samui gazette edition 17

March 22-April 4, 2011 Vol.2 No.6

www.thesamuigazette.com 20 baht

Big waves as high asfour meters andstrong winds lashedat boats ferrying seatravelers or fishing inthe Gulf of Thailandrecently causing twoboats to capsize, onenear Koh Phanganand the other in KohPrab, five kilometersoff Suratthani.

Nine tourists were res-cued in Koh Prab whiletwo fishermen were res-cued in Koh Phangan.The bad weather that oc-curred March 17 alsocaused problems to manypeople who needed totravel through the sea asferry service from Samuito Koh Phangan was sud-denly cancelled, leaving

many passengers strandedat the pier.Koh Phangan MarineDisaster Prevention Cen-ter informed Koh Phangansuperintendent Pol ColWittaya Wangdan at 2 pmthat day about a fishingboat that capsized whenassaulted by three-meterhigh waves and strong

Turn to page 3

Battered by strong winds and huge waves

2 boats capsize near Phangan, Koh Prab

Hungarian missing,

By CHERDCHAI TAWEEMUANG

NASA meteorologistexplains bad weather

(Editor’s note: The following was an explanation of the weather that

caused strong winds and big waves recently in the Gulf of Thailand. It

was given by a meteorologist from the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA), who was kind enough to lend his expert analy-

sis of the phenomenon to the Samui Gazette. All images are from the

Thai Meteorological Center.)

The reason for the weather, in simple terms: a Highformed over mid- China on March 15 and a Lowformed over India.

countryman arrested By THE SAMUI GAZETTE STAFF

A combined team of Immigrationofficers and Bophut police, armedwith search and arrest warrants,raided recently a huge house lo-cated in a mountain in Koh Samuiand arrested a Hungarian nationalwho was found to have spent up toBt1 million on furniture using acredit card belonging to his coun-tryman who has been reportedmissing. Turn to page 17

Csapai Lazslo

Nasa1

As the day went on, the High created a steep highpressure ridge think of a mountain) that passed overCambodia and into Northern Thailand.Turn to page 2

IslandNewsSAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

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NASA meteorologist... (From Page 1 )

New post officeopens in Chaweng By CHERDCHAI TAWEEMUANG

Meanwhile a deep low formed over Bangladesh (think of adeep valley). By Wednesday morning (March 16) a steephigh ridge formed.

In the ideal situation in the Northern Hemisphere, windscircle areas of High a high pressure cell in a clockwise man-ner (known as anticyclonic because it is opposite in direc-tion to flow around a cyclone/low pressure cell)

The 210th branch post officehad been inaugurated atThongtip Mansion in Chawenglast March 2.

This is the first time a post of-fice is run by a privatesector, not the Thai govern-

ment. The new branch post of-fice was owned by NantawanJanbutre who will be orientedwith its systematic process byThailand Post.On the other hand, ThailandPost said there is a new policyto support private sector to puttheir investment in this kind of business.The new branch office inChaweng was chosen due to itssuitable place as a center oftourist attraction and to offerresidents more convenience inreceiving postal services.

Just imagine the same scenario over a map of Asia. Windswill travel around the ridge and flow towards the Low.

By evening, the ridge had moved over the ocean. Since threaren’t mountains in the ocean the surface face winds flowmuch stronger than over land. You can see the wind barbover Suratthani blowing from the east to the west (it alsosays thunderstorms were occurring).

By early Thursday (March 17), the High became steeper(split into two highs and curled the ridge deep into the Gulf.Meanwhile, the Low over Bangladesh strengthened. Youcan’t see the winds curving from the east to blow in the NWdirection over Suratthani, but they would be at this point.Then a low formed off the east of Malaysia. I am sure thiswas around 2pm or 3pm. I imagine high waves occurredduring this time because of strong winds. High surface cantheoretically explain the waves..

Here arewhat thesurfacewindslookedlike dur-ing thistime. >>


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winds while docking nearthe pier of Ban Chalog LumFisherman Village of the is-land.

The fishing boat named“Chokthanamongkolsap”capsized while on the wayback to the pier in KohPhangan.

Chokdee Thanamongkolsap,50, and Kanokpol Jankrud,23, two fishermen who weremanning the boat said afterbeing rescued that therewere very strong winds andhuge waves that they couldnot get the boat under con-trol and finally capsized atthe scene.

Surrathani Governor Theer-ayut Eiemtrakul had earlierissued a warning regardingstrong winds resulting fromwest wind covering theupper Thailand and causingthundershowers and gustwidespread all over thecountry between March 16and 18. These strong winds createdthree to five meter waves insouthern part of the coun-try’s ocean.

“All the people in the riskyareas, including ferry pro-viding service companiesand fishermen, are not to be

allowed sailing off on the seafor their safety,” said Gov.Theerayut.The Thai Meteor-ological Department also is-sued acaution for boats going tothesea on the 18th and 19th ofMarch.

Later, Pol Lt SantiphongPansawat, inspector of KohPhangan Marine Police, wasinformed of another cap-sized fishing boat near KohPrab, five kilometers awayfrom Suratthani.

A rescue team composed ofthe Marine Police’s patrolships number 517 and 343was deployed immediatelyto help the boat’s passengersin the rough seas.

The capsized fishing boatnamed “Yod-anong”, nor-mally provides fishing serv-ices for tourists and beforethe incident occurred, theboat was loaded with ninetourists on the way back toDonsak Pier in Suratthanifrom Angthong Island. Five-meter high waves re-portedly lashed at the fish-ing boat causing it to capsizenear Koh Prab.

Koh Phangan Marine Policeofficer said all the passen-gers have been rescued.

2 boats capsize...(From Page 1 )


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The Koh Samui Tourism Association, in collaboration withTourism Authority of Thailand, Municipality of Koh Samui,Bangkok Airways and Triathlon Association of Thailand, willorganize the “Samui Triathlon 2011” during April 23 – 24 with anaim to draw over 5,000 athletes and companions from aroundthe world. This international sports event will be held at the Nathon Pier and aroundthe Bophut Beach area with the purpose to promote sports activities of KohSamui to be known far and wide as well as to develop the triathlon and theduathlon in Thailand toward international recognition. The two-day event consists of three different types of competitions. On the first day, there will be a mountain bike competition followed by thetriathlon and the duathlon on the second day. The triathlon competition includes 4 kilometers of swimming, 127 kilome-ters of cycling, and 30 kilometers of running; while the duathlon includes 10kilometers of running, 44.5 kilometers of cycling and another leg of 5 kilome-ters of running.

The expected 5,000 participants include all athletes from Europe, America,Asia and Pacific and Thai athletes as well as Thai and foreign media. For more information, please visit http://www.triathlonsamui.com or callKoh Samui Tourism Municipality Tel 077 421 421 - 2 ext. 164.The Bicycle zone which is the central point of the event shall be located onNathon. Finish zone of the race, the merchandising zone, the VIP zone, theorganization and animation zone shall be fitted out next to the Bicycle zone. The Swimming course shall consist in 2 laps of 2 km with Australian exit at

the end of first lap in Bophut The Cycling course in total laps of 127,900 km (one laps and half around Island). The Running course in one lap of 30 kmbetween Nathon and Nathon by south of Island. The Cycling Course and Running Course shall be marked out with verticaland horizontal arrows. The race shall be protected by policemen or volun-teers at each crossroad. It is to be hoped that the road would be closed to-tally or opposite way of the race.

Samui to hold triathlon in April


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The early curriculum is best delivered through a wellplanned play-based approach to learning and developmentrather than chronological, age-based teaching and learning.Young children learn best through fun, hands on activities.Early years teachers at ISS understand the vital role of spon-taneous child-led free play and ensure all students are giventhe opportunity for outdoor free play sessions each day.Benefits of early years English language program.Leading linguists generally agree the earlier the acquisitionof two languages begins, the more likely learners will ac-quire native like phonological skills.Research indicates that the first four years are vital in learn-ing a second language. An early years education ensuresparents know their child is being provided the best possiblestart for a high quality and rewarding academic future.If you are considering relocating your family to Samui it ishighly beneficial to explore all recommended schools’ web-sites. The ISS website outlines a high quality early yearsprogram. ISS is one of Thailand’s leading internationalschools and is the largest and only Thai government li-censed international school on Koh Samui. You can rest as-sured your child will receive the best possible start with anearly years program on Samui.Discover more advantages and more options by visitingwww.bluewatersamui.com or contact ISS at email: [email protected]; tel: +660 77 48 45 48

The early years education on Samui Benefits of early years education on SamuiParents can give their children the best future possible with theearly years education. Early years research has shown that 75%of brain development occurs in the first three years of life. Thusan investment in early years reaps greater economic rewardsthan the same investment in late years.

Early years program options on Samui.Pre-school, nursery, kindergarten – excellent options are available on Samuifor an early years program for your child/children. The right early programoffers high teaching rewards where your child’s mind will be opened and so-cial skills acquired. Samui school locations with early years program in-clude : The International School of Samui in Bophut; Panyadee School inChaweng; Oonrak in Maenam; and Samui Center of Learning in Lamai.Why is ISS an excellent early years program for your child?The International School of Samui founded in 2006 and now with over 200students, houses an excellent early years program. ISS offers an internation-ally recognized standard of education that follows the famous British PrivateEducation model. The school’s early years yup to senior level programs of-fers an extensive an stimulating curriculum covering a wide range of sub-jects and skills as well as a comprehensive after school activities and schooltrips and excursions.Within the ISS campus, the early years program is housed at the kinder-garten block set on the school’s nature-filled campus where students aged 1to 5 years have the opportunity to interact with many nationalities, currentlyboasting a representation of more than 15 nationalities. The safe and secure kindergarten consists of 5 classrooms, a gymnasium/dance studio, coveredplay area, and a large, safe and secure outdoor play area. Kindergarten stu

dents also have access to the swimming pool and library/ ICT room. ISSearly years teachers are qualified the early years foundation stage and arededicated to keeping up to date with the latest curriculum changes and up-dates from the UKThe early years curriculum.Early years students at ISS have the opportunity to continue on to KG, pri-mary and senior levels while being assured of an excellent education inpreparation for future scholastic acceptance around the world.Qualified teachers are dedicated to keeping up to date with the latest cur-riculum changes and updates; committed to making learning personallymeaningful to each child and building on individual knowledge, skills andunderstanding. By constantly observing and assessing students, the teacherscan plan meaningful activities and provide resources that are personally en-gaging and og high inter4est to each individual child.

PoliceSAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

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By CHERDCHAI TAWEEMUANG

A Thai food shop owner was found dead recently,apparently committing suicide in his rented houselocated in Bophut, based on the suicide letter heleft for his relatives.The dead person was identified as Wutthikrai Meepien, 32,originally from Koh Phangan but moved to Koh Samui toput up a made-to-order food shop near Big C Superstore. The suicide letter said he made a decision to hang himselfdue to a mountain of debt.Pranom Boontan, 59, Wutthikrai’s aunt, said she had heardrecently about her nephew complaining about the mountainof debt he has and interests increasing every day. The incident was discovered around 11 am on February 17when Pranom went to the house and found Wutthikrai hadhanging himself in the bathroom. Pranom said panic and fear made her shout for help andmove the her dead nephew to the bed, while waiting for thepolice to come and investigate.Bophut police found Wutthikrai lying on the bed in hisrented house located at the opposite of Tesco Lotus. Therewas no sign of foul play they said and only his neck showeda bruise caused by rope tightening.Police said even though the relatives did not question thecause of death, the body still needed to be transferred toKoh Samui Hospital before it will be returned to them forholding a funeral.

Food shop ownerhangs self

A seventeen-year-old teenager wasrecently arrested and charged oftheft by police officers who raidedhis house and found many stolenmotorbikes.The culprit was identified as Chonchit Jan-tat who admitted he had stolen a number ofmotorbikes and have kept them in thehouse, waiting for his clients. He said he was alone on this act.Around 4 pm of March 3, Pol. Col. Phay-oongsak Surin, superintendent of BophutPolice Station, said the police officers hadbeen reported of stolen motorbike cases byboth Thai and foreign owners. The police investigator tried to identify thesuspects, narrowing them down until theyfound suspicious-looking Chonchit. The police investigator had kept eyes on thesuspect and arrested him at the house lo-cated in Bo Sai community, Bophut, amonga number of motorbikes.

