Voranai another good article

[GLCQuantum]

*Ahem*...

'Jay and Silent Bob' it should have been

[Takiap]

All this talk but everyone still forgets (myself included with the first post) that the biggest evil when taken in large quantities is.... alcohol.

But governments receive a lot of money from this so it's 'brushed under the carpet' as such.

It's a wonderful world eh!

If you were to eradicate the consumption of alcohol you would probably halve the amount of people using (the general once a week users not addicts I'm talking about) recreational drugs in the world in less than a month. Some people start their evening with a social drink never contemplating about going out to get anything 'stronger' at that time. When the alcohol takes affect and reasoning/common sense goes out the window, the people that do play with the stronger stuff will , at a slight mention, want to continue the party. This also rings true for people that have yet to try the illegal drugs but... under the influence of alcohol they think 'Hey, why not'. Something they would never do had they not dropped a couple of tequilas.

The amount of murders, rapes, stabbings, violence, self harm, destruction of families and many more horrible things that has been caused by alcohol consumption is massive. Far more so than drugs.

But... Countries get a lot of money from it so ban it - absolutely not.

How many times in your life have you said/done something you really regretted under the influence of alcohol. Now let someone who has anger issues, self control issues, psychological issues etc etc drink the devils brew and let's see what happens.

The old bullshit 'cannabis is the gateway to harder stuff' is simply that third word in the sentence. Alcohol is the gateway for the majority of people by a large margin. Can you imagine... Stoned on the couch watching 'Silent Jay and Bob Strike Back' and asked if you want to walk the streets in search of harder stuff...

"Not up for it mate but can you pass me that donut next to you"

When I was younger I used to smoke a joint every now and again, and I never ended up a drug addict. I'm yet to see anyone become violent after a joint, but as we all know, alcohol is a very different matter. Give a Thai building site laborer 10 joints, and he either fall asleep, or else he won't stop yapping. Give him a bottle of Lao Kao, and...........................


At the end of the day, no war on drugs has ever been successful. It's simply a waste of money and resources, but hey, it does win votes.

[Pleng]

At the end of the day, no war on drugs has ever been successful. It's simply a waste of money and resources, but hey, it does win votes.

Which president was it that said "We are loosing the war on drugs?"

I will never forget the Bill Hicks line.... "so you're saying there's a war, and people on drugs are winning it!"

Or something like that. Sounded a lot funnier coming from him. Honestly!

[Bamboo Grove]

The main character in this story must be well known for all expats who have lived in Thailand for a longer period of time. What I find interesting is that it looks like an increasing number of politicians are now owners of football teams. Wonder what's behind that? Have they all followed the example of their big brother who once purchased a now very successful team in England?

http://m.bangkokpost.com/opinion/316364

[GLCQuantum]

Pleng said...

Which president was it that said "We are loosing the war on drugs?"

Pleng. Along with a few others on here you don't know how to spell 'lose'....it's not 'loose' for feck sake so please stop writing it like that. Where does this bloody lose=loose thing originate from. The only spelling infringement that winds me up.

Consider this your final warning Pleng... I've pulled you up three times now.

Don't lose your keys love.
My belt is a bit loose.
Did your football team lose?
She seems a bit loose.

[Bamboo Grove]

That's what Voranai says. Although it can go the other way round as well.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... ng-abhisit

[PeteC]

Much of what this man writes should be required reading for any potential expat in order for them to better understand this place. Pete

Will Thai luck ever run out?

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... er-run-out

Published: 13/01/2013 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

Thailand's culture is a passive and superstitious one that relies on faith, fate and sheer luck, with the ingrained belief that things will always turn out just fine. After all, karma dictates our destiny, and we bribe her quite well. So mai pen rai.

This, of course, is a generalisation. There are many exceptions, but not enough of them, and so the generalisation rings loud and true.

