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Pattaya Immigration holds religious service for new building
Pattaya Immigration
supporters posed for a photo with Pol Lt Gen Suwat Thamrongsrisakul,
commander-in-chief of the Immigration Department.
Narisa Nitikarn
A Buddhist ceremony was held on September 7 for the opening of the new
Pattaya Immigration building at Jomtien Beach Road Soi 5.
Pol Col Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai, superintendent of Pattaya
Immigration, welcomed visitors while Pol Lt Gen Suwat Thamrongsrisakul,
commander-in-chief of the Immigration Department, led the opening
ceremony.
 Pol
Lt Gen Suwat Thamrongsrisakul, commander-in-chief of the Immigration
Department led the ceremony to offer lunch to the 9 priests.
Visitors included representatives of the Chonburi and Pattaya
administrations and from many private organizations. Amongst those
attending were Pol Col Somnuk Changate, superintendent of Pattaya police
station, Pol Col Noppadon Sornsumrarn, acting on behalf of the
superintendent of Banglamung police station, Revat Phonlookin, deputy
chief executive of the Provincial Administration Organization, Mayor
Niran Wattanasartsathorn, and Pratheep Malhotra, managing director of
Pattaya Mail Publishing Co Ltd.
 A
revered Buddhist monk anoints the entrance door at the Pattaya
Immigration Bureau.
Nine priests officiated at the ceremony, and after the opening visitors
were given a conducted tour of the new building.
In 1985 the Police Department established an office for Pattaya
Immigration at Soi 8 on Pattaya Beach Road. The four-story building was
a small one and there was not enough space to provide a service for the
growing number of foreigners in Pattaya. In 1994 the office was upgraded
to the status of Immigration Bureau.
The new building has a usage area of 316 square wah, which is 3.5 times
larger than the previous office.
Pattaya Immigration Bureau has been a leader in providing innovative
services, including using the internet for the submission of documents
and using a solar powered system in response to the government’s energy
saving policy. A recent survey amongst users of the service returned a
satisfaction rating of 98.10 percent.
Pol Lt Gen Suwat
Thamrongsrisakul, commander-in-chief of the Immigration Department
distributed certificates to all Pattaya Immigration supporters.
Pattaya Mail MD Pratheep
Malhotra (right) and Korn Kitcha-A-Morn (left) congratulate Pol. Col.
Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai at the Buddhist ceremony for the opening of
the new Pattaya Immigration building at Jomtien Beach Road Soi 5.
Kim Fletcher, landlord at
Jameson’s Irish Pub, congratulates Pol Col Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai.
High ranking local police
officials congratulate Pol Col Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai, superintendent
of Pattaya Immigration.
Football heavyweight Reiner Calmund addresses German-Thai Chamber
(Front L to R) Julia
Haeffs, Junior Lawyer Business Economics and Advisory Division of GTCC,
Somnuk Yodnil, Officer Division for Special Projects of GTCC and
Eupaporn Seniwong Na Ayuthaya, Chief Division for Special Projects of
GTCC. (Back L to R) Tae Hee Mehlan, Junior Lawyer Business Economics and
Advisory Division of GTCC, Stefan Bürkle, Chief Business Economics and
Advisory Division of GTCC, Reimer Calmund, former CEO of the Bayer 04
Football Corporation, Bayer Leverkusen, Esther Aderhold, Junior Lawyer
Business Economics and Advisory Division of GTCC, Dennis Kampmann,
Junior Economist Business Economics and Advisory Division of GTCC and
Jens Kampmann.
Peter Nordhues
Members of the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce met on Friday, 8
September for their regular table talk, or Stammtisch, at the usual
venue in Pattaya, the Moon River Pub.
 (L
to R) Gerrit Niehaus, Stefan Bürkle, Chief Business Economics and
Advisory Division of GTCC and Reimer Calmund, former CEO of the Bayer 04
Football Corporation, Bayer Leverkusen.
Stefan Bürkle, the chamber’s deputy director, was able to greet once
again numerous guests from the east coast, as well as from Bangkok.
