ScandAsia Thailand - May 2016
ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. May 2016 edition of ScandAsia Thailand for Scandinavian residents from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland living in Thailand.
ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. May 2016 edition of ScandAsia Thailand for Scandinavian residents from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland living in Thailand.
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MAY 2016
Scandinavia supports resilient coastal communities:
Mangroves for the future
ScandAsia.dk ScandAsia.fi ScandAsia.no ScandAsia.se
SAVNER DU OGSÅ DANMARK
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Oplev ægte dansk filmhygge med
Olsen Banden og alle de andre
i hele verden!
Coming Events
MAY 2016
Norwegian Embassy
in Bangkok: Norwegian
constitution day
Where: Royal Norwegian Embassy,
Ambassador’s Residence, Sukhumvit soi 38
When: 17 May 11:00 - 13:30
Scandinavia supports resilient coastal communities:
Mangroves for the future
ScandAsia.dk ScandAsia.fi ScandAsia.no ScandAsia.se
17 th May Committee in
Bangkok: Celebration
of the Norwegian
National Day
Where: Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit,
Ballroom 1, 250 Sukhumvit Road
When: 17 May, 19:00 - 00:00
Nordmannsforbundets 17 May Committee in
collaboration with the Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok
invites everyone with relations to Norway to a
traditional national day celebration at the Residence of
the Ambassador.
Gates open 10.45 and the procession starts 11.00
from the residence 74 Sukhumvit Soi 38. (BTS Thonglor).
The 17th May Committee in Bangkok invites all Norwegians
with friends to celebrate the Norwegian National Day at
a Gala Dinner at Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit on Tuesday
17 May 2016 at 19.00.
Regular price is 1800 THB per person - but for youth
12-18 years the price is only 1200 THB
Contact: 17.maibangkok@gmail.com
DTCC Gala Dinner 2016
Where: Chatrium Hotel Riverside
When: 4 June, 18:00 - 22:00
Dancham - Danish Thai Chamber of Commerce - invites
members and friends to a Danish Gala Ball on 4 June 2016 at
Chatrium Riverside Hotel in Bangkok.
The 4 course dinner is accompanied by free flow wine or
beer. Entertainer: Michael Caroe. Afterwards Live music.
Table for 10 costs 28.000 THB. Single tickets 2990 for
members and 3190 THB for non-members.
Email: contact@dancham.or.th
Your FREE
ScandAsia
Magazine
in Thailand
ScandAsia is the only magazine
that covers all the Danish, Finnish,
Norwegian and Swedish residents
in Thailand.
We also publish a ScandAsia
magazine in China, Singapore and
the rest of South East Asia.
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your own FREE copy:
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Publisher :
211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29
Prasert Manukitch Road
Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao
Bangkok 10230, Thailand
Tel. +66 2 943 7166- ,
Fax: +66 2 943 7169
E-mail: news@scandasia.com
Editor-in-Chief :
Gregers A.W. Møller
gregers@scandmedia.com
Managing Editor:
Joakim Persson
Joakim@scandmedia.com
Journalist: Frederik Guy Hoff Sonne
Advertising :
Finn Balslev
finn@scandmedia.com
Joakim Persson
Joakim@scandmedia.com
Piyanan Kalikanon
piyanan@scandmedia.com
Nattapat Maesang
nattapat@scandmedia.com
Graphic Designer :
Peerapol Meesuwan
Peerapol@scandmedia.com
Printing :
Inthanon Interprint Co., Ltd.
Daily news and
features here:
www.scandasia.com
News Brief
Easter with SWEA & Swedish Church Bangkok
Text and photos: Agneta de Bekassy
On Easter Sunday the 27th of March 2016,
SWEA (Swedish Women Educational
Association) and the Swedish Church
in Bangkok, organized a short, nice service with
our priest Lars Rydestad, followed by a terrific
Easter Buffet, at Rembrandt Hotel.
Trudi Carlesson played during the service
and even the young kids participating, were
listening to Lars, Trudi, Björn and Mie.
The service was followed by a rich buffet
with all typical Easter dishes presented.
The decorations, were as always at
Rembrandt, great and the kids had fun playing
and posing with bunnies and eggs. Every single
seat was booked and the expectations were big
and all showed a happy face. BRAVO SWEA and
the church!
Thailand’s Team Norway meets Norwegian Prime Minister
In connection with the opening of Norway-Asia Business Summit on
12 April 2016 at the Fullerton Bay Hotel in Singapore, Thailand’s Team
Norway had the opportunity to meet H.E. the Norwegian Prime
Minister Erna Solberg. Seen in the picture with Prime Minister Solberg
(seated) from left to right: President of Thai-Norwegian Chamber of
Commerce Vibeke Lyssand Leirvåg; H.E. Ambassador Kjetil Paulsen,
Ambassador of Norway to Thailand; Axel Blom, Country Representative
for Innovatiuon Norway in Thailand and Myanmar and the host of the
Summit, President of Norwegian Business Association (Singapore) Hilde
M. Nafstad.
4 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2016
May 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 5
New Norwegian
strategy makes
real estate in
Thailand easy
By Maria Andreasdottir
It is so easy to fall in love with the Asian
paradise in Thailand. But when visitors decide
to actually move to their favourite destination,
it is a far more difficult task.
“I remember how complicated it was to
find a place to live when I came to Thailand from
Norway in 2010,” says Jostein Aksnes, founder of
FindYourSpace.
The Norwegian entrepreneur wanted to
solve this problem with a real estate web portal
for Thailand, which aims to find your dream house
easily.
“I founded FindYourSpace due to the
6 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2016
frustration related to finding a place to live in
Bangkok. I wanted to give the home seekers the
tools required to easily navigate the property
market in Thailand to find properties that match
complex requirements.”
New strategy
The concept is still the same, but after two
years Jostein decided to change direction and
focus on the agents instead of the house seekers.
“We did not want to be just another real
estate website.”
When Jostein came up with the idea of the
portal in 2014, he believed the current solutions
were too dependent on the brokers. There were
not many options of website portals finding
property or renting condos either. He made a
demo version of his website in 2014, but he had
to focus less on FindYourSpace for a few months
while managing his new position as Managing
Director of his new start-up company 7 Peaks
Software, although, he was still eager to release
it the soonest.
He hired a Chief Technology Officer in August
2014 to work full time on the software platform.
In the end of 2015 the Norwegian entrepreneur
had time to bring it up again, but since he had
set his project aside for a while, the Internet was
suddenly loaded with user-friendly real estate
websites in both Thai and English. Then Jostein
saw a new opportunity.
