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APR 2016

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Coming Events

APR 2016

Dancham Annual General Meeting

Where: t.b.c

When: 27 April, 16:00 - 21:00

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Copyright :

Dmitriy Shironosov /

123RF Stock Photo

After the same format has been used for

our yearly gathering of members at the Annual

General Meeting (AGM) for a number of years,

we are excited to introduce a new format for the

2016 AGM.

At the start of this year’s AGM, we are inviting

all members to join a 90-minute forum discussion

about how we can all make better use of our

chamber to address the most pressing and urgent

challenges, our members are facing.

We will divide into groups of 10-12 members

where we – facilitated by a moderator – will discuss

challenges in various areas such as for example:

• Immigration and visa challenges (To/from

Thailand)

• Work permit and other Labour Department

challenges

• General HR challenges

• Customs and Revenue Department

challenges

• Ownership structure challenges incl. BOI,

Foreign Business Licence

• Any other challenges or issues suggested by

members

At the end of the forum, we will compile a

list of the most pressing challenges facing our

members, and this will form the basis of what the

incoming board and chamber office should focus

the chamber’s activities on, not only for our events

and media but in particular our advocacy as a

national chamber and as members of Joint Foreign

Chambers Commerce in Thailand (JFFCT) and of

European Association for Business and Commerce

(EABC).

And instead of spending the majority of the

AGM proceedings going over the past year’s

activities in detail, this year will send out the 2015

report in advance, together with the 2015 financial

statement and the proposed budget for 2016.

This will allow members to prepare questions

or comments in advance, which can then be

discussed after the brief verbal report for the year,

which the president must present according to

our by-laws.

As usual, we will arrange dinner, but also here

we are introducing a number of changes aimed at

making the AGM more engaging:

• Dinner will be served after the member

forum and before the approval of last year’s

balance sheet and the election of the 2016

board.

• Seating will be assigned, so new members will

meet existing members, and so key people

in the Thai-Danish business community are

distributed across all tables.

• Menu selection will be less formal, also to

be able to offer at a more competitive price

level.

We will contact you soon to ask what

challenges, you would like to see discussed at the

AGM’s member forum, and you can also send us

your suggestion now atcontact@dancham.or.th

In accordance with our by-laws, minimum

one-third of our chamber’s 11 board seats are

open for new candidates, so please contact our

chamber office at:contact@dancham.or.th, if you

would like to stand for election and if elected, take

a more direct role in making sure your cause is

being promoted through our member activities

such as our events, our newsletters, our website

and, in particular, our advocacy towards Thai and

Danish authorities.

Your FREE

ScandAsia

Magazine

in Thailand

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Norwegian and Swedish residents

in Thailand.

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Editor-in-Chief :

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Daily news and

features here:

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News Brief

Steffen and Nim sell Stable Lodge

by Gregers Møller

The Stable Lodge, the legendary Danish

hotel and restaurant in Sukhumvit Soi 8

in Bangkok, has been sold. The new

owners will take over by the 29th of April.

“We got an offer that was too good to

refuse,” says Steffen Ingemann.

Steffen and his wife Nim owns half of the

popular hotel and restaurant with Norwegian

businessman Ole Teigen as the owner of the

other half, a shareholding he took over from

previous co-owner Jorgen Lundbaek.

“It breaks my heart after all these years and I

will really miss it, but I am not quite new anymore,

so when you get an offer like this, you better

take it.”

According to Steffen Ingemann, the new

owners are not planning to demolish the building

and build a highrise straight away. From what he

understands, the plan is to renovate the rooms

and then for the next 4 -5 years to continue

operating as a hotel and restaurant – then later

on maybe acquire one or more of the neighbors

and build something big.

When asked what his own plans are after the

29 April he says jokingly:

“I don’t know. First I will count all the money.”

The Stable Lodge has been the preferred

location for innumerable Scandinavian parties and

activities over the years.

4 ScandAsia.Thailand • April 2016

April 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 5

News Brief

The new Volvo Cars era introduced to Thailand

T

he appropriate tagline was ‘A new

beginning’, as Volvo Cars Thailand hosted

invited customers, VIPS and the media for

a sparkling and Nordic-inspired launch event in

Bangkok on 9 March for the highly praised and

most successful car model for Volvo Cars ever,

the XC90.

“We are very excited and proud to introduce,

for the very first time in Thailand, a new stunning

SUV, one of the world’s most luxurious and

safest cars and that comes with the most cuttingedge

technologies available today,” began Volvo

Cars Thailand’s new Swedish Managing Director

Anette Andersson.

“Today we are launching XC90 and it’s also

the very day that we embark on this first chapter

for Volvo’s new journey. Volvo XC90 is first-class;

it’s the one to start our new major transformation

with the brand positioning and future direction.”

“The XC90 is an exceptional true seven-seat

SUV and has been the most luxurious Volvo ever

built.”

The XC90 is the first model in the new Volvo

generation based on its new Scalable Platform

Architecture (SPA) and Drive-E powertrain family,

and part of a USD 11bn investment programme.

Volvo also remains committed to world-class

safety and the one setting continuing to set new

standards.

“The strength in Volvo’s positioning in safety

is innovation, where the new XC90 is the first

model that comes with IntelliSafe – our new

smart system that will detect drivers, passengers

as well as pedestrians, prevent accidents and to

lessen impact when accidents do happen.”

“The new technologies will take us a significant

step closer to our vision that no one will be killed

or seriously injured in a new Volvo car by 2020.”

“With the cutting-edge technology in our

luxury flagship model, we are confident that our

XC90 will make our customer’s live easier, more

comfortable, safer and more environmentally

friendly.”

Program Chief Designer Jonathan Disley

highlighted in detail the design features of the

all-new Volvo and Chris Wailes, Market Area

Director Asia Pacific Region Volvo Car Group

continued the tour of the next-gen car and the

technical details behind the SPA platform and

Volvo’s new own powertrain family.


Richelieu’s Navy Uniforms returning to Thailand

By Gregers Møller All photos: Hasse Ferrold

Royal Thai Embassy in Copenhagen hosted

an event at the Residence of the Thai

Ambassador, H.E. Mrs. Vimol Kidchob on

7.March 2016 where the Royal Thai Navy uniform

of Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu was given

to back to Thailand. Admiral Richelieu served

prominently King Chulalongkorn of Thailand in a

number of positions, among others as Chief of the

Royal Thai Navy.

Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu (1852-1932)

was born on 24 February 1852 in Loejt Kirkeby,

Southern Jylland.

In 1875, Richelieu, then a young Danish

naval officer, came to Siam with the letter of

introduction by King Christian IX of Denmark.

Richelieu served as the captain of the Royal

Yacht for many years and sailed extensively with

King Chulalongkorn, especially during seasons

of inspection.He went on to become the first

and only foreign-born commander-in-chief of

the Royal Thai Navy, from 1900 to 1901. For

his contributions, King Rama V awarded him the

noble title of Phraya Chonlayutthayothin.

When Richelieu moved back to Denmark

in 1902, King Chulalongkorn and members of

the Royal Family saw him off to Singapore on

board the Royal Yacht “Maha Chakri” as a sign of

friendship.

Royal Thai Embassy received the in total five

navy uniforms from Richelieu’s grandson Andreas

Hastrup at the reception on 7.March 2016.

Thai Princess visited Danish Design Studio in Bangkok

by Frederik Guy Hoff Sonne

On 26 February, Her Royal Highness

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of

Thailand presided at the inaugural

ceremony of the Knowledge Exchange Center

(KX) Building in Bangkok; a new venture by King

Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi

(KMUTT).]

Danish Jacob Jensen Design was privileged

to be among the only company that the Princess

visited in the 19-storey building.

Princess Sirindhorn was welcomed by the

Jacob Jensen Design’s Bangkok Studio team when

she arrived to the 15th floor of the Knowledge

Exchange Center, where the Danish company is

located.

“We presented the Princess for two of our

Jacob Jensen design watches, the Classic and

the Strata, one of our latest smart products, the

Air quality monitor and our design classic, the

Margrethe bowl”, Jessicaploy Yansucon, Studio

Coordinator in SEA, reported.

“The Princess came to observe our unique

education programme where it is a ‘learning

by doing’ for students in our Masters degree

program. In the one-year course, students are

treated as a team member of Jacob Jensen’s

design team, working on real design projects from

real clients.”

“The princess toured around our studio and

interacted with some of our product designs like

our upcoming smart bracelet, which she tried on.”

Jacob Jensen Design has a history with the

Royal Family in Scandinavia. Two of their best

known designs were named after the Princess

of Sweden and the Queen of Denmark. They’re

happy to continue this tradition outside of

Scandinavia.

“We are very honored to be visited by a

princess of Thailand, as we have just opened

our studio in Bangkok not long ago (2012).

The princess’s visit definitely establishes us as a

respected design consultancy and in that aspect,

it is both prestigious and a great story for our

potential clients”, explained Jessicaploy.

Danish Ambassador Mikael Hemniti Winther

attended the visit with two representatives from

the Embassy’s commercial section.

The studio also hosted a Scandinavian style

buffet dinner party with 41 VIP guests. Among

the guests were Peter Romhild, Vice Chairman of

ECCO Thailand, Rewat Chumnarn, Editor in chief

at Wallpaper magazine Thailand, Per Enevolsen,

Founder of Pandora, Wiwat Wongwarawipat,

President at Design Gateway and more.

Established in 1958 in Denmark, Jacob Jensen

Design is Scandinavia’s oldest and most awardwinning

design consultancy. It has design studios

in Hejlskov, Shanghai and Bangkok.


News Brief

Nordic tour operator launches love hotel in Thailand

Customisation and niche groups within

the travel industry are increasing and

the large tour operators with extensive

experience in Scandinavia are belong to the

trendsetters.

As part of the Nordic tour operator

Fritidsresor’s new concept for couples, their

Sensimar Khaolak Beach Front Resort FFFF, on

Nang Thong beach, has been launched, available

for bookings in 2016.

The new concept is presented as the ultimate

love hotel Sensimar Resort, offering sun beds for

two, spa and two restaurants for two. Fritidsresor

enables love’s optimal conditions.

