March 2005 111st Issue

People in Hua Hin

Long Beach Inn Super Bowl Party

The first week in February was the date for the 3rd Annual Long Beach Inn Super Party hosted by charming Noi. Yes, she looks a year younger! Long Beach Inn is situated in the small fishing village of Phu Noi or Dolphin Bay as it is also known, about 45 minutes south of Hua Hin. The Canadian gang came down from Hua Hin, determined to wake the sleepy residents up.

Festivities were kicked off by the cribbage tournament. This year Bill made to the final and had high hopes of finally winning. His hopes were dashed by Bob from Vernon when he was soundly thrashed. Bob walked away with the prize money and the highly coveted Long Beach Inn golf shirt. Jim from Vernon won the high hand of 24.

Some of the group went walking on the beach and enjoying the area. The banquet was next and a real treat. Caesar salad with romaine lettuce was followed by Noi's famous perogies. Her slowly braised barbecue ribs with baked potato and real sour cream were followed by chocolate cheese cake. It appears David from Ireland (Mr. Bean) can eat his weight his ribs! It was a quiet night as the game kick off was at 6:30 a.m.

The game started slowly so it gave the viewers more time to consider the libations. The rumour that beer was served prior to 8 a.m is false. Only Winnipeg redeyes and spicy Caesars that Rene brought from Canada were had at that time. Notables attending the game included Chuck and his Scottish friend,Bob and Virgina as well as Newman, who was with us all of the time. The game picked up by half time and had an exciting finish. Nut from the U-Turn bar was the big winner on the pools per usual. Big Al and Rene were minor winners. Bill contributed to Captain Bob's retirement fund for the third year in a row. Winners then laughed and losers grumbled but a fine time was had by all. After the game David and Gait hosted a party and showed everyone their lovely home, gardens and numerous pets.

JWS Motorsport

January 26th saw JWS Motorsport Kart Track transformed into a Formula 1 style event with the Sittipol 1919 Co Ltd entertaining guests and VIP's from Bangkok .

There were over 100 people involved including senior management from Total Oil ( Thailand ) Co Ltd, Thai Stanley Electric Public Company Ltd, Inoue Rubber ( Thailand ) Public Co Ltd and Denso International ( Thailand ) Co Ltd together with over 60 journalists from all media backgrounds. The day began on the 25th where organisers arrived to decorate the circuit and karts with banners and stickers.

On the morning of the 26th guests arrived to a warm welcome from the hosts and enjoyed a feast of Thai dishes prepared by local caterers followed by a series of team sprint races. There were models to shade the drivers on the grid as they prepared to race and entertaining commentary set an amazing atmosphere. Each team was awarded points at the end of each race and at the end of the day the overall winning team were awarded with a fantastic trophy at a special evening in the Golden Sands Hotel.

For further details of booking JWS Motorsport for corporate or team building events please contact the track on 032 547 199.

Hua Hin Property Shop under new Ownership, opening new office and services

Thailand Property shops are pleased to announce that during February 2005 our Hua Hin franchise will be under new ownership. Glenn Thomson is relocating from Hong Kong where he has spent the last 3 years performing Senior Management roles within the Financial Services and Property arenas. Hua Hin is a place that Glenn has grown to love over the last 3 years, being a frequent visitor, which has resulted in a land purchase with his Thai sister-in-law and brother and hope to have a home completed during 2005. The existing Property Shop, located on the main road, nearly opposite the entrance to the Marriot Hotel, is being expanded giving over five times more floor space. Glenn says, “I am looking forward to becoming part of the Hua Hin community and making it my home for the foreseeable future. I also hope that I can give as much back to the community and that I will find time to enjoy the golf, which is my passion and other social activities”. Hua Hin Property Shop will be holding an official launch event at the beginning of March and look forward to seeing you there!

A CONCERT FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE TSUNAMI

As advertised on the cover, there will be a free concert in Hua Hin for the Tsunami victims, this event was organised by Khun Thep and his wife Verity. Thep considered by many as the best guitarist since Eric Clapton, will be performing along with the band from J Gene Pub, as well as the bands from Blue Station, Smore Leang, Saxaphone, and Looknam.