“We want to be the heart of the whole real
estate system!”
Instead of competing with the other real
estate portals, his platform turns focus on allowing
agents and brokers to manage their complete
property portfolio online, both through web
and mobile access. This allows them to work
more efficiently, and easier find properties in
their own portfolio, matching customers’ exact
requirements.
Agents can increase their leads by conveniently
allowing for automatic distribution of property
listings to a wide range of lead generation sources.
“The idea is to help each other. We will collect
the whole portfolio of available property and
estate, and connect agents with each other. For
example, if agent A has a client, and agent B has
the house, agent A can connect with agent B and
ask for cooperation. That way everyone is happy
and finally, a client will find the house he requires.”
Real estate agents can subscribe to the
platform as members. This way they will be able
to see all properties available, have their own
presentation website, and order special services
as professional videographer or photographers
to make a presentation video of the different
properties.
“This is all about modernising the working
method for agents.”
The system allows exploring neighbourhoods,
investigating real-estate projects, and discovering
available properties on the map. Jostein Aksnes
believes an overview of the many houses and
rooms is the perfect solution.
The membership is a paid service.
Enjoy timeless Danish films
all over the globe
Dirch Passer, Olsen Banden, Lille-Per
and many more icons from the
chest of Danish film history are
now on deck for online streaming
at every corner of the world.
It’s near to half a century ago since Egon
came up with his first genius plan and it’s been
more than 80 years since Liva Weel sang “Gå med
i lunden”. As times fly Nordisk Film has decided to
catch and collect Danish film classics throughout
time and connect them to the newly launched
streaming service “Dansk Filmskat”.
“Dansk Filmskat” has experienced an
enormous interest - also from Danes resided
abroad. That’s why Nordisk Film has made the
popular Danish films available to watch and enjoy
from all over the globe.
Beyond generations and borders
“Dansk Filmskat” compiles Danish films from
1931 and forth. The variety of films changes
every week, so there’s constantly new cozy movie
moments for you to enjoy.
“The classic Danish films are inherited by
each generation and loved beyond age groups
because they have such a special place in many
Danes hearts. Now “Dansk Filmskat” goes beyond
borders as well, so anyone can benefit from the
cozyness of Danish film regardless of where you
live”, says Ole Martini, Director at Consumer
Channels, Nordisk Film.
A glimpse of Danish lives
The streaming service grants not only Danish
“hygge”, nostalgia and heartwarming humour
for the entire family, but also a sheer insight to
Denmark and Danish lives in the past generations.
“There’s some unmistakably Danish about
these films, which puts them in a central position
in our shared cultural history. Digging into these
pieces of history gives a unique glimpse of the
progress in Danish society, language, fashion, gender
roles, technology and so on”, explains Ole Martini.
“Dansk Filmskat” is available on TV, tablet and
laptop. Members of “Dansk Filmskat” moreover
gets access to amusing Danish commercials from
the 50’s and 60’s and extraordinary interviews
with figures as Ghita Nørby, Morten Grunwald,
Bent Fabricius-Bjerre and a range of other icons
from the history of Danish cinema giving their
insights on the stories behind the films.
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certain countries and their availability may depend, among other things, on the investment risk profile of persons in receipt of this publication or on any legislation to which they are subject. Nothing in this publication should be construed
as an offer, or the solicitation of an offer, to purchase, subscribe to or sell any investment or product, or to engage in any other transaction or provide any kind of financial or banking service in any jurisdiction where Nordea Bank S.A.,
Singapore Branch or any of its affiliates do not have the necessary licence. Published by Nordea Bank S.A., R.C.S. Luxembourg No. B 14.157 on behalf of Nordea Bank S.A. Singapore Branch, 138 Market Street #09-03, CapitaGreen
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May 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 7
News Brief
Airports of Thailand seminar
On 15 March 2016 a Nordic Seminar
was held in Bangkok, with Dr Nitinai
Sirismatthakarn, President of Airports
of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT)
as speaker. He gave a seminar on the topic of
Future Airport Infrastructure in Thailand: Policy,
investment and business opportunities at
Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit.
He pinpointed several prominent investment
plans due to increasing number of passengers. The
guests were alerted to business opportunities
and updated to interesting trends by the expert.
Source: Thai-Finnish Chamber of Commerce
Swedes set up new association in Udon Thani
By Frederik Guy Hoff Sonne
Swedes in Phuket have one, in Pattaya and
Hua Hin they got one as well. Now time
has come for the Swedes living in the Udon
Thani Province of the Northern Thailand to unite
in their own Svenskförening. “Svenskar in Udon”
will be formally established in the coming weeks,
Sven Arne Hedell, the man behind the initiative
tells.
Reasons behind the initiative is two-stringed
Sven Arne Hedell explains. First of all the numbers
of Swedes settling in Udon Thani increases
according to Sven Arne Hedell:
“There are a large number of Swedes living
in and around Udon. I got no figures, a guess is at
least 200. Just to give an idea, yesterday we had
the every second week Swedish meeting, 25 man
attended. And the number of Swedes living here
on “full-time” is increasing”, he tells.
A newly started and highly active Facebook
group called “Vi Svenskar i Udon Thani” counts 55
members at the moment.
The other cause behind is slightly more
political. ScandAsia has previously written about
how Swedish expats in Phuket and Hua Hin
aired their discontent about not getting covered
by the Swedish States health insurance when
living in Thailand. They eventually posted a
letter to the Swedish Minister for Health Care,
Gabriel Wikström, pledging their discontent and
presenting some proposals.
8 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2016
“Actually the trigger was that I saw a link
on Facebook to the article in ScandAsia”, Sven
Arne Hedell reveals. “Hopefully we can influence
government officials by writing to give our support
for the initiative from Phuket”, he explains, when
asked to tell about the ambitions for the union.
Sven Arne Hedell, 65, is covered by the Thai
health insurance BUPA himself. He retired at the
age of 63 and moved from Växjö to Udon Thani
2,5 years ago. The majority of Swedes living in
Udon Thani is seniors over 60 years old and they
all have a great interest in receiving Swedish state
health care insurance, as private insurances gets
more expensive with age and can be hard to pay
on a pension.
“Immediately after Song Kran we will gather
to constitute “Svenskar i Udon”, Sven Arne Hedell
ends.
