rooster59

Rooster was brought up in a very different world to the one he now finds himself in - both geographically and in terms of society. Over the years we have all had to become adjusted to changing social mores especially when it comes to issues of racism and racial stereotypes even if we are stuck in one place all our lives. Yes, 1970’s Britain was a world away from 2021 Thailand. Despite going to secondary school in relatively inner London there were only three people who didn’t look very like me in my year group after an “all white” upbringing at primary school in the outer suburbs. At Alleyn’s there was Patel from Pakistan plus Abby (with an impossibly long name) from somewhere that I’d never heard of called Sri Lanka (a country that I later came to love); my mum said she thought it was Ceylon and they grew tea. And there was a West Indian boy called Bosun, presumably from somewhere in western India. They all seemed friendly and we got on fine playing football but I never went to their houses. My dad was an immigrant himself but he was from Le Mans so was white; half French and bilingual he passed off as English easily. I never thought that if French people were all black then I would be too. Our household seemed to be welcoming to all races. A relative's girlfriend from St Vincent arrived and my father was all over her like a rash. It was weird but then growing up was weird. Lots of contradictions to get a young head around. On the telly was Love Thy Neighbour, Alf Garnett and at Christmas my parents enjoyed the Black and White Minstrels. I preferred the Harlem Globetrotters and one bald hoopster who was called Curly. As the decade unfolded we shrieked with laughter as John Cleese did his funny walk after abusing some Germans - they deserved it, of course. And he mentioned the war once but got away with it. (More later about Mr Cleese who is visiting Bangkok in January). The latter, unbelievably from 1990, can be seen on YouTube and I would recommend it. It’s excuse was that it was a spoof on US sitcoms. It featured Adolf and his loving wife Eva and the downtrodden neighbors the Goldensteins, Arny and Rosa. Both shows shocked and appalled me. What had happened in the intervening decades to make this so? Travel and a broadening of the mind as well as societal shifts unimagined in the 1970s. I left troubled Thatcherite Britain in the early eighties and found myself sticking out like a sore thumb on the streets of Bangkok. I rather liked being different and didn’t mind at all when people called me ‘farang’ or made fun of being a pink “dried shrimp” if I spent too long in the sun. It appeared to me that white people were afforded a lot of respect that I was grateful for. The same did not seem to be true of the darker skinned visitor, or even the darker local. This troubled me but I still put it down to what Brits call “banter”. Racism and stereotypes were still far from my mind. I heard that I was a “Phudee Angrit” (English Gentlemen), that French people came from the “Land of Perfume”, Germans “Beer” and Dutch “Tulips”. Indians were just “khaek” that Thais told me meant “guest” with a snigger (a word that I learnt not to play in word games without the initial “S” for fear of outraging Americans. As kids we’d used it innocently in an “Eeny Meeny Miny Mo” rhyme). I pointed out to Thais that these terms they bandied about were all stereotypes; one student asked if that was some kind of “hi-fi”. I brushed my teeth with Darkie toothpaste that had a picture of a black man on the front. Oh for teeth like him! It was some years before they changed the name to Darlie and ditched the image. In the mid eighties I started going back to England not to live but as a holidaymaker. I was now a tad educated about racial issues and therefore aghast that a close relative should use a word for a man walking peacefully along the street that was the same as a processed cheese commonly sold in Australia. (My Aussie flatmate was no better, referring to anyone who wasn’t white as “passport Australians.”) I caught up with a pal who I’d met in Bangkok who was the first person I knew who had a kid with a Thai. He shook his head after his daughter was called “a chocolate drop”. Thank goodness the world has moved on but as the Premier League advert reminds us - racism never went away and we all need to do more no matter if we consider ourselves enlightened. Many white people, in particular, need to take a long hard look at themselves for speaking from a privileged position in denying racism exists. The same goes for some foreigners in Thailand who moan about Thai xenophobia in one breath then make appalling comments about Indians and Chinese in the next. We should all wince when hearing people say there is not a racist bone in my body or “some of my best friends are…”. We need to question ourselves. A few years back I innocently wrote in a translation from Thai on ASEAN NOW the word “Chinaman” and was roundly criticized. I had no idea people found it offensive. I haven’t repeated that. This week Thai immigration