Is your country ready for the Y2K bug?

The global travel & tourism industry is looking at the prospects of the turn of the Millennium being anything but a financial bonanza. As the nigh nears, and so does suspense over the impact of the Y2K bug, holiday-makers will be asking potential destinations: Is your country ready for it? Those who can say "yes" are going to make a heap of money. Those who are not sure, well, wait and see...

From Imtiaz Muqbil,
Executive Editor,
Travel Impact Newsletter

On June 2, 1999, the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand circulated a document called "How to Prepare for Y2K". Compiled from US government agencies, US public utilities, private concerns and the May 1999 issue of Consumer Reports magazine, the document was a comprehensive summary of steps that can be taken to protect homes, finances, health and travel plans in anticipation of Y2K-related failures on or around the end of the Millennium.

With the Chamber’s permission, the document is reproduced in its entirety over the next few weeks. Though targeted at a US audience, anyone going through it will note the many areas in which they, their homes, families and companies could be affected, no matter where they live. Indeed, the problem could well have such a broad-ranging impact that a decision on whether or not to take a Millennium holiday almost certainly will come into question. As more and more consumer media pick-up the theme, holiday-makers will soon be asking themselves:

1. Is it going to be worth it for me to be far from home?

2. Will the computers at public utility and infrastructure support services (like the local police force) in my own locality be working?

3. What if they are not?

4. Do I really need to take the risk and head for some outrageously over-priced locale when I can spend the time more safely with family and friends at home?

Assuming that it is decided to take the holiday, travel agents are going to be asked:

1. Is the destination where you are sending me Y2K-prepared? Will the phones, public security, utility and infrastructure services be working?

2. What if they are not?

3. Are the airlines we will be flying Y2K-compliant? What about the hotels?

4. What if they are not?

The truth is: No travel agent knows for sure. Thus, no travel agent will take the risk to answer any of those questions with confidence, certainly not with the omnipresent threat of legal action should things go wrong.

This report is being circulated over Newswire with a little more than six months to go before the new Millennium. It is intended to serve as an advance warning to the many global destinations planning to spend huge gobs of money on marketing and promotions on a potential non-carnival. Read through it carefully, and then decide.

How to Prepare for Y2K

Steps To Take To Protect Your Home, Finances, Health and Travel Plans

Note: This information is provided for residents of the USA. If residing in a foreign country, you should anticipate adjusting your plans accordingly. This report contains useful web site addresses for further information.

By New Year’s Day, consumers may appreciate as never before just how dependent they’ve grown on computers and the tiny microprocessors that control virtually everything that touches their lives.

For decades, the programmers who wrote the arcane instructions that dictate how computers function relied on the memory-saving expedient of representing dates with just two digits to indicate a year - say, "99" instead of "1999." But as computers and software that perform date-sensitive functions (calculating interest payments, producing medical records, and a host of other critical jobs) try to interpret the "00" of the year 2000, some systems may fail, bringing normal operations to a halt.

According to the Gartner Group, a Stamford, Conn., research and consulting firm that specializes in Y2K, some $600 billion will have been spent world-wide by year’s end trying to find, patch up, and test the fault-prone systems. This repair job entails examining billions of lines of software written in a babble of programming languages. Then there are the billions of computer chips embedded in factory machinery, power stations, oil-drilling rigs deep beneath the sea, and communications satellites deep in space. While most experts downplay the possibility of catastrophic computer failures, the risk is real that localized disruptions of short duration could cascade through the economy.

What should be done to prepare? This report is based on investigations of the Y2K readiness of scores of companies, government agencies, and public utilities. There are four key areas of concern: Home, finances, health care, and the reliability and safety of travel plans.

Build Y2K preparedness into all of your plans throughout the year; the bug won’t wait until New Year’s Eve to strike. While anticipating inconveniences is appropriate, panicky stockpiling of essentials or a drastic rearrangement of your personal finances is not.

Finally, remember you’ll have a lot of company if computer systems go haywire. You may want to join forces with your neighbors as you make your own Y2K preparations. Who knows - the challenge of the Year 2000 problem could help rekindle community spirit.