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May 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 9
ScanAsia_ April 2016.indd 1 17/03/16 12.09
News Brief
Second Nordic Networking success for 2016
On 21 April, the successful Nordic
Networking series, this time hosted by
the
Thai-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce
and Thai-Finnish Chamber of Commerce (the for
Nordic chambers alternate to be hosts), continued
with all the four Directors from the respective
chambers of commerce, and also Sweden’s
Ambassador to Thailand H.E Mr Staffan Herrström
and his wife Karin Herrström.
This time the event was arranged in a fabulous
top floor event venue called Altitude at the familiar
five-star hotel The Westin Grande Sukhumvit
Bangkok in downtown Bangkok, with a good
turn-up to fill the rather large and upscale locale,
featuring panorama views of the city centre. Aside
from Nordic countries, the event has also gained
attention by participants from other countries such
as Thailand, Mexico, Germany and Netherland.
This event included fabulous Nordic food
flavours, where The Westin Grande Sukhumvit
Bangkok had really gone the extra mile in lining up
a splendid Nordic selection of, “finger food”, which
was almost like a buffet. Among the sumptuous
temptations were: Poached Norwegian salmon
with piquant mustard sauce; Grandmother Greta’s
meatballs with cream sauce, lingon berries &
pickles cucumbers; and among the desserts: ‘semlor’
pancakes with Nordic-flavoured toppings (very
innovative!) as well as Budapest bakelse arrak balls!
The wine was just as sumptuous! Fruitful
networking among the various nationalities took
place, while enjoying it all!
10 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2016
New Swedish series takes place in Thailand
By Frederik Guy Hoff Sonne
News Brief
C
More Entertainment has
begun the shooting for a
new Swedish thriller-series
in Thailand. The series is called
‘Farang’, meaning foreigner in Thai,
and famous Swedish actor, Ola
Rapace, plays the leading role.
Ola Rapace’s character is
“Rickard”, a Swede forced to flee
Thailand where he get’s by as a
petty criminal in the backstreets of
Phuket with a secured identity and
a price on his head. Back in Sweden
“Rickard” has left his family behind
but his 15-year old daughter “Thyra”
travels to Thailand to find her dad.
Intensity rises when “Rickard” is put
in the dilemma between revealing
his identity and risking his life or once
again leave his daughter behind.
“I began with the father and
daughter relation, which I’ve never
seen alike before, and I recognized
myself for good and bad”, Ola
Rapace said in a press release.
The rolelist counts both
Swedish and Thai contributors.
Among others Louise Nyvall as
the daughter “Thyra” and Thai star
actress Yayaying Rhatha Phongam in
a supporting role.
“Farang” premieres on C More
in 2017 and is part of C More’s
parade of Swedish dramas counting
“Gåsmamman”, the “Beck”-films
and coming series “Saknad”.
“This will be a thriller like
nothing we’ve seen before. A drama
that portrays the emotional relation
between a father and the daughter
that he has given up and at the same
time offers a lot of action”, Josefine
Tengblad, TV4 and C More Drama
Director said.
The series is created by Malin
Lagerlöf and Stefan Thunberg. Main
Director is Erik Leijonborg and Anna
Wallmark Avelin is the Producer. The
script is written by Malin Lagerlöf,
Veronica Zacco, Anders Sparring
and Niklas Rockström.
Swedish Ultraman swims around Phuket
On 30 March Swedish
Ultraman World
Champion Jonas Colting
commenced his ‘Swim Around
Phuket’, an eight-day swim trek. He
swam around the island of Phuket,
with the start on Mai Khao Beach, to
raise funds for Yaowawit Orphanage
School and Mai Khao Marine Turtle
Foundation.
As the first-ever such swim the
Swedish athelete circumnavigated
the island of Phuket over eight days,
completing his mission by returning
to Mai Khao Beach on 6 April.
Mr. Colting led a group of
swimmers including four-time
triathlon World Champion Chris
McCormack on the first leg
comprising 14 kilometers from the
JW Marriott Resort & Spa Mai Khao
to Trisara Phuket villas & residences.
The swim trek then proceeded
every day from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. in
a counter-clockwise route around
the island passing the Andaman
beaches, the famous sunset point
Laem Phrom Thep, and Chalong pier.
The route then turned northward
past Ao Poh Pier, passed under the
Sarasin Bridge and curve down to
end again at Mai Khao beach.
“I’m very excited and look
forward to getting started on
this adventurous and inspirational
journey around beautiful Phuket!
My preparations have gone well
but I have a lot of respect for the
challenges of averaging more than
15 kilometres per day in the ocean.
My main concerns are the heat and
the sun and I will make an effort to
pace myself over the eight days,”
he said before commencing the
first leg.
Mr. Colting aims to raise funds
for the Yaowawit Orphanage School
which was first built to support
victims of the Tsunami 10 years ago
and the Mai Khao Marine Turtle
Foundation, which is committed to
protecting the marine and coastal
environment and ecosystems for
the wellbeing of the sea turtles that
nest in the Sirinath National Marine
Park and the surrounding areas.
“I’ve known Jonas my entire
racing career,” said Mr. McCormack,
who is also Thanyapura’s executive
chairman. “I believe he’s the perfect
athlete with the endurance engine
and the will to be the first person
ever to swim around Phuket. When
he took on this challenge, we
decided to put our full organizational
support behind him, hosting him and
his team from Apollo Travel Group
as they prepared for the swim.”
Located in northern Phuket,
Thanyapura is Asia’s top sports
training center that offers fitness,
health and wellbeing programs set
in world-class facilities.
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May 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 11
Scandinavia
supports resilient
coastal communities:
Mangroves for the future
By Joakim Persson
Following the 2004 Indian Ocean
tsunami disaster, the unique partnerled
programme ‘Mangroves for the
Future’ (MFF), was initiated to promote
investment in coastal ecosystems for
sustainable development. Breaking new ground
and generating new or improved coastal
ecosystem management models, MFF has
continuously received support from Scandinavian
countries for its operations.
In keeping with its unique partnership-based
principle, MFF has established the highest-level
decision-making body, the Regional Steering
Committee (RSC), to provide strategic leadership
for policy change and advocacy. The RSC is cochaired
by IUCN (Asia Regional Office) and
UNDP (Regional Centre in Bangkok) and has
representatives from each of the MFF member
countries, and the institutional partners FAO,
UNEP and Wetlands International.
Within each MFF member country, a National
Coordinating Body (NCB) has oversight of MFF
activities at the national level. Here again, reflecting
the partnership approach of MFF, NCBs include
relevant government departments, civil society
organizations including NGOs, academia, and
individual experts and, in most countries, private
sector representatives
Though mangroves is the flagship of the
initiative, MFF helps countries, sectors and
agencies tackle growing challenges in all types of
coastal ecosystems such as, coral reefs, estuaries,
lagoons, wetlands, beaches and sea grass beds.
