ScandAsia Thailand April 2015

APR 2015

How to

pick a school

ScandAsia.dk ScandAsia.fi ScandAsia.no ScandAsia.se

Coming Events

Annual General Meeting 2015

Scandinavian Society Siam

When: Thursday 23. April 2015, 18.30 – Registration

Where: Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok

Copyright:

Igor Yaruta / 123RF

Stock Photo

Your FREE

ScandAsia

Magazine

in Thailand

ScandAsia is the only magazine

that covers all the Danish, Finnish,

Norwegian and Swedish residents

in Thailand.

We also publish a ScandAsia

magazine in China, Singapore and

the rest of South East Asia.

Please sign up for

your own FREE copy:

www.scandasia.com

Publisher :

211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29

Prasert Manukitch Road

Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao

Bangkok 10230, Thailand

Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8,

Fax: +66 2 943 7169

E-mail: news@scandasia.com

Editor-in-Chief :

Gregers A.W. Møller

gregers@scandmedia.com

Assistant Editor:

Joakim Persson

Joakim@scandmedia.com

Advertising :

Finn Balslev

finn@scandmedia.com

Joakim Persson

Joakim@scandmedia.com

Piyanan Kalikanon

piyanan@scandmedia.com

Nattapat Maesang

nattapat@scandmedia.com

The Board of the Scandinavian Society Siam

requests the pleasure of your attendance at the

96th. Annual General Meeting.

After the Meeting, the Board is pleased to invite

you to join a dinner.

To participate in the dinner we request you

to kindly inform Treasurer Mr. Claus Gundersen

– clausgundersen@gmail.com – no later than 19.

April 2015.

DTCC AGM 2015 & Gala Dinner

When: Wednesday April 22nd, 2015 from 17:30

Where: Garden of the Danish Embassy

Price: Free for members.

Non-members may participate by joining and

paying the regular annual membership fee of 1.000

baht for singles and 2.000 baht for families.

Please take this opportunity to be part of

the discussion on the future direction of the

Scandinavian Society Siam and enjoy an informal

dinner together with other active members!

Graphic Designer :

Peerapol Meesuwan

Peerapol@scandmedia.com

Printing :

Siamprint Co., Ltd.

Daily news and

features here:

www.scandasia.com

Your chance to participate in the AGM and get

all the essential information of DanCham’s future

strategic and financial direction.

Enjoy a special dinner in the garden, fine

western dinner set served by Grand Millennium

Sukhumvit Bangkok

Dinner event THB 2,200 for Member and

Spouse / THB 2,600 for Non-Member (Winee,

beer and soft drinks will be served throughout

the dinner.)

More

Scandinavians

die in Thailand

The last 5 years, an increasing number of Swedes

and Norwegians have died in Thailand, while

the number of Danes seems to be somewhat

constant. The rising number of deaths do not

seem to correspond with a stagnant number

of Scandinavian visitors to Thailand, so the

explanation is to be found elsewhere.

by Lasse Henriksen

Despite a decrease in Swedish visitors in Thailand from

2013 to 2014 the amount of Swedes that died in the

country rose with 26 percent. According to Senior

Consular Officer at the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok Par

Kageby there is a quite obvious answer as to why this is

happening. More Scandinavians live in Thailand and these residents are

growing older.

“If you go back 5 years then 70 percent of the (Swedish) deaths

were accidents and 30% percent were natural. In 2014 70 percent of

the deaths were due to natural causes,” he says. According to Par Kageby

some of the most common natural death causes are heart attacks and

liver cirrhosis.

The total number of Scandinavian deaths in 2014 went up to 270

from 245 deaths in 2013. The last five years Norway like Sweden have

experience a steady growth in deaths, from 68 Norwegian deaths in

2010 to 102 in 2014. The relatively new Danish consul Birgit S. Kondrup-

Palmquist Carlstedt, were not able to go into details about the historic

development when ScandAsia called her, but she assessed that the amount

of deceased is somewhat constant. In 2014 a total of 58 Danes died in

Thailand, two less than the year before.

“It’s almost, always some sort of disease, last year we experienced one

suicide and one fatal traffic accident (among the Danish citizens who died

in Thailand red.), the rest died of natural causes,” Consul Birgit S. Kondrup-

Palmquist Carlstedt says.

Dead Norwegians are mostly old men

At the Norwegian Embassy their statistics paints a clear image of the

average deceased, 64 percent are over 60 years old and some 98 percent

are men. 75 percent of them have other insurance policies than travel

insurances and according to Brita Ve Magnusson, Counsellor at the

Norwegian Embassy’s Consular and Administrative Section, this might

indicate that they live in Thailand. So all in all it looks like most of the

Norwegians, that die in Thailand are elderly men that resides in the country.

“Last year only 2 of the Norwegians who died in Thailand were

women, and none of them died of natural causes,” Brita Ve Magnusson told

ScandAsia and added that last year some 12 percent of the Norwegian

deaths were caused by drowning- and traffic accidents.

Nobody knows how many Scandinavians live in Thailand

It is not as easy for Par Kageby to figure out how many Swedes live in

Thailand. 379 Swedes have registered themselves at the Swedish Embassy,

but Par Kageby estimates that the population is 10.000 to 15.000 and

currently growing. Brita Ve Magnusson cautiously estimates that around

4000 to 6000 Norwegians live in Thailand one year at a time, but can’t say

what the total number of Norwegians who resides here might be.

According to Danish Consul Birgit S. Kondrup-Palmquist Carlstedt, the

Danish embassy does not want to make an estimate, because they “do

not stand a chance to guess the number, when there is no requirement

to register”.

One of the main sources to the estimates is the number of people that

goes to the embassies and consulates to apply for a special certificate they

need to get a 1 year visas for Thailand. In the light of the amount of deaths

Par Kageby thinks the current estimate of Swedish residents in Thailand

might even be conservative.

“If you compare how many people die here with the number of

certificates we do and see that the number of Swedes that travels to

Thailand has gone down the last two years, while the number of our

consular cases is still increasing. So it is not connected to how many people

comes to Thailand but the number of Swedes who lives here,” Par Kageby

says and adds “When you compare the number of people that die with the

number of certificates we make, something doesn’t add up.”

In case of an emergency

No one is required to register at their embassies website when they move to

Thailand. But in the unlikely event of a disaster it is difficult for the embassies

to know where and with what strength they should strike with an effort to

find and help people, if they don’t know where and who to search for.

This has been an issue for Sweden before. A slow and inadequate

handling of the 2004 Tsunami in Thailand, where more than 500 Swedes

died, was considered one of the main reasons for the Foreign Minister Laila

Frievald’s 2006 resignation. According to Par Kageby the lack of information

will be challenging the Swedish Embassy in case of a new catastrophe.

“If a natural disaster happened somewhere in the northeast of Thailand,

we don’t have a clue how many Swedish people live there, if it is 2 or 150

people we are looking for,” Par Kageby says.

4 ScandAsia.Thailand • April 2015

April 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 5

News Brief

Ambassadors on road show to Sweden

During the first week of March 2015

Sweden’s Ambassadors to Southeast

Asia, including Ambassador Klas Molin

(Thailand), went on a road show together with

Business Sweden to make their cause for increased

Swedish trade and investment with the ASEAN

region, each ambassador also representing their

particular country as a business destination.

Their road show visited Lund/Malmö in

southern Sweden, Gothenburg on the Swedish

west coast and finally the capital, Stockholm.

The kick-off for road show took place at Ideon

Science Park in Lund to talk about investment

opportunities in Asia. Ideon is Scandinavia’s and

one of Europe’s most successful meeting places

for visionaries, entrepreneurs and for venture

capital.

The aim with the road show was to attract

more Swedish companies to invest in “the world’s

most dynamic region” and where the upcoming

ASEAN inner market AEC (ASEAN Economic

Community) starting in December 2015 will

be creating improved conditions for ASEAN

countries to generate growth.

In an open letter in the daily newspaper

Göteborgs-Posten, the ambassadors called for

more companies who dare to make investments

in this region.

“It is not enough that most of our major

established global companies are investing. We

also need to attract small and medium-sized

companies to take the leap over to Southeast

Asia.”

“Companies who have patience and ability to

build up relations will be able to succeed. In many

countries there are challenges with corruption, and

that weakens the CSR transcendently, but exactly

therefore it is important that Sweden shows

business presence. Many of the large multinational

Swedish companies have successfully been

established in Southeast Asia for decades and

it has also improved the business environment,

transparency and working conditions. Through

Swedish entrepreneurship, we can contribute to

a positive development.”

“Let us together meet the challenge of

increasing Swedish export. We will together

with Business Sweden, Swedish Export Credit

Corporation and the Export Credits Guarantee

Board do our best to welcome and support the

brave Swedish companies. We are wanted in

Southeast Asia, let us not miss the chance!”

Great interest for Danish jazz on grass

The Danish Embassy in Bangkok succeeded

to gather around 300 guests to their jazz

concert with Danish saxophonist Jakob &

Yasmin Dinesen ft. Koh Mr. Saxman. The organiser

had aimed for introducing their guests to real

Danish “hygge”.

“When we are in the garden on the grass, it

reminds us of a Danish park event in the summer,

where there are lots of jazz festivals in many cities

in Denmark,” Asbjørn Overgaard Christiansen

said.

He is head of the trade department at the

Danish Embassy and one of the organizers of the

event. But there is also another reason for the

choice of blankets on grass, Asbjørn tells.

“Blankets on grass makes the event more

relaxed and it gives us the opportunity to

introduce our guests to real Danish ‘hygge’, a

‘cozy atmosphere’,” he says.

“The music was just amazing,” one of the

guests said.