The Red Cross Y2K-Readiness Checklist

Here are the basic supplies that the Red Cross recommends every household have on hand to be prepared for Y2K disruptions - or any emergency of short duration. The group’s basic advice: Stock up as you would for a severe winter storm.

Water: Three gallons per person, enough for three days, stored in unbreakable plastic containers. (Replace stored water every six months with a fresh supply.)

Food: A three-day supply of nonperishable edibles, plus ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, and vegetables. For infants: formula, diapers, powdered milk.

Tools and supplies: These should include a flashlight, battery operated radio, non-electric can opener, fire extinguisher, matches, signal flare, paper and pencil, plastic storage containers, aluminum foil, tape, whistle, needle and thread, plastic sheeting, local map (for locating shelters), paper plates, cups, plastic utensils, toilet paper, towelettes, liquid detergent, plastic garbage bags, disinfectant, and personal-hygiene items.

Clothing, bedding: Set aside one complete change of cloths and footwear per person, sturdy shoes or work boots, rain gear, hat and gloves, thermal underwear, blankets or sleeping bags in case your family must be evacuated.

Household

With the possible exception of your home computer, you aren’t likely to suffer any problems with household appliances or you car. Electricity, phone service, and your supply of heating oil and perishable foods, however, may all be vulnerable to Y2K effects.

Automobiles, parts, and fuel

What could go wrong: Most vehicles manufactured within the past ten years contain computer chips that control everything from the fuel mixture to anti lock brakes. We know of none that would render your auto inoperable or unsafe. But electric-power outages or faulty processing systems may hamper fuel deliveries, potentially leading to spot gasoline shortages and higher prices at the pump. Shipping disruptions could hamper delivery of replacement parts to dealers and auto-supply stores.

What to do: Have routine service, including the replacement of wear-prone parts such as belts, hoses, and filters, done before year’s end. Make sure your service records are complete in case your repair shop loses data files in a Y2K computer crash. Get in the habit of refilling your gas tank when the gauge shows it’s half-empty. If you must store gasoline, keep it in a cool spot in your garage or tool shed, out of the reach of children.

Computers

What could go wrong: Personal computers purchased as recently as 1995 that operate on DOS or Windows system software could fail unless their Y2K vulnerabilities are addressed. Most PCs made within the past four years and all Apple Macintoshes are Y2K compliant. Even if your computer hardware is free of the Year 2000 bug, the applications software you run on it - especially date-sensitive record-keeping and personal-finance programs - may generate faulty calculations or may corrupt files.

What to do: Contact the manufacturer of your computer for any software "patches" your system may need to become Y2K compliant. Most fixes are free. Make backup disks and hard copies of all important data files now, and update them throughout the balance of 1999. Do not act on the commonly given advice to advance the internal clock on your PC past midnight of 12/31/99. If the system is not compliant, it could generate initialization files that could keep you from starting your computer again or cause other software to malfunction. Contact the software company that publishes any date-dependent applications you run. Most provide free patches.

For more information: You can download a free compliance test through NSTL, a technical testing lab (www.nstl.com), or through a service provided by publisher Ziff-Davis (www.zdnet.com).

...continued next week

BOI accepts additional measures to stimulate exports

The Board of Investment, chaired by Chuan Leekpai, met on May 12 and announced that in order to help exporters, non-BOI-promoted companies in eight activities would receive exemption from import duties on raw materials. The Board also announced that they had extended the time frame for BOI-promoted projects to import machinery, molds and dies used in the manufacture of electrical products.

Existing non-BOI-promoted projects in the following eight activities would be eligible to receive tax exemption on raw materials according to sections 36 (1) and (2) of the Investment Promotion Law:

1. Furniture and decorated items
2. Textile products
3. Toys
4. Sporting goods
5. Automobile components
6. Plastic or plastic coated products
7. Electronic products and components
8. Electrical products and components

A sub-committee comprising members of related private and government organizations will be created to review applications for this incentive.