The target groups is adult couples traveling

without children. Here, the entire hotels are

designed with a mind-set around two: Duo

treatments in the spa, lounge chairs for two and

many places for pairs in the restaurant are some

of the details the concept includes. In addition, an

extra punch has been placed on design and food.

According to a Fritidsresor survey more than

half of their guests they feel that the opportunity

to dine and experience things together is among

the most important things when traveling on a

holiday with their partner, while one fifth believes

that having time for each other is most important.

“We see a growing demand around niche

hotels. Already today, two out of three travellers

book customized hotel accommodation, with

extra thought given to needs such as the pool

area, food, training opportunities and so on.

Sensimar Resorts which is particularly suited to

couples is a step on the way to meet this growing

vacation trend,” says Tor Claussen, Product and

Aviation Director at TUI Nordic / Fritidsresor

Group.

Sensimar Resorts will be available in most

parts of the world, including Thailand and Mexico

and the popular destinations of Crete, Rhodes,

Majorca and Turkey. The number of travellers

opting for Sensimar is expected to increase 50

per cent over the next three years.

With a market share of 20 percent TUI

Nordic / Fritidsresor Group is the largest player

in the Nordic travel market. The group is since

year 2000 included in the world’s leading travel

group TUI Group.

Swedish Ambassador in Bangkok tours Thailand and Laos

By Frederik Guy Hoff Sonne

The Swedish Ambassador in Bangkok, Staffan

Herrström made an eventful roundtrip in

the region in February. He was granted

diplomatic accreditation in Lao PDR, discussed

gender equality with the Governor of Chiang

Mai and met with independent broadcasters in

Myanmar.

The travels took off in Northern Thailand,

where Pawin Chamniprasart, Governor of Chiang

Mai, was paid a visit.

“I had a very useful conversation with the

Governor on a broad range of issues, not least

the preconditions for tourism in this lovely city.

We talked in detail about i.a. traffic safety”, Staffan

Herrström told ScandAsia.

“I am happy that I also got the opportunity

to raise the issue of gender equality and the

importance to engage men in the efforts to

promote women’s rights. This is a theme of

highest priority for the Swedish Government.

for the Embassy and also for me personally”.

The Ambassador is a warm advocator for the

HeForShe-campaign, a solidarity campaign to

engage men in gender equality launched by UN

Women.

In Chiang Mai the Ambassador also visited

the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), the only

independent broadcaster in Myanmar, which

Sweden has been supporting for a long time.

“Free, independent journalism is crucial for

democratic development in any country, and I

think DVB continues to play a significant role

in the historic process Myanmar now is going

through.”

“I think there is generally good reasons for

optimism, given the free character of the elections

last autumn. But major challenges lie ahead, not

least in the peace process. Sweden will continue

to be a committed partner to the people of

Myanmar, and I look forward to participate in that

work”, replied the Ambassador.

Sweden has a long history in Lao PDR and

have been a major provider for development

assistance since 1974, which Staffan Herrström

personally took part in.

“I am happy that this is still remembered and

highly appreciated. The Swedish development

agency, Sida, has a very good reputation, which is

great for me to note, since I was Deputy Director

General for Sida for many years and in that

capacity visited Vientiane ten years ago”, Staffan

Herrström explained.

“Now we are on our way into a new phase

in our relations with Lao PDR and the society at

large. We have i.a. moved from aid to trade, and I

note with satisfaction that sectors where we see

interest and activities from the Swedish private

sector like agroforestry and transport also are

given priority by Lao PDR”.


Dane closes business in Thailand over visa issue

News Brief


Danish expat businessman Preben

Pretzmann (in Thailand since year

2000) established FBI Real Estate in

Udon Thani and has been directing it ever since.

Recently issues related to his visa is forcing him to

close the business, he claims. According to Preben

Pretzmann, the Immigration Offices has given no

explanation to the problem.

He has been battling to get a new business

visa in place for one and a half year and every

month they provided him with a visa only lasting

for a few months or refused him.

Contacted by ScandAsia, the Immigration

Offices in Udon Thani says they do not comment

on individual cases, furthermore they asked

ScandAsia to encourage Preben Pretzmann to

“come by tomorrow with passport, papers and

work permit.”

“But that’s what I’ve done the latest 14-15

months,” Preben commented.

The challenges started with a strange inquiry

by a detective from the Immigration Office: “He

asked me to change my company sign which I

have had for 16 years since the company opened.

I found the request odd but followed it anyway.

When he returned he wasn’t happy with the new

sign either, so he asked me to change it once again.

So I did. Once again he came back to register

the changes but still he wasn’t satisfied. Now he

suggested me to change the orange signature

colour for FBI to blue, but I told him no”.

When opening FBI 16 years ago, Preben did

so with his back then Thai wife, which meant they

could start up the company with only 1 million

baht, according to Thai law. But this year the

authorities were suspicious about it.

“Most companies start up with 2 million baht

or so, so suddenly I had to do the same. Which

meant I had to raise 1 million extra really quick,

which I did,” Preben Pretzmann recalls.

Since then, the latest 14-15 months,

Immigration and Labour Offices have kept him on

hold with unclear bureaucracy, he said, demanding

submissions and reports which he had never

been ask for before. He delivered the papers, paid

for a 1 year business visa but only got 1 month.

At other times he was rejected from the office in

Bangkok and had to leave for Laos to get a new

business visa lasting maximum 3 months.

“This is not a sustainable way to run a

company. When a customer asks to visit an estate

in two weeks, I’ll have to say “yes okay, but I’m not

sure, if I have a visa at that point” and that is not

sustainable in the end”, he says.

Finally he gave up. On the 29th February

his business visa expired. He had a 3-month

business visa from Vientiane, so he could close the

company in a proper way, he said. He will stay in

Undo Thani on a retirement visa onwards.

Electrolux Thailand’s new

products campaign


The Swedish household

appliance flagship brand,

Electrolux, presents a

new line of products to the Thai

market under new “Electrolux

Turn Delight Up” Campaign. This

introduces a green approach to the

market, focusing on “innovation to

conserve energy and protect the

environment, as Electrolux strives to lead in healthier home trends.”

General Manager Sutti Manokitjarunman presented their biggest

campaign for 2016 at the Marriott Hotel.

“We want to expand our customer base and reach out to the new and

younger generation of homeowners who want high-quality products that

suit their lifestyle. Electrolux is a brand for home appliances of European

standard and we fulfill people’s happiness with functionality and quality”, he

said.

To highlight the campaign’s focus on a “delightful life”, Electrolux had

invited actress Sririta Jensen to share her stories about happiness; famous

Thai traveller Jareyadee Spencer and her husband Jay Spencer; professional

cyclist Jesada Sophonpanich Yangpichit with his wife Jannis Yangpichit and

their children Janine and Jess, who shared tips on creating a happy marriage

and family. Lastly there was a cooking demonstration by Swedish Chef Emelie

Holm making healthy Swedish Pancakes.

A range of new products were launched in four categories: “Turn Taste

Up looks at our range of refrigerators and how they help to preserve

food better; Turn Vibrant Up reflects the performance of our washing

machines; Turn Fresh Up refers to the cool environment created by our air

conditioners; and Turn Refresh Up by experiencing a refreshing shower with

our water heater range.”


A day in life with...

Swedish Priest in Phuket and his

unexpected path to priesthood

Text and photos: Frederik Guy Hoff Sonne

He was a craftsman with ambitions

to become a world famous rockmusician,

then he became a priest.

Erik Stenberg Roos, Swedish Priest

of Phuket, talks about priesthood

in Phuket and how he entered the religious path

raised in an unreligious home.

There’s a 3-hour drive ahead for Erik Stenberg

Roos and his wife Anna Stenberg Roos, as they’re

leaving the Church of Sweden in Karon, Phuket,

to do a wedding ceremony in Khao Lak. Erik was

granted as the Swedish Priest in Phuket one and

half year ago in August 2014 and he has been

covering occasions like this all over Southern

Thailand since.

“This car is our most important work

equipment”, Anna says, as she is steering the car

in the northern direction to pass the border of

Phuket.

The couple getting married today is Anna

Rolfner, 36, and Magnus Bengtsson, 36. They called

Erik more than a year ago to book this wedding.

“This is why I love the job as a priest. You often

meet people in the most merry time of their lives,


when they’re getting married or when they’re

having a child”, Erik explains.

Erik and Anna got married 15 years ago at the

age of 39, but their relation actually goes back to

the age of 11, as they went to the same primary

school in Uddevalla. The small Swedish town

where Erik’s family finally decided to settle down

after moving every 2 or 3 years due to his father’s

work as a constructor.

At the age of 11 Erik also took his first step

towards a religious life. He visited the local church,

looking for friends and something to do in a quiet

town. Soon he visited the church every Sunday

and began attending church camps and trips in

Sweden and Europe.

Erik’s engagement in the church inspired

his relatives. His brother, sister and mother also

became regular visitors even though religion

never played an essential part in their home.

Now Erik and Anna have both turned 53.

They had nothing holding them back to leave

Sweden for Phuket one and a half year ago. “We

longed to work and live abroad,” Erik says. They

have 4 grown-up children ranging from the age of

22 to 29 and their parents are in good health, so

they applied for the position and got it.

They left Göteborg after more than 15 years

of living together; Erik left his job at Biskopsgården,

where he was employed since 2000 and Anna

quit her job as a social worker. Now Anna works

as Erik’s assistant or “sister” at the church, handling

the paperwork and continuing her social work,

meeting people for conversations by request.

Arriving in Thailand

“It was summer in Sweden, when we arrived to

Thailand. The rain was pouring, it was dark, the

car didn’t want to start, the telephone was dead

and the internet didn’t work”, Anna recalls, when

asked to describe their first days in Thailand. “But

it’s better now”, Erik adds. “We had a hard time

getting around in the beginning, but now we

usually do it without GPS”, he says, as he glimpse

at the GPS they’re following on their long trip

today.

