Furture of A.X. Fassbind Foundation Assured

Last weekend at the Woodlands Resort in North Pattaya the Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya held a Fellowship Party to assist the proposed A.X. Fassbind Foundation. This was so successful that the financial assistance offered will be enough to ensure that the new Foundation will become reality. A reality that will benefit Pattaya, its people and its image.

Following the untimely death of Louis Fassbind late last year, it became apparent to many people that Pattaya had lost its icon. "Mr. Pattaya" was the title he had been given by the world, a world that knew him, or of him, and his promotion of this city.

It was also obvious that Pattaya was in danger of losing the momentum that Fassbind had generated in striving for excellence in the Tourism and Hospitality field. It was then that it was decided that his good work for Pattaya over such a long period needed more than just a statue in a park. It needed a Foundation to carry on the work of Louis Fassbind, work that would benefit all of Pattaya’s people.

To institute a Foundation requires more than just a committee of willing souls. It needs to have a sound financial basis as well. After Louis’ passing, many of his friends donated money towards continuing his work and it would have been easy to just spend and fritter these donations away. This lack of direction was not the Fassbind style, and with the backing of a small committee chaired by Sutham Phanthusak it was decided to go the whole way and continue the work. That decision meant that many people would have to become involved to get the Foundation up and running.

The Rotary club of Jomtien-Pattaya , of which Louis Fassbind was a foundation member, then got behind the concept and it was suggested that the proceeds from a Fellowship party could be directed towards the fledgling Foundation. All that was needed next was a venue - and Khun Sutham immediately suggested that his facility at Woodlands Resort could be used. From there, the Royal Cliff Beach Resort and the Dusit Resort donated equipment and it began to become a reality. Pattaya groups, organizations and businesses all pulled together for a collective good.

It was not long before tickets were printed, Pattaya Mail was advertising and Pattaya began to talk about the forthcoming party. Louis Fassbind was generating enthusiasm yet again!

The party venue at the Woodlands Resort was packed with over 350 tickets pre-sold for the evening. Khun Ning, Louis Fassbind’s personal secretary selling over 80 tickets herself. Seated at tables all over the grounds were friends of Fassbind or just people who believe in the future for Pattaya. From public office holders like Khun Prasert Thanasethakorn, the Chief of Banglamung District and Mayor Pairat Suthithamrongsawat, the attendees swelled encompassing so many of Pattaya’s principal people. Rotary luminaries included Past District Governors Nelson Alexander and Xanxai Visitkul along with one of the principal sponsors of the evening Jan-Olaf Aamlid, the Norwegian numismatist, co-sponsor Peter Thorand and current President John Richards, as well as many Past Presidents and Rotarians from other clubs in Thailand.

The Tourism and Hospitality guru’s came in force, from the well established such as Bruno Forrer, Walter Tensich and Michael Vogt, to the newcomers as Jean-Fernand Wasser and Murray Hertz. Local business people were also there in force with Khun Supadit Maneeratjaratsri and the Bonds present in person, while Khun Sutham Phanthusak rang from the International Scout Jamboree in Chile to ensure everything was going well.

On stage, the entertainment for the evening was the KwaZulu-Natal Youth Wind Band. A classy 45 member musical group that would have been the type of promotion Louis himself would have chosen .

Master of Ceremonies was Peter Malhotra, representing not just the Pattaya Mail, but also the many, many friends of Louis Fassbind. His eulogy to the memory of Louis caused the hundreds of people present to stand and drink a toast, not just to Fassbind’s memory, but to the future.

In typical Pattaya fashion (and with great flair) two of the "ladies" from the Tiffany Show moved around the tables selling tickets. Raffles and lucky door prizes were drawn and the principal prize of a Business Class return ticket to Singapore on SAS went to the excited Nualnoi Pooapilak, an assistant accountant at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort. The organisers thanked everyone who had helped make the event such a success, and everyone enjoyed another great Fassbind party.

