Racism in Thailand: All Expats Should Read This!

[Korkenzieher]

Actually, in deference to Plum, I quite like the idea of a 'Squishy Tomatoing'

Ok, seriously - I like others here have issues with capital punishment - acts of war we can debate another time. But how many times have acts of capital punishment proved to be miscarriages of justice. Surely there is an imperative to keep the individual alive 'just in case'. As my case 'celebreés', I quote the Birmingham 6 and the Guildford 4. Can you really doubt those guys would have been put to death, had that sanction still existed in the UK at that time. Both convictions were found to be unsound.

[Big Boy]

Lev has already requested this topic is returned to subject ie:

This thread is about farangs in Thailand, please keep it on topic.

Most of what has been posted so far belongs in the Current Affairs section.

Please get back on to subject, or the thread will be locked, or the non-relevant posts removed.

[margaretcarnes]

A very well written article - good to see yet again some balance coming out of the BP - and given some of the BS letters they DO receive from grumpy old wrinkly farang it's appropriate if a journo has a little pop back IMO.
Very true as well that Bangkok has developed rapidly in recent years. When the BP was founded - by a Brit don't forget - it was still a klong ridden stinky city. The 'Venice of the East'. (Although where they got the Venice bit I don't know.) Farang then were few and mixed with polite HiSo society, and were accepted probably much more as equals than the masses of sweaty, unkempt, cash flashing, Chang swilling farang found on the Bangkok streets now.
Little wonder if the changes are a bit of a culture shock for some Thais.

[MrPlum]

Farang then were few and mixed with polite HiSo society

While doing business in Bangkok I was approached several times by Hi-So Thais seeking friendship. I've been told it is a status thing to have a pet 'farang'.

[margaretcarnes]

Might be a good deal Mr P! Fine dining - posh hotels - tempting no? (was that a squishy tomato?)

[MrPlum]

Might be a good deal Mr P! Fine dining - posh hotels - tempting no? (was that a squishy tomato?)

I did attend a Hi-So wedding of the son of one of the biggest companies in Thailand. A grand and fascinating affair. Very nice people.

Also ate with a few top cops and their political connections in BKK and Chiang Mai trying to sell me land and skim the profits off the factories I was dealing with. One was building the largest Buddha in Thailand as merit for all the bad things he had done. Scary. Managed to extricate myself.

Still maintain contact with a couple of them just in case I have problems in LOS. You never know.

[Spitfire]

Racism/discrimination is alive and well in all countries, including here. The fear of the different still mostly prevails, especially when throwing in religion and other stuff.

[migrant]

Mrs. M's late husband was a minor actor, but his brother was a big actor gaining more fame when he died on set. Because of the connection the late husband did much entertaining of top cops and generals here in the states (Vegas baby!!).

When we went to Thailand the first time she called an old friend (of late husband) who is head (and chief owner) of one of the largest entertainment conglomerates in LOS. We had a great dinner with the family, very nice people.

He is a self made "Hi-So" and just like those here in the states, the self made millionaires (+) tend to be good, hardworking people.

Second and third generations though......

[Super Joe]

A very well written article - good to see yet again some balance coming out of the BP - and given some of the BS letters they DO receive from grumpy old wrinkly farang it's appropriate if a journo has a little pop back IMO.

Agree, and this farang blog's claims about increased Xenophobia against farangs is total rubbish. What bothers me a bit with these retards on the Bangkok post site and other high profile Thai sites is it's incessant anti-Thai sentiment, ridiculing the culture, telling them how they should do things, that they don't know how to run their own country etc. And apparently this stuff is getting noticed increasingly by Thais, and inevitably will reflect on all of us to a certain degree. A lot has a nasty edge, which imo would come across as racist to your average Thai, even if it isn't really.

The farang blog talks of a recent government clamp down on long-stay retirees, expatriate workers and tourists, but there was nothing of the sort. What he was referring to was when they limited those with tourist visa, or visa exempt, to a max. of 90 days within any 6 month period, ie: clamped down on the 'visa runners'. It was because of the massive problem with illegal migrant workers from Burma, Cambodia and Laos, a report out back then estimated that 500,000+ Burmese illegals were in the country, and bringing in previously contained diseases, putting pressure on their new universal health scheme, costing the government millions, had them under supervision from WHO monitoring massive vaccination programs, plus they were getting no tax income from the illegals, and were trying to get them to register.

Here's a 2006 governemnt public health report on the crisis:
Transnational Labour Migration:
A lot of foreign workers have migrated to Thailand, both legally and illegally, especially low-wage labourers from Myanmar, Laos & Cambodia.
In 2004, there were 1,269,000 registered workers, 905,880 (71%) from Myanmar.
In 2006, there were 705,000 registered workers, 539,000 (76%) from Myanmar.
The number of registered workers in 2006 has dropped by about half, and it is estimated that there are a lot of unregistered workers (illegal). As Thailand has had more and more workers particularly along the borders, several infectious diseases have become widespread, such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, poliomyelitis, and anthrax. Certain diseases that Thailand could once be able to control have re-emerged, such as filariasis.

Filariasis:
Efforts made for controlling filariasis among workers from Myanmar by providing drugs every 6 months, conducting surveillance and educating them. This has resulted in a reduction between 1992 and 2003.


In contrast you have thousands of law-abiding Western retirees here, spending their income and savings and no trouble to the government, why would they be bothered about these retirees!? There was no clamp down, the 65k/800k financial requirement was unchanged then, and still is for the past 9 or 10 years, Malaysia has just increased theirs to 5m Baht. The blog claimed that Coup's Army General leaders' announcement that he was going after the Singaporean telecom companies' shares, was an example of one of the 'nationalistic outbursts' against foreigners, rather than being politically motivated to discredit Thaksin

We all like a moan on here now and then, we can disagree but I respect others views as they're genuine, and constructive in wanting to see things improve, but it's all end of the world stuff with these people. They create their own issues through a combination of their ignorance, this inflated sense of self-importance, and their inability to adapt to the country and culture they chose to embrace. Their need to play the constant victim was ony going to end up one way too. Mild paranoia.

SJ

[MrPlum]

I don't see many Thais coming on to the forum and staying. Perhaps our own rhetoric is off-putting?

[hhfarang]

Perhaps our own rhetoric is off-putting?

Of course it is! I can barely hang on!

[STEVE G]

I don't see many Thais coming on to the forum and staying. Perhaps our own rhetoric is off-putting?

I don't suppose the nationals of any country bother much with forums that cater for their ex-pat communities. Obviously much of it is going to be about either problems of living in a foreign country or things related to back home that aren't going to interest a local.

[Takiap]

I don't see many Thais coming on to the forum and staying. Perhaps our own rhetoric is off-putting?

No, thank goodness only a handful can read English