Nine stolen motorbikes and equipment usedfor stealing motorbikes were confiscated.The police officers summoned the victimswho had reported of their motorbikes stolento the police station in order to identify theconfiscated motorbikes.The police officer said the culprit had al-ready admitted his guilt and is now in jail,pending the sentence.

A DRIVER of a pick-up vehicle which figured in acollision with a motorbike as both vehicles weregoing down the road along Khao Laem Yai moun-tain in Nathon recently, escaped after the acci-dent, leaving his vehicle at the spot.The accident had resulted in traffic congestion in the placefor a while and the driver of the motorbike suffered a seri-ous wound on his leg as he was lying on the ground, groan-ing and shouting for help.The victim was identified as Michael Erhard Olaf Klaus, a51- year old Italian national, who was riding a CBR400Honda big bike. The authorities found the vehicle left by the driver, a bronzeToyota Tiger pick-up truck with plate number 2859, parking100 meters away from the victim, in damaged condition atits front.Based on eyewitness account, the authorities said the mo-torbike appeared to be going from Nathon to Maenam andwhile on the way down from Khao Laem Yai mountain, thepick-up truck chased it driving at high speed and tried toovertake it but failed. The pick-ups truck crashed into themotorbike and threw the victim away. The culprit tried to drive away, but lost control and hit apavement’s fence.The driver just ran away, leaving the vehicle at the spot.The authorities impounded the pick-up truck and said it willexpand the investigation to arrest its driver.

Driver escapes after accidentBy CHERDCHAI TAWEEMUANG

A Thai chef working for a well-known hotel on the island died of stabwounds while having a drinking session with friends at a house in Bophutrecently. Police identified the victim as Phudol Sae-Phu, 38 years old and a chef in one of the is-land’s top hotels.His body was stabbed three times by a sharp solid material and he died while beingtaken to the hospital.A team of investigators from the Bophut Police Station arrived on the scene in Ban PlaiLaem at about 1:45 am on February 23 and found a pool of blood splashed over the crimescene.The victim had already been transferred to the hospital at that time.Atchara Sutra, 28, a friend of the victim and owner of the house said he and her otherfriends were at her house for drinking. Some friends were going home when it was verylate at night and the victim voluntarily walked them to their vehicles. Atchara said she was suspicious when the victim had not returned after a while andwalked out to find him. The victim was found on the ground with a pool of blood at a very dim spot, so shecalled Samui Rescue to take him to the hospital and also called the police.Bophut police had summoned all the friends who were hanging out with the victim thatnight for interrogation, but one of his friends named Sin was missing. They preliminarily assumed the motive of murder might involve a disagreement whiledrinking, a personal revenge or an affair. Authorities are now trying to collect more evidence and to catch the murderer

Thai chef stabbed todeath in friend’s house

Teenager arrested for theftBy CHERDCHAI TAWEEMUANG

A Samui rescue volunteer points to the bathroom where the foodshop owner hanged himself.

NationSAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

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House dissolution in MayRegional military observers will be sent to theThai-Cambodian border to enforce a cease-fireimposed after deadly clashes erupted over dis-puted land surrounding an 11th century temple,foreign ministers said following emergency talks.At least eight people have died in the conflict, which brokeout earlier this month, and thousands have been displaced.The two sides have disagreed on everything, from whofired first and where troops were stationed to how best toend the standoff.But Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa saidafter a meeting with the 10-member Association of South-east Asian Nations that Cambodia and Thailand agreed to aproposal to send up to 40 military and civilian observers tothe remote, mountainous area.The unarmed observers — all from Indonesia — will "ob-serve the commitment by both sides to avoid further armedclashes" and provide accurate and impartial reports aboutcomplaints of violations from both sides of the borders, hetold reporters after the 90-minute meeting.They will report to both ASEAN and the U.N. SecurityCouncil.The conflict — which involved exchanges of small arms,mortars and artillery fire — is rooted in a decades-old bor-der dispute near Preah Vihear temple and has fueled nation-alist passions on both sides.The monument was built between the 9th and 11th cen-turies and sits atop a 1,722-foot (525-meter) cliff. Whileawarded to Cambodia by the World Court in 1962, sover-eignty over adjacent areas has never been clearly resolved.Skirmishes have erupted several times since 2008, whenPreah Vihear was given U.N. World Heritage status, but sol-diers and locals say none has been as violent as the latestclash.The U.N. Security Council expressed "grave concern"Monday and gave strong backing to the efforts of ASEAN —which usually refrains from interfering in the internal af-fairs of member states — to help end the dispute.

BANGKOK - Thai Prime Minister Abhsiit Vejjajiva said on Saturday thatuntil now there were no reports of Thai citizens killed by the massive earth-quake and tsunami in Japan, but officials would continue to closely monitorthe situation and remain on standby to extend help upon request from theJapanese government.

No report of Thais killed by massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan - PM

More than 1,000 peoplewere feared dead after Fri-day's record 8.9-magnitudeearthquake hit, unleashing aterrifying 10-metre highwave that tore throughcoastal towns and cities, de-stroying all in its path innortheast Japan.Mr Abhisit said that eventhough there was no reportof casualties among Thai cit-izen in Japan, the authoritieswould closely monitor re-ports, as so many people hadlost their lives from the dis-aster and there were hun-dreds of Thais living in theworst hit area.The Thai government hasnow announced an initialcontribution of Bt5 millionto assist relief efforts inJapan and a condolence let-ter was sent to the Japanesegovernment, while in-kindassistance is being consid-ered in close consultationwith relevant Japanese au-thorities, he said.

The Department of Disas-ter Prevention and Mitiga-tion had lifted tsunamiwarning in 15 provinces inThailand after no provincein Thailand was affected bythe tsunami.there were around 50,000Thais residing in Japan, ofwhich around 300 lived inMiyagi prefecture, the areamost severely affected byearthquake and the resultingtsunami. there were around50,000 Thais residing inJapan, of which around 300

lived in Miyagi prefecture,the area most severely af-fected by earthquake andthe resulting tsunami. InTokyo, which was also af-fected by the earthquake,about 20,000-30,000 Thaisare currently residing there.The Thai embassy in Tokyois in the process of coordi-nating with Thais in boththe Miyagi Prefecture andTokyo to verify whetherthey have been affected, orif any assistance was re-quired.

WorldSAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

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Explosion at Japan nuke plant, disaster toll rises

NATURE’S FURY - Minamisanriku town is submerged after Friday's strong earthquake-triggeredtsunami in Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, March 12, 2011. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

according to U.S. Ambas-sador John Roos.More than 215,000 peoplewere living in 1,350 tempo-rary shelters in five prefec-tures, or states, the nationalpolice agency said. Since thequake, more than 1 millionhouseholds have not hadwater, mostly concentratedin northeast. Some 4 millionbuildings were withoutpower.About 24 percent of elec-tricity in Japan is producedby 55 nuclear power units in17 plants and some were introuble after the quake.Japan declared states ofemergency at two powerplants after their units lostcooling ability.Although the governmentspokesman played downfears of radiation leak, theJapanese nuclear agencyspokesman Shinji Kinjo ac-knowledged there were stillfears of a meltdown.A "meltdown" is not atechnical term. Rather, it isan informal way of referringto a very serious collapse ofa power plant's systems andits ability to manage tem-peratures.Yaroslov Shtrombakh, aRussian nuclear expert, saida Chernobyl-style meltdownwas unlikely."It's not a fast reaction likeat Chernobyl," he said. "Ithink that everything will becontained within thegrounds, and there will beno big catastrophe."In 1986, the Chernobyl nu-clear reactor exploded andcaught fire, sending a cloudof radiation over much ofEurope.The reactor in trou-ble has already leaked

IWAKI, Japan (AP) — An explosion at a nuclearpower station Saturday destroyed a buildinghousing the reactor, but a radiation leak was de-creasing despite fears of a meltdown from dam-age caused by a powerful earthquake andtsunami, officials said.

Government spokesman Yukio Edano said the explosiondestroyed the exterior walls of the building where the reac-tor is placed, but not the actual metal housing envelopingthe reactor.That was welcome news for a country suffering from Fri-day's double disaster that pulverized the northeastern coast,leaving at least 574 people dead by official count.

The scale of destruction was not yet known, but there weregrim signs that the death toll could soar. One report saidfour whole trains had disappeared Friday and still not beenlocated. Local media reports said at least 1,300 people mayhave been killed.Edano said the radiation around the Fukushima Dai-ichiplant had not risen after the blast, but had in fact decreased.He did not say why that was so. The pressure in the reactorwas also decreasing after the blast, he said.The explosion was preceded by puff of white smoke thatgathered intensity until it became a huge cloud envelopingthe entire facility, located in Fukushima, 20 miles (30 kilo-meters) from Iwaki. After the explosion, the walls of thebuilding crumbled, leaving only a skeletal metal frame.Tokyo Power Electric Co., the utility that runs theFukushima Dai-ichi plant, said four workers suffered frac-tures and bruises and were being treated at a hospital."We have confirmed that the walls of this building werewhat exploded, and it was not the reactor's container thatexploded," said Edano.The trouble began at the plant's Unit 1 after the massive8.9-magnitude earthquake and the tsunami it spawnedknocked out power there, depriving it of its cooling system.The concerns about a radiation leak at the nuclear powerplant overshadowed the massive tragedy laid out along a1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of the coastline wherescores of villages, towns and cities were battered by thetsunami, packing 23-feet (7-meter) high waves.It swept inland about six miles (10 kilometers) in someareas, swallowing boats, homes, cars, trees and everythingelse.

"The tsunami was unbelievably fast," said Koichi Takairin,a 34-year-old truck driver who was inside his sturdy four-tonrig when the wave hit the port town of Sendai."Smaller cars were being swept around me," he said. "All Icould do was sit in my truck."His rig ruined, he joined the steady flow of survivors whowalked along the road away from the sea and back into thecity on Saturday.

Smashed cars and small airplanes were jumbled up againstbuildings near the local airport, several miles (kilometers)from the shore. Felled trees and wooden debris lay every-where as rescue workers coasted on boats through murkywaters around flooded structures, nosing their way througha sea of debris.

According to official figures, 586 people are missing and1,105 injured. In addition, police said between 200 and 300bodies were found along the coast in Sendai, the biggest cityin the area near the quake's epicenter.

The true scale of the destruction was still not known morethan 24 hours after the quake since washed-out roads andshut airports have hindered access to the area. An untoldnumber of bodies were believed to be buried in the rubbleand debris.Meanwhile, the first wave of military rescuers began arriv-ing by boats and helicopters.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said 50,000 troops joined rescueand recovery efforts, aided by boats and helicopters. Dozensof countries also offered help.President Barack Obama pledged U.S. assistance followingwhat he called a potentially "catastrophic" disaster. He saidone U.S. aircraft carrier was already in Japan and a secondwas on its way. Washington has also dispatched urbansearch and rescue teams,

some radiation: Before theexplosion, operators had de-tected eight times the nor-mal radiation levels outsidethe facility and 1,000 timesnormal inside Unit 1's con-trol room.Also before the blast, Ry-ohei Shiomi, a nuclear offi-cial, said that each hour theplant was releasing theamount of radiation a per-son normally absorbs in ayear.An evacuation area aroundthe plant was expanded to aradius of 12 miles (20 kilo-meters) from the six miles(10 kilometers) before. Peo-ple in the expanded areawere advised to leavequickly; 51,000 residentswere previously evacuated."Everyone wants to get out

of the town. But the roadsare terrible," said Reiko Tak-agi, a middle-aged woman,standing outside a taxi com-pany. "It is too dangerous togo anywhere. But we areafraid that winds maychange and bring radiationtoward us."The transport ministry saidall highways from Tokyoleading to quake-hit areaswere closed, except foremergency vehicles. Mobilecommunications werespotty and calls to the dev-astated areas were goingunanswered.Local TV stations broad-cast footage of people liningup for water and food suchas rice balls. In Fukushima,city officials were handingout bottled drinks, snacksand blankets. But there werelarge areas that were sur-rounded by water and wereunreachable.

