Samui Gazette Edition 23

June 10 - 23, 2011 Vol. 2 No. 12 www.thesamuigazette.com 25 baht

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PASSENGERS of budgetairlines operating domesticroutes no longer have tocomplain about repeatedflight delays, unfair ticketprices and extra feescharged. This after Trans-port Ministry permanentsecretary Supoj Saplom is-sued a directive to the CivilAviation Department tostrictly enforce a regulation

to ensure all budget airlinesoperating domestic routesabide by a regulation pro-tecting the rights of passengers. Under the regu-lation, low-cost airlines mustprovide food and drinks orticket refunds to delayedpassengers and must informpassengers about their rightsin the event of flightdelays.

THE death of an Englishbusinessman, who wasfound near a shallowmuddy part of theChaweng Lake recently,became a much-talkedabout and controversialincident following con-flicting versions of thecause of death.

Kevin Attew, a 57-year oldbusinessman who reportedlyowns a popular gay bar inChaweng and was a memberof a known motorcycle rid-ers group on the island, wasdescribed by police to havedied of drowning based onan autopsy report conductedin Koh Samui.The police report indicatedhe drowned in the shallowwest side part of PruChaweng on May 25. Forensic police declared himdead for four to five hours

before police and Samui Res-cue found him, according tothe report.The same report said Bophutpolice also found in the areaa half-full liquor bottle, ablack backpack and a pack ofcigarettes.Preliminary investigationconducted by the police re-vealed Attew had left his barin the afternoon that day andreportedly told his staff hewas going to have anothertattoo.Communication with himwas lost after that.The authorities initially hadnot been able to identify thecause of the death, but as-sumed that Attew mighthave gotten too drunk andfell into the water becausethey did not find signs of as-sault on his body or physicalevidence that would suggesthe was murdered.

Funding allotted for new roads,

Englishmans death

Passengers of budget airlines

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sparks controversy

THE Samui municipality isreportedly spending someBt1 billion to develop a sus-tainable water managementand drainage system, as wellas for building new roads.Suratthani Tourism Councilpresident Seni Puwasettha-won said once the projectsare completed, flooding

problems on the island willbe considerably eased andflood waters, which used todrain in three to four dayswill drain in two days in-stead. Around Bt700 million willbe earmarked for the expan-sion of reservoirs inChaweng and Namuang

areas and to develop a waterdrainage system. The rest of the budget willbe spent for a new 13-kilome-ter road. The projects are ex-pected to be finished byyear-end. There were alsoreports tourism operatorsstill want help from the gov-ernment

RAMP BEAUTIES - From left to right: Kinga, Elena, Olga, Elle and Noki - five finalists of therecently-held Shades of Summer Fashion Show organized by Samui Lifestyle magazine andsponsored by Xin City and The Sound Club, along with other sponsors, pose before judges.A total of 14 ladies paraded collections of stylish clothes and fashion designs from Apollo 8,B&B Genevieve and Island Girl. A competition among the models resulted in the five final-ists chosen by a panel of judges, who later picked the Hungarian beauty, Kinga as the winner.

sustainable water management to benefit from new transport ministry regulation

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By THE GAZETTE STAFF

IslandNewsSAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 20112Thai hospitals on E coli alert

THAI hospitals nationwide have been instructedto be on alert for a deadly new toxic strain of Ecoli that has killed about 20 people worldwide.

It is believed to have originated from poor hy-giene at a farm, in transit, or in a shop or foodoutlet, a senior Thai public health ministry offi-cial said.Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. PaijitWarachit said the ministrys Disease Control De-partment found that typically about one millionpatients suffering from diarrhea are found in trop-ical countries annually. Since the beginning of this year, about 530,000 pa-tients suffering from diarrhea were found in Thai-land, of which 21 died, but no cases of the rarestrain of the bacteria which is now attacking Eu-ropean countries were found in this country sofar.Dr Paijit said his ministry is now monitoring Ecoli (Escherichia coli) in two ways - through foodand drug checkpoints which is the responsibilityof the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) andthrough hospitals throughout the country whichhave been told to immediately send samples forlaboratory tests on patients suspected of sufferingfrom acute diarrhea.

Dr Rungrueng Kitphati, director of the Bureau ofEmerging Infectious Diseases, said hospitals na-tionwide have been instructed to accelerate diag-nosing patients suffering from severe diarrhea

and send samples for laboratory tests as Thailandhas never experienced this disease before, andpeople should not panic because the number ofpatients found in Europe now is still relativelysmall.There are reports that the source of E.coli is at-tributed to changes in environment which hascontaminated food and agricultural products.

People who have eaten these contaminated foodwill suffer from acute diarrhea and frequent vom-iting, causing kidney to function abnormally andsome patients would die between three or fourdays after being infected, Dr. Rungruang said.

Dr Pipat Yingseri, secretary-general of FDA, saidhis office had conducted random tests on vegeta-bles and fruits from Spain and Germany but didnot find any of them tainted with the new bacte-ria.Reuters, a global news agency quoted Europeanhealth institutes as saying yesterday that thespread of E coli can be contained by washing veg-etables and hands before eating, or preparing foodto avoid bacteria being passed on from the fecesof an infected person.

The failure to find the source of the outbreak,complicated by the fact that salads include a vari-ety of ingredients from different producers oftenfrom different countries, has becoming increas-ingly worrying for health authorities and

consumers, Reuters said.The center of the outbreak of the deadly bacteriawas reported in early May in Hamburg, Germany,and the number of those detected with the dis-ease in that country rose to 1,733 with the deathtoll of at least, according to Reuters. (MCOT online news)

IslandNewsSAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 2011 3BIG cleaning day on Samui.The first mission to restoreSamui from flooding hasbeen accomplished with thefull cooperation of TheTourism Authority of Thai-land (TAT), the Samui Mu-nicipality, the SamuiTourism Promotion Associa-tion, the Thai Hotel Associa-tion (South-East Chapter),Bangkok Airways and re-lated agencies.

This teamwork will conveya clear message of how theresidents of Koh Samui loveand care for their home. AndKoh Samui itself has an in-ternational level of safetystandards; therefore touristscan visit Samui at anytime ofthe year, said Koh SamuiMayor Mr. Ramnate Jaik-wang.The Head of the TourismCoordination Center inSamui, Ms. Saipayom Som-suk, commented:Actually, Koh Samui, KohTao, and Koh Pha Ngan haverecovered and been back tonormal since March 31st.The overall conditions fromnow to the summer arelikely to get as warm as 35degrees Celsius. All trans-portation means and publicutilities are now operated asusual.M.L. Nandhika Varavarn,Bangkok Airways Vice Pres-ident - Corporate Communi-cations said, Samui is backin business and is ready towelcome its tourists back forsummer. And to encouragethe travelers, Bangkok Air-ways will launch a special all inclusive return fareBangkok-Samui of 4,300baht. Passengers can alsograb this deal throughBangkok Airways websitewww.bangkokair.comMoreover, the Tourism Au-thority of Thailand willlaunch a series of events topromote Samui and othertourist spots in southernThailand, which will in-clude:

1. Amazing Coasts South: Aconsumer travel fair to beheld at the Queen Sirikit Na-tional Convention Center inBangkok May 26-29, 2011, toassist and support compa-nies which have been af-fected by the floods.

2. Motor Caravan: To be or-ganized in July 2011 along theBangkok - Surat Thani Nakhon Si Thammarat routeto show that the roads arenow in good condition andback to normal.3. TAT Golf Challenge 2011@ Surat Thani: To be held atRatchaprapa Dam in May2011 to highlight the diversityof golf activities in thesouthern region.4. Environmental Activities:A Corporate Social Respon-sibility (CSR)-driven activityto be held in June 2011 bybuilding 84 weirs on Samuiin order to alleviate futureflooding in the area.5. Promoting the domesticMICE sector: A group of do-mestic MICE buyers to betaken on a survey trip inJune 2011, in cooperationwith the Thailand Conven-tion and Exhibition Bureau,to survey the readiness ofthe region to handle MICEactivities.

6. Visit South Thailand withTAT and Bangkok MassTransit System (BTS): Pro-motional activities on week-days during the GreenSeason for BTS Skytraincardholders, to be co-orga-nized with the BangkokMass Transit System andVoyage Magazine.7. Agents and Media FamTrip: Taking agents and touroperators from various asso-ciations, including themedia, to survey the south-ern areas and generate op-portunities for creating newrecovery-themed packages.Visit South Help South tobe offered during the GreenSeason. This will be organ-ized in May and June 2011.

