Vol. 2 No. 15Mar. 16 - 29, 2012

REACHING OUT TO THOSE INNEED - Khun Chanai from the KohSamui municipality (right) and Nam-cha Tea House owner Michelle Ho (left)hand to Samui Learning Centre forKids with Special Needs president KhunDalin (middle) Bt20,000 as donationfor the students of the school. e school,located in Bangrak, was chosen as bene-ficiary of the “Street Art Competition”and “Painting Exhibition” recentlyheld at the Fisherman’s Village in Bo-phut. e event was a joint communityproject and supported by Khun Wisan,Khun Nopphatep, Khun Panat, KhunChalo and Khun Chrismas, business-men and leaders of the Fisherman’s Vil-lage community.

By CHERDCHAI TAWEEMUANG

Offer better service,

RESPONDING to a letter by theBritish ambassador complainingabout “unfair jet ski service” onthe island, the Koh Samui policeforce led by Koh Samui PoliceStation director Pol. Col. SamranMajaroen and heads of theTourist Police and the Marine Po-lice invited jet ski operators onSamui recently and asked them toimprove their service and repairthe bad image they have createdamong tourists.

In a dialogue held at the KohSamui Police Station meetingroom last March 1, Col. Samransaid February to May is the highseason for the jet ski business andstakeholders must make Samui abetter place for tourists, especiallythose wishing to avail of the jetski rentals during their holiday.

Numerous complaints aboutexpensive rentals, impolite talkwhen tourists encounter a prob-lem with the rented jet ski andthe charging of excessive moneywhen jet skis are damaged werediscussed.

Among the ideas proposed wasthe possibility getting jet ski own-ers to provide first class insurancefor their equipment.

Authorities had earlier receiveda letter from the British ambassa-dor regarding complaints fromtourists who alleged receiving

jet ski operators told

Turn to page 3

ADDRESSING THE JET SKI ISSUE - Koh Samui Police Station director Pol. Col. Samran Majaroen (center), chairs ameeting among jet ski operators and heads of the Tourist Police and Marine Police on the island to discuss ways of addressing thecomplaints of tourists regarding exorbitant jet ski rentals and excessive charges for damages when accidents occur.

THE hazesituation inthe northof Thailandis still crit-ical, withthe amountof dust ar-ticles re-portedlystill rising,particularlyin theprovince ofChiang Raiwhere par-ticles weremeasured at over four hun-dred micrograms / cubicmeter.

In Mae Sai district, dustparticles of less than 10 mi-crons were measured as highas 437.6 micrograms / cubicmeter last March 10.

Such levels can be danger-ous, according to the Pollu-tion Control Department.

The number of particleshave been found to be less inLampang, Mae Hong Son,and Phrae, while there wereheavy downpours in thenorthern province of Phichit,causing car accidents in theprovincial capital.

Meanwhile, in the North-east, continuous thunder-storms in Nong Khai due to

summer rainfalls in theprovince have flooded roadsin the provincial capital.Nong Khai MeteorologicalOffice warned of thunder-showers, strong winds, andhailstorms in some areas ofNong Khai and Kalasinprovinces.

Summer thunderstormshave also hit Si Sa Ket, an-other northeastern province,since March 8 destroyinghouseholds in Chan Mueangdistrict and over blowing outsome 20 roofs.

Concerned Si Sa Ket offi-cials are to report damages tothe provincial governor forfurther assistance. (MCOTonline news)

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 20122 ISLAND NEWSISLAND NEWS

POLICE investigators in KohPhangan arrested a grocery storeowner recently for smugglingKratom leaves (marijuana) intothe island and selling them toteenagers and other locals.

According to police, 36-year-old Pimchanok Petchlek had asmall grocery shop in front andwas smuggling Kratom leaves tosell in the back of the shop.

Police arrested her while un-loading the Kratom leaves from aboat that came from Suratthani.13 kilograms of Kratom leaveswere found during the incidentthat took place in the morning ofMarch 3 .

During questioning, Pim-chanok admitted she has beendoing this business for a longtime.

Police earlier received a reportthat she was smuggling drugs inthe form of Kratom leaves in aboat loaded with constructionequipment from Suratthani toKoh Phangan and that they werekept in her shop.

Police investigators found alarge cardboard box in the shoplabeled as glass noodles which wasstill closed. Ms. Pimchanok wasquestioned about the contents in-side. However the shop ownerclaimed it was filled with snacksand she seemed very nervous. epolice then insisted she openedthe box and found the Kratom

leaves in separate packages. eyalso found 13 kg of fresh Kratomleaves.

Police seized the contents ofthe box and escorted Ms. Pim-chanok to Koh Phangan policestation for further investigation.Ms. Pimchanok admitted that shewas the owner of the shop andpurchased the Kratom leaves fromSuratthani. She also admitted totransferring the money to thesupplier of the Kratom leaves onthe 2nd of March. e supplier ofthe Kratom leaves filled the boxlabeled as glass noodles to hidefrom police and sent them on theboat the night before. She then

took the box and left it in hershop for further distribution onthe island. She also admitted thatshe has been doing this for manyyears.

According to police, Ms. Pim-chanok was arrested once beforein the middle of December forselling Kratom leaves and the caseis still pending. She was also anagent distributing to other shopsin Koh Phangan. She will becharged for the possession ofdrugs for distribution and sellingunder category 5 of the NarcoticsActs (1979). e case was sent tokoh Phangan police departmentfor further investigation.

Grocery store owner arrested Haze in North critical,for selling marijuana

Ms. Pimchanok with the Kratom leaves being questioned at the police station.

dust particles rising

ISLAND NEWSISLAND NEWSSAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 2012 3

THE GAZETTE’S PAGE 3 NEEDS YOU. Because we like to keep things fresh, we invite you to send us your cool photos. Email them to editor@the-samuigazette.com or info@thesamuigazette.com.

A MAN, believed driving whileintoxicated, smashed his speed-ing car into a utility pole inChaweng recently, causing hisdeath and serious injury to a fe-male companion.

Police identified the accidentvictim as Preecha Pomsri, 25years old and from Khon Kaenprovince. He was found deadbehind the wheel.

Police say inside the car was astrong alcohol smell and a bot-tle of whisky.

His companion, was identi-fied as Chatepriya Chanthad,34, was unconscious and badlyinjured and had to be rushed tothe Bangkok Hospital Samui bythe rescuers.

The front of the black Mazdacar, with a red license plate andregistered in Suratthani, wascompletely destroyed.

A staff at the 7-11 store inBan Chaweng reported the inci-dent at around 4:40 a.m. lastFeb. 27 before sunrise, he hearda high speed car and saw it losebalance before crossing the laneand smashing into the utilitypole that caused a very loudnoise.

The staff said it was then he

called the police.Relatives of Preecha said he

sold papaya salad in Chawengand recently bought the new cartwo weeks ago.

On the day of the accidenthe allegedly went with his fe-male friend for a night outdrinking in many different

places and was apparentlydrunk and driving at high speedand crashed into the utility poleon the way home.

The disaster recovery unit ofKoh Samui took away the carand sent Preecha to the hospitalto perform an autopsy.

Driver killed in car accident Offer better service. . .From Page 1unfair jet ski services from opera-tors.

e meeting was arranged be-tween government agencies,tourism organizations and jet skirental owners to create a proper un-derstanding, and resolve the prob-lem and to finally resolve the issueas well as undo the bad imagecaused by some unscrupulous jetski rental owners.

e letter from the English em-bassy stated that tourists weren’t re-ceiving proper and fair servicesfrom some jet ski operators onSamui’s beaches, who collect highcharges for rental services and alsorequesting for overpriced repair feeswhen accidents or damage occur.

e issue has caused many prob-lems in the past resulting in a badimage for tourism on the island.

Authorities say addressing theproblem is crucial to improve theimage of Samui especially duringthe high season when many touristscome and visit the island.

In the meeting they concludedthat jet ski rentals should be pro-vided with first class insurance incase of accidents or damages whiletourists are renting them to so there

will be no need for negotiations andovercharging the tourists can beavoided.

Col. Samran said the police forcewill do more research on this mat-ter to make sure that all jet skirentals are registered and insuredand will also gathering informationfrom the jet ski club in Phuket.

e problem of jet-ski disputesbetween operators and tourists inPhuket had been solved accordingto Phuket's Marine Office 5, in ameeting with the island's honoraryconsuls recently.

Phuket's jet-skis are now all in-sured and there is no longer a needfor tourists and operators to negoti-ate the cost of damages whencrashes occurred, an official said.

An Australian honorary consul,Larry Cunningham, earlier pointedout that there were times when thejet-skis that were taken out had al-ready been damaged, and that onegroup of Australians handed overmoney last year after being ''sur-rounded, pushed and shoved'' by asmany as 20 jet-ski operators. ''ey were so scared they handedover the money,'' he said.

GRIM REMINDER - The dead body of the driver which was trapped behindthe wheel of his car after the smash-up in Chaweng recently.

GAZETTE GIRL # 42Samui resident Kung adds her charm tofurther enhance the natural allure of KohSimilan in Phang Nga province during arecent visit for holiday there.

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 20124

THE adviser to the Minister ofthe Interior, Mr. WhuttichaiChaisaeng, visited Koh Samui re-cently to discuss issues affectingtourism on the island.

Among the problems discussedwas the scarcity of water supplyduring the dry season and Whut-tichai said the problem needs tobe sorted out quickly in the mostsustainable way.

e adviser and the board trav-elled to Samui to offer potentialpolicies that can help the islandcommunity, listen to problemsand advise possible solutions inresolving them. Other problems facing Samui arethe environmental issues and thegarbage problem. ey also dis-cussed the issue of a new airport.

Wutthichai reiterated thatthese issues need to be resolvedurgently and that they must besustainable. e meeting was held on the 20thof February at Samui Diamondmeeting room, Koh Samui,Suratthani.

Whuttichai is adviser toDeputy Prime Minister and Min-ister of Interior YongyutWichaidit, ey were welcomedto the meeting by Suratthani gov-ernor Teerayut Iamtrakhul, along

with members of the governmentand private institutions.

e topmost issue was scarcewater and how to resolve thisproblem, sustainably and to beready for the ASEAN economiccommunity.

ere has also been a lack ofdrinking water during dry seasonwhich had an effect on both localsand tourists. is is a crucial mat-ter that needs to be fixed in orderto have access to water at alltimes.

Whuttichai also mentionedother problems Koh Samui is fac-ing such as; environmental issues,

hotels being built on public land,garbage issues that are causingproblems for the public due tounpleasant smells, and transporta-tion facilities.

A new airport in AmphoeDonsak, Suratthani will be fur-ther discussed. Because KohSamui is a tourist destination, itwas agreed that there is a strongneed to create a self-sufficient andpleasant destination for tourists,therefore these issues must be re-solved, urgently.

No results of actions were re-ported, as a result of these meet-ings.

ISLAND NEWSISLAND NEWSInterior ministry adviser meets Samui

15 Taiwanese couples wed in SamuiTOURISM Authority of ai-land and Tourism Authority ofSurathanni recently arranged for15 Taiwanese couples to have agroup wedding ceremony on theisland.

All of the brides and groomswere from Taiwan who were im-pressed with ai culture.

e wedding was under theeternity of love 100 years conceptto promote tourism in ailand. e event was held o Feb. 24 atthe Cultural Center and Arts andCrafts Hall in Koh Samui.

Mr. Suwanchai Rittirak adviserto Tourism Authority of ailand,Mrs. Jamnong Chunapiya, andDirector of the Asia Pacific Re-gion in coordination with theTourism Coordination Center ofKoh Samui arranged the groupweeding ceremony for the cou-ples.

e wedding was conducted inthe ai tradition. e brides andgrooms were dressed in traditionalsilk with modern designs.

Nine monks were invited to

give a holy prayer of prosperity. en the couples received gar-

lands and were anointed on theirforeheads by Mr. Prasert Jitmung,Koh Samui district sheriff.

e ceremony was followed bythe water blessings from adultsand elders.

After the ceremony the tourismcoordination center led the newlyweds to plant coconut trees to-gether as part of a coconut planta-tion program.

Coconuts also symbolize

tourism in Koh Samui. Everyonewho attended the ceremony wasimpressed and astonished withthe group wedding.

Tourism Authority of Taipei,Taiwan said they look forward topromoting wedding and honey-moon packages in ailand foryoung Taiwanese couples.

An event like this had beendone in Phuket in 2009, 2010and good impressions were re-ceived by the Taiwanese. is yearthe tourism authority decided to

execs to address island’s problems

Interior Ministry Adviser Whuttichai Chaiseng

arrange the wedding on Samui.ey also have plans of doingsimilar events in Ampawa, Ratch-aburi and Chiangmai to promotetourism in ailand and to giveTaiwanese an everlasting memory.

ey believe that there will beat least 100 couples in these wed-dings and will also be under theconcept “Pai nean hao her” mean-ing eternity love 100 years, whichis a common blessing used by Tai-wanese for couples.