Conditions

* Applications must be submitted no later than December 31, 1999

* Companies will be eligible only for tax exemption on imported raw materials, according to sections 36 (1) and (2)

* Applications must obtain approval from appropriate related association approved by BOI

* Raw materials granted import duty exemption must be used for manufacture and export within one year of import

* Companies must use the raw materials tracking systems provided by the Investor Club Association

In September of last year, the BOI announced the granting of import duty exemption on raw materials used in production for export or re-export (Section 36 (1) & (2) of Investment Promotion Law) to companies that do not have BOI privileges, under condition that they must get approval from an industrial association that has been approved by BOI and apply for BOI-promotion no later than December 31, 1999.

In order to improve the competitiveness of basic industries, the Board also announced they would extend the time frame for BOI-promoted machinery and molds and dies used in the manufacture of electrical products and components from two to five years, effective January 1, 2000.

Thailand’s cruising potential

Andaman Sea, Gulf of Thailand, Mekong River and the Chao Phraya make for a winning river and sea cruising combination.

Cruising is recognized today as one of the fastest growing segments of the travel & tourism industry. Not only is it becoming more lucrative for travel agents to sell the huge additional capacity due to come on-stream over the next few years, but it is one market segment that has tremendously high levels of customer satisfaction. The new ships coming on-stream are floating entertainment complexes with unlimited recreational opportunities. Truly, there is no limit to human ingenuity and some of the new cruise ships are clear testimony to that.

Thailand is better known as a regional aviation hub as well as the gateway to Indochina. But it also has tremendous seafaring and cruising potential. Cruising in Thailand began in 1988. In 1995, Thailand received 158,703 visitor arrivals by sea, up 22.47 percent over 1994. However, in 1996, Thailand received 136,689 visitor arrivals by sea, a drop of 13.87 percent.

Americans tend to be the largest customer base. On most regional cruise itineraries, Thai points get roughly a three-day stop. With various new products like Star Cruises having come on line this year, Thailand is anticipating strong continued growth in the years ahead.

The TAT defines cruising as referring to both sea and river-cruising. Thailand’s 2,600 kilometers of coastline is perhaps unique in Asia. It borders both the Andaman Sea, the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea. This gives virtually all-year tourism potential, with no fears of typhoons, hurricanes or other assorted storms.

The aquamarine waters of the Gulf are best between the May-October south-west monsoon season. Between November to April, the good weather shifts over to the other side of the peninsula. In the gulf, the cruise potential includes the islands of Samui, resorts like Hua Hin, Cha-am and Pattaya, cities like Bangkok, and future links to the upcoming Cambodian port of Sihanoukville. In the Andaman Sea, there is the well-known ‘pearl’, Phuket with its bountiful beaches, and strong links to the cruising potential of Myanmar which is also being developed by our neighbor government.

Hence, we can take advantage of circular cruising itineraries on both sides of the border, Singapore, Penang, Langkawi, Phuket and Yangon in the Andaman Sea, and Singapore-Kota Bahru - Kuantan - Samui - Bangkok - Pattaya - Sihanoukville in Cambodia. Note that the Cambodian island of Koh Kong is also likely to be developed in the next few years.

Thai waters include a dozen marine national parks, all of them awe-inspiringly beautiful natural preserves. Hundreds and hundreds of islands, many of them uninhabited, provide an abundance of coral reefs, beaches, and other scenic marvels for the visitor. The dramatic, sheer-sided islands of areas such as Phang Nga Bay, Krabi and Ang Thong Marine National Park are of limestone. Holed with sea-caves, straggled with stalactites and fringed with jungle, they thrust hundreds of meters out of the sea. Other island groups are granite, of lower relief and more heavily forested. Some of them - the Similan Islands, for instance - have shorelines jumbled with enormous sea-sculpted rocks.

So, when it comes to sea-cruising, Thailand is very well-placed in terms of product and position. However, if one includes river-cruise potential, that’s one area which will show boundless growth in the years ahead. The famous river-cruises up the Chao Phraya from Bangkok to Ayutthaya have been traditional tourist fare for many, many years.