Besides the music, Carlsberg provided free

cold beers during the night.

“It was fantastic to see and listen to two of

the world’s best saxophonists and experience

how the whole band of Thai and Danish jazz


musicians (incl. a french piano master) worked

happily together, and also to see and hear Jasmin

charm the whole audience both of the young and

old generations. Thank you to the Danish Embassy

for opening their beautiful garden for such events

like in the old days. Hope you will soon repeat this

again,” commented a reader.

Danish Consulate

in Pattaya closed down

The Danish Consulate in Pattaya was closed down on 10th March

2015. According to the Embassy, the closing is part of an overall

adaption of the structure and tasks of the Danish Honorary

Consulates. The demand for consular services have changed, and also new

communication channels and technologies as well as new requirements

such as bio-metric production of passports has influenced the tasks of

Honorary Consulates.

The Danish Ambassador Mikael Hemniti Winther explains:

“Far most of the tasks that the Consulate is carrying out for the Danish

people can be done by e-mail or by surface mail directly to the Embassy

in Bangkok, and there is no need to go personally to the office or travel

to Bangkok. With the requirement of bio-metric registration for obtaining

a new passport, there would always be a need to visit the Embassy in

Bangkok anyway.

The only slight inconvenience, the Ambassador can think of would be

emergency passports and passports for children, where there will now be

a need to travel to Bangkok.

“However last year we only received less than 20 in total for those

two types, so it is hardly worth mentioning,” he adds.

The Ambassador thinks that the Danes in Pattaya will find that the

Embassy will provide a quick and efficient service for them either by e-mail

or normal postal services and with no need to go personally to the office.

“Danish people with more serious needs in terms of arrest, serious

illness, or other needs for assistance, will receive the same assistance as in

the past,” he adds.

Consul Stig Vagt-Andersen regrets the closure of the consulate which,

in his opinion, hurts the weakest of the Danes living in the Eastern Seaboard

area who regularly needs consular services. He adds, that as he has not

been consulted prior to the decision there has been no opportunity for

him to speak out for the Danish residents in the consulate district.

“Among the estimated 900 Danish visit, that we have had last year,

200 of them are pensioners on one year Thai retirement visa, whereof a

quarter are an average of 75 years old,” says Consul Stig Vagt-Andersen.

“Besides our elderly Danes then families with young kids under 12 will

also find it inconvenient to travel with infants to Bangkok to make their

children’s passports.”

“Danish enterprises in the Eastern Seaboard industrial estates and

shipping to Laem Chabang port will also be negatively affected as they no

longer will have access to flexible consulate services locally. This will sadly

create additional cost and loss of time for these companies”.

“I took the initiative to open the Danish consulate 16 years ago in

Pattaya, with support of Ambassador Niels K Dyrlund, based on a clearly

identified need for local consular services. At that time we reached

the clear conclusion that the consulate offered both cost benefits and

improved service levels.”

“Although we locally only have seen the need for consular services

grow steadily year by year, we however, have to accept that we regrettably

no longer will be able to provide these services,” says Stig Vagt-Andersen.


Marsch Siamese

“Marsch Siamese” played by Royal Danish Life Guards Music Corps

in honor of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 87th birthday.

By Henrik Toft Ravn Pedersen

On the occation of H.M.K.

Bhumibol Adulyadej’s’s birthday

December 5th 2014, the music

corps of the Danish Royal

Life Guard regiment, played a

musical composition that has travelled far – both

in time and space. The event took place during

the changing of the guardsmen at Amalienborg,

Copenhagen on December 2rd.

The “Marsch Siamese” was composed in

honor of Prince Klang Satharn Rajawongse who

served in The Royal Danish Life Guard regiment

as guardsman number 1000.

Prof Wongkulpat and Eric Borgouis at Museum og Royal Life Guards Rosenborg Barracks

where his grandfather served.

Prince Satarn Klang in The King’s

service

Siam 1883. It was decided that the two Thai

princes Satharn Klang and Pheen Leck should be

sent abroad for military service and thereafter

officer’s education. The two princes were sent to

Denmark for enrolment in respectively the Royal

Life Guard regiment and at the Royal Danish naval

academy in Copenhagen.

Already at this time the Thai-Danish bonds

were strong due to the relation between the

two royal families and also thanks to a special

Danish naval officer – Andreas du Plessis de

Richelieu. Richelieu who had started his service

in the Siamese navy in 1875 and advanced to a


Prince Satharn Klang in Gala uniform

of Royal Life guards

Chief of orchestra, Eric Enstrøm,

Ambassador Miss Vimon Kidchob,

Eric Bourgois historic manager at the

Royal Life Guard museum in front of

Orchestra at Amalienborg.

(Photo by Captain Thomas Reimann,

Press officer Royal Life Guard.)

position of trust by King Chulalongkorn had been

entrusted with escorting the two young princes

from Siam to Denmark.

History would later show that Richelieu

would become the embodiment of Thai-Danish

relations as he and several other Danish officers

took part in Siam’s defense against the French

colonial power at the naval base Pak Nam in July

1893.

The two young Princes left Bangkok 11 April

1883 with the admiral and travelled over India

and U.K. To finally arrive in Aarhus, Denmark

on 8 June 1883. The journey took the young

princes and the Admiral over Trankebar (the old

Danish Settlement) on the Indian east coast to

the British colonial commercial metropolis of

Bombay. The Admiral described the journey in

detail in his handwritten dairy and an encounter

in the finest colonial hotel in Bombay embodies

the sentiments of the admiral. When the Admiral

entered the hotel, the management denied to

service the two young princes as they were

Asians – the admiral strongly berated the English

management for lack of manners and promptly

moved with his young protégées to another hotel.

After a two month journey, Richelieu and the

princes arrived in Aarhus, where they were to

live with a family and get initial Danish language

training and later move to the Osterbro district

of Copenhagen. Three years later, in 1886 the

Princes were ready to be enrolled in military

service, Prince Satarn Klang would join the third

company of The Royal Life Guard Regiment as

Guardsman number 1000 – a distinct honor. His

half brother prince Pheen would enroll in the

Danish Naval Academy as a naval cadet.

A dilligent, competent and popular

soldier

It was said that Prince Satarn Klang was well liked

amongst his peers both due to his competences

as a soldier, but also for his sense of humor, which

was highly congruent with the Danish mentality.

The two brothers were also regarded highly by

the Royal Danish family, who would frequently

invite them to the Sunday family dinners at

Amalienborg Castle.

Prince Pleen completed his naval training at

Royal Danish Naval Academy to become a naval

officer and to this very day his photograph can

be seen on a wall of honor on the second floor

of the Danish naval academy together with nine

other Thai naval cadets who have completed their

training in Denmark.

After completing his conscription, Prince

Satarn Klang went on to become an officer. In

1892 he was appointed Commander of 2nd

class and received The Order of the Dannebrog.

Thereafter, he retired from the Danish military

and had planned to gain further military education

in Paris. However, due to incident with the French

colonial power in Siam both princes were to

return to their country in 1893.

Even as an elderly man, Prince Satarn Klang

maintained his Danish language proficiency

and stayed in touch with his dear friends in

Denmark. He never forgot about his time in

The Royal Life Guard regiment and was officially

appointed as an honorary member of the Royal

Life Guard Regiment’s association in 1932. Prince

Satharn Klang died in 1940 in Bangkok after a

life full of substantial personal and professional

achievements.

“Marsch Siamese”

In Copenhagen 2006, the bandmaster of the

Royal Guard regiment, Per Harbeck, received a

special donation from a great-grandson of the

composer Hans Niels Hass, who at his death in

1913, was the bandmaster of the Danish Costal

Artillery.

The donation was a set of musical scores

composed by his grandfather. Amongst these

scores was the “Marsch Siamese” which was

dedicated to “His Royal Highness Prince Mom

Rajawongse Satarn Klang of Siam” -also distinct

honor.


preserved Siamese national flag brought back to

Denmark by his grandfather.

Prof Wongkulpat and grandson of Admiral Richelieu, Mr. Jean Just holding a Large Siamese Silk flag brought

back to Denmark by the Admiral.

Prof Wongkulpat and Eric Borgouis at Museum og Royal Life Guards Rosenborg Barracks where his

grandfather served.

In 2007 Carsten Geisler, the score-writing

specialist of the Band of the Royal Guard, wrote

modern scores from the original handwritten

scores. Thereafter, the marcsh was rehearsed by

the present music corps of the Royal Life Guards.

It was played for the first time, in recent times,

at a change of the guards at Frendensborg castle

in 2008.

With the kind permission of the Orchestra

chief Mr. Erik Enstroem, Danish honorary consul

Stig Vagt-Andersen in 2011 obtained a copy of

the scores and permission to share the unofficial

recording with interested parties in Thailand

and thus renewed the interest for revival of the

historic piece of music.

The youngest grand son of Prince Satharn

Klang – professor Dr. Wongkulpat Snidvongs

joined a visit to Denmark and Norway to trace

his grandfather’s Danish days and visitied the

Royal guards barracks at Rosenborg Castle. Mr.

Eric Lerdrup Bourgois, chief historian of the Royal

guards kindly received Prof Wong at Rosenborg

barracks and showed him the museum, which

has a photograph of Prince Satharn Klang among

the other Royal officers who have served at the

Royal guards.

Prof Wongkulpat was presented with a

special gift from the commander of the Royal

Danish guard, Chamberlain Colonel Klavs Lawes

to bring back to his majesty King Bhumiphol

of Thailand as a symbol of the high esteem of

friendship for Thailand.

