Samui Bodoh

Morning All

Eagle-eyed islanders might recall that I posted (December 2020) about a kind gentleman who picked me up at five AM when I had run over a piece of glass that sliced open my bicycle tire. In that post, I pledged to try to be kinder and more thoughtful of my fellow islanders as the year had been truly awful. 

I am not entirely sure why (it was an anonymous Internet comment!), but that post stuck in the back of my brain and resurfaced at odd moments. Yes, I actually have tried, and (informally) tried to make a stranger smile every single day. I was taught that holding a door open for someone behind you is a polite thing, and for the last eight months made redoubled efforts to bestow that minor politeness. When faced with people trying to turn their cars/bikes against the flow of traffic, and even more importantly people (or animals) trying to nip across the street, I have stopped my motorcycle and gestured to the following vehicles to do the same. I have made a serious stab at paying compliments to the women, both foreign and Thai, that I know as it genuinely seems to be appreciated (my traditional method of making women laugh, asking them on a date, might cause lethal hilarity when combined with a mild or asymptomatic case of Covid). In every shop, from big ones like Tesco/Big C to the smallest little 'holes-in-the-walls', I have tried to have a laugh with the staff working there, even if it was tiny and not particularly funny. There are many, many more of the little things in life that can cause a small smile, but you already know them.

Yes, the above are small things, but I have always felt that the big things take care of themselves and it is the small things that matter. And, they do. Whether it has been a small 'lift of the finger' off the steering wheel by a driver, a kindly smile from someone following behind, an acknowledging laugh and smile on the extremely rare occasion that I actually said something humourous, the tilt of the head as someone reached the other side of the street safely, or the slight 'raising of the eyes' and/or the 'jutting of the chin' recognizing the attempt; it has brought a welcome smile to my face.

The other day was the penultimate small moment that I am still grinning about, even if it is just internally. 

I was at Tesco and was joining the checkout line to purchase my stuff when I noticed a young woman holding a small child in one arm and a single item in the other, so I waved her ahead of me. Now, I would prefer to think that it was a chivalrous gesture worthy of Sir Lancelot himself, and one that would echo through time eternal, but the true fact is that I barely even saw her as I was (proverbially) scratching my... er...  head trying to remember what I had forgotten. Honestly, I am not even sure that I realized that I had done it, and when the opportunity presented itself, I just proceeded to place my stuff on the checkout counter, tap my foot and wait. Then, just after she paid her bill, she turned to say 'Thanks!' and when our eyes met, I could see that she was both grateful and extremely happy; I knew that look, and it was the look of someone having a terrible day receiving an unexpected and small act of kindness. Well, it just made my day that I had put a smile on her face , and it must have shown in my eyes as I could see it reflected in hers. Yup, to pretend that I wear both a long scarf and a beret on a hot summer's day, I'll say that it was a cacophonous reverberation of happiness; I took great pleasure at the joy in her eyes, and she took pleasure from the clear happiness returned in mine, which in turn reinforced the pleasure in her eyes that was further mirrored in mine, ad infinitum.

I have no idea who she was, what she really looked like or where she lived; the best that I can do is that I think she was Thai, but I am not even certain about that. And, it doesn't matter; It was simply a very nice, very happy, and very human moment in troubled times.

Let me leave you with two parting thoughts. I hope everyone is happy, healthy, safe, appreciating the wonderful place we live in and appreciating the wonderful people who share it with us. Secondly, I offer a reminder of something that I am quite certain you already know; in these difficult and awful times, whatever you give will be magnified and returned many times over.

Cheers all

22 minutes ago, webfact said:

One thing is for sure, reported Naew Na; whoever it was was taking advantage of the officials being busy with Covid-19 related matters...

...And that the ganja when ready would have been supplied to tourists when the island is opened again later in the year. 

What a load of nonsense!

It is entirely possible that a member of the DOPA was actually the one who planted the weed, and was ratted out by a co-worker; its not like they have been busy dealing with all the tourists hordes, have they?

Further, what evidence is there that locals don't partake in the weed? Is Naew Na seriously suggesting that locals on KPH don't indulge? Seriously?

Finally, why would anyone think that the weed would last until the tourist island re-opened? Are there not many people there at the moment?

My last point is simply this; if they found 10 plants, then it is likely that there are a thousand more somewhere up there in the hills.

