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Army of tuk-tuks
converge on Pattaya
 Awards were presented to winners of different
categories in the Tuk-Tuk Rally and then champagne was opened celebrating
Bartercard’s 2nd anniversary operating in Thailand. A cocktail party and
dinner was held later in the evening at the Rice Mill Restaurant on the
3rd floor of the Royal Garden Plaza Business Center.
Graham
Brain (left), Manager of the Bartercard Board of Directors in Thailand,
presented a one million baht donation to go towards supporting the
Ratanakosin University educational assistance programs for students from
low-income families. Also taking part in the presentation were Pattaya
Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat (2nd right), and Bartercard General
Manager David Dean (right).
 Pattaya
Mail’s entry in the Tuk-Tuk Rally 2000.
The “Tuk-Tuk Rally 2000” also received a great deal
of support from the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, the Boonrawd Trading
Company, the Star Cruise Pleasure Ship, the Pattaya Mail Newspaper and the
Pattaya Royal Garden Resort and Plaza.
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 Winner
of the best-decorated award.
Bartercard originated in Australia in 1991, offering a service whereby
merchandise is exchanged on a bartering
system, without using cash. The company quickly grew to 47 franchises in
nine countries, including Australia, New Zealand, England, Hong Kong, Sri
Lanka, Canada, Malaysia and Lebanon with over 30,000 members conducting
barter business worth over US$400 million (14,800 million baht) per year.
 The
Grand Prize is presented to the winner.
The Bartercard branch in Thailand began in 1998, and
now has a total of 500 members all over the country with the bulk of its
members in Bangkok. Bartercard currently has 20 members in Pattaya.
The membership in Thailand thus far equates up to 20 million baht
profit/month with an annual growth of 3%. Within the next two years,
Bartercard expects its membership to grow to 2,000.
UN passes protocols
against child soldiers and prostitution
from the Child Labour News Service
Over a decade after the Convention on the Rights of the
Child was born, the UN has completed its child rights package. Unable to
reach consensus about the sensitive issues of child soldiers and child
prostitution when the Convention was first drafted, these issues had been
designated as topics of optional protocols to accompany the main treaty.
After years of diplomatic wrangling and mounting public pressure the UN
this morning formally adopted these additional texts.
The optional protocol on children in armed conflict
establishes 18 as the minimum age for participation in armed conflict, for
any compulsory recruitment, and for any recruitment or use in armed
conflict by armed groups. It calls on governments to raise their minimum
age for voluntary recruitment, but regrettably, still allows governmental
armed forces to accept voluntary recruits from the age of 16, subject to
certain safeguards.
“Until now, children as young as age fifteen could be
legally recruited and deployed into armed conflict,” said Jo Becker,
Steering Committee Chair for the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child
Soldiers. “The adoption of this new protocol by the General Assembly
signals that it is no longer acceptable to use children in war.”
The Coalition urged all governments to sign the new
protocol at the upcoming Millennium Assembly of the UN in September, and
to ratify it as soon as possible. It also called on governments to adopt a
minimum age of at least eighteen for voluntary recruitment, and to
stipulate this age in binding declarations made at the time of
ratification.
An estimated 300,000 children under the age of eighteen
are currently participating in armed conflicts in more than thirty
countries around the world.
The optional protocol on the sale of children, child
prostitution and child pornography calls on state parties to prohibit
these activities.
Each State party is required to ensure the full
coverage of certain acts and activities under its criminal or penal law,
whether the offences are committed domestically or transnationally, or on
an individual or organised basis. The offences include, among other
things, offering, delivering or accepting a child for the purpose of
sexual exploitation, transfer of its organs for profit, or its engagement
in forced labour, and producing, distributing, disseminating, or
possessing child pornography.
The protocols were strongly supported by many of the UN
member states. On behalf of the European Union, the representative of
Portugal welcomed the adoptions and expressed hope that the protocols
would become important tools for the protection of children. Sweden also
expressed its support, although the Swedish representative was careful to
clarify that restrictions on child pornography should not apply to an
adult disguised as a child.
The optional protocols will be open for signature at the special
session entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for
the twenty-first century”, to be convened in New York from June 5 to 9,
and also at the World Summit for Social Development in Geneva.
American servicemen
honored by Royal Thai Marine Corps
by Raquel E. Romero
In a ceremony held at the Royal Thai Marine Corps
headquarters in Sattahip and presided over by their Commandant, Rear Admiral
Chet Komolthiti, various military and civilian leaders were awarded honorary
warfare specialties making them part of their corps. This type of ceremony
is conducted occasionally; however, what separated this occasion from others
was the fact that three of the individuals were American Officers assigned
to the Joint United States Military Advisory Group in Thailand.
 Chief
JUSMAGTHAI, Colonel Lance E. Booth, Lt. Col John M. Sullivan and LCDR John
A. Romero were honored by Royal Thai Marine Corps.
The honors conferred upon them had to be approved by the
Commander in Chief Royal Thai Navy, Admiral Thira-Hao Charoen. The American
Officers who were made honorary reconnaissance specialist and parachutist
were the Chief JUSMAGTHAI, Colonel Lance E. Booth, Lt. Col John M. Sullivan
and LCDR John A. Romero.