“Also you get used to that in Thailand things

takes time. They have a very relaxed attitude

towards time and planning”, Erik explains. He

remembers when they arrived and his boss, the

Swedish Priest in Bangkok, advised him and Anna

that “you can only do one thing a day”. “Right”,

they thought planning to keep the busy schedule

they had in Sweden with various tasks to do each

day. Now they’ve adjusted.

“Look at our plan today. We have a 3-hourdrive

forth and back, we need to meet the

couple and do some planning, then we do the

the ceremony. It’s a full days work”, Erik says. Erik

did 25 weddings from the summer of 2014 to

the summer of 2015. He expect to do around

20 this year, and besides weddings he baptizes,

attend funerals and consults when the Swedish

Embassy asks him to. Often when Swedes end up

in the hospital or in the prison and the relatives

can’t reach them, they reach out for a priest, Erik

explains.

“We have a lot of tourists and backpackers

with bad luck and they have no one else to turn

to”, he says and points, that this is one of the

differences from working as a priest in Sweden.

He works more now and travels more.

Visiting hospitals, prisons or doing lectures in one

of the Swedish schools around Phuket plays a

bigger role in his work.

In addition Erik and Anna also arrange

meeting points in cities around Southern Thailand.

A chance to get together with Swedes and just

have a relaxed chat and a coffee. They’re fairly

well-visited Anna tells, counting approximately

20-35 people every time. Besides that they do

a weekly ceremony at the priest home in Kata

every second Wednesday.

“Apart from working more, my overall duties

as a priest are very similar to the ones I had back

in Sweden. Maybe we add more flowers than

we used to”, Erik explains when reflecting on

whether the Thai culture reflects his work in the

Church.

Entering Khao Lak and the path

of priesthood

Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” plays

from the stereo as Erik and Anna are crossing

the Sarasin Bridge, connecting Phuket with the

mainland. The song also features on the guitarplaying

and rock’n’roll-loving priest’s repertoire

for occasions like this. The wedding couple haven’t

asked for any songs or hymns yet, so that’s one of

the things, they’re going to discuss when Erik and

Anna have the last meeting with them before the

ceremony begins in the evening.

Prior to this the couple have written Erik a

letter telling about themselves, their stories, their

interests and so on. Erik talks to them and write a

short speech founded on this information before

he welds the couple together, something he has

a many years of experience to do in a more

literal way.

Before Erik began studying theology he

worked as a welder. He was working in different

workshops till the age of 30, when back problems

forced him to change his path. Not a lot of thinking

was needed before he entered the University at

Göteborg to study theology in 1992.

In the summer of 1994 Erik had his first

experiences as a priest, working a summer job in

Billdal for 4-6 weeks. He returned to Billdal in the

coming 3 years, and the Bishop accepted him as

becoming a full time priest in the summer of 1996.

After listening to a parade of love songs Erik

and Anna enters the Mai Khao Lak Beach Resort

and Spa, where the wedding takes place. They

meet Magnus, Anna, their kid, Liam, and the other

guests by the pool and have a casual chat, before

following them to the restaurant to talk through

the final details of the wedding.

Soft drinks are ordered. Anna hands over

a laminated sheet titled “Words from the Bible

that fits the Wedding Blessing”. Magnus and

Anna studies the paper for a minute before they

decide on some words: Ruth 1:15 - 17. Songs are

discussed and they agree on two hymns. Liam is

splashing around in the pool, they finish their soft

drinks and head towards the beach where the

ceremony will take place.

The ceremony is not a formal devotion, as it’s

more difficult and expensive to do in Thailand due

to paperwork, applications and laws, but it works

as a blessing. Ceremonies like these helps finance

the Church in Phuket, but most costs are financed

by the Church of Sweden, Anna explains.

Erik and Anna do the last preparations a

couple of hours before the ceremony takes

place. They print the hymns, rehearse them and

Erik change into a cassock. A tiny altar is lined up

by the foot of the beach: a bible, a chest and an

electric candle.

The couple arrives to the beach at 6pm

clothed in white. The Sun is setting and Erik’s

guitar is tuned. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered

here today to witness the union of Magnus and

Anna in holy matrimony”, Erik begins, following

the traditional steps. Vows are said, rings are

presented, the couple kiss and Erik performs the

hard rock band, KISS, classic love song “I was made

for lovin’ you” on his acoustic guitar. He might not

have made it to Carnegie Hall, but a sunset by the

beach of Khao Lak celebrating and sharing one

the merriest time of Magnus and Anna’s life isn’t

to bad a venue either.

Being Swedish priests in Phuket is a 3-year

assignment. Erik’s contract runs until August 2017.


The Nordic House

in Yangon - A promising

by Frederik Guy Hoff Sonne

On 3 March the Nordic House

in Yangon, the natural focal

point for anything Scandinavian,

opened its doors for visitors,

marking the move to new

premises. The Nordic House houses the Danish

and Norwegian embassies as well as the Finnish

and Swedish consulates.

It was a suitable occasion to put focus on this

interesting Nordic unity in Myanmar and getting

an update on the current Nordic engagement

in the country. But first, let us take it back to the

beginning.

The Nordic House in Yangon opened in

2012, as “kind of a coincidence” Peter Lysholt

Hansen, Danish Ambassador in Yangon, explains.

It was foremost a practical arrangement, when

the Nordic countries started diplomatic missions

in Myanmar under the same roof in 2012. Soon

they recognized that the setup was interesting

and now it has developed into an innovative pilot

project, that might be an inspiration for Nordic

cooperation globally.

“I can’t think of any Nordic collaborations that


are so advanced. It’s like one joint embassy”, Peter

Lysholt Hansen explains as he lists the benefits

of this: “Naturally it’s easier to cooperate, which

means cooperation between Nordic offices is

without doubt more frequent than it would have

been”.

This is among other things reflected in many

joint engagements between the offices and of

course this joint-hosted open house event in

Yangon.

Swedish Minister Counsellor, Johan

Hallenborg, shares this view: “Of course it’s easier

to understand one another when you’re sharing

an office and you sit together and talk on a daily

basis. Everyone benefits from this when we share

information and orientate one another”, he says.

“In the end it strengthens our joint Nordic

profile in the country. We have a stronger voice

and can offer a wide range of networking, which

makes the house really attractive”, Peter Lysholt

Hansen explains.

The project is still on a pilot basis and it hasn’t

been evaluated yet, but attitudes towards sharing

office space seems unilaterally positive.

“The pilot project is running smoothly, and

we clearly see how our four countries and

cultures jointly strengthen the Nordic presence

in Myanmar”, says Hege Jørstad, Counsellor at The

Norwegian Embassy.

“There should be some rationalization

benefits, that’s the general idea, and I’m positive

there will be”, the Danish Ambassador assesses.

Economic benefits are already reflected in shared

rental and running costs for the Nordic house

and salary costs for shared staff, according to

Hege Jørstad.

The house is administrated by two

Norwegian diplomats with assistance from a

handful of local Burmese. As Norway is the lead

country, Norwegian legislation is the basis for

local contacts and other administrative aspects of

running a foreign mission.

In December 2015 an agreement between

the four countries was signed, that lies out the

guidelines for the administrative set up and

cost sharing at the Nordic House. All offices

uses the same personal and same accounting

and financing processes. Administration costs a

perspective

shared as is the telephone number to reach the

reception.

Different diplomatic missions

When working so closely as the Danish

Ambassador described as “like a joint embassy”

there could be a risk that national lines are

getting blurred and diplomatic missions could

get mixed, one might think. That is however

of no concern to the representatives from

the house. There are joint engagements and

focuses are in the same areas, but the countries’

strategies and priorities differs, when you have

a closer look.

The Swedish Office for example has a very

clear main focus on development in Myanmar,

which is also reflected on the staff, where four out

of five people works with development.

“We work with three government decided

guidelines in the development cooperation”,

David Holmertz, Swedish Minister Counsellor on

Development Cooperation, says.

“We want to increase the human rights and

the freedom of speech in Myanmar, achieve broad

local participation in the peace process and to

stabilize children’s health”.

The Danish Embassy is very much focused

on providing development aid to Myanmar, but is

also a keen supporter of the peace processes, the

development of rule of law and the human rights

situation in Myanmar. The embassy supports in

particular the educational sector and economic

growth of the country. Peter Lysholt Hansen

mentions a co-management on fishing resources

in ten Myanmar villages as one of the big Danish

supported programmes to come.

Norway’s focus areas are “the peace process,

long term development assistance related to

sustainable development, climate change and

environment, clean energy and fisheries. Support

to democratization, civil society and human rights

have been, and continue to be at the core of

Norway’s collaboration with Myanmar”, Hege

Jørstad reports.

Setting up business in Myanmar

It’s no secret that Myanmar is a challenge, but

ending five decades of military junta in 2011,

processing a more or less democratic election

on 8 November 2015 and continuing economic

growth have made Myanmar a prosperous nation

for business.

Several Nordic companies such as Maersk,

Carlsberg, AGM, Ericsson and Arla are already

present in Myanmar and there should be more in

the future. Many Nordic companies are showing

interest in Myanmar according to the Danish and

Swedish offices.

“Grundfoss and Vestas have already probed

Myanmar for potential business and there’s also

a big interest from the textile industry”, Peter

Lysholt Hansen says and adds that he’s positive

investment interests will grow in the future.

Johan Hallenborg can also report on many

Swedish companies showing interest in Myanmar.

In January he went to a joint seminar in Singapore

to promote business in Myanmar. “There are

around 250 Swedish companies in Singapore

and they all have a regional outlook”, Johan

Hallenborg tells.

“It’s a promising market. There are many

great needs in the country, which means there

are many interesting prospects for business”, he

explains.

Both officials finds the interest positive,

but at the same time they encourage potential

investors to maintain composure.

“Myanmar is not an easy market to enter.

You have to keep in mind that five years ago the

country was completely inaccessible. So to start

doing business here you’ll have to be patient,

it takes a lot of time and effort”, Peter Lysholt

Hansen says.

Johan Hallenborg adds: “It shall be a very

conscious decision for companies to set up

business in Myanmar. Challenges are easy to

see. Infrastructure is not good, also concerning

energy and internet. Corruption is still a serious

matter.”