THE GAZETTES PAGE 3 NEEDS YOU. Because we like to keep things fresh, we in-vite you to send us your cool photos. Email them to [email protected].

BANGKOK The capital of Thailand israted second as the city with the highestliving costs in ASEAN, according to the2011 cost of living survey of the Econo-mist Intelligence Unit (EIU) of the Econ-omist Magazine. It was found thatSingapore had the highest living cost inthe ASEAN region and was ranked tenthin the world while Bangkok and KualaLumpur, the capital city of Malaysia,were ranked second and third in ASEANas well as 72nd and 90th in the world re-spectively. EIU economists said prices ofdomestic products and exchange rateswere the major factors driving the livingcost in Asian countries. Tokyo of Japan

reportedly had the highest living cost inthe world, followed by Osaka of thesame country. Paris of France fell to thethird place after it was at the top of thetable in 2010 due to the Euro deprecia-tion compared with the Yen currency. Hong Kong moved up to the 11th fromthe 28th while Shanghai and Beijing ofChina were also rated 29th and 36thafter they were ranked 45th and 58th lastyear respectively. There were five citiesin Asia on the list of top 10 cities withlowest living costs, comprising Manila ofthe Philippines, Kathmandu of Nepal,New Delhi and Mumbai of India andKarachi of Pakistan. (NNT)

Bangkok ranks 2nd in ASEAN as city with highest living cost

Samui ready to welcometourists back -officials

IslandNewsSAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 20114Births, marriages and deaths

2.PropertyMost of us want to pass ourmoney and possessions toour spouses, partners orchildren and for this reason,if you have property/posses-sions in Thailand, youshould always make a Willor some other legal arrange-ment to ensure that yourloved ones are not left pen-niless and stranded here.Make a Will in English andin Thai for your Thai pos-sessions while making a sep-arate Will to deal with anyassets you have in a differentcountry under the law ofthat land.If you have children youshould think about whatarrangements you havemade for them, includingwho will take care of themand how this will be put inprocess if something doeshappen to you while in a for-eign country.Some couples want to havespecial arrangements abouttheir property but this needto be handled carefully par-ticularly to protect the emo-tions of the couplesinvolved.3.DisputesJust because most of usthink we are in paradise, it isnot always the case foreveryone. Living in a foreign countryis not always easy and some-times the stress of it, alongwith all the normal stresses

of life, can lead to relation-ship breakdowns and di-vorce. If this happens you willneed a good lawyer to takecare of the arrangement ofcustody for any children ofthe relationship. I always re-mind people to think of chil-dren as people, as opposedto possessions, they shouldnot be used as weapons totake out our anger at thebreakdown of the relation-ship.Relationship breakdowncan be very distressing, evenmore so if you are in a for-eign country away from fam-ily and friends, and theremay be violence involvedwhich would require moreaggressive legal action suchas an injunction. Make surethat you have a lawyer whounderstands this if it is hap-pening to you, after manyyears of working in WomensAid (providing refuges forbeaten women in the UK) Ican say that if violence is in-volved ultimately your lifemay be at risk!Hopefully, none of the aboveissues will arise but if you doneed help contact yourlawyer or we will be happyto assist. - Karen Bone, PKNLegal & Business Consul-tancy, www.samui-business-lawyer.com. (This article waspreviously published but someparts were inadvertently omit-ted, thus, this re-run. - Ed.)

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I HAVE lived in Thailandnow for over 10 years. During that time, I have seenmany foreigners experiencethe big three, birth (happensto us all), marriage (whatmost people do at leastonce) and death (an in-evitable consequence of life).Here is a guide to some ofthe legal issues with the bigthree.1.Registration Registration of a birth inThailand is fairly easy youattend the Tessabaan Officein Nathon with the docu-

ments which you will receive from the hospitalwhere your child is born.You should then registerthe birth of your child withthe embassy or embassies ofthe nations that the parentsof the child come from if applicable. To this you willneed a certified translationof the Thai birth certificatewhich you got from the Tessabaan. Registration of a marriageis also relatively easy butyou will need certified documents proving who youare and that you are free to

marry before you can proceed.Registration of a divorce (ifthe marriage was registeredin Thailand) under Thai lawis also simple and can bedone at the Amphur youmust have 2 Thai witnesses.Registration of a deathagain requires documentsfrom the hospital so that youcan get a death certificatewhich then needs to have acertified translation andmust be sent by recorded delivery to the correct embassy with the deceasedpersons passport.

IslandNewsSAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 2011 5Passengers... From Page 1

(From Page 1)a second airport on the islandas the current hotel oversupplyis leading to a price war even asboth local and international de-mand remains high.The number of flights to the is-land, according to the report, islimited to 36 per day, 34 byBangkok Airways, which ownsthe airport and two from ThaiAirways International. The maximum number of seatsper flight is 130.Thai Airways reportedly wantsto increase service to fourflights per day, but cannot be-cause of airport congestion.The average hotel occupancyrate in the low season is esti-mated at 40-50% and 70-80%during the high season. Last year, 20 hotels with 300combined rooms reportedlyopened on the island, bringingthe total to 17,000 rooms.This year, only four or five newhotels are expected and roomrates are expected to drop sig-nificantly. A night in a five-star hotel willdrop to an average of Bt5,000from Bt5,800 last year, it was re-ported.Tourism operators believe pro-motional tickets should be of-fered during the low season tohelp attract tourists. At present,the round-trip air ticket price isreportedly around Bt9,000 forboth high and low seasons."We hardly see any air ticketpromotions for Samui. Istrongly believe if there weremore promotions, the occu-pancy rate in low season wouldincrease at least 20% and theprice war would moderate,"said Mr Seni.Around three to four investorshave reportedly shelved hotelprojects worth a combined Bt4billion because the flight limitcaps tourism growth on the is-land. Airlines reportedly cannot offerfare discounts to Samui becauseits privately-owned airportcharges landing fees as high asBt120,000 per flight while state-run airports charge half theamount.

Airlines are also re-quired to provide disabledpassengers with wheel-chairs without extra fees.The carriers must provideconsumer protectionagencies with details oftheir minimum and maxi-mum fares and show thedetails on their websites,a recent media reportquoting Mr Supoj .The regulation was issuedfollowing complaintsfrom many passengersabout repeated flight de-

lays, unfair ticket pricesand extra fees charged bybudget airlines.Under the ministry's reg-ulation, a low-cost airlinemust serve meals anddrinks and provide com-munication services topassengers if flights aredelayed more than twohours but not exceedingthree hours.The airline must giveticket refunds if passen-gers do not want to boarddelayed flights.

If the airline wants tomake refunds in the formof vouchers or otheritems, it must receive con-sent from affected passen-gers.If a flight is delayed by upto five hours, the airlinemust provide a replace-ment flight or a flight tothe nearest destinationwith no additional cost, orrepay the difference if thereplacement fare ischeaper. Passengers mustalso be served with food

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and drinks. If a flight is de-layed for more than fivehours, passengers are enti-tled to compensation of600 baht from the airline.But there are exceptions ifdelays are caused by a po-litical situation, weatherconditions or work stop-pages. "Over the past years,several airlines have col-lected manyextra fees. Thiscauses budget airline pas-sengers to pay fares higherthan those charged by thenational carrier, Thai Air-ways International," saidMr Supoj. The problem offlight delays has gradually

improved since two majorbudget airlines _ ThaiAirAsia and Nok Air _ in-creased the number oftheir planes.The ministry has askeddeputy permanent secre-tary Sornsak Saensombatto come up with urgentmeasures to make Thai-land's 28 airports moreprofitable. Previous studieshave proposed allowing theprivate sector to take overmanagement of the air-ports or dividing the air-ports into zones, with firmsbeing hired to manage eachzone.

On TheIslandSAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 20116

10. Moving to Milan and start-ing new career as a male model.Was advised he has great movesfor runway work.

9. Realizes an opportunity onSamui when he sees one, so isopening up"Chez Andy's PowerCompany."

8. Won World Championshipof Poker. Now has so damnmuch money theres no longerany need to work.

7. Always had fantasy of open-ing up gelato store. Purchasedformer Swensons on ViaVeneto in Rome and opening upChez Andys Gelato Factory.

