England’s Steve Wakeling sealed his return to the top echelon of Muaythai boxing last Saturday night, January 8, with a masterful ring performance against Thailand’s WBC super-middleweight world champion Jaowchalam Chatkranokgym at a temporary boxing arena erected at the Tip Plaza Complex on Pattaya Beach Road.

Hundreds attend gathering to pay respects to a beloved man

The Permsub household was all abuzz on November 27 as people from all walks of life attended religious ceremonies to mark the birthday of one of the most respected personalities in Pattaya.

As has become an annual tradition, General Kanit Permsub, Deputy Chief Aide-de-Camp, General to H.M. the King, and the general’s wife Khunying Busyarat opened up their home and hearts to family and friends for a day of prayer and contemplation on the anniversary of General Kanit’s birth which falls on November 26.

Phra Khru Visuthipiyakorn blesses General Kanit and Khunying Busyarat by sprinkling them with lustral water, calling on all that is sacred to give them good health and prosperity.

The religious ceremony was conducted by chief abbot Phra Khru Visuthipiyakorn together with eight monks from Wat Boon Samphan temple.

General Kanit and Khunying Busyarat graciously welcomed each and every one of their guests and ensured that they were comfortable and felt at home during the day of celebration.

General Knit Permsub pays his respects to Phra Khru Visuthipiyakorn.

General Kanit is held in high esteem by those who know him for his unbounded love and loyalty to His Majesty the King and his devotion to the Royal Family. He affectionately speaks of the love and benevolence of our King for the people of Thailand. “His Majesty has never stopped working for His people throughout the more than 60 years of His reign.”

General Kanit and Khunying Busyarat chant the Holy Scriptures during the religious ceremonies.

“His Majesty is deeply concerned about His subjects and keeps a close watch on the developments of His country and people, ever ready to give advice to help implement plans and solutions to improve the quality of life of the people and the environment of His beloved country.”

Gen Kanit stresses that, “His Majesty cares and loves everyone, Thais and foreigners alike, pledging to protect those who have come to live in this country under His umbrella of Righteous and Benevolent rule.”

Guests were treated to a sumptuous luncheon of Thai cuisine in the beautifully landscaped garden of the Permsub residence.

The same evening a small group of guests attended an evening of relaxation where many of them took turns showing off their talent at singing karaoke songs including the traditional ‘Happy Birthday.’

People from all walks of life turned up at the Permsub residence to wish the much revered couple all the luck and happiness.

Public Relations has become a most vital element in practically every segment of life, be they in private, public and in social organizations.

In the last few years, educational institutions have emphasized the importance of adding this subject into their educational curriculum.

Suwanthep Malhotra, executive business development director of Pattaya Mail Publishing Co., presents his talk to PR personnel of Burapha University on “Writing a Press Release in English”.

The subject of Public Relations is taught from high schools all the way up to post graduate education. There is a need for skilled publicists who are capable of presenting a company, organization and individuals to the masses of the world in a good light. The reputation of these organizations are protected and enhanced by the right professional and expert PR person.

To this end, Burapha University located in Bangsaen, Chonburi, not only encourages but also emphasizes this branch of education in their syllabus.

On November 29, the institute of higher education organized a seminar on Public Relations which was attended by 32 PR specialists from the various faculties in the campus.

Guest lecturer for the day was Suwanthep Malhotra, better known as ‘Tony’, the executive business development director of the Pattaya Mail Publishing Co. Ltd.

Tony’s theme was “Writing PR News in English and Electronics Broadcasting”.

Tony, a ten-year veteran in the publishing business, expounded on how to professionally create and assemble components of a truly useful and effective press release.

To indicate the importance of PR Tony said, “The business world of today is extremely competitive. Companies need to have an edge that makes them stand out from the crowd, something that makes them more appealing and interesting to both the public and the media. The public are the buyers of the product and the media are responsible for selling it.”