One hospital in Miyagi pre-fecture was seen surroundedby water. The staff hadpainted an SOS on itsrooftop and were wavingwhite flags.Technologically advancedJapan is well prepared forquakes and its buildings canwithstand strong jolts, even atemblor like Friday's, whichwas the strongest the coun-try has experienced since of-ficial records started in thelate 1800s. What was beyond humancontrol was the killertsunami that followed.Japan's worst previousquake was a magnitude 8.3temblor in Kanto that killed143,000 people in 1923, ac-cording to the USGS. A mag-nitude 7.2 quake in Kobekilled 6,400 people in 1995.Japan lies on the "Ring ofFire" — an arc of earthquakeand volcanic zones stretch-ing around the Pacific whereabout 90 percent of theworld's quakes occur, includ-ing the one that triggered theDec. 26, 2004, Indian Oceantsunami that killed an esti-mated 230,000 people in 12countries. A magnitude-8.8 quake thatshook central Chile in Febru-ary 2010 also generated atsunami and killed 524 peo-ple.___Kageyama reported fromTokyo. Associated Press writersMalcolm J. Foster, Mari Yam-aguchi, Tomoko A. Hosakaand Shino Yuasa in Tokyoand Jay Alabaster in Sendaialso contributed.

SAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

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Govt asked to scrap visa fees

Business

BANGKOK – Thailand’ssmall- and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) should adjust toprepare for the coun-try’s entry into theASEAN Economic Com-munity (AEC) in thenext 3-4 years, accord-ing to Prime MinisterAbhisit Vejjajiva.The premier made thesuggestion as he presidedover the opening of“Thailand SMEs EXPO2011” held March 10-13 atthe Impact ExhibitionCenter, Muang Thong

Thani.The exposition serves asa venue for SMEs to gainknowledge and trade op-portunities. It is also aplace where Thai busi-nesses can negotiate withforeign trade partners fornew market channels.He said Thailand's 2.89million SMEs remain un-sure whether sharingmarkets with neighboringcountries throughASEAN's AEC will givethem an opportunity toexpand their markets orplace them at disadvan-tage.Because of this, he had

assigned the SME Promo-tion Office to study a con-tingency plan in an effortto strengthen Thai small-and medium-sized busi-nesses. Director-General YuthasakSupasorn said should thegovernment wants tostrengthen SMEs in prepara-tion for the AEC in the next3-4 years, it must find waysto reduce obstacles to ac-cessing capital resources,enhance marketing, adoptnew technologies, focus onresearch and development,and improve the quality oftheir products. (MCOTnews)

BANGKOK – Thailand’s inflation ratewill not soar as dramatically as those inChina and Indonesia because the rate iscalculated based more than 30 per centon rice and food prices, according to aleading Bangkok commercial bank econ-omist.Sethaput Suthiwart-Narueput, head of theSiam Commercial Bank (SCB) Economic In-telligence Centre, said the Monetary PolicyCommittee’s decision to raise the bench-mark interest rate by 25 basis points from2.25 per cent to 2.50 per cent on Wednesdaylived up to expectations.The Bank of Thailand signaled clearly itwanted to turn the actual interest rate, whichis negative at present, to move in a positiveterritory.Dr Sethaput believed the policy interest ratewould continue rising by 0.25 per cent eachtime because an interest rate rise by 50 basispoints would make the baht strengthen toorapidly.He said the baht had not appreciatedsharply at present, so it is a proper timenow for the MPC to raise the interest rate tostem rising inflation. He predicted the infla-

tion rate will stay within a range of 3.5-4 percent this year.Dr Sethaput said although the interest ratehad gradually increased, it would not ad-versely affect private-sector operating costs.What is worrying now is the government’sannouncement of a policy to raise the na-tional minimum wage by a further 25 percent within two years, which would signifi-cantly add to operating costs of entrepre-neurs.The measure is seen as a distortion of themarket mechanism. Although it could boostlabour wages immediately, it would causeproblems in the long run, he said.“A furtherwage increase will push up business costs,which have been already fueled by higher in-terest rates and rising energy prices. Insteadof raising the minimum wage, the govern-ment should find a way to increase incomes.It should also allow energy prices to moveby market mechanisms so that the peopleturn to save on energy consumption,” hesaid. (MCOT news)

PM urges Thai businesses

Thai inflation won’t soar as in China, Indonesia, says SCB chief economist

Tourism business operators want the government toconsider visa fee cancelation in order to attract moreforeign travelers to Thailand, especially those fromChina. President of the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance AssociationWichit Prakobkosol stated that a letter would be submitted toPrime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva today to propose that thepolicy to collect visa fees from foreign tourists be discarded.He pointed out that if the fees were eliminated, more Chinesetourists would come to Thailand and the country’s incomefrom Chinese arrivals would expand over 30 percent eachyear, as opposed to the current 20 percent.

The number of Chinese travelers in the kingdom would alsoreach 2 million per year within the next three years, thanks toChina’s growing economy and lively tourism, while the Thai-Chinese relationship would be improved.

Although the Thai government’s visa fee exemption measurehas been effective since 11 May 2010, it is due to expire at theend of this month. Mr Wichit claimed that after the measure’sexpiration, the number of chartered flights from China toThailand during the upcoming Songkran Festival from 13-20April would drop 20 percent from the target of 100 flights to80, causing a loss of 250-300 million THB of income.

Mr Wichit stressed that the Thai tourism industry had beenimpacted by the domestic political turmoil for four years andis now in dire need of promotion. He assured that the Gov-ernment’s exchange of its visa fee earnings for a highertourism income would be worthwhile.

Policy rate hike won’t adversely impact financial costs -KTBBANGKOK – The Monetary Policy Committee’s latest move to raise the benchmarkinterest rate by 25 basis points is unlikely to have an adverse impact on the privatesector’s financial costs, according to a top banker.Krung Thai Bank president Apisak Tantivorawong said the MPC’s decision to increase policy in-terest rate was in line with the market’s expectation.However, he believed the interest rate hike would not adversely affect the financial costs to en-trepreneurs because lending rates continued to stay at only 6-7 per cent, compared with 10 percent previously. Mr Apisak said entrepreneurs are now more worried about surging oil pricesthan the interest rate hike, because the fuel prices have surged unexpectedly.Under the circumstance, if entrepreneurs did not raise product prices, they would then be im-pacted.He said the actual deposit rate, when compared with the current inflation rate at 3 percent, remains in the negative by 2 per cent. Because of this, it is expected the Bank of Thailandwould increase the policy interest rate further by 50-75 basis points and the deposit rate wouldcontinue increasing accordingly. From now, salaried workers will be affected if they purchaseproducts on installments,” he said. (MCOT news)

9,000 Thai workers back from Libya BANGKOK - Almost 9,000 Thai workers returnedhome from violence-torn Libya, Employment De-partment Deputy Director-General Sumeth Ma-hosot, said on Friday.Over the past week, Thai workers returned homeon a gradual basis.Three flights carrying 501 Thai workers arrived in Bangkok re-cently. Since last month 8,939 Thai workers have returned from Libya toBangkok. Those remaining -- about 2,500 others -- will graduallycome back by March 15.Mr Sumeth said 835 workers will arrive this weekend from Athensand Dubai. He added that if Thai workers from Libya can go towork overseas again. The department has prepared 12,000 job posi-tions including 7,300 in South Korea and about 5,000 others in Tai-wan, Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries. Salary rates in South Korea are similar to those in Libya at about26,000 baht (US$866).Thai workers can apply for a Korean language test at centres inNakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, Lampang and Bangkok fromMarch 28 to April 1. A Korean language course is available at thegovernment's department of skills development free of charge.(MCOT news)

to adjust to Asean’s regionaleconomic community

OpinionSAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

10

Samui GazetteA publication of YuCiNo Enterprises Co., Ltd.

with office at 124/524 Moo 3, Lamai Centre Unit 61/2, Lamai Beach Road, Koh SamuiTelefax: 077-430789 | Email: [email protected] | www.thesamuigazette.com

Editorial

Editor: P. MeepienReporters: Akanee Thongtara, Cherdchai TaweemuangContributors: Alister Bredee, Suzanne Buchanan, JohnGreenwood, David Paul Janes, Rob Newman, JoRowkins, Rosanne Turner, Geoff Whitlie, TAN Network

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YuCiNo Enterprises Co. Ltd. publishes Samui Gazette. Allcontent of this issue is © Copyright 2010 by YuCiNo Enter-prises Co. Ltd. and may not be reprinted or re-transmittedwithout the expressed written content of the publisher. SamuiGazette is available throughout Koh Samui.

LIGHTHOUSE cartoons

Met an interesting bunch of vacationers just re-cently, Frank the Tank, Mad Lee (clinicallyproven), Matt ‘the hat’ Mcvitie, Swiss Tony,Barnsley Dave (I think he was from up Northbecause I couldn’t understand a word he said)and Charlie (only supposed to blow the bloodydoors off) Charlie. Some had vacated in Thai-land before and some had not, most had nottasted the hidden delights of a Sam Song set. Soas I would do for anyone who would listen is prewarn people about the affects and after affects ofthis brown liquid. But as with this hearty bunch,probably the nicest thing they have ever beencalled ,from this day forward acknowledged asthe ’Sam Song Set’, they did not heed my warn-ings and they all proceeded to go out on the SamSong. Some came back early next morn muchworse for wear but not all, a few of the morehard core drinkers didn’t get back till the follow-ing morning and then the after affect of SamSong set in which usually entails, well it did inthis case, drinking more Sam Song all day long. Ithink they eventually got to bed later that night.When they did finally awake, another affect ofthis delicious, delectable, disgustingly delightfuldrink was the Sam Song eyes, which is a bit of anoxymoron, because it reveals that one has noeyes at all just two darkened slits where the eyesused to be. Frank especially. Those who are un-aware, a Sang Som set consists of a small bottleof Sam Song (A Thai rum which resembleswhiskey) poured into an ice bucket filled withice followed by a bottle of coke and then thepiece de résistance a bottle of red bull. Thereare many urban myths that are said about thisThai rum but none are proven, such as what theingredients are, which depending on who youask could be anything from rice to formalde-hyde. The Full Moon Party is renowned for sup-plying this drink to the many thousands ofrevelers who frequent that party Isle. Last time I

was there it was as cheap as 80baht per bucket,a dangerously low price. Now this concoctionhas been known to have some funny after af-fects. For example,1. Waking up without a clue tohow you got there and what you have beendoing for the past 48 hours. 2. Waking next tosomebody you don’t know, wondering who andwhat they are. 3. Waking up next to somebodyyou do know but have no idea why the Noodlesoup seller from down the road is in your bed. 4.Waking up on your floor with a huge smile andthe remnants of some food based product onyour face. With all these scenarios there is onecommon denominator… you had a really greattime, with the added bonus of a really, really, badhangover. Oh what fun it is to try the local pro-duce. If you want to go one better try the localfavorite which is pronounced Lao Cow. Now thisjungle juice is a clear liquid which smells likegasoline but runs your car or motorbike a littlebit better, the locals where I live, love it, thetaste reminds me of tequila mixed with gin andturps. Is it any wonder they get smashed to bitson it. I’ve often found one or two local workersasleep in or around one of my trees and when Isay in, I mean 3 or 4 meters up a coco-nut tree.Crazy stuff. But as I read this back I suddenly re-membered that I think I may have ended up atree myself due to the affects of a Sam Song or 2or 6. But that’s another story. I have just startedto drink real whiskey in the form of JohnnieWalker Black. My friend and confident P Dtomhas got me on to this particular drink or poison,but as Mark says its bloody loverly. The onlyway to drink it, i have been told, is ice and coldsoda. Now the problem I have with this drink isthat I am starting to like it a little too much, so itis just another thing I can add to my list of itemsto take in moderation. They say the first step torecovery is to admit that you have a problem.

