ScandAsia Thailand June 2013

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Diving Instructor Jyrki Castren

One Day in Life with:

Opinion

ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in Thailand.

We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Singapore and the rest of South East Asia.

Your FREEScandAsia Magazine in Thailand

Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.comPublisher : 211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29Prasert Manukitch RoadChorakae Bua, Lad PraoBangkok 10230, ThailandTel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: [email protected]

Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Mø[email protected]

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Daily news and features here:www.scandasia.com

Country by country all over the world, we move closer to the point when the number of people entering the workforce are less than the number of people exiting the workforce. In some countries, like Japan, this point has already been reached.

This is not just an old world scenario – it is also happening in our part of the world. Official data from China shows that the working-age population defined as people 15-59 years old fell almost 4 million people in 2012. It is the first time in 50 years that the labour pool has declined in China. Even though the contraction in 2012 appears to be small relative to China’s more than a billion people, the cumulative effects will accelerate over the next decades. A Chinese government think-tank has reported that the number of people between 15 and 64 will drop by around 40 million people the next 15 years. The proportion of over-65-year-olds will double over the next 25-26 years, a feat which took United States 69 years to complete. China’s one-child policy imposed over 40 years now suddenly threatens to impact the country’s future growth. Forecasters predict that in Japan the labor force will over then next 30-40 years decrease from 68 million down to 46 million, Italy’s from 23 to 14 million and in Germany the labor market goes from 41 million to 28 million. Thailand will face the dilemma in 2025, just 12 years from now, according to research. However, looking at the prediction in the research, we now see that the time where more people leave the labour force than entering (i.e. contracting) is coming earlier than expected. Fewer young people in the labour market means an increasing aging population and a shortage of workers to support that aging population. Which will again affect economic productivity and also strain the social security and pension systems. For companies, it means attracting good staff will be increasingly difficult. Strong brand names like Apple, Google, Starbucks and another 50 global brands may not feel this but for the average company that does not enjoy such strong name recognition they have to do something. As a starting point, you must develop an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) which clearly describes real needs and clarify job expectations. Here are just a few of the many questions that will help you on the way. They must be answered before you start any sourcing of new staff. And let me warn you, there is no way you can develop the EVP between coffee breaks.• Whywouldsomeonewhoisgoodatthistypeofworkwantthisparticularjob?• Whyshouldanyonecomeandworkforyou?• Whatdoesthisjobofferthatisuniqueormakesitmostattractivetoapotentialcandidate?• Whyisdoingthisjobatyourcompanybetterthandoingthesamejobatacompetitor?• Whydopeoplecometoworkatyourcompanyandwhydotheystay?Isitleadingedgetechnology? Fastgrowth?Industryreputation?Work/lifebalance?Howdoesitdifferentiateyoufromyourprimary competitors?• Whatisyourcompetitivecompensationandbenefitsplan?12or13monthsguaranteedpay, sign-on bonus, performance incentive, company car, medical cover, provident fund, for employee or forfamilytoo?Flextime,freeparkingattheofficebuilding?• Rememberthatapplicantsorcandidatesareaperishablecommodity.Itistheonly“product”Iknow thatcanspeak.Theycansaynotobeing“sold”toyourorganization.Thebetteronesarequickly turned off by unresponsiveness which is interpreted as a lack of initiative or seriousness.

If you are not prepared with an intelligent EVP when meeting future employees the contraction in the labour force will hit you hard and before your competitor.

The demographic timebomb

Tom Sorensen is a Partner in Grant Thornton which he joined in 2003 as head of Executive Recruitment. He is a prominent figure in the Scandinavian community, having been among others Chairman of Scandinavian Society Siam and for five consecutive years President of the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce. His column “From the Headhunter’s Desk” is a popular feature in the English speaking media in Thailand.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY SCANDINAVIAN SOCIETY

6 ScandAsia.Thailand • June 2013

Coming Events

Amazing Thailand Grand SaleDate: 15 June – 15 August 2013Location: participating businesses throughout Thailand

Tourism Authority of Thailand presents Amazing Thailand Grand Sale! The two-month event offers shoppers special discounts from 10 to 80 per cent and other privileges at participating department stores, shopping malls, jewelry shops, golf courses, hospitals as well as leading airlines and online travel agencies. Shoppers can also enjoy discounts at participating merchants at selected tourist attractions in Bangkok, Chiangmai, Phuket, Hat Yai, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Koh Samui and other famous destinations in Thailand.For more information, visit www.thailandgrandsale.tourismthailand.org

‘The Beauty of Life’ Art Exhibition

Date: 3 June – 7 July 2013Location: Ardel Gallery of Modern Art

CreatedbyThailand’sleadingartistofrealisticapproachChairatSangthong,“theBeautyofLive’ art exhibition presents the fine art of acrylic on canvas under the concept of discovering simple happiness through local way of life. Local customs and traditions are featured here. For more information, visit www.ardellgallery.com

‘Beauty’ Art Exhibition

Date: 6 June – 14 July 2013 Location: DOB Hualamphong Gallery

“Beauty”artexhibitionpresentsfineartofoiloncanvasundertheconceptofmaterialisticobsession. Many of today women are obsessed with decorating themselves with accessories, makeup and tend to beautify themselves more than necessary. Thai female artist Suriwan Sutham explores what might happen if beauty seekers were to take their obsession too far. For more information, visit www.ardelgallery.com

Laguna Phuket International MarathonDate: 7 – 9 June 2013Location: Phuket

Following the success of last year’s event with over 4,000 participants, the 8th Laguna Phuket International Marathon this year expects over 5,000 runners and walkers. Laguna Phuket International Marathon is one of the biggest marathon events in Thailand. The marathon course is along the beautiful beaches, and takes in a typical Thai village market, a rubber plantation, with sea views before finishing in the resort of Laguna Phuket in the North West of the tropical island. The 42.195km marathon course has been officially measured and is sanctioned by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races. Furthermore, the race also supports the family activities by launching other different events such as 5km. Walk for health and 2km. Kids Run.For more information, visit www.phuketmarathon.com

Asia International Guitar Festival & Competition 2013Date: 13-16 June 2013Location: the Sukosol (Siam City) Hotel, Bangkok

The four-day event is organised by Thailand Guitar Society in association with the Conservatory of Music Rangsit University and the Sukosol (Siam City) Hotel, Bangkok, featuring concerts, Master classes, competition and exhibition at the Sukosol Hotel. Among many well-known musicians to participate in the the event include AmadeusGuitarDuo(Canada/Gemany),Dale Kavanagh (Canada), Thomas Kirchhoff (Gemany), Marco Tamayo (Cuba), Sachiko Miyashita (Japan), Admir Doçi (Albania), Lirza Zaloshnja (Albania), Leon Koudelak (Swiss/Czech), EkachaiJearakul (Thailand), and Monching Carpio (Philippines). For more information, visit www.thailandguitarsociety.com


Past Events

Scandinavian Viking fest plunders BangkokBy Anders Holm NielsenPhotos by Disraporn Yatprom

Some thousand years ago the Vikings would make their way from Scandinavia to England on quests to rape and plunder. On Saturday

11 the quest was on Chao Phraya River as 80 “Vikings” from Sweden, Norway,Denmark andFinland boarded a ship to enjoy a day on the river followed by a party at Admiral’s Pub and Restau-rant in SukhumwitSoi 29. The raping and plundering were kept at a minimum and replaced by drinking and good times. It was the sort of atmosphere that only comes when the weather is good, the beer cold and you are wearing a Viking costume and a card-board helmet. The event was organized by Scandinavian Society Siam and Admiral’s Pub and Restaurant. When arriving at the ship everybody was given Viking costumes and seeing as there is no suc-cessful quest without proper provisions, cold beer was handed out and the bar was open for refills all through the trip. On the boat trip games were being held in-cluding knot tying, rock, scissors, paper and trivia on the Vikings. It raised quite a bit attention when the ship anchored after a few hours of touring the river. The 80 Vikings disembarked at Asiatique and by passers were snapping their cameras at the Scan-dinavian crowd which had turned into quite the attraction. The following song taew ride was an expe-rience in itself and had the atmosphere of the Scandinavian “studenterkørsel” where freshlygraduated high schoolers drive around town in buses. At the Admiral’s a buffet was set up in the dining area while you could also hang back and enjoy the free bar at the pub. Upstairs on the patio, live music was provided and another bar made sure nobody would wake up without a headache. The food also had the traditional Scan-dinavian touch as the upstairs patio offered roast pig with a carving station. Downstairs the points from the contests had been counted and the winner received a gift cer-tificate for a dinner for two at Admiral’s Pub and Restaurant. It was the first ever event of this sort and the large number of Vikings on the quest along with great backing from sponsors made the whole thing smell like repeat business for next year.

