The experiential pop-up store, which runs at the Eden 2 zone from today until Sunday (July 8), will transform your outfit from any colour into white and also offers a commonly designed ensemble in a distinctive new design through the “No Service” clothing brand to help get you ready for the world-class “Sensation Rise 2018” taking place at Bitec Bangna on July 29.

“Our brand is based on the concept of fast fashion – it is like coming up with an innovative design all the time. Here, you can revive your boring and old clothes,” says Bordin Aphimarn, one of the owners of No Service brand.

The experiential pop-up store is designed to provide a brand new experience in preparation for the world music festival. The white fashion phenomenon is back and will “mutate” clothing in any colour into brilliant white through three special techniques: “Collage”, creating new patterns by adding a montage of white fabrics with special patterns and shapes; “Painted”, use of a special dip-dyeing technique as well as through free hand painting by expert artists; and “Coated”, which irons white rubber sheets on clothes to create new graphic prints and textures such as Heineken, White Mutation and big and small stars.

“Our brand emphasises graphics, so this coating technique helps to sharpen the letters and the patterns. For the collage, we cut and sew a few old clothes to form a new one. This can make an innovative outfit with two collars or four sleeves that we can select to wear on the different days,” says Bordin.

The launch of the pop-up store was attended by celebrities Passakorn “Pok” Chirathivat, Aerin Yuktadatta, and Nont “Mickey” Allapach Na Pombhejara, who will be bringing their passion for fashion to the music festival and showing their own individual styles.

“I’m a huge fan of Sensation. I’ve been to the Sensation party twice in 2012 and 2014. It really is a huge white fashion phenomenon. Fashion is very important to me, so I won’t miss the chance to get ready before having a blast at the party. I’m really impressed with the way Heineken pays attention to every detail, even with this activity prior to Sensation. It builds excitement for the event and incorporates a fashion splash. Offering this special service to party-goers to mutate their outfits into white through these special techniques will create outstanding designs while allowing each person to remain unique, and I believe will also bring more buzz to the party,” says Aerin.

“I’m excited about Sensation Rise 2018. I went to the festival four years ago and was blown away. I have to give a big shout out to Heineken for bringing back this phenomenal music experience and allowing us to experience this legendary white party. Wearing white for me is all about being unique but at the same time it brings us together. I think that the Heineken Star Hive White Mutation popup store is a brilliant concept because it builds on the excitement by providing some cool ways to mutate clothes in any colour into white, it’s really impressive. July 29 is going to be intense!” says Passakorn.

“If you want stylish and unique outfits, don’t wait. Just drop off your clothes at Heineken Star Hive White Mutation at Central World and let Heineken work its magic. Stay tuned as Heineken is sure to roll out more surprises for fans at Sensation Rise 2018,” adds Nont.

Sensation will bring ‘Rise’ all the way to Bangkok to transform Bitec into the world’s biggest nightclub for just one night with the lineup of DJs that includes WHOISJODY, Dirty South, Mr White, Ko:Yu, Dannic, Sam Feldt, Dash Berlin, and host MC Gee.

Find out more about the “Heineken Star Hive White Mutation” at Facebook.com/heineken or No Service’s Instagram: @noserviceservice.

For tickets for Sensation Rise 2018, visit http://www.Sensation.com/cities/bangkok/.

The Power Green Camp – a collaborative exercise held annually by the Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, and energy giant Banpu – is now in its thirteenth year and is inviting high-school students majoring in science to make the most of their available time during the midyear break to by learning about biodiversity while also making new friends at the camp, which runs from October 18 to 25.