Many years ago, some rice-barges were converted to river-cruise boats which go leisurely from Bangkok to the ancient capital of Ayutthaya for one-night journeys. Visitors can even stop along the way and offer food to monks making their early-morning rounds. That is one element of cruising that no-one else can offer in all of Asia.

And then there is the massive potential of river-cruising along Thailand’s trump card, the Mekong River. Surveys are now being done to ascertain the potential of this mighty river about which much will be heard in the future. The Mekong forms hundreds of miles of border between Thailand and Laos and is at the center of the rapidly developing Greater Mekong Sub-region. Along the way lie some of the most exotic and beautiful tourist spots in the world, many of which will be amply equipped with infrastructure facilities to handle this lucrative element of tourism.

In Thailand there are only three ports that can accommodate large cruise ships, namely Bangkok seaport and Laem Chabang deep sea port in the Gulf of Thailand and Phuket in the Andaman Sea. Even so, the huge ships still cannot be accommodated in these places. Passengers still have to transfer to small boat to the destinations. A few details about each:

1. Bangkok port at Klong Toey. Several kilometers upstream in the Chao Phraya River, this has been Thailand’s historic port but will in the future be replaced by Laem Chabang deep sea port, which will hopefully ease the dense traffic in Bangkok. Today, small-size cruise ships can berth in Bangkok and passengers can visit the capital as well as its surrounding provinces like Ayutthaya and Nakon Pathom.

2. Laem Chabang Deep Sea Port: Millions of dollars have been poured into the development of this Eastern Seaboard port which is going to be one of Thailand’s biggest in the next few years. Its deep-sea facilities are good for both cargo and cruise ships. In the future, it will be linked with the second Bangkok International airport at Nong Ngu Hao and the U-tapao airport with many nearby tourist attractions, i.e. Pattaya, Rayong, Trat, and Chanthaburi. A feasibility study for the expansion of the second phase is under way.

3. Phuket Sea Port: In 1995, Phuket accommodated 100 cruises with 80,000 passengers. That was a threefold increase in the number of passengers and a doubling in terms of the number of ships. Because of the growing popularity, the Port Authority has set up a development plan to reshape one area of the port for tourist visits.

In addition to the many major international cruise lines that stop in Thailand, cruising is also gaining rapid popularity among the Thai domestic market. There are some strongly emerging domestic cruise lines which offer Thais the opportunity to visit Samui, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Similan National Park, Ko Ang Thong National Park, etc. The size of this market is estimated at about 20,000 - 30,000 Thais per year.

There are five significant criteria that have to be considered when targeting Thai tourists for cruising:

1. They are of a younger age group than those from Europe and America and hence a strong future market.

2. "Sanuk" (fun) is the Thai spirit, therefore, a lot of activities must to be added on the program.

3. Length of stay should be only 3-5 days instead of 10 days. Otherwise they get bored.

4. Casual style is preferably for the Thais. To dress in formal wear sometimes makes them uneasy.

5. Pricing is to be carefully considered. The cruise has to be affordable.

There are a small handful of luxury passenger liners which are providing services in these waters at present. Aside from cruise liners, of course, there are many tour boats running regular day trips from bases such as Pattaya, Ko Samui, and Phuket to the out-lying islands. In many areas, as well, local longtail boats operate to nearby scenic islands and coral reefs for snorkeling.

During the May-October south-west monsoon season, domestic Thai cruise-fans have a choice of one-, two-, three-, or four-night cruises leaving from Bangkok. The one-nighter goes from Bangkok to Pattaya and back. This is just enough time to leave behind the famous Bangkok traffic and remind them what it is like to be out on the sea. The two-nighter goes all the way down to Ko Chang and back to Bangkok. Three nights aboard cruises the islands of Samui, Ko Tao, and Nual Nuang - also extending the opportunity to do some good snorkeling. The four-night cruise goes through the Ang Thong island group, a scenic joy, and on to Nual Nuang and Ko Tao.

Aside from trips to deserted beaches along the way for swimming and snorkeling (masks and fins supplied), some of the ships have a jacuzzi and sauna room. The afternoon sees a variety of games on board. In the evening, after dinner, take in a show with songs and dancing. End the day with some drinks in the bar and disco.