Thanks!Scandinavian Society Siam gives special thanks to the sponsors of the event. Main sponsor was Chang Beer and Mekong Whisky and VIKING Life-Saving Equipment (Thailand) Ltd. Supporting sponsors were Hopsession, Beervana, and Sig-mund Stroemme from ThoresenVinama Logistic Company & Baconco.

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AD_Ericpedersen_192x135_eng.indd 1 8/29/11 1:57 PMJune 2013 • ScandAsia.Thailand 9

Scandinavian Library openingBy Gregers Moller

Past Events

A Scandinavian Library opened on 23 April on the top floor of Mermaid Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 29 in Bangkok. The library is open for all Scandinavians

although the caretaker of the collection of books is the Scandinavian Society Siam. Christina Hammarlund, Board Member of the Scan-dinavian Society Siam, has established a protocol, where visitors will have to enter the title of the book and their contact details when borrowing. This goes, however, mostly for books of as certain age or of some higher value.Themainsectionofthelibraryisbea“put-and-take”library;ifyouputthreebooksintothecollection,you can take three other books away to read. But don’t bring more books than you plan to take away because the shelf space is already limited as it is. The books have for the past couple of years been stored by Transpo Asian Tigers as a courtesy for the Church of Sweden since the Church moved away from the villa it rented on Sukhumvit soi 33. Many of the books originate from the library that Scandinavian Society Siam donated to the Church of Sweden when this was established in Bangkok – but many more where later added by changing Vicars in charge of the Church. Jorgen Lundbak, the owner of Mermaid Hotel, per-formed the official opening prior to the AGM on 23 April. On behalf of the SSS, Christina Hammarlund thank him for hosting the book collection which will be open Monday to Friday from14.00 to 16.00 – plus outside these hours by appointment.


Past Events

Norway’s Constitution Day celebrated in Bangkok

European Film Festival openingBy Anders Holm Nielsen

Photos by Bjørn-Are Johansen

In collaboration with the 17th May Committee of Norwegians Worldwide, the Norwegian Embassy in Thailand held Norway’s Constitution Day celebration

at the ambassador’s residence on 17 May 2013. The event gathered a large number of Norwegians who later par-ticipated in the joyful Norwegian parade. In the evening, a gala dinner was held at Sheraton Grade Sukhumvit for participants to enjoy.

Every year, the European Union Film Festival EU Film is held in Thailand. Bangkok enjoys the best of European films in May along with KhoenKaen and

Chiang Mai in June. About 20 European films are screened free of charge, including Danish, Swedish and Finnish films. The opening reception of the festival was held on Wednesday May 15 at SF World Cinema, Central world, where a large number of guests, journalists and representatives from the European countries gathered. Ambassador of Luxembourg Mr. Marc Thill gave a short presentation at the reception as the opening film was Blind Spot from Luxembourg. The tickets for the opening film were in big demand and the show was sold out. Bangkok enjoys the films on 16-26 May at SFX Cine-ma in Central World. In KhonKaen screening takes place at SFC cinema on 1-2 June and in Chiang Mai on 13-23 June at SCF cinema in Promenada. Films are screened in original language with English subtitles. Scandinavian films include Danish “A funny man”,“Thislife”,“FinnishStarsAbove”andSwedish“Beyond”.


Past Events

Alumni evening at the Danish Embassy in Bangkok

TSCC Networking Evening in Pattaya

By Gregers Moller

The first Danish -Thai Alumni Networking at the Royal Danish Embassy in two years took place in the evening of Tuesday 14 May 2013 with so

many Danes participating that they almost drowned out the Thai participants. For the Thai participants, especially for the newly returned exchange students, the main attraction was to meet Ambassador Mikal H. Winther and his wife Ratanawadee in their private residence, which they had opened for the event. For the Danish participants, the evening posed a chance to connect to these newly re-turned students to canvas for potential new employees – plus catch up with old friends and acquaintances. An added bonus was the popular Danish hotdog and other nice Danish specialties that were served in the dining room. Several speakers addressed the guests during the eve-ning, starting with welcome speeches by Dancham Presi-dent Peter Romhild, Ambassador Mikael Hemniti Win-ther and Thai-Danish Club President Eid Alexandersen. The main speaker of the evening was Dr. Pensak Chagsuchinda Howitz who talked about the historical background of the Alumni and the importance of the cooperation between the Alumni, the Chamber and the Embassy. Finally, Carsten Andersen of Kvik kitchen presented the rise of the company in Denmark and its current ex-pansive position in Thailand.

Thai-Swedish Chamber of Commerce (TSCC) held its networking evening at Akvavit Grill Bar & Restaurant on Jomtien Beach on 17 May 2013,

gathering a good number of members and 20 potential members who turned up to listen to the presentation about TSCC. A glass of welcome drink was served to each mem-ber upon arrival. Members then enjoyed the internation-al buffet while networking with each other. Throughout the evening, members enjoyed wine, beer and cocktails at special prices. Jan Eriksson, the president of the TSCC, and Execu-tive Director Peter Bjork then delivered a speech on what TSCC is doing and benefits for its members. Also present from TSCC were the Board Members Peter Te-mander and Bjorn Richardsson. TSCC plans to set up an Easter Seaboard Branch after the summer break and this was the first step in that direction.


News Brief

Call center in Hua Hin in charge of Swedish healthcare hotline

LÆS MERE PÅ WWW.HERLUFSHOLM.DK HERLUFSHOLM SKOLE OG GODS HERLUFSHOLM ALLÉ 170 DK - 4700 NÆSTVEDTLF. +45 55 75 35 00 [email protected]

Sommerskole på Herlufsholm- for piger og drenge i alderen 13-15 år

FRA 19. JULI TIL 2. AUGUST 2013Tilbring 2 sjove og spændende uger i sommerferien på Danmarks ældste kostskole i selskab med 13-15 årige fra hele verden.Programmet byder på niveauinddelt dansk undervisning, sportslige og kreative aktiviteter samt ekskursioner og oplevelser. Lær om Danmark, mød nye venner og nyd de enestående historiske og smukke rammer som Herlufsholm Skole kan tilbyde.