Every other day, there could be news of tourists killed, raped and scammed. Every day there could be dual pricing, xenophobia, corrupt police, inept officials, outdated visa rules or the like _ none of these things matter. Tourists will keep coming, foreign residents will keep growing in number and businesses will keep pouring in money. Things are just fine.

Flood crisis? Political crisis? Relationship crisis? Personal crisis? There's no need to address the issues and prepare properly for the next disaster. Karma will see us through.

What do we do if things don't go our way?

Make donations/offerings at the temple. Hang garlands at the shrine and say a prayer. Rearrange the feng shui of our home and office. We also wear 15 amulets around our neck for good measure.

Buy caged birds and caught fish and release them. We do such good deeds and karma will take care of us well. Then those very same birds and fish are caught again and sold to the next bunch of do-gooders to be released again for the many happy returns promised to come. Not only will this solve life's problems, it's also economical.

Perhaps one might even enter the monkhood or nunnery for three days; the practice is so popular some temples are overbooked at certain times of the year. We don't even have to shave our heads to do this. But we don't forget to bring our iPhones so we can take pictures and update our Instagram accounts for our friends to share in our holy escapade. Not only will this make the entire next year excellent for us, we also get more "like" clicks than usual.

These are ways in which we solve problems _ and they work, at least in our minds. Look around: Despite natural disasters, political crises, fighting in the streets, unrequited love and what-not, we are just fine. Life goes on.

Even when we hit rock bottom it seems, considering the six years of political crisis, the coup and the many episodes of violence in the streets, plus the big flood. We know fate will see us through. As such, there's no need to rethink, reform or re-engineer. Tragedies and calamities come and go; meanwhile, the economy still pushes through and it's business as usual.

No civilians need climb up to the rooftop of the US embassy and try to jump into that last evacuating helicopter. There's No need for UN troops or Red Cross workers. Thailand knows no great catastrophes. We are just fine.

Change? Why? This is Thailand, things are not great, but they are never that bad either. Not since Myanmar sacked Ayutthaya anyway, but that was over two centuries ago.

Emergency protocol? Contingency plan? Vision? Mission? We don't need them. We'll just wing it.

Thailand need not be prepared for anything. Why? Because we are lucky. At the end of the day, things really are fine.

The upper and middle class may moan and groan about corruption, political crises and the like. But the sun still rises in the morning, and then we go to work, argue on social media about murderers, terrorists and a fugitive billionaire, watch soap operas, shop at Siam and party at Thong Lor. Life is good.

Likewise, members of the lower class may moan and groan and argue over those very same things. What we all have in common is that we make sure to give alms and make offerings/donations, and life will be just fine.

We are a happy people, regardless of what those happy indexes may say.

Take a fleet of motorbike taxis where each driver makes but 100, perhaps 200 baht per day, far below the 300 baht minimum wage. They are the happiest people you'll ever meet. They are just fine with their lives and worry not about the future.

Take a slum neighbourhood where residents get up in the morning, open their shops, roll out their pushcarts or put on their factory or department store uniforms. They might sit together at night, drinking and talking politics, but regardless, by and large they are always full of smiles and laughter, content with the lives they lead. Things are just fine and they are the nicest people you'll ever meet.

All three classes may talk of Armageddon, but that's because we like melodrama as a culture. By attitude and action, however, we know that things will work out just fine, no matter the tragedies or calamities. The Thai luck will hold.

From top to bottom, all classes have satellite TVs, mobile phones, Facebook pages and enough spare money to bet on the English Premier League. Life may not be great, but it isn't bad either. But just to make sure things will continue to be fine we give alms, make donations and release birds and fish only for them to be caught again, and release again, and caught again. It's the circle of life, quite literally.

If the monks of Thailand ride around in Mercedes Benzes and use the latest gadgets and software, it is only because of the Thai people's obsession with making donations to appease karma into providing many happy returns.