and the press writing about a raid in Ramkhamhaeng used the term “khon phiw see” - Rooster translated this as “colored” with posters saying it should be “people of color”. Still others said there was no difference. It’s a learning curve. I particularly like how many British comedians have addressed the subject through irony and our favorite sarcasm. Ricky Gervais’s “Racism Test” in Extras is one of the finest segments in ‘comedy’ history. Check that out, too, if you’ve never seen it. John Cleese, now 82, - oh so famous the world over for Monty Python and his masterpiece creation of Basil in Fawlty Towers - will be visiting, Bangkok for an Asian leg of his “Why There Is No Hope” tour (on January 11th at Muang Thong Thani, tickets start 1,500 baht). The Guardian has called it “less comedy” and more about society’s issues. Mr Cleese has become more crabby in recent years but it should still be worth a visit. This week he complained about a BBC interview that turned into a “cancel culture” fest. Last year he called the Beeb “cowardly and gutless” for taking “The Germans” off one of their streaming sites. He even blacklisted himself from speaking at Cambridge University as he was bound to break their rules! My final word on the subject comes after seeing Susie Dent on Sky this week. Susie is the lexicographer famous on one of the UK’s longest running word and maths game shows, Countdown. She told Kay Burley that she absolutely loves slurs. With 400 slurs recently removed from my favorite dictionary to satisfy games maker Mattel, I have to say I agree with her. And there isn’t a racist bone in my body and some of my best friends are…... As usual ASEAN NOW published a huge array of interesting stories this week the following catching my beady eye: Daily News were in Loei when they caught A-NUT-IN the health minister ranting and bigging up Thailand over Covid. He called the dreaded lurgy “grajork” or inferior when it comes to Thailand’s abilities to give it a sound thrashing! Then he banged on about “government” vaccines being available up to the 5th dose next year...blah blah effing blah. Earlier Anutin and the CCSA’s Dr Opas confirmed that New Year officially ends for drinkers at 1 am on the 1st of January. The third “Grinch that Stole Pee Mai” - Bangkok governor Aswin - agreed and said you’d need to be double vaxxed and ATK’d even to attend the “countdown” - not a word game in Thailand of course! No thanks, I’ll enjoy the fireworks from my balcony if they are allowed. Apropos, this week as the mercury plummeted I nipped out to a “famous Bangkok road” to see how the other half lived, doubting a Thai doctor’s view that booze couldn’t keep you warm. Dozens of bars were serving drinks without an SHA+ accreditation or a plate of food in sight. Methinks the local constabulary will have enough money to live it up at New Year, possibly even after 1 am. I only spoke to one woman - Mrs R’s sister who has fallen on hard times - had a 12 inch Subway, made my excuses and left. Two Thai banks - SCB and Krung Sri - told tourism minister Pipat and TAT chief Yutthasak that their rose tinted view of tourism recovery next year was optimistic. And some. Rather than 20 million foreigners spending 1.8 trillion baht they predicted it could be as low as two or three million visitors being frugal with a capital F. Yutthasak had previously said that he favored high spending tourists. Yes, no riff-raff are welcome these days as it’s “Value over Volume”. I propose these are now to be called VoV tourists for short. Another report suggested that “Same Sex Marriage” in Thailand remained years off. If it’s any consolation the sex in my marriage has been the same for decades. In Thonglor an old lady went to what passes for the local police to complain about “light pollution” from an LED sign. “Air and noise” pollution thus amusingly took a back seat though soon all and sundry were harping on about PM2.5. One official said this year’s coughing would be worse than ever. In Phetchabun, Thais went into irony overdrive to suggest that the kingdom’s famous hanging wires were now a tourist attraction for “farang selfies”. On the expressway a Road Rage man claimed self-defence with a tire iron while a cosmetic executive drove his Benz into three innocents killing them all in the latest “Thailand Road Carnage” that saw 74 others dead on Monday. In happier news a factory worker in Prachinburi called Jamlong scooped 6 million on the lottery. He couldn’t decide what number to choose when purchasing the lucky ticket so plumped for the year of birth of his ex-girlfriend - 35. The number 639235 came up. I was at the Railway Park on Thursday afternoon with Mrs R and the chicks recovering from cycling when conversation turned to the just completed the draw. Motorcycle taxi drivers, passers-by, the shop owner, everyone was giving their hard luck stories about missing 235. All I could muster was that I was 23 once and my daughter is 5 so I really should have got it. Bemused looks as Brit sarcasm triumphs. Finally thanks for reading this far. It’s a