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Royal Cliff Beach Resort wins another award
The Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s MD, Panga Vathanakul,
accepted the Ultimate Service Award for Asia 2004, given by CNN and its
associates for service excellence. Dr. Anthony Sharma, the advisor to the
minister for industry and who is also the MD of Thai Representation
presented the award on behalf of the CNN group.
(L
to R) Resident manager of operations of the Royal Cliff Beach Hotel
Choosakdi Srivatjanapong; general manager of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort
Alexander Haeusler; deputy general manager of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort
Ranjith Chandrasiri; executive director of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort
Vathanai Vathanakul; Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn; managing director of
the Royal Cliff Beach Resort Panga Vathanakul; managing director of Time
Incorporated and CNN Anthony Sharma; director of sales, leisure of the Royal
Cliff Beach Resort Victor Kriventsov; deputy mayor Verawat Khakay; executive
secretary to the mayor Eakasith Ngamphichet; and director of sales and
marketing for the Royal Cliff Beach Resort David William Holden.
The award is the result of hotel guests taking the time
and trouble to respond to a questionnaire regarding their opinion of the
service they have received in any particular hotel. Dr. Sharma explained the
tight regulations regarding the voting, with restrictions imposed so that
one person cannot vote more than once. He also said that the Royal Cliff
Beach Resort won the Asian category by an enormous margin, getting around 70
percent of all votes.
MD Panga said that she was proud to accept the award on
behalf of her staff, as it was they who provide the ‘service’ to the
guests. She said it was not only a reflection of the high standards of
training given by the hotel, but also of the dedication of the staff members
themselves.
Pattaya’s new mayor, Niran Wattanasartsathorn also mentioned the
delight of the new Pattaya city council on the Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s
winning of the award. He expressed the wish to see all of Pattaya rising to
the standards of excellence shown by the Royal Cliff Beach Resort staff.
PILC visits Camillian Center in Rayong
Compassion, pride and dignity for HIV sufferers
Suchada Tupchai
The song "We are the World" that was written
and popularly sung some years ago was not just a piece of hay in the fire -
the love and care that people have for one another still cradles the world
no matter where it might be. The concept of caring about society is still
alive and thriving in our community.
Father
Giovanni said the kids residing at the Camillian Center in Rayong are lucky
to have compassionate, dedicated people who take care of them.
One morning last week, Sharon Tibbetts, president of
Pattaya International Ladies Club (PILC) led club members to visit the HIV
infected patients of different ages who reside at the Camillian Center in
Rayong. Father Giovanni Contarin gave them a warm welcome and a briefing on
the center.
Helle Rantsen, PILC welfare chairperson, and member of
the Rayong Ladies Circle (RLC) said it was a great idea that Father Giovanni
introduced the center to both clubs. She said RLC is happy to help support
the center, and explained how active the club has been in providing
medication funds to the center. She said Anne Tadiello initiated the idea to
help with the patients’ medication expense.
"Each kid needs at least 4,000 baht a month for
medication. RLC is pleased to receive support from the public to help the
needy," said Helle.
Later in the day, Father Giovanni presented certificates
of appreciation to sponsors and led them on a tour of the center. He
revealed that currently there are 36 HIV infected kids that need education
and medication, which the center has been giving on a daily basis. He said
the kids are lucky to have dedicated people who take care of them in their
routine life and provide them with education and medication. He said the
center also provides 46 kids, whose parents have died from HIV infection,
500 baht each month for school funds.
Father Giovanni said that currently there are 30 HIV
infected patients who are in their last stage of life, and 25 more who will
be sent back into society. He said patients who are suffering from AIDS are
being very well treated both physically and psychologically. He said those
in the last stage of life will be given compassionate care by the center’s
staff, along with other patients, and will end their days with pride and
dignity.
