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Annual Prem School Dinner Dance a great success
Glamorous event raises over 98,000 baht for the school
Teachers, parents and
supporters of the Prem Tinsulanonda International School hold a glamorous
Ball at the Shangri-La Hotel.
Staff Reporters
On Saturday March 15, the eagerly awaited Annual Prem Dinner Dance took
place amid the luxurious surroundings of the Grand Lanna Ballroom at the
Shangri-La Hotel in downtown Chiang Mai. Organised by the Parent Student
Association at Prem Tinsulanonda International School, (to give this
excellent educational establishment its full and impressive title…), this
glamorous event was attended by more than 100 people associated with the
school and its students. All enjoyed a wonderful evening of excellent food,
drinks, entertainment and prizes in a perfect setting, and together raised
over 98,000 baht for the school. The entertainment itself included a cabaret
act from Anline Takeuchi, a demonstration of Latin Dance by members of the
Peeresak School of Dance, and two sessions of live music, (including several
encores!), from the band “Alchemy Pops”. The extraordinary and much
appreciated generosity of the various sponsors of the evening provided more
than 250,000 baht’s worth of prizes, ensuring that every guest went home
with at least one prize!
Mary, Aly, June, Melanie and
Triesha, (l/r), enjoying last week’s Prem
Dinner Dance at the Shangri-la Hotel.
Chiang Mai’s Royal Garden and
Pavilion to go public
Official opening during Songkran Festival
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is co-operating with the Ministry of
Agriculture and Co-operatives and the Horticultural Science Society of
Thailand to convert the 75 hectare Royal Garden and Royal Pavilion in
Chiang Mai into a public multi-functional park. At a press conference on
March 10, the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Weerasak Kowsurat,
announced that whilst the venue came under the purview of the Ministry
of Agriculture and Co-operatives, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports
would, in future, be involved in its promotions and monthly campaigns.
Plans for the park include a meeting and incentives venue, a
horticultural knowledge centre, a sports complex and a northern area
cultural centre.
The Minister of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Somsak Prisananantakul,
confirmed that in the first year, the project will be under a
governmental budget of 105 million baht from the revenue of the Royal
Flora Ratchaphruek 2006. The amount will be divided into two parts; 60
million baht for management of the park and another 45 million baht for
maintenance and development. The official grand opening will be in the
middle of April this year during the Songkran Festival celebrations. (TTG)
Disaster relief and preliminary
protective measures
training course runs at CMU
Risk of chemical, biological or nuclear attack in the South
Saksit Meesubkwang
A training course on preliminary protective measures in the event of
chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack was held beginning
March 17 at the Public Disaster Prevention and Relief department on the
campus of Chiang Mai University. It was attended by Disaster Relief and
Prevention volunteers together with police, army and local
administration officers from the 8 northern regions.
The Deputy Director General of the department, Phongphao Katethong,
stated that many countries worldwide are developing chemical,
biological, radiological and nuclear technologies using and producing
materials which are highly toxic and have enormously destructive
capabilities. Thailand, he felt, is at risk of experiences such
disasters as a result of terrorist activities, particularly in the three
southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathivat. Thousands of
civilians and military personnel have already lost their lives in these
areas.
This, the 5th presentation of the course, was supported by the
department itself and also by Canadian donations and the participation
of Patricia Atkinson and four of her team members. Both theoretical
aspects and field application were studied, and it is hoped that the
knowledge gained will be transmitted by the participants to local
authorities in their home areas.
Another great weekend for the Rincome Rally contestants
Highest turnout ever for 12 th Rincome - Angkhan drive
The participants get ready for the Rincome
Rally.
Staff Reporters
The early hours of Saturday March 15 saw the start of the 12th
Annual Rincome to Angkhang with over 180 people and as many as 49 cars
taking part. At 8 am, the Director of Tourism of Thailand, Junnapong
Saranak, declared the largest rally so far held, “up and running”! The
event lasted all weekend, with an overnight stay at the picturesque
Angkhang Nature Resort, part of the Royal Foundation Project. A direct
journey to the resort takes 3 hours, however, there were plenty of
games, tricks and turns to occupy the contestants. The winners of the
Rally Competition were Phakphoum Diewtrakul and Chairat Roosue, who were
awarded the Prince Bhesadej Rachanee Trophy, 5000 baht cash and a camera
from Samsung. Prizes were also awarded to the drivers who gained second
and third places in the competition.