“Banpu firmly believes that learning is the power of change and development. For more than a decade, the Power Green Camp has focused on developing the new generation’s potential and skills and preparing them to grow up to become important forces in driving their communities and society forward by using the knowledge and experience they gain from the camp and adapting these to best suit the rapidly changing world. This year, we are placing emphasis on developing the economy and society while conserving the environment and ensuring stability of the country’s fundamental resources. In designing the camp’s activities, we have focused on creating a balance between environmental conservation and utilisation. We need to connect cooperation between every sector by supporting the new generation to make use of biodiversity in line with market demand by developing and increasing the value of products that enhance traditional wisdom. This will result in a wellbalanced and sustainable society,” says Udomlux Olarn, head of Bangpu’s corporate affairs.

Themed “Managing Biodiversity and Creatively Increasing its Economic Value”, the Power Green Camp 13 is open to 70 high-school students in Grade 10 and 11 majoring in science, who can demonstrate their passion for protecting the environment. The camp will be held at the Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, Salaya campus.

In addition to learning the theoretical aspects of environmental science, participants will be able to combine their artistic skills and environmental science knowledge to put together creative works. They will get to listen to real experiences from entrepreneurs in various businesses who apply biodiversity to generate income in a creative way and also take part in excursions to role model communities in Nakhon Pathom and Kanchanaburi provinces to learn more about how they can creatively utilise biodiversity to add more value to their local products.

Under the Power Green Camp’s concept “Enviscience: Learning through Actions”, all 70 selected students will participate in the activities, which kick off with lessons conducted by lecturers of the Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University on the importance of preservation and creating value added for biodiversity. Students will learn in practical terms how to create value added through the experiences shared by various businesses entrepreneurs, and further extend their knowledge by participating in different activities during the camp, such as a photography and painting workshop with naturalist, environmental writer and photographer Dome Pratumtong.

They will also go on trips to learn about the commercial usage of natural resources with local business owners and learn in depth the process of organic farming with local farmers at Sookjai Market and Chao Suan School in Nakhon Pathom’s Sam Phran district. The students will also travel to the community forest of Kanchanaburi’s Lum Sum sub-district, where they will see first-hand how the locals have been able to utilise biodiversity in their sustainable careers through efficient management of resources.

At the end of the camp, students will compete for a Bt30,000 scholarship through the environmental scientific group project contest and will also get a chance to join an environmental excursion overseas.

Science major high-school students in Grade 10 and 11 can download the application from http://www.PowerGreencamp.com and submit a handwritten application no longer than one sheet of A4 size paper or a 1-minute video clip plus other documents as indicated. Applications must be received no later than August 31, 2018.

For more updates and information on the camp, along with required qualifications and additional criteria, visit Facebook.com/powergreencamp or call (02) 441 5000 extension 2112.

A traditional form of dance-drama known as lakhon phanthang that first made its appearance as commercial theatre under royal patronage in the nineteenth century comes back to life this weekend through an adaptation of the Thai literary classic “Rachathirat”.

The production celebrates the 85th anniversary of the Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre, which was built on the orders of King Rama VII who funded it out of his personal budget as a gift to the Thai people.

“The budget for the construction of the theatre was Bt9 million and it was built to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of Bangkok. The framed pictures on the walls show King Prajadhipok and Queen Rambai Barni laying the foundation stone and inspecting the construction site,” says Narumol Lomthong, managing director of the royal theatre.

“At that time, Sala Chalermkrung was the most modern theatre in Southeast Asia. It had air-conditioning, a capacity of 2,000 seats, and had no pillars. It was renovated in 1992, with the stage widened and the installation of a hydraulic stage lift system, which reduced its capacity to 600 seats. The second floor used to hold two long balconies but these were made much shorter because of the instability of the walls. At that time, movie tickets cost just 25 satang.”

In fact, lakhon phanthang is a hybrid form of dance theatre, representative of non-Thai ethnic groups such as the Chinese, Burmese, Mon and Muslims and drawing on the costumes, movement styles and stereotypes of these ethnicities.