The Sam Song set

With massive world events taking place during the lasttwo weeks - people are dying out there, in big numbers,both from terrible natural andman made causes.As of press time, the 9.1 Richter earthquake off the coast ofnotheastern Japan had taken place, and the “real time”, horribleprogression of the tsunami over the Miyagi Prefecture, was inits 100th instant playback. Estimatd death toll is somewherearound 10,000 or higher. The Fukushima nuclear power plantwas overheating, had an explosion and was leaking radioactivegases into the atmosphere. A mind-numbing experience wastaking place. We, the staff of the Samui Gazette, in the midst ofthis ordeal for the Japanese people, want to express our griefand condolences to those innocent people affected by this his-toric natural catastrophe. With regard to unnatural events, it has been an interesting fewweeks for the World and especially the North African area andMiddle East. Powerful, dictatorial governments that have ruledfor over forty years have been shaken to their roots -countrieslike Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, and now Libya, withthe butcher Gaddafi fighting back , have been (or will be)overthrown.With the massive reproduction rate of Muslim countries, thetable have turned where, contrary to Western Europe and theUnited States aging population median, the large majority ofthe population is on the underside of 30. These youngsters, justlike the U.S. and European “baby-boomers” of the post –war1970’s are fuelling real revolutions whereby there are telling theold codgers that have brutally run their countries and theirlives, generally in a corrupt, gangster like way that has allowedlittle trickle down wealth to reach the underside of their soci-ety, that they have had enough. These nations, so deep in unbelievable oil wealth, still havesome of the lowest per capita income, highest illiteracy rateandhave unemployment rates of 25% or more. Far from beingdriven by fundamentalist and religious fanatics, these revolu-tions have been driven, to some degree by modern young peo-ple with modern devices like mobile phones, and socialwebsites, tweets and moviemaking capabilities. The codgers inpower in other countries have taken note of this and are morethan a bit shaky about their continuation in dominating their re-spective countries. Demonstrations in Saudi Arabia and evenChina have made old leaders take note that corruption and fearmay be temporary ways to keep populations under control, buttheir people retain a long term grudge. In any event we aregoing to keep our gas tanks full, because watch out if place likeSaudi fall. Maybe the world will be a better place when we real-ize that our long term addiction to oil has weakened the world’sfabric by allowing these thugs the money to hold on to theircreepy type of power, even if that means they turn mercenaries,making a $1,000 a day, loose to kill their own people. It would be sad to see such a bottom-up revolution like is hap-pening be co-opted by organizations of religious fanatics, butthat seems to be why the West is holding out its help. Theydon’t know which type of group will emerge as the new leadersof these countries. But all we can say is wouldn’t it be better tobe seen as helping a group of good people trying to though offthe yoke of brutal rulers than just sitting on the sidelines?

EditorialEarthquake, tsunami, nuclear plant meltdown and Gaddafi

Opinion 11SAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

Letters to the EditorLove us? Hate us?

Send letters to [email protected] or 124/524 Moo 3 Lamai Centre Unit 6 1/2 Lamai Beach Road, Koh Samui

Letters may be editedfor length and clarity.

The opinions are those of our readers and not necessarily those of the Newspaper.

This was the scene one Monday afternoon between the magic Garden andthe new hilltop temple here in Samui.The day started well enough when my fiancé and I were picked up from ourhotel for a jungle safari tour which we treated ourselves as a final treat toround off our fantastic hliday here in koh Samui.After visiting a few standard tourist attractions, we eventually set off into themountains. I must say I was somewhat surprised to see how much the tour vehicles en-route were polluting this island paradise, with the fumes black diesel smokeand oil spilling out all over. Also the fact that the driver seemed more akin to a teenage joyrider in astolen BMW than a responsible tour guide.It became more obvious when we were traversing a pleasant track that thedriver was in some difficulty with one of our rear wheels spinning withoutany traction. Thwe next thing we knew the whole vehicle turned over on itsside., fortunately. Coming to rest only a meter or so from a 50 meter dropdown the hillside. All the dozen or so occupants miraculously escaped seri-ous injury but I think we were all in shock wehen we realized how it could soeasily have ended in tragedy.Overall we had a great holiday in Samui but this incident has left me with anumber of disturbing questions still in my mind.!. Do these vehicles/tours come with any insurance?2 have the drivers had any specialized training in off road driving skills?3. Have these modified rigs, with their raised center of gravity, been ap-proved by the local vehicle testing authority to convey tourists over throughrough mountain terrain?4. Are local hotels aware of the dangers they are putting their customers inby promoting these tours?5. Locating passengers including children on top of the cab roof seems simplyinsane!A couple of days after this incident I was shocked to hear from someone inmy hotel that last year a Russian tourist had been killed in a jeep by a similartour.Surely enough, I know regulations in this country are not as stringent as inEurope but none the less Thailand does not advertise extensively to attractus here in the Land of the smiles and with that should also come some re-sponsibility for tourists’ safe well being.Faithfully yours,A terrified 30 year old tourist from England

STOP THESE INSANE DEATH DRIVES NOW!!

It was just last week that I had to make my once everyninety day border bounce. Those of you who also haveto go through this three monthly excursion will be fullyaware of what this means.If you are not familiar with the term please let me briefly ex-plain. For those of us who live in Thailand long term, the Thaigovernment insists that at regular intervals we must leave thecountry, get a nice fresh stamp in our passport, and then returnfrom whence we came. One of the cheapest and fastest ways toachieve a nice fresh stamp is to use one of the fast mini busservices that take you down to the border and back in one day.This involves getting up at 4.00 am and being down to Nathonpier by 5.30 am to catch the ferry. After one and a half hours youdisembark at Donsak, get hustled onto a mini bus where theThai version of Lewis Hamilton drives you down to the border.If you enjoy a white knuckle ride, this is just for you, flat out allthe way. You then have half an hour at the border to get yourstamp, and then you do it all again in reverse. As if this is not stressful enough, if you happen to be sittingnext to the wrong person on the bus, your twelve hour daycould seem like a fortnight. I happened to be sitting next to anAmerican gentleman, and at first the conversation centredaround the usual topics. Bad driving, when are they going tofinish rebuilding the ring road? and how much will you wagerthat even after the extra long wet season this year, there willstill be a water shortage by the end of May. We even had tosmile about the front page of the last issue of the Gazette. Onehalf of the page telling us that the water supply is ok to drink(yeah right!) and the other half of the page telling us that if yougo swimming in the ocean, make sure you keep your mouthclosed or you might swallow a floater. All of this kept us occu-pied until we reached the border, unfortunately on the wayback the conversation turned to sport, and as we say in Eng-land, that's when it all kicked off. I started off by waxing lyricalabout how well sport in England was going. The Englandcricket team winning in Australia, and Englands rugby team oncourse for the grand slam in the six nations. Almost immediately I could see his eyes glazing over, and hestarted on about American sport. He began by saying that soc-cer would never become popular in the U.S. because of all theother established sports, American football, basketball andbaseball. That dear reader was the point that I seemed to loseall sense of common decency. I told him the game was notcalled soccer, but football. We invented the game, formed thefirst official league in 1863, about the same time when his coun-trymen were still shooting each other in the face out in the wildwest, and we called it football. The Americans then invent a game loosely based on rugby,but because they are so namby pamby have to wear crash hel-mets and body armour that a Roman gladiator would feel safein. The only time the ball is actually kicked is the beginning ofeach quarter and for a field goal. So why call it football in thefirst place. As for baseball, you have a world series that firstbegan in 1903, the only problem is nobody but American teamstake part so how can it be a world series. We have had a similargame in England long before 1903 called rounders, mostlyplayed by girls. On I went to basketball. I told him we have hada similar game in England long before the Americans startedplaying basketball, it is called netball, and mostly played bygirls. Needless to say the rest of the journey was spent in si-lence.

Unsuitable bus partners

ClassifiedSAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

12

CLASSIFIED DISCLAIMER/CONDITIONSAll advertisements are published by the advertiser that the advertiser is authorized to publish the entire contents, and subject matter thereof, that the contents are not unlawful and donot infringe the rights of any person or entity and that the advertiser has obtained all necessary permissions or releases. In consideration of the publication of advertisements, the adver-tiser will indemnify and save Samui Gazette from and against any loss or expenses arising from publication of such advertisements. The publisher reserves the right to revise, reject oromit without notice any advertisement at any time. Samui Gazette accepts no liability for its failure, for any cause, to insert an advertisement. Liability for any error appearing in an advertisement is limited to the cost of the space occupied. To qualify for an adjustment, an error must be reported within 10 days of publicationdate. Drawings, artwork, and articles for reproduction are accepted at the advertiser’s risk and should be clearly marked to facilitate their return. Samui Gazette reserves the right to re-vise the advertising rates at any time. Announcement of an increase shall be made at least two weeks in advance. No verbal agreement altering the rates and/or the terms shall be rec-ognized.

GENERAL

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MORNING YOGAIn front of the New KC-Beachhoteon T-days (Tuesday and Thurs-

day) from 9 till 10. Come and join Serge and connectwith the elements : Fire/sun, Min-eral/earth, Air/guaranteed not

conditioned, and Water: and afterfloat in the Sea and relax Watsu-style. So bring nothing but decentswim attire and 400 baht. No matsno props. Fellow teachers wel-come at half-price. If you bring anew friend after two classes, get

your one class free.

DANCE CLASSES IN SALSA TANGOFLAMENCO

Classes / workshops end Feb thruApril. Learn Salsa.

Get fit while learning to dance.Make friends and have Fun Fun

Fun. Argentine TangoThe most sensual dance aroundOngoing practice/classes/dancefollow thru will be arranged.

contact [email protected]

ART EXHIBITIONDialogues of Time and Nature atThe Gallery, Kamalaya Koh Samui.The exhibition runs till June 2011.An exhibition of watercolours anddrawings by artist and Kamalayaarchitect Robert Powell represent-ing Robert’s lifelong exploration of

Asian cultures.

CIRCUS TOURAnother group Samui Mala hashelped over the years is SPARK!And we will keep you informedabout the 2011 circus visit in Feb-ruary to refugee children in Thai-

land.

PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATE

14-27 March 2011Phanganearthworks will hold atwo-week Permaculture DesignCertificate (PDC) Course with in-ternationally acclaimed teacherMustafa Fatih Bakir, to take placeon its property on Phangan island,

Southern Thailand.

SUPER SAVINGS15 - 40 % discount on all Beds andMattresses on Stock at RainbowAssets Co.,Ltd., Located near

Lotus in Lamai. Call: 0841872170 (Carmen)

HOUSEHOLD ITEMSUSED KOREAN SLOW SPEED

JUICER FOR SALETop Brand easy to clean makesgreat green juices good condition

[email protected]

REAL ESTATEVILLAS FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE

VILLAS FOR RENTGARDEN VILLA

Stunning house, peaceful &serene, set in 1 rai tropical garden.2 Bed. High standard, fully fur-

nished. South of Samui, Laem Sor.Monthly 25,000 Bht. Contact

[email protected]. 087 3851663

SAMUI TROPICAL VILLASmall & cozy boutique villa. Ban-tai only 5 km. from Maenam on

ring road4 Villa w/ 1 BR and 1 Villa with 2BR with nice garden pool, sauna

room, JacuzziShort and Long term stay.

Contact: Ralf M:0819043575, Email: [email protected]

BEACH FRONT HOMEFour-bedroom, two bath beach-

front home. Fisherman’s village ofthe beach and pier. 8 modern fullyservice apartments with all fur-nishing, for Bt1 million per year orBt20 one time payment, land own-ership option. Lowest price on themarket financing option, good lo-cation for beachfront fine diningclub. www.beachfrontapart-

ment.blog.com. For information,call 085-0438122.

APARTMENT FOR RENT

APARTMENT IN MAENAMWith fridge, tv, dvd, fan, fully fur-nished. Monthly Bt8,000 (includ-

ing electricity and laundryservice). Contact: 089-7255610.

LAMAI BEACH RESIDENCE18 luxury apartments for rent dailyor monthly. Special rate starts atBt990. 100 meters from the beachand town center. Walking dis-tance to all amenities in Lamai.

Call 077-458314.

BOPHUT AVENUE APARTMENTSFurnished apartment for rent, op-posite Anantara Hotel. 1 br,

kitchen, A/C, wifi, free parking.Mobile: 084-7213675

SHOP FOR RENT

COMMERCIAL SPACENo key money. Bt12,000/month in-cluding water, toilet. Located inChaweng. Near all amenities and

top tourist destinations.Call 077-601072.