During his visit he also went to Northern

Zealand to meet the grandson of Admiral

Richelieu Mr. Jean Just who himself has served

as an officer of the reserve at the Royal Guards.

Last year Mr. Jean just visited Thaialnd to

return Admiral Richelieu’s old blue silk navy

commander flag to the Royal Thai Navy. He

showed Prof Wongkulpat another uniquely well

H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s

birthday

On December 5th 2014, His Majesty King

Bhumibol Adulyadej turned 87 years old. The

King is the longest sitting monarch in the world

and, if any, he has the hearts and minds of the

Thai people.

As a special gesture and admiration for

historical events in mind it was decided that the

music corps of the Danish Royal Life Guards

regiment should recite the charismatic march

on 2 December to honor H.M. King Bhumibol

Adulyadej on the occation of his birthday on 5

december 2014.

The six hours time difference resulted in the

“Marcsh Siamese” being playing simultanously

with the “trooping of the colours” and oath

ceremony by the Thai Royal Gguard in Bangkok.

Thanks to Prof Wongkulpat who is chairman of

the board of Loxinfo, the Thai broadcast of the

Trooping of the colours were internet streamed

so it could be seen at the Rosenborg Barracks.

Thailand’s Ambassador to Denmark

at Amalienborg

On this occassion, the Royal Danish Life Guard

regiment welcomed Thailand’s ambassador

to Denmark H.E. Miss Vimon Kidchob. The

ambassador arrived at the Royal Life Guard

regiments garrison next to Rosenborg Castle

in Copenhagen before noon on December

2nd. Here she first listened to the music corps

rehearsal of the “Marsch Siamese”. Thereafter she

visited the regiment’s historic exhibition which is

located within the garrison and saw the photo

displayed of Prince Satarn Klang.

Afterwards she followed the guards and

band to Amalienborg and experienced the march

being played at the royal palace Amalienborg for

the first time in more than a century.

The musical scores for “March Siamese” has

now been given to the Thai Royal Guards as well

as the Thai military academy where Prince Klang

where the first commander. It is thus the hope

that “Marsch Siamese” can be played in both

Copenhagen and Bangkok as a unique symbol of

the historic and present good bilateral relations.

A long forgotten music piece came to life

and confirmed that the warm and strong bonds

between Thailand and Denmark are still strong

and very much alive.

Unofficial recordings are available at youtube

(by H.E. Miss Vimon Kidchob)

http://youtu.be/qu4E9pkSc8c

and the rehearsal at barracks of Rosenborg

castle; http://youtu.be/yIGhId5fTYo

Opening housr for the Historical collection of

the Danish Royal Life guards;

Saturdays and sundays 11.30-15.00

Livgardens Historiske Samling

Livgardens Kaserne

Gothersgade 100

E-mail: historisksamling@mil.dk


Last glass facade installed

at Bhiraj Tower at EmQuartier

Bhiraj Buri Group, one of Thailand’s

leading property developer led by

Dr. Prasarn Bhiraj Buri, President &

CEO, Mrs. Prapee Buri, Chief Financial

Officer, Mr. Pitiphatr Buri, Executive

Director and Ms. Panittha Buri, Executive Director

recently installed the final piece of curtain wall

on the 43rd floor balcony at “Bhiraj Tower at

EmQuartier”. This distinguish Grade A office

building is located in the prime area of Sukhumvit

road connecting to Prom Phong BTS station.

The installation is to complete the outside

construction and the building will be launched

in March 2015.

Bhiraj Tower at EmQuartier is built according

to engineering principal and modern innovation.

The building is designed to use vacuum insulated

glasses, which comprise of 2 types of glasses

namely Low E glass and reflective glass. These

glasses work as 2 layers of insulated glass, which

For more information contact:

CBRE Tel: 02-662-2010

is modern technology and high quality materials.

This can help using natural light effectively,

reducing leak of inside sounds and ventilating

heats. It helps saving energy from reducing uses

of air conditions.

Bhiraj Tower at EmQuartier installed 5,487

pieces of curtain walls for 28,596 square metre,

worth more than 300 million baht. The last 1.2

x 1.56 square metre piece of curtain wall was

installed in a meeting room on the 45th floor with

180-metre high above sea level.

Bhiraj Tower at EmQuartier is a 45thfloor

premium office building becoming a new

landmark on Sukhumvit road in Prom Phong

area. The construction is in a “mix use” concept

comprising of a department store for office

worker’s lifestyle. It is located in a prime economic

location including an easy access to transportation

and main roads of Bangkok.

Dr. Prasarn Bhiraj Buri (2nd from left), President

& CEO, Mrs. Prapee Buri (far left), Chief Financial

Officer, Mr. Pitiphatr Buri (2nd from right)

Executive Director of and Ms. Panittha Buri (far

right), Executive Director at the installaton of the

final piece of curtain wall on the 43rd floor balcony

at “Bhiraj Tower at EmQuartier”.


Thai-Swedish

Chamber of Commerce

Annual General

Meeting 2015

By Joakim Persson

Kenneth Radencrantz, former President of Thai-

Swedish Chamber of Commerce, resigned from the

board after many years of dedicated service.

President Jan Eriksson reported on the Chamber

Strategy, which includes having established working

committees within the Board.

On Thursday 26 February 2015

the Annual General Meeting

of the Thai-Swedish Chamber

of Commerce (TSCC) was

held, traditionally at Sheraton

Grande Sukhumvit in Bangkok. The AGM saw

two veterans within TSCC, in particular Worachai

Bhicharnchitr, resigning after 25 years of service!

Worachai is the only Governor of the Board

that has served the Chamber since its inception.

Kenneth Radencrantz also resigned after a many

years of service, mainly due to retiring back to

Sweden, where he and his wife will spend a larger

part of the year onwards.

Jan Eriksson (Spica), Hakan Alm (Vision

House), Lars Andersson (Capaciton) were

resigning and running for re-election. Anders

Olsson (MDVAColor) and Joakim Persson

(ScandMedia) were nominated as new Governors

to the Board. These were unanimously elected

by the AGM along with Björn Richardsson

(Oakwood Residence), Christer Nilsson (Media

Partner), Dan-Åke Enstedt (Saab Asia Pacific),

Eric Hallin (Rembrandt Hotel & Towers), Fredrik

Bergman (Diakrit), Jacques Michel (Volvo Group),

Johan Nordqvist (Amadeus), Lars Svensson

(Oriflame Cosmetics) and Sutti Manokitjarunman

(Elextrolux Thailand).


The Chamber reported on the Activities and

Events from the past year. Many events were coorganised

with the Nordic chamber partners, as

well as other international Chambers in Thailand

in order to offer more quality events on a winwin

basis.

“Increased co-operation gives more for less,”

Director Peter Björk reported.

The most important event during 2014

had been the celebration of TSCC’s 25 Years

Anniversary with a 3-day exhibition and a gala

dinner, which had taken up most of the resources

in terms of planning and execution as the main

activity during the year. TSCC needs to have such

a big project each year in order keep up the

revenue stream needed, the AGM was told.

President Jan Eriksson (also re-elected as such

by the new Board) reported on the Chamber

Strategy, which includes having established working

committees within the Board. Chairman of each

is a Board member. TSCC is also a member of

Board of Trade

Lobbying activities take place both directly

and indirectly. Indirectly TSCC is involved through

JFCCT, various committees and EABC.

“Sweden is rather well represented,” commented

Jan Eriksson. He underlined what TSCC

spends a lot of time in these groups and also in

connection with the other foreign chambers.

Directly TSCC communicates with the Thai

Government and public institutions in Thailand.

Among the things the Chairman mentioned

from these activities was the interest of Thailand’s

current government to simplify things for

foreigners working here. A result is that the 90

days reporting will soon become electronic.

The AGM continued reporting, and commenting,

on the balance sheet and financial result

for the year and with a comparison with previous

year, plus forecasting. The Chairman said that the

Chamber had set up some KPIs, which included

getting more members as one driving force.

In 2014 TSCC had 120 members, of which 43

were individuals, 58 corporate and 19 Premium

members. Membership income increased year

by year.

Following on the AGM, TSCC members and

guests enjoyed a Dinner consisting in: Chicken

Pastrami, Semi-dried tomato, walnut aquavit

lemon dressing, and shaved fennel as starter;

Pan-seared salmon, potatoes, spring vegetables

and dill cream sauce as main course; and Valrhona

chocolate tart with Maracuja sorbet as dessert.

Closing the long night was the special Guest

Speaker for the Dinner: Dr. Don Nakornthab,

Director of Macroeconomic Policy Office, Bank

of Thailand. Dr. Don entertained the guests by

sharing a few anecdotes connecting him with

Sweden. A great inspiration for Dr. Don to finish

up his studies in the U.S had been the prominent

Swedish professor in political economy Lars E. O.

Svensson. Speaking on the topic of ‘The economic

outlook for Thailand 2015’ a main conclusion from

Dr. Don was that Thailand’s growth in the foreseeable

future would not be high enough to develop

the country on par with how countries in the

west had done. The disparities between the few

big cities versus the countryside were still very

high, and the Thai population is still impeded by

high household debt and depressed farm income.

The prospect of a public investment shortfall

and the slow recovery of domestic demand in

turn have weighed on the investment decisions

of most private businesses. It was crucial that the

current government would sign off on and get

infrastructure projects going, and with a volume

that the next elected government would have to

follow through on.

Furthermore, Thailand badly needed to

upgrade its export of obsolete products (such

as hard disks) such as the manufacturing which is

losing in demand, where manufacturers of solid

state drives (SSDs) are currently setting up their

factories in other countries.