“Lakhon phanthang became a new kind of a play. Most were based on Asian chronicles. A member of Chao Phraya Mahintarasak-Thamrong (Peng Penkul)’s dance troupe, Luang Pattana Pongpakdee (Tim Sukhayang) was a playwright who adapted a chronicle into a play. The first adapted chronicle was “Rachathirat”, which is a Mon tale and used a mixture of Mon, Burmese and Chinese in the songs and dialogue as well as in the movements and costumes. The language was Thai but spoken with the accents of other Asian nations. There were many popular theatres during the reign of King Rama V, with “Rachathirat” and “Saming Phra Ram Arsa” the most played episodes of the Ramakien,” says Pramate Boonyachai, a specialist at Bunditpatanasilpa Institute.

Chao Phraya Mahintarasak-Thamrong lived through the reigns of three kings from 1821 to 1894. Born under King Rama III, he served as a government official under King Rama IV and died in the reign of King Rama V.

A confidant of King Rama IV and trusted by King Rama V, he played a key role in developing Thai dance theatre troupes to meet the tastes of Thai nobility.

The creativity of Chao Phraya Mahintarasak-Thamrong’s dance theatre troupe, which was founded during the reign of King Rama IV and became popular while King Rama V was on the throne, can be seen in the new approach he adopted for the artistic dances and performances. This approach was associated with foreign characters and consisted of newly invented components in terms of plays, costumes, musical instruments, and performing places. Apart from the traditional royal dance passed on since the reign of King Rama II, a new kind of dance called “Chao Phraya Mahin’s approach” or “Ram Ok-Parsa” was initiated to suggest the nationality of each foreign character.

This approach contributed to the development of many new theatrical dance performances. The theatrical performance of Chao Phraya Mahintarasak-Thamrong’s dance theatre troupe opened the door to the world of limitless performances. It was also a precursor to the approaches later developed by the Fine Arts Department and dance education institutes, enabling Thai dance to remain a key part of Thai national arts even though the society was dramatically changing.

After his death, his artists, among them his wife wife, Kru Krue, became dance teachers in Chao Khun Phra Prayurawongse’s troupe, a large ensemble that trained and produced many skilled theatrical artists. Four of them – Kru Phan Morakul, Kru Sa-Ad Saengsawang, Kru Charoenchit Pattarasewi, and Kru Yorsaeng Pakditewa went on to become dance teachers at the Fine Arts Department and were instrumental in preserving Chao Phraya Mahintarasak-Thamrong’s approach.

Krisana “Mom” Pakdeeteva remembers those days with fondness. “I used to work on the role of Kamanee with Kru Phan. To perform Kamanee, you must have a beautiful face and be smart and seductive. At that time, we would perform 110 rounds of “Rachathirat”. It all faded when the Fine Arts Department’s theatre burned down in 1960 and was rebuilt as the National Theatre in 1965.

“For me the highlight of the performance as wielding the mai thuan, a long stick. I would practise moving with the stick with Khru Amporn Chatchakul from 7-8am before I went off to my studies. After lunch, I would perform in front of my teachers then return after dinner to work on the moves until 9. It was the heart of the play. It was through the play that I met Thanongsak Pakdeetewa, who was in the audience every Saturday,” recalls the 83-year-old, who performed as Kamanee back in 1952 and is directing this weekend’s production.

In this new version of “Rachathirat”, Panot Pangsamut, an official with the Culture, Sports and Tourism Department, plays Kamanee while Phoomarin Maneewong, an instructor of Thai performing arts at Bunditpatanasilpa Institute, takes on the role of Saming Phra Ram.

“I’m one of Ajarn Krisana Buasuang’s students and as my instructor in performing art, he thinks I’m the most suitable to play Kamanee. In fact, I have performed in ‘Rachathirat’ before but in other roles. It’s very hard to fight with the long stick while dancing and singing and I’m still rehearsing two hours a day. Kamanee is a great Chinese warrior who is intelligent, valiant and strong,” says Panot.