The support shown to the Foundation will allow its formal establishment and allow it to pursue its Objectives of:

1. To commemorate the life, dedication and achievements of A.X. Fassbind to the Tourism and Hospitality industry in Thailand.
2. To promote the highest standards possible in the Tourism and Hospitality industry in Thailand.
3. To promote and sponsor educational scholarships in the Tourism and Hospitality industry in Thailand.
4. Continue to maintain the Fassbind Medical Home at the Banglamung Home for the Aged.

Amongst those who donated that evening were Erwin Rohner who presented the Foundation with 15,000 Baht, Jomtien-Pattaya Rotary Club (30,000 Baht) and the Rotary Club of Bangkok South (5,000 Baht). These donations are being added to the others that came in spontaneously after Fassbind’s death. The Foundation, in his name, will be able to assist Pattaya to become the prime resort it can be.

Louis Fassbind had a grand plan for Pattaya and that has not died with him. It will continue. Watch this space!

The KwaZulu-Natal Youth Wind Band Pattaya was very fortunate to secure the South African youngsters to perform at both the Royal Cliff Beach Resort and at the A.X. Fassbind Fellowship party last weekend. The conductor, Werner Dannewitz, himself a professional clarinetist, has been involved with this band (and its fore-runner) for the past twenty years. His goal, for the band, is to "...strive for musical excellence" and undoubtedly he has managed to accomplish this. An extremely well disciplined symphonic wind band (woodwinds, brass and percussion), it has already achieved that aim, having won two international Gold Medals in the past two years, with the latest being in Bangkok this month playing against ten other talented international standard outfits. The young musicians, 45 of them on this tour ranging in age between 13 and 23 years old, play a variety of instruments, including Flute, Piccolo, Oboe, Bassoon, Saxophone, Clarinet, Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba and a collection of percussion instruments. Their repertoire is extensive covering Strauss to Sousa as well as Anka to Andrew Lloyd Webber with a collection of Glen Miller favourites in between. The province of KwaZulu-Natal has certainly scored a musical hit using this band as international representatives for South Africa.

1998 Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race: Trial by Ordeal

The just-finished 54th sailing of the Sydney-Hobart offshore event was the most brutal in the history of the blue-water classic, claiming six lives. It had many similarities to one of yacht-racing’s worst disasters, the 1979 Fastnet Race in which 15 people perished. Nevertheless, the challenge of the sea is likely to be present next round for the 55th Sydney-Hobart, destined to remain undiminished as Australia’s prime yachting event.

The fleet races out of Sydney’s calm, past a replica of the “Endeavour” to sail into the ferocity of a Bass Straight gale. Photo Peter Cummins.

The closest that Thailand comes to an offshore race is the Iridium Andaman Sea Race, sailed from Koh Phi Phi to Kata Beach, Phuket each year as the classic event in the annual Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. Last year’s was won by Royal Varuna sailor Radab Kanjana-Vanit and was covered in the Pattaya Mail edition of 1 January, 1999.

Peter Cummins
reports from Pattaya

As a schoolboy sailor around the chilly waters off the Tasmanian Coast, very early I developed a healthy respect for what we called the "southerly buster", a ferocious wind blowing up from the reaches of the Southern Ocean, uninhibited by any land mass until it hit Tasmania.

115 yachts set out: less than half finished as the “southerly bluster” took its toll on man and machine. Photo Peter Cummins.

We would see it coming and head for land as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for much of the fleet in last month’s 54th Sydney-Hobart race, a safe haven was a long way inshore, a nightmare race against time, battered by the brute force of the southerly buster.

The awful irony of this was that, in attempting to race for shelter at Eden, one of the southern-most landfalls before entering Bass Strait and Tasmanian waters, yachts retiring had to sail across the wind, with huge, breaking seas abeam: a recipe for total disaster.

Two separate inquiries are being conducted into the event which took six lives and shook Australia’s huge yachting fraternity to the core. One will by undertaken by the organizing authority, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia on safety, and the other by the Sydney coroner, examining the deaths of the six men.