WhenSwedes call “sjukvårdsrådgivningen”which is ahealth-care hotline, in many cases the calls will be transferred to Thailand. Swedish nurses in Hua Hin are answering questions

from patients in Sweden. The nurses are paid NOK 15,000 per month with free accommoda-tion and free lunch. The Swedish call center in Hua Hin is managed by Medicall commis-sioned from Medhelp, which several Swedish counties have hired to run medical clinics. The nurses in Hua Hin are answering questions from patients from Södermanland, Stockholm and Värmland. Mostly the transferred calls are at nights, Swedish time, and on weekends. On an average night two nurses in Sweden and three in Thailand are serving patients in the three areas. Transferring the healthcare calls to Thailand is not just about time zones. It is also a matter of expenses. The nurses are paid NOK 15,000 or 70,000 baht and there is no pension. However, the nurses enjoy benefits like free travels back and forth to Sweden, free housing and free lunches. This fall Medicall will expand from 9 to 25 employees. In the long term they will expand to 30 employees. There have been far more ap-plicants than posts. “Mostofthenursescomeherebecauseoftheworkingenvironment.The wages are lower here, but living expenses are three times lower than in Sweden, said Birger Rexed who is the head of Medicall. Most nurses stay in Thailand for six months. “Ifyouworkherelongerthansixmonths,youwillpaytaxesinThailandinsteadofinSwedenandtaxesaremuchlowerhere,”saidBirgerRexed.Source: ekurien.se

Swedish Film Festival in Thailand expands

Last year the first ever Swedish Film Festival in Thailand offered four different films exposing Thai audience to an insight in Swedish culture and filmmaking. The festival was a success with a large number of audi-

ences, particularly Thais. In order to satisfy the large number of movie enthusiasts, this year’s fes-tival will be bigger and with wider spectra of movies and seven films. Addi-tional screenings are also part of the program. The tickets are free and films can be seen at the festival from 5-9 June at SFX Cinema at the Emporium Shopping Mall. Films are in Swedish with English subtitles. The press conference was held on 8 May 2013 at St. Regis Bangkok in presence of Swedish Ambassador Klas Molin and a representative from SFX Cinema who has been chosen as the partner and co-organizer once again since last year’s partnership proved a success. The Ambassador said that Sweden and Thailand’s film history actually goes back more than a hundred years and that the film festival is a good way of displaying the two countries’ long relationship. In fact the first ever recorded film in Sweden is of the visit of His Royal Highness King Rama V in Stockholm in 1897. 115 years later, the arts of film have come a long way and the Swedish Film Festival offers a large variety of movies ranging from comedy to docu-mentary that according to Ambassador Klaus Molin is a great opportunity to learn about Swedish culture. Emphasizedat theconferencewas thecomedy“Cockpit”,which isastory about a pilot who loses his job, puts on a wig and starts as a flight at-tendant.Anotherwasthedocumentary“Palme”whichisaboutthelifeandassassination of former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme.For more information, contact SF Call Center at 02-268-8888 or visit www.sfcinemacity.se

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News Brief

Norwegian solar firm REC gains foothold in Thailand

Norwegian solar company REC has opened an office in Bangkok to tap into Thailand’s renewable energy market. The move comes following the launch of its first solar plant in the country, the 9.5 MW Chiang Rai project.

JoseLuisMartin,REC’sprojectdevelopmentmanagerinThailand,said:“Thebestwaytoserve a market is simply to be there. A local presence in the country testifies that we’re taking a long-term view to our business activities in Southeast Asia. HesaidtheChiangRaiinstallation“isthefirstmilestoneofmany”. Chiang Rai is powered by nearly 41,000 REC solar panels and generates electricity for 7,200 homes. It is owned and operated by Chiang Rai Solar Company, a joint venture be-tween independent solar power producer Sonnedix and CK Power, an affiliate of CH Karch-ang, Thailand’s second-largest construction company. It is located across 24 hectares of mountainous land which required the solar panels to be ground-mounted on a special concrete structure.Thailand has set targets to meet a quarter of energy needs by renewable resources by 2021. “Thailandisanexcitingmarketandamagnetforsolarinvestment,”addedMartin.

Court rules in Denmark – boy escapes deportation to Thailand

Six-year-old Fimm Na Thiban is not going to be deported to Thailand but can stay in Denmark with his stepfather. That was the

ruling of the High Court on 14 May 2013. Even though he has lived his entire life in the country, the Danish authorities seemed de-termined to send the little boy on a plane to Thailand as the case was appealed by the gov-ernment’s independent legal adviser on behalf of the Immigration Board, even though it had al-ready been decided by a lower court that Fimm should stay in Denmark. The trial has raised public protests and out-rage. Supporters have created a different Face-book pages to support Fimm. The case of Fimm and his right to stay in Denmark has been widely covered by Danish media because it could set precedence for fu-ture rulings. All in all the case is about whether or not it should be allowed for foreign children to stay in Denmark with their non-biological parents in Denmark.

Although not his biological father, Danish Ole Heegaard has since Fimm’s first months been acting as his guardian. Ole Heegaard and his wife from Thailand, Noppore Na Thiban, di-vorced and she moved back to Thailand. However, she wished her son to stay in Denmark with Ole Heegaard as he has been as a father for the boy from the beginning. She did not feel that she could care for the boy if he was deported to Thailand and that a foster home might have been the only alternative. “IwishhimtostaywithOle.HehasabetterfutureinDen-mark than with me in Thailand. He is much closer to his dad than heistome,”saidNopporetoTV2-Newswhenthecasestarted. The court emphasized that Fimm does not speak Thai and that he would have a problem even communicating with his mother if he was deported. The court also said that the mother had basically given him up when she left Denmark and moved back to Thailand. The boy only knows of Denmark and Ole Heegaard is considered his primary caregiver. Because of this, the High Court decided that it would be in violation of the UN Children’s Convention to deport Fimm Na Thiban. Fimm also has an older sister, Thipsuda, and the High Court has decided that the Immigration Board is to process her case again.

BMH Technology, the Finland-based waste-to-energy technology supplier, expects to sign two agreements with the Thai government this year for the first waste-to-electric-ity projects in Thailand, reports Bangkok Post.

Jori Kaaresmaa, sales manager of BMH Thailand, said the company has been in talks with developers of two projects here for two years. “Wealreadyhavethepiecesofthepuzzleandare inthefinalisingstagesofthecon-tracts,”hesaid. Turning waste into electricity is a new concept for Thailand. Such projects convert municipal solid waste into solid recovered fuel (SRF), which is then used in boilers to produce electricity. “Wehave10-15realisticprojectsinthepipelinebuttheyhavenotstartedyetduetopoliticalreasonsinThailand.Dealingwithwasteiscomplicated,”MrKaaresmaasaid. We hope that the projects will be set up within the next five years, he said. BMH has been active in the field for about seven years. Europe is its largest market because it has a lot of waste regulations and emission con-trols.Abouthalfof itscustomersare in theprivatesector. “WehaveratedThailandandIndonesia as the No.1 countries. The Thai government has already developed good support fortheseprojects,”MrKaaresmaasaid. At the moment, BMH has two customers in Thailand which are TPI Polene (TPIPL) and Siam Cement Group (SCG).

Finnish BMH hopes to set up waste-to-energy projects in Thailand

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News Brief

Danish Design Studio closer to reality

On 10 May 2013, the Danish ambassador to Thailand H.E. Mikael Hemniti Winther mediated a meeting between the Danish design company Jacob Jensen and King Mongkut’s University of Technol-

ogy Thonburi (KMUTT) in Thailand. The purpose of the meeting between Jacob Jensen and KMUTT was to discuss a potential collaboration between the two organizations in setting up a design studio in Thailand. The meeting took place at KMUTT Bangmod Campus. An educational profitable studio would offer young Thai designers a real working experience under the instruction of the Jacob Jensen team to pro-duce design works – products, architecture, graphics, serial manufacture – to clients from Thailand and neighboring Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. “Ourpurposeisnottoexploit–getthebrainorcheaplabor.Wewantto bring in young Thai designers so they can learn some more and help raise thelivingstandardofThailand,”saidchiefdesignerandCEOofJacobJensenBrand, back in 2012.“Withourmethods,IthinkwecancontributetomakeThaidesignevenbet-ter, to help the young designers to have broader outlook, and make better products for Thai industry. When they sell more products, people pay more taxes,andyouliftupthesociety.” The Ambassador and the representatives of Jacob Jensen including Chief Designer & CEO, Mr. Timothy Jacob Jensen, and Chairman of the Board, Mr. Lars Kolind, were warmly welcomed by the President of KMUTT, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sakarindr Bhumiratana and KMUTT’s professors. The initiative follows an establishment of the Jacob Jensen Design | De-Tao Shanghai in August. The 500 square metre studio opened in coopera-tion with the Beijing based DeTao Group under the DeTao Masters Acad-emy.