If KPH wants to re-open to tourism, then the single best thing that the government could do is legalize weed for recreational purposes and then kick back and watch the visitors roll in.

The sad fact is that no matter what kind of investigation occurs, it will always have its conclusions doubted due to past perceived incompetence on the part of the police. 

It'll be a very, very long time before any police action on that island is widely accepted.

The only real comment that I can make is that if you are Burmese then;

RUN LIKE HELL!

4 hours ago, Scott said:

Given what appears to be a disproportionate number of questionable murders, do you think this is a cursed island, a coincidence or the underbelly of Thai society?

44 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Report cards on Prayut’s seven year anniversary of his grab of power depended on the outlet who produced them. I just want to see a new face - as I told my big brother this week, I’d be bored with him if we had to live together every day.

18 hours ago, kwilco said:

Before Covid -

Samui is the second largest island in Thailand after Phuket. It is easy enough. To circumnavigate the island in half a day. (roadworks permitting)

 

I’ve lived and worked both on Samui and in Chonburi/Rayong area and although the shopping on Samui is OK, it is in not in any way as comprehensive as the facilities in Chonburi and Rayong region.

 

Shopping - Samui Has a Central/Robinsons shopping mall It has slightly less variety and stock than some of the Centrals I’ve visited around Thailand, e.g Chonburi, Pattaya Udon.

Tops supermarket is expensive but carries most of the Western foods carried in other Supermarkets with a high foreign customer base.

 

There are a couple of Big C Supermarkets. There are 2 large Tesco-Lotus - being taken over by CP who own the- 2 Macros and the 7/11 Franchises scattered all over the island.

Tesco’s opened the first supermarket-cum-mall on Samui about 20 years ago. They are now very much in second place to the impressive Central edifice at Chaeng.

 

There is a large French contingency on the island and consequently more French café-boulangeries than you could shake a stick at. There are various “ethnic” eateries and suppliers, Russian, Austrian German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese etc etc.

 

I’ve lived and worked both on Samui and in Chonburi/Rayong area and although the shopping on Samui is OK, it is in not in any way as comprehensive as the facilities in Chonburi and Rayong region.

 

There is only one “real” town on the island; the port of Nathon, the rest is just untrammelled string development along the island’s ring road, Chaweng being the biggest concentration...

Nathon has most of the local government offices etc etc. It also has a Tesco/lotus. A lot of “arty-crafty shops that cater for the visiting cruise ships. (Prices tend to go up on those days!).

 

In general the internet is VERY fast and reliable (within Thai parameters) depending on your supplier you should expect 100mbps and over. The coverage isn’t universal; the more rural areas are still awaiting their cables.

There are computer repair shops, phone shops and motor repairs as well as car dealerships. I’m sorry to say that there is a plethora of rip-off merchants who take advantage of the fact you are on an island.

 

Both power and water supplies can on occasion be interrupted, but thw situation is improving. 

Before moving into a place you need to establish the situation with utilities - mains water? /internet availability/ drainage etc.

 

Garbage is a serious pollution problem on Samui - the dump was overfilled with 300,000 tons of untreated garbage which is now slowly being shipped to the mainland. But it is not known what is has done to the water table - many places still use wells. Though now, the island is connected to a mains water supply from the mainland. Fly-tipping is still common.

Air quality is in general good - sometimes crop burning in Malaysia covers the island in dust.

Although sun is the main characteristic, Samui has a quite wet climate with and extra wet season around November December. Flash flooding has been common, I doubt if any of the new drains installed with have a significant effect on this. 

 

 

I use local Taxis occasionally and negotiate fares - it helps if you speak Thai. I’ve never needed a grab. 

Most people hire local cars or motorcycles - Samui has one of the highest m/c death rates in the country - largely down to foreigners on motorbikes. Although (long term) rentals are very cheap, you need to be very careful about insurance too.

 

There are 4 private hospitals on Samui and one large government one. Overcharging and misdiagnosis are rampant. It’s best if you are recommended to a hospital by a friend of the owners or member of staff. For minor aliment and injuries, you are much better off using local clinics. Govt or otherwise. Pharmacies abound too.

 

“. Is it viable to go to shopping in Surat Thani” - the boat ride to the mainland takes over an hour on the car ferry and costs about 450 baht e/w.

