55 yuan/USdollar, China has been moving inthe right direction, albeit at a slowpace. This is even more impor-tant when you take into accountthat the yuan was believed to be40% undervalued against the USdollar in 2005.

China – playing a domesticbalancing act – needs to keep itscurrency competitive to maintainthe strong levels of economicgrowth necessary to create tensof millions of new jobs every yearto cater for the host of new la-borers moving from cities to ru-ral areas. The currency is still notconvertible and Beijing lacks theconfidence to move faster on thisissue. This creates distortions inthe Chinese economy, with vastamounts of liquidity sloshingaround, leading to massive asset-price inflation in the stock mar-

ket and real estate.The Chinese

government is awarethat it needs to caterto the economic aspi-rations of its popula-tion to avoid civil un-rest because thecountry does nothave the pressurevalve of a democracy.Japan, on the otherhand, is the benefi-ciary of the yen“carry trade”, which

is keeping the value of the cur-rency at much lower levels thanwould otherwise be the case.

Sluggish-to-low economicgrowth allows the Bank of Japan(Central Bank) to maintain lowinterest rates. This gives the ex-port sector of Japan a much morepleasant trading environment thanwould otherwise be the case.

The yen “carry trade” hasanother benefit in that it stopstrading partners from being ableto criticize Japan for currencymanipulation. The first-worldeconomies – the US, Europe, andso on – are also beneficiaries ofthe Chinese currency becausethey are importing deflation. With-out the effect of cheap Chinesegoods, their domestic inflation lev-els would be significantly higherthan they are. Sometimes benefitscome from unexpected places!

Richard G Watson runs GlobalPortfolios Co Ltd, a Phuket-based personal financial-plan-ning service. He can be reachedat Tel: 076-381997, Fax: 076-383185, Mobile: 081-0814611.Email: imm@loxinfo.co.th, Web-site: www.global-portfolios.com

B U S I N E S S & M O N E YJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 33

ON THE MOVE

Wasan Poontananiwat-kul, 29, from Phuket, hasbeen promoted to businessdevelopment manager forthe Phuket and Krabi divi-sions of Asia Web DirectCo Ltd after working asassistant sales support man-ager for the company sinceJune 2005. He holds a de-gree in hospitality manage-ment from Prince of Song-kla University in Phuket.He previously worked forthree years as sales andmarketing supervisor forDiethelm Travel ThailandCo Ltd.

Phuket native Chat-taporn “Nui” Thir-intarapong has beenappointed sales man-ager of Knight FrankCo Ltd in Phuket.She holds a degree inmanagement and adiploma in tourism-re-lated business fromPhuket Rajabhat Uni-versity. She earlierworked in the market-ing department atBlue Canyon CountryClub and has severalyears of experience inthe property sector.

Dr Duenpen Chantajitpree-cha, 30, from Songkhla, has beenappointed the rheumatology spe-cialist at Bangkok HospitalPhuket. She first graduated withan internal medicine degree fromPrince of Songkla University inHaad Yai and continued her stud-ies at Phramongkutklao Collegeof Medicine in Bangkok, whereshe graduated with both a doc-torate in medicine and a degreein science. She is certified underboth the Board of Internal Med-icine and the Board of Rheuma-tology. Before moving to Phuket,she worked for two years atPhramongkutklao Hospital.

PHUKET CITY: Foreigners andlocals confused by Thai propertylaws were given an insight intokey issues when the Phuket RealEstate Club (PREC) and DeliceThai Co Ltd hosted a forum titled“Problems and Solutions in thePhuket Real Estate Market” atRoyal Phuket City Hotel on July14.

Among the speakers at theevent was Thawan Thimasarn,director of the Subdivision of theBureau of Standard Land Docu-ment Issuance.

K. Thawan said that whileforeigners may not buy land inThailand, they may lease it legallyfor up to 30 years.

If the lessor or the lesseedies, however, the lease is ren-dered void and the Thai inheritorof the land is not obliged to sign anew lease.

Speaking to the Gazette onJuly 20 about some of the prob-lems foreign lessees may comeacross in Thailand, K. Thawansaid that foreigners are able tosafeguard their investments by

Land Office expert offerstips on leases for foreignersBy Anand Singh

adding a rider clause into alease.

The clause should statethat the lessor must add a clauseinto his will stating that if he dies,then the designated heir of theland must honor the agreementof the current lease in writingor forfeit his inheritance rights.

Many foreign investors,

however, are reluctant to putmoney into projects on land theylease in Phuket because there isno guarantee that subsequent 30-

year “rollover” leases will begranted, he added.

K. Thawan said that thesolution to this predicament is todraw up a separate contract stat-ing that successive leases notexceeding 30 years each will begranted.

A rider clause could beadded to the contract so that inthe event of death of the Thailessor, the current lease and suc-cessive leases would be hon-ored.

Leases and their clausesexpire after a given period oftime, which is why separate con-tracts are sometimes needed,added K. Thawan.

Other notable speakers atthe July 14 forum included PRECPresident Phummisak Hongsyok,Eric Tomlin, secretary to the As-sociation of Phuket PropertyAgents, and John Magee, pub-lisher of the Phuket Gazette.

Speakers at the conference were, from left, Thawan Thimasarn,John Magee, Eric Tomlin and PREC President Phummisak Hongsyok.

RAWAI: Hotel Properties Ltd(HPL), which is listed on theSingapore stock exchange,through a wholly-owned subsid-iary has entered into a joint-ven-ture agreement with LehmanBrothers Pan Asian Investmentsto form a 50:50 joint hotel prop-erty venture in order to developand construct a luxury hotel onfreehold land in Rawai.

The exact location of the sitewas not disclosed, though theGazette has learned that negotia-tions are underway with the FourSeasons hotel chain to managethe resort after it is built.

HPL and Lehman Bros in-tend to acquire the land for a to-tal consideration of approximately2 billion baht, according to a me-dia release on the company’swebsite.

Through Four Seasons’Bangkok office, Four SeasonsSenior Vice-President (Opera-tions) for Pacific-Asia region,Neil Jacobs, confirmed that FourSeasons is in conversations withboth groups regarding a possiblemanagement contract.

The HPL website stipulatesthat the project is still subject toreceipt of the necessary approv-als from the relevant authoritiesin Thailand.

On February 1, Four Sea-sons opened its fourth propertyin Thailand at Laem Yai on KohSamui. The resort features 60villas built on stilts set among aformer orchard.

“Thailand has always beensuch a draw for tourists from allover the world,” said Jacobs.

“Guests to our other prop-erties in Thailand have been ask-ing for a beach resort, so this newproperty in Koh Samui willbroaden the experience we canoffer our guests in this part of theworld.”

LehmanBros backsB2 billion

resortin Rawai

By Stephen Fein

S P O R T S34 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Paddling with a purposeBy Nick Davies

Ad- Johnson

3x5

K. Anna

RAWAI: Tired but triumphant,seafaring adventurer Marco Rei-nard arrived at Rawai Pier, thepoint he’d started from 36 hoursearlier, just after 5 pm July 19.

Marco, originally from Lux-embourg, had just completed a200-kilometer paddle aroundPhuket Island in an 18-foot kay-ak, clocking an average speed of10kmh.

A crowd of excited young-sters, well-wishers, friends andmedia turned out to greet a sun-burned Marco as he arrived atthe pier and raised his oars abovehis head in a victorious salutebefore hauling his kayak up thesteps.

Tired and dehydrated fromhis arduous mission, Marco satnext to his kayak, removed hissunglasses and took off his glovesto check the blisters on his hands.His lower back had been rubbedraw by the lengthy stint in the sin-gle seat of his kayak, but Marcowas keen to tell reporters why hehad taken on the challenge.

“I do this kind of thing be-cause I want people to realizethat we have to stop using ourlakes, rivers and oceans as trashcans. This is not just a local is-sue; it is an international problemas tides and currents take pollu-tion everywhere and it affectsevery single one of us,” saidMarco.

Talking about the childrengathered around him, Marco add-ed, “My main concern is wheth-er kids like these will still haveclean waters to make a livelihoodwhen they reach my age. If wedon’t act now, then it may be toolate to help them in the future.”

Apart from Marco’s mod-ern, five-meter kayak Sequel,made by New Zealand companyChallenge, the only high techequipment he took with him was

Marco Reinard takes a well-earned rest at Rawai Pier after his 36-hour kayak journey around Phuket.

his mobile phone, kept in a wa-terproof pouch. For navigation,Marco said he just “kept Phuketon the left”.

After heading northeastfrom Rawai in calm waters at 5am on Wednesday morning,treacherous conditions along thewest coast forced Marco to headfor land and rest for the night ata small bay just past Surin Beachas darkness, fatigue and unpre-dictable waves made it too dan-gerous to continue.

“By around 8 pm on Wed-nesday evening, the waves wereperilously high. With no light fromthe shore, it was so dark that Icouldn’t see the waves comingand I really didn’t know where Iwas, so I made the decision tostop for the night.”

Continuing south the nextday, Marco had to contend witheven more powerful waves untilhe reached calmer, shallower wa-ters around Patong. He said thefinal stretch of his paddle-pow-

ered marathon was the most tir-ing as he had to fight strong cur-rents around Nai Harn before fi-nally reaching Rawai.

Marco said his secret wasto drink a lot of water, while heate just one dish of pasta andsome yogurt during his journey.

For Marco, this relativelyshort human-powered voyage isjust the latest in a continuousenvironmental awareness cam-paign, one that he plans to even-tually make into a video docu-mentary.

As an active environmental-ist and documentary filmmakerfor the last 30 years, Marco said,“My ultimate goal is to make avideo documentary highlightingthe plight of indigenous people andhow they are forced to cope withthe encroachment of modern civ-ilization.”

He is also a part of GreenInternational Productions South-east Asia (Gipsea), a group offilm-makers who raise funds foreducation and the support of in-digenous people’s rights through-out the world.

Marco is planning a trip inNovember from Mergui, Burma,to Taiwan in a Hobie Cat – asmall cabinless catamaran – thathe estimates will take him about100 days, including stops in Pat-taya and Phuket.

Marco won’t be alone thistime, however, as a Sea Gypsyfriend from Koh Phi Phi will sharethe helm with him.

Local tour operator HotelTravel is sponsoring Marco’scampaign.

Fredy Muenger, chief infor-mation officer for Hotel Travel,was also at the pier to welcomeMarco and spoke admirably ofMarco’s commitment to raisingawareness of global environmen-tal issues.

“Marco is dedicated to aworthwhile cause and we areproud to be helping him achievemore international recognition inthis and future adventures,” saidFredy.

For more information on Mar-co’s seafaring journeys, whichhave included windsurfing fromBurma to Malaysia in commem-oration of victims of the 2004tsunami, visit www.gipseacat.com

Marco Reinard (in hat) takes a well-earned rest at Rawai Pier afterhis 36-hour kayak journey around Phuket.

PATONG: Dog’s Bollocks seemdetermined to take their first-evertitle this season with fiery play.Another impressive win, 8-1against newcomers Simply Red,brought them very close – theycan clinch with just three morepoints.

Mucker of Dog’s Bollocksreports that theonly lost pointcame when thepreviously unde-feated doublespairing of Lek and Peak (aka“The Dream Team”) droppedtheir first game.

In a closely fought match,Queen Mary reduced second-place Shakers’ chances by tak-ing all three points.

Billy was behind in the firstsingles, but finished from 210points with a 180 then a x15 onhis next dart. Hmm.

Pong closed his singles in 17darts, while Joy proved that highheels and long hair are no obsta-cles to success in darts: onceagain she emerged as QueenMary’s heroine with a x20 closein the beer leg – and there wasmuch rejoicing.

In the only other match, Pic-cadilly downed Valhalla at home7-2 before fried chicken and al-cohol-induced paralysis set in andthey found themselves down by400 points in yet another failedquest for free beer.

Send reports to darts@phuketgazette.net for inclusion inthis article.

July 17 results: Piccadilly 7 Val-halla* 2; Queen Mary* 5 Shak-ers 4; Dog’s Bollocks* 8 SimplyRed 1 (* = winner of beer leg).

Standings: 1. Dog’s Bollocks(27 pts.); 2. Shakers (22); 3.=Queen Mary, Beach House (21);5. Offshore (20); 6. Piccadilly(15); 7. Valhalla (8); 8. SimplyRed (4).

July 31 matchups: BeachHouse vs Dog’s Bollocks; QueenMary vs Simply Red; Valhalla vsShakers; Piccadilly and Offshore,byes (home teams first).

DogsBollockson a roll

PATONGDARTS

LEAGUE

S P O R T SJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 35

AO CHALONG: After fourdays of racing in and around Cha-long Bay, on July 22 Scott Dun-canson’s Somtam Express clinch-ed the win in the IRC 1 class inthis year’s Phuket Raceweekregatta, organized by Image AsiaEvents.

Shifting winds played hav-oc with the start of the finalrace in the regatta and the fleetwaited four hours for it to swingaround to allow the race tostart.

Once underway, the yachtsset sail around Koh Bon, KohLone and Koh Hei with the fin-ish line in front of the Evason

Salad days for Somtamtory to win the class with eightpoints.

Tua Lek finished secondoverall in the class with 10 points,followed by Niels Dgenkolf onPhoenix with 11 points.

Tim Milner on Seekrong-huk scored three first placesand one second place to win theMultihull class even before thefinal day of racing got under-way, scoring a total of fivepoints.

Bob Brindley’s X Cat Riotfinished second place overall withseven points, followed by ChrisRunnegar on Chameleon withnine points.

In the Raimon Land Fire-fly 850 class, Roger Kingdon’sMoto Inzi scored five first plac-es to win the series six points infront of Bill Phelps’ TwinSharks.

Henry Kaye on Mamba fin-ished third overall in the classwith 14 points.

Gunther Nutt’s Kerida wasa little too quick for the agingClassic class, winning the serieswith just three points.

Tom Howard’s Seraph fin-ished second overall with sixpoints, followed by Mark Myk-ing’s Idiom with seven points.

