Thailand News

Expect The Unexpected

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:12:40 +0000

Expect the unexpected

The adventure race returns to Nong Chok next Saturday

Rice paddies, lakes, canals, buffalo swamps, wooden bridges and even temple grounds become the playground of weekend warriors next weekend as the Essilor Bangkok Eco Challenge Adventure Race returns to Nong Chok on Bangkok's eastern outskirts on February 11.
The adventure race was supposed to take place last year - but was postponed to mid February this because of flooding.
Part of the Amazing Thailand Adventure Race Series, the Essilor Bangkok Eco Challenge Adventure Race takes place over three to eight hours.
It takes teams of two participants through a 50-plus kilometre course of trekking, mountain biking, swimming, and paddling as well as some mystery tests.
"It's hard to believe that we can set up such an interesting adventure race course at just an hour's drive from the city centre" says Serge Henkens, the adventure race director. "But after five years, this race has become popular for its unique challenges."
Nong Chok is about 30 minutes drive to the east of Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The course travels through paddy fields, lakes, canals, temples and villages trapped in a time warp. The area offers a recipe for great adventure racing, a memorable experience and a wonderful voyage through the greenery and beauty of the Thai countryside.
"Nong Chok is very different from the trails in Kanchanaburi, Chiang Mai or even Koh Samui. It's far flatter here. There's no high terrain or jungle," Henkens says.
Over the last 10 years, adventure races have become popular in Thailand among adrenaline-chasers and weekenders.
"What adventure racers like the most and what makes this sport so exciting and unique, is that the racers don't know what is coming next," adds Henkens. "They don't know the course, the exact distances. They must be ready for all scenarios. These unknown factors, combined with the great outdoors, are the main reasons for the tremendous success of this new sport."
In Nong Chok, the race centre will be the Korean International School of Bangkok. A bouncy castle and other games for children will keep supporters and families chilled out while the racers are sweating it out.
More than 100 teams are expected to race in Nong Chok.
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New Id Cards Planned To Protect Elephants

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:11:26 +0000

New ID cards planned to protect elephants

The Nation February 2, 2012 1:00 am

A new type of identity card should be issued for elephants, which should have embedded microchips, an updated photograph every six months and an updated record of every unique change, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said yesterday.

The proposal will be taken to the Interior Ministry, and if it is okayed, permission for the movement of every elephant will have to come from provincial governors.
This should make illegal movement or getting the pachyderms to beg more difficult, permanent secretary Chote Trachoo said.
The current identity cards used for elephants are easy to forge, while some continue being used after the elephant is dead.
Since officials have limited knowledge about the animals, they are prone to getting fooled by mahouts using false or forged identity cards.
He said the registration of elephants should be jointly conducted by other agencies, including the Livestock Development Department or Department of National Parks (DNP).
At present, Thailand has some 2,000 domesticated elephants and 3,000 in the wild.
The ministry is also considering other measures to stop poaching and abuse of elephants, stopping the trade of ivory and elephant meat, setting up a 6,000rai national elephant shelter in Surin as well as setting up a fund to provide elephant feed.
DNP directorgeneral Damrang Phidej said he was expecting the Interior Ministry to push the proposal through and that DNA samples, which cost about Bt1,500, should also be used to identify elephants in addition to microchips.

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Suit Select Will Suit You

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:54:42 +0000

Suit Select will suit you

Veena Thoopkrajae
The Nation
Tokyo, Japan January 31, 2012 1:00 am

For good reasons, not everyone in Thailand wants to wear a business suit. Maybe now they will

