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Pira Sudham addresses PCEC
The Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC) meeting on Sunday May
4 at Henry J. Bean’s started with an unexpected celebration. The week’s MC
Roger Fox announced that it was PCEC Chairman Richard Smith’s 77th birthday.
The celebrations continued in traditional manner with a cake and communal
singing of the appropriate song. Of probably more importance, Richard was
thanked for all the hard work he continues to put into the club, ensuring
its continued success.
 Pira
Sudham, often recognised as the voice of the silent and powerless, shares
with PCEC members tales of life in Isaan, and the current situation there.
Roger then continued introducing this week’s main speaker, welcoming back
author Pira Sudham. The PCEC is always interested to hear from current
authors and Pira who provides an alternate view on Thai life is certainly no
exception.
He began his life under impoverished conditions in the Isaan province of
Buriram. At the age of 14 he became an acolyte in a Bangkok wat where he
faced a huge social and financial struggle. But his diligence and keen mind
approach landed him in the prestigious Chulalongkorn University and
ultimately a scholarship to a New Zealand university where he focused on his
development as an English writer. From there he moved on to England to
further develop his skills.
He held a position at the now defunct Holiday Inn in Pattaya during the
1970s and collected a great deal of information on the socio-economic
standing of a large proportion of the Thai population. He concluded that
poverty and the lack of opportunities to rise above it created a no win
situation.
He particularly referred to his “David and Goliath” experiences which he
believes were struggling to influence the Thai way of life.
His books describe the often insurmountable obstacles which the population
of Isaan inevitably encounters. The information contained within the books
should enable foreigners to gain a valuable insight and increase their
understanding of differing cultural and often controversial topics.
Pira’s books include People of Isaan, Tales of Thailand, Monsoon Country and
The Force of Karma.
Returning to the normal PCEC agenda, Hans Stroosnyder confirmed that he will
shortly be organising the next trip to the driving license centre, when both
motor bike and car licenses can be obtained.
On Friday May 16 until Sunday May 18, the Pattaya Players will present as
their first production, An Evening of One Acts on the 10th floor of the
Bangkok Hospital Pattaya. The PCEC is a sponsor of the Pattaya Players
acting group and a number of PCEC members have acting roles in the
production.
Richard Silverberg, the PCEC’s own computer expert, then presented his
regular Website of the Week. This week it was www.mapjack .com. It is well
known that Google maps produces maps in the language of the map’s location.
Mapjack goes a step further in that the maps are presented in the English
language. A further feature is that of the street view. In addition to some
US locations Chang Mai and Pattaya are also included. Whilst the views can
be three to four months old, clear representations of Pattaya can be viewed
and emailed if desired.
The monthly PCEC dinners are always a popular event; however, it has been
suggested that for the benefit of those on a tighter budget venues which
offer a more economic menu are selected. These would be known as Cheap
Charlie’s Monthly Dinners!
This was discussed, with a certain amount of tongue in cheek, during the
regular Open Forum mediated by Sig Sigworth and Bob L’Etoile. As always it
provided an opportunity for questions about living in Thailand with an
emphasis on Pattaya to be asked. The Open Forum again proved to be the usual
lively and entertaining session. For more information regarding, not only
PCEC Sunday meetings but also the varied mid week activities, please see the
Community Happenings section of Pattaya Mail or, for more details, visit the
Club’s website at pattayacityexpatsclub.com.
Rotary free eye cataract
operations will continue
Pramote Channgam
International Rotary District 3340 held a meeting on the 10th floor of
Building D at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya on May 7 to review progress on the
program that provides free eye cataract surgery for the residents of Chonburi.
 Dr.
Pichet Kangwonkit, director of BHP, speaks about the team of surgeons.
More than 1,000 operations have been performed in the year since the program was
started, having been launched in May 2007 as a Rotary event in honor of His
Majesty the King’s 80th birthday.
Sriracha Rotary Club, Bangpli Rotary Club, Samitivet Sriracha Hospital, and the
Chonburi Red Cross cooperated with the Banpaew Hospital Foundation to organize
the first year of the project, which had been inaugurated on May 5 by Chonburi
Governor Pracha Taerat.
There are, however, still many people suffering from cataracts, and the program
now moves into its second year.
International Rotary District 3340 therefore discussed the proposals for moving
the program forward, and this year Bangkok Hospital Pattaya will also be taking
part. Rotary will make a further announcement when the plans are completed.
Diana Group distributes
81 scholarships
With Pattaya Provincial Court
Judge Wachira Netnoi and Sopin Thappajug
(back center), managing director of the Diana Group preside over the scholarship
presentation ceremony.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
The Diana Group has presented 81 scholarships to children of staff members and
to children of members of the media in an annual ceremony that has now been held
each year for 20 years.
The presentation took place on May 8 at the Diana Resort on North Pattaya Road,
with Pattaya Provincial Court Judge Wachira Netnoi and Sopin Thappajug, managing
director of the Diana Group presiding.
Sopin said that although the group’s policy has always been to support the
children of staff members so that they have the opportunity of a good education,
the present round of sharp increases in the cost of consumer goods meant that
many families were suffering hardships, and consequently the scholarships would
have even more significance.
She added that the media has been of great assistance in helping support the
Diana Group, and that this was the second year a scholarships presentation had
been made to the children of members of the media.
The Diana Group is also active in supporting vocational education, and a
fund-raiser was recently held by Diana Gold to present scholarships to students
at Banglamung School, as part of a pilot project for education in the Eastern
region.