By Chris Husted

PHUKET: The Phuket BoxingClub (PBC) is seeking sponsorsfor its group of six amateur box-ers who will travel to Bangkok tocompete in this year’s ThailandMini-Junior Amateur BoxingChampionships, to be held at TheMall, Ngamwongwan from Au-gust 3 to 10.

PBC Secretary Sawarin“Master Jay” Pinkaew will againlead the group of fighters, all aged14 to 16, to compete against thebest young amateur boxers fromall over Thailand.

Master Jay also announcedthat Tossaporn Thepabutr, hus-band of Phuket Provincial Ad-ministration Organization (Or-BorJor) President AnchaleeVanich-Thepabutr, has takenover as PBC President.

For more information onhow to sponsor the team contactMaster Jay at Tel: 081-2722629or email: phuketboxinggym@hotmail.com

Boxers seeksponsorsto fund

Bangkoktrip

with 14 points.John Vause on Ruby Tues-

day placed fourth in the seriesin the IRC 1 class, while DavidLindahl’s La Samudra finishedin sixth place overall in theclass.

Top honors in IRC 2 wereup for grabs right up until the fi-nal race, but Peter Dyer’s Mad-am Butterfly was too quick forMike Downard on Tua Lek on thefinal day and scored another vic-HOW”S THAT? The PCU and the Stragglers XI from Zimbabwe.

CHERNG TALAY: The PhuketCricket Union (PCU) played hostto a returning Stragglers teamfrom Zimbabwe with a matcheach day on July 21 and 22.

The Stragglers first touredPhuket last year, when they gavethe local cricketing lads a 2-0thrashing on the field. This year,however, PCU turned the tableson the touring Zimbabweans.

On the Saturday, the Strag-glers won the toss and elected tobat, sending in opening batsmenJohn Jameson and John Robbie.

Jameson, who scored 107against PCU last year, and Rob-bie got off to a solid start. Aftersome interesting bowling fromPCU, both batsmen were sentback to the pavilion when theywere in their 20s.

Runs came easily for theStragglers after that, but so didwickets, largely due to solid field-ing by PCU.

Despite some useful contri-butions from Darren Coetzee (15runs) and Brian Murphy (21runs), the Stragglers were all outfor 146 runs in the 23rd over.

PCU bowlers Seemant Rajuand Ravi Sehgal both picked upthree wickets each.

PCU took to the crease af-ter a short break, but were soonin trouble with Anand first out forseven and Dennis Bacon follow-ing for a duck.

This brought PCU captainJafar Ali to the crease, where heimmediately went to work turn-

ing in a match-winning 61 runs.When he did eventually fall to agreat catch on the boundary, PCUfound themselves with 125 runsfor six wickets in the 25th over,leaving them needing just 22 runsfrom five overs.

PCU went on to win withan over to spare after some valu-able runs from David Ogden (12not out) and Mark Whetton (17not out).

The second match on July22 saw the Stragglers return toform. The visitors won the tossand decided to field first. Thedecision paid off as PCU foundthemselves three wickets downfor three runs by the second over.

Some tight bowling fromMatt Streeton (2-17 off fiveovers) and Gary Steyn (3-24 offsix overs) troubled PCU through-out the innings, with only Sumit(21 runs) and Subash (12 runs)making double figures.

Straggler Sandys-Thomaslent PCU a hand when 18 runswere scored off the only overStragglers’ captain Wayne Par-ham allowed him. PCU were allout in the 22nd over for 104 runs.

After lunch, the Stragglersmade light work of chasing downthe total. Jameson showed hisprowess by scoring 48 runs, in-cluding seven fours and one six.

He was well supported bySteyn (26 retired hurt) andSandys-Thomas (14 not out) tosee the Stragglers make 105 runsin the 13th over for just two wick-ets, giving them an eight-wicketvictory.

Honors even as Phukettake on ZimbabweansBy Mark Whetton

Somtam Express in full cry duringthe last race of the regatta.Photo by Leslie Hand for Image

Asia Events.

Phuket Resort, which hosted theregatta.

On the final day, Somtamrecorded yet another first-placefinish to bring their tally to fourfirsts and one second place toscore a tally of just six points.

Although impressive, it wasnot Somtam’s best performance– at last year’s Phuket Race-week Somtam Express won ev-ery race in the Sports Boat Rac-ing class.

Although Peter Ahern’sYo! 2 beat Somtam Expressacross the finish line on the fi-nal day, the crew finished fourthon the day and second overallwith 12 points, followed by JimPoulsen’s Vino in third place

P H U K E T P R O P E R T Y36 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Gardening by Bloomin’ Bert

Staying power

Want advice on your garden?Email Bloomin’ Bert at:bert@bloominbert.com

The comedian Benny Hillsaid it best, with his im-mortal line in the classic’60s film, The Italian

Job: “Are they big? I like ’embig.” I do, too. Anything big is fineby me.

To be honest, I’m not surewhat it is about big stuff that Ilike. It doesn’t matter what it is,as long as I can use it. Big cars,big furniture, big bikes; anythingbig. I even write with a big pen,and the computer mouse I use isthe biggest I could lay my bighands on.

It may be some kind ofdeep unresolved, psychologicallink to my ample physical girth.Perhaps, as our transatlanticcousins may suggest, I “have is-sues”. I’m sure one of them willbe only too willing to psychoana-lyze me.

Well psychoanalyze this: Idon’t see the problem, personally.There’s something quite reassur-ing about being able to go toMcDonald’s and order the slightlybigger version of their meals andnot feel guilty. Supersize away.I’m a bit of a bloater and ratherproud of it.

Even though I am an ardentfan of things huge, I draw theline at some things. Why dopeople buy a one-foot widewristwatch to hang on their wall?Or a chessboard several meterswide that they can use in thegarden? Or even a two-foot tallacrylic hamburger that they cansit on?

Perhaps the most useless ofall are those three-foot playingcards. Is there actually any pointto any of these things, apart frommaking money for novelty plas-tics manufacturers?

We live on a fairly big is-land, and we drive on big roads –roads that seem to be getting big-ger on a daily basis, for no par-ticular reason.

Does every carriageway inPhuket need to become a four-lane superhighway?

This is supposed to be atropical island paradise, not aparadise for those who want to

drive faster or find even morelanes to drive in.

It’s the sides of the roadsthat make me agitated at thepeople who have decided to hackaway whatever was there beforeand lay down more tarmac. Theyalways cut back more than theyneed to, rather than thinking aboutwhat should be there.

Wiset Rd, south of ChalongCircle, has been upgraded and inplaces the road widening has leftits mark – chunks of the vergeshave disappeared where the“drains” have been “improved”.

But much worse is north ofPatong, as you climb the hill to-

wards Kamala. Construction isunderway there, and in placesthere are no plants to hold the soilin place. I have the sneaking sus-picion that the proud owner of theland will be chasing his real es-tate down the hill before he knowsit.

Plants do much more thanmake the place look tropical – inmany areas they literally hold theisland together. If they are re-moved, the ground where theyonce stood would simply washaway.

There’s a simple answer tothis problem – plant trees. A per-fect tree for this is the Macaranga

denticulata, or pada tree (tong-tao kalo in Thai). It’s not the mostbeautiful plant in the world. Infact, it’s rather ugly. On the plusside, it’s incredibly effective atlaying down roots very quicklythat spread over a wide area andbind the soil together.

Clever road planners usethem all the time. Rather thancover roadside banks with plas-tic netting or acres of concrete,they just plunk a few hundred ofthese things in the ground and theverge stays put, with absolutelyno maintenance.

Getting back to big things,this is where the pada tree comesin. Its leaves are huge, about 25centimeters to 30cm long, andthey look similar to elephant’sears. Unlike another big-leavedplant, the alocasia, the pada treegrows into a proper tree; a farmore testosterone-oozing affair.It does the job well, too.

A research project at a uni-versity in Chiang Mai a few yearsago focused on deforestation inthe area. They needed to encour-age regrowth of plants and planttrees that developed and maturedas quickly as possible. They alsowanted to attract seed-dispersinganimals back into the area, sothat once everything was in place,they could leave the area to lookafter itself.

In the first 18 months of theproject, the pada trees theyplanted grew about four meters.That’s some serious growth.

Normally I ramble on abouthow plants brighten up corners orprovide shade or generally lookgood. Not the pada tree. It’s theugly duckling of the plant world,but it’s a worker.

All we need in Phuket is toplant a few more of these aroundthe place. If we do that, thenthere’s a chance that some of thesoil that’s uncovered by island“improvements” will stay whereit’s supposed to.

In the meantime, I’ll workon my size issues. Make mine aLarge, thanks.

HOLDING THINGS TOGETHER: The pada tree is highly effective at binding soil together by laying downroots that spread over a wide area very quickly.

P H U K E T P R O P E R T YJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 37

When you walk intoWii Light on ChaoFa West Rd youare greeted by all

manner of peculiar shapes, inter-esting objects and soothing tones,with occasional splashes of lumi-nosity.

Wii Light is no ordinary lightshop; you might think the prod-ucts on display were not lights atall. But once lit up, they transforminto vibrant lighting units, burst-ing with color and radiance, en-hancing the appeal of any livingspace.

On the shelves of Wii Lightare what you might call “normal”lights – that is, lights that look likelights, with lamp shades and reg-ular bases.

On the shop floor and dot-ted around the displays are theshop’s signature lights that lookmore like works of art than theydo sources of illumination.

Wii Light has been open forabout a year, but owner NoraratNiruttisart is no stranger to con-temporary decor. After graduat-ing from Assumption Universityin Bangkok with a degree in In-terior Design, he decided to setup his own business.

About 80% of the productsin Wii Light are from his owndesigns and made in one of theshop’s two factories, in Bangkokand Phuket, said K. Norarat.

“I think my products, whichare aimed at foreigners living

here, are suitable for Phuket be-cause many homes on the islandare used mainly as holiday homes,and people want tropical, less se-rious styles.

“Most of my customers’homes are in natural surroundings

nearby, such as on a hill or by thesea,” said K. Norarat.

“My products are madefrom natural materials, such aswood with Japanese lawn thread,betel palm leaf and creeping plant,used together with modern pat-

terns and designs. The productswe make are based on harmonicdesigns and tones so that thelights do not disturb your relax-ation,” he added.

K. Norarat said that WiiLight can create new designs fora customer who wants somethingto complement the aesthetics ofhis or her house. Customers whoorder products from the shop willnot be charged for the designwork, although there may be ad-ditional installation costs.

K. Norarat added that eachdesign takes a different period oftime to create, depending on hisfeelings. Once he has an idea inmind, K. Norarat will sketch it inhis notebook, editing it himself andtaking suggestions from staff athis factory who can help with thetechnical side of the design. Thetime spent on production is usu-ally between one week and onemonth.

Wii Light. 21/7 Chao Fa West Rd,about 300 meters south of Cen-tral Festival Phuket. Open Mon-day to Thursday 10 am to 7 pm,Friday to Saturday 9 am to 6 pm,closed Sunday. Tel: 081-677-5321 or 076-20914.

LIGHT FANTASTICDecor by Natcha Yuttaworawit

MOST ILLUMINATING: The products on display at Wii Light look more like modern art than lamps.

P H U K E T P R O P E R T Y38 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Riding a motorcycle? Please . . .

PHUKET PROVINCIAL

TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

Thai law requires that motorcycle drivers andpassengers wear a safety helmet with the chinstrap fastened at all times – 24 hours a day.

Wear Me!

Construction Update by Janyaporn Morel

The 38.9-million-baht TahChat Chai checkpoint,which has been underconstruction since mid-

February, is now 37% completeand should be fully operational bythe beginning of December,Phuket Governor Niran Kalaya-namit announced recently.

The checkpoint, one kilome-ter south of Sarasin Bridge, willbe an inspection station wherevehicles coming in or out ofPhuket is checked for illegalitems, such as controlled plants,animals and substances, said thegovernor.

About three million peoplepass through the Tah Chat Chaicheckpoint every year, whichprompted authorities to upgradethe checkpoint, he added.

The two-lane, 15-meter-wide entrance road will lead driv-ers from Thepkrasattri Rd to acheckpoint and back out to themain road.

All vehicles arriving on theisland will eventually be moni-tored by CCTV cameras, al-though the current budget doesnot cover their installation.

An additional two-lane roadwill take drivers leaving Phuketto a second checkpoint and backout to Thepkrasattri Road, againpast CCTV cameras once theyare installed.

The project, which is be-ing built by SCG 1995 Co Ltd,will comprise an 800-square-meter office building betweenthe two checkpoints, housing a150sqm hall area and five roomsfor police officers, Phuket Pro-vincial Livestock officers andAnimal and Plant Quarantineoffices.

On the second floor of theoffice building will be an 80sqmmeeting room and two storagerooms.

Tah Chat Chai checkpoint,designed by Phuket ProvincialPublic Works and Town & Coun-try Planning, will replace the cur-rent temporary checkpoint 300maway.

The new facilities will pro-vide officers with the resourcesthey need to check all vehicles,instead of only being able to makerandom checks as they do now,the governor said.

New policecheckpointset to openby December

The Tah Chat Chai checkpoint, on the only road leading into Phuket, should be complete by the end ofthe year and ready to inspect the three million people that pass through the checkpoint every year.

P H U K E T P R O P E R T YJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 39

WATCHPROPERTY

By Bill Barnett

Time for timeshare

Bill Barnett is managing director of C9 Hotelworks (c9hotelworks.com), a Phuket-based hotel and residential property con-sulting firm. With more than 20 years’ experience in the region, hehas played an active role in some of the island’s biggest develop-ments.

Travel around the worldand no matter where youland, be it North Am-erica, Europe or Asia,

you’ll find vacation ownershipand timeshare being offered.

Although timeshare in thepast experienced some growingpains, it has grown into a signifi-cant property segment and is nowoften a sophisticated and polishedlifestyle investment offering.

Having affiliations with glo-bal brands such as Disney, Star-wood, Marriott and Hilton hasproved effective for some firmsin building credibility and estab-lishing a large customer base.