It is a tribute to the organizers, Australia’s air-sea rescue services and the thousands of crew members and their craft which have participated in the past 54 years that, up until this last, there had only been two fatalities.

There is an almost-eerie similarity between the 54th Sydney-Hobart and the 1979 Fastnet Race when the Irish Sea claimed 15 lives. Sir James Hardy, one of Australia’s great yachtsmen, has been a national champion in several dinghy classes, has been an Olympic and America’s Cup helmsman, has sailed in many Sydney-Hobart classics - and survived that Fastnet Race.

Hardy’s reminiscences were to be prophetic: "We knew there was a blow coming when we set sail from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, for the race across the Irish Sea, around Fastnet Rock and back to Plymouth. This has traditionally been one of the most demanding off-shore encounters. The thought of a 30-knot north-westerly wind caused us about as much concern as a ‘southerly buster’ during a Sydney-Hobart," Hardy wrote in 1979, after the Fastnet.

With winds reaching 80-knots and 10-metre waves breaking and inundating the craft, Sir James recalled "walls of water with massive foaming crests crashing onto our stricken yacht, burying it. We hung on. The ropes anchoring our safety harnesses to deck fittings were the umbilical cords between mother and child. They made the difference between life and death. You can be injured but you do not die in yacht racing. It is not motor racing where dicing with death is an accepted hazard of that sport," he tried to rationalize in those dark hours on the Irish Sea.

The 115 yachts which raced out of Sydney Harbour on December 26, like Sir James Hardy 19 years earlier, "knew there was a big front out there." But the ferocity was not fully understood. So, like the Fastnet, there was little warning. The conditions were so similar that it could have been Sir James writing about the Sydney-Hobart, with massive, breaking 10-metre waves driven to frenzy by 80-knot winds, tossing 40-tonne yachts around like dinghies. The Fastnet Race is 610 nautical miles; the Sydney-Hobart, 630.

Even the most-impressive rescue operations had a ring of Fastnet. Australian Navy pilot Tanzi Lea, whose "miraculous missions" winched many sailors to safety, had been with the Royal Navy during rescue operations for Fastnet casualties. As he peered down at the mountainous seas of Bass Strait, he was reminded of the Irish Sea, 19 years earlier.

Hugo Van Kretschmar, commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia which managed the race, is also a veteran offshore skipper who survived the Fastnet.

While there has been criticism of the safety, race management and other factors, it seems unlikely that inquiries into the event will reveal laxity in any facet. As commodore Van Kretschmar said it: "There is no yacht or sea-going craft which can ever be 100 percent safe." (echoes from the watery grave of the "Titanic" perhaps?) "Entering any ocean race is a decision for the individuals themselves," the commodore added.

Another survivor of Fastnet, John Rousmaniere, writing for the New York Times Service this week, also found uncanny similarities between Fastnet and the Sydney-Hobart, recounting his "terrifying experience" in 1979, with gigantic waves "throwing tons of water on boats, rolling many of them over and crushing masts."

It is interesting to note Mr Rousmaniere’s absolute rejection of critics who contend that the Sydney-Hobart - or the Fastnet - should have been stopped. Canceling the race would not, in any way, alleviate the situation of any yacht: "Racing or not, there were still many miles and many hours in horrendous conditions before they reached shore," he pointed out.

Rousmaniere also looks askance at the types of boats entering ocean races: light, fast boats built for racing in protected waters are not strong enough to handle such storms at sea.

Both Rousmaniere and van Kretschmar agree that, regardless of what transpires during any offshore race, the ultimate authority to continue or run for cover lies with the skipper. International yacht racing rules are quite clear on this also. Each craft must make an individual on-the-spot evaluation of prevailing and predictable conditions which can vary remarkably within minutes and can affect each boat type differently.

Rousmaniere is harshly critical of "the appearance of highly-publicized supremely macho professional round-the-world races sailed directly into harm’s way in wild boats." These events, like the "Around Alone" which was taking place in the Tasman Sea concurrently with the Sydney-Hobart, "provide entertainment on the Internet but they are totally irrelevant to the type of sailing most people do," he added.