During Saturday evening, other games and contests were set up for
participants to enter if they had the energy, alternatively they could
just relax and enjoy the delightful surroundings of one of the most
beautiful places in Northern Thailand.
If any readers would like to take part in next year’s contest, please
contact the Amari Rincome Hotel for further details.
Fun and bargains for all
at the City Life Garden Party
Over 25,000 baht raised for the Rooftop Charity Party 2009
Following the success of the Yard Sale held at the end of last year in
the City Life gardens, a welcome repeat was organised for Sunday March
16. Prior to the event, many kind people donated their unwanted clothes,
book, DVD’s and household items to be sold to benefit the next Hillside
4 Charity Rooftop Party.
 Everyone
had a great time at the City Life Garden Party.
Over 20 stalls came to set up, including the amazingly successful
second-hand clothes stall manned by Sally and Jo, two delightful ladies
who could, between them, sell a very large fridge to an Eskimo in the
middle of an Arctic winter! They didn’t have to work that hard on this
occasion, however, as local residents descended on the stall at 10 am as
they were setting up for an 11 am, opening and practically cleared it!
Amongst the other stalls, JJ Markets, La Luna, ArtSpace on 7 and
Magnolia had great days, and, as usual, the ever-popular Fashion King
were there to support the Rooftop Party. Lanna Dogs, the rescue charity,
came for the first time, and delighted everyone with their pups, two of
whom were adopted and are now living it up in their new, loving homes. A
good number of donations to Lanna Dogs were also gratefully received.
A new innovation at the Garden Party, music and dancing, made the whole
event “go with a swing”, and was much enjoyed by visitors. The School
for the Blind played throughout the day, and children from the Healing
Foundation gave dance performances. The School for Life kids were there
too, and gave a traditional Thai Drum and Dance routine. One of the
highlights of the day’s entertainment was Bradley Dean Whyte with his
guitar, plus his very enthusiastic friend from the Healing Foundation,
who delighted the listeners with their songs!
A delicious and welcome selection of food and drink was provided by The
House Restaurant, the Wine Gallery, and Tusker’s Bar, complemented by
Wit from Witty Ice Cream’s delectable home made ice cream and cones. For
anyone who missed this treat, or absolutely has to repeat the experience
immediately, he can be found at the Sunday Walking Street Market.
A very successful day, overall, with over 25,000 baht raised to start
the fund for the 2009 Rooftop Party charities, not counting the money
raised by other participating charities at the event. At the end of the
day, the remaining unsold clothes were collected and taken to Wat Suan
Dok for distribution to Hilltribe villages. None of this would have been
possible without the support and help of Pim and her team at City Life;
grateful thanks and much appreciation of their efforts go to all of them
from all of us.
For more details about the 2009 Hillside 4 Charity Rooftop Party, please
email charityrooftopparty@gmail.com.
Best seller back on the shelves
The all-time best selling book in Chiang Mai, ‘Farang, Thailand through
the eyes of an ex-pat’ and written by the Chiang Mai Mail’s Dr. Iain
Corness is back on the shelves after a four week shortage.
The book, which had been the number 1 local top seller for 16 weeks
straight, caught the suppliers short-stocked and with the book having
been published in the UK, there were inevitable delays in getting more
stock to Thailand.
It was then found that the initial print run had also been already
distributed, so a second printing had to be hurriedly arranged through
the UK printers. At one stage it looked as if the second print run would
be done in Thailand to cut down freight time and travel costs, but in
the end it made more financial sense to continue with the British
printers.
‘Farang, Thailand through the eyes of an ex-pat’ is now available once
more and Dr. Iain advises that he is always happy to autograph your
copy.
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