“Saming Phra Ram must be nimble and small, smaller than the Chinese warrior. Saming Phra Ram is proficient in fighting with the thuan or long stick while on horseback and uses his intelligence to overcome the enemy. I’ve been working with Panot on the moves, which are far from easy as we have to hit each other’s stick with the same rhythm. I personally think the best scene is where we fight with the sticks in both Mon and Chinese styles,” says Phoomarin.

The play itself deals mostly with conflicts between the Mon and the Burmese as they fight for power and territory. The chronicle clearly portrays the virtues of the heroes, their gratitude and love for their country and the honour of Saming Phra Ram.

Two days of tradition

– The lakhon phanthang “Rachathirat” is being staged at Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre tomorrow and Sunday at 2pm.

– Tickets cost from Bt300 to Bt1,000 at Thai Ticket Major. Call (02) 262 3456 or visit http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

– For more information, call the the¬atre at (02) 225 87578 and (02) 623 81489.

The fifth Chivas Masters Global Final required the 21 national winners to return to Chivas’ origins at the Strathisla distillery in Speyside before culminating at Oval Space in London.

Throughout the five days, Arron worked with a team of six bartenders in setting up a own sustainable popup bar and preparing communityinspired cocktail menus.

Arron and his team created the winning bar One Night in Bangkok at the Chivas Masters Global Final in London and all members were honoured their blend of exceptional individual skills and infectious sense of team spirit.

His team comprised Angel Solorzano Chumpitaz (Peru), Martin Suaya (Argentina), Kentaro Wada (Japan), Yuta Inagaki (Hong Kong), Rick Marson (Netherlands), and Louis Marcpherson (Australia).

As the newly crowned champion, he has won an allaccess trip to “Tales of the Cocktail 2018” in New Orleans and joins the exclusive, closeknit community of previous winners.

“We wanted to bring Bangkok to London for just one night with our bar and that’s why we created One Night in Bangkok. I love the community in Bangkok that brings together people from all around the world through food and drink – and that’s what I wanted to recreate. My team spent five days in the runup to the global final, so I got to know what everyone was good at and how we could work best together. When you have a good team and a good connection, you can achieve anything,” Arron said.

Arron started as a food and beverage trainee at a hotel in Phuket, where he fell in love with the hospitality industry. He joined a onemonth training session at the bar and became a talented bartender.

His signature drink is The Grind, inspired by his mother and the stories she used to tell about how hard the farmers in Thailand work in the rice fields to provide food for the people – just like John and James Chivas, who grew up on a farm themselves.

“It was another fantastic year for bartending talent at the Chivas Masters Global Final in London, with an unrivalled display of creativity and teamwork on a global stage. Arron demonstrated originality, skill, leadership and, most importantly, a real sense of community throughout the final week,” said Richard Black, global marketing director at Chivas Regal.

“This was the first time we made our consumers part of the competition by giving them a chance to try Chivas cocktails created by some of the world’s best bartenders and then cast their vote to help crown the winner.”

The new menu will be served to all passengers from Saturday (July 7) to July 13.

“During the past six years, Thai Smile made changes in its service strategies to meet the needs of travellers and continues to pursue its goal of being the leading full-service airline in the region. The service is excellent, it is good value for money and meets the needs of short-haul commuters while also providing maximum comfort for passengers who require excellent services,” says Chatchai Panyoo, acting chief executive of Thai Smile.

“As we step into our seventh year of operation, we have improved the existing service and even modified WE Smile magazine to allow passengers to get more involved. In making all modifications and improvements, Thai Smile will take into account the needs of passengers. We are also opening two new routes –Bangkok-Guangzhou to replace the existing Phuket-Guangzhou, and Bangkok-Kolkata.

“Thai Smile is moving into its seventh year with a plan to develop a service geared towards modifying the service details, without effect on costs, such as changing the way we serve and be more flexible while maintaining service standards or serving styles. No tray is used, but a box that can be served instead of a tray. Smile Bag Packaging has been adjusted. There is also a premium tinted seat cover in grey in the Smile PLUS class. A satisfaction survey is conducted every month, and we brainstorm on adjusting the plans or solutions. It is also necessary to go out to check the operations,” says Nednapang Teeravas, chief customer service officer of Thai Smile.