The May 8 distribution of scholarships consisted of 16 scholarships for
kindergarten students, 29 scholarships for students in primary school classes,
21 scholarships for students in secondary school classes and vocational classes,
and 10 bachelor’s degree scholarships. Five scholarships were presented to the
children of media members. The total of 81 scholarships was valued at 181,398
baht.
After the end of the ceremony, the children along with their parents had lunch
together, followed by an educational visit for the children to Underwater World.
Three one-act plays
to be staged by Pattaya Players
Pattaya Players will be staging a
series
of one-act plays May 16 - 18 at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
The Pattaya Players will be staging a series of one-act plays over this weekend,
May 16 to 18, to be held at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya.
Director of the hospital Dr Pichet Kangwonkit, production director of the
Pattaya Players Chris Parsons, and president of the Players board of directors
Debbie Cavanaugh jointly announced the event on May 2.
The Pattaya Players is an organization of expatriates that stages amateur
theatrical shows under the direction of an experienced producer.
The three one-act plays are The Monkey’s Paw by W W Jacobs, The Last Leaf by
Thomas Hischak, and The Final Dress Rehearsal by Jack Frakes.
Performance dates will include two evenings: 7:30 pm on Friday, May 16, and 7:30
pm on Saturday, May 17. A matinee will take place at 2 pm on Sunday, May 18.
All performances will take place at the 10th floor Grand Function Room at
Bangkok Pattaya Hospital in North Pattaya.
Ticket prices are 300 baht for adults and 200 baht for children under 12 years
of age. Tickets can be purchased online at www.pattayaplayers. org, or can be
bought in person at the North Star Library on Naklua Road next to the Pattaya
Redemptorist School, at Jameson’s Irish Pub behind the Central Festival Center
located in North Pattaya, and at the Pattaya Mail office in North Pattaya.
Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door the evening of the
performances.
In memory of Bernd Bur-Am-Orde
(1966-2008)
Tragically in the early hours of May 7, Pattaya resident
Bernd Bur-Am-Orde sustained multiple injuries in a motorcycle accident on the
Sukhumvit Highway and passed away a short time later at the Bangkok Hospital
Pattaya.
 Bernd
Bur-Am-Orde
(1966-2008)
R.I.P.
Bernd was a much loved and respected member of the Pit Bull Motorcycle Club
(Thailand).
We would all like to take this opportunity to thank the Sawang Boriboon Rescue
Foundation and the staff at the ICU unit of Bangkok Hospital Pattaya for their
swift response and professionalism.
Bernd will be missed by both the motorcycle community in Pattaya and his
brothers of Pit Bull M.C. A very tragic loss to everyone who knew him and our
thoughts are also with his family in Germany and his friends worldwide.
Indian Oscars comes
to Bangkok
Dave Malhotra
From Bombay to Bangkok, this summer brings the most prestigious award
event in Indian cinema, the International Indian Film Academy Awards 2008, to
the Siam Niramit Theatre in Bangkok.
Earlier venues of the show were Yorkshire, London, Johannesburg, Sun City,
Amsterdam, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. This year, Bangkok is proud to be
the ninth destination to play host to this extravaganza which is scheduled on
6-8 June 2008.
The event will showcase the world premiere of Sarkar Raj, a political drama
starring the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, his son Abhishek and daughter-in-law,
the former Miss World, Aishwariya Rai. Ram Gopal Verma, the film’s director,
brings Sarkar Raj as a sequel to the previous critically acclaimed film Sarkar,
which he expects to provide the global audience with the true taste of Indian
cinema.
In a press conference held April 30 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok, Mr.
Bachchan claimed that Thailand was the perfect location for the IIFA. He was
impressed with the “Land of Smiles” and believed the support of the government
and the hospitality of Thailand would make the IIFA awards a success.
“There’s been a long history of sharing of culture. There are many Indians
living in Thailand, we see that they enjoy our cinema (and) we get a chance to
build a bridge with the Thai people. The awards ceremony and bringing cinema
here has become almost an excuse to come here. But I believe the important cause
is to build a bridge between nations.”, said Bachchan.
On the same occasion, Weerasak Kowsurat, the Tourism and Sports Minister
stressed the benefits that the event would have on Thai economy. Not only would
this even help boost the number of tourists from India, which is now at 550,000
per year, but the event would also help promote Thailand’s mutual understanding
and trade relationship with India. In addition, this 3-day extravaganza is
expected to attract visitors, not just Indians but people from all over the
world.
The Thai backdrop has been an ideal filming location for Indian film makers in
the past two years. About 30 films have already been produced in the country,
bringing in US$20 million to the economy. Likewise, $7 million worth of
advertisements were filmed here in 2007. With the IIFA bringing more attention
to Thailand, it should encourage Indian producers to shoot even more films here.
The award show will be televised live around the world by the Star television
network promising a reach of 600 million viewers worldwide, making the event one
of the most watched awards shows in the world.
In an effort to create awareness and encourage actions on environmental
concerns, in 2007 IIFA became the first ever awards event to roll out, not a
Red, but a Green Carpet. With an association with United Nations Environmental
Programme (UNEP), IIFA hopes to bring people together to share best practices to
support its fight against Global Warming.
The IIFA Awards 2008 is a much-awaited occasion for Bollywood fans in Thailand
as they look forward to being a part of this mega event showcasing most, if not
all, of their favourite artists.
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