In a business strategy as sleek as its attire, the Japanese retail chain Suit Select - which now has a branch in Bangkok - overcame all the reasons for not wearing a suit.
Difficult to wash and press? Tricky to get the right size? Fearful of choosing something unfashionable? Unwilling to pay enough for a great suit but also unwilling to look like crap in a cheap one?
The problems succumb to solutions at Suit Select at CentralWorld, the firm's first store outside Japan and part of Kanaka (Thailand), whose parent company went into retail a decade ago, initially as Suit Select 21, currently with more than 360 branches.
"Among the first messages we communicate is that our suits are very affordable," says Konaka president Kensuke Konaka. That and the quality, adds senior managing director Takashi Numata, result from careful planning at every stage, from raw material to cutting.
Suit Select offers a Black Line that's quite contemporary (think "slim"), suited to young physiques and costing Bt6,000 to Bt7,000; and a Silver Line - classic, traditional, elegant for Bt12,000 and up.
Both kinds utilise high-quality fabrics and boast neat tailoring to ensure good fits, and both are easy to wash and maintain.
Kanaka owns a Woolmark licence certifying that only top-quality wool is used. Its "shower clean technology" guarantees the convenience - no need for dry cleaning and, in some cases, no need for ironing either. You can buy a wrinkle-free suit and wash it normally.
Plus, these suits are made in Thailand.
Kanaka (Thailand) chairman Narong Lertkitsiri explains that the Japanese group expected its success at home to be repeated here. A decade ago it began encouraging people to wear suits and today the average Japanese owns two or three of them.
What about the Thai heat? Kanaka took care of that as well, Narong says, coming up with wool that's perfect for tropical climates and still quite affordable.
Kanaka (Thailand) marketing manager ML Rangsithorn Bhanubandh says he's worn a Silver Line suit for ages and finds it super-comfortable. It's also cut at the shoulders to reduce the weight, and the back and arms have a natural curve.
In terms of marketing, Kanaka recruited art director Kashiwa Sato of Samurai Studio three years ago to duplicate the magic he worked for Uniqlo, another Japanese apparel brand. Among other things, Sato jettisoned the "21" from the name Suit Select and gave the shops a "walk-in closet" look.
So "walk in" to Suit Select in the third-floor Eden Zone at CentralWorld on February 1, 2012.''
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The Ninja Fights Back

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:53:52 +0000

The ninja fights back

Manta Klangboonkrong
The Nation January 31, 2012 1:00 am

British DJ Jaguar Skills brings his superpowered set to Bangkok

Hear the music roar on Thursday at Bed Supperclub as British spinner Jaguar Skills dons his ninja suit to rock the dancefloor in Bangkok for the very first time.
You might remember the hit mashup eclectic tape, "Mash it up like Y.B", which took the scene by storm back in 2002. That earned him gigs in clubs across London, where he perfected his craft, and by 2004, Jaguar Skills was perfect

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Pm Yingluck To Head New Flood Agency

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:47:35 +0000

PM Yingluck to head new flood agency

PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION January 31, 2012 1:00 am

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will chair a new agency set up soon to oversee an integrated plan for national water management.

The new body will command all related agencies to work together to prevent floods and resolve problems related to them.
The "single command agency" is part of a plan drawn up by the Strategic Formulation Committee for Reconstruction and Future Development. It will be submitted for Cabinet approval shortly.
Increasing complaints about the huge budget allocated for this task - and a lack of detail about overall water management - has prompted the government to accelerate setting up of the new agency.
Virabongsa Ramangura, head of the Strategic Formulation Committee for Reconstruction and Future Development, said an initial task would be to set up the country's first catastrophe-risk fund with Bt50-100 billion to ensure compensation for businesses in the event of disasters in the future.
In a speech delivered to the Thai-Japan Association yesterday on "Thailand's Strategic Measures for Water Resources Management", Virabongsa said a "single command agency" would seek to increase efficiency in water management now carried out by national, provincial and village-level officials.
To date, water management has been handled by many organisations with overlapping tasks but they have been unable to stop flood problems.
Being chaired by the premier, the new agency would find it easier to manage all agencies under it and achieve its goals. The panel would be made up of representatives from related government agencies as well as water management experts.
"The 'single agency command' will be like a Cabinet order which everybody must follow," he said.
As a short-term measure, it will order government officials to soon start clearing all canals, rivers and water channels.
The National Economic and Social Development Board was considering an outlay of Bt1.9 billion to fund post-flood reconstruction for short and long-term water goals, which the government wanted to see completed on schedule.
"With Prime Minister Yingluck chairing the new body, if there is any delay in implementation of the plan by any agencies, she can ask the Army to undertake water management tasks instead."
The short-term action plan would be implemented by October. And they were confident any new flood would not be as bad as the one that swamped Bangkok last year.
To cope with any flood, the government would also organise a "grand rehearsal" in August. People from the public and private sectors - related state agencies, industrial estates, etc - would be invited to join this event.
"I am confident Thailand will be able to prevent any [further] flood by at least 75 per cent," he said.
In regard to long-term measures, infrastructure such as roads and railways needed to be built. Serious work also needed to be done to protect forests.
The government plans to release excess water via several channels this year: to the East via Rangsit and into the Gulf, to the western coast near Samut Sakhon, and through Bangkok via Saen Sab Canal.
%CUR%Virabongsa said Thailand should have an agency free from political intervention to manage disasters in the future - floods, a tsunami, or storms - as disasters will be a key feature in national development.
President of the Japan External Trade Organisation, Setsuo Iuchi, said Japanese investors were very aware of the government's moves and hoped to see details and a schedule on flood prevention. Firms were considering whether to keep investing here, or to expand in other Asean countries.
Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, chief of Toshiba Thailand, said so far the government hadn't done anything to stop another flood. Companies had moved to protect factories, but they needed to see a clear plan to ensure transport links and key areas would be safe this year, she said.

