The News Review:

- Thai prime minister insists he’s in charge despite return of…
- utrigger to Manage New Luxury Resort in Phuket Thailand
- Paradise in Progress
- Gregory Lee takes up new role as Vice President of perations at HPL…
- Who will work in West’s towns?
- Problems in paradise for foreign property buyers – Feature

Thai prime minister insists he’s in charge despite return of…
International Herald Tribune – Feb 29, 2008
Thaksin arrived at Chulalongkorn Hospital in a bulletproof car amid unusually high security. The ex-prime minister's safety is an apparent concern. He is staying at a Bangkok luxury hotel chosen in part because it has a rooftop helipad in case he requires an emergency evacuation the interior minister said Thursday. Although Thaksin faces corruption charges and has promised to stay away from politics critics fear his return is a calculated step toward regaining power. “Thaksin's behavior totally contradicts what he says. His behavior makes it clear that he came back to reclaim his power — to show that he is the real leader” the Thai-language Thai Post said in an editorial. Cabinet members from the PPP which is packed with Thaksin's allies are expected to defer to the former leader undermining the authority of Samak.

utrigger to Manage New Luxury Resort in Phuket Thailand
ASIATravelTips.com – Feb 29, 2008
Central & City Developments Limited whose principals include Sir Terry Leahy a former European Business Leader of the year and Paul Mercer well-known developer and president of Central & City Developments is the developer of West Sands which is the first in a series of lifestyle resorts to be developed by Central & City Developments. “This is an exciting opportunity for utrigger” said David Carey president and CE of utrigger Enterprises Group. “We’ve had our sights set on Thailand – Phuket in particular – for some time now; and we’re thrilled to be associated with such a prestigious project and a team of experienced developers known for their high standards and quality projects. Work is already underway on the West Sands project with the first 140 villa and condominium units set for completion by the fall of 2008. The West Sands utrigger Resort hotel facility is part of phase two of the project and is slated to open by end of 2009. Resort amenities will include a water park a beach club private clubhouse fitness center tennis courts a holistic fusion spa as well as a selection of retail shops and restaurants. Condominium units will be located in five-story buildings set amidst their own free-form swimming pools… “We’ve had our sights set on Thailand – Phuket in particular – for some time now; and we’re thrilled to be associated with such a prestigious project and a team of experienced developers known for their high standards and quality projects. Work is already underway on the West Sands project with the first 140 villa and condominium units set for completion by the fall of 2008. The West Sands utrigger Resort hotel facility is part of phase two of the project and is slated to open by end of 2009. Resort amenities will include a water park a beach club private clubhouse fitness center tennis courts a holistic fusion spa as well as a selection of retail shops and restaurants. Condominium units will be located in five-story buildings set amidst their own free-form swimming pools. The one two and three-bedroom apartments will feature large balconies high ceilings fully equipped kitchens and luxurious bathrooms. Ground floor units will have their own gardens with private access.

Paradise in Progress
MarketWatch – Feb 29, 2008
Though the Edenic feel is somewhat undercut by the impressive insect life and the occasional smell of burning waste at a nearby landfill neither is bad enough to spoil the fun. My husband and I visited the Turks and Caicos in 2001 and had been disappointed by the Parrot Cay resort a 40-minute boat ride from Amanyara’s island Providenciales or “Provo. ” But we had better expectations from Amanresorts best known for luxurious but minimalist hotels with good service in places such as Bali and Thailand. The Singapore-based company opened Amanyara on a 99-acre site honeycombed with cart paths and man-made ponds in 2006. It has 40 rooms and 20 privately owned villas including an oceanfront spread recently sold for $17 million. Next year Amanyara will start to build a spa and about a dozen more pond-front villas and its developers are in final talks with the government to develop a Tom Fazio-designed golf course.

Gregory Lee takes up new role as Vice President of perations at HPL…
e-Travel Blackboard – e-Travel Blackboard (press release) – Feb 29, 2008
Throughout his career Gregory also gained recognition for his outstanding work with awards such as “General Manager of the Year” “Hotel of the Year” and other Excellence awards. At HPL Hotels & Resorts Gregory will oversee hotel operational responsibilities for the company’s current portfolio of 10 properties located in the Asia Pacific Region. These include Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur Concorde Hotel Shah Alam Concorde Inn Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hard Rock Hotel Bali Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya Casa del Mar – Langkawi The Lakehouse – Cameron Highlands and Rihiveli Beach Resort – Maldives. Another two new properties are scheduled to open soon: Kandooma – Maldives in mid 2008 and Hard Rock Hotel Penang in early 2009.

Who will work in West’s towns?
Denver Post – Feb 29, 2008
Further chatting revealed that they weren’t tourists. In scattershot English they told me that they were from Thailand and had come to Cody Wyo. on temporary work visas to serve up hamburgers in Wendy’s. As they smilingly pedaled away I called after them: “Welcome to Cody!” Around the same time I spied a newspaper story about two male Romanian college students spending the summer cooking in a Cody restaurant. I also noticed that Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel employed four college-age women from Russia. Indeed a trip to the concession centers in Yellowstone National Park is to hear a cacophony of Nabokovian and Naipaulese English accents… on temporary work visas to serve up hamburgers in Wendy’s. As they smilingly pedaled away I called after them: “Welcome to Cody!” Around the same time I spied a newspaper story about two male Romanian college students spending the summer cooking in a Cody restaurant. I also noticed that Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel employed four college-age women from Russia. Indeed a trip to the concession centers in Yellowstone National Park is to hear a cacophony of Nabokovian and Naipaulese English accents. And the Mexicans? No matter your views on the incendiary immigration issue it’s a cliche to say that they are everywhere. I’ve been in the Cody labor force for 14 years. At my first job as a waiter at the Irma Hotel I saw two cooks fired on the same day.

Problems in paradise for foreign property buyers – Feature
Earthtimes – Feb 29, 2008
Thai King Prajadhipok Rama VII built his “Klai Kang Won” or “Far From Worries” palace in Hua Hin in 1928. Thailand’s current monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej 80 an avid sailor in his younger years has always spent part of the year at the seaside royal residence. ver the decades the resort has become a favourite summer retreat for Thai high society and more recently has drawn a plethora of world-class hotel chains and posh boutique getaways. Tourists attracted to Hua Hin tend to be the family set or middle aged couples a distinctly different crowd than those drawn to Thailand’s more raucous beach resorts such as Pattaya notorious for its wild nightlife. In recent years many former tourists have opted to buy a home in Hua Hin as Thailand’s property boom extends to its resorts angling for foreign buyers of second homes or retirement getaways. Unfortunately some of these paradise seekers have fallen victim to scam artists and con men and Hua Hin has proved no exception. A popular hang-out for the disgruntled foreign retirees of Hua Hin is the small office of Tuck Dechapanya owner of the Hua Hin Hotline newspaper and founder of the Hua Hin Foreign Service Link Centre.

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