Unlike the usual networking evenings, the program this time included a
presentation by a “heavyweight” from the German football scene.
“During the last regular pub meeting I made a small comparison between
the German economy and World Cup football,” said Stefan in his speech of
introduction. “Not everyone agreed with me, but today I’m pleased to
introduce to you a guest who would like to deepen this topic, Reiner
Calmund!”
 (L
to R) Dieter H. Precourt, past president of Rotary Taksin-Pattaya, Bruno
Winkendick, sales manager Europa of Alasia Trading Co., Ltd. And Rene’
Neef, managing director of Konitz Asia Ltd.
Reiner is the former CEO of the Bayer 04 Football Corporation, Bayer
Leverkusen. He managed the club for almost three decades, during which
time he led it into the football league and added to its international
credit. Due to his hard work, he quickly obtained a position in the top
level management. Nevertheless, he still stands with both feet on the
ground where real life is taking place. Everyone could sense this when
he presented the organizational facts of the World Cup.
 (Front
L to R) Dudolf Bernuehler from Grohe Siam Limited, Brigitta Herkner,
guest service manager of Thai Garden Resort (Back L to R) Harald P.
Sandow, managing director of Business & Financial Services Group,
Stephan Heeb and Ekkehard Thesen, managing director of Grohe Siam
Limited.
“We’ve shown the world what they expected to see from the Germans as
organizers,” he said. “Once again, Germany has proven its world-class
standards. With the infrastructure of the stadiums, the traffic, the
hotels and gastronomy together with the cultural programs, communication
and security aspects, they have set standards that would be hard to beat
by other countries.
 (L
to R) Rainer Roessler, Eastern Seaboard Branch of East-West Air Services
Co., Ltd. and Thomas F. Ferentzi, managing director of Bader (Asia) Co.,
Ltd.
“Above all, Germany managed to increase its gross domestic product by 10
million euro, thus creating 80,000 temporary jobs and 15,000 permanent
jobs.”
Reiner Calmund sees this as a catalyst for the German economy. He went
on to say that the spirit is as important as the organizing talent.
“The sport’s spirit gripped the whole nation. An implementation of
business objectives requires not only highly qualified but also highly
motivated employees. This is the same anywhere in the world. Both have
to harmonize in order for the organization to succeed.”
 (L
to R) Neil Maniquiz, marketing executive International Marketing &
Communication Division of Bangkok Pattaya Hospital Co., Ltd. and Monika
Rottmann from Bangkok Pattaya Hospital Co., Ltd.
There was a good take-up on Reiner’s presentation; and he had to answer
many questions from the audience. Stefan Bürkle had to put a gentle but
firm end to the discussion because the luxurious buffet had been
waiting.
Later the discussions continued in a more casual manner where the
attendees took the opportunity to network.
What did the Marriott Resort’s didgeridoo?
Depends on what did the koala bare!
Dr. Iain Corness
The Pattaya Marriott Resort and Spa turned on a remarkable networking
evening for the Australian Thai Chamber of Commerce (AustCham) last
weekend. The resident Marriott Aussie ‘twins’ Dylan Counsel (F&B
manager) and Dennis Barton (Kitchen operations manager) had even bigger
grins than usual as they brought out their ‘piece de resistance’ - an
Australian didgeridoo player!
 (L
to R) Brendan Richards of AA Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd., Michael
David Parham, regional marketing manager of Pro-Log Co., Ltd. and Paul
Whyte, general manager of Tinfish (Thailand) Ltd.
Now this was not an ordinary indigenous didgeridoo player, but a ‘value
added’ solo performer who incorporated a maraca in his right hand and
bells on his left sandal while intoning the amazing repertoire of sounds
that the only didgeridoo can produce. What was even more amazing, was
the fact that this didgeridoo player was Thai, not an Australian
aboriginal! (For those not familiar with this instrument, it is a hollow
log which is blown through by the mouth while the musician breathes in
through the nose, and the sound does not stop. It is extremely difficult
to play. Aboriginal people of the Kakadu region of the Northern
Territory have been using the didgeridoo for about 1,500 years, based on
the dating of paintings on cave walls and shelters from this period, so
that’s a fairly long apprenticeship. And another interesting fact, a
2005 study, published in the British Medical Journal, found that
learning and practicing the didgeridoo helped reduce snoring and sleep
apnea, as well as daytime sleepiness. I suppose the noise keeps you
awake!)
 (L
to R) Neil M. Russell, operations director Bangkok of Manpower , Darren
Hindle, business development manager of AA Brokerage Co., Ltd. and Gary
Woollacott, president of AustCham.
While listening to the didgeridoo player, the members and guests dined
on ‘roo steaks, platypus burgers and emu sausages (or some things
suitably antipodean) and networked. The president of BlueScope Steel
Simon Smart (the other sponsor of the evening) held the floor for a few
minutes to give us all details of the different products being built by
this company in Thailand (an offshoot of the ‘Big Australian’ BHP), but
then in true Australian form suggested that everyone get stuck into the
tucker!
 (L
to R) Monika Rottmann of Bangkok Pattaya Hospital Co., Ltd., Colin
Rogers, regional director of Opus Recruitment Ltd. and Som Corness.
Newcomers Colin Rogers (Opus Executive Search) and his lovely wife Janey
were obviously enjoying the evening as was the AGS Four Winds
international movers group, headed by local GM, Paul Wilkinson. Another
group of regulars, though both holding British passports (but are
allowed in by international treaty) were the AA Insurance duo of Peter
Smith and Malcolm Scorer, though they did bring Aussie Brendan Richards
along to give them bona fides for the AustCham event.
These Seaboard Sundowners evenings have become very popular, and despite
the weather and the odd coup d’etat, it was very well attended. To top
this event, the organizers will have to do something like bringing out
Australia’s singing budgie, Kylie Minogue for the next one. A great
evening! Well done, Marriott.
(L to R) Richard E.
Baranski, managing director of Gate & Fencing Co., Ltd., Simon Park,
plant general manager of Global Fleet Sales and Peter Smith, director of
AA Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd.
(L to R) Dylan Counsel,
food and beverage manager of Marriott Resort & Spa Pattaya and Martin
Kyle, executive director of AustCham.
(L to R) Bill Meale,
general manger Rohlig Representative Office in Thailand of International
Forwarding Agents Representative Office: East-West Air Services Co.,
Ltd. (Röhlic) and Ian Sherratt from Scale Technology (Thailand) Co.,
Ltd.
(L to R) Ian Sherratt from
Scale Technology (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Dr. Iain Corness and Ian
Scrivener of ZedZeroTwo.
(L to R) Simon Smart,
president of BlueScope Steel (Thailand) Limited and Grittaporn Maneein,
sales executive at the Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya.
(L to R) Yu Jing Chen from
China, Helew Chugg from Australia and Jitra Wongjuan, part of AA
Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd.’s administration team.
(L to R) Gary Woollacott,
president of AustCham, Dylan Counsel, food and beverage manager at
Marriott Resort & Spa Pattaya, Simon Smart, president of BlueScope Steel
(Thailand) Limited and Winatee Loechang.
(L to R) (Front)
Grittaporn Maneein, sales executive at the Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya,
Sasichol Thongnak, senior sales manager of Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya;
(Back row) John Pang, assistant director of food & beverage at Hard Rock
Hotel Pattaya, Paul Wilkinson, general manager, Eastern Seaboard for
Four Winds International Moving Limited, Peter Smith, director of AA
Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd. and Malcolm Scorer, director of AA
Brokerage Co., Ltd.
(L to R) Gregory Poupon,
branch manager of Manpower, Colin Cousins, country manager of Four Winds
International Movers, Malcolm Scorer, director of AA Brokerage Co., Ltd.
and Jeffrey Burrows, senior partner of Watermark Capital Management
Limited.