This for me is the killer of living on Samui, you need to add at least 3 hours on any trip planned off the island and back.

Suratthani probably has less in the way of shopping than the island.

 

Samui prices are higher than most on mainland Thailand and the overwhelming presence of foreigners means that you need to look hard to find decent “proper” Thai food. T’s there but don’t expect to finds it on the beaches.

 

Samui is smothered by massages- from the deadly Thai massage to the “wash and w**k”. It is also full of “alternative” medical therapies and healers (charlatans), but Koh Pha Ngan is the capital for that kind of nonsense.

 

You need a special kind of mindset to live on an island .... The thing about Samui is it has attracted a class of foreigner that basically gradually become stir crazy - they are not interested in Thailand or the world around them, they want to sit on a beach in “paradise”. I’d suggest that they are navel-gazing, but most don’t even have to savvy to do that. Going off the island is an anathema to them. The result is a rather incestuous society of sunset-gazers who have dropped out of real life. Conspiracy theories and crank medicines prevail amongst a group largely bereft of any real critical thinking, who mostly if not detesting Thai people are unduly suspicious of them.

 

Samui is desperate to open up to tourism again (10 million people  year!), but at present has various restrictions and checks on visitors. Even those from different regions in Thailand. They have not detected any case on the island for several days.

 

Like others on this thread, I’d suggest you need to visit Samui, either for a few months or at several times of the year. This would give you an idea of climate and whether or not you are prepared to put a ferry between you and the mainland.

What a remarkable post!

I read it through quite carefully and, while I think you have generally reported factual information, your interpretations of that data paint a picture that clashes wildly with my experiences.

Shopping. It is quite telling that you seem to need five (plus!) paragraphs to discuss shopping on the island and in comparison to other places. Yes, the selection of goods isn't quite at the level of the larger areas that you mention, but that can be attributed to the limited numbers of shoppers; generally speaking, the free market decides supply and demand and gets things correct. And yes, it is true that the selection of items, especially foreign/imported items, isn't quite at the level of Chonburi, but again it is likely limited by the number of customers; Koh Samui's population is unclear, but 75,000-100,000 residents (Thai and Foreign) are generally accepted numbers and it can't compare to the much larger places on the mainland. 

However, all this talk of shopping misses the point. Yes, it is nice for an expat to occasionally get certain foods, items or brands from their native country (my 30-year gripe in Asia is inadequate cotton buds/Q-Tips/ear-cleaners), but living outside of one's native land means accepting changes to lifestyles, and if you are unable to adapt to the loss of your favorite tea or style of cookies or toilet paper or cotton buds or brand of shoes or other, then perhaps staying at home is a better life choice. Simply put, five paragraphs (plus!) on island shopping testifies to not adapting to local availability and/or norms, and perhaps that is why you don't seem happy here.

Finally, yes, prices are slightly higher here than in other locations, but the difference is miniscule. Respectfully, if this is affecting your decision as to whether to live here or not, then you should probably go away for a while, put more cash in the bank, and come back later in life.

"There is only one “real” town on the island; the port of Nathon"

Er... Wow. The statement above makes me wonder if you have actually lived on Koh Samui. I am constantly amazed and delighted at the level of diversity available on such a small island. I mainly hang on the north coast, but even here things change on short notice. Bang Por is such a laid-back location that as a habit, I often physically poke or prod local residents to either wake them and/or ensure that they are still... ahem... with us. Mae Nam demonstrates a weird ninja-quality balance; it has posh and poor, it has quality and sleaze, it has wear-your-heart-on-on-your-sleeve types and poseurs extraordinaire, it has grossly over-priced hotels and restaurants alongside cheap and wonderful things, it is an ever-present reminder of the word 'eclectic'. Bophut, on the other hand, always reminds me of a teen-age girl whose parents have slightly more money than her friend's parents do. Yes, she is akin to a teenage girl whose blouse is a bit nicer, the shoes a wee bit less worn, the make-up of a slightly higher quality, the 'airs' exemplified by a nose slightly stuck a bit further up in the air, but all still not quite spilling into the unlikeable. I'll let other members describe other areas, as they please.

Garbage is a problem, but I have to say that for the first time in decades, the authorities are trying to do something about it. Is it being cleaned as fast and as well as I would like? Nope. Is it being cleaned? Yup. 