6. Involved in love trianglewith Carla Bruni, Sarkozyswife. Taking apartment in Parisand seeing if things can workout.

5. Opening an "internet-

provider company" that, notonly advertises but ACTUALLYprovides high-speed internetservice!

4. Got tired of those over in-flated prices on Bangkok Air-ways. Wants to only live incities that Nok Air flies to.

3. Discovered Book of Mor-mom. Going to be missionaryfor Mormon Church in Ghana,and will be referred to asBrother Andy."

2. Opening up restaurant chaincalled the Braised Oxtail,serving nothing but his famousbraised Oxtail Soup.

1. With epic success of Lamaisworld famous Happy Bar,bought franchise and openingup Happy Bar Bangkok. Nowlooking to hire snaggletoothedbar girls for gala Bangkokopening.

Top Ten reasons beingspeculated why Andy Muellerclosed Chez Andy restaurant

SILAVADEE Pool Spa Resort (Koh Samui) has beenawarded a Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor inMay 2011. Travelers have shared their opinions on Tri-pAdvisor and they were impressed with the quality ofour products and services. We are very grateful that104 of our previous guests have rated Silavadee PoolSpa Resort as excellent. TripAdvisor is the world'slargest travel site, enabling travelers to plan and havethe perfect trip. It offers trusted advice from real trav-elers and a wide variety of travel choices and planningfeatures (including Flights search, TripAdvisor Mobileand TripAdvisor Trip Friends) with seamless links tobooking tools. We would like to take this opportunityto express our sincere thanks and appreciation to all ofour guests who have supported us and wrote a reviewfor Silavadee Pool Spa Resort. Silavadee Pool Spa Re-sort is a private hideaway of untouched nature withbreathtaking scenery. The resort is a unique and exclu-sive sanctuary offering warm Thai hospitality to thosewishing to experience serenity and romance in a stun-ning natural environment. The back to nature con-cept covers 36 rooms of the three different luxurycategories as well as the 19 elegant and exclusive poolvillas which enchant the eye with classy, handmadeteak furniture and exquisite fabricsWe hope that more and more people will get chance tofeel the Silavadee Spirit created by our dedicated teamand to feel the distinct quality and unique charm ofthis resort and surrounding area.

Silavadee Resort wins certificate of excellence

EXTREME BEER DRINKING WINNERS - Members of theSuperPro Samui team Nigel (center), Laurence (extremeright) and an unnamed teammate pose with Sambora Tropi-cana owner Michelle (2nd from right) and her son Justin(2nd from left), after winning the inaugural staging of theSubzero Drink and Dive an extreme beer drinking contest.The one of a kind event, also sponsored by Singha, will beheld regularly in various venues on the island.

Island NewsSAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 2011 7Kalara Properties wins 2 awards in ChinaKALARA International Properties Thailand hasbeen awarded Best Real Estate Company Thailandand Best Real Estate Website Thailand at the AsiaPacific Property Awards in association withBloomberg Television. The winners were announced at the gala dinneron 31st May at The Longemont Hotel in Shanghaiwhich was well attended by hundreds of leadingproperty professionals from across the Asia Pacific. Kalara is believed to be the first real estate company (agent) in Koh Samui to win such prestigious award.The annual event is part of the InternationalProperty Awards, the worlds most prestigiouscompetition dedicated to identifying the best realestate professionals across the globe. The event was attended by Mr Carl Lamb, Managing Director of Kalara International Properties, Ms Zulal Ut, Marketing Manager, MrAdam Stanborough ,Sales Manager and Mr ChrisWillison, Developments Manager.The event is part of the long established International Property Awards and its award winners logo is recognized as a symbol of

excellence throughoutthe global industry. Attaining one of thesecoveted awards is indisputable evidencethat Kalara International Properties is capableof beating some exceedingly strongcontenders within thehighly competitiveAsia Pacific propertyarena.The judging panel ischaired by Lord Batesof Langbaurgh andconsists of more than 60 professionals whose collective knowledge of the property industry isunsurpassed by any other property awards. This years judges include James Bacon, UK account manager of Google; Peter Bolton King,group chief executive of the National Federationof Property professionals; David Dalby of the

Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS);and Mike McNamara of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).The award is recognition that Kalara InternationalProperties is among the industrys most highly regarded and trusted companies.

WINNING TEAM (left to right): Kalara International Properties Zulal Ut, CarlLamb, Chris Willison and Adam Stanborough, with the two awards.

CONRAD Koh Samui,part of Hilton Worldwide'sglobal luxury brand, is setto open early this July.The resort is situated onthe south-west tip of the is-land with 25 acres of tropi-cal landscape.The decor at the all-villaresort will be tropical hard-wood floors and Thai silks,with high-tech featuressuch as iPoddocking sta-tions, LCD flat-screen televisions andCD/DVD players.Full-length windows max-imise the view over the

Gulf of Thailand and allhave private infinity pools,which grow with the sizeof the villa.Eating options will includea Mediterranean choice butalso, more fittingly, thecliff-side restaurant Jahnwill offer Thai specialities.The hotel also features aholistic spa, an on-site div-ing and sailing center, gymand yoga pavilion.One-bedroom villas from391 per night B&B, con-radhotels1.hilton.com(Source: London Evening Stan-dard)

Tropical perfection in Thailand

Tourists not allowed fromgetting Buddha tattoosTHAILANDS cultureministry said that foreignvisitors should not be ableto get culturally insensitiveBuddhist tattoos.Niphit Intharasombat, theculture minister, said resi-dents have complained thattattoo parlors are etchingsacred images of Buddhaand other religious imageson to the skin of non-Bud-dhist visitors."Foreigners see these tat-toos as fashion," Niphitsaid on the ministry's web-site. They do not think ofrespecting religion, or theymay not be aware that

these tattoos can be offen-sive, he added.Thailand is mostly Bud-dhist, and Buddha statuesand images are consideredsacred objects of worship.Niphit said the cultureministry had asked Thaitattoo parlors to halt theactivity.According to the officialnews agency, NNT, he alsoasked provincial governorsto "inspect tattoo studiosand seek their coopera-tion". NNT also claimedNiphit wants a new lawbanning the practice.(Source: guardian.co.uk)

NationSAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 20118

built up military forces alongthe border and periodicclashes have happened, re-sulting in the deaths oftroops and civilians on bothsides. Regarding the Cambo-dian request to the ICJ to in-terpret judgment on the caseof Preah Vihear temple, in-cluding its request for indi-cation of provisionalmeasures, Mr Suwit saidThailand had to await the re-sult of the ICJ hearing.A Thai legal team led byMinister of Foreign AffairsKasit Piromya went to theHague, Netherlands recentlyto present the observationon Cambodian request onprovision measures to ICJ.The provisional measure is aseparate case from Cambo-

dias request to interpret thecourts 1962 ruling on PreahVihear. As for the interpreta-tion of the courts 1962 rul-ing, it was expected that thecourt would require officialstatement from both sidesabout September or Octoberand would take one or twoyears to consider.On the first day of the hear-ing, Thai legal team had toldthe court that Thailand hadaccepted and complied witha 1962 ICJ ruling that thetemple belonged to Cambo-dia. However the court hasno jurisdiction to judge theCambodian request. Mean-while, Cambodia had also ac-cepted without protest theline drawn by Thailand de-marking the area that en-

compasses the Preah Viheartemple compound followingthe 1962 Court decision.After being silent for 40years, Cambodia started tochallenge the perimeter lim-its of the temple only re-cently when it wanted to listthe temple as a World Her-itage site and wanted thearea as buffer zone to man-age the temple under themanagement plan of the an-cient Hindu temple.Cambodia has also admittedthat it had yet to demarcatethe border - including thearea where Preah Viheartemple is located - when itsigned the memorandum ofunderstanding with Thailandin 2000. (MCOT online news)