The Joint Military Advisory Group is the United States Senior Military
representative in Thailand. The long existent cooperation between JUSMAGTHAI
and the Royal Thai Military assists in facilitating the conduct of training
and exercises in Thailand enhancing the military readiness of both our
countries.
Thanya Moranon wins
title of “Miss Tiffany 2000”
The “Miss Tiffany 2000” contest was held on the 19th
and 20th of May at the Tiffany Show Complex in Pattaya, with a total of 58
“girls of the second category” entering the contest. A review of the
applications found that 24 of the contestants were college graduates and
another 20 were identified as having had full sex change operations.
 The
Queen and his court.
The contest is considered a method of helping improve the
image of transvestites and their gaining acceptance in society. The
transvestite shows in Pattaya attract large crowds. Interested tourists see
some of the world’s most beautiful men. The selected winners go on to the
Miss Queen of the Universe 2000 contest in Los Angeles California, won last
year by Miss Tiffany 1999.
The gay entrants paraded in evening gowns, were grilled
with questions and performed for the packed auditorium. The selection was
narrowed down to three finalists on the second day and the judge’s man of
choice was Thanya Moranon a 20-year-old beauty, 177 cm tall with a 34-23-37
carriage.
The title of Miss Tiffany’s 2000 included a 60,000 baht cash prize and
a package tour for two donated by KN Travel for a return trip from Bangkok
to Singapore.
Thought for the week
Politics at work
by Richard Townsend, Corporate Learning Consultant
http://www.orglearn.org
Most managers are lousy at interviewing new staff
candidates... astounded? I am willing to bet that if you ask your line
mangers what questions they ask during interviews they will stare at you
blankly and act as if you just crawled out from under a piece of old cheese.
So many managers find this a difficult task and usually
the interview ends up with your recruitment expert (the manager who controls
the critical task you are recruiting for) doing nothing more than giving a
twenty-minute verbal advertisement regarding your company, his department
and its challenges and of course his/her importance to the company. Instead
they should be asking questions to find out if the poor character they are
interviewing is the most competent prospect for the job. If they do ask
questions they will be closed questions such as: have you done any
accounting before, yes, do you like sales, yes, are you a good salesperson
yes, have you had much training in this area, yes... give me strength.
There is a lot too being a good recruitment interviewer;
however, perhaps this list of questions will give your managers a start in
the right direction!
The ‘positives’...
Tell me about you at work.
Why do you want to work for us?
Tell me what (or what else) you know about our company.
What are your strengths in terms of technical competency at work?
Tell me what about your past experience makes you qualified for this job?
Describe your problem solving skills then tell me about a problem you have
solved.
How many and what level of people did you supervise on your last job?
What role do you take in a group situation... and give me examples?
What have you done in previous positions that show initiative?
In the context of work, what motivates you the most/least?
Do you see yourself as a leader and if so why?
What is your greatest strength at work?
What are your future goals?
The ‘negatives’...
What was the last book you read? (Most haven’t)
What has been your most difficult work experience?
What do you see as the most difficult task in being a manager?
In your current or last position, what features of the job did you like the
most? Least?
Tell me about a time when you received criticism for your work or an idea.
How did you feel about your last boss and what was his/her weakness?
What was the most difficult decision you ever had to make?
How much money do you want to make in this job?
If you are hired, how long will you stay with us?
Where do you see yourself five years time?
Do you have any questions?
How much effort are you putting into your managers to
help them select the most appropriate candidates or is it some junior HR
operative’s prerogative?
Worth a thought...
To contact Ric mailto: [email protected]
Skål
Club revived in Pattaya and the East
After 17 years of limbo, Pattaya, the vibrant and
exciting tourist destination has finally managed to reactivate what is
regarded as the most important travel and tourism association in the world.
 Somsak
Kiratipanich President of the Skๅl Club of Bangkok and Wicha Han
President of the Skๅl Club of Pattaya and the East with the new
members.
Skål is the only international organization
that brings together all branches of the travel and tourism industry,
representing the industry’s managers and executives, Skålleagues meet at local, national and
international levels in an environment of friendship to discuss subjects of
common interest.
The first Club was founded in Paris in 1932 by travel
trade managers who had been on an educational tour of Scandinavia and the
idea of international friendship gained such popularity that in 1934, Skๅl
achieved international status with the formation of the Association
Internationale des Skๅl Clubs (A.I.S.C.), on the initiative of the
first President of the Paris Skål Club and the man considered the
“Father of Skål”, Florimond Volckaert. From that
modest beginning, Skๅl now has more than 25,000 members in over
500 Clubs spread throughout 85 countries.
Some months ago an active Skålleague Murray Hearst met up with Jean
Fernand Wasser, then Executive Vice President of the Royal Cliff Beach
Resort along with the only remaining charter member of the original Skๅl
Club of Pattaya, Pratheep “Peter” Malhotra to discuss the possibilities
of reviving the club. Pattaya being mainly a travel and tourist destination,
they felt that it was time to re-establish the Skål Club. They couldn’t stress enough
that practically every tourist destination in the world large or small knows
of the importance of having such an organization in their community. Members
develop bonds of friendship, foster goodwill and promote mutual
understanding between members of the travel and tourist industry. Membership
also creates enormous opportunities to network, build and expand the tourism
trade amongst the people of the world.