Other than that Taiwanese be-lieve that this is a very fortunate

year because it’s the dragon year.ey believe that couples that getmarried and have children in thisyear will have a good and longlasting life together

e Taiwanese couples werevery impressed by the weddingceremony and the sceneries of theisland, especially Mr. Ming andMrs. Chun Mai Wan, who havebeen living together with twochildren but haven’t had the op-portunity to get married as theyhave been working to supporttheir families.

UNIVERSITY TRIP - ArjanChoosak Choosri, a teacher atthe Prince of Songkhla Univer-sity Suratthani campus recentlyorganized an educational trip toSamui. While visiting CentaraGrand Beach Resort Samui forlecture with demonstration and

practice for dining etiquette inEurope and mixing cocktails,they received a warm welcomefrom Khun KritchawatKritchawat Kittipiroon, Execu-tive Assistant Manager for Food& Beverage and the manage-ment team of the hotel.

GREEN WINNER Mr.Christoph Albrecht, executiveassistant manager (right) andMr. Joe Clasby, leisure and envi-ronment manager (left) of Cen-tara Grand Beach Resort, Samuihold the ASEAN Green HotelAward the Chaweng-based hotelwon at the ASEAN Tourism

Forum in Manado Indonesia re-cently. Centara Grand Beach Re-sort, Samui was one of only 10hotels in ailand that were rec-ognized. e prestigious award isgiven to properties that lead thetourism industry in implement-ing green principles in their op-erations.

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 2012 5Samui Rescue gets donation from Sisters On Samui

ISLAND NEWSISLAND NEWS

SISTERS ON SAMUIor SOS was establishedmany years ago by SueHolehouse, who is stillthe dynamic CEO ofthe organization.

SOS is a social group,for women only, whogather every thirdWednesday each monthat different resorts andrestaurants on Samui tomeet old and newfriends and raise fundsfor local charities.

Part of the luncheonfee and raffles and auc-tions augment the char-ity funds and thenseveral times a year thefunds are donated to aneedy cause on Samui.

SOS has been verygenerous with their sup-port of the Samui Res-cue Foundation onseveral occasions.

Samui Rescue is thelargest and most presti-gious and effectiveemergency responseservice on the island.

With over 300 volun-teers, located at eightstandby stations aroundthe island, they are thefirst responders in over85 percent of Samui’semergencies.

Whether it is a vehi-cle accident, a waterfallmishap, a snake on yourproperty, rescuing abeached dolphin or sim-ply transporting pa-tients….and muchmore….Samui Rescue isthere, and all of theirservices are free.

So, SOS again cameto the rescue with do-nating numerous emer-gency equipment itemsto meet the needs ofSamui Rescue Founda-tion.

is month, SueHolehouse made a gen-erous SOS donation ofBt50,000 which pro-vided two KEDs (fullbody braces) five handradios, a full set of in-flatable splints, ad-justable neckcollars/braces and am-bulance safety equip-ment.

e presentation was

SOS TO THE RESCUE - SOS’ Sue Holehouse (2nd from left, standing) handsover the donation to Samui Rescue Foundation leader Khun Tammarat Dar-ernsook for the purchase of emergency equipment by the volunteer group.

NEW EQUIPMENT - Volunteers of the Samui Rescue Foundation try out thenew equipment donated by the Sister On Samui they can use when respondingduring emergencies.

Turn to Page 6

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 20126 ISLAND NEWSISLAND NEWS

Miscarriage drives woman to steal baby A YOUNG woman who losther child due to miscarriagewas arrested by police aftershe stole the baby of anotherwoman.

Ms. Somluck Kianghoon,20 years old, with the helpof her sister-in-law, Anan-taya Paewchana, 15, ab-ducted Surachai Jaijaroen,who was only one monthand seven days old at theKoh Samui Hospital inNathon last March 13.

Ms. Patcharin Jaijaroen,the mother, discovered thedisappearance of her babyand reported the matter tothe hospital authorities whoin turn reported the inci-dent to the police.

According to Ms.Patcharin, her baby got sick,having some kind of a skinproblem, and took the in-fant to the hospital to betreated.

She said she met Somluckthere and talked to her andeven allowed her to hold thebaby.

She found out later Som-luck and Anantaya took herbaby and drove a motorbike

out of the hospital whichthey found out later went toKoh Phangan.

A review of the hospital’sCCTV confirmed Somlucktaking the infant out of thehospital.

Koh Samui police imme-diately dispatched a team toKoh Phangan and coordi-nated with the police thereto search for Somluck andAnantaya.

The two were soon foundin a rented house inPhangan and were arrestedand brought back to Samuialong with the kidnappedbaby.

Patcharin was in tearswhen Samui district chiefPrasert Jitmung gave herback her child.

During questioning,Somluck alleged she waseight months pregnant buthad a miscarriage.

She added that after themiscarriage she was afraid totell her husband of herbaby’s death and she withthe help of her sister-in-law,decided to steal a baby.

TWO men in a motorcyclebarged into a private residencein Tambon Maret recently andshot a man six times injuringhim seriously.

Police later found out thegunman shot the wrong manand the real target of theshooting was the owner of thehouse.

Alleged motive was becauseof some illegal transaction.e incident took place lastFeb. 24 when police received acall about a shooting inTaopao St and that someonewas injured. e scene was fullof people.

e police went to investi-gate the crime scene at thehouse at 86/1 Moo 5 Maret,Koh Samui, Suratthani.Police had to direct thepeople away from the crime

scene fearing that they would-contaminate the evidence.

Found in the crime scenewere a pair of sandals, drops ofblood from the victim and six.22 mm shell casings.ey were collected for evi-dence and the victim was sentto Bangkok hospital by his rel-atives. Further investigationby the police on witnesses re-vealed that Mr. NatthawutKasaemrungsarit, 21, was afriend of the household ownerwho was at the house for apainting project. He was sit-ting with the owner in front ofthe house before two men age18-22 drove a black motorbikeinto his property.

ey drove close to thehouse with the front lights offand parked five meters awayfrom the victim. e person

behind the driver brought outa gun and fired six times be-fore escaping. e shots hitonly Natthawut.

e two escaped after theshooting. Natthawut was takento the hospital. e police in-volved in the case went to in-vestigate at the hospital andfound out Natthawut was shotat the left side of his neck andone bullet went through hisback causing severe injuries.

It was alleged the gunmanwas trying to shoot the ownerof the house, Mr. Pum, butended up shooting his friend.Pum was said to have a con-flict with a group of teenagersin the area and was beingthreatened by them. e po-licemen have apprehended asuspect and will process thecase further.

KIDNAPPED INFANT - Ms. Patcharin Jaijaroen, 25, was so thankful after her kidnapped baby was returned to her safeand sound after a woman who lost her own baby due to miscarriage decided to steal the barely past one month old child.

Man shot, seriously woundedA case of mistaken identity

Samui Rescue gets 50k. . .From Page 5

made at the lovely TongsaiBay Resort to Samui RescueFoundation leader KhunTammarat Darernsook andvolunteers from Maenam,Bophut and Plai Laemstandby stations. SamuiRescue greatly appreciatesall donations and especially

the support and generosityof the terrific ‘Sisters onSamui’.For those Samui ladieswho have not yet enjoyedthe SOS activities, simplycontact Sue Holehouse atsistersonsamui@gmail.comto get on their mailing list

so you can join the monthlyfun and learn more aboutthe island’s most dynamic,social, charitable group. Nomembership fees or require-ments….you just need to bea ‘giving’ lady!

Pub parking lot shooting, man deadA MAN was shot and killedin a parking over a pubquarrel in Chaweng recently.Police identified the victimas Mr. Wuttichai Chaiyun-toe, 20, from Khon Kaenprovince who died from fourgunshot wounds while beingtaken to Samui InternationalHospital.

The gunman, who waswith a female companion,had earlier engaged in afight with the victim insidethe pub in an argument overa woman.

After the shooting, thegunman and his companiondrove away in his pick uptruck. The incident occurredat 04.30 am, the 21st ofFebruary.

The 191 Samui radiostation received a call abouta shooting in a parking lotof the pub in Chaweng, Bo-phut, Koh Samui.

Four policemen were dis-patchedto investigate thecrime scene. Witnesses hadalready called emergencyservices and sent the victimto Samui International hos-pital.

Police found out that thevictim had been arguingwith a woman in the pub.

The woman came in witha man, aged 28-30, who hada large build, short hair,wearing jeans, a white topand sneakers.

The victim and the gun-mangot into a fight beforethe shooting.

The victim didn’t feelgood about the situation.He then decided to leavearound 4.20 am. After that,the couple walked to theirpickup truck and the manpulled a gun from the truck,went after the victim andshot at him seven times.

The victim fell to theground in front of touristsand locals. People werescreaming and panicking.

The couple ran away intheir bronze colored Nissanpickup truck and escapedthe scene.

The couple drove towardsthe Sawangarom temple in-tersection.The police were unable toapprehend them.

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 2012 7Great campaign launches in Los Angeles with celebration of British film

UK Culture Secretary JeremyHunt and British Consul-GeneralDame Barbara Hay hosted a re-ception to congratulate Britishnominees for the AcademyAwards. Entertainment industryVIPs attended the event in LosAngeles.

At the reception, Oscar nomi-nees including Gary Oldman,Christopher Plummer and Ken-neth Branagh were joined by Hol-lywood elites to celebrate all thatis GREAT about British film.

At this year’s Academy Awards,Britain is represented by nomi-nees in films such as Hugo, HarryPotter and the Deathly HallowsPart 2, War Horse, Jane Eyre, eIron Lady and Extremely Loud &Incredibly Close, and categories

including Best Picture, CostumeDesign, Makeup, Sound Editing,Visual Effects, Adapted Screen-play and Documentary ShortSubject.

Ahead of the event in LA, UKCulture Secretary Jeremy Huntsaid: “e UK has a truly world-class film industry, with amazingpeople both in front of and be-hind the camera.

is not only contributes tothe enormous success of Holly-wood film studios but has ahugely positive impact on theBritish economy.

As the UK gears up for eQueen’s Diamond Jubilee and theLondon 2012 Olympic and Para-lympic Games, there’s no bettertime to celebrate the best Britain

hasto offer in film and creativity.”

e UK will be in the worldspotlight this year, and theGREAT campaign is part of the

ISLAND NEWSISLAND NEWS

THE UK’s Minister of State forTrade and Investment visitedailand on 17 February, as partof a four-day visit to South EastAsia.

He has also visited Singaporeand Malaysia during his visit.All three countries have beenidentified by the UK Trade &Investment as high-growth mar-kets and all are enjoying stronggrowth rates.

is was Lord Green’s firstvisit to ailand in his role asMinister of State. He called onthe Commerce Minister Boon-song Teriyapirom to discuss op-portunities for ailand and theUK to work together, combin-ing both country’s respectiveskills through partnership workand the interchange of expertise.

Lord Green also met Britishbusinesses already working inthe market as well as those inter-ested in bidding for work devel-oping the country’sinfrastructure. e need isgreater after last year’s floodsdamaged large parts of thecountry.

Lord Green said:“ailand has long been a keypartner to the UK and we wantto build on these ties and re-spective strengths. Our relation-ship with ailand goes backsome 400 years and it is onethat I expect to flourish andprosper for decades to come.

“British visitors have long ad-mired the resilience and energyof ailand’s businesses andtheir reaction to the floods lastsummer is something that wecan all learn from. ey haveshown that, at times of adver-sity, adaptability is key to recov-ery”.

ailand is a growing marketand it is the UK’s 37th biggestexport market and the 28thbiggest importer to the UK.Trade between the UK andailand is vibrant and the UKgoods exports to ailand in thefirst 11 months of 2011 was£1.25bn, an increase of 32 per-cent increase on same periodlast year.

UK imports from ailandover the same period were£2.3bn, up 0.1 per cent.

UK minister for trade and “e UK has a truly world-class film industry, with amazingpeople both in front of and behind the camera. is notonly contributes to the enormous success of Hollywood filmstudios but has a hugely positive impact on the British econ-omy. As the UK gears up for e Queen’s Diamond Jubileeand the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games,there’s no better time to celebrate the best Britain has to offerin film and creativity.” - UK Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt

UK Government’s drive to makethe most of this opportunity asthe Queen celebrates her Dia-mond Jubilee and the countryhosts the 2012 Olympics and

(L-R) Actress Fiona Shaw, British Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Mediaand Sport Jeremy Hunt, actor Kenneth Branagh, designer Victoria Beckham, actorGary Oldman and Consul-General Dame Barbara Hay attend the GREAT BritishFilm Reception to honor the British nominees of e 84th Annual Academy Awardsat the British Consul Generals Residence on February 24, 2012 in Los Angeles,California. (Photo by Todd Williamson/WireImage)

investment visits Thailand

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 20128Protect and preserve environment, King advises BANGKOK – His Majesty KingBhumibol Adulyadej recentlyurged the government to plant amix of fast-growing and slow-growing trees which could helpmitigate the growing flood crisiswhile harsher punishmentshould be implemented for de-forestation.