Thailand deposits

rice seeds

in Svalbard Global

Seed Vault

Thailand has opened up a “bank box” in the

Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the far North of

Norway half way to the North Pole. The idea is

to keep valuable genetic material safe for future

generations “what ever may come”.

Photo: Dag Terje Filip Endresen

Obsession over doomsday

scenarios may be the exclusive

domain of astrophysicists,

science fiction buffs or End-ofthe-World

cult members. But

national governments around the world, while

not susceptible to irrational fears, have been

quietly making preparation for less dramatic

events, like pest or plant disease epidemics or

natural or man-made catastrophes that could

wipe out major food crops.

The Thai government, along with those of 231

other countries, has chosen the Svalbard Global

Seed Vault in Norway’s far north to preserve the

genetic diversity of the country’s food crops for

future generations. Thailand’s Agriculture Ministry

has deposited 81 varies of rice seeds at the seed

vault, considered the most secure in the world.

Located deep inside a mountain on a remote

island in the Svalbard archipelago, halfway

between mainland Norway and the North Pole,

Global Seed Vault is ensconced in permafrost

and offers ideal conditions for safe storage of the

world’s most comprehensive seed collections.

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s

visit to the Global Seed Vault in March 2013

to deposit two species of Thai bean was the


photo : IRRI Images/Wikipedia

beginning of Thailand’s contribution. On her

return to Thailand, the princess suggested to the

Agriculture Ministry’s Department of Rice to

consider depositing Thai rice seeds there in order

to preserve rice seed, not only for Thai people but

also for the benefit of the world.

In July 2013, Thailand’s Rice Department

delegations brought 81 varieties of rice seed

which was selected and duplicated from 25,000

rice varieties maintained in the rice seed bank of

Thailand, to deposit in the Svalbard Global Seed

Vault.

According to the Global Seed Vault, the

reason the world need a maximum security

depository of seeds even though there are

already more than 1,700 genebanks that hold

collections of food crops for safekeeping is

because many of them are vulnerable, exposed

not only to natural catastrophes and war, but also

to avoidable disasters, such as lack of funding or

poor management.

“Something as mundane as a poorly

functioning freezer can ruin an entire collection.

And the loss of a crop variety is as irreversible as

the extinction of a dinosaur, animal or any form

of life,” it said.

It was the recognition of the vulnerability

of the world’s genebanks that sparked the idea

of establishing a global seed vault to serve as a

backup storage facility. The purpose of the Vault

is to store duplicates (backups) of seed samples

from the world’s crop collections.

Permafrost and thick rock ensure that the

seed samples will remain frozen even without

power. The Vault is the ultimate insurance policy

for the world’s food supply, offering options for

future generations to overcome the challenges

of climate change and population growth. It will

secure, for centuries, millions of seeds representing

every important crop variety available in the

world today. It is the final back up.

The Seed Vault has the capacity to store 4.5

million varieties of crops. Each variety will contain

on average 500 seeds, so a maximum of 2.5 billion

seeds may be stored in the Vault.

Currently, the Vault holds more than 830,000

samples, originating from almost every country in

the world. Ranging from unique varieties of major

African and Asian food staples such as maize, rice,

wheat, cowpea, and sorghum to European and

South American varieties of eggplant, lettuce,

barley, and potato. In fact, the Vault already holds

the most diverse collection of food crop seeds

in the world.

The focus of the Vault is to safeguard as

much of the world’s unique crop genetic material

as possible, while also avoiding unnecessary

duplication. It will take some years to assemble

because some genebanks need to multiply stocks

of seed first, and other seeds need regenerating

before they can be shipped to Svalbard.

A temperature of -18ºC is required for

optimal storage of the seeds, which are stored

and sealed in custom made three-ply foil packages.

The packages are sealed inside boxes and stored

on shelves inside the vault. The low temperature

and moisture levels inside the Vault ensure low

metabolic activity, keeping the seeds viable for

long periods of time.


Agneta’s

World

Pea

Soup

for Ladies

Pea soup with hot

Punsch reminds me of

dark and cold winter

evenings in Sweden!

During the long, cold winters

in Sweden, it has always been

popular to invite a little circle

of friends together on Thursday

evenings, to enjoy the Yellow Pea

soup with small pieces of salted pork and thyme.

The soup can be homemade or just bought in a

can or plastic roll. You can easily find this popular

soup in almost every store. Some people take

mustard to add more spice to the soup and it

tastes yummy.

To this you usually drink a cold beer and, not

to forget, a hot Punsch. Pancakes with whipped

cream and strawberry or blueberry jam, are to

be followed after the soup. It is easy to eat too

much, but it is just so delicious.

For several months, Rembrandt Hotel has

offered the men (yes you saw it right, the men)


I am a

walker

in Bangkok

a Pea Soup evening every third Thursday monthly. It became, from

the beginning, a great success and I think many of us women were

annoyed that we were not allowed to join…….

As these events take place in the Presidential Suite, it also offers

a kind of “home feeling”.

I remember from my high school years, that every winter month

I had some good friends, males and females home for Pea Soup and

before the soup, we used to sit in the sauna and just chatted and

had one or two beers together. These evenings are dear memories

that I often think about.

Believe it or not, now, since two months, we ladies also have our

Pea soup evenings at Rembrandt, same as for the men……second

Thursday monthly.

The first evening we were only eleven ladies, but already the

second month, the number of participants had increased with 100%.

We are a group of ladies. all ages and not just Swedes. We have

great fun.

David Nilsson, who has been working a long time at Rembrandt,

is in charge of these events and he has put his whole heart into it. I

think he was quite impressed by us ladies last time. We managed to

drink a lot of wine and for us it was just ridiculous to buy coupons

for one glass, we changed it into bottles. We also stayed so long that

David left for home and his staff started to clean and arrange for

next day. I am sure, they prayed for us to leave and we did at last. It

was a really enjoyable evening, so if you are free next month, book

a Pea Soup ladies’ night at Rembrandt, - you want regret it!

If I can walk, I will. But walking in Bangkok is not that easy and

both shoes and feet suffer. You mustn’t forget to look down at the

pavement. There are plenty of different things sticking up between

the stones and lazy street dogs that you have to jump over along

with plenty of other obstacles. Your shoes don’t remain intact for

long.

In Europe it’s not much of a problem finding shoes that fit me. I

normally have shoe size 39 and that is not unusually big for my height,

174 cm. To go out in Bangkok or anywhere else in Thailand, to find shoes

in my size that feel comfortable and look nice, is almost like looking for

a needle in a haystack. How often have I heard the salesman/woman

telling me “don’t have elephant size mam”, no mostly they are not that

impolite saying “elephant size”, but they let me know that my feet are

big. I have looked everywhere, even had shoes made, but never been

quite satisfied.

Since Terminal 21 opened, I have found a cute little shop named

BALLERINA and as the name says, they have plenty of nice Ballerina

shoes in almost all colors. They are made of real leather and are very

reasonably priced. Best of everything all, they have big sizes, up to 42,

they are like house shoes, no more blisters. I have seen this shop also in

Central Embassy and there might be even more branches. Just a little

tip-off for ladies with big feet.

THESE SHOES ARE MADE FOR WALKING……….


First Thai

sex worker

on Danish stage

May 1 st , Thai sex worker Thanta Laovilawanyakul

enters the Danish stage in Copenhagen to

add a new perspective to the question; why

do Westerners travel around the globe to get

something as ordinary as sex.

By Louise Bihl Frandsen

One by one, people from the

audience will be lead onto

the stage to play different

experiences with sex worker

Thanta Laovilawanyakul at Betty

Nansens Theatre in Copenhagen in May.

The controversial play ‘Love-Theatre’ has

been developed by two Danish instructors: Tue

Biering and Jeppe Kristensen.

“The sex industry is a very unique ‘place’ to

see how we behave and who we are as citizens in

a modern time with capitalism and globalization,”

Jeppe Kristensen says.

In several years, the two instructors have been

curious about the phenomenon with Westerners

travelling around the globe to get something

as banal as sex. And they want to investigate

the different feelings, which they believe exist

in this specific industry – such as respect, selfesteem,

fantasy and the need of engaging in

deeper relations.

“Our curiousity, and not our opinions, will

control the play to make us try and understand

what happens in this industry – and through this;

try and understand modern identity as well,”

Jeppe says.

A complex job

Thanta Laovilawanyakul plays one of the mainroles

in the play ‘Love-Theatre’ – the audience plays the

other. Thanta will choose who is going with her

on the stage. Through acting she wants to show

the Danish audience what men in the industry

are looking for.

“Clients want to feel comfortable. Some of

them do not want sex but just someone to talk to

and someone that listens. Some of them are even

looking for a friend,” Thanta says.

According to Thanta, her job as a sex worker

has many different aspects. She sees herself as a

professional giver of love.

“My job is about love in the sense of giving

care and support to customers. I allow them to let

go and be themselves, and it makes me feel that

my job is very important,” she says.

She explains and shows with her eyes and

bodylanguage, how she will connect with the

Thanta is helping her mother with her clothing store

in the city Korat.


person, she brings to the stage. But laughs, when I

ask her to act with me.

“Go see the play, and you will see,” Thanta

laughs while slightly blushing.

A real person

When the Betty Nansen Theatre in Copenhagen

recreated the movie Pretty Woman on stage, they

hired sex workers from the street to play the

different characters.

The play ‘Love-Theatre’ is different, because

it is not a recreation of a movie, but a recreation

of a lived life: The life of Thanta Laovilawanyakul.

“We want to know, what happens in that

moment, when a sex worker and a client meet.

What is love and what is theatre?” Jeppe Kristensen

explains and continues:

“It is quite essential for us that the actors

in the play are ‘normal’ people – not famous

Hollywood actors, but people who lived a life

with experiences, which they can transfer to the

Theatre,” Jeppe says.