For its anniversary menu, Thai Smile is working with After You on a Trio Chocolate Fudge Cake, a Strawberry Cheese Cake Verrine and Mango Coconut Sago Pudding (blue pea tapioca pearl topped with coconut milk and mango sauce) and serving them with Starbucks VIA Italian roast, one of the latest innovations from Starbucks. These will be available for passengers in the premium economy class (Smile Plus) and economy class (Smile Class) in all seats for all domestic and international flights. Passengers in premium economy class (Smile Plus) will be surprised by a cup of freshly blended coffee “Muan Jai Blend” served by a Starbucks barista with “Toast on Board”, a signature dish from After You.

The campaign features four shots starring four singular characters. In one, The Ray-Ban Marshal leaves behind the city in his rearview mirror as he protagonist drives into a never-ending sunset and stripped of restraints, allows his skin to absorb the warm light of freedom.

Fit for a tug-of-war

Onitsuka Tiger has just releases the new version of its Tsunahiki shoe, which was based on a tug-of-war competition and first introduced in 1982. This first generation model was one of the first tug-of-war competition shoes ever made and features a wide, wrapped rubber outer sole with improved cushioning and he addition of an Ortholite mid-sole. The original piping, stretching from around the shoelace holes to the collar and eyelet design has been left the same. The new model is true to the original lava orange-and-oatmeal scheme and four more new colours are also available.

Firming up for day and night

French skincare brand Clarins introduces it new Extra-Firming Day and Night Cream. Suitable for all skin types, the wrinkle-control day cream has a fresh and silky texture that puts the spring back into the skin. The key ingredient, extract of kangaroo flower, helps plump and firm the skin for a smoother, radiant and visibly younger-looking complexion. The night cream, which boasts similar ingredients, uses Moonstone Hydrated Silica to maintain the skin’s youthful qualities, reduce wrinkles and rejuvenate the skin while you sleep.

The plan was drawn up using data from an online survey that received 108,000 responses, making it the largest ever national survey of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people anywhere in the world.

Around two percent of respondents said they had received some form of conversion therapy, while another five percent had had it offered to them but refused.

LGBT rights group Stonewall defines conversion therapy as “any form of treatment or psychotherapy which aims to reduce or stop same-sex attraction,” although the survey did not provide a definition.

“These activities are wrong, and we are not willing to let them continue,” said the government plan.

“We will fully consider all legislative and non-legislative options to prohibit promoting, offering or conducting conversion therapy.”

Just over a half of those receiving conversion therapy said it was conducted by a faith group, 19 percent by a healthcare professional and 16 percent by a parent or family member.

“We are not trying to prevent LGBT people from seeking legitimate medical support or spiritual support from their faith leader in the exploration of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” added the report.

‘Lasting change’ 

More than two thirds of LGBT respondents said they had avoided holding hands with a same-sex partner for fear of a negative reaction.

“I was struck by just how many respondents said they cannot be open about their sexual orientation or avoid holding hands with their partner in public for fear of a negative reaction,” said Prime Minister Theresa May.

“No one should ever have to hide who they are or who they love.

“This LGBT action plan will set out concrete steps to deliver real and lasting change across society,” she added.

Some 40 percent of respondents had experienced incidents such as verbal harassment or physical violence in the 12 months preceding the survey, but more than 90 percent of them went unreported, with respondents explaining “it happens all the time”.

The government plan includes appointing a national LGBT health adviser, extending an anti-homophobic bullying programme in schools and improving the recording and reporting of LGBT hate crimes.

It also establishes a £4.5 million ($5.9 million, 5 million euros) “LGBT Implementation Fund” to help deliver the plan.

Of the respondents, 61 percent identified as gay or lesbian and a quarter identified as bisexual. Four percent identified as pansexual.