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Glory Tempered By Its Timing

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:26:36 +0000

Glory tempered by its timing

The Nation January 30, 2012 1:00 am

The Culture Ministry has just named veteran singer Settha Sirachaya a National Artist in the performing arts.

But the news is bittersweet, coming so soon after the death of another of our National Artists, Juree "Pa Ju" Osiri - to whom Settha was as devoted as a son.
At her funeral, Settha recalled the day 36 years ago that Pa Ju, who famously lent her voice to movie dubs, introduced him to the industry, offering him a role in "Fai Gam Prae". They remained close from then on.
It was at Pa Ju's funeral that Settha heard that he too had joined the ranks of National Artists. It just made him sadder than he already was.
"She nominated me for this honour for three straight years," he said, "and finally I get it when she's no longer with me."
During the bathing rite, Settha whispered in Pa Ju's ear: Her wish had come true.
Homage to Rong
Another late National Artist, Rong Wongsawan, is the subject of a new 60-minute documentary that took Wayu Film and director Nichapoom Chai-anan two years to make.
Nichapoom says the movie was a challenge but also a great honour. "I wouldn't have done it without the strong support of the Wongsawan family," he adds. "All that I've tried to convey in the film is the power of love."
Much of that love was directed at Rong and his fiction and non-fiction writings by his fans. Nichapoom advises them that he couldn't portray every aspect of Rong's life, but he hopes the film will refresh all their good memories of him.
And he believes it will motivate many viewers to try harder to reach their fullest potential in life, as Rong did.
Rong died on March 15, 2009. The documentary is reaching the big screen almost in time for the sad third anniversary - but only for two days, so mark your calendar. "Rong Wongsawan" is at the Lido Theatre 1 on March 17 and 18 at 4.30 and 6.30pm.

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Bangkok's 'wonder Boys'

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:25:32 +0000

Bangkok's 'Wonder Boys'