For those new to the term,vacation ownership is essentiallyshared ownership wherein a per-son buys a share in a furnishedunit for a specified peri-od of time, or more sim-ply buys an ongoing inter-est in what is usually ho-tel-managed accommo-dation.

While theperiod of usagevaries, generally itis for a week ayear for a set num-ber of years. At-tached to the saleare varying own-ership and rightsissues, depending on the projectand its affiliations.

Timeshare’s core attractionis that it’s cheaper than tradition-al real estate or property. In thepast few years there has been atrend to appeal to a wider poten-tial market by offering cheaperproducts. This trend has been toup-sell customers a more expen-sive product once they have re-alized the benefits of their initialpurchase.

While many buyers want touse their vacation time within aspecific resort, through affiliationsor exchange programs from pro-viders such as RCI or IntervalInternational, buyers can nowtake holidays around the world.

This is one of the key ben-efits of this type of purchase, as

it allows flexible usage terms.With the emergence of va-

cation ownership and holidayclubs this is now being expand-ed, in many cases within a hotelgroup’s network of properties andalso for redemption of leisureproducts, such as golf, airline tick-ets, rental cars and boats.

At Laguna Phuket, the con-cept was pioneered with the Al-lamanda Vacation Club, whichover the years has evolved intothe Laguna Vacation Club. Theproject recently opened a dedi-cated club facility, check-in and

members area and nowhas expanded within Thai-land and overseas withownership of units in keydestinations.

The Marriott, with itsMai Khao PhuketBeach Club, hasquickly estab-lished a qualitybenchmark by of-fering its exclusivefacilities and hascontinued to ex-pand over the past

few years. One of its key sellingpoints is the optional inclusion ofMarriott Rewards, a leading in-ternational loyalty program.

These two resorts are onlythe tip of the iceberg of what isgenerally accepted to be an in-dustry on the upswing. An influxof new internationally-brandedproducts is expected over the nextfew years.

As with any property or lif-estyle purchase, buyers must readthe fine print to fully understandexactly what’s on offer and whatare the added costs, as there isoften a misperception that it isjust a “free holiday”.

In most cases ongoing orannual maintenance fees are lev-ied and these can be substantial.

Many programs have

points-based usage systems whileothers offer floating periods orfixed weeks. It’s important tonote that you may not be able touse the unit exactly when youwant, as timeshare usage mightbe subject to availability.

This is a major issue foroverseas exchanges at high-de-mand destinations such as Dis-

neyworld, so there needs to besome flexibility – either in termsof one’s holiday time or the loca-tions one wants to visit.

In the end, you might not beable to visit where you want – orwhen you want to go.

In Thailand there are con-sumer guidelines that regulate theselling of these products and

Timeshare companies, such asInterval International (websiteshown here) offer customers away to buy a few weeks a yearat their favorite resorts.While the rewards of programssuch as these can be great, it’salso important to read the fineprint to know whether yourdream resort will be availablewhen you want it.

there is a system of recourse forconsumer complaints.

Both timeshare and vacationownership have come a long way.What was once regarded a bitskeptically by consumers has nowbeen embraced by large interna-tional institutions and brands andbecome very big business.

New products continue tobe offered, such as residentialclubs, fractional ownership terms,cruise lines, private yachts andfrequent flier programs.

Lifestyle investment is agrowing segment and looks set tobecome a by-product of theworldwide property market anda permanent fixture on the realestate scene.

C L A S S I F I E D S40 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Property Gazette

PropertiesFor Sale

90% FINANCE+

PROMOTION OFFER

3-story modern home & of-fice next to Karon post of-fice, short distance to KaronBeach, shops, banks andrestaurants. 3 bedrooms, 3bathrooms, living room, bal-cony. Price: 4.75 million bahtincluding Honda Click, basicfurniture package, built-inkitchen, air conditioning.Tel: 076-280801, 084-0581217. Fax: 076-281-067. Email: legalinsidesiamproperty@gmail.com

BEAUTIFUL NAI

YANG LAND

for sale, 5 mins to Phuket air-port, close to the beach, 10rai. 120 million baht. Mustsee. Tel: 089-7727012.Email: gyb_giff@hotmail.com

AFFORDABLE

LUXURY

Immaculate villa. Privatearea, big lush garden, pool, 4bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, liv-ing room, Scandi kitchen,huge patio, fully furnished,contemporary Bali-Thai style.Living area: 450sqm. Landarea: 1400sqm. Near Hero-ines Monument with scenichill view. Chanote. 14 millionbaht. Tel: 084-6907057.

NEW SEAVIEW

CONDO

60sqm apartment atRawai Beach. Big livingroom with sea view. 2 bed-rooms, 1 bathroom, bigbalcony, aircon. Price: 1.8million baht. Call Tel: +66-081-9685963. Email:m@bayproject.comPlease visit our website:www.bayproject.com/invest/index.htm

AO POR LAND

URGENT SALE

150 rai, Chanote, panoramicsea view. From 2.3 millionbaht per rai. Contact formore information. Tel: 081-5597456. Email: se_rim@hotmail.com

SEAVIEW

APARTMENT

2 bedrooms, top floor, NorthPatong, 20 steps to the beach,freehold. Price: 9.7 millionbaht. Call Tel: 086-2765117.For photos, please send email:jihshand@gmail.com

LUXURY VILLA

AT KATA HILL

Set in the exclusive gatedestate of Beverly Hills, thisvilla comes with a pool, 3-5bedrooms, modern Western-style kitchen, etc. Showhouse is now open. Only onevilla left with completion duein September. Price: 15 mil-lion baht. Contact Tel: 084-0639223, 081-7888280.

REPOSSESSION

SALE-APARTMENT

Beautiful new 1-bedroomapartment on 5th floor over-looking Kata Beach. 5-starhotel service including pool,gym and International bis-tro. Was 5.9 million baht,now reduced to 4.9 millionbaht. Tel: 084-0639223,081-7888280.

HOUSE FOR SALE

Located on 1 rai of land inKamala. 2 bedrooms, 2 bath-rooms, very quiet residen-tial area, 110sqm. Price:8.9 million baht. Tel: 081-6697814, 086-9426699.

KATHU HOUSE

for sale. 2 bedrooms, 3 bath-rooms, lounge, dining room,big kitchen, corner house.Firm price: 1.55 million baht.Tel: 085-4733409.

INEXPENSIVE LAND

1/2 rai to 2 rai near Mis-sion Hills golf course. 10%commission. Please con-tact Tel: 081-2704291.

AO NANG/KRABI

500sqm of land for sale, pub-lic road, water, electricity,Chanote. Company ownedincludes building permit for 3-floor guesthouse. Asking price:4.5 million baht. Call Tel: 075-637258, 089-5873533. Email:j.aonang@gmx.de

NEW 3-STORY

COMMERCIAL

building. 2 bathrooms. Price:4 million baht. Please callTel: 086-7432011.

LAND FOR SALE

10 rai in Bang Wad. 1 mil-lion baht per rai. Pleasecontact K. Terawut at Tel:081-5361365.

RAWAI BEACH

condo. Sea view, foreign free-hold. 550,000 baht. Tel: 086-9408914. For details, email:freeholdprop@yahoo.com

RAWAI POOL VILLA

New resort of 6 villas forsale. 4.5 million baht each.Tel: 086-9408914. Email:freeholdprop@yahoo.com

PRIVATE LAND

CAPE YAMU

1.5 rai of secluded flat land(2 adjoining 3/4 rai Chanoteplots). Ideal for private vil-las. Tel: 076-239432, 081-0879237 (Thai and English).Email: crob58@gmail.com

ABSOLUTE BEST

BEACHFRONT

Land and villas for sale atthe best prices in Thailand!Email: admin@ideacon.bizPlease visit our website:http://www.thaisunshinedevelopments.com

HOUSE NEAR

WAT CHALONG

for sale. 2-story house indesirable & secure estate.3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms,study, living room, kitchen,laundry room, set in fencedgarden. Furnished, ADSL,UBC. 7 million baht obo.Tel: 084-8439579. Fax:+66-076-323421. Email:somlerdee@yahoo.com

NAI YANG LAND

for sale. 1km to the beach. 3plots: 20m x 22m (440sqm)each, road access. Price:900,000 baht. Contact Tel:089-7241140.

APT IN BANG TAO

FOR SALE

2 bedrooms, fully furnished,aircon, Western-style kitchenand pool. Asking 5.5 millionbaht. Tel: 089-8749080. Email:mllcarpenter@hotmail.com

RAWAI LAND

Chanote, 1,446sqm. Flat,square plot. Mountain, wood-land aspects in residentialarea. 3.5 million baht ono.Tel: 081-6910391. Email:info@liveandletdive.com

LAND FOR SALE

8 rai in Patong. 1.2 millionbaht per rai. Sea view. Lo-cated on 50 Pi Rd. Pleasecontact Khun Terawaut atTel: 081-5361365.

OCEANVIEW

SHOPHOUSECHALONG

Fantastic location nearChalong Pier with oceanview from top floor andaccess. 3-stories withshutter gate. Tel: 081-5544140. Email: gunnar@oilcanvas.com

LAND FOR SALE

4.5 RAI

Prime location in Trang offmain road & near university.Price: 14 million baht. Also, 2rai at same location. Price:7.5 million baht. Contact Tel:089-6513479.

VILLA TOP LOCATION

4 bedrooms, big garden, fur-nished, ready to move in. Lo-cated between Phuket Cityand Patong. 15.7 million baht.Call Tel: 087-2849541.

RAWAI BEACH

DUPLEX

30-year lease, 60sqm duplexhouse with pool, parking,garden. Price: 2 million baht.Tel: 086-9408914. Email:freeholdprop@yahoo.com

BEACHFRONT HOUSE

at Kamala. 2 bedrooms, 2stories, last one. Only 15 mil-lion baht. Please call Tel: 085-7839062.

HOUSE FOR

URGENT SALE

Rawai area. 2 bedrooms,150sqm, swimming pool.Only 4.3 million baht. Callnow at Tel: 085-7839062.

PROPERTIES FOR SALE

Condos, apartments, andtownhouses. From 3.7 mil-lion baht. Tel: 087-2650118.Email: ant_p_clark@yahoo.co.uk For further details,please see our website athttp://housesforsalephuket.blogspot.com/

HOUSES FOR SALE

Rawai's No.1 agent for sellingand renting houses. Tel: 084-8486139. For more informa-tion, please visit our website:www.rawai-real-estate.com

LAND FOR SALE

8 rai coconut farm nearTapee River in Surat Thani.80m wide. Electricity andwater. Price: 4.5 million baht.Tel: 089-0927697. Email:matklang@hotmail.com

SEAVIEW LAND

Close to Blue Canyon GolfCourse. Price: 2.8 million bahtper rai. Tel: 083-3888076.

ANDAMAN BEACH

CONDOMINIUM

1-bedroom unit for sale.86sqm. 10th floor, seaview, fully furnished. Free-hold. No brokers please.Contact Songpan at Tel:081-7378662.

PHUKET COUNTRY

CLUB

Duplex renovation project di-rectly on 15th fairway. Tel: 081-8941994. Email: tom.fekete@gmail.com For more informa-tion, please visit our website:www.fairway15.com

RAWAI 2-STORY

HOUSE

140sqm, 2 bedrooms, 2bathrooms, close to thebeach. 1.5 million baht. CallTel: 086-9408914. Email:freeholdprop@yahoo.com

BUILDING FOR SALE

Commercial building, 2floors, including 4 roomsfor rent. Soi Pasak 1, nearLaguna. Price: 6.8 millionbaht. Contact K. Addy. Tel:087-3809917.

KARON LAND

FOR SALE

15 million baht per rai,Chanote, hillside, pan-oramic sea view, quietarea. Please contact foradditional information.Tel: 081-5597456. Email:se_rim@hotmail.com

C L A S S I F I E D S

Property GazetteJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 41

25% Discount on Classifieds for Shopper Card Holders

IF YOU...Place your ad in these pages;Present your Shopper Card; andPay for the ad at our offices,

you’ll enjoy a 25% discount* AND have your ad appear free ofcharge in the Phuket Gazette Online.

With more than 10,000 visitors a day, the Island Trader Online isThailand’s most active classified marketplace.

*Ads may be submitted in person or online (phuketgazette.net/classifieds), butmust be paid for at the Gazette offices. The discount is not available whenpayment is made at our agents.

The Phuket Gazette Co Ltd367/2 Yaowarat Road, Phuket CityTel: 076-236555 Fax: 076-213971

LAND FOR SALE

KOH SAMUI

Land for sale on Samui.Nice location, just 2km tobeach, Maenam Soi 5,750sqm. Price: 1.5 millionbaht. Tel: 076-288860,086-9474494.

LAND AT SAI YUAN

Sea view over Rawai Beachwith private access. Nor SorSam Kor. 7-3-81 rai at 6.5million baht per rai. ContactTel: 081-5384989. Email:mnobnorb@hotmail.com

KAMALA LAND PLOTS

for sale. Chanote titles. Greatplots. 1 rai: 3.3 million baht.1,000sqm: 2.3 million baht.400sqm: 1.3 million baht.Contact Tel: 076-292596,086-2678477. Email: tourniechristian@hotmail.com

LAND FOR SALE

9 rai for sale at Pasak Soi 8,Cherng Talay. 2.7 millionbaht per rai. Contact fordetails. Tel: 076-282808,086-9519198. Fax: 076-282346. Email: heypiassy@hotmail.com

LIVE IN KATHU

New modern-design house forsale. 3 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. Living room,kitchen/diner, walled garden,large veranda, private parking.Near British Int'l School andgolf course. 4.5 million obo.Tel: 084-8439579. Email:somlerdee@yahoo.com

HOUSE WITH POOL

in Chalong. Beautiful houseon 224sqm of land, with pri-vate pool. 2 bedrooms, bigliving room, bathroom withJacuzzi and shower, Euro-pean kitchen. Fully furnished,3 aircons, UBC. 5 millionbaht ono. Tel: 081-2733688.Email: gazette@glibber.comFor further details, pleasevisit our website: http://www.phuket-property.info

FOR SALE OR LEASE

3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 1-story, fully furnished, new,modern house on private roadin Kathu. Electric gate, nicewalled garden, large terrace,private parking, telephone andInternet. Price: 6.2 millionbaht or nearest offer. Must selldue to move to Bangkok. CallTel: 087-3865200.