Who knows if anyone actually gets those returns, but at the end of it all, things may not be great, but they aren't bad either. Yes, we are just fine, so we continue with our ways.

However, living a life like this is like playing Russian roulette. Pull the trigger enough times and eventually you'll get the loaded chamber. But the Thai luck being what it is, the gun might not even be loaded at all, or the bullet may prove a dud.

It's a cultural generalisation _ with many, but not enough, exceptions _ that faith, fate and sheer luck defines where we are as a society. Where are we? In the middle of the pack in the global scheme of things, average and kept afloat, rather than falling into total disaster or launching into the top.

This is Thailand and things are just fine, at least thus far. And just to make sure we know that we are fine, we launch fancy PR campaigns to tell ourselves that we are, not just fine, but great. It's the art of pretending, which boosts the face value, while busting the core values.

Just think - if we actually rethink, reform and re-engineer, if we actually plan and prepare and make changes, then together with luck, fate and faith, we might actually be able to rise from the mediocre to become the magnificent.

Perhaps if I buy a monk an iPhone 5 on behalf of the country, karma will realise this dream for us.

[MrPlum]

Thanks for that Pete. First class.

[PeteC]

Not Voranai, but from the producer of a banned film. No need for a new thread. Worth reading and good to see there are still people with the guts to speak up. Pete

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... nd-of-fear

Living in a land of fear

Published: 22 Jan 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

A letter from Somsak Pola, published on Friday, is factually wrong as well as offensive and damaging to us.

While it is worth reminding there's no law against depicting the Oct 6 massacre on film, and a few Thai feature films have done so and passed the censors and had a general release, our film Shakespeare Must Die does not contain, in Mr Somsak's words, ''footage of the 1976 massacre near Thammasat''.

Mr Somsak is repeating a deliberate distortion by the National Board of Film and Video to justify their rejection of our appeal against the ban. On Nov 23, 2012, the Administrative Court accepted our case against the Film Board (Accused 1) and the Censorship Board (Accused 2), which cites this blatant slander as evidence of irregularity and a sign of political pressure.

The National Human Rights Commission has also found evidence of power abuse against our right to freedom of expression.

Shakespeare Must Die is a faithful Thai version of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. At least 95% of the screenplay is a word for word translation of this world classic on megalomania. The difference is in the ending.

In the play, Macbeth is killed, but in our film, after Macbeth is theatrically slain, the director of the play is hanged in a scene inspired by AP's Neal Ulevich's Pulitzer-winning photograph of an Oct 6 incident.

It is not meant to be, and neither did I ever insist that it was, ''a true representation of October 6'', as the Film Board claims.

We used it to invoke an echo of that nightmarish time, to remind the audience what tyranny and a propaganda-whipped lynch mob were once capable of. The film's intent is peaceful _ we show insanity to do our part to stop this insanity. Shakespeare must die because his art defies the lies and rule by fear of tyranny. Macbeth cannot be staged in a land ruled by a real-life Macbeth.

It took the censors a long time and three screenings to issue a verdict on the film. I had three meetings with them. Until they read the comments on our YouTube trailer, the censors didn't even know that the scene was inspired by Oct 6.

Their main concern was over our use of the colour red, especially on the lynch mob's headbands (a red headscarf is Thai folk opera uniform for a killer). They said it would ''make people misunderstand that the red shirts are prone to violence''. This was the big issue, both in the censors' room and for every Thai journalist who questioned us.

Oct 6 is, therefore, only the ''beard'' excuse, a politically correct spin to protect this government's democratic image. Their claims that our film is ''too violent'' only surfaced after the ban. Similarly, Nua Mek 2 is also being accused, after the ban, of being ''too violent''. This is lame and laughable, as anyone who has been to Thai cinemas and watched Thai TV knows.

What do Shakespeare Must Die and Nua Mek 2 have in common? They are both about sorcery-crazed tyrants and their spiritual corruption. This is why they are banned.