Myanmar is ranked 156th out of 175 nations

according to Transparency International’s 2014

Corruption Perceptions Index. At the World

Bank’s Logistic Performance Index from 2014

Myanmar is ranked 145th out of 160 nations.

Johan Hallenborg is confident that the

coming reform processes in the end will help

Myanmar overcome many challenges. But

currently he’s cautious: “We can open a few

doors for companies, but it’s still limited how

much help we can provide.”

The Danish Ambassadors tone in this matter

is slightly different: “It’s a important task for us to

assist companies with interest in Myanmar. We

advise companies, identify potential partners for

them and provide market information as well as

help them through the bureaucracy”, says Peter

Lysholt Hansen in answering how the Embassy

can help interested companies.

Myanmar is part of the ASEAN Economic

Community, which emphasizes regional

cooperation. The economy has grown 6 to

7 percent in recent years and the growth is

expected to continue.

The Nordic House is set to be evaluated in

the second half of 2016.


I owe my Danish

business career to

my Thai grandmother

By Maria Andreasdottir

‘‘I

owe my Danish business career to my

Thai grandmother.”

”In the beginning I was going to be

an architect”, says Janphen Muennoi

Karakaya, Store Manager of Hunkemöller.

But instead of buildings, she builded up a successful

business career in Denmark, all thanks to her

grandmother in Thailand.

Today, Janphen is acknowledged as one

of Denmark’s best female sales persons. Her

business and sales skills have been awarded, and

she has won the title Best Store Manager in

Denmark several times, and is the most wanted

Hunkemöller Training Ambassador in Scandinavia.

She was also chosen to open the very first

Hunkemöller store in Sweden.

“As long as I remember selling and trading has

always been a part of my life”.

Janphen grew up in Samutprakarn, a little city

close to Bangkok. Every weekend she walked

the streets along with her grandmother and sold

savory snacks and home baked goods.

“I rather wanted to play like the other

children did. But I had to help my family, even if

there were many other things I wanted to do in

the weekends.”

Selling food at the market was a necessity. In

Thailand it is common that all family members

live together under the same roof, and everyone

helps each other. Janphen’s family was big, and

a missing father did not make it easier to feed

all mouths. Janphen’s grandmother needed help

from her granddaughters to make just enough

money so Janphen and her sister could go to

school and be fed at the same time.

“All women in my family struggled to make it

all work out. We were never negative about work,

only grateful when we saw how it all bore fruit

and that our family continued to prosper.”

Her grandmother made all the food herself,

and even if her dishes were good, her bargaining

skills were better. She never gave up, and would

never go home before everything she made was

sold and eaten up. Janphen was a quick learner,

and replicated her grandmother; when setting a

goal she secretly made it higher, aiming to reach

further than her first goal.

However, selling items became more boring

when the weekdays consisted of school and

doing homeworks, and the weekends were

dedicated to the market and selling. Little Janphen

decided her life should be anything but trading.

She was one of the best students in her class, and

she would take advantage of her good grades.

She dreamt of working in any other field than

business and trading.

When Janphen was 10 years old, her mother

felt in love with a Danish man, and Janphen, her

siblings and the newly wed moved from Thailand

to Denmark. Her whole world changed, and

she was suddenly not the best student in class

anymore. She recalls how her Danish classmates

picked at her for not knowing the Western

alphabet, and she had to study even harder than

before. But the weekends remained the same

like in Thailand.

”Just like always, the weekends were

dedicated to going to the market selling things.

Now it was my mother who took me out


to ”kræmmermarkeder” at different places in

Denmark, where we sold imported clothes from

Thailand.”

Unlike any other in her family, she chose

to study the Higher Technical Programme

(HTE school) when finishing school. No more

trading for Janphen. She was going for a career

in architecture. After 18 weeks studying HTE,

something strange happened to Janphen.

”I have no idea why, but I suddenly realized I

missed selling. It was my thing”.

She completed the HTE programme, but

instead of heading straight to the Architecture

School, she began as a trainee in a shoe store.

Here she could use all her sales experience. It

did not take long time before she was the best

performer in the whole store. Not only did she

sell for the highest amounts, she also managed

to do most additional sales too. Dansk Detail

(Danish Detail), the biggest organization in special

detail trading, rewarded her with the Trainee of

the Year 2000 for her outstanding performance

in selling.

”Selling is the thing I have always been taught,

and a thing I am good at. Back in my childhood it

was a duty, but now it became my passion. I felt

like being myself when I could sell, and I like to do

things I am good at. I began loving it.”

When she graduated from her training

position, she sat as goal to manage her own

store. But first she wanted to take a break and

do what she had been longing for years; to visit

her grandmother in Thailand. The timing could not

have been worse, because after she planned her

two months visit to Asia, Dutch lingerie company

Hunkemöller contacted her for an immediate

position as Store Manager in Strøget, the largest

shopping street in Denmark.

”I said “I’m sorry, but I’m gone for the next

2 months”. I was shocked when they said they

were willing to wait for me. They wanted me. The

contract was signed”.

The new job as Store Manager was not the

only landmark that happened for Janphen. When

she began at Hunkemöller two months later, she

found out she was pregnant. The timing was once

again perfectly wrong.

”I knew I had to terminate the contract. I

thought my career as Store Manager was a short

experience”.

It was not. Janphen was not only good selling

clothing and lingerie. She was also excellent selling

herself. Hunkemöller were sold, and they were

would not let her go. Janphen went to work while

being pregnant, and she never had any day offs

before or after she gave birth to her son.

Later she was also asked to run their store in

Fields. 6 months after, she was awarded the Best

Store Manager in Denmark by Hunkemöller. Her

business skills became so popular, that she was

asked to run even one more store in Copenhagen.

Hunkemöller also made her Training Ambassador,

and she was and is always first choice when sellers

need improvement.

”I had to say no to run a 4th store, because

now I needed some time to relax with my new

family. Later asked to be in charge for opening the

very first Hunkemöller store in Sweden. Even if it

meant less time with my family and extra working,

I went for it. Women in my family have always

worked hard, so of course I will do that too.”

All women in my family

struggled to make it all work

out. We were never negative

about work, only grateful

when we saw how it all bore

fruit and that our family

continued to prosper.

Janphen went to Thailand again and visited

her beloved grandmother, the woman who taught

her selling lessons that made Janphen go from

selling street food in Thailand to exclusive lingerie

in Europe.

Now, the hard work of selling is not a duty

anymore to Janphen. She laughs when she recalls

the memories of a young girl reluctantly going to

the market with her grandmother, and how her

dream of becoming an architect seemed like a

better career choice at that time.

She believes she owes all her success to her

Thai childhood and especially her grandmother,

who taught to never give up and to be a hard

worker. Regardless of how far she has come, she

never will forget her roots.

”It doesn’t matter what your title is, or how

high in the hierarchy you are. It’s all about being

happy for what you do. It took me years to find

out that I love selling. Combining a job you love

and a family you love even more, I could not ask

for a better career than business after all.”


How to

pick a school

How do you pick the perfect school for your

children, when you move to another country?

It might not be as easy as it sounds. During the

years, more and more schools are established,

and each institution offers different courses and

has different ways of teaching. Many parents use social platforms

like Facebook to get advices from other parents. But there will

probably be no way around making your own inquiry into each

avaible option.

Local v s international

Are you looking for a local or an international school? In most

countries in Asia, it is possible to sign your child into a local school

– but it can be a challenge, if your child does not have Asian roots.

Local schools provide your child with a local environment

and another benefit is that most of the local schools are more

affordable than the international schools. One thing to be aware

of though, is that psysical punishment has not been abolished in

many Asian school systems.

If you go for an international school, consider that international

students grow up in an environment that is much different to

that of your own. Known as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), they often

develop a different attitude.

Once this is said, many expat families decide to go for the

international school – at least through primary school up to

grade 9.

A few suggestions

As said before, many parents seek advices from other parents.

But in the end, it is your choice and only you know what needs

your child has.

Copyright : anatols / 123RF Stock Photo

First: Observe

Visit the schools you are interested in during a regular school

day. Ask to observe teachers in class so you can get a feel for

how the adults treat the children, parents and one another. You

don’t have to be an expert to get a good sense of what is — or

is not — happening in a classroom when you visit.


Copyright : petro / 123RF Stock Photo

Second: Distance

Make sure the school is not too far away from your home. Have in mind

that in most big cities, it is travelling time between your house and the

school that matters. Will you be driving your child to school yourself or

how will your child be going there?

Especially in cities like Bangkok, the traffic is hectic and you can easily

use hours stuck between cars, taxies and tuk-tuks.

Third: Reputation

Use your network in the city. Ask as many as possible, what their

experience with this school is. Do not listen to people, who have no

children at the school themselves.

Fourth: Courses

The school’s courses and programs will most likely be listed in the

school’s informations packages or on their website. They will talk

about British Curriculum and American Curriculum and what most

Scandinavians go for these days is the IB Curriculum.

The IB Curriculum is an educational programme managed by the

International Baccalaureate for students aged 3 to 12. Students are

required to learn a second language during the programme.

Fifth: Supplementary courses

More and more parents find it important that their children are receiving

lessons in their mother language. On some of the international schools,

the different Scandinavian communities have organized mother tounge

language lessons as a supplementary course.

It depends on your child. Many children already have a long day in

school with lessons in Thai, English and other courses.

Stay involved

As a parent you might wish there were some secret education-analyst

methodology. No matter how hard you do your homework, stay involved

with your child’s everyday life. Is your child happy and motivated or tired

and introverted? Talk with your child about how school is and spend

more time together in the beginning. First period will probably be as

exhausting for your child as for you – starting up your lives in a completely

different country.

Copyright : Dmitriy Shironosov / 123RF Stock Photo


Copyright : racorn / 123RF Stock Photo

Keeping your kid on track

with the mother tongue in



S̄xng, Tre, Fyra, Viisi,

Seks”. Children brought

up in Thailand with

Scandinavian roots have

‘‘One,

a lot of languages to deal

with. In the streets they speak Thai, in School

it’s English and at home it might be Swedish,

Danish, Norwegian or Finnish. So what are

the opportunities to maintain or develop the

children’s mother tongue? ScandAsia portrays

the situation.