HM the King granted an au-dience to Prime MinisterYingluck Shinawatra and mem-bers of the Strategic FormulationCommittee for Water ResourcesManagement (SCWRM) andthe Strategic Committee for Re-construction and Future Devel-opment (SCRF) at SirirajHospital recently, where he hasbeen staying since September2009. e Prime Minister and thecommittee reported on develop-

ments for water management,rehabilitation and flood preven-tion plans to HM the King andlistened to his advice and recom-mendations. HM the King said that forestswould play a major role in floodprevention efforts and that de-forestation has caused landslidesin southern and northern re-gions. He said the slow-growing treeswhich yielded high-quality hard-wood were attractive to poach-ers, but when they are cut down,it takes a long time for them togrow back. HM the King ad-vised the government to plantmixed forests of fast- growingand slow-growing trees to putdeep roots firmly into theground, helping to prevent land-slides. He said that last year's

flood crisis occurred becausewater could not flow to the seaor be absorbed by forest so thetwo different kind of woodsshould be scattered in reforesta-tion efforts to help avoid suchproblems in the future. emonarch said deforestationpartly occurred because of greedof some people, including gov-ernment officials who wantedmoney. He said harsher punish-ment should be implemented todiscourage deforestation.Ms.Yingluck, on her Weekly TVand radio program, "YingluckGovernment meets the People,"said that the government wouldheed HM the King's advice toprotect forests and prevent de-forestation as measures to tack-ling future floods. (MCOTonline news)

NATIONNATION

Joint parliamentary session vote

BANGKOK - e Joint Par-liamentary Session of House ofRepresentatives and Senate re-cently voted in support of threebills seeking to amend the Con-stitution as the government'sversion would be the main draftfor consideration by the vettingcommittee. After 32 hours overtwo days of hotly-debated de-liberation amid protests, theJoint Parliamentary Sessionvoted to approve on the firstreading by a vote of399 to 199with 14 abstentions. At least half of the members ofthe two Houses, or the 324,were needed to pass the mo-tion. e government managedto do so with support frommany senators and some oppo-sition MPs from the Bhum Jaiai Party. ai Bhum Jai MPChai Chidchob, the formerHouse Speaker, abstained. Opposition MP Gen. SonthiBoonyaratglin, MatubhumParty Leader, who led the 2006coup to overthrow the govern-ment of aksin Shinawatrawhen he was the Army chief,

was not present during the vot-ing. ree draft Constitutionamendments were separatelyproposed by the Cabinet, theruling Pheu ai Party, and thecoalition Chart ai PattanaParty. All three drafts proposedtheaAmendment of only Sec-tion 291 of the 2007 Constitu-tion, each seeking to set up aConstitution Drafting Assem-bly (CDA), but with differingnumbers of members and dif-

ferent selection processes. Afterthe vote, a committee was ap-pointed to the45-member vet-ting prepare for the nextreadings of the amendmentbills. e panel consists of 10senators and 35 MPs wouldcomplete work within 30 daysafter its next meeting. HouseSpeaker Somsak Kiartsuranond,who is also the Parliament ex-officio president, declared themeeting closed afterwards.(MCOT online news)

Rainmaking operation ordered to urgently solve haze problemBANGKOK - HisMajesty King BhumibolAdulyadej, worried aboutthe haze which continuesto besiege a number ofailand's northernprovinces, ordered the Bu-reau of Royal Rainmakingand Agricultural Aviationto urgently solve the prob-lem, according to thedeputy secretary-generalof the Royal HouseholdBureau Dissathorn Vajaro-daya. Mr. Dissathorn said theKing is concerned for thewell-being of the people ofthe northern provinces,particularly their health,because dust particle levelsexceeding safety standardscan cause respiratory ill-nesses. e monarch or-dered a follow up fromthe operation of the Bu-reau of Royal Rainmakingand Agricultural Aviationwhich is responsible forthe country's artificialrainmaking operations.He said the past week'soperation was successful as

rain helped ease the hazein many provinces. How-ever, the problem in MaeHong Son persists and re-mains critical as the dustparticle level remainshigh. e monarch as-signed the Northern RoyalRainmaking Centre inChiang Mai to conductrainmaking in Mae HongSon and said he expectedthe situation to graduallyimprove soon. Prime Min-ister Yingluck Shinawatrarecently met the governorsof Chiang Rai, Chiang.Mai, Lamphun, Lampang,Mae Hong Son, Nan,Phrae, Phayao, and TakConference to follow upthe video by haze situationin the North. Ms.Yingluck told the gover-nors that her governmentis closely monitoring thesituation and is worried.e premier ordered theagencies concerned tosolve the problem asquickly as possible.(MCOT online news)

Poll shows concern over charter changeBANGKOK - A plurality ofpoll respondents or 38 per-cent are afraid ConstitutionalAmendment may result inconflicts among many par-ties, according to the SuanDusit Poll, conducted re-cently.

After a Joint Session ofThai Parliament, debating aproposed Constitutional.Amendment last Feb 23-24,Suan Dusit Rajabhat Univer-sity conducted an opinionsurvey among 741 people re-garding the debate. Accord-ing to the poll, the largestpercentage or 38.88 percent

of respondents were afraidthis may bring about con-tentious issue with riftsamong many parties.

Differing opinions, saidthey will keep monitoring thepolitical situation and hopedthe revision of Constitutionwill benefit the majorityrather than any individual.

Meanwhile, 48.11 percentsaid they were uncertain ifthe Constitution should beamended because they didnot have adequate or.

Clear about it. About thetwenty seventh percent ofthose surveyed said it should

not be revised due to con-cerns over disturbances anddisorder in the country,whereas 3.24 percent thoughtthat changes should be doneto improve Thai politics andthe nation.

The poll revealed that43.57 percent of the respon-dents believed that the char-ter amendment willsignificantly affect Thai poli-tics because it might lead toconflict while 38.92 percentsaid it will have a tremendousimpact on the politics due tostrong disagreement.

in support of 3 charter change bills

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej granting an audience to Prime MinisterYingluck Shinawatra at the Siriraj Hospital recently. HM the King advised her onthe need to protect and preserve the environment.

BANGKOK - ailand andLaos People’s Democratic Re-public have agreed to collabo-rate on trade and investmentto further increase trade be-tween the two countries fromcurrently EUR $ 4 billion toEUR $ 8 billion in the2015th e agreement cameafter a meeting chaired jointlyby home deputy finance min-ister Boonsong Teriyapiromand Laos minister of industryand commerce NamViyaketh.e meeting took place forthe fourth time was held Feb.22-23 in the ai capital. Both countries aim to easetrade and investment barriers,particularly at border check-points and immigration. ecollaboration willalso include aOne-Stop Pointfor customs pro-cessing, localproduct exhibi-tions, and aca-demiccooperation.ailand for thepast year rankedthird for invest-

ment in Laos, following Viet-nam and China, while ai-Laos trade volume reachedEUR $ 3.9 billion. ai im-ports from Laos stood at EUR$ 1.1 billion, whereas exportsto the Neighboring countrywas over EUR $ 2.7 billion(mainly petroleum products,automobiles, spare parts, andiron components). Obstaclesregarding routes to link ai-land and Laos PDR will befurther discussed by trans-portation ministries of bothcountries. e Laos PDR willbe hosting another meetingbetween the ai finance, in-dustry and commerce and itscounterpart sometime nextyear. (MCOT online news)

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 2012 9

BANGKOK - Following theConstitution Court ruling onFeb. 22y in favor of the legalityof two executive financial de-crees, one urgent task is to con-struct riverside flood preventionwalls with a budget of at leastBt30 billion, said deputy primeminister and commerce minis-ter Kittiratt na Ranong.

Construction of flood pre-vention walls along the riversare aimed at mainly replacingsandbag embankment used dur-ing the flood crisis last year.

The decrees will allow thegovernment to borrow Bt350billion in loans and transferdebt from the financial institu-tions development fund (FIDF)

to the Central Bank. It is the duty of the House

Speaker to present the motionto parliament for considerationand the government is ready toclarify that while administrativework on water management willbe done in parallel, Mr. Kitti-ratt said another Bt60 billion ofbudget will be allocated to im-plement a floodway projectwith two million rai (800,000acres) of land to be used aswater retention areas, he said.

The government has con-ducted a survey and found theappropriate 15-million rai(600,000 acres) plots of land.

The budget has already in-cluded compensation money to

be paid for residents in thoseareas. The deputy prime minis-ter said the government doesnot have to shoulder the burdenof the FIDF of Bt60 billion ayear, so the government willhave more budget left for devel-oping the country.

In the 2013 fiscal year, thegovernment does not need toallocate the budget of Bt20 bil-lion for water management.

As a result, the governmentcan use Bt80 billion to cut thebudget deficit target to Bt300billion from the projected 2012deficit budget of Bt400 billion.(MCOT online news)

Now at new location just across

Farmer’s Restaurant

UDONTHANI - e Cabinethas endorsed the construction ofa double track railway for theBangkok-Nong Khai route to becompleted by 2019, ahead of itsearlier schedule which is 2025.

is, according to deputy gov-ernment spokesman AnusornLamsa-Ard, who said the projectwill use part of the Bt140 billionbudget earlier approved by theCabinet for nationwide railwaydevelopment.

e dual railway constructionwas proposed by a joint publicand private sector committeetackling economic problems inthe northeastern region. e con-struction of Bangkok-Nong Khailine Is expected to facilitate goodstransportation and travel toneighboring countries of Laos andChina.

Another project to build a336-mile railway route fromKhon Kaen to Nakhom Phanomis expected to become operationalin 2017, serving about millions ofpassengers and handling trans-portation of goods of about250,000 tons per year, the deputygovernment spokesman said.

Railway construction is part oflogistics developments to linkailand and neighboring coun-tries in preparation for the estab-lishment of Asean EconomicCommunity (AEC) in 2015.

Moreover, expansion of roadtraffic lanes for routes 211 and212. Budget of the Mekong Riverwith a Bt50-60 billion was con-sidered. e Cabinet meeting as-signed the transport ministry toconsider logistics investment indevelopment projects where

Bt620 billion is to be allocated. A special economic zone en-

compassing Mukdahan, NongKhai and Nakhon Phanom wasdiscussed to boost trade and in-vestment along the border.Opening hours of the bordercheckpoint in Nakhon Phanomwill be extended from the current6am to 6pm to 6am to 10 pm.Meanwhile, Chalitrat Chan-tharubeksa, deputy governmentspokesman, said that the Cabinetgave the green light to a project todevelop water resources in Udonani, with the budget of Bt964million to solve flood problems. Abudget of Bt5 billion for 119water management projects wasalso considered following thePrime Minister's trip to flood-hitprovinces last week. (MCOT on-line news)

Cabinet OKs Bkk-Nong Khai railway project

Bt30-B fund needed to build riverside flood walls

BUSINESSBUSINESS

Thai-Laos to expand

BANGKOK - Don MueangAirport lost Bt200-300 million(US $ 6.6-10 million) in rev-enue during the flood crisis lastyear which forced the airport tohalt its services, Don Mueangairport general manager groupcaptain Kanputt Mungklasirisaid.

Capt. Kanputt of Airportsof ailand (AOT) said execu-tive vice president flight opera-tions at the airport after itsrunways were ceased on Octo-ber 25 flooded.

e closure affected incomeby Bt50-60 million monthlywith an accumulated loss ofBt200-300 million for fourconsecutive months.

He said the airport has ex-penditures of around Bt70 mil-lion per month which AOTwould shoulder.

Civil Aviation Department

(CAD) director-generalWoradet Hanprasert said thatthe CAD and AOT wouldjointly officially reopen DonMueang airport on March 2 toshow the facility's readiness for

commercial use and that flightswould begin on March 6, as forthe progress on commercial useof the airport, he said.Business development depart-

Land Transport Dept to adopt new methodto control speeding passenger vans

trade and investment

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 201210

Samui GazetteA publication of YuCiNo Enterprises Co., Ltd.

with office at 183/9 Moo 1, T. Bophut, Koh SamuiTelefax: 077-430789 | Email: info@thesamuigazette.com | www.thesamuigazette.com

Editorial

Managing Editor: Patrick RoxasEditor: Reporter: Cherdchai TaweemuangContributors: Alister Bredee, Peter Diver, Stephen Larkin, Dr.