BEACH FRONT SPA & RESTAURANTFisherman’s Village, beach fronthotel location with beds and fur-nishing for rent 3 years. Start at25,000 rent plus key money. Call

085-0328122.

ROOM FOR RENT

BIG ROOM

64qm, Maenam town, 150m fromthe beach, 3BR, fridge, DVD, sofa &

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OFFICE/CLASSROOMCONFERENCE ROOM

FishecCapacity of 10 persons, airconditioned, wifi, with projectorlocated at Chaweng (near Boon-choo Ceramic) For info, please call

077-425-480

Classified 13SAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

CLASSIFIED ADS HOTLINE: 077-430789

SERVICE DIRECTORY ● To advertise, call the SAMUI GAZETTE at 077-430789

DANY LOPEZ PROFESSIONALHAIRSTYLE.

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EXPERIENCE WITH VIDALSASSOON LONDON/MU-

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BUSINESSBUSINESS FOR SALE

FOR TODDLERPlaypen and reins for 9-month oldtoddler. Tel 0880279335 English,

0831463852 Thai.

HOUSE/APARTMENT WANTEDCASH PLUS MY HOUSE

I am looking to buy a house orapartment. I would consider a newor preowened property, must benear the beach with amenities etc.I would like to spend around 10-15million baht in total, ideally look-ing for somthing in the North Eastside of Samui (Fishermans Village,

Bophut, Big Buddha etc.) butwould consider anywhere. I wouldlike to pay cash plus my house,Valued at 6 million, Hua Thanon

area, 200 metres form the beach, 2bedroom villa with shared pool.Email: [email protected]

LOOKING TO SELL YOUR BUSINESS?

We place your business on aglobal market place via the inter-net. We take the photos, write theads and market to pre-qualified

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BAR RESTAURANT & 5- STOREYGUEST HOUSE

Located in central Chaweng. 9rooms w/ AC, bathroom, cable TV,big ref; 9 rooms w/ fan, bathroom,ref. Durther 2 AC rooms on topfloor of the 5-storey buildingw/large terrace area w/ nice

overview of Chaweng. Busy IrishPub and Restaurant.

Call 081 892 1990 for details andpricing.

IINTERNET CAFE

Small investment, low risk! Fullyfitted coffeeshop and internet ,good location, 2 bedrooms, 1 yearleft on the contract, low rent, goodopportunity to start your own busi-

ness. 0862680548

STAFF WANTED

INKWORLDPrinter services, ink refill, ink sup-ply system, Computer mainte-nance Thai Inter Hospital Road

www.inkworldshop.comTel. 077-427111

WORLDGENIUS CO. LTD.Wireless Outdoor-indoor solution.Install Wifi hotspot, house andhotel. www.worldgenius-it.com

Tel. 081-2710580

SAMUI TATTOO STUDIO(รับสักลาย ออกแบบลายสัก)

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[email protected]: 087-3811 137, 086-992 4772Call 089-588 1249 or 081-569 5033

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Do you have a pleasing personality& can speak English?

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Open to Thai or Filipino Contact 089 731 6814

THAI SALES EXECUTIVE

Good English level, outgoing &positive personality. Have owntransport, Good computer knowl-edge. Base Salary of 12’000 THB,and very exciting commission &bonus structure. Contact us: 088

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BABY SITTERBabysitters required for daytime

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vironments.Basic English. Call 085-475-4067

GARRA RUFFA FISH SPA

Only 13 100 USD 400 000 Baht .Owner needs to return to England.Can assist with VISA, Work Permitand all you need to stay and work

in Thailand.Garra Ruffa Fish Spa on busy walk-ing street located in Lamai. Greatlocation for this unique spa with 4private booths with tub style fishspas. Open daily from 3 pm to late.Also offering refreshments, wine

and beers. 0866479945

FISHERMAN’S VILLAGE RESTAURANT

Fully functional kitchen offered ata very low rent (no key money).Business needs a self motivatedexperienced professional to

takeover a Prime location withinthe very busy Fisherman's Village.

0896491971.

BAR & RESTAURANT

The Garden Bar & Restaurant forsale in Lamai Beach, Koh Samui.Rent for the land is 66,000 baht peryear. Pool Table & bar equipment.The bar customer seating consistsof 2 lounge settees & 4 single

lounge chairs, 8 tables with benchseating & six salas in the gardenarea. 2 bedroom apartment withaddress book. Water well. 750,000

baht. 0848452863

Classes and workshops with inter-national instructor in your arealimited time. Ongoing weekly fol-

low thru/practices/dancesarranged Call: 089-9960406 furyus-

[email protected]

ORIGINAL MARKETING CONCEPTPromote your business or specialevent with our attention grabbing

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THAI LESSONSThai lessons for foreigners. All lev-

els. One to one instruction.Bt200/hour. Located between HuaThanon/Tiger Zoo. Call Kaew 081-

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CATERINGNigel's Catering, BBQ'sCanapés and Cocktails

WeddingsCall 081 676 7754

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sAMUI SOUND & LIGHTMusical instruments, small to

medium-sized sound and lightingfor rent. High quality equipment &

friendly professional service087-5050354

EntertainmentSAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

14

Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS1. *"_____ from the gar-den"6. Civil rights advocateWells9. *Garden ear13. Sri _____14. African migrator15. System of numberingpages16. Not silently17. Argonaut's propeller18. Lower part of ab-domen19. *Glass protector21. "I am sorry," e.g.23. Youngster24. *It cuts a furrow25. A man concerned withhis dress28. Type of wrestler30. "Cease and ______"35. Male version of Emily37. Forsaken or desolate39. Celebrity chef DiSpir-ito40. Basic unit of money inWestern Samoa41. Native American em-blem43. Quantity of paper44. Wads of tobacco, e.g.46. The Three Tenors, e.g.47. *Tulip's beginning,e.g.48. Hindquarters50. Obama to Harvard

Law School, e.g.52. Ballet step53. ____ Roman Empire55. St. Louis footballplayer57. *Vines' support61. *One-season plants65. 43,560 square feet, pl.66. Type of hairs in mam-mal's coat68. "Round up the _____suspects!"69. Rainbow-producingdevice70. Popular white fish71. Fashion of the past72. Labor Day month73. Attention grabber74. Wear away

DOWN1. Fatty tissue2. Respiratory rattling3. Organic compound4. Lie in wait5. Pilgrims to Mecca6. Hunch-backed assis-tant7. Double helix8. Pertaining to the ear9. Rapper LL ____ J10. A dish of stewed meatof different kinds11. Cash's is on fire12. Snoopy15. *Reproductive struc-ture

20. Rated "R" for _____content22. *Pea or bean house24. Represent in a paint-ing, e.g.25. Dog command26. Nebraska's largestcity27. Rice cooked in well-seasoned broth29. ____ point31. Acid gritty-texturedfruit32. Frost over33. La _____, operahouse in Milan34. Graves36. *Grassy area38. Young or Simon, e.g.42. Grieve45. Religious split49. Ad ___51. *Used as fertilizer54. Permeate or pene-trate gradually56. Reflective thinker57. There and back toMichael Phelps, pl.58. One of #65 Across59. Journey60. Challenge61. Rooney or Warhol,e.g.62. A grand theft63. Hog fat64. Wild plum67. Intense mournfulness

Sudoku

Aries - March 21 - April 20 Try�to�enlist�the�support�of�your�coworkers

first.�Don’t�push�your�luck�with�authority.�Follow�through�on�some�of�the

good�ideas�that�come�up,�and�you�could�have�a�real�winner�of�a�deal.�You

may�find�travel�to�be�most�rewarding.�

Your�lucky�day�this�week�will�be�Monday.

Taurus - April 21 - May 20 Your�involvement�with�children�will�be

most�rewarding.�Take�the�time�to�close�deals�that�have�been�up�in�the�air.

Make�sure�that�you�have�all�the�pertinent�facts�before�taking�action.�Any�dif-

ficulties�with�peers�could�be�unnerving.�

Your�lucky�day�this�week�will�be�Saturday.

Gemini - May 22 - June 21 Go�to�the�top�if�you’re�being�harassed�or

held�back.�You�will�be�able�to�work�in�fine�detail�and�present�the�best�possi-

ble�proposal.�Find�out�exactly�what’s�expected�of�you�and�you’ll�be�sur-

prised�to�find�out�how�capable�you�are.�Rest�and�relaxation�may�be

required;�minor�health�problems�will�prevail�if�you�don’t�watch�your�diet.


Cancer - June 22 - July 22 Difficulties�with�older�females�in�your�fam-

ily�may�turn�out�to�be�quit�trivial�after�all.�Concentrate�on�home�improve-

ment.�Small�de�tails�will�make�a�difference.�Be�diplomatic�but�stem.

Someone�may�be�trying�to�take�advantage�of�you.�


Leo - July 23 -August 22 You�are�in�a�high�energy,�get�it�all�done,�mood�and

you’ll�have�little�patience�with�those�who�are�slacking�off.�You�must�deal

with�an�emotional�problem�with�your�loved�one�that�you�have�been�avoiding

for�some�time�now.�Try�to�be�precise�in�your�communications.�Stick�to�your

work�and�avoid�emotional�confrontations.�Social�events�should�be�the�high-

light�of�your�day.

Your�lucky�day�this�week�will�be�Thursday.

Virgo - August 23 - September 22Don’t�hold�yourself�back�because�you

think�you’re�too�old.�Overexertion�and�negligence�will�be�your�worst�ene-

mies.�Take�care�of�any�pressing�health�problems.�Generosity�will�put�you�in

the�poorhouse.�

Your�lucky�day�this�week�will�be�Sunday.

Libra - September 23 - October 22 Travel�for�pleasure�will�be�enticing.

Don’t�donate�more�than�you�can�afford�in�order�to�impress�others.�You�may

want�to�make�changes�in�your�home�environment.�Romance�will�unfold

through�business�trips.

Your�lucky�day�this�week�will�be�Tuesday.

Scorpio - October 23 - November 21 Your�charm�and�generosity�will

bring�new�friends�and�romantic�opportunities.�Erratic�behavior�may�confuse

others,�and�mood�swings�may�result�in�isolation.�A�lack�of�support�and�neg-

ativity�have�been�the�main�problems.�Don’t�try�to�get�even�without�having

all�the�facts.�

Your�lucky�day�this�week�will�be�Monday.

Sagittarius - November 22 - December 20 Promotions�will�be�yours�if�you

have�acted�professionally�in�times�of�crisis.�A�quiet�restful�day�just�staying

in�bed�or�catching�up�on�reading�will�be�your�best�bet.�Get�ready�to�dis-

cover�love,�passion,�and�the�desire�to�enjoy�all�that�life�has�to�offer.�Your

temper�could�get�the�better�of�you�if�you�confront�personal�situations.

Your�lucky�day�this�week�will�be�Sunday.

Capricorn - December 21 - January 19 You�may�want�to�take

extra�special�care�of�your�luggage�if�you�are�traveling�this�week.�If�you�can

get�away�for�a�vacation,�do�so.�Your�practical�approach�to�life�may�charm

someone�who�has�been�observing�you.�Be�honest�if�you�wish�to�solve�the

problem.�

Your�lucky�day�this�week�will�be�Tuesday.

Aquarius - January 20 - February 18 You�have�a�lot�to�offer.�You�need

to�make�your�lover�feel�wanted,�not�like�a�piece�of�the�furniture.�Be�pre-

pared�for�an�active�but�rewarding�day.�Deception�is�evident�around�you.�


Pisces - February 19 - March 20 Be�careful�to�avoid�wrong�doings.

Children�may�be�difficult�to�deal�with.�Don’t�get�involved�in�uncertain�finan-

cial�ventures.�Resistance�leading�to�conflict�will�only�make�it�twice�as�hard

to�turn�the�situation�around.�Outings�with�relatives�or�good�friends�will�pro-

vide�you�with�stimulating�conversation.�

Your�lucky�day�this�week�will�be�Wednesday.

