“I was born in Vienna in 1957. My father was an agricultural engineer and my mother was a teacher. I joined the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 33 years ago, in 1986. I studied Arabic and political science at university and even before concluding my studies I was assigned as an interpreter to accompany Austrian ministers on trips to Arab countries and accompany other important people when they received guests and dignitaries who spoke Arabic. But what I always wanted was to be a diplomat and not an interpreter,” said Ms Hager. She was well on her way with an assignment in 1988 as attaché for political affairs at the Austrian Embassy in Damascus, Syria, and has since held a number of important positions in Vienna and around the world. As an ambassador, she formerly served in Cyprus and Mexico. (See CV in Box)
 
Asked if the posting in Thailand was her choice, she replied: “Yes, in a way. In our system you have to submit applications for several posts in order to be eligible for assignment. I was pleased to learn I had been chosen for Thailand.
 
“I am also Ambassador to Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. It’s not an overloaded job for me, because while serving as Ambassador in Mexico between 2013 and 2017 I was also looking after seven other countries – Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
 
“I have to keep up with the latest information on all four countries I am ambassador to, and I do it on my own, already in the morning from my residence at the embassy compound. This is the first thing I do over breakfast or immediately after. I read Thai English-language news sources and other sources on the internet. Then I look at news from Austria, the EU and around the world.
 
“After getting acquainted with what’s going on in the world and especially Thailand and the region, I take the short walk to the embassy. I decide what the priorities are, especially in regard to Thailand, and I may call on my staff and collaborators to discuss matters and distribute tasks for them. Then I get to less pressing duties, which includes office work.
 
“Essentially, the task of an ambassador is to promote relations with the country we are assigned to in the best possible way, in all fields – politics, economic relations, culture, education, you name it. In order to do that, you have to take part in a lot of activities such as attending meetings and give presentations. You also have to participate in cultural and social events such as –but not limited to – national day receptions and organize events for guests and so on. Most of this occurs in the evening hours. You have to develop and maintain good relations with officials as well as people from the civil society in your host country.
 
“It is a very versatile and flexible job, and it requires a lot of travel. I travel to each of the other three countries I am accredited to a couple of times a year, and maybe more. It depends on whatever operations and activities, like official meetings, there may be.”

The place is buzzing with new galleries, restaurants and events thanks to new MD Linda Cheng
By Ruth Gerson 

Linda Cheng, Managing Director of River City Bangkok, has injected new life into the famous venue after losing some of its shine since opening 35 years ago.
 
This highly engaging and approachable lady tells of the circuitous route that has taken her from Taiwan at the young age of 12 to study in the United States, and later to Thailand to work in her family’s business. Linda’s father had owned a business in Taiwan manufacturing Christmas lights and moved its base to Thailand, establishing a factory in Bang Na. In 1989, following graduation from UCLA in Los Angeles, Linda joined her family business in Thailand while pursuing an MBA degree at the newly opened and prestigious SASIN business school at Chulalongkorn University. “It was my father’s way of keeping me here,” she says. And indeed he succeeded, as it was in Bangkok that Linda met her husband and put down roots in the City of Angels.
 
Linda’s husband’s story runs parallel to hers. Also of Taiwanese origin, his parents invested in ceramic tile manufacturing in Thailand. While Linda had studied on west coast USA her husband finished his studies in New York and was already employed there when he was summoned to return to Asia to his family’s business. The two met in Bangkok and married in 1994. Linda continued to work in the family’s business in marketing and sales with the US as a major market, while her husband’s ceramic tile business took them to Europe, mostly to Italy and Spain from where the tile-manufacturing machines were imported.

FROM THE YEAR 2005 The following is how Max reported on the tragedy: The reconstruction began immediately afterward and is being kept up at a good pace in most affected areas.

The tsunami of December 26, 2004 was the result of the greatest earthquake in 40 years, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre at 150 kilometres off the west coast of northern Sumatra and more than 500 km from the west coast of Thailand. Despite the distance, the giant waves struck there on a beautiful Sunday morning with an unimaginable power and left behind destruction of biblical proportions.
 
The catastrophe that caused death and injury to thousands of Thais and foreign tourists and left hotels, resorts, shops, businesses, private houses and motor vehicles in ruins was completely unexpected.
 