Thailand pushing for World Heritage Committee

BANGKOK - Thailand willspeed up its attempt to in-form the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee (WHC)to understand Thailand'sstance on the disputed PreahVihear temple, while planning to hold furthertalks with Cambodia beforethe 35th session of WHC annual meeting to start onJune 19, Minister of NaturalResources and EnvironmentSuwit Khunkitti said recently.Mr Suwit who is also theThai government's chief negotiator, notified the Cabinet about the result of aspecial meeting betweenThailand and Cambodia onMay 25 to 26 on the ancienttemple dispute at Paris-based UNESCO, mediatedby its Director-General IrinaBokova. He said the Thaidelegation stood firm thatthe Cambodian managementplan for Preah Vihear templehad caused problems between the two countriesand the Thai representativeswould go ahead with Thailand's plan to informthe 20 WHC member coun-tries to understand that pos-sible problem may arise inthe future if the WHC ac-cepts the Preah Vihear man-agement plan proposed byCambodia at the 35th WHCmeeting being held June 26-29.However, Mr Suwit admitted

that the move was not easyas many WHC membercountries had provided assistance to Cambodia inthe past but he was confi-dent that those countrieswould understand the problem.During the Paris meeting,UNESCO demonstrated abetter understanding of theissue and towards Thailandsrationale for proposing thatthe WHC postpone consideration of Cambodiasmanagement plan in the areaof the Preah Vihear templepending finalization of theboundary negotiations be-tween the two countries.This also included the pro-posal that in the long-term,Preah Vihear temple shouldbe inscribed as a trans-boundary property.However, at this stage, Cam-bodia continued to insistthat its management plan beconsidered at the WHCmeeting.Mr Suwit said further dis-cussion on how to proceedwould therefore be neededand he expected Thailandand Cambodia would holdtalks again before the start ofWHC meeting on June 16.The International Court ofJustice (ICJ) awarded PreahVihear temple to Cambodiain 1962 and the temple wasenlisted as a World HeritageSite on July 7, 2008.Since then, both sides have

Customs officials seize endangered tortoises, turtles at the airport

understanding on Preah Vihear temple dispute

BANGKOK - Customs officials seized 451 tortoises, soft-shelled turtles and gharials smuggled into Thailand atSuvarnabhumi Airport by asuspected internationalsmuggling syndicate of endangered animals, according to Director-Gen-eral Prasong Poontanet ofthe Thai Customs Department. The reptileswere worth Bt1 million(some US $33,000), including 140 small aquaticturtles, 35 Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone ele-gans), seven soft-shelledturtles, seven gharials, one

Asian narrow-headed soft-shelled turtle and someother species of tortoises.All the confiscated animalswere hidden in baggagefrom the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka toBangkok, Mr Prasong saidduring a press briefing.Currently, the reptiles arebeing cared for by the air-port's Wildlife Checkpoint,as evidence for further in-vestigation and followingup on the gang of allegedsmugglers.The related customs offi-cials also lodged a com-plaint at a local policestation to locate the gang of

alleged smugglers for legalprosecution. Thailandsigned an agreement underthe Convention of Interna-tional Trade in EndangeredSpecies (CITES), an inter-national agreement be-tween governments,designed to ensure that theinternational trade in spec-imens of wild animals andplants does not threatentheir survival. If foundguilty, the members of thesyndicate will be charged,according to Thailand'sWild Animal Reservationand Protection Act andCustoms Act. (MCOT on-line news).

SAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 2011

9BusinessBANGKOK The Thai economy ex-panded at a slower pace in April as pro-duction and exports in the auto industryshrank in the aftermath of the naturaldisaster in Japan, according to Senior Di-rector Mathee Supapongse of the Bankof Thailand's Domestic Economy De-partment.He said the impact of the earthquakeand the tsunami which followed in Japanis set to gain momentum in May, but isexpected to ease in the third quarter ofthis year.Thailand's electronics industry, how-ever, was not adversely affected by the

incidents because producers and ex-porters have been able to find electron-ics parts from other countries.Mr Mathee said that Thailand's businessconfidence index in April edged down to47.3 from 54 in March since the businesssector responded with fears about pro-duction and purchase orders.But the business confidence index innext three months edged up to 52.8 from52 in the previous month.As for the impact of the natural disasterin Japan on the overall Thai economy, hesaid the Central Bank must wait for theeconomic data from

Economic growth slow

BANGKOK Thailand's largest oil firm, PTT, hasannounced recently the selection of IRPC PresidentPailin Chuchottaworn as its new chief executive offi-cer and president of the oil and gas conglomerate, re-placing outgoing CEO Prasert Bunsumpun whoseterm expires in September.Naris Chaiyasoot, PTT's acting chairman, said thecompany's board of directors agreed to appoint theIRPC president to the top job of the country's oillargest firm.IRPC is a producer of integrated petrochemical prod-ucts. The current PTT CEO's term will end Sept 9and the appointment of the new president will takeeffect the following day, with a four-year term, ac-cording to Mr Naris.Mr Naris also reaffirmed the transparency of the se-lection process under the regulations of selectionprocess for senior executive position of the state en-treprises.The acting chairman said Mr Pailin was chosen forhis outstanding experience and far-sighted vision inthe petroleum industry with its many fluctuations.Mr Pailin also has good knowledge on engineeringfield and has good communication skills with bothwithin and outside the organisation, explained MrNaris.Although he assumes the post in PTT Plc, Mr Pailinwill also remain acting chair of IRPC Plc.IRPC or Integrate Refinery Petrochemical Complex,formerly Thai Petrochemical Industry, TPI, and itssubsidiaries are currently the first fully integratedpetrochemical complex in Southeast Asia. IRPCsplants are located in an industrial area in RayongProvince with facilities to support the businessessuch as deep sea port, tank farm and power plant.Krairit Nilkuha, chairman of the new CEO's selectioncommittee, asserted there was no political interfer-ence in the selection.

Mr Prasert, the current PTT president, welcomed thenew ceo-selected, saying he would relegate workloadto Mr Pailin so that the newcomer will have chance tolearn more about the company in the next threemonths prior to the end of his term.

PTT, formerly known as the Petroleum Authority ofThailand, was established in 1978 for its primary mis-sion in expediting to procure adequate oil for domes-tic consumption and has been privatised in 2001, withan initial registered capital of Bt20 billion and havingthe Ministry of Finance as the largest shareholder.

Shares of PTT closed on Friday at Bt354, up Bt2 onthe Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) in trade worthBt788.02 million. (MCOT online news)

Export promotion chief confidentexports will achieve target

PTT picks new CEO

Now at new location just acrossFarmers Restaurant

BANGKOK - Thailand'sDepartment of Export Pro-motion (DEP) Director-Gen-eral Nuntawan Sakuntanagaexpressed confidence theagency will be able toachieve the country's tar-geted export growth of atleast 15 percent this year.She said the country's ex-ports could be affected bysome negative factors suchas higher oil prices, publicdebt in Europe, the fragilerecovery of the United Stateseconomy, and repercussionsfrom recent earthquake andensuing tsunami in Japan.These factors, however,would not undermine thedepartment's efforts to boost

export growth through themarketing network estab-lishment by the private andpublic sectors under the Ex-port Clinic Program andmany other projects.She said exporters are keento penetrate the ASEANmarket because they be-lieved the region's ASEANEconomic Community(AEC) will become a realityin 2015. The value of trade inthe ASEAN market has risencontinuously, currentlyranked at the top of the listof Thai trade partners interms of trade value. The es-tablishment and full func-tioning of the AseanEconomic Community AEC,

she believes, will carry Thai-land's trade value to higherlevels in the market.Ms Nuntawan said the risingoil prices and currency fluc-tuations are nonethelessconsidered as key risk fac-tors to export growth.Rising fuel prices have hadworldwide repercussions,but the currency exchangerate is not as volatile at pres-ent. Under the circum-stances, Thai exporters arein a position to make astrategic plan to positiontheir products overseas andcompete with their rivals inneighboring countries, sheadded. (MCOT online news).