LAND IN NAI YANG

for sale. Chanote. Near beach.2 rai: 7 million baht. 1 rai: 3.5million baht. 6,440sqm plots:1.5 million baht per plot. CallTel: 089-7241140. Email:nong.phuket@yahoo.de

THAI-STYLE HOUSE

3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms,fully furnished, 650sqm land,150sqm living area, beautifulgarden. Located just 2 min-utes from Laguna. Pleasecontact Tel: 087-8938590.

KAMALA HOUSE

2 bedrooms, big living rooms,big garden, 600sqm, greatlocation. Price: 5.45 millionbaht. Tel: 087-2945737.

RAWAI POOL HOUSE

220sqm, 2 bedrooms, reno-vated, furnished. Only 4.3 mil-lion baht. Tel: 085-7839062.

LAND OPPOSITE

LOCH PALM

12 rai opposite Loch Palmgolf course. For urgent saleat 25 million baht. Seriousbuyers, please. Tel: 084-6255179. Email: supotpac@phuket.ksc.co.th

2-BEDROOM HOUSE

Kamala area. Quiet location,nice garden, aircon, close tothe beach. Great place at agreat price. 1.45 million baht.Please email for photos anddetails. Tel: 087-2756736.Email: thai_hs@yahoo.com

HOUSE IN

PHUKET TOWN

2 stories, 4 bedrooms, 2bathrooms, near UOB bankon Phuket Road, 25m frommain road. Price: 2.2 millionbaht. Tel: 084-0577505.

HOUSE FOR SALE

2 stories, 3 bedrooms, big pool,sat TV, Internet, 5 aircons,nicely furnished, automaticgate. Tel: 084-8516121.

CHEAP SEAVIEW

LAND

5 rai, 500m from Bang Paewaterfall, access from 2roads, 1km from main road.Price: 7.5 million baht. CallTel: 084-0577505.

LAND FOR SALE

Suitable for small developmentor private villa. Starting from2.7 million baht per rai. Call Tel:076-282394, 086-0043008.Email: info@ayudhya.net

NEW RESORT CONDOS

1-bedroom condo in holidayresort, 500m to the beach,65% foreigner finance. Actnow. Only 2.4 million baht.Tel: 084-8486139. For moredetails, visit our website:www.rawai-real-estate.com

TWO 5-STAR

VILLAS

located directly on RawaiBeach. Price: 32.6 millionbaht. Kamala area loca-tion: 20 million baht. Fordetails, email: docucolums@hotmail.com

CHANOTE SEAVIEW

land plots. 10+20+60 rai.Please call for more details.Tel: 081-5395454. Email:mk@phuket-no1.com

RAWAI 2-STORY

HOUSE

140sqm, 2 bedrooms, 2bathrooms, close to thebeach. 1.5 million baht. CallTel: 086-9408914. Email:freeholdprop@yahoo.com

HOUSE FOR SALE

Selling down paymenttownhome. Phuket InterVilla 1. 3 bedrooms, 2 bath-rooms, 2 stories, 24sq wah,opposite Boat Lagoon. CallTel: 081-9793369.

BLUE CANYON

CONDOMINIUM

One of the best condo-miniums at Blue CanyonCountry Club now for sale.Freehold. 265sqm. 3 bed-rooms, 2 bathrooms, largeterrace. Includes activegolf membership. 16.5million baht. No agents.Tel: 081-9708304. Email:amy@my-rooms.com

PATONG 3-FLOOR

shophouse. Best location, 100meters to the beach. Built-uparea: 270sqm. Ground floor:restaurant with new fullyequipped kitchen, WC, aircon,ADSL Internet. 1st floor: 2bedrooms, teak wood floor,bathroom with new whirlpool,WC, 2 aircons, balcony. 2ndfloor: 2 rooms, 1 aircon, bath-room, WC, balcony, UBC,ADSL, TV. Price: 12 millionbaht. Tel: 081-8914844.

URGENT SALE

Khao Lak. Bang Niang bunga-low-apartment resort. 8 bunga-lows with 2 rooms and 2 bun-galows with 3 rooms. 6m x12m swimming pool. Saunaand Jacuzzi, restaurant. Allrooms with aircon, color TV,DVD player and ADSL. Parkingavailable. Price: 9 million baht.Contact Tel: 076-346065,081-8914844. Email: joerg@phuket.ksc.co.th

NAI THON

LAND PLOT

2km from beach, ready tobuild. Price: 15,000 bahtper sq wah. Includes per-mit. Tel: 084-0526400(Martin), 086-6865304(Narin). Email: martin@phuketvillage.se

LARGE THAI HOUSE

Expression of interest in re-moving large Thai concrete-framed house (700sqm inte-rior) with pool, located atYamu village. To be removedand site leveled and left tidy.House complete with tiledroof, teak floors, windowsand grand ballroom staircase,chandelier, 6 Yorke airconunits, 2 pool pumps and ancil-lary electrical and plumbingfittings. Interested partiesshould call Harry Usher. Tel:081-2731740. Email: harry@baanyamu.com

LAND FOR SALE

61 rai. 3 million baht per rai onThepkrasattri Rd. Tah ChatChai area, next to new checkpoint. 1km to JW Marriott. 15minutes to Phuket airport. CallTel: 089-0927697. Email:matklang@hotmail.com

CHERNG TALAY-

MANIK

2 rai, hill views, Chanote,wall around land. Price:5.9 million baht. Call Tel:086-2746511.

FAMILY HOME

3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms,kitchen, aircon, securitybars, quiet area. 1km fromHeroines Monument. 2.9million. Tel: 086-9510123.Email: wing_michael_77@hotmail.com

C L A S S I F I E D S

Property Gazette42 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Property Gazette

Properties For RentHOUSE FOR SALE

Single house in Soi Bangrae,Chalong. 3 bedrooms, 2 bath-rooms, living area, kitchenand many more facilities.Great buy. 125 talang wah& 500sqm. 6.5 million baht.Contact Tel: 081-5395317,086-6890769.

NICE HOUSE

FOR SALE

Perfect house, 4-5 bed-rooms, ready to move in,includes 2006 Honda Jazz.Contact Tel: 081-8915296.Email: hkthomesale18@yahoo.com For photos anddetails, visit our website:http://www.jikkycar.com

LAND FOR SALE

13 rai 85 talang wah, privateroad, river view near La-guna. 2.7 million baht per rai.Chanote. Contact K. Eddy.Tel: 087-3809917. Email:suchayanon@hotmail.com

SEAVIEW LAND

IN KAMALA

23 rai seaview land for salein Kamala. Prime locationnear north end of KamalaBeach. Nor Sor Sam title,sloping hill on main road,easy access from street,electric in place, waterfalls.180 million baht. 2km northof Phuket FantaSea. Pleasecontact by email for morephotos or call for an appoint-ment to view the property.Tel: 081-7284821. Email:elevendigits@yahoo.com

LAND ON KOH

MAPHRAO

East side, street access,electricity, water. Approx.1 rai, ready to be built on.Price: 3.9 million baht. 7 rainext to Swiss resort. Price:2.9 million baht per rai. CallTel: 081-8918930.

RAWAI POOL VILLA

Two 2-bedroom pool villas forsale at 6.5 million baht each.Contact for additional details.Tel: 081-8953979. Email:bdandy@tttmaxnet.comPlease visit our website at:http://poolvilla.wetpaint.com/ NEW HOUSE KATHU

Great views, quiet, secure,furnished, 3 bedrooms, 3 bath-rooms, 3 aircons, Western-style kitchen, 2 carparks,460sqm land. 6.5 million baht.Tel: 087-9391035 (Eng), 086-0050318 (Thai).

NEW TOWNHOUSE

with 2 floors on Chao Fa EastRd. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms,6m x 12.5m, 19sq wah. Con-struction to be finished in Dec.2007. Price: 1.6 million baht.Down payment of 354,000baht with a 1.246 million bahtbank loan available. Pleasecontact Khun Jeab for info.Tel: 084-6890760. Email:a_manasanan@hotmail.com

LAND IN TRANG

4.5 rai in Trang. Perfect locationfor future business. In front ofmain road, opposite university.Contact K. Tan for more infor-mation at Tel: 076-296658,089-6513479. Send email:tannynanny@hotmail.com

SEAVIEW PLOT

BANG TAO

Fantastic views. Infrastruc-ture finished. 2.6km fromthe beach. Only 5 plots left.3 million to 5.5 million baht.Contact Tel: 089-5903665,089-5903665. Email:bannuaton@yahoo.com

NEW SHOPHOUSES

near Bangla Rd. 12 newshophouses for sale in theheart of Patong. Can buywhole plot or separate.Very close to Jungceylonand Bangla. Walk to thebeach in 10 minutes fromthe site. Must see! Tel: 076-239839, 081-8779292.Fax: 081-8779292. Email:prakaisriroj@hotmail.com

CHIANG RAI

LAND AND RESORT

for sale. Land plots from100sqm to 350 rai. Hillsideand valley. 3 resorts, 10-50rooms. Airport pickup andplot-viewing service is avail-able. Contact K. Apagon atTel: 089-2919173.

BEAUTIFUL 3-STORY

building. 5 aircons, 3 rooms onsecond floor, third-floor apart-ment with kitchen and bath-room. Price: 6.2 million baht.600 meters from Chalong circleon Chao Fa East Rd. Pleasecontact Tel: 081-4763242.Email: davidbul@loxinfo.co.th

LAND IN KAMALA

All with Chanote. 55 rai in themost exclusive area near Ka-mala center on flat land at 8.5million baht per rai. Also, 6 raiwith good sea view at 6 millionbaht per rai. 20 rai with best seaview in Kamala at 6 million bahtper rai. Tel: 086-2742308.Email: kim@kamalafalls.com

4 RAI FLAT LAND

Chanote title, square plot,access from 2 roads. 2kmfrom Heroines Monument.500m from main road. 6.8 mil-lion baht. Tel: 084-0577505.

LAGUNA VILLA AND

land plots. Luxury villa withpool in Laguna area for sale. 3bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, biggarden, freehold or leasehold.Land: 836sqm & 640sqm.Please contact for details.Tel: 087-8934636. Email:annericphuket@hotmail.com

HOUSE FOR SALE

2-story townhouse, 2 bed-rooms, 2 bathrooms. Price:1.55 million baht. Tel: 081-6760125. Email: jaidee_kind@yahoo.com

PHANG NGA LAND

FOR SALE

Chanote title and deed. Totalarea: more than 5 rai. Pricedat only 4.5 million baht. Tel:076-221595, 076-221598,081-8918755.

PATONG TOWER

condo. Seaview, furnished 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom condo.2 balconies, double bed, TV,fridge, air conditioning, pool,indoor parking. 6 million baht.Tel: 086-7730046. Email:tamjermjai@yahoo.com

CONDOS FOR SALE

Fantastic sea views and hillviews in Patong Tower. Onlya few minutes to PatongBeach. Must see! Contact forpricing. Tel: 076-341871,081-5697616. Email: sales@phuketislandrealestate.com

BIG HOUSE FOR

RENT

3 big aircons, bedroomsfully furnished, beautifulgarden but no fence, nearChalong Bay. Price: 30,000baht per month. Includeselectric and water. Tel:081-8924311.

PATONG

APARTMENT

300m to the beach, clean,modern decor, aircon, fridge,double bed, pool, parking.Tel: 081-0825707. Visit ourwebsite: www.phuket-accommodation.info

RAWAI BEACH STUDIO

Furnished, kitchen, aircon,UBC, ADSL. 4,500 baht permonth. Contact K. Noki atTel: 086-9408914.

BEACHFRONT HOUSE

for rent. 1-4 bedrooms. Con-tact for specific details. Tel:076-381181, 076-381189.

RAWAI BEACH

VILLA

Pool, 3 bedrooms, 3 bath-rooms, UBC, ADSL. Price:25,000 baht per month.Tel: 086-9408914. Email:freeholdprop@yahoo.com

PATONG ROOM

FOR RENT

Furnished, aircon, TV, wire-less Internet. Price: 7,000baht per month. Please callTel: 089-6478596. Email:property1998@hotmail.com

4-STORY BUILDING

for rent. 6 bedrooms, oppo-site Tesco Lotus. Pleasecontact for more details atTel: 089-4743575, 085-9095191, 089-4744839.

RAWAI FLAT

for rent. 2 bedrooms, 2 bath-rooms, Internet, cable TV, fullyfurnished. Tel: 081-6067410.

4-BEDROOM

KATHU VILLA

Pool, 4km from BIS. Lake,golf and valley view, quiet,on a private hill. Gated withsecurity guard + maid. 2luxury Thai-style villas forrent with 300sqm each. Allamenities in top-class sur-roundings. Internet & UBC.Yearly lease: 65,000 bahtper month. Please contactTel: 087-2698492.

B.L. APARTMENT

New in Kathu. Big rooms, 1bedroom, 1 living room,aircon, cable TV, ADSL, hotshower, garden, carpark.Price: 8,000 baht per month.Tel: 081-6923163.

PALAI, GREENHOUSE

AND BIG GARDEN

Fully furnished, 2 aircons,2 bedrooms, hot shower,living room, kitchen, gar-age. Price: 11,000 bahtper month. Palai area.Contact for more informa-tion. Tel: 081-8924311.