The privileged Swedes

Swedes are by far the most privileged when it

comes to school options for their kids. Swedish

schools are found in many parts of Thailand

counting Bangkok, Hua Hin, Koh Lanta, Huay Yang,

Rayong and Phuket.

Sanuk, Svenska Skolan Thailand, runs three

Swedish schools in Hua Hin, on Koh Lanta and

in Huay Yang, after establishing their first Swedish

school in Thailand on Koh Lanta in 2004. Sanuk

offers preschool and primary school classes from

1st to 9th grade. Classes normally consist of

small groups of 10 students. They follow Swedish

curriculum and classes are conducted in Swedish.

Prices differs but it’s around 120.000 baht a year

per student for the preschool and 90.000 baht a

year for primary school.

In Kamala, Phuket, Quality Swedish School,

QSS, is found. It opened in August 2010 and

was the first School officially licensed by Thai

authorities to operate as a Swedish primary

school in Thailand. The license naturally means that

they follow the Swedish curriculum and spoken

language is Swedish. QSS provides preschool and

primary school teaching. Preschool covers the

ages from 2 to 5 years. Primary school is divided

into two groups covering 1st to 3rd graders and

4th to 9th graders. Prices depends on grades

and the length of the stay but normal price for

preschool is 130.000 baht a year per children and

primary school is 150.000 baht.

If based in Bangkok you have a different

branch of possibilities but there are no all-

Swedish day schools. The Swedish School

Association offers weekly Swedish courses on

different levels three days a week. On Mondays

Thailand

they host a class from 6 to 12 year-olds at ISB,

while on Fridays they teach 9 to 12 year-olds

at KIS and on Saturdays 3 to 14 year-olds can

take lectures at NIST. One course counts 15

lectures and is priced at 3000 baht per child

and it follows International Baccalaureate (IB)

curriculum, but the content is almost the same

and all the material used is developed from the

latest Swedish curriculum.

There’s also the opportunity to list your kids

for distance learning in Swedish that the parents

can arrange by themselves and do in their own

home. This is offered by the Svenska Distans from

the age 3-13 Sofia Distans from the age 6-16.

It differs from each municipality whether

you’re able to carry your Swedish school

money with you to Thailand. So check with the

municipality that you’re attached to.

Fair options for Finns

Finns may not be as privileged as Swedes when it

comes to Schooling opportunities, but they have

fairly good options to keep the Suomi smooth.

There are two Finnish schools in Thailand, one in

Copyright : Cathy Yeulet / 123RF Stock Photo

Bangkok and one in Pattaya.

Finnish School Banksu in Bangkok was

established in 1997. The school is meant for

children who at least use Finnish as their second

language at home. Lessons are one hour and are

held once a week after normal school days in the

premises of the international schools. Lessons are

divided into three different age groups and are

conducted by Finnish teachers with education

background.

In Pattaya the all-day Finnish school Pattaya

Suomalainen Koulu is run by the couple Tiiti

and Tommi Mäkelä. It opened in the autumn of

2010 and counts 30 pupils spread in 7 classes

ranging from 6 to 16 year-olds. The school

follows a normal school week with lessons

everyday from around 9 am to 3 pm. Tiiti and

Tommi teaches themselves and the curriculum

is almost as in Finland. Price is 195.000 baht a

year per pupil.

Exciting initiative coming up for

Denmark

Currently there are no Danish Schools in Thailand

and moreover there are no International Schools

offering Danish as a second language additional

course, which should be common for a bigger

expat group like the Danes. So the situation is

quite unclear.

However things are developing. A group

of Danes in Thailand have taken initiative to

start a Danish course with help from the Danes

Worldwide organization. On the terms of

gathering a minimum of 4 students the Danes

Worldwide provides group lessons to Danish

children around the world. A group of Danish

parents have engaged in this prospect and already

have an agreement with NIST to host this. A

pre-meeting was held in October 2015 where

interest was shown from parents to around 60

children. The price is not settled, but it could be

around 2-3000 DKK a year plus a membership

at Danes Worldwide for 650 DKK a year. The

project is not officially announced yet, but iniative

taker, Mai Ellegaard, says they hope for this to start

in the coming summer. So stay tuned.

While waiting for that, Danes Worldwide

offers online courses which is the same material

that the group lessons consist of. With a helping

hand from a Danish-speaking parent this is

a good alternative. Right now more than 20

children in Thailand are attending this. Prices range

from 6.690 DKK to 9.190 DKK depending on

membership, levels and number of kids.

Asking the Danish Embassy their best

recommendation at the moment is to make a

private arrangement. There are lots of qualified

Danes around, educated and uneducated

teachers, just screen the internet or make an

inquire at the expat community. Moreover they

recommend the Danes Worldwide summer

school taking place in Denmark, offering Danish

lectures and learning about Danish culture. The

summer school runs from 3. juli to 21. juli and

consists of 75 lectures.

No Schools for Norway

Thailand is barren land for Norwegian language.

There are now Norwegian schools in Thailand

and no courses on international schools that

teach Norwegian. So what to do?

The Norwegian Embassy mentions

Globalskolen as the best alternative, an online

school used by 53 Norwegian children in Thailand

at the moment. It is partly financed by the

Norwegian Government and partly by the users.

The teaching is based on Kunnskapsløftet, the

Norwegians educational reform, and follows the

Norwegian curriculum. It provides material from

1st to 10th grade for 3 different groups; mothertongued

Norwegians, multilinguals that are wellversed

in Norwegian but not good enough to

follow the curriculum, as well as children who

are very basic in Norwegian language and needs

assistance from their parents.

However your child have to fulfill some

minimum terms to attend Globalskolen. Firstly

your child has to have a Norwegian personal

number, be at least one year, and must be attending

a local or international school in Thailand. Your

child must participate in all 15 lectures that forms

each semester. Prices are as follows; 1 child is

1000 NOK per semester, 2 children is 750 NOK

each, 3 children’s is 500 NOK each and 4 or more

children is free.


Bangkok Prep

marks the auspicious

beginning of their

Secondary Campus

Members of the Board of Directors

at Bangkok International

Preparatory & Secondary School

(Bangkok Prep), and the Head

of School, Mrs Valerie Thomas-

Peter invited representatives from the Primary

and Secondary Student Councils, parents and

teachers to join in the Groundbreaking Ceremony

that took place on February 4 th on the future site

of the new Secondary School Campus, set to

open in August 2017.

Invitees were asked to “break-the-ground”

with the Bangkok Prep’s commemorative

shovels to mark the auspicious beginning of


the construction of the new Secondary School

Campus, located on Sukhumvit 77 amid a secure

and prime residential area of central Bangkok.

The new Secondary School Campus will

feature state-of-the art learning spaces, an

Aquatics Centre with an olympic sized swimming

pool, an indoor Sports Hall, a 400-seat auditorium,

a theatre, a large outdoor sports field and tennis

courts.

“Our new campus reflects the need to expand

our facilities to meet the demand of our growing

student body, specifically that of Secondary

students”, explained Valerie Thomas-Peter, the

Head of School. The facility will enable us to deliver

the School’s mission to provide a high quality and

stimulating learning environment, where students

can prepare for life and realise their full potential.”

The construction will take place from

February 2016 and is expected to be completed

by August 2017. Approximately 400 students,

aged 11 to 18 years old, will move from the

current campus on Sukhumvit 53 to the new

Secondary School Campus on Sukhumvit 77.

The campus on Sukhumvit 53 will be

exclusively dedicated to the Primary School and

will continue to cater for children aged 3 to 11

years old.


AIE Conference

Drives International

Education Dialogue

The world of international education,

once composed of small and isolated

school communities, has radically

changed over the past two decades.

What was once a few hundred

schools scattered around the globe has now

become thousands of institutions catering to

students of varying backgrounds, beliefs and

experiences. In this uncertain phase of growth,

the Alliance for International Education (AIE) has

taken the lead in shaping the future direction of

international education. The AIE brought that

conversation to Thailand at NIST International

School, which hosted the 2016 biannual AIE

conference from 26-28 February with the theme

Engaging with Difference.

Attended by many of the field’s foremost

teachers, administrators, academics and

consultants – and even student participants

– the conference upheld the AIE’s mission

“to bring together those involved in the

promotion of intercultural understanding and

international education, including researchers

and practitioners at every level of education

throughout the world.” Keynote speakers at the

event included M.L. Pariyada Diskul, founder and

former president of the International Schools

Association of Thailand and Deputy Secretary

to the Minister of Education; Mechai Viravaidya,

former Chairman of the NIST International

School Foundation, and founder and director of

the Population and Community Development

Association; and Nick Alchin, High School

Principal at United World College of South

East Asia.

Throughout the three days of the conference,

participants grappled with many of the most

difficult questions facing international schools,

as well as nations around the world. What

does it mean to engage with difference, both as

individuals and communities? How do we strive

to be inclusive in international schools that can

sometimes be exclusive by their very nature?

What role should international education play in

a diverse world that faces intercultural tensions

and conflict?

Schools such as NIST have increasingly

viewed diversity as more than simply engaging

with difference in respect to nationality and

culture. It encompasses far more: gender, age,

sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, physical

capacity, ideology and other fundamental

differences. Engaging with those differences

requires going beyond charity or sympathy,

recognizing that we can all respect and learn

from one another. NIST strives to create learning

opportunities that encourage students to truly

understand, empathize and work with those

who are different than them. NIST students have

created social entrepreneurship projects, become

activists for various causes and launched their

own non-profits.

This arguably represents a central aim of

international education: the development of

informed, empathetic individuals who engage and

work alongside others to find common ground

and shared solutions.

For more information about the AIE

conference and its aims, visit intedalliance.org.



Brighton College Bangkok –

Imagine where you can go

Brighton College Bangkok will open its

doors in September 2016, welcoming

pupils between two and nine years

of age to its Pre-Prep School. Sister

school to Brighton College, the UK’s

top co-educational school with a proud history of

maximising every pupils’ talents, Brighton College

Bangkok’s aim is to become one of the leading

British curriculum schools in Asia.