There will be T shirts and stickers for sale to raise funds.

The concert will take place at the Pon Ging Petch Park next to the Red Cross Centre on 26th March, 2005.

For more details call the Observer office on 032 547 450, or 01-865 3047.

PRIVATE DANCER by Steven Leather

Successful British thriller author, Stephen Leather, with 12 novels in print, including The Tunnel Rats, and The Solitary Man, both set with a Thai flavour, has recently published The Private Dancer in paperback, previously being only available as a free download on the web, www.stephenleather.com.

Leather first discovered Thailand while working for South China Morning Post in Hong Kong .

Private Dancer, the on-line cult novel chronicling the disastrous relationship between a travel writer and a Bangkok bargirl, is finally in print.

The on-line version of the novel, written by best selling thriller writer Stephen Leather, has been downloaded more than sixty thousand times over the past five years.

Now Leather has decided to publish the book in Thailand , through his own publishing company, Three Elephants. (Three Elephants is an anagram of Stephen Leather!)

The novel set in Thailand in 1996. Pete, a young travel writer, wanders into a Bangkok bar and meets the love of his life. Pete thinks that Joy is the girl of his dreams; young, stunningly pretty, and one of the top earning go-go dancers in Nana Plaza . What follows is a roller-coaster ride of sex, drugs, lies and murder, as Pete discovers that his very own private dancer is not all that she claims to be. And that far from being the girls of his dreams, Joy is his own personal nightmare.

Often described as the best book ever written about the Bangkok bar scene, Private Dancer has been a huge hit around the world, and has been downloaded in more than forty countries.

“I have been getting dozens of emails a week asking for the novel to be published, as most people seem to prefer a book they can hold, and put on their shelves,” said Leather. “Now the whole bar scene here is changing, it seemed a good time to finally publish a hard copy.”

The striking cover photograph, of a naked girl holding a cut-throat razor behind her back, was taken in Anglewitch Bar in Nana Plaza and features one of the bar's top showgirls.

Leather, a frequent visitor to the Land of Smiles , is the author of seventeen thrilleers that have been translated into more thant a dozen languages, including The Tunnel Rats, set in Bangkok and Vietnam , and The Solitary Man, set in Thailand and Hong Kong . He has sold more than a million books worldwide.

Two of the novels, The Bombmaker and The Stretch, have been filmed for television in the UK and he has written for TV shows such as London 's Burning and the BBC's Murder in Mind.

Private Dancer is priced at 350 Baht and is available at all good book stores in Thailand , including Bookazine and Asia Books, and is available for sale on-line at www.dcothai.com

Sad loss . . .

A good friend of many in Hua Hin, Jeffrey M. Johnson passed away in Bangkok on January 19, 2005. Jeff first came to Thailand in the late 1960s and returned to live here in the early '80s. For the past several years, Mr. Johnson resided in Hua Hin. Jeff's many friends will recall, above all, his generous nature. Visitors were always welcome at Jeff's house. Jeff's annual Bangkok Christmas parties were enjoyed by hundreds from all corners of the world. Jeff's role as a volunteer was key to assuring the success of the annual Bangkok US Independence Day picnic. Those of Jeff's friends and neighbors in Hua Hin still find ourselves reflexively drawn to "Jeff's Bar" every night of every week, as Jeff wanted it. Sad to say, we're all "Jeffugees" now.

Mr. Johnson is survived by his wife Jaew, daughter Sabrina, and son Robert living in Pakkret; daughter Rhonda Veugen of Wareham , Massachusetts ; and his sister Dianne Masterson of Brewster , Massachusetts .

"Jeff was a long-suffering Boston Red Sox baseball fan, but he will surely rest in the hereafter with a smile on his face since they won the Series last October."

Those wanting to learn more about Jeff can visit and sign in at

http://www.tomandnuch.com/aJeffJohnson/JeffJohnson.htm.

