ScandAsia May 2019

May 2019

BUSINESS

Karri Kivelä, new Executive Director of EABC

COMMUNITY

Viking Cup 2019 hits the shore of Hua Hin

INTERNATIONAL

150 years of Swedish-Thai relations

LIFESTYLE

What type of expat are you?

Monitor

ERP System

Malaysia

levels up

to conquer

Southeast Asia

2 ScandAsia • May 2019

Realise your

ambitions in Asia.

Being the leading Nordic bank in Singapore we understand the unique challenges

you face when living and investing in Asia. As your partner, we will use our decades

of experience in the region to help you achieve your goals.

Contact us at singapore@seb.sg

Care for ambition

May 2019 • ScandAsia 3

May 2019

18

Finnish-educated Thai

scholar-turned-politician

ScandAsia

Stories

10 Norway’s ambassador

addresses landmines in Laos

11 Celebration of Nordic Day in

Malaysia

21 Sweden-Thailand 150 years

of friendship

26 What type of expat are you?

12

Karri Kivelä

EABC’s new executive director

10

38

Ratanawadee Winther:

Home is where the heart is

11

14

Monitor ERP System Malaysia

grows strong in SEA

21

Viking Cup 2019 in

Hua Hin

38

26

TIME TO LEVEL UP

www.monitorerp.asia

malaysia@monitorerp.com

+60 4 371 7816

Follow your heart!

In this edition of ScandAsia, starting page 22, you will find the

results of a survey by InterNations trying to group expats

into seven groups. Each group is defined by the reason they

first moved abroad.

• Find a better job

• Better quality of life

• To be with their partner

• Looking for a thrill

• Assigned by employer

• Follow their spouse

• Part of education

Each of these types of expats are further sub-defined by

among others how well they speak the local language, to what

extent they have local friends and if they are likely to be staying

abroad the rest of their life.

Surprise! The group of people with the highest score in

these three criteria are in fact the people who have moved

abroad for love. The Romantics. Among these expats, 35%

speak the local language very well, 38% have local friends and

43% are likely to stay abroad forever.

The majority of the Romantic type of expats are still in a

relationship although some may not be with the same partner

as when they moved abroad. Close to nine in ten (88%) are

satisfied with their relationship, and for 57 percent things could

not get any better.

Romantics really make an effort to adapt to their partner’s

home country. Close to three in five (57%) speak the local language

fairly or even very well. In fact, the Romantic type is most

likely to be friends mainly with local residents (38%) out of all

expat types, which is twice the global share of all expats (19%).

Only when it comes to work and career they are not doing

so well. One in three are unhappy with their career prospects

and 41 percent believe that their income is lower than what

they would make in a similar job back home (vs. 27% globally).

How often have I not advised people to think twice before

falling in love with a person of a different nationality? And now

I see how wrong I was. Isn’t that sweet?

Follow your heart! Even if you have to go abroad - you are

still likely to end up being more happy with your life than the

career-driven expats!

Gregers Moller

Editor in Chief

ScandAsia is a printed magazine and online

media covering the people and businesses of

Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland living and

working in China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia,

Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam,

Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Who should subscribe:

ScandAsia subscribers are typically Nordic

expats and companies from the Nordic

countries living in and active in Asia. Another

group of subscribers are Nordic people living

in the Nordic countries who subscribe to

ScandAsia for personal or business reasons.

We also have many Asian subscribers, who

for a wide range of reasons are following the

activities of the Nordic expats and companies

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Editor-in-Chief :

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gregers@scandmedia.com

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manta@scandasia.com

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Nilobon Bantoey

nilobon@scandasia.com

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Siam Print Co., Ltd.


News Brief

Sweden to become major destination

for skilled Filipino workers

By Nilobon Bantoey

Harald Fries, Swedish Ambassador

to Manila, revealed that

Sweden is ready to become

one of the most attractive destinations

for professional and skilled Filipino workers

who wish to work abroad and bring

their families with them.

As reported by the Manila Bulletin

on April 21, 2019, the Ambassador told

that the welfare provided by Swedish

government will benefit not only the

Filipino workers but also thier spouses

who will get the work permits automatically.

“One good thing in Sweden for Filipinos

to work there, if you get the job

as a software engineer, the whole family

gets a residence permit and your spouse

get automatically work permit,” said the

Ambassador.

Mr. Fries continuted that the Swedish

welfare system aims to solve the

perennial problem of “disconnect” and

long distance relationship between family

members who have to work abroad.

“Once in Sweden, the whole family

becomes part of the extensive Swedish

welfare system.

“You can deal with the family life

there until you decide to move back,” he

told Manila Bulletin.

(Source: the Manila Bulletin)

© Inter IKEA Systems B.V. 2019


Angry Bird’s developer to teach in

Indonesia’s Business Program

By Nilobon Bantoey

News Brief

Peter Vesterbacka, a Finnish Angry

Bird game’s developer will take a

part as a mentor of Bali Business

Foundation Program, co-organized

by Asia Exchange (AE), Finnish study

exchange provider in Indonesia and

Indonesia’s Warmadewa University

(WU).

Scheduled to start in September,

the program aimed to provide both

exchange and domestic students the

opportunities to learn how to start and

manage a company as well as to lift the

students’ idea and perspective off the

ground with the support of peers and

mentors.

As reported in Pie News, Harri

Suominen, AE’s managing director and

co-founder explained:

“Normally, it is quite boring [in] class,

listening to some 50-year old professor

and not learning too much at school.

“We wanted to change it, and we’re

taking students to meet the entrepreneurs

and founders of different kinds of

companies in Bali and learn from a very

practical approach,” Suominen said.

Vesterbacka, a chief among the mentors,

stated on AE’s website about his

pleasure to assist the program.

“We Finns, people who can walk

on water (especially during winter), are

happy to help universities to answer to

the needs of the changing world.

“Entrepreneurs and startups form

the new backbone of our societies. We

need this kind of mindset and universities

need to support it,” Vesterbacka

shared.

Maritime meeting between China and

Denmark

By Nilobon Bantoey

The Danish Maritime Authority

had a maritime dialogue meeting

with the Chinese Ministry of

Transport in Guangzhou, China, on April

29 and 30, 2019.

Since 2010, the meeting between

the Danish Maritime Authority and the

Chinese Ministry of Transport, including

the Bureau of Water Transport would

be held once every year and this twodays

meeting was the 8th maritime

dialogue meeting between two nations.

The meetings aimed to encourage

the participants to discuss and exchange

views on the challenges facing the sector

to develop the the cooperation

between Denmark and China in the

maritime.

On-going issues that were discussed

at the meeting involved the international

shipping industry area such as implementation

of sulphur regulation, smart

shipping and piracy. Furthermore, both

countries took this opportunity to inform

about their own national initiatives

within the maritime field.

Provided by Danish Maritime Authority’s

press release, Andreas Nordseth,

Director General of the Danish

Maritime Authority said:

“Denmark and China have many

common interests within the maritime

field, and the dialogue meetings between

the Ministry of Transport and the

Danish Maritime Authority are a great

opportunity to exchange views and

share knowledge.

“It is important for Denmark to have

a close dialogue with such an important

partner as China. The close relation between

Danish and Chinese authorities is

of great benefit to the Blue Denmark.”


News Brief

Norway’s ambassador addresses

landmines in Laos

By Nilobon Bantoey

Grete Løchen, Norway’s Ambassador

to Vietnam and Laos attended

the ‘Regional Seminar

on Landmines, Cluster Munitions and

Explosive Remnants of War’ in Vientiane,

Lao PDR.

With the support of Norway, the

seminar was hosted by the International

Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

together with the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs, Lao PDR.

Apart from the ambassador, the participants

in the seminar were representatives

from several agencies and organisations

across the region. The 2-days

seminar intended to enhance the cooperation

among participants and also

to promote existing agreements and

conventions on current issues including

military and landmines.

At the seminar, the ambassador

Løchen gave the speech relating to the

role of mine action to achieve the Sustainable

Development Goals, and the

rights awareness of landmine explosions’

victims and survivors.

Sweden co-funded Myanmar’s health project

By Nilobon Bantoey

Sweden co-funded Myanmar’s project,

“SRHR STRONG+” together

with the United States, United

Kingdom and Switzerland by donating

thier budget through the Access to

Health Fund, an organization pooling

fund from multi-donors to support the

health sector in Myanmar.