Turn to Page 15

Natural gas consumption in May hits record high due to rise in oil pricesBANGKOK -Thailands natural gas use inMay hit a record high for the past 30 years at4.5-4.6 billion cubic feet per day, higher thanthe 4.1 billion cubic feet per day on averagein 2010, according to Kurujit Nakornthap,Deputy Permanent Secretary for Energy.The increased consumption was caused bymany factors including high use of NaturalGas for Vehicles (NGTV) at 6,000 tons perday owing to high oil prices.Moreover, he said electricity consumptionhas risen, so the Energy Ministry has soughtto find more natural gas for future use be-cause if the economy continues to grow,there will be even higher energy demand.Natural gas is also needed for power genera-tion as Thailand has postponed its nuclearpower plant plans for another three yearsfrom its original plan to achieve nuclear

power generation in 2020.Mr Kurujit said natural gas reserves in theGulf of Thailand and in the Malaysia-Thai-land Joint Development Area (JDA) isaround 23 trillion cubic feet.If natural gas use remains at around 4.5 bil-lion cubic feet per day or some1.25 trillioncubic feet per year, natural gas reserves inthe Gulf of Thailand will be exhausted in thenext 18 years.If the demand for natural gas rises to fivebillion cubic feet per day or 1.55 trillioncubic feet per year, natural gas in the Gulf ofThailand will be gone in 15 years.PTT Pcl , Thailand's biggest energy com-pany, has speeded up its purchases of naturalgas from neighboring countries and to im-port Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). However,more dependency on Turn to Page 15

in April- BoT official

OpinionSAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 201110

Samui GazetteA publication of YuCiNo Enterprises Co., Ltd.

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

Editorial

Editorial Consultant: Patrick RoxasEditor: P. MeepienReporters: Akanee Thongtara, Cherdchai TaweemuangContributors: Alister Bredee, Suzanne Buchanan, JohnGreenwood, Des Gillet, Rob Newman, Jo Rowkins,Rosanne Turner, Geoff Whitlie, TAN Network

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 and Koh Phangan.

LIGHTH

OUSE

cartoon

s

The Detox

EditorialPower supply situation in Samui

Turn to page 17

DETOX, detoxification the dictionary explains it as such, when you stop taking unhealthyor harmful foods, drinks or drugs into your body for a period of time, in order to improveyour health She went on a 48-hour detox, eating nothing but grapes.Detoxification;The process of removing harmful chemicals from somethingWell as you circumnavigate this green and pleasant isle and on your travels you may pick upand read any of the many magazines and newspapers. In these publications there are count-less advertisements for numerous detox centres, spas and the likes. They are touted as aplace of rejuvenation and healthy places to visit. Basically in lemans terms these are theplaces to frequent to give yourself a well deserved oil change. You are offered many thingssuch as yoga classes, Tai chi, hypno therapy, meditation, massages and many other things. Ipersonally have had a 10 day fast, detox and colon cleanse. This involved not eating a thingfor the whole ten days bar vitamins and supplements in the form of drinks and juices andthe odd soup, I use the word soup very loosely as it was more like hot water with a sprig ofcelery in it. For those who have not done one before I will let you in on how I saw it. Firststep is to go with a instructor for your induction and then they explain exactly what andhow you should be treating yourself, then watch an informative video of what to do ie put apipe up your bum. The first time you do it, it is the most embarrassing position you couldever be in, you lie down on a colema board which is a plastic bed with a hole down one endwhich sits over a toilet bowl, you are then given a bucket which is filled with warm waterand a mixture of coffee or garlic, you then proceed in placing the plastic tube which isclamped in to the bucket which is hanging from a hook on the ceiling and the other end youhave to ky jelly the end of it and while you are lying down with your legs up in the air feelaround for your bum hole and then stick the pipe up your back passage. Then as you assumethe position which as any middle aged English man will tell is not a position that you wouldwant to be photographed in, not a pretty site completely naked with your legs up in the airwith a plastic tube connected to a bucket filled with coffee or garlic water. Ive never been acoffee drinker so garlic was my flavour of choice. So the tube runs from the bucket and thisis when the procedure becomes a little bit tricky the clip which stops the water from flowingout is close to hand while you should have lubed the end of the tube already and I wouldsuggest you lube up your bum hole as well to make the insertion that little bit more easy,first off I am a straight man who has never had a prostate exam so taking things analy is notone of my regular exercises.. Then without the aid of smoke and mirrors you have to feelaround for the anus and then proceed to start to poke the plastic

IN our Dec 3rd issue last year, we reported about the potential of having rolling blackouts to limit electricalenergy use during peak holiday periods of mid-Decem-ber though mid-January due to the fact that one of thesubmarine power cables from the mainland had brokendown and 37% of the islands electrical power wasknocked out. The rolling blackouts never happened, unless you consider the normal on-off, on-off we usually experiencewith our power and internet facilities.But recently, during what could only be considered thelowest of the low seasons ever, parts of the island are indeed experiencing blackouts regularly, for anywherefrom 1 minute to 36 hour blackouts, with no official wordcoming from the Provincial Electric Authority as to whythis is happening. Bangrak, Plai Laem and Maenam seem to be especiallyhard hit. The blackouts do not seem to be on an irregulartime schedule but are regular in their random repetitive-ness, day by day, and in some case even hour by hour.The power situation here is a bad joke and no one seemsto be fessing up as to why. The situation is as bad as anythird-world country but the island, and especially certainhigh end resorts and airlines are trying to promote Samuias a wonderful high-end destination. Without power, asanyone here who has experienced a one or two dayblackout can attest, the situations at residences and ho-tels become more like a camp out rather than a luxuryexperience.To top it off, no one is notifying anyone about impendingpower outages, which, at least, many long time residentssaid they did in years past. So the scary question is, dothey not know that outages are going to occur, or do theyjust not care enough to let people know? The answer toeither of those questions is bad news for everyone. Has a second underwater cable been cut? Or has thewild assortment of cables hanging all over these polesjust became too complex to manage efficiently?The residents of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan deserve abetter power grid than they are getting. We are payingextremely high electric rates but getting totally unreliable power supply. The same could be said, equally, for the internet and landline phone systems on the island, and especially so, sincethey are not on meters! Try, just for one month, keeping alog of the time your internet or phones are down andthen go in and offer to pay the providers just for the proportion of the month you had service.

Ad Sales and Circulation

Opinion 11SAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 2011

LASTMay 18, Five of us did the walk up to the new temple atone of the highest points of Koh Samui to see the recently un-veiled nine meter Buddha on top. It's quite impressive andyou can see how big it is by the photo of some of us in front ofit. They have installed four spot lights on the base, so it will beclearly visible at night from many places in Lamai. Sadly, as Ipredicted a few months ago, the front left of the temple, as youface Lamai, has been damaged in the big storms at the end ofMarch, they are trying to repair it but the sand and rocksunder the front two pillars have been washed away, it has nowbeen reinforced with more rocks but the land below theserocks will surely also get washed away in the next big storm.There has also been damage done on the roof of the temple,on that same corner, some of the concrete has fallen off. I'mnot trying to be pessimistic but I believe the choice of locationfor this temple, is not a good one. Then we went to therestaurant, about 150 meters away and had a bite to eat, goodfood and reasonably priced, considering all their stock has tobe carried up to the top of the hill.Then we pressed on, going across the hill top, through thedurian orchards to the Magic Garden, where we stopped for

refreshment again.Walking is thirstywork. The final stagewas to take the rightfork and go down to-wards the army base.This was our first timedown this way sincebefore the Marchstorms and I had beentold that there hadbeen only a little dam-age. Wrong! Abouthalf way down, wecame across a massivelandslide that had

swept half of the road away, leaving an almost vertical 40-50meter drop, the remaining half of the road, which consisted ofabout two inches of tarmac, supported by 40-50 meters ofsand. I can predict that the first heavy vehicle to try and ne-gotiate this road will be liable to end up down in the valley.We were walking but we still took care going past there. Thephoto shows the armco, bowing in mid-air, still with the postsattached. Then, about 2 kms further down the hill, we cameacross the point where the whole road had slipped down intothe valley, I thought this happened about five years ago but acolleague says it was only three years ago, no matter, whatdoes matter is that they are attempting to "fix" it, by cuttinginto the hill on the left, then bonding the hill with concretesprayed onto a netting with blue drain pipes inserted intermit-tently. This procedure was used quite extensively, further upthe hill and seems to have been successful, so far. What isreally incredible is that someone has built a house and a salaor viewpoint only about 10 meters above where they are at-tempting this "fix".