CHALONG HOUSE

for rent. Land and Houses, 3bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, gar-den and carport for 2 cars,Western-style kitchen, hard-wood floors. 30,000 baht permonth. Please contact formore information. Tel: 076-378179, 086-0109782.Email: info@timberway.net

RAWAI/NAI HARN

new large luxury house forrent. Large swimming pool,garden, 5 bedrooms, 6 bath-rooms, big sala. Minimum 1-year lease: 75,000 baht permonth. 30-year lease: 18 mil-lion baht. Tel: 081-3971835.

BYD LOFTS

SERVICED CONDOS

BYD Lofts in downtownPatong offer one- and two-bedroom, 95-160sqm, su-perbly furnished, ultramod-ern apartments for short- orlong-term rent, with pool.Tel: 076-3430247. Email:manager@bydlofts.com

CHALONG

SHOPHOUSE

This new 3-story shophouse isavailable for long-term lease.Ideal for home office/shopaccommodation. Enquire atTel: 089-6521473.

NEW CHALONG HOME

Furnished, 2-bedroom homefor rent with telephone, UBC,and aircon. Please contactfor details and pricing informa-tion. Tel: 089-6521473.

PATONG RENTALS

AVAILABLE

A number of listings thatmay appeal to you. Pricesstarting from 15,000 bahtper month. Contact Tel:081-7196088 (English)or 089-6498703 (Thai).Website: www.gardenislandphuket.com

HOUSE AND CONDO

Rawai location, 2 stories, 8rooms, aircons, 170sqm, idealfor 2 families. Long-term rent:2,800 baht per month. Condowith aircon. Rent: 5,000 bahtper month. Tel: 084-4454614.

SHOPHOUSE BLOCK

5 terraced houses for rent onthe bypass road. 35,000 bahtper month. Please contactK.Vachira for more informa-tion. Tel: 081-3269495.

C L A S S I F I E D S

Property GazetteJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 43

Agents for Classified Advertising

PHUKET

K.L. Mart Tel: 076-280400/3Patak Rd, Chalong Fax: 076-280403

Earth Language School Tel: 076-232398/9Phang Nga Rd, Phuket City Fax: 076-232398

Sin & Lee Tel: 076-258369Thalang Rd, Phuket City Fax: 076-211230

Taurus Travel Tel: 076-344521/2Aroonsom Plaza Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, Patong Fax: 076-344523

41 Minimart Tel/Fax: 076-324312Srisoontorn Rd, Cherng Talay

Deli Supermarket Tel: 076-342275Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, Patong Fax: 076-344314

ANUPAS GOLF

VILLE

Kathu area, 3-bedroomhouse in gated develop-ment. Very spacious,lounge, kitchen, 2 bath-rooms with 1 en-suite, hotwater, aircon, ADSL, UBC,nice garden. Price: 25,000baht per month. Pleasecontact for more informa-tion. Tel: 085-2999435.

SHANTI LODGE

Do you need a place to live inThailand? Secure, furnishedwith Wi-Fi, pool & maid ser-vice. Low season rates from5,000-8,000 baht per monthor with equipped kitchen at12,000 baht per month. Tel:076-280233, 081-5363134.

KARON WATERFRONT

Sea view from everywhere.102sqm. Minimum 6-monthlease: 40,000 baht permonth. Tel: 081-8928208.Please see our website at:www.phuketfurnishedapartments.com

ANDAMAN HILLS

Andaman Hills, Patong. 300sqm house with amazingviews. 3 bedrooms, 4 bath-rooms + separate condo.1-year lease: 45,000 bahtper month. Tel: 087-6880620. Email: bkkjedi@gmail.com For additionalinformation and photos,please visit our website at:ht tp : / / rent66.com/patong_house/index.html

TWO CONDOS IN

PATONG TOWER

1st: 1 bedroom, kitchen, liv-ing room. 2nd: 2 bedrooms,living room, tea kitchen.Daily: 1,200 baht. Weekly:6,000 baht. Monthly:20,000 baht. Tel: 087-2770552, 087-2773086.Email: lhanfirm@online.no

BRAND NEW

PATONG CONDO

Beautiful 1-bedroom condoin best location, quiet. Seaand hill views, all amenities.Long-term rent. Call for de-tails. Tel: 081-9701479.Email: caltirol@hotmail.com

HOUSE FOR RENT

Fully furnished, 3 bedrooms, 2bathrooms, air, cable TV,ADSL. 18,000 baht permonth. Tel: 089-9732917.Email: brunuiviv@hotmail.com

CHALONG ROOM

Hot water, aircon, TV, DVD,Wi-Fi, fridge. 5,500 baht permonth. Tel: 089-4727304.

KARON 5-STAR

waterfront living. Stunningsea view from every win-dow & 2 balconies on 18thfloor. Pool, spa, sauna, ten-nis, squash. Tastefully fur-nished, 1 bedroom, 1 bath-room, living/dining room,equipped Western-stylekitchen with granite tops,breakfast bar. Living area:102sqm. Rent: 4,000 bahtper month. Minimum 6-month lease. Sell: 9.5 millionbaht. Tel: 085-7902464,081-8928208. Website:www.phuketfurnishedapartments.com

BANG TAO HOUSE

FOR RENT

3 bedrooms, swimming pool,2 levels, big living room, park-ing for 2 cars. Please contactfor more information at Tel:084-8516121.

HOUSE FOR RENT

OR FOR SALE

We currently have 2 housesavailable. For specific de-tails, please contact Tel:089-4740222. Email:mammos56@yahoo.comVisit our website: http://www.thehoteldeals.com/photos/

VILLA FOR RENT

Beautiful boutique villas withprivate pool, 2/3 bedrooms,available on daily, weekly, ormonthly basis. Contact us forfurther details. Tel: 076-282394, 086-0043008.Email: info@ayudhya.net

SEAVIEW VILLA

Fantastic sea views out tomany islands and beyond. Setin large garden with huge pooldeck, sala and outdoor areas.3 bedrooms, ADSL, CapeYamu area, only 10 mins toBIS, Boat Lagoon. Price:40,000 baht per month.Please contact for more infor-mation. Tel: 086-2796283.

CHALONG

shophouse. This new 3-storyshophouse is available for long-term lease. Ideal for homeoffice/shop accommodation.Enquire at Tel: 089-6521473.

BAN SUAN KAMNUN

In a very nice, green, clean,quiet area. Just outsidePatong. On hill overlookingPatong Beach, available forlong-term only. 1- and 2-bed-room apartments. Furnished,ADSL, aircon, UBC. CallEdwin. Tel: 086-7866350.

MISSION HEIGHTS

Large luxury house, fully fur-nished, 4 double bedrooms, allwith en-suite bathrooms,maid/guest bungalow in large120sqm gardens. Pool andJacuzzi, 10 mins to airport,10 mins to golf courses. Tel:076-528016, 089-2262612.Email: jim@jimmarsh.net

CONDOS FOR RENT

Phuket Palace condos. 1 bed-room, new, fully furnished,large pool, 24-hour security.Tel: 087-2650118. Email:ant_p_clark@yahoo.co.ukVisit our website at http://phuketpalace501601.blogspot.com/

PANWA BEACH HOUSE

Deck with sunset view, closeto beach, 1.5 bedrooms, 1bathroom, kitchen, hot/coldwater. Long-term rent: 8,500baht. Tel: 084-0571420.

LAGUNA TOWNHOME

3 bedrooms, 400sqm, gardenand lap pool, golf course views.Price: 85,000 baht per month.Contact K. Amber. Tel: 089-2001681. Email: aabsxx88@truemail.co.th

NICE & MODERN

HOUSES FOR RENT

Furnished & excellent loca-tions. 5 mins to Rawai & NaiHarn Beaches. 162sqm. 2bedrooms with privatebathrooms. 1 guest toilet. 3aircons. Large living/diningroom. Telephone, ADSL.Free water supply and gar-bage service. Price: 20,000baht per month. Call KhunNui at Tel: 087-3830936.

2-BEDROOM FLAT

Beautiful space, fully fur-nished, fully equipped, West-ern-style kitchen. Airconthroughout. Private access toswimming pool. Elevated viewof Patong. Quiet and secure.Rental price includes waterand UBC TV. Contact for in-formation. Email: simon@coppingerproperties.com

PALM GARDENS

New bungalow on a 24-hrsecure development, 3 bed-rooms, furnished, pool, closeto BIS, 20 mins to SurinBeach. 15,000 baht permonth. Tel: 084-8374602.Email: jcullen@bcis.ac.th

STUDIO APARTMENT

Modern apartment off NanaiRd. Fully furnished includingTV, DVD, large fridge, fan,hot water, aircon and kitchen-ette. From 7,500 baht permonth. Internet an option.Contact Tel: 087-2650652.Email: gisbert1@gmx.net

LUXURIOUS VILLA

FOR RENT

3-4 bedrooms, nicely fur-nished, 2 levels, sat TV,Internet, big pool. ContactTel: 084-8516121.

1-BEDROOM CONDO

in Patong Tower. Newly reno-vated in a beautiful modernstyle. Best location in Patongarea. Long-term rent only.Price: 18,000 baht per month.Tel: 087-1238320. Email:deherder@hotmail.com

LARGE STUDIO APTS

Chalong bright, spacious fur-nished suites for rent. Roof-top spa, pool, aircon, Wi-Fi,sat TV, kitchenette, hot watershower, housekeeping. From9,500 baht per month. Tel:086-2826221. Email: saneroad@yahoo.com

CLUB LERSUANG

Surin Beach. Modern, well-furnished, 2-bedroom apart-ment in small block with pool.Close to the beach. Pricesstarting at 30,000 baht permonth. Tel: 085-8882022.Email: slees@slees.com

3-STORY HOME/

OFFICE FOR RENT

Chao Fa Rd and Naka Rd. 2mins to Central, Big C andLotus. 2 bedrooms, 2 hot/coldwater bathrooms, 2 aircons.25,000 baht per month obo.24-hr security, garbage col-lection, common garden.Tel: 089-4742815. Email:noppakul@hotmail.com

KATA LUXURY

oceanfront five-star 1-bedroomapartment. Pool, gym, ADSL,quiet location, beach view.Price: 28,000 baht per month.Email: asiasail@yahoo.comFor details, visit our website:http://koumbele.com/kata/1

PURIMAS BOUTIQUE

Bungalows for rent in NaiHarn Beach. Fully furnished,available for weekly, monthlyor long-term rent. Tel: 081-6913029, 081-7286242.

POOL VILLA

2-bedroom luxury villa withprivate pool in Rawai. Fur-nished, aircon. 35,000 bahtper month. TV package +pool + garden maintenanceincluded. Prefer minimum 6-month lease. Please callSue at Tel: 081-9701716.

TROPICAL VILLA

in new beautiful, fully main-tained development. 2 bed-rooms, 2 bathrooms, Euro-pean kitchen, full aircon,UBC, TV, telephone, fur-nished, private pool andgarden. Minimum 6-monthlease. 35,000 baht permonth. Tel: 087-2810452,087-8931180.

HOUSE FOR RENT

IN CHALONG

2 bedrooms, kitchen, liv-ing room, dining room,laundry room, fully fur-nished, aircon in everyroom, carpark, communalswimming pool, tropicalgarden. ADSL and UBCsatellite TV included. Price:25,000 baht per month.Minimum 6-month lease.Tel: 087-1057320. Email:stefan@phuketit.co.th

C L A S S I F I E D S44 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Property Gazette

Classified ads are charged per line. Each line is 95 baht,

with a minimum of 4 lines (heading included) per ad.

All advertising must be paid for in advance.

Deadline for Property Gazette pages: Friday 3 pm.

Deadline for all other ads: Saturday 12 noon.

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Classified Advertisements

Please use this form to write your classified advertisement.

Then hand it to any of our agents.

PropertyServices

AccommodationAvailable Building

Products& Services

HouseholdServices

Find more Property Classified ads online at phuketgazette.net!

RESTAURANTWANTED

for rent. Guesthouse or roomfor open restaurant only.Patong beach road and centerPatong. Please contact formore information. Tel: 084-8448353.

KARON BUILDING PLOTWe want to purchase a build-ing plot in or around Karon orKata suitable for one smallhouse or bungalow. 200 to400sqm plot size ideal. Musthave Chanote, electricity,water and telephone avail-able. Owners only. Pleaseemail with your full details. Wewill reply to all responses.Email: ken.devitt@btopenworld.com

PropertyWanted

LAND WANTEDCash buyer would like to pur-chase around 2 rai of seaviewland, preferably sea and islandviews, on the northeast coastof Phuket. Land must haveelectricity and good accessroad. Should not be overlookedand should be suitable for build-ing a house. Immediate decisionand payment offered for rightplot. Prefer details by email.Tel: 086-9446288. Email:phuketgraham@yahoo.co.uk

RENTAL HOUSE

I'm looking for a house in aquiet location with Internetaccess in Kata, Karon, NaiThon or Nai Yang. Neededfrom December 2007 untilMarch 2008. Maximumpayment per month: 30,000baht. Please contact mewith details and photos.Email: pekfpe@yahoo.dk

LONG-TERMRENTAL WANTED

Retired British couple pres-ently living in Phuket requirea 2- to 3-bedroom spaciousvilla or apartment in asecure environment withpool. Internet and cablerequired. Must be of highstandard and well pre-sented. Your property willbe very well taken care of!Contact via email: phuketgraham@yahoo.co.uk

1-BEDROOM APTwanted May-Oct. Patong orKaron. Furnished, cable pre-ferred. Contact via email:phapts@yahoo.com

NEED LANDPhuket City area. I need 5 raiof land in Phuket City. Pleasecontact for more information.Tel: 083-3888028. Email:phuketrattan@gmail.com

TOWNHOUSEWANTED FOR RENTIn need of townhouse lo-cated in Patong (will alsoconsider Kata or Karononly). August-October in-clusive (3 months). Wouldprefer a secure estate,mid-range property suchas Baan Benjamas. Aircon,UBC and carpark are allessential. Please contactfor more details via email:karlh@labyrinth.net.au

PATONG TOWER

condo with a sea view.Keen buyer. Please con-tact if you have one avail-able for sale. Please con-tact for more information.Tel: 084-4471978. Email:diggerresort@hotmail.com

HANDYMANSERVICES

Installation, repair & main-tenance of electrical, plumb-ing and boiling systems.Painting & pool cleaning.Reasonable prices. ContactTel: 086-9487489 (Thai),081-5384989 (Eng). Email:mnobnorb@hotmail.com

ALL AROUNDCLEANING SERVICE

For your cleaning problemscall Spick N' Span profes-sional cleaning service foryour house, office, hotel,apartment or condo for daily,weekly or monthly services ataffordable prices. Tel: 076-280801, 084-0581217. Fax:076-0762810. Email: legali n s i d e s i a m p r o p e r t y@gmail.com

YANUI RESORT

2 rooms from 600 baht perday, 13,000 baht per month.Swimming pool, maid ser-vice, fridge, aircon, sat TV,5-minute walk to beach.Tel: 087-8844663.