Chris Hertzog, Rosanne Turner, Geoff Whitlie, TANNetwork/MCOT News

Sales/Advertising & Circulation

Art & Production:

Design: YuCiNo Enterprises Co. Ltd.Production Asst: Kanlayanee Seamkung

YuCiNo Enterprises Co. Ltd.

Directors: P. Meepien, Joseph A. Noble

Publication Information:

YuCiNo Enterprises Co. Ltd. publishes Samui Gazette. All con-tent of this issue is © Copyright 2010 by YuCiNo EnterprisesCo. Ltd. and may not be reprinted or re-transmitted without theexpressed written consent of the publisher. Samui Gazette isavailable all over Koh Samui.

EditorialImproved roads

and other concernsWHAT’S so noticeable wherever you go on the islandthese days, especially on the main roads, are heavy equip-ment and traffic and men and women doing road works.

e inconveniences, brought by these works, however,easily turns to appreciation once you see how the roads onthe island have remarkably improved over the last fewmonths.

e municipality seems to have gone really serious intheir effort to make Koh Samui more enticing to touristsand visitors and none reflects this changed attitude morethan seeing the infrastructure having a face lift.

e island has had many problems in the past and stillmost persists to this day but seeing the government ad-dress them surely provides a welcome relief for most of us,locals and expats.

After attending to the improvement of the roads itwould be nice to see the Tessaban look into the environ-mental issues, waste, water supply and others which are allas important and can have a strong impact efforts to at-tract tourists come here.

ese issues, in fact, were the subject of the recent visitof a high government official from Bangkok and show thenational government’s concern over matters affectingSamui’s tourism industry.

Water supply on the island seems to have gone downwith some residents in high areas experiencing lack ofwater due to dry wells.

e lack of rainfall for sometime may be a factor thatcontributed to this happening but it would be better toprepare and address this matter before it gets worse.

en there is the waste problem, especially one area inChaweng, where the stench can be too much to bear forpeople and can cause tourists to avoid passing throughthat place.

Samui is so much dependent, totally dependent on itstourism business that these issues that could affect themare always a matter of serious concern and should be ad-dressed immediately.

e government have made a big step in fixing theroads, hopefully they don’t stop there and continue to findworkable solutions to the island’s other problems.

Tourists as well as residents of this island, both aisand expats, deserve no less.

Ad Sales and Circulation:

OPINIONOPINION

FOR a place or country toearn itself a nickname, thenin my opinion it should bejustified. Israel is known asthe Holy Land, Chicago theWindy City, Florida the Sun-shine State; all are familiar tothe ears and in all three casesthere is sound evidence tosupport the name. But howdo you go about proving thata country has earned theright to be called the Land ofsmiles? The answer is sim-ple. We need to go back tobasics. And so I conductedmy own survey.

I actually came up with theidea last year in England. Itwas during my lunch breakfrom work on a sunny Sep-tember day. I was sat inSheffield’s scenic Peace Gar-dens watching the fountainsput on their usual fine dis-play and, as is often the casewhen I’m alone with mythoughts back home, I wasthinking about my girlfriendand how much I wanted tobe back with her in Samui.Most of all though I was

thinking about her wonder-ful smile. One thought ledto another and soon enoughI had the idea of countingsmiles – as you do.

At this point you may bethinking I need to get a life,which is fair enough, but be-lieve me, compared to the te-dium of my day job at thebank, counting smiles teeterson the cutting edge of enter-tainment.

Anyway, I observed thenext fifty people who walkedpast – not intensely, just asnapshot of each individual,and made a mental note ofhow many were smiling asthey passed me by. Somewere old, some were young,some were strange, somewere nubile women on whommy gaze may have lingeredjust a moment longer thanwas necessary; but after fiveminutes or so I had com-pleted my random sample offifty English people, and Ihad all the data stored in myhead.

Of course my idea was to

test how happy the Thai peo-ple are, to see if their coun-try deserves its nickname, soI decided then that I wouldconduct the same survey onthe Thai people when I gotto Samui, and then comparethe findings.

In truth I forgot all aboutmy little experiment for fivemonths, and then last Sun-day, quite out of the blue,the idea leapt from the dimrecesses of my brain and bitme on the arse – or maybethat was a mosquito – any-way, the idea resurfaced andI got to work again.

I was sat on my guesthousebalcony which is slap bang inthe middle of Lamai WalkingStreet Market, and fromthere I had a bird’s eye viewof the tide of people flowingpast – below me were thesubjects for the second partof my experiment - moreThai people than you couldshake a stick at. And so Icounted smiles again, fiftyThai people at random

Putting the Land of Smiles to the test

A BRIT ABROADStephen Larkin

COLIN JOHNSON Senior Consultant, SCI Group, Cert PFS (CII)

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OPINIONOPINION 1 1SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 26, 2012

DIVER IN LAMAIThe beautiful woman

SHE was beautiful. Her shinylong black hair, strong andfull, bounced like you see inthe adverts. She was very sexy.

Other feminine attributes ofhers bounced between hershoulders and waist, some-thing not seen so much in theEast. You couldn't ignore her.This was a woman and more.

I just had to speak with herwhen she looked in my direc-tion. She was perched on theseat next to me, her shortishdress just enough to empha-sise her willowy womanlinesswinding its way down thewhite tall stool. Not every daydoes one get so close to such astunning example of thebeauty of the opposite sex.

We talked about Bangkok.She knew Bangkok well, justas I expected an angel wouldin the City of Angels. I said Ihad visited the main touristattractions when I had firstvisited the city. But I now re-alised there was still a lot Ihad not seen which was wellworth a visit. Exactly whatwere the best things to spendtime doing when I next go tothe city, at what times of daythey were accessible totourists, and how best to getto them, I did not know.

She said she could help me.She would think about it.

Our conversation glidedforward in an easy manner. Itwas clear that we were gettingon. She was comfortable withme and she could see that Iwas comfortable being withher.

I began to flirt a bit. It didnot seem to be unwelcome.We were soon talking aboutgender issues but we kept offpersonal relationships betweenman and woman. I rememberwe spent quite a while dis-cussing the recent news atthat time that some schools orcolleges north of Bangkok hadintroduced separate toilets forall three sexes. It was a recog-nition that transsexuals arecommon in at least some areasin Thailand and needed equalprovision to accommodatethem. Suddenly she lookedme straight in the eyes. She

was clearly going to say some-thing important. She slightlyclosed her eyes. Her beautifuldark pupils looked even morealluring. Let me be your guy,she said.

It took my breath away. Fora moment or two I stoppedbreathing. I moved my headbackwards a bit and lookedhard at her.

It is well known that Thai-land has more than its fairshare of katoeys. Many arehere in Lamai. Transexualswho commonly are called la-dyboys. Sometimes they areexceptional people. Many willremember Lisa, of Zodiac theLamai Cabaret. Probably thegreatest third-gender residentthis island has ever had. And akind person. So tragic howher career was cut short lastyear. I was astonished thatLovely could be one of them.Lovely was her name andlovely she was. I could hardlybelieve she was on a differentwicket. She did not talk like aladyboy stereotype. She didnot look like a ladyboy stereo-type, though yes she was tallerthan the average Thai woman.

And there was no sign of arevealing bulge at the front ofher throat, or square strongshoulders. Her dress was notoverly sexy although onecould see there was a lovelyshape under it. Certainly itwas a womanly figure.

Slim, but not too slim. ...My eyes quickly looked downthe rest of her frame, right toher feet, but observed none ofthe signs which shout outwarnings to a long-time so-journer in this land like me.Perhaps she was just toopretty, I thought, to be fe-male. More than any woman,those who choose to createthe illusion of femininebeauty make greater efforts todo so, they have to, becausethey have to raise their gamefurther than their competi-tors. I could not say anything.I was at a loss for words. De-spite how dramatically I hadbeen thrown, Lovely was chat-ting on. She had this idea andthat. She could do that for

me. And that too if I wanted.It really depended on what Iwanted her to do. Gradually Irealised she was talking aboutBangkok again. The sights Ihad not seen. How she wouldtake me there. How she wouldbe my "guy". And suddenly,to my great embarrassmentwith myself, I realised she wasoffering to be my guide, notmy guy.

I had once again been thevictim of Tinglish speech, theway so many Thai peoplespeak English. It's Thai-Eng-lish. English spoken with theThai habit of not soundingnot only the "s" at the end ofa word to denote plural butalso not sounding the lastconsonant of the word. Younever hear a Thai say Phuket.It is always Poo-ke. Or moreprecisely, Bpoo-ge.

This is probably the bestidentifier that the personspeaking English is a for-eigner. A Thai person maytell you they have been totheir uni today. No, not theiruniversity. They have justbought a small shop unit, tostart up a business. If they saythey have been out andbought some rai, don't bemisled that this is someonewith money investing in land.He might just have boughtsome rice.

If they say it's nigh (a goodold English word) they mightreally mean it is night-time,or alternatively it's 9pm. Theycould mean they like some-thing, it's nice, Christmas forexample, but for sure they donot mean Christmas actuallyis near, making the correct useof the word they have spoken(nigh). Have some fun. Tellthem you've just had a holi-day in Egypt and broughtback a Nile knife and askthem to say this: last month Iused the nice Nile knife onnine nights. See how it comesout. Sounds like a pop songfrom a few decades ago. Lastmonth I used the nigh nighnigh on nigh nigh. Totallyunintelligible.

NEW parents have a lot tothink about. From setting upthe nursery, to picking out aname, there are so many de-tails to consider, both smalland large.

Here are some tips to makeyour baby’s arrival easier:

Prepare your household

Bringing home a baby isgoing to shake things up forevery member of your house-hold, so you should get every-one ready for the change.

Doctors suggest exposing petsto the smells and sounds ofbabies in advance of yourchild’s arrival. Playing arecording of baby noises, andletting your pooch smell babylotions will help him knowwhat to expect. 

If you have an older child,have an age-appropriate dis-cussion with them about whatit will mean to be a bigbrother or sister.

Don’t forget to have yourhouse clean and ready for thenew arrival. Do laundry inadvance of the due date soyou won’t worry about havingplenty of fresh clothes andtowels, and prepare severalmeals that can be frozen andstored so you won’t have tocook. 

row a shower

e single best way to makesure you have everythingyou’ll need and want for yournew baby is to throw ashower. Motivate your gueststo come bearing beautifulgifts for your little one byinviting them with uniquebaby shower invitations froman online stationery store likeMinted.com.

Be sure to mention your reg-istry, so attendees don’t dou-ble up on presents. Asidefrom big ticket items likecribs, and strollers, consideradding the little essentialsyou’ll need, like baby wipes,diapers, and bibs. While theseitems aren’t as “fun,” they arejust as necessary.

Be informed

You may think you knoweverything there is to knowabout being a parent, espe-cially if this isn’t your firstchild. But new research oftenimproves health and safetyrecommendations for new-borns. For example, did youknow infants should sleep ontheir backs in a crib with nopillows or stuffed animals?According to the US Con-sumer Product Safety Com-mission, more than 11million cribs have been re-called since 2007. So if you’replanning to use a hand-me-down, make sure it’s safe.

After the baby arrives

Don’t forget to keep a cameraready for all those “firsts.”Photos are a great way toshare your memories withyour loved ones. A cute pic-ture of you and your newbornwill make an excellent birthannouncement.

New parents should also re-member to eat right, get restand exercise daily. Healthyhabits will make you a moreeffective parent.

Whether it’s your first child,or your fifth, the exhilaration,and the stress, of welcoming anew baby into your homenever goes away.  However,you can make life easier.

Great tips for

walking past. I’d had a fewChangs by then so I had tokeep a written tally of myfindings, but soon enoughthe second half of my experi-ment was complete.

And so, without furtherdelay, the results. Drum rollplease. In England, out of50 people, just 14 had beensmiling. That’s 28 percent.In Samui, the result was awhopping 32 out of 50 peo-ple – 64 percent.

So what can we deducefrom this? Had I had toomany Changs last Sunday?

Had I mistakenly includedfarang who were on holidayand whose skin had darkenedto an oriental hue? Is my en-tire life just a waste of time?Quite possibly. On the otherhand, we could conclude thatthe average Thai, at anygiven moment, is more likelyto be thinking about thenicer things in life, than heor she is to be fretting aboutsubjects such as unemploy-ment figures, pension fore-casts or whether or not theycan get a foot on the covetedproperty ladder.

At this point I would liketo inform you that I have anA-level in Maths and Statis-tics (A grade no less), so I’mgoing to stick my neck outand back my results, andconclude that the Thai peo-ple, with all available mod-esty, have every right toname their country the Landof Smiles.Ps. Rest in peace WhitneyHouston – quite simply thegreatest female singer therehas ever been.