OvER A bOTTLE Of bEER

Patrick RoxasDealing with bad moods

AN ASTROLOGER friend tells me there is no doubt that there will be times whenwe will find ourselves in a bad mood. Sometimes we may know why a funk has descended upon us, she said and othertimes, we may have no clue at all. However, even though we may all experience such periods, she stressed it doesn'tmean that we have no recourse for dealing with them. Bad moods, according to her, are messages we are sending to ourselves. Underneath, we usually find something that is making us uncomfortable - some-thing we need to take action on or shift our energy towards in a more positive direc-tion. Often the very reason we're in a bad mood is that we feel helpless or incapable ofdealing with a certain situation. Luckily, she gave me some tips on how to deal positively and effectively with suchtimes.If you are having difficulties understanding the root of your bad mood, give your-self some space to express the things about your life that may be bothering or wor-rying you, she says, adding Chances are the things that come up will be directlytied to those feelings. She assured me the best part about the exercise is that once you pinpoint the sourcebehind your bad mood, you will be in a position to do something constructive aboutit.One interesting point about bad moods, according to her, is that they seem to have amagnetic quality. When we are in one, we seem to attract more negative things our way, she goes on.That's why some "bad mood" days can seem to spiral even further downhill withproblems and annoyances that augment our discontent and frustration. The advise given was - When this happens, it's important to do something nice foryourself - enjoy your favorite beverage (beer!) or snack, find a funny movie or sit-com to watch on the television, or just go for a walk in the park. By turning your attention to something fun or pleasurable, you can try to break thenegative energy and hopefully shift your mood.Another way to break a bad mood, I was told, is to go somewhere else. Even if all you do is to get up and go to another part of the office or you switchrooms in your home, it can make an enormous difference. Or getting outside for a few minutes to a calm or natural setting may help to changeyour mood. Another idea is to get some exercise. Exercise, I was told, doesn't just build muscleand tone the body, it also helps the brain to release chemicals called endorphinsthat have a positive effect on our moods.But this was the most important and the one advise I liked the most - And whenyou're in a bad mood don't forget about the people around you. If someone asks, make sure to let him or her know that you are just having a toughday and reassure them that that your mood isn't about them. Sometimes, just telling someone that you are in a bad mood can shift your energy toa better place.For me, I try mostly to bury myself with more work or keep myself busy with some-thing else, but I guess as she says, Patrick, the important point to remember is thatif you find yourself in a bad mood, don't beat yourself up over it. She sure is right.Sometimes we just have days that aren't so pleasant or great. Recently, I found myself confronted with such situation, I tried out one of her tipsand it made me feel much much better being able to easily get over my bad mood.

THE WALKER

Des GilletDes Gillet is a British expat and a long time resident ofLamai who seems to hate riding a motorbike and is defi-nitely a staunch advocate of no smoking on the island.

THE TREK

Turn to Page 15

ClassifiedSAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 201112

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

GENERAL

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

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Classified 13SAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 2011

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GOESHERE

PoliceSAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 201114Englishmans death... From Page 1

A TWENTY -FIVE year old Thai was hurt when the car heappeared to be driving while intoxicated hit anelectric pole and overturned in Angthong recently.Nuttaphong Meunkum, driving a gray Isuzu pick up on hisway home from Bophut after drinking with friends at around4am lastMay 25, was found by rescuers groaning in pain andshouting for help inside the overturned vehicle. The accident occurred on the ring road in Angthong.Samui Rescue and the Mobilized Medical Unit, whichrushed to the scene had to use a cutting tool to retrieve Nut-taphong from the vehicle and take him to Koh Samui Hospi-tal. The pickup, with plate number 2419, was reportedlyowned by a construction company.Preliminary investigation conducted by the police revealed Nuttaphong was on his way back to his home fromBophut where he and his friends had been drinking bottles of liquor.Police said along the way, Nuttaphong must have gotten drowsy and fell asleep while driving resulting in thevehicle hitting an electric pole causing it to overturn.

The body was first broughtto Koh Samui Hospital forautopsy while further inves-tigation was being con-ducted. The internationalmedia, however, reportedAttew maybe a victim of mur-der citing allegations from hisfriend, who reportedly wasable to take photographs ofAttew at the morgue and al-leged the body bore woundsin the head and hands. A second autopsy done inSuratthani later, however, con-firmed the first report it was acase of drowning, saying therewas no sign of foul play on thevictims body.Another close friend of Attewon the island, who requestednot to be named, told SamuiGazette the British nationalhas lived on Samui for a longtime and is a leader of a bikersclub that raises money forchildren, hospitals andschools and is a nice guy.She also doesnt believe Attewcommitted suicide ordrowned.One British media, BBC NewsHampshire & Isle of Wight,reported Attew, who was ini-tially thought to have commit-ted suicide by drowning wasfound to have serious head in-juries. The English businessman,originally from Aldershot,Hampshire, was reportedfound in a 30cm deep part ofthe lake in Chaweng on May24. The paper alleged that when afriend, Crispin Paton-Smith,

visited the body in the morguehe took photographs ofwounds to Attew's head andhands.From the photos I took in themorgue, I doubt very muchthat he drowned, Paton-Smith was quoted saying. "I'dknown Kevin for quite a fewyears and I've been with himin lots of different situations. Ijust couldn't imagine this guyjust walking off and commit-ting suicide. The whole thing just seemedvery weird so I wanted to goand see him, Paton-Smithwas quoted saying.He described his friend, whohas lived Koh Samui for sevenyears, as "a very friendly per-son" and said he was "liked byeverybody".A spokesman from the BritishForeign and CommonwealthOffice has also confirmed thedeath of the British nationaland was quoted by the newsreport saying "We are helpingthe family through this diffi-cult time but it's a police in-vestigation so we will notcomment on anything ongo-ing."Another British newspaper,The Telegraph, reported amurder inquiry was launchedby the Thai police into thedeath of the Briton despite alocal post mortem report say-ing he had died by drowning.It said a murder inquiry waslaunched after pictures takenby his best friend showed thathe had been beaten to death

first. It also described the man-made lake as less than 30 cen-timeters deep and seemed apoor venue for an allegedlysuicidal man when the Gulf ofThailand was only yardsaway. It also cited CrispinPaton-Smith, it reported as afriend of Attew and who alsolives on Koh Samui, saying "Iwas appalled to hear the ver-dict of drowning. It was a no brainer. Kevin wasbeaten to death and his bodywas left on dry land for quite awhile before being put in thelake."Paton-Smith believes hisfriend did not commit suicide."Kevin ran a very successfulbar and was the sweetest manin the world. He had no ene-mies." The paper also quoteda spokesman for the RegionalPolice in Suratthani saying thecase is being treated as mur-der and have asked for thebody to be sent in the main-land province for a full au-topsy." Paton-Smith also sent anemail to Samui Gazette re-cently saying he is trying veryhard to find out why anyonewould want to murder hisfriend, Kevin Attew. He claimed It is not easy toget authorities to help or in-vestigate and he is trying toget the story to go around theworld in an attempt to have aproper investigation done andnot let the case be sweptunder the rug.

By CHERDCHAI TAWEEMUANGBuffalo fight gambler shot dead

Drunken driver hurt

SHOT TO DEATH- Photo shows Chaoteaw, 48, a knownbuffalo fight gambler on Samui who was shot over an alter-cation. He was taken to the hospital but died hours later.

A BUFFALO fight gamblernamed Chaoteaw was shotdead recently near Hin LadWaterfall after an altercationwith another buffalo owner. The victim was identified asChaoteaw Sae-Lim, 48, aknown buffalo fight gam-bling afficionado on the is-land. He was shot by an11mm-cariber rifle in closerange in a rented house nearHin Lad Waterfall and wasbrought to Koh Samui Hos-pital but died later. Surathip Phongsuwan, 48,the owner of the rentedhouse and a relative of the

victim, said Chaoteaw hadvisited him at the house onthe said date but after awhile, a certain Jojo with lastname unknown, followed thevictim to his house and thetwo had an argument.Jojo later drew a rifle andshot the victim twice beforeriding away on a motorbike.The incident took place atabout 5pm last May 24 whenthe Koh Samui emergencycenter was notified about theshooting near Hin Lad Wa-terfall, Angthong. Thyu called the Koh SamuiPolice Station who immedi-

ately deployed a police in-vestigation team to thescene. Preliminary investigation bythe Koh Samui policeshowed few days before theshooting, the victim hadbound his buffalo to a polein a field. Unfortunately, hisbuffalo got free from therope bound to the pole andran and had a fight with an-other buffalo nearby report-edly belonging to Jojo. Jojocame after the victim andclaimed that his buffalo gotinjured in the incident. Even though the

in car accident

victim had agreed to pay him some compensation, but hewas still not content, drew a rifle and shot the victim dead.The Koh Samui police contacted the Koh Samui ProvincialCourt to requestfor an arrest warrant and to file a formalcharge of murder against the suspect.