very long column and every week I’m both criticized and praised for that. Don’t expect any change and stay tuned for next week’s 300th edition of The Week That Was. Oh, and…. Merry Christmas to all my readers in Thailand and around the world. Rooster -- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-12-19 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Thailand to track tourists with digital wristbands File photo The Thai government has announced plans to track foreign tourists using digital wristbands. The new wristbands will be introduced from 1 November and will be used as a tool in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The wristbands track the location of the wearer and are also capable of measuring heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. If a body temperature over 37.5c is recorded, an alert will automatically be sent to local health officials. The limited number of foreigners arriving in Thailand as part of the Special Tourist Visa program will be the first to wear the new wristbands. It is not known how long foreign tourists would be required to wear the wristband. The news comes as the Cabinet this week agreed in principle to allow foreign tourists and crew of yachts to enter Thailand under the Special Tourist Visa program. -- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-10-31 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

ADK launches digital marketing services in Asia By THE NATION Nguyen Huu Hanh, left, CEO & Founder of VietBuzzAd, and Yasu Katagi, right, CEO of ADK Global Operations. Japan's ADK Global Operations, an advertising agency, has launched “ADK CONNECT” division in Asia to provide digital marketing services, including Thailand. The new division will initially be embedded in ADK’s Singapore, Bangkok, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Taipei and Vietnam offices, before expanding to the entire network within 12 months. As part of the initiative, ADK has acquired shares of Vietnamese independent digital agency, VietBuzzAd in Ho Chi Minh City. VietBuzzAd, is one of the leading digital agencies in Vietnam, having won a top 10 YouTube Ads Leaderboard at Cannes Lions Festival 2019 for the LG World Cup campaign `Set Fire to the Dreams`. ADK CONNECT provides fully integrated end-to-end digital solutions, using data analytics to empower creative planning and performance campaigns. Following the share acquisition by ADK, VietBuzzAd’s brand name has changed to “VBA”. The acquisition will enhance ADK’s capabilities in Vietnam, further strengthen its digital-related services and expand business scale. Yasu Katagi, CEO of ADK Global Operations said: “ADK CONNECT takes us into the next stage of our growth in Asia, focused on bringing future-facing solutions to our client partners. ADK CONNECT helps us deploy the best trends, tech and practices to develop new tactics and strategies to optimise results. I'm also very happy to be able to work with VietBuzzAd in Vietnam, one of our fastest growing markets that’s 100 per cent focused on digital innovation. ADK CONNECT lets us further accelerate this growth and provides solutions that will drive our clients' businesses”. Nguyen Huu Hanh, CEO and founder of VietBuzzAd, said: “I am excited to be joining the ADK Global family and especially ADK CONNECT. It will provide strong integrated digital solutions for ADK clients and a base for us to further grow the businesses of our existing clients as well as opening up opportunities in other markets”. Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/biz-moves/30381021?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=internal_referral -- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-01-25 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

The mystery of exactly how many expats live in Thailand Over the last twenty or so years, Thailand has become increasingly popular with foreigners who decide to make the country their home. But exactly how many expats live in Thailand has always remained somewhat of a mystery. At various points over the last decade, informal and unofficial figures given to Thaivisa from various government agencies have estimated the expat population in Thailand to be anywhere between 500,000 and 1 million. The discrepancy in these estimates, Thaivisa was told, is due to the different ways in which various government departments and agencies class foreigners as ‘expats’ - i.e a foreigner who lives in Thailand permanently - with many ‘long stay’ foreigners actually still officially classed as being tourists. But figures released earlier this year by the United Nations, citing Thailand’s Immigration Bureau, reveal that Thailand’s expat population is considerably smaller than even those vague estimates. According to figures in the 2019 Thailand Migration Report, there are just 150,707 expats residing in Thailand, of those 72,969 are retirees. According to the report the figures are based on “visas issued in 2017” by the Thai Immigration Bureau. However, it isn’t clear if by “visas” the figures