University Special Affairs Vice President Banpot Wirunrat said the two-day workshop was aimed at giving all the Public Relation executives and managers from all the faculties of Burapha University the English language tools they need. Their knowledge and success in implementing effective public relations will enhance Thailand’s reputation and ensure that Thailand will be looked up as the leader in this field when the country becomes an active member in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations free trade zone set to take effect in 2015.

He said that Tony was a superb example of a Burapha University Alumni who graduated with a Masters Degree in International Business Management and has made excellent use of his PR skills in his profession.

Tony’s lecture included a slideshow presentation of Pattaya Mail operations. He said, “It is quite a unique profession publishing foreign language newspapers and television shows. Our reporters write the news in Thai. They are then translated into English, sent to a sub-editor and on to the executive editor, a native English speaker and an expert in his field, who plans and designs the composition of the papers, before going on to our graphics layout department and finally to the printing press.”

“For our German language newspaper, the Pattaya Blatt, the process also involves translating the news into German.”

Tony advised the seminar participants that editors are very demanding when it comes to press releases and they insist on relevant and well-organized facts.

In closing Tony said, “A journalist must always remember to follow these cardinal rules when writing a report, ‘Who’ is it about? ‘What’ happened? ‘Where’ did it take place? ‘When’ did it take place? ‘Why’ did it happen? and ‘How’ did it happen? (W-W-W-W-W & H)

The 7th annual Charity Cross Bay Swim in Pattaya took place this year on Sunday Nov. 21.  Hosted by the Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya and given support by both Pattaya City and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the event as ever included both adults and children of all nationalities participating in this colourful and environmentally friendly activity.

The weather was sunny with light winds and moderate waves, which was a real boost to all the swimmers who took part.  The Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya again kindly offered its Hard Rock Café area and refreshments to the swimmers for the pre-race ceremonies and activities.

Nick Wilson, left, broke his own record in the Male Long Swim event.

The opening ceremonies were conducted by Past District Governor, Pratheep (Peter) Malhotra, ably assisted by Community Services Director, Philip Wall Morris.

Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome welcomed the opportunity to attend the ceremonies and spoke about the significant contribution the Charity Cross Bay Swim makes to the tourist image of Pattaya.  He officially opened the event and later blew the whistle to start the 1km swim from the Hard Rock to the Dusit Resort.

Also adding their support to the proceedings were Serm Phenjati of the Dusit D2 Baraquda Pattaya hotel and Nopporn Kanchanamane of Thai Airways Pattaya.

As in previous years two challenges were available to enthusiastic swimmers; a 3.5km swim from the Sea Rescue Unit near Bali Hai Pier and a 1km from The Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya.  Both swims finished at the Dusit Thani Pattaya Resort on Chaba Beach in North Pattaya.

Hannah Way, left, receives the Female Long Swim award from Nopporn Kanchanamane of Thai Airways Pattaya.

Safety precautions were significantly upgraded this year with many new enhancements.  The Pattaya Sea Rescue team at Bali Hai monitored the contestants from their high-speed rescue boats and jet-skis for the full duration of the race.  They made sure that all the swimmers arrived safely on shore.

The finish line for both races was marked by two red balloon towers on the beach at Dusit Thani Pattaya.  All registered swimmers were welcomed with a commemorative swim T shirt, fresh towels, a cold drink, and were later presented with a very impressive medallion.

The overall winner this year was once again Nicholas Wilson, who broke his own record and passed the balloon towers in just over 42 minutes for the 3.5km long swim.

Wongsakorn Hounkin, left, was adjudged the winner in the Male Short Course category after a photo finish involving 12 swimmers.

There was a steward’s enquiry in the Male Short Swim category after 12 swimmers jostled as they came out of the water and all thought they had crossed the line first.  Eventually a semblance of order was restored and the swimmers were able to agree upon the final results list themselves.