Taxis, traffic, motorcycles, bicycles. Yes, taxis are awful and all taxi drivers will be re-born as cockroaches. Nuff' said. Yes, motorcycles are dangerous, if you don't know what you are doing. Yes, the tourists come and rent bikes that they don't know how to drive and end up in the hospital; I have no sympathy. However, if you learn how to drive a bike, drive soberly, carefully and defensively, it is fine; I am 25 years on a motorcycle without an accident. More and more bicycles are on the roads and it'll be interesting to see what occurs after Covid-19 is done; I suspect that bicycles are here to stay and will only grow in numbers. Good. Very good.

"You need a special kind of mindset to live on an island .... The thing about Samui is it has attracted a class of foreigner that basically gradually become stir crazy - they are not interested in Thailand or the world around them, they want to sit on a beach in “paradise”. I’d suggest that they are navel-gazing, but most don’t even have to savvy to do that. Going off the island is an anathema to them. The result is a rather incestuous society of sunset-gazers who have dropped out of real life. Conspiracy theories and crank medicines prevail amongst a group largely bereft of any real critical thinking, who mostly if not detesting Thai people are unduly suspicious of them."

I find this to be a truly remarkable paragraph, but not really in a good way; it is harsh, judgmental and it makes me wonder if your bad experiences on the island are essentially a reflection of your own personality. My experience(s) with Samui expats is extraordinarily different to yours; I find them, generally speaking, quite well-educated and erudite, coming from diverse backgrounds and bringing truly amazing life-experiences, possessive of inquisitive minds and holding a distain for other people's concepts of 'normal' or 'proper', demonstrating both willingness and desire to 'push the boundaries', and people who have the courage to challenge norms just for the hell of it. Simply put, I spent many of my younger years seeking a place where people 'dared to be different' and I found it here. I could write out another 50,000 words explaining Samui expats to you, but if you haven't gotten yet, you never will. Samui expats live life sideways, and if you can grasp that, you'll fit right in. If you can't grasp that, then perhaps your native country beckons.

Okay, off to the beach.

Toodles

32 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

I remember the good old days when this weekly topic was all about things that had happened in the past week interspersed with a reasonable amount of British humour and tales of scrabble and teaching at International schools.

 

Lately it seems to be a platform for one man’s opinions , those opinions can be aired on any of the numerous vaccine threads clogging up this forum. No need to turn what was a good Sunday read with a cuppa into a thread to raise the blood pressure, even more , of the TVF populate.

 

In these troublesome times we need your humour Rooster not your stance on current affairs . !!

+1; I fully agree with @Andrew Dwyer above.

Simply put, today's column, while well-written and interesting, could have been authored by 20-30+ different members. And, if the column could have been authored by 20-30+ different posters, why does this TWTW column still exist? What precisely differentiates it from the 50,000+ other Covid-19 posts?

I used to enjoy TWTW as the author could and did draw on his long experience in-country to try to bring different aspects of Thailand to members. Did he always succeed? Well, no, but it usually was interesting to read a Bangkok middle-class perspective on issues, even if they were terribly misguided ????. And, to be fair, some of the columns were quite interesting and offered new perspectives and insights to me. I miss that.

Respectfully, I come back to my question above; 

If the TWTW column is not really different from an average post, why does it still exist?

Morning @Tropicalevo

"I believe that it is for over 60's at the moment. Can you confirm that Samui Bodoh?

Everyone that I know who has registered is over 60 years old."

No, this is not correct. 

Registration for the free vaccine(s) is open to all adult foreigners. 

You need to bring ID; the preference is for either the Pink Thai ID card or a Thai Driver's  License, but if needed you can register with your passport. You do not need a work permit. You do not need to have an app on your phone (they didn't ask me about it nor did I see them ask anyone about it). The registration location is across the street from Central Festival/TOPS Supermarket in the white 'pavilion' building by the lake next to the community exercise equipment.

If you are under 60 years old, you are told to go to either Central Festival OR the University (your choice) on June 1st between 9 AM and 4 PM for a shot of SinoVac. 

If you are over 60 years old, you are told to go to either Central Festival OR the University (your choice) on June 7th between 9AM and 4 PM for a shot of AstraZeneca.