Horoscope

Comics 15SAMUI GAZETTE |March 22-April 4, 2011

Calvin

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Life SAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

16

A few months ago, I wrote about my ‘visa run’experience – a necessary evil for most expats.Now that my family is here, it makes more senseto drive to Penang ourselves, rather than use theservices of a visa run company, as there areenough to fill our car, keeping the costs down. Be-sides, who doesn’t like a good road trip, right?Wrong! Sure, driving your own car means that you are in charge ofyour bathroom stops, but you also have to worry aboutthings like road works, traffic obstacles, queues at the bor-der and bad drivers. When you are a passenger, you can sitback, read a book, have a snooze, and all of these issues be-come the driver’s problem. Considering all, I would stillrather drive, unless having to do the run alone. It’s amazinghow important toilets become on a road trip, and by that Imean GOOD toilets; to most of us, that means Western toi-lets. Using an Eastern toilet is a skill I have yet to master.Squatting above a wet floor, and trying not to stand incountless previous occupants’ contributions, while yourthighs develop an uncontrollable wobble, and your legsthreaten to cave in, is not fun. This is probably the onlytime I envy men, who can (and do) relieve themselves justabout anywhere. After two self-drive trips to Penang, I now know which toi-lets are good, which are barely acceptable, and which toavoid at all costs. I think that a guide book on public bath-rooms with a grading system, would be a best seller, even ifonly bought by women – perhaps I will make this an assign-ment… any contributions and suggestions welcome. I alwaystry to see the funny side of difficult situations. Often this isonly possible in retrospect. At the time, tears, frustrationand despair cloud our vision and positive outlook making itvery hard to find a funny side. Take this for example: Aftereventually arriving at the Thai border around 8:00pm, in a2-hour bumper-to-bumper queue, an official waved usthrough. We showed him our passports, that needed stamp-ing, and he was insistent that we drive straight through. Car-rying on in the slowly snaking queue of cars, we crossed theno-man’s-land strip and arrived at the immigration booth atthe Malaysia border – only to be told that they could notstamp us in to Malaysia, as we never received a stamp exit-ing Thailand. Just imagine it. The traffic is backed up, itwould take two hours to drive the 2km back, and then sit inthe traffic again, to enter Malaysia. We asked if we couldpark the car, and walk back to Thailand, which they allowedus to do – suspiciously monitored by police along the way.My husband’s new bar story is, ‘My wife made me walk toMalaysia and back again!’ If anyone decides to drive toMalaysia, be warned – there are practically no petrol sta-tions along the highway. Unless you like the challenge ofseeing how far you can drive on fumes, fill up before youleave Thailand! Not even the bottle stands of petrol, that wesee every 100m in Thailand, exist. It’s amazing how differentMalaysia is to Thailand, and it is evident the moment youcross the border. Yes, perhaps there is better infrastructure,but the quaint things that make Thailand so charming disap-pear. No more dog passengers or entire families on motor-bikes, no more children playing football on the side of theroad, no more water buffalo, chickens or roadside stands.But it is the people that denote the biggest change, and yourreason for smiling when crossing the border back into Thai-land. It is easy to see why it is called ‘The Land of Smiles’. Itis so good to hear ‘Sawadee ka’ again when you cross over.No more grunts as a greeting, which is all you get if you arelucky, in Malaysia. So for all the hassles, tears, frustrationsand hiccups that go along with a visa run, the warm wel-come back into Thailand makes you realize why you settledhere for a while, and makes the unbearable trip a little morebearable, in retrospect that is

The dreaded visa run –chapter two

Brigitte Gomm the founder ofSamui’s Dog and Cat Rescue Centeris distraught, and quite rightly so. Inlate February/ early March the Cen-ter lost 43 dogs with a further fivedying later.The tragedy started with “Sporty” who com-menced with intestinal bleeding leading todeath. Two other dogs at the Ban Taling amCenter followed within the next two days.The problem, whatever it was, appeared tobe liver related as the dogs took on a jaun-diced yellow hue on becoming ill. There wasa definite problem, but at the time nobodyseemed to know what it was! Samples weresent to the Samui Bangkok Hospital for labtests. The cost was high and the results wereinconclusive. Remember, the Rescue Centreis not a commercial operation it depends oncharitable donations in order to survive!As the death toll mounted Brigitte and hercolleagues began to suspect poisoning ofsome sort. They attended to the obvious andcleaned feeding bowls more thoroughly andstopped using the water from their well, be-cause the land behind the shelter had beenrecently cleared and they felt pesticidesmight have leached into the water table.It seemed strange that dogs were dying inTaling Ngam but were unaffected inChaweng. Why was this? Then the truthbegan to dawn. The fifty dogs at theChaweng shelter were all fed on leftoversand donations but the dogs in the other andbigger facility depended largely on dry dogfood from Bangkok. Brigitte looked at thedry food. First they stopped using it and sec-ondly they sent samples to Bangkok foranalysis. As no results appeared they boughta small test lab, themselves. They found thefood was contaminated with Alpha-Toxins,or so they said. Alpha-Toxins are bacterialinfestations like staphylococcuus andclostridium. These can cause conditions likepneumonia and severe stomach upsets thatcan affect the liver. As soon as they stoppedusing the food, it was remarkable to seemany dogs beginning to get better. Sadlysome were too badly affected and did not!To counteract the poisoning every dog wasgiven vitamins and liver supplements. Thiswas an expensive but necessary life support-ive treatment. Now, Brigitte and her teamunderstood why so many of their dogs haddied, so they contacted the food supplier inBangkok. The vet in question explained thatthey had changed the food formulation themonth before. Instead of using a rice basethey had moved over to corn. This could

well have been caused by the rising riceprice. Corn is notorious in how it can easilybecome mouldy thus creating alfla toxinswhich are very damaging to the liver. Thesemoulds abound in Thailand, especially in therainy season. The supplier did not offer torefund the product, but suggested reblend-

ing it with a non-affected base. Yes, thiswould simply make the food a little lesstoxic! Not surprisingly the Dog and Cat Res-cue team refused this offer. The supplier wasalso annoyed that Samui had warned the“Soi Dog “organization in Phuket who alsoreceived their dry food from him. Thislargely averted a potential tragedy there.Sadly 5 of their dogs died but they weresaved the horrific ravages experienced inKoh Samui. To date the Bangkok producerhas received THB 206,000 in payments forhis goods. He has made no offer of restitu-tion. He has now blocked all calls fromBrigitte but it is unlikely his problems willend there. Another customer, a vet inBangkok breeds huskies. To date he has lostall 24 of his dogs. It is unlikely he will letthis pass lightly! This is a very sad storywhere the food manufacturer stands a goodchance of going scot free for his negligence.The Samui Cat and Dog Rescue Center hasaccrued large expenses because of this fi-asco. They are a charitable organization anddepend on donations for their survival. Ifyou could find a way of helping them in thistragic time, they would be truly grateful. Youcan find more about this story and have anopportunity to help by visiting their websiteat http://www.samuidog.org.Alister Bredee is a freelance author living onKoh Samui. He is a health care practitioner(working with the amazing CoRe system tofind out more ask about a free introductorysession), trainer and a partner in The HealthAmbit Consultancy. He also works as aDetox Consultant and Locum with extensiveexperience. He can be contacted via hiswebsite: www.healthambit.com. He pub-lishes a regular blog at: www.healthambit-blogspot.com. You can find him and theHealth Ambit Consultancy on Facebook

Poisoned food claims 48 victims at the Dog and Cat Rescue Center

Health 17SAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

Many people go through periods offeeling depressed, sad and demoti-vated. Sometimes these feelings sim-ply pass on their own yet often thesefeelings of low mood and lack of mo-tivation are caused by an imbalanceof “happy chemicals” in the brain.Serotonin, our happy chemical ismade from food. Getting the correctnutrients into your body really doesmake you happy.

Doctors prescribe anti-depressants, whichwork to block the reabsorption of the happybrain chemicals giving the illusion to thebody that there are more of them. The dan-ger is however, that these drugs often comewith a host of unpleasant side-effects and ac-tually don't get to the root of the problem.There is in fact a way of eating that willboost your brain's happy neurotransmitters,as these chemicals are made from the foodwe eat.

Step in tryptophanSerotonin is made from an amino acid calledtryptophan. Eating foods that contain trypto-phan increase your body's serotonin levelsin a safe and natural way. Do you have enough serotonin?The body is always communicating with us.If there is anything out of balance, signs andsymptoms will occur. Women are moreprone to serotonin deficiency due to its linkwith the female hormone oestrogen, hencethe mood swings associated with the femalehormonal cycle, as oestrogen levels fluctu-ate. Serotonin deficiency may be a con-tributing factor in anyone with depression ormood swings, especially if affected by Sea-sonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Signs of serotonin deficiency•Carbohydrate or alcohol cravings•Easy irritability•Insomnia•Low sex drive•Finding it hard to relax•Anxiety

Eat yourself happy with tryptophan-richfoods•Fish•Turkey•Chicken•Nuts•Avocado•Beans, pulses & peas

•Tofu•Oats•Eggs•Wheat germ•Banana•Soya•Cheese & milk

5HTP - one step closer to happinessAs serotonin is made from tryptophan, sup-plementing with a capsule containing a sub-stance called 5HTP (5-hydroxy-tryptophan)effectively helps the body make more sero-tonin. Tryptophan is converted in the bodyto 5HTP, which is one step closer to ourhappy brain chemical. 5HTP easily crossesthe blood-brain barrier and can be used asan effective alternative to anti-depressantsin mild cases of depression and mood disor-ders. 5HTP should be taken away from pro-tein-rich foods and with a smallcarbohydrate snack, such as a banana. Whencarbohydrate is eaten, insulin removes glu-cose from the blood into the cells and alsoclears the blood of all circulating aminoacids, except tryptophan. With a free circu-lation of tryptophan, the brain uses it readily.That's why it's best to take your tryptophansource with a carbohydrate and also the rea-son why carbohydrates make us feel so good,as long as we eat the right ones of course!It's the sugary, white, refined carbs thatmake our moods come crashing down laterdue to blood sugar fluctuations. As serotoninis also needed for a good night's sleep, 5HTPis best taken before bed.

Top 5 snacks to make you happy1Turkey or chicken slice on wholemeal bread2Banana smoothie with ground nuts & seeds3Banana with small handful of nuts & seeds4Avocado & hummus with crudites5Eggs on rye toastThe biochemistry of happinessThere are other nutrients needed alongsideprotein that work to make our feel-goodneurotransmitter, such as zinc and niacin.Consulting with a nutritionist will hep youto look at any other underlying contributingfactors to your low mood, such as thyroidfunction and blood sugar issues. Even just looking at one biochemical path-way in the body, serotonin production, wecan easily see how it really does matter whatyou eat. As your body is literally made fromthe food you put into it, you really are whatyou eat

Protein not prozac. How to useprotein to stay positive

Police identified the arrested suspect as David Moshi, 37,who according to a police report, was using the credit card ofCsapai Lazslo, a 37-year old Hungarian earlier reported asmissing.

The wife of Lazslo suspected that Moshi might be involved inthe case of her missing husband, the report says. The arrest occurred about 1:30 pm on March 3 when Chief ofImmigration officer Pol Col Athisawin Kamolrat in a joint op-eration with Pol Col Phayoongsak Surin, superintendent of Bo-phut Police Station, deployed an investigation team to searchMoshi’s Bt20 million worth home in Moo 3 Bophut and arresthim.Preliminary investigation disclosed the house had just beenconstructed and Moshi had spent Bt1 million on decorationusing Lazslo’s credit card. The suspect was taken into custody and the properties in thehouse were confiscated.Police said the operation resulted from a report last February16, 2011where the 37-year-old Lazslo was said to have disap-peared. Suthatta Rakasit, 26, told the police her husband, Lazlo, was abusinessman dealing in wall paper with many countries. Before he disappeared, Lazslo had travelled to Bangkok andreturned to Koh Samui on Feb. 16. According to Ms. Rakasit,Moshi was the one who picked him up at the Koh Samui Inter-national Airport. She said she did not hear anything from her husband sincethen.