Long Swim (Male)

1st Nick Wilson

2nd Steve Woods

3rd Komkit Phasan

Long Swim (Female)

1st Hannah Way

2nd Kristina Soliheim

3rd Sophie Walker

Short Swim (Male)

1st Wongsakorn Hounkin

2nd Puchong Pakdeenork

3rd Paul Cardwell

3rd Charkit Pansan

Short Swim (Female)

1st Nicole Russell

2nd Geneivieve Ahl

3rd Natalie Luneva

Following their exertions in the ocean, the swimmers were then treated to a gala buffet lunch hosted by the Dusit Thani Pattaya, who, like they do every year for this event, generously made their numerous facilities and staff available.

Nicole Russell, left, took the Female Short Swim award.

Food and beverage services were also offered by the Rotary staff and the Paulaner Garden Restaurant to spectators and supporters lined up on the Dusit Thani Pattaya beach.  Medical staff and an ambulance, provided by Bangkok Pattaya Hospital Emergency Services, were also on standby at the hotel.

The charity swim enjoys the privilege of being the only event of its kind on the Eastern Seaboard.  It is a fun and uniquely family event and a great opportunity for swimmers of all ages to take up a serious challenge for a noble cause.

The proceeds from day will be used to finance humanitarian projects serviced by the Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya to help alleviate the suffering and needs of the underprivileged in our community and elsewhere in the Kingdom.  One of the major ongoing projects is the installation of pure drinking water outlets in schools in rural areas.

Philip Wall Morris, Community Services Director, Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya, and Brendan Kelly, Cross Bay Swim Event Manager, expressed their gratitude to all those who provided support and help to make this year’s event a great success, both as a swim and a fundraiser.   Tributes were paid to Thai Airways for their very generous sponsorship and to the Dusit D2 Baracuda hotel for their advice and help in fund raising management.

Young local lady Noppakao Poonpat continued her rise to sailing stardom by securing a gold medal for Thailand last weekend with her win in the Optimist dinghy class at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

No stranger to success on the world scene, fifteen year old Noppakao was expected to be among the front runners in her event and she established an early lead on the opening day that left her opponents playing catch-up for the remainder of the regatta.  Noppakao sailed a remarkably consistent series of races with her worst result being a 4th place finish.

It was a highly competitive contest in Guangzhou with Kimberly Lim (Singapore) taking the silver medal and Yuting Lu (China) the bronze.  Lim had beaten Noppakao at the IODA Asian Championships this year in Pattaya but was forced to play second fiddle here at the Asian Games.  Both junior sailors are expected to compete in a strong field at the Optimist Worlds being held in Langkawi, Malaysia, at the end of December where Noppakao will be defending her title.

On a golden day for Thailand at the Games (the kingdom won 6 golds on the day) some other local sailors also featured in the success stories.  First up was 18-year- old Kirati Bualuang, the 2009 Laser Radial Youth World Championships winner, who dominated the men’s Open Radial race here at the Shanwei Water Sports Centre to take the gold medal.

Also striking gold on the water for Thailand were 40-year old skipper Damrongsak Vongtim and his brother Kitsada, both from Sattahip, who defended their title in the men’s Hobie 16 class.  In the windsurfing Ed Boonsawad, well known to sailors at Jomtien beach, was able to garner a silver medal in the men’s RSX division while 16 year old Sarocha Prumprai and Napali Tansai took bronzes in the women’s RSX and women’s Mistral classes respectively.

The air in Pattaya was filled with romance on Sunday night, November 21, as couples from throughout the world floated their krathongs to celebrate the age old tradition of Loy Krathong, one of the most colorful and romantic celebrations in Thailand.

Local beaches were packed with residents, guests and tourists who collectively painted the seas with their flowers, candles and incense.  It was truly one of the busiest and most enjoyable events that Pattaya has seen in quite some time.

Waterways in Sattahip are filled with people celebrating Loy Krathong.

But the fun wasn’t just limited to the beaches, as hotels, entertainment venues, tourist attractions, schools and just about anywhere that people tend to gather held special Loy Krathong events.

One popular venue for the celebrations was the Redemptorist Center where stalls were set up by the students and teachers selling krathongs made of biodegradable natural substances.