Lars Ryderstad New priest at the Church of Sweden in Bangkok

The new Swedish priest to replace Lovisa Moller, who has been stationed in Thailand since April 2009, at the Church of Sweden in Bangkok is Lars Ryderstad. He was born and grew up in Go-

thenburg, a big city with a big harbour on the west coast of Sweden. Lars worked as a customs officer in Gothenburg before decided to study to become a clergyman. He has been a priest since 1978.From 2002 to 2010, Lars was a vicar at the Swedish Seamens Church in Skagen, Denmark. Since then, he has been working as a vicar in a custody and prison in Stocklom. ”I have always been interested in meeting people and talkingabout our lives with the darkness and light. I enjoy discussing difficul-ties and possibilities that can be reflected in the light of the gospel and humanity,”LarstellsScandAsia. He plans to move to Bangkok around 20-21 August this year. ”IhaveneverbeentoThailandorSoutheastAsiabeforebutIamvery glad to have got this opportunity – to work, live and share the conditionsofbeinganinhabitantinBangkokandThailand,”saysLars.When asked about what he aims to achieve while working in Bangkok, he says: ”IwishthatinmymissionsIwillgetpossibilitiestoshareeverydaylife and holidays, small and big moments and thoughts with many of you. I wish to be a part of and show a bit of the church of Christ on earth, in many times through our own lives. I also wish that we together can discover a way ahead when it´s hard to see any solutions. Me and my wife Karin has a great deal of pleasureinhavingsuchabigfamily.” ”Iamnowlookingforwardtomeetingandgettingtoknowyou,”Lars adds.

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On an early February day in-between peak seasons we follow diving

instructor Jyrki Castren of Finnish company Raya Divers

on Phuket as he takes out students learning to dive at sea to discover

what this popular job is like.

By Joakim Persson

Diving Instructor Jyrki Castren

One Day in Life with:

June 2013 • ScandAsia.Thailand 21

Is Diving Instructor a dream job for anyone who loves diving? Is it about all smiles inthe sun and an overall leisurely feeling out at sea?Orendlesshours inclassroomsandrepetitivetraininginswimmingpools?Diving

Instructor Jyrki Castren shares his daily routine experience with ScandAsia. Diving plays a significant part of tourism in Thailand and the diving companies like Raya Drivers attract many people, particularly younger ones, to come and work during the diving high season in the Andaman Sea waters. They come as temporary workers and are needed because most customers prefer to have diving instructors and snorkelling guides speaking their own native language. It turns out that the diving course book provided by PADI is also available in one’s na-tive language. (PADI - Professional Association of Diving Instructors - is the most well-known diving certification body.) But Jyrki is not exactly a newcomer on this job – he has been doing it for over 20 years and still he finds it a pleasant way of making a living, as he explains over coffee at the Raya Divers office. He took his first course back in 1988 in Fin-land and has been hooked ever since. “Ihavetoadmitthatduringthelast25yearsI’ve been more or less addicted to diving. In 1990 I did my first instructor course and then in 1993 I made Crossover Training with PADI. After that I’vemoreorlessdoneitformyliving.”

Moving to ThailandHe first came to Thailand on holiday in 2007, where destiny awaited him as he then met his future wife. So he decided to return the follow-ing year and settle down in Thailand. Off-season, when he is not teaching, they travel to Finland on holiday for a few months. After a few decades of diving at many dif-ferent places, Jyrki says that he doesn’t go diving aside work anymore. “IusedtodoitandIhaveseensomuchandbeentosomanygreatsitesintheworld,”hesays. By now Jyrki has made many thousands of dives. He uses a logbook to keep statistics. “Idon’tcountdivesanymore,butdaysandpeople.ButIdoabout500divesperyear,”saysJyrki.“Usuallytherewillbetwotothreedivesaday, and each dive takes up to an hour when out instructing.”

Lessons are all at seaAs it turns out Raya Divers do not use classrooms atall;theorylessonsareheldonthedivingboats. “Classroomisboringandswimmingpoolaswell. We have an air condition cabin where it’s nice to sit down and learn on the way out to the divesite.” “Wedoitalittlebitdifferentfromeverybodyelse. We take people to shallow water where theycanstandandstartinonemetredepth,”heexplains the very first ‘discover dive’ session for beginners who come to the diving course with no experience. “So first we make a shallow dive and gothrough the basics at Racha Island. Then we con-tinue with an easy dive and then we practice out-of-air circulations, hovering, mask clearing and all the skills you have to master before the training is over, which we do in confined water instead of in apoolasthere’snoneontheisland.”

The second day a combination of shallow water practise and real diving down to 12 metres follows and on this last day of the 3-day Open Water Diver course they are having theory on the way to a dive site, and then two dives down to maximum 18 metres, followed by the final exam on the way home.

Diving tripThe day for the diving instructors usually starts around 7.15 am when they alternate either or-ganising the vans that go out on the island picking up all the customers, or going to the warehouse and packing all the gear. On this particular day there are 100 customers, and it can often be more than that. This requires coordination and planning, which is supported by ten staff members working in their office. The trip is well planned and organised. Jyrki shows the planning list for the day. They have developed routines for every step to be efficient. “Wepackthegearperrequestaccordingtothe list. Then we check that we have everything and the correct sizes of diving gear. We name a seat for each student and make sure we have packed it correctly. Sometimes it’s quite huge work because we might easily have over 100 customers coming. Everything has to be correct and it’s a big logistics challenge. There might be easily 40 – 50 hotels,wherewegoandpickupcustomers.” They have carefully arranged the transporta-tions, on this day using 10 vehicles, in order for everybody to reach the Chalong pier in time for departure at 9 am. “Wedecideeverymorningwhichcarstogowhere, looking at the hotels’ locations to plan the route. You have to have a map in your head. And we’re good at logistics – that’s the only way to make 100+ people leave with the boats at the sametime.” Customers are checked against the list three times – the last time when boarding the boat. “Otherwise itmayhappen thatpeopleenduponthewrongboat!”saysJyrki. At 8.59 the boat departs with around 25 cus-tomers on board – all of them are Finns on this day. From then on, all the tour leader, diving in-structors and masters have to do is concentrating

on their customers. Indeed everything looks very orderly as the Jyrki’s group starting preparing their gear for their first dive. Instructions are given in one’s native language or in a second language that one masters, Jyrki explains. But once under water the universal sign language is used.

All set for a dive“Wegivepeoplealonganddeeptheorylessonabout what’s going to happen during the dive. When it’s time to enter the water everyone knows what they are going to do and how and what path we are taking. And everybody knows they have to follow the dive master or instruc-tor - for safety reasons. They don’t go into water unprepared,”explainsJyrki It’s very important for new divers who have never dived before. “Theywanttoknow,andthateverythinghasbeen taken care so they are safe and with no risk ofgettinglostdownthere.” “Normallyadivelastsaboutanhour–whichis long enough. It depends on how much air peo-ple are using. Consumption of air can be very dif-ferentfromonepersontoanother.” His six diving students are excited ahead of their last dive. “Now they already know after a couple ofdays what diving is. They’ve made a couple of shal-low dives and learned the skills and now just want to see what’s down there, what kind of life, visibility andhowitfeels.Theyarereallywaitingforthis.” “Scandinavianstudentsreallypayattention–they really want to learn – which is big plus for us!”headds. He can also enjoy the diving while instructing. Aside this, all the people he meets make Jyrki keep on doing this job after so many years. “Thepeoplearethebestthingwiththis job,because they are so happy when they come. And it’s fulfilling to see them happy and with new adrenaline after a dive. They have been anxious or worried or whatever but they have learned a new skill. They have been able to enter a new world. They find out that they can do it, can manage and canlearnit.Thisisaprivilegeformeactually!”