All the same activities are available aboard the Andaman Sea cruises, which are scheduled from November to May. From Phuket, during the north-east monsoon season, there is a choice of two-, three-, or four- night cruises. The shortest cruise takes in Koh Phi Phi and other islands in Krabi plus the Similans before returning to Phuket. The three-day package visits Krabi, the Similan Islands, and the Surin Islands, which lie just south of Myanmar waters. Or opt for Krabi plus Ko Rok Nok and Ko Kradan, in Trang Province. Stop to swim and snorkel on desert isles, on beaches right out of a dreamy, tropical paradise. Four-day cruises explore islands in the Tarutao group, on the border with Malaysia, and Malaysian islands such as Langkawi.

Cruising in Thailand is continuing to grow, with interest from both domestic and international cruise operators. The operators are also marketing cruising seminars and meetings to the large Thai companies. So Thai people are getting educated about this kind of trip. The government is supporting the private sector in terms of investment, infrastructure, etc. In the future, cooperation among the neighboring countries in this region will be essential to promote home-based cruise markets, i.e. IMT-GT and chartered flights.

Cruise ships allow one to visit some of the most attractive parts of the region in great comfort and style. But we must all remember that each of us has a responsibility to that natural environment which is so much a part of Thailand’s and Southeast Asia’s wealth. We must take care to leave nothing but footprints on the beaches, nothing but bubbles in the sea.

Amazing Eco-tourism

A few years ago, the TAT unveiled an action plan to facilitate the implementation of a nation-wide eco-tourism strategy. The plan was formulated by the Thailand Institute for Scientific and Technological Research and was presented to an 800-strong gathering of government officials, private sector participants and representatives of the media, educational institutions, non-governmental organizations and other involved groupings. This was the first time such a strategy document has been crafted and publicly debated.

The plan was a detailed blueprint for a 10-year course of action on how Thai people can be empowered to work together in preserving Thailand’s natural attractions, especially its flora, fauna and wildlife. The TAT, as the central government body responsible for promoting tourism, played a responsible catalytic role in ensuring that people are aware of the issues involved, the long-term advantages of following a sustainable tourism development plan and most important, the ways and means of doing so.

Thailand’s plan to develop and promote ecotourism is very much in line with the transition under way in the global tourism industry at large.

Tourists are becoming more sophisticated, seeking healthy holidays, cultural experiences and above all, quality over quantity. The Amazing Thailand promotional campaign is very much in line with this, as it aims to steer Thailand away from mass-market tourism into these and other niche-markets.

Education is key. By utilizing all forms of information and communication systems, especially presentations and workshops, the TAT is working to create an awareness that assists in the conservation of the environment and culture. Business people must be made to understand what can be done to improve and conserve their respective areas. This is all part of the empowerment process as Thailand seeks to attract repeat travelers and promote its food, shopping and heritage as part of the "Amazing Thailand" campaign.

One significant seminar was the Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Workshop held in July 1997, and the first such joint effort between the TAT and the New Zealand Tourism Board, organized to discuss the development and marketing of ecotourism products. It gave young Thai entrepreneurs a first-hand roundup of how to promote, manage and regulate one of the fastest growing segments of global tourism.

The performance of the tourism private sector in the tourism business is critical. Thai hotels have started the Green Hotels Project, which encourages them to develop and improve environmental standards. Operators learn to conserve energy and water supplies and effective ways of using resources and training personnel. The TAT has provided training and information in hotel environmental management.

The TAT has also launched a major national award scheme to recognize tourism businesses with outstanding contributions to the preservation of environment, culture and heritage. One of the objectives of this award is to arouse competition in upgrading quality. It is hoped that this award will encourage the conservation of nature as well as culture. We are now trying to seek global recognition for this award so that its reputation can grow well beyond its borders.

The TAT is also shifting promotions away from tourists destinations that have reached saturation in terms of tourist numbers and/or negative impacts on the environment. All Thai people are proud of their country, their culture, heritage and traditions. If everyone would join in the effort to preserve this heritage, it would be a tremendous achievement.