The Sydney-Hobart fleet etched against the Sydney city-scape: unaware of the terror ahead. Photo Peter Cummins.

The Australian public would be rather inclined to agree with Rousmaniere. Rescue operations, funded by the Australian tax-payer who had to bear a cost of more than $A 5.8 million (Baht 110 million) to rescue "Around Alone" French woman Isabelle Autissier - who, incidentally was doing it again last week - in 1994 and Britain’s "upside-down sailor" Tony Bullimore, rescued in 1996. Or, as it was noted in the Australian press at the time: "There has been a public and media backlash aimed at foreign racers or adventurers who willfully put themselves in danger and then expect to be saved by Australian rescue services - among the best in the world, incidentally."

What the Australian people can be proud of, however, is the highly-efficient rescue operations, both military and civilian, which literally plucked some 60 crew members from the rage of the sea - and possible death.

Nevertheless, in spite of the tragedy of the 1998 Sydney-Hobart, I do not see any diminishment of entries for future races, given the ready availability of Australia’s beautiful coast-lines and the extremely challenging seas which surround the island continent.

The lure of the sea is, in no way, diminished - whether it was the "Titanic", the Fastnet or the Sydney-Hobart. Ocean cruising - whether racing for glory or just sailing along - is still one of the few great challenges left in our circumscribed world of gadgetry and gimmicks. It is really the only remaining accessible frontier. One’s fate in the hands of Nature’s forces.

A farang guide to Thai visas

by Barrie Kenyon

One way and another, this newspaper receives more mail about visas than almost any other subject. The best advice is always to visit the immigration bureau in Soi 8 where Police Colonel Jiraphan Issarangkul Na Ayuthaya and his officers can give the most up to date ruling on individual cases. This article, which covers ground familiar to old hands, is written for foreign visitors who want a general guide to the situation as Pattaya Mail understands it at the moment. The detailed and discretionary, yes discretionary, regulations change frequently.

The Background
Given its vulnerable and extensive land frontiers, Thailand has always been sensitive about immigration matters, especially illegal entrants and over-stayers. Much of the work of the immigration police is still the deportation of work seekers without a visa from Laos, Cambodia and Burma back to their home countries. It is usual for the Pattaya police station holding cells to have two dozen plus such people, often whole families without a baht, awaiting the so called Border Bus. Farangs with spending power, of course, are very welcome in the kingdom provided their documentation is in order. But even a valid visa can be terminated once someone is found guilty of any criminal offence by a Thai court. This explains why people are sometimes (not always) deported even after being incarcerated and fined. Overstaying a visa is in itself a serious criminal act in police eyes.

30 Days on Arrival
Most European and North American farang nationals do not need a prior visa if their anticipated stay will be less than a month. The immigration official at the entry point will stamp their passport accordingly. Sometimes the officer will ask to see the return air ticket. This permission to stay can be extended only once at an immigration bureau for about a week or so. But nationals from some countries always need a prior visa to visit Thailand, whilst a lucky few actually get three months on arrival because their home country has made a mutual travel pact with the Thai government. It is the duty of the traveler to check his or her situation before booking a flight. Airlines are required to check the documentation of boarders at check-in.

Tourist Visas
These are obtained at Thai embassies or consulates abroad and are required for a stay of up to 60 days. They can be extended for a further month (if the tourist is under 55) and double that for older visitors on a discretionary basis. An extension beyond that will be only for a matter of days to allow purchase of an air ticket. Double and multiple entry visas save the holder the trouble of physically visiting a consulate abroad to obtain a new visa, but he or she may not return here after the validity date stamped clearly on the visa when first obtained. Where tourists experience difficulty in obtaining new visas abroad, one after the other, it is usually because Thai consular staff suspect the applicant is working illegally in Thailand or is confusing a tourist visa with a residence permit. This explains the periodic crackdowns with which Penang, in particular, has been associated. Tourist visas, by the way, are of no use for applying for a Thai driving license or putting a car in your own name. Why would a tourist need these?