Later, Ms. Rakasit said she found Moshi using the black Toy-ota Fortuner vehicle, with plate No. 7086, and the credit cardwhich belonged to her husband. Ms. Rakasit alleged she had received the last call from herhusband when she was in Bangkok last February 16, saying“Don’t come back to Koh Samui, even something happens tome.”Ms. Rakasit believes her husband had been murdered.Authorities who checked Moshi’s house and the nearby areasay they found the land plot had just been adjusted. They arealso looking into the possibility that the missing Hungarianmight have been murdered and the body hidden somewhere inthe land, because Lazslo had been missing for nearly a month.On the other hand, ownership of the black Toyota Fortunervehicle had been transferred to David Moshi, but Ms. Rakasitclaims the signature on the legal document was fake.Under questioning, the suspect Moshi, at first stated he wasnot involved with the case of the missing Hungarian and hedid not even know Lazslo. When asked, however, why he used Lazlo’s credit card if hedid not know him, Moshi kept silent and refused to give moreinformation. Police said Moshi has been charged with forgery and spend-ing on a credit card without the owner’s permission. Moshi has since been released after posting bail on the exist-ing charges against him. Police said investigation is still on going to gather more solidevidence. Police urged anyone having any information regardingLazslo’s whereabouts or any information regarding him to con-tact investigator Pramin Kongdee (077-414-567) of the BophutPolice Station or investigator Phuriwat Rodkerd (077-420-509)of the Koh Samui Police Station.

Hungarian missing... From Page 1Jo Rowkins dipNT MBANT is a nutritionist and the executive

health adviser at The Spa Resorts, Lamai. She is available forone-on-one nutrition and lifestyle consultations (or online).Contact 082-2813078 or [email protected]

TravelSAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

18

Romance of the islands When nature showered the world with its blessings, it probably poured onKrabi, giving it wild natural beauty for endless opportunities for fun and ro-mance. Think island hopping on a chartered yacht, kayaking race by a man-grove site, snorkeling with exotic fishes and coral, going on a wilderness trekin the interior of the national park where exhilarating waterfalls and secretcaves abound, to name a few.One of the most romantic experiences available on Krabi is an island trip, where on a nightout on a lagoon inside one of those tall limestone walls, you can be allowed to just sit onyour canoe in pitch dark, with the starry skies as our ceilings and with nothing except thesongs of the crickets disturbing our peace and quiet – for half an hour. It is a memory to rel-ish. Try a trip to Koh Hong (Island Room), one of the many amazing freak formation of na-ture in the Andaman, with its tall limestone walls with a big open hole ( a lagoon) that lookout into the soaring cliffs. Ordinarily, you enter the secret meter-deep lagoon through asmall passageway on low tide, and get out before high tide. Many trips today take you to theKoh Hong islands – yes, there’s a string of them – for swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, or fora simple sightseeing.

KoHong IslandSome romantic escapadesalso await those who will go toKoh Phi Phi. The island is ac-tually made of back to backpiebald coves (Phi Phi Donand Phi Phi Ley) dramaticallyfeatured with towering lime-stone karsts at two ends. Dis-covered by backpackers, theisland is now teeming with allkinds of lodging – from basicguest houses to opulent re-sorts – and overnight stays areperfect for those in search fora tranquil getaway and withtime to spare.

Maya BayAnother Krabi island that isnow high on many traveler’slists is Koh Lanta Yai, thelargest island in the ring of theKoh Lanta National Park,about 22km from north tosouth. Koh Lanta NationalPark includes several coral-fringed islands with wellknown diving sites. Koh LantaYai, also home to Chao Le (seagypsies) who sustain them-selves largely through fishing,is located between Phi Phi is-lands and the Krabi mainland.Of late, it has developed into aworld class resort island withunspoiled stretches of whitesand beaches, lush forests,abundant wild life-fauna and achoice of chic accommodation– just the place for a magicalescapade.

Railay Bay

On TheIsland 19SAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

Driving on the island - Samui style!Koh Samui, often referred to as the jewel in Thailand's crown, is quintessentially a beau-tiful tropical island - the largest of the trio at the southern end of the Gulf of Thailand -larger than its neighbors, with their own claims to fame - Koh Phangan with its wild FullMoon parties, and Koh Tao, with its superb facilities for diving.

ANSWERS

International body painting competition set March 26-27Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in collaborationwith the Koh Samui Municipality is organizing a re-markable event that is expected to attract 50,000 visi-tors and earn the island Bt20 million in revenue – the“Samui International Body Painting Competition” onMarch 26-27, 2011.

The two-day event is expected to be in league of other sim-ilar world-class competitions such as the International BodyPainting Festival in Germany, World Body Painting Festivalin Austria, and the Canadian Body Painting Festival inCanada.Wiwatchai Bunyapak, Executive Director of Events Depart-ment, TAT says, “For many years, body painting festivalshave been held in big cities all over the world, mostly in Eu-rope. I believe that this kind of art suits Asia perfectly well.Thus, TAT is trying to make Thailand become the center ofbody painting festival in Asia.” He said Samui is the perfect place for the event because in-ternational airlines such as Thai Airwasy and Bangkok Air-ways fly directly on the island. The event will surely attractboth local and international tourists who appreciate orientalart.. We want them to say, “If you think of body painting inAsia, think of Samui.”

Already, a number of artists and models fromnine countries around the world, including Aus-tria, England, United States, Germany, Switzer-land, Spain, Romania, South Korea, and Thailandhave signified their intention to join the “SamuiInternational Body Painting Competition.”Together, they will create some exquisite arts ofSamui beach under the concept “Preserve theParadise.” Audiences can be a part of the event,too. There are nail painting, henna painting, dollpainting and painting on recycle goods whichthey can act like a model or do it by themselves.Ramanet Jaikawang, mayor of Koh Samui addsthat; “Samui Island is one of the most importanttourism spot on the Gulf

of Thailand. It is well-known by thetourists of its fascination beaches and at-mosphere. This makes Samui perfect forart events. Furthermore, we are readyand totally prepared all-round; trans-portation, security, accommodation,world-class spas, tourist attractions andcultural places which are world-worldrecognized”.“Samui International Body paintingCompetition” will be held on March 26-27 (Sat-Sun), 2011 from 17.00-23.00 infront of The Buddy Oriental SamuiBeach Resort on Lamai Beach. Entranceis free.

Mr.�Wiwatchai�Bunyapak,�Executive�Director�of�Events�Department,�TAT�(left)�Mr.Ramnate

Jaikwang,�Mayor�of�Koh�Samui�(right)

Samui basically has anouter ring road circling theisland, from the occasionallylovely but often raucousspread of Chaweng in thenortheast, soon inevitably tojoin up in a linear and hap-hazard link to Lamai, waydown in the southeast. Thisis the area most backpack-ers, fun-seekers, party-goers, and heavy drinkers,would gravitate towards.Fun is available by the kilo,and shows and bars extendwell into the early hours,oblivious of any require-ments relating to noise

abatement or similar fun-stifling restrictions.In the middle of the islandis the mountain, with a fewproperties scatteredamongst the jungle vegeta-tion, some legal, some not.A few local government offi-cials, apparently gave out,what appeared to be prop-erly stamped and authenti-cated building permits, onlyto find out some time later,that they were far from gen-uine.To the south, is the lovelyisland of Koh Tan, enigmati-cally absent on almost every

map that exists on Samui,boats go to and from, andsome lovely coral abounds.Already the surroundingsare quieter, and hardly vis-ited by the average short-term tourist.Quieter still, is the west

coast, with the beautiful birdsanctuaries in the Five Is-lands. The nearest repeatvisitors, are passengers onthe Raja and Nathon ferries,destined for the mainland atDonsak and near Suratthani,the capital of the province. With real luck, a dolphin might even be glimpsed

during the crossing.A bumpy track takesthe explorer to a safeand inviting beach atLipa Noi, then it is theturn of the ferries topoint towards theirdestinations on the is-land - docking near aswampy but lush areaSouth of Nathon, theCapital, then comesNathon itself. Smallerin appearance thanChaweng, it boasts ahost of shops andrestaurants, with freshfish served straightfrom the boats.(To be continued...)

FeatureSAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

20

In most houses in Thailand, they are semi-official guests of honor.

They sing and they dance across the wallsand ceilings, most important is that theycatch their weight in insects daily.

Like many geckos, this species can lose itstail when alarmed and are a constant sourceof amusement when the satellite or power isout. Thailand is filled with countless species ofgecko, but the house gecko, jing-johk is themost common.

The Jing-johk have special toepads withmany thousands of tiny spatula tipped setaewhich allow them to climb walls and

Geckos’ amazing ability gives scientists idea on how to make strong, waterproof, re-usable adhesives The common house lizard or Gecko, scientific name Hemidactylus frenatus,is a native of southeastern Asia and the northern parts of Africa.

Known as the Asian house gecko, or simply, the house lizard, it is the mostrecently discovered member of a quartet of small, prolific and aggressivelizards (or Gekkonids) that are mainly nocturnal.

They can be seen climbing walls of houses and other buildings in search ofinsects attracted to porch lights. They grow to a length of between 7.5 – 15 cm(about three to six inches), and live for about five years. hang from the ceiling. The toes of the gecko have at-

tracted a lot of attention, as they adhere to a wide variety ofsurfaces, without the use of liquids or surface tension.

Recent studies of the spatula tipped setae on gecko foot-pads demonstrates that the attractive forces that holdgeckos to surfaces are van der Waals interactions betweenthe finely divided setae (almost 500,000 Setae on each foot,and each of these tipped with between 100 and 1,000 spatu-lae) and the surfaces themselves.

Geckos' toes seem to be "double jointed," but this is a mis-nomer.

Their tos actually bend in the opposite direction from ourfingers and toes.

This allows them to overcome the van der Waals force bypeeling their toes off surfaces from the tips inward.

In essence, this peeling action alters the angle of incidencebetween millions of individual setae and the surface, reduc-ing the van der Waals force.

Geckos' toes operate well below their full attractive capa-bilities for most of the time.

If a gecko had every one of its spatulae in contact with asurface, it would be capable of holding aloft a weight of 133kg.

Researchers have created two prototype glues after con-firming that geckos owe their amazing ability to scamperacross ceilings and cling to polished glass solely to manythousands of tiny, spatula-tipped split hairs on their toes. These bond with the molecules in any surface on whichthe lizards attach.The scientists, based at the University of California atBerkeley, cast two sets of imitation gecko toe hairs. Their mould was a micro filter with which biologists usu-ally remove bacteria from solutions. They then tipped the hairs with silicon rubber or poly-ester.In the lab, both materials adhered as well to most surfacesas the natural wall-crawlers. Moreover, because gecko adhe-sive switches on and off mechanically, its stickiness neverwears off, Berkeley engineer Ron Fearing explains. "If agecko runs through a sandbox, it can still stick to a wall -just try that with scotch tape".