Its management strategy is based on specific
12 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2016
national and regional needs for the long-term
sustainable management of these sensitive
ecosystems - where coastal communities, civil
society organisations as well as the private sector
are stakeholders.
Based on lessons learned, MFF – now in its
third phase – has come a long way, with its own
designed “tools” that are being implemented
in all the 11 member countries. Danish MFF
coordinator Dr Steen Christensen, who oversees
the programme, explains MFF’s achievements to
date and what lies ahead for the initiative’s future
beyond its current funding.
Nordic phase 3 funding
MFF has received core donor funding from
Norad (Norway) and Sida (Sweden) since 2007,
and from Danida (Denmark) since 2012. The
ongoing third phase of the regional initiative
was announced in June 2014, with new funding
from Sida (Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency) for the period 2014-2018.
SIDA’s decision to fund phase 3 was based
on significant achievements made by MFF in
its first two phases. Up until then, around 200
projects had been implemented through the MFF
grants mechanism, and its unique partnershipbased
model had brought together government,
civil society and private sector to play more
effective roles in the governance of coastal areas
in numerous cases.
But SIDA has also placed demands on MFF
for the future.
“SIDA said that MFF must clearly demonstrate
the added value of a regional programme,
otherwise they could as well support a number
of national projects. So rather than being just
a grant mechanism we aim for the project to
have a regional impact on sustainable coastal
management. MFF follows the principle that
healthy coastal ecosystems can contribute
significantly to human well-being and resilience
to climate change,” explains Steen.
MFF’s main focus is on developing the resilience
of ecosystem-dependent coastal communities,
and to develop “shared understanding and
capacity for building community resilience to
natural disasters and climate change related
impacts”.
Efforts to influence coastal management policy
with an increased emphasis on “soft governance”,
as well as to expand its knowledge management
and capacity development activities (offering
hands-on training and learning opportunities for
coastal management practitioners around the
region) will also continue.
In 2012, Danida stepped in as a donor to MFF
with particular support to a 3-year project (2012
– 2015) aiming at developing an ecosystembased
approach to climate change adaptation in
Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam.
“With Danida’s support, we took the
opportunity to develop our ecosystem based
resilience approach which basically is a set of
tools and guidelines to be followed to ensure a
consistent approach to climate change adaptation
and resilience building. These tools and guidelines
are now the guiding principles for the entire MFF
programme,” explains the Dane, who has been
with MFF since 2011. Based on these results,
Danida decided to join Sida as a core donor to all
11 countries for the period 2015 – 2018.
Steen has vast experience working with
multidisciplinary programmes relating to
management of aquatic resources and ecosystems
in Europe, Africa, Greenland and South and
Southeast Asia. He was previously in Vietnam
as part of a fisheries industry development
programme that Demark supported.
Steen has also worked for the Mekong River
Commission, conducting economic evaluations
within the same industry.
“This is where I got particularly interested
in the livelihood aspects of fisheries, especially
since millions of people are dependent on these
resources.”
Gaps in resilience
A central part of MFF’s work involves the
Community Resilience Framework, with its
analysis platform, which guides MFF’s activities and
interventions. This tool allows the programme
to gain detailed understanding of the gaps in
resilience in the target community’s social and
ecological systems in close collaboration with all
stakeholders in the target area.
“By applying our resilience framework, we
try to support the people living in ecosystemdependent
coastal communities in defining an
own long term visions for their community. And
then we support them in implementing naturebased
solutions for sustainable development
and improved resilience towards climate change
and natural hazards. Of course, as part of the
framework, we also have a ‘Monitoring, Learning
and Evaluation programme’ that allows us to
monitor progress and actual results on the ground.
To be able to do that we need to establish good
baseline data before we start the intervention
and also good and informative indicators that
one can actually measure at a reasonable cost,”
explains Steen.
The ‘MFF Resilience Analysis Platform (RAP)’
takes into consideration both the social and
ecological system, when conducting structured
analysis of the target communities.
“So now, before we do anything, we go out
to the specific site and conduct a resilience
assessment and try to identify with the local
community what the problems and risks are.
Then we try to find out how things were in
this community way back as long as people can
remember and what happened along the way
up till now.”
“How would this community look in a
resilient state? What kinds of organisations are
there? What are the things that you want to
change? Then we identify maybe 25 different
issues that could be improved in the community
of which MFF perhaps can support only a few. We
then try to make the plan by identifying the steps
that need to be taken to work towards the goals
we can support.”
For the next step, NGOs and civil society
organisations are invited to propose their
solutions for identified problems.
May 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 13
“It is also important to highlight that it is the
countries that decide which projects they want
us to support.”
Organisations whose proposals are selected
for support will be contracted to implement the
projects.
These projects are highly effective as the
testing ground for new and innovative practices,
which are recorded and then shared through the
own MFF knowledge platform.
“This is a very strategic way to have a much
more directed support to fewer communities and
build model resilience communities. The national
or provincial government can then look at these
communities and conclude if they have came up
with solutions that can be replicated in other
areas,” says Steen and adds: “Because we have
aggregated cluster projects, we can invite people
from other countries to come and see how they
have solved similar issues”
MFF also offers strategic support and,
provides countries with valuable information to
guide them on the development of their national
coastal development policies.
Success story from Trat
Steen highlights, as example, a large project in
Trat, Thailand where a particular community in
the area was still affected by property rights and
land tenure issues that originated 40 years back,
and whereby attempts to rectify the situation had
not been successful.
The project, which was supported by MFF in
2011 and 2012 was implemented by the Regional
Community Forestry Training Center for Asia
and the Pacific (RECOFTC) and succeeded in
strengthening existing community-based coastal
resource management networks by focusing on
knowledge sharing and improving management
practices.
14 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2016
“By strengthening the community-based
coastal resource management approach in the
area, the project encouraged the community to
come together, discuss, negotiate and find better
ways to solve their problems,” explains Steen.
Now these community groups are extending help
and support to neighbouring areas facing similar
challenges.
“Here is an area where MFF could play a
larger role. I would like for us to more frequently
go back to already completed projects and
see if there is a need for following up in some
way or the other. In Trat for example, we could
support these successful communities in sharing
their experiences and lessons learnt with other
provinces in Thailand or communities in other
MFF countries with similar issues. This would be
a cost-effective way in improving unfavourable
situations in other areas.”