Prejudice on prejudice

When Thanta Laovilawanyakul started as a sex

worker, she started feeling sad about what she

was doing, because she felt that society was

looking down on her profession.

“I remember people walking by the bar, where

I was working at that time, and they were looking

at us in a certain way,” she says.

Although she had many different jobs and

possibilities to do other things at that time, she did

not want to stop working as a sex worker.

“I found out that I was providing useful

services. I have helped people and they have been

able to move on with their lives, and that really

makes me proud of, what I am doing,” she says.

Thanta started working as a sex worker, when

she was 22. Today she is 43.

The right job

Although Thanta is happy with being a sex worker

today, she believes there is a long way to improve

the working conditions for sex workers and the

industry in general. The big challenge is to change

the society’s opinion about the profession.

“We are working in legal bars and nightclubs,

but still we are considered as outlaws,” she says

with a certain look in her eyes.

In her opinion, it is a process, like in any other

job, to become good at what you are doing.

To help improve the working conditions in the

industry, she teaches other sex workers – both

men and women, how to be safe and how to

become professional.

She hopes that by passing on her own

experiences, she will be able to help others, who

choose to become a sex worker.

“We have the right over our own body - it

does not belong to any society. The society and

the culture should no longer dictate what women

or men should do,” she says.

Thanta has also been writing a book about

the life of a sex worker called: “The Right Job”.

Thanta thinks that

when society judges

the sex industry, it

not only hurts the

sex workers’ feelings

but it also make their

profession unsafe.


Unique design

at Vartika Resovilla KuiBuri

Vartika Resovilla

KuiBuri proudly

offers its uniqueness

in terms of design

of both the interior

and exterior of

the resort.


With the concept “Experience a new

world with every visit”, we guarantee

the guests that they cannot get

enough with the resort with internationallydesigned

accommodation. The variety ranges

from villas decorated as in a country such as Bali,

China, Bohemian, Japan, India, Siam, and Europe,

and all the way to suites with sea view located

right next to the beach. A particular highlight

would be the Penthouse where the guest can

experience the panoramic sea view through 180

degree curved window glass.

New room every night?

Not two rooms are identical. Every little detail

in the room both the scent and bathroom

decorations are different to the pleasure of those

staying in that particular room. Because the resort

has 23 different rooms to explore. It would

even be our pleasure if the guest wants to shift

one room to another night by night, there is no

problem at all.

Even the shampoo, conditioner, and shower

gel are homemade and produced by Vartika spa.

They certainly all use natural herbs and other

ingredients. Regularly, they rotate new recipes

with the initiations of expertise. Often, the one

that impresses the guest most they would like to

purchase either for own use at home or in bulk

since they love it so much.

The Traveller’s

Vartika Resovilla Kuiburi also offers an all day

dining restaurant named The Traveller’s where

both Thai and Western food is served. Many

dishes have earned awards and all are elaborately

cooked by our talented chef.

By the end of the day, the dinner on the

beach close to the sea with BBQ seafood is an

unbeatable experience. Eating, chatting, enjoying

the fresh air, and listening to the sound of the

sea are definitely what you want before your

day vanishes.

VARTIKA Resovilla KuiBuri

69 Moo 5, Bornok, Muang,

Prachuapkhirikhan 77210

Tel: +66 32 820 164-7

+66 89 887 7539

www.vartikakuiburi.com

www.facebook/vartikakuiburi



How to

pick a school


Copyright: Igor Yaruta / 123RF Stock Photo

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 vs 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. They will

develop other ways of thinking that might be very

different from their schoolmates at home.

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.

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.

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. And remember that

the age of the school is no sure indication either.

Nothing guarantees that the reputation of a

hundred year old school is better than a oneyear-old

school.

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

tongue language. On some of the international

schools, the different Scandinavian communities

have organized mother tounge language lessons

as a supplementary course.

It all depends on the needs of your child.

Many children already have a long day in school

with lessons in Thai, English and other courses, so

if the lessons are not included on the schedule, a

normal day in school can all the sudden become

very long and exhausting.

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.


From NIST to the Halls

of the United Nations

While many spent the spring

holiday sunbathing on

beaches, visiting exotic

countries or spending time

at home with their families,

22 students from NIST International School’s

Model United Nations (MUN) team were

working hard, preparing speeches and writing

resolutions in anticipation of the annual three-day

SEASAC MUN conference. From 27 February

to 1 March, they and students from almost a

dozen international schools around the region

came together at UWCSEA East in Singapore to

debate real-life issues, all through the perspective

of the countries they represented.

Though NIST offers over 300 extra-curricular

activities, Model United Nations is unique in that

it is based on a real organization that influences

world affairs on a daily basis. Through research,

debates and dialogue, students tackle contentious

regional and global issues, and identify the best

possible solutions. This model reflects the actual

day-to-day operations of the UN and prepares

students for possible careers in international

affairs, law and non-governmental agencies. More

importantly, it provides them with a unique

perspective into the lives of others, fostering a

sense of empathy and justice.

The annual MUN conference attended by

the NIST students, organized through the South

East Asia Student Activities Conference, allows

them to hone their skills against their peers

from other top schools in the region. Through

this they engage with others who represent

an astonishingly diverse range of nationalities,

cultures, religions and backgrounds. As they took

to the stage to represent their countries, they not

only debated ISIS, economic development and

human rights, but also gained the confidence to

take their experiences to the next level and make

a positive impact on the world.

And ultimately, isn’t that what education

should do?

Yana Charoenboonvivat, second-year MUN participant

Before participating, I was always afraid of

voicing my opinions in public. My attitude

towards public speaking changed once I attended

SEASAC MUN. I was placed in a committee

where I was obligated to speak and soon gained

my confidence.

Kohei Hayakawa, first-year MUN participant

As a delegate with only two conferences under my

belt, I was first intimidated by the atmosphere and

the seriousness. But as the conference got underway,

I realized that anyone who wanted to debate was

welcome, and I was able to step up and go to the

podium, where I was able to gradually learn how to

debate effectively.



Learning Environments

for the 21 st Century and Beyond

“Good facilities do more than teach,

they inspire. They aspire to shape minds

both inside and outside the classroom.”

Pit Li Phan

A

good school is a place where

students are stimulated to learn

and grow. It is a place that prepares

them for life as well-rounded, global

citizens in a future world we cannot

yet imagine.

Facilities certainly do not make a school; it

is essential however that students learn within a

setting that supports their individual educational

and pastoral needs. In modern pedagogy this

learning environment is known as the Third

Teacher, alongside adults and other children.

At Bangkok Patana School its mission of

fulfilling the potential of every student is achieved

through the excellence and expertise of the

school’s teachers, curriculum and extra-curricular

programme. The aim is to ensure that students

aged between 2 and 18 years consistently

receive a diverse and engaging education both

in and outside the classroom. In keeping with

the third teacher philosophy, the Bangkok Patana

environment also plays a key role in achieving their

mission; the range of facilities are specially tailored

to create an atmosphere that is safe, conducive

to learning and supportive of student wellbeing.

In August 2014 the school unveiled its

renovated Year 1 and 2 facilities. This area has

been given a complete up-grade to provide a


setting that stimulates and encourages children’s

learning and development. The redesign has

provided Primary students with more outside

play space and greater access to areas designed to

foster social, behavioural and problem solving skills

that inspire imaginative play and present unique

opportunities for larger scale learning.

Primary Principal Clare Sharp explains

more. “Research indicates that exposing children

to many experiences can help build up a bank of

learning styles, which they can tap into depending

on the activity. This is also true for buildings and

the design and flow of a building can influence

how we learn. We know that the children in

Year 1 and 2 will benefit immensely from their

new learning environment, specifically designed

to promote inquiry, encourage learning through

doing and to develop creativity, collaboration and

independence.”

The school has a continued commitment to

provide an inspiring environment that supports

the excellent teaching and learning. In August

2015 Bangkok Patana School will open a brand

new, purpose-built Science Centre. This exciting

building, with designated floors for Chemistry,

Physics and Biology/Environmental Systems, and

where optimum student learning has been at the

very core of all stages of the design, will provide

a stunning setting for enhanced scientific learning

from next year onwards.

It is testament to the school’s vision and

continued determination to further improve

the learning environment for the benefit of its

students. A testament that reflects not just the

school’s mission to fulfil the potential of every

student, but also the original wish of the school’s

founder, Mrs Rosamund Stuetzel, to develop

students “… who love learning because it is

satisfying to themself.”

For more information on Bangkok Patana

School please visit www.patana.ac.th, click on the

QR code below, email admissions@patana.ac.th

or call +66 (0)2 785 2206.

Bangkok Patana School

643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105)

Bangna, Bangkok 10260

Fulfilling Potential from

Foundation to Graduation

A

t Bangkok Patana School we provide the essential rigour of a British curriculum incorporating

best practice from other programmes to reflect our international setting. Our strong

academic and extra-curriculum programme nurtures students of over 60 nationalities, between

2 1 / 2 and 18 years of age, to become highly skilled, independent learners.

T

o find out how our child-centred approach to learning and outstanding teaching staff can help

your child fulfil their potential, please contact our admissions team at admissions@patana.ac.th

www.patana.ac.th |+66 (0) 2785 2206 | 643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105), Bangna| BTS: Bearing or Bangna


Saniya

More

7 Reasons to ‘IB’ it Up

By Saniya More, Grade 12 at KIS International School in Bangkok, Thailand, Class of 2015

KIS Students at a glance:

• KIS students score on average 34-35 points

on their IB Diploma, compared to the global

average score of 29.8.