From Page 10Putting the Land of Smiles. . .

expecting parents

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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 do not infringe the rights of any person or en-tity and that the advertiser has obtained all necessary permissions or releases. In consideration of the publication of advertisements, the advertiser will indemnify and save Samui Gazette from and against any loss or expensesarising from publication of such advertisements. e publisher reserves the right to revise, reject or omit without notice any advertisement at any time. Samui Gazette accepts no liability for its failure, for any cause, to insert anadvertisement.

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1 3SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 2012

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Once the affirmation has beensigned, you will need to have ittranslated into ai. eBritish Embassy does not un-dertake the preparation or trans-lation of documents. Manyreputable translation companiesadvertise on the internet as wellas in the ai local press, andthere are a number of compa-nies within a short walk of theEmbassy. Our staff are not al-lowed to recommend any par-ticular firms in the private sectorto the public.3. Have the affirmation authen-ticated and translation certifiedAll ai Registrars will requireauthentication of the BritishConsular Official’s signatureand certification of the ai

translation. is must be ob-tained from:

e Legalisation DivisionDepartment of Consular AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs 123 Chaeng Wattana Road,Laksi District, Bangkok 10210Tel : +66 (0) 2 575 1056–59, 02981 7171 Fax : +66 (0) 2 575 1054Email : consular04@mfa.go.th(08:30 – 15:30 hrs)4. Submit the document to theRegistrar

e affirmation and transla-tion are then ready for submis-sion to the registrar, who, ifsatisfied, will register the mar-riage and issue a ai marriagecertificate.

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 20121 4 FEATURESFEATURES

How to register a marriage Guidance for British nationals wishing to marry in ThailandTHIS information on mar-riage in ailand is providedas a general guide and is basedon the information providedto the British Embassy by theai authorities.

e British Embassy can-not guarantee that the infor-mation is accurate and willnot be liable for any inaccu-rate or incomplete informa-tion. British nationalswishing to marry in ailandmust contact the ai author-ities to be sure of the require-ments that they need in orderfor their marriage to takeplace.

e British Embassy inBangkok is not authorized toperform marriages. Any mar-riage in ailand should beperformed according to ailaw and detailed questions onthe procedure should be ad-dressed to the appropriateai authorities. Some guid-ance is provided on the web-site of the Royal aiEmbassy in London.

e ai authorities requirethat any foreign nationalwishing to marry in ailandmust obtain an “affirmation offreedom to marry” document.e affirmation must be madein person at the Consular Sec-tion of the British Embassy inBangkok or Honorary Con-suls. It is not possible to ob-tain the affirmation from theUnited Kingdom in advance.

e marriage will only berecognized under UK law if itis valid under ai law. For itto be valid in ai law, themarriage must be registeredwith the Registrar at an Am-phur office (District Office).A religious ceremony on itsown is not recognised as beingvalid under ai law. In ai-

land, weddingceremonies/parties can beheld separately from the mar-riage registration.

e ai marriage certifi-cate will be in ai languageonly. You may wish to com-mission a “sworn translation”of the marriage certificatefrom license translators, sothat you can use the docu-ment for legal purposes in theU.K. Please note the certifi-cate is a legal document andshould not be modified e.g.by laminating.

Consular Section canarrange for your marriage cer-tificate to be deposited withthe General Register Office(GRO England / Scotland /Northern Ireland) in theUnited Kingdom. is not alegal obligation and has nobearing on the validity or oth-erwise of the marriage. Itsimply means that you areable to obtain a certified copyof your marriage certificate di-rectly from the GRO, shouldyou need to do so in the fu-ture. Please ask us for furtherdetails if you wish do this.

A foreign national does notautomatically acquire Britishnationality through marriageto a British national.

If you marry a ai na-tional, he or she will require avisa to visit or settle in theUK.

Further information onhow to apply for a visa can beobtained from the UK VisaApplication Centre.

ey can be contacted di-rectly on +66 (0)2800 8050or by e-mail:info.ukth@vf-shelpline.com

A step-by-step guide to theprocedure on getting marriedin ailand is as follows. We

are not able to answer any in-dividual enquiries about theprocedure to marry in ai-land.

1. Affirmation of Freedomto Marry in ailandPlease retype the affirmationincluding your details on onepage in the same format as theattached sample and bring itin person to the Embassy tosign before a British Consularofficial.

We accept affirmations dur-ing normal consular publichours on Monday to urs-day at 08:00 - 11:00 hoursand collections only at 13:00 -14:00 hours, and on Friday at08:00 - 11:00 hours and col-lections only at 11:00 - 12:00noon. An appointment forthis service is not necessary.e affirmation which is sub-mitted before 11:00 hrs willbe ready for collection in theafternoon.

We provide this service toBritish nationals only. e feeof Bt2,725 per affirmation ispayable.

Please bring with you tothe Embassy your passport, asproof of identity, and evi-dence that any previous mar-riages have beendissolved/terminated (deathcertificate or divorce certifi-cate(s) as appropriate. Certifi-cates issued in a ird countryoutside UK and ailandmust be certified by the rele-vant British Embassy/Con-sulate or its respectiveEmbassy in ailand). Onlythe original evidence or a cer-tified copy will be accepted –photocopies will not be ac-cepted under any circum-stances.

2. Have the affirmationtranslated into ai

Priority Visa Service in Bkk extends totourists and family visitorsTHE British embassy willbe extending the priorityvisa service in Bangkokfrom 1 March 2012 to in-clude applicants applyingfor tourists and family visi-tor visas.e priority visa service isonly available to applicantswho meet criteria and whopay an additional fee to

have their visa applicationprocessed ahead of others.We will aim to process allapplications using the pri-ority visa service in ai-land within 3 working daysof receiving them.For more informationplease see the UK BorderAgency in ailandwebsite.

PRIME Minister Yingluck Shi-nawatra traveled to India on 24January 2012, as the ChiefGuest for India’s Republic Daycelebrations, accompanied by aninvestment delegation that in-cluded her government’s newlyappointed Industry MinisterM.R.Pongsvas Svasti, BOI Sec-retary General Dr. Atchaka Si-bunruang, and a group ofindustry leaders from ailand’sprivate sector.

e two countries have beenincreasing their bilateral tradeand investment over recentyears, and the BOI is keen to as-sist ai businesses locate man-ufacturing facilities overseaswhile at the same time attractmore investment from Indiainto ailand.

In late 2004 bilateral tradebetween ailand and Indiabegan to increase significantlyfollowing the signing of theailand- India Free TradeAgreement Framework and laterwhen the Early Harvest Schemeof 82 items of goods went intoeffect.

Recognizing the value of suchagreements to ailand, theprime minister stated that “Inmy discussions with Prime Min-ister Singh, we will work to-gether to finalize the FTA by themiddle of this year.

is will include a plan to cutthe tariffs of remaining productsto zero.”

During the trip ailand’sCommerce Minister signed theSecond Protocol to Amend theFramework Agreement betweenIndia and ailand wherebythird country invoicing wouldbe allowed for gear boxes madein India and two-door refrigera-tors would be added to the listof products traded under theEarly Harvest Scheme.

Trade between ailand andIndia reached about US$8.2 bil-lion last year, which constitutesan annual increase of 34 per-cent, with expectations of amore than 50 percent increasein 2012 and with a goal set fordoubling by 2014.

ailand already ranks asIndia’s 28th largest trading part-

ner and India has become ai-land’s 16th largest trading part-ner.

Investment between the twocountries does not however re-flect the size of their respectiveeconomies.

Only thirteen applicationswere submitted by Indian com-panies to ailand Board of In-vestment in 2011, with totalinvestment value of US$106million.

While those applications in-creased the value of Indian in-vestment in ailand by 67percent compared to 2010, In-dian investment still rankedonly 13th among other foreigninvestments that submitted theprojects to Board of Investment.

e accompanying membersof ailand’s Board of Invest-ment also traveled to Faridabad,where they held meetings withthe Faridabad Industries Associ-ation.

Speaking at the ailand-India Business Forum,co-orga-nized by the CII, FICCI andASSOCHAM, held in Delhi,on 25 January, Industry Minis-ter Svasti underlined the impor-tance that ailand attaches tostrengthening trade and invest-ment with India.

e work underway in ai-land to improve infrastructureand water management was alsoconveyed, and is seen as an areafor increased ai investment inIndia.

One idea expressed by theBOI during the India trip wasto establish an India-ai In-vestment Forum comprisingpublic and private sector repre-sentatives from both India andailand.

Beyond the work now beingdone by the India- ai Busi-ness Council, the new forumcould focus more on invest-ment.

ere is clearly a strong mo-mentum building for ailandto enhance economic relationswith India, which presents nu-merous opportunities for in-vestors and enhances thepotential of new markets.

1 5SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 2012 FEATURESFEATURESThai-India investment opportunities strong

THIS is the first in a series of columns on interesting locals or expatsthat add to the colourful community and mix of people that inhabitSamui.

e Rocky theme tune is one of those tracks that is impossible to getout of your head.

It’s hard to miss the Muay ai marketing pickups driving aroundthe island blasting this tune from oversized speakers and announcingwho will be challenging whom at the stadium. Being over-commercial-ized, I hadn’t been overly enthusiastic to watch a fight before, but whena friend was recently one of the fighters, I decided to go and supporther. Yes, that’s right, I said her.

Christine Perry is an English teacher by day at the Samui Centre ofLearning, and aspiring ‘Million Dollar Baby’ by night.

Christine is beautiful and a gentle soul. Should you meet her outsideof her ‘boxing mode’ you would never guess she has this alter ego. I callher a coconut: soft and sweet inside, but hard as nails on the outside.

After seeing her fight, it is easy to see why her nickname in Muayai circles is ‘Pitbull Perry’.

Christine is dedicated and disciplined, be it her commitment to herstudents, or her daily training sessions at Jungle Gym Samui with aitrainer, Nuch and Hungarian trainer, Leslie.

I was in two minds about watching Christine fight, both wanting tosupport her, but not wanting to see a friend hurt. Well I need not haveworried about that.

On Tuesday 6 March, we went to the new Chaweng Stadium, be-hind Solo Bar. e stadium itself appears to be more of a night clubthan a boxing stadium, and to be honest, has lost the ‘traditional’ ele-ment of ai boxing.

at aside, it still makes for a good night of entertainment. Chris-tine’s fight was scheduled as the 6th of 7 fights for the night. Arriving at9:30pm, we first watched a couple of teenagers battling it out, then apair of locals in their early 20’s that were pretty energetic, followed by acouple of ‘has beens’ that to be honest, looked pretty bored up there.

Watching what is going on around can be as entertaining as the box-ing itself, which seems to be frequented by some rather interestingcharacters. In one corner, a group of locals were taking unofficial bets,and a fair amount of cash seemed to be changing hands. e band oflocal musicians playing ai music added some element of tradition,although this was soon crushed by disco lights and club music betweenfights. Before each fight, contestants perform a ‘Wai Kru’, a

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 20121 6

Samui locals – Christine Perry IN clinical practice, the number of women eas-ily identifiable as thyroid deficient has grown toepidemic proportions.

Many have gone to their doctors, have hadthe standard test; are reassured they are fine, butare not.

It seems the test is unreliable. Dr. DavidBrownstein in his book; “Iodine why you needit, why you can’t live without it”, quotes from aNHAES study showing iodine levels in theUSA have dropped by 50 percent over thethirty years spanning from 1970 until 2000.

Iodine plays a key role in thyroid health.More frighteningly he also points out low io-dine levels in pregnant women have increasedby 690 percent.

Something is wrong, and we need to askwhat! In spite of massive spending on healthcare; money that mostly goes on pharmaceuticalproducts, overall health is declining.

True, acute disease has lessened significantly,but chronic illness has risen.

Maybe, many of the things we are told thatare beneficial for us, are not! As a population,we have been misinformed, but why? Most peo-ple have never heard of the Georgia Guide-stones. e structure, also known as “eAmerican Stonehenge”, is located in Elberton,Georgia. e center cluster of the stones waserected in 1980; the site is dedicated to, “eAge of Reason”.

On the tablets are written ten guidelines ineight different languages. e first principlestates: “Maintain humanity under 500,000,000in perpetual balance with nature.”

Today, the world’s population is a little overseven billion; to reach half a billion requiresculling six and a half billion!

Conspiracy theorists tell you this is the inten-tion of the Illuminati or New World Order. AsI consider the drastic consequences of poorhealth, it seems that the conspiracy theoristsmight be right after all!

We were told the thyroid problem was solvedby the introduction of iodized salt in the 1920s.

Women, who lived remote from iodine richsoil, usually found near the life-giving influenceof the sea, suffered thyroid enlargement.

As the deficient gland had to overwork it in-creased in size producing a strangulating goiter.

ey found adding a 5% potassium iodinesolution to table salt, gave just enough iodineto prevent goiters growing, but not enough toremedy more subtle thyroid dysfunctions.

Sadly, the refining also removed most of theminerals in sea salt.