MFF seeks to achieve demonstrable
results through regional cooperation, national
programme support, private sector engagement,
and community action. The MFF grant-giving
facilities are the main vehicle for delivering work
on the ground.
The majority of MFF’s grants projects
have contributed to alleviating poverty
and empowering communities through the
development of sustainable livelihoods. These
projects have also led to behavioural changes
that have reduced pressure on natural resources,
particularly by reducing illegal fishing practices. In
addition, the projects contributed to improving
coastal governance by supporting Integrated
Coastal Management, and by influencing national
policies.
“I try to coordinate all the activities in the
countries so that we work towards the same goal.
There are many different issues, which are not the
same from country to country. We cannot use a
one-hat-fits-all approach. Even the term resilience
is defined in various ways and it is important
for a regional programme to appreciate that
the countries have different backgrounds, do
not face the same kind of threats and have not
been through the same kind of development,”
explains Steen. “You need to start where people
are, otherwise you cannot hope to support
any development. Therefore, it requires a lot of
strategic thinking and planning to move towards
a common goal of building resilience.” “I think
MFF is one of the few development programmes
in the world that has actually managed to put the
Resilience Approach into practice in a consistent
way at a regional level.”
MFF in the future...
Among the priorities on the agenda for MFF is
to enhance private sector engagement in MFF
governance structures and reinforce the business
case for green growth. Greater emphasis on
engaging with the private sector involves, both,
harnessing the resources of the sector in support
of sustainable coastal management, and working
with companies to reduce their impact on coastal
ecosystems and communities.
MFF is also preparing a self-financing plan
for the operational needs of MFF beyond 2018
etc.
“Now it’s time that the countries start
considering: can we move from being a grant
receiving country to maybe supporting our own
grants in our own country or even providing
support to MFF? If the countries do not show
interest or willingness or capacity to take over
the financial responsibilities, the programme is
not sustainable. Our donors will not support us
forever. The time has come for countries to take
ownership so that MFF can aim for sustainability
beyond 2018.”
News Brief
Danes Worldwide pioneers
new school concept in Bangkok
By Gregers Møller
Danes Worldwide is for the first time engaging itself directly in
providing education in Danish language to Danish children living in
a specific location abroad by entering in a collaboration with the
community school NIST International School in Bangkok and a group of
Danish parents in Thailand.
Secretary General Anne Marie Dalgaard signed on Thursday 31 March
2016 an MOU with the school which included also the Danish Ambassador
to Thailand as a signatory.
“It is the very first time we try this,” she told ScandAsia after the signing.
“If it works well, we may well want to implement it as a model in other
countries.”
According to the agreement, the teaching material used by the teacher
must be the material developed and provided by Danes Worldwide. The role
of NIST will be to provide the all-important work permit for the teacher and
an educational environment as the home base of the teacher. This teacher
still remains to be selected and employed.
The teacher will be able to teach Danish at all the other International
schools in Bangkok. The many Danish students at for instance Patana School
or ISB will thereby be able to attend Danish mother tongue classes at their
own school seamlessly integrated in their regular weekly class schedule.
Only Danish children whose parents are members of Danes Worldwide
can join the class. The parents must also buy the teaching material from
Danes Worldwide as well as pay to NIST to cover the teacher’s wages and
other related expenses.
Mai Ellegaard, Bangkok representative of Danes Worldwide has been
the key person working for this new offer for Danes in Thailand. On Friday,
she accompanied Anne Marie Dalgaard on visits to Patana School and ISB
to ensure that these schools understand and appreciate the offer they now
have availabale for their Danish students.
“A critical point was, that we wanted this solution to cover all Danish
children in and around Bangkok – not only international school students,”
says Mai Ellegaard.
“This is now part of the deal. Both at NIST and ISB it will be possible for
Danish students – who do not attend any of those schools – to come on the
specific days where the teacher is on that school and join the classes there.
Many children of Thai-Danish marriages do not attend international school
and they should also be covered with this solution!”
Danes Worldwide offers also an online Danish course as a separate
product which many Danish parents already subscribe to. This is in particular
good for children who live outside Bangkok in areas too far to be covered
by the new school offer in Bangkok.
Once the Danes Worldwide school is up and running, it will also look
at offering Danish education for toddlers and teaching Danish as a foreign
language to for instance foreign spouses of Danish parents or as a pre-study
for Thais planning to immigrate to Denmark.
May 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 15
Jan B. Djerf presides over
EuroCham Singapore
Undoubtedly Swedish banking executive Mr Jan B. Djerf is one of our most
well known Scandinavians in Singapore.
In Southeast Asia’s undisputed business
hub since 2004 Mr Djerf is not only Senior
Vice President and General Manager
of Handelsbanken Singapore Branch and
Head of South Asia and Pacific; he is also
the President of Eurocham, European Chamber
of Commerce (Singapore), during two years
spanning from 2015 – 2017.
Prior to this, Mr. Djerf took on the role as Vice-
President for 3 years. Mr. Djerf also represents the
Swedish Business Association in Singapore on the
EuroCham Board and has been an active Board
member since 2005.
ScandAsia finds out more about these, his
prestigious additional roles on a European level.
But first, a résumé of his career up to now: In
his professional career, Mr. Djerf’s major step
towards senior level management came with
his appointment as the Head of the Treasury
Department at Ericsson in Stockholm, Sweden.
This sparked his globetrotting career phase,
leading him to be headhunted by Alfinad SA in
Brussels, Belgium, the Treasury Center of Alfa
Laval. Mr. Djerf soon saw his career taking him
to Lausanne, Switzerland as Director Group
Treasury at Tetra Laval. 1994 saw Mr. Djerf’s
entry into one of Scandinavia’s largest banks,
Handelsbanken. In 1998, Mr. Djerf was appointed
Head of Foreign Exchange Money Markets and
Emerging Markets, Europe. This took him to
London and then to Stockholm. After that he
arrived to Singapore and Handelsbanken.
Mr. Jan B. Djerf represents the Swedish Business
Association in Singapore on the EuroCham Board
and has been an active Board member since 2005,
including taking on the role of Vice President since
3 years. In March 2015, Mr. Djerf was unanimously
voted to the Presidency of EuroCham for a twoyear
term.
EuroCham’s Board of Governors comprises
of the Office Bearers, which includes the President,
a Patron, Ordinary Corporate Board Members, as
well as 14 Representatives from the European
National Business Groups (NBGs). EuroCham
works very closely with the EU Delegation to
Singapore for its events and activities. H.E. Dr.
Michael Pulch, Ambassador of the EU Delegation
to Singapore sits on the Board as Patron.