The theme of the celebrations at the center was, “Little krathongs uniting relationships and dreams as one.” The children who are under the care of the Father Ray Foundation performed a myriad of cultural activities including beautiful Thai dances and singing folk songs.

Contests were held to choose the most beautiful krathong and prizes were also given for the best dressed children.

Hotels around town also organized fun filled Loy Krathong festivities. Guests joined in to release hundreds of ‘khomloy’ hot air balloons into the sky. This ceremony originated in the north of Thailand and the belief is that by performing this act, one lets go of all the back luck from oneself.

Major hotels in Pattaya had their teams of international and Thai chefs prepare the finest of cuisine and guests were thrilled by the world class entertainment that visitors from around the world have become accustomed to. The packed venues were a welcome indication that the coming high tourist season will be one of the best and busiest ever.

Meanwhile, more than a thousand Russian tourists thronged the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens where under the light of the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai calendar, they floated their krathongs in the vast clear ponds in the grounds of the popular tourist destination and enjoyed cultural shows performed by world renowned Thai cultural performers.

It was not only fun and games during Loy Krathong as revered Buddhist monk Phra Acharn Boonsong Upasamo from Wat Songmettawanaram temple in Bang Saray led his devoted disciples to the Nong Nooch Gardens where staff and visitors sat together under the bright moonlit night and listened to the preaching of the Buddhist priest who spoke of mercy and love.

Later everyone joined in merit making by releasing animals and fish back into their natural habitat as a sign of repentance and praying for forgiveness from Mother Ganges.

Nang Noppamas dancers perform beautifully at the Amari Orchid Resort.

Hundreds of tourists choose Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens to enjoy Loy Krathong.

Guests at the Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort light their khomloys and prepare to send them skyward, taking away bad luck for the coming year.

Celebrating traditional Loy Krathong at the Redemptorist Center.

Children float their ‘bread’ krathongs.

Tanaree (Nong Nui) Fungpinyopab prepares to float her krathong at the Redemptorist Center.

The art of traditional krathong making on display at the Sheraton Pattaya Resort.

Beautiful Noppamas contestants display their krathong at Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort.

International School of Chonburi students release their krathongs in the school’s play pool.

Guests gather to float their krathongs at the Dusit Thani Pattaya Hotel.

A loving couple prepares to loy their krathong at the Montien Hotel.

Releasing khomloys at the Diana Garden Resort.

Staff and guests gather by the pool to loy their krathongs at the Hard Rock Hotel.

The rise of technology and mass communication in Thailand poses challenges in public relations for government and business leaders, commerce and P.R. lecturers told attendees at a Burapha University open house seminar.

“The development of science and technology, especially communications, has increased competition and changed ideas, customs and culture, resulting in both positive and negative impacts on Thai society,” Kritsanaporm Sermapnit, head of Burapha’s Public Relations Department, told audience members at the Nov. 4 session.

Commerce and P.R. lecturers at Burapha University address people attending their open house seminar.

Management of information is a key factor in developing countries and government agencies and the private sector need to develop new approaches to P.R., he said. By emphasizing information services, government can create a better understanding with the public.

The “Direction and Management Model for P.R. During the Next Decade” lecture was the first byproduct of an Oct. 12 joint operations agreement between Burapha’s P.R. department and the College of Commerce. The full course is being aimed at public- and private-sector communications officials as well as marketers managing all types of media. The course will be part of Burapha’s Master’s and Doctorate degree programs.

Banpot Wirunrat, dean of the College of Commerce said there are currently more than 6,000 graduate level students taking business courses throughout the country. To develop international interest, programs are being offered in concert with two colleges in Laos, he added.

During the free, open house session, lecturers stressed that the “new model” of public relations requires meeting the needs of various target groups and taking preemptive action. Providing timely information and monitoring the results is crucial, they said.

To do that, university officials told the public, P.R. administrators need to be well educated and armed with the latest techniques which, of course, Burapha’s courses can offer, they said.