Non Immigrant Type ‘O’ Visas
These allow for a stay of up to ninety days in Thailand and are normally issued to farangs having social reasons for staying in the kingdom, e.g. those married to a Thai national, supporting a Thai family, voluntary working for a recognised charity, intending to apply for a retirement visa. The consulate abroad would usually require to see current documentary evidence of the above statuses as appropriate. The immigration bureau has a lot of discretion about extending this visa which can be as little as two weeks. It is a question of their seeing clear proof about the necessity for a longer stay. For example, a marriage certificate dating back twenty years does not prove the couple are still living together, so the wife’s current ID may be required. Sometimes the bureau will consider giving a farang husband a twelve month’s stay, but will want to see cash reserves (leave that negotiation to the wife) and will interview the Thai spouse.

Non Immigrant Type ‘B’ Visas
The regulations are similar to Type ‘O’, but cover farangs expecting to transact business in the kingdom. Again, the consulate abroad would expect to see evidence in the form of company papers, a letter from the Thai Board of Investment, etc. A common misconception is that this visa allows the holder to work, i.e. to receive payment or to enjoy the profits of a commercial enterprise in Thailand. It does not. To ease bona fide problems for legitimate businessmen, the Department of Foreign Affairs has allowed consulates abroad to issue one year, multiple entry Type ‘B’ visas, on a discretionary basis. The quality of your evidence is what counts.

Retirement Visas
This is actually any non immigrant visa which is extendable indefinitely for a year at a time provided that the applicant is at least 55 years old and is genuinely retired. Since the beginning 1999, the lump sum minimum level in a Thai bank for new applications has been raised to 800,000 baht. This applies no matter how aged you are, but does not cover retirees already holding a valid retirement visa. Current holders remain under 1998 regulations which they will already know. A retirement visa allows the holder to leave the country without voiding it provided he or she obtains a prior re-entry permit. Re-entry is not permitted whilst the application is being processed, usually two months from the date of acceptance. If you leave the country during this "under consideration" stage, you will be back to square one. If considering applying for a retirement visa for the first time, it is sound policy to consult present holders first. They will be aware of all the many pieces of paper and audit trails actually required.

Work Permits
The actual regulations for these are complex. Basically, if you work in Thailand to receive a monetary reward or payment in kind, you need a work permit issued by the Department of Labor, which ties you personally into the tax system, or risk arrest, fines and deportation. The basic requirements need early discussion with a lawyer but include a current non immigrant ‘B’ visa, substantial commercial investment, establishment of a shareholders’ company and recruitment of Thai labor. The minimum cash investment levels demanded usually rule out beer and go go bars, no matter how many welcoming committees, hostesses and dancers you have. In fact, sex related businesses operate beyond the law anyway in view of anti indecency legislation in place for thirty years. As a Pattaya lawyer well versed in these matters always says, "If they want you, they’ll get you". This Is Indeed Thailand. The law allows a persona non grata to be deported and it happens. On other fronts, the alien business law is presently being debated in Parliament with a view to permitting aliens into work related areas, such as manufacture and exporting, hitherto banned or restricted.

Residence Permits
These allow aliens to reside in Thailand without the need to obtain visas for a visit. The old quota and non quota regulations, a mystery to all but a few, have been scrapped and temporary residence of twelve months is now available if you can show cash or assets in Thailand worth at least three million baht. But you can’t include a house and garden in the accounting even if you paid for it. Remember that foreigners can’t own property in Thailand, except condo units. Longer or permanent residence is also now available for those with very serious money in the kingdom. The immigration bureau has the up to date fine print which includes police clearance from your home country (not from your embassy in the case of actual residence). The consensus amongst farangs is that residence gives you peace of mind, but not a lot else. You still can’t work, own land, vote in elections or whatever. But you can stand with Thai nationals at the airport check queues.