At the very first meeting in April held at the Ocean
Marina Yacht Club chaired by Malai Sakolviphak, Counselor of the
International Skål Clubs and National Skål Committee, it was proposed to appoint
Khun Wicha Han General Manager of the Ocean Marina Yacht Club as President
of the Skๅl Club of Pattaya. At a subsequent meeting last week Khun
Somsak Kiratipanich, President of the Skål Club of Bangkok was on hand to witness
the appointments of Pratheep Malhotra (Pattaya Mail) as Vice
President, Andrew Wood (Royal Cliff Beach Resort) as Secretary, Khun
Rungthip Suksrikarn (Sunbeam Hotel) as Treasurer, Surakrai Kuadthavee
(Sunbeam Hotel) and Stig-Vagt-Andersen (Ben Adisti Co. Ltd) as directors.
The new committee, aware that in the last 20 years Pattaya and the
eastern region has grown tremendously in the travel and tourism industry,
decided to christen the reactivated club the “Skål Club of Pattaya and the East.”
Miss Thailand does the
honours
In front of a host of distinguished guests, including the
Governor of Chonburi Sujarit Pachimnan and his wife; the Mayor of Pattaya
Pairat Suttithamrongsawat and the Managing Director of the Royal Cliff Beach
Resort Panga Vathanakul, the newly crowned Miss Thailand, Panadda Wongpudee,
officially opened the Larn Thong Thai Restaurant in the Grand Wing of the
Royal Cliff Beach Resort. The occasion was also the first Vintner’s Dinner
to introduce the new Chatemp range of locally produced wines.
 From
left to right: Andrew J. Wood (General Manager of Royal Cliff Beach Resort),
Panadda Wongpudee (Miss Thailand 2000), Chonburi Governor Sujarit Pachimnan,
and Ranjith Chandrasiri (Resident Manager of Royal Cliff Grand), seen
opening the Vintner’s Dinner by opening six bottles of Chatemp wines at
one go.
French winemaker Laurent Metge-Toppin, and now resident
oenologist with Siam Winery just outside Bangkok, presented eight wines for
the dinner guests to sample. He stated in his address that they were not
trying to copy French, Australian or South American wines, but were
producing a distinct Thai wine to complement the spiciness of the Thai
cuisine.
To demonstrate the symbiotic relationship, the Larn Thong
chef came up with a seven course Thai meal including old standards like Tom
Kha Gai (chicken in coconut soup) and other innovative dishes like a duck
massaman curry and fried king prawn on a julienned bed of crispy ginger.
While no one bottle of wine will suit all tastes, the
guests were more than surprised at the quality of the local products, with
some overheard to say that they thought one of the reds must have been
imported from France, it was so good.
Like the preceding Vintner’s Dinners, this was another
excellent promotion by the Royal Cliff Beach Resort to entertain (and even
educate) the fine diners of Pattaya.
A morning aboard the USS
Kitty Hawk
The American Aircraft Carrier USS Kitty Hawk and its six
escorts were anchored in Pattaya Bay for 5 days during the Cobra Gold 2000
Exercise. Almost 10,000 sailors and marines enjoyed shore leave in Pattaya
for five days.
 The
aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk anchored in Pattaya Bay
The USS Kitty Hawk, commanded by Admiral Matthew W.
Touhy, is 82 meters wide, 323 meters in length and 11 stories high. It can
carry up to 66 aircraft including helicopters, F-14A Tomcats, F-18s, Sea
Hawks, with reconnaissance, transport and communication disarming aircraft.
The USS Kitty Hawk’s home base is Okinawa, Japan. The mighty ship operates
surveillance missions and maintains security in Asian Pacific waters.
Pattaya Mayor Pairat Suttithamrongsawat said the USS
Kitty Hawk’s arrival was good for Pattaya’s many business
establishments. The beer bars filled and businesses around the city received
a great boost with the visiting sailors and marines taking back with them
loads of souvenirs and hopefully many happy memories of their visit to the
Kingdom, especially Pattaya.
 US
Navy personnel greeted the reporters on their arrival
News reporters were taken on a tour of the vessel on the
morning of 15 May with navy personnel standing by explaining procedures in
each of the many control and operational areas. It was an interesting
display of modern equipment and technology. Visited areas included the
aircraft repair facilities on the lower levels. On the lower decks where the
high performance aircraft were parked one had a spectacular view of over 50
different types of the ultra modern flying machines.
Sailors were seen performing different functions and
cleaning equipment in an enjoyable manner throughout the tour. At the end of
the tour reporters were invited to lunch before returning to shore.
Copyright 2000 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Updated by
Chinnaporn Sangwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk.
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