Sponsorship for the children affected by the Tsunami

In response to many requests to help with the education of some 87 children who have lost either one or both parents, a meeting was held with Kuhn Damrong Boonchoat, the Director of Phuket Education Service Area last Friday.

For those wishing to sponsor a chosen child for the long term a sponsorship figure of 12,000 baht a year or 1,000 baht a month was set; This money would go towards direct educational expenses, uniforms and food for that child.

For those interested in sponsoring a child please contact Ajan Uaiporn, Assistant Director of Phuket Education Service area on 09-2913231, Ajan Nilawan Supervisor of Foreign Languages on 04-0536959 or Ajan Orapin Supervisor of Education Development on 09-6505970 for details of the sponsorship. A six monthly statement will be sent to the sponsor detailing how the money has been spent. If you are living in Hua-Hin you may contact Verity on 09-0283787 who has a list of the children.

For those who wish to make a donation directly into the Phuket Education Service Area central account, donations can be made into their Account for Relief Fund for Phuket Education Service Area Account No 805-0-0-22-935, Krung Thai Bank Phuket.

This money will be used on the needs of all the schools in the Phuket Education Service Area together with the needs of the families of the teachers who lost their lives to the Tsunami. For further information contact Verity Cattanach Poole on 09-0283787

Asian news and current affairs

North Korea's long, subtle game

Last month, StratFor's (Strategic Forecasting's) Morning Intelligence Brief led its Geopolitical Diary thus: “ Iran 's nuclear program continues to dominate headlines.”

Oops. What a difference a few hours make. I say this without schadenfreude, having been similarly caught out myself. Days earlier, I wrote a piece criticizing the six-way talks on North Korea 's nuclear issue as “Five caveats and a long shot”. You read it here in the February 11 edition (‘We have nukes': The six-party failure) - swiftly reworked to take account of the analyst's lifeblood and nightmare: what former British prime minister Harold Macmillan blearily called “events, dear boy, events”.

So what did happen on at the brief? Pyongyang 's official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) put out a statement by North Korea 's Foreign Ministry. The main point was a refusal to return to the six-way talks, because the United States under President George W Bush was still hostile and plotting for regime change. So, Pyongyang warned, “we ... have manufactured nukes ... to cope with the Bush administration's evermore undisguised policy to isolate and stifle the DPRK” (Democratic People's Republic of Korea ).

It was the nukes that most comment picked up. But is this really the main news, or indeed news at all? True, this is the North Koreans' most explicit claim yet. But the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reckons North Korea may have had one or two nuclear devices for a decade or so. For its part, after years of indignant denial, for two years Pyongyang has boasted of developing a nuclear deterrent; though no one knows how far they've gotten, or even whether it might all be a big bluff (better not bet on it).

But they do still deny having a second program, using highly enriched uranium (HEU). It was this charge, put in Pyongyang by a US delegation in October 2002, that triggered the ongoing second North Korean nuclear crisis. The DPRK kicked out International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and resumed reprocessing plutonium.

It's strange how hard the United States has found it, then and since, to make the HEU claim stick. You'd think Pakistan 's Dr Abdul Qadir Khan, purveyor extraordinaire of nuclear materiel, would have sung like a canary by now: naming places, dates, and batch numbers. Maybe he has.

One theory why Pyongyang has picked this moment to take its bat home is that a White House emissary, Michael Green - the new National Security Council senior director for Asia - has just been touring Beijing and other skeptical Asian capitals; supposedly with proof that a uranium compound, UF6, found in Libya came from North Korea. UF6 is a strong indication of an HEU program, while any hints of proliferation must be a red line.

Well, maybe. But I reckon other factors are in play, including domestic ones. An earlier shock, the big missile fired across Japan in August 1998 - and at least this time we've not seen an actual nuclear test, just a boast - was the DPRK's 50th-birthday present to itself.

Look at the timing now, too. Such fun to catch South Korea and China off guard, as the Year of the Rooster kicked in. North Korea 's equivalent holiday the following week: Kim Jong-il's 63rd (or maybe 64th) birthday on February 16. Also due is the 10th anniversary of Kim's Songun (army-first) policy, the Dear Leader's very own doctrinal contribution.