@churchill I can only speculate regarding Nathon Hospital registrations. I was told where/when to go after my form was filled, and that was the end of it. If the hospital told you where/when to go, I think you are fine. If the hospital did not say "go to Central Festival/University on June 7th between 9 AM and 4 PM", I would double check with the hospital or at Chaweng, or both. You have been in Thailand long enough to know that Thailand, and more specifically Thai Officials, have a knack of making easy things difficult, so...

A final comment. Given the current virus situation in Bangkok and the current government's hyper-focus on Bangkok, I think these are the only vaccines that we will see on Samui until the private hospitals get permission to import and sell, and my guess is that won't occur until late July? August? September? Make of that what you will.

Cheers All

Interesting article; members should go read the full text.

That said, the focus seems to be trying to persuade that the medical side of weed should be prioritized over the commercial side, and I would argue that that is a false choice; both sides have valid objectives and both sides are valid economic opportunities.

The purely medical/therapeutic side of using weed is quite clear and has been demonstrated in many counties around the world for many years now. Thailand should increase the use government funds for research to enhance and promote medicines derived from the plant, as well as strengthening the marketing aspect of those medicines; the goal should be, in medical circles in Asia, to develop a brand name like 'Swiss Chocolate' or 'German Engineering' or 'Canadian Maple Syrup'.

The commercial medical reasons for this are already clear;

" The market value of cannabis in Thailand is estimated to be between US$660 million and US$2.5 billion by 2024." 

However, the above is merely half the market; the Thai government should immediately explore and establish a recreational use market, complete with weed shops, regulations, taxes and the like. Simply put, the medical market is valuable to Thailand in a time where they need enhanced economic prospects, but the recreational use market is also a giant economic opportunity. Some country in Asia will be the first to allow recreational use, and the first country to do so will have great advantages in what will become a multi-billion dollar market on the continent. If you set the initial rules, create the first laws, establish the first guidelines, then you can play to your strengths as others will certainly follow your lead. Thailand has the opportunity to create conditions favourable to itself that others will follow and become the instant leader of the latest economic boom.

The arguments in favour of legalization and establishment of a recreational use market are overwhelming; the first country that does it will make a multi-billion dollar killing. The second will simply be an 'also-ran'.

C'mon Thailand; you like money, you desperately need to chill a bit, and you'll actually be a 'Hub'.

Win, win win.

First of all, let me say 'Many Thanks!!!' to all who post Covid information in the Samui/Islands section, be it on this thread or on the other Covid-19 ones; I especially like to see the daily totals for the island to get a sense of how the trend is moving, but I so loathe Facebook that I won't look there. Again, a very sincere thanks.

Yesterday I made a tour of some of the private hospitals on the island to ask about vaccines and vaccine availability. ThaiInter had a sign-up sheet where you could leave your name and number, but were quite adamant that nothing was in the works anytime soon. Bandon was even less forthcoming; the nice nurse there said that vaccines were really only for Thais, but perhaps something for foreigners might, someday, in the fullness of time, be available, maybe. My final stop was Bangkok Hospital where the nice lady at the desk sounded remarkably like Sgt Schultz from Hogan's Heroes, "I see nothing!, I hear nothing!, I say nothing! Nothing! Nothing!". I didn't bother with SI in Cheweng.

I see in the news today that the Thai Health Ministry denies that foreigners will get free jabs or be part of the initial roll out.

Notwithstanding all the above, I believe that the private hospitals on the island(s) will be selling vaccines, likely at the end of July, assuming that the government's rollout plans proceed on schedule.

First, did anyone reading this really believe that the Thai government was going to treat foreigners/residents the same as Thais? Seriously? Anyone who has taken a deep enough dive on TVF to end up on this thread should know that things simply don't work that way in Thailand; I am not complaining or passing judgement, but that it the way things go here and all know it. Nuff' said.

The simple facts are that private hospital companies are rich and powerful, medical tourism is a big and growing part of the Thai economy, some kind of arrangement will be made so the private hospitals can get vaccines, jack up the price, then sell them at a tidy profit, and the government will allow it as it'll cave to big business demands as Thai Governments always cave to big business demands; again, no complaining or passing judgement, but we all know that is how things function here.