Pawit Mahasarinand
Special to The Nation January 30, 2012 1:00 am

At 24 years young, 'Calypso' is still one of the best stage shows in the city

More than 10 years have passed since I last caught the stage show "Calypso" at the Asia Hotel. On that last occasion, a Vietnamese gay friend - a dancer and choreographer - was in town and I remember to this day his comment as we left. "Oh, my god, I'm glad I'm not a woman," he said, much to my mirth. What he probably meant, though I admit I didn't check, was that as a woman, he'd be envious of the breathtaking beauty of the performers.
Since then, whenever foreign friends and colleagues, theatre professors among them, have visited, I've been recommending "Calypso" as a must-see, along with the sadly now-defunct Joe Louis Theatre at Suan Lum Night Bazaar and/or "Siam Niramit".
"Watch both and you'll better understand contemporary Bangkok, a city of contrasts," I tell them. I've only had good words back so far.
So when two French VIPs were visiting earlier this month and tickets to "Si Phaendin: The Musical" were sold out for the night in question, I took them to the Asia Hotel for "Calypso".
In a cabaret format, the show features many short scenes inspired by popular songs, movies or cultural stereotypes from countries around the world - to name a few, "All That Jazz", "Hot Honey Rag", "I Who Have Nothing", "The Chinese Ballad" and "Geisha". But it's not just "cover dance" - that fad so favoured by Thai teens. Most scenes have fun twists here and there that are either cheekily surprising or hilariously grotesque. There's also a nice contrast in moods and tones from one scene to the next, and that, coupled with quick scene changes and practical props, keeps the whole 75-minute show moving along at a fine pace. Inclusion of both the "unofficial" Korean national anthem "Arirang", which I remember loving last time I watched the show, and K-Pop anthem, the Wonder Girls' "Nobody" is also intriguing.
The women, or should I say men, are beautiful, far more beautiful than many women, and their costumes are stunning. This is even more evident when audience members stay on after the show to take photos with them. But what's more important, and this is why the how has been running for so long, is that all the cast member know how to act, showing the meanings of the lyrics of the songs they lip-synch through their facial expressions and physical movements. And that may be why I fall in love with a few of them. Plus, even with two shows a night, 365 days a year, they still manage look fresh and enthusiastic.
Of course, "Calypso Cabaret" is a tourist show, but it's one that locals can be both entertained by and proud of. Bangkok is not London, New York, or even Hong Kong, and usually there's no stage performance, which can be enjoyed by non-Thai speaking audiences every night, despite it being one of the top tourist destinations in the world. And that may be something performing artists here should think of from time to time. For now, I look forward to taking more foreign friends to "Calypso Cabaret" in the years to come and at their new riverside venue.
And that's not just because my French guests enjoyed it so much that they treated me to a foie gras buffet the next day.
Boys will be girls
_ "Calypso Cabaret" is on nightly at the Asia Hotel, with direct access to BTS Ratchatewi station.
Show times are 8.15 and 9.45.
_ Tickets are Bt1,200 (Bt600 for children), with one drink.
_ Book online at least three days in advance at www.CalypsoCabaret.com.
_ Group discounts are available. Buy the Bt1,400 (Bt1,100 children) package and you get Brazilian churascaria cuisine at the Rio Grill Restaurant and the show.

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Thai Win Refutes Student Stereotype