A drop of changeYoung Danish volunteer physiotherapists share their experiences

at the Raindrop Foundation, set with the aim to change the lives of disable children and their parents in Sakon Nakhon province in Thailand.

By Kim Birkkjær Lund

Trine Larsen with a patient at Kut Hai temple station

Marie Pahlke Fausing treating an adult patient at a community station

As physiotherapist Trine Larse Rakchai recieving treatment at home by Anja


In the North-eastern corner of Thailand a small private foundation makes miracles on a daily basis. It is the Raindrop Foundation which together with enthusiastic locals and Danish volunteer physiotherapists changes

the lives for disabled children and their parents in Sakon Nakhon province. In just five years Rain-drop has expanded from one station for disabled children to 11 stations.

Creating cohesionBefore Raindrop started its project there was no treatment available for disabled children in this poor corner of Thailand. “Manyparentstendto just letthechild lyingalone at home, because they don’t know how to activate and stimulate the child. An important part of our job is to teach the parents how they can stimulatethechild,”saysMariePahlkeFausing. It is not only the treatment that makes a dif-ferent but the social gathering as well. At some stations the parents have developed a tremen-dous cohesion. “Theparentsreallyhelpandsupporteachoth-er. And the children meet other disabled children and discover that they are not the only disabled childinthisworld,”saysMartinHaarbyeVejlgaard.

No magicIt can be difficult for the patients or the parents to understand how exercises as tilting a foot can help a child to be able to walk sometime in the future. They often want a here and now solution or even better a magic pill. “Thereareexpectationsthatwecanmakeadiagnosis by just looking at the patient or make a paralysed person able to walk again. Then we have to try to set some realistic goals with the pa-tient by asking: If you won’t be able to walk again, are there then other functions you will work to regain?”explainsMarie. It is important that the patients set realistic goals and experiences progress, so they don’t give up exercising.

No other treatments availableWhen the four young therapists volunteered, it

QR kode for video from comunitycentreQR code for video with Rakchai

was to work with disabled children. The reality has shown to be somehow different. On top of treating more than 200 disabled children, they treat adults and they do quite a lot of nursing because many of the patients have bedsores, but even it wasn’t what they volunteered for they don’t feel deceived. “Iwassurprisedbythenumbersofadultpa-tients but sometimes it is actually difficult to know if it is a child or an adult, because they are so un-derdeveloped. We have one male patient whom we first handled as if he was a three year old. Then we read in his file and realised that he actu-allyis22yearsold,”Marietells. Trine Larsen wasn’t surprised by the adult pa-tients. “Whentherearenoothertreatmentsavail-able, it is understandable that adults seek the projecttogethelp,”shesays. None of them considers it a problem, that the project treats some adults as it gives them more experience. Only Martin has been working as a therapist back home. For the three girls Rain-drop is their first work experience after finishing their education. “Asafreshgraduateyoueasilyfeelabitun-certain about your abilities. But working here you realise that you actually are well qualified and able to solve the problems you face. Sometimes I sur-prised myself when treating patients, and I asked myself:WhenandwheredidIlearntodothat?”Trine says.

Facing death at the age of 17Not all patients are able to get to one of the sta-tions. So when the therapists are finished at the stations, it is time for home visits. One of those not able to come to a station is 17-year-old Rakchai. He suffers from Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy - a disease that killed his older brother at the age of 18. When we arrive, he and his younger brother are alone at home. Their parents have gone to the hospital to get medicine for Rakchai. As Anja today comes together with two farangs, Rakchai wants to show his favourite pastime: karaoke. Pi A, a volunteer driver and interpreter, turns

Rakchair around so he can hold the microphone in his strongest hand, though he can barely hold it. He sings and Anja notes that it is excellent lung exercise. You can meet Rakchai, Pi A and Anja at http://goo.gl/5VBps

Making the communities responsibleA goal for the project is to get local communities to take responsibility for the disabled children’s treatments. When Raindrop set up a local sta-tion, they expect the community to hire locals as health assistants or WDs (Witch Doctors) as they are called by the Danish volunteers. “We have a great cooperation with theWDs. They are very keen to learn, and training the WD’s is an important part of the project as we only are able to visit most stations once a weekandsomestationsonlyoncea fortnight,”Anja Nydam Hestholm tells. As the volunteers only work in the project for 5 months, they usually don’t experience big progress with their patients. But even they maybe won’t see their patients achieve their goals, they have no doubt that their work makes a differ-ence. “Tome it isobviously thatnot justourpa-tients but also their parents benefit hugely from the project. It is the highlight of the week, when theygotothestation”saysTrine.

Proud to be a RaindropThe four young volunteers believe they too ben-efit from the program. “Treatmentsherearerealfunnywithalotofjokes, fun and hullabaloo. Back home we are very formal and always have to consider if it is ok to ask or do so and so. Here there is a much lighter spirit,”saysMarie She hopes she can bring home some of that spirit. Or at least try to be a bit more open and joyful herself and then hopes that some of that joy will rub off on her patients. “ThisprojectisthebestandIamsoproudofthe work we do. The gratitude from the patients andtheirparentsmakesmeabettertherapist,”says Trine.

Trine Larsen and Martin Haarbye Vejlgaard


Why don’t you make yourself useful?The woman I am meeting in Don Muang Airport is energetic and radiant. She looks nowhere near the age of 74 which my research has told me she is. This is Dr. Pensak - the legendary head of the Raindrop foundation.

By Kim Birkkjær Lund

Dr. Pensak 74 year old head of Raindrop Foundation.

The kindergarten


She is a bit late for our appointment. A meeting with the Thai Minister of the Environment has delayed her. But we still have 45 minutes before her plane leaves for Sakon Nakhon. Her Bangkok

housekeeper, who has been waiting for her to-gether with me, hands her a big brown envelope. It’s cash to pay scholarships for 20 young students from the foundation’s school at the border be-tween Thailand and Myanmar. They have been admitted to university. Those fortunate students are just one of many success stories this Thai woman, who became a Dane, stands behind.

The yearly yearsDr. Pensak’s first encounter with Denmark was in 1963, when she received a scholarship to study archaeology at Copenhagen University. After finishing her studies, she started teaching at the University’s South-east Asian Institute. There she met her future husband Frantz B. Howitz. He had been appointed Danish Ambassador to Thailand and attended her lectures as preparation for his new appointment. “Frantz had worked for Danida before hebecame ambassador, so he took great interest in helping the poor villagers in my home province Esarn (Northeastern part of Thailand). We began with education in farming and then we sat up a children care centre being the first organisation in Thailand doing that. Later on we made the kinder-gartenandthenthevocationandtrainingcentre.” In 1979 they formalised their work by estab-lishing the Raindrop Foundation. Frantz B. Howitz had been appointed Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and they wanted to ensure that their projects would continue when they left Thailand. When Frantz Howitz died in 1986, Danida offered to back up Dr. Pensak if she would con-tinue the foundation’s work. “WiththesupportfromDanida,Istartedthevocation centre for children who have never been to school. We picked up 200 children and offered them education up to third secondary school and in between offered them vocational training. The students were taught construction, dairy farming or potteries. It was a great success and our project wasduplicatedinotherareasofThailand.” In 1999 Danida stopped working in Thailand, and the Raindrop foundation lost its funding. The vocation centre for children was handed over to the Thai government. The remaining activities are now paid by Dr. Pensak and her friends with sup-port for the scholarships from Terre des hommes.