Table salt is now found widely around theworld. Seventy-nine percent of households inailand, for example, use it.

Until 1950 underactive thyroid was treatedwith iodine supplementation.

No, this is not the product you buy in thepharmacy to dab on wounds!

is form is poisonous because it contains al-cohol which must never be ingested.

Instead, Iodine and its relative iodide areavailable in liquid and tablet variety.

e popularity of iodine, hit a brick wallwhen the “Wolff-Chaikoff” study emerged fromthe University of California, Berkeley in 1947.

It flew in the face of contemporary thinking;stating any iodine intake in excess of 2 mgs wasexcessive and potentially harmful.

ey claimed greater amounts caused hy-pothyroidism.

is was not a scientific fact because hor-mone levels were never measured to support theargument. is warning then entered the annalsof medical knowledge.

So doctors stopped prescribing iodine forthyroid conditions.

e other successful treatment option is bymeans of protomorphogens this translates as asubstance taken from an animal source, nor-mally porcine. Armor Labs have been produc-ing their animal derived extract from as early asthe 1930s.

When the pharmaceutical companies startedproducing syntheticthyroid extract inthe late 1950s, theyswamped the mar-ket. Physiciansstopped prescribingthe natural thyroidextract: now it ispretty difficult tofind.

At the same time,bromide ingestion

has grown tremendously. Bromide is an iodineantagonist. It is to be found in soft drinks,white bread, toothpaste, fluoridated drinkingwater, beauty products and hair dyes.

Up until the 1970s potassium iodide wasadded to bread, thanks to Wolff-Chaikoff thepractice ceased; it was replaced by potassiumbromide.

No wonder the thyroid problem has blownup like a balloon. Oh, I haven’t mentioned in-creased radiation levels either! ere is also thequestion of fluoride and chlorine added todrinking water. ese halogens are iodine an-tagonists, too!

In view of all of this information, everybodyneeds to increase iodine intake.

Eating Wakame seaweed is an excellent rem-edy, as is eating mussels and seafood. But yourequire quite a lot as a recommended daily doseto prevent low thyroid and excessive radiation,would be in the region of 30mg.

If you have any doubts, it is never recom-mended to self-prescribe but instead go and seeyour health care practitioner who will check theproblem out for you.

IodineRosanne Turner relocated to Koh Samui from Africa, a year ago, and is relishing theadventure. She is a trainer at Samui TEFL, as well as being a travel writer for sev-eral international publications. Share Rosanne’s discoveries of all things Eastern, cu-rious and extraordinary.

Turn to page 17

LIFELIFE

“Iodine if you don’t know where, what and why, prescribe ye then K & I.” (old medical saying)

Christine Perry (left) with her trainor

WE can’t control every aspectof our health, but we can helpprotect ourselves against manycommon ailments and diseasessimply by getting the recom-mended daily essential vitaminsand minerals.

With the stresses of everydaylife, it can be hard to get regularexercise and maintain a bal-anced diet. So many doctorsadvise their patients to takedaily dietary supplements toensure they get the nutrientsneeded for optimum health.

“ While striving to improve thequality of the foods we feedourselves and our families isparamount, adding nutritionalsupplements is a valuable andeasy way to enhance our abilityto stay healthy,” says Dr. An-drew Myers, an expert in nutri-tion and preventive medicineand co-author of “Health isWealth, 10 Power Nutrientsthat Increase Your Odds of Liv-ing to 100.”

Myers offers these tips toanyone looking to stay in tiptop health:

Protect Your Heart ere are many preventive

ways to help keep your hearthealthy, such as eliminatingstress, maintaining a healthydiet, staying trim and exercisingregularly.

You can also consider a sup-plement such as fish oil, whichcontains omega-3, a “good fat”vital to heart health. Be sure topick high-quality, trusted prod-ucts such as Sam’s Club Simply

Right Triple Strength fish oilwhich may reduce the risk ofcoronary heart disease. Addi-tionally, Co Q-10, a naturallysourced cardiovascular antioxi-dant, can help support healthyheart function.

Avoid Common Colds e common cold is one of

the leading causes of missedwork and school, making it allthe more important to takesteps to strengthen your im-mune system. Washing yourhands often, eating foods high

in vitamin C such as cit-rus and taking a supple-ment such as vitamin Dmay help you ward offcolds.

Vitamin D has beenshown to support astrong immune systemand can be foundthrough sun exposure.However, for those whoare fair-skinned or justsimply don’t have timeto be outside, you cantake a supplement likeSimply Right’s VitaminD3 5000IU.

Protect Your Joints Many Americans ex-

perience joint pain andassume it is a normalaging process they haveto live with. However,

there are a number of treatmentoptions ranging from exerciseto surgery that can help managejoint pain and improve mobil-ity. A simple option can be tak-ing a supplement such asSimply Right Triple StrengthGlucosamine.

Get a Check-Up Even if you don’t have a reg-

ular doctor, there are ways toget a professional exam. Manypharmacies have periodic healthand wellness screenings. For ex-ample, Sam’s Club locationsacross the U.S. host freemonthly screenings that includebone density screenings, andtesting for cholesterol, glucoseand blood pressure. Learn moreabout these screenings and theSimply Right line of affordablevitamins available at Sam’s clubsnationwide by visiting Sam-sClub.com/healthyliving .

By taking preventive stepsnow to improve your health,you can save yourself troubledown the road.

1 7SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 2012

Stem cells for Samui?ONE of the main drawbacks about current medi-cine, is that most doctors are far too busy to be ableto research the latest developments and findings.

e most one can hope for, is that they keepabreast of up to date findings within their own areaof expertise.

With G.Ps, some are eventiming consultationswith their patients and allowing a maximum of 3minutes per patient, unless of course there is a reallife and death emergency. Doctors in the U.K.,USA, and many other countries araound the world,have to take out medical insurance in order to beable to practice.

is is of course a good thing in the main, butthere is a potential downside,in that carelessness or a misseddiagnosis, might have beenavoided, if indeed the doctorin question knew that he wasgoing to have to be liable per-sonally in a court of law.

Not long ago, a colleague ofmine's son, aged 18, sufferedan unexplained paralysis in hisneck. He went immediatelyto one of the best teachinghospitals in London, wherethe consultant concernedmissed the correct diagnosis,and he received totally inap-propriate treatment.

e result was that he gotworse, and as a junior tennischampion, had to give up thegame entirely.

His parents sued the hospi-tal, and received $100,000 incompensation in an out ofcourt settlement.

I, and many otherrsearchers, are lucky in thatwe owe allegiance to no-one; not even to the largepharmaceutical companies who are only too happyto take over the role of the state, and fund doctorsworking in general practice, so they feel a moralduty to prescribe drugs emanating from that source.It may not seem a major issue, but it involves manybillions of dollars every month.

Unhappy with being branded as working in 'al-ternative' or 'complementary' medicine, conjuringup ideas of homeopathy or plant remedies, treat-ment with a plethora of vitamins and minerals etc,not there there is anything even in the slightest bitwrong with such methods, I hope that some of theother advances with which we are working, wouldnot be bracketed under this banner.

We are not allowed to call it conventional medi-cine, so what is it? I personally, would like to see itlabelled as 'new medicine'.

e one example I would like to call on in thisissue, is that of stem cell therapy.

Under George Bush in the USA, stem cell tech-nology was virtually outlawed 'in toto', and a go-ahead clinic planning to offer such treatment inMiami, was raided by armed police, and warned thatthey would be closed down unless the notice at the

reception desk offering such future services, waswithdrawn immediately.

I personally had been looking forward to suchtreatment myself, instead of having to undergo a hipreplacement for overdoing things on the ski slopesmany years earlier.

e doctor in charge of the clinic, however, re-ferred me to a consultant and potential Nobel Prizecandidate working in California, for an appointmentthree days later.

I jumped in my car, and drove the 4,800 kmacross to California, and turned up somewhatquerulously to the meeting, wondering what was thepoint of driving so far if such a procedure was

banned by the Fed-eral government any-way.

I was not to findout the answer untilthe following morn-ing.

We set out in apowerful minibus,stopping only to col-lect some frozen can-isters from a hospitalin San Diego, andwere soon at theMexican border.

ere we wentswiftly to a modernclinic, where theAmerican doctorscarried out the neces-sary work, paid theMexican doctors,who just stoodwatching with theirarms folded, until itwas time to be paidfor the use of their

clinic for a couple of hours. We then drove back across the border into the

USA, with the procedure carried out perfectlylegally.

So what are stem cells? ey first occur in theumbilical cord as undifferentiated cells, and as'blank' cells, they can be used to 'stand in' for spe-cific cells, where, for instance there has been damageto tissue or a certain area in the body.

e problem is supply. New research enables specific cells in the body, to

be effectively wiped clean, and converted into stemcells for use where required.

is potential for medicine in the future is enor-mous.

Just in the last few weeks, a new medical com-pany has come on board, offering a special plant ex-tract, which stimulates the production of up to fourmillion stem cells in the bone marrow, which canthen be used for repair.

is technology may be supplied to other parts ofthe world, so why should not Samui elect to be a pi-oneer?

It has the space, the climate, the expertise, thehospitals - in fact all they have to do, is ask!

THE FLYING DOCTORDr. Chris Hertzog

HEALTHHEALTHAre you getting enough vitamins?

“ I, and many other re-

searchers, are lucky in that

we owe allegiance to no-

one; not even to the large

pharmaceutical companies

who are only too happy to

take over the role of the

state, and fund doctors

working in general practice,

so they feel a moral duty to

prescribe drugs emanating

from that source. It may

not seem a major issue, but

it involves many billions of

dollars every month.”

beautiful dance-type routine tohonor their trainers. is can beas intricate as the fighter wants itto be, and Christine’s was trulybeautiful, an obvious testament tothe high respect she has for train-ers Leslie and Nuch.

It’s just as well that Christine’sWai Kru lasted so long and of-fered supporters something to see,as the fight itself lasted all of 30seconds.

Christine’s local opponent wasno match and a few swift punchesand kicks later, a technical knock-out was declared as the crowdwent wild.

Christine’s love of life is infec-

tious, and children at the SamuiCentre of Learning are lucky tohave her as a teacher. She is inspi-rational and lives life to thefullest.

Unlike some other expats thatsettle on Samui and only mix inexpat circles, Christine has manyai friends, is pretty articulate inai after only a year, and makesthe most out of island life. Shehas been trying to convince me tojoin Jungle Gym Samui forevening training sessions, but I al-ways seem to have some excuse.

But it is hard to say no toChristine, and as this year is thebig ‘40’ birthday... maybe it istime to get fit, or is that just themidlife crisis talking?

Samui locals. . .From Page 16

overseeing day-to-day function-ing of the wine initiative andare “at the head the game”among contemporaries in ai-land.

Khun Cha, in particular,was named “Sommelier of theYear” on the influential ‘Wan-dering Palate’ website.

Curtis Marsh ultimately paystribute to resort owner, LyonLau, for the initiative, inspiredby his personal dedication tofine dining and love of winecollecting.

“It was his desire to instill a‘wine culture’ at the resort, syn-ergistic with exceptional cuisineraising the bar not only on KohSamui, but all ailand,” henotes.

Complementing this effort,one of five fine dining outlets isestablished in a cellar at theproperty, “e Cellar,” housingan exceptional range of vin-tages.

Also exceptional is the cui-sine, led by celebrated chefsKonrad Inghelram and JoeDiaz, who previously workedtogether at one of London’s top

restaurants, Quaglinos. Between them are decades of

experience at some of theworld’s most acclaimed Miche-lin-star restaurants.

Belgian chef Inghelram hasworked at no less than fourMichelin starred kitchens, andcollaborated with legendary Al-bert Roux at the Sofitel St.James in London.

Chef Diaz was voted BestYoung Chef of the Year 2006 inSpain, and trained under a veri-table “who’s who” of the culi-nary world under superstarssuch as Ferran Adria at El Bulliin Spain, Alain Ducasse at PlazaAtheneein Paris, omas Kellerat French Laundry in Califor-nia, Nobu Matsuhisa at Nobuin Florida, and Sergi Arola atLa Broche in Madrid.

As Conrad Koh Samui’s gen-eral manager Justin Phillipsputs it: “Our combination ofan inspiring wine programmeand culinary excellence puts usat the forefront of gastronomy,not only on Koh Samui, butacross ailand.”

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 20121 8

THE ‘Wandering Palate’ wineguru is renowned for designingwine lists for a legion of celebritychefs – from legendary Paul Bo-cuse in France to Asian FoodChannel’s Samia Ahad and Aus-tralia's revered Tetsuya Wakuda.

Now he has been charged withputting Conrad Koh Samui, thenewest luxury resort on the idyllicai holiday isle of Koh Samui,on the wine lovers’ map.