“SRHR: STRONG+” is an acronym

for Sexual and Reproductive Health

and Rights: Strengthening the Realization

of National Guidelines, Policies,

and Plans. It was organized by PATH,

a nonprofit global health organization,

in collaboration with Local Resource

Centre and Marie Stopes International

(MSI) in Myanmar. The new

project is expected to be launched in

June 2019.

The project will work closely with

three different groups of people that are


health providers, media personnel and

communities to promote the importance

of sexual and reproductive health

in Myanmar.

The project will support the health

providers in educating people in the

community toward the role of sexual

and reproductive health. Besides, the

project will train the media personnel

about the appropriate way to report on

and talk about SRHR.

Moreover, the project team will

organize community events across

Myanmar to ensure that the awareness

about SRHR and the project’s policy are

brought to the communities and people

everywhere in Myanmar.

Wrote on its official Facebook page,

the Embassy of Sweden Section Office

in Yangon expressed, “we are happy to

be a part of the new Sexual and Reproductive

Health Policy in Myanmar.”

Celebration of Nordic Day in Malaysia

By Nilobon Bantoey

News Brief

The Embassies of Denmark,

Finland, Norway,

Sweden and the Honorary

Consulate of Iceland

in Malaysia co-hosted a celebration

of Nordic Day for

the second time on April 11,

2019 at JW Marriott Hotel in

Jalan Bukit Bintang, Malaysia.

The celebration started

with a seminar on Green

Growth – Sustainability

through Innovation by a keynote

speaker Maria Antikainen,

researcher from the VTT Technical

Research Centre of Finland. Antikainen

gave a presentation on how Nordic

nations make business out of circular

economy.

The topics discussed during the seminar

also included renewable energy,

solar power, sustainable blue economy,

energy efficiency and waste to energy

technology.

The honorable attendees comprised

Finnish ambassador to Malaysia, Petri Puhakka,

Swedish ambassador to Malaysia,

Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt, Danish ambassador

to Malaysia, Jesper Vahr and Norwegian

ambassador to Malaysia, Gunn Jorid

Roset.

At the evening reception, Petri Puhakka

gave a speech on the behalf of

Nordic region referring to the “fairly notable

level” of the trade between Nordic

region and Malaysia.

“There is great potential for growth.

For example, on green energy

between the region

and Malaysia.” he said.

The Finnish Ambassador

also highlighted the theme

of Green Growth through

his speech.

“Sustainability and respect

for nature are highly

valued, but this does not

need to contradict healthy

economies. From 1995 to

2014 the Nordics reduced

CO2 emission by 20% while

doubling their economy.” he added

Embassy of Finland in Kuala Lumpur

wrote on its Facebook page to thank all

participants and sponsors.

“Thank you to all participants! We

would like to especially thank one of the

main sponsors, Finnish BMH Technology

company (Waste to Energy solutions)

as well as Finnair who sponsored a ticket

raffle” wrote the Embassy.

B.Grimm to collaborate with Pöyry in

renewable energy project

By Nilobon Bantoey

Pöyry, Finland’s international

consulting and engineering firm,

has revealed it was awared

by B. Grimm Power Company, Thailand’s

power producers, to work in

B. Grimm Power’s latest renewable

energy project, the 16MW Bo Thong

Wind Farm, located in Mukdahan

province, Thailand.

As stated in Pöyry’s press release on

April 10, 2019, the work included EPC

bid evaluation and negotiations, energy

yield assessments, project management,

design review, and site monitoring during

construction and commissioning.

The purpose of B. Grimm Power’s

latest project was to add 635MW equity

capacity to its existing 1,082 MW

equity capacity by the end of year 2021

and when the project is completed, B.

Grimm Power’s equity capacity will increse

at least 70% in the next two years.

Bo Thong project was expected to

be substantially completed before September

2020 which is when commercial

operation date (COD) is scheduled.

Esa Holttinen, Pöyry’s Business Director,

highlighted the benefit that this

project could provide to people involving

in industrial sector as well as local

sector.

“Typically located in less developed

rural areas, wind farm projects not only

benefit the energy sector development,

but also contribute to achieve broader

rural development goals, including the

upgrade of local infrastructure, security,

and electrical supply capability.

“Apart from that, such projects also

create local job opportunities and spur

additional income in the community,

overall positively impacting the locality’s

quality of life,” he added.

Pöyry has been collaborating with

B. Grimm Power for over past 8 years

since 2010 and Bo Thong project is the

13th owner’s engineering construction

assignment that Pöyry has handled for

B. Grimm Power.


Interview

The Glue of European Trade

By Nilobon Bantoey

EABC’s new executive director, Finnish Karri Kivelä, talks about his transition from

assisting the Finnish trade community to advocating companies from all over Europe,

and what life is like in the sunny Thailand.

Fleeing from Finland’s freezing climate

to the allure of endless summer

in Thailand, Karri Kivelä, who

was formerly Executive Director of

Thai-Finnish Chamber of Commerce

(TFCC), recently took charge as new

Executive Director of European Association

for Business and Commerce

(EABC). With his new role, he is tasked

to advocate European companies how

to successfully do business in Thailand.

From our last conversation with Karri

three years ago in 2016, we learn that

the-61-year old Karri Kivelä was born in

Helsinki, Finland, and earned a Bachelor

of Commerce from Saint Mary’s University,

Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada

in 1983.

Before moving to Thailand in 2012,

Karri has been working in sport and

entertainment event production for

over 25 years. From 2012 to 2015 Karri

worked as Business Development Manager

for the Finnish company, Logonet

Promotion, which granted him an opportunity

to move to Thailand. Then, he

joined the board of TFCC in 2014. And

now Karri takes the office of European

Association for Business and Commerce

as an Executive Director.

Karri told us that his role as Executive

Director at TFCC for almost three

years helps him prepare for taking the

new position at EABC. He has gone

through many obstacles but one memory

that seems to be the most noteworthy

for him is that, early on in his


Interview

I considered

myself an

international

Finn.

tenure, TFCC was in critical situation.

“I knew that something went wrong

when I realized we only had 50 companies

as our members at that time. It

was disastrous because TFCC is funded

by members and when we had only 50

members, it means we had little money

to facilitate the operation,” Karri recalled.

Not deterred or disheartened by the

grim outlook, Karri marched on, working

tirelessly to get the operation back on

track. The difficult time armed him with

knowledge and know-how, and earned

him an opportunity to shine in his career.

As a result of the extra effort, TFCC

doubled its members to 100 in the

course of three years. “At that time we

were the fastest growing chamber of

commerce in Thailand and I am happy

that TFCC has thrived and become very

successful. Now that I’m leaving my success

behind to move forward to EABC,

I’m very happy about what we have accomplished,

Karri expressed.

Having gone through several prominent

positions in his career, Karri in his

60s is excited to take the new role at

EABC. He even shared the good news

via social media. “I posted on my Facebook

account to tell all my friends from

Finland that I got a new job in my 60s!”

he laughed.

EABC is an advocacy organization

aiming to facilitate European companies

to operate the business in Thailand as

well as to promote Thailand as a high

potential trade and attractive investment

destination for European business.

Though he has accomplished his

career at TFCC, Karri found it’s quite

challenging to work as Executive Director

at EABC. “Now, I have to deal with

various companies from across Europe

and I as Executive Director don’t have

the relative background. For example, I

may not have much mutual understanding,

or you could say the “glue”, with

French companies the same way I do

with Finnish companies,” he said.

Karri aspires to be the “glue guy”

who holds all members together regardless

of where they came from in Europe

to provide benefit to all members.

“We have to show the members how to

do the business here in Thailand which is

the same thing that what I did at TFCC

but with a larger scale,” he stressed.

Karri had lived most of his life in

Helsinki before he decided it was time

to move from cold Finland to extremely

hot Thailand. “I lived 45 years in Finland

where it’s very dark and also very cold.

I also wanted to come and see a lot

of differences in Thailand through their

culture and ways of life. So, I thought it’s

about time to find out something new

in the world,” he shared.

When he first came here, Karri did

not suffer much of a culture shock that

much because he had been in Thailand

many times as a tourist before and have

been travelling around the world all his

life. “I considered myself an international

Finn. I have seen a lot of things. So, I didn’t

experience culture shock that much

when I moved here,” he said.

Karri added that what fascinates him

the most about living in Bangkok is, it’s

always summer here. “When I wake up,

it’s always summer in Thailand. While in

Finland, it’s getting harder and harder to

survive the cold and dark months where

there is no sun from the beginning of

November to the end of February,” he

said. “Spending your day in the darkness

can be very bad for your mental health.”