PATONGAPARTMENTS &

ROOMS

Monthly: 8,000-25,000baht. Daily: 600-1,200 baht.Contact receptionist at Tel:076-512151-2. Website:www.brommathaihouse.com

PATONGGUESTHOUSE

Newly renovated mini-suitewith kingsize bed, aircon,bath, cable and security.Utilities included. Lawan Resi-dence, 191/3 Rat-U-Thit Rd(behind The Gym and acrossfrom Water World Asia), just2 minutes from Jungceylon.Great value. Must see! Price6,000 baht per month. Tel:085-7932477. Email:garyteets@yahoo.com

ROOMS WITH POOL,WI-FI, ETC

Realistic long- or short-termrates. Free wireless Internet,swimming pool, bar, etc. Tel:076-292907. Fax: 076-344608. Email: info@club-coconut-resort.info Pleasevisit our website: www.phukets.info/ccr.html

HILLTOP BOUTIQUEHOTEL

Best rates, panoramic viewsof Patong Beach, elegantrooms, swimming pool, freein-room Internet and finedining. Tel: 076-296785.Fax: 076-296784. Email:reservationsm@hilltophotel.com See our website:www.phukets.info/hbh.html

PATONG BEACHVIEWcondo beautiful 1-bedroomcondo with balcony. 100meters from the beach. Cen-ter of Patong, located on atop floor, newly redone,granite floors, full kitchen, 2aircons, safe, 2 TVs, sheets,towels, everything you need.Tel: 081-3753970. Email:patongholiday@yahoo.com

GOOD PATONG ROOMSAircon, ceiling fan, cable TV,fridge, free Wi-Fi, shower +WC, nicely furnished,bar+restaurant, use of pool.Ideal long-stay tourist. Dailyrate: 500 baht. Monthly rate:7,000 baht. Call Andrew atTel: 087-2825086.

PATONG LUXURYapartments. Located incentral Patong, 1 or 2 bed-rooms. For information andphotos. Please contact Tel:076-341827. Send email:suites247@yahoo.com

Specialist in European stone-care products and services:

Prevent: rust, stains, mildew,algae, scratches

Remove: builders’ residue,incorrect sealants, rust, stains,

mildew, etc. Daily care &cleaning products also available.

Tel: 087-2824930, 076-271217Fax: 076-271218

Email:info@thestonedoctor-asia.com

• Restoration• Sealing/Protection• Maintenance

All your maintenance,protection & cleaning needsfor natural and manufacturedstone.

• Marble • Sandwash• Granite • Terracotta• Slate • Terrazzo• Sandstone • Ceramics, etc

The Stone Doctor

HouseholdItems

TEAK GARDENfurniture. Eight lounger-stylechairs with 4 accompanyingside tables. Very comfortable.24,000 baht. Tel: 076-381-515, 087-2632294. Email:satmanmarc-info@yahoo.com

LOCK UP STORAGEAvailable for household goods,cars, motorbikes, etc. 24-hrsecurity. Tel: 081-0825707.

PHUKET HOMEMAINTENANCE

Construction, renovation,electricians, plumbers, car-penters, painters, tilers, gar-deners, aircon servicing andelectrical repairs. Contact K.Rin at Tel: 084-1935124.

VERY PRIVATEVILLA

Walled, good-sized gardenwith pool and electronic en-try. 2 double bedrooms, onesingle, study room, 3 bath-rooms, aircon in all rooms.Fully furnished. Telephone &UBC. Available until mid-Oc-tober. Tel: 076-200923,081-845 2160. Fax: 076-200924. Email: dobermanns@loxinfo.co.th

SHORT-TERM RENTAL

Good choice of villas and apart-ments for holiday rental. Onlinebooking available. Tel: 084-8486139. For details, pleasevisit our website: www.rawai-real-estate.com

C L A S S I F I E D SJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 45

Boats & Marine

DIVE & FISHING

BOAT

Teakwood, 42ft, Hino 160,nicely furnished, fish-finder,rack for 14 tanks, awning,licensed 13+2. Price:850,000 baht. Please con-tact for more information.

Tel: 087-2841071(English),

089-9711292 (Thai).

Email: julie2606asia@yahoo.com.au

FIBERGLASS BOAT

36 foot flybridge boat, brandnew, still in factory. 100%fiberglass. Ideal for sight see-ing and scuba diving. Choiceof engines - 4 stroke or 2stroke. Price for boat is only2.3 million baht. Contact formore information. Tel: 081-8912895. Email: jgkg24@hotmail.com

9M CATAMARAN

FOR SALE

No engine, no mast and nosails. Price: 270,000 baht.

Tel: 087-8919620.

NEW FISHING BOAT

Take a look at our Gazettehomepage banner 'Boating& Fishing Help' for info.

Email:makocraft@hotmail.com

INDONESIAN BOAT

Thai-registered wooden boatfor sale. 65ft long, 18ft wide,30 tons. For details, email:shaanxi.xian@vipmail.hu orp.atiss@freemail.hu

17' BOSTON WHALER

17-foot (5.18m), center con-sole, fiberglass with 90hpMercury outboard and trailer,1 year old, very clean. Price:550,000 baht. Please con-tact for more information.Tel: 076-248120. Email:wpdrake@hotmail.com.Specs for Montauk 170 avail-able by visiting out website:http://www.whaler.com

63-FT LUXURY

POWER CRUISER

Fully equipped, watermaker, aircon, GPS, radar,life jackets, tender, full gal-ley, bedding, towels, plusmuch more. All for a verylow price. Must be seen.Contact for inspection at

Tel: +66-081-9390176.Email: beaver@tstf.net

BOAT SHARE

ownership. Consider sharing inmy new fishing boat here inPhuket. Email: makocraft@hotmail.com

TWIN ENGINE

speedboat. Newly renovated.All new interior, paint, fuel tanks,bimini and much more! 10meters. Licensed for 12 people.1.2 million baht or best offer.Tel: 084-6644050. Email:aadams007@yahoo.com

100% FIBERGLASS

boat. Stainless-steel railingwith or without engines. Length6.50m, width 2.25m, 200Lfuel tank, GPS, sonar, fish find-er, bimini, outrigger, fishing-rod holders, Thai registrationwith book, great condition, in-cludes trailer and dinghy. Only290,000 baht (without engine)or 6,000 euro, US$8,000,CHF 10,000. Please contact atTel: 076-280301, 087-091-2604, or via email: renebua@hotmail.com Visit our websitefor information at http://web.mac.com/rene.buechel/iWeb/rbw/home.html

GFK SPEEDBOAT

Dive and fishing. Steppa 37with flybridge, inboard toilet,storage room, sun deck,shower,Thai registration forcommercial business, up to22 pax. Completely renewedhull. 2x200hp Yamahas.Email: iscoth@hotmail.com

JABSCO HEAD

for sale. Recent model. Allseals are brand new and inperfect condition. Can be seenin working situation at eitherYacht Haven Marina or BoatLagoon. Email: rogerg@seamarineservices.com

SAILBOAT

1968 Islander for sale. 44ftworld cruiser, lying in YachtHaven Marina. US$50,000.Email: temptation44@hotmail.com

17.5-METER

diving boat. For sale or char-ter, width 4.5m. Diesel en-gine, 320hp generator at20kW. 30 person capacity.Great buy. Price: 950,000baht. Call for more informa-tion. Tel: 081-9680571.

C L A S S I F I E D S46 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Island Job Mart

BROKER/AGENT

WANTED

for health insurance company.We will be visiting on August2-3 and monthly thereafter.Interested parties should con-tact either Tom Thomson atTel: 089-6674777 or ChalachMahachalalai at Tel: 081-9259126 to arrange for anappointment.

ART/INTERIOR

DESIGN

Looking for a universitygraduate in art/interiordesign.The candidiate shouldbe highly motivated and will-ing to expand their skills. Thenature of the job is concep-tual drawing for worldwideinteriors. Must have goodcommand of English lan-guage. Tel: 083-6965232.Email: yui@orientalicon.com

ABSOLUTE

TELEMARKETERS!

Absolute are currently recruit-ing Thai nationals for newtelemarketing departmentbased in Patong. Successfulapplicants must speak fluentEnglish. Salary and commis-sion. Email: thailandjobs@clubabsolute.com

ITALIAN CHEF

NEEDED (EXPAT)

To work for hotel's restau-rant in Bangkok

- Room accommodation

- We shall assist with obtain-ing your work permit

Contact Mr Chirinet. Tel: 02-8614572, 081-6517867.Email: job2500@yahoo.com

ENGINEER NEEDS

JN-TECH. We need an experi-enced engineer for construc-tion. Thai nationality only. Goodwritten & spoken English. Ger-man is a plus! Send latest CV toemail: info@1nj.de

PERSONAL ASSISTANT

Thai lady required part timewith very flexible hours. Musthave good English and com-puter skills. Please call Tel:086-2790837.

SECRETARY WANTED

for housing development.Good English, car driver's li-cense & experience, computerskills, sales skills. Please callTel: 081-5376866.

BUNGALOW RESORT

ALL POSITIONS

* Restaurant manager

* Receptionist

* Cook

* Waiter/waitress

* Cashier

* Maid

* Beach boy/girl

* Trainees and more...

You should be motivated,service-minded, with pleas-ant personality, an energeticindividual, have minimum of2 years' experience andgood command of English.Please email your resume,expected salary and recentphoto to: pia@phuket-bangtao lagoon.com

SIAM ADVENTURE

club manager. Looking for adynamic and creative individualto manage guest relations, tourand kids club in a fun family-fo-cused resort. Foreigners wel-come. Please contact formore details. Tel: 076-396-666, 076-396667. Email:hr@ramadaphuket.com

HOTEL RESERVATION

manager. Top salary paidbased on experience for moti-vated front desk girl to runrenovated 12-room boutiquehotel. Must speak, read andwrite English. Two minutewalk to Jungceylon. ContactTel: 085-7932477. Email:garyteets@yahoo.com

Gazette Online Classifieds10,000 readers every day!

TEACHER TRAINING

TEFL certification, TTT lan-guage school. Contact formore information. Tel: 076-280869. Email: tefl@loxinfo.co.th For details, visit ourwebsite: www.ttt-tefl.com

URGENTLY NEEDED

We are looking for a lady, age20-35 years old, for a beautysalon, massage and spa. Fordetails, please contact Mar-celle at Tel: 089-0175706.Email: marcellep@mail.com

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

with at least 3 years’ experi-ence in construction. Mustspeak good English and becompetent in AutoCAD.Email: robin@avcphuket.com

EXPERIENCED

secretary wanted for well-established company. Mustspeak good English. Salarybased on experience. Email:robin@avcphuket.com

CHIEF ACCOUNTANT

CPD license is a must.Monthly financial statementsreport with accuracy as wellas on a timely basis. Ensureaccuracy of accounts receiv-able, accounts payable andstock control. All taxation re-porting. QuickBooks knowl-edge is a plus. Call Tel: 076-239- 111, 081-9583095.Fax: 076-238974. Email:suporn@asia-marine.net

C L A S S I F I E D SJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 47

Island Job Mart

KARON PUB

Need English speaking maleand female Thai staff to workin a pub/restaurant in Karon.Good salaries and work condi-tions. Please contact at email:info@bluewaterphuket.com

CUSTOMER SERVICE

OFFICER

Good in English with PC lit-eracy. Customer service ori-ented. Strong organizationskills for back office. Self con-fident with an eye for detail.Based at Yacht Haven Ma-rina. Tel: 076-239111. Fax:076-238974. Email: suporn@asia-marine.net

IN-HOUSE SALES

In-house sales reps wantednow for holiday club. Sellingonly to qualified fly-bys. NoOPCs! Please contact at Tel:076-293061. Email: info@freedomleisuregroup.com

GUEST RELATIONS

(Scandinavian). To work forhotel in Phuket.

- Room accommodation

- We shall assist you with ob-taining your work permit

Please contact at Tel: 081-6517867. Email: job2550@yahoo.com

PONTOON MANAGER

Overview the maintenance &cleaning of our charter fleeteither bare boat or crewedboat in co-ordination withcrew & technician. Managethe crew's schedule. Sendjobs & operation report tomanagement. Co-ordinationwith charter department.Welcome our charter clients &boat owners. Make an area &technical briefing for our bareboat clients. Rescue & co-or-dination center over the phonefor our bare boat clients.Please contact for additionalinformation. Tel: 076-239111.Fax: 076-238974. Email:suporn@asia-marine.net

EXPERIENCED

RECEPTIONIST

BYD Lofts, Patong, features19 ultramodern, 5-star, 1 &2-bedroom hotel apart-ments. Spa and restaurant.We urgently need an experi-enced receptionist/GSA.Comanche system familiar-ity, team player, good Englishand proactive, helpful per-sonality. Tel: 076-343 027.Fax: 076-343028. Email:reception@bydlofts.com

PROJECT MANAGER

Thai, 20 years' experience incivil work (luxury villas, condo-minium), fluent English. CallTel: 086-5215089.