Kelly Crompton, Head of Pre-Prep School

is currently busy meeting with families at the

Admissions Office. She explained how Brighton

College Bangkok will provide a nurturing

environment where every child is cared for and

valued, which allows pupils to achieve the highest

standards of academic achievement.

“At Brighton College Bangkok, our small

class sizes and low pupil: teacher ratio means

that we can treat everyone as an individual.

Our curriculum is highly tailored to meet and

exceed the English National Curriculum, offering

abundant opportunities for children to develop

their thinking and skills in ways which are unique

to them, whether that be through the academic

curriculum or as extra-curricular activities; our

teaching truly is child centred.”

Kelly goes on to explain further: “Learning

within the Pre-Prep will be highly personalised to

each individual to ensure that children are both

supported and challenged when the time is right

for both, and that they are always inspired to learn.

We believe in and value the whole experience of


learning where academic excellence is coupled

with excellence in sports, arts and music; this

insures that children have the best possible

foundations in order to succeed on whichever

path they choose to journey through their world.

Our children will always be celebrated for their

achievements, no matter how large or small.”

The Pre-Prep School’s motto of ‘Be Good.

Be Kind. Be Honest’ was also explained by Kelly.

“We place much value on the qualities of honesty,

determination and kindness, guiding pupils to be

a first rate version of themselves with the utmost

respect for their peers, themselves and the world

around them.”

The Brighton College family, which also

includes two schools in the Middle East, is

known for its innovative curriculum that offers

a unique combination of specialist knowledge

and personalised learning that makes a Brighton

College education second to none.

Mrs Crompton expands on this further:

“We have created an inspiring curriculum which

is world-class, drawing on the very best and

most recent thinking in the UK. At Brighton

College, we are thought of as leading the change

in educational thinking rather than following,

meaning that children here will be at the forefront

of innovations in learning. An example of this

unique approach to our curriculum is the ‘Story

of Our Land’ which combines history, geography,

philosophy and culture to celebrate Thailand

and the United Kingdom. Another aspect of

our forward-thinking curriculum is compulsory

Mandarin from Nursery.”

Kelly’s passion for education certainly shines

through. She concluded by saying “I am determined

that children at Brighton College Bangkok will

have the very best and l am unapologetically

striving to ensure that in the three words which

encompass our vision for our school – Inspiration,

Innovation, Excellence.”

The school is located at Krungthep Kreetha

15/1, in the Huamak area; 30 minutes from the

city and only 20 minutes from Suvarnabhumi

airport. Its green field site will be home to

iconic school buildings for the three stages

of the school: Pre-Prep, Prep and Senior. The

latter two stages for children aged between

nine and 18 years old will open in September

2017. For more information and to make an

appointment to meet the team, please contact

Head of Admissions, Kim Meaden-Kendrick at

admissions@brightoncollegebangkok.com

Brighton College Bangkok

Soi Krungthep Kreetha 15/1,

Huamak, Bangkok, 10240

T +66 (0) 2-136-7898


www.brightoncollegebangkok.com

BRIGHTON COLLEGE BANGKOK

A member of the Brighton College family of schools

Inspiration | Innovation | Excellence

BRIGHTON COLLEGE BANGKOK

IMAGINE WHERE YOU CAN GO

Opening September 2016

Brighton College Bangkok, sister of Britain’s highest

ranked co-educational school, is now accepting

enrolments for Pre-Prep pupils between two

and nine years of age.

Prep and Senior Schools will open

in September 2017.

+66 (0)2 136 7898


brightoncollegebangkok.com

instagram.com/brightoncollegebangkok

@BrightonBangkok

Soi Krungthep Kreetha 15/1, Huamak, Bangkok

Inspiration | Innovation | Excellence

Unique in Thailand, uniquely for you

The American School of Bangkok

Here’s a quick hands-on experiment.

Check the clothing labels in your

closet. Chances are you’ll find the

articles come from nearly as many

countries as there are garments,

and most likely the labels will be printed in English.

Might even be some saying, “Made in Thailand.”

For many families results like these suggest

the benefits of an international education with an

English-langue curriculum. Schools, particularly

those with established reputations of excellence,

can prepare students for a seamless transition

into an increasingly competitive and connected

world.

For leading students and student leaders

who welcome challenges, schools such as The

American School of Bangkok provide ideal

settings for young people to maximize their skills

and potential in a global microcosm. In short,

a truly authentic international school affords

students from many countries an opportunity

to excel in a global village with global learners.

These diverse learners, separated on paper by

nationality are united in person in schools that

promote common values as they master English

a common language.

ASB, for example, is a highly regarded

international school that propels students to

excellence in an American curriculum with

an international perspective. Each of the two

campuses features rigorous academic programs

that have created educational pathways to

academic success for more than 35 years. In that

time, each of the graduates has attended college

and many have already distinguished themselves

in professions and businesses. Currently ASB

is home to students from approximately 45

countries. The graduates have been accepted

in prestigious schools including the University of

California Berkeley, Purdue, Ohio State, University

of British Columbia, the University of Chicago and

the University of Washington.

The groundwork for these international

citizens and global ambassadors has been laid

by an accomplished ASB faculty. Currently

there is a staff of over 100 certified and

professional teachers, many with advanced

or master certifications in their teaching field.

The majority of the faculty is recruited directly

from the United States of America, Canada, and

the United Kingdom. The educators have an

abundance of experience, not only in education

but also in other areas of expertise, such as fine

and performing arts, business studies, information

technology and foreign languages.

Accordingly, this faculty diversity allows

students to excel in and out of the classroom.

Academically, ASB has been acknowledged by

College Board as the only school in Thailand

authorized to offer the elite Capstone Diploma.

As of School Year 2016/17 students can join

a cohort pursuing the rigorous program that

requires a minimum of five successful advanced

placement classes. In offering this opportunity

ASB stands alongside other leading regional

international schools such as The American

School in Japan, Singapore American and Hong

Kong International.

Beyond the classroom ASB is also alone in

providing students an in-house golf program.

The Green Valley campus neighbors a 7000 yard,

Bobby Jones-designed golf course, and striking

while the irons and woods were hot, the founder

incorporated these serendipitous surroundings

into the curriculum with the International

Preparatory Golf Academy. Students enrolled

in this program combine class work with golf

sessions enhanced by technology and electronic

driving ranges inside the school, putting greens

outside by the main gate and a minimum of 36

holes a week on the adjacent course.

This IPGA curriculum is unique to ASB in

Asia and has helped senior Panat Bodhidatta earn

a golf scholarship to the University of Washington.

He says, “The (ASB) program with the new

facilities has helped me win 10 tourneys, earn a

scholarship and prepare me to join the PGA.” To

date nine students have earned golf scholarships.

Moreover, the scholarship program is

expanding. The school’s vigorous performing arts

program which this year has featured major musical

productions at each campus has just announced

a scholarship program for Thai students who will

compete in a nationally broadcast quiz show,

“The Learning Curve.” The top 100 applicants

will compete for the honor becoming one of

the nine finalists, each of whom will be eligible

for scholarship consideration. Beyond the Thai

television scholarship, ASB offers scholarships to

international students based on academic merit

and leadership potential. Information about these

programs is available at www.asb.ac.th.

When browsing that web site please pause

to look at the expressions of the students and

educators who thrive in the environment. The

school founder, Lakhana Tavedikul, characterizes

these surroundings noting, “We are proud of

the fact that we have, and are continually

creating successful, kind and caring young

professionals with strong values who are able to

contribute to a better world of tomorrow. “

This thought captures the qualities of the

school. Like the finest of international labels found

in our closets, we like to think the brand, “ASB

made in Thailand, for over 30 years, especially for

our students” stands apart from the others.


Not Every Lesson is Learned

in the Classroom

B

angkok Patana’s Residential programme is an integral part

of the curriculum for students in both the Primary and

Secondary Schools. From Year 3 onwards, the carefully planned

Residential visits provide unique possibilities for students to develop

through experience; one of the main aims is to involve them

in activities and situations which they may not have previously

experienced.

Each visit, whether it be to Kanchaburi for three nights or

an outdoor adventure week in Pak Chong, is designed to enhance

the mainstream curriculum and provide opportunities for

personal and social development.

As students’ progress through the school, the experiences

they gain on Residential visits support increasing indepenence

and cover the following personal and social skills:

• independence and self-discipline

• initiative and problem solving

• confidence and self-esteem

• leadership

• development of sound relationships among students

• the ability to enjoy the environment without destroying it

• flexibility and consideration for others

• ability to work with others in a team

• development of sound relationships between students and

staff

• communication

But who better to tell you about the benefits of these visits

than one of the students? Here Tia, currently in Year 10, reflects

on what makes the Residential programme so unique:

““How was your Residential?” A question asked hundreds

of times by eager parents, at crowded airport terminals or the

front of school. But for every one of us, there were hundreds

of answers we wanted to give; answers that ranged from

camping underneath the stars to mountain biking for the very

first time, each one a new experience, a new surprise.

Answers that led to amazement from parents when they

14 ScandAsia.Singapore • April 2016

heard that we had achieved things of which we never thought

we were capable. Residentials are more than just a week’s

vacation from school work, parents and uniforms. The trips

are full of adventure, interacting with people around us, teamwork

and responsibility.

They are more than just a time when we can stay up late,

take loads of photographs and stock up on bags of candy.

They are places where you discover a side of you that you

never thought existed, where you suddenly divulge qualities

and skills you never knew you possessed. In the midst of it all

you find yourself by losing yourself.

You leave for the Residential visit as one person and return

another. An alter-ego, a new personality. A quiet, hard working

introvert found himself to be an outgoing, wild and carefree

adventurer. A first class traveller found herself loving a

night in a cramped tent.

Every trip is a new treasure of memories - a new journey

of discovery; of diverse places and people, of bonding and

exploration, of confidence and courage. Every year we add

a new dimension to our personality, a new facet to our character.