Now, Karri has been living in Bangkok

for six and a half years and the only two

Thai words he can speak are “Sawadee

krab” and “Khob khun Krub” which

mean hello/goodbye and thank you respectively.

However Karri revealed that

he always wanted to be able to tell Thai

jokes and understand what Thai laughing

is about. He believed that being unable

to speak the language keeps him from

understanding the Thai culture. That’s

why he decided to study Thai language

but sadly it was not so successful.

“When I learned some Thai sentences,

I tried to use it with Thais but

they never understand what I said. I always

pronounced the words wrong. So,

I say to myself I’m too old to study the

language and since Thais need to learn

English, I’d rather teach English to Thais,”

he laughed.


Business

Monitor ERP System Malaysia levels up

to conquer Southeast Asia

By Joakim Persson

10

April was an auspicious

Swedish day in Penang,

Malaysia as Monitor ERP

System both inaugurated their new,

expanded Asean headquarters and

launched their enterprise resource

planning (EPR) system’s fifth generation

(G5).

With owner Jörgen Persson and

Group CEO Morgan Persson flown in

for the occasion Monitor impressed

Sweden’s Ambassador to Malaysia H.E.

Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt, Guest of Honour

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow

and the many other V.I.P guests with

their Swedish-inspired office.

So impressed was the Chief Minister

that he jokingly asked if Monitor

could spare a work desk for him at

their Wisma AIA, Straits Quay-based

co-working space style office.


“I’m sure your whole team will be

happy to work here. This workplace environment

is truly inspiring, and I hope

that our local companies in Penang will

try out something similar,” said Chow

Kon Yeow and continued: “In my vision

for Penang 2030 the first theme is to

increase liveability to enhance quality

of life. People’s work-life balance is of

great importance. Monitor comes from

Sweden, which is known for being one

of the top countries in the world when

it comes to work-life balance, and has

really showed us here that you take

this very seriously. I am very impressed

and I hope that your business here will

continue to grow, our local talent will

benefit from working with you and

improving their knowledge and skills,

and that our SMEs and our industry

in Penang will also benefit from your

presence here.”

“It gives me great pleasure to be

here to officiate the opening and that

this is their biggest office outside of

Sweden. I am happy that a continuous

initiative by Penang to create a business

and investment-friendly environment,

together with an abundance of

human capital, have further encouraged

Monitor to increase its presence

here,” the Chief Minister also said.

The marvel of Swedish

technology and knowhow

Commenting on Monitor’s role in

contributing to industry 4.0 in Penang

and beyond he believed that the state

offers lots of opportunities for such a

company. “We have an ecosystem of

at least 3,000 SMEs and driving the

fourth industrial revolution we are

not there yet but SMEs who want to

transform themselves need to be supported.

And we are happy to know

that Monitor ERP Systems are increasingly

serving our SMEs in Penang and

elsewhere in the country.”

You need a

system as the

backbone of your

business before

you can start

looking into

other things.

He believed in the opportunities

to grow this segment of

business.“Sweden with its impressive

experience and knowhow in innovations

and productivity is an exceptional

partner in our journey towards

industry 4.0. In this era in the growing

importance of industry 4.0 I would

take this opportunity to encourage

all companies, especially SMEs, to respond

positively to change and to

embrace the new advancement in

technology and innovation,” Chow

Kon Yeow told the invited guests from

the stage.

Speaking to the media Managing

Director Daniel Häggmark explained

that their complete system is based

on 45 years of experience from the

manufacturing industry in Sweden

- one of the top countries when it

comes to efficiency and how efficient

companies are working.

“Having low-cost labour available

has never really been the case in Sweden,

so even small SMEs can go deep

with SMEs in Asia because Swedish

SMEs are automated; all their processes

are efficient. That is very interesting

in Asia where it has previously

been more low-cost labour intensive

work – which is now starting to disappear.

Malaysia is also trying hard to

reduce the number of foreign workers,

which means factories have to be

more efficient. There we have a lot to

give and knowledge to share as our

whole system is built in that kind of

environment.”

“You need a system as the backbone

of your business before you can

start looking into other things related

to industry 4.0 so there we see great

timing and opportunities.”

Swedish businesses’

stronger presence in

Southeast Asia

Ambassador Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt was

especially impressed by the way Monitor

had expanded in Southeast Asia.“It

is a joy to see how in less than three

years here Monitor has grown and es-


Business

tablished itself big, not only in Malaysia

but in the region. And, as it happens, just

a month ago in Penang, Ikea, a fellow

Swedish company at nearly the same

age as Monitor, established a store in

Penang, the biggest so far in Southeast

Asia. And today we are here to inaugurate

Monitor’s new office, six times

bigger than its previous one, so the

Swedish footprint is growing. It’s a good

time for me as ambassador to see Sweden

grow in Malaysia and in Penang.”

“I think Penang is putting itself on the

map as the success story it also used to

be in the past. Penang is obviously attractive

for a segment of SME companies,

while historically bigger companies

tend to establish themselves in Greater

Kuala Lumpur,” the Swedish ambassador

told ScandAsia.

“What the future holds in the form

of incoming investments I can only

guess. But when all Swedish Asian

ambassadors recently met in Kuala

Lumpur we took note of the fact that

Swedish companies chose that city for

the second Sweden – Southeast Asia

Business Summit. Also, as we discussed

the relative positioning of our interest

globally Asia featured very high, with

Malaysia being a country of high inter-


With Monitor

G5 we will be

strengthening

our position

further, and not

just in Sweden.

est and Penang a place of high interest

there, especially so now with the new

government putting a much stronger

emphasis on transparency and good

governance.”

The all-new ERP version

revealed

The auspicious Monitor ERP System

day continued in the evening with an

extravagant launch programme, featuring

the Swedish inspirational speaker

Fredrik Haren and the Asian launch of

Monitor G5 (the first generation was

launched back in early 1980s), including

a detailed snapshot of the all-new

ERP version.

“It was first developed for the

Swedish industry; for subcontractors

to large Swedish multinationals. Ikea’s

very first sub-contractor was powered

by Monitor. Today we are the

market leader in the manufacturing

industry. With Monitor G5 we will

be strengthening our position further,

and not just in Sweden; now we are

focusing also on the Malaysian market

and the Southeast Asian markets. That

is why we are opening a new office

and strengthening our team in Malaysia.

We have 42 years of experience

from the ERP business and we have

gathered views and suggestions from

our more than 4000 customers all

over the world,” CEO Morgan Persson

introduced G5 on stage.

Its development was a 10-year, 30

million Euro investment project, with

the aim to refresh their established ERP

System and help to ready their small &

medium size manufacturing customers

for the future with the latest in information

technology.

From day one the

support we got

from business

partners was

overwhelming.

Building a strong foothold

in Malaysia

“Having been in the region for some

years we made a decision around two

years ago. We had found Malaysia to

be our new home; from day one the

support we got from business partners

was overwhelming. Being the market

leader in Sweden for forty years was a

big advantage in the beginning to reach

out to new customers and representatives

from the industries. With the fantastic

commitment and support from

our great owner we told ourselves that

if we could become the market leader

for SME manufacturing in Sweden, why

not aiming to become the same here in

Malaysia!” Daniel Häggmark explained

the launch’s slogan ‘Time to level up’

on stage.

“Thus, Monitor started to level up

and has grown from three to around

forty employees. We now have a local

support team that support all our customers

in Asia. We have a consultancy

team to ensure we do successful implementations.

We recently set up a new

development team to take care of local

requirements and give faster response

on governmental changes such as GST

to SST to take one example.”

“With this great team and local

presence we are starting to see some

results. We are getting recognition from

governmental organisations, being contacted

by different universities for collaborations

and invited to different

manufacturing organisations to share

knowledge.”

“So we have started our journey

to be the market leader in Malaysia –

committed and long-term, step by step

we are leveling up,” he concluded.


Interview

Shaping the future of Thai education

By Nilobon Bantoey

Finnish-educated Thai scholar-turned-politician Kunthida Rungruengkiat sets her eyes

on the horizon to benefit Thai teachers and students

It has been almost 20 years since

Kunthida Rungruengkiat, deputy

leader of Future Forward Party

(FFP), had her first educational experience

in Finland as an exchange student.

At the time she was just 16 years old.

“The days in Finland were the days I

got a chance to “bloom my things”,”

says Kunthida. What she means is, it is

the monumental period in her life that

she had the chance to explore and

express herself – a defining moment

that led her into a role in politics later

in life. Kunthida’s political collective,

FFP, played a significant role as the second

runner-up in the Thailand’s general

election 2019 and also as a new hope

for Thailand especially for the young

generation.


