Behind The Smile

As long as the Thai elite use these three concepts to define the discourse in the country, it will never be a true democracy.

1. It would be a major step forward if lese majeste laws were amended so only the monarch could bring lese majeste charges.
2. The state should be secular. In Thailand, buddhism is one of the three pillars of the state.
3. Third, what exactly constitutes Nation? The way the country is seen by the elite, or the way an Isan farmer sees it? Or any of 60 million other ways?

Introducing Freedom, Democracy and the Rule of Law as guiding concepts for the country, would be a major step forward.

Next time you go to Bangkok airport, Bumalabum, (I can never spell the name, who came up with something so like that?) remember this when you shop at King Power:

It is well established that King Power occupied far more retail space than its contract allowed, blocked safety exists, built a whole building without permission and without rental, and prejudiced airport security. Yet all attempts to bring the company to justice have been sandbagged. If these massive bits of plundering are safe from the law, then more modest piracy should be fine.

Read the article by Chang Noi

The Rich are not like you and me. They live their lives here on an alltogether different plane. They don’t go to supermarkets, you don’t see them at the ATM, Tesco Lotus, or any other such pedestrian location. If you’re lucky you might spot a “rich” or two in Emporium or Paragon, the two upscale shopping malls.

When driving your car around the city, it is quite common for people to let you go ahead in the queu of cars, especially in narrow sois. This behavior is in such contrast with traffic on the main roads, which is often a Formula 1 race from red light to red light.

Translated literally it means birdshit foreigner. Yes, xenophobia is not politically incorrect in Thailand. Birdshit foreigners are those of “poor” appearance. So beware. If you walk around the city in flip flops, farmers pants and a scruffy t-shirt you’ll have to deal with the attitude of Thais who consider you a lower life form.

The Valentine police has gone home to check on underage sex. But there remains the murky issue of the age of consent. There’s always endless discussion on various boards about this, as Asiaticus notes. Is it 16 or 18? Nobody seems to be sure.

Samak is really making a fool of himself, and should go back to his kitchen to cook us all some nice Thai food.  Here’s an interview with him. Part of the transcript when asked about the Tak Bai incident:

“Aww, the innocent people. When that type of movement, around that thing, is innocent or not, I have no idea, but those people going fled in the truck, if they strong enough when they standing in the truck, it’s ok. But they spent the whole day, doesn’t eat, doesn’t drink water, doesn’t even swallow any kind of thing, because in the month of that thing, so, they just fall on each other. And 78 die, from so many truck, loading, running by… [?] So that’s it. It’s a tragedy. It happened. Nobody intend to kill them. They die because of their physical. But they has been caught just to get into the barrack. So, so what’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with that? What is the execution of that? What is it?”

Can you make heads or tails of it? I can’t. Via New Mandala. New Mandala is one of my favorite sites when it comes to learning about what the heck goes on in Thailand 

This Valentine’s day Bangkok’s Brownest will be on full alert. Are terrorists on the way? Nope! It’s Valentine’s day and they want to make sure that kids under 18 will not have sex.  Hahaha!

Thailand’s new government is a real kitchen cabinet and seems to include everybody’s second cousin as well as maids and drivers. Chalerm, a rather crookish character, according to many, has become the interior minister. Now whenever something goes wrong he can send in his sons to restore order. I will sleep much better!

I am so ancient, I remember I had to go to Surat Thani and take a boat to get to Koh Samui. There were no luxury hotels, only simple beach huts and backpackers. Suitcases were a rarity. In the late 80s the airport opened and Bangkok Airways would fly you there in 90 minutes or so. Now, years later, Thai Airways is going to fly to Samui twice a day. Progress? I think so.