Without realising it, right from Year 3 in Primary through

to Senior Studies, Residential visits teach us what no textbook

ever could. They prepare us for what lies ahead.”

Fulfilling Potential

Since 1957

Residential visits form an integral part of our curriculum for all

students from Year 3 upwards.

These enrich learning, bolster personal and social development

and promote the important attributes of open-mindedness,

inquiry and informed risk-taking in our students.

643 Lasalle Road,

Bangna, Bangkok

www.patana.ac.th

admissions@patana.ac.th

+66 (0) 2785 2200

Bangkok Patana School is an IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC

April 2016 • ScandAsia.Singapore 15

From Concept to Creation:

The International

Baccalaureate Middle Years

Programme Personal Project

Wonderful things happen

when 15 and 16 year olds

take on a challenge that

interests them. Students

realize that when they set

their mind to it, they can do so much more than

they thought. They delve deep into research

and understand that some information out

there is more useful than others. They learn

numerous valuable skills and learn much more

about themselves.

The Personal Project is a significant capstone

project celebrating the final year of the IB Middle

Years Programme. Students choose to create

something, or achieve something in an area they

are passionate about. They choose their own

topic. The important part of the Personal Project

is actually the process: starting with an idea,

refining it into a goal, planning, doing research,

carrying out the work and reflecting on it all.

This year’s projects at KIS International

School in Bangkok included a wide spectrum of

interests including designing a humanoid robot,

making a flowboard, learning to play the violin,

creating an album with piano music composed

by the student, creating an Ibook about the

development of surgery, investigating applications

of nanotechnology, examining how people’s eyes

change with different emotions, and designing a

space suit.

Throughout the Personal Project students

hone their research, self-management, thinking,

communication and social skills.

Once the project is complete the students

share their product and learning experiences in

an exhibition. Visitors have the opportunity to

ask the students questions and learn about their

journey. Students gain confidence in presenting

and welcome the feedback given by others. The

final part of the personal project is writing a

report.

Many of the students use the personal project

to find out if certain fields of study or careers

would be suitable for them. One KIS student for

example created an architectural model of an

environmentally friendly house, enabling him to

have a glimpse of the kind of work an architect

would do, not just by creating the house but also

by speaking with experts in the field and using

software that architects use.

Another student wanted to use the project

as an opportunity to do something creative and

artistic before embarking on a career in sciences.

She chose to create a large work of mosaic art.

Annette Lillethun, from Norway, says of her

Personal Project: “Although the personal project

was challenging, we all showed persistence and

excitement through the process which can be

seen in the variety of final products we created

this year”.

Though the project requires a lot of work,

students appreciate the opportunity to do (within

reason) what they like to do, share it with others,

and then be graded on it. As one KIS student

said of the project :”Inspire yourself and inspire

others”.

This year’s KIS Personal Project presentations can be found on Youtube:

Group 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f656l4PhZww

Group 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ5FPB40jmA

Group 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZQkPMc5iB4


Bangkok, Thailand


Spend

Your Summer

in Phuket

Welcome to BISP

Summer School!

British International School, Phuket

(BISP) has developed its long running

summer camps for ages 8-15 yearsold,

and this year incorporates for

the first time BISP’s Sports Academy

programmes: Tennis, Football, and

Cirque Ed into the Skills School

programme.

The always popular Adventure

Sports & Activities Programme

has been strengthened to include

a stronger skills base along with

the usual fun and challenges, whilst

the framework for the English skills

school has been extended to fully

integrate the Cambridge English

Young Learners courses with the

option for end of course testing.

Choosing the Right Camp

for You

BISP Summer School gives students

a choice of programmes to join.

Participation can be as a Half Day,

Full Day or Full Time Camp student.

Registration can be from 1-4 weeks

Dates: Week 1. July 3-9, Week 2.

July 10-16, Week 3 July 17-23, Week

4 July 24-30

Experienced and Qualified

Staff

BISP Summer School is led this year

by a new team of experienced,

energetic, highly qualified directors,

teachers, coaches and support staff

teaching through the medium of

English, with additional language

support will be available in Russian,

Chinese, and Thai. A strong staff to

student ratio will be in place during

the activity sessions, and during the

night, ensuring the students are taken

care of whilst having fun during their

summer.

Weekly Structure for

Camps

Students will arrive on the Sunday

of their chosen week and will settle

in with welcome and orientation

games, meeting new friends and

teachers.

Monday to Saturday mornings

for those on the Skill School

Programme (English, Football,

Tennis and Cirque Ed) consists of

skills development in the student’s

chosen field.

Afternoons and evenings for

Skills School students will consist

of activities and trips with students

from all Skills School courses joining

together for fun – both on and off

campus.

The Adventure Sports &

Activities Programme will run

independently from the Skills School,

but if on campus at the same time,

then students may join together for

meals and activities. Departure day

for all programmes will be Saturday

afternoons and evenings.

Stay in the Best

Accommodation

For those joining the full-time camp

programme and staying on campus,

then a suitable boarding house will

be allocated, with boys and girls in

separate houses. Students will be

accommodated in single, twin or

dorm rooms with either private or

shared bathrooms.

For more information, contact us:

Tel: 076 335 555

Email: summer@bisphuket.ac.th

Website: www.summerphuket.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/summerphuket


Her er der intet

der står med småt

alt er inklusiv

Selvrisiko

kr. 0,-

Specielle priser til dig, der som

dansker er bosat i udlandet og skal

hjem på ferie. Fri kilometer, fuld

forsikring og ingen selvrisiko og mere

end 5000 biler at vælge imellem.

Vi tilbyder også leje af GPS, barnestole og

meget mere.

Ring på tlf. +45 89 33 11 33

eller book online på europcar.dk

ScanAsia_ April 2016.indd 1 17/03/16 12.09

International School of Bergen

International School of Bergen (ISB) is situated

on the west coast of Norway and offers an

English language learning environment to

students between the ages of 3 and 16.

Our mission is to provide an internationally

accredited education serving the business and

Bergen communities.

The educational programme of ISB has been

developed to help prepare its students for a

successful future. The school is accredited by the

Council of International Schools and the New

England Association of Schools and Colleges in

addition to being authorized by the International

Baccalaureate Organization to offer their Primary

Years and Middle Years programmes.

Our students and staff

All teachers hold university degrees and

appropriate teaching qualifications. Classes

are small. With students and staff representing

more than thirty different nationalities, we pride

ourselves in having a welcoming and including

community.

ISB was founded in 1975, giving us 40 years of

experience as an educational institution.

International School of Bergen

Vilhelm Bjerknesvei 15, 5081 Bergen, Norway

Phone: +4755306330

Website: www.isob.no || E-mail: post@isob.no

ENGELSKSPRÅKLIG PRIVATSKOLE

FOR BARN OG UNGDOM

MELLOM 3 OG 16 ÅR

• Få elever i hver klasse

• Trygt læringsmiljø med god individuell oppfølging

• God kontakt med foreldre

• Internasjonalt godkjente og utfordrende læreplaner

• Utmerkede resultater i internasjonale og norske nasjonalprøver

• Sentral beliggenhet med bybanestopp rett utenfor døren

For mer informasjon: www.isob.no eller post@isob.no


Bromsgrove International

School Thailand

provides an outstanding boarding and day school education

for students aged 2-18 years

Being affiliated with Bromsgrove School,

UK enables us to draw on over 460

years of experience in education. We

aim to bring the best aspects of that

history focusing on the development of

each student by providing them with a traditional

‘British’ education in an international setting.

Academically selective, BIST follows an enhanced

form of the English National Curriculum, which

enjoys an excellent reputation throughout the

world. The emphasis is on how to learn, rather

than just memorising factual knowledge, and

a great deal of importance is placed on the

students’ ability to work independently and to

develop their own critical thinking.

At BIST our children always come first. The

school offers a friendly, intimate and studentcentred

learning environment where each child

is placed at the very centre of the learning

process and will receive a broad and balanced

education from our highly qualified teachers.

The most important investment you will make

in your life will be in your child’s education. It has

the potential to pay dividends long after they

leave the school gates. Research, and then invest

wisely. Beware though, investment is not simply

financial. You will need to commit equal amounts

of patience, trust, aspiration and love to get the

best returns. If you are searching for a boarding

and day school in Bangkok that will honour that

type of commitment, welcome to BIST.

For more information, Contact 02 989 4873

Or visit http://www.bromsgrove.ac.th/


Agneta’s

World

Photographer: Daniel Herron

a visit to Titanium

If you have been living for a while in Bangkok,

you most probably know the bar Titanium

located on Sukhumvit, Soi 22?

As I’m not really a frequent visitor to

clubs, I wasn’t familiar with Titanium. I might

have been there once, years ago, but didn’t

remember much (not due to too much Vodka)….

This bar opened 9 years ago and believe it

or not, they have the same live band playing since

then. It’s a 100% girl band named UNICORN

GIRL BAND, all Thai girls. They play every night

starting at 10.00 pm midnight except Sundays. If

you like rock n’ roll, this band will be your choice.

I had a little chat with the manager, who is

very proud about the club and his large crew of

5o men/women. The club is so well known and

popular, that it doesn’t need any advertising, but


does have its own Facebook & webpage.

I asked who the guests are, foreigners or

locals? “Most foreigners and tourists.”

Except having a famous live band, this club

also has its own Ice Bar on the second floor. If

you need to chill for a while, just enter the small

bar with a bar desk made of ice and have a Vodka

shot, promising it gets you warm. Here you can

choose between at least 50 different Vodkas from

all over the world. The most popular is their

homemade Vodka with different flavors. I and

photographer Daniel tasted a Vodka Litchi and it

was delicious.

The Ice Bar keeps a temperature of -10

degrees. This was the very first Ice bar to open up

in Bangkok. Today you’ll find several, but most of

them have a temperature of -5 degrees.

I had to ask which Vodka is the most popular

and I did expect to hear ABSOLUT VODKA, but

I was wrong, it’s Finlandia.