Food Wine& SAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

21

With its fantastic reputation I am surethat many of you already enjoy dining atthe popular Bauhaus Bistro in the mainstrip of Lamai, but if you don’t you areseriously missing out. For the last 15years the Bauhaus has been serving su-perb home cooked food under the watch-ful eye of its owner, Glenda, a veryfriendly and down to earth English ladywith a sunny disposition and an eye fordetail.The Bauhaus is a relaxed and informal placeto enjoy delicious home cooked food in uniquesurroundings. The restaurant has two attrac-tively lit waterfalls, tropical plants and a waterfeature that runs the length of the restaurant.With very high ceilings and giant naturalwooden pillars you could be forgiven for think-ing you were dining outdoors. The staff exudesmiling Thai hospitality under the watchfuleye of Glenda who insists on high quality, notonly in terms of the quality of the food but inpresentation, and that goes for the staff and therestaurant as well as the food. With her Englishspeaking friendly staff, top quality food andbeautiful surroundings it is no surprise thatGlenda has a recipe for success and quite a fol-lowing. Bauhaus is very popular with the localsand visitors to the island come back to eat hereyear after year. The comprehensive menu isvery reasonably priced and offers somethingfor everybody. The No Name Chicken or Veg-etables, an Indian Pakora with a Thai twist, isreally delicious and the spring rolls are alsovery popular, both are served with sweet chilidip. The menu has a good selection of saladsand authentic, seriously affordable, Thai foodthat can be toned up or down to your liking.The New Zealand tenderloin steaks are partic-ularly delicious as are thehome made pies and 4 or 8ozbeef or chicken burgers thatcan be dressed up with eggs,bacon and cheese. TheBauhaus does a hearty mixedgrill, vegetable lasagna,Chicken Kiev, and serves someof the freshest seafood I haveseen on the island which canbe fried or steamed if youfancy the healthy option. If youare after something a bit differ-ent try the Thai specialty ofraw prawns in fish sauce. An-other great choice is the RoastDuck Curry, a southern spe-cialty that is very popular andPee Jit’s Penang Curry that shewill cook for you on request iswell worth a mention. Forlighter meals try the baked po-tatoes with any combination ofpopular filings, baguettes ortoasties. The dessert menu fea-tures Glenda’s special Appleand Mango Crumble that is notto be missed as well as a selec-tion of ice creams, banana split,fresh fruit salad and other deli-cious dishes. As well as the su-perb food menu, that isavailable in Russian, you willfind a good selection of beers,cider, spirits and liquors’.Glenda offers an excellent se-lection of extremely affordablewines and the cocktails at the

Bauhaus take some beating! The Bauhaus is agreat place to eat with friends or family, chil-dren are welcome and there are high chairs ifyou need them and children’s half portions areavailable. Premier games are shown, but with-out the sound so they can be watched withoutinterrupting your dining experience. This ex-ceptional restaurant opens its doors at 2-30pmand the kitchen stays open until 11pm. Therestaurant gets very busy at around 8pm, sobook a table if you don’t want to be disap-pointed. Glenda closes her doors on the 2ndand 4th Monday of every month to give her andher dedicated team of staff a well deserved dayoff! For more information or to book a tablecall 077 418797. More restaurant reviews anddining suggestions can be found by visitingwww.abracadabra-samui.com

Superb home cooked food:

By SUZANNE BUCHANAN

Bauhaus’ recipe for success

SportsSAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

22

JOHN GREENWOOD’S SAMUI Pool UPDATES Tropical Interiors - sponsored

Season 3 got underway this Friday to the delightof all concerned. There has been a slight change inplayers - GB Simon and Premier Ian have droppedout due to hectic work programmes, and after 2seasons on the waiting list in comes DennisO'Brien and Scottish Pat.So it was off to Tonks Snooker Hall for the first match and

there was a definite BUZZ about the place.The competitiveness is still there from all players, so muchso that on Table 1, Premier John (with his foot in plaster)took on last seasons championLincoln. It was a much closer game than the 3-0 resultwould suggest, with one game going to a black ball and an-other down to 3 colours.Meanwhile on Table 2 ,Flea was taking on Tropical Steve.Flea appears a bit rusty after the preseason break andTropical Steve had Flea under pressure from break onFrame 1 and never let up. As usual Flea had the crowd behind him but to no avail ashe ended up losing 3-1.Table 3 saw best of pals Todd "the hurricane" Feeny playJay Cuddy. This game was always going to be tight as bothplayers wanted the bragging right of winner, and sureenough it was tight despite the 3-0 frame difference. The game was close with Jay Cuddy celebrating his "mas-sive" victory over Todd.Table 4 welcomed newcomer Dennis O'Brien take on vet-eran Robbie Tramarco. Wee Robbie had missed a few of lastseason's matches due to a broken ankle and had sworevengeance on all concerned and declared under no circum-stances will he be picking up the wooden spoon for a secondconsecutive season. Having started their match slightly late the entire snookerhall were focusing on the match of the giants.Dennis took the first frame and the pressure was on, butnot afraid to rise to the challenge Robbie stormed back inframe 2 leveling matters.After two more close frames Dennis ran out victorious witha 3 - 1 advantage.Match 5 was postponed and will be played shortly with TBone (who wants the title of Champion back from Lincoln)and Scottish Pat.The league table will start formation after 2 or 3 weeks.

The League of Gentlemen Week 15

The 15th week of this scintillating leaguesaw some minor twists and turns and to noone’s surprise all the top three teams all hada winning week. The top of the table clash between the run-away leaders Bamboo Bar and fourth placedPremier Bar was poised nicely at 2 each afterthe singles matches.The shock of the night was Yak being thor-oughly beaten by Craig but after the 4 sin-gles the Premier Bar relaxed and played 4less experienced players to spread the funand let more people practice the lovely gamewe call pool. The second shock of the night has to beLords Bar playing at home and being beatenblack and blue by the B.O.B a 4-2 away win.This result puts Lords Bar second from bot-tom and looks like they are chasing thewooden spoon and after last year’s perform-ance we are all left wondering what has hap-pened. Tams bar ran riot over the Bungy Bar 6-0 to

keep them in second place. Fleas KSSSCteam stayed in third place with a 4-2 awaywin over the Lazy Coconut. Undoubtedly the match of the week wasthe Danny Hanlon Cup match which is a cupwhich is played for whenever the two teamsof the Elephant and Castle and the Cork andCask play. With the EandC holding the cup only a losswould see the cup returning to the CandC.After a great start the EandC romped aheadwith Gareth and Dean both winning theirgames, then followed the third shock of thenight with superstars Chris and Johnny ofthe EandC both losing the singles matchesto bring the game back to all square. So the deciding doubles games and withthe EandC just needing one of the remainingmatches to retain the Danny Hanlon Cupand they did it in style with Mark captaininghis side to win the first doubles match tomake sure the small trophy stayed in the hal-lowed halls of the Elephant and Castle. The last doubles game was won by theCandC to scrape a well deserved draw.

POS P W D L PTS

1 extratime 5 3 1 1 58

2 easy bar 5 3 0 2 53

3 holland house 5 3 0 2 52

4 eden bar 4 4 0 0 50

5 scooter bar 5 2 1 2 49

6 red lips bar 4 3 0 1 48

7 pjs bar 4 3 0 1 46

8 lamai st 5 1 1 3 43

9 woody’s 5 1 2 2 43

10 hip bar 4 2 1 1 40

11 comedy klub 5 0 0 5 37

12 zane bar 4 0 1 3 37

13 rolling stone 3 0 1 2 24

Team Played Won Lost Drawn FF FA Frame Diff Pts

Bamboo Bar 14 13 0 1 167 85 74 40

Tam's Bar 14 8 4 2 149 103 34 26KSSSC 13 8 3 2 132 102 24 26

Premier Bar 14 7 5 2 137 115 26 23Bungy Bar 12 6 4 2 108 108 12 20

Elephant & Castle

12 4 4 4 106 110 0 16

Birds of Bamboo 13 4 7 2 106 128 -22 14

Lazy Coconut 12 3 7 2 88 128 -34 11Cork & Cask 11 2 4 5 99 99 -4 11Lords Bar 13 2 7 4 106 128 -22 10Riks Bar 14 2 6 6 112 140 -30 12Arada Bar 12 1 9 2 76 140 -58 5

Lamai Pool League standings (Week 5)

KSSSC Snooker League gets underway

On TheIslandSAMUI GAZETTE | March 22-April 4, 2011

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The Subway restaurant chain nowhas more locations worldwide thanany other fast food chain in theworld

Subway ended the year with 33,749 world-wide locations while McDonald’s announcedon its investor website this week that itended 2010 with 32,737 locations worldwide,a whopping 1,012 less than Subway’s.

Subway public relations manager KevinKane said this is great news for the fast foodfranchise on a number of fronts: Our growthand brand familiarity will make a great sell-ing point for potential landlords and fran-chisees; Each year, our growth createsthousands of new job opportunities world-wide; and People should want to join thegreatest team in franchising history sincethere are now more places to purchase ourfamous sandwiches and salads than anyother QSR brand in the world.

The accomplishment was considered hugeas it was only 46 years ago that the SUB-WAY® chain started as a single-storefrontsandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

“We will readily discuss this accomplish-ment when asked, but this is just one moremilestone in the incredible story of thegrowth of the SUBWAY® brand and we lookforward to even greater achievements,”Kane said.

“While surpassing McDonald’s in numberof units is an accomplishment we should allbe proud of, we should always be mindfulthat, now that we are the most convenientlocation for consumers, we need to doeverything we can to make each customerexperience an exceptional one. That way wecan make all of our customers repeat cus-tomers and reach our goal of increasingstore sales and profits,” Kane added.

Subway, he said, is proud of the fact that ithas more convenient locations to offer a va-riety and choice to consumers. “Our mission continues to be to offer great-tasting products at a good value while pro-viding exceptional service,” he said.

Subway owner Fred De Luca is reportedlycoming to Bangkok on the 15th of this monthfor a local press conference and a cocktailparty with its franchise holders.

Subway now number 1in total locations worldwide

10. “Worlds Deadliest Catch—Samui.”Each weeks show features the girl a touristpicked up at Sound Bar at 5AM when he wastoo drunk to realize what was happening andevery other girl in the bar had been spokenfor.

9. “Samui Mad Men,” featuring those guyswho rent you Jet Skis and then try to over-charge you for damages.

8. “English Guys Grey Anatomy,” which isbased at Samui International Hospital Emer-gency Room and shows each week theanatomy of helmetless English guys whocrash their motorbikes.

7. “Nip Tuck Samui,” in which super smartThai bar girls figure out great new ways howto nip and tuck money from their *FarangATM boyfriends.

6. “Samui Glee,” featuring the “Ladies” ofChristy’s Cabaret.

5. “How I met your (Thai) Mother,” thebackstory of which should be obvious.4. “The Bachelorette.” A single Farang girlmoves to Samui, only to discover that Farangmen aren’t interested in a Farang girl.

3. "The (Samui) Apprentice." We follow anew bar girl who moves to Samui who istrained by a seasoned bar girl. She learns tosay such popular income generating lines as:"You Good Man, You Have Good Heart," and"You Handsome Man. I like fat man.”

2. “UFC—Samui.” Each week, a tourist onSamui tries to negotiate a reasonable taxifare, only to discover that there are no rea-sonable taxi fares on Samui and a fightbreaks out.

1. “Two and A Half Men.” The daily life oftwo male Farangs who live with one Ka-toey(ladyboy) in a shared villa.

TOP TEN FAVORITE TELEVISIONSHOWS ON THE ALL-NEWSAMUI CHANNEL

Thailand’s coolest new destination resort, W Retreat KohSamui, spun a little hotter recently with the launch of itsfirst W Happenings event, Symmetry Spins. Since openinglast November, W Retreat Koh Samui has become one of themost popular places to see and be seen at on Samui Island.Created to celebrate Samui’s annual ReEarth Festival, Sym-metry Spins featured exclusive DJ sets from three renownedDJ’s and W’s signature cocktails and Mo-Hee-Toes in the re-sort’s famed WOOBAR -- all to help raise awareness andsupport for a more sustainable planet.“What a fantastic way to dance the night away in our signa-ture WOOBAR and celebrate ReEarth with us,” said Chris-tian Humbert, Director of Sales and Marketing at W RetreatKoh Samui. “Our first-ever W Happening has brought to-gether our commitment to a healthier planet with our prom-ise to deliver exceptional entertainment and nightlifeexperiences for our guests.”W’s signature WOOBAR is a breathtaking venue, open onthree sides and perched on the corner of a hillside with 270-degree views of the Gulf of Thailand and the surroundinghillside. The DJ booth is perched high from a commanding pointon the mezzanine level, transforming WOOBAR from day tonight. The retreat’s first W Happenings event took overWOOBAR for the evening, bringing the talents of threerenowned DJ’s: DJ Dainja, Sweden’s L-Wiz and Irk, who justwon the 2010 Ninja Tune’s Solid Steel Guest Mix of the Year.Guests sipped on signature W cocktails, including Moe-Hee-Toes and a selection of beers. Opened last November, W Retreat Koh Samui is the re-gion’s first all-villa beachfront resort, uniquely located atthe peak of the north shore of Thailand’s famed Samui Is-land. The resort is a modern paradise of vibrant foliage, un-spoiled golden sand, warm island breezes and excitingnightlife filled with energy and celebration. The W Hap-penings Symmetry Spins event coincided with the 2nd an-nual Koh Samui ReEarth Festival, a two-day beach andjungle party on February 26 – 27 to raise funds, support andawareness for sustainable tourism. The festival featuredlive music, DJ’s, volunteer activities, eco-workshops andmore.For reservations and more information, please visitwww.whotels.com/kohsamui. To learn more about the2011 ReEarth Festival, visit www.reearth.com

dance party at W RetreatSymmetry Spins all night

samui gazette edition 17

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