CRUISE SHIP JOB

Art auctioneer workingonboard the world's largestcruise ships seeking femaleassistant. 35,000 baht permonth. 21-35 years old, at-tractive, outgoing, some com-puter skills helpful, able totravel 4-5 months at a time.Tel: +66-860937558. Email:takiniteasy007@hotmail.com

GREAT OPPORTUNITY

Seara Int. Looking for admin./sales assist. Thai female, 22-25 yrs old, good command ofwritten/spoken English, com-puter skills. Join our successfulteam! Send CV+photo to Tel:076-355040, 089-646 9278.Fax: 076-355039. Email:boom@searasports.com

EmploymentWanted

EUROPEAN

GRADUATE

33-year-old female relocat-ing to Phuket. Fluent English,French, German, Spanish &Dutch. Seeks interestingsales, administrative, frontoffice or travel and tourismposition. Please contact forfull details.

Tel: 081-5375133.

Email:keith.wickers@gmail.com

HOUSEKEEPER

Full time housekeeper requiredfor retired businessman inChalong. Must have owntransport and speak English.Duties include general runningof house, bill paying, cleaning,ironing, some cooking, etc.Excellent wages to right per-son. Contact at Email:verhar@yahoo.com

Find more Recruitment Classifieds at www.phuketgazette.net!

ACCOUNTANT

needed for firm. Accountingfirm is looking for a person witha Bachelor's degree in account-ing and a good command ofEnglish. Tel: 076-262105,081-9786144. Send email:supotpac@phuket.ksc.co.th

C L A S S I F I E D S48 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Tout, Trader & Trumpet

Articlesfor Sale

FURNITURE FOR SALE

Sofa and glass table set:1,500 baht. Wood-carvedsofa, 4 seats and table: 5,000baht. Steam-dry iron: 8,000baht (from new 24,000 baht).Tel: 081-2945441.

YAMAHA PIANO

Beautiful second-hand longpiano, Yamaha, black varnish,five-year guarantee. Price:350,000 baht. Please callTel: 087-2638552.

FREE CASETTE PLAYER

comes with a selection ofbooks on tape. Free of charge!Tel: 076-581614, 086-8911597.

ELECTRONICS

46” TV projector: 26,000baht. Laptop computer:13,000 baht. Nokia 8800:13,000 baht. For more detailson each item, contact Tel:081-2945441.

FURNITURE AND

SATELLITE

Electrolux refrigerator, sofawith modern fauteuil, DynasatF1 satellite receiver, garden setwith glass-top table and arm-chairs. English, German, Dutchand Spanish. Please contactfor additional information atTel: 081-2997975.

Bulletins

PIWC GALA BALL

The Phuket InternationalWomen's Club announcesthe most prestigous eventthis year - the annual GalaBall on Saturday, November24th at the Indigo Pearl inNai Yang Beach. Watch formore details. Tickets will bein great demand. ContactCarol at Tel: 087-4178860,email: carol@aplusplussoftware.com or Sue atTel: 087-2776948, email:arnulphy@loxinfo.co.th

PHUKET HOME

MAINTENANCE

Closed for staff holidayin July. Return to work asnormal in August. Email:phukethomemaintenance@yahoo.com

BusinessOpportunities

KAMALA BAR AND

RESTAURANT

Newly renovated in Dec06, all movables are new,36 seats. Great location.Price: 550,000 baht. Tel:089-5911407. Email:gerdjanne@hotmail.com

RESTAURANT FOR

SALE

100-seat restaurant on twofloors, 2 bars and beer garden.Operating since May 2000.Additional room of 7m x14m for staff or rental. Reg-istered contract till April 2,2016. Rent paid till February2009. Recommended by allleading tour operators. Price:4.6 million baht. Tel: 075-637258, 089-5873533.Email: j.aonang@gmx.de

HIGH INTEREST

Earn 10-15% interest perannum. Invest 200 to 1 mil-lion baht. Tel: 086-2878966.

CHARTER CRUISE

BUSINESS

includes 50ft yacht. Priced atonly 7.5 million baht. Email:admin@ideacon.biz For fur-ther details, please see ourwebsite at: www.ideacon.biz/charter_cruise_biz.htm

RESTAURANT

for sale in Kata Beach area.4 bedrooms, 3 TVs, pooltable, fully stocked, seats 80.Contact for more information.Tel: 089-5880839.

ESTATE & BUSINESS

broker. Price: 300,000 baht.Email: admin@ideacon.bizFor additional details, pleasevisit our website: www.no1phukethomes.com

DANISH GRILL/BAR

Selling franchise. Price:800,000 baht. Email: admin@ideacon.biz For furtherdetails, please visit ourwebsite: www.ideacon.biz/dansk_ grill_bar.htm

LIVE AND WORK

in paradise! We get you startedfrom scratch! From idea anddream to reality! We are theonly idea consultation inThailand! Contact via email:admin@ideacon.biz Visit ourwebsite: www.ideacon.biz

HOTEL FOR SALE

Guesthouse, 6 rooms, goodlocation on Nanai Rd. Includesbusy bar+restaurant+tourdesk. Nicely furnished+goodprofits. Only 2.8 million bahtono. Call Andrew at Tel: 087-2825086.

BOUTIQUE

GUESTHOUSE

Center of Patong, very longlease, 1st class. For moreinfo, click on our Gazettehomepage banner ‘Boating& Fishing Help’. Email:makocraft@hotmail.com

INTERNET CAFE

8 computers, 1-year lease left,able to extend to 4 years. Rent:15,000 baht per month. Busi-ness for sale at 350,000 bahtor 450,000 baht with 4-yearlease. Located on busy NanaiRd. Tel: 660-847231269,660-847231269. Email:bmudablue@aol.com

BAR & RESTAURANT

Nanai Rd, excellent location,great profits, with accommo-dation. Low rent negotiable.Tel: 081-7411963.

PATONG BAR FOR SALE

1 million baht + rent. 4 floorsincludes 2-bedroom apart-ment. Tel: 087-8817600.

NEW ULTRA-

MODERN CLUB

H2O Entertainment Co Ltdhas built an all new luxury clubin Patong. 50 meters fromthe beach on the very popularSoi Post Office! Constructioncompleted 1 month ago. 320sqm. Excellent opportunity.Two options for lease. Buyoutright for 10 million bahtand get 12-year lease. Or pay4 million baht and get 5-yearlease at 180,000 baht permonth. This club will be thetalk of the town! Lower-levelshop available for restaurant.Please contact for details.Tel: 084-6644050. Email:aadams007@yahoo.com

RESTAURANT KATA

Austrian restaurant in Kata forsale. Good and quiet location,60 seats, ready for takeover.Tel: 086-1203660. Email:chilligarden@hotmail.com

BUSINESS FOR SALE

IN PATONG

(Guesthouse and restaurant)Located on Banzaan St. 5 min-ute walk to Bangla, near Jung-ceylon, 7 rooms, aircons,safe, Internet. All with largeTV, cable, large fridge andfurniture from Index. Only 7months old, low rent, 4.5-year lease. Place for restau-rant, bar or other business onground floor. For sale becauseof lack of interest and time.Price: 1.2 million baht. CallTel: 085-4072979.

BARGAIN BUY

Bar for sale on Nanai Rd.Includes pool table, darts, 42"plasma TV, fully stocked.Bargain price: 475,000 baht.Rent: 10,000 baht per month.Please contact for more infor-mation. Tel: 084-8520862.

PIZZA OVEN

Resort wishes to sell 2-year-old pizza oven in excellentcondition. Price: 99,000 baht.Please contact K. Porn at Tel:075-607100.

BEACH BAR

PATONG 4 RENT

Beach bar on the sand atPatong Beach with seatingfor 100. Prime location.Contract for 31 months.5.5 million baht. Email:momo_f@hotmail.com

RETIREMENT INCOME

Easy-to-learn Forex hedgingstrategy yields substantialresidual income while minimiz-ing risk. For info, watch thevideo at www.bluepointinvestments.com

BAR FOR SALE

Rawai, prime location on thebeach road. Very nicely de-corated. Price: 1.7 millionbaht ono. Tel: 087-2706297.

USED BOOK BUSINESS

4,000 used books and 20wooden bookshelves for sale.Only 258,000 baht. Goodchance to open your own bookshop. Tel: 089-7242136.

BOOKSHOP SALE

Patong OTOP bookshop forsale. Price: 690,000 baht.Call Tel: 084-1705552.

PATONG BEAUTY

salon. Take over lease thatruns until 2010. Please con-tact Tel: 084-4414689.

KATA RESTAURANT

Small restaurant at the mainroad. Sell: 1 million baht.Rent: 10,000 baht per month.Please contact for more infor-mation. Tel: 087-9807570.Email: kata.restaurant@gmail.com

SUCCESSFUL CLUB

for sale. 1.9 million baht reno-vation in Oct/Nov 2006. 4-year lease. Take over for 1.5million baht and 50,000 bahtper month. Buy now and get itfree rent until Nov 1, 2007.Tel: 084-6644050. Email:aadams007@yahoo.com

Business Products & Services

ANDAMAN LEGAL

ADVISERS

26 Hongyok-Utit Rd, TalaadYai, Samkong, Phuket. Asso-ciated with Advocates andSolicitors Bangkok, Phuketand UK. We provide a widerange of high-quality and spe-cialized legal services to indi-vidual and corporate clients.- Legal consultations- Real estate and propertycontracts- Alien business establishment- Notarial certifications- Trademark and patentlicenses- Work permit and visa- Etc.Please contact for more infor-mation.

Tel: 02-975-6792, 02-5113264, 081-9377219.

Email: AndamanLegal@gmail.com,

solicitor40@aol.comWebsite:

www.Haroldstock.com

CHIROPRACTIC

Dr. Richard Cracknell.Tel: 076-330889.

www.chiropractic-phuket.com

VISA & LEGAL

SERVICES

Company registration 2,229baht; 1-year visa 7,900 baht;retirement visa 7,900 baht;work permit 7,900 baht;UK&US visa 19,999 baht.No more visa runs get a1-year visa for only 7,900baht. Establish your Thaicompany today to buy landor start your business foronly 2,229 baht. Propertytitle search, sales contractand land registration.Thailand's largest legal ser-vice network. Always lowprices by our licensed Thailawyers. Call Tel: 076-345277, 076-290487.Email: info@siam-legal.comFor additional information,please visit our website:http://www.siam-legal.com

COUNSELING

US-trained therapist foradults, couples and children.Email: parwgk@aol.com

A/C, SAFE AND

COMPUTERS

Aircon: 16,000 BTUs,8,000 baht. 80x80x70cmsafe: 7,500 baht. IBM-server X226 with2x74GB, DAT backup,Windows server 2003:25,000 baht. IBM-PC TC-M52 Desktop, 3GHz,80GB, Windows XP Pro,15" LCD: 10,000 baht. Allitems approximately 1 yearold. Computers never used!Contact for more details.

Tel: 084-850 7310.Email:

pereriknorback@msn.com

C L A S S I F I E D SJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 49

Tout, Trader & Trumpet

PersonalServices

Miscellaneousfor Sale

Personals

Gazette Online Classifieds – 10,000 readers every day!

EUROPEAN

KITCHENS

Built-in furniture. Woodworkspecialists, high-quality work-manship. Contact Real-woodat Tel: 087-9785804.

TEFL TEACHER

TRAINING

Language school. Forfurther details, please visit

our website:www.ttt-tefl.com

SATELLITE

CABLE TV

True + Multichoice: 3,600baht per year. Movies,sports, music, Arabic, Euro-pean and Asian news, etc.Hotels, condos, apartments.Resort repairs and upgradesare welcome. Please call foradditional details.

Tel: 089-9092387,

089-7947078.

Email:mpshop.sattv@gmail.com

Website:

www.mpsattv.com

Computers

Camera &Equipment

SAMSUNG CAMERA

7.2 megapixels, 2 months old.New price: 14,000 baht. Saleprice: 9,000 baht. Also, Nokia6020 for only 3,000 baht. Tel:086-2767510.

NIKON D2H DIGITAL

camera due to system change,I will sell this Nikon D2H (8frames per second). In perfectoptical and technical condition,Nikon Bangkok proved. In-cludes manual, charger and soft-ware. 60,000 baht or nearestoffer. Tel: 087-8957584.Email: eyebit@mac.com

IMAC G5 POWERMAC

CPU. 2 GHZ, 1.5 GB RAM, 250GB Sata hard drive, 20" mon-itor. New: 86,000 baht Sell:35,000 ono. For details, callTel: 087-2810451.

APPLE COMPUTER

Mac mini, 1.66GHz, 6 monthsyoung. Paid: 31,700 baht. Sell:21,000 baht. Speakers andprinter included. Contact Tel:086-7426265.

Dive Gear

SUNNTO STINGER

DIVE COMPUTER

Excellent condition, 16-month warranty remaining.Everything in box. 17,900baht. Please contact formore information.

Email:access00@csloxinfo.com

Mobile Phones

TAROT WORKSHOP

4 Sunday sessions, 3-5 pmonly, 9 locations, starts Sept.2. Price: 3,990 baht. Con-tact for more information.Tel: 089-6478519.

PERSONAL

COMPANION/

ASSISTANT

Retired American business-man wants to hire an intel-ligent, educated femalecompanion/assistant. Goodcompensation for the rightperson. Tel: 321-7777447.Fax: 321-7777717. Email:ltnesneg@aol.com

BACKGAMMON

Retired businessman lookingfor backgammon players inPhuket. Tel: 081-5778443.

LOVELY GIRL

A Thai lady is looking for aFarang. 30-40 years old.Email: innocentpretty20@yahoo.com

MOBILE PHONES

Nokia 8800, two weeksold, perfect condition.20,000 baht. Please con-tact for more information.Tel: 076-386118, 084-0513473.

STAMP FOR SALE

Princess Diana. Good collec-tion since 1995. Please con-tact K. Kwan for more infor-mation. Tel: 086-9452879.