DRUNK DRIVING - Photo shows an Isuzu pick up truckwhich overturned in Angthong recently after hitting an elec-tric post. The vehicle was being driven by a 25-year old manwho admitted he was intoxicated after having a drinking ses-sion with his friends in Bophut. He tried to drive home allthe way back to Angthong at around 4am last May 25.

15SAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 2011

Bangrak beach clean up

Island News

Raw, colorful salads avariety of colors will enhance the antioxidanteffect, so mix togetherbeetroot, carrot, red,green and yellow peppers,broccoli, watercress, let-tuce, tomatoes, avocadosand raw seeds tossed withcold-pressed flax oil,lemon juice and garlic fora powerful immune boosting salad. Watermelon blend thisup, flesh, juice and seedsto create a powerful immune boosting drink.The seeds are packedwith selenium, zinc, vitamin E, protein and essential fats.Vitamin C foods mostfruits and vegetables contain vitamin C, with

the best ones being straw-berries, peppers, kiwis,broccoli and citrus fruits. Tinctures and herbs powerful additions for animmune-boost includegrapefruit seed extract(take ten drops dilutedthree times a day), echi-nacea and Cat's Claw teawith ginger. Use onion,garlic and ginger in yourcooking.Raw seeds and nuts loaded with vitamin E,zinc, essential fats andprotein, seeds are a usefuladditional source of im-mune-boosting nutrients.Brazil nuts are rich in se-lenium. Snack on themregularly.Making the battle easyWhen you are under at-

tack from an infection, it'sa good idea to avoid any-thing that challenges thebody further. Support your immunearmy by feeding yourselfwith only the things thatwill help the battle andnot the things that willhinder it. Avoid meat, dairy andwheat as well as refinedsugars and processedfoods. And don't forget to allowyour body time to rest andrejuvenate, keeping stresslevels to a minimum.Don't reach for the medi-cine cabinet when yourbody is under attack, headto the fruit and vegetableisle at the supermarket instead!

SAMUI Regatta organizers, in cooperation with the International School ofSamui, led crew members of boats participating in the regatta, students, officials and staff of business and civic organizations who took part in theBangrak beach clean up recently.The event, held on a non-racing day of the regatta, was to give something back to the island, says regatta chairman Callum Laing.The regatta is thrilled to be working with the International School Samui.This is the 10th year of the regatta and the third year that we have done abeach cleanup with the school. Giving back to the island both in terms ofbringing new tourists dur-ing the low season butalso by supporting youthsailing and initiatives likethe beach cleanup is rightat the heart of the regattas aims. It is alsoan absolute favorite of ourteam and we highly recommend it to anyoneelse that is thinking ofcoming along, Mr. Laingsaid. The volunteers gath-ered at Laem Mai Kaen atBangrak Beach (near the Yacht Club) and started the clean up moving alongthe public beach armed with gloves, trash bags and some tools.Representatives from schools and other organizations came in matchingshirts. We are happy to have the good help of so many people and organizations, says Jeremy Lees, ISS school principal. The outpouring fromislanders and visitors has been outstanding and we thank the many supporter contributions in making the event a success, Lees added.Many of last years contributors were again on the list of 2011 contributors -SeaTran Discovery Pier, Bangrak Dee Club, AIS, Makro, Four Seasons, Foremost, Wongpanit, Thai International Hospital, Petcharat Marina Pier,Bangkok Airways, Bangrak School, Mermaid Resort, and Ifun Films.

May. He said the bank will take the impacts into accountwhen revising the economic growth estimate for thisyear.He said that domestic demand had increased, boostedby the improved investment and consumption, higherincomes earned by farmers, rising employment, and lowinterest rates.Still, concern over the higher inflation expected in thefuture had risen as political parties compete to presentpopulist policies to the public in the run-up to nextmonth's general election.Thailand's general and core inflation rates stayed at 4.04per cent and 2.07 per cent respectively in April.He added the current account balance was in deficit forthe first quarter of this year of US $ 165 million partlybecause the trade balance experienced a deficit of $ 477million.Imports in April totaled $ 17.72 billion, up 26.3 per cent,and exports amounted to $ 17.24 billion, up 24.7 per cent.(MCOT online news).

BEACH CLEAN UP - Clean up volunteers walk in Bangrak.

natural gas is worrisome, the deputy permanent secre-tary said.Speaking about the German governments decision tophase out nuclear power by 2022, he said each countryhas its own policy. China plans to build another 20 nu-clear power plants to reduce power generation cost andgreenhouse gas emissions as China with its 1.3 billionpopulation has high electricity demand.Thailands plan to build nuclear power plant is beingstudied, and problems to be encountered and public ac-ceptance concerns must be considered.Thailand must find fuel sources such as natural gas orcoal to generate its base load power instead of nuclear.Wind and solar power cannot be substitute fuels forbase load power generation, Mr Kurujit added. (MCOTonline news)

Sensibly, they are built on stilts but it doesn't alter thefact that several trees, which were essential for holdingthe land together, will have been cut down. If I was theowner of that house, I'd make sure I'd go on holidayevery time rain is forecast.It would appear that the contractors are going to "fix" itbecause just after that there was a new concrete surfacebeing laid, coming up past the army base. How manymillions of baht are being wasted on repairing roads thatweren't built well in the first place? I should imaginethat these contractors are laughing all the way to theirSwiss bank accounts. Getting down to the nitty gritty,all the roads and more importantly, the drains, on this is-land must be built to specifications that can cope withthe wrath of Mother Nature. Not using piddling littlethree inch diameter drain pipes, use three feet diameterdrain pipes, when the rains come here, they come in abig way.A few weeks ago, I wrote about the damage done by therain, to the Valley road down to Soi 1 in Maenam and Isaid that I thought some of the damage was irreparable.Well, according to a friend who I spoke to this morning,he tells me that they have "fixed" it, already! Our walk-ing group will be going up there next Wednesday, totake a look at the "repair". As I've said many times be-fore, I believe that stretch of the hill is far too steep forconcrete and that the next big rains we get, will rip it upagain, we'll see.

Economic growth slow ...From Page 9

Natural gas consumption ...From Page 9

The trek ...From Page 11

A focus on the immune system ...From Page 17

Life SAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 201116

SOME days, when I have nothing better to do, I partake in myhobby of people watching. This is a fascinating pass time, and ifyou have never tried it, I strongly recommend it. It may not bea recognised sport, but it should be. This activity can be donewith a partner, (four eyes are better than two) or as a pleasantway to while-away the time and enjoy some me time.Choose a comfortable spot an armchair in a coffee shop, orperhaps a sun-lounger on the beach, under the shade of an um-brella. Get yourself a drink and a snack, and a good book. Thebook is part of your camouflage, helping you to appear anony-mous. When you go on safari, the idea is to blend in and putyour subjects at ease; you dont want to spook them, and letthem feel that they are being watched. This same theory ap-plies to people watching. If no one takes any notice of you, youwill be amazed at what they will do in front of you. I have seen some bizarre things while people-watching, andKoh Samui is an ideal location for this activity, as people fromover the world converge to enjoy this beautiful island. Noteveryones idea of enjoyment is the same, which adds to thefascination. Some of the funniest people to observe are themale tourists, and how they interact with Thai ladies. Think how often you see a white as lard, pudgy middle-agedtourist, with a beautiful young Thai girl. Now as much as shemight act in love with him, who are they kidding? Now by nomeans am I judging, they both win from the deal, but why pre-tend that it is anything more than a transaction?In reality, everyone is graded from one to ten, with one beingright down on the bottom of the scale of what is a good catch,and number ten being knock-out gorgeous. People in generaltend to go for a partner that is near them on the scale, so anumber seven for instance, would connect with someone rang-ing from a six to an eight. Now what makes someone appealingand determines their number on the scale? Well obviously, andfortunately, everyone has different tastes, but there is a gener-ally accepted norm of what is considered to be good-looking.Other factors that determine your number are status, wealth,power, fame and personality. Although this last one is the mostimportant, it is rarely a factor in the initial attraction, as youhave to first get to know a person. How often do you see a re-ally ugly guy with a beautiful woman? Now something hasdrawn her to him, such as wealth or fame. Think of some fa-mous stars Mick Jagger comes to mind. So taking this theoryinto account, what are these podgy middle-aged men, whowould only register a two or three on the catch scale, thinkingwhen a number nine or ten woman shows interest in them?Now if they understand that their Pounds, Dollars or Euros upthem on the scale, then fair enough, and a deal is a deal winwin. But sometimes, these poor guys truly believe that theyhave met the love of their life and horror and shock when theyfind out later that their new lady friend is not exclusive. Come on guys, reality check in order.Lying on the beach, you see other types. There are the eternalbackpackers that left home 20 years ago and never went back.The men still wear the same long pony tail, only now it is greyand is strategically combed to cover the thinning bald spot. The women bear the same bamboo tattoos that they proudlysuffered to acquire twenty years ago. Only now that rose haswilted on leathery skin. There are the nouveau rich couplesfrom previously oppressed countries that now flaunt gold bikinis, the work of top plastic surgeons, and real Louis Vuittonbeach bags, accompanied by their obnoxious spoilt brat children. Everything about them is flash, and screams bad taste.Lets not even talk about the body builders, with shaved chests,tattoos, oiled torsos, and out-of-proportion bodies that look likea character out of a Marvel comic book.You can spot a Farang who has lived here a while, immediately,compared to a tourist new to the island. Local women havegiven up wearing high heels a long time ago - feet swell in theheat. My gold flip-flops do just fine for a special occasion thankyou.