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:24:30 +0000

Thai win refutes student stereotype

Wannapa Khaopa
The Nation January 30, 2012 1:00 am

Discipline, hard work earn global contest victory

Thai students are often accused of lacking self-discipline and analytical and systematic thinking, which are important for problem-solving and teamwork to reach a common goal more easily. But one group of university students has proved they are an exception to this image.
The Chulalongkorn University engineering students won a global competition, becoming the first group of Thai students to win first place in a global programming contest.
Pattara Sukprasert, Thanakorn Chindanonda and Sira Songpolrojjanakul, all 21 years old, are third-year computer engineering students. Late last year they won the IEEEXtreme 5.0 programming contest.
Their team, called "cuSAT", defeated 100 teams of college students, or more than 4,100 students from 63 countries worldwide, including 18 teams from four Thai universities.
Second place went to students from the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka and third to those from Belarusian State University in Belarus.
IEEEXtreme is a global challenge in which teams of students compete over a 24-hour period to solve a set of programming problems.
It is held by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a non-profit association. The four previous contests received an increasing amount of attention and competitors, making it the world's largest programming contest.
The fifth contest, IEEEXtreme 5.0, was held on October 22 of |last year, starting at 7am Bangkok time and ending at 7am on October 23. During that time, the Thai students stationed at their universities used computers to solve the programming problems online while those in other countries did the same.
The competition tests problem-solving skills, with real problems in everyday life, by using engineering skills to design a program and send it for online checking through the Internet.
The problems range from simple to intermediate to difficult, directly challenging contestants' creative thinking and intelligence.
The contestants had to solve problems about managing a large quantity of information or statistics, calculating how to do reasonable shopping under limited conditions, finding right roads to make the shortest journey and solving equations.
Those writing the programme that produces the correct result in the least time are the winners.
By solving most of the problems correctly and taking the shortest time, the Thai students became the winner.
Assistant Prof Pizzanu Kanongchaiyos, a computer engineering lecturer at Chulalongkorn, said the faculty's students had competed in the contest three times in the past three years.
In the first two times, the best the students could do was rank among the top 10 universities with the highest scores. With more experience in the competition and better team management, they finally won it.
Pattara, Thanakorn and Sira told The Nation they had to continue practising solving programming problems otherwise they would not be fluent enough to write computer programmes to solve the problems quickly.
"Stopping practising only for three months, we will lag behind others, unable to do it fluently as before," Pattara said.
Teamwork was also the key to success for them, besides self-discipline in drills.
"With the time constraint, we had to manage the time we took |to solve each problem, and as the competition was done over 24 straight hours, we had to manage time to take turns having a short break, too.
"Our team could manage time well and separate the duties of each member effectively. Working under pressure, we felt stressed, but had to help everyone calm down," Thanakorn said.
Pattara said working together in good teamwork, they respected and trusted the ability of each other.
Sira said they had developed their analytical and systematic thinking, the skill needed for |problem solving after they had practised writing computer programmes before and during the competition.
"Without such thinking, we could not find proper or right answers. We have to analyse the problems and integrate our knowledge to find the best answers," Sira said.
Thinking skills were actually an important base of study in every field, he said.
Students interested in studying computer engineering should be enthusiastic about learning and keep updating themselves on new technologies, which change very fast in the digital world, they said.
Current computer engineering students who want to compete in IEEEXtreme or other similar programming contests locally and internationally should keep practising and learning how to work with others on their teams, they said.
Sira called on government agencies, like the Education Ministry, to provide more national programming contests and contests in other fields of studies that require practice to motivate more students to seriously improve their skills.
He wants the media to help promote the contests to make them known and popular so that more students will be interested in doing such activities that are useful for them.

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Chuwit Fingers 22 Gambling Dens - And Corrupt Cops - In Police Meeting

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:04:52 +0000

Chuwit fingers 22 gambling dens - and corrupt cops - in police meeting

The Nation January 27, 2012 1:00 am

Metropolitan Police Commissioner LtGeneral Winai Thongsong yesterday ordered police to investigate the 22 gambling dens or footballbetting franchises that outspoken MP Chuwit Kamolvisit claimed had been operating in Bangkok City with police protection.

Winai also thanked Chuwit for acting as the mirror for police, though he wished Chuwit would talk to him personally so he got clear information to make arrests, and vowed to punish the deninvolving police officers. He said he had ordered his deputies and Metropolitan Police Division 19 chiefs to check on their jurisdiction areas if there were gambling dens and punish any involved cops.
Meanwhile, national police chief Pol General Priewpan Damapong assigned Police InspectorGeneral Pol General Sathaporn Laothong to investigate the allegations about franchise dens and allegations that police generals with initial "Jor" and "Or" backed the dens.
Priewpan also assigned Winai and acting provincial police region 1 chief Khamronwit Thupkrachang to inspect the Greater Bangkok gambling dens and report back to him before Monday.
Winai also had Metropolitan Police Division 1 Commander Police Major General Wichai Sangprapai gather information on the gambling dens from Chuwit at Parliament yesterday. After giving the information to Wichai, Chuwit said he was confident in Priewpan who he hoped would get stricter. Because he was also confident in Wichai, he had given him all the evidence and was ready to offer additional information. Wichai, however, declined to comment whether the Sai Mai superintendent would be transferred over an alleged gambling den that used topless women to entertain gamblers.
Metropolitan Police deputy commander LtGeneral Saroj Phromcharoen, who oversees crime suppression, said the city police would look into Chuwit's claim about the 22 franchise dens as well as the topless gambling den. Saroj himself would also check on the Bang Kapi and Hau Mark areas. Regarding Chuwit's claim that a police general with initials "Jor" and "Or" backed the franchise dens, he said the police were ready to probe.
On Wednesday, Chuwit told a Parliament meeting about the 22 gambling den franchises controlled,he said,by two major networks. The "Sor Sommai" network oversaw eight dens (Bang Kapi Market; Happy Land 1; Lat Phrao 71; Chokchai 4; Talad Number 1 Bang Na; Talad Tai Rangsit Market; Talad Si Mum Muang Market; and Ramkhamhaeng 24). The "Hia Teu Mangkorn Thong" network oversaw 14 gambling dens (Minburi's Lion Building in Soi Lalaisap; Khubon's 8th kilometre marker; Khubon Soi 1; Romklao Housing Estate; near Beung Kum District Office; Soi Paholyothin 52; Payak Housing Estate in Ramkhamhaeng; Soi Lat Phrao 112; Lady Zone Pub in Chokchai 4 Soi 71; Khlong Toei; a place called Phoenix at Navankhon; Bang Phli; Wat Phrayakrai police station's jurisdiction; and a market opposite Major Cineplex Nonthaburi.
Chuwit also said eight other major dens such as Tao Poon, Loy Fa and Bang Na continued to operate and paid Bt2 million a day for police protection, while the franchise dens paid crooked police up to Bt1 million a day.