What better way to celebrate than to affirm proudly, “We got nukes, and we ain't talking”? Moreover, as in Iran , the nuclear umbrella may be one under which factions divided over other issues, such as economic reform, can huddle together. Kim Jong-il's purging last year of his brother-in-law Chang Song-taek is one sign that the veneer of unity is cracking. Or the new hard line could mean, as some aver, that the Dear Leader is in thrall to hardline generals who won't let him do a Libya , make peace, disarm, and collect loads of dough.

But whatever the motives, it takes two to tangle. As ever, whether or not North Korea 's latest provocation sparks a crisis depends on how others react. So far, this has been calm.

Quite contrary to the way Pyongyang purports to read Washington (and you do wonder if denizens of one system could possibly understand the other), both Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sounded more sad and skeptical (respectively) than angry. After all, the US is busy for the duration in the Middle East . It really does not want a crisis in Korea as well. Which, of course, makes this an excellent time for Kim to rattle the cage.

But it is the responses (not just the immediate ones) of others that will be crucial to track. South Korea , for one, must surely rethink a “Sunshine Policy” so one-sided that it continues to give aid, no matter what the North does, without demanding any form of reciprocity.

Indeed, the rethink had already begun. Recently Pyongyang asked for 500,000 tonnes of fertilizer, even more than usual. South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's encouragingly robust response was that this would be top of the agenda - just as soon as North Korea returned to the various inter-Korean committees that it has been boycotting since last July.

But the real challenge is to China . Having invested much time and face in creating and hosting the six-party talks, Beijing must be furious at Pyongyang 's insolent truancy. As North Korea 's main partner for trade and aid, China alone has the muscle to squeeze Kim Jong-il - should it so choose. The Dear Leader should be more careful of whom he riles.

For both China and Russia (the latter quick to deplore the official KCNA statement, for once), one dilemma is how to vote - or veto - if the North Korea problem is sent to the United Nations Security Council, as the IAEA long since voted that it should be. Neither Beijing nor Moscow wants to burn its boats with Pyongyang , even as it sorely tries their patience.

Japan is a case on its own, with the kidnap issue driving everything. KCNA's statement, which mainly was aimed at the US , also asked rhetorically how North Korea could sit down with a state that denies that victims' remains that it returned are authentic. But DNA does not lie - so what on earth was Pyongyang playing at? Even the sober Economist speculated that one of Kim's foes may have swapped bones, just to spite him.

Here's a rash prediction. Thursday's shock headlines will fade as swiftly as, less than a month ago, the brief hurrahs for an outbreak of peace and love in Pyongyang . Then, just after two US congressional delegations had visited, KCNA said North Korea was ready to treat the US as a friend. We really should know by now to avoid knee-jerk reactions: be it to crack open the bubbly, or run for cover. Kim Jong-il is playing a long, subtle game. Whether it's a wise one, I doubt. But the end of the world it ain't. Not for today, at least.

Aidan Foster-Carter is honorary senior research fellow in sociology and modern Korea at Leeds University , England . He has followed North Korean affairs for 35 years.

Looking East in the war on opium

By Gulnoza Saidazimova

PRAGUE - According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 4,200 tonnes of opium were produced in Afghanistan in 2004, roughly 87% of global production.

Slawomir Redo is an UNODC official and author of the book Organized Crime and Its Control in Central Asia . Speaking not as a UN official but in his personal capacity, Redo told RFE/RL that Central Asian countries have been badly affected by Afghan drugs.

“ Central Asia is becoming one of the major markets through which the illicit drugs go or are being consumed by the local population. So, there is a great threat for the region as such that there will be an erosion of the social fabric and obviously the state apparatus if this [trend] continues,” Redo said.

The countries of the so-called Golden Triangle - Myanmar , Laos , and Thailand - have a long history of fighting drug smugglers. Experts say the Central Asian governments can learn from their Southeast Asian counterparts.