Mr Somsak confidently stated that ''the censors considered the scene gruesome and asked the movie producer to edit it. The producer refused and the rest is history. It had nothing to do with Thaksin''.

Such spin is an affront to all recent victims of oppression, from Nua Mek 2 and Shakespeare Must Die to Khao Khon Kon Khao, Thailand's then highest-rated nightly news show _ which was removed from TV Channel 9 without explanation last year _ and Somjit Navakrua-sunthorn of TV Channel 7, a victim of red-shirt intimidation and harassment after she asked a question that upset Thaksin's sister, our prime minister.

Being banned is not a joke. In this age of suspect motives, I do not deny there are people who set out to be censored to give themselves a veneer of political gravitas and artistic integrity. But genuine victims of censorship, of whatever creed and colour, whether by the lese majeste law or the film banning clause, are violated by the brutal process as surely as rape victims, their years of work locked in a coffin buried in the ground.

Unlike our case, most censorship in Thailand today leaves no paper trail. We're living in a land gripped by fear. Never mind small people like us, even Constitution Court judges and their families are threatened and an opposition lawyer is attacked by thugs and hospitalised. Propelled by fear, to preserve businesses, careers and life itself, self-censorship is rife. Where has Somsak Pola been living? There is no meaningful freedom of expression, not for the media and not for artists, under this government.

MANIT SRIWANICHPOOM
Producer of Shakespeare Must Die

__________________________________

(The letter being referenced above)

It's not all Thaksin's fault

Re: ''Thailand 'edges closer toward a police state''' (PostBag, Jan 18).

I think the Democrats are overly preoccupied with Thaksin to the point that they hold him responsible for everything - from traffic congestion to a movie being axed.

The movie Shakespeare Must Die showed footage of the 1976 massacre near Thammasat. In that footage the body of a dead man hangs from a tree while another man beats the corpse with a chair. The censor considered the scene gruesome and asked the movie producer to edit it. The producer refused and the rest is history. It had nothing to do with Thaksin.

Regarding the Nua Mek 2 soap opera, one wonders aloud that if the government really wanted to ban the series why didn't it do so after or before the first episode instead of waiting until the series was near its conclusion. Moreover, Channel 3 says it made the decision to ban the rest of the series without political interference. It is believed the final episode contains dialogue that may violate the lese majeste law. Channel 3 is expected to explain soon. Again, it has nothing to do with Thaksin.

As for the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the agency has filed many charges against Abhisit Vejjajiva; but the man will have his day in court to prove his innocence. Let the courts decide. The DSI has no authority to pin guilty verdicts on Abhisit. Lets not get over-excited.

The Democrats should take their minds off the ghost of Thaksin and focus on a strategy to win the next election. Telling half truths, launching diatribes and mudslinging doesn't work anymore.

SOMSAK POLA

[buksida]

It's your government, so make it listen
Here we go again, section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese majeste law. Another citizen, Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, editor of Voice of Taksin, was found guilty on two counts on Wednesday and sent to prison for 11 years.

Immediately, some red-shirts organised protests, even if small ones. Immediately, human rights groups and the various non-Thai bodies, committees and agencies clicked send on their press releases, condemning the judgement.

Immediately, newspaper writers penned their thoughts on the subject, tip-toeing ever so gently -- for no one would want to share a cell with Somyot. Who, me? No way.

Indeed, we go through the same routine every time.

It’s like wondering if some day we will know why Samson loves Delilah and whatever happened to Amelia Earhart. What’s the point of wondering about these things? They are just lines from a song I can’t get out of my head, since 1999.

This is the Criminal Court of the Kingdom of Thailand, a country where the lese majeste law is honoured and abused, championed and exploited. What other verdict could there be but guilty, guilty and guilty?

So instead of venting at the court, why not actually change the law? I swear I’m not the first person to have come up with this idea. Really, I’m not.

