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Crowds of well wishers join Sontaya Khunplome in birthday celebration
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Politicians, government officials, local community
leaders and members of the press corps gathered to congratulate Sontaya
Khunplome, minister of tourism and sports, on his birthday and wish him luck
and happiness in the future.
At 8:30 a.m. on December 10, at the Bangsaen Branch of
Thai Rak Thai Party Office, throngs of people arrived bearing flower baskets
and souvenirs to join Sontaya in marking his 41st birthday. Sontaya, his
wife Sukamol, and his son, graciously welcomed the many guests as they
arrived.
Governor
Pisit Ketphasook (left) presents his birthday wishes to Sontaya Khunplome.
The birthday celebration’s honored guests included
Sontaya’s parents, Saensuk Mayor Somchai and Satil Khunplome, president of
the Women’s Development Club for Chonburi. Provincial parliament members
also attended the event. Other VIPs included nearly all local and regional
politicians.
Sontaya Khunplome was born on December 10, 1963, and is
the eldest son of Satil and Somchai Khunplome, aka Kamnan Poh. He has four
siblings in his family. Sontaya graduated with an Administrative Masters
Degree from Burapha University, and later changed occupations from
businessman to politician.
Sontaya was elected as an assemblyman for Chonburi
Province in 1992. In 1995 he was an assistant at the Ministry of Industry.
From 1997-2000 he was an assistant at the Ministry of Communications.
In 2000 Sontaya became an assistant at the Ministry of the Interior.
Under Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai administration,
Sontaya was appointed minister of tourism and sports and has worked
tirelessly to promote sports and tourism development throughout the nation.
Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya holds fire protection session
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Safety is a hallmark of the Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya, for
guests and hotel staff. To maintain these high standards, the hotel holds an
annual fire protection training session.
 Fire
experts trained hotel officers and employees how to stop a gas fire.
On the morning of December 16, the hotel management and
employees attended a training course in fire safety in accordance with the Fire
Protection and Prevention Code of 2004 for Enterprises project. Experts from the
Pattaya City Fire Department were on hand to train over 100 officers and
employees.
This training is held once a year as part of the hotel’s
policy for safety and security of its Thai and foreign guests. The hotel’s
employees are now ready to prevent any fires and contain them if and when they
occur.
The session started with a lecture about fire protection and
prevention. Trained firefighters held a demonstration of techniques to prevent
and extinguish fires, and employees were instructed on how to transport injured
victims.
In the afternoon, training practice in controlling a fire was held, and
afterwards the staff was allowed to demonstrate how well they had learned the
techniques. Each trainee had to learn to handle specific kinds of fires, like
gas fires, how to escape a fire safely, and how to use an extinguisher to put
out a fire. The group performed with distinction and received a certification in
fire prevention and control.
Charity Club of Pattaya thanks benevolent donor
The Charity Club of Pattaya recently held a Charity Gala Dinner and
Prize Draw that raised, in total, the sum of 122,960 baht for charity. The
charities that benefited were the Camillian Social Center Rayong and the
Street Kids of Pattaya.
 Christina
and Malcolm Boden present Ian with a framed certificate of thanks.
Notably, one of the club members, Ian Gamble, raised solo the sum of
34,000 baht. In recognition of that wonderful achievement club members
Christina and Malcolm Boden presented Ian with a framed certificate of
thanks. The handing over of this coincided with Santa Claus giving
Christmas presents to the children from the Camillian Center.
Jetstar Asia arrives in Pattaya
New low cost carrier provides first daily service between Pattaya and Singapore
Jetstar Asia commenced flying daily roundtrip flights between Pattaya
and Singapore starting Tuesday, December 21. Daily roundtrip flights
between Singapore and Taipei commenced on December 16, and between
Singapore and Hong Kong on December 13. More destinations - including
Shanghai, Jakarta, Surabaya and Manila, amongst others - will come online
in rapid succession from January onwards.
Jetstar
Asia CEO Con Korfiatis (left) announces the new roundtrip flight from
Pattaya to Singapore.
Everyday low fares for service between Pattaya and
Singapore will start from 1,475 baht one-way. Tickets are available for
purchase by logging onto www.jetstarasia.com or by calling 02-651-9545 (in
Bangkok).
“Jetstar Asia is the first international service and
low-cost carrier going to operate to Pattaya,” said Chief Operating
Officer Con Korfiatis. “We chose Pattaya as our first destination in
Thailand because it is one of the most favoured tourist destinations here.
And, we sought to take advantage of the opportunity to be the first airline
to operate direct flights to Pattaya.
“It’s now time for us to begin delivering on our
promise of providing exceptional value to all Jetstar Asia customers in
Thailand and across the region,” said Korfiatis. “We’re ready,
we’re excited and we’re eager to show Asia there’s a new way to
fly.”