• On average 91% percent of KIS students

taking the IB Diploma pass, compared to

78-79% worldwide.

• KIS students are accepted at excellent

universities around the world, often with

substantial scholarships.


As I come closer and closer to the

end of senior year and graduation, I

can’t help but look back on the last

(almost) 8 years of my life- into the

education system that I’ve been a

part of since the fourth grade: the IB program. Two

years ago, I began the IB Diploma Program- one

of the most respected, most difficult programs in

the world. We can all, as IB students, agree that

the IB is no joke, because pulling all-nighters and

finishing essays the day before they were due are

just some of the skills we have. But honestly what

are the benefits of this hellish program? Well, it’s

me so here’s another list (once again).

It’s a challenge- making it through the IB

program is no easy task because it is a very well

rounded curriculum. To do well in the IB doesn’t

mean just memorising a textbook of content or

being able to list all the facts- you have to be able

to apply what you know to new situations.

It helps you to develop excellent critical

thinking skills- from the beginning of the IB

program, we are pushed to have our own opinion

on what is happening in the world, as well as

attempt to understand the perspectives of the

people around us. IB pushes us to question the

world around us, and try to make sense of why

everything is the way it is.

It transforms you into an independent

learner- by carrying out independent research,

writing many investigative essays, completing

a personal project and writing an Extended

Essay, IB helps you develop the skills you need

to understand the world around you without

depending on anyone else.

It gives you your first taste of the real worldthree

words: Creativity, Action, Service- for me,

some of the best, more memorable parts of the

DP program have come from my CAS activities.

Whether it be volunteering at a local shelter,

or helping to host a yoga workshop for street

children in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (best spring

break EVER!), CAS shows you that the world

isn’t a perfect place, and there is a lot that we as

individuals can do to help society move forward.

It impels you to be a well-rounded person

with a wide variety of interests- throughout

the program, we are encouraged to develop our

talents, be able to express ourselves, but also write

good essays and learn theories. We are exposed

to a variety of subjects, and thus can discover our

own individual interests.

It helps you to develop a holistic, accepting

state of mind- most IB communities are

international, and being open and appreciating

about other cultures besides your own is definitely

an IB value.

It makes you a part of a global elite (and

very small) group of highly intelligent, talented

individuals- Globally, there are only about 1 million

IB students- it’s one of the smallest educational

minorities. IB is tough, and it’s definitely not a

program for the faint-hearted. But I’ve been a part

of it for 8 years, and yes although at times it has

been a real challenge, I definitely do not regret

being an IB student.

For more information please contact:

admissions@kis.ac.th, www.kis.ac.th

At KIS International School in Bangkok, Thailand, all students

can shine. The midsize, caring community allows KIS students

to be confident and to be appreciated as an individual, with

unique dreams and strengths. The school is a full IB school,

offering the International Baccalaureate Programmes for all

age groups (IB Primary Years Programme, IB Middle Years

Programme and IB Diploma), ensuring an academically

rigorous curriculum that not only prepares students to be

successful at university, but also teaches important life skills.

KIS, it’s all about Knowledge, Inspiration and Spirit.

“With the power of imagination,

characters can actually fly off the page”

Jun, Grade 11.

Check out the students’ videos to learn more

about their passion www.kis.ac.th

World School

Accredited

Tel: +66 (0) 2274 3444

Email: admissions@kis.ac.th


Performing Arts Showcase: Senior School Production 2015, Romeo & Juliet

Looking Ahead

and Moving on up, the

Shrewsbury Way…!

Moving school is a big decision

for any family. The following

article explores some of the

issues that families face and

explains some of the things

we do at Shrewsbury International School to

support children throughout their learning

journey, whether they are transitioning from

our own Primary School into the Senior

School, or joining us from elsewhere.

At some point, all families will ask themselves

whether their child’s current school is

still the best place for them to be. A change

in personal circumstances, or shift in priorities,

interests and ambitions could bring the

issue into focus at almost any stage of their

child’s learning journey.

However, the transition from primary

school to secondary education presents a

distinct point for many families to really think

about where their child is heading in terms

of their academic, pastoral and co-curricular

needs, especially where the child’s current

junior school does not offer the option to

continue at a senior level.

Although an 11 year old child still needs

considerable support and nurturing there is

also a definite feeling that they are growing

up and that they are ready for a change. It’s

both a challenging and an exciting time when

the following considerations may well come

to the fore:

If your child is an exceptional learner:

is their current school offering enough individual

support in order for them to reach

their full potential?

Has your child developed a passion for

a particular subject or activity: whether

they have a particular talent or interest in

mathematics, music, art, drama, or sports, are

you sure that their current school offers the

opportunities, facilities and specialist staff to

fully support and develop these interests?

Is the current school the right size for

your child? Is the current school too small

leading to lack of opportunities? Or is it

too big leaving your child feeling lost in the

crowd?

Thailand offers a wide, sometimes overwhelming

choice of reputable international

schools, many boasting impressive facilities,

a strong academic record and a rich programme

of subjects and co-curricular opportunities;

factors which may well inform

the initial comparison of competing schools.

With 69% A or A* grades at IGCSE, and 75%

A*, A or B grades at A-level Shrewsbury’s enviable

academic record, combined with reputation

of musical and sporting excellence are

a strong draw for ambitious young learners.

Above this, however, families need to be

convinced that a new school will support

the unique individual needs of their child

and allow them to thrive. There is of course

a strong emotional element to the decisionmaking

process, especially where a child is

moving away from familiar surroundings

and established friendship groups. For those

changing schools ahead of important public

examinations, it is particularly crucial that

they settle quickly and do not feel distracted

or overwhelmed by the change in scenery at

this pivotal moment in their studies.

The most important investment than any

school can make is an investment of time and

resources to both understand and respond


to the individual needs and circumstances of

the students in its care. At Shrewsbury we go

to great lengths to ensure that every child in

our community is given both the opportunities

to explore their interests, and the specialist,

structured support they need to thrive.

High adult:child ratios inside the classroom,

a particularly important consideration

for our youngest learners, are complimented

by the support of specialist personnel across

every aspect of learning; from teachers, tutors,

Learning Mentors, and dedicated Special

Educational Needs and English language

specialists. Our school house system and

extensive programme of co-curricular activities

also ensures that even students who are

new to our school gain an instant sense of

identity and belonging, and are able to reap

the benefits of individual and shared achievements

outside the classroom.

Crucially, this structured support is coupled

with an increasing emphasis on independence

as students progress through the

school. We teach our students to think independently,

to challenge and discuss rather

than be treated as empty vessels to be filled

with facts. This approach gives them the lifeskills

to prepare for and succeed in the next

stage in their learning, whether at Shrewsbury

or beyond.

Our specially developed transition programmes

ensure that students understand

what lies ahead, and that they have the information

they need to succeed as they take

the next steps in their learning journey: from

Early Years to Junior, from Junior to Senior

and from GCSE to A-level. We pride ourself

on helping children make these transitions,

irrespective of whether a child is new to the

school or whether he/she has been there

since the age of 3.

Learning to adopt change is a key component

of the experience and an invaluable

lesson for life. Schools across the world have

the responsibility to educate their students

for careers in industries that have yet to be

invented. This requires both the students and

the curriculum they study to be flexible and

to focus on other higher order skills, analysis

and evaluation.

Shrewsbury students learn to master key

transferable skills; Communication, Collaboration

and Creative problem solving. Our aim

is to enable students to think for themselves

to develop skills and the attitude to become

lifelong learners.

In adopting this approach, the teaching

and learning that takes place in Years 7, 8

and 9 lay the foundations for General Certificate

of Secondary Education or IGCSE

courses for Years 10 and 11, and even for the

A level examinations taken in Years 12 and

13. Public examinations may appear to be

a distant consideration for children aged 11

or even younger. However, the knowledge,

skills and work habits that are introduced

and adopted even at this young age are all

part of the preparation, part of the recipe

for future success.

To find out more about Shrewsbury

International School please call Ilka

Hodapp 02 675 1888 ext. 1110 or visit

www.Shrewsbury.ac.th


Sukhumvit 53 (Adjacent Thong Lo BTS)

T: 0 2260 7890 | www.bkkprep.ac.th

“PREParing students for life

in an international community”

Choosing the right school for your child is one of the most important decisions

that you will ever make.

Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School (Bangkok

Prep) provides children with the opportunity to experience the very best

educational practice, in line with a broad curriculum primarily based

on the National Curriculum of England. All of our highly qualified

and committed teaching staff are experienced in the delivery of this

curriculum.

Our Primary School offers an excellent environment for children from

3 to 11 years of age to acquire and develop all the important skills,

knowledge and understanding that they need for a successful transition

to Secondary School. We foster mutual respect; trust and understanding

in our school which ensures all children feel valued and included.

Teaching and learning is personalised to each learner and follows a

creative thematic approach, where children learn in real life contexts and

develop a set of skills that will enable them to progress to the next stage

in their educational life.

In the Secondary School, Bangkok Prep provides a rigorous learning path

for students aged 11 to 18 years. Our students study the internationally

recognised qualifications of IGCSE, in Year 10 and 11 followed by the

A Level programme, in Year 12 and 13 (also known as the Sixth Form).

We ensure that our students meet the standards required by prestigious

universities around the world.

We are highly committed to developing our students academically and

are dedicated to equipping our students with the virtues and strengths to

serve them for the rest of their lives.

University Acceptances

Bangkok Prep is proud of its Secondary students for being offered a

place in the following prestigious universities: Boston University, USA;

Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; Florida Institute of Technology;

USA; The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, HK; Illinois Institute

of Technology, USA; Nanyang Technological University, SG; NYU

Polytechnic School of Engineering, USA; SOAS University of London,

UK; University of the Arts London, St. Martins, UK; University of

Queensland, Australia; Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA.