The TAT has produced a series of Nature Guidebooks introducing new destinations, specializing in eco-tours.

Promotional efforts include developing groups, such as the Thai Ecotourism Tour Operators Association, which is currently being formed. Tour operators are being invited to sales promotions at international meetings on ecotourism, as well as to participate in educational trips. Spreading knowledge and pooling ideas is essential. As part of this process the TAT has produced an ecotourism newsletter to be published monthly and distributed to a network of ecotourism. Training programs for professional guides are being held as part of the plan to cater to the increasing demand of tourists.

There are currently about 200 ecotourism operators at tourist attractions in the provinces of Chiang Mai, Phuket and Bangkok. Activities being offered include bird-watching, trekking, sea canoeing, white-water rafting, bamboo rafting, mountain biking, diving, agri-tours, etc.

Britain & Thailand - Historical Introduction

The United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Thailand have had a relationship based on mutual respect and a desire for friendship since the earliest days of contact between the two countries.

The first recorded official contact was that of the English ship, The Globe, which arrived at Siam in 1612. Merchants travelling on this ship presented King Songtham with a friendly letter from James I of England, and later established trading operations at Ayudhya and Pattani. Royal contacts and a desire, on both sides, to benefit from trading opportunities have remained important elements in the Thai-British relationship ever since.

As was usual in those days, however, it took time for the early contacts to develop into a lasting relationship. Modern means of communication did not exist. Siamese ships did not sail to Europe and English ships were infrequent visitors to the ports of Siam. So much so that it is recorded that King Songtham, who had replied to King James I’s letter in October 1615, was so eager for a response that he wanted to detain an English ship, The Fortune, until he had word from his ‘brother the King of England’.

In the late seventeenth century two entrepreneurial Englishmen, Mr. Burneby and Mr. White, joined the court of the King of Siam from the East India Company and administered the port of Mergui on the King of Siam’s behalf. However, this initiative did not immediately lead to a wider English presence in Siam.

It was not until the nineteenth century that a concerted effort was made to develop the bilateral relationship. Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, recognised the importance of Siam’s influence in the region, noting in 1819 that "the advantage of a good understanding with that court is obvious".

In 1821 John Crawford was sent on a mission to the Court of Siam, and in 1825 the British Indian Government appointed Captain Henry Burney as emissary to Siam. The treaty of 1826, which Burney negotiated for the British, defined the boundaries between Siam and British Burma, and recognised Siamese possessions. The trade element of the Treaty led to a huge increase in trade between Siam and Europe.

The next landmark in the development of closer relations was the arrival of Sir John Bowring. The Treaty of 1855, which he negotiated, dealt with import and export taxes and the rights of British citizens in Siam. This became the blueprint for other treaties which Siam subsequently signed with other foreign powers, including the United States of America and France. The Siamese King at the time, King Mongkut, happily established a close personal relationship with Queen Victoria through the exchange of letters and gifts.

King Mongkut’s successor, King Chulalongkorn, is well remembered for his diplomatic skills at a time of great competition among European powers for influence in South East Asia. Despite pressure from France and from Britain, he managed to steer a middle course and maintain Siam’s independence. At the same time, he had great respect for Britain, and for British people. By the end of his reign over 100 British experts were employed in government posts in Siam. The most senior of these held the post of Financial Advisor, in which a succession of British officials served from 1898 until the late 1910s.

King Chulalongkorn was also the first King of Siam to visit the United Kingdom, in 1897. By then another important foundation stone of the Thai-British relationship as in place: education. There were more than 50 Thais studying in Britain at the time of King Chulalongkorn’s visit and by 1924 there were over 200.

In 1932 Siam moved from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy. British educated King Prajadhipok, who occupied the throne at the time of the transition, was sympathetic to the cause of democratic political reform. In 1939 Siam first changed its name to Thailand (although it was Siam again from 1945 to 1949).