Recent Changes
As Colonel Jiraphan explained to Pattaya Mail in the January 8 issue, immigration rules have actually been relaxed during the Amazing Thailand promotion and the Asian economic crisis. It is now much easier to stay or live in Thailand for a year or more, provided you have the cash of course. The detailed bureaucracies involved are no worse than in any foreign country, and arguably more user friendly. In the Philippines, for example, would-be residents actually provide evidence about "stools" and in Indonesia they want to see evidence of burial or cremation insurance. 90% of visitors to Thailand do not even require a prior visa for a holiday, and there is no sign of 30 days on arrival being cut to 15, although that remains an option as consulates abroad struggle to increase fee income. Immigration concerns center around those temporary tourist and non immigrant visa holders who year after year never seem to return to their home countries and may be abusing Thai hospitality by illegal activity. Keep out of the twilight zone and keep your paper work in first class and understandable order are the watchwords for 1999.

BOI permits majority foreign ownership in retail sector

Press release from the Investment Services Center,
Office of the Board of Investment, Office of the Prime Minister.

The Board of Investment (BOI), at their December 25, 1998 meeting, approved foreign majority ownership in existing retailing operations, and opened two new categories of activities eligible for investment promotion.

Majority foreign ownership in retail projects
In a measure designed to protect increased levels of unemployment and the impact of tight liquidity, the Board of Investment announced that foreign investors would be able to acquire up to 100% of joint venture retail projects that were in operation prior to January 1, 1999.

New retail projects will not be eligible to apply under this category, and must await the revision to the Alien Business Law.

Projects will be eligible to receive non-tax incentives only, and all capital utilized by the foreign share holders must be directly transferred from abroad.

Existing projects will be permitted to expand branches in Bangkok and the vicinity (Samut Prakarn, Samut Sakhon, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, and Nakhon Pathom) only if the branches have at least 1,000 square meters of sales floors. Expansion of businesses in the provinces would not be permitted, as the BOI is concerned about the impact on local retailers.

Applications for investment promotion privileges must be submitted no later than December 31, 1999.

Coil Centers
In a measure designed to boost industrial competitiveness, the BOI will now offer BOI promotion for projects that establish coil centers, even if the percentage of value added is less than 20 percent. The establishment of coil centers is beneficial to the electronics, home appliance, and automotive industries, as the formation of coil centers will eliminate the need of those industries to either invest in sheet cutting machinery or stock high volumes of raw materials.

The BOI will grant non-tax incentives to projects in this activity, and foreign investors may hold a majority of all shares in approved projects.

Body Care Products
In order to promote products with high export potential, the Board announced that projects involved in the manufacture of preparations for body care products (e.g. soap, shampoo, hair conditioner, body lotion, etc.) will be eligible for BOI promotion privileges.

Projects are required to export a minimum of 80% of total sales, and must be located in Zone 2 or Zone 3. The BOI will grant approved projects exemption from import duty on machinery, and corporate income tax exemption only for income derived from exports.

Continental and Northwest begin code-share flights to Asia

Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines recently began code-sharing on 28 weekly international flights between the U.S. and Japan, and 21 weekly flights beyond Japan.

From the mainland U.S., Continental will place its code-share on Northwest’s flights between San Francisco and New York (JFK) to Tokyo and between Detroit and Osaka, Japan. Similarly, Northwest will place its code on Continental’s daily flight between New York/Newark and Tokyo.

Beyond Japan, Continental will code-share on Northwest’s flights between Tokyo and Singapore, Singapore; Bangkok, Thailand; and Seoul, Korea.

Starting in January, Northwest and Continental will implement a major portion of their domestic code-share operations and some additional international flights.

Mr. Sarathool Monthienvichienchai, Northwest Airlines’ general manager for Thailand and Myanmar said, "Code-sharing between Northwest and Continental will provide more choices and greater conveniences for our passengers. From Bangkok, our passengers will enjoy faster and seamless connections by flying directly from Tokyo to Newark and New York with Continental’s daily flight. In addition, effective from February 1, Continental’s daily flight from Tokyo direct to Houston, Texas will also be added."