ENGLISH BULLDOG

AKC English bulldog pup-pies. Very playful and ac-tive. Big heads, beautifuland loveable. Contact atTel: 508-4760291. Email:netbreed@yahoo.com

SIBERIAN HUSKY

Brown/white. Beautiful Sibe-rian Husky dog. 1 year old,brown and white thick coat,has inoculation history fromlocal vet. Excellent tempera-ment and obedient. Has com-pleted 2 months basic trainingand obedience course atPhuket International DogSchool (PIDS). For sale togood, loving and secure homeonly. Price: 18,000 baht.Call Tel: 083-1821468.

Pets

MASSAGE

DELIVERY

Man for man only. Pleasebook 2 hours in advance.Tel: 089-2228206.

Soi Dog Foundation Tel: 081-7884222

Takeme

homewithyou!

C L A S S I F I E D S50 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

Wheels & Motors

Saloon Cars Pickups

Need wheels? Check out www.phuketgazette.net

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Please use this form to write your classified advertisement.

Then hand it to any of our agents.

Classified ads are charged per line. Each line is 95 baht,with a minimum of 4 lines (heading included) per ad.

All advertising must be paid for in advance.

Deadline for Wheels & Motors page: Saturday 12 noon.

Wheelsheelsheelsheelsheels & MotorsotorsotorsotorsotorsAdvertisements

NISSAN SENTRA1995, 1600cc. Good cond-ition. Price: 160,000 baht. CallTel: 081-5775719.

HONDA CRV 2.0L2003, black, 72km full service,no accidents, extras, top con-dition, insurance paid for 1year. Price: 620,000 baht.Tel: 084-8444228.

1997 FORD PROBEFOR SALE

Good condition, red, left-sidesteering wheel, importedsports car. Drives great.Price: 260,000 baht. Pleasecontact for more details.Tel: 089-8742960. Email:pwarunee@hotmail.com

BMW 520I1989 model, blue, good condi-tion. Price: 65,000 baht. Callfor information at Tel: 084-0577505.

TOYOTA COROLLA1995

1.5L, manual,140,000km.Well-maintained and ser-viced, good condition. Price:105,000 baht. Must see.Tel: 087-2709093. Email:s.anut@hotmail.com

HONDA CIVIC 2.0L2006, silver, 25,000km.Price: 880,000 baht. Tel: 089-7241140.

For more info please call us at

Tel: 076-224632, 076-216243

www.suremotor.com

Phuket’s Most Trusted &

Reputable Supplier of the Finest

Quality Used SALOONS,

SEDANS, JEEPS & PICKUPS

New cars or trade-ins –we have what you’re

looking for

LOW SEASON DEAL!1994 Mazda pickup for sale.Only 70,000 baht. Call Tel:086-1205536. Email: lucycat@rocketmail.com

ISUZU D-MAX CAB4

2003. 100,000km, perfectcondition, good runner, 3.0L,automatic, only one owner.Price: 470,000 baht. Con-tact for more information.Tel: 087-2709093. Email:s.anut@hotmail.com

FORD RANGEROpen cab, blue, 12,000km,first owner, perfect condition,CD/VCD, TV. Price: 350,000baht ono. Tel: 081-5395948.

CHEVROLETFOR SALE

Optra ss16, 1 year old, verygood condition, warranty left.Price: 495,000 baht. Tel:089-2262612.

CHEVROLET AVEO

For sale. New condition,5,000km, special model, un-wanted gift, take over pay-ments. Tel: 084-0548122.

BMW 330I

31,039km, 1 private owner,immaculate condition. Price:1.5 million baht. Contact K.Bow or K. Mira for moredetails. Tel: 076-317017-18, 081-8940096, 087-2709750. Email: paul@maitlandsmith.com

TOYOTA YARISNew condition, auto, airbags,red, 9,000km, MP3, spoilers,no accidents, 1 year old.500,000 baht ono. ContactTel: 086-6833964.

92 TOYOTACORONA GL

Manual, 113km, Pioneer CDplayer, aircon, very goodcondition. Price: 90,000baht. Tel: 085-2476172.

CHEVROLET ZAFIRA2.2 SPORT

Only 30,000km, black, newmodel, never been damaged.830,000 baht (negotiable).Perfect condition, engineruns great, all checks doneby Chevrolet. Please contactme by phone or by email foradditional information. Tel:081-8512280.Email:dennis.mo@hotmail.com

MAZDA 3 FOR SALE

Black, 6 months old, CDplayer with 6-disc changer/mp3, rain sensor, automaticlights, full options package.For more details, please callTel: 081-7371687.

TWO CARS FORURGENT SALE

Mazda 'Astina' F323 sportmodel and Toyota CoronaGil sedan model. Tel: 087-3809066. Email: phuketislander@yahoo.com Formore details and pricing,please visit our website:http://geocities.com/phuketislander

DAIHATSU MIRA2-door, hatchback, very eco-nomical, 5-speed, aircon.Price: 110,000 baht. ContactMichelle for more details atTel: 087-3811577.

TOYOTA COROLLA1990, great condition, runswell, very clean. Please callTel: 087-2816275.

CAR FOR 99,000 BAHT1994 Hyundai Elantra withMitsubishi 1800cc DOHC16V engine. Rebuilt, like new.Well maintained. Tel: 081-6931671, 085-7868643.Email: umaooh@yahoo.com

VOLVO 740 GLELIMOUSINE

1990, perfect car, 200hp , en-gine runs great, automatic,139,000 baht. Contact formore information. Tel: 068-9488139. Email: jefdejong@hotmail.com

NISSAN NV 1995

pickup. 140,000km, bluecolor. Price: 150,000 baht.New engine. Please con-tact for details. Tel: 081-4151875, 084-6032361.

TOYOTA MIGHTY X1994, 4-door, 120,000km,runs excellent, clean interior,great deal. Price: 185,000baht obo. Please contact atTel: 076-341827.

TOYOTAHILUX TIGER

2000, low mileage, clean,perfect condition, very re-liable. Owner is relocating.Asking price: 320,000baht. Tel: 076-281479,087-0190852. Email:dj_chet10@hotmail.com

ISUZU 2003 4-DOOR

Auto., 60,000km, like newcondition. Price: 495,000baht. Tel: 084-4413633.

TOYOTA FORTUNERGreat condition. 50,000km,2-years young. Less than50,000km. 2.7L engine. Darkgray. Price: 850,000 baht.Tel: 086-7866350. Email:buurmanb@hotmail.com

TRITON MEGACAB 2D2006, 2+2, new condition,blue, low kilometers, CD,farang owner. Must sell.Price: 435,000 baht. Pleasecontact Tel: 085-7959105(English).

2006 MITSUBISHITRITON

Blue, CD, 18,000km, loadedwith extras. Price: 435,000baht or finance. Contact Tel:085-7959105 (English).

FORD RANGER4-door, 2006, like-new condi-tion, low kilometers, runsgreat. Must see and drive!Price: 385,000 baht. Pleasecontact Tel: 084-4413633.

FORD RANGER XLT

2002, 71,000km, dieselengine, excellent condition,runs great. Price: 270,000baht. Please call Dieter atTel: 086-2812899.

TOYOTA CAR

1989, 4-door, manual trans-mission, excellent condition,no rust, new blue book, roadtax & insurance paid until2008. Must see this greatdeal! Price: 64,000 baht.Tel: 081-7375909.

C L A S S I F I E D SJuly 28 - August 3, 2007 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E 51

Wheels & Motors

4 x 4s Motorbikes Rentals

Others

TOYOTA FORTUNER

Great condition. 50,000km,2-years young. Less than50,000km. 2.7L engine.Dark gray. Price: 850,000baht. Please contact foradditional information atTel: 086-7866350. Email:buurmanb@hotmail.com

ISUZU CAB 4, 4WD

2001, 56,000km, manualgears, 3.0L, good condi-tion. Price: 430,000 baht.Tel: 087-2709093. Email:s.anut@hotmail.com

RANGE ROVER

4.6 HSE

British racing green, excellentcondition, only 77,000 miles,full insurance until March2008, only 2 previous own-ers (chauffeur driven). Reluc-tant sale. Please call AlasdairJunor. Tel: 083-9889507.

TOYOTA VIGO 3.0L

2005, 4x4, bronze color,41,000km. Price: 590,000baht. Contact for more de-tails at Tel: 081-7191790.

SUZUKI VS

1995, 800cc. Good condition.Price: 90,000 baht. Tel: 086-2773872.

HONDA SHADOW

750CC

Good condition, only oneowner, blue & silver. Price:310,000 baht. Contact Alan.Tel: 089-4727588.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON

1997 Softail model. Excellentcondition, plenty of chrome,great looking, 17,200km,Screamin Eagle pipes andcamshaft, Kuryakyn air clean-er. Rare in Thailand. 950,000baht. Tel: 076-283-127, 081-9251482. Email: docdan@truemail.co.th

HONDA WAVE 125

Disc brakes, electric starter.Price: 20,000 baht. ContactGerhard. Tel: 086-9483503.

CAR TRAILER

New Brenderup, 204 x 116cm.40% import tax paid. Includesfittings. 56,000 baht. Tel: 076-296231, 089-970 5265. Fax:076-296454. Email: info@wildkingdomtours.com

CHEAP CAR

RENTAL

10,000 - 14,000 baht permonth. Full insurance dis-count for long-term. Pleasecontact Tel: 089-4727304.

A1 CAR RENTAL

Cars, trucks, jeeps that are allfully insured for rental. Bestprices for long-term rental:12,000 to 20,000 baht permonth. Please contact Tel:089-8314703. For more in-formation and details,please email: a1carrent@myway.com

MOTORCYCLE

RENTAL

Honda Wave 125 from 2,100baht per month, Mio auto.from 2,400 baht per month.Please contact K. Suwan.Tel: 081-9781793.

SUZUKI CARIBBEAN

4X4-ONLY 95,000!

Good reliable transportation.Why rent when you canbuy? Black, fully-coveredremovable extended body,4x4, 1,300cc, CD player,speakers, well maintained, 5-speed, aircon. Price: 95,000baht. Please contact at Tel:081-3705080.

MITSUBISHI

G-WAGON

2004 Evolution 2. This is a2.8L turbo. Only 3 yearsold, 80,000km. Just ser-viced with 2 new tires. Oneowner, one year tax and in-surance. 725,000 baht.Contact for additional de-tails at Tel: 081-0854514,089-4584143. Email:jwizard345@aol.com

TOYOTA FORTUNER

"EXCLUSIVE"

White, 15,000km. Chip tun-ing and many more extras.Best you will find on themarket. This powerful ride isfor sale at 1.2 million baht.You save 400,000 off newprice. Tel: 087-8914466.Email: erwintrepka@yahoo.it

SUZUKI CARIBIAN

4X4

1994 white Caribian in greatrunning shape. This wonderfulbeast has registration and insur-ance up to date and will get youwhere you need to go. LeavingPhuket, so must sell. 75,000baht. Tel: 087-3865734. Email:alfredzilch@gmail.com

FORD RANGER

4-DOOR

4x4, Carryboy, 1 owner, verygood condition. Price: 325,000baht. Please contact for addi-tional information. Tel: 084-4413633.

JEEP BARGAIN BUY

1967 Willys, Toyota reargears,registered with blue-book. Runs well, great fun.Contact for more information.Tel: 086-2766626. Email:makocraft@hotmail.com

HONDA STEED 600CC

Great custom chopper, wellmaintained with green book,tax and insurance. 265,000baht. Tel: 085-2999435.

YAMAHA NOUVO

30,000km. Price: 21,000baht. Please contact foradditional details at Tel:081-2945441.

YAMAHA R1 1000CC

Blue, 2003, includes greenbook. Price: 390,000 baht.Contact Tel: 085-7840980.

HONDA PHANTOM

200CC

Very good condition, 2 for-eign owners, well cared for.Price: 44,000 baht. Tel:085-0648681.

HONDA PHANTOM

2003, 200cc, gray color,good condition, 29,000km.Price: 50,000 baht. ContactTel: 087-2753614. Email:tradexpat@hotmail.com

HONDA WAVE

110CC

2000 model: 10,000 baht.2002 Price: 15,000 baht.Tel: 076-388311,086-1206964.

HARLEY FATBOY

2007. Harley Davidson Fatboy96 Qb, 6-speed, 1,580cc.Only 800km. Black color &200mm rear tire. Includesregistration. 1.06 million baht.Please contact Sumon at Tel:081-6913460. Email: sumon@rudethailand.com

MOTORBIKES

2 Honda Wave 125s and aTiger Smart 125. Contact mefor details and photos at Tel:087-5912811, 087-5912811.Email: vincesil@hotmail.com

YAMAHA MIO

TOP CONDITION

8,700km, mag wheels, wea-ther cover & helmets, runsgreat. Price: 30,000 baht.Tel: 084-6284851.

ISUZU D-MAX

FOR RENT

2003 model, space cab,runs great, very reliable, in-terior and exterior in newcondition. Great deal. Long-or short-term rent: 15,000baht per month. Tel: 076-263989, 081-370 2540.Fax: 076-263424. Email:appleburi@hotmail.com

NEW CARS FOR RENT

New cars for rent. Specialprice for long-term rental.Tel: 081-5388567. Email:suksavat@hotmail.com

NEW JAZZ

FOR RENT

15,000 baht per month.Contact for more details atTel: 084-8516121. Email:phuketmat@yahoo.com

CARS FOR RENT

Many types of cars for rent.Short- or long-term rentals atspecial rates. Please contactfor additional details at Tel:081-6078567. Email:suksavat@hotmail.com

MOTORCYCLES

Honda Wave 125: 1,950 bahtper month. Auto. YamahaMio: 2,100 baht per month.Please contact K. Suwan atTel: 081-9781793.

P.M.P. CARS

FOR RENT

Special rate for green season.Starting from June 15 untilSeptember 30. Toyota Vios:14,000 baht per month. HondaJazz: 15,000 baht per month.Suzuki Caribian: 9,000 baht permonth. Tel: 083-1743880,087-2646808.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON

2000 Softail standard,44,000km. Price: 690,000baht. Tel: 076-388311, 086-1206964.

52 P H U K E T G A Z E T T E July 28 - August 3, 2007

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