Our last conversation with Ida, Kunthida’s

nickname among Scandinavian

peers, we learn that the 34-year-old

Bangkokian earned a Bachelor of Arts

from Chulalongkorn University before

being offered a Scholarship for International

Degree Students in 2008-09

at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland,

where she earned her Master of Arts in

Intercultural Communication.

After graduation, Ida came back to

Thailand and secured a tenure as professor

of Intercultural Communication

Strategy at Bangkok University (International

and Thai Programme). Her new

role as politician emerges when she

joined FFP as deputy leader in the event

of Thailand’s probably most sensational

election.

“My voice was heard in Finland and

it changed me tremendously.”

Ida tells us that the time in Finland

was crucial in shaping her personality

and mindset, thanks to the Finn’s idea of

equality and mutual respect regardless

of age or status.

“Ida, do you want to do this or

not?” was the most commonly heard

sentence for Ida when she was a

student in Finland. “I was asked all

the time if I wanted to do something,

even with something that was

very compulsory like learning Finnish

language. My Finnish mom would always

ask me and gave me options to

accept or decline, which I find very

respectful,” she says.

Interview

Unlike in Thailand, where hierarchy

and tradition give certain groups of

people more voices than others, Ida,

like many Thais growing up in traditional

household, finds that Thai teenagers are

obligated to obey their parents. And if

they do not, they would be branded

“ungrateful children”.

“In Thailand, my voice was not

heard that much. My family would say

do this, do that, study this. I knew they

meant well but sometimes I would like

to say no but still in Thai culture you

have to be obedient to the parents,”

Ida says.

Being heard in Finland was very

important to Ida not only because she

had a chance to express herself but

she was also respected. She knew that

she was listened to and not taken for

granted. “My host mom respected me

and treated me as a grown-up and that

shaped and changed me tremendously.

It changed the way I looked at so many

things especially with education.”

“Everyone has a way to succeed and

rise to same high standards”

Education is the

most creative

industry. You’re

not just teaching;

you’re preparing

them for the

future.

Growing up in Thailand and spending

some time in Finland, Ida learned of one

defining difference between Finnish and

Thai education systems. While Finnish

schools embrace and nurture students

of every background and level, the Thai

counterparts only shed lights on the

bright and the smartest kids, leaving the

rest behind to struggle.

“What Finland has is a good balance

between trying to make sure that everyone

has a way to succeed and maintaining

the potential of those who already

have a lot of capacities. Those who have

a lot of capacities and those who need

a lot of help got a different kind of help

so that together they can rise to the

same high standard. Everyone has equal

chance to prosper in life,” Ida shares.

“Thailand repeats the unfunctional

cycle over and over again.”

According to Ida, it is not because

Thai education system is in efficient

or neglected by the government, but

there are too many policies to accomplish.

And to make matters worse, these

policies are too short-lived to yield expected

results.

“Minister of Education is regulated

to stay in office for only 11 months,” Ida

explains. “So, every 11 months, a new

minister comes in and introduces new


Interview

Ida’s party praises her as “a living

source for education policy directions

for the Future Forward party.” And as

an educational advocate, she constantly

promotes the Finnish educational appolicies

and at the same time abandons

previous ones. Somewhere mid-action,

we stop carrying on a policy to adopt

new one. It’s not a sustainable way to

develop anything or solve any problems,

because nothing is long term. It’s

an unfunctional cycle over and over

again.”

As the policies are passed down

from the authority, schools and teachers

are obliged to follow. “This causes huge

confusion among educators, teachers,

parents and also the students. That’s

why the Thai education system is at a

standstill.”

“I now want to give back to society”

Ida’s decision to jump into politics

comes from the strong will to elevate

Thai education system.

“When I decided that I want to do

a Master’s in Finland, my family was hit

with financial crisis,” Ida recalls. “I almost

abandoned my wish, but my host mom

in Finland offered to help. She said no

tuition fee was needed in Finnish universities

and that she was willing to support

me while I study there. That’s why

I decided to go.


In Thailand, my

voice was not

heard that much.

“Having an opportunity to get access

to quality education makes me realize

that good education is super important.

It can change not just a person but also

the society. So, when I received that opportunity

to live in Finland that has been

giving me so much, I now want to give

back to my own country to assure that

others could have the same kind of opportunity

as well,” says Ida.

“People should feel confidence that

they can do better for the country”

proach in Thailand. The party aims to

enhance the equal access to quality education

and support all students equally,

the way Finland has set an example.

With her role in politics, Ida aspires

to create an environment where teachers

and students thrive together, something

she says is never before seen in

Thai education system. “Instead of focusing

on teaching, nurturing the students’

skills and helping them learn, teachers

are overwhelmed by paper work that

they are required to submit.

“Teachers in Thailand are controlled

and supervised by such strict protocol

that they become stifle and hence cannot

become creative. I want to lessen

the paperwork load so that teachers

can have more time and impose less

protocol so that they feel trusted. When

people feel that they are trusted and

respected, they will have the confidence

to do better for the country. In this case,

teachers can be more creative with their

teaching. For me, I think education is the

most creative industry.” Ida says. “You’re

not just teaching; you’re preparing them

for the future. You have to be that creative

force to provide the student all

kinds of skills and mindsets to thrive in

the future, no matter how the world has

become,” says Ida.

Sweden and Thailand

150 years of friendship, commerce and navigation

International

Sweden and Thailand celebrate

150 years of cordial relations with

a photo exhibition that highlights

the unique people-to-people bond

between two countries.

The first recorded meeting between

Sweden and Thailand occurred

when HRH Prince Oscar arrived in

Bangkok in late 1884 and met with the

royal members of the dynasty. Bilateral

relations began in 1868 when the first

Siam-Swedish friendship treaty, The

Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and

Navigation was signed on May 18.

King Chulalongkorn’s first royal visit

to Europe occurred in 1897. On July

13, HM King Chulalongkorn arrived in

Stockholm and was received by King

Oscar II and then the journey continued

to the north of Sweden. A road

in Ragunda, Jämtland, on which the

King traveled, has been named King

Chulalongkorn’s Road in honor of the

visit. Another remarkable year is 1963

which was the year that both the Royal

Thai Embassy opened in Sweden and

the Embassy of Sweden opened in

Thailand.

This photo exhibition, produced by

the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok,

with images by Thomas Engström and

Micael Engström, celebrates the long

relations between Sweden and Thailand

by highlighting the unique peopleto-people

relationships that bind the

two countries together.

James “Rusameekae” Fagerlund,

32, Entertainer in Bangkok

James moved from Thailand to Sweden with his mother and

sister when he was only nine. When two famous Thai singers,

Saksit Tangtong and Kongkaphan Saengsuriya, travelled to Sweden

to perform at a concert, they met the then 28-year-old

James and saw potential in him becoming an entertainer. They

encouraged him to move to Thailand to pursue a career. James

consequently moved back to Thailand in 2014 and walked into

one of the largest media entertainment companies and said

he wanted to become a celebrity. He also starred in comedy

series on TV, “Phuen Rak Phuen Rai” among others.

Orathai Khongram,

62, Farmer in Hedemora

Orathai met her Swedish farmer husband in Thailand in 1983

and moved to Sweden two years later to settle in the countryside

of Hedemora in Dalarna. Since her husband passed

away, Orathai runs the farm all by herself. The main product is

potatoes, but other seasonal vegetables like beetroot, onion

and salad are also grown, as well as some Thai vegetables.

Jackrayu Kongurai,

35, Designer in Bangkok

In 2011, Jackrayu moved to Älmhult in Sweden for an internship

as a collaboration between the Thai Mae Fah Luang Foundation

and the Swedish retailer IKEA, which opened its first

store in Bangkok the same year. Jackrayu became very inspired

by the Swedish concept of design and function and brought

that with him back to Thailand.


International

Camilla Östergren,

43, Lawyer and Lecturer in Uppsala

Camilla specializes within medical law at the Centre

for Research Ethics & Bioethics at Uppsala University.

In 2016 Camilla was on holiday in Pattaya and came

to learn about an orphanage there when reading a

Swedish newspaper article. She was so touched by

the article that she decided to visit the orphanage

before going back to Sweden. She asked if there

was anything the orphanage lacked in particular. The

answer was a pick-up truck to be used as a school

bus for the children. Camilla returned to Sweden

and raised funds for the orphanage. It only took two

months until she had raised enough through donations

to buy the pick-up truck. Camilla subsequently

purchased and delivered the pick-up truck herself

which she bought and delivered herself. Since then

she is determined to continue her support to the

orphanage and to visit regularly with new deliveries.

