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Pattaya Mail Media Group wins ‘Best in the East’ award for the 11th consecutive year
Vimolrat Singnikorn
The awards keep piling up for Pattaya Mail Media group as we once
again won the Best in the East Award now for the 11th consecutive year.
Pattaya Mail Publishing Co. Ltd. collected the award of excellence at the
National Media Day celebrations hosted by the Eastern Mass Media Association
on March 5 in Chonburi.
The English language Pattaya Mail and the German language Pattaya
Blatt, were honored for being the best newspapers in presentation of
news and information especially for the support and promotion of travel and
tourism.
 Chonburi
Governor Surapon Pongtadsirikun gives the opening speech at the Media Day
party.
Chonburi Governor Surapon Pongtadsirikun and Chonburi Senator Surachai
Chaitrakulthong were honored guests who presented the awards, and their
corresponding honorary plaques, to the best media winners in different
categories.
Governor Surapon stressed on the importance of how the media reflects the
truth in society. “The function for all of the media is to accurately
report society’s issues and problems, relaying the truth, and of the good
things in Thai society to the public,” he said.
Pattaya Mail Media Group, publishers of the Pattaya Mail and the
Pattaya Blatt, has always maintained its high standard of journalism to
become the favorite weekly newspapers of Thais and foreigners working and
residing in Eastern Thailand as well as the favorite source of information
of tourists to Thailand. The PMMG also publishes the Chiang Mai Mail
and are producers of Pattaya Mail on TV television program.
Kamolthep Malhotra, general manager of the Pattaya Mail Media Group
proudly said, “This achievement did not come easy. For over 15 years our
Pattaya Mail ‘family’ has worked very hard to serve the community not only
in providing the best news and information to the public, but we have worked
closely together with the community to further the interests of society by
our involvement and support of charities to help the needy in and around our
communities.”
Pratheep Malhotra, MD of Pattaya Mail said, “This is a great honor for all
of us and we are very proud that we have won the award for the 11th consecutive
year. Our successes could not have been achieved had it not been for the
dedication and hard work of each and every member of the Pattaya Mail family
throughout the 15 years. I thank you all sincerely from the bottom of my
heart.”
For their night, media workers took a rest from their work to enjoy tables
full of Chinese dishes at the party while 50 gifts were drawn for guests to
add to the very enjoyable party.
Awards presented included the following
Best management of public welfare: Chonburi Governor Surapon
Pongtadsirikun; Chonburi Senator Surachai Chaitrakulthong; Chonburi MP
Banchob Rungroad; and Chonburi MP Manit Phawisut.
Best relation management personnel with media (Public Sector):
Nongmaidaeng Mayor Tuangthip Phaosutipaijit; and Sasiliam Mayor Amphai
Wongpornpradit.
Best relation management personnel with media (Academic Sector): Saweak
Polsawat, director of Chonkanyanukul; Thawatchai Phutaraksa, director of
Chonburi Kindergarten School; Sirawit Samnaksakul, director of Muang Mai
Kindergarten and Manop Phakdi, director of Chonburi Language School.
Best relation management personnel with media (Private Sector): Supakit
Akaralertlarp.
Best tourism-supporting newspaper: Pattaya Mail Publishing Co., Ltd.
Best Senior Mass Media personnel award: Saemsak Sapanon and Withaya
Yensabai.
Best Senior Mass Media personnel award (Public Sector): Nongnuch
Pornchai-Chaiwat.
Best Reporter: Thanakorn Prakobchaichana from Chonburi Radio 99.75 Mhz
and Parinya Thepsawat.
Best Radio Presenter: Dudsadee Boonyai.
Best TV reporter: Kiatisak Laksanaprakobkiat from Thai TV Channel 5 and
Phairot Saeng-pha from Thai TV Channel 7.
Best Service Award: Chonburi Water Department; Chonburi Mass
Communication Department.
Runners up Best Service Award: Office of the Public Relations of
Chonburi.
Best Suppression of Crime & Narcotics Award: Pol Col Nopadol Wongnom,
superintendent at Chonburi Police Station.
Patsarin Sawetrat (left),
assistant director of TAT Pattaya, receives an award from Chonburi Governor
Surapon Pongtadsirikun.
Kamolthep Malhotra (left),
representing Pattaya Mail Publishing,
receives the award from Chonburi Senator Surachai Chaitrakulthong.
Chonburi Governor Surapon
Pongtadsirikun (right) accepts his award for Best management of public
welfare from Eastern Mass Media Association President Padungsak
Tantaworasilp (left).
Supakit Akaralertlarp accepts
the Best relation management personnel, private sector award from Chonburi
Governor Surapon Pongtadsirikun (right).