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Bma, Govt To Jointly Help Keep Bangkok Dry

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:03:46 +0000

BMA, govt to jointly help keep Bangkok dry

The Nation January 27, 2012 1:00 am

Plodprasob vows the deal with 'fully protect economic zones'

The government and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) jointly agreed yesterday to push for a better floodprevention system for the capital, in a move that a minister said would "fully protect economic zones".
Science Minister Plodprasob Surassawadee said this agreement should ease worries about Bangkok getting submerged. "Even if there is a flood, it will stay for just a while and with minimal impact," he said.
Plodprasob spoke to reporters after emerging from a meeting on means to improve Bangkok's water management. Deputy Bangkok Governor Thirachon Manomaipiboon was also present at the meeting held at Government House.
As per the agreement, the government will help BMA in its floodprevention strategy, and some ministries will also be put in charge of tackling flood problems directly in certain Bangkok areas.
To date, the BMA has received about Bt1.96 billion for floodprevention operations from the government. Plodprasop said the money would be spent on repairing damaged embankments along waterways, installing pumps and waterflow accelerators, as well as improving the waterdrainage system of Rapipat Canal.
"The BMA will also have qualified authorities, such as the military, dredge Bangkok's 29 key canals," Plodprasop said as he explained the details of the agreement.
Under the arrangement, the Royal Thai Navy will provide 100 waterflow accelerators, which will be used when the situation calls for it.
"The Army will also dredge 347 small canals at the cost of Bt770 million," the minister said.
As for the blocked drainage in some housing estates, he said the Interior Ministry and BMA would speak to the concerned private parties about the problem.
"BMA and the Strategic Committee for Water Resources Management [SCWRM] will also jointly develop an integrated earlywarning system," Plodprasop said.
He added that according to the agreement, all relevant parties were required to be efficient in releasing runoffs from upstream provinces.
Under the agreement, the Interior Ministry will be responsible of helping people understand the principles of water drainage in order to prevent confrontations at provincial border areas. During last year's flood crisis, serious rows broke out among communities as people started believing that some areas were being protected at the cost of others.
"The Interior and the Natural Resources and Environment ministries are in the process of setting up floodresponse plans as well as building a stock of water pumps, accelerators and life vests," Plodprasob said yesterday.
He added that the BMA would also solve the problem of residents encroaching on small canals by the end of this year. "However, both the BMA and the government will have to tackle the encroachment issues related to big canals such as Premprachakorn and Bang Sue," Plodprasob said.
He added that under the agreement, relevant authorities were expected to efficiently release runoff water via the east of Bangkok. "It has also been agreed that large dams will be given priority in flood prevention. Agricultural purposes will come later," Plodprasob said.
When asked if political conflicts would affect floodprevention efforts again, Plodprasob said: "The deputy governor has agreed that we need to set political differences aside."
At a separate interview, Thirachon thanked the central government for supporting the BMA in its efforts to protect the capital from floods.
"This is a good sign," he said, adding that the BMA would transfer Bt67.5 million to the Army so it can start dredging the 29 canals soon. The dredging operation should be completed in six months.

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