Pontus “Zlapped” Mähler,

24, Professional Gamer & Advisor

in Bangkok

Pontus grew up in Skåne, Sweden and has been a

professional eSport gamer since he was 16. Alongside

his regular job back in Sweden he started a

streaming channel that quickly grew in popularity.

Pontus eventually quit his job and became a professional

gamer. Pontus became well-known in the

eSport and became world champion in an online

game called “Heroes of Newerth”. Pontus wanted a

change in life already at a young age and moved to

Thailand in 2017. It didn’t take long before Pontus

became the 3rd most followed gamer in his new

home country.

Michael J. Baines,

51, Dog Rescuer in Bang Saen

Michael moved from Sweden to Thailand in 2002

to work in the restaurant business. One day a dog

was sitting outside his restaurant begging for food.

Today he is fully dedicated to giving stray dogs in

his village, Bang Saen, a decent life. Michael is feeding

100 street dogs and has 300 dogs in his shelter.

His admirable work has been made possible by

donations from people around the world.


International

Likit Neimwan-Andersson,

45, Hockey Coach in Bangkok

He moved from Thailand to Borås in Sweden with

his mother at the age of six. When arriving in Sweden,

in February, it was snowing. The school had

an outdoor ice hockey rink and that’s where it all

started. When Likit was 19 years old he signed a

contract with Borås Hockey Club. Likit’s dream was

to play professional hockey in North America. In

1999, at the age of 26, Likit moved to Trenton, New

Jersey, in order to realize his ambitions. He was very

successful and was drafted to Augusta, Georgia,

where he stayed for three years. Likit was a professional

hockey player for 15 years in both Europe

and in the US. In 2009 he moved back to Thailand

to coach for the Thai National Team.

Mia Palmqvist,

42, Caterer and Café Owner in

Helsingborg and Bangkok

Mia was adopted from Thailand to Sweden in

1976 when she was only a few months old. In

1992 she returned to Thailand for the first time

with her Swedish parents but didn’t really connect

with her country of birth. Two decades later,

in 2013, Mia decided she wanted to discover her

roots and search for her biological parents. After

some research, she found her biological family,

including three sisters. Mia quickly immersed into

her motherland’s culture and decided to start

a catering company, placed in one of Bangkok’s

working-class neighborhoods. Together with one

of her nieces, she started “Mammas Kök”, a company

that caters Swedish food to customers in

and around Bangkok.

Sukanit “Kood” Lawapaoraya,

42, Artist in Stockholm

In 2011 Kood moved from Thailand to Sweden when

his Swedish girlfriend was pregnant with their child. He

is now the father of an 8-year-old boy and a 6-yearold

girl. When Kood and his girlfriend separated he

struggled to be able to stay in Sweden. Kood didn’t

want to leave his new home because he wanted to stay

close to his children. Kood studied Swedish and made

ends meet by working at a local company packing deliveries.

When a friend asked him to do a wall painting

in a new Thai restaurant in Nynäshamn, that needed

an authentic touch, he quit his job. The painting job

in Nynäshamn was the start of many more paintings

in different restaurants. He has now painted over 10

restaurants in Stockholm, not only Thai restaurants but

also Japanese restaurants and hamburger bars. He now

owns a Thai restaurant with his new girlfriend.


International

Michael Spjuth,

51, Dive Resort Owner in Koh Tao

Michael grew up in Falun, Sweden. As a child he

often told his parents that he would move abroad

when he got old enough, because he never liked

the long, dark winters in Sweden. He visited Thailand

for the first time on New Year’s Eve in 1989

and took a diving course at the only diving school

on Koh Tao. He fell in love with the experience

and started to think about moving to Koh Tao permanently.

A year later, he moved to Koh Tao and

opened his first diving school, Big Blue Diving, together

with a local Thai partner. Even after a tough

time during the Tsunami, both personally and for

the business, he can’t imagine living anywhere else

than in Thailand – the country he loves.

Kenneth Rimdahl,

57, Tea Merchant in Chiang Mai

During a work trip to Thailand, his friend and current

business partner, Vorakarn Wongfu, introduced him

to the traditional northern Thai food miang (fermented

tea leaves). Vorakarn also took Kenneth up

to the mountains and showed him the tea, growing

in harmony with the forest, used by Thai people to

make miang for centuries. After almost 20 years in

the tea business in Europe, Kenneth embarked on

a new journey, to create tea from Thailand, called

Monsoon Tea, in 2013 and has since then opened

two shops in Chiang Mai and one in Bangkok earlier

in January.

Prasart Sribhadung,

80, Rear Admiral in Bangkok

Prasart travelled to Sweden for the first time in

1956 to study at the Royal Swedish Naval Academy

(Kungl. Sjökrigsskolan, Näsbypark), as one of

the very few Thais on a government scholarship.

He studied in Sweden until 1962, both at several

naval land installations and onboard warships. He

returned to Thailand to resume his career in the

Royal Thai Navy. He received a Thai government

scholarship again to study at the Swedish Military

College in Stockholm (Militärhögskolan). After retiring

from the Royal Thai Navy as a Rear Admiral,

he then joined Assumption University as a lecturer

and is still teaching today.


International

Mayuree Phatanachinda,

72, Entrepreneur in Stockholm

In 1975, when Mayuree was 29 years old, she moved

from Thailand to Sweden. Mayuree initially worked

as a nanny, a waitress, a cashier and as an officer at

the Royal Thai Embassy in Stockholm. Eight years

later, Mayuree became a pioneer by opening the first

store in Sweden selling fresh fruit and vegetables

from Thailand. She then combined the store with

running a travel agency. The business evolved and

today it consists of the travel agency and a massage

shop, called South East Asia Travel and Raya Wellness

Club. Mayuree has two biological children and two

adopted children who all live in Sweden. She is a

proud grandmother to seven grandchildren.

Wichathorn “Bond” Somsap,

38, Tattoo Artist in Stockholm

Bond visited Sweden for the first time in 2003

to participate in a tattoo competition. At that

time, he travelled the world to compete and

to write for a Thai tattoo magazine. In 2008 he

finally decided to settle down in Sweden and

opened his first tattoo studio in Borlänge. In

2015 Bond decided to move to the Swedish

capital Stockholm to open the studio “Siamese

4 Tattoo”, referring to the name he goes by –

Bond Siamese.

Sandra Godvik,

32, Muay Thai Fighter in

Bangkok

Sandra grew up in the Swedish city of Uppsala.

During a vacation in Thailand in 2013

she came across Muay Thai. Five years later

she had won the Swedish World Muaythai

Council title three times, and a Nordic title

in K1. In addition, she won the European

World Muaythai Council title in her weight

class. Sandra now spends as much time in

Thailand as possible, to learn from the best,

and hopes to get the opportunity to fight

for a World Title soon. She gets up at 5am

every day to train at the famous Petchyindee

gym in Bangkok, where she is the only

female practitioner.


Lifestyle

What type

of expat are

you?

According to a recent research, there are seven types of expats. Let’s see which

one you are!

Although every expat journey

is unique, there are similarities

when it comes to their motivation

for moving and their lifestyle abroad.

Based on the insights of more than

18,000 expats living in 187 countries

and territories in the annual Expat Insider

survey, InterNations, the world’s

largest community for people who live

and work abroad, presents the first

comprehensive expat typology with the

seven most common expat types that

roam the world.

The Go-Getters (21%)

Why they moved: Find a better job opportunity

(58%)

How they live: 22% speak local language

very well, 14% have local friends and

30% are likely to live abroad forever

Go-Getters are highly educated expats

who move abroad to boost their career.


10 percent of Go-Getters hold a PhD,

45 percent graduated with a master’s

degree, and 33 percent have a bachelor’s

degree. In their new country of

residence, they mainly work in education

(16%, including language education),

IT (12%), and manufacturing & engineering

(9%).

Spending 44.7 hours per week at fulltime

jobs, Go-Getters are slightly busier

than the global average of expats (44.0

h). Nonetheless, 64 percent are satisfied

with their working hours (vs. 62%

globally) as well as with their career

prospects (59% vs. 55% globally). In fact,

close to three in five Go-Getters (59%)

believe their salary abroad is higher than

what they would make in a similar job

back home (vs. 53% of all expats).