Key consumer benefits of the code-share alliance include improved worldwide flight connections, service and schedules, full reciprocity between the two carriers’ newly enhanced frequent flyer programs and reciprocity of airport lounge membership privileges in the United States.

Continental is the fifth largest airline in the U.S., offering more than 2,200 departures daily to 128 domestic and 69 international destinations. Northwest Airlines, the fourth largest airline in the U.S., and its regional and international partners fly to more than 400 cities in more than 80 countries on six continents. The two carriers make up the fourth largest airline network in the world. More information regarding the innovative Northwest/Continental alliance and its benefits to consumers can be found on the two companies web sites at www.flycontinental.com and www.nwa.com.

Sustainable tourism with our hands up

In order for countries to sustain themselves economically and socially in today’s globalization, the government has realized that they have to know how to maintain a balance between development and environmental conservation.

The development of Thai tourism, which is part of the service industry, has the highest goals. These goals include tourist appreciation, satisfaction, safety, repeat visitors and enabling populations to have a good quality of life - with a good income. Economic and social status will progress as in other industrialized countries if we look at the big picture. This is a target the TAT has assigned in the eighth tourism development plan 1997-2001.

The tourism development plan is being used to create jobs, create income, to improve the economics of the country and to encourage more people to work in the tourism industry, as well as to promote domestic tourism. Also, it aims to establish Thailand as the tourism hub of Asia and Indochina.

According to the Plan, the TAT aims to distribute wealth among local people and preserve a positive Thai image while considering environmental impact. In developing a master plan for sustainable tourism, TAT has researched and established major strategies. These include management of the master plan and improvement and conservation of Thai tourism destinations, setting up educational tours and promoting Thailand as a leader in tourism in Indochina and Southeast Asia. Also in the plan is the goal to establish the uniqueness of Thailand as a world-class tourist destination, to promote repeat visitors and extend the average length of stay and to promote Thailand as a centre of exhibitions, conventions and international shopping.

In order to develop sustainable tourism faster, one thing the TAT has done is work with the private sector to compete with each other on the management and quality of service and tourism resource conservation. At the same time, to boost moral and encourage co-operation among staff by presenting them with a Thai Tourism Award. The first Thai Tourism Awards were in 1996. Since then, interest has grown and a lot of tourism industry personnel have submitted projects for subsequent contests.

In order to develop the industry to meet ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 international standards, the TAT is urging the private sector and tourism industry personnel to understand the necessity of high standards and environmental quality. TAT co-operated with THA to set up a project called Green Leaf - Green Hotel. Details are being decided and the quality of results evaluated which is one part of sustainable Thai tourism.

The government, in a hurry to solve the country’s economic problems and create a positive image of the country, is using the Thai tourism industry as its foundation. The TAT Amazing Thailand 1998-1999 campaign, primarily focused on Thailand playing host to the 13th Asian Games, is as well celebrating the auspicious 6th cycle birthday of His Majesty the King who will turn 72 on December 5, 1999. The TAT has planned tourism marketing promotions with the private sector. By choosing new ‘Amazing’ tourism activities, such as the Taste of Thailand, Amazing Thai Sports and Entertainment, the TAT expects all these projects will boost visitor arrival numbers and upgrade Thailand’s reputation as a quality tourism destination.

The new strategies that were assigned in the tourism development plan include the Thailand Tourism Award project and the Amazing Thailand project. The TAT will co-operate with the private sector to create awareness and together solve the problems and promote tourism via enhanced respect for and preservation of the environment and Thai heritage. The TAT’s role is to impart knowledge and understanding to management levels and local people so they can participate in the development of their own tourism destination.

Pla-Kim and Turtle Egg Dessert

by Add

Pla Kim is the name of a fresh water fish. They are small and resemble Betas or Siamese fighting fish. These fish inhabit small still streams and ponds in rural areas.