(This list is from Academic Years 2012-2014).

International Student Body

57% 43%

Non-Thai Thai

Non-Thai

57%

Thai

43%

*Data updated as of August 2014

The Location

Bangkok Prep is located in a safe, secure and prime residential area of

Bangkok, situated adjacent to the Thong Lo BTS skytrain station in the

hearth of the Sukhumvit area. It is considered by many to be the most

conveniently located international school in Bangkok.

Nurturing each child to become a life-long learner

The Primary Years

Constantly Evolving

The Magic Years that children and parents have grown to love is evolving. To

achieve our long-term vision of providing quality education to an increasing

number of families, Magic Years has begun to construct a new campus in

Nonthaburi near Nichada Thani . The school’s new facility provides a sizeable

setting for a likewise expanded learning program comprising the early years up to

Grade 5.

Similarly complementing the school’s expanded objectives is a Specialized Primary

Program, which upholds the principle of ensuring students are afforded modern

and well-maintained facilities.

Purpose-built Campus

The new campus site has been designed to high standards and comprises

purpose-built components including:

Spaces designed for collaboration and innovation

Library learning commons

Outdoor sports and play facilities

21 st -century technologies and infrastructure

Related elements within the Specialized Primary Program include inter-school

exchange opportunities for students such as sports events, joint field trips and

online networking. Indeed just as preschool and kindergarten children enter a

delightful environment where important learning takes place, primary students

undertake serious study that’s rounded out with many engaging activities.

IB World School

As an IB World School, and the first stand-alone Kindergarten in

Thailand to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years

Programme (PYP), Magic Years International Kindergarten is committed to

educating the whole child by developing the intellectual, physical, social,

emotional and spiritual domains. Its well-rounded program is intended to

equip children with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to succeed in today’s

world.

Leader in the Early Years

Over the course of more than two decades, Magic Years has gained a reputation

as one of Thailand’s leading early years institutions. Its abundant experience in

early childhood education has meant a considerably enriching experience for

children. Indeed children who have attended Magic Years over the years have

received the kind of early nurturing and guidance that lead to sound learning

dispositions, academic achievement, and purposeful action coupled with

responsible citizenship.

Quality Programs

All children, from newborn to the Primary Years, become part of a vibrant

and dynamic learning community at Magic Years, whose programs are

designed to instill a life-long zeal for learning.

Mommy & Me (0-1 years)

Trust & Caring (1-2 years)

Joy & Confidence (2-3 years)

Peace & Unity (3-4 years)

Creativity & Service (pre-K)

Excellence (Kindergarten)

Grade 1

Grade 2

facebook.com/myikonline instagram.com/magicyears youtube.com/myikonline

59/307-8 Chaengwattana Soi 29, Pakkred, Nonthaburi 11120 Email: office@magicyears.ac.th www.magicyears.ac.th

Garden International School

Student - centred learning for children from 2 to 18* years of age

Your choice.

Their future.

Our family.

*International A-Level department

for students aged 16 to 18 will

open in August 2016. Please

contact the school for more details.

Alevels@gardenbangkok.com

Bangkok Campus

34/3-4 Yen Akart Road,

Sathorn, Bangkok 10120 Thailand

Tel : +66(0)2 249-1880

Fax : +66(0)2 249-1943

Email : info@gardenbangkok.com

www.facebook.com/Garden.International.School.Bangkok

www.gardenbangkok.com

www.twitter.com/gisbangkok

www.youtube.com/gisbangkok

Rayong Campus

188/24 Moo 4, Pala-Ban Chang Road, Tambon Pala

Amphure Ban Chang, Rayong 21130 Thailand

Tel : +66(0)38 880360-3

Fax : +66(0)38 030805

www..gardenrayong.com

Email: enquiries@gardenrayong.com

Bangkok Campus: Playgroup every Monday from 2.30pm. to 3.30pm. Ages 8 months to 2 years.

Nyborg Gymnasium

has stx, hf, IB and

boarding school

A

Danish upper-secondary school environment with an international agenda.

Nyborg Gymnasium addresses the growing internationalisation with

programmes, study streams and a boarding school, which makes the ‘international’

the order of the day.

The students at Nyborg Gymnasium have an eye open onto the world,

and they are fully capable of exploring this in school. This happens, for example, if stay at the

boarding school with other young people from all over the world, or if they are students in the

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, where all subjects are taught in English.

Over recent years, Nyborg Gymnasium has expanded and rebuilt school facilities to

ensure that the framework for the tuition is updated and inspiring. The latest addition to the

school is a new building for the sciences, and a special ‘language’ zone. At the boarding school

the students have their own rooms, a strong community, and a kitchen, with focus on organic

cooking, providing the meals of the day.

Nyborg Gymnasium

….en route to the world

NYBORG

GYMNASIUM

International

Baccalaureate

- an alternative to the

Danish ‘Studentereksamen’

• internationally recognized

• gives admission to universities

all over the world

• taught in English

You can stay at Nyborg Gymnasium’s

boarding school.

Contact us for more information about

theprogramme and the boarding school.

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 the International

School of Bergen (ISB) has been developed to help

prepare its students for a successful future. ISB 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, and

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 nearly 40 years of experience as

an educational institution.

International School of Bergen

Vilhelm Bjerknesvei 15, 5081

Bergen, Norway

Phone: +4755306330

Fax: +4755306331

Website: www.isob.no

E-mail: post@isob.no

www.nyborg-gym.dk

Tlf +45 65 31 02 17

ENGELSKSPRÅKLIG PRIVATSKOLE

FOR BARN OG UNGDOM

MELLOM 3 OG 16

• 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

Contact us for more information: www.isob.no eller post@isob.no


Danish Children

without mother

tongue language

In Thailand, the Danish children have not the

same home language education as children from

the other Nordic countries. The parents need to

organize themselves like in Singapore.


While Finns and Swedes

are organizing mother

tongue language lessons

for their children at the

international schools in

Thailand, and Norwegians have private

teachers, many Danish parents are educating

their children themselves. It is not as effective,

secretary from Danish Supplementary School in

Singapore says.

Mai Ellegaard is Danish and her husband

is from Thailand. The older of their two sons,

Eivind, is seven years old. Like many children with

different cultural backgrounds, he is registered

at an international school - in this case NIST, in

Bangkok.

In school Eivind learns to speak Thai and

English. However, it is important for Mai that he

learns to speak Danish as well. But Danish is not

offered as a supplementary course at the school,

so she is teaching him at home with educational

materials from Danes Worldwide.

“The material is so well prepared that you

as a parent easily can adapt it. But if there was

a Danish teacher who could teach the children

with materials from Danes Worldwide, I would

definitely consider using that opportunity,”

she says.

According to Line Klitgaard, secretary at

Danish Supplementary School in Singapore,

there is a huge difference between educating

children at home and having them in classes with

other Danish children.

“I do not believe that home schooling with

your parents is as motivating and effective as the

interaction with other children in a classroom,”

the secretary says.

Line Klitgaard has two children herself

and is a former schoolteacher. Her daughter is

registered at one of the international schools in

Singapore and is taught Danish as a supplement.

Mai Ellegaard is using the material for distance

learning provided by “Danes Worldwide”.

Photo at top from www.danses.dk

Persistent parents

Mai Ellegaard is a volunteer for Danes Worldwide.

She meets a lot of Danish parents, who want

their children to maintain or learn mother

tongue language.

“I have been asking everyone; ‘Do you know

a Danish teacher?’, but it is difficult to find a well

educated one. Secondly there is a long distance

between the schools in Thailand - it makes it

even more difficult to arrange,” she says.

In Singapore mother tongue language has

become very popular.

This summer, two of the international

schools in Singapore, German European School

(GESS) and Overseas Family School (OFS),

will start a brand new scheme - mother tongue

language will now be a part of the schedule and

not just a supplementary course.

“It is a mixture of very persistent parents

and new scientific knowledge. The international

schools now see how important it is for a

third culture child to be taught in their mother

tongue language,” the secretary from Danish

Supplementary School says.

Line Klitgaard emphasizes that Bangkok

is much different than the city of Singapore

regarding traffic and distance, and that it makes

it difficult to organize a school network.

But she believes that if the parents really

want it, it is possible.

Not just a language

For more than 16 years, Holger Jensen was a

Danish schoolteacher in Thailand. He offered

both private lessons and had classes at the

international school NIST, who provides free

classrooms for foreign languages.

During Holger Jensen’s time as a teacher,

he had almost 700 students. In his opinion the

mother tongue language is very important for

the children.

“Danish has an unique status for many of

the children. The children were highly motivated

- although many of them received Danish lessons

after the schedule at the international schools

and therefore were exhausted,” he says.

But in June 2013, Holger retired. Since then

no one took over, and Danish children have been

educated at home by their parents - some have


Q&A

Torsten

Edens

Torsten Edens, 49, moved to

Vietnam with his wfe Mona and

16 year old daughter Sophia

in January 2014 to work as Managing

Director for Diethelm Travel.

Working in tghen travel industry,

Torsten has overv the years lived in

“around 20 countries”.

His daughter Sophia started at

UNIS in Hanoi and is going for the IB

program.

I decided to move to Vietnam...

because it was a great opportunity and I instantly

felt a great affection for the country

and its people.

Runnning a travel agency in Vietnam has

taught me...

not to judge the book by it’s cover, the Vietnamese

might not be smiling as much as the

Thais but they are fantastic, have a great sense

of humor and are hardworking and qualified.

In my spare time...

I try to see as much of Vietnam as I can, I do

trail running wherever I can and that is a great

way to get close to the nature.

It never ceases to amaze me...

when I drive to work every morning in the traffic

here in Hanoi and I don’t see accidents all

over the place. The traffic is almost organic and

every little piece of pavement is used.

I will never get tired of ...

the old Quarter in Hanoi with its constant life

and mixture of new and old.

The worst thing about doing business in

Vietnam...

is the constant change of rules and regulations

which means that you are never completely

certain of what the law says. Sometimes the

laws that are passed makes absolutely no sense

what so ever.

Reader profile of the month

When I moved to Vietnam I wish I had

known...

how cold it gets in the winter here in Hanoi,

actually it is usually colder inside the houses

than outside.

Living outside of Scandinavia has made

me realize...

how narrow minded and fixated with 1st

world problems we have become in Scandinavia.

Live and let live and don’t worry too much

about a bus that is 5 min delayed or if your

internet connection is a bit slow. Your rights

come with obligations and we become too

much focused on our rights and do not want

to contribute. It is a great shame and shows

how petty we have become.

Since I became an expat...

traditions like Christmas have become more

about quality and less about quantity. I love that

everything looks normal until 7 days before

Xmas and it is all removed the day after Xmas.

We don’t over eat in sweets and Danish food

and Xmas lunches with hangovers are - almost

- a thing of the past.

Finding a school for my daughter...

was relatively easy. In her age there was only

two options and UNIS was by far the better

choice, apart from that they have a great

reputation worldwide and doors to further

education will be open in all continents for her.

In Vietnam I have picked up the habit of....

smoking too much. But it kind of filters the

dust in the air.

The Scandinavian community in Hanoi

is...

relatively small. Actually, we have not been

seeking out Scandinavians so far.

To satisfy my social needs...

I go out for a Bia Hoi with my staff or run in

the Hanoi Hash House Harriers

I will return to Denmark when...

not really. I am enjoying it too much here!

been attending a three weeks summer school

- and some Danish children are not learning or

speaking their mother tongue language at all.

That is a shame, Holger thinks.

“A language is not just a lot of words,

grammar and some phrases. A language is a

culture courier.”

Mai Ellegaard agrees, and she believes that

Holger’s retirement has been a big loss for many

of the children in Thailand.

Approximate two years ago, she decided

to stop working to have more time with her

children. But she meets families that do not have

the same possibility to educate their children.

And that is a problem, she thinks.

“The children miss the opportunity to go to

Denmark and receive education, if they want to

do so one day - and they loose the connection

to their roots,” she says.

Exactly this is one of the main reasons,

why Holger Jensen thinks his students were so

motivated for learning Danish.

“They could see the meaning in learning

the language. The children cannot only use it at

home, but also in Denmark, when the family goes

home on vacation,” he says.

Holger also experienced that many parents

were very aware of returning to Denmark one

day, and that the children would have to go back

to a Danish school.

“The parents wanted to help their children

as much as possible,” Holger says.

Swedish success

Agneta de Bekassy has been working with

the Swedish school organization in Thailand

for a couple of years now. The organization

was established by a group of parents in 1970,

and it works closely together with Swedish

Women Educational Association (SWEA) and

the Swedish church.

Agneta is teaching children in four different

international schools in Thailand: Patana, ISB, KIS

and NIST.

“I cannot see any reason why Danes should

not be able to start an organization like ours.

If there are enough families who want their

children to brush up, start or just learn Danish

as beginners, I think they should do so,” she says.

All together the organization has around 25

children and five teachers.

A Danish teacher

It is important for Mai Ellegaard that the

educational material is approved by the Danish

Ministry of Education, because this makes

it possible for the Danish children to enter

the Danish educational system later on in

their lives.

She is now in contact with a potential Danish

teacher in Thailand, and she has been talking

with Danes Worldwide and the international

schools in Thailand about starting something up

together. It is still not as simple, as she thought

to begin with.

“And furthermore, I do not know, how many

parents would be interested, and I need other

people to help me organize it. I cannot do this

by myself,” she says.


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

Getting down

to Business in Thai

By Klavs Johansen (thai@snakthai.dk)

This month, we will look at some useful

words for working and doing business

in Thailand. Obviously, you will not

master Thai to a negotiation level just

by reading the following, not even

close (unless you already did), however, it may get

you started and help you catch a word now and

then to gather the essence of what is talked about

when the language of meetings and discussions

from time to time may change into Thai. Let’s tune

in with a few keywords. As usual you could read

them out with a Thai close to you:

ธุรกิจ / thúrákìt / ~ business,

นักธุรกิจ / nák thúrákìt / ~ a business person,

ทำธุรกิจ / tham thúrákìt / ~ to do business,

งาน / nga:n / ~ work,

ทำงาน / tham nga:n / ~ to work,

ที่ทำงาน / thî: tham nga:n / ~ work place,

บริษัท / bor:rísàt / ~ company,

เจ้าของ / jâo khŏr:ng / ~ owner,

ออฟฟิส / orfít / ~ office,

โรงงาน / ro:ng nga:n / ~ factory,

ผลิต / phàlìt / ~ to produce, manufacture,

ขาย / khă:i / ~ to sell,

ซื้อ / súe: / ~ to buy.

So we get:

คุณทำงานอะไร / khun tham nga:n àrai / ~ what’s

your job?

เป็นเจ้าของบริษัท / pen jâo khŏr:ng bor:rísàt / ~ (I)

am company owner.

From the organization chart we may take the

following common departments, ฝ่าย / fà:i /:

คณะกรรมการ / kháná’ kammáka:n / ~ board of

directors,

ฝ่ายจัดการ / fà:i jàtka:n / ~ management department,

ฝ่ายขาย / fà:i khă:i / ~ sales department,

ฝ่ายจัดซื้อ / fà:i jàt súe: /~ purchasing department,

ฝ่ายบุคคล / fà:i bùkkhon / ~ personnel department,

ฝ่ายผลิต / fà:i phàlìt / ~ production department,

ฝ่ายวิศวกรรม / fà:i wísàwákam / ~ engineering department,

ฝ่ายบัญชี / fà:i banchi: /~ accounting department.

And the following common positions, ตำแหน่ง

/ tamnàeng /:

ประธาน / pràtha:n / ~ chairperson (of the board),

กรรมการ / kammáka:n / ~ director,

กรรมการผู้จัดการ / kammáka:n phû: jàt ka:n / ~

managing director,

ผู้จัดการฝ่าย / phû: jàt ka:n fà:i / ~ department manager,

ที่ปรึกษา / thî: prùeksă: / ~ consultant,

เลขา / le:khă: / ~ secretary,

ผู้ช่วย / phû: chûai / ~ assistant,

พนักงาน / phánák nga:n / ~ employee,

คนขับรถ / khon khàp rót / ~ driver.

So we get:

คุณมีตำแหน่งอะไร / khun mi: tamnàeng àrai / ~

which position do you hold?

เป็นพนักงานขาย / pen phánák nga:n khă:i / ~ (I) am

a salesperson.

Common work and business activities in no

particular order are:

นัด / nát / ~ appointment, to make an appointment

with (someone),

มาพบ / ma: phóp / ~ to come to see,

ไปพบ / pai phóp / ~ to go to see,

ประชุม / pràchum / ~ meeting, to have a meeting,

ปรึกษา / prùeksă: / ~ to consult,

ลา / la: / ~ to take leave,

ลาพัก / la: phák / ~ to take vacation,

ลาป่วย / la: pùai / ~ to be on sick leave,

ลาออก / la: òr:k / ~ to resign,

จ่าย / jà:i / ~ to pay.

And, finally, a few common business tools

and terms:

เงิน / ngoen / ~ money,

งบ / ngóp / ~ budget,

รายได้ / ra:i dâ:i / ~ income,

ค่าใช้จ่าย / khâ: chá:i jà:i / ~ expenses,

ต้นทุน / tôn thun / ~ cost, capital,

ลงทุน / long thun / ~ to invest,

การลงทุน / ka:n long thun / ~ investment,

ราคา / ra:kha: / ~ price,

ลด / lót / ~ to reduce,

เพิ่ม / phôe:m / ~ to increase (something),

กำไร / kamrai / ~ profit,

ขาดทุน / khà:t thun / ~ loss,

หุ้น / hûn / ~ shares,

ผู้ถือหุ้น / phû: thŭe: hûn / ~ shareholder,

ดอกเบี้ย / dòr:k bîa / ~ interests,

ภาษี / pha:sĭ: / ~ tax.

Phew! That became a lot of words this month,

but if you have ever participated in business

meetings where Thai is spoken, you are bound to

have heard several of them and, if you participate

in such meetings on a reoccurring basis, keeping

a copy of this column, should help you put the

time to good use.

โชคดีนะ / chô:k di: ná’ / ~ good luck, and

remember that you can ask questions or suggest

topics to be treated at the Thai Language Corner

by contacting us on the email above.


When it’s time to do business,

we’re exceptionally open.

Every business has a different story and a different goal. We understand that.

Over many years in this market of unique opportunities, we’ve developed the

local knowledge, resources and connections needed to turn ambitions into

reality. That’s why we’re one of the most well-established northern European

banks in the region. For corporates, financial institutions and private banking

clients, we’re ready to listen and cater to your needs – in Beijing, Shanghai,

Hong Kong, Singapore and New Delhi.

Welcome to contact us at

Tel: +65 63 57 08 95

singapore@sebprivatebanking.com.sg

www.sebgroup.com/privatebanking

ScandAsia Thailand April 2015

Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!

Delete template?

Save as template ?