Putting work first might have an impact

on their personal life. Close to onequarter

of Go-Getters in a relationship

(24%) are currently not living in the

same country as their partner — this is

the highest share among all expat types

and twice the global average (12%).

Moreover, more than two in five (41%)

find it hard to make local friends abroad,

compared to 36 percent globally. Maybe

this is the reason why 25 percent do not

feel at home abroad yet, and another 18

percent believe that they never will (vs.

22% and 15% globally).

The Optimizers (16%)

Why they moved: better quality of life

(60%)

How they live: 23% speak the local language

very well, 16% are mostly friends

with locals and 55% are likely to stay

abroad forever

Out of all expat types, Optimizers see

the most potential benefits in moving

abroad, and it seems like they were right.

An above-average share of Optimizers

is satisfied with the weather (74% vs.

61% globally) and the quality of environment

(79% vs. 69% globally) in their

host country. Additionally, close to nine

Explorers find

it easy to make

new friends

abroad, which is

the highest share

among all seven

expat types.

in ten Optimizers (88%) feel safe abroad

(vs. 82% globally), and 74 percent are

satisfied with their financial situation (vs.

67% globally).

When it comes to their working life,

81% of Optimizers work full time, which

is slightly below the global average of

expats (84%). Despite somewhat shorter

full-time working hours (43.4 h vs.

44.0 h globally), close to three in five

(58%) believe that their current income

is higher than what they would get in a

similar job back home (vs. 53% globally)

Optimizers do not seem to struggle

much with settling in abroad, either

as ore than seven in ten (72%) feel at

home in the local culture, which is the

highest share among all expat types

and twelve percentage points more

than the global average (60%). Maybe

this because Optimizers find the local

residents generally friendly (77% vs. 69%

worldwide) and think it is easy to make

local friends (56% vs. 45% globally).

The Romantic (12%)

Lifestyle

Why they moved: To be with their partners

(100%)



43% are likely to stay abroad forever

Although the Romantic moved abroad

for love, their romantic relationship did

not necessarily last and 12 percent of


Lifestyle

them are currently single. For those

Romantics who are (still or again) in a

relationship, things are going well: close

to nine in ten (88%) are satisfied with

their relationship, and for 57 percent

things could not get any better.

Romantics appear to really make an

effort to adapt to their partner’s home

country. Close to three in five (57%)

speak the local language fairly or even

very well. In fact, the Romantic is most

likely to be mainly friends with local residents

(38%) out of all expat types, which

is twice the global share of all expats

(19%). In fact, 34 percent of Romantics

are unsatisfied with their career prospects,

compared to 25 percent of expats

around the world. Moreover, 41 percent

of Romantics believe that their income is


lower than what they would make in a

similar job back home (vs. 27% globally).

The Explorers (12%)

Why they moved: Looking for thrill

(47%)




Explorers seem to find it easy to settle

down in their new country of residence,

with almost three-quarters

(73%) feeling at home there (vs. 64%

globally). Maybe this is due to the fact

that the majority of Explorers (68%)

finds it easy to make new friends

abroad (vs. 57% globally), which is the

highest share among all seven expat

types.

Generally, Explorers perceive the local

residents’ attitude towards them positively,

and 75 percent are satisfied with

this factor (vs. 66% globally). In addition

to that, they have the highest share of

respondents satisfied with their own

socializing and leisure activities abroad

(76%). Aside from making friends, a

good work-life balance seems to be important

to the Explorer. Explorers with

a full-time job spend just about 42.4 h

per week at work (vs. 44.0 h globally).

In fact, nearly seven in ten (68%) are

happy with their work-life balance (vs.

61% globally), which is — along with the

Optimizer — the highest share among

all expat types.

The Foreign Assignees

(10%)

Why they moved: Sent by employers

(100%)



25% tend to live abroad forever

Nearly every Foreign Assignee (96%)

works full time (vs. 84% of all expats)

and, with an average of 46.1 working

hours per week, they spend by far the

most time at work (vs. 44.0 h globally).

Lifestyle

However, this seems to pay off, as 26

percent report an annual gross household

income of more than 150,000

USD, more than twice the global average

(12%). Their generous household income

might also be related to the fields

they frequently work in, which include

manufacturing & engineering (14%), finance

(13%), and IT (11%).

More than three in five Foreign Assignees

(61%) are satisfied with their

career prospects (vs. 55% globally), and

almost seven in 10 (69%) are happy

with their job security (vs. 59% globally).

Both shares are the highest out of all

expat types. Maybe that is the reason

why 73 percent of Foreign Assignees

are generally satisfied with their job

(vs. 65% globally). Close to three in five

Foreign Assignees (58%) think it is likely

that they will return home at some point

(vs. 43% globally), again the highest share

out of all expat types.

The Traveling Spouses (8%)

Why they moved: For their partner’s job

or education (100%)



29% are likely to live abroad forever

While most other expat types have a

fairly balanced gender ratio, close to

nine in ten Traveling Spouses (86%) are

female. Due to them moving for their

partner’s sake, Traveling Spouses are

more likely than other expat types to

take care of their home and/or children

(27% vs. 5% worldwide) or to be currently

looking for work (17% vs. 8%

globally). Employees (13%) only make

up the third-largest share when it comes

to Traveling Spouses’ employment status

(vs. 25% globally). In fact, 41 percent are

unsatisfied with their career prospects,

compared to 25 percent globally.

In addition to frequently unsatisfying

careers, Traveling Spouses also struggle

with settling in abroad on a personal

level. One-third (33%) does not feel at

home in the local culture, nine percentage

points more than the global average

(24%). Moreover, 20 percent believe

that they will never feel at home in their

current country of residence, which

is the highest share among the seven

expat types.

The Students (7%)

Why they moved: To go to school or get

education (100%)




Despite being able to communicate eas-

ily — the share of Students speaking the

local language of their respective host

country very well is the highest among

all expat types — Students struggle to

make local friends abroad. More than

two in five (41%) find this hard, compared

to 36 percent globally. Maybe

this contributes to the fact that just 54

percent of Students feel at home in the

local culture, compared to 60 percent

worldwide.

Less than half of the Students (46%) are

in a committed relationship, which is far

below the global average (66%) and the

lowest share among all expat types —

however, with an average age of 32.4

years, they are also by far the youngest

expat type (vs. a global average of 44.2

years). Those who are in a relationship,

though, are far more likely than other

expat types to have met their significant

other in their current country of residence

(58% vs. 32% globally).

In addition to being highly educated —

eleven percent of Students already hold

a PhD, which is the highest share among

the various expat types — they are also

very likely to work in education themselves

(14%). Other common fields

of occupation include IT (13%) and

manufacturing & engineering (9%). With

58 percent positive ratings, Students are

quite satisfied with their career prospects,

compared to 55 percent globally.


Interview

Home is where the heart is

By Agneta de Bekassy

Ratanawadee Winther, spouse of Ambassador Michael Winther talks about the couple’s

return to Denmark after their posting in Thailand, the challenging tenure in Bangladesh

and the how they enjoy life in Copenhagen.

I

was going through some old photos,

that photographer Daniel Herron

took a few years ago for an interview

that I wrote for ScandAsia with

Ratanawadee Winther, spouse of Ambassador

Michael Winther, when suddenly

I got curious – “I wonder what has

happened to this popular Ambassador

couple from Denmark since they left

Thailand a few years ago?”

I remember them as very active and

social persons, who really put fire into

the beautiful Danish residence in Bangkok.

Michael, who always was ready to

play the guitar or jump on his huge motorbike,

with his darling behind, the shining,

laughing Ratanawadee. This couple

knows how to enjoy life! So I decided to

get in touch with them to find out what

they have done since they left Bangkok


“We went to Bangladesh in 2016,

after the posting in Bangkok. We spent

six wonderful years in my home country

Thailand,” Ratanawadee responded

promptly

I had to ask if their lives were more

or less the same in the two countries

and Ratanawadee answered, “In some

aspects our lives were similar and in

other aspects rather different.”

“As an Ambassador’s spouse, I did

similar stuff in both countries. I assisted

Michael in building relationships with

government officials, organisations, and

business and with the locals. I supervised

residence staff and coordinated

functions in and outside the residence

and saw after that we gathered together

with the Danish community. I

also helped the local communities, exchanged

ideas and activities concerning

art and culture events. I assisted Michael

in as many public and diplomatic events

as possible. One of the most important

tasks was to help the Ambassador and

the Embassy to keep after and taking

care of the residence property that belongs

to State Denmark.”