Later the PILC and RLC handed out basic necessities to the kids and had a
chat with them in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
Foodmart - Jomtien’s first 24-hour supermarket turns two
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Stephen Buckingham, Foodmart managing director and his
team welcomed guests, customers and members of the media to a party held to
mark the supermarket’s 2nd anniversary in front of the Thappraya Road
store.
 Santsak
Ngamphiches (right), advisor to the minister of tourism and sports, and
Weerawat Boongate (center), past director general of the department of
natural resources present flowers to Stephen Buckingham, Foodmart managing
director.
A buffet table was laid out for guests as they
congratulated Stephen and his team on making it through the last two years
of supplying quality food products to Jomtien residents from their store,
located in front of View Talay condo.
A giant birthday cake was later cut and distinguished
guests, Santsak Ngamphiches, advisor to the minister of tourism and sports,
Weerawat Boongate, past director general of the department of natural
resources and Somboon Suiryaburanakul, president of the Chinese Association
of Thailand presented congratulatory flowers.
Foodmart Supermarket opened its doors two years ago to cater to Jomtien
residents providing 24-hour shopping with quality products at reasonable
prices. The store focuses on stocking only quality goods and offers
air-conditioned comfort. A wide cross-section of the community, both Thai
and foreign, visits the store to stock up on the wide variety of products
available, while round-the-clock service allows customers to shop at their
own convenience.
Dawn of Light for transsexuals
The Gill Dalton story
The Pattaya City Expat Club (PCEC) was pleased to welcome
one of their newest members to explain something of her work here in Pattaya
with the transgender members of the community.
Gill Dalton went through the transition here herself in
Thailand last year and was able to give her own unique insight and
perspective on the change which she entitled "A Transsexual
Journey" which began as early as seven years old. She also explained
something of her aims to set up the Dawn of Light Foundation to help
trans-gendered people and at the same time raise awareness and understanding
among the general public of the traumas, mental as well as physical, that
have to be overcome during the process of re-orientation.
 Gill
Dalton
Pattaya boasts a fairly high profile for the
"katoey" members in the community mainly because of the
internationally renowned glitzy Tiffany and Alcazar shows. However, life is
not such fun on the other side of the footlights, even in Thailand,
especially for the person just emerging into their other self.
The term transsexual, also known as gender dysphoria,
describes those individuals who experience an incongruity between their
gender identity and their physical body. The body may be male but they feel
themselves to be female or vice versa. For this reason the transsexual is
commonly described as a female trapped inside a male body.
It is this incongruence between the physical reality of
the body and the person’s gender identity that creates the extreme
discomfort that leads to the only solution, sex reassignment surgery (SRS)
and other related surgeries in order to realign the physical body with the
gender identity.
The PCEC members were pleased and thankful that Gill was
willing to come and reveal something of the usually very private part of the
transgender person’s life, many experiencing for the first time an expat
explaining something that they had only found here in Thailand, something
they thought part of the "Unseen" and "Amazing" side to
this country.
Gill Dalton has already opened her home to be a quiet
haven where people who have undergone SRS can take time to orient themselves
into their new lives. She also spends many hours in hospitals sitting with,
listening to and "being there" for those who are in the process of
changing their gender.
Anyone wishing to know more about Gill’s work can contact her on
[email protected] or go to the website www.grs-thailand.com
Easy Steak opens their third branch
Succulent steak at reasonable prices
Suchada Tupchai
The third branch of Easy Steak Restaurant opened its
doors last week with a small party for family, friends and customers at its
Pattaya Central Road location.
 Nok
(right) and her team at the opening of Easy Steak’s third branch on
Central Pattaya Road, diagonally opposite Foodland.
Restaurant owner Worakorn Preedaryant, aka Nok, said her
first restaurant is located in Niran Condo, and the second at the Mae Villai
market in Central Pattaya.
The opening party was relaxed as Nok and her team served
waiting customers with the restaurant’s signature dish, tender steak
starting at just 49 baht, with plenty of other reasonably priced items on
the menu.
For more information call Eddie on 01 297 5237 or Nok on 01 931 3536.
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