Younger respondents identified in larger numbers as bisexual, asexual, pansexual, queer or ‘other’, and 13 percent of the respondents were transgender, with seven percent identifying as “non-binary” — having a gender that was neither exclusively that of a man nor a woman.

The new model, which combines luxury, versatility and on-board comfort, was introduced at a party at House No. 1 Soi Charoen Krung 30.

“Ferrari has chosen a particularly evocative moniker for this exceptionally versatile coupe convertible car, referencing one of Italy’s most beautiful towns. Portofino is renowned for its charming tourist port and, over the years, has become internationally synonymous with elegance, sportiness and understated luxury,” noted Nandhamalee Bhirombhakdi, Cavallino Motors’ managing director.

Powered by the Ferrari V8 turbo, the new car boasts an ability to punch out 600cv and to sprint from 0-100km/h in just 3.5 seconds. Due to the adoption of new components and the calibration of the engine management software, the output power increased by 40cv from the California T power unit. Thanks to further tuning, the characteristic Ferrari V8 soundtrack can be fully appreciated in open-top driving.

The Ferrari Portofino is also an aggressively styled car with a two-box fastback configuration – unprecedented in a coupe-convertible with a retractable hard top. This successfully adds extra sleekness to its silhouette, highlighting a sportier character.

This Ferrari model is designed for enjoying daily driving and converts from an authentic Berlinetta into an open-top Spider in just 14 seconds even in low-speed driving. With a brilliant marriage of design, performance, and technology, and with various advantageous features – retractable hard top, spacious trunk, ample passenger space, and two rear seats suitable for a short trip – the new model is perfect for any occasion.

Its vehicle dynamic characteristics have been completely revised. For the first time on this type of Ferrari model, third-generation electronic rear differential (E-Diffs) has been integrated with the F1-Trac, improving both mechanical grip and the control of the car to the limit. The Ferrari Portofino is also the first GT in this range to be fitted with EPS (Electric Power Steering) The integration of the EPS and the E-Diff3 reduced the steering ratio by seven per cent for even more responsive steering without a trade-off in stability at high-speed driving. Thanks to the adoption of dual-coil technology, the magnetorheological damping system (SCM-E) has been upgraded, helping to reduce roll while contributing to improving absorption of road surface unevenness. The result is an even more dynamic, responsive car that also delivers superior ride comfort.

The new car also focuses on on-board comfort and this is achieved by a slew of new features – an infotainment system with a 10.2” touchscreen display, a new air-conditioning system that improves passenger comfort either with the top up or down, a new steering wheel, 18-way adjustable electric-powered seats with a new backrest design that boosts legroom for rear seat passengers, and the passenger display. All passengers will appreciate the new wind deflector that can cut air flow inside the cabin by 30 percent and reduces aerodynamic noise in open-top driving.

The price of the Ferrari Portofino is Bt20.9 million and aftersales service is provided free of charge with a three-year unlimited mileage warranty.

Based on the iconic Oris Aquis watch for divers, the new design focuses on the course of the River Rhine, which runs close to the village of Holstein, where Oris has been based since 1904.

The case back is embossed with a map of the River Rhine, which runs 1,233 km through six countries from its source at the Lai da Tuma, or Tomasee, a lake 2,343 metres up in the Swiss Alps.

Its 43.5mm stainless steel case is water-resistant to 300 metres and it has a uni-directional rotating bezel with a grey tungsten insert with a 60-minute timer scale for safely measuring dive times.

The automatic movement provides standout complication, an inventive circular date indicator shown by a scale running from 1 to 31 around the centre of the dial. Inside it is a channel with a white indicator that aligns with the scale and makes a full tour of the dial once a month to show the date.

The watch also has a sweeping seconds hand with a lollipop filled with luminescent Super-LumiNova. This is a significant detail – to qualify for diver’s watch status, a watch must have a display that shows the running of the watch to indicate to the wearer that their dive timing is accurate.