Every night, well Monday until Thursday, my

favorite band, “BIG BOY BAND”, plays from

midnight until 1.30 am, Saturday from 9.30 pm

to 10.30 pm and on Sunday nights the whole

evenings. Don’t miss them, they are BIG. This is

a bar worth visiting. The hostesses, if I might call

the female staff so, are all dressed in Vietnamese

outfits. I asked if they also are from Vietnam but

no, they are all Thai.

Betty

If you cross the soi from Titanium, you will

find yourself at one of Bangkok’s favourite

restaurants Bangkok Betty, located in the

Holiday Inn ground floor level. This is, for

sure, a very special place. I had an interesting

talk with the marketing manager Mr. Selim, whose

mom is Swiss and dad from Tunisia. He told me

the whole story behind Bangkok Betty. The hotel

and Bangkok Betty belong to well-known, FICO

Company and is one of many clubs/restaurants

that belong to The Group Fenix Iron Fairies. Many

of you have probably been to Hotel Le Fenix at

Sukhumvit, soi 11.

Bangkok Betty got its name from the Second

World War when the iconic bombing planes

were called Betty. The decoration consists of

bombs and the typical Betty plane drawing. The

concept is American as well as the food.

It is the only place in Bangkok serving a thick

pizza deep dish that takes 15 minutes to prepare.

Selim told me, that he and his girlfriend had

shared one, but were not able to eat it all. Made

for big hunger…

Soon Bangkok Betty will start a Monthly

Deep Pizza contest. You pay an entree ticket and

you eat as much pizza as you can. The prize for the

winner, will be a T-shirt with the text “I survived

the Bangkok Betty pizza contest” and your name

on” The Wall of the Fame”, so very American.

Last but not least, the contestants receive a

package of Alka-Seltzer, which probably will be

most needed after such a pizza meal.

Bangkok Betty opened four years ago and

they also offer a mixture of DJ’s and live bands. If

you want to organize your private party, you can

do. The guests are mostly foreigners, tourists and

Holiday inn visitors.

To the same group, FICO Corporation, the

Iron Fairies, Fatz Gutz, Clouds, Fat’r Gutz, Bon Bon

and Maggie Choo belong, all very popular clubs.

Must admit, I don’t know any of them, but that

will change…

End of March Iron Fairies nr 2, called Dragonfly,

is opening up in Central Festival, East Village, Lao

Prao and a new Fat Gut’z has already had a soft

opening there.

Bon Bon

I

was recommended to visit Bon Bon in Thong

Loh soi 13, on a Thursday night when it’s

Ladies night out.

Here they don’t offer free flow for the

ladies as most bars, clubs and restaurants do.

Here you sit down, you get paper and pencil and

an art teacher teaches you how to draw e.g. a

man in a cage. Does it sound interesting? I thought

so and went to see it myself.

Wow, why have I missed out on ThongLoh

soi 13? I went there alone on a Thursday night,

wasn’t late, short after 8 p.m. Here I found, like

a square with several nice restaurants, pubs

etc. Went into Bon Bon and met a familiar face,

Johan Persimon Davidsson, the Swede behind

the scenes! Johan is known to many of us in

Bangkok. He has been and is, involved in a lot

of business and now Group General Manager

for all the places belonging to The Fenix and

Iron Fairies Group. At Bon Bon, many women

had gathered together with pencil and pad in

their hands, working hard on drawing a young

man and his violin, sitting in a cage. Does it

sound weird?

Every Thursday, some guy will be sitting

posing for a few hours in the cage and the ladies

have to draw. The lady, with the best drawing, wins

a bottle of Chandon. Believe me; all ladies were

much occupied with drawing and chatting. The

model, in the cage, was a professional musician

from Bulgaria and he took on this work for a few

hours that night. I didn’t think he could play violin,

but I was wrong, he was very good at it. What a

crazy idea, but it worked and I will be returning

to this place.

There is also an oyster bar and the bar Clouds,

with its interesting decoration and much more to

experience. More will follow.


มุมภาษาไทย l mum pha:să: thai l Thai Language Corner

The Most Useful

Thai Phrases ?

yes

Hello

What?

Sorry

By Klavs Johansen (thai@snakthai.dk)

Last month, we looked at the 10 most

frequent words in the Thai language,

while at the same time cautioning

that a word by word approach

may not be the best way to learn a

language. Instead, focusing on complete phrases,

and variations of these, will result in better

understanding and a higher degree of fluency.

At least that is my experience. Moreover, the

mostly used words may not be the most useful

words either, the former can be quantified

while selection of the latter is open to individual

judgement.

So, I thought, why not this time look at the 20

or so most useful phrases in Thai? Consequently,

I have made my own list of useful phrases,

off the top of my head rather than based on

statistics. Your list may be different, or you may

miss important phrases. I welcome questions,

proposals and discussions in the Thai Language

Corner group on Facebook.

In selecting the phrases, I have tried to keep

questions to a minimum as they tend to require

that you understand the answer and I have also

limited emergency phrases to one – help! In case

of emergency, the beginner and intermediate

learner are better off getting in touch with

the Tourist Police or English speaking health

professionals anyway. With these reservations,

here is my proposal for the most useful Thai

phrases, some of them, as you will see, consisting

merely of a single word:

สวัสดี / sàwàt di: / ~ hello, hi!

ไปไหน / pai năi / ~ hi (where are you going?)!

กินข้าวหรือยัง / kin khâ:o rŭe: yang / ~ hi

(have you eaten?)!

The last two phrases are normally used with


people you already know, the last phrase in

particular so, and this phrase also comes in a more

formal version, which is ทานข้าวหรือยัง / tha:n

khâ:o rŭe: yang /.

Thai language has no words corresponding

directly to English ‘yes’ and ‘no’, however the

following will normally be understood the way

you want to:

ใช่ / châi / ~ yes, and

ไม่ / mâi / ~ no.

To request, accept and refuse is also important

in any language, and you can use:

เอา / ao / ~ I would like, I want (to get

something), and

ไม่เอา / mâi ao / ~ no thanks!

To thank and apologize is probably used

somewhat more in Scandinavian culture than in

Thai,

ขอบคุณ / khòr:p khun / ~ thank you,

ขอบคุณมากนะ / khòr:p khun mâ:k ná› / ~

many thanks!

ขอโทษ / khŏr: thôr:t / ~ excuse me, sorry,

while the following phrase is famously Thai:

ไม่เป็นไร / mâi pen rai / ~ never mind, you

are welcome.

It may be useful to reduce expectations by

saying

พูดไทยได้นิดหน่อยเท่านั้น / phû:t thai dâi nít

nòri thâo nán / ~ (I) only speak a little Thai,

and having something repeated for a second

chance:

พูดอีกทีได้ไหม / phû:t ì:k thi:, dâi mái / ~

could you repeat that?

อะไรนะ / àrai ná› / ~ what? what did you say?

what is that?

The latter question can also be used when

pointing at something, however don’t overdo it

as it will probably sound as annoying in Thai as it

does in English.

In some situations, the question

ห้องน้ำาอยู่ที่ไหน / hôrng ná:m yù: thî: năi / ~

where is the rest room?

will seem the most useful in the world, and,

with a little luck, the answer may be reduced to a

finger pointing in the right direction.

It is also nice to be able to get the bill and leave:

เช็คบิลล์ / chék bin / ~ (may I have) the bill,

please?

Lastly, as promised, we have

ช่วยด้วย / chûai dûai / ~ help!

All of these short phrases can – and often will

be – followed by a polite particle depending on

the gender of the speaker. The words are:

ค่ะ / khâ / for female speaker. Note the falling

tone. It will change to high tone, คะ / khá› /, when

following a question, so we get:

สวัสดีค่ะ / sàwàt di: khâ: / ~ hello (female

speaker) and

ไปไหนคะ / pai năi khá› / ~ hi, where are you

going? (female speaker).

For male speakers, it’s a little easier, always use

ครับ / khráp / with a high tone, as in

อะไรนะครับ / àrai ná› khráp / ~ (sorry) what

(did you say)?

Finally, returning to my initial remarks, Tourist

Police in Thai is called ตำารวจท่องเที่ยว / tamrùat

thôr:ng thîao / and to get to English speaking

health professionals, you will receive the best

advice from your travel or health insurance

provider! Be sure to have their number and,

hopefully, you will never need it.

Stay safe and see you at the Thai Language

Corner on Facebook as well as same place next

month!

Vapor Restaurant and Bar provides a charming and modern, yet

rustic, ambience for diners with a choice of atmospheres in which

to enjoy a blend of Thai, American and French cuisine, or a range

of signature drinks blended from the freshest home grown herbs

and fruit.

Located in the middle of a stunning lake, the cooling breezes provide

comfort in the main open-sided restaurant or on the outdoor

Vista Terrace, where diners enjoy a more intimate experience day

or night. The banquet room provides air-conditioned comfort and

is also available for private hire.

With decades of experience, the Vapor team can easily arrange catering

at the restaurant or in private residences within or outside of Nichada

Thani.

Vapor’s signature drinks include the “Bangkok Symphony”; a perfect

balance of Thai herbs, and the “Lake Rhapsody” which uses organic and

home grown Butterfly pea flowers, in harmony with other ingredients,

to create a welcome and cooling respite from a hot day. The fare is

no less exciting, with Thai, American, French and Chinese influences

making their mark across the broad menu. The popular and authentic

Massaman Curry is expertly prepared with top quality Thai beef shank,

slowly simmered for 3 hours.

Vapor lies within the gated community of Nichada Thani, (known as the

expatriate Town of Thailand,). This cosmopolitan, vibrant and exclusive

neighborhood of over 1,300 homes encompasses 2 international

schools and a whole host of retail outlets and services within a lush,

high-end and secure environment, which has continually developed

over the years to respond to the ever changing demands of the

international community which it serves. Since opening in May 2015,

word has spread about this convivial little gem in Nonthaburi and diners

from surrounding neighborhoods are on the increase.


A good move

delivers

the biggest

smile.

When you see their smiles, you’ll know

you’ve made a good move. Trust Allied

Pickfords to make your home moving

simpler, seamless and stress-free for the

entire family. Relax, we carry the load.

Call us now at +66 2 361 3961

www.alliedpickfordsthailand.com

ScandAsia Thailand - April 2016

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