“In Thailand I was the Chairperson

of a NGO advocating road safety and I

maintained my work while living in Bangladesh.

During our almost two years of

posting in Bangladesh, I travelled back

to Thailand every four or five weeks

to take part in several chair programs.

In both countries I got a lot of support

from the media.”

Interview

Photo by Disraporn Yatprom

When asked about the difference between

the two countries, Ratanawadee

said, “In Thailand we were free to move

around everywhere, no security threat

at all. When we arrived in Dhaka, we noticed

that security was quite a big problem.

In July 2016, more than 20 people,

mostly foreigners, were massacred by

a group of terrorists in a trendy coffee

shop in the diplomatic area of Dhaka.”

“This changed the situation for all

foreign diplomats and business people.

Michael and I could not walk or drive

around by ourselves, not even around

our own block. Talking about public

transportations was out of question. Every

time we went out together, we were

followed by a convoy of police officers.

When we stayed in a hotel, there were

always policemen outside our door. Towards

the end of our posting it became

a bit better; we could start bicycling

around, but not as free as in Thailand. All

this sounds tough, but we didn’t suffer

at all. We were taking good care of and

everyone contributed to make our lives

secure. We did not face any threatening

incidents at all.

“Our experiences in Thailand and

Bangladesh were in many ways very

In some aspects

our lives were

similar and in

other aspects

rather different.

different. Thailand will always be in our

hearts, as it is my home country. Concerning

our experiences in Bangladesh,

I can use three words – fun, intense

and memorable. Bangladesh has been

one of Denmark’s biggest partners in

many programs. The Danish embassy

in Bangladesh focuses a lot on development.

I very much enjoyed travelling

with Michael within Bangladesh to visit

projects all over the country, projects

founded by Danes. It was amazing to

see what a difference Danish tax payer’s

money could do for the very poor and

less privileged people. The communities

showed us so much appreciation. We

were both very touch by the locals. We

also travelled to visit several villages with

indigenous tribes and we had the great

opportunity to meet with the King and

Queen of the Chakma tribe, the biggest

indigenous group in Bangladesh.

“In Bangladesh I also worked and

supported local artisan groups. I was

particularly proud to be associated with

the Fashion Designer Council in their effort

to revive Khadi – which is naturally

dyed and woven materials like cotton,

silk and muslin. Michael and I also volunteered

to help a group to preserve

old crumbling buildings from the Mogul

period in the old Dhaka.

“We stayed in Bangladesh for almost

2 years. Bangladesh was considered

being a difficult diplomatic posting by

the Danish Foreign Ministry, due to the

terrorist attack in 2016. This gave us the

opportunity to travel abroad more frequently

and we therefore visited many

interesting countries and had more holidays.


Interview

“In 2018, we returned to Denmark

and Copenhagen. Michael is back at the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Director-

General, working as a part of management

of programs and budget in

developing countries with a worth of 80

billion baht. He is also Head of the Anticorruption

secretariat. He really enjoys

the challenges and complexity of this

job. There is no longer a retirement age

at this level, which means Michael has

plans to work until at least 70 (almost 12

years from now). He will most likely get

two more postings as an ambassador.”

Now, back in Copenhagen, the couple

feel more at home once again.

“Talking about Copenhagen, it is one

of the most livable cities in the world

and we love it here, but we also look forward

to new postings and to represent

Denmark officially abroad. I have found

an inner balance. We live in the down

town Copenhagen in what is called, the

Medieval Town, where all the trendy

places are located. Some 2-3 times a

week I attend yoga classes and I walk

there and back home. I enjoy going to

the supermarkets there it is easy to find

organic food and ingredients for preparing

different dishes. I am privileged to

have nice staff helping with cleaning on

a regularly basis.

“Concerning work, I’m still Chairperson

of AIP Foundation Thailand. I

have also been busy setting up a new

civil society organisation, AIP Foundation


Denmark, to work on the topic “Road

security” in under developed countries.

I have been elected Chairperson also

for AIP Foundation Denmark, which is

similar to AIP Foundation Thailand and

both organisations belong to AIP Foundation

Global.”

I asked if Michael still plays guitar

often and Ratanawadee says that he is

too busy with work nowadays. “In Bangladesh

he had the opportunity to play

a lot. He had the opportunity to play

at a festival with an audience of 50,000

people and he had the joy to play with a

South Asian rock legend, their “jam” had

almost 2 million viewers on YouTube.”

“My daily life in Denmark is full and

fulfilled. I love the freedom to pick and

choose whatever I want to do, both


My daily life in

Denmark is full

and fulfilled. I

love the freedom

to pick and choose

whatever I want

to do, both my

private life and

business-wise.

concerning my private life and businesswise.

I am out in the fresh air mostly every

day, walking or biking. What I would

like to do, is to join a good gym and

work out more. I did that much more in

both Thailand and Bangladesh.”

“According to the global happiness

index, Denmark is the happiest country

in the world, I agree, you can feel it. People

are relaxed and unpretentious. Work

and family life are well balanced. People

are easy going and pleasant to deal with.

The immigration policy though, is tough,

but luckily it doesn’t affect me.”

Are you missing a lot from Thailand?

I had to ask. “Michael and I are missing

our holiday trips to different provinces

in Thailand. Of course, I also miss my

friends back home. As an ambassador’s

spouse, you have so many opportunities

to connect with people and you

have the possibility to work with things

that can make a big difference. I cook

Thai dishes and most Danes love Thai

food. Denmark also has plenty of good

Thai restaurants, ranging from simple,

inexpensive ones to more exclusive.

I used to experiment with low carb

Interview


receipts when I cook for Michael and

myself.”

She also has some advice for Thais

that stay in Denmark. “As you know, the

gap between rich and poor people in

Denmark is rather small. Denmark has

one of the highest rates of middle-class

population in the world and it’s not at all

a “show off” society. Nobody has to impress

each other with expensive “toys”

(material things). Denmark, together

with Sweden, is also very environmentally

friendly. The air is good, the food

very clean and healthy, and you often

use bikes to get around and public transports

are efficient. Cars in Denmark are

extremely expensive due to taxes. To

drive around a lot and in a luxury car

can be very expensive.

“In Denmark we are all part of the

society and will be taken good care

of by the government if we get ill and

when we are getting old. Schools and

universities are excellent and fully subsidised.”

Denmark is also the least corrupt

country in the world according to the

international transparency index and

one of the most digitalised societies in


the world. You have to get knowledge

about all those things, if not, it might be

difficult to live here.”

Asked how she and her spouse

spend leisure time, Ratanawadee replies,

“We both enjoy the small things in

life, like taking a long walk on the beach

during weekends. We also love to stroll

around in the old city looking at the

architecture and visiting the parks. Our

home is a building dated from the 18th

century, we just love it. I, as the woman

I am, also love to check out small shops

in our area and I particularly love to buy

organic food. There is a huge assortment

of organic products in Denmark.”

“The gastronomic scene has become

very developed and there are really all

kinds of food here. You find e.g. a Thai

restaurant in every corner of the city,

most serving authentic Thai food. We

also have a Michelin Star Thai restaurant

and of course, the world famous Noma.

You will also find Thai super markets

selling the same products as in Thailand.”

“Michael is very happy being back in

Denmark after 10 years postings abroad

in three different countries. As I mentioned,

after Michael finishes his term at

the Danish Foreign Ministry headquarters,

we will once again go somewhere

for two more postings as an ambassador.

Later on, we might consider retiring in

Thailand where our hearts belong.”

I thanked Ratanawadee for being

kind to answer all my questions and

wished the couple a wonderful time

and hope to see them soon in Thailand,

where they are dearly missed.


Business

Go with the flow

By Agneta de Bekassy

Third generation owner of Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok, Karan Sivasiamp, discussed the

property’s new sensational features and how important is in the hospitality business

to go with the flow.

For Bangkokians, Rembrandt Hotel

Bangkok on Sukhumvit soi

18 is more or less a local institution

in hospitality. Known and loved

for its intricate European décor, renowned

signature restaurants, warm

service and excellent location, Rembrandt

Hotel Bangkok is also known

as the Scandinavian hotel. When I first

moved to Bangkok 14 years ago and

couldn’t quite decide where to set up

our home, we stayed at Rembrandt

Hotel Bangkok for a while. At the time,

the hotel was overseen by a Swedish

general manager and it was a partnered

accommodation with SAS. The

memory was still clear when I recalled

an afternoon by the pool, listening to


Nordic SAS staff talked about God

and what they experienced on their

journey. Very soon after, we felt at

ease and at home at Rembrandt Hotel

Bangkok, even long after we checked

out and became true locals in our own

rights.