The Thai-British relationship this century has been influenced by world and regional events. During the First World War, a Siamese expeditionary force was sent to France to fight with the Allies. In the Second World War Thais served in the British Army. London was the base for the ‘Free Thai’ resistance movement, many of whose members, including Prince Subhasvasdi, subsequently received awards from King George VI in recognition of their services to the Allied cause.

In the 1950s the United Kingdom was a founder member of the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) and a co-signatory of the Manila pact, at a time when Thailand was perceived to be at risk from external forces. In the 1970s, Thailand had to deal with a massive influx of refugees from neighbouring countries. Britain provided much practical assistance to help Thailand cope, very successfully, with this major challenge. Britain also supported the formation of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), in which Thailand has always played a leading role.

Today, relations between Britain and Thailand are reflected in links and contacts across the spectrum of human activity. Britain has become a second home for many Thais, and Thailand similarly for many British expatriates.

The Revival of the Chaine de Rotisseurs - Bailliage de Pattaya

by Elfi

The Guild of Meat Roasters was founded in 1248 in Paris, during the reign of Louis IX, the crusader king of France, now known as St. Louis. It’s rapid development through the centuries made it receive the Royal Warrant in 1610, when a coat of arms were granted to the Maitres des Rotisseurs. During the Middle Ages, cooks formed a community, which had for its purpose the creation of a charitable fund. One-third was set aside from all the funds, and the proceeds were used to aid the poor and aged. It was in 1467 when this community divided into two branches, with one preserving the original statutes, taking the title of Rotisseurs. At the end of the 18th Century, the number of highly recognized Rotisseurs was around 310. Only the outbreak of the French Revolution caused them to disband and it was not until October 27th 1950 that this old association was revived under the name of the Confrerie de la Chaine de Rotisseurs.

Jean Fernand Wasser, shown here with his lovely wife at a Chaine Dinner, was appointed by the board to be the new Baillie of the Chaine de Rotisseurs - Bailliage de Pattaya.

Recognition of the roasting spit - going back to ancient times when meats, having been pierced with spits, were placed in a suitable height above burning coals - was brought back. The coat of arms were restored to the Rotisseurs ‘de jure’ and ‘de facto’ and renewed brilliance was given it by transforming the metal and enamel of the ancient arms of 1610 into ‘deux dure rayonnante egalement d’or...’ This new coat of arms shall remain, in the future, the arms of the Confrerie de la Chaine de Rotisseurs.

The revival of the International Rotisseurs took around 100 years, the revival of the Chaine de Rotisseurs - Bailliage de Pattaya, took only one year. The Bailliage in Pattaya was inaugurated in 1995 at the Royal Cliff and, under Chancelier President Kim Caula, very active for three years. After Kim left Thailand, the Bailliage de Pattaya faced the same fate as Sleeping Beauty - and it took a man from a far away country to awaken it again. This man didn’t only climb up the cliff to take over the reigns at the orphaned Royal Cliff after Louis Fassbind’s death; he also brought Pattaya’s Bailliage back to life again.

Jean Fernand Wasser, Executive Vice President of the Royal Cliff, joined, for the first time in 1979 in Jakarta, the Bailliage there as a Chevalier Maitre de table. After his assignment to Malaysia, Jean Fernand held the title of Chancelier National for three years and later in Singapore, he was the Baillie Delegee Honoraire de New Caledonia. Again, after he returned to Malaysia, Jean Fernand was Chancelier National at the Bailliage there.

With this history in the Chaine de Rotisseurs and being a gourmet himself, he was eager to put the Bailliage de Pattaya back on the map. Now, Jean Fernand Wasser was appointed by the board to be the new Baillie and his first act in his new position was to arrange the first dinner after one year, pausing at the kitchen of the Royal Cliff Grand on June 16th. This event will be a casual one but nevertheless the food will be as exclusive as in the past. All who will participate are looking forward to it already.

The price for this dinner, inclusive of all wines and taxes, will be 1,500 Baht. Everyone who is interested in this dinner - and maybe later on the Chaine de Rotisseurs as a member, should contact Mr. Wasser’s secretary, tel. 250 421-40, fax: 250 511 or 250 513.

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.