The watch comes on either a stainless steel metal bracelet or a grey rubber strap, both of which have stainless steel folding clasps that can be extended to be worn over a wetsuit. To reflect the height above sea level of the Lai da Tuma, 2,343 pieces will be made.

For more details, call (02) 163 0555 or visit http://www.TracaderoTime.com.

TOURISTS HIKING in Nepal’s Himalayan mountains are being pressured into costly helicopter evacuations at the first sight of trouble by guides linked to powerful brokers who are making a fortune on “unnecessary rescues”, industry insiders say.

Dodgy operators are scamming tens of thousands of dollars from insurance companies by making multiple claims for a single chopper ride or pushing trekkers to accept airlifts for minor illnesses, an investigation by AFP has revealed.

In other cases, trekking guides, promised commission if they get tourists to return by chopper, are offering helicopter rides to tired hikers as a quick way home, but billing them as rescues to insurance companies.

The practice is so rampant helicopter pilots are reporting “rescuing” tourists who appear in perfectly fine health.

“It’s a racket that’s tantamount to fraud, and it’s happening on a large scale throughout Nepal,” says Jonathan Bancroft of UK-based Traveller Assist, which carries out medical evacuations in Nepal on behalf of global travel insurance companies.

An unidentified injured person is carried by others at the Everest Base Camp near Namche Bazar. /AFP

Trekking outfits stand to make more in kickbacks from evacuating a hiker by helicopter than the cost of the trek itself, contributing to an alarming rise in rescues from Nepal’s biggest tourist attraction: the fabled Himalayas.

Traveller Assist said 2017 was the most expensive year on record for travel insurance companies covering tourists in Nepal due to a startling number of helicopter rescues – though this year is on track to beat it.

There is no centralised dispatch centre for helicopter flights in Nepal making it difficult to know precisely how many evacuations are carried out.

But over the past six years the skies of the Everest region have turned into a helicopter highway, with a six-fold increase in the number of choppers in the air, each logging over 1,000 flying hours per year, according to industry data.

“We used to see maybe one helicopter in two or three days. Now we are seeing 10 or so in a day,” says Thanishwar Bhandari, who works as a small clinic in the Everest region.

Meanwhile, one foreign pilot, who requested anonymity, says he rescued trekkers on a near daily basis in April and May this year, peak trekking season.

“I think I took three people the whole season who appeared genuinely ill,” he explains.

Australian trekker Jessica Reeves was urged by her guide to be evacuated by helicopter from near Everest base camp in October 2017 when she complained of a common cold.

“He kept telling me to get a helicopter,” Reeves recalls. “They said if I keep going it would be really risky so it was better to leave now instead of risking it.”

Climbers cross the Khumbu icefall of Mount Everest, as seen from the Everest base camp earlier this year. /AFP

Reeves said nine or 10 hikers in her group ended up returning to Kathmandu on three helicopters but were instructed to say they were alone on the flight back.

She alleged the company, Himalayan Social Journey, billed each of the tourists’ insurance providers for the whole flight – pocketing around $35,000 (Bt1.15 million) in the process.

“They told us all to lie to the insurance company and say there was only one person on the helicopter when there were three or four of us on each,” she says. Reeves’ insurance claim was in any case rejected because her policy had expired.

The company owner, Ram Sapkota, denies that the insurance companies were each billed for the full flight.

“(They) claimed insurance on a sharing basis and we received money from (the) insurance,” he stresses, dismissing allegations as “fake”.

Sapkota blamed the rise in helicopter rescues from the Himalayas on lazy hikers and hypochondriacs.

“When one client gets sick, then the group they say, ‘I feel unsafe and just want to go’,” he says.

Extensive interviews by AFP with players at every stage of the commission chain reveals that guides, trekking operators, lodge owners and charter companies are acting as brokers, playing helicopter companies off against each other to secure a cut of the rescue fees.

One manager of a Kathmandu-based helicopter company says they pay $500 to brokers for each rescue flight.