It is cheap to make someone happyOne of the students from the start of the voca-tion centre for children is Pi A. Today he is 40 years old and got his own trucking business, but he still works as a volunteer for the Raindrop foundation and has become a central person in its project for disabled children. Pi A describes his relationship with Dr. Pen-sak as a relationship between a mother and a son. “I have beenworking forDr. Pensak for 24years. When she asks me to do something, I can onlysayyes,Ican’tsayno,”hetellswithabiglaugh. To be able to help the project for disabled children he has divided his days into three parts. “I startworking5 am.Then I comehere towork together with the volunteers 9 am and when finishhere,Igobacktoworkinmybusiness.”

Officially Pi A interprets and drives for the volunteer physiotherapists. In reality, he does more than that. Working with physiotherapists for more than seven years has made Pi A quite capable as a therapist and he supports the pa-tients privately. When I visited the project, I saw him giving a female patient, who had lost her mo-bility and her sight, a radio. So I asked him why he gave her the radio. “IthoughtitwasverysadforhersoIaskedher if there was anything she wanted, and she told me she needed a radio so I bought her one. It wasn’t expensive - only 400 bath to make someonehappy.”

No funding for disabled childrenThe project for disabled children has been with-out financial support for the last three years. Friends of Dr. Pensak have set up an organization called Danske Raindrop-friends, which partly pays air tickets and food allowance for the volunteers. But else all expenses are paid by Dr. Pensak. The project’s most important equipment is its car. The therapists drive 1,000 kilometres every week and lately they often use Pi A’s private car as the project’s car is ready for a replacement. A seri-ous problem is a new car would cost more than 600,000 baht. The secretary for Danske Raindrop Friends, Hans Lynnerup, hopes to be able to raise money for a new car through the organization. As most people around the project, Hans has a personal relationship with Dr. Pensak. When she came to Denmark in 1963, she was accom-modated at Hans’ parents, thus she considers Hans her younger brother. Hans became involved in the project after he retired. He complained to Dr. Pensak that he felt bored and her reply was short and hit him hard: “Whydon’tyoumakeyourselfuseful?”Nowhespends half the year in Sakon Nakhon as a man-

ager for the project for disabled children and the other half back home trying to find ways to raise money for the project.

The futureTo Dr. Pensak, the Raindrop Foundation is much more than a project for disabled children. She uses the foundation for her involvement in envi-ronment and wild life protection and for school and education projects in five Southeastern Asian countries. “IusemynetworkalotbutmyfriendsandIare old. We have decided that we do five more years and then we want to hand it over to our childrenandgrandchildren.” She wants the foundation to remain Danish. “OnethingIloveaboutDanishpeopleisthatthey are so organised and persistent. Thais are oftenthinkingtoomuchaboutthemselves;theirown mood and not losing face to friends and that sortofthings.” While Dr. Pensak appreciates the Danish way of doing things, her Danish network does not al-ways understand her way. “Theyagreewithmetosomeextentandthenweargueabouttherest,”Shesayswithalaugh. Usually the critic of her unconventional way to run the foundation are silenced when the critics have been following her for some time in Thailand and the other countries where she and the foundation works. “Iwantthemtounderstandthementalityinthe countries where we work. That is why it is so important that they visit Thailand and learn how thesocietyworks.” You can support the project for disabled children by donating to Danske raindrop-friends. Bank: Nordea account: 2216 – 6277209762 swift address:NDEADKKKAddress:c/oPensakHow-itz, Signesvej 1, 2900 Hellerup.

Hans Lynnerup, Phi A and nurse Moor Ban Yan


Remarkable Danish Doctor in SiamMD, American Consul, Carl C. Hansen 1862 – 1929. Bornholm, Denmark. USA. Lampang and Bangkok, Siam.

By Flemming Winther NielsenPhotos by Disraporn Yatprom

We have quite detailed infor-mation about many of the DaneswholivedinoldSiam;either because they wrote themselves or because other

people wrote about them. Andreas Richelieu and Captain Soelling, for example, guide us, with ad-miration, into the life of Consul Koebke, back in the 1870’s. Detailed or just controllable knowl-edge is sparse regarding Dr. Carl C. Hansen. Meanwhile, a misty day in late No,vember 2012, we are walking the big and colorful Presby-terian Graveyard in the northern town of Lampang, Thailand. In front of us we now have three identical blackgranitestones,cutfromonelongpiece;Me-morialoverDr.Hansenandhistwodaughters;theinscriptions are almost invisible, since the stones are almost buried in the soil and in vegetation, but Pastor Tinakorn of the church, knows the burial place and take us directly there. It is as if Dr. Carl C. Hanson also in living life preferred to remain in the shades, half hidden in thewings; thisalthoughhis lifewasmostex-traordinary, that kind of life fairytales are made of. Not one friend to be found and not one foe, no ‘Koebke anecdotes’ about women and whiskey are circulating -and of course, only sparse sources and sometimes these are in conflict with each other. Nevertheless we couldn’t allow the graves just to disappear, so with grants from The EAC’s Public Fund we started a renovation.

The renovation and the fact findingEarly December 2012 the efficient but careful graveyard contractor has managed to get the stonesup,nowlyingontheground,readable;the

Doctor’s data with the American Coat of Arms (the flags, not the Eagle) engraved on the upper part of the stone. Clear and readable are the data’s of his daughters Ruth (died four years old) and June (died one and a half years old). Then to the little more we know with certainty: Carl was born in 1862, the parish of Povlsker, Bornholm, an island in the Baltic Sea, hundreds of miles to the East of Sjaelland. He was the fourth out of seven siblings in an ordinary family of fish-ers and farmers. After confirmation he became a Nexoe shoemaker’s apprentice. Then there really is a lacuna – we next meet him as a student of San Francisco Theological Seminary and then medical student at one of the most prestigious Universities in the USA, Cooper Medical College at Stanford. From here he graduated as Medical Doctor. My private theory is that he early in life got in contact with Presbyterians missioners. In religious matters they were in reality not far from the Nordic Prot-estant faith and they were already heavily engaged in the hospital and Health Care world, maybe they saw the talent and throw their weight behind Carl’s education!

Support and marriageNow in mid December 2012 the contractor is measuring the burial places and start to build the low cover structures, ‘Siamese Christian style’, not sarcophagus, only raised 20 centimeters or so. Much cement is used to support where the headstones will be placed. Seemingly early in 1895 Carl married Lillian D. Reinhart. They were then both working for the Presbyterian Church and supposed to support each other also regarding work. They travelled to


Remarkable Danish Doctor in SiamLiterature Joergensen Peder M. (former Missionary in Thailand). Unpublished information 2013

Kann Rasmussen A. (1986): ‘Danske I Siam 1868-1942’.

Mc Farland (1928): ‘Historical Sketch of Protestant Missions in Siam 1828 – 1928’.

*’LaosNews‘–aperiodical;coveredallthecongregations of The Presbyterian Church, active in the Northern part the country. Around 1908 Siam had still not completely subdued the Northern provinces. People up here were Laotian and spoke Lao.

www.issuu.com/scandasia/docs/danish_graves

wasinrealityintheboxes,Buddha’sor? One, normally reliable, source mentions that the doctor presumable died in the US. That at least is not the case. He died the 2nd of August 1929 in Bangkok. The coffin was sent with the Post Train to Lampang and the burial took place the 5th of August. An article mentions how his coffin was carried to the grave by his daughters together with old friends from the town. At the Consulate building the flag was on half mast. -Again these living daughters that we have not heard of before-. It is also of importance that we from the article learn that the American consulate was established in Lampang while Dr. Hansen was still a resident of the town and with him as the consul we believe. The 1st of February 2013 the renovation is complete. It is the tradition here to plaster Christian burial places with white or light-colored tiles. We don’t follow the tradition, but let the three burial places show in dyed gray smoothened cement, it match the stones. Pastor Tinakorn and I are on the graveyard. The pastor gives a little prayer. We arrange the flowers – flowers are the optimistic link between them and us, still around for a little while. Post Scriptum: I’m well aware that the inter-national Presbyterian Church has very systematic archives and that I, by digging some more, could learn more, much more. Nevertheless I have de-cided not to. Dr. Hansen was not a public figure like e.g. Koebke, Richelieu, H.N. Andersen -and he obviously didn’t invite to be. But of course, when certain men play an important public role for e.g. the development of a certain country, we have the obligation to search for all details. That does not seem to be the case here, so: R.I.P.