“We know that disasters like fires, storms or earthquakes can occur here, but we never expected that a tsunami would reach us and destroy our lives,” said Mustafa, a long-tail boat driver from Phi Phi island in Krabi province, which was one of the most heavily devastated areas. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their means of livelihood, at least temporarily. Nearly 400 fishing villages along the Andaman coast were seriously affected, the waves laying fishing boats to waste by the thousands. Another approximately 120,000 people saw their incomes vanish along with the tourists who stayed away, partly out of fear of another tsunami and partly out of respect for all those in mourning.
 
The reconstruction began immediately and is still being kept u at a good pace in most affected areas. Many Thais and foreigners, both tourists and expatriates, were quick to volunteer to help the victims. One of those is Angelo Rasamimanana, a Frenchman, who owned Ma Ma restaurant on Phi Phi island for 19 years until it was swept away on that fateful day. He collaborated in January 2005 with three of his countrymen to establish a relief organisation called Phi Phi Releve Toi.
 
“We are based in Krabi and are helping people from Phi Phi island who are now on the mainland. Most of them are Thai Muslims, who make up the biggest part of the population there,” Angelo explained.
 
He added: “We are involved in the construction of schools, houses and temporary shelters and also help with the education of orphans, support senior citizens, pay rentals for people who are waiting for their houses to be completed, provide scholarships for students, organise sporting events and summer camps and supply school uniforms, as well as provide some other assistance.”
 
Angelo said that financial contributions were coming in from many sources all over the world. Wassana Ditracha from Ban Namkhem village is one of the reportedly 150 Thai tsunami victims in the area who have converted from Buddhism to Christianity. She explained what had made her change her faith: “I was running away from the approaching wave, which hurled me10 metres above the ground, right on top of a large tree. I was safe but I lost everything and I was in shock and I didn’t know what to do.” It was then that she met some people from the Hope of Takuapa Church who helped her and many others to overcome the trauma.
 
According to Pastor Chatchawan and Pastor Jujit from the Hope of Takuapa Church, “at this moment we have five people helping, but we have joined with some foundations and received assistance from Hope of Bangkok Church, ServLife Foundation in America and Christians from California to distribute necessary items for daily life to tsunami victims.”
 
Ban Namkhem village, which was totally devastated, has also received help from many other individuals,organisations and businesses. Wassana and her husband and other families have already moved into nice houses built with support from Thai television channel iTV.​

Le Crystal restaurant has been serving the finest French cuisine for 14 years, recognised by numerous awards, including Thailand’s Tatler Dining Award for Best French Restaurant on no less than ten occasions.
 
Ajava-Riddhi Diskul, second generation owner of Le Crystal, combines classic French flavours with a modernist presentation. The menu and the restaurant’s architectural setting combine to reflect this vision.
 
In addition to its two rotating set menus, highlights from the à la carte menu include classic French fare such as seared foie gras and signature dishes like its truffle soup.  Guests can dine on premium imported meats such as the lamb rack , beef Wagyu from Australia, prime strip loin from the USA, or Hida beef strip loin from Japan. 

The controversy over the TM30 reporting procedure shows no sign of going away.

Immigration officials are continuing to insist on imposing a law that demands the owner of a hotel or other premises reports the presence of a temporary non-immigrant resident staying on their premises within 24 hours of their arrival.

The details of this law are complicated and a source of anxiety for all those affected, which must include all non-Thais - and not only so-called expats.

But what is the reason for the sudden re-emergence of this 40-year-old law? No one is able to provide a clear-cut answer, but here are some possibilities:

The most likely explanation is national security in the face of recent acts of terrorism and increasing trans-national crime. It is vital for Thai authorities to know the location of foreigners entering the country, be they good or bad.

Another possible reason is simply good accounting, to learn more about the habits of visiting foreigners.

Reports that many nationals from India and China are living here illegally, prompting a crackdown.

Yet another possibility is a tightening up on Airbnb and other largely unregulated accommodation booking sites which have proved very popular with tourists to the detriment of the hotel industry and also to the tax authorities since the revenue from such arrangements go under the radar.

Imposing TM30 efficiently and effectively clearly takes many working hours, which will no doubt prove burdensome to the authorities. That may come as some kind of compensation for foreigners still trying to understand the law.