Why aren't they saying so now? Politics. No Thai government can be seen as treating foreigners the same as Thais; it is a political reality of Thailand (I lived in Indonesia for a time; whenever there were Muslims on Death Row, they stayed there until a Christian was to be put to death, then slews of them bought it just after while the government could say "See? We did a Christian first, so don't protest".). However, assuming the government rolls out the first several million doses of vaccine free to Thais in June and it goes reasonably well, by mid-July or so they'll announce that the private hospitals can import and sell in order to speed up the re-opening of tourism. As long as Thais are seen to be at the head of the line, things will progress. And honestly, it would help speed up the re-opening of tourism as residents are a primary source of information for potential visitors; I have had around 30 people ask me to write when it is safe so that they can come and visit, and I seriously doubt that I am the only one who gets letters like that.

Will I buy a vaccine? It is a question that raises several interesting philosophical questions; should 'free-market' or 'nationalism' or 'the neediest first' or 'first come, first serve' or simply 'Dibs!' rule? I'll leave that debate to another person at another time. That said, I will almost certainly purchase the vaccine, as long as the price isn't egregiously high. And, I'll debate the ethics after...

Stay safe, everybody

Ten Twelve Reasons to Quit Smoking (in no special order)

1. You won't smell anymore. Apologies, but there is no polite way to put it; smokers stink. They smell. They reek. Their breath smells like an ashtray. Their clothes are foul and gross. They leave a putrid miasma in every room they occupy.
2. You will regain your sense of smell and taste. It is truly an amazing thing; I lived and/or visited Thailand for more than 25 years, but after I quit smoking, Thai food became twice as good. Seriously, twice as good!
3. You won't look like a dried-up lizard. Smoking makes your face/skin look old; quitting smoking means putting 'lizard-ness' off for a decade or two.
4. If you quit smoking, you don't have to listen to people like me, your spouse, your kids, your friends and complete strangers telling how smoking is bad for you. Wouldn't it be nice if we all shut up? If you didn't have to hear us?
5. It is easier to pull/keep chicks. Simply put, it is easier to pull and/or keep a hot chick as a non-smoker rather than as a smoker. Nuff' said.
6. You won't get sick as often. Yes, I know, perhaps smoking helps with c-19 and perhaps it doesn't. But, a non-smoker will catch fewer flus, colds, infections, etc. than a smoker; it is a scientific fact.
7. You won't hurt those around you. Second-hand smoke kills about 50,000 people a year and damages the health of many, many, many more; don't you want to stop hurting your wife? Your kids? Your friends? Your neighbours? Strangers on the road?
8. You'll have more breath. Smokers; when was the last time you climbed three flights of stairs without panting or wheezing? Without some shortness of breath? Without stopping for a sec to catch your breath at the top?
9. Money. Cigarettes are expensive and you get nothing (literally nothing) for your money. One example; by quitting when I did, I saved approximately 190,000 Baht. What would you do with an extra 190,000 Baht? Whooo-Hoooo!
10. Impotence. It is a medical fact that smoking reduces the lead in your pencil. Further, it is also medical fact that the more you smoke, the more the lead in your pencil is reduced. Simple question; what's better? Smoking or sex? If you chose sex (and you really should have), then it is time to quit.

And a bonus #11; you won't be an addict anymore. Being an addict, whether it is Nicotine, Yaba, Alcohol, Opioids, Meth, Heroin, Crack, or anything else, diminishes a person.

If you quit smoking, you'll be a better person to be around, your sensations and pleasures will improve, your health and appearance will be better, you'll do better with the girls, you'll have stamina again, you'll save huge amounts of money, and your sex life will improve.

If you keep smoking, your stink will drive people away, you won't enjoy food and drink as much, your health will decline, you will become 'Lizard-like', hot girls will laugh at you and throw rocks, you'll be awful in the sack, you'll be poorer and no woman will want you.

And now number 12: It makes Covid-19 worse and you are more likely to die.

Does anyone really need number 13?

Seriously?

I was a teacher trainer back in the day and saw many bright young teachers like this; full of wonder and awe.

However...

This young man will return from Oz full of new ideas and methods, but will then run into the old guard at the school; the ones that have been there forever and that are resistant to change. Further, he will get undermined by those same elderly teachers with the Principal and other Admin people at the school. Finally, he will get shunned a bit because he is trying to introduce 'foreign' ideas.