Lampang in order to take over the responsibility of thechurchhospitalthere:“Atthistime[1895]themedical work was taken over by Carl. C. Hansen and Mrs. Hansen. This marked a new era in medical work. For fourteen years the work was carried on under their leadership and the prestige of the hos-pital was much increased. In 1908 on the resignation ofDr.Hansen…….”(McFarland,p.133). Mrs. Hansen involved herself in teaching, she had two ‘Biblewomen’ tohelpher and: “Theynow have on their list of women learning to read, twenty five persons, half of whom are outsiders. The two workers are employed fulltime and could easily findmoreworkthantheycanovertake .”(‘Laos News’*, October 1908, p. 76). So the couple was still working together at this time, but they had a home leave in 1909, where we assume that at least Mrs. Hansen went back to the US. During the period they seemingly decided to resign from their posts in ‘The Service of the Foreign Mission of the Presbyterian Church, USA’.

Back in Bangkok and finally Lampang revisitedIn Bangkok Dr. Hansen, now alone, ‘while wife and children travelled back to America’ (Kann Rasmussen, p. 126). He sat up a General Practice and established a Pharmacy – always needed in the mangrove swamps. In the years that followed his wife visited only a few times and then briefly. We don’t hear more about more children who eventu-ally followed their mother home in 1909. It is noted that Dr. Hansen was a great collector of Siamese art, but also that he was very reluctant to show his purchases. He only opened the boxes for very close friends. I cannot help wonder what


When Scandinavians retire in Thailand it often means a life close to the beach somewhere near other foreigners, but not for 65-year-old Arno Melander. He has settled down in a small village near Klong Tom in the Krabi province. Here the Dane enjoys a quiet life in the middle of a palm- and rubber tree plantation.

By Dennis Krog

If you are looking for Scandinavians who have chosen to retire in Thailand, a good place to start looking would normally be close to tourist destinations like Pattaya, Hua Hin, Phuket or Bangkok. Not so with Arno Me-

lander. To visit this 65-year-old Dane, you need to prepare yourself for a little bit of a journey, as he has chosen a life in a small village close to Klong Tom, a 45-minute drive away from Krabi town. Here Arno Melander lives a quiet life surrounded by palms and rubber trees as the whole area is one big plantation. “I came to live inThailand in2007,movinginitially to Chiang Rai, but it was too crazy for me there. Then, as my girlfriend Jang owns a palm tree plantation here, I decided to come to live here instead,” says Arno Melander, while breathingthrough a cigarette, sitting at an outdoor table in front of his girlfriend’s house.

Thailand for health reasonsBefore settling in Thailand, Arno Melander visited the country many times with his then Danish wife. The trips to the warm Asian country worked as the medicine for the Dane as he suffers from sclerosis and arthritis. “IfoundoutthatwhenIwashereinthewarmweather I felt ten times better than I did back home in Denmark. There I constantly had to go to the doctor to get my knees emptied for water. Outhereithasneverbeennecessary,”saysArnoMelander.

in the CountrysideRetirement


Walking among the trees, Arno Melander and Jang give a lecture on how the whole industry works. Jang proudly shows the land belonging to her while the Dane is entertaining and telling funny stories. “IfIspeakThai,youask?NoIdon’t.Janghastold me she won’t teach me, because I would then knowwhattheyaresayingaboutme,”Arnosayswith a laugh.

No reason to complainAs the tour continues, Jang shows how to get rubber out of the rubber trees, which is done by cutting the trees and let the fluid run into a bowl. Arno watches Jang when she is explaining how the process works, while he reflects on the question if he ever gets bored living in the country side. “Well,youknowIamsooldnowthatreadinga book and relaxing is plenty of entertainment for me. And once a week Jang and I go to Krabi town togetsomeDanish foodatCaféEuropa,”saysArno, before stopping for another breath of fresh air, which for Arno means another cigarette. Arno keeps talking about not being bored and he is just happy that his health has gotten better in Thailand, so he sees no reason to complain. He starts to tell a story about the friends he had in Chiang Rai. Many of them he enjoyed being around, but some of them did nothing but complain. “Afriendofminewasservedthewrongdishata restaurant, but he enjoyed the food very much, but still he complained all evening. I don’t understand peoplelikethat.Imeanhehadagoodmeal,”saysArno who with some difficulties makes it back to the car, as the guided tour is about to end. Driving back to where Jang lives, Arno stops at a wooden shed. ”Youwantabeerorsomething,”Arnoasksand confirms that the shed is the supermarket at the small village. “Well, ok it’s not Big C or Tesco, but theconcept is the same. You buy something and they takeyourcash”.

In Denmark the health situation for Arno de-teriorated all the time, and at the end he saw no other solution than to leave Denmark. However, the decision to move was not easy as it lead to serious consequences for his personal life. “Mywifedidnotwanttocome,butattheendI couldn’t chop a piece of wood for our fireplace, so for me it was a question of having an accept-able life. Unfortunately, the price for a good life in Thailand was the end to my 31-year long marriage tothisamazingwoman,”saysArno.

Life among treesIn the small village outside of Klong Tom, where Arno has now settled, everything revolves around palm and rubber trees surrounding the entire area. Arno and his girlfriend start showing around on the eight rai of land that belongs to Jang (1 rai =1.600 square meters, ed.). Both Jang and Arno are eager to show how workers harvest the palm fruits for making palm oil. “Theclustersoffruitweighbetween50–60kilos. When the clusters are being cut down and fall to the ground it sounds like a bomb is being dropped,”saysArno,whileposingforthecamerawith the equipment used for harvesting. And pos-ing is all Arno can do as the work is not something for a man at his age or his condition. “Itellyou,thereisnotasinglegramoffatonthe men who do this kind of work. It is a hard job andtheseguysjustkeepworkingnonstopallday,”says Arno while wiping his forehead to emphasize his point.


Care Resort Chiang Mai

Located in the lush and tranquil Maerim Valley in Chiang Mai, North of Thailand, Care Resort is a luxury retirement facility aiming to offer professional care and support to senior citizens.

By Wachiraporn Janrut

Care Resort Chiang Mai was estab-lished by Mr. Peter Brown and his Thai wife with the aim of offering affordable luxury care for senior citizens of all nationalities.

“Ourphilosophyisthebeliefthatinthelateryears of life, there is a quality of life people still deserve,”saysPeter. Originally from England, Peter Brown first came to Thailand over 20 years ago. Through a family friend, he met his Thai wife and moved to live in the country permanently in 2007. After a busy career in the competitive business world, he is now happy living with his family with two children at the care resort in Chiang Mai.

Why Chiang Mai?“WefellinlovewithChiangMai,itscultureandslower pace of life. Additionally, I fell in love with thelocationoftheresort,”saysPeter.“ChiangMaihas world-class hospitals and shopping centres. In fact, it has everything that you could wish for except a beach. The international airport puts ChiangMaiineasyreachforvisitors.” The resort started as a four-star tourist resort, built on 25 rai (10 acres), hosting about 1,000 trees, a lake, fishponds and gardens. Though the resort offers views of trees, a lake and mountains, it is only 30 minutes by car from the city centre. Later on, Peter converted the tourist resort to a care facility as he wanted to work in more of a community, with a less transient, less rushed atmosphere. Also, he believed that a garden en-vironment with quietness and safety is perfect for seniors to live and relax.