16 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2016
Under Mr Djerf’s leadership, EuroCham has
emerged as an instrumental body in the business
community, making concrete efforts in enhancing
and encouraging a vibrant trade relationship
between Singapore and the EU. Locally, EuroCham
has had several engagements with a myriad of
government agencies and representatives in a bid
to foster a conductive business environment. As
Singapore continues to develop itself as a regional
hub for major industries, EuroCham’s relevance
becomes strikingly important to offer a support
base for European companies that are looking to
Asia to expand their operations.
To date, Singapore plays host to approximately
11,000 European companies and more are
expected to arrive in due course.
The EuroCham collection of sector
committees has grown from 9 to 11 –
Commercial Vehicles, Financial Services, ICT,
Internship, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR),
Human Resources (HR), Regional Finance & Tax,
Regional Trade, Sustainability, Food & Pharma
Packaging and Wine & Spirits. Sector committees
offer a common European platform to exchange
information, discuss common issues businesses
are facing and undertake coordinated initiatives.
In line with the work of the sector
committees, EuroCham has successfully
published a number of Position Papers, which
summarise policies and trends in Southeast
Asia with recommended proposals. Examples
are: Traceability: The Cornerstone of Food
Safety Policy (introducing new regulations in
Singapore’s Food Regulations); Position Paper
on Degradable Packaging & Plastic Ban as a
Solution to Littering; and HR White Paper
(outlining priorities for the development of
human capital in ASEAN in lieu of the ASEAN
economic integration project).
“EuroCham has been involved in many
advocacy initiatives in collaboration with
Singaporean authorities, and more projects will
follow. We have been active on diverse fields,
ranging from tourism to taking actions against
counterfeiting, not to mention our engagement
on many policy dialogues on HR or FS. As such,
our presence and close ties with the Singaporean
Government allows us to be a key interlocutor
for European businesses, and we hope to see our
voice growing stronger.”
“In addition, as our scope of action is
constantly widening, EuroCham now aims to
strengthen its collaboration with the Singaporean
Government by taking more initiatives based
on corporate social responsibility, a key aspect
frequently mentioned in the Budget in March,” Mr
Djerf comments on the activities going forward.
Furthermore EuroCham organizes two
annual flagship events – Europe Day Luncheon
and Schuman Lecture Gala Dinner. During these
events, the Chamber has the privilege to host
high profile personalities to deliver a keynote
speech, sharing their thoughts and views of the
global economy and its future implications for
businesses. EuroCham also offers a less formal
platform for its members and the wider business
community to network and access a wide and
diversified audience (arranged four times yearly).
For Mr Djerf his experience from being
President also for SBAS (Swedish Business
Association of Singapore) is significant in his
EuroCham role.
“Not only it is possible but I would say
essential to apply past experiences to future roles
as experience come with knowledge and lessons
on how to overcome a challenge. Each National
Business Group has its own topics of interest.
However, building an advocacy and lobbying
strategy in Singapore is a constant challenge to
all. If the issues are different, the approach remains
the same, and it is crucial to follow the business
environment and culture in place in Singapore.”
And one may also wonder how the head
of Handelsbanken in the region can balance his
additional President roles also with family life?
“Every day is a challenge with many obstacles
to overcome. However, being the President of
EuroCham does not mean I have to face them
alone. I am blessed to have the support of my
family. In addition, I have the great pleasure to
work with a dynamic team offering the support
I need to carry on the work and responsibilities
I hold.“
May 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 17
Kaanda Beach
Life beachwear
by Katarina Bonér
Swede behind the beautiful beachwear collection
By Agneta de Bekassy
Katarina has lived with her husband and
two children in Phuket, Thailand since
2009. After having sold their Relais &
Chateau Hotel “Krägga and Thoresta
Herrgårdar” in Sweden, her husband
retired. The kids were still young and her husband
wanted to stay active, so the family decided to go
for an adventure, moving to Phuket.
While having Swedish friends visiting them
and complaining about the lack of good bathing
suits/bikinis here in Thailand, Katarina’s friend, got
a brilliant idea.
After his almost 30 years’ work experience
with underwear and bathing suits for a Swedish
post Order Company with production in Hong
Kong, he decided to connect Katarina with his
former contact in Hong Kong, who also owns a
big factory.
Katarina thought about maybe making her
own brand of beachwear, but the Hong Kong
contact instead suggested she should sell his label
“Sunseeker Australia” and so she started. She also
added a few other labels.
In year 2013 Katarina felt mature enough and
ready to introduce her own collection: ‘KAANDA
Beach Life’ was born.
The name tells a story, Katarina says: “It’s a
bringing together of KAtarina and the ANDAman
Sea and the name also has many meanings in
different eastern languages and cultures; The Sixth
Sense, Goddess and Protector of Mankind”, to
mention a few.
Her collection has been very welcomed in
Asia and is most appreciated as it stands for high
quality and a modern, classy style. Katarina has
focused on creating an ideal tropical beachwear
and bikini brand, inspired by the beach life in
Phuket.
Where does your inspiration come from
I ask? Katarina answers quickly; “Oh, from the
beautiful island Phuket and the exotic life style
here and the Buddhist way of life.”
She focuses on young, feminine shapes and
colourful prints.” I want my customers to feel
confident and beautiful while wearing my bathing
suits and bikinis” Katarina says.
All women can wear my brand, she adds.
The soft fabrics and seamless features make the
swimsuits/bikinis very comfortable and easy to
wear.
Among her favourite prints are tropical and
jungle prints, leopard, paisley and snake, just to
mention a few.
KAANDA also includes the LUXE group that
offers more sophisticated prints, graphic prints
and florals in classic styles.
Today you will find “KAANDA beach wear”
in 15 different department stores, at 30 resorts
and in 2 own boutiques (one shop is located at
Surin beach and the other at Boat Avenue, next
to Villa Market).
“Today we have between 20 and 30
employees, with offices both in Bangkok and
Phuket,” she tells. “We are organizing fashion
shows on a regularly basis in Phuket and we have
also had a few in Bangkok.”
One of these shows at Siam Paragon a few
years ago was quite an experience! The theme
was “The Cabaret” and the models presented the
beachwear in a very professional and interesting
way, along with great music!
Katarina should be very proud of herself. Her
collection has been published in most magazines
in Thailand including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Vogue,
Harper’s Bazaar, Image, Lips Women’s Health,
Preaw, Lemon, EXPAT LIFE and now she can also
add ScandAsia.