“If we don’t pay the commission, we can’t get the business,” the manager tells AFP on condition of anonymity.

Mount Everest, 8848-metreshigh, is some 140 kilometres northeast of the Nepali capital Kathmandu./AFP

The trekking industry in Nepal took a hit following a devastating earthquake in 2015.

But tourists are now returning: from March to May 2014, more than 20,000 foreigners visited the Sagarmatha National Park, home to Mount Everest, according to government figures.

Meanwhile, there are an estimated 2,000 trekking companies promising to whisk them off into the mountains, many of them operating from scruffy, cramped offices in the dusty back streets of Kathmandu.

The cost of the 14-day trek to Everest base camp varies wildly between the outfits, but many offer the tour for less than $1,000, below cost price according to multiple industry sources.

Guides working for the low-cost agencies are being told to make up the shortfall by getting trekkers rescued by helicopter: one guide told AFP on condition of anonymity that he was given a quota for the number of trekkers he should have “rescued”.

“The industry thrives on these unnecessary rescues,” adds Suraj Paudyal, who coordinates helicopter rescues for Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu.

For doctors working in the high-altitude Everest region, the increased availability of helicopters does provide reassurance that critical patients can be airlifted from remote locations to better-equipped hospitals below.

“It is nice, as a doctor, to have the safety net of a helicopter,” says British doctor Helen Randfield, who mans a small clinic that caters to the influx of trekkers arriving with the good weather of spring and autumn.

But the decision as to who gets evacuations ends up in the hands of the guides, not the medical professionals.

“Trekkers or their guides are deciding themselves whether they need a rescue,” says Sonia Mariano, an American doctor who worked at the same clinic last year.

The majority of rescues are happening without prior approval of insurance companies – 80 per cent according to Alpine Rescue, which carries out evacuations for the International Assistance Group, an alliance of global insurers – leaving the system open to exploitation.

Some hospitals back in Kathmandu also have a stake in the rescue business. Company registration documents reviewed by AFP show that many large trekking outfits have financial ties to hospitals and helicopter providers, creating a conflict of interest.

Ram Sapkota of Himalayan Social Journey says his guides receive a commission from some hospitals if they take a tourist there, saying he allows it because his company needed to “maintain relations” with medical providers.

He also bought a 10 percent stake in helicopter firm Altitude Air last year.

A German trekker hiking in the Everest region in April recalls how a broker offered him a return helicopter flight to Kathmandu – with the cost billed to his insurance provider.

“He said he knew a doctor who would sign it off as a rescue,” the tourist, also requesting anonymity, says.

The majority of rescues in the Himalayas are related to “acute mountain sickness” caused by low oxygen levels at high altitude. The symptoms are vague – headaches, nausea, loss of appetite – and the only treatment is to descend.

But once the patient is at lower altitudes the symptoms disappear, making it impossible to tell if the evacuation was medically necessary.

“By the time the trekkers come down, they are fine,” says Dr Prativa Pandey, medical director of respected Kathmandu-based travel clinic Ciwec.

She adds that doctors cannot be made responsible for cleaning up the murky business: “You (as a doctor) have to give the benefit of doubt to the patient,” she stresses.

International insurance companies are beginning to wise up to the rampant fraud.

Multiple insurance companies linked to one major UK-based underwriter are considering no longer offering travel insurance for Nepal, an industry source said, requesting anonymity as the firms did not want to alarm customers.

Nepal’s tourism ministry launched an investigation into alleged insurance fraud in early June after receiving complaints from multiple sources, joint secretary Ghanashyam Upadhyaya reports.

“The investigation might take (another) month. When we began our work we did not realise the magnitude of the problem,” Upadhyaya explains.

However, Upadhyaya refuses to confirm the details of the ongoing investigation, but local media have reported that 500 trekking and helicopter companies are being probed, including Sapkota’s Himalayan Social Journey. Sapkota says he had not been contacted by the ministry and firmly denies any wrongdoing.