actually refer to extensions of stay issued by Immigration in Thailand or if it also includes actual visas issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Thai embassies and consulates around the world - or both. Citing the Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment and Ministry of Labour, the report says there are also 112,834 “Professional and Skilled” foreigners working in Thailand. It’s also not clear if there is a crossover in the figures between those working and those classed as residing in Thailand. Even if there is no crossover, the figures would still put Thailand’s expat population at around 263,000 - well below previous estimates. However, previous studies carried out in Thailand have estimated the number of expats to be higher. A study carried out by the Institute for Population and Social Research at Mahidol University using data from 2010, suggested that there were approximately 440,000 expats living in Thailand, which included 141,000 Chinese, 85,000 Brits, 80,000 Japanese, 46,000 Indians, 40,000 Americans, 24,000 Germans and 23,000 French nationals. Of course it could be that Thailand’s expat community is in massive decline, with 2010 studies estimating the number of expats in Thailand to be closer to 500,000 while the more recent data estimates that figure to be between 150,000 and 263,000. Whether or not previous data sets are even comparable, the reality is that the mystery of exactly how many expats are living in Thailand remains. -- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-07-28 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

Why would 50% of men still date a Thai bar girl? By Dan Cheeseman in DEBATE LIFESTYLE BLOG Never has a vote, since Brexit, been so divisive and its the hot topic in Thailand of bar girls. Take a look at the votes from my Facebook page for yourself, it is neck and neck. On face value we are all flesh and blood right, so should it matter? Well I guess it comes down to your own perception on matters but also there needs to be a reality check here. I have heard some expats define going with a bar girl not like prostitution but rather more akin to ‘renting a girlfriend’. If you were in Kings Cross London and go with a prostitute it is all about a quick transaction. You pay your money and you get sex. The dynamics can be slightly different in Thailand and you could stay with your ‘rented girlfriend’ for the duration of your holiday. I always struggled with the idea of dating a bar girl, and I have to admit I have ‘been there, done that’ but was always uncomfortable with what I was doing. It was in my early years of living in Pattaya and all my friends had taken their girlfriends from the bars and I fooled myself into thinking this was the only way if you wanted to live over here. My circles back then were bar related and I had yet to find a job. One comment to my poll seems to summarise the situation: “You can take the girl out of the bar but you can’t take the bar out of the girl”. Often the girl is tainted by other bar girl talk and they have an expectation for what they should be entitled to being in a ‘farang’ relationship. Paying a ‘retainer’ to the girl each month for starters, but remember my point on perception, some foreigners would defend it by saying you would look after a regular girlfriend in the same way. I cannot look at it in this way, the bar girl expects this money in order to stay with you, a normal girlfriend would be supportive of you. The other thing I found nuts – and I am not talking about the ladyboys crown jewels – when dating a bar girl all those years back was telling lies to my friends and family. When asked how I met I certainly didn’t say she was a prostitute and that our first ‘date’ cost me one thousand baht! What if I went on to have children with her and my kids asked the same question of how we met?! Full story: https://danaboutthailand.com/2019/05/02/why-would-50-of-men-still-date-a-thai-bar-girl/ Weekly Vlogs and Blogs from in and around Thailand

Meet Attila the Hun(garian) - not such a quality tourist Image: Daily News Chiang Mai police announced the arrest of a Hungarian tourist who they say has been thieving all over Chiang Mai. Attila Kantor, 44, told cops that he had fallen in love with Chiang Mai but had run out of money and didn't want to go back to his homeland. So he tuned to theft so he could stay on in Thailand, selling on things that he stole. He was arrested yesterday after he stole an iPhone 6 from the Nit Noi Mobile shop in Prasingh Road downtown Chiang Mai. He had gone into the shop feigning interest in buying a phone but had grabbed one and taken off on his Honda Click 125. Police followed his trail from CCTV and found him but he escaped only to collide with another person and cause an injury. He was then taken into custody. Police said that he was responsible for renting bikes and selling them rather than return them. He had also been eating meals and racing off without paying. He was detained and readied for prosecution for theft. Source: Daily News -- 2016-07-10