Claiming deadbeats are drying up its liquidity, the Provincial Waterworks Authority is threatening to begin cutting off water to customers who don’t pay their bills within a week.

PEA officials said slow payers are causing the utility financial hardship. Cash flow, liquidity and accounting problems were but a few of the issues cited.

Therefore anyone who began water service with the PEA before Oct. 1 now faces having the tap turned off if they’re more than seven days late paying their monthly bill. The due date is marked in red on the bills, officials said.

Anyone whose water is cut off will have to make a new contract with the utility by presenting the paid bill, identification card and house registration certificate at the PEA Pattaya office.

For more information, contact 038-222-462-4 or the PEA Call Center at 1662.

Having a ghostly good time at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Sometimes beauty is difficult to hide, no matter how scary they dress.

The best of the “scariest” compete in a Halloween Sexy Star Night contest at Breezeo restaurant.

The living dead scare the guests at Breezeo restaurant in the Royal Cliff.

It’s close to midnight and something evil’s lurking in the dark

Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart

You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it

You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes

You’re paralyzed

‘Cause this is thriller, thriller night And no one’s gonna save you from the beast about to strike… Michael Jackson

Hard Rock Cafe

On October 30, the Hard Rock Hotel and Cafe organized colorful ceremonies to release ghosts and zombies which caused quite a scare for partygoers.

In the style of the Hard Rock, which converts everything into fun and games, revelers dressed in their scariest costumes were assisted by Hard Rock staff to put scary makeup onto their faces, transforming them into top class zombies. It was not all done in vain as an ‘ugly’ contest was also underway to pick the nastiest, scariest, ugliest most disgusting winner of this year’s Halloween night.

This was all happening to the heavy and eerie sounds of the Centric Band. Ghouls, ghosts, zombies and extraterrestrial creatures danced until the sun creeped over the horizon, when they all hurriedly crawled back into their crypts of darkness.

Horseshoe Point

On that same dark and stormy night across town…way across town, over the highway and into the boondocks where the witches fly on their broomsticks, hundreds of other ghastly spirits slowly dug themselves out of the massive graveyards which were once the green luscious lawns of the Horseshoe Point. The ghostly rituals there were organized by the Pattaya Players group who brought a new sense of scare to the folk of this peaceful town.  The farang demons were incredible and the local ‘pees’ were no match for the ugliness and awesome fear that they put into the shivering lives of adults and children.

Ahoy mates - a buccaneer welcomes the pirates, ghosts, zombies and all sorts of strange creatures to the Hard Rock horror house.

Guests/ghosts were treated to phantom swordfights and bamboo fire dances. The players showed off their scientific Halloween inventions demonstrating and telling the story of this infamous ritual of meanness and the true ‘meaning’ behind the meaningless acts of scaring the living daylights out of people.

Royal Cliff Beach Resort

Later, our witch reporter hurriedly scrambled onto her broom and zoomed over the reservoir heading towards the luscious grounds of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort. Having bred ghoulies in their dungeons all year, the Cliffies let them loose that night to prowl and devour anyone who strayed away from the confines of their safe havens.

The Breezeo was transformed into a huge pumpkin patch that even Linus and Charlie Brown would have been proud of.

The costumes were out of this world as each ghost tried to hide their beautiful faces behind a mask of offensive makeup. Some were quite successful without having to try very hard.

A Halloween Sexy Star Night contest was held and no doubt the ugliest of the lot took away the top prize, a figurine of Boris Karloff.  And what an ugly sight that was.

As we sneaked away on our witchy brooms, we looked down onto the gardens and saw zombies dancing to their hearts content.

Guest ghosts were treated to phantom swordfights at Horseshoe Point.

It’s a witches night out at Hard Rock.

Management and guests dress spookily at Breezeo restaurant in the Royal Cliff.

The bamboo fire dances eerily light up the night at Horseshoe Point.

Young witches spook their friends at Horseshoe Point.

Scary creatures creep out of the night at Horseshoe Point.

Fright night at Breezeo restaurant in the Royal Cliff raised a few heartbeats.