And his first priority is to de-bunk the myth that wine andspicy cuisine don’t mix. “Mostgrape varieties intrinsically displaya multitude of spice nuances inaroma or flavor,” he notes.

“Clearly such nuances andcharacteristics are synergistic withai cuisine.”

For example, the tangy Aus-trian white grape Gruner veltliner,with a unique white pepper spicycharacter, “seems almost tailormade for ai salads.”

Similarly, Riesling’s powerfulcore of lime and lemon and natu-ral sweetness “partners extremelywell with tangy lime juice andlemongrass-influenced dishes, aswell as spicy curries”.

Iconic reds such as syrah (shi-raz) – along with Southern RhoneValley blends of grenache, syrah,mourvedre and cinsault – areequally complementary with aninherent and pronounced pepperyspiciness and mélange of exoticspices and profound red berrythat are “the perfect foil for spicymeat dishes and red curries.”

Pinot noir, with its berry-fruitsweetness, warm, spicy mouth-feel and soft texture, “seems al-most made for ai cuisine!”

While firm tannins in some redwine can clash with salads andseafood, certain rosé and pinotnoir wines “can be very versatilethroughout an entire meal.”

Also notably, “a little sugar orrichness in white wines andchampagnes can be appropriatelysoothing when it comes to livelier,spicy heat in certain ai flavors.”

“Yet there still exists some dis-

belief that wine does not pair wellwith ai cuisine or spicy Asianfood,” he laments.

e celebrity sommelier is nowdevising unique strategies to putthe record straight – while alsoputting Conrad Koh Samui onthe wine lovers’ map at the hub ofthe debate.

To demonstrate his conviction,Curtis Marsh has assembled anextensive and diverse list of someof the very best new and oldworld wine producers focused onvarieties and regional styles that“complement the exceptional pro-duce and expertise in ai cook-ing”.

“ere are no set rules formatching wines with ai food,”he says. “Although the key ele-ment is to choose wines with vi-brant acidity that freshen thepalate and stimulate the appetite,whether white or red.”

At Conrad Koh Samui’s signa-ture modern ai-Mediterraneanfine dining restaurant Jahn, hiscampaign extends to a revolution-ary format to the wine list itself.

Avoiding the orthodox listingof wines by country, layout specif-ically flows from racy Riesling andcrisp whites at the beginning, toincreasing texture and richnessthrough the pages, “enabling ap-propriate pairing with the tex-tures, flavors and weight of thefood.”

Likewise, rosé and light reds

are listed ahead of more full-bod-ied, firmer wines.

Quality wine is also paramount– mostly from dedicated, artisanproducers, with an emphasis onorganic and biodynamic viticul-ture. “We are not purchasingcheap, non-descript wines and ap-plying extortionate mark-ups tomake profit,” he insists.

With ailand’s prohibitivelyhigh taxes on wine, guests are alsoencouraged to savor better wineby the glass, and not necessarilyan entire, pricey bottle.

To enable this, technology de-veloped by WINESAVE is inte-gral to the resort’s wine programstrategy. It utilizes the inert, color-

less, odorless and flavorless gasargon to displace harmful oxygenin opened bottles – forming animpenetrable layer between air,keeping wine in perfect condi-tion.

As a result, the resort can offera much more extensive range ofwines by the glass than usual,“perhaps more than any otherhotel on Koh Samui or even ai-land”, he suggests.

“I doubt if many hotels or re-sorts are going to the lengths weare to ensure wines by the glassare served in optimum condi-tion.”

Two highly-qualified resortsommeliers, Khun Cha and KhunSabu, are meanwhile overseeing

FEATUREFEATUREConrad koh Samui’s bespoke wine programConrad koh Samui’s bespoke wine programsets new benchmark among 5-star resortssets new benchmark among 5-star resorts“Does wine go with Thai cuisine? Absolutely! Show me a wine and I will findyou an element of spice or herb infused within it," says veteran sommelier Cur-tis Marsh, the wine program director at Conrad Koh Samui, setting a newbenchmark for wine appreciation among Thailand’s 5-star resorts.

veteran sommelier Curtis Marsh

chefs Konrad Inghelram and Joe Diaz

1 9SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 2012 PUZZLESPUZZLESCROSSWORD PUZZLEACROSS

1. Jasmine's kin6. Former Soviet Socialist Republics, acr.9. Fancy marbles used as shooters13. Are you _ ____ or a hawk?14. One of Indiana Jones' quests15. Having three dimensions16. Same as mesotron17. ___ Patrol18. *First network TV soap ____ debuted in 195019. *Overthrown Cuban21. *Arthur Miller's wife23. Jones' Wall Street partner24. What Rumpelstiltskin did25. School support organization28. Reduced Instruction Set Computer30. Boiling pot35. Globes and eyeballs37. *Site of Egyptian Crisis39. Dominion40. Italian currency, pl.41. Ringworm43. Lover's strike44. Prayer leaders in mosques46. *One of Ike's two47. Pitched at Occupy Wall Street48. Os50. Be agitated52. Sushi sauce53. Offensively curious55. Sin over tan57. *Its launch started the Space Race61. umbelina's raft65. Smallest number in a crowd66. "___ we there yet?"68. Late Saddam Hussein, e.g.69. Helped70. Sheep not yet sheared71. "Swan Lake" skirts72. Brooding73. A.k.a. Tokyo74. In vertical position

DOWN1. Mary's little pet2. Light bulb over head?3. ABC's adventure, 2004-20104. Stay clear5. Book burner, e.g.6. Mine is yours7. Irritate8. Save money on rent, e.g.9. South American Indian people10. Cain's victim11. Lean like an athlete12. PET or CAT15. Little Jack Horner's spot20. Do this and shout22. Black and white sea bird24. *New York in "Guys and Dolls," e.g.25. *Jonas Salk fought it26. Decorates Christmas tree27. Biblical Abraham's original name29. *"e Man in the Gray Flannel ____"31. Exam32. Stories "from the Crypt"33. Treeless plain34. E on dashboard36. 18-wheeler38. Freezing temperature in Celsius42. Friends in Italy45. What cat did on the window sill?49. Me in Paris51. *Humbert Humbert's interest54. Edible ray56. Maple tree treat57. Dateless male58. *is Yankee was MVP in 195059. Pakistan's official language60. To abound or swarm61. Toy building block62. Liver delicacy63. Greenish blue64. Floppy storage device67. *Color of Scare

SUDOKU

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10YEAR

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10YEAR

ANNIVERSARY

2 0 SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 2012ISLAND NEWS ISLAND NEWS

Solutions for Sudoku and Crossword

Spa Cenvaree shares a smile with SPA Cenvaree, the luxury spabrand within the Centara Ho-tels & Resorts family, is cele-brating its 10th anniversary byunveiling a new spa menu anddonating part of its income totwo Bangkok orphanages.

Under the Shared Smile proj-ect, Spa Cenvaree branches atCentara hotels throughout ai-land that are introducing thenew menu will donate 3 percentof their net income for themonth of March to the RangsitBabies' Home and SotsuksaPrachinburi School.

e new spa menu will befeatured onwww.spacenvaree.com, Spa

Cenvaree’s newly revampedwebsite with enhanced featuresand a more interactive structurefor guests to navigate throughindividual outlets and spa treat-ments.

"In the 10 years since SpaCenvaree was introduced, it hasemerged as one of Asia's leadingspa brands," says Suthikiati Chi-rathivat, Chairman of theBoard, Centara Hotels and Re-sorts.

"Centara as a group has avery strong policy on socialawareness and responsibilities,and we felt it appropriate thatwe should mark the anniversaryby raising funds for a very

worthwhile cause."A Shared Smile limited edi-

tion retail line will be availablefor sale during this event to helpraise awareness of the pro-gramme. Partnering with SpaCenvaree’s preferred supplier,these gift sets were developedexclusively by Donna Chang,the industry leader in providingthe finest quality of spa prod-ucts.

In addition, Spa Cenvaree isencouraging bookings by offer-ing a free upgrade to all gueststaking 60-minute spa packagesand massages.

Distribution of the funds willtake place in April.

e donations will go directlyto the two orphanages to pro-vide essential supplies.

e Spa Cenvaree branchesthat are introducing the new spamenu and participating in theShared Smile project are Cen-tara Grand & Bangkok Conven-tion Centre at CentralWorld,Centara Grand Mirage BeachResort Pattaya, Centara GrandBeach Resort & Villas Hua Hin,Centara Grand Beach Resort &Villas Krabi, Centara Grand atCentral Plaza Ladprao Bangkok,Centara Grand Beach ResortPhuket, Centara Villas Phuket,Centara Villas Samui, CentaraKata Resort Phuket, CentaraKaron Resort Phuket, KhumPhaya Resort & Spa, CentaraBoutique Collection, CentaraDuangtawan Hotel Chiang

Mai, and Centara Anda DheviResort & Spa Krabi.

Established in year 2000,

SPA Cenvaree is a member of

Centara Hotels and Resorts, a

leading group of first class hotels

and resorts in ailand. Recog-

nized as an innovative spa oper-

ator in the Asia Pacific region,

the SPA Cenvaree experience

can be found through an elite

network of 27 outlets, and will

expand its presence to new des-

tinations including Mauritius,

China, Sri Lanka, Bali by 2012,

bringing its portfolio of spas to

40 across nine counties.

children on its 10th anniversary

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 2012 2 1

S c andic ’s Johan takes inaugural t i t le

SPORTSSPORTS

FOLLOWING on the suc-cess of the Primary Foot-ball matches betweenInternational School ofSamui and Oonrak Schoolin Maenam, a PrimarySchool Swimming compe-tition was also held lastMarch 15 among studentsof the two schools.

e two best boy andtwo best girl swimmers ofeach class from year 1 toyear 6 from both schoolswere qualified to joinwhich started at 1p.m. inMaenam. e event, ac-cording to organizers, ispart of the development ofongoing sporting fixturesbetween the two schools.

Races included Freestyleboys and girls races in theunder 6s, under 7s, under

8s, under 9s, under 10sand under 11s age cate-gories. Backstroke andBreaststroke races for se-lected age groups will beheld following the freestyleraces. ere will also beboys and girls mixed agegroup relays to completethe afternoon’s events.ere will be refreshmentsavailable and presentationswill be made following thecompletion of the races.ere will be pointsawarded for every finishingplace in each race. esepoints will contribute to anoverall school score and awinning school will be an-nounced at the end of thepresentations to race win-ners and runners up.

DEFENDING champion Tam’sBar in Chaweng squeezed pasttournament dark horse Spicy Bar,11 - 8 rcently to set the team oncourse for a back to back title ofthe Knockout Cup competitionof the Monday Pool League.

Last season’s runner up,Aussieland, were not as fortunatebowing to Lord’s Bar, 11-10, in aseparate encounter played inChoengmon last March 5.

Another first round upset vic-tim was perennial title contenderBamboo, which got the axe fromits second team, Bamboo2, 11-8,in Bangrak.

Division 3 newcomer Queen’sPub also booted out PremierSports Bar 11-10 to advance intothe next round.

Newcomer Hush Bar alsoeliminated Tam’s2 by theslimmest of margins in their ownencounter while Samui Rock Café

moved to the second round withan 11-5 trashing of White Bar.

Jack’s Bar also earned a slot inthe 2nd round draw with an 11-8victory over e Hut.

In another match, e Officelost to visiting International, 1-

11, to end their Knockout Cupcampaign.

Eight teams; Barbs; ChillinBar; Cosmic; Jordan’s; My Bar;On’s Livewire; Ostaria; and Tropi-cal Murphy’s all earned byes inthe first round draw.

Age group swimming

THE first Ace Tennis Club Tour-nament concluded on Sunday11th March with Scandic Restau-rant’s Johan winning the inaugu-ral title over Jimmy Scott of theInternational School of Samui.

e tournament was a greatsuccess with 26 exciting gamesplayed over two days. Playersfrom all over the world competedin the event with the singles titlegoing to Johan whose restaurantis located above Trend Fashionstailor shop in Chaweng.

For those who don’t know, AceTennis Club is a newly openedtennis facility located betweenBophut and Maenam.

e club currently consists ofone hard court but the Swissmanagement is in the process ofupgrading facilities with flood-lights, club house and a secondtennis court.

Coaching for all levels is avail-able for individual and group ses-sions in English, German, French,Italian, Spanish and ai. Equip-ment sales and rental is availableas is a top of the range stringingmachine and expert advice.

is first tournament was heldto establish a ranking for the is-land’s many tennis players to beincluded in the brand new Ace

Tennis Club Ladder. e ladderis a way for players of all levels tochallenge each other in a competi-tive but friendly league.

e rankings will be updatedon a weekly basis and displayedon the information board at theAce Tennis Club House. Every-one is welcome to join the ladder.

e first Ace Tennis Club Tour-nament saw players of all levelscompete in the doubles and sin-gles events. e doubles eventwas a very tight battle which sawthe eventual team of David (Swe-den Bar and Restaurant) and An-drew emerge victorious againstJimmy and Nick.