The ‘Turtle Egg’ component of the name is because the sweet is very white like the eggs of these reptiles. The whiteness is due to the rice flour used to make the treat.

Uncle Duan serves up the “house” specialty.

This dessert is a traditional dish served at celebrations in the central area of Thailand.

Uncle Duan and Aunt Boonchuay Pimpetch, a husband and wife team, are natives of the old capitol of Ayuthaya but have lived in Pattaya for more than 30 years. They have sold ‘Pla-Kim Turtle Egg’ sweets ever since moving to Pattaya. This traditional dish has enabled them to support themselves and send their children through school. They now take care of eight grandchildren for their sons and daughters, who must live and work in Bangkok. Uncle and Auntie’s children prefer their children be raised in the healthier air of Pattaya. The couple makes from 700-800 baht a day selling the almost forgotten delicacy.

They begin at noon and work until 9:00 p.m. Their shop is a samlor or ‘three-wheeled vehicle’.

Auntie Boonchuay kneads the khanom to make it just right.

Uncle Duan says, "We used to sell the khanom for one baht a bowl. But as costs have gone up, we must now ask 5 baht. But we are not disappointed with our sales, even though we made more money in the past."

"We pay about 20 baht a day for samlor fuel. When we first began, I carried it on a Harb (the classic stick with a basketat each end carried on the vendor’s shoulders.). Using the motorized vehicle, we can reach more people in one day."

When we inquired about the recipe, Uncle Duan said proudly, "It’s no secret. We’d be glad to give it to you. I don’t mean to boast but when the 5 star hotels in Pattaya have large parties, they order the khanom from us. Here’s the recipe:"

White Rice Flour 3 kilograms

Paeng Man (tuber starch) 2 kilograms

Brown Palm Sugar 5 kilograms

Granulated Sugar 2 kilograms. ("The granulated sugar actually keeps the khanom from being too sweet and keeps the color white.")

"All these ingredients cost about 500 baht, not including Auntie Boonchuay’s labor. My wife, who is the genius cook, or in newfangled terms, the ‘manufacturing division’, devised the recipe herself."

When asked, Auntie Boonchuay said, "No one taught me. It’s a tradition in Ayuthaya and whenever we had a celebration, we just made it. Every cook alters it a tiny bit to give it their own ‘private touch.’"

Method: Mix the two types of flour together and add the Poon water (you’ll have to ask your maid about this one. It’s a certain type of extract which may be bought at a market) which you have prepared.

Boil the dough until it is done.

After this, knead it, very carefully and drop it into sweetened coconut milk. Knead them one more time while in the coconut milk so the flavor permeates it.

Then mix the sugars together and boil them with water. Put a Taki (a device which looks like a large, square grater with holes) on top of the pot and push the dough through the holes in the Taki into the boiling sugar water. Using different amounts of dough will give you pieces of sweet of varying lengths. The more dough, the longer the pieces will be.

"Your khanom is now done."

"There are two ways to eat the dessert. One is the ‘sweet’ and one the ‘salty’.

"If one scoops pieces of the sweet with the sugar water and adds the coconut milk, you will have the ‘salty’ kind. (This is not ‘salty’ in the sense westerners think. It is merely not as intensely sweet as the ‘pure’ kind.)

"The final touch is to take the sweet and pour it into an earthen crock (as seen in the picture) while still hot and add pandanus leaves. Close the crock and allow the fragrance of the leaves to suffuse the liquid.

"The best way to eat this traditional Thai sweet is to pour a ladle of khanom and sugar syrup into a bowl and then ladle coconut milk over it. The best of both possible worlds."

A bit confused at ‘genuine’ Thai cooking methods?

If you would like to try this delicious sweet, there is an easier way.

Contact the Pattaya Mail or Uncle Duan directly at (038) 703-0506. But it must be before noon.

If you don’t speak Thai, contact the Pattaya Mail, ask for Mr. Add Pachim and he will coordinate matters.

Copyright 1998 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand 
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Created by Andy Gombaz, assisted by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek.