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Emirates hosts a warm farewell for retired Area Manager
Emirates team led by Ghaith Al Ghaith -
Executive Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide (third right),
Richard Vaughan - Senior Vice President, East Asia & Australasia Commercial
Operations (second left) and Jeyhun Efendi - Area Manager Thailand and
Indochina (second right), present a thank you gift to Soonthorn Suree (third
left) for his dedicated service to Emirates.
Bangkok - Emirates Airline recently hosted a farewell gathering for
Soonthorn Suree, former Area Manager for Thailand and Indochina, who retired
from Emirates after 16 years of dedicated service. The event was attended by
country ambassadors, government representatives, corporate partners and
friends at the Shangri La Hotel.
Soonthorn Suree began managing Emirates’ operations in Thailand when the
airline started serving Bangkok in 1990. During his tenure, he played a key
role in establishing and building a strong presence, and forging Emirates a
reputation as an airline of choice that delivers the finest services to its
passengers. He has overseen Emirates’ growth from two services to 36 return
flights into Bangkok.
Jeyhun Efendi has been appointed Emirates’ Area Manager for Thailand and
Indochina and brings extensive aviation experience, after he began his
career with Emirates’ sales team in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1997. Since then he
has held several positions in the airline’s commercial division, including
his previous position as Emirates’ Area Manager for Russia and the CIS,
where he was instrumental in consolidating Emirates’ position in the region.
Thai tourism needs better security standards
Mr. Vic Plessner from the VHP
Group, front row far right, is pictured with members of the Pacific Asia Travel
Association (PATA) Thailand Chapter following a talk about tourism security in
the kingdom.
Senior representatives of Thai tourism have been told that
the industry needs to upgrade its security standards.
Security consultant Mr. Vic Plessner of the Bangkok-based VHP Group told the
Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Thailand Chapter AGM, January 17, that
hotel security staff should hold monthly breakfast meetings to network and
exchange insights in a structured manner.
“In Thailand, hotel guards are often treated like janitors and not given the
training and authority to do their job properly,” he said.
Mr. Plessner said that hotels should rigorously pursue “what if” scenarios and
implement “aggressive security comfort” measures such as sending a hotel
representative to meet passengers at the airport. In the airport arrivals hall,
hotel guests could be given a pre-programmed mobile phone with important phone
numbers in it.
Plessner, a 38-year security veteran who moved from the US to Thailand last
year, said that while the conflict in the deep south of the country seemed to be
geographically contained, the local carnage sullied the national image of
Thailand and affected people’s decisions of whether to visit the country or not.
He said it was unusual for terrorist groups not to take responsibility for
bombings. He told the PATA gathering that a huge PR effort was needed and that
it was counter-productive for senior government members to say that the country
could expect more violence.
Woodlands lays foundation stone for
all-suites serviced accommodation
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Chairman of the Woodlands Hotel and Resort board of directors Sutham Phantusak
presided over the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Woodlands Suites
Pattaya project located in Soi Naklua 20 on January 20.
 Sutham
Phantusak performs a religious ceremony for the Woodlands Suites Pattaya
project.
Buddhist monks and a Brahman priest conducted the religious ceremonies as Sutham
and his wife Orawan joined by their three lovely daughters Darin, Alisa and
Arasaya joined in lighting candles and incense sticks and praying for good luck
and prosperity.
Alisa said that two foundation stones were being laid on the 2 rai and 4 square
wah plot of land. In addition to Woodlands Suites a three-story house is being
constructed as a residential mansion for the Phanthusak family.
 Chairman
of the Woodlands Hotel and Resort board of directors Sutham Phantusak lays the
foundation stone the for Woodlands Suites Pattaya project.
The concept for Woodlands Suites came from the fact that Woodlands Hotel and
Resort has many long-stay guests who stay for one month or more, and
consequently the hotel was having difficulty finding enough accommodation for
tourist visitors. The Suites will be particularly suitable for overseas visitors
who are working in the industrial zones in and near Pattaya, or others who wish
to stay in serviced-apartment accommodation that is of five-star hotel standard.
Woodlands Suites will provide quality accommodation for visitors who wish to
stay in Pattaya for more than one month.
Woodlands Suites, located next to Woodlands Hotel and Resort, is due for
completion in November this year. There will be eight floors with 74 rooms, a
conference room, executive club, swimming pool, gym, and restaurant and bakery.
Sutham Phantusak and his family
perform a religious ceremony as part of the foundation stone laying ceremony for
the Woodlands Suites Pattaya project.
GTCC looks forward to a good year
Michael Albers
This year’s first meeting (Stammtisch) of the German-Thai Chamber of
Commerce (GTCC) was held on January 12 at the Moon River Pub next to Thai
Garden Resort. GTCC president Karl-Heinz Heckhausen, and CEO Dr Paul Strunk
and his deputy Stefan Bürkle were present, and Thai Garden Resort owner
Gerrit Niehaus and his lawyer Dr Franz Walter, head judge at the regional
court in Frankfurt, also attended.
 From
left: Karl-Heinz Heckhausen, Stefan Bürkle, and Dr. Paul Strunk.
The year 2007 began in a very promising way for the Stammtisch, and many new
faces could be seen along with all the regular members. They came from all
corners of the east coast and from Bangkok to meet good friends, socialize
with new ones and to exchange business cards.
Thai Garden Resort’s general manager, Rene Pisters, and guest service
manager, Brigitta Herkner, made sure that all attendees were fully satisfied
and that all newcomers had no problems blending in.
Dr Paul Strunk gave a brief speech, wishing everyone a happy new year. He
confidently predicted that this year would be at least as good as the last
one. Then he handed over the microphone to Karl-Hein Heckhausen.
 From
left: Boris Karl Witt (junior lawyer for the GTCC), Brigitta Herkner, and
Tobias Christian Riethmüller (junior lawyer for the GTCC).
The former president of DaimlerChrysler Thailand spoke about his confidence
in the future cooperation between Germany and Thailand. The Federal Republic
has left the trough behind, he said, the industrial sector has noticeably
stabilized, and once more Germany is able to sustain its position as a
global leader in the export markets with a growth of 2.5 percent.
Regarding the political situation in Thailand, Heckhausen is in cheerful
spirits, saying that after “critical dialogues” with their Thai friends,
both nations will always have common aims.
The Thai Garden Resort restaurant prepared a variety of Thai and German
dishes, and regular guests waited in anticipation for the highlight they
knew was coming, namely a performance by the house band Power Jam. Dancers
took to the floor and enjoyed the selection of music that ranged from 60s
golden oldies to current hits, and reggae, Latino, hip-hop and rock. New
guests were astounded when the lead guitarist used his tongue to play.
From left: Eberhard Podleska, Mona Kurth, Rene
Pisters, Frank Kurth, and Monika Podleska.
From left: Dr. Franz Walter, Gerrit Niehaus,
August Richter, Herbert Jochen Schmidt, and Araya Schmidt.
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