Jetstar Asia is the first and only low-cost carrier
serving the Pattaya-Singapore route. Aside from serving the Pattaya route,
it is the first low-cost carrier to fly also to Taipei, Surabaya, Shanghai
and Manila. “We have said from the beginning that our success will depend
on our ability to grow the market, and by becoming the first low cost
carrier to serve several major population centres that support millions of
people, as well as opening new routes, we’re doing just that; making air
travel more accessible and more affordable to more people,” added Mr.
Korfiatis.
All Jetstar Asia aircraft are brand-new Airbus A320s
that come equipped with stylish charcoal-grey leather seating for maximum
comfort. All customers are provided with assigned seating and a generous
20kg baggage allowance. A wide range of food and beverage as well as
selective merchandize and duty free items are available for purchase on all
flights.
The fleet of aircraft is expected to grow to eight in
2005 and to over 20 within the next few years as Jetstar Asia expands its
regional network.
Daily flight schedule
Pattaya to Singapore: Flight number 3K502 departs
Pattaya at 20:35 hrs.; arrives in Singapore at 23:40 hrs.
Singapore to Pattaya: Flight number 3K501 departs Singapore at 18:45
hrs.; arrives in Pattaya at 19:50 hrs.
Nordic Group holds grand opening for luxury residences
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
At 5:30 p.m. on December 1 at the Asia Hotel, the Nordic
Garden Company of Sa-Nga Kitsamret, a well-known Pattaya City businessman,
and foreign investors for the Nordic Group, Karl Fred Kristensen and Thor
Olaf Hegna, held an opening ceremony for 5 fully supplied residential
projects - Nordic Apartments, The Nordic Hill Resort, The Nordic Terrace,
and Nordic Village 3 and 4.
Mayor
Niran Wattanasartsathorn and Major General Bandit Piriyasaisanti cut the
ribbon to open Nordic Hill Resort, accompanied by Karl Fred Kristensen
(left) and Sa-Nga Kitsamret (2nd right).
The opening ceremony was attended by honored guests
including Major General Bandit Piriyasaisanti, advisor at the Ministry of
Defense, Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, Poramet Indharachumnum, chief
prosecutor at the Pattaya Provincial Court, and Sopin Thappajug, Chonburi
juvenile court judge.
The Nordic Group’s residential construction projects
are situated on a plot of over 2 rai, or about 1,200 sq. wah, located at the
base of the mountain area near the sea.
More information can be found at the website www.nordicgarden.com
Interested parties can also contact the office at 389/22-23 Moo 12, Asia
Hotel or telephone 038-250917 or fax 038-306 190.
Con Korfiatis - Chief Operating Officer Jetstar Asia
Con Korfiatis was appointed chief operating officer of Jetstar Asia in
April 2004. Con has more than 11 years experience in the airline industry,
in a range of disciplines ranging from strategic planning, finance,
marketing, sales, network planning, and general management.
 Con
Korfiatis, Chief Operating Officer Jetstar Asia
Most recently he worked for Qantas Airways as head of
strategy projects, responsible for Qantas group strategy and alliance
initiatives across the Qantas group. In this role, Con played a key role in
formulating the strategy and establishing the partnership for the creation
of Jetstar Asia.
Prior to his role at Qantas, he worked at Ansett
Australia Airlines and Singapore Airlines in a variety of roles including
country manager Indonesia, commercial director and chief financial officer
Ansett International, marketing manager Singapore Airlines, and corporate
finance general manager Ansett Group.
As commercial director & chief financial officer of
Ansett International, Con was part of the team that established
international airline operations for Ansett in a number of Asian countries,
with specific responsibility for strategy development, network &
schedules planning, fleet planning, government affairs, demand forecasting
& route economics, and alliances.
Prior to his airline experience, Con was senior manager
with Ernst & Young chartered accountants for 8 years.
Con holds a Bachelor of Economics from Monash University in Melbourne,
and is a qualified chartered accountant.
Love at first sight – Turkish businessman and local lady tie knot
Boonlua Chatree
A lucky Thai girl met a rich Turkish businessman who fell
in love with her. It was love at first sight and after a generous dowry was
arranged, the happy couple organized a grand party for their future wedding
at a beer bar in Central Pattaya.
 The
happy bride and groom celebrate their deep love for each other.
On the evening of December 12 at the Sara Beer Bar on Soi
9, Pattaya Beach Road, bride Nipaporn Raroeng, 23, from Udon Thani dressed
in a white wedding dress, and groom Ibrahim Topcu, 38, from Turkey, welcomed
friends and guests at the bar to celebrate their wedding. The celebration
was crowded with well wishers who turned up to congratulate the loving
couple.
Ibrahim said at the party that he had never had any
lovers in his life until he met Nipaporn Raroeng. They immediately fell in
love, and Ibrahim promptly asked for the lady’s hand in marriage. He also
offered her parents a dowry of 12 million baht plus land and a house. The
party at the bar was to thank friends for allowing them to meet each other.
Nipaporn, Ibrahim’s glowing bride, said she had never dreamed that she
would meet a man born so far away from her homeland, but their relationship
is full of love and happiness. “We were made for each other and Fate
brought us together,” Nipaporn said.
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