Images of her pieces have been on the cover
of several different magazines including IMAGE at
least 5 times with Thailand’s superstar Ya Ya Ying
and as cover on Playboy magazine with Aum
Lukkana.
When Katarina is not working, she loves
spending time with husband and her two
children Mathilda, today 13, and Carl Ola, 11,
and of course she enjoys when her Swedish
friends come to visit the family on the Paradise
island Phuket.
18 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2016
May 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 19
Photographer: Daniel Herron
Agneta’s
World
Dear readers,
Last month, photographer Daniel and I took you along to a few places on Sukhumvit
and ThongLoh. This month we have moved a bit further up to Ekkamai.
Like ThongLoh, Ekkamai has developed a lot these last years and become very popular
with all new bars and restaurants.
Dermaster
We started the afternoon with a visit to Dermaster. This beauty clinic is like
a small, luxurious Boutique hotel, located on Sukhumvit 63 between soi
Ekkamai 18-20.
If you feel you need a real make over, I think this must be one of the
best and most inviting places. Here you can get just about everything
fixed. They offer Skin Laser & Aesthetic, Cosmetic Surgery, Slimming, Hair Restoration and last,
but not least, Holistic Anti-Aging.
Are you familiar with Thermage CPT e.g.? I wasn’t, but now I am. Thermage CPT is a safe,
non-invasive, radiofrequency (RF) cosmetic procedure that’s clinically proven to help smooth,
tighten and contour skin for an overall younger looking appearance - suitable for all skin types.
This procedure can effectively and safely treat skin on most of the body parts and can
temporarily reduce cellulites. If you are a person who wants the dramatic results of surgery, well
when Thermage CPT might not be the right choice as it’s shows a more subtle, gradual result.
This treatment is the option when lotions and potions are not enough and surgery is too much.
Dermaster also offers the most wonderful facial treatments; you’ll think you’re in heaven.
Believe me, I’ve tried…
The motto of Dermaster seems to be ‘Live Beautifully’ and who doesn’t want to do that?!
Sasi SPA
A
bit further, on Sukhumvit soi 71, next to St. Andrew’s school,
you will find a newly opened petite and very personal SPA
called Sasi SPA & beautee. Sasi SPA got its name after its
owner Sasi. A chat with Sasi is really interesting. She is born Thai,
married to an Englishman, a drilled business woman who early
dropped out of school, but found out she had a talent for doing business.
Her father was a businessman who spoiled us kids, Sasi told us. As a young
woman, she loved visiting different Spa’s.
“When I was young here [I interrupted and said: ‘younger!’], there were
only good Spa’s at the 5-star Hotels and of course they were quite expensive.
When Sasi’s husband retired, she decided to fulfil one of her old dreams
to open her own SPA. She found a town house on Sukhumvit soi 71, not
too far from her home, started to change it completely, as she wanted more
bathrooms than there were and she needed steam baths, Jacuzzis and so on.
Thinking about all things she herself would look for at visiting a Spa, she also
added a coiffeur chair so the customers could have their hair washed and
done after their treatments.
Sasi is a kind of “meticulous” woman who wants the very best; she orders
her products from a French company, labelled “Le Club des Professional”.
These products are 100 % natural and ideal for people with allergies as no
perfume is added.
Does Sasi know anything about Spa treatments? I was wondering. But I
saw some diplomas hanging on the wall and she explained she had learned
about beauty treatments and make-up at the Ketwadde School, among
some others.
As I know this lady, there is no doubt that she will become successful!
At Sasi’s you can also buy 5 vouchers of any treatment and get one for
free. Most Spa’s and beauty salons offer 10 vouchers and one for free, already
a reason to spend a morning or afternoon at Sasi.
After our visit to Sasi’s she invited us home for a chilled glass of wine.
She resides, together with hubby and three dogs, in a huge, very beautiful villa
built around a beautiful pool. I couldn’t help thinking how this is the nonplus
ultra place for an ambassador to live. Got to know that Sasi and her husband
want to sell and asked why.
“Well, there are only the two of us today, no children hanging around,
we don’t need this much space”.
So here we go, any ambassador who needs a representative living with
lots of entertainment space, first book a Spa treatment and then take a look
at Madame’s residence!
20 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2016
Ambre Jolie
Now, happy and relaxed after wine and a nice visit, we went
to see a German lady, Fine, who has opened a show room
in her town house in Ekkamai Soi 28. I had met Fine at
IWC (International Women’s Club). As my second mother
tongue is German I was delighted to find someone to speak
German with.
Fine told me about a collection with extra ordinary garments, designed
by a French/Khmer (Cambodian) designer, that she had discovered when
she was out looking for a dress for herself. She fell in love with Romyda Keth
collection and already in 2007 she bought her first dress from this label.
Her friends had immediately complimented her and they also wanted
the same label. Unfortunately this collection couldn’t be found in Thailand.
A few years later, she realised she had to ask for a license to import and
sell this collection in Thailand. In year 2012 the mission was completed, the
Showroom named ‘Ambre Jolie’ was born.
Today she has a nice showroom at her home and her clients love to drop
by and enjoy choosing between all colourful garments. In my opinion, it is a
very special collection consisting of both long and short gowns in all kinds
of colours and a unique design. A collection that you could say is inspired of
both the east and the west.
I couldn’t resist trying out two very sexy, long dresses and I could easily
have brought both back home with me. Asking about the price range, I was
surprised as her price range is quite modest, starting from about 6,500 baht
and up to around 22,000 baht for a long dress.
When the Ball season starts again come the autumn, I can warmly
recommend a visit to Fine. You will be impressed when you see the
presentation at her showroom. I asked if she is doing a lot of advertising as
she is a bit hidden, you don’t just happen to pass by her atelier. Fine replied:
“No, I haven’t yet; it has been growing by word-of-mouth.”
Iron Balls
I
can also tell a secret, I have promised to help Fine with her very first
fashion show taking place in September, just you wait and see…!
Early evening has arrived when I told the photographer: “Time for
our last
Stop, let’s go for a gin at IRON BALLS!”
This unique bar is located on Sukhumvit Soi 63 (Ekkamai). I have only
been there twice, but love the atmosphere. The owner is Australian and first
he only wanted to distil his own gin, but learned that to be able to do so,
he had to open a bar. When you’re longing to making a top class gin is big,
yes why not open a bar, if that gives you permission to distil? The decision
was taken and Iron Balls opened up. It’s the most cosy, crazy little bar where
you can see the shiny cupper distil equipment, the designed gin bottles and
much more fun curiosa. My favourite place is on the tiny balcony, there only
2 old armchairs find space. Here you have a view over the bar and its guests
coming and going.