The young teacher will either be told to 'shut up' and do so OR he will embark on a very long journey to amass certificates and seniority in order to implement some of the new things that he learned; that will take a loooooong time. Eventually, that young teacher will have amassed enough clout to finally change things, but by then he will be one of the 'old guard' fearful of the 'new upstarts' and their 'newfangled ideas'.

Rinse and repeat.

Ad nauseam.

If you want to see change in the Thai education system, and everyone should, you need drastic, radical action. 

Step one: enter the Bangkok Ministry of Education building and fire 80% of the people working there. Literally. They are the ones who created the current monstrosity and they are the ones who will sabotage any chance of reform.

Step two: enter the Provincial Ministry of education building(s) and fire 75% of the people working there.

Step three; enter every school in the Kingdom and inform the Principal that if 50% of his senior students don't pass the nation-wide tests, he will be fired.

Step four: give the Principal some autonomy to hire/fire and/or discipline staff

Step Five: if it doesn't work the first year, do it again for a second, third, and fourth year.

Drastic? Yup. Revolutionary? Yup. Serious? Yup. Needed? Yup.

But, I ain't holding my breath...

This week saw the end of the TVF World News Sub-Forum and, I fear, is a harbinger of things to come. At 1.2 million posts, it was (I think) the third most active Sub-Forum after 'Thai News' and 'General' and its passing bodes badly for the future of TVF. 

I officially joined TVF in early 2016 but, like many others on here, I was a 'Lurker' for quite a while before I signed in. In the early days, I needed to learn about all things 'visa' and TVF was, and still is, the best place on the planet to acquire that information (thanks @ubonjoe and all others who contribute!); pretty much everything that I know about Thai visas, I learned here. My other early reason for lurking/joining was to acquire local information; as my user name suggests, I live on Koh Samui and was curious regarding members' thoughts about the island.

After I learned a great deal about my immediate surroundings, I began to look at the 'Thai News' section and it was a delightful find. I was already quite familiar with the general issues faced by the Kingdom (I worked regionally for many years and am a bit of a 'news junkie'), but it was fascinating to learn of the diverse (foreign) opinion in-country. Yes, I certainly had my views, but it was a real treat to be exposed to others who saw things differently. I'll never forget the day when I saw a post by a female member whom I respected that was pro-coup; it was like getting hit in the face with a shovel. What can I say? She was wrong then and she is still wrong today, but having my own thoughts so directly challenged was a wonderful thing; if you stop re-considering and re-evaluating your thoughts on a regular basis, you already have a foot in the grave. Sadly, in the post-coup era, Thai News simply became too depressing and blah to follow; the term 'wet blanket smothering and stultifying functional brain activity' is how I would describe it.

I shifted over to World News for a time and was enthralled by the debate over 'Brexit' (I still do not understand how/why a country would voluntarily decide to diminish itself, but that is for another day) and appalled by the words used (sorry, can't call it a debate or argument) in discussing Trump. My time on the World News Sub-Forum came to an end through outside... er... interactions, and if I say more, I get my post deleted.

The last year on TVF has been one of slow decline; many good posters have moved on and the quality/variety of articles have followed a similar journey (how is an NNT or NAEW NA word salad considered journalism/news?). I really enjoyed TWTW for a while, but even that lost some of its sheen. Hmm... that said, kudos to Rooster for this week's column; there is still a great deal of stigma attached to mental health issues and it is a brave person who will discuss it publicly. Well done, Sir.

What does the future hold for TVF? I used to look at it several times a day, but that has been reduced to a couple of times a week, if that. Now, when I visit, I get a mental image of being in the back seat of an old, two-seat Bi-Plane and the pilot is slumped over the steering thingy; mentally, I keep shouting "Wake Up! Pull Up! Wake Up! Pull Up!" but I am losing hope that he will hear me in time.

What more to say? I always hope that the best is yet to come, but... 

Wake Up! Pull Up! Wake Up! Pull Up!

Ha!

I am waaaay smarter than the Thai romance scammers!

As soon as I get the 8 million dollars that I am going to receive from the illegitimate son of Nigeria's former ruler, I'll teach those Thai scammers a lesson!

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59 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

This is not the Bangkok I remember from my misspent youth!