Royal Navy sinks HMS Kood in Pattaya Bay
Admiral Satieraphan
Kayanont, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy fires a flare gun to
signal the ship is about to go under.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
To the sound of monks chanting and a navy gun fired in a last
salute, HMS Kood slipped beneath the waves on September 17 on the way to
the next phase of her career, as a tourist attraction.
Admiral Satieraphan Kayanont, commander-in-chief of the Royal Navy led
the ceremony from on board HTMS Sii Chang, riding the ocean swell off
the coast of Koh Sak.
The Royal Navy in cooperation with Pattaya City has sunk HMS Kood in
Pattaya Bay to create an underwater nature reserve as well as a marine
tourism attraction. Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn headed a team of city
administrators and members of Pattaya City Council in observing the
ceremony.
Homage was paid to His Majesty the King in this, the 60th year of his
reign. As the Kood was positioned at latitude 12, 57.1 degrees north and
longitude 100, 48.1 degrees east, a salute was fired, and the vessel
began a controlled sinking.
Niran said that the Royal Navy and Pattaya City Council had previously
cooperated with each other in sinking HMS Khraam near Koh Pai on January
30, 2003 to create an underwater nature reserve, and that this had
attracted large numbers of tourists and had proved beneficial to the
ecology in the area.
The commander of the Royal Navy said that HMS Kood was a mid-sized
personnel carrier weighing 513 tons fully loaded and measuring 61.5
meters long and 10.50 meters wide. She was armed with 40 mm guns and 20
mm machine guns and was powered by two 1,800 hp diesel engines producing
a top speed of 13.5 knots. The Kood had had a range of 2,580 miles and
carried 65 crewmembers.
She had been in service since 1947, serving as a troop transporter and
logistics vessel during the Korean War. She was finally retired on 30
July 2004.
Going, going, gone…
Rotary International: Building a Global Army for Peace
By Richelieu Marcel Allison - Participant, Rotary
Peace and Conflict Studies Programme
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand - New Recruit, Rotary Global
Army for Peace
While there has been a slight decrease in the number
of inter state conflicts around the globe, the number of incessant intra
state conflicts continue to increase at an alarming rate and has become
the new threat to global peace and security. These protracted social
conflicts have over the years lead to the killing of millions of
innocent civilians, including women and children. Over the last few
years, the world has also witnessed the introduction of a new method of
horrendous violence and terror being perpetuated by terrorists in the
form of brutal attacks on innocent civilians. This new form of violence
seems to have permeated most societies around the globe and is now
consider the number one threat to world peace and security.
There has also been a general increase in the recruitment of armed
civilians around the world to help fuel war machineries and fight these
new wars. Non state actors, including rebel movements, and even
terrorist groups have all intensified their recruitment drive in a bid
to strengthen their position and continue to forge ahead with their
formidable war plans. To counterattack this massive recruitment policy,
nations have also launched an aggressive recruitment campaign aimed at
recruiting and mobilizing young man and soldiers to defend their
sovereignty.
While all of these recruitments have been going on around the world with
intensive media publicity, there has been a silence, low profile
recruitment for a new army that has been going on for sometime now.
Unlike the others, there has been no publicity attached to this one
despite the fact that the formation of this new army has been ongoing
for some years now.
According to the UNESCO charter, “Since wars begin in the minds of
man, it is in the minds of men that peace must be constructed”.
In line with this assertion and in keeping with its own Mission
Statement of promoting world peace and understanding, Rotary
International has over the years commenced the silent recruitment of a
new breed of soldiers who are being trained and sent into battle fronts
at all levels to perpetuate a global culture of peace and security. The
training camps of this peculiar army are located around the world at
eight leading universities with the latest being set up in Bangkok,
Thailand at Chulalongkorn University where I am presently undergoing
basic infantry training as one of the new recruits.
The selection process for the army is unique and open to all, regardless
of religion, social background, class or creed. While other armies
prepare their recruits in basic infantry training designed to fight
violent wars, the Training Programme of the Rotary Peace Army
is designed to inculcate into the recruits the value and concepts of
peace building and conflict resolution to enable them to be a part of
the solution in accelerating peaceful co-existence among the people of
the world. The recruits learn how to analyze conflicts with the view of
utilizing these newly developed skills and weapons to promote world
peace and further counterattack the weapons of violence and destruction.