There is this government legislative body whose job it is to make or change laws. This legislative body is the parliament, in which the Pheu Thai Party holds an absolute majority. The party that received the most votes in the July 3, 2011 general election.

Those who caste the votes, instrumental to the campaign and key to the Pheu Thai victory, were members and supporters of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).

This is a civic group that champions justice, democracy and human rights – at least that’s the claim. Through the years, the UDD flew the banner against lese majeste. They cried against it. They marched against it.

The UDD crusaded against old, corrupted power. They raised fists against outdated, archaic laws that impede justice, undermine democracy and destroy human rights. They have sacrificed lives and limbs, for sincerely and devoutly they believed the Pheu Thai Party would bring justice, democracy and human rights to Thailand.

This is a civic movement that activists, journalists, anonymous internet bloggers and anyone with a twitter from around the world hailed as fighting for true justice, true democracy and true human rights.

The movement that showed the world the power of the people on July 3, 2011 - that yes, we can! We can make changes! We can make a difference! We are the power of the people! Pheu Thai is the government by the people and for the people!

Today, the UDD – plus activists, journalists, random internet bloggers and anyone with a twitter from around the world – are still waiting with baited breath.

Hello? What has the prime minister to say about Somyot’s conviction?

Hi? Excuse me, what is the Pheu Thai government’s stance on the lese majeste law?

Anyone?

Full Story: BK Post

Thought: He really does hit the nail on the head.

[barrys]

Voranai really does go out on a limb on this one - he's certainly does dare to say things that a lot of people would hardly dare think! All power to him!!


Opinion
In the name of freedom and democracy

Published: 7 Feb 2013 at 08.51
Online news: Opinion

Sex tourism? The country’s image? Baa-hum-bug! The fact of life is, if we don’t take care of our own daughters, then some old, hairy foreigner will. For that matter, if we don’t take care of our own daughters, then some old, hairless Thai will. There are two sides – at least – to every coin.

Better yet, why not equip our daughters with the skills and opportunities to take care of themselves?

That said, I do like the "Saturday Night Live" skit that mocked sex tourism in Thailand. Not only did it have me laugh and laugh and laugh, certainly it would also help to boost Thailand’s sex tourism – from which many people would stand to benefit.

When Culture Minister Sonthaya Khunploem said he wanted the youtube clip of the parody removed and would have a chat with the US embassy about it, surely he wasn’t being serious. His family runs Pattaya, where his brother is the mayor. Think about it.

What we have here in principle is similar to the controversy over the lese majeste law – New World values clashing with Old World values – freedom and democracy doing battle with consideration (greng-jai) and the respect for sanctity or sacredness.

The Thai culture of the Old World is this. We like to appear as gentlemen and ladies on the street, but we do know that we are all freaks in the bedroom. So be freakish in the bedroom, keep them skeletons locked away in the closet, and everything is fine.

In public however we keep up an appearance of that which is considered proper and appropriate, painting an image of beauty and decency. Should anyone attempt to ruin this image, false image though it may be, we shall censor, ban or impose three to five years imprisonment – for the sake of public decency.

Pattaya (Photo by Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai)

Hence, the abundance of prostitutes in this land. But let’s pretend they are not here, even if they stand on the footpaths of Sukhumvit during broad daylight. Hence, we know what we know, we whisper about it behind closed doors, but let’s not go public with it – for the sake of public decency.

This duality of our existence makes Thailand a highly tolerant culture, very open in so many ways – sex, drugs, alcohol, gambling and whatnot – but the culture is also rather reactionary. We let vice flourish and profit from it, but at the same time we feign innocence and pretend otherwise.

So toe the line between being a lady in the street and a freak in the bedroom, and it’s all good. In fact, this used to be how the world worked, not just Thailand. But we live in a different world now. It’s a New World where freedom of speech and freedom of expression are two chapters in the holy scripture called democracy.