People-watching as a pass time IN Thailand they call it Saddow; the treescan be found growing in dry locations. It is itself is a member of the mahogany family and is native to India andSoutheast Asia. You can ask your garden center to source asapling for you; it just might be a valuableaddition to your garden!Azardirachta Indica to give the plant itsproper name has played an important role inayurvedic medicine for more than 3000years. Ayurveda is a term than comes from thecombination of two Sanskrit words whichtranslate as life science. Similar to the an-cient tradition of Chinese medicine, this In-dian system believes animbalance of body,mind or spirit is theroot cause of all dis-eases. Bring harmony to thesystem and wellnessreturns.Neem has so many me-dicinal uses that it hasbeen described as thevillage pharmacy inAyurvedic literature,where it is depictedlike this: Neem bark iscool, bitter, astringent,acrid and refrigerant. Itis useful in tiredness, cough, fever, loss ofappetite, worm infestation. It heals woundsand vitiated conditions of kapha, vomiting,skin diseases, excessive thirst, and diabetes. Neem leaves are reported to be beneficialfor eye disorders and insect poisons. It treatsVatik disorder. It is anti-leprotic. Its fruitsare bitter, purgative, anti-hemorrhoids andanthelmintic. (The Neem Foundation.)This wonder tree has recently come to theattention of western medicine. Curiously the American pharmaceuticalcompany W.R. Grace tried and was success-ful in obtaining a European patent on it. Sen-sibly the Indian Government objected,correctly claiming that the medicines de-rived from the tree had been a part of theayurevedic pharmacopeia for several thou-sand years. Grace lost their patent but still had the arro-gance to contest the ruling. They lost againand so the case was closed. What they weretrying to do was patent a fungicide derivedfrom the tree.Neems anti-mold, anti-fungal and anti-bac-terial properties are well known in orientalmedicine.

In Thailand they place saddow leaves inrice stores to protect the crop from spoilage.In the humid tropical climate of southernThailand mold is an ongoing problem asmany will attest after the recent rains. Ceil-ings and walls developed black blotches andthe sickly sweet smell of mildew seepedfrom cupboards, book shelves and even bedsheets. Mildew is a minute fungus whichneeds moisture to survive. Bathrooms with damp air trapped betweenfour walls are a prime location for thesemolds. The spores settle in the mucous membraneof the human body and some strains con-tain mycotoxins which are hazardous to

health. Washing downmoldy walls with a di-lute hydrogen peroxidesolution usually killsthe fungus. If you dont do this youstand a chance of de-veloping allergic reac-tions and sometimesillnesses like asthma,coughs, a build of mu-cous, sinus conditionswhilst irritations canbreak out in the eyesand throat. Mold also forms onspoiled food. Once you

detect mold on food, dont eat it, throw itout, it can be quite poisonous.If we do develop symptoms like the commoncough, taking Neem capsules is an excellentway of addressing the problem. Mycotoxins include an advanced form ofyeast which mutates and becomes a fungus.This often happens in Candida albicans. We all have yeast in our system and it playsan important role in quelling disease, butwhen it changes to a fungus it can grow rhi-zomes or roots that penetrate cell walls andcause toxins to spread. Neem capsules are an efficient antidote toCandida problems. The plant is native toThailand and the capsules are readily avail-able. Supplies can be purchased from Ms. Tasshop, located opposite Spa Samui in Lamai.Whilst there stock up with some of the pro-biotic coconut drink and coconut cheese.These products are rich in natural bacteriawhich help the immune system work moreefficiently by providing the ammunition itneeds to fight off disease. Take a look at their website atwww.thaiorganiclife.com.

Neem: The panacea for all diseasesRosanne Turner has recently relocated to Koh Samui fromAfrica, and is relishing the adventure. She is a trainer at Is-land TEFL, as well as being a travel writer for several inter-national publications. Share Rosannes discoveries of allthings Eastern, curious and extraordinary.

Turn to page 19

Health 17SAMUI GAZETTE | June 10 - 23, 2011

A focus on the immune system -Let food be your medicineWITH its army of specialized cells, yourimmune system is a complicated battle-ground protecting your precious bodyfrom invaders such as bacteria andviruses. The immune system is locatedall throughout the body with differenttissues, cells and organs all playing arole together to keep you healthy. Yourbody relies on your immune system tokeep you fighting fit. Read on to learnhow nutrition plays a role.The immune armyB-cells, T-cells, macrophages, NK-cells,T-helpers, antibodies and monocytesmake up the immune army. The immunesystem is a sophisticated mix of thesespecial cells working in unison with theliver, spleen, skin, thymus gland, bonemarrow and lymph nodes to fight off anyforeign invaders. The immune system trains specializedcells, B or T lymphocytes, which start offas stem cells in the bone marrow, andthen travel around the bloodstream andlymphatic fluid looking for all manner ofinvaders, such as viruses, bacteria, can-cer cells or any other substance that youhave become allergic to, such as a foodor pollen.The main gateways into the body for in-vaders is through the digestive tract,skin and lungs. Digested food particlesare recognised by the gut-associatedimmune system, which allows digestedfood particles, such as amino acids, fattyacids and simple sugars, to pass freelythrough the gut wall and into the body.Special cells in the nasal passages pro-tect the lungs and aim to catch foreigninvaders. Healthy mucous membranes inthe digestive and respiratory tract areyour body's first line of defense. Evenfood can become a threat. A combina-tion of undigested food and a compro-mised gut lining sets up an immuneresponse associated with food intoler-ances and allergies. Let the battle commenceThe battle starts when an invader (anti-gen), comes into contact with a B-cell,which then starts to divide to producemore B-cells, which then secrete a spe-cific antibody that attaches itself to the

invader. In the case of bacteria, this willstop them from producing toxins, andfor viruses will prevent them from enter-ing the body's cells, where they canreplicate using the body's own DNA.The antibodies then call on their fellowsoldiers, the T-cells, which help to de-stroy the invader. Once the battle is won,the macrophages or monocytes comealong to gobble up the invader and cleanup the mess (an action known as phago-cytosis). Additional troops are sent out whenneeded to immune forts in the lymphnodes, appendix, spleen, tonsils andPeyer's patches in the small intestines.Lymph vessels drain the lymph fluid intothese areas, bringing the invaders withthem. Lymph nodes in the neck, groinand armpits will become enlarged dur-ing an immune battle.The lymphatic system doesn't have apump like the bloodstream, so relies onmovements of the muscles in the bodyto keep it moving. That's why exercise isso important for good immunity.Antioxidants to the rescueThe invaders, as well as our own im-mune soldiers, produce many free radi-cals which need to be disarmed this iswhere the antioxidants step in. VitaminsA, C and E, alongside the minerals zincand selenium, help to destroy the freeradicals. Vitamin A also keeps the mu-cous membranes healthy inside thelungs and di

Samui Gazette Edition 23

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