Found this whilst delving into another issue in this subforum:-
[BANGKOK: An enterprising Thai company has launched susarn.com in cyberspace to take the sting out of death and to space mourners the chaos of Bangkok’s notorious traffic.
The IP address is directly derived from the Thai word “susarn” (graveyard), giving potential surfer an unmistakable hint about the nature of the website.
Service offered include online mourning and funerals where messages of condolence can be directly conveyed to the bereaved family.
For instance, an online funeral service for the late Montri Pongpanich, a former Deputy Prime Minister who died last week of cancer, has drawn more than 20 condolence messages:-
(More on Montri:- http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=7476&postcount=2)
Subscribers to the site also can leave an online “will”, basically consisting of a confidential message to a particular individual or a group of people to be passed on in the event of premature death.
“The whole idea is to be prepared. There are things one might want to tell the beloved ones, but is waiting for the right time. This service ensures the message will arrive in case of unexpected death.” Ms Piyaporn, who has launched the website, said. — DPATop
And herewith the very same site in English:-
http://www.susarn.com/susarneng/en_mainDesign.asp
The 'In Memorium' page:-
http://www.susarn.com/susarneng/eng_list%20of%20name/eng_listnew.asp
In the provinces, it is not uncommon to attend 50 funerals a year. In Bangkok, traffic jams make that impractical. From The Nation- Business Section:
Funerals for the modern lifestyleThe traditional Thai funeral has been taken into the hi-tech age with a novel new service.
Founded by Kampol Thanapan-yaworakun and 40 friends while they were studying for master's degrees in commerce and accountancy at Chulalongkorn University, Kiat Siam is now offering the "Memory and Love" service.
The company has provided 80 plasma televisions for funerals held in 26 temples in Bangkok. At the service, the television shows a profile of the deceased, including photographs and mourning messages. After the funeral, the files are copied onto a CD as a souvenir for the mourners.
People unable to attend a funeral can dial Kiat Siam's call centre and leave their names and mourning messages. The company will take those messages to display them on the television at the service.
Kampol says other companies could promote themselves through advertisements on the television, as all messages are rotated throughout the funeral.
"This can help facilitate the busy lives of people nowadays. It matches the lifestyle of people who live in the city. If they can't attend the funeral, this is the channel for them to express their commemoration," he says.
Users can create their own messages or apply the messages provided by the company.
Kampol adds: "Some messages are very touching. For example, one said 'You are no longer here - from now on whom should I buy the bread for?'
"A flight attendant sent a message saying that 'the plane is landing but nothing will be the same when you are not around. I wish you the best.'
"A son wrote to his father that he would concentrate on his studies. These messages show the truly deep feelings that they have for each other."
The service is not only easy to use but also convenient when it comes to payment.
"People now don't have much time. This is a business to facilitate their life, so we must provide everything that is easy to access for them," explains Kampol.
"After we display the mourning message, we send our payment code to our customers via SMS messages. They can pay at the counter. We are not afraid that they won't pay, because anyone who would do this must be very cruel. No one wants to mess up with a funeral. This helps to guarantee our revenue."
Although it is a new business, Kiat Siam plans to increase its registered capital to Bt10 million. Kampol and his friends believe in the prospects of this business as they see three key factors - the service helps the dead person's relatives and guests, it is different from others as they are the pioneers, and it features the value of technology.
The company provides the service in a package. The price ranges from Bt2,000 to Bt4,500, depending on the size of the profile and pictures of the dead person. Another Bt390 is the fee for displaying mourning messages for one night.
As this is quite a sensitive business, Kampol believes aggressive marketing would be counter-productive. Therefore, his marketing strategy is simply to walk up to potential customers.
Kiat Siam has set up televisions in 26 temples, including Wat Prasrisamphet, Wat That Thong and Wat Hua Lampong. The company's staff offer the package to the funeral host. Many customers have expressed their interest and the temples' abbots also like the service because it shows how modern the temple is.
"We achieve about 30 per cent of the funerals in each temple. We receive around five orders per month from big temples. For the smaller size of temple, we obtain around three orders per month. After doing the maths, 80 plasma televisions in 26 temples should mean we receive at least 240 orders per month. This is a very huge market," Kampol says.
The company received about Bt80,000 in revenue in January, with only half of its capacity being operated. It planned to operate all of its plasma televisions by the end of last month.
A sudden death may affect the business, as the dead person's relatives may like to get over their sorrow by quickly finishing the funeral. However, this is a minor group as most people who visit the big temples know in advance that they may have to hold the funeral soon.
Kiat Siam aims to break even within three years. It will increase more services through its website www.memoryandlove.com, especially one providing information about the temples. Currently, the website can provide a map and schedule of praying.
The company aims to expand its business to other temples in Bangkok at an early stage, as there are more than 1,000 in the capital.
"This is our core business. We will focus on this service. We haven't thought about providing the full service for holding the funeral, as it's quite complicated and delicate," says Kampol.
"We want to be the expert in this business. The market is open for everyone. We will be happy if there are more newcomers. They would help stimulate this business to grow even faster."
Cheerawat Kongkaew
cheerawat@nationgroup.com
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/03/06/business/business_30028612.php
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