Chonburi Senator Surachai
Chaitrakulthong (left) accepts his award for Best management of public
welfare from Chonburi Governor Surapon Pongtadsirikun (right).
Pol Col Nopadol Wongnom
(right), superintendent at Chonburi Police Station accepts his award for
Best Suppression of Crime & Narcotics from Eastern Mass Media Association
President Padungsak Tantaworasilp (left).
Volunteers plant trees in historical swamp
Patcharapol Panrak
Some 350 members of the volunteers for national maritime protection
in Zone 2 from four provinces planted 300 iron wood trees at a historical
swamp in Sattahip on Foundation Day. This kind of tree planting event has
been done for more than 100 years.
 Monks
bless the tree planting.
On March 3 the volunteers from Trad, Chantaburi, Rayong and Chonburi
replaced bushes near the front of the Prince Chumporn Khet Udomsak Monument
(Sadet Tia, Father of the Royal Thai Navy) in front of the Sattahip Naval
Base Command Office.
They were welcomed there by Capt. Kiatchai Nampaiboon, secretary of the
volunteers for national maritime protection in zone 2. Then the group moved
on to Prince Chumporn Garden at the Royal Thai Navy to plant iron wood
trees.
Vice-Admiral Sriwisut Ratarun, director of the volunteers and
commander-in-chief of the Sattahip Naval Base, chaired this ceremony,
accompanied by Abbot Wiboon Thammaban and officials.
Vice-Admiral Sriwisut said the trees would shade the swamp and would be used
by people coming to Prince Chumporn Garden for relaxation.
The reason for planting iron wood is that this natural swamp is called “Nong
Takhian” after the large iron wood trees that grew there that have all been
cut down and used, Abbot Wiboon said.
In 1986 the Navy constructed the Admiral Prince Apakorn Kietiwong Chumporn
Khet Udomsak Statute on the west side and the name of the place was changed
to Prince Chumporn Garden to honor him.
Naval officers begin the
planting.
Volunteers from Trad,
Chantaburi, Rayong and Chonburi plant trees around the Prince Chumporn
monument.
Officers pay their respects to
the Prince Chumporn monument
before beginning to plant trees.
Cooling sea breezes helped on
this hot day.
Dek Dee becomes new Pattaya
International Ladies Club project
PILC members gather round to
discuss the project.
Before demolition…
… After demolition and ready
for the new building.
Ingrid Cunliffe and
Sue Wright
Below is a letter from Sue Wright who is founding a new kindergarten called
Dek Dee in the Bang Chang area, close to Garden International School.
Pattaya International Ladies Club (PILC) along with the Welfare team have
decided to support this wonderful project, which will help some less
fortunate kids get a start to their education. The project is being modeled
on the Gop Pai kindergarten, which is a great success story in how an “idea”
can turn to reality.
Dek Dee Early Learning Centre
Introduction: I have for a long time wanted to be involved in a
“project” which might help those less fortunate in life and it seems that
this is now going to happen. Through my sister, who lives in Pattaya, I have
met a very enterprising Thai lady whose dream has been to run a children’s
nursery.
Porn is 38 years old, happily married with four lovely daughters and - to
help matters along - speaks very good English! Her husband owns a plot of
land with two small houses on it (one derelict) in a village near to Ban
Chang further down the coast from Pattaya and they have agreed to let us use
this property for our kindergarten.
We plan to convert the existing house for use as a nursery, demolish the
derelict house which is alongside it and in its place have a building with a
canteen and two self-contained rooms for a teacher and a teacher’s assistant
to live in. There will also be an area outside for a playground and another
small spot for more sedentary activities such as painting or story-telling.
The village is one of three set close to each other and none of them have
any pre-school facilities. There is a clinic where children are registered
and we have been informed by the local nurse that she has over 200 three to
five year olds on her books, so we know there will be no problem in filling
the places at our establishment - the problem will be not having enough
places! But we intend to start with 25 children and hopefully increase that
to at least 50 once we have the second building up and running.
Aim: Our purpose is to provide a safe, educational environment for
pre-school children which will then allow the parents to find work (and not
have to leave them defend for themselves as sometimes has to happen). We
will employ a teacher who will teach the older children the “three R’s” - in
Thai, of course - but they will also learn some English. Porn will be the
manager and will have the assistance of a cook/cleaner and maybe some
volunteers.
The nursery day will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, to start
with but we will see how this works as parents will mostly be working in Ban
Chang, a few miles away, and may need a later time to pick up their
children. It will be open throughout the year and only closed on public
holidays.