Pattaya United’s Patipol Phetwiset, left, holds of the challenges of Sisaket FC’s Kim Youn-Dong and Víctor Amaro during the first half of their match at the Nongprue Stadium, Sunday, Oct. 24. (Photo/Ariyawat Nuamsawat)

Pattaya United ended their season on a high note with a come from behind 2-1 win over relegation threatened Sisaket FC at the Nongprue Stadium last Sunday.

With all the Thai Premier League matches starting at the same 4:30 p.m. kick-off time on the final day of action, the oppressive heat of the mid-afternoon appeared to sap the energy of both teams as the game began at a sedate pace with little goal-mouth action of note during the opening 20 minutes.

The crowd were eventually given something to get excited about on 22 minutes when United striker Tana Chanabut, playing in the place of top scorer Ludovick Takam, weaved his way between a couple of Sisaket defenders and sent his left foot shot just over the crossbar.

United again came close on 35 minutes but the woodwork came to the rescue of the visitors as wing back Anucha Kitpongsri saw his fierce left foot shot strike the outside of the post and rebound to safety.

Somewhat against the run of play Sisaket took the lead just three minutes later and it came about through a misunderstanding in the United defence that allowed Piyawat Thongman to run onto a through ball unchallenged and slide the ball under the advancing Narit to put the visitors one up.

United were unable to pierce the Sisaket defence for the remainder of the half as they struggled for an equalizer before the break.

In the second half United began to show a bit more urgency in the final third of the field and winger Santi Chaiyaphurk came close to getting the Dolphins back on level terms in the 50th minute but his fierce right foot shot flew just the wrong side of the goal.

Eventually the pressure from the home team told and United forced a mistake from the Sisaket defence as Tana Chanabut was allowed to run clear before squaring the ball to Theerawesin Seehawong, who made no mistake from just 5 yards out to tie up the scores on the hour mark.

With United finally beginning to get on top, the match was thrown into chaos with just 20 minutes left when one of the floodlights failed to switch on.  Despite the light being adequate from the other three pylons, the referee and officials refused to allow play to continue until the offending light had been fixed.  This necessitated a frustrating delay of nearly half an hour as both players and fans began to wonder if the game could be finished on the night.

Eventually the floodlight was persuaded to co-operate and play could continue and United wasted no time as they took the lead just 2 minutes after the restart when Chaiyaphurk fired a low free kick into the back of the Sisaket net.

The Isaan outfit almost caught United napping from the restart and had the ball in the Dolphins’ net through Sirisak Sangsomwong, however the 23-year old midfielder had strayed offside in the build-up play and the raised linesman’s flag meant the United players and fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief once more.

The home team were able to play out the remainder of the delayed second half without any further threats to their goal and thus record their twelfth win of season and secure sixth place in the league overall, just behind Bangkok Glass on goal difference.

The Dolphin fans salute their heroes at the end of the game. (Photo/Ariyawat Nuamsawat)

United were due to play a Toyota Cup match against Thai Honda on Wednesday, October 27 and we will bring you full details of their progress in next week’s Pattaya Mail.

Elsewhere last Sunday, Muang Thong United were able to celebrate being crowned Premier League champions for the second year in a row.  The Kirins had already secured the title with a goalless midweek draw against SCG Samut Songkram, so their game against TOT Cat on Sunday at the Yamaha Stadium had something of a celebration feel to it.  Muang Thong had to rally in the second half to come from behind and secure a 2-1 victory that left them four points clear of runners up Buriram in the final standings.

The Chonburi FC ‘Sharks’ finished in third position after a battling 1-1 draw at Osotspa that saw the away team play most of the match with only nine men.

The Thai Premier League will return with a new season starting next February with 18 teams.  The three teams that finished in the relegation zone of the TPL, namely Sisaket FC, Bangkok United and Army will now go into the play-offs with the 4th, 5th and 6th placed teams from Division 1.  Only two of those teams will play in the Thai Premier League next season.