Anyhow, even though Rembrandt

Hotel Bangkok is seen as Scandinavian

or for some, European, hotel, it is widely

known that the property belongs to an

Indian family, whose third generation is

now running the business. The aspiring

young management, Karan Sivasiamp,

has recently taken the helm of the family

business. Born and raised in Bangkok,

he went to ISB (International School of

Bangkok) and later earned BBA with a

double major in Management and Marketing

at the University of Miami – that

explains why he speaks such a good

American English!

His grandfather, the founder of

Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok, arrived in

Bangkok in 1938 from a small village

close to Lahore. Only at 17, Karan’s

grandfather worked in Bangkok as an

assistant to his brothers in the family

textile business. 80 years later, the family’s

business group expanded into several

other segments, including real estate.

Recently they celebrated the 25th

anniversary of the hotel, which they

are very proud of. “The hard work, the

Business

effort of the entire family, has helped us

come this far,” Karan says.

But Karan, despite being born into

business, didn’t initially want to be

a businessman. “During my school

days, I had the wish to become a

professional basketball player and I

was playing every day and dreamed

of playing in the NBA one day. After

having completed my university

studies with a double major, I started

to work for a relatively new marketing

company in Miami. After a year, I

decided it was time for me to return

to Bangkok to help my family. I came

back to Thailand in 2007 and joined

the family business since then.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t become a

professional basket player,” Karan said

with a regretfully smile. “But I learned

a lot in college, and it has formed me

into the person I have become today. I

was always aware of that I would join

the family business and I try to apply

my knowledge to our group to help

us grow bigger and become more successful.

I have, in a way, fulfilled most of

my goals.”

We have to adapt

to new influences,

be very dynamic

and flexible, as

things change

so much faster

today.

However, basketball is still something

close to his heart. As we’re neighbors,

I often spotted him playing basketballs

with the kids and friends outside our

apartment building. Karan is married

to Shami, with whom he has an ador-

able little son. The couple married in

November 2011. Shami was born in

Bangkok, went to boarding school in

India, but returned for high school in

Bangkok, followed by studies at The

Mahidol University.

According to Karan, with some

changes within management and in

various departments of the hotel, it’s

important to keep competitive and

to “go with the flow”. The hospitality

industry is keeping on growing in

Thailand and it’s very important to be

updated with the latest trends. Anyhow,

cutting-edge technology trend

like crypto currency is still far too new

to be used at the hotel. “It is much too

early. Maybe we will be able to do so in

4-5 years,” he said.

Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok might

still have the Scandinavia flair from

the old days, but to date the hotel

welcomes more Asian than Europeans.

“We are aware of that most visitors

to Thailand today don’t come from

Europe. They are from Asia, including

India, China and Japan just to mention

a few. We have to adapt to new influ-


Business

The hard work,

the effort of the

entire family, has

helped us come

this far.

ences, be very dynamic and flexible, as

things change so much faster today.” To

give you an example, very few people

book a hotel or flight today through an

agency. Most people go online and do

it themselves.

Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok has been

around for a while, but it never gets

old. One new feature, among others, at

the hotel is the rooftop sky bar 1826,

which was launched earlier in January.

“It’s located on the 26th floor and we

are on Soi 18, therefore the name,”

Karan explained.

1826 quickly became known in the

bustling Bangkok bar and nightlife scene

with events like Gin & Jazz Night on

Wednesdays, Ladies Night on Thursdays

and so on, to attract both in-house

guests and locals. “Our mixologist can

make drinks to sip while you enjoy the

beautiful Bangkok skyline. The opening

night was a huge success and I was

very proud. To see the mixologist creating

the most fabulous cocktails was

interesting. It’s indeed a visual theatre

of action behind the bar.”

Karan recommended, Once Upon

a Time at Rembrandt or a Hasienda

de Fashion, two of the bar’s signature

drinks, to taste. If you are a cigar lover,

just ask for the cigar menu for a selec-


tion of fine cigars. If it’s too warm to sit

outside, you can relax in the new cozy

lounge, located to the right before you

step outside. Food is also offered from

the selection of light bites from the

award winning Mexican, Indian or Italian

restaurants. I recommend the butter

and chicks, lamb kebabs and butter

chicken pizza.

On the same floor as 1826, the

famous restaurant Rang Mahal is located.

Karan said the hotel had plans to

renovate the interior. This restaurant is

among the top Indian restaurants in the

world. I personally recommended it as

I have had the pleasure to dine there

many times.

Manning the operation side of Rembrandt

Hotel Bangkok is the new general

manager Christian Bernkopf from

Germany. Christian was born and grew

up in Nuernberg He also had a degree

in hospitality, which he said was his calling.

“Already at a very young age, I loved

to be among people, to organize events

and host parties, dinners etc. I just loved

being a host”.

And as GM for Rembrandt Hotel

Bangkok, one of the capital’s first

large-scale hotels and renowned spot

for culinary concepts, Christian has a

grand plan for the hotel. “We want to

set Rembrandt up for the next 25 years

and have the legacy live on. There are

many interesting and exciting changes

to come”.

Hospitality business is fast-paced.

What was right yesterday, may not resonate

tomorrow. According to the GM,

“we must reestablish ourselves consistently

and stay connected to maintain

at the top of the game. New markets

are growing rapidly, and the mixture

of nationalities is having a huge impact

on what we do. Bangkok and Thailand

grow in demand and many new hotels

are seeing the daylight. This keeps us

on alert and try to remain among the

top hotels.”

The young GM’s past professional

experiences include GM at The Pullman

Danang Beach Resort, Pullman

Khao Lak Katiliya Resort & Spa, Avani

Hai Phong Harbour View and Office

Tower, which is part of Minor Group.

He has also been operations manager

for the Minor Hotel Group.

While we’re waiting for the new

exciting features that Rembrandt Hotel

Bangkok promises, let’s have a drink or

two to celebrate the long success of

the hotel at the cozy 1826 sky bar. It’s

worth a visit!


Community

Viking Cup 2019 hits

the shore of Hua Hin

By Manta Klangboonkrong

10 Viking teams reunited at the sunny beach town

of Hua Hin in Thailand for the 30th Viking Cup

This year, Hua Hin played host to the 30th Viking Cup 2019 where

10 teams from all over the region took part in a 3-day amateur

football showdown with more than 350 guests and participants.

The venue of the event was Pitch True Arena, located just five minutes

from tournament hotel, Holiday Inn Vana Nava Hua Hin.

“We chose Hua Hin because of the previous tournaments in Thailand

we had never host the event here. In 1996 the tournament was held in

Pattaya, 2003 in Phuket and 2011 in Bangkok. But wherever the location,

Viking Cup always feels like a homecoming or a reunion where you meet

a lot of friends and have fun together. The veteran over 40 is a social

tournament but the open 11 a side tournament is very competitive with

some very good teams,” Anders Kargo Schmidt, organizer of this year’s

Viking Cup said. He is also in charge of the Bangkok Vikings.

Participating teams of Viking Cup 2019 included Beijing Vikings, Shanghai

Vikings, Hong Kong Vikings, Saigon Raiders, Kuala Lumpur Vikings,

Singapore Vikings, Jakarta Vikings, Copenhagen Vikings, Hua Hin Vikings

and Bangkok Vikings, that furiously drifted and dived through the pitch in

Thailand’s summer heat for the title.

“Among the sponsors – which included the main sponsor FLS, Tiger

Balm, Star Translation, V Connect, Infinity Financial Solution, Falcon Hill –

was Singha, so we could all resort to some cold suds and water in the

shades. We also provided participants and guests with sunscreen. And as

you can see, some that are already familiar with this intense tropical heat

brought their own gear to keep the heat at bay!”

The fun filled event concluded with the Saigon Riders taking the winning

title for open competition and the Hua Hin Vikings for veteran over

40 competition. Viking Cup 2019 capped off with a gala dinner, where

thereafter the Viking Bar at the hotel treated participants with free flow

of beers and drinks, followed by fun games and activities such as trophy

presentation, costume competition and live band.

Since its first inception in 1990, the tournament has a great reputation

all over Asia and the setup has also developed gradually focusing more

and more on the things outside the pitch with big efforts put into making

a great appearance from all teams involved. Viking Cup however still

remains true to its legacy which is football, friendship and plenty of cold

refreshments.

Viking Cup 2020 will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.




ScandAsia May 2019

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