We will provide milk and a snack in the morning, followed by lunch and
another snack in the afternoon. The children will have lessons in the
morning, a sleep after lunch, and mostly playtime in the afternoon. They
will be given a uniform to wear and a soft mat to sleep on.
We intend to make as much use of the premises as possible by also utilizing
them at the weekends. The local district nurse has already agreed to service
a monthly clinic for new mothers with babies and a clinic for the elderly.
Porn’s husband has also kindly agreed to use the adjacent plot (belonging to
his uncle) to grow vegetables which will be used/consumed by the children!
Costs: So now we are looking to raise money for the project! There
will be the one-time cost of the new building and converting the existing
one and then there will be the running costs which include staff salaries,
rent and electricity. Parents will be expected to pay a daily charge of 25
baht for each child which will cover the cost of food and water but there
will be some not able to afford even half this amount and we will look for
sponsors in such cases.
Anyone wishing to help can contact Susan Wright, email susanwright1@hotmail
.co.uk or Ingrid Cunliffe, email [email protected]
Springfield Estate and “Number 1”
Dr Iain Corness
The Royal Cliff Wine Club’s South African wine dinner was held in
the new venue of the Rossini restaurant at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort. The
demand for places was so high that extra chairs and tables had to be placed
around the swimming pool.
 Wine
Club president Ranjith Chandrasiri talks about the evening ahead.
The Springfield Estate’s co-owner Jeanette Bruwer was present, as was the
South African Ambassador HE Douglas H.M. Gibson and his wife, and the tone
of the evening was set from the first tasting of the ‘No. 1’ wine, a
Springfield Estate ‘Life from Stone’ sauvignon blanc 2007. This was the
first time I have seen unanimous consensus at a wine dinner. “Number 1 is
superb,” being the opinion of the wine club members and friends. Not only
did the diners tell Ms Jeanette that night, but they were ringing and
emailing Wine Club president Ranjith Chandrasiri the next day, expressing
the same sentiments. Ranjith also told me that the Number 1 wine was given
the gold medal at a recent wine tasting function in Bangkok.
The Springfield Estate winery is represented in Thailand by Bangkok Beer and
Beverage, with its president Ron Batori on hand to discuss the wines as well
as Jeanette Bruwer.
The Bruwers are ninth-generation descendants of the Bruères, French
Huguenots who had come to South Africa from the Loire in 1688 with bundles
of vines under their arms. The Springfield Estates previously produced 30
tons of grapes per hectare as a cooperative but to make boutique wine, it
would take, not 30, but, 3 tons per hectare. Jeanette describes their
resulting approach to wine growing and making as, “Utilizing the original
winemaking techniques of the first settlers and generally approaching
winemaking as a cultural and spiritual adventure.”
 Jeanette
Bruwer addresses the gathering.
She also told the wine club members that they did not crush the grapes and
all were picked at night, and natural yeasts were used in fermentation. This
produced lower phenolic levels and less histamines, and fewer headaches the
next day!
To go with this wonderful wine Number 1, executive chef Walter Thenisch
presented a poached lemongrass flavored king prawn and a pan-seared Alaskan
scallop on celery-artichoke mash, which again was universally popular.
There were two red wines, and the Number 5, a Springfield Estate ‘Whole
Berry’ cabernet sauvignon 2006 was again (almost) the universal favorite.
Personally I found this an exceptional wine, made from whole berries, and
very, very smooth. Walter Thenisch teamed this wine with a combination lamb
rack and braised lamb shoulder, and it would be difficult to beat this.
Those diners who were outside were making the most of their freedom to
express themselves, with K. Apple and friend dancing to the Royal Cliff’s
resident trio, led by the ever-so-elegant Ruby.
Once again, the Royal Cliff Wine Club presented an extraordinary evening of
indulgence in fine food and wine, and at the price, represents probably the
best value in Pattaya.
Memberships of the Royal Cliff Wine Club are limited, but further details
can be obtained from Ranjith Chandrasiri
[email protected]
(From left) Royal Cliff Beach
Resort General Manager Alexander Hauesler, South African Ambassador to
Thailand, H.E. Douglas Gibson, owner and winemaker of Springfield Estate,
South Africa, Jeanette Bruwer, Royal Cliff Beach Resort managing director
Panga Vathanakul, Royal Cliff Beach Resort Deputy General Manager and Royal
Cliff Wine Club President Ranjith Chandrasiri, president of Bangkok Beer and
Beverage Company Limited, Ron Batori.
Members of the Pattaya
International Ladies Club
enjoy the fine wines and good company.
The ever-attentive staff made
sure every guest felt like royalty.
The many guests were treated
to an evening of fine wine.
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