In the name of freedom and democracy, we crawl on the pavement to take a snap shot of the crotch of a starlet getting out of a car. She would of course likely not be wearing any knickers, because in this New World knickers are overrated. Then we publish her smooth nakedness in the media. Smoothness is also a chapter in the new holy scripture.

In the name of freedom and democracy, we fly in helicopters and climb tall trees to point our high-power cameras into the private home of someone famous to catch them sunbathing topless. They can be a movie star or the Duchess of Cambridge, it matters not so long as it sells. Capitalism is also a chapter in the new holy scripture.

In the name of freedom and democracy, we drag into the mud what is holy and sacred (including a national or personal image) to millions of people, poke fun and hurl insults, strip them of dignity and decency, stomp their hearts and souls underneath the soles of our high-fashion, brand-name shoes made by children in some developing world sweatshop. Being fashionable is also a chapter in the new holy scripture.

In the name of freedom and democracy, we’ll bomb you back into the Stone Age or blockade you into poverty if you don’t shape up and join the rank and file, opening your natural resources to be pillaged by Fortune 500 companies or the like.

Should you cry, scream and protest, then you are a backward fanatic who hates freedom and democracy. Should you censor, ban or give three to five years imprisonment, then you are a tyrannical feudal fascist who hates freedom and democracy.

Should you strap bombs to your chest and blow up a building then you are an evil terrorist. In this New World, buildings are blown up from the sky by state-of-the-art flying machines, this is civilised. C-4 explosive devices underneath a cheap jacket are simply barbaric and are only used and condoned by those who hate freedom and democracy.

How to bomb the civilised way is also a chapter in the new holy scripture. There’s also a nice graph to explain the difference between innocent civilians and collateral damage.

That said, though subject to abuse and exploitation by man’s greed and self-righteous hypocrisy like any other political-social models, democracy is still the best ideal we have created.

So here is Thailand, in the rank and file of the New World, but yet holding on to Old World values.

The fact of life is New World values will triumph over Old World values. This is not however a matter of good triumphing over evil, metaphysics have nothing to do with it. This is not because the cry of freedom and democracy is somehow inherently righteous and is the universal truth. No, no.

This is only because whether in the Old World or in the New World, there is but one constant we can always rely on: the rich and powerful make the rules. So the cry of freedom and democracy are simply convenient modern replacements for "King and country!" or "God and country!"

And that’s why we ought to laugh, at both the New World and the Old World. Then the former can call us tyrannical feudal fascists, while the latter call us despicable, soulless scoundrels (as well as terrorist sympathisers!).

There are always two sides – at least – to every coin. So everyone should just relax and go find a lady in the street but a freak in the bedroom.

[charlesh]

Didn't think the Yanks had a sense of humour unless it was recognised by a buffoon holding up a board telling the audience to laugh . Saturday Night live thailand's rosetta stone language ad is funny.

[Lung Per]

Another excellent article by Voranai Vanijaka in the Bangkok Post today, Sunday.

QUOTE: Futility at finish line in race for governor
Published: 17 Feb 2013 at 00.00Newspaper section: News
Baseless, directionless, clueless, senseless and hopeless is the Bangkok governorship.

The problem is the messy organisational structure of not just Bangkok, but Thailand as a whole, which fosters gross inefficiencies and allows for far too many hands in the cookie jar.

Proposals to solve traffic congestion comprise a major part of candidates' platforms, but the roads aren't even under the jurisdiction of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). They belong to the Transport Ministry. Meanwhile, the police control the traffic, but the Royal Thai Police force answers directly to the prime minister. So who's actually in charge when it comes to traffic?

The roads in question _ whether Sukhumvit, Lat Phrao or Silom _ are clogged by cars parking on their sides at certain times of day, eating away at the driving lanes. Taxis are the major culprits. Take Silom and upper Sukhumvit at night for example _ both are heavily congested because taxis park in the driving lanes with impunity to wait on fares.