Niklas Swanstrom, a director of Silk Road Studies at Sweden 's Uppsala University , is an expert on drugs and regional cooperation. He tells RFE/RL that the first step to combat trafficking is to seal borders, just as the Golden Triangle's neighbor China has done.

“In case of Burma [ Myanmar ], it's simply because its neighbors are closing the borders. We've seen that drug trafficking in Burma has been decreasing immensely. The Chinese are helping the Burmese to stop drug traffickers, but that is mainly bilateral measures. In Central Asia and Afghanistan , we don't even see much of bilateral tendencies,” Swanstrom said.

Swanstrom said even bilateral collaboration is not enough to stop smugglers. He said that, given the transnational character of drug trafficking, no country can stop it without international and regional cooperation. However, Swanstrom said the Central Asian states have demonstrated limited political will to cooperate. He said they partly fear an infringement of sovereignty, but added that in his opinion there are other reasons as well.

“Between Afghanistan and the Central Asian states, which are major transit countries, and also Iran , we've seen on paper there is a lot of collaboration. But in practice, there is very little going on. And this is used by drug traffickers. Some of the transit countries and, of course, parts of the government in Afghanistan are benefiting immensely from the [drug] trade because they are involved in it, they are running it. Some of the states, such as Tajikistan , Turkmenistan , and Afghanistan are benefiting from the drug trade or at least segments of these societies, if not all. [A] large part of the elite is benefiting and [therefore] they have no interest in collaboration,” Swanstrom said.

In remarks to RFE/RL, a spokesman for Tajikistan 's Drug Control Agency strongly rejected Swanstrom's remarks. Avaz Yuldoshev said Tajikistan is making every possible effort to combat drug trafficking.

According to UNODC, more and more drugs are being seized in Central Asia , with some eight tonnes seized in 2003 alone. Half of those were confiscated by the Tajik Drug Control Agency on the Tajik-Afghan border. Experts say that's a reflection of where most drugs are going.

According to some data, only 5% of drugs smuggled in Central Asia are seized. But Redo said the establishment of the Tajik agency is a good start. “So, this speaks about the need to increase capacity of the governments in other Central Asian countries,” he said. “The example of the Tajik Drug Control Agency, which is assisted by member states of the United Nations with funding and operations, is now followed by Kyrgyzstan . It is a good example and the way to go.”

Redo said another way of tackling opium production is through the development of alternative crops, which can create sustainable livelihoods. That method has proved effective in the Golden Triangle. He cited a UN-supported program by the Thai king and queen in the 1970s. It encouraged farmers to grow coffee rather than drugs.

“[The] case of Thailand is probably the best case with the Queen Mother's project that was also assisted by the UNODC. [It proves that] alternative development works. It means that in other countries like Central Asia this is possible. But [the Central Asian] countries and our programs are not that far. At this moment, we are talking about law-enforcement activities and strengthening the borders of the Central Asian republics,” Redo said.

Under the Taliban, Afghan opium production was slashed by up to 85%. But since the fall of the Islamic hard-liners in 2001, poppy cultivation has soared to levels that now make Afghanistan the world's leading opium producer. Poverty and lack of alternatives are the main reasons Afghans grow poppies, which is one of the most profitable businesses in the region.

But a new program launched in December seeks to help Afghan farmers find a new crop. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Germany have pledged contracts worth 3.3 million euros (US$4.3 million) to refurbish Afghan sugar refineries.

Swanstrom said this is a rare example of concrete assistance from the West. “One thing I've been criticizing the West for is a lack of will not only from Central Asians and Afghanis but also lack of the will from the West,” he said. “We give aid to those regions without any focus on actually combating drugs. What we should do is to help states like Uzbekistan to combat drugs because the consequences of drugs - like HIV addiction, etc - are going to hurt every individual. That, in turn, is going to cost even more resources.”

One in 10 Afghans is believed to be directly involved in drug production. Proceeds are estimated at $2.8 billion, or 60% of the country's yearly economic output.

Copyright (c) 2004, RFE/RL Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Rasio Free Europe/Radio Liberty , 1201 Connecticut Ave NW ,

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