All the care that you needBesides the beautiful location, Peter and his wife set up the Care Resort in Chiang Mai because of its strong conservative family culture. “NorthernThailandisdominatedbyafriendly,conservative family-orientated culture. This culture is perfect for a seniors care facility. The elderly are wellrespectedinthenorth,”hesays. Peter recruits nurses and carers locally as he wants to utilize the Northern culture. The resort has its own dedicated, professional nursing staff and carers specially trained to give good care and stimulation to the elderly. The care is provided 24 hours. The main languages spoken are English and Thai.


Care Resort Chiang Mai

“OurheadnursereturnedtoChiangMaiaftertenyears inAustraliacaring for theelderly” saysPeter. While the nearest hospital is just 15 minutes away, there are world-class hospitals in the city – a 30 minute drive from the property. Peter says that resort can also arrange for a doctor to run a surgery on site if necessary. The resort provides both ‘independent living with care’ and ‘close care’ with on-site nursing and care support. “Wewillalsotakeshorttermguestsaswellas long-term guests, those that require short term care due to an illness or accident and those that

want a holiday but require care. We can escort guests from/to either Bangkok or Chiang Maiairportsifrequired,”saysPeter. The resort offers 42 villa-style rooms sited through the gardens, each with own bathroom facilities, air-conditioning, terrace and alarm system connecting to the central care station. The resort will also offer a boutique five-room dementia facil-ity for those who have Alzheimer’s.

Being part of a community However, a successful retirement facility is not merely about the care support given but the variety of activities available for its guests and a community

amongst those at the resort. Inside the resort there is a large guest lounge for guests to participate in various activities. Regular excursions for shopping, religious services, sightsee-ing and understanding the local community will also be arranged. Peter says that while there is a room for ex-pansion, the resort will never grow to a level that guestnamescannotbe remembered. “This isacommunityproject,”hesays.

For more information, please visit www.careresortchiangmai.com

Empowering Multilingual Communications


Enjoy pizza of the month at Terrazzo restaurant, Holiday Inn Pattaya

Tasty Tapas Trio at ZEST bar & Terrace, The Westin Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok

Holiday Inn Pattaya invites you to experience original Italian pizzas at Terrazzo restaurant. Terrazzo serves famous signature pizzas, original Italian style with thin and crispy base, homemade tomato sauce with over 20 fresh quality toppings.

Terrazzo offers pizzas of the month throughout this year. TheArtofEllipseCreatedPizzasof theMonth startedwith “CheesyPepperoniPizza”inMay.InJune,guestscanenjoy“BlueCheesePotatoPizza”whichofferspotatoslices cooked and blue cheese topped with red onion caramelized garlic cloves roasted and fresh rosemary leaf. ThetastesoffamousThaicuisinecomeinJuly,“LarbMooPizza”forthismonthispizza served Larb Moo Tord on thin and crispy pizza topped with special salad where youcanenjoyperfectThaitaste.InAugustitpresents“G.E.CPizza”bringingpremiumgoatcheeseslices,grilledpurpleeggplantandcapsicumforyourhealth.Meetthe“UglyDucklingPizza”smokedduckbreastslicedandmangogrilledtoppedwithspecialsaladinSeptember.ForOctober,try“RuletheRoostPizza”smokedchickensliced,prawnsautéed in garlic butter topped with green capsicum, sautéed onion, red chili, basil leaf andbasilpesto.Dancewith“HavanaLambadaPizza”inNovember.Enjoyspeciallambcookedtoppedwithgrilledvegetables.CelebrateDecemberwith“TalkTurkeyPizza”Turkey breast roasted, brie cheese and provolone cheese topped with special cranberry sauce. Guests can also enjoy home-style Italian cuisines such as antipasti, salads, pastas, piz-zas, Thai dishes and main courses in addition to an expansive wine and dessert selection, all served in a relaxed outdoor setting. Some of the unique touches are the open kitchen island, alfresco bar and swimming pool.Priced at THB 395 net, pizza of the month runs from May until December. 50% discount for every takeaway pizza will be offered to orders from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. For more information please call 038 725 555 or visit www.holidayinn.com/pattaya

At Zest Bar & Terrace you can recharge in contemporary surroundings while enjoying beers wines, and classic and innovative cocktails. Overlooking vibrant Sukhumvit road, Zest’s open-air terrace is an intimate venue offering a view of

Bangkok metropolis. Executive Chef Peter Zimmerman has created a selection of delicious light bites perfect to savour with Zest’s creative and classic cocktails, fine wines, or refreshing beers. Guests can choose three items for Baht 210++.

Options of the tapas on offer include:•Cajunspicedfries•pumpkinravioliwithtomatoandbasil•grilledasparaguswithparmesanandblacktruffleoil•slicedParmahamwithonionandcucumberpickle•threekindsofcheese•NewZealandmusselscookedwithwhitewine,tomato,onionandparsley•grilledprawnsinextravirginoliveoilwithgarlicandchilli•deepfriedcalamari•grilledspicychickenwinglets

The“TastyTapasTrio”isBaht210++/set,availabledailyfrom12pm–2am.

For more information, please call 02 207 8000 or visit www.westingrandesukhumvit.com


the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc islandEXPLORE

Take time out for a five days trip in South Vietnam. We start with a boat trip on the Mekong river delta and end up with a beach vacation on

Phu Quoc island. Ask Indius Pedersen for details at [email protected].

This four nights adventure starts at 7.30 in the morning, when you are picked up at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. We are going to My Tho on the banks of the Mekong from

where we board a wooden motor boat. The trip is quiet and relaxing, passing by natural creeks, quiet villages with houses on stilts where fisher-men go about their work. We are sailing around on the small waterways that criss-cross the Mekong delta with interest-ing stops along the way. One stop is at a large orchard with many different types of tasty tropical fruits and at another stop we change to a small row boat to see an interesting transportation modes that local people use to move around. We’ll also take you to a bee farm where you can taset authentic honey tea while listening to the folk music that is typical to only the people in Southern Vietnam. After a few more stops, it is time to return to My Tho and continue by bus to Can Tho where we will stay over the first night. Next day after breakfast, we are continuing the exploration of the delta’s wonders by boat for a few hours including a quick lunch. Eventually

we leave for the airport to catch the flight for Phu Quoc at 13.05. When we arrive Duong Dong airport in Phu Quoc island a car will send you to your hotel for the night. Next day it is time to explore Phu Quoc. We visit the North to discover the primitive forest then visit the black peppers plantation at Khu Tu-ong, sightseeing at Phu Quoc national park. Enjoy swimming at the Dai beach. Lunch. Return to your resort. Free at leisure in the afternoon. On the fourth morning of the trip, we will drive to An Thoi port to visit the Australian pearl farm on the way to the Southern island. In An Thoi port we embark a fishing boat to go out to the Thoi archipelago where we drop anchor in a quite bay. Angling equipment is at hand to cacth a few Garrupas, snappers... Back in the port we drive to the Sao beach for your relaxion on the hammocks. Visit the Ham Ninh fishing village on the way back to the hotel. This is your last evening on this interesting is-land. The next morning after breakfast the car waits to take you to the airport for boarding your plane back to to Ho Chi Minh City after a memorable five days of adventure.


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Medium

Ingredients (Serves 4)• 4 tablespoons butter • 1 pound sliced back bacon (Canadian bacon)

• 2 large onions •3 medium apples cut in wedges• Black pepper • Preparation

Melt 2 tablespoons butter.Add bacon and fry until lightly browned.

Remove bacon and drain on paper towel.Add remaining butter and fry onions until soft and transparent.

Addapples;coverpanandsimmer7to10minutes.When apples are cooked, put bacon back in and simmer about 5 minutes.

Grind pepper over top.

This traditional recipe from Denmark makes a hearty lunch or a tasty Sunday evening dinner.

SmokedBacon

with Apples and Onions

By Anders Holm Nielsen

Documents

ScandAsia Thailand June 2013