In the singles final, Johan(Scandic Restaurant) who wastournament favorite proved toostrong for Jimmy Scott a teacherfrom International School Samuiin a 6 - 2 match. Jimmy was defi-nitely the tournament dark horseand man of the tournament -starting the competition slowlybut improving dramatically withevery one of his nine matches toeventually compete in two finals.

Due to the success of this firstAce Tennis Club Event, the man-agement is planning more eventsin the near future. If you are in-terested in learning to play tennis,

competing or joining the AceTennis Club Ladder please con-tact Ace Tennis Club Team on0901700960 or drop by the clubhouse which is located on SoiKalkin in Maenam on the way toMantra Hotel.

1st Ace Tennis Club tourney

Johan of Scandic Restaurant serving on his way to winning the inaugural title of the Ace Tennis Club tournament.

Tam’s Bar, 15 other teams advance

pits Oonrak vs . ISS

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 20122 2 SPORTSSPORTSMuay ai boxingMuay ai boxing

THREE promising Muayai fighters ended theirmatches in convincing fash-ion, knocking out their re-spective opponents, duringthe recent fight night heldat the new Chaweng Sta-dium along Chaweng BeachRoad.

e first match of the 7-match schedule ended inthe second round whenPhetdam Kiatkorvit hitSitaek Soonkribaanle with astrong kick in the abdomensending him down to thecanvas and unable to standup for the first abbreviatedfight of the night in the 115lbs category.

In the second fight at 125lbs, Lampangchai Kiatkorvitwas simply too strong forYodtong Sitpanot and thelatter was taken out in justthe first round.

In the 110 lbs category,Pichitchai Sor. Banlangtongoutpointed Daradet Wet-pinyomuaythai in five toughrounds to win the match.

In another 125 lbs cate-gory encounter, Telek Aor.Bunchvoy could not handleYoddoy Sitpanot’s powerfulkicks and was knocked outin the first round.

In the fifth match of theevening, Nontachai Kiatko-rvit was in full control and

easily dominated PhettaksinSitchangyoon in the 126 lbscategory for his 50 winoverall.

e 6th match, one ofthe most anticipated be-cause the protagonists wereboth champions and agrudge match, it wasRakangtong Sanpalangchaiwho prevailed over PhetaekJetoopolmaisod to win therematch after five gruelingrounds.

e final match was at130 lbs and SakadlekSeezanferry, the champion,imposed his class over afighting but outclassedMekdam Sitpanot.

KOs mark fights at new Chaweng stadiumKOs mark fights at new Chaweng stadiumBy PATRICK ROXAS

KOH SAMUI floats in theGulf of ailand like a tiny Tas-mania that's gone troppo. Ifyou visited years ago as an is-land-hopper, packing not muchmore than a sarong and achange of mind, be preparedfor a shock - Samui's past, pres-ent and future, telescoped intonow, greet you as you step offthe ferry or plane.GULF OF THAILAND

"Our first tourists had freeaccommodation. ey had tosleep at the temple because wehad no hotel," Khun Rueng-nam, past president of the KohSamui Tourism Association,told me as he recalled the firstbackpackers who crossed fromthe mainland in the early 1970sand found an island withouteven roads.

So much for the past. In justfour decades, this once-forgot-ten fishing settlement 55km offSurat ani in the western Gulfhas become, after Phuket, ai-land's second most popular is-land destination.

Last year Samui drew almost800,000 visitors, 75 per cent ofthem foreigners, and some9000 aircraft arrivals.THE BEACHES

So, you arrive, draw breathand, slipping between the sepiapast and the Seven-Eleven pres-ent, head for what drew thoseoriginal trippers - the beaches.

Samui still has them galore,with the east coast ones gener-ally the best. Long, broadChaweng Beach and the smallerLamai are the most popular.eir waters are clear and calm,although the sands are throngedwith tourists and hawkers.

e west coast is quieter butthe shallows are often coral-strewn.

Uncrowded Lipa Noi is for

me the standout western beach,but keep exploring side roadsand you can find less tram-melled shores such as LaemNam or Natien.

ere's a 51km round-islandroad which, eventually, you'llwant to take because there's justso much of Chaweng Beach'scafe-boutique-massage- pizze-ria-pirate clobber culture thatone can handle before needingto get back in touch with ai-land.HIRE YOUR TRANSPORTSelf-driving here is a breeze(while the taxis are pure ban-ditry) so rent a car, then headoff to Samui's hideaway baysand other attractions. But whoneeds a car? Why not rent amotorbike and rip along bare-foot and bare-brained? Helmetsare mandatory but no-onewears one, so it must be safe,yes? No. Samui has one of theworst road accident records inailand, a country with ap-palling annual fatalities, so ifyou're on two wheels, drive de-fensively and sober, and havevery good insurance. Wear alid. And jot down a quick will.

You can drive around the islandin a couple of hours (it's just25km long by 21km wide) buttry exploring instead.

SECRET GARDENHead inland to the Secret Gar-den. Tucked in a hilltop junglegorge, this grove of Ramayanacharacters, dancers and angels wassculpted in concrete by a Samuinative, Nim Tongsung, whobegan his task at age 77 andworked until his death at 91. It'sa labour of love in a place of peaceand worth leaving the beatentrack to find.Also in the interior are several wa-terfalls such as Na Muang 1(10km south of Nathon) with a15m cascade and pool popularwith ais.TEMPLESIt wouldn't be ailand withouttemples so pay your respects atthe island's most popular touristattraction, Wat Phra Yai (BigBuddha Temple) with its 12mgolden Buddha statue surroundedby noisy stalls and eateries. islandmark sits on the north shorenot far from Bophut.At the southern tip of the island isthe smaller Laem Sor Buddhapagoda. Elsewhere are a so-calledBuddha Footprint and two verydesiccated "mummified aieravada Buddhist temple archi-tecture is represented by WatNikrodharam and Wat KaphangSurin.

Both are close to the still wa-ters of Kaphang Surin, a lake pop-ular for picnics to the north oftown. More heterogeneous, and a

SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 2012 2 3TRAVEL NEWS TRAVEL NEWS Lose yourself on SamuiLose yourself on Samui fine symbol of Trang’s cultural

‘unity in diversity’, WatMatchimaphum – known locallyas Wat Na Khao – brings a Ma-hayana element to the eravadatradition by housing a largelaughing Buddha, the much-ven-erated Phra Sangkajjayana image,and a golden Guanyin Goddess ofMercy statue on a tall plinth thatoverlooks the entire town.

Kantang Port Just 22 kilometres southwest

of Trang at the mouth of theTrang river, the old port town ofKantang, founded by GovernorKhaw Sim Bee at the end of the19th century, still houses Trang’slak mueang (city pillar), the tradi-tional spiritual heart of the city,monks", none of which are realmust-sees.BOPHUTe former fishing village of Bo-phut is a case study in transfor-mation at the hands of tourism.e first time I saw it, Bophutwas little more than a seafrontmain street lined with two-storeyteak shop-houses and a ricketypier, home to trawlers and dis-carded fish-heads. During subse-quent visitsI've seen theshop-housesmade over,if they werelucky, asrestaurants,small barsand lodgessuch as theRed House.e un-lucky oneswere demol-ished tomake wayfor someconcretefolly hous-ing, or an-other dayspa or bou-tique. Bo-phut's transformation is almostcomplete and now, minus thefish-heads and crab-pots, it is in-deed an elegant little spot to trawlfor gifts, a room with a sea viewand a deck upon which to sinkthe perfect sundowner."Would you like to buy theshop," asked snowy-haired Irish-man Jim O'Grady when I wan-dered into his second-handbookshop in the island capital,Nathon, some years ago.I was trying to find a novel but al-most left with the business.Jim had owned the shop for 15years. "It's been long enough," hereflected before launching into asignature Irish anecdote about hisdecades spent in Australia. "I'meligible for the Australian old agepension. ey could easily verifymy residency there by just look-ing up my drink driving record inthe 1960s and 70s."RESORTSA main driver of Koh Samui'stransformation up-market from abudget destination has been theestablishment of top-quality re-sorts which now dot the coast.With their numbers increasing,

lush enclaves such as Baan TalingNgam, Six Senses, Tongsai Bay,Anantara and e Scent representthe future of the island.My local driver ep has a lesssanguine view of other develop-ments. "In 10 years all the co-conut trees will be gone," he says,pointing to ridges that have hadthe arboreal equivalent of aBrazilian wax. In place of trees,subdivisions of boxy "villas" - akabungalows - sold principally toexpats, now hang off shaved hill-sides and make parts of Samuilook not unlike the home suburbyou just left.CHAWENGChaweng, the tourist "capital", isa kilometre-long mash-up ofsports bars, Paddy pubs, hotels,stalls and malls. Here you canreap a pirate's harvest of faux-de-signer everythings - jeans, sun-glasses, DVDs and ai silkgoods.Indian tailors of the quasi-Versacecut are in abundance while nu-merous stores sell gems - which isno guarantee that the necklaceyou buy will contain any.For dining, Prego Restaurant (be-

side theAmariResort onChawengBeachRoad) hassome ofthe bestItalianfare onthe is-land. Forsunsetwithseafood,BigJohn's atBan LipaNoi doesa finelobstermas-saman.

Elsewhere are hundreds of eater-ies, offering the gamut from Tex-Mex to Royal ai degustationfeasts.NIGHTLIFEMost of Samui's nightlife happensin Chaweng and Lamai. Wanderthe gauntlet of Chaweng's beerbars and cocktail lounges or headto Soi Green Mango, a full-tiltbar zone which specialises in loudmusic, cold beer and dancing.Bophut, the quiet alternative, of-fers the Siam Classic DanceRestaurant and various beachbars. Or, if a bit of the old ultra-violence is more your style, checkthe Muay ai kick-boxing atChaweng Stadium.To glimpse a version of howSamui once was, head offshore toAng ong Marine National Parkor resort islands such as Koh Pan-gan, Koh Tao and Koh NangYuan.Failing that, just kick back.

e medium is still the mas-sage and in Samui there are $10-an- hour treatments everywhere -although I draw the line at onepromising "Pink Lady Live PianoMassage."

(An article by JOHN BORTHWICK, e West Australian)

that�has�been�completely�transformed.The�pier�at�Bophut�is�the�gateway�to�a�town�

BLOOD DONATION -Khun Kanyaporn Kongfoo (1st from left), directorof human resources of Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui led managementteam and hotels’ staff to welcome Centara sister hotels and members of localcommunity to participate the blood donation organized by Koh Samui Hos-pital and Koh Samui Red Cross at Lamai Meeting Room.

2 4 SAMUI GAZETTE | Mar. 16 - 29, 2012ON THE ISLAND ON THE ISLAND

THE Bay is exactly what its nameimplies, a restaurant with dreamyviews over the bay of Chaweng,on the island ofSamui, and serv-ing a selection of fine foods allday, from breakfast through todinner.

Set within the adults-onlyBhundhari Spa Resort & VillasSamui, A Centara Resort, eBay is situated on a pleasantbreezy hillside and offers both in-door and outdoor dining options.

e restaurant features ahealthy buffet breakfast, and anextensive a la carte of Royal aicuisine and international dishesserved at lunch and dinner andthroughout the day, such as thesignature dishes of salt and peppersquid, sweet and sour salmon, andkeang phed ped yang.

Open every day from 06.30 amto 10.30 pm.

e restaurant seats 120 per-sons and can be reserved for pri-vate dining parties with varietiesof ai, Western or barbeque buf-fet menus.

For more information or reser-vations; please call Bhundhari SpaResort& Villas Samui, A CentaraResort at 077 915000 and ask tospeak to e Bay restaurant Orvisit our website at www.centara-hotelsresorts.com

T he Bay offers dining with a v ie w

“WE LOVE COFFEE” - Khun Kritchawat Kittipiroon (center), executiveassistant manager for food & beverage of Centara Grand Beach ResortSamui, recently congratulated Khun Wipha Sookkham (left), restaurant su-pervisor - Piccolo and Khun Waraporn Nookasook (right), restaurant super-visor – Deli Shop, winners of the mystery shopper “We Love CoffeeProgram” from Sara Lee Coffee & Tea (ailand) Ltd., Points are given basedon taste, latte art and perfection of recipes.

SAFE DRIVING CAMPAIGN - As part of its going on “Traffic Knowledge& Safe Driving Skills Campaign,” the management team and staff of CentaraGrand Beach Resort Samui welcomed Capt. Sitthisak Lekchoochart and Pol.Sr. Sgt. Maj. Pongsak Boonmart from Bophut Police Station recently for atraining session held at the hotel.

Keang Ped Ped Yang

Bhundhari Spa Resort & Villas Samui