The bar opened up 2 ½ years ago and the man in charge, the distiller, is
Khun Nalin from Sri Lanka. I asked if the visitors are mainly Thais or foreigners
and Nalin answered: “ 50/50.”
Almost every evening you can meet khun Sopida Pachana there and we
asked what her interest in the bar is. She smiled and said: “This has become
my second home and I am here almost every evening, but don’t think I’m
an alcoholic now. I just love the atmosphere and I always take my friends
and visitors here.”
Nalin learned how to distil gin in Thailand and he said it takes about
2-3 weeks before the gin is ready. Their gin has a very smooth taste and we
learned that the juniper berries are imported from Australia.
The bar is opened every evening, best customer days are Friday - Sunday
and the customers are not really the young hip hop girls and boys, more like
me and Daniel, middle age or maybe I should say “people in their best age”.
What a day!
May 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 21
มุมภาษาไทย l mum pha:să: thai l Thai Language Corner
Thai in Stickness
and in Health
By Klavs Johansen (thai@snakthai.dk)
No, despite the headline, we will
not discuss Thai matrimony, not
this time at least, but rather
pick up from our last month’s
recommendation of health
insurance (make sure to have one!) and look
at some useful words and phrases pertaining
to health สุขภาพ / sùkkhàphâ:p / and staying
healthy รักษาสุขภาพ / ráksă: sùkkhàphâ:p / in
Thailand. As usual, we can only cover but a few.
Just like in English, a polite question when
meeting up with someone could be
สบายดีไหม / sàba:i di: mái / ~ how are you,
are you well?
The normal reply is
สบายดี / sàba:i di: / ~ I am fine, to be well,
while
ไม่สบาย / mâi sàba:i / ~ I am not well, to be
sick, fortunately is less common and immediately
produces a เป็นอะไรหรือ / pen àrai rŭe: / ~ what
is it, is something wrong?
Having heard the complaint, ไปหาหมอหรือยัง /
pai hă: mŏr: rŭe: yang / ~ have you been to see
the doctor (or not yet)? is a frequent response
from the sympathetic listener. Depending on the
ailment, another response could be กินยาหรือยัง /
kin ya: rŭe: yang / or, the more formal version,
ทานยาหรือยัง / tha:n ya: rŭe: yang / ~ have you
taken medicine (or not yet)?
To be outright ill is ป่วย / pùai / and, as we saw
with the question เป็นอะไร / pen àrai /, the verb to
use when having some illness is เป็น / pen /, e.g.
เป็นหวัด / pen wàt / ~ to have a cold, or
เป็นไข้ / pen khâi / ~ to have fever.
22 ScandAsia.Thailand • May 2016
Other symptoms อาการ / a:ka:n / are:
เจ็บ / jèp / ~ to hurt [from exterior or
interior cause], e.g.
เจ็บนิ้ว / jèp nío / ~ the finger hurts, and
เจ็บคอ / jèp khor: / ~ (to have a) sore throat,
ปวด / pùat / ~ to ache, to be in pain [generally
from some interior cause], as in
ปวดหัว / pùat hŭa / ~ (to have a) headache,
ปวดท้อง / pùat thór:ng / ~ (to have a)
stomachache, and
ปวดฟัน / pùat fan / ~ (to have a) toothache,
แสบ / sàe:p / ~ to sting, to smart, e.g.
แสบตา / sàe:p ta: / ~ having irritated eyes,
คัน / khan / ~ to itch, for example
คันหู / khan hŭ: / ~ the ear is itching,
อาการคลื่นไส้ / a:ka:n khlûe:n sâi / ~ nausea,
อ้วก / ûak / ~ throw up, or, as the doctor
would put it, อาเจียน / a:jian / ~ to vomit,
เวียนหัว / wian hŭa / ~ to be dizzy.
Some often heard of diseases โรค / rô:k / in
Thailand are:
ไข้หวัด / khâi wàt / ~ common cold,
ไข้หวัดใหญ่ / khâi wàt yài / ~ influenza,
ปอดบวม / pòr:t buam / ~ pneumonia,
ไข้ป่า / khâi pà: / ~ malaria (literally ‘jungle
fever’), and
ไข้เลือดออก / khâi lûeat òr:k ~ dengue fever.
Again, these diseases may be preceded by
เป็น / pen / to convey the meaning that someone
suffers the disease in question. Another word
used with contagious diseases is ติด / tìt / as in
ติดเชื้อไวรัส / tìt chúea wairát / ~ to have a virus.
The word for infection is อักเสบ / àksè:p / as in
คออักเสบ / khor: àksè:p / ~ tonsillitis
(inflammation of the throat).
Arguably the most common ailment is known
as
ท้องเสีย / thór:ng sĭa / ~ stomach upset,
which generally implies
ท้องร่วง / thór:ng rûang / ~ diarrhea.
Turning to injuries อาการบาดเจ็บ / a:ka:n bà:t
jèp / and accidents อุบัติเหตุ / ùbàttìhè:t /, we get:
ขาหัก / khă: hàk / ~ broken leg,
แขนหัก / khăe:n hàk / ~ broken arm,
กระดูกหัก / kràdù:k hàk / ~ broken bone,
บาดเจ็บ / bà:t jèp / ~ to be wounded,
บาดแผล / bà:t phlăe: / ~ wounds,
เลือดออก / lûeat òr:k / ~ to bleed (blood type
is หมู่เลือด / mù: lûeat / by the way),
สลบ / sàlòp / ~ to faint, to be unconscious.
Last, but not least, following this long list of
sufferings, the chance of staying healthy in the
first place is increased by eating fruits กินผลไม้ /
kin phŏnlámá:i /, drinking plenty of water กิน
น้ำาเยอะแยะ / kin ná:m yóe› yáe› / and getting
enough sleep นอนให้อิ่ม / nor:n hâi ìm /, while,
once struck, you may cure รักษาให้หาย / ráksă:
hâi hă:i / yourself with medicine ยา / ya: / as in
ยาแก้ปวด / ya: kâe: pùat / ~ painkillers, and
ยาแก้อักเสบ / ya: kâe: àksè:p / ~ antibiotics.
รักษาสุขภาพดีๆนะครับ / ráksă: sùkkhàphâ:p
di: di: ná› khráp / ~ stay healthy, and see you at
the Thai Language Corner on Facebook or here
again next month!
Ria Bintan Golf, Kepri Island
No. GF-37
May 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 23
Planning your future for you and
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