9 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The former poster boy of the RTP and its most recognizable member of that elite crew of scoundrels is perhaps the most recognizable ploddite in Thailand, especially among the foreign community who were attracted as much by his nickname of Big Joke as his high profile, media savvy exploits.

A glory-seeking, spotlight-stealing, credit-grabbing bureaucrat who maxed-out a publicity budget solely for his own benefit and advancement.

I bet his colleagues and underlings hate him with red-hot passion.

Interesting article. I would encourage members to go to the full article as the summary doesn't do justice to the ideas presented. There is one point that really stands out to me...

"“And if the political system remains closed to change, talented youth may look for opportunities in other countries,” he added."

This is a serious long-term threat to Thailand's future prosperity. The youths leading today's demonstrations, whether you agree with them or not, are a generation of leaders which really can't be replaced and will constitute a great loss for future development. Thailand's future leadership will come about in two ways; they will be either children of the rich, connected and currently powerful or they will be 'outsiders' who rise on their merits. The first group, the proverbial 'Princelings', will have wealth and power without going through the trouble of acquiring it for themselves, but rather will have it handed to them (Red Bull Heir, anyone?). The cumulative effect of a generation of 'leaders' being handed power and authority will mean a generation of people who simply do not understand life without it, and thus will not have the experience(s) needed to create conditions for others to thrive. Yes, there will be exceptions to this phenomenon, but they will be exceptions. Yes, I do recall the famous phrase "Let them eat cake". 

The generations of leaders who rise though their own merits, or through luck, or through other circumstances, are the ones who would bring an understanding of what is needed for others to get ahead. This understanding is key to a public policy whereby 'outsiders' can do well, and these people in turn greatly benefit the country by bringing new ideas, new methods, in creating conditions for new opportunities and allowing a society to re-invent/replenish itself. Take these people out of a country's future development and all you have remaining is the 'wet blanket' of entrenched privilege, something Thailand already has too much of. 

"“If we put a large number of our youth behind bars, we will freeze our country’s future prosperity,” said Move Forward Party MP Rangsiman Rome. Amnesty International Thailand says 382 protest leaders and demonstrators have been charged or jailed since 2020."

A good number of these 320 people (with many more seemingly to end up charged sooner rather than later) are Thailand's potential future leaders in Business, Politics, the Labour movement, the Arts, the Sciences, etc. If many of these 320 people/leaders don't rise to become contributing members of future society, then the people who do rise will be the 'second-raters' which, in today's interconnected world, will mean that Thailand will not be able to attain its potential; it will forever remain a 'nice place for a holiday' with 'hot women', 'nice beaches' and 'good food', but nothing more than that.

Societies need to replenish themselves and new generations of leaders need to rise up if a country expects a bright future. Should Thailand entrust its future solely to the hands of the 'Princelings', the second-generation Bureaucrat, the second-generation General, the second-generation CEO, the second-generation Leader, then it can expect a 'Second-Level' future and watch its neighbours pass it by.

It is sad to see the waste of potential here. I recall the 90's and early 2000's where the whole world was watching Thailand to see what heights it would reach and how it would develop into its own version of a modern, affluent, well-run and admired country. 

No one is watching for that now...

I'll leave aside the moral arguments for being faithful to one's spouse; every relationship is different and I don't really want to judge another person's arrangement(s).

That said, I think this is emblematic of a moral/ethical vacuum among Thailand's leadership class. A quick glance back at life in the Kingdom over the last...70 years shows a series of coups demonstrating disregard for the 'Rule of Law'. A quick glance back at life in the Kingdom over the last...70 years shows a lack of personal responsibility on the part of Leaders, especially in regards to any legal or criminal processes. A quick glance back at life in the Kingdom over the last...70 years shows that 'Societal Rules' for the Leadership class are ever changeable and based on situational ethics. A quick glance back at life in the Kingdom over the last...70 years shows if you got cash and/or connections, then you can do whatever the hell you want with near absolute certainty of not paying any price.

In light of the above, is anyone surprised that Thais are unfaithful to their spouses? Is the unfaithfulness of Public Life a reflection of previous unfaithfulness of one's private life or the other way around? Is this all a bad thing?

As above, I try to avoid moral judgments, but I have to wonder what Thailand would be like if the Leadership class had a sense of personal responsibility, faithfulness or accountability.

Would it still be the Thailand we all know and love?

Hmm...