For the past two months, I have had the unique privilege of being a part
of the first group of recruits at the newest training ground of the
Rotary Peace Army at Chulalongkorn University. In two months
time we have been vigorously drilled in the techniques and doctrines of
negotiation, conflict transformation, non violence conflict resolution,
reconciliation, mediation, amongst others. Unlike other army camps,
where the instructors seem to have immense power and always prescribe
the required knowledge to the recruits, ours is a different ball game.
In our camp, everyone, including the recruits and instructors, are
considered to have basic experience that can be shared in an elicitive
approach so as to enhance concrete discussions and general debates in
class.
Our weapons include academic books, power point presentations, case
studies, field study tours, class discussions, and the minds of the
recruits and facilitators. Like recruits in other military camps, we
also learn about maps and diagrams as tools for forging ahead in the
line of battle. However, our own mapping exercise is intended to equip
us with the skill of mapping conflicts as a means of effectively
diagnosing and analyzing these conflicts for peaceful resolution. Step
by step, we learn about the basic ingredients of conflict resolution
including the rudiments of conflict triangle, conflict mapping and
conflict tracking.
All recruits in the Rotary Peace Army look forward to
going through the ranking system of the army to become General. This is
due mainly to the fact that our Promotion System is based on
transparency and hard work and coupled with how we transform our
training into practice. Upon graduation, recruits are expected to take
the Peace Oath and be commissioned as Privates in the army and charged
further with the sacred responsibility of going out into their
communities and region to effectively serve as catalysts for peace
building and conflict resolution.
After graduation, our task is to join the emerging network of peace
analysts of Rotary International, under the banner of the Rotary
Peace Army, to go out in the world and propagate the message of
goodwill and peaceful co existence. Our jobs are to serve as mediators,
negotiators, peace analysts and peace builders in our families,
communities, countries, regions and the world at last. In our army, we
learned that Peace begins from the heart so we have a responsibility to
start peace from within before venturing out. This is one of our first
basic lessons.
Unlike other armies, Rotary Peace Army does not have a
retirement scheme. From graduation onward, newly commissioned soldiers
are expected to serve for the rest of their lives, committing themselves
to the noble idea of building a wholesome functioning culture of peace.
“Once a Soldier of the RPA, always a Soldier of the RPA”
is one of the slogans of the Rotary Peace Army. Soldiers are therefore
expected to take up the challenge with pride and dignity and go forward
with their heads up high determined to make a difference, building
bridges of peace, wherever they go.
Like all other recruits here with me at our beautiful training base in
Bangkok, I anxiously look forward to successfully completing my required
course of study and to my graduation ceremony. I look forward to being
commissioned as a Private in the Rotary Peace Army and to
further dream of getting back into the world and working extremely hard
to put into practice what I have learned throughout my three month basic
infantry training.
I look forward to pursuing the path of peace; serving as a third party
mediator or a negotiator; organizing training seminars for vulnerable
groups, traditional leaders, military officers and community leaders and
indoctrinating them with the doctrine of the Rotary Peace Army;
helping to analyze conflicts and becoming an effective agent for peace.
I look forward to rise in the ranks, from the rank of a private to serve
as a commander and general. This may sound too ambitious but we are
being trained to rise up and spread the mantle of peace and this remains
my basic focus and challenge, building a culture of non-violence and
peace and becoming a General in the Rotary Peace Army.
From a multi-track diplomacy approach, people everywhere have a major
role to play in building an efficient culture of peace in our world
today. The Rotary Peace Army is trying to do just that by
mobilizing and recruiting peace warriors from every corner of the globe
to promote world peace, security and understanding. I am proud to be
associated with such a unique global army. I am proud to be a recruit in
this army. I will equally be proud to be called a General in the
Rotary Peace Army.
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