In fact all manner of vehicles _ public and private buses, vans, taxis, motorbike taxis and boat taxis _ could be regulated better, but that means fighting through the web of local godfather interests, which are connected to local political interests, which are connected to national political interests, which are connected to political party interests, which are connected to national godfather interests.

It is all about connectivity, and you need to be in good standing with all those interests to have any chance of winning the Bangkok governor's race, or any political office for that matter.

So the question of who's in charge is a funny one. The answer is: everyone and no one at the same time.

The skytrain falls under the BMA's jurisdiction, while the subway is under the Transport Ministry, and responsibility for line extensions can fall either way. Some schools fall under the BMA while some are under the national government; the same goes for hospitals.

Footpaths fall under BMA, but are run by the powerful city inspectors department, which collects rent from vendors. Take Nana district for example. The reason these vendors are relatively organised in the sense that everyone knows their designated space, similar to Siam Square or Chatuchak, is because they have paid and registered for said space. That's why we don't see one vendor fighting another over a prime spot.

How are they going to be removed when they have paid and registered?

Policies such as making Bangkok greener, free school lunches, free buses and others are fine, but they are mere window dressing and do not address the real issues. The Bangkok governor ought to be the city's leader, not its babysitter.

The reality is the Bangkok governor and the BMA have very little power to effect real change in the capital. This is because the organisational structure of Thailand has administrative bodies, agencies and bureaucracies crisscrossing and overlapping like a sweaty, drunken Roman orgy with three dwarves and a bearded lady at the height of a Mediterranean summer.

The difference is the Romans knew how to organise; we don't.

Truth be told, Pheu Thai nominee Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen has the best chance of affecting real change in Bangkok. After all, he's handpicked by the man who runs the national government. That's why the candidate's catchphrase is rai roi tor _ which can be interpreted as a commitment to "close the gap between the national government and the BMA in order to get things done". That's why his campaign is full of the boldest promises. And it's a good thing that he's leading in the polls. If he were behind he might start promising to solve the Middle East conflict or find a cure for the common cold.

But see, collaboration is only the solution if the inability or unwillingness to collaborate is the real problem. It's not. It's but one symptom of the disease.

The core problem is the messy organisational structure of Bangkok and Thailand that fosters gross inefficiency and allows for far too many hands in the cookie jar. The country is stitched together haphazardly and pillaged vigorously by all the different agencies, local and national.

The blueprint needs to be redrawn with the word "decentralisation" stamped at the top. Give the capital city and each province the power to be responsible and accountable for their own progress and prosperity.

In Bangkok, the governor is elected democratically but the functions of the city are in an overlapping mess with the national government. The provinces may elect their local administrations but the governors are still appointed. Meanwhile, neither Bangkok nor the provinces run their own police force.

The blueprint of Bangkok and Thailand still has many feudalistic features.

Of course, such decentralisation can open the way to more corruption. Locally elected district administrators in the provinces are prime examples. But parents can't baby their child forever. Such parenting would inevitably result in the child being dependent, irresponsible and unaccountable.

Make the capital city and each province stand on their own two feet and make them responsible and accountable. Some may rise and some may fall, but all would have the grown-up duty to determine their own destiny.

Then the job description of the Bangkok governor would not be that of a one-legged marathon runner in a rubber flip-flop. The Bangkok governor's race would actually be something worthwhile and the Democrat's grudgingly nominated MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra could finally get off that bicycle.

Contact Voranai Vanijaka via email at voranaiv@bangkokpost.co.th. UNQUOTE

[MrPlum]

Anyone have a link to these (are they the same clip?)

That said, I do like the "Saturday Night Live" skit that mocked sex tourism in Thailand.

Saturday Night live thailand's rosetta stone language ad is funny.

[dtaai-maai]

Same clip - Google http://www.